Michigan vs. Alabama Open Thread

The season is finally upon us! 

Leave us all your thoughts, comments and general what not about the Michigan/Bama game and any other Saturday action you care to discuss.

And because Rigby gave us two great choices for this poster the other day, here's the color version...

George's Premier Predictions 1 September 2012

George's predictions are back. Last time out on the final day of the season, George got an amazing 8 results right and three perfect scores. Let's hope he starts this season with a bang.

Saturday 1 September 2012

West Ham United 1 v Fulham 1
Swansea City 2 v Sunderland 1
Wigan Athletic 1 v Stoke City ‎0
Tottenham Hotspur 2 v Norwich City ‎0
West Bromwich Albion 3 v Everton ‎2
Manchester City 3 v Queens Park Rangers 0

Sunday 2 September 2012

Liverpool 0 v Arsenal 0
Southampton 1 v Manchester United ‎ 2
Newcastle United 2 v Aston Villa 0

Last time's Premier League predictions

Robin Van Persie Berkostum MU, Blunder atau Berkah?

Apa persamaan antara Andriy Shevchenko, Fernando Torres dan Andy Carroll?
Mereka adalah pelaku transfer nan menghebohkan di liga primer Inggris.
Selain karena kualitas kemampuan yang mereka miliki, kehebohan lain yang mereka munculkan adalah kegagalan mereka mentransfer kehebatan di klub sebelumnya di klub yang baru.

Andriy Shevchenko sebelum hijrah ke Chelsea adalah seorang predator ganas yang ditakuti saat masih berkostum AC Milan.
Dengan jumlah gol yang banyak disertai perolehan gelar Liga Champion dan titel Serie A, Shevchenko adalah peraih gelar Ballon D'or sebagai pemain terbaik Eropa saat hijrah ke Chelsea pada tahun 2006.
Memulai debut resmi dengan mencetak gol pada laga Community Shield, Shevchenko tampak menjanjikan ketajaman layaknya saat berkostum Milan.
Namun selanjutnya yang terjadi justru diluar dugaan,dalam total 76 laga bersama Chelsea, Sheva hanya mampu membukukan 22 gol.
Penurunan yang sangat drastis bila mengingat selama berkostum Milan Sheva mampu mencetak 127 gol hanya dari 208 laga di liga.
Sempat dipinjamkan kembali ke AC Milan, Sheva tidak pernah berhasil menemukan performa terbaiknya lagi sampai akhirnya memutuskan gantung sepatu selepas Euro 2012.

Cerita yang hampir sama terjadi pada Fernando Torres.
Kepindahannya dari Liverpool ke Chelsea membukukan transfer termahal di liga Inggris sebesar 50 juta poundsterling.
Angka yang terasa wajar mengingat selama berkostum Liverpool, Torres mampu mencetak 65 gol dari 105 laga di liga dan membuatnya tercatat sebagai 50 pemain Liverpool terhebat versi majalah Times.
Namun sama halnya seperti Shevchenko, Torres tak kunjung mendapatkan ketajamannya saat berkostum Chelsea.
Meski tampak sudah mulai menemukan kembali ketajamannya di musim 2012-2013, Torres di Liverpool sesungguhnya masih jauh lebih tajam ketimbang saat di Chelsea.

Andy Carroll yang menjadi bagian cerita perpindahan Torres ke Chelsea dimana Carroll didatangkan dari Newcastle untuk menggantikan peran Torres juga bernasib sama saja.
Digadang-gadang sebagai the next Alan Shearer (penyerang legendaris timnas Inggris) dan memegang rekor transfer termahal pemain Inggris, Carroll tampak menjadi beda dibandingkan saat berkostum Newcastle United.

Perpindahan pemain bintang berstatus pemain kunci yang bersinar di suatu klub ke team lain sering memunculkan anomali terhadap performance mereka di team yang baru.
Shevchenko adalah goal getter utama Milan saat hijrah ke Chelsea, Torres adalah pasangan dwi tunggal Gerrard yang belum tergantikan dan Carroll adalah tumpuan lini depan Newcastle United selepas tidak kunjung bersinarnya Michael Owen menggantikan peran Alan Shearer sebagai striker "nomor 9".

Maka perpindahan Robin Van Persie yang berstatus top skorer Liga Inggris musim 2011-2012 dan pemain kunci sekaligus Kapten Arsenal bisa jadi akan memunculkan anomali serupa.
Meski cukup banyak juga perpindahan pemain bintang yang kemudian tetap sukses di klub yang baru, sejatinya performance mereka masih lebih mengkilap di klub yang lama.

Perhatikan kepergian Raul Gonzales dari Real Madrid yang bergelimangan gelar ke klub Jerman Schalke yang tidak menghadirkan titel bergengsi baginya.
Lalu lihat pula perpindahan bintang Barcelona, Rivaldo yang baru saja sukses membawa Brazil juara Piala Dunia 2002 ke AC Milan.
Meski AC Milan tetap meraih gelar, Rivaldo tidak kunjung mendapatkan posisi inti di team, bahkan sempat mendapat gelar sebagai pemain dengan performa terburuk dengan hanya membuat 5 gol dari 22 penampilan di serie A.
Contoh lainnya adalah saat Thierry Henry yang berstatus pencetak gol terbanyak sepanjang masa Arsenal hijrah ke Barcelona pada musim 2007-2008.
Tujuaannya meraih trofi Liga Champions terwujud namun kebintangannya mulai meredup dan dikalahkan oleh kecermelangan Samuel Eto'o dan Lionel Messi sampai akhirnya pada akhir musim 2009-2010 hijrah ke New York Red Bulls Amerika untuk bermain di MLS.

Jadi selalu saja ada peluang keberhasilan dan kegagalan dari perpindahan pemain bintang dan kunci dari suatu klub ke klub lain.
Menarik menunggu Robin Van Persie akan masuk ke kategori yang mana diakhir musim nanti.
Mengikuti jejak Samir Nasri yang menjuarai Liga Inggris selepas hijrah ke Manchester City dari Arsenal ataukah mengikuti jejak Michael Owen yang hijrah ke Real Madrid hanya untuk menjadi cadangan Raul Gonzales dan ironisnya selepas kepergiannya Liverpool malah menjuarai Liga Champion?
Akhir musim nanti akan kita temukan jawabannya.

