PSU-OSU showdown turned into Big Noon Letdown & a Little League Reunion

Another noon kickoff. Ugh. Fox is killing us all in more ways than one.

Jim Knowles and his Penn State defense ride into Ohio Stadium this Saturday for a game that was highly anticipated just two months ago. But the Nittany Lions went on a losing spree, and not just on scoreboards.

Head Coach James Franklin is gone. Starting Quarterback Drew Allar is out for the season. And that Knowles defense? It’s been out most of the season, too.

The Buckeyes are a three-touchdown favorite but won’t take the game lightly. Hopefully, the offense sends Knowles back to Happy Valley with 50 points as a final parting gift. Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith, both of whom are in Heisman conversations, could certainly contribute to that total if the Silver Bullet Defense continues to give them short fields.

And don’t forget about Carnell Tate, the most underrated receiver in the nation.

He recently got some love from Randy Moss, who sent him a pair of “You Got Mossed” gloves for making another incredible catch, this time against Wisconsin. He’s been doing it all season. The recognition for his freakish skills is overdue.

After Saturday, the four-week countdown to the Connor Stalions Game begins. A trip to Purdue and home games against UCLA and Rutgers round out the appetizers before the main event 22 miles southeast of Hell, Michigan.

Since it’s a slow week, please allow me to tie the Buckeyes to a local story. Ironton certainly needs some good news after recent events.

Former Ironton lineman and OSU fullback Tyler Whaley escorted his grandfather, Tommy Tipton, to the Knights of Columbus last Saturday for a reunion of the late 70’s-mid 80’s dynasty Tipton’s Astros of the Ironton Little League. The gathering, organized by former Astros Ron McGraw and Dennis “DJ” Murphy, honored Tipton, head coach Joe Holtzapfel, coach Larry Holtzapfel, and the late coach Bobby Crockrel.

Forty-eight years after the expansion Astros became a team, former players from different seasons showed up to return the love and respect these coaches gave to all of us. One member of the 1977 expansion team, Jeff Schilling (I hope I spelled your last name correctly, Jeff) couldn’t attend so he wrote a two-page letter praising the coaches for their dedication to a bunch of kids who wouldn’t have had a team without them. We had a Darren Hackworth sighting, which instantly kicked up the stories of his 110-mph fastball and 450-foot home runs. To those of us who were nine years old at the time, he was Kelly Leak in a giant’s body.

Billy Klaiber didn’t try to sell us any houses, so Joe provided memories of his prodigious power on the mound and at the plate. Dave Bond did a fly-by on his way to another performance with his String Therapy bandmates. Cary Miller brought his wife and his parents, the latter of which were as much a part of the Astros as the rest of us. Charlie Spencer brought the smile everyone thinks about when his name comes up, and Rob Richmond rolled in with an armful of stories. Kevin Hacker showed up with step ladders so all of us could be his height for the group photo.

If your Little League team isn’t having reunions nearly fifty years later, you can’t understand how these men taught and cared for us all those years ago…how much we respect and appreciate them. How much we love them for loving us like we were their own sons.

Ok (sniff, sniff), back to business.

O – H!

———————

Billy Bruce covers Ohio State Buckeyes football for the tristatesportspage.com