Batman Begins/The Dark Knight/Inception/The Prestige – I could’ve just changed this to pretty much to say “just about any film Christopher Nolan has ever directed”, and it wouldn’t be far off. His reimagining of the Batman franchise helped save it after Joel Schumacher turned it into a laughingstock (a fate that Batman does not deserve). I could talk for hours about the amazing performances in both Batman films from Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman, as well as Liam Neeson’s turn as Henri Ducard/Ra’s Al Ghul in Begins, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face in TDK, and of course the late Heath Ledger for providing one of the most memorable (and IMO, best) Joker performances ever in the same film. Prestige is a movie I’d just watched recently and I found it amazing, I’m sure I’ll lose an hour or two to it again if I see it on tv. Inception is easily a top 5 film for me, and if I ever have some free time I’m usually watching it. Once it hits the premium cable channels in a bit, I’m sure I’ll be sidetracked then too.

If you are a Christopher Nolan fan chances are you noticed one film that isn’t up there, and that’s Memento. It’s actually not included for one simple reason: I haven’t seen it yet. Yes, I’m aware I need to correct that error soon.

Typical reaction to finding out I haven't seen Memento yet

Big Trouble in Little China – This is actually the movie that was on this morning (I never said these were going to all be cinematic masterpieces). Sure it’s cheesy, but it’s hilarious. Kurt Russell as trucker Jack Burton stuck in Little China helping out a friend, but more importantly to him trying to get his truck back. It’s a film that isn’t supposed to be taken seriously, and it knows it too.

Super Troopers – “Littering and…littering and…” “Say Car Ramrod! Say Car Ramrod!” “I swear to God I’ll pistol whip the next guy that says ‘shenanigans’!” “I don’t want a large Farva! I want a goddamn liter of Cola!” “If you were my son, Mac, I would’ve smothered you by now.” Yeah, that’s pretty much all I need to say about this movie.

(500) Days of Summer – I guess you could classify it as a romantic comedy, but it really isn’t your typical romantic comedy (those ones I tend to avoid unless I really have to watch them). It doesn’t follow the typical timeline of the relationship, and I think it’s well written. It helps that Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Tom) and Zooey Deschanel (as Summer) have good chemistry, too. There’s also moments in that film where I thought to myself “oh yeah, I’ve done that”. I’d suggest checking it out if you haven’t.

The Shawshank Redemption – Incredible story, great performances out of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, what more could you want? If you haven’t seen this already, get to it.

I’ll just list some of my other ‘timesuck’ (for lack of a better word) movies since I’m running out of things to say (and to prevent you the reader from possibly nodding off haha):

• Clerks
• Casino Royale
• Training Day
• Shaun of the Dead
• Pulp Fiction
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• The Empire Strikes Back
• Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
• Zoolander
• Miracle
• The Hunt for Red October
• Up

I probably should’ve noticed this a long time ago, but I didn’t realize it until I was putting together yet another playlist for my iPod. It’s the kind of playlist I find typical with most iPod/Zune/whichever mp3 player of choice you’re using (this isn’t a debate about the merits of each one, so Apple/Microsoft bashers go run along and write about your superior machine somewhere else): 50+ tunes that catch your eye and within a matter of moments you’re good to go. It’s convenient, no doubt…but there used to be a ‘skill’ to putting a mixtape (and later on, mix CD) together, and I’ve simply lost it.

Putting together a mixtape was a labor of love for me. With 45 minutes on each side (sorry, 60 minute tapes just seemed a waste), I had to plan how to lay out the songs I wanted. I’d try to keep the space between each song less than a second to pack on as much as possible (hey, when I started doing this I was spending good allowance money on blank tapes, had to get the most for my $), and also just tried to make sure there was a decent flow to it. I never wanted too many fast or slow songs in a row, and I’d always try to limit the mix to no more than two songs by the same artist. A couple of hours later, the mix is complete. I’d usually fire it up right then and there, but if I thought it was really good I’d wait until I was with friends before debuting the mixtape-if it made it through the whole play without getting a “can we fast forward through this song, it sucks”…SUCCESS. I’d also go through phases where I’d make mixes but deliberately left the tracks unlabeled, so I could just listen to them sometime down the road. More often than not, they would be like a little window into what my state of mind was at the time: if it was a bit on the mellow side chances are I had just broken up with someone, and if it was more on the sunny side I must’ve had some good fortune come my way. It was always fun listening to what I was enjoying (or not) at the time.

Making a mixtape for someone special? Even more planning, because now the tape takes on the added dimension of trying to deliver a message (yes, I was one of those that relied more on my music selection to say what I wanted to say instead of actually saying it…sometimes it worked). That’s the power of music, though-it can cover a wide range of emotions in different people, and I figured if I could get to know someone well enough I could put a tape together that I just knew she’d love. Sure it was a time consuming process, and on more than one occasion I probably should’ve been studying instead of looking for just the right track but ultimately the mixtape was just as much for me as it was for the one I was making it for.

Go forward a few years, and all of a sudden it’s possible to burn discs. That definitely took a lot of time off the process, but a majority of the time I had less space (around 70-80 minutes worth of blank CD) to work with. Printing up nice little CD cases was a nice bonus, and even better if you had one of those CD label makers (which I did) to really spruce it up for someone…of course, if you take a nice look at those stickers now they look all warped and make the disc difficult to be listened to unless you want to watch your CD player destruct Mission Impossible-style (I’ve always wanted to try that). Anyway, a short time later various mp3 players would hit the market-now all you’re limited to is whatever storage space you have. Set it to random if you choose, and your mp3 player will do the rest.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love my iPod-anyone that has set foot in my car in the past knows that there were usually a stack of tapes (later, CD cases) scattered all over the interior of the car like a Tower Records had met an untimely demise there. It’s nice not having to explain that mess to people anymore, and it’s also nice not having to fumble around for another tape or CD to play while doing 80 70 down the freeway. But I also fell so far into the trap of throwing a bunch of songs in a playlist and just letting the iPod do the rest of the work, that it might be hard to dig out. Can’t hurt to try though.

Seriously? That’s been done before too.

Oh, I suppose it has. Well I’m doing it anyway, and I even got Doug from The Detroit Transplant to chip in (over a week ago, too-yeah, I’m a bit of a procrastinator it seems). So sit back, grab a drink, throw on some music and continue reading if you haven’t already moved on to something else to kill time. Warning: some of these images might not be suitable for work viewing (Rex Ryan giving a one finger salute, Sidney Crosby and Matt Millen also appear), so you’ve been warned.

Doug: What a heart-warming moment. If there’s a model athlete in terms of perseverance and morality, Drew Brees is easily it. You know he’s got to be the best father ever.

Norm: You just had to know Brees was going to win every athlete trophy ever invented once this photo went out. I think he even finished second in the Hart Trophy voting behind Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin. Easily one of the best moments of the year, and seeing New Orleans win it had to give every Detroit Lions fan just a little bit of hope.

Doug: Whoa, hey! Rex Ryan isn’t a smart person? I would have never guessed. That’s why ya don’t flip people off, Rex! You can’t bury the internet.

Norm: This is one of the faces of the NFL, everyone. Now let’s go eat a g–damn snack.

Doug: This man made the daytime portion of the Olympics. He’s a genius. 

Doug: See my US Soccer response below.

Norm: I think I lost my voice at the very moment Parise tied the gold medal game up. I just knew Luongo would relent eventually, and he didn’t disappoint. I thought for sure the US was going to hand Canada their second crushing loss on home ice in 2010 (the US World Junior Squad knocked off Team Canada in the championship game of the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championships in January). But then…

Doug: What an awkward face. Although, I probably made the same face though when I saw the goal. Being a Canada fan my whole life, it was great to see the team be so dominant in the tournament, and to see them facing the US, which, was a feat in and of itself.

Norm: It just had to be the ‘Whiny Face of the NHL’ to score the goal to kill the US. A substandard showing in the entire tournament gets wiped off the slate with the OT dagger. The only good thing to come out of this photo were the numerous photochops that surfaced after. They are still out there, and hilarious.

Doug: This (Luongo bitching) has become a fixture in Vancouver. Maybe he should shut his mouth and make some saves, instead?

Norm: “Mr. Referee, it’s playoff time now. I’m ready for my annual choke job.”

Doug: After watching his Sports Science videos, I wanted him on the Lions. And look what a beast he’s been for us. The kid is gonna be the future and the face of our defense.

Norm: I’m so shocked when a draft pick works out for the Lions-I have Matt Millen to thank for that…and also the history of the franchise under William Clay Ford. Speaking of Millen…

Norm: I think all tv sets should come equipped with a Mute Matt Millen button. Mute Pierre McGuire too while we’re at it. The image of Matt Millen that Doug sent actually left him speechless, which is why his response isn’t here.

Doug: He’s (Jim Joyce) probably never been too great at Duck Hunt is my guess.

Norm: Ugh, the most famous blown call of 2010. Could’ve been one of the worst sports moments of the year, but what happened in the aftermath (and if you don’t know what happened, what rock have you been living under) made it an example of sportsmanship. Yes, it still exists.

Doug: what a great run for a team that had no business in the tournament really. Also, what a great way to build up the most disloyal bandwagon in the history of this country!

Norm: One of the most exciting moments in the World Cup, and just a great sports moment overall-everyone knew they needed a goal, and Landon Donovan delivered. I’m also curious about your comment, but we’ll save that for another day.

Doug: *barf*.

Norm: The only good thing about this is that it’ll probably be another 49 years before the bandwagon fanbase in Chicago sees another one. Ha.

Doug: The most self-centered, conceited move I’ve ever seen in sports. Bring all the kids from Cleveland in to break their hearts? Smart guy. This is how it’s done.

