Fighting Talker

Entries categorized as ‘Ohio State’

Way to go Buckeyes… sigh.

July 31, 2008 · 1 Comment

This is obscure and inside but it is soccer-related, so no moaning from the peanut gallery.

So my alma mater, Ohio State, follows up its miraculous, nearly inexplicable run to NCAA men’s soccer championship match with…. a recruiting class that’s not even ranked in the top 40 by College Soccer News.

Way to keep that momentum going, Coach Bluem. I guess he went to the John Markell School of OSU Program Development, motto: “Where Better Results Lead to Worse Players.”

Categories: College Soccer · Ohio State · Soccer

Geiger must be so proud

May 1, 2008 · 1 Comment

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.

Categories: College Sports · Ohio State · Sports

Headcast Alert, Headcase Alert!

March 21, 2008 · No Comments

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.

Categories: College Sports · Football · Ohio State

My Life Now Has Meaning

April 10, 2007 · No Comments

Because… if you google John Markell Must Go my post comes up first!! Yay!!!

Seriously, I can only go down from here.

Categories: Meta · Ohio State · Sports

Crushed Again

April 10, 2007 · No Comments

It happened again. While admitting that I still don’t care about OSU Basketball, we gotta stop playing Florida.

Bye Bye Greg. Bye Bye Mike.

Categories: Ohio State · Sports

John Markell must go

March 5, 2007 · 3 Comments

“The chances of me keeping my job are about this big.”

Warning: This following post is extremely obscure, especially to my friends/family who have no connection with The Ohio State University or its Men’s Hockey Program.

In the wake of this weekend’s disgraceful CCHA Playoff First Round Defeat to lower-seeded Northern Michigan, I have finally reached wits end with one man, one excessively-tanned man.

That man is John Markell… The OSU hockey coach.

Much in the manner of our Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence… please allow me to list my grievances against Mr. Markell.

  • We have had our last two seasons ended early in the CCHA Tournament by D-III schools that under almost any circumstance, OSU should beat at any time, in any sport.
  • Our roster has been in flux with players leaving early (Montgomery) or struggling with grades (Keserich and Montgomery)
  • He ended last season with a 1 win in ten games collapse
  • He has languished, Norv-like, at this university for nearly 13 seasons, winning a grand total of one trophy and a .480 winning percentage
  • A program that used to be considered on the cusp joining the CCHA royalty of UM and MSU is now an also ran again
  • He has allowed us to fall to second in terms of Ohio hockey programs behind Miami
  • When we did qualify for the NCAA Tournament three-years running, we a scored grand total of two goals, crashing out in the first round each time.
  • Nearly five years out from the CCHA Tournament title, it’s clear that no long-term gain was made from that
  • Markell always appears to have just taken a belt-sander as a suppository behind the bench, only occasionally showing some passion to whimper at a referee or weep after losing at home to another CHA or Atlantic Hockey minnow
  • His staff has admitted reading the USCHO message boards about him and his team
  • He has bitched-out reporters about their use of adjectives… John - you coach, we’ll write.
  • He has the charisma of a dead halibut, not terribly helpful when the program is starving for attention
  • He has in the past, matched his tie and shirt to his inexplicably bronzed complexion and hair

Other grievances emailed in include:

  • He and his staff appear to believe that OSU are the victim of some vast refereeing conspiracy.

I am sorry John, your time has passed.

Gene Smith, if you want to show the College Hockey world that you have any kind of commitment to this program doing anything other than hemorrhaging your money - he must be fired.

Categories: Ohio State · Sports

Well, we got crushed

January 10, 2007 · No Comments

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.

Was OSU (and the Big Ten) this overrated to begin with or did Tressel and the Buckeyes just lay an egg?
If it’s that we were overrated, then you have to ask serious questions about both the quality and style of football played by the Big Ten and its premier teams, OSU and Michigan. But that is a different question for another blog post.

If it was that we laid an egg, then questions have to be asked of Ohio State’s alleged unstoppable offense (which now appears to exist only because of Ginn) and of its coaching, which made no adjustments at all. That accusation also applies to our defense, whose zone coverage simply couldn’t keep up with Florida’s calibre of athlete.

The fourth down call? No complaints from me. I would’ve done the exact same thing.

Categories: College Sports · Football · Michigan · Ohio State · Sports

I feel brain cells leaking already

January 8, 2007 · No Comments

Yup, I am listening to SportsRadio 1460 The Fan - the (near) official radio organ of Ohio State. And would you believe, they’re talking about tonight’s game. And would you believe - they think OSU is going to win?

Now in this case, I actually agree with them. But I am reminded how stupid this station is. Chris Speilman is a nice guy, but how many different times can you tell me why OSU is going to win the game today. They’re not doing anything creative, they’re not trying to do or say anything a listener would already expect.

But then that’s not their job…

and now I just heard an for the Doug MacLean Show… “Get it straight from the source.” For non-OSU readers, understand Doug MacLean is the single worst GM in the entire NHL. Getting info straight from him is like buying a map from the captain of the Titanic.

Ooh, next up is Joe Germaine. You know what I’d ask him? “What exactly do you know about playing for a National Championship?”

Categories: Media · Ohio State

A BCS Press Conference Moment or the 10,392 example of OSU players being a little dumb

January 8, 2007 · No Comments

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.

Categories: College Sports · Football · Ohio State · Sports

The Big Day

January 8, 2007 · No Comments

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

Categories: College Sports · Football · Ohio State · Sports