Game time is family time

Since it worked so well last year, I thought I would repeat the story about important family traditions:

A Dad's Buckeye Story

This morning, I’m pouring myself a cup of coffee to try and wake up and clear the cob webs out of my head. Suddenly, I hear some fast footsteps charging down the stairs towards the kitchen and realize it has to be one of my four kids. Around the corner comes Cade, my inquisitive seven year old and he has this excited, breathless look about him. In his hand, he’s waving a BrainQuest flash card. It’s one of those “educational” games that we gave him for his birthday that asks all sorts of fun, crazy trivia questions. He loves trying to stump me with some of them and I’m just happy he’s not playing one the mindless video games he’s always after.

Well today he had an all-time stumper. Cade runs over and gives a few tugs on my t-shits and yells, “Dad! Dad! You’re never going to get this one!” I respond by saying- “And good morning to you too Cade, now what have you got?” He looks up at me as I finish pouring my coffee and asks, “What kind of animal is a wolverine? Is it A) a wolf, B) a cat or C) a weasel?”

Now being a true Buckeye myself, I of course know this one but I want to have some fun. So I take a long pause and roll my eyes towards the ceiling - like I’m really pondering the answer. Then I say, well it must be part of the wolf family being that it’s a wolverine. As soon as I say this, Cade gets this great big grin on his face and he exclaims, “Nope! It’s a WEASEL!” And just for reinforcement, he holds the card up to me and announces, “Dad, a wolverine is a weasel!”

It’s in that moment, that I see it. I look into his blue eyes, and it’s apparent that something has clicked - he’s only seven but he now gets it. He studies the card one more time, looks back up at me, shakes his head a few times and utters to me in amazement, “Dad, they’re weasels. They’re just weasels.”

As he finishes, I could feel a lump growing in my throat. My eyes begin to well up and I realize my little boy is growing up - he’s becoming a Buckeye. I reach down, put my arms around him and whisper - “I know son, they’re just weasels. They’re just weasels.”

Today is the first day that Mihret and I get to celebrate a time honored Ohio tradition:

There will be a lot of things that will make me proud to be her dada... but this is one of the first:

Bird's Eye View

Another posting on tOSU/Michigan... check out this video, taken from a building near the 'Shoe. It's a 24+ hour timelapse of November 17-19.

Moment of clarity

I've been trying to figure out how I feel about the Michigan game... Obviously, it was a great win, but I don't know. It felt like domination, but the score was much too close for that. And with all the talk of a rematch...

Luckily, I've found wisdom- this time from "enemy territory". One of the blogs that I regularly read is the amazing MGoBlog-great for all things college football, not just UM. In their post following THE game, I read-

Rematch? Uh... what? Going to the game and losing imposed a sort of involuntary media blackout so I must have missed the leap of logic from “Michigan got housed” to “Michigan deserves a rematch.” Yeah, yeah, three point final margin but let's not fool ourselves: Michigan was +3 in turnover margin – and two of those were gifts – and still only got within ten points of OSU before scoring a 90% cosmetic touchdown aided with a miraculous, potentially horrendous bailout pass interference penalty. (Please note Secret Axiom Of Football #27: "If it ends with an unrecovered onside kick, it wasn't that close.") I see that Michigan is still somehow #2 in the BCS. Now... I know a lot of poll madness is attributable to people not watching games, but you watched this one, right? This is madness.

Feeling better now...

Hail to the victors...

the REAL victors, not pretenders from Ann Arbor.

Ohio State 42 Michigan 39

Obviously, we're pleased hereabouts... best thing is that I get to post this photo, taken at a farm outside of Kalamazoo Michigan.

GO BUCKS!!

Judgement Day

Rest in Peace...

Even as an Ohio State fan, I mourn with the Wolverines at Coach Shembechler's passing. A graduate of Miami of Ohio ("The Cradle of Coaches"), his friendship and rivalry with Coach Woody Hayes made The Game what it is... the National Championship, even if both teams were 0-11 coming in.

He touched the lives of innumerous students and athletes, and will be missed.

Are you ready???

If not, this should help...

Not me....

People have asked, so I thought I would respond...

This is not us: Pair selling OSU/Michigan Tix to Pay for Adoption

Yes, we are adopting. Yes, adoption is expensive. But no, we don't have tickets.

Plus, I think I can confidently say that my wife would not allow me to sell such a precious commodity... especially given who her grandfather was (search "Fuenning").

Following up on AA

From this: A squared plus A squared equals shenanigans

The trial date has been set- AA will appear in court on November 30

This date was set today at a hearing that, imagine my surprise, did not make a decision.

'Cause, you know, if they did, that decision would impact 11/18/06- Football-calypse.

"Hail to the victors", indeed

That State Up North

Now THIS is a rivalry...

Actual State Farm insurance bilboard in Columbus

Great shirt that says it all (HT: MZone)

In Columbus airport- reads "thanks for visiting, even if you are from Michigan"

When you make The Daily Show, that's saying something...


And then, there's this video...to this day, it makes me nauseous/angry just to watch.

Autumn in Ohio

Rivalry

I know that tOSU just won a big game... but let's keep it in perspective. TBDBITL helps do just that, as seen in this video clip taken right after Saturday's contest. It starts with the traditional "Carmen Ohio" alma mater with Coach Tressel and the team, and then, well...

Like I said. Perspective.