Member for

13 years 4 months
Points
736.00

Recent Comments

Date Title Body
Just bought a 2023 Tesla…

Just bought a 2023 Tesla Model S to replace my 2013 Model S (which still runs & looks great, by the way). Will echo what other posters have said: I cannot go back to internal combustion now, and this car is the absolute best. Love it. I have a good buddy that has a Rivian SUV that they love. Definitely consider EV, whatever direction you choose to go. Easier/cheaper than you think.

I literally lol'd at this…

I literally lol'd at this entire post/thread. Thank you for the pick-me-up at the end of a very long work day.

Love this. Awesome. Well…

Love this. Awesome. Well done, sir.

I have a brother-in-law who…

I have a brother-in-law who is an estate attorney, has been in practice with the same firm for 30+ years, and appears (to me anyways) to be at the "top" of his chosen profession. He's been the managing partner in the past for a stint, seems to be one of the most respected partners in his large firm, etc. He works remotely off and on, and he's used this to get out of Michigan at times to warmer weather. He's helped my wife & myself with will creation and modification, as well as trusts, etc. Great guy, very knowledgeable, friendly, social, etc.

He seems like he'd be a guy who'd love his job and advise anyone to pursue law as a career. And just this past weekend he told me he had advised all of his kids (my neices and nephew) to avoid going into law. This blew my mind. I'm sorry that I didn't get into his reasoning for this, mostly because I was so stunned to hear that.

I know this is a vague story and sucks, but I thought I should pass it along. Of course, you can get a law degree and not practice law/do something else, but most people don't go that route. I wish your daughter the best of luck and happiness in whatever career she pursues.

I think this comment wins…

I think this comment wins the internet today.

I’m just glad this happened…

I’m just glad this happened now. No more excuses available for any opponents the rest of the season. Let’s see how it turns out…

My cool story bro: Way back…

My cool story bro: Way back when we lived in Chicago (20 years ago), my wife went to buy some wine from a Binny's in Lincoln Park and this guy (Donald Gibb a.k.a. "Ogre") was there marketing/selling his own wine. She and a friend talked to him a bit about the wine--they said he was a very pleasant guy. And they didn't ask him to say "NEEEEERDS!" which he seemed to appreciate.

What a great write-up--thank…

What a great write-up--thank you, Seth! As I was watching live, I was seeing the outside zone they were running, but without this breakdown, I wasn't really able to appreciate why it was working so well against our normally stout-against-the-run front 7. Your explanations make perfect sense with what Michigan and Minnesota were trying to accomplish, respectively. This site, as always, has such amazing football analysis. Bravo!

I just looked into this…

I just looked into this—Nebraska actually ended this tradition just last season because of the shortage of helium.

Story: https://www.si.com/.amp/college/2022/05/24/nebraska-announces-end-red-balloon-release-tradition-helium-shortage

I lol'd at "Western Michigan…

I lol'd at "Western Michigan with balloons" such that people at work looked at me. Opponent Watch is BACK!!!!!

RIP Mr. Mallett. Terrible…

RIP Mr. Mallett. Terrible news.

I was actually at this game--I remember it well. Lloyd's final year, Henne was hurt, and Mallett tried his best, but just couldn't quite put it together. Michigan lost its first B1G game that day, and would play OSU the following week with the B1G championship still up for grabs, despite losing their first 2 games of that year (App St & Oregon).

As an aside, I was walking out of Camp Randall after that game, dejected, decked out from head to toe in maize & blue U-M gear, and this big drunk dude in red and white striped overalls yells at me to get my attention from the stands. He says, "Could be worse. Could be rainin'."

Classic.

I responded, "Well, good luck playing for the Big Ten championship next week. Oh wait, that's us!" One of my very favorite away game stories.

This is exactly how I…

This is exactly how I imagine Iowa practices: everyone punts for 2 hours, 59 minutes, then they dabble with the "forward passing" for the final minute.

Princeton at #23! Not bad…

Princeton at #23! Not bad for no FBS football/no FCS playoffs and no scholarships.

