Together Again

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Ah yes, the beginning of spring. The skies are clearing, trees begin to bud. You can feel the warmth of the sun on your face. Oh wait. We live in Michigan. So it was great to see the snowfall accumulating Friday night, and to wake up Saturday morning not knowing if it was night or day with the sun eclipsed by the grey overcast skies.

But there was something beautiful about this particular Saturday. It was UMTailgate.com reunion day, the one day a year when we gather up the crew from the corner of Main and Stadium to break the monotony of the off season, to tailgate without a game.

We met at Fraser's Pub, an Ann Arbor staple for decades, and former regular watering hole for a young Godfather and Captain Michigan. They both told stories of carrying out incapacitated patrons, at that time in history, they were no doubt stopping them from riding home drunk in their horse drawn carriages.

So in typical tailgating fashion, we ate, drank, and reminisced. We even had an official tailgate meeting chaired by the Godfather himself, discussing themes and hall of fame inductions for the coming tailgating year. That's right, we were productive in our drunkenness.

The night ended with several of us sucking down chocolate-peanut butter shakes and looking at old tailgate pictures. Another successful reunion for our great tailgate.

 

It's March Madness...Again

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Get Married...Or Tailgate?

UMTailgate's family congregated once again, as the annual Winter Reunion took place at Fraser's Pub in the heart of Ann Arbor. Beer, Captain, and fried foods filled the table for the seven hour marathon that included witnessing a dissappointing performance by the Michigan Basketball team.

Throughout the event, I personally received more than my fair share of pressure from Shane "Goody" Goodell. Goody, who previously gave me the impression that he was forced into a fall wedding by his bride to be, has scheduled his wedding for a GAMEDAY. Yes, the son of a hall-of-fame tailgater has performed the ultimate sin, scheduling a personal event on the day that the maize and blue will take the field. In addition, he has suggested that I attend his wedding in lieu of travelling to Minnesota. For some, this is a difficult decision. For others, just an inconvenience. For me, my most difficult decision is where I plan on staying in the Twin Cities.

Actually, at this time, I would like to personally invite Goody to the Minnesota game on October 11th. Since he's never been to Minneapolis, I thought he'd enjoy a nice weekend out of town...breakfast at Al's Breakfast, beer served in the stadium, and Michigan on the field. By my calculations, there's a good chance he'll have nothing to do that day anyway, but in case the improbable is still scheduled, he'll have to make the decision. Get Married...or Tailgate? Actually, it sounds like the next Fox reality show. See you all next month at the 'Spring Game/Practice'.

March Madness

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In what is sure to become a yearly tradition, the fans, friends, and mainstays of UMTailgate.com came together for the first time since late November. We discussed the impending NCAA tournament, talked about The Godfather's daily activities, watched the Michigan vs. Lake Superior State hockey game, and drank a lot of beer. However, we couldn't get Captain Michigan quite drunk enough...his lips are sealed.

Special thanks go out to The GodMOTHER, who let The Godfather stay way past the alotted time on his minute-by-minute schedule.

One Shining Moment

It's that time of year again... March Madness is upon us. That means it is time for the 2nd annual UMTailgate.com Tournament Challenge. Last year's winner was Jason Trombley of Chicago, Illinois. This contest is by invitation only, but an invitation is easy to get. Send an email to tourney@umtailgate.com to get instructions on how to enter and the rules.