October 17, 2006
So, It Was a Good Weekend?
Yes, it was a good weekend.
Friday
With nothing going on at home, no Tigers tickets, and no Michigan football home game, I headed north on US-131 to Gaylord, MI to meet up with my parents and my brother and to enjoy the peak of fall color. It had snowed in Grand Rapids for the first time this year early on Thursday morning, but it had all melted off. Not so in the northern lower peninsula. The light rain in Grand Rapids became light snow by Big Rapids, and it was starting to stick to the grass. It lightened up between Cadillac and Houghton Lake, but I got walloped between Grayling and Gaylord with the first real snowstorm of the season. Between that and trying to tease out the Tiger game on a weak Saginaw AM station, I almost didn't make it. I met up with everyone in town for dinner and the last three innings. Everyone in the restaurant was glued to it. Kenny Rogers is a bad, bad man this postseason.
Saturday
The snow kept coming overnight, leaving us with a dense three inches on the deck in the morning. So late-season golf wasn't really a possibility anymore.
Fall color: Apparently, this year it's white.
I hate having time on my hands like that. Up in the middle of the woods, no Tigers till 4:30, no Michigan till 8:00, snow all around (but not enough to ski on). Sometimes you have to make your own fun. Sometimes the form that fun takes is a seven-foot-tall snowman. Other times, it's watching the sun weaken that snowman's base until it falls over. It's usually not watching Wisconsin blow Minnesota out of Camp Randall. I don't know how I feel about Iowa losing to Indiana, but Vanderbilt beating Georgia is a sight to see.
Finally, at 4:30, game on. Tight game, quality pitching on both sides, but they got to Bonderman before he could settle into the game and Gary Walter Jay Payton just took one pitch perfectly. Everyone else could only take so much of it and went out for a walk, which is when our luck turned. A two-run inning in the fifth, followed by a Magglio Ordoņez solo shot in the sixth, and the Tigers were back in it. Both teams had chances down the stretch with the bases loaded. I freaked out when Jason Grilli walked the bases loaded with two outs in the eighth on a dozen straight pitches. The guy clearly had nothing and Leyland let him stay out there for one batter too long, but Wilfredo Ledezma got Scutaro to foul out on a pop fly to the catcher, then took down the A's in the ninth. Good hitting by Craig Monroe and Placido Polanco to keep things going in the bottom of the ninth on consectutive two-out singles. Then Ordoņez stepped to the plate. Two outs, bottom of the ninth, the American League pennant on the line. And he destroyed that pitch. There was no question, even in the vast expanse of Comerica Park. The Tigers were headed to the World Series.
We jumped around, high-fives and hugs for everyone. I tried to call my sister, but the long-distance network must have been absolutely lit up, because I got the "All circuits are busy at this time..." message each time I tried her number. Finally, she managed to get through to us and we just screamed at each other, "WE'RE GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!"
It was so sweet. We've all been to at least a couple games a year since 2001. Since elementary school, I more often than not managed at least one game each season. I remember senior year; Chris, Lisa, and I would head down to Tiger Stadium, buy cheap upper-deck seats and a bag of peanuts, and just sit and watch the game. '84 is just a vague impression, but I remember the '87 Tigers-Blue Jays clearly. And the 1993 team was the last bunch to finish with at least a winning record. It's been such a long time.
The night wasn't even started, really. Just ten minutes until the Michigan game was to begin. This team is making me believe in it. On the road, in a night game, in front of a withering crowd, and without our top wide receiver, we demolished Penn State in a way that doesn't quite show up on the scoreboard. Without a weak pass interference call (That ball was uncatchable) and a broken play (Johnny Sears and Shakir Edwards ran into each other in their pursuit of Tony Hunt), Penn State doesn't score. If Mike Massey makes that touchdown catch, it's still a rout. The defensive line obliterated the Nittany Lions, tallying seven sacks on the day. PSU rushing? -14 yards. -14! They went backward 42 feet when they tried to run the football. Next week is Iowa. Holy crap, this is a big football game.
Sunday
I got up at 9:00 AM to watch Michigan Replay on Fox Sports. Then I watched it again at 11:00 on the local station just because it was so good the first time around. I hung around lazily until the early afternoon, then drove home with a detour through East Lansing to have an early dinner with my sister. I listened to the radio on the way down and somehow the Lions managed not to blow it against the Buffalo Bills and came out of it with their first win of the season. Must've been Jim Leyland sitting in the stands.
