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.