From deep in John U. Bacon’s Three and Out, check out a few great lines delivered by Rich Rod before last year’s rematch with the Spartans. Here’s RR talking to the team after displaying a picture of the Paul Bunyan Trophy: “The ugliness of that trophy is well documented. It’s undeniable. But Paul’s ugliness is only acceptable when we have it. “They’ve had Paul for two years now. Who knows what they’re making Paul do? Probably taking him around to every damn frat house on campus and doing God knows what to him.” They laughed. “Poor Paul! He needs to be rescued!” Rich Rod’s speech was great but he didn’t rescue poor Paul and sadly he’s been in East Lansing longer than Gilligan was on the Island. Go Blue! Rescue Paul! Get Three and Out here – it drops October 25th.
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We Had a Bust Thursday
You heard? On an recent email thread in my inbox someone mentioned they heard Jim Rome talking about how Rodriguez played Bette Midler at the banquet. I was there and even live blogged for the second year in a row if you missed it. (It was going well until the Dee Hart to Bama rumors emerged and unfolded during the middle of the bust and the live chat went sideways for a spell. Recruitniks! <shakes fist>) So regarding Rodriguez’s speech and the Josh Groban moment. I was seated in the back of the room. Rich Rod starting his final words around 9pm and lost in all the Grobanathon is that Rodriguez delivered an excellent speech. It was passionate, heartfelt and he seemed truly humbled in the moment. About ten minutes in he dropped two of his big lines, “Our time is coming, and it’s coming in a big way”, and “We’ll let people jump on the bandwagon. They may not get a front seat.” You forget that Rodriguez is a skilled public speaker in these type of forums. Then came the Groban stuff, about 10 minutes in. When RR first mentioned the pop-opera crooner I winced. When he recited the lyrics I chuckled & when they started blasting the tune I cringed. And it was LOUD. I think it would…
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Live Chat : 2010 Michigan Football Bust
Live Chat is done – thanks for all who joined and participated. [Ed. December 3 - I’m getting a lot of traffic on this post due to Josh Groban-gate so I re-added the replay of the live event. Yes, I rip on the Groban thing in the live blog and found it odd. But I will say this: Rich Rod gave a great speech before that and probably should have left it at that. It was passionate & heartfelt and he came off to me as humbly stating his desire to be a part of this family.] Replay: 2010 Michigan Football Bust
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Interview: Men’s Soccer Coach Steve Burns
I caught up with Michigan head Soccer coach Steve Burns on the field prior to the Wisconsin game in anticipation of the huge NCAA battle against Central Florida on Sunday. Dig it: MVictors: You’ve got Central Florida tomorrow and you went down and scouted them this week. What opportunities do you see and what worries you? Burns: They are a talented team. It was good to see them because they are a lot better than I thought they were going to be. Their strength is in their midfield–they run a 4-5-1. I think the biggest thing is that they’re a team that’s not going to beat themselves, meaning they’ve got discipline and they play within themselves. We’ve got to go out and beat them. It’s going to be a good game. MVictors: I understand that tickets are scarce (for Sunday). What kind of crowd do you expect tomorrow? Burns: It could be upwards of 4,000. The chairback seats sold out in about two hours and I’ve had a lot of requests for tickets. I went out and bought 50 tickets and..I’m out, I’m out! [laughs]. MVictors: What’s going to happen tomorrow? Burns: Well I’m hoping that it’s not like this [gesturing to the sunny sky]. I’m hoping that it’s gray, rainy and bitter. I don’t think it’s going to be…
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Michigan to Open 2012 Season vs. Alabama at Cowboys Stadium
Full official press release, via U-M Media Relations. [Comment: What. A. Schedule. Oh crap let’s get better soon.] U-M to Open 2012 Season vs. Alabama at Cowboys Stadium DALLAS, Texas — The University of Michigan football team will face the University Alabama in the 2012 College Football Kick-off Event at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 1, 2012. The game will be televised nationally in primetime. “This is a great way to kickoff the 2012 season with two of the nation’s winningest college football programs,” said Athletic Director Dave Brandon. “We are excited about playing a regular season game in the state of Texas, a region of the country where we have traditionally recruited. Our goal is to get as many Michigan fans to the game as possible to witness this match-up of traditional powers.” The Wolverines will be the away team with the Crimson Tide designated the home team. The game officials will be a crew from the Big 12 Conference. This will be the fourth time that Michigan faces Alabama in school history, and the first contest played during the regular season by the two programs. All three previous games between the Wolverines and Crimson Tide were played in bowl games. Michigan defeated Alabama by a 28-24 score in the initial meeting, the 1988 Hall of Fame…
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Welcome to Missourah
Before the season most expected Michigan to lose four to six games (me) this year so sitting at 5-1 at this point shouldn’t be shock. But when drilling down at each game, losses vs. UConn or Notre Dame or even at Indiana were stomachable. But if you insisted during preseason that one of those losses would be to MSU you’d get a little cringe from anyone, definitely from me. That hurt. Monday I wrote, "you could argue that the future of Michigan football is in the balance" on Saturday’s game. That was admittedly a tad strong but given the manner of the result, the scales just tilted against the future of Rich Rod in Ann Arbor. There’s plenty of opportunity, starting Saturday, to tip things back. This morning you’ve got a fanbase of M fans, as in Missourah, as in ‘show me’ this team can hang in the Big Ten. Sights and Sounds Check out my pregame photos here. I’ve been trying to post these just as the game starts so if you like this kind of thing, head here early in the first quarter during home games if you want to check them out. Includes former captains Mark Messner, Jim Conley, Denard and more. One of those pregame shots included the Screaming Eagle parachute drop which I think is…
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Denard: Please Don’t Loop, Swoop or Pull
I was up in East Lansing for the Wisconsin game but tuned into the radio broadcast and this morning I watched the replay. (I broke down and ordered the expanded sports package on Comcast to get ESPNU). It’s remarkable stuff to watch to be sure and like you, I’m still very worried about what’s going to happen in the next few weeks with this defense. Miscellanea: * I expected it to be close, definitely closer than the spread, but not quite like that. I read this Saturday morning and remember thinking it was silly for Sharp to be so specific in his prediction, but, pretty much: Drew Sharp MICHIGAN 41, INDIANA 38 This is a game that goes down to the last possession. The Hoosiers score a touchdown with less than a minute remaining, but that gives Denard Robinson enough time for another miraculous drive. * Love the MS Paint giant shoe sign: Lon Horwedel – A2.com * After the final pass of the game was broken up, cameras panned over to their obligatory shot of the winning coach. Greg Robinson grabbed Rich Rod to tell him something and it was kind of weird: * The other interesting sideline moment came just minutes earlier, after Taylor Lewan was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after Denard scored the game-winner. While ESPNU provided…
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Bowling Green – Pregame Photos
Sights and sounds on the field pregame, enjoy: Shoelaces, spreading just like the flu, watch out home boy don’t let it catch you: Proficient at cradling the pigskin for sure: Many eyes on these guys today: Lil’ "Miss Buckeye State" favors your favorite team, and made that very clear to me when I asked: Related: Broken Records – BGSU Bowling Green Postgame: Still Feeling Alright Yeesh Feeling Alright
