OFFENSE

QB- Sam Bradford, Oklahoma- Following a 2008 Heisman campaign, Bradford looks to lead the NCAA’s greatest offense yet again.

QB-Colt McCoy, Texas- Setting career highs in the passing game, McCoy returns with target Jordan Shipley and a defense loaded for the Longhorns.

RB-Jahvid Best, California- Combining speed and athleticism, Best hopes to improve on the 1,580 yard season he enjoyed a year ago. The best thing about Jahvid is, he is only a junior.

RB-Kendal Hunter, Oklahoma State- Relatively going unnoticed in ’08, Hunter is a key component to the Cowboys high profile offense that averaged 41 points a game last season.

FB-Stanley Havili, USC- Big and athletic, Havilli mixes a solid blocking game to go along with great receiving skills, note the 31 yard receiving TD against Ohio State last season.

WR-Dez Bryant, Oklahoma State- Leading the Big 12 and Michael Crabtree in receptions and touchdowns last season, Bryant will have a huge junior campaign this year.

WR-Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati- Having an impressive game in the Orange Bowl, Gilyard will have a better senior campaign as quarterback Tony Pike looks to be healthy this season.

WR-Brandon Banks, Kansas State- In a conference where receivers Michael Crabtree, Dez Bryant and Dezmen Briscoe got the most attention, Banks caught 67 passes for 1,049 yards and 9 touchdowns all behind the scenes last year.

TE-Jermaine Gresham, Oklahoma- Any debate here? Gresham is a versatile player that fits the mold of the San Diego Chargers’ Antonio Gates, reeling in 14 TD’s last season, Gresham is Bradford’s odds on favorite.

TE-Aaron Hernandez, Florida- Hernandez also looks to be Tim Tebow’s favorite pass catcher this season as the Gators lost the home run threat Percy Harvin to the NFL. If Hernandez can improve on the 381 yards and 5 TD’s from a year ago, he could challenge Gresham as the best.

LT-Trent Williams, Oklahoma- Williams is the protector to Sam Bradford’s blind side and is the only returning starter on the Sooners line.

LG-Justin Boren,  Ohio State- Boren, a transfer from Michigan, is a man among boys on the Buckeyes line, a group that features studs Mike Adams, Mike Brewster and JB Shugarts, all five star linemen.

C-T-Bob Herbert, LSU- I dont know anything about Herbert, but I really like his first name so that’s why he is my pick for All-American center.

RG-Alex Parsons, USC- Parsons, an all out bruiser is the top linemen on the Trojan roster with maybe exceptions to center Kris O’Dowd.

RT-Adam Ulatoski, Texas- With some many stud left tackles in college football today, I had to put Ulatoski on the line.

HONORABLE MENTION- QB Tim Tebow,Florida, QB  Zac Robinson,Oklahoma State, RB Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech, RB-Evan Royster, Penn State, WR Brandon LaFell, LSU, WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois, OL Brandon Carter, Texas Tech, OL Ciron Black, LSU, OL Russell Okung, Oklahoma State, OL Kristopher O’Dowd, USC, OL Anthony Davis, Rutgers

DEFENSE

DE-Carlos Dunlap, Florida- Dunlap features a rare combo of size and speed that makes some cornerbacks jealous. Dunlap, who used to run back kicks in high school, should anchor the Gator defensive line.

DE-Greg Hardy, Ole Miss- Limited to eight games a season ago, Hardy sacked the quarterback 8.5 times last season, first on the Rebel defense. Expected to be healthy this season, watch out for Hardy this season.

DT-Terrance Cody, Alabama- Cody is a monument at 365 lbs and had a phenomenal junior season after playing JUCO ball in Fort Myers. Cody is a mammoth run defender that should startle offensive linemen all along the SEC.

DT-Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska- Start to pronounce his first name correctly because this Cornhusker will be a first round pick in next year’s NFL Draft after leading Nebraska in tackles and sacks with 76 and 7.5.