October 1, 2006
Beat State
The two most gut-wrenching Michigan losses I've ever seen were both to Michigan State, and the scars from those games run deep. In 2001, my junior year, we went on the road to East Lansing to play the Spartans. I made the marching block for that game, the first time I'd done that for both pregame and a road game.
I was worried about the game. Our secondary wasn't terrific and Charles Rogers was making a lot defensive backs look stupid. Jeff Smoker was a mobile quarterback, and those always gave us fits. TJ Duckett was running over people like they weren't even there. But they were still Michigan State and they'd already lost two Big Ten games. Michigan had lost a ridiculous game to Washington, the offensive line had been almost entirely lost to graduation (including two guys who are still in the NFL), Anthony Thomas and David Terrell had gone pro, and Drew Henson had decided to take George Steinbrenner's filthy lucre and go play minor league ball in Columbus. However, it was still a Michigan team with a Michigan defense and Hayden Epstein is still the best kicker we've had in recent memory. We were ranked #6 and MSU wasn't in the top 25.
MSU looked to be able to move the ball at will on their first drive, but against all odds Michigan found itself up 24-20 as time was winding down. Current NFL kicker Dave Rayner had missed two field goals, Epstein had hit a school-record 57-yarder, and Navarre had thrown three TD passes. However, forced to kick from our 7, Epstein only netted a 37-yard punt, giving the Spartans a short field to work with. The following drive was a masterpiece of incompetence from both our secondary and the officials.
The defense had already set a school record with 10 sacks, added another one on the next series of downs, and forced incompletions on Smoker's other passes. However, on a play that would've given us the ball back, Jeremy Lesueur was called for a blindingly obvious illegal hands to the face penalty that gave the Spartans 15 yards and an automatic first down. On another third-down stop, Michigan was called for having an extra player on the field. Lesueur helped atone somewhat for his earlier error by batting away a pass in the endzone. Michigan State finally got a first down by completing a pass down to the 8 with mere seconds to go and was able to spike the ball with 17 seconds left. Jeff Smoker then tried to run the ball in for the score, but was tackled on the 1 with no time-outs left.
In the band, we counted down – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0! But it wasn't zero. The officials had run the ball to the line, spotted it, Michigan State had (apparently) found a non-illegal formation, and Jeff Smoker had spiked the ball to stop the clock with a little premature help from a gentleman known to history as Spartan Bob.
Until 2002, official time was kept by a representative of the home team, and Spartan Bob was an MSU appointee. The NCAA's official position is that time is only shown to the nearest full second, so there could have been 0.01 seconds really remaining on that clock, so unless there's a way to shake another full second loose from that series, it's impossible to say that the time was improperly kept. However, the next year the rules were changed so that it's a Big Ten official who now keeps the game time.
On the last play of the game, Jeff Smoker found TJ Duckett in the endzone and that was it. Instant replay would show that Shantee Orr was being subjected to the most egregious, obvious uncalled hold I have ever seen in my life, but there was no going back. Pandemonium erupted in Spartan Stadium. MSU safety Robert Flagg came back down the field and started spitting at band members, in a classy gesture. We were supposed to play a postgame show with the MSU band, but people were worried for our safety inside the stadium and we marched out with a security escort. It was a long bus ride back to Ann Arbor.
In 2002 we beat MSU 49-3 in Michigan Stadium.
In 1990, I was in fourth grade and Michigan was the #1 team in the land, despite a road loss to Notre Dame to start the season. But Michigan State came to town with the sort of rare flash of unpossible competence they muster about once a season, they were up 28-21 as the clock ground down. But Elvis Grbac took the team down and got touchdown. I was watching the game with another Michigan fan friend of mine and a Spartan who was his friend, and the two of us were elated, and even if we were only 9, we knew the difference between kicking an extra point and going for two. Kicking would mean accepting the tie and losing that #1 ranking. But we wouldn't lose to MSU. Gary Moeller decided to go for two. Elvis threw a near-perfect pass to Desmond Howard. MSU defensive back Eddie Brown tripped him. The refs did nothing.
That loss haunted me for years. Sometimes, in my nightmares, I keep waiting for the ref to throw that flag, but it never comes. It was the first year where everyone at school really cared about Michigan–MSU and we lost. Spartans are not gracious in victory. You hear about their wins, especially stolen victories, years down the line as Great Moments In MSU History. State fans' record books would read like this: "2001 – The Spartans mount a heroic game-ending drive, overpowering Michigan on a literal last-second touchdown for the win. 2002-present – Nothing of note occurs." This is why you don't ever, ever want to lose to them.
