OT: The last OT Friday Open Thread of the OT Season

Submitted by JeepinBen on

Well, we made it. This time a week from now there will be College Football to discuss. Tomorrow (or sunday, or whatever) starts Game Week.

As such, here is the last Friday Open Thread and I'm getting it started early. What was the best memory of your summer? What 1 play would make you happiest going into the season? Best new beer you tried this summer? Favorite Tailgate food?

And the big question that's a little more on topic:

Where will you be watching Michigan Football in 7 days and change??? (MGoShoe Countdown goes here)

1989 UM GRAD

August 24th, 2012 at 10:07 AM ^

Tomorrow will be the start of our best memory of the summer...as we drive up north for Week 11 at Camp Michigania...and spend the week with hundreds of other Michigan faithful!

#1 play?  First play against Alabama.  Denard hits Devin on a crossing route, and, thanks to great blocking and some shifty moves, makes it to the end zone for an 80-yard touchdown.!

I'll be watching the game at home with my family...having just arrived home from a great week up on Walloon Lake.

Go Blue!

Benoit Balls

August 24th, 2012 at 10:09 AM ^

Best Summer memory- I got to play Firestone South the weekend after they had the WGC there and was able to break 95 (94) from the member tees (which are about 900 yards shorter than what the pros play). The bunkers at that course are many and cavernous. For a golf nerd though, it was awesome to play at a course with such a pedigree.

Play I want to see? Big Will busting through the line on the first snap of the game, almost taking the handoff from the QB and tackling the RB for a 4 yard loss. Would be a great harbinger of things to come.

Best new beer- Pliny the Younger. I've been a fan of Pliny the Elder for a while, and finally got to try the Younger. I still like the Elder better, but this was new and delicious. 2nd place- Dogfish Head 120 min IPA

Favorite tailgate food- My Fathers secret recipe fried chicken. It has a cult following, and its own Facebook page. (not created by me,created by a classmate of mine that I had not seen in 18 years) Cool story Bro!

Ill be watching the game at home, with my 13 month old in his Denard jersey.

more posbang goodness- today is my birthday. Im 35. Crap.  Take note young'ns- it WILL happen to you too

 

wigeon

August 24th, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^

Summer memory -  little league season.  Damn proud of my son. Was sad to see it end.

Best new beer - not a new beer at all, but fell in love with Newcastle as a summer beer. Tried a bunch of new-to-me IPA's this summer, wasn't disappointed in any of them except Hopslam (too much hype?).  Also, afternoon old-fashioneds at my mom's house. Finally, something we have in common!

Play I want to see? - JRFlow putting his helmet through the ball and Roh taking it in for 6.

Favorite tailgate food - grilled skirt steak fajitas, smothered in a limey guac. 

Watching game at home with all the neighborhood yahoos, and sons.  

MGoCombs

August 24th, 2012 at 10:40 AM ^

Best memory was driving through Colorado and Utah on a cross country road trip. I've definitely never seen anything close to it before.

1 play would have to be any long Denard run in a big game (Bama, ND, MSU, Ohio, etc.). I know that isn't specific, but nothing is more exciting than a Denard Robinson rocket for an 80 yard touchdown.

Best new beer isn't new, but finally had Arrogant Bastard in Escondido at the brewery. It was superb [EDIT: Said suburb, which I guess also fits].

Favorite tailgate food is beer. And then whatever food is left for me to scarf down like an inmate once I am buzzing.

I feel like most of these answers are illegitimate, but it's Friday so anything goes.

StephenRKass

August 24th, 2012 at 10:19 AM ^

I'll be watching the game in the bar of a wedding reception. The only good thing is that the reception starts an hour before the posted game time. If the game starts 15 - 30 minutes late (i.e., kickoff is delayed by commercials, pre-game hype, toin coss, etc.) I'll have a good hour to eat, make small talk, etc. So it won't be too rude to go watch the game once dancing and cake eating starts. And the hall is only 5 minutes from home, so if we leave at a decent time, I'll be able to catch most of the second half.

Best summer memories? Sailing with my son, waverunning for the first time with him, wiping out with no one getting hurt, seeing my wife happy, cycling hard and losing weight.

Tailgate food? It's all good. But if I had to choose, probably a good grilled brat, a bowl of chili, onions, and cheese with a thick slice of warm, buttered sour dough bread, a crisp apple, and some cold, fresh pressed non-pasteurized Michigan cider.

