September 10, 2011.  Notre Dame at Michigan.  8:00 pm EST.

We've all had this game circled for months, ever since Brandon's announcement or perhaps the soft unveil of the mash jerseys thanks to 'You're Turning Violet Violet' Brian Kelly's not-so-subtle slip during their own press conference.

Either way, this game is a spectacle, and we're essentially the top story of the college football weekend.  Gameday, primetime crew, etc.  Been a long time since we've heard Musberger, right?

I spent parts of yesterday watching BTN's replay of the '97 and '99 ND games, and I admit I kind of forgot how enjoyable the late 90's Wolverines were.  And not because I knew the outcomes.   It was about pride.  Swarming defenses.  Chuck's intimidating ownership of, well, the entire field.  An arrogant confidence in the offense's will to win.  A-Train.

It was about pride.

It's been some journey since those days, and not necessarily the best journey.  But here we are, back in the spotlight of college football and in an opportunity to announce the close of the misery that has hung over Ann Arbor since, well, the horror.

Let it be about pride tonight.  GO BLUE.

The artwork above was created by yours truly this summer in hopes of being granted that most magical of things, an official license by the university and ultimately a t-shirt available for sale.  Unfortunately, Adidas (technically, it's adidas) basically swallowed the entire night game and stamped it with the 'Under the Lights' moniker.  I really wanted this one to see the light of day, but ah well-- hope you enjoy the glimpse of it.  Wear the MGoShirts tonight!!!

This year's dose of what has become a yearly philosophical rambling

Well, my friends, it has arrived.

I look back on seasons past and think of all those mornings I woke up too early, too excited, and too impatient for the first game.  So much has changed since then.  I am no longer rousing myself hung over and dehydrated; I do not have heart-cringing football food laid out for the entire day;  I am not making plans with friends to sit on couches from ESPN College GameDay to TBS Pac-10 late games;  and I will not end the night celebrating or drowning my sorrows in a frozen stein somewhere.

Disney's Jake and the NeverLand Pirates are holding the TV hostage as I type this.  I was up before 6 and took orders for cinnamon toast and Honey Nut Cheerios. The dog has been walked, toweled off, fed, and wrestled with, perhaps not necessarily in that order. I've already punished the same kid twice for something the child already knows all too better.  And I have ultimately dedicated myself to being SuperDad for the entire chunk of the day just to reserve a healthy 3:30 - 7:00pm EST block all to myself.

(Don't get me wrong, the kids will be there-- they woke up saying "What time is Michigan??"--  but their attention span will be exhausted about three seconds after Denard breaks the first of his several gazelle impersonations that are sure to take place today.  There's something that tells me it's not quite fair to make young children watch every play, even if it's a Mattison defense.)

But despite all these changes in my life... and even all the changes that have befallen Fort Schembechler for the past decade and beyond... nothing has changed.

This morning, I lay in my bed like a bright-eyed, ten-year old maize-and-blue-clad dreamer, full of optimism, hope and enough anticipation to power an oil refinery.  I lay there in the dark beside my beautiful wife-- who either doesn't really understand how deep all of this runs in my veins, or does and yet still manages to take me seriously anyway-- with visions of broken plays turning into 65 yard scampers, competent decision-making by the secondary, and enough blitzes to make General Patton happy all dancing inside my head.  As I laid there waiting for Gameday to begin, it didn't matter who I was or everything my life has become.

There's something timeless about Michigan football, and that translates to us as well.  No matter where life will take us, and no matter who we ever become, there's moments like today that serve as a constant reminder of who we really are inside, and for better or worse, what's really important to us, at least in the fall.  The restless impatience we are all boiling over with this morning-- well, may it never change, despite how much any or all of us do.

We will always be men of Michigan.  GO BLUE, and we'll see you on the other side tonight. 

You asked for it.  Now, you've finally got it.

The good people at Underground Printing have launched
a limited time only Special Order Mini-Store, featuring
MGoShirt designs on previously unavailable merchandise.

