If you have a bucket list, make sure that breakfast at Tank’s is on it, right after skydiving and helping Dusty Baker find a left fielder. The family began the weekend with some fine dining at the Wayne Avenue tavern. As usual, breakfast was excellent. It has to be to keep me from ordering a burger.

By the book: Embattled Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel is scheduled to explain himself in front of an NCAA tribunal on Aug. 12. If I were Tressel, I’d push to move that hearing to next week. The sooner the better, because the more that leaks out about the Buckeye program, the worse it looks for the boss.

Former OSU malcontent Ray Small spouted off last week that Tressel’s players take the NCAA rule book as seriously as the Michigan Wolverines. But somehow, I can’t see Ross Homan or Kurt Coleman selling gold pants.

I’ve been asked many times whether I think Tressel’s job is safe. I think it is, because Gordon Gee and Gene Smith are Tressel’s biggest fans, not his bosses. But if more guys like Small come out of the woodwork, the Urban Meyer rumors will be unstoppable.

Soaking it in: The Dutch Lions were supposed to play Saturday at Fifth Third Field, but the Dragons brass scrapped that plan 50-plus hours before match time. The official word was that the field was too wet for soccer.

I’m sure there’s some truth to that, but it hardly rained the past two days and that turf drains well. Call me cynical, but I think if they had sold 7,000 advance tickets instead of fewer than 2,000, the tarp would’ve been out and helicopters would’ve been hovering for extra drying power.

Way off base: Did you see Brandon Phillips get picked off second the other night? Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins distracted Dat Dude by talking to him and the Reds’ second baseman didn’t know what hit him.

If one of my pre-teen baseball players got caught like that, my blood pressure would be higher than the tax bill on the Arcade.

Quick hits: I will be shocked if the Mavericks win one game in the NBA Finals. ... The Indy 500 is a little creaky at 100, but the race’s tradition is amazing, from Jim Nabors to post-race milk. ... FYI: The ‘500’ winner has come from the front row 43 times.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2163 or bkollars@DaytonDailyNews.com.