#13

With Breaston and Manningham streaking down the sidelines looking for deep balls and drawing double coverage, who will be moving the chains in the middle of the opponents defense? Ladies and Gents, meet Greg Mathews. He doesn't have the speed of Teddy Ginn Jr., but he is his cousin.  He doesn't have the athleticism of Memphis Tiger Darius Washington, but he went to the same high school as him. At about 6'3 the incoming Freshmen has great size and had some super gamebreaking performances at Orlando's Edgewater last season. Not the least impressive being a 200+ yard recieving game in the state playoffs that included over 100 yards in the final quarter to bring his squad back to victory. All this occurring after returning from an injury earlier in the game. As aforementioned, Matthews is not a burner, he is a plodder that hopefully will develop into a big time possesion receiver.

The best part of the G. Mathews story thus far is the fact that he actually arrived here in Ann Arbor. He was born in Honolulu, grew up in Los Angeles and finished high school in Florida. Of course his top two choices were FSU and Miami, leaning towards the later as he grew up a fan of the "U". When Michigan offered him a scholarship before the Florida schools he changed his tone but then said his best campus visit was to Ohio State. Compounding matters was the fact his mom went to school at OSU and his grandmother was an instructor in Columbus. However the Maize and Blue staff wrestled him away from the three perenniel powers and now he is ready to produce.

And produce he must if he expects to avoid being redshirtted this season. With Arrington and Tabb and Dutch and possibly Savoy slated to play a similar role, he may be caught in a logjam this upcoming fall. The injury to Bass may have moved him up a bit on the depth chart but big time catches will determine his PT. He seems to be a bit ahead of some of the aforementioned in the intelligence category and he practiced daily against two big time defensive back recruits on his high school team. Lets see if Henne can get him the ball before he realizes how much shittier the weather gets here as compared to L.A., Orlando and Honolulu. #13, Greg Mathews.

Case of the Mundys, Captains Edition: 8/22/2006

Message board posts become rumors become truth in this week's edition of Case of the Mundy's. Forums on The Wolverinewere buzzing last Monday with rumors of a pair of injured offensive lineman. The players in question were Justin Boren and Mike Kolodziej, but there was no confirmation. No official comment from Michigan of course, so The Freep decided to ask mom and dad...good plan. They were happy to spill the beans, sort of.

Rounding out the injuries...

• Antonio Bass (knee) : Out indefinitely


• Justin Boren (ankle) : weeks, months?


• Mike Kolodziej (undisclosed) : Out indefinitely

In "things Michigan will talk about" news, Coach Carr announced the captains for the upcoming season. Jake Long and Lamarr Woodley were selected by their teammates to lead the Maize and Blue onto the field for 2006...and hopefully just a little bit of 2007. For the superstitious folk, MGoBlue.com reminds us that the last time we had two captains that hailed from the great state of Michigan was in 1997.

I Want to Play Oklahoma

Not exactly hot off the press, but Ohio State and Oklahoma have inked a deal for a home-at-home for 2016-17. I must say, I am a bit jealous. The Buckeyes are finishing off a home-at-home with Texas at Austin in week 2, and they're already making plans for another...wait a second...does that say 2016-17? That's TEN YEARS FROM NOW. What the hell? The players that will play in that game are currently in fourth grade. That's planning ahead! Way to go AD Andy Geiger Tressel Puppet Gene Smith. Hey Gene, have I told you how much I love your pedigree? Nothing makes me happier than Notre Dame alum turned Buckeye. Big fan, Gene, big fan.

Anyway, I really am a bit jealous. Michigan's home schedule has all of the excitement of a Jesus Figueroa baseball card. You might find yourself going a little crazy, doing the math and rolling the seat license fee into the price of each ticket, bringing the pre-parking price of each game to just shy of a ticket to the Super Bowl. All of this for a glossy pass that you could get on the corner of Stadium and Main for $20 at 11:55pm. So goes the ebb and flow of the Michigan season ticket. Next year, you'll be happy you signed up to see a September to remember. And you never know, surprises lurk around every corner in the Big Ten. That mid-October battle with Iowa could be a matchup of top-10 teams. If those damn Hawkeyes can just find a way to beat the Big Sky's Montana Grizzlies and that pesky Big 12 menace, Iowa State. But just a note to Billy Martin...we've got 2 TBA's on that 2008 schedule...can you do something cool? It doesn't have to be a perennial power, just give me something different, ANYTHING different.