LB-Brandon Spikes, Florida- The equivalent of Tim Tebow on defense, Spikes is a hulking defender that hits as hard as anyone in the nation, just ask Knowshon Moreno. Returning every starter on the defense for the Gators, Spikes is the best.

LB-Rolando McClain, Alabama- Coming off a sophomore season where McClain lead the Tide in tackles with 95, he is the top player yet again on a defense which features Terrance Cody.

LB-Travis Lewis, Oklahoma- Only a sophomore, Lewis broke Brian Bosworth’s OU record for tackles by a freshman with 144, and should only improve in his SECOND season on campus. Look for a Patrick Willis like season from Lewis.

LB-Obi Ezeh, Michigan- Ezeh isn’t well known around college football circles but should be after recording 98 tackles last season. Along with Brandon Graham, Ezeh is a stud for a Wolverine defense that should hold Rich Rodriguez’s team in games while the offense continues to improve.

CB-Syd’Quan Thompson, California- With an unusual first name, Thompson is a shut down corner that helped the Bears hold USC to 17 points last season. Picking off four passes last season, Syd’Quan, a senior, showed his home run hitting ability racking up 128 yards.

CB-Joe Haden, Florida- A very hard hitter, and great cover man, Haden should have a stellar junior season in Gainesville. With athletic receivers in the SEC including Brandon LaFell and Julio Jones, Haden should show just what he can do.

CB-Trevard Lindley, Kentucky- Very underrated in the best conference in America four years running, Lindley should be the only bright spot in a weak Wildcats team, so weak that I put them in the Sun Belt on NCAA Football 10 and they only won six games.

CB-Chimdi Chekwa, Ohio State- With a secondary mourning the loss of Thorpe Award winning corner Malcolm Jenkins, Chekwa, a junior should step in just fine. Chekwa is the in man for the Buckeyes, and should improve upon the three balls he picked off last season, one from Mark Sanchez.

S-Taylor Mays, USC- The best player in the country pound for pound, Mays will continue to knock heads off in the middle. Showing supreme versatility and great coverage skills, Mays will be a top five pick in April’s draft.

S-Eric Berry, Tennessee- The SEC’s best safety, Berry is lights out in zone coverage and can pick up slack from beaten corners. With great speed, Berry will need to showcase his skills in only his junior season in Knoxville and make a case for a top ten pick in the draft.

S-Kurt Coleman, Ohio State- Coleman is the top defender on Ohio State’s defense which was sixth in the nation a year ago and should have a great senior year. Coleman should only fall in line with the great defensive backs in Ohio State’s history including Antoine Winfield, Sean Springs, Donte Whitner and Malcolm Jenkins.

K-Thomas Weber, Arizona State- Weber has a big boot and always shows great accuracy netting 86% of his kicks and also has a great resume, 2007 Lou Groza Award winner.

P-Travis Baltz, Maryland- Baltz knows how to boom the ball and is great in coffin corner situations, landing 70% of his punts inside the 20.

KR- Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State- Cox who had three returns for touchdowns last season, racks up major yards and is a feature in the top kick returning squad in the country.

PR-Javier Arenas, Alabama- Arenas is as dangerous in punt returns as Gilbert Arenas, no relation, is from three. Racking up 16 yards each return, Arenas can take it to the house at any moment.

HONORABLE MENTION-DE Sergio Kindle, Texas, DE Jerry Hughes, TCU, DT-Gerald McCoy, Oklahoma, DT Doug Worthington, Ohio State, LB Roderick Muckleroy, Texas, LB Navarro Bowman, Penn State, LB  Kavell Conner, Clemson, LB Rennie Curran, Georgia, CB Dominique Franks, Oklahoma, CB Javier Arenas, Alabama, CB Kyle Wilson, Boise State, CB Amari Spievey, Iowa, S Ahmad Black, Florida, S Kam Chancellor, Virginia Tech, S Darrell Stuckey, Kansas, K Aaron Pettrey, Ohio State, K Kai Forbath, UCLA, KR Lamaar Thomas, Ohio State, PR Brandon James, Florida

Here is my All-American list, hope you enjoyed it! I put alot of work into it and if you think I missed someone, just tell me. I tried to get every conference into the discussion. Look for my second team list in the near future. Also, on the way is a list of the season’s marquee games and a review of each game. Thanks, keep reading here on Behind the Box Score!

