Brett Ludwiczak
Guest
You’re Nuts: Who is your favorite Ohio State Buckeye who came from the 614?
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Friday is the 14th day of the sixth month of the year, which makes it 614 Day. The 614 area code is synonymous with the greater Columbus area. The day has become a holiday of sorts in the capital city of Ohio, as all the greatest people, places, and things from the area are celebrated even more than normal. Even though the 614 area code doesn’t cover as much area as it used to, especially with the recent introduction of the 380 area code, the 614 area code still gets acknowledged as the area code pertaining to Columbus. Plus, there is no March 80th or even 380th day of the year that we celebrate like we do 614 Day.
It would be easy to go on for quite some time about all of our favorite things from Columbus. Instead, we’ll keep it simple and show some love to our favorite Buckeyes who came to Ohio State from the 614. Since the 614 area code essentially covers Franklin County and some parts of a couple of surrounding counties, we’re looking at Ohio State alums who came to the school from Columbus and nearby suburbs. To keep things fun, just use your best judgment when it comes to whether a certain Buckeye can be considered a 614 product.
I can already hear everybody booing even before I mention I’m a New York Yankees fan. Not like I’m not used to it after living in Columbus for nearly 20 years and sporting a Yankees hat pretty much every time I leave the house. Combining my Yankees and Buckeyes fandom made my choice for this question very easy.
Swisher was born in Columbus but spent his teenage years in Parkersburg, West Virginia with his grandparents after his parents divorced. Even though he played high school baseball in West Virginia, I’m still counting Swisher as a Columbus guy since he was born here and spent the first few years of his life in the capital of Ohio. Plus, he loved it here so much that he returned to Columbus to play baseball at Ohio State. Over three seasons with the Buckeyes, Swisher hit .323 in 169 games with 35 home runs and 156 runs batted in.
After going undrafted out of high school, Swisher was selected in the first round with the 16th overall pick of the 2002 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Following a 20-game stint with Oakland in 2004, Swisher became a fixture with the A’s in 2005, smashing 21 home runs and knocking in 74 runs in 131 games, finishing sixth in voting for American League Rookie of the Year. In January 2008, Swisher was traded to the Chicago White Sox, where he would spend a year on the south side.
The White Sox would trade Swisher to the Yankees in November 2008, but there was the question of how long Swisher would be in pinstripes since the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira, and heading into the 2009 season New York had Xavier Nady starting in right field. Nady would end up getting injured early in the season, opening up a spot for Swisher to see regular time in the lineup. The Yankees would go on to win the 2009 World Series.
Even though I wasn’t a fan of Swisher heading to Cleveland following the 2012 season, it ended up being a blessing for New York since they used the compensatory draft pick they received for losing Swisher to draft Aaron Judge, who is probably mashing another home run as you are reading this. Swisher has a larger-than-life personality and you could tell how much he loved playing baseball and entertaining the fans.
It also is apparent how much the university loves Swisher since the playing field at Bill Davis Stadium is named for Swisher. While there can be a debate on who the best football and basketball Ohio State players from Columbus are, there’s no doubt Swisher takes the honor when it comes to baseball.
There is likely a little bit of recency bias and hometown pride baked into this one, but I am going with fellow Pickerington native Jae’Season Tate. When he was a Buckeye, he was an undersized post-player who fought, scratched, and clawed his way on the floor and into being one of the best players on some pretty good OSU teams.
He was never the most athletic or skilled player on the squads, but there were times when he was certainly the most reliable and possibly the best. From the moment he made the 20-ish minute trip to campus as a freshman, Tate was an impact player. As a true freshman in 2014-15, he averaged 8.8 points and 5 rebounds per game for Thad Matta. As a sophomore, that improved to 11.7 points and 6.4 boards, and he added in 1.5 assists as well.
However, his best statistical season came in what proved to be Matta’s final year with the Buckeyes. In 2016-17, Tate led the team with 14.3 points and was second with 6.4 rebounds. But what makes that season stand out in my mind is how rock-solid he was in an otherwise disappointing season.
The Buckeyes finished the season 17-15 (7-11 in Big Ten play), the only time Matta didn’t reach 20 wins in Columbus. However, Tate continued to fight for his team, his coach, and himself. He was the epitome of what you would want a Buckeye to be. He made me proud to be a Buckeye and a Pickerington Tiger.
He followed that up with a good season under Chris Holtmann and then pursued his professional career. After two seasons overseas, Tate worked his way onto the roster of the Houston Rockets and has become a valuable piece of the franchise, even making the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2021.
Jae’Season Tate will likely never be remembered as the best player in the history of Buckeye basketball, but he very well might be my favorite player.
Continue reading...
Brett Ludwiczak via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Your (almost) daily dose of good-natured, Ohio State banter.
