UPDATE on what Sainristil was *really* singing to the team during The Game
There've been a few other posts about Mike Sainristil's speech firing up the team during the fourth quarter of The Game. At the time, I remembered back to a fleeting mention on the broadcast in a September game about how Sainristil used to play music - but I couldn't find anything other this spring 2021 article that obliquely references him "playing instruments"
However, after an exhaustive rewatch and triple-checking my lip-reading, I am now convinced that Sainristil composed an impromptu ballad to fire up the team and it obviously worked! I'm here to present you all with my attempt at a transcription of Mike Sainristil: cornerback, team captain, wideout, flagbearer, and - finally - bard:
The legend lives on from the Hutchinsons on down
At the shithouse by the Olentangy
Buckeyes, it is said, give themselves up for dead
When the skies of November turn snowy
With a wideout core with nine thousand yards or more
Of which Marvin Harrison had plenty
But the scarlet-clad crew became candy-soft dudes
When the skies in November turned gloomy
That team was the pride of the Ohioan side
Because they’d blown out IU and Wisconsin
As top-ranked teams go, they were softer than most
With stat lines that were hollow achievements
Concluding some terms with some NIL firms
For their five stars recruited from Cleveland
But later that night their bell did not ring
‘Cause of the team up North they'd been fearin'
The hordes in the Shoe made a tooth-gnashing groan
As their cornerbacks fell over flailing
And every fan knew, as did Ryan Day too
T'was a strike that McCarthy was dealin'
The blitz came late and Cam Brown took the bait
As the cleats of Cornelius went dashin’
When fourth quarter came it more of the same
They’re still chasing Donovan Edwards
When kickoff time came, Jim Knowles huddled up sayin'
"Zinter, he’s too slow to block ya"
Half past 3 PM, their front seven caved in, he said
"Fellas, it's been good to coach ya"
Stroud didn’t win cause of Braiden comin' in
And the blind umpire crew missed his fumble
And they played so tight just like before on that night
They were outcoached by one Patrick Fitzgerald
Does anyone know where Urban Meyers’ hands go
When his nightclub hosts happy hours?
Third basemen all say that they birthed Ryan Day
(Who’s only hung fifty, as a constant reminder)
He might call split zone or he might call 5-wide
But he didn’t pass deep and got slaughtered
And all that remains are Scott Bell’s tweets of The Game
Where we made them our new Little Brother
Jim Harbaugh knows, our helmets have wings
At the dawn of the playoff expansion
These Michigan teams lived up to their dreams
The players that stay will be champions
And then up the road Mark Dantonio
Took in repeat felon offenders
As nervous birds go, Michiganders all know
By Blake Corum was Sparty dismembered
In a college town west of Detroit they’ll play
For a prize that’s a football shaped crystal
Seth’s UFR climbed 'til it +1’d thirty times
For each stuffed screen pass out of pistol
The legend lives on from the Hutchinsons on down
At the shithouse by the Olentangy
Buckeyes, it is said, give themselves up for dead
When the skies of November turn snowy
December 6th, 2022 at 4:06 PM ^
Dude……
December 6th, 2022 at 4:40 PM ^
Is Weird Al a Michigan fan by chance? anyone?
December 6th, 2022 at 5:14 PM ^
THAT was awesome. Great work. Once correction. The line...
"In a college town west of Detroit they’ll play"
It's Dee-TROY-it. In proper usage...Anybody who's come from the college town west of Dee-TROY-it has come to Dee-STROY-it.
December 6th, 2022 at 4:09 PM ^
Somebody needs to get a job, a girlfriend, or both.
December 6th, 2022 at 4:13 PM ^
Or a girlfriend to give him a job . . .
December 6th, 2022 at 4:41 PM ^
"You had one job!"
- the girlfriend
December 6th, 2022 at 4:10 PM ^
Oooooh Weeeeee
December 6th, 2022 at 4:10 PM ^
Username Check'd out!!!!
