History Will Be Made

Unless Jim Joyce is overseeing things.

Yeah, he deserves credit for owning up to his mistake. He's a classy guy for seeking Galarraga out and apologizing.

Doesn't change what he did. He took away history. He took away one of the rarest occurrences in sports. Baseball's been around for what, 140 years? And there have been 20 perfect games. Thousands upon thousands upon thousands of games through decades and decades of baseball...and 20 have been perfect. And it should've been 21, except for one of the most egregiously wrong calls in the history of sports.

There was no gray area here. No "bang-bang" play at first. Galarraga got there, his foot on the base, and he caught the ball. And Jim Joyce said he thought the runner beat him.

An abomination, that no apology can fix.

A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

Sharks 4, Red Wings 3; Western Semifinals, 0-2

Honestly, you couldn't find a better picture to sum up what took place in San Jose tonight. While the Red Wings skated, the Sharks were on the ice, often drawing phantom penalties, which eventually piled up to the point they were able to seize momentum in a game they trailed 3-2. And they rode that momentum to a 4-3 win.

You know, I used to respect Todd McLellan. When he was an assistant in Detroit two years ago, the Wings were aces in the faceoff circles, and their special teams were dynamic. He has successfully instilled those qualities into the Sharks since taking over as their head coach after winning the Stanley Cup with Detroit in 2008.

But apparently the years of postseason gagging have caught up to the Sharks, and McLellan decided to teach them another attribute: the art of the flop.

Feel a stick near your feet? Throw your legs out from under you.

Feel a nudge in the back? Propel yourself face first onto the ice.

Feel a stick near your wrists? Lose control of the puck and then slide down to the ice.

All of the above will goad the (as usual) braindead mouth breathers masquarading as NHL referees into calling ten penalties on the team who committed the second fewest amount of infractions in the league this season. TEN power plays for San Jose tonight. Back to back five-on-threes.

After witnessing that abomination (no surprise either that one of the refs tonight was also on hand for a previous abomination), what more can you say? I love hockey. I love the Red Wings as much as I love Michigan football. But after yet another clusterfuck courtesy of Gary Bettman's refs and the NHL's World Cup representatives, how much more emotion can one invest? How can I continue to put so much into something so blatantly broken?

In the interest of full disclosure, I expected the Sharks to win the series. Despite dispatching Phoenix with brutal efficiency in Game 7, I saw enough problems with the Wings against the Coyotes and knew they wouldn't get away with such mistakes against a foe like San Jose. The first two games have reinforced those feelings, and I have a hard time envisioning the Red Wings beating the Sharks four out of five times.

But to have the Sharks flop and dive all over the ice like a bunch of pussies - that's embarrassing, and they shouldn't have to resort to such cowardly tactics. They're supposed to be better than that. But I guess they're not, so if they went to flop their way into the conference finals, so be it. I'm about at my wit's end with the NHL and its incompetence as it is.

Stop Error

Illinois 38, Michigan 13; 5-4, 1-4

Dictionary.com defines the Blue Screen of Death (or stop error) as such:

Definition: a bright blue screen displayed by the Microsoft Windows operating system when it cannot recover from a system error; abbreviated BSOD Example: The blue screen of death almost always means the computer has frozen and requires rebooting.

The parallel I am making is obvious. Michigan football is Microsoft Windows. And a system error has caused it to freeze, crash, and reboot. The problem is, stop errors aren't random, flukey occurrences. They happen when something has become fundamentally broken or corrupted, and they continue to pop up until you go in, spend an eternity sifting through your computer and find what's fucked up and fix it.

Michigan experienced a horrifying stop error on Saturday. Against a team that had not stayed within 10 points of any I-A opponent, Michigan lost by 25, and in a sport full of subtleties that often escape the eyes of those untrained to watch for them, the turning point on Saturday was blatant, obvious, and horrifying. Failing to obtain one yard on four straight plays cannot be pinned on coaches, on players, on training staffs, on playcalls. It is pinned on all of the above. It is a fundamental failure on all levels of football when you have four chances to get three feet and fail every time. It's an indictment on everything you've done to prepare yourselves for the moment. It's an indictment on Roundtree for being inexplicably caught from behind, it's an indictment on the offensive line for not being able to create one measly hole, it's an indictment on the running backs for not being able to push the pile 36 inches, it's an indictment on the coaches for waiting until 4th down to put the power back in the game, and it's an indictment on everyone for what transpired afterwards.

For the past 22 and a half months, I have had a spot on the Board of Directors for the Rich Rodriguez Defense Corporation, somewhere next to Brian Cook and Rick Leach. I've shouted down naysayers at Michigan Stadium, played the e-bully on the internet toward people who micromanaged and nickeled and dimed every little fucking thing. I've constantly linked to material from MGoBlog which perfectly illustrates how the predicament we're in cannot be pinned solely on Rodriguez but on like a dozen different people over the past five years. I've stepped back when I needed to step back because wolves have to have a deer to hunt, and I've lashed out when I needed to lash out because sometimes ignorance must be called out for what it is.

At some point, "all in" becomes blind devotion. At some point, all true believers find themselves questioning that in which they have invested so much. For me, I reached that point some time around 6:00 Saturday evening, sometime between Illinois's 70-yard touchdown and Michigan's 10 trillionth fumble in the last 21 games. So now I'm stuck in no man's fucking land. I'm not about to plunge myself off the cliff and join the people I've spewed virulent hatred at for the past year plus...but I may need to take a leave of absence from the Board of Directors. I keep telling myself about the freshmen at QB, the walkons on defense, the abysmal linebacking situation, the absence of depth in the secondary...and it offers no comfort, because we just lost by 25 points to a team whose only prior win was against a 4-4 I-AA team. When faced with that reality, there isn't much to say that will make anybody feel better.

I'll be at the game on Saturday against Purdue, and I hope like hell that we win, because 6-6 seems like the best case scenario at this point, and good luck getting to six against Wisconsin and Ohio State. Other than that....whatever. I got nothing to say.

