Go Blue Bowl Tailgate This Saturday Comment Count

Seth

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[Reposting for those who missed yesterday]

What? MGoBlog and handful of former Michigan players who are disproportionately cornerbacks about my age are going to be tailgating before the PSU game at Marlin Jackson's Go Blue Bowl Tailgate charity drive. There will be a raffle, and a tailgate Olympics where fans are teamed with former players for maizehole/beer pong/ladder toss, and a Q&A session MC'ed by Brian, and beer.

Where? The North End Zone, 1011 S. Main St., Building B, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Technically it would be Michigan Stadium's north end zone if the field was 300 yards long. It's the white and green house on Main Street, opposite Pauline, off the northwest gate of the Big House.

Ann Arbor Tailgate Location

When? 3 pm to 6 pm this Saturday. Games will start at 4-ish, probably do the Q&A from 5 pm to whenever it breaks up or it's time to go to the game.

Who exactly? Well, Brian Cook, Seth Fisher, Ace Anbender, Adam Schnepp, Orson, MMMGoBlueBBQ promised to stop by, my 7-month old…oh you meant important people? Confirmed so far are Marlin Jackson, Brandon Williams, Todd Howard, Marcus Ray, Cato June, Chris Perry, and Zia Combs. As these things go, more are planning to come but can't make promises.

IMG_9139
Looks like this except none of us wear khakis and polos.

  The event was organized by Marlin's people, who asked us to participate.

NOBODY under 21 (except babies). They are checking IDs.

What's the cause? The Go Blue Bowl Tailgate and the Go Blue Bowl Football Challenge support Marlin's Fight for Life Foundation, as well as the the Phalen Leadership Academies, the Peace Neighborhood Center of Ann Arbor, the Summer Advantage Program, and Go Blue Then and Now. These all* fund extracurricular and catch-up programs for at-risk kids.

Marlin started FFL in Indianapolis and has expanded the concept up to Michigan. The school systems where these kids live have been dropping such programs and don't have the ability to implement modern teaching techniques (even though we've known they work for 15+ years) so FFL provides that. It's evolved a bit since we started supporting it: the in-school programs are Building Dreams/Field of Dreams (elementary/middle), and RAP (high school). Seal the Deal is the after-school youth flag football program. And they've added Be a Blessing!, which follows up with the kids who've been in their programs, and provides need-based assistance to their families.

Go Blue Then and Now is an umbrella organization for former Michigan players' charities.

The Go Blue Bowl itself is a flag football game for local kids football teams where former Michigan players coach them for a day (or most of a day then hide indoors because their Floridian skin still can't handle Michigan weather; not naming any names that are also a unit of measurement).

I gotta make a donation right? Yes, but what you can afford. We urge you to donate beforehand on Marlin's website, or buy some raffle tickets when you arrive, or be like "here's five dollars" at the gate. I do ask if you're going to drink the beer you donate like $20 at the door so they don't end up taking a loss on the provisioning of said suds. Suggested minimal donation if you're just gonna come by for the Q&A is $5. The point of the tailgate is to raise money for these charities.

There are things you get for donation levels of $100 and above, like access to the VIP lounge where players with weak-ass Floridian skin might be hiding, and signed memorabilia, and corporate sponsorship displays.

Also one sponsor who sends a check ahead of time will get two free tickets to the Penn State game that one of our readers donated to the cause.

The raffle? I'm not sure of everything that will be there; when we did our tailgate last year Marlin brought a jersey signed by Woodley and some footballs and t-shirts, and Six Zero had a drawing of a half-lion/half-Devin Gardner. There's a Michigan Stadium print by Bennie (godson of THAT Bennie) McCready that I'm bringing. And you can win a spot in the tailgate Olympics.

Comments

elm

October 7th, 2014 at 4:24 PM ^

Do you see the guy in the back row peaking over the shoulder of the bearded, long-haired fellow?  You can't see his shirt, so my guess is that he's wearing a hockey jersey and is, therefore, Brian.

