Another wonderful University of Michigan tradition renewed itself this morning, as the Mudbowl was played at the SAE house at the corner of Washtenaw and South University.  The host fraternity battled Phi Kappa Psi, the victors of a tournament this week that granted them entry into the annual contest. SAE prevailed 19-12, although the game ended in a bit of controversy.  The men of Phi Psi rallied through the mud needing a touchdown as the clock winded down.   On the final play of the game their wily quaterback, who was phenomenal all day, connected on what looked to be a touchdown but it was ruled just short of the endzone.  As time expired, the Phi Psi fans chanted “bullshit” and hurled cans of beer down as the SAE squad celebrated. From my vantage it looked like a score but it was certainly close.  And for what it’s worth, Phi Psi would have need to convert an extra point (either to win or tie) which is about a 1 in 3 proposition in the slop.  Also in fairness, the refs awarded Phi Psi a touchdown in the same end earlier in the game that looked clearly short of the goal (it was a good three feet shorter than the final catch ruled short).  For those wondering about the annual sorority game…

AnnArbor.com is reporting that the Washtenaw County jury acquitted former football walk-on Mike Milano of felonious assault on hockey defenseman Steve Kampfer, instead convicting Milano of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor. I won’t opine on the ruling because I have no clue on the law here or what was argued.   It’s clear though that the judge wasn’t happy with the jury’s decision: Milano faces up to one year in jail on the misdemeanor conviction when he is sentenced Dec. 3. But that doesn’t appear likely, given a rare statement by Circuit Judge David Swartz, who said he believes Milano is innocent of both counts. After dismissing the jury, Swartz looked toward Milano and said: “For what it’s worth, I’d find the defendant not guilty and recommend that you file for an order to have it expunged, which I’ll be pleased to sign.” Would love to hear a lawyer’s take on that.   Can a circuit judge simply state that they don’t like a ruling and honor a request to have a crime expunged from the defendant’s record? A2.com piece here. Related: * Icers Nip Niagara 3-2 * Kampfer, Tropp Zapruder Film, err, Stills  (the other assault incident involving Kampfer)

Ref either is an old A’s fan or a hipster Iron Butterfly maven Great to have regular season hockey once again as Michigan played their season opener tonight, squeaking by Niagara 3-2.   Recap here from mgoblue.com. The Wolverines roared out to a 3-0 lead early on and nearly made it four, before Niagara grinded its way back and just missed a chance to tie the game with seconds to go.  I wasn’t happy with the effort.  It’s easy to understand if they let up after the third goal but the squad just looked sloppy and sluggish for long stretches.  Give Niagara credit for fighting off a bunch of power plays and hanging in there, but the Wolverines weren’t crisp.  Can’t have that at Boston this weekend. Other stuff: If these guys are rocking these outfits all year I’ve got to work something out.  I sit directly across the ice and all I can think about is the inset:   “Oh Billy.  It’s so cold.” The PA announcer said there are tickets available for the Miami, OH series November 6 and 7.  Come on people!  Tickets here.  Don’t know if you’ve checked out Uni Watch, but it’s worth a look.  They obsessively follow sports uniforms and the like, and this week Paul discussed the different designs on hockey red lines including…

You’d think the heart of the football season would bring out the best in vintage & unique Wolverine memorabilia.   Having patrolled the auction site pretty consistently for the past couple years I can tell you the selection has been lackluster as of late.  Either that, or I’ve become a memorabilia elitist and desensitized to cool stuff after producing over 100 editions of eBay Watch.  Anyway, it never fails that there’s something out there worth discussion, this week it’s these wire photos from the 1948 Rose Bowl against USC.   Here’s a few for you, click to see more from the auction: First up a shot from above the Rose Parade.  I love this shot because I don’t recall seeing many aerial photos from the era and this one’s pretty sharp.  I’ve been to the Rose Parade a couple times and to me, it’s of course a wonderful tradition but on the morning of the big game I’d rather be a) resting after a big New Year’s Eve in LA, or b) tailgating down the street outside the stadium.  One thing that cracks me up about the parade is that it effectively cuts off traffic from LA to the stadium if you don’t know where to go (and no one from Michigan knows where to go): Next up, another cool shot.  It’s…

  Maureen Dowd of the NY Times is required reading twice a week, no matter how you lean politically.  Ask Lloyd Carr. In today’s piece, Dowd tosses around some ideas about how to save print journalism, including this beauty: Self-described print press “fanatic” Mortimer Zuckerman, who owns The Daily News and U.S. News & World Report, proposed to Forbes that the federal government could save newspapers by allowing sports betting on newspaper Web sites. Further: I tracked down Zuckerman in Jerusalem on Tuesday to ask him about it. “Newspapers are so critical for public dialogue and holding public officials responsible,” he told me. “And who’s going to be able to afford original reporting in the next five years? Very, very few.” He said some British newspapers make millions on betting games like Bingo. “People are spending money on what is basically a social vice anyhow,” he said. “So why not use it to preserve the First Amendment? It’s not a perfect solution, but it is a solution.” While I like the idea of being able to conveniently plop down a few bucks on the game, I’m weary of folks turning to gambling to solve all of our problems.  Or taxing soda or sports tickets for that matter. Robo-Journalism Maybe this will help.  Also recently published in the Times.  A group…

More later on this.  Kind of wrestling with how you rate an athletic director.  Coaching hires?  Overall success of the teams?  Financial health?  Facilities?  On continuing/enhancing Michigan brand and tradition?   Coke vs. Pepsi?  Would love your take in the comments and a brief poll: [poll id=34]

Granted, it’s pretty silly to talk about Big Ten championship scenarios sitting three games in at 1-2 in the conference, but this was a topic during the Monday press conference at the Junge Center.  Stevie Brown (and others IIRC) discussed the possibility of winning the rest of their games and claiming the Big Ten Championship, maybe even earning a trip to the Rose Bowl.  Brown: “I have a feeling,” Brown said. “I don’t know if anybody else has a feeling, but I have this feeling. If we can win out, I think we have a chance that we might be able to make it to the Rose Bowl.” Brown acknowledged they’d need some help. Taking a look at that help, the Rose Bowl is effectively out of reach purely via the automatic Big Ten bid.  To even get to a tie-breaker, these things must happen: Michigan wins out.  Of course. Iowa loses twice.  Those will likely have to be Saturday in East Lansing and in November in Columbus.  Certainly possible.  The rest of the slate is at home against IU, Minnesota and Northwestern and you have to assume they’ll handle those teams. Michigan State loses at least one more game after beating Iowa, perhaps to Penn State or at Purdue.  State doesn’t face the Buckeyes. Penn State and Ohio State…

Getting down to where the original Little Brown Jug came from back in 1903 (Red Wing, Minnesota).