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There's a bit of a sideshow happening today as Pitt and Syracuse have reportedly applied to leave the Big East and join the ACC.

Games to watch on Saturday

Michigan takes on Eastern Michigan at noon on the Big Ten Network. That will be of no interest to anyone except Michigan fans (and EMU fans, I suppose), so most of you instead will want to catch Auburn vs. Clemson on ABC. Clemson struggled in a couple of games that should have been blowouts, and they'll be trying to uphold the reputation of the ACC. Another interesting game is Pitt vs. Iowa on ESPN2; Iowa is coming off a loss to Iowa State last week and needs a win against Pitt to right the ship.

At 3:30 there are a slew of good games to choose from. Michigan State plays Notre Dame on NBC; could Notre Dame go 0-3 to start the year? Tennessee plays Florida on CBS; ABC/ESPN regional coverage gives you Texas vs. UCLA or Washington vs. Nebraska.

N.C. State plays South Alabama at 6:00; this game is on ESPN3.com.

Illinois plays Arizona State at 7:00 on the Big Ten Network; that will show us if Illinois is for real, or if this is another Ron Zook womp womp year.

The two blockbuster matchups are both at night: at 7:30 on ESPN we get Ohio State against Miami in what's being called the "Ineligi-bowl", and at 8:00 we get this week's Game of the Week, #1 Oklahoma vs. #5 Florida State on ABC.

Your nightcap game is Stanford against Arizona on ESPN at 10:45.

Michigan game prediction: Michigan 40, Eastern Michigan 13. Should be a cakewalk. It had better be a cakewalk.

N.C. State game prediction: N.C. State 38, South Alabama 10. Hopefully this is the week State gets its act together.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 2

Sunday, 2011 September 11 - 12:36 pm

Wow. This will long be remembered as one of Michigan's greatest victories. Michigan rallied from a 17-point deficit entering the third quarter to pull out a victory over Notre Dame with two seconds left on the clock. Meanwhile N.C. State fell to Wake Forest, as I feared.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Week 2 Games to Watch

Friday, 2011 September 9 - 8:22 pm

Games to watch on Saturday

At noon, the best game figures to be Mississippi State against Auburn on the SEC Network or ESPN3.com, though the appeal of that game is mostly limited to the southeast. Speaking of limited appeal, Iowa plays Iowa State in the I Eat Corn Bowl; the game is not televised nationally at all, which should tell you something. There isn't much of interest otherwise; maybe you can see if Toledo can keep it close against Ohio State on the Big Ten Network, or see if Rutgers can upset North Carolina on ESPN3.com.

At 3:30, Penn State looks to avenge last year's beatdown from Alabama, on ABC. North Carolina State takes on Wake Forest in what will be an important test for the Wolfpack; that game is on ESPN3.com. Nevada against Oregon on FX is an intriguing matchup; Nevada went 13-1 last year and though they lost their starting quarterback, the new guy is a fifth-year senior. Meanwhile Oregon is looking to prove something after last week's loss to LSU.

At 7:00 it might be interesting to catch a little bit of BYU against Texas, on ESPN2. But of course at 8:00, you'll flip over to this week's Game of the Week, which just happens to be Michigan against Notre Dame. No, neither team is ranked, but this is just a fascinating matchup, and it's Michigan's first home night game. Also, Brian Kelly's head may explode.

Michigan game prediction: Michigan 31, Notre Dame 24. Before last week I would have picked Notre Dame here, but Michigan looks better than I thought, and Notre Dame looks worse.

N.C. State game prediction: N.C. State 30, Wake Forest 34. I'm a bit down on State this week after watching their poor week 1 performance; meanwhile Wake Forest picked up 326 yards passing last week in an overtime loss to Syracuse. Uh oh.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 1

Monday, 2011 September 5 - 2:06 pm

Michigan starts slowly against Western, but pulls away in the third quarter before lightning ends the game; N.C. State struggles to put away FCS school Liberty.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Week 1 Games to Watch

Friday, 2011 September 2 - 3:40 pm

FOOTBAWW! College football returns, at last. It has been a long summer of anticipation.

A few games are already on the books. Wisconsin romped over UNLV yesterday, 51-17. Wisconsin will be a tough team to stop this year, with N.C. State transfer Russell Wilson at the helm.

Games to watch on Saturday

At noon, turn on Northwestern vs. Boston College on ESPNU, which should be competitive. Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa may be out with a bum Achilles tendon, though. During breaks, flip over to the Ohio State/Akron game on ESPN to see how the Buckeyes are doing with a new coach and a new quarterback. After 12:30, keep an eye on the ticker for the Virginia Tech vs. Appalachian State score; as we all know too well, App St. is capable of some surprises.

At 3:30, of course I'll be watching Michigan vs. Western Michigan on ABC/ESPN2. If you're not a Michigan fan, the Notre Dame vs. South Florida matchup on NBC might be interesting. Skip Holtz, the USF coach, is a Notre Dame grad and the son of former ND coach Lou Holtz. Also keep an eye on Minnesota vs. USC on ABC/ESPN2, where new Minnesota coach Jerry Kill will be looking to make a splash by scoring a big upset.

At 6:00, N.C. State opens against Liberty; this one is only available on ESPN3.com. Not to worry, though... this game will likely be a yawner.

Take a break between 7:00 and 8:00, because after 8:00 you'll be hunkered down watching this week's Game of the Week: #3 Oregon against #4 LSU on ABC. I think LSU is probably overrated this year, but this is a huge early game for both teams nonetheless. During breaks, flip over to ESPN to watch the only other game between ranked teams this week, as Boise State takes on Georgia.

Your late-night dessert is Colorado vs. Hawaii on ESPN at 10:15. Hawaii is always an entertaining team to watch. They're favored by 11 over Colorado, who is breaking in new coach Jon Embree.

Michigan game prediction: Michigan 38, Western Michigan 20.

N.C. State game prediction: N.C. State 48, Liberty 13.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

The Brady Hoke Era Begins

Saturday, 2011 January 15 - 12:50 pm

Four days ago, former Michigan assistant Brady Hoke was introduced as Michigan's new head football coach, replacing the fired Rich Rodriguez. Three years ago, when Rodriguez was hired, I never thought I'd be typing those words.

At the press conference, reporters and former players were positively fawning over Hoke. He's a "Michigan man". He'll "restore toughness" to the program. He's a "player's coach". He said all the right things and people just ate it up.

I can't help but think that Hoke seems to be getting a honeymoon that Rodriguez never enjoyed. Rodriguez was derided for his folksy manner; he was discredited for winning in a weak conference; he was criticized for running off recruits and players by bringing in a new system. (That last criticism was mainly centered around Ryan Mallett, and it wasn't a fair point: Mallett had made up his mind to leave before Rodriguez was even hired.) Hoke isn't all that different from Rodriguez in 2008, except for this whole "Michigan man" thing, and the fact that Rodriguez had a much better track record when he came in. As many folks on mgoblog have pointed out: if Hoke had been a former Michigan State assistant, there is zero chance he would have been hired at Michigan strictly on his own merits. For me, that's a red flag.

But I'll support Hoke and I'll support the program, because Michigan football should not be about politics. (I still find it weird that Michigan fans actively rooted for Rodriguez to fail, even if that meant seeing Michigan lose, just because they wanted him out.) I think Hoke may be a decent coach. But right now there's really no way to tell how successful he'll be.

Hoke brings with him his offensive coordinator Al Borges. Borges runs a modified West Coast Offense (the "Gulf Coast Offense", as he called it; will it be the "Great Lakes Coast Offense at Michigan?), which is a lot like what we ran under Lloyd Carr. Oh yeah, back then all the grumpy alumni complained how Michigan's offense was predictable and outdated. Run, run, incomplete pass, punt... hopefully we won't see a return to that.

One last regret... we've lost the chance to see what our dynamic spread offense could have become. We were already one of the top offenses in the country with a sophomore quarterback. What would we have been next year?

Go Blue.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Oh Well

Saturday, 2010 November 27 - 11:28 pm

That wasn't what we were hoping for at all. Of course I'm talking about the football results, with both Michigan and N.C. State losing today. I'm not sure which is worse: to lose badly as everyone expected to your arch-rival, or to fall just short of a furious comeback and blow your shot at the conference championship.

There's plenty of misery to go around. Iowa lost to Minnesota and ended up with the same 7-5 record as Michigan. Penn State likewise ended up 7-5 after losing to Michigan State. Florida ended up 7-5 after getting whomped by Florida State. Miami fired coach Randy Shannon after ending up 7-5. USC just lost to Notre Dame and both teams ended up 7-5. And then there's Texas, who lost to Texas A&M; at 5-7, they will not go to a bowl game.

The great thing about college football is that there's always next year. Ohio State will not always be dominant. Remember when we thought USC, Texas, and Alabama would be kings of football for years? Things change.

Michigan's future looks bright. I'm optimistic about next year. Hopefully the athletic department will be smart enough to give Rich Rodriguez a little more time.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Michigan vs. Ohio State, 2010

Wednesday, 2010 November 24 - 9:22 pm

Well. It's Michigan-OSU week once again.

Last week, we saw Michigan's defense get pounded by Wisconsin's huge offensive line. Playing just three defensive linemen and three undersized linebackers against seven 300-pound blockers proved to be not such a good idea. Michigan's offense was turnover-prone, and Denard Robinson's accuracy has suffered lately, perhaps because of nagging injuries.

Meanwhile, Ohio State boasts home field advantage, more size and experience on both sides of the ball, and a coach who is 8-1 against Michigan. Ohio State is favored by 18 points.

Fans from both sides seem to be less interested in this game than usual. Ohio State has plenty to play for, as they need to win to gain a share of the Big Ten championship and perhaps go to a BCS bowl game. But it seems like most are assuming that an Ohio State win is just inevitable.

So, why bother to play, right?

But you know... this is college football. Funny things happen. Michigan has shown flashes of brilliance this year. And I don't think Ohio State is the best team in the league this year. Actually, I think they're the third best team. So while they're still clearly a better team than Michigan and I'm not going so far as predicting a Michigan win... I'm still hopeful. There's always a chance.

Here are three things Michigan must do to win:

1. Start quickly on offense. Both Michigan and Ohio State have had games where it's taken a quarter or two for the offense to find its rhythm. A couple of quick strikes by the Michigan offense means Michigan will be able to stay balanced and run its spread offense to its fullest potential. That will be troublesome for Ohio State; Michigan's not the top offense in the Big Ten for nothing. If Michigan falls behind early, though, they'll become more one-dimensional, and that will be a problem.

2. Play bigger on defense. Mike Martin will need to beat double teams; the other offensive linemen will need to shed blocks. And if Michigan sticks to its 3-3-5 and doesn't play four down linemen, then the linebackers will need to able to step up and take on offensive guards or tackles who are releasing downfield. The inability of the Michigan's front six to match up with Wisconsin's offensive line was the primary reason Wisconsin won.

3. Figure out how to play zone coverage. Michigan actually hasn't been awful in man-to-man coverage, but zone has been comically bad. Receivers have been ten yards open at times. It's not exactly something that can be fixed in a week's time, but hopefully it will be a point of emphasis in practice.

Here's to college football. Go blue.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 12

Sunday, 2010 November 21 - 12:29 pm

Michigan loses to Wisconsin; N.C. State rallies to beat UNC.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Perseverance

Saturday, 2010 November 20 - 8:18 pm

It's hard to be a Michigan football fan sometimes. It's bad enough having to watch the team lose. But the most tiring thing is explaining to people why we're losing. No one cares about how young the team is, how we've been riddled with injuries, how we're still recovering from coaching transitions... no, they just care about MOAR WINS KTHXBAI.

I find it's similarly hard to be a user of Apple products. I'm tired of defending Apple against people who say things like "Apple should cut all of its prices in half" or "Apple should let other PC makers license their OS", as if Apple had no interest in actually making profits. I'm tired of explaining how the iPhone is not doomed even if Android is enjoying some success.

And it's hard to be a Democrat. It is exhausting to refute Tea Party nonsense all the time. I'm astounded that I have to explain to people all the ways that Sarah Palin is wrong about things. And I think I no longer have the energy to tell people that global warming is a reality even if it was cold today.

But yet I am all of these things: Michigan fan, Apple user, Democrat. I am a Michigan fan even if they lose, because that's what it means to be a true fan. I use Apple products even when the company is being torn apart for overblown reports of iPhone antenna issues, because Apple simply makes better products. And I'm a Democrat even when Tea Party activists seem to be grabbing all the headlines, because there are principles that I believe in.

Michigan lost to Wisconsin today. Most people expected that outcome, but during the game, the Internets were full of comments along the lines of "OMG FIRE RICHROD NOW". But still, as a fan, I persevere.

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Posted by Ken in: politics, sports, techwatch

College Football Recap: Week 11

Sunday, 2010 November 14 - 2:45 pm

Michigan wins an ugly one at Purdue; N.C. State rolls over Wake Forest.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 10

Tuesday, 2010 November 9 - 12:44 am

Michigan wins in epic fashion; N.C. State falls to Clemson but remains in the ACC title race.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Whoo Michigan Beats Illinois!

Saturday, 2010 November 6 - 4:48 pm

Ok, so Michigan just beat Illinois 67-65 in triple overtime. Tremendous. I'll try to have a full recap in a couple of days. Whoo!

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Mini-recap: Week 9

Thursday, 2010 November 4 - 2:31 pm

Michigan loses in a disappointing game; N.C. State picks up an important win.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 8

Sunday, 2010 October 24 - 12:10 pm

Michigan and N.C. State are both idle this week; another #1 team falls as part of a tumultuous college football weekend.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 7

Sunday, 2010 October 17 - 10:43 am

Michigan and N.C. State both lose; Ohio State, Nebraska, and Nevada suffer their first losses of the season.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 6

Sunday, 2010 October 10 - 1:42 pm

Denard Robinson has his worst outing of the year as Michigan falls to Michigan State; N.C. State knocks off Boston College.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 5

Sunday, 2010 October 3 - 2:36 pm

Michigan wins a shootout; N.C. State collapses in the second half.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 4

Sunday, 2010 September 26 - 1:34 pm

Michigan rolls over Bowling Green; NC State improves to 4-0 with a win over Georgia Tech.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 3

Wednesday, 2010 September 22 - 2:05 pm

Michigan squeaks by UMass; NC State gets a good (if somewhat sloppy) win against a quality opponent.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap: Week 2

Sunday, 2010 September 12 - 2:51 pm

A big weekend in college football: Michigan takes on Notre Dame, and the top two teams in the country take on ranked opponents.

Read more...

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

Michigan Football Recap: Week 1

Thursday, 2010 September 9 - 9:43 am

Michigan 30, UConn 10

This was a game that many expected UConn to win. UConn was supposed to be a contender to win the Big East this year, with many starters returning from last year's 8-5 squad, a team that beat South Carolina in a bowl game. But Michigan's spread offense came to life with the athleticism and new-found decision-making skills of Denard Robinson. Robinson set a Michigan record for rushing by a quarterback with 197 yards, and nearly tied a passing mark by completing 19 of 22 passes for 186 yards.

It was certainly an offensive show. After the jump, there's a breakdown of some of the offensive plays, and how they demonstrate the philosophy of Rich Rodriguez's offense.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Pete Carroll to Seattle

Saturday, 2010 January 9 - 9:49 am

The big football news this morning is that USC head coach Pete Carroll will take the vacant head coaching position for the Seattle Seahawks. From what I've read, Carroll is (a) trying to get out before any NCAA sanctions hit USC over Reggie Bush; (b) seeing that USC isn't quite the powerhouse it once was, and is leaving before he tarnishes his legacy; (c) looking to improve his NFL image after past mediocre stints with the Patriots and the Jets; and (d) being offered a chance to have more control over football operations, as compared to his previous NFL jobs. It's probably a combination of all four.

Oregon State coach Mike Riley is said to be the leading candidate to replace Carroll at USC.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Coaching News

Sunday, 2009 December 27 - 10:56 am

For those of you who are college football fans, you probably did a spit-take with your coffee this morning upon hearing that Urban Meyer is resigning as head coach of Florida. Meyer, one of the most successful coaches in the game, is stepping down due to concerns over a heart condition. Florida now faces a potentially difficult transition year, as they'll have a new coach and a new quarterback. Michigan fans know a little something about that.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Shut Up Already

Tuesday, 2009 November 24 - 2:03 pm

The AP headline today: "Rodriguez's Job at Michigan Seems Safe - for Now".

"Seems"? "For now"? What's with the weasel words? Despite the ridiculous hyperbole from the mainstream media, Rodriguez will be the Michigan coach next season. I'd bet a million dollars on it. No one in the administration has given any indication to the contrary. The only source for the media speculation is other media speculation. It's the MSM echo chamber at its worst.

I mean, really. What would be the plan? Yet another high profile coaching search, and a multi-million dollar contract buyout for Rodriguez and whatever coach we might try to snatch away? Does anyone seriously believe that another coaching transition and scheme change would help the team to improve next season? And what coach would want to come to Michigan if they knew they only had two years to prove themselves after inheriting another coach's players?

So just shut up already about Rodriguez. There will be no coaching change. There will be no significant fallout from the NCAA investigation. Save your schadenfreude for Charlie Weis, ok?

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Michigan Football Haiku

Saturday, 2009 November 21 - 3:13 pm

Another tough loss,
too many interceptions;
there's always next year.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2009 November 15 - 1:39 pm

Michigan, N.C. State lose again; USC, ND lose. It's a day for losing.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Monday, 2009 November 9 - 3:45 pm

Michigan ugh; N.C. State wins; Iowa, Oregon fall.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2009 November 1 - 6:08 pm

Michigan ennui; N.C. State loses in a shootout; USC, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia fall.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2009 October 25 - 2:12 pm

Michigan gets whacked; N.C. State is idle; three squeakers and an upset in the top 10.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2009 October 18 - 10:14 am

Michigan wins easily over an overmatched Delaware State team; N.C. State gets dismantled by Boston College; Ohio State and Virginia Tech lose.

Read more...

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Tuesday, 2009 October 13 - 6:10 pm

A bad weekend in football: Michigan loses to Iowa; N.C. State loses to Duke.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Thursday, 2009 October 8 - 7:34 am

Uh, this is late, I know. It's not because Michigan lost last week; I just haven't had the opportunity to post.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2009 September 27 - 12:39 pm

Michigan and N.C. State win thrillers; four top-ten teams lose.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2009 September 20 - 11:11 am

Michigan and NC State win; Michigan State loses to Notre Dame, USC gets upset by Washington.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2009 September 13 - 11:28 am

Wow. Just, wow.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Monday, 2009 September 7 - 12:54 pm

Woot, college football has returned.

Read more...

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Posted by Ken in: sports

This Is Why Newspapers Fail

Tuesday, 2009 September 1 - 4:03 pm

If you're a Michigan football fan at all, you're probably aware of the recent hoo-hah that some folks are calling "PracticeGate". Last Friday, The Detroit Free Press published a sensationalist article accusing Coach Rich Rodriguez of violating NCAA rules concerning limits on practice time for football players.

Read more...

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: bloggers, commentary, sports

Five Lessons: Hard-to-Explain Rules in Sports

Sunday, 2009 July 19 - 11:27 am

This is a new feature here on realkato.com. Periodically, I'm going to start posting five (hopefully informative) tidbits on a particular topic. We'll see if this feature lasts longer than my earlier "Learn Something Every Day" feature that fizzled after a few days. If there are particular topics you'd like me to cover, let me know.

Today's topic: Five Hard-to-Explain Rules in Sports. The assumption here is that you're a casual sports spectator who knows the basics about a sport, but then some obscure rule comes into play that leaves you wondering what happened.

Read more...

Permalink 2 Comment

Posted by Ken in: interesting, sports

Hockey Good

Thursday, 2009 May 14 - 10:28 pm

Wings win. Canes win. Hockey good. That is all.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

Today's Headlines

Wednesday, 2009 April 29 - 9:11 am

Fox News commentator Sean Hannity said he'd volunteer to be waterboarded for charity. Now MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann has
challenged him to go through with it. My hunch says Hannity chickens out.

The San Antonio Spurs are out of the NBA playoffs. Normally I couldn't care less* about non-Detroit teams in the NBA, but if there are two teams that make me happy when they lose, it's the Spurs and the Lakers.

Egypt is slaughtering 300,000 pigs over swine flu fears, despite the fact that no cases have appeared in Egypt yet. Next: Egypt to kill all Spaniards due to fears of Spanish flu.

*And yes, the correct phrase is "I couldn't care less", not "I could care less"... pet peeve grrr.

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Posted by Ken in: commentary, sports

GOOOOOOOOAAAAAALLLL!

Tuesday, 2009 April 28 - 9:07 pm

1:20 in the 3rd, Hurricanes tie Game 7 against the Devils.

0:31 in the 3rd: Hurricanes go up 4-3. Amazing.

And it's over... Hurricanes advance. That was such an incredible finish; my mind is officially blown. Wow.

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

Whoo Michigan Whoo

Thursday, 2009 March 19 - 8:39 pm

Well, after a ten year NCAA tournament drought, Michigan comes into the dance this year with a big opening round win over Clemson. (Sorry, Margo.) Go Blue!

CBS, irritatingly, kept switching away from the Michigan game to show other games. But to CBS's credit, you can watch any tournament game online on their web site. They use Microsoft Silverlight to stream the video, and you know, the picture quality was pretty dang good. CBS and Microsoft doing something right, AND Michigan wins an NCAA tournament game... strange things are afoot at the Circle K.

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Posted by Ken in: sports, techwatch

The State of Michigan Football

Sunday, 2008 October 26 - 10:38 am

I haven't been keeping up with my football recaps. When Michigan is sitting at 2-6, and looking at the real possibility of ending up 2-10 for the year, it's hard to sit down and write about them week after week.

What's wrong with this team? I think there's plenty of blame to go around. Here are my midterm grades...

Read more...

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

College Football Recap

Sunday, 2008 September 28 - 9:59 pm

So yeah, I didn't recap the Michigan-Notre Dame game. Can you blame me? While Michigan showed some flashes of competency in that game, that was overshadowed by the ineptitude that is best captured by a single statistic: 6 turnovers. Despite significantly outgaining Notre Dame on offense, you just can't win a game when you spot the opponent a three-touchdown advantage because you can't hang on to the football.

Michigan 27, Wisconsin 25

After half of the Michigan-Wisconsin game, it seemed like déjà vu all over again.

Read more...

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

News In Brief

Tuesday, 2008 September 23 - 9:22 pm

Random things I noticed in the news today:

Time Warner Cable in North Carolina is going to carry the Big Ten Network, finally. It'll be on a digital sports tier, but it'll be worth it to be able to catch all my Meeechigan games.

Clay Aiken is gay. No, for real this time.

Sarah Palin met Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in New York today. Why is everything that Sarah Palin does described as "controlled" or "scripted"? McCain might as well have chosen a wooden puppet as his running mate.

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Posted by Ken in: commentary, politics, sports

College Football Recap

Wednesday, 2008 September 10 - 8:56 pm

Late late late, I know. I'll make this brief.

Michigan 16, Miami (OH) 6

Well, Michigan squeaked by a mediocre MAC team. The offense was an improvement, but still not terribly efficient; Threet missed a lot of wide-open receivers. The defense played well but was helped by a number of Miami mistakes and dropped passes.

N.C. State 34, William and Mary 24

The Wolfpack struggled early against the I-AA (er, FCS) school, but Harrison Beck replaced starting QB Daniel Evans in the second quarter, and the offense started to move the ball. William and Mary made the score respectable with a couple of late touchdowns, but State was in control for most of the game.

Other News

Notre Dame eked out 21-13 a win against a bad San Diego State team. Notre Dame benefited from a questionable call of a goal-line fumble by the Aztecs. Michigan plays Notre Dame in South Bend this Saturday.

Ohio State struggled to a 26-14 win against Ohio U, and will need to improve drastically to compete with USC this weekend.

Vanderbilt upset South Carolina 24-17.

Florida beat Miami 26-3.

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

Football Season Starts Boo

Sunday, 2008 August 31 - 3:04 pm

Michigan 23, Utah 25

This game was not as close as the score indicated. Utah utterly dominated Michigan, and if not for a couple of turnovers and a flood of timely Utah penalties, Michigan would probably have lost by three touchdowns.

Read more...

Permalink 3 Comment

Posted by Ken in: sports

Football Season Starts Whoo

Thursday, 2008 August 28 - 10:05 pm

Hooray football season hooray.

N.C. State gets off to its typically dismal start. South Carolina leads 27-0 in the fourth quarter right now, and State's starting quarterback went off the field on a stretcher. Ugh.

Michigan plays Utah this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. I'd like to put out a full preview, but I don't have the time (and sites like MGoBlog do that sort of thing much better). My prediction: 19-17 Michigan. Utah will keep it very close; Michigan will prevail on defense and special teams.

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Posted by Ken in: sports

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