Dinosaurs: Biblically speaking

I've always believed in a literal interpretation of the Bible and not only is it the infallible word of God, it's also an incredible history book. In fact, it's the best history book we have and historians will agree. But if one thing frustrates me more than anything, it's the theory of evolution. And something that goes hand-in-hand with evolution is dinosaurs.

This started out as one blog, but is going to become two. I didn't realize how much there was to talk about. Today, I'll give Biblical references to dinosaurs, and tomorrow, I'll toss out a theory for the extinction of dinosaurs.

Every kid loves the idea of dinosaurs. They were big and scary, almost like monsters and our imaginations are able to run wild with the thoughts of these creatures. One way that evolutionists try to refute creation is by using dinosaurs, saying "how do you fit the Bible to the dinosaurs." Well, the answer is simple. You don't fit the Bible to the dinosaurs, because dinosaurs are already in the Bible.

I'll explain in a minute, but let me first give a disclaimer. There is a ton of scientific evidence for what I'm about to say, but I'm not going to give all the references. But I do encourage you to look it up for yourself. I think you'll see that this idea about dinosaurs is right on.

The first notion we have to get rid of is that dinosaurs are not in the Bible. The main reason the word "dinosaur" is not in the Bible is because it wasn't created until Sir Richard Owen needed to categorize a group of large extinct reptiles in 1842. The first King James Bible was printed in 1611. So therefore, there was no "dinosaur" word to describe these creatures at the time.

If indeed the Bible is a great historical book, then wouldn't it stand to reason that it is correct throughout? Let's look to Job 40 and 41 quickly. There we see the appearance of the Behemoth and Leviathan. The description of Behemoth includes the following phrases: he eats grass like an ox, his tail hangs like a cedar, his bones are like beams of bronze and his ribs like bars of iron. Most will say this is an elephant or hippo. But have you ever seen an elephant's tail? Hardly a cedar. More like a pipe cleaner. The leviathan is described one you don't want to mess with. Any hope of overcoming him is false. He has terrible teeth all around and his sneezings flash forth light, sparks of fire shoot out of his mouth and his breath kindles coal. Wow! Sounds like a dragon!

And guess what. Dragons are also mentioned lot's of times in the Bible. As they say, all legends have truth in them. Isn't it entirely probable that dragons were real creatures and not myths? Jeremiah 51 mentions a monster (New King James). Psalm 74 also speaks of leviathan and sea serpents. Ezekiel 32:2 speaks of the monsters in the seas troubling the waters with their feet. Isaiah 51:9 mentions Rahab, another great serpent. There is also evidence to suggest that some dinosaurs had cavities where they could have created fire and smoke. We know of one beetle that can create hot fumes. And that's just a beetle.

As you can see, there are many references in the Bible to great beasts and creatures that certainly can be explained as dinosaurs. Also, consider that UNFOSSILIZED dinosaur bones have been found in recent years. This suggests that dinosaurs aren't MILLIONS of years old, but rather thousands.

This, however, might be the clincher. If evolutionists are correct in saying that dinosaurs died off about 65.5 million years ago, then no one at any time would know what a dinosaur looked like until the first mostly intact skeleton was discovered in the 1830's. But archaeologists have been finding drawings and renderings of dinosaur like creatures with animals that still exist. Take, for example, the engraving at the top that is dated 1492. For more on ancient dinosaur depictions, check out this site. It will blow your mind.

There's so much more I can talk about. So many discard the Bible when it comes to science. But the evidence is there and it's undeniable.

Tomorrow: Dinosaur extinction.

Downpour on my soul

It's raining. It's been raining. I'm not sure it's going to stop raining. Honestly, it started yesterday on my way back to Erie and it's still going strong.

Rain drives me crazy and like so many times, my mind starts turning when I'm annoyed. It's seems to me that most have a negative perception of rain. It's a nuisance, a bothersome occurrence that keeps us from enjoying ourselves. You know, like the kids in the Cat in the Hat. It was too wet outside to play.

Sometimes rain brings on a perception of depression. Movies and television shows use rain all the time when they want to portray a dark scene. In other words, rain is not supposed to be a good thing. I also relate rain to trying times. There is, of course, the first rain ever recorded in the great deluge of the world wide flood. That rain wiped out all of humanity except for Noah and his family. Talk about trying times. We have all sorts of phrases like "weathering the storm." There's that Casting Crowns song about praising God in the "storm," or praising him during the trials and tribulations of life.

I looked up rain on biblegateway.com and received a bunch of references, but other than the flood, most were about God withholding rain or sending rain during the time of a drought. Those droughts were sometimes used as punishment to a nation. But in the New Testament, most of the references seemed to be more along the lines of how rain produces life.

"Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” - Acts 14:17.

"For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God." - Hebrews 6:7

"And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." - James 5:18.

It's true, rain, as much as I dislike it, is a blessing from heaven and directly from the hand of God. It can bring destruction, but without it, our planet would be a desolate waste land.

While I often don't think of rain as being a blessing and consider it more of a hinderance, there are also struggles, trials and "hinderances" in my life (many others have suffered infinitely more than myself) and those certainly aren't blessings from God. Or are they?

Whenever I think of hard times, I think of the song "Chalice" by Phil Keaggy. In it he sings...

"And suffering restores us; burns away the empty shallowness
And softening the heart
To be broken bread and poured out wine
When it rains it pours; turns a life into a chalice;
There to nourish every soul one at a time."

He means simply this; that when trouble comes, it comes in a big way. But it is in those times that we surrender our pride and turn to God because we know only he can get us out of the rain. But that rain, while giving us trouble, brings us closer to God, builds our relationship with God, and helps us to trust God more and more by making us reliant on not ourselves but on the Almighty.

Think about how much Paul suffered but how close he was to God. In Acts 4:21-22 it says that Paul made many disciples where he preached and in the process he was "strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue the faith, and saying 'We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God."

Romans 5:3-4 tells us to "glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope."

2 Corinthians 12:10 even tells us to rejoice in our infirmities. Not wallow in self-pity. Not sit inside the house and stare out the window at the rain pouring down on our lives. No. We should rejoice!

So just as rain helps flowers, trees and animals grow strong and sustain life, the rain or trials in our walk is from a loving God, and it helps us to grow and gain life, as well. But this life, the kind that comes from a inseparable relationship with God, is eternal.

The Boy is Back in Town

After a nice Thanksgiving vacation in Sardis, I'm back in Erie and back to the grind. The vacation didn't actually end all that splendidly with me getting sick on the way home from Drover's. I'm still not sure what happened but I'm thinking it was the Chocolate Extreme Blizzard. Too much extreme to mix with hot wings.

It was a pretty rough ride home. Thankfully Trista is a more than capable driver. I always knew she was a caring person, and that attribute showed when I was sick. She deals with sick people all day at work but is very comforting even when I'm sure she doesn't want to be.

I proclaimed on the way home that I was never eating at Drover's again. Now you know that's not going to happen. That's like a frat boy with a hangover saying he's never going to drink again. It'll happen. But next time, the wings won't be chased by I Chocolate Extreme Blizzard.

Grateful

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There's always good food, good fellowship and good TV. This year, I made it to two dinners (Trista's family and my own), saw a lot of family and friends that I hadn't seen in several months, and watched a couple good basketball games, a couple good football games and on Friday, I watched a full-day marathon of Man vs. Wild on Discovery. Yeah, Bear!

I also had the opportunity to watch the movie Amazing Grace Friday evening. I had only heard about it because Chris Tomlin performed the song for the soundtrack. He did an excellent job on a classic tune, but the movie reminded me of some things I should be thankful for that I take for granted almost all the time.

I knew that I needed to blog about all that I had to be thankful for, but that is such a daunting task because I have been blessed so much by God's gracious hand. He's provided such a bountiful supply of everything that it's so hard to take it all in. And I should certainly be thankful for that. I guess it's like an actor accepting an award. He's got to thank people, and thank a lot of people, but doesn't want to leave any one out of his speech. But one thing I want to touch on really quickly is freedom.

The movie is about the British slave trade and William Wilberforce's quest to put a stop to it. It's a good movie and certainly worth a watch. But to be given a vivid account about how our fellow people were being treated not too much more than 100 years ago really made me take stock in my freedom. I treasure my freedom as an American. The freedom I have to vote for whom I want to serve, the freedom to pray whenever and wherever I want. The freedom to write this blog. The freedom to pick my career. It's an amazing gift. I've always believe, and I don't think I can be convinced otherwise, that America was created by God for a special purpose. As a nation, we've done a lot of good things for serving God. Of course, we've done some pretty lousy things, too. I'm not here to start talking politically because most of you already know where I stand (pretty conservative). But all I want to say is that the next time you drive down the street without being stopped by a military roadblock or the next time you watch Frank Caliendo do a dead-on impressive of our president, be thankful for the men and women who have sacrificed to give us the freedom and give thanks to God for allowing our nation to be.

There are two generations that I admire more than any other. One is the age of our founding fathers. Guys like George Washington, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin just to name a couple were so incredibly brilliant and forward thinking. These were men of wealth and prominence and they put their reputations and more so their lives on the line to have freedom. They understood the ramifications of their deeds and knew it would effect the world; not just the world they lived in, but the world we live in now.

I also admire the generation of World War II. That's not slighting the World War I folks, or the Spanish American veterans, but World War II was truly a battle between good and evil. As kids, they suffered through the Great Depression and as young adults, guys like me and Adam and Neil and Derek dropped everything to fly around the world and take a stand against evil. It was not only the soldiers, but the entire nation stopped what it was doing to support the war effort. I couldn't imagine that kind of support. I couldn't imagine that kind of bravery. I'm so thankful that those heroes, on all fronts, had the bravery to do it, though.

