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Title: Hated or Respected
Category: stoked
Blog Entry: I love the week of THE GAME.  I have been hyped up since Sunday.  The thing is I am not sure exactly how I can describe my feelings for TSUN - I love this week so much because I literally can't stand TSUN and the thought of getting an opportunity to play and beat them is euphoria.  But I have to wonder at the irony - what makes me so very happy is that on Saturday we get to face our nemesis - our hated enemy and respected adversary all in one - with the goal of defeating them in a most primal way.  A very positive type feeling tied to a very vicious and violent act.  So today I did a little research on the Art of War and the Tao-te-Ching to see if I could find anything that would help me put sense to this school of thought. [br] [hr] [br] In line with the common Taoist belief - “It is the yin yang of balance. No light without darkness, no good without evil...and on” - I do have a respect for TSUN.  THE GAME has been named as the greatest sports rivalry of the 20th century in balloting conducted on ESPN.com.  Yeah - because there is a TSUN we get to be part of the something bigger than Duke-North Carolina, Cowboys-Eagles, Lakers-Celtics, Jack Nicklaus-Arnold Palmer, Ali-Frazier and Yankees-Red Sox on the continuum of sports' top head-to-head match-ups.  THE GAME combines to of the most legendary programs in college football, so many times this game has decided Big Ten titles (47 times counting Saturday), and played a part National Championships.  So many years our greatness or disappointments have been defined as a relation to THE GAME.  [br] [br] Even though our adversary is having a down year (LOVING IT BTW) - it does not mean that they aren't dangerous.  Forget about rankings and records - this week can make or break a season.  TSUN will come and bring everything they have and because of that you must respect them this week too.  Sometimes a wounded animal is even more dangerous. [br] [hr] [br] [br] [hr] [br] On the other side of my feelings is the hate - a hatred so bitter that it is hard to find words to describe it.  But I did find the words of Sun Tzu to help channel it - “If you know the enemy and know yourself, your victory will not stand in doubt”.  [br] [br] What do I know about the enemy?  They are desperate - a win salvages their season.  They are also lost, without an identity on either side of the ball - even though they have been able to hang in games that they maybe shouldn't have, they have also let weaker teams victimize their lack of discipline and poor strategy.  They have been learning a new system and do not have very many play makers - not to mention having injuries to key positions.  Also today I read that their snake oil selling leader "is not worried about the so-called pageantry" associated with the game but the game itself.  Well Dick Rod - it isn't pageantry, it's tradition - something like you have never experienced before.  It isn't just another game - it is Ohio State.  You don't get it. [br] [br] What do I know about us?  First and foremost - Tressel gets it.  He knows this game is still huge even though records and ranking may indicate otherwise.  He knows that a share of a fourth Big Ten title is at stake.  He grew up living this rivalry and for the past seven years he has made good on his promise that he made on the floor of the Schott.  What else?  We have the best ranked defense in the conference led by a couple of award winners that came back for a senior season because they wanted one more year of the scarlet and gray.  One more crack at TSUN, a chance to go 4-0.  Think about it - four sets of gold pants - not even Archie has that.   Animal and Jenkins will be ready to play for sure. That goes for all the seniors too - Robo, Freeman, Abdallah, Rasta, and Boeckman.  This will be their last game in the Shoe - expect to see lots of emotion - between Tressel and the seniors we will be ready to play.    Factor in that we also have a wrecking machine in the backfield that owned them last year and recently has been faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap defensive backs in a single bound.  On top of that we have the prized recruit (that TSUN coveted so badly) steering the offense with smooth precision - this will be his return to the Shoe since that one fateful day - and the young man has bounced back with a vengence is determined to send the seniors out right.  [br] [hr] [br] Which brings me to my second quote:  “One defends when his strength is inadequate, he attacks when it is abundant”.  Right now our strength is abundant - we have the talent on both sides of the ball.  We need to use our weapons to attack and attack frequently.  On defense last week there was a visible difference in how effective we were - so we need to turn them loose up front.  Send a backer or a safety - attack them and make their backup QB make decisions quickly - then let our ball hawks make them pay.  As for the running game - hit them like we hit Ringer, Royster and Hill.  On offense numb them with Beanie and cut them with Pryor.  Use all the weapons that we have - Robo, Hartline, Sanzo, Ballard, Nicol, and Posey.  Let's not forget Boom.  Hell - let Boeckman get in the action too!  But now is the time to attack - they may show up full of fire but if we get up early and keep pouring it on - victory will be ours.  [br] [br] Part respect, part hatred - what THE GAME is all about. [br] F#*% TSUN.  [br] GO BUCKS!!!!