On Topic: "I missed the game" because....
On 10/25/14 at 5pm I'll be at a wedding that I can't get out of... my old roomate of 2 years is getting married in downstate Illinois. (And I had a ticket that I had to turn down)
Sweet Baby Jesus please schedule this game for noon. If it is set for 3:30pm then I'm screwed and I'll be watching on my phone from the back row.
So, on this note... let's hear some stories of missing a big game due to unavoidable reasons. (And no, "my wife made me paint the house" is not an excuse. Being a wuss and not having your priorities straight is not a legit excuse to miss a any game).
Or, let's hear stories of watching the big game in the face of adversity.... like my friend who watched the entire 2006 OSU game in the hospital room while his wife was in labor with their first kid.
Do tell....
August 20th, 2014 at 11:11 AM ^
2006 Michigan-MSU game. I think the game was at 4:30 or some weird time. DAMN YOU LADYWOOD HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING!!!
August 20th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
That truly is school spirit. Go Blazers!
August 20th, 2014 at 12:35 PM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 5:18 PM ^
Uggh...even worse. Although as you are damning the school and not the date it must have gone well.
August 20th, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^
The class was in Akron and ended around 3:00, so we had time to make it back to the usual UM Club of Cleveland game-watch bar. My wife and I sat with George Lilja, who is 1. super nice and 2. the father of an adopted daughter. Plus that was the last time (oy) we beat MSU comfortably. A good day.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:13 AM ^
because I had to go out of state for a funeral and the best I could do was follow the radio broadcast over the internet.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
...which turned out to possibly be the worst you could do.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:42 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 12:36 PM ^
even if they didn't have adverse situations. It was BTN's first game and Bright House Networks in Livonia hadn't finalized the deal with BTN yet. I think Comcast did the week before, so you could see it if you weren't in the Livonia/Farmington Hills area. I didn't see a single play and had to resort to radio, and I didn't listen too intently because I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. Listening to football on radio is such a disconnect that it's hard for me to pay attention much.
August 20th, 2014 at 5:37 PM ^
I was still living in A2, went to a roadkill-themed tailgate, but passed on going to the game.
Since this was the first game in years that wasn't available on TV locally, I thought it would provide some Ufer-like nostalgia.
I think ABC or ESPN must have managed to get a live cut-in to the blocked FG, but I know I saw that in real time.
August 20th, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
My dad came to visit me at school that weekend. We decided to play golf instead of watching the game, figuring it would be a blowout. I got a phone call as UM lined up for the winning FG and had to listen to someone commentate to me how that ended up. What a depressing day.
August 20th, 2014 at 1:47 PM ^
Figured I'd just come back, count up all the gaudy stats, and not worry about missing too much.
Woof.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:13 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
I got married two years ago and when we were in the process of planning the date, I laid my foot down and said we would absolutely NOT get married on a college football Saturday. We actually got married the Saturday before the first weekend, so it worked perfectly (and no, we didn't go on the honeymoon until December, so I didn't miss anything other than crappy bowl games).
August 20th, 2014 at 11:49 AM ^
My old roomate is the lady. (no, we never did it). This fact made it even more difficult when I tried to talk to her about missing the wedding and only coming to the reception. If it was a dude then there would be no talk, but only a "you know you scheduled this on UM-MSU Saturday... I'll be at the reception but not the wedding."
Her fiance' is an Illinois grad, so, it makes perfect sense why he want to be occupied all day on a college football saturday.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:49 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^
Plus teams sometimes move games around, so there's no guarantee that date will stay a bye week until a few months before the season.
August 20th, 2014 at 12:39 PM ^
Don't mean to burst your bubble, but September 24, 2016 is a long way away. Plenty of time for schedules to be shifted before then...
August 20th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
yea like breaking up. 2 year engagement? no thanks
August 20th, 2014 at 1:23 PM ^
But, it's not just Michigan...it's all the other games people miss because of a wedding. Even on bye weeks, I get pissed off like no other if I have to attend a wedding.
August 20th, 2014 at 12:30 PM ^
There are a lot of things to consider. For example:
1. Am I in this wedding? (I'm not anywhere near close enough to anyone with the audacity to schedule a Fall Saturday wedding to actually be a groomsman...)
2. How close am I to the groom/bride? (See item 1)
3. What's the likelihood of them getting divorced down the road? (Recent statistics say...better than a coin-flip...)
4. Where is the wedding? (How close to Ann Arbor for a home game or viewing options for an away game?)
5. How much is this wedding trip going to cost? (Presumably more than it would cost to go to/watch the game...)
6. Who's the opponent?
Given the overwhelming implications of items 1-5, item 6 is superfluous. Conclusion: Send a card and watch the game...
