Thank you, Part II

One night in April of 1995 was a dark spot in the history of Michigan football. Then head coach Gary Moeller's night of bad judgement at a metro Detroit restaurant promptly led to his dismissal. A short while later, his defensive coordinator and good friend was named interim head coach. Exactly 6 months later, 10 games into his first season as head coach, the 'interim' label was removed, and Lloyd Carr officially became the 16th head coach at the University of Michigan.

Born in Tennessee, Carr's family moved to Riverview, MI when he was 10. He was a star quarterback at Riverview and later at Northern Michigan. He returned to the metro Detroit area and taught and coached at several high schools before becoming an assistant at Eastern Michigan. In 1980, he was hired as an assistant on Bo Schembechler's staff at Michigan. For 27 years now he has walked the sidelines of Michigan Stadium in some capacity or another. He is a Michigan Man.

Carr's career as head coach has been marked by both incredible highs, and frustrating lows, but now, after nearly 13 years, it appears to be coming to a close.

It's been a familiar drill this time of year for each of the past several seasons. The internet starts to rattle and hum with rumor and speculation that this could be the end of the Carr era. Each year the speculation grows more intense, but this year, it would appear to finally be correct. Multiple sources, most notably Brian Cook at MGoBlog have reported that the decision is final and that all that's left to decide--for Carr anyways--is the timing of the announcement. Carr would never be one to put the center of attention on himself rather than the players or THE GAME, so there will be nothing before Saturday. But an announcement could be coming as early as next week.

To say that Lloyd Carr has been universally beloved by Michigan fans would be a gross overstatement, if not an outright lie. A fanbase used to high expectations has grown increasingly weary of disappointment against lesser teams. Struggles against middling teams early in his career, and a failure to win against Ohio State or in bowl games over the past several years has turned many a Michigan fan against him. The historic upset against Appalachian State and utter dismantling at the hands of Oregon early this season were the final nail in the coffin for many, and helped seal even most ardent Carr supporters' opinions that regardless of the successes he's had, it was time for him to go.

But yes--Don't for a second be fooled into thinking that Carr has not been a successful coach at Michigan. During 12 full seasons under Carr, Michigan has posted a winning percentage of 0.75839, good enough for 9th in the nation. By the time this season is complete, they will probably be 7th. Only five active coaches have a higher winning mark. For comparison's sake, during the last 12 years of Bo Schembechler's career, Michigan's winning percentage was 0.75172--also 9th in the nation over that span. Carr's 121 victories and 5 conference championships put him third all-time at Michigan in both categories, behind only Bo and Fielding H. Yost.

And of course, Carr did manage to do what no other Michigan coach--including Bo--had done since Bennie Oosterbaan did it in 1948: win a National Championship.

In 1997, Carr was entering his third year as Michigan's head coach, and the pressure was starting to build. His first two seasons each featured 4 losses, including disappointing bowl losses to Texas A&M and Alabama. Going back to Moeller's last 2 seasons, Michigan was riding a streak of 4-straight 4-loss seasons. Michigan had not been to the Rose Bowl in 5 seasons, marking the first time since 1975 that a group of seniors had played a full career at Michigan without getting to play in Pasadena.

As if the pressure of the losses wasn't trouble enough for Carr, he had himself a quarterback controversy to resolve. Over the two previous seasons, both Scott Dreisbach and Brian Griese had split considerable playing time. Dreisbach had shown considerable promise early on, including leading a 17-point fourth quarter comeback against Virginia in Carr's very first game as head coach. But injuries and confidence issues had opened the door for Griese later in the season both in '95 and '96. Griese struggled at times, though he did lead Michigan to victories over Ohio State in both of those seasons. The fanbase was somewhat divided, though the majority seemed to like the potential of the younger Dreisbach, and were quite displeased when Carr opted for the 5th year senior Griese.

But, Carr, it seems, knew what he was doing afterall. Four months later, the Wolverines found themselves in Pasadena, celebrating their first undefeated season and National Championship in 49 years. While Charles Woodson took home the Heisman Trophy in December, the MVP of that Rose Bowl game was Brian Griese. Carr, for his part, was named national Coach of the Year.

