Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.
To the editor: After watching the Buckeyes rip apart Tennessee in the wake of losing to a subpar Michigan team, a couple of things occurred to me. Each has to do with Buckeye behavior during The Game week.
First, Ohio State students engage in two distinct activities. One — the blood donation “battle” with Michigan students — is most admirable. The other involves fanning out across campus with rolls of masking tape to cover up every “M” in sight. It’s just kids having some fun, and that’s fine. But why not instead consider devoting that time to another charitable endeavor? Something along the lines of raising awareness for student mental health issues or raising money to help support an elementary school in the university district.
And second, NO ONE in Buckeye land is permitted to say the word “Michigan” during the week. It’s That Team Up North. Or it’s “our rival.” This has included one head coach after another. It’s a “tradition” that strikes me as a tacit admission that our fiercest opponent has become a worm that’s burrowed its way much too deeply into our collective cranium. It seems to me that simply referring to this team by its name might actually free us — in particular our coaches and players — to simply focus on smart game planning and coaching and then laying the lumber as they all did against the Volunteers.
Please understand — I was born and raised in Columbus. I’m a lifelong Buckeye diehard and a proud OSU alum. Geez, I was a senior and in Ann Arbor in 1969 when the Wolverines and Bo bushwhacked the Buckeyes and Woody. The drive home that afternoon was agonizing.
But I just think it might make sense for those most closely involved to consider a different approach in the run-up to The Game. At this point, what could it hurt?
John Meyer, Worthington
To Brian: The Rose Bowl concluding the 1968 season was only the 10th game for Ohio State that season. With teams now playing so many more games, I say cut conference championship games and just move everything up a week so only a national championship game is left to be played shortly after New Year’s Day. Oh, but I forgot, the money. Gotta have the money, don’t they? And while they should still have the top five conference champions qualify, I’m guessing they’ll just go by rankings to seed teams next year.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
To Dennis: I like the 12-team playoff, but I think this year’s bracket was a mess. My guess is that the CFP changes the format next year so that the lower-ranked teams, even though they are conference champs, are seeded properly. I’m also still trying to figure out how Penn State landed on such a sweet path through the bracket.
To the editor: Thank goodness we have coach Day. I have never witnessed another individual who can bounce back from bitter disappointment as well as coach Day. He always comes back. He’s an example I use for my kids and grandkids:
In any football game where you lose the turnover battle and your kicker and your quarterback have their worst performances of the year, you are most likely going to lose. He has had exceptionally bad luck in every game we have lost. The semifinal game against Clemson with all the extremely questionable calls. The Alabama loss in the finals where Justin Fields was a shell of himself because of the Clemson cheap shot and losing our star running back the first play of the game. That last drive against Georgia, where we did not have Marvin Harrison Jr. and Cade Stover. Not to mention Smith-Njigba being out. The Oregon game, where if any of the calls on the last three plays would’ve gone our way we would have had an excellent chance for a field goal and a win. I’m not even going to mention the last three years against the team up north. If you’ve ever played football, you know it’s almost impossible to win a football game where the other team knows exactly what you’re running every play.
Most knowledgeable fans still adore coach Day. He runs a clean program, a program that we can be proud of. He is a winner. The majority of the negative comments are on social media. People who don’t know football trying to gain hits. I am more than a little tired of the OSU fan base characterized as anti-Day. I can imagine the other programs licking their chops to get coach Day. Can you imagine him going to the school up north? Alan Ward, Circleville
Dear Brian: The new playoff system gives major college football a system similar to the annual basketball tournament. But so far, few seem to realize it. So we lost to Michigan (again). We can win a national title, and our rival isn’t in the dance.
When North Carolina and Duke play men’s basketball, the losers don’t hang their heads and call the whole season a bust. They go out with renewed life into the madness and embrace it. It is called resilience. We need a lot of that, fans and players alike.
And we have the right head coach. Thanks for your efforts, coach Day. Go get ’em next time.
Doug Shoemaker, Westerville
To Mr. White: While I truly appreciate the recognition that is given to high school athletes by the Dispatch, I was very disappointed with the selection of the All-Metro football team. All of the athletes recognized are very deserving, but in the process an entire group was almost completely left out. 24 players were designated as first team, which is reasonably close to the reality of 22 positions. Of those 24, six were running backs, five were quarterbacks and seven were defensive backs. Last I checked, teams usually play one quarterback and most play one running back and defensive backs usually number, at most, five. The problem is with the offensive line. One single offensive lineman was recognized. By rule, there must be five offensive linemen on every play. I cannot believe there was only one offensive lineman deserving of recognition in all of central Ohio.
60 athletes in total were recognized, which amounts to almost three full teams. That would require 15 offensive linemen. The Dispatch recognized a total of four. I believe that this reflects a general lack of effort by the individuals who were responsible for the selection of the All-Metro team.
It is probably obvious that I am an old offensive line coach and therefore have a built-in bias. It is a fact, though, that there has never been a single great football team that did not have a good offensive line. The lack of recognition for the young men who play these positions is an accepted truth. The Dispatch does not need to compound this by almost completely ignoring them.
Barry S. Fox
To the editor: Monday night, I went to see the Blue Jackets play Montreal at Nationwide Arena. It was a miserable experience. Not the hockey. That was a pretty good game and the Jackets are more competitive than the last two years. The crowd was good and into it. The issue was the sound system. It was far, far too loud. When not only my seat but also my body is vibrating from the noise, it is too loud. They “turned it up to 11.” My ears hurt and are still ringing this morning. I had to have my fingers in my ears throughout the second intermission as well as parts of the game. It was difficult to even talk with my friends next to me. I almost walked out before the third period because it was so bad.
I’m baffled by this. It seems to be the norm now at many arenas and stadia. The Crew often suffer from this, and my brother, a lifelong Penn State fan, has sworn to never return to Beaver Stadium for that reason. Nationwide now has a “sensory package.” But couldn’t they just turn the volume down, just a little? Please?
Ken Gilbert, Columbus
To Brian: For all its glory, the NFL is really stupid. It continues allowing quarterbacks to be vulnerable to injury.
Maybe 2024 is a down year. Good. The trend is upward (from 2012). A 17-game schedule doesn’t help. Some quarterbacks are running more and throwing less, taking a risk outside the pocket. And a few injuries are freakish. What’s the cost of losing the most pivotal of positions due to game-ending hits? Much: TV revenue, tickets, apparel and discouraged fans.
Why isn’t quarterback protection a higher priority? I’d be interested to know what each starter thinks. The NFL seems inept at confronting this crucial issue. Solutions must be tried to minimize injury when he’s in the pocket. Modern stadiums with all the extras and private seating can only go so far to enhance a fan’s experience. It’s the QBs who give their tickets greater value. And value is the whole ballgame. Are you listening, NFL?
Larry Cheek, Dublin
To Larry: Perhaps all quarterbacks should wear red Mahomes jerseys, because he has greater protection than Putin.
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