Mighty Ducks handles only please! QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK!!!

Team: Notre Dame
Record: 8-11-7 (CCHA) 12-14-8 (Overall)
Time: Thursday February 25 and Saturday February 27, 7:35 PM EST (Thursday), 7:05 EST (Saturday)
Where: Yost Ice Arena (Thurs.), Joyce Center (South Bend, IN) (Saturday)
Television: FSD (Thursday), BTN (Saturday)

Well, this is the final regular season series for Michigan and it cannot come a better time. This season has been brutal to say the least, but not much of a better way to wrap it up than against a rival.

Notre Dame currently sits in 10th and Michigan currently sits in 7th. Michigan must sweep the series in order to have any hope of moving up in the standings and the highest they can move is 4th place, assuming Northern does not win both of its games against Lake Superior State. Alaska and UNO have both completed their CCHA seasons.

Notre Dame is backstopped by Mike Johnson, who has started the majority of games as a Freshman. Johnson sports a 2.48 GAA and a .919 save %. Look for him to start both games.

It is all but set in stone that Michigan must now win the CCHA tournament in order to make the NCAA tournament.

As a side note, Thursday's game is senior night at Yost, so look for some festivities involving the seniors on this team.

There will not be a review for Notre Dame, I apologize for the inconvenience. Check CCHA.com for the score of Saturday's game. Michigan won Thursday 4-0.

After a day of reading/skimming/ignoring the hysterical rantings of "reporters" who should know better, I came upon Brian Cook's "interview with a compliance guy" over at mgoblog. Since he was right before, I would imagine that his assessment should be taken seriously. Apparently, Compliance Guy thinks that the NCAA will call the minor violations a "pattern" and thus make major violations out of them. I would like to look at his projected punishments one at a time and their likely effect on the program:

1. A reduction in countable coaches (one assigned to a non-coaching position).

This would really have minimal effect. It could make everyone on the staff work a little harder, but there should still be enough coaches on the staff to provide solid coaching for everyone.

2. A reduction in practices with a shorter spring season in 2011 and/or reduced hour limits.

Of these, the shorter spring season would hurt the most, but it wouldn't really be all that bad. One of the benefits of the team being so young now is that by 2011, most of the starters will have had plenty of experience and familiarity with the systems on both sides of the ball. This team should be "loaded for bear" and the reduced practice time might actually be to their benefit with the possibility of less "wear and tear" and more stamina at the end of the season.

A penalty like that would be a disaster during a year without a lot of returning players, but should be OK for 2011.

3. Possibly recruiting restrictions, including limiting the number of coaches off campus at any given time.

This penalty makes no sense because the violations don't involve recruiting, so I don't really see this happening. If it does, though, it is much better that it happens with a full cupboard than an empty one. The cupboard is filling up nicely. The only real problem I can foresee would be if it causes another lean year for OL's to go with this one.

4. Possibly a reduction of around three scholarships for a year or two.

Once again, this could be a bit of a PITA, but it would fit in with #3 if it happens, and the impact would be about the same as #3.

5. 3-4 years probation (longer due to repeat violator status).

Unlike the kind of probation involving the criminal justice system that players up at Misdemeanor State get, this is a lot more cosmetic than functional. Things are done right at the University of Michigan, and the clerical errors have been corrected. It's not like UM players routinely get "Columbus Handshakes," so all this really does on a functional level is to make sure Michigan does what they routinely do anyway. It can be turned into a positive, much like how the safest airline to fly is often the last one to have had a crash because of the operational scrutiny they face.

The biggest impact of probation, other than having to listen to Spartyshit for the next twenty years, is negative recruiting, but I don't really think that it will have as great of an effect as opposing coaches would like. I'm sure RR will have a great gameplan to minimize the impact of negative recruiting by then, and probably does already.

All in all, this looks like it will be pretty much as projected: the NCAA will get to beat their chests and show everyone how "tough" they are, but the actual effects will be more cosmetic than functional. And really, that's the way it should be. UM doesn't deserve anything major for helping kids work out and expecting them to go to class, but the NCAA does have to demonstrate that their rules are important. Usually, all transactions between the NCAA and "violators" are zero sum, but this is as close to win/win as it can be under their current administration.

It sucks that the Three Stooges started this process in the first place, but if the outcome is as projected, it won't be all that bad. The best justice I can hope for is for RR to have has job longer than any of the Three Stooges have theirs.

Speaking of the Three Stooges, it looks like Dave Birkett is very close to becoming an honorary Stooge, sorta like Shemp. His coverage of this mess could definitely be a little more friendly to the hometown team. I'm not asking him to be a shill, but a little bit of objectivity would be nice. I would still like to know WTF Tony Dearing was thinking when he hired an MSU grad to cover UM sports.

As for the Morgan Trent involvement, I nominate him as the first recipient of the "Justin Bovine No Class" award. He got a shot at a degree and a shot at the NFL thanks to UM, but decided to throw "his" school under the bus. He obviously values his ego a lot more than he does hard work. Thanks, Morgan, for displaying your lack of class to the entire country. If you weren't so lazy and entitled, you would have gone higher than the sixth round. I hope you never come back to Ann Arbor again.

Programming note: We are starting this early in response to the mess from the press conference/Freep journalists/Morgan Trent.

As it appeared all along, the NCAA found incredibly minor violations, but it will be enough for the Three Stooges at the freep to claim "victory." It will be interesting to see how the press treats this story. I am guessing that the opinions will be wildly divergent as we go forward, according to the agendas of the writers.

I'm sure one of the Three Stooges will call for RR's firing. Curly (Drew Dull) is my choice. Larry (Mark Shyster) is a follower, not a leader, so he will probably write some very tepid crap about the violations. Moe (Rosenpuke) may call for it, too, but he will probably be too busy bragging about how he is "single-handedly changed the face of college athletics" to actually write anything new.

At any rate, I am pretty sure that the freep will milk this story for all of the clicks it can get by sensationalizing it and keeping it on the front page for as long as they can. It won't keep them from eventually going under, but it will bring in a little money. I'm sure our friends at Misdemeanor State will enjoy a welcome break from their own myriad troubles and will try to perpetuate this story as long as they can, too.

