We at Eleven Warriors are slaves to many a things -- spicy living, the tender love and care of a good woman, adolescent young men doing physically astonishing things in front of tens of thousands of screaming on lookers while vicariously representing a place and time in our lives, and on occasion, popular culture.
As such, this weekend (9 PM EST SUNDAY ON YOUR LOCAL ABC AFFILIATE /SHAM ON) marks the end of an era, as one of TV's most highly decorated, critically acclaimed, and polarizing long form series calls it quits for good. I'm sure we have a passionate minority amongst you who's seen every episode from the cinematic rich premiere through Jacob's ghost passing the torch while we have just as many here who long for the days when bad Patrick Duffy getting out of the shower made for the extent of mind bending dramatic television.
Whether you've seen all 6 seasons or never even made it through an entire cold open, LOST's finale will garner more than its far share of over analysis, water cooler debate Monday morning, and audiences who ordinarily wouldn't want anything to do with Oceanic Flight 815. Like it or not, Sunday's finale is about to be a permanent staple in our culture's media history, whether the show distorts and bends expectations v. the reality of what actually plays out the way many do (often in the most frustrating cliffhanger possible), or whether Jack and Kate eat at a dinner as our new national anthem, "Don't Stop Believing", plays on a juke box as the camera pans out and the screen fades to black. Subsequently (and in order to send the show off properly), there's no better time for a primer in a few of the thematic elements encompassing the series as well as how they relate to Ohio State football as a whole as well as specifically in the forthcoming 2010/11 season.
Fatalism
While a variety of philosophical themes and sub-contexts (having characters called Locke/Bentham, Hume, Rousseau, Carlyle, Bakunin, and Alpert amongst them) make up much of what just casual one off viewers interpret as inaccessible and even what puts off some more ardent viewers, perhaps no one motif drives the show than that of the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. The crash(es), who lives/who dies, time travel, the whole gauntlet all ultimately boil down to the question of free will v. predetermination. Accordingly, you may believe Ohio State's 3rd national title berth in 5 seasons is destiny, and that the stars will be aligned in such a way that things will play out exactly as you envision them needing to. You've told all your friends it's money in the bank and you've booked a hotel in Scottsdale or Tempe already. Right on.
The show also touches on, however, the idea that perhaps an individual's choice can serve as a mechanism for free will within a parameter of possible futures/outcomes. Realistically, the vast majority of us fall into this camp. We full heartedly expect that a large number of smaller, more wildly unpredictable things in a long string of "what if" variables will likely need to pan out just right if this season is going to play out anywhere close to our wildest dreams. Though part of us certainly wishes blind faith and optimism was enough for us as well.
The need to return
Every event in the LOST universe(s) have basically come down to the need that once a small group of the survivors left the island, they did so under false pretenses and broken syntax and that the only way to right the ship and save everyone, the entire group would need to go back. Pardon the limitations of my Philosophy 100/367 education, as I'm sure this is a specifically named social philosophical concept I'm ignorant of, but essentially by returning all of the original pieces to the place of the incident the entire broken entity would best be able to be re-made whole. Ohio State's own noticeable plane wreck went down somewhere in the suburban Northwest Phoenix area January 8th, 2007. As fate (!) and coincidence a like would have it, this year's BCS Championship Game is set to take place in the very same stadium that ignites post traumatic stress in many of us even to this day. Would it be asking too much for a once-beaten SEC Champion Florida Gators team to man the opposing side lines and really provide the opportunity for a perfectly symmetric ending to our long collective nightmare?
Duality
Tressel has to call 'Dave' every 108 offensiveseconds or the world will end.
From Locke and Walt playing backgammon to Jacob's white and black rocks, the symbolism and the often blurred line between two sides of the same coin were hit on early and often throughout the entirety of the series. Ohio State's not a stranger to ambiguous, philosophically controversial hot button issues. Jim Tressel the conservative-strategically-short-changing-himself-fool vs Jim Tressel the situational-opportunist-willing-to-go-5-wide-in-the-red-zone-to-catch-Michigan-off-guard, the desire to keep the program on the cutting edge of the sport and the times vs the desire to preserve tradition at any and all costs, and even national-in vs local-out recruiting strategy are just a few of the oft debated, rarely settled with any sorts of finality idle chatter we find ourselves drawn into time and time again. However, when the clock strikes triple zeros, as long as the number under "OHIO ST" is greater than that of the other teams', essentially all of the squabbling becomes moot. Except of course when it doesn't
Much like LOST, 2010 should play out in a frustrating but satisfying mix of intrigue, failed plot devices, cliches, and thought provoking twists. I'll leave it to the pros to decide whether or not Rich Rod is the Smoke Monster, Jim Bollman Locke, etc. Oh, and as for those wondering about those pesky numbers, 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42? They're probably beyond meaningless, though if you want to go ahead and stock your closet with those respective jerseys just to error on the side of caution, I won't fault you one bit.
Comments
Luke didn't watch LOST until March and has been using the internet to catch up.
Bandwagon LOST fan.
I have never watched this show.
same, i refuse to think while being entertained
Ditto; I'll let Luke do the metaphorical heavy lifting.
Same.
God, I hate it when it's not football season
WTF???? With all due respect, Luke...... no one really cares about Lost and why is this a post on 11W?????
I hate Lost but this just might be the best post Eleven Warriors has ever seen, and if you disagree then you're wrong.
I love Lost and this is one of Luke's best posts. The "Dave - 108 offensive seconds caption" is perfect.
Sunday night is a huge pop culture event and maybe *you* don't care about Lost, but a whole bunch of people do.
Well done, Luke.
same.
Luke, are you metaphorically comparing the end of Lost to the Michigan football program? Will it be revealed that not only has RichRod lead Michigan to back to back losing seasons, but also crashed the plane?
If not, I am "Lost" as well.
It's May and nobody can stomach any more expansion talk?
Namaste, sir.
To honor his passing, I'd just like to thank Ronnie James Dio for inventing the "throwing horns" hand gesture. I don't know where my life would be without it.
A show built upon weak weekly cliffhangers and no real plot. Sounds like RR is the director/producer. ;)
Additionally I would like to say "Eff You, Luke" for MAKING me read an internet post that was provided free of charge.
Clearly it's your fault that I read it, and I must bitch at you for this happening.
11W sells out, nice ABC plug. Take this crap down and replace it with a picture DickRod if you want to discuss "lost".
Yea man, I miss the days when this site was AGAINST the establishment, maaannn. FIGHT THE POWER, bro!
Whatever guys, LOST is easily my favorite tv show of all time and I fully expect the final episode to end with Jack, SmokeLocke, and Desmond sitting in a Dharma station watching OSU win the 2011 national championship.
This is the best LOST prediction yet.
Michigan: Shooting their wad for 2,371 days and still counting.
It's great to be a Buckeye.
I understand the need to post something that is a current event especially when it envolves entertainment. That is why we watch football and read this blog.
But I like many have never watched an episode of Lost. I knew from the beginning that show would drive me crazy (and I have a few friends that are two Xanax away from going to the loony bin because of that show). The references comparing Lost to Ohio State Football are literally Lost on me!
I'm sure it is a well written post, I just don't get it!
F Lost. There. I said it.
November 18 2003, Brittney Spears releases "In the Zone" her 3rd consecutive album to go number 1.
November 30 2003, Michael Jackson arrested on child molestation charges.
See any patterns forming around this time?
I guess I am wrong then...lol
What's with all the haters?
1) The Wire
2) LOST
Never seen lost, and frankly don't care what happens.
The above should have been a choice!
it's too random, and too much BS for me.
I'm not much of a TV guy anyway outside of sports. I have maybe 1 or 2 shows that I watch regularly at the same time, depending on what time of year it is. Most of those shows are on FX on if southland comes back, tbs.
let's not let this happen again... cheerio?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
It's my go-to move when drunk. RIP Dio!
don't tread on me! U-S-A! U-S-A!
It's the offseason. If you've got something to talk about, submit a story idea. It's better than expansion talk and endless season previewing.
Dr J loves lost?! Who knew!!!
Quit whining--you're not paying to be entertained here. If you don't like it, don't visit.
Bingo on #1
I never got into Lost. I was turned off by the Castaway vibe it gave before it ever aired. Then I find out later it's this pseudo sci-fi mystery series and I thought, "oh, maybe I should have watched that." Then I found out that there are no resolutions, and it causes confusion and animosity amongst its fans. Living through the Star Wars prequel disaster is enough, and I fear this is how it's going to be for Lost fans. There will be lots of head-scratching, then they're going to expect you to fork over $12 at the theater to find out what happens next.
You-sa Jar Jar Bucksfan?
Gosh, you consider having lived through the Star Wars prequels to have been a disaster? You have a rough life, man.
Im still waiting on an Episode 7 movie.
Meh on Lost. Never watched it. Not 24 on the other hand. how can you not love the allegory that is 24 vis a vis the Greatest Rivalry in sports.
Jack = the Buckeyes.
Terrorists? They are wolverweasels.
Enjoy the 2 hour finale on Monday.
Hahaha iball..
Great post, I think. A lot of big words in there.
I agree that the "Dave - 108 second" caption is full of win. Kudos!
Gene Smith w/ AD of the Year? Is this an effing joke? Have these people not seen how many times he's fumbled key decisions? How many opportunities he's pissed away for this University? How little progress he's made for the entire Department? What a joke...
Charlie,
Hate to say it but Gene is one of the top 5, if not THE best athletic directors in the country. He is widely regarded so, was wanted for NCAA president, will head the NCAA basketball tournament committee next season, and is doing great things for Ohio State. He had a great vision for this university's student athletes and is working hard toward those dreams. I have been fortunate enough to see this first hand.
What key decisions has he fumbled? What "opportunities" has he pissed away? I have the pleasure of knowing Gene Smith and have been a part of many discussions regarding collegiate athletics and OSU athletics with him and he is an absolute genius in what he does.
if you have seen first hand what he has done then i will gladly eat crow and admit i was wrong. please let me know what he's done... i honestly would love to know.
with that being said, from my perspective [a diehard fan who is a current student here @ tOSU who knows more about our fball and basketball teams than any student should lol] i've seen a lot of mistakes.
1- his decision about when to hold football games is terrible. forcing the miami game into a day game was a mistake. i understand he doesn't want to pay for extra security and deal w/ the drunks. i don't blame him. we all hate out of control idiots who misrepresent tOSU. however, turning down an opportunity to be the exclusive game on national TV w/ a primetime telecast is a mistake. that is a 3 hour commercial for tOSU as a whole- not just for the ADep't. not to mention the hype that brings attention and media to the 614. also, in this day and age, do recruits want to play noon games all the time? HELL NO. they want to play in night games on national TV.
2- and this one really irks me, is the disaster known as men's basketball. thad continually brings in tremendous recruits and competes for the B10 title every year w/ a roster typically full of underclassmen and very few senior leaders. yet, there is but a trickle of marketing in and around campus to bring students to the schott. now i attend b/c i love the game of basketball and love the bux. i ALMOST have more fun @ the bball games then i do @ the fball games. i have a blast down in the front rows going nuts for the team. however, it's disappointing when i turn around to see our section 1/2-3/4 full for conference games. and i can't blame students for not coming. there's no effort to pull in more ticket sales for student tix. we all know the lack of homecourt adv @ the schott since Leg Oden left town. can you imagine the breslin center having 25% of its student tix unused? also, our biggest home game of the year was purdue. yet, it was scheduled for a 6 o'clock start! [it might have been 5 o'clock but i'm fairly certain it was 6] how does that happen? the place was just over 1/2 full @ tip! this happened on a consistent basis for the B10 games. you can't expect 20k people to make it to an arena in a metropolitan the size of C-Bus.
i know that's a lot of negative so i'd love to hear your side and what he's done positively for the ADep't b/c frankly i'm not seeing it.
First of all with the Miami game, you don't fully grasp expenses, etc. in an economy right now that is not condusice to SELF-SUPPORTING athletic departments...tOSU athletic department is one of a handful of depts that is fully funded by athletics and gets no money from student fees, etc like many school in the country....more importantly, I know that the players at OSU actually don't prefer the night game...they don't like sitting around all day to play...yes from a fan's perspective 8 PM is awesome, but the players preferred this game to be at 330 believe it or not...as for the Schott how can you blam the fact the arena built before he got here is too big for a college basketball arena in Columbus, OH? ALL the student ticks WERE sold out, it's not Gene's fault all the students didn't always come...blame fan experience which is the marketing department (internal---external is IMG) for that and now there is new leadership at the top of that department for next year...they have to do a good job of marketing the super six coming in and all that but you can't blame Gene for students not showing up.....
As for what he has done good. He came into a mess with all the recruiting violations with Jim O'Brien and the football team and totally cleaned them up. I'm not sure if you remember but there was a lot of uncertainty with what would have happened had someone like Gene not gotten things in order....internally he has diversified the top management staff and at the same time put together a team of people at the top of each of their areas in Ben Jay, Miechelle Willis, Pat Chun, Denny Hoobler, Steve Snapp, Tom McGinnis, Heather Lyke, and more. He has solidified the way the department runs from the inside-out and made this thing a machine. He re-branded the Ohio State name.
In addition to that, he has created this: http://fod.osu.edu/masterplans...
Take a look...juggernaut....new outdoor tennis facility, indoor golf center, dreams for a new hockey arena, a new arena for wrestling/volleyball, basketball practice facility, new football practice fields, and on, and on, and on, and on....
The list goes on and on, I can go all day, but in addition to winning AD of the year this year, this is from the profile on the site:
At Ohio State, the 53-year old Smith oversees one of the nation's largest and most successful college athletic programs. The Buckeyes have 36 fully-funded varsity sports and more than 1,000 student-athletes. The department of athletics is completely self supporting and receives no university funds, tax dollars or student fees. In fiscal year 2008-09, the department transferred nearly $26 million in assessments to the university, including more than $13 million in grant-in-aid reimbursement. In Smith's first three years at Ohio State, the department of athletics finished in the black financially and increased its reserve fund.
Upon arriving at Ohio State, Smith quickly established himself as a respected and thoughtful leader, both within the university and the community. In the spring of 2007, he unveiled a five-year strategic plan, reflecting the department's goals and values. The strategic planning process, inclusive of the entire department, emphasized the development of the total student-athlete.
Under Smith's leadership, The Ohio State Department of Athletics was honored in the spring of 2008 with the Diversity in Athletics Award in the category of Overall Excellence in Diversity. Smith accepted the honor at the 43rd annual National Association of College Directors of Athletics Convention in Dallas.
Shortly after Ohio State was honored as a department for its dedication to diversity, Smith was individually recognized for his contribution to the sport of football.
The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, announced in June of 2008 the recipients of the NFF's 2008 Major Awards. Smith was honored officially Dec. 9, 2008 in New York with the John L Toner Award. Presented annually, the Toner Award is given to a director of athletics who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football.
Smith was recently appointed to the Governing Board of Trustees of the Lincoln Theatre Association. He was named to the position by the Franklin County (Ohio) Board of Commissioners. It is a three-year appointment effective March 10, 2009.
Nationally, Smith is involved with USA Basketball as a member of the Finance & Audit Committee. That appointment was made March 25, 2009. The Finance & Audit Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Board regarding the organization's financial investments, reviewing independent auditors for USA Basketball and, if necessary, oversight, implementation and compliance with the USA Basketball Code of Ethics.
Smith has an exemplary record of national leadership and service. In 2007, he served as president of the Division 1-A Athletic Directors Association. He is entering his third year on the prestigious NCAA Men's Basketball Committee and was appointed chair of the committee for the 2010-11 academic year, with his term as chair beginning Sept. 1, 2010. Smith was recently named to the newly created Basketball Academic Enhancement Group, a 27-member panel charged with developing strategies to enhance academic performance and graduation rates in Division I men's basketball.
Smith is past president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and was that organization's first African-American president. He also has served on the NCAA Management Council, the NCAA Committee on Infractions, the NCAA Executive Committee, the NCAA Football Rules Committee, the President's Commission Liaison Committee, the NCAA Baseball Academic Enhancement Task Force, and the National Football Foundation Honors Court, among others.
