Today's Skull Session, in memoriam of Tracy Sprinkle's OSU career, is sponsored by my good friends at Time Warner Cable. (No, they're not paying me for this.)
Because my landlord is an upstanding company, I was forced back into the good hands of Time Warner. I had forgotten how dedicated they were to customer service.
My internet and cable almost lasted 72 uninterrupted hours before it flamed out yesterday afternoon. It's remarkable what they can do with modern machinery these days.
It's a good thing it could be another 72 hours before my problem was fixed, because otherwise I might have had something better to do than vacuum and fold laundry. I love feeling like I live in a wood cabin from 1988 when I'm actually in 2014.
Time Warner Cable. Five out of five stars. I WOULD DO BUSINESS WITH THESE CHAPS AGAIN EVEN IF I HAD A CHOICE.
(Please send help.)
GIDDENS WANTS A RING. Yesterday marked Thad Matta's 10th year at Ohio State. 2015's newest Basketbuck commit, Daniel Giddens, has a the perfect, albeit belated, anniversary gift.
From Ari Wasserman of Cleveland.com:
"We want to get Coach Matta his first ring," Giddens told cleveland.com in a phone interview Monday evening. "We believe we have the talent for it, and we're hungry. We want that national championship at Ohio State."
[...]
"I am confident we'll be able to do big things at Ohio State," Giddens said. "That's why it was so easy to see myself playing there. We have big goals, but we're ready to stay hungry and work for them."
After being spurned by a series of big men, it's good to see Giddens recognizes the success Matta has had with big men:
"And with Ohio State's big men, you have Greg Oden and Jared Sullinger and Byron Mullens, and I felt like in Coach Matta's system has done a great job of developing big men and getting them ready at this level. I want to go down that path."
I don't know whose NBA career has been more surprising: Byron Mullens or the unmentioned Kosta Koufos.
OHIO STADIUM IS RAD. Athlon Sports polled 15 media experts about the best stadiums in college football, and Ohio Stadium got some love:
Here's what they said about Ohio Stadium:
Ohio Stadium, affectionately known as The Horseshoe, was the only stadium to be on every single ballot. The Buckeyes' home turf was a clear No. 2 and was the only building even close to LSU. It only got one first-place vote from the panel but was no lower than seventh on any ballot.
Hard for me to pick any bones with the Death Valley, because it looks awesome on television. Hopefully I can watch a game there before Les Myles retires.
OSU HAS A GOOD DEFENSIVE LINE. And BTN is on it. Here's Trent Dienhart's top three defensive lines in the B1G:
1. Ohio State. This may be the finest front in the USA. Ends Noah Spence and Joey Bosa are formidable, combining for 15.5 sacks. Bosa was a true freshman phenom in 2013. Michael Bennett is a monster tackle. Running mate Adolphus Washington is an efficient force vs. the run and can get a push. Depth is good with the likes of Tommy Schutt, Steve Miller and Michael Hill.
2. Michigan State. The beat goes on for another strong Spartan front. Shilique Calhoun is back to reprise his role as a devastating end. He was the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2013. Marcus Rush brings pure speed off the other end. Demetrius Cooper is an intriguing prospect. Lawrence Thomas and Damon Knox are inside forces. Keep an eye on incoming freshman Malik McDowell impacting somewhere.
3. Iowa. This is a blue-collar group. The tackle duo of Carl Davis and Louis Trinca-Pasat has few peers. Davis is a mammoth space-eater. Trinca-Pasat is an effort guy. Depth behind them is good, with Darian Cooper, Faith Ekakitie and Jaleel Johnson. Ends Drew Ott and Mike Hardy aren’t flashy but get the job done.
Michigan checks in at No. 5, which is about right. Speaking of Ohio State's mediocre rival...
BRADY HOKE TRYING TO HUMBLE PEPPERS. Brady Hoke has been able to get talent to the University of Michigan during his tenure. The problem has been developing that talent once it gets there.
Jabrill Peppers was a can't-miss prospect that's already drawing comparison's to Fremont's Charles Woodson. Brady Hoke is trying to pump the brakes on the hype train, for obvious reasons.
From Chris Vannini of CoachingSearch.com:
"Jabrill and I have had conversations about (hype),” Hoke said on Inside Michigan Football. “‘All those people who are patting you on the back and everything else are the same ones who are going to put a knife in your back. Don’t worry about that. Just do what you’ve done to get you to this point and work the way you’ve worked and be who you are.”
Of course, it appears Michigan is still perplexed by where they'll use Peppers:
"We don’t know,” [Michigan defensive coordinator Greg] Mattison said. “I’m being very honest with you. Jabrill Peppers is a tremendous athlete. You saw what he did in the state tack meet. Everything he’s done, he keeps showing why we’re so excited about him. Jabrill Peppers will go the position where we feel we really need somebody and we need somebody that needs to step in there early. We’ll wait until he gets here and wait to see how it plays out.
Can Jabrill Peppers play everywhere? Because Michigan could use help everywhere.
THE JOKE IS JEFF GREENE USED TO GO TO GEORGIA TECH. Wonder if the players notice Ohio State's spring game attendance? Here's Jeff Greene yesterday:
THOSE WMDs. Detroit's North End sure has a lot of vacants... A special look into the life of a Duke graduate assistant... Why the same teams will continue to win World Cups long into the future... Man flies camera drone into fireworks display to capture close-up footage... Photo: a triple lightning strike on three of Chicago's tallest buildings... Coney Island in the 1960s... Astronaut laundry... WTF... Cool pic from Great American Ballpark...
