Wednesday Skull Session

I thought railing against people for railing against Urban Meyer for not speaking at a youth football camp on Aaron Hernandez possibly being a triple murderer was a straw man constructed by Ohio State fans with a persecution complex. (You know the type, the ones who think ESPN has a vendetta against Ohio State.) It turns out, this is actually a thing professional sportswriters think.

Cecil Hurt, the Alabama beat writer, used the revelation Tim Tebow tried to break-up a bar fight to pontificate on Urban Meyer's silence on the issue. (He called it "gutless" in a tweet to an OSU-troll, but later deleted it.) Mike Florio, who carries Twitter beefs with NFL mascots, noted it's odd Urban Meyer — who, again, was at a youth football camp — was willing to talk about a former player who wasn't allegedly involved in a gangland-style execution. Clay Travis, a creepy 34 year-old man who spends his time ogling college-aged girls on the internet (and will block you on Twitter if you remind him he has a wife), used the episode to further drive his agenda against Urban Meyer. Noted tough-man Jim Rome even used the topic to fill some minutes on his god-awful radio show. (The worst, however, was some dude calling Aaron Hernandez's mugshot the face of the Urban Meyer era at Florida.)

And then there's Dick Vitale, the 74 year-old walking caricature who talks like a frat brother from Yonkers that just bonged a caffeinated FourLoko, who apparently just discovered the "Urban recruits thugs" meme from his Florida tenure:

Tell me this is NOT TRUE-25 GATORS arrested 31 times in Urban Meyer era including Hernandez those numbers DON'T SHOW on his 65 15 mark @ UF

— Dick Vitale (@DickieV) July 2, 2013

WHY WON'T URBAN MEYER ANSWER MEDIA QUESTIONS ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS YET TO BE CONVICTED OF ANY CRIME? MY COLUMN:

The above list reads like a who's who of awful American sports journalism, and frankly, should tell you all you need to know about this issue. That said, I don't know what these people want to hear from Meyer, as if he's anything but saddened/disappointed/angered by Aaron Hernandez's fall from grace? How else would a mentor, who tried to put his pupil on the right path, react to their student's miserable, colossal failings?

Urban knew Hernandez's past and he tried to help him. Hernandez spurned the help and chose a life of thuggery instead. People make their own choices. That's life. Just because these guys have opinions on the Aaron Hernandez case doesn't mean Urban Meyer owes them his. It's not like Urban Meyer is Aaron Hernandez's co-defendant in anything but the self-righteous, black and white world some sportswriters like to pretend we live in.

I will now light myself on fire for typing about the Hernandez case in a public place (after I finish the Skull Session, of course).

THE OPENING AND OHSAA STUPIDITY. This is an ESPN ($) Insider article, but apparently Ohio State gear/fans/commits are everywhere at the Opening, and recruits are starting to take notice:

They’re here on the field. They’re there at the hotel. Seriously, there are Buckeyes everywhere. 

I’m serious, man. Everywhere you turn, there’s somebody with a Buckeye hat, Buckeye shirt or gear on.

OTHER OPENING NOTES: Kyle Berger had a pick-6 with some "nifty" running after the catch and passed "the eye test"... USC Insider Scott Schrader has predicted OSU to land 4-star WR/TE/H-Back Austin Roberts (he'll be attending Friday Night Lights too)... Kyle Trout started slow, switched to RT and won both his reps... 24/7 said Jalyn Holmes was one of yesterday's top defensive linemen... Damon Webb picked off Kentucky commit Drew Barker... Terry McLaurin had a diving touchdown catch... 15 year-old Parris Campbell ran a 4.41 40-yard dash... Ohio State target Solomon Thomas (no not THAT Solomon Thomas) was unblockable; will Vrabel be able to again work his gypsy magik?... The 7 on 7 and Lineman Finals are broadcasted tonight at 9 PM on ESPNU...

... Also, Ohio kids aren't able to put on pads at the Opening because they would basically forfeit their eligibility. In 2013, this is insanely dumb and puts Ohio kids at a competitive disadvantage. Hopefully Urban had stuff like this targeted when he talks about reforming OHSAA football rules. (Hello, spring high school football!)

