Here's a fun little movie clip from the movie Remember the Titans, and I've seen this movie twice, but not the version that was aired on TV. This clip is supposedly from the TV version. I don't remember seeing this scene in the theater. The movie is the one starring Denzel Washington where he was the football coach in charge of integrating the high school team, the Titans during the time of racial segregation. Two of the central storyline characters, high school football champions, discuss where they will go to college. Guess which school wins and which was the alternative?
Football cliche cheat sheet for tonight's game
.jpg)
Are you planning to watch the OSU-Florida national championship game with friends tonight, although you know nothing and care nothing about football? Don't panic! Just refer to Blog-O's Football cliches cheat sheet.If you're trapped in a conversation about the game and expected to respond, say
1. "Florida may think they're fast, but we're going to show them they're only half-fast." Explanation- Florida is known for exception team speed, especially at wide receiver.
2. "That Troy Smith. What a pair of feet!" No, you aren't admitting to a fetish. Smith, the OSU quarterback, is known for his ability to dodge tacklers and run the ball himself. Most quarterbacks have tortoise-like speed.
3. "Nobody is going to catch Ginn in the open." No, he's not an immigrant trying to ford the Rio Grande. Ted Ginn, Jr. is a wide receiver for OSU known for blazing speed and elusiveness.
4. "Speed won't matter when Pittman and Beanie shove the ball down their throats." Here you express your belief that Ohio State's running backs, Antonio Pittman and Chris "Beanie" Wells, will be able to run the ball through the Florida line. This accomplishes two things; it results in OSU scores, and keeps the ball away from Florida.
Continue reading Football cliche cheat sheet for tonight's game
Ohio's greatest football powerhouse- not who you think
Tonight you'll all probably be locked into the OSU-Florida game to decide the national championship. If the Buckeyes should win (and we sure hope they do), they will have taken the title for the 8th time.
Big deal.
With their recent 35-16 whipping of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the 34th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the Mt. Union Purple Raiders of Alliance won their ninth NCAA Division Three national championship, and their second in two years. The nine wins are the most at any level in the history of college football.
Perhaps a greater achievement is their 55-game winning streak from 2000-03. Which started after a loss to Rowan in overtime, on December 11, 1999, ending a 54-game winning streak. For the statistically challenged, their record during this stretch was 109-1.
Match that, Buckeyes!
This video does a nice job of recapping the glory of their 2006 championship. Congratulations to the Purple!
Big deal.
With their recent 35-16 whipping of Wisconsin-Whitewater in the 34th Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, the Mt. Union Purple Raiders of Alliance won their ninth NCAA Division Three national championship, and their second in two years. The nine wins are the most at any level in the history of college football.
Perhaps a greater achievement is their 55-game winning streak from 2000-03. Which started after a loss to Rowan in overtime, on December 11, 1999, ending a 54-game winning streak. For the statistically challenged, their record during this stretch was 109-1.
Match that, Buckeyes!
This video does a nice job of recapping the glory of their 2006 championship. Congratulations to the Purple!
Ohio Snot Otter population dwindling
In grade school art class we were given the chance to work with clay. While other students managed to craft bowls and figurines, to my disappointment what I created looked more like an eastern hellbender, also known as the "snot otter" or "devil dog".The eastern hellbender, a salamander, resembles a turd with four legs, a flat head and beady eyes. Its attractiveness is further diminished by its slimy skin. The snot otter can grow to over 2' long and live over twenty years. Might make a great pet.
The hellbender lives in clear, boisterous streams, feeding on crayfish and other small water creatures. As the number of clear Ohio streams has dropped, so has the population of eastern hellbenders. Today they are mostly found in eastern Ohio, although they once ranged throughout the Ohio River drainage.
The creatures depend on clear water, because they breath not through lungs but thousands of capillaries on their body and legs. The slime on their skin is mildly noxious to humans, a caution to anglers who may tie into one.
