We're From Phoenix
9/26/2008 – Michigan 27, Wisconsin 25 – 2-2, 1-0 Big Ten
I don't have to tell you it was ugly at first, but an illuminating example: at a couple points in the first half when the guy with the red hat was on the field various family members of mine stood up because we're natural standers frustrated by the usual decorum of our section.
A set of ancients crabbed at them to sit down despite, you know, the lack of anything to see other than a guy with a red hat standing on the field, and when this was finally annoying enough for someone to respond with the obvious riposte about the red hat a full-scale verbal confrontation ensued in which the crabs behind us simultaneously complained about how we were violating the stadium announcer's request to treat our fellow seatmates with respect and called my cousin "fatso."
I thought but did not say "I know you are wearing a hat that indicates you fought at the battle of Antietam but don't think I won't smash your skull into splinters."
At halftime, Michigan had 21 yards. I tried to hide from the sun and list all the things I would rather do than watch the second half.
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At the beginning of the year we were all confronted by an unexpected cost imposed by the massive turnover in coaches and star players: Michigan seemed a little like laundry we wanted to win, and sucky laundry at that. They wore the wrong numbers and ran the wrong way and certainly played the wrong way and goddammit where was Mike Hart?
We know college football players not as people but as things that have transpired on the field. By the story arcs their careers trace out, tragedy or comedy. Without those—without even Lloyd Carr's story to fall back on—the first few games of the season were strangely numb. They lost to Utah? Okay. They lost by 18 to Notre Dame? Okay. You can go back and check the columns here: serenity reigned. That was born from detachment.
Johnny at RBUAS captured this sentiment perfectly:
Mike, Jake and Chad risked their dignity and only left with a little of it, but they came back in the first place by choice, because of something bigger. As for the guys that are still here, Trent and Jamison are mostly quiet and patient and had no place else to go. And no matter how jubilant and grateful Terrance might seem, he knew how much money could be made by coming back. I don’t hesitate to say that wins this year won’t be as satisfying as wins last year were. Not enough of these players have suffered yet.
Those people out there aren't Mike, Jake, and Chad but Threet and McGuffie (or Shaw or Minor or Brown or Grady) and I'm Not Sure Who The Left Tackle Is This Week.
But there is no better one-word description for the first half Saturday than "suffering," and Johnny Thompson is always going to be the guy who picked off Allan Evridge. Steven Threet could have four years of moments good and bad in him but I suspect to me he'll always be looking over his shoulder at Wisconsin safeties, just as shocked at what is transpiring as everyone else.
After it was over I did something I hadn't done since I was a kid making paper airplanes out of the free programs and throwing confetti* in the air whenever Michigan scored. I went down to the tunnel as the players exited the field and watched them go: Taylor boisterous, high fiving anyone he came across, Warren stoic, the Coner completely neutral until someone thumped his shoulder pads in congratulations. The only thing that betrayed Kevin Koger and his old man beard as an 18 year old, not an Antietam veteran, was the kid-on-Christmas-morning smile stretching from ear-to-ear. A blood-soaked band-aid hung from Thompson's chin, gamely sticking to a couple of hairs in his ragged beard. Barwis looked like he was stuck in a paint shaker.
These are no longer strangers. I know how they run, and they are mine. I wanted to say something to them, to wrap everything that had just transpired into a sentence and give it to them, to tell them about ashes and hope and the future. But nothing came.
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After Brandon Minor's touchdown run I turned around to see what the crabs were thinking and perhaps to say something unkind. They had left at halftime.
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This is what I should have said: "Those who stay will be champions."
BULLETS
- Thanks, karma! The entire crab sequence was awesome.
- Carson Butler got suspended and Mike Massey flailed around a bit before being replaced by Kevin "My Name Lacks An R" Koger, who proceeded to do nothing obviously wrong and then caught a seam route touchdown. If they're going to burn a redshirt, it might as well be for a 30-yard touchdown, and since he doesn't seem appreciably worse than either of the two nominal starters I say let it ride.
- This is what I am talking about with the "It's Great To Be A Michigan Wolverine" chant. It should be kept in reserve for Events.
- I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but if you booed the team you're an asshat. You wear asses for hats. Yes, you may have the purchased the right to boo your asshat-wearing heads off, but you are also taking your frustration out on a team that's obviously trying really hard but just kind of sucks from time to time. Booing the coaches is your excuse? Don't care, the players couldn't tell, and now they probably think we're all asshats because of you. You have a "right" to boo. You also have the right to give your grandmother the finger and call her a harlot.
- The block M in the student section was not epic fail but it did look a little squat from my vantage point.
- What is the point of replay if they aren't going to overturn that ridiculous Wisconsin "reception" in the fourth quarter? Even the Wisconsin fans in our section thought that was a terrible call.
- As I was walking home these guys behind me were having an extended conversation about how Rodriguez was dumb to go for two. One: they were wrong. Two: seriously? Seriously this is what you're focusing on instead of one of the best games in Michigan Stadium history? It must suck to be those guys.
- Those guys at the 1997 OSU game: "It should never have been that close."
- Those guys at the birth of their children: "he has a disappointingly shaped head, did you have to push so hard?"
- Those guys in the space machine vortex thingy from Contact: "you should have sent a poet. I'm just a guy who has no understanding of game theory. I'm not even enjoying this because I don't have someone belting out quatrains about these stupid galaxies."
*(Also made from the free programs. Those things are clutch when you're ten.)
BlueSeoul, for now, and forever:
Boo, to you, sir. Boo.
LONG LIVE THE SOCK PUPPETS!
I'm going to close my account and start a few new ones so'll never know if it's your new nemesis you're commenting with.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!
BluZee, if you want to see some really good sockpuppeting, you should visit the WLA in a postgame thread. There's this one asshole, Bend It Like Gingell (BILG), who every.fucking.time comes up with some new handle and just shits all over RichRod and the team and anyone that supports them. Win, lose, it doesn't matter- for some reason, BILG just loves shitting on Michigan.
This BILG guy, he's a stupid douchebag that has no friends and doesn't get laid. You might like him.
The Wolverine Liberation Army- saving Michigan fans one dick joke at a time.
So, I know you are a troll and all. But in the unlikely event you are serious, let's make sure I understand your theory:
1. I (we?) are Brian.
2. Brian registered 1,000+ account names the day the site switched.
3. Brian regularly, and with absurd frequency, posts with these names...under his own posts.
4. Not satisfied, he created blogs comprised of other fake members, like the WLA.
5. Where he posts entries by these fake members.
6. And then posts hundreds of times under these WLA blog posts.
And he does all this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Just wanted to be clear.
great and omniscient Grand Poobah of the WLA
Change your syntax if you want to "sell" your charade. You overuse the term "troll." (I can tell it's you, just like you can tell this is "me.")
There you go again, with your one-dimensional reasoning: you can have 1000+ members AND have several screen names under which you post to yourself.
Maybe to boost your traffic numbers? That's fraud, isn't it? Hmmm.
If it pays good enough, hell yeah, you'll post to yourself 24/7.
And I thought all this time MGoBlog was written by a Michigan fan, for Michigan fans about Michigan football (of which we are all obsessed). Now I realize it's all a fucking rouse to mess with this guy. I wasted so much time reading these posts!! DAMN YOU!!! DAMN YOU ALL (or just Brian?) TO HELL!!!!!
No question, Jim.
It's written by a meth addicted paranoid schizophrenic who has not slept since 6/30.
great and omniscient Grand Poobah of the WLA
I've "saved" these comments. Since I seem to be the only one in here, except for yours truly, I want to always have a record of it because it's so unbelievable. Sort of a "the sound of one hand clapping" vibe going on.
Seriously, dude, you need help. (Hint: maybe your different "personas" should learn to write in different styles, as well. Then it won't be as obvious.)
OK. First, this site launched on 6/30. Every single person who joined on the day it launched (IE, everyone that read it when it was on blogspot) has the join date of 6/30. So, we are not all the same person.
Second, not one of us is Brian. His screen name is "Brian".
Sadly, I was one of the random people whose signup never worked on 6/30 and wasn't corrected until early July, I'll never be as cool as all the 6/30 people.
My mistake. (nudge, nudge, wink, wink.)
You must be the historian of this blog since you know so much about it.
"PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!!!"
"Can you spell SIMPLETON, boys and girls?"
In a battle of wits, I refuse to fight with an unarmed man (-- unarmed men?)
Yes, Star Wars and A Few Good Men quotes truly are the mark of a cultured individual. Could you, I don't know, go back to MLive or something?
great and omniscient Grand Poobah of the WLA
Sure, Brian(?). Just banish the people who disagree with you. "It's your ball, you want to make the rules or you'll go home and take the ball with you."
Quadruple the dose.
Btw, I'll take my quotes over the term "asshats" for culture-indicators anyday.
Do you also get donations from your many selves?
I'm not Brian? But...wow. Ok.
great and omniscient Grand Poobah of the WLA
BluZee -- your belief that the booing was the cause of the TT speech assumes that item #5 on the list was the tipping point, not the four items in front of that. None of us know for certain, but I will suspect that items #1 "Just the situation" and #2 "my last year" were enough motivate TT to rouse his fellow teammates.
And placing such significance of TT's speech assumes that comments from coaches and the self-awareness of the players to their situation hold little merit.
Go Blue!! Viva La Revolucion!!
www.wolverineliberationarmy.com
You should re-read my earlier posts so you know what my argument was. Either your comprehension is very limited, or you are so busy listening to all the many conversations in your head, that what other people are saying simply can't penetrate.
Try tripling your dose.
Just because multiple people think that you have missed the mark, don't convince yourself that its all the same person with multiple handles.
BTW. Will Campbell and the Cass Tech contingent left before the end of the game. Who knows what portion of the fan involvement he witnessed. And if he didn't stay for the end, it is far more likely that her heard the asshat "fans." Hopefullythe majority of us aren't booing the asshats on signing day for Will going somewhere else.
http://mgoblog.com/content/big-will-didnt-stay
Go Blue!! Viva La Revolucion!!
www.wolverineliberationarmy.com
Or maybe he couldn't stomach the poor performance he saw in the first half. Good players don't want to play for a team that plays like that, and don't want to play for a team whose fans accept such shoddy play.
This is Division I football, not the AYSO.
The number of people agreeing or disagreeing doesn't really matter, does it? That's juvenile logic.
What matters is backing up your opinion with evidence: as one of your many "personas" mentioned in one of the posts. I did that. You--or should I say "YOU ALL"--didn't.
Dude...seriously...there's like thousands of people here with the same registration date. I mean, honestly. This is beyond stupid. You cannot possibly be so dumb. You just can't. I refuse to believe. I don't want to believe it. I don't want to live in a world where you think we are all the same person. It's insane. It's almost criminal. How can you be allowed to walk the streets? How did you graduate high school? What has society come to? I mean, you're going to break me here. I'm fucking losing it. You are just blowing my mind with idiocy.
great and omniscient Grand Poobah of the WLA
Well, we agree on something: your mind is definitely "blown with idiocy."
Your point was the booing had NO effect on the players, NOT the booing wasn't in the top top four effects.
My point was simply that the booing CAN, and PROBABLY DID, provide some added motivation IN THIS CASE. The quote proves my point.
Get over it.
BluZee -- TT did mention it. It was FIFTH on his list of issues, behind it being the 500th game. ONE on the list was the situation, that being on the WRONG SIDE OF 19-0.
The potential loss of recruits and alienation of players and their families is worth venting your spleen and ranking FIFTH on the reasons why TT gave his speech? You are a short-sighted jackass.
Go Blue!! Viva La Revolucion!!
www.wolverineliberationarmy.com
You are the epitome of what's wrong with our society. When someone disagrees with you, or proves a point against your argument, you lose any iota of class you may have PRETENDED to have and resort to insults. Grow up.
Evolve.
BTW, ganging up on me with all your different screen names is a nifty trick. Next time, try to create your different names on different days!!!!
I suppose you have arguments with yourself all the time: medication not working?
But I want to pose this question to everyone. What is worse:
1. booing your team after the type of football from the first half?
2. leaving the game early in any case?
3. not cheering at all?
Well, all three happened at the Wisconsin game. I think 2 and 3 could be worse. Also, we have a very large (too large) portion of our fans who sit on their asses during the game and barely say anything. If booing creates a negative divide amongst players and fans, then what does not cheering do? Those who are lame duck crowd members are worse than the booers and should stay home.
Yes, we could be the same person...
Or we could have all signed up on the first day of the change-over.
Clearly, I have created 9 sock puppet accounts that I use to post on my own blog as well. To further the illusion.
Or, it could be that there actually are that many people who disagree with you.
great and omniscient Grand Poobah of the WLA
Try doubling your dose.
I am part of an elaborate hoax
I also joined on 6/30. I have never met these WLA folks, but if you read the site more you'd see that they are pretty entertaining fellows, it's just that more often than not a doe (or should I say dope) like you gets caught in their headlights and crushed.
There are many people that joined on 6/30, we all just happen to obsessively read Brian's stuff and 6/30 was the first day the site changed to the new format. Thus the confluence of the 6/30's.
No question, Jim.
BluZee:
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Write a better post.
"People in glass houses...."
"Truth?! You can't HANDLE the Truth!"
You are the epitome of what's wrong with our society. When someone disagrees with you, or proves a point against your argument, you lose any iota of class you may have had and resort to insults. Grow up.
Evolve.
You are the epitome of not getting a joke. You said that booing improved the teams performance. My joke was that booing you would improve your post. Joke.
"It was a lot of things," said Taylor. "Just the situation, my last year, my first last Big Ten game at home, the 500th game, getting booed off the field."