Attention, Brilliant Football Coaches of the Internet

Penn State 35, Michigan 10; 5-3, 1-3

If you think I'm going to stop, you are as sorely mistaken about me as you are about that which you bitch about so much. I take no pleasure in this, and I cannot say the same for those I am addressing, because these people are indeed taking at least a little bit of satisfaction in believing they have been proven right.

The in vogue phrase tonight on the increasingly insufferable Michigan message boards is "poorly coached." Michigan gets blown out, so it automatically has to mean the coaches are just a bunch of bumbling invalids. What exactly does "poorly coached" mean? Is it the amount of excessive penalties they're committing? Oh, five for 33 yards today.

The following is a post from a prominent Michigan message board, posted by someone who no doubt coached high level football for 20 years and is in a position to accurately judge.

I have totally jumped the fence. I'm telling you, during the coaching search RR was one of those guys in that top, top tier of my personal preferences (but I dismissed the notion because I thought he wouldn't change jobs). When UM landed him I was so happy. To have gone through the stupid crap with Miles and to actually end up with a much better hire! Wow! I was giddy. For weeks I was giddy. But halfway through his second Big Ten campaign - I'm over it. I understand the need to be 'all-in', the natural desire to believe this is just pain on the way to the top. But I do not believe that because: This team is terribly coached. The losses don't bother me as much as the certain knowledge of how badly coached this team is. I chuckle at the 'three things' did this team in notion (followed by an article which categorizes 60+ crappy plays into three things). This team is terrible at the fundamentals, haphazard in terms of scheme, pathologically deficient on special teams, and simply sloppy at every position on the field. They look like just the sort of crap can team that would spike a ball on 3rd down with ten ticks left on the clock. (By the way: Did UM really just blitz their asses off in the red zone against a team that Iowa proved can't succeed against zones in the red zone? And get beat like a drum every time? Yes they did.) Just look at the product on the field. Let all the other stuff go. No 'all-in', no Rosenberg, no in-fighting, just the product on the field. Remove the colors from the jerseys and just watch. UM is, by good measure, the worst coached football team in the conference. Period. A lot of it is basic fundamentals, so a lot of it is on the assistants, but ultimately, it is on Rodriguez. I never thought this would be the case. UM is terribly coached. And today, they reverted so far, that just like game after game last year, they quit. I apologize for this. I will not post regularly because I don't want to become that guy. But as for this coach - I no longer believe he can produce a Big Ten Quality team. (Of course, I'll be hoping like hell he immediately proves me wrong.)

Terrible at fundamentals? Like tackling? Because overall, this team has tackled better than most Michigan teams over the past few years, excluding 2006.

What does "haphazard in scheme" even mean?

Pathologically deficient on special teams? Our field goal kicker has missed one kick all season, our punter is the best in the nation, we blocked a punt today, we have two kickoff returns for touchdowns in basically 15 years, and one of them came this year, and the muffed/fumbled punt fiasco of a year ago has been almost completely eliminated.

Here's another gem:

the team is just not getting better. If we lose and play well then we just lose. PSU could have scored 50 today had they wanted to - the UM offense was so inept that PSU probably knew at half time that they already had enough points to win. This team is currently a train wreck and I believe this coaching staff is dangerously close to losing this team. To see Bruce Tall and RR go at it like they did on the side lines is not good for the moral of this team.

Wait, you mean the youngest team in the Big Ten regressed against the second best team in the conference with the best defense and a fifth year senior quarterback? The best defense in the conference, the one so many of our fans lust over what they want Michigan's defense to look like, confused and crushed our freshman QB, and somehow this reflects poorly on the coaches? Did Rich Rodriguez go out there and stomp on Molk's leg and I missed it?

And the meme circulating that RR and the coaches need to calm down on the sidelines is getting more and more comical everytime I hear it, because it's so painfully obvious the people complaining about this never played football (or any other sport). Or maybe they got so used to Lloyd's ho-hum nature on the sideline that they just assumed that was the way it's done everywhere. Well, here's a little newsflash for you: This is football. It's not chess. It's not ballet. It's not a trip to the grocery store. It's a violent, passionate, emotional game, and things get heated. Players yell at coaches. Coaches yell at players. Coaches yell at other coaches. None of this means jack fucking shit, and you need to shut up about it already.

Oh, but it gets even better. Here's that same moron from the previous post:

You my friend are in total Denial, You can try and spin this any way you want to try and make yourself feel better, but to say that the coaches getting in to heated arguments on the side line does not effect morale is ridiculus.It looks like RR and Tall almost went to blows over something as minor as 12 men on the field and you obviously did not look at the faces of those kids on the sideline as the two of them were going at it. PSU ran a basic offense at about the midway point of the 3rd qtr-open your freakin eyes.

"Something as minor as 12 men on the field".

By the way, that was on 4th on 4. You know, as in, if there had been a penalty called, Penn State would've had a first down instead of a field goal try. So, yeah...that's pretty fucking major, just like the timeout we had to use that we could've used at the end of the half.

And yeah, I'm sure the players were trembling in fear, shocked and appalled that their coaches might raise their voices.

It must be so comforting for idiots like this to pass judgment from the comfort of their couches, knowing no important decisions involving this team will ever fall on them. They get to preach about how they know all that ails this team without being in any sort of contact with any of the coaches, players, trainers, anybody. These people are no doubt preparing their resumes so they can deploy their brilliant knowledge on the football field when it counts.

I'll try and explain this, one more time.

1. Our quarterbacks are freshmen. Apparently people aren't accepting this excuse anymore, which is rather amusing. Just so you know, there is no light that magically goes on for freshmen quarterbacks. They're still freshmen in October and November, just like August and September. And for some reason, they often play worse late in the season than they do early on. This could have something to do with the fact that they're playing better teams and better defenses, but hey, I'm not the expert here.

2. Our defense is operating under its third different coordinator and system in three years. I guess this isn't being accepted either. Apparently it's supposed to be easy to learn something complicated in three different ways three years in a row.

