Rob Mixer • Assistant Sports Editor
This is a note to all every-now-and-then, I'll go for the band Bobcat supporters.
If you're guilty of being a casual Ohio sports fan or one of those that leaves football games at halftime, fear not: You are not alone. You may actually be in the majority.
Now that the fall season is over, and the football team has completed its domineering of advertising and publicity, it is time to look elsewhere. All is not lost, nor do you have to look over your shoulder at everyone's best friend, sheer boredom.
There is plenty to look forward to early in 2010. Most (if not all) of it will happen in Athens, and The Post's sports editors have you covered.
We will go down our handy list and highlight what you should watch in Bobcatville from here to the clubhouse.
2010 EVENT TO WATCH FOR: PRO SPORT DRAFTS (NFL, MLB)
Any time a Bobcat makes the jump to the pros, it's a big deal. When multiple athletes in different sports have a chance to represent Ohio as a big leaguer, it's a ginormous deal.
Wide receiver Taylor Price attends the NFL combine this month, where he will try to impress NFL scouts enough to make him the third Bobcat drafted in three years. Last year, Bobcat safety Mike Mitchell was arguably the most unexpected pick of the draft when the Oakland Raiders took him in the second round. The year before that, Landon Cohen was picked up by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round.
But when the NFL draft ends, the chances for Bobcats to go doesn't. The baseball team has at least two players likely to get drafted. The first, infielder Robert Maddox III was actually in the drafted 34th round out of high school (Villa Angela-St. Joseph's in Cleveland) but chose to attend college.
Outfielder Gauntlett Eldemire also has a shot at making it to the MLB. The native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, emerged last season when he batted .313 and homered 21 times, second on the team only to Mark Krauss - who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks last season.
CHAMPIONSHIP RUN WORTH FOLLOWING: HOCKEY
All right, hockey isn't a spring sport. But the Bobcats are currently knocking down the door on their second-straight league title and have won 27 of their first 35 games.
This is about the time of year when Bird Arena gets its mojo back, and if you were in the barn for Dads Weekend, you know what we mean. The place gets downright loco when the team is heading down the stretch, and they are getting back to high-tempo, hard-checking hockey.
Rival Iowa State is in town starting Friday night, the team that Ohio upended for the Central States Collegiate Hockey League crown last year. The Bobcats erased a 3-1 deficit, scoring three goals in the final 10 minutes.
Bet on that series turning into a test of intestinal fortitude.
WHAT YOU NEED TO WATCH: OHIO SOFTBALL
Most people who have covered the softball team for us have said the same thing: It was their most enjoyable assignment. Why? Because this group genuinely loves to play the game.
They hustle on to the diamond, and they hustle off to the dugout. Each play receives equal, directed focus and even the most egregious mistakes are met with high-fives and smiles. The Bobcats carry a dedicated group of fans who can go decibel-for-decibel with any group in town, and there is a sense of fun that resonates around the team.
It's an exciting brand of sport, one that does not receive its due amount of support. Ohio has been close in recent Mid-American Conference tournaments, and there's no reason why the locals shouldn't be back in the mix this spring.
2 Sports
Joe Ragazzo
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Ohio left hander Melissa Bonner pitches the ball during the Bobcats' 4-2 win over Eastern Michigan on April 3 at the Women's Softball Complex. (FILE PHOTO)