In 1991, we beat MSU 45-28 in Spartan Stadium.
We better beat State this year. I'm afraid of them rising up out of the ashes of their hideous performance against Illinois this week and coming together for the game that's always the biggest on their calendar. They're certainly a better team than their last 6 quarters of football would indicate. Our defense just needs to keep playing the way it has all year, and if Chad Henne can keep it together like he did against Minnesota, I'll be happy. And I really don't want to give my sister anything to rub in my face.
September 20, 2006
How To Do The Wave At Michigan Stadium
So you've come to Michigan Stadium to watch a game and you want to do The Wave, do you? You've seen this craze hit other sporting venues and you want to be a part of it? Well, this guide will prepare you for how The Wave is performed by the largest crowd watching a football game anywhere in America.
Required Conditions
The Wave may only be initiated by licensed professionals from the student section using the following criteria:
Execution
The total Wave sequence lasts six circuits around the Big House, as follows:
September 19, 2006
This Week In Reaction Shots
Last week, my parents let me know that they and my brother had decided to go up north for the weekend to Glen Arbor and asked if I wanted to go to. After giving it careful consideration for all of...3 seconds, I decided to go. So there I was, watching Michigan take Notre Dame to pieces as the sun headed for the horizon over Lake Michigan.
On Monday, I went to MGoBlue.com to have a look at the photo galleries. I think some of the shots showing the crowd are as compelling as what's going on in the foreground.
Our twirlers and piccolos know what o'clock it is.
| September 18 | Cincinnati was beating Ohio State 7-3 at one point in their game. |
| September 17 | Morgan Trent is something like our 3rd best defensive back, and he once beat Ted Ginn in a foot race. |
| September 16 | Watched Michigan demolish Notre Dame. |
| September 15 | Attempted to prove that "Troy Smith" is actually a robot, and thus is ineligible under current NCAA guidelines. Evidence deemed insufficient. |
September 14, 2006
Most of them wait until after enrolling to get arrested
From the Washington Post via Deadspin. Pat Lazear is facing felony charges as an adult. Prosecutors claim the then-junior drove the getaway car and provided the gun used in the robbery of a Bethesda, MD Smoothie King along with four of his classmates. Ohio State wants him for their football team.
[On March 30] Lazear met three friends – Justin Schweiger, Tommy Ashley and Robert Warren – with plans to rob the Smoothie King in downtown Bethesda where classmate Alex Krouskas worked.
According to charging documents, Lazear provided a gun – his attorney claims it was a replica not capable of firing – and dropped Warren off at the smoothie shop. Warren allegedly showed the gun and left the store with $463. According to testimony and police statements, the Whitman classmates then switched into a different car, divided the money and met Krouskas at a pizzeria later that night.
At the time of the incident, Lazear was a student at Whitman High, "an academically acclaimed school that draws its students from upscale neighborhoods in Bethesda." The principal there asked him to complete his junior year at home and recommended expulsion, but the board ruled that he would be allowed to transfer to another school in the district and he's still allowed to play football. He's 6'2", 225 lbs, runs a 4.6 40-yard dash, and instantly made his new school, Wheaton High, a contender for a playoff spot. He had 124 tackles last year as a linebacker, 1,068 yds as a running back, and is also the punter.
To me, this raises a lot of questions about who gets to play, both in high shool and in college, who gets a second chance, and who we want to represent our schools.
I don't have a huge problem with him being allowed to play in high school. For one thing, he hasn't been convicted of this crime. He's been charged, and it looks like he's going to be convicted unless something strange happens or he pleads out to some lesser charge, but that process could drag on months after the school year is over. So let him play, but go ahead and monitor him.
That said, I don't ever want to see him or anyone else like him wearing a Michigan jersey and I think it's embarrassing for Ohio State that they're still after this kid. NC State has stopped pursuing him. Notre Dame sent a coach to say he wouldn't be hearing from them again.
The robbery netted the five alleged participants $463, so they each ended up with $92.60, if they really divided it equally. I don't think Lazear desperately needed that cash. Seriously, it was a smoothie shop in Bethesda. Not exactly "hustlin' on the mean streets" territory. And it's not the first time he's been charged with a crime, and it wouldn't be the first time he's been convicted. In 2004, he used a stolen credit card to buy $130 sneakers. These incidents are enough of a pattern to make me think he has serious character and intelligence issues, and he's also supplying quotes that make me think he has a flawed sense of what he's entitled to.