Rounding up the weekend that was across those pesky internets...

• The AP poll was unveiled, and all I've got is questions. How many of you pollsters just copied the USA Today poll because it came out first? Is this the one they do use for the BCS ranking, or the one they don't use? When do I get to see the Harris Poll? Are they still using those computers? Damn you BCS, you complicated bastard. One of my favorite picks that appears in both polls is West Virginia, the last piece of a dying Big East conference. Ranking a team because their schedule is weak and they have a good chance of going undefeated works well. Just ask Purdue, who cracked the preseason top 25 last year because they drew the famous "Michigan AND Ohio State skip." They went on to fall to Minnesota in their Big Ten opener, and went 0-5 in the month of October. It just goes to show you that it doesn't matter who you play. When you are Purdue suck, you suck. [AP Poll ESPN]


• Drew Sharp would like to remind you that outhouses are far superior to indoor plumbing, the home computer is just a passing fad, and Ohio State is better than Michigan. [Freep.com]


• Lamar Woodley as Captain Obvious: "If you finish your degree while you're here, you don't have to come back to get it." [Detroit News]


• Hey, did you know that Michigan is motivated by last year's disappointing season? Did you know that I am motivated by inspiring stories of doctors that work on Barbaro? [Detroit News]


• Matt Leinart and I have played in the same amount of NFL games. But, would you believe I've seen more NFL games than him? [The Hater Nation]


• Still having nightmares about Todd Howard? Get up to speed on the Michigan D-Backs with this one... [Blah Me To Death]


• We kicked the Spartan's ass. No, not those Spartans. I take that back, we kick those Spartan's asses too. [BigTen.com]


• In lay-up pun-maker news, the Wolverines inked their 11th commitment for 2007, and his name is Maze...get it? Maze... It's like Maize, but it's really not. [Ronald Bellamy's Underachieving All-Stars]

Hot Mom

This week we have a very special guest. Softball Diva Jennie Finch. A true trail blazer in the world of sports and pop culture, Jennie is as hot on the field as she is off it, once named by ESPN.com as the hottest female athlete (2003), Jennie continues to dominate the world of softball. Her career stats speak for themselves. She has appeared in numerous publications (SI,askmen.com, and Modern Bride amongst others) and tv shows including This Week in Baseball, The Late Show and The Jimmy Kimmel Show.

Jennie and I first met in San Diego on a shoot for This Week in Baseball with Tony Gwynn. We hit it off from day one and she was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to sit down with UMTailgate.com. Hope you guys enjoy and thanks so much to Jennie!

The Hammer: You recently had your first child with husband Casey Daigle (YAY!), how is life with a child?

Jennie Finch: It is such a blessing, each day is filled with surprises! We are enjoying
every second!

TH: As an elite athlete, what was it like being pregnant?

JF: It was really really fun! It is such a miracle and I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to experience it and our lil guy Ace. I had it really easy... I enjoyed being pregnant! I was able to work out the entire pregnancy, I even walked 5 miles the day before I gave birth.

TH: At what point did you have to interrupt your daily routine?

JF: About 8 months I really started showing... after about 8 1/2 no travel, which was great! Not much change other than not being able to run, liftweights intensely, and etc.

TH: Did it take you a while to get back into softball shape?

JF: I was on the field after 3 weeks trying to get back, back to my old self about 2 1/2 months. It came back real quick, which was really exciting because you never know how your body is going to react. I had National Team Try outs at 6 weeks, so that was my goal as far as coming back.

TH: Tell us about USA Softball and what the future holds for the sport?

JF: USA Softball is at its peak right now, looking forward to the 2008 Olympics.  The World Cup was a real success this year, bringing it back to the US. We head out to China for the World Championships next week. Next summer the main events are the Pan Am Games in Brazil and the World Cup. Our sport is growing and really needs to continue to grow around the world in order to create opportunities for women in our sport. Seeing the National Pro Fastpitch League get its feet underneath itself has been really exciting for our sport especially with softball being taked out of the 2012 Olympic Games. 

TH: Are you excited about going to China (for the World Championships)?

JF: Yes, we are looking forward to World Championships. This is the 2nd biggest event for softball in between the Olympic Games. We are looking forward to qualifing for the Olympics next week. It will also be good to see Beijing in preparation for 2008.

TH: At what age did people start recognizing you ("Hey, look, that's Jennie
Finch!")

