Blogging Buckeye caught in Web

Mark Titus never will be confused with Tyler Hansbrough. Nor does he stand to make tens of millions of dollars, as Hansbrough figures to, when the NBA Draft rolls around in June.

Titus, a reserve guard for Ohio State, was hoping to make a few bucks off his blog, Club Trillion, by selling T-shirts and other merchandise. But the NCAA threw cold water on his plans this week, telling him he cannot profit off his name or likeness.

"Naturally, I'm a bit upset about this decision," Titus wrote in his blog this week. "However, I have made a living (not really, I just kind of like that phrase) off of finding loopholes, so I'm sure I'll find a way to make something work out."

Titus, a 6-foot-4-inch junior, is a former team manager for the Buckeyes who has played two minutes this season. But his blog is popular in Columbus, where he's a fan favorite.

Titus, who is majoring in marketing, said his career goal is to work for the NCAA. Can't say the kid doesn't have a sense of humor.

• EXTENDED STAY IN L.A. -- Shooting guard Fred Jones had a tryout Saturday with the Los Angeles Clippers. But, figuring he wouldn't stick around long, the six-year NBA veteran didn't pack any clothes for the trip.

Jones wound up signing a nonguaranteed contract and was playing for the Clippers by Sunday.

At least he got a uniform out of the deal. The only other attire Jones had was the sweat suit he had worn to Los Angeles -- until Wednesday, when his wife shipped him some clothes from their home in Portland, Ore.

• NO SLOUCH ON THE COUCH -- A Manhattan man has won his second couch potato contest. Stan Friedman, a 47-year-old research librarian, needed 18 hours, 48 minutes and 17 seconds of sports-watching time to outlast the competition at the second annual ESPN Zone Ultimate Couch Potato Competition in New York.

The participants, sitting in recliners in front of dozens of televisions, weren't allowed to sleep or leave their recliners except for restroom breaks once every eight hours.

• OFF-LIMITS -- When John Thompson coached basketball at Georgetown, he kept his freshmen off-limits to the media except after games. It appears Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel is taking a page from Thompson's playbook.

Buckeyes starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor, a freshman, was not among the 30 players the school sent to Fiesta Bowl media day Friday in Glendale, Ariz. Neither was freshman center Mike Brewster.

When asked about the absent players, Tressel said: "We were asked to bring 30 players, and we sent a list of players. I did get one call asking, 'Did you happen to miss any?' and I said, 'Well, you might be talking in terms of Terrelle and Mike Brewster because they're starters.'

"But they're freshmen," added Tressel, whose team plays Texas on Monday, "and we decided when we were counting to 30 that there were 30 others who were afforded the opportunity to be there."

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS