Weekend Roundup, #1 Edition

So, we've reached that time of year where I make that post where I tell you that rumors of this website's demise have been greatly exaggerated.  So there's that.  Apologies, I'll do better, missing pictures are coming, more content, etc., etc., etc...  You can't trust me. That you can trust.

Roundup?  Roundup.

• It's Super Bowl week, so there will be a Michigan player in action.  Also, a Michigan Man will coach Michigan....er, I mean San Francisco...and Baltimore I guess.  Jimmy Hardballs was my first love in Maize and Blue.  I pretended I was him (and at 9 years old, I probably already weighed as much as him) as I snapped the ball to myself in a one-on-one tackle football game I'd play with a friend on the cement floor of my basement, dodging my dad's rusty iron weights that were laying around.  It was a barbaric 10-yard fight, and we were both lucky it didn't end in cracked skulls.  16 years later, I got a new appreciation for Jim, as at around 40 years of age, he still was pulling tail at Rick's.  He was my idol in youth, and my mentor as I approached the "inappropriate to go to Rick's" age.  Also, he did this...

• It was a good week.  Very good.  We can only go downhill from here...  Running back Derrick Green committed to a teary eyed Brady Hoke, resulting in creative uses of the Spartan trademarked color, such and Maize + Blue = Green.  Great.  I think he should change his name.  MGoBlog Hello post  |  New Blue from Maize N Brew  |  Hat Presentation from Maize and Blue Nation  |  Touch the Banner updates recruiting  

• Hoops held serve at home against Purdue, and had a big road win against Illinois.  MGoBlog Recap  |  ESPN Recap  |  UMHoops Recap  |   ....which resulted in Michigan climbing to the top of the AP poll for the first time since baggy shorts became cool,  though still #2 in the Coaches Poll (fuck you Tom Osbourne)...  Eleven Warriors updates it's Big Ten power rankings.  Also, Bacari Alexander is weird.

• It wasn't all rainbows and unicorns though.  Michigan Hockey sucks, and Denard, well, Denard will always have his smile.

• But let's not end there, here's a Winter Outlook of Wolverines Football, and a coach really jamming the idea of the extra pass home.

Big Chill Pics

Win the Tournament to Make THE Tournament

Michigan Hockey and Michigan Basketball have similar goals in the next week.  They both need to win their conference tournaments in order to make the NCAA tournament.  While Michigan Basketball is trying to make it two consecutive trips to the 64-team "dance"...Michigan Hockey is attempting to continue a 19 year tradition of making the much smaller field of 16 (which was only 8 prior to 2003).  The hockey team began the CCHA tournament this weekend with a matchup against LSSU (CCHA tournament bracket here).  They dispatched of the Lakers in dominating fashion, outscoring LSSU 5-2 on Friday, and 6-0 tonight.  Hopefully carrying momentum, Michigan advances to meet Michigan State next weekend in a best of three game series at Munn in East Lansing.

Confirmed...and Sorta Confirmed, but Shady

Hockey confirmed in the great outdoors.  MSU confirmed as the opponent.

Maurice Clarett's blog confirmed as his, but there seems to be some question as to how the words actually appear on the webpage, as there is no internet for inmates in Toledo Correctional.  Word has it that he dictates it to a relative that keys it in.  Sounds shady, but at least it explains the lack of misspellings and the grammatically correct prose.

We Laugh At Your Attempts At Hockey Crowd Records

​Hard to believe, but Michigan played Michigan State in hockey, outside at Spartan Stadium, over seven years ago.  They billed it as the Cold War, and it drew 74,554 fans, eclipsing a record (55,000) held previously by an area that played a part in the real Cold War...Moscow.  It was an amazing event (minus the cement laden venue in hell on Earth) right up until the end, where it ended in a tie.  Everybody knows a tie is like kissing your sister, and in this case it was even worse because it was like kissing your little brother.  So epic, yet so unsatisfying.

Enter the Wisconsin Badgers, who have decided to drum up a limited skirmish in Madison next February featuring the fair Wolverines.  The contracts are all but signed, and let me tell you, as Madison is my imaginary second home, that they will fill that stadium.  The drinking abilities and spirit of that town, coupled with the rabid traveling posse that would follow the Wolverines anywhere...even Columbus...and you've got yourself a recipe for a record crowd watching a hockey game.  That's going to take the record away from Sparty, and there's nothing wrong with that.  They'll be left with their record low number of Big Ten football titles, so ya, nice.

While we the Wolverines will have enjoyed participating in the two largest crowds ever to witness ice hockey, we also enjoy filling our own stadium with 100,000+ every football weekend.  Ahem, that's every weekend since 1975.  So we've decided that we will allow Badger Stadium to enjoy their record crowd...for 10 months.  After 10 months, when we're coming off of a seven game home football slate showcasing our new stadium, and making plans for a BCS bowl game, we will host our own hockey game, capacity 108,000.  When the ice dust has settled, Michigan will once again be #1, and unbeatable until they find a way to host a hockey game at MIS.  Michigan will have played in front of the #1,#2, and #3 largest crowds in ice hockey, which basically reminds the sports world that WE ARE THE SHIT.