Various...

* Great game in Chapel Hill last night. Ohio State proved that they will be a legitimate contender for both the Big Ten and National Championship this season. The Buckeyes had the early hot hand, and UNC was able to take advantage when tOSU cooled off in the second half. When Greg Oden returns, this is an excellent team.

* The Browns suck, Edwards is acting like an idiot, I don't know what to think of the continued instability in Berea, I want Tressel to stay in Columbus, when do the draft parties begin?

* The Cavaliers are schizophrenic...losing to Isiah and the Knicks? 9-6, but should have 2-3 more wins, yet I still think they are the best team in a very depleted Eastern Conference.

* David Dellucci. Sounds OK by me, I guess, but I'm wondering what (if any) moves happen before mid-February.

* 39 days to OSU vs. ??? in Glendale, Arizona.

Buckeye basketball

Big match-up (for November, at least) when Ohio State heads to Chapel Hill to take on the Tar Heels. Great column by Todd Jones in today's Dispatch, echoing thoughts I've had for years....with our resources, alumni, and student population, there is no excuse for Ohio State to be merely mediocre in basketball. Actually, I believe the Buckeyes should be a national power in many different sports, especially wrestling. But that is a topic for another day...

RIP Casey Coleman

Papa Cass says it much better than I ever could.

Assorted news

* It appears Braylon Edwards attempt to grab Charlie Frye during yesterday's debacle was an attempt to send a message to the (awful) offensive line about the need to keep his jersey clean. Agree with the sentiment, love the passion, but shut up already Braylon!

* Don't get to watch many games here in Florida, but the vibe around the CBJ has swung drastically since Ken Hitchcock was named head coach last week. The playoffs are a long shot now (hell, nearly an impossible dream...) but there does seem to be a direction and a future that has been lacking.

* Don't look now, but barring a monumental upset, it's Ohio State v. USC on January 8 in Glendale. Not sure what to think just yet, but USC was very impressive against Notre Dame on Saturday. The Trojans have the athletes to make a very good and competitive game. As a Buckeye fan with fresh wounds from 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2003 and 2005, there is no way I can avoid worrying until the BCS Championship Game. After all, aren't we supposed to be paranoid?

* Some excellent news: #1 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, #3 in the AP Poll for the basketball Buckeyes. This is the first time in school history the Bucks have been #1 in football and men's basketball. I have yet to see a game, but we should now more after Wednesday's showdown in Chapel Hill. And, just wait until Oden returns and makes his mark...

Pathetic Effort (or Steeler Hangover)

Today may have been Cleveland's worst effort of the season. After the progress the offense has made under Jeff Davidson, today seemed to be a reincarnation of the days of Chris Palmer, Doug Pedersen and Spergoyn(sp?) Wynn. Just a pathetic effort all around. Charlie Frye had one of his worst games as a Brown. Now, I am a Frye defender, and there are many problems on the team (poor offensive line, inconsistent run game, poor hands by some of the receivers, Jerome Harrison's inability to ick up a blitz), but Charlie had, quite possibly, his worst game since the debacle against the Steelers last Christmas Eve. The team looked very lethargic; one of two possible results after last week's blown game. I thgought the Browns would continue to build on their progress and at least be competitive against the Bengals, and who expected a shutout against the worst D in the NFL. Absolutely pathetic. The Browns are the team struggling team use to rejuvinate their seasons. I only wish I'd been drunk for this game...watching the Browns sober is just too painful.

Other thoughts:

* Braylon Edwards should learn to keep his mouth shut. Until he shows up for every game and gets over the dropsies, he should not blame the coaching staff, Brian Russell, the QB, or anyone else.
* Contrary to Kevin Harlon's opinion, Edwards grabbing Frye on the sidelines was not an attack. However, some disciplinary action may be needed.
* Rich Gannon has improved as a commentator, but he always seems on the verge of falling asleep in the booth...of course, maybe that's just from watching the Browns.
* How did this officiating crew get 100% postseason assignments last season? Jeff Triplette, at least to my perspective, is one of the worts officials in the league. Of course, that could be due to the fact he's the ref who knocked Orlando Brown out with a flag to the eye in 1999.
* Question: who will we pick next April in the first round? We'll have a high choice...again.

A few things

Well, I think The Game lived up to expectations. I ws not able to get in for the game, but a TV from the parking lot worked just fine. And, I was able to get onto the field after the game, which is what I really wanted to do. What a wonderful game, but Ohio State is the clear number one team in the country. If there were not three second half turnovers, the Buckeyes win by at least 14 points. Saying that, Michigan is an excellent team deserving all of the accolades it has recieved. I do not want a rematch because I believe Michigan has a much better chance at earning revenge than anyone else would of defeating tOSU. My brother, a Michigan fan, said on Sunday that of you told him UM would score 39, he'd take it anyday. Just shows us all how crazy and unexpected this game was. Who really expected a shootout? Anyway, Tressel is now 5-1 and headed to his second national title game in five years.

The Cavs continue to play well....hope they can keep it up.

As for the Browns...I was listening to the game on my way out of Columbus and knew they'd find a way to blow this game. They did. Pittsburgh is not very good, and I guess they are taking solace by coming from behind to defeat a 3-7 team. Cheap call against Simon Fraser (why don't we just put flags on the QB?) and Joey Porter talks a lot of trash for an overrated system product...who is now Kellen Winslow's bitch.

The Game

Damn, I can't wait. The anticipation and excitement is driving me crazy, and I'm 18 hours from Columbus. I can't imagine what I'd think if I were still in C-bus. This has been a fun week, looking forward to the game and ramping up my own excitement by indulging in the national hype. This may be the biggest regular season match-up in college football in over a decade (thinking of Florida-Florida State, 1 vs. 2, in 1996). But this rivalry is bigger, the hype is more intense, the passion runs deeper for this game. I will be in Columbus, but will probably be outside the stadium during the game, unless I can luck into a ticket. There are more detailed analyses all over the blogosphere, so I'll be short. Michigan has a hell of a defense, and especially when it concerns stopping the run. If the weather is good, and we can have success early throwing the football, Michigan cannot match Ohio State score for score. The Buckeyes, at their best, are too high powered. Now, if UM can jump to an early lead and force one or two turnovers, they can pound the ball with Mike Hart and bleed the clock. They have a great defense, but nationally, people seem to forget OSU is very good as well. Now, maybe we're masking weaknesses with turnovers, but this is a good defense. The Buckeye secondary (led by Malcom Jenkins, the best corner in the country) should be able to slow Manningham, Arrington and Breaston (by slow, I mean preventing long gains), forcing a large load onto the shoulders of Mike Hart. Also, the defense should force Henne to win the game by using short, underneath throws. UM has a great defensive line, but if Smith and company are successful early, Pittman should be able to run through seams in the D. Saying all this, I will not be making a pick, as I refuse to jinx my boys. But if all goes well, Ohio State should win. I am still too scarred by 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997 to be overly confident.

PS...Ohio State has the better coach (can you ever remember a Tressel team being unprepared?) and better QB. Don't forget that while watching the Game.

At least I'm not Doug MacLean (or is it McLean)...

Since I was out of town this weekend (attending the Citadel-VMI game), I did not watch either OSU or the Browns live. OSU is definitely ready for scUM (more to follow on that), the Browns continue to look like a competent NFL franchise (bring on the Shittsburg Squeelers), way too much has been made of LeBron walking off the court against Atlanta (of course, little mention from these same imbeciles about how LBJ is carrying the team through a nice 3 game streak now with a couple nice comebacks and a destruction of the overrated Chicago Bulls), and the jackets have fired Gerard Gallant (wait 'til next year?) Good timing by CBJ, as who will actually notice in C-Bus with the game of teh Century (2006 version) approaching fast.

The last week

Cavs...good and bad. Winning in San Antonio for the first time since the Reagan Administration is great...but then dropping the next two against Charlotte and Atlanta is not good.

Browns...competitive for three quarters, but were clearly the weaker team Sunday in San Diego. A in in Atlanta Sunday would be a major upset.

Buckeyes...Still #1 and unbeaten, but a poor second half scared me. Hopefully it scared the guys as well...should be a win Saturday at Northwestern, leaving us 11-0 going into the game against scUM.

Indians...love the trade for Josh Barfield, filling the hole at 2B.

Light posting for the weekend...out of the area. See you next week in preparation for the Game of the Century ( or at least the hype of the century).

Cavalier basketball

The Cavs looked good last night, winning 97-94 over Washington. I watched, but not too closely. I'm not a major basketball fan, and there are 81 games to go. Nice to see 27 from Hughes, and LBJ was very solid, as always.

SI and Herbie

One...Stewart Mandel is a writer I have respected in the past and still enjoy reading. However, in the past he has taken some shots at Kirk Herbstreit (only the best and most popular analyst in all of college football). Today he takes another shot. Herbie made a comment comparing Michigan and Ohio State; you know, doing his job: analyzing college football. Mandel took issue with one line (calling Steve Breaston worthless). Now obviously, he did not mean Breaston is a worthless human being, but a worthless football player. Breaston is very fast and can return punts and kickoffs...but he has hands of stone, and is only effective on end arounds and reverses with the offense. Seems to me that Mandel may be just a little jealous of the attention Herbstreit gets every week on ESPN.

NHL

As a typical NE Ohio sports fan, my favorite sports writer is Terry Pluto (by a fairly wide margin). There are others, both local and national, that I enjoy reading. One of those is ESPN's NHL writer John Buccigross. This is a link to his latest column. Living in Florida, as a Blue Jackets fan, I don't spend too much time talking about hockey (perennially disappointing team, no Center Ice package, Jackets are rarely on VS or NBC). I will attend games when in Columbus (generally around Christmas or the new year), but I follow football, Indians baseball and OSU/Cavs basketball much more closely. Unlike many cynical columnists throughout the country, Buccigross has an obvious passion for the game he covers. He enjoys the sport and conveys that enjoyment in his writing. His columns add to my enjoyment of hockey, so in that way, I think he is somewhat similar to Pluto. If you've never read his columns before, do yourself a favor and read a few.