Well, we’ve grown yet again. Not only did we add Mike to the team, but Joe and Scott are both newly christened fathers! Congrats, and we hope that you survive all of the smelly diapers and sleep deprivation. That goes for you also, Scott and Joe. Here’s today’s musical kickstart, dedicated to our new dads, even though Mother’s Day is right around the corner.
tBBC Breakroom
Buckeye 411
- Movin’ On Up- We talked about this last week, but Saturday’s graduation saw a number of Buckeye Idols receive their degrees and walking papers. Marcus Hartman hits the triumvirate of tBBC favorites in pointing out that Aaron Craft, John Simon, and Katie Smith are all now on the list of people the Alumni Office will hit up for donations.
- Step Off Of That Ledge- To build on Mike’s take from Tuesday morning, there’s no need to panic regarding Ohio State football recruiting thus far. If you don’t believe me, trust Eleven Warriors’ Jeremy Birmingham, one of the best in the business. Plus, getting emotionally invested in high school kids’ decisions and actions is never a wise move.
- No More Pro Combat?- Carlos Hyde, adidas rep. If only they’d stop making ridiculous uniforms, though…
- Getting Drafty- Believe it or not, there are people involved in Thursday’s draft who aren’t named “Clowney” or “Manziel” (as a side note, you realize that Johnny Football is the new Tim Tebow in the eyes of the Four Letter Network, right?). At any rate the University put out a great website resource for all of the draft junkies: The Buckeyes are second in terms of overall first round picks and third in terms of total players chosen. No wonder the Worldwide Leader has invited Urban Meyer to be a part of their draft day coverage.
- Or, For You Visual Learners- Sammy Silverman’s got you covered:
Gettin’ B1G
- Hoops, There It Is- Monday saw the first move in the Eastern Takeover Experience for the conference, as the B1G and Big East announced a tip-0ff challenge between the two conferences. While matchups have not been announced as of yet, the possibilities are intriguing: Ohio State/Xavier, Nebraska/Creighton, Northwestern/DePaul, Minnesota/Marquette, Indiana/Butler are all games that, if history has taught us anything, we won’t be seeing anytime soon. Because, logic.
- Hoops, There It Also Is- The other shoe dropped on Tuesday, when it was announced that the 2017 Big Ten Tournament would be moved to Washington DC. Again, the conference is looking to establish a beachhead midst the eastern population centers, so don’t be surprised if one of New York City’s basketball venues hosts the tournament in the future.
- Hoops, There It’s Not- UConn and Indiana have schedule a home and away series! Hooray! It’s in football, not basketball! Wait… what?
- Mo’ Money, Mo’ Something- ESPN had a solid look at the revenue intake and outflow for major college programs… and there’s not enough for student athletes to have because why now? At any rate, the Buckeyes made money in droves, which is no surprise to season ticket holders who are seeing price increases for games that matter in the coming year. What’s interesting is that Wisconsin spends tons of cash on… what exactly, I’m not sure. Bo Ryan’s hair gel? Since it was 12-13, it could have also gone to support Bert’s addiction to mainlining barbecue sauce and Ro*Tel…
- Happy Birthday! In case you forgot, don’t sweat it… Purdue was shown love by everyone in the conference on their big day.
- You Got That Right… Eventually- Eric LeGrand was invited to speak at Rutgers’ commencement, then uninvited, then re-invited. As if commencement ceremonies weren’t already long enough (I kid, I kid)
- The Internet Never Forgets- Courtesy of MSPaint Monday at r/CFB:
Warning: May Cause Seizures Or Gales Of Laughter
Around The NCAA
- Not This Crap Again- It seems like every week is another tragic story involving student athletes’ and their choices away from the court/field. This week, it’s news from Eugene regarding a potential sexual assault. I’d like to draw your attention to the DA’s comments-
“While there is no doubt the incidents occurred, the conflicting statements and actions by the victim make this case unprovable as a criminal case.”
While some would point to this as yet another example of law enforcement turning a blind eye when athletes are involved, it should be noted that criminal cases have a different standard of evidence than university investigations- think OJ Simpson’s criminal and civil cases. As we hope for support and recovery for all those involved, it will be interesting to see what steps the University takes in the following days, as their deliberation is based on “more likely than not” that something happened.
- Making A Federal Case Out Of It? John Infante says that this might be a really good thing for the NCAA, actually, since it could help clarify things and provide additional pressure to make the changes that are so significantly needed. Can’t we just say that the NCAA headquarters was in Benghazi to ensure that this gets the attention that it deserves?
- Because, Logic- As frustrating as the government can be, don’t you want someone to take a hard look at an organization that punishes young adults for other people wanting to say “thank you”.
- I Was Told There Would Be No Math- Remember when you hear people talk about “cost of attendance” and “scholarship worth”, that the numbers can be a bit fudgey at times. You know how complicated college math can be…
- Conspiracy Du Jour- Buried in all of the “Jameis Has Crabs” kerfuffle last week was some speculation that his actions weren’t all that atypical, and that this might be a much larger “situation” than we initially thought. Since we’re talking conspiracies, I guess that would make this the Grassy ‘Nole. /shows self out
And Finally-
No matter your faith tradition or perspective, this is pretty freaking cool. Full story here.
