Unfrozen Caveman Blogger

Pride

2006-11-18T07:46:00.000-05:00

That's what I feel now. Normally, I don't take losses well, but I can't help but feel proud of this team. They went into a hostile environment against the number one team and played their asses off. Even when they got down, they never stopped fighting. They battled back from FOUR double-digit deficits. They proved me right when I wrote that OSU's defense was overrated. They hung 39 points on a defenese that was surrendering about eight. Even if you take away the points off turnovers, that's still four times UM marched down the field and scored. Unfortunately, UM's defense looked overrated as well, although they did a pretty good job in the second half and were about to give the offense a chance to win until Crable's idiotic penalty.

I also have to give a shitload of credit to Troy Smith. Against what had been a great defense, he showed he is unquestionably the best quarterback and player in College Football this year. I hope OSU fans really appreciate him and soak this up as much as possible, because they may never have a better quarterback. And I don't care about his height, I think that he has the tools to be a great QB at the next level. During the game, the commentators compared to him Drew Brees, another great college passer deemed "too short" by some but who has had alot of success in the NFL. If Drew Brees can make it, so can Troy Smith, and if he falls to the second or third round he is going to make some lucky team very happy. Maybe the Lions will be smart enough to draft him, having in the Honolulu blue and silver would go along way to erase the sting of what he's done to Michigan.

Michigan fans can still hope for a rematch, but it's probably an outside shot. Alot depends on the voters unless Michigan gets alot of help. Here's what needs to happen: Rutgers needs to lose to Cincy or WVU, Cal needs to beat USC, USC needs to beat Notre Dame, LSU needs to beat Arkansas and Arkansas needs to beat Florida. It's unlikely all those things will happen, but I can dream, can't I? And if UM doesn't get a rematch, an 11-1 season and a trip to the Rose Bowl is nothing to complain about, especially coming off a 7-5 season. Coming into this season I wanted three things out of this Michigan team: to at least split Notre Dame and Ohio State, get to a good bowl game and win said bowl game. So far, they're two-for-two.

Bo Passes Away

2006-11-17T00:58:00.000-05:00

Sad to hear this. Just like a few weeks ago, Bo had a heart episode at the Channel 7 studios. He later commented that he thought that he was going to die. Fortunately, he didn't and kept on with his normal life. Unfortunately, this time he didn't make it despite what appears to have been a valiant effort by the doctors at Providence Hospital. This is a huge loss for everyone that was touched by Bo and for all Michigan fans. It's also a huge loss for college football in general. They don't make them like Bo anymore and he was one of true icons of the game.

What he meant to Michigan football is almost immeasurable. Michigan football would not be what it is today without Bo. He came to Michigan after some down years and restored the program to national prominence and kept it there. He legacy was extended to Gary Moeller and then to Lloyd Carr. This current team and coaching staff would not exist as we know it if not for Bo. Right up to the end, he was a presence. Just yesterday, he gave the team what has been described as an emotional and tearful pep talk. And he meant so much to all the people who played and worked for him. It was difficult listening to Billy Taylor breaking down while giving a radio interview to Channel 7. I'm sure Taylor wasn't the only one. Despite his gruff exterior, he has been described as being a very caring individual with a huge heart. He helped alot of people and was very charitable.

Bo had his first heart attack in 1970. He had another in the late 80's. A heart like his may have taken alot of other people a long time ago, but Bo was a fighter. Bo could have taken it easy in retirement and just sat around, but he stayed active right to the end. Could he have added a few years to his life by sitting in a recliner day after day? Maybe, but that wasn't Bo. He lived his life the way he wanted to. His heart finally got the best of him, but not before 77 years of a life filled with hard work, dedication, accomplishment, love and care. He molded countless men into boys and positively impacted the lives of so many, both inside and outside of football.

Some are already questioning how this may effect the game. I don't really care right now. I have to admit that this has given me a much-needed dose of perspective. As confident as I was a couple days ago, my nerves had gotten the best of me by yesterday. That anxiety has all washed away now. I realize that life is so much bigger and precious than a game. I know it sounds cliche, but that's truly how I feel now. Hopefully others feel the same way and maybe this will alos quiet down some of the nastiness involved in the rivalry, if only temporarily. I have to say I am very impressed by the class shown by Ohio State fans on UM's Rivals board, as well as their own. And it's not just Ohio State fans; fans of teams all across the country have flooded the UM board with condolences. It's really a nice thing to see, and goes to show the respect that people have for Bo. And while the timing of Bo's passing is unfortunate, I'm sure he'll be watching from the place that good people go to when they leave us. Rest in peace, Bo.

Apparently, No One Wants To Play Michigan or Ohio State

2006-11-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

Finally, it is upon us. A game so huge that you can call it the "Game of the Century" and not sound like one of ESPN's hype-spewing windbags. It may take awhile for the the colossal enormity of it fully set in. Meanwhile, the field of potential adversaries in Glendale continues to shift as multiple teams were removed from contention. Here's a rundown:

Rutgers is a nice team and story, but let's be honest-Louisville choked. They were totally in control, blew a double-digit lead and then gave Rutgers a second-chance at victory with a stupid penalty. Was John L. Smith on the sidelines? Because this was very State-esque. What a disgusting performance, and yes, I'm bitter because I had money on Louisville. Anyway, Louisville is done and Rutgers still has to beat West Virginia and probably still won't make the BCS title game even if they win out. Fair? There's no crying in College Football.

Auburn got smoked by a pretty shitty (by their standards) Georgia team that lost to Vandy, Kentucky and almost lost to Colorado (okay, they're shitty by most standards). Thank God. Auburn was so overrated. Apparently getting exposed once wasn't enough, this should do the trick. And here's a tip for Tommy Tuberville: maybe after shooting your mouth off about how unfair the current system is for SEC teams, you should make sure your team doesn't get embarrassed twice at home by underdogs.

California, a solid team that was probably a bit overrated, but not on Auburn's level, got upset by Arizona. Things started well enough, but then as one Cal player described, pretty much everything went Arizona's way. Now Cal has to beat SC next week just to get to the Rose Bowl.

Florida, another somewhat overrated team, needed multiple blocked kicks and a stupid false start to get by South Carolina; the SEC's "horseshoes and hand grenades" team of 2006. The other SC has come close to knocking off three superior SEC teams only to fall short each time. Florida got pretty lucky here, and may be penalized by the voters.

This has no effect on the national title race, but I have to mention Florida State sinking to a new low, losing 30-0 at home to Wake Forest. Like Rutgers, Wake is a nice team and a nice story, but still. Not very long ago the thought of FSU losing to Wake would have been unfathomable, not to mention 30-0 at home.

Speaking of miserable failures, MSU was officially eliminated from bowl contention with a 30-18 home loss to Minnesota. They blow, Stanton is overrated, there's really no point in beating this dead horse any longer. They've become completely irrelevant in the Michigan sports scene.

After the dust settled, there were still at least four teams that could end up in Glendale, including Notre Dame (gross). USC jumped Florida to grab the number three spot in the BCS and Notre Dame jumped to fifth (again, gross) on the strength of the voters. Rutgers is suprisingly well-regarded by the computers, ranking ahead of Ohio State in multiple computer rankings! The only reason they're not higher is because of the voters. OSU and UM are seperated by a mere .004, which speaks volumes about what the computers think about the two teams considering the polls account for two-thirds of the score. Michigan is first in five of the six polls, whereas OSU is only first in one and isn't even second in four of the six. So let it be clear that the ONLY reason OSU is ahead of UM is because of the the polls, and the lead is still infintecimal. Hopefully the computers are on to something.

Cornbread! Cornbread! Get Your Hot Fresh Cornbread!

2006-11-06T19:27:00.000-05:00

Wow. I'm still kind of surprised by the Lions' 30-14 dismantling of the Falcons yesterday. This is probably the most impressive Lions victory in the Ford Field era. The most surprising part was that when the Lions got ahead, they didn't blow the lead. I said before how whenever the Lions have a lead, I expect them to lose. Well, not today. Their were ample opportunities for the Falcons to come back, but the Lions eventually put them down for the count. Their handling of Michael Vick was especially impressive. Vick was the classic "too good to be true" fanstasy start, coming off two huge weeks and facing a Lions pass D that statistically is among the worst in the league. He killed countless fantasy owners today, especially those in leagues that punish turnovers.I'll fell for it too, starting him over Carson Palmer against the Ravens. It actually worked, because in my negative point-less league he still ended up with more than Palmer. Having Javon Walker also helped.

Anyhow, they really put the clamps on him. To be fair, Vick was plagued by some drops and looked pretty good early. But then the Lions made some adjustments and were able to get a great pass rush combined with good coverage downfield, a deadly combo and one especially rare for the Lions. When Vick tried to scramble, they closed down his running lanes. The Lions wouldn't even let him get a garbage-time TD, picking him off in the end zone.

I heard on the radio today that Raiola said that if he ever sees DeAngelo Hall anywhere he is "going to take his head off" for his cheap shot on Jon Kitna. I like that attitude and I like what it says about this team and Jon Kitna. Would Raiola have said that if it was Joey? I doubt it. Unlike Joey and many others before him, these Lions have a ton of respect for Jon Kitna and that comment shows it. I also believe that, despite the struggles, there's some pretty good chemistry on this team. And according the "The Killer" the players have really bought in to Marinelli and like and respect him as well. Hopefully, things are making a turn for the better. Unfortunately, the Lions have dug themselves in a such a hole that they would have to finish 7-1 just to have an outside shot at the postseason. Not going to happen. But at least they can lay a good foundation for next year. Isn't is always "next year" with this team? We'll see what happens.

Panic! At The Big House

2006-11-04T18:49:00.000-05:00

I have to admit, I was a bit worried about the future after Michigan nearly blew a big lead to Ball State (Ball State?) and their freshman QB. "What the hell is going on?" I thought. "If Nate Davis can do this, just imagine what Troy Smith could do." But then I tuned in to the OSU-Illinois game and watched what looked like another easy victory actually turn into a game. I saw Troy Smith and the OSU offense look human against Illinois' defense (Illinois' defense?). I saw Illinois get pressure on Smith and I saw the Illinois contain the OSU ground game. I then began to feel better about "The Game" than I had before. If Illinois' defense could pressure Smith and bottle up the running game, one would think a significantly more talented Michigan defense could.

But ultimately, the biggest lesson is to not let what happened in either of these two games affect my thoughts about the 18th too positively or negatively. What these games showed is that yes, sometimes teams do lose focus and get caught looking ahead. I can imagine it's very hard to play an entire season with no bye weeks and always maintain a level of tip-top focus, especially with the game to end all games just two weeks away. You know how some professors drop their students' lowest test score? It's pretty much the same here. Just drop these games from each teams' resume, they're probably not indicative of much other than UM's backup corners are really terrible and I really, really hope UM can pressure Smith. Anyhow, I'm off to see the Borat movie which I have been eagerly awaiting for some time now. I'll finish with this clip of Borat learning football. Chenquieh!

Michigan Fans Held Hostage By ESPN

2006-11-04T12:26:00.000-05:00

For the first time that I can ever remember, I won't be able to watch a Michigan game at home. And no, I'm not going to the bar, although it would be pretty funny to just sit there for three and a half hours and not order a single drink. The reason for this apparently is some sort of pissing-contest between ESPN and Comcast. ESPN wants Michigan fans to call and beg Comcast to carry ESPNU. I won't. Fuck ESPN. They already piss me off enough, I'm not going be a pawn in their power play. These kinds of things have happened before between networks and carriers, and eventually they get sorted out. Besides, it's only Ball State. I'll deal.

I'll just have to listen on the radio, which I don't mind because I like Brandy and Beckman. Normally, I'd like to do the old "watch the game while listening to the radio broadcast" routine, but there is a delay that makes doing so problematic. Or maybe Brandy and Beckman have psychic powers that enable them to see a couple seconds into the future. Either way, it doesn't work, so I'll take this opportunity to enjoy them. Plus, listening on the radio will be kind of nostalgic, just like people used to do in the old days. While I'm at it, I'll make some calls on a rotary phone, shave with a straight razor, and go fill my car up with leaded gasoline at halftime. Good times.

An 83-Win Team Just Won the World Series

2006-10-28T12:05:00.000-04:00

Alright, now that I got the sour grapes out of the way, I'd like to congratulate the St. Louis Cardinals. No "we gave it away" or "the break made us rusty" excuses. The Cardinals were the better team and deserved it. And they are also better than their regular season indicates. Remember, alot of these guys have were part of teams that were perennial 100-plus game winners and contenders. This isn't a fluke. Just like I feared, their postseason experience and need for redemption made a difference. They wanted it more. It's not that the Tigers didn't want it, it's just that it's impossible for a team like the Tigers to want as much as a team that's been to postseason seven out of the last eleven years and came up empty every previous time.

As far as Game 5 itself, it was more of the same. The Inge error, the Verlander error, poor hitting. It was like Groundhog Day. Once the Cards took the lead, I knew the Tigers couldn't come back, although they tried. What really hurt was when Pudge check-swung a pitch he should've taken, resulting in an out. But then Polanco got on, worrying, for a moment, the anticipatory crowd. But then Inge, in typical Inge fashion, went down flailing away. Another close, painful loss, but the reality is that this series was lost in Game 4. They should be heading back to Detroit, but oh well. It's probably moot, anyhow. Does anyone really believe that if the Tigers could have gotten to a Game 7 that they could have beat Carpenter? Also, my worst Weaver-related fears came true. Not only did he get the win, but he was pretty dominant. If it wasn't for Chris Duncan's Manny Ramirez impersonations in right field, Weaver's numbers would have been even better.

I'm kind of surprised with how well I'm taking it. Like Game 4, I was pretty hot for awhile afterward (although not as hot) but then managed to distract myself and settle down. All year I said as long as the Tigers made the playoffs I'd be happy. I really questioned whether or not I'd be able to hold myself to that, but I guess I kind of have. Obviously a World Series win would've been bananas, and the celebration would have been great. But this team did give us alot of great moments, and far surpassed what anyone thought they would do. The Magglio walk-off was an amazing moment, and they beat the Yankees. I repeat, they beat the Yankees. Awesome.
Most importantly, they made baseball relevant in this town again. All the bandwagon fans? I don't give a shit. It was just nice to see everyone with Tiger fever. What this team did for this town was great. It was a great ride, a dream season, whatever cliche you want to use. The last time the Tigers had a run like this, I still had a bowl-cut and an alligator on my shirt. This was a truly unique and special team that will never be forgotten. I better stop before I get a little verklempt.

I'd also like to say I really hope the Tiger re-sign Casey. All year throughout this "Who's Your Tiger" business, I never really "had" a Tiger. But what happened in the World Series made me realize that Sean Casey is my Tiger. A consumate pro on the field and in the clubhouse. What a guy. He was the only bat that showed up in the Series, and tried valiantly to rescue the Tigers from their own ineptitude. He followed up his Game 4 performance with another home run (which breifly gave the Tigers the lead until they fucked it up) plus two more doubles including one in the top of the ninth against the previously untouchable Adam Wainwright. It's too bad nobody could have done their job and knocked him in like he so graciously did for others on multiple occasions in this fall classic. If there was an award for MVP of the losing team, he would get it hands-down. I salute you, Sean Casey.

World Series Game Four Live Blog

2006-10-27T01:15:00.000-04:00

It's the make-it or break-it game of the year for the Tigers, a game that has potential for bitter disappointment and heartbreak. So I decided to live blog it!

8:20 - Ozzie Smith's son is singing the National Anthem, continuing Fox's cross-promotion of American Idol. He kind of looks like his dad and a bit like Jaleel White. I wonder if he did backflips on the way out to sing?

8:29 - I just resorted to the ultimate desperation move. I call it my "JoJo the Whale" move; betting on the opposing team. I know it sounds bad to bet on the opponent, but trust me, I've had success with this before. Pistons-Cavs game six is a recent example, and not only did the Cavs cover, but the Pistons still won. There's no such scenario here, either they lose or I lose.

8:38 - This is embarassing. This offense is so bad right now.

8:50 - Solid inning by Bonderman, followed by a HR by Casey. It's nice to see them finally get off the schneid. No word on whether Taco Bell is having another homer run promotion.

8:53 - Wouldn't it be awesome if Bonderman hit one out here? It would also be awesome if I could fuck Jessica Alba.

9:05 - Wow, that was close. I thought for sure that was gone, as did the Cardinals fans. Bondo's pitching well, but Rolen really made him work there.

9:15 - That little cartoon with Jeff Suppan is probably one of the gayest things I've seen this World Series. Besides Joe Buck, of course.

9:21 - I can't say enough about Casey. I don't know if people truly appreciate how solid of a hitter this guy is. That's two clutch two-out RBI's in this World Series, plus the home run.

9:30 - Nice inning, some good clutch hitting and now Bondo has a nice lead to work with. It's nice to see Pudge has reappeared.

9:36 - David Eckstein has always annoyed me. I think it's that scrappy, little white-guy thing that tends to get glorified. Nice clutch hit however. It really sucks, because the Tigers lost some momentum there.

9:40 - Oh boy, I feel a Jeremy Bonderman blowup coming.

9:59 - I don't like how hard Bondo is getting hit. It's only the fourth inning, and this doesn't bode well.

10:30 - Tim McCarver just said that Suppan's fastball just got the corner, then the little Fox strike zone graphic showed it well outside.

10:38 - Rolen is just abusing Bonderman. I don't have a good feeling about this one.

10:41 - Bonderman is done, at least there is a double play possibility.

10:50 - I've been tough on Rodney alot, but this guy has been money in the playoffs. What a great job. It helped that he was facing Miles and Rodriguez, but nevertheless a good job.

11:10 - I'd really hate to see something like that slip have an effect on the game. What bullshit.

11:12 - I noticed Guillen has back hair sticking out of the top of his jersey. Gross.

11:15 - Forget everything I said about Rodney. Just when I compliment the guy, he fucks up.
Fuck Fuck Fuck!!!

11:25 - This fucking blows. Alot of this rests on the offense. They haven't done dick since the 3rd inning. Make some fucking plays already.

11:30 - If this team can't get Pudge home here, they don't deserve to win this series. And they won't.

11:33 - I'm betting on a strikeout here for Inge.

11:37 - Huge hit for Inge.

11:40 - Gomez was just embarrased there.

11:43- Alright, this is it. The series revolves around what happens here. Tigers have to come through in the clutch, simple as that.

1:05 - ...and they didn't. I just threw some things and then sat in a daze for a while. I decided to cool of before finishing. I tried to take a walk, but it started raining. God is not smiling upon me now.

This game was insanely frustrating, especially since I had a bad feeling about the way it going and the Tigers did nothing to prove me wrong. The error on Rodney, the slip, the ball about four inches too high for Monroe, I guess it's just not meant to be. I'd like to be hopeful, but the I see the writing on the wall, and it says "STOP USING CLICHES." It also says the Tigers are done. Oh well, now I know how A's fans must have felt. Errors, poor hitting, running into good pitching, failure to get clutch hits, etc. If the Tigers are meant to lose, fine. I just wish they didn't look so goddamn embarrasing. And the worst part is that that scumbag Jeff Weaver has a chance to win the World Series for the Cardinals. Ugh. I'm starting to get pissed again, I have to stop for now.

Greatest Weekend Ever

2006-10-15T02:40:00.000-04:00

Warning: this is going to be long (that's what I said!...no, actually it's not). As you can tell, I'm prone to hyperbole. Who could of thought after last weekend that this weekend would be so wonderful? Who could of thought after the Tigers' embarrasment against K.C. that they would dominate the Yankees, something most would have thought impossible, including myself. Note my "Tigers Playoff Preview" where I said they would get smoked. People with lesser ethics would just go back and delete that post, but not I! I have no problem being wrong in situations like this. I knew that Saturday had the potential to be special, but I tried to temper my enthusiasm and be let down. But it was special, and for UM to pound the Sparties while the Tigers simutaneously completed their domination over the hated Yankees made for one of, if not the, greatest single day of sports in my life as a fan. It's days like Saturday that make being a fan worth it.

As far as the Tigers, I'm still in shock. This whole year has been like a dream, and every time it seem like the dream is about to end, it just keeps going and getting better. After the most recent setback against Kansas City it seemed inconcievable (insert Wallace Shawn in Princess Bride impersonation here) that the Tigers could beat the Yanks. The pitching staff seemed like it had hit the wall. "If they got so abused by that glorified Triple-A team that was the Royals, just imagine what the Yankees would do to them" I thought. Game 1 was virtually a continuation of the Royals series. The Tigers hit well, but left men on at key times while the pitching gave up big innings again. The only bright spots were the Yanks recent history when winning game 1 at home (2-5 series record) and the fact that the Tigers didn't seem intimitaded or lacking in confidence. Game 2 was where the series swung. The Tigers absorbed and early blow, kept fighting and took the lead. The Yankees, well known for their late-inning heroics had no answer for the Tigers' bullpen, Zumaya especially. What he did the Yankees was just sick. I think after Game 1 the Tigers knew they could play with the Yankees, and Game 2 cemented that notion, while perhaps letting some doubt creep into the heads of the Yankees.

Game 3 was the Kenny Rogers show. One of the most intense, focused and emotional performance you will ever see by a pitcher. I think I was actually more excited after this game than the clincher because after this game I knew. I could just feel it, the tables had dramatically turned and weren't going to turn back. I could taste victory over the Yankees and Game 4 was a mere formality, although I tried to block such thoughts out of my head. But it was a formality, a highly satisfying one at that. Bondo was perfect for over 5 innings and the Tigers just rolled over a deflated Yankees team. For over 20 innings, the Tigers blanked a lineup that features no less than at least four or five future Hall of Famers. Surreal. The Yankees, who in recent years have shown a tendency to fold when faced with adversity, did it again. A-Rod lived up to his rep as a choker. His only big hit, and only hit period, came when the Yanks had already built a comfortable lead in Game 1. Early in game 2, he struck out with the bases loaded. If he gets a big hit there, the Yanks might have come to Detroit up 2-0. But you can't put it all on him, the rest of the lineup did pretty much nothing past the early parts of game 2. Even when they got guys on base, they couldn't deliver. In game 3 the Yankees were a staggering 0-18 with a man on base, which set some kind of record, I don't remember. I don't want to spend too much time talking about the Yankees though, because they didn't lose the series, they were beaten. Big difference. The Tigers were the better team, period.

Remember how everyone was bummed that the Tigers' choke job resulted in them being matched with NY instead of Oakland? Well that might have been the best thing that happened to them. And then Minnesota gets swept by Oakland. Carl Pohlad said toward the end of the season that Minnesota wanted to play New York because they matched up better. He was right. Based on their respective performances on the last weekend of the season combined with what happened in the first round, it's almost as if the Tigers and the Twins were tanking to try to play the Yankees.

The postgame celebration was awesome, and something I'll never forget. It showed the world the bond that exists here between the fans and the team. Alot of players say they appreciate the fans, but you can tell these guys really do. And the carrying off of Jim Leyland on their shoulders was also pretty cool, and rare these days. This is a unique, special team and I'm just trying to enjoy it as much as I can.

As far as UM-MSU, there's not really much to say. It went pretty much as expected. Michigan was in control the whole way while MSU continually shot themselves in the foot. Offsides penalties, running into the kicker, false start, more offsides penalties, dropping a sure TD pass. What a joke. You'd think that for once this team might actually get their heads out of their asses, but much like the Lions, there very predictable in their ineptitude. The best though, was once again sticking to Drew Stanton, who dropped to 0-3 vs Michigan as a starter. I already hated this guy, but then he spouted off with his "University of Puke" and bandwagon community college attendees comments. If Michigan is the University of Puke and you're 0-3 against them, what does that make you? Feces. Pure, unadulturated feces. The guy is so pathetic. He has the same bitter, rensetful, jealous and inferiority-complex driven mindset of the typical State fan. He's accomplished virtually nothing, and if it wasn't for sports he probably be at LCC. I actually think he's descended into his own little fantasy world to help escape from the pain. As MSU was getting blown out, he was grinning on the sidelines and after he scored a late garbage time TD, he acted like he just won the Super Bowl. In Drew Stanton's little world, the scoreboard numbers are reversed and State always prevails. Good luck at the next level, turd, because you'll need it. I have a feeling he'll be putting that Kiniseolgy degree to work sooner than he expects.

That's another great thing about days like this. It puts shit-talkers in their place, like Stanton and the Cleveland Indians fan who said "have fun getting knocked out in the first round" to me after a Tigers game I attended at Jacobs Field in August. It feels good, real good, and I'll always remember the feeling of a day like this. And to the Cleveland guy, have fun watching the Tigers in the ALCS, bitch.

Tigers Playoff Preview

2006-10-03T20:08:00.000-04:00

They're going to get smoked.

Worst. Sunday. Ever.

2006-10-02T00:45:00.000-04:00

It's weird, I should be alot more upset now than I am. Maybe it's the anti-depressants kicking in. But I still have to comment on what was a disastrous day.

Early on, everything was fine. It was probably one of the last nice days of the year. The Tigers had jumped out to a big lead and I was doing alright in my main fantasy league. The only thing I was bummed about was my friend Chris shooting down going to the game a few days earlier and costing us a chance to witness the Tigers clinch in person. Then, the Tigers imploded while my opponent (who's apartment I was at) got a flurry of points to take a lead. Everything came crashing down. It was a flurry of channel-switching and cell-phone checking. Then the Lions choke job and the realization that not starting Maroney cost me a possible victory. I texted (is that a word?) my Chris and thanked him for not wanting to go to the game and mentioned how much I hate the state of Missouri.

Let's start with the Tigers. How the hell do you get swept at home by Kansas City? All they needed was one win. Minnesota was basically handing the series to the Tigers and they couldn't take it. And now those puds get to celebrate after backing into a division title. Multiple blown leads, poor clutch hitting and just horrendous pitching against guys who should be in the minors. It's not exactly Mauchian, but this has got to be one of the bigger choke jobs in recent baseball history. The Tigers are a laughingstock right now. And if you though Kansas City worked them over, just imagine what the Yankees lineup is going to do. It's just a shame, a season with so much promise to end like this, with boos instead of champagne. All year, there have doubters, people saying these Tigers were frauds. You think those people have alot of ammo now? Yes. And the fact that they could be done in by the Yankees makes it even worse. I really fucking hate the Yankees.

As for the Lions, I really past the point of letting their shit bother me. But it would be nice, if for only once, they could actually pull out a gutty, hard-fought win on the road. But even when they were ahead, I knew, like I always do, that they would blow it. And they did. They have to be the most predictable team in the NFL. You always know that in a close game, with the lead, they're going to let the other team drive down the field for the lead and then fail miserably in the two minute drill. It never fails, except against New Orleans last year which cost them REGGIE FUCKING BUSH!!! See, even when this team does succeed, it still ends up going wrong. The one time they actually drove down the field for a last second win, like real NFL teams do, it cost them the second overall pick. God, I fucking hate this team. I probably shouldn't have wrote all this, because now I am pissed.

Michigan Revenge Tour '06: Stop #3

2006-10-01T13:18:00.000-04:00

A success.

Why Revenge?
Minnesota escaped the Big House with a victory last year and recaptured the jug for the first time since 1987. They then proceeded to disrespect Michigan and the Big House in a Michigan State-like fashion. Some players, led by soon-to-be-a-stud-on-my-fantasy-team Laurence Maroney, attempted to plant the Minnesota flag on the field. What those stupid thugs failed to take into account is that you really can't plant a flag in field turf. Nevertheless, it left a bitter taste in the mouths of the players and the fans. This was one of my most anticipated games of the year. I knew Michigan would get the jug back and they delivered.

What Happened?
Michigan's offense had their best performance of the year. Henne eviscerated the Minnesota secondary with ease while Mike Hart carved them up for 195. The only disappointment was when Michigan drove down the field and stalled inside the 10, followed by a missed field goal. I was impressed with DeBord's playcalling, he made the right calls at the right times. Basically, the way it's going to be the rest of the year is when teams stack the box, UM throws downfield. When they play the pass, it's Hart. Any team can still stop UM when they do those things will win. If not, they lose. It's just that simple.

Defensively, it wasn't one of the better statistical performances of the year. The D seemed to let up a bit in the fourth, but they still came up with a stop on fourth down when Minnesota had a chance to cut the lead to seven. In past years, Minnesota would have scored on that drive. That's the difference with this year's D. Alot of fans seem a bit worried, but I'm not going to panic, Minnesota was still held in check most of the game. This was a far cry from the 400-plus rush yards they got against UM in 2003, and the defense still has yet to surrender a long run. However, I do hope Trent returns soon. Charles Stewart had a pretty rough outing and clearly does not have what it takes to be a starting corner. If Stewart continues to be forced into action, teams are going to attack him all day. Mundy also had some Mundy-ish moments. Overall, it was a mostly solid performance. The fear from some is evidence of raised expectations.

After the game, the Michigan players showed great class in victory. There were no antics, they locked arms and calmly walked over the Minnesota sideline and claimed the jug. The Minnesota players also handled the loss with a lot of grace. Hopefully what happened last year was just an abberation, in more ways than one.

You Like-A The Juice?

2006-09-30T15:23:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I was hoping Illinois could pull it out just so I could use that headline. True Freshman QB Juice Williams led Illinois to a upset over the still shell-shocked Spartans. He was up and down, but had a long TD pass early and engineered the game-winning drive. The key play was a third down scramble deep in MSU territory. For a true freshman to lead that drive, in a hostile environment and the momentum on the opponent's side, is pretty impressive, even if that opponent was State. Give alot of credit to Illinois, this team has been beat down this year but those players keep fighting and it paid off today.

Now it's time to bash State again. We've come to expect to "Michigan State Blowup" after a painful loss and once again they lived down to expectations. But Illinois? It was a perfect game for State to recover, but for the second week in a row, Michigan State is a national laughingstock. This game is totally inexplicable. State annihilated this team last year. Illinois has been annihilated this year. The game was in East Lansing. But it was the typical State hangover game. And State was lucky to be as close as they were thanks to a questionable overturn of a Stanton fumble. Stanton also had a fumble on the Illinois two-yard line early in the game, but hey, he's a first-round draft pick, right? Oh, and by the way, Stanton left the game with an injury. So did Ringer. The future looks grim. If Michigan loses to this team, I'll puke.

Catching Up

2006-09-29T15:00:00.000-04:00

I really "misunderestimated" the time involved in doing this. Alot of shit happened this week, and I had a hard time keeping up. I'd like to touch on a few things that happened since I last posted.

Stop #2 on the "Michigan Revenge Tour '06" was a success. The defense of course, was sublime. They had a couple breakdowns early but recovered well and were pretty dominant. Six straight three-and-outs to start the second half, 12 total rush yards and just all-around pwnage were the highlights of the day. The offense had its struggles. UM struggled to maintain drives. Their longest scoring drive was less than 6o yards. The offense was greatly aided great field position as result of the defense and punt return team. I'm kind of worried, but I'd like to think it was more a result of Wisconsin's defense. Manningham recovered from an early bobble to have a 2 TD game, bring his season total to six. Now it's on to Minnesota to get the jug back.

This probably deserves its own post, but the Tigers made the playoffs! Yay! I've specifically refrained from any Tigers posts until now, due to the roller-coaster nature of the past few weeks. I didn't want to sound bi-polar and god forbid, give the appearance of jumping off/on the bandwagon. But now I can breath a sigh of relief. It's still kind of amazing to me, speaking and writing the words "Tigers in the playoffs." Just the thought of a playoff game downtown; the buzz and excitement in the cool air, packed house, national media attention, millions of people across the country watching at home, it gets me all butterfly-ey inside. I can't wait. When I was sitting in the stands in 1987, watching the Tigers clinch the pennant on the last day of the season, my young mind, brimming with hope and optimism, untainted by cynicism and doubt, could have never imagined it would be 19 years before the Tigers got to the postseason again. The lesson I learned was to enjoy and savor the excitement of a season like this, no matter what happens. The pennant race, the playoffs; soak it up, appreciate the moment and don't take it for granted, because you never know when it may happen again.

