Hail To My Victors

 I'm breaking precedent here with this blog. I'm doing something that I don't recall ever doing so long as I've been writing here. I'm posting a picture of myself.

Of course, it would take a major event that would coax me into doing this, something unprecedented in my lifetime. And it finally happened. My favorite team, the University of Michigan Wolverines, won the college football playoff championship in January. We're number one.

So that's me getting my picture taken with the trophy awarded to the top college football team in the country.

I just have to share the photo. And not just here. There's been a couple people who have needled my allegiance to the Michigan Wolverines over the years. My old boss and I use to have spirited discussions, his favorite college team being Michigan State. Our arguments over various games were loud enough that once we had someone come into his office just to make sure all was okay.

So I attached this photo to an e-mail which was sent to my old boss. His response came quickly: “I can’t tell if that’s the sign stealing trophy or the illegal gambling trophy. I did see the asterisk next to the sign.”

Mmmmm, I don't see any asterisk and I don't know anything about sign-stealing or illegal gambling. Well, at least he responded. I also sent my picture to my old friend Bob whom I haven't heard from in well over a year. When we used to exchange e-mails, the subject of U of M versus MSU often got heated, he being a State fan. I never heard back from my latest e-mail to him.

But I did get a pen pal letter recently from a third-grader. I volunteered to be a pen pal through our local senior citizens center. One of his questions asked, “Michigan or State? I like State more.”

What??!! His letter was written after Michigan had won the national championship. And still he prefers State??? Makes me wonder about the quality of teaching going on in our elementary schools. In my response, I pasted the above picture. In his letter he also asked what was my favorite song. So I pasted this picture to his letter as well.

In my letter, I did tell them that they let Michigan State fans get their picture taken with the trophy too. In fact, I saw some young fellow all garbed up in MSU colors getting photographed with the trophy. It's understandable. It'll probably be the best chance he will have to get such a picture.

Sorry to be so partisan. It's not like anyone who reads my blog is a die-hard MSU or Ohio State fan. But there used to be one. I remember Bonnie, this former blogger from Washington--by the way the team U of M beat for the national championship--who used to pick on me when my Wolverines suffered the occasional defeat at the hands of her fav team, the MSU Spartans.

You never know though. She still could be lurking out there somewhere. C'mon, Bonnie, check in and join me in a rousing chorus of Hail to the Victors. It just does wonders for one's soul.