Hasil Undian Pembagian Grup Liga Champions Eropa Musim 2012/13

Sebanyak 32 klub telah memastikan diri berlaga di babak penyisihan Liga Champions Eropa. Pengundian pembagian grup pun sudah selesai dilakasanakan. Tak banyak kejutan, hanya ada satu grup yang layak menjadi sorotan karena disana bercokol empat klub juara dari empat negara. Real Madrid (Spanyol), Man. City (Inggris), Ajax (Belanda), B. Dortmund (Jerman), berada dalam satu grup, empat tim ini menghuni grup D.

Tim-tim unggulan diyakini bakal melaju kebabak selanjutnya, seperti Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munchen, Chelsa, dan klub besar lainnya. Layak ditunggu, apakah musim ini bakal menghadirkan kejutan seperti layaknya musim lalu, dimana MU tersingkir lebih awal dan Chelsea menjadi jawara. Kita nantikan saja.

Berikut pembagian grup Liga Champions Eropa musim 2012/13:

Grup A: 
FC Porto (Portugal)
Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraina)
Paris SG (Prancis)
Dinamo Zagreb (Kroasia)

Grup B:
Arsenal (Inggris)
Schalke 04 (Jerman)  
Olympiakos (Yunani) 
Montpellier (Prancis)

Grup C
AC Milan (Italia)     
Zenit (Rusia) 
Anderlehct (Belgia)
Malaga (Spanyol)

Grup D
Real Madrid (Spanyol)
Man. City (Inggris)
Ajax (Belanda)
B. Dortmund (Jerman)

Grup E
Chelsea (Inggris)
Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraina)
Juventus (Italia)
Nordsjaelland (Denmark)

Grup F
Bayern Munich (Jerman)  
Valencia (Spanyol)
Lille (Prancis)
BATE Borisov (Belarusia)

Grup G
Barcelona (Spanyol)
Benfica (Portugal)
Spartak Moskwa (Rusia)
Celtic (Skotlandia)

Grup H
Man. United (Inggris)
Braga (Portugal)
Galatasaray (Turki)
CFR Cluj (Rumania) 

Know Your Foe - Alabama 2012

Ed. Note: A huge thanks to Benny for coming out of blogging retirement to pen this week's Know Your Foe.  He blew off rescheduled a lot of work at the office the last couple of days in order to put in the time to get KYF finished by today.  

The Michigan Wolverines open their 133^rd season this Saturday NIGHT! So which directional Michigan school are they going to wax in the Big House? Wait a minute, they're playing Alabama? In a professional team's stadium in Texas? In a made-for-TV showcase? How 21st Century. I don't know that Bo would approve, but it's great to see Michigan playing in games like this. And though the Crimson Tide have never before appeared on the Michigan regular-season schedule, the teams have faced each other three times, including the day after that whole Y2K fiasco. You might not remember back that far so you're probably wondering, who are these Alabamians and what should we know about them? To answer these and many other questions, the MZone is proud to present this year's special season-opening edition of KNOW YOUR FOE.

History – The University of Alabama (UA) was founded in 1831 and is the oldest and largest university in the state (take that Auburn and, uh, UAB!). It's formation actually dates back to 1818 when the federal government authorized the then Alabama territory to set aside land for a "seminary of learning." When Alabama became a state two years later, additional land was set aside. A mere 41 years later the state joined in a fight against that very same federal government. The campus design was influenced by the University of Virginia and featured a dome Rotunda in the center. It officially opened as "The University of the State of Alabama" on April 18, 1831, which seems late in the school year to start a university. 

Enrollment hovered around 100 students for the first couple of decades, but few of the early students remained enrolled and fewer graduated. Discipline was a constant issue – rules were enacted to curb drinking, swearing, and music, but gunfights and riots were common. Finally, in 1860, the governor transformed the University into a military school. Many of the graduates at this time became officers in the Confederate Army which likely explains why the Union Army burned most of the campus to the ground on April 4, 1865. Amazingly, four buildings from the pre-Civil War era survive to this day. The University re-opened in 1871, expanded in 1880 and first admitted women in 1893 (23 years after Michigan did so). The military structure was abandoned in 1903.

Much like the rest of the South, the middle of the 20th Century saw the issue of civil rights and integration come to the Alabama campus. The first attempt at integration came in 1956 when Autherine Lucy was admitted to the school (thanks to a court order), but then was suspended and expelled three days later as the university claimed it could not provide a safe learning environment for her. Successful integration finally came six years later when Vivian Malone and James Hood registered for classes in June of 1963. Then governor George Wallace made his infamous "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" in an attempt to stop their enrollment, only stepping aside when confronted by federal marshals. Lucy's expulsion was rescinded in 1980 and she graduated with a master's degree in 1992. Hood dropped out after two months but received his PhD in philosophy from UA in 1997. Malone stayed in school and graduated. Today, the plaza outside of the building Wallace stood to block their entrance bears the names of Malone and Hood and the clock tower in the plaza is named for Lucy.

Location – Tuscaloosa, Alabama. One of the greatest college town names (KYF recalls many a game announced by Keith Jackson from there), Tuscaloosa is the fifth-largest city in the state with a population just over 90,000 and becomes the fourth-largest city after signing day before Saban starts grayshirting. The one-time capital takes its name from Tuskaloosa, the chieftan of a Muskogean-speaking people, who were defeated in battle in 1540 in the Battle of Mabila. The city is located in west central Alabama, close to, well, not much else. The “Druid City,” so named from the water oaks planted in its downtown since the 1840s, actually has a pretty diversified economy. Obviously the university is a major driver, but local government agencies and manufacturing are critical economic factors as well.

