Mailbox: Too-serious Ohio State football fans need to find something that brings them joy

Posted by Admin December 22, 2024 Football

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Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com. Letters are lightly edited for clarity.

On Ohio State football

To Brian: Mike Arace’s column about the madness, insanity or psychosis of many OSU fans about their obsession with beating Michigan every year was excellent. He left out the countless hours spent by students, OSU staff and these fans to cross out the letter “M” for all signage on campus and surrounding neighborhoods. I worked with an OSU alum who was unable to sleep or eat much for several days before the Michigan game. If OSU lost the game, he would call in sick for a couple of days because he could not get out bed. During football bowl games, he would want every Big Ten team to win their game except Michigan. It is truly sad that so many people invest so much of themselves in a game that has no impact on their life, their family or anything that really matters in the great scheme of life. If Ryan Day really believes that losing to Michigan is almost the worst thing to happen in his life, he should find another job that can bring him joy and peace.

Raymond D’Angelo

To Raymond: More joy and peace is needed a lot around these parts, where there seemingly is the “greatest” and “worst” and nothing in between. It’s fine to criticize Day, and never was it more deserved than after the offensive game plan vs. Michigan, but fire him with the record he has? It’s fine to dislike losing, but to be unable to get out of bed? Reality check, please.

To the editor: Fights seem to follow TTUN. I believe they have been involved in three postgame fracases in the past three years. Perhaps those who stay will be fracasers.

RP Schleichert

To the editor: Coach Day is paid only $10 million per year, and it is not contingent on beating Michigan. Can you imagine what Day would be paid if he actually beat Michigan occasionally? Fort Knox would run out gold if he ever defeats Michigan.

Michael Oser, Columbus

Dear sports editor: I support Ryan Day and believe, on balance, that he’s been a good coach who has earned and continues to receive the love of fans and players alike. It’s easy for many to forget that Day was robbed of two playoff wins by unconscionably terrible officiating that changed the result of both games. And it carries weight that he’s a person of character. It’s hard to imagine him getting a lap dance at a bar, and his loyalty to players is reciprocated. First-round picks continue to postpone their NFL careers to play for Day, and the best recruits choose to be Buckeyes.

Which makes the drop-off at quarterback a little baffling. People were quick to condemn Kyle McCord and his detached attitude when he proved to be a merely good quarterback. Fans seem to be much more forgiving with Will Howard and his happy, can-do attitude, but a good attitude doesn’t pick up first downs against elite defenses. We were spoiled by five years of truly elite quarterback play with Dwayne Haskins, Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud, but the defenses weren’t quite up to snuff. Now we’ve had an elite defense for two seasons, with the current iteration clearly the best in the country, but the play at quarterback is not. Howard missed open receivers multiple times against Michigan, and while eight interceptions on the season is not bad, his breakdowns have come at the worst moments when superior quarterback play is needed most. Michigan, who has an elite defense, sold out to stop the run, daring Howard to beat them. He failed. The play calling was understandably criticized, but it looked to me like the coaches didn’t trust Howard to make the throws that needed to be made to get first downs and win the game.

And backing up Howard is Devin Brown. Most have been clamoring to see Julian Sayin all season long, but when it looked like Howard might be out, fans started groaning at the prospect of Brown coming out to give another sub-elite performance. When Alabama’s Jalen Hurts wasn’t getting it done in the 2018 national championship against Georgia, Nick Saban sent out Tua Tagovailoa to win the game. Now both guys start in the NFL. Will Day have the courage to make such a decision in the future, and will he have elite guys on the sideline to make it happen? I hope the answer to both is yes. People root for good guys, and they appreciate loyalty. But success at the highest level is determined by beating the other teams at that level.

Bob Young, Columbus

To Brian: Anyone who read about Ryan Day’s offer to provide a charter flight for Buckeyes announcer and Iowa football dad Jim Lachey to return home for The Game has to be touched. They saw a side of the OSU coach that’s rarely been seen. Sure, he could afford to arrange it himself or whether the university chipped in. It’s the thought, you know.

But Day rose above his season-ending loss. Michigan’s Sherrone Moore will regret the flag-planting idea, crowing they “own” the Buckeyes – a severe lack of coaching humility. Hopefully, he’ll be chastened – a call from his former boss? He’s forgetting the overwhelming dominance by Ohio State from 2001 to 2020.

Day has earned my respect with his generous concern for others like Lachey. Yet not even a CFP championship (2022) could veil the heartache of rivalry losses. Especially, a reverberating thud in Ohio Stadium. May it never happen again.

Larry Cheek, Dublin

On the Blue Jackets

To the editor: OK, so it wasn’t going to be a playoff year anyway. We went out and got a new coach because we didn’t like the way the team was being managed on the ice. We hired a new general manager because we didn’t like the results from the previous rebuilding plan. We continue to lead the league in missed games due to injuries to key players.

Maybe it’s time to take a look at the people who are in charge of the strength and conditioning program and make a similar change. It’s a physical game and injuries are inevitable, but it makes you question why we continue to lead the league in that category.

Tom Cole, Etna

On high school football

To the Editor: I read with keen interest the Mailbag letter by Joe Motil this week expressing concern regarding how state champions are now recognized. Specifically, Joe cited the 1966 Watterson football team that was crowned state champions after their resounding victory over Upper Arlington 32-0 in the season finale.

I was an assistant coach for UA on the sidelines at the time and witnessed firsthand that drubbing of the Golden Bears. We were outplayed and outcoached as Watterson vaulted from No. 4 to No. 1 in the final state poll results, properly claiming the state championship title.

But the following year the Golden Bears returned the favor and defeated the then-state champions 32-2 at the old North High Stadium. That vaulted UA atop the polls for their first state championship in 1967. The Bears repeated an undefeated season in 1968 with another championship and again in 1969 with a third consecutive undefeated title.

Ironically, UA was undefeated a fourth consecutive year in 1970, but the state poll title was awarded to an undefeated Massillon Washington team. I know that the OHSAA always works for the benefit of student athletes, coaches, administrators and schools. The current playoff system provides fairness to all levels of teams in all sports, both boys and girls. But it seems to me that all state titles, however earned, should be properly recognized.

Tom Rutan, former president of the OHSAA State Board of Control

To Brian: Ohio’s two AFC North teams are in a familiar situation, playing cellar dwellers to the hated Steelers and Ravens. A drastic remedy is needed to save our state from perpetual infamy. What to do? Well, the Bengals have a good offense but lousy defense. Cleveland has the opposite problem. Obviously a state takeover is needed. For Gov. DeWine it could be a legacy-builder that dwarfs the Intel project. The mechanics would be simple: The two team owners would meet in neutral Columbus for a coin toss. The loser would be required to swap its best unit for the other team’s worst. Better to have at least one contender than none. The only problem I can see is that the Browns would no doubt lose the toss.

Kevin F Duffy, Columbus

On college football

To Brian: Marshall football enjoyed a very successful season winning their conference championship and accepted a nice bowl bid before their coach then abandons ship for a better offer and 25 players follow by entering the transfer portal forcing the school to decline their bowl opportunity. Players now routinely opt out of bowl games individually even though they accepted NIL money from those who expected them to play the entire season. There’s got to be a better way.

Dennis Singleton Dayton