LIONS SCREWED AGAIN: Army orders Lions draft pick Campbell to withdraw
Caleb Campbell will not get a chance to play for the Detroit Lions because of a change in military policy.
Campbell was a seventh-round draft pick for the Lions in April. At the time, Army policy would have allowed the West Point graduate to serve as a recruiter if he made the team.
But a subsequent Department of Defense policy has superseded the 2005 Army policy.
Not that this is really a serious blow to the Lions. Campbell wasn't projected to have a major impact on the team. But it's just another example of things going from bad to worse for the struggling team.
SAD:
Taken July 17th. See the whole gallery here.
RAMPAGE WIN AGAIN:Rampage upset Chicago in AFL playoffs
The Grand Rapids Rampage are one win away from playing in their second ArenaBowl.
The Rampage, the sixth seed in the AFL's American Conference, upset the top seeded Chicago Rush 58-41 Sunday at Allstate Arena.
I was at the ArenaBowl when the Rampage won its first championship. They've been a pretty mediocre team this season, but they've peaked at the right time.
Next up is San Jose.
WILDCARD WIN: Rampage proving they can compete with big boys
Grand Rapids 48, Arizona Rattlers 41:
The Rampage won a grinder game, played at Arizona's pace, with the reduced number of possessions and limited scoring typical of a playoff game. For anyone who thought the Rampage had to score in the 60s to 90s to win a game, their playoff opener offered a tangible response.
They got an interception on the Rattlers' first possession and spent the entire game milking it.
A defensive stand late in the game against Arizona's quarterback Jeff Smoker (formerly of MSU) iced the victory.
I JUST SIGNED UP FOR MLB.COM'S PREMIUM INTERNET TV SERVICE. It took me about two minutes to decide to cancel.
Even though I checked the ZIP codes of home and work and both showed 'okay,' it tells me I'm blacked out for all home Tigers games. What someone is calling the "official MLB blackout map' indicates that all of Michigan is blacked out for Tigers home games. I'm not sure that it's an accurate map or that MLB.TV uses the same map, but if that's the case MLB.TV's ZIP Code checker needs to be fixed.
I also tried entering an Arizona zip code into my account to see if that would make a difference. Predictably, it doesn't.
I called customer service and waited on hold for a while, then was told I'd be called back "probably within half an hour." We'll see. I've already sent an email directing them to cancel my service.
I tried to check out another game just to see what the quality was, but I'm getting error pages for all games now. Whether or not this has to do with my pending cancellation (or my zip code trickery) I don't know.
According to the map I linked to, the entire state of Iowa is blacked out for home games for the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Kansas City Royals, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Minnesota Twins, and the St. Louis Cardinals. Blacked out for six teams despite not having a single one in the entire state.
Honestly, this isn't 1981 any more. Major League Baseball is going to have to rework the way blackouts work if they want to enter the world of 21st century media.
I'm sure they'll get right on that.
SLIP-N-SLIDE:
Detroit Tigers pitcher Todd Jones entertained the fans by donning a Magglio Ordonez hat and wig and pretended to hit, round the bases, and then slide into HP, Ala Ordonez, on the tarp covering the field during their rain delay against the St. Louis Cardinals at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI on Wednesday June 25, 2008. JULIAN H. GONZALEZ / Detroit Free Press
The game later resumed and the Tigers won 8-7, pulling to within three games of .500.
COOL: Teams Qualify for Upcoming National Championships
WALLED LAKE, Mich.--Young sporting clays shooters from across Michigan earned state titles--with many qualifying to represent Michigan at upcoming national championships--at last weekend's Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) Michigan Sporting Clays State Championship.
BRONCOS AT FORD FIELD: Western Michigan to take on Illinois at Detroit's Ford Field
Western Michigan will play 2008 Rose Bowl contestant Illinois on Nov. 8 at Ford Field in Detroit.
Cool.
END OF AN ERA AT MICHIGAN: Carr's final game comes against No. 9 Gators in Capital One Bowl
Florida head coach Urban Meyer has got it done in the postseason, Carr has not.
Meyer-coached teams have won their last four bowl games. He won two at Utah and both at Florida.
Carr's team hasn't had nearly the same success, losing four bowl games in a row and five of the last six.
Just underway.
I WOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT THE WOLVERINES WOULD HAVE SO MUCH TROUBLE: Rutgers coach Schiano tells U-M no.
CALLED OUT: Cowboys hope to beat Lions and shut up QB Jon Kitna
Kitna said Cowboys linebackers were not effective, among other things, and ripped No. 56, Bradie James, in particular during a radio interview after leading the Lions to an improbable win at Dallas to end the 2006 regular season.
James said Sunday's game at Ford Field has been circled on his calendar all year and called Kitna's comments "classless" when the team returned from a long break after beating Green Bay.
"In a sense, we've all been called out," Dallas linebacker Kevin Burnett said.
The last thing Dallas needs is another reason to beat Detroit, but they've got it anyway.
In three previous games against NFC East teams (which is Dallas' division), the Lions are 0-3 while being outscored by a combined 106-34.
PICS FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND'S GVSU PLAYOFF WIN OVER CENTRAL WASHINGTON. With commentary by the photographer. Click each for a better look.
#61 is Brandon Barnes, Offensive Captain & Senior OT from Detroit Pershing at 6-2 and 315 lbs.
#4 is All-American Senior LB & Defensive Captain at 6-2 and 234 lbs., Anthony Adams of Troy, Michigan.
Also, #6 Junior TE, Scott Basko at 6-5 and 265 lbs out of Lansing. He is a stud as is Adams!
Their QB is #13, Sophmore Brad Iciek (pernounced I-check) of Grandville, Michigan who is up for the Harlan Hill Award.
Continue reading "Pics from Lakers game" »
HUGE BASEBALL NEWS: Tigers acquiring Cabrera, Willis in mega-deal
The Detroit Tigers reached a preliminary agreement Tuesday to acquire Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Florida Marlins for a package of six players, an unexpected blockbuster trade that developed quickly at the winter meetings..Florida gets lefty Andrew Miller, outfielder Cameron Maybin and four other prospects from the Tigers, a baseball official with knowledge of the talks said on condition of anonymity because the trade had not yet been finalized.
The Tigers are going to have quite a lineup if this happens.
TOMORROW: National Ammo Day. Buy 100 rounds per gun. Follow the link to GunPundit for more info.
GRAND VALLEY FOOTBALL ROLLS ON: 20 Lakers Earn 2007 All-GLIAC Plaudits
Grand Valley State placed 20 student-athletes on the 2007 All-GLIAC teams it was announced Wednesday by the league office. In addition, fourth-year head coach Chuck Martin was named the GLIAC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career, while OT Brandon Barnes picked up his second straight GLIAC Offensive Lineman of the Year award, CB Brandon Carr was named the Defensive Back of the Year and RB James Berezik was named the GLIAC Freshman of the Year.
JUST PLAIN MEAN: Michigan Ave. in Columbus, Ohio, gets new name ahead of big game
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — While Ohio State and Michigan re-ignite their rivalry, a Columbus aluminum siding business couldn't deal with its address on the city's Michigan Avenue.
So, APCO Industries contacted City Hall to see what could be done.
During a celebration featuring Mayor Michael Coleman, Ohio State President Gordon Gee and mascot Brutus Buckeye, a new scarlet and gray street sign was unveiled Wednesday with the name "Buckeye Way."
That'll show us.
OPENING DAY: A great photo at Michigan in Pictures.
If you're a hunter (I'm not) good luck, shoot straight, and be safe!
OOPS: Big Ten may have made a very costly mistake:
Did the Big Ten make a $4.5 million mistake by allowing an officiating crew that was facing a suspension this weekend to work last Saturday's Illinois-Ohio State game?
As I reported last week, a source told me the conference plans to suspend the crew that officiated the Nov. 3 Purdue-Penn State game based on a review of its work in that game. That same crew worked one of the biggest Big Ten games of the year last weekend in Columbus.
Incredible.
Why would the Big Ten assign the crew -- a few of whom could be fired for their work in the Purdue-Penn State game -- to a game of this importance?
Tom Dienhart of the Sporting News makes the point that "perception matters more than reality" and that the conference should not have used this team of officials for such an important game. I can't really disagree, but it also doesn't seem that these officials did anything questionable that cost OSU the game. (Buckeye fans might have a different opinion, of course...)
