OT: I'm having dinner with Jim Tressel - What should I ask him?
This coming May 14th my company is getting something known as the "Manny Award" here in Northern Ohio. I have been asked to accept the award for my firm and because of that I will be sitting at the podium for the dinner and award ceremony next to the Keynote speaker Jim Tressel. My question is if you had the opportunity to sit next to him for the evening what would you ask him?
http://ibmag.com/mannyawards/mannyawardsabout.aspx
I might add I have had the opportunity to meet Tressel on two other occasions and found him to be extremely personable and friendly (and yes he knew I was a Michigan alum) so I don't want to say anything extremely offensive but I do want to take the opportunity to talk to him a bit about what went really went on at OSU during his tenure. Any suggestions on how to word it so I don't cause a scene but still get him to open up a bit? Any other topics you guys think I should broach while I've got him cornered for the night?
And yes, I plan to wear a yellow dress shirt, navy blue sport coat and my best Michigan tie for the night!
April 11th, 2013 at 12:12 PM ^
help TP pick out the Vette or the 300Z?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^
with Kate Upton, that is all
April 11th, 2013 at 12:13 PM ^
I'll be ready
April 11th, 2013 at 12:14 PM ^
April 11th, 2013 at 12:16 PM ^
What does he feel are the critical differences between OSU and Michigan that he would consider an advantage when recruiting a state of Michigan player?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
I'd be interested in the reverse of this too, the differences that are advantages for Michigan when recruiting a state of Ohio player.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:16 PM ^
I LOL at the fact that it sounds completely unprofessional, and I LOL at how awkward this sounds, and I LOL at the insinuation that he'd want to talk about at all with a random guy.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^
If it were me (which is my way of saying I have no idea if this is the "right" or "wrong" way to go about it, only my opinion of what I would do) I would avoid bringing up OSU all together. Ask him how he's doing at Akron, what he thought of his work for the Colts, basically anything but OSU. The best revenge is living well, and further by asking him about his life since then you are subtly reminding him he isn't as OSU anymore.
Again, thats just me. I don't figure he's going to say "Oh yeah, I had my brother handing out wads of cash like it was lunch" and "yeah, we circumvented every rule we could"...I mean, unless you go all Jack Burns and inject him with sodium pentathol in the bathroom.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:49 PM ^
I like the way you initially come across classy, as if you are just suggesting a civil conversation with another human being who happened to coach at a rival school, but then it turns out the entire line of conversation is a passive-aggressive attempt to undermine him.
It's the classy ones you need to watch out for. They're the quickest to throw you under the bus.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:17 PM ^
"Who's a bigger scumbag, you or Urban Meyer?"
April 11th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^
I would just see if he'd be up for telling you some good (i.e., positive) stories about Lloyd Carr or Rich Rodriguez or other Michigan stuff. You might ask him what he thinks of what Meyer has brought to OSU, too...There's no way he'll talk about "tat-gate" or anything like that, and I don't think it would be fair to put him on the spot about it. He's been punished plenty.
Full disclosure: Tressel helped a kid I know get a football scholarship (not to OSU). My opinion of him - and my respect for him - is considerably higher than that of the average Mgoblogger.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:25 PM ^
Well I'm anything but an AVERAGE MGoblogger Eric so I know that wasnt directed at me. Seriously though I 100% agree about Tressel. As I said in the OP, I've met him twice and found him to be very charming and friendly - even to a MIchigan guy like me.
I was actually talking to him more about if he felt he got a fair shake from OSU or if he thought he was made a fall guy for others.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:32 PM ^
I wasn't saying that you were the average Mgoblogger. I know better than that. I was just anticipating attacks from others for defending Tressel.
I still don't know if I'd ask him if he thinks he got a fair shake, but I don't think that's a terrible idea either. He might give you a little smile and then say something basically non-responsive.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:31 PM ^
you, I would ask about recruiting battles with Michigan and about any stories he has about Lloyd etc... Staying away from the scandal is probably a better bet...
April 11th, 2013 at 12:45 PM ^
Punished plenty!
