An item like this will be used in “The Game.” Outside, the authorities are bracing for the throwing of other objects.
Hailing from the Midwest, with connections to both Ohio (family) and Michigan (friends), it’s nearly impossible, even at this easterly remove, to remain willfully ignorant of the annual gridiron bout known simply as “The Game.” But it’s hard to be curmudgeonly about the history attending Saturday’s meeting in Columbus, not least because it pits the No. 1 ranked team (Ohio State) against the No. 2 ranked team (Michigan) — the first time the teams have found themselves so arrayed in 103 encounters.
That’s impressive and all, but in purely anthropological terms, it’s the fans — and those attempting to manage the movements and intereaction of hostile, beer-swilling enemy forces — that is most interesting. To wit: The Buckeye Extra reports that the University of Michigan is sending its own police into Ohio — purely for support, of course.
From the Dispatch:
OSU Assistant Police Chief Rick Amweg said his department is working with the Michigan officers to promote safety, but he said the quickest responses likely will be from Ohio-based units.
“So if they feel more comfortable talking with the University of Michigan law-enforcement officers, certainly they can use that number,” but they should understand that could delay any police response, Amweg said.
The tidbit on the police was apparently gleaned from an e-mail that was sent out to Michigan students by university officials earlier this week. It encouraged students to call 911 for emergencies, but provided a number with a cozy, 734 area code for reaching Michigan police on the ground in Ohio. And the e-mail was chock full of other sound advice for genteel Michigan fans venturing into Ohio’s Heart of Darkness:
- Try carpooling to the game; if possible, drive a car with non- Michigan license plates.
- Keep your Michigan gear to a minimum, or wait until you are inside the stadium to display it.
- Stay with a group.
- Stay low-key; don’t draw unnecessary attention to yourself.
Uh, yeah.
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