I'm On The Pigeons' Side

Pigeons are pooping on Bengals fans.

I've been to Paul Brown stadium about 1,000 times (or at least it seems like 1,000 times). It's a dee-sas-ter.

The fans wear 80's style orange and black pants and tiger paw gloves, the guy running the sound system plays "Welcome to the Jungle" every 37 seconds, the Ben-Gals cheerleaders would scare away an elephant, and the drunk guy next to you keeps screaming "who dey". I totally understand the pigeon's point of view. The Who Dey Guy deserves it.

TIckled Yellow

I'd be fibbin' if I said I was anything other than delighted to receive a package from Boone, NC in this morning's mail. In it was attire for both Retired Guy and me to wear on November 17th, a lovely sign to hold up at that game (For Sale--Recently Destroyed Big House) and some mardi gras beads to accessorize the ensemble.

But the very, very best part of the entire package are copies of the The Watauga, filled with photos taken by my good blog buddy, Marie (and sender of said package). Marie, words will never be able to adequately express my sincere thanks for the gifts. The best I can do is to promise to wear that shirt in the Not-So-Big-House on November 17th! It will be a pleasure. Muchas Gracias, Marie.

Breaking News From Michigan

In light of last week's special teams debacle in the Big House, Coach Lloyd Carr has announced a new field goal unit will handle the kicking duties this weekend against Oregon. They are pictured above: Curley, a freshman walk on; Larry, a senior offensive line specialist (who guarantees that he can block someone 30 pounds lighter--a feat his predecessor could not accomplish); and Moe, the star of his junior high soccer team.

Fun Monday Trivia

From The Detroit Free Press news site:

• By the time kicker Julian Rauch got back to Appalachian State's campus in Boone, N.C., after giving the Wolverines the boot, he had more than 20 new friend requests on his MySpace page -- from Ohio State fans.

Seriously, this ASU upset over Michigan is really a mixed bag for Ohio State fans, Penn State fans and anyone who wants the Big 10 to be respected as a football conference. I'm tickled pink for my friends in Boone, but mortified that Michigan could lose at home in a game that was supposed to be a tune up. It's time for Carr to go. He won't be fired, but if he cares about Michigan football, he'll resign and turn the House keys over to someone who can coach.

UPDATE: This is really fun:
Derek Jeter received lots of ribbing from his teammates after his favorite university, Michigan, which he attended for a semester, was upset by Appalachian State Saturday.

"We were trying to hold off telling him until after the game, but the people in here are ruthless," Torre said. "That's why I had to take him out of the game. He was depressed."

Jeter responded with something he has said hundreds of times: "That's why you have to play the games."

ASU Rocks The not so big House

Congrats to the Mountaineers! they know the joy that only comes from beating Michigan!
0h, 0h,0h how sweet it is
Update:
The NYTimes called this the biggest upset in College Football history and CBS seems to agree.
Congrats to my ASU Blog Buddies on a wonderful win.
Marie has covered the story as only she can.....

Ta Ta

Have a great weekend y'all!
We're off to the Cushing house (AKA, land of no connectivity) for the weekend. I'll try to post via the iPhone, but even that reception is a bit skitchy up there.

While we're gone, College Football will kick off the 2007 season. There are a couple of barn burners this weekend: the Mountaineers of ASU will invade the Big House (at right) and the Penguins of YSU will visit Ohio Stadium.


We wish the Mountaineers well and we hope that the Penguins will be seeing a lot of this:
If they don't see a lot of this, well then I'm guessing that Ohio State won't be seeing a lot of first downs. (That's Beanie Wells, our running back, and by week four of this season, he's going to be a household name...you heard it here first).

Musings On Michael Vick

Yesterday after his guilty plea, Michael Vick stood in front of a bank of microphones and "spoke from the heart."

In addition to admitting that he'd lied to the NFL Commissioner, his coaches and teammates, he apologized to the young kids out there:

I want to apologize to all the young kids out there for my immature acts and, you know, what I did was, what I did was very immature so that means I need to grow up.

