What Have You Been Doing???

Has it really been two months between posts? Has it really been over 6 months since the debacle at the Alamo Bowl? Well, I would love to sit here and tell you that a lot has happened over the past 60 days, but life in the off-season has been as uneventful as ever. The tailgate equipment continues to rest in a storage garage. I wake up around noon on Saturdays. I pass by the Big Under Construction House each and every day, wondering how they're going to finish the installation of the new bench seats on the press box side before the Vandy game. I peruse the internet looking for team reports on this year's opponents, but can only find scraps of spring coverage. We are truly in the dead zone for college football.

But soon the summer solstice will be upon us, and with the turn of July we will celebrate Independence Day. Not long after that, every trip to the grocery store will remind us that college football is not so far away. Street and Smith's, Phil Steele, Lindy's and the Sporting News will all don their regional covers. No doubt you'll be inundated with Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Leon Hall, and Steve Breaston action pics with smaller pics in the corner of the likes of Troy Smith and Drew Stanton. Right now, pre-pre-pre-season prognosticators show the Maize and Blue somewhere between 11 and 17 nationally.

April and May were not completely devoid of sporting content. The Red Wings and Pistons sported league best regular season records before coming apart in the playoffs. The Tigers (my god the Tigers) have the best record in baseball. The Wolverines landed a solid verbal from Ryan Mallet who is being touted as the next John Navarre. The anticipation of his arrival just makes me giddy. I can't wait for the pigskin to start bouncing off of lineman's heads again. On a more serious note, Mallet appears to be recruiting his own lineman. The powers that be have Mallet and fellow Texan J.B. Shugarts rooming together at summer camp, which started today. The M cagers inked a 6'10" transfer Zack Gibson from the basketball powerhouse that is Rutgers. Taking a look at his stats, I imagine that with some serious work, he might just be the next Colin Dill.

On a positive note, we were able to have another tailgate reunion just this past weekend in the name of the blessed union of two UMTailgaters. It was the marriage of the niece of the Captain, and included such attendees as the Godfather, the Godmother, the Goddaughters, Fry Daddy Frank, Goody, Buckmaster, Mrs. Buckmaster, and Janet. I scored an invite as a plus one, and I no doubt had the hottest date in the room. I was welcomed into the family event with open arms, and I must say it was almost worth missing the Tigers at Wrigley. Thanks to Moore's for making me their surrogate son and enabling me to peer into the wonderment of a Goodell family event.

Coming Soon:  NCAA Football drops July 18th for the Xbox 360 so look for the most advanced simulated preview ever

Enjoy the Summer! GO BLUE!!

Summer-Like Weather Brightens Spring Game

It's your last little bit of football before enduring the sporting boredom of summertime. It's the Spring Game / Scrimmage / Last Practice. Allowing us to peer a bit into the future, this event shows us the latest edition of the maize and blue (sans most incoming freshmen) and is a kind of halfway point of the college football offseason. Pundits weigh in on the condition of the team, what they look like with x or y graduating senior missing from team, who's injured, who's overweight, who's a step slower or a step faster. The most fun is when you get to hear a new name for the first time.

For those that don't scour the recruiting boards, we have a new running back, Carlos Brown, and a la Kevin Grady, he is an early enroller…just the third early enroller in the Wolverine's history. Prior to the Spring Game, I had read that he would be the new change of pace back, replacing the injured Antonio Bass...but I didn't believe it. But there he was, the latest #23, in the shotgun formation, taking snaps in the student body left and student body right plays we saw so many times out of Bass last season. Prior to his practice stint at QB, he broke one for 50 yards from the running back position. Was he showing off his blazing speed? Well, it was the Michigan defense, so perhaps they were just replaying the sideline sieve defense they gave to Gary Russel when he went for 61 yards to grab the Little Brown Jug.

But I digress...

It's tough to find things wrong or right in the mish-mash practice setting, and I am no expert, so my take on the Spring is as follows:

Jason Forcier has the arm of Barry Bonds, and the accuracy of John Navarre. Barring significant improvement leading up to September 2nd, offensively the season will hang on the health of #7. If Chad goes down, I’ll see you in Nashville in mid December. On the positive side, the fact that Carlos Brown took snaps Bass-style is a bit exciting...especially before his 18th birthday.

The word around camp is that things are more intense and everyone has lost weight and worked themselves into better shape. The Angel of the Big house has a full article on the leaner, meaner Wolverines. 

The Junk Food Theme

The tailgate began at 10am, and was 3 people strong until about 11am, when some more familiar faces arrived. We had a full table covered in chips, chips, and more chips... and dip, cheese and crackers, and hummus and pita. The captain and coke still brimmed my mug, even in the absence of the Godfather, while others filled up on beers of their own choosing. A somewhat successful tailgate, but I felt a little outshined by several of our neighbors, who came with full grill setups. Next year, we need more participation!!!