December 6th, 2022 at 4:14 PM ^
I remember my first beer and having enough points to post.
December 6th, 2022 at 4:18 PM ^
I applaud your passion and cajones to post this. You put yourself out there.
December 6th, 2022 at 4:51 PM ^
As coach Jim would say, ‘it’s a real toe tapper.’
December 6th, 2022 at 4:19 PM ^
I hate this
a lot
December 6th, 2022 at 4:32 PM ^
I like it - a lot. I guess that says something about me, and about you.
December 6th, 2022 at 4:37 PM ^
Yes, and more specifically - you enjoy this post and they do not enjoy this post.
December 6th, 2022 at 4:43 PM ^
I like "the shithouse by the olengengy"
December 6th, 2022 at 4:26 PM ^
Gordon approves!
December 6th, 2022 at 4:31 PM ^
Holy fuck. It's Tuesday afternoon. How drunk are you?
December 6th, 2022 at 4:41 PM ^
I'll fess up that I'm this insane without drinking, but you might be right that this would've been better saved for Tuesday at sundown.
December 6th, 2022 at 5:42 PM ^
I'm just giving you a hard time! You keep doing you!
December 6th, 2022 at 4:37 PM ^
He definitely sang those exact words. All of them.
December 6th, 2022 at 6:15 PM ^
Clearly...there are no bards in hell.
December 6th, 2022 at 5:08 PM ^
I have to wonder if everyone gets this. I do, of course, because that’s a great song to people of a certain age. Well done, Sir!
December 6th, 2022 at 5:23 PM ^
If tracking the original verse, I'm a little concerned about how it all ends.
December 6th, 2022 at 5:44 PM ^
Not to worry. This is a picture of the world famous Ohio University.
December 6th, 2022 at 5:30 PM ^
...LAME.
December 6th, 2022 at 5:41 PM ^
woof.
December 6th, 2022 at 5:46 PM ^
Lots of effort here, so not mad. Not happy either.
December 6th, 2022 at 6:05 PM ^
Brudda, I’m impressed but also just wow.
December 6th, 2022 at 6:08 PM ^
The Fuck
December 6th, 2022 at 6:09 PM ^
Nice work,clever
December 6th, 2022 at 6:15 PM ^
I for one love this. Well done sir. Of course, I am a yooper and have been listening to this song my whole life and love Gordon lightfoot. Some may not appreciate your ballad writing skills as much as I.
take my upvote!
December 7th, 2022 at 1:19 PM ^
I feel the same way y_b! I remember when this song came out. I had the pleasure of seeing Gordon Lightfoot in the round with Harry Chapin, John Denver & James Taylor in 1977 at Olympia. The round stage rotated very slowly so that everyone in the arena could see each of the four singers. Lightfoot sang this song with everyone else singing background. This version above cracked me up!
December 7th, 2022 at 3:53 PM ^
Thanks! I'm not young either but I'm suspecting that you just might have a few years on me, hahaha.
I vaguely remember theatre-in-the-round being a thing way back when, and was old enough to go to the Front Row Theatre in Cleveland, but it feels like it's fallen out of vogue since then, though I'm not nearly enough of a concertgoer to say for sure. That lineup you saw sounds awesome and so so SO quintessentially 70's.
December 9th, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^
Thanks for the link kehnonymous. I never heard of that place. What an incredible venue. I can't believe the list of people/bands that have played there. What a shame that it got leveled to make way for a Home Depot.
I loved the last line of your post!!
December 6th, 2022 at 6:23 PM ^
I liked the Maryland one better.
December 6th, 2022 at 6:38 PM ^
Has anyone seen reporting on what he actually said? Given the game day reporting, I expected more to come out on it after
December 6th, 2022 at 9:41 PM ^
It’s crazy because I actually identified the song with the first line and was able to sing the whole thing in tune. I really enjoyed it.