Just returned from Ohio this evening after a few days with the family at the in-laws.
We made it through the first half Saturday before the weather (and the score) made it impossible with an 8 and 5 year old.
Anyway, two rows behind me are three Buckah fans who are squirrely from the beginning - not 1/10 as bad as the drunk, brain dead hicks behind us in ‘07 - but these guys are chirping.
As my sister in law and her husband get up to get a round of beers, Andy Katzenmoyer and James Laurinitus are being introduced on the field as Ohio State’s Butkus award winners. Now having an empty spot behind me I hear one guy say, “Buckeye Butkus award! How many you got, Illinois?”
I turn around and say, “two plus Butkus.” The three of them look at me like I’m speaking in some rare Romanian dialect until one of them let’s out a, “huh?” I replied, “Illinois has two Butkus award winners plus Butkus, you know, the guy the award was named after.” They continue to stare at me for another five or so seconds until they simultaneously reach their “oh shit” moment and it hits them Butkus was an Illini.
Crickets for the next ten minutes.....nada.
This illustrates the one of the big differences between the two athletic departments: one is a marketing machine while the other....not so much.
We made it through the first half Saturday before the weather (and the score) made it impossible with an 8 and 5 year old.
Anyway, two rows behind me are three Buckah fans who are squirrely from the beginning - not 1/10 as bad as the drunk, brain dead hicks behind us in ‘07 - but these guys are chirping.
As my sister in law and her husband get up to get a round of beers, Andy Katzenmoyer and James Laurinitus are being introduced on the field as Ohio State’s Butkus award winners. Now having an empty spot behind me I hear one guy say, “Buckeye Butkus award! How many you got, Illinois?”
I turn around and say, “two plus Butkus.” The three of them look at me like I’m speaking in some rare Romanian dialect until one of them let’s out a, “huh?” I replied, “Illinois has two Butkus award winners plus Butkus, you know, the guy the award was named after.” They continue to stare at me for another five or so seconds until they simultaneously reach their “oh shit” moment and it hits them Butkus was an Illini.
Crickets for the next ten minutes.....nada.
This illustrates the one of the big differences between the two athletic departments: one is a marketing machine while the other....not so much.
