Brutus taking a beating

Brutus Buckeye takes a beating.
That's what's happened to Ohio State football in recent weeks as fans, among others, don't like what they see.
Back-to-back losses to Northwestern and Wisconsin have Jim Tressel and his staff feeling some heat.
Suspect execution seems to be part of the problem, but lack of preparation may be the rest. The latter, preparation, is a Tressel trait. When he gets up in the morning, he knows how many inhalations he's going to take that day. So, who is slacking off during those 18-hour work days?
I'm not a Buckeye fan, but I think they'll get straightened out before crumbling any more.
Older brotherhas the answers
At the beginning of the week, I received a message from my brother who thinks he knows sports. His comments start with Ohio State:
"Every time I watch them play, all I see is slow ... compared to the southern or the western conference teams. I'd like to see them win, but that stubborn attitude of power first and foremost puts a lot of pressure on the defense. Then some teams go too far the other way, i.e., Cal had a good chance to beat USC and what did they do?... Pass, pass, pass ... No run, no balance and they blew that game. Actually, I just saw the four downs at the tail end of the game, but that was critical ... not good coaching/play calling."
Older brothers know best. Besides, he'll beat me up if I disagree.
Anthony Perry, 84, still manages a healthy walk several times a week in his Hubbard neighborhood.
Recently, while sitting on a bench in Mattinat Park during the midway point of his walk, Perry recalled the years his sons, Pat and Dave, competed in the Ironman World Triathlon in Hawaii.
It was the early 1980s. Pat finished 166th in 1982 and, the following year, he competed with David.
"At the time, triathlons were not common," Anthony Perry said. "Around here, people didn't know what they were. Back then, there was only one winner. I say, if you finish, you're a winner."
Their mother, Marie, traveled to watch her sons when both competed in 1983.
"I saw the swimming [2.4 miles] and was able to stand alongside the road when they ran [26.2 miles], but I didn't see much of the bicycling [112 miles] because it was so distant," she said of the area around Kona, Hawaii.
Pat, 51, lives in Washington D.C. Dave, 46, lives in Columbus. Anthony is a former Senior Olympics participant.
TAC soccerwinds down
The career of Hubbard High soccer goalie Aaron Severa is winding down with the Eagles' final game Thursday against Newton Falls.
Last year, Severa took some pretty good shots from Mooney's Kiki Willis, the state's all-time top scorer. Although Hubbard lost, 2-0, although Willis didn't tally either.
"I took some point-blank shots," said, Severa, a two-year letterman. "It's nice to be challenged by someone that good."
A 2-0 win at home against unbeaten Champion last season was the most satisfying game for Severa.
"They were ranked and undefeated and it was at our place," Severa said of the late-season game before a big crowd. "There was a lot of pressure because they do throw-ins in the box."
Severa, whose high school days were under coach Rodney Lehman, says he's headed to YSU.
"I could have worked a little harder and done certain things to improve," Severa said of a self-analysis. The 6-2, 150 pounder considers his height and quickness his strengths.
The tough life of a goalie was played out in a recent game against Lakeview. With Hubbard up, 1-0, Lakeview scored on a throw-in to tie. With 1.5 seconds remaining and a Lakeview player dribbling furiously toward the net after the last defender was beaten, Severa came out.
"You have to know when it's the right time. You can't come out too early, but you can't come out too late."
John Bassetti is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at bassetti@vindy.com.