Wow. That was painful. I know we anticipated some hiccups, but I never expected that. Anyway, we made back. I know some of the images associated with the annotation sites are not there and I noticed that the comments section is malfunctioning. Still, this is progress. I will iron out the remaining problems as we move forward. I am just happy to be able to concentrate on writing new and creative pieces again.

As you may know, Keith is hanging up his keyboard.  It was a great ride and we owe him a debt of gratitude.  Personally, I am very grateful he allowed me to contribute to the site and feel there is still much for me to offer.  So, readers willing, Buckeye Commentary will continue. 
 
Keith had a great style and voice.  While I will not try to replicate it, I will strive to create the same energy, consistency, and creative analysis.  After all, that is what drew me in as a reader years ago.  
 
For now, I am going to keep the site updated, and I am working on some ideas for new features. I'd really like your input on this, as this site is for ultimately for you, and will be posting a survey in the near future.  And yes, your responses and comments will guide the future of Buckeye Commentary, and hopefully keep you coming back (and being less-than-totally-focused at work).
 
Thanks.
-Massey

---

I started Buckeye Commentary three years ago as a way for me to creatively express my thoughts and opinions on Ohio State athletics. In the process, the content was good enough to build a loyal and growing readership. I am proud of that and I want to personally thank everyone of you who have made this site a daily or weekly read. I tried my best to bring you news but also create original work whether it was my game analysis, Feldman(ESPN writer) and Silverman (BTN Prez) interviews, statistical commentary or video collection.

It's with great pleasure that I see the site continue onward under Massey. He shares my passion for Ohio State sports and I know he has some very good ideas for the site in the months to come. Again many thanks to Massey, past and current contributors (Sam Anderson, John Russell) and all the readers who have shown their support. There may be a bump or two in the road as we migrate the domain and hosting but stick around. The site is in good hands.

Go Bucks,
Keith Courter

Those of you who are long time readers will remember this site nearly stopped existing in August last year. I took a short break, re-prioritized and continued on. It was a great season and the content was as good as ever with the help of the contributing writers. For me personally, however, I'm tapped out. Spent. Tired. This gigantic love of mine has become something I want to release. So, I'm doing just that.

I will probably write one more post in a week or so providing more detail. Right this minute, I'm preparing for a business trip and I will be out of pocket until next Thursday. There is a succession plan being worked on which I'm excited about. It's been great to see this site grow into something far beyond my imagination. Well over a million visitors, tons of video, great community. Many thanks to everyone. Stay tuned.

After several conversations with me, myself and I - it's about time I get rocking on the site again. As much time as this animal takes, the satisfaction in return is enough to keep pushing on. Plus, the timing would be just awful considering we're about to embark on a new season.

Many thanks to all the comments and emails. I read them all and I am very appreciative. I'll be back soon with business as usual.

A few of you have emailed genuinely concerned about the lack of updates. My posting has been nil in the last 10 days or so and it isn't because I'm enjoying a vacation in some tropical paradise. No, I'm home and have complete access to update the site or write new commentary and whatever else it is I think may be of interest to readers. But, alas I don't. I haven't felt much like blogging. It may change; it may not. I'm still sorting out if this is something I want to continue doing.

This may seem sudden but it's been gradually building. I'm not looking for pep talks or the like. I just wanted to give an idea of what's going on.

You may find this boring, I don't know, but I've finished a few more updates for the site. I mentioned a few weeks ago, I hoped to add Slimbox which probably is greek to most of you. It's actually a very cool way to display enlarged photos without opening a new window. Ease of use and a neat effect. I have changed the Photo page to include Slimbox and pared down the number of pics. It's not completely done yet but I've tested it against IE7, Safari and Firefox and it seems well. Check it out.

Lastly, there is a new section in the right sidebar titled Recruiting Target. It will periodically rotate with a new video (if I can find them) of various football players the staff is targeting. Naturally the first profile is of Terrelle Pryor, the dual threat QB who draws favorable comparisons to Vince Young. (Also, when watching the vid, you may want to turn down your volume. The music selected by some of these YouTuber's is sometimes questionable)

(Buckeye Commentary effectively doubles in size today. John Russell will periodically give his views on Buckeye related items from his luscious SoCal region. He's good or I wouldn't have asked him to join up. Give him a hardy welcome in the comments below or his email)

Allow myself to introduce, myself: It is with great pleasure that I have accepted an offer from Keith to become a regular contributor to Buckeye Commentary. I truly consider it a privilege, as I have always been a big fan of both his work and the readers’ insightful commentary.