First off, great write-up,…

First off, great write-up, OP. Lacrosse is a great spectator sport—fast, and as you mentioned, often high-scoring. This NCAA tournament is a great opportunity for some Michigan fans new to the sport to give it a watch. All the men’s games are televised, women’s and men’s final four games are on TV over Memorial Day weekend. Give it a try!

I wanted to add my two cents about women’s lacrosse. After watching my daughters play over the last 6 years or so, I have gained a healthy respect for (and increasingly better understanding of) the game.
 

As the diary states, except for the goalie, women don’t wear pads or gloves, only goggles, although you will occasionally see a few girls/women who will wear a helmet for additional safety. The sticks are essentially the same as men’s, except no long poles and the netting is much shallower. As a result, throwing & catching as well as cradling/maintaining possession requires more skill than in men’s lacrosse.

The offsides rules are similar, except that defensive players and attackers are allowed to go about 2/3 of the field instead of the 50. The offensive game in women’s lacrosse revolves around a cone-shaped area in front of the net. I like to think of this area like the lane in basketball: you can’t spend more than 3 seconds inside it as a defender, and you must follow an offensive player into it while covering her (i.e. no zone defense allowed inside this area). As a result, you’ll see defenders playing a sort of zone defense just outside of this cone, following driving attackers and cutters into it as necessary. Any foul in this lane results in a free shot, where the ball carrier lines up on the outside line of this area with no one between her & the goalie.

Women are allowed to check the head of the stick on defense, but they have to be precise: they can’t reach across a player’s body nor can they hit any other part of them. They can give resistance against an offensive player with both hands together on their stick against the player’s body, but a push will be called.

There are a ton of fouls (reaching/checking across the body, covering the stick or ball, pushing, etc.), most of which just result in a quick restart with the offending player moving behind the player fouled, who gets possession. If there is a particularly rough/hard foul, the ref may give a yellow or red card, just like soccer, except that a yellow card results in penalty time served (extra player situation for your opponent).

Having played men’s lacrosse growing up, the women’s game seemed foreign to me to begin with, but I’ve grown to really enjoy watching it as well. It’s a different sport, and as such, has its own strategies & nuances. Hope this helps!

Jerseys selling like…

Jerseys selling like hotcakes down South... lol.

Seriously, thanks to OP for the article post--fun read.

Lots of very good advice on…

Lots of very good advice on here. Really agree with most of it. Will be 19 years for me in September (got married on a Saturday just after Lloyd Carr’s boys farted around with SDSU long enough to make it uncomfortable). Honeymoon was in Tahiti, which is a long trip, but unbelievable.

One last piece of advice I’ll add: never go to bed angry. As others have said many multiple times, communicate—don’t let bad feelings fester. Deal with it, talk it out, resolve it (however that can be done), and move on with the love and enjoyment of your togetherness.

Congrats!!

 

edit: poster just above beat me to it while typing. Great minds, I guess…

Hold on--what about that…

Hold on--what about that perfect inbounds play to get Joey Baker (our best 3-point shooter by percentage, at the time) a WIDE open look at the potential tying three at Illinois?

I agree, the results haven't been great on last possessions, but I feel like our young players aren't reacting well to their opponents' attempts to limit their options on those last plays. Sometimes you have to improvise based on what the defense gives you--I feel like this year's team cannot do that (no go-to guy, not enough experience in clutch situations, etc.).

Enjoyed reading this. So…

Enjoyed reading this. So happy to hear the positive outcome. Perspective is necessary at times, as a fan and in life in general.

This column offered some rational takes, which I agree with and appreciate as well. As I watched the ending of this game with my 10-year-old son, he was devastated, crying, very upset. We had tentatively planned to fly to L.A. for the Championship Game, had Michigan made it (had flights, hotel, and tickets through U-M all lined up). Alas, not meant to be. In that moment, I found myself having to be the rational guy, not the toxic fan, for my son. Tried to emphasize how hard they fought in the game, and had a chance to win, despite the many big mistakes. Reminded him how great this season has been--really how absolutely enjoyable the last 2 years of Michigan fandom have been! Gently told him that this disappointment is part of being a fan--it hurts now, but makes the victories that much sweeter.