Norm: All that stuff I wrote about sportsmanship a minute or two ago? Yeah, don’t apply that here. Also, just click the link Doug provided if you haven’t seen Steve Carrell’s parody of The Decision.

Doug: He completed the process. No one will ever convince me otherwise. Thus, we are 5-9 (now 6-9, this should’ve come out a week ago–Norm) this year.

Norm: I still can’t believe that this wasn’t a catch. I think the season unfolds differently for both squads had this been ruled correctly.

Doug: Keeping the skirts on QB’s since 1990.

Norm: “My decision making seems to have gone downhill since the NFL forced me to cover up my biceps here. My apologies.”

Doug: Made my year. The drama, but not the publicity. It split this team in two, which means the Lions are no longer bottom of the barrel. Think about it– if they lose out and we win out, we finish with a better record. WOW.

Norm: I don’t know who is happier seeing this photo of Favre-FAIL, Jenn Sterger or everyone in Green Bay.

Doug: A fixture of the year in AZ, perhaps they should get a statue of this face at UA. He (Mike Stoops) whines and complains about every play.

Norm: I wanted to come up with something funny to say, but if you’ve read up to this point your hopes of seeing something funny from me probably dried up a bit ago.

Doug: Worst PR stunt EVER. How about put a winning football team on the field?

Norm: I’m certain I heard howls of laughter coming from East Lansing and  later on in Columbus (after someone had to explain to each person there why it would be funny). Please go away.

I’m now making one last addition. You can read what Doug has to say about it here. All I’ll say is this: Congrats, Ozzie. You earned it-here’s to a few more wins and another Stanley Cup celebration in June.

Happy New Year, everyone.

But Norm, that’s what you usually do-hammer out a couple of posts and then ignore it for a bit.

True, but I figure if I’m going to do a profile, then I should probably write a bit more than I usually do. So why not just start the clock and start writing? Here we go…

Of course, the first thing I write about is checking a couple of the grammar issues I wasn’t sure about: who/whom (still not sure if that works in the title page), and double checking then/than usage (I was correct, but just wanted to make sure).

A few months ago I wrote about not overanalyzing things, and looking back at that post I’m starting this one the same way. Have I improved at all in that regard? Hell no, but all I can do is keep plugging away at it. I at least catch myself doing the overanalyzing bit which wasn’t the case at all before, but just letting things flow/come what(ever) may/let the chips land wherever is still something I need to learn to do a bit more effectively. I know I’m not the only one but I tend to replay even trivial chance encounters over and over in my head, wondering just what exactly I could’ve done/said differently…not just the ‘game changing’ events that occur a little less often. I need to stop that.

Also looking back at that post I referenced in the previous paragraph, I truly did enjoy Twitter then. I still love getting to know the people I’ve met through it, and the ones I have met have turned out to be good friends, good people and I wouldn’t trade any of those experiences. There are still even more people I look forward to meeting. But as usual, time can change everything. I closed down one Twitter account and have given thought to leaving it altogether. I love the stream of information, I love the quirky, hilarious nature of my friends, I even love the occasional disagreement. But sometimes I feel like I…got lost along the way. Maybe it’s a break that’s needed…I guess that all depends on who you ask (still not sure if that’s correct).

So what am I?

A good friend that’ll stay loyal and defend you even when I think you’re nuts? Sure, without a doubt and my closest friends know that.

Okay, what else?

Someone that can be talked to? Someone that trusts even when I say time and again that I won’t be so quick to trust (like the great philosopher Greg House MD says, “Everybody lies”)?  A confidant? A lover? An asshole? A selfish, sarcastic prick? An easy mark? A hard target? A role model, a bad example, a dreamer, a realist, normal, happy-go-lucky, a grouch?

Someone that, other than a couple of year-end projects with Doug from The Detroit Transplant (hey, I plug other blogs when I can, and he writes a helluva lot more than I do-entertaining too) is tempted to, if not close his Twitter account down just take a long break and disappear for awhile? I do have the number of or am Facebook friends with everyone that matters…right?

Someone that knows this went a bit longer than 20 minutes to write but continued on anyway? (Okay, that’s true).

All that above, or none of it at all? I guess that just depends on who you ask.

The Big Ten Title Race is officially a mess. What happens the rest of the way, and which team is taking the title?

Doug (Michigan State): Okay, this is getting messy, you’re right. After MSU losing to Iowa last weekend, it’s a giant cluster-you-know-what. With that being said, we’re still technically ahead of the other “top” teams. Granted, Iowa has not played OSU yet, and that’s where the big piece comes in. If MSU and Iowa win out, we tie for the title, giving Iowa the heads up because they beat us. We own the head to head against Wisconsin, so unless we lose one more, Iowa loses one more, and Wisconsin wins out, they have no shot. OSU needs all three to lose to win a share of the title. Now that that’s sorted out, here’s what I see happening: MSU winning the title. We’re not the “same old Spartans,” and we really don’t have any foreseeable challenges on the horizon (in theory). Granted, this is the Big Ten, and anything can happen– that’s why you play the game (thanks Herm). Iowa I think will have issues, and that’s why I’m glad we avoid OSU altogether this year. I agree, lucky scheduling. MSU should win the title when the dust settles, in my opinion.