Anyway, enjoy the pictures in the gallery by clicking the picture above.
What are we going to do for the next 4 ½ months?????

Keep in touch everyone...and as always, GO BLUE!!!!

Gators Take Title, Woods Takes Prize

First of all, I guess I should congratulate each and every one of our participants in the 6th annual UMTailgate.com tournament challenge. Only 25 people had any team in the final four, 2 of which had 2 of the final four...no one with even 3. Only 2 people had either UCLA or Florida in the final game. And for the first time in tournament pool history, no one picked the champion. No one. Way to go.

But it was an odd tournament. Several unexpected teams were given a bid, and most quickly proved that they belonged. It was easily the most exciting set of NCAA tournament games that I can remember. There were very few blowouts, that is until the last three games, all of which left something a little something to be desired. In the end it was the SEC that outshined the superpowers of the Big Ten and the Big East, getting two teams into the Final Four, and getting the honor of the crowned champion in the Florida Gators.

Three of us did make our way to Indianapolis, the Circle City, and were able to partake in the offerings of Seven, Jermaine Oneal's swanky nightclub on the north side of town. We imbibed with the who's who of college basketball, rubbing elbows with JJ Redick and Adam Morrisson, and enjoying the 3am last call time.

Another successful NCAA Tournament Challenge and Final Four trip for UMTailgate.com...congratulations to our winners:

1st Place: Don Woods, infrequent tailgater and co-worker of the Webmaster (pictured above)
2nd Place: Nick Strok, frequent tailgater and the best hands in the Huron League
3rd Place: Craig Vargo, horrible Buckeye slappy that refuses to admit that 2002s and 2004s football victories over Michigan should be vacated due to ineligible players

Less than two weeks until the Spring Game...who's in?

Fill In Your Own Gamecocks Joke Here

The 2005-6 Michigan Basketball season came to an end tonight in Madison Square Garden in front of a pro-Blue New York crowd. South Carolina put the Wolverines away early, a Wolverine team that put its post season in the hands of its seniors. The Michigan's seniors represented Tommy Ammaker's first recruiting class, and ended their disappointing careers with yet another disappointment. South Carolina defeated Michigan 76-64, and it wasn't nearly that close on the court. The win makes the Gamecocks only the second team ever (St. John's) to win back-to-back NIT championships.

A frustrated Brent Petway, a big man in Chris Hunter that continues to play as if he were a slow crappy guard, and an inept Courtney Sims were not enough of a supporting cast for Daniel Horton's 18 points. Horton ends his career with a doughnut in the assist column, and along with his fellow classmates, zero NCAA Tournament appearances. The players themselves are not nearly as much of a problem as was their lack of development over the last 4 years. The difference between Sophomore Daniel Horton and Senior Daniel Horton is negligible, and you can make the same case for most, if not all, of the remaining players that participated in their final game in the Maize and Blue.

It makes one question if the leader we have is the leader that will take Michigan to that next level. No doubt Tommy has endured more than most, but that chapter has ended, and it's time for a new chapter to begin. Tonight's game wasn't going to change that.

Maybe DeShawn Sims will.

So it's finally time to turn the page. Basketball is over. Hockey is over. Football is starting. Just two weeks until the Spring Game. Then 4 ½ short months until we face off against the Commodores. I CAN'T WAIT.

Just a reminder...the tournament page will not be updated until Sunday as a skeleton crew of UMTailgaters will be heading to Indy for the Final Four. Look for updates when I return. And as always...

GO BLUE!

Wolverines Make NIT Finals

On Tuesday night, the Wolverine cagers defeated Old Dominion (who defeated George Mason back in December) and remained the only Big Ten team left in post-season play. Courtney Sims lead the Wolverines with 18 points and 7 rebounds as we all watched on ESPN2...yes 2. ESPN was busy with a splendid HD broadcast of the Women's NCAA tournament.

Straight from the mouth of Graham Brown...

"Courtney Sims was phenomenal tonight. Sometimes he doesn't have the best games or he doesn't play the best out there. But tonight he was the difference-maker for us. He was the one that stretched our lead. He was a power down low and he did everything for us. He was getting rebounds and put-backs, he was strong down low and he even came out and shot the 18-footer for us tonight. He hasn't shown much of that this season, but he's a great player for us."

Hmmm Graham... hasn't shown much of what? That 18-footer or strength down low? I'll take the latter.

On the other side of the bracket South Carolina knocked off Louisville, ending any chance of the interesting matchup between the coach we wanted and the coach we got. Left are the Gamecocks, last year's NIT champion. Which sets up the battle for solid champions of mediocrity, 2004's NIT champ vs. 2005's NIT champ.

Tipoff is 7pm...ESPN. Apparently there's no women's basketball on that night to get in the way.

GO BLUE!