10 Most Hated

For those of you who are too serious and stuffy about the things I post on Facebook or in my blog and can't seem to allow sarcasm or hyperbole without some sort of judgemental comment about my judging or supposed negativity, stop reading now.

For the rest of you, I keep hearing plenty of hate from anti-OSU people here in Columbus or just about anywhere on the Internet even when the topic or thread has nothing to do with us. Obviously, it is because we are so freaking successful and our fans are pretty freaking obnoxious about it.

Of course we like to call it passion. You say tomato, we say tomato.

So in honor of all the sports hate that seems to be the trend these days, I give you my top ten list of most hated sports "stuff."


10. Glamour City Bias

From Colin Cowherd to just about any fan that doesn't live in the midwest, sports fans around the country adore the teams who play in sunny, warm cities or cities with big lights and plenty of superficial glam. The players are becoming more and more the same as they sign with these teams leaving smaller markets out to dry. Economics play a large role in this too. But in the name of my hate list, I will disregard that.

9. Notre Dame

Originally I couldn't stand Notre Dame because they were so good and I was tired of them. It was a hate rooted in envy. Then they started to suck. Now they have sucked for almost 20 years. In the middle of this span of suck, people still talked about them as though they were relevant when they weren't. Any other school playing like they did would not even register on ESPN's "other notable games" segments. But they continued to make headlines. So my hate was less out of jealousy and more out of fatigue and annoyance of the obvious bias.
They used to be higher on this list but have sunk near the bottom because I am starting to think I would like for them to be good again. They do have a rich tradition and they have done their time in suckdom. So now is a good time to return to true relevance and add to the lore of college football's history.

8. Mark May


Any fellow Buckeye fan knows exactly why he has made this list. He entered Buckeye Hater lore back in 2002 when he and Trev Alberts led the charge of over rated claims in the national media regarding the undefeated Buckeyes. Apparently, wins meant less than the style of play or point differential in wins. They repeatedly heralded Iowa as the better Big Ten team even though Iowa wasn't even the better Iowa team!! They lost to Iowa State early in the year.
But my Buckeyes showed him and every other doubter that year that the slow and outdated Big Ten team was the elite as they physically beat down the glitzy and overpaid U to win in the best football game I have ever and will ever watch.

7. The Mythical Torture in Chicago

Growing up a fan of Cleveland sports, nobody and I mean NOBODY has any right whatsoever to tell us about sports misery or pain. Yet, Chicago with the dominating 85 Bears, the glory years with the Bulls during the Jordan seasons and the recent titles from the Blackhawks and White Sox continue to act as though that Cubs streak trumps everything.

Two words: SHUT UP!

6. Detroit

The Tigers. The Pistons. The fact they exist in that state up north.

5. Cincinnati Bengals

I don't include the whole city because they share my state. Many are Buckeye fans. And I like the Reds. Always have. But the hillbilly Bungle fans, in particularly from south of the river in Kentucky and small towns that dot southern Ohio, are some of the most annoying and laughable fans I have ever come across. The thing is, they may be the only football fans whose pro team sucks more than mine. Well, the Lions may trump us both but I already listed Detroit.

4. Miami

As recently as 15 months ago this probably wouldn't even be on the list let alone appear in the top five ahead of in state rival Cincy. But one man managed to shoot this city and everything it represents up this high. He magnified the other little things I can't stand about Miami as well.

There are only two teams (both will soon register on this list) that I get more joy out of seeing lose. There is no way they can lose too badly or painfully. Watching the Mavs destroy their chances at a title last season was wonderful. Watching the NBA lockout continue is beautiful even if it is cutting my nose off despite my face with the Cavs suffering a lack of a season as well. Longer lockout, less of him.


The Marlins broke my heart in Game 7 of the World Series in 1997. The U is one of the most annoying programs on Earth. So freaking flashy and loud and obnoxious. Not to mention filled with thugs and low character individuals that make a glorified garage sale for tats seem like child's play. Fortunately, my Crimson Tide took them out in 1991 and, as mentioned in #8, my Buckeyes took them out in 2002. So I have had some pay back.

But in the end, they represent the hatred I listed in #10 with their South Beach attitude and party lifestyle.

I hate that superficial crap.

Of course I am in the minority and the people I need to feel the same as me in order for my teams to win, don't see eye to eye with me in this either. So once again, the envy factor kicks in even though I have no urge whatsoever to live that way myself and love my life in the midwest.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers

I have a deep rooted disdain for this team. While many Top lists you read are prisoners of the moment and rank recent buzz worthy entries higher on the list than they really belong, I give longevity a good bit of weight. It takes a franchise changing reason (see #4 over #5) for a recently hated team to beat out teams I have hated for a long time.

The Steelers are everything I wish my football team would be but isn't. They are a tough, bad weather, well run organization that consistently wins and remains relevant.

Man I hate them.

The mere sight of those uniforms or that Hines Ward smile makes me want to puke.

2. Baltimore Ravens

They took my most beloved team. What more needs to be said? Then they go and win a Super Bowl while my team that we fought to have back has pretty much sucked ever since. They have stolen the rivalry with the Steelers because we suck too much to make it worthwhile to the Steelers. It is similar to the OSU v. Michigan rivalry.

Is Art Modell still alive? Because I don't like that guy. But I won't say anything too negative about a man in his position in life if he is.

Also, they are an in division rival like Pittsburgh and Cincy so the natural competitive hate exists there too. I don't respect this organization like I do the Steelers though. It is not a respectful hate. It is straight up hatred hate.

Drum roll please.......

Think you know?

1. The Whole State of Michigan

With Detroit already taken care of, let me focus on the university in Ann Arbor. I can't stand the maize and blue. I hate those helmets. I will never forget the heartbreak they put me through in the 90s while I was a student at THE Ohio State University ruining multiple title hopes and rubbing our face in it every time. Desmond Howard and his Heisman Pose. Charles Woodson. Tim Biakabutuka ( I don't even care if I spelled his name right because I can't stand him or that team) causing an argument between me and my dad.

This past decade of dominance over them is not enough. The epic victory in 2006 is not enough pay back. I never want to lose to this school.

Ever.

In addition, the stupid Fab 5 in hoops. Hate them too.

But we can't forget the other school in this horrid, hideous state over in East Lansing. They may not have a long list of reasons for me to hate them, but 1998 is all it takes. That was heartbreaking enough to almost make the list on its own merit as its own entry. That walk back to my apartment that evening was a LONG, painful experience. The rare season in the 90s that the other school didn't ruin our title hopes, MSU made sure to pick up the slack.

I'm shaking right now just thinking about it.

Honorable mention: Micheal Jordan, John Elway, USC, Boston and Colin Cowherd.

Thank God For Football!

Turn a new page. Tear the old one out. And I'll try to see things your way.
"How We Operate" by Gomez

I try to be a man of my word. And my word has been that I am done being held prisoner to the Huey Karma. No longer will Negative Huey dominate my life.

It is a new day. The day of positive Huey is now.

But the Karma still won't let me go. It refuses to let me live my life in the positive manner I want to live it.

It started in the sports realm of my life an it will end in the sports realm.

This weekend the Karma has beaten me down, bloodied me up and dragged me down the street in a victory parade on the way to a dirty lake where it dumped me and left me there to die.

But I refuse to lose.

I will scratch and claw with every fiber of my being to crawl out of the murky lake and have my day. I will not allow this to keep me down.

USC beat my Buckeyes in heartbreaking fashion. The usual outcome for my beloved teams. There seems to be no other possible outcome these days. I was led to believe there was a chance. I allowed myself to live in the moment and enjoy the lead as we had it in the second half. But, as usual, the offense shut down and couldn't ice the game. I left the stadium heart dragging ten feet behind.