NUMBER OF ALL-AMERICANS BY CONFERENCE

ACC-4

Big 12-18

Big East-2

Big Ten-10

Mountain West-1

Pac-10-8

SEC-17

WAC-1

Hope you enjoyed the team, keep reading, we have great stuff on the blog!

I just wanted to let everyone know that Me and Zach have moved to our own domain at : http://behindtheboxscore.com .  I want to personally take the time to thank everyone so far on our journey through the blogosphere so far, everyone’s comments have been great, and we look to move forward and really make a name of ourselves!

Running a 4.3 40 yard dash at 6′3″ 235 lbs is amazing, knocking out the incoming receiver and your own cornerback is amazing, for Pete Carroll his strong safety Taylor Mays is amazing. Forgoing the NFL Draft, Mays decided to come back to Los Angeles and try to win a national championship, something that USC is always expected to do each season. This year, the hopes for the Trojans are that much higher even with the departure of QB Mark Sanchez, LB’s Clay Matthews, Brian Cushing, and Rey Mauluga, the Trojans still are the most talented team in college football. Mays, at his usual spot in coverage, will control the skies for opposing teams and lay hits whenever necessary. Coming back for his senior season, the Seattle native looks to improve on the 53 tackles he made as a junior in a season where Mays was an All-American on everyone’s list and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award. With his size and speed, Mays is an NFL coach’s dream for a strong saftety, showing Ed Reed’s versatility, Jack Tatum’s power when delivering the blow and the playmaking ability of Brian Dawkins. Never in the history of college football have we seen a player of his size and skill.

Coming into his freshman year in 2006, most people were star struck when they saw #2 run onto the field, and for most Trojan fans this was another player in the line of stars USC has produced in the past few seasons. From Carson Palmer to Reggie Bush, Pete Carroll has installed an NFL factory on campus, and Mays looks to be the best yet. With SEC fans claiming Eric Berry is the best safety in the country, they obviously haven’t come out west. Not only did Mays shut down the Ohio State offense, Mays showed every Pac-10 opponent that if they threw the ball his way, their receiver would pay the price. In the Rose Bowl, Mays laid a hit on Penn State WR Jordan Norwood that not only knocked out Norwood, the blow landed in the chest of CB Kevin Thomas, which knocked out the fellow Trojan. In a class of college football stars including Florida QB Tim Tebow, Texas QB Colt McCoy and Cal RB Jahvid Best, Taylor Mays is far beyond the best player in college football.

With the Trojans playing at Ohio State, Mays looks to control the passing game of Terrelle Pryor and the Buckeyes and help lead USC to a national championship berth, something they haven’t experienced since Vince Young and Texas beat the Trojans in Mays’ senior year of high school. For USC, Rose Bowl berths are not enough and Mays wants to take USC to the title game which will be in Pasadena this season. Under scrutiny for NCAA violations, USC coach Pete Carroll looks poised to take his team to the BCS Championship Game and pay them well also. I heard Mays is making around $500,000 a year, just playing but really, Mays is THE BEST player in college football and will show the nation that by winning the Thorpe Award and helping USC win an eighth consecutive Pac-10 title, if not the national title.

Entering his ninth season as the Ohio State football coach, Jim Tressel is in his 35th overall season and many times has stated when he hits his 40th year he wants to call it quits. As heard on The Big Show on 97.1 The Fan here in Columbus, if that was the case who would you want as the coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes?

