Great question posed by fellow blogger Tim of Varsity Blue, who commented on my eBay Watch post on the 1904 sheet music of Elbel’s The Victors. Tim Says:I’ve heard that “The Victors” was in fact a tune that was ripped off (at least in part) by Elbel. As resident historian of the Michigan blogosphere, do you have any insight on the matter? Tough question to answer on a Michigan blog by an alumnus and Victors Club member who named his blog “MVictors” and considered naming his son Victor (went with Fielding). But it’s a good question. Yes, some maintain that the tune to the The Victors was more than inspired by a song published earlier in 1898 titled ‘The Spirit of Liberty‘ by a gent named George Rosey. Based on what I’ve read [if you think sports bloggers lean nerd, take a stroll on a classical music message board] there is a range of takes on this. They vary from there’s really nothing borrowed from the Rosey tune, it’s just sour grapes or anti-Michigan people taking shots at what many consider the greatest fight song ever composed. Besides, this school of thought goes, it’s not like these songs were on everyone’s iPod so did Elbel even have access to it? Others say that portions of the tune sound similar but…
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Second Biggest House
Yes, news is out that the current size of the Big House will shrink, at least until the renovation is complete in a few years. It’ll make Penn State’s Beaver Stadium the biggest for that period. Reaction: – Glad the University came to an agreement with the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America and the US DOJ. I heard awful stories about some of the issues with access for fans with disabilities at the stadium and I’m glad something was done. – While I like the distinction of having the stadium with the largest capacity, I realize we can’t keep up the arms race forever. – I’m begging for a Les Miles backer to declare “Thanks for nothing, Rodriguez”.
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The Mountaineer Romp 1904 (Michigan 130, West Virginia 0)
In October of 1904 the Wolverine squad faced off with the team that every college football fan would love to see visit Ann Arbor in the next few years...the West Virginia Mountaineers. On October 22 coach Fielding Yost took on the team from his home state and beat them like they just sued him for $4 million. Make that $5 million. The Wolverines won 130-0 in front a sparse home crowd.
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New Stadium Construction Photos
On MGOBLUE.com now.
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Der Komisarek
Don’t miss Sports Illustrated’s piece titled ‘Big Banger’ on former Michigan icer Mike Komisarek. They’ve included a graphic that proves once and for all that the current Montreal Canadien is the toughest man in the NHL: And SI.com didn’t forget about where he honed his craft and got a quote from Red: During his two years at the University of Michigan, walk-ons hopeful of playing for the Wolverines would have to run the Komisarek gantlet. He remembers unloading on the newcomers, helmets and sticks flying as in a cartoon brawl. Says Michigan coach Red Berenson, “I’d have to say, ‘Mike, take it easy on your teammates. The enemy comes this weekend.’ “ Good to see some props to the rougher element of the NHL that we all used to love. Alles klar, Herr Kommissar Bettman? Mini eBay Watch: The University of Michigan Dance Marathon group is raising money and selling some cool items on eBay right now including a coach Berenson autographed stick, a football signed by BOTH Lloyd Carr and Rich Rodriguez and a host of other cool stuff. Check out their auctions here.
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Taking Five with Dennis Fithian
October 7, 2006 marked the annual renewal of the Michigan vs. Michigan State football rivalry. Typically this would have been one of the busiest days of the year for former WTKA radio host Dennis Fithian, but he was not in Ann Arbor that Saturday. He was instead about 40 miles down the road at Comerica Park for his new employer WXYT ‘The Ticket’ radio. Somewhere during the second half of the 31-13 victory over MSU, the Detroit Tigers were finishing off the favored Yankees 8-3 for a trip to the World Series. Fithian was there to cover it all for his new station. In the brutal world of sports radio, things have worked out well for Fithian. Each one of the Detroit-area stations in that market have seen significant turnover in the last couple years, WTKA in particular. The very popular former Ann Arbor drive time host was kind enough to speak with MVictors about radio, Lloyd Carr, Drew Sharp and even about reheating pizza. Here you go: MVictors: Let’s get right into it. Do you have any ill will toward WTKA for the way your departure was handled? Fithian: There’s no ill will whatsoever. A lot of people thought I was let go because of comments about the basketball program, especially when they didn’t make the NCAA tournament that…
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Big House Facelift: How it’ll look this season
The official football site published renderings of what you can expect Michigan Stadium to look like this fall. A smaller image is above; the site also included desktop wallpaper versions if you really want to spend some time checking it out. Did you think construction would pause once the season starts? I did but no sir. Check out this little nugget: While the stadium will be ready in September to welcome more than 100,000 fans each game day, construction work will continue Monday through Thursday prior to home games. “We will use Friday as a clean-up day for the game,” added Stevenson. “When the team is on the road, we are going to work seven days a week.” If you want to see some photos and video of the renovation, check out my previous post here from a visit late last year.
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USA Today on Yost Ice Arena
Great article in USA Today that ran yesterday. . Also I see Michigan Sports Center included it as a must-read in its quick hits yesterday. Agreed, this is a must-read and it’s the second major media source to feature one of Michigan lessor known facilities in a week. The current issue of Sports Illustrated takes you down the hallowed lanes within Canham Natatorium to check on Michael Phelps and other Olympic hopefuls. Now yesterday, USA Today ran a story on the great Yost Ice Arena. Some highlights: First, here’s Coach Berenson on his pitch to recruits considering where they want to skate: “What I tell kids is that if you want to go to the school with the nicest rink, go straight to Grand Forks, because (North Dakota) has the nicest rink,” says Berenson, 68, former NHL player and coach. “But if you want to play in a rink with a great environment and a lot of history, then you should come to Michigan, because Yost is a player’s rink.” More Berenson feeling the pain of a poorly dressed parent: Berenson recalls fans poking fun at an opposing parent about her “polyester suit.”“They got into where she shopped and started chanting ‘Kmart,’ ” Berenson says. “And they are all in sync. It’s amazing. I felt bad for the parent.” Host…
