Buckeyes Arrive in New Orleans Today
Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2008 10:24 am
Go Bucks!!!!! O - H
Buckeyes all business on brief trip to New Orleans
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 3:05 AM
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
No offense to the people of New Orleans, but Ohio State players don't have the time or inclination this week to check out the still-ravaged city.
The Buckeyes arrive in New Orleans today with a different outlook on their national championship game trip than when they traveled to Arizona last year.
Ohio State spent 10 days in the desert, most of it relaxing in the posh Scottsdale Princess resort that many players were familiar with from previous trips. Former center Doug Datish was looking forward to "those little javelina pigs" that scampered freely around the Princess' villa-like grounds.
A 41-14 loss to Florida might have led to some changes in the approach this year.
This time, the Buckeyes have just five days on site before the game Monday against Louisiana State in the Superdome. Their schedule does not include sightseeing or community-service time, just practice, meetings and a curfew, which is set by the seniors and likely will be followed closely by intensely focused players.
"We're only there a short time, so I think it will probably be very structured," coach Jim Tressel said.
Tressel said he wanted the team to be able to experience New Orleans, calling it a city that "grabbed the emotion of the whole country as it battled through its adversity" of Hurricane Katrina, which hit in August 2005 and wiped out large swaths of neighborhoods.
The players, though, don't have tourism high on their list.
"I've never been to New Orleans, and yeah, I do want to get around and see some things," cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said. "But then again, it is a business trip, too. So if our schedule allows us, then definitely, but if not, we have business to take care of."
Other than maybe wandering the French Quarter in the evenings, the only free time players will have is today. They are on their own to arrive in town and have no team function until late afternoon.
Several players said they hoped to at least get a quick glimpse at the city today.
"I'd like to see what it looks like," running back Maurice Wells said. "I'll take a little time and do a little sightseeing."
Despite the tight schedule for players, Ohio State is making sure it doesn't leave without doing something for the city.
On Sunday, a group of about 150 people, including coaches' wives and university employees and officials, will spend several hours rebuilding two youth baseball fields that remain in disrepair.
If time permits, they also will distribute blankets and other supplies to homeless shelters.
That will make up for the players, who sympathize with the city's plight but who will stay focused on the championship game.
"A national championship is all that's weighing on my mind," receiver Brian Hartline said. "When it comes down to it, it's a business trip, and when I go down there, it's just LSU."
kgordon@dispatch.com
Buckeyes all business on brief trip to New Orleans
Wednesday, January 2, 2008 3:05 AM
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
No offense to the people of New Orleans, but Ohio State players don't have the time or inclination this week to check out the still-ravaged city.
The Buckeyes arrive in New Orleans today with a different outlook on their national championship game trip than when they traveled to Arizona last year.
Ohio State spent 10 days in the desert, most of it relaxing in the posh Scottsdale Princess resort that many players were familiar with from previous trips. Former center Doug Datish was looking forward to "those little javelina pigs" that scampered freely around the Princess' villa-like grounds.
A 41-14 loss to Florida might have led to some changes in the approach this year.
This time, the Buckeyes have just five days on site before the game Monday against Louisiana State in the Superdome. Their schedule does not include sightseeing or community-service time, just practice, meetings and a curfew, which is set by the seniors and likely will be followed closely by intensely focused players.
"We're only there a short time, so I think it will probably be very structured," coach Jim Tressel said.
Tressel said he wanted the team to be able to experience New Orleans, calling it a city that "grabbed the emotion of the whole country as it battled through its adversity" of Hurricane Katrina, which hit in August 2005 and wiped out large swaths of neighborhoods.
The players, though, don't have tourism high on their list.
"I've never been to New Orleans, and yeah, I do want to get around and see some things," cornerback Malcolm Jenkins said. "But then again, it is a business trip, too. So if our schedule allows us, then definitely, but if not, we have business to take care of."
Other than maybe wandering the French Quarter in the evenings, the only free time players will have is today. They are on their own to arrive in town and have no team function until late afternoon.
Several players said they hoped to at least get a quick glimpse at the city today.
"I'd like to see what it looks like," running back Maurice Wells said. "I'll take a little time and do a little sightseeing."
Despite the tight schedule for players, Ohio State is making sure it doesn't leave without doing something for the city.
On Sunday, a group of about 150 people, including coaches' wives and university employees and officials, will spend several hours rebuilding two youth baseball fields that remain in disrepair.
If time permits, they also will distribute blankets and other supplies to homeless shelters.
That will make up for the players, who sympathize with the city's plight but who will stay focused on the championship game.
"A national championship is all that's weighing on my mind," receiver Brian Hartline said. "When it comes down to it, it's a business trip, and when I go down there, it's just LSU."
kgordon@dispatch.com