Rite of passage. Sea change. Changing of the guard. Call it what you want.

Yesterday's spring game, an annual ritual just like the blooming of the dogwood or unfolding the tulips, brought new faces and new names to the Horseshoe. In a peculiar aligning of the galaxy, we both welcomed the new yesterday and said goodbye to the old when the NFL draft fell on the same day. (Can't remember that happening before....am I clueless or was this unusual?)

As we wished Malcolm and Beanie and James well, we gathered in the stadium to discover the names of who would take their place. In the time I have worked on this project, I am struck by how fame is both fleeting and not. Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye. There is a special bond, a special fraternity amongst those lucky enough to play in the 'Shoe. And of course notoriety forever to those who win or star. But at the same time, some stories I have that were hot three years ago when I started this wouldn't interest you now.

That was illustrated yesterday. As I walked across the Lane Avenue bridge, a family group in front of me had on jerseys with T Smith. Thinking it was maybe brothers and sisters, I asked myself "T Smith? I wonder who T Smith is and what does he play this year?" It wasn't until I saw the number ten that it dawned on me. "What a dufus," I thought of myself.

In time we will learn who will be the new Troy, what will be the hot jersey number, when there will be more hardware. Enjoy the new journey until we do.