While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
“That said, the overwhelming feeling that I just can’t shake of late is that for the last couple of years, these Indians teams kept making me think that they were simply new incarnations of the 2004 team – full of promising youngsters looking to assert themselves as legit MLB players, who together would be ready to make that next big step that the 2005 team into a 90-win season – but that step simply hasn’t come and if they’re taking any kind of step, it seems to be backwards, particularly as of late. Surely, that’s colored by the events of the last two weeks, but the growing fear is that we’re looking at an assembled collection of players that will be stuck in that 2004 mode (promise and potential, but not realized production) forever here, or maybe worse.” [Cousineau/The DiaTribe]
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Read about former Buckeye and Brown Tom Cousineau- “Tom Cousineau got past that difficult time, and he never looked back. By the time he finished his career at Ohio State, he had set new single-game1, season2, and career3 school records for tackles. He gained national attention with an MVP performance in OSU’s victory in the 1977 Orange Bowl. He earned All-American honors in 1977 and 1978, and in his senior season of 1978, Cousineau was named team MVP. When his OSU career ended, he became the first Buckeye football player to be taken 1st overall in the NFL draft.
Cousineau played high school football at Lakewood St. Edward, mostly because his mother did not want him to play for his father, who was the head coach of Lakewood High School. He came to Ohio State as part of what turned out to be the last recruiting class to play four years under legendary head football coach Woody Hayes. Hayes was removed as head coach after the 1978 season, mostly due to “The Punch”.
He arrived on campus ready to play on the 2nd team, but he became demoralized as he went against the 1st team offensive line day after day. But he persevered and, when opportunity presented itself, he stepped in and performed admirably as a freshman when senior Ken Kuhn went down with an injury. He played the rest of the season4 and was part of Ohio State’s undefeated Big Ten championship team of 1975. Unfortunately, the season ended not with a national championship but with an upset loss to UCLA in the Rose Bowl. But Cousineau had made his mark, and it was only a taste of what was to come.” [Eleven Warriors]
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“At Bowling Green, at Utah and finally at Florida, the teams celebrated with something he called Victory Meal. They’d gather after a win, eating steak and shrimp, watching a replay of the game. They’d hang out, enjoying the accomplishment. Players and coaches loved Victory Meal, and Meyer often sat at the front of the room, glowing inside.
Then he won the 2006 national title. Bud Meyer joined him in the locker room. They hugged, cried, and before Urban left, he took his nameplate from his locker as a souvenir. Back at the office, he gave his secretary his credit card and told her to buy everything she could find from the game. She spent around $5,000 on blown-up photographs. Urban essentially scrapbooked, collecting mementos of the success he couldn’t really enjoy. There was something melancholy about it. Truth is, he loved reflecting — his favorite song, Jimmy Buffett’s “One Particular Harbour,” is about someone who imagines an escape, dreaming of being an old man able to look back — but he’d learned that reflection is weakness, so he didn’t indulge beyond the pictures on the wall and those moments in the locker room with his dad. He lost even that.” [Thompson/ESPN the Mag]
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“He was very impressed with Browns fans. “Unbelievable,” Haslam said. “You can’t help but be impressed with the fans. I feel very fortunate to be able to be here for fan appreciation night. This allows me to come out and meet the fans.” Haslam was signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans in the Gridiron Grille before practice began. He even went out of his way to shake the hands and thank the security guards at the stadium. Haslam said he’s really felt the love since officially becoming the owner just last week. “I told the guys back home how the fans (in Cleveland) really love football,” he said. “(His wife) Dee and I feel the responsibility (we have).” [Greetham/The OBR]
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Finally, this GIF is awesome. [Gleeman/Hardball Times]
