Friday, August 1, 2014

Friday, August 1, Odds and Ends

"DAMN!!" Moments

I was listening to a talk show the other day and I was inspired to write a post by one of the hosts when he said he had his “DAMN!” moment watching a particular player (Manziel) in a particular game (Texas A&M vs. LSU).  He said Johnny made a play that just made him say, “DAMN!!!”

What is a “Damn!” moment, you ask?
It’s that moment in time when you are watching a player in any sport and the player does something so extraordinary and it hits you that the kid you are watching is Really, REALLLLLY GOOOOD.  That’s the “DAMN!” moment…
You know, this….


1.     Anthony Carter (1979) – First game AC ever played as a Wolverine against Northwestern, in the Season Opener, I remember seeing this little guy fielding a punt and scampering the length of the field for a TD.  And he was frickin’ FAST.  That was my AC “Damn!” moment…

2.    Desmond Howard (1990) – I think we all knew Desmond was good…Really Good.  But I think everyone agrees that one of the “Damn!” moments had to be Elvis Grbac to Howard on 4th down to the end zone in the 3rd quarter of the domer game in 1990.  I don’t think ANYONE thought that Dez had a chance to catch that ball…and then he did.

3.    Charles Woodson (1997) – I remember that Woodson had a pretty good freshman year and I think he intercepted the last pass of the game against ohio in 1996.  But that wasn’t my “Damn!” moment…That moment for me came the following year against Baylor.  It was early in the game and Baylor was on offense on the North end of the field, driving south.  There was a quick throw to the flat where the Baylor receiver had taken two steps back.  I remember Charles coming in with a head of steam and LEVELING that poor guy.  I sit in row 73 and I remember feeling that hit up where I was. The crowd knew it, too, and I think everyone let out a quiet, “Damn!”

4.    Denard Robinson (2009) – Western Michigan.  Shoelace’s first run from scrimmage looked as if he was running past the defenders and they were standing still – and he ran all the way to the end zone…For sure a “Damn!” moment if there ever was one.

5.    Jordan Kovacs (2009) – Same Game.  I will never, ever get tired of reminiscing about how a less than 6 foot tall, under 200 pound walk on ended up being the starting safety for the University of Michigan.  But of all the Kovacs moments that there are, this one (and the picture) says it all….  “Damn!”
 
So, send those “Damn!” moments in!!!  I know there’s more….Just curious as to who out there remembers what player and why.  And it doesn’t necessarily have to be Football, either!  And yes, I will of course listen to anyone that has a memory from a player on “Another Team” that wants to share.
Student Ticket Sales

Michigan isn’t the only school having problems.  It seems the Hawkeyes were entering anyonethat purchase Football Tickets into a lottery for free tuition.  5 students were going to be selected until someone woke up to the fact that the university might in fact be breaking state lottery laws.  Classic….
Manziel Mania
Yeah, I don’t know why I follow this kid, but I’ll admit that I’m curious to see how the NFL works out for him, especially being close to home in Cleveland.  But this latestshenanigan (Yes – It’s a shenanigan) has a source that “is being kept secret” thathas submitted Manziel’s game jersey to an auction house where they hope tofetch $100K.  Hee-hee…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!
Look, I’m about as big a slappy as you will ever meet, but my personal “limit” on ANYTHING singed by ANYONE associated with the University of Michigan is about $1,000.  After that, you’re either nuts, you’re nuts are showing, or both.  I think this jersey may fetch 5 figures, but if someone is actually delusional enough to run this up to anywhere near 6 figures, well, they’ll be making a losing investment long term.

Water, Water Everywhere!!!
In case you missed it, UCLA had a 100 year old, 30 inch water main let go right in the middle of campus near Pauley Pavilion where the Bruins Cagers play regular season hoops.  The photos are amazing. 






 
What’s surprising is the number of people “complaining” about this happening and what an inconvenience it is....  Well, yeah.  Having worked a summer job in the civil engineering department for the City of Adrian, I’m still surprised at the number of people that just think water and electricity should just, “Be There.” 
And they usually are….until they’re not.  THEN, you should be thankful and realize how good we have it.  Although, there’s a lot of city’s across this country with water systems reaching their “critical age limit.  It wouldn’t surprise me to see a lot more of this sooner rather than later…

In the meantime, if life gives you lemons, get some iced tea and vodka and make John Daly’s!!

And Finally: DEEE-TROIT  TIIII-GERS!!!!!!
In case you missed it yesterday, but I’m really not sure how you could, The Detroit Tigers and Dave Dumbrowski just made the MLB chess move of the season (maybe the decade?) by acquiring Tampa Bay Ace David Price.  Here’s the link  to the article and an excerpt from ESPN:
Price, the AL Cy Young winner in 2012, joins a Tigers rotation that already features Justin Verlander (the 2011 AL Cy Young winner), Max Scherzer (the 2013 AL Cy Young winner), Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello. The Tigers are the first team with three pitchers on the staff who all have won Cy Young Awards over the previous three seasons, according to Stats LLC. Detroit entered Thursday's games with a five-game lead atop the AL Central standings.

If that’s not a statement saying, “Okay Tiger Fans, This is how you win a World Series, so get ready,”  I don’t know what is…..

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