Mailbox: Columbus Crew join Blue Jackets, Cleveland Browns on list of losers
Have more comments, questions? Reach out to me at bwhite1@dispatch.com.
On the Columbus Crew
Dear Editor: Watching the Crew is fast becoming a “put a bag over your head” frustrating experience. Just like watching the Blue Jackets and the Browns. Watching the Nashville game, especially the second half, one had to wonder: Am I watching professional soccer or a high school game? The Crew’s play was pathetic. The team needs to watch that game again and again and again.
Chet Ridenour
On college football
Dear Mr. White: College football in September is, in a word, unwatchable, unless, of course, a menu of Power Five vs. Alcorn State 75-0 games is your thing. (Jim Tressel used to defend the 75-0 maulings of Akron with a self-congratulatory, fiscally obvious: “We kept the money in Ohio.”) Alarmed that non-conference game tickets were being offered on Stub Hub for $1, the powers-that-be mandated Power Five teams must schedule at least one fellow Power Five school (see: OSU v. ND) for their non-conference slate. (I’ll bet the phones at Rice, Vandy and Kansas were ringing off the hook.)
Now that rule is going away. And, meanwhile, the SEC is in conflict over whether to alter its 8-4 conference/non-conference ratio to 9-3 owing to Texas and Oklahoma being bigger draws than Troy and Murray State. Surprise! Georgia likes things as they are. My guess is they’ll stand pat and “study” that one for a decade or so. Recognizing all this, I vote that the Big Ten eliminates the September doldrums and opts for an “All Big Ten, All the time” schedule. In other words: The NFL model. Sept 7: USC at Michigan, OSU at Iowa. The 12-team playoff system is flexible enough to absorb this tougher approach, and revenue lost from fewer home games could be recouped with higher prices for tickets and higher ratings for games people actually want to watch and pay for.
Jon Armstrong
On Ohio State basketball and Chris Holtmann
To the editor: The two-part edited interview with the present head basketball coach Chris Holtmann was a fitting tribute from a coach who tried hard to win but was out of his depth. He talked about getting the buy-in from players and said they are playing to be good not great and said “we have to focus on consistently playing to be win and go from there.” Wow. What a recruiting speech that is. Can you imagine Coach K or John Calipari saying that during an interview?
Mr. Holtmann sounds like a good person who deserves a head coaching job at Cleveland State, Walnut Ridge, or Columbus State - not THE Ohio State Buckeyes.
Michael Oser, Columbus
On the Cincinnati Reds
To Brian: I enjoyed the powerhouse Reds when I was a young man in the 70s, but success for them has been infrequent ever since. And after years of seeing so many Reds all-stars moved on with little in return, it got especially discouraging. But while many of those former all-stars have floundered, several younger players have come along to breathe life into a franchise even with their best prospect still in Louisville. I doubt if the Reds need to start printing World Series tickets any time soon, and while I do have fond memories of the Big Red Machine, this little engine that could is become very interesting to watch.
Dennis Singleton, Dayton
More from the Mailbox:
Reader says Kirk Herbstreit was right about Ohio State football's 'lunatic' fans
Mailbox: Readers want changes in college football recruiting, transfer rules
Gordon Gee lets Bob Huggins survive at West Virginia after use of homophobic slur
How about pro football in Columbus? Bring back the Bulls in the USFL
NFL needs to investigate leak of CJ Stroud cognitive test
It's tough to watch a great player like Joey Votto struggling at the end
Reader doubles down on opinion that all Ohio State coaches should be paid the same
Did SEC favoritism help LSU in hoops the way it helped Georgia top Ohio State?
Readers sound off on Ohio State football coaches' salaries
Readers don't like timing of 'obscene' raises for Ohio State football coaches
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew join Blue Jackets, Cleveland Browns on list of losers
