Friday, October 10, 2008

WTI: Really?!?

Craig: Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Whatever This Is. I'm Craig Barker, and I just shed three Michigan tacklers to get here...
Geoff: I just got clobbered, because I'm not holding a football.
Jeremy: I can't believe I watched Brad Banks and the Iowa Hawkeyes upset Michigan at homecoming again.
Geoff: The weather was better this time, at least.
Jeremy: But my heart felt the same in the end.
Craig: Well, we'll get to the game soon enough, but let's start with a positive from Saturday, Blast From the Past. Geoff, Jeremy, you were there, your essential takes, my friends?
Geoff: The organizers of that event do a phenomenal job of putting it together.
Jeremy: The old cheerleaders are simply incredible. Not only do they actually, like, fire people up, but their mirrored handstand gig involves near certain death if one of them makes a mistake.
Craig: I have to admit, I love the old cheerleaders, but I had someone ask me if we will keep doing the locomotive cheer until all of them pass on to the Big House in the sky.
Geoff: Yes. Yes they will.
Craig: And I am OK with that. One of the hardest things about being in the stands for Blast is that you have so many things going on, there's baton craziness in the North End Zone, there's looking for your friends on the field, there's just, it's a lot of things, too many voices!
Jeremy: It's always great to be back in the tunnel again and play the fight song in the stadium.
Geoff: It was strange to be so relaxed about everything. See a hole, fill it in. Make up your own rank moves on the parade. Whoever feels like it, let's go play the business school tailgate. And I definitely haven't played that much since I was in the MMB.
Jeremy: It's all the fun of being in the band with almost none of the responsibility.
Craig: It does seem nice and loose. John Wilkins certainly is in his element on a day like that.
Jeremy: He clearly relishes that time with the alumni.
Craig: I also want to note, I thought the Jersey Boys show was very crisp. And I will tell you, like Jonesy on the Dallas, I swore I heard....singing... It was faint, but it did seem like the crowd was singing along.
Geoff: The crowd certainly seemed to be into the show from where I stood. Did we have any drum majors playing with fire this year? I know I saw Cavi with the knives in his pack on Saturday morning.
Craig: I did not see any, but there was a lot going on
Geoff: One of the things I forgot was how different a view of the game you have from that close to the field. You either have to find a way through the people standing on the sidelines or the ball is right in front of you.
Jeremy: Yeah, I had to watch most of the first half on the scoreboard because of all the event staff and cameramen standing in my way.
Jeremy: The lesson here is to sit higher up in those bleachers.
Craig: But would you want to have seen what was happening in the second half...zing!
Geoff: I think we just gave up another long touchdown.
Craig: Third and ten...holy flark!
Jeremy: Oh, I missed it, I was watching Obi Ezeh crush the running back who did not have the ball.
Craig: I mean, those were the best ball fakes I have ever seen, replacing the Brandon Minor fake from the week before.
Jeremy: At least since Dennis Dixon's fake statue of liberty.
Craig: It was just, it was a demoralizing loss. In part because I bought in to the "turned the corner" delusion.
Jeremy: The second half really yanked you right back around the corner. It rubbed in that the Wisconsin comeback was more of an accident and outlier than positive trend.
Geoff: Let's play a little game here. So, Michigan. You've got Illinois in 3rd and 10 and they throw it 6 yards downfield. And you decide that the best thing to do is run wind sprints up the receiver's back. Really?!?
Craig: You lost by so many points to Illinois that the name "Red Grange" was invoked for the sake of comparison. Really?!?
Geoff: Instead of throwing a bubble screen to a guy who racked up 129 yards receiving on the day and who has a linebacker basically ignoring him, you run it inside behind a guy who was playing left tackle last week and the guy who was his backup on the bench. Really?!?
Jeremy: Anyone else surprised Stevie Brown chased down Juice to tackle him at the 2? I figured he'd overpursue it and dive in front of him four yards into the endzone.
Geoff: Finally: Juice Williams. 420 yards. Most in stadium history. Still called "Juice". Really?!?
Craig: But, this week is a new week, and Holy Toledo, the Rockets are in town. Will there be Cake? And what is on the half-time slate for this week?
Jeremy: Halftime is the Modern Rock/Pop show
Craig: Woo hoo, Modern Rock! Woo! More _____ Pipe!
Jeremy: Scotty B and his Blues Band will be performing at Northwestern this year.
Jeremy: MMB songs this week: "Sugar We're Going Down", "Paralyzer", and "Welcome to the Black Parade".
Craig: Ahh, so it's 2000s Modern Rock. No [Sirius] Lithium show for me. Still, should be interesting. And somehow, "Welcome to the Black Parade" is totally appropriate for this Michigan season
Jeremy: "Sugar We're Going Down" has been played at basketball games for a couple seasons now. Which means it, like the rest of the show, was arranged by Jamie Nix.
Geoff: Have we heard anything about him recently? Still at Miami (Yes, That Miami)?
Jeremy: Yep. University of Miami '10, Doctoral Fellow in Conducting (h/t: facebook)
Geoff: Switching gears, I have no idea what to expect from Toledo. Absolutely none. Ball State shut them out, but the Fightin' Football Cardinals are a decent team, and the Rockets lit up Fresno State like nobody's business.
Craig: But FIU, Geoff. NED beat the Rockets. The first time FIU has beaten a FBS team on the road. EVER.
Geoff: Ned is an American Hero. Much like J Leman.
Craig: Who will be calling MSU/Northwestern this week. You know, a game with Big Ten title implications?
Geoff: I believe that should be "Big Ten title implications".
Jeremy: That is a job that requires a tie. He has to wear the flag tie, right? please?
Craig: I think it will be a tie made up of dozens of small American flags
Geoff: I mean, this game might have Capital One Bowl implications, but we still don't know if either one can hang with the top of the conference.
Craig: Also, as much as we're focused on Toledo, this weekend also marks the return of joy to our lives, as St. Lawrence visits for a pair of games to open Michigan's regular season slate
Geoff: Ron Mason's alma mater. Let's hope that hockey can put together another good season, even if nobody ends up with a Hobey.
Craig: I would hope Michigan will come out hot and get off on a good foot. I do not expect the torrid start of last season, simply because the schedule does not look like it will help out. There's dozens of pitfalls early on.
Geoff: Last year was unbelievable. And I'm not so concerned about the start as the finish.
Craig: Hey, no games in Denver. Sauer should be fine.
Geoff: I (we?) close this week with a plea for the football team: Please don't lose to a MAC team. That would suck. A lot.
Craig: Yes, please, I can accept that some streaks may end this year, but the no losses to MAC schools is one you can never change.
Jeremy: Indeed. Two very important streaks are at stake this week. A 3-game win streak vs Ohio teams would be a nice one to get this season too.
Craig: So gentlemen, until another week...I'm Craig Barker.
Geoff: And I'm starting at left guard next weekend.
Jeremy: I'm twenty yards into the secondary already. Goodnight and Go Blue.
Geoff: Go Blue
Craig: Go Blue

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