to pitch against hitters and getting in a real game | Forum
wzh123
Aug 16 '18
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- There is no script. Cheap New England Patriots Jerseys .In fact, the first time J.T. Barrett stood up in front of his teammates, fists punching the air and voice rising, there wasnt even a plan for him to speak at all.He was just a redshirt freshman preparing to make his first start for Ohio State in a neutral-site game against Navy. Barrett had the starting job for less than two weeks, and there was no reason for the Buckeyes to change their pregame plans from the previous seasons or carve out any time for an untested quarterback.I dont remember what I said, but I remember standing up on a chair, said Barrett, now a redshirt junior. Before that, it was always [then-Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom] Herman -- he would say something and then we left. I dont know what happened, I just felt like I had something to say.Come to find out, Ive always got something to say.Every game since then, whether hes injured or healthy, struggling or setting records, starting or coming off the bench, the Buckeyes have come to expect their final dose of motivation from Barretts mouth.And hes more than happy to oblige, as loud as he possibly can.We dont have enough juice, and what I dont understand is, we dont have another day. We dont have another second, we dont have another minute to waste. Theres not going to be another 2016 team. Theres not going to be another game against Rutgers. We dont get a do-over. Weve got to find some juice, weve got to find something, because were not going to do that to them. Ill be damned if we do that to our seniors. Not today. Were going to play like its the last time -- every time. -- Oct. 1 speech vs. RutgersThe word was spreading throughout the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, but Ohio State coach Urban Meyer was having a hard time buying it.Barrett is one of the most soft-spoken players on his roster during the week, an introspective kid with a low voice that even to this day can be difficult to pick up on a microphone during his frequent media appearances.But over and over, Meyer was hearing about the oratory skills of the first quarterback he recruited and signed after arriving at Ohio State and the leadership he was already providing even from his low perch on a crowded depth chart.Thats what I heard, but I didnt see that much, Meyer said. Coach Herman would tell me about it, his high school coach [Jim Garfield] would tell me about it, [strength coach] Mickey Marotti would tell me about it. And I said, Really? He had the ACL injury when he got here, he was a nonfactor in 2013 and I really didnt know him very well. But I kept hearing about him, though.I would see this very introverted, quiet guy and just go, Really? But I trust the people telling me, and I certainly see it now.Theres no way to avoid it at this point, and Meyer has seen it countless times since. But the legend was growing way back then as his staff whispered about a speech to fellow recruits during a campus visit. Marotti raved about the way Barrett attacked workouts and tried to motivate those around him, even at such an early point in his college career. And Garfield had numerous examples he could point to from his own experiences with Barrett at Rider High School in Wichita Falls, Texas.It was always the pregame speech, Garfield said. We would always come in before warm-ups and J.T. would have free rein. Really, I cant focus on just one that stands out, because it was throughout his career, and he was doing that for us since his sophomore year.Everything he says was like gold.Listen up, listen up -- 2014 was not a mistake. It wasnt a mistake. That happened because we were real. We are Ohio State, thats what we do. We go to peoples places, we lock that s--- up and then we leave. We lock it up and then we leave, every single time. Thats what we do. Were going to hit them in the mouth, every single time. -- Oct. 15 speech at WisconsinThere is no rehearsal during the week, no notecard to read off, and even in the final moments before Barrett takes his stage in front of the offense, no firm idea exactly what message he needs to deliver.But he reads the room, trying to figure out exactly what the Buckeyes need to hear while also opening up about his own feelings. So when the time comes, the words spill out in a rapid-fire delivery as soon as offensive coordinator Ed Warinner barks, What you got for us, J.T.?The first time I did it, yeah, I was nervous, Barrett said. Youre sitting there -- especially when I was in high school -- sitting there like, J.T., what do you say? You say youre going to speak up, but what exactly do you need