I failed to find any recipes for hellbender (surprised?), which is good because they are an endangered species in Ohio. If you catch one, report it to ODNR after you release it back in the stream that it helps keep clean.
OSU-Michigan game shenanigans have far-reaching consequences
Mwa-ha-ha! I found this story to be quite hilarious. Apparently, some 30 students and others who were arrested after the OSU-Michigan game for underage drinking and disorderly conduct were sentenced for community service. And when will the community service take place? It will take place tomorrow! Ahh! They won't get to celebrate during the pre-game festivities for the national championship between OSU and University of Florida (team name: the Gators)! The judge who sentenced them apparently wanted them to realize that they still have to obey the law while at Buckeye football games - a wise ruling. So the students have to clean toilets, pick up trash and do some gardening work at the state fairgrounds tomorrow. Hopefully they'll get done before kick-off!
Buckeye Goods in Glendale = Big Bucks
Buckeye apparel and merchandise is equaling big bucks in Arizona these days according to the front page of the Columbus Dispatch today. Joe Blundo, usually the humor style columnist whose work appears in the Lifestyle section, scouted out the wonders of selling everything OSU in Glendale, Arizona and its surrounding area. Read article. Glendale is the prized spot it seems if you want to hook in fans. That's where the stadium is, thus where the Buckeye fans head even if they don't have tickets to the game. One guy, Tim Broveld who pedals game gear in a tent he has set up for the occasion, almost sells out of OSU T-shirts during game day due to the fervor of fans. He did last year at the Fiesta Bowl and he said it is not that way with other teams.
Other folks around Glendale are tapping into the football game money-making possibilities. A tattoo parlor is offering Buckeye tattoos. (a well-place one on an ankle might look kind of cute), an astrologer has worked up a chart showing who will win. Something about Saturn says that it's the Gators. Hmm. We'll see about that. The Cabela store, an outdoors gear outfitter is providing Buckeye options in addition to its usual camouflage fare.
One bar, Hanratty's, in Phoenix is touting itself as the place for OSU fans to watch the game on TV. As a person who doesn't own so much as a Buckeye necklace (even thought I do buy Buckeye wear for other people) I can say that reading about this Buckeye stuff, makes me think I need to rethink my wardrobe. I kind of like the Oxford- style shirts with the small OSU logo on them.
Some people who sell Buckeye wear in Ohio are in Arizona for the game like "Buckeye Bill" Green. If you're ever in Mansfield check out his store, Bill's Buckeye Stuff. Or, if you aren't heading to Mansfield, you can order on-line.
How to cook gator
The Columbus newspaper is full of ads for gator meat, in preparation for Ohio State's national championship game against the Florida Gators next Monday. I saw these and wondered, much as I did when in a Shreve, OH restaurant I read on the menu "Chicken dinner $8.95, children under 10 free" -- how is that prepared?Apparently, according to the Florida Dept. of Agriculture, alligator is a mild white meat similar in flavor to (wait for it.....) chicken. A four-ounce piece has 110 calories, 20 from fat.
Among the recipes on their site are-
- Crockpot gator
- Deep-fried gator (KFG?)
- Gator Jumbalaya
- Gator-tater Salad
- Sauteed Alligator medallions in Dijon Mustard Sauce
- Pickled Gator (I'll bet there are few of those in the stands on Monday night!)
- Gator on a stick
- Stewed Gator (see above)
Eating gator may not seem all that appetizing, but imagine the poor Florida fans, trying to choke down buckeyes!
U.S. Figure Skating Championship returns to Cleveland in 2009
Figure skating is hot, but you probably figured that out already from the amount of it on television. The post-Olympics boost has grown the sport to almost 200,000 participants.The organizers have announced that Cleveland has been chosen to host the very best of U.S. figure skaters for the national championship on Jan 18-29, 2009. The Q (The Quicken Loans Arena, also home to the Cleveland Cavs NBA basketball team), will be the primary venue for competition. The arena seats a little over 20,000 people. The facility successfully hosted the 2000 Championship. The city also played host in 1964 and 1940.
