a great winter.

(We did start the year off by jumping in the Mon again, and I’m going to tell you about that tomorrow. But first…)

Since Sept. 4, this red bracelet — which reads “People – Tradition – Excellence” — has stayed on my left wrist. Since Saturday, Sept. 5 — when Ethel picked it out of a bowl at the season’s first tailgate party — this buckeye has not been moved from the right front pocket of whatever pants I was wearing.

They are the two constant reminders of football season. I see or feel them every time I look at my watch or reach for some change. They are always with me, from the start of the season to the finish.

The season finished earlier today, when Ohio State beat Oregon 26-17 in the Rose Bowl, our first BCS win in what seems like 1,000 years. With that win, I get a winter’s worth of bragging rights, and I get to look forward to what could be a very interesting 2010 season.

And — I get to put the bracelet and the buckeye to rest for a while.