I would consider HOMES brewery for draft location or just lunch/dinner one day. Great food, great beer, and plenty of both indoor and outdoor seating. When I visit AA these days HOMES is usually my go-to for post-golf or post-event food and drink.
I was at the 2016 night game at Kinnick and even though it was a rough game I had a fantastic time, and would love to go back. Fans were great, stadium was fun, and it just felt like a real embodiment of college football. Authentic in every way.
I relish this content. Thank you to Alex, Brian, and Seth for all the great content you put out. Brian, loved the Story, and it’s great to see you back and sounding healthy.
Michigan has a promising football team. It’s a beautiful evening. The season is upon us, and anything is possible. Enjoy tonight, enjoy tomorrow, and Go Blue.
I haven't read through the comments yet, but I'll bite. Apologies if I repeat something that's already been said. I'm 30-something year old alum and I live in the Detroit area, for reference.
1. The Purdue game was at 9:00 pm on a Thursday. Automatic disqualification for me and I'm sure many others.
2. I looked at prices for today's OSU game, and the tickets on MGoBlue are sold out except for one section. Then I go and check StubHub and tickets start at $90 for upper bowl. Granted that's a rivalry game on Saturday night, but I just don't feel like spending $200 and clearly if prices are that high they must not need help filling the stadium. I can spend $100 and get a nice dinner and a couple drinks with my wife, and watch the game from a bar somewhere instead.
3. Elaborating on my last point, the University does a terrible job in general of incentivizing attendance. It's been this way for years, since at least when I was a student, and for football too. If there are empty seats, then they priced the tickets too high--simple as that. Expand the student section, make tickets cheaper for students, have them use their MCard to get in the games, and make concrete and meaningful rewards and punishments for attendance. I get that the ticket brokers have a hand in this but figure it out.
4. The team has been very up and down, and I hate watching Michigan sports when we lose. It physically hurts.
5. As much as it feels like it's over, COVID is definitely still a real thing for anyone who interacts regularly with someone who's old or otherwise at special risk of developing negative symptoms. We make special arrangements for meeting with our living grandparents and make sure to be careful when we know we're going to visit them soon, and avoiding large gatherings like that is one of those considerations.
TL:DR--Fans being in attendance is not an entitlement. If the University wants fans in attendance, then institute policies and pricing that incentivize fans to be there. And the product on the court factors into that pricing.
Outstanding article, the headline really doesn't do it justice. Should be a Diary with a headline worthy of its content, something like "Your Guide to the State of the USMNT". Great job.
And of course, great to see the US kids doing well. Sounds like we have lots to look forward to for the World Cup in (checks notes)...Qatar.
I thoroughly appreciate this kind of analysis. Not all this BPONE, woe is us, we'll never be good again kind of listless depression that is in the fan base.
As an engineer, this is the kind of attitude we need to have. What does it take to get from A to B? And once that's identified, execute. And Michigan truly is fortunate enough to have the tools to get there. There is no legitimate reason why we shouldn't be competing at the highest level.
I worked at Spots all four years of college when I went to U of M. Was always insane working game days or major events, like the Obama commencement speech. Keith and Tim are awesome guys, and to this day whenever I'm in town I try and order Spots. It's a true blue blood Ann Arbor institution up there with Zingerman's, Coach & Four, and Charleys.
Pro-tip: get the Steak Hoagie with Suicide sauce. Not for the faint of heart but it's an absolute flavor bomb.
I have a Wrangler and I personally just don't feel safe without a roll bar above me. My wife and I rented a convertible Camaro a few years ago and it was fun, but I kept thinking how exposed we were if we happened to be in a roll-over accident.
Now--if you were to try and sell me a Wrangler with an auto-soft-top-retract function, I would certainly be interested.
Would really love some stats-based, game theory-based, or football theory based articles. Thinking some Five Thirty Eights-esque or Smart Football esque articles, applied to stuff Michigan does/did/might do with their personnel. Could be either offense or defense.
