Unreal

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I thought I was done being surprised by Michigan Football.  It's almost an impossibility when you are constantly expecting the unexpected.  I'm arrogant enough (being a typical Michigan fan) to think that I have seen it all.  In short, I lived through the Navarre years.  However, on Saturday, they managed to floor me twice.

To say that the first half was abysmal would be a huge compliment to the performance on the field.  The turnover problem that plagued us at Notre Dame was not solved by two weeks of practice surrounding the bye, in fact, it somehow got worse.  5 turnovers...20 plays....20 yards.....negative passing yards.  The announcers came back from the half and explained that they would like to show a graphic of Threet's first half performance but they couldn't because their software can't process negative passing yards.  We had a pretty lengthy discussion in section 30 about how difficult it is to have negative passing yards.  The result of the discussion?  Pretty goddamn difficult.

You, like me, have had several conversations about this game with friends and co-workers, and from the box score reader or casual fan, you might have fielded the question "Wow, what do you think Rich Rod said to them at halftime to get them fired up?"  Well, I don't have time for the debate on the overrated effectiveness of speeches, but I can tell you two things...#1 Rich Rod told the reporter in the postgame that he didn't say much....#2 We still sucked big time for a large portion of the third quarter.  So...what did it?  What flipped the switch on a group of young men that got booed off the field by their home crowd louder than they were booed upon their field entrance AT Notre Dame?  (P.S. shame on you assholes that booed)

I don't know.

That first touchdown was only a medium spark.  In fact, at 19-7, I remember being pissed as a fan that they were going to drag me into caring again, when I was CERTAIN that we didn't have the horses for this race.  But then that second touchdown came, and it was a one possession game.  It was at this point that I awakened from the offensive funk just long enough to realize what the defense had done to that point.  I had spent so much time with my head up my ass thinking about how we were never going to win another game with this offense, that I didn't realize that we were owning theirs.  And we were getting stronger.  Penetration was increasing, receivers were covered, PJ Hill wasn't worth a shit against our front.

Enter confidence, which spread like wildfire thru the Maize-clad faithful and down to the sideline, where they wondered what took us so long to believe.

The defense then picked a perfect time to score, letting the offense know that they would do it themselves if they had to, and after a failed 2-point conversion, it was 20-19...Michigan leads.  It all happened so fast.  Then Threet gave us a repeat rendition of his magic trick, leaving Brandon Minor to be sawed in half as he scurried on borrowed legs for 58 yards...the longest play of the RichRod era.  McGuffie, who shined a bit less without the help of the porous defense of the golden domers, still managed to pound it in, giving the Wolverines an 8-point lead.

The Badgers would not go quietly, getting an 11-play, 63 yard drive followed by a 6-play, 64-yard drive in their last 2 possessions.  The first of which ended with a Brandon Graham forced fumble, the second ended with a touchdown.  But a mysterious (to those at the game) inelligible receiver penalty forced a re-try of the two-point conversion.  The pass sailed high.  Wisconsin, who if they had reviewed our game films should have realized that booting it deep is a viable way to recover a football from our special teams, instead opted for the onside kick.  Not ten yards...out of bounds...pandemonium.

On this day of the 500th contest on the field that Yost dug, a group of boys wearing Maize and Blue made you impatient for the future...then reminded you not to forget about the present.

Michigan wins 27-25.

Theme Alert: German

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The second season starts on Saturday as the Badgers make their way into town to open the Big Ten slate.  The Wolverines are touchdown dogs at home for the first time since, well, ever...I think.  Join us as we welcome the Badgers with German cuisine and boots of beer, Essen Haus style, and attempt to maintain our 22 game Big Ten home opener streak.  Preliminary menu includes...


  • German apple pancakes and bacon

  • Potato pancakes with chicken paprikash

  • Brats

  • Bratchos

  • Cheesy potatoes

  • Sauerkraut cookies

  • Sauerkraut lasagna

  • Beer Beer and more beer


See you there, and GO BLUE!!!!!!

Weekend Roundup, Bye Week Edition: 9/22/08

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Here's what happened on the internets on the only relaxing weekend you will have until Thanksgiving.


In website news, the pictures are almost done....I know you miss the random photo.

Make Your Own Damn Jalepeno Poppers

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These spicy little bastards take some time to put together, but they are well worth it.  The nice thing is, you can make them the night before, put them in your customized popper tray, and take them from fridge to grill when you are ready.  Also, they keep well in the fridge after cooking, and are surprisingly tasty cold.  If you don't have the means to acquire said popper tray, or you have banned yourself from Cabela's because you are afraid you might blow $500 on new tackle, these can be done without the tray.  Just lean them on their side and roast them, but try to get the tops as vertical as possible.  As they start to really heat up, they're gonna need constant attention as the water chestnut will certainly try to escape and take some cream cheese with it.  Not that they don't require attention when they are on the tray, as in most cases the bacon fat will cause flare-ups.  Just keep the heat low and keep them on the grill until that bacon looks crispy.  Don't fear a blackened bottom on the pepper...that's where the flavor comes from.

