It’s the universal introduction. Originating in Ohio Stadium, it now echoes around the world. It never fails and it has worked for me in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Maine; Savannah, Georgia; and countless other places across this vast country. Whenever and wherever I am on vacation, if I pass someone wearing a scarlet and gray shirt, a Block O hat, or other tell tale sign, I give them a sly glance and a hearty O-H. It is invariably reciprocated with a friendly smile and robust I-O. Sometimes it is just in passing, more likely it will lead to friendly conversation with the nicest person. Try it in your travels this summer and you will be rewarded too! And if you happen to be in Washington DC the last of July, or on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay the first of August, and you hear an O-H, well it will be me and I will expect nothing less than an I-O!

While we are at it, can someone out there share with me the story behind the OH-IO cheer?