Ohio State kicks off its 2008 season in little more than a week, so someone just had to come out with a new documentary.

At this point, with the Buckeyes expected to be in the mix for another appearance in the BCS National Championship Game, it's a moral imperative. Why? Few teams in all of sports move merchandise like the Scarlet and Gray.

So coming Tuesday is Woody Hayes' Ohio State Buckeyes, a so-so documentary.

It is at its best when it focuses less on football and more on the man. Yes, I know it's Hayes. I know he coached OSU football, but I also know from everything I've seen, heard and read about the man that he is far more complicated than much of what's on this DVD.

Any Buckeyes fan can tell you about the near misses in national championship situations, the intensity of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry and how it evolved into this white hot supernova-like annual event in the world of sports.

The problem for Woody Hayes' Ohio State Buckeyes is that so many documentaries have come before it that in a lot of cases there's a lot to live up to. Take for instance last year's Michigan vs. Ohio State: The Rivalry from HBO, a superbly crafted documentary that examined the 10 years war between the two Big Ten powerhouses. That one made you want to lace up, put on the pads and helmet and run into a brick wall. It would have likely gotten Hayes' seal of approval.

This one?

It's a much more uneven presentation. We get the football stuff presented void of any semblance of emotion, despite the contributions of Buckeyes luminaries such as Archie Griffin, Dick Schafrath and Rex Kern. Given the subject matter, that's a tough one to pull off.

Where Woody Hayes' Ohio State Buckeyes does work is when it scratches away some of the veneer to talk about Hayes the man, not Hayes the coach.

Quotes such as: ‘‘He considered himself an educator,’’ from Larry Romanoff, who worked closely with Hayes on team academic matters offer insight. Hayes, the son of a school superintendant, viewed football as a means to an end.

As one contributor put it, Woody prepared his team for life after football because he knew that many of them wouldn't make it to the NFL. Hayes is a guy who probably couldn't get a job at many college football programs today for that very reason.

Such little tidbits make it easier to be sympathetic when Hayes, after years of competitive intensity, implodes and punches a Clemson football player, effectively ending his illustrious career. There are far too few of those things. Maybe they seem out of place in a football documentary. However, as presented much of Woody Hayes' Ohio State Buckeyes is something we've seen before.

Going interactive

If the following information makes you dizzy, don't blame me. Sometimes I have problems sifting through the geek jargon.

ESPN and Major League Baseball Advanced Media extended their rights agreement through 2013.

What's this mean to folks who can't seem to consume enough sports entertainment?

The ability to completely immerse yourself in all things baseball on all current media including, television, mobile, home computers and video game consoles.

On the most traditional of traditional mediums ` television ` that includes being able to use the interactive features that many industry insiders hope will become the norm down the line. Example: look at how DirecTV presents instant access to stats for fantasy football wonks as part of its NFL Sunday Ticket service.

The major-league deal with ESPN includes rights to live streaming of baseball games on PCs and mobile phones and allows for downloadable content on game systems such as the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

In other words, a time is coming soon when we will have access to such content 24/7.

Need any Dramamine yet?