The Buckerine Files: Day 1- It's Not Beginning; It's Never Ending

Since we are now within the seven days of the 2007 edition of The Game the annual football match-up between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Since it has stood the test of history and become a rivalry respected by all, I thought I should finally do something to honor this amazing tradition that served as my introduction to sports fandom and remains the single most important sporting event of the year for me and my family. So in an absolutely unprecedented event for this blog I will be posting once a day to share my thoughts and observations as this momentous occasion approaches. (If a daily countdown isn't enough you can countdown the hours or even the seconds.)

As some of my readers may already know, I hold a rare perspective of this game, as I am both a proud alumnus of The Ohio State University, and a graduate of the University of Michigan. For some people in Ohio that makes me a traitor -as they call any Ohio born player who goes on to play for That School Up North. In my case though, I am only upholding two threads of family tradition.

My grandfather (mother's father) was a student at Michigan back in the days of Tom Harmon and Forest Evashevski. He regaled all of his grandchildren with stories of the Wolverines with such zest and passion that I think we all were a little bedazzled into following the maize and blue. To understand how he managed to subtly steer a bunch of kids growing up in Ohio to wear Michigan gear, you have to understand that my grandpa has always been a sly and charming fellow. Imagine Regis Philbin only replace New York with Detroit in his biography and Notre Dame with Michigan for his alma mater.

My father on the other hand was a native Ohioan, and after his family moved to Columbus, it was just a matter of time before he became ensnared by the Buckeyes. He attended Ohio State in the days of the infamous Ten Year War between legendary coaches Woody Hayes (Ohio State) and Bo Schembechler (Michigan). My dad was a life long football enthusiast -he still coaches little league- and the character and attitude Woody Hayes professed in his football program clearly left an impression. For him "three yards and a cloud of dust" was real football, and the NFL was the home of boring football and showboating prima donnas. The football season took place on Saturdays in the fall in our house, and the biggest game of the year was always Ohio State vs. Michigan.

Now the closest I ever came to playing football was being in my high school marching band. Growing up I was much more of a nerd than a sports fan, but even through the comic book induced haze in my brain, I still understood how important The Game was. Since Ohio State and Michigan had always been part of my life I was drawn to them when the time came for me to start looking at colleges. They both jumped to the top of my list when I considering where I would earn by Bachelor's. Ohio State won out because they offered me better scholarships and I went on to meet my wife there and enjoy every minute of my college experience (well, not every minute, but that all gets washed out with the benefit of nostalgia). Then when I had the chance to go to Michigan for my master's I knew I had to take it, even if that would make me a traitor in the eyes of some. While Ohio State had been my home for four years, I squeezed in almost as much living in my time in Ann Arbor. Michigan was where I proposed to my girlfriend from OSU and where I started my career in education. So now I am equally a member of both communities.

My grandfather gave me the nickname "The Buckerine" for my unlikely status. I decide who to root for each year by flipping a coin before the season starts (this year it came up Michigan and Appalachian State promptly ripped my heart out). I love both schools, both teams, and everything this rivalry has meant to me personally. There is so much history to talk about when it comes to football at both Ohio State and Michigan, but I'm not the one to do it. This week will be about how I personally have been affected by The Game, and my observations for the upcoming renewal of college football's greatest grudge match.

So get ready for seven days of college football coverage from the Cap'n. Some observers who don't understand this rivalry will call this the beginning of Michigan-Ohio State weak. It is not. This is Week 52 of another Beat Michigan year for the Buckeye faithful. This is the end of an arduous 12 month quest for revenge for Michigan after being denied a chance at the national championship last year, especially for the seniors on the team who have never beaten Ohio State. This blog may be focusing on these next seven days, but it's just another week in the Greatest Rivalry in All of Sports.