OT Thank You MGOBLOG
I know that this isn't normal content and if this should be a diary I do apologize mods. I want to thank everyone here, the mods and the members for helping create a wonderful and fun community of Michigan fans. This site has provided us with distractions from reality that has been most welcome.
I am a teacher at Oxford High school and the past few years have been a roller coaster of emotion to put it lightly. This football team, in particular Team 144, have been a bright spot. This site has offered laughs, excitement and villains. It has provided a smile when needed.
Thank you everyone. I may not be an official Wolverine with a degree, but I have been one in spirit my entire life. I cried after losing to Oregon. I yelled at the officials when Trey easily had a clean block. I was at the Big House and cried tears of joy vs OSU in 21 just days before our lives here at Oxford changed forever. I am a Wolverine in my heart and always will be. Thank you again.
GO BLUE
December 8th, 2023 at 1:46 PM ^
This blog and the content and community created has been a daily part of my life for many years. Go Blue and thank you!
December 8th, 2023 at 2:41 PM ^
Amen. I instantly fell in Love with Michigan Football during my freshman year at UM (1964). We came out of nowhere that year to win the Rose Bowl. Over the years I have lived in some very remote places but always managed to follow my beloved Wolverines. Discovering MgoBlog 15 years ago has given me a wonderful home for my Michigan Mania and I am eternally grateful to Brian, Seth and all of the staff (past and present) for this enduring gift. GO BLUE!!!
December 8th, 2023 at 3:27 PM ^
Looks like we've got competition for MGrowOld.
December 8th, 2023 at 3:04 PM ^
Just like Raisin Bran.
December 8th, 2023 at 4:29 PM ^
I see you Mr. Hammer!
December 8th, 2023 at 1:49 PM ^
I think an appreciation thread is a good idea.
Through SignGate, this became my only sports news site for a while (to avoid garbage hot takes), and the connection I've felt to you all has been wonderful.
Thank you!
December 8th, 2023 at 2:02 PM ^
Special shout out to Sopwith, who quite literally kept me sane for a few weeks there.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:18 PM ^
Sopwith. GhostofFritzCrisler with seemingly spot on legal takes (stolen by Tom Mars lol). And the other lawyer poster who put the amicus together - Rym. EvenYouBrutus had a few scoops too iirc. Can't beat the Mgoblog community (or writers for that matter).
December 8th, 2023 at 2:19 PM ^
Yeah, what happened to Sopwith anyway?
December 8th, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
He comes and he goes. I think he gets shot down every now and then...
December 8th, 2023 at 1:49 PM ^
I cried after losing to Oregon.
I was at the Oregon game in 2007 and I remember a lot of.....resignation, coming off the heels of The Horror. It became very apparent that Lloyd was past his prime, and that the staff at the time was apparently content with watching football walk right on by them.
In all seriousness though, for what little role I have in any of this, I am happy to contribute, and I cannot even imagine what you have been through as an educator in Oxford Community Schools.
Thank you.
December 8th, 2023 at 1:56 PM ^
I was at The Horror, and the prevailing emotion was just disbelief.
Followed by some very unhealthy coping. We got home, my roommate dragged the keg into his bedroom, and then we didn’t hear from him again until the next morning. He might have used the bathroom in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t swear to it.
Oregon was initial “well NOW the coaches are paying attention” followed quickly, like you said, by resignation that, oh, I guess a Carr defense really can’t defend ANY mobile QB, not just Troy Smith. It was quite clear that the game had changed, and it was equally clear that we had not.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:25 PM ^
LOL the Oregon game. I had just sat down on the Lay Z Boy to eat a Banquet pot pie when Dixon threw that last bomb to go up 39-7. I stood up fast to scream at the top of my lungs. The pot pie spilled all over my wrist, which sounds benign, but let me tell you those things cook at 450 degrees and it wasn't pretty. Still have a nasty scar 16 years later.
December 8th, 2023 at 3:06 PM ^
I remember noticing at that game that our scoreboard operator couldn't even update the down and distance fast enough to keep up with their offense, let alone our defense.
December 8th, 2023 at 6:56 PM ^
After being married for 12 years, I took my wife to her first Michigan home game. We've been to several road games together.. It was RR first year and I thought for sure I was going to show her a victory against Toledo. Nope, we lost and I just left the stadium shaking my head. I knew then RR was not going to last long here.
December 8th, 2023 at 1:50 PM ^
You're welcome.
