OK, first off, Happy New Year to everyone. It was a fantastic 2006 for our family and one in which we received many blessings. Harmon continues to amaze us every day, and our family and friends are happy, and most importantly, healthy.And while it is a new year, some things never change. And if you have been to this blog before, you know where this is headed. But first a little history. Back in September when Michigan trounced Notre Dame 47-21, we received an e-mail from a friend saying, in so many words, that Lloyd Carr had silenced his doubters and that anyone who criticized him was wrong. Heck, she was practically soaking in the Gatorade bath the team gave Lloyd that day. It was an impressive win, no doubt, but a look at things since then shows that, well, all is not as great as she claims.
Fast forward to Nov. 18 when Michigan went to Ohio State and had the chance to play its way into the national title game. Other fans tried to blame the bad field, Troy Smith's shoe size, the location of the satellites in the sky. Whatever. We lost and did not deserve a rematch. I am down with that and accepted it immediately. But a lot happened between Sept. 16 and Nov. 18, and it shows that all is not well at Michigan Stadium.
So, Michigan finished 11-2 (this is being written as the Rose Bowl is still being played, but is the outcome really in doubt? No.), but after beating Notre Dame on Sept. 16, they reeled off wins over the following: Wisconsin (a legit win, I will concede that, but at home), Minnesota (fired its coach), Michigan State (ditto), Penn State (OK, but still a bad team), Iowa (please, 6-7 says it all), Northwestern (no comment), Ball State (I refuse to acknowledge this game happened) and Indiana (completion of a murderous three-game string).
With our annual loss at Ohio State and the pending Rose Bowl embarassment (32-11 at last count), Michigan is 1-2 in meaningful games since beating Notre Dame. And they will finish with a loss to Ohio State and in the bowl game for the third straight year. And be 0-3 in the last three Rose Bowls. Hopefully, we are not invited back for a while. The smog in LA is our stench.
So, while I wanted to believe 2007 would be different, it isn't, at least on the football field. Maybe we will get like Lions fans and become numb to it. But it hurts to continually be embarassed on a national stage. Remember, we were supposed to come out and show the nation how we felt about being snubbed for the BCS title game. Um, nice stand boys.
So, I will not waste my time checking for e-mail from this "friend." Go ahead and defend Lloyd this time. I can't wait to see the excuses.
32-11. Beauty. (Oops, meaningless touchdown, 32-18). Still a beauty.
