So, I was out of town, but the only thing that keeps me from a football game is another football game, and possibly an important even like a wedding. (In case you were wondering, the football game was not the reason I did not stay for the funeral.)
So, of course I was up at 3:30 AM on Saturday, to drive back for the game. I set my alarm for 4:00 AM. The drive was very pleasant, and the entire time I was being passed my my fellow maize and blue faithful. While I returned home in time to catch the second half of the field hockey game. I opted to eat breakfast and rest a bit before the game.
We all know that Minnesota was not going to be the toughest opponent, but we also know that upsets happen in conference play. Going into the game, I was a little nervous. After a few minutes of play, I was shocked. I turned to "The Mad Latvian Slammer" and said, "We secretly replaced Michigan's Coach with Les Miles. Let's see if anyone notices." Seriously, several people made the comment that Al Borges had ripped up his play book for this game. They also introduced me to something I have dubbed, "The diamondback formation." Anyway, this game was a major confidence booster for every aspect of the game. Our offense was clicking on all of the plays, which I am sure will completely mess with all remaining opponents, seeing as we can turn the same setup into a traditional play or some crazy scheme. Our defense was all but perfect. It doesn't mater who you play; a shutout means you are good. I know what you are going to say about us kicking the ball out of bounds and the return coverage, still it was promising. Also, as all true Michigan fans know, the test is in the field goals and three for three is passing with flying colors. To be honest, I have been hoping for a victory like that all year, but I hope every game is not like this. It would get boring. Although we would be ranked #1.
What we were expecting to be another crushing that turned out to not be the case was The ice hockey opener. Let me start by saying our seats are in one of the worst locations in Yost, but that is no reason to complain since there are no bad seats in Yost. It's just not big enough. For those of you who do not know about the hockey system, it varies by country. In America, it pretty much like basketball or football, except that, they can continue playing in school after they are drafted. They are then moved to either a major or minor league pro team. In Canada, they go to Canadian Junior League where they get a very small stipend, but if they stay for four years and do not make it pro then they get a college degree paid for. Honestly, I like that system. It give the good athletes complete concentration on their sport, and it means the ones who are going to go to school, can completely focus on their studies without distraction. What this means to the game is that when the University of Ontario Institute of Technology comes to play Michigan, it should put up about as much resistance as a club team, and judging by the number of penalties they got and how we robbed them of the puck it kind of was. What they did have was a Guy (that's his name) in the net who was on fire. He was nuts. Also, we need to learn the simple rule that fancy setups are nice, but when they don't connect they don't offer second chances like hammering it to the net does. We really need to learn that. So, in a shocking upset, we lost. The thing I liked about the event was that the atmosphere of Yost brought me back to an older time. Also, the fact that this game matter's not and that we don't have to have a perfect record means that we can always look ahead to the next one. It's that classic sports spectator's mentality, that I think has been lost in this era when men do not wear hats.
Finally, there was lacrosse. On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, I took a trip to a nearly empty Michigan Stadium to watch an exhibition lacrosse match. Without any scale reference the stadium felt smaller, but it echoed like a cavern. I briefly thought about moving in there. At least, I would like to spend more beautiful afternoons there without the crowds. I would end up running up and down the bleachers, and through every section entrance. I love exploring stadium. I ran into my friends Brian and Sarah Samuel at the match who thought it would be an awesome thing to watch. Lacrosse is a fun physical game. It's tougher than field hockey, but tamer than ice hockey.
OK, I might go to the hockey game tomorrow night, then I am out of town until Sunday night. To hold you through the weekend, I will give you a picture of a giant inflatable hamster ball race I saw at the women's soccer game last week. I think part of the challenge is not using up all of the oxygen in the ball.
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