In recognition of his service, Smith was named by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of the "50 Most Powerful African American in College Sports." In 2007, he was named to NACDA's inaugural "Legends Class," and was also named Athletic Administrator of the Year by the Black Coaches Association (BCA). In 2002-03, he received NACDA's AD of the Year honors for the Division 1-A West Region.
Oh, and I forgot...the man also decided to take some of the money athletics made on its own and pour it back into the rest of the school in areas such as the new library and the Hospital/med center/research
good point. totally forgot about that. i think that often gets forgotten [case in point: myself]. they really did save the library in a way. and yeah i didn't follow ohio st enough back w/ all the jhc violations but important nonetheless. i'd have to agree that he has definitely turned the ADep't around internally. plus like you said w/ all the facilities being built/upgraded the Dep't has certainly been heading in the right direction. hard to argue against that.
my only rebuttal against the miami game is that it's an investment. paying a little extra now for the marketing that comes w/ the primetime game. but if the players don't want the 8pm game then i'll shut up, buy my ticket, put on my jersey, and carry on. after all, if they don't win it doesn't matter what time we play. and if they play best @ 330 then damnit we'll play @ 330.
i do feel like the "rebranding" is a bit of a stretch though. while he did clean up the violations and under-the-table shenanigans, i feel as though the marketing can use a significant upgrade. i realize that's not all on him since he can only do so much but i think an injection of new blood in that area from him could go a long way. no, i can't blame him for students not showing up. however, i can blame the marketing office w/in the ADep't for not doing their job. they don't try to reach out to students.
but i stand corrected and i do thank you for bringing these things to light. the man deserves his recognition. bravo, gene. us buckeye fans do tend to get mighty spoiled here.
I have never watched Lost, couldn't even tell you the network it's on.
Isn't the 3:30 game going to be natinally televised? In addition to that, what kind of ratings do the primetime games get as opposed to the 3:30 games which are natinoally televised? Obviously, I'm just one person, but I find it harder to view the primtime games on Saturday nights than I do the 3:30 games.
Plus, doesn't TV money stay they same regardless? If ABC/ESPN is carrying their game isn't the contract the same no matter what? Sure more exposure, but I think a lot of studies have been done that say sports exposure doesn't really influence enrollment figures for a school.
I may be grabbing at straws, but other than a fun atmosphere, I don't see that many advantages to the night games. I know everyone loves them, but I've just never thought they were that significant.
Not everyone. I despise them. Out of control, can't handle their liquor juvenile sdelinquent students do no t make for a fun atmosphere...in Happy Valley, or columbus. Plus, like alot of people, I drive over two hours (not counting game traffic) to see the Bucks. Night games are a royal pain in the ass. I am down right furious that a crap game like Marshall is not only a night game, but I have to take two days off from work.
btw, Charlie, the OSU Purdue game tipped off at 6:31 not 5 or 6 as you claim,,and the recorded attendance for the game was over 19,000 ie a sell out,,maybe a few of the fair weather Buckeye hoops fans were a little slow to their seats, but it didn't matter in terms of perception as the game was not nationally telecast but was on the BTN
also the Breslin Center is 22% smaller than the Schott and hence easier to fill,,ie if the Schott is 75% full, it has virtually the same number of people attending as a full Breslin game..
as an example in home B10 games OSU averaged a little over 15,300 per game, while the Breslin Center only holds 15,085,,and just for the record, MSU averaged only 14,759 per game this past year or less than 100% as well, while OSU averaged, just over 13,400 or about 1000 less than MSU, hardly somethign to throw the AD under the bus for
Its ok Charlie... you died at the end of Season 3 so your whole conversation is pointless
I did a grad program at UT Austin; not sure how the OSU tickets worked, but at Texas (back in '99-'01), students paid something like $50 for an annual student pass that got them into any sporting event except football (FB was about $15-20/game). Students would walk up a day or two before a game on a first come first serve basis for basketball tickets. Seemed to work ok, but obviously didn't generate a lot of funds. Would be nice to see something similar (ie, release the nosebleeds for a few bucks a day or two before the game on a first come basis).