Fried Buckeyes

Warning: The buckeyes in this video are the chocolate version, not the actual thing.

We all know that eating an actual buckeye would result in a slow and painful death.

The shiny, brown-and-tan nut of the Ohio buckeye tree, Aesculus glabra — is poisonous. Buckeye nuts contain toxic chemicals: glycosides, saponins and possibly alkaloids. The leaves and sprouts are toxic, too, especially in early spring. If the chemicals are ingested — taken into the body by eating — the ingester may get terribly sick with stomach, intestinal or nervous-system problems. Vomiting, muscle spasms, coma and even death may result.

Know Your Building: Stephen M. Ross Academic Center

Check it. The Stephen M. Ross Academic Center at 1110 South State Street opened in 2006. It's 3 stories tall with 38,000 square feet comprised of meeting rooms, offices, study space, computer labs, and double-secret-special rooms open only to athletes. I'd love to see if the average GPA of the athletes went up since it opened....

Mr. Ross, ponied up $5 million of the total 12 million dollar cost to get his name on the door. But that was just CHUMP change because he gave 100 million to the business school in 2004. He's got his name on that door too. (and no, Andy, I've got the numbers right)

Stephen M. Ross is sooooo big that he's got his own wikipedia page! No kidding. He is an alum of our esteemed institution, attaining an accounting degree in 1962. He is also a lawyer and a real estate mogul. He is originally a Detroiter but graduated from high school in Florida. Which explains why he is the owner of the Miami Dolphins and not our darned Lions.....
The other cool fact (imho) is that he is the nephew of Detroit philanthropist extraordinaire Max M. Fischer. Who put HIS name on the b-school at tUOS. Yeah, we Detroiters OWN you buckeyes....hah!

I was wondering though if Ross may have lost some of his coin to Madoff. Not sure if you have found this site muckety.com but it gives you the opportunity to create a relationships map for people, institutions, companies etc. I started a page on SMR---happy hunting!


The Michigan Daily had a piece about the center in 2007 and it's exclusive operating policy....interesting dilemma. I don't have a position one way or another (yeah yeah, pick yourselves up off the floor), but I wonder what you guys think about the exclusivity of these academic services for athletes.......

Wallpaper Wednesday: Helmet

I was playing around with shadows and gradients this week. The inspiration for this wallpaper came from a similar one on the Detroit Lions website.

The helmet graphic came from a very cool REVO helmet template provided by Vector Portal.

Go Blue.

Hockey Alum

The old guys are going to lace up the skates this Friday night the 31st at Yost for the annual Alumni Game.

The over 35 crowd will skate at 5:30 pm (curfew and oxygen availability issues I've heard....)
The youngin's will go at it at 6:30 pm.

No cost to get in and there will be swag auctioned off as well.

Here are the rosters (so far)
Over 35's: Red Berenson (1962), Russ Blanzy (1977), Roger Bourne (1981), Bob Falconer (1974), David Harlock (1993), Tim Helber (1990), Al Hinnegan (1962), Paul Kobylarz (1985), Dan Lerg (1980), Kip Maurer (1978), Pat Neaton (1993), Rob Palmer (1977), Tom Pendlebury (1963), Alex Roberts (1990), David Roberts (1993), Ted Speers (1983), Dan Stiver (1993), Don Stone (1991), Mike Stone (1994) and Frank Werner (1975), in addition to Camil Banciu and Eric Hall.
35-and-under teams will be comprised of: Andrew Cogliano (2009), Tim Cook (2007), Jason Dest (2007), Andrew Ebbett (2006), Bobby Hayes (1999), Charlie Henderson (2005), David Huntzicker (2001), Matt Hunwick (2007), Jack Johnson (2009), Chad Kolarik (2008), Tim Miller (2009), Mark Mink (2003), Mark Mitera (2009), David Moss (2005), Brandon Naurato (2009), Eric Nystrom (2005), Kevin Porter (2008), Mike Roemensky (2003), Dale Rominski (1999), Billy Sauer (2009), Travis Turnbull (2009) and Mike Woodford (2005). And maybe a former walk-on or two.