Play to make me happy? Denard staying in the pocket, with great protection against Alabama, not throwing off his back foot, but throwing a accurate spiral on a line far downfield to Gardner, who is somewhat covered but tall enough, strong enough, and fast enough to shake off the DB and score a TD. This single play would go a long way toward giving me hope about the OL, Denard's evolution, Gardner's WR capabilities, and the entire season. If Denard can do that, everything else (Denard running, Fitz running, other receivers catching,) will come. EDIT:  Denard running well is probably more exciting, but Denard passing well is more important overall for the team and season.

A second play would be for the secondary to blanket Alabama's receivers, and for the DL to get so much push against Bama's OL that Ryan and Demens are able to come in and sack the QB for a significant loss. If our DL can do that vs. Alabama's OL, again, that would give me tremendous hope for the season.

BiSB

August 24th, 2012 at 10:18 AM ^

OT threads are permitted through Sunday night. Bring out your dead while you still can.

Also, WOO FRIDAY AND NEXT WEEK IS FOOTBALL AND OMG WOOOOO

justingoblue

August 24th, 2012 at 10:50 AM ^

I had no idea that Navy/ND kicks off at 9:00 Eastern. Why, exactly, are they flying to Ireland and kicking off at 2:00 local? That's like a 6:00 start for everyone on the west coast.

MGoJen

August 24th, 2012 at 10:52 AM ^

I'm super excited for the next couple weeks after a rough summer!  I'm othwerwise perfectly healthy but they discovered a weird heart abnormality in me a couple weeks ago.  No one knows what's wrong with me so I'm going to head to Ann Arbor to see if they can help. 

I fly to Dallas next Thursday and then Phoenix for work and then directly to Chicago for the first Wrigley Field show! Life is good!

MaizeMN

August 24th, 2012 at 11:08 AM ^

Best memory: 1st wedding anniversary

Play: Denard throwing a 90 yd TD to himself to beat AL (it could happen)

Food: BBQ anything with our own sauce.

Game: Glued to the ceiling in excitement.

ForeverBlue

August 24th, 2012 at 11:09 AM ^

Only 3 more days left of work before I head home then head to my senior year of college. At the end of work is when there is the most to finish. I hope I can finish it all while also obsessing over the fact that Michigan football is only 8 days away!

Michigan Shirt

August 24th, 2012 at 11:20 AM ^

I will be in Boston for a wedding so still not even sure I will be able to watch the game live. Also, I was just diagnosed with Mono so my next month is shot, hoping it clears up before the 15th when I will be flying up from Houston to go to the game.

Michigan Shirt

August 24th, 2012 at 1:06 PM ^

Would actually love to watch the game with the alumni club, but it's the girlfriends brother getting married on saturday and she would be none to happy if I missed the reception. Going to have to find some way to watch it somewhere, or go no internet/phone for 2 days until I can get home and watch it on the DVR.

Lady in Blue

August 24th, 2012 at 11:26 AM ^

Cannot wait to celebrate the start of the season with the surprisingly large number of Michigan faithful we have met in central Virginia... complete with Koegel's hot dogs and a block M-shaped cake! 

Like It's 19BBY

August 24th, 2012 at 11:43 AM ^

Man... I had so many this summer it's hard to say. I think I'd have to say Ommegang Abbey Ale or Super IPA by Alpine/New Belgium.



I'm fucking done with summer though. This Cali heat is killing me. I'm ready for the fall. Imperial Stouts, Porters, Strong Ales and Pumpkin Ales...yes please.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

August 24th, 2012 at 12:04 PM ^

Today is also the last day of my internship, so in that respect, I haz a sad.  A little bit of one.  Hopefully my best summer memory will be getting a job offer in a couple weeks.  Still technically summer!

Actual best summer memory so far: probably winning the Windsor Overnight race on Lake St. Clair this year.  Picture 1, 2 AM, 75 degrees, nice easy 12 kt breeze, enjoying a beer or three and a fast, easy sail, the whole Pure Michigan experience - and it so happens you're also on the homestretch of a race in which you're just beating the holy hell out of your competition.

TWSWBC

August 24th, 2012 at 12:06 PM ^

Going to Sleeping Bear with my friends a few weeks before a wedding, then the bachelor party and the wedding itself. I normally hate weddings but this one was great. It was funny bc after the wedding our group of friends either got new jobs or in my case moved so it will probably be a few years before we are all together again.