Also would love some analysis on advanced special teams play. It never gets enough coverage but we've seen plenty of times how key special teams plays can influence games. It saved us several times in 2019.
Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Yes, AoE II came out over 20 years ago. Yes, it still has a thriving community and active developer involvement. It’s an incredible game with a surprising amount of depth for an RTS game. DE came out last year with revamped graphics and a couple quality of life enhancements, but otherwise the game is the same as it was 20 years ago. Truly an oldie but a goodie.
This lentil soup is bomb, and vegetarian for those who are of that persuasion. The shot of lemon juice at the end really adds a quality pop to the recipe.
1 bunch Celery Leaves (or Cilantro, If You Don't Have Celery Leaves)
⅓ cups Lemon Juice Or The Juice Of One Whole Lemon
Directions
In a large saucepan, saute the whole onion (save the 1/2 onion for later) in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until golden brown. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili pepper and allspice. Stir together.
Transfer the mixture to a small-to-medium sized soup/stockpot and add the lentils, carrots, broth, salt and pepper. Simmer for about an hour (stirring occasionally), until the lentils have disintegrated and are creamy. Add the celery leaves (or cilantro) about 45 minutes into it (15 minutes before serving).
Also at that time, take your original saucepan and add the additional tablespoon of olive oil along with the extra half of a finely chopped onion. Saute over medium heat until brown and caramelized. Garnish the soup with a lemon wedge and a small teaspoon of the caramelized onions. Serve with pita bread. Tastes even better the next day.
Notes
*Note: if you like the soup creamier, simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or puree soup in a blender after an hour and transfer back to the stockpot to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
I lived in Marquette for a summer and thought it was a great little town. Lots of good restaurants, Blackrocks brewery is awesome, as is Ore Dock, and it has beautiful views of Lake Superior. Also it's a college town, if that does anything for you, even though the students will mostly be gone for summer break.
If you do go, you MUST visit Lagniappe's. Best cajun food I've ever had, and my coworker (from Baton Rouge no less) was beside himself with joy when he ate there. Why there is a cajun restaraunt in Marquette I have no idea, but it is truly amazing.
I'll be working during a good part of the show, will you guys be making it available online once the show is over? I like saving Sam Webb's show for long car rides and such.
This whole "Smith runs away from open holes" thing seems to have been propagated by the will of board, and not by reality. Also, Smith's effort to get extra yards after contact goes unacknowledged. I think Smith showed excellent promise in this game. I just don't understand the vendetta against him. His speed is a legit criticism, but everything else sounds like whining to me.
Not a perfect solution, but for 100% secure viewing just copy the text to a word document and then read unmolested. It will just look like you're reading something a co-worker sent you, or even better, that you're writing something yourself.
I expect that point to be some time into the OSU game. That wrinkle in the playbook is just too powerful to deploy any earlier in the season. Give Urban no reason to suspect Jabrill will line up on offense, and every reason to actively only expect the regulars there. Practice it all season, get it down to perfection as a sub package, and only unveil it some time during the OSU game when we need a spark. It could be the difference in the game--the last couple of years have been very close and something like that could have made the difference in our favor. If we could hold out on it until after halftime, that would be even better. Give them no opportunity to adjust.
My question regarding the QB situation: if Rudock has the edge over Shane as far as winning immediately goes, and the battle was intense and they don't have a great deal of separation, wouldn't it be wise to give Shane the start? He will get a chance to be The Guy next year, with another year of Harbaugh tutelage to benefit from. Then we also wouldn't have to go through this same dog and pony show next year. It seems like lots of people are writing Shane off, while I just can't shake the notion that unless Rudock is very clearly superior Harbaugh would give the Shane the reigns.
