Another Edition of Gary's Book Club

In case people are wondering why I don't make as many phone calls when hanging out at airports these days, I've been using this idle time lately to read books for fun.(!)

(don't worry Mpls Ju, I'll come up with some other excuse to call you someday)

This past weekend while visiting my brother in DC, I read Bo's Lasting Lessons, a book by Bo Schembechler and John Bacon that has a focus on leadership lessons. The leadership lessons are supplemented with countless great Michigan football stories from Bo's days as head coach.

For any Michigan fan/alum out there, this is a must read book. I am not kidding or exaggerating. This book is definitely worth it. Even though I read my brother's copy, I'm thinking of getting a copy for myself since it's the kind of book you can come back to at a later date.

For those of you not that interested in reading another book but curious to read a couple stories, check out this site, which has links to a few stories published in the Detroit News a couple weeks ago. Specifically, the stories about respecting your history and recruiting for character are perhaps my two favorite parts of the book.

One section of the recruiting for character section hits at the recruitment of the 'golden arm', the best high school QB in the Midwest in the mid-1980s. When visiting his home, Bo noticed how the recruit barked orders at his parents to bring him things and was completely disrespectful and self-absorbed. After watching his parents practically worship the 'golden arm' (as their 'meal ticket'), Bo and his assistant coach on the visit cut their trip short and abruptly left the home. This recruit was the best high school QB to come out of the Midwest during the mid-1980s, but he did not live up to the character of a Michigan Man and a team player. As it turns out, this QB chose another big ten school, transferred after one year, went to a second big ten school, and went on to play for many years in the NFL. However, his selfish attitude and poor leadership caused him to wear out his welcome quickly at each new NFL home. Bo never regretted resorting to the likes of Michael Taylor as his QB over this 'golden arm'. For those who don't want to figure out who I am talking about, the golden arm was Jeff George (though he is not referenced by name in the book).

Here is John Bacon's website, which includes a video of a presentation where Bacon briefly hits a few of the stories included in the book.

After reading this book, I really think that Michigan will try to hire Kirk Ferentz for the head coaching position. He seems to be the best fit among the most likely candidates. Brian @ MGoBlog seems to think that the job is Ferentz's if he wants it, but Brian is still skeptical about the validity of the 'rumor' that Ferentz has already been offered the job and is currently deliberating whether or not he will take it.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I'm off to see my brother for a few days down in DC. IN my absence, feel free to speculate who you think will be the next coach of the Michigan Football team. Here are my eight most likely possibilities (in somewhat most likely order)

Les Miles
Brian Kelly
Kirk Ferentz
Jeff Tedford
Ron English
Greg Schiano
Bobby Petrino
Jon Gruden

I don't think anyone stands out just yet. Les Miles is the media favorite, but I don't think it's that obvious just yet given the rumored rift between him and Lloyd Carr.

Gary's Book Club

My uncle recently published a book about my grandfather. It was not so much of a biography as it was a recreation of a lifetime of notes kept by my grandfather (so it reads like an autobiography).

My grandfather was the first radio voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, he was the voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers when they were the Pittsburgh (football) Pirates. Back then, Art Rooney, owner of the Steelers, asked him to call the games for free until they could find a sponsor for the broadcasts since they were a new and unproven franchise. He had a fascinating life and career in radio announcing several Pittsburgh area teams. He was also worked the first ever pro football game televised to people in Pittsburgh in 1951.

I never really knew 'Papa Joe' or his booming voice. He passed away when I was five years old and I probably only saw him a few times during my life since he was not in very good health during the early 1980s. This book was a great window into the life of my grandfather. In fact, I think I finally discovered a family member that I share a lot in common with! He had a photographic memory when it came to sports and sports statistics, and Pittsburgh sports was his passion in life. It's nice to know that I am not the only fanatic in the family.

There are several sections of the book that I found fascinating, but here's one passage that I think some of you will find interesting. This section deals with my grandfather's relationship with Bert Bell, who used to be part owner of the Steelers, but had since taken over the role of NFL Commissioner:

"Bell had been the prime mover of the NFL Player Draft that was initiated in 1936 to equalize player talent. The media had been denied access to these meetings. In 1953 I arrived in Philadelphia with my recorder to tape interviews with players selected by the Steelers. Bell had no objections, but George Preston Marshall, President of the Redskins, who Art liked to dig because of his haughty position against gambling, objected strenuously. To make things legal, Art "appointed" me as Steelers Vice President and consultant on player personnel. I "resigned" as VP after I taped two interviews. My six hours as an officer will probably remain forever a Steelers' record. My attendance opened the floodgates. Soon the draft became a media circus.