The bottom line here is that "reporters" whose ethics codes require that they practice objectivity have misused their positions and caused the University of Michigan to be investigated for something that every other program in college football does. For those who would use the lazy writer's adage that "Michigan adheres to a higher standard," it doesn't apply here at all. Making errors along the lines of twenty minutes in a week does not constitute "lowering standards;" it is simply people who work hard making minor errors.

What sucks here the most is that if Michigan stonewalled like OSU and USC do, the NCAA would never have found any violations. Because Michigan does adhere to a higher standard when it comes to honesty and integrity, though, and did the NCAA's work for them, they will end up paying for it: financially, in the amount of extra work it has caused for people who already put in 80 hour weeks, and in whatever penalties the NCAA gives them to justify all of the paper that was shuffled at NCAA headquarters.

There was one great outcome, though: Brandon and RR made a great presentation and displayed a lot of unity. This will only help the program as it moves on.

Rosenpuke may be claiming "victory" today, but his true agenda was to bring down RR, and that won't be happening anytime soon. In other words:

Rosenpuke = Massive Fail.

As if we didn't already know.

arfabe on mgoblog tried his hardest to start a rumor that Tate Forcier broke his wrist in a weight lifting accident. Well the dogs were thrown on him and he was negged out into Mgoboard space. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but Midnight Maize has found out through it's sources that Tate Forcier is in fact injured. It's worst then the first rumor. Tate will be out Spring and Fall camps and may miss the first couple weeks of the season with "Fetuatitus" in his wrist.

Friday morning Tate awoke to a pain in his wrist. Tate noticed a small nose sticking out of his wrist. By noon there were two eyes! And by the weekend a full small fetus. Tate said he's not ready to be a father. Michigan fears that if the fetus is removed then Rich Rod may take heat from the free press for removing the baby.

This picture was obtained during a flight that was over Ann Arbor by a passenger on the flight. Tate looks to be in a panic as he rides Falcor from The Never Ending Story. Get better Tate! We will have more as the story develops.



Live Blog tonight at 12:00am est

Game 1: Northern Michigan 3 Michigan 1
Scoring Summary: Hanson (Olver, Brown, 1st, 1-0 NMU) PP, Fox (Brown, Butcher, 1st, 2-0 NMU), Hagelin (Rust, Glendening, 1st, NMU 2-0), Brown (Unassisted, 3rd, 3-0 NMU) EN

Game 2: Michigan 5 Northern Michigan 4
Scoring Summary: Hanson (Unassisted, 1st, 1-0 NMU), Glendening (Caporusso, Moffie, 2nd, 1-1), Lynch (Unassisted, 2nd, 2-1 M), Florek (Olver, Cherniwchen, 2nd 2-2), Winnet (Rust, Hagelin, 2nd, 3-2 M) PP, Gustafsson (Cherniwchen, 3rd, 3-3), Brown (Fernandez, Spady, 3rd, 4-3 NMU), Langlais (Lebler, Caporusso, 3rd, 4-4) PP, Pateryn (Caporusso, 3rd, 5-4 M)

All stats courtesy of CCHA.com

Game 1 was just a frustrating exhibition of bad hockey combined with a couple of other things. Hogan gave up two soft goals to open the game while Hagelin got one when Stewart practically knocked the puck into his own net after misplaying the shot. Second Period consisted of practically nothing, while the third consisted of a bunch of frustration. Michigan was unable to capitalize on a number of chances, including a 33 second 5-3. After the first penalty expired, both refs inexplicably missed a blatant interference call, and then called Kevin Lynch for boarding on a somewhat suspect call. NMU put away the game with an empty netter as Hogan left just as Michigan gave the puck back to NMU. Overall a disaster, especially considering Michigan had 8 power play opportunities and failed to capitalize on every single one.

Game 2 was much better than game 1 to say the least. Michigan winning definitely helped that, but it was also a much better game overall in terms of play. While making the same irritating mistakes from game 1, Michigan at least this time continued to play hard and actually score in response to Northern's goals. Michigan gave up the first goal, scored the next two, gave up the next goal, scored again, then gave up two, and then scored two. Basically a back and forth game that depended on which team either played worse or who had the breaks go their way. A much better game played by Michigan than game 1 in terms of offense.

The crowd in Game 1 was somewhat lackluster. The cowbells didn't show up until after the game had started, so the horns at the top of section 17 filled in for the cowbell's job in the pregame.
For the phone chant, Mom, Dad, Rich Rod, MGoBrian (that Brian), and the Cookie Monster all phoned in. During the third period, someone started an "Oliver" chant, to which the crowd responded "Twist." While this was amusing, the person leading the chant continued it for way too long, annoying a good chunk of the section. There was also a "Dirty Yoopers" chant, which also offended some in the section. Overall, not a great crowd, but at least there were people, unlike Bowling Green last week.

The crowd in Game 2 was infinitely better than the first game. The usual leader of the "Goalie Sieve" chant was back, so the chant went off much better than the last game. The "Oliver Twist" chant never got going, much to the joy of most of the section.
For the phone chant, Mom, Dad, Gordon Bombay (Mighty Ducks Films), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Jolly Green Giant, the Girl Scouts of America, Tom Izzo, and the John Deere Tractor company all phoned in to say that Stewart sucked. A very well done selection overall. The one exception to the norm in the section was that the Swedish flag was not in attendance. Look for it to most likely be back during Notre Dame.

In terms of the NCAA tournament, Michigan must now win the CCHA tournament to make it in after splitting this series. Don't look for an at large bid even with a run in the CCHA tournament.

Look for a Notre Dame preview on Wednesday.

Meat Handles only please...

Tonight's theme is B list actors. Please B list handles only. When I say B list I mean like... Andy Dick or... Skeet Ulrich. Light camera... LIVE BLOG!

