Yesterday, the Los Angeles Lakers played on ABC.  The network did the usual fawning over Kobe Bryant and proclaimed him “the best player in the world”.  Unfortunately for ABC, he wasn’t even the best player on the floor.  You see, the Lakers played the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose star player is LeBron James.  Once again, James outplayed Bryant as the Cavs beat the Lakers for the fifth straight time.

 

If you don’t think Bryant understands that LeBron is the better player, look at how he played yesterday.  He spent the early part of the game being unselfish, looking to set up his teammates.  Why?  Because that’s what James is praised for by the basketball insiders.  The Chosen One is the do-it-all guy, he scores, rebounds, and passes.  Kobe Bryant had to show that he could do all of those things better than the King.  At the end of the first quarter, the graphic showed how James shot more times than Bryant in the first quarter.  Certainly, Kobe Bryant is no unselfish gunner.

 

As the game went on, Kobe then decided to test the officials.  He blatantly fouled James at the top of the key in the second quarter without drawing a whistle.  In the third quarter, he pulled screamed at the top of his lungs to draw a foul from LeBron, causing analyst Jeff Van Gundy to call it a “verbal flop”.  Later, he pulled James on top of him to draw a double foul.  He then received a technical foul for rebuking an official following a missed shot in which he thought he was fouled.  He continued chirping throughout the rest of the quarter and into the fourth.  He definitely was more petulant than James.

 

After the Lakers took an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the King went to work.  He drove to the hoop, rebounded the ball, and even started defending Bryant.  Suddenly, the Lakers’ offense went south and the Cavs took the lead.  James had help, as Larry Hughes played very well down the stretch, hitting a couple of shots, and making a great pass to Ira Newble for a dunk.  Bryant did hit a jumper with less than two minutes left to close the gap to one point, but it was his last hoop.  Hughes blocked a lay up attempt, and with time running out, Kobe couldn’t even get a game tying three pointer off before the buzzer sounded.

 

Yesterday’s win makes it five in a row for the wine and gold against Big Chief Triangle and the Lakers.  Kobe Bryant is a gifted player, capable of dominating a game, but he doesn’t know how to win unless he is doing it himself.  That’s why LeBron James is the better player, and that’s why he has consistently gotten the better of the Laker superstar.  There isn’t a doubt in my mind that when Team USA gets together for the Olympics this summer, James looks at himself as the main man, not Bryant.

 

As for Mark Jackson and the rest of the announcers at ABC, they witnessed first hand yesterday what I’ve known for the last year and a half.  The best player in the NBA wears wine and gold.  He’s not the darling of the west coast movie stars, he’s a hard working gifted guy from Akron, Ohio and does what it takes to win.

 

JK

 

Urban legends.  There are books, magazine articles, and people who speak around the country debunking these stories.  Well, sports are no different.  There are myths and stories regarding sports, including teams in our own city of Cleveland, Ohio.  Here is one for each team that I would like to expose…

 

Cavaliers.  One myth going around right now is the strength of the Cavs’ bench.  In reality, Mike Brown’s bench is productive because he starts the wrong people.  If he would start Anderson Varajao, Daniel Gibson, and Devin Brown instead of Drew Gooden, Larry Hughes, and Sasha Pavlovic, then how good would the non-starters be?  We would then be discussed the deplorable play of the bench. 

 

I understand the theory here.  Heck, San Antonio brings one of their best players off the bench in Manu Ginobili to give the rotation some balance.  But, let’s not kid ourselves here.  The Cavaliers bench isn’t good because the team is so deep; it makes a difference because the coach has three of the team’s best players not starting.  With Pavlovic out for 4-6 weeks with a foot sprain, don’t be surprised if Mike Brown puts Shannon Brown in the starting lineup to keep the bench bunch intact.

 

Indians.  The myth involving the Tribe is that the cheapness of the ownership is the reason they don’t sign free agents.  The trend around major league baseball is for organizations to take care of their players before they get to that point.  Look at this year’s free agent class.  Who would you really have broken the bank for?  32-year-old Torii Hunter?  Mike Cameron?  Francisco Cordero?  There were no real impact players on the market this off-season.

 

The Indians kept two players who would have been free agents in Jake Westbrook and Travis Hafner and are now trying to keep C.C. Sabathia in the fold for the foreseeable future.  Even a guy like Johan Santana will likely be traded and signed before they can reach free agency.  The Indians don’t need to go out and pay megabucks to a player on the downside of his career.  They need to continue to produce young talent and keep it.

 

Browns.  You always hear that owner Randy Lerner doesn’t want to win.  Of course, he does.  Does anyone really think he likes hearing about how his team stinks?  Let’s face it; it was a much better year for Lerner in 2007 because the Cleveland Browns were a competitive team.  They are on the way up.  The problem might be that Lerner doesn’t know how to win.  The whole John Collins vs. Phil Savage thing showed that sometimes the owner puts his trust in the wrong people.

 

It appears Lerner has learned from his mistakes and from those of the man who moved the team away, and has put his trust in football people.  Letting Phil Savage make the personnel decisions is the right move.  The future of this franchise could have turned when Collins was let go.  However, make no mistake.  Randy Lerner wants the Cleveland Browns to win a Super Bowl for this city.

 

MW/JD/JK   

 

The Cleveland Indians have not been involved in the arbitration process since the early 1990’s when Jerry Browne took the club through the procedure.  This year, two Tribe players are eligible, Rafael Betancourt and Casey Blake, both key members of last year’s Central Division champions.  Betancourt is looking for a multi-year deal in the range of $2-3 million per year, reportedly.  That seems reasonable. 

 

However, Blake’s request for almost $7 million per year could mean he has played his last game in a Tribe uniform.  A team with the Indians revenue stream simply cannot pay an “average” player like Casey Blake that kind of money.  Last year, the third baseman hit .270 with 18 HR and 78 RBI’s.  He had an OPS of 776, where 800 is considered an above average offensive player.  These numbers are right in line with his career averages of 20 HR, 73 RBI, and a .262 batting average.

 

The strategy of teams not in Boston, Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles is not have a few highly paid perennial all-star type players, and fill out the rest of the roster with products of the farm system.  These young players are compensated at or around the major league minimum salary.  Think of the Minnesota Twins (Santana, Mauer, Morneau, Hunter, Nathan) as this model.  They won four division titles from 2002-2006 with this method.

 

What you have to stay away from is paying the average guys a boatload of money.  The players like Casey Blake.  This is not to take away what Blake has done for the Tribe over the years, including 2007.  He arrived as a third baseman, shifted to right field when Aaron Boone was signed before the ’05 season, went to 1B/RF when Andy Marte was acquired, and then back to third when Marte didn’t hit.  He’s a tremendous teammate, a guy who will do whatever it takes to help the team.

 

But, he’s not worth paying almost $7 million per year.  Giving Blake this kind of money would hamper their efforts to sign C.C. Sabathia, or to pay Victor Martinez when he enters the free agent phase of his career.  It also might inhibit Mark Shapiro from getting the piece he needs down the stretch of a pennant race.  I understand Eric Wedge likes Blake, but his respect of the player has to have limits, and that kind of money should be the stopping point.

 

It’s just business.  The Indians can’t pay Blake that kind of money, and his numbers show he’s not worth that kind of cash, despite the rampant salary escalation in baseball.  Even if the ball club splits the difference between their offer and Blake’s request, he still would make over $5 million per year.  If I were Mark Shapiro, I’d see what the market is for his starting third baseman in 2007.  Payroll flexibility is more important to the Tribe than being a good teammate.  They can find one of those for half of that price.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in Miami tonight looking for a sweep of a three game road trip that has so far netted wins over Memphis and San Antonio.  The wine and gold are currently sitting in the five spot in the Eastern Conference, a ½ game behind Wednesday’s opponent, the Washington Wizards, and 2-1/2 behind Orlando for the third seed.  Despite a 21-18 record currently, the Cavs might be the team no one wants to face in the playoffs.  Why?  Look no further than #23.

 

LeBron James isn’t averaging a triple double as Oscar Robertson did in 1962-63, but he’s as close as anyone has come since The Big O.  He leads the NBA in scoring at 29.7 points, and is dishing out 7.4 assists and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per night.  He also leads the league in fourth quarter scoring at almost 10 a contest.  He’s developed the closer mentality that fans have looked for since the comparisons to Michael Jordan started in his rookie year.

 

When the playoffs start, the Cavaliers have a fighting chance no matter whom they play because they have the best player on the floor.  What Mike Brown will do is try to keep the game close, and then win it in the fourth quarter because teams cannot match up with LeBron.  He is really “The Diff”, not the number on the scoreboard at Quicken Loans Arena.

