Even keel: Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is known for his unflappable demeanor, but he's got at least

Even keel: Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is known for his unflappable demeanor, but he's got at least one skeptic on his team. Senior guard Adrien Clarke said earlier in the week he thinks Tressel goes home, shuts the door and says, "I hate Michigan." When asked about it, Tressel smiled and said, "Adrien said that? Wait till I see that little guy. No, that's never happened." (By the way, "that little guy" is 6-feet, 5-inches tall and weighs 330 pounds.) As a follow-up question, one reporter asked if Tressel has a voodoo doll for Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. "No, not at all," Tressel said.
Sweet memories: Tressel grew up watching the Ohio State-Michigan game with his late father, Lee, who was the coach at Baldwin-Wallace. "It was always special in my house because my dad's season was over and it was the first time we got to see him. So it was always a neat time."
Sweet memories II: Tressel's first coaching memory of the game came in 1983 when he was the quarterbacks and receivers coach for the Buckeyes. Ohio State lost 24-21 in Ann Arbor. "I remember preparing like crazy. It didn't feel that much different until I got into the stadium and I'll tell you what, I can't even remember the first quarter. I don't know if I did [quarterback] Mike Tomczak any good talking to him because it was a different feeling. It's just a special thing to be a part of and I think that's why it's so storied. I'm sure there are some other 100-year rivalries going on right now, but they're not being talked about all over the nation."
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