Even if the university isn’t the main pillar economically, it certainly is culturally. Whether it’s the museums or the nightlife on The Strip or downtown, going out in Tuscaloosa usually has something to do with UA. And like any good city in the South, it usually has something to do with the football team. Not only is the university dominated by football, the entire town is.

Nickname – Crimson Tide. One of the most unique nicknames, not just in college athletics but all of sports, has a bit of an unclear origin. Early accounts of Alabama football referred to the team with the imaginative “Varsity,” or the “Crimson White” in reference to the team’s colors. The first popular nickname was the “Thin Red Line,” which was used until 1906. Then, in 1907, an underdog Alabama team fought to a muddy 6-6 tie against rival Auburn (incredibly the last time the two teams would play for 41 years). Hugh Roberts, sports editor at the Birmingham Age-Herald was so impressed he coined the “Crimson Tide” name. The name was further popularized by former sports editor of the Birmingham News, Zipp Newman. What a crazy time that was – not because guys were named “Zipp,” but because newspapers actually had influence on society.

The nickname is so unique, it’s actually made numerous appearances in popular culture. And this isn’t like the coincidental character names that Michigan can cling to. The movie Crimson Tide, starring Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman took the name straight from the football team. Steely Dan’s famous line of “They call Alabama the Crimson Tide” from their song Deacon Blues might not make much sense, but should serve as a point of pride for UA fans. The name has also been referenced in some country music songs that Know Your Foe has no familiarity with.

Mascot – Big Al, the elephant. Now why would the Crimson Tide have an elephant as a mascot? It goes back to 1930, that time when newspapers held sway over the nation. In early October, the Tide (who won the national championship) took on Ole Miss. Sports writer Everett Strupper of the Atlanta Journal wrote a story about the game that quoted a fan yelling “Hold your horses, the elephants are coming” right as the Tide team ran on the field. Strupper and other writers of the time would then refer to the Tide linemen as “Red Elephants.”

The costumed mascot didn’t appear until student Melford Espey, Jr. wore an elephant head to games in the early 1960s. Espey became a university administrator (apparently elephant head wearing was a job requirement) and in the 1970s was instrumental in the mascot’s official debut in the 1979 Sugar Bowl. The current roster of Big Als consists of five students, including one female. According to his appearance policy, Big Al doesn’t accept tips, though it’ll cost you $400 to have him show up for an hour at your wedding or bar mitzvah.

Colors – Crimson and White. KYF has gone over the whole red/scarlet/cardinal/crimson thing many times before. Red and the various shades that make up college football looks great in a full stadium. KYF even enjoys the occasional college coach who has the cajones to wear a bright red blazer on the sidelines. But the color is just too common for KYF’s taste.

Alabama is one of eight Division I-A FBS schools to include crimson among their colors, and one of three to pair it with white (along with Utah and New Mexico State). The colors have been associated with the school for at least 120 years and even the campus newspaper (the Crimson White) takes its name from the school colors. Some might say Crimson White would be a good euphemism for redneck. KYF wouldn't do that, though.

Logo/Helmet – The crimson helmet with white numerals and grey facemask has been a staple of college football for over 50 years with almost no change. In the 1960s and in 1983 and ’84, the team wore white helmets with crimson numerals for some games but for pretty much ever since the Crimson Tide abandoned leather helmets, things haven’t changed. And KYF thinks that’s great in this case. Not only will two of the winningest football programs take the field in Dallas on Saturday night, but so will two of the best looking helmets in football.

As perfect and well known as the ‘Bama helmets are, the logos are surprisingly un-original. The official logo which incorporates a cartoon elephant, looks positively minor league, and is a classic example of generic computer graphic design or some smart ass who wanted to show what an elephant f*cking a block "A" looked like. The alternate logo is at least more major league but that’s because it’s almost identical to that of the Atlanta Braves. Hey, Alabama, you’ve had so much success with the traditional look on the field, why not go back to the logo you used from the ‘60s to the ‘90s?

Fight song – Yea, Alabama. This fight song doesn’t get mentioned with The Victors or the Notre Dame Victory March, but Yea, Alabama belongs in that second tier of great college football fight songs. Most Michigan fans, and most football fans outside of the South, might not associate the tune with the Crimson Tide, though they are probably familiar with it. And while most college football fans know at least some of the lyrics to great fight songs like On, Wisconsin, Fight On, and Boomer Sooner, Yea, Alabama’s lyrics are unknown to most everyone who doesn’t wear houndstooth underwear. And there’s a good reason why – they’re laughably anachronistic. They mention a school that ‘Bama hasn’t played in 28 years, and a bowl game that the Tide hasn’t played in since 1946. And the whole mention of “watery grave” makes KYF a tad uncomfortable.

Yea, Alabama! Drown 'em Tide!

Every 'Bama man's behind you;

Hit your stride!

Go teach the Bulldogs to behave,

Send the Yellow Jackets to a watery grave!

And if a man starts to weaken,

That's a shame!

For 'Bama's pluck and grit

Have writ her name in crimson flame!

Fight on, fight on, fight on, men!

Remember the Rose Bowl we'll win then!

Go, roll to victory,

Hit your stride,

You're Dixie's football pride, Crimson Tide!

The song now ends with a “Roll Tide, Roll Tide” chant, much like how “Go Blue” often follows The Victors. As a matter of fact, both phrases serve as greetings to strangers across the world who are wearing their team’s paraphernalia.

No matter how the game goes, Michigan fans are sure to hear that song plenty on Saturday night. The one song Wolverine fans don’t want to hear is another ‘Bama tradition, Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer. This song is only played following (or at the very end of sure) Alabama victories. It’s the ultimate victory cigar to Tide Fans. Listen to it and it’ll no doubt stir up memories of Verne Lundquist wrapping up a game from Braynt-Denny Stadium. The linked file is for a win over Tennessee, but the fans substitute the name of the whichever team was just dispatched.

Hey Vols!

Hey Vols!

Hey Vols!

We just beat the hell out of you!

Rammer Jammer, Yellowhammer, gave 'em hell, Alabama!

It’s typically only played once or twice after the game, but it was also played before games with the lyrics changing to “We’re gonna beat the hell out of you.” But in the early 2000s the university felt it was too taunting in nature and had the band stop playing it. After heavy criticism the university relented as long as it was only played after the game. The lyrics originate from a former student newspaper, The Rammer Jammer, and the state bird, the yellowhammer. The title of the song was also the title of the excellent 2004 book by Warren St. John, which EVERY college football fan should read. Seriously, go buy it now. KYF will wait.

Both songs are played by the 330-member “Million Dollar Band.” The name dates back to 1922 when the band had to raise funds to be able to travel to a game at Georgia Tech. Thankfully, with all the money in college football today, that would never happen. Following the game, a 33-7 defeat to the Yellow Jackets, an Alabama alumnus, W.C. Pickens, was asked "[...] what do you have at Alabama?" by an Atlanta-based sportswriter. Pickens replied only, "A million dollar band."

Academics – According to the most recent U. S. News ranking of America's Best Colleges, Alabama is a solid, if unspectacular 75th, which, ties them with seven schools, including the Big Ten’s Indiana, and Michigan lookalike, Delaware. This ranking would put them near the bottom of the Big Ten, ahead of only Nebraska (#101), but they’re ranked 5th in the 14-team Southeast Conference, and most importantly seven spots ahead of rival Auburn.

Athletics – Alabama has been a member of the Southeast Conference since it's founding in 1932. The school offers 21 varsity sports (Michigan has 27). Other than in football, athletic success has been surprisingly modest in Tuscaloosa. The men's basketball team has never made a Final Four, with an Elite Eight in 2004 representing the furthest advancement. UA has sent 24 players to the NBA, led by seven-time champion Robert Horry, all-around good guy Antonio McDyess, and ne'er-do-well Latrell Spreewell. Alabama has never won a national title in any men's sport other than football. They have won six women's gymnastics titles, and are the current national champions in women's golf and women's softball (beating Michigan in the Softball World Series).

But when people think of the Alabama Crimson Tide they think of football. And for good reason. The school has won 14 national championships (Michigan has 11), 22 SEC titles (by far the most), has a winning record against every SEC member (except newcomer Missouri who they've played only three times), and has played in a record 58 bowl games, winning 33. The program's 814 wins ranks 7th in Division 1-A, as does their 0.710 winning percentage. The face of Alabama football is Paul "Bear" Bryant, a man who's been dead for almost 30 years. Bryant's name is on the 101,821 seat stadium (along with former UA president George Hutchinson Denny), his trademark houndstooth hat pattern appears all over the state, and his legacy is reborn countless times when true 'Bama fans name their newborns (most importantly, the vast majority of Tide fans had a pretty good sense of humor when the MZone poked some fun at their beloved legend). Bryant was a solid player for the Tide in the early '30s but it's his 25-year coaching career at Alabama that has made him a legend. He won 315 games, six national titles, and 13 SEC titles. 

Famous alums – Even without including the fictional Forrest Gump, the list of alumni from Alabama is pretty decent. It includes Forrest Gump author Winston Groom, writer and journalist Gay Talese, actor Jim Nabors, actress Sela Ward, and director of many Seinfeld episodes, Tom Cherones.

Longtime baseball announcer Mel Allen is a 'Bama alum along with college football guy Rece Davis, and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough. And KYF is deeply indebted to one Alabama alum in particular, Jimmy Wales, the co-founder of Wikipedia. Thanks, Jimmy!

There are, of course, a ton of football players, including seven hall of famers: John Hannah, Don Hutson, Joe Namath, Ozzie Newsome, Bart Starr, Dwight Stephenson, and Derrick Thomas. 

The list also includes plenty of local politicians, longtime Supreme Court justice Hugo Black, and former governor and presidential candidate (and neer-do-well) George Wallace, but, alas, no U.S. Presidents.

The Game – Wow, what a way to start things off, facing the national champions on a neutral field. This is the game of the week and could go a long way to determine who plays for that cheap-looking crystal football at the end of the season. 'Bama lost a ton of talent to the NFL, but the Nick Saban recruiting machine (scholarship limits? We don't need no stinkin' scholarship limits!) just rolls on. And if Saban's the coach, you know this team is going to be tough on defense. But the Tide don't have Denard Robinson, who saw the Michigan program through the darkest of days and is ready to cement his mark as one of the greatest Wolverines ever. It will be a lot of work, but Denard and the defense will put Michigan in the national championship conversation before we even get to Labor Day.

MICHIGAN - 20

ALABAMA - 13

Now Playing at the MZone Theater

Well, not only is it opening weekend of the college football season, but it's also opening weekend at the refurbished MZone Theater (we added IMAX and are thus jacking up the popcorn and Red Vines to obscene levels to pay for it).

In theater 1, our main feature is the most anticipated blockbuster of the year...

And we have a special treat for you all at midnight in theater 5.  Based on our post of the same name, Hollywood has already rushed out a film version of...

Nick Saban vs. Mecha-Nick Saban

Ed. Note: BIG thanks for Rigby for the 'Shop work!

Game Preview- Emory and Henry @ Ferrum

And so begins the fifth season of the Ferrum College Football Report....but not without some difficulty. Between Internet connectivity issues, and getting locked out of my own blog, It has recently been a struggle to get a new article posted. It appears to some I am sure, that I have not been as devoted as I need to be to the writing of the blog. (Thanks for the note J.M.)...nothing could be further from the truth. How on earth does one get locked out of his own blog? It's not difficult if the blog, which is powered by Google, is linked to a Google based email account. I have 4 Google based email accounts, and if you forget to sign out of one that is not the one associated with the blog, you cannot sign into the blog....Took a while to figure that out, so now I am back to clicking away.
Another issue is that It has been more difficult getting information this year, as one of my main contacts graduated. ( Hey J.M...glad your son graduated, but I really miss his input). Enough of the small talk...There is a game to review.