 

It’s not like The King doesn’t have any help, either.  I complained as much as anyone about Anderson Varajao’s holdout, and even suggested Danny Ferry deal him.  However, it looks like the Brazilian mop top is indispensable to this team.  He rebounds, defends, plays with energy, and has improved his offense enough to be a threat on that end of the floor.  He obviously wasn’t just lying on the beach while his teammates were going through camp.

 

Also, Daniel Gibson has emerged as James’ sniper from outside.  If an opponent closes on #23 as he goes to the basket, they face the prospect of an open three point shot from Gibson.  And as often as not, the ball goes into the basket.  His maturity and work ethic have allowed him to be a very important player in just his second year in the association.  When he gets better at handling the ball, and can penetrate to the basket more, he could be a big time scorer in the NBA.

 

When people asked me about the Boston Celtics in December, I told them to keep one thing in mind.  It is better to be the best team in April and May, than in December and January.  The Cleveland Cavaliers are getting better by the month.  And with three of their best four players being under 25 years of age, they will continue to improve.  When the playoffs arrive, no one will want to face this team, especially with the best player in the game.

 

JK

 

It was basketball time in Cleveland last night.  That wasn’t just Joe Tait’s signature opening line, used just prior to tip off.  It occured on two different venues, one in the Alamo City, San Antonio, home of the NBA champions.  The other site was in downtown Cleveland, at The Wolstein Center, home of the Cleveland State Vikings.  Forget about who should start at quarterback for the Browns next season, don’t worry about who will play left field for the Indians this season, for at least one night, basketball was on everyone’s mind.  Or at least, it should have been.

 

In Texas, the Cavs continued their improved play of late, winning for the second time in two tries on the current road trip, defeating the Spurs for the third consecutive time in the regular season.  Of course, for now let’s forget that little event last June, the NBA Finals.  After trailing early, the wine and gold put together a spurt to open the second quarter with LeBron James on the bench, opening up a seven point advantage at the half.  They stretched the lead to eight after three quarters, and then withstood a Spurs rally to win when Manu Ginobili missed a 15 footer as time ran out. 

 

James was the star, scoring 27 points, gathering 9 rebounds, and dishing out 7 assists, but he had plenty of help.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas hit 7 of 11 from the floor to score 17 points, and Anderson Varajao continued his tremendous play of late, scoring 12 points and getting 14 boards.  Daniel Gibson hit a huge three late to give the Cavs a lead, and Devin Brown provided solid defense.  Even Damon Jones was solid, hitting all three of his shots in scoring seven points.  The only disappointment was the Disappearing Trio in the starting line up, as Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, and Drew Gooden combined for just 12 points on 5 of 18 shooting.

 

Meanwhile back at home, Cleveland State continues to surprise, knocking off 12th ranked Butler 56-52.  It was CSU’s first ever regular season win over a nationally ranked opponent, and runs their record in the Horizon League to a perfect 6-0.  It was undoubtedly the biggest win for the program since their two wins in the NCAA Tournament in 1986, with Kevin Mackey at the helm.   After winning just 10 games a year ago, the Vikes are now sitting at 13-5 and have a chance at post season play for the first time in a long, long time.

 

Coach Gary Waters has been able to do what Mike Boyd, Rollie Massimino, and Mike Garland could not.  That is, build a legitimate basketball program in downtown Cleveland.  Prior to last night’s victory, CSU knocked off Florida State on the road early in the season, and in case you haven’t noticed, the Seminoles of the fabled ACC are currently sitting at 12-6.  They also defeated South Florida of the Big East.  Yes, this team is for real, and Waters deserves all the credit.  And he is doing it with a mixture of local talent and those recruited from out of the state.

 

Yes, basketball was king in Cleveland for at least one night.  Hopefully, the Cavs can continue their winning ways and have put the first two months of the season behind them.  Also, with Cleveland State’s win, here’s hoping more fans in the area discover what a good squad they have put together. 

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers made news yesterday, even though they haven’t played a game since the double overtime win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night.  The wine and gold currently sit in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and a move up to at least the third spot and a first round home court advantage in the playoffs is still feasible.  However, the news did not involve on the court activities.

 

First, GM Danny Ferry gave coach Mike Brown a contract extension through the 2010-11 season.  Although I’ve been critical of Brown from time to time, this is a good move.  Brown has a good relationship with LeBron James, which is critical for the team.  In basketball, the superstar and the head coach must be on the same page for the team to work towards winning.  For example, look at San Antonio (as Ferry usually does) where Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan work very well together. 

 

If you don’t think it’s important, look at the problems that players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson have had with some of their coaches.  If the superstar and the guy in charge are butting heads, winning doesn’t occur. 

 

Look, Brown is far from the perfect coach.  His offensive strategy is from the Stone Age.  It lacks imagination.  All to often, it morphs into James with the ball and everyone else standing around watching.  Maybe this extension will give him the confidence to get an assistant with an offensive background.  Defensively, Brown has taken a squad that was below average on that end of the floor, and that’s being nice, and made them into one of the NBA’s best.  Remember, defense wins in the playoffs.

 

The other news coming out of the Cavs’ camp was LeBron James’ speeding ticket.  The King was clocked at 101 MPH in Brunswick after returning to the area from New Orleans following the loss to the Hornets.  Yes, James was wrong, but it isn’t earth-shattering news.  I don’t think I’ve ever hit 100, but I’ve driven my car about 95 MPH (thankfully, I did not receive a ticket).  And if I had a Mercedes, I probably would have gunned it up to 100.

 

The biggest thing critics of LeBron have had to complain about was wearing a Yankees’ hat at the Indians playoff game and a speeding ticket.  He was not drunk, wasn’t carrying a gun, nor did he have drugs in the car.  He made an error in judgment, and he will pay a hefty fine.  Hopefully, it will not happen again, but it’s hardly a huge deal.

 

Tonight, it’s back to the hardwood for the wine and gold.  They start a three game road trip tonight in Memphis.  Two of the three games are winnable with the sojourn ending in Miami.  In between is a rematch of the NBA Finals in San Antonio.  The Cavaliers need to start playing more consistent basketball, they can’t rely on LeBron to keep bailing them out every night. 

 

JK

 

 

There has been an uproar from Indians’ fans around the city about the name change of the place where the Tribe plays.  After 14 years, Jacobs Field has now become Progressive Field.  To me, it isn’t a big deal.  This is an era of baseball where naming rights are sold, and as that goes, the Indians did it right.  First, it is a 16-year commitment, which means the park won’t change names again until 2024.  Other teams have had their ballparks change names two or three times in 10-15 years.  Two names in 30 years isn’t really so bad, is it?

 

Also, it was a good chunk of change.  An estimated $3.6 million per year goes to the ballclub for the naming rights.  That would be enough to get a marginal free agent, or just maybe it could sweeten the offer for the reigning Cy Young Award winner, C.C. Sabathia, to keep him in an Indians uniform for years to come.  As long as they win a World Series soon, they can call the stadium anything they want, it just doesn’t matter in the big picture.

 

Speaking of the big lefty, it was reported on Baseball Prospectus.com that Sabathia really wants to stay in Cleveland, but the Indians offer was short on years, not dollars.  I have said this would be the stumbling block from day one.  There is no doubt in my mind the Tribe will pony up the dollars to keep C.C., but if he and his agents wanted a Barry Zito type deal in terms of length, seven years, the front office may be inclined to pass.  Reportedly, the Cleveland offer was for four years with a club option for a fifth season.  Sabathia is said to be thinking long and hard about the deal, since he wants to stay.

 

It doesn’t appear that GM Mark Shapiro is making a big move to help the team this off-season, since spring training is scheduled to start in about five weeks.  Yes, the Tigers and White Sox have made major moves to upgrade their teams, gutting their farm systems in the process.  Remember, Detroit has to make up eight games in the standing, and Chicago needs to improve by 24 games.  Obviously, the Motor City Kitties are the bigger threat, so why hasn’t the Cleveland front office done anything?

 

The Indians are banking on their younger players continuing to get better, along with a return to form from Travis Hafner.  Remember, most of the Tribe’s everyday players are younger than 27, which according to research is the age that major league players hit their peak.  Included in this group would be Grady Sizemore, Ryan Garko, Jhonny Peralta, Franklin Gutierrez, and Asdrubal Cabrera.  Improved offensive numbers from these guys would comes as a shock to no one.  And yes, I realize that it is likely that Victor Martinez and Casey Blake will regress a bit in 2008.

 

On the other hand, except for Miguel Cabrera and Curtis Granderson, the Tigers are made up of players on the wrong side of 30.  I would also bet a large amount of money (if I were a betting man) that Magglio Ordonez will not approach the numbers he posted in ’07. 