At one of these sessions, I had discussions with Bert concerning elements of the game that I considered in need of change. Punters in the NFL had become adept in kicking the ball high, allowing tacklers to get to the punt receiver at the time the ball was caught. The receivers often had no chance, but were hit hard, often knocking them senseless. Many were hurt. I lobbied for a fair catch rule allowing the receiver to catch the ball and not be hit. The ball could not be advanced. The rule was instituted in 1956."

Wow!


I didn't realize that my grandfather had such an impact on the game of football as we know it today.

Still in Pain (Part 3-of-3)

Not much else really to say. It was nice to be home for a couple days, and despite the poor outcome, I am excited about the prospects of having season tickets starting next season.

Here are a few pictures from Saturday. I didn't take any pictures at the game since it was raining.


The cops are enforcing the law on gameday...

House party on State Street

Walking to the stadium. Too bad the weather was not this pleasant for the game.

Saturday night drinks with some former MMB trumpets

Still in Pain (Part 2-of-3)

There is not much to be said about the game that has not already been said, so I won't go into too much detail about the game. Here are the highlights (and lowlights).

• It was clear that the offense was not in synch. Even though Carr later admitted that Henne just couldn't throw the ball well with his injury, I don't fault him for leaving Henne in the game. You can't pull a four-year starter out of this game unless he volunteers his position. Besides, it's not like we trusted Mallett.
• Why didn't Michigan go back to the no-huddle offense? It worked so well on their FG drive, and the hurry-up approach really helped our running game! I really liked the play call at the time and it paid off with Michigan's only points of the game.
  
• It was humiliating to see OSU pull a play out of the Waterboy movie playbook and essentially take a knee for the last 20+ minutes of the game. They knew Michigan would lose unless the defense scored two touchdowns once they went up 14-3. Too bad Michigan did not have Bobby Boucher to play linebacker.
  
• If I were an OSU fan (thankfully I am educated), I would have been really frustrated at the conservative game plan. Tressel would have been ripped to shreds for his playcalling if Michigan somehow came back to win. Maybe OSU could have scored another 10-20 points if they tried, but their passing game was not very impressive in the wet conditions.
  
• It was a total team loss. No unit is spared from blame, but OSU also has one hell of a defense this year. People will point to the poor throws and dropped passes, but the biggest culprits were the offensive and defensive line. OSU owned the trenches.
  
• So sad to hear OSU's fans take over the stadium in the fourth quarter. However, they earned the right to boast. At least the students tried to foil their cross-stadium cheers.
  
• I think Lloyd Carr is a great character and he will be greatly missed as Michigan's coach. I will never bash the guy for what he did for the school. That said, I think I am starting to understand what the John Cooper era must have felt like.
  
• I know I can be negative at Michigan games, but I was sitting in front of someone that pissed me off so much with his negativity that I wanted to turn around and give him a piece of my mind. Whenever Michigan ran on 1st and ten, he yelled at our 'idiot coach' for being predictable. Whenever Michigan passed on 1st and ten, he called Lloyd a 'dolt' for putting Michigan in a 2nd and long situation. He yelled at Henne after every incompletion, completely oblivious to the fact that he was hit on almost every pass attempt. Imagine this negativity after every single play on offense or defense. I just tried to drown him out by cheering loudly for Michigan, but that fan tested my patience, moreso than the idiot who was heckling me at the Northwestern game this season.
  
• Michigan will shock a very good OSU team in Columbus next season.
  

After the game was over, we were so soaked, cold, and miserable that we decided that dinner in Ann Arbor was not a good idea. Unfortunately, I was not able to take TheJSB and her dad out to dinner as a thank you for the free ticket. I felt kind of bad, but I really needed a hot shower ASAP before I got sick. Instead, I made plans to see TheDogDoctor for dinner. On my drive over to her place, I was trying to think of the most miserable football games that I attended, taking into account result, weather, and other intangibles. There are three other games that standout. Syracuse 1998, OSU 2001, and Tennessee (1/1/2002 Bowl). The game from this weekend was at the top of the list. It was the most miserable weather for a game I have seen before (win or loss), and a horrible outcome on the field. That said, I am still glad I went home for the game.