Bayless isn't ignorant, he's just a troll. I wish I could embed (or knew how to embed) on my phone the clip where Bayless compares Sherman unfavorably to Revis. Sherman puts Bayless in his place, and ever since then I've liked Sherman. Bayless is a hack with no credibility, who does no research and writes and says things simply to get people riled up. Sherman was drafted in the 5th round, an overlooked player converted from WR, who turned himself (with great coaching) into the best in the game. I love players with things to prove and chips on their shoulders. To see millionaires still have raw uncontrollable passion is what makes this game worth watching, and I support the hell out of Sherman for showing emotion after the biggest game of their season to this point.
I generally stick to lurking and reading the articles and posts on here, since they are generally great. But I honestly can't stomach this whole "Woe is the year of 2013", "Year of Infiinite Pain 3.0" or whatever about 2013. Yes, the football season was frustrating and disappointing, and a failure. Yes, it sucks that Mitch McGary is out, and that George Campbell decommitted, and that our offense is a twitching corpse half of the time. There were some real disappointments. But everyone seems to be ignoring the good things that happened this year, as well as how much better off these athletic programs are now than 5 years or so ago.
The good:
-Trey Burke drops Kansas in the tourney
-UTL2 win
-A DAMN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE in which we played a great game and lost to another very talented and well-coached team
-We came within a 2 point conversion of toppling a much superior OSU team.
I've had a lot of good memories from this year, even if the endings didn't always work out. There's obviously a lot of negativity around here at the moment, which is somewhat justified, but I think we're beating it to death. I really hope we can move on to 2014 with some optimism, especially after a good road win over Minnesota.
I was an employee from roughly 2009 - 2011. Not sure if that fits your bill but yes they have shakes. I would actually go to Washtenaw Dairy to get ice cream when we ran out sometimes. Their shakes are the real deal.
/s aside, their shakes are all delicious. Also, a toast to you, who joined the same day as me but has roughly 100 times the points I do. I evidently need to step my game up on this site. I visit it every day as is.
Sounds like he really enjoyed himself. I like our chances. However, as a former Spot's employee, I wish he had gone two doors down and got himself a steak hoagie, onion rings, and a thick ol' chocolate shake.
The ratings have in fact gone up, according to an article I read on ESPN a few days ago. Average attendance is up too, I think the number they gave was 97.9% average capacity across the league for each game. I would link to the article but I'm in the car about to hit the links.
I like the idea of advantage, but just like soccer it should be waved off after a certain amount of time--say, 3-5 seconds. That gives enough time to attempt a fast break opportunity, and if the foul causes the team in possession to regroup or lose possession, call the foul. Otherwise play on.
Check out how GR3 attacks the hoop on each one of Stauska's shots. We remember it when the ball bounces right and he's there for the epic jam, but this is a good illustration of how that's a result of him consistently getting to the rim on deep shots. I'm sure that's a result of Beilein's coaching.
IIRC, TomVH's original "buckle up" tweet was regarding Kyle Kalis' flip. It just happened to be 2-3 weeks early (Kyle wasn't quite ready to go public with the announcement). That is my recollection, anyway.
Here in Houston for the summer, trying to stay cool. Only have one more month left but I'd kill to be back in beautiful summertime Michigan. Maybe this gin & tonic can help ease the heat.
You are missing a key aspect of the regular season. These days there is no such thing as a sure playoff bid. Great teams will still make the playoffs, but average-to-good teams have no guarantee they will make it. In the NHL today, the parity level assures that no one is safe, and even if a spot is all but secured late in the season, teams still play hard to try and earn home-ice advantage, whether or not it ultimately affects the outcome of the postseason.
Did you really google the OP's username in an attempt to discredit them? And, if what you say is true, did you basically out this person to the entire MGoCommunity? It seems the OP is far more mature than you are.
I'm about to be a senior this year, and I considered not buying the tickets. Call me unloyal or whatever you will, but we aught to have no trouble rolling through our home slate, and if there are any truly epic moments at Michigan stadium this year (save MSU) it will be a disappointment. Save yourself the cash and put it towards an MSU ticket, because that's the only game worth paying top dollar for.
Last weekend in MI before I head to Texas for 12 weeks for an internship. Going to miss the beautiful Michigan summer, so I'm enjoying this weather while I can before I get to 100 degrees and humid.
If they offered him a scholarship it would be to play football. In a perfect world, severe injuries would still allow a player to go to a school who had extended him an offer. However, since said offer (and commitment) isn't binding until signing day, and since scholarships are precious to a coaching staff, commits who suffer serious injuries may get their scholarship revoked. Sad, but thus is the recruiting game.
Recent Comments
I would consider HOMES brewery for draft location or just lunch/dinner one day. Great food, great beer, and plenty of both indoor and outdoor seating. When I visit AA these days HOMES is usually my go-to for post-golf or post-event food and drink.
I was at the 2016 night game at Kinnick and even though it was a rough game I had a fantastic time, and would love to go back. Fans were great, stadium was fun, and it just felt like a real embodiment of college football. Authentic in every way.
I relish this content. Thank you to Alex, Brian, and Seth for all the great content you put out. Brian, loved the Story, and it’s great to see you back and sounding healthy.
Michigan has a promising football team. It’s a beautiful evening. The season is upon us, and anything is possible. Enjoy tonight, enjoy tomorrow, and Go Blue.
https://youtu.be/Oww_gtVVqkQ
Bloons Tower…
Wordle.
Bloons Tower Defense.
Congrats on your new family member!
I haven't read through the comments yet, but I'll bite. Apologies if I repeat something that's already been said. I'm 30-something year old alum and I live in the Detroit area, for reference.
1. The Purdue game was at 9:00 pm on a Thursday. Automatic disqualification for me and I'm sure many others.
2. I looked at prices for today's OSU game, and the tickets on MGoBlue are sold out except for one section. Then I go and check StubHub and tickets start at $90 for upper bowl. Granted that's a rivalry game on Saturday night, but I just don't feel like spending $200 and clearly if prices are that high they must not need help filling the stadium. I can spend $100 and get a nice dinner and a couple drinks with my wife, and watch the game from a bar somewhere instead.
3. Elaborating on my last point, the University does a terrible job in general of incentivizing attendance. It's been this way for years, since at least when I was a student, and for football too. If there are empty seats, then they priced the tickets too high--simple as that. Expand the student section, make tickets cheaper for students, have them use their MCard to get in the games, and make concrete and meaningful rewards and punishments for attendance. I get that the ticket brokers have a hand in this but figure it out.
4. The team has been very up and down, and I hate watching Michigan sports when we lose. It physically hurts.
5. As much as it feels like it's over, COVID is definitely still a real thing for anyone who interacts regularly with someone who's old or otherwise at special risk of developing negative symptoms. We make special arrangements for meeting with our living grandparents and make sure to be careful when we know we're going to visit them soon, and avoiding large gatherings like that is one of those considerations.
TL:DR--Fans being in attendance is not an entitlement. If the University wants fans in attendance, then institute policies and pricing that incentivize fans to be there. And the product on the court factors into that pricing.
Boy did this post age well or what?
Ah Samwise, ever the optimist. I hope you're right!
Frodo: "I don't suppose we'll ever beat Ohio State again."
Sam: "We may yet, Mr. Frodo. We may."
I had a positive experience at Carl's when I got my irons, but I've been told that for pure fittings, Miles of Golf in Ann Arbor is the way to go.
Outstanding article, the headline really doesn't do it justice. Should be a Diary with a headline worthy of its content, something like "Your Guide to the State of the USMNT". Great job.
And of course, great to see the US kids doing well. Sounds like we have lots to look forward to for the World Cup in (checks notes)...Qatar.
I thoroughly appreciate this kind of analysis. Not all this BPONE, woe is us, we'll never be good again kind of listless depression that is in the fan base.
