The Impact of Sports

September 11th conjures up a lot of memories to people. Everyone you talk to who was old enough to appreciate the day remembers where they were when they heard the news. You probably remember most details of the entire day. I was in my 4th hour German class when I heard. We had soccer practice after school, and inexplicably, a plane flew overhead when all planes were supposed to be grounded.

In the days and weeks after September 11th, the country saw displays of patriotism that will never be topped. Nowhere were those displays more powerful than in the sports world. Some of the very first memories I recall when I think about September 11th are the events on the New York baseball fields just ten days after the attacks.

Shea Stadium (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cu4_96gXWgs) was home to a Mets/Braves game in which both teams were more concerned about returning to normalcy than winning a baseball game. The embraces between teammates, opponents, and the NYPD faithful are memories etched in the minds of Mets and Braves fans forever. The sight of Rudy Guiliani provided a calmness to a city and a country who desperately needed it.

At Yankee Stadium (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=631knZM9Uiw) President Bush threw a strike in the ceremonial first pitch. The leaders of the country were visible in the sports world.

Though September 11th was the reason for unity in those cases, sports was the arena in which it took place. The 1991 NHL All-Star game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvpxVE_kQXg&feature=related) served a similar purpose. Just days after the United States officially entered the Gulf War, NHL fans showed their support.

Normally, however, sports plays the opposite role.

Seven Saturdays each fall, you see an extremely unique event. One hundred ten thousand people unite for a common cause. These 110,000 people come from many different backgrounds. Many believe in one god, many believe in multiple gods, many believe in no gods. You will find people from a hundred different countries speaking twenty different languages. Half voted for Barack Obama. Forty percent voted for John McCain. Ten percent are still campaigning for Ron Paul. But, every Saturday, every one of those people can agree on one thing. That one thing is Michigan football. You'd be hard pressed to find 110,000 Americans to agree on any one thing non-sports related.

When I visited Ann Arbor last week, I was told a great story that typifies this idea of unity. One of my good friends' dads had an on-field pass for the Michigan vs. Western Michigan football game on top of his regular ticket. As he walked through the tailgates on his way to the stadium, he stopped and handed that field pass to a random Michigan fan. He continued to walk to the stadium, and one of his family members asked him why he just gave a field pass to a random stranger. His response was simple. "He was wearing the right colors."

See, that's all that matters in sports. No one cares who you voted for or where you came from. Ernie Harwell puts this much more eloquently than I ever could in his poem about baseball. He says, "In baseball democracy shines its clearest. The only race that matters is the race to the bag. The creed is the rulebook. Color merely something to distinguish one team's uniform from another."

Think about your favorite player. Do you know his religious affiliation? His political ideals? Probably not. If you do and your beliefs don't align with his, do you care? No, all you care about is that he produces on the field. If he's wearing a Winged Helmet, I don't care what he believes should happen with the death penalty. After all, everyone kills people. All I care about is that he plays hard every Saturday. If he does, he can be white, black, liberal, conservative, Muslim, Christian... doesn't matter. I'll support him all the same. Through all our differences, sports still unites us. And it always will.

Week One Analysis: Western Michigan

After a few days in Ann Arbor and a few days to think about Saturday's game, here's what I've got...

The Offense

The Quarterbacks

As I have harped on all offseason, having competent quarterbacks makes a huge difference in this offense. Tate Forcier played as well as you can expect a true freshman quarterback to play. He made the correct reads, he hit most of his open receivers, and most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. He protected the ball properly when he was running, and he didn't try to force many throws. He managed the game, which is all Michigan needs him to do this year. Tate's most impressive play came on his first career touchdown pass. He escaped with his feet, kept his head up field, showed awareness in staying behind the line of scrimmage, and fired a strike to JR Hemingway.

Denard Robinson is fast, folks. We've been hearing practice reports for weeks. He did not disappoint. I woke up early Saturday morning, laid in bed, and pictured a long Denard TD run. My morning dream proved prophetic. Denard turned a broken play into a Sportscenter Top 10 play. There is no denying his speed after that run. The other observation I had with Denard is that he is a very patient runner. Many times he could have tried to cut the ball outside of the tackles, but he stayed within himself and followed his blockers. Very mature runner for a true freshman with his speed.

Nick Sheridan, start learning to become a coach a year early.

There has also been some talk from Michigan fans worrying that if Denard Robinson plays well, Tate might become upset and eventually transfer. Those people probably forget that, at one point, Tate Forcier was the odd QB out in the recruiting process at Michigan. Kevin Newsome and Shav Beaver were committed, and it appeared Tate would have to look elsewhere for a scholarship. He stayed patient, and eventually got that offer. He's a true Michigan man as far as I'm concerned. As for any tension from Tate Forcier because of Denard Robinson's success, please refer to the below picture taken after Denard's touchdown run and right before a subsequent chest bump.