Game 1: Northern Michigan 3 Michigan 1
Scoring Summary: Hanson (Olver, Brown, 1st, 1-0 NMU) PP, Fox (Brown, Butcher, 1st, 2-0 NMU), Hagelin (Rust, Glendening, 1st, NMU 2-0), Brown (Unassisted, 3rd, 3-0 NMU) EN

Game 2: Michigan 5 Northern Michigan 4
Scoring Summary: Hanson (Unassisted, 1st, 1-0 NMU), Glendening (Caporusso, Moffie, 2nd, 1-1), Lynch (Unassisted, 2nd, 2-1 M), Florek (Olver, Cherniwchen, 2nd 2-2), Winnet (Rust, Hagelin, 2nd, 3-2 M) PP, Gustafsson (Cherniwchen, 3rd, 3-3), Brown (Fernandez, Spady, 3rd, 4-3 NMU), Langlais (Lebler, Caporusso, 3rd, 4-4) PP, Pateryn (Caporusso, 3rd, 5-4 M)

All stats courtesy of CCHA.com

Game 1 was just a frustrating exhibition of bad hockey combined with a couple of other things. Hogan gave up two soft goals to open the game while Hagelin got one when Stewart practically knocked the puck into his own net after misplaying the shot. Second Period consisted of practically nothing, while the third consisted of a bunch of frustration. Michigan was unable to capitalize on a number of chances, including a 33 second 5-3. After the first penalty expired, both refs inexplicably missed a blatant interference call, and then called Kevin Lynch for boarding on a somewhat suspect call. NMU put away the game with an empty netter as Hogan left just as Michigan gave the puck back to NMU. Overall a disaster, especially considering Michigan had 8 power play opportunities and failed to capitalize on every single one.

Game 2 was much better than game 1 to say the least. Michigan winning definitely helped that, but it was also a much better game overall in terms of play. While making the same irritating mistakes from game 1, Michigan at least this time continued to play hard and actually score in response to Northern's goals. Michigan gave up the first goal, scored the next two, gave up the next goal, scored again, then gave up two, and then scored two. Basically a back and forth game that depended on which team either played worse or who had the breaks go their way. A much better game played by Michigan than game 1 in terms of offense.

The crowd in Game 1 was somewhat lackluster. The cowbells didn't show up until after the game had started, so the horns at the top of section 17 filled in for the cowbell's job in the pregame.
For the phone chant, Mom, Dad, Rich Rod, MGoBrian (that Brian), and the Cookie Monster all phoned in. During the third period, someone started an "Oliver" chant, to which the crowd responded "Twist." While this was amusing, the person leading the chant continued it for way too long, annoying a good chunk of the section. There was also a "Dirty Yoopers" chant, which also offended some in the section. Overall, not a great crowd, but at least there were people, unlike Bowling Green last week.

The crowd in Game 2 was infinitely better than the first game. The usual leader of the "Goalie Sieve" chant was back, so the chant went off much better than the last game. The "Oliver Twist" chant never got going, much to the joy of most of the section.
For the phone chant, Mom, Dad, Gordon Bombay (Mighty Ducks Films), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Jolly Green Giant, the Girl Scouts of America, Tom Izzo, and the John Deere Tractor company all phoned in to say that Stewart sucked. A very well done selection overall. The one exception to the norm in the section was that the Swedish flag was not in attendance. Look for it to most likely be back during Notre Dame.

In terms of the NCAA tournament, Michigan must now win the CCHA tournament to make it in after splitting this series. Don't look for an at large bid even with a run in the CCHA tournament.

Look for a Notre Dame preview on Wednesday.

Of all the sports personalities who were weighing in on the Tiger Woods statement, only UM grad Dana Jacobson was smart enough to point out that it was probably part of his rehab process. A visit to 12step.org reveals the following:

Step 9- Made direct amends to people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Tiger did just that today. His apologies and mea culpas, along with the stern statement that the private details would remain between him and his family, left no room for the media to rationally complain. They will anyway, but his statement and its delivery was very impressive.

The Golf Writers' Association of America "boycotted" the statement, because they would not be allowed to ask questions, but they aren't really "boycotting" anything because Tiger will always be their lead story whenever possible. Before the statement, the media, especially the GWAA, reminded me of a bunch of teenagers pissed at their parents for not getting them Hannah Montana tickets. Afterwards, though, many of the press seems to have lightened up on their original statements of bile.

There will always be an element in the press who will tear into Tiger like a pack of jackals; that's just the way a lot of "journalism" is nowadays. It's sorta like what the Michigan MSM to do RR, but on a global level. For every piece of garbage like Rosenpuke, there are probably a hundred Stephen A Smiths out there attacking Tiger; think of RR being attacked by a hundred freeps. Smith, like Rosenpuke, though, realizes that he is mediocre at best, shouldn't really have a job in the industry, and is doing anything he can to create controversy and therefore traffic, thus making his employment profitable for his employers.

I would love to see those who use their positions in the MSM as a bully pulpit to criticize Tiger have the 'nads to get up in front of a national TV audience and confess to their most embarassing personal moments. It wouldn't make for good TV, though, because most MSM people seem to lead insipid lives which wouldn't be of interest to anyone outside their circles of friends and acquaintences.

Anyway, congratulations to Tiger for a courageous statement and good luck to him in his continuing therapy. I hope the media give him and his family the privacy for which he asked.

We now return to UM coverage.

Team: Northern Michigan
Record: 10-8-6 (CCHA) 14-10-8 (Overall)
Time: Friday February 19 and Saturday February 20, 7:35 PM EST
Where: Yost Ice Arena
Television: FSD+ (Friday), Comcast (Saturday)

Well, Michigan basically blew its chances of making the NCAA tournament without winning the CCHA tournament; however, the last few games are still crucial, as Michigan can still secure 4th place and a 1st round bye. Michigan currently sits 2 points back of Northern Michigan. Northern Michigan is currently in 5th place, tied with Alaska, while Michigan sits in 7th. Basically, Michigan needs to sweep this series and Notre Dame in order to have a secure grasp on 4th place.

Northern Michigan is backstopped by Brian Stewart, who sports a 2.49 GAA and a .923 save %. Look for him to start both games this weekend, as he has started the majority of the games for Northern this season.

Tune in on Sunday for a recap of this series as well as the happenings in the student section.

Want the coolest UM shoes on the planet? Well they are on sale at Finishline.com. Looks like only 10 and 10.5 are the only sizes left. They were $80 but have been cut in half to $40. I just got my in the mail and they are pretty awesome. I plan on taking them to fan day to have them signed. I doubt I will ever wear them, even though I would love to wear them to a game. Here is a shot of mine.


Site News: Live Blog tonight 12:00am est.
Jen News: She was drunk but became sober towards the end.

