It’s tough to break two decade-plus-long losing streaks in one year.  We found a way to win at one Assembly Hall, but fell short at the other Assembly Hall in Champaign-Urbana.  Would have been a huge win, but it’s not exactly a backbreaking loss.  We need to hold serve at home, and steal a couple on the road.  Given their record of 15-2, splitting the home-at-home with Illinois is not the end of the world, especially playing them twice in just 10 days.

Yes, I have decided to make excuses for every loss…and praise with great optimism every win.  That’s what 2009 is all about.

Basketball against Ohio State…the return of the 1989 National Champions at halftime…and a chance to see Coach Beilein’s 500th win.  Just your average Saturday in Ann Arbor.  Coupled with Illinois beating Michigan State, it could be a banner day.  See you at Crisler.

Go to bed.

They played bigger than they are.

Davis, 6-9, was driving and looked to be going for the dunk when Harris, 6-5, jumped and met him in the air.

And if they continue to do that, they CAN compete in this league.  They CAN make a run for postseason play.

Michigan wins, 74-64, on 40% 3-point shooting against the nation’s 3rd best 3-pointer defense (25%), ending Illinois 7-game winning streak.  Of note, LLP got the start and poured in 13 and had 5 assists.  Also, big Zack Gibson hit double digits in scoring (10), and Kelvin put up 9, including a nail-in-the-coffin layup in traffic in the waning moments.  Michigan’s schedule will allow Novak to avenge his 6 stitches when they play at Illinois on 1/14, after this week’s games at Indiana (Wed) and home against Iowa (Sun).

GO BLUE!

• We lost, now take your medicine.  Here…and here.
• Beilein says there are better days ahead for UM basketball.  That’s mainly because it cannot get any worse.
• But in his defense, we did get our third commit for the 2009 class, two of which are top 150 prospects.  It’s a race to see which West Virginia coach pays off first!!!!  Article with local flavor here.
• RBUAS writes like you wish you could…this time about a meeting with Coach Carr, TT, Mike Hart, the Wisconsin game, and finding people on this team to identify with.
• Rich Rod makes fewer excuses every week, putting responsibility on both the players and himself, and not using inexperience as an excuse…even though he could.  This week, he flat out says “we played soft.”

Quick press linkfest:

• Article on Rich Rod’s mom that is nestled next to an artsy black and white of your’s truly holding up hot sauce bottles and looking like some kind of tailgate troll is here.
• Freep photos of the day, including two from our tailgate (#5 and #6) that include an action shot of steak sandwich building and our own Baby Beth and friend Drew in Cholula gear.
• Michigan Football Saturdays gives us a shout out…thanks.
• Our pics from the tailgate, courtesy of Tuba and Greg.

One more note…I’m pretty sure we are going to have an article on the tailgate pop up this week in the Freep, most likely in the Life or Food section.  I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks to everyone for helping put us on the map!  GO BLUE!

It’s difficult to decide what is real, what is growth and improvement, from what is an aberration.  Was that ass-kicking we just endured the real 2008 Wolverines…or was that the product of a bad day, bad scheme, or over-confidence?  Was the amazing poise and fortitude we showed against Wisconsin the result of luck and circumstance?  If Wisconsin gave Ohio State its biggest scare outside of the Colosseum, can we make a game of it in Columbus?  Or with Juice racking up 431 yards in our house, can we expect Pryor to break an NCAA record in the Horseshoe?

We’ve played 20 quarters of football this season…maybe 5 of them could be considered complete or successful, but not quite completely successful.  That’s 25% good, 75% bad based on my rough estimates.  Not exactly a bolstering of my confidence.

But if I told you we went toe to toe with an undefeated Utah team that is the second best flavor of the month in college football behind their neighbors in Salt Lake City and has clawed their way to a #14 ranking, and knocked off a team from Madison that was ranked #9 and by all indications was a challenger for the Big Ten title…maybe that would help.  Until Saturday (and thru most of Saturday) we found ourselves competing in every game.  And while we might be bringing a knife to these gun fights, we still are managing to get some good stabs in along the way.  I think we can play with anybody.  Unfortunately, I think anybody can play with us as well.  Someday, hopefully sooner than later, we will find ourselves with the defense we saw keep us in the Wisconsin game exist symbiotically with the offense from the first quarter of Illinois game and the turnover margin from, well, some other season.

This is still worth waiting for.

On top of all of that, the Detroit Free Press will also be in attendance, taking pictures for an upcoming article on tailgating.

See you there!

It was an odd celebration. It was more about Jalen’s charity, the Jalen Rose foundation, than it was about the man himself. But when halftime hit, the PA announcer rattled through Jalen’s resume, full of statistical top 10′s in nearly every basketball category. Then Jalen spoke. He took the crowd back to a time when things were good in Crisler arena. He gave thanks to the coaches that had a profound effect on his career: Perry Watson, Steve Fisher, Bo Schembechler. Watson and Fisher evoke mixed feelings for most Michigan fans. Perry Watson, whose involvement in the recruiting of the Fab 5 is well documented, also had links to Ed Martin. Steve Fisher, the lovable old man, the Barney Fife that took us on the magical run in 1989, and had an even more magical run of recruits through the early 90′s. It’s unfortunate it was all tarnished by money.