We have created a short term mini-store to take special orders for often
requested items (women's, kids, etc). We are sorry we weren't able to accommodate
all requests (for the time being we can't include the charity shirts). We will try to do
another mini-store before the holidays, so feel free to send your requests to info@mgoblogstore.com. Our goal is to end the orders by
8/30 to ship out all orders by 9/6.

So for all of you ladies who wanted some MGoStore gear that's just your size, your prayers have been answered.  For all of you parents who want to raise their children right by putting them in maize and blue, worry no longer.  And for the guys who want to show their MGoSupport in the gym and beyond, there's even hoodies and Dri-Fit wicking tees featuring the best-selling MGoShirt of all time (click below to find out which one if you do in fact live under a rock and/or East Lansing).

And for a certain father out there who wanted nothing more than to live in
a world where he can put his young child in a 'Space Bitches' shirt...
you're welcome, my friend.

BUT SHOP NOW! 

This is a limited time only opportunity, and there's not much time left!!
Hurry now to get your gear today!  Click below to get started:

https://ugpogo.undergroundshirts.com/groupIndex.php?cart_id=626
 

It's that time of year again, kids-- the boys are in camp, the hype is reaching meltdown status, and we're just a few weeks away from that most glorious time of the year known as football season.  We've also been given a great boost of Hoke hope this year, so it's certainly understandable that we're feeling a little optimistic that this year might be a little different.

Amen to that.

So I'm sure some of you are in need of some new gear, and what better than a new batch of MGoShirts for the whole family before the Western game in two weeks!  Featuring the finest quality apparel, MGoShirts are designed only for the most ravenous and dedicated community here at MGoBlog.  They also help a certain newlywed put bacon on the table, so remember that every shirt you buy is a contribution towards the site you love.

But enough of the sales pitch!  Onto the latest shirts for 2011:

MANBALL

You know what kind of play the new coach is all about, and so will everyone else when you sport this new tee.  Now available in Offense and Defense.  No, not really-- but you can wear this shirt and identify yourself as a true Hoke supporter.

HAHA TSIO

The most famous Schadenfreude of the cartoon world, now in convenient maize and blue and ridiculing something known as TSIO, whatever the heck that is.  And yes, if you look closely, he is indeed wearing his own 'WORST STATE EVER' MGoShirt.  My personal fave of the MGoShirts this year.

THE DAY THE CLOUDS PARTED

Remember that day?  It was a Tuesday, and most of us were still reacting--some revelling, some reviling-- to the hire of Brady Hoke, when out of the blue we learn that he's miraculously pulled away RAY LEWIS's own Defensive Coordinator.  Whether you consider yourself a conspiracy theorist or not, it's hard to argue with the meme around here that everything turned around the day Greg Mattison was hired.

UNVERIFIED VORACITY

Brian Cook, in two succinct words.  I could wring that photographer's neck for not getting one of these on our fearless leader, but that's another story.   You wear your love of Michigan on your sleeve, and now you can do the same for your loyalty to the premiere Michigan sports online community.

HALOL

1. HALOL
A happy laugh out loud, either because of your extreme joy at a situation, a lot of fortunate turns of events leading to happiness. Can be used ironically.

Alex: I just pre-ordered black ops, HALOL.
Caitlin: HALOL, the funniest thing just happened at church!

(DEFINITION COURTESY OF URBANDICTIONARY.COM)

CUE THE MUPPETS

Not quite as new, but still a part of the 2011 line is the famous "CUE THE MUPPETS" shirt.  It's a well known fact that anytime the Muppets show up on MGoBlog, it usually means that something really good just happened on a UM field, court, or rink.

Dear Jesus, let us see many Muppets this fall.  And leave our DBs alone.  Amen.

Very exciting times to be a Michigan man-- don't get caught without the proper team gear, AND remember that September 2nd is once again National College Colors Day.

All shirts are available now in sizes S-2XL and in stock only at the MGoStore. 
Order yours today to ensure delivery by the opening game.  And on behalf of myself, the MGoStore, and Brian.... GO BLUE!!!!

So, I'm elaborating on my initial post in MGoShoe's original thread about the Detroit News Mascot Contest.    I've got an idea and it appears that this thing has some legs, and so I quickly knocked out a five-minute visual to help sell the idea to Brandon.  Call me DB.