The Wasps of Emory and Henry travel out of the deep folds of Southwest Virginia when they head to Ferrum to play what has become a really fun regional rivalry. Ferrum has had a difficult time dealing with the powerful Emory and Henry offense. For 4 years, Caleb Jennings proved almost impossible to stop, but he is gone....(heck he was gone last year, but I still have visions of a speedy number 7 running all over the place) Last year, in Coach Harper's first season, it was not pretty to listen to the broadcast, as Ferrum seemed to have a serious case of first game jitters, and they fell hard to the Wasps 41-12. What Saturday holds is any one's guess. Ferrum will look to put an end to a Wasp winning streak that began in 2007. Playing at home will help, but Ferrum's usually potent offensive attack, has a lot of question marks, and in the recent scrimmage against a strong Washington and Lee team, it's difficult to say with any certainty that many of the offensive questions have been resolved.

Emory and Henry is picked to finish fifth in the ODAC coaches poll, so if there is something to be gleaned from that, it may be indicative that the Wasps are not expected to be quite as strong. I am certain of one thing, they will be prepared to play, and nothing will come easy against them.

Look for Ferrum to run the spread option, but also look for more passing this season. The receiving corps is strong, and I would expect that this will be something Ferrum will utilize a lot. As for the running game, Ferrum does not have a wealth of experience in the backfield to say the least. It will be a work in progress, and time will tell as to who the workhorse of the running game will be.

Defensively, Tae Motley will anchor a unit with good experience at all positions. This unit should be the constant on a team that begins with many unknowns.

I look for Ferrum, this Saturday to take a step and gain valuable experience in preparation for their season run. While much more information has been gathered since I posted my pre-season predictions, I will stand by my overall prediction of the Panthers finishing with an 8-2 record....unfortunately, I see this game as one of the two.

E&H      30

Ferrum  20

Other games in the conference- (Winner in Bold)


Salisbury @ CNU
Ohio Northern @ N.C, Wesleyan
Washington and Jefferson @ Methodist
Hampden-Sydney @ Averett
Maryville @ Huntingdon
LaGrange @ Birmingham Southern
Greensboro @ Guilford

Nick Saban vs. Mecha-Nick Saban

As a kid, I used to love the old Japanese Godzilla movies (which is why I will never, ever forgive the people behind that shitty-ass remake.  WTF was that?!).  I especially liked Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla.

For those of you who had a deprived childhood, Mechagodzilla (aka Mecha-Godzilla) was Godzilla's robotic doppelganger.  When they battled, it was heartless, fire-breathing evil versus its bionic equal.  Mano-a-Mechanical.

The reason I was thinking of Godzilla today was because I had started writing up a post about Alabama's head football coach, Nick Saban.  Like me, when you think Nick Saban, the first thing that probably comes to mind for you as well is heartless, fire-breathing evil (only with slightly less personality).

So I began free associating some ideas along the "Saban is Godzilla" theme when I  remembered the giant statue of Saban that Alabama had already erected...

And, voila, like that, the spark of an idea was upon me:  Pure, cold-blooded oversigning malevolence vs a metallic rush to deify (because, you know, what could possibly go wrong with putting up a statue of one's head coach while he's still there).

It really is the perfect monster movie.

So who would win such an epic battle of B-movie villainy?  As you know if you've watched such flicks, there isn't just one battle between the two baddies in each film, but many.  In different places, and against different backdrops.  Thus, the MZone breaks down what would happen in the scariest movie of the year...

Nick Saban vs. Mecha-Nick Saban

DESTRUCTIVE POWER

If the 9-foot bronze statue of Mecha-Nick Saban fell over, he'd crush that nearby wall.  But it can probably be fixed in a matter of weeks or days.

When Nick Saban recruits some kid only to abruptly pull his scholarship at the last minute, "grayshirt" him or make him take a medical hardship, these harmful actions leave scars on kids that can last a lifetime.

Advantage:

ON-SCREEN CHARISMA

Nick Saban always looks like a guy getting an enema while in a dental chair having a root canal at the same time.  Even Mark Dantonio has been known to remark, "Man, that dude needs to lighten the fuck up."

Mecha-Nick Saban just looks like the same guy getting only the enema.

Advantage:

BRAVERY IN BATTLE

Being 9 feet tall and made of bronze, Mecha-Nick Saban will not flee when things get tough.

After coaching at MSU and realizing he couldn't rise above Michigan when the playing field was level, Nick Saban fled to conferences where that wouldn't be the case.  Remember these words from Saban after he left MSU?:

"At Michigan State, we were never No. 1," Saban said. "That was always Michigan. It was always U-M this or that."

Advantage:

MOST DESPISED

This one is easy.  Mecha-Nick Saban is loved by pigeons.

Nick Saban is hated by any college football fan who doesn't bleed Crimson and White.

Advantage:

UPDATE:

Rigby did the poster for us!

Smith out for season

First, the big news. Chris Smith is out for the season because of “personal issues,” according to coach Tony Reno. Read the story from Tuesday’spractice.

Next, I want to apologize for the lack of coverage for the last week. I was busy covering the New Haven Open, so I didn’t have a chance to get over to practice. Now I will spend most of my time covering Yale.

Any questions about the team or if there is something I haven’t addressed, please post and I will do my best to get an answer. With that said, keep in mind Reno is much more tight-lipped than Tom Williams was.

Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage was closed to the media, as will be this Saturday’s scrimmage against Brown and the final intrasquad scrimmage of the preseason.

Yale will practice in the afternoon. Much more convenient, in my opinion anyway, than Williams’ early morning schedule.  

A reader asked why Yale will play Columbia on the road and Dartmouth at home again this year. Reno explained it was done by the Ivy League to “rebalance” the schedule. Every five years the Ivy League reconfigures its schedule, Reno said.

Here’s a couple of tidbits from Tuesday…

Reno on Beau Palin and Chris Dooley: “They are the heart and soul of our front. They are true tough guys, tough football players.”

Will McHale spoke highly of sophomore LB EJ Conway and sophomore DB Charles Cook.