to say? What are you going to say that is going to get the guys going or is really going to resonate with them?Honestly, Im like, dont worry about what youre going to say. Its important just that you know there is something that needs to be said. Thats what I think about. Something needs to be said right now, and I dont want to let the moment go by because the message is never going to be the same. I may have time to think about what Im going to say, and maybe what I could say would be really good, but its not the same if the moment passed when you needed to say it. ?That leaves the emphasis on timing, emotion and a little bit of theatrics instead of perhaps prose that could be passed down through time for its sheer beauty.The messages arent complicated, and based on ESPN.coms film study, they often include straightforward references to running the ball offensively, stopping the rush on defense, and scoring a lot of touchdowns at some point. Barrett is also a ball of motion, stalking through the rows of teammates in front of him, punching his fist or swinging the towel he usually has in his right hand. And by the end, his screams can be hard to decipher as the intensity soars and the Buckeyes break a huddle to head to the field.I mean, the football side of him, hes intense, right guard Billy Price said. When the moment is on and hes ready to go, its go time. The best thing about him, though, is he hits home. He brings the juice. What matters in our program, our culture, thats what he brings and what he emphasizes.Hes a person that when he talks, you have to stop and listen, no matter who you are. If youre just walking down High Street, youre going to want to listen. OK, I can dig what youre saying, lets go do it. Hes just dynamic.They want to talk. We bout that action. This is not what they want. I dont want you to talk to nobody in the stands. On the sideline. On the other team. Nothing. This is on us. This is us against everybody else. -- Sept. 17 speech at OklahomaThe comparisons are inevitable for any leader in a Meyer program, let alone a record-setting quarterback in the power spread offense.By this stage in his career, Barrett has officially earned the right to get the Tebow-ish tag from his coach, effectively the highest praise Meyer can bestow on somebody given Tim Tebows track record at Florida both on and off the field.Ryan Stamper has been in the locker-room audience for both QBs, first as a fellow captain with Tebow at Florida and now as a director of player development with Ohio State. And for all the similarities between the two, there are also some notable differences.Tebow, he was just a different animal, Stamper said. There were a lot of things that he led by example on the field, but there were also things he just didnt do because of his beliefs, and there were a lot of things we wouldnt do. J.T. is a leader on the field, off the field, but when you hear him drop an F-bomb or getting crunk to the same music youre getting crunk to, that makes him more a part of the boys. Thats why I think guys respect him so much.He is who he is, theres nothing fake about this kid ... [and] hes still one of the boys. To me, both messages are equally important and get guys going.If anything, Barrett might get himself too worked up by the time his speech is over.The speeches dont usually last long, and he needed only 23 seconds to make his point before leading the Buckeyes out to take on Northwestern last month. But after Barrett reaches the boiling point and his speech is done, he actually throws some headphones on with low-key R&B music or some chill Drake from his playlist to take it down a notch.I have to calm down, because I cant play like that, Barrett said. As a quarterback, you cant go out and do your job with that kind emotion.But I definitely want to make sure the rest of my guys are jacked up.Time after time, Barretts speeches do the trick. And thats one thing Ohio State can officially script in the pregame routine as long as hes around. Cheap Green Bay Packers Jerseys . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Cheap Dallas Cowboys Jerseys .