I'm Begging MLB to Start Postseason Games Earlier - by Colin Gawel

Ok baseball, let’s try a new approach. Every year I complain that my son and myself cannot stay up and watch the end of the MLB playoffs. And every year you complain “Why are TV ratings down again and why are we losing kids to other sports?”

So instead of writing yet another article after the fact ( MLB Playoffs, Set DVR for Midnight! - I Can Save the World Series) I’m going to drop all that logical Freakonomics thinking and just beg you to give it a shot this year. Just do it for us. We are loyal fans who plan our summer vacations around seeing baseball parks. My son is now 15 years old and he has seen the end of exactly one World Series game. It won’t be long until he moves out of the house and I’d really like a chance to enjoy some Father/Son time watching our favorite sport play some meaningful games. In case you are wondering, we have watched the end of EVERY Super Bowl together and that is our 5th favorite sport. ( MLB, NBA, College Football, NCAA Basketball). How can this be?

Ok, I lied, maybe a little bit of logical thinking.

The Super Bowl kicks off at 6:30 pm.

Last year the World Series started games at 8:20 (except game one and two at 8:09)

The Games finished at these times:

Game One 10:39pm

Game Two 12:28 am

Game Three 12:06 am

Game Four 11:26 pm

Game Five 1:37 am (!!)

Game Six 11:44 pm

Game Seven 11:57 pm

I encourage you to look at those ending times again. That is insane.

The AVERAGE length of an MLB Postseason game is 3.5 hours. (click here for the study)

Oh, and those exciting 2017 one game wildcard games finished at 11:51 pm and 12:02 am. Both on week nights too. (editor’s note: the 2018 NL Wildcard game on Tuesday Oct 2 finished at 1:10 am)

“But why aren’t more kids watching baseball??”

Look MLB, there are lots of reasons the sport is losing ground (and many involve Fortnite) but having the most exciting moments of a mostly non-exciting sport play out while most every kid is asleep doesn’t seem to be working. Maybe it’s time for a fresh approach? If the Rays can go 20 games over .500 getting rid of using a starting pitcher for half the season, you can expand your thinking too.

You haven’t announced the post season TV schedule yet. There is still time to do me and my son this solid. My proposal is this: All playoff games East of the Mississippi start at 7:09 EST. And if I were commish, I would have all World Series games start the same time as the Super Bowl kicks off: 6:30 Every Single Game.

Colin Gawel founded Pencilstorm and banged out this rant while serving customers at Colin’s Coffee. He also wrote a nifty baseball song called Dad Can’t Help You Now.

Takeaways from the win over TCU? And the Big Ten's biggest embarrassment? Baver Answers Colin's Questions

Colin: With Penn State next week I figure we keep it short and sweet. What are your takeaways good and bad from the victory over TCU?

Baver: The good: Haskins was unfazed by the bright lights, and played extremely well. Similarly, this Buckeye team didn’t blink being down 8 pts in the middle of the 3rdqtr, and made plays when they needed to. KJ Hill has developed into a really good slot receiver. The OSU pass coverage was actually pretty solid most of the night. Robinson often put the ball where it needed it to be, and his WRs made plays despite decent coverage. There were some signs of life out of Malik Harrison in the second half. And Ohio St beat a pretty good TCU team in their back yard by double digits, while opting to kneel on the ball with first & goal with 2 minutes to go in the game.

The bad: There is still a long way to go with this linebacking crew. Penn St should also be able to take advantage of them. Ohio St appears to have lost the best player in college football in Nick Bosa, for an extended period of time. Hope that’s not the difference between a win and a loss in Happy Valley. I’m not sure Isaiah Pryor is the answer at the safety spot opposite Jordan Fuller. And I’m not sure this Buckeye defense would keep Bama under 50 pts right now. They have to get a lot better if they want to challenge for the Nat’l Title. The good thing is this D has the talent where they could make big strides like the 2014 team did. 