Now that recruiting is over, it's already time to start looking forward to the upcoming season. From precocious recruits to redshirts itching to get into the action, I have noticed one common thread: swagger. Michigan lost its swagger when it was traumatized by Appy State, and really hadn't gotten it back as of last season. Besides, Lloyd Carr definitely discouraged individual displays during his tenure, and tried very hard to ensure that his team never suffered from "overconfidence."

From Demar Doresy to Cam Gordon's move to safety to RR's signing day presser, the prevailing them is that the players have talent, nobody was recruited to be a backup, and UM will be back. This new generation of UM players could end up being the trash-talkingest team we have seen in the Maize and Blue since the Fab Five. It could add fuel to the fire of the "old guard" who hate RR and everything he stands for, and some may see it as a slap in the face of tradition, but I think it is about time that UM fully entered the new millenium.

I would love to see Michigan become a very confident, in your face team. I would be thoroughly entertained if they became like the old championship Miami teams but without the fatigues, cocaine, Mr T starter kit jewelry, or orange jumpsuits. When both sides of the ball start to click, it can be very demoralizing for opponents. Since opponents already hate UM for no reason anyway, why not do everything you can to get into their heads? Swagger is the best way to knock an opponent off of his game.

If everyone wants to percieve UM as arrogant, great: knock them to the ground, talk trash and maybe step on them a little while they are down there, and don't help them back up. The last two years, too many teams have "made their seasons" at Michigan's expense. It's about time to go debt collecting, and this year looks like the real beginning of the RR era at UM. There are just enough pieces in place now to get back to the level of PSU and OSU. This team really shouldn't lose to teams like Iowa, Wiscy, Purdue, MSU, or Illinois anymore.

The last two years, this team has pissed off a lot of people; sadly, it has been their own fans. Hopefully, it is time for opponents to be the ones who go away angry. And a little Maize and Blue swagger from will be just what other teams deserve for acting like they won the National Championship everytime they beat Michigan.

It is time for Michigan to regain their status as an elite team. Let the trash-talking begin.

Mgoblog poster Irish has been exposed. Irish went to UM! This was brought to light during our Live Blog. Many people have always been curious about why Irish hangs out at Mgoblog when he is suppose to be an Irish fan. Mgo__ did some digging and... Well The shit hit the fan...

Loveeee: irish....you went to M (confirmed) but you are not an M fan. . .
12:59
The Other Brian: Sounds like Rosenberg...
12:59
Loveeee: that makes my stomach hurt
12:59
irish: lol
12:59
Loveeee: THAT is why you're on mgoblog
12:59

The Shredder: is this true?
12:59
Loveeee: yes shredder it is
12:59
SCS100: why are we ganging up on irish?
12:59
Loveeee: i found him out
12:59
Tater: Maybe Irish is Rosenberg
12:59
irish: lol
12:59
Loveeee: we're not, i'll save that for a one-on-one holllllllla
12:59
The Hulk: GET HIM!
1:00
Loveeee: i got this
1:00
The Hulk: u would.....
1:00
Seth9: How did we learn that Irish went to Michigan??
1:00

The Shredder: Breaking news on MM.. It will be going across the twitter
1:00
Loveeee: because i'm a girl
1:00
Tater: cool
1:00
osdihg: because he was talking about that physics professor
1:00
Loveeee: and girl's listen really well
1:00
SCS100: did you sleep with him?
1:00
Loveeee: NO
1:00
SCS100: *sorry irish
1:00
Loveeee: but he asked a queswtion
1:00
Tater: why not
1:00
irish: lol
1:00

The Shredder: take a nap with him?
1:00
Loveeee: yesssssssssssssssssss
1:01
Loveeee: only if we can spoon
1:01
The Hulk: they spooned
1:01
Loveeee: YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
1:01
irish: lol
1:01
osdihg: spoon vs. scissor
1:01
Tater: Freep: Jen and Irish spoon: RR should be fired

Anyone some of you may know, I sit in Section 17 during games at Yost this year. I am trying to provide insight into how we operate as a section in my reviews of the games, providing some of the more interesting chants, not just the ones that we use on a regular basis. Today, I'm going to give a complete overview of how the section works.

Pregame:
I usually arrive about 7:10 to listen to the band warm up and maybe catch the end of the pregame skate. Most of the students don't begin to arrive until about 7:20 to 7:25. A few students will bring in giant stacks of newspapers for the student section to read. Students are supposed to hide their faces while the opposing team's starting lineup is announced, because old news is much more interesting than the starting lineup of the opposing team. Once the lineup for the opposing team is finished, students crumple of their newspaper into a ball and throw it into the air, preferably at the nearest opposing fan in the section (if there is one). Michigan's lineup is introduced (occasionally accompanied by the giant Swedish flag), and the anthem is played (with some students doing the fist pump on the "hailed" of the anthem). The band plays "Let's Go Blue" and the game is underway.

1st Period:
Right after the band finishes their part of "Let's Go Blue" the cowbells are brought out for their segment. This is followed by someone in the section shouting the opposing goalie's name really loud, followed by the section chanting "Sieve!" For example, in the Bowling Green game, it went "Eno," "Sieve." This is done three times, and then done very fast three or four times, and then done once very drawn out, the objective being to shout as long as possible. Later on in the period, someone will start the other version of the sieve chant, which goes "Hey (goalie's name here), you're not a goalie, you're a sieve! You're not a sieve, you're a funnel! You're not a funnel, you're a vacuum! You're not a vacuum, you're a black hole! You're not a black hole, you just suck, you just suck, you just suck, you suck!" Chant "Ugly Goalie" if the opposing team's goalie takes his mask off and cheer when he puts it back on. As the teams exit after the first period, the band play "The Victors" and everyone sits down.

1st Intermission:
Attempt to get the little kids on the Zambonis to throw their shoes onto the ice

2nd Period:
Band plays "The Victors" as the teams come onto the ice and the same version of "Let's Go Blue" as the beginning of the game. Not much occurs here, as the opposing goaltender is on the opposite side of the ice. Chant "Handsome Goalie" if Hogan takes his mask off and make an upset noise when he puts it back on. If the band plays the William Tell Overture, everyone holds out a hand like they are riding a horse and rides to the music. Ending is the same as the 1st period.