3. There are walkons in the two deep at all three levels of defense. Jordan Kovacs is a great story. Will Heininger and Kevin Leach are gamers, I'm sure. But when they are backups who are asked to contribute significant time in real games and not clean up duty at the end of blowouts, there is a problem. How many times does this need to be said before people start listening? Er, scratch that. It's starting to become clear that it doesn't matter how many times it's said.

4. The transitive property does not apply in sports, EVER. People were operating under the following assumption. Iowa mauled Penn State up front. Michigan mauled Iowa up front. Therefore, Michigan will maul Penn State. This doesn't work. Each game is independent and stands alone. Previous results and trends can be used as a rough outline of what may transpire in the future, but there are never absolutes.

I mean...I don't know, man. I'm pretty close to my wit's end when it comes to arguing with these people. A year ago Michigan lost to MSU by two touchdowns to fall to 2-6. We're 5-3 now. We're nowhere close to where we want to be, and that seems to be the only thing these morons want to see. They refuse to acknowledge that while we're still far from the sky, we've risen from the sewers.

Even when the man who metaphorically tucks them in at night finally voices his support...

"Rich is a young guy, (and) he's got a great background for such a young guy," Carr said Saturday during his interview with Frank Beckmann and Jim Brandstatter. "What we're seeing here offensively throughout this season is a great thing for the future of Michigan football. "The transition a year ago you could expect it (the struggles) because what they were looking for in a quarterback. Certainly what we have here is exciting. I'm excited for the future."

...Well, I suppose that isn't good enough either?

I thought after the pleasant start to this season, it'd be possible to finally just sit back, watch some football and enjoy the growing process. And now we have one bad day - imagine that, a young football team being overwhelmed - against a really fucking good team, and it's time to run around with scissors, screaming and setting shit on fire because chaos is really fucking cool, man.

It's like pissing into the wind, trying to debate this over and over again with the same dense, close-minded people. You feel relief and you feel like you're getting something done, and then you realize you're just covered in waste now and you smell like urine.

Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

Run Chart: Michigan State

The advantage of the run game being a complete non-factor: charting it is quick and easy.

O-line same as last week: Ortmann - Schilling - Moosman - Huyge - Dorrestein.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun slot right	Brown	Zone read dive	-1		Huyge

1st and 10: Oren Wilson shoots inside from the defensive tackle spot, getting inside of Huyge and blowing this play up. From my entirely amateur perspective, I'm a big fan of throwing right to the endzone off a turnover, especially when that turnover puts you in the redzone. Oh, and MSU was in their base 4-3 here, leaving the slot receiver at the top of the screen uncovered except for the safety. But that's just me.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun 4 WR	Brown	Zone read dive	2	-	Ortmann

1st and 10: Ortmann is a step slow getting to the second level and can't get to Greg Jones in time, but really this play develops too slowly and Colin Neely crashes down unblocked (by design) from his defensive end spot.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun ace slot left	Robinson	QB keeper	1	-	Schilling
1-10	Ace 2 TE twin WR left	Minor	HB dive	2	-	Minor
1-10	Shotgun split slot left	Minor	Yakety Sax	-4	-	Minor, Brown
2-9	Shotgun 4 WR	Brown	HB draw	6	-	Huyge

1st and 10: Jones is again too quick as this time it's Schilling that doesn't get to him in time. Doesn't help that this play was obvious. This is a double edged sword. More later.

1st and 10: I honestly have no clue what Minor is doing here. The OL zone blocks to the left and does it well...and for some reason Minor cuts back (or stumbles, perhaps?) right into unblocked Michigan State defenders. There was a hole created by the zone blocking, and I can't figure out why Minor cut back. Baffling.

1st and 10: This is just terrible. Minor and Brown, both flanking Forcier, both think they're getting the ball and run into each other. Plays like this (and the botched snap two plays later on 3rd down) stand out like an ugly sore when looking back at this game and seeing how many opportunities Michigan left on the field due to stupid mistakes.

2nd and 9: I'm probably being a nitpicky douche here, but this is a run chart, and four of the five offensive linemen are selling the pass by pass blocking here. The six yards here are a result of a great playcall. Huyge pulls around and is shed mercilessly by Greg Jones. Fun fact: Did you know Greg Jones grew up a Michigan fan and UM whiffed on him? Awesome.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
2-17	Shotgun slot right	Brown	Zone read stretch	-1	Ortmann	Koger

2nd and 17: Ortmann does a good job kicking out the DE, but Koger inexplicably runs right past Eric Gordon. Linebackers usually excel at stuffing plays when they are unblocked.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun split slot right	Brown	Zone read stretch	7	Ortmann	Minor (-2)
2-3	Shotgun split slot right	Brown	Zone read stretch	2	Minor	Dorrestein
3-1	Shotgun slot right	Forcier	QB keeper	0	-	-

1st and 10: Ortmann kicks out the end again, and this honestly might go for a 93 yard touchdown - if Minor doesn't totally blow a block on Rod Jenrette. Go watch this again. Hemingway has the corner occupied. If Minor blocks Jenrette, there's no one between one of Michigan's fastest players and the endzone. Disastrous.

2nd and 3: Minor actually sticks Gordon pretty good here, but Dorrestein's cut block on Jerel Worthy fails, allowing Worthy to continue down the line untouched to tackle.

3rd and 1: I have hatred in my heart for this playcall. There are no missed blocks or assignments by the OL...it's just a shitty call, in my opinion. It's fundamentally flawed. If you need a yard, give it to your 216-pound running back. If Brandon Minor is healthy enough to be in the game and serve as a lead blocker, he's healthy enough to carry the ball on 3rd and 1 (and if he isn't, he shouldn't have dressed). Give it to him. Or go into the I and run a FB dive with Kevin Grady. I don't like calling a designed run with your 180-pound quarterback, not just because there were better options, but because it exposes him to unnecessary contact. I'm not saying you take plays out of the playbook to protect Tate from injury - you can't do that. But pick your spots. A designed run on 3rd and short when they're already expecting run and have been stuffing it all day - I hate it. I'm one of the biggest "trust the coaches" people around...but I hate this.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun split slot left	Minor	Zone read stretch	3	-	Dorrestein, Ferrara

1st and 10: Ferrara in at RG for Huyge, and he can't get to Gordon. Dorrestein gets blown back by Trevor Anderson, who then spins off and chases Minor. The right side of the line is not good.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun slot left	Odoms	Reverse	-4	-	-

1st and 10: There's really nobody at fault here on offense. Reverses depend on the defense losing contain. MSU did a good job staying at home on this play.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
3-1	Shotgun 4 WR trips left	Forcier	Zone read keeper	11	Forcier	-
2-1	Shotgun slot left	Forcier	Zone read keeper	14	Forcier, Hemingway	-

3rd and 1: THIS is the kind of QB run that is a great call on 3rd down. MSU sells out 100% on the running back, giving Forcier ample running room after he keeps it.

2nd and 1: Exact same thing, with Hemingway giving a nice block on the perimeter.

Down	Formation	Runner	Play	Yards	Yay	Nay
1-10	Shotgun 4 WR trips right	Forcier	Zone read keeper	5	Forcier	-
1-10	Shotgun slot left	Forcier	Zone read keep/dive	4	Minor	-
2-6	Shotgun slot left	Minor	Zone read dive	1	-	Forcier

1st and 10: Simple again, an easy decision to keep as the end sells out on Minor.

1st and 10: This is a bizarre play. Forcier keeps it on the zone play, but it's instantaneous and he follows Minor right up the middle. Minor delivers a good pop as the lead blocker. This looks designed, similar to a play Robinson ran against Indiana, but I dunno.

2nd and 6: Misread. If Forcier pulls this out, it's a pass to the flat and a walk in touchdown for Koger (or a TD run for Tate if Koger blocks the safety). I suppose it's possible there was no read here and it was a run to Minor all the way, but then Koger would've blocked the read-end when he countered back from the H-back position instead of scooting past him into the flat.

Game Chart:

	Yay	Nay	Total
Ortmann	2	1	1
Schilling	0	1	-1
Moosman	0	0	0
Huyge	0	2	-2
Ferrara	0	1	-1
Dorrestein	0	2	-2
Koger	0	1	-1
Minor	2	4	-2
Brown	0	1	-1
Hemingway	1	0	1
Forcier	3	1	2
TOTAL	8	14	-6

Some thoughts:

• This is one of the most frustrating Michigan games I've ever seen, because we were so badly outplayed, and yet it was right there at the end. So many little mistakes: failing to score after the INT, Minor and Brown running into each other, Moosman's low snap, the crappy playcall before The Worst Decision by a Punter Ever, The Worst Decision by a Punter Ever, the ill-fated Denard series in the 4th, Stonum's fumble, the whole two-point debate, the questionable runs in OT, and finally the INT and defensive meltdown. So many mistakes. I guess it balances out, since at the end of the day the team that played better for the vast majority of the game was the team that won.
• On Denard: It is truly a double-edged sword. You have to keep giving him touches and working him in the offense so he gets comfortable...but at the same time, he just isn't enough of a passing threat to keep teams honest, and more often than not right now, we're wasting plays with him in there. It doesn't matter how electric he is, when the opposing defense knows what's coming, it's not going to work.
• It's really gutwrenching watching the final drive, because it was borderline legendary, and ended up just delaying some agony.
• Molk's absence cannot be understated. He is one of the most important players on the entire team, and that was shown in brutal fashion last Saturday.
• While I agree with the thought that the defense did well overall.....the first quarter drive was a killer in every way possible. A 10-minute drive that ends with a touchdown is exactly what Mark Dantonio wants every time. By not making any kind of stop (despite MSU doing its best to help with some personal fouls), we allowed MSU to set the tone for the entire game. Getting dominated in time of possession is not a bad thing - if you're scoring 70 yard touchdowns. If you're getting dominated in TOP because you can't run the ball and can't get first downs and your defense can't get off the field, you're in big trouble.
  

Comprehensive chart:

	WMU	ND	EMU	IND	MSU	TOTAL
Ortmann	5.5	1	6	7.5	1	+21
Schilling	0.5	-1	8	7	-1	+13.5
Molk	1	6	2	N/A	N/A	+9
Moosman	5	6.5	N/A	3	0	+14.5
Ferrara	N/A	N/A	4	N/A	-1	+3
Huyge	2.5	4	6.5	2	-2	+13
Dorrestein	N/A	N/A	N/A	2	-2	0
Koger	0.5	2.5	1.5	3	-1	+6.5
Webb	-2.5	0	7	-0.5	N/A	+4
Kev. Grady	3	-1	5	N/A	N/A	+7
Kel. Grady	-1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	-1
Moundros	N/A	1	N/A	3	N/A	+4
Mathews	N/A	1	2	1	N/A	+5
Odoms	1	-1	N/A	1	N/A	1
Stonum	2	-0.5	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1.5
Hemingway	1	N/A	N/A	2	1	+4
Savoy	1	N/A	1	N/A	N/A	+2
Shaw	N/A	N/A	1	N/A	N/A	+1
Minor	N/A	N/A	N/A	1	-2	-1
Smith	N/A	N/A	1	N/A	N/A	+1
Brown	-2	N/A	-1	N/A	-1	-4
Forcier	0	-1	2	-2	2	1
Robinson	N/A	N/A	0	-4	N/A	-4
Sheridan	1	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	+1
TOTALS	18.5	17.5	46	28	-6	+104

Heartbreak.

Has it sunk in for you yet?

It's getting there for me. Friday night faded away for me with a feeling of numb shock still firmly in place. I knew what had happened, but the finality of it didn't process. When I woke up yesterday, it was still there. It's pretty much gone now. It didn't just drop on me like an anvil all of a sudden, it just gradually seeped in until I finally acknowledged it: there are no more games. There is no game tomorrow. No game the next day. No parade. No championship t-shirts or hats. No celebration with awkward, foreign players speaking broken english and still conveying thanks to the fans.

No Stanley Cup.