Kissed by the Godfather of doom....

This from the freep.com:

Millen, the former Detroit Lions president, said he’ll be back in the state of Michigan early this fall, calling college football games for ABC.
He’s expected to broadcast the Michigan-Notre Dame game Sept. 12 in Ann Arbor. He's getting back to work as a college game analyst for ESPN/ABC, studio analyst for NFL games on ESPN and the NFL Network.
Though he’s still figuring out the college game, he has extraordinary faith in Michigan and head coach Rich Rodriguez. “What he’s trying to do, that’s a tough thing because he’s trying to change a whole culture,” Millen said. “What he’s trying to implement and putting in there is going to take time, No. 1, and you have to get the right players for what he’s trying to do. It’s a big change from what Lloyd (Carr) was trying to do. Lloyd had a great program, had a great run, and they went this direction with Rich. Rich will take a little bit of time, but when it’s implemented fully, it can be very explosive.
“Once he gets everything in place, all the pieces, it’ll be Michigan football. I have no doubt Rich will get the job done.”

Awwwww for crissakes. Really? Really? As if we don't have enough black crepe hanging around here, we have to get Matt Millen and his 'expertise'.
Armageddon I say.
Armageddon.

It is almost football season

Courtesy of MG's Helmets

Sunday Swimsuit - Katherine Heigl

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.

~ Mark Twain

Collision at home

Ouch. If you have ever attended a minor league baseball game, you know it was just a matter of time before this was going to happen...

Remember when Chris Perry...

....shattered the school record with 51 carries ?



This incredible performance helped lead the 2003 Wolverines to a crucial road victory in East Lansing. Lloyd kept calling his number and Perry virtually carried the entire team on his back that day. Perry took home the Doak Walker award (given to the best RB in the country) and finished 4th in the Heisman voting.

Wallpaper Wednesday: Brandon Graham

From The Wolverine 2009 Football Preview magazine's interview with Brandon Graham:


"I'm tired of all this losing, Guys look at me every day, and watch how I work out, study and practice. I make sure I go that extra mile so that people won't say that I haven't given 100 percent. I try to go harder than I think I can and push teammates to go harder than they think they can. That's what it's going to take to get back on top"

Edit: I've been doing this for about a year now, but thanks to Brian at MGoBlog this wallpaper has quickly become our most downloaded. For those of you with larger monitors, I have made a 1920x1200 version here. (once again, a fixed link. I am hosting it myself this time)

Go Blue.

Bronx Domers

Yesterday the New York Yankees announced specific plans regarding the 2010 Notre Dame vs Army game. This game will mark the 50th time that the schools have played each other. 22 of those meetings having taken place at the old Yankee Stadium, the last game was in 1969. This will be the first football game held at the new Yankee Stadium.

In order to fit the football field within the dimensions of the stadium, minor modifications will need to be made to the bullpens and dugouts. The goalposts will be set in the areas of center field and home plate, a change from the old Yankee Stadium, where football fields were outlined in the directions of first base and left-center field. The Yankees also confirmed that all the stadium food vendors will stock additional items to accommodate the Notre Dame head coach.

Edit: Notre Dame should not feel that special. Army just added Rutgers (2011), Air Force (2012), and Boston College (2013) to the Yankee Stadium schedule. If Michigan ever agreed to do this - I would be there in a second.

Know Your Building: Al Glick Field House

I don't know about you all, but it never ceases to amaze me when seemingly 'random' people give boatloads of money to name something. Al Glick's is the newest name to grace a building here on campus in the form of the new Al Glick Fieldhouse, a ginormous indoor practice facility where Zoltan can REALLY punt the ball.

So, I got to wondering---who is this guy and why did he donate 8.7 mil???

