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For years I was one of the…

For years I was one of the many who criticized Brock for not sliding, even though it was normal for him to go in standing up. I always thought that if he'd hit the dirt, his foot would have gotten in clearly. But Brock said years later that if he'd slid, Freehan would have blocked him off the plate. Considering Freehan's size and defensive excellence, Lou had a fair point.

The other thing about the play was that it took a perfect throw by Willie Horton to get him. Often during the season, and certainly during the Series, Horton would be replaced in the later innings for defensive purposes. Horton was not a great defensive player, but at that moment, he was a good as anyone.

He's a manky Scots git.

He's a manky Scots git.

Not really uphill. As I…

Not really uphill. As I recall (and granted, this was in 1988, so the memory is apt to be rusty), the ground does have a slight upward slope when you get across the Emmitsburg Road to the Stone Wall. It's a rise more than anything.

Of course, after a mile of shot and shell and frontal and flanking fire, I'm sure it seemed high enough to those men under Longstreet's command.

That was painful. Ten points…

That was painful. Ten points up with six minutes to go, and then, gone. For a supposedly good defensive team, Michigan could not get a stop in the 4th quarter.

I saw it with my Dad when I…

I saw it with my Dad when I was 27, and I just shook my head when I saw the distance. A mile of open ground, moving straight into the range of every gun on the ridge, numbers depleting every minute, and Lee thought it would actually work? As you said, mind-boggling.

Fredericksburg is the one I…

Fredericksburg is the one I've always wanted to see. Burnside's repeated direct assaults up Marye's Heights have been so condemned in books that I want to see it for myself. An attack uphill, on open ground that gave no opportunity for a flanking maneuver, against a two-tiered entrenched defensive position with well-manned rifle pits at the base, and interlocking cannon fire from the summit.

It wasn't that he tried it. It's that he tried it 14 times.

Small world. My greatx3…

Small world. My greatx3 grandfather was also in the 24th Michigan, Company C. Wounded at the Fredericksburg Crossing during the Battle of Chancellorsville, then wounded a second time in the first day's action at Gettysburg. Limped for the rest of his life.

He's why I have this username.

Maybe he'll go to the coffee…

Maybe he'll go to the coffee house I went to in L.A. The barista offered me service with either indifference, apathy, or a complete lack of interest.

I said I didn't care.

Exactly. I'm still reveling…

Exactly. I'm still reveling. I'm not ready to begin anticipating yet.

And with the basketball season being what it was, I've probably been reveling in the football memories a little longer than usual. It's been the perfect balm for the tire fire at Crisler.

The moose outside should…

The moose outside should have told them.

Only if he can fill it up…

Only if he can fill it up with some happy little trees. (Or some reasonably satisfied bushes, at this point.)

Minutes? Hell, we can…

Minutes? Hell, we can promise them hours or days, if they want.

What we can't promise is that we'll have four other guys on the court at the same time.

Well, thanks for the offer,…

Well, thanks for the offer, pumpkin, but I wasn't replying to you.

Or, as I once heard it…

Or, as I once heard it called, "Shiv that Mofo Day."

That's "CCH" Pounder.

Or…

That's "CCH" Pounder.

Or are you finally taking the advice of so many people on this blog and getting the H out of here?

I took a nap, and dreamed of…

I took a nap, and dreamed of a team that knows how to shoot and play defense.

OK. I pick Michigan and I…

OK. I pick Michigan and I hate Ohio State. (Did I do it right?)

 

PS: And I will NEVER bow! I will, however, welcome our new insect overlords.

Love that scene. It was both…

Love that scene. It was both frightening and funny as hell, and it was the perfect visual set-up for the "bigger boat" line that followed. This was a great direction by a guy who really knew what he was doing.

Whereas the basketball team ...

Why in the world would a 25…

Why in the world would a 25 year old ever beat on an 80 year old?

I take it we're looking for a reason other than the obvious, "Because he's a gutless pussy."

This like having the most…

This like having the most skilled helmsman back aboard the Titanic.