I feel awful that I take my freedoms for granted. I have several uncles that served in wars and I have the utmost respect for each of them. Someday, if I ever have son, I'm going to name him after an uncle that died during WWII. I'm not sure what I can do to show my full appreciation, but I think taking full advantage of every freedom I have is one way. One of those freedom's is praising God. And one of my favorite pieces of scripture is David's song of thanksgiving in 1 Chronicles 16. I've never been good at writing my own material, but God gave us the Bible so I could learn how to worship, and David provided a pretty good example of that. I'll close my thanksgiving blog with a suggestion to exercise your freedoms, give thanks to God for them, and pray that they are never taken away.

"Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!" (1 Chronicles 16:8-10).

Talking About Grace

Just trimming hedges and washing cars...(more on this later)

Grace. When you hear that word, how many think of Seinfeld episode when Elaine meets Mr. Pitt for the first time. "You don't want too much grace, or you won't be able to stand," said Mr. Pitt to Elaine.

Of course, Mr. Pitt was referring to the kind of grace that is defined as elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action. Of course, being Thanksgiving, many of us will be saying grace on Thursday before our meal. There's a boat load of ways to define grace, but my favorite definition is "mercy; clemency; pardon; reprieve," which I found on dictionary.com.

At one point or another, every Christian struggles with the idea of grace. It comes after we recognize how sinful we are and teams with this societal message that says we have to work hard to earn favor. I realize I'm tackling an incredibly deep subject here and I'm not going to even come close to explaining grace, because in all truthfulness I can't. But I'd just like to say what it means in the scope of my world.

Let me backtrack to the concept of earning favor. It's in everything we do. I can't make money unless I go to work and earn it. I can't get promoted unless I earn the favor of the boss. This idea of earning favor doesn't work when trying to understand grace? Throw it out the window. It's no applicable.

Romans 11:6-7 tell me everything I need to know. "And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work." I know, Paul's writing is a bet tough to read sometimes, but it all boils down to grace is not work. And work is not grace.

Reading the Old Testament, it's clear that the former law was all about works. Animals had to be sacrificed, if you got sick you had to bath, shave your head and beard, stay outside the camp for a week. The only way to gain a reprieve was through some type of manual action. But Ephesians 2 tell us that things changed. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

Check out Romans 5:12-21. It tells us that there is a free gift. That's key. Free. That gift comes from Jesus' righteous act on the cross.

There it is again; the idea that grace (and salvation) is a gift. Think quickly about Christmas and your birthday when you receive gifts. With me, I know that I couldn't be more undeserving of presents. I'm hardly the best son, grandson or boyfriend I could be, but the people that love me are going to give me a gift. When I receive, I'm am certainly not going to tell everyone that they owed it to me. And this is the same with God's gift of grace. I can't earn his present, He just gives it to me because He loves me. You earn wages and pay, not gifts.

Naturally, when someone gives me a gift, I send them a thank you note. God's gift of grace (forgiveness, reprieve from sin) is an incredible gift. How could I possibly repay him for it? The great thing about God is that He's not asking me to repay Him. I heard a preacher tell a story about someone who was a million dollars in debt and in serious trouble. A fellow walked up to him and handed him one million dollars, no strings attached. The receiver was able to escape all of his financial problems and escape possible harm, but how could he ever repay the fellow that gave him the money? There's no way he could ever pay him back, but he feels like he should. So he starts washing the fellow's car, trimming his hedges and mowing his grass.

That's exactly what we are supposed to be doing for God, washing His car...figuratively of course. He's given us His grace and we can't earn it no matter how many times we wash, wax and windex, but we can show him gratitude by loving Him. Jesus said "this is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." Romans 13 says "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law."

So there it is. I know I struggled with grace for a period and it weighed me down so much that I became unproductive and just worried about my salvation all the time. But I got a grasp on grace only when I put complete trust in God and stopped thinking that I had work my way out of sin. Understanding this has given me so much joy and I am carefree. Certainly, as Paul warned, it does not give me a license to sin or a free pass, but it does give me power over sin because I can ask God for forgiveness and He will grant me that unendingly.

Sometimes grace can best be explained through a well-stated personal testimony. One of the best I've heard is in a song. I've known the words pretty much all my life, but honestly, it never really hit home until I looked up the lyrics tonight. It explains grace so perfectly. With it I learned to obey God and to never again have to worry about the bonds of sin. Here it is.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, That saved a wretch like me.
Twas grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

Been awhile

This has clearly been my longest layoff since I started blogging, but this weekend has been nuts with games and with Trista coming to visit. I was out of town all day today and got back into Erie only to go to work at 3 p.m. and not stop till almost 10.

I did get an intriguing phone call from Jason Eichelberger today. I'm pretty excited about the possibility, but I really shouldn't say anything right now. As of right now, my plan is to post every day this week the way I used to. I have to get back into the groove. It's just with basketball season starting, my time is totally gone. Even though there are more sports during the fall, my demands increase during the winter because I'm the contact for men's b-ball and wrestling, two of our more popular sports. It looks like I'm heading home on Wednesday for Thanksgiving and then I might stop in Indiana (Pa.) on the way back for the basketball game. Indiana is, of course, the hometown of American icon Jimmy Stewart.

Today was my Grandma Romick's birthday. She's the most loving person I've ever met. I talked to her on the phone and she said that the best part of her birthday was getting to talk to her friends and family. Most wouldn't think that's much of a present, but that's what she loves.

Losing a Friend

I said yesterday I was going to put up a post about Genesis. But that's going to have to wait a day. I really feel the need to memorialize Joe Nuxhall.

Joe was a radio broadcaster and member of the Cincinnati Red's organization for six decades. He passed away late Thursday night at the age of 79.

As a life-long Reds fan, and a fan that has had to listen to the radio because they were never on TV (until the advent of Fox Sports Ohio, praise the Lord), I have many memories of the ol’ Left Hander making calls with Marty. I cannot say I saw Nuxie pitch, but I do know the guy won 136 career games with a 3.80 ERA. That’s a good career.

But for someone to stick with one organization for virtually six decades is a more remarkable achievement. Just think about everything he witness during his radio career with the Reds. He watch first-hand one of the greatest 10-year runs in sport with the Big Red Machine. There were three Hall 0f Famers on that team (should be five with Pete Rose and Dave Concepcion). He saw the miraculous 1990 World Series (the greatest year of my life). He saw thousands and thousands of wins…and losses. What Reds fan wouldn’t trade to live the life of Joe.

Even in his later years, I have to admit that he slowed down considerably. Not only with his broadcasting schedule but with the way he called the game. But there was a certain charm to that. He was the guy you would want to listen to while you were sitting on your porch drinking a lemonade on a cool summer evening.

If you aren’t a Reds fan, you can’t truly appreciate what Nuxie means to us. You spend night after night listening to a fellow year in and year out and he becomes your friend. He’s there through the good times and the bad times. He celebrates and commiserates right along side of us. How many radio broadcasters do you know that get their own bobble head dolls?

Ask a Reds fan who the most iconic figure in the history of the team is. You might hear Johnny Bench. You might here Barry Larkin or Ted Kluszewski. Someone might even say Sparky Anderson or Pete Rose. But I’m willing to bet that even with all those hall of fame players and managers that Joe would make that list more often than not. His career spanned generations in Cincinnati.

He is already a member of the team’s hall of fame and his youth is immortalized in bronze outside the Great American Ballpark. My only hope is that some day he’ll join Marty, his long-time partner in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Believe me, I won’t claim to know him as well as Marty or any of the people that spent their lives with him, but like I said before, he became a friend. And it’s always tough to lose a friend.

Here we go again

There's no denying it now. It's basketball season. We had our home opener here at Mercyhurst tonight. The men's team won, although Coach Manchel wasn't happy with the effort. It wasn't the game that made it feel like basketball season, though. It's how tired I am right now. UGH. It's really the life of an SID.

I went in to the office around 9 today and even though Jason and I went to Tim Horton's for breakfast, I stayed there until 11 tonight. That's basically a 13 hour day. Now, I didn't do hard labor the entire time, but just the fact that you are looking at the same scenery for that long wears me out.

It was also my first try using STATCREW for a live game. Let me tell you what. That's some stressful stuff. One little goof, one missed keystroke and your entire stat file can be virtually ruined. For a while, I've been saying that I'm ready to be a head SID, but I had forgotten how much stress there was involved with being in charge of game day operations at a basketball game. It wasn't even that bad at football. There's just something about the fast-paced atmosphere of basketball that adds to the stress. The stat effort went OK, but it really made me appreciate Jason Eichelberger much more.

That guy is a stat crew monster. In two years, I rarely saw him make a mistake and when he did, he could change it while the game was still going on. He could do all this while running music, and keeping press row in order. I suppose you can't really appreciate it until you try to do it yourself. My hat goes off to Mr. Eichelberger.

I'll have my chance to be in charge Saturday. The women's team plays at home and that should be an interesting one. They committed 34 turnovers on the road tonight and won. 34!!! That's an insane amount...and to win at the same time. Sheesh. That's winning ugly. But a win is a win is a win.

So, right now, I'm just trying to unwind. One of my favorite ways to do that is sit on my awesome new couch with the quilt my grandma made me and watch Who's Line Is It Anyway. What a great underrated show.

Be sure to check out the blog tomorrow. I'm working up something on my favorite book of the Bible, Genesis.

More memories

I hope everyone enjoyed the first round of hoops memories. Here's some more.

