New Column: Jai Lai Review
June 12 2007 09:55 PM -- Filed in: Site News
| John Russell
(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!
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!
