Our Honor Defend

This post will be a self-serving exercise.  I originally started working on it in early November, but got back into the grind of work.  It’s about a month overdue.  If you want, you can skip it and we’ll resume to regularly scheduled programming some other time since this will be a personal post.   As you may know, I live in Alabama and have lived here for the 4 years after graduation from The Ohio State University.  I get to return to Ohio once every other year.  Money doesn’t exactly pile up, but when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped on the opportunity to take a vacay to Ohio a little over a month ago for the Penn State game (in Happy Valley).  Yep, Alabama is such that I vacation in Columbus, Ohio.

My friend, college roommate and two-time district qualifier at Reynoldsburg¹ Ben was instrumental in this trip.  I talked with him a bit before this trip, well aware that we’d probably be doing our late evening socializing (read: drinking) at Halftime Tavern.  In the weeks leading up to my flight, he innocently said that Pete Johnson was a regular at that bar and that he orchestrates cook-outs for road games.  Yes, that Pete Johnson.  Yes, 58 career rushing touchdowns Pete Johnson.  Those that follow the blog know my interest in Pete Johnson, beyond the mere fact that he was the fullback for Archie Griffin.  Rather, he was an instrumental element of the Fab Four backfield of the mid-70s.  Comprised of Cornelius Greene, Pete Johnson, Archie Griffin and Brian Baschnagel, the Fab Four backfield was such that an offense built around any one of them would straight up beat you.  Their aggregate product simply meant they would beat you badly.  1975 is a case in point.  It was an offense that led to a second Heisman for Archie, scoring records for Pete Johnson (25 TDs) and could drive you nuts on end-arounds for Baschnagel and scrambles and keepers for Flam.  So, yeah: the prospect of even being in the same bar as one of those guys was enough to get me excited.  In spite of being a meek and uninteresting guy, I tried to tell my friends that I was going to meet him and, at the least, shake his hand and thank him for his contributions (and he contributed a lot) to the lore of Ohio State football.  My friends, who get to see him regularly at Halftime, were kind of amused that I geeked out as much as I did.

My friend Ben gets a lot of credit for this.  Since Ben is much more social than I am and able to accomplish far more in social settings than I can, he whistled over someone in charge at Halftime Tavern, introducing me as his friend and saying that I was dying to meet Pete Johnson.  At the least, he said he’d make it happen and that Pete Johnson was approachable.  I didn’t even need that much.  When we showed up at Halftime Tavern about a half hour before kickoff, we saw Pete Johnson and his friends setting up shop for the cookout.  They were arranging tables, setting up the food for the bar employees and laying out the door prizes on a table for the raffle that I did not anticipate.  Among the door prizes was an autographed picture of a #48.  My friend Ben saw it and shouted over to me “hey, who’s this #48?”.  Who do you think it was; it was the patron saint of this blog and the Buckstache king himself Brian Baschnagel.  As I came up to the table, I was expecting he was referring to Baschnagel and, when I saw that it was indeed an autographed picture of Baschnagel, I very audibly began to give my friend a hard time for not knowing about Brian Dale Baschnagel, the famed wingback of the Fab Four backfield, one of the biggest contributors of that famed 1972 recruiting class and, likely, the greatest football player to come from North Allegheny SHS.  As soon as I said this, Pete Johnson comes up to me and, pleasantly surprised, asks how I know about Brian Baschnagel and how I know that much about him.

Yes, Brian Baschnagel was my icebreaker for talking with Pete Johnson.

I expressed my interest in that backfield to him and, fully aware of who he was, I began asking questions and expressing my interest in the players that he played with.  Lots of names came up and Pete said that he tries to keep in contact with all of them on a regular basis.  I was pleased to hear that most people he’s able to keep in contact with are doing well.  Corny is doing well; Baschnagel is living well in Glenview, Illinois as Pat Forde knows now.  The moment turned a little sour when he mentioned Ken Kuhn, who sadly committed suicide in November 2006.  He seemed to genuinely miss the Kuhndog.  The tone of the conversation turned upward when I asked him about his relationship with Woody Hayes.  There’s not a day goes by, says Pete, where he doesn’t think of Woody Hayes.  I asked him about what we hear of his aggressive coaching demeanor.  Specifically, I brought up the Tom Skladany quote of “You were afraid of him as a freshman, you hated him as a sophomore, liked him as a junior, and loved him as a senior”, as quoted in Woody’s Boys.  For Pete, there was never a doubt.  He loved him from the moment he stepped on campus.

To be sure, there were whimsical stories.  I asked him about Woody summoning Pete Johnson into his office on a Sunday after what I believe was his 5 TD outburst against North Carolina.  It was an occasion where Woody grabbed Pete Johnson by the shirt and advised him that, should he see the reporter who wrote so glowingly about his performance, he should hit him for trying to make him weak.  Pete laughed after recounting that story.  He even reminisced about why Woody Hayes admonished him for having signed with West Virginia.  For Woody, that was like choosing a Ford over a Cadillac.  The one story he mentioned that I did not know involves the 1976 Penn State game.  I’ll try to recount this as accurately as I can remember it, in order to do justice to the story.   As the Buckeyes were getting ready to travel to Happy Valley in 1976 to play the Nittany Lions, there was an inclement weather scare (fog, I think) that posed a risk of getting to State College by air.  When confronted with what to do, Woody mulled his options for a second and then came to a conclusion: “send in the second team first”, since this was an era when first and second teams arrived at road games separately, apparently.  I thought it was humorous.  It got a laugh out of my dad when I told him, since he has business experience in State College.

It wasn’t too long before he had to go attend to other stuff while I had to go call my dad and make him feel jealous that I’ve now met one half of the Fab Four backfield².  Further, it was just about game time and, well, I had to watch.  Periodically, Pete Johnson and his friends would announce some raffle prizes.  I bought tickets from one of Pete’s friends when we came in, especially after seeing an autographed picture of Brian Baschnagel as one of the available prizes.  It’s how I also won an autographed picture of Brian Brown, which was also one of the door prizes.  At half, I was enjoying my beer talking with Ben and Nick about the game to that point when Pete Johnson summoned me to his table.  Yes, Pete Johnson summoned me.

Rock.

We started chatting again, the substance of which mostly involving topics of my curiosity.  I was able to finally find out what brought him north to New York (where he finished HS) from Peachtree County, where he was born.  It was essentially family considerations.  I asked him about the recruiting process, mostly curious to hear from him about how it operated for him and compare it with what I know now.  It was interesting to hear him talk about how early Auburn started recruiting him, how most people confused him for a senior when he was a sophomore, and how all the southern schools followed him to New York.  In hindsight, I should’ve asked him about Bobby Bowden.  Bobby Bowden was head coach at West Virginia and had originally signed Pete Johnson before Johnson eventually headed to Ohio State.  Part of me also wanted to bring up his name.  Pete Johnson wasn’t always Pete Johnson.  He enrolled as Willie James Hammock.  Interesting as I think that discussion would be, at least for my own gnostic endeavors, it seems like the intricacies of identity and self-labeling may have been a bit much for a bar discussion during intermission of an Ohio State-Penn State game.

All the while, his friends that were with him at the table seemed genuinely stunned that I knew so much about him.  That was kinda cool if I was reading their reaction and their comments correctly.

It didn’t take long before the second half of the game started, and I wanted to get back to my table in front of the TV, obsess about every play and Zach Boren blowing up Sean Lee, and bask in the glow of me being in the same bar with Pete Johnson.  I told Pete before I left that I had my eyes on some of his raffle prizes.  The two gems were still remaining: the autographed Brian Baschnagel pic aforementioned, as well as a 16×20 drawing of the Fab Four backfield autographed (not sure if it was a genuine autograph or a facsimile) by Corny, Archie, Pete and Baschnagel.  He assured me that, after the game, if one of my tickets was called, I could just go up and take it.

It was a great second half, as I’m sure you all remember.  Ben and I, as well friends Nick, Chris, Adam, Joe, Dude (hand to God, it’s his name) and others, watched as the Buckeyes eventually turned a tight game into a delightful occasion for chestbumps and high-fives.  Everybody won that night, and it felt great to finally be back among friends… in a safe place, a happy place.  However, to really win that night, I had to get either (or both) the autographed Baschnagel pic or the fab four drawing.  Since the game was over, any ticket number of mine that was called would allow me to go up to the table and snatch one of them.  I just needed one, but it wasn’t forthcoming.  With each ticket being called, some of the better prizes disappeared.  Fortunately, Ben let me know something; most people at the bar had different preferences than me.  Seriously, as the tickets were getting called, people were taking such odd prizes as a Washington Redskins feaux-eyeblack kit over the things that I so greatly coveted³.

While that was undeniably true — and, for me, one of the most unconscionable things I have seen all year, it still remained that prizes were disappearing and it was only a matter of time before someone took one (or both!) of the things that I coveted so badly.  Sure enough, one of the tickets called was one of Pete Johnson’s friends.  She took: the fab four drawing.  Whoever got the next ticket it seemed was poised to take something that I felt was my destiny to have: the autographed 8×10 pic of Brian D. Baschnagel.  The ticket called wasn’t mine.  But it was one of a few that my friend Chris had.  Fortunately, Chris had the heart to select the Baschnagel pic and give it to me to enjoy, as a gift.  No doubt, this was the most charitable act done by anyone this decade⁴.  I emerged a winner this night.  The Buckeyes handled Penn State in Happy Valley.  With the Northwestern upset of Iowa earlier that same day, the Buckeyes were now in the position to clinch the Big Ten’s BCS bid with a victory the next week against Iowa.  Now, I had an autographed picture of Brian Baschnagel… that I got (indirectly) from Pete Johnson.

Rock.

That wasn’t all, though.  My friends and I eventually began to pile out to get a bite to eat after an exhausting day of drinking.  Before I left, I went up to Pete Johnson, shook his hand, thanked him, asked him if I could get a picture taken to show my Facebook friends in Alabama how awesome my life is for having had the honor of meeting Pete Johnson⁵.  Afterwards, I turned around to leave before Pete Johnson summoned me back.  He asked one of his friends to get a spare card of his, a blown up 5×7 Topps card of his playing days with the Bengals.  He asked me what my name was and signed it accordingly and gave it to me.  A memento of my trip to Ohio.  Perfect.  He asked me what I do, certainly in Alabama.  I also told him about my blog and I think one of his friends wrote down the address.  I told him essentially that I worship him, Baschnagel and his other teammates.  I think he told me he’d tell Baschnagel about the weird kid from Alabama who knows so damn much about him and the website he runs.  I’m not sure if he did, but just him telling me that was awesome.

It’s a little belated, but I wanted to thank my friends in Ohio for the experience.  Friends and family are the most important things in my life, and it’s really all I’m left with outside of my own cognitive faculties.  It’s just wonderful to know that the common thread underlying all friends and family is The Ohio State University and it’s why my passion for the university and its relevant extensions, no matter how obsessive it is, continues to grow.  So: Ben, Nick, Chris, Adam, Dude, Dave, Joe, Nikki, LT, Tina, Lauren, Brennan, Sprinkle⁶ and anyone else whose name I may have forgotten after a month back in the grind: thank you.  I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.

The remaining thoughts can be wrapped up in Tip of the Hat/Wag of the Finger form.

