Weekend Roundup: Knight Rider Edition: February 18, 2008

​I'm sure there will be a YouTube or BTN video clip of it soon enough, but head coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the crowd at halftime of the Michigan-OSU basketball game. It came off of an alumni weekend and a Friday event that had 300 plus in attendance. From the Sporting News:

During his remarks, several hundred Ohio State fans seated in the upper bowl of the arena began chanting "Tressel," referring to Buckeyes head coach Jim Tressel, and held up a sign that said "1,548 days," which referred to the number of days since Michigan had defeated Ohio State in football.

Rodriguez turned to the Ohio State fans and told them, "I hope you guys up there enjoy your seats." Wolverine fans than began counter chanting, "Beat the Buckeyes." To that, Rodriguez said, "Amen. I hear ya!"

1548 days? Just threw up a bit in my mouth. Further quoting fun from the Detroit News...

"When you come in the Big House, when the maize and blue come out of that tunnel, I guarantee you they will play hard and they will play physical," said Rodriguez amidst cheers.

What if I just want them to be really really fast?

Michigan Hockey is on a serious roll. They swept Lake State over the weekend, solidifying 1st place in the CCHA and their #1 National Ranking. To summarize, I give you The Blog That Yost Built, which covers hockey like I cover Southern Omlettes in sausage gravy:

Michigan is now 5 points ahead of both Miami and Michigan State with all schools having 4 games left to play. Notre Dame is nine points back and has been officially eliminated from contention. That means that Michigan needs only split their last four to win the CCHA title outright, and can finish no worse than 3rd in the conference.

According to a Freep article, Amani Toomer isn't very friendly with Lloyd Carr:

The last time I heard a word from Lloyd was when I was playing in a (Michigan) game; it was my last play of my senior year. I caught a touchdown from Brian Griese, and I was walking off the field and Lloyd looks at me, looks at Griese, looks at me again, and goes, "Good throw, Brian." And that's the last thing he ever said in my direction.

Uhhhhhh. OK. Of note...is that a painting of Amani Toomer attached to this article?

Bullet points, baby, bullet points...

• Michigan's first recruiting class under Rodriguez gets an 'A'. Unfortunately, it's from a magazine/website that uses the team nickname for the title of its periodical. (Ask the Expert - Freep.com)


• You know what you can do with your stupid gold pants? Wear them to the NIT, bitch. (OSU Goes For Four Year Sweep... - The Plain Dealer)


• Good content with a condescending title. (Michigan, finally, Beats Buckeyes - Freep.com)


• Reason #1 why chicks and sports don't mix. (...Maryland Coach Gives Birth - ESPN.com)

Will There Ever Be A Day...

​...when teams rush the court after knocking us off? Maybe. For now we bask in the glory of defeating the Buckeyes at SOMETHING. It's the first win over OSU in the Thad Matta era. For those that don't follow Columbus coaching changes, we last beat them in 2004.

The students and fans took to the floor. The act of a desperate fan base? Maybe a little. Ohio State WAS unranked. But hey, we are in the midst of baby steps here....so back off. Just to reiterate some of the same feelings from after the Iowa game, our best case scenario for this team is not to be completely embarrassed by them. A three-game winning streak is a good place to start. DeShawn Sims and Manny Harris combined for 49, including 21-24 from the free throw line. That's our future right there. Cue Beilein:

The way we have climbed out of it and put together a nice winning streak lately shows the kind of poise and character that this team is comprised of. We have had a lot of players step up recently that have made this winning streak even possible.

Poise...check. Character...check. Talent?

They really didn't look like freshman out there," Beilein said. "I think both of their clutch performances today show you how much they have grown as basketball players this year. They were cool, calm and collected and hit clutch free throws."

OK, so we're learning...we're growing. Time for the stretch run, and before you completely count the upstart Wolverines out, remember that there is a reason they call it March Madness.

Quick Hits...

​Yes, I am doing this post just to keep up my streak for lent.

Congrats to Marty Turco, who just logged his 200th career victory.  Marty was in the nets for two Michigan Hockey National Championships.  More importantly, I used to don a full bright yellow Turco Michigan jersey during my time at the U.  It fit poorly, but was really comfy.  If you were paying attention back in October, you could've got this signed away jersey through the charity sponsored by The Hammer.