Colin: Urban takes control again this week. With the recent press conference and ESPN interview do you feel we have finally put the Zach Smith debacle in the rear view mirror? 

Baver: I don’t know…apparently not, with the Wall Street Journal feeling the need to chime in Wednesday. I’ve skimmed some of the pieces this week just to keep up on the latest, but I am trying my hardest not read anything else about it. Urban’s been punished pretty hard here….time for the media to move on.

Colin: I don't really have anything to ask about Tulane so let's talk about the disaster of a weekend the Big Ten just had.  Which loss was most embarrassing for the conference?  

Baver: So many to choose from…. I guess I will take the most high-profile loss, and that is Wisconsin, who closed as a 23½ pt favorite at home, losing to a BYU team that went 4-9 last season. The Badgers beat BYU 40-6 a year ago, having about 300 more total yards than the Cougars in that one; crazy. Plenty of other embarrassments to consider, though. Maryland, a 14½ pt fav over Temple lost be 3 TDs at home. Oh, and that’s the same Temple that opened the ‘18 season with a loss to Villanova. And then there’s Northwestern…a 21-pt fav over Akron. They led 21-3 at the half and lost. And if anyone gave a damn about Rutgers, their 55-14 loss to Kansas would be your most embarrassing Big Ten loss. Chris Ash isn’t going to recover from that one, but I would gladly take him back as OSU’s defensive coordinator. (Note that Nebraska lost as a double-digit favorite and didn’t even make the top-4 list of Big Ten embarrassments.)

Colin: What other games and lines will you be keeping an eye on this week.

Baver: I’ve got the Buckeyes winning 56-14, thinking Urban will want to cover the 37-pt spread in his first game back.

I am going to try to stay up to watch Brian Phillips’ Washington St team play USC in the Coliseum. I don’t really have a pick there, but Wash St is 3-0 and playing a reeling USC team that rushed for -5 yds against Texas. A USC loss would make Clay Helton 1-3 and officially put him on the ropes. I like Wazzu’s new QB Gardner Minshew who has Mike Leach’s Air Raid offense clicking pretty well.

I like Stanford laying 2 in Eugene against the Ducks. David Shaw’s team is battle-tested and Oregon, with new head coach Mario Cristobol, is not.

I might be a sucker walking into to this one, but I like Iowa getting 3 at home against the Badgers. I often like talented teams in bounce-back spots (i.e. Wisconsin), but no way you can pass on a good-looking Iowa team getting 3 at night in Kinnick Stadium.

Not sure what to expect in TCU at Texas, so I’ll pass on picking that one. I’ll be pulling for the Frogs though.

And I was all set to pick A&M getting a whopping 26 points in Tuscaloosa, but I don’t want to look foolish, so passing here as well. But at some point there has to be a Bama letdown, doesn’t there?

Do the Browns Finally Win? Big $ Not Putting his Money Down

The North Coast Posse are a top Browns follow on Twitter. @northcoastposse

I don’t think the Browns are going to win. There are red flags, and then there are RED flags.

I'm on a bit of a heater as it relates to making sports picks (for entertainment purposes only). The person who takes said sports picks (once again, for entertainment purposes ) made a call to me (slightly unorthodox) after I nailed the under this past Monday night. The reason for the call was to see if I had any interest in rolling over my winnings (entertainment) onto the Browns on Thursday. Sadly, as a (slightly buzzed) Browns fan, I considered his offer for a few seconds, before I realized people in his position don't usually make calls to inspire decisions that are not firmly headed in their favor. The rush of reality prompted me to decline the offer. This guy (or girl, no names please) who has a stake in game outcomes is literally trying to get people to bet the Browns. No Thanks.

This is the trap game of trap games for player, coaches and fans alike. Everyone clutching their "WE WERE SO CLOSE' silver linings so tight that they miss just how dysfunctional this team is right now. The OC hates the HC, the special teams are trash, and penalties and mental miscues are adding up by the dozen. Folks, that ball Tyrod threw was well on its way to Houston, The Browns were lucky to be close to enough to feel heart ache.The greenish stench of 1-32-1 is rising and thickening and may reach critical mass on Thursday night.

With that said, I aint betting the Jets either. Go Browns.

Pearl Jam Road Trip Part 11: The End - by Kevin Montavon

(Click here for previous Pearl Jam Road Trip)

The crowing Rooster woke me in North Central Nebraska. The Rooster said it was time to head home.

After 16 days on the road, our adventures were winding down. We had a leisurely day planned for our last full day away from home, planning to see a few historical sites and take our time heading East. The primary destination for this day was Homestead National Monument of America. 

Homestead National Monument is located near the town of Beatrice (pronunced Be-AT-ris), Nebraska, about an hour south of Lincoln. It memorializes the Homestead Act, enacted by the United States Government to encourage settlement in the West. Free land was given away with the stipulation that the land would be "homesteaded"...worked, developed, and farmed. The site exists as a memorial and a tribute to those hardscrabble adventurers and dreamers who paved the way to the West for the rest of us.

We began the day in Lincoln with lunch and beers at Nebraska's oldest brew pub. The University District was relatively quiet and relaxed for a Saturday. We were one week early for the college football season,  but as residents of a Big Ten college town ourselves, we knew the place would be hopping in a week's time. After our repast we drove South to Homestead and spent the afternoon walking through the meadows and pathways, and checking out the preserved dwellings there. We then drove on to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where we met an old friend of mine for dinner and more beers (you might have noticed through the course of this series that we enjoy a good brewski). Our intention then was to drive through the night, arriving home in Ohio in the early morning. 

But we woke up at a rest area on I-80 in eastern Iowa at around the time we had planned to be home. I had dozed off immediately after hitting the road, and Heather had grown drowzy as well so she had pulled in for a few Z's and slept through the night. We were under no pressure to be home at that time, but now we had a much lengthier stretch still to travel. 

Making the most of our now 8-hour delay, we pulled off the highway again in West Branch, Iowa to visit the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, which preserves the birthplace, childhood neighborhood, and resting place of The 31st President of The United States, as well as being the location of his Presidential Library and Museum. We were about an hour early for the opening of the visitor center, so we strolled around the quiet streets and drove to the Presidential gravesite. We got back to the center just as they were unlocking the doors and stamped our last cancellations for the trip.

8 hours later we were back home in Ohio. 7,219 miles, $565.55 in gasoline costs, 12 National Park sites visited, 9 hours of Rock And Roll and 97 songs later, we were finally home and sleeping in our own bed. Another adventure in the books, and a liftetime of memories made. And of course, I am already making plans for The Great American Roadtrip 2019.

Always remember one thing. The journey IS the destination.

Kevin Montavon has visited National Parks in the 48 lower states and attended over 1,500 concerts before beginning this road trip. He also sings in the band Plow Horse. 

Can Gary Patterson and TCU's defense slow down Ohio State's offense? - Baver answers Colin's questions

You can hear Baver every Friday at 7:40 am on CD1025 with Brian Phillips. Follow @baverbuckeyebag

Colin: Ok, everyone is losing their minds over this Buckeye offense but I suppose it’s worth noting that OSU beat Rutgers 58-0 and 56-0 the past two years with JT Barrett putting up huge passing numbers as well. So technically 2018 is a step backwards. Are we getting ahead of ourselves or is this offense destined for greatness? 

Baver: The upside of this Buckeye offense is the highest it’s been since Urban’s arrival.  But yeah, Rutgers is not good, and Oregon St’s defense is as bad as it gets. We will know a lot more around 11:30 pm Saturday night. 

Colin: Could we lose Haskins to the NFL after one season? 