Still in Pain (Pat 1-of-3)

I made a point to be a positive and encouraging Michigan fan this weekend. This is a huge game, and the last thing the team needs is fan criticism. It also helped that I received a nice Michigan spirit boost when I went over to the Victors Club offices on Friday to drop off my season ticket "waiting list" donation. Guess who greeted me when I walked into the Victors Club office? JAMIE MORRIS!! OMG! As I was leaving the office, some random guy walking in asked me what I thought the score of the game was going to be tomorrow. You may not believe it, but I actually said "Michigan by several touchdowns". I'm sure FlyingV was proud!

With that comment, it felt good to know that I had found my true Michigan spirit back in Ann Arbor. I was definitely ready for The Game!

I made my way back into Ann Arbor on Saturday morning around 8AM. After finding a fantastic free parking spot within two blocks of Michigan Stadium, I went over to watch the MMB morning practice. This was not intended to be much of a reunion weekend since most of my friends were not coming back for The Game, so I was just killing time around town talking to a few MMB trumpet alums that I encountered at the band practice while waiting for TheJSB to arrive in Ann Arbor.

It was a crisp November morning, with an overcast sky fitting of a late November football game. The sun was starting to peek through the clouds, and the game day forecast was moisture-free.

TheJSB arrived shortly before 10AM and we went for a walk down State Street to take in the crazy house party atmosphere (pictures to follow in part 3). It was definitely a zoo there, and my favorite sign was one hanging outside a house on that street that said "Mike Hart. Are you looking for a baby momma?" I'll post a couple pictures from this scene a little later.

After having my first ever meal at Mr. Spots (shocking, I know), TheJSB and I met up with her dad. I tried to pay her dad for my football ticket, but he refused to accept payment since I was their guest for the game. I was speechless. Who gives away tickets to The Game? Their worth their weight in gold!! It was an incredibly kind gesture. I was planning to take them out to dinner after the game as a 'thank you' anyway, so I just figured I'd take them to a nicer restaurant. However, now it was time to walk to the stadium.

Just after we entered the stadium, it started to rain lightly. So much for that moisture-free forecast. I was wearing a maize Michigan hoodie over my old blue fleece and a maize long sleeve Michigan t-shirt (my standard late-fall Michigan football attire). I was not really prepared for rain, but at least I would stay somewhat dry even if my sweatshirt got soaked. I was regretting my failure to pack long underwear underneath my jeans. Jeans and several hours of rain and cold don't mix very well.

As we watched the tail end of the warmups from our seats in row 82 in the south endzone, I was amazed with how great the view is at Michigan Stadium when you are so close to the top row of the stadium. I did not feel like I was that far away from the field. There is not a bad seat in that entire stadium! Unfortunately, most of the road team ticket allotment is in patches around the south endzone, so there were a decent number of Buckeyes around me.

Despite the rain and cold, the crowd seemed fired up and ready for a glorious Michigan Stadium send-off for Lloyd Carr.

Coming up - Part 2 - 60 minutes of misery (I'm just not ready to write about this now)

Time to Fess Up

Ok. I guess it's time that I let you in on a little secret. I've put up a good front all these years, but I can't go on living this lie anymore. So here it is. I think the Script Ohio performed by the OSU marching band is one of, if not, the coolest college football traditions. Yes, I have called this the "most boring three minutes in sports" or "a sad display of the only word that Buckeye students can spell correctly" in years past. I was lying.

You might ask yourself, how could such a Michigan fanatic and former band member let this happen (go ahead, ask). I finally came to terms with this unholy truth recently, and it led me to ask myself how this could happen. I mean, how can I ever respect a tradition of the evil Ohio State Buckeyes? Despite my depressed state after realizing my love for a Buckeye tradition, I was reminded that it is ok to think that spelling a four-letter word on the football field is pretty cool. Why? Because this brilliant idea was first performed by the super-awesome Michigan Marching Band.

While I am somewhat relieved of this, I am also somewhat pissed off. Why does Ohio State insist on stealing wonderful ideas by the smarter, more creative, and better looking students at the University of Michigan? Can't they come up with an original idea for once that doesn't involve throwing exotic objects at opposing fans? And if they insist on stealing our ideas, why can't they steal our more important values in life?

Why can't they raise their kids properly?

Why can't they find more hospitable places to raise their families?

If you don't know why OSU fans are a bunch of classless thugs, you are not thinking hard enough.