As for my Buckeye credentials, I am a third generation alum of The Ohio State University. Despite being born and raised in Southern California, there was no other university that I could have ever imagined attending. There is just something about the Buckeye baby clothes and the Saturdays of one’s youth spent glued to the TV watching drubbings of Purdue & Co. that simply become addictive. It truly is a magical place, and I am proud to be affiliated with such a special university and a fan base as passionate and die-hard as Buckeye Nation.

After working in state government for awhile after graduation, I have since returned to Southern California for law school. But my heart remains in Ohio, and I remain a voracious reader and follower of all things Ohio State. As we go forward with this venture, please feel free to contact me via the comments or my email address above with any questions you may have, whether it be relating to Ohio State, USC’s fair-weather fan base, or the best places to get ice cream in any of Ohio’s four corners (e.g. Tom’s Ice Cream Bowl in Zanesville!)

What’s in a name? For those Buckeye fans older than me, you may recognize the name of this column as that of the famous old Columbus dining establishment located where the Buckeye Hall of Fame Café now stands. Still, you may ask: Why name a column on Ohio State sports after a restaurant?

As a child, my grandfather, the first John Russell to graduate from Ohio State (50 years to month before his grandson), would take me to the Jai Lai or its successor and fill my head with stories of how Woody Hayes would come in after games, have his table open and waiting for him, and effectively hold court discussing among friends the game that had just passed, the week ahead, or whatever else may happen to be on his mind. Now, I have never been certain whether these “tableside chats” in fact occurred or were instead the type of legendary tale a grandfather tells his young grandson. But the memory is a fond one, and these “chats” are a model for what I envision and hope this column becomes – a weekly opportunity to discuss and analyze the topics of the week gone by, the week to come, and whatever else may be on my mind or yours.

Until next time: I promise my next column and each one thereafter will be far more substantive. For now, know that I am very enthused about joining this wonderful site, and I greatly look forward to sharing my thoughts and hearing yours on the one thing that brings each of us here together, The Ohio State University.

Until next time, GO BUCKS!

Let's be honest; the offseason can be boring. Recruiting can fill some voids but even an active day like today - one with more news on Devon Torrence and a reversal of a public verbal by basketball recruit Luke Babbitt - is still rather mundane. Because of this, I've used the quiet time to look into ways to enhance the site and hopefully bring added value. To that end, a list of some small changes for your edification...

• Multiple Categories and Tags - My old system only allowed a single category and didn't have tags at all. I'm using categories strictly at this point until I decide what, if anything, to do with the tag feature. Not sure if it's necessary to use both.
  
  
• New Permalink style - This will seem minor but it's a new feature I quite like. Now a user can simply click on the title of a blog entry to get the unique URL. You'll notice each blog heading is has a minor rollover effect signifying it's a clickable link. Should also provide a minor help on SEO. The separate, freestanding "Permalink" label is gone.
  
  
• Inline Commenting - Comments will now be displayed on the same page with each permalink URL. To test it out, click on the title of yesterday's entry and you'll see the comments "inline". Gone are the days where the commenting window has to open everytime to read or add thoughts. There is no change to the pop-up commenting screen on the main page.
  
  
  
• Video Wiki - Perhaps the best feature of all. Most of us like to watch videos of our Buckeyes. We see links on various messageboards, YouTube, Google, my site, someone else's site, etc. It just gets confusing keeping track of it all. To help out, I created the BC Video Wiki which acts as a centralized database (by year) to track and list online Ohio State football videos. Because it's a Wiki that means user contribution is vital in making the list grow. I've started it off with about 50 videos but I know there are many more out there. Complete tip of the cap to BlueGray Sky for the idea.

These are the new features that have been implemented so far. I hope to add Slimbox technology to at least some of the photos (I think its effect is really cool) along with one more change I can't yet let out of the bag.