Go Figure...

What in the Wide World of Sports???!!!

So let me get this straight...

One weekend after nearly falling to Ohio State in the 'Shoe, USC goes and loses to... Washington?? Huh??

I commented in my last post after attending the OSU-USC game that I thought that game last week should have been won by the Buckeyes. And I also thought that our ultra-conservative play-calling was to blame. But instead of my beloved Bucks defeating the invincible Trojans, the lowly Washington Huskies went out and did it instead. So, on second thought, maybe USC isn't the juggernaut this year that we have come to expect them to be year in and year out.

So what does that tell you about the Buckeyes and the Big Ten? Ohio State could not beat USC in the Horseshoe, probably the 2nd toughest place for a visiting team to play. But now, Washington was able to beat them in Huskie Stadium. And remember, this is the same Washington team that went 0-12 last year. So if Pac-10 doormat Washington can outplay Ohio State, it's going to be a sad season for the Big Ten.

Granted, USC's golden boy freshman QB didn't play this week. And a lot of people are probably going to use that as an excuse. But I would contend that it wouldn't have mattered. USC has Parade All-Americans 3-deep at QB, so I'm sure they have more than enough talent on the bench. Remember, Matt Cassel, a career backup at USC, is now starting in the NFL. Besides, with their line and talent at the other skill positions, a monkey could probably quarterback that team and win 10 games.

This is part of the problem I have with USC and Pete Carroll. Granted, Carroll comes up huge in big games. I'll give him that. But given the superior talent stocked up at USC, they should not lose during the regular season. Ever. But every year, somehow they manage to lose a game to a far inferior team (usually within the Pac-10) that just makes you go, "Huh?" Anyone remember the Stanford game a few years ago where they were favored by 40 points and lost? The Oregon State game last year? How about the UCLA game in 2006? Anybody?

Now Jim Tressel has taken a lot of flack this last week for blowing the game last week. And he does deserve some of it. But I will say this for Tressel... at least he wins the games he is supposed to win. You will likely never see Ohio State lose to a far less-talented team like Northwestern or Indiana.

But now I have a dilemma. I don't know whether to just enjoy in the fact that USC lost (which is pretty satisfying), or to be upset because it should have been Ohio State who handed them the loss and not Washington.

Oh well. They lost. I'll just enjoy that while I can.

Birthday Boy...

Well, another birthday has come and gone. I'm the big 2-8 now. Another year older. Another year wiser. Or so they say... *sigh*

This year's birthday was pretty low-key. I didn't do anything special today. In fact, I don't think anyone at work even knew it was my birthday. But I did get some cards in the mail and I got text messages from about 5 of my friends today, which was nice.

But maybe it was appropriate that things were low-key this year. For those who know me, I'm not usually big into fancy celebrations. I much prefer the simple things. And maybe this year, celebrating by myself just seemed appropriate.

But take for instance my day today: I went to work just like I always do and no one even mentioned my birthday today (which was just fine with me). But I did do some special things for myself today. I had lunch at Chipotle (yum!!). I got a milkshake tonight after dinner (always one of my favorite things to do). I drove home with my windows all the way down (rock on!). And I came home, relaxed, and watched a classic episode of Futurama (you know the one... the one where they go back in time to 1947 Roswell and Fry becomes his own grandpa... probably the best episode ever!). Hey, sometimes you just have to spoil yourself!!

Also, I treated myself to a Reds game on Tuesday night. Why Tuesday night, you ask? Well, the Houston Astros were in town and I have always wanted to see their best pitcher Roy Oswalt pitch. So I went downtown after work and splurged for a decent field-level seat.

Oswalt pitched well for the first 5 innings, but then got into trouble in the 6th. He was pulled with a 4-2 lead, but the bullpen blew the lead (again). Eventually, the Reds came back to win 5-4. For Oswalt, this must seem like a strange season. He's started 30 games, but he'll end with a record of only 8-6 and his 4.12 ERA is a career-high. Gotta be a disappointing season for a guy who has been automatic for 15 to 20 wins and sub 3.50 ERA every year for the last 8 years. Ironically, after the game, the Astros placed Oswalt on the DL for the rest of the year (back pain). So looks like I got to see him just in time!

So now, I've been able to see some of the best pitchers of my generation live and in-person. Greg Maddux (in 1995), Curt Schilling (1997), Roger Clemens (2002), Andy Pettitte (2005), Justin Verlander (2008), and now Roy Oswalt this year. Not too shabby!













