A Tale of Two Cities
/The Long Way
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That is the best way I can sum up the 5500 mile journey across the United States...from Ann Arbor to Las Vegas...to Los Angeles and back. The best of the trip occurred in Vegas, the finest in food, entertainment, clubs, and playing blackjack with former college roomates and friends. Winning makes things better as well, and some of us came away with solid paydays.
On the 30th we moved from Vegas to LA, and checked into the Hyatt on Sunset, AKA the "Riot House", with a balcony overlooking the greater LA area. This is where things went downhill for many of us on the trip, as the flu made itself present starting on that evening, and flourished throughout the remainder of the vacation. We passed it around to eachother, and struggled to attend our private New Year's Eve party, the tailgate, and even The Game.
I took no pictures at the tailgate (thanks to JJ for chronicling the event with my camera), drank no alcohol at the tailgate, and shivered my way through four horrible quarters of Michigan football, passing in and out of conciousness as USC put point after point up on the board. USC's 2nd half opening drive was the nail in the coffin, putting them up 21-0 in front of a USC tilted fan base.
So the season ends with a loss, giving USC a piece of the National Championship. Michigan finishes 10-3, and in the top-10 in both polls. Given our talent base, we expected more, but given our quarterback and special teams...we should've expected less.
Thanks again to everyone for the successful tailgating season. Though I was incapacitated, the turnout in Pasedena was amazing...a testament to the strength of the UMTailgate.com family. I wish you all a Happy New Year, and look forward to all of you joining us in our exploits in the coming season.