In May, the court issued a curfew that forced Lazear to be home by 7 p.m. [The judge] extended that curfew to accommodate practice and games. "The curfew sucks," Lazear said. "I was going to have this great summer -- go on fishing trips, get a job, go to the beach. I couldn't do any of it."
This quote from the Post article could very easily be wildly out of context. The question could have been "How do you feel about the curfew? Did it mess up your plans for the summer?" But it still comes across as displaying little if any self-awareness. He's facing felony charges that carry a possible 20-year prison sentence and he's unhappy with his curfew? He just sounds like a guy ready to flame out of a program at any time.
Ohio State isn't the only big-name school still targeting him. He says he still receives regular text messages from coaches from both there and Alabama, among others. OSU seems to have the edge, though, as Columbus is the only official recruiting visit on his calendar thus far. "'I might take some of my [other] official trips,' Lazear said, 'like just as vacations.'" Yeah, he's Buckeye material.
September 12, 2006
The Sky Would Open Up
It turns out that I'm glad I forgot my camera for Saturday's game. As buckets of rain poured down, play was suspended for an hour due to lightning in the area. Good times. Even though the numbers don't really bear it out, Chad Henne looked better on Saturday than he had the previous week. The defense didn't look quite as ferocious, but Central's offensive line returned four starters from a good unit and they'd just bombed Boston College all night long on the previous week, so they acquitted themselves well. I'm still frightened by the prospect of going into South Bend this weekend, and it would be a huge upset to come out of there with a win, but stranger things have happened.
One more note: The attendance at Saturday's game was reported to be a little under 109,000, the first time Michigan hasn't cracked that mark since Western Michigan came to town in 2002. This may in part be due to the fact that one of the gate attendants was having some trouble using his newfangled scanner. He just told me, "I see you've got a ticket, go on in." If they're actually using the scanned totals, most of the people going by him didn't get counted.
| September 12: | Even more hilarity from the Texas-tOSU game. Last year, George was an Ohio State cheerleader. This year, he rammed his car into the temporary police command post set up at High St to control crowd violence, injuring a fire chief, the vice president of student affairs, and her husband. A few points that could be lost here:
|
| September 11: | Off. |
| September 10: | Sometimes the Buckeyes just make it so easy for me. Seriously. Some reports say up to fifty (50!) fires were set in Columbus after they beat Texas on Saturday night. And you don't have to take my word for it. The Columbus Dispatch has the story as well. |
| September 9: | From the Washington Post via Deadspin. Pat Lazear is facing felony charges as an adult. Prosecutors claim he drove the getaway car and provided the gun (which Lazear's own attorneys admit, but claim it was only a replica) used in the robbery of a Bethesda, MD Smoothie King. Ohio State wants him for their football team. |
| September 8: | Wished fervently for Troy Smith to spontaneously combust. |
| September 7: | Mocked Santonio Holmes as he got drilled on the 5-yard-line, having forgotten that you should really let those ones go for a touchback. |
September 6, 2006
Saturday Looks Good To Me
Saturday morning, we got on the road at 7:40 AM, so we were running a bit late for the first game of the season. My dad, my brother, and I were in the minivan. My mom and my sister would follow as soon as my sister got in to see the doctor. At 7:55, as we drove by the big incinerator in downtown Detroit, my dad's fraternity brother called, wanting to know how soon we'd get there, since he'd been set up for the last half hour. We rolled into the parking lot at 8:35, just barely getting there in time to save our space.
We got our gear out, set up our tent, and started talking about the new season. My brother and I got out the football and threw it around for awhile, then decided to walk into town to make a Borders run. While there, we met up with Craig and Dave. We walked down State St, back toward the stadium, and the parties were raging at the fraternity houses. Strangers lined the rails of the fences, high-fiving everyone who walked by as music blasted. I got a call from Joe and arranged to meet him where the railroad tracks cross Hoover St. My brother got a call from his friend Becky and went to guide her and her family to our tailgate. Then Craig got a call from Mike, looking for directions to the tailgate. Final Count: 2 left, 8 returned.
