A quick post from a view inside the stadium and the luxury box build-out.  The early drawn renderings of the stadium renovation hinted at more of a shiny, black glass facade which honestly I didn’t really care for: While it’s not complete, and perhaps the different shades will come down, here’s a few pics of what I saw this morning as the team prepare for group photos.  Clearly the glassy look is broken up by the blue sections.  Now, it could be that the blue areas are just covering the glass during construction but I guess I kind of like it better. Just for kicks, here’s the view out of Section 1 of the stadium.  It gives you a sense of the scale of the new structure, just dwarfing the old press box which will come down after this season: Related: Media Day: Greg Robinson on the Field Level Advantage Media/Fan Day: Photo Gallery Media Day: Rodriguez on the Quarterback position

Chris Perry’s 51 carry, 219 yard performance in Michigan’s 27-20 victory over Michigan State in 2003 will be remembered for quite a while.  Perry’s pounding pretty much sealed the win for the Wolverines, controlling the ball and the clock for Lloyd Carr and company. This video, via SI’s Hot Clicks, naturally evoked a few memories of old school video games and some old school clock control:

A hearty MVictors salute to distinguished writer John Kryk, author of the brilliant and definitive tome on the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry, Natural Enemies, for uncovering a little gem.   The official score of the 1903 game held October 21, 1903 against Ferris State is listed as 88-0.   Recently, the folks at the Bentley applied an asterisk to that tally: Why the asterisk?  During a visit to the Bentley Library in June, Kryk was thumbing through the bound copies of the Michigan Daily and spotted this nugget in the October 24, 1903 edition, just a few days after the game: Looks pretty reasonable to me.  Count two more for Fielding Yost and his point-a-minute reign of terror.  For those keeping score, according to Kryk, “That brings the Point-a-minute team’s point total up to 2,823 points in 57 games, from 2,821 — for a per-game average of 49.5 points over five years [1901-05].”  If you’re wondering why Kryk was poking around at the Bentley, word on the street is that he’s possibly pulling together another book or maybe even books!  You heard it here first. “I aim to uncover both long-forgotten and never-known stories of the Wolverines of yesteryear,” Kryk wrote me, “and set the record straight a time or two along the way.” Can’t wait to see what he comes up with.…

I don’t know.  Looks like it is still down to frosh Brendan Gibbons and 5th year Jason Olesnavage (o-less-NAV-ich).  Rodriguez indicated during today’s presser that it’ll come down to the Western game but added the Gibbons had a good day yesterday.  Not much to go on, and I don’t have much more for you. I got a brief look at them today and they’re easy to distinguish.  Gibbons doesn’t look anything like a freshman clocking in at 6’0” 229, probably one of the heaviest kickers you’ll meet outside of Sebastian Janokowski.  “Stretch” Olesnavage of Ferndale is one of the tallest you’ll find at 6′ 5” (same as Mike Vanderjagt). Olesnavage took the first set of kicks on one particular field goal drill but I’m not sure that means much.  The senior gets the ball up in a hurry, probably not a shock considering he’s six-foot-five.  You’d need a Vada-Welborne tandem to get a piece of that ball. Gibbons, the lefty, seemed to be a little more consistent but boots it on a flatter plane.  Based on my quick look I’d give the slight edge to Gibbons. 

Photo credit: U-M Photo Services Put away the ‘Key Play’ keys and pick up your maize ‘All in for Michigan’ towel.  The details are below, and you’ve got to love that proceeds for the $5 towels are going to Mott Children’s Hospital where they are working on a football-themed play area for the kids.   Perfect. From the State Street press release: The University of Michigan Football Program and the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Women’s Hospital are raising awareness and funds for the "Champions for Children" campaign to build a new children’s and women’s hospital at the University of Michigan. Maize towels displaying this year’s team theme “ALL IN FOR MICHIGAN,” go on sale starting Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Michigan Football Program’s annual Fan Day. Fans can get autographs and meet the 2009 Wolverine team from 1-3 p.m. Sunday at the Al Glick Field House, Oosterbaan Field House and the adjacent practice field behind Schembechler Hall. Towels purchased at Fan Day are $5. Towels will be sold for $6.99 after Fan Day at the M Go Blue Shop, The M-Den, Moe Sport Shops, Dunham’s Sporting Goods, Dicks Sporting Goods, area Meijer stores, and The Pizza House on U-M’s campus. A portion of the proceeds from each towel will benefit the campaign to build a new University…

Just posted on Lost Letterman, former two-time captain and All-American linebacker badass Jarrett Irons posted quite of few thoughts/recollections from his dinner in Chicago with Rich Rodriguez this summer.  A few favorite outtakes: He’s a down-home, cool guy. Obviously, he’s got that drawl. He’s a man’s man. He’s cool, and he loves football, and he loves to talk about it. I love the drawl comment.  As in, “if you can get past that drawl…”. On the new facilities and how it’ll affect recruting: We talked about how recruiting these days is so hard because you have to have really nice facilities. Nowadays, kids are very, very impressionable by what the facilities look like. He talked about how other schools have some nice stuff going on, and we had to upgrade. I’d seen most of it before. I haven’t seen the finished locker room, but he was telling me it’s very, very nice. It definitely mattered to me when I was being recruited. But when I went to Schembechler Hall, it was relatively new. At that time, Michigan had some of the best facilities in the country. Full post here.

So nasty.

Good stuff from Debbie Williams-Hoak and the folks at The Ann Arbor Police Officer’s Association in support of the Ann Arbor Adopt-A-Family program.  You might recall their efforts last winter to raise funds to provide gifts to needy area families around the holidays; WTKA 1050AM was heavily involved as well.  Along with the fundraising that goes on closer to the holidays, they’ve secured the classic Barton Hills Country Club for a golf outing on Monday September, 21.  A cool opportunity for us regular chumps to play this exclusive/private track and support a great cause.  Bullets: Registration starts at 11am for the 1pm shot gun start, Monday September 21, 2009. Entry fee: $135 per person/$540 per foursome for the scramble. Lunch, dinner, awards, Lucy Ann Lance, etc. etc. Hole Sponsorships available for $100.  (MVictors looks damn good on a tee box). They are looking for golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and of course: donations. Here’s the form if you want to join the outing, provide sponsorship or just donate.   Here’s more about the program and who to contact to get engaged: