The movie Evan Almighty hit HBO recently which features Steve Carell portraying a modern day Noah commanded by God to build an ark in preparation for a September flood. Last week’s Ann Arbor News had a great photo of some U-M students preparing their tailgating bus “VICTOR1” for another potential disaster in the upcoming fall: the 2008 football season. The pic showed a couple of the current business school students upgrading the party deck atop this beauty. While it’s certainly not an ark, this sled provides a form of sweet salvation for many M fans. According to the News, outgoing seniors sell their shares representing slots on the bus to incoming freshman. Mucho respect for anyone making tailgating preparations in May so I emailed the guys listed in the News piece. I got a reply from business school student Matt Larkin who sent along the pics of the bus and some more info: The BUS is the unofficial Business School tailgate. It was started in 2002 by a couple of business students who felt that the school didn’t have a good, organized tailgate. The BUS has 50 owner-members, with a split of around 35 MBA2s and 15 MBA1s. The BUS is set up for each home game at Fingerle Lumber Yard, at Hill and Fifth, opening around 9am and going…
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2008 Swing To Cure Diabetes – Photos
The first annual ‘Swing to Cure Diabetes‘ benefiting the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) was held yesterday at the University of Michigan Golf Course and what a day it was. Perfect weather – breezy and sunny – and better yet a great chance to raise some money for diabetes research. Enjoy a few photos from the day: The Hewlett Family: Chris, Former M QB Rich and their son Jeffrey Coach Lloyd Carr and Cathy Schembechler helped kicked off the event Cathy Schembechler donated this ball: signed by Bo and legendary AD Don Canham – it fetched around $900. Whoa! Check out your Maize and Blue hole sponsor!!
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eBay Watch: Oh Man, 1986 Rose Bowl Ring
Once again we’ve got a Michigan Rose Bowl ring on eBay adding to the recent auctions of the 1977-78 and 1980-81 versions. This time it’s a beauty from the 1986 season and it commemorates the Rose Bowl appearance [see the auction here]. The game was unfortunately a loss for the Wolverines who fell to 22-15 to Arizona State in Pasadena. Schembechler’s men actually played 13 games that season somehow getting the green light to schedule Hawaii after the close of the Big Ten schedule. A shocking defeat to Minnesota on November 15th was the only other setback that season for the Wolverines who ended up ranked #8 in the AP. The seller is a true beauty himself…see what I mean as you check out this warning to bidders within the item description: If you have zero feedback or less please bypass this auction unless you contact us first, otherwise your bid will unfortunately be cancelled then stomped all over before we catapult it into outer space using our giant intergalactic slingshot. There are too many of you rascals out there who understand with absolute precision how to place a bid but freeze up like a popsicle during the payment process it’s really quite weird. This ring is very nice. A little worn, but the inscription of “The Team” below the…
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Braylon: “Everything has been taken care of”
“The airing of the grievances” No surprise. As suggested here, Braylon, AC and Rich Rod were at the Griese/Hutchinson festivities this weekend at the Michigan golf course and resolved any type of issue there was with the #1 jersey. And as speculated here, it doesn’t look like this was a case of Rodriguez blowing off this tradition as everyone feared. Onward! To the next controversy!
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Let’s enjoy our pro football team
Don’t miss the ‘Other Voices’ piece written by law professor James J. White in the Ann Arbor News today. I assume most of you wouldn’t catch this in your sports feeds and it’s a beauty. The intro: Last fall’s debate about expanding the football stadium, the recent Ann Arbor News exposé on our football players’ search for easy courses and the need for the president and others to carefully refer to our players always as “student-athletes” make me think it is time to end our collective hypocrisy. We should admit that we have a professional football team. In essence White suggests that we stop kidding ourselves- it’s a professional football program and we should embrace this reality. In the end White says that’s not such a bad thing. Check it out.
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eBay Watch: The 1954 Bust
There’s a bevy of legendary former coaches and players descending on Ann Arbor for the 2008 Griese/Hutchinson Champions for Children’s Hearts Celebrity Golf Tournament (Sunday) as well as the Swing to Cure Diabetes (Monday) both at the M Course. This provides a nice opportunity to take a look at another item in the eBay Watch series, this time a signed program from the 1954 post-season football Bust autographed by the team and many of the greatest names in Michigan football history. Check it out: Coach Bennie Oosterbaan’s ’54 Wolverines finished just 6-3, certainly nothing too special but there were some notable wins. Anchored by All Big Ten quarterback Ron Kramer and All American tackle Art Walker, Michigan upset #4 Iowa and #8 Minnesota at home but fell 21-7 in the season finale to Woody Hayes and his #1 Buckeyes. The AP slotted the Wolverines at #15 in the final poll and Dr. StrangeHayes and the Bucks ended up sharing the national title after downing Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl. The 1954 season holds a special place in Buckeye lore. Obviously the national championship cements this distinction but this is in essence the year Woody Hayes deflected his critics and became a legend. I could go on about the ’54 version of ‘The Game’ but since my team lost, I…
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Carr Reacts to Charlie Weis comments
WJR’s Frank Beckmann asked Lloyd Carr to react to the “To Hell with Michigan” comments from Notre Dame Charlie Weis. No surprise, Carr took the high road but suggested that Bo made his “To Hell with Notre Dame” comments “after he was out of coaching”. [display_podcast] You can hear the entire interview here. HT: Michigan Sports Center.
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Big Blue Chopper to be auctioned Sunday
The Maize and Blue chopper will be auctioned off this Sunday at the 2008 Griese/Hutchinson Champions for Children’s Hearts Celebrity Golf Tournament at the M Course. P.S. And perhaps we’ll get some closure on the #1 jersey issue…check out the list of celebrities that are scheduled to appear: Several celebrity guests have committed to this year’s event, including Charles Woodson, Braylon Edwards, Jeff Backus, Lloyd Carr, Rich Rodriguez, Dan Dierdorf, and Anthony Carter.