With a 70-17 record at Ohio State, Jim Tressel has cemented his place as one of the best coaches in Buckeye history, winning a national championship in 2002, capturing five Big Ten championships and owning a 7-1 record against arch rival Michigan. With a conservative approach, Tressel’s teams have been known for being slow paced, run oriented and Ohio bred. As of late, Tressel has transformed this team into a more athletic, fast paced team that has dominant defense. Keeping the same coordiators on both sides of the ball for the past four seasons, Tressel’s teams have played poorly in big time games and have looked unathletic and slow against the top tier teams from around the country. With a revamped offense and defense coming into 2009, Ohio State has starters from all across America. Starting at LE, Cameron Heyward is a product of Suwanee, Georgia and has started since his freshman year in 2007. At linebacker, the Buckeyes have two starters from South Florida in Brian Rolle and Etienne Sabino. Tressel hopes to play more man defense and pass the ball to the large group of shifty receivers the Buckeyes possess. With such great talent flowing in for Ohio State, if Tressel were to step down, who would you hire?

Possible Candidates

1. Urban Meyer, Head Coach-Florida-Northeast Ohio native, who was once on John Cooper’s staff in the 90′s. Meyer is the head coach at Florida and in five years has won two SEC championships and along with that two BCS National Titles. An innovative coach that gets the best out of his players, Meyer would be a great fit at Ohio State. Meyer has planted deep roots in the hotbed of football, Florida, and if he were to come to Ohio State, would bring much more athleticism to a team that lacked it severly when Meyer and Florida beat up on the Buckeyes 41-14 in 2006. Developing athletic swing players like Percy Harvin, Jeffery Demps and Tim Tebow, Meyer could do the same at Ohio State. If Urban could bring a new approach to Ohio State football with his creative packages, just imagine what the Buckeyes could do.
2. Turner Gill, Head Coach- Buffalo-Taking the once winless Buffalo Bulls from cellar dweller to MAC Champs, Gill would bring a hardwork mentality to a Buckeyes team that has had off the field issues lately. Not taking anything from anybody, Gill would bring a hardnosed mentality to Ohio State and teach his players what it is like to win a national title, he won a championship with Nebraska as a player in 1984. Gill is a hungry coach that is still upset over not getting the job at Auburn and would be good for Ohio State considering we already have the talent, a move for Gill could put us over the top.
3. Mark Dantonio, Head Coach-Michigan State- Dantonio, who was Jim Tressel’s Defensive Coordinator from 2002-05 at Ohio State, is another of the Tressel tree that continues to coach schools all over the midwest. An aggressive defensive coach who has a run oriented offense, Dantonio has ignored the personnel on defense and has continued to blitz heavily and get pressure on the quarterback while stuffing the run. With a tough defense last season led by DT Justin Kershaw, the Spartans won seven games and made it the Capital One Bowl. After helping bring Cincinnati to where they are today, Dantonio has had a great resume at Michigan State, recruiting Ohio very well and winning games in the Big Ten. With a system related to Tressel’s, the transition would be easy for the players, would it work in big games?
4. Kirk Ferentz, Head Coach-Iowa-Going into his ninth season at Iowa, Kirk Ferentz has consistently had teams that know how to play football the right way and compete. Splitting the Big Ten Championship with Ohio State in 2002, Ferentz has known how to recruit and get his players ready to play. With a team that can run the ball very well, Ferentz’s teams have always lacked a quality quarterback and if he landed the job at Ohio State in the near future, it’s more than likely that he would have that for the Buckeyes. Having an above average record at Iowa is impressive, but would Ferentz’s success carry over to Ohio State?
5. Jim Heacock, Defensive Coordinator-Ohio State-Heacock has been successful as Jim Tressel’s defensive coordinator the past three seasons but has been cited as play calling too soft in the big games. Heacock is part of the Tressel bunch that has landed jobs all across the midwest. With a 33-6 record as defensive coordinator, it’s more than likely that Heacock would be hired by Tressel, who more than likely would be deeply involved in the hiring process. Tressel has always made sure to keep his coaches occupied, so Heacock could be a viable option. With the big time losses, Heacock hasn’t received any attention for head coaching jobs elsewhere, so why would he work at Ohio State? If Heacock isn’t popular among fans of the Buckeyes, would you want him as your coach?

With all these coaches mentioned, who do you think would be the best fit? Is it the above five or another coach? You tell me, all I know is that Tressel is seriously considering retirement in the next five seasons and with the talent Ohio State continues to reel in, an experienced and innovative coach would work best for the Buckeyes. Or do you believe Ohio State needs to hire another young, not well known coach similar to Tressel? It worked once, would it work again? You be the judge? Meyer, Gill, Dantonio, Ferentz or Heacock, or do have other ideas? Submit your comments and tell me what you think.

When the waning moments dwindled to a close in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, LeBron James immediately left the Amway Arena. Upset and confused over why the team with the best record in the NBA had been upset by a trio of men named Pietrus, Lewis and Turkoglu who all answered to one: Howard. Cleveland was favored to run through the East, a conference suffering the loss of Kevin Garnett and everyone expected Cleveland to have a home court advantage similar to Duke in college basketball.

For the Cavaliers, the fans of Cleveland, an economically downtrodden city which on home games, the city reels in a million dollars, this loss wasn’t supposed to happen for Cleveland, a city suffering a championship drought of 45 years. The expectation wasn’t too much for James, but too overwhelming for the cast of teammates who were inconsistent in the Conference Finals and couldn’t come up clutch when needed. Mo Williams struggled mightily throughout the first three games, not even averaging 10 points a game and turning the ball over more than he ever had. Zydrunas Ilgauskus was no match for Dwight Howard, who muscled his way, sometimes even fouling Big Z but they never call a foul on him, to the bucket and was the reason for the Finals clinching win where the former #1 overall pick poured in 45 points and 18 rebounds.

Many gave James flack for his early exit in both the playoffs and the arena, but there was reason behind it. James, who works as hard as anyone in the NBA, has had a very rough offseason to date. First he received harsh criticism for leaving Amway and the bashing got worse when tapes came out that he was dunked on by Xavier’s Jordan Crawford. When Nike refused to release the tapes, most pointed the finger to the King, calling for his head. In reality, the holding of the tapes was a company policy and James wasn’t even dunked on, another attempt by ESPN to tarnish the image of James, who has never done anything bad in his career. After not showing up at the ESPY’s, an overrated event hosted by washed up actors that need something to do, James was picked on by Samuel L Jackson who by the way just purchased another pair of sunglasses. With ESPN favorite Kobe Bryant in the house, the event, hosted at the Staples Center, imagine that, James was put down for his inability to win a title. For the first six years in his NBA career, LeBron has had a large task at hand. Put the entire state of Ohio on his back, carry the 16 win Cavaliers of 2002 into the playoffs and turn the frowns of a depressed city upside down. Coming into his rookie season in 2003, the King as he was proclaimed by ESPN in his senior year of high school, had expectations like no other. With the injury plagued Zydrunas Ilgauskus being the only player from the team that season, LeBron has been the epicenter of a new movement for Mike Brown’s Cavaliers. GM Danny Ferry has been criticized often for his lack of trades, signings,etc but if you look at it, Ferry has done an outstanding job. With LeBron in ’03, the Cavs had no other scoring options, or at least consistent options with Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Dajaun Wagner and Jeff McInnis being the top scorers. If you recollect, Davis has been a bench player for a number of years, Miles has been in and out of the league, Wagner who suffered a career ending disease in ’04 hasn’t played since and McInnis has been with as many teams as the Royals’ Bruce Chen. Ferry has built a good ball club at least for Cleveland, who had the worst football team in the AFC North last season, and a baseball team who is last in their division and just completed the transition to a minor league team, giving away the reigning Cy Young winner and the only clubhouse leader the Indians have had in recent years. In a city still bringing up the days of Jim Brown and Otto Graham, LeBron will once again try to represent Akron, rise for Richfield, fight for Chiagrin Falls, gamble for Glenville, battle for Berea and owe it all to Ohio for a Cavaliers championship in the upcoming season. With a reloaded roster that boasts the signings of wing players Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker but the biggest acquistion of all is the King’s new witness, four time champion Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq will be there for the King to help him deliver a title and will do more than witness when LeBron is holding court. Expected to body Dwight Howard and get in the head of Kevin Garnett, Shaq who took down the Big Show on WWE the other night, will be another scoring option for a team that has one of the best teams in the Association. With LA losing Trevor Ariza but signing headcase Ron Artest, the task at hand is very tough but LeBron has shown he is up to the challenge. Remember “The Shot?” Nobody in the history of the Cavaliers has ever made a shot so difficult and the images last in the minds of fans everywhere. Even in a series where LeBron averaged over 40 points a game, he still put the team on his back. With three new weapons that last season combined to score 33 points, 22 rebounds and 6 assists a game, anyone in Cleveland’s way better move or be moved. Shaq may be nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, but with every dark cloud there’s a silver lining, he knows. When critics said the Heat made a bad move trading for him from the Lakers, when Kobe showed how selfish he is driving him out of town, Shaq took superstar Dwyane Wade to new heights and gave South Florida something other than drugs and murders to talk about.