This is worth pointing out and should be taken as a lesson learned by avoiding what could have been quite a mess if this crew messed up and it then came out that they were already being investigated for earlier issues. Now that would have been a "very costly mistake."
It didn't happen, though, so let's not get too worked up about it.
JAY NOVACEK CALLS TODAY'S GAME THE "UPSET SPECIAL":
Lions (6-2) at Cardinals (3-5)
It’s the upset special – Kurt Warner will get back on track against the Lions. He can be very dangerous when he’s healthy and in synch with his receivers, and Arizona will regain some mojo at home.
The Cardinals defense will rise up and slow down the Lions. Detroit hasn’t faced much adversity this season and will struggle when they fall behind.
Pick: Cardinals.
Lions fans know that this is exactly the sort of game, coming off a big win against a lowly team on the road, that the old Lions would invariably lose. These aren't exactly the old Lions, but they have yet to prove that they're the new Lions.
COOL: The Grand Rapids Griffins: Library Nights:
At every Friday home game, fans who present a local public library card—from the Kent District Library, the Grand Rapids Public Library or the Lakeland Library Cooperative—at the Van Andel Arena box office will get an upper bowl ticket for just $5! (Limit four tickets per card.)
Full Library Night schedule:
November 23
December 7
December 14
December 21
January 11
January 18
February 15
February 22
March 28
April 4
April 11
MICHIGAN IN PICTURES notes a Last look at Tiger Stadium?
Check it out and follow the links for more photos.
THE MSU SPARTANS WIN THE FROZEN FOUR!
Justin Abdelkader snapped a tie with 18.9 seconds to go, seconds after ringing a shot off the post in the Spartans' 3-1 victory over Boston College on Saturday night.
"We know we're not fancy and we know we're not picked by anybody to win anything," coach Rick Comley said. "But you know what, what a great, great group of kids. They've wanted so badly to walk around with their heads high, and now they're going home with a national championship."
The third goal was an empty-netter at the very end.
Recall that Michigan State began its march to the NCAA national title with a win over Boston at Van Andel. Now don't you wish you had gone to check out the game? I do.
More at Michigan College Hockey and at College Hockey News, including a larger version of the awesome Neil Ament photo above of the moment after the game-winning goal.
THE MSU SPARTAN ICE HOCKEY TEAM IS IN THE FROZEN FOUR FINALS AGAINST BOSTON COLLEGE tonight Saturday at 7PM on ESPN. Read about the win over Maine at Michigan College Hockey.
HERE'S THE U-M VS. NORTH DAKOTA MATCH-UP at College Hockey News. The game, in Denver's Pepsi Center, starts at 7:30 PM ET tonight. Tune in on 1050 AM or listen on the web at M Go Blue.
HERE'S THE MSU VS. BOSTON U MATCHUP at College Hockey News. Looks like the Spartans have their work cut out for them.
Puck drops at 8:30 tonight at Van Andel Arena in GR.
AS THE NCAA ICE HOCKEY TOURNAMENT STARTS TOMORROW, here are a couple of sites to help you keep an eye on the action:
Michigan College Hockey, a group blog which looks pretty cool.
College Hockey News, which covers more than just the Wolverine State.
Again, here's the tournament tree.
WELL, THE MSU LADIES ARE OUT. But we've still got NCAA ice hockey.
Spartans vs. Boston University on Friday at Van Andel.
Wolverines vs. North Dakota on Saturday in Denver.
See the full NCAA Tournament bracket.
Regarding the U-M game in Colorado, see Icers to play at altitude:
Denver's air density is about 15 percent less than sea level, meaning each breath players take in contains less oxygen than normal.
Part of getting ready for this weekend's NCAA West Regional is going to be adjusting to the altitude. That's one reason why the Wolverines will fly to Denver on Wednesday night, a day earlier than normal for a Saturday game.
Michigan coach Red Berenson expects the extra day of practice in the Mile High City to make the altitude difference relatively inconsequential.
"I don't think you notice it," Berenson said of playing hockey at a higher altitude. "I think it's just a matter of being acclimatized to it."
