Luckeyes They are Not

An infamous jab from the Buckeye haters is calling the Buckeyes a clever name, Luckeyes. You know, Luck as in you don't earn anything you get it from luck and if you substitute a L for the B it spells that. Yes, very ingenius I know. Must have been a Michigan Man that came up with that, they are so stinkin' smart aren't they?

Well, listen to this stat haters (I heard it on Shark on Sports 103.9 FM by Jeff Logan). In every season since 2005, the ones where OSU has been very successful, Ohio State has ranked 119 out of 119 schools in opponents penalty yardage. Let me spell this out for you. The teams that play Ohio State get called for penalties when they play OSU less than EVERY OTHER SCHOOL'S opponents. This means that OSU is NOT benefiting from their opponents mistakes. This benefit would fall under the category of luck. If the other team is making mistakes that you benfit from and it's not directly as a result of your effort, you are lucky. Well OSU is not getting that luxury.

I am not claiming this is a result of bad officiating or a conspiracy against my beloved Bucks, what I am saying is that teams bring their A game when they play OSU. EVERY team, EVERY week, regardless of who they are, play OSU well. At the very least, OSU is not getting bonus yards from their opponents that other teams, eh hem, EVERY team is getting from their opponents.

On the flip side, Ohio State ranks in the top third of Division I's schools in least amount of penalties called on them. So all those frustrating false starts and penalties that make us so mad are not that much worse than 2/3 of the whole DI group of schools. Therefore, we aren't killing ourselves in the greater scheme of things either.

So here is one more reason you can stop using that ridiculous name. You are wrong. It is not luck that has gotten our Bucks to the title game the past two years. It has been athletes, coaching and hard work.

Goals and Aspirations

I have used Goal Setting as an overall, year long theme in my classroom several times. It is good to teach students to set goals and work towards achieving them. It also creates a jumping point for discussing how and why hard work is mandatory in life. It provides numerous teachable moments throughout the year regarding these important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. Finally, it gives me a structure to refer back to when trying to motivate the kids. I can use their own goals that they gave me to drive them to do what I want them to do.

So what goals and aspirations do I have for myself? Find a cure for cancer? Feed the hungry? Save the dying? Lead people?

Nope.

I want to be a regular caller on the local AM radio sports talk shows. Yeah, lofty goals from a scrub like me I know, but this is what I aspire to be and you can't tell me I can't!

I bring this up because I called in today to Shark on Sports and made it on the radio again. I have done this numerous times in the past. Unfortunately the calls are so spread apart that nobody remembers "John from Hilliard." Also, sometimes I have used my nickname Beau. Other times I have said I am calling from Columbus. Lastly, I have called different shows. Most of the time my calls have been to Kirk Herbstreit's afternoon show on 1460 The Fan. He is always pretty cool. We got into one time when I called about the annoying fair weather Indians fans. He gave me plenty of love at the end though. It may have been patronizing, in fact I know it was, but whatever.

The best memory is when my friends are listening without my knowledge. One time I called about the Cavaliers and Bruce Hooley (who I never agree with) loved my take so much that I got two free rounds of golf. Instantly I got a text message from my buddy Ernie asking for first dibs in my pair.

But that is the best I got. I am officially setting my goal now. I want to call in enough to be "known." I think Shark on Sports is my best bet. He is cordial and attentive to the callers, lets us speak and has several regulars. Now, I need an identity that makes me memorable. I am open to suggestions. Should I be the crazy guy that says all kinds of inflammatory things to get people riled up? Should I be the "Cavs" guy that always calls in about the Cavs? Should I have some catchy nickname like "Buckeye Beau?" Should I always have a catastrophic negative attitude or over the top positive attitude?

Hmmmmm......

Regardless, I am going to push to call more often and be "that guy." Don't laugh. That is gonna be me.