Why I love opening day...

[Steve19]

Today, it is raining, windy, and about 60F here in the southern hemisphere. Spring is officially just a few days away and the transformation is underway. People are bundled in coats. Rain is falling in horizontal sheets. It's a bit of a miserable day.

The sun hasn't risen in Columbus yet. The city sleeps. Ohio Stadium is dark.

But I can't see any of the bad weather here.

I smell the heat coming off the grass in Ohio Stadium. I feel the sunburn on my skin from sitting in the sun to watch the game.

And if I close my eyes a moment, I can hear the opening game playing on a tinny handheld transistor radio in the 1960s sitting in a tree in the field beside what was then a two-lane Morse Road. While my friend and I listened, we strained to see Columbus's only skyscraper and talked about how it had been the fifth tallest building in the world. My father. My grandfather. My uncles. My brother. My friends. And I can see Woody running on the sidelines. I can hear the cacophony of so many opening games. So many promising teams.

[FONT=&quot]And this is why I love opening day of Ohio State football--all of those memories come alive for me once again and it is as if those days are today. Family and friends no longer with me are here and I am there. The separation and distance become irrelevant details. Today, we are all one.
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[Steve19]

I may have to hang on to those memories more than I thought.

The wind has picked up incredibly in the last hour and a national weather warning has been issued. The worst storm in a decade will hit the coast here at 9am EST. We are expecting a sustained period of 22-25 foot waves as the storm and the spring tide coincide with winds over 50MPH. People are being warned to move away from all low-lying areas and we are getting some incredible wind gusts already.

My house is not in danger, we are higher above the sea than that but it is predicted that a number of very expensive houses closer to the sea could be flooded and suffer major damages.

Forecasters expect electricity outages to happen after the storm hits--just about game time! So, if I am not here at game time folks, put on a bit more sunscreen and enjoy it in my stead!

 

[Mac]

Stay safe Steve, hopefully you can catch part if not all of the game!

 

[Steve19]

Stay safe Steve, hopefully you can catch part if not all of the game!

I think the telephones will stay up and I have arranged for a friend to send me the halftime and final score if I am not able to hold onto computer access. It is quite something to see right now.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Opening day;
I love the way I can feel the excitement rising in my blood the closer it gets to gametime. My persona is football, my essence is Buckeye football. It gets harder to breath.
I can see the excitement of the crowds. So many people in Scarlet and Grey. The faces are a blur yet their movements have stayed the same. They rise as one as the band starts to take the field. They create a sound that is almost too loud to be heard. I thrill in the emotion I feel. I am one with tradition and ceremony.
The players come and go in a kalidiscope of position. Position by position I have watched them since time started or so it seems.
And yet so much more as I take time to appeciate all the traditions as the Buckeye grove, Dotting the i,
the gold pants.
As a Buckeye fan on opening day;
I am simply complete.

 

[buckeyes_rock]

I may have to hang on to those memories more than I thought.

The wind has picked up incredibly in the last hour and a national weather warning has been issued. The worst storm in a decade will hit the coast here at 9am EST. We are expecting a sustained period of 22-25 foot waves as the storm and the spring tide coincide with winds over 50MPH. People are being warned to move away from all low-lying areas and we are getting some incredible wind gusts already.

My house is not in danger, we are higher above the sea than that but it is predicted that a number of very expensive houses closer to the sea could be flooded and suffer major damages.

Forecasters expect electricity outages to happen after the storm hits--just about game time! So, if I am not here at game time folks, put on a bit more sunscreen and enjoy it in my stead!

Good luck over there Steve! Stay safe and go Bucks!

 

[SanAntonioBuck]

I'm sitting here counting down the minutes to kickoff with my son. He's as jacked up as I am! Go Bucks!!!

 

[utgrad73]

Opening day;
I love the way I can feel the excitement rising in my blood the closer it gets to gametime. My persona is football, my essence is Buckeye football. It gets harder to breath.
I can see the excitement of the crowds. So many people in Scarlet and Grey. The faces are a blur yet their movements have stayed the same. They rise as one as the band starts to take the field. They create a sound that is almost too loud to be heard. I thrill in the emotion I feel. I am one with tradition and ceremony.
The players come and go in a kalidiscope of position. Position by position I have watched them since time started or so it seems.
And yet so much more as I take time to appeciate all the traditions as the Buckeye grove, Dotting the i,
the gold pants.
As a Buckeye fan on opening day;
I am simply complete.

Well said.