QB Kirk ‘Nightmare On’ Herbstreit (Frosted Quips, Afraid of THE Lunatic Fringe)

[Bleed S & G]

But he hasn't said anything that's particularly and obviously wrong.

I only have to go back a few pages to see where he said Tim Tebow was going to be the #1 overall selection and win the Heisman last year..

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

... Speils may say "My God, it looks like a pillow fight down there", in reference to Ohio State getting no push on an overmatched [strike]Marshall[/strike] Ohio U. front 4, ...

FIFY

I was at that game - I was more depressed after that game than I was after the mauling in L.A. the following week.

But he hasn't said anything that's particularly and obviously wrong...

No, but he has said things that either;

a) he did not believe, or
b) implied something that he did not believe.

​

The most frequently repeated example was his constant reference to "SEC Speed" as the reason for the SEC's "domination" of the college football landscape. He would also ask rhetorical questions about the Buckeyes' ability to "keep up with all (of) that SEC Speed".

While making the aforementioned statements on national broadcasts, he would speak much differently on his own show. As I still support Herbie, on balance, I have listened to his local show from time to time over the past few years. On the rare occasion that he makes an appearance on his "own" show; he always says things like "OK, let's be real for a second; the NFL has drafted an awful lot of OSU players over the past few years, and the last time I checked, they aren't interested in slow players."

He never said anything like that last quote (paraphrase) on national tv until late in the 4th quarter of the Rose Bowl. When it was obvious that TP and company were running the ball down the Ducks' throat, mostly on the edge; Herbie broke out those words, almost verbatim. And it was done with an air of "Now that they're winning, we can be honest...".

He may not have meant it to sound like that; but that's exactly how it sounded to me.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Anyone who questions his true feelings for his alma mater need to look at his kids decked out in Buckeye attire on College Game Day when he picks us to beat Michigan. He's not just saying, "I think Ohio State will win this game", he's saying, "Here's how I feel about this game", without actually verbalizing it. Even if some of his past comments seemed at little excessive, how many of us haven't yelled far worse shit at our own TVs...shit that, if posted here, would result in short-term banning for Buckeye bashing?

 

[RugbyBuck]

I only have to go back a few pages to see where he said Tim Tebow was going to be the #1 overall selection and win the Heisman last year..

Anything wrong that I heard/read and that related to tOSU or the Big 10. I'm not saying that he hasn't ever made some bonehead statements.

 

[Steve19]

But the point is that Herbie is NOT an employee of The Ohio State University. He is not an employee of the OSU Athletic Department. He is paid by a national corporation to act as a sports journalist, not a sports fan and certainly NOT an Ohio State fan.

Look, I don't want to be seen to be bashing Herbstreit. He played at Ohio State. At the time, he was the best QB we had and he's gone on to land a good job. He's got a job that requires a lot of script reading, sure, but he is considered a respected analyst by a lot of folks.

I can take a step back and see all of that. I think he put his apples in the Petey and Urban cart a lot more than others. There were points last year when he made it sound as if the Big Ten were the MAC. I know he said that the previous year but last year he just went out of his way to say that the conference was weak and the style of play boring and to point out problems at Ohio State. On the other hand, he brightened up and became almost gleeful in describing PAC10/ SEC football, and especially the coaching of Petey and Urban. In my opinion the comments were "way over the top," it turns out that there was indeed cheating in Petey's program and Urban isn't as all there as everyone thought.

I think Cinci has the crux of it right in the opening of his post.

What we do know is that he isn't paid to be an Ohio State fan and his behavior in recent years has convinced many of us that he is not a homer. Only he knows the limits of the discrepancy between his heart and the reason for his statements in recent years.

Personally, I don't know how his breaking down when addressing the Buckeyes affects the players, coaches, or fans. And I don't feel any urge to bash him. I get it. He's not a homer. All I know is that it doesn't change my evaluation of his behavior the last five years in the slightest way.

 

[ScriptOhio]

I thought "jeepers" ended when Scooby Doo went off the air.

Don't ask me how I know, but Scooby Doo is still on the Cartoon Network.

 

[SloopyHangOn]

Serious statement here.

Everyone willing to take the time to post in this thread could take the time to write handwritten letters to ESPN or wherever Kirk might get them. Maybe, one of us might get a personal (or pseudo-personal) response straight from the horses mouth. There's a lot of speculating going on here. Has anyone ever had this discussion with Kirk face to face? It's a pretty polarized debate, I think. The only way to really know rather than assume one way or another is to take it to the source.

I know people who've persistently written letters to figures far less reachable than an ESPN analyst and have gotten personal handwritten responses. So, it's worth a shot right?

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

yeah, celebrities love getting loads of letters from crazy fans. good idea.

 

[Bleed S & G]

Serious statement here.

Everyone willing to take the time to post in this thread could take the time to write handwritten letters to ESPN or wherever Kirk might get them. Maybe, one of us might get a personal (or pseudo-personal) response straight from the horses mouth. There's a lot of speculating going on here. Has anyone ever had this discussion with Kirk face to face? It's a pretty polarized debate, I think. The only way to really know rather than assume one way or another is to take it to the source.

I know people who've persistently written letters to figures far less reachable than an ESPN analyst and have gotten personal handwritten responses. So, it's worth a shot right?

Feel free to waste your time. Not that you won't get a response, but who cares? I mean, really?

 

[jwinslow]

Complaints = ratings to espn.

 

[RugbyBuck]

yeah, celebrities love getting loads of letters from crazy fans. good idea.

Made I larf. Have to wait to post greenies, though.

 

[RugbyBuck]

There were points last year when he made it sound as if the Big Ten were the MAC. I know he said that the previous year but last year he just went out of his way to say that the conference was weak and the style of play boring and to point out problems at Ohio State.

My point exactly. There were times recently where we looked like the MAC, the conference has been weak, and our style of play has been boring and could be seen as playing not to lose. Granted, maybe these things could've/should've been addressed in-house, but they can also be a call to action. We think we're every bit as good as UF, USC, UT, etc. and we should, but there's also room for criticism while waving the flag. Aren't coaches/teachers harder on their own kids than others? Shouldn't we be our toughest critics as long as we don't become the lunatic fringe? I'd much rather hear the truth from Herbstreit than Steppin'-Fetch-it Howard.

 

[SloopyHangOn]

Feel free to waste your time. Not that you won't get a response, but who cares? I mean, really?

My bad, I figured if you guys felt so strongly about it that you'd argue with/insult each other for this long you'd feel strongly enough about it to consider trying something everyone could do together, something sort of productive. You know, togetherness, unity, democracy, all that jazz?

I think I've wandered into the most cynical corner of the web.

 

[jwinslow]

Shouldn't we be our toughest critics as long as we don't become the lunatic fringe?

"Setting the conference back 50 years" is the lunatic fringe.

Granted, maybe these things could've/should've been addressed in-house, but they can also be a call to action.

they can also perpetuate the stereotypes that ESPN pays May & James to carry out, with a scripted weak opponent to oppose everything May believes (Holtz).

 

[RugbyBuck]

Yes, but does anyone really think we were set back 50 years? He's a commentator and the truth shows up (or doesn't) on the field.