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head.http:///...anta-falcons-jerseys . Ashley Youngs cross was inadvertently headed by Chester into his own net in the 66th minute, allowing United to claim a third straight league win. "We had to dig deep with our fighting spirit and weve done that," United striker Wayne Rooney said. CHICAGO -- Put Yadier Molina down for four more hits. Four RBIs, too. Add another clutch hit to Allen Craigs total. The majors last game before the All-Star break sure had a familiar feel for the St. Louis Cardinals. Molina hit a three-run homer in St. Louis four-run ninth inning, and the Cardinals beat the Chicago Cubs 10-6 on Sunday night. "We never give up," Molina said. "Whatever happens in the game or the inning before were going to come after you." Craig lined a tiebreaking RBI single into left field before Molina drove an 0-2 pitch from Kevin Gregg (2-2) over the wall in left for his seventh homer. Pete Kozma added three hits and two RBIs as St. Louis finished with a season-high 21 hits. Chicago went up 4-3 on Darwin Barneys three-run homer off Adam Wainwright in the sixth, and pinch hitter Cody Ransom had a tying two-run double in the eighth. But the Cubs bullpen was unable to hold off the NLs highest-scoring team. "Obviously we lost, but I mean we showed a lot of fight," Barney said. "We showed maybe what kind of character we have in those kind of games." The Cardinals won for the seventh time in nine games to salvage a split of the four-game series. Edward Mujica (2-1) had his second blown save opportunity in 28 chances, but managed to get the win on the same day he was chosen to replace Wainwright on the NL All-Star team. Despite injuries to key pitchers Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia and Jason Motte, St. Louis heads to the All-Star break with baseballs best record at 57-36. It leads the NL Central by one game over surprising Pittsburgh, which lost 4-2 to the New York Mets earlier in the day. "I cant express how proud I am the way these guys play the game," manager Mike Matheny said. "It was a very fitting way to end before the break." A big reason for St. Louis success is the play of Craig and Molina, who are both headed to New York for Tuesday nights game at Citi Field. Craig is batting .489 (44 for 90) with runners in scoring position and leads the team with 74 RBIs. Molina leads the NL with a .341 batting average while playing his usual strong defence behind the plate. Wainwright, who allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings, said he thinks Molina is baseballs best all-around player. "What can you say?" Wainwright said. "He gets the big hits when he needs to and he calls greeat games. Cheap Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys. " Barney also had a run-scoring single for the Cubs, who went 6-4 on a 10-game stretch in Chicago that included a makeup game at the crosstown White Sox last Monday. The four RBIs for Barney matched a career high set in a 14-4 victory against Pittsburgh on July 30, 2012. After a slow start, the Cubs (42-51) are a respectable 24-21 in their last 45 games. Its good enough for a four-game improvement compared to last year at this point, when the North Siders were 38-55 on their way to their first 100-loss season since 1966. "Its a half that could have gone a lot different, but I think a lot of guys have progressed, kind of taken strides in the right way," said first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who committed a mental gaffe in the eighth when he cut off a ball that might have got a runner at the plate. Travis Wood, who will represent the Cubs at the All-Star festivities, allowed three runs and a season-high 10 hits in 5 2-3 innings. It matched the shortest outing of the year for the consistent lefty, who pitched at least six innings in 17 of his first 18 starts. Molina was out of the starting lineup for St. Louis 6-4 loss on Saturday night and began the night in a 1-for-19 rut covering his previous seven games. But he singled in each of his first two at-bats, hit a leadoff double in the seventh and forced Bogusevic to make a leaping catch against the wall in centre in the eighth. "Tonight was me," Molina said. "Tonight I saw the ball pretty good and I made contact pretty solid." NOTES: Cardinals OF Matt Holliday (right hamstring tightness) missed his third consecutive game. "We need to be real careful so we can continue to progress, make sure we are aiming for that first day after the break," Matheny said. ... OF Cole Gillespie joined the Cubs, and reliever Henry Rodriguez was designated for assignment to make room on the roster. Gillespie was claimed off waivers from San Francisco on Saturday. He had a pinch-hit single in the eighth. ... Cubs RHP Scott Baker allowed four runs and six hits in three innings in his first rehab start with Class A Kane County. Baker missed last season with Minnesota after undergoing elbow-ligament replacement surgery. "Today was a big hump, to pitch against hitters and getting in a real game and the whole atmosphere and everything," Cubs manager Dale Sveum said. Cheap MLB Jerseys cheap jerseys Cheap Jerseys Free Shippingcheap nfl jerseys Cheap Jerseys USA China Jerseys Cheap NFL Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys For Sale Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys Cheap NBA Jerseys ' ' '
Share:
