It's Finals Week!!! That means a real lull in blogging and everyone too busy to celebrate the end of school/college. I'm sick of seeing the old baseball post remain at the top, so it's time for another edition of The Mixer!
I don't know how much longer I'll be blogging on this site (my next blogging site is in the works), but I just want to thank everyone who has visited our site regularly. I always enjoy hearing feedback from our listeners on MGoBlue or from our weekly shows. You guys have been awesome and it has been a great ride.
OK, put the tissues away. Time for The Mixer!
The week that was....: Hash Bash is a huge "tradition" at U of M, and I would be remiss not to acknowledge this. Now, in full disclosure, I DO NOT smoke weed. But I will never forget the first time I saw 60 year-old men in rainbow t-shirts walking down State Street my freshmen year. Only in Ann Arbor. I'll miss it. Anyways, here is the Family Guy song from last weekend (one of their best):
Cavs Playoff Proposal: I'll be at the Pistons game this Friday to watch LeBron complete Leg 3 of a first round sweep. It's so depressing to watch the shell of a championship team limp into the off-season. However, I'm still amazed at how loose the Cavs are right now. So much pressure to win the first professional title in their city going back to the 60's, yet they still have the sense of humor to do this...
Shameless Self-Promotion: Two new stories up from me this week. I told you guys about the Captain's Corner story I was working on, and that just got put up on MGoBlue. The video is in the Multimedia player in the right margin of the page.
The other story is about Michigan Soccer Captain Katie Miler and her college career. I really enjoyed doing both stories, and it took me a long time. Enjoy!
Good-Bye, College: Can anyone think of a more over-used song in heart-warming slide shows than "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)" by Green Day? I really feel like it was a good song that was killed by radio over-play...but then people just kept on drilling it into every emotional class video project and MTV reality show finale. Well, you won't get that from me. But I did have some of the best times in Ann Arbor in my last two years among friends at the Ann Arbor bars and restaurants. Here's a good example:
One of the greatest bar scenes from a movie ever created. We had plenty of these types of nights while I was here, too.
As for those staying behind, make sure you get your Ann Arbor Bucket Lists finished before it's too late. Here's one example:
The video quality is low, but that's what you get when you use iMovie to edit a project.
Hopefully, I'll post one more time before the year is over. Also, baseball coverage this weekend.
Until Then,
MB
Showing posts with label The Mixer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Mixer. Show all posts
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Mixer: Late Edition
With school coming to a close, I've been backed up on school work and the holiday weekend set me back. I was going to do a Mixer with a Masters theme last week. But seeing as we pimped out our web page to look like a Masters' jacket and beat you senseless with non-stop golf all week, I thought I'd just stick to what everyone is used to seeing.
...Speaking of what you are used to seeing, this web page seems to be having an identity crisis with its look. I think we've had 5 different web layouts in two days with three different color schemes. I don't call the shots on this blog, I just write for it. However, based on the color scheme, it looks like we've decided to start covering Syracuse athletics. Awesome. Go Orange.
Anyways, here is the Mixer...better late than never.
Baseball woes: Michigan Baseball dropped 3 out of four games last week, the first coming against MAC opponent CMU. I figured we were in trouble because this was a mid-week MAC game, but things went from bad to worse when I saw CMU was pitching their freshman phenom (drafted by the Royals in the 30th Round last year) and Michigan had put "Staff Day" where you would usually see the starter's name. Can you say "White Flag?"
As if this wasn't bad enough, Michigan decided to start freshman Kevin Vangheluwe. Hearing this, I thought "That name sounds familiar... where do I know this kid from?" Then I remembered....
Our boy is the one on his backside in the back row. He is also the one messing around with the chair. The video ends before Vangheluwe would eventually take off his shirt in strip-tease fashion. Thank me later for not including this.
RIP "The Bird": Today was bittersweet for me with the passing of Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. I grew up listening to stories about that magical 1976 season when The Bird won Rookie of the Year and started the '76 All-Star game. The Tigers weren't great back then, but The Bird gave people something to look forward to during a time when the city needed something to root for. It wasn't exactly like the '68 Tigers, when a championship was a calming influence to a city ripe with racial conflict. But Fidrych united people similar to the way that championship did. People loved the lanky 21 year old with shaggy hair and quirky antics, and the question "Hey, when's The Bird pitching this week?" was heard throughout auto plants all over Detroit. He'll never be in the HOF, but he will always be in the hearts and memories of Tiger's fans. God bless you, Bird. We'll miss you.