I find myself laughing every time that Dr. Pepper Fansville commercial comes on with the guy at the river telling the group that "it's just a bunch of kids playing with a ball. Maybe there's more to life..." I've seen this ad at least 30 times now, but I still appreciate the humor/message.

I will always be grateful for Michigan Football. There are obviously more important things in life, but this pastime has provided a worthy distraction, much joy, and sorrow, over many years and will continue to do so. Agree: It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine. Go Blue.

How incredible for…

How incredible for everything to align like it did, and for us Michigan fans to have the great fortune of having this young man as a leader of our beloved Wolverines this year! Impossible not to root for him!

Go win the CFP, then on to a great, long career in the NFL, Olu!

Thank you for sharing this article.

Of course we will. And quit…

Of course we will. And quit calling me Shirley.

Really, really cool story …

Really, really cool story (bro). Seriously, thank you for sharing.

Watched that game and saw…

Watched that game and saw that happen live. Really a shame. The game was really already over at that point—South Carolina really put it together last night and destroyed Tennessee. Hopefully Hooker recovers quickly, and Milton can make the most of the opportunity. Oh, and I hope South Carolina can play like that again next Saturday at Clemson. Wow.

Relax, fellow Wolverines.

Relax, fellow Wolverines.

No one seems to remember that #1 Georgia needed a heroic late-game comeback to beat a mediocre Missouri team earlier this year. Ohio St struggled mightily with lowly Northwestern. TCU just won on a last-second FG as well. These games happen. Survive and advance…

If anything, hopefully this galvanizes this great team, and shows them they can win a tight game by making clutch plays. I almost feel like the coaching staff made a season management decision here: rest our banged up players and keep the play calling relatively vanilla, no matter what. Regardless of the outcome today, the season comes down to next week, right?

Official Staee colors:

Official Staee colors:

Green, White... and Cyan?

"It just means more," though…

"It just means more," though, right?

 

/s

I do, in very small amounts,…

I do, in very small amounts, on the FanDuel app. Like others, took advantage of sign-up offers and easy-money promos, and have won (and lost) some small bets over time. Purely for entertainment value, as others have said--there's no big money to be made here. Also as others have said, take the easy money from these sites and just bet small, for fun, on lines that look slightly off to you.

One more thing: wanted to politely disagree with the above poster who bagged on parlays as being sucker bets. Again, if it's entertainment you're after, sometimes making a small ($5-20) parlay across several games can make your afternoon/evening of football watching potentially much more exciting for not a lot of buy-in. Nothing like hanging on the PAC-12 team in the late game to hang onto that 10-point margin of victory to pull out that $350 payoff!

Remember, Self-Destructive…

Remember, Self-Destructive Maryland (TM) only appears in November.

September usually features Looks-Pretty-Good Maryland (TM).

 

In all seriousness, that's very likely a bowl-bound team. Won't be surprised at all if they paste Sparty next week and give Ohio State a tough game.

Meteorite?

Meteorite?

Remember When by Alan…

Remember When by Alan Jackson

Always makes it a little dusty in whatever room I'm in.

Enjoyed this writeup,…

Enjoyed this writeup, despite the reminders of the dong punches and missed opportunities. I was young, but definitely remember all of these games and the excitement/national attention involved. Despite seemingly all these close-game losses, I still remember the era as a great time to be a Michigan Football fan. Especially enjoyed your descriptive dong-punch severity scale.

Was just in San Francisco in…

Was just in San Francisco in early April for a wedding. I also heard all the negative talk from friends about the city (homeless problem, dirty, unsafe, etc., etc.).

We had a blast--no problems at all. It IS a beautiful city, tons to do. We loved it. Enjoy.

