How neurotic are you watching the game?

Lately I have become more than a little stitious.  The last few years I would rotate out what jersey I was going to wear on a given day.  This year I've wore my #1 jersey every game.  Last week, after receiving my new Charles Woodson jersey, which I bought with my Moegocontest winnings, I decided to switch it up.....that lasted one quarter.

Generally I find myself  hunched forward on a couch, cell phone on the table in front of my on the right side of my body with keys and cigarettes on the left side.

If we start losing, obscenities will loom in the room for a few hours, only to be replaced by gloating to Ohio fans after an eventual win.

I have crazy mood swings, from yelling every four letter word in the book to yelling and jumping and clapping and singing. Can't do this as much right now because my son is 11 months and is startled easily. I've slipped a few times, and gotten yelled at by my fiancée. I had to be muted for the end of the Notre Dame game and it didn't work too well.

I bet $100 we would lose to ND because I was sure if I did that we would win. I am an atheist who clasps his hands as if in prayer on every third down. I wear the same shirt every week if we win but if we lose that shirt doesn't appear on a gameday again. I believe my behavior can effect the outcome of a game I am miles away from. Its bad.

Here's mine - a bit different from others:

Since my son was born, I don't watch live.  I can't, because my Michigan game watching is way too instense to have a 4 year old around who wants to talk and play and who may think his father is insane based upon some of my reactions to the game. 

So, we DVR the game.  But, we go a step further - from the time of kickoff, all forms of communiations go dark - the phone is turned off, the cell phones are put away and the blackberries are put in drawers.  We don't turn on the TV or go on the internet - we essentially go into a complete media blackout. 

We avoid places with televisions (since most places have college football on TV), and we avoid wearing our Michigan gear.

Then, we try to get our son to bed even earlier than normal, and by 8:00, it is game time.  We have a whole ritual:  Dinner always consists of some awesome food that my wife makes that can be eaten in the den (favorites are beef empenadas or meatball pizza - basically, foods that don't require utensils).  We save dessert for the second half (again, usually something awesome that my wife bakes - this week is homemade dark double chocolate brownies). 

The one rule that we have is no fast forwarding through dead balls or commercials - we perfectly replicate the live game experience, with the one exception of fast-forwarding through halftime.  When my son was born, I used to hate not being able to watch it live but this whole delayed watching experience has become something that I really enjoy - you get your entire day on Saturday and get to build up the anticipation all day. 

I'm usually okay for the first three quarters, at least as long as the Wolverines are in the game.  Fourth quarter of a close game can be pretty tense.  If we're being blown out I'll change the channel -- I'm no masochist.  But so far, nothing broken, dog's okay, family will probably not need therapy, at least not from football

Do not fucking touch my remote.  Do not push the "pause" button for any reason whatsoever. You want to see that hit again?  Someone was offsides?  You swear there was a hold?  Too fucking bad, this shit is live and if you fuck that up for me I will murder you and then kick you out.  

I don't even get that excited about good plays at this point. When I do it's kind of a giddy giggling. At times I scarcely breathe. I am constantly cursing up a storm under my breath and sometimes utterances come out from my soul that didn't even make it to my brain. Walks around the apartment, squatting in front of the tv, hands on knees, pulling hair, the works. Often have to go for a walk at half-time. No nails.

When we win I'm in a good mood the rest of the day. When we lose, honestly, I've gotten most of it out of my system and I just turn off the TV, shut down the computer, and go read a book or something, with a random curse word bubbling up here and there.

Tremendously

I watch it by myself. Don't call me unless it's halftime or they're winning by three scores.

This thread makes me realize my slight neverousness during games is far more sane than some of the MGoBlog faithful (not that there's anything wrong with that (idk maybe there is)). I don't really do anything during the game, just get anxious if the good guys are down. Hopefully I don't develop crazy habits in the future.

when Michigan succeeds have caused my seven-year-old daughter to burst into frightened tears  on two occasions so far, and left me feeling like whoa, wondering should a grown man do this?

Oh yeah, and I now make it a routine practice to take a baby aspirin before games and one during if I am feeling a sublte lack of oxygen in ye old corpus. One day I wil be able to afford a defibrillator.

I go crazy when both at the game and watching it on tv. However, I seem to get a little more paranoid and neurotic when I'm watching it on tv.

During the game, my wife doesn't let me drink anything that would severely stain the carpet, and I'm not allowed to use glass cups. Also, all the windows must be closed to prevent profanities (of joy as well as agony) from echoing throughout the neighborhood.  Also, as of the past 2 years, I have started jersey switching.  I always start with my Denard jersey.  As soon as he makes a huge mistake (int, fumble, huge over/under throw on a would be TD), I switch to my #1 jersey, and don't switch back until he redeems himself. Nothing overly neurotic, just typical, over-emotionally invested fan type of stuff.

