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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2006-11-18

Diversions

Sitting down to watch the really big game today. I don't have any skin in this game, like Ben or Hugh, but Michigan-Ohio State is one of the great traditions in all of sports.

Personally, one of my favorite parts is the "Dotting of the I" in the script Ohio that the OSU band makes to complete the pregame festivities. I was actually a little disappointed today that the band missed an opportunity to do one of the truly classy acts ever: imagine if, instead of high-stepping out to the spot and marching the dot, if the sousaphone player had high-stepped to the spot and respectfully laid down a U of M ball cap in honor of Bo Schembechler.

Look, nobody understands the culture of the college band like me (yes, indeed, the limits to my geekiness know no bounds), and so the honor of "dotting the I" is THE moment for a college band member, especially if you're a sousaphone player--think of them as the offensive linemen of the band. So to do something like I suggest would be asking a LOT of somebody. But still, I think institutions, especially ones as tainted as college athletics of late, have an imperative to represent themselves as well as possible these days.

However, in a related thought, this is a great opportunity to list my favorite college football rituals. Feel free to suggest others, to criticize, to complain--it's what we do.

1. Dotting the I of the script Ohio
2. The marching in of the student bodies at the Army-Navy game
3. Chief Osceola's midfield war challenge for Florida State
4. The running of Ralphie the Buffalo at U of Colorado home games (you had to know that would be there)
5. The flyover of the F-16s at Air Force games
6. The entrance of the Irish Guard for the Notre Dame marching band--I've seen them close up; between fourteen and seventeen dour, kilted men all over 6'2" with an additional 18" of q-tip hat is an impressive sight

Have at 'em.
Posted by: Michael / 11/18/2006 04:05:00 PM

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