Fiesta Bowl deserves better from Tressel, OSU

2009-09-08T11:20:39-04:00

2009-01-02T23:29:00-05:00

172

2009-01-02T23:29:00-05:00

2009-01-05T22:33:11-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/486/014/thumb/staypuft.jpg 1723 OH

Dallas_W

Cincinnati 486454

175 Todd Boeckman took the first snap of the game, making him Ohio State's starting quarterback. Arash's petty little article is officially garbage now. Perhaps Arash would've known about this facet of Ohio State's gameplan if he had actually been interviewing the members of the team at this meeting instead of whining like a baby because he didn't get to interview a freshman. 3872758

2009-01-05T08:04:26-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/524/43/thumb/troy.jpg 91 OH

Pimpinnati

Cincinnati 52683

174 How far the mighty have fallen. OSU? No. Sports Illustrated. No longer do they strive for excellence. They no longer have a collection of top notch sports writers. Instead they now have these twenty something hacks who cost about as much as interns. When you have bargain basement reporters you get bargain basement reports. Simple as that. As for OSU being kept out of the Fiesta in the future. Once again this petulant child fails to understand why OSU is in Arizona. THE ALL MIGHTY DOLLAR. IF OSU is in the situation again the Fiesta bowl will pick them again in a heartbeat as the Buckeyes fill the stadium. They fill the hotels. They draw a huge rating on TV. But then again a reporter with more life experience would actually understand the underlying economic issues .... 3863145

2009-01-04T01:54:52-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/109/758/thumb/basketball.jpg 3 AZ

Sammy333

Phoenix 110058

170 From a totally objective viewer (could care less who wins or about Ohio State or Texas): What good reason could there possibly be for Pryor not to be at the press conference? What is Tressel afraid of? Does Mack Brown hide Colt McCoy? The two quarterbacks are among, if not the most impotant players to be interviewed. How can yo supply 30 "starters" without the starting quarterback? Special teams? Yeah, everyone wants to interview the gunners from the punt coverage team. Give me a break. Tressel (and maybe Pryor himself) is afraid of or hiding something. Otherwise, why not let the kid attend like th other 29 players? 3856978

2009-01-04T20:46:37-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/618/908/thumb/troy-smith-10.jpg 279 OH

Dragon Voyager

Mount Sterling 619548

Does Mack Brown hide Colt McCoy?

173 Well, Mack did try to keep the media attention on Colt down during his Freshman year starting for UT. Fortunately (or unfortunately?) for Mack and UT, they weren't in a big bowl at the end of that season and were playing 6-6 Iowa, so Colt wasn't thrust into the same kind of spotlight Tressel is trying to help Pryor avoid right now. 3861621

2009-01-03T03:46:06-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/504/101/thumb/Moon_Knight.jpg 392 FL

Miami95

Brandon 504541

Hey Miami95...remember OSU's first trip to the Fiesta Bowl??? Oh yeah beat Miami in the NC game And then 2004 beat Kansas State in the Fiesta...2005 beat Oklahoma State in Alamo, 2006 beat Notre Dame in Fiesta, 2007 and 2008 well we all know they lost the BCS NC games. So it sounds like the sweater vest has won some bowl games. Thanks for your input though.

71 HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH huge smile on my face; Good for the Vest but as of late if he loses again for the possible 3rd year in a row, The Sweater Vest will be out of a job in this what have yo udone for me latley league. 3850266

2009-01-04T16:11:32-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/569/411/thumb/WhereisTheLove.bmp 474 PA

closer.21(R.I.P.JimJohnson)

Nowhere 569891

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH huge smile on my face; Good for the Vest but as of late if he loses again for the possible 3rd year in a row, The Sweater Vest will be out of a job in this what have yo udone for me latley league.

