Enjoying The Era Of Good Feelings

Anyone who took high school American History class will recall that, at one point during the early years of the young Republic, there was a time known as the “Era of Good Feelings.”  It was a period that began shortly after the end of the War of 1812 and lasted for about a decade, spanning virtually the entire administration of President James Monroe.  It was never entirely clear why Americans had good feelings, much less why an entire historical era bore that tantalizing name, but we learned about it just the same.

I’m in my own personal era of good feelings — brought about by Ohio State’s titanic victory in the first-ever college football playoff National Championship Game — and I’m trying to make it linger for as long as possible.

My primary method of extending this modern “Era of Good Feeling” has been avoiding any news or interaction that might torpedo my mood.  Since virtually all news these days is off-putting, that means paying no attention to news web sites or irritants like the Grammys ceremony, and instead watching and rewatching the three crucial games in the Buckeyes’ march to immortality — the Big Ten Championship game, the Sugar Bowl, and the National Championship Game.  I’ve watched them each multiple times, to the point where my lovely wife is starting to wonder how in the hell I can watch the same broadcast again and again.  So, I’ve tried to be a bit more surreptitious in getting my fix, watching shorter, edited versions of the games when Kish is out of the house.  I still enjoy them, anyway.

In American history, the Era of Good Feeling ended when James Monroe’s second term ended, multiple members of his Cabinet and other figures all tried to grab for the presidential brass ring, and a divided four-way election was acrimoniously decided by the House of Representatives amid charges of corruption.  I know that my Era of Good Feelings inevitably will end, too — but it’s been fun while it’s lasted. In the meantime, have you seen this nifty 16-minute collection of plays from the Big Ten Championship Game?

Good Karma

Sports fans know intuitively that concepts like karma are vitally important to the outcomes of key games.  Whether you are at the game or watching at home, life gives you little clues about whether things are going to go smoothly and whether the ball is going to bounce favorably . . . or not.  Most fans are superstitious because of this inner awareness — if they wear the same shirt and follow the same routine, they are less likely to invite occurrences that indicate that the balance is tilted against them.

On my trip to Dallas, the little signs were everywhere, and I was keenly sensitive to them.

The trip got off on a wrong foot when my flight to Atlanta was delayed and it looked like I would inevitably miss my connection to Oklahoma City, but I somehow made it anyway.  I drove from Oklahoma City to Dallas without mechanical problems, bad traffic, or speeding tickets.  Thanks to the Friendly Flynns, we had a great place to stay and a great Game Day southern breakfast.  We found a perfect parking spot at AT&T Stadium, enjoyed a laugh-filled lunch with buddies from Cleveland, and did some tailgating with an old friend at a location where there were some hilarious signs and antics by excited ticket holders.  And somehow, in the crush of humanity, we randomly ran into colleagues at one of many temporary souvenir shops set up in a tent along one of the roads around the stadium.

And then, when I finally sat my wind-chilled bones in my seat high in the upper deck of the House that Jerry Built, the first image I saw on the enormous Jumbotron above the field was a sweater vest-clad Jim Tressel, a great coach and even better man who was present at the game because he was being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.  With the comforting presence of Coach Tressel hovering over the field, how could the Ohio State Buckeyes possibly lose?  And, of course, they didn’t.

It’s nice to go into an important game with good karma, and it’s even better when that good karma produces the desired result.  The fates were with us.

Undisputed National Champions

They did it. This doubted and disrespected Ohio State team, one that had absorbed so many blows and endured so much adversity, somehow did it. They swept the big games, toppled the mighty Crimson Tide, beat the Heisman Trophy winner, and won the National Championship.

And they did so in very convincing fashion. Despite four drive-killing turnovers, the Buckeyes never quit. And when Oregon pulled to within one point, the Buckeyes ran the ball down their throats and stonewalled them on defense. For anyone who likes old school football — and I’m one of them — it was a very satisfying, affirming win. By the end of the game the Buckeyes had beaten Oregon physically and mentally, and the Ducks just wanted no part of the Buckeyes, on offense or defense.

So here’s to Urban Meyer and his staff. Here’s to Cardale Jones and Ezekiel Elliott and the bulldozers on the offensive line and the great receivers. Here’s to Joey Bosa and Michael Bennett and Adolphus Washington and Darron Lee and Tyvis Powell and the rest of those hard-hitting defenders who didn’t get rattled and stopped the supposedly unstoppable Ducks offense.

So now, the Buckeyes are Undisputed National Champions, and the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas was lit up to proclaim that fact. What a win!

The Gates Open

There was a crush of humanity coming into AT&T Stadium when the gates opened. A lot of it was excitement to get the game face on, but there also was a desire to get away from the cold and a biting wind.

Tailgate Time

It’s tailgate time. Bucks and Ducks both representing in a cold Texas breeze. Game time is drawing near!

Game Site

We came early, to beat the rush. The stadium awaits. But first, some tailgating and mingling with fellow members of Buckeye Nation.

Game Day

Well, it’s Game Day. Oregon Ducks and Ohio State Buckeyes fans have descended on Dallas in force. Last night at dinner there were school colors everywhere in evidence and some friendly bantering between supporters of the two universities.

In addition to anticipation of the game itself, there’s also curiosity and questions about the venue. AT&T Stadium is supposed to be a lavish monument to Texas football. But, where to park? Are there places to eat nearby? How bad will the traffic be? When should we head to Arlington?

Kish calls me the uptight traveler, and she’s right — I like to get to places early. In this case, getting to the game site early not only seems prudent, but it also will allow us to enjoy the pomp and pageantry and building excitement of the very first college football National Championship Game.

Off To Big D

This morning it’s off to Dallas for the National Championship Game.  For me, and for many others, it will be a circuitous journey.

Not surprisingly, flights from Columbus, Ohio to Dallas, Texas became a hot commodity as of about 1 a.m. on January 2, 2015.  By the time I secured a ticket to the National Championship Game to root on the Buckeyes, reservations for flights to Dallas prior to the game fell into two categories:  already sold out or outrageously overpriced.  As is their right in a capitalistic economy, airlines followed the law of supply and demand and jacked up their prices for flights.  As is our right, prudent members of Buckeye Nation explored their ability to secure other, more reasonably priced methods of getting to the game.

So, today I’m flying to Oklahoma City via Atlanta. Then I will rent a car and then drive about 200 miles south to Dallas.  This is similar to the fun trip Russell and I had to the Ohio State-Miami National Championship Game, when we flew to San Diego and then drove through the desert to Tempe, Arizona.  And I’m not alone in choosing an indirect route.  Others are flying to Houston and then taking to the highways, and still others are already on a 1,000-mile road trip to Dallas, hoping that they don’t get sidetracked by a winter storm.

The main thing is to get there and cheer on the Buckeyes.  If the journey becomes an adventure, so much the better.  Go Bucks!

Gearing Up

I was lucky enough to score one ticket to the National Championship Game.  Tomorrow I leave on a roundabout trains, planes, and automobiles journey that I’ll write about later.

For today, though, the problem was getting appropriate gear for the game.  My Buckeyes ball cap, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and other gear are all in storage, along with 99.9 percent of our stuff.  And if you’re going to the National Championship Game to support your team, you’ve got to represent.  No worries, though — living in Columbus, it’s easy to gear up for the game with a stop at Conrad’s.  Now, equipped with sweatshirt and cap, I’m ready.

Books For Buckeyes

In football-crazy Columbus, everyone has National Championship Game fever, and even the Main Library has publicly declared its allegiance to the cause of the Ohio State Buckeyes.  And, the OSU shirt and Brutus Buckeye headgear has the added benefit of helping to keep the fountain child warm during our current cold spell.

Wishing, Waiting, And Watching TV

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a bye week this weekend.  Does that mean that the members of Buckeye Nation won’t be watching football?  Hardly!

No, this is the time of year when any team on the outside looking in is watching the scoreboard, hoping the teams just ahead get knocked off.  That’s Ohio State’s situation.  The Buckeyes are undefeated, but they are ranked fourth in the BCS standings behind Alabama, Florida State, and Oregon.  If the Buckeyes hope to make the BCS Championship Game — and of course they do — they need to win out and have two of those teams lose.  The Buckeyes control the former requirement, but they can’t control the latter.  That means that, on every weekend for the rest of the season, Ohio State fans will be rooting for the Buckeyes and Whoever is playing Alabama, Whoever is playing Florida State, and Whoever is playing Oregon, too.

The TV watching season kicks off in earnest tonight, when Stanford matches up against Oregon, and continues on Saturday, when Alabama plays LSU.  These are games where, theoretically at least, the teams ahead of Ohio State could be upset and open the door for Ohio State to move up in the rankings.

I’m mostly concerned with the Buckeyes keeping their focus exclusively on their personal improvement and their next opponent.  Because I’m not playing, however, I’ll gladly do some scoreboard watching and open rooting on behalf of the Men of the Scarlet and Gray.  So . . . c’mon Cardinal!  C’mon Bengal Tigers!

The SEC Kicks Butt

I’m a Big Ten fan — always have been, always will be.  But even diehard Big Ten fans should be tipping their cap to Alabama and the teams of the SEC, which have established a dominance in college football that would make the New York Yankees of old green with envy.

Alabama crushed unbeaten Notre Dame last night, 42-14.  The game wasn’t that close.  Alabama has won three of the last four national championships.  Add the championships won by LSU, Florida, and Auburn — all of the SEC — and you have an amazing record of success.  The truth is that, right now, the SEC teams are better.

We can argue about why.  Some Big Ten fans will tell you its because SEC teams oversign, or boot kids who aren’t performing as expected for bogus reasons so they can sign other prospects, or don’t have the academic standards that Big Ten teams and other schools do.  But on the field, the results are inarguable:  the SEC teams are just better, and they are proving it, year to year and national championship game to national championship game.

Ohio State and Urban Meyer hope to get to the mountaintop, where Alabama has set up camp.  Last night’s trouncing of the Fighting Irish shows what the Buckeyes need to aim for.  It’s not going to be an easy target to hit.