More Bengals got in trouble. Already suspended Odell Thurman was arresting for driving while over twice the legal limit. Apparently he wasn't satisfied with a four game suspension and wanted to stretch it out over the whole season. He said he was the most sober one in car. It looks like they did the old "hand the keys to the least-drunk member of the group and cross your fingers." Who else was there? Reggie McNeal and of course, Chris Henry, seen puking out the window. You'd think after about 8,000 run-ins with the law, Henry would try to walk the straight and narrow. What the hell is wrong with this team? On the field, there currently among the best teams in the NFL. Off the field, it's like North Dallas Forty.

T.O. tried to kill himself. No he didn't. The police concluded "accidental overdose" and decided to leave it at that. I don't believe T.O. was trying to kill himself, but I don't totally buy his "allergic reaction" story. He might have been depressed and self-medicating, he might have just been irresponsible and took more pills than he was supposed to. I think the truth lies somewhere between suicide and bad reaction.

Jason Whitlock burned bridges on his way out of ESPN, in fact he nuked them. He was then informed that he was persona non grata at the Worldwide Leader. I also happened to catch him on "Stoney and Wojo" on Wednesday, where he reitereated him comments about ESPN, Scoop Jackson, black culture, and Mike Lupica. He also had some choice words about Mitch Albom, making Stoney noticeably uncomfortable.

Found via Deadspin, a report from a site called "The Daily Kos" that claims that ESPN uses canned cheers for Republicans and canned boos for Democrats who appear at ESPN-televised sporting events. I can't say I've noticed this, as I usually don't pay attention to the non-sporting parts of games. But I will be looking out for this in the future, and if true, will just add to my growing discontent with that network.

Michigan State Is An Absolute Joke (and so is Drew Stanton)

2006-09-24T00:16:00.000-04:00

I wasn't even planning on writing anything tonight. I'm tired as hell and was planning to go to sleep right after the game. In fact I almost dozed off early in the fourth quarter. But I was just bursting at the seams to get some thoughts out on this debacle. As much enjoyment as I get out of MSU's failures, my excitement was tempered a bit by the fact that I really hate Notre Dame. Notre Dame continuing to win makes UM's victory look better, but aside from that, there really are no other benefits to them winning. Thanks to MSU choking, last week's ass-kicking at the hands of Michigan is a distant memory and we're once again going to have to listen to how great Notre Dame is, how great and gutty of a coach Charlie Weis is, how great and gutty of a QB Brady Quinn is, etc. It's nauseating. I would have loved to see this team limp back to South Bend with a 1-2 record after another ass-kicking. But no, State couldn't let that happen. Charlie Weis was on his way to becoming Tyrone Willingham v2.0 and now he's probably headed to another BCS bowl. Thanks, Spartans, thanks alot.

How is it humanly possible for one team to choke so much? How is possible to blow multiple double-digit leads in a single game? But was anyone actually surprised by what happened tonight? Anyone who is a State fan or follows them at all saw this coming. We've all seen it before. It was the same old story: MSU gets big lead, everybody's pumped, MSU fails to put opponent away, opponent starts to come back, MSU gets conservative, starts shooting itself in the foot, John L. Smith gets that worried look, assholes pucker, opponent takes lead and wins, Spartans walk around in a daze. And regardless of how jubilant they may have seemed, I guarantee that even with a 17-point lead, State fans were worried while being haunted by their PTSD flashbacks of the 2004 Michigan game. I know how they think and how they've been conditioned to expect failure and excruciating heartbreak no matter how positive the outlook. Once again, their worst fears were realized. Once again, a chance for a defining victory came crashing down in the most embarrasing and gutwrenching fashion, on national TV, no less.

The 2004 game was bad, but that was just Braylon Edwards basically taking over the game. He was a pro reciever playing college football, a man against boys. Nobody on State belonged on the same field as him. But tonight, there was no singular, man-amongst-boys performance. Michigan State just flat-out choked. Notre Dame got the winning points on a DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWN! How does that happen? Your up by four late in the game, deep in your own territory, trying to run the clock out. Having a pass intercepted and then returned for a touchdown is pretty much the worst-case scenario. And as we've seen before with State, the worst-case scenario is what happened. Just run the ball there, maybe one of your little spread -option plays. If you have to punt, you punt. At least make Notre Dame earn the win. But no, MSU gift-wrapped it for them. And how fitting was it that the game ended the way it did, with that crazy pinball-like interception to end the game?

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that there is no worse fate that being an MSU football fan. Being a Lions fan blows, but they never blow big leads because they hardly ever get big leads. At least with the Lions, you know you're always going to get crap. There's no illusions. Spartan football, on the other hand, teases and tantalizes their fans only to rip their hearts out and take a huge dump on them. I'm thankful for alot of things, and one of them is that I was raised a UM football. Sure, being a fan of Michigan has had it share of heartbreakers, but if I had to go through what State football fans go through, I'm not sure I could do it. I don't think I'm emotionally equipped to handle it. By this point, I'd be holed up in a Buddhist monastery somwhere like Andrew Black after getting sucked out on by Stu Ungar (poker reference, sorry).

As far as Stanton goes, maybe people will finally realize he just ain't that good. I LMAO'd when I heard people saying he could be a first round pick. First round pick? HAHAHAHAHAHA! Give me a break. He doesn't have an incredibly strong or accurate arm, he's not especially athletic (at least not NFL-athletic) and he pisses down his leg in big games. He had three key turnovers down the stretch, THREE! That should never happen when you're protecting a lead. I must admit though, the one postitive to come out of this game was seeing him wander off that field tonight in shock. I love seeing him fail. He's an overrated, whiny, petulant baby consumed by an inferiority complex-based hatred of all things UM. Tearing the Desmond Howard cover off NCAA 2006, Whining in SI that UM fans were cheering when he got hurt. I was in that student section that day, and I can tell you that no one was cheering because he got hurt, they were cheering because of the play. So slander UM fans all you want, but we'll all be laughing when you fail as an NFL QB, you piece of crap. You'll make a hell of a gunner, though.

The Twins Have Very Good "Chemistry"

2006-09-19T03:06:00.000-04:00

0.7449 Bitches!

2006-09-17T18:44:00.000-04:00

I really don't have even a somewhat in-depth analysis of this game, everything about it kicked ass. The only thing that really bothered me was that Michigan didn't score 55. Henne recoverd admirably from his pick, Manningham ass-raped the Notre Dame corners, and Mike Hart was Mike Hart. Even the much-maligned (by me, at least) pass blocking held up. Whipping-boy Reuben Riley, while far from dominant, held his own. I guess Michigan really was holding alot back from the playbook. DeBord had some nice, aggresive play calls early which helped open up the game. They got conservative in the 2nd half, but I can't disagree too much with that. The coaching staff had a well-placed confidence in the defense.

How do I feel about what the defense did? Remember that old Saturday Night Live sketch with Rob Schneider where he acted like he was having an orgasm when talking about the Buffalo Bills no-huddle offense? Well, that's kind of how I feel. They were completely dominant. The defense proved that all the preseason talk about being faster, leaner, more aggressive and just simply better was not just talk. In recent years the defense has been, at best, bend-but-don't-break and at worst, just break. Not anymore. This defense forces the action. They did this thing called "blitzing" that has been a pretty foreign concept in Ann Arbor in recent years, especially in big games. The d-line, despite rampant holding, was constantly in the back field. The D completely shut down Notre Dame's running game (FOUR FREAKIN" YARDS!) and the corners played as tight and aggresively as I have seen in years. When Notre Dame did complete a pass, the ballcarrier was swarmed almost immediately. The rushing yards weren't the only amazing statistic. 245 total yards surrendered, less than five yards per pass, 11 non-penalty first downs and five turnovers. Notre Dame had one first down in the first 27:20 of play. Mind-boggling. Missed tackles, poor angles, guys arriving too late, that all seems but a distant memory now.

Here's some other thoughts:

The shades are a good look for Lloyd Carr. Kind of like the Terminator except older, flabbier, and without the ability to do that cool thing where he duplicates someone's voice. I also liked his demeanor throughout the game, you could tell he really meant business. He really had his "game face" on (cue Bobby Knight rant).

Henne's accuracy has really improved. Those last two TD passes to Manningham were perfect. He couldn't have thrown them any better. Compare that to last year when he sailed a pass over wide-open Jason Avant in the end zone versus Wisconsin.

Mario Manningham--muah! The moves he put on those corners? Wow. His jersey is going to have alot more open space on it in the future.

I have to admit, I kind of drank the kool-aid on Brady Quinn. The reality is, he just isn't a great QB. If he has time to throw, he's great, but if he gets any kind of pressure he crumbles. The looks on his face throughout the game were priceless. I found it interesting that Weis left him in the game so long. The slapstick-y sequence of his fumble and Woodley's rumble into the end zone was the fitting end to Quinn's day.

Speaking of Weis, I respect him some more after the props he gave to Michigan after the game.

It's nice to see Burgess finally living up to his potential. He's like a totally different player.

In my opinion, the game really turned on the Grimes fumble. At that point, Notre Dame was only down six and had yet to have the life sucked out of them. Plus, they had the momentum from blocking the extra point. Instead, Michigan gets the ball back, scores and all the sudden Notre Dame is staring down a 20-7 deficit in the first quarter. Just a totally back-breaking series of events for the Irish.

Like I said in the live blog, I am so very proud of this team. For me personally, it was one of the most satisfying wins in my lifetime. I'm still on cloud nine right now, even with that egg the Lions laid in Chicago. I decided yesterdy that I wasn't going to let that team of puds bring me down from my high. Just thinking about yesterday and re-watching the game makes me all tingly.

For the program, this is the biggest win since OSU in '03 and one of the biggest in recent memory. It specifically reminds me alot of the Penn State game in '97. Those kids and coaches had to deal with a lot of shit over the past few months and they decided they were going to go to South Bend and not only win, but make a statement. They did. To go into South Bend and embarrass that team in front of their own fans while simultaneously ending (at least for the time being) the tongue-bathing of Notre Dame and exposing Weis and Quinn as mere mortals was the perfect result.

Although I will say it is a bit unnerving to have people like Mark May on the Michigan bandwagon, it is nice to see Michigan getting national respect. Now Michigan has to live up to the hype, they're no longer a sleeper. I like to think of this as the "Michigan Revenge Tour 2006." They have a chance for revenge in three straight weeks and then, of course, that team down south. Tour stop number one was a success, now it's on to Wisconsin.

Oklahoma, Meet Lexington Steele

2006-09-17T12:45:00.000-04:00

The Sooners got bent over and violently butt-fucked. There's really no other way to describe it. Unlike Lloyd Carr bitching about the crown of the field, Bob Stoops and Oklahoma have a more than legitimate gripe. I hope Oregon and their fans enjoy their tainted victory. And people can save all the crap about "refs don't lose games," Oklahoma should have scored more, they still could have stopped Oregon, etc. The simple fact is that if that onside kick is called right, Oklahoma wins. Period.