Friday is the 14th day of the sixth month of the year, which makes it 614 Day. The 614 area code is synonymous with the greater Columbus area. The day has become a holiday of sorts in the capital city of Ohio, as all the greatest people, places, and things from the area are celebrated even more than normal. Even though the 614 area code doesn’t cover as much area as it used to, especially with the recent introduction of the 380 area code, the 614 area code still gets acknowledged as the area code pertaining to Columbus. Plus, there is no March 80th or even 380th day of the year that we celebrate like we do 614 Day.
It would be easy to go on for quite some time about all of our favorite things from Columbus. Instead, we’ll keep it simple and show some love to our favorite Buckeyes who came to Ohio State from the 614. Since the 614 area code essentially covers Franklin County and some parts of a couple of surrounding counties, we’re looking at Ohio State alums who came to the school from Columbus and nearby suburbs. To keep things fun, just use your best judgment when it comes to whether a certain Buckeye can be considered a 614 product.
Today’s question: Who is your favorite Ohio State Buckeye who came from the 614?
We’d love to hear your choices. Either respond to us on Twitter at @Landgrant33 or leave your choice in the comments.
Brett’s answer: Nick Swisher
I can already hear everybody booing even before I mention I’m a New York Yankees fan. Not like I’m not used to it after living in Columbus for nearly 20 years and sporting a Yankees hat pretty much every time I leave the house. Combining my Yankees and Buckeyes fandom made my choice for this question very easy.
Swisher was born in Columbus but spent his teenage years in Parkersburg, West Virginia with his grandparents after his parents divorced. Even though he played high school baseball in West Virginia, I’m still counting Swisher as a Columbus guy since he was born here and spent the first few years of his life in the capital of Ohio. Plus, he loved it here so much that he returned to Columbus to play baseball at Ohio State. Over three seasons with the Buckeyes, Swisher hit .323 in 169 games with 35 home runs and 156 runs batted in.
After going undrafted out of high school, Swisher was selected in the first round with the 16th overall pick of the 2002 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Following a 20-game stint with Oakland in 2004, Swisher became a fixture with the A’s in 2005, smashing 21 home runs and knocking in 74 runs in 131 games, finishing sixth in voting for American League Rookie of the Year. In January 2008, Swisher was traded to the Chicago White Sox, where he would spend a year on the south side.
The White Sox would trade Swisher to the Yankees in November 2008, but there was the question of how long Swisher would be in pinstripes since the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira, and heading into the 2009 season New York had Xavier Nady starting in right field. Nady would end up getting injured early in the season, opening up a spot for Swisher to see regular time in the lineup. The Yankees would go on to win the 2009 World Series.
Even though I wasn’t a fan of Swisher heading to Cleveland following the 2012 season, it ended up being a blessing for New York since they used the compensatory draft pick they received for losing Swisher to draft Aaron Judge, who is probably mashing another home run as you are reading this. Swisher has a larger-than-life personality and you could tell how much he loved playing baseball and entertaining the fans.
It also is apparent how much the university loves Swisher since the playing field at Bill Davis Stadium is named for Swisher. While there can be a debate on who the best football and basketball Ohio State players from Columbus are, there’s no doubt Swisher takes the honor when it comes to baseball.
Matt’s answer: Jae’Sean Tate
There is likely a little bit of recency bias and hometown pride baked into this one, but I am going with fellow Pickerington native Jae’Season Tate. When he was a Buckeye, he was an undersized post-player who fought, scratched, and clawed his way on the floor and into being one of the best players on some pretty good OSU teams.
He was never the most athletic or skilled player on the squads, but there were times when he was certainly the most reliable and possibly the best. From the moment he made the 20-ish minute trip to campus as a freshman, Tate was an impact player. As a true freshman in 2014-15, he averaged 8.8 points and 5 rebounds per game for Thad Matta. As a sophomore, that improved to 11.7 points and 6.4 boards, and he added in 1.5 assists as well.
However, his best statistical season came in what proved to be Matta’s final year with the Buckeyes. In 2016-17, Tate led the team with 14.3 points and was second with 6.4 rebounds. But what makes that season stand out in my mind is how rock-solid he was in an otherwise disappointing season.
The Buckeyes finished the season 17-15 (7-11 in Big Ten play), the only time Matta didn’t reach 20 wins in Columbus. However, Tate continued to fight for his team, his coach, and himself. He was the epitome of what you would want a Buckeye to be. He made me proud to be a Buckeye and a Pickerington Tiger.
He followed that up with a good season under Chris Holtmann and then pursued his professional career. After two seasons overseas, Tate worked his way onto the roster of the Houston Rockets and has become a valuable piece of the franchise, even making the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2021.
Jae’Season Tate will likely never be remembered as the best player in the history of Buckeye basketball, but he very well might be my favorite player.
Continue reading...