A Big Ten clash with a pinky swear bet on the line

/ October 17, 2014
My school in the B1G.

My school in the B1G. (Photo from @umterps)

This move to the Big Ten for my Maryland Terps is serious stuff.

We ran all over the Indiana Hoosiers in our first game ever in the new conference. At their place, yet. It made me very, very happy.

And then Ohio State came to College Park and made Byrd Stadium Buckeyeville.

After a bye week, Maryland plays host to the Iowa Hawkeyes at noon Saturday to either go over .500 in the Big Ten or put me in my first new league funk of my life.

Here’s what I know about Iowa: My blogging friend from Nashville, Cowboys and Crossbones, is a devoted alumnus who posts about her Saturday Hawkeyes tailgate and mini-manse parties regularly. Weekly, just about. She’s posted great photos from trips back to see games back at the stadium. She’s posted pictures of she and her family taking part in Saturday game time traditions in Nashville, too.

CBXB eats Hawkeyes game day food.

CBXB eats Hawkeyes game day food.

CBXB's dad does a moonshine shot after an Iowa touchdown. (Photos from cowboysandcrossbones.com)

CBXB’s dad does a moonshine shot after Iowa scores. (Photos from cowboysandcrossbones.wordpress.com)

And now she’s gone and done it, calling my squad the T(w)erps in her regretably fun and funny companion pinky swear post today. Dagnabit. Stinkin’ Pigeoneyes are gonna fall, I say. Here’s the link to her post.

OK now back to reason and the more traditional Iowa details to satisfy the sports readers among you: The Hawkeyes are 5-1 overall, 2-0 in the Big Ten and in first place in the conference’s western division after drubbing Indiana 45-29 last week. Their other league win came over weak sister Purdue, 24-10. Their loss was to bitter intrastate rival Iowa State, 20-17.

To refresh your memories on my alma mater, Maryland beat my hometown squad Syracuse 34-20, defeated common foe Indiana 37-15, and was outclassed by Ohio State by the count of 52-24. The other defeat was a heart-wrenching loss to border rival West Virginia, 40-37 on a last-play, 47-yard field goal.

So of course I had to suggest a pinky swear bet over the Interwebs with my Nashville pal CBXB.

Loser has to run the winner’s photo while enjoying watching the game Saturday. The settle-up will come sometime next week, blogger’s.

The game will be on ESPN2. I have been practicing my best smiles.

Go Terps Go.

FYI, Maryland plays at Michigan on Nov. 22. Yes, that’s the alma mater of my good blogging friend Beth of Ann Arbor … with whom I’ve already tussled with for the eight-game Syracuse Chiefs vs. Toledo Mud Hens Triple-A big baseball wager this past International League season.

So stay tuned for further shenanigans. This move to the Big Ten sure has brought interesting wrinkles.

Here’s the link to Beth’s awesome post after she lost our baseball wager.

Do you follow any teams passionately enough to make a wager with a fellow blogger, and if so, are you ready to call somebody out right here and now? What would you wager on a bloggers’ bet? What are your favorite tailgate party food and beverages?

Here’s the source for the Maryland football jersey photo.

Here’s the source for the two CBXB photos.

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40 thoughts on “A Big Ten clash with a pinky swear bet on the line”

  3. *SIGH* I’m really trying to get into the sports thing, solely because of your superb blog posts about how they seem to bring such a sense of community, but you lost me with this one. I don’t know what a Big Ten is or even what sport it is! 😦 After reading it, I did a search for the word “BALL” to see if I missed a clue somewhere, but I’m still lost. Sorry, I couldn’t comment better.

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    • The Big Ten is a conference that plays in all college sports, that used to be just midwest universities, but has expanded. Last time a decade ago it went to 12 by taking in Nebraska and Penn State. This time it went to 14 by taking in Maryland and Rutgers. The idea is to capture more of the TV market and get richer and richer. So there is your lesson today, my inquisitive friend who is learning that sports is about much more than what’s between the lines. 😉

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  4. Don’t laugh at me….but I stopped watching my Buckeye’s play after spending too many falls in near heart attack condition on Saturdays. I couldn’t take it. Still don’t think I could. Though I do miss it……

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  5. an entire world I know nothing about. No passion for sports in my bones, outside of that I enjoy watching hockey and tennis. But I really never care who wins. And pro sports players have been getting themselves in such trouble, even the Minnesota guys 😦 It’s hard to care. Never got into college teams, even when in college. That said, I will happily accept any invitation to tailgaiitng parties. Have read of such festivities and sounds like there are all sorts of foods served depending on where. And beverages, too 🙂 But no, never lost (or won) a dime on a game. What are your fave tailgating foods, Mark? What do they serve in Cootersville? 😉

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    • At tailgating parties, I love wings. Hot or medium or barecue or honey mustard. I love dipping them in blue cheese sauce, though ranch is becoming popular, too, Liz. Chicken wings as a party thing started in Buffalo, but Syracuse has adopted them. Pizza. Always. Fruit salad, believe it or not. Pasta salad. Fried chicken. Burgers and dogs always are well received. Kielbasa and kraut. Beer. Beer. Beer.

      In Cooterville, oatmeal, soup, mashed potatoes, custard. Anything gum-able. Of course. Thanks for that pitch down the middle. Oh, Liz, I forgot, no sports for you. 😉

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  7. I’ve been reading “The Whisper of the River” for the past month off and on, and I thought of you when the main character picks up a box terrapin. “He picked him up and marveled at the sudden protective snap of the hinged carapace that hid all evidence of life and produced an immediate chunk of armor, impenetrable and wondrously wrought.” If that doesn’t sound like a good mascot, I don’t know what does.

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    • You have a very, very good squad this season, my Sparty friend! Thank you for my B1G welcome. I am loving the new conference. I think it’s gone smoother because, living in Syracuse, I still get my ACC fix with the Orange. No withdrawal. Best of both worlds.

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  9. Pingback: Bring it On, You T(w)erps! | Cowboys and Crossbones

  11. this really is a big move for your guys, mark and i have to say i was proud of them too, with their win over indiana, my brother’s alma mater. i think we can both say we are not huge osu fans, so we have that in common. waiting to see what happens with iowa and then on to michigan. it will be great to have another matchup we can both enjoy.. looking a bit shaky this year to say the least, for my wolverines. time to tear down and rebuild, i say )

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    • We will come up with another little wager, Beth. And enjoy it just like our last one. Yes, I am loving this Big Ten move. So far! 🙂 Your Wolverines must get some new direction, I agree.

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    • It’s in the blood for you, Barbara. You have to root for the Terrapins. 🙂 What year for your brother? If it’s around 1979, send me an email with his name. Maybe I knew him. Then again, with the size of College Park, that’s kind of like saying, ‘You’re from Brooklyn? Did you know Nunzio DiMaggio?’

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  14. Yikes! I’m lost. Not being a follower of football, the only part of this I got was that CBXB will be posting your smiling visage Mark – you hope. Ha! Good luck to your team.

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