Aside from 1997, some highlights of Lloyd Carr's tenure have included an utter domination of rivals Penn State and Michigan State. After losing 3 of his first 4 games in East Lansing, the last on a highly controversial "last second" play, Carr's Wolverines have now won 6 straight games over MSU, including three in a row at Spartan Stadium. Against the Nittany Lions, the domination has been simply unfathomable as Michigan has defeated PSU in 8 straight meetings going back to the "Judgement Day" domination in 1997 that launched the Wolverines into the #1 spot for the first time all season.

One black hole for Lloyd Carr's Wolverine teams had always been South Bend. Despite taking favored teams into games against the Fighting Irish, time and time again, they came up short when playing on the road. Add in a frustrating upset at home in 2005, and it was beginning to look like Notre Dame had a decided edge over Carr's teams. But in 2006, Lloyd's boys got over the hump in grand fashion, destroying the #2 ranked Irish on their own field, 47-21. This season, a 38-0 whitewashing gave Lloyd his 3rd blowout victory over Notre Dame in 5 meetings, not to mention a much needed shot of penicillin to cure the ails of an 0-2 start.

When it comes to Ohio State, Lloyd's career is a tale of two halves. Not coincidentally, those halves are split in Columbus along a different and distinct line: The Cooper-Tressell line. In the first six games of his career, Lloyd Carr held a 5-1 record against John Cooper and the Buckeyes. In the 6 years since, Jim Tressell has held up a mirror to that record, levelling Carr's all-time record in THE GAME to 6-6. Assuming that this is, in fact, his final season, this week's game will seal Carr's legacy in THE GAME.


Lloyd Carr has been called many things, a good number of which are not suitable for print here. Yet throughout his tenure, across his ups and downs, no one has ever seriously questioned his integrity. Even his most ardent detractors acknowledge him to be great person, and a fine representative of the University. His teams have won without scandal and all who have met him speak very highly of his personal interactions with the fanbase. This alone, coupled with the success of his teams, indicates that he deserves to go out with dignity and on his own terms.

Lloyd, as a fan who has attended every home game of your tenure save for the very first, and more than my fair share of road and bowl games, I thank you for all that you've given to Michigan. I wish you all the best in your retirement, and in your remaining games as Michigan's head coach, whether it be just two, or more.

Thanks, coach. Thanks for what you've been and done for Michigan.

GO BLUE!

Thank You, Part I

Four years ago, history was made when, on the eve of the season opener against Miami of Ohio, Lloyd Carr opted to let a true freshman lead his offense as quarterback to kick off the 2004 season. It was the first time a true freshman had started at quarterback for Michigan since Rick Leach in 1975. Gone was veteran starter John Navarre and in the week leading up to the opener, Navarre's heir apparent Matt Gutierrez suffered an injury to his throwing arm, which sadly, for all intents and purposes, ended his career at here*. Thus started the Chad Henne era at Michigan.

Over the course of the 2004 season, Henne showed tremendous promise. He was not without his struggles, but his freshman campaign was marked with pockets of brilliance. More than anything, he showed a penchant for poise and confidence when trailing late that Michigan fans hadn't seen since Tom Brady. The wonder of his late comeback scoring drive over Minnesota, capped by a TD pass to Tyler Ecker with just 1:57 left in the game, was completely blown away just a few weeks later. With some help from Braylon Edwards and Jason Avant (and an onside kick recovery by Brian Thompson) his performance in the final 8 minutes of regulation and 3OTs against Michigan State is already the stuff of legend. By the time the year was done, Henne had cemented his place in history by becoming the first true freshman quarterback ever to lead a team to the Rose Bowl, where he led seven offensive scoring drives and threw 4 touchdowns, tying both the UM and Rose Bowl records for touchdown passes in a single game.

Chad's poise and late-game heroics were not limited to his freshman campaign. As a sophomore with his team struggling mightily, Henne gave fans a gem of a memory with a literal last-second touchdown pass to Mario Manningham against Penn State. It was the Nittany Lions' only loss of the season. As a junior, Henne connected with Manningham for three long touchdowns at Notre Dame, exorcising demons that had haunted the Wolverines in South Bend since 1994, and doing it in style. Even a slow-starting and injury-riddled senior campaign was not without some highlights, including an encore to his 2004 performance against Michigan State--down 10 points with under 8 minutes to go, Henne tossed two touchdown passes to seal his career sweep over the Spartans.

Chad Henne will leave Michigan owning the school record book for quarterbacks. He already is the career leader in passing yards, completions and touchdowns, while he needs just 66 more attempts to lock down that record as well. If he can manage 6 touchdowns in his final two games, he will tie Purdue's Drew Brees' for the Big 10 record for career touchdown passes. He is certain to carry on the legacy of success that Michigan quarterbacks have had over the past 20 years playing in the NFL.

* For the record, Gutierrez eventually transferred to Idaho State for his final year of eligibility. After a successful senior campaign there, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots, where he is currently backing up Tom Brady. He is the 8th former Wolverine quarterback since 1990 to play in the NFL.


Jake Long came to the University of Michigan in 2003 from the town of Lapeer, not far from my old stomping grounds. He redshirted his freshman year, but was being heaped with praise throughout spring practice later that year. The expectations for him for the following year and beyond were as big as his 6'7" 315 pound frame.

But on a warm June night the summer between his freshman and sophomore years, tragedy struck. The house that Long shared with several team mates caught fire and burned to the ground . Long, awakened by the smoke detector, had to jump from his second story window to escape the blaze. While everyone in the house thankfully made it out alive, several had minor injuries. Long got the worst of it, and spent several days in the hospital as a result of smoke inhalation.

All this proved to be but a pile of sand to the road-grader who has been wearing number 77 for the Maize and Blue. Long has since started 38 games at tackle for Michigan, compiling a track record and reputation as one of all-time great linemen at a school which has produced it's fair share of them.

As a red-shirt freshman in 2004 he earned 2nd team All-Big 10 honors, as well as Freshman All-American. Injuries hampered his 2005 season, but in 2006 he came back strong as a consensus All-American and the Big 10 Offensive Lineman of the Year.

It's difficult to write at length about the career highlights of an offensive lineman. There is no glory in the position, and it's said that the only time a lineman is noticed is when he screws up. Jake Long's play has gone largely unnoticed by the masses. But it has not been missed by his teammates. Twice they have elected him as their Team Captain.


As early as the fall of 2002, the internet started to buzz with jaw-dropping clips of a pint-sized running back from tiny Onandonga HS near Syracuse, New York. As a sophomore, junior, and again as a senior, he led his team to Class C/D State Championship titles. His 65-yard touchdown run in the championship game his junior year will live forever in YouTube lore as "The Run", though perusing the "Related Videos" section will show that it was hardly a lone highlight.

By the time he graduated from Onondaga Central High School, he held national records for touchdowns, points scored, and 100-yard games (46 games... consecutive, by the way.).

The buzz across fan message boards following his recruitment had elevated him to the status of a cyber folk hero, but the recruiting services and scouts were less impressed. He was too small, at 5'9, 175 lbs. He was too slow, with a 40-yard dash time listed as a charitable 4.4. And while his runs looked impressive, they came against the smallest and least-competitive division in the state of New York. He was a novelty, but considered unlikely to ever be a starting running back at the Division IA level. Even Lloyd Carr was reportedly doubtful that he'd ever much more than an occasional role player, but the Wolverines were one of a handful of major programs to make a scholarship offer to the tiny wonder from Onondaga.

Mike Hart chose Michigan.

He played very sparingly in Michigan's first two games, but by the third game of his career, Mike Hart was Michigan's starting tailback. He ran for 124 yards against San Diego State that day, and has been seen as an elite Michigan back ever since. His ability to squeeze out extra yards with such steadfast consistency is matched by his determination to hold onto the football. He lost a fumble just once his entire freshman season. He has not lost one since.

Overwhelming success against underwhelming expectations. That is what Mike Hart has represented. He is very much like a mythical folk hero. It is a common practice in literary fiction to give characters names that evoke certain qualities that we are to associate with that character. Some great author fittingly gave this young man the name "Hart".

Rarely before has a player been seen who better typifies the cliche of "playing with heart" than Michael Hart. His lack of physical stature and top end speed only add to the mystique. How could a slow, small kid from a tiny high school in New York ever be a contributing player at an elite college football school? By playing with heart. By working harder than the next guy. And by refusing to be stopped, literally, and metaphorically.

As a true freshman, Hart began piling up yards from his first start. By mid season, he notched three consecutive games with 200+ yards rushing--the first Wolverine player ever to accomplish such a feat. This season, despite missing approximately 4 and a half games in total, he surpassed Jamie Morris and Anthony Thomas and became Michigan's all-time leading rusher. Even in Michigan's two season opening losses, Hart ran for a combined 305 yards and 3 touchdowns.

The play that most typified Hart this season may have come late in the Appalachian State game. Dinged up early in the game, Hart was held out for most of the second half. On a few occasions, the coaches had to nearly physically restrain him to keep him on the sideline. But with 4:36 left in the game, the Wolverines found themself in an unthinkable position--trailing 31-26 to a Division I-AA team. Hart sought to correct that. He re-entered the game and put the entire team, the entire crowd of 109,000 people on his back, and carried us all 54 yards to the endzone. That dazzling touchdown put Michigan back in the driver's seat and the lead for the first time since the first quarter. It should've been enough, but the defense let it slip away yet again, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Mike Hart is already a legend, and will forever be remembered not only as one of Michigan's greatest players, but one of it's favorite sons. But one thing remains.


Chad Henne, Jake Long, Mike Hart, and the rest of Michigan's seniors have never defeated Ohio State.

Yet.



Thank you Chad, Jake, Mike and the rest of the seniors. You've given us 4 years of fantastic memories.

This Saturday, make some great ones for yourselves.

Remembering Saturday, November 22, 1969...

The day they came to bury Michigan,
All wrapped in Maize and Blue.
The words were said,
The prayers were read,
And everybody cried.
But when they closed the coffin,
There was someone else inside!
Oh, the Buckeyes came to bury the Wolverines,
But Michigan wasn't dead!
And when the game was over,
It was someone else instead!
Twenty-two Michigan Wolverines
Put on the gloves of grey,
And as Revelli played 'The Victors',
They laid Woody Hayes away!

-Bob Ufer

This is a belated Wednesday post. I hope to have more up later (today) tomorrow.

We've got highlights...

Do you think a game with this much history might have some classic highlights from games gone by? As Ufer would say, 'You bet your cotton-pickin' Maize and Blue heart it does!'


Let's punt--er, kick--it off right with the most exciting single play I've ever witnessed in person:

I can recall with great distinction jumping on my seat in Section 26, sreaming beyond my voice, extolling Sir Charles to "DO THE HEISMAN! DO THE HEISMAN! DO THE HEISMAN!" as he trotted down that same sideline into that same endzone and towards that same sought-after hunk of copper that Desmond Howard had done 6 years earlier.

Let's back up a bit. Maybe I should explain why we hate these guys so much:

WARNING: Might want to turn your speakers off for this one, lest your ears be punished with the sounds of "Hang On, Sloopy".

The 1995 edition of THE GAME featured a Heisman-winning Running Back. But it was this guy who ran for 313 yards:

"Eddy WHO?"

Well here's a random one. Not really much of a highlight, but I thought this was funny. Would you believe that this man once had such an amazing day running, passing and kicking the football at Ohio Stadium that he got a standing ovation from the full crowd as he left the field? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Tom Harmon, Cereal Spokesman

The real catch is that, unlike in this clip, he was wearing Maize and Blue that day.

Yes, Brent, the "Buckeyes came up big in the biggest" in this one, but I would be remiss if I didn't include anything about last year's titanic #1 vs. #2 showdown:

RIP Bo.

On a brighter--or at least bluer--note, how about taking it back 10 years for this gem, compliments of Tai "Takin' it to the" Streets:

Two words to drive any Buckeye nuts: "Springs Slips"

Did I mention why we hate these guys?




The guys in the "Don't Give a Damn" video certainly gave a damn about Steve Breaston, Chris Perry and Braylon Edwards later that day...

The 100th edition of THE GAME

Winding this down, let's take a look at the game that put THE GAME back on the map, the start of the modern era of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, Bo Schembechler's first meeting against Woody Hayes in 1969:

"They've got Schembechler on their shoulders! Ripley couldn't have written it any better. The final score: Michigan 24, Ohio State 12!"

Finally, let's wrap this up with a nice bookend to match the first clip.

Hellooooooo Heisman!

Michigan-OSU Monday: Painting the Bowl Picture

I had a lengthy post queued up on Thursday to post on Friday outlining the various bowl possibilities given the possible scenarios that could play out over the last two weeks for Michigan. I didn't get it posted, and now, with not only Michigan but also Ohio State losing on Saturday, the picture is far more simple, yet far from complete.

Michigan and Ohio State both are tied for first place in the Big 10 at 7-1. All other teams have at least two losses already, so the winner of THE GAME is the outright champion and will therefore be the conference's BCS representative and will play in the Rose Bowl.

IF MICHIGAN WINS...
The Wolverines will be celebrating New Years Day in Pasadena for the fourth time in five years. The other half of the Rose Bowl picture is still as hazy as the LA smog, but there is a very distinct possibility that Michigan could find themselves squaring off again against Dennis Dixon and the Oregon Ducks. *shudder*. Arizona State and USC are both within striking distance of the Pac 10 title should the Ducks either stumble, or if they cruise all the way to the title game. If OU does make the title game, their spot would go to an at large, which could mean the Pac 10 runner-up, or could mean another non-traditional matchup against a top team from another BCS conference.

Meanwhile, Ohio State's holiday destination would be a little less clear. Despite coming off two straight losses, there's a chance they could still be eligible for an at-large BCS bid, likely the Orange or Sugar Bowls. If they don't make the cut, or would be seen as unlikely to bring the $$$ with a disappointed fanbase (unlikely, I say, as OSU will travel well regardless of where they're at and their record), then the Capital One Bowl would have to make a tough choice between Illinois (who beat OSU head-to-head), or an Ohio State team that is likely to bring the fans. I think this one goes to OSU, since they have not played in the Capital One/Citrus Bowl since the 1995 season. That would suck for Illinois, though, to be honest. The loser of that decision will find themselves in Tampa for the Outback Bowl.


IF OHIO STATE WINS...
There is still an outside mathematical possibility that a win over Michigan, coupled with at least one more loss by 5 of the top 6 six teams could get Ohio State back into the Championship game in New Orleans, but the odds of that are incredibly slim, especially with three Big XII teams all round-robbining in the mix ahead of them. Though, this has been a crazy year, so I have to acknowledge that (almost) anything is possible.

While failure to make the Championship game would be surely disappointing for the Buckeyes, they would have to be happy about finally returning to Pasadena. It's crazy to think about, but in spite of (and in a way, because of) the success that Ohio State has had over the past several years, they have not been to the Rose Bowl since the 1996 season!

Michigan meanwhile, would most likely have a New Years Day date in Orlando for the Capital One Bowl--the biggest of the non-BCS Bowls. The Wolverines have not played in Orlando since the 2001 season, when they got shellacked by Tennessee in the then-named Citrus Bowl.

Again, assuming Illinois wins out, they will be tied with the loser of THE GAME for second place, but a decision between Michigan and Illinois should be a no-brainer for the Capital One committee. Not only did Michigan win head to head, but they should travel better, with the disappointment of the season being offset by the prospect of seeing Mike Hart, Chad Henne and--probably--Lloyd Carr on the Michigan sidelines one final time.

If the Capital One opts for the Illini, it would relegate Michigan to the Outback Bowl in Tampa. Thankfully, there do not appear to be any circumstances that could drop us back to another disastrous outing in San Antonio.

At this point, with several regular season games and a championship game yet to be played in the SEC, it's pointless to speculate who the SEC representatives to either the Capital One or Outback Bowls will be. How crazy would it be if LSU stumbled and the Capital One matched up Michigan with the Tigers in a Winner-Gets-An-Office-In-Schembechler-Hall-Next-Season deathmatch? (If you don't understand what I'm talking about here, watch this space later this week for more details.)

THE GAME

"Hello everybody! Yes, sir it's finally here--Meeechigan versus Ohio State in football! ...Call it what you will, it promises to be two and a half hours of some of the most exciting football in the hundred and four year history of man's inhumanity to man...This is what intercollegiate football is all about! All morning long the caravans of cars filled with Buckeye fans have been pouring across the border from down south and echoing from each of those cars is the old, familiar chant, 'We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan!', while all of us up here in the Water Wonderland never forget that 'Ohio' is still a four-letter word! Isn't it great? I can hardly wait until kickoff and I know that you can't either!" - Bob Ufer

This is only the second time in history that both Michigan and Ohio State are going into THE GAME while coming off of losses in the previous week. Not exactly the sort of history either team wanted to be setting, especially after last year's historic #1 vs. #2 matchup, but the more things change, the more they stay the same: the 2007 edition of THE GAME is for the undisputed Big 10 Championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl. Just the way it should be. Yesterday's results took care of all the ambiguity and other scenarios that might've been out there, so right now, it's as simple as history: win THE GAME; go to the Rose Bowl.

Right now, Wisconsin does not matter. Illinois does not matter. Appalachian State and Oregon do not matter, nor do the 18 combined wins the teams have notched so far this season. All that matters right now is which team will claim that 19th win and all the spoils that go with it. All that matters is the Maize and Blue, the Scarlet and Grey. Woody, Bo. Winged Helmets and Buckeye Stickers. The Victors and Script Ohio. From State Street to High Street, men, boys, women, children and families will turn their thoughts, chats and dreams this week to a game involving 22 young men agitating a bag of wind up and down a hundred yards of plastic and ground rubber.

Isn't this great, indeed, Bob.

GO BLUE! BEAT THE BUCKEYES!

Must-See TV

Seriously, short of a victorious, post-OSU, Lloyd Carr Retirement Special hour-long episode of Michigan Replay, could there be an hour of television more perfectly tailored than tonight's Heroes...

... with Detroit native Kristen "Veronica Mars" Bell...

... running around kicking ass...

... in Ireland?

Seriously.

And I'm going to be driving all evening.

Please, Our Lady of Blessed Comcast DVR, don't fail me now.

Rainy Day, Busy Day

Frantic work issues, a fresh glass of hazelnut mocha.
My cozy Tigers sweatshirt
and both windows open letting in the sound and smell
of a steady autumn rain.
The dulcet tones of Liam O'Flynn's piping carrying it through the day.

I resemble that punchline!

Swap out livejournal for blogger, and that about sums up my April-June!

But you already know that.

Anyways, props to this comic that someone just pointed me in the direction of. Give it a read... it's some good stuffs:

XKCD

By the light of Tiki torches and a nearly full moon on a perfect, cloudless night...

Young's Oatmeal Stout, a couple sweet-apple chicken sausages grilled up and topped with sauerkraut and Stadium Mustard, fresh corn on the cob, and few sad, sweet tunes on a Hohner Blues Harp.

Oh, and did I mention?

WE OWN....PENN STATE!

Life is pretty fucking good right now.

edit: Icing on the cake? Awesome season premier of Heroes, with the final scene set where else, but Cork, Ireland. Feckin' A!

Triumphant Return

No, I'm not posting about the return to glory of Michigan football.

This evening, I booked my a flight to Ireland.

Thanks to Aer Lingus' 48-hour sale, I could not pass up the opportunity to return, even if just for a short trip. Not for $300 for a round trip, especially when I have places to stay and won't need to rent a car, so the entire trip is going to cost nothing more than that rather minimal airfare, food, and Guinness.

Unfortunately, it's a little ways off, what with football season, the holidays, and an inevitably busy January production cycle at work.