By the way, the Reds game was interesting also because it was "Bark in the Park" night. Which is a fancy name for their promotional night where fans can bring their dogs to the park. So in addition to seeing Oswalt pitch, I also got to see a bunch of really cute dogs! The funniest part was when they did the "Kiss Cam" portion... a bunch of folks kissed their dogs when the camera was on them! Too funny...

I also got a sweet handout at the game. A Reds doggie dish!! So consequently, I have a pretty nice Reds doggie dish if anyone wants one...

Heartbreaker...

Wow!! What a game!!

As many of you know, I was one of the lucky ones to score tickets to the Ohio State vs USC game yesterday. I met my brother-in-law Matt early in the morning and we spent the whole day on campus soaking in the atmosphere and awaiting the prime time showdown in The 'Shoe.

I have to be honest, I didn't know what to expect going into this game. On one hand, USC is among the top 2 or 3 teams in the nation year in and year out. They don't rebuild after losing top talent to the pros, they just reload. And after last year's 35-3 embarrassment at The Coliseum, I was secretly hoping just to avoid getting blown out at home, let alone picking up a win.


But on the other hand, USC seemed as vulnerable as they have in a long time. They would start a true freshman quarterback, Matt Barkley, before a rabid crowd of over 105,000 in Ohio Stadium (by the way, actual final attendance was 106,033 -- a new record for Ohio Stadium). So all bets were off as to how Barkley would respond to the pressure and the crowd noise. Bucks fans were no doubt hoping the intimidation factor of the large crowd could force him into a few mistakes.

What actually happened was a little bit in between.

Ohio State's defense played a whale of a game, holding the dynamic Trojan offense in check for most of the night. However, when all was said and done, the USC offense came through when it mattered while the OSU offense sputtered all night, costing Ohio State a chance for the big win.

The OSU defense seemed to control the game for 3 1/2 quarters. They got pressure on Barkley and forced him to hurry a lot of his throws. And they were able to hold the running game in check early on. Anytime you can hold an offense like USC's to 10 points through 3 1/2 quarters, you are doing something right.

Meanwhile, the OSU offense made some big plays early, but then went stagnant. Terrelle Pryor made a few good plays, but overall played very average. OSU's offensive play calling was again ultra vanilla. Pryor, who could be one of the best running QB's in the nation, ran just 10 times for 36 yards, with most of those plays being scrambles. And his passing was hit or miss, going 11 for 25 with 177 yards and an interception. Instead of utilizing Pryor's running abilities, the team decided rather to attempt running Dan "Boom" Herron up the middle over and over again. Not a great idea when the offensive line was obviously overmatched.

So the net result was a low-scoring game that came down to the wire, typical Tressel-ball. Tressel showed complete lack of faith in his offense, with ultra-conservative play calling and choosing multiple times to punt for field position instead of going for points. And for awhile, it seemed like that strategy would work.















But you can't hold an offense like USC's down for long. Eventually, they are going to score their points. So with OSU leading 15-10 with 6 minutes left in the game and USC taking over possession, I got a sinking feeling in my gut. And sure enough, Barkley and the Trojans marched right down the field, going 86 yards in 14 plays and scoring the go-ahead touchdown with only 1:05 left in the game. They then made good on the 2-point conversion to take the 18-15 lead.

Ohio State had one last chance, but squandered all hope with an intentional grounding penalty. And just like that, the game was over with Ohio State again on the short end in a big game and USC leaving Columbus with the 18-15 victory.

This game reminded me a lot of both the Texas game in 2005 and the Fiesta Bowl against Texas last year. Each time, Ohio State played a great defensive game, but lost in the final minute. When you play close games, your margin for error is tight. It seemed like Tressel played not to lose instead of playing to win. Yes, our defense appears to be the team's strength and it's ok to build your game plan around that. If you would have told me before the game that our defense would hold USC to just 18 points, I would have been ecstatic. But you still have to score points to win. And anyone can tell you that you need to score more than 15 points to have any chance to beat a good team like USC.

A great defense with only an average offense is a recipe for a lot of close games. So it looks like we may be in for a frustrating season of a lot of close games that go down to the end. And sometimes in close games, you come out on the short end.

So while the outcome wasn't what I had wanted, Matt and I still had a great time. I'm sure I'll be excited to go again next year.