But at least a speck of class should have been in order following Butch’s season-ending injury and his tearful exit from the floor Sunday. The guy, after all, had just gruesomely dislocated his elbow and was rendered helpless in the season’s biggest game.
Instead, the object-hurling Ohio State fans began taunting the blubbering big man. One woman seated in the players’ family section even engaged in a back-and-forth with Butch as he left the court midway through the first half.
Darkly amusing? Maybe. Pathetic? Absolutely.
Oops, Dick did it again
Um, Dick, you’re on the air.
And OH BABY!, what did he just say?
During an interview Monday with a Knoxville, Tenn. radio station, Dick Vitale relayed a juicy off-the-record opinion held by Florida coach Billy Donovan on the draft stocks of Joakim Noah and Al Horford.
“I’m going to tell you what. I’d take Horford over (Noah)” said the zealous ESPN commentator. “You know who told me that in confidence? Billy Donovan grabbed me all alone and said the pro scouts are making a mistake. He said there’s no way I would take Noah over – he said he would never say that publicly – over Horford.”
“Hey Dick,” the host then interrupted.
Vitale can’t be this big of a moron, right? Well, not quite. Vitale said he was unaware of being on the air and was simply talking with his cronies over lunch at a restaurant while waiting to be interviewed.
After a Florida higher-up called to alert him of his lapse, Vitale called the radio show back and called his comments “a non-story,” apologized by phone to Donovan and went to absurd lengths in singing Florida’s praises during Tuesday night’s broadcast of the Gators’ blowout loss at Tennessee. At one point, Vitale even suggested that Florida should name their home court after the 41-year-old Donovan.
If this scenario and ensuing mea culpa sound familiar, it should. Especially to OSU fans.
During a 1993 OSU-Iowa broadcast, Vitale memorably referred to Buckeyes forward Lawrence Funderburke as a “cheap shot motherf—–.” That, too, was broadcast live.
Now Richard, play nice.
OSU’s 49-48 win against Wisconsin Sunday was ugly.
This, there is no disputing.
To some, mostly NBA fan boys, a Thad Matta-styled “punch after punch after punch” affair – where the combined score failed to surpass the centennial mark – signifies everything wrong with a “boring” college game.
The Notebook respectfully disagrees. These folks should be sentenced to the loony bin. Sunday’s game was a beautifully offensive work of defensive art. You won’t find half of that effort at an NBA arena. And you’re not finding the thunderous fervor displayed Sunday at the Schott.
Which leads us to our annual mental health evaluations of the national media. Let’s take a look at their exams.
“If the best team this 2007 season has to offer was at the Schottenstein Center on Sunday, college basketball needs to die and come back as something else. Perhaps rugby. Or hockey. Lacrosse? Anything but that la-schlock I saw Sunday … The best team in America wasn’t in town on Sunday. Unless Kansas happened to be stuck at the Columbus airport” – Gregg Doyel, CBS Sportsline.com.
“So, this is how they make basketball champions in the heartland. It is a little like milling grain, only with a lot more grinding involved. Points come painfully, each one a breach birth. The scoreboard operator is rendered optional. The refs swallow their whistles, working on the principle of no manslaughter, no foul. Defense rules the day. Woody Hayes, somewhere, smiles” – Steve Hummer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Mr. Doyel, please report to the white courtesy phone. Yes, it’s the looney bin.
Combine notes
Anthony Gonzalez ran a somewhat disappointing 4.44 40-yard dash during this week’s NFL combine in Indianapolis, but made up for it with leading shuttle times and a 38-inch vertical leap. Some mock drafts now foresee the 6-foot wideout being picked as high as 29th (first round) by New England … Troy Smith, who seems to be getting huskier by the day, predictably chose not to run this week. He did, however, show off his arm, leading his quarterbacks group with a ball speed of 58.5 miles per hour. The Heisman winner is widely projected as a third round pick … Tailback Antonio Pittman inflated his stock with a 4.40 40-yard dash. The time, matched by Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, was the week’s best among running backs … Defensive tackle David Patterson and defensive end Jay Richardson put up just 21 and 20 repetitions, respectively, in the 225-pound bench press. Notre Dame quarterback and pretty boy Brady Quinn put up 24 … Cornerback Antonio Smith and guard T.J. Downing were not among the some 300 players invited to the combine. The pair of Big Ten first-team selections had better impress during Ohio State’s pro day March 10.
Bucks extras
Referee Terry Porter’s belated pass interference call in the 2003 national title game was recently named one of the 18 Best Calls in Officiating History by Referee magazine … Mike Conley Jr. needs just two dishes Saturday at Michigan to break the school’s single-season assist record. The benchmark is Curtis Wilson’s 188 assists in 1988 … Oden has been announced as a finalist for the U.S. Basketball Writers Association player-of-the-year award. Joining the 7-footer are Noah, Texas’ Kevin Durant, Wisconsin’s Alando Tucker and North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough … Give Matta credit for only using the ubiquitous “school up north” designation in referring to Michigan this week.
Quotable
“Twenty years ago, they all went to the barber shop together to get their hair cut. Now, they’re going to the salon to get their toenails done” North Carolina basketball trainer Marc Davis to the Charlotte News & Observer on his team’s predilection for pedicures.
Quotable (OSU edition)
“My daughters pick my ties. Whatever they want to pick, I can influence, but they know the lucky ones. I’ve never been a guy who really cared what he looked like as you’ve seen.” – Matta on his dazzling collection of ties.
David Briggs can be reached for comment at [email protected].
