Following very closely on the heels of those dang inedible Buckeyes
horse chestnuts from my last post, some of you will "get" this. The rest of you...well...go
ahead and roll your eyes.
This is that time of the year when it happens. Shuffling through the
fallen leaves. The smell of their burning raked-up piles. Dancing
with the cold, crisp air. I'm immediately transported back to those
home-game Saturdays, walking across campus with the rest of the school body to
the Big House.
We were electric with excitement. Our previous night's game-rally was
still coursing through our blood. We were already tasting victory. Hail to the Victors Valiant! Hail to the Conquering Heroes!
Some Saturdays were more important than others, like when sister Ruth's school dared to enter our stadium. Even in my own family, them are fightin'
words (good English). When Ruth's school beat mine a couple Saturdays ago
(while Astrid and I were in Atlanta), I was reduced to GD swearing.
Seriously.
Sweet little innocent Wolverine Ginnie. Look at her up there on our
headboard. Of all the things I could have gotten rid of before
moving! The wee one on the right represents me as a college girl in the
60s. The one with gray hairs is, um, still fighting strong!
Astrid says I become a different person during those games. She looks
at me sideways, wondering if she really knows me?
But she hasn't seen nothin' yet (good English)! Wait till the BIG one
comes two Saturdays from now. Our REAL arch rivalry. Even after almost 50 years, I can still work up a sweat about the
outcome of that final game of our season.
That final game,
btw, was ranked by ESPN in 2000 as the greatest North American sports
rivalry.
Who cares, you say. I DO! And so does one of you.
I know who you are. Are you squirming yet? Sweating? Our Big
House will be packed to the gills, waiting for you...all 110,000 of us.
Who cares that you've won our last 6 match-ups. This is the year. No mercy.
Let the
stats speak for themselves:
Michigan–Ohio State rivalry
|
|
First meeting
|
October
17, 1897[1]
Michigan 34, Ohio State 0 |
Last meeting
|
|
Next
meeting
|
November
26, 2011
|
Total meetings
|
107
|
Series record
|
Michigan: 57–44–6
Ohio State: 43*–57–6 *2010 vacated win not included |
Largest
victory
|
Michigan,
86–0 (1902)
|
Longest streak
|
Michigan,
9 (1901–1909)
|
Current streak
|
Michigan: 7 losses (2004–2010)
Ohio State: 6 wins, (2004–2009) |
Trophy:
|
None
|
I'll be gracious in victory, of course.
And if we lose...yet again...we'll do what we always do with those dang
inedible Buckeyes horse chestnuts: we'll chew them up and spit
them out!
GO BLUE!
[Sadly, the recently reported sport's sex scandal at another of America's great universities was disclosed after I had drafted my post. It could have happened anywhere, of course. Please know I grieve with all the victims who are part of this very sad story.]