2nd Intermission:
Dance (if you want to) to whatever music the band is playing before the band plays "I Can't Turn You Loose," known colloquially as the Blues Brothers Theme. Everyone at that point dances to the song.

3rd Period: Intro is the same as the 2nd period, while the chants are similar to the 1st period. The band will play "Temptation" at some point, and the section points at Hogan saying "Goalie" and the opposing goalie saying "Sieve" in tune to the song. Later on, the band will play the "Rocky and Bullwinkle Theme" in which everyone takes their hands and places them on their heads like antlers and dances to the music. Followed by a "Moose, Sieve!" chant. Chant either "On your feet" or "Stand up old people" if the team is winning toward the end of the game. Cowbell will count down the dying seconds of the game. Sing "The Victors" at the end.

Postgame:
Gather in a circle and sing The Victors and the Alma Mater.

Other chants throughout the game (not listed above):
C-Ya: Probably the most famous of Yost Chants, it consists of a string of obscenities as an opposing player is sent to the penalty box. Begins after the player steps in the box.
Goal Count: After Michigan scores, students hold up the number of fingers that relates to the number of times Michigan has scored. After the PA announcer finishes the summary, someone in the band shouts "Goal Count!" At which points the students respond "Ready, 1" or 1- however many goals Michigan has scored and then continues with "We want moooore goals, Sieve (x7), it's all your fault (x4)" and then the cowbells play Go Blue.
Go Blue on Cowbells: Cowbells play a tune in which everyone claps along and responds "Go Blue!"
Let's Go Blue (without band): Everyone chants this as the cowbells are hit on the off beat (when no one is speaking). Need to see it live to really understand what it is.
Penalty Over: As a power play winds down for an opponent, someone will start a slow clap with the cowbell at the 20 second mark, and speed it up until the powerplay is over, leading into the Go Blue on Cowbells.
Phone Chant: Someone will shout out, "Hey (Goalie or player name here), you're mom called and she said..." followed by the students chanting "You Suck!" Can get very drawn out. Look for listings of the phone chant in my reviews of games at Yost. Ended with "Hey (name here), you just suck (x5)."
Ref You Suck (main version) and Ref You Suck (alternate version): Ref you suck (main version) consists of the cowbells being played in an alternate fashion followed by students saying "Ref You Suck." The alternate version consists of the same tune as Let's Go Blue (without the band) but instead of saying "Let's Go Blue" the students will say "Ref You Suck."
Ugly Parents: Students will chant "Ugly Parents" after the opposing team has scored, pointing toward the only section that stands after the opposing team has scored, which is where the opposing team's parents/fans sit.
Whoop Chant: When the puck is in the opposing team's zone on a power play for them, the entire student section will make a whooping sound until the puck is cleared out of the zone.

There are other chants that can be used, and I will list them in reviews of games as they come up, but these are the main ones that will not be listed in reviews of games. Do not hesitate to correct me if I have forgotten something.

Game 1: UNO 4 Michigan 3
Scoring Summary: Brown (Langlais, Kampfer, 1st, M 1-0) PP, Martin (Ambroz, 1st, 1-1), Martin (Fanto, Ambroz, 1st, UNO 2-1), Broadhurst (Martin, Purslow, 1st, UNO 3-1) PP, Caporusso (Glendening, Llewellyn, 2nd, UNO 3-2), Broadhurst (Olimb, Ambroz, 2nd, UNO 4-2) PP, Kampfer (Hagelin, Rust, 3rd, UNO 4-3)
Shots: Michigan 32, UNO 31

Game 2: UNO 4 Michigan 1
Scoring Summary: Kemp (Fanto, Broadhurst, 1st, UNO 1-0) PP, Willert (Richardson, Broadhurst, 2nd, UNO 2-0), Swanson (Richardson, Koehler, 3rd, UNO 3-0), Swanson (Richardson, Olimb, 3rd, UNO 4-0), Caporusso (Glendening, Hagelin, 3rd, UNO 4-1)
Shots: Michigan 37, UNO 28

All stats courtesy of CCHA.com

Game 1 featured Michigan blowing a 5 minute power play at the end of the game to tie it up by taking a couple of penalties that wiped parts of it out.
Game 2 had Michigan just not doing well at all. Too many turnovers, too many penalties, and just a bad game all around.

Well, Michigan's tournament chances are just about shot, unless they pull off an incredible run in the CCHA tournament and reach the finals. They now sit 7th in the CCHA standings, 2 points behind Alaska and Northern Michigan for the 5th spot. Michigan plays two games against Northern Michigan this weekend at Yost. Tune in on Thursday for a preview of Northern Michigan and an updated Parwise rankings.

Today, AnnArbor.com printed a seemingly innocuous letter to the editor which states that UM is at a crossroads where they must decide whether to "lower their standards." There is no direct reference to Demar Dorsey, but the inference is that UM is lowering their standards to compete with the "big boys" in college football. There is no direct reference to Dorsey in the "story," but when combined with their questionable headline concerning McCabe's article, it definitely reeks of an anti-UM bias.

For those who didn't see the McCabe link, A2.com linked to his column in their "grab-bag" of links on Thursday or Friday, with "concern over Dorsey grows" in the headline. One terrible column from a hack who has been there for twenty years and hasn't been given a promotion to real sportswriting in that time does not constitute "growing concern."

To me, this means that the media continues to find creative ways to beat on the dead horse non-story of the recruitment of Demar Dorsey. I find it reprehensible that even the hometown media outlet is still finding ways to trash the University of Michigan over his recruitment. It's like Dorsey has suddenly become Tim Tebow in reverse; he is now a scapegoat and he hasn't even enrolled yet. I hope Dorsey comes in and finds out that 99 percent of the community is happy to see him at UM and that the media only represents outsiders who have an anti-UM agenda.

There is good news there, though. Apparently, they have hired Andy Reid from the Michigan Daily, and he is going by his full name, Andrew Reid. I have been a fan of his coverage of UM for the Daily, and have long contended that he is the best sportswriter in the market right now. His first piece is a fluff piece about local winter sports, but I hope they allow him to do what he does best soon.

Maybe we will soon have a Michigan Man covering the University of Michigan.

The blog Touch the Banner ran by the tough but softy(on the inside) Thunder(or Magnus)did a puff piece on Midnight Maize and I just wanna say thanks for the plug and props

For Those Who Love MS Paint...