Joe (Wisconsin): I think the Michigan State loss is just the kind of game that can start a losing skid. I can’t see it happening this week, but I can see them start to lose their edge. I see Wisconsin winning out, and while they’re doing that, hanging on for dear life in the BCS Standings to win the conference.

Norm (Michigan): I see Iowa, Wisconsin, and MSU all tying for the conference title at the end of the season. With the exception of that wild Iowa/Wisconsin game, Iowa is an incredibly tough team at home-that team from Columbus will see their BCS/Conference Championship streak come to an end. Barring Michigan somehow pulling off a miracle win over Wisconsin (hey, it happened in ’08 so anything is possible) the Badgers should cruise. The biggest threat the Spartans have the rest of the season will be complacency.

What was the biggest surprise to you this past weekend?

Joe: Iowa making Sparty their bitch. I haven’t seen a blowout that shocking since… since….. probably some time last year, anyway.

Doug: How flat we looked against Iowa. My god, I wasn’t sure who was on the field. Cousins played uninspired and made some uncharacteristically bad throws– at one point I asked who dressed up as cousins for Halloween. The offense just looked bad, and the defense did too. It was just an overall bad outing. With that said, Michigan’s performance at PSU really shocked me too. They made Penn State look good, which concerns me about our last game of the season– I hope it was a one game thing.

Norm: Doug, it’s Michigan’s defense coached by Greg Robinson. I wouldn’t worry. That being said, I concur-Iowa absolutely dominating Michigan State. I always thought MSU looked shaky the last few weeks, but never thought I’d see them get blown out the way they did. Kirk Cousins looked like he was channeling Chuck Long-the Detroit Lions version.

There are still a few games left, but what two teams do you think will be involved in the BCS Championship Game?

Doug: What I want to see: Oregon vs. Boise State. Why? I want to see if they’re for real, Boise has been the epitome of success in college football in the last long while, and they haven’t really been tested. I want to see if the hype is worthy, or if we’re pumping up a good team that is in a horrifically weak conference. Plus, who wouldn’t want to see like 2,000+ yards of offense in ONE game?

What we’ll probably get: A snoozer. Thanks to computers, we can’t go by gut feelings and pick good games. To place heavy emphasis on one single game: the Iron Bowl will determine one of the teams, unless Auburn lays an egg against Georgia. If Oregon wins out– may not be easy either– they’ll be the other team. High powered offense vs. high powered defense. Yep, I’m picking Alabama vs. Oregon. And I bet I fall asleep by half time.

Joe: I can’t see Oregon falling, and I can’t see Boise State getting in, because Alabama will get the voter love late, Auburn’s got a burning problem that will distract them into a loss to Bama, and I’d honestly be interested in seeing if the SEC can be outrun.

Norm: No argument here. I’d love to see Boise State here (but the computers will give us Broncos v. Horned Frogs…again), but Oregon and Alabama will more than likely get the nod (unless the Ducks stumble at Corvallis in the season finale-always a strong possibility when it comes to those two).

Switching things up a bit since we’re all fans of NFC North teams-which team do you think will take the division?

Joe: The Packers are in the driver’s seat, Jeff George’s spirit in a younger body will sink the Bears, the Vikings are a mess, and the Lions aren’t quite ready for prime time.

Doug: How bout this: I HAVE NO IDEA. The Bears are finally reaping the rewards of Martz’s system– the INT. The Packers don’t know what they’re doing on the field, and have no running game. The Vikings have a revolving door at WR, and Brett Favre is being fitted for a walker. The Lions– I can’t believe I’m saying this– have been the most consistent team in the division this year. That doesn’t mean they’ll win it, but it means they’re a threat to spoil it. And with NYJ, DAL, and BUF coming up, the reality of being a 5-5 team is really not that far off.

As for who takes the division, I have to go with Green Bay– and only because they’re the best team that has the least amount of problems in their lap compared to the other 3. Lions, penalties; Vikings, age/senility; Bears, Jay Cutler. So yeah, Packers by a slim margin in the tightest NFC North race we’ve seen in a LONG time. Like one game. Wouldn’t it be perfect for us to ruin Favre’s last game? That may be what makes it close.

