Tough Being a COWBOY!

Pitt Stop now has a whole new meaning...

And i'm not talking cars. The Pittsburgh Panthers put an unfortunate STOP to my OSU Cowboys advance in the 2009 NCAA tournament. Neck to neck the first half...tied at 49 at the half...The hopes and dreams of Cowboy fans all over were alive and stirring. This is our chance. We were matched with a No.1 seed and holding our own.

The 2nd half was equally riveting... As I watched play by play in the company of my fellow O-State alumni at Gamekeepers (a Chicago bar that hosts OSU games), I couldn't discern if I was happy, mad, or a weird combination of the two. You see, OSU has a history, ahem, a legacy, of being on the fence. We are always good, decent and a viable competitor, however, we aren't up there with the Dukes of the world racing down the hardwood with pride, assurance and winning legacy, nor are we the no name team that goes to the NIT every year. We are known, but unknown. Thus, you see the predicament of being an O-State fan. We get our hopes up and hearts broken year after year. Ugh...it's like that old boyfriend that keeps wanting to get back together, but always has issues or changes his mind. Ultimate winning (or a wedding ring, per my analogy) is always elusive. And Sunday was no different (final: Pitt 84, OSU 76).


But...we of course thought this time, this year, was somehow different. It would be a story of up from under....the season didn't start off to well for my beloved team. We have a new coach, Travis Ford, and he had big shoes to fill (Eddie Sutton). But where he lacked experience in Gallagher Iba, he had heart. Heart that drove us all the way to Dayton, OH - to the NCAA playoffs. And although, our dreams and goals were short-lived we will rally. We will continue to hope and believe, that next year, next year will be different. Haha...it's kind of funny, but true. Keeps life interesting and the love/hate relationship truly creates the most loyal of fans. And that folks, is something to be proud of.