In Tress We Trust?

Who thought it would end this way?  We all believed that the man who that brought us a National Championship and ruled over Michigan would someday leave as the most loved Buckeye coach since Woody Hayes.  We never thought that what Jim Tressel would have in common with Woody is being fired amid a scandal.  Jim Tressel is a good man who told a lie that developed a life of its own, and ultimately did him in.  There is no excuse for what Jim did, and the inevitable finally happened.  The media, your best friend when things are going well become like sharks when they sense a little blood.  I believe Jim truly loves The Ohio State University, and a day will not go by that he will not regret his actions.  Life now goes on for the school, players and coaches.  We will not know until at least August what the NCAA is thinking.  In August the NCAA should reveal the findings of their investigation and hand down any penalties they see fit. 

Taking over the Buckeyes will be Luke Fickell, a four year starter and 1997 graduate of Ohio State.  Luke understands what it means to be a Buckeye.  He is a guy who has seen some rough years, but also some very good years.  The issue with Luke being the long term answer is that he is connected with Tressel.  What did Fickell know about what was going on as OSU?  Was he blind to all the perceived corruption?  Did he not hear the rumors?  A lot of questions need answered, and the media has not yet put Fickell through the vetting process.  If he can come out next year rally the team to a Big Ten title, and beat Michigan, he has a chance to win the job fulltime.  We will deal with potential candidates at a later date. 

What about the players?  They need to grow up and be held accountable.  A rule is a rule, even if you disagree with it.  There is a lot of competition for these star players, and the pay is basically the same at all Universities.  The pay is free tuition, room and board.  Something has to set one program from another, and the boosters play a big role in that.  Anyone would be foolish to think that these athletes are not coddled and treated well because of their talents.  There are a lot of people at the schools and in the private sector making a lot of money off these athletes.  It is natural for the athlete to try and use their fame to help them through college life.  Does anybody remember player #6 driving a Hummer in high school?  No easy or answers for this problem.

In the end Jim Tressel was going for that special player in Terrelle Pryor.  He was that special recruit to bring The Ohio State University another National Championship.  The cost to Tressel was his soul, pride, reputation and ultimately the job he loved so much. 

That’s my opinion, what is yours?  I can be reached on twitter at @BrownsAnswerGuy

The Weeks Sports Review

The Week in Review

Some people say it is rigged, but I say who cares, the Cavs have the top choice in the 2011 NBA draft.  In what many of the expert’s call a week year the consensus seems to be that PG Kyrie Irving is the top choice.   Irving from Duke only played in 11 games during his freshman season due to a toe injury.  Many people compare him to Chris Paul.  We can only hope so.  The NBA is a lot harder for the average person to predict because of the European players.  Most people have never seen most of these players play in person.  They also play against lesser competition when you do happen to see some Euro highlights.  With that said, it is so important to have a good scouting system that can evaluate the European talent.  The Cavs also ended up with pick number 4, which will most likely be a European.  Most of the talk at #4 has the Cavs taking the C from Turkey, Enes  Kanter.  The little we have seen him play was in a NIKE all start game where he scored at will on Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger.  Kanter was to play at Kentucky this year, but was ruled ineligible.

The Indians remain among the best teams in baseball despite losing 2 games to the Red Sox this week.  The offense has suffered with Sizemore and Hafner out of the line up.  Grady should come back to the line up today.  We have finally seen some good crowds at Progressive field.  The leader of the team has been  Asdrubal Cabrera.  Getting Cabrera in 2006 was one of those trades that got no attention.  Seattle needing a bat traded the youngster for Eduardo Perez.  I do not think anyone predicted this type of career for Cabrera.  Asdrubal cannot be a free agent until after the 2014 season. 

Today, Ray Small came out in an Ohio State newspaper and said he sold school rings for money and got special deals on a car because he was a Buckeye football player.  Ray Small is only making himself look selfish and snitch.  If he did these things and the school did not know about them it just reflects on him once again that he is a person who cannot follow rules.  Ohio State’s Mike Brewster and Buffalo Bills Donte Whitner are among the people who have called him out.  Whitner has gone so far as to say he no longer part if the “Ville” family.  The “Ville” family refers to Glenville football players.  Small was also called out by LeCharles Bentley on his radio show tonight.  Bentley inferred that Small is a coward who is hiding in his basement.  Good luck Ray, you are on your own!

This Monday is Memorial Day.  Take the time to honor the real heroes in America, the fallen veterans who make our way of life possible.  Many athletes used to take time out of their careers to serve in the armed forces.  Bob Feller was one of those players to take time out of his career to serve in the Navy.  Bob was 23 and had won 107 games when he enlisted 2 days after Pearl Harbor in 1941.  After serving almost 4 years, Bob resumed his career and ended up with 266 wins for the Indians.  Take some time out of your day on Monday to honor our fallen heroes.

This Weeks Sports Review

One of my favorite sportswriters growing up was Hal Lebovitz.  I could not wait until the Sunday paper arrived with Hal's column.  Hal's weekly columns would have a lot of short snippets and the rumors of the week.  Before the internet, this was the sports fans greatest source of information for the week.  Today, with the internet age Hal's column would be old news.  This is my spin on Hal's column with more opinion than fresh information.