And, well...you shouldn't leave me alone to think because we now have a new feature here at Spawn: Know Your Building. (yeah, I'm jonesin' for football right about now)

Al Glick, 82, is the top dog at Alro Steel---a Jackson, Michigan based company founded (pun intended) in 1948. According to manta.com estimates, Alro has an annual revenue of $1,278,112,000 and employs a staff of approximately 1,500. It has locations in Michigan, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. So, yeah, I guess he and his family had some spare coin to donate.

According to the documents provided to the Regents:
"The University of Michigan (U-M) has received a leadership gift from Al Glick of Jackson, Michigan for construction of the Indoor Practice Facility for Intercollegiate Football (Field House). This new facility supplements the space available for field teams to use for practice during inclement weather. In particular, it will provide the football team with a building that meets their needs for indoor practice space. Mr. Glick has a 50 year relationship with Michigan Athletics. His older brother, Robert, attended the University of Michigan, and it was through him that A1 Glick made his first connection. Through the years he has had a special relationship with the U-M football program, including providing support for an Athletic scholarship fund. Through his encouragement, his entire family participated in the gift commitment of $8.7 million for the Field House, including his son, Randy, nephews Barry and Carl, and others. Mr. Glick's company, Alro Steel Corporation, partnered in the gift as well. He has also supported the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and Women's Hospital. In recognition of this significant commitment from Al Glick, and the encouragement his gift provided to numerous other donors to support this project, recommend that the Board of Regents formally designate the Indoor Practice Facility for Intercollegiate Football as the Al Glick Field House."

We are probably most familiar with Alro because of it's sponsorship of Inside Michigan Football, i.e. the TV show formally known as Michigan Replay. Mr. Glick also likes to golf, and sponsors the

Alro Steel University of Michigan Golf Day at the Country Club of Jackson. (insert your own snipe here)

All in all, Al Glick seems like a stand-up guy. I couldn't find any drama about Alro---no news stories about lay-offs, bankruptcies, shady deals, or other shenanigans. Wonder if they'll let him watch practice once the building is in use!??

Carny Kicker

Now that I know he is not going to die - I will post this:

South Florida kicker Maikon Bonani (yes, that is his real picture) is recovering at a local hospital after falling 35 feet from a ride while working at an amusement park.

After sending riders out of the station, Bonani thought the door might be unlocked and held on. As the gondola took off -- 35 feet above the ground -- he let go and dropped into a landscaped area. Ouch.

USF Coach Jim Leavitt told the St. Petersburg Times that he believed Bonani injured his T12 vertebra in the fall. "He's fine. The main thing here is that he didn't die, He isn't paralyzed."

Leavitt stated that if Bonani faced a long recovery, the kicker could redshirt this season.

Hall of Famer

Congrats to my favorite former Ohio State football coach John Cooper for being enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame this weekend. Cooper was part of a 21 person class that included Lou Holtz, Troy Aikman, Thurman Thomas and current Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald.

Cooper was quoted this weekend: "I would love to get back coaching. I miss coaching. I miss the competition. I miss game day... I don't miss compliance and academics and recruiting."

My memory is a little hazy, but I guess I missed the part of John Cooper's career that he focused on compliance and academics. Regardless, I for one would love to see him get another shot at coaching in college. Preferably in the Big Ten. Ideally at Ohio State.

Sunday Swimsuit - Fun at the Beach

Little minds have little worries, big minds have no time for worries.

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Glory Days

I've got nothing to share.

I miss John Cooper. Here are the highlights from his last regular season game AND our last win in Columbus.

HT: WolverineHistorian

Custom Covers

As I linked the other day on the buffet, the latest version of the EA Sports NCAA Football game came out this week. As a result, I have not seen my son in a couple days. We just throw food up there every couple of hours and hope for the best.

I had planned on creating a couple of early "custom" covers for this season, but after looking at the unbelievable work by BIGDMO -- it was pointless. There is no way I could match what he has done. The attached image of Brandon Minor he has made is simply incredible. You can check out his other Michigan covers here. If you want other schools, you can pick one here. And yes, Hamm, there are PS3 versions.