Tip of the Hat

• The main library.  This was finally my opportunity to see the finished product and it did not disappoint.  My friend Nick and I took the entire day of Friday just to wander around campus.  Ben tried to join us, but was held up at work.  The library was just stunning.  It was the perfect blend of both the feel of a library and the feel of a museum.  Prospective students were being led around the library to check it out and, well, if I was one of them, I would’ve “committed” on the spot.
• Halftime Tavern. I think Ben is going to send me a curious e-mail for saying this, but I loved the gameday experience of the bar beyond the fact that Pete Johnson was there.  The bartenders were pleasant.  Relevant management types were pleasant and fun to talk to and, well, Pete Johnson is always there.  Yes, the Pete Johnson.  That’s not all they have for local attractions.  They announced they were going to have Dee Miller, Michael Wiley, Craig Krenzel and… umm… someone else I’m forgetting for the Michigan game.  They must have been there, just hanging around being Dee Miller, Michael Wiley and Craig Krenzel (and someone else that I’m forgetting).  If you’re in Columbus, I’d recommend it.  If I lived in Columbus, I’d hang out there to watch every road game.
• Eddie George Bar and Grill.  I never went in while I was a student.  It wasn’t open that long before I graduated.  It’s not a must-have experience, but where else are you going to get wall-to-wall Ohio State stuff, and on the TV as well, during the middle of a day?  Maybe I’m easily amused, but remember where I live.
• Terrelle Pryor.  After a lunch at Eddie George’s Bar and Grill on South Campus Gateway, I was chatting with Nick before he turned up and said “is that Terrelle Pryor?”.  “Where?”, I asked.  “Over there in the suit walking out of Finish Line”.  Yep, ‘sno ’nuff.  It was Terrelle Pryor, at about 2:00pm, on a Friday, the day before a road game, walking out of Finish Line in a suit.  He hopped into his car (it looked to be a Dodge Charger, but I’m not good with cars) and peeled out, but not before I was witness.  Neat.  If I had to guess, he bought those sneakers before immediately racing over to the team jet and flying to State College.  It was the same gray suit he was wearing after the game.
• Zisis Sarikopoulos.  Saw the 7 foot transfer from Alabama-Birmingham wandering around High Street.  He was wearing about 3 hooded sweatshirts and his lettermen in what was like 50 degree weather.  It seemed a bit much, but it was cool to see.
• El Caballo de Sangre.  Nick and I were in between social things before heading over to Ben’s to, well, drink some more.  Before we did that, I stopped by to chat with blog regular El Caballo.  We talked about some anxieties for the game and reminisced about some of the more esoteric elements of early Cooper-era Buckeye football, specifically Robert Smith and Butler By’not’e.  Caballo was fun to talk to and it was a pleasure to meet one of the people I otherwise just interact through with this medium.

Wag of the Finger

• Whoever was responsible for that huge car wreck on I-20/I-59 between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.  I don’t know what tanker had the bright idea to lose control and tip over on the stretch of highway adjacent to Bessemer, but, dude, the ensuing chaos chewed up the next 3 exits of highway.  I lost an hour in the gridlock and almost missed my flight.  Dude, seriously, selfish.
• Sloppy Donkey.  Larry’s you are not and your logo is in incredibly poor taste.  I will see you in hell accordingly.
• People at Halftime Tavern not paying attention to the game. Amateurs.  I expect that nonsense in Alabama, but there’s nothing more important than Ohio State football when it’s on the damn TV in front of you.  Put down the miniature basketball and cornhole and pay attention.
• Man on the flight from Atlanta to Birmingham. He was reading Twilight (Strike 1), on a Kindle (Strike 2) and, after getting the complimentary drink, he promptly spilled it all over me while I was admiring my then unframed autographed Pete Johnson card (Strike 3).  If any had hit the Pete Johnson card, the ensuing homicide would’ve been so fast that the Guinness World Record it would’ve resulted in would’ve given me instant prison cred for the manslaughter I committed.  It didn’t help him that he kept invading my space to make way for his frame.

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, one that makes me wish I lived a little closer to what I consider home.  Parents are going to retire from Los Angeles to Ohio within a few years and I hope to be nearby within the next few years as well.

1. Don’t believe me? Just ask him.  He’ll tell you. [↩]
2. Archie and I crossed paths many-a time in the fall of 2005. [↩]
3. Use of this verb is intentional. Inside joke. [↩]
4. …and that is no lie nor hyperbole.  Ben was right in saying that if any of them had their ticket called, they would’ve gotten it for me.  I have great friends and I’m thankful for Chris giving me the Baschnagel pic. [↩]
5. I’m hoping Chris finds this, because he took one of the pics. [↩]
6. Absent from the festivities, but there in spirit. [↩]