In the Nationals, more than 250 skaters will compete in senior, junior and novice-level competitions. The event will bring over 300 national and international journalists to Cleveland, as well as thousands of fans with an estimated economic impact of up to $30 million. The 2007 championships will take place in Spokane, WA Jan. 21-28.
I ran across some interesting figures about figure skating fans. According to the U.S. Figure Skating organization, 70% of women consider themselves fans. 54% of Americans over 12 are interested in the sport, and 63% are part of a household making $50,000 per year or more.
Interesting tidbit:
The ice surface at the Q is made by circulating a refrigerant through over five miles of piping buried in the cement floor. It takes 22 hours to create the ice surface, but the arena can be converted from an ice rink to a basketball court in only three hours.
Ohio's only sled dog race threatened by warm weather
Punderson State Park in far Northeastern Ohio has long been home to much of Ohio's snow-based recreation. It benefits (?) from lake-effect snow, and often is blanketed when the rest of the state is bare. Among these activities is the only Sled Dog race in Ohio, the Ohio Sled Dog Classic.The race is scheduled for January 6-7, but organizers, the Siberian Husky Club of Greater Cleveland, due to our unusually warm winter,kj anticipate they will need to reschedule to Jan 27-28. The race offers separate classes for purebred Siberian Huskies and all-breeds on 4 and 6-mile circuits. Competitions are offered for 4-dog and 6-dog teams. The organizers promise a minimum $2,000 purse.
There are at least three active Sled Dog clubs in Ohio, in Cleveland, Andover and Columbus. In 2004, about 500 mushers and spectators attended the event.
I saw a presentation about sled dogs in Denali National Park. Before, I'd assumed they would act like horses hitched to a plow, but what I saw were animals bred to sled, and loving it. I hope Punderson gets enough snow to allow these dogs (and their owners) to strut their stuff.
Ohiopic of the day: LeBron!
After having the incredible luck to have incredibly close seats at the Friday Cleveland Cavaliers - Milwaukee Bucks game, I have this to say: how tall are basketball players! They are so tall!
photo credit: katherine galo
Have you ever sat this close to the Cavs?
I have never before had seats this close to anything. I had the most amazing luck ever, EVER! I love my full-time, real job. I managed to score tickets to Friday's Milwaukee Bucks - Cleveland Cavs game, and I was just excited on that score. Free basketball - that was enough for me! But then I actually looked at the tickets, and good land. They were soooooo close! I could have jumped over (five more rows or so) and touched the players! Holy cow! I was so close that at one point, Drew Gooden was talking as he ran past and I heard him. Heard him! Astonishing.
Honestly, though, I love watching professional basketball games and how much nonsense they put on to keep the crowd amused. I love how much they want to bring in people from Ohio, and local kids, and it's all a big deal to keep us entertained for three minutes. Two different children's' dance schools! The Cavs Scream Team performed at the half, or rather, a phenomenal drummer and two great break-dancers who are on the Cavs Scream Team performed at the half. The two professional goons who race around the arena doing little commercials for different parts of the arena - try the gift shop! Or the hot pretzels! Of course, the Cavs girls, in their tiny gold outfits, are there too, bless their hearts. And they are such good dancers! I'm totally impressed by the Cavs girls. Little kids throwing free throws, people racing to pick up pizza boxes, and that goofy Moondog mascot (if you know why he's called Moondog, which I do, I will be totally impressed!). Plus, it was LeBron's birthday on Friday, which I think is one of the reasons it was a good, closely fought game. He's got to have a good game on his birthday! It was just great.
Ohiovid of the Day: The OSU marching band- another reason to watch the game
As a person who was in my high school marching band (I was awful), I have a high appreciation for folks who can actually march and play at the same time. Here is the Ohio State Marching Band strutting their stuff. It will make you just want to jump up and grab a baton and start marching around your living room.
