Michigan dark secrets

that felt really good.  I think I'll sleep better tonight.

I generally don't watch games because I can't stand to see us struggle. And I really hate to see the other guys win. Sometimes I start to watch and if it looks like we're going south, I just turn it off. It's not that I'm a bad fan and I never boo my team under any circumstances. It just hurts too much to watch the suffering. Hopefully those days will end soon.  

I married an OSU fan, who is apart of a huge OSU family. And you know what? I really like living in Columbus.

I was not at BraylonFest. I was at the game, but my friend couldn't take it anymore.

I grew up relatively poor and wore lots of hand-me-downs from cousins. To my shame, there are pictures of me in Ohio State gear (hoodie) as a young lad. I'm pretty sure my dad hates every moment that I wore it (for more reasons than one), but he cared more for my well-being than what colors I was wearing at the time. He made sure that when we had enough money (probably 6th grade), that I ended up in Michigan gear and the other stuff went to Goodwill.

My cousins still give me crap for it all the time when they remember. There's only one picture I can find anymore that I'm wearing OSU clothing and I've definitely contemplated burning it, but it's such a good memory of me at my grandma's farm in Michigan with my sister that I can't bring myself to do it.

I rooted for Loyola Marymount over Michigan.

I laughed hysterically when he slugged that Clemson kid in the Gator Bowl.

Then I rolled on the floor laughing to tears when they fired him a couple of days later.

However, after a couple of years of Earl Bruce, man I MISSED Woody.  It was just too much fun to hate him.  

I still miss that SOB.

In a way, I wish I cared less about Michigan athletics. The effect it has on my mood swings cannot be healthy.

There is a picture out there of me
Wearing an MSU hat, not that I ever cheered for them, I was just a dumb high schooler...I feel better saying it though...

I had a Buckeye hat in high school that I got at TJ MAXX. It was fitted and I was poor so I bought it. I had NO IDEA what the "O" was for. Fills me with shame to this day.

I'm currently finishing my Masters Degree at OSU. Not a day goes by where I don't walk into class and feel dirty for what I've done, but it's gotten me a great job so its hard to be too unhappy.

I skipped the 2010 Illinois game because I wanted to sleep. Yeah I ended up regretting that one big time.

I became the definition of a fair weather fan with the football team this year. Although it was hard not to be, I honestly just stopped caring after the Utah game. I went into every game expecting the team to lose, to play extremely poorly while doing it, and that Hoke would still blindly spout about how his team could still win the Big Ten. At points during several of the games, I'd just turn it off and watch something else. I also hoped after the MSU game that the team would not make a bowl. Now, of course I wanted them to beat OSU, but I was afraid that getting to a bowl would mean at least 2-3 more weeks of Hoke and the possibility of him staying.

The fact that I wanted a fellow human being fired from his job just so I could feel better is pretty sickening, but that's sports for you.

Married a Spartan from a big Sparty family.. In short, I might worn a May sweatshirt a couple times but it will never happen again.. Ever!!!

I think Columbus is a nice enough town and Ohio isn't really that different as a state than Michigan.

Apparently we need an mgo version of this:

http://postsecret.com

the victors is number one, but i have to say, ND's is the very, very strong #2.   analgous to the national anthem - the star spangled banner is tops but i do love 'oh canada' and played lots of hockey up/over there to have heard it countless times. 

This last fall I broke the bank and bought a really nice 65" LED flatscreen tv for our living room to watch Michigan football.

1/2way through the opener I was back watching on my shit-little walmart 16" tv because it's next to the computer and I love the threads and liveblogs so much.   (Trying to use a tablet from the couch doesn't work for me)

Watching with friends (or at least over the top/hilarious strangers) is apparently far more important to me than seeing every blade of grass on the field.