August 20th, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^
Reverse scenario: I missed a Pearl Jam concert at Madison Square Garden to watch Michigan get pummeled by Syracuse in 1998. My roommate had Fan Club tix near the stage that we just ate. I still rue that decision.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^
OUCH! Going to have to miss the App State this year -- older brother and I are not happy about the date the #2 son chose for his wedding!
August 20th, 2014 at 11:24 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
Meaning definitely not your favorite.
August 20th, 2014 at 2:44 PM ^
Pulling crap like that he'll stay number 2!
August 20th, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^
I missed my first home OSU game last year since 1975 because my Father-in-Law passed away the week before the game.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:17 AM ^
game was before comcast picked up btn, and i figured i didn't need to follow it or watch it. was at a picnic the whole game and didn't know what happened until later that night.
in hindsight, i probably made it out better because of that than 99% of people on here...
August 20th, 2014 at 11:24 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 11:28 AM ^
Pretty sure it was the first game carried by BTN...
August 20th, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^
Yep it was the first game carried on the BTN. I know because I was a comcast subscriber and had to go to a Brann's in GR to watch The Horror. The waitstaff weren't very impressed with me by the end of the game.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^
Charles Johnson? (former UT and NFL RB) was color guy on broadcast. Sat next to him on a plane the following year and he explained that it was the first football game on BTN.
Cool strory bro
August 20th, 2014 at 3:41 PM ^
back then was whether your local cable provider carried the network. There was a battle between certain providers and BTN about getting on their sports tier, which is probably why some people are questioning that.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:18 AM ^
but I was late getting to the TV for the last 2 because the night prior to each I was completely hammered drunk. Good times...
August 20th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
since my mom passed away that day. It's strange, since I couldn't watch the game and only saw replays later, but it's still stuck in my memory anyhow.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^
I missed 2012 MSU because I was on an MBA recruiting trip in Seattle. It was the only game I really wanted to attend that year. Very frustrating.
Also, some guy got into a fight with me on the Internet because I was a terrible student for trying to get a job instead of going to the game.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:22 AM ^
both of them being from Michigan, the wedding was pretty well split between UM and MSU people, and the afternoon wedding reception had a lot of people gathered around a tiny Sony Watchman watching the game up in ELansing while we were in the Detroit area at the wedding. Bride cried over it.
or, it could have been that the groom's brother brought Tia Carrera as his date....
August 20th, 2014 at 11:22 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
stay an extra night
August 20th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
I have two really shameful ones:
1995 Virginia, we had to leave at the end of the third quarter because we had to go to a family wedding. Got home in time to watch the Mercury Hayes touchdown as we were putting on our suits.
2002 Washington, we had to leave with 10 minutes left because we needed to haul ass up north to pick up my sister at Camp Michigania and bring her back to Ann Arbor in time for class on Monday and my dad wanted to beat the traffic. I was using her student ticket in the 10th row in the corner where Brabbs kicked the field goal, too.
Less shameful, I guess, but I missed Colorado in '94 because I got invited to some school friend's birthday party and my parents insisted I go, and I missed Purdue in '95 because I had the flu. In retrospect, I probably should have just gone, I would have ended up sick anyway.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:37 AM ^
I remember my Dad being so pissed during the game, sometime during the 4th quarter he said fuck it and went outside. I sat and watched as Scott Dreisbach engineered that fantastic 4th quarter comeback. I remember after we won, going outside and screaming at my Dad WE WON WE WON!!!!!!
Good times.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
Weddings. I can't stand fall weddings. I've missed way too many games, even away games in which I don't attend. I have two this fall (Rutgers and Michigan State)
10 year HS reunion during the Utah game this year. My wife is in charge so I have to go.
Engineering Conferences (App State this year).
I missed a ton of games during undergrad due to Fall baseball practice.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
Wedding in Myrtle Beach for the 2012 ND game and THANK GOD I MISSED THAT SNOOZE FEST.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:30 AM ^
August 20th, 2014 at 11:33 AM ^
Michigan/MSU 2005. My sister's wedding. Got to watch the first quarter, but then it was off to the church. I was a groomsman, and from the front of the church I could look out and see 75% of those in attendance constantly checking their phones. As soon as the ceremony was over, several of us ran to the limo to turn the game on. We go there just in time for OT.
Michigan/Ohio State 2006. My cousin's wedding. They were kind enough to have several TVs set up at the reception, but I still missed most of it.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^
The Western game that was cancelled due to weather. Had to stand in a buddy's wedding in Boca. Since the game was cancelled I technically still have a streak, right?
Later that season (Penn State), my then girlfriend's dad was getting married. She wanted me to go to the wedding. I did not go to the wedding.
My now girlfriend's sister is getting married on ND gameday. I will be at the bar at the venue watching the game.
August 20th, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^