(this is all from ESPN)
1835: Folks in Ohio and Michigan started getting on one another's nerves back in 1835, when they fought what is referred to -- rather appropriately -- as "The Toledo War," since it was waged over a swath of land that included, of all things, the city of Toledo. Just in case you're curious, both states actually wanted it.
Turns out the "war" really was fought primarily in Congress and that only "warning shots" were fired when the states' respective militias squared off. Still, it stood as a precursor to the kind of vitriol we see today. For instance:
10: It will cost you $10 to attend "The Hate Michigan Rally" Friday night in Columbus. Headlining the "rally" will be a band known called The Dead Schembechlers, who all dress up like Woody Hayes and play timeless classics like "Bomb Ann Arbor Now," "M Means Moron," and "Schembechler Kicked My Crippled Dog."
This is real. You can even get tickets online at Ticketmaster (and save $2 by buying in advance).
Asked by The Detroit News for a comment, the band's namesake, who I'm happy to say is alive and well, looked at a picture of the band, chuckled and said, "I'll be damned, they do dress like Woody."
18,000: There are still 18,000 absentee and provisional ballots left to be counted in a hotly-contested Congressional race in an Ohio district that includes Columbus. Saturday is the first day to count those ballots legally. The counting will begin on Sunday. Seems the elections officials had more important matters to focus on Saturday.
18: The Buckeyes come in with an 18-game winning streak, the longest in the nation.
11: Michigan comes in having won 11 in a row, the nation's second-longest streak.
29:34: Out of 660 minutes of football in their first 11 games, the Buckeyes have trailed for a grand total of 29:34 this season. They were behind for 18:36 in the first and second quarters against Cincinnati, 5:54 early in the second quarter against Penn State, and 5:04 against Indiana in the first quarter.
4: OSU's largest deficit of the year was four points against the Bearcats.
17:15: Michigan has also played 660 minutes and has been behind for just 17:15 this season. The Wolverines trailed Wisconsin on two different occasions in the first half for a grand total of 13:41, and they were behind Ball State for 3:34 late in the first quarter and early in the second quarter.
7: Michigan's biggest deficit this year was seven points against the Badgers.
0:00: Out of a combined 330 minutes of second-half football, Michigan and Ohio State have trailed for 0:00.
329: Michigan leads the nation in rushing defense and has given up a grand total of 329 rushing yards all season.
29: There have been 29 individual occasions when a team has run for more than 329 yards in a single game this season. Navy has done it four times. West Virginia has done it three. In fact, even Michigan has done it -- going for 352 yards against Ball State, which means the Wolverines gained more rushing yards in that game than their opponents have gained all year.
Also from ESPN
• It is true that the late Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, who did more to pump up the negative feelings in the rivalry than any man, refused to fill up his car in the state of Michigan.
"I'll tell you why we don't," Hayes said, according to the seminal book, "Woody Hayes and the 100-Yard War." "It's because I don't buy one goddam drop of gas in the state of Michigan. We'll coast and push this ***** car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!"
• It is true that Michigan, leading 55-0 late in the 1946 game, lined up and kicked a field goal.
• It is true that in 1950, the teams played through a blizzard with 29 inches of snow and more than 50,000 fans sat through it. Michigan's Chuck Ortmann punted 24 times, and the Wolverines won 9-3, despite failing to make a first down. Buckeyes coach Wes Fesler quit a few days later. Ohio State hired the little-known Hayes away from Miami (Ohio).
• It is true that in 1970, a local judge in Columbus dismissed a charge of obscenity against a defendant arrested for wearing a T-shirt that said, "F--- Michigan" because the message "accurately expressed" local feelings about the university and the state.
• It is true that Hayes sometimes bunked his team in Toledo on the night before a game in Ann Arbor so the Buckeyes could sleep on Ohio ground.
• It is true that the lowest-priced ticket available on StubHub on Thursday, for a seat on the corner of the end zone, on the 41st row of the upper deck, would have set you back $530. Binoculars extra.
Go blue.
No comments:
Post a Comment