I used to live in Colorado Springs, which has a slightly higher elevation than Denver. You don't get "acclimatized" in one day. For the purposes of distance running, they say it takes about eight weeks. And even then you can tell the difference.
Still, getting there a day early won't hurt.
I'm tempted to check out the MSU game and the Notre Dame vs. Alabama-Huntsville game on Friday. $35 at Ticketmaster. That's going to be a great evening of ice hockey.
WELL, I WAS WRONG WHEN I SAID MICHIGAN BASKETBALL SEASON WAS OVER. The Michigan State beat Delaware 69-58 in the first round of the women's NCAA tournament. My bad.
A COUPLE OF DAYS AFTER the Michigan Wolverines were ousted from the NIT (and hours after the Wolverines fired coach Tommy Amaker) the Michigan State Spartans were eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament by North Carolina.
There's always the Pistons.
BUT HE WON'T PLAY A GAME: New Wing Bertuzzi to practice with Griffins.
In Murdoc's humble opinion, Bertuzzi is a punk.
LAKERS AT FIFTH THIRD BALLPARK for their September 29 home game against Wayne State:
"There are three reasons why we want to do this," said GVSU athletics director Tim Selgo. "No. 1, we want to bring our great Laker football program to Grand Rapids, if you will, and play in Fifth Third Ballpark while giving an opportunity to some folks to watch us play there as opposed to Lubbers Stadium.
"Second, we want to pair up with the Whitecaps, one of the best franchises in all of minor league sports. Together, we know we can put on a first-class event.
"The third reason we want to do this is because part of the proceeds go to the Grand Rapids Public Schools to fund their city-wide student council program, which promotes leadership, development and community awareness."
THE U-M WOLVERINES WON'T BE GOING TO THE NCAA TOURNAMENT. For the third time in the last four years they'll be headed to the NIT:
Hello, NIT -- that haunting, yet familiar acquaintance of Tommy Amaker's teams.
Players knew this was coming. They talked about the team's victory total and .500 mark in the conference after Friday's loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. But they also admitted to a lack of "signature wins," and defensive breakdowns and mistakes such as turnovers that doomed them all season.
The Wolverines (21-12) open with Utah State (23-11), runner-up in the Western Athletic Conference. Michigan hasn't been to the NCAA Tournament since 1998.
MSU, meanwhile, is seeded #9 in the East bracket. Here's the whole shebang.
FORMER MICHIGAN STATE STAR T.J. DUCKETT HAS SIGNED WITH THE DETROIT LIONS. Duckett, a Kalamazoo native, played four years with the Atlanta Falcons before spending last season as a back-up with the Washington Redskins. Duckett should provide good good short-yardage performance and provide insurance for Kevin Jones (returning from injury) and newly-acquired Tatum Bell. Suddenly the Detroit backfield is looking not only solid, but actually quite good.
Who are you and what have you done with the Lions?
WOULD THEY DARE? The Red Wings are apparently interested in acquiring Philadelphia Flyers forward Peter Forsberg, formerly of the Colorado Avalanche. Colorado is also rumored to be interested in getting him back, at least temporarily. Forsberg's contract is up at the end of the season and would be an unrestricted free agent if not signed to an extension or a new deal. He has a no-trade clause in his existing contract, so he'd be able to reject any deal that would send him somewhere he didn't want to go.
When healthy, which hasn't been often lately, Forsberg is still probably one of the best players on the ice. But I've got to think a lot of Wings fans would have mixed feelings about adding a guy with such a long and storied history of beating Detroit in games that matter.
JUST CAUGHT THE RAMPAGE COMMERCIAL in the Super Bowl. I liked it. Very cool.
It would be nice to see bigger crowds at the Rampage games. I've got to think that ticket prices have a lot to do with all the empty seats.
COMMUNITY SERVICE ON GAME DAY: Fans arrested after Michigan game to clean up on title game day:
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Some unruly Ohio State fans who were arrested after the Michigan game in November won't get to tailgate before Monday's national championship between the Buckeyes and Florida.
Franklin County Municipal Judge Julia Dorrian has assigned 34 students and others to clean toilets, pick up cigarette butts and pull weeds all day. They were convicted of offenses including underage drinking and disorderly conduct following the November 18th game.
The eight-hour community service stint will likely end before the 8:30 p.m. kickoff.