Depressing week for Ohio sports fans
Is it better to have no hope than to have hope dashed? That's the difference between Browns and Bengals fans this week. The Browns played doormat to the hapless Tampa Bay Bucaneers Sunday, ending the day with their third-string quarterback at the helm. Once again, Head Coach Romeo Crennel looked shell-shocked in the post-game interviews, trying to explain why his team was unable to defend or score upon one of the league's worst teams.
The Bengals, by contrast, played one of the league's better teams in the Denver Broncos. And although the team, and especially quarterback Carson Palmer, struggled through the first three quarters, an exciting end-of-the-game touchdown drive had fans on the edge of their seats.
Until the team flubbed the usually automatic extra point, resulting in a 1-point loss 24-23. The loss drops the team to 8-7, and puts them at the mercy of another candidate for the league's worst team, Oakland.
The Cleveland Cavaliers continue their up-and-down performance, losing to Detroit, the team that beat them in seven games last spring for a trip to the finals. The team looked overmatched in that game, especially on the perimeter. They came back, however, to edge the Orlando Magic 86-83. LeBron continues to have another all-star season, but the question remains about his supporting cast. Do they have the scoring punch to compensate on James' off-days? The second leading scorer, Larry Hughes, has averaged 13.6 ppg, and most people expect more from him.
The Columbus Blue Jackets recently set a club-record five game winning streak, including a thrilling 4-3 win over Detroit on the Jacket's home ice. Fans were beginning to keep track of the final playoff spot and what the club would have to achieve to earn it. However, they ran into a couple of the better clubs in the league in the New York Islanders (4-0 loss) and a rematch with the Detroit Red Wings at their place (5-0 shellacking). That thud you may have heard was their ass hitting the ice.
Two things are apparent; Ken Hitchcock's coaching has turned around the club's attitude, but the club does not yet have the talent and/or experience to compete with the better squads. I am encouraged by the progress shown recently, though. Goalie Pascal LeClaire has gone on the disabled list, which will hurt the team.
The Ohio State Basketball team, at the time ranked #3 in the country, faced #4 Florida on Saturday. They now know that they aren't deep enough inside to compete, and not quick enough at the guard position to drive on tall, quick inside players. They were whipped, soundly, and for the first time looked like the young players they are. Don't expect miracles from this group. As talented as they are, they can be beaten by disciplined, physical squads.
Hydrogen-powered golf carts
Ohio State's Center for Automotive Research is probably best known as the builders of the Buckeye Bullet, the electric land speed vehicle that in 2004 set the national speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats for electric vehicles at 314.958 mph. The Buckeye Bullet was built to replace the previous generation vehicle, a Formula-1 style open cockpit car, the Smokin' Buckeye.The Center is now working on hydrogen-powered vehicles. To that end, they have installed a hydrogen fueling station, the only one in the state. There are only 15 or so in the entire country.
In the true spirit of a school that excels in sports, for one of their first projects they chose to convert a golf cart to run off of fuel cells powered by the gas. The department has posted an interesting video about this experiment and the department's research.
My only question: when I play golf, metal clubs end up thrown around with considerable vigor. Are the hydrogen tanks shielded well enough to prevent a Hindenburg-type meltdown?
12 Days of Christmas are... over!
So sad, and yet so true. The twelve days of Ohio are over. In case you missed them, here they are again!
On the first day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: a state bird (by Jamie)!
On the second day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: a Twinsburg festival (by Tom)!
On the third day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: sports museums (by Katherine)!
On the fourth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: women astronauts (by Jamie)!
On the fifth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: great actors (by Tom)!
On the sixth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: art museums (by Jeffrey)!
On the seventh day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: baseball World Series Championships (by Tom)!
On the eighth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: presidents (by Jamie)!
On the ninth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: doubled cities (by Katherine)!
On the tenth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: famous Ohioans (by Jeffrey)!
On the eleventh day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: Native American tribes of Ohio (by Tom)!
On the twelfth day of Ohio, the bloggers gave to me: trivial Ohio facts (by Jeffrey)!
< Previous Page | Next Page >
