Blog Entry
Blog Entry
O-H
01/03/08update: Come out, come out where ever you are my fellow Ohioans. I am still waiting for an I-O.
I live in a secret state of fear sometimes called Ohio. Last year, our beloved and number one ranked Buckeyes, the much hyped, undefeated champions of the Big Ten lost the national BCS Football Championship to Florida in a painful and humiliating defeat. The story was dutifully reported by the local media and then burried as quickly as possible. It was painful. It was spoken of by average Ohioans only in whispers and then only when necessary.
The Buckeyes regular season ends in November. The long wait till the National Championship game works against them because they play against teams that have ended regular season play much more recently. This was one of the reasons that was discussed as explaining the loss to Florida. The Buckeyes lost to only one team during this season and ended up dropping from number one to number seven. I secretly breathed a sigh of relief because there would be no chance for the repeat of last years massacre. Then, by some miracle, the various records of the other teams fell in just the right way so that by doing nothing at all, the Buckeyes wound up in the number one ranked slot again. Instead of merrily shouting: "O-H", I feel like screaming: "OH NO!"
Let me put this into context for you. Clay played in Columbus last summer to a much larger crowd than the Columbus Pops series usually draws. His nearest rival for a crowd of that size was the Buckeye Marching Band that was to play the last weekend of the summer series. When the Buckeyes play out of conference games in Ohio, even the students from the opposing school root for the Buckeyes. They are our beloved heroes.
The hype for last years game was everywhere. Our then undefeated Buckeyes were said to be invincible. Then a long delay before the championship game, or maybe over confidence, not to mention an excellent Florida team coached by a former Buckeye, combined to take it all away in a debacle that was like a cloud over the sun. The Greeks couldn't have felt worse about hearing the news from Thermopylae. At least the 300 who died at the hands of the Persians saved western civiliation.
It seems to me that this years National Championship game is missing a lot of the hype that was present before last years game. We are wary of over confidence. There is an almost fearful air of the potential for a repeat of last years slaughter of our heroes.
And so, with pride, appreciation and gratitude for all they have accomplished to date, I say: "O-H" and wait for my fellow Ohioans to respond: "I-O".
Understand that we may be whispering it into the darkness in fear. Monday is coming. LSU of the SEC is coming and we are 0 and 8 against SEC teams in bowl games. We are bolstering ourselves by just hoping for a good game and not the blow out of last year. Let's hope Jim Trestle is a fan of Douglas MacArthur. We have returned. Let us be victorious. Or at least not humiliated.
p.s. My SIL called us tonight. She lucked into an all expense paid trip to the Championship Game. We will watch from our bedroom, where our big screen television is, and we will call her in the stadium during the game. There will be a LOT of Buckeye fans at this game. Just because it is in Louisiana doesn't mean that LSU will have a home field advantage. LOL.