December 8th, 2023 at 1:51 PM ^
oxford high school, holy wow. thanks for being an educator, so sorry you had to experience the hell of a school shooting. i'm glad you have been able to find bright spots.
impossible to express true condolences in a place like this, but my utmost respect is yours, OP
December 8th, 2023 at 1:56 PM ^
Definitely not OT.
I'm the same as you, not a grad but have been a Wolverine fan since before I could walk.
Many thanks to everyone on the blog from me as well.
Well...most everyone.
December 8th, 2023 at 1:59 PM ^
This Michigan of Ours.
-- Fielding Yost
Go Blue.
December 8th, 2023 at 3:19 PM ^
And to a slightly lesser extent,
This MGoBlog of ours.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:05 PM ^
Tell your coworker Christa I say hi and Go Blue.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:09 PM ^
I've thought of doing this before and I am glad someone else did it. This site provides good coverage of U-M athletics and was a great respite when the national media were losing their minds over this Signgate bullshit.
We should stop and think for a moment about how this football team has not lost a regular season game in OVER TWO CALENDER YEARS. That level of domination is unheard of in college football. What a great group of players and coaches we have had.
I have been an avid fan for about 25 years and have experienced the worst of times and, now, the best of times. What an extreme joy these last three seasons have been. And how great it is to have this site accompanying us through it all.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:11 PM ^
Ditto from Romeo. Wife's coworkers kids were both there then and the son was the boyfriend of a girl who lost her life. Still affects them to this day and likely always will.
A needed break/refuge here from tribulations. Really fun part is seeing the long rumored Brian laugh/smile on Sam's podcast with Seth and Craig. Like hen's teeth, four leaf clovers and unicorns.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:24 PM ^
I know exactly who you are talking about. I am close with that family. Great people. Not unlike this board.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:11 PM ^
Definitely not OT
December 8th, 2023 at 2:13 PM ^
Agreed. Mgoblog is simply the best football website, college or pro. The depth of their mostly objective analysis in the articles and podcasts is unmatched.
I have learned so much about scheme, play design, etc. since a friend recommended Mgoblog to me 12-ish years ago. Even NFL beat writers and "experts" rarely come close to explaining the how and why of football as well.
Sam Webb's Michigan Insider work on YouTube and podcast is really good too with Borges, Vance and DG breaking down and explaining game tape. We are spoiled by such consistently good content
December 8th, 2023 at 2:14 PM ^
Hear, hear!
Go Blue!
December 8th, 2023 at 2:17 PM ^
I love this place, and couldn't give it up if I tried.
December 8th, 2023 at 5:38 PM ^
It's really bad when family members suspect you are seeing Mgoblog...on the side!
December 8th, 2023 at 2:19 PM ^
As a son of two public school teachers (tenures 42 and 33 years respectively) I salute you, sir. Underpaid and usually underappreciated but such an important part of the community. Thank you.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:20 PM ^
I need to add a special thank you to KansasBlue, who sent me here years ago, and I never looked back. This is a unique and amazing community.
December 8th, 2023 at 7:02 PM ^
I did not even know that Mathlete lived in the same Kansas city, that I did until 2014. I have not seen him post in a long time. I'm not sure if he still lives here any longer?
December 8th, 2023 at 2:22 PM ^
I couldn't have gotten through all this without you guys/gals. The last 3 years have been much, much more enjoyable spending it here!
December 8th, 2023 at 2:28 PM ^
Sure the site is great but when is the camping trip going to happen?
December 8th, 2023 at 2:29 PM ^
God bless you, CDat33.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:32 PM ^
In addition to all of the nice things said about the community that Brian and his team have built here, I must acknowledge that this site is the thing that has helped prevent me from jumping off of the proverbial cliff during many dark times over the past 10+ years (Rich Rod years, Hoke Minnesota, 2016 OSU, SignGate). Many thanks to all, Go Blue!
December 8th, 2023 at 2:37 PM ^
My cousin-in-law and fellow UM alum is a teacher in Oxford as well.
Once upon a time, I'd do regular updates of Freep/sports/wolverines, maizenbrew, TTB, etc.
MGoBlog has made them all superfluous. Thanks, guys.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:41 PM ^
I lurked here as a teenager for many years. I'd say from Carr's last season onward. I was just becoming a die hard fan (perfect timing) and this community shaped nearly everything I know and love about not only Michigan, but the sport itself. There are many posters here that have helped me during down years of my life and they don't even know it.
I may take breaks occasionally but 'll never truly leave this community. Thank you Mgoblog.