There were some pissed off, angry, sullen looking 40 and 50 somethings there. There's one clip from the ABC film where some older guy looks like he is going to hit another guy for just wanting to get out of the isle. The more youthful, whiny booer was way more annoying though. Michigan has some fans whose superiority complex is the whole reason and or need for attending these games. When they do not get their fix, they boo. The rebirth is expected from their vantage point. It is however unfair to go to a Michigan Football game and demand to be appeased with miracles. And or have expectations that miracles are normal. One should find it ironic, if you are a fair weather fan, that the miracles came after the boos and not before them. It was not a cause and effect response. When the expectations were lowered to a more realistic threshold, Michigan played miraculously at home. The team knows it's growing up and awkward. They do not need the antognizing, booing reminders that they are in diapers.
Some of those fans seriously need to find the Lord.
By booing the booers, they will boo better, and their boos will thus encourage the player, by booing, to play better. So, to all the booers, I say "BOOOOOOOOO!"
Also, boo.
By booing the booers we're going to get them to boo better.
Good point Chitown.....because, of course the boo's at halftime made the team go, "Holy shit! We really sucked!! Let's play better! Thanks crowd!"
BUT...should the booers become better at their booing, our team will go undefeated the rest of the way!
No question, Jim.
I think boo'ing is dumb - not because it's going to hurt the players "feelings", but because every self-proclaimed boo'er here is that asshole sitting behind me who screams "THROW IT DEEPPPPP!!!!" "BLOCK MORE!!!" "THIS SUCKS!!" "UNACCEPTABLE!!" "WHY AREN'T WE SCORING" "YOU SUCK PLAYER X" all. fucking. game.
great and omniscient Grand Poobah of the WLA
I know what your saying and I think I have sat in your seat before.
I disagreed with just about everyone on this blog regarding booing your own team. I am a booer, and proud of it. I booed our performance at the game. I know our team isn't that great in light of the coaching changes, etc etc. However, I believe they were half-assing it on Saturday. 5 fricking TO in the first half?! And there were a couple that were reversed. Some of the TO were on some really small hits. Our ability to protect the ball is horrible - a fundamental lost somewhere in transition. Something that even the bottom 10% of NCAA don't do. Keeping your head in the game and sticking to fundamentals will help us control the TOs. Because they didn't, I think deserse a good boo.
Also, unlike some on this blog, I think boo is a very mundane three letter word. It expresses displeasure, but not disrespect. It should have little affect on the players. But for those players that get mentally down becasue of it, needs to get some help.
Overall, booing is small beans conpared to just about everything else that goes on in the stadium.
Two events in the last two seasons have embarrassed me more than anything prior in Michigan Stadium. One, the "fans" booing Chad Henne during the Oregon game and then cheering when he was taken out of the game for injury and two, the booing at the end of the first half Saturday.
I sit next to the recruits and players families during games. I witnessed the effect that each of the aforementioned events had on members of each of these groups.
Chad Henne's mother and family friend were sitting one row ahead of me and to my right during the Oregon game. He was getting heckled and when he was injured, many people cheered that Chad was coming out. I could see in Mrs. Henne's expression how the fan reaction hurt her. And then the cheering as she is rushing on to the sideline to attend to her son was disgusting. I generally won't bother the players' families and recruits, but I was compelled by the grotesque behavior of some of our "fans" to tell the Hennes' friend who remained to ignore the assholes because the vast majority of us recognize that Chad had been a fine representative of the University and an excellent player for our team.
To quote Marques Slocum:
Chitownblue, the recruit might have been talking about 20 total yards
of offense in the first half... that is fucked up. j/k, I understand
why it is shitty to boo, but that doesn't mean people won't do it, nor
does it really mean people shouldn't do it. People should do as they
please.
I don't know who the recruit was sitting behind me, but he was specifically referencing the booing and the young woman yelling "play Carr's recruits." Tell me how having a recruit and possibly his parents or coach hear that from the "fans" who are at the Stadium to watch THEIR team helps said recruit choose Michigan in February.
If the supporters of booing think that they are somehow helping the team, just get fitted for your asshat and shut up. Booing does not motivate the players. The premise that the booing incited the team makes a huge assumption that the players didn't realize that they weren't playing well UNTIL they heard the fans booing. Somehow I think that they realized that and the coaches reminded them of it.
Booing YOUR OWN TEAM is classless -- no ifs ands ors buts. And while I know that this rant or the other rants asking for "fans" to stop booing their own team will not cause the practice to cease, maybe a handful of "fans" read this and realize that it does them no benefit and it certainly HURTS the team and decide against booing.
So to those self-aware asshats, please remove your headgear and shut up!
Go Blue!! Viva La Revolucion!!
www.wolverineliberationarmy.com