Ohio State and Terrelle Pryor used each other to the long-term satisfaction of neither.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- On his way to the NFL, the guy who's not Terrell Owens is an unknown quantity.
The next time Ohio State goes hunting the biggest fish in the recruiting waters, the Terrelle Pryor Experience should serve as a valuable lesson.
When Pryor's Buckeye career officially ended at a recent press conference, agent Drew Rosenhaus fittingly mispronounced the quarterback's first name. In a full-circle kind of way, that was the perfect ending for Pryor at OSU.
After all, in March of 2008, Pryor announced his choice of colleges by saying, "The University of Ohio State," then opened his windbreaker to reveal a OSU T-shirt. Not even reading upside down could it be mistaken as UOS. Could've been a case of nerves. Then again, if you're already thinking a recruit might not be into you because of your great tradition but instead for other reasons, that could be a sign of troubled times ahead.
Maybe Joe Montana said "Go Irish" and revealed a Notre Dame College T-shirt. Perhaps Reggie Bush thought USC stood for Southern California University, but no evidence of that exists.
Pryor turned down Oregon (too far away) and Penn State (too "Green Acres"). Those are my words. Too "countryside," he said. Michigan finished runner-up to OSU for another reason, this one common in the recruiting of big-time athletes -- but no less worrisome in light of other concerns.
Asked that day if he'd spoken to Charlie Batch, the backup Steelers' quarterback who, as a family friend, was pushing Michigan, Pryor said he hadn't.
"He's cool with my decision," Pryor told reporters. "He's just trying to see which one would be, for me, better to get in the NFL."
It seems the University of Ohio State was a stopover for Pryor. He'll go through the supplemental draft but no one (other than Rosenhaus) thinks he'll be the prize Steve Young, Reggie White, Cris Carter and Bernie Kosar were.
The Buckeyes enabled him. That won't happen in the NFL.
At the time Pryor committed, there were questions about his character. Tressel told CBSSports.com that Pryor was "grossly misunderstood."
Ohio State football had gotten along perfectly well behind quarterbacks who turned out to be NFL afterthoughts.
Next time the Buckeyes go this route, they should ask the kid to not only get the school name correct, but to sing the fight song at his press conference.Give him the kind of quiz on Buckeyes football Eddie gave his fiancee in "Diner" before he'd marry her.
One question in that quiz: Name the biggest fish out of water in OSU history.
Even if it's Veronica Mars, this seems like a bad idea...
When Ohio State AD Gene Smith hinted the school may employ private investigators, he sounded serious.
OSU recruiter: "Son, not sure we can promise you bowl games for the next few years. It's possible reduced scholarships could turn us into Minnesota. And that guy following you around is a private investigator. Whaddya say?"
Recruit: "Great. Where do I sign?"
SPINOFFS
Philadelphia Eagles' running back LeSean McCoy called Giants' defensive end Osi Umenyiora "soft" and "overrated." Umenyiora responded by calling McCoy "she." Why? "I refer to him as 'she' because that is something a woman would do."
What did women do to deserve being dragged into such an intelligent debate?
If Umenyiora gets around to apologizing for his sexism, I suspect he'll go the route of Mike Tyson, who once famously defended himself while facing charges on an alleged fondling incident by saying, "My mother is a woman. My sister is a woman..."
Dallas Mavericks' coach Rick Carlisle called Dirk Nowitzki the "best player on the planet." He did not specify which planet...
University of North Carolina football players compiled $13,185 in fines related to parking citations over a three-year period. That sounds like a lot of infractions. But think of this way. In Eric Mangini's first camp as Browns coach, $13,185 in fines was what was known as Tuesday. Morning...
Vancouver's law enforcement officials are calling the riots that followed a Stanley Cup finals loss to Boston the work of "anarchists" and not Vancouver's level-headed citizens. If anarchists wear hockey jerseys and flip flops and get hammered on Molson, that's totally believable...
A kid's lemonade stand on private property outside the U.S. Open in Bethesda received three visits from dedicated county officials, who issued a citation for operating without a permit before negotiating a compromise. Sleep better, fair citizens of Maryland...
John Isner and Nicolas Mahut, who last year played the longest match in tennis history (an epic of 11 hours, 5 minutes over three days), will once again face each other in the first round at Wimbledon. They will play on Tuesday, probably Wednesday and possibly Thursday...
HE SAID IT
"The situation just didn't work out that we had the chance to sit down and talk." -- OSU coach Luke Fickell on getting but not returning a call from Terrelle Pryor after taking over for Jim Tressel.
Translation: "God, I love caller ID."
SEPARATED AT BIRTH
ESPN's Kenny Mayne and Indians pitching coach Tim Belcher -- Bob Ference
YOU SAID IT
"Hey Bud:
"Did you hear about the Miami Heat's new promotion? Similar to the Indians' Lunch & Three Innings, theirs would be called Dinner & Three Quarters." -- Tim, Twinsburg
Is the Heimlich Maneuver extra?
"Bud:
"I've been watching the Food Network lately. Has cooking become a sport?" -- Tom Hoffner
Are you sure you weren't watching LeBron James play hot potato with the ball in Game 6?
"Bud:
"Do you have a lot of vacation time saved for this year?" -- Joe S.
I save all my vacation time for championship parades and freelance jobs as an Abdomenizer model.
"Hey Bud:
"Remember that old Boston Braves prayer, '[Warren] Spahn and [Johnny] Sain and please dear Lord two days of rain"? Do you know any theologians who could come up with something similar referring to Carlos Carrasco and four days?" -- Jim Jablonski, Elyria
Theologian? I think rhyming Carrasco requires a poet and a linguist.
"Bud:
"I'm sure someone else came up with this, but I was trapped in a LeCharles Bentley alternate logic loop and couldn't get out: "The blame, when it came, fell mainly, on Bron James." -- Marty, Mundane Existenceville
Just not this poet.
"Bud:
"When LeBron James said 'not five, not six, not seven,' he was actually talking about how many points he would score in the fourth quarter in the NBA Finals." -- Angelo, Cleveland
First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.
"Bud:
"A recent AP story in the PD described the Miami Heat atmosphere when James joined as a 'circus." Do you know the difference between LeBron James and a circus? Three rings." -- Chas K
Repeat winners looking for a T-shirt receive not one, not two, but three restraining orders.