Meanwhile, in a square off of the Alabama blogging community (yes, apparently they have computers there) vs. MGoBlog, MGoblog wins the battle.  But in the end, Alabama wins the war because they've never had this many people look at their backwoods illiterate musings.

Tomorrow, 1PM, CBS...Buckeyes.

Turning This Thing Around...Right Now?

​The Pirates fell tonight by 3 to Grosse Ile. Pretty big game. Huron league title on the line...but we couldn't pull it out. So on the long trek back from The D.R. to Ann Arbor, I was pretty pissed. I couldn't find anything on satellite radio to listen to. The two CDs in rotation in my changer have run out of steam. I rotated between Lithium 24 and The Coffee House. The bitch of it is...I forgot Michigan was playing a basketball game. This is what it has come to. Fairweather? I guess. It's just that it has become so irrelevant. How horrible is that?

I arrived back in A2 with a halftime text message. Wolverines trail by 11. Not the end of the world, right? Well, what if Iowa only has 27 points? That leaves us with....wait for it....16 points in the first half. Disgusting. So I'm at home in time for the 2nd half, and as a special added treat, the game is on a non-BTN network, good ol' ESPN. Nice. Gotta be honest though, I considered not bothering. Hey, I had Lost in the DVR. But I opted to do the manly thing and settle in for some brutal Big Ten basketball.

What a pleasant surprise it was to find a Michigan team come out of the locker room swinging. They quickly closed the gap with Iowa, and controlled the pace for the remainder of the game. Anthony Wright, who before tonight I couldn't pick out of a lineup, hit a couple of big shots down the stretch with Manny Harris and Epke Udoh in foul trouble. Michigan pulled away, eventually outscoring Iowa 44-25 in the 2nd half, and winning the game 60-52. Iowa is no world beater, but they have managed to knock off Ohio State and held Michigan State to 36 total points on this same court. After a six game mid-season Big Ten skid, the Wolverines have managed to put together a couple of wins. We call that a streak folks.

What's the best case scenario for the remainder of the season? Not being completely embarrassed, I suppose. Maybe getting a little momentum going for next year. When they hit their shots, they are certainly watchable, so it may be time for you to get to know these Wolverines if you haven't already. Their next two are non-BTN too, starting with the Buckeyes at Crisler on Sunday (CBS) and a trip to Tubbyville on the 21st (ESPN).

And get your brackets dusted off....the 8th Annual UMTailgate.com Tournament Challenge is right around the corner. Yessir.

I'll end with a little housekeeping:

• Thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims of Thursday's senseless attack at Northern Illinois University. This college campus shooting crap has run its course. I just wish these assholes wouldn't be so cowardly as to take their own lives, so instead we can find a way to make them suffer.


• In political news, UMTailgate.com is officially announcing its support for presidential candidate John McCain.


• In college football rules news...they're trying to shorten games. Right, because in the 4th quarter of a college football game at Michigan Stadium, I'm always thinking about how I wish it would end as soon as possible. Whatever. For a funny take on said rules adjustments, visit EDSBS. It's worth a read...and you don't want to be the only one sitting in the stands yelling about how the clock is running before the snap after a play that ended out of bounds.

Spring. As in...warmer. As in...football.

​Seriously? I think EDSBS says it best with the title of their post: It's Too Soon to Talk Spring Practice Let's Talk Spring Practice. However, it's certainly worth mentioning that there's going to be a spread offense running plays in Ann Arbor in five weeks. That's right, the new era of Michigan Football in all of its adidas wearing glory will begin on March 18th. Barwis is going to have some sore players on his hands, being that they are going to now be going to lifting actual weights.

EDSBSdigresses...

Michigan begins practice on the sensible date of March 18th. With Lloyd Carr gone, we may assume the dogs and razor wire have been removed from around the practice fields, and the process may be a more transparent one as a whole for the Wolverines. DickRod may actually correlate reports of weather conditions, something Carr thought was for pinko commie sissypant dog rapists.

Well said fellas, I don't even mind the "DickRod" crack.

Of note on the Rivals.com list of Spring Practices...a Spring GAME date for Michigan. April 15th people...mark the calendar right now. Ummmm.....but that's a Tuesday!?!? Where? Your guess is as good as mine. Just be happy it doesn't interfere with THE season schedule. God I miss Jeremy Lesueur.