We took down the tent and put everything away before heading into the stadium at about 11:30. Michigan was taking on Vanderbilt, but you wouldn't have really known that by walking around Ann Arbor. I only saw 7 Vandy fans outside the stadium. My brother and I drew the short straw, so we got the two tickets in Section 8, Row 85. However, it does offer a rather nice view.
Other people have dissected the game in much more detail, but my impression was that this defense is hungry/vicious in a way we haven't seen in Ann Arbor in some time. Lamarr Woodley was a man-beast intent on eating quarterback steak for dinner. He had three consecutive sacks on one drive when Vandy was already buried deep in their own end. Charles Stewart was the only DB to get picked on, and he was the one who bit HARD on the halfback pass/trickeration that got Vandy their only points. Looking through my pictures, I saw something I found pretty impressive.
Time: 8:42 remaining, 2nd quarter
Vanderbilt Offense: 93 yards (26 rushing)
Time: 12:16 remaining, 3rd quarter
Vanderbilt Offense: 94 yards (27 rushing)
One yard of offense for 11:26 on the clock. That's a nice performance by the defense. During the same span, the Michigan offense produced 115 yards and ten points.
The passing game made me want to weep openly at times, but the run game was getting us a solid 4-6 yards every time Mike Hart touched the ball. Lots of work to do before we head to South Bend for Notre Dame, but the sky is not yet falling.
More importantly, the band was in good form. Pre-game was done right. I love the moment when people see the drum major appear at the front of the tunnel. A cheer starts on the opposite side of the stadium and moves around it as other people see what's going on. A few pumps of the mace, a pair of whistles, and people start streaming out of the tunnel and into pre-game. The halftime Led Zeppelin show was appropriately rocking to start the season. The band has been moved back across the field into the student section, so they shouldn't get any "DOWN IN FRONT!" demands anymore. I wish the band was bigger and louder, but the state of the budget and the stadium design make that a rough go. At least we can hear them in our corner of the stadium again.
Vandy brought their band, too, but they didn't march pre-game or halftime and they didn't play with the MMB in post-game either. Weird.
The crowd around us was just as lame as predicted, but the enthusiasm and noise from my brother and I spread to at least a few people. There was a nine-year-old kid sitting next to me whose dad barely moved the whole game, let alone cheered. The kid was pretty silent at the beginning too, but we got him a little loosened up by the end of the day. There were also a couple of 70-ish guys in front of us who got much more into the game as it wore on.
I'm so happy that football season is back on. Even last season was a lot of fun, simply because watching your team lose in person beats watching them lose on TV. You know what the best part of today is? Saturday is only three days away.
September 6: Wove tales of Lamarr Woodley's grandeur.
September 5: Saw story on local news about coach tackling kid on opposing HS football team. Thought about sending them an e-mail about how this is "so Woody Hayes", hope for national distribution.
September 4: Labor Day. It's a holiday.
September 3: Dissected victory.
September 2: Cheered team to victory.
September 5, 2006
The Internet Is No Place For Accuracy
Over the Labor Day holiday, several Neko-related Google alerts hit my desktop. First, a reviewer for Blogcritics.org had written "I can't possibly imagine for the life of me why my good friend Ron doesn't think Neko Case's Wolf Confessor Brings The Flood is the best album of the year..." The answer, of course, is that the album is Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. Dan doesn't believe Wolf Confessor is the best simply because it doesn't exist. That sort of error is pretty forgiveable; really, it's just a long typo.
Two more I received said directly opposing things about the New Pornographers' set at the Bumbershoot festival. For one thing, they couldn't even agree on who was there. The Seattle Post Intelligencer wrote, "Carl Newman and Neko Case wove their harmonies together like a Strawberry Alarm Clock for the digital age," while Seattlest said of them, "Even without Dan Bejar and Neko Case, the always-solid supergroup put on yet another great show."
Normally I'd just think it was an example of a reporter for a stodgy paper not having a grasp on what he's covering, since Neko hasn't been touring with them all year. However, the Everett Herald had said on Friday that "TNP will perform with guest vocalist Neko Case" and the Post Intelligencer agreed. And the Seattlest review also said Kathryn Calder had trouble with the high notes on "Mass Romantic", which is weird because her voice is a lot higher than Neko's, and it was the low notes that she was fighting for on that song when I saw them in Detroit.
