BlakChamber

Tried a couple new beers this weekend. Flying Dog Tire Bite Golden Ale. Nothing special. Leinenkugel Summer Shandy. It's a weiss beer mixed with a little lemonade. I didn't think I was going to like it, but I found its very refreshing. When I was standing out on my deck in 100 degree weather grilling, it really hit the spot.

I'd rather lose to a Michigan team that lost to App State, than lose to App State. MSU should have won two out of the last four, possilbly three. Sadly, moral victories don't count for anything. 2004: Stanton getting hurt sealed the deal. Michigan had no answer for him that day. 2005: A toss up. The lack of a kicking game hurt the Spartans all year and the game against UM was no exception. A real kicking game could have won it, but the game was too back and forth to say for sure. As a side note, I was at that game. When Peko recovered the fumble and ran it back for the TD, that's the loudest I've ever heard Spartan Stadium. 2006: We got our ass kicked, no two ways about it. 2007: To me, this one is more frusterating than 2004. Stanton getting hurt is one of those things in football you can't control. This one, MSU shot themselves in the foot. The Spartans had this game. Then for whatever reason, they took their foot off UM's throat and went from playing to win, to playing not to lose. I hate the prevent defense, especially when you start using it with a decent amount of time left. Once the Spartans starting giving UM 7-10 yards on every throw, I said to myself "I've seen this before and I know how it ends." Sure enough. I think the Spartans have a good shot this year, but I'm not about to say it's a sure thing. I'm not sure if this MSU team will be better than last years. I see another 7-5 season. Dantonio is making the right moves, but its going to take some time to recover from Bobby and JLS. But man, it would be sweet to beat UM this year. Give DickRod a nice welcome to the rivalry.

I think Aaron Rodgers is going to snap and pull a Nancy Kerrigan on Favre.

I don't think players like Howard and Abdelkader should even be allowed to look at it. If they're in the same room as the Cup, they must avert their gaze.

^^^ You know, that's fair. Just because RR is a slimeball, doesn't mean he runs a dirty program. Although I can say with some confidence that State hasn't been dirty since Saban. If Bobby and JLS were cheating, that just means they're even worse coaches than I thought.

It's all in good fun right now. Until the week of the game. Then it gets mean.

Come on, you guys don't think DickRod is going to turn out to be dirty? All the s*** he pulled leaving WVU. I don't think he's SMU in the 80's level dirty, or Free Shoe U level dirty, or Ed Martin and the Fab Five level dirty I just think it will come out, eventually that he's up to some shenanigans. That's true about USC though. The NCAA will never really do anything to any of their cash cows.

So you won't be talking any smack before um/OSU? Not much to add really. My thoughts going into the season, some obvious, some not so obvious. 1: The Spartans are moving in the right direction, but it is going to take years for Dantonio to under the damage done to the program by Bobby Williams and JLS. The Spartans hung tight in every game except OSU. I'm not a believer in moral victories. Michigan and Wisconsin should have been wins last year, especially Michigan. But it did show me that there's a change in culture at MSU. 2: The opening game, on the road against Cal (which I'm going to) is going to set the tone for the season. 4: DickRod will have UM on probation in 5 years. Well, its UM. The NCAA would never give them probation. Look for Eastern to wind up on probation for UM's sins. 4: Ohio State is still the 800 pound gorilla. Not that I really like the Buckeyes, but it would be nice to see them finish in a bowl game. 5: I was going to call Texas Tech my national sleeper team, but then I saw them at #14. So much for that.

If they get people to pay, it's smart business.

Yeah, good call. I figure we're due for a thread discussing who's number should be retired any day now.

81.

1: He's never going to do that and we all know it. The way the game is played is way too different from when Gretzky played. 2: You haven't named anything he does that makes him a douchebag. 3: Texas is a sovereign nation Look, you want to hate Crosby for some reason, I really don't give a s***. Hate who you want. But if you're going to call him overrated, try to back up with something more than he's a dusche [sic] bag and that NBC compares him to Gretzky. Especially when every single person who claims to hate Crosby would kill to have him on their team. Let's try not to look like the petty Penguins fans, eh.