We took it for granted, really. It's the most precious prize in sports, and we took it for granted. We assumed because it was here last year, it would never leave. Once we saw the Red Wings shake off their shaky regular season defense, we just assumed that at the end, Nicklas Lidstrom would be holding Stanley over his head again. Even I, the ultimate pessimist, the eternal cynic and naysayer, never envisioned such tragedy. There have been terrible moments involving the Red Wings; games and moments that we all remember that bring us sadness. But overall, they've always been the constant for us. They've always risen above everything. When all our other teams floundered at some point, the Red Wings were there for us, a rock for which we could all lean on and be assured that it would remain steady. Through all this, through four Stanley Cups since 1997, we forgot that while winning it is the greatest feeling there is...we forgot what losing it felt like.

Now we all know. Now we all remember. Stanley is gone. And it's such bitter heartbreak, sometimes I wonder how we deal with it. I have not watched video of the end and the proceedings afterward yet. Nor will I. As I went through some photo galleries from the Detroit News and Yahoo, the pain was almost too much for me to bear. Seeing the looks on the faces of the players and fans...complete and utter devastation. I'm spoiled as a Detroit fan. In my life, I've seen (keyword there) four Stanley Cups, an NBA title, a National Championship in football, and an improbable American League pennant. I was far too young to have any memories of Michigan's national title in basketball in 1989 and the Pistons' first two titles in 1989 and 1990. Nevertheless, I recognize how lucky I've been. And there will be more. The Red Wings will return to the Finals and win another Stanley Cup, possibly as soon as next year. And yet, as much as I remember the positives, the negatives are right there too. I remember the 1995 Finals. Well, the ending, anyway. I have precisely zero memories of any part of any of the games, or even any feeling or emotion. I was six years old. I just remember seeing the Red Wings standing there, in their red jerseys, dejected and defeated as the Devils went wild with the Stanley Cup. I remember Game 5 against Colorado in 2002, when Forsberg flipped the puck over Hasek's shoulder in overtime and peeled away from the net, his arms raising in celebration. I remember almost running from the room, unable to watch anymore. That Wings team was a team of destiny, and I remember thinking to myself then, "That's how this is going to end, isn't it?" Of course, it wasn't. But the scars remain. I remember the 2006 Michigan/Ohio State game. The buildup for basically two months. The ESPN promos. Bo's death. And the game itself, the pain it caused. That was the last time I actually cried. Not just because of the loss, but because of that entire 48 hour period, where we went from being so confident and sure of ourselves to not being sure of anything because our entire world as Michigan fans had collapsed around us. I remember screaming at the top of my lungs when Rasheed left Horry alone after the inbounds pass. I remember once again being unable to watch as Game 7 wound down in San Antonio, because I wasn't willing to see the heartbreak on the faces of those Pistons. I had never loved a team like I loved those Pistons. They went down just like these Red Wings down - fighting to the bitter end, but just not having enough left in the tank to remain champions. Heavy lies the crown.

Shortly after I left the dejected, deadpanned voice mail on my friend's phone minutes after the game ended the other night, he called back. I didn't feel it vibrate, so it went to voice mail, where he left me a similarly devastated message. He told me that he wished we would never have a "9/23" to share together. "9/23" being the date of the Michigan State/Notre Dame football game in 2006, one that hollowed out the hearts of a lot of Spartans. A lot of good, decent people. I understand the pain he felt that night now. I feel a tremendous weight of guilt. After Game 6 ended, I was absolutely convinced the Red Wings would win Game 7. This friend of mine was not. He feared the worst. And I spent the next three days convincing him that he was wrong, and the Wings wouldn't let this slip away. And then, well...that happened. And I couldn't help but feel responsible. To pump someone up with so much hope, so much bravado, only to see the rug get yanked out from under.

A bunch of the injuries these Red Wings were battling through came to light yesterday. When you take stock of them, you can't help but wonder if there were higher powers at work, determined to prevent a repeat. I mean, look at last year. Franzen missed six games with a concussion. Holmstrom missed one game. I think Stuart missed one. And that was it. And this year you get Datsyuk, Lidstrom, Rafalski, Ericsson, Draper, Kopecky, and Lilja missing games. Cleary, Holmstrom, Hossa, and Zetterberg, nursing wounds that would've kept them out in the regular season. I can't ever recall a team being stricken so badly with the injury bug. I suppose we could take some sort of twisted solace from that, knowing that despite being so ravaged with wounds, they still got to Game 7 of the Finals, but whatever. There are no moral victories. Just an empty place where the Stanley Cup used to be.

Just a lot of heartbreak. And a lot of pain that won't go away for a long, long time.

35 seconds.

Hey, did you hear? There's a hockey game Monday night. Scratch that, a coronation!

Well, that's what was supposed to happen. Apparently the Penguins didn't get that memo.

For the first 22 minutes and 54 seconds of Game 5, the Red Wings were terrible. The first period tonight was the worst period of hockey they've played in this postseason, and they were deservedly down 2-0 because of it. And then at 2:54 of the 2nd, Darren Helm got the Wings on the board, and the obviously jittery Wings found their legs.

And the shooting gallery began.

They finally broke through and tied it in the 3rd, and a few minutes later went ahead 3-2. They were dominating every aspect of the game, and the coronation was on. The fans at the Joe smelled blood. In a small room tucked away in the Joe, Lord Stanley's Cup was removed from her case and polished, ready to be busted out on the ice for the celebration. All across the city of Detroit and the state of Michigan, champagne and other assorted liquids of various tastes and colors were taken off ice and prepared in anticipation of a party six years in the making. Nothing is greater in sports than a home team celebrating a championship in front of their own fans, nothing. None of them will ever speak of it publicly, but every captain in the NHL has that desire deep down: he wants to hoist the Cup in front of his own fans. He wants to go deaf when he hoists that 35 pound behemoth over his head.

And tonight, the Red Wings were 35 seconds away from getting their hands on that 35 pound piece of glory.

And it slipped away.

I'm not here to play the blame game. I could. It's one of my favorite games, and I'm very good at it. I could blame Zetterberg for trying to get cute with it at center ice in the final minute instead of just dumping it. I could blame Rafalski for simply shooting it around the boards when he had a legitimate opportunity to put it in the open net. I could blame Franzen for that lazy excuse of a clearing attempt that didn't even come close. On a side note, why was Franzen out there anyway? In a situation where the other team has six skaters and their season is on the line, you treat it like a penalty kill, and Franzen is not a penalty killer.

