2B - September 28, 2009

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

ere s more to pregaminhan
Tailgating is an
irreplaceable part of the x
football experience
M itch Albom, Detroit Free Press
columnist-turned-sappy book
writer, recently wrote an arti-
cle about tailgating. Because he saw one
YouTube video of two inebriated women
fighting at a Detroit Lions game, he isn
wholeheartedly against
drinking in preparation
for NFL and college
football games.
Frankly Mitch, I
wouldn't expect youa
to understand the true,
greatness of a Football
Saturday - or Sunday,
if you prefer profes- ANDY
sional athletes - as an REID
event, not just a game.
You were an undergrad>
at Brandeis University in Massachusetts,
which doesn't even field a football team,&
and you have spent your adult life cover-
ing sporting events, not attending them as
a fan. So you have probably rarely experi-h
enced the tailgating culture.
Let me tell you - tailgating is what
makes attending ballgames special. That's
especially true now that television cover-
age has become so all-encompassing that
your actual game-viewing experience is -
probably enhanced when you stay at homef7-
on your couch. b
For instance, there's no way Happy Val-,
ley would be nearly as fun if it weren't for
all 109,000 students and alumni conven-
ing in the rolling fields surrounding the
stadium as early as 6 a.m. on game days.
I've never seen anything like it. Stu-
dents and alumni are segregated during
pregame festivities at Michigan. But at:
Penn State, fans truly come together
as one, sharing food, drink and games,
including a pretty competitive dizzy bat
circuit.a
At Notre Dame last season, we were
enjoying a round of spiked apple cider"
when an elderly Irish fan hobbled up to us '
with a plate of gourmet cheeses. It was a
peace offering, and it was a pleasant inter-
action that would never have happened
had tailgating not been involved. FILE PHOTO
I even got offered a glass of beer by an The BOX House is part of the 900 block of houses on State St. that regulary throws parties on Football Saturdays.

e booze
Ohio State fan in 2006 in Columbus before
the Buckeye fan said, "You know, we're
not as mean as everyone says we are."
The fun of tailgating extends past alco-
hol consumption - one of my favorite pre-
game memories was watching my grandpa
try to teach a group of Florida fans "The
Victors" before the 2003 Outback Bowl,
even though he didn't know it too well
himself.
Tailgating is a unique experience, one
that helps make the game more enjoy-
able and maybe even more memorable. A
day spent drinking and hanging out with
friends before heading off to Michigan
Stadium? Sounds good to me.
But I'm sad to report to you, Mitch,
that your side of this argument notched a
huge victory this weekend in Ann Arbor.
I remember walking to games as a fresh-
man and being completely overwhelmed
by the maize madness spilling out of the
houses on the 900 block of State St. and
into front yards that had been pulverized
into mudpits.
There are very few people on campus
who don't know the BOX house and its
status as a tailgating staple.
This Saturday didn't feel like a Football
Saturday, because Senior Assistant City
Attorney Kristen Larcom sent cease and
desist orders to that clump of houses. And
although a few of them had a feeble group
of hangers-on, the scene was completely
destroyed by the order.
Marching Band, Go Blue Banner,
Winged Helmets, BOX House - taking in
the wildness surrounding the 900 block
of State St. is a vital part of the Michigan
game-day experience.
To take it away now just seems unfair.
Sure, there maybe a few underaged
undergrads involved with some beer-re-
lated paraphernalia, but this is Ann Arbor.
It's just disappointing to see a game-
day tradition that students have taken for
granted dissipate so quickly.
Honestly, I have full faith that the BOX
House and its neighbors will have things
kicked into full gear - at least by Nov.
21 (the date of the Ohio State game, for
those of you who haven't started count-
ing yet).
But Football Saturdays won't feel the
same without them.
- Reid can be reached at
andyreid@umich.edu

In toughest conference in nation, 'M' starts strong

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Sophomore outside hitter Alex Hunt tallied 15 kills in Michigan's wi

BUCKEYES
From page 1B
From the start, Michigan (5-6
overall, 0-1 Big Ten) was already
at a loss of talent with several key
contributors lost to season-ending
injuries and the suspension of
senior Amy Klippert. The quad-
captain received her 5th yellow
card of the season in the Wolver-
ines' previous game against Miami
(Fla.), so she had to sit out yester-
day's game.
The bad luck continued when
Stanczyk was injured in the first
10 minutes of the game. She con-
tinued to play and was hurt at the
NITTANY LIONS
From page 1lB
made eightsaves onthe day,sprawl-
ing out across the goal, jumping
and kicking balls out of the circle
and diving to block en route to the
10th shutout of her career.
"This win gives us a lot of con-
fidence," Way said. "Penn State is
a really good team. They beat us
pretty good last year, and it wasn't
easy today. We didn't have our best
game today and still came away

