Happy birthday to America. Those jack-booted and incredibly real P.C. Police can flog me if they want, but America — even with its flaws — is the world's greatest country.
May Warren G. Harding bless you with a tranquil holiday surrounded by those you care about.
ICYMI: Eric's piece on Big Ten ejections/arrests is hilarious.
IF YOU'RE GOING TO FLY THE FLAG. Listen, I've been around the block enough now to know the jig. Baseball teams in Ohio are less popular than Ohio's "amateur" football team. In an order to dovetail on some of that interest, baseball teams create wacky Ohio State tie-ins.
This is usually manifested in the ceremonial first pitch. The Lake County Captains — Cleveland's Single-A squad — took it a step further. They donned Ohio State jerseys, and then they proceeded to get their asses kicked.
Captains drop one to Lansing, 11-3. pic.twitter.com/m9xocsqTjS
— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) July 3, 2015
That's desecration, and I won't stand for it. If you're going to fly Ohio State's colors then handle your business accordingly. Don't rob banks. Don't get drubbed by a Single-A team from Lansing. These are basic principles.
I assume Ohio State's lawyers will be working through the weekend to sue the Captains out of existence.
KIPER HIGH ON BUCKS. Folks, it seems to me that Ohio State might be good next year.
Among underclassmen, Kiper ranks Cardale Jones his No. 3 QB, Elliott No. 1 RB, Michael Thomas No. 4 WR, Pat Elflein No. 1 guard ...
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) July 3, 2015
Kiper lists Joey Bosa as No. 1 on his overall "Big Board." Other underclassmen:Darron Lee is No. 1 OLB, Vonn Bell is No. 3 safety.
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) July 3, 2015
Among seniors, Kiper has Nick Vannett as No. 1 TE, Taylor Decker as No. 1 OT, Adolphus Washington No. 1 DT, Joshua Perry is No. 3 OLB.
— Bill Rabinowitz (@brdispatch) July 3, 2015
Is this team the most decorated preseason team ever? Because it feels like it, and I — the man on the couch with the Wifi connection – do not like it.
POTTER TO MONTVERDE. It looks like Micah Potter, a three-star 2016 center commit from Mentor, is going to transfer to Montverde Academy, the alma mater of D'Angelo Russell.
From Bill Landis of cleveland.com:
"The players they have there, the way they'll prepare me for Ohio State is something that no one else could do," Potter told Northeast Ohio Media Group last week. "I'll go up against some of the best players in the country every day in practice, you don't get that anywhere else. On top of that, the competition they play is second-to-none. The big thing for me was developing, getting ready for Ohio State."
Tim Potter told Northeast Ohio Media Group it was a family decision made for more than just basketball reasons. The Potters contacted Montverde about the move once the decision was made to transfer from Mentor. Boyle doesn't have to do much of a sell job for his program.
Montverde has won three straight national championships. Boyle has had a player taken in the top five picks in four of the last five NBA Drafts. That list includes Russell, Joel Embiid in 2014, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in 2012 and Kyrie Irving in 2011. He'll likely have another next year in Ben Simmons, the top player in the 2015 recruiting class who will play for LSU this year.
Definitely the better career move, for sure, but I doubt it's cheap. These schools are out here raking on these parents.
DIDDY WON'T CATCH A FELONY. Diddy — the rich man who is said to have attacked a strength coach with a kettlebell on behalf of his son's honor — won't catch a felony for the alleged incident.
From Richard Winton and Nathan Fenno of LATimes.com:
Rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs won’t face felony charges after being arrested last week for allegedly attacking a UCLA intern and an assistant football coach during a dispute over his son, a player on the Bruins squad.
[...]
Prosecutors did not say why they chose not to file felony charges. But law enforcement sources familiar with the investigation said the decision was based in part on the fact that Combs waved the kettlebell at several people in the gym and that no one was seriously injured. The sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Ricardo Santiago, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office, said the case was referred to the L.A. city attorney to decide whether Combs' conduct amounts to a misdemeanor.
Like I said from the rip: This is the greatest country on Earth.
THOSE DECLARATIONS OF INDEPENDENCE. TIL: Pinball used to be illegal in Columbus... General Luck reflects on Independence Day... Common tequila myths, debunked... Who's cutting California's internet cables? The FBI has no idea... Father vs. daughter: beatboxing.
