December 18, 2025 • 11 mins
Bill Rabinowitz of Substack.com has a new book out called "Buckeye Brotherhood" and looks at Ohio State's potential to repeat as Camps!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Glad you could be with us.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
And speaking of Christmas gifts, I think this is going
to be very cool. In fact, this is going to
be a great Christmas gifts to talk about because on
the Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone line, he covers
the Buckeyes for substack dot com and he has a
brand new book out called Buckeye Brotherhood.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's mister Bill Rabinowitz.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Bill, good morning, and thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Well, thanks for having me on. I hope you get
your shopping done. Boy.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I'll tell you what it's got to happen.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I mean, it's got to happen. I have really procrastinated.
But Bill, this is before we get into football and
some of the other things you have going on. And
I wanted to talk about this book, Buckeye Brotherhood, which
is chronicling the big playoff push last year they got
Ohio State the twenty twenty four national championship.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
And this is an excellent book.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
And I think one of the things I wanted to
dress first was when everyone talks about the playoff run
last year.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
One of the first things they talked about was following.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
The loss to Mission Again, there was the famous meeting
in the locker room, and that's in the book, right.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah, that's a whole chapter. It was actually in a
team room, not the locker room. It was it was
three days after they lost in Michigan, and Ryan Day
had met with the leadership group on the Monday after
the game and they were all just still devastated and
they all decided it would be best for the whole
team that a meeting with just Ryan Day, no other coaches.
They go in the team room where they had their
(01:27):
press conferences, and Ryan they had sat on chair and
they hashed everything out, all the issues that have been
kind of I don't say swept under the rug, but
maybe didn't get the attention that they would have gotten.
That they had struggled more and there were issues and
players questioned Ryan Day. Ryan, They questioned players, Players questioned
each other about why did you do this? We got
(01:48):
to do better, all that kind of stuff, and I had,
you know, I kind of joked with players, I said,
why didn't one of you guys tape this? It made
my life a lot of piece together. But I had
the piece together over over months, you know. I interviewed
more than fifty people for this book, obviously, including Bryan
Day several times, and you know, so I pieced together
(02:09):
basically what they told me was one team entered the
room a very angry, frustrated. I don't think disillusion that's
probably strong a word, but very down team. The pressed team,
and they left the meeting feeling like they were united
and they were going to go on this run. I
don't know that anyone knew for a fact they were
(02:31):
going to, you know, sweep the playoffs and run through it.
The way they did, it was a very different vibe
after the game. Gee Scott Junior kind of become the
team's spiritual leader. He led the team in a prayer.
So after Ryan they had left, the players kept talking
for a few minutes after that, and they were all
(02:51):
not all of the necessarily, but a lot of them
were crying. It was a very emotional thing. I had.
Player after player told me they've never experienced anything like that.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Well it certainly, yeah, Bill, It certainly showed on the
field because it felt like everything had been left behind.
The shoulders dropped, they relaxed and just went on that
extraordinary run.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
That's for sure, Bill.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Without giving too much away, because I mean, it's going
to be a great Christmas gift for someone. Is there
another chapter that that you like better than others? I
maybe maybe there's one that might grab another fans attention.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Sure, I mean, you know, there were so many. I
think it's thirty some chapters. And there's a chapter on
safe g Scott led that you know he was, and
his story is just phenomenal. It's how he almost left
Ohio State and decided to come back and the flukey
coincidence that allowed that to happen. There's a chapter in
(03:48):
nil and how Ohio State got through that. I think,
you know, maybe the fun chapter is I did an
entire chapter on the Jack Squarer plight the Scoop of
twelve great an entire chapter, and it's talking to him
about breaking down and a bunch of people breaking down,
exactly how that play unfolded. I talked to Josh Fryer
(04:08):
about why the Texas offensive tackle, how he screwed up,
you know, what his what his mistake was in that
play Johnson. I talked to Jim Knowles obviously Jack Sawyer uh.
And then the second part of that chapter is just
everybody's reaction. They told me what they experienced on that play.
And you know it runs the Gamut ross Byorik told
(04:29):
me that the athletic director told me that for some times,
sometimes for huge plays, he'll just kind of bury his
head in his hands and we'll just listen. And so
he did that and he hears this roar. Now he's
standing by the higher State sideline, so he knows it's good.
