Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Buckeye Hackery

Bruce Hooley has written a column for ESPN.com. It is nothing but ridiculous, revisionist, partisan, hackery at its finest. I really wouldn't expect that out of someone who writes for the COLUMBUS DISPATCH and who has written there for years! Observe Hooley's terrible, pro-Tosu, bias!
In 2005, Penn State won for the only time in the rivalry's past 16 installments as the lower-ranked team. With Troy Smith fresh off a two-game suspension for taking $500 from a booster and still without Tressel's confidence to unleash the Buckeyes' considerable weapons, Penn State claimed a 17-10 victory that eventually decided the Big Ten's automatic BCS berth between teams that wound up tied for the conference championship. (emphasis added)
You know, Bruce, it might be a better stat to mention that the series is actually completely even (11-11) all time.
Not unleashing Tosu's considerable weapons? What is that about? The two teams played, Penn St. won. End of story. The "we only lost because we were afraid of "unleashing our weapons" argument might be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. An acceptable argument is: "Tressel's game-plan screwed us." That is fine. But let's not pretend that Ohio State was the better team that year.

He goes on to opine:
What is unknown is how decisive an impact an overflow crowd will have on Ohio State's poise and performance. Two years ago, Penn State's student section should have received a helmet sticker -- if only Paterno believed in such adornments -- for its role in disrupting Smith and the Buckeyes. (emphasis added)
I think it is safe to say the students will be loud, Bruce. Helmet sticker? What? Penn State does not play for helmet stickers. The students do not cheer for a five cent novelty item. That being said. The Students WILL be a factor.

GO STATE! BEAT THE BUCKEYES!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's funny that you refer to Hooley as partisan. He's on the radio in Columbus, and on a day-to-day basis he is anything but a homer. He tends to take a lot of crap from Buckeye fans who say he's against them.

JB said...

Fair enough. However, I don't hear anybody saying that this article wasn't written from a very pro-buckeye point of view.

Sirputtsalot said...

Who was higher ranked in 2001?

Anonymous said...

Why is it that this week, Penn State fans pound their chest about 2005 game when it's 2007, and last time Ohio State played Penn State was in 2006?

Do Penn State fans have no recollection of last year's game?

Just curious.

Anonymous said...

I don't think anyone here was "pounding their chest" about the 2005 game, that just happened to be the focus of the ESPN article...and the author's tendency to make excuses for every OSU loss.

Penn State fans might bring up the 2005 game because the last game that was as similar to the one coming up this weekend was in 2005, i.e., at home, at night, where PSU was the underdog. Weird.

When OSU comes into Happy Valley, they have a tendency to lose -- as their last regular season loss came on a Saturday night in October at Beaver Stadium.

JB said...

Indeed, sir. Indeed.

I remember last years game very well. I remember it also be a tough, close game until anthony morelli threw two pick-6s to end the game. two years, two close games. this game will be no different.

Anonymous said...

Hooley wrote for the Cleveland Plain Dealer - not the Dispatch. And for the record, Hooley is a tool and I wish he wasn't a Buckeye fan.

Go-Bucks,
Harold

Nick said...

Those fans... huge factor, lemme tell ya