Your 2003 Michigan Wolverines

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From Beale to Bourbon to 7th Avenue

It was arduous, but well worth it, as the UMTailgate.com tour took the long way to Tampa. Travelling through Stevensville, Memphis, and New Orleans ended the monotony of the straight shot down Wolverine Bowl Game Parkway (A.K.A. I-75). In Tampa, we (Webmaster and Bloomfield) met up with Stephen, Bubba, and Old Frank for a quick tailgate, some souvenir shopping, and a stadium tour. Yes, a stadium tour was warranted before the game. I can't stress enough how much better Raymond-James Stadium (known to the locals as Ray-Jay) is than the Citrus Bowl. Someone needs to swap the position of these bowls in the Big Ten - SEC hierarchy. The food was actually edible, the beer was cold, and the place was clean.

The Strength is in Our Defense?

A shootout at the Outback Bowl ended with victory for the Wolverines. Chris Perry ran for four touchdowns and had just under 200 all-purpose yards. John Navarre threw for over 300 yards. But the game was won by taking care of the football and capitalizing on turnovers. Coupled with opportune offensive conversions, the Wolverines pulled away from the Gators and sealed a 38-30 victory.

The Ohio State University is The National Champion

Stealing the fire from my bowl season enjoyment, the Buckeyes upset the Miami Hurricanes and ended the season 14-0, winning the concensus National Championship of college football. Did you cheer or jeer? Mixed emotions filled the Ann Arbor bar from which I viewed the game. Crossed between rooting for the Big Ten and deep rooted hatred for the Buckeyes, I chose the latter, and explained to those that cheered for the scarlet and grey that if Michigan was in Ohio State's position, the Buckeyes would be rooting against the Wolverines so vehemently that Columbus would have been renamed North Beach. Now that it's over, I'm happy for the Big Ten, and happy that the Wolverines may be able to use what they witnessed as motivation for next season. And we WILL need motivation, as the media will no doubt be hyping the 'high-powered' offense that is returning with two seniors at the two biggest skill positions.

The Navarre-Ending Story: Part 2

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The End

It will be known nationally as another classic chapter in the long and storied history of college football's greatest rivalry. It will be known to Buckeye fans as one of their finest moments and one of their greatest triumphs. For Michigan fans, it was another dissappointing performance in a big game by John Navarre, who while playing well for 56 minutes, turned the ball over twice in the last 4 minutes to seal the 14-9 victory for the Buckeyes. The Buckeyes move on to where everyone had dreams of going, Tempe for the Fiesta Bowl. Meanwhile, it's a return trip to Florida for the Wolverines, who will try to salvage a season by getting to double digit wins and avoid another 4-loss campaign.

A Little Consolation...Tailgating Season Just Got Extended

Following the game, JJ (the artist formerly known as Tuggy) and I received word that the Riverview Pirates had beaten Jackson Lumen Christi 31-8 and will move on to the state finals in the Pontiac Silverdome. The game will be at 8pm on Friday against Grand Rapids South Christian. Attendees may include the Godfather himself, so expect a full force UMTailgate.com tailgate. Those interested in attending should not hesitate to contact me.

The Cheeseheads Fall Again

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The End of the Home Campaign

The chilly air couldn't kill the festive mood as the UMTailgate.com family met at home for the final time this season. This year's home tailgates were easily the best in UMTailgate.com's short history, breaking attendance, alcohol, and food preparation records. Thanks to everyone that attended and participated throughout the year.

On the field, the Wolverines struggled, blowing a 14-point lead for the second straight week, this time by turning the ball over and giving up a punt return for a touchdown. But the defense prevailed in the 2nd half, not allowing the Badgers to cross the goal line, and Michigan prevailed, 21-14.

The Banquet

Following the game the crew all headed to Damon's Grill for the yearly banquet, celebrating several tailgater birthdays, another successful year of tailgating, and another successful year of Michigan football.