172 at least osu can make a bcs game, unlike miami. Just to point that out. 3859987

2009-01-03T01:57:29-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/396/7/thumb/markazi_arash.jpg 118 CA

Arash Markazi

Los Angeles 3987

49 A few things here I guess. First, I never defended USC's actions in taunting Penn State. If you read the article I never applauded what they did. For what it's worth I thought it was childish. What I did find interesting was Penn State not defending their turf by removing the USC flag from their endzone when it was planted there twice. Some might think that's classy, but I guess I expected some kind of reaction, I don't know, maybe taking it down besides standing around it and looking at it. But to each his own I suppose. As far as Pryor being a no-show at media day, again, read the article. This isn't about me or any other writer not talking to Pryor, it's that Fiesta Bowl officials requested Pryor and Tressel didn't make him available. There's no way Fiesta Bowl officials can punish him (i.e. fine), these sort of agreements between teams and bowl officials are sort of done on an honor system; we pay you loads of money, you make your team available once during the week before the game. Again, this isn't about Pryor not talking to the media (although it's almost unheard of for a player being held away from the press for this long) but that Tressel didn't accommodate the Fiesta Bowl officials with a simple request after they had been so accommodating to him and his team. 3849807

2009-01-04T16:03:12-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/569/411/thumb/WhereisTheLove.bmp 474 PA

closer.21(R.I.P.JimJohnson)

Nowhere 569891

A few things here I guess. First, I never defended USC's actions in taunting Penn State. If you read the article I never applauded what they did. For what it's worth I thought it was childish. What I did find interesting was Penn State not defending their turf by removing the USC flag from their endzone when it was planted there twice. Some might think that's classy, but I guess I expected some kind of reaction, I don't know, maybe taking it down besides standing around it and looking at it. But to each his own I suppose. As far as Pryor being a no-show at media day, again, read the article. This isn't about me or any other writer not talking to Pryor, it's that Fiesta Bowl officials requested Pryor and Tressel didn't make him available. There's no way Fiesta Bowl officials can punish him (i.e. fine), these sort of agreements between teams and bowl officials are sort of done on an honor system; we pay you loads of money, you make your team available once during the week before the game. Again, this isn't about Pryor not talking to the media (although it's almost unheard of for a player being held away from the press for this long) but that Tressel didn't accommodate the Fiesta Bowl officials with a simple request after they had been so accommodating to him and his team.

171 Shouldn't it say "thank you, come again" at the end of all your posts and articles? 3859937

2009-01-04T01:54:52-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/109/758/thumb/basketball.jpg 3 AZ

Sammy333

Phoenix 110058

2009-01-04T01:51:44-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/100/04/thumb/jn_copy_copy.jpg 47 OH

laura11383

Dayton 10024

169 I don't blame Tressel at all for holding Pryor back. He's a true freshman who lost the biggest game he played in this year, playing for a team that's been embarrassed the last 2 years in the BCS. This kid is under a lot of pressure. Media days are ultimately for the fans of the team, and I don't think any Ohio State fan is going to be upset that Pryor spent time preparing for the game rather than give an interview to answer questions that have no bearing on the future of the game. I studied journalism in college, and I know it's frustrating not to have the big draw there for an interview. Tough luck. Find a new angle. And don't complain. 3856976

2009-01-03T21:45:29-05:00

TexHorn007

598375

166 TEXAS: 52 OSU: 17 Horns are going to show USA that they should be in the National BCS Bowl, not in the Fiesta Bowl with the worst team in the Top 10. OSU should have played TCU not UT. Horns will share National Title with sorry to say Sooners; they will surprise Florida. Oklahoma: 34 Florida: 32 3855376

2009-01-03T22:37:10-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/618/908/thumb/troy-smith-10.jpg 279 OH

Dragon Voyager

Mount Sterling 619548

TEXAS: 52 OSU: 17Horns are going to show USA that they should be in the National BCS Bowl, not in the Fiesta Bowl with the worst team in the Top 10. OSU should have played TCU not UT. Horns will share National Title with sorry to say Sooners; they will surprise Florida. Oklahoma: 34 Florida: 32

168 The worst team in the top 10 lost to Ole Miss yesterday. And if you think that Texas will put 52 on Ohio State, then I think you're gonna be in for a shocker. This is one of the few OOC teams that Heacock has shown a knack for containing/shutting down. Even the mighty Vince Young needed a 4th Quarter rally to beat another 10-2 Ohio State team that bears many similarities to the one playing Monday night. Mack and Jimmy play chess games with each other as evidenced by their past two games against one another. Unfortunately for Texas, Vince Young is not going to swoop in and save the day late in the 4th Quarter for them this time. Ohio State-28 Texas-24 3855733