In the immortal words of…

In the immortal words of Archie Bunker, the gods are claiming their pound of fish.

It's almost as if he was not…

It's almost as if he was not fully aware.

Homey the AD.

Homey the AD.

Several years ago I worked…

Several years ago I worked at Wayne State's College of Nursing. In my completely unbiased opinion, nurses are badasses. Whenever I've been in the hospital, they are the ones who gave the majority of the care and got me the information I needed. (Like, "What do they think is really wrong with me?") I'm not dogging doctors in the least, but God Bless Nurses.

Does your daughter have a specialty?

From what I've been told by…

From what I've been told by friends who are nurses, I'd have guessed that they were too exhausted to smile.

If that were true, Juwan…

If that were true, Juwan would be cleaning out his office as we speak.

I'm not sure that's a…

I'm not sure that's a completely fair analogy. Voldemort actually cast the evil spells that resulted in all the terrible things on his resume. He didn't buy the dark magic cast by other wizards and then stick his name on it.

Now, as far as charm and personality goes, the comparison is a lot closer.

I was about to leave the…

I was about to leave the house to go to a Ski Club party at UM-Flint. (Five bucks got you in the door and all the beer you could drink. It was definitely a different time.) I'd been following the hockey team very closely, and really wanted to see the game. But then I thought, Hell, it's the Soviets - there's no way we'll win.

A few hours later I heard the news. I'd never been so happy to be wrong. It almost made up for striking out at the party.

Sorry to see his college…

Sorry to see his college career attached to this season's tire fire, and especially sorry to see it shortened by injury. To those more knowledgeable in basketball than me: Does he have any realistic prospects of playing professionally here or in Europe?

It's not a completely…

It's not a completely generational thing. I'm 63, so Bo was the Coach when I started my UM fandom and all through my formative years. To me, he was The Man at Michigan. Later in my 30's he and Brandy were the guest speakers at a luncheon my organization held. Instead of my usual suit, I wore my Michigan jersey. When he saw me standing at the reception desk, he pointed at me and barked "Hey number 12!", and I replied "Coach." That exchange with The Man made my day.

But if he knew about what Anderson was doing to his players, or to any young person, and he did nothing? A man of his magnitude at Michigan, and he simply shrugged his shoulders and sat on his hands and let it happen? Then pull the statue down, and sandblast his name off the hall that bears it. Because whatever "leadership" is supposed to mean, that certainly isn't it.

 

The shitty lawyer has more…

The shitty lawyer has more ready access to the legal system than you do ...

Very much like the old saying from a politician warning against fighting with newspaper publishers: Never argue with a man who buys ink by the barrel.

"National Championship."

"National Championship."

Now that we have it, it should be said in its entirety so that we can relish every letter and syllable.

"Truce" is a great way to…

"Truce" is a great way to describe the victory formation. It sends a clear message: "We're not going to try to gain yardage, so you don't have to try and stop us." It's the football equivalent of waving a white flag.

If you're going to try to score for whatever reason, that's up to you. But don't wave the flag. It's a dick move.

Agreed. It's one thing if…

Agreed. It's one thing if your starters are jacking up threes when you're up by 20 with a minute to go. That shows no class. But if it's Bob, who never gets out of his warm-ups, let him get something on the stat sheet: a bucket, an assist, a rebound, whatever. Especially if you're at home.

Both teams have their own Bobs, so if the game reaches the point where both teams empty the end of their benches, then let them play. That's what they're on the team for.

I'm sure His Nibs was being…

I'm sure His Nibs was being figurative, not literal. Then again, as I grew up selling matches near the corner of Teeming Shores St. and Huddled Masses Blvd., how would I know for certain?

That's a tradition of every…

That's a tradition of every fan base of every team in every sport.

He ended up on the same pile…

He ended up on the same pile as Cousin Oliver from "The Brady Bunch" and the first kid who played the youngest brother Chris on "The Partridge Family."

I knew this was coming from…

I knew this was coming from somebody, and I was waiting to upvote whomever did.

I, for one, welcome our new…

I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. Not sure they could be any worse.

In 1970, my folks divorced,…

In 1970, my folks divorced, my mother re-married, and we moved to a new school district in Flint. The rule of thumb among the boys in the 5th grade was that you had to be either a Michigan or MSU fan. Until that point I had no allegiance to either. However, State sucked, Michigan was a powerhouse, and I guess I was a little bit of a front-runner, so Michigan it was. Besides, Michigan had the much cooler uniforms, and especially THOSE helmets.

Because of such an insignificant reason, a lifelong passion for all things Michigan was born. Plus, I graduated from UM-Flint in 1982, so I come by that passion honestly.

First memory was of Don Moorhead handing off to Touchdown Billy Taylor. The most vivid memory was of Mike Lantry breaking my heart twice.

No, I'm completely serious -…

No, I'm completely serious - and don't call me Shirley.

As well as Homer's guardian…

As well as Homer's guardian angel in one of the best episodes of "The Simpsons." ("Did you know Kinch had a radio in the coffee pot?")

This blog gets members from…

This blog gets members from all over the country, so ... Chances Are.

Excellent piece, and…

Excellent piece, and extremely insightful. It reminded me of a conversation I had with a buddy who had been an automotive engineer for two of the Big Three. I mentioned that I thought my girlfriend's car was a piece of crap, but since I had no automotive background, my opinion probably wasn't worth much.

He immediately replied, "Oh I agree, because that car ..." and fired off five or six things that the manufacturer should / shouldn't have done. Just recited them "bam-bam-bam-bam-bam" right off the top of his head, like you or I would recite the alphabet.

A clear reminder that experience really is a benefit. It makes some opinions worth more than others, and for very good reason.

Sorry, but they're…

Sorry, but they're overpriced.

I've got a foot in both…

I've got a foot in both camps here. Every accomplishment that you've listed has been fantastic, even more than I imagined. It's been a glorious three-year run. And like you, if the cost of that success is an 8-4 season, especially considering the loss of personnel and coaches and the brutal schedule, I'll sign on the dotted line right now.

On the other hand, and I've said this before: I am a Michigan fan, first and foremost. I may like certain players or coaches, but my loyalty is to the Team, the guys in maize and blue who run onto the field every Saturday. If you chose to leave the Team, for whatever reason, that's your right, and it may be what's best for you. But my support for you fades. It doesn't necessarily turn into loathing (unless you're a Boren or a Mattison), but it won't be what it once was, because you're not part of the Team.

And what Harbaugh is doing, whether it's comfortable to admit it or not, is hurting our Team. Yes, he has the right and the responsibility of doing the best job he can in San Diego. But we have the right to dislike what he's doing, and him for doing it. To use the coaching tree analogy, he's lopping off limbs and transplanting them in San Diego. All the gratitude in the world for what he accomplished doesn't change the harm he's causing to our Team.

So to make a long story short (too late!), my reaction is, Jim, for what you've done, thank you very much. For what you're doing, fuck you.

The MGoGirlfriend and I were…

The MGoGirlfriend and I were talking after Harbaugh announced he was going to San Diego. I said he had to go for the one thing he hadn't gotten, the Super Bowl win. The Lombardi Trophy was his Holy Grail.

She said, Yeah, but once he gets it, what does he do then?

The more I thought, the more I realized it was a really good question. What does Jim do if he fulfills his quest, when / if he's faced with a "Oh yeah, I've already done this" situation? What's left when there's no more quest?

Somehow, JH doesn't seem the type to rest on his laurels, or rest at all. Some people just don't know how.

... for everyone else to…

... for everyone else to benefit from your nuts.

Actually, at my age, I'm not sure how much benefit there would be.

"The only thing worse than…

"The only thing worse than an idiot is an idiot with power."

(Don't know if this saying has a title, but I've seen it way too many times not to be true.)

I still despise the Twins…

I still despise the Twins and their homer-hanky waving fans for 1987. The worst moment was seeing Daryl Evans get picked off 3rd base.