September 4, 2006
I Didn't See This One Coming
My sophomore year of college, my roommate Chris and I made up a Crocodile Hunter drinking game. We played it with Vernor's or ginger beer for a couple of reasons. First, we were underage, in substance-free housing, and very close to the RA's room. Second, you would be dead by the end of an episode if you used real booze. Anytime he grabs an animal or pokes it, take a drink. Anytime he says something like "Ooh, that was a close one," take a drink. If he rapturously describes the beauty of some hideous-looking beast, take a drink. If he really does go hunting for crocs, take a drink. If one of the animals actually manages to bite him or do other damage, chug.
My favorite episode ever was one where he was walking around an African savannah and found a spitting cobra (In his accent, a COB-ra, like some sort of corn thing). A normal person when confronted by a fanged viper who shoots venom into your eyes that could cause permanent blindness would move further away. Steve Irwin just put on a pair of wraparound sunglasses and grabbed a stick. He moved in on it, trying to grab it by the tail. The snake kept trying to maintain its distance, spitting and snapping at him as he came closer. After a while he backed off, retreating to a reedy watering hole to wash the venom off his face, since some of it had dripped into his eyes. "It's a good thing I 'ad me sunnies on!" he said, as if sunglasses are an appropriate defense against a COBRA. And then he went back to the snake. This time he caught it before it could get in a defensive position, showed it to the camera for a bit, then retreated as it hit him with more venom and went back to the water to rinse off again.
He was kind of a ridiculous figure, and he never seemed like much of a scientific naturalist, but his shows were always a riot to watch. His death by stingray barb to the heart is such a freak accident. He'll be missed.
September 3, 2006
So Long, Andre
I never really liked Andre Agassi when I was younger. The stupid hair, the flourescent clothes, the Lamborghinis, the "Image is everything". It's not what I wanted from a sports hero. I liked Pete Sampras. He showed up, bombed you off the court with his monstrous serve, collected his trophy, and went home. Rumor had it that he wasn't the nicest guy in sports, but I liked the way he did his job, and he just kept piling up wins.
By the time high school was ending, Agassi had married and divorced Brooke Shields, had fallen to 142 in the world, shaved his head, and climbed back out of the hole. I started liking him a lot more as his non-tennis profile dropped and he started winning again, taking home a couple of Australian Opens and a French Open to complete the career Grand Slam.
It was after the 2002 US Open when Agassi became my favorite men's player in the game. With Sampras gone, he was the best American out there who didn't look like some frat boy. Also, his humanitarian efforts are just incredible, all the things he does for at-risk youth in Las Vegas.
Last year, in March of 2005, I saw him play for my first and only time, at the Pacific Life Open. He manhandled veteran Wayne Arthurs of Australia. Arthurs's big serve didn't match up to Agassi's phenomenal return game and Andre simply put him in the ground and buried him when it was his time to serve. Even with Federer and Roddick and Safin and Sharapova at the same tournament, it was so obvious that Andre was the biggest star. Crowds ringed his practice court four-deep.
This season hasn't been kind to Agassi. Inflamed nerves and debilitating back pain have dogged him for a while now. Between points in his last match with Benjamin Becker, he looked like an old man shuffling around the court. But before leaving, he'd already turned in a classic performance against Marcos Baghdatis in the second round. Maybe now, instead of Connors/Krickstein for the 23rd time, we'll see Agassi/Blake or Agassi/Baghdatis or Agassi/Sampras during the rain delay. It's a shame to lose him, but I think he picked the right time to go.
September 2, 2006
Charles Rogers Watch: Final Edition
In a move that's been coming since either the last time Charles Rogers broke his collarbone or maybe as recently as when he was suspended by the NFL for his use of illegal substances, Charles Rogers was cut by the Lions today. The final count on the Charles Rogers Watch stands thusly:
Charles Rogers Watch
335 Days Since Our Last Incident
307 Days Back In Operation
Thanks to Dave for giving me the script I used.
September 1, 2006
Counting Down The Hours
This is one of the longest workdays of the year. The day before football season really starts. It's almost up there with the day before summer vacation and the day before Christmas break starts. I am both bored out of my mind and finding it difficult to concentrate. So, like usual, I've turned to music. I made a gameday mix, and here it is. It clocks in right at 80 minutes, so I may do some trimming to fit it on one CD.
I've included several tracks as tributes to other universities. "This Fire" is for Ohio State, "Teen Age Riot" is for MSU, and "Light the Match" is for West Virginia. "Brand New Cadillac" is for Oklahoma. If you think you can find hidden symbolism elsewhere, have at it.