Jalen then individually called out the names of the other members of the Fab 5. Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King (who was in attendance), Ray Jackson. It’s been a long time since those names have been uttered in public. Chris Webber is not allowed to be associated with the University in any way until 2013. Even more amazing, Jalen revealed that he had not been inside Crisler since he last donned the jersey. Now, with his NBA career coming to a close, Jalen promised to be back often. Roars of applause followed Jalen’s final statement, which was that he would be back to see “those banners” go back up, referring to the missing final four banners from 1991 and 1992.

Maybe this is the beginning of the rebuilding of the past in Michigan Basketball. It was certainly an emotional time for those in attendance that had memories of the way Michigan Basketball used to be. Whether that will be enough to have us look past the black mark that accompanied the black socks remains to be seen.

As for the game…pretty much the worst shooting I have ever seen. The final was 49-43, and the score wasn’t even indicative of how poor the execution was on the floor. But winning is what it’s all about, right? OK, game over…on to the Joe.

With no respect for the law, or for human life, we made our way to the home of the Red Wings to exact revenge on Sparty for the ass-handing they gave us the night before. The goal was to see the end of the basketball game, and the drop of the puck at the hockey game. We came very close. Missed the drop by 30 seconds. But we arrived in time to see the #1 Wolverines take an early 2-0 lead on their way to reversing the previous evening’s score. Michigan wins 5-2.

2 for 2 on the day, not bad. Here’s the pics.

Full coverage tomorrow.

For now, watch Bo give a tour of the Big House courtesy of The Wizard of Odds, and try to hold back the tears (Dennis).

Option #1:

West Virginia or Missouri lose, Ohio State goes to National Championship game that they will win just to ruin your 2008… Illinois goes to BCS. Michigan goes to Citrus Bowl of the Capital One variety.

Result of option #1:

You hold a razor blade to your wrist as you contemplate Ohio State’s back-to-back trips to the BCS championship game. You ponder how Juice Williams expects to get loose against USC in the Rose Bowl. You wonder which team, Florida or LSU, would be more uncomfortable to watch dismantle your Wolverines. Tebow or New Bo? Hmmmm.

You find yourself in Orlando, Florida on New Year’s Eve. Let me tell you folks, despite the perceived allure of Disneyville…Orlando sucks. The only thing worse than Orlando itself is the god-forsaken stadium in which the game will be played. From 2001:

First, for those that have never made the journey, let me tell you all a little bit about the Citrus Bowl. It is similar to going to a baseball game at old Tiger Stadium. The parking areas are a mix of gravel and grass. Local shops include a ‘drug’ store, a liquor store, and a pawn shop, and all have bars on the windows. The pagentry of BCS bowl games is missing here. The only thing ‘Citrus’ available at the Citrus Bowl were small bottles of Tangerine juice, obviously left over from the newly resurrected Tangerine Bowl played a week earlier. The food inside included cheese steak sandwiches, smoked turkey legs, popcorn, and hot dogs. All of the food was of the quality of, in the words of Stephen W., ‘a food stand in a 3rd world country’.

Option #2:

West Virginia and Missouri both win. Ohio State goes to Rose Bowl to get dismantled by USC. Illinois goes to Citrus Bowl of the Capital One variety. Michigan goes to the Citrus Bowl of the Champs Sports variety.

Result of option #2:

A fair amount of embarrassment from attending a non-New-Year’s-Day Bowl…but let’s be honest, is embarrassment really an issue with the 2007 version of the Michigan Wolverines? An ACC opponent, most likely BC or Florida State, will be a better match. Maybe we can finally get revenge for 1991 against FSU. Oh, the intrigue…*yawn*.

You find yourself in Orlando, Florida on December 28th. Let me tell you folks, despite the perceived allure of Disneyville…Orlando sucks. The only thing worse than Orlando itself is the god-forsaken stadium in which the game will be played.

So there, I said it. Memorial Stadium = 50,000 Courics.

From a “game itself” perspective, I would like to thank the Illini for the timely penalties, turnovers, and sloppy play that allowed us to overcome having no Mike Hart, half of a Chad Henne, and our own pile of dumb mistakes to come out victorious once again. The 27-17 victory, though not satisfying from the “we played well” angle, was enough for me to smile and laugh at the group of Illini fans that started the game with an “Appalachian State” chant, and was enough to stick it a bit to Ronnie Zook. Zook, though he was fired from the University of Florida, still voted for them to go to the National Championship game last year over Michigan, and was the only Big Ten coach to do so. Dick. Screw you and your illegal recruits. Also, now watching the replay of the game from the ABC broadcast, it’s also satisfying from the “I hate Musburger” perspective. His anti-Michigan demeanor makes me like Kirk Herbstreit…and Herbstreit is a Buckeye-loving assclown.

Summing up: Zook=dick, Musberger=with the terrorists, Herbstreit=fruit

A 7pm tailgate is a lot like giving birth. Three full meals. 12 hours of drinking. Cooking, loading, unloading, picture taking, smelling Gar, feeding Cooper….it’s all so tiring. But it’s worth it, especially when you are riding in and partying with a 40 foot home on wheels. Once again, UMTailgate.com flexed its tailgating muscle with a sophisticated menu, an array of cocktails and beer, and the best damn fans in the Big Ten. God we’re good. Thanks to the rest of the five man traveling team for coming along and at no point saying “you brought too much stuff,” even though I brought way too much stuff. Hope we can do it again next year. Happy Valley???

Pictures from the weekend are available here.