But no, I'm not going to be vindictive and place the blame on any one person. And I'm not going to be a hypocrite and assail the referees. I think any reasonably minded person would agree that there were some terrible calls, but when the one call they got RIGHT produces the goal that beats you, it's hard to bitch about the refs, although I am praying that Devorski and O'Halloran fall ill with avian flu.

For the past hour or so I've dodged calls from more than five of my friends. I have no idea what they wanted to say to me, I haven't checked my voicemail. I'm sure it was some mixture of fatalism and wanting to know what I think.

The truth is, I don't know what to think.

Nobody does.

There's no way to tell how this will affect the Red Wings. This has the potential to be a devastatingly crippling defeat. Spirits are obviously low after a triple overtime loss in a game you had won in the final minute on your home ice with the Cup on the line. What matters is how they respond to this. They have to go back to that snakepit in Pittsburgh now. Osgood looked awful tonight. He didn't look confident at all at any point during the game. How will the legs of the older players bounce back after a 3OT marathon?

But more importantly...what does this mean for Pittsburgh?

The #1 rule of fighting (well, maybe it's #1...it SHOULD be #1) is to never let an opponent up off the mat. When he's down, you have to pound him into submission.

Well, tonight the Red Wings let the Penguins off the mat to fight another day.

The coronation was there. The Cup was out, the champagne was probably being placed in the middle of the locker room, the guys guarding the boxes of championship t-shirts and hats like secret service agents guarding the nuclear football were probably busting out pocketknives to cut open the boxes in preparation of passing out the gear. Guys like Michael Rosenberg and Mitch Albom and Drew Sharp and Wojo and Chris McCosky all had their columns ready to submit to their editors, crowning Detroit's newest champion.

And in the blink of an eye, with 35 seconds left, everything stopped.

Make no mistake, this was Grade A brutal, folks. This is the kind of thing that can haunt you as a fan for years. If the unthinkable happens and Pittsburgh comes all the way back to win this damn thing, unless Game 7 is anywhere close to this, this is the game that will have you waking up in a cold sweat. This game will replace the Rose Bowl against Texas, or Game 5 against the Spurs, or Game 5 against the Avalanche, or Game 5 against the Ducks, or Game 5 against the Cavaliers. (What the hell is it with Game Fives?!?!?) If the worst happens, this is the game people will be talking about 10 years from now, remembering how the Wings were 35 seconds away.

The Wings let them off the hook. It's now their job to put this behind them. The pressure of not just winning but dominating at home got to them tonight. That pressure is gone. But the pressure of putting this nightmare behind them is front and center now.

I keep thinking of some witty phrase to conclude this post, but I've got nothing. If it wasn't about to storm outside, I'd still be out wandering the neighborhood ignoring my phone. I hate that, too. I hate ignoring my friends.

Don't give me another reason to ignore my friends, Wings.

(How was that?)

In memorium: Detroit Pistons.

Nope, no fancy picture this time. Just solemn realization and resignation.

This is how the Detroit Pistons will be remembered. Not necessarily by actual Pistons fans, but by the majority of people that watch basketball. People aren't going to remember the ultimate "team" beating the Lakers in 2004, or pushing the team of the decade to the 4th quarter of Game 7 in 2005.

What people will remember is a team that started 37-5 flaming out spectacularly in the conference finals in 2006.

What people will remember is LeBron James making this team look like a bunch of slow, old fools in Game 5 in 2007.

What people will remember is the most inconsistent, schitzophrenic team in recent sports history falling behind by 17 in the second half of Game 5 in Boston only to rally within one before losing by four and then staking a ten point lead at home in the fourth quarter of an elimination game before having the chair pulled out from under them and losing.

Face it, folks. This is as far as this Pistons team can go. Flip Saunders should and hopefully will be unemployed shortly. He will be the scapegoat. Make no mistake, he shoulders a gargantuan part of the blame for these past three years. He ran the starters into the ground and as a result they tuned him out in 06. He didn't double team LeBron because he was scared the WalMart employees and used car salesmen posing as LeBron's teammates would beat them, so they left Tayshaun Prince and Jason Maxiell on islands, with predictably disastrous results. This time around he's not the main culprit, but look at the Game 6 box score. Antonio McDyess, 2-3. Three shots? Really? That's what this offensive genius can draw up? Three shots for Dyess? 10 minutes for Theo Ratliff is about five too many.

But no. If you want to point fingers, lets start pointing fingers at the players that put on those jerseys and play the game. Lets point fingers at Chauncey Billups, who was a ghost in the conference finals until the final two games, and even then, despite a cushy 29-6-6 line, missed open shots in the fourth quarter tonight. Lets point fingers at Tayshaun Prince. Yeah, it was painfully obvious that he had nothing left by about Game 4. That'll happen when you're called on to guard the other team's best player while not having a true backup. But it got to the point where he was essentially Ben Wallace out there, a complete black hole on the offensive end of the court.

But finally, lets point a lot of fingers at Rasheed freaking Wallace.

Game A: 4-12, 2-5, 10 points.
Game B: 5-14, 0-2, 11 points, ejection.
Game C: 2-12, 0-6, 4 points, 5 fouls.

Game A is Game 6 in Miami two years ago. Game B is Game 6 in Cleveland last year, and Game C is Game 6 tonight. The last three times these Pistons have faced elimination, Rasheed Wallace, the one who likes to talk the most about this team never being scared and loving pressure situations, has been a complete ghost. For all his talk, all his arrogance, he has vanished when the chips are down for three years in a row.

This is the end of an era. If Joe D has a brain (and he does), Saunders is a lock for the unemployment line, but will that be enough? Is there a coach out there that can unite this same bunch of players? Michael Curry is an interesting candidate, but is he ready? Avery Johnson's out there, but he clashed with his players in Dallas. Could he work?