GRABBED DINNER AT WENDY'S TONIGHT, AND SAW THAT THEY'RE RUNNING A DEAL WITH THE GRAND RAPIDS GRIFFINS:
For every Friday home game (Dec. 15, Jan. 12, Feb. 16, March 16, April 6), get four Griffins tickets and four small Single Combo Meals from Wendy’s for $44 - a savings of $28! Purchase your four pack of tickets at all StarTicketsPLUS locations, including all West Michigan Meijer stores and The Zone inside Van Andel Arena. At that time you will also receive four Wendy’s Combo Meal vouchers for use at your next visit to Wendy’s.
We haven't been to a Griffins game yet, but I'm sure we will when we get a chance.
LEAVE IT TO THE LIONS TO WIN THEY SHOULDN'T:
Detroit would've been better off losing this game and locking up the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Now Oakland gets the top overall pick and the Lions will go second.
Yeah, yeah. You're always supposed to play to win. And if it would have been me on the field, I would have played to win. But still, if losing the worst record in the NFL isn't a fitting end to a miserable season, I don't know what would be.
(I watched a bit of the game, and Kitna didn't look half bad. I still think he's a decent guy to have on the field, and his poor performance at times this year is due more to the state of the Lions than a reflection on his personal ability. Though, with the season having been basically lost for the past six weeks, it would have made sense to play Orlovsky a bit. You basically know what you've got with Kitna, but Orlovsky is a question mark.)
YOU KNOW THINGS ARE BAD WHEN YOUR FANS ARE PROTESTING: Disgruntled Lions fans planning stadium walkout.
ESPN:
With 8:57 left in the second quarter, those interested in showing their displeasure with Ford and Millen are asked to walk out of their seats and to later walk out of the stadium.
I've been unable to learn why 8:57 is significant, but I'm guessing that it's because the Lions haven't been to the playoffs in 8 seasons and they haven't won the NFL championship since 1957.
THE NCAA DIVISION II FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME IS UNDERWAY. GVSU trails NW Missouri State 7-3 part way through the second quarter. Catch the action on ESPN2.
UPDATE: Was able to listen to a bit of it on the radio, but didn't know who won until just now when we got home. Of course, it was Grand Valley by a score of 17-14.
QB Cullen Finnerty ends with a record of 51-4. 51 wins is apparently the most for any college quarterback. Ever.
FORD IS CONSIDERING A FOUR-DOOR MUSTANG WAGON. That, my friends, is what's called "stupid". Or, as a co-worker said, "Looks like Ford is letting [Matt] Millen try his hand in running some of the auto programs, too..."
Ahh. The love affair with Lions GM Matt Millen goes on.
A co-worker is headed to Alabama for the Grand Valley appearance in the NCAA Division II football championship game. That's awesome.
Is anyone else headed south for the big showdown this weekend?
YOU'LL NOTICE THE MILLEN FANS ARE ALSO VIKINGS FANS. Tells you something about Millen's performance. From Detroit News.
THE LAKERS PLAYOFF GAME IS ON ESPN2 RIGHT NOW. I lost track of the time and missed the kickoff.
UPDATE: GVSU just scored again to extend their lead to 35-14. The winner tonight plays Northwest Missouri State next Saturday.
UPDATE 2: Final Score: GVSU 49, Delta State 30. The Lakers are headed to the championship game next week for a rematch of last year's title game against NW Missouri State.
The game against Delta State wasn't even as close as the score would indicate. With the exception of blocking against all-out rushes against the punter, GVSU was in control of all phases for virtually the entire game.
One point: The crowd and the GVSU bench was upset with the Delta State decision to call time outs as the clock was running down at the end of the game. That's a bit out of line. To expect someone to quit playing before the game ends is ridiculous.
THE FORECAST CALLS FOR TEMPERATURES IN THE THIRTIES: GVSU set to roll out cold carpet for Delta St.
Grand Valley's 26-game winning streak is on the line. Tomorrow's winner heads to Alabama for the national championship game.
Think of that. A national championship game where the teams play their way in. Instead of letting voters and computers just pick the finalists. What a concept.
DON'T FORGET THE GRAND RAPIDS RAMPAGE TRYOUTS TOMORROW. More info at RampageFootball.com. Good luck!