2009-01-03T21:45:29-05:00

TexHorn007

598375

2009-01-03T22:37:02-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/531/853/thumb/shrunken_head_med_best_traditional_bone_1_lg_1_.jpg 5259 TX

The Cynical Madman

Shrunken Head Institute 532293

167 If Texas had taken care of business, they wouldn't be playing the #10 team, would they? This is a yes or no question. Don't get angry with OSU; they had the bowl sewed up before UT. Be angry with another season of "the one that got away." At least tOSU is not pissed off; they're happy to be going (thanks to UT?). Perhaps the score will be 90-3, UT. But that just doesn't take the sting out of watching a team you beat play for the NC, does it? 3855719

2009-01-03T21:45:29-05:00

TexHorn007

598375

172

<div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/tressel.jpg" alt="Tressel" width="298" height="350" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">Jim Tressel is making his fifth trip to the desert this season. David Bergman/SI</div> </div> SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Most fans don't care about the plight of sports reporters. To be quite honest, I don't blame them. While it's the job of reporters to be the eyes and ears of their readers and ask hard-hitting questions, the relationship between writer and reader these days seems to be more contentious than an O'Reilly Factor interview. So forget for a moment that Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor wasn't made available during Friday's Fiesta Bowl media day, where the BCS mandates that all starters and a total of 30 players be made available to the press for 30 minutes. So what, right? I mean, he hasn't talked to the media since his last regular season game on Nov. 22 and has only been made available after games this season, being off limits during the week and even during Ohio State's bowl media day in Columbus. Sure it would have been nice to chat with Pryor for a couple of minutes, but this isn't so much about me or my peers being denied a chance to talk to one of the starting quarterbacks of a game we've been assigned to cover, it's that this was a direct slap in the face of the Fiesta Bowl, which has always bent over backward to accommodate coach Jim Tressel and his Buckeyes. This is Tressel's fifth trip to the desert in the last seven years at Ohio State, and he has always gushed about the hospitality of the Fiesta Bowl committee, which is widely regarded as being the most accommodating and generous of all the bowls. How accommodating? The Fiesta Bowl put Ohio State up in the Fairmont Scottsdale, one of the nicest hotels in America and the location of last year's secretive Maxim Super Bowl party. How generous? The Fiesta Bowl is paying Ohio State $18 million to play Texas on Monday. The Fiesta Bowl was criticized by some for picking an Ohio State side that didn't deserve to be playing in a BCS bowl game. Not after getting blown out in their last two BCS championship games and losing to USC and Penn State this season. But the Fiesta Bowl ignored their critics and remained loyal to Tressel and Ohio State. Aside from accepting a hefty paycheck, five-star accommodations, gifts and assorted parties, meals and celebratory events, Fiesta Bowl officials only ask that teams make their starters available to the media for 30 minutes three days before the game. That's it. You can close your practices, which Ohio State does, go into hiding, but just make your starters available once for the media. Apparently that was too much to ask of Tressel. He said that Pryor would be better served spending the allotted 30 minutes in a meeting than with the media he's been hidden from for over a month. Even Sarah Palin was given more of a leash with the media than Tressel has given Pryor. Again, I doubt anyone missed any fascinating insight to Monday's game by not talking to Pryor, but it was a terribly disrespectful move by Tressel, who put the usually cheerful Fiesta Bowl officials in a tough spot, considering everything they've done for him and his team. It was like paying Aerosmith to show up at a party and having everyone show up but Steven Tyler. Sure, you don't mind seeing Joe Perry, but that's not what you came for. While Fiesta Bowl officials were clearly upset with the slight, they continued to praise Ohio State and Tressel in front of the cameras and microphones. They showed far more class in the situation than Tressel, who could have avoided an unnecessary controversy by doing the right thing and allowing his starting quarterback to be with 29 of his other teammates for 30 minutes on Friday. Well, the good news for Tressel is unless the Fiesta Bowl is obligated to select Ohio State next year or in the future, he won't have to worry about upstaging his gracious hosts again. He likely won't be given that opportunity. 37361 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/396/7/thumb/markazi_arash.jpg 118 CA

Arash Markazi

Los Angeles 3987