Rituals - This isn’t exactly a basketball memory, but it stems directly from basketball. Superstition and habit created the traditions of the Beast Dive, Beast Fuzz, Cup-on-Car and the same Subway sandwiches for the pre-game meal. I’m not even going to try to explain all these, but those of us who lived it (Adam and Derek), knew it was not good…but GREAT times. Can someone tell me why a stranger pointing at the roof of your car is so freakin’ funny? No, you can’t. But I know that it is funny. I also know that when I eat a 12-inch turkey and roast beef with banana peppers, jalapeño peppers, tomatoes and southwest sauce on hearty Italian bread, the River Pilots are 19-0.

Brawlin’ - I was probably seven or eight years old, but even then, I would go to River basketball games. I idolized those guys. Players like Mike Snively, Adam Jones, Chris Wisvari, Brian Collins, Tommy Ash, Eric Fox. I know Neil remembers watching these guys, too. I thought those guys were amazing. I actually remember watching Adam’s group a lot (Adam is my cousin). But the one game that I remember vividly was against Magnolia (of course). Me and Derek were sitting on the bottom bleacher down where my Grandpa Romick always sits at games. I remember seeing Wizzy walking out toward midcourt before a free throw and turning around just in time to get slugged by a Magnolia player. Right in the mouth. Both benches cleared, fans were going onto the court to get into the scrum. My mom ran down the bleachers, grabbed me and Derek (we were only seven and six years old) and dragged us away from the action. I’m not sure if this is part of my imagination or if it actually happened, but I’m pretty sure that while everyone was running into the fray, Brian Collins walked over to the bench, sat down and started drinking from his water bottle. During the fight! Maybe that was the start of my dislike of Magnolia.

OHHHH! - All I can say about this is that I literally fell off my couch. The Buckeyes of last year really captured me during their run to the championship game. And Ron Lewis’ 3-pointer against Xaiver just about made me pass out. That shot and Oden coming from the weak side to block the possible game-winning shot by Tennessee topped off a memorable run through March.

Dethroning the King - Remember all the high school hype surrounding LeBron James? I couldn’t stand him back then. So arrogant. Remember, we were practically the same age and I had seen him play every year since he was a freshman at the state tournament. His junior year, Roger Bacon comes rolling into the title game, having lost to St. V’s by 40 earlier in the year. First play of the game, Beckham Wyrick, this scrappy white kid, puts a forearm into LeBron’s chest and sends him flying. That set the tone. In six years at the state tourney, Roger Bacon put on one of the best team performances I’d seen. At the start of the second half, they ran a set play that set a back pick on LeBron and tossed an alley oop to Wyrick who flushed two handed on LeBron’s head. Frank Phillips, who went on to star at Division II Findlay, finished it off with a two-hand jam of his own. A huge upset and one I won’t ever forget.

Hallowed Hardwood - Back in March of 2006, I went to N.C. with the Ship basketball team. On our day off, me, Jason and one of our work studies went on a tour of the tobacco road campuses. I walked on the Dean Dome floor. Touched the wood on which Michael Jordan, James Worthy and yes, Eric Montross played. We also snuck onto the floor of Cameron Indoor Stadium. What an amazing place. It was closed up and the lights were off, but we snuck down the stairwell onto the playing surface. I have the pics to prove it. That goodness for a great flash.

Grumpy - My sophomore year at River, we were really stinking it up against someone. I don’t know who. But at halftime, Coach Romick storms in, walks into the coaches office and shuts the door. Five minutes later he gets up, opens the door and says, “When you guys want to be coached, let me know.” He then goes back into his office and sits there for the rest of halftime. Classic.

The Man, the Legend - Notice I left “myth” out of the tag line. That’s because Chuck Bihn was no myth. That dude was a 6-5 farm boy with game from a tiny little school called Fort Recovery that might have had 70 boys in the whole school. They reached the state tourney finals against a really solid Worthington Christian and Bihn put up 30 some points, close to 20 boards and five or more blocks. He played the final three minutes of the fourth and nearly all three overtimes with four fouls, carry the team on his back. But with just a minute left in the game, he finally fouls out (amazing considering he played in the post). The kid TRYING to guard him goes sprinting down the floor, screaming with happiness. The little school that could, just couldn’t quite do it without Bihn. But to me, he’ll always be the man.

Chrome Spinners, Baby! - Entering my last year at West Lib, we had hired a new men’s b-ball coach after winning all of four games the year before. The whole team was made up of freshmen. But somehow they won 18 games during the regular season. Then, in the tourney, they got hot and won two games to get to the semis at Charleston where they knocked off nationally ranked Salem in an epic, while starting three freshmen and two sophomores. It was an improbable run that West Lib b-ball had never seen before, prompting me, as the play-by-play man to say that after the game, “the clock hasn’t struck midnight and that West Liberty carriage hasn’t turned into a pumpkin yet!” To which Jay Cronin, my color commentator replied, “And that carriage has got chrome spinners on it, baby!”

Chuck Davis - No catchy tag line for Chuck. He was too good for a cliché. I was fortunate enough to be in Ship while he was playing. He was the greatest player in Ship history hands down. I have so many classic memories watching him play. He scored 28 on Penn State to beat them in the Bryce Jordan Center and hit game-winners countless times in what was the most successful two-year stretch in Ship history. He even made a half-courter to win the game at Clarion in 2007, but the refs waved it off. On the radio, I dubbed the greatest shot that never happened. The guy was unbelievable how he continually rose to the occasion to hit big shot after big shot. He was a great person too. I already miss watching him play.

Ship vs. IUP…2006 - Ship and IUP are bitter rivals and tangled three times during our magical run to the PSAC West title in 2005-06. Both games in the regular season were heated and went into overtime. The playoff game, the first ever played at Shippensburg, in front of a packed house, was a classic too, not being decided until the final minute. Ship won all three games that year, but that trio of games was some of the most fun I’ve had watching basketball.

The Dream Team - I don’t remember what year it was off the top of my head, but the team comprised of me, Chris Isaly, Justin Isaly, Jason Trembly, John Miller, Denny Boger and several others became the only team in Powhatan Summer League history to run the table during the regular season and then win the tournament title. Move over Bird, Magic and Michael!

Raging River - All I have to say is…Sectional finals…Fort Frye…Chris Isaly…Game winner…comeback from 18 down…fans storm the court. I got the assist on Chris’ shot and I must have blacked out because I have no memory of this except for watching it on film. I do, however, remember sprinting down the floor at games end and the first person to get to me was Derek, who must have broke the land speed record to get that far out onto the floor that quickly after the buzzer.

Pitching a Shutout - My senior year game at Monroe Central was a real emotional one for me. My dad had just resigned and going out to Skyvue, you knew it was going to be a fist fight. It certainly was. It went to overtime, but in overtime, we shut them out. Really, we allowed NO POINTS for an entire overtime period. That’s impressive. We were in real foul trouble throughout (typical of an MC game) and I remember sitting in the locker room, just dead exhausted because I never left the game and because for the first time in my career my dad wasn’t on the sideline. Coach Curtis came over and just put his hand on my shoulder. Didn’t say anything, but it I could just tell the old fella was proud of me. That meant a lot.

Throwing it down! - I never knew I could dunk a basketball until I actually did it. It was after baseball practice in the gym and Coach Romick and Dave Wright were sitting there and said, “Hey, I bet you can dunk.” I told them no way. Coach got me a ball, and what do you know. On the first try, I threw it down. I was more surprised than they were. Just goes to show that white men can jump…a little.

Candy and Cuss Words - True, we were rivals in junior high, but Chris Isaly is in a ridiculous amount of my favorite basketball memories. We always had great chemistry on the floor and it seemed like every time we needed a big shot, it was him making it and me passing it to him. But when we were sophomores, we didn’t play much on varsity. We just kind of sat at the end of our bench. Well, we got a bright idea to start smuggling candy to the bench to give us a snack while we were riding the pine. Chris would usually hide a roll of Spree or something down his socks. Sure enough, though, me and Chris start snacking and Romick comes flying down our way, grabs Chris and puts him in the game…with candy in his socks! Another great moment with Chris that same year was at Conotton Valley. Coach had a rule that year that cussing in practice or a game would result in having to run a suicide. We really stunk it up in the first half and half time, Coach was lettin’ em fly. I look over at Chris and there he is, paying close attention and counting with his fingers. I had no idea what he was doing. But the next day in practice, he tells coach he was keeping track of his expletives in the locker room. Needless to say, Coach was running a few suicides the next couple of practices.

Sophomore Spark - Again, that sophomore year was full of great memories. I always loved playing against Paden City. I grew up watching the Wildcats, my dad was a coach there at one point, I was a ball boy there when I was just five or six years old and my mom had taught there for years. Most of the coaches and fans had known me since I was a little kid. Against PC at home, we weren’t playing well (typical of that season) and were on the verge of losing control of the game. Coach grabs me and Chris in a rage, throws us in (without telling us who to go in for) and is telling us to shoot it every chance we get. For some reason, I get stuck running point against a 1-3 chaser. But I make a steal, hit Chris on the wing who nails a three. Next trip down, I hit Chris and he hits another three. Then I hit a jumper from 15 feet, and Chris closes out the quarter with an NBA-range three to give us the lead. We didn’t play the rest of the game, but we made a huge impression and gave the team a spark. We ended up winning the game.

Look Out! - I think it was our seventh grade year and we were playing on the infamous stage at Powhatan. There’s a lose ball heading towards the edge of the stage. Jeremy Lude jumps for it, Josh Conner bumps him just enough, and Jeremy goes flying off the stage. Fortunately, he was OK. But that’s the first and last time I’d ever seen that happen. Speaking of Jeremy, our senior year at Shenedoah, he went for another lose ball and dislocated both of his hips. He walked funny for months. I can still hear him scream when he dove for the ball. To his credit, he never quit going after lose balls.

