Adell in the gloaming and other memories

by Jon Greenberg

In my mind's eye, I see him hanging in the air, determination cloaking his face from the bright lights of Gund Arena.

Floating, floating, Sanjay Adell hung in the air for five months and hit the biggest shot of his life. His runner not only lifted Ohio past defending champion Kent in the 2000 Mid-American Conference Tournament, but it provided Bobcat fans with a lasting memory.

Memories are why we love sports, why we anguish over defeats and rejoice over victories. Adell stole a second of time that night. Unfortunately, the magic ran out. The one "moment in time" was worth it, however, similar to Ohio's defeat of Miami in the penultimate game of the football season.

I can see Dontrell Jackson slide between the sequoias at Ohio State, where Chad Brinker always is crossing the goal line. Flash forward to Miami, where the goal post will forever be torn down, marking an upset for the ages. Brinker always will break free from the Miami defense, ending years of frustration.

While the real action is found on the field or the court, I also learned to value the behind-the-scenes action. A favorite behind-the-scenes moment was when Marshall Head Coach Greg White unleashed a tirade of Bobby Knight proportion. And I got to be a part of it.

White started a good ol' fashioned feud with the Ohio sports media contingent when he attacked Adell after Ohio flattened Marshall at The Convo. After upstaging the Ohio media on its home court, the Ohio press room, we licked our chops to confront him in Marshall. We got our chance and the result wasn't pretty. It was funny though.

WOUB reporter Jared Puffer asked White point-blank about his previous comments. White became enraged. When I volleyed his insults back to him, he began to stew. Later in the press conference, he managed to pull us back in the fray by saying the Ohio media had a chip on their shoulder. Puffer looked at me, eliciting a cynical smile. White threatened to remove us from the press conference. He didn't live up to it, but a hack from the Charleston Daily Mail wrote a disparaging column about the incident the next day. I don't know if I was angrier that I was included in this article or that I was forced to read the Daily Mail.

Events like this are what I'll remember from this year. The camaraderie between members of the media is what makes this job so enticing. I was lucky to cover sports with some of my best friends, the unsung heroes of WOUB TV and radio. I spent countless hours with them, Rob Peirce, Kevin Van Brimmer and the rest, joking, researching, commentating, and of course, watching the action as the grass and turf blended into the hardwood. We laughed at the media guides. We mocked opposing writers. We spoke the unspoken truths about our team. They were some of the best times of my life.

I decided that choosing a favorite moment from this year would be trite. I have my memories. Adell's shot definitely resonates within the gray matter, but one memory has crawled up my cranium as the most mournful of my Post career.

Ohio had just lost an overtime thriller to Akron on another last-second play. It was the Bobcats second loss of the year to the team I hated. I wasn't covering the game but I made the trip. After the buzzer rang, I stood helpless where Ohio's comeback failed. I was speechless and heartbroken. To say that it is impossible to be a fan while being an objective writer is ludicrous.

As I stood there helpless, the girl I was with tugged at my arm, swept her hair back and said innocently "It's only a game." How wrong she was.

Greenberg is a junior journalism major who wants to thank his fans and curse his detractors. Send him an e-mail at jg371997 wishing him well on his post-Post life or just asking him out.