OT: I'm having dinner with Jim Tressel - What should I ask him?

Why did you write books about being ethical and upstanding when you were neither?

Say nothing and relentlessly crop dust that man. He will be forced to bask in it. Crop dust him for Michigan.

Jeez people why would you want to represent your school with anything other than the most gracious behavior. It's the OTHER guys who are rude.

Say "it's nice to meet you ". If the conversation naturally steers to football ask the nicest question you can. If you are wearing UM colors/tie and he makes no comment that is a sign he would rather leave the whole thing alone. You're ripping your firm and your school so if that's what he wants that's what you do .

1. Do you think the Big Ten should go to 16 teams, and why or why not?

2. Do you approve of the mania for alternate uniforms?

3. Should the conference ditch "Leaders" and "Legends"?

4. Why is high school football in Ohio better than in Michigan?

5. Is Mark Dantonio really that much of a horse's ass in private?

He's not going to say jack about OSU violations or anything about that.

 

Ask him what he thinks about the NCAA concept of "amateurism" and the O'Bannon lawsuit? It would be hilarious and ironic if he sided with the Emmerts of the world.

 

The stories suggestion is a good one. He won't be telling any OSU recruiting stories but I wouldn't be surprised if you can get him to tell some funny recruiting stories about other things. Ask him if he has heard anything about all of the rumors about Ole Mi$$.

 

If you really want to be ballsy, get a pic of Clarett from the 2002 MNC game and ask him to autograph it.

Don't ask him any questions, tell him you're not familiar with his work. When he says "I coached football at OSU" reply with "Oh, the Bobcats. Nice. I thought Frank Solich coached there."

fired?  Check that, retired early?

What would your company do if you refused this "honor" and questioned why they want to associate with a liar and a cheat?

Had no shot at a title, did being honored at the game make you feel any remorse for lying?

Then ask him if he every thought about firing Gordon Gee. 

I'd want to ask him what he thought about other coaches, both those he has worked with and those he faced in games and recruiting.

"Was it worth it?"

did you write that book when you knew you were a fraud?

the '666' behind his ear....

Didn't that old song by Queen go 'Beelzebub had a Tressel for a queen' or something like that?

now serious:  kudos to you/your company about the award.  you will represnt the maize and blue well.  i think there are some good questions here, things about where he thinks the big10 will go in terms of expansion, and i bet he has some enteratiaing 'inside baseball' type of stories about football in particular.

where he hid Jimmy Hoffa.

If you want to bait him, make it sound like you're on his side and incredulous about the whole scandal. "Don't you think it's funny--I mean funny 'odd' not funny 'haha'--that after all your years at Ohio State the thing they busted you for was some players pawning autographs and memorabilia for tattoos? Jeeze! I mean, Al Capone can relate, amirite?"

about screwing over numerous student athletes and administrators at other universities by cheating and cutting corners when recruiting and keeping players eligible?

When you beat Lloyd Carr consistently in close games with players that shold have been inelligible and probably accounted at least for the 3 or 4 point difference in many of those close games (Maurice Clarrett, Troy Smith), did you ever think it was unfair?

Do you ever think about how you screwed over a good man in Lloyd Carr and many other Big Ten coaches?  Do you ever think about all the student athletes, both at OSU and at other institutions that you either misled (Clarrett being the most obvious example) or robbed of an equal playing field so that you could embellish your resume?

When you see your book about integrity and winning the right way on the shelves do you feel like a ridiculous hipocrite?

Those would be my questions.

Say Jim, is it true that the official that thru the pass interference flag at the very end of the MNC game in 2002, was actually Gordon Gee ?

Go Blue!

Get him to talk about how close it was, and then bring up the fact that he had the field replaced the week of the game to slow down the Michigan defense. 

Then when the evening is about to end tell him, Bo was right, "you are a snake in the grass!"

 

Just tell him how much you admire him for handling the burden of being a tragic hero.

You should ask where he thinks Alex Kozan will end up.

For his daughter's number because she's hot.

Ask him if he laments being born with a "Hoo Haa" instead of a "Wee Wee."

 

Has to be those words verbatim and has to be asked without cracking a smile at all.

Got any tattoo parlors for rec?

I side with the polite, civil, innocuous recommendations. Remember, you may have contact with him again in the future. Don's questions seemed particularly good.

I really would let the conversation go where he wants, and do your best to encourage him. For instance, if he starts talking about a story, let him go down that road, and ask him questions that encourage him to continue. Be a good listener and empathizer, smile, be friendly, and let him talk. Don't fawn over him, but definitely be respectful.

Tressel, as has been noted, is a master at obfuscation and deflection, as are all good politicians. Generally, most people like to talk about themselves, but this is probably not the case with Tressel.

It sometimes is the case that if you are open and vulnerable, it encourages the same with the individual you are talking with. To the degree that you are transparent, it helps him to do the same. I wouldn't be surprised about him asking you about your line of work, and also asking you about your experience as a Michigan fan. Be prepared to answer honestly, and use your answers to ask him related questions.

Here's an example. Say you use your business experience to link to Denard's injury. You might say something like, "From doctors on our staff, I knew that with an ulner nerve injury, it was extremely unlikely Denard would come back last year. He was such a unique talent and a joy to watch, with his combination of raw speed and yet the ability to make some passes. How would you compare Denard to the quarterback you had at Ohio State?" This could open a conversation thread.

You could ask him about line play, or about Hoke, or about Mattison.

There's one suggestion above that I personally would ask him about (because I'm a pastor.) I would read his book, and find a more tactful way to ask him about how he applied those principles with the players under his watch, and where that didn't work. If there was a way to do it, I would ask what he would change or do differently.

Step 1: Get a tattoo (if you don't already have one) in an innocuous place

Step 2: Ask if he wants to see your tattoo

Step 3: Show him your new tattoo

(This thread had far too much seriousness, and not as much snark as I expected)

EDIT: And now I want to add, he's a man who coaches football, not just a football coach. I'm sure everyone talks to him about his thoughts on football all the time. He might appreciate it if you tried to explore other topics completely unrelated to football--his previous career, books he's read recently, movies, anything you would normally talk about with someone you just met. I'm sure he's used to it by now, but if I were him I would appreciate not being bombarded with football questions.

YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID

YOU HELPED WRECK THE PROGRAM