I left during the 07 Oregon game. Only game I've ever left early. The first game I ever went to was App state. Afterward, I didn't speak to anyone for several hours. I've only been that heartbroken a few times before. Truly. I thought Hoke was going to bring us back to prominence. I followed what was happening this season, but pretty much actively avoided watching games after Utah. Otherwise, I would just be awful to be around.

very nice scholarship at Michigan to take one half the size at Ohio Northern. It was the right choice too.

I believed in Hoke...

This one is bad

During Brady Hoke's surprise 1st year the 5-0 Lions hosted the 49ers and we all know what went down during the postgame handshake. After that I said to my friend, "I'm glad he isn't our coach. We got the better end by getting Hoke"

That's worse than some of my 2am bad decisions

When I'm back home in Michigan, I buy stuff from a former player.

the OSU game. I stood outside the stadium ready to sell them to the first person who asked. It turned out to be a very nice couple in their 60s or 70s. They were surprised and happy when they asked me how much I wanted for the tickets and I said, face value. They smiled, paid me and headed into the stadium wearing their scarlet and grey.

I've seen Michigan on the road three times. All three loses. The blowout at MSU in 2013 was the worst. Rained the whole game, kept getting crap from all the Sparty fans. Horrible. Only home loss I witnessed in the last 17 years was the 2008 Illinois game. Irononically my son's very first game. Figures. Needless to say, no more road games for me.

My wife took me to the Northwesten game in Evanston for my 30th birthday. Epic battle back and forth the whole day. Henson threw for over 300 yards. Two U of M receivers with over a hundred yards each. With about a minute left and Michigan up 51-48 with the ball, my wife asks if we can leave early. Since The A-Train was almost to 200 yards rushing on the day, I say sure. A couple run plays and game over. As we are exiting the stadium we here a large roar. Well Anthony Thomas has just broken free and was in the secondary with a clear shot to the end zone when he inexplicably dropped the ball. And the rest was history. I had a little 2 inch pocket TV that I was trying to see the replays and the FG attempt and everyone was asking me what the F was going on. Unbelievable game, couldn't believe we missed the end. FU Zak Kustok. 70 degrees in the first week of November, dinner the night before at Charlie Trotters and that was how my weekend ended. Side note the only thing my wife says about the game was she loved how the toilets made a wildcat roar whe she flushed. Unfreakin believable.

I grew up on Indiana Basketball and worshipped at the altar of Bobby Knight.  

To this day, I cheer for UM basketball...except when they're playing IU (and was the only person in Ann Arbor happy when Jordan Morgan's putback rimmed out a couple years ago).

There, I said it.  

 

I got into Michigan but won't be going there next year.  Where is my loyalty???

I won't watch the end of a game if we are losing. I leave the room (or stadium) and avoid all media until the next day.

And yes, I have missed some pretty epic comebacks.

I was glad michigan lost to Norte dame in the 2013 CCHA finals -- because in so doing Yale (which also happens to employ me) snuck into the NCAA tournament, which they would go on to win of course.

...when people are a certain religion, political affiliation, or fan of something because their parents are.

I have two young kids, and I'm not going to push them to be Michigan fans.  In fact, I'm going to counsel them to think for themselves and choose accordingly.  Just don't jump on a bandwagon, like Oregon now or Miami in the 80s/90s.  Don't think it'll work, though, as both kids (ages almost 5 and almost 3) know "The Victors" and have recognized since they learned to talk that the Block M stands for Michigan and "Go Blue!"

and then my family moved from Texas to Michigan.  I decided to transfer and very casually chose what I thought was the best school closest to my parents' new home.  Didn't know the school, the academics, the campus, the colors, the football team.  Nothing.  I'm a hard core alum now, but the truth is that I came to Michigan almost on a whim.  

My first date with my wife-to-be was Michigan-Arizona, sitting right behind the visitors.  I had an extra ticket for her because I used to chat up people in our laundry room at school who just looked like they'd bought season tickets and would never use them - tickets as bookmarks were a dead giveaway.  I got a lot of free tickets that way.  

 

To this day, I still think that call to put Glen Rice at the free throw line was bullshit and am surprised it never gets talked about much.