Baver: Yes…and Haskins is currently running either 3rdor 4thin the Heisman odds, depending on the sportsbook. I see Todd McShay is already talking about Haskins NFL upside. And if Dwayne has a big game Saturday night, then you will hear a lot more talk about Haskins bolting after this season. Still, there isn’t much of a sample size right now in terms of Haskins’ performances against good competition. He played less than a half against Michigan last year - that’s it. Again, we will know more after Saturday.

Colin: What does TCU have to do to slow down the Buckeye attack and are they capable of doing it? 

Baver: Phil Steele has each of TCU’s three units on defense (DL, LBs & DBs) as the top units in the B12. Now, the B12 isn’t known for playing much D, so let’s not mistake this for Alabama’s defense. But if there is one coach that is capable of getting a high-powered tempo offense in a funk, it’s Gary Patterson. TCU’s 4-2-5 defense doesn’t have to substitute much to match up with the personnel on opposing offenses. And tempo offenses often feel a need to slow down to study the Horn Frogs’ alignment. But TCU is going to have to apply consistent pressure on Haskins and force some critical mistakes, otherwise I can’t see them winning this game.  

Colin: The defense faces its first test this weekend against TCU. Are they prepared to stop a top flight mobile QB in Shawn Robinson? 

Baver: I re-watched the Rutgers game focusing on the linebackers, and although the defense played much better than they did a week prior, the LB play is just plain bad in terms of what we are used to seeing in Columbus. Like Oklahoma and Iowa last year, I think TCU will try to expose the Buckeye LBs with the short passing game. Luckily, TCU doesn’t throw to the TE much, so that part of the nightmare from last year’s Iowa game shouldn’t reoccur. I think Robinson will make some plays with his legs, and the WR combo of Kavontae Turpin & Jalen Reagor (4.32 speed) will hit a few big plays. But the OSU D-line will force Robinson into making some key mistakes. Nick Bosa is possessed right now, and it’s like nothing I have seen before out of an OSU DE, and we’ve had some good ones. 

Colin: Forgot a Ted Ginn style punt return, can we just fair catch the ball without it hitting the turf? What gives? 

Baver: After McCall misplayed the first one, you’d have thought that he would have made damn sure he caught the 2nd one cleanly. Nope. Ohio State has too much talent on this team to give McCall many more shots. Yeah, I am too the point where I just want the punt fielded cleanly and let the offense put the ball in the end zone. 

Colin: Final thoughts and prediction? 

Baver: I am going to guess Urban Meyer has spent the better part of the last three weeks scouting TCU’s defense. I think even with a first-year starter at QB, Meyer and Ryan Day will have this offense well prepared for the TCU defense. I do worry you will see some chinks in the armor with the OSU O-line, but Haskins, the tailbacks, and the WRs should be too much for the TCU D. On the other side of the ball, as mentioned, the Bucks will surrender some big plays and some points, but the Buckeye D-line will cause too many problems for TCU and Shawn Robinson. Prediction: Ohio State 42 TCU 24, and I’d feel comfortable laying the 13 pts here.

Colin: What other games and lines will you be keeping an eye on this weekend? 

Baver: I think Joe Burrow is now settling in and I see LSU hanging tough with Auburn. So getting 10 pts looks like a solid play to me. Of course, LSU is coached by Ed Orgeron, so I make look foolish here. I tend to think Boise St gets it done at Ok State, so I like the Smurfs catching 2 pts there. Best Boise team in a while. And I think the Bama train keeps rolling and covers the 21½ at Ole Miss. Bama usually wins Nat’l Titles with an average QB, and Tua is far better than average.

Take a Knee with Scott Lucas and Local H - by Colin Gawel

Shame on me. I’m missing the Local H show tonight in Columbus.

For the record, if I was ever playing the I Heart Music Festival in Las Vegas, and for some reason they played the National Anthem before the show started.. I would take a knee in a peaceful protest of Clear Channel and hold up a boom box and blast some Local H.

The following song was used as Watershed pre-show music for hundreds of shows from 2003-2008.

For Those About to Rock I Salute Scott Lucas and Local H. .

As long as we are hating on The Man