LSAClassOf2000

August 24th, 2012 at 12:08 PM ^

To answer the OP's questions...

By far, the best memory of the summer, at least for me personally, was celebrating my father's 70th birthday and my son's 5th on the same day. I don't have a close family, but this brought everyone together for the first time in a while. Rather than one play, the continued evolution of Robinson in Borges' system and a continually improved rushing game would make me happy, I suppose, if I had to choose among the many things that I would like to see. The best beer that I tried had to be the Hefeweizen at the Frankenmuth Brewery - fairly true to form for southern German wheat ales. My favorite tailgate food is...well...I am not picky.

Let me say that I needed this distraction - I spent three hours in a stuffy room downtown this morning trying to make a presentation on our processes to our Marketing group, and it involved numerous technical issues. The weekend, and football season, cannot get here soon enough.

cheesheadwolverine

August 24th, 2012 at 12:20 PM ^

Play I most want to see: a kneel-down at the end of the Bama game (duh)

Where will I be watching: buffalo billiards in dc. Hopefully better than my last trip there which watched us lose to ohio (nto)

Best memory: taking a few days off work with the girlfriend who just graduated

Beer: nothing revolutionary this summer sadly

Tailgate food: anything that races at brewers games I'm down with

jabberwock

August 24th, 2012 at 12:30 PM ^

Best memory of the summer:  fishing for smallmouth with my daughter on a crystal clear Canadian lake.

Best play starting the season:  Any game winning TD by Denard will suffice.  Also looking for a penalty-free 60 min of unnecessary roughness against MSU.

Best new beer?:  I don't drink beer, I drink whisky; and I think i've tried them all!

Best tailgate food:  sangria & chilli.

I'll be watching the Bama game at home  . . . and enjoying a hopefully epic liveblog.

BlueMan80

August 24th, 2012 at 12:33 PM ^

Today is move in day for my daughter, so we are off to Ann Arbor shortly.  A nice dinner and a few brews this evening and then we get to see the team practice at the Big House tomorrow morning.  After that, lunch at Zingerman's and drive home.  So, other than the weather being hot again for the third straight move-in, should be a decent trip.

ken725

August 24th, 2012 at 12:34 PM ^

My ideal play would be a bubble screen to Gallon for a TD.  Then Borges would just find Heiko in the post game press conference and give him this look.http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5321/6902535746_d3bbf3aaaf_o.jpg

MAgoBLUE

August 24th, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^

My best memory of the summer is golfing at an absolutely beautiful course in Jasper, Alberta.

The play that would make me the happiest this year is a game winning TD reception at some point for Devin Gardner.  He's a great talent and an even better kid and has handled having Denard in front of him with class.

Best new beer I tried this summer was the Sunset Gold at John Harvard's.

Favorite tailgate food has gotta be burgers and dogs.  I'm not picky.

I'll be watching the game Saturday night at a hotel on Cape Cod.  My sister is getting married there the next day.

RONick

August 24th, 2012 at 1:27 PM ^

I will be celebrating my mother's 50th birthday at a party with her a lot of my family next Saturday.  Should be a fun party, but I am not going to have my full attention on my mother from about 8:00 onward!

I tried the DRIPA this summer from Kuhnhenn Brewing Co. in Warren.  Highly recommended!

Best summer memory - I got engaged to my fiance out in Yellowstone a few weeks ago.  That place is wonderful and was a great setting for a fantastic week.

If I can see one play this year, I want to witness Lewan piledrive Tom Gholston as Denard slices through the MSU defense for a long TD... yess [Mr. Burns style finger  tapping].

WingsNWolverines

August 24th, 2012 at 1:35 PM ^

Her and her bf are both OSU graduates and die hard Buckeyes but they both hate Saban with a passion so I'll be decked out in my maize and blue for Saturday. Can't wait!!! A huge game for not just Michigan but a huge opportunity for the B10 to get a massive win.

Smash Lampjaw

August 24th, 2012 at 2:15 PM ^

meeting my daughter at the airport, coming home from school. To be followed by the worst moment next Sunday when she leaves for study abroad. Fresh memories of a 500 yard game by Denard against the best defense in the country to kick off his Heisman season should help me through.