So I'm back from the Happy Island of Aruba. No success on the Natalee Holloway front. Much success in the swim-up bar at the pool at the Hyatt having CBS on satellite last Sunday and the Jets-Pats game that was the national/satellite CBS game ending just in time for the 'Skins-Dolphins game to start overtime. As if the ending of the 'Skins game wasn't already good enough... watching it with my feet in the pool, sipping a Balashi beer (Aruba's national brand that surprisingly didn't taste like piss), and being about 50 yards from the ocean just was the icing on top. But I have much concern about the 'Skins season given how anemic our offense was. Granted, I know that the 'Fins defense is good. But we had no business going to overtime against them.
So let's see, what else is there... I made it to Aruba's "national stadium," stadium review and pictures to follow. Because all of Aruba reads this blog, I'm sure we'll get lots of comments from angry Arubans after the upcoming review, just like we got from insane Spartan fans after I had the audacity to say that the 60 year-old Michigan State stadium was somewhat decrepit. But let's just say that a "national stadium" on an island with 100,000 permanent residents that is the size of DC is not as grand as you might think. In fact, it looks somewhat like the Terps soccer field. Only with less amenities. And seats painted McDonalds red and gold.
But being 1872 miles from home didn't prevent me from keeping tabs on all the NCAA and NFL action. Nope... because when ESPN went out on the satellite TV of our hotel midway through the trip, ESPN Deportes came to the rescue! ESPN Deportes is incredibly weird... it's like Spanish commercials with Bumblebee Man in between segments of Stuart Scott and Rich Eisen doing the same Sportscenter show you see in the States. However, the ticker at the bottom has everything in Spanish. My high school Spanish allowed me to smile when I saw that Eli Manning had an "hombro dislocado" and that Eli "no puede jugar por un mes." I also watched the first half of the Bengals-Ravens game on ESPN Deportes. Again, commentary all in English, but all graphics on the screen including penalties, down and yardage, and stats, are in Spanish. I can now tell you how to say "holding," "personal foul," and "ocho cinco" in Spanish. Alas, it would have been fun to hear somebody dubbing over Ron Jaworski. Also, ESPN Deportes does have their own NFL Preview show. It features two total unknowns, with commentary provided by the third member of the crew, none other than Raul Allegre, who any Tecmo Bowl fan will remember was the kicker for the Giants in the mid-80s.
But let's take a moment, and in our ECB sour grapes way, snicker at Michigan and Notre Dame. Specifically Michigan, because nobody saw this coming. I think one of my groomsmen who reads this blog may never speak to me again over this Michigan comment. But wow... this particular groomsman thought it was inappropriate to fire Lloyd Carr because of what he's done for the team over the years after the Michigan-Appalachian State game. Well I could make numerous arguments that the Oregon debacle was way worse than what happened the previous weekend. Carr's time is up. He's done at season's end. I know that this groomsman tried to compare the goodwill Lloyd Carr has built up with the goodwill Gary Williams has earned to say that Carr, like Williams, could always go out on his own terms. I'm telling you though... if Maryland basketbal lost to Coastal Carolina at home, then followed it up by getting beat at home by 45 (about the NCAA basketball equivalent of the Oregon-Michigan defeat) by a middling Big 10 team like, say Purdue, Gary would be in the very real danger of being fired. Especially when Mike Hart says "We're going to win next week. There's no question in my mind. I guarantee we will win next week. I'm going to get this team ready. Guaranteed." So Mike Hart feels that it is HIS job to get the team ready? I'm reading between the lines and saying not only is that senior leadership, but that is someone who is speaking and has lost total confidence in their coaching staff to adequately prepare the team for a win. In the end though, neither Lloyd Carr, nor Gary, would be fired unceremoniously midseason.
So sorry for the rambling post... I've had five hours of sleep in the last 30 and I now have to drive to bumfuck Virginia to pick up my bag with my and the wife's passports because my sleep-deprived ass left it in the car that picked us up from the airport last night. I'll conclude by saying that on behalf of the Magic 8 Ball and myself, we are both very proud of the weeks we had.
September 12, 2007
Helllllloooo everyone!
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7 Responses:
Well, hello Jeremy. Welcome back to the states. Thanks for bringing up Michigan. Fighting with people about Michigan is my way of coping.
1) "Well I could make numerous arguments that the Oregon debacle was way worse than what happened the previous weekend."
There is no debate. The Oregon game is worse.
2) "...if Maryland basketbal (sic) lost to Coastal Carolina at home, then followed it up by getting beat at home by 45...by a middling Big 10 team like, say Purdue, Gary would be in the very real danger of being fired."
But would he be in danger of being fired if those were his first two losses, and then he made the Elite Eight? I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say you haven't read the past 15 entries on your blog, but I said if Carr doesn't make a bowl, it's time for a change.
I will amend this and say it has to be at least the Alamo Bowl. I don't think the Motor City Bowl is going to cut it. In fact, if they get an invite to the Motor City Bowl, I hope they decline it and say it's because it interferes with their academic schedule, when in reality they just don't want to lose to Toledo.
3) "So Mike Hart feels that it is HIS job to get the team ready? ...that is someone who is speaking and has lost total confidence in their coaching staff to adequately prepare the team for a win."
No, that's just Hart being Hart, like Manny being Manny. Ask any OSU message-board junkie what they think about Hart's mouth.
Now get some sleep.
By the way Jer, I meant to tell you that you can no longer claim that you witnessed Michigan's greatest home loss ever.
However, I'm lucky enough that I can say I have. Don't worry, the tickets were free. I still paid too much.
This too shall pass. Hell, Michigan is still 0-0 in conference, and still will be after this week. They could conceivably open 0-3 and still get a BCS bid.
Isn't that what I've been screaming for the last two weeks? Not that I think they look like a B10 champion...
But I'm sure you've all heard by now that Carr opened in 1998 at 0-2, including a crushing home defeat at the hands of Donovan McNabb, and they still won the Big 10 (or rather, backed into it with a road loss to Ohio State).
Sorry, won a share of the Big Ten. Wisconsin got to go to the Rose Bowl, even though they had beaten Wisconsin the week before the OSU loss. So actually, they F'd it up after all. But still, you get my point.
Whatever, I wasn't in school until the following year when Tom Brady won the Orange Bowl. Go Tom Brady! Way to cheat, baby!
To be fair, Tom Brady himself did not spy on opposing signalers. Matt Cassel and Matt Gutierrez did, just so they provided SOME value to the team.
You mean THE Matt Gutierrez who would have been the starting QB for Michigan in 2004 had he not gotten into a bar fight two nights before the home opener and seperated his shoulder, forcing Lloyd Carr to replace him with true freshman Chad Henne?
What would life be like today, I wonder...
The funny thing is Henne's going to be in the CFL before Gutz.
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