Too late That doesn't mean Crosby is overrated. Yes, I'm sure that's exactly what Crosby does What exactly does Crosby not do? I've always read that he's good with the fans, and he seems to conduct himself pretty humbly for the amazing amount of media attention he gets and the spotlight the NHL has put on him Having a big ego doesn't mean he's overrated. You've still yet to show how Crosby is overrated.

I'm surprised it took this long for a Crosby is overrated comment to show up Seriously, how is he overrated? He's got roughly a 1.40 PPG average in the regular season and a 1.28 PPG average in the playoffs. He can score, he's a great playmaker and has the vision and hockey sense that only a few players have. And he's only going to get better. If you're going to complain he's overmarketed or came into the league overhyped, that's true, and its not his fault. He whines too much? He's the captain, even Yzerman yapped to the refs. When you come into the league with expectations to break Gretzky's records, you're not going to live up to those. What does he have to do for LGW to not consider him overrated? Walk on water, cure cancer?

Everyone should. Duh. This board has clearly established that.

Looking at Stub Hub, there's 64 listing for tickets. Say there's an average of 5 tickets per listing, that's only 320 tickets out of 40,000. Isn't it a little early to start freaking out and demanding that the NHL give all the tickets to the Red Wings?

QFT. He'd have to take a paycut though. Otherwlse he's just another greedy goalie.

I thought they picked Ann Arbor as Michigan's Title Town? Or do they do more than one city in some states? Not that I care since it's yet more pointless fluff from the so-called world wide leader in sports.

Yeah, he shouldn't have left. I was pretty surprised when he did. Goalies are strange, you never know how they'll turn out really. At least the Wings have the luxury of not throwing Larsson, and Howard right into the fire.

How is it you came to love Detroit? Just wondering.

It's possible the sleeves have meaning to whoever has them. People might look at your tat and think, hey, he likes lions. No real meaning behind that. If you have to ask about what to get inked, you're probably not quite ready to have it on you. JMO.

This article isn't about which cities have the best teams, which which cities is it the best to be a sports fan. I have no idea how Austin is on that list. It's a great city for live music, drinking, and cute college girls. But they've got UT sports and a minor league baseball team, that's about it. Listing the Dallas teams under Austin would be like listing the Grand Rapids Griffins and West Michigan Whitecaps under Detroit.

Detroit: Their fans are so annoying, if a hockey analyst on TV doesn't perform verbal fellatio on the Wings every time Detroit is mentioned, they clearly are disrespecting the Wings and they'll whine about it to no end. For a team that is clearly tops in the league, the fans have one hell of an inferiority complex. Not to mention they're good at spending other people's money. Everyone in the league should want to play for Detroit and take a paycut to do it. If a Red Wing even considers leaving, they get labeled greedy. So here they have a superiority complex. Amazing that they can have both. That, and if they're going rip on other teams, they resort to tired old stereotypes. Hey, way to be original guys. No one has ever thought to call people form the south rednecks. You guys are on the cutting edge there. But seriously, f*** the Avalanche.

Homer is the best at what he does, no doubt about it. But its easier to get into the hockey hall of fame (which Homer isn't going to do) than it is to get your number retired by the Wings. That honor is reserved for the very best of the best. Look at who the Wings have retired. Sawchuk, Lindsay, Howe, Delvecchio, Abel, and Yzerman. Six players in the 80 some years the Red Wings have been around. Lidstrom will obviously join those players when that sad day comes when he decides to hang up his skates. Can you really sit here and tell me with a straight face that you think Holmstrom is at the same level as the above listed players? I like Homer, not as much as you obviously, he's one of the few guys on the Wings I'd have a problem with trading. Great player, apparently a great teammate and a great guy. But not a player who gets his number retired.

Uh, ok.