WELL, THE FLORIDA GATORS GET TO PLAY FOR THE NATIONAL TITLE. This is what's technically called a 'crock'.
However, don't lose fact of what this 'crock' really is. It isn't a 'crock' because Michigan deserves it more than Florida (though they might). It is a crock because all the deserving teams don't get a chance to prove that they belong in the title game.
One word: Playoff.
That's the only way to resolve this annual dilemma.
Murdoc is openly rooting for whatever discredits the Bowl Championship Series the most. This year, it appears to be a scenario where Ohio State crushes Florida and Michigan beats USC convincingly. That would suggest that Michigan should have had a chance to play for the trophy. Many other scenarios could help "prove" that the BCS is a 'crock', even though further proof shouldn't be required.
When Division I-A football adopts a playoff I will start watching games again. Until that time, the only interest I have in the sport is to figure out in what new and exciting manner the BCS is going to screw up teams, schools, and fans this year.
THE GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS BEAT NORTH DAKOTA by a final score of 30-20, though GVSU had jumped to a 27-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Next up will be the Delta State Statesmen, who beat the University of North Alabama Lions 27-10 in Florence, Alabama.
I listened to some of the game on the radio today while on the road, and fortunately I got to hear three of GVSU's early TDs. What a shellacking.
Everything I read so far says that the location of next Sunday's game is yet to be determined. But on the radio this afternoon they said that the next game would be in Allendale if GVSU won. That makes sense, as GVSU is the first-seeded team in the region.
It was a windy day, and GVSU elected to defer after winning the coin toss, and North Dakota chose to go against the wind. GVSU took advantage of the wind by opening with a pass-only offensive attack when they got the ball, and they never looked back.
WR Eric Fowler caught a career-best 12 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns and broke David Kircus' Grand Valley all-time single-season record for receiving yards with 1,380.
AHH...OLD FRIENDS TO MEET TOMORROW: #1 Lakers To Take On #8 North Dakota In Regional Final. Despite only four games ever between the two schools, this has really turned into a great rivalry.
In its last 20 postseason games, GVSU is 18-2. Two of those wins have come against the North Dakota Fighting Sioux. But so have two of the losses. The only two losses.
Also, here's a very cool page with direct links in to every Division II football team's home page.
More info at RampageFootball.com.
HERE ARE PHOTOS OF EAST GRAND RAPIDS' CHAMPIONSHIP WIN over Farmington Hills Harrison by a score of 42-17. Coverage in the GR Press here.
Also, here are pics from Rockford's 38-16 loss to Macomb Dakota. Bummer, but down the road a season-ending loss in the championship game isn't going to seem so bad after all.
MARK DANTONIO has signed a letter of intent...err, contract...to coach the Michigan State football team. A reader points out this article at StateNews, which notes that Dantonio's experience recruiting in Michigan and Ohio (he coached at the University of Cincinnati for the past three years) is a bonus. Dantonio was an MSU assistant 1995-2000.
MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo was part of the search, but I'm still not clear about this talk that he was considered for the football job. That just seems insane. Last week Lynn Henning agreed.
HAPPENED ACROSS A COOL HOCKEY BLOG CALLED OFF WING OPINION. Before you get all excited, it is NOT a Red Wings blog, but it does have tons of up-to-date ice hockey news, scores, pictures, and videos. Definitely worth a look.
GOOD DAY AND BAD DAY FOR OTTAWA COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL: The Zeeland West Dux beat Coopersville 22-0 for the Division 4 state title. And that was just hours after Muskegon held off Warren DeLaSalle to take the Division 2 championship.
Pics from the Zeeland West-Coopersville game here.
TEN DAYS IN AND GUN SEASON LOOKS GOOD: Firearms season off to much better start than '05
HERE ARE A COUPLE MORE DETROIT LIONS ARTICLES worth a look:
Harrington says Marinelli right coach to turn around Lions: He might be, but there's a lot of stuff that needs to be fixed.
and
Analysis: Fords can't be happy with another national TV debacle. It used to be that the Lions, even when they were relatively weak, played hard and were very tough to beat on Thanksgiving day. No more.