...and really, who doesn't?...there's a blog out there named Midnight Maize.

Midnight Maize is a new Michigan blog to me, although when I looked at the site, it looks like it started back in August. Midnight Maize is run mainly by a poster named The Shredder, who has been a regular on MGoBlog. Most posts seem to be football related, although there is some basketball and hockey content as well.

The reason I point out Midnight Maize is that they recently posted an interview with Andre Yruretagoyena, an offensive lineman from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, AZ. If that school name rings a bell, that's because OT Taylor Lewan and DE Craig Roh both came to Michigan from Chaparral in the class of 2009. His only other FBS offers came from Arizona and Arizona State, so Michigan got in on him early.

With Michigan likely looking for three to four offensive linemen in the class of 2011, perhaps Yruretagoyena can confuse Big Ten Network announcers in the near future.

User Vicious:
good read, decent interview. the person conducting the interview should REALLY change his name from "Lupe Fiasco" it was very confusing. (lupe fiasco is a rapper)

Team: Nebraska Omaha
Record: 10-11-3 (CCHA) 14-12-6 (Overall)
Time: Friday February 12 and Saturday February 13, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Qwest Center Omaha, NE
Television: CBS College Sports

Coming off of Michigan's split series sweep against Bowling Green, Michigan travels to Nebraska to take on UNO. UNO currently sits in a tie for 5th place in the CCHA standings with Alaska, with a total of 35 points. Michigan sits in 4th with 37 points, and also has two games in hand against UNO.

UNO is backstopped by John Faulkner and Jeremie Dupont. In their last few games, UNO has used a goalie rotation, so do not be surprised to see both goalies this weekend. Faulkner sports a 2.56 GAA and a .903 Save %, while Dupont sports a 3.14 GAA and a .882 Save %.

Michigan needs to at least split this series, if not sweep it. They are currently ranked 19th in the Parwise Rankings and 19th in RPI. Michigan needs to be ranked at least 15th to be considered a bubble team.*

Tune in on Sunday for a (very brief) recap of both games.

*The Parwise Rankings are here. For an explanation of the Parwise Rankings, click here.

Tonight we give thanks to Canada for no reason. Canada handles only please.

Tomorrow our Wolverines travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers (7 pm. Espn). Minnesota(14-8, 5-5) is probably a team that needs another signature win to have a legitimate shot of making the NCAA Tournament. This is the first meeting for these two teams this season.

Minnesota is coming off a two point win at Penn St. on Saturday. This is a team that has lost 4 of its last 6 but in all fairness two of those losses were against Michigan St. The Gophers are led in scoring by the two guards, Lawrence Westbrook and Blake Hoffarber. Ralph Sampson III clogs up the middle and could potentially provide some matchup problems for Michigan. Minnesota is without guard Al Nolen for the season, suspended due to academic issues, so they will need someone else to step up and score for them.

We all remember what happened the last time Michigan ventured into Minnesota. The Wolverines pulled out a huge road victory to wrap up their first birth in the NCAA tournament in 10 years. Well a year has gone by, and right now it looks like it will be another 10 years before we see the tournament again. The Wolverines offensive game plan will be, let Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims combine to score 40 points and pray to God that you can get 20 points from any combination of the rest of the team. We are a team that has lost 2 in a row and 5 of 6, we need a win to even think about making the NIT.

Last time I wrote a prediction for this blog, we were blown out at home. I stupidly predicted a Michigan win. Well fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I realize stranger things have happened, but I wouldn’t bet any money on us winning this game.

Prediction: Minnesota 65 Michigan 56

Mr.Roh, Dad of Michigan stud LB Craig Roh spoke out about the Freep targeting Dorey and his family.

As the parent of a UM football player, this makes me livid. It is unimaginable that a "home town" newspaper would take a shot at a recruit like the Free Press did. The last trumped up scandal with the excess practice time was bad enough. It's one thing to take shots at the coach, its another thing to take a shot at an 18 year old high school senior. This is borderline child abuse and clear-cut racism. Do you think they would have done the article on a white kid from Scottsdale, Az?

To give you all another perspective....Craig grew up in a predominately white, high socio economic high school. He's had plenty of opportunities to see the other side of life, in club basketball and other venues.We sent him to a public high school rather than private to give him more real life experience. He could have gone to Stanford or any of the Ivy League schools and been surrounded by smart, "predominately white" football players. That was not his goal or ours as his parents. It was/is our goal that Craig experience a variety of people, cultures, etc. and be able to reach out and help others not as fortunate as him. We believed UM could be the place where he could get great football and experience a wider variety of life.

Dorsey sounds like a kid who has made mistakes, but is ready to move on. I, for one, look forward to my son having the opportunity to be part of his future success in any way that he can help!

After watching this basketball season you just hope that the new class coming in can make something happen. The class is ranked 24th right now by ESPN and would take a major boost if Trey Ziegler committed. Trey seems to be keeping things close to the vest and not much is known other than that UM is in a nice spot for him but with Duke coming on strong and even his Dad's team CMU he will be a tough land. Maybe I am putting to much into this but this video makes me feel like our chances are lessening.



He talked about CMU being a winner and being at the top of the MAC. This is either a good interview response or winning is a big factor in where he will end up. With Michigan looking pretty much awful this year and next year could be that "rebuilding year"... Will Trey really want to come here? He would be a huge scoring boost and a kid that could help right away. I don't know if Manny has anything to do with his verbal to Michigan but if winning is his top priority then our chances may be slipping lower and lower.

We need him bad for he future and even next year but if he goes else where I hope John has a back up plan.

Useless info: I saw Trey while reffing a girls Mt.Pleasant game. He has nice size at 6'5". That is all.

Midnight Maize Foot Clan note: I now set up a feed to the twitter and the Book of Faces so now when you post it will go to both in auto style.. boooooyea!