Besides that, it was "Seperation Saturday" and alot of teams got...uh...seperated, I guess. Now let's examine the most dramatic day of seperation since my parents' divorce was finalized. Actually, it really wasn't that dramatic (Saturday, not my parents' divorce), alot of the games weren't that close.

I had this crazy dream last night that Michigan strolled into South Bend, hung 47 on the Irish, and harassed Brady Quinn into three interceptions while simultaneously banging his sister and kicking Charlie Weis in his front-butt. I'm going to look for a game recap to find out the what really happened. More on that game later.

Just like I wished for and predicted, USC brought Nebraska and their fans back down to reality. Did you notice the talent disparity I spoke of? (who am asking? no one reads this) Callahan was so terrified of USC that he stuck to a very conservative game plan, which actually made things worse because when you're out-gunned you need to take some chances to win. What a terrible coach. I think Nebraska fans realize how bad he is, they're just not ready to admit it yet. Give it a couple years (or less) until the knives come out full-force

I figured LSU-Auburn would be low scoring, but not this low scoring. Holy crap. It would have been a snoozer if not for the excitement of knowing that at any given time a defender might literally kill a member of the opposition. Quite an intense game, and when it was over and LSU players were laying on the ground while Auburn players ran around celebrating it really reminded me of an NCAA tournament game.

Louisville took Miami to the 7th Floor (sorry, it's just too easy) 31-7. Louisville pulled out their third leg (sorry, again) and basically mushroom-stamped the Canes right out of Papa Johan's. I actually thought Miami could keep it close or even pull out the win. What was especially impressive is how Louisville continued to roll after Brian Brohm left with an injury. On a side note, is there a more snakebitten team in the NCAA? Sure, everybody has injuries, but in less than a year they lost their star QB, their star RB and their star QB again. Hopefully for their sake, Brohm is back in time for WVU. As for the Canes, this is second time in four games they have been embarrased. At least this time they tried for awhile. After a Louisville fumble, they had a chance to go up 14-0 but fumbled the ball back which kept Louisville in the game. After a TD by Mario Urrutia put Louisville up before halftime, Miami pretty much phoned it in from there. There seems to be a trend lately with this team phoning it in. When faced with crippling blows, this team folds like me in an Ultimate Bet play chip sit-and-go. I know the term "hot seat" is overused, but seriously, Larry Coker is on the hot seat. Those type of performances are reflective on the coach, especially on a team with so much talent.

I thought Tennessee would win outright, but they still covered like I thought. I can't complain, I got to watch Fat Phil lose and make some money off of it. I'm just wondering, how could Tennessee not stop those Tebow runs? It was so obvious he was never going to pass it. It was like Florida's version of the Antonio Bass play. I will give credit to Justin Harrell, however. That guy is badass.

FSU's luck finally ran out, and it wouldn't even have been close if not for Clemson's atrocious kicking game. Remember the days when FSU never lost ACC games and never lost at home? Those were the days. It's kind of like asking "remember life before the internet?" People remember, but it's so foreign and archaic of a concept that it seems like those times never really existed.

Congrats to Western Michigan for going on the road and beating Virginia. I know Virginia is terrible this year, but anytime a MAC team can go on the road and beat a BCS opponent it's a hell of an accomplishment.

Indiana lost to Southern Illinois. I didn't know College Basketball started already.

In what had to be the lock of the year, Syracuse not only covered but blew out favored Illinois at home. Yes, I said "favored Illinois." That's why it was the lock of the year. I know Syracuse is bad and Illinois was at home, but Illinois should NEVER be favored over any D-I school except for maybe some Sun Belt bottom-feeders. Easy money. On a positive note for Illinois, "Juice" Williams, a VHT who inexplicably chose Illinois, came in in the second half and threw for a couple TD's. I guessing the Juice era has begun at Illinois.

I may be softening on my "State's going to get smoked by Notre Dame" prediction after Saturday's proceedings, although I still think Notre Dame will win. We'll see.

Gambling-wise, I hit the afformentioned four-team teaser as well as Tennessee. Texas Tech cost me six-team teaser by inexplicably managing only three points and losing by nine. Can't complain too much though, another winning weekend. I'm not being cocky though, I'm sure things will come crashing down next weekend.

UM-ND Live Blog

2006-09-16T16:27:00.000-04:00

[sarcasm on] I suppose I should first credit Bill Simmons for inventing the live blog, because if not for him I'm sure nobody would have ever thought of it. [sarcasm off]

The live blog is off to a late start due to some internet problems. Also, my cable TV is fucked. The pay channels come in fine, but the the free channels are fuzzy, especially WDIV. Weird. Of all the days for these things to happen.

4:23 - Am I dreaming? UM just made it 20-7. It's still the first. A bit of the emotional rollercoaster so far. Burgess TD, Yay! Henne int followed by Notre Dame TD, Wah-Wah. Manningham 70 yard TD, Yay! Blocked XP, Typical. But then Grimes fumbles, UM easily scores. I love hearing the ND homer announcers tryto deal emotionally with the situation.

4:29 - UM stuffs ND on 3rd and 1. What, you're not going to go for it Charlie?

4:35 - Replay challenge. It's hard for me to tell for sure whether it was a catch because MY FUCKING RECEPTION IS FUZZY. Call stands.

4:40 - Seriously, Am I dreaming?
Manningham>Notre Dame's entire secondary.

4:46 - I want to have Ron English's babies.

4:56 - This defense is just amazing. Everything Michigan fans dreamed of. The corners are playing very tight and aggressively. Quinn is clearly rattled, his passing is off. Michigan needs to drop the hammer now.

5:06 - Michigan is just battering this defense. Beautiful.

5:09 - Manningham AGAIN! 3 Td's in the 1st half. Has that ever happened in UM history? He's holding his wrist, not a good sight.

5:11 - The announcers just said they're going to have a "live two-way with the guys in New York."

5:18 - Michigan goes into Herrman mode. I don't like it, but it's going to take quite a collapse for Michigan to lose. I'm still a bit worried, though. That's natural for me.

5:21 - Lloyd Carr just sarcastically said "I have no imagination." Hilarious.

5:45 - Manningham on the sideline. Shit.

5:47 - I don't mind the draw there. No point in doing something stupid there.

5:53 - Manningham walking off with jacket on. Just our luck, something always has to go wrong.
I want that fucking tuba smashed to bits.

5:55 - Just showed McKnight's knee inury from last year. How nauseating. Quinn gets another pass batted down. Looking like John Navarre.

5:57 - Ambrose Wooden absolutely lit up Greg Mathews. Wow. I suppose he has a lot of pent up frustration. My screen is a bit fuzzy, but could that have been pass interference?

6:00 - You know, this screen play is really growing on me. Darrin Walls with a late hit.
Should of gone to Michigan, buddy.

6: 07 - Hell Zeah! Burgess again. Quinn is looking really bad. Must get TD here.

6:10 - That drive stunk. The stuffed run on first down ruined it. Whatever, at least they got points.

6:14 - Nice hit by Crable. My heart just dropped on that long pass. Whew.

6:15 - Manningham is back! All is fine in the world again.

6:16 - Mario gets a first down. Nice agressive playcall. Announcer says "At least it wasn't a touchdown." Homer.

6:25 - Fuck. Should have gotten seven. Henne and Breaston take turns fucking up. Can't complain too much, though, about a 26-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

6:32 - A bunch of penalties, Notre Dame TD. (Stop worrying, stop worrying, stop worrying....)

6:39 - My cable just returned to normal. Michigan blows chance at easy first down.

6:49 - Wawaweewah!!! Hall with the pick. I'm officially calling this one.

6:52 - This game will also be in my collection of "All-Time Great Michigan Victories That I'll Re-Watch Countless Times While Trying to Make Myself Feel Better After Painful Losses."

6:58 - Gambling Update: I've pretty much locked up my four team teaser unless Oregon scores 21 unanswered with three minutes left. Also had Iowa State, Syracuse and LSU. Candy from a baby. Yes, I know, pride goeth before the fall. If Texas Tech stays within less than 4, I'll also hit my 6-team teaser. Wish I had added EMU, Western and BYU to either one. I thought about it, but didn't. I'm such a puss.

7:02 - Weis is just letting Quinn twist in the wind now. Michigan's got the backups in, freshmen Brandon Graham and Adam Patterson are out there.

7:08 - HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Woodley fights off the tackle and rumbles in for the TD! Insult to injury. Quinn is bad, bad, bad. Announcer says Woodley gets 29 m.p.g. Wouldn't his gas mileage be more akin to that of an SUV?

7:10 - I just made up a song. Basically it was "In your face, Notre Dame" over and over while clapping. Then I ad-libbed some other lyrics. Good Times.

7:25 - WTF happened in the OU-Oregon game? I was busy singing, scanning message boards and listening to the post-game on the radio. Then they say Oregon was up one. I guess my 21 unanswered comment earlier wasn't that far off. Apparently there was a questionable onside kick. I'll check out the highlights later.

7:32 - This is going to wrap it up for now. More later, I have to let this sink in right now and collect my thoughts. I would like to say that this is about as proud of a Michigan team as I have ever been.

The Biggest Game Ever in the History of the World

2006-09-16T10:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but the Michigan-Notre Dame game is pretty huge. I can't even begin to explain how pumped up I am for this game. The butterflies started around Wednesday. I have to say that this is probably the most fired up for a game I've been since Ohio State in 2003. This also might be the biggest game for the program since then. Think about what's at stake here. If Michigan loses, it's four out five, the conference road opener streak continues, the "haters" will be in their glory, the trash talk from Notre Dame fans will be unbearable, the media cack-sucking of Notre Dame will reach epic proportions and Notre Dame will be launched on a National Championship run. Michigan absolutely HAS to win this game. The consequences of losing it are nearly unthinkable. However; if Michigan wins, the critics will have to shut the fuck up, as will Notre Dame fans, some monkeys will be removed from some backs and Michigan will shoot up the polls and be primed for a run of their own. Regardless of what happens, it will affect my emotional state for a considerable amount of time.

PLEASE WIN THIS GAME!!! I WANT IT SO FUCKING BAD!!!

Michigan is going to run alot, which is fine. They need to keep Notre Dame's offense off the field. But they also have to be more balanced and take some shots downfield. Playaction has to utilized effectively since Notre Dame is obviously going to be expecting alot of run. While the worry of Michigan being too conservative persists, I have faith that the coaching staff is smart enought to try to attack Notre Dame vertically. They still haven't shown they can stop a good passing attack. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Michigan tried a play action on one of the first few plays, maybe even the first. Pass blocking is still a major concern, especially the Abiamiri-Riley matchup. Then again, Riley amazingly shut down Tamba Hali last year, so maybe he has a propensity for neutralizing defensive ends with African names.