Norm: I’m just in absolute shock that the Lions even have a shot (sure it’s a small chance, but it is one) at the NFC North in November. I still think the Pack will pull it off, but this is a Lions team playing with some confidence. I’d also like to take this moment to laugh at the Vikings and Brett Favre. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

…clearly coming up with catchy post titles is not my thing-something to work on for down the road. Anyway, I digress…since the start of the college football season Doug (owner of The Detroit Transplant blog and the resident Spartan), Joe (writer of Joe Knows Stuff and the resident Badger) and myself have been hosting a football roundtable, and this was supposed to be no different. The opening of Big Ten conference play presented a nice little opportunity to change things up just a little bit however: Michigan State opens up at home against the University of Wisconsin in a very big game for both ranked teams. We all thought it’d be better if I shelve the jokes about Greg Robinson’s defense for a week and just play moderator for Doug and Joe. Hey, it’s that political time of year and there’s nothing wrong with a good debate. Ready? Let’s go, with the first question directed toward Doug…

Why will Michigan State win on Saturday?

Doug (MSU): Offensive balance and momentum. The guys will be ready to play, and Coach D will be upstairs coaching. We’re on a 4 game winning streak, and the team is playing better and better every week. Caper is back for his first big game, and all three (yes, three) running backs are playing outstanding right now.

In terms of offensive balance, how many teams can say they can have 3 running backs on their roster that could start? Kirk Cousins hasn’t made many mistakes this year, and he’s got a lot of weapons to throw to. If Wisconsin stops the run, we can pass with the best of them, and vice versa.

That’s why MSU will win on Saturday.

Joe (Wisconsin): Doug, you guys have a good team, but I giggled a bit when you talked about the three running backs playing outstanding. That’s par for the course over in these parts. We have a veteran quarterback that’s not going to lose us games, we’re getting our offensive weapons back from injuries, and you still have to worry about the backs and Kendricks at tight end. Of course, we also have the farm boys at offensive line. I’d put our offense up against yours.

As for defense, we still have playmakers, even if we are lacking Chris Borland. If we can remember how to play something other than a cover 4 soft zone against a team that matters, I like our chances of stopping your offense too, maybe not every time, but enough to help our offense take care of business.

If Michigan State wins, it will be because our special teams decided to be terrible again. They do that quite frequently. I don’t see them failing as miserably as they did against ASU, because if they do, they have no chance at doing any damage in the Big 10. None.

Doug: I’ll give you the fact that Caper hasn’t shown much on the season since he’s only played one game, but you can’t deny the fact that we have a top 20 running game with 3 guys that are some of the most explosive in the big ten– you’ll see that saturday. It’s hard to judge either offense though, because neither team has really played a sizeable opponent, most likely a good explanation for the #10 and #17 running game rankings.

Opening weekend has come and gone. What did you like/dislike about your team performance in Game 1?

Joe (Wisconsin Badgers): Can’t say I’m thrilled about the second quarter, but the rest of the game was Badger Football at its finest.

Doug (Michigan State Spartans): I loved that we got to see yet another running back succeed in our system. Two 100 yard rushers against any team is moderately impressive. The defensive side of the ball scared me– way too many easy throws for a bad quarterback. The secondary specifically was pretty shaky, and the penalties we got (I’m hoping) were just first week jitters. Caper should be back this week, giving us three running backs for the FAU and ND games, all whom have big play potential and will have fresh legs because of splitting carries.

Norm (Michigan Wolverines): I honestly didn’t expect to see (and by the look of things neither did the UConn defense) the type of performance that QB Denard Robinson gave in his first start. Everyone knew he could run, but he also made smart decisions throwing the ball and rarely missed. The offensive line was also solid, giving Robinson time to make reads and take off running. Defensively? Well, they made plays when they had to but I also think the Husky offense helped them out in that regard-dropping passes, missing open receivers, and turnovers. I didn’t like seeing Tate Forcier sulking on the sideline, and hope this matter gets taken care of internally. Given the fact that Denard took off to run 29 times, odds are the Wolverines are going to need both Forcier (remember, last year at this time the accolades were rolling in for this guy just like they are for Robinson now) and true freshman Devin Gardner to assume the role of signal caller eventually.

What was your favorite game (excluding your team) from this past weekend?

Doug: How could you not vote for the VT Boise State game? In a week full of duds and lame games, this stood out as the great game of the week. I would nominate Ole Miss and Jacksonville State, but it’s Ole Miss– they got overrated enough last year. VT and Boise was pure college football, and as much as the BCS purists want to argue it, they’re really fun to watch and a solid team.

Joe: I have to say the Boise State – VT game. Both teams lived up to their rankings. Also want to give an honorable mention to East Carolina vs. Tulsa. That ending was fun to watch.

Norm: Since you both covered the incredible Boise State/Virginia Tech game (and I agree), I’m also going to mention the LSU/North Carolina match. The fact that the undermanned Tar Heels were able to come back and almost steal the game from the Tigers was exciting, and also hammers home the point that once again Les Miles coached teams have some real clock management problems.

We’re all aware that the Big Ten has announced their football divisions that begin with the 2011 season. How do you feel about them, and why?

Joe: I think we already covered this, but Wisconsin got it sideways up… well, we’ll just stop there. I also hate that most teams don’t get to face their rivals in-division, as I think it would be great fun for Michigan and Ohio State to compete for the division at the end of the year, or for one to play spoiler to the other. That’d happen more often than a title game matchup, especially since a loss to the other could hinder the losing team’s chances of getting there anyway.

Doug: Obviously Joe sees it the way I do. The divisions are so imbalanced it’s not even funny. In the preliminarily named “division o”, I think the top two teams are MSU and UM. Nebraska was nominated as a top team because of history– they’re really not that great, and Iowa I feel has always been a tad wishy-washy. Division X is stacked, and features every single team I never want to play as MSU. Take it for what it’s worth– it may change next year, but right now it’s looking like a Big 12 kind of setup with the North being completely incomparable to the South division. I like the fact though that there will be a title game, and that for once, MSU has a legitimate shot at getting a title in this climate because Ohio State can’t just waltz through their cakewalk schedule anymore.

Norm: I think both of these divisions are a lot closer in talent than either of you give credit. Nebraska is back on the rise after getting Callahan’d, and Iowa is strong enough now as well. That division with Michigan and Michigan State is going to be tough…as is the division with that other ‘school’ that shall not be named.

Polls-what is the earliest time of the season you’d start them and why?

Doug: Week 1 is fine with me, but I think there should be some more thought put into them. They should be more subjective, consider the players that have left/transferred, and actually really look hard for the top 25. If someone isn’t willing to do that, wait til week 4, when teams have played at least one meaningful game– not cupcake schools. There were teams in the top 5 to start this season that will clearly finish unranked (I’m looking at you Texas and Florida), and those rankings are largely in part due to Tim Tebow and Colt McCoy– neither of whom are on their respective college teams anymore. That is exactly why the polls need to be based on projections, not history.

Joe: Why not now? Gives us something more to argue about.

Norm: I’ve always felt polls were useless before at least four games have been played, and I still feel that way. That way rankings are based more on what the team has done to that point as opposed to what everyone was expecting prior to the first game.

The NFL starts up this weekend…now it’s a given that we all love football, but which do you prefer to watch: college or pro?

Joe: I prefer the pageantry of college football as a whole, but as a Packers fan, I like to think I get a little bit of both worlds, what with the deep tradition of the Packers and the small-town atmosphere of the team. I think if I lived over your way, I’d prefer college for sure, but I still have to say NFL, for the Packers alone.

Doug: I watch both for different reasons. The NCAA has this level of, as Joe said, pageantry that can’t be touched by any other sport I can think of. The history, pride, and the all out determination the kids have to make a good name for themselves and for their schools is what draws me to college football. Plus, I’m in college– I think that has some weight to it as well. On the other hand, the NFL is the cream of the crop. You see top talent, and more now than ever: any team can get upset. I love seeing my team (the Lions) making it back to a winning franchise, and I think that’s what draws me to the game even more.

Another season kicks off for college football and the Michigan Wolverines

A few days ago I had this idea for a post about previewing the upcoming Michigan football season. Then I even decided to expand on that a bit and asked a couple other friends if they would also like to write about their teams on their sites and then in a separate post we’d all have a nice little roundtable format to talk about the upcoming season and beyond. Both Doug (of The Detroit Transplant blog) and Joe (of the Joe Knows Stuff blog) loved the idea and within a matter of days had their respective previews for Michigan State and Wisconsin up and ready to go. So that leaves me…

…and of course, I now have the worst case of writer’s writers’ (I’m off on my grammar-what is it, writer’s or writers’? Do you care? I really hope none of my former English professors read this) block. I honestly don’t know where to start with the Wolverines, there are so many angles that I can take (and many of those have probably already been done over and over and over). Not a good thing for someone that needs to hammer out a blog post, but maybe that even speaks volumes about all the questions surrounding this storied football program that over the last couple of seasons has fallen on some really hard times. Alright, let’s get moving.

Things were going so well at the start of 2009...

Offense

The 2009 season started off about as well as you could hope for when true Freshman QB Tate Forcier took over the Rich Rodriguez spread offense and looked like a seasoned veteran running it. He led an amazing last second comeback against Notre Dame and the team quickly started off 3-0 heading into conference play. The Michigan Wolverines were back, and taking on all challengers…but then the Big Ten conference schedule started. Escaping with a win against Indiana, and then suffering their first loss at East Lansing a week later (Tate Forcier led a late drive in the 4th quarter to tie the game up, but the interception he threw in OT ultimately cost the Wolverines a chance at victory and gave the Spartans a rare two-game winning streak in the rivalry game) seemed to send the team into a downward spiral that ended with a second straight season of no postseason. This year it’s still up in the air as to which QB will start behind center: Tate Forcier or Denard Robinson (highly touted true freshman Devin Gardner is also apparently in the mix). For the first time under Rich Rod’s watch the offensive line finally seems to have some depth and competition, the group of wide receivers is versatile and experienced, and with Michael Shaw eligible the Wolverines have four running backs that could all see significant playing time. We all saw glimpses of what this offense could do last year, and all Michigan faithful should expect continued growth here. Quite simply it has to be brilliant, because the next topic is, well…

Defense

This defense was giving up bunches of yards and points last season with departed defensive studs Brandon Graham and Donovan Warren. Those two now gone, plus a young secondary already depleted by injuries (Troy Woolfolk was the only CB with starting experience and he’s out for the year), and I pretty much imagine every opposing offensive coordinator on Michigan’s schedule this season is looking at that defense and laughing much like most Wings fans were laughing at the Blackhawks Cap situation this past summer (and if you’re a Red Wings fan reading this, let’s pause and do it again: HAHAHAHAHA…I never said I was above cheap laughs). The best I can hope for is that the entire defense steps up and improves in a hurry, because if they don’t…it’s going to be ugly.

Everything Else…

I don’t really feel like getting into all the Coach Rodriguez issues, so I’m not going to (for now…and by the way, if you’re annoyed by my constant use of parentheses my apologies). My best hope looking at the schedule is a 7-5 season, but even that is me being overly optimistic. I hope you’ll check in for a roundtable coming up with Doug and Joe…and Go Blue.

A few years ago I wrote a post off of not over analyzing things and just going with the flow…yeah, I don’t think I’ve succeeded in that regard. I tend to talk myself into or out of all matter of things, and in hindsight a bunch of those situations I probably should have acted differently than what I actually did. I’ve let people and things ultimately slip away because a lot of the time I was too concerned with rocking the boat. A lot of it has to do with confidence, and for me it’s been hovering right around middle (between arrogance and no confidence at all, probably closer to the latter-and if you’re a visual person I’m sorry but my graphic capabilities wouldn’t help you much anyway). I can say I’ll fix it but it’s not easy to do, so all I can say is I’ll try to be a bit better everyday.

It amuses me that I looked up whether it was ‘over analyzing’ or ‘overanalyzing’.

I got to hangout with some good friends last night at the Tigers game, and these are all people I’d met through the wonders of the Twitter world (enfuerno!). We’re all Red Wings fans too and that’s how we all officially met (H2H, fuck yeah!), but getting to know them is even better. There are pics at a few spots, and I took some too-once I figure out how to post them from my new phone there will be more too. It troubles me that my new phone (my first foray into the smartphone category) may be smarter than I am. I actually think it’s mocking me-’haha, I know stuff but I’m going to hide it from you until you figure it out, sucker’.

Anyway, back to the friends thing: a Wings loss in the second round would’ve driven me nuts, but having the opportunity to vent about it with a whole lot of like minded (and some not like minded) on Twitter made it alright, cathartic even. Now we’re all witnessing a Red Wings team gearing up for a new season in less than a month and you can tell that same whole lot of us are ready to go. It’s fun. It also makes me wonder how beneficial Twitter or other Social Media outlets would’ve been in earlier times (and if not beneficial just downright hilarious).

H2H2 is going to be awesome.

No more over analyzing…more acting.

ANNNNNNNNNNNNNND…stop.

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The puck sailed over my glove hand probably about a second before my glove had even appeared there—by then it was already in the goal. Shouldn’t come as much of a surprise really, it’s been happening most of the evening. They take a shot, for the most part I react way too slowly and they score. But one thing that might shock you is that score only tied the game at 14 apiece. Another thing that might shock you is that I’m happy to be playing this well—and as far as I know the other goalie is happy too, he’s in the same beer league I take part in. Chances are you’ll be as shocked as I was when you find out that I’m not playing against just a bunch of beer leaguers, I’m playing against a group of professional hockey players—as is my counterpart in the other net. But what you don’t realize—hell, what I won’t realize until a few days from now, anyway—is that what we’re playing in right now would turn out to be just the first game of a best out of seven series to decide which group of players would win the coveted Stanley Cup. Yes, that Stanley Cup. Sure, none of us will ever actually get our names acknowledged on the sterling silver trophy that all hockey players dream of some day getting their hands on—some type of legal crap about the NHL owning the rights to it probably wouldn’t allow it. Too bad they don’t know that right now it’s just on loan for a few days.

But before I tell you about Cam Neely’s second goal for the Wales Conference team that just tied the game late in the 3rd period, let me explain how the hell it is I got here.

My friend Mike and I were driving around in his black Chevy Avalanche (an omen, perhaps?) earlier this evening, and had planned to drive down to the Mount Clemens Ice Arena for our usual ritual—pickup hockey on Wednesday night. It’s all in fun, but of course it gets competitive—both Mike and I have had our share of disagreements with other players. Once or twice even with each other, but since he’s about a foot taller and about 70 pounds bigger, those usually don’t last very long. Just the way it is. Since he was driving, I was using the chamois cloth he usually uses to wipe his car down to clear out the visor on his helmet, and we’d been talking about where to go afterwards. Then my cell phone rang, and in just a moment our plans would take a drastic change. I took a look at the display for the ID, and the only thing that showed up was a number, no name. I knew that number wasn’t work, so I decided flip open my phone and answer it.

“Hello,” I said into the receiver.

“Hi, is this Norm?” the inquisitive voice said back. “Sure is,” I replied.

“Okay, good. This is Steve down at Civic Arena in St. Clair Shores, do you know where that is?” I replied yes, because I live about two minutes away from it…and something about that voice sounded familiar, like I’d heard it before but wasn’t sure where.

“Think you can show up here in about 20 minutes?” Steve asked. “I’m with my friend Mike and we’re actually on our way to Mt. Clemens to play our beer league game there—can’t this wait?” I said. “No, it really can’t—look, just tell your friend Mike to come here too, we’ll use him also. Your brother Nolan was the one that told me to call you, and that to forget about the beer league game for now,” Steve answered back. Well, Nolan was supposed to join us tonight too, but if he’s skipping out for a game at Civic… “Alright, we’ll be on our way,” I said back to him, with Mike looking over at me wondering just what was going on since he hadn’t heard the conversation.

Steve sounded happy. “Good, we’ll look forward to seeing you both then,” and then he hung up.

Mike looked over and asked “So, what was that all about?”

“Mike, head towards Civic man, I guess we’re playing somewhere else tonight,” I told him. “Some guy named Steve says it’s important, and Nolan’s  playing there too.”

“Nolan?!?!?” Mike exclaimed. “If your brother says so,” he said as he turned the Avalanche around and we headed toward Civic. “What do you think it is?” Mike asked me.

“I don’t know,” I said, “but that Steve guy sounded familiar, like I’d heard his voice somewhere before. Guess we’ll figure it all out when we get there.”

When we got there about 15 minutes later, Nolan was waiting for us out in the lobby, already geared up and ready to go—and he was as excited as I’d ever seen him. “Hey man, glad you could make it,” he said. “Go into those lockers over there, and then come on out onto the ice—most of the guys are out there already; Pat, the guy who was supposed to play goal for the other team in our beer league tonight is here too.” We tried to ask my brother what was up but he wouldn’t tell us, so we grabbed our hockey bags and walked into the locker room eagerly awaiting to find out what the big fuss was about—he was seriously as excited as a little child on Christmas morning, looking at a large number of presents waiting to be opened up.

I can’t even begin to describe the excitement we felt once we stepped out onto that ice though, and it dawned on both Mike and I as we realized just who was out here tonight. At one end of the ice, guys like Cam Neely, Brad Richards, Pat Lafontaine, and a few others I didn’t immediately recognize were taking shots on Pat. At the other end of the ice, Jarome Iginla, Sergei Fedorov, and ‘Steve’—as in Steve Yzerman, only my favorite hockey player of all-time and a legend in the Metro Detroit area, and, as it turns out, the voice on my cellphone that I couldn’t recognize—were taking shots into an empty net, which I would soon be guarding. Darren McCarty and Kris Draper were also here, although that wasn’t much of a shock because we’ve seen them here before. Mike looked at me incredulously and said, “Can you believe this; we’re playing with these guys tonight!”

“I know, this is nuts,” I said, most likely with that same incredulous look on my face. Along with Mike, Nolan, and Pat, I probably had that same look glued on my face throughout the night as the game started and went on.

That is, until they tied the game at 14 late. I was happy—until I saw D-Mac skate over. He looks at me and says, “Hey man, I now this isn’t the level of competition you’re used to playing against, but do you think you could stop a puck or two near the end here?” To add a little more emphasis to that, Mike also skates up and says “C’mon man, get your head out of your ass!” and then gives me a slap to the side of my mask. After gathering my senses together, I dig the puck out of the net and pass it to Draper, who is getting ready to bring the puck back up ice and hopefully end this game.

About an hour later Nolan, Pat, Mike and I are sitting at Shores Inn, recounting our tales from earlier in the night—our tales of getting to play with some legends and kidding each other about some crazy plays we’d try to make. Or at least teasing me about my goaltending escapade, for the most part. “So Mike, how in hell did you end up with the game winner tonight?” I asked.

“Well, after you made that unbelievable stop on Lafontaine, Noles found Iginla streaking up the ice with only Richards there. He deked out Richards, and then Pat totally cheated to Iginla’s side thinking he wouldn’t pass it—I didn’t think he would either but he wasn’t selfish about it at all, and it’s a damn good thing I kept my stick down.” To that we raised a glass for a toast. “Here’s to the sweet taste of a 15-14 victory,” I said.

But the night wasn’t done with the surprises yet, for Nolan spoke up and said “…and to a few more victories as well.” We all looked back at my brother, with a look of apparent shock because all he would say was “Oh, I forgot to tell you—we’re playing tomorrow night too.”