E:60 is Back!: Probably my favorite show on television, E:60, is back with a new season tonight. I'm not a big fan of Jeremy Schaap, but I really enjoy the kind of reporting they do: the longer, feature stories that give deep insight into topics that are interesting, but I might not have otherwise thought about. Being someone who does sports reporting, feature stories of this length and size are incredibly difficult. I have a huge amount of admiration for what they accomplish with the video they get and the people they interview. I highly recommend tuning in this season. Here are two of my favorite stories they've done so far. First, they profiled Kelly Pavlik and his hometown...
My family is originally from Youngstown and Warren (Ohio), so this story hit home. But beside that, Pavlik's attachment to his hometown is fascinating (as is the city itself).
...And, to end things on a lighter note, here is one of the features Bill Simmons did for the show on Prop Betting. Love him on the podcasts and articles, but I really like him doing these features, too. I just hope they don't over-expose him like they do Stephen A. Smith.
That's all I got. Baseball this week... also, look for a story I got coming up on MGoBlue about the "Captain's Corner" blog that has gained some recent popularity.
Until then...
...Speaking of what you are used to seeing, this web page seems to be having an identity crisis with its look. I think we've had 5 different web layouts in two days with three different color schemes. I don't call the shots on this blog, I just write for it. However, based on the color scheme, it looks like we've decided to start covering Syracuse athletics. Awesome. Go Orange.
Anyways, here is the Mixer...better late than never.
Baseball woes: Michigan Baseball dropped 3 out of four games last week, the first coming against MAC opponent CMU. I figured we were in trouble because this was a mid-week MAC game, but things went from bad to worse when I saw CMU was pitching their freshman phenom (drafted by the Royals in the 30th Round last year) and Michigan had put "Staff Day" where you would usually see the starter's name. Can you say "White Flag?"
As if this wasn't bad enough, Michigan decided to start freshman Kevin Vangheluwe. Hearing this, I thought "That name sounds familiar... where do I know this kid from?" Then I remembered....
Our boy is the one on his backside in the back row. He is also the one messing around with the chair. The video ends before Vangheluwe would eventually take off his shirt in strip-tease fashion. Thank me later for not including this.
RIP "The Bird": Today was bittersweet for me with the passing of Mark "The Bird" Fidrych. I grew up listening to stories about that magical 1976 season when The Bird won Rookie of the Year and started the '76 All-Star game. The Tigers weren't great back then, but The Bird gave people something to look forward to during a time when the city needed something to root for. It wasn't exactly like the '68 Tigers, when a championship was a calming influence to a city ripe with racial conflict. But Fidrych united people similar to the way that championship did. People loved the lanky 21 year old with shaggy hair and quirky antics, and the question "Hey, when's The Bird pitching this week?" was heard throughout auto plants all over Detroit. He'll never be in the HOF, but he will always be in the hearts and memories of Tiger's fans. God bless you, Bird. We'll miss you.
E:60 is Back!: Probably my favorite show on television, E:60, is back with a new season tonight. I'm not a big fan of Jeremy Schaap, but I really enjoy the kind of reporting they do: the longer, feature stories that give deep insight into topics that are interesting, but I might not have otherwise thought about. Being someone who does sports reporting, feature stories of this length and size are incredibly difficult. I have a huge amount of admiration for what they accomplish with the video they get and the people they interview. I highly recommend tuning in this season. Here are two of my favorite stories they've done so far. First, they profiled Kelly Pavlik and his hometown...
My family is originally from Youngstown and Warren (Ohio), so this story hit home. But beside that, Pavlik's attachment to his hometown is fascinating (as is the city itself).
...And, to end things on a lighter note, here is one of the features Bill Simmons did for the show on Prop Betting. Love him on the podcasts and articles, but I really like him doing these features, too. I just hope they don't over-expose him like they do Stephen A. Smith.
That's all I got. Baseball this week... also, look for a story I got coming up on MGoBlue about the "Captain's Corner" blog that has gained some recent popularity.
Until then...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Best Ball Challenge and Streak for the Cash
To all the readers out there,
We hope you guys are enjoying the Master's coverage this week. For those of you who aren't golf fans, I'll be posting a baseball story from this past weekend tomorrow... as well as a Masters Edition of "The Mixer." So be sure to check back in for that.