This recipe came from our old friends at Diner's Drive-In's and Dives by way of The BBQ Shack in Paola, Kansas.  Rest assured, Mangino has had a few of these in his time.  It's rare that I fail to alter a recipe I find on the internet, but this time, things looked pretty much perfect, so all I added was a bit of my home-blended chili spice on top....  From foodtv.com:

Jalapeno Poppers

1 can whole water chestnuts
2 cups soy sauce
Approximately 1 1/2 to 2-pounds brown sugar
1 dozen large jalapeno peppers
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 pound thin sliced bacon
All-purpose bbq rub

Preheat grill over medium-high heat.

Take whole water chestnuts, put in a plastic bowl or container of some type and cover the chestnuts with soy sauce. Then pour enough brown sugar into the bowl to cover the chestnuts. It will dissolve as you put it in so it may take a fair amount of brown sugar. Let them marinate, refrigerated, overnight. In the morning, stir the mixture and let sit until you need them.

Cut the stems off the peppers. The larger the jalapeno the better. Core the jalapenos. You can find a tool called a chili twister at most BBQ/fireplace stores. Warm the package of cream cheese in the microwave and squeeze it into a quart freezer bag. Cut a little bit of the corner off the bag and use it as a pastry bag. Fill only the bottom part of the pepper. Now stuff 1 or 2 chestnuts into the pepper. You may need to cut the chestnuts in half. Leave a little space at the top of the pepper. Take a pound of bacon (thin sliced works best) and cut strips of bacon in half. Wrap each pepper with the half slices of bacon. Use toothpicks to keep bacon in place. Using the rest of the cream cheese, fill the remaining space at the top of the peppers. I sprinkle a little bit of all-purpose bbq rub on top for some color. They are ready to cook.

Place onto grill and cook until bacon is done. Watch them closely! If the bacon grease pools it will catch fire. Open grates work good (but the bacon drippings will still catch fire), but an offset fire works best. Also at most BBQ/fireplace stores you can find holders that will hold 1, 2, or 3 dozen jalapenos.

Returning to the Echoes, Waking the Glory, and the Early Bird Gathers No Moss

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Perhaps we hate them so much because we fear that we are headed down the same path...or perhaps that's why it's so tough to hate them.  They have been an afterthought in the college football world for several years now, but beyond those several years, they hold a place in college football history that is unparalleled.

Today however, they are coming very close to losing a generation.  Those in their teens and early twenties only know of the legend of Notre Dame, they have not seen it in practice.  They know Bob Davie, Tyrone Willingham, and Charlie Weis.  They only know Lou Holtz as the weird old guy on ESPN with the lisp.  They don't know this rivalry, which finds its roots at the turn of the last century, and its fervor in the 80's and early 90's.

If you happen to be traveling to the Indiana border town this weekend, there are some things you should know.  As you enter the world that is South Bend, you find that it is a city not unlike Ann Arbor.  A campus entrenched in the city limits, built on traditions of exemplary education and football.

Then you park your car and open your door to a world where everyone is convinced that they were born with a golden domed pot to piss in.  There's an episode of South Park that exemplifies this world perfectly. A world of the smug where people enjoy the smell of their own farts.  That's Notre Dame.

It's the only place where a Michigan fan can find people looking down their noses at them.  We are the trash.  We are Michigan State to them.  They will wash their hands after shaking yours.  They will play classical music at their tailgate and recite poetry.  And while many a Michigan fan has been accused of clinging to the past, you will find that the Notre Dame fan doesn't cling to it, but lives it...because that is all they've got.  They've returned to glory and awakened the echoes so many times that it no longer has meaning.  Rebuilding isn't a process in South Bend, it's a way of life.  Every win is THE turning point, every loss is but a hiccup on their way back to dominance.  By the time the losses pile up enough to give up on the present, they find themselves ready for the next season, ready to rebuild again.  It's a cyclical process...they're working on it, they promise.

As this edition of the Michigan Wolverines enters the stadium this Saturday, they find themselves in Notre Dame's shoes...somewhat.  All indications are that this is that year we've all been dreading.  While we are seemingly optomisitc about the future, we are out to defeat that which we don't want to become.  We are playing, essentially, ourselves.  Perhaps our patience for a bright future belittles the importance of the rivalry on this day.  No doubt that ND needs this win much more than we do.  But on the field, we will be looking to prove one thing:  we can still win while we wait for perfection.  While we adjust, while we endure, we can never return to glory.  Because glory is something that we have never put to rest.  Our world, our record, our dominance, and our tradition...continues.

To hell with Notre Dame.