So that's it, folks. A few of my favorite basketball memories.

I love hoops

Although I was exponentially better at baseball than I was at basketball in my playing days, basketball has and always will be my love. The season really kicked into full swing the last couple of days and basketball season is really my favorite time of the year. Watching Mercyhurst practice and watching games on TV made me reminisce about all my favorite basketball moments. Whether its been through playing, watching or coaching, basketball has given me a ton of exciting times and memories that will truly last for the rest of my life. I started jotting down with some of these yarns and started to realize most of my childhood revolved around basketball. So...I am splitting these up into a two-part series. There's no particular order. No particular rank of significance. It's just a bunch of good times. I'm sure some of you will even remember these first hand. After you get finished reading, I'd love to hear some of your favorite basketball stories. Enjoy.

In Enemy Territory - My eighth grade basketball team was an amazing group of guys. A starting lineup of Tim Price, Trent Potts, Jeremy Lude, Bill Bradley and me and Adam as the key sixth man, we put together quite a year, losing only once in the regular season (overtime to Beallsville). Our big rival, though, was Hannibal. We went to play in their little bandbox gym (even smaller than ours!) and I wanted to be at my best because after all, I was “dating” a certain girl from Hannibal. I’m happy to say that we won that game. I’d have to say those Sardis/Hannibal games were as heated as a junior high game could ever get.

Finding the Right Spot - Playing on the outdoors courts of Sardis at recess, Adam found a little white rock on the right wing. Every time he shot from there, he sank it. It became the magic spot. I’m pretty sure he chiseled out that rock when we graduated.

Stars in the Making - I had the privilege of watching the McDonald’s High School All-American game in Pittsburgh in 1996. It was an OK game. But little did I know who I was watching in that game. Some of the players were guys named Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O’Neal, Stephen Jackson, Mateen Cleaves, Mike Bibby, Rip Hamilton and Tim Thomas.

In Your Face - It was my senior year at River and we were playing Magnolia at home. This rivalry is the Ohio State/Michigan of high school sports. It was especially tense my senior year because of the animosity between my friends and a certain ex-girlfriend that went to Magnolia. Boy, we hated Magnolia. And with the game tied and time running down, I got a rebound on a missed shot, put up a baby hook and sank it with just a tick on the clock. Nothing like beating your rival!

Shutting out Willie - We really prided ourselves on defense at River. We allowed only 39 points per game our senior year. We went up to Bridgeport and played against this kid who had just set the school record for scoring. They awarded him a special ball before the game. We shut him out for four quarters.

Finally - The Celtics haven’t given me much to cheer about. But this year, they traded for Kevin Garnett. I’ve always loved Garnett as he was a guy that could score, board, block shots, drop dimes and play with an incredible level of intensity. Plus, he is so unselfish and a great teammate. The only reason he wasn’t my favorite player was because he didn’t play for the Celtics. But then…the deal was made. It didn’t seem real until I watched the new big three play the Cavs in an exhibition. Garnett had a double double at the half. It’s going to be a great year. Just don’t pinch me. I don’t want to wake up.

Brush with Greatness - One of my cousins used to run the Worthington Summer League. It was big time back when I was a kid. All the Ohio State and UC players would come back and play in it. He invited me up one year when Scottie Pippen was actually a part of the league. But Nick Van Exel, who was a legend in my mind after taking UC to the Final Four just a couple years before was scheduled to play. I was only about 10 or 11 years old at this point. He came in late with his entourage, strapped it up and started a shooting exhibition like I’ve never seen before. He’d take three steps past half court and just drain it. By the time the game was drawing to a close, he was sitting at the end of the bench and I went down and sat right next to him for the final few minutes. I didn’t get his autograph, but what a thrill for me to be that close to my Bearcat idol.

Anyone out there? - Me, Adam and Chris Pyles went to a Cavs game in the pre-LeBron years. There might have been 500 people there. Really. This is when the Cavs’ star players were Ricky Davis and Smush Parker. All three of us made our own shirts for the game, sat in the upper deck and yelled at the players the whole game. It was so quiet, I’m pretty sure we could have carried on a conversation with DeSagana Diop.

Shooting the Lights Out - Seventh grade year at Sardis. At Beallsville. We run through the little cheerleader tunnel and the lights in the gym go out. Later in the game, just as Travis Dillon (I think?) shoots a free throw, the lights go out again. No one knows if he had made it. And a bat starts flying around the gym, buzzing the heads of the fans! I don’t even remember who won the game, but I willing to bet that hasn’t happened to many.

1,000 With Style - It was my first and only season as an assistant coach on the River bench, and we had a great year, 15-5 during the regular season, two wins over Magnolia and even set an OVAC record for 3-pointers in a game and a state record for foul shots made in a game. But the highlight of that year for me was Ryne Romick scoring his 1,000th career point. Not only was I his coach, I am his cousin and had been close with him since he was a little shrimp (he was real tiny before shooting up to 6-4). In my book, he’s the best player to come out of River since probably Jim Martin. Yes, better than Brandon Grimes, Mike Snively and that whole gang. Entering the game for his 1,000th point, you could tell he was trying to force it. He only needed three. The entire first quarter he struggled. But at the buzzer, he chucked up one from half court…and drained it. Now THAT’s making history in style.

Double Up - Our sixth grade team at Sardis was quite an interesting group of kids. The usual suspects of me, Adam, Tim, Trent, Bill and Jeremy. And then there was Nick Rice, Gerald Armstrong, Brandi Walker and Shey Morris. But hey, we were a pretty darn good team. I remember beating powerhouse Marietta Christian for first place at New Mat, then driving up to River an hour later to beat up on some poor helpless team (probably Lawrence). Two wins in about two hours. Not bad.

Cardiac Kids - To this day, this Archbishop Alter team is my favorite high school team ever assembled. They had two brothers, Adam and Keith Waleskowski, who both went on to play Division I ball. But these two brothers were about 6-10 each. They also had this puny little point guard with a red afro we called Jeremy. I don’t know if that was his name or not. But this team won its first game in double OT with Adam hitting two free throws WITH NO TIME LEFT in regulation to tie it. The title game against Philo went to overtime as well, with Jeremy hitting a running 3-pointer at the buzzer. Cardiac kids!

Upset Out West - Duke was a powerhouse back in the late 90’s and my team was the UC Bearcats. Duke was No.1 early in the year and I stayed up super late to watch UC play them in the Alaskan Shootout finals. With the game tied and just a couple seconds left, Cincy ran an out of bounds play the freed up Melvin Levitt, who dunked it just as time expired, giving UC the upset.

That's all for today. Don't worry, there's more to come.

Invitation

I've been to the church over in Millcreek four times since moving up here. So its not like I'm a regular goer of that particular church. But let me tell you, Todd Cyphers is one super speaker. Each time I've been there, he's been insightful yet challenging and backs everything with loads of scripture references, which I love. I remember a preacher saying once that there was nothing better than the sound of a whole church turning the pages of the Bible to find a verse. I agree.

This week, Todd started things off with Revelation 19, which depicts what I would say is one of the greatest moments in the history of mankind, the marriage supper.

I've got to honest, whenever I read about Christ as the groom and the church as the bride, I didn't quite get it. I mean, I understood the love each have for each other and that someday we will be joined, but when I think of bride and groom, I'm thinking man...woman...yeah. Just not quite getting the whole symbolic picture. That is, until today.

Todd explained the way marriages occurred in biblical times. Forget everything you know about today's wedding ceremonies. The engagement, the rehearsal dinner, the rings, all that. Back then, it was the father choosing the bride for the groom (God chooses the church for Jesus). The groom would generally go away for a while, build a new house or buy a house and get it ready for the bride("In My Father's house are many mansions...I go to prepare a place for you," John 14:2). And then, no one would know exactly the wedding date. I guess there was no need to put a deposit on a reception building. Instead, the groom and his friends would show up at the bride's house, unannounced and basically say, "it's time to go." She would have only enough time to pack her things. Sound familiar ("For as the lighting comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be," Matthew 24:27 and "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming," Matthew 24:42)?

Once the groom picked up the bride, that would kick off a five day celebration. Wow, five days! What a party. I also like that Rev. 19:7-8 says that fine linen was given to the "bride," because fine linen was for the righteous acts of the saints. That means good stuff for the church. And also, back then, the groom was the center of attention, not the bride.

Once it was explained like that, I finally understood the marriage of Christ and the church. It's not a literal marriage where we run off on a honeymoon to the Caribbean. It's all about showing how much God loves us. Pastor Jim at Prince Street used to say that God was head over heels in love with us. He chose us. He didn't get stuck with us. No, from the moment He formed man from the dust, He knew there would be a marriage supper. And the it's you and me that He has picked to be with Him at that party and to be with Him forever.

It's amazing how much more sense things make when I read scripture with contextual understanding. It also amazes me how Jesus spoke to the people in terms that they understood. That's why he used parables. And this marriage supper, it was the greatest celebration of them all. It would be difficult to describe the Revelation marriage supper to the people, so I guess He picked the biggest and best and related it to that.

So, knowing that God has already chosen us means that we already already have our invitations and Jesus sent in the RSVP for us. I know it would really disappoint Him if we were a no show. As the Claaah-sic Christian rock band White Heart once sang..."It's come one, come all but unlike most, you can't crash this party 'cause you've got to know the host!"

