Rose Colored Glasses
Here I go. This is my first Diary entry and I am a little nervous as I feel I am not pithy enough to hold a candle to most of you. I am sorry if I use too many camas or paragraphs. Just grip tight with me and try to relate.
I never went to UM, my parents never went to UM so I have no "real" ties. However, my passion for UM was instilled at a very young age as I can remember in the 80's my Dad hauling the large stereo speakers(which were larger than me....you know the ones) out onto the front porch every fall Saturday to blast the UM Band's pre-game tape. I knew at that very moment that I had no other choice but to be a fan. Then as I grew, the culture of UM grabbed and pulled me tighter. Grandpa had season tickets every year from a friend/alum who lived out of state and could not make games. My first game was when we played Long Beach State and Jaime Morris ripped off a huge run with only one shoe. I will never forget those events in my spiritual UM growth.
This is why I bother writing. There are few things in life that grab onto you and you never can shake. Whether its a girl, job, faith etc. UM's culture of success has that grip on me. I cannot explain it.
I attended a college other than UM.(smaller private institution) I played football at that college. I love that place and would send my kids there. But every Saturday I catch myself jonesin' for the Michigan kickoff and therefore feel like I am cheating on my alma mater. I cannot explain it. There is that grip again.
This season has been, by far, the most intriguing one of my 28 years of existance. Yeah, really...no seriously. However, not ONCE have I thought that the next game might not get better or maybe they will click, not ONCE have I thought that there is another team to watch, not ONCE have I thought that the flamers out there might be right. They WILL click and there is no other team out there to watch and all the flamers can eat @#$% when we are in the top 10 for years to come. As has been stated many times around here in the last 6 weeks; THIS IS NOT YOUR FATHER'S UM. Just as MgoBlog is the new generation of sports information(thanks Brian), the 2008 UM football season is the dawning of a new football generation in AA.
I may have the rose colored glasses on, but I am excited as hell to see what the next 5 years and beyond have to offer. This transformation isn't going to happen overnight. This is offensive transition is like teaching Japanese to a group of Mexicans who are enrolled in English as Second Language 101.(I got nothin') Anyway, you get my point. Give it time.
Most of you who are still reading this are saying, "Dude, we get it, there have been 42 diary entries like yours already....Brian, why did you let this get through". This entry got through because it is a cross section of why Brian writes this blog. Or because he doesn't proof them, one of the two.
To those of you who are true fans and disagree with the fact that this will get better, just stop. Re-evaluate why you are a fan.
The last 30 minutes of my life was spent for one reason. When the Ninja football comes alive, my seat on the wagon will be warm. And I WILL be standing up in front of all you lame-asses cheering those fast, sneaky little bastards into the endzone. I might even throw a paper airplane made from the cheap programs.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:40 PM ^
October 16th, 2008 at 1:47 PM ^
Who is LBS? I was about 12 when I realized there was a reason I went to that game. I am just now old enough to go to the BIG games.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:40 PM ^
When I saw "Rose Colored Glasses" as the title, I thought you were going to point out to all the haters that if we win out, we'll still go to the Rose Bowl.
C'mon! Where's your Michigan spirit?
October 16th, 2008 at 1:57 PM ^
October 16th, 2008 at 2:43 PM ^
October 16th, 2008 at 2:47 PM ^
is my kind of man. Go freakin blue.
October 16th, 2008 at 3:13 PM ^
October 16th, 2008 at 4:14 PM ^
Well said! For a man who claims not to have any pith, you certainly make up for it with a strong grasp of narrative.
My worry for this team is that the uninformed masses well outnumber the informed few, among whose ranks I'm not sure you can include recruits. Yes, we can pick apart a 3-9 or even 2-10 season and find solace, but as the losses and Drew Sharp columns pile up and the nation is numbed to Michigan losses, we're going to see some attrition. Or worse, Rod could start losing the confidence of his team.
In case you missed the utter wreckage of Henne, Hart and Longs' poignant last-ditch attempt at redemption for Coach Carr last year, I'm here to tell you that Angry Michigan Hating G-d has no mercy, especially for teams that don't have solid backups at key positions like, uh, quarterback and the entire offensive line. From the fruit-flavored whistles of South Bend, to the Guppy Knee of Antonio Bass, to Troy Smith completions that make a mockery of probability, our luck sucks duck muck. And yet now we presume to query Mary for an intervention of fate? We now hope that our high-risk/high-reward offense run by 19-year-olds will fall to the latter? We, who couldn't even swing 30-yard field goals to stave off the two most embarrassing defeats of our history?
I am absolutely behind Rich Rod, but I'm starting to see why ol' Scary-Face (Carr) was so interested in pounding chance out of the equation. Whether the freshman can "get it" or not matters little if we need prayers answered by His Noodly Appendage to score touchdowns.
That said, when the carnage is over, I think we will rise. Luck has little to do with the fact that Rich Rodriguez can damn well coach some football, and that he find and hold onto enough guys who can play it. Until such time, feel free to join me in praying for that end to come sooner rather than later. Yeah, I know it won't work, but the other option is spending this episode with the goth kids. [sniffle]
Since we're sharing: my first game was Indiana 1991, when I was introduced to hot cider at the Brown Jug, an awesome pancake place just south of the Nickels Arcade, and Desmond Howard, Desmond Howard, DESMOND HOWARD! Unfortunately, all of these were gone by the time I matriculated in '98.
October 16th, 2008 at 4:23 PM ^
October 16th, 2008 at 5:29 PM ^
October 16th, 2008 at 10:24 PM ^
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