But February 21st I'll be back on Irish soil again for a nice 5 day stint of catching up with old friends and old haunts.

Life is good right now.

The passing of another Ann Arbor icon

First off, yes I am still in afterglow mode from Saturday, but will wait until after the Penn State game this week to truly gauge my optimism regarding the rest of the season. Notre Dame just really is that bad.

But I need to take a solemn moment up here to mark the sad news of the passing of a man who, after losing Bo last November, may well have been the next most well-recognized man in Ann Arbor... "Shaky" Jake Woods.

If you've spent any time living in Ann Arbor, you know Shaky Jake and have seen him around. He'll be missed.

Godspeed to you, Jake...

Yes, Lucy, I'm ready to kick that football again.

Ever have a recurring situation, which no matter the logic and reason, you keep feeling the incessant need to repeat past detrimental behavior?

I'm psyched for the game tomorrow.

I can't wait for Michigan to go out there and kick the living crapbags out of Notre Dame tomorrow.

This is the one day of the year where all my whacked out faux-Irish wanna-be tendencies are wiped away and I might as well be Oliver fuckin' Cromwell for my hatred of leprechauns, clovers and the Rakes of Fuckin' Mallow... Dress our D in Black and Tan. Oppress those motherfucking dirtbag French northern Indiana Amish obstinant arrogant insults-to-the-fine-people-of-the-Republic-of-Ireland pricks. And God Save the Queen.

Nevermind the fact that we have no defense to speak of, a true freshman with only one half of game experience starting at QB and a coaching staff that has to take the short bus to the stadium.

As long as we have Hart, we have Hope.

GO BLUE! BEAT THE IRISH!!

The sun still rises in Ann Arbor

Just got back from a nice walk around the block. The sun is out, and it's a beautiful day, despite wide-spread reports of snow showers all weekend long just up the road.

Been going through the various stages of the grieving process all weekend:

1. Denial: Woke up Sunday morning, shaking off a bad dream. When does football season start again?

2. Anger: DAMMIT LLOYD!

3. Bargaining: If we can somehow beat Oregon...and ND... and PSU, MSU and OSU.... and win the bowl game... that might almost erase the pain. Almost.

4. Depression: Who am I kidding. We won't be any of those teams. We flat out suck.

5. Acceptance: check back with me in a few years on this one.


PS - I still (heart) Hart.

Go Blue.

I guess running off to another country for a few months and then spending the latter part of summer scrambling to readjust to reality had the inadvertant side-effect of really throwing off my mid-to-late-summer football jonesin'.

I've been in this hazy awareness that another season of football was coming right down the pike, but even moving into a house where I can look down the street from my front lawn and see Michigan Stadium didn't really kick the adrenaline into high gear the way it normally is this time of year.

If any of you are also suffering from a disturbing case of football lethargy, or if you're full out craving and need a fix to wind the cork even tighter, you might find that these will help.

They worked for me! GO BLUE! BEAT THE MOUNTAINEERS!!


Stevie B, doing what Stevie B does


DOMINATION!


1997


Daydrian Taylor


The Braylon Edwards Show, 2004


The Best MMB Half-Time Show Ever - Part I

The Best MMB Half-Time Show Ever - Part II



"One man... goodbye! Hellooooo Heisman!"


More Desmond

Embedding is disabled on this one, but if you've got a HART you'll want to click on it.


Thrilling last-second heroics...


...and the man that invented them:

Adventures in Home Rentership

Okay, so as it may seem obvious by now, this space is starting to wake up again. I'm not sure how long it'll last, but with the new changes and adventure of settling into my new place, I figure I'll have a lot of amusing observations and anecdotes about the house, and about living back in Ann Arbor. I'm going to be pretty busy the next few weeks, so don't expect anything of great substance, but I hope to toss a couple thoughts here and there.

For now, I'm dealing with the fact that none of the rooms in the house other than the kitchen and, (ironically) the sun room, have light fixtures. At the moment, I have one floor lamp that I have to keep moving from room to room with me. Meijers trip number one: floor lamps.

