Really Pete Carroll? Really?
/Just taking it all in here. Izzo on the brink, conference realignment, and USC-ya. Honestly, does anybody like Lane Kiffin? Are the USC faithful sitting over there in L.A. saying to themselves "this is our guy"? The sick feeling I get when I see Kiffin speak...is this how all the haters feel about Rich Rod here in Michigan?
But if you want to formulate a definition of slime ball liars, allow me to suggest as your poster boy one Pete Carroll, who dropped this gem on us LIVE on PETECAROLLTV.
"I'm absolutely shocked and disappointed at the findings of the NCAA"
I also can't believe that Herbstreit is giving these ass-clowns a pass on Sportscenter. Whatever. Shut 'em down. 2 years no bowls...and we're taking your girl's tennis wins away too.
Mass Debate? I Don't Think So
/This entire Bowl Season has sucked. Why? Because we were not in it. I've watched, perhaps this year more than any other due to the lack of a bowl trip to manage. No sightseeing Orlando, Pasedena, or the Riverwalk over the holidays, only the quiet comfort of riveting contests like the Poinsettia Bowl to calm my nerves as we wait for recruits to commit and decommit...and the arrival of a new defensive coordinator. I think I would have had a better time attending the world championships of beer pong. I can't figure out how it isn't televised on ESPNU. Anyway, the season, while over for us on November 22nd, and over for most by Jan 1, ended for everybody tonight. Florida won the BCS championship game on Thursday 24-14, but in this era of hope and change, some other one-loss schools (USC/Utah/Texas/Boise) have staked a claim. Here's why no one but Florida has a leg to stand on.
USC: Lost a game at home to Oregon State. Oregon State lost to Penn State 45-14. Lose to a team that lost to a Big Ten team...outta here. Slight conundrum that USC dismantled Penn State in the Rose Bowl...but then again, they are automatically disqualified from NC contention for playing their bowl game against a team from the Big Ten and not winning by 35. Sucks to be in the PAC-10 with that forced Big Ten matchup.
Utah: Plays in Mountain West Conference. That should be enough. But, they also only beat Michigan by 2 points....Toledo beat Michigan by 3 points. Outta here.
Boise State: Play most games on Thursday nights. Have a blue field. Outta here.
Texas: Did not make their conference championship game. Played a Big Ten team in their bowl game, and won by less than 35. Outta here.
So, congrats to Florida and to Tim Tebow, who will likely end his career with only one bowl loss...
What the Hell Happened?!?!?
/They say life comes down to a few key decisions. On December 31, 2006, I was faced with one: fifth or half-gallon. I stood in the aisle of a Los Angeles Von's, a grocery/liquor store across the street from our hotel, and after arguing for a moment with The Hammer, I caved and went with the half-gallon I knew we did not need. I knew that since I was without my 32oz UMTailgate.com mug, there was absolutely no need for such an abundance of Captain Morgan's. I shuttered to think about pouring out the remainder of the bottle before heading for the airport. I mean, what would The Godfather think of us if we allowed perfectly good Captain to flow into a storm drain?
A vague memory resides in a damaged part of my brain from a mere sixteen hours after the purchase of the bottle...and that is of the last drop of that bottle hitting my blue cup of ice. It was more for show than anything...to prove to the naysayers that we could finish that bottle. I do remember there being little room for Coke left in that glass, and I have no idea how many of those blue cups were filled by me prior to that moment. Nor do I remember much about the tailgate, outside of a few flash memories of visitors that I couldn't pick out of a lineup. I think I remember that the food was scarce, with no ability to cook anything without our equipment. I think I ate some celery with dip and some chips and salsa.
My conscious self missed the whole first half, though through interviews with key members of the tailgate in attendance, it has been determined that I did lambaste George Lucas in a fiery foul-mouthed tirade, fielded a phone call during the moment of silence for President Gerald Ford after telling the crowd to shut up, and got teary eyed during the moment of silence for Bo. Those moments are, of course, in no particular order, as I have no idea in what order they occurred. Those in attendance around me witnessed what can be best described as "quite a scene." I was passed out for most of the first half of the football contest, resided quietly in a cold sweat, and was the butt of several cell phone picture mail jokes.
As the end of the half neared in what I was told was the worst half of a Rose Bowl ever, I made a celery/dip/chip/salsa deposit onto the floor, onto Bloomfield, then onto the floor once again. That's right folks, breaking a ten-year alcohol-induced-vomit-free streak, I threw up at the Rose Bowl. You can't make this shit up. What's really amazing is how fast the tide turned for me after relieving myself of the Captain's burden. I quickly regained consciousness, and can recall with great detail the devastating second-half of the game. And let me tell you, I wished I had remained unconscious. The best memory I have from the 2007 Rose Bowl? A tasty Macho Nacho from the concession stand with a nice big coke. That combo ingested between the 3rd and 4th quarters may just have saved my life.
Anyway, many of you have already heard pieces of this story. Actually some of you got play-by-play from the crew in attendance. But I felt the need to come clean here, recap the events of January 1, 2007, and apologize to those who went to the game with me, those who sat near me, and any passers-by that may have just seen a giant drunk man donning a UMTailgate.com shirt that threw up all over "The Granddaddy of Them All."
That being said, allow me to briefly offer my comments regarding the 2006 Wolverines, who dazzled us for eleven weeks, came up short in Columbus, and embarrassed themselves in the Rose Bowl. 11-2 is a successful season, though losing the last 2 games once again leaves me with a bitter taste. Though not the 7-5 disaster of a year ago, the inability to win against OSU or in a bowl game over the period of several years has left an aura of doubt on this program. They owed us after going 7-5...and they still owe us despite going 11-2. Time is running out on the Wolverines. The window is closing on one of the most talented classes in Michigan history, and it needs to be capitalized on before they graduate. I'm afraid that if 2007 is not the year for Michigan, we may have some serious time to wait. And how long before our ineptitudes start to have a negative effect on recruiting? Perhaps it has started already.
A Tale of Two Cities
/The Long Way
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That is the best way I can sum up the 5500 mile journey across the United States...from Ann Arbor to Las Vegas...to Los Angeles and back. The best of the trip occurred in Vegas, the finest in food, entertainment, clubs, and playing blackjack with former college roomates and friends. Winning makes things better as well, and some of us came away with solid paydays.
On the 30th we moved from Vegas to LA, and checked into the Hyatt on Sunset, AKA the "Riot House", with a balcony overlooking the greater LA area. This is where things went downhill for many of us on the trip, as the flu made itself present starting on that evening, and flourished throughout the remainder of the vacation. We passed it around to eachother, and struggled to attend our private New Year's Eve party, the tailgate, and even The Game.
I took no pictures at the tailgate (thanks to JJ for chronicling the event with my camera), drank no alcohol at the tailgate, and shivered my way through four horrible quarters of Michigan football, passing in and out of conciousness as USC put point after point up on the board. USC's 2nd half opening drive was the nail in the coffin, putting them up 21-0 in front of a USC tilted fan base.
So the season ends with a loss, giving USC a piece of the National Championship. Michigan finishes 10-3, and in the top-10 in both polls. Given our talent base, we expected more, but given our quarterback and special teams...we should've expected less.
Thanks again to everyone for the successful tailgating season. Though I was incapacitated, the turnout in Pasedena was amazing...a testament to the strength of the UMTailgate.com family. I wish you all a Happy New Year, and look forward to all of you joining us in our exploits in the coming season.