I don't have the answers for that, but what I do believe is that a simple coaching change won't get this done. I have individual issues with Rip and Chauncey as well (especially "Mr. Big Shot", which is a frivolous nickname by the way), but I truly think it doesn't matter what coach is brought in - this team will never win another title with Rasheed Wallace as the starting forward. They have ALWAYS gone as he goes, and he is the most inconsistent player in the NBA. I have all these grandiose scenarios in my head that involve Rasheed being traded and Elton Brand being brought in, but I don't think any of them are realistic.

Dumars has some brutal decisions to make, but he has to make them. In my opinion he hasn't taken nearly enough flack for the Darko fiasco, which has set this franchise back years. There are all kinds of hypotheticals about what this team would've been like with Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh, but they're all senseless and impossible to analyze. But there isn't any doubt we'd be in better shape with one of them than with what we got with Darko, which was a whole pile of nothing.

This is probably the most important offseason of Dumars' tenure. Rip and Tayshaun are locks to return. Chauncey signed that deal after last season, and is probably untradeable. McDyess will be back if he wants to be. Lindsey Hunter will probably retire, and hopefully they'll slap a suit on him and put him on the bench as an assistant coach. Maxiell and Stuckey are locks to return as well. That leaves guys like Rasheed, Jarvis Hayes, Juan Dixon, Amir Johnson, Theo Ratliff. Ratliff might retire, Hayes is a lock to be let go, Johnson will be back, and Dixon could go either way. And then there's Rasheed. He's entering the final year of his deal, is there any team out there willing to trade for someone like Rasheed simply to get money off the books?

On April 20th, I wrote this post, declaring the Pistons to be gutless. They tried proving me wrong with their rally in Philadelphia, winning in Orlando without Chauncey and stealing Game 2 in Boston.

Well, after tonight, let no one ever question their hearts again. With a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter of an elimination game, the Pistons proved to everyone just how much heart they have.

None.

Damn you.

Boston 106, Detroit 102; Eastern Finals, 2-3

No, I'm not going to rant and rave. I've done enough finger pointing and accusing and blaming for the Pistons' failures. There's no point in doing it anymore. I've run out of anger when it comes to the Pistons. I tried to avoid them tonight. I tried my goddamndest. With the Red Wings getting outhustled in Pittsburgh, I stuck with them, desperately trying to avoid the game in Boston. I settled for watching Hal Gill literally throw Tomas Holmstrom into the net and not get called for a penalty.

And still, the urge to check the Pistons was too much, so I flipped it. And what did I see?

Boston 84, Detroit 67.

I scoffed, and turned it back to the final minutes of the Red Wings' loss. I stuck around NBC for postgame hockey crap, while periodically checking the Pistons' score, because they're like fucking crack cocaine. They're so addictive, but in the end, they'll kill you. And everytime I turned it back to check, the deficit was smaller, until finally I couldn't look away any longer. Those goddamn bastards had lured me in again, and I wanted desperately to believe. A 17 point lead was down to 102-101.

And in the end, Chauncey missed a shot, Rasheed missed a shot, and the Pistons lost, again.

Damn you. Damn you for not being blown out. Damn you for luring me back in with a spirited comeback and then not finishing the job. Damn you for pushing me to the point where I don't have any anger left inside.

Do the honorable thing, Pistons. Roll over and die in Game 6 on your homecourt. Throughout this magical run of 6 straight conference finals, the elimination game has never occurred at the Palace. In 03 it was in New Jersey. In 05, San Antonio. In 06, Miami and in 07, Cleveland. Let this era of Detroit basketball be laid to rest where it began, in Auburn Hills. Don't you dare lure me back in by winning Game 6. Don't you dare try it. Fuck you if you win Game 6 and then lose Game 7. I despise you for what you've done; if you're going to lose, lose. Don't make an art out of it.

I feel bad for guys like Antonio McDyess and Rodney Stuckey. McDyess is doing everything he can to pull the rest of the starters through the malaise. He's trying to pull Tayshaun through even though Tay's legs are shot and he's out of gas. He's trying to pull Chauncey through even though his hamstring is injured. He's trying to pull Rasheed through even though the dude's mind is fried and he got another technical tonight. And Stuckey's too young to be fazed by the malaise. He doesn't know that a prerequisite for being a Piston is showing up 50% of the time and then desperately making a valiant comeback to tease the fans.

I've got nothing left. I've tried everything. I tried to believe this year was different. I tried to distance myself from them to avoid the heartbreak that was delivered tonight. I don't know what else there is for me to do. I've got no energy left. No energy to call out any of the coaches or any of the players. After yet another Pistons debacle, and they come in all shapes and sizes, I've got nothing left in the tank, and nowhere left to hide because of the Cup Finals being off until Saturday now.

Maybe I'll read a book Friday night or something.

Dear piece of crap NHL referees:

Hi, it's me, Brian. I noticed during tonight's game you guys were having some difficulties making correct calls. Not to worry my striped friends, I am here to help you.

The following is an example of someone who is NOT in the crease and therefore any goal scored on the play should not be disallowed:
Stay with me now, I understand you guys are pretty slow and stupid just like your boss Gary Bettman, but I'm trying to explain this the best I can. The following is an example of someone who IS in the crease while a goal is scored.
Now normally such a play would not be a problem, since there isn't any actual contact with the goalie (notice there isn't any contact in either picture). But when you disallow one goal because of a player's alleged presence in the crease, you better call it both ways, or it might seem a bit...crooked? You might seem a bit...stupid.

Oh, by the way, thanks for letting Dallas players tackle, shove and interfere with Detroit players all through the 3rd period. I thought those penalties at the end when the Stars had a two goal lead were a nice touch, too. Keep up the good work, you idiots!

Love,
Brian.

I JUST WANT A GOALIE WHO KNOWS HOW TO STOP SHOTS AND A MANAGER WHO ISN'T BRAINDEAD.

DO YOUR FUCKING JOBS, OR STEP ASIDE SO SOMEONE WHO WON'T FUCK UP CAN BE BROUGHT IN.

The Frozen Four

This recap surely won't hold a candle to that of Yost Built, but I just wanted to say a few things about last night's hockey game.