My gametime habits include a lot of pacing, changing clothes when the team is doing bad (just in case it's my fault we're losing), making sure certain things are in the right places around the room and a large amount of screaming and obscenities. One of my roommates this year said I could watch some of the games in the living room with her and I respectfully declined, telling her that she might think I was totally insane. On top of that, I had been watching games in my room up to that point and we were winning. I left out that second part though, so she wouldn't know for sure that I was crazy.

I've also said to my girlfriend "They were doing fine before you got home", which went over real well the first time. She now offers to leave the room every once in awhile when things are going bad, which makes me feel like an ass, but also pretty happy that she understands my craziness enough after 3 years to tolerate it.

"shiat"

into a sentence.

It's just bad.

My wife and kids leave the house and the dogs hide. Because I live in Washington and none of my friends/family are M fans, I won't let anyone in the house who might want to speak during the game.

It's a ritual for me.  Plus, me and the kids do push-ups every time they score a touchdown.

and curse some more.  Pace, and jump around all game.  Scream so loud i'm sure neighbor's can hear me.  And God help someone if they ever tell me to calm down

I have become way more relaxed when we're down. Maybe it's because we've been down a lot the last couple of years, or maybe it's because I've seen some comebacks lately (M and the Lions). This past weekend I wasn't watching the game and was getting score updates, and even at the half I wasn't worried. Then again, that was NW and this is MSU so that may change.

Physical exercise to the point of pain....and then beer to change the karmic direction if things aren't going well.

after Tate's interception in the 2009 game. I kicked my tv pretty hard in the 2010 game. The 2008 game still pisses me off more than 2010 idk why. The MSU game is the only game of the year I will watch alone it's a tradition/superstition. I never watch that game with anybody else. The other games I can, this one is a no no.

I watch alone and drink alone. My wife leaves 'cause she thinks I'm crazy.

That's enough of that shiat.

I'm a shell of a man during most games.

I won't tell you because it will jinx it. if you put a superstition it is obvious what you have to do. put it again so it reverses it. trust me. its in the bible.

all this over 18-22 year old kids...

Step 1 - I have a problem

I'm dialed in and need to be alone or at a minimum, not spoken to, until a big play when I need to hug someone

• My wife was on the dance team at Wisconsin yet she hopes for a Michigan win when the 2 teams play
• I dance at big TDs  
• My mood that day is determined by the game's outcome. See bullet #1
• I completely ignored my neighbor during this year's ND game when he walked into my living room and got comfortable. He left after a few minutes. What? He just doesn't get it.
• I move from couch to chair and back neurotically during the game. No pattern.
• Must wear a block M all day before the game
• I DVR the game and prefer to watch it this way but I have recently become reliant on the liveblog because you people are the only people that really understand. My wife, not so happy about this one since I wont even talk during commercials.

Thanks for being here, Mgoblog. You suppose Brian should bill for therapeutic treatment?

• Michigan shirt?  Check.  Hat optional.
• Alcohol?  Usually I enjoy a few beers during the game.
• Demeanor?  Usually quiet, but I always clap when Michigan does a good play, and I say things along the lines of "yeah boy!"  I do get more aggressive towards opposing fans during the games, I'm a hopeless smack-talker.  I never begin it but I fight hard.
• Post-game?  Walk to calm the nerves, brief check of the interwebs for news / updates to questions I may have had, and then turn on the next batch of games.
• Next day?  Watch the game highlights a few times, and keep watching them through the week.

My wife knows to not even try to talk to me during the game. I usually exhibit obsessive- compulsive behavior. Perhaps manic depressive episodes is the better term. But, when things go well I've done some strange things...winning TD against Notre Dame caused me to pick up our Pug (who was fast asleep) and plant a big kiss on his lips.

.. and I have to have the have the right gear ready to wear for me and my wife first, then the kids. Next, assemble game-day atmosphere with extra flags, banners, helmets, balloons, pom-poms (my daughters touch..) etc. staged around the flat screen. Make sure drinks and grub are in order and on standby.

Prior to kickoff we turn on the MMB on CD and listen to the game into, the Victors and Let'g Go Blue at max volume.

The system is set on Let'g Go Blue and put on pause just prior to starting. At every M touchdown, I immediately hit play and the entire family goes nuts around the house, dancing and shouting Let's Go Blue! (this usually includes whomever happens to be joining us to watch the game that day, but they don't always dance as much)

Lots of MGoInformed formation-calling and name-dropping and CELEBRATING, with as much nail-biting and high-fiving as appropriate.