As an engineer, this is the kind of attitude we need to have. What does it take to get from A to B? And once that's identified, execute. And Michigan truly is fortunate enough to have the tools to get there. There is no legitimate reason why we shouldn't be competing at the highest level.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ROSE BOWL.GIF
I NEED IT
I worked at Spots all four years of college when I went to U of M. Was always insane working game days or major events, like the Obama commencement speech. Keith and Tim are awesome guys, and to this day whenever I'm in town I try and order Spots. It's a true blue blood Ann Arbor institution up there with Zingerman's, Coach & Four, and Charleys.
Pro-tip: get the Steak Hoagie with Suicide sauce. Not for the faint of heart but it's an absolute flavor bomb.
I have a Wrangler and I personally just don't feel safe without a roll bar above me. My wife and I rented a convertible Camaro a few years ago and it was fun, but I kept thinking how exposed we were if we happened to be in a roll-over accident.
Now--if you were to try and sell me a Wrangler with an auto-soft-top-retract function, I would certainly be interested.
Would really love some stats-based, game theory-based, or football theory based articles. Thinking some Five Thirty Eights-esque or Smart Football esque articles, applied to stuff Michigan does/did/might do with their personnel. Could be either offense or defense.
Also would love some analysis on advanced special teams play. It never gets enough coverage but we've seen plenty of times how key special teams plays can influence games. It saved us several times in 2019.
Age Of Empires II: Definitive Edition. Yes, AoE II came out over 20 years ago. Yes, it still has a thriving community and active developer involvement. It’s an incredible game with a surprising amount of depth for an RTS game. DE came out last year with revamped graphics and a couple quality of life enhancements, but otherwise the game is the same as it was 20 years ago. Truly an oldie but a goodie.
This lentil soup is bomb, and vegetarian for those who are of that persuasion. The shot of lemon juice at the end really adds a quality pop to the recipe.
Arabic “Crushed Lentil” Soup
Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr Difficulty: Easy Servings: Serves: 6 Source:
https://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/arabic-e2809ccrushed-lentile2809d-soup/
Ingredients
1-½ whole White Onion, Chopped Finely, Divided
4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Divided
3 cloves Freshly Minced Garlic
1-½ teaspoon Cumin
1-½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon Allspice
1 pinch Ground Red Chili Pepper
1-¾ cup Split Red Lentils (or About One Package)
1 whole Carrot, Peeled And Finely Chopped
2-½ quarts Chicken Stock
¼ teaspoons Ground Sea Salt
1 pinch Ground Black Pepper
1 bunch Celery Leaves (or Cilantro, If You Don't Have Celery Leaves)
⅓ cups Lemon Juice Or The Juice Of One Whole Lemon
Directions
In a large saucepan, saute the whole onion (save the 1/2 onion for later) in 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until golden brown. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, chili pepper and allspice. Stir together.
Transfer the mixture to a small-to-medium sized soup/stockpot and add the lentils, carrots, broth, salt and pepper. Simmer for about an hour (stirring occasionally), until the lentils have disintegrated and are creamy. Add the celery leaves (or cilantro) about 45 minutes into it (15 minutes before serving).
Also at that time, take your original saucepan and add the additional tablespoon of olive oil along with the extra half of a finely chopped onion. Saute over medium heat until brown and caramelized. Garnish the soup with a lemon wedge and a small teaspoon of the caramelized onions. Serve with pita bread. Tastes even better the next day.
Notes
*Note: if you like the soup creamier, simmer for an additional 15 minutes, or puree soup in a blender after an hour and transfer back to the stockpot to cook for an additional 15 minutes.
"It's pronounced 'nuke-u-lar' Lisa. Nuke-u-lar."
Great work as always, although I wanted to see the QB get lit-up by Paye during their ill-advised final drive!
This post makes me happy. When Space Coyote is posting, you know it's good, and it means football is close.
I lived in Marquette for a summer and thought it was a great little town. Lots of good restaurants, Blackrocks brewery is awesome, as is Ore Dock, and it has beautiful views of Lake Superior. Also it's a college town, if that does anything for you, even though the students will mostly be gone for summer break.