UPDATE: Rob and I will be doing a podcast to preview the tournament this week, making our picks and hopefully throwing in some fun "off-the-course" stuff along the way. Should be up later this week.
Also, I just created groups for "Streak for the Cash" and "Masters Best Ball Challenge" on ESPN.com. These things have gained quite a bit of popularity among our staff at WCBN, so I figure we'd extend the opportunity to compete with us to our readers. To join, CLICK HERE and then go to either the Streak or BestBall main page. After that, search for our group in the search bar area after filling out a Best Ball roster. Each group is named "WCBN Sports" so it shouldn't be hard to find.
Note: You must have an ESPN account to join. This takes two minutes and is free, so it shouldn't be a problem.
Hope to see everyone in the game!
Friday, March 27, 2009
The Mixer: March Edition
A night before an interview important enough where I can't go out with friends to GTC or The Peak? Sounds like the perfect time to grind out an overdue edition of The Mixer. It's been a while, but like Andy and Red at the end of Shawshank, you just wanna embrace it and pick up where you left off.
(Sidenote: Every time I quote Shawshank, or relate something back to the movie, I feel I should be paying Bill Simmons a right's fee. It's sad because this really was one of my favorite movies and now Simmons has conered the market with this movie and all its analogies. Dammit!)
Anyways, let's get to it!
What to do with the eight dollars you earned this week: Go see Adventureland. I just got back from the advanced screening here on campus and it exceeded my expectations. It's a little bit like Superbad (same director and Bill Hader has a small role), but with pieces of Good Will Hunting and Animal House mixed into the story. I also saw the new Fast & Furious this week, and Adventureland was more enjoyable by far. Seeing it on the big screen in a cramped auditorium with half the audience totally blazed was priceless...even if I saw it for free. Definitely worth the money for a second time, though. Here is the trailer:
NBA's MVP: If you haven't seen this yet, you will definitely hear about it on Monday morning. LeBron James does 60 Minutes and hits a ridiculous shot while filming his interview. This is a shot Jordan could only hit in McDonald's commercials:
More Mascot Fun: I got this video from the Club Trillion blog done by OSU backup Mark Titus. This is how I always explain Titus' position to Michigan Bball fans:
Michigan Fan: Who is Mark Titus?
Me: Bench-warmer for OSU with his own blog
Michigan Fan: Wait, who?
Me: The OSU eqivalent to Eric Puls
Michigan Fan: Ooooooooh! Totally got it now.
(Pause)
Michigan Fan: Dude, Puls should have his own blog!!!
Me: I couldn't agree more.
Anyways, I highly recommend the Club Trillion Blog (give it time; it grows on you) and here is the video:
Take your Medicine, Maize Ragers: I loved this 2009 Basketball season. It gave me everything I wanted and more for my last year in Ann Arbor as a student. But I'm not close to being satisfied, and neither should you. So, as bulletin board material for next year, I give you the video that the 2010 squad should be watching from now till opening tip in November:
Michigan Baseball...kinda: Throughout our broadcasts, I've noticed that fans and students have been calling super-sophomore Ryan LaMarre "Heddley." Now, most guys my age probably have no idea where this nickname came from. I'm guessing "Blazing Saddles," but I could be wrong. Anyways, in honor of Ryan's inspired play of late, I give you the "Pledge to Hedley Lemarr."
The first line of the pledge could easily be edited to be used following a LaMarre highlight catch. I'm talking to you, Michigan Media Relations Department.
Hope the Mixer was as good for you as it was for me. Look for baseball posts and a Lacrosse story later in the week.
(Sidenote: Every time I quote Shawshank, or relate something back to the movie, I feel I should be paying Bill Simmons a right's fee. It's sad because this really was one of my favorite movies and now Simmons has conered the market with this movie and all its analogies. Dammit!)
Anyways, let's get to it!
What to do with the eight dollars you earned this week: Go see Adventureland. I just got back from the advanced screening here on campus and it exceeded my expectations. It's a little bit like Superbad (same director and Bill Hader has a small role), but with pieces of Good Will Hunting and Animal House mixed into the story. I also saw the new Fast & Furious this week, and Adventureland was more enjoyable by far. Seeing it on the big screen in a cramped auditorium with half the audience totally blazed was priceless...even if I saw it for free. Definitely worth the money for a second time, though. Here is the trailer:
NBA's MVP: If you haven't seen this yet, you will definitely hear about it on Monday morning. LeBron James does 60 Minutes and hits a ridiculous shot while filming his interview. This is a shot Jordan could only hit in McDonald's commercials:
More Mascot Fun: I got this video from the Club Trillion blog done by OSU backup Mark Titus. This is how I always explain Titus' position to Michigan Bball fans:
Michigan Fan: Who is Mark Titus?