September 1: Created mix CD for game day.
August 31: Received "DOWN IN FRONT IS NOT A CHEER" t-shirt
August 30: Continued to talk about Maurice Clarett's (real!) association with Israeli mobster.
August 29: Read the blogs.
August 28: Spread rumors about Ted Ginn, Jr., an OSU booster, and Tijuana (the happiest place on Earth).
August 27: Off.
August 26, 2006
Down In Front Is Not A Cheer
MZone did an entry a couple of days ago about raising the volume at Michigan Stadium on football Saturdays. His rant about keys is irrelevant (most of the people waving keys around aren't yelling anyway), and the shape of the stadium IS a huge factor in how loud it is, but the central point is valid: Michigan Stadium is much quieter than any 110,000 people should be. It's nearly impossible to say whether noise makes a big difference in a team's record, but it does make a big difference in the game day experience.
When I was three, I went to my first Michigan football game. I, um, don't remember it. Sorry. But I do remember going to more than a few other games as a kid, usually with my dad. I was there when we played Maryland (the first game I clearly remember), the Colorado Kordell Stewart/Michael Westbrook Hail Mary rip-your-guts-out game, the time we played Boston College in a driving rainstorm, and for the 1997 Notre Dame and Ohio State games. I remember my first Michigan State game, how it was so packed that we couldn't even really sit down for the first quarter. It was also the first game where I noticed the stadium get a little loud. Not very, but it was noticeable. The '97 Ohio State game was loud on the field, but it wasn't exactly deafening in the 85th row.
In 1999, I was accepted and enrolled at U of M. On a whim, my friend Chris and I tried out for the marching band. To our shock, we weren't laughed out of Revelli Hall. Our high school didn't have a marching band and we weren't actually good musicians, so we were a little confused. Chris couldn't find a way to make practices work with his schedule, so he quit after a couple days of Band Week, but I stuck around.
Notre Dame was my first game, and it was a revelation. There were at least 300 people in Michigan Stadium who were loud: the band. We played, we chanted, we yelled. Every play. Every play. If we could have, we would've stood the entire game. Unfortunately, the alumni behind us didn't like that idea, so we only stood on every third down. Or if something exciting was happening. Or if we kind of felt like it was an important moment. Or if we thought we could get away with it.
My junior year, I made the marching block for our road game at Michigan State, the infamous clock fiasco where the Spartans mysteriously had one second left and, on the ensuing play, an EGREGIOUS hold wasn't called as MSU scored a touchdown to end the game. What isn't remembered as much is that Spartan Stadium was mind-bendingly loud for the vast majority of the game. I nearly had a brain aneurysm, I was screaming so loudly in the fourth quarter. I wanted that environment for a game at Michigan Stadium.
During my three years in the band, the student section had been getting better and better about their volume. My senior year, I couldn't make band work with my class schedule, so I had to watch with everyone else. My friends and I were up in Row 70-something, but it was still so much better than the alumni section on the opposite side of the stadium. The first time that I felt like I was in a really rocking stadium was when we played the University of Washington, as Michigan roared back to win the game on a Phil Brabbs field goal after we'd missed three earlier in the game off of various kickers. It was the first time I'd felt like the people around me who *weren't* in the band were just as intense about it as I was. I saw it again, later in the year, when we went back into overtime against Penn State (through the gift of questionable officiating). The student section was practically exploding in that game.
Sitting in the alumni section the next year was just a horrible, horrible letdown. And it continues to be. I'm a lot closer to the field now, but the volume just isn't there. One game a year, the crowd seems to really get up for the game, but it has to be a big game that's in the fourth quarter with Michigan trying to make a comeback. The triple-OT game against MSU in 2004 and the Penn State game in 2005 are the ones I'm talking about here, and they were great, simply classic games.
I know that not every game is going to have drama like that, and I'm not expecting jet-engine volumes from the crowd. I just think that when a big-time opponent comes to town we should have a big, loud crowd starting even before the first snap. I don't know how much it messes with the other team, but I do know this: It's just more fun, simple as that. It makes the football game a more exciting place to be. And who knows, maybe a loud stadium this year would make the team more prepared for the environment in the Horseshoe.
August 26: Went on rant about how quiet it is at Michigan Stadium
August 25: Purchased "DOWN IN FRONT IS NOT A CHEER" t-shirt.
August 24: Read "Tressel's World" blog, which is certainly not libelous in any way.
