What's Up This Weekend? We Must Protect This House!

Today (3/1):

• ​Baseball (2-4) vs. Mount St Mary (3-5):  We went 2-1 last week in NCAA play, winning the series over Fordham...also lost a Sunday exhibition game with the New York Mets, but that doesn't count.  Michigan baseball heads to Port Charlotte, FL for a long weekend series against three other teams, the first of which is "The Mount".  11am first pitch.
• Hockey (12-18-2, 9-15-2) hosts Ferris State​ (15-13-4, 13-11-2):  Coming off a big weekend sweep of the Buckeyes in Buckeye-ville, the Michigan icers host the Bulldogs in their last regular season home series.  The Michigan Daily looks at playoff scenarios for the icers, and discusses the possibility of hosting round one at Yost.  Puck drops (with myself in attendance!) at 7:35pm on CBS College Sports.

Tomorrow (3/2):​

• Baseball vs. St. Louis (5-2): Billiken Baseball double-header.  First pitch at 11am.
• Hockey vs. Ferris State:  Puck drops at 7:35pm on Fox Sports Detroit.​

Sunday (3/3):​

• Baseball vs. Georgetown (2-3):  First pitch at 2:30pm.
• Basketball (23-5, 10-5)  vs. Michigan State​ (22-6, 11-4):  Talk is cheap.  So I am going to shut up.  Make a believer out of me fellas, or a re-believer as it were.  Tipoff is 4pm on CBS proper.

What's Up This Weekend? "Blade Runner is Loose!" Edition: February 22-24, 2013

I neglected to reference the fact that women's hoops beat Sparty on Sunday...my apologies to the title nine set.  And beating Sparty is beating Sparty, I don't care if it's a football game, a canned-goods collecting event, or a three-legged race.​

Today (2/22):​

• Baseball (0-3) vs. Fordham (0-0) in Port St. Lucie, FL:  Heartbreakers abound for baseball last weekend.  Michigan lost all three games by one run...the first two were extra innings walk-offs, and the third a walk-off in the 9th.  Wow.  Sucks.  They head to Florida to face Fordham for their  season opener.  2pm
• ​Hockey (10-18-2 / 7-15-2) at Ohio (13-12-7 / 12-7-5):  Weekend off last week for Michigan, who is probably still reeling from the 13 goals they gave up in two games to Manti T'eo's boys.  Puck drops at 6:35pm on BTN.

Tomorrow (2/23):​

• Baseball vs. Fordham in Port St. Lucie, FL:  See above.  Old-fashioned double-header starts at 11am.
• ​Hockey at Ohio: See above.  Puck drops at 7pm on Comcast Sports.

Sunday (2/24):​

• ​Basketball (22-4 / 9-4) at Illinois (20-8 / 7-7):  Michigan returns to action after a full week off, so I think it's finally time to put that Sparty game from the week before behind us.  And I think we're going to need all that we've got to get past the Illini in Champaign.  Tipoff is 1pm on ESPN.
• Women's Basketball (19-7 / 8-5) at #7 Penn State ​(22-3 / 12-1):  SIMULTANEOUS TIPOFF ALERT!!!  What will you do?  1pm on BTN.

What's Up This Weekend? The Hangover Edition: 2/15-2/17/13

Today (2/15):

• Baseball (0-0) vs. Cal (0-0):  It's opening day!  New head coach Erik Bakich (youngest in BCS) will skipper the Wolverines against the Cal Bears on the road in Berkeley.  Peanuts, cracker jack...68 degrees and sunny.  Michigan is not quite a media favorite in the Big Ten, as prognosticators have them from the middle to the middle-bottom of the Big Ten's 12 teams, but they do have a couple of players on a preseason watch list.   The guy to watch is Michael O'Neill, who lead in a survey of coaches in several categories, including "Best Power Threat."  4:30pm ET first pitch.  

Tomorrow (2/16):

• Women's Basketball (18-6/8-4) vs. Sparty (19-5/7-4):  Avenge me!!!!  Avenge me!!!!  Noon tip at Crisler Center.  Live audio here.
• Baseball at Cal:  Game 2 of the series.  4pm ET first pitch.