Me: Bench-warmer for OSU with his own blog
Michigan Fan: Wait, who?
Me: The OSU eqivalent to Eric Puls
Michigan Fan: Ooooooooh! Totally got it now.
(Pause)
Michigan Fan: Dude, Puls should have his own blog!!!
Me: I couldn't agree more.
Anyways, I highly recommend the Club Trillion Blog (give it time; it grows on you) and here is the video:
Take your Medicine, Maize Ragers: I loved this 2009 Basketball season. It gave me everything I wanted and more for my last year in Ann Arbor as a student. But I'm not close to being satisfied, and neither should you. So, as bulletin board material for next year, I give you the video that the 2010 squad should be watching from now till opening tip in November:
Michigan Baseball...kinda: Throughout our broadcasts, I've noticed that fans and students have been calling super-sophomore Ryan LaMarre "Heddley." Now, most guys my age probably have no idea where this nickname came from. I'm guessing "Blazing Saddles," but I could be wrong. Anyways, in honor of Ryan's inspired play of late, I give you the "Pledge to Hedley Lemarr."
The first line of the pledge could easily be edited to be used following a LaMarre highlight catch. I'm talking to you, Michigan Media Relations Department.
Hope the Mixer was as good for you as it was for me. Look for baseball posts and a Lacrosse story later in the week.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
The Mixer
Last week, I took the LSAT exam and so in preparation for that test, I was not able to get around to getting up last week's Mixer. And just in case you are wondering why I took the LSAT... well, let's just say blogging doesn't pay the bills.
Valentine's Day: With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought we'd throw in a special V-day video. I have a soft spot for WOLV TV, having done some work with this group myself. Here is the Average Joe's take on Valentine's Day:
I've known Joe for longer than I can remember and really like the work he's done in a short time at WOLV. Unethical to use your friends in the Mixer, you ask? Hey, if it works for Bill Simmons, it can't hurt.
Michigan Clip of the Week: In honor of a fellow blogger, I'm going to show Veronica Hicks some love and put her B10 PSA as the winner. An engineering student from just outside Chicago, her story is an interesting one. The blog is a cool idea to give her team some exposure, and she's been a consistent contributor to Women's Bball the entire season...and she killed it at Mock Rock X! Keep up the good work and writing!
Tiger's Cub: Congrats to Tiger Woods on the birth of his second child, Charlie Axel Woods. I'll be interested to see what kind of childhood this kid receives with a high-profile father, and with the way Tiger was brought-up himself by Earl Woods. Only time will tell. Until then, enjoy what I consider to be one of the greatest commercials of all time:
Whenever I'm out on a golf course, I always try to re-create this commercial when I am on the tee waiting for the group in front of me to finish. The most I've gotten to is 11. When this first came out, every kid with a set of sticks immediately went out into his/her yard to mimic Tiger. The fact Tiger did this without digital effects is absurd.
Top Stories:
Kwame gets a job: If this man can get a job after publicly stealing 8 million dollars from Detroit, AND getting caught cheating on his wife, theoretically we should all be getting jobs with no problem. Thanks, Peter Karmanos.
Miracle on Ice: The Sequel?: A look inside the possible roster for the '10 USA Hockey team. Former Wolverine stand-out Jack Johnson is among those mentioned.
Great Journalism Lives Here: Dan Wetzel gives a great account of Billy Joe Johnson's tragic story. I'm a big fan of Wetzel, a local guy from S.E. Michigan, and I'm glad this story has gotten some much-deserved recognition.
Valentine's Day: With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought we'd throw in a special V-day video. I have a soft spot for WOLV TV, having done some work with this group myself. Here is the Average Joe's take on Valentine's Day:
I've known Joe for longer than I can remember and really like the work he's done in a short time at WOLV. Unethical to use your friends in the Mixer, you ask? Hey, if it works for Bill Simmons, it can't hurt.
Michigan Clip of the Week: In honor of a fellow blogger, I'm going to show Veronica Hicks some love and put her B10 PSA as the winner. An engineering student from just outside Chicago, her story is an interesting one. The blog is a cool idea to give her team some exposure, and she's been a consistent contributor to Women's Bball the entire season...and she killed it at Mock Rock X! Keep up the good work and writing!
