Monthly Archives: April 2013

Book Review: Don’t put me in, coach

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The name Mark Titus might not ring a bell to anybody but an avid Ohio State fan, but it should. Titus was a four year walk-on for the Ohio State Buckeyes men’s basketball team, and decided to chronicle his time in Columbus while riding the pine pony for four straight years.

Don’t Put Me In, Coach tells the story of Titus’s “Incredible journey from the end of the bench to the end of the bench” in true comedic fashion. The humor in Titus’s writing meshes with the rolling-on-the-floor-hysterical stories he tells as he relives his time as a Buckeye.

As your read the book, Titus takes you on a journey beginning with him meeting Greg Oden, Mike Conley and his other AAU teammates through his career at Ohio State and ends with his emotional senior day.

Mark “The Shark” Titus celebrates senior night with the Buckeye faithful

From the endless ripping of “The State Up North” (The University of Michigan) to his countless stories of trying to (and successfully) getting under teammate Evan “The Villain” Turner’s skin, Titus shows the ins-and-outs of a major Ohio State program from the end of the bench. From “the best seat in the house” Titus chronicles his life and interactions he had with teammates and coaches while wearing the scarlet and grey.

Titus shares his emotions in the book, talking about how much it meant to play with longtime friends Conley and Oden in a National Championship, not to mention the support he received three years later from the Ohio State student body on his senior night.

The best part of the book, shockingly, might not even be one of the chapters. Believe it or not, I laughed the hardest at some of the captions to the pictures section of the book. Titus went as far as describing himself as “an enormous vagina” in the eyes of his father on his senior night. You won’t see that in any other book, that’s for sure!

On a serious note, Titus showed what it’s like to be a jokester-slash-benchwarmer on a major Division I team. He provides good basketball insight on some big games, while making a mockery of the entire thing at the same time.

I could go off and quote passages, and tell you the specific jokes, but that would spoil a truly interesting and hilarious read. So instead, I’m going to say go pick up a copy. Whether you love or hate Ohio State, you’re guaranteed to love Don’t Put Me In, Coach (If you’re into funny books about sports that poke fun at now-popular sports figures and their Nerf guns).

Outlook on 2013-2014 basketball season

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As an adamant fan of the Buckeyes, I’m still extremely upset at the loss to Wichita State. In order to cope with this loss and utter depression, I decided to stop grieving and look ahead to the next season.

First things first, let’s talk Deshaun Thomas. Thomas has decided to forego his senior year and make the jump to the NBA Draft. Buckeye fans everywhere will say that this is such a huge blow to the team and that losing Thomas is a detrimental loss. My opinion? So what?

Yes, Thomas was the B1G Ten’s leading scorer, and yes he was consistent in the half court offense and able to knock down threes. That will be missed, you’re right. Let’s not forget about Thomas’s many, MANY, downsides.

Let’s discuss his lack of interest on defense. Ohio State was consistently one of the best defensive teams in the country this year, led by Aaron Craft, one of the best defenders in the country.

Let’s also discuss his horrific, horrendous, horrible (insert another word that starts with ‘Horr’ here) shot selection. Thomas took down right ignorant shots in his time as a Buckeye. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge advocate for “take shots to make shots” and ” the only way out of a shooting slump is to keep shooting,” but there comes a time when you have to realize you’re just struggling.

You might respond to that with, “well if Thomas isn’t scoring who will? It sure isn’t Aaron Craft!” My response to that, you’re damn right it won’t be Aaron Craft.

LaQuinton Ross and Shannon Scott came into their own in their sophomore years, and I honestly can’t wait to see what they can do next year with more practice and experience. Were they a bit streaky? Yes. Inconsistent? Hell yes. Will they improve and be leaders on an experienced team next year? Double hell yes.

Next on the list is the low post, the only area I’m worried about for Ohio State. Losing Evan Ravenel will be a bigger deal than most people think. Now, Amir Williams will have to find a time machine and figure out how to perform like he did when he was a McDonald’s All-American, because he sure as hell isn’t playing like one these days.

Williams missed easy shots from the paint, committed stupid fouls, and got beat on the low block way more often than he should have. If the Buckeye’s are going to be successful, he’s going to need to step up and play like Buckeye fans everywhere had originally hoped.

All in all, I’m confident in the Buckeye’s next year. Coach Thad Matta recruits like a mad man, and will get the right players to fill the right positions. With Ross and Scott returning, alongside team leader Craft, it’ll be a good year to be a Buckeye in 2013.

Movie Review: Miracle

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In American sports, we love to see the underdogs emerge victorious. But this time, in the 1980 Olympic Games, America was the underdog.

Gavin O’Connor’s Miracle depicts the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and their unexpected victory over the Soviet Union, a seemingly unbeatable force to be reckoned with. Nobody could beat the soviets, nobody could even come close to competing with them.

However, amongst the growing Cold War tension and struggle, somehow, someway, coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) was able to lead his team of underdogs to the top of the podium.

Coach Brooks is the lead role of the film, as he should be. This man was able to successfully dethrone the kings of international hockey with a team chalk full of college kids who had their minds set on settling old rivalries. Coach Brooks brought the team together, as one, to represent the United States of America, and the boys didn’t disappoint.

The players are pushed to their absolute limit by Coach Brooks, who challenges the boys to be “uncommon men.” In order to beat the Soviets, the boys had to do the unthinkable, which is exactly what they did.

The turning point of the movie was the scene (shown above) with Mike Eruzione, the first player to realize they were a part of something more than themselves. It was from then on out that the players put their past aside, and started to work together as a team.

As previously mentioned, the movie is right around the time of the Cold War, so tensions were high between Americans and Soviets. However, O’Connor doesn’t overplay the historical or patriotic aspects of the film. Even though both aspects are clear and evident in some parts, Miracle is, first and foremost, a hockey movie.

In order to fully grasp the game scenes, you must follow hockey. The majority of the movie is watching the team come together, with very few extended game scenes (barring the Miracle on Ice game against the Soviets).

This might be rough for those who don’t follow hockey too well, but that’s what hockey’s all about: team chemistry and fast-paced, in-your-face-yet-graceful action.

Regardless of your thoughts about the sport, Miracle is a movie for anyone. The message behind the film outweighs any negative thoughts about hockey, and leads the viewer from start to finish. Is Miracle one of the best sports movies of all time? Probably not. But man is it great to see us “beat those commie bastards.”

No. 9 Wichita State bounce the Buckeyes, contend for National Title

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Before this tournament, I had never heard of Wichita State. Before this tournament, I had no idea what a “shocker” really was.

Now I do.

The aptly named Shockers of no. 9 Wichita State upset no. 2 Ohio State in the Elite 8, punching their ticket to Atlanta for the Final Four. Some might say that a no. 9 seed making it to the Final Four is the definition of a “Cinderella Story.” The Shocker’s Head Coach Gregg Marshall disagrees.

““If you get to this point, you can win the whole thing,” Marshall said. “I think Cinderella just found one glass slipper. I don’t think she found four.”

The Shockers dominated the entire game, until a late second half push from the Buckeyes at least made the game interesting. The Buckeyes won their previous two games on improbable buzzer beaters, while Wichita State was busy “upsetting” their opponents by double digits. So in all reality, was it really a “shocking?” (Pun intended).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0tPeCrsuWQ

The Buckeyes only scored 6 points off of 12 Shocker turnovers, not to mention their dismal shooting. Ohio State had been shooting 50 percent from beyond 3 during the tournament. This game, however, they only shot a frustrating five for 25. The Buckeyes lived, and ultimately died by the 3-ball during the tournament, a fate that they were doomed to meet eventually.