Thanks to his dominance in the early days of pro football some go as far to label Benny Friedman the Babe Ruth of football. And related to the Bambino, did you know Benny used to swing the bat in Ann Arbor?
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Bring your Radio (Without Delay)
via U-M Media Relations: Delay-Free Radio Available for Fans Inside Michigan Stadium ANN ARBOR, Mich. – University of Michigan football fans will be able to listen to the flagship radio broadcast featuring Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf without delay inside Michigan Stadium this season thanks to a partnership between WTKA Radio and the Michigan/IMG Radio Network. The three parties worked to eliminate several of the elements that normally lead to a significant delay with a radio station. “The partnership providing delay free radio at Michigan Stadium is a great added feature for our fans,” said Hunter Lochmann, U-M’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We have heard from our fans that listening to the radio broadcast is a big part of their game day experience and especially in Jim and Dan’s first year as a team, we are excited to offer this to those fans that attend games at the Big House.” “Today is an exciting day for the entire team here at Sports Talk 1050 WTKA,” said Matt Spaulding, Vice President and Market Manager for Cumulus Media in Ann Arbor. “What started as a whisper of opportunity has become a 10,000 watt reality for all the fans of Michigan Football and the listeners of WTKA. The dynamic play by play broadcast being delivered by Dan Dierdorf and Jim Brandstatter will now be…
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See you Saturday Shaggy?
Along with Appalachian State returning to the Big House Saturday will be their fans, who in my experience were top notch back in 2007. Looking back at my react post after the game (don’t click there and yes, this site was up and running in 2007) I almost forgot about Shaggy: IIRC Shaggy and his buddies had their nicknames on the back of their shirts, and I spotted them heading down the aisle in Section 22. Shaggy agreed to the pic above, correctly called the margin of victory by flashing the rockin’ deuce, and the rest, as they say, was history miserable. Shaggy – will you be back Saturday? I don’t think this lady will be back, she was in the 2nd overtime of life: I offered a “well done” to an elderly woman & App State supporter as she walked to her car. She smiled and said, “You have a lovely stadium.” Yes, we have a lovely stadium. WE HAVE A LOVELY STADIUM!? I would have preferred a swift smack in the giblets with her walking cane. Follow MVictors on Twitter
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Brandyman Can Do Play-by-Play | Jim Brandstatter Interview
Brandy and Dierdorf in the Summer of ‘69 [Bentley] You certainly know by now that this season longtime U-M color analyst Jim Brandstatter shifts over one chair, replacing Frank Beckmann as the play-by-play man. Next to him will be Brandy’s former teammate and pal, longtime NFL broadcaster & Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf. I spoke to both men this summer for a piece you can find all season in the home game program. For you – I posted the full Dierdorf interview last week. Like Dan D., Brandstatter is just an outstanding guy – incredibly kind. File under FWIW – as a pee-wee I grew up in East Lansing a few houses down from Brandy’s older brother (and Spartan) Art and his great family. Here’s the balance of my chat with Brandy: ——————————————————————— MVictors: All right, so when did you decide to go for the play-by-play gig? Jim Brandstatter: I really didn’t decide, it was kind of decided for me. This whole thing, when Frank announced his retirement they had gone out and they were looking for people and they were, nothing really fit the bill. As I understand it they really wanted a guy who had Michigan background–someone who brought Michigan with him to the broadcasts. Then it wasn’t until the third week in January that I was asked…
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Provisioning for Michigan Stadium | 2014 Style
My annual post outlining your checklist before entering Michigan Stadium on Saturday. Optional for 2014: A. MaraWatch – Only required if you want to look cool and have everyone like & respect you. Only then. B. Tricked out customized adidas – Only for the true players (see A.) C. Blow-up Doll(s) – To help fill up the empty seats around you. D. Stick/Rope/Towel – ..to bite down on to help ease the pain if you see 98 running for his life against App St, or if TFLA remains in triple digits. The rest: 1. Radio with quality Headphones. Forget the latest incarnation of the “official” radio that sticks on your ear (do they have another one in 2014?), they are unreliable. Bring in a radio you trust to listen to the play-by-play from Brandy and Dan Dierdorf on WTKA 1050AM. You’ll get injury reports, sideline observations, statistics and analysis of key plays that are under review (although Brandstatter always seems to think the replay will goes Michigan’s way). You can also check out the entire pregame show and This Week in Michigan Football History as it plays. Probably most critical: with the radio in your ears you can block out the blabber from the fool nearby who won’t shut his Twizzler hole as he belts out play-by-play and screams down…
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104,559 Asses – The History of The Wave at Michigan Stadium (1983)
Origins of 'The Wave' at Michigan Stadium (1983)...
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The Jug Rivalry: Illustrated
Congrats to Ken Magee and Jon Stevens for pulling together their outstanding book The Little Brown Jug: The Michigan-Minnesota Rivalry to be released on September 1. I helped them out with a few things – some of the history of course and with a few photos – and from the early specs I’ve seen the book is a fantastic way to consume the history of this great rivalry. The photos alone – over 200 inside – are off the charts. Props to Kenny and Jon for scouring the earth to dig up many of the beauties inside. My buddy Oscar Munson made the cover: Here’s the official release: The battle for the Little Brown Jug continues: New book commemorates Michigan-Minnesota football rivalry Though the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota may be in different divisions after this year’s game, the 110-year legacy of the Little Brown Jug lives on. In the latest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s Images of Sports series, authors Ken Magee and Jon Stevens take readers on a visual journey of this iconic rivalry’s history in The Little Brown Jug: The Michigan-Minnesota Football Rivalry. “We hope that the readers will gain a better appreciation for these two great universities and how much of football parallels history,” Magee said, “be it the early century, roaring 20s ……
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Reintroducing Dan Dierdorf, Michigan Man | Interview
You probably know that this season longtime U-M color analyst Jim Brandstatter shifts over one chair, replacing Frank Beckmann as the play-by-play man. Next to him will be Brandy’s former teammate and pal, longtime NFL broadcaster & Hall of Famer Dan Dierdorf. Before the season I got to chat with these guys for a piece for the game program--so look for that each Saturday.
