Embarrassed.  Ashamed.  Disappointed.  Words, words, and more words.  I tried to find more at thesaurus.com.  “Discountenanced” is a nice one.  “Disgruntled” and “dissatisfied” also fit the bill.  Then there’s the deeper, soul penetrating feelings, like “depressed,” dispirited,” “heavy-hearted.”  Sunday has been a long, down day.  It isn’t very often that I arrive home and immediately delete a game from my DVR, but I didn’t want to take the chance that I would accidentally press play in a moment of weakness, and have to re-witness a game with no redeeming value.

But I’m sorry, I cannot, and will not surrender.  Actually, no, I’m not sorry.  At the halfway point of the season, I refuse to give up on the Rodriguez era, the current season, or even next week’s seemingly impending doom in Happy Valley.  You either love your team because they win, or you love them because they’re yours. This is not Michigan Basketball, who in their 10th season of killing my will to enjoy college hoops, have curtailed my fandom.  But if they were to make a tournament, I’d probably take opening Thursday off work to make my way to the Round 1 site.  This is not the Detroit Tigers, who I watched sparingly from 1988 through 2005 before making them a nightly ritual from 2006′s all-star break to the World Series.  This is not the Detroit Lions, who I actively root against in jest of their mess of a franchise and mock by picking up the opposing team’s quarterback for my fantasy team each week.  But if they made a Super Bowl I’d probably buy a jersey and pretend I’ve been there all along.

This is Michigan Football, and I HAVE been here all along.  I will continue to be here, through the worst and the best of it…because they’re mine.

That doesn’t mean I’m not angry at what has transpired.  That doesn’t mean I don’t question things.  It just means I am along for the ride, wherever it goes.  Because at some point, whether it’s a year or two down the line or next week against #3 Penn State, they are going to make me feel good again.

Perhaps a more football related post will come later…gotta get out of this funk.