>>>>>>What about "The U"? Michael Irvin needs a good smacking around, and then he needs to be thrown back in prison. At least OSU can say that they've had significant accomplishments in the last 5-10 years.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>If there is some legal reason the official name needs the word "The" at the beginning, that's one thing. What I was talking about was ex-Buckeyes introducing themselves on football telecasts as alums of "THE Ohio State University", with the emphasis on the first word. It just sounds pompous. Especially considering OSU (sorry, TOSU) has probably the lightest academic reputation in the Big Ten.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Okay - How did the tar heals get their name?
>>>>
>>>>I'm guessing something tobacco-ey.
>>>
>>>Nope:
>>>
>>>
http://www.collegefootballhistory.com/tar_heels/history.htm>>>
>>>The team took it from the state, but the origin of the term
tar heels for the state of North Carolina is not really known.
>>>
>>>and more here:
>>>
>>>
http://statelibrary.ncdcr.gov/nc/SYMBOLS/SYMBOLS.HTM>>
>>Not looking at the links, but going on memory, I believe from my school years, from History, it came like this....
>>
>>The British, in fighting in North Carolina, during the Revolutionary War, were so impressed with the North Carolina colonists resistance to run in the face of overwhelming odds (when fighting the British), that they said the NC colonists stuck to the ground like they had pine tar on their feet.... hence the "tar heels" for putting up a good fight!
>
>Hey, I was close! The links show it was the Civil War... only 100 years off!!
In honor of the Cubs opening their season today, what's 100 years? One of the local sportswriters likes to say of the Cubs, "Any team can have a bad century." ;-)
Put another way, and apropos of your post, the Cubs' last World Series victory was closer to the Civil War than to the present day. Much closer, in fact.
Beautiful day for baseball -- high of 37 degrees, some snow on the ground from yesterday, and a chance of more today. The Cubs open on the road but the Sox are at home. In the words of Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks, let's play two!
