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Written by Duane Long
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Friday, 26 June 2009 12:25 |
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I was looking at the Rivals.com retrospective on the 2006 class. What a loaded class that was. What stood out to me was the offensive linemen. Everybody had Connor Smith, Aaron Brown and Justin Boren as the top 3. The order was the only question. I had Brown on top. I am always going with the kid who is the sure tackle. Most had Smith on top. The only people that I know of who had Justin Boren #1 was the Ohio State Buckeye staff. Another name to note. Bryant Browning. His offer list was not impressive and he still has a ways to go but he has been productive. The only offensive lineman in the class who has been more productive is Boren. Speaking of unproductive, look at Lee Tilley. There was a hue and cry that the Buckeyes showed no interest in the kid despite offers from LSU and Oklahoma, as well as Auburn who he committed to. The notes about Tilleys current situation give us an idea of why the Buckeyes never offered. It reminds me of D.J. Hunter last year, and some other names over the years. The evidence is adding up. When the staff is not showing interest in an instate player who is obviously Buckeye caliber, there is something going on off the field that they don't want anything to do with. There are exceptions like Zebrie Sanders but most of the time you can assume there are grade or character issues when you are not hearing anything about talents like Tilley and Hunter.
One and done needs to be done and done. The impact this is having on the college game cannot be denied. We saved the car companies from themselves. Someone needs to step in and do something to keep college basketball from itself. I still get excited about March Madness. I watch Buckeye games. I do not watch college basketball like I used to because the turnover in players has gotten to the point where it is difficult to follow the teams. 2 years might be in the works. It looks like the NBA may get the union to go along with that. Even the players coming out early will benefit. So many of them are making huge mistakes, none moreso than B.J. Mullens. He is not ready. He is not close to ready. I think he will get overwhelmed. He is not the only one. Over the years the early entry players success rate has not been that good. Actually, I like the college baseball rule even better. Let the ones who are NBA capable go right out of high school. Once they enter college they have to stay for 3 years. That allows the Greg Odens to go ahead with their careers but discourages the borderline kids from making a mistake.
Shaq to the Cavaliers. I am a little confused by those who question O'Neal coming to Cleveland. I think too much emphasis is being place on the Diesel not being what he was. He is still better than most of the centers in the NBA and better than anything the Cavs currently have. I think this could be the final piece.
For those non-Bucknutters stopping by, I need to tell you I am a huge soccer fan. I could not believe the night and day difference between the American side I saw the first 2 games of the Confderations Cup, losing badly to Brazil and Italy, and the one the beat a favored Egypt then beat the #1 ranked Spaniards on Wednesday. After watching the loses to Brazil and Italy, I was dismayed. I saw a team that needed a complete overhaul. I thought we needed to bring in some other players just to shake things up. Just to let those who had settled into positions that they are not safe. Bob Bradley took a few days and somehow pulled this team together. Make no mistake. We did not get lucky. We beat Spain. We outhustled them. We had more possession than I ever thought we would see against such an opponent. Clint Dempsey continues to make me want to strangle him. He is arguably the best American player in the world right now but his tendency to make mistakes, often at crucial times, is enough to turn a coaches hair gray. Then he comes up with one of those performances that he came up with versus Spain. Brazil is playing as well as any team in the world other than Spain. Our win over Spain ranks in the top 5 greatest wins in American soccer history. Beating mighty Brazil right after beating Spain, would rank as the best tournament by any American soccer team ever. I think those wins back to back in a full international would outrank making the final 8 of the 2002 World Cup, the greatest prize in all of sports. Watch the game this Sunday. Even if you are not a soccer fan, be there to cheer the American side on in a game that the rest of the world is watching.
Start checking the forums. Discussions are starting to heat up over there. I am going to start spending more time in that area. I look forward to having all of you join the discussions. Right now the hot topic is breakout player for this year.
I have to comment on the death of Michael Jackson. When I first heard the news my initial reaction was that the world was better off with one less man out there who had a sickening attraction to young boys. Then CNN ran the Jackson 5 performance of their first hit, I Want You Back. It all came flooding back. I was 10 and Michael 11 when the song hit the charts. You cannot understand the impact the Jackson 5 had on the black community. I am black. I grew up in a black neighborhood. The best way I can describe it is to compare it to the impact the Beatles had in white communities about 5 years prior. As I watched the CNN video I found myself singing along. I ran through the song catalog in my mind. I knew all the words to the Jackson 5 hits. As I got older and my music collection was dominated by the blues, Motown and Rock n' Roll, I still had Michael Jackson music in there. His dancing was another matter. I was watching when he unveiled the moonwalk. I was slack-jawed. Even my Dad was moved to comment. He said, "did you see what that boy just did?" That was before the accusations against him surfaced. When you could still watch his incredible gift without thinking about what he was doing when the cameras were tuened off. As I listened to more Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson music as the night wore on it became clear to me. You must separate the music and the dancing from what he was in private. It is impossible to deny that there was something dark and ugly going on behind the gates of Neverland. Things that have likely left him in a very bad place for the rest of eternity. It is just as impossible to deny the brillance of his music and dancing.
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Funny thing is my wife and I just bought his greatest hits while traveling south few weeks back. Neither of us spoke of his current state of affairs but what he was as a younger entertainer. It was remarkable to watch him mesmerize audiences with his gifts.
As for his other side - maybe there is truth to it all and that is a shame. It is now between him and his creator.