Changing their mascot from…


Changing their mascot from Razorbacks to Greenbacks?

Just got back from Vegas-… Just got back from Vegas--always fun, very close to being back to "normal" (i.e. pre-COVID). No major travel plans for the summer, just staying in the great state of Michigan, where summer is the long-awaited reward for putting up with the rest of the year here. Will spend as much time as possible Up North on Torch Lake.
One of the best players on a…

One of the best players on a team that won the Ivy regular season title and barely missed an NCAA bid by losing in their conference tourney finals. Everyone who plays for Princeton can shoot the 3. Not sure if it works out with Michigan's roster, but I think he'd be a nice addition. 

Tiny inside scoop here: Pete…

Tiny inside scoop here: Pete Stuursma is a good dude and a good coach. Won 5 State Championships in a row at East Grand Rapids and has vastly improved Hope’s football program over the last few years.

My scoop: Ross was hesitating after getting the call from Fickell because of loyalty and his recent promotion to D coordinator. Stuursma told him he had to go, had to take the opportunity—it’s the business they’re in.

My buddies who bet sports…

My buddies who bet sports regularly talked me into the FanDuel app last spring. As mentioned, you can bet up to $1,000 on your first bet—if you win, you can literally cash out & walk away with your winnings. If you lose, they will reimburse you the amount you bet in site credit, which means you didn’t lose anything yet technically, but you’ll need to bet that credit money again in order to make it available to cash out. Even making low-risk bets, you’re still going to lose some of that to the vig, so again, as others have said, this may not be the best idea for a huge one-time bet. But I can confirm that this is how it works. The app is pretty straightforward, and getting money in & out is pretty easy. Good luck!

Lots of responses & links…

Lots of responses & links here, so I’ll just throw in my own personal experience. Bought a Tesla Model S in March of 2013. Still driving it, still love it. Longest trip I’ve driven it is about 200 miles, but I drive it every day to work. I set it to charge to 80% capacity every night, and I honestly have not noticed any range degradation over 9 years. The car has only required minimal maintenance, and only a minor air conditioner repair and upgrades to the electronics (3G was phased out for LTE) over the life of the car. Upfront cost was high, but the cost of ownership has been extremely low. No oil changes, etc.

Everyone asks about my electric bill: I always charge at night and immediately got a time-aware electric meter (different rates for different times of day), so my electricity bill stayed more or less the same, which means that I’ve basically made my fuel free.

I realize that not everyone has had the same experience with EV’s, but mine has been overwhelmingly positive. Full disclosure: my wife drives an ICE SUV, so perhaps my savings/environmental gains are wiped out by her, but I’m still very happy to drive what I drive. I agree that long road trips would present a challenge: you could absolutely do it, but you’d need to plan it out (the car will do it for you, actually), and be prepared to spend more time at the Superchargers (which are always near shops, restaurants, etc., but still, not time spent reaching your destination).

"It's kind of hard to rally…

"It's kind of hard to rally around a math class."

-Bear Bryant

This is interesting. It does…

This is interesting. It does seem like lots of those 49er's players that played for Harbaugh loved him (maybe because they won so much).

My one and only insider tidbit is that the Vikings players did not want him. Not sure if this had any bearing at all on yesterday's events, but the word was "he's a poor communicator and quirky," and I'm sure they didn't want someone who demands as much control as Harbaugh does.

Fine by me. He's our weirdo; go get your own!

I hear Tom Brady’s available?

I hear Tom Brady’s available?

100% agree with this^^

100% agree with this^^

Science/experiments have demonstrated this over and over again. Even if our teams or the stock market or the weather or whatever go up and down and end up even overall, we still feel bad because we "feel" the downs more than we enjoy the ups.

Brings to mind a study where they showed that people who checked the stock market every day were less happy than those who just saw monthly or quarterly reports. Same idea.

Stafford is a good dude. He…

Stafford is a good dude. He truly loved Detroit and hated leaving, but, of course, why wouldn't you take the opportunity to WIN elsewhere. I read an article about the trade, how it went down, how Stafford was all class throughout, and how the Lions were surprised but gracious about it (may have been the right move for the long-term anyway).

