The Soccer Didn't Suck So Bad

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Man I wanted to hate this.  I'm on a streak of hating every Brandon decision since 2010.  But I cannot lie.  This was a great event.  Ann Arbor was alive and kicking for 2+ days with a completely different group of sport loving idiots, and while I don't understand them or their absolutely ridiculously boring sport, I appreciate their passion for their teams and for drinking copious amounts of beer. 

An informal survey of the tops of tailgate tents before I went nearly blind on Summer Shandy (shandy is for men damn it) resulted in an estimation that only about 30% of tailgaters were straight up Michigan fans.  The other 70% bought their tickets on stub hub and ebay from enterprising season ticket holders like myself, and many of those wouldn't know the difference between a "Go Blue!" and an "O-H" if given a pop quiz.  But it made for a unique atmosphere, albeit way too red.

We had a modest start of 10AM and a decent crew turned out for the tailgate. I dusted off the catering grill for one last hurrah before it is replaced to start the real season.  It performed admirably, serving up some sweet corn, burgers, and sausage and peppers.  It was a nice warm up before things get serious in a few short weeks.  Thanks to Derek for the bulk of the pics.


One Step Closer to Yellow Jerseys

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I believe a day will come when we will look back at the absolute ridiculousness of what the Oregon Ducks have done with their gameday wardrobes over the past 10 years, and call it normal.  The Michigan - Michigan State game last year was nothing short of an embarrassment...us in our bumblebee whites, and MSU in their "ode to Colorado State," battling it out, looking like a couple of fictional pro teams from a movie that couldn't afford to pony up the cash for the uniform rights.  But maybe I'm just getting old.  The kids seem to like this playing dress up stuff, and swoon at words like "pro-combat" and "legacy"...as do the players.  And nobody loves it like Dave Brandon loves it.  Let's be honest, every alternate uniform is a money grab.  Fortunately, Dave seems to be getting the picture that you have to spread these things out for them to continue to have an impact.

Michigan will wear its traditional home and road uniforms for the remainder of the regular season. 

Ya, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a impromptu last minute reveal at the Notre Dame night game...so take that statement with a grain of salt.  

Not so bad.​

All of that being said, a couple of good things have come out of this iteration of the Michigan away jersey, unveiled today for the Cowboys Classic vs. Alabama:.  First, I kinda like it.  It seems to be a step back towards normal.  I'm glad to be rid of the early 1900's striping trend we seemed to be in love with.  Second, it was made clear that the helmet number will appear for the Alabama game (even though for some reason it's not shown here)...and then disappear for the rest of the season.​  That would be great.  Again, cool shit needs to be spaced out to have an impact.

Last season's practice of placing the player numbers on the famed winged helmet will be suspended after the season opener in Dallas.

Suspended?  You mean like indefinitely?  Dammit Fitz!  Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

Go Blue!​

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The Answer is....More Stuff

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So this thing​...

Broadcasting propaganda to the masses​

...has been approved by the regents.  It's going to run about $2.8 million, and not only does it have a giant screen, but it also makes noise!.​  I'm sure we'll recoup some of that cash with pay per line birthday announcements, and eventually we'll sell tickets to people standing around outside during games so they can watch on the big tv yet still hear the crowd.  Sound crazy?  Well if it's good enough for Jerry Jones, then it's good enough for our own Jerry Jones.