How do YOU help the team?

and then change back whenever there's a change of possession.  I drink after good plays (whatever is good for the team that year - in '08, I started drinking after 0 yard plays in which we held onto the ball).  When I'm also listening to music, I will play the same intro over and over if it seems to be helping; Deftones is great for the defense.  I take down the US flag in front of my house and fly the block M.  I have a celebratory bottle of Ommegang Abbey Ale in the fridge to be consumed as a victory treat in the event of a victory.  And a slew of other things.

And, to those who submitted advice on my possibly hexed box of Wheaties this summer - I went with popular opinion and ate the Wheaties.  I still have the box, and am thinking that maybe a somber and proper burning (like a retired American flag) is the best way to dispose of it.

I have been known to change jerseys during a game, especially if the guy whose number I'm wearing goes down or gets hurt.  During the Oregon game in 07, I must have changed jerseys about four times, and that was before it got ugly.

My own weird rules insist that I always  wear a home when we're at home, and same rules on the road-- and I have to wear the number of a major contributor.  Obviously the #1 hasn't been worn since Braylon left.

1) By atttending any game I possibly can

2) By not booing our student athletes

3) By wishing poor fortune on anything even remotely related to our rivals.  For example, I am in Ohio today for a wedding before the game.  I stopped for gas in Pennsylvania so I can refuel in Michigan.  I will drive SR 2 to 275/280 tomorrow morning instead of taking the turnpike.  I will wear my custom made "Why Mike Hart owns MSU t-shirt" while tailgaiting, and then my lucky alumni t shirt for the game.  While in Ohio I am staying with family, and while technically they buy their food here, I am not giving this state a dime.

4) By yelling "go blue" anytime I see someone randomly walking around wearing Michigan gear abroad or in far flung states.

5) By being courteous and welcoming to our UCONN guests who make their way to Ann Arbor for the game.  It may seem like a violation of rule 3, but I see no problem in promoting good breeding and "Michigan Man" respect by giving directions, comping a cold beer now and then, etc.

6) By standing tall.  I was walking around the neighborhood last night in in one of the dozen "M" shirts I packed.  A car stopped with three guys who started yelling "Michigan sucks" and "Ann Arbor is a whore", the usual stuff.  I fixed them with a stare and responded crisply, "What, did you guys not get in?"  In Columbus I would have kept my mouth shut, but Cleveland OSU fans are pussies.   My team is going through some adversity now, and its the least I feel I can do: take some lumps with them.  Andy they were pussies who wouldn't get out of the car, and drove off instead with a chorus of "Fuck you's".

I wear a maize student season ticket holder t-shirt for home games (even though I am no longer a student and no longer in Michigan) and a blue Michigan t-shirt for away games.  Whenever possible, I wear a shirt from a year in which we beat that week's opponent (works for everyone but Ohio State). 

I also make my wife watch the game and wear her Michigan shirt.  She's not that into football, but I swear the team plays better when she's in the room. 

I'm of the "butterfly effect" school -- that everything we do affects the game -- the problem is we have no control over the effects (or lack thereof), so it's pointless, but I can't stop myself from thinking that way. I choose to think of it as a philosophical outlook and not, well, insanity.

Usually I just try to focus on the human aspects of the game -- the players and coaches and what they are going through, thinking and feeling. To become more of an observer of what is happening -- I find that calms me and allows me to actually watch instead of doing things like standing outside and watching through the window.

My main concession to superstition is to drink scotch during the games -- I normally only drink beer, but for some reason I don't remember long ago we started drinking single malts during Michigan games. Needless to say, over the past two years we've changed the distillery more than a few times. I think we're going with Oban tomorrow. 

I hate missing one play of the game.  It really bugs me.  If I go away to use the restroom I do it during commercial breaks and during halftime.  I feel as though if I miss one play, I will have jinxed the team by not supporting them whether or not they are playing well to begin with.

I always put on some kind of MI gear on gameday, and make sure my kid isn't wearing OSU colors, MSU colors, or colors affiliated with that day's opponent.   He really loves orange so that, incidentally, was my #1 objection to any talk of Syracuse joining the conference.

This is less about "helping the team" and more about "representing Ann Arbor" but I think, like Nantucket does, that it counts and it matters:   I am super nice to fans of the other team wherever I see them in Ann Arbor.  This included congratulating a vanful of still-drunk App State fans the Sunday morning after The Horror.  That was hard.  But I have seen fans of other schools be complete jackholes and I want to make sure that people leave Ann Arbor thinking UM fans are a cut above.  Which we are.  

I also try to patient about the clogged streets and confused drivers; you never know if the idiot making a dangerous left right in front of you is a wealthy, loyal alum who just wrote a check for $15 million.  Or an opposing fan who is going to go back home and tell people "yeah, but Ann Arbor is pretty nice" when someone is ragging on U-M.

When I see players around town I send good mental mojo.

Also, I love the MMB like I personally gave birth to each musician.  

1000 mgopoints for game time--in which case we would win. But apparently somebody liked something I wrote somewhere and plussed me up several times and now I am in trouble--I think this post puts me at 1003. So if a few people could do me a favor and neg me back down--not overdoing it, of course--it would be for a good cause. 

P.S. Plussing me here is really tempting the devil.

I have the Official University of Michigan pizza cutter and everytime the team scores we use the pizza cutter to blast the fight song. 

http://www.mden.com/shopping/product.cgi?1085598645591823?SEARCH?5746

I also have a leather helmet that looks like the team helmet.  I start out the game wearing the helmet and if things go south I take it off.  and will continue to switch on and off until I find one that works.

And of course I use my bad call brick when the officials get out of line.

http://www.mden.com/shopping/product.cgi?1085598645591823?0991?1005

Go to games, cheer, avoid acting like a five-year-old when the 18-22-year-old kids wearing our school colors make an occasional mistake, and avoid reflexively blaming the coaching staff anytime said mistakes happen. 

Drive to the border and piss on the sign marked "Welcome to Ohio".