(The following rehashes and/or elaborates on much of what I said earlier)

I had multiple people ask if I was going to submit something for their contest, but things have been pretty busy on my end.  More on that next month.  BUT I did think about it, and I was torn between the 'ferocious wolverine' concept, as we saw in the News' winning entry (and I think looks pretty good, all things considered), and something else, which I'll affectionately name:

THE OVERLY ENTITLED
WOLVERINE MASCOT

Our mascot should be successful and he should know it.  Perhaps he's got on a smoking jacket, or better yet, an overpriced fitted polo oxford with $150 jeans and a sweet pair of doc martens.  He should sport a well-groomed unshaven look and a pair of  rimless glasses that he will only take off to properly look down upon the Purdue Pete's and Bucky the Badgers of the world.  He will always have it all put together and will be effortlessly in shape, never flaunting the ridiculous six pack that Herky the Hawkeye knows is just one layer of business casual away.

He should smell like a swanky Fortune 500 corner office and an exotic fruit you've never heard of all at once.  He's not so much Facebook as he is LinkedIn, and even then he's a premium member at that who always seems to be too busy to add any contacts.  Girls will always know when he enters the room, and their boyfriends will hate him for it.  He'll be that guy who's already seen the movie you bring up in conversation, and will recommend an independent film that's far better.  He'll tell jokes that make you laugh harder than you knew you could, and yet he'll be more interested in talking about world events.

He'll be that guy that buys really good coffee.  The kind that tastes even better than it smells.

And even as he's leading the team onto the field, he should be cutting consultant deals on his smartphone AND playing plants vs. zombies at the same time.  And throughout the game he'll be far too busy discussing microbrews with the hottest adjacent cheerleader to even care that he's been named "Biff."

In short, the new mascot should be a d**k that all of the other mascots hate, and yet also desperately wish they were.

He will give the Nittany Lion the perfect compliment on his striped scarf, and the Lion's insecurities will turn it into the most humiliating insult the Lion has ever heard.  The Golden Gopher will constantly ask our mascot to have his picture taken with him, and when he finally does it will become his Facebook avatar in less than three minutes.  Oddly enough, the Northwestern wildcat will be one of his buds.  And for Brutus the Buckeye, he will be fear personified.  Brutus will have a manic and hateful obsession with him, and he'll spend far too many Friday nights in Columbus trying to perfect the perfect Biff google search.

He is Biff, and he is THE MAN.

He will give the Nittany Lion the perfect compliment on his striped scarf, and the Lion's insecurities will turn it into the most humiliating insult the Lion has ever heard.  The Golden Gopher will constantly ask our mascot to have his picture taken with him, and when he finally does it will become his Facebook avatar in less than three minutes.  Oddly enough, the Northwestern wildcat will be one of his buds.  And for Brutus the Buckeye, he will be fear personified.  Brutus will not sleep well when he thinks of the Wolverine, and he will have a manic and hateful obsession with him.

FREE PRESS EXCLUSIVE:

Brian Cook's Wedding
Logo Finally Revealed!

ANN ARBOR, MI--  Early this morning, an anonymous source with ties to MGoBlog confirmed that an official logo has been created for Brian Cook's Wedding, AND even supplied us with a link to the image.  Official sources have neither confirmed or denied its authenticity, and even TomVH and Misopogon declined comment.

[SPOILER ALERT] The image is displayed below:

According to the anonymous source, official replicas of the groomsmen jackets may be inadvertently displayed by MDen as early as Thursday.  Look for Mike Rosenberg's exclusive rebuttal of the entire institution of marriage in tomorrow's Free Press, as we continue our exclusive coverage of the Brian Cook Wedding.

On behalf of all of us, Brian, congratulations!  You sacrifice ungodly amounts of your free time in the name of sports and our entertainment, and certainly that time also belongs to your fiance as well.  So thank you, and above all else, detach and enjoy the honeymoon together.

Best wishes,

Six Zero

PS.  I'd like to encourage all readers to treat this post as a guestbook of sorts for the happy couple.  After all, this is like the Royal Wedding of MGoBlog...