Cam Sandquist on the Bulldogs trio of RBs Mordecai Cargill, Tyler Varga and Kahlil Keys:  “You look at our three backs and it makes you excited to block on the outside. Knowing the confidence we have in those guys is huge, it opens up so much. “

Fan Film Breakdown: Say Roll Tide, I'll Give You Another Piece of Ice

From the Editor:  Since the MZone is returning after a loooong hiatus and people might not know we're back, if you can kindly pass on a link or a tweet to a friend or 38, we'd sure appreciate it!

Yost

When players and coaches want to learn about their next opponent, they watch and break down game film, studying it for clues.  But what if you want to learn about a team's fanbase? 

In an effort to help you, the MZone reader, better know the fans of our opponents each week, today we are starting a new feature here called Fan Film Breakdown.  In a nutshell, we scour YouTube for videos posted by fans of Michigan's next opponent, then break them down like coaches in order to give you insight into those fans.  Sure, it may sound simple, but it takes a keen blogger's eye to really "see the fanbase."

Kicking off the new feature today, we turn our attention to the fans of Michigan's season opener, the Alabama Crimson Tide.  Please know that we didn't take this important task lightly.   To find out who Tide fans really are, we did meaningful YouTube research that took nearly 25 minutes.  Because we didn't want the stereotypes.  We wanted the truth.  In their own words.

And by God, we found it.

Thus, below is a completely unbiased, totally representative sample of the Crimson Tide fanbase.   Watch each video below then check out the Mzone's breakdown after the clip.

CLIP #1: ROLL TIDE BABY

WHAT WE LEARNED:
 Judging from the video, being a Tide fan isn't something a child born with.  It must be learned.  And if that doesn't work, bribery must be used

KEY PLAY:
-- "Say Roll Tide, I'll give you another piece of ice."
-- "Get the grass out of his mouth."

CLIP #2: ROLL TIDE GRANDMA

WHAT WE LEARNED:
 A Tide fan's love of her team never fades...nor does her love of stripping.

KEY PLAY:
-- "MOM!"
-- "We like to see your face, not your ass."

CLIP #3: JUST TWO PAINTED GUYS



WHAT WE LEARNED:
-- Judging by the same wood paneling in this video and in Roll Tide Grandma, either fans in 'Bama are all stuck in the 1970s or these two groups of folks might be related (or both).
-- Something is seriously wrong with our democracy when these two guys can vote for President of the United States and have said vote count just as much as yours

KEY PLAY:
-- "I don't even have a job."
-- "To summarilize all this stuff together..."

CLIP #4: THE TIDE IS COMING!



Ed. Note: At first we weren't sure if this was real.  We thought maybe somebody had broken into Yost's mind, stolen the idea for Fan Film Breakdown before he even had it then gone back in time and posted a fake, parody video of what a bad stereotype of a 'Bama fan might look like - just to see if we could spot a forgery.  We must be honest in saying that, after multiple viewings, we're still not sure that's not what happened.  Because to admit that the above video and person is a real Alabama fan is actually scarier than the whole breaking into Yost's mind/going back in time alternative.

WHAT WE LEARNED
-- Apparently people really do chew tobacco while not attending a NASCAR race or a Hank Williams Jr. concert.
-- Ned Beatty, please email and let us all know you are safe


KEY PLAY:
-- "Hbwphbrghykeduruv" (or whatever was said around the :24 second mark)
-- "Here's a little story..." followed by 10 second pause as brain reboots
-- "Screw you, bend over and kiss it good-bye cuz this shit ain't gonna be pretty."
-- "Roll Tide, motherfuckers"
-- [spit sound] x347

Well, there you have it, folks.  Our first Fan Film Breakdown.  Hope you now have a much more complete understanding of what we're up against off the field come Saturday.

Overwhelmed at the Moment

I figured I better post this before I have a mutiny on my hands, so here goes.  Gonna have to put the blog on hold at least for the football season.  I've picked up some new duties as the interim head coach of the team I was the assistant head coach for.  The head coach is down sick and can only do so much, so I've had to shoulder a much larger percentage of the duties this season.  I hope you understand.  I'm also trying to get my book completed, so time is of the essence and writing along with being a head coach has taxed me to my limit.  Anyhow, please don't throw rocks, I'll be back to posting here soon, just let me get my ducks in a row at the moment!

Some other great sites to check out while I'm away are:
Coach Hoover's Blog
Brophy's Blog
Smart Football
Coach Iannucci's blog
Tony DeMeo
Kickology
Chief Pigskin

Anyhow, good luck on your seasons, we start next week! 

Let's go!

Duece

Hasil Pertandingan Pekan Ke-3 Liga Prancis (Ligue 1) Musim2012/13

Berikut hasil pertandingan liga prancis (ligue 1) musim 2012/13 pekan ke-3:

Evian Thonon Gaillard 1 - 1 Olympique Lyonnais
OGC Nice                  2 - 2 Lille OSC
AS Nancy-Lorraine     0 - 1 Toulouse FC
ES Troyes Aube Champagne 2 - 2 FC Lorient
Stade de Reims           1 - 0 FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
Stade Rennais FC       3 - 2 SC Bastia
Valenciennes FC          3 - 0 AC Ajaccio
AS Saint-Étienne         4 - 0 Stade Brestois 29
Montpellier HSC         0 - 1 Olympique de Marseille
Paris Saint-Germain     0 - 0 Girondins de Bordeaux

Hasil Pertandingan Pekan Ke-3 Liga Belanda (Eredivisie) Musim 2012/13

 Berikut ini hasil pertandingan Liga Belanda (Eredivisie) pekan ke-3 musim 2012/13:

RKC Waalwijk      1 - 0 Roda JC Kerkrade
FC Utrecht            1 - 1 PEC Zwolle
VVV-Venlo           2 - 4 ADO Den Haag
Ajax Amsterdam    5 - 0 NAC Breda
AZ Alkmaar          0 - 0 SC Heerenveen
Heracles Almelo    1 - 2 Feyenoord Rotterdam
Willem II Tilburg    0 - 2 Vitesse Arnhem
NEC Nijmegen      1 - 3 FC Twente
FC Groningen        1 - 3 PSV Eindhoven

Gol Perdana Shinji Kagawa

Akhirnya Manchester United berhasil meraih kemenangan perdana di Premier League musim 2012/13, setelah pada pertandingan pertama kalah dari Everton, di pertandingan kedua mampu meraih kemenangan saat bertanding melawan Fulham, di depan pendukungnya sendiri di stadion Old Trafford.