Exploiting Their Weaknesses

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Rolling Along

There was no tailgate this week. That's right, no tailgate. Minnesota has a detached campus. Detached meaning that the stadium is not within the confines of the campus. This makes the college atmosphere surrounding the Metrodome less than festive. So after late night dinner at Murray's steakhouse the previous evening, the bulk of the crew made their way on Saturday morning to Minnesota's campus to eat at Al's Breakfast, a local greasy spoon and Gopher favorite for a morning meal. The entire restaurant was the size of a small hallway, and only had fourteen seats, all counter front bar stools. Patrons lines up behind the seats and out the door, waiting for the unique taste of food cooked on an uncleaned griddle. We almost felt like we were tasting a bit of history, if history is grease left over from hash browns cooked the last time Minnesota had the Jug in their possession. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was great, and the food was too.

With no tailgate in sight, the usual suspects of UMTailgate.com took their place in Hubert's, a tavern within spitting distance of the dome and adorned with Twins, Vikings, and Gopher memorabilia. We arrived a little after noon and settled in for seven hours of beer, bar food, and football on TV. It was interesting to see this group sitting around on a fall Saturday afternoon watching college football on TV. Mind you, the crew in question hasn't missed a game between them this season, so watching games on TV comes only on bye weeks. Some friendly bets were placed between us as pitcher after pitcher and chicken wing after chicken wing arrived.

We stumbled into the dome, tipping our caps to UMTailgate.com Hall of Fame member John Dogan and his wife on the way to our seats. Tooting my own horn, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the 700 mile journey to the Metrodome completes my tour of the Big Ten stadiums, and I may have to admit that I saved the WORST for last, despite the fact that alcohol was served during the game. College football is meant to be played in the sun, meaning it should be both outdoors AND during the day. In Minneapolis we had neither. While the atmosphere was certainly unique, it had that manufactured feel about it, not unlike watching the Lions play in the Silverdome. The sound system was slightly better than at Riverview High School (Note: Riverview 27, Center Line 12...Pirates advance to Regional Finals at Marine City) and the turf was two-toned where they insert the Golden Gopher endzones onto the Viking's field surface.

What does all of this add up to? A big win for the Wolverines, who after allowing the Gophers back into the game early in the second half, dominated the end of the third and all of the fourth quarter to come away with a 41-24 victory. The Little Brown Jug remains in Ann Arbor, and all is well with the college football universe.

Up Next: Bucky Badger and Friends

GO BLUE!!!

The Webmaster

DOMINATION

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It's Great To Be A Michigan Wolverine

And it's even better not to be a Spartan. Just when the Spartans had seemed to hit rock bottom, the Wolverines dug the hole a little deeper and stuffed them in it. Not since 1947 had the Spartans endured such a beating. The Maize and Blue racked up seven unanswered touchdowns on way to a 49-3 thrashing of Michigan State in front of the 3rd largest crowd in college football history. No extra second, no bad call in the endzone, no controversy whatsoever, just annihilation.

Rivalry games seem to bring out the best in teams. It's a test of heart, of 'who wants it more?'. Rivalry games make miracles happen. The most downtrodden teams have the opportunity to change their seasons. Coaches can save (or lose) their jobs. Players look accross the line and see people they played with and against in high school. Bragging rights are on the line. Players come to play. That's what makes this win so amazing. After disappointing their fans and being labeled 'underachieving talent', after being a dark horse National Champion pick only to be clinging to a chance at a bowl bid, and after their quarterback was suspended for substance abuse, what did the Spartans do? Nothing. They sat back and watched. They quit...and I love it. It's time to talk trash to your Sparty friends. Give it to them good...for a full year. Remind them that if you totalled up all the points Michigan State has won by in their 8 victories since 1978, you would come up with a total of forty-six points, the same differential that Michigan racked up in sixty-minutes.

The Pros and Cahns of Tailgating

The last two tailgates have been amazing. The amount of food, drinks, and people is increasing weekly despite the chill in the air. On Saturday, we were graced with the presence of Joe Cahn, the Commisioner of Tailgating. Amazingly, we had prepared a sausage and cheese chowder recipe off of his website, Tailgating.com. He enjoyed a bowl of chowder and chatted with us about tailgating techniques. On Sunday, CBS This Morning ran a story on Joe, following him for a weekend in Pennsylvania. As it aired, he was tailgating with Lions fans at Ford Field, completing his weekend in Michigan. Thanks to The Commissioner for stopping by UMTailgate.com and for the Tailgating America apron. It will be worn with pride.