It was depressing to the Cleveland sports fan to see Miami and #6 beat Boston in the playoffs.  #6 had a big series and looked unstoppable during that series.  Boston, on the other hand looked old and slow.  The big three Garnett, Pierce and Allen are past their prime and are on the downside of their career.

It was great to see the Chicago Bulls lay it on Miami and player #6 in the first game of the conference finals.  The Bulls play great team defense and kept Dwayne Wade and player #6 under control all night.  It is only one game, but there will be quite a celebration in Cleveland if #6 gets knocked out of the playoffs.

Today is a big day in the rebuilding of the Cavs.  We will find out tonight (5/17/11) where the Cavs will pick in the draft lottery.  Record wise the Cavs are slated to get the numbers 2 and 8 picks in the draft.  With a little luck, the Cavs can end up with the top pick in the draft.  Kyrie Irving seems to be the consensus #1 pick with Derek Williams and Enes Kanter to follow.  A Cavs trade rumor to keep an eye on is Rudy Gay from the Memphis Grizzlies.  If you are a Cavs fan, start praying.

The NFL players are showing some cracks in their armor.  Players are beginning to lose roster and workout bonus checks.  The average career of an NFL player is four years.  A player cannot afford to miss a year in the already short career.  The courts are now siding with the owners.  The players are pressing for an agreement with the owners, as they know players are getting restless.  The fans are also getting restless, as they want an agreement so that teams can have free agency and sign their rookies.

The Indians are still playing good baseball.  The dreary weather put a damper on what was an exciting great start to the Mariners series.  I was at the Stadium Grill Friday night when Pronk hit the game winning home run.  The whole place erupted like it was 1995 all over again.  Nothing is more exciting in baseball than a come from behind home run to win the game with2 outs in the bottom of the ninth.  Then two rain outs before we could have more fun beating the Indians ex-manager, Eric Wedge.  Go Tribe. 

Bad week for Tiger Woods.  Having problems with his knee and Achilles forced him out of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.  It sounds like Tiger will be back for the US Open in June.  This tournament was fun to watch because of the 17th hole, with the island green.   This short 130 yard hole brings many a pro golfer to their knees. 

The weather has played havoc with all of our activities.  The spring sports have either been rained out, or played in some terrible weather.  Golf leagues and courses are also suffering from the rain and cold.  Lets’ all hope for a long dry summer.

Send me your thoughts by email or on twitter at @BrownsAnswerGuy

A Fans View of the Browns 2011 Draft

Tom Heckert just completed his second draft with your Cleveland Browns.  Over the three days the Browns added 8 new players to the roster. Only time will tell us now if Heckert had another  fine draft, as he did in 2010.  The draft was started with a trade, and a big one at that.  Trading the number 6 pick to Atlanta for 5 picks was the right thing to do.  Julio Jones will be a fine player, but the Browns need more than one fine player.  A rumor floating over the past few days is that the Browns will trade Atlanta's #1 pick next year to Philadelphia for QB Kevin Kolb.  That pick was one of the five picks received in trading the #6 pick in the draft.  With that said, here is my analysis of the Browns draft picks

Phil Taylor, DT, pick #21: After trading down with Atlanta, the Browns traded their 3rd round pick to move up to select Taylor.  This guy is huge, and true space eater.  I do not understand some of the criticism that Taylor is a nose tackle.  The guys has never played nose tackle, always playing in a 4-3 defensee.  This was a solid pick, and should start immediately.   The run defense is much better today.

Jabaal Sheard, DE, pick #37: Should compete for a starting spot with our switch to the 4-3 defense.  At worst he will be a situational pass rusher.  This guy has the size, strength and speed to play in the NFL.   Sheard was the Big East Defensive MVP in 2011.

Greg Little, WR, pick #59: Fans are excited about this guys potential.  I believe people are too excited and setting expectations too high.  For two years Little was a running back at NC.  His junior year he switched to WR and was solid.  Little was suspended for his senior year by the NCAA.   You need to be patient with this guy because it will take a couple of years to develop.  Compare his switch to WR with that of Josh Cribbs.  This is a very tough position to start immediately in the NFL.

Jordan Cameron, TE, pick #102: Another raw player with a ton of upside.  Played basketball at BYU before switching to football at USC.  This guy is a lot like Evan Moore currently with the Browns.  Not much of a blocker at TE, was drafted to catch passes and cause mismatches with DB's.

Owen Marecic, FB, pick #124: If you are a Lawrence Vickers fan, you will most likely dislike Marecic.  This guys played both ways at Stanford and once scored an offensive and defensive TD within 13 seconds.  Owen will soon be a fan favorite paving the way for Peyton Hillis.

Buster Skrine, CB. pick #157: One of the fastest guys in the draft.  Above average cover skills.  The question will be at 5-9 and 186 lbs. can he handle the physical part of the NFL.

Jason Pinkston, OT, pick #150:  Played tackle in college, projected as a guard in the NFL.  I believe the Browns will give Jason a chance at RT.  At worst Pinkston will be a back up this year.

Eric Hagg, S, pick #248: May have a chance as a back up and special teams player.  This guys had a nose for the ball in college.

Well that is my take on the Browns draft.  Let me know what you think.  Email your comments, or drop me a tweet at @BrownsAnswerGuy.