After a near 2 week hiatus, I’m back. Miss me? Never fear Red Sox fans, I haven’t jumped ship and on America’s past time, nor have I run away from the 2010 season for the Red Sox, I was just taking a small break. The break began with an incredible road trip from Boston to Ann Arbor, Michigan last Friday and ended with an ear and sinus infection that still has yet to leave my head. What does all of that have to do with the Boston Red Sox? Nothing, but since most of the BoSoxInjection.com readers are sports fans, I thought I would share with you a little about my adventures traveling cross-country with my wife and a buddy from college.
The trip began Thursday night of the Labor Day Weekend, when my wife and I went back to my home town (Manchester, CT) to spend the night with my parents and get ready for a 4:30AM departure Friday morning. Being a Connecticut native, I have been a UConn fan my whole life, long before the football team was in the FBS 1-A and long before I was lucky enough to spend my undergraduate days on campus in Storrs. Watching the UConn football program grow and emerge as a contender in the Big East has been rewarding and along the way, my roommate and good friend from school and I have gone to every bowl game but 1, and sat through countless miserable New England winters to watch the Huskies take on everyone from shitty Division 1-AA teams to top rated Big East teams. Now was our chance to experience a Big 10 tradition.
Last year’s Papa John’s Bowl victory against South Carolina was at the top of the list in terms of big wins for the UConn program. It was a statement game, because despite South Carolina’s lackluster year, it was still the 1st and only match-up between UConn and an SEC team in the program’s short decade-long history. The Huskies pounded the Gamecocks (still funny…) and proved to the world that they are still only at the beginning of the journey up the ranks, having not even come close to peaking yet. For fans of SEC powerhouses and the Big 12 elite, a win against the Gamecocks is not special, it’s forgettable, but for a team that is growing and continuing to acquire higher-ranked recruits each season, it was huge. On the heels of that domination, the Huskies went into the offseason preparing for their biggest challenge yet to open the 2010-2011 season: The Michigan Wolverines at the Big House.
When I found out the Huskies would be traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan to take on a team with 131 years of tradition behind them, it was a no-brainer: we were going. Come hell or high water, we were going to be sitting in the Big House on September 4th, 2010 wearing our UConn jerseys. I am not a fan of the University of Michigan, but also have no animosity towards the program. I hate their coach Rich Rodriguez from his time in West Virginia and for the crap he put that program through by leaving, but most Michigan fans also hate Rich-Rod, so needless to say, we all agreed on something. To add to the fun of the game, Michigan had just added on and renovated the largest stadium in college football to hold 110,000+, making us part of the largest crowd in college football history at 113,090. It was something special.
I’m not going to bore you with the details of the trip, although if you are still reading this you are probably at least mildly interested. The trip out to Michigan was filled with rest stops and a few hours at the Grand Canyon, but we were all anxiously awaiting Saturday’s game. After a good night’s rest, we took off for Ann Arbor, about 30 minutes from our hotel, stopping for food and booze on the way. We got to tailgate on the University of Michigan Golf Course across the street from the campus, which was an incredible, picturesque way to begin the day. Decked out in our UConn gear, we got plenty of stares and comments, but overall, Michigan fans were friendly and welcoming, with some good-natured ribbing and trash-talk built in. We headed over to the stadium about 30 minutes before kick-off and as we walked into a stadium seating more than the population of most cities, we knew why we traveled 700+ miles. Growing up 20 minutes from UConn, a strictly basketball school, I never dreamed a day like this would happen for the then fledgling football program.
The pre-game ceremonies were fun, consisting of a real fan respect for the Michigan Marching Band, one of the oldest in the country. My buddy and I were in the UConn Marching Band together, so to watch a band rich with tradition rev up the crowd was enjoyable. The game itself was disappointing for the Huskies, managing only 10 points, losing 30-10, but none of us were upset or even slightly angry. There was always a hope of victory, but UConn’s one fatal flaw is stopping mobile quarterbacks, so they truly never really had a chance against Heisman Candidate Denard Robinson. The performance was also not surprising given the fact the team was playing in front of a hostile, massive crowd filled with around 4,000 UConn fans and about 109,000 Michigan fans singing ‘Hail to the Victors’ every 5 minutes. The experience was something I will not soon forget and although I am still not a fan of Michigan, I respect their tradition and history.
Besides the game we visited the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI and stopped in the Cleveland/Canton area to hit-up the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Football Hall of Fame on our way home. The trip was go-go-go, with the only down-time coming while tailgating before the game, but I wouldn’t change anything. It was a great escape from the difficult Red Sox season and allowed me to experience another one of my sports passions uninterrupted. College sports have always been a part of my life, so it was a great way to kick-off another season in style.
The trip was filled with great friends, great food and exciting sports…How can you go wrong with that combination?