But it keeps getting louder and louder. Still didn't look,
and he finally looks and looks up at the jumbo
(04:50):
tron and he sees the storyer running into the end zone.
He's like, what happened? You know.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Already?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Yeah, I mean, so you know, I talked to all
these different people about just their reaction to that play,
and so that's a fun chapter. But everyone knows. Everyone
knows what happened, right, I mean, so I had to
in my mind, I could just do a rehash. There
are lots of people, lots of ncs that did quickie
books afterwards. My former employer did it. Fine, that's great,
(05:20):
But this is the only book that goes behind the
scenes and explains how and why this happened, how they
grouped after that lost to organ especially the Lost of Michigan.
It tells Ryan Daves personal stories from the time when
he was a boy. You know his father, most people
know his father died by suicide. How that shaped him.
That's how I start the book.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
That's a great Bill, I got a lot to get.
I don't want you to.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Give too much away, but yeah, speaking with Bill Rabinowitz
on the Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone line, talking
about his brand new book, Buckeye Brotherhood, but also as
we get into football.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Oh first, real quick, you have a book signing for
this correct?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yeah? Well, I've had several, and the last one before
Christmas is today at the campus Barnes and Noble on
High Street from four to six. Now, they have a
very limited supply of hardcover books, and those you know,
that's a good problem to have, but those are basically
sold out. Okay, so we the publishers, rushed into print
a paperback, so it will be plenty of paperbacks.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Okay, if you.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Get there real early, you know, write at four or
even maybe a couplenths for four, you might be able
to get a hardcover. I don't know, you know exactly
how many they have, but I will certainly have a
supply of paperback blocks and yeah, I'm going to tell
people that you can knock get all your Christmas shopping
by ten of them. Nice. I like it.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
I like it.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Bill. You you cover the buck eyes for substack dot com,
and people shou also check out that you have a
Q and A with the athletic director at Ross b York.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
That's posted now, correct, right?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Yeah, I mean substack is just a platform like the
Dispatch is a platform, you know NFF. So it's Bill
Rabinowitz dot substack dot com. I guess if you go
to substack dot com and my name and you would
come up, I would assume I'm actually running a special
because I know people are having a hard time getting
the book. If you become an annual subscriber, I think
it's seventy nine dollars, I'll give you a free paperback
(07:11):
book because I want people to read it. Look, it's
good for me obviously to get the descriptions, but more important,
I want people to read this book and have access
to it. So oh yeah, it's kind of you know,
I've got my supply of books and so I'm happy
to share them and you know, use as an incentive.
But yes, the interview with Ross New York. I talked
him a couple of days ago, and it was it's
(07:33):
wide ranging. In fact, I've split it up in the
multiple parts. The part that ran today is just about
his perspective on the season on Ryan Day on whether
you know the chances of keeping Matt Patricia. I even
asked you about the Michigan stuff that's going on. So yeah,
you know. What I'm trying to do with Substack is
(07:53):
covered the team the way I did for all those
years with his past, with even more freedom to cover
it in a way that you know, I feel like
I know best. And so that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Awesome, awesome, Bill, looking forward to it. I think I'm
gonna be out there for the book signing. I need
a paperback edition. But real quick, we're going into the
college football playoffs and they kick off tomorrow. Obviously, the
all eyes will be on Saturday's game at noon as
the Hurricanes take on the Aggies to face Ohio State
and the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve. And I
(08:25):
and Bill both these teams, both Miami and Texas AMN
seem very similar if you look at their statistics, except
for maybe defense. Miami's defense is ranked eleventh of the
country and Texas A and m is at twenty first
in the country. If you had to pick one of
the teams to face Ohio State on New Year's Eve,
who would you rather see.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You know, that's a good question. I think both. I
think this is a tough bracket for Ohio State having
to play with the winner of that game and then Georgia.
That's a tough bracket. So not that the other ones easy,
but you know, they're all good teams at this point.
I think that either of those teams on a really
good day to beat Ohio State, and maybe not even
a really good day, just a good day if Ohios
Date doesn't play great, I think Miami might be the
(09:09):
more dangerous team. They've they've gotten it together. They're a
little inconsistent, but they've gotten much better down there. You know,
as the season's gone on. It's tough to win at
Texas A and m you know, the twelfth Man and
all that stuff. I would not be surprised if Miami
wins that game and gives Ohios Date a real test.
