Big Ten awards, legit and otherwise
Ohio State's Evan Turner and Penn State volleyball star Megan Hodge were named Wednesday the Big Ten's male and female athletes of the year, respectively.
That was the centerpiece of the third annual Big Ten Network Awards. The other winners:
Men's Team: Iowa wrestling, beating out MSU men's basketball and four others.
Women's Team: Penn State volleyball, an easy choice given the 38-0 record and national title.
Men's Coach: Tom Izzo, beating out Jim Tressel, Kirk Ferentz and three others.
Women's Coach: Russ Rose, Penn State volleyball, beating out MSU field hockey coach Rolf van de Kerkhof and four others.
Best Finish: Ohio State over Michigan in Big Ten Tournament (Evan Turner halfcourt shot), beating out five games involving Michigan State.
Game of the Year: Iowa-Ohio State football, a definite classic.
Most Dominating Performance: David Boudia, Purdue diver, the NCAA 1-meter and 3-meter champ.
Breakout Performer: Evan Turner, beating out Draymond Green and three others. To which I say, huh? How could a guy who was a bona fide star last season be included in this category? Evan Turner was on the short list for national player of the year before the season started. Weird.
Should we add a Most Triple Doubles or Best Recovery From Broken Back award so Turner can win more hardware? No, but here are 10 more Big Ten awards for 2009-10.
Best Blog: Turner's former teammate, OSU walk-on Mark Titus, has one of the best around, although that Derby entry is getting pretty stale.
Best Burger: Still haven't found anything out there that can top Crunchy's. With the rub, of course. However, Triple XXX in Lafayette is strong, and this creation is the Big Ten's most unique, if nothing else. Had a bite once, not a huge fan, but really enjoyed a pork tenderloin sandwich there about five years ago. Yes, it's a sad existence.
Best Scandal: Back in the good old days of the '80s and '90s, there were plenty from which to choose. Rich Rodriguez, you owned this category in 2009-10.
Coolest Athlete: Samantha Prahalis, Ohio State women's basketball. Awesome player, fun to watch, talks trash, has interesting piercings and tattoos. Also, dated Evan Turner, so he can share in the glory on another award.
Best Big Ten Network Analyst: Howard Griffith, although new addition Dan Dakich is right there.
Most Ridiculous Football Nonleague Schedule: Penn State has supplanted Minnesota as the Big Ten's top tomato can collector. Akron, 'Cuse, Temple and Eastern Illinois. For shame. The Nittany Lions travel to Alabama in 2010, though, so it looks like Indiana -- with Towson, Western Kentucky, Akron and Arkansas State on tap -- will be next year's clear winner.
Hottest Seat Award: At this point, Ron Zook may as well be doing yoga commando on fiery coals.
Prototypical Big Ten Football Player (aka Best Iowa Lineman): Adrian Clayborn.
Foulest Opponent Award: I defy anyone to find anything out there to rival New Mexico State, the Spartans' first-round NCAA matchup. Taunting, swearing, they're part of the game, but these guys belong on a stage with George Carlin.
Best Mustache: Welcome to the Big Ten, Danny Hope. Hope is going to be very tough to beat in this category on an annual basis. He may need to be retired from competition, sort of like "Free Bird" and "Stairway to Heaven" in classic rock top 100 songs of all time countdowns. Imagine Hope trying to deal with one of those Duane Purvis burgers. On second thought, don't imagine that. Let's never speak of that again.
In other news, here's one of the best headlines of the year to date.
