Tailgating

Cedar Springs, Michigan

Monday, October 11, 2010.

Nothing in particular to report on the motor home. Still procrastinating on the job of putting in the new refrigerator and buying a generator. Another week to go. One thing about putting things off until the last minute is that those last minutes are busy, and go by quickly.

So let's talk about sports. First the Yankees. Yes, Goliath beat David once again. Money and greatness will out over sentimentality and small markets. In baseball, as in life itself, the underdog isn't supposed to win. Now it's on to either the Rays or the Rangers. My preference would be for the Rangers, because they seem more vulnerable. Also they are from Texas, and used to be owned by George W. Bush, and for those two reasons deserve to be beaten by the team that best represents the North.

Now for the more serious problem, the Michigan Wolverines. We got a look at the Denard Robinson of last year on Saturday. Too bad, because we needed this year's model. And credit is due to MSU on both sides of the ball. They kicked ass fair and square, and those three interceptions and the blocked field goal made the difference in the game.

I told you I was going to the game, but if you didn't see me on TV that was because I never made it into the stadium. Certain people wanted to go to the game, and so we went, and the whole thing turned into a Charlie Foxtrot of the first magnitude. For one thing, there were three of us, making it virtually impossible to obtain seats together from a scalper. In that regard I got very lucky, however, and got a couple of good tickets from a drunk student rather than from a scalper, for a very good price (only $10 apiece over face value). I had to literally elbow a scalper, who also wanted to buy them, out of the way and shove the money into the kid's hands and grab the tickets, but I succeeded. The scalper would have turned a nice profit on them. The professional ticket sellers outside the stadium were asking several hundred dollars apiece, and evidently getting what they asked. Altogether a good day for the underground economy.

After getting the other two members of my party into the stadium I set about trying to obtain a single ticket for myself and quickly realized I had just gotten the bargain of the day, if not the season, from this drunken scholar. Back on the steps in front of Crisler Arena, which is mostly where the scalpers lurk, there were far more buyers than sellers, and I saw that no more good deals were to be had. So, with the first quarter coming to an end, I decided to spend the game wandering from one tailgating party to another, watching on big screen TVs placed in the backs of SUVs, standing behind youthful revelers. Actually a good way to see a game, though I could have done without the beery high fives and trash talking. But at least I saw the action up close. During that time I came to the realization that I don't care if I ever go to Michigan Stadium for a football game again. It might sound like sour grapes, but my favorite way to watch Michigan football is and always has been to sit in my chair in my living room in front of my own TV. The in-person thing is exciting if it's the Rolling Stones we're talking about, but to occupy half-a-butt's-worth of space on an aluminum bleacher with a hundred thousand doofuses watching a game from half a mile away isn't really worth the trouble.

So, whither Michigan? Obviously they're perched pretty much where they were at this time last year, with the rest of the serious Big Ten ahead of them and the easier games behind them. I hate to see them lose, but if they shit the bed again this year, maybe that'll spell Rodriguez's doom, which might just make it all worth it. My personal preference for a replacement would be Jim Tressel, but I don't think he's looking for another job. Get him out of those silly maroon sweater vests and into something more fashionable, in blue. Hey, don't laugh. We had another pretty good coach who came out of the Buckeye State. Why not?