The article asks:
Is this the beginning of the end for president Matt Millen?
REMEMBERING BO: Michigan Stadium hosts Schembechler memorial
And the Bowl picture is getting cleared up: Badgers get Capital One bid; Big Ten bowls nearly set
Meanwhile, Izzo shoots down idea of coaching Mich. St. football. I'm not sure what sense that would have made, anyway.
HOPE THAT EVERYONE HAD A GREAT THANKSGIVING. My family and I spent the day with my wife's family and we ate ourselves fat. I guess we'll have to exercise a bit extra tomorrow.
I don't know if fighting the crowds at the stores and malls counts, though. I'm wondering if we'll be hearing alarmist stories about business being down a bit. One thing to keep in mind is that online shopping is likely to be up a great deal. Traditional measures are going to have to be updated in this new age of information superhighways and folks who work from home using computers and the internet.
UPDATE: And is it just me, or should headlines like these be outlawed?
I mean, that's just pathetic. Especially for Michiganders who are suffering through another disappointing NFL season and just watched Joey Harrington win a third consecutive game for the first time in his career.
"Skinned"? Give me a break on the cliches, okay?
Money quote:
"I stood on the sidelines at the end of the third quarter there, and I looked across, and I saw guys were hanging their heads, and I saw people start walking out of the stadium," Harrington said. "At that moment, I thought to myself, `I'm glad I don't have to go through this anymore.' "
I always thought Harrington should have been a good QB and couldn't really figure out why he wasn't. Suspicions that it wasn't his fault seem to be gaining a lot of credibility.
For what it's worth, I also think John Kitna should be a good QB. But he sure doesn't look it these days.
CONGRATULATIONS TO CALVIN COLLEGE, which won the NCAA Men's Division III national cross country championship this weekend. It's CC's eighth CC title and fourth of the decade. They blew away second place New York University by a score of 37 to 92. (Lower is better in cross country.) Six Knights runners finished in the top 35, led by Tim Finnegan in second place overall.
Meanwhile, Grand Valley also had a good weekend in cross country, with the GVSU men taking 3rd place and the women taking 5th in the Division II championships.
THIS IS WEIRD: Saturday evening after OSU defeated the Michigan Wolverines 42-39, the Ohio Lottery's Pic Four results were 4-2-3-9.
IT WAS A CLOSE GAME, and I think this is just going to make the BCS system look worse. The only way to go is for a play-off with 10-16 teams.
Here are some links:
Michigan is likely headed to the Rose Bowl. But we'll see.
UPDATE: Michigan stayed at #2 in the new AP poll.
Here are the MichiDoggers in the family:
GO WOLVERINES!
VERY SAD: Ex-Michigan coach Schembechler dies at 77
More UM vs. OSU links:
Time until kick-off:
ABSOLUTE MICHIGAN treats us to the University of Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes Football Rivalry. Lots of links.
See Wikipedia's Michigan-Ohio State rivalry for more info and more links.
Finally, Gift of Life is running a Michigan vs. OSU competition to sign up organ and tissue donors. OSU is thumping the Wolverines right now. Check it out if interested.
Though I can't be sure, I'm thinking that MichiBlogger will be posting more Big Game links as the day approaches. Check back daily.
Everything is set for the big showdown next weekend in Columbus.
The crying shame of it is that whoever loses next Saturday is out of it as far as the championship goes.
Think about it. There are two teams in the nation head and shoulders above anyone else. It is the middle of November and there is no question whatsoever who the two best teams are. And, if next week's game is close, it's quite possible that they will still be considered the two best teams.
But the loser will have no chance to play for the title. That is a shame, and it's merely the latest shame in the abomination known as the Bowl Championship Series. The "championship series" is nothing of the kind. At least back when there was nothing but the AP poll we knew it was all a total crock. Today's total crock tries to pass itself off as some sort of solution. It isn't. Almost every year there is some new scenario that shows just how weak the BCS is.
Take 8 to 16 teams and put them on the field. Division I-A national football playoff. There is just no other way to do it.
When the NCAA adopts a playoff, I will start watching college football regularly again.
THE GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS won their second consecutive conference championship on Saturday by beating Saginaw Valley 49-35. They have one more regular season game before the playoffs begin.
