I don't know how many times I have exited Michigan Stadium. I've never counted. I know that I've crossed the threshold with my hands defiantly pushed into my hoodie's front pocket in silent protest at the insanity of trading a quarter of Michigan football for less traffic. I've left the Big House with those same hands expressively communicating an important point about The Fellowship of the Ring to a fraternity brother. I've left with them running through my rain-soaked hair, left with them clutching my temples for fear my skull might come apart at the seams, and left with them pumping "It's Great to Be a Michigan Wolverine!" into the night. I have at different times in my life, walked out of that edifice gripping a smart phone, a new set of cupware, my father's farm-calloused hand, and a degree. But not once when I came to that threshold, did I ever need those hands for expressing "Farewell."
Last November Jamie Mac did, because he thought he was going to die:
As halftime approached, we had had enough. The weather was cold. The football was miserable. Most of the rest of our crew was at a bar. It was time to join them. I was fine with that until we were actually about to leave the stadium grounds. While my friends hustled out to flag a cab on Stadium Boulevard, I froze, not wanting to pass through the exit gates the way Archie Moonlight Graham didn't want to cross over the first baseline in the movie Field Of Dreams. Moonlight knew he would not be able to play ball on the Field of Dreams anymore once he crossed over that baseline. And I was afraid that once I left Michigan Stadium, I would never return.
The author of Just Cover Blog, regular contributor to this site and the podcast, and nicest Michigan fan you'll ever meet, had what happened to Michigan happen to his body. If you passed his tailgate at the end of Fingerle or had a beer with him at Football Eve, you already know that things turned out pretty Harbaugh for him too. But as I crossed beneath a brick arch for the uncountable time, I found my hand was on my cheek, using the center finger to plug a tear duct, because after reading that diary all I could think about while walking out of the Big House was what a wonderful thing it is that Jamie still gets to.
[Deep breath, then jump for the rest of the best in reader-contributed content in the other tone]
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A wider vision. With the game all but put away early in the 4th quarter Michigan on 1st and 15 went for a rare by that point passing play. Rudock dropped back, matched his 2014 interception total on a stared down pass intended for Butt, and made the game momentarily a little too interesting. Dnak attempts to explain what happened:
The play seems to be a triangle concept to the boundary, with a backside post. Perry will run a horizontal route the flat; Butt will run a snag; AJ Williams will run a 12-yard out. The idea is to stretch the defense horizontally and vertically. Here is my attempt to draw it up:
He's a lay analyst so hit the comments for a more complete picture.
Diaries etc. Keep reading alum96's Opponent Stock Report follow-up to his summer previews. Best & Worst and Inside the Boxscore were covered in the game column but there if you missed them. What's up with soccer? I mean other than this. Other peoples'gifs from OreSt. Why we weren't repeating the negative practice reports on Bunting last spring. Wallpaper for iphone. OT: Beer.
Best of the Board
NOW FOR A CHEER THEY ARE HERE, TRIUMPHANT!
There hasn't been a more enjoyable thread for a long time than that which WD started by posting a 75-year-old player piano recording of the fight song.
Everyone else started chiming in with youtubes of other versions of Victors. Somebody make these a playlist please.
WHEN RAWK MAY NOT BE NECESSARY
Reader Gitback had a page-long reply to this week's roundtable. The whole thing is worth a read since he went to the Oregon-MSU game after Michigan's and came back with some perspective-inducing observations, some of which will really make you appreciate what we have at the Big House. I thought this was a point we missed:
The intimidation factor at MSU was largely due to spontaneous crowd chants erupting at key points. RAWK Music definitely steps on the toes of the crowd in that respect... but you also have to wonder if there will be less piped in Journey for games where the crowd is particularly pumped up (like when we're back to having top 10 matchups of our own, routinely). If the crowd is psyched for a huge game I'd like to think the powers that be will ratchet down the AC/DC so the crowd can do its thing. Seems to me that the crowd dominated at the first Under the Lights game against ND. I'd also like to think that we hear more RAWK in situations where there is a sense that the crowd is flat.
If Michigan's plan for Special K is to keep the noise levels high for third downs against UNLV and Rutgers I'm down with that. I still say we should lock him in the bathroom from the end of warmups until after every hand that needs to has touched the banner.
ETC. Celebrate: The Eeyore of Michigan blogging returns; as it turns out Genuinely Sarcastic had a very good reason for being a droopy donkey. Board places bets for charities with their game predictions.
Your Moment of Zen
The thing they don't tell you about CPR in the movies: it's still worth it, but you are doing bad things to the rib cage.