I'd say the Michigan should get even with OSU for their thievery, but we did several decades ago. We got more than even.

Unfortunately, Michigan's ultimate revenge has turned sour. Michigan has not beaten the Buckeyes in several years, and I, frankly, and sick of this. I am sick of hearing about how they own us and about how Jim Tressel is right up there with Charlie Weis on the genius scale after three consecutive wins. I mean, we are still a long ways from John Cooper ineptness, but OSU fans have short memories (likely caused by excessive alcohol use). Michigan fans cannot allow losses to Ohio State to become acceptable. Their fans are evil, their coach bears a striking resemblance to the most evil man on earth (who do you think of when you see this picture). And to top things off, their players hate puppies. How can you possibly root for someone that hates puppies?

So what do we do about it? We can't let this go any longer. We must rise up and fight back against the egotistical OSU monster before it is too late. If not for yourself, do it for me. I hate those rioting communist bastards. Those people will spend the rest of their sorry lives living in trailer parks and coming out for an annual riot just because they live in a shithole city. Columbus is a much more beautiful city when it's on fire. We need to celebrate Lloyd Carr's last home game with a behind the shed beatdown of those Sweater Vesteyes. I mean, what kind of tool wears a sweater vest? Seriously?!? I won't be satisfied until Chris "I don't have a man card because people call me Beanie" Wells is sucking his thumb and calling Shawn Crable "daddy".

It's Lloyd's last home game, and I am making my first trip to the Big House this season. That's enough for me to believe that we can finally beat those no talent assclowns and give their sorry fan base yet another reason to burn down their foul smelling "college town".

And with that, it's time to start packing for a trip back home this weekend.

GO BLUE! BEAT THE BUCKEYES!!!!!!!!!!

I am not Proud of Myself

I have a confession to make. One that will shock and appall all of you. You might not be able to respect and worship me like you probably do today after this confession. It's one that I am not proud to admit, but in the spirit of full disclosure in this week of reflection leading up to the celebration of turkey, stuffing, and other more holy events, I won't be able to respect myself if I do not fess up my sacrilegious pleasure.

Tomorrow...

Use the next 24 hours to speculate amongst yourselves.

Who Wants to be S-M-R-T?

I received an add in the mail regarding my subscription to The Economist. If I renew for another year, I can give a free one-year subscription to a friend.

Who's interested?

Just think, if you subscribe to The Economist, you can be well informed about what is going on in the world. Also, you're friends will see you as smart and elitist since you look down on those poor fools who read Newsweek. How can you pass up that offer?

Worst. Idea. Ever.

Daylight Savings Time is amazing. The idea of adjusting the time so that it gets darker later in the evening is brilliant. Unfortunately, whoever decided that we can't spend the entire year in 'Daylight Savings Time' deserves to spend a few weeks in 'the hole' at Shawshank so that they can get a small understanding of my life four months every year.

You see, when I wake up every morning, it's dark. When I leave for work, it's just starting to get light outside. Now that we are back on eastern standard time, it's dark when I leave work at the end of the day. That makes me sad. I spend nearly every daylight hour at work from now until shortly before daylight savings time starts up again.

I guess that's another reason why I miss Michigan. It's nice being on the other side of the time zone.

I Can't Let Things Go

I think I have evolved as a Michigan football fan in recent years. I used to get no feeling other than relief when Michigan defeated "little brother" rival Michigan State. Something has happened over the past five years. I now take great enjoyment over beating Michigan State, especially when MSU finds new and amazing ways to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Surprisingly, MSU players never learn how to finish. Once again, they were jawing about how great it was to finally beat Michigan when they took a ten point lead with seven minutes to play. Um, HELLO!?!?!?

Why do I take great pride in watching the football team break the hearts of Spartan fans all over the state of Michigan? Simple. I cannot let go of the 2001 loss. If we don't get screwed in that game, Michigan wins the Big Ten during my senior year and I am not once again celebrating a New Year at Disney World.

Thievery

I still want revenge, six years later, but I must say that this morning IT'S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!! :)
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On an unrelated note, it looks like tradition has found it's way back to Yost Ice Arena, courtesy of former hockey band director Jason Smigell. Smigell brought his high school band in to Yost to fill in for a game against Boston U last weekend since the hockey band was occupied with the football game that day. It's nice to see the hockey band director dance once again, even if the dance moves are as "white" as they were back in 2000.