The Buckeye Blog

It’s so wrong yet I can’t seem to look away.

A couple of days ago, I posted the press release I received from ESPN about the big “pep rally” that was held yesterday…on a Thursday…at 10:30 in the morning…when most of the world is at work…and the students are out for summer break. And to be honest, I didn’t really read the press release too close.

Although I wasn’t the first to point it out however, the p.r. dept. at ESPN referred to two-time Heisman winner and president of the Ohio State Alumni Club Archie Griffin as “Archie Griffith.” I’m assuming that this is Andy’s illegitimate son and long lost half brother to Opie.

Those of you who read this know that I’m pretty good at making mistakes of this type myself. That has something to do with the first-draft nature of this blog (write, publish, edit in the morning). It may also have something to do with the fact that way too many of the posts you read here (this one included) are written well after I should be in bed. However, in my day job, I’m in public relations and business writing. Not really the type of mistake I would want to make in my other life.

(Oh, and by the way ESPN, if you’re looking for a good p.r. guy, I can be reached at…)

You can see the original post and press release here.

So what if it’s July. So what if it’s summer session and most of the students have left campus for the summer. Who cares that it’s being held at 10:30 a.m. on a Thursday morning. ESPN has some serious marketing to do and it just can’t wait until football season actually starts.

So with that in mind, I received a press release from the p.r. dept. at ESPN about Columbus’s chances at being named “Title Town USA.” And while we all need a good excuse to get off work once and a while, we don’t need ESPN’s seal of approval.

At the same time, what is better than joining a stadium full of Buckeye fans jonsin for a good tailgate party and in the last gasps of the long stretch between seasons. If you really want to make a day of if, ESPN is replaying the 2003 fiesta bowl later in the day.

I’m afraid I’m going to miss it but if anyone goes, please, let me know if it amounts to anything. Heck, send me a picture or two and I’ll put them up.

Update
I’m looking for a report. Did anyone actually go? If so, plesae drop a comment.

And while yes, I’m famous on this blog for spelling and other minor errors, this one wasn’t mine.

Read the complete press release beneath the fold.
Read the rest of this entry »

According to the Columbus Dispatch, the Big Ten Network will only broadcast three Ohio State games this season as opposed to last year’s four. Personally, I think this is a good thing as I have no chance of seeing the BTN offered on Verizon in Maryland. Likewise, the majority of fans in Ohio can’t get the Big Ten Network either.

So, as it stands right now, Youngstown State (to which luckily, along with the other 70 percent of the alumini, I scored tickets), Troy and one league game will be broadcast on the BTN. ESPN owns Ohio University and don’t worry about the USC game. ABC’s got it and I’m sure it will be available no matter where you live. It will be the premier non-conference game of the season.

So for now, I’ll tolerate the BTN. I don’t know which Big 10 game they’ve got but let’s just hope it’s a game I have to miss for some other reason (although I can’t think of any reason that would force me to miss an Ohio State Game).

Yeah, it’s already July and other then my prediction that Ohio State will be back in the BCS Championship for the third year in a row, I haven’t made my bowl predictions. I know…call me lazy…tell me I’m not worthy of blogging…

But don’t worry. There are plenty of others out there who are ready to read the tea leaves for me. Granted, no one has actually seen any of the 2008 teams take the field these predictions are important. Just think where we would have been last year if Michigan hadn’t been put out there as a shoe in for the BCS Championship. It wouldn’t have been near the fun.

Anyway, in case you haven’t seen, the predictions pretty much come down to Ohio State vs. an SEC Team….go figure.

Now there is still some division on which SEC team but does it really matter. The SEC has become such a media darling that they pretty much are assured a birth regardless of who it is. For what it’s worth, most are saying it will be either Georgia or Florida. Personally, I would love to see a Florida rematch. Early on last year, I thought the season was gearing up for one but the Gators couldn’t hold up their end of the deal (but it’s hard to play in the SEC).

Both the FOX BCS page and ESPN have put up their bowl picks for the entire bowl season. Pete Fiutak at Fox is going with OSU vs. Florida although he is willing to switch USC for the Buckeyes and Georgia for Florida (come on man…take a stand). Although he predicts that the Bucks will get by USC, he doesn’t think anyone will go in undefeated.

Mark Schlabach over at ESPN.com doesn’t give any explanation. He just picks OSU vs. Georgia - along with every other bowl game possible. Just in case your interested, it looks like the East Carolina Pirates may finally take on the Florida Atlantic Owls in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. (I don’t know about you, but I’m booking my tickets tonight).

Those of you who read this blog probably know my opinion of the Baltimore Ravens. It used to be the whole Cleveland thing but I’m over that. Seeing as how I live within commuting distance of the charm city, I have suffered through god knows how many local sports broadcasts dedicated to Brain Billick and his sorry ass excuses. I can’t even express my disappointment when I heard that Troy Smith was drafted to play for this band of nitwits.

However, a new day may be dawning for the Ravens. Billick is gone, Art Modell has sold the team and the Baltimore Sun recently reported that Smith is gunning for the starting position and thanks to his dedication both on the field and off, he has a good chance of getting it. According to the Sun, not only can Smith thread a pass through multiple defenders (tell us something we didn’t know), along with a healthy dose of confidence, he has perfect attendance in both the weight room and the classroom. This comes as something of a surprise to the Baltimore coaching staff. Apparently, they aren’t used to working with graduates of Coach Tressel.