And I think Texas A and m certainly As has
the ability to play with Ohio States. So they're gonna
(09:32):
have to come to play. There's no question at Ohio State.
You know, it's not an easy path for them. I
still think they're the best team in the country when
they play the way they can. They don't have any
really big weaknesses. I'm not convinced that Jeremiah Smith and
Carnell Tate were fully healthy for the Indiana game.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Yet.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, they didn't play the number of snaps that they
normally do, and you know, look, they were productive, but
I think they were trying to be a little bit
careful with them. Obviously, the red zone stuff with the
problem go, you know, the short yard stuff for the problem.
But I also think that that was kind of a
quirky week. You had signing day, you had Brian Hartline leaving. Yeah,
(10:16):
you had the Chris Henry, you know, dragging out. I
just don't think that everything was in sync that week.
I just that's just the feeling I get. Not to
make any excuses. Indiana out played Ohio State and deserve
to win. In Indiana's obviously a really, really good team,
so it would have taken Ohio State's best and I
don't I just don't think that they played their best.
(10:36):
But to Ohio State, when they play the way they can,
I think is the best team in the country.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Well, i'd like to think.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
So you had three Buckeyes finishing the top ten of
the Heisman race. Jeremiah Smith has got to have a
chip on his shoulder. Not winning the Fred Blitnikough Award.
Is that motivation? And the final question ken Ohio State repeat.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Of course they could repeat to say they will repeat.
That's that's a different question, but of course they can repeat. Uh. Yeah.
I'm a bulletan called voter and I was. I voted
for Jeremiah Smith, and I'm pretty surprised that he didn't win. Honestly,
I don't know, you know. And in the end there
was only three people, so you can't see the carnival
carnefs split the vote that a been earlier, But I
(11:16):
was surprised by that one. So I'm sure Jeremiah Smith
will have a chip on his shoulder. I'm sure that
you know, Julian Sayan, although you know he knew he
wasn't going to Heisman, I'm sure he will. Yeah, yeah, No.
I expect to see the best from Ohio State and
if and if they play their best, they're gonna win,
Glad you could be with us.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
And speaking of Christmas gifts, I think this is going
to be very cool. In fact, this is going to
be a great Christmas gifts to talk about because on
the Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone line, he covers
the Buckeyes for substack dot com and he has a
brand new book out called Buckeye Brotherhood.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
It's mister Bill Rabinowitz.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Bill, good morning, and thanks for joining us.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Well, thanks for having me on. I hope you get
your shopping done. Boy.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
I'll tell you what it's got to happen.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I mean, it's got to happen. I have really procrastinated.
But Bill, this is before we get into football and
some of the other things you have going on. And
I wanted to talk about this book, Buckeye Brotherhood, which
is chronicling the big playoff push last year they got
Ohio State the twenty twenty four national championship.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
And this is an excellent book.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
And I think one of the things I wanted to
dress first was when everyone talks about the playoff run
last year.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
One of the first things they talked about was following.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
The loss to Mission Again, there was the famous meeting
in the locker room, and that's in the book, right.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Yeah, that's a whole chapter. It was actually in a
team room, not the locker room. It was it was
three days after they lost in Michigan, and Ryan Day
had met with the leadership group on the Monday after
the game and they were all just still devastated and
they all decided it would be best for the whole
team that a meeting with just Ryan Day, no other coaches.
They go in the team room where they had their
(01:27):
press conferences, and Ryan they had sat on chair and
they hashed everything out, all the issues that have been
kind of I don't say swept under the rug, but
maybe didn't get the attention that they would have gotten.
That they had struggled more and there were issues and
players questioned Ryan Day. Ryan, They questioned players, Players questioned
each other about why did you do this? We got
(01:48):
to do better, all that kind of stuff, and I had,
you know, I kind of joked with players, I said,
why didn't one of you guys tape this? It made
my life a lot of piece together. But I had
the piece together over over months, you know. I interviewed
more than fifty people for this book, obviously, including Bryan
Day several times, and you know, so I pieced together
(02:09):
basically what they told me was one team entered the
room a very angry, frustrated. I don't think disillusion that's
probably strong a word, but very down team. The pressed team,
and they left the meeting feeling like they were united
and they were going to go on this run. I
don't know that anyone knew for a fact they were
(02:31):
going to, you know, sweep the playoffs and run through it.