It's outrageous that Mr. Vick characterizes what he did as immature rather than sick, twisted, and heinous. He later said, "I hope that every young kid out there in the world watching this interview right now who's been following the case will use me as an example to using better judgment and making better decisions."

Decisions? Like the decision to electrocute, kill by body slamming and hanging a dog is simply a decision? He started Bad Newz Kennels in 2001 and was still involved in 2007 when the charges came down. He watched dogs that he'd trained maul and fight to the death and he got a "rush" from that. Someone who can make a decision to engage in the level of brutality and cruelty detailed in the news reports over six years and then admit only to immaturity and bad judgment clearly does. not. get it.

And don't even get me started on his finding Jesus and turning his life over to God because "it's the right thing to do as of right now"..... Convenient Conversion? You betcha. We can only hope that it sticks cuz this is a man who can use some of what Jesus was preaching.

Judge Hudson--He's gonna need a lot longer than a year to 18 months to ponder about all of this and turn his life around. I hope you give him enough time to do all the thinkin' he needs to do.

What Have We Done?

Brady Quinn, aged four.
I thought we'd dodged a bullet when the Browns selected Joe Thomas as their first round draft pick. Certainly before they drafted again, Brady Quinn would be off the board, right?

Don't get me wrong. I think Brady is (in order of importance): 1) a Tom Brady level hottie (always important for us female football players); 2) a very level-headed, intelligent young man (his academic advisor spent 45 minutes gushing at his wonderfulness off the football field) and; 3) a pretty good quarterback.

I just don't think he's got what it takes to win. I so, so hope I'm wrong about this and all the experts are right, because Cleveland gave up a huge amount to draft him 22nd by trading their first round pick next year to Dallas. It's either Cleveland's best move since Art Modell slunk out of town, or Dallas made a mensa level move.

Anyway, here's to Cleveland's next franchise quarterback. Let's hope he's a Brady and not a Couch.

Mountaineers to Invade the Big House

Holy Moses. Via my good blog buddy Marie --the Appalachian State Mountaineers are going to invade the Big House on September 1, 2007, and they'll get to see Lloyd Carr work (ahem) those sidelines in person.

This should be a great game--it's enough for me to re-up for the College Game Day package for next season--two time defending 1-AA National Champions versus the team favored to win the Big 10 and possibly contend for a 1-A title. Remember, last year, the UNH Wildcats (1-AA school) visited Northwestern and came away with a huge win. Now this is a little different, in that Northwestern's athletic program is the reason we're still the Big 10--we do have 11 schools but only 10 have real teams, but ASU has an amazing offense and a lot of talent. And Michigan is sure to be overly confident about this game.
We'll say it here first--we see a big heartache in the Big House on September 1. Go 'neers!

UPDATE: Just to be clear-the heartache will be Michigan's, as the Mountaineers pull off a stunning upset.

It's Super Sunday. Do You Have a Rooting Interest?

We're a conflicted household. It's heresy for a New Englander to cheer for Peyton Manning and it's unthinkable for a quarterback as mediocre as Rex Grossman to win a Super Bowl.

Then we have the whole Archie Manning pulling strings to keep Eli out of San Diego and that makes it even more difficult for cheer for Indianapolis, right? I mean, a "normal" family couldn't have manipulated the NFL that way. A normal family would have been happy to just have the kid drafted by anyone, forget caring where he went......

So, we've decided to wait until kick-off and see where our heart lies.

And while we're contemplating the Super Bowl and its spectacle, how about the NFL?
Did you know that they've stopped churches in Indiana from hosting Super Bowl parties? Aye-uh, it's a violation of the NFL copyright for any venue (excepting sports bars, that is) to show an NFL game on a screen larger than 55-inches or to have more than one TV in a room. Seems it messes up their Neilson numbers and the NFL brand doesn't like that.

Then there's the front page article in the NYTimes about what happens to those hats and shirts proclaiming the losing team the winner. The NFL is very strict about where the loser's stuff ends up. No eBay and no TV appearances, they are never to be seen on American soil. So they're given to World Vision and shipped to Africa:

"Where these items go, the people don't have electricity or running water," said Jeff Fields, a corporate relations officer for World Vision. They wouldn't know who won the Super Bowl. They wouldn't even know about football."

