It's been awhile....
...and I have had little desire to post. January 8 was a day that shook this Buckeye fan to the core....and I still don't know the reason it fell apart. I knew we were in trouble when I was at my parents' house in Ohio over Christmas break, and I saw an ad in the Columbus Dispatch advertising the presale of January 9 editions. It was then I felt we were over-confident and ripe to be picked off. I just had no idea it would be by 4 touchdowns. I know one thing about this team...they will be back, as strong as ever. Tressel will wil another national championship (possibly multiple titles). Other than that, I don't care to rehash that night too much....but damn, I get sick of seeing gator shit everywhere. Did not see near as much before January 8, but I digress.
The basketball team has taken us on a roller-coaster ride these past two weeks. Regular season and tournament Big Ten Champions were great achievements, but those all seemed for moot with 2:54 remaining in the round two game against Xaiver. And then, a near-miracle comeback capped by Ron Lewis's tying three with :02 left! That was our close call, right? Not so fast, as during the Sweet 16, the Buckeyes spot Tennessee a 20 point lead with :30 left until halftime. At this point, I made the same speech to my father over the phone I'd made during the Xavier game ("We suck, led Thad go to Kentucky, let Oden go to the NBA, we're a disgrace, bring on Spring football, etc."). But David Lighty gets a 3 point play to reduce the halftime deficit to 17. Doesn't matter in my mind; we're still SOL. But the Buckeyes stage an even more incredible comeback to beat Tennessee by one! Just an incredible game; probably the best Buckeye basketball game since either the Elite 8 game against St. John's to go to the 1999 Final 4, the 2000 game in MSG over SJU when Scoonie Penn blocked a shot at the buzzer to seal a double-digit comeback in the final 3:00, or either the Illinois game in 2005 or the LSU game in December 2005, both ended by Matt Sylvester 3's. And now, another Final Four birth after a relatively easy (in comparison to the past two games) win over Memphis. Georgetown gave OSU their worst NCAA beating ever last March, and I have no idea who will win. G'town is the best front court OSU will face all year, and Hibbert is the one guy in CBB who has the size to take on Greg Oden. Should be one hell of a game.
Elsewhere, I gave up on the CBJ 2 months ago; another finish out of the playoff chase. They have to turn it around eventually, right? (Well, maybe not, just look at the Cleveland Browns!)
Speaking of the Browns, the draft is still a month away and I'm sick of the damn thing. I don't want a QB (yet I don't know if Frye or Anderson is the answer). Football is won at the line of scrimmage, and the Browns desperately need OL help. Either Joe Thomas, or trade down. And as for the Cavs, whenever I write them off, they get hot and win in Detroit. And whenever I proclaim they will win the East (my early season pick) they lose to Charlotte and the NY Knicks. I have no idea what to expect any given night. Honestly, I watch all the OSU basketball I can here in Florida, but I can't even be motivated to watch every Cavs game on TNT or ESPN. And the sport I've watched most of all since the debacle in Glendale has been soccer, specifically the FA Premier League. Last, I have been to several spring training games and was in Winter Haven to see CC get hit by the liner yesterday. I am not near as optimistic as SI, but I have a feeling Cleveland can contend for the Central. And if they can sneak in, baseball's playoffs are a crap shoot, and Cleveland may just have the rotation to make a run at the pennant...if the bullpen holds up its end of the deal, of course. Opening day is Monday, but the excitement builds toward Saturday, when its OSU-Georgetown.
The basketball team has taken us on a roller-coaster ride these past two weeks. Regular season and tournament Big Ten Champions were great achievements, but those all seemed for moot with 2:54 remaining in the round two game against Xaiver. And then, a near-miracle comeback capped by Ron Lewis's tying three with :02 left! That was our close call, right? Not so fast, as during the Sweet 16, the Buckeyes spot Tennessee a 20 point lead with :30 left until halftime. At this point, I made the same speech to my father over the phone I'd made during the Xavier game ("We suck, led Thad go to Kentucky, let Oden go to the NBA, we're a disgrace, bring on Spring football, etc."). But David Lighty gets a 3 point play to reduce the halftime deficit to 17. Doesn't matter in my mind; we're still SOL. But the Buckeyes stage an even more incredible comeback to beat Tennessee by one! Just an incredible game; probably the best Buckeye basketball game since either the Elite 8 game against St. John's to go to the 1999 Final 4, the 2000 game in MSG over SJU when Scoonie Penn blocked a shot at the buzzer to seal a double-digit comeback in the final 3:00, or either the Illinois game in 2005 or the LSU game in December 2005, both ended by Matt Sylvester 3's. And now, another Final Four birth after a relatively easy (in comparison to the past two games) win over Memphis. Georgetown gave OSU their worst NCAA beating ever last March, and I have no idea who will win. G'town is the best front court OSU will face all year, and Hibbert is the one guy in CBB who has the size to take on Greg Oden. Should be one hell of a game.
Elsewhere, I gave up on the CBJ 2 months ago; another finish out of the playoff chase. They have to turn it around eventually, right? (Well, maybe not, just look at the Cleveland Browns!)
Speaking of the Browns, the draft is still a month away and I'm sick of the damn thing. I don't want a QB (yet I don't know if Frye or Anderson is the answer). Football is won at the line of scrimmage, and the Browns desperately need OL help. Either Joe Thomas, or trade down. And as for the Cavs, whenever I write them off, they get hot and win in Detroit. And whenever I proclaim they will win the East (my early season pick) they lose to Charlotte and the NY Knicks. I have no idea what to expect any given night. Honestly, I watch all the OSU basketball I can here in Florida, but I can't even be motivated to watch every Cavs game on TNT or ESPN. And the sport I've watched most of all since the debacle in Glendale has been soccer, specifically the FA Premier League. Last, I have been to several spring training games and was in Winter Haven to see CC get hit by the liner yesterday. I am not near as optimistic as SI, but I have a feeling Cleveland can contend for the Central. And if they can sneak in, baseball's playoffs are a crap shoot, and Cleveland may just have the rotation to make a run at the pennant...if the bullpen holds up its end of the deal, of course. Opening day is Monday, but the excitement builds toward Saturday, when its OSU-Georgetown.
posted by Bernie at 8:20 PM
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