First, I want to thank all the readers, friends, family, and the Michigan Blogosphere as a whole for getting the word out about bringing Guy Fieri to UMTailgate.com.  Special thanks to FryDaddy Frank who planted the seed.  The bevy of support has been outstanding, and it is a testament to the character of the Michigan fan contingency and our strong tailgating family.  Word has trickled in that some emailers have been contacted by producers of the show, which is great news.  Whatever happens, I am left with a warm hart by all of your kind words.  It makes me so much more excited for the coming season, and it drives us to create a better tailgate full of new and improved ideas, both activity and culinary based.  Just…wow.

Next, I am taking the blog in a new (read additional) direction, focusing on tailgate and food related items to create a balance with our Michigan opinions and coverage.  I’m going on vacation for the weekend, so I hope to start it when I return on Wednesday, with a chance of some scattered postings from now until then.

We are less than a month and a half from life starting again.  The stadium will be different, the uniforms will be different, and the gameplan will be different…but the tailgate family will be just as you left it in November.  Here’s to things changing AND remaining the same.

My passion for a good plate of grub is immeasurable.  So it should come as no surprise to you that I am a huge fan of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network.  I only discovered it about 6 months ago, and I am currently running out of space on my DVR because I can’t bring myself to delete any of the episodes.  If you haven’t seen the show, I recommend checking it out.  Every time I watch it, I get five new ideas for tailgate food.  Each foray into towns both small and large epitomizes everything I want in a dining experience:  homestyle cooking, fast service, a deep fryer, and some dirt on the floor.

The host, Guy Fieri, has pretty much the greatest job on the planet, going from restaurant to restaurant sampling the food and chatting up the ownership.  Guy recently made a stop at a Chicagoland area restaurant that gets its supplies from none other than our own FryDaddy Frank.  FryDaddy got a hold of Guy’s ear and dropped a shameless plug for UMTailgate.com, who we are, what we do, and that Guy should stop by.  Guy got pretty fired up about the idea and there was an exchange of business cards.  Without a doubt, Guy wants to come to our tailgate.  I’m thinking there’s a chance he might be involved in something this fall that is tailgate related.  No doubt he’s the perfect guy for a show that checks out sporting event tailgates.  The problem is…Guy doesn’t get to make those decisions.  This is where you come in…

Guy told FryDaddy to get the whole crew to send emails to the DDD producers.  So if you are a UMTailgate regular, an occasional stopper-byer, or a one-timer, drop a note to DDDinfo@mac.com.  Tell them what we do, tell them what you’ve seen, and tell them it would be perfect for Guy to stop by for the Patriotic Themed Tailgate on August 30th.

Quoting FryDaddy:

Guy told me that if enough of us send these people an email, he is very confident that we would be the first of many trips to tailgates for his show.

Ya, well, that would be f’n ridiculous.  But hey, where else would you start?  I mean, we are The Professionals with a “complex game plan.“   It certainly “doesn’t get any better than” us.

Anyway, help us out! If nothing else, maybe it will get Gar some people at his tent from our tailgate overflow.  Thanks in advance.  Once again, it’s DDDinfo@mac.com.

Kaffee: What do you want from me?
Galloway: I want you to let them be judged. I want you to stand up and make an argument.
Weinberg: An argument that didn’t work for Calley at My Lai. An argument that didn’t work for the Nazis at Nuremberg.

Why did he plead “not guilty?”  Signs point to a plea bargain sometime before the August 14th trial date…lawyer meetings and what not.  But maybe it’s because he didn’t break the all-time drunk driving record…

“It’s a substantial level,” Sluiter said. “But I’ve seen higher.”

Good to know.

Regardless, those looking for the football version of the death penalty are going to be disappointed.  Maybe a game or two suspension…and lots of Barwis.  But when you commit a crime that (luckily, mind you) results in no harm, and will likely result in no jail time, there’s no way that you drop a kid…even if you are trying to set an example.  I’m not trying to trivialize the seriousness of driving while blitzed, but everybody deserves a second chance.  In fact, I’ve heard we often gave three strikes under the previous regime.

Announcement coming soon about a chance for some more national recognition for the tailgate…but I’m going to need everyone’s help.  More to come this weekend.

By now you’ve heard all about Rich Rod settling up with West Virginia.  WVU will get its $4 million.  No interest, no legal fees for them.  Michigan will reportedly pony up $2.5 million of it plus pay Rich Rod’s legal fees.  What does this mean to you, the average fan?  Not a damn thing.

Seriously.  This is none of your business.

Ticket prices will not rise because of this settlement.  Construction on the new boxes will continue at Stadium and Main.  And your gameday experience will be exactly as it would be if a court ruled that WVU wasn’t going to get a penny.

We have a football team that has a following every bit as big as an NFL franchise, with crowds bigger than an NFL franchise, and an individual licensing agreement with an athletic apparel company…  and the players play for free.  That’s what I call low overhead.  $2.5 million is a typical take for a player agent from a high end rookie contract’s SIGNING BONUS.  Trust me, there’s more than $2.5 million in loose cash in the leather sofa in Bill Martin’s office.  But he won’t need it because this $2.5 million was always going to be paid by a few donors.  A few Carr hating donors ready to push the change.

So don’t complain, don’t worry, and stay out of it.  Someone else is taking care of this.  Trust in the behind the scenes deal that was orchestrated long before Rich Rod signed on to lead the Maize and Blue.