Defensively, Michigan has to pressure Quinn alot or else he's going to nickel-and-dime Michigan all day. And since I'm sure the Michigan coaching staff is scanning the blogosphere for tips, especially from newbs like me, here's one: if Quinn looks like he's going to throw a screen to Samar-whatever, keep an eye on Walker. I noticed Notre Dame likes to fake that screen and give it to Walker on a draw, with success. Michigan can't let Walker gash them, Notre Dame's passing attack is good enough without having to worry about the run. Keep them one-dimensional.

Basically, I have some hope but I'm not going to get my hopes up. One thing that gives me hope is that the underdog typically does well in this series. Also, I think Michigan is going to be really, really motivated for this game and I'm guessing that the coaching staff has working 'round the clock planning for this game. The coaches and players realize what's at stake here and think they're going to give Notre Dame their best shot. I really don't see them coming out flat for this game. I just hope they don't get done in by the typical stuff that seems to happens to Michigan teams in South Bend. I see one of three things happening:

Notre Dame wins by double digits by containing Michigan's ground game and keeping their defense on the field alot and tiring them out.

Notre Dame wins in heartbreaking fashion, aided by some Michigan mistakes, poor officiating, Jesus actually descending from the heavens and guiding Notre Dame's game-winning field goal through the goalposts, etc.

Michigan win the TOP battle and contains Notre Dame enough to win by a touchdown or less.

Also, I'm trying to guess how the hacks at the Free Press are going to incorporate Ron English's name into the headline in Sunday's paper. These are my guesses:

If Notre Dame's offense slices and dices Michigan's offense on the way to victory: "BAD ENGLISH"

If Michigan's defense performs well and leads Michigan victory: "ENGLISH LESSON"

Seperation Anxiety

2006-09-15T19:12:00.000-04:00

The hype machine that is ESPN has dubbed tomorrow "Seperation Saturday." It's actually a pretty good name because there probably will be alot of couples seperating after the guys spend all day glued to TV, but not before the classic "we never do anything together anymore" argument. Seriously though, it is a pretty stacked day. Let's take a look, shall we?

LSU-Auburn will probably be a slugfest, and not very aesthetically pleasing at that. I really have no idea what will happen here. Probably a healthy dose of miscues, missed field goals and a heart-stopping finish. The winner goes to the SEC title game. The loser probably has no chance to win the National Championship. At least there's no pressure.

I think USC is going to beat Nebraska pretty handily, and that's a good thing. Why? because there's waaaaaaaaaay too much confidence coming out of Lincoln, from both fans and players. It sure is amazing what a narrow, poor officiating-marred victory over the worst Michigan team in over 20 years can do for your confidence. Talent-wise, Nebraska is nowhere close to USC. Seriously, how many Nebraska starters would be starting for USC? A couple at the most. At best, Nebraska is only better at one position, D-line, and that's a best-case scenario. USC's d-line is still more talented overall and will have an easier time with Nebraska's O-line than Nebraska's D-line will have with USC's O-line. The oddsmakers apparently feel the same way as I do about Nebraska's chances. I don't know if USC covers, but they win by two TD's at least.

I can't believe Tennessee is an underdog at home at Florida. These teams are pretty evenly-matched and Tennessee has the home-field advantage. I know about the Air Force game, but that was a combination of confusion with Air Force's offense and a letdown coming off the big win over Cal. The Tennessee offense still looked good, and while the defense still has some issues, Florida still hasn't proven anything yet. I'm still not sold on their offense and especially their ability to run the ball against a good team. Tennessee definitely covers, and probably wins outright.

Will Florida St. be able to run the ball? Will Clemson be able to move the ball against FSU's stout D? I don't know, I have no real strong feelings about this game. Why did I even write about it?

Saturday's game might be one the biggest games in Louisville's history. I've felt for a while that this team is on the cusp of making the jump to the elite, like their fellow urban university Miami did in the early 80's. I don't think Louisville is ready to win a National Championship yet, but they're no longer a glorified mid-major. Don't count out Miami, though. So far this season, Louisville hasn't seen a defense anywhere close to being as talented as Miami's. I know Miami's offense struggled against FSU, but Louisville's defense in no FSU. Either team winning wouldn't surprise me here, and gambling-wise, I'm not touching this game.

I question whether Texas Tech-TCU really should be included in the hype with all these games. It's a kind of big game, but not a huge one, and it has no National Championship implications. However, if TCU wins, they have a good chance to once again be the mid-major "it" team, as well as potentially getting a BCS berth which would be huge for the university. I'm kind of surprised Texas Tech is only a one point favorite. I think they'll win, but an upset would not surprise me.

Could a Sparty Help Bring Down USC?

2006-09-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

Much to the chagrin of USC, Yahoo! Sports isn't going away. The report from their recently-completed eight month Reggie Bush investigation has set the college football world on fire. It's a
very detailed and well-done report that includes a timeline, "cast of characters," quotes, etc. I'm not going to get into extreme detail, but basically alot of money and benefits changed hands, somewhere in the neighborhood of 1oo,ooo big ones, and there appears to be a paper trail. Also included are allegations of New Era agents in the USC locker room as well as USC running backs coach Todd McNair having knowledge of Bush's situation and keeping quiet.

As one would expect, the USC Rivals board is seeing a record amount of traffic. USC fans are exibiting the typical homer reactions-"they are just allegations," "nothing will come of this," "that's all in the past," "that's the price you pay for being on top," etc. Some are even busting out the good 'ol "reporters with an axe to grind" and "reporters trying to make a name for themselves" accusations. Speaking of the reporters, one of them, Charles Robinson, is an MSU grad. Good work, Sparty! It's nice to see a Michigan connection in all this, although I would also like to compliment the other reporter, Stanford graduate Jason Cole. Good work.....Cardinal!

After the house scandal broke, I felt that USC would get at most a slap on the wrist. But as cynical as I am, I have to believe that if these allegations have any substance it's going to be very difficult for the NCAA to let them off easy. This could end up being the NCAA's "moment of truth." Will they have the nuts to stick it to college football's marquee program? Or will they just shake their finger at them and go back to revoking scholarships from tiny SWAC schools? This whole thing sounds very Ed Martin-esque in nature. "Loans" to a player and his family, liberal access to athletes, buying hotel rooms for family. I don't have any innate animosity for USC, it just that I've felt for a while now that the USC football is a dirty, renegade program and they need to be brought down a few pegs. The renegade part is already out in open, but thanks to USC's lawyer buddy, not too much has come of the charges. Check out the rap sheet at Bruins Nation. Granted, Bruins Nation may be biased, but facts are facts.

And now, thanks to Yahoo!, the dirty part is also out in the open. I fully expect Pete Carroll to do the old "hear no evil, see no evil" routine. I have a hard time gauging this guy. It's like what I wonder about President Bush - is he just a jolly jackass who really doesn't know what's going on or is he smarter than we all think? We may never know for sure, but what we do know is that the NCAA will eventually hand down a decision, and what they choose to do will go a long way toward determining how much credibility they have. Hopefully they have the backbone to do the right thing.

Destinee is Calling Me

2006-09-15T03:21:00.000-04:00

From SI's "Faces in the Crowd"

Cornbread Chronicles Vol. 1

2006-09-12T20:12:00.000-04:00

Imagine you have a high-school aged kid who is just a total fuck-up. He's always getting D's or E's in all his classes. Finally, he starts getting it together, trying harder, putting in the necessary work, etc. You start thinking "wow, not only might he pass, but he also could pull off A's and B's. He ends up brining home all C's. Should you be happy because the C'a are better than all those D's and E's or should you be pissed because he got your hopes up and didn't get any A's or B's?

That't kind of like the dilemma I was facing after the Lions game. I felt maybe they could keep it close, but I never imagined this. In that sense I have to be pleased with effort. But the fact that they played Seattle so tough and had chances to win, only to blow it, makes the loss even harder to take. Plus, how many times have we seen this? Does anybody have confidence in the Lions in close games and to stop other teams in the two-minute drill? When Seattle got the ball back, I said to my friend "Seattle by three." Easy prediction, but I don't want it to sound like I'm putting the loss on the defense. To quote Jim Mora, "Do NOT blame this one on the defense."Giving up just nine points to the defending NFC Champs should have been enough for the win.

You'll probably be seeing these words alot, but Jeff Backus sucks. He's the Lions' Reuben Riley. On the Lions last drive he had a costly holding penalty on 1st down. The Lions had a good chance to get in position for a go-ahead FG until he effectively crippled them. What an asshole. The rest of the offense struggled but hopefully things will start to click. Martz' offense is complex and very precise, so maybe it will take awhile. The defensive front four was fearsome, and I really like Ernie Sims. He's got the proverbial "good motor" and is always moving and fast to the ball. The secondary is still questionable, so it's imperative that the front seven continue to get pressure.

Roy Williams recently guaranteed a victory over the Bears...kind of. He backed off his original statement a bit and explained it by saying that with the defense playing like it did Sunday and with the offense clicking, the Lions can't be beat. That's not really going out on limb. If any NFL team plays their best on both offense and defense, they're probably going to win. Okay, maybe not the Browns, but that applies for pretty much any NFL team. Williams also said the offense's only defense is itself and took blame for the loss later on Stoney and WoJo.

When I turned on the post-game show on WDFN I kind of expected alot of negativity but instead found the cornbread-eating generally seen after a win over a team like Houston. People were actually more confident, and the teams sounds like they are as well.. By now, some of my anger has passed and I feel a little more hopeful but am still in a "wait and see" mode. Hopefully they continue to play with the intensity they showed on Sunday.

Other stuff:

I won a four-team teaser. I'm back in the black, baby! I had St. Louis, Detroit (not a homer pick) the Giants and Minnesota all teased seven points. It wasn't really close, all the teams covered pretty easily. All covered the actual spread except the Giants, when Vinatieri kicked a late FG which I'm sure was a Great Moment In Gambling History for anyone who took the Colts. Two of the teams, St. Louis and Minnesota, won outright.

I won in both of my fantasy leagues, despite subpar performances. In one league, the Bears D/ST and John Kasay accounted for over 80% of my points. In the other league, McNabb alone accounted for over 60% and Gates won it for me with his late touchdown.

The NBC highlight show is pretty good once you get past Bob Costas' innate pompousness, Chris Collinsworth's accent and Sterling Sharpe's corpse-in-a-casket-like makeup job. Plus, anything's better than Chris Berman. I do feel sorry for Tom Jackson though.

John Madden was in typical form with his unintentionally homoerotic statements. The best of the night came when they had a camera in a deli and a customer was attempting to eat a huge sandwhich. This isn't an exact quote, but he said something along the lines of "He's wondering how'm I gonna get my mouth around this" which caused everybody in the room to erupt into laughter.

