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 [...]

Dynasty Undisputed
The rising sun broke the horizon as I loaded the last of the tailgate equipment into my car. It was a brisk and mostly cloudy morning. This is one of those games where the tailgate is just something you need to get through. I exchanged a few salutations and a ‘Go Blue’ with the [...]

It starts with just the name. Michigan-Ohio State. It’s not Ohio State-Michigan, and it shouldn’t be.
Ninety-nine times before, these two teams have met, most of the time with something on the line. Saturday will be no different. The Ohio State Buckeyes will enter Saturday’s game as the defending National Champions of college football. A little [...]

Seriously
So, my plan for the bye week was to write a complicated formula that would somehow result in Michigan playing January 4th in New Orleans. It was really great, really well thought out, and really impossible. Looking at who was ahead of the Wolverines with just 3 or 4 weeks of football left, the outlook [...]

Welcome to the Big Ten
They say that the game was played in a grind-it-out fashion, just like Michigan-Michigan State matchups of years ago. A world where linemen tell the story, and time of possession is second only to points. Where speed and reverses give way to braun and halfback dives. But that is simply not [...]

Three Turkeys, Then a Team Full of Them
40 pounds of turkey. Deep fried in all of their splendor. That’s what was digested at the tailgate on Saturday in the 7+ hour marathon prior to the game. Fried mushrooms and fried dill pickles on the side, plus the Schaffer dumplings with bean soup, the Goodell family’s [...]

Goodbye Illini
What happened to the fight in the Fighting Illini? Illinois looked as if they may have been the worst team we’ve faced all season. Michigan got its ground game and defense back in order, punishing the Illini 56-14 in front of 110K+ at Michigan Stadium. It was good to be home and in our [...]

Can’t Lose Them All
The Cubs and Red Sox are in the league championship series. Ohio State lost a close game to Wisconsin. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the Governor of California. Northern Illinois is ranked in the top 20. Translation: The sun shines on a dog’s ass now and then. And even on a Friday evening, in [...]

Special Ed
It will forever be known as the “Fun Punt Formation”. I mean, who knows if we will ever see it again. The criticism it has received has been extraordinary. From Bob Griese in the booth during the game to every radio and tv commentary regarding the game since. So, I’m not sure if Lloyd [...]

Wins and Losses
What’s worse, an uninspired team posting a crappy defeat, or an uninspired and undeserved victory? Well, I’ll take the victory every time, but the next time we have a game like the one on Saturday, I’ll also take drugs. Comtemplating a nap in the first quarter, I saw four turnovers through the slits [...]