Blanchard River Buzz

A blog for rabid sports fans in the Findlay Area. Maintained by Findlay Courier sports writer Jamie Baker. The opinions expressed are my own crazed ramblings and not those of my employer the Findlay Publishing Company and its subsidiaries.

Monday, December 04, 2006

On the menu...Sports ala carte

Today’s blog is a little like going to your favorites restaurant. We will do this ala carte.

First I hope everyone out there stayed safe and dry this weekend because there was water everywhere. I was at the Trenton Ave. Wal-Mart Saturday and drove behind the store to look at the river which had crept to within about 10 feet of the back of the parking lot. I took a few bass from the river this summer and put them in the pond that lies behind the store and between the river. Hoping one day that the pond would be full of bass…I think they all escaped yesterday as the Mighty Muddy all but swallowed up the pond with its floodwaters.

Also if you get a chance read this story by The Courier’s Steve Dillon about an area woman’s death under suspicious circumstances over the weekend.

Local death under investigation

Second order of business. High school basketball.

I have to say the team that impressed me the most this weekend was none other than the Arlington Red Devils.

Let me be the first to say this Jason Vermilion is not only a pretty nice guy, he’s one helluva basketball coach too.

Geez the Red Devils lost the farm to graduation last year. The bulk of their BVC championship team picked up their diplomas last spring.

The only experienced player returning this season was Jacob Drerup. But a weekend sweep of Fort Jennings on the road and a win over Ada at home was a very impressive start to the season to say the least. Looks like they will have another successful team in A-Town this year.

Findlay is off to a good start too by whipping Fostoria Friday night and beating Toledo Rogers Saturday. Will the Trojans be able to challenge for the GBC crown? Time will tell but certainly they will be a factor in the race this season.

Thinking about it, the boys and girls basketball teams and the hockey team are all unbeaten at Findlay High School. Not a bad week to be a Trojan fan.

Here are a few quickies to get the new week started…

NOTEWORTHY:
GOOD SPORTSWRITER, BAD COACH: OK I have to bitch. Basketball previews are done and we’re focusing on getting information on other winter sports. Yes, Liberty-Benton fans there are other sports besides basketball in the winter. And did you know you are the largest school in the NW District WITHOUT a wrestling program?
Back on track. One of our staffers calls a swimming coach to get a little information on her teams. By her reaction you would have thought our reporter calling her was Satan himself calling to ask her for her first born child. We’d be happy to print this coaches results and do more on her team but she doesn’t even bother to report result one. Someone needs to send her the OHSAA’s Working with the Media pamphlet.
Thank goodness 98 percent of the coaches we work with are terrific people.

BAD SPORTSWRITER, GOOD COACH: I had to listen to someone else complain yesterday but it was quite funny actually. One of the Putnam County League girls basketball coaches calls in his results from yesterday. He is a big Browns fan and I always make it a point to call him with his results after the game is over. Anyway he tells me about going to church Sunday morning and getting a bunch of crap from people because his team’s results weren’t in a Sunday paper to the south of the Findlay area -- Even though he called them in.
So he called the paper Sunday and talked to the sports editor and told him how unhappy he was that his game that he called in didn’t even make it in the paper. He also told him that he should call us and the Defiance Crescent News to see how to get the job done right. That didn’t sit too well. But it sure made me feel good.

THE MATCH UP: So it’s official Ohio State plays Florida for the National Championship Jan. 8. What do you think? I think Urban Meyer is a goof and I hope the Buckeyes roll the Gators. I think they will too. But I do worry about having six weeks off before the title game. Did Michigan deserve another shot at the Buckeyes or did the BCS have it right? Let me know.

ALSO ADDED A BLOG ENTRY ON WHY I ENJOY WRESTLING
NEWSWORTHY:
Findlay Courier local sports (Includes prep basketball round ups, FHS and UF hoops coverage)
Fostoria Review Times Local Sports for Monday
Fostoria Focus local sports
Fremont area prep roundup
Tiffin Advertiser Tribune sports roundup
Defiance Crescent News Sports Section
Bucyrus Area Prep Roundup
Marion Local Sky High After Winning Title
Plain Dealer Browns coverage of yesterday’s OT win
Plain Dealer Ohio State coverage
Buckeyes coverage from the Columbus Dispatch
10 Ashland University wrestlers make finals
Girls Basketball
Bryan’s girls edge Evergreen
Wynford stops Buckeye Central
Danbury beats Old Fort
St. Marys drops WBL game to Lima Bath
Boys Basketball
Arlington bedevils Fort Jennings
Galion downs Bucyrus
Wynford slips past Mohawk
Colonel Crawford stops Mansfield Christian
Crestline overpowers Northmor
St. Peter’s cruises past St. Joseph
Galion beats Colonel Crawford 38-33
Shelby drops opener to Mansfield Madison
Van Wert takes tourney crown

3 Comments:

  • At 5:09 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    As a Buckeye fan, I did not want to play Micigan again. Not only because I really don't like their football program, but also because I think they actually could beat OSU if they had another chance. It is never easy to beat a good team twice in one season...look at the Ayersville vs. Fairview games (not to mention a few others around the state). I am more than happy to have the chance to blow out the Gators. Urban is actually a really nice guy, I had the chance to meet him when he was hired in at BGSU. Although, he does seem like the biggest cock when he talks to the media. The year he was undefeated at Utah he did an interview befores or after the selection show and was the biggest arse.

    Rob

     
  • At 7:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    I wish we would have played Michigan again, so we could have beat them twice in a season. I may have quit being a Buckeye fan, had that happened, because it just couldn't get any better than that. Can you imagine that?

    But they didn't deserve another chance. I don't think they were the second best team in the country. It probably is Florida, and the Buckeye's win by 2 TDs.

     
  • At 11:11 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    We may never know who the real No. 2 team is. As reported on the official BCS Web site, one Harris Poll voter put Florida No. 1 over Ohio State. I'm no math whiz and I can't begin to work out the formula used to determine how many "points" each Harris Poll ranking is worth in the overall scheme of things, but with Michigan and Florida finishing so close in the latest BCS standings with Florida being ranked No. 1 overall by someone, it seems like personal bias has once again found a way into determining what should be decided on the field.
    And, yes, I know Tressel didn't cast his vote in the coach's poll, but Florida No. 1 over Ohio State in the poll that determines who will play in the national title game? Sounds like more than a little favoritism to me.
    And, no, I'm no Michigan fan, though I do feel they're still the No. 2 team in the nation (losing 42-39 on the road to the No. 1 team doesn't scream "take them out of the title game" to me).
    Maybe this will stoke the fires of getting a real championship series (ie playoff) going.
    And what happens if the Buckeye blow out Florida and Michigan wins its bowl game? Will the voters suddenly vote Michigan back in front of Florida or just assume the Wolverines should still be No. 3?

     

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