Score: Michigan 4 Bowling Green 0
Scoring Summary: Caporusso (Wohlberg, Brown, 2nd), Caporusso (Langlais, 3rd), Lebler (Brown, 3rd), Burlon (Rust, Lynch, 3rd)*
Shots: Michigan 40 Bowling Green 21
All stats courtesy of CCHA.com

Overall, a very well played game by Michigan. They dominated for the most part and Hogan was sharp when he had to be. Nice to see Louie start scoring again, the team will need his scoring touch if they hope to really succeed in the CCHA tournament. After a slow start, Michigan got one goal in a really good second period and then dominated the third, scoring three times, twice in the last 5 minutes of the game. In a strange quirk, according to the Michigan Daily, Eno somehow broke his pads and Bowling Green was forced to place their backup, Hammond, into the game. Hammond was responsible for all 4 goals by Michigan.

Crowd Aspects:
The crowd was pretty much nonexistent owing to several factors: the snow wreaking havoc on people trying to get to and from the game, the beginning of midterms for students, and the odd timing of a Tuesday night game. Those who did show up did a fine job and made it a much less boring affair than it could have been. The Giant Swedish Flag made it to the game, along with someone who walked in wearing snow shoes. Also appearing was a Yellow M&M, who participated in Score-O and missed both shots.

Crowd Chants for the game (This will be a staple so long as I can remember what we said during the game. Note that the usual "Sieve (both versions), Goal Count, C-Ya," etc. chants will not be mentioned):
Phone Chant: Mom, Dad, Garfield, The Great Pumpkin, Traffic Card (not quite sure what it was), an Oompa Loompa, and the Cast of Jersey Shore all decided to phone in.
The alternate version of "Ref You Suck"
Ugly Goalie
Ugly Jerseys

* The scoring format from here on out will be Goal (Assist, Assist, Period Number in which the goal was scored).

So a thread on The Mothership got me thinking today. Some people believe that Devin Gardner should get some playing time next year. Some other people even believe that Gardner should be the starting QB. I have a question for these people. Did you watch any of 2009 and more specifically the beginning of the season. Tate Forcier was amazing, the two game winning touchdown drives, the way he marched M down the field the very first time he stepped on it. He was an absolute joy to watch. I screamed myself horse watching the Notre Dame game, not from anger but from sheer joy at watching this kid play.

Now as we all know, a lot of Forcier’s problems stemmed from the injury he received in the Indiana game. He played through a large part of the year with a partially torn labrum. Now think about this, even though he is just a little guy, think of how tough you would have to be to play though pain, while getting knocked around because your offensive line can’t protect you. I can’t speak for any other Michigan fans out there, but you would have to be nuts to want to see anybody else taking snaps next year. The zone read was a problem for Forcier, who often would make the wrong reads, but with another year of experience isn’t it reasonable to assume that he will be able to execute the zone read much better. If he improves just a little bit, think of how much better this offense will be. Keep in mind this was by no means a bad offense last year.

So then what happens to Denard? I think at least for next year he continues to play Quarterback. My hope is that Rich Rod will install a WolverineCat package for Denard. If he can learn how to execute the zone read, I think a WolverineCat package could be extremely effective. Denard’s biggest problem last year was that he made poor reads. I think that a year in the film room with the coaches will allow him to make much better reads. I also (along with everyone else) expect the coaches to experiment with Denard at other positions, whether it be slot receiver or running back.

So where does this leave Mr. Gardner? Hopefully on the bench taking notes for the first year. Fwiw I think this kid is going to be amazing, but I hate the idea of starting a freshman three years in a row. I do think that in the event of a Forcier injury Gardner probably burns his redshirt.

Michigan Hoops preview coming tomorrow.

Well, the news became "official" on WTKA this morning. As broken by TOB on the MM chat last night, the freep lied to Demer Dorsey about the intent of their story by telling him they were going to write a "redemption" story, but lied and chose instead to use his interview as part of yet another installment of their fusilade of Phillipics against the University of Michigan.

As they should be, the Dorsey family and Dorsey's HS coach are extremely upset by this utter lack of ethics on the part of the freep. According to TOB and TKA, The Wolverine tried to contact Dorsey to give him a chance to air his side of the story, and his HS coach said that his family is so upset with the Freep won't allow him to talk to any more reporters.

I truly hope that the Dorsey family reads the UM sports blogs and decides to give somebody, anybody, an interview. If they peruse the main blogs, they will definitely see that most of the UM blogoshpere is almost as angry with the freep as they are. Hopefully, they will sort through the blogs and decide to contact whichever one they decide will treat them fairly. We all know three or four blogs who could do a wonderful interview with Dorsey.

In a move that is woefully deficient in even Journalism 101 ethics or professionalism, the freep has chosen to lie to a HS student and use their media as a bully pulpit for their anti-RR, anti-UM agenda. Apparently, the freep cares nothing about the effects of their lies and malicious intent upon an 18 year-old trying to better himself or the family that is trying to support his goals.

The freep is a pile of toxic waste. It should be isolated, neutralized, quarantined, and buried so deep that Jimmy Hoffa will turn up before it is ever seen again. They lie, they cheat, they maliciously attack those to whom they are supposed to show objectivity, and they do it all for personal reasons. Inexplicably, their overwhelmed and intellectually overmatched editor continues to allow the freep to make a mockery of the journalstic standards they are sworn to uphold.

I can only hope that the freep either mercy-kills itself or visits Dr Kevorkian. It obviously won't be around in another year or two, anyway, but someone needs to step in and minimize the damage they are doing to the innocent citizens they abuse in the name of "reporting."

If there is anyone here who doesn't boycott the freep, please start. And please tell all of your friends who are UM fans to do the same. Even if you want to make your opinion heard, don't do it there. First of all, they don't care what you think. Secondly, each time you click on anything they write it makes them money, either directly or indirectly.

The final and most important reason for boycotting the freep: you will be smarter for not having read it.

I just want to introduce two new members of Midnight Maize. I know both have posted some great stuff already but they deserve a welcome post.

Lupe will be taking over our recruiting on midnight maize. He already has gone above and beyond the call of duty by making us a Twitter and a Book of Faces and running them both. He also scored a great interview with 2011 prospect Andre Yruretagoyena(read below). Lupe has been on the Mgoblog boards for a long while and knows his recruiting. I am looking forward to the great interviews and I hope breaking news he bring to our site.

SCS100 will be our Hockey guy. He will be doing previews and reviews. My hockey is very limited and it's great to have a hockey puck on the site who can give people their hockey fix. SCS100 should have some pretty good stuff since he sits right down in the student section during every game.