First, I don't need to tell anyone how awful the first period was. To get down three goals is just inexcusable, especially in a game of so much importance. Sauer was awful in net after an outstanding year, and the team just looked lackadaisical out there until the second period. After that it was a good hockey game, and when they managed to tie it up, I really thought they were going to win. Even when they got down 4-3, they caught a nice break with the backhander off Pearce's skate.

Second, I just think that Notre Dame wanted to win more. They didn't let the loss of a three goal lead get to them, and despite Michigan obviously being the superior team, they stuck with it and won. As much as it pains me to say it, they deserved it. They came out in OT and simply played better than us, and well... there you go.

I guess I can't say that I'm too disappointed, though... they had a good year and a single elimination hockey tournament is hell to go through, but I was hoping for a lot more.

If only the loss hadn't been to Notre Dame.

I will only say this once, so let me be very clear.

Kick rocks, you loser.

Hart Chart: Ohio State

Ugh.

Carry	Direction	Down	Yards	Yay	Nay
1	middle	2-10	6	Long, Kraus, Mitchell	-
2	left	2-2	5	Long	-
3	left	2-10	9	Long, Butler, Boren, Kraus	-
4	middle	1-10	9	Long, Boren, Moundros	-
5	left	1-10	12	Long, Boren, Kraus, Mitchell	-
6	middle	1-10	-1	-	Mitchell
7	right	1-10	-1	-	Schilling, Kraus, Mitchell
8	left	1-10	3	Butler	Boren, Mitchell
9	left	2-7	1	-	Kraus, Mitchell
10	middle	1-20	0	-	Kraus, Mitchell
11	middle	1-10	2	Helmuth	Schilling, Mitchell
12	left	1-10	-1	-	Long, Boren
13	left	2-2	-1	-	Mathews, Boren
14	right	2-5	-3	-	Mitchell (-2)
15	left	1-10	0	-	Long, Butler
16	right	3-2	6	Schilling, Butler, Helmuth	-
17	left	1-10	2	-	Butler (hold)
18	left	1-10	-1	-	Butler, Long, Boren, Kraus, Mitchell, Schilling, Moundros

Ugh.

Notes to know:

• Carry #18 was this:
  
  

By the numbers:
Left: 10 carries, 29 yards
Middle: 5 carries, 13 yards
Right: 3 carries, 2 yards

Overall chart:

	Yay	Nay	Total
Mathews	0	1	-1
Long	5	3	2
Boren	3	4	-1
Kraus	3	4	-1
Mitchell	2	9	-7
Schilling	1	3	-2
Butler	3	3	0
Moundros	1	1	0
Helmuth	2	0	2
TOTAL	20	28	-8

Thoughts:
I hate myself for subjecting my brain to that again. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

No Storybook Endings

I stood in the midst of section 31 of Michigan Stadium on Saturday, layered in two T-shirts, a hoodie and a maize raincoat, my glasses speckled with the drops of rain that were constantly falling from the grey sky.

The Big House was packed and it was a full thirty minutes before kickoff. It was Ohio State, and despite the disconcerting amount of red in the crowd, in my mind it was Michigan's day.

I was part of something great, I was connected to those around me as we cheered the seniors and booed that stupid script Ohio. When the game began, we were loud, the loudest I had experienced the crowd in my two short seasons as a student. The energy was palpable, the cow bells were clanging and the pompoms shaking with excitement.

This was it, it was finally here. My first OSU game, my chance to storm the field and dance with greatness. The redemption that we all deserved so much was at hand, and I would be there, smelling the roses.

It was all so real for a quarter, for nine hundred ticks of that clock. Michigan was actually moving the ball, the defense was stopping the Buckeyes and the crowd was on there feet (if only because their seats were so wet) yelling. It was Big Ten football at it's finest. So what if our drive stalled? We got a field goal out of it, and we were up by three at the end of the first.

And then, well... we switched sides of the field and everything went to hell. OSU scored a quick touchdown and it never was the same game. While the defense had an extremely solid performance (with the exception of giving up two big runs), the offense could get nothing going for the rest of the game, despite OSU continually giving us the ball back with plenty of time for Henne, Hart and Manningham to pull together one more magical drive...

But it never came, and slowly that realization sunk in, just as the chill sunk into my bones. I was surrounded by thousands, but I felt isolated and alone there on my bench, eighty-four rows above the field. My socks were soaked and my hood pulled up around my face in a futile attempt to fight back the cold, my hands shoved deep into my pockets because there was no need to have them out, there was nothing to clap for. A loud, wailing cry was the only thing that left my lips time and time again as I tried to spur on the defense to make one more stop, just one more before Henne lead us back from the brink of defeat. The defense came through time and time again, but the clock just kept ticking away until it was all over...

All I could do was stare at the field in disbelief, kick the puddles off water that were forming off the bench I was standing on and wait there feeling alone until I could take no more, until I could no longer bear to watch the inevitable, and I fled.

25 carries, 47 yards.

How 'bout I just skip the Hart Brown/Minor Chart and say that Michigan's offensive line sucks, they couldn't do a thing against a pathetic Wisconsin front seven, and they will be pillaged and plundered by Ohio State next week?

Would that be acceptable? I really don't feel like subjecting myself to this clusterfuck again.

Thanks Lloyd. I wish you could've just told us you weren't going to take today's game seriously. I could've slept in. Thanks a lot, you old crusty dinosaur.

The gods are against us

Per the policy of silence at Schembechler Hall, we won't know until about 8:00 tomorrow night, but all the rumor-mongers and "insiders" on the various websites and message boards are pointing toward Mike Hart being unable to go vs. Illinois.

We seriously cannot catch a break. Not only does this make the Illinois game infinitely more difficult, but in addition, breaking away from the "The Team, The Team, The Team" motto, this severely hampers Mike's Heisman chances. Considering the fiasco that was the beginning of the season, along with the fact that Michigan is basically not on TV for the nation to see, Mike really can't afford to miss any action. Le sigh.

Somewhere, there's some football gods that really dislike Michigan for some reason.