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Ohio State's winter conditioning reaches insane climax

The Buckeyes (barely) survive Mickey Mariotti's St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

By Alexis Chassen

"I feel like Death has just beat my legs with a sledgehammer"

- Brandon Bowen, OT, Ohio State Football

It's the winter workout strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti waits all year for; the annual St. Valentine's Day Massacre. One of the toughest challenges Ohio State football players will face in the offseason, it's a day for early enrollees to really see what being a Buckeye will take -- and for the coaches to beat them up a little bit.

The overall goal of the workout is to make players as uncomfortable as possible to see what they can do when pushed to the limit. Freshman are often disappointing to start, but the progress through their time as a Buckeye is exciting to see as a coach.

"You get disappointed very quick with the young guys just because they're all over the place," Mariotti said, per the Dispatch. "It's like getting an AK-47 and trying to shoot a moving target."

It wasn't just players who are put through the ringer in this annual test, coaches jump in and get their hands dirty. Respect is earned on both sides in the strenuous workout and can bring coaches and players alike together ahead of spring training.

"The Cleveland Browns expected the city of Columbus and Franklin County to pay $15 million to build a training facility"

- Lucas Sullivan & Rick Rouan, The Columbus Dispatch

For three weeks a year, the Browns wanted to call Columbus home. Unfortunately, that would cost the city of Columbus $15 million to build, despite what the organization would lead people to believe. Following an initial report that they were looking for public funding of $5 million, the team withdrew their request citing no need for public funds.

This is in stark contrast to new reports showing the very first ask by the team was actually for three times that which was first reported. Initially, both the city and county verbally agreed to the funding request so long as the facility could be used for local recreation the remainder of the year and the city would receive the income tax revenue from the player's salaries for the three weeks a year they were in Columbus.

The income tax revenue became an issue when the team informed the city that the player are paid a reduced rate during training camp severely limiting the amount of return the city would see. For now, the request for public funds has been rescinded, but the Browns are still looking for somewhere in Ohio to host their three week training activities.

"With the postseason in the near future, the Buckeyes continue to possess the "one game at a time" mentality that many teams live by..."

- Nathan Rubinstein, The Lantern

Ohio State's women's basketball team is nearing the postseason, and has just three more games left in the regular season. They successfully navigated the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Thursday, and despite indications the team could have started the match with more intensity, were able to barrel over their opponent with ease, finishing the game 96-70.

The Buckeyes face the Fighting Illini next, in the team's last home game of the season; seniors Ameryst Alston and Cait Craft will be recognized during the event. Alston went 3-for-3 in the first quarter against Nebraska, finishing the game with 16 points and three assists, to add to her 2,000-point career at Ohio State.

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