Smith stepped in late last year when the Ravens ran out of quarterback and played a couple of great games. That didn’t stop the Ravens from going after Joe Flacco out of Deleware in the draft but come on…Delaware?

I swore years ago that I would never set foot in a tax-payer funded stadium that did nothing but line the pockets of Modell, but all they need to do now is make a trade for Ginn and I’m a season ticket holder.

(Check out the Sun article here. Amazing how it just repeats what us Buckeye fans new all along.)

I can’t believe I’m writing two posts in a row about the BTN. Yeah, I know…I’m jealous.

Anyway, the Big Ten Network is giving all 11 schools an entire day of programming. Ohio State is up Monday, June 16. Football coverage starts at 3:00 p.m. with a replay of the Ohio State/Michigan game at 7:00p.m. I wonder if they replay the game on Michigan’s Big Ten day. At 10:00, it’s the 1003 Fiesta Bowl. I’d stay up and all but I’ve got that one on DVD.

Actually, I don’t get the BTN either.

For those of you who do have it, am I missing something here? Should I be changing cable providers? I don’t want my love for Ohio State to dictate my utility providers. Somebody, stop this madness!!!

Like most Ohio State fans, my cable provider doesn’t have the Big Ten Network. And no matter how many times I’ve said I hate it, when I do catch a glimpse, I like what I see. You will never see this kind of coverage on ESPN. Unlike the rest of the college sports world, the BTN understands that when it comes down to it, there is no football like Big Ten football, there are no fans like Big Ten fans, there is no tradition like Big Ten tradition. The BTN is the one media outlet that doesn’t continually drive the SEC or USC down my throat and I like it that way. All college football coverage should be so glorious.

Since my neighbor’s wife banned me from watching the BTN at her house early on, I have to catch it where I can. That’s why I was glad to see the video below on the Buckeye Commentary. I don’t know who the commentators they give an interesting breakdown of the Big Ten.

They both agree about Ohio State saying that, “They are loaded talent wise. There is a significant gap between their talent right now and everything else in the league.” They even go so far as to pick Beanie Wells as a top Heisman candidate.

When I first heard the prediction, I wanted to pump my fist in the air with a resounding “yeah” but then I realize that if you were to pull this comment out of the BTN and place it onto ESPN, it suddenly becomes our burden. In a world that believes in the myth of “SEC Speed” and the idea the USC will always deserve a shot at the national championship, the Big Ten has become our burden. If the Buckeyes romp through the Big Ten, in the eyes of the college football world, it will be due to a lack of quality in the Big Ten.

That basically means that we have one game this season to prove ourselves. We have one game to convince the rest of college football that Ohio State is here and belongs in the BCS championship for the third year in a row. That game of course is USC and an away game against USC at that. And to be honest, I’ve been dreaming of this game for years. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to get a piece of USC. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted an opportunity to see Mark May stuttering through post game excuses for his beloved team as the slow motion shots linger on USC players sitting stunned on the bench, towels over their heads as they watch their preseason hopes go up in smoke.

And I can’t think of a better year for it to happen. The potential in this year’s Buckeyes is huge. If we “reloaded” last year than this year…well…I still need a metaphor but…wow.

Like the Texas/Ohio State series a couple of years ago, the USC/Ohio State game will establish the #1 ranking and it is the one game that can earn us the respect we deserve.

Oh, and did I hear him say that he thinks Michigan is going to be tough this year…naw, I must have misunderstood.

I received the following comment on an old post and heck, why not:

“I ran into a thread on the actor Keanu Reeves, which led me to a Wikipedia entry that said he played quarterback for Ohio State - as a matter of fact and not related to his role in The Replacements. I don’t believe this is true. I can’t verify it on-line. Can you help?”

You’ve got to love Wipikedia. The beauty is that it is only as accurate as the last person to modify the post. By the time I got to the entry for my favorite fictional Ohio State quarterback (”You’re goin down Bohdi”), the entry no longer said that Reeves was an actual quarterback but it did say that he went to Ohio State in 1983. I’m afraid that 1983 is before my time at OSU and I have never heard any reference to Reeves as a Buckeye other than in Point Break and The Replacements.

If anyone has heard different, please leave a comment to let us know. I wouldn’t want to put up false information on Wipikedia.

The Michigan State Riot Team held their first spring practice with that annual tradition known as Cedar Fest. This year’s recruits showed their potential coming in with approximately 52 arrests and 48 tickets. Most impressive, however was the front line and their ability to pelt police with rocks and garbage while sucking down a healthy dose of tear gas. All in all, with as many as 4,000 students on hand, the riot team managed to stay out of foul trouble until late in the game.

“All in all, we’re pretty excited about our performance,” stated a member of this year’s squad. “This was a great warm up for the fall season. We’ve got some young talent eager to play and with a number of returning upperclassmen 2008 should prove to be a great year.” He went on to say that with a number of 8th year seniors, the Michigan State Riot Team should be unstoppable. “It will take a tank to stop these guys and they only had 50 or so police on hand. They will know better next time.”

What I find most amazing about the entire Cedar Fest is that it is still in full swing. I won’t say how many years ago I witnessed Cedar Fest but I will tell you this: They were building the McDonald’s at the end of the Cedar apts. and somebody started a bulldozer that was sitting at the construction site and drove it right into the middle of the festivities. I didn’t know a bull dozer could be destroyed so quickly. I was staying at an apartment about a block away and when we took a morning after tour, I saw at least four cars that had been turned over, destroyed or burned.

To see that the police haven’t shut this down completely is beyond me.