I think a lot of folks don't really appreciate how good this team has been the last few years.
PATRICK STEWART, who played Captain Jean Luc Piccard in 'Star Trek: The Next Generation', is in Michigan with the Royal Shakespeare Company playing the part of Prospero the magician in 'The Tempest'.
But that doesn't mean he doesn't get some time off, and he showed up in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon to conduct the Michigan band at halftime of the Wolverines game against Ball State. He proclaimed that the mission was to "Boldly go and beat the Buckeyes!"
Make it so.
UPDATE: What can't you find on YouTube? Here's video:
Here's another lengthier take, a poorer-quality video but includes the "boldly go" proclamation. (Both via Deadspin, which has some, um, unfriendly lyrics to 'Hail to the Victors'...)
UPDATE 2: Here's a nice clear shot of Stewart at Second Recess. He's also got videos and more pics.
MY WIFE WENT TO TURN ON THE MICHIGAN-BALL STATE GAME and we discovered that it's only being broadcast on ESPNU. Our DirecTV package doesn't include ESPNU, so we're out of luck.
What's interesting is that I see the Purdue-Michigan State game this weekend is also on ESPNU. That can't be a coincidence. This must be ESPN's "Michigan Drive" weekend, hoping to get a lot of new subscribers in the Wolverine State.
And though it will probably work out pretty well for them, it didn't work with us.
THE ONLY THING COOL at Monday's Tigers game against the Yankees were the Tigers:
It was a shame, as the home team didn't win, losing 4-0 and never really threatening much of anything while doing so.
DECIDED TO GET THE AIR CONDITIONERS into the windows. I don't particularly care for the heat, and today was warmer than I like. The fact that it's just getting started is no comfort at all. We're going to the Tigers game tomorrow, and no, I can't believe that they've still got the best record in baseball, either.
And I don't think I'm the only one who believes that the whole "Barry Bonds passed Babe Ruth" story is a waste of time. We all know his accomplishment don't mean squat. Pathetic.
UPDATE: Neil Hayes on MSNBCS.com says it's unlikely that Bonds can catch Aaron:
If what we’ve have witnessed from Bonds during the first eight weeks of the 2006 season are any indication Aaron will remain forever out of reach. Given his declining skills, concerns about his knee and potential repercussions from his alleged steroid abuse, grand jury testimony and tax history, he will remain safely in second.
Could it be that the "declining skills" are already one of the "potential repercussions"? As in, "they're watching so stop it"?
But, for what it's worth, I believe that someone will pick him up if he's willing. Sooner or later, you'd think, he'd have to catch Aaron. And some club will be willing to lay out a little cash for the opportunity to fill the stands. However, don't forget that pathetic 1984 season in Seattle that Franco Harris had, trying to catch Jim Brown on the NFL's career-rushing list. Walter Payton beat him to it, and Franco never got there anyway.
MICHIGAN STADIUM'S $226 million renovation in perspective at The Foul Pole:
For the $226 mil., you could get, say, the Republic of Sao Tome and Principe (GDP of $214 million), located off the west coast of Africa. This sounds like just another example of America's glutonous love for entertainment. But then again, Sao Tome and Principe's population of 193,413 is fairly close to the stadiums new expected capacity, 108,251.
Hail! to the victors valiant! (via Hubs and Spokes)
THINGS DON'T LOOK GOOD FOR THE GRIFFINS. They're down 3-0 in their playoff series against Milwaukee and they're down 3-1 at the end of the first period in Game 4. They have to come back tonight to force a Game 5 Friday in GR.
UPDATE: They lost 5-4. Season's over.
THE GRIFFINS ARE DOWN 1-0 in their AHL conference final series against the Milwaukee Admirals, but don't forget about Kalamazoo. The K-Wings, who haven't won a title since 1980, are in the United Hockey League Colonial Cup finals against the Trashers from Danbury, Connecticut. Kalamazoo won Game 1 6-1.
OUCH. Milwaukee wins Game 1 against the Griffins 4-0.
THE GRIFFINS rallied for three goals in the third period of a Game 7 to beat the Manitoba Moose 5-4 and advance to the next round of the AHL playoffs. Game 1 against the Milwaukee Admirals is Thursday evening at Van Andel.