In Need of a Laugh

I love to laugh. No one makes me do it more than the Marx Brothers. For some reason, I feel like I'm a fan of a lot of under appreciated things (Phil Keaggy and the Marx Brothers are just two). Not many people have access to Marx Brothers clips, but through the wonders of YouTube, I can bring them to you right here. It's almost impossible to count the number of one-liners in these two clips. So sit back and enjoy these two scenes from Animal Crackers (1935). There are several more clips from Animal Crackers on YouTube. If you like these, search for Groucho Marx, Captain Spaulding.

oops

I screwed up. I hate when I screw up. It's even worse when I screw up at work...with something that is going to cost our office about $3,000 to redo.

It's certainly not the first mistake I've made in the world of sports information. There have been typos, exclusions and assumptions that shouldn't have been assumed. But this one hurt a lot.

The men's basketball media guide was delivered yesterday. I didn't even bother to look at it because I had already seen it too many times on my desktop. Before I even sent it to print, I was pumped about how the layout turned out. It was new, original and no one at Mercyhurst had seen anything like it. I had also bumped the page number up by 16 pages and added a few new sections. When I come into a new job and start putting out publications, I want people blown away. I'm proud to say that people around the biz considering me an up and comer, or as the A.D. from Juniata said, I was a "young gun."

That's a very flattering comment but maybe it went to my head. This whole "young gun" persona that me and some of my best friends of in the profession have taken on says that we have to produce things bigger, better and faster every year. Publication must be sharper with better content. The web site mush be filled with video and graphics but remain informational. Gone are the days of filing cabinets and folders. Gone are the tri-fold recruiting brochures. Let's face it. College athletics is a business. We are in the business of making our school look good and getting good athletes to come to our school.

Very often I look down on the old-timers in our business, smirking at their old school way of doing things and inability to keep up with the technology. But I learned today with the men's basketball media guide that I may be a young gun, but I could learn learn something from the old timers. Something as simple as proofreading.

Even when I was the editor of the sports pages in college, I had little patience for editing and proofreading. I'm more of a writer and designer. But it's part of my job. A big part of my job. Apparently, not once, but twice, I spelled Niagara "Niagra." There was also a subtraction from last year's win totals in the stats (not sure how that happened) and a couple of errors that should have been caught. I'm not sure what's worse. That I missed the mistakes, or that two SID's and an intern missed the mistakes. I'm not casting blame on my co-workers because it's my guide and final responsibility falls on me.

Fortunately for me and unfortunately for the printing company, they messed up the font on the back inside cover and deleted two of my headers for some inexplicable reason. So, because it was the printing companies mistake, we'll get the guides reprinted with no expense to our department. Whew. I dodged a bullet, but I'm not going to forget this. For now on, I'm going over everything with a fine-toothed comb. Checking and double checking every name, fact and stat to be doubly sure.

I decided to go to biblegateway.com and see how many times the word careful shows up in the Bible. Upon a quick search, it's at least 117 times. It's probably no coincidence that it's in the Bible so much. God doesn't care much for careless behavior. Proverbs says "...But he who is careless of his ways will die." Watchful is also a buzz word. Especially in the new testament.

My carelessness doesn't apply to only proofreading for me. If it's in a piece of what I do, I'm doing it, and what's to stop me from doing the same in other areas, even not paying close attention to what God is telling me to do, or looking past people in need or missing out on great opportunities because I don't think they are important. Well, from first hand experience, there are many more important things than I once thought. My lackadaisical attitude has to stop...in every area of my life. If there is a mistake, fix it. If there is an opportunity, seize it. There is a fine line in taking care of business and stressing over details. But here's the deal. Stressing is worrying and you have no reason to worry when you take care of business.

It's time to be careful and watchful. I'm tired of laziness or personal weakness creating problems.

Big Buck Hunter

If you've driven a car, you've made something roadkill. It's part of the experience. It could have been an opossum, a raccoon, squirrel, deer or even a cow. Yes, a cow (Sorry, Tom. I know you probably aren't reading this but it stands as one of my all-time favorite car meets animal stories).

It can be quite a frightening experience. I remember me and Bill Bradley riding in my mom's van on the way home from a River basketball game and not hitting, but getting hit by a deer. That thing's snout smacked right up against window like it was trying to run right through it.

It can also be quite a disgusting experience. I remember Chippy riding in the passenger side of the Escort while I was driving out Route 88 on a rainy day when I smashed a bloated opossum...that was already dead. Oh, I've heard so many great stories. Of course, if you are a PETA person, the stories aren't so great. But wild animals (especially deer) annoy me. Good eating. But those varmints drive me nuts. Just stay off the road!

Well, the reason I'm talking about this is that my mom did a bit of deer hunting on the way back from Wheeling tonight. Apparently a little big buck hunting (no, not the video game). From the first hand account, it smashed up the gray car's right side, busted on the headlight, made the wheels wobble and on and on. Who knows how much that is going to cost to repair. Probably more than the car is worth to tell you the truth. It's a frustrating thing when something so big, so expensive and something you rely on so much gets wrecked. Sure, it's upsetting because it's going to force us to spend a little extra money we weren't counting on and it's a total inconvenience.

Simply put, it's an expensive, and dangerous ordeal driving a car. But the car is certainly replaceable. And the great thing about all these roadkill stories is that no one got hurt. And that's the only thing that matters. People are irreplaceable.

It's beginning to look and feel a lot like Christmas...really.

The day started as usual as any other. That is until I grabbed some cereal and glanced out the kitchen window and saw something quite strange. It was pouring down from the heavens and piling up on my car, the parking lot, the grass, the rooftops. Yeah, the first snow of the year. Forget dusting. We got hammered...in the first week of November. So much for global warming.

I just laughed. I love snow. Some people freak out and run out and buy 12 loaves of bread and 6 gallons of milk (why all kinds of bread and milk, anyway?) Not me. Life goes on as usual, and from what I understand, I'll fit right in here in Erie. No school cancellations, no road closings. Snow is pretty much as common as rain. To me, nothing beats a good snow ball fight or a big snow man or even sled riding, which always brings back great childhood memories (especially ones of Bla and the Duffy emergency escape).

The only drawback from snow is that it's wet. And apparently both of my dress shoes had holes in the soles. That was news to me. Imagine my surprise when my socks were getting wetter and wetter as I walked in to the office. Well, you can't hardly go around in holey shoes, so I went out shoe shopping tonight.

Shopping...cold weather...snow on the ground...yeah, I started getting the Christmas itch. It made me want to spend money. It made me want to go buy a tree. It made me want to put up some Christmas lights. Sheesh, it's not even Thanksgiving yet! But the combination of slush on the pavement and sales in the mall put me in the mood for something even better than the holiday of Christmas. How about the REASON for Christmas.

It's a story I usually relegate for reading around December 25 and it's one I've heard over and over and over again. It's a story that's been used by Charlie Brown and many other TV specials. But really, why am I saving this story for the winter? The birth of Jesus Christ shouldn't be reserved for a day or for a season, but for every day and every season. I'm just going to put part of Luke's version here...

8 Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And behold,an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
14 “ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

I know I'm not the only one who just got a warm and fuzzy feeling all over. It's not only one of the most famous pieces of scripture, it's also one of the most beautifully written. It exudes joy and I can almost hear the angels singing.

I shouldn't keep this feeling for December. I should have it every day, all year long. There should be a constant thankfulness and praise to God for the greatest, most important, most useful and most lovingly given gift of all time. The gift? Immanuel, or "God with us."

The Decision

OK. I've now posted the the breakdown of the Tressel era offenses, defenses and special teams. After much debate and bantering amongst me, myself and I, I've decided which is the best team. But in true SID fashion, I must in the words of Degeneration X "break it down!"

Offense

The 2002 offense early the season was fairly potent, but late in the season it was inept at best, resorting to a series of big plays at crucial times to get the job done. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for clutch plays, but I'd much rather have a consistent offense that can put up close to 40 points a game...kind of like the 2006 squad with a Heisman winner and three NFL players at the skill positions. That unit was loaded and Smith was one of the best leaders that the Buckeyes have had. I love Troy. I love Pittman. I love Ginn and Gonzalez. But...This 2007 unit has a physically dominating offensive line and a physically dominating running back that can take over a game (Pittman couldn't quite do that on his own). There isn't a total reliance on one player or one combination (Troy Smith/Krenzel to Jenkins). But most of all, it is it's big play ability. You might argue that Ginn and Gonzo had more big play ability, but check the stats. Robo is averaging nearly five yards more per catch and look at the number of runs of 30-plus from Beanie.

Edge: 2007

Defense
Ohio State's specialty. The silver bullets. Certainly, few defensive lines were as dominating as the 2002 unit and the 2006 team created a boat load of turnovers. Even the 2007 team in recent weeks has shown some weaknesses. But here's the deal. The 2006 unit is not even in consideration because of its implosion against Michigan and Miami. You known I'm all about the numbers and the 2002 group gave up just 10 points per game against ranked opponents (6.5 ppg before the title game). Without that defense, that team is 9-3 at best. I feel like I'm not be honest with myself with this decision because I think the 2007 defense is the best since the 1996 Rose Bowl group. But even with it's weak corners and less-than spectacular linebacking corps, the 2002 defense had the leadership of Doss and Wilhelm and the swagger of Smith. They produced in the biggest games. And THAT cannot be quantified.



Edge: 2002


Special Teams
Kick returning and punt returning edge goes to the 2006 squad. Kicking and punting goes easily to the 2002 unit. Hmm....what is more important? Teddy Ginn or Groom/Noog? Well, I'll go with the Tressel, who said "Every drive should end in a kick." And who do you want kicking the ball? Groom and Nugent.



