Let's talk sports rivalries.
What’s not to love about great sport rivalries? The adrenalin … the bragging rights … the excitement and the out-and-out disgust toward your most polarizing opponent. It makes sports and friendships more exciting. We all know a close friend or family member who is on the opposite side of our favored sports teams. We still love them … but …
Rivalries transcend all sports. We just saw Dodgers-Giants and Yankees-Red Sox in baseball, and the atmosphere was raw. In the pros, we have such storied competition as Lakers-Celtics, Warriors-Rockets, Knicks-Heat in basketball. Packers-Bears, Cowboys-Eagles, Cowboys-Redskins (Washington Football team), Steelers-Ravens, Browns-Steelers in football. Red Wings-Blackhawks, Maple Leafs-Canadiens, Islanders-Rangers, Pens-Caps in NHL hockey. Back to baseball, we can add Cards-Cubs, White Sox Cubs, Yankees-Mets.
The list of great rivalries goes on and on, and I am sure I missed the matchups you love to hate. Let’s hit some of them here and share yours with me if you’d like, at mike.blake@mountvernonnews.com
Now, I find that the BEST rivalries are college and high school … community rivalries that go back decades. Let’s talk NCAA football and start with Army-Navy (I still love that game), Ohio State-Michigan (since 1935), USC-UCLA, USC-Notre Dame, Alabama-Auburn, Texas-Oklahoma, Texas-Texas A&M, Florida State-Miami, Florida State-Florida, Stanford-Cal, Harvard-Yale, Georgia-Georgia Tech, Michigan-Michigan State, Grambling-Southern, Indiana-Purdue (the Old Oaken Bucket game), Minnesota-Wisconsin (Paul Bunyan’s Axe), Cincinnati-Louisville (Keg of Nails), Minnesota-Michigan (Little Brown Jug), Arkansas-LSU (Golden Boot), Kent State-Akron (Wagon Wheel), Miami of Ohio-Cincinnati (Victory Bell), TCU-Texas Tech (The Saddle), Florida-Georgia (Okefenokee Oar), TCU-SMU (Iron Skillet) and many more.
Not to forget NCAA basketball and Duke-North Carolina, North Carolina-NC State, Kentucky-Louisville, Kansas-K-State, Syracuse-Georgetown, Cincinnati-Xavier, UConn-Tennessee (NCAA Women’s basketball) and any mix-match game between Women’s Division UConn, Tennessee, Notre Dame, Baylor, Louisville, South Carolina and more.
Add to that your local high school same-community or next-community- or next-county-over rival and you have what sports are all about. Locally, all of the schools have top rivals. One of the biggest is the annual Devil-Dog game – East Knox-Danville. Danville head coach Cam Smith said, “They are such a revered rival. To us, we equate that ‘Big Game’ to Ohio State vs. Michigan. The communities care. Two small communities that care about their kids and we know we will have a tough battle ahead. There is that little extra drive for that game. I know the fans will feel and fuel the excitement.” That excitement is also felt elsewhere. Centerburg vs. Fredericktown is a huge game for each program. Mount Vernon is always up for Marion Harding and Delaware Hayes. Mount Gilead has played Cardington-Lincoln 76 times and plays to the rivalry against Highland and Northmor.
Whomever your school sees as its top rival … go out there and root, root root for your home team. Love the atmosphere and love the excitement of being there. Hate your rival, but show them respect, and love the game, wear your school colors and support your school. Ya gotta love rivalries. Which ones do you live for?
PERFECTION IS A HABIT
I received notice that on Oct. 6, in an Eagleston-Ashbrook Memorial League bowling match at Redskin Lanes, Steven Sayre rolled a perfect 300 game. Congratulations, Steven. That is the third perfect game by bowlers in six weeks, along with four 299s at Redskin Lanes, including a pin-hanging 299 by Sayre on Oct. 13. Sayre has to LOVE Redskin Lanes. Are local bowlers that good? Is it Redskin Lanes? Is it the lane oil? The air conditioning? The nachos? Do you guys have a pre-league ritual? Let me know … I want to try it.
See you next time.