So there you have it, the bar has been set pretty high. I have some photoshop learning to do before I can get to that level.

Edit: Custom Covers.TK has a pretty cool one of Donovan Warren here.

Video time

Summer time is family visitor time in my house. I recently discovered that one of my niece's favorite movies is Mulan. I never gave it much attention until it played about a dozen times in a row during a recent visit. For a kids movie, it really is not that bad.

Unfortunatly for me (and you) one of the songs from the movie worked its way into my head and would not leave. As a result, I decided to attempt to make something useful/funny with it. Warning this is not your typical "get pumped" video because it contains no rap or screaming guitar solo.

Wallpaper Wednesday: Bo Fiesta

The 1986 Fiesta Bowl win was one of the best football memories I had as an undergrad at Michigan.

Michigan was being dominated and by halftime they were down 14-3. But Nebraska fumbled the ball a couple of times and we came roaring back to take the lead in the 3rd quarter. The defense held on to beat Nebraska 27-23. Jamie Morris had 150+ yards and Bo got his third bowl win.

YouTube highlights.

SuperBuck

Yesterday while I was working out, I pulled out the DVD of the 1977 Michigan / Ohio State game. Nothing better than a little Rick Leach and Ron Simpkins to keep my mind off of how much I hate the treadmill.

Sometime during the 3rd quarter the ABC sideline camera found this gem ->

I think "SuperBuck" actually has an old-school jock-strap (painted silver of course) over his red tights. It is a good thing that he has a mask on, or we might be able to identify him and report him to Child Protective Services.

SpartAlien

My wife invaded the netflix queue when I wasn't looking and added Bride Wars to arrive this weekend. After watching for about 10 minutes and deciding that Kate Hudson looks more like... well...Goldie Hawn -- I grabbed my computer and started looking for something more enjoyable to do.

I ran into this photoshop tutorial on how to turn a person into an Alien -- and I knew I had a project that would keep me quiet and busy for at least the duration of the movie. And before you ask, NO, I did not change his teeth. Those are the original chompers.

I was so pleased the result that I decided to create a movie poster with my SpartAlien. It was my intent to write a cute/creepy story to go along with the image about how Dantonio is "taking over the state of Michigan" with his local recruiting. But as you could have guessed, it never happened. I am much more of a visual person than a writer.

The offer is open if anyone wants to write a story for the poster and send it to me -- I will post it if it is any good. If not, the movie poster will have to stand its' own merit.

Sunday Swimsuit - Pool time

Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.
~ James Dean

Directors' Cup, bitches, Directors' Cup

The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics recently announced the Directors' Cup Winners. Stanford once again (actually for the 15th year in a row) takes home the hardware for Division I, but note the top five finishers if you will....and the school in the 10 slot. Yep, we're in the fifth slot behind some not too shabby athletic institutions. Our champs include (clockwise from top left): men's gymnastics, men's golf, women's water polo and softball.

Grand Valley State won it's 5th straight Directors' Cup as well in Division II.


Directors' Cup Division I Final Standings 2009
1. Stanford 1455.00
2. North Carolina 1184.25
3. Florida 1172.75
4. Southern California 1137.75
5. Michigan 1131.80
6. Texas 1105.50
7. California 1072.00
8. Virginia 1059.00
9. Louisiana State U. 1029.00
10. THE University of Ohio State 1015.80

Money for nothing....

This from Brad Wolverton at The Chronicle of Higher Education:

"The Coach Who Wouldn't Leave"

"San Diego State University fired its head football coach, Chuck Long, last November after his third straight losing season. So why’s he still keeping office hours?

Mr. Long, a runner-up for the Heisman Trophy but a coach whose Aztec teams went a combined 9-27, has a clause in his contract guaranteeing him $715,900 per year through December 31, 2010, as long as he keeps working at the university. If he gets a new job, he forgoes the money.