But I maintain my composure and look back on this experience with fondness. The evening was electric. The crowd was intense. The atmosphere was like little I have ever experienced. It ranks at the top of my list with the 1997 Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. There were numerous moments of joy and elation.

It was that good.

I choose to stick with that memory despite the loss.

The Browns clocked in with the usual poor performance this afternoon to top off a losing weekend.

I choose to quickly forget this and focus on the words of my good friend who shares my pain: "It's so good to have football back."

In the midst of losing and despair, he still knew that football is good. It is back.

Thank God for football!!

The Huey Karma Won't Die

Not long ago I swore off the Huey Karma. It was part of a greater effort to be more positive. I openly acknowledge my tendency to be a pessimist and look at things from a negative point of view even though I have always felt it was more of a realistic point of view.

I want to change that habit. I understand I am wired a certain way and sometimes there is need for pessimism to keep my head on straight, but I believe I can stay true to myself and my "wiring" while leaning in a more positive direction. I believe I can have a more positive outlook and in turn enjoy myself more.

Therefore, the Huey Karma had to go.

But not without its last kicks. It is like kicking an addiction. Relapse may be inevitable. But it is not reason to quit quitting.

Allow me to explain the Huey Karma to those of you who are new to the concept. It is not exactly like the conventional karma we are used to hearing about within Buddhism or other Eastern belief systems. No, the Huey Karma is more like Murphy's Law. What can go wrong, will go wrong.

The Huey Karma would state: If you don't expect it to go wrong, it will go wrong.

One rule of combating the Huey Karma is to never take anything good for granted no matter how inevitable it may seem. Expect the bad and it won't happen. But assume you have something before you have it and you will lose it. The Karma preys on your unsuspecting moments.

If you ever think you have something prematurely, the Karma will strike and take it from you.

It began with sports and then generalized to my life overall. I quickly noticed in my little league games that when I assumed we would win, we would lose. As I watched countless heartbreaks at the hands of John Elway, Micheal Jordan, Art Modell, the Florida Marlins, Michigan Wolverines and even the Michigan State Spartans, my fears were reinforced.

The greatest example would be the opening game of the Browns season not long after they returned. The clock said 0:00 and the Browns had more points. They lost that game. Dwayne Rudd was called for a penalty that I never saw called before or since that game. He took off his helmet.

Huey Karma.

The examples are endless. Those of you who know me have heard them all.

My driver's license. Countless girls I tried to date. College Graduation. Endless lists of more minor shortcomings.

I have a good friend, Chad who understands the Karma and warned me against swearing it off. He knew the ramifications I would be facing. If there was a school of Huey Karma, Chad would have his Master's Degree. He would be close to finishing his doctorate as we speak.

We both attended the Ohio State versus Navy game this past Saturday. We both had high expectations for the game. That was our first mistake.

As the days before the game drew near, we set up our plans to meet before the game and head to campus to enjoy the pre game atmosphere. Then we would proceed to the game to watch a good game against a good opponent that would end in relatively easy win.

Then the Karma arrived.

First, I realized I couldn't make it to the game early. I had more important duties as Daddy. So that was out.

Secondly, my brother was in town for a reunion the night before. I was excited to visit with him and my sister-in-law. But that fell through as it made no sense for them to show up late at night and deal with the cats of whom my brother is allergic just for 5 minutes of bed prep and and a goodbye in the morning.

We did manage to see them and two mutual friends before the game for a couple of minutes but nothing near the kind of valuable, meaningful visit we had hoped for in our plans. (Plus, it hurts my argument here)

Through it all, I maintained my positive attitude and enjoyed what I did get to enjoy. The few minutes were better than nothing. The walk through campus was nice. The conversation with Chad was pleasant.

But the Karma doesn't go that easy.

We finally made out way tot he stadium and began the trek that was the climb to our seats.

When we came to rest at our seats, it was the second to last row. The steep climb almost made my nose bleed if not my ears. The seats themselves were directly next to the wall of the press box and a pole was right in front of us.

Take a look at the seats we had after we moved to better seats. BETTER SEATS:


Then, an easy win turned into an ugly escape as the Buckeyes blew a 15 point 4th quarter lead right on cue. If it weren't for a questionable two point conversion play call that led to a pick two for my Bucks, I could have been singing a different tune that this last paragraph will.

I was never scared.

Really.

I predicted a 26-23 Buckeye victory. It was a 31-27 Buckeye victory. A four point win instead of a three point win.

So the Karma keeps kicking. I anticipate more stories to tell. It won't go without a fight.

But I promise I am determined. I can be as stubborn as this dreaded Karma.

In the words of my dear departed grandmother, B: "If it's gotta be you or me....dammit, it's gonna be me!"

2009 Fiesta Bowl Recap

Ohio State and Texas thrilled Fiesta Bowl viewers last night with an exciting football game. All indicators leading up to the game led us to believe the Buckeyes were in over their heads and had no business being in the same stadium as the Texas Longhorns. I, too, wrote how the Longhorns would cruise to an easy 37-6 type of game. But to my delight that did not happen. The Buckeyes went blow for blow with Texas demonstrating that they belonged on the same field with the Big 12 powerhouse.

They hung in there through the first half. They were able to go in the locker room with a 6-3 lead. Nobody expected the powerful Longhorn offense to be held to a field goal for 30 minutes. Ohio State then weathered a Texas storm in the third quarter and answered with a 15 point run of their own to take a 21-17 lead with 2 minutes left in the game. That alone impressed me. I thought the Buckeyes were dead to rights after the two third quarter TDs, but when it was gut check time, they responded.

But as my brother said and I thought...."TOO MUCH TIME!!!!!!" The Buckeye offense scored too fast. They left Colt McCoy 2 minutes to score. That is just way too much time for the potent offense from Texas. Despite being inches from a 4th down stand, the defense of Ohio State could not hold McCoy. An aggressive play call to blitz McCoy left the slant open over the middle and Anderson Russell couldn't make the stop allowing Texas to score and clinch the nail biting victory.

I wrote six things that needed to happen for Ohio State to win and they came up just short delivering on 5 of them. That perfectly translated to the game in which Ohio State came up just short of winning.

I wrote Wells had to have a big game. He did until he suffered a concussion in the second half. He needs to go pro because he can't go more than 2 games without getting hurt. He needs to get his paycheck while he still can. Back to the game, Wells rushed for 106 yards averaging 6.6 and breaking several big, important runs. his success kept the ball out of the Longhorns' hands. It allowed for the Bucks to control the clock and the game in the first half and was a big reason they had a lead.

I also said the defense HAD to show up and they did. Again, they held the explosive Longhorns to a field goal in the first half and earned a critical three and out in the 4th quarter as well. Unfortunately, in the third quarter the offense sputtered which resulted in little time to rest for the defense. The Longhorns capitalized with a hurry up offense and were able to get two big touchdowns.

I wrote the coaches needed to avoid the same old stagnant game plan. They came through to a certain degree. The Boeckman/Pryor alternating was different and done well from my point of view. It would have been nice to see Boeckman throw underneath a bit more instead of going deep almost every time he was in there, but it was a departure from the same old play calling. They definitely went away from the classic Tressel ball school of conservative power I over and over. But there were two drives in the third quarter where they relapsed. That hurt.

Defensively they were much more aggressive and I think that was good. The zone blitz crap they used against Florida and others was annoying and unsuccessful. This time around they were able to get pressure on McCoy and they were able to stuff the run for the most part. The one problem, and it killed us, was sticking to the blitz on the game winning play and leaving the middle of the field wide open for the slant. McCoy saw it and abused it. Many people will call into AM radio and complain, but hindsight is 20/20. We all begged for more aggression from the defense and we got it. you can't have it both ways. Maybe that one time though????