Sunday (2/17):

• Basketball (21-4/7-4) vs. Penn State (8-16/0-12) :  I'm anticipating a sloppy game...and I am envisioning these kids not quite being over the loss to Sparty.  I'm expecting to win of course, but if you have the means, take the Lions and the points.
• Baseball at Cal:  Game 3 of the series.  2pm ET first pitch.

Weekend Roundup, "'Cause I Got a Golden Ticket" Edition: 8/6/2012

They're here.  All six of them.  Smallest ticket package that has arrived at my home in some time.  The tickets are significantly smaller (as in not lanyard compatible like last year) and there's not many.  And the prices on them are exuberant.​  Seems like only yesterday we hit that $75 face mark....and now we've got a $95 MSU ticket.  This shit ain't getting any cheaper folks.

Here's what happened around the internets while you watched the tigers beat Ohio.​

• You like the new Big Ten logo, or the new B1G logo?  Well, we we've got one on the home jersey now, and a pair on the field.  Maize and Blue Nation discusses the process, which involved cutting out a chunk of the field turf and replacing it with a new piece with the logo on it.
• MGoBlog covers the new numbers for the incoming freshman as well as growing beard progress and "dread-flow."​
• Speaking of tickets arriving, Dooley covers the team numbers and the guys being honored in each game.   This new patch every game, in my opinion, completely cheapens the whole legends ​jersey idea.  Anyway, he points out a glaring flaw in the Gary Moeller ticket...while I still ponder how we don't have egg on our face as an institution for firing a coach and honoring him 18 years later.  Weird?  Weird.
• Sporting News has a nice article on the hoops revival in Ann Arbor.​
• The first home game is Air Force.  A game that concerns me.  Now they're down 5 dudes, all starters or penciled in starters.  Now we can concentrate on the tailgate.​
• AnnArbor.com profiles Matt Wile vs. Will Hagerup in the battle to see who 's gonna nail those coffin corners.​
• 26 long years of waiting, and the Big Ten championship rings have arrived in Ann Arbor.​
• ESPN reports on... Exit Justin Brown, the latest Penn State starter to see the light and get the hell out of State College.​
• When I was 11 and I had a paper route, my mother was terrified I was going to be kidnapped.  What she didn't realize, is that I, at a robust 160lbs, I was the last kid they were looking to take.  Too much heavy lifting.  When I heard that Montee Ball got attacked, and that it was a random act of violence....I called bullshit from jump street.  Nobody looks to attack 5'11'', 210 pound muscle-bound football players.  Big surprise...ESPN says it looks like it was more than just random.  These boys are in some trouble, no doubt further weakening a Leaders division that already only has 4 teams eligible for postseason play.

You Were Probably Watching Vandy Upset Tennessee

If you are a college basketball fan, you probably spent the evening with ESPN. Indiana vs. Ohio State had the intrigue of Sampson-gate, and was Dan Dakich's first home game as the IU coach. That was the teaser at 7pm. #1 Tennessee traveled to #14 Vanderbilt in the nightcap at 9pm. Quality basketball.

Meanwhile on the BTN...the Northwestern Wildcats travel to Crisler Arena looking for their first Big Ten win. Seriously? Winless? Wait a minute, I have Comcast! No BTN for me! So with all the passion of Wilbur Shooter Flatch in a straight jacket listening to a radio, I sat down and stared at the mystically pleasing windows media player's psychedelic display as it vibrated to the murky internet radio call of the game.

With 4:31 to go in the first half, the Wildcats lead 36-17. A 19 point lead on the road for a team without a conference victory doesn't bode well for my March miracle plan for these Wolverines. Northwestern's last two victories came against Texas Pan American and Chicago State. Shit.

But Michigan wasn't finished. A run before the end of the half cut the lead to 11, followed by a steady climb throughout the second half. Finally, almost heroically, Michigan took their first lead with 1:15 to go in the game. The crowd, which was no doubt tiny and quiet with the student body in Cancun for the week, began an alternating GO BLUE chant. Too little, too late. Northwestern hit a three to go up two. Manny turned it over. A defensive stop led to a good look at a three pointer by Anthony Wright with 6 seconds to go. No good.

The Wildcats go to 1-14 on the year in the Big Ten, getting their first win in conference in over a year.

For me, it's not that we're bad, or that we lack talent, though both of those things are true. It's the inconsistency. The only thing you can really count on from this team is a 5+ minute scoring drought.

Ending on a good note...Michigan Baseball tied the Mets.