According to the article, the items are shipped to a major city, along with medical and school supplies, they driven to one of the villages where World Vision members work. They distribute the goods.

Random Super Bowl Trivia:

• The Vince Lombardi trophy is Tiffany.
• It's a myth that toilet flushing at half time has any effect on any city's water pressure.
• There's 60 minutes of game time and 30 minutes of commercial time.
• 2.5 million Americans bought a new TV for the Super Bowl
  
• 57% of American women will watch the game (I have no idea how many are watching just for the ads)
  

Oh and I'm leaning Colts. Retired Guy is leaning Bears, but we each reserve the right to change our minds and even, possibly to cheer for the same team.

Tom Brady - Michigan football highlights

For my little friends, the Patriot fans who won't get to see Brady play this weekend, I offer you a little vintage Brady.

For All The Naysayers

Peyton Manning engineered the largest comeback (18 points) in NFL history and beat the Patriots 38-34 in the AFC Championship game. So sorry, Bill and Tommy.
And our sincere thanks to Florida Gator Reche Caldwell who managed to drop TWO WIDE OPEN PASSES and help those Colts win big.
Next up: DA BEARS.
Congrats Colts!

It's GO Time, Baby

Apologies if you've come in search of tidbits about Maine or a recipe or anything but Ohio State football.

Today is all OSU Buckeyes, all the time. Non-blogging time is being spent lying on the couch in my Ohio State Hoodie, wearing my Woody cap watching (in this order) the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, the 2005 Ohio State Michigan game, the 2006 Ohio State Michigan Game and some selected YouTube videos such as:
6-0
Boom
Troy Smith for Heisman
15 Top Plays.

How will it end? I don't know. I don't have a great feeling about this game. Why? Well first off, we've had so many happy endings recently it's almost time for karma to catch up to us; then there's the fact that Troy has always lived up to that big game expectation. He's only human and how many of these can he string together?; then, as everyone tells us, Florida stands no chance against us; and that only serves to put a big chip on their shoulder pad and a bullseye on our jerseys; add to the list that Lllloyd isn't coaching the Gators; and finally, OSU's record vs. SEC teams is abysmal. It does not look good, does it?

On the other side: I am a superstitious ex-athlete. I watched (or rather listened to) the second half of the 2003 Fiesta Bowl with my cheek pressed against the cool tiles of my bathroom floor, having caught the nasty flu bug that was racing through the Nasty. There's a 97.7% chance that I'll also be listening to (unless we move a TV into the bathroom) the 2007 National Championship Game with my cheek pressed against the cool tiles of the bathroom floor, having caught the nasty flu bug that was racing through our National Sales Meeting last week. So that's a plus.
Ohio State is 3-0 in games that I don't have a good feeling about this season. Another plus.
Then, we have Tressel. Triple HUGE plus.
Finally, even if Troy doesn't have his best game, he seems to find a way to win. Now I feel better.


Prediction: OSU 34-21 (21 cuz Florida cannot kick a field goal)

It's Almost Go Time, Baby

The University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix Arizona
(photo from ESPN)

Hail, Mr. President

As an Ohio girl living in the Northeast (the land of play for pay), I often end up trying to explain our passion for college football. I almost always fail to do it adequately.

This doesn't explain our passion but it illustrates how deeply the game penetrates and influences our lives:

As President Gerald Ford's casket was moved from Air Force One to the hearse in Grand Rapids, the University of Michigan marching band first played Hail to the Chief and then Hail to the Victors, the Michigan fight song. (The band had to catch a red eye back from California to be present at the ceremony).

On the way from Washington, DC to Grand Rapids, Air Force One made a detour to Ann Arbor for a final flyover of the Big House.

Draped over the back of one pew at the funeral was a blue blanket with the letter “M” emblazoned on it, symbolizing Ford’s alma mater, the University of Michigan, where he played football for national championship teams in 1932 and 1933.

