OK, OK, I'm Interested

I've been teetering between "ho-hum" and "kinda cool" with regards to the pre-Spring Game flag football game.  But after today's additions to the rosters, coupled with the return of Gary Moeller, I'm leaning heavily towards "kinda cool."  They've gone ahead and added The Train.  From RichRods facebook page...

A-Train will play!
Anthony Thomas - RB, 1997-2000

And from earlier in the day...

Ali Haji-Sheikh - PK, 1979-82
Brandent Englemon - S, 2004-07

I know KevinSec30 is a big fan of The Sheikh.  The whole roster is here and is updated daily.  You might need to have a facebook account to see it.  As of right now, here it is:

Rick Leach - QB, 1975-78
Bill Dufek - OT, 1974-78
Jim Betts - S, 1968-1970
Michael Taylor - QB, 1987-89
Kenny Jackson - DB, 1996-98
Scott Dreisbach - QB, 1995-98
Mike Leoni - OL, 1978-79
Chris Bohn - LB, 1988-1990
Chris Calloway - WR, 1986-89
Jay Riemersma - TE, 1992-95
Andy Mignery - TE, 2001-03
Jason Carr - QB, 1993-95
Todd Richards - WR, 1993-95
Aaron Richards - WR, 2000
Larry Foote - LB, 1998-2001
Mark Bihl - C, 2003-06
Ron Bellamy - WR, 1999-2002
Thomas Wilcher - RB, 1985-86
Aaron Shea - TE, 1996-99
Ali Haji-Sheikh - PK, 1979-82
Brandent Englemon - S, 2004-07
Anthony Thomas - RB, 1997-2000
Guest Referee: James Hall - DE 1996-99

The Spring Game weekend is shaping up nicely.

Weekend Roundup, You're Either With Us, Or You're With the Terrorists Edition: March 30, 2009

​Lots of talk around the 'sphere about whether you, as a Michigan fan, should have been...or should be...pulling for Michigan State during their run in the NCAA tournament.  The simple answer is: you can do whatever you want.  I'm not your dad, so if you want to get all teary-eyed when you recreate memories of the Flint-Stones, bump chests with your buddy over the dominating play of war-torn Bosnia survivor Goran Suton, embrace ESPN's assessment of Michigan State as the team that saved the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit, or even name your first kid Mateen...I really don't care.  If you want to play the Big Ten unity card, that's awfully nice of you.  GO BIG TEN!  Wooo hooo!  In the end, what you are really asking is if being a fan of Michigan State basketball, or rooting for them in some capacity, makes you less of a Michigan fan.

Yes, it does.

You can slice it any way you want to, you sleep with the enemy.  Pardon the old joke, but you should have three favorite teams: Michigan, the team playing Michigan State, and the team playing Ohio State.  And if the Big Ten sucks, or the perception of it sucks, there is a simple solution...you root for YOUR OWN TEAM to win more games.  You don't root for Sparty or the Buckeyes to make it better.  And when Sparty and the Buckeyes take the field, court, wrestling mat, or ping pong table to play each other...you root for injuries and recruiting violations.

Pulling for Michigan State is the easy thing to do.  It's exciting, this Final Four.  And it's right down the street.  The word "Michigan" is in the name of their school!  But Michigan is not there.  And you shouldn't be either, unless you've got UCONN gear on.

From Genuinely Sarcastic:

In the end, it's all equal. There is strong dislike on both sides for the other, and personally, I think it's an abomination for a Michigan fan to cheer for Michigan State to get to the Final Four. Not because of anything that may come of this in recruiting, but because MSU fans aren't going to do the same for UM. I cheered for Kansas, I cheered for Louisville, and I'll be cheering for Connecticut. I'm a Michigan fan, not a Big Ten fan,and a Michigan fan doesn't cheer for Michigan State.

This debate covered en masse and other stuff from the internets...

• Anti-state weigh-ins: MSC, Genuinely Sarcastic.


• Pro-Sparty positions: WLA, Maize and Blue Nation


• CJ Lee posts his final words of the season on MGoBlue's Court Vision.  Best wishes CJ, you were one hell of a walk-on.


• Denard can't get here fast enough to shore up the QB depth.  Actually, he probably could get here fast enough...if he ran.


• 11 questions for Big Ten spring football from the Chicago Tribune, including: Can Michigan survive with another green quarterback?

Weekend Roundup, Douche Edition: March 23, 2009

​The internets you missed while watching the ultimate douche coach his team to the sweet sixteen.

• The Prez had a slip of the tounge on Jay Leno, dropping a "special olympics" joke when referring to his bowling game.  This prompted the guy that bags my groceries to challenge Obama to a bowling match.  Seriously, this guy actually bags my groceries, and now he's on TMZ. [Deadspin - Special Olympian]


• Spectacular flashback article in the daily on 1989.  Would have been a bit more meaningful before we got eliminated by the gingerbread man, but it's nice nonetheless.  [Michigan Daily - 1989 and Beyond]


• Ann Arbor was ranked the city with the 5th highest quality of living by MSNBC.  [Ann Arbor Chronicle - A2:Ranking]


• Michigan got the one-seed in the East in the NCAA Hockey Tournament.  They'll face off against Air Force on Saturday at 3pm in Connecticut.  [Maize N Brew - NCAA Hockey]


• I've always wanted to be a Jayhawks fan.  Here's the Thursday/Friday schedule:  [Maize and Blog - NCAA Tournament Times and Announcers]

24 Hours From Now...

​...302 other NCAA basketball teams will wish they were us.

...32 teams that were invited to the dance will be on planes back home.

Michigan, who should have been satisfied just getting there...was not.  Despite a valiant attempt to give back a game that was decidedly all-Michigan, they persevered.  Manny was Manny, and with backs against the wall, he threw down an "and-1," solidifying an ending to a Clemson run and a victory that was, in a word, "iffy."  But I'll take iffy all day.  If iffy wins, then tattoo that shit on the warmup shirt right underneath Queme Los Barcos.  Some will use the phrase "they live to play another day."  But it's so much more than that.  They get to play again.  As gut wrenching as it sometimes is...we get to watch again.

As for Clemson, well, I can't be the only one that wasn't impressed with Clemson.  This is a team that beat Duke 74-47 six weeks ago.  Whether they played poorly or we made them play poorly is certainly a point of debate.  What's not debatable is that we were the better team...be it coaching, Manny, or whatever intangible you can come up with.

Tonight was not a miracle, but it does create the opportunity for one.

Clemson Basketball Blog Notices Our Optomistic Schedule

​Dude...have I ever posted this much in one day?  For those used to just one post per day...or every other day...or every other week...scroll down.  There's lots of content added since your last visit.  2009 UMTailgate.com Tournament Challenge information is available here.

Back to this post...

The OP, a Clemson basketball blog, has noticed that we've got a game scheduled for Saturday...which in some circles may be misconstrued as cockiness.  Well, sorry to "big boy" you fellas, but you have 8 total NCAA appearances and have never seen past the sweet sixteen...ever.  I laugh at your mediocrity, and I do so despite being on an eleven year tourney drought.

This is Michigan Basketball.

Thursday: Michigan vs. Clemson is PRIME TIME... 7:10pm!!!!