College Football 2018: Ohio (State) Vs. Everything…

The story of the 2018 College Football Season is not about Alabama’s quest for back-to-back titles… not about Clemson’s Defense which may be one of the best D’s in College Football History… not about Georgia’s quest to return to the Title Game for a second chance… not about Michigan finally getting the title shot promised when Jim Harbaugh was hired… not about Wisconsin or Washington proving they are playoff-worthy, etc.

If there are three people who best epitomize this year in College Football, it is three professional Wrestlers who hail from the western parts of the state of Ohio…  Jake and Dave Crist from Dayton, and Sam Johnson (aka Sami Callihan or Jeremiah Crane) from Bellafontaine.  Together the Crist Brothers and Sami form a Tag Team Trio known as oVe… Ohio Vs. Everything.  They wrestle in Impact Wrestling as heels, and are very talented athletic professional wrestlers.  To describe their ring attire is tough.  It’s a hint of goth mixed in with hints of sadistic culture, and they act always angry and very brutal (pro tip:  don't get caught alone in a bathroom with those three... especially if they have a video camera).  In short, they are a perfect symbolism of the forgotten parts of the rural Midwest… the parts that helped elect a certain person as President two years ago.

Ohio State and their fans are angry this year, even though the situation is of their own making.  They hired Urban Meyer six years ago thinking he would win Titles and mold men of virtue like he allegedly did with Tim Tebow at Florida.  They ignored the issues of Aaron Hernandez and other Florida players who acted badly in Gainesville under Urb’s Florida tenure.  And they ignored how one of Urb’s Assistants, Zach Smith, had treated his significant other at Gainesville.  Zach joined Urb in Columbus, and reports surfaced earlier this year that in 2015, Zach had physically assaulted his wife.  Smith was fired, so end of story, right?  Well, Urban handled that situation very poorly, and there are still questions as to what Urb knew and when he knew it.  A decade ago, such questions would seem irrelevant, but that was before Jerry Sandusky, before Larry Nassar, before Maryland and their issues.  As reporters pressed on Urb, he gave the impression he was hiding more than what was known.  Apparently, there was enough issues that Ohio State suspended Urb for the first three weeks of the season.

So Buckeye fans are angry… but not at Urb.  They are angry at the University for suspending Meyer.  They are especially angry at the media for reporting on this story (hmmm, that sounds familiar…).  And they are angry because they (and not eventual Champion Alabama) should have been in the playoff last season.  Professional Football stinks in Ohio.  Lebron has left them again.  Baseball is going nowhere.  Now the one thing Ohio has (Buckeye football) is under siege.  It’s everyone else’s fault.  Buckeye fans will make them ALL pay!

So, Ohio State has a huge chip on their shoulder in 2018.  And they are a wounded animal right now.  And that what makes this season all about how Ohio State responds to this crisis.  Two things can happen when a storm rages all about you (whether that storm is of your own making or not).  You can crack under the pressure.  Or you can circle the wagons and come out swinging.  If Ohio State falls apart while Urb is suspended, it is likely he will be fired after the season.  But I don’t think that will happen.  Ohio State will take an “Ohio Vs. Everything” approach this year.  I predict Ohio State will win all three games Urb is suspended.  They will finished the regular season undefeated, win the Big Ten Title, and will beat Alabama for the National Title in January.  My heart still wants Georgia to win it all, but my gut says Ohio State is OK with playing the heel and do what it takes to win it all.  After all, Urb above all things was brought in for one purpose:  win multiple titles.

For this year, O-H… I-O should be replaced with o-V-e as the popular chant in Columbus.  It is more indicative of Buckeye football and their fans in 2018.  This College Football season is truly about Ohio (State) vs. Everything.

Coming together to Grieve Another Life cut Short...

Six years ago, I lost a close friend to suicide.  Justin Ellis, who was my best friend from 5th Grade at WC Britt Elementary through Middle School and into High School succumbed to the demons that had haunted him for most of his life.  He was just 37 at the time of his death.

I blogged at the time that maybe I thought I could reach out to him if I knew he was in trouble. I wanted to believe I could make a difference.  But in the years since, I have come to the realization that no matter what I thought I could have done, I was not in a position to save Justin.  Not me, not his sister, not his true love.  As much as I thought I could have tried, if Justin had made the decision to go through with things, I could not have prevented his tragic ending.  Justin had to be the one to ask for help.  And sometime people are stubborn to ask for help.  I should know.

Sadly, another classmate has followed Justin’s path.  Unlike Justin, this classmate had a great supporting group of friends and family.  This person was one of our brightest lights.  There was no way I thought this person could take their own life.  No way, no how… And yet, here we are mourning a classmate gone too soon, again.

This classmates’ closest friends and family are devastated. Some knew depression was in her heart and wanted to help. Some knew she was hurting and tried to reach out. I am sure there are some guilty feelings out there in the Comet Community and some soul-searching.

It’s OK to think that you could have stopped this from happening.  But please do not beat yourselves up over what you could have done differently.  You did what you thought was best at the time.  It hurts, I know.  The only thing I can tell you is to remember the good about her.  There was much good in her.  We all knew that. 

This passing is going to hurt for a long time, especially to those closest to her.  The pain will show itself in unexpected ways at unexpected times.  I suspect her family will never completely get over the pain.  I know a close friend who lost her father to suicide some 20 years ago.  She is still not over it, and she’s a pastor.

I know some of you want to help her family out and that is good.  But please take some time to help yourselves in this time of pain.  Grieve, shed tears, remember.  Trying to work through it only bottles up the pain you are feeling and it will come out at inopportune moments.  Grieving doesn’t mean you are weak.  It means that your friend/family member mattered to you.  It means you are human and have a heart and care.  Do not worry what others think.  If you need to cry, cry.  If you need to get angry, do it.  If you need to talk, talk.  Whatever helps you to mourn.  Then, when you are ready, comfort those who need help to mourn.

There will come a time when we pick up the pieces and continue on with life.  But for now, let us show love for one another.  Maybe it’s time we stopped worrying about settling scores and winning at all costs.  Maybe it’s time we start acting like a community of friends again.  Maybe turn off the voices of people who shouldn’t matter and who think of you as nothing more than a rating’s number.  Listen to some music.  Meet friends for dinner to talk.  We could use a little more picking each other up and less tearing each other apart.  The judgmental attitudes can wait for another time.  It’s time to heal our broken hearts… again.