Grade: A

The Running Backs

The offensive group that I was most confident in coming into the year was the hardest to judge on Saturday. Carlos Brown got the start for an injured Brandon Minor. Brown looked decent, but he didn't show much explosiveness. Carlos did however pass protect well, including an excellent block in which he flipped the defender, taking him out of the play completely. Michael Shaw saw the second most action, and I thought looked the best. Shaw continues to impress every time he gets playing time, and very well might be Michigan's most complete running back. Vincent Smith looked solid, but it came against reserves largely.

Grade: Incomplete

The Catchers of the Ball

JR Hemingway stepped up in a big way. He got behind his defender twice for two easy touchdowns. The most impressive play of the game offensively, I thought, was a catch in which Tate threw the ball behind JR, so Hemingway stopped dead in his tracks, tipped the ball, caught it, and ran in the opposite direction. Kevin Koger was great at TE, and made as fine a catch as you will see a college tight end make. Kelvin Grady dropped an early pass but provided a great option at the slot position. Odoms and Greg Matthews were conspicuous with their lack of action.

Grade: B

The Offensive Line

This group will undoubtedly be important the whole year. The left side of the line looked as expected-- great. Schilling is noticeably more comfortable at guard, and Molk is becoming a very good center. The right side didn't make many mistakes, but they didn't impress me either. Pass blocking was considerably better than run blocking. The offensive line will need to create a lot more holes against Notre Dame if Michigan wants to win.

Grade: B

The Defense

The Defensive Line

Brandon Graham was unblockable when left one-on-one. Graham lived in the Western backfield. He got a lot of pressure, but never seemed to get the sack in time. Mike Martin provided a great push in the middle, and also was in the backfield a few times. But, the story of the day on the DLine was Craig Roh. Roh is another true freshman, and he sure was impressive. He played the hybrid DE/OLB position and DC Greg Robinson had him lining up in all sorts of places. Roh was in Tim Hiller's face all day. When Roh puts on a little more weight, he is going to be an all-time great at the defensive end position in Michigan history. Yes, I made that claim, write it down now.

Grade: A-

The Linebackers

This group was my biggest concern coming into the season. They were the story of Saturday for me. Jonas Mouton and Obi Ezeh were miles better than what they showed in 2008. They were always in the right position, and both were around the ball all day. The linebackers filled holes in the line beautifully all day. Wherever the ball went, the linebackers seemed to also be there. The gang tackling witnessed on Saturday is a huge credit to the play of the linebackers. Oh, and did I mention? STEVIE ****ing BROWN. Player of the game by a mile. He was everywhere, and has obviously taken to his new position. Brown was good in coverage and great in running down ball carriers. I was thoroughly impressed.

Grade: A+

The Secondary

Donovan Warren looked like a healthy Donovan Warren. Cissoko played in the first half and didn't make any mistakes. He even had a few pass breakups. The safeties played well for the most part, but made the one big mistake in the second half allowing a long touchdown pass across the middle. I had to mention it somewhere, so I'll say it here, because Warren and Cissoko deserve a lot of the credit. The tackling was phenomenal, particularly in the open field. The Michigan defense tackled better than I have seen in 5 years. Warren and Cissoko kept everything in front of them, and then made a controlled tackle. It was great to see. Warren needs to turn his head a little quicker, but that will probably improve as the season progresses.

Grade: B+

Special Teams

Solid in all aspects. Zoltan Mesko was the man as per usual. He averaged 47 yards per punt and hung the ball high enough that a coverage team of Justin Boren, Alex Mitchell, and Kurt Wermers could have forced a fair catch. Olesnavage kicked a long field goal and had enough leg from 55+. Kickoff coverage was also much better, and Western's KR/PR is among the best. Very nice to see a solid performance from the special teams.

Grade: A-

The Atmosphere

Simply put: awesome. The fans were rowdy for Western Michigan, and the stadium renovations pretty clearly improved the acoustics. You can actually hear an echo in Michigan Stadium now. The fans were 100% behind Rich Rodriguez as can be seen in this Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKcr62I-0Bg. The Rich Rodriguez chant could be heard throughout the stadium. And, if you watch the video closely, you can tell that he appreciated the chant.

Aside from the fans, the team was considerably more intense than last year. The defensive line made it a point to consistently pump the crowd up. Greg Robinson was even joining in on the encouragement of the crowd. The intensity of Michigan football was at an all-time high. I've been going to games for my whole life. I've never been more proud of the fans, coaches, and players collectively. A truly great experience.