Welcome Weather, and Soccer Preview!

Like most people talking about the football game I will talk about the weather, but first I will talk about football. Before, that I will complain a little. I was nice being seated in the senior section, the reason being that is was full of people who have been through the trenches with this team and know the traditions. Their first game at Michigan was my first game as well. What was not nice was being being stuck int he corner with a bad angle. I am guessing that whomever setup the algorithm for giving the students seats has never been int he student section. There is no way that a 26th row seat in the corner is better than a 34th row seat at the 20th. Last year we ha a much better view. We're so low to the ground that the players get in the way of the game and we are at such an awkward position that we can't tell how things are left to right or front to back. Honestly, next game we may opt to sit further back just so we can look down on the fields and not across it, with no perspective.

Now the game. Not bad. There were no field goal attempts by Michigan, but non were necessary. Other than one bad throw, our offense look pretty good, and I am not going to knock a QB for an incomplete in the heat of the moment. Now it is time for my great worry. Despite having two defensive touchdowns (the loudest cheers I have ever heard), our coverage both defensive and special teams needs a lot of work. Here is where we see weather our not the coaching staff is worth what we are paying them. Can they learn from the previous game? We will see. If they play coverage like that against any big ten opponent or Notre Dame next week, it is going to be a very long and painful season. Seriously, there was one tackle for a loss int he first half, and the average return brought them back to the 37th.

OK, the weather. I attended the game with Torstens "The Mad Latvian Slammer" Skujins. We opted to avoid the buses full of freshmen and just biked down the campus. It was hot and I was dehydrated. "T" and I were trying to figure out how many people we would see passed out due to heat and alcohol. The crowd roared when a cloud came across the sky. We cheered when it stated raining. I still do not know why we suspended the game the first time. Nobody saw any lightning and by the time they suspended it the sun was coming out. We wondered over the Chrysler arena and we noticed that the band was lining up to go back into the stadium. Shortly afterward we got the announcement that the game was going to resume in ten minutes. In the third quarter it became obvious that Western Michigan never came out of the locker-room.  When it started a torrential downpour the students section went nuts. The officials allowed several obvious lightning strikes before suspending the game. Most people left, about a third of the student section (still thousands strong) stayed chanting, "We want football." I have never been so proud. In a case of more bad communication, of of the ushers came down and told us the game was canceled, but as we were about to walk out said that it wasn't canceled. So, we stood there soaking, until they evacuated the stadium. We decided to head back to the Union because we didn't want to bike back in a thunderstorm. When we got the the union we saw that ESPN had caught Coach Mattison coming out of the tunnel, and he claimed that they were going to begin the warmups and they would hopefully get finish the game before the next cell rolled through. Mind you, at this point seeing this game to its completion became a point of honor for both of "T" and myself. Therefore, we started back to the Stadium. When we got to Packard we saw a sizable lightning strike, which only meant that the game would not begin anytime soon. We turned around and had another large one strike. Mind you, this is the appropriate time to point out that "The Mad Latvian Slammer" may or may not have been voted, "most likely to get struck by lightning" in high school on account of being 6' 6". Anyway, he decided to take off to the union like a shot. When we got there we found the game had been called. We waited for a break in the storm before biking back (Just barely beating the storm). Just as I got to my street I noticed all of the streetlights go out. Getting home we found our power was out, and it still is, this morning. I had to go to Alton James Benjamin Luder III's house to bake a loaf of bread that I had rising.

Needless to say that this was an adventure. It is the first game I have watched to it entirety, yet did not know the outcome until 45 minutes later. Still, that is my first event in the bag.

Today, I am very excited. I am dressing in my red in black as Michigan Men's Soccer takes on my alma mater of NIU. This will be my first Michigan vs. NIU event. Be there. This has already gone long, so I will save it for after the game.

What: Michigan Men's Soccer
Who: Michigan and NIU
Where: Michigan Soccer Complex
When: 2:30PM Sunday, September 4th 2011.