 

Still, the Indians need to improve their offense somehow to get back to the post season.  They are in the middle of the pack in the AL in terms of runs scored.  I know you win with pitching, but you need to score runs to get to the playoffs.  Hopefully, Shapiro can come up with that big bat before the beginning of spring training.  Perhaps, Progressive Park can help in that pursuit.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been winning.  They had won four straight before Wednesday’s loss at Atlanta to the Hawks.  However, in spite of their recent success, something is still amiss.  The wine and gold are far from clicking on all cylinders.  They blew out Seattle at home on Tuesday, but struggled at home against an undermanned Sacramento team last weekend.  The following game, against Toronto, LeBron James basically overcame a poor effort by himself to defeat the Raptors.  There is clearly something wrong with this team.

 

It probably doesn’t help that Mike Brown is starting two players in the backcourt, Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic that not only shouldn’t start, but also perhaps shouldn’t be playing at all.  To be kind, these two guys are not holding up their end of the bargain, both shooting under 34% from the floor.  Although Hughes is a solid defender, if either of these guys isn’t hitting shots, they really contribute nothing to the offense.  So, the Cavs are really playing 3 on 5 when they have the ball.

 

I understand being patient with veterans, but the season is now almost at the halfway point, and Hughes and Pavlovic are contributing nothing on a regular basis.  Also, playing non-productive guys doesn’t do a lot for team chemistry.  Don’t you think Eric Snow, Damon Jones, and/or Shannon Brown are sitting on the bench thinking that they could do at least as well as the two starters?  It’s a tribute to Daniel Gibson and Devin Brown that they set aside their egos and come off the bench.

 

It’s not a mystery why the wine and gold get off to poor starts, and struggle in the third quarter.  It’s generally because Hughes and Pavlovic are in the game.  Mike Brown has to see this.  Hughes’ ego requires him to start, but why not replace Sasha with Devin Brown?  Even Austin Carr has said it shouldn’t be up to the bench to provide energy to the team game in and game out.  The starting five needs more than LeBron and Zydrunas Ilgauskas playing well.  Drew Gooden’s inconsistency doesn’t help either.

 

Speaking of Shannon Brown, it’s possible we have seen the last of him in a Cavaliers’ uniform.  He asked the team to send him to the D League following the game in Atlanta.  Although I’ve been an advocate of Brown getting some playing time, it’s clear now that the kid just doesn’t get it.  He came in for the last four minutes of Tuesday’s blowout win against the Sonics, and promptly jacked up six shots in those four minutes.  If you are trying to get meaningful minutes, it’s not a good idea to treat garbage time into your personal highlight reel.  He would be better off playing the right way and impressing the coaching staff.

 

The fans want the team to make a deal, but it isn’t likely considering what the Cavs have to offer.  Sure, they can dangle Gooden and Shannon Brown, but Hughes’ contract makes him virtually untradable, so a huge impact transaction probably isn’t going to happen.  However, the backcourt can be helped without making a trade.  A shuffling of bodies already on the roster might be just what the doctor ordered.

 

JK

 

Jim Tressel loves special team play.  He has said the punt is the most important play in football, because of the yardage that can be picked up on that play.  He is one football coach who treats the special teams as 1/3 of the game, equating it with offense and defense.  So, one can only imagine how distressed he feels today when that phase of the game let him down in OSU’s 38-24 loss to Louisiana State in the BCS Championship Game in New Orleans last night.

 

After LSU tied the game at 10 after falling behind early, the Buckeyes offense was on the move again.  At that point in the game, OSU scored on Chris Wells’ 65-yard touchdown run, and followed that by driving down the field with ease until a penalty stopped them and they kicked a field goal.  Following a personal foul penalty on this drive, the scarlet and gray lined up for a field goal to put them up 13-10, but Ricky Jean-Francois bulled his way past the linemen and blocked Ryan Pretorius’ attempt, shifting the momentum the Tigers’ way.

 

The second special teams’ gaffe came on the first series of the second half.  With the Buckeyes trailing 24-10, they needed a stop badly.  They appeared to get one by forcing an intentional grounding penalty on second down, and a short completion on third down.  LSU had to punt.  Unfortunately, Aaron Spitler roughed the kicker on the punt, giving the Tigers the ball back.  How he missed the ball is one of the great mysteries of the game.  Another personal foul penalty on the Buckeye defense put LSU into scoring position, and they converted a TD pass from Matt Flynn to Early Doucet to give Les Miles’ team an insurmountable 31-10 cushion.

