Michigan = busyness and upset over Wisconsin

People. One thing is clear. Michigan is a busy place. Like nuts. Little sleep. A ton of work. More work. And more work. Little sleep. And start all over again.

For example, let me show you last Friday´s schedule. But it started Thursday night doing econ102 homework till 1 am. I got up Friday morning at 6 to get to 7 am practice at Crystler Arena. I got back at 8:30 for morning prayer. Then I had a quick breakfast and went to class at 10am. Got back, and went to practice from 11:30-1. Then ran to 1pm Philisophy388 class. Then Spanish class. Then I got back and went to the gym to lift. After that, I ate, and went back to basketball individual practice again. Then I returned to South Quad and got back in time for the hall tug-a-war competition. After that I ran to the diag to meet with UCO to do a triathlon of sports consisting of Ultimate Cabbage, Wiffle Ball, and Capture the Flag. After theat, I ran back to the Penta-Dude, took a shower, and went to my friend’s birthday party and got back at 2am. I got up at 8 Sunday morning to set to work...and there I went


I had a few other things go crazy. On weds. We had intramural soccer and a girl in my hall broke her leg at the very end of the game. It was nut. You could see her tibia puncturing the skin. It was gross. But she was a warrior. And the other day we played putt putt at the dorms. We had to go down stares, around and over trahs cans, and even through the elevators. It was awesome.

Then on Thursday was The Office! Yeah. Us guys have been waiting a long time. We have been watching a tons of past episodes in anticipation. I also worked on a dramatic version of an already dramatic "Dwight´s Speech". It was a ton of fun, a complete 6.5 hour time waster, but its awesome. I put it up on youtube, and before it was even processed, NBC Studios took it down. Bastards. Anyhow, check it out Facebook…
The new season started with a few crazy things, namly the things that happened with Dwight, Angila, Jim, Pam, Michael, Holly, and even Tobe, yeah, pretty much everyone. The weight loosing idea was genius, especially considering how many weight loss commercials there were during the show. It was great. I cant wait for the next episode.


This Friday I had…Tomato Wars. Yes, Tomato Wars. I gave up a lot for this. I was gonna go with the Student Business Association to Comerica park to meet with the executives for the Detroit Tigers, a tour of the office and the park, a meeting with your resume and then get to watch them play a game. I leet all that up for Tomato Wars. It’s a huge capture the flag massive battle, in the picth black, in the woods, only guys, who are armed with loads of rotten tomatos. Its awesomnes, literally. And this year was better than ever. I loved it.

Saturday was the football game. This was one crazy day. First off, the tailgate was awesome. I got to meet Isaiah Thomas. I was there listening to him talk for about 20 minutes, just inches away. It was amazing hearing him talk about the NBA Finals and playing with an injured leg and stuff like that. Afterwards I had a few things to put up, and more ribs to eat, before I entered the stadium. I went onto the field again so that was awesomness. I got some good shots of the team and the band. I couldn’t get into a good view to get a shot of Michael Phelps, but yeah, he was there too. He was wearing a Michigan football jersey with the number 8 and Phelps on the back, with his Michigan hat and shades. He is really skinny. I went up to seat and this time was on row 3, a step up from 4. Once you are that close, there is only so much far you can move up.


So we were playing Wisconsin, #9 in the nation. We came out and played flat, just like we did again Notre Dame last week. We had 6 fumbles, 3 interceptions, and 7 total turnovers in that loss. This time we had like 3 fumbles and 2 interceptions in the first half for 5 total turnovers. Our defense was great, and really conditioned, which held us in the game. It was 19-0…and then it all started to roll. First, we attacked hard. We pushed the ball by mostly air, getting it to Mathews the ball repeadiously. We made a touchdown with 3:30 left in the 3rd. 7-19. Then we had a good defensive stop. We had another run, but just before we lost it on downs, we got a lucky pass interference call, giving us another chance which rolled us in for another touchdown. The first play the Badgers make is tipped in the air, our defensive guy grabs the ball, and runs like 20 yards into the touchdown…and everything changed. We took the reigns of the momentum, and it was just a matter of time before we took the lead. And it happened, 20-19. Up by one. And then McGuffie ran it in for 27-19. They made a tough touchdown catch with only like 19 seconds in the game. 27-25. They went for 2…and they made it!... and then a illegal receiver, which cancelled the 2 points, but gave them another shot. After they missed a high catch, the stadium erupted and it was so loud. Us guys tried to get on the field, but the darn front people wouldn’t jump. Ben and David managed to swim through. David got caught by a police dude, but Ben dodged the cop and went to the middle to celebrate, and then with the team to sing “Hail to the Victors” at the corner next to the wild student section. Pete, my roommate from last year, left at the half, only to find out that we had won. But his friend made the field, then ran into the locker room with the team, heard Rodriguez’s speech, shook hands with Micahel Phelps, and then ran off. At least Ben got on the field and was eveon on TV. And so were all of us at the end of the game! What a wild ride! Nuts! Ahhh! I put on my Facebook status…

"Daniel is Wooo! I dont know what is better...Meeting Isaah Thomas, Seeing Michael Phelps, Being on the field, Sitting on row 3,or comming back to beat Wisconson 25-27!”

Yeah, that pretty much says it…








If you havent seen the highlights, see them here from the Big Ten Network.

(Check out ESPN for game highlights and the play by play ugliness we had in the first half and the dramatic turn around in the second half…)

Brown Bomber vs. Schmeling II clip

This is the footage of the 1938 Boxing Match between Joe Louis an Max Schmeling I was talking about in my last post. Watch it if you have a chance. It is a huge part of history. -DP

School starts

Well, people, I have been busy as heck. Unforturnately I havent been able to keep you posted of my world. But I am here at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and ever since school started the 2nd of September, my life has been going full speed. How? I will breifly touch in a few spots.

First of all, my room. The Penta-Dude, standing for the 5 guys that live in the quad here on 8th Hubert in South Quad. This was the first thing to be introduced in my second life. Awesome guys, David, Brad, Ben, and Mark are. Pete, my room mate from last year, and his roomate, the freshman Joey, live just a few doors down on our hall. So far we have had everythin in our room, from morning prayer, to football gamedays, to halo3 parties, to Lord´s day celebrations, to movie night (fearturin Hurcules, Borne Ultimatum, and of course, The Office), so mini workout seccions, to push-up and pull-up contest, to eating get togethers, to study seccions, to even...sleeping. Yes, we do sleep in here too, incase you all though we only had fun in our room 24/7.


Second of all, Basketball. Belein and the other coaches can only hav e a grand total of 3 hours with all the players a week till October. So they usually break up into 3 groups and have 3 one our seccions throughout the week. Besides that they still have conditioning, lifting, open gym, open shooting, and agility workouts. So its not so light for the players and us managers, but it is definately not going to get any lighter. We have had these basketball tailate parties for the home games so far for the recruites too. Last week against Maiam of Ohio, us managers actualy (yes, pop, actually) got to eat. We ended up winning an ugly victory, but at least we won. I have no idea what the future of our football team for this season is. Our quaterbacks are weak and