The way they did, it was a very different vibe
after the game. Gee Scott Junior kind of become the
team's spiritual leader. He led the team in a prayer.
So after Ryan they had left, the players kept talking
for a few minutes after that, and they were all
(02:51):
not all of the necessarily, but a lot of them
were crying. It was a very emotional thing. I had.
Player after player told me they've never experienced anything like that.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
Well it certainly, yeah, Bill, It certainly showed on the
field because it felt like everything had been left behind.
The shoulders dropped, they relaxed and just went on that
extraordinary run.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
That's for sure, Bill.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
Without giving too much away, because I mean, it's going
to be a great Christmas gift for someone. Is there
another chapter that that you like better than others? I
maybe maybe there's one that might grab another fans attention.
Speaker 3 (03:25):
Sure, I mean, you know, there were so many. I
think it's thirty some chapters. And there's a chapter on
safe g Scott led that you know he was, and
his story is just phenomenal. It's how he almost left
Ohio State and decided to come back and the flukey
coincidence that allowed that to happen. There's a chapter in
(03:48):
nil and how Ohio State got through that. I think,
you know, maybe the fun chapter is I did an
entire chapter on the Jack Squarer plight the Scoop of
twelve great an entire chapter, and it's talking to him
about breaking down and a bunch of people breaking down,
exactly how that play unfolded. I talked to Josh Fryer
(04:08):
about why the Texas offensive tackle, how he screwed up,
you know, what his what his mistake was in that
play Johnson. I talked to Jim Knowles obviously Jack Sawyer uh.
And then the second part of that chapter is just
everybody's reaction. They told me what they experienced on that play.
And you know it runs the Gamut ross Byorik told
(04:29):
me that the athletic director told me that for some times,
sometimes for huge plays, he'll just kind of bury his
head in his hands and we'll just listen. And so
he did that and he hears this roar. Now he's
standing by the higher State sideline, so he knows it's good.
But it keeps getting louder and louder. Still didn't look,
and he finally looks and looks up at the jumbo
(04:50):
tron and he sees the storyer running into the end zone.
He's like, what happened? You know.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Already?
Speaker 3 (04:57):
Yeah, I mean, so you know, I talked to all
these different people about just their reaction to that play,
and so that's a fun chapter. But everyone knows. Everyone
knows what happened, right, I mean, so I had to
in my mind, I could just do a rehash. There
are lots of people, lots of ncs that did quickie
books afterwards. My former employer did it. Fine, that's great,
(05:20):
But this is the only book that goes behind the
scenes and explains how and why this happened, how they
grouped after that lost to organ especially the Lost of Michigan.
It tells Ryan Daves personal stories from the time when
he was a boy. You know his father, most people
know his father died by suicide. How that shaped him.
That's how I start the book.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
That's a great Bill, I got a lot to get.
I don't want you to.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Give too much away, but yeah, speaking with Bill Rabinowitz
on the Legacy Retirement Group dot com phone line, talking
about his brand new book, Buckeye Brotherhood, but also as
we get into football.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Oh first, real quick, you have a book signing for
this correct?
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yeah? Well, I've had several, and the last one before
Christmas is today at the campus Barnes and Noble on
High Street from four to six. Now, they have a
very limited supply of hardcover books, and those you know,
that's a good problem to have, but those are basically
sold out. Okay, so we the publishers, rushed into print
a paperback, so it will be plenty of paperbacks.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Okay, if you.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
Get there real early, you know, write at four or
even maybe a couplenths for four, you might be able
to get a hardcover. I don't know, you know exactly
how many they have, but I will certainly have a
supply of paperback blocks and yeah, I'm going to tell
people that you can knock get all your Christmas shopping
by ten of them. Nice. I like it.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
I like it.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Bill. You you cover the buck eyes for substack dot com,
and people shou also check out that you have a
Q and A with the athletic director at Ross b York.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
That's posted now, correct, right?
Speaker 3 (06:49):
Yeah, I mean substack is just a platform like the
Dispatch is a platform, you know NFF. So it's Bill
Rabinowitz dot substack dot com. I guess if you go
to substack dot com and my name and you would
come up, I would assume I'm actually running a special
because I know people are having a hard time getting
the book. If you become an annual subscriber, I think
it's seventy nine dollars, I'll give you a free paperback
(07:11):
book because I want people to read it. Look, it's
good for me obviously to get the descriptions, but more important,
I want people to read this book and have access
to it. So oh yeah, it's kind of you know,
I've got my supply of books and so I'm happy
to share them and you know, use as an incentive.
