[Update 1/16/2011: Check out the 2011 version of a LEGO Horseshoe, it puts this one to shame.] In the first shot across the bow between Buckeye and Wolverine fans, it was learned today that an OSU-backer finally achieved what nerds on both sides of the Michigan-Ohio border have been attempting for years: to construct replicas for their respective stadiums out of LEGO blocks. If you are not a fan or a nerd, this is comparable to the Russian launch of Sputnik in 1957. According to various sources, the 1:275 scale model of Ohio Stadium took 2000 hours (what?) & 2.5 years to build and stands about 10 inches tall. We can not verify if the builder included any drunk LEGO Buckeye fans sleeping outside the stadium or peeing on the Horse Shoe walls. Rumor has it that the original owner traded this LEGO masterpiece for a 6 pack and a half-spent tin of Kodiak. Several Wolverines are scrambling to complete their replicas before Michigan stadium undergoes its renovation in 2008. The closest we’ve come to compete with the mini-Ohio Stadium is a (gulp) LEGO Michigan Marching band tuba player (fyi, I really found this in google images, and it really is supposed to be an M band member):
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BCS Headaches
SALINE, MI For good reason, there’s a lot of focus on what will happen after the big game on Saturday, and the fate of the team that loses the game. It is clear that the winner will go the championship, but there are still questions on what will happen to the loser. To focus on the loser right now is a little ridiculous (and annoying) but here’s some items that I must get off my chest. 1. The possibility that a 1 loss Notre Dame is now well positioned to pass by a 1 loss Michigan. The mere thought of this really chaps me.
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Michigan Crushes Indiana in Warm Up
BLOOMINGTON, IN What a great way to round out the season before the big one against the Buckeyes next week. Michigan crushed the Indiana Hoosiers on both sides of the ball and cruised to a 34-3 win. Next for the Blue is a mega-hyped, media-saturated week leading up the showdown in Columbus.
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Heading Back to Bloomington
SALINE, MI NOVEMBER 10, 2006 It’ll be great to get back to IU, the first time since graduating from business school in 1998. It was a great two years in Bloomington and of course this time coincided with Michigan 1997 National Championship run. I actually received two tickets to the 1998 Rose Bowl against Washington State from the IU Athletic department. Ahh, good times. Here’s a few things I’d like to see tomorrow: – Henne crisp passes, with completions of 40+ to Manningham and/or Arrington. – Hart having less than 15 carries. – Minor, Grady, Jackson looking sharp. – Defense holding IU to less than 200 passing yards. – Overall, a 20 point+ win, going away, giving some of the 2nd string a chance to redeem themselves. – A porterhouse steak at Little Zagreb
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Peeking Beyond 2006
While it is pretty meaningless to look beyond next Saturday, we all do anyway. Look at all the attention that is paid to recruiting. You know you love it. So, I know it has crossed my mind but short of losing a few key folks on defense you have to feel like Michigan will be at or near the top of the rankings at we start 2007. Here’s an excerpt for ESPN college football insider Bruce Feldman: Hoyt (Palm Beach, FL): Crazy question, but I’ll ask: who are the top two or three teams for next season? Surely this depends on who declares for the draft, etc., but every year around this time a few teams seem to garner buzz (I recall Notre Dame and Oklahoma last year) for being the ones to watch the next year. Bruce Feldman: Texas, USC, Michigan depending on who leaves and LSU. All these teams have top-flight quarterbacks returning. Could we see another Michigan vs. Texas bowl game in 2008, this time for the BCS National Championship?
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Victors Club Sends DVD
NOVEMBER 10, 2006 Today in the mail I received a package from the Michigan Victors Club. The letter contained a DVD titled “2005-06 DVD: A Tribute To Your Support & Commitment for Michigan Student-Athletes”. I gave it a quick watch on my PC. It recapped the 2005-06 athletic season and some of the main events. It was certainly well packaged, some of the highlights: – A quick brush over the 2005 football season, touching on the big wins over Iowa, PSU, and Michigan State. – An emotional interview with the Michigan baseball coach (who was brought to tears) discussing his Big Ten Championship team. – A look at some of the new building on campus, including the new academic center. – A clip of a rain delay-induced “dance off” between the Michigan and Wisconsin softball teams. So why does the Victors Club distribute this media? I assume it is a) to make us feel better about donating to the Victors Club, and b) a soft touch before giving half the Victors Club members the bad news (that they won’t be BCS Championship tickets)?? :)
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Why Ball State Might Matter (or Not)
Ball State nearly Shatters 2007 SeasonSALINE MI, Sunday 5 November 2006 What appeared to be a mere nuisance (almost an annoyance) on the 2007 M Football schedule, Ball State proved to be more than just a walk-over. With under 3 minutes to go in the game, Brady Hoke’s Fighting Jars had the Wolverines on their heels. The 109,000 on hand were on their feet, urging Michigan to stop them – yes, to stop Ball State! So what does all this mean? Let’s look at both sides of the coin here, why this could mean a lot, and why this might not mean anything. Why This is a Disaster: Here’s a few reasons why this is a really a disaster– Michigan almost lost to Ball State. To Ball State. They had to ball on the 2 yard line and could have easily punched it in, and got the deuce. Anything can happen in OT, although Michigan has never lost in OT. – The secondary looked brutal, albeit it was second string guys. Was this a look at the future of our secondary?– Could this come back to bite Michigan in the polls, and thus drop Michigan out of the BCS rematch scenario, assuming they lose to the Buckeyes?– While most of the damage happened against the 2nd string defense, the first…
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Herbstreit on Breaston “Worthless” Comment
Explains what he meant by “Worthless”, regrets choice of wordsANN ARBOR MICHIGAN NOVEMBER, 3 2006 Here’s a summary of the ESPN chat with college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit, explaining his use of the term worthless to describe Michigan WR Steve Breaston. Rick (New York): When you call Steve Breaston “worthless”, and promise to meet Eddie George at his restaurant for the OSU “victory party” over U-M, don’t you lose your credibility as a national journalist? I bet you don’t even have the guts to answer this question. Kirk Herbstreit: First of all, I did not call Steve Breaston worthless. I called his production in the Michigan offense worthless since his freshman year. That was probably said more out of frustration for Steve and wishing that he were more of a factor because of his ability to make big plays. I really regret that the newspaper painted me into a corner, making it look as if I called Steve worthless, which I never did. And I would never call any player worthless. But the facts are the facts and he has not been involved in this offense consistently since his freshman year. Kirk Herbstreit: The other thing that really ticked me off about that article was the headline that said that I feel that the Michigan defense will fail against Ohio…