Ha! Thanks, I needed a laugh.
He received a standing ovation back at that "school" last time I checked.
~Herm
April 11th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^
It might be best to stay away from that whole NCAA violations thing entirely. It's not like he's going to say anything especially revealing to someone he doesn't know.
I would be interested in getting his opinion on the new coaching staff at Michigan, both with respect to coaching and recruiting. Does he think his "fence around Ohio" would have held against Michigan's current recruiting prowess?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:26 PM ^
That's a real good one. I could ask him why he thinks Hoke has made such significant inroads into Ohio while he was able to keep Carr & Rodriguez at bay.
I like that - consider that one asked.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:32 PM ^
If you want him to open at all, you're really going to have to start with a few questions that are really going to stroke his ego. That will get him to talk a little bit. After that, you can tactfully ask a couple of more delicate questions, but ultimately, he's not going to open up much at all. This guy has been answering questions like this for years. He's a pro at deflecting.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:43 PM ^
Seems a little premature considering things might be completely the opposite this year. Chances are OSU will sign all the in state prospects it wants with the exception of Ferns and Michigan will be more focused on our of state prospects.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:18 PM ^
Ask him if he gets the sweater vest dry cleaned or just pulls a new one out of the closet after several days of wear.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:19 PM ^
April 11th, 2013 at 12:26 PM ^
I have a hunch that you wouldn't say that to his face. And if you did, you would be an embarrassment not unlike him.
he was recruiting a kid in a school that i teach at the week after the '09 'The Game'...i good naturedly said 'go blue' and he talked to me for a second, then another teacher showed up with a pad of sticky notes and he asked if i wanted an autograph.
i said 'nah....wait. well i do if you'll write 'go blue' on it'.
it says,
wiper,
go bucks
go blue
jim tressel
obviously i promptly took it down to the lamenating machine, folded over the 'go bucks' part, and it is now still lamenated (good enough that you honestly can't tell it's folded over' with a string around it for a necklace hanging off one of my book shelves...
wiper,
go blue
jim tressel
/coolstorybro
Picture or GTFO
They post the pictures on the Inside Business website after the event. I'm sure they'll be there plus given that everyone else in my company are big OSU fans I'm sure the hilarity of me accepting the award from Tressel will be captured by everyone's cameras.
I'll have pics.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^
Do you feel guilty being a keynote speaker for anything?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^
"Will you get on it right away? Happy Easter."
April 11th, 2013 at 12:20 PM ^
I'd be curious if he thinks that the spread offense is a good fit for OSU/B1G given that he is known for conservative Tresselball. Obviously, the transition from Tressel to Meyer went as good as one could hope for. As Michigan beefs up for manball, which offense is going to have the advantage in the big game?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
Ask him if he had a Happy Easter
edit: dammit beaten to the punch
April 11th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
Ask him how come his eyes and skin don't burn when he sits in the front pew of church.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:24 PM ^
"So, how do you think the Bobcats will do this year? You used to coach there, amiright?"
/s
April 11th, 2013 at 12:25 PM ^
April 11th, 2013 at 12:25 PM ^
does the documentation of your cheating that you were not caught for fit into one banker's box or do you need two?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^
[edit]: cause I am a fool
April 11th, 2013 at 12:26 PM ^
You should ask him what his favorite flavor of wine cooler is. Moreover, you should ask him why he prefers to pee while sitting down.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:27 PM ^
"Does everybody actually kill people, murder people, steal from you, and steal from me?"
April 11th, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^
Well done.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:28 PM ^
If the sweater matches the drapes?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^
perhaps he has a Brazilian?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:29 PM ^
Please, please ask him if he has any updog.
April 11th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^
What's updog?
April 11th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^
April 11th, 2013 at 12:32 PM ^
Not to thread-jack my own post but my company sells an intra-operative nerve stimulator/locator that is used by surgeons when assessing & repairing nerve damage. And we just got approved by University of Michigan for trial use last week and literally in the past five minutes they just placed their first order!!!!!
Go Blue.