Buckeyes battle the Nittanys: 4/23 - 4/25

Ohio State won eight out of its first 10 games since returning from its spring break trip. But since then, the Buckeyes have dropped two straight. This weekend they will tangle with the Penn State Nittany Lions in a three-games series and will look to get back on track. That shouldn't be a problem, at least for tonight, as ace Alex Wimmers will take the mound with an 8-0 record and a 1.71 ERA. I might add that seven regular players are batting over .340 for OSU, so it doesn't appear that they'll be sliding much longer, especially since the Nittanys are 2-7 in the conference thus far. Well, maybe now is the time to knock on wood, considering OSU fell apart against Akron on Wednesday, losing 10-7 to a team who was 15-19 coming in. We'll see if the Bucks can stay atop the Big Ten standings starting tonight at Bill Davis Stadium at 6:35 p.m. ET. Tune in tonight, Saturday and Sunday to hear how the Buckeyes fair against Penn State this weekend.

NHL Playoffs Preview

Get your playoff beards ready! The NHL postseason is about to begin, and I am here to tell you how it will absolutely, definitely, go down.

In the east the seeding is as follows:

1. Capitals
2. Devils
3. Sabres
4. Penguins
5. Senators
6. Bruins
7. Flyers
8. Canadiens

WHO WILL WIN:
The Capitals. They have 18 more points than the second place team in the East. They have outscored their opponents by 85 this year. The team with the next best differential is the Blackhawks with a +62. Not to mention, they have Alex Ovechkin. Worth noting. While defense might be aquestion here, any team that can score like they can is sure to be dangerous. They draw the Canadiens in the first round, and now that Jaroslav Halak is cooling off, it should be a quick victory for the Capitals, my pick to make the Stanley Cup Finals.

WHO COULD WIN:
The Sabres. Full disclosure: I am a Sabres fan, but I feel they have the next best chance to win the Conference. The Capitals are a team that can score at will. The Sabres are a team that won’t let you. As the Olympics showed us, when it’s crunch time you can always rely on Ryan Miller. However, they are also a scary team that rarely has put together any extended win streaks, so they could just as easily lose in the first round. This is a team that needs to find some consistency, something they’ve struggled with the last couple of months. But again: Ryan Miller. Just sayin’.

DON’T SLEEP ON:
The Devils- The late surge got them the two seed, let’s see if they do anything with it.
The Penguins- They’re the reigning champs, but you know they’re thinking dynasty.

LEAST LIKELY:
The Flyers- Can you say goaltender problems? No Leighton, no Emery, Backlund day-to-day. Have fun against New Jersey. I will give you this: New Jersey rarely goes on offensive frenzies. Just ignore the beating they gave the Islanders the other night.


The Western Conference:

1. Sharks
2. Blackhawks
3. Canucks
4. Coyotes
5. Red Wings
6. Kings
7. Predators
8. Avalanche

WHO WILL WIN:
The Blackhawks. The Capitals of the west, they can score with relative ease. They are led by young firecrackers such as Patrick Kane (88 points), Duncan Keith (69 points), Jonathan Toews (68 points), and Patrick Sharp (66 points). That doesn’t mean they are without experience. Look no further than players such as Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell. This is not only a team that will be good for some time, but they can win right now, and I expect them to win the West.

WHO COULD WIN:
The Red Wings. It’s been the chorus all year: “When the Red Wings get healthy… when the Red Wings get healthy…”. Well, they got healthy. As a result, they got good. Really good. Remember when they were worried about not making the playoffs? Ha, what a laugh. They are no less than 16-3-2 in March and April. Hey, Phoenix! You had your best season in franchise history! Congratulations: here’s Detroit.

DON’T SLEEP ON:
The Sharks- They got the best record in the Western Conference for a reason, right?
The Canucks- Henrik Sedin got the scoring title, and they STILL have Roberto Luongo. Look out for these guys.

LEAST LIKELY:
The Avalanche- You don’t get the Stanley Cup by going 3-5-2 in your last 10 games and backing in. The Oilers had a better last 10.

So, my Stanley Cup Final is as follows:

Washington Capitals vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Yes, a regular offensive show, this one. However, once it gets down to it, I think Alex Ovechkin is going to be too much of a factor in this series. The Caps will have home ice, but I think they win the Cup in Chicago in six games.

Any way it goes, this is going to be a blast of a postseason, as it always is. Now it’s just about time to sit back and see what happens.

Buckeye Baseball Broadcast Update

This season Scarlet and Gray Sports Radio has been given the awesome opportunity to broadcast Ohio State Baseball on the Big Ten Network.

Production of these games are 100% by the students. Our audio will be used for 10 Ohio State home games.

This week's three day home series with Indiana will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. As of now, we have not figured out a situation where we can simulcast these games on our Web site but we are working with the Ohio State Athletic Department to make it happen.

If you are interested in listening to the game you can pay a small fee at the Big Ten Networks Web site.

I would suggest waiting for the rebroadcast of the games on television. Each game will be rebroadcast on the Big Ten Network television station the following day.

For more information keep update on Scarlet and Gray Sport Radio by visiting our Web Site

Buckeye Baseball: Home Opener

Ask most people about their trips to Florida, and they'll overwhelm you with all of their good memories along with how they finally caught a glimpse of that yellow round ball in the sky that we don't see much of here in Ohio.

But the 33 men that make up the Ohio State baseball team would not fit into the category of those who are seen leaving the Sunshine State with broad smiles in 2010. That is not because the weather was necessarily bad, but instead because they could not hit the broad side of a barn offensively from March 19 to March 25. The Buckeyes were outscored 24 - 10 by their opponents in their last four spring break games, losing three of those contests, including two straight.

They ended up winning only four of seven games on the trip after beginning the trip with three consecutive victories.

But ironically enough, as soon as the Bucks get back to the notoriously chillier weather and gloomier skies of the Midwest, they start to pull it together.

Since their spring break trip they have won three of four, pushing their record to 16-8.

Getting back on track wasn't all that easy for Ohio State, however. They trailed Toledo on Wednesday by a count of 3-2 going into the bottom of the eighth. Starting pitcher Dean Wolosiansky was roughed up in his five innings of work, giving up two dingers and 11 base hits. And after OSU second baseman Cory Kovanda flew out to right to start the eighth, it looked like the Buckeyes would keep drowning due to inefficient hitting.

But catcher Dan Burkhart walked to get things going for OSU and then crossed home plate courtesy of a Michael Stephens RBI double, which ended up knotting the game up at three. The next batter was first baseman Ryan Dew, who singled to score Stephens.

Just like that OSU was up 4-3, and they were able to hold off the Rockets in the top half of the ninth inning to seal the deal and capture a comeback victory.

The Bucks rode the momentum from the Toledo win into Evanston, Ill., where they took two out of three against the Wildcats to open up Big Ten play this weekend.

Suddenly, everything is better in Paradise, and the baseball Buckeyes look more like the team who took home the 2009 Big Ten crown, rather than a team who had to rely on clutch hitting and a solid bullpen to defeat the Toledo Rockets.

Up next for OSU is the Musketeers of Xavier University, who are 7-20 with a game to be played versus Miami University Tuesday before OSU meets up with them Wednesday. So, hopefully the Buckeyes can forget about the beautiful Florida weather and continue on winning in the colder, gloomier environment they call home.