time of the own goal.
After the depressing own goal,
and for the rest of the first half, the
Wolverines offense was stagnant.
Ryan said players weren't look-
ing to get open, weren't trying to
connect on passes and didn't work
hard enough to keep control of the
ball.
"We just didn't possess the ball
well enough to create enough
chances," Ryan said. "And if you
don't keep the ball, you're going to
end up defending the whole day."
Michigan was forced to play in
its own zone all day, and it shut
down an Ohio State offense that
controlled possession of the ball
in the first half.
with the win. We know we can play
with anybody now."
This season's schedule has been
tough from the beginning. Michi-
gan's first two games were against
two top-5 opponents, North Caro-
lina and Wake Forest. After hang-
ing with both teams for much of
the games and losing 2-1 to both,
the Wolverines were feeling good
about being able to compete with
top ranked teams.
But last weekend's disappoint-
ing overtime losses to No. 7 Syra-
cuse and No. 16 Louisville left them

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best field1

By LUKE PASCH outside hitter Veronica Rood (12).
For the Daily Junior setter Lexi Zimmerman
- - - also stepped up with a season-high
Michigan women's volley- 49 assists. The eighth-ranked Wol-
im opened up this season verines (2-0 Big Ten, 14-1) stopped
onvincingupset ofthen-No. a Boilermaker team that had upset
ska and climbed all the way No.16 Michigan State just two days
in the country, the highest prior.
in program history. But it "There were nerves, all night,"
le time to enjoy its noncon- Michigan coach Mark Rosen said.
success. "It was a tough match. There was a
weekend marked the big crowd. And we didn't play par-
ng of a grueling two-month ticularly smooth. But in the end,
of Big Ten play, possibly the our players were aggressive, and
ell-balanced conference in they were very composed in the
ion. In order to prove them- fifth set."
as conference champion- The fifth set started with sloppy
intenders, Michigan must play as Purdue jumped out to a 2-0
nagainst its proven Big Ten lead on Michigan errors. Then,
The Wolverines' first test Paz regained the momentum with
t Purdue yesterday after- two straight kills. The rest of the
set played out frantically back and
ir outside hitter Juliana Paz forth, until Paz stepped up with
kills, as Michigan won in the game-winning kill to clinch the
afayette in its first five-set match.
of the season (17-25, 25-23, The win at Purdue was a crucial
5-20,15-13). follow-up to Friday night's win at
rday marked Paz's fourth Indiana. Though Michigan has
double-digit kill perfor- finished with 21-plus win seasons
and she was joined this for each of the past three years, the
r sophomore right side hit- team has only posted a .500 win-
Hunt (15 kills) and senior ning percentage against Big Ten
Volverines couldn't capi- Even as the defense proved to
scoring chances at the be a strength again for Michigan,
g and at the end of the its offense continued to struggle.
alf. The Wolverines were shut out for
tate outshot Michigan 13 the fifth time this season and now
all, but the Buckeyes had average just 1.36 goals per game.
shot on goal all day. The Injuries, suspensions and inex-
es had shut out their two perience have left the Wolverines
opponents - Oakland without consistent offense.
mi - and Ryan thought "We're never going to win a
rday's defense was sound game if we can't score a goal," ju-
in. nior forward Amanda Bowery said
credit to the team that on Sept. 16.
hut out teams like Miami It may be obvious, but Michi-
we can shut out Ohio gan needs to take it to heart. And
yan said. "And their only mistakes like yesterday's own goal
a flukey goal. So from a could end up motivating the Wol-
g standpoint, I think (the verines as they continue to wade
as great." through Big Ten conference play.
d. to come up with a win after a three-
times things don't end up game drought, something the Wol-
you want them to even if verines desperately need if they
verything you can," Pank- are going to hold onto their goal of
after the two defeats. "It's winning the conference title.
ports. It's why you play And if Michigan plays the same
.... We are trying to make way - or better - in the rest of its
provements where we Big Ten matchups, it can do just
things perfectly during that.
You just try to fix those "We are more confident now
 the next time." that we have the win in the Big
looks like they fixed at Ten," Wiley said. "We can take it
e of those things. While into the next couple weekends. ...I
play what it considers its think we can win (the conference
hockey, the team was able title)."

opponents during that span. The
Wolverines had added motivation
heading into the weekend after
being swept by unranked Oregon .
State last weekend - a rare non-
conference loss.
"You have to be ready for every
individual match, not just the Big
Ten ones," Rosen said. "Any team
has the ability to knock off anyone
else."
The team momentarily suspend-
ed any doubt about how it would
perform in conference play as it
made quick work of the Hoosiers on
Fridaynight in astraight-setvictory.
Sophomore middle blocker Court-
ney Fletcher had a leading role as
she posted a career-high 11 kills.
The Wolverines hope that these
big wins in Big Ten play carry over
to next weekend when they come
home to face Northwestern on Fri-
day night.
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