Edge: 2002

Final Decision
Obviously, the 2002 team won the championship in a way that will keep it in our hearts forever. The 2006 team real soured us with that stinkeroo of a performance against Florida. Let's not forget how amazing that team was for 12 weeks. It beat two No. 2-ranked teams for pete's sake. When evaluating teams, there is also a tendency to elevate the here and now. It's that what-have-you-done-for-me-lately syndrome. I tried to be biased against 2007, but after looking at the numbers, it's pretty much a toss-up. So, I'll go with my gut. The 2002 team won it all. The 2006 team didn't. The 2007 team hasn't...yet. The bottom line is that 2007 defense is everyone from the 2006 team a year older and a year better. It's offense has the same offensive line a year better and a year older. Even first-year starters Robiskie and Hartline are veterans. Even the 2002 team wasn't this experience. Plus, I love the chip-on-the-shoulder attitude and the me against the world mentality never fails.



Edge: 2007

That's the way they became the Buckeye Bunch

Hey folks,

The Buckeye Bunch Blog is officially up and running at www.thebuckeyebunch.com. It's really exciting to be a part of something like this. There are three of us blogging, and trust me, it's not going to be all about the Buckeyes. It's got a bit of everything. Humor, entertainment, faith, current events and so on. It should be a lot of fun to get everyone's opinions going and not only that, getting and giving comments on each other. Remember how I talked about keeping each other accountable? Well these two guys have been friends of mine since we were kids. We are all three Christians and I think blogging about our faith and problems that arise in our walk will help us work through those things and make us more comfortable with each other. I'm looking forward to it and I hope you join us!

Who's No. 1 (Part Deux)

After breaking down the offense yesterday, it's time for the defenses and special teams. The final decision comes tomorrow before kickoff!


DEFENSE

Defensive line
2002 - Will Smith - 5.5 sacks
Tim Anderson - 3 sacks
Kenny Peterson - 4 sacks
Darrion Scott - 14.5 sacks over four years
Breakdown: This might very well have been the scariest defensive line at Ohio State since 1996 and maybe even more dominating than that group. Entering the game against Miami, Ken Dorsey had been sacked just nine times all year. This line rang up four sacks. All four of these guys played in the NFL. Smith played the game like a bully. He wanted a fight and would knock the snot out of you. Scott was a fierce hitter, and I’ll argue that Anderson might be the second-best DT in Ohio State history behind Dan Wilkinson.
2006 - Vernon Gholston - 8.5 sacks, 15 TFL, 49 tackles
David Patterson - 22 tackles, 3 TFL
Quinn Pitcock - 39 tackles, 12 TFL, 8 sacks
Jay Richardson - 25 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 4 sacks
Breakdown: Somehow, this d-line registered more sacks than the ballyhooed 2002 bunch. Pitcock came on strong as a senior and was virtually unblockable at times. Eight sacks for a DT is an impressive number. Patterson was a savvy veteran, who had played for four years. Richardson was a senior and finally lived up to his billing. He was big, rushed the passer and held up well against the run. Gholston was really just coming into his own. He was so versatile on the end, dropping back into coverage and using the speed rush. He became Ohio State’s newest Will Smith.
2007 - Vernon Gholston - 20 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 6 sacks (on pace for 9.5 sacks)
Dexter Larimore - 8 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 1 sack
Todd Denlinger - 10 tackles, 1.0 TFL
Dough Worthington - 16 tackles
Cameron Hayward - 18 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks (on pace for 4 sacks)
Breakdown: Except for Gholston, the numbers don’t exactly blow you away. It’s a blue collar group for the most part with a freak (Gholston) on one end and a superstar in the making (Heyward) on the other. The entire group has been nothing but rock solid and they’ve been without Lawrence Wilson, who might have been the best pass rusher. Gholston can do just about anything and you can’t put a price on that. If he can get to 10 sacks, he’ll be one of only five players in school history to hit double figures in a season (Jason Simmons, Will Smith, Matt Finkes, Mike Vrabel did it twice and Andy Katzenmoyer).

Linebackers
2002 - Cie Grant
Matt Wilhelm
Robert Reynolds
Breakdown: It was just too hard to track down the stats for all of these guys, but what we do know is that Wilhelm was a First Team All-American in 2002 and deservedly so. He was the center of the a solid defense and filled well against the run. He wasn’t a speedster, but we can all remember that it was his hit that sent Ken Dorsey to the sidelines late in the title game. Rob Reynolds is probably best known for choking out Jim Sorgi in 2003. Cie Grant was a linebacker, moved to corner in 2001 and then moved back to linebacker in 2002. Excellent speed and blitzed well off the edge (see final play of Illinois and Miami games).
2006 - James Laurinaitis - 115 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 4 sacks, 5 INT, 3 FF
Marcus Freeman - 71 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 1 sack, 2 INT
Curtis Terry - 17 tackles, 3.5 TFL
Breakdown: This was an interesting group of backers. James was a sophomore, Freeman was overcoming some injury plagued years and Curtis Terry was finally getting a chance to play after sitting behind Hawk and Co. Not a single one of these guys had ever started before but really provided a new dimension to the Ohio State defense. They turned the ball over, made some huge plays (James against Texas). James won the Nagurski as a first-year starter and was edged by Patrick Willis (darn good backer) for the Butkus. Throwin in Ross Homan, veteran John Kerr and Larry Grant, and this team was deep. The only thing they lacked was experience.


2007 - James Laurinaitis - 66 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 4.0 sacks, 2 INT (on pace for 94 tackles, 8 TFL, 6 sacks)
Marcus Freeman - 62 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks (90 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 2 sacks)
Larry Grant - 31 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks, 1 INT (45 tackles, 10.8 TFL, 4.5 sacks)
Breakdown: This might be sacrilegious, but I honestly believe this linebacker group is better than Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel. That would mean it’s the best I’ve ever seen at Ohio State. Just look at the numbers. By season’s end, they’ll combine for 13 sacks, over 30 TFL’s and two guys will have close to 100 tackles. That’s putting up numbers like the did in the 70’s when every play was a dive up the middle. Freeman has the occasion lapse but the speed is overwhelming and the depth is there, too. They can sub in Austin Spitler, Ross Homan (when healthy), Thaddeus Gibson or Brian Rolle and not miss a beat.

Cornerbacks
2002 - Chris Gamble
Dustin Fox
Will Allen
Breakdown: Again, finding correct stats are an issue. We do know, that Gamble can make claim to being the greatest playmaker in OSU history. He made game-saving interceptions against Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Penn State (returned for the winning touchdown) and Purdue. Considering that he played over 100 plays a game three times that season on offense, defense and special teams, and it was his first season at corner, it’s pretty remarkable what he did. On the other side, Fox was a serious weak link. He made a pick in the title game, but was picked on because of the big cushion he gave wide receivers. Will Allen became an All-American safety in 2003 and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. He had the clinching pick against Cincy and against Michigan. Also, Willis McGahee might know something about Mr. Allen. But knowing that he moved to safety the next season says it all. Not a great corner. Overall, a subpar yet opportunistic group of corners.
2006 - Antonio Smith - 71 tackles, 10 TFL, 2 sacks, 2 INT, 1 FF
Malcolm Jenkins - 55 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 4 INT
Donald Washington - 41 tackles, 1 TFL, 2 FF, 1 recovered
Breakdown: Smith was a great story, going from walk on to starter and he did an OK job opposite Jenkins, who will be a first round pick someday. They were both tremendous in run support, as evidence by the combined 15.5 tackles for loss. Both also returned picks for touchdowns (fourth quarter vs. Penn State). While Jenkins was a superstar, Smith was never confused with Shawn Springs or Antoine Winfield. You never want a corner ranking third on the team in tackles. But he certainly was more than adequate.
2007 - Malcolm Jenkins - 39 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 3 INT (on pace for 56 tackles, 6 TFL, 5 INT)
Donald Washington - 23 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT
Chimdi Chekwa - 24 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT
Breakdown: Again, Jenkins is a stud. They’ve moved him back to safety a couple times this year and he’s made plays from that spot. Washington is much improved and Chekwa has been a really pleasant surprise. The best thing about this group is their physicality and swagger. Jenkins will hit you in the mouth and then tell you how he did. You need that at corner.

Safeties
2002 - Mike Doss
Donnie Nickey
Breakdown: The heart and soul behind Ohio State championship run were the two safeties playing centerfield. Mike Doss was a rare three-time All-American (including an even more rare consensus selection in 2002). Despite being undersized, he packed a punch like no other and stuffed the run with reckless abandon. Nickey was a step slow but solid enough. Doss made him look really good at times. Nickey didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and that’s what this defense needed with weakness at cornerback.
2006 - Brandon Mitchell - 60 tackles. 4 TFL, 2 INT, 2 fumbles recovered
Jamario O’Neal - 30 tackles. 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 1 INT
Breakdown: Mitchell was the backup to Nate Salley for what seemed like six years. He definitely provided some leadership to a young defense. O’Neal wouldn’t have gotten on the field if Anderson Russell hadn’t blown out his knee against Iowa. The two were hardly playmakers and O’Neal took a lot of false steps. A pretty average group.
2007 - Anderson Russell - 41 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3 sacks, 4 passes defense (on pace for 59 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks)
Kurt Coleman - 42 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1 sack (61 tackles, 6.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks)
Breakdown: Neither one of these guys has made an interception but it doesn’t seem to matter. No one is throwing the ball over their heads, either. Russell is a do-it-all safety and impresses me more every time he’s on the field. He’s not quite Mike Doss caliber, but he’s as good as Damon Moore and Gary Berry of the late 90’s teams. Coleman has a chance to be really good. I’ve liked him since his first trip as a gunner on special teams in 2006. He plays so hard and is much faster than any other safety in recent years.


SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker
2002 - Mike Nugent
Breakdown: All I need to say is “NOOOOOG!” A legend in Ohio State history and for that matter, in college football history. No kicker has ever made the amount of clutch kicks that he did. He never missed. Never missed. He made nine field goals of more than 50 yards in his career. His 55-yard game winner against Marshall tied the longest ever hit in Ohio Stadium. He also was a human touchback on kickoffs. Could have been named MVP on the 2002 team.
2006 - Aaron Pettrey - 8-11, 2-3 from 50+
Breakdown: With such a potent offense, he didn’t have much of a chance to showcase his field goal kicking skills. But we now know that he lost his job the following year to Pretorious and that should tell you all you need to know.
2007 - Ryan Pretorious - 16-19, 6-8 from 30-39 yards, 5-6 from 40-49 and 1-1 from 50-99
Breakdown: He’s already doubled Pettrey’s field goal total from last year and has missed the same amount (3). He doesn’t have a huge leg on field goals and hasn’t been asked to hit any when it really mattered. At some point, he’s going to have to make a big kick, and since he’s older than most students, I think he’ll have the maturity to hold back the nerves.

Punter
2002 - Andy Groom
Breakdown: Nugent would have been named MVP if it had not been for this guy. Rarely can you say this, but Groom single-handedly won a couple of those defensive struggles (Wisconsin and Penn State) games for the Bucks with his 60 and 70 yard punts that drastically changed field position. And because of him, “Tresselball” came into existence.
2006 - AJ Trapasso - 49 punts, 40.6 avg, 60 long, 17 inside the 20
Breakdown: AJ was solid, did not have one blocked and placed 17 inside the 20 compared to just four touchbacks. His long on the year was 60. Not a great average, but good enough for an offense who’s trademark was lengthy drives.
2007 - AJ Trapasso - 30 punts, 41.9 avg, 63 long, 3 TB, 15 inside the 20, eight of 50 or more
Breakdown: Trapasso is having a great year punting the ball. Not many punters average almost one 50-yard punt per game. His accuracy has been impressive, as well, keeping the ball out of the end zone but still out of play for the return men.

Punt Return
2002 - Chris Gamble
Breakdown: Gamble may have been a dynamic playmaker on defense but wasn’t all that explosive on special teams. Solid, but not like the guy on the next line.
2006 - Ted Ginn - 24 returns, 266 yards, 11.1 avg., 1 TD
Breakdown: His production in 2006 was not up his freshman and sophomore year standards, but that’s because no one would kick to him. Ginn was a total game-changer.
2007 - Brian Hartline - 13 returns, 199 yards, 15.3 average, 1 TD, long of 90
Breakdown: His average is seriously boosted by the 90 yarder. I’m still not convinced he’s the guy. Small looked OK at points but lacked decisiveness. Hartline doesn’t have the quick change of direction needed to be a great punt returner, but his results have been positive so far.

Kick Return
2002 - Maurice Hall
Breakdown: Yeah, yeah. Hall is Ohio State’s all-time leader in kickoff return yards. But can you name which game he had a return for a touchdown? You can’t because he never had one! Again, great speed but zero agility. He gets credit for not fumbling.
2006 - Ted Ginn - 18 returns, 440 yards, 24.4 average, 1 TD
Breakdown: Ginn’s one TD came in the title game and any average over 20 is pretty good. More than anything, he scared the daylights out of opposing teams.
2007 - Ray Small - 9 returns, 142 yards, 15.8 average, 22 long
Breakdown: One of the most disappointing things about the 2007 team has been its lack of big kick returns. Small was supposed to be Ted Ginn, but he hasn’t been very good at all. An average under 16 per return is shoddy and a long of 22 for a supposed big-play threat is rather disappointing.

Who's No.1 (Part One)

One of my most prized possessions is the Ohio State vs. Miami National Championship game tape. I've seen it so many times I probably have Keith Jackson's commentary memorized. But I was watching it again a couple nights ago and got to thinking. That 2002 squad was special, but when you got right down to it, they weren't incredibly talented. And the 2006 team that reached the national title game was supremely talented. The 2007 Buckeyes are in the cat-bird seat right now, as well. Which is the best Buckeye team of the Jim Tressel era?

Well, as only a sports information director would do, here is a three-way breakdown. One part objective (statistics) the other part subjective (how I feel). It was originally going to be one blog, but it's ridiculously long. And after three days of work, I've decided it to be a three-day post: the offense on Thursday, defense and special teams on Friday and a conclusion Saturday morning before kickoff.

So why waste any more time. Let the debate begin!

Team stat comparison
Offense
Passing
2002 - 2,425 yards passing, 14 TD, 7 INT, 60 percent completion, 8.5 yd/A
2006 - 2,791 yards, 31 TD, 6 INT, 65 percent completion, 8.2 yd/A
2007 - 1,985 yards, 22 TD, 8 INT, 66.2 percent completion, 8.3 yd/A
On pace for - 2,867, 31 TD, 11.5 INT

Rushing
2002 - 2,710 yards rushing, 617 attempts, 4.39 yards per carry, 193.6 per game, 31 TD
2006 - 2,208 yards, 480 attempts, 4.6 yards per carry, 169.8 per game, 25 TD
2007 - 1,788 yards, 392 attempts, 4.6 yards per carry, 198.7 per game, 12 TD
On pace for - 2,583 yards, 566 attempts, 17 TD

Points per game/average margin of victory
2002 - 29.28 (410 total)/16.21
2006 - 34.6 (450 total)/21.8
2007 - 34.6 (311 total)/25.7
On pace for 450 points/25.7

Wins over ranked opponents
2002 - 4 (Washington State, Penn State, Michigan, Miami)
2006 - 4 (Texas, Penn State, Iowa, Michigan)
2007 - 1 (Penn State)

Defense
2002 - 183 points allowed (13.07 per game) ranked 3nd in nation in rush defense (77.7), 95th in pass defense (243.1).
2006 - 19 TD allowed, 38 sacks, 202 first downs allowed, 12.8 points allowed, 7.82 through first 11 games
2007 - 80 points allowed, 5 TD allowed, 8.9 points per game allowed, 27 sacks (on pace for 39)

All-Americans
2002 - 4 (Mike Doss, Andy Groom, Mike Nugent, Matt Wilhelm)
2006 - 2, Troy Smith, James Laurinaitis
2007 - INC - You would almost have to assume that Laurinaitis is a shoe-in for his second selection and my gut tells me that Gholstin has an outside shot. Malcolm Jenkins looks like an All-American, too. Offensively, Chris Wells and Brian Robiskie could have the stats if they finish strong, but I doubt it. Kirk Barton at tackle is also a candidate.

Intangibles
2002 - This team had every intangible you could imagine. It won seven games of seven points or less with miracle offensive plays and defensive turnovers. Sometimes it cannot be explained on paper. The biggest key was likely its seniors that had been through the trying to times of a coaching change and two down seasons (by Ohio State standards).
2006 - Flat out more talented than any one else they played. The Buckeyes of ’06 got by on its superior speed and athleticism until the title game. The Troy Smith group was part of Tressel’s first full recruiting class and Ginn obviously delivered on the hype he had coming out of high school. The impressive numbers of this team was its 49 percent third-down conversion rate and 21 interceptions compared to just six thrown. The team did not commit turnovers. If this team lacked anything, it was likely the intangibles, as there was a great deal of rumbling after the title game that leadership failed, coaching failed and overall, the team got complacent because of its sheer regular season dominance.
2007 - So far, the Buckeyes of 2007 have not played a close game, but there is a sense that the team is playing with a chip on its shoulder and looking to gain the respect it lost against Florida. By most accounts, the defense and special teams have rung up more big hits early this year than all of last. Also, Tressel’s penchant for conservative play calling has been disregarded despite the having a first-year starter at quarterback. The defense is averaging an absurd three sacks per game and an interception per game.

Quarterback
2002- Craig Krenzel - 148-249, 59.4%, 2,110 yards, 12 TD, 7 INT, 140.9 rating
Breakdown: Any one who watched a game in 2002 knew that Krenzel was a molecular genetics major (UGH!). That was actually a problem. His unwillingness to make a mistake inhibited the offense. His completion percentage and lack of touchdowns speak for themselves (he completed 7-of-21 passes in the title game). He was reticent to actually throw the ball most of the time and had an incredibly weak arm. What he lacked it talent, he TRIED to make up for in toughness. The kid took some wicked hits against Miami and kept playing (81 rushing yards). I have no idea how he did it. He also gets credit for making some huge throws and runs in tight situations. But one must wonder, if he had been a better quarterback for three quarters, would there be any need for those clutch plays in the fourth?
2006 - Troy Smith - 203-311, 65.3%, ,2542 yards, 30 TD, 6 INT, 161.91 rating
Breakdown: The great thing to me about Troy wasn’t his playmaking, it was that he hardly ever made mistakes. 30 TD’s to six picks is a phenomenal ratio. Sure, he had great playmakers around him (unlike Krenzel) but his leadership was also something cannot be overlooked. The team clearly rallied around him. The only issue was that the team probably relied on him too much at times. To his credit, he didn’t have a down game until his last one. Let’s not forget, he was 3-0 against that team from up north.
2007 - Todd Boeckman - 139-209, 66.5%, 21 TD, 8 INT, 164.3 rating (on pace for 201-302, 66.5%, 30 TD, 12 INT)
Breakdown: People started comparing Boeckman to Krenzel even before he threw a pass. But let me tell you, Boeckman is light years ahead of Krenzel at his best. While he has made a few mistakes (almost an interception per game), they haven’t been costly mistakes. And at least he’s letting it fly with all those weapons he has. A worse crime would be not trying to get the ball to the playmakers. Believe it or not, he’s more accurate than Troy Smith by a percentage point and could possibly finish the season with the highest single season touchdown total in school history. My only concern at quarterback is depth. But as long as Boeckman stays healthy, Tressel will have him more than prepared for the big games.