Please welcome these guys with open arms and please comment on their posts. They work very hard on them.

Site News
-I will be back with a Live blog Tonight 12am.
-New Banner up. Still working out some bugs
-I will have a post soon about the time I met Mr.Carr(This week is crazy for me).
-The Other Brian from Genuinely Sarcastic dropped in and gave some news on us about the Freep. He gave us the green light to post it here. I will try and get it up tomorrow but it does not look to good. I sleep from 9am to 4pm and than I need to hurry to my game I am officiating and then back to work again...ugh. Maybe one of the others will get it up but if not I will have it up tomorrow night.
-Jen is no longer drunk but maybe wasted by Friday. She is also heading to bed for 78th time.

We had a poll in the last live blog to determine the theme for tonight. "Porno" had a strong start but the Hangover came on strong and beat out Porno. Dark Blue was pretty bummed about it but maybe in the near future we can a have Porno theme. So please Hangover handles only. If you haven't seen the movie then you have been living in a cave or must be age 80.

Tony Dearing's response to the letters of my friends and I didn't mean he agreed with me or "bought" my logic, but it did indicate something very important: he does pay attention to numbers. If my extremely small private group can affect a change at A2.com, what could as many as even twenty people do?

Most UM comment fields contain between two and twenty comments. If even twenty people from the UM fan community started posting on A2.com, even one-sentence posts, we could double the volume and drastically change the ratio of positive posts to negative posts. If most of us posted two times, we could add forty to each thread. Trolls are going to troll, but multiple people posting opinions that oppose those of the "vile, multifaced troll" while not acknowleging his/her presence would keep the troll from kidnapping most of the threads.

So, I would propose that anyone who wants to help do the following:

1. Post in every UM article. If we are going to read them anyway, we might as well post. It only takes another minute or two.

2. Unless it is really neccessary to the style of your post, try not to mention the troll. I occasionally mention trolling in general, but the troll loves it if he/she can suck you into personal arguments. I have gotten to a point where I often post and don't bother to read anyone else's posts to keep from being baited into personal arguments. It has taken me two years to get to this point.

3. If the troll does mention MSU, don't be afraid to mention the Great Frathouse Beatdown, Misdemeanor State, Saint Dantonio, or Orange Jumpsuits. If this is repugnant to you, don't do it, but it does help create a "brand name" for Sparty, the same way Spartan trolls try to create a vulgar "brand name" for Michigan. And none of these phrases are on the level of the standard Sparty slams, because they are not vulgar or obscene. Also, all of the phrases contain at least a little bit of documented truth.

4. Most importantly, if the troll does anything that is the least bit questionalble, flag the post. Dearing has shown that he pays attention to numbers. It appears that if he sees enough of his readers objecting to a comment, he will act on it. It may be fun to flag all of the troll's posts. Twenty flags on each post would be quite entertaining.

Some of you probably don't care about this. Many probably believe in "turn the other cheek" or "we're better than that." We are better than that, but we do need to neutralize the behavior of the trolls who ruin the enjoyment of UM articles for fans and possibly have a deleterious effect on the University's image to a reader who doesn't know better.

Am I suggesting that we sink to Sparty's level? Of course not. I am not suggesting that we use vulgarity, blatant or subtle, nor am I suggesting that we make post after bilious hate post. But I am suggesting that we do something to combat and balance the troll's two main objectives: hijacking all UM threads by turning them into personal arguments/referendums on RR's hiring and having a negative effect upon the image of the University.

Five or ten trolling posts out of fifteen total is a great percentage. It gives the illusion to outsiders that many people hate UM or RR. If we can get an extra twenty, thirty, or more pro-UM posts in each thread without being personal with the troll, we can make a difference in the overall projection of the University and its sports teams to those who read the threads.

When this happens, the troll will do two things: either realize that he/she has lost or start trolling so obviously that when we flag his/her posts, we create a pattern that Dearing cannot continue to ignore. I haven't read the troll's posts for awhile, but macabre sunset, salinegoblue, and walmartwolverine were his/her main A2.com identities; I'm sure there are at least five new ones now. I have seen a couple more but haven't paid enough attention to remember them at the moment. Since the writing style is always the same, he/she will become quite easy to recognize.

Anyway, I plan to continue to try and neutralize the trolling. If as many as twenty people joined me, we could have a lot of fun and make A2.com a lot more fun for UM fans.

Most of all, we might show enough numbers to make MSU grad Dave Birkett think twice before he pulls a Rosenberg or Sharp at RR's next presser.

One of the most common things I read about the comments fields of A2.com or mlive.com is complaints that "I don't bother reading the comments anymore because it is full of trolls and idiots." I have posted on both sites for about three years now, and most UM articles are ruined by one troll with a lot of names. So, of course, I have fought back.

At first, I sunk to their level, combatting "scUM" with scuMSUcker, and "DickRod" with "Bag-Tonio." After reading mgoblog enough, I decided to show more class than they have, and now routinely respond to negative comments about Michigan with "Misdemeanor State" and 'Saint Dantonio."

My main problem with what happens at both sites was cited by Jonathan Chait last week: the headlines, articles, and comments are read not only by the general public, but by recruits and their parents, too. I remember during RR's first year when a national article cited "fan unrest" after sampling the comments in a couple of UM articles. Most of the negative ones were written by one person under about five names that day, and totalled about two thirds of the comments. The main point here is that the volume of negative posts in the comment fields of UM articles shed the University in a bad light to much of the public.

So, I have tried, with help from a couple of posters, to balance the misinformation of the trolls with information that is more advantageous to the University. Also, I have tried to balance it by posting in the MSU stories, figuring that if they get to ruin ours, someone needs to retaliate so that they don't feel that they can pollute UM stories with utter impugnity.

This weekend, I recieved an email from Tony Dearing, who runs A2.com. He told me that I had "lost perspective" and wanted me to not only refrain from using the phrase "Misdemeanor State," but refrain from "attacking MSU" altogether. I immediately posted the email and my two-part response to my private Yahoo community, The Maize Page, and asked them to voice their displeasure to his email addy.

Dearing, to his credit, actually changed his tune a little bit, and decided to allow everything that he had told me not to do, and encouraged me to flag any post that contained the phrases "DickRod" or "scUM." What does this mean to UM fans? I will explore that in the next post.