KINGSBURY SEES NO REASON TO SLOW OFFENSES. The only time Bert Beliema and Nick Saban have appeared in the same sentence is when discussing their whining to slow down these new-fangled, no-huddling, hurry-up offenses. Kliff Kingsbury, who headlined some prolific offenses at Texas Tech under Mike Leach and is now Tech's head football coach, wants to see some scientific proof behind Bert and Saban's theories (emphasis mine):

"I would have to see some scientific or statistical information showing an increase in injuries, because to me right now it's just talk...

"Stop recruiting these beasts up front and we won't run as many plays."

We all know this issue is about player-safety, something Nick Saban holds close to his black smoldering heart, and totally not about increasing his team's odds of winning. As for Bert, well, being a duplicitous bag of shit is just par for the course at this point. In the mean time, they both just got scorched by a guy named Kliff.

DEMETRIUS KNOX WILL ALWAYS BE A BUCKEYE. 11W user Demetrius Knox has been absolutely killing it at The Opening. In an interview with SBNation, Knox says he began to break with Texas fans when they left the Oklahoma blow-out early. He says UCLA leads Ohio State for his services, but most ominously:

Even if I go to UCLA or some place else, I will always be a Buckeye.

I don't think that's a good sign for Ohio State, but if Knox were to commit elsewhere, the blow would be softened by the commitment of Jamarco Jones and the likely commitment of Jermaine Eluemunor. At this point, I think Knox would simply be a luxury item in the truest sense of the phrase.

Besides, Demetrius Knox uses the alias "Meechy," which comes from Big Meech, the notorious don of the Black Mafia (crime) Family. Using Jason Whitlock's infallible logic, Mr. Knox will probably end up incarcerated for murder some day, in which case Mike Bianchi's erection might burst and kill him if Knox were ever to play under Urban Meyer.

GET WHOOPED THEN, IRISH. Ohio State and Notre Dame basketball will headline the Gotham Classic later this year in Madison Square Garden. It will be only the 13th time the two programs have met, with Ohio State holding a 7-5 advantage. (ESPN2 will broadcast the encounter.) The Gotham Classic will feature ten games with all five teams playing each other. The schedule is as follows:

Dec. 7 - Delaware at Notre Dame
Dec. 7 - North Dakota State at Bryant
Dec. 9 - Bryant at Notre Dame
Dec. 11 - Bryant at Ohio State
Dec. 16 - Delaware at North Dakota State
Dec. 18 - Delaware at Ohio State
Dec. 21 - Notre Dame vs. Ohio State (at MSG)
Dec. 21 - Bryant vs. Delaware (at MSG)

OSU LANDS BIG RECEIVER. No, not a "big" as in recruiting ranking, but physically. Joe Ramstetter, a 6'3" 200 lbs receiver from Cincinnati Elder, has committed to Ohio State as a preferred walk-on.

Ramstetter had 1,005 receiving yards last year with 15 touchdowns and was a Division I "all-area" selection and a first-team all-GCL selection. He had verbally committed to Dayton to play baseball before changing his mind.

Ramstetter had spoken to Miami (OH), Michigan State and Georgia Tech, but settled on Ohio State after Elder head coach Doug Ramsey got in touch with Kerry Coombs and the Buckeyes offered him a preferred walk-on spot.

THOSE WMDs. Linebacker Luke Roberts is transferring to Harvard... A pretty sweet story about Yasiel Puig, the Coast Guard and defection from Cuba... Spurs and Heat are slightly ahead of the Cavs in the chase for Greg Oden... Urban Meyer is hosting the OSU-NFL Mom's Clinic (showing how football is becoming safer) on 8/1... Hazing rituals in prep sports are becoming more sexually violent...  A world-class troll of Canadians on Canada Day by an American... Dennis Rodman: I deserve a Nobel Peace Prize... The guitarist who was kicked out of Nirvana and Soundgarden and joined the Special Ops...  A car that goes 80 mph on land and 44 mph on water... "Blood on the Leaves" is a banger...