CoreyJ

October 7th, 2014 at 6:36 PM ^

Sounds awesome Saturday will be my first trip to the Big House.  We are coming all the way from GA!  This sounds awesome.  Also any advise for Satruday would be welcome.

GO BLUE

TooFratToFail

October 7th, 2014 at 7:08 PM ^

The tailgate will be entering late, I take it? The boycott needs to be substantial and widespread. It isn't just the students who have been negatively impacted and it isn't just the students who care about UM.



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Seth

October 8th, 2014 at 11:04 AM ^

No on Hart. From left:

Front Row: Martin Vloet (UM photographer and owner of MGoPatio), Brian Cook, Jerome Jackson, Zia Combs, Brandon Williams and his son, Heiko Yang, Bryan Fuller, BiSB, and Chris Perry.

Back row: LSAClassof2000 (aka Lorne), David Underwood (in the teal polo), Marlin Jackson, Eric Upchurch, Ace Anbender, Seth Fisher

 

Njia

October 8th, 2014 at 9:51 AM ^

My daughter, a high school senior and prospective student to U-M, wants to go to the game and I'm working on getting the tickets. I think meeting a bunch of former players might put my alma mater back out in front in the battle for her allegiance (U-M School of Music is running just slightly behind of Western Michigan College of Music and Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute -- it's time for The Big One).

oldhackman

October 8th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^

It seems to me that there was a particular point in time when our woes really began. Remember back to last year. Our new coach had started 11-2, and sure he took a small step back the following year, but the great recruiting classes and team competition were about to really show. We had just pasted a MAC team in CMU the way you are supposed to, then beat Notre Dame. Again.

But immediately following that game, when we were reveling in our greatness, we played the chicken dance. It was hilarious, as was the prospect of our next two warmup contests against Akron and UConn.

The football gods gave us a chance to save ourselves with a couple of warnings. It took a last second goal line stand to beat Akron and an improbable interception to spur a fourth quarter comeback against UConn. We should have immediately repented for our smugness and begged forgiveness.

The point is that we were a high flying machine until the chicken dance and we’ve been losing altitude ever since. Sure we beat Northwestern in a miracle (because the football gods obviously hated them even worse last year for whatever reason). But now we are in a full-fledged death spiral heading for the ground, and something must be done to reverse our karma.

I propose that making an offering to the gods of the football Valhalla. Invoking the petitions of Saints Fielding, Fritz, Ufer, and Bo, someone should hold a ceremony. After fasting from chicken for 24 hours, there should be a cross made of chicken bones wrapped in sage, buried in a place of honor near the stadium. A yellow rose should be laid upon the burial as a sign of begging forgiveness; and the rose should be surrounded by circular column of salt to seal the angry football demons from leaving.

When this is done, the celebrant should loudly say: “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa; Kyrie eleison.” Then we hope.

And by the way I am pretty sure we can blame Brandon for the chicken dance along with everything else that's wrong with the universe.

Moonlight Graham

October 11th, 2014 at 10:03 AM ^

ON THE FIELD, the turning point seemed to be the botched timeout/delay of game penalty with two minutes left in the Penn State game, then the decision to not pooch-punt. And then of course the multiple missed FG's. M had that game won 3 or 4 times, and with that one and only win our season gains a little more momentum and probably puts us in the Outback Bowl to go no worse than 8-5 again. 

All things considered, I suppose that "moment" was a harbinger and winning that game would have only delayed the inevitable, but it does seem like the football gods who revere Michigan as one of their most loyal "churches" said they'd had enough, nudged us over a tipping point and said "see ya." Come back and talk to us when you regain your focus. 

Shop Smart Sho…

October 10th, 2014 at 11:59 PM ^

However, I'm assuming that there isn't going to be parking there.  Just wondering because I'm going to have quite a drive to get to Ann Arbor, and I'm wondering if I should aim for my normal place or drive straight there.