Tiger's Cub: Congrats to Tiger Woods on the birth of his second child, Charlie Axel Woods. I'll be interested to see what kind of childhood this kid receives with a high-profile father, and with the way Tiger was brought-up himself by Earl Woods. Only time will tell. Until then, enjoy what I consider to be one of the greatest commercials of all time:
Whenever I'm out on a golf course, I always try to re-create this commercial when I am on the tee waiting for the group in front of me to finish. The most I've gotten to is 11. When this first came out, every kid with a set of sticks immediately went out into his/her yard to mimic Tiger. The fact Tiger did this without digital effects is absurd.
Top Stories:
Kwame gets a job: If this man can get a job after publicly stealing 8 million dollars from Detroit, AND getting caught cheating on his wife, theoretically we should all be getting jobs with no problem. Thanks, Peter Karmanos.
Miracle on Ice: The Sequel?: A look inside the possible roster for the '10 USA Hockey team. Former Wolverine stand-out Jack Johnson is among those mentioned.
Great Journalism Lives Here: Dan Wetzel gives a great account of Billy Joe Johnson's tragic story. I'm a big fan of Wetzel, a local guy from S.E. Michigan, and I'm glad this story has gotten some much-deserved recognition.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Maize and Blog Mixer
We are almost a month into 2009, but here is something that will hopefully catch on here at Maize & Blog. It's called "The Mixer." Every week, we will bring you a grab bag of stories and links from the recent days and weeks, much of it pretaining to U of M Sports... and some just for fun. Anyways, if you have anything you wanted posted, e-mail us at goblue232@gmail.com.
The Mixer:
I'm not really in the mood to discuss Michigan's play against OSU just yet. I'll save that for tomorrow with our Purdue preview. In the meantime, here is a great Fab Five package done by ESPN and posted by none other than Jalen Rose. Little known fact about Rose: He posts EVERYTHING he does on TV to YouTube. Seriously. Everytime that guy is on TV, he cuts the footage and posts it. I'm sure we haven't seen our last clip from Jalen TV.
Even LeBron loves himself some Fab Five.
How many tries does it take for MSU's Alyssa Dehaan (6'9) to dunk a basketball? Apparently more than a digital camera is able to showcase on one memory card....
(...sigh) Oh, Little Brother. Obviously, she's got a long way to go to hit Candace Parker territory.
Behind the Scenes at Yost: The Detroit News gives readers a great look inside a day at Yost. This is a great photo journalistic piece by John Greilick and is worth watching if you've ever been to Yost.
MGoBlue Clip of the Week: Doug Karsch interviews new Defenisve Coordinator Greg Robinson. I wasn't sold on him coming in, but he's gotten good reviews from people in football. Here's his first interview as a Wolverine.
Featured Guest: Later this week on "Game of the Week," Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch will be in to talk with us. He covers Olympic sports, as well as is the main writer detailing what goes on in the sports media world. Here is a little background to get you set for Friday.
The Mixer:
I'm not really in the mood to discuss Michigan's play against OSU just yet. I'll save that for tomorrow with our Purdue preview. In the meantime, here is a great Fab Five package done by ESPN and posted by none other than Jalen Rose. Little known fact about Rose: He posts EVERYTHING he does on TV to YouTube. Seriously. Everytime that guy is on TV, he cuts the footage and posts it. I'm sure we haven't seen our last clip from Jalen TV.
Even LeBron loves himself some Fab Five.
How many tries does it take for MSU's Alyssa Dehaan (6'9) to dunk a basketball? Apparently more than a digital camera is able to showcase on one memory card....
(...sigh) Oh, Little Brother. Obviously, she's got a long way to go to hit Candace Parker territory.
Behind the Scenes at Yost: The Detroit News gives readers a great look inside a day at Yost. This is a great photo journalistic piece by John Greilick and is worth watching if you've ever been to Yost.
MGoBlue Clip of the Week: Doug Karsch interviews new Defenisve Coordinator Greg Robinson. I wasn't sold on him coming in, but he's gotten good reviews from people in football. Here's his first interview as a Wolverine.
Featured Guest: Later this week on "Game of the Week," Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch will be in to talk with us. He covers Olympic sports, as well as is the main writer detailing what goes on in the sports media world. Here is a little background to get you set for Friday.
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