Not many takers on the job market these days — surely no one willing to pay a losing coach that kind of coin. So like a modern-day George Costanza Mr. Long is hanging around the campus doing “projects and analysis.”

San Diego State is paying an outside consultant $125 an hour to work out a settlement. And university officials say that $1-million has been pledged to pay off the former coach’s contract, but it’s not clear how much of that has come through. —Brad Wolverton"

Plausable Deniabilty

I was looking for something tonight in the Lansing State Journal and ran into this web photo gallery labeled MSU Football Fans. Knowing that our friends in green and white are always good for a few laughs -- I decided to look through the images. I chuckled at image number 4 because the LSJ photographer captured a wonderful shot of a person searching thru the garbage for cans.

But then I ran across this one. --->

At first glance, nothing spectacular. People smiling and drinking a beer - but then I realize that there is nothing in this image that would tell you that these are MSU fans getting ready to watch a college football game. Not one logo. Not one visible tattoo or tongue ring. Not one article of green clothing. Nothing.

Nice job guys. Way to get excited and support your team.

(HT: GoBlueBob for the title)

Wallpaper Wednesday: Reflection

More experimenting with photoshop this week. Although this looks like something simple, it actually took me a while to get the "reflection" to look decent.

Um, I don't know, what do you want to do? Um I don't know, it's cool

Summer is upon us and of course, Andy and I had the "hey, how do you think Spawn is going?" conversation....
and I was all like, " I think it's ok, it's just like kinda slow without football you know?"
and he was all like, "yeah."

And then I said, "well, like, I think we should keep at it and just, you know, um, post stuff as it comes up, cuz like, well everyone else knows that it's like slow now. right??"
and he's all, "uh-huh."
And I'm like " I mean even Brian is posting like soccer stuff." And Andy was like, "yeah, but he's uber-cool-beast!-Brian." and I'm all like "word".

But in the end, we decided to just keep it going, you know. Just like being real casual about things and stuff. So like if we miss a day or something, like don't freak out ok...we are just like doing other things or stuff or don't like have much to say or something. Ok?

Ok. Cool.

Sport or not a sport????

The results are in!!!! The Finns have ousted Estonia as Champions in the annual Wife Carrying Contest.
Said Taisto Miettinen, 2009 World Wife Carrying Champion: "This is the hardest thing that I have done and I have done many kinds of sports. This is the hardest thing that I have done in one minute."



Apparently other sport opportunities in Finland include:
1. World Sauna Championships on August 7-8, 2009
2. World Cell Phone Throwing Championships (not sure if this has a special sauna category or not) on August 22, 2009
3. Air guitar playing contest scheduled for August 19-21, 2009
and...
if we hurry, we can get a team together for
SWAMP FOOTBALL July 17-18.
I call cheerleader!!!! :-)

RIP Steve McNair

It looks like the details of his horrible death are still being pieced together. I am no homicide detective, but it looks like a murder/suicide is the logical conclusion.

1994 seems like just yesterday. That was the first time that I had ever heard of Steve McNair. At the time he was playing QB for little known Alcorn State. I can distinctly remember a commuter plane flight from Atlanta to Montgomery in which I had conversation I had with an NFL scout.

I asked him: "What is the deal with McNair kid. Can he play ?"

The scout smiled and replied "Oh yes. He is going to have a very long NFL career"

Rest in Peace Steve.

Sunday Swimsuit - Janet Jackson

I know he used to do nice stuff for you... but what has he done for you lately?

Our Sunday Swimsuit post this week is dedicated to the most talented living member of the Jackson family and her very patriotic suit.

DC wallpaper

Happy Independence Day !

It is my turn to share something patriotic on the 4th of July. I was in DC all last week. Yesterday afternoon (before the rain arrived) I took this picture from the Lincoln Memorial looking back to the National Mall. I have looked at this view hundreds of times and it never gets old to me. The image is sized it to 1280x800 and looks pretty cool as a computer wallpaper.

July 4, 1776. Liberty!

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

------------"The New Collosus" by Emma Lazarus

To those who have come before
To seek refuge, relief
Freedom, success, and fame
We say thank you.
To those who support, defend
And insure liberty
Across our land
We say Thank You.
To those who seek, struggle, and strive
We say welcome.
----T9

Sports Science Friday: A bicycle built for "two"????

Le Tour de France 2009 kicks off on 4 July, scheduled to complete 26 July. This will be the 96th Le Tour, comprised of 21 stages and traversing 3500 kilometers. That's a LLLLLLOOOOONG time to put ones butt on a bike seat. And while it's really important to remember to wear black bicycle shorts and a truss, the bicycle seat is also a critical piece of equipment. Seriously. These guys have to worry about chaffing, hypoxia, erectile dysfunction, prostate irritation, and a whole host of other issues.
Sooooooo
For today's Sports Science Friday, I give you, bicycle seats, or how not to bust a nut.
I'm going to try and get back to the original intent of Sports Science Friday and present some data for you. From Drs. Liebovitch and Mor in the Department of Urology, Meir Medical Center, Affiliated to Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.
"The Vicious Cycling: Bicycling Related Urogenital Disorders. European Urology, Volume 47, Issue 3, Pages 277-287"

These guys reviewed 62 articles and found the following staggering information about cyclists:

• 50-91% report genital numbness
• 13-24% report erectile dysfunction

Other reported problems include: priapism (Wayne's world, excellent!), penile thrombosis (er, clots in the penis?), infertility, blood in the urine, twisting of the spermatic cord (the thingy connecting the testes to the rest of you), prostatitis, and butt rash.
Obviously the longer or more frequently you ride, the higher your chance of these types of injuries. Extra points to anyone who can find a story about how the guys in Le Tour manage these issues! I can only imagine the 'enhancements' employed......

Another option is to adjust the type of bicycle seat you choose and how you use it. First, let me direct you to an amazing web page by a Mr. Jim Langley. Well done, sir, well done.

Now you and I call them bike seats, but apparently bike enthusiasts call them "saddles".

There a few general components of the saddle: the nose, the seat, and the seat post. The skinny front of the seat (aka the nose) is very useful because it allows you to move your legs up and down rapidly and increase your rpm's. But, this can lead to chaffing of the thighs since they get hot and sweaty and are exposed to a lot of friction.....that's where lube comes in, and it's particularly important to lube your chamois. Your chamois you say??? Yes, your chamois....check it out. Personally I like the ASSOS brand, because it is a ridiculously Beavis and Butthead kinda name, heh-heh.

The seat can also be modified. You'll notice in the picture above that some seats are split or have shock absorbers. Your position on the bike can also affect things. So mountain bikers are more at risk for urologic injury since you sit upright and have your buttocks on the seat for longer amounts of time, as compared to road bikers who are usually upright or leaning forward. Technically the best saddle is wide, heavily padded, with a flexible or absent nose. Who else had one of these beauties on the left as a kid???? The Schwinn Banana. oh yeah.....

One thing's for sure---you don't want to do this:

Now obviously ya can't talk Tour and bicycle seats without at least one mention of Lance Armstrong. When he was first diagnosed with testicular cancer a panic went up about bicycling and saddles specifically causing testicular cancer. Not true. While there may be an increased incidence of testicular cancer in bicyclists there isn't necessarily a causal link. So keep peddling.
For those interested in Lance's progress in Le Tour (or TdF for the cool kids) you can follow him on Twitter.....
The internets are an amazing thing. I found this picture by Annie Liebowitz for Vanity Fair. wow.

ok ok. here's my parting gift for the long weekend........

Wallpaper Wednesday: Defense

This weeks wallpaper is focused on the defense.

One of the things that always set Bo's great Michigan teams was a strong defense effort. Even when the offense was struggling, the defense was there to keep the games close. If we are ever going to return to a place amongst the college football elite we will need to deliver from defensive side of the ball.

Go Blue !!!