While We’re Waiting… The Villain’s Heroics, Tight Ends and LeBron’s Blocks
Written By: Jacob Rosen | Category: Best of the Web | Comments: 10While We’re Waiting serves up an early morning breakfast buffet of WFNY-esque goodies for your daily viewing pleasure. Have something else you think we should see? Send it to our fancy tips email address at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
Well that was dramatic. Enjoy the video folks: “Any more questions about who should be the Player of the Year? I didn’t think so.” [Chris/Eleven Warriors]
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Talking about Turner’s flow up the draft charts: “What does March Madness mean for an NBA fan? Showcasing draft picks. That’s what. And with conference play in full swing, we’re in the grips of a tidal wave of surge for Ohio State standout Evan Turner as a number one overall prospect, even over uber-prospect John Wall, who has been projected as the top pick, since, well, I think since he was born.” [Matt Moore/Pro Basketball Talk]
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In other sports news, the Browns released long-time TE Steve Heiden yesterday. This post tells how he came to be in Cleveland originally: “It might have been the best trade in the three-year tenure of head coach Butch Davis and Player Personnel chief Pete Garcia. At the time, thought, it was certainly one of the least-noticed. Not many eyebrows were raised when the chronically undermanned Browns dealt away a seventh round pick in to the San Diego Chargers for TE Steve Heiden.” [Barry McBride/Orange and Brown Report]
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Some quality bullets about the Browns moves so far. Check out these comments on the TE situation: “While it seemed like the Browns had 19 tight ends on the roster last season, I like the Ben Watson signing. If last season proved anything, it would be that this team desperately needed a receiving tight end.” [Brandon Rostak/No Logo Needed]
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Always a fan of NBA statistics, check out this post about why exactly the Hawks and Celtics are fading in the second half. [Dave Berri/Wages of Wins]
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Bringing back the topic of LeBron’s shot selection: “LeBron James is having one of the most efficient scoring seasons a high-volume scorer has ever enjoyed. This much is statistical fact. He has also made me lose at least a year of my life due to his shot selection, which has been widely maligned. This much is medical opinion.” [John Krolik/Cavs: The Blog]
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Tournament Time so here is some MAC basketball talk about both the Akron Zips and Kent State Golden Flashes from NE Ohio. More on the Zips advancing to the finals later today: “It’s interesting though probably not surprising that the rise of both programs in this way corresponds with the LeBron James Era.” [Cleveland Frowns]
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Want another cool video? Well then, go ahead and check out this sweet list of LeBron’s top 10 chase down blocks: [Trey Kerby/Ball Don't Lie]
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Finally, just to bring back an old argument from the summer, this ranking has Canadian outfielder Nick Weglarz as the #7 prospect in the Indians organization. At only 22 years old, he should start the season in Akron again this year after an injury-plagued 2009 season. Still plenty of power potential left here: [Tony Lastoria/Indians Prospect Insider]
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(Video hat tip: madbadd/YouTube from ESPN last night)
Author: JacobRosen
Jacob Rosen is a weekend author for WFNY, the sports editor for the University of Dayton's Flyer News and the current media relations director of the Akron Aeros. Jacob is an Akron native who majors in applied mathematical economics at UD. You can follow him on Twitter @udjrosen or e-mail him at udjrosen(at)gmail(dot)com.Jacob Rosen has written 267 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
i saw that John Beilein was the only coach who didn’t vote for turner as POY, so you gotta know matta’s rant was along the lines of: WHO’S THE B10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR NOW B—–??
Re Cavs:
Just jackin’ up threes.
Fourth quarter gets close cuz we’re
Just brickin’ up threes
(A tri-ku)
@1
Jimbo, love the new look.
@kanicki – I had no idea that JB did that. How much sweeter that shot becomes. And it was sweet before. Now it cloys.
Weglarz leads the Cactus League in OBP with .643 and Brantley isn’t too far behind.
just want to attribute my ‘source’ –> [cant find denny's funny 'INTERNET' url. screw it.]
no seriously, it’s here: http://ow.ly/1iy9L . take it for what it’s worth.
one of the commenters sums up my feelings if was ragging Beilein: “I think he would be justified to talk a little smack after Evan Turner hit that shot. The Michigan coach obviously didn’t vote for Turner out of Ohio State jealousy. In a situation like that your emotions get the best of you sometimes…it’s not as unclassy as not voting for Evan Turner for POY.”
–and thanks mr. c!
0:43 – Crushed Michigan fans that had been thinking “I can’t believe our football team is so bad, but at least we’ll probably ruin OSU’s confidence going into the tournament” just seconds ago.
I’d say the rise of Kent State came before LBJ with the cachet created from that 2002 Elite 8 run. Akron, on the other hand, most likely has been a direct beneficiary from an association with LeBron. The MAC, and the conf tourney at the Q, was so strong and competitive from top to bottom and was consistently in the hunt for at least 2, and sometimes 3 bids, at the beginning the prior decade. That competitiveness both in conference and non-conference vs. BCS schools has dissipated and it has disappointingly become a one bid league as of late.
Turner bailed out the Buckeyes big time because they didn’t look good or probably deserve to win. One game like that in a couple weeks and it’s all over. Bring on the dance!
The best line I heard on the Twitter about that play was from Bruce Feldman. I almost did a spit-take:
Somewhere #Wolverine DC Greg Robinson is going, “Jeez, even I think that was bad defensive strategy.”
And Kanick: welcometointernet.org