Sean Taylor is a lunatic, and a dumb one at that.

The Raiders are worse than I thought. They'll be lucky to win four games. And Jerry Porter appears to be pulling the T.O. in Philly routine. Except that he's not T.O. Owens is an asshole with great talent, Porter is just an asshole.

Futbol Americano de Universidad Weekend in Review

2006-09-10T19:32:00.000-04:00

C'mon Florida St., are you serious? Troy had them on the ropes at home in the 4th. Florida State really deserved to lose that game. What a shame for Troy. My previous comments about FSU's offensive ineptitude still stand. This offense continues to go nowhere fast. At least Weatherford threw for over 300 and engineered a comeback. But 45 rushing yards? Against Troy? Wow.

Like most others, my enthusiam for Tennessee was tempered a bit. The offense wasn't the problem and Ainge and Meachem continue to impress, while Hardesty filled in well at HB. But the defense was confounded by Air Force and let them put together multiple long scoring drives. I'm not off the bandwagon yet, I still think they beat Florida. The defense could have more problems this year but the offense should continue to roll. If Tennessee does as well as I predicted, Ainge has to be a Heisman sleeper.

Why, Fisher DeBerry, Why? He said "we didn't come here to tie." Some consider such a decision to be admirable, but overtime is there for a reason. Use it. Besides, even if Air Force would have got the conversion, Tennessee still could have drove down and won it with a FG. Just get the tie, try to hold on in regulation and then maybe you get lucky or make a big play in OT. Wacky things happen in overtime, anyone can win. Even an overmatched team on the road. To rally back late as a big underdog and then put all your chips in the middle on a 2pt. conversion is wrong. Perhaps DeBerry didn't feel his team had enough "Afro-American" players to hang with Tennessee any longer.

LSU and Auburn continue to embarass challengers. Big game Saturday. Most likey a somewhat-ugly low scoring affair.

Oregon and Fresno played another crazy game and once again Fresno came up short. Oregon won it with a ballsy fake-field goal late in the 4th quarter. An equally big play came earlier in the game when Freson blocked a field goal and Leon Lett, Jr. attempted to scoop it up. The ball ended up back in Oregon's hands at the five-yard line for an easy TD. Oops.

I still contend Michigan St. is going to get smoked by Notre Dame.

Just minutes before kickoff, ESPN announced that Drew Tate would not be starting against Syracuse. I rushed to try to get a bet on Syracuse at the +17 line, but alas, didn't make it in time. The two teams proceeded to play what was described as a pretty ugly game capped off by an eight play goal line stand by Iowa in OT. Jason Manson was horrid and illustrated just how much Tate means to this team.

Illinois was embarrased at Rutgers, trailing 30-0 at halftime. This is team is very, very bad and reminiscent of those pre-revival Northwestern teams that got killed by everybody. They meet Syracuse next week in what could be one of the worst inter-BCS conference matchups in quite a while.

Out of respect for their circumstances, I'm not going to pile on Northwestern. Congrats to New Hampshire.

In summary, it was mostly a pretty lame week of college football but next Saturday is setting up to be quite a day. Maybe one of the best Saturdays in recent memory.

Okay, Okay, I Admit It. Ohio State's Good.

2006-09-10T12:04:00.000-04:00

At least I made some money. My earlier prediction, while simple, was pretty much on the money. Except that Troy Smith didn't need any Vince Young-like late game heroics. But he played well, made no mistakes and bolstered his Heisman chances. As much as it hurt to admit, I knew the minute VY declared for the draft that OSU would win this game. In fact, if they played 10 times, OSU would probably win 8. They're simply the better team.

OSU moved the ball well early, but didn't get any points to show for it. The Billy Pittman fumble at the 2 yard line was obviously the biggest play of the game. A huge turnaround. How many times have we seen the Tressell-led Bucks make plays like that in big games? The Ginn TD before halftime was a backbreaker. I said to my friend at halftime "I think Ohio State is going to run away with this in the second half." OSU did give up alot on the ground, but the secondary played above expectations and McCoy deliverd the performance one would expect out of a freshman making his second start. The D continued to be "bend but don't break" and prevented big plays and made stops when they had to. Texas got picked on their first drive of the second half, and then pretty much went out with a wimper. Here's some other thoughts:

Texas seemed to be using the Jim Herrman style of defending Ohio State.

To all the people who said that last year's NC vindicated Mack Brown? It didn't. Texas rode on the back of a QB for the ages. Vince Young bailed this team out multiple times on the strength of his sheer greatness. In fact, the best coaching job Mack Brown did was simplifying the play book for Young and letting him do his thing. Now that there are only mere mortals on this team, Mack actually has to coach and that's not a good thing.

Jim Tressell is truly a great coach. 8-2 against top-10 teams? That's ridiculous.

While Ginn deserves the credit he is being given, Anthony Gonzalez is the best and most important WR on the team. He's very technically sound, always open, has great hands and great speed. He also appears to be one of those great "character guys" that every team needs.

Alex Boone was absolutely manhandled. If he wasn't holding, he was getting beat, or both. He had multiple penalties called against him.

For the first time under Tressell, the kicking game appears to be shaky. Not bad, but shaky. If OSU does lose this year, the kicking game will have something to do with it. Mark it down. A.J. Trapasso, however, is a phenomenal punter.

As far as the extracirriculars, there were some amusing things. One of the best parts about College Gameday is the signs in the background. There was one that said something along the lines of "Bo Jackson once ate 37 crabcakes before his first game." Where do people come up with this shit? There was also a Washington State flag (WTF?) and a buckstachioed Ohio State fan holding up a "Beat Michigan" sign.

As far as during the game, Matthew McConaghey (sp?) appeared on the sidelines totally poo-pooed (once again) while Mack Brown apparently developed a herpes sore at halftime. But the absolute highlight was a sign that said "Lee Corso Has a Baby Arm" being held up behind Corso while he talked. It had to be in plain view for at least a full minute. Priceless, and once again I ask "where do people come up with this shit." I am going to try to find the picture to post. *Edit- here it is, thanks to Deadspin

Michigan vs. Central Michigan

2006-09-09T19:28:00.000-04:00

Thoughts:

Much like Penn St., CMU had chances early and blew it, leading to a snowball effect. First, they let Michigan convert when Lloyd Carr surprisingly went for it on 4th and 7 from around the 30, which I'm sure excited Brian from MGoBlog. The most devastating sequence of events was LeFevour's pre-weather delay fumble and UM's post-weather delay TD after CMU was called for offsides after stuffing UM on 4th down.

Reuben Riley still sucks. I mean really, really bad.

The running game continues to look good, although there are still too many runs getting stuffed due to run-stubbornness .

The passing game continues to fail to impress. And I'm not sure the old "they're not opening up the whole playbook yet" excuse explains it all. Hopefully, they plan on opening the "effective pass blocking" part of the playbook.

The secondary got burned a couple times, especially on the long TD. This can't happen next week, but it probably will.

It was nice to see Max Pollock get a TD even though it probably wasn't a TD. It will be the highlight of his career and something he'll be able to tell his grandchildren about some day.

Dan Bauzin= real deal. An absolute beast. He's Central's Jason Babin, maybe better. Hopefully he doesn't get drafted by someone in the NFC North.

It probably sounds like I'm being very negative about UM's play so far, but it's not that simple. I can't really complain about a 41-17 victory, especially since CMU's last TD came in garbage time, which I'm sure provided a Great Moment in Gambling History for those who took CMU. On the bright side, UM's defense has been mostly stout, the D-Line is sick, they've forced alot of turnovers while being almost mistake-free, and I think they've scored every time in the red zone. It's just that I see some red flags that are very worrisome with Notre Dame on tap. This team is probably going to have to play it's best game since OSU in 2003 to win this game. Hopefully they have some tricks up their sleeve and don't fall apart in South Bend like so many Michigan squads have before.

'WE ARE"...."GETTING EMBARRASSED"

2006-09-09T18:42:00.000-04:00

I post more later about the longest non-OT game in Michigan history, as well as other goins' on. But I want to quickly touch on the slaughter in South Bend and the upcoming showdown.

As I write this, Penn St. is currently in the process of trying to screw me on my under 47 bet. I felt pretty safe at halftime at 20-0. Then PSU decided to run a Michael Robinson option with Anthony Morelli (SHIT! 4th down TD, just barely. Notre Dame almost stopped them). Anyhow, that led to a Zibikowski TD, then the fake punt. It also doesn't help when your defense is on the field for 2/3 of the game. PSU actually should have been in it in the first half. But a bad snap on a FG, 2 dropped picks in the end zone, a fumble, failing to recover Zibikowski's fumble, a questionable clipping call, etc. It was kind of like the momentum meter in NCAA 2007. Notre Dame's maxed out and they moved the ball at will, while Penn State couldn't do anything. All that was missing was one of those slow motion bone-crunching hits. Morelli, whose "AWR" rating probably went -10, was pretty bad. There was talk preseason that he might not be too smart and had problems reading coverage. He did nothing to quiet that talk. His pitch attempt and bomb into double coverage were the lowlights.

Penn State was totally out-everythinged in this game. They couldn't run, they couldn't really pass, the playcalling stunk and JoePa seemed to be out of it. The things I thought would be problems for PSU this year-new QB, mostly new OL, losing Hali, a completely new secondary-were problems this year.

I don't really care for either of the teams, but I guess it's good to see ND win big on the off-chance that Michigan can actually put it together in South Bend for the first time since '94. A UM win next week would skyrocket them up the polls. If they lose, it can't possibly be this bad. Plus, it's nice seeing cocky Penn State fans humbled after last year's abberation. It's back the 'ol Penn State we know and love. The Penn St. Rivals board in meltdown right now. They're especially incensed over the fake punt call. If it had happened later or with a larger margin, I could understand the "FAT CHARLIE IS A BIG FAT CLASSLESS FAT PIG WHO IS FAT" posts, but I don't have a problem with what Weis did there. When you have a chance to finish your opponents, or "break their fucking back" as the Iron Sheik would say, there's nothing wrong with doing it. I wouldn't hurt Lloyd Carr to have that kind of killer instinct. Basically, that fake punt was the football equivalent of a Mortal Kombat fatality. The deep voice said "finish them" and Weis punched a bunch of buttons and the screen said "Fatality...Fake Punt."

(Penn State just called timeout with :25 left to tack on another garbage-time TD...fails on a another onside kick...Weis gets interviewed and strokes Michigan's ego). I can't wait for next week. I also want to mention the stupidity of the announcers talking about how the Notre Dame defense took all the criticism personally. Well, no shit. Of course they took it personally, it was directed at them personally. It wasn't like the pundits were saying "there's this team in Indiana whose defense isn't very good." They were specifically criticizing Notre Dame.

