But I was wrong; there will be no such Championship Game.
Michigan beat Ohio State in Columbus on November 30 eliminating Ohio State from that contest.
by Jerry Kolins, MD, DipWSET, Certified Sommelier
December 1, 2024
On November 17, I posted wine recommendations for an Oregon vs Ohio State Big Ten Championship Game.
I believe I am qualified to offer such wine advice since I have a diploma from the Wine and Spirit Educational Trust, (WSET), and passed the examination that certifies sommeliers administered by Court of Master Sommeliers, America.
But I was wrong; there will be no such Championship Game.
Michigan beat Ohio State in Columbus on November 30 eliminating Ohio State from that contest.
But why did I have no hope for a Michigan victory this year. I had “hope” in 1969 when Ohio State was favored by 17 points. One sportswriter declared that the 1969 Ohio State team could defeat the Minnesota Vikings! But Michigan won a decisive 24-12 victory! This year, Ohio State was favored by 21 points. My hope just wasn’t there.
I pride myself as a loyal Wolverine. I continue to support the education of students in the School of Literature, Science, and the Arts, the School of Music, Theater, and Dance and the University Music Society. Though I live in San Diego, California, I have held seasons tickets to Michigan Football since 1977. It may seem unusual for such a person not to have “hope” for a Michigan victory in 2024. I reasoned that “hope” can lead to major disappointment.
In the movie Shawshank Redemption, the character “Red” played by Morgan Freeman explains to the character Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins that “Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” I may have been in the same state of mind as Red when he gave that advice to Andy.
I once asked a psychiatrist if I should consider my obsession with Michigan Football a disorder. She asked what I meant by that. So, I said that for weeks, and in 1973 for months, I felt saddened, if not depressed, when Michigan lost to Ohio State. The psychiatrist replied, several members of my family graduated from Michigan. In my experience, she said, your behavior is perfectly normal!
On November 30, 2024, Michigan beat Ohio State with a score of 13-10. As I noted in my November 17, 2024 article, the 2024 Ohio State Football Team is a powerful group that could win the College Football Playoffs (CFP). But they cannot win the National Championship. Michigan won that honor on November 30, 2024. Let me explain.
Those in the Midwest and followers of Big Ten Football understand that the winner of The Game, is the National Champion. Michigan has won the National Championship the last four years in a row. Ohio State will tell you that if they go on to win every game in the CFP this season, their 2024 season was a failure. They lost to Michigan. Michigan feels the same way. In 1986, Jim Harbaugh, quarterbacking the Michigan Wolverines said,” The last 10 games we played mean nothing to us right now. It’s down to a one-game season. If we win this game, then it’s a successful season. If not, then it’s not a successful season.”
Victorious Michigan can valiantly celebrate with a wine from Jura, France. Jura is famous for its Vin Jaune, i.e., yellow wine, though I prefer to describe it as maize in color. The wine is superb and unique - like Michigan. It is made from the white Savagnin grape not related to Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc. When maturing in barrel, a veil of yeast develops called Le Voile. The wine matures under veil for a minimum of 5 years and is not bottled until at least 6 years of barrel aging.
WSET teaches that with this winemaking one enjoys a dry, high alcohol wine with aromas of bread dough, ginger, green apple, and almond. If you cannot locate a bottle of this special experience, I highly recommend defaulting to my November 17, 2024 recommendation of Champagne, i.e., Salon S Le Mesnil Blanc de Blanc Brut 2002 at $1,200 a bottle.
The night before the game, I dreamt that a soothsayer told me Michigan would win the game with a last second 57 yard field goal. I replied this was not possible because with every 30F drop in temperature, a field goal kicker losses about 5 yards of distance. Cold air is thicker than warm air. A 57 yard field goal in November with temperatures below 32F would amount to a 62 yard equivalent in the warmth of September. How can that be accomplished, I asked. The reply from the soothsayer was simple. Yes, Jerry, there is a Santa Claus.
From the newspaper The Sun (New York, NY), September 21, 1897: Virginia O’Hanlon asked the editor of The Sun if there was a Santa Claus. Here is the 1897 reply.
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity exist, And you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.”
Now that I've had a little time to digest the events in Columbus on November 30, I conclude that Red was wrong about hope. Andy Dufresne’s position on hope is worth embracing.
“Hope is a good thing, maybe even the best of things. And good things never die.”
Go Blue.