Gol kemenangan United diciptakan masing-masing oleh Robin Van Persie, Shinji Kagawa, dan Rafael. Bagi Robin Van Persie dan juga Shinji Kagawa, gol kali ini merupakan gol perdana mereka, dan tentu saja membuat semangat mereka semakin bertambah untuk dapat mencetak gol selanjutnya.

Bagi Shinji Kagawa, gol dalam pertandingan kali ini cukup berarti, karena merupakan gol perdana dalam ajang resmi United. Namun hal ini tak lantas membuatnya jumawa karena harus terus meningkatkan performa demi mendapatkan tempat utama di skuat United dan mempersembahkan kemenangan selanjutnya untuk United. Selamat Shinji Kawa untuk gol perdananya.

Manchester United put on a nice show against Fulham

Manchester United 3 Fulham 2 Premier League Result

With 100m sprint star Usain Bolt showing off his 3 Olympic Gold medals onb the pitch prior to kick off, Damien Duff silenced the buoyant Old Trafford crowd with a really neat finish (3 mins). Fulham's lead only lasted for 7 mins as new striker Robin Van Persie scored his first for the Red Devils. Kagawa scored in the 35th minute taking a striker's type finish after a long range Cleverly shot rebounded to the debutante. Rafael then made it 3-1 with a neatly headed finish. The first half finished 3-1, arguably harsh on Martin Jol's boys.

Fulham started brightly and after a flurry of chances there was a bit of a defensive blunder in the Manchester United back four leading to a Vidic own goal in the 64th minute making it 3-2. After that, Fulham carried on putting the pressure but got no joy. Wayne Rooney came on towards the end and got a bad cut to the leg, Rooney is expected to be sidelined for at least 4 weeks but remember this game for RVP's first Man Utd goal - check this You Tube clip

Urban Meyer Starts New Tradition, Gives OSU Students Clap

Last week, we tweeted about the new "tradition" Tosu head coach Urban Meyer is bringing to the 'Shoe.  If you missed its video unveiling, behold...



First of all, what "aueur" directed that thing?  With the shaky camera and constantly shifting focus I kept waiting for Jason Bourne to jump into frame and kick the shit out of Coach Mick with a rolled up tube sock.  More importantly...

WTF is this "tradition" exactly?  It seems to be a mix between Simon Says and that Hand Jive scene from Grease.

And in an online exclusive, if the The Clap Quick Cals go well, the MZone has learned that Meyer will introduce the even more complicated tradition.  Shown in the video below, it will be for grad students and debut during the next home game:

In Other Buckeye News 

MZone reader Barry sent us the picture below which he received from a friend of his in Ohio showing some new Tosu apparel:

All I can say is, what can you expect from people who probably wear their "Fuck Michigan" t-shirts to church?  And finally...

Our pal Surrounded in Columbus sent us the pic below of the latest breakfast cereal in C-bus:

Gee, that has to be some stale-ass cereal.  Somebody jealous they didn't get their own pop tart?  Hmm.  I feel like we've seen this before.  Yep.

Man, it's good to be back and mocking our Buckeye brethren.

GO BLUE!

The Premier League is back in town

England's Premier League has kicked off with some unfamiliar faces hogging the limelight and some intriguing storylines to follow.

It is traditional that the early exchanges of the season see some lesser lights have their day and the first weekend saw Fulham, Swansea and West Brom in the top three positions.

Martin Jol's team sat atop the tree courtesy of a 5-0 thumping of Norwich City at Craven Cottage. West Brom welcomed Brendan Rodgers to the Liverpool helm by beating the Reds 3-0 at the Hawthorns but Swansea produced the day's most eye-opening scoreline winning 5-0 at QPR.

Michael Laudrup's first game in charge of the Swans could not have gone much better, and the Great Dane's exodus in English football promises much. Mark Hughes' side, however, must recover from this knock-out blow. Rangers are still following a dream with the Mittal family, the country's richest and one of the world's top ten wealthiest families, owning a third of the club.

QPR have acquired ten players for this campaign and are pressing ahead with their bid to build a 45,000-seat arena on a new site in West London.

West Ham returned to the top flight with a 1-0 home win over Aston Villa, though this season should be more about goings-on off-field as they resume their fight to take over London's Olympic Stadium after the Paralympic Games have finished.

Newcastle handed defeat to Andre Villas-Boas in his first match as Tottenham boss but their own manager Alan Pardew will face the F.A. music having pushed a linesman in anger during the game.

Arsenal, minus the Man Utd-bound Robin Van Persie, could only draw 0-0 at home to Sunderland and another season in the wilderness for London's biggest team beckons. The angst was evident on Arsene Wenger's face as the barren spell of the past few seasons continues.

United themselves lost their opening game 1-0 at Everton and a goal from Marouane Fellaini.

Another Belgian, Eden Hazard, has taken to the Premier League like a duck to water and is already a prospect for player of the season. European champions Chelsea, whose win last night against Reading takes them temporarily to the top, look an interesting proposition with Fernando Torres now top dog following Didier Drogba's departure, and Hazard, Juan Mata and new signing Oscar promising a formidable attacking triangle behind him.

Reigning champions Manchester City began their title defence with a narrow 3-2 win at home to new boys Southampton, and their awesome squad still has the deepest reserves of talent to call upon.

How City will fare with UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules is another matter. The FFP allows for a £35.5m operating loss over two seasons beginning next campaign, but in 2010-11 City posted a deficit of around seven times that. Will this be the last time a spending-spree buys the title?

England is still recovering from its Olympics hangover and football has yet to catch the imagination again. London 2012 was still on when the Community Shield kicked off the season to a less than sold-out crowd at Villa Park.