When people compare LeBron and Kobe, there really isn’t any comparison. As a whole, LeBron has done more through his first six years than Kobe ever did and just imagine what he will be able to do in the future. Throughout each players entire career, James has averaged more points, rebounds, assists, game winning shots, points in the paint, and the only thing Kobe beats LeBron in is rape. The whole comparison is brought on by ESPN, who in recent months has been criticized for not reporting on Ben Roethlisberger and letting Pete Carroll have his way. It’s about time someone sums up the debate right here, right now. First off, LeBron was expected to do much more than Kobe coming out of high school and has proven to be everything he was hyped up to be. With no pressure, Kobe eased into the most talented team in the NBA with the Lakers and couldn’t win a title until MJ took his six rings and left the Windy City. Kobe had a very talented team and had the presence of a younger, swifter and more athletic Shaq that made up for the flaws in the Black Mamba’s game. Bryant is one of the most selfish players in the league, averaging the most shot attempts a game for the past six years, calling out his teammates and coaches on the air and demanding a trade for the player who without him, Kobe wouldn’t have done anything in his career.

On the other hand, LeBron took a team that had the worst record prior to his rookie season, a team full of players with less than a years worth of college experience and a coach that seemingly didn’t care. Winning 32 games in his rookie season, James helped continue the upward movement while playing hard each game and being the first one in and the first one out of the gym. Through the years of ’05-07, James played on a team that won at least 45 games each season. When Larry Hughes was expected to be his wingman, the signing of the St Louis alum didn’t go as expected. Yearning for the spotlight, Hughes was detrimental for the team and James could have acted like Kobe, crying for a new team and asking for Hughes to be traded. But he didn’t. Patience is a virtue and that’s what the King took to heart, Hughes and a cast of others were finally removed and a new mold was in the process of completion for a team that plays each night in Quicken Loans Arena, THE BEST arena in the NBA that has such a home field advantage, the Cavs only lost two games at home all season.