They did play with heart and they did play physical. Even though Gibson was called for costly penalties for hits to the QB (one of which was a bad call), I liked idea behind it. I liked the effort to hit the QB hard and make him think.

I said the Buckeyes couldn't make more mistakes and had to win field position. They had no turnovers and forced one. Their penalties were more costly though. Field position was a wash.

Finally, I said Terrelle Pryor had to have his best game. Not only did he NOT have his best game, I feel he had his worst game. This is not to say I blame him for the loss, but he made a number of freshmen mistakes running out of bounds before th first down marker despite having a clear path beyond it. He also made some bad throws and still isn't throwing it away and taking big sacks. The big thing was that it was glaringly obvious the offense had no passing game whatsoever when he was in there. They relied solely on his legs. Granted they are pretty darn good legs and are able to gain plenty of yards but as the game proved, you can't score consistently with it.

Overall, I feel better than I did after the last two BCS Title games. They were over matched in those two games and it was embarrassing. This time, the Buckeyes hung in there well and after going down, they manned up and fought back. Really, they were inches away from winning this game despite the loss of their star running back and lack of a passing game. They played with passion and showed great effort. Programs like Ohio state don't have moral victories. The bar is set too high for those. We expect National Titles here. There is a lot of work to be done. Next year could be ugly. But as for this particular game.....I am proud of my guys even if the loss hurts.

Fiesta Bowl

For the 5th time in 7 years my Ohio State Buckeyes are in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. This year they are matched up with the University of Texas, a fellow heavyweight in college football lore, success and tradition. These same two teams matched up in a home and home in 2005 and 2006, each team winning on the road. So this could be considered a grudge match. A rubber match if you will.

This season Texas is far and away the better team. In some circles they are considered a better representative in the BCS title game than their Big 12 brethren, Oklahoma. Meanwhile, Ohio State solidified its reputation as an overrated, over hyped program that can't win the big game. They had feasted on inferior competition in the Big Ten (1-5 in bowl games this year as a conference) but blew two opportunities to earn notable victories against USC and Penn State (the one Big Ten team that could be considered competitive). In fact, they were dominated by USC on the national stage in all aspects of the game.

So the task is monumental for my Buckeyes of Ohio State. For the record, I see this game as a 37-6 victory for the Longhorns of Texas. But I have been horrible at predicting anything recently. Secondly, the Buckeyes were in a similar position in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl against the Miami Hurricanes and came out victorious. The reverse occurred against Florida in 2007. Also, nobody saw Alabama's loss to Utah in the Sugar Bowl this year (except my friend Chris who called it along with upsets in every other BCS bowl game). Speaking of Alabama, they also stunned the college football world when they won the national championship against Miami after the 1992 season. My point is, upsets happen. It could happen here despite my doubts.

IF it were to happen though, here is what would have to happen to make it happen:

1)Chris Wells needs to have a big game. This is three pronged.

First, the Bucks need to control the game. Texas and Heisman Trophy runner up Colt McCoy (by the way, how perfect is it that the Longhorn QB is named Colt McCoy and comes from a small town deep in the heart of Texas?) have an explosive offense. The more the ball is out of their hands, the better for OSU. Running Wells can control the clock.

Second, there is a debate out there that the Big 12's defenses are weak. The games were so high scoring that, while many looked at the offenses as explosive, others wondered out loud if the defenses were just bad. You won't hear ESPN say that, but dig further. Regardless, the front four of Texas IS really good. The Buckeyes' offensive line has had all kinds of trouble pass blocking good, fast defensive lines like that of Texas. So how do you combat this? Run. They have had an easier time run blocking than pass blocking, so they need to run it.

Finally, Wells is good. He can run with success. When he runs with success, it opens things up for freshman QB Terrelle Pryor to run as well. The double threat of Pryor and Wells could wreak havoc for the Longhorns if they can keep them guessing like the former Longhorn, Vince Young used to do on a routine basis with much success.

2)Terrelle Pryor needs to have his best game.

As I mentioned in the first point, the Buckeyes' offensive line is terrible when it comes to pass blocking. This is one of several reasons Tressel pulled senior QB Todd Boeckman for the true freshman Pryor. This is against the "Tressel Rule." He is loyal to his seniors to a fault. He'd prefer red shirt all of his freshmen and allow them to grow before he throws them in the battle. But it became glaringly apparent that Boeckman was not going to be able to succeed with so much pressure in his face. Pryor and his "escape-ability" and athleticism needed to get in there if they were to salvage any kind of season after the humiliating loss to USC. Pryor delivered. He made some outstanding plays. He also made some freshmen mistakes, but these will reap benefits next year as he learns. If Pryor was able to take this past month to work on his faults and tweek some things and learn some things, he could have a coming out party in the Fiesta Bowl like Troy Smith did against Michigan and then Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl of 2006. If Pryor can get out of the pocket and make smart decisions like throwing it away, hitting his 2nd or 3rd options or running when it is there, the Buckeyes will score more than the 6 I predicted.

3)Somehow, some way, the defense MUST show up. The defensive line played better later in the year but we don't know if that is a function of improvement or weak competition. I still feel the linebackers are extremely overrated. Texas' offense is AWESOME. If the Buckeyes are able to pull off an upset, the defense HAS to somehow play out of its mind. If they give McCoy enough time to throw and they are unable to stuff the run consistently, Texas could drop 60 on them. It could be ugly.

4)The coaching staff can't play the same old schemes. It was quoted all over ESPN and local radio. USC players all said the Bucks played exactly how the film showed. There was nothing surprising, nothing new. There were no wrinkles. It is difficult enough to beat a team as talented and successful as Texas. If they are going to go into Arizona thinking they can play another predictable game plan, they are dead wrong. You can't show you hand hand and think you are going to win the pot.

5) They are going to have to want it more. The Bucks need to play with passion. They need to come out and hit hard. They need to bully Texas around. The Bucks still don't have much speed. The Big Ten as a whole has shown this bowl season that they are lacking in speed away from the skill positions. But the Big Ten never has been known for speed. The Big Ten is known for toughness and size. So they need to use that to their advantage. They need to beat up and beat down the Longhorns in the trenches and everywhere else. Make the hits hurt. Push them around. Don't be afraid to mix it up a little. Like I wrote before, pound Wells down their throat repeatedly. Be mean. I'm tired of getting beat. They should be too. Take it out on Texas!

6) Don't lose the obvious stuff. Field position, turnovers and special teams. As always with any team that isn't the runaway favorite, they need to win the battle of field position and turnovers. Mistakes need to be limited because there is no margin for error and field position slants the field in their favor. Special teams are always the "X" factor. If they can block a kick (field goal or punt) or run one back, things can quickly tilt in their favor as well. This is pretty much a given for any underdog anytime.

Six things that MUST, absolutely MUST happen if there is any, slight chance for Ohio State to pull out a much needed victory. It would be a victory that could begin the journey back into respectability.

Wait, no. The haters will come up with some excuse about how they were lucky and didn't deserve the win and are still a joke. That we can count on.

Birthday Post Hal Lebovitz Style

Hal Lebovitz was a sports writer for the News Herald, the local newspaper in the county where I grew up. By the time I began reading him religiously he had been around for decades and wrote for other papers (Cleveland News and Cleveland Plain Dealer) prior to my hometown Herald. But each weekend he had a column where he touched on a number of different topics regarding the Cleveland teams or other worthwhile, interesting tidbits about the sports world at that time. This was a part of my Sundays that I cherished. We would get home from church and I made a mad dash to the Sunday News Herald to see what Hal had to say. My earlier intentions to be a sportswriter for a career stemmed from this experience.