Also, I'm bemoaning the lack of an accessible Einstein Bros bagels. There is one in town, but it appears to be in the University hospital. I'll have to scope it out later, but I have a feeling its not a place that can be hit up for an easy, morning bagel-and-Mel's-Cool-Cap run. Instead, I ran out Barry Bagels on Jackson. Unimpressed by their selection, but the asiago I just had wasn't bad and they make a tasty iced mocha, so all may not be lost.

On a related note, I'm going to be living on bagels and cream cheese for probably the next 36 hours or so.

Abhaile Sweet Abhaile

I forgot to mention that it has been at least drizzling ever since I crossed over the Michigan-Indiana border Saturday afternoon. It's currently pouring. I just checked the forecast for this week:

Today
Showers and thunderstorms...heavy rainfall possible. Highs 63 to 67. East winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100 percent.

Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 74 to 78. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph...turning to southwest late. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Wednesday
Mostly cloudy through mid morning...then becoming partly sunny. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 85 to 89. South winds 5 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Thursday
Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 86 to 90. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Friday
Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 82 to 86. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs 77 to 81. Chance of rain 30 percent.


Did I really ever leave Galway?


p.s. - It was definitely better moving whether than what we've had a majority of the time since I've been back. I love a good rain shower/thunderstorm. It's just the endlessness of it that gets tiresome.

Home Sweet Home.

After a rather chaotic, busy and tiresome weekend, I am now, save for a few odds-n-ends, fully moved in to my new place.

Now unpacking and settling in is a different story altogether. It will hopefully not involve anything as dramatic as moving trucks tearing bumpers off of innocent bystanding cars, police reports, rain storms, or 3 hour traffic jams, making it instantly better than this weekend.

The Parting Glass, raised in honor of Tommy Makem, 1932-2007

I haven't been perusing some of the Irish music forums frequently lately, but I just happened in for the first time in a while today. Had I waited another day, I likely would've missed seeing that Tommy Makem passed away last Wednesday. Tommy was a legend of the Irish folk music scene, performing for many years with The Clancy Brothers and as a solo act. I had the good fortune of finally seeing him perform at the Milwaukee Irish Fest a few years ago, and his voice and enthusiasm were every bit as golden as in the recordings that made up some of my very first musical memories.

To Tommy Makem, the Bard of Armagh, we raise this toast:

Oh all the money that e'er I had, I spent it in good company
And all the harm that e'er I've done, alas, it was to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit to memory now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you all

Oh all the comrades that e'er I've had, they are sorry for my going away
And all the sweethearts that e'er I've had, they would wish me one more day to stay
But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise and you should not
I'll gently rise and I'll softly call good night and joy be with you all

If I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile
There is a fair maid in this town, that sorely has my heart beguiled
Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips I own, she has my heart enthralled
So fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you all

My dearest dear, the time draws near when here no longer can I stay
There's not a comrade I leave behind, but is grieving for my going away
But since it has so ordered been what is once past can't be recalled
Now fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you all

If I had money for to spend, If I had time to waste away
There is a fair maid in this town, I feign would while her heart away
With her rosy cheeks and dimpled chin, my heart she has beguiled awa'
So fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you a'

If I had money for to spend, I would spend it in her company
And all the harm that I have done, I hope it's pardoned I will be
And all I've done for want of it to memory I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you all

A man may drink and not be drunk, a man may fight and not be slain
A man may court a pretty girl and perhaps be welcomed back again
But since it has so ordered been by a time to rise and a time to fall
Come fill to me the parting glass, good night and joy be with you all

A seat house on the 50

I have a home!

Last night I signed a lease for a 2 bedroom house in Ann Arbor. It's a small house, but it is very close to The Big House. In fact, it is 1 block exactly due west of the 50 yard line!

I'm definitely excited to have a new, fresh, change of scenery to mix things up, and looking forward to my triumphant return to Ann Arbor residency! Being within walking distance not only of the stadium, but also downtown, Yost Ice Arena, Washtenaw Dairy, etc. is going to be great.

I take possession on the 16th, but for now I just need to figure out how and when I'm going to collect all my assorted belongings from their various locations and get moved in!