Buckeye House Call

PART ONE of TWO

While we celebrate the hiring of Urban Meyer, as well as the early recruiting success he's had since taking over in Columbus, one beloved man has become a bit of a forgotten topic. This week we invited a few friends over, threw some Jim Tressel questions onto the Roundtable, and took a quick stroll down memory lane. Many of us will never forget "The Vest," while others may never forgive. Regardless which side of that fence you fall on, there's no denying that his ten-year career at The Ohio State University will go down as one of the most successful - and controversial - in our history.

This Week's Line-Up:

Eric Gingrich (The Buckeye Battlecry / Fox Sports Ohio)  |  Chris Holloway (Buckeye Grove)  |  Jim Baughman

Monty Fligner (BHC)  |  Carrie Janello (BHC)

Regarding his alleged failure to pass along the damning emails from attorney Christopher Cicero, do you think Jim Tressel was protecting his student-athletes - or protecting his Buckeyes' potential for a National Championship?

Eric: Considering the nature of the way things went down, I suspect the answer is "both".  In April, when the emails first appeared in his inbox, Tressel reportedly didn't pass them along because he didn't understand how to deal with the emails in light of the confidentiality requested by Cicero.  Many will point to the fact that the confidentiality didn't come about until after Tressel sent the first email to Ted Sarniak.

The issue here is that we know why Sarniak was emailed - that was to protect the players.  As Tressel mentioned in his February 2011 interview with the NCAA, he was scared that these kids (ostensibly Pryor and Posey) were dealing with a known murderer, and worried that they might get hurt.  The email sent to Sarniak, tied into the phone-calls with Sarniak regarding the situation, were intended to inform Sarniak what was going on so that he could try to help reign in Pryor and keep him safe.

But, as we all know, Tressel lied on at least two other occasions - first when he signed the document in September, stating that he had no knowledge of any player on his team violating NCAA rules, and later when he denied knowledge again once the situation was discovered in December.  There's no way of escaping the fact that those lies had to be about protecting the football team and it's season, rather than about protecting the safety of the players involved.

What did Sunday night’s game mean for The Ohio State University?

On a superficial level, the Buckeyes beat Michigan State 72-70 on the strength of William Buford’s last second shot at redemption. As a result of the win, the Buckeyes captured a share of the 2011-12 Big Ten championship, their third straight.

But the significance of the victory runs much deeper than that.

For the 2011-12 basketball Buckeyes, this was easily the best and most important win of the season. This was better than Florida. And yes, it was better than Duke. In one night, the Buckeyes purged themselves of the demons that had been haunting them all season long. The Buckeyes traveled to a hostile environment to play a team that had exposed them three weeks earlier - and they punched them in the mouth.

Definitely one for the archives, as oft-criticized senior guard/forward William Buford nails a long two to give THE Ohio State Buckeyes a share of the 2011-12 B1G Championship - their third straight, fifth in seven years and twentieth all-time (video coverage via CBS Sports).

Read More...

William Buford - A Tribute to a True Buckeye

BHC Roundtable - William Buford

William Buford Nails Game-Winner and a Share of the B1G Championship

Each Sunday morning we recap the prior week's work of the newly formed Buckeye Bloggers Network - a group of six Ohio State blogs, all with the same goal in mind - providing free content to Buckeye Nation. Here's the best-of for the week ending 26 February 2012:

In an effort to keep the Enemy honest we've scoured the interwebs and rival blogs for sporting news and links from around the B1G. Some you'll like, some you won't. Some will give you a chuckle, and some may simply piss you off. It all comes with the territory when you chose to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer:

Plenty goes on within Ohio State athletics for us to discuss for hours upon hours. Recently we've had a few conversations break out over on our Facebook page worthy of publish - after all, it's the voice of Buckeye Nation. To that end, this is our first installment of Buckeye Nation Uncensored, a weekly wrap up of the voices that have landed over on Buckeye House Call's FB page. We've snagged two separate topics for this week. If you'd like to add your two cents, click on the topic title and it'll take you over to the conversation. Want to see the fellow Buckeye fans who are posting the comments? Click on their name below.

Former Buckeye WR Ray Small Arrested

According to Brandon Castel of The O-Zone, former Buckeye WR Ray Small - often a resident of Jim Tressel's dog house - was arrested in Meigs County Sunday with Oxycontin, marijuana, heroin and a loaded 25 caliber pistol.

Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Woody Hayes - these names will live on in Buckeye lore throughout the ages. The great triumphs of the legends of the fall, the men of the Scarlet and Gray, whose great skills brought forth glory to Ohio State will live on forever through our memories. But what of the forgotten heroes? Needless to say as long as the list is for the most famous Buckeyes of all time, there would be an equally long list (if not longer) of the men who have been left in the dust, forgotten in the shadows of more recent legends. At a place like Ohio State, with its rich history and tradition of excellence on the gridiron, it’s easy to see how this may have happened, but it is sad none the less that they may not be remembered quite as well as they should be. That is why I am taking the liberty of showcasing three Ohio State legends that have fallen by the wayside, but never the less deserve the same respect and adoration as their Buckeye brothers whom we know so well today. Join me now as I take you through this edition of the Lost Legends.