So today I am using his Sunday format to cover a number of topics I have wanted to touch in this blog but haven't had the time to address. I have some serious catching up to do. My birthday present to myself is this post with the Georgia v. Georgia Tech game on to my right and my ipod blasting a variety of favorite tunes to my left.

Here we go....I hope you enjoy and comment on one or more:

My Dark Period
I have been pretty open about my recent downturn in mood and feeling. Mostly it has been despair, sadness and worry. But underneath these emotions there is a lot of anger brewing. I can feel it come out over little things. I explode over things I should brush off. I get easily frustrated and aggravated. I have been examining the reasons why. I am trying to connect the dots and get to the core issue I must be dealing with so I can fix it.

I keep coming back to one point. This point is that I do not stick up for myself. My wife even recognizes it and has mentioned it. She says that by not defending myself I am accepting things as true. I'll be the first to admit I have a problem with confrontation. I hate it. As a result I have taken a lot of emotional punishment without doing anything about it and then internalized it way too much. Then I feel worse about being too much of a coward to stand up and confront my confrontation fear. I think much of my anger may be coming from this.

In the past I have tried to stick up for myself when I felt like I was being pushed around but then I look like a fool because people say I can't take a joke. They say I'm taking things too seriously or I am too emotional or I am overreacting. So the cycle continues and I try to take things as a joke. But then I hear plenty of negative comments and feel horrible about myself.

I want to start calling people out when they say stupid things about me to me. But I don't want to turn into an angry person either. I have tried to practice this idea of "breaking the chain" and not letting someone else's anger towards me create a negative response from me. I wanted to stop passing forward the bad in the world. I wanted to absorb the bad and "be the better person" in an attempt to make the world better. Yes, I realize this is very righteous or pious or whatever but I tried anyway.

Now I see the damage it is doing to me as an individual and I think it is time to unleash the beast. I could go on listing the issues I have with people's wrongful treatment but I have too much more to write. Just get ready. I am working my way to a point where I am going to seem very mean.

Ohio state Football
Believe it or not there are people in Columbus who are blaming Jim Tressel for a disappointing 10-2 season. They blame the coaching for losing to USC and Penn State. I admit the Big Ten is down which means the Buckeyes really didn't have any signature wins this year but c'mon! 10-2 is 10-2. More importantly it is 10-2 after back to back appearances in the BCS Title game. Has anybody seen the mighty LSU's record this year? Granted they are in tougher conference but they didn't beat anybody of any significance. You can't blame it all on LSU's QB drama earlier in the year because their defense stunk it up all year. It is not easy to maintain the kind of success Ohio State has had over the Tressel era. In his 8 years he has won a national title, played for two others, made BCS bowl games 5(maybe 6 if Oregon st loses a game) times, been in a bowl game every year, beaten our rival 7 times, and won or shared the Big Ten title at least 4 times (off the top of my head). Weak conference or not teams are bound for a let down in that time. OSU really has never had a major let down and when there has been one, it lasts one season. During this same period I can only think of USC and Texas (maybe Florida) as teams that have had the same consistent success. Get off Tressel people. We are lucky to have him.

Raising My Kid
I watched the OSU v. Michigan game at the house of a friend of mine. She used to work with me so another colleague from work was there as well. The game was a blowout allowing our conversation to meander away from sports and it found its way to the Bible. My colleague mentioned Proverbs as a good "book" to use with my daughter. This came about because I mentioned how there are a number of values from the Bible that I plan to instill in my child despite my personal issue with it. To clarify this statement I should say that it really isn't the Bible itself that I have a problem with but the people who constantly use it to support their erroneous, hateful and immoral views. The interpretation is the problem more than the book. I would also cite the narrow point of view many people have who use the Bible as the end all, be all reference to morality and goodness.

With all of this said, I am not a Bible hater. I feel there is so much that can be taken from that book like loving thy neighbor as thyself, the ten commandments, turning the other cheek, the idea that power and greed are the root of evil, giving to the poor and needy in spirit as well as more worldly needs, the importance to fight temptation and reality of it, making sacrifices and prayer. These and many more principles are concepts I find very valuable. While my daughter gets fed many things from the Bible on her mother's side, I am not going to fight it. Instead I want to make sure I direct it. She will NOT grow up thinking slavery is justified or homosexuality is immoral even though the Bible "says so." She WILL be allowed to speak up in church or to her husband. She doesn't need to grow up thinking she has to be submissive to her partner because the Bible "said so." I could go on.

My goal is to teach her these positive values of the Bible and to help as best I can to get her to understand the Bible was written in a variety of contexts and these contexts affected what was written. It is much like politics in that the different books were written to particular audiences with particular goals in mind. These things need to be considered when reading the Bible. I also want her to feel free to explore other religions and their teachings. Many times these other ways of thinking can provide a clearer point of view for someone. There are also numerous parallels. I continue to explore Buddhism and find similarities. Meditation and prayer are both important components of Christianity and Buddhism as well as sacrifice. I want my kid to feel free to discover this for herself. If I have any say in the matter, she will not be pigeon holed in one discipline.

Being a Moderate
My wife and I had a fantastic conversation on the ride up to our families for the holiday celebrating thanks (and genocide through small pox and violence). She is a die hard liberal and is very proud of it. She wants her values and beliefs to fall on the left side of the ledger every time. She believes that is the correct way of thinking.

Most of the time I fall on her side of things. But not always. This is where the conversation got interesting. As we discussed different issues, she proved her dedication and loyalty to liberalism. I, on the other hand, demonstrated that I have no urge whatsoever to be placed in one particular category. I don't like being labeled liberal or conservative (contrary to a friend's belief that I support liberal issues only because it is "cool" and I want to be liberal because my college professors influenced me and my peers to be). I don't want to be put in a box like that. When I determine my stance on different topics, issues or whatever I like to examine them on their own merit and particular circumstances. I then try to base my stance on my own value system. Whether it is conservative or liberal doesn't matter to me. While I do admit I fall on the liberal side more often than not, I wouldn't call myself that at all. That is fine.

What is most interesting about this is that I try to take things on a case by case basis so I can make sure I am consistent in terms of my personal values as opposed to my political stance, but sometimes it creates contradictions. So in an effort to avoid contradictions I am actually creating contradictions within my views or opinions.

John Brown

I continue to read "Lies My Teacher Told Me: What American History Textbooks Got Wrong" by James Loewen. I recently finished a section about John Brown and his treatment or lack thereof in our textbooks. I find this man and his story fascinating. In high school textbooks he is described as this crazed, militant abolitionist. Loewen even shows two pictures of him (pg 177) with one normal portrait next to a wild, long haired, long bearded man with a crazed look in his eye. According to Loewen, he was a well spoken, well read, intelligent man who proved so in his words during his trial for treason as well as his letters to his family and in his diary. He was well aware of the contradiction our country was demonstrating through slavery. He also knew of the inner struggle we were dealing with in regards to it. He wrote just before his execution that the only way these "crimes" of slavery would be "purged" from our country would be "with blood." (pg 175) As we know, it took the bloody Civil War to finally put an end to slavery.

In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act tried to deal with slavery by leaving the decision to those who settled there. Farmers from the North rushed in to establish it a "free soil" state while most Southern slave owners didn't make the move. But a number of slave owners from Missouri would cross the border to intimidate and terrorize the settlers in an effort to sway things towards slavery. (Loewen p. 173-174) Brown, an abolitionist with family in Kansas, countered by attacking and killing a number of these "terrorists." Later, Brown led a slave revolt in Harper's Ferry, Virginia where he would be caught by Robert E. Lee, eventually tried and hanged for treason.

What is interesting here is that history textbooks up to as late as the 1970s and some even later, painted Brown as the bad guy. They would even go as far as stating the slaves didn't want to revolt despite the evidence that Loewen presents to the contrary. This is a southern justification for slavery that I have noticed in other parts of the book. There seemed to be a consistent attempt to convince us that slaves actually did not mind being enslaved. While I don't specifically remember being taught this, the textbooks being used across the country during my years in school were openly presenting this idea of acceptance of slavery by the slaves themselves.

What the textbooks miss out on is bringing American History alive by presenting John Brown in a way that can demonstrate the very real inner struggle our country has been dealing with for centuries regarding slavery and racism. There were so many economic issues and states rights issues that played roles in the Civil War too but they were tied into the prevailing racism that took place and still takes place today. High school students could have some unbelievably interesting and enlightening discussions about race and slavery if we would look at people like John Brown and his ideas, beliefs and questionable actions to promote and support those thoughts. Abraham Lincoln was a great president who really did want to eradicate slavery from our country and knew it was a BIG cause of and factor in the Civil War, but he too struggled with his personal racism. On one hand he referred to African Americans as "niggers" but on the other he felt guilty and sick about seeing slaves shackled on a train he rode. Nobody wants to see the racial slurs Lincoln used or hear about Washington and Jefferson owning slaves, cheating on their wives or in Jefferson's case being an atheist. But I think we can present these "heroes" to our high school students in a way that demonstrates their flaws and shows how they accomplished a good bit despite their shortcomings and how these contradictions created interesting situations and discussion points. It doesn't need to be this pure, constant line of progress because it wasn't. Our history has had its ups and downs, progress and set backs, successes and failures and they all have affected how things are today.

LeBron James in 2010
Charles Barkley was on a radio show and called out James in regards to his open dialogue about possibly playing in New York in 2010. He said LeBron should not be so open about it. He plays for the Cavs and will for two more seasons and needs to quit talking about the Knicks or Nets. James responded by calling Barkley "stupid."

I am finding myself more and more anti-LeBron. It is hard to do. He is so, very good, plays for my team and seems like a good guy. But I will not be held hostage by him and I am getting tired of this game. No player should be bigger than the team. Even LeBron. I have been worried about this happeneing. This is one of the things I hated about Jordan. He became bigger than the Bulls. In fact the NBA as a whole fell out of graces with me as a result. Then the new generation of stars came about. Among them, James who seemed like a team first guy on the court. Combine that with being on my team and I was fine with James and his Jordanesque persona.

Now I am getting tired of it. At first, I wanted to write about how the national media needs to shut up about NYC and LeBron and buy a clue that Cleveland is also putting themselves in position to sign LeBron in 2010. They will be in the BEST position to re-sign him to be honest. But we don't hear that on ESPN. Also, we will have enough to get ANOTHER stud that is available that year. ESPN, FOX and other national media outlets won't tell you that.

Instead, I almost want James gone. I don't want to contribute to the "player bigger than the team" concept. Correct or incorrect, true or false....that is what's stupid Mr. James.

(This Georgia v. Ga Tech rivalry game has been pretty fun to watch....especially the second half.)

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.

Monday Morning QB on a Sick Day

Today is a scary day in my household. A doctor's appointment is at hand that is requiring I take a whole day off of work. The emotions behind this appointment are probably justifiable enough to take a day off. So with a couple of minutes to spare here, I would like to share my thoughts on several happenings in the world of sports this past weekend.

1. Ohio State (9) v. Penn State (3).......

This game confirms what I have been saying for awhile: This Buckeye team is just not very good. My preseason optimism was quickly crushed after the abysmal showing against USC and once again, this weekend's game was more of the same.

The defense has been in the cross hairs of my criticism most of the season but I am beginning to come around with them. Their showing against Michigan St. impressed me. It was a road game against a good if not great RB in Javon ringer (Ohio Product) and they shut him down. The defensive line which I have been most disappointed in, played great. This led me to an optimistic feeling for the big showdown against border state rival, Penn State.

The defense held their end of the bargain. They were able to contain QB Daryl Clark (Ohio Product) and his potent PSU offense who were averaging around 45 points per game coming in. I still feel good about that. But true freshman Terrelle Pryor (PA product...yeah baby) wasn't able to get in the end zone and in the end, his mistake lost the game for us.

Before you are up in arms over that last sentence, read on. I am NOT about to pile on 19 year old Pryor playing under the lights in a nationally televised game for a top ten team with a fan base as rabid as any. NFL like expectations and pressure pour from the residents of Columbus, Ohio and alumni across the country and even the world. This kid is 19 years old without a full off season to practice, without a full season behind him, with a full course load during the week, only 5 months or so removed from his senior prom. Please, I am not expecting him to be perfect. But the fact is, that fumble lost the game.

It's ok though. It was a freak fumble. A good play by the defender. Pryor was hustling, trying to get a big first down. I can live with that. Like Tressel said, penalties are bad but sometimes a hustle, aggressive penalty is not AS bad. You'd rather a guy get flagged for something that was caused by hustle and effort than a lazy, stupid, mistake. Pryor was looking to win the game. The middle was clogged up. A quick bounce to his right could be free.

It wasn't.

That set up the PSU offense for their only TD of the game. And Pryor still had another shot to tie it. But fell short. Chalk this up to a learning experience. It is hard to say that for Ohio State who's expectations year in and year out is National Championship. In college football today, you can't live with mistakes and maintain those expectations. One loss and you are pretty much out. It is a playoff from week one. So it is very difficult to type those words out. But I need to stick with what I said earlier in the year.

I felt Todd Boeckman, a senior QB who led the Buckeyes to an outright Big Ten title and national title appearance last year and even fielded some Heisman talk from national media types for a week or two, should be benched for Pryor. I fully understood what that meant. It meant we were going to deal with mistakes. It meant there would be freshman, rookie errors that Boeckman wouldn't have. But my reasoning was Pryor's athleticism and ability would outweigh his mistakes. I felt our offensive line is mediocre at best. I felt our WRs were overrated. I felt we needed something else to compensate and Pryor had that.

I also knew this was a risk. With the national title hopes dashed after the USC loss, I felt it was worth it. I didn't foresee Penn State's success though. I thought we would cruise through the weak conference schedule. I am not going to be one of these Sunday morning Johnny come lately's who call in to the radio shows (I am going to be one of the smart ones) and says whatever happened the past game was bad after it failed even though they were calling for it the whole week prior.

Example: "Put Pryor in . Put Pryor in. ....Why isn't Boeckman the QB????!" Hypocrites.

Also, I didn't realize we would have to resort to Tressel ball. Although I respect Tressel ball and I trust Tressel ball (see: 2002 BCS title season), it only works with a shut down defense. Now that the defense is beginning to fulfill that requirement, I was ok with playing that style against PSU. It seemed to be working too. But the sneaky problem with Tressel ball control game plans is that there is very little margin for error. Pryor made that error and it cost us.

I still love Pryor. I still think we will reap the fruits of this season next year. But I am not going to be positive about it anymore. I am going to be rotten, hard-to-watch-games-with Beau again. I know my role. I let you all down this week. I won't let it happen again.

2. Browns v. Jaguars.....

So I was back to my normal self Sunday morning swearing off the Browns and how much they suck. I had no reason to believe they would do anything worth watching later that afternoon and just as it should be, they win. See? I learned my lesson. How do I feel about this win?

Horrible.

That win was probably the worst possible thing that could have happened. Yes, it was a road win. Yes, it was against a legit team. Yes, it brings us to one game under .500 with Baltimore at home next week. Yes, we have a 4-4 record at the half way mark in sight. That win Sunday was better than any win last year. And the Giants game two Mondays ago was the biggest win in several years. Yes, the offense moved the ball. Yes, there were no penalties on the Browns. Yes, D.A. looked good. Yes, they got Lewis the ball. Yes, the offensive play calling of Chudzinski remains a positive. Yes, the defense showed more improvement against the run. Yes, the defensive backfield somehow contained the passing game JUST enough.

But it is all bad.

Derek Anderson had a good game. So that means he will remain the starter and come out next week sucking like he should. Romeo gets another week as coach meaning that will take more to fire him even though he truly isn't that good. Kellen Winslow is watching the team succeed without him and will become more disenchanted causing locker room strife. That will eat away at the team. And most of all, it keeps me coming back hoping on hope that maybe they are really as good as they looked that one game.....even though we all know they really are not.

3. Mike Singletary's Tirade........

Hell yeah!!! It is about time we see a coach take his team by the (expletive) and get control. Vernon Davis slapped an opponent disrespectfully in the face mask after a tackle and received a flag. Davis is one of very few "stars" on the San Fransisco 49ers this year. Even that title could be debated for him as he has under produced for a first round pick receiving millions of dollars for unproven talent. Singletary was ticked off. Not only did he bench Davis, he sent him to the locker room and told not to come back. Then in the post game press conference, he didn't let up. You could see the fire in his eyes and you could see he was determined to create the type of team atmosphere that needs to exist and he wasn't about to bow down to a player because of the money he made or his status on the team.

YES!!!!!!

The NFL is beginning to see more of this and it needs to continue. Kellen Winslow is the type of player that needs a strong kick in the ass like this to be honest, but I am not so sure his recent incident in particular this past week called for it. I am speaking more of the Terrell Owens type of stuff. That guy deserves a Mike Singletary boot up his you know what more than once. Can you imagine how Singletary would have dealt with T.O. when he was chewing out the offensive assistant coach on the 49er sideline several years ago? Oh, I would love to see that. But all these premadonnas need a wake up call.

Here's to people in authoritative positions like coaches (and teachers and principals and parents) taking off the kid gloves and taking back control. The inmates are running the asylum in sports and other arenas. I would love for that to stop.

Sigh

Ohio State 6 Penn State 13

I just saved a profane laced tirade post. I intended on publishing it but thought better.

Let me just say I am very mad. The Huey Karma is real. And I am done with sports.

I hate this.

Being negative worked so much better for me than this positive crap I tried.

I may be a negative, "what if" catastrophic thinker but it worked. This doesn't.

There. That was clean. If you want the other post ask me for it. But don't be faint of heart. My emotions right now are not right.

Ohio St. vs. Wisconsin

Thank God for local AM sports talk radio. Here in Columbus, we have WBNS 1460 The Fan. We also have Mark the Shark and former Buckeye Jeff Logan on FM 103.9 in the afternoons with "Shark on Sports". There are more local sports talking heads but The Fan's Jim Hooley, former Buckeyes QB (and ESPN darling) Kirk Herbstreit and LB Chris Speilman as well as 103.9's duo are my preferences. Without these guys to get me home in the afternoon, I don't know what I would do.

Today's topic, as with any football season Monday was Saturday's Buckeye football game. I was surprised at the reviews I heard. Actually, I was not the least bit surprised that Hooley's was different than mine, but it seemed as though everyone was disappointed in upset with the close, hard fought win. This struck me as odd because I am usually the pessimist. Ask comoprozac. I actually feel pretty darn good about the victory.

Here is my rationale. I have seen Tressel ball for enough seasons now to get a good feel. Personally, I have grown to like it. He wins with it. It may not be pretty but he wins. Can't we understand that by now? This past Saturday's game was another game in which we won ugly. In 2002 we went 14-0 that way and earned a National Championship. At that time, Tressel was in his second year and I wasn't sure what to make of it. I didn't know if I liked it. But now, as I have seen Tressel play several different styles, I actually prefer we go back to that conservative style. Back to my point, Saturday was not pretty but we won in a hostile environment against a team that has won 16 in a row at home and more than 10 night games consecutively as well. They are a solid team. They are not a great team but good enough to feel like we earned a good win in their house. I have more positives from this game later.

The problem is this. The Tressel formula relies heavily on a shut down defense, excellent special teams and a ball control offense. So if we go back to my preferred Tressel ball then we need these components. Unfortunately, this defense is the most poorly coached defense ever. There is supposed to be a ton of talent but they are in the wrong places. They "play" slow. In addition the defensive line needs to be stout and they are not. The Badgers were able to run all over that line. The line couldn't get any pressure on the QB either leading to Wide Receivers being open all game. It was very frustrating.

Despite this, the defense managed to hold just enough to keep in the game. Then Jenkins sealed it with a key interception. Also, the coming out party for Terrelle Pryor continued as he added to his resume a clutch, fourth quarter, game winning drive capped by a beautiful option run for a TD. I tell you what, this kid is smooth. He just glides across the field. That drive alone was big time. It was critical. He is learning so much this season and growing so much that I can't wait to see what he has in store. There are obvious problems. He holds onto the ball like Charlie Frye. He takes big sacks. He still hasn't learned the Krenzel special of throwing it to cracker jack vendor in row 15. Some throws are way off. But he has still brought more positive than negative.

Overall, I woke up Sunday morning feeling really good about the victory. I still do. I am not surprised or let down by the close game. I predicted a 23-20 Wisconsin victory. Apparently, I know this team better than the "experts." I know better than to think it would be 31-17 Buckeye win like Hooley and his fellow radio guys thought last week. That Michigan game didn't fool me. So I am not disappointed in the 3 point margin. I still get angry about this defense that everybody loves. The schemes just flat out stink like old cheese. I will not deny that. But a win is a win. And if it is gonna be close victories all year...so be it. 2002 was fun. And I don't need to have them in the BCS Title game again.

MARK MAY SUCKS!
Mark May is know for discrediting the Buckeyes. He is public enemy number one in Columbus, Ohio. For that reason alone I try to avoid trashing him. He is doing his job and these hillbillies here feel like he is out to get us. The same ones that get mad when Herbstreit wears a blue tie or yellow tie. Supposedly that means he is a traitor. Or if he doesn't defend Buckeye nation regardless of how they played. I like to think I am better than them. I like to think I can respect the objectivity and professionalism of national broadcasters.

But after hearing how much May loves how Vanderbilt "finds a way to win" and fights for victories even though their stats don't back it up, or how they are a legit top 15 team, I can't take it anymore. He is quick to overlook this traits while TRASHING the '02 Buckeyes all year that season for the same attributes. To him OSU didn't deserve to be there because of the stats not backing up their high ranking. Granted, I agree Vandy should be ranked high. But so should have the Buckeyes in 2002. That contradiction has lost any respect I had. Now I'm jumping up to the front seat of that anti-May, Columbus bandwagon. That just isn't fair.

Once again, the only thing as powerful as the Buckeye nation is the anti-Buckeye movement of hate.

Observations on an average football Saturday

I attended the Ohio St. versus Troy game today with a friend of mine and enjoyed it thoroughly. Once again, I was able to take in the sights and events of gameday on OSU's campus. I still love the sound of the band, the electricity of the crowd, the annoying OH-IO cheer, the radio stations broadcasting live, the flags waving atop the stadium, the roar of the crowd, the ringing of the victory bell after we won, the traditional singing of "Carmen Ohio" at the end of the game and all the stadium food and snacks.

One thing I learned today was that Terrelle Pryor is the future of this football team and shows a ton of promise. Granted, that is probably the kiss of death coming from my lips but he looked pretty darn good. There were numerous freshman mistakes mixed in with some Houdini like escapes and nice throws, but nothing he can't learn from after some tutoring and film study. A couple calls to Craig Krenzel may help too so that he can learn how to throw the ball away at certain times.

What impressed me the most is how he was able to escape pressure and maintain his view down field to get to the open receiver. Obviously he can run well, we already knew that. His leadership and the uncoachable ability to get your players to rally behind you (A trait that separated Troy Smith from Justin Zwick from the get go), are things that I was curious to see. Also, I wanted to see how strong of an arm he had and how accurate he would be with it. Accuracy is still a question mark but arm strength isn't. These are things that can be shored up as he plays out this year and learns on the job. Playing through the Big Ten season will be invaluable as he works on reading defenses and making adjustments. Mistakes will come, but I can deal with these growing pains this year.

I mean would that be much different than Todd Boeckman making mistakes back there?



My brother and I were talking this evening about the LSU v. Auburn game taking place as I write this. The atmosphere of a SEC night game is phenomenal. We thought back how every Saturday night there is a great SEC game on tv. How awesome is that conference? I hate them for dominating my team but that doesn't mean I can't respect and appreciate what they have down there. Man, to be at a game like that. You just don't get that in the Big Ten that often. OSU v. Michigan is the closest the Big Ten has to this type of game I suppose, but even that is cold and in the early afternoon. I do recall the OSU v. Texas game which was early in the year and at night was similar too. But over the whole Big Ten? It doesn't really happen.


I am recovering nicely from the USC embarrassment I think. It is like having your balloon burst as a little kid. The initial shock sucks. We knew this was coming, but I was hoping it wouldn't come yet. Let's face it, this defense is overrated and the offense, especially with Boeckman, is not very good (Beanie or no Beanie). But now that the balloon has burst and reality has set in, I kind of feel relieved. I can relax now. I can just sit back and enjoy football without the nervous anxiety over my team. The reality has been for a good two or more seasons that watching Buckeye games has been hard work. The fun was gone. I mean it was a no win situation really. Think about it. We needed the Buckeyes to win EVERY game. If they lost it was disaster. Shoot, even if they won sometimes you felt like we lost when the win wasn't convincing enough. The optimal result, a convincing win, wasn't even that satisfying because it was what was supposed to happen. It was like shooting par. All it meant was we lived to see another day. That is hard to do for two plus seasons. Now we can just sit back at 13 and quietly go about our season while the national media hones their ultra critical, anti-Buckeye spotlight on other programs out there. (Well, maybe. They still enjoy poking fun at us any chance they get) We can still play for another Big Ten title and a BCS bowl which is cool. Like my brother said, maybe we could get a shot at another SEC team and an opportunity to shut up all those fans. Then next year, a seasoned Pryor and fresh defense (hopefully new defensive coordinator) can come out and put the rest if our demons to rest with some big wins.



Here is another annoying pet peeve I have: girls that say "Ohhhhhhh my God you guys." Or sometimes it may go, "Oh my Goooooooood, you guys."


Have you noticed a negative tone in my posts of late? I have not been feeling positive at all. That is probably a really bad thing. I am only making things worse but I swear I am just ticked off. Sigh.

Open Letter to the Haters

As I read the articles aiming "told you so's" at me and my Buckeyes and skim the comments from college football fans around the country, I see some things that need to be cleared up. So anyone who loves to hate the Buckeyes and their fans let me clue you in on a couple of things.

First, we KNOW our team is overrated. We watched that game too. As a matter of fact, we already knew before the game started. The amount of phone calls into local AM sports talk radio here in Columbus were overwhelmingly siding on the side of "We are going to lose. We are not as good as our ranking." OVERWHELMINGLY! Can I say it any louder. So when people like Mark Kriegel write that "...everyone but the fans who root for Ohio State" were giving Tressel and the Buckeyes alto of heat, he is wrong. (Mark Kriegel MSN.com linked right here) Tressel has been getting heat from Buckeye fans for at least this past week if not the whole off season after the second weak showing at the BCS Title game where our presence was questionably deserved in the first place. No Mr. Kriegel, Buckeye fans understand the over hyped misranking as well.

Secondly, we also know the Big Ten is not very good. We understand that our schedule has been weak. But guess what? Your team does it too. Yes LSU fan for instance. Your team's schedule is poor. At least we played USC and will again next year. Things go in cycles. Take a look at Florida St. See Nebraska. Think about Miami. Don't forget the beloved Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. In fact Miami has come and gone and come again and is now gone again just in my lifetime. They'll be back too. The Big Ten is weak right now. This conference will be back soon enough. In the meantime, OSU will have to hear about it, but don't think as a fan base we are ignorant to the obvious. We are not. Oh yeah, and let's not forget USC was not exactly killing people back in the 90s. They were down for awhile as well. Of course OSU was in the mix back then as they have been for the past several years overrated or not. So while you bask in the limelight of Mark May, ESPN and Hollywood in your backyard, don't forget that OSU consistently finds itself in the top 20 even during down years. Nebraska, Florida St., Miami can't say that. Shoot, I'm not sure Oklahoma and USC can. My facts may need to be checked, but outside of Michigan, not too many teams have more overall wins that OSU.

But I'm getting off my point. Right now, we are not that good. I, and many other Buckeye fans get that. The true fans don't wear blinders and scarlet and gray sunglasses. We see and understand the reality of college football.

Next, not everyone of us digs that overexposed OH-IO thing. We didn't realize it was going to go this far. It is fun for the kids and the fringe fans. But seriously. Those of you getting absolutely sickened by it, same here. We all have our unique college chants, catch phrases, fight songs, mascots and traditions but this one is getting blown out of proportion. I agree it needs to be put to rest for about a decade. Or kept within the confines of Ohio Stadium or whatever bowl game we play in....maybe a tailgate or two.

Finally, your little nicknames for us like "suckeyes" or "luckeyes" are not that clever. Just because you can switch one letter to make a different, derogatory name doesn't make you smart. Much like the OH-IO thing, it is getting old. Whatever positive coolness you got out of it has worn out. It is just sad now. But I guarantee it is going to be thrown about a whole lot over the next couple months so go ahead and get your use out of it but know when something has run its course please. Move on. You can come up with something better. I know you can. Go get 'em haters!

I know you all love to put down other programs. I know how much the common college football fan loves to talk smack and kick a team when they're down. I know it is getting boring to kick Nebraska, Notre Dame, Florida St. and Miami around so you have switched your focus on us, we are fresh and much more "new" and trendy, but understand this: We aren't blind or foolish enough over here not to realize the same things you do. So don't act like we are stupid.

******************
For the local readers, Bruce Hooley of WBNS 1460 The Fan is a good journalist and see,s like a perfectly nice, intelligent guy. But I rarely see eye to eye with this guy and this morning was no different. After reading an article that stated Mark Sanchez felt as though the Buckeye defense was predictable because they played the same looks they saw in practice and it made things easier on them to score against us, I get in my car and listen to Hooley complain that Tressel didn't stick with the game plan he has used the past 8 seasons or so. What the?!

Granted he was speaking more of the offense but.... For real, what did he think was going to happen if we just ran over tackle all day! Didn't he himself say that last week's vanilla, predictable offense was the reason we struggled with OU? He was really ticked off about constantly switching QBs and blamed that for Boeckman's unending turnovers.

NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is my take:

1)Heacock needs to be fired yesterday. The defense's game plan sucks! Ask Sanchez.

2)When Tressel was switching QBs, the offense moved. In fact it managed to score. With that scheme, the offense marched down for a field goal. Scored a TD taken back by a penalty. And marched down for a missed FG by no fault of the offense.

3)Where I have a problem with Tressel's decision was when HE WENT CONSERVATIVE like Hooley wanted. The second he left Boeckman out there and did that off tackle crap we went nowhere. What was that Hooley?!

4) I have to bring up that 2nd and 22 play call when he ran Boeckman on an option for the third time in the game. I get the decoy, change it up thing but not the thrid time. Not in that situation. What did he really think we were going to get out of that? Either do it with Pryor or don't do it at all. Go with a mid range pass that was usually open at that point in the game. Give yourself a manageable 3rd down play.

5) I don't blame the QB switching for Boeckman's problems at all. He did the same things before when he wasn't switched out. This is just par for the course.

6) I do put some of the blame on the offensive line. T.B. had no time in the pocket. He deserves alot of blame but the additional reasons were not the switching is and out as much as the lack of protection from an overrated line in front of him.

7) I really like Pryor and can't wait to see him as he learns the offense more and begins to mix in more passes. He showed some arm strength that lit up my eyes.

Thank you sir can I have another!

@#$%^&*&^%$#@!@#$%^&*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And here I am again. Wait, I should say here WE are again. Buckeye nation and I stand before our peers with our heads down and ready to take another lashing for being overrated and over hyped and we have nothing left to say. It was hard enough before this game but at least we had this game to look to for redemption. Now the sword is even deeper in our hearts and we have no reason for hope of redemption anywhere on the horizon.

Yes, the loss today to the USC Trojans will set us and our beloved football program back even further. What it will take to earn national respect again may be insurmountable. It will takes years and probably numerous championships to get any credibility back. I just pray Jim Tressel can continue to go into the living rooms of the best high school football players out there and look them and their parents in the eye and tell them Ohio State is still as good as any other program for their kid.

My fear is that the same Jim Tressel won't be able to coach his way back to national prominence. I have been a big, big fan of his. He won me over in '02. Actually he won me over before he got the job. The resume he brought with him from Youngstown State and his passion for Ohio State and his class pushed him to the top of my wish list after John Cooper was fired. But now I have watched him get out coached by guys I thought he never would, Les Miles. I have seen questionable play calling. I have seen horrible defensive schemes and lack of adjustments. What has happened?

Today's game was horrible. After last week and careful reflection, I knew it was going to happen this way. Check my earlier posts. Even when I tried to be positive in my preseason prediction I referenced this possibility. The offensive line was over matched. They tried to play physical but when you are getting called for holding penalties like they were, you know you are not able to do what you want. Those are signs of lack of discipline or inability to maintain a block. Todd Boeckman was horrible. He continues to be a turnover machine in big games. The defense couldn't do anything. They were also over matched and outplayed. The fire was there. They were aggressive and gang tackling but there wasn't enough pressure and they couldn't tackle McKnight before he was 5 yards or more down the field.

I am thoroughly embarrassed, demoralized and deflated. I have had to hear everyone around the nation hate on my team and my team's conference. I wanted to be able to counter their attacks with something but I got nothing. Their side has been fortified tonight.

Maybe this is a good thing though. We knew this was coming. Maybe we have now finally reached our bottom so to speak. The days of being overrated can now end. Everyone obviously sees our deficiencies. we will now be ranked lower. Nobody is going to think we have a chance. Not so many people are going to pay close attention to us. There won't be so much hype surrounding the program for awhile. We can kind of fly under the radar for awhile. We can lick our wounds. Other fans can forget about us. Turn their disgust and spiteful feelings somewhere else for awhile like.........Florida! How about Georgia! Maybe Oklahoma!

This senior class can finish out this season with their eyes now on winning the Big Ten and getting in the Rose Bowl. That is still pretty cool and respectable. They can then go on to the NFL and underachieve there. Then we can focus on this new crop of Buckeyes talent. We can start fresh next year without all the eyes and expectations on us. We can start the season ranked in the teens and slowly creep up. We do get USC again next year and you know they will still be Mark May and ESPN's darling. We can sneak a win against them at home. Maybe the Big Ten will be a bit more respectable. Penn State and Wisconsin can do their part and Hot Rod Rodriquez may have Michigan up and running better. Throw a couple big wins against those squads in '09 and quickly we could move up to that coveted #1 or #2 hole and get another shot at it. This time we may have a better chance with Pryor, Small, Posey, Sansabacher, a revamped offensive line and defense. I think we'd have a new kicker too.

This is probably what we need. No more questions. No more excuses. There was no 30day layoff this time. There was no way Wells would have made enough of a difference to win this game. There were no bad calls that cost us the game. No fluke plays. We got beat and beat bad. Everyone saw it. There are no two ways about it.

Take a deep breath. Take it like a man. Lose with dignity and pride and move on. I must write before I end this that Tressel and the players did lose with class tonight. I was proud of that. Each interview was handled with respect. You could see the anger and disappointment in their eyes and demeanor but they answered the questions with frankness and class. Tressel sat at the press table and answered each question the same way he always does. Nobody blamed anybody or made excuses. They admitted USC was the better team. They admitted they made mistakes. They admitted they wanted to win bad. They admitted they were hurt. They said they still had plenty to play for. They said they were not finished with the season. They handled themselves like men.

And I thank Jim Tressel for that. I may begin to question a whole lot else but I won't questions the man's dignity and the class of his players. We can be proud that our Buckeyes can at least do that.

Watch Me Spin This

I just heard the good news today. Not able to detect tone over the written word I will make it clear that first sentence was written with sarcasm. The good news is that the Buckeye's star running back, Chris Wells is now doubtful for the big match up against USC in sunny southern Californi-a this Saturday night at 8pm on ABC.

Wonderful. This game wasn't going to be difficult enough already WITH Wells. But of course did we really buy that he was going to play anyway? Didn't we all know this was Tressel's standard, textbook procedure? You know, use the media as your ally to throw out smokescreens, keeping the opponent in the dark regarding their upcoming game against you. This is what he does. He answers questions with long series of sentences that answers nothing. He is the professor at that. It is to the point that I actually love that about him. He does not have quite the angst of Bill Belichick, former Cleveland Browns head coach and current "coaching great" (uuuuugh) in New England whose fans have been just so torchered, but he comes from the same school of vagueness and not showing his hand.

So now the battered Bucks go into the hornets nest to take on the mighty Trojans. But I still think the Wells injury is good. No, I'm not going to bash Wells for his newest display of his lack of manliness. I mean I am sitting here whining about a bump and bruise in my leg, so who am I to question one's toughness? I have a reason independent of him.

My reason to be glad Wells is out begins here. We were not going to win this game against USC in my mind with or without Wells. Conventional wisdom says Wells presence makes a difference, my wisdom says he doesn't. This is a lost cause. My reasons were already laid out here in my earlier post after the Ohio University game. If you watched the last two BCS title games you should be able to gather your own evidence.

The only way the Bucks were going to pull this game out would be if the defense somehow had a game plan that worked (you listening Heacock?). One that abandons the zone read crap that got us burnt against Florida and LSU. A defense that attacks and takes the game to USC instead of having the game taken to them. They are not going to get by on pure talent this time despite having so much. Regardless of a good running game or not, Boeckman has to play Krenzel like and operate the offense effectively and efficiently. I don't trust that he can. But even with Wells there, he would have to do that to a certain extent to win.

Getting to the reason why I am looking at Wells' absence as a good thing.... If we (deal with the "we." I know I don't play for them. I get that. But I paid....errrr still paying, a ton of money to get my degree there and I am a tax paying citizen of the state that the university represents so I can say we. Not to mention the heart and soul I put into this team and money I spend on tickets and merchandise) somehow pull off an upset like the '03 Fiesta Bowl and "shock the world," a term used way too often these days, we can now look every stinking, SEC fan, general college football fan, USC fan and Big Ten, OSU haters in the eye and say.....we just went into the house of the #1 team all the way on the west coast, obviously overmatched, without our best player and KICKED THEIR ASS!!!!!!! Now what do you have to say?!

The only thing better would be if we really did kick their ass.

But I don't see it happening.
USC 48 OSU 6