 

To win a championship game, you have to play error-free football.  Ohio State didn’t do that yesterday.  That is to take nothing away from LSU, but you cannot have four turnovers and four personal foul penalties and defeat a quality opponent.  Todd Boeckman’s first pick was the result of an LSU blitz, and his fumble in the fourth quarter when the Bucks were trying to get within a touchdown was the result of extreme pressure.  When it mattered, the OSU offensive line couldn’t keep the Bayou Bengal defenders out of the backfield. 

 

The penalties are inexcusable for a team who wants to win a title, especially personal fouls.  The speed factor is overrated, but it did stop the OSU wide receivers from getting open.  However, the Buckeyes did have some success with crossing routes, but more often than not, they were sent on fly patterns.  It didn’t work in the first quarter, so they certainly weren’t going to work in the fourth quarter.  Another questionable play calling move was not running more off tackle plays after Wells stiff armed a Tiger DB into the turf.  They gained good yardage on that play, but never went back to it.

 

With only three seniors starting, the Buckeyes are set up well for 2008.  I understand they will likely lose two or three juniors who will declare for the NFL draft, but they will still have Wells, Boeckman, and Brian Robiske, three standouts on offense.  The biggest day coming up for Ohio State will be letter of intent signing day for high school players when they find out if uber prospect, QB Terrelle Pryor decides where he will play college football.  Three title games in seven years is a good thing for a program, but it doesn’t make losing the games sting any less.

 

MW

 

Redemption.  That’s what the Ohio State Buckeyes are looking for tonight in the BCS Championship Game.  Redemption.  It was another Buckeye team that went to Phoenix a year ago, heavily favored against Florida, and went home embarrassed.  That one game has changed the perception of Ohio State football throughout the nation.  The players who were part of that game want it, they’ve been waiting an entire year for it…redemption.

 

Ohio State isn’t the first team to be blown out in the BCS title game; in fact, games decided at the end have not been the norm.  The Ohio State-Miami game went to overtime, and the USC-Texas match-up was an instant classic.  However, there have been several colossal hammerings in this contest.  In 1999, Florida State beat Virginia Tech, 46-29.  In 2001, Miami (FL) walloped Nebraska, 37-14.  And in 2004, USC spanked Oklahoma 55-14.  Yet, none of those defeated teams have heard the criticism of their program that Ohio State has endured.

 

What would people be saying had the scarlet and gray defeated Florida last season?  They would be talking about Jim Tressel and the Bucks in the same reverent tones reserved for Pete Carroll and USC.  It would have been OSU’s second championship in five years, a claim that only the Trojans can make because of the so-called split title (the BCS doesn’t recognize this) in 2003.  Instead, the Bucks have to explain why they are in the game at all.  Can one game discredit a great program like Ohio State?  Apparently, the national media thinks so.

 

I believe that people dislike Ohio State because the dislike the entire BCS system.  The Buckeyes simply worked the BCS to perfection.  If you are in a BCS conference and go undefeated, you will get to the championship game.  So, you play a soft non-conference slate. Now, Tressel doesn’t do this on a regular basis, but he did this year.  To those who don’t believe this to be true, remember, OSU played Texas in 2005 and 2006, and will play Southern Cal in 2008 and 2009. 

 

The people who run the BCS took strength of schedule out of the equation a couple of years ago.  So, they get a team from a weak conference (at least this year) with a less than stellar non-conference schedule in the title game.  Ohio State could only play the teams they have on their schedule and they defeated them all, aside from Illinois.  However, that doesn’t mean the OSU defense is weak.  They held Michigan to less than 100 yards in total offense in November.  The same Wolverines that shred a Florida defense on New Year’s Day. 

 

If the Buckeyes’ defense plays up to par tonight, they will come back to Columbus with another BCS title.  The LSU defense might have the first player to be selected in the upcoming NFL draft in Glenn Dorsey, but several teams have lit up the scoreboard against them.  Even in the loss to the Illini, Ohio State gave up just 28 points.  

 

I also have to think that any Buckeye who was on the field against the Gators a year ago has been thinking about making up for it for an entire year.  Therefore, a very motivated scarlet and gray squad will be playing tonight.  I think Ohio State will be able to run the ball, and control the LSU offense enough to come away with a victory.  Redemption will be theirs.  And the national media will need to find a new subject to discuss regarding college football.

 

KM