For LeBron, his game and way of life is more than basketball, it’s for pride. Bryant grew up with a father making good money playing in the NBA and never was faced with the struggles that young men in rough neighborhoods have to face. Growing up in several different homes, James went through his childhood without a father, a mother that gave birth to him at 16 and in the fourth most dangerous city in Ohio. With the only father figure in his life incarcerated for robbery, James could have very easily circumvented into the life of drugs, money and crime but James proved to be better than that. Patience is a virtue, and James waited it out. When he was given his first play hoop at the age of three, James dunk on it at the highest level. Viewing sports as a way out, James saw the light at the end of the tunnel. Similar to the song “Tie My Hands,” James was surrounded by dark clouds but each one of them had a silver lining, dominating every sport he played in up until his freshman year of high school. Recruited by every school in the country for football, James was the second rated player in the state of Ohio behind Maurice Clarett, a disadvantaged young man that has found a new way of living serving a five year sentence in prison. Clarett is another example of a Northeast Ohio depression filled story, as an All-Big Ten freshman RB his freshman year in 2002, leading Ohio State to their first national championship since 1968, Clarett could not end his marriage to the streets and that led to his downfall. In his blog, on wordpress, Clarett has found a new way of being and imagines doing good. James had this vision all along, it wasn’t what he looked at in his life, it was what he saw. Realizing his abilities and putting them to full use, James has led his career exactly to where it is at. So when you put down this young man, yes he is only 24, first go back and realize where he has came from. Leaving the Amway Arena may be disrespectful but this man never cheated on his wife, he never was charged with robbery and he never raped a woman. LeBron has come from a rough background and through basketball had made screensavers all across the country. As the third richest athlete in the world and most popular athlete on the planet, James found a way out and kept his head up through the bad. So when you say the Eastern Conference Finals loss was a heartbreaker for LeBron, realize the strength of this man. On his fifth Christmas in Akron, James’ grandmother dropped dead and was never coming back. With LeBron and his mother, Gloria, living in the house supported by his grandmother, this was the beginning of hardship, nothing compares to that tragedy, not even basketball.

With a little support anything can happen, and with the moves Danny Ferry has made throughout the past year, LeBron has a team that can take down anyone in the NBA. So when you go out and say LeBron will never win a title and accomplish anything other that his stats, he will prove you wrong just like the haters and people that tried to bring him down growing up in Akron. You’re no better than them, and the King will hold court once again, this time on the home floor of Quicken Loans Arena, hoisting something other than the MVP Award, this time the NBA Title.

Alright, I have to celebrate. The Reds just beat the Cubs 4-0, behind Justin Lehr’s 4-hit shutout, a complete game. This was the first complete game since July 10th, when Bronson went the distance right before the All-Star break against the Mets. Since then, Reds pitchers have averaged giving up around 6 runs a game, and 1.5 home runs per game. None of that was the case tonight, as the Cubs got runners to third base, but could never get them in.

This was the first win for Lehr since May 18th, 2006 against the Phillies. Some other positives to come out of tonight included: Scott Rolen hit his first long ball as a Red, and the Reds finally played some small ball. “Nice to just touch first base as a Red, I finally got to meet Billy Hatcher [First Base Coach],” Rolen said about his first two trips to first base, one on the homer, the next on the walk. “I just said to him ‘Hi there, I’m Scott Rolen, nice to meet you.’ He probably thought I was still suffering from my head trauma.” The small ball of the night started when Willy Taveras got on base from an infield single, and then on the next pitch, stole off of pitcher Jeff Samardzija. Willy then nearly got caught in a rundown, but lucked out as Hill threw the ball to second, allowing him to easily advance to third. Alex Gonzalez then brought him home on a sacrifice fly, Taveras got home and avoided the tag at the plate.

The NFL is just going to have to wait another year for ex-Buckeye Maurice Clarett. Clarett had earlier applied to get early parole, but on Monday sent a letter to the Ohio Parole Board stating he wanted to withdraw the request to leave the Toledo prison early. He had been there since 2006, when he was given the minimum sentence of 3 and a half years for a holdup outside a Columbus bar, and then a seperate highway chase. However, the prosecutor Ron O’Brien was going to deny him early release, saying he had not made a strong case to get out.

Clarett has his own blog, that you can find on the side in the blog roll, The Mind Of Maurice Clarett. Mo could not post from inside the prison, but he has phone contact with people that post for him. One of the quotes I took from a post includes,  “I personally believe that I’ve been aiming too low. A body and mind full of endless possibilities that I cannot and will not waste it back here.”

The main reason for his early release is to play in the NFL in 2010, or maybe play in the CFL by the end of the year. As it stands now, he won’t get out until March, and won’t be fully released until 6 months after that, he has to go to a halfway house first. The last time Clarett played in a football game was the 2002 national title game against Miami, where he rushed for the game’s final, and winning touchdown in the 2nd overtime, clinching a 14-0 season for the national champion Buckeyes, and the first national title since 1968.

The man just flat out hits home runs. Last night, Albert Pujols hit his 5th(correction, my bad) grand slam of the season, and helped the Cardinals (59-50) beat the New York Mets 12-7 in extra innings. He broke out of his slump last night, gaining 7 points on his batting average. Since his recent peak of .338 on July 11, The Machine has only hit .266, including last night’s 4 for 5 effort. “I didn’t change my approach,” he said. “I just made sure I had good swings.”

The Cards had to play catch-up on the struggling Mets (50-56), trailing 7-4 going into the 8th inning. The 8th opened up with non other than Pujols, who homered for the first time of the night, his 35th at the time. Nothing happened again till the top of the 9th, when the Red Birds started off with a bang. Doubles by Julio Lugo, and Rick Ankiel brought home the first run of the 9th, chopping the lead to 7-6. Colby Rasmus struck out, and then Skip Schumaker singled into right field, tying the game at 7, Francisco Rodriguez had his 4th blown save of the season.

The bottom of the 9th went fairly quietly, even with a runner getting to second. The top of the 10th went the Cardinals way, as they loaded the bases, and Mark DeRosa getting hit by a pitch, bringing in the first run in extras. Albert Pujols connected on a 0-2 pitch deep in to the right centerfield, giving the Cards the indefinite lead of 12-7. “I work hard. I’m ready every day. I didn’t put my head down. I don’t change myself and I don’t change my approach,” Albert said after the game.

I had high hopes. I think everyone in the 127-square-mile district area that voted yes believed Issue 2 was going to pass. Everything was done the right way, everybody gave 110% percent. But the vote (last checked) was officially defeated by around 1,000 votes, 14,391-13,583; more like 800 votes. There is not much to say. I have to do my share of reporting just to keep this site going, and writing this has been painful. A  good senior year has been taken away from me, and about 1200 others in the four high schools need to stay positive. No one accepts defeat easily. But we have to somehow keep going. I don’t know what else is left to say. I have two quotes, one from a great friend that is possibly going to Alder, and another quote from a student that goes to Grove City. I’m going to end on these two quotes.

–“Almost everyone is in something. And just think about if they didn’t have the opportunity to be in that—how that might have affected them. That’s what we’re going through.  And consider not only us but also the city,” Grove City High School junior Lindsey Scarberry said.

–”It’s been a complete disgrace to call myself a resident of Grove City. Now that i officially have to move to Westerville or go to Alder, I’m quite relieved to be out of such a corrupt system of funding schools,” said disgruntled senior Chris Yanichko.

And I want to thank everyone for everything for the levy. I don’t know specific names of chairmen/women, but if you leave a comment on the post, I will be happy to put their names on here. Thanks for everything you guys/girls did, just didn’t get the positive result.

After taking the 2009 year off, the 2010 year for the Arena Football League looks to be non-existent, as James Guidry, the regional director of the players association said that it “seems to be inevitable at this point” the AFL will fold. The demise of the AFL all started two days before the 2008 Arena Bowl, when David Baker, commissioner at the time, shockingly resigned. The owners did not look to find a replacement. ESPN had been the televisor of the games in the last year of operations. “This is entirely an internal AFL matter,” ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said. “Our telecast agreement with the league has been terminated.”

There was serious hope for Arena Football in 2010, but there was a disagreement with owners  thinking about bringing in a private equity firm to invest in the league. That was basically the last straw for the league. “We weren’t creating enough revenue. Salaries were going up and without revenue coming in it was a bad business model,” Philedelphia Soul WR Chris Jackson said. “That’s one thing that they wanted to focus on and change some of those things. They tried. They tried to market the league as a whole instead of small franchises likes Grand Rapids vs. L.A. The owners knew there was too much money to be lost.”

I always enjoyed watching Arena Football, and was a big follower in the Columbus Destroyers, who were coached by Doug Kay. I remember when they made that run in 2007 to the Arena Bowl, and the upsets they had along the way. They came up short in Arena Bowl XXI, adding to the failures by my beloved Ohio teams in that year.