As far as tonight's game, I like Ohio State. Their D still concerns me, but I like them for a few reasons:

Whenever you have a team with a good, experienced, senior QB against a team with a young, inexperiened QB go with the former team. Refer to the above game.

I kind of have a feeling this game will be like last year's, but in reverse, with Troy Smith in the Vince Young role. I just have a feeling he'll pull it out somehow.

My dad has an uncanny ability to correctly pick Ohio State games. The other day he said "Texas might be in trouble." Ohio State wins.

Pittsburgh Protects Their House

2006-09-08T03:32:00.000-04:00

In the NFL opener, the Steelers beat the highly overrated Dolphins, 28-17. It shouldn't even have been that close. Miami got one TD after a long Wes Welker punt return and another after a DB fell down and allowed Marty Booker to get a long gain followed by Ike Taylor dropping an int in the end zone. Pittsburgh was led by old buddy Charlie Batch, who probably had one of the shakiest 3-touchdown games you'll ever see, the final one coming to Heath Miller when the Steelers caught Miami with their pants down.

At that point, the highly overrated Daunte Culpepper completely imploded. When are people going to finally realize that he just isn't that good of a quarterback? Alot of fantasy players were high on him this year, and I just didn't see it. He's not so great without Randy Moss plucking his bombs out of the air. Since the beginning of last year, he has a 6-14 TD to Int ratio. He had several terrible passes in this game culminating in picks by Polamalu and Joey Porter for a TD. Did you notice how Culpepper half-heartedly tried to chase Porter down? He doesn't want any piece of him because he knows Porter could kill him with his bare hands if he wanted to. Shortly after, in one of the best moments of the night, Porter mocked Culpepper's stupid touchdown celebration. Awesome.

But the ultimate highlight of the night had to be Charlie Batch's mom's hair, which elicited an "Oh no she didn't" from my friend Chris. I consider myself to have a pretty good-sized vocabulary, but I don't really have words to describe it. I was hoping Madden might break out the telestrator to try to analyze it. "Now here on top, it's blonde, then you go down and it's black, and then it goes from short on top to long in the back, I think they call that a mullett, Al. BOOM!." If I can find a picture, I'll post it.

FSU-Miami

2006-09-05T11:38:00.000-04:00

Florida State and Miami played a rain-soaked, tight, low-scoring, down to wire defensive battle. Whouda thunk it? I should have take the under on this one. It was 39 and I don't think anyone would have blinked if it was 29. I like a good defensive battle as much as anyone, but plain-old offensive ineptitude was a big factor in this game. If FSU thinks they're going to win the national championship by throwing fades to Greg Carr and screens to Antone Smith, they're going to very disappointed. And Miami? I don't know what their problem is. Their offense has underachieved ever since Dorsey, McGahee and Co. left town, despite pulling in top recriuts year after year. The stats from the game are mind-boggling:

FSU won despite have one rushing yard. That's practically unheard of.

Miami had 2 rushing yards.

Miami had exactly ZERO first downs in the entire second half. Amazing.

The two teams combined for 310 total yards. Texas and USC probably had almost that many in the 4th quarter of the Rose Bowl.

Despite the ugliness, it was still a good watch thanks to the intense and hard-hitting nature of the game. I was waiting for the inevitable Florida State blowup, but then I rememberd Chris Rix is no longer under center.

Let's see, what else happened...Jenn Sterger was there, as was Edgerrin James, who apparently has quite a fondness for prop-betting. ESPN2's multi-angle coverage was probably enjoyed by those high on amphetamines. Holly Rowe looked like a wet dog. And I just can't get enough of announcers calling out DeCody Fagg's name. I know it's immature and probably not very P.C., but it just never gets old.

College Football Weekend In Review

2006-09-04T15:35:00.000-04:00

I'm really lazy, which is why this is being posted late. Here's my roundup of the weekend's hot, steamy college action:

Dennis Erickson apparently stayed sober long enough to put a scare into the Sparties. I have to admit I didn't feel as bad about Michigan strug-gle-ing against Vanderbilt when I saw that MSU was only up 7 points in the 3rd quarter against a team that traditionally resides in the realms of the three digits. I didn't see the game but apparently Idaho ran the ball well, Stanton ran around a few times and State fans popped a collective boner over Otis Wiley. I still contend this team is going to smoked by Notre Dame.

Speaking of Notre Dame, they eeked out a victory over a marginal team from a school for southern geeks. If you buy into the Domer spin, this was a gritty, character building victory over a tough team in a hostile environment. In reality it was a win over a 7-5 team that will be lucky to win more than 8 games this year in a stadium filled with Notre Dame fans. Tech has a good defense and a great coordinator in John (don't call me Judy) Tenuta, but if the Irish had played a team with any semblance of a great offense they would have been toast. Tech has an out-of-this-world WR, a bit better than average QB who is barely tall enough to ride rollercoasters, and not much else. I suddenly like Penn State's chances a bit more, but I still think Notre Dame will pull it out.

Buckeye fans will call tOSU's victory over NIU an unqualified success. The offense was as good as advertised. Troy Smith was Troy Smith and Ted Ginn looks like he might be making the jump from novelty to full-fledged WR. Chris Wells looked good but did prove to be mortal with a fumble near the goal line. The defense should cause some concern. Garrett Wolfe eviscerated OSU to the tune of almost 300 combined yards. Granted, he's a great back with a very good line in front of him, but OSU should never give up that many yard to a back. The OSU party line seems to be that this defense is going to be of the "bend but don't break" variety, but against good teams they may very well break. Whatever, we'll see what happens.

The Mitch Mustain era has begun at Arkansas. Boy, who saw this coming? He's cleary better than Johnson and Dick, plus his last name isn't phallic. Whoever the sideline reporter was said that the reception Mustain got on the sidelines from those two was pretty icy. I see transfer papers in the near future.

USC? They're not going anywhere. It's laughable that there are people who think (or thought) that they may not win the Pac-10 this year. They struggled in the first half, but the 2nd half was the classic case of the team with better talent and depth pulling away, and boy did they ever pull away. A slew of running backs got carries and looked good. Three VHT frosh got TD's as well as converted LB Ryan Powdrell. Booty was accurate and this team is loaded at WR. I still believe that the defense is going to be vastly improved. Everybody wrote them off after last year but forgot that they were young and banged-up. There's still a ton of talent here. This defense can stack up VHT-wise with pretty much anybody in the country. What a gross team.

Cal-Tennessee didnt't really surprise me. Cal is overrated and Tennessee is underrated. Perhaps I should have said that before the season to give it more validity, but I swear that's what I believed prior to the season. Brandon Lang had Cal as his free pick. I called BS on that one. I should have bet on Tennessee. They are a big sleeper IMO. I don't think they have enough to win it all, but I think for sure they win the East and have a good chance to win the conference. I should have placed some futures bets on them.*

West Virginia easily beat Marshall. I guess spying on Marshall's practices paid off. Or maybe it's because West Virginia is a vastly superior team.

Michael Bush was in the process of schooling Kentucky when he broke his leg. How unfortunate, I really feel bad for him. Some are questioning why Petrino still had him in the game at that point, but it hasn't yet reached Mike Shula/Tyrone Prothro proportions.

Colorado lost to Montana State. At home. How absolutely fucking embarrasing.

Oklahoma narrowly avoided getting upset at home by a mid-major for the second year in a row. This team just isn't very good. Thankfully for them they have Adrian Peterson or else they'd be in for a loooooong season.

That's all, I'll post on Miami-FSU later. If you're a fan of things like "offense" and "touchdowns" you probably should skip this game.

*You will probably often see me discuss bets that I should have made. That's because I am gutless and didn't have the balls to make them in the first place. Plus, hindsight bias is fun!

Hey, It's a Win

2006-09-02T20:41:00.000-04:00

Time flies so fast these days that the start of College Football really came up fast on me. I didn't feel ready. I haven't finished Phil Steele's preview (tall order) nor have I finished my OCD-like roster management for NCAA 2007. But it finally hit me when I was sitting at the Big House and the excitement washed over me. Being at the game, then sitting on my ass and watching college football all day. God I love the fall. The game? Here's some thoughts:
The D was what I hoped it would be. Agressive, leaner, faster and quicker to the ball. Save for one play where Vandy took advantage of the new-found aggresiveness, they were completely dominating.

Woodley was an absolute beast. If he stays healthy, he should end up being one of the all-time great UM D-lineman. If that sounds hyberbolic, consider UM's history at that position. Not alot of greats.

Crable was pretty much unblockable, especially lined up at DT. Not that he was fat, but he looked leaner. Burgess was smaller and faster, a big improvement over the lumbering monster we had gotten used to. Rondell Biggs was a pleasant surprise. I've never been a huge fan of him and always saw his presence as holding back more talented players, but he made a noticeable impact. Also, Jamison sat out and there was a Eugene Germany sighting. No complaints about the secondary excepted for the afformentioned trick play.

The offense? Not so impressed. They were rolling right along until drops by Massey and Breaston resulted in a blocked FG. The O went into an extended lull after that. More drops, poor pass protection, Henne's accuracy issues, penalties, etc. I'm not going to panic about it yet, but the pass protection is a concern. If Vandy gave them trouble, just imagine a team that isn't starting Engineering majors on defense.

The run game looked good, and I like the new zone-blocking schemes. The slimmer, faster theme continues with Grady who looked good except for the fumble. I can see why the coaches were raving about Brandon Minor. He showed a great burst on his 24-yard run. It does indeed look like Carlos Brown will be playing the Antonio Bass role of "athletic guy who lines up at quarterback in the shotgun who is no threat to pass and then runs for a decent, but not great, gain." I do question the the decision to run Mike Hart 31 times in the season opener. They don't want to put mileage on this guy so early in the season.

The special teams were worrisome. Rivas did have a career long 49-yarder but also had a kick blocked that barely got off the ground. The punting game saw the much-anticipated debut of Zoltan Mesko. Ross Ryan's kickoffs don't seem to be as deep as last year. The punt return blocking is horrible. I fear that Breaston will at some point be absolutely destroyed by a gunner, especially considering his disdain for fair-catching.

Like I said, I'm not going to panic yet. People at home who saw the score on the ticker probably thought "Wow, Vanderbilt might upset Michigan." In reality, Michigan was completely in control, even then it was 13-7. Unlike last year, I didn't feel that impending sense of doom when Michigan had a 2nd half lead. After Vandy scored their TD, it became apparent that they weren't going to sniff the goal line again, and they didn't. Hopefully, Michigan will iron out the kinks. Anything less than a three to four TD win over CMU will be a disappointment. And then of course, comes 9/16.

So that was it, the first post. I finally got around to having one of these things. Maybe someday I'll actually have some readers, but until then I'm basically doing the written version of talking to the wall.