Cheer Up, Charlie Brown

Our Michigan blogger has the blues, which can only mean a much-needed pep talk from Buckeye Nation. Sorry to our readers for straying off topic.

"The Wings lost in the conference finals."

I don't care about hockey, But for those fans that do enjoy hockey and follow the sport the Red Wings are one of the NHL's elite teams. So they didn't make the Stanley Cup finals. In the last decade, don't you have three world championships to your credit? No other team has more. There's no reason to think you don't have a legitimate shot at a Cup every season.

"The Pistons have ushered in the next Jordan era. And they're done. And we will be either mediocre or rebuilding from here on out."

I don't want to dwell to much on this and jinx the Cavs, as I have some family members that would love to see Cleveland in the Finals. But this series is not over. Yes, LeBron's epic 2OT performance was one for the ages and pushed the Pistons to the brink. But weren't the Cavs up 3-2 last year, then lost at home and then got thrashed in Detroit? And how will LeBron really react, with everyone calling him Jordan the last 48 hours? It's tough to be coronated before the series is over. And hey, this is still Cleveland, home of some of the world's most heartbroken sports fans. I think it would be great for the NBA is LeBron made the Finals, since people might actually watch. And I think it would be great for the suffering fans of Cleveland sports. But the Pistons are tough, talented team playing a superstar and rags. They're not dead yet.

"The Tigers have probably seen the last World Series for a while. Maybe the youngsters will get to another a few years from now but that is a maybe at best."

Objection, calls for speculation. They have a very talented young rotation to build around. Yes, a World Series is always tough to reach, especially when you have to go through Boston and New York each year. But "maybe" is better than what the fans of Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Washington have each season. This is an upper tier team for the next 5 years, so you should enjoy it. And baseball remains the only sport you can passionately follow and enjoy without really considering the post-season. Revel in the hot dogs and summer bleacher seats. By the time your team is out of it, it's football season anyway.

"The Cowboys...maybe a 15% percent chance of a championship in the next two years. And that is probably optimistic."

Again, tough to feel for a team that won three titles in 90's. The NFL is a league of parity, and the Cowboys are playing in the weak conference. You have a decent shot for a couple years. If the team needs to be blown up at that point, no worries. It's not like rebuilding in the NFL takes forever, unless you have incompetent coaches or GM's. You take a year or so on the chin, collect high draft picks, and then make another run when you have the cake schedule. No on is ever out of it.

"Michigan basketball- Ha Ha"

At least you won't have the turtleneck to drag you down. It will only take one or two solid recruits to get Michigan back in the hunt. And Beilein is a good coach with an exciting system that's fun to watch. Why be down now?

"Kyle Busch- Not with Gordon and Johnson in front of him on his own team...plus with crashes every other week."

Sorry, I can't stomach saying anything nice about NASCAR.

"Michigan football- This is the year right? Yeah we'll see."

Jeez, you've got a fourth-year senior QB coming back. Two potential top ten picks in the next draft. You've got a great college RB and a dynamic WR. All of the preseason magazines will have you ranked at in the top 5. You get a rebuilding Ohio State team at home, Notre Dame is a joke and you own Penn State. You've already locked up one of the nation's top corners and have three solid linemen in the fold for your 2008 class. Why the long face?

"This is a good time to develop whatever area of life outside of sports you want to develop Michigan/Detroit/Cowboys/K. Busch fans. I fear the almost but not quite salad days are over."

If you start talking to me about your golf game, I'll hang up right away.

"On a positive note, at least the ridiculous amount of money I spent on '04 Pistons memorabilia was justified."

Honestly, there is no excuse for that many bobbleheads and all-star jerseys.

Sweat is Buckeye!

Trinity (PA) LB Andrew Sweat verbally committed to Ohio State last night after his football team's workout. Sweat, considered one of the top linebackers in the country, becomes the 9th commit in a class expected to number 17. He fills a huge need for the Buckeyes, who needed a middle linebacker to anchor this incoming class. Sweat could immediately join the linebacker rotation if James Laurinaitis declares for the NFL draft after his junior year. He will most likely backup Austin Spitler as a freshman.

Sweat held a small press conference at Trinity's field with his coaches and family in attendance. He choose Ohio State over 56 other offers, with Notre Dame his other finalist. Sweat told the crowd that he came away from last year's Ohio State-Michigan game knowing he wanted to be a Buckeye. He also credited his comfort with the Ohio State coaches, the school's proximity to home, and his bond with classmates like Mike Brewster and Jake Stoneburner with the decision. Sweat becomes the second Ohio State player from Trinity, joining TE Andy Miller.
Sweat hopes to encourage other top players, including fellow Pennsylvanians Terrelle Pryor and Shayne Hale, to attend Ohio State.

(photo by Scout.com)

The End...

The Wings lost in the conference finals.

The Pistons have ushered in the next Jordan era. And they're done. And we will be either mediocre or rebuilding from here on out.

The Tigers have probably seen the last World Series for a while. Maybe the youngsters will get to another a few years from now but that is a maybe at best.

The Cowboys...maybe a 15% percent chance of a championship in the next two years. And that is probably optimistic.

Michigan basketball- Ha Ha

Kyle Busch- Not with Gordon and Johnson in front of him on his own team...plus with crashes every other week.

Michigan football- This is the year right? Yeah we'll see.

This is a good time to develop whatever area of life outside of sports you want to develop Michigan/Detroit/Cowboys/K. Busch fans. I fear the almost but not quite salad days are over.

On a positive note, at least the ridiculous amount of money I spent on '04 Pistons memorabilia was justified.

Sweat Decision Coming Tonight

One of the top remaining targets for Buckeyes will announce his intentions tonight. Trinity (PA) LB Andrew Sweat will hold a press conference at 5pm after his team's workout. Sweat received offers from Michigan, Florida, Penn State and many other top schools before paring his list down to Ohio State and Notre Dame. Most recruiting sources believe that Sweat will choose Ohio State tonight. But stranger things have happened, and in the unpredictable world of recruiting you can never really be sure. Buckeye fans will keep their fingers crossed that Sweat joins their stellar 2008 class tonight.

Initial Rivals100 Released

Rivals.com released its first top 100 list after the spring evaluation period. As usual there were some pleasant surprises and disappointing slights. Some random thoughts on the list...

Good News: Terrelle Pryor is the #1 rated player in the country. While his recruitment will likely stretch out until February 2008, Ohio State is in good shape. Some even consider them the "leader", though it's obviously early. A Pryor commitment would cement this smallish as one of the best in OSU history.

Bad News: Mike Adams, the mammoth tackle from Dublin Coffman, just snuck on the list at #98. Adams wasn't even on the pre-evaluation list, with a dubious explanation about bad film from the Rivals folks. The guess here is that Adams got tossed on to placate the angry, subscription paying masses from Ohio.

Good News: The state of Ohio has 8 prospects in the top 100, fourth most behind Texas, California and Florida.

Bad News: According to this list, Ohio's top player is TE Kyle Rudolph, who has already verbally committed to Notre Dame. Brandon Moore, ranked #53, is likewise headed to rival Michigan.

Baffling News: Brandon Beachum from Cardinal Mooney is the #50 player overall, making him #4 from the state of Ohio. Beachum is a great kid with skill to play both linebacker and running back. But he's a bit undersized and has not been offered by Ohio State, Michigan or Notre Dame. Apparently he had an impressive NIKE camp in State College, but this seems a little ridiculous. The Buckeyes would love to have him, but Beachum is likely to get squeezed out unless he rules the OSU camp and OSU misses on players like Sweat, Hale and Zordich.

Good News: Devoe Torrence is currently ranked at #31 and with a big senior campaign will push himself into the five-star territory. Along with DeVier Posey, he gives the Bucks three top 40 players already. The other is Mike Brewster, Rivals' top offensive lineman in the country at #8 overall.

Bad News: With 8 commits already, there isn't a lot of room for more players, despite the interest. I think 9 is the max, though it could be ten if there's a mass exodus of juniors to the NFL.

Unacceptable News: Michigan OL commit Dan O'Neill is rated ahead of both Mike Adams and J.B. Shugarts. Guess we'll have to see how that plays out :)

Who's left from this list? The following are uncommitted players that list OSU in their top five or have expressed serious interest.

#1 Terrelle Pryor (QB)
#12 Shayne Hale (LB/DE)
#26 Lucas Nix (OL/DT)
#34 Steven Filer (LB)
#38 Brandan Beal (LB)
#40 Blake Ayles (TE)
#50 Brandon Beachum (RB/LB)
#52 Michael Floyd (WR)
#65 Brandon Smith (ATH)
#71 Kenny Tate (WR)
#77 Greg Shaw (OL)
#90 E.J. Woods (S)
#94 Cordale Scott (WR)

Pryor is the big fish and Buckeye fans are increasingly optimistic about their chances. But Pryor will take all of his visits so much can change over the next 6+ months.

Hale is tough to get a read on, but my gut (read: no tangible evidence) says that he doesn't choose OSU. Nix is likely headed to Pitt and Beal has Florida and USC as his top 2. OSU has expressed interest in Filer, but if Andrew Sweat commits that interest could fade away.

As noted before, Beachum would like an OSU offer and it still could happen. It would require some misses and an epic camp performance. Cordale Scott is a Glenville kid, which makes him pretty close to a lock for the last WR spot. So cross off Floyd and Kenny Tate, as there just isn't room.

I haven't read one single article that makes me think Brandon Smith is coming to Ohio State, so let's dismiss that possibility. E.J. Woods is a UCLA commit that grew up in Ohio, so a camp offer might give him something to think about. I wouldn't bet on it though - I think he eventually stays with UCLA. Greg Shaw is another matter. He's tackle that could move inside and would be an ideal fourth lineman for Block O. If he impresses in camp, OSU will be a strong contender.

If you're keeping track at home, I just eliminated most of the remaining players. So who will fill those last spots? Most of them will be on the Rivals250 list released next week. Andrew Sweat, Mike Zordich, Danny Mccarthy, Joshua Jarboe, Kevin Koger, and Willie Mobley are some of the top names on the board at this point. We'll update our recruiting big board later this week.