December 8th, 2023 at 2:47 PM ^
Cdat33, glad you had something to help keep you afloat during that dark time. Like teaching high school isn't hard enough, and being around teenagers all the time isn't hard enough. And thanks to the MGoBlog community. Spending time with all of you is always enjoyable. As a gal, it's hard to find people outside of my husband and brother who I can discuss sports with. Cheers!
December 8th, 2023 at 3:12 PM ^
This is the best football blog ever. Information gets here at the speed of light. I'll come here for updates before any other social media. This site, as a collective, seems to sift through the BS super quick. And the laughs, priceless!
December 8th, 2023 at 3:35 PM ^
Amen to this. The dark times we've had as fans make the last few years feel really special. I rely on this blog for most of my Michigan sports content, and it keeps me sane. I was not here for 'The Horror' (although I was at the game), but I was at MSU 2015, where we went from the joy of Coach Harbaugh's return to the worst loss I've even had to witness (yes, worse than 2007 App State).
The truth is, I've never seen a replay of that play, ever. I saw it live from a bad angle, and when the TD was scored, turned and walked out. I avoided ESPN, pregame, postgame, anywhere I might have to watch it. Kept my finger on the jump button all year!
Experiencing sports like this has actually taught me to not get too caught up in the horrible news cycles we get sucked into (and this would include the roller coaster Cdat33 references - bless you); Sometimes you have to step away, tune out, and focus on real life.
December 8th, 2023 at 3:40 PM ^
OP: If you are passionate about it, which you are, you are one of us!
We have a big tent!
Agreed that game in 2021 really changed the course of so many things, and the visual of the snow and the celebration will be in our minds til our last days.
p.s. let's enjoy the last few weeks together as Brian has sold the website to a pet boarding provider. Please don't let Keith Jackson know about that, it might darn near kill him.
December 8th, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
Fate is a random and fickle thing.
Shortly after my family moved to Saline from Ann Arbor in the middle of 7th grade(early 90’s) I experienced a couple of incidents that looking back now foreshadowed the horrors of what was to come in schools throughout America.
One kid was expelled from school for having a handgun in his backup. What he intended to do with it I don’t know. But the experience was quite unlike anything I had experienced in Ann Arbor.
A second,more personal experience was sitting next to a kid who had access to 13 guns(so he claimed). He told me one day while we were at lunch that he wanted to “shoot everyone in this room”. At the time as a 14 year old I didn’t put much thought into his words. But as I have gotten older and have seen the horrors perpetrated in Columbine, Sandy Hook, Oxford, and far too many other places I have come to realize that my life and the lives of dozens of other kids unknowingly to us stood on the head of a needle. All that separated us from possible violence was the mind of a bullied teen with access to guns and an obsession with the military.(He later would become a Marine)
This kid never followed through on his threats of homicidal violence. Thank God for that.
But I can’t get over the capricious nature of it all. Why did kids at Oxford, Columbine, and Sandy Hook die? Why did we in Saline escape? We were in no better place than any of the victims of school shootings in terms of prevention. Yet we were spared from the horror and death that so many were victims of.
I can’t say I was fortunate because going to school without fear of being slaughtered shouldn’t be a real concern in a properly functioning society. We have so far to go as a country and society.
December 8th, 2023 at 3:56 PM ^
I've been a part of this community since Harbaugh arrived and this place has carried my Michigan fandom to this day. Growing up in Texas, there was always something so comforting about being around and interacting with fellow Michigan fans from all sorts of places, and it's crazy to think that I was a high schooler when I first joined and to this day, halfway through graduate school, I still find myself lurking around here daily and occasionally commenting. I'm eternally grateful for a site like this, and I still plan to be on this site for a whole lot longer
December 8th, 2023 at 3:56 PM ^
Logged in for the first time in forever to agree. This place is my only place to get my news and "Hawt Takes". Thanks everybody involved.
December 8th, 2023 at 4:06 PM ^
Meh. Place hasn't been the same without the_knowledge.
December 8th, 2023 at 4:07 PM ^
For they're some jolly good fellows
For they're some jolly good fellows
For they're some jolly good fellows...that nobody can deny
December 8th, 2023 at 4:11 PM ^
CDAT, thank you for posting this. It so sums up my own appreciation. BET!
December 8th, 2023 at 4:19 PM ^
The quality of the content this blog puts out is incredible. The quality of the content the community add is also fantastic. To cultivate this type of environment (especially through the years prior to JH) is a massive credit to everyone involved. From the Horror to the christening of BPONE to the return of Blake the Great (et al) this blog keeps the content honest and excellent.
Thank you and Go Blue!