But yes, the interview with Ross New York. I talked
him a couple of days ago, and it was it's
(07:33):
wide ranging. In fact, I've split it up in the
multiple parts. The part that ran today is just about
his perspective on the season on Ryan Day on whether
you know the chances of keeping Matt Patricia. I even
asked you about the Michigan stuff that's going on. So yeah,
you know. What I'm trying to do with Substack is
(07:53):
covered the team the way I did for all those
years with his past, with even more freedom to cover
it in a way that you know, I feel like
I know best. And so that's what I'm doing.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
Awesome, awesome, Bill, looking forward to it. I think I'm
gonna be out there for the book signing. I need
a paperback edition. But real quick, we're going into the
college football playoffs and they kick off tomorrow. Obviously, the
all eyes will be on Saturday's game at noon as
the Hurricanes take on the Aggies to face Ohio State
and the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve. And I
(08:25):
and Bill both these teams, both Miami and Texas AMN
seem very similar if you look at their statistics, except
for maybe defense. Miami's defense is ranked eleventh of the
country and Texas A and m is at twenty first
in the country. If you had to pick one of
the teams to face Ohio State on New Year's Eve,
who would you rather see.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
You know, that's a good question. I think both. I
think this is a tough bracket for Ohio State having
to play with the winner of that game and then Georgia.
That's a tough bracket. So not that the other ones easy,
but you know, they're all good teams at this point.
I think that either of those teams on a really
good day to beat Ohio State, and maybe not even
a really good day, just a good day if Ohios
Date doesn't play great, I think Miami might be the
(09:09):
more dangerous team. They've they've gotten it together. They're a
little inconsistent, but they've gotten much better down there. You know,
as the season's gone on. It's tough to win at
Texas A and m you know, the twelfth Man and
all that stuff. I would not be surprised if Miami
wins that game and gives Ohios Date a real test.
And I think Texas A and m certainly As has
the ability to play with Ohio States. So they're gonna
(09:32):
have to come to play. There's no question at Ohio State.
You know, it's not an easy path for them. I
still think they're the best team in the country when
they play the way they can. They don't have any
really big weaknesses. I'm not convinced that Jeremiah Smith and
Carnell Tate were fully healthy for the Indiana game.
Speaker 2 (09:52):
Yet.
Speaker 3 (09:53):
Yeah, they didn't play the number of snaps that they
normally do, and you know, look, they were productive, but
I think they were trying to be a little bit
careful with them. Obviously, the red zone stuff with the
problem go, you know, the short yard stuff for the problem.
But I also think that that was kind of a
quirky week. You had signing day, you had Brian Hartline leaving. Yeah,
(10:16):
you had the Chris Henry, you know, dragging out. I
just don't think that everything was in sync that week.
I just that's just the feeling I get. Not to
make any excuses. Indiana out played Ohio State and deserve
to win. In Indiana's obviously a really, really good team,
so it would have taken Ohio State's best and I
don't I just don't think that they played their best.
(10:36):
But to Ohio State, when they play the way they can,
I think is the best team in the country.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
Well, i'd like to think.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
So you had three Buckeyes finishing the top ten of
the Heisman race. Jeremiah Smith has got to have a
chip on his shoulder. Not winning the Fred Blitnikough Award.
Is that motivation? And the final question ken Ohio State repeat.
Speaker 3 (10:56):
Of course they could repeat to say they will repeat.
That's that's a different question, but of course they can repeat. Uh. Yeah.
I'm a bulletan called voter and I was. I voted
for Jeremiah Smith, and I'm pretty surprised that he didn't win. Honestly,
I don't know, you know. And in the end there
was only three people, so you can't see the carnival
carnefs split the vote that a been earlier, But I
(11:16):
was surprised by that one. So I'm sure Jeremiah Smith
will have a chip on his shoulder. I'm sure that
you know, Julian Sayan, although you know he knew he
wasn't going to Heisman, I'm sure he will. Yeah, yeah, No.
I expect to see the best from Ohio State and
if and if they play their best, they're gonna win,
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