If you do go, you MUST visit Lagniappe's. Best cajun food I've ever had, and my coworker (from Baton Rouge no less) was beside himself with joy when he ate there. Why there is a cajun restaraunt in Marquette I have no idea, but it is truly amazing.
Now I don't have to go to the dregs of the internet for my weekly CFB roundup.
I'll be working during a good part of the show, will you guys be making it available online once the show is over? I like saving Sam Webb's show for long car rides and such.
This whole "Smith runs away from open holes" thing seems to have been propagated by the will of board, and not by reality. Also, Smith's effort to get extra yards after contact goes unacknowledged. I think Smith showed excellent promise in this game. I just don't understand the vendetta against him. His speed is a legit criticism, but everything else sounds like whining to me.
Not a perfect solution, but for 100% secure viewing just copy the text to a word document and then read unmolested. It will just look like you're reading something a co-worker sent you, or even better, that you're writing something yourself.
I expect that point to be some time into the OSU game. That wrinkle in the playbook is just too powerful to deploy any earlier in the season. Give Urban no reason to suspect Jabrill will line up on offense, and every reason to actively only expect the regulars there. Practice it all season, get it down to perfection as a sub package, and only unveil it some time during the OSU game when we need a spark. It could be the difference in the game--the last couple of years have been very close and something like that could have made the difference in our favor. If we could hold out on it until after halftime, that would be even better. Give them no opportunity to adjust.
I generally stick to lurking and reading the articles and posts on here, since they are generally great. But I honestly can't stomach this whole "Woe is the year of 2013", "Year of Infiinite Pain 3.0" or whatever about 2013. Yes, the football season was frustrating and disappointing, and a failure. Yes, it sucks that Mitch McGary is out, and that George Campbell decommitted, and that our offense is a twitching corpse half of the time. There were some real disappointments. But everyone seems to be ignoring the good things that happened this year, as well as how much better off these athletic programs are now than 5 years or so ago.
The good:
-Trey Burke drops Kansas in the tourney
-UTL2 win
-A DAMN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCE in which we played a great game and lost to another very talented and well-coached team
-We came within a 2 point conversion of toppling a much superior OSU team.
I've had a lot of good memories from this year, even if the endings didn't always work out. There's obviously a lot of negativity around here at the moment, which is somewhat justified, but I think we're beating it to death. I really hope we can move on to 2014 with some optimism, especially after a good road win over Minnesota.
I was an employee from roughly 2009 - 2011. Not sure if that fits your bill but yes they have shakes. I would actually go to Washtenaw Dairy to get ice cream when we ran out sometimes. Their shakes are the real deal.
....right?
Edit: Supposed to be one post lower... damn these Victory Golden Monkeys
/s aside, their shakes are all delicious. Also, a toast to you, who joined the same day as me but has roughly 100 times the points I do. I evidently need to step my game up on this site. I visit it every day as is.
Sounds like he really enjoyed himself. I like our chances. However, as a former Spot's employee, I wish he had gone two doors down and got himself a steak hoagie, onion rings, and a thick ol' chocolate shake.
Check out how GR3 attacks the hoop on each one of Stauska's shots. We remember it when the ball bounces right and he's there for the epic jam, but this is a good illustration of how that's a result of him consistently getting to the rim on deep shots. I'm sure that's a result of Beilein's coaching.
Here in Houston for the summer, trying to stay cool. Only have one more month left but I'd kill to be back in beautiful summertime Michigan. Maybe this gin & tonic can help ease the heat.
You are missing a key aspect of the regular season. These days there is no such thing as a sure playoff bid. Great teams will still make the playoffs, but average-to-good teams have no guarantee they will make it. In the NHL today, the parity level assures that no one is safe, and even if a spot is all but secured late in the season, teams still play hard to try and earn home-ice advantage, whether or not it ultimately affects the outcome of the postseason.