Remember when you screwed around in your yard or your friend's yard, doing kid things like playing fort, setting paper airplanes on fire, maybe the odd cherry bomb here and there? Well, things have progressed since those olden times. Like making an explosive device powerful enough to blow up a backyard playset and killing someone in the process.

cincinnati.com

Ferraro, 19, died Wednesday while apparently using a camera to record the explosion of a homemade pipe bomb in his parents' back yard, authorities said Thursday.

What is the psychology at work where we have changed the way we say the year? New Years resolution: saying "twenty oh eight" instead of "two thousand eight", as in "nineteen oh eight" instead of "one thousand nine hundred eight".

The Ohio State Buckeyes are preparing for the title game on Monday night (the end of which I'll surely miss because I'll be asleep--play the damn game on a Saturday afternoon for crissakes). They are in the exact opposite position this year as they were in last year. Last year they were annointed the champions prior to the game; this time they are a non-entity and are said to be not deserving of playing for the BCS championship. There are plenty of criticisms, and yes insults, directed at the OSU team for their lackluster schedule and perceived slow, lumbering nature (how did lumbering Michigan do against speedy SEC Florida?). And those criticisms are reaching the eyes and ears of the players, courtesy of a DVD given to them that contains clips of various pundits and others pontificating on why they are so bad.

USA Today

One present the Ohio State staff gave to its players before Christmas break was a 10-minute DVD full of insults, slights and putdowns taken from TV and radio clips. Haven't you heard? The Buckeyes don't belong in Monday's Bowl Championship Series title game after the schedule they played. They have no chance against speedy LSU. At least according to this lowlight film, which motivated the players as intended.

"My favorite part of the DVD?" Ohio State offensive tackle Kirk Barton said Thursday. "I'm a big Mark May fan. He's not a big fan of me, but I have my Mark May poster on the wall in a Redskins jersey." Barton, the team's resident smart aleck who can break up a room with his deadpan delivery, was kidding. He then listed other ESPN analysts who have been especially critical of the Buckeyes, adding, "I'm thankful for their support."

I think the underdog has won every BCS title game, save one. I think that's the case and if so perhaps it bodes well for the Buckeyes. One thing is for certain--if the Buckeyes lose this game, it will harm their reputation for a long, long time. In this case the answer to the question "Is it better to have gotten to the championship and lost, or not gotten there at all?" is clearly that they would have better off to have not gotten there.