This is a great time to stop for a moment and think about the legacy we are passing on to our children.  Those of us that grew up listening to Tiger's baseball games late into summer evenings with our fathers and grandfathers are feeling a little like graduating seniors right now.  In part celebrating the memories of a cherished part of our lives, and in part mourning the end of an era.  I was never on the field for a single pitch of major league baseball.  I have never felt the crack of the bat nor the grass in the outfield as I dove for a catch.  Instead, my experience was that of a spectator in the bleachers at Tiger's stadium with my dad and uncles and brother.  I remember hot dogs and wondering why everyone was booing Lou Whitaker.  I remember keeping score in  a program and how green the grass looked in comparison to the blue steel of the stadium.  I also remember sitting in the yard by the lake and listening to Erie as the chicken cooked on the grill.

This year I took my two boys (5 and 3) to the Michigan spring game.  It was their first trip to the big house and I was way more excited than they were.  I thought of my first trip to a spring game and how Jim Harbaugh high fived us on the field after the game and gave his wristbands to my cousin.  I  remember crisp saturday mornings that fall playing football un the leaves in our yard and pretending I was Harbaugh.  I cheered for him not because I remembered following him through recruiting or because I thought that he was a better pro style QB than his predecessor.  I cheered for him because he wore a Michigan helmet and that was who my dad rooted for. 

However this season goes, winning record or not, I hope that I will cheer proudly for my alma mater and my children will be able to look back when they are adults with their own children and not have their memories tarnished by complaining about coaches and yelling at 18 year old quarterbacks.  I hope they remember loving football saturdays, maybe a little more when we won, but loving them even when we lost.  I am quickly realizing that the time I get to spend with my kids and my grandfather and dad are fleeting and I would rather spend them cheering our team than complaining about it.