A Tale of Two Tailgate Seasons

(This post deals more with Michigan football than with BOX related material, but I figure I'll write it anyways)

When my little seven year old self was sitting in the Big House for the first time in 1995, and Scott Dreisbach miraculously connected with Mercury Hayes in the end zone in the final seconds of the game to beat Virginia, the Wolverine faithful erupted in joy, and I knew then and there that I would be a Michigan fan for the rest of my life. Saturdays became my favorite day of the week, offering me the opportunity to watch the maize and blue. My life was Michigan football. I shed tears of joy in 1997 as Charles Woodson ran a kickoff back against Ohio State, sending Michigan to the Rose Bowl and a national championship season. I shed tears of pain when the following season didn't quite live up to that one special season. But one way or the other, Michigan football was always there for me.

Flash forward to my twenty year old self, and the picture isn't so pretty. In fact, it's essentially me blackout beyond belief, probably throwing up in the stadium during the Wisco game or simply passed out during a game I have a ticket to, frankly because I didn't care. Last year, Michigan football didn't seem to be there for me. The worst season in Michigan football history was hard to endure. It wore away at the very core of my Michigan heart. At times it seemed that the Michigan I once knew and loved would never be the same. After the final game, an atrocious loss to our biggest rival, I walked out of the Horseshoe with tears in my eyes (as drunk as I might have been) and I wondered what had happened to Michigan football.

And so last year was literally dedicated entirely to tailgating. Whether it was a conscious effort or not, many tailgaters, particularly myself, made a strong effort to black out before 10 in the morning. Whether or not I made it to the game really didn't matter - for the first time in my life. I can't speak for everyone, but I know many BOX tailgaters didn't make it to much football. The Notorious PLC made it to two quarters of football, for crying out loud. If we did make it to the games, it was probably after the first quarter, just so we could get in an extra half hour of drinking. I wouldn't trade that tailgate season for the world - though I literally don't remember a whole lot from any of it - but there was something missing in the back of all of our minds.

How a year can change things. This tailgate season has almost been scary, considering we are basically a group of alcoholics. You'll see people pacing themselves, making sure that they will make it to the game. You'll see people leaving 45 (!) minutes before the game, wanting to see the team run out of that tunnel for the first time in four years. Hell, PLC has already surpassed his total amount of football seen at the Big House last year. Would anyone have believed me before the season if I told you that not only PLC, not only Al, not only me, but even the Friendly Neighborhood drunk has not missed a minute of football yet this year (this will probably change come this Saturday v.s. EMU, but you get the idea)?!? Don't get me wrong, the tailgates haven't been any worse, but there's certainly an added element to them this year. All because Michigan football is back.

I knew it when I saw Al outside of the stadium after the ND game, amidst a chorus of "It's great to be a Michigan wolverine," when I jumped into his arms and hugged him out of utter joy: the Rich Rod era has begun in Ann Arbor.