Running Back
2002 - Maurice Clarett - 221 carries, 1,237 yards, 5.6 avg., 16 TD
Maurice Hall - 78 carries, 370 yards, 4 TD
Lydell Ross - 167 carries, 619 yards, 3.7 avg, 6 TD
Breakdown: Pop a tape from 2002 and fall in love with Clarett all over again. We won’t discuss what became of Clarett, just what he was for one season. Injury prone, yes. But he had quick feet (Wisconsin game), strength to break tackles (Washington State) and breakaway speed (Texas Tech). He was the complete package and I still maintain that OSU would have won the national title in 2003 had he been a part of the team. Hall and Ross comprised the worst backup running backs in the last 20 years at Ohio State. Ross declined every year after his freshman season (although he played well in spot against Miami), and Hall ran in a straight line no matter who was in front him (he did score the game-winner against Michigan). On any other team, those two backs would have never sniffed the field.
2006 - Antonio Pittman - 242 carries, 1,275 yards, 5.1 avg., 14 TD
Beanie Wells - 104 carries, 587 yards, 5.5 avg., 7 TD
Breakdown: This was undoubtedly the best running back combo we’d seen at OSU since possibly Raymont Harris/Eddie George/Butler Bynote back in 1993. I loved Pittman for his deceptive speed and his sneaky strength. He finished runs like a big back despite the fact he was tiny. Beanie was a great change up with his power. However, he had some serious ball control issues during this season. They both had the ability to move the chains and to break off big runs (Michigan).
2007 - Beanie Wells - 174 carries, 996 yards, 5.7 avg., 7 TD, 110.7 per game
(on pace for 251 carries, 1,431 yards, 10 TD)
Mo Wells - 93 carries, 325 yards, 3.5 avg., 2 TD, 36.1 (134, 469 yards, 3 TD)
Brandon Saine - 49 carries, 265 yards, 5.1 avg., 2 TD, 35.6 (71, 383 yards, 3 TD)
Breakdown: At several times this year, I’ve actually proclaimed Beanie as the second coming of Eddie George. He finishes runs like 27 used to, has a powerful stiff arm and nimble feet for a 230-pounder. He is the complete package and is on pace to rush for the eighth best single-season total in school history. However, I’m not a fan of Wells. He is a Maurice Hall clone to me and their first names aren’t the only thing they have in common. For a guy that is supposedly a burner, his 3.5 yards per carry and long run of 26 aren’t impressive. Saine, however, is going to be special. He’s not nearly as physical as Beanie but has more speed. I love how Tressel has gotten him involved in the passing game, as well. Even though I’m not a fan of Wells, this three-back stable is tough to beat.

Fullback
2002 - Brandon Joe - 1 carry, 1 yard
Breakdown: Joe was the classic Ohio State fullback. Bust your head and get no love for it. He was a good one, though. A tidbit of info that I bet you didn’t know--he was the leading rusher against Michigan in 2003 (another example of how horrible Ross and Hall were at tailback).
2006 - Stan White - 8 catches, 57 yards
Breakdown: Stan came in with Clarett, Smith and Zwick and was a highly touted linebacker prospect. He was switched to offense when AJ Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and the gang proved too talented. He was adequate. Didn’t run the ball once the entire season but did show reliable hands.
2007 - Dionte Johnson - 1 carry, -1 yard
Breakdown: Just like at running back, the 2007 Buckeyes use three fullbacks, Pepper, Jr., (Dionte) Trevor Robinson and Tyler “Tank” Whaley. All three are superior run blockers and ever since his freshman season, I’ve been a big fan of Dionte. There’s not a lot of love for the Buckeye fullbacks but Dionte delivers a blow. I guess there’s no chance of fatigue with three guys sharing the head-busting duties.

Wide Receiver
2002 - Michael Jenkins - 61 rec, 1,076 yards, 17.6 avg, 6 TD
Chris Gamble - 31 rec, 499 yards, 16.1 avg, 0 TD
Chris Vance - 13 rec, 178 yards, 13.7 avg, 3 TD
Breakdown: Jenkins was a go-to guy and had little help on the opposite side. As bad as he has been in Atlanta, he was that good at Ohio State. Holy Buckeye, 4th and 14, and the Illinois overtime win were because of Michael. Great hands and the only really reliable receiver on the team. Gamble could have been a super wide receiver, but was forced to play defense because of the weakness at corner. I always loved Chris Vance. He had great hands, but for some reason did not play much. Tressel rarely ran three-wide sets in 2002 and Vance’s numbers show it. As a whole, Jenkins was the best of a thin and rather unspectacular group and that lack of depth really hurt the offenses ability to spread the field.
2006 - Ted Ginn - 59 rec, 781 yards, 13.2 avg., 9 TD
Anthony Gonzalez - 51 rec, 734 yards, 14.4 avg., 8 TD
Brian Robiskie - 29 rec., 383 yards, 13.2 avg., 5 TD
Breakdown: What a talented group of wide receivers. At no time in Ohio State history had two receivers been drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in the same year. Neither Gonzo or Ginn had numbers that would make your eyes pop out, but the balance was what made them deadly. Don’t discount Robo, Roy Hall, who had a huge game against Michigan (but broke Ginn’s foot in the bowl), and Hartline, either. Robiskie made some key receptions (Michigan). No one could cover Ginn, and his lower yard-per-catch average was because of the offense’s design. Both guys could stretch the field and take a screen pass for 60 yards. Gonzo was also a third-down assassin. Remember his run after catch against Iowa? Ridiculous.
2007 - Brian Hartline - 34 rec, 429 yards, 12.6 avg, 5 TD (on pace for 50 rec, 620 yards, 7 TD
Brian Robiskie - 41 rec, 787 yards, 19.2 avg, 8 TD (60 rec, 1,137 yards, 12 TD
Ray Small - 15 rec, 216 yards, 14.4 avg, 2 TD (22 rec, 312 yards, 3 TD)
Breakdown: While the receptions were spread around in 2006, we are seemingly back to a two-man show in 2007. We are still waiting for Small to turn into Teddy Ginn, III, but he’s been hampered by injury. He’s shown flashes, though. I didn’t really doubt that Robo and Hartline could shoulder the load, but I had no idea they would be this productive. I believe there have only been four 1,000-yard seasons by an OSU wide receiver and Robo could do it this year. If he finished with 11 TD’s, he‘d join the likes of Santonio Holmes, Joey Galloway and Chris Carter for the fourth-best single season total. That‘s elite company. He wins jump balls and is maybe even more polished as a receiver than Gonzo (thank you, Terry Robiskie). Hartline is steady and has shown an ability to run after the catch. He’s the perfect No. 2. The freshmen looked good early but there roles have been limited in Big Ten play.

Tight End
2002 - Ben Hartsock - 17 rec, 137 yards, 8.1 avg, 2 TD
Breakdown: Ben was rarely involved in the passing game but finished as the team’s No. 3 receiver, which shows how weak that passing game really was. He had nice hands but zero speed and was really a glorified tackle.
2006 - Rory Nicol - 13 rec., 151 yards, 11.6, 3 TD
Breakdown: The Ohio State tight end never plays much of a role. He was a better than average receiver but less than average blocker.
2007 - Rory Nicol - 14 rec, 82 yards
Jake Ballard - 9 rec, 114 yards, 2 TD
Breakdown: One of the things I love about the 2007 teamis how involved the tight ends are in the offense. Ballard, the No. 2 option, is close to matching Hartsock’s full season total already. Both guys are improved blockers, and Ballard is really underrated as a pass catcher.

Offensive Line
2002 - Shane Olivea, Bryce Bishop, Alex Stepanovich, Adrien Clarke, Ivan Douglas
Breakdown: Olivea and Stepanovich have went to be starters at one point in the NFL, but as a unit, this offensive line was fairly horrendous. I haven’t the slightest idea how a team with such a line won 14 games. Part of the reason Krenzel had over 300 rushing yards in 2002 was because he ran a ridiculous amount of draw plays. Why? The line couldn’t pass protect. Maybe I’m being a little hard on this unit. Clarett had a great year. But look at the drop-off in production when Clarett wasn’t playing.
2006 - Alex Boone, Steve Rehring, Doug Datish, TJ Downing, Kirk Barton
Breakdown: This was still a pretty young group during this season and the stats show that they run blocked pretty effectively. I was never as impressed with Boone and Barton as TV analysts and Troy really bailed them out…a lot. The unit’s deficiencies were never more noticeable than in the championship game.
2007 - Alex Boone, Steve Rehring, Jim Cordle, Ben Person, Kirk Barton
Breakdown: It shouldn’t be surprising that Boone, Rehring and Barton (all starters in 2006) are improved. But this line has been flat out dominant. Boeckman has been sacked 10 times this year but against Penn State, the nation’s top pass rushing team, they surrendered only one sack and it didn’t come until the fourth. Early in the season against the likes of Youngstown and Akron, the line was pretty passive in their run blocking but I’ve been impressed lately.


Let me know what you think. The defense is tomorrow! Go Bucks!