Fighting Talker

This remains Andy Geiger’s fault. So when you see folks offering him effusive praise, remember he was responsible for a contract so badly written that OB got to keep his money despite being caught cheating.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State paid former men’s basketball coach Jim O’Brien $2.74 million for improperly firing him for violating NCAA rules.

O’Brien’s attorney, Joseph Murray, on Thursday confirmed the payment of $2.74 million. That amount represents the award, plus interest, he won in a lawsuit against the university in August 2006.

The Ohio Supreme Court refused to hear the university’s appeal in February.

O’Brien was Ohio State’s coach from 1998 to 2004. He was fired by then-athletic Andy Geiger for giving a Serbian recruit $6,000.

Terrele Pryor a Headcase? Uh oh.

I talked to someone very close to the Ohio State football program yesterday and he was very concerned about the road ahead for young Mr. Pryor. The adjustment to college is not going to be an easy one after you’ve been told for so long that you are the greatest player in the history of mankind.

This can only go well.

In Slate of all places. It includes a good reminder of what Big Ten basketball really boils down to.

Everyone bags on Big Ten football, and appropriately so, but the Midwestern brand of pigskin is easy on the eyes compared with Big Ten hoops: a raft of mediocre teams, plenty of flow-restricting physicality, and, all-too-often, Brent Musberger, looking live from Champaign or Iowa City. The most painful Big Ten team to endure is the Badgers, a team that combines brutishness and blandness into an unwatchable goulash.

Though to tarnish American for the ills of Feinstein, as the author does, is a bit harsh.

Now I will never ever claim to be a college basketball expert or enthusiast. Nevertheless, the two days of the NCAA Basketball Tournament first round are a lot of fun. I sit near our office’s TV, which I expect will find its way from CNN to CBS around noon-time.

My overall pick (which means they’re doomed) is Georgetown. I overrate Roy Hibbert but I think the Hoyas could sneak up on people.

Seen at last night’s CAA Final in Richmond and on the DC Sports Bog:

There are so many better jokes you could make about GMU than that one. Really, a chance missed by this not very clever William and Mary fan.

I should also add, I like George Mason, and It’s likely I will go to grad school there. That being said, there are still funnier jokes that can be made about the place.

Full marks to Deadspin for finding this. My personal favorite is a tie between Hoepnner and Zook.

Not much else you can really say. Once Ginn got hurt, OSU couldn’t possibly stay with Florida in a shootout and that, as they say, was that.

Our interior lines (both of them) looked dreadful, and without Ginn, what little offensive creativity Tressel is capable of was immediately stiffled. In light of our loss, one question really has been pinging around my head.

From the final Press Conference (PDF) on 1/7:

Q. Jim, one of your defensive players this week said you handed out a card with a Confucius saying on it. I was curious what motivational device you used during the year that did or did not work and could you share the Confucius saying with us?
COACH TRESSEL: Obviously that one didn’t work because it wasn’t Confucius (smiling). It happened to be Nelson Mandela. But anyway, so some of them work and some of them don’t.

I always confuse South Africa freedom fighters and Chinese philosophers. They’re just so similar.

Today’s the big day - Ohio State-Florida for the National Title. I’ll have more posts on my thoughts as I wake up and the day goes on

ESPN’s Pat Forde just destroys Nick Saban for bailing on the Dolphins and going to Alabama after expressly saying that would not leave.

Forde verbalizes so much of what I have a problem with in the big time football coaches. They stand up there and talk about being a “Man” and having “Character” and yet time and time again the lie and renege on promises to players, administrators and fans.

In this case, Saban lied to save himself a few days of being called a gigantic wuss by the nation’s pro football community for running away from a tough situation just like Steve Spurrier did.

Please, please, please read the story. It’s worth the five minutes.

Needless to say, I hope Saban fails miserably there. AND gets caught doing something dumb and ends up in some backwater in CUSA or the Sun Belt.