JF: I would say maybe after the 2001 Womens College World Series, the year we won it!

TH: Re-live the first couple years of your stardom...From working on TWIB, to appearing on late night talk shows, to finally gracing the cover of Sports
Illustrated and appearing in their Swimsuit issue. What are some of the
craziest highlights...besides hanging with me (wink)

JF: Where do I begin, I've been able to meet some incredible people and athletes! Some highlights were meeting Donald Trump at the Emmy's and David Letterman! TWIB (This Week in Baseball, one of the longest running sports series) was really the start of my career... truly a dream job, traveling all over to Major League Stadiums interviewing players.. some favorites were interviewing Barry Bonds and pitching at Dodger Stadium with Tommy Lasorda looking on! All Star Festivities were pretty fun too! Sports Illustrated was a dream come true! Its all just crazy, I am truly living a dream and feel so blessed!  Gatorade Commercial... another dream! 

TH: Where you ever apprehensive about all the attention you got? Did you ever
feel an obligation to the sport to do something that you might not have
normally done but thought it would help softball?

JF: It gets a little tough just trying to balance everything family, softball, media, and all while still trying to be the best on the field that I can be. Its a good issue to have, I keep busy! I've had to say no to a lot of things only because it might affect training. Its tough too in a team sport, you wish you could experience everything with your teammates!!!

TH: What does the future hold for you?

JF: Raising my son Ace with my husband. Getting ready for 2008... who knows
what will come in between!

TH: Michigan won the softball national championship in 2005, tell us about some
of the Wolverines you've met and what allowed our team to finally
breakthrough the pac-10's dominance...

JF: Of Course you had to bring up your Wolverines, just kidding! It was great for our sport, what a great program, Coach Hutch has built a great program at Michigan! Its exciting to watch them play! They had great pitching, great defense, and timely hitting. That's what it takes to Win it all! having Michigan win shows and proves the growth of our sport, the talent nation wide! Jennie Ritter is a tough competitor, Jessica Merchant is so talented! Great players and great people!

TH: Are you a college football fan?

JF: Only if my Wildcats are playing!

Way Back When-sday: September 30th, 2001

Ah yes, summertime is dwindling down, and autumn is upon us.

The Tigers are recovering from a 5-game losing streak by beating up on Sox of a different color. Last night, Bonderman, Ledezma, Rodney, and Jones combined to allow just two runs, then went out and beat up some smaaart kids at a Haaavard Bar. Might have lost Placido in the process though...

Things are in full fall swing at Camp Shembechler, and if you don't know Terrance Taylor, you will soon enough. Meanwhile, Michigan is going from crap to underrated to dark horse to everybody's secret pick so fast that the AP might have us in the top-10. How can we surprise anyone if everybody knows we are coming? Sports Illustrated online featured us, and Sportcenter's Championship Series just showed us moving up to #8 after knocking off Notre Dame. They do a week from the season each day at 6pm on Sportscenter, and I've got this funny feeling they're going to ride us out as long as possible, pissing off the football powers that be at every step.

But alas, today is not about today, it's about yesterday. It's Way Back When-sday, and today we travel back to one of the early tailgates in UMTailgate.com history...

It was September 29th, 2001, and just to put into perspective how long ago that is, Michigan was about to face Illinois...and Illinois was ranked #22. Crazier still, we had not knocked off the Illini in the Big house since 1996. Wow.

Michigan put a hurting on Illinois on this day, winning 45-20. It came at the hands of unbelievably creative playcalling, which included a 51-yard pass from Marquise Walker TO Jermaine Gonzalez, and a 21-yard touchdown pass by Walter Cross. Yes, you just read that correctly. Maybe it would be more believable if I told you that our regular QB was John Navarre? The day also included a completion from Navarre to TE Bill Seymour, and a reverse for a touchdown by Calvin Bell. Christ, how did we win any games that year? Well, we did get crushed in the Citrus Bowl by Tennessee 45-17.

But the game was not the big story. Captain Michigan retired his leg wrestling championship belt on this day, and became the first person inducted into the UMTailgate.com Hall of Fame. His name was etched into history on the UMTailgate.com flag, which was unveiled by Bubba for the first time in front of a capacity tailgate crowd.

See the original post here, the pictures here, and share your memories of this special day below.

Scheduling note: Michigan Fan Day has been officially scheduled for August 26th.

17 days? You're not ready.