Not sure about you, but my weekend was great.  Fireworks, food, the Fourth of July, and unplugged from the internet for three full days.  Here’s what we missed:

• RichRod pressed palms with the boys from Alro and hit the links with Al Glick.  Looks like he’s got the donation hunting portion of his job down pat.  [Michigan Football Coach Plays in Jackson Event - MLive]
• There are five sleeper teams, and we play three of them.  Great.  but MSU has about as much of a chance of winning a championship as you do of winning the big prize on a scratch-off lottery ticket in Virginia. [Looking for a Sleeper Team Outside the Top 25 - Rivals.com]
• Illinois has sold 40,000 season tickets, there largest amount since 1986, and about 10,000 fewer than half the number of season tickets that Michigan doles out each season.  Ha.  [Illinois Season Football Tickets - Illini Loyalty]
• On the heels of Eugene Clifford throwing his fists around at a bar, the BBC reminds us that OSU is very stern when it comes to disciplining its players…oh, and that Maurice Clarett wasn’t a Buckeye when he borrowed money from the Jewish mafia and brandished an AKA on a street in COLUMBUS.  He was only a Buckeye when he forced and recovered that fumble against Miami in the National Championship Game.  We are all certain things were on the up and up with Maurice during that 2002 campaign.  Ironically, this all came out just three days after the ultimate glass house threw stones.  [Get Outta My Locker Room - BBC]
• Here’s why you want to travel when Michigan plays at Wisconsin…  [Unique study ranks state No. 1 for alcohol's impact on lives - Wausau Daily Herald]
• Godfather is going to have to find another place to buy his yellow football jerseys.  [Steve and Barry's loses University License - Michigan Daily]
• A collective yet quiet cheer just rang out in all the assisted living facilities in Michigan as they feel their geriatric voices will soon be heard when they utter “down in front.”  [Fans are asked to treat Chiefs games like bowling matches - YahooSports]

The Grand Rapids Press has printed the details of the Kevin Grady DUI over on MLive.  My initial reaction was that this was a minor misstep.  But then I saw the numbers:

According to the ticket issued to Grady, he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.281. Michigan’s legal definition of drunk is 0.08

That, my tailgating friends, is what is known in most circles as WASTED.  In the end, KG is lucky he didn’t kill someone…or himself.  This very well may be more than just a slap on the wrist in the form of Grady-can’t-play-until-the-second-offensive-drive.  This will definitely be a measuring stick for the disciplinary policies of RichRod.

It’s all very disappointing.  Not really from a depth chart perspective, where Minor and Brown return, and McGuffie and Cox are coming in, but from a good guy makes a comeback perspective.  Fifteen months ago, we felt bad for him.  A medical redshirt later, we had hope for him.  Three months ago, we anointed him as the change-of-pace back for the season, and even after Brandon Graham flattened him, as a guy that was about to reach the potential we saw when he was in high school…and be a team leader at 22 years old.

STRONGEST AREA: There is a nice collection of running backs with Minor, Kevin Grady and Carlos Brown. Grady is a bull who missed last season with a knee injury. Brown is a go-the-distance guy, while Minor is effective inside and outside. Incoming freshman Sam McGuffie also could play immediately. Rodriguez may use two tailbacks at the same time, so there should be plenty of work for these guys.

Now…not so much.

District Judge Pablo Cortes found Grady was “unable to render an intelligent or knowing acknowledgment of the charges” and ordered Grady to appear for arraignment July 9. Grady remains free on bond.

In other words, he couldn’t answer “Do you understand the charges that have been brought up against you?”  with anything more than drool.

In less than two months, Michigan plays Utah at…..

3:30pm

Nothing starts a season like a seven-hour tailgate.

There’s no bigger homer on the planet than our own Godfather.  He’s a Wolverines fan on Saturday…a Bears fan on Sunday.  He’s into hockey…once the Wolverines make the frozen four, or the Wings are in the finals.  He’s a Cubs fan by day, and a Tigers fan under the lights.  So gas prices be damned, G-Daddy made his way across the state to see his favorite Tiger, Miguel Cabrera, don the old English ‘D.’  Some of the family made the trip as well, and after a quick hiccup at the casino, we made our way to the ballpark for a pizza picnic in section 137 and to see (Justin’s Tiger) Todd Jones blow his first save.  But as if he knew his biggest fan was in town, Cabrera came through in the bottom of the ninth with a walk off double.  Tigers win 6-5.  Nice…and…*ahem*…”fun.”

Better late than never…here are the pics from the days events.

Ex-Wolverines have been in the news recently and for some very good reasons. Michael Phelps, former swimmer, broke his own record in the 400m individual medley on Sunday night. The Baltimore Sun asks if Michael can become the next Tiger Woods…The title was enough for me not to read the article.

Two former Wolverine baseball players have made the prestigious Futures Game during the All-Star festivities at Yankee Stadium. One name is probably more familiar to you than you think…Clayton Richard, former Michigan quarterback who left the team to focus on baseball appears to have made the right decision. He’s been tearing it up for the White Sox triple-A farm club along with fellow teammate Chris Getz who is down in Charlotte.

Three former women rowers have been selected to represent their countries as well. Heather Mandoli and Janine Hanson from Canada and Ellen Tomek from the USA. Congrats to our Alumni! Check out mgoblue.com for complete coverage of all our potential Olympians!