Anyways, in this article, over the course of several days and many hours spent with Stafford, the writer basically tried to get him to talk about what a shit-show the Lions organization is, how they couldn't win, etc. Stafford refused to take the bait--he never said a negative word about the Lions. He evidently still has strong feelings for the team and the city, and he'll never forget that the team physicians diagnosed Kelly's (his wife's ) meningioma.

I'm rooting for him!

The Prisoners’ Dilemma is…

The Prisoners’ Dilemma is sort of the primary example of Game Theory, which is a niche area of economics. The above poster explained it nicely. It mostly deals with scenarios like this: where usual human/economic behavior of acting in pure self-interest by everyone is actually worse than choosing to cooperate with others. The trick is trusting that others won’t “betray” and act in their own self-interest.
 

Interesting, but kind of specific stuff. I actually took a whole class on it in college, believe it or not. John Nash is largely credited for starting this field, and the movie “A Beautiful Mind” is based on his story.

So, so sorry for your loss,…

So, so sorry for your loss, Dean. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I'm choked up thinking about my own wife and kids now. Thank you for offering your words of wisdom and perspective during this difficult time.

Hopefully, someday, U-M athletics and this Board can provide you some minor distraction and joy again. Please know that your words are heard and appreciated, and that there is available help/people to talk to.

I also attended the game…

I also attended the game. Sat in the middle of the Michigan section, and it seemed like it was 65% Michigan fans to 35% Georgia fans in the stadium. Before the game, the place was electric, loud, really fun. As soon as the game started and reality settled in, it was...less fun.

I'll echo the sentiment that every Georgia fan I interacted with was pleasant and humble, but still with the post-traumatic "can't beat 'Bama" syndrome, despite their team's obvious dominance. There was a young Georgia-fan couple sitting behind us (turns out they were both UGA grads within the past year) cheering their team but nothing obnoxious. At half, I told them I hadn't seen a complete defensive (and offensive) domination like that in a long time. He responded, "Oh, they'll find a way to lose this lead." Wow, I thought we were a traumatized fan base.

Just as the OP stated, they have no reason to hate us (U-M and Georgia have only played 3 times total now), and their fanbase seems somewhat similar to us in terms of recent experience, rivals' dominance, etc. Most of America, I believe, would like to see the Dawgs win the whole thing now, and watching that D makes me think they can do it.

Overall, a fun experience, despite the obvious downer of the game itself. U-M will continue to build on this season, I predict, and we'll be back to even greater heights in the future.

You meant 5-7, right?

You meant 5-7, right?

He played a couple plays in…

He played a couple plays in extreme garbage time, didn't he? Against MSU?

We're so lucky to have J.J.,…

We're so lucky to have J.J., Blake, and all the other high character young men associated with this program. It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine!!

Fun to read. Thanks for…

Fun to read. Thanks for sharing (even if it is Rosenberg).

Thanks for writing this. My…

Thanks for writing this. My fellow U-M fan friends (the dudes I text with during/after games and occasionally attend games with) always poke fun at my unfailing optimism for Michigan athletics. I started this season with some mild optimism, knowing that 2020 was truly an aberration, and also knowing that this was a talented young team with some definite holes/question marks.

Going into The Game, I knew there was a path to victory, but I also knew the odds were stacked against us. I brought my 9-year-old son to the game with this persistent though nagging me from the back of my mind: be ready for defeat and handle it calmly, BUT what if? What if we pulled this off? Wouldn't it be amazing to give my newly minted U-M football fan son an experience he would remember forever?

To have my son there for THAT was one of the greatest things ever. Super loud throughout. He kept saying we were going to win, and I had to keep telling him that it wasn't over yet. What a scene! Took him onto the field, celebrating, lots of pics, etc. It was awesome.

Can't wait to watch this team again in Indianapolis. You never know...CPF Final is back in Indy as well...