The boys are back, discussing a few items in the relative calm before the Rose Bowl storm. The Prof his the annual Award Show/Bust and offers a few takeaways. We grit our teeth and discuss M Hoops. The Pundit runs down the wild QB portal action around the league and elsewhere. Go Blue!
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Vanquished! Thoroughly. (Michigan 42, Ohio State 27) | Sights & Sounds
What happened Saturday was the fulfillment of the promise of Harbaugh – the antidote for the seemingly unbeatable Buckeyes. For all the times people tried to channel Bo and the 1969 (24-12) game during the last dozen years, it actually happened in 2021 – when no one really talked about it or prophesized it. Click here for the Sights and Sounds:
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Sights & Sounds | Family Reunion (Michigan 47, Western Michigan 14)
As JJ McCarthy's pass sailed diagonally across the field, a truck pulled up to the gates of Michigan Stadium. Its cargo was approximately 110,000 cans of that sweet nectar of hype, hope, and expectation. Of course, you usually received your annual dose around the first week of August each year, but you know, COVID and all. To the Sights and Sounds from Saturday. This is my gameday peek into events off the field on Saturdays, aka whatever you call the opposite of Xs and Os:
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Pregame Pics | Appalachian State
In and around the gridiron before from this fine morning: The obligatory Peppers No Horror part Deux, thank you The new radio duo loving it. And P.S., I shook Dierdorf’s giant hand and now I can barely type this The inside of the mascot head smells like Doritos, Jagermeister and shattered dreams. (HT: Sklars) The Funchise — surprised everyone by coming out in the COVETED #1. His statement here. Uniform timeline will be updated. The block M nosebumper made it on the field, Uniform Timeline will be updated. First change to the bumper since 1985 when MICHIGAN replaced the helmet manufacturer in that slot. NOTHING wrong with seeing that name roam the west sideline 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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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.
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Getting Stuck with Krash
This season longtime local sports radio voice, M sideline reporter, & mgo-misc. host Doug Karsch will co-anchor the Michigan radio network Tailgate Show with former U-M All-American Jon Jansen. Karsch will also continue his sideline reporting duties as part of the play-by-play broadcast. I’m pulling together a piece on the new show and recently chatted with Karsch. Listeners of the radio broadcast know that Beckmann & Brandy referred to Karsch as “Krash”. I never knew why, admittedly never asked, but either way, I never really cared for it. I’m not sure why – I figured it obviously had something to do with Doug’s last name and I guess I assumed Frank or Brandy just thought it was funny to call him Krash. Meh. Anyway, when I chatted with Doug recently I asked him about the nickname and if ‘Krash’ was going to endure in Frank’s absence. Here’s what Doug told me: “I’ll tell you how it started and what’s funny is that I’ve been broadcasting since 1993 and I get asked more about that than anything else. It was my first year doing sideline, it was 2006 and Michigan had a game at Minnesota. The whole team arrives [at the hotel] and I was the last to check in. I was a rookie and I’m just waiting. The team checked…
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Man Down in the Press Box | Brandy Does Play-by-Play (1980)
Last week we learned that the new radio broadcast team will be former U-M teammates Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf. The big news is that Brandy is shifting over a seat to do the play-by-play, with DD handling the color commentary. I confirmed with Doug Karsch that he will remain is his previous role handling the on-field duties. I kinda hope Karsch would get the nod to be in the booth (in one role or another) but it’s hard to argue with the Brandy-DD team. Heck, I didn’t even know Dierdorf was an option. You might know that Brandy stepped in to handle the radio play-by-play back in 2003 for the Northwestern game, but that’s not actually the first time he performed those duties during a Michigan football game. It turns out that was way back in 1980…on TV. Recently Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis shared with me the details of Brandstatter’s first shot calling the game: In 1980, Larry Adderley and Jim Brandstatter were all set to call the Michigan-Notre Dame football game from South Bend, Indiana for a local cable TV outlet. Adderley, who had just finished 5 years as the host of Michigan Replay with coach Bo Schembechler, would unfortunately come down with laryngitis just before kickoff. He made a valiant effort to do the play-by-play, but…