With talented players like Clint Dempsey and Luka Modric moping on the sidelines while their agents and clubs squabble over big-money moves, the contrast with the clean-living Olympians and the universally happy and positive atmosphere engendered by other sports taking place has been noticed by everyone.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

Tags

Euro 2012 football

Obaam Misspells Ohio

ED. NOTE: We don't do politics here on the MZone.  That way lies madness on a college football blog.  There's enough animosity in the sports blogosphere without throwing politics into the mix.  Thus, the post and pix below are not an endorsement or repudiation of any candidate or party.

During a campaign stop at Ohio State on Tuesday, President Obama somehow got talked into spelling out O-H-I-O*.  Unfortunately, it didn't go so well...

Mitt Romney's campaign was quick to pounce, with his Ohio campaign manager tweeting:

A word of advice to @BarackObama: it's "O-H-I-O" that has 18 electoral votes, not "O-I-H-O"

Now,  it's hard to totally fault the President when the OSU fan to the left of Sweaty Armpits Guy is himself incorrectly rolling out the "I".  Maybe the President thought they were doing something that was going to be reflected in a mirror.  Or, because the state of Ohio itself is so ass-backwards, maybe he just assumed they spell that way, too.  (And I'm not even bringing up that the dude on the other end who looks to be putting up an "A" instead of the second "O" himself).

In any event, being the President and all, he was given a do-over and it went much better the second time...

No word yet if they tried to get him to wear a "F#ck Michigan" shirt during the visit.

"I'm blogger Fielding H. Yost, and I approve of this message."

Paid for by the MZone Committee To Continue Mocking Ohio State Even On Things Only Tangentially Related to College Football

* For a fan base that got so bent out of shape about Hoke's "Ohio" moniker, they sure as hell like to spell it a lot.

WR Gaines commits to Yale

Lincoln High (Fla.) WR Myles Gaines has committed to Yale, Tallahassee.comhas reported.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Gaines chose the Bulldogs over Harvard and Princeton.

“I chose Yale because I had the closest relationship with their coaches,” Gaines told Tallahassee.com. “When I went up there this summer for their football camp, that’s when they offered me and that tied the knot. It’s more of a coach-player feeling – it felt like my high school more than any other college I visited.”

Manchester City 3 - 2 Southampton

What a start to the season by Southampton as for the first five minutes they laid siege to Joe Hart's goal. This was achieved by up to seven(!) players from the away team pressing the City back line very high up the pitch. Is this Chievo Verona we're watching?

The first significant foray by City into Southampton's half led to an injury sustained by Kun Aguero from ex-Crystal Palace Nathaniel Clyne's (clean) tackle. It seems like the City striker will be all right if the latest reports are to be believed.

Dzeko came on for Aguero and had the type of match one has come to expect from him: good movement but with a seeming inability to do simple things like score into an empty net .. until he did score in the second half. He changes City's shape when he plays: he is reliably up front as a focal point, unlike when Aguero and Tevez are the "front" pair, then the team seems to have a forwardless Spain look about them.

One can imagine being a midfielder or a back for City, under pressure from opponents, having Dzeko there gives the option of direct play – not that there's much of that from the ball-playing Manchester City these days. It's easy to think that those half chances that might have been converted by a better finisher, Robin Van Persie say, and that these misses might in the end come back to bite City if goal difference is going to be important to the outcome of the 2012-13 Premier League. We may come to the conclusion that Manchester United's purchase of RVP, an atypical purchase of such an old player by Ferguson, was negative in purpose: keep him out of City's squad. Great movement by Tevez led to the opening goal by the Argentinian: fired in low near post past goalkeeper Kelvin Davis. 1 – 0.

There has been a spate of near post goals lately: the striker dribbles in towards the near post, the keeper dives early towards the far post hoping to save with his feet shots that may come in at the near post. This technique leads to the keepers diving out of the path of the ball coming in at the near post. Among other examples, Butland did this for team GB in the Olympics, and Chelsea's opening goal against Wigan was similar. Goalkeeping coaches need to correct this to make keepers stay in the ready position at the near post even as the shot comes in to force the shot far post; the current trend for keepers to 'cheat' into the centre just isn't working.

The second half started with Dzeko, Clichy, and a creaky Da Silva all missing great chances in front of goal. Those who had made bets that Southampton would go straight back down to the Championship by the end of the season were licking their chops. But then coach Nigel Adkins brought on Championship Golden Boot winner (31 goals last season) Rickie Lambert in place of Rodriguez. Four minutes later he scored after a tight and pretty one-two with Guly do Prado in the City box. 1 – 1.

That sure-bet-for-the-drop didn't look so certain all of a sudden, and Lambert's excellent movement and great touch gave the Saints such a fillip that they scored a second. After City pressure, the ball broke to new boy Rodwell in a high sweeper position, and, although he had crossed himself on entering the pitch, made a sloppy diagonal that was easily cut out and a three-on-three break became five-on-three as the lively and fit-looking Soton players outsprinted their counterparts. Sub Steven Davis finished expertly inside the far post past a marginally slow Joe Hart. 1 – 2. Adam Lallana and Morgan Schneiderlin are both catching the eye in this game, but it was City who scored the equalizer in the 71st minute as the ball broke for Dzeko at the far post and he thrashed it in. 2 – 2.

Southampton not only look like but actually are a team that is used to winning, and a minute after the Dzeko goal Puncheon's shot is blocked, and a minute after that Balotelli refused to acknowledge that he has a left foot and missed a chance at the far post. Open and end-to-end skillful football. 76th minute: Dzeko's header just wide. Nasri's influence on the game, considerable throughout the encounter, is increasing at this point and when Clichy's too-big ball from the left is headed inexplicably by Daniel Fox back onto the penalty spot, there is Nasri to smash it home. 3 – 2.

Southampton continue to appear to be puzzled at the meaning of the word 'defeat' and striker Billy Sharp comes on for Puncheon. City hang on for the win, but which manager is the happier?

Peter Rodd

Tags

Manchester City football