What a difference a week makes.
Last week I was basking in the glow of spring training in Goodyear, Ariz. even though I had the audacity to complain about the weather there.
This week I am mentally recovering from a traumatic four-hour bus ride home from Nationwide Arena in Columbus with the wicked weather that hit our state Tuesday. With semis jackknifed, and cars strewn throughout our trek up state Route 33, my thanks to Buckeye Charter and driver Tim Ludwig for getting us home to Lima safely.
I love Ohio, but the older I get, the more I struggle in dealing with the wintry junk. I assume it will soon be behind us, as we “spring forward” with our clocks this weekend.
I am ready for spring today.
OTHER KOZA THOUGHTS:
* Speaking of the Blue Jackets, I know they are struggling again but what an entertaining game Tuesday night versus Edmonton. Columbus won in a shootout 4-3. Blue Jackets radio play-by-play voice George Matthews reminded me the team has now played in 10 consecutive games that have been decided by just a single goal and 15 of the Blue Jackets' 23 games overall have been decided that way. Talk about tight games.
And as much as I love listening to George on 940 WCIT, there is nothing like watching hockey in person. Impressive.
* Former Ada and Miami Redhawk standout Zac Dysert attended the NFL combine even though he couldn’t participate in any drills. Dysert is still recovering from a torn hamstring. He injured it while doing drills in a mock combine. Dysert told me the NFL combine, “was a pretty cool experience.” He said he was informally interviewed by 20 NFL teams, and had formal interviews with six NFL clubs, including the Bengals, Jets, Bears, Bills, Cardinals and Jaquars. Dysert will hold his pro day March 21 and will just throw that day, and will then schedule another pro day in April, once the hamstring heals. The NFL draft runs April 25-27.
* Anyone watching the World Baseball Classic? Not this guy, and I know many of the managers interviewed want to be politically correct, but do you really believe that each major league team is happy about losing their players for a couple of weeks? Or are they holding their breaths worried about the players getting injured? Maybe it is a good concept, but there is no good time to have the event. Let there be winter baseball in the Dominican, and Major League Baseball can have its players for all of spring training in getting them ready for a 162-game regular season.
* This is a great week with high school basketball around Limaland.
Girls regional action and boys district tournaments are taking place. And many of our teams remain on the road to Columbus. Already this week, we have two boys district finals that will feature conference rivals. The Division IV District title game in Elida on Friday night will pit Midwest Athletic Conference powers St. John’s and St. Henry. The Redskins beat the Blue Jays at the Vatican in their regular season matchup 71-57.
And at Liberty-Benton on Friday, Putnam County League rivals Leipsic and Columbus Grove will meet in a Division IV District championship.
The Vikings beat the Bulldogs in their regular season matchup 64-52 at Leipsic. And we still have more potential league rivals that could meet up depending on games still this week.
The girls state tournament begins March 14 in Columbus and the boys state tourney tips off the following Thursday.
(You can comment to Koza: vincekoza@maverick-media.ws)
