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The Buckeyes beat down Texas

September 10, 2006 / Bob

The Ohio State Buckeyes proved to the nation that they�re worthy of the number one ranking last night. The offense had more weapons than Texas could handle and Troy Smith showed why he�s a top Heisman candidate. Smith led the Buckeyes to a late first half touchdown that gave Ohio State the momentum they kept for the entire second half.

If Ted Ginn wasn�t beating the Longhorn defense deep, Anthony Gonzalez was open over the middle. Smith was very calm and made all the right decisions. The Buckeye defense was also a pleasant surprise. After looking shaky early, the defense settled down and didn�t give up a single point the whole second half.

OSU Football

Seven-run inning not enough, Tribe loses second straight

September 10, 2006 / John Blake

A game that started out extremely ugly for the Tribe actually turned out to be rather interesting. After getting blown out of the water to start, the Indians put together a massive seventh inning to make it close but in the end the White Sox prevailed 10-8 Saturday night. The nightmare of a season for Fausto Carmona continues. Starting in an Indians uniform for the first time since April 29, Carmona allowed five runs in three innings as the Sox jumped out to a 10-1 lead after six innings. The Indians surprisingly were able to make a game of it when they put up seven on the board in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to two. Kevin Kouzmanoff highlighted the inning with a three-run homer but the Indians simply seemed to run out of gas the rest of the way.

Put him in the closer’s role, he struggles. Send him to Buffalo, he struggles. Bring him back to the Indians’ rotation, he struggles. Fausto may have a lot going through his head right now. Perhaps the organization has tried to do too much with him too soon.

Cleveland Indians

Frye already on the hot seat

September 9, 2006 / Bob

The Cleveland Browns season starts this weekend, and so does the beginning of the Charlie Frye era. The media and players are criticizing Frye before he even takes the field. Boomer Esiason, former Cincinnati Bengals QB, was already quoted saying the Browns will be in the hunt for the number one pick of next years draft. Trent Dilfer commented that Frye inability to read the field and call audibles will limit the success of the Browns offense this season.

My opinion is Frye will struggle as a first year quarterback. I do believe if Romeo Crennel and Maurice Carthon develop a creative game plan and use the offensive weapons, Frye will have time to learn. This team and coaches will be responsible for understanding Frye�s strengths and weaknesses. I do not believe Charlie Frye is a �natural� when it comes to success in the NFL. If he continues to train with Bernie Kosar, and the team gives him time to gain experience, he may surprise all of us and have a successful first season.

Cleveland Browns

Buckeyes have two for one

September 9, 2006 / Bob

The Ohio State Buckeyes have two Heisman candidates in Ted Ginn and Troy Smith. Last week against Northern Illinois, both players stepped up and had great games.

Ted Ginn caught two touchdowns; one of them was a long toss and the other a ten yard out. This variety is showing everyone that Ginn is developing into one of the best receivers in the nation. Last year, Ginn relied solely on his speed to make big plays. The year he is showing defenses that he has polished his routes and understanding of the game. If he continues to improve, the only thing stopping Ginn from the Heisman Trophy will be Troy Smith.

Troy Smith is continuing to develop into a prime time quarterback. Early last season, Smith would look to run the ball early and not let his receivers finish their routes. The Michigan and Notre Dame games showed everyone that a good mix of passing and Smith can be nightmare to any defense. This season the Buckeye offense has many weapons for Smith to go to. If he continues to let the game flow, the Heisman Trophy will be a nice finishing touch to a great career at OSU.

OSU Football

Indians late-inning comeback erased

September 9, 2006 / John Blake

The Indians went through quite an emotional roller coaster during their 7-6 loss to the White Sox Friday night. An impressive ninth inning comeback by the Tribe was all for naught as Tom Mastny blew his first save when he surrendered a walk-off two-run home run to A.J Pierzynski. Trailing 5-3 heading into the ninth, the Indians shocked the Sox faithful when they rallied with four straight doubles off closer Bobby Jenks to take a 6-5 lead. The Tribe went ahead but could have even added more to their slim advantage. With the lead, they had a chance at an even bigger inning with two on and nobody out until Ryan Garko hit into a double play. As it turns out, they would need another run or two. Mastny, converting his last five save chances, let up a single to Konerko before the Sox catcher took him yard to end it.

The blown save wasted a terrific night by Sizemore, both at the plate and on the basepaths. Grady finished 3-for-4 with a single, double, triple, and two stolen bases. But what has plagued the team all season came back to bite the Tribe again…the bullpen.

“This is still new to me,” he said of the ninth-inning job. “Anytime I get out there, it’s good for me. I can only build off this.”