August 06, 2012

Happy Belated Birthday, Tom

August 06, 2012/ The Webmaster

Tom Brady's Wicked Accent from Tom Brady

Happy (belated) Birthday to Tom Brady, former Michigan quarterback, future NFL hall-of-famer and significant-other to supermodel Gisele. Tom turned 35 on Friday, which means you are getting old.

Tom has won multiple season and Super Bowl MVPs, has appeared in 5 Super Bowls in his 10 seasons at the helm, and won three of them. But most importantly, he continues to represent the University of Michigan, despite a fanbase that refused to recognize his talent until the final game of his college career, and just wanted him to get out of the way of Drew Henson's impending Heisman campaigns (which went about as well as Ron Pawlus's).

Anyway, we love you Tom, and more importantly, we love to pretend we always did. Happy 35th buddy.

August 05, 2012

Weekend Roundup, "'Cause I Got a Golden Ticket" Edition: 8/6/2012

August 05, 2012/ The Webmaster

They're here. All six of them. Smallest ticket package that has arrived at my home in some time. The tickets are significantly smaller (as in not lanyard compatible like last year) and there's not many. And the prices on them are exuberant. Seems like only yesterday we hit that $75 face mark....and now we've got a $95 MSU ticket. This shit ain't getting any cheaper folks.

Here's what happened around the internets while you watched the tigers beat Ohio.

You like the new Big Ten logo, or the new B1G logo? Well, we we've got one on the home jersey now, and a pair on the field. Maize and Blue Nation discusses the process, which involved cutting out a chunk of the field turf and replacing it with a new piece with the logo on it.
MGoBlog covers the new numbers for the incoming freshman as well as growing beard progress and "dread-flow."
Speaking of tickets arriving, Dooley covers the team numbers and the guys being honored in each game. This new patch every game, in my opinion, completely cheapens the whole legends jersey idea. Anyway, he points out a glaring flaw in the Gary Moeller ticket...while I still ponder how we don't have egg on our face as an institution for firing a coach and honoring him 18 years later. Weird? Weird.
Sporting News has a nice article on the hoops revival in Ann Arbor.
The first home game is Air Force. A game that concerns me. Now they're down 5 dudes, all starters or penciled in starters. Now we can concentrate on the tailgate.
AnnArbor.com profiles Matt Wile vs. Will Hagerup in the battle to see who 's gonna nail those coffin corners.
26 long years of waiting, and the Big Ten championship rings have arrived in Ann Arbor.
ESPN reports on... Exit Justin Brown, the latest Penn State starter to see the light and get the hell out of State College.
When I was 11 and I had a paper route, my mother was terrified I was going to be kidnapped. What she didn't realize, is that I, at a robust 160lbs, I was the last kid they were looking to take. Too much heavy lifting. When I heard that Montee Ball got attacked, and that it was a random act of violence....I called bullshit from jump street. Nobody looks to attack 5'11'', 210 pound muscle-bound football players. Big surprise...ESPN says it looks like it was more than just random. These boys are in some trouble, no doubt further weakening a Leaders division that already only has 4 teams eligible for postseason play.

August 02, 2012

Poll-ish

August 02, 2012/ The Webmaster

30 days before we play, and 4 days before we start practice...yet we have a poll. Michigan clocks in at #8 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, and Alabama is #2. This locks in the prime time showdown on September 1st as a battle between top 10 teams...and that's exactly what the "powers that be" wanted. It's going to be a ridiculous spectacle. It's going to be a huge Saturday night opening audience. It's going to be a chance for Michigan to make a grand opening statement.

Three other Big Ten teams are in the top 25: Wisconsin (12), MSU (13), and Nebraska (16). Ohio State is not eligible for this poll, nor is Penn State. Which makes me wonder, what other Big Ten team is going to crack the top 25? Nobody else even appears in the "others receiving votes" section, but I envision a couple finding themselves ranked as we hit mid-October:

The Hawkeyes (SB Nation Preview), despite having running back trouble like Rich Rod's Michigan teams had cornerback trouble, have Northern Illinois (at Soldier Field), Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Central Michigan, Minnesota, and a bye week before travelling to East Lansing on 10/13. If they can find a way to get past the seemingly yearly hiccup that is Iowa State, they should be 5-0 in mid-October, good enough for a ranking in the late teens to early 20's, depending on style points.

And I'm high on Northwestern (Chicago Now Preview) this year. Transfer 6'5'' 220lb WR Kyle Prater got a pass from the NCAA so he could play this year, and he'll be getting balls from Kain Colter. Kain played early in the season in place of the injured Dan Persa, and showed he has a Tebow-esque skill set. Their season starts at Syracuse before returning home for Vandy, BC, South Dakota, and Indiana. Then they travel to Penn State and Minnesota. They could easily be 7-0 before hosting Nebraska on 10/20, at which point you'll be sick of hearing about Pat Fitzgerald and the Wildcats' cinderella story.

Yes, it's just a poll, and it's a preseason one at that. But what the hell else do we have to talk about?

July 30, 2012

Weekend Roundup: Big Ten Meetings Edition 7-30-12

July 30, 2012/ The Webmaster

My god it's nearly August. Jet plane for Jerry's World leaves in less than a month. Game with defending national champion in 32 days. Whoa.

Here's what happened across the internets while you pondered how much it would cost to actually become Batman:

AnnArbor.com takes a look at Michigan's new roster, which now includes the incoming freshmen. Of note, everybody is fully embracing the Gittleson plan, packing on pounds and no doubt getting slower, namely Jibreel Black and Craig Roh. We are about to Lloyd the shit out of this team. Soon after its release, Mgoblog took that roster and analyzed it like it was their job...which I guess it is. You wish your job was that cool.
Denard comes out of games for injuries. You've seen it. I've seen it. His style of play makes it an inevitability. So it's a good idea to have a good back up. We have a serviceable one whose abilities have yet to be tapped...and we've decided that he needs to get time at wide receiver. I guess we've got to appease him before Shane Morris gets here and forces him to switch positions in the name of pro-style philosophies., but does it make sense for THIS season? Anyway, the Freep says he's busy adjusting to his role.
From ESPN...Brady speaks at Big Ten Media Days about being the preseason Big Ten favorite, moving Roh and Black, and Will Campbell's abs.
Denard Robinson, whose 3229 rushing yards is just 667 shy of Randle El's Big Ten QB record, spoke at the Big Ten media days.
Black Shoe Diaries covers the six top recruits that have decided to reaffirm their verbals to Penn State. I sympathize with what the Penn State blogosphere is going through...it sucks and its not your fault it sucks. I also appreciate the fact that this is good news for Penn State right now. I also want to be clear that these six kids will not be signing with Penn State in February. You'd have to be bat shit crazy to sign up for four years of no bowls, a team short on scholarship athletes, and no ability (short of a fifth year of eligibility) to reap any benefits of your efforts.
Urban Meyer's camp "Friday Night Lights" debuted in Columbus this weekend. From the sound of the Eleven Warriors recap, it was a resounding success, and it gave onlookers a chance to gaze upon the horseshoe's new scoreboard and new and louder music. And the scoreboard wars continue....
Boiled Sports presents 2012's pivotal Boilermakers, players that are going to need to step up to get them the success they pine for, which is apparently 8 wins.
Derrick Walton, who is about a year from his arrival at Michigan, lead his AAU team to the Adidas Super 64 Championship in Las Vegas on Sunday, and was named the tournament MVP. UMHoops has more.
Iowa has beaten Michigan three times in a row, a first in the series that dates back to 1900. No player our team has beaten Iowa...or Michigan State for that matter. Damn you Rodriguez Years! Anyway, Hawk Central reminds you of your Hawkeye problem.
For all things recruiting, you need yourself some UM BBQ. Maize and Brew covers the event in great detail.
People in glass houses are occasionally allowed to throw stones. So, despite this...I still take great pleasure in this. Maybe if Brady and Urban get together they can universally decide not to have their players miss playing time in a closed door meeting. That way, nobody can talk shit about the other, and Fitz can start in Texas.
AnnArbor.com covers Brady Hoke's proficiency in night games. 3-0 last year....9-0 in that Ball State miracle year. Good news considering the schedule is skewed toward the latter part of the day on Saturdays this fall.
They're going to let students into the Big House to watch the Cowboys Classic on the big screens. Very cool. Good luck keeping the alcohol out of there on a Saturday night on welcome weekend.
Jalen Rose will join ESPN College Gameday...the hoops version...this fall along with Bruce Pearl.
Eleven Warriors doesn't exactly pine for Shane Morris, but they certainly do pine for there own version of this recruiting recruit.

July 23, 2012

One Step Closer to Yellow Jerseys

July 23, 2012/ The Webmaster

I believe a day will come when we will look back at the absolute ridiculousness of what the Oregon Ducks have done with their gameday wardrobes over the past 10 years, and call it normal. The Michigan - Michigan State game last year was nothing short of an embarrassment...us in our bumblebee whites, and MSU in their "ode to Colorado State," battling it out, looking like a couple of fictional pro teams from a movie that couldn't afford to pony up the cash for the uniform rights. But maybe I'm just getting old. The kids seem to like this playing dress up stuff, and swoon at words like "pro-combat" and "legacy"...as do the players. And nobody loves it like Dave Brandon loves it. Let's be honest, every alternate uniform is a money grab. Fortunately, Dave seems to be getting the picture that you have to spread these things out for them to continue to have an impact.

Michigan will wear its traditional home and road uniforms for the remainder of the regular season.

Ya, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a impromptu last minute reveal at the Notre Dame night game...so take that statement with a grain of salt.

All of that being said, a couple of good things have come out of this iteration of the Michigan away jersey, unveiled today for the Cowboys Classic vs. Alabama:. First, I kinda like it. It seems to be a step back towards normal. I'm glad to be rid of the early 1900's striping trend we seemed to be in love with. Second, it was made clear that the helmet number will appear for the Alabama game (even though for some reason it's not shown here)...and then disappear for the rest of the season. That would be great. Again, cool shit needs to be spaced out to have an impact.