Many of the mourners at the museum and lining the roads during his funeral procession on Wednesday wore Michigan hats and sweat shirts in his honor.

He was Speaker of the House and the President of the United States of America, but in the end, he was a Michigan Man. And every Buckeye, Hoosier, Badger Cornhusker and Hawkeye understands that perfectly.

Did I Mention....

that I'm having a Magical Day?
Not by choice, mind you. It's the bi-annual event that is officially called the National Sales Meeting. It should be called hell. Rumor has it that some people like this week and enjoy the meeting. I've not met one yet, but they tell me they're around. I have until Sunday morning to find one.

Anyway, there's some upside to being here. Local news is all about the Florida Gators and the upcoming National Championship game (Monday January 8--The Ohio State University versus the University of Florida 8 pm, baby)

Last night, they ran a clip of Urban Meyer, talking about his team's focus and preparation and he said something that made my heart hurt.
He said

This is the first time this Bowl has been played -- distanced itself from the other Bowls. We have an obligation to put a good product on the field. Make no doubt about it, this is a business trip and we will handle it as such.

College football is commercial and it is big business.

But to openly label a sport (a sport that is still layed by teenagers playing it for the love of the game, most of whom will never Play for Pay) a Product and to call a bowl game a business trip seems overtly cynical and very sad. There's a reason that we say "play a game".... There's a reason we work. Shouldn't we keep the two separated?

Michigan Lost

Michigan football lost far more than the Rose Bowl yesterday. It lost an enormous chunk of its "storied program's" reputation.

After losing to Ohio State 39-42, there was much gnashing of teeth, tearing of sackcloth and general belly aching (the Ohio stadium turf screwed them; the refs screwed them--that wasn't a late hit. Helmet to helmet? No. He led with his hands). There was trash talk from one Wolverine running back:

I guarantee if we played them again it would be a whole different game. Their defense played good, but they're not as good as people thought. We knew we were going to be able to run the ball. We just didn't put enough points on the board, but there's nothing special about that defense.

There was a general feeling among the Michigan faithful that if the game were played again, the result would be different.

There was the definite feeling that Michigan got hosed after the BCS picks were announced. "NO!," they wailed. "We are the second best team in the country, maybe the best team in the country (remember we only lost by three in Columbus on that terrible turf), with the best defense in the country and we have been screwed blue." Oh and we'd NEVER allow Troy Smith on our team. He violated NCAA rules.

No one from Michigan bothered to mention that in the OSU game, they scored 10 points while covering less than 12 yards, thanks to two Ohio State turnovers. No one from Michigan bothered to remember that they failed to score any points on another turnover. No one from Michigan felt that they lost to a better team--not really. They lost, but there were so many factors that were unfair to them.

Fine. Everyone's entitled to their opinion and everyone is allowed to share that opinion. BUT. IF. You are going to talk the talk, Michigan Men and Michigan fans, then you must put the beat down on the Trojans. Yesterday, after being blitzed by everyone but Pete's grandma, and rushing for less than 50 yards, Mr. Hart, you and your Michigan team are left without any excuses. After the porn star-led offense shredded you for 439 total yards yesterday, you can't even claim you have the best defense in the country.

You can no longer claim that you were robbed of a National Title, that you deserved to play in the title game. And after the past month of talking, you no longer carry the torch of the nation's most respected football program. Not only have you lost your last two games the last three years, but this year for the first year, you lost face and sullied your first class reputation.

A Day Of Mourning

On the day after the Michigan Men lost to Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl, on the day after the Michigan Wolverines wore a helmet sticker with Gerald Ford's number 48, the nation pauses to remember the "accidental President," a Michigan Man.

Ford was an outstanding offensive lineman for the Wolverines, but passed up an opportunity to play in the NFL, choosing to attend Yale Law instead.

He remained a true Michigan Man to the end, often asking that "Hail to the Victors" be played instead of Hail to the Victors at White House functions. In a media guide largely devoted to Michigan's storied tradition, Ford has a page of his own: Three Varsity Letters. Most Valuable Player. Yale law degree. Sworn into Congress in '49. Minority leader in '65. President in '74. Number retired in '94. His number is the last Michigan number to be retired.

In 1997, Lloyd Carr asked Ford to address the team before the big game against Ohio State. The Wolverines were 10-0 and ranked No. 1, en route to what would be the program's second national championship. Carr needed to do anything possible to lessen the pregame tension.

Ford addressed the team during practice on that cold, gray November day.

"He said, `I've watched and followed you closely all year. I watched the Notre Dame game. I saw that great, comeback win against Iowa. I watched the Penn State game. But I'm going to tell you something: Saturday, you're going to play in the most important game in the history of Michigan football,"' Carr said. "And I thought to myself, 'Well, so much for trying to take the pressure off the guys."'

Farewell, Mr. President.

Welcome Mountaineer Fans

The post on UMass that you're looking for is found here. Or scroll down a bit. It's now a few posts down.

Good luck on Saturday!

The Minutemen Roundup

I'd do just about anything for my blog buddy Marie, and she's asked, so never mind that this is right up my alley and I might have done it anyway....here's a Yankee's eye view on the Minutemen,with a big thank you to my husband the talking sports encyclopedia.
Disclaimer: I have no rooting interest here, and if pressed to pick one, I'd be leaning Mountaineers all the way. I have had the misfortune of watching UMass beat UNH (my husband's team) twice and Montana once. So I know a bit more about them than I know about the Mountaineers:

• UMass has lost only one game. To Navy. By one point in a game that they easily could have won. That officially served notice that they were GOOD.
  
• The UMass Minutemen are FAST. Quicker than a fart in a skillet, now that I think about it. They have the best defense in the strongest league in the 1-AA division (that's not an opinion according to the TSE, that's a fact. The league is brutal and getting out of it undefeated is a huge accomplishment--which they did).
  
• They have speed at every position and have overwhelmed their first three play-off opponents with that speed both offensively and defensively.
• They blitz 75-80% of the time on defense, often bringing the house, so the receiver needs to get open quickly and the quarterback needs to check off to the open man faster than that goalpost ended up in up in the duck pond.
  
• The defense was successful in limiting UNH's David Ball (you know, the guy who broke Jerry Rice's all time 1-AA receiving record earlier in the season) to 54 yards in their quarterfinal game. They held UNH's offense to only 17 points.
  
• They wreaked havoc on Ricky Santos--not insignificant considering that he entered that playoff game ranked in the top 10 nationally in completions (22.7 pg, fourth), total offense (278.7 ypg., sixth) and passing yards (2,681, seventh). His 23 TDs through the air topped the Atlantic 10 and his 12 rushing TDs was No. 1 in the conference. Santos also had four 300-yard passing performances.
  
• Quarterback Liam Coen is smart and accurate. He's the 1-AA leader in pass efficiency.
  
• Tailback Steve Baylark dropped weight this year and gained speed and has rushed for 1,000 yards in all four years at UMass. He's bruising when he needs to be, quick when he needs to be, and always tough (he gained 169 yards against Montana after suffering bruised ribs. He gained 198 yards against UNH).
  
• UMass is hungry and wants this win badly. They are focused and driven. They've been counted out of most games this year and that motivates them tremendously.
  
• They won, on the road in Montana, in a stadium that has traditionally been a graveyard for traveling teams.
  

On the positive side for Appalachian State:

• UMass only scored 24 points against a horrific UNH defense. Seriously, my grandmother could score 38 points against UNH's defense this year.
• Coen isn't Armanti Edwards. Edwards is a game changer and he seems to be the kind of game changer that defies an answer.
  
• The Mountaineers appear to be every bit as fast as UMass and maybe a step quicker.
  
• The Mountaineers have way better uniforms, and way, way better fans.
  

Good luck. Marie and Gnumoon--please beware fans in togas and wayward goalposts on Saturday. We'll be watchin' and cheerin and lookin' for you'uns on the TeeVee. Ayeuh.
appalachian state
university of massachusetts