Getting the Blog Back on Track

It's August and I'm stopping in again with a couple updates. I will be out of town from August 7-16 and then again from August 18-23 with some exciting trips. However once I return I will head right to the posting as there will be a lot to cover with just eleven days till the season opener! Can you believe we are so close?

Anyway over at Spawn of MZone they have been making some fantastic desktop wallpaper. Here is a link to a collection of great ones of this year's schedule. This one is my personal favorite:





Enjoy the rest of your summer and get ready for Michigan football in just 31 days!

It's Been Quiet In These Parts

Just here to say hi because I haven't posted in a while. It's tough in the off season to find things worth posting that you won't find on another site so I abstain. I'll be here in august with season previews and predictions and to reiterate here is what we'll have every week of the football season here on UMGameday (with a couple revisions from last time around):

Monday*: Wrap up of weekend's Big Ten Action
Tuesday: Random thoughts on Michigan and College Football
Wednesday: My Big Ten Power Rankings and National Top 10
Thursday: Upcoming Big Ten Weekend Preview
Friday: Upcoming Michigan Game Preview
Saturday: Game Thread/Live Blog**
Sunday: Michigan Game Wrap up

*The first Monday of every month will be a mailbag, in which I answer all of the questions sent to me in the past month (to send a question to the mailbag send it to hpkscooter@aol.com). This feature will be dependent on your questions.
**I'm sure I'll be able to do maybe a few Liveblogs but these will be rare (maybe twice this year). I'll post a game thread each game, posting at the start time of the game.

Again, I want to make the site as interactive as possible so comment to your heart's desire on every post. While I'm not going to impose restrictions on comments (language, slurs etc.) please use common sense so I don't have to. Also if you would like to become a contributor to the site shoot me an email (hpkscooter@aol.com). Thanks to all for reading and let the countdown to September begin. Go Blue!

Spring Football Game Basic Information

With under a week to go with until the Spring Game I have a couple of things written that I will post in the coming week. My second half of the insanely early preview of the 2010 football season will post after the spring game. That said, here's some basic spring game info straight from mgoblue.

Date/Time: Saturday, April 17th, 1:00 pm (doors open at 10:00 am)
Location: The Big House (obviously)
Admission Price: Free

Additionally, the university has announced that PNC Bank will be making a donation to Mott's Children's Hospital and will be sponsoring locker room tours. These locker room tours will be:
-Friday, April 16 at 6:30-8 pm
-Saturday, April 17 at 7-9:30 am

If you want live outside of the Ann Arbor area (like yours truly) and want to watch the spring game it will stream live on BTN.com for a reasonable $2.99. Also it will be shown on tape delay at 8 pm on BTN.

Coming later this week on UMGameday Spring Game Coverage:
-What to watch for: Offense
-What to watch for: Defense
-What to watch for: Special Teams

I can't commit completely but if I get some support I'd be happy to do a live blog for the 8 pm showing of the spring game on BTN. I'll provide some play by play and analysis and anyone who wants to will be free to put in their two cents (I'd love to do it at 1:00 but I have a conflict and this way you don't have to pay $3 to watch, unless you don't get BTN).

Go Blue!

Coming soon to UMGameday

Once the season starts the blog will be revamped with a lot of interactive content. I cannot speak for Matt (but I'm sure he'll have posts) but I will begin the 2010 season's coverage in August with season previews and predictions. Once we reach the regular season I will post this content weekly:

Tuesday: Mailbag*
Wednesday: Big Ten Power Rankings and My National Top 10
Thursday: Random thoughts on Michigan and all things College Football
Friday: Preview of the weekend's game with my thoughts and prediction
Saturday: Game thread/Liveblog**
Sunday: Recap of the weekend's game and Big Ten action

*This will be dependent on your questions. If I can get a steady flow of questions I would be really excited to make this a weekly feature but it will most likely be an every-other-week thing or once a month thing. It's all dependent on reader's questions.
**I'm sure I'll be able to do maybe a few Liveblogs but these will be rare (maybe twice this year). I'll post a game thread each game, posting at the start time of the game.

I want to make the site as interactive as possible so comment to your heart's desire on every post. While I'm not going to impose restrictions on comments (language, slurs etc.) please use common sense so I don't have to. Also if you would like to become a contributor to the site shoot me an email (hpkscooter@aol.com). Thanks to all for reading and let the countdown to September begin. Go Blue!

Notes: Part 2 of my insanely early look at the 2010 season should be up in a few days...the 2010 Spring Game is on April 18. I'll have a few posts leading up to that as well as a full-blown recap.

Off-Season Update: Football Game at Wrigley Field?!?!

Just to keep the site somewhat active here's some offseason fluff to munch on. Included in this post: some other sports (hockey, basketball); Brandom Graham NFL draft update; football spring practice update; football game at Wrigley?!?!

-Quick shoutout to the UM Hockey team. After struggling through a tough regular season that saw the team lose any chances of an at large bid into the NCAA tournament, the guys (especially former walk-on goalie Shawn Hunwick) came through in the CCHA tournament, going 6-0-0 and winning the conference. After a 5-1 first round win over Bemidji State, the Wolverines went into OT in a 2-2 game against No. 1 seeded Miami (OH). A lose puck goal appeared to give UM the win in OT, but it was waved off on a brutal early whistle. Miami went on to win 3-2 in the second OT.

-The basketball season had a couple bright spots, but it was mainly lowlights and it ended fittingly on the most painful loss of the season. Not much else to say here. Good luck to Manny Harris and DeShawn Simms going on in professional basketball (Manny is expected to be a late second round pick, DeShawn most likely undrafted and go through either Europe or the D-League).

-With the NFL draft fast approaching, Michigan's best draft prospect, DE Brandon Graham has been ramping up with workload. Brandon is expected to go early in the draft, likely in the Top 10. Good luck to Brandon.

-In football spring practice Michigan's defense is installing a new 3-3-5 system that is risky but anything should be better than last years defense. Also star freshman quarterback Devon Gardner seems likely to be heading for a redshirt in order to get him as many starting years possible (likely two with Tate being around until 2012).

-Also rumors are being tossed around that the Michigan at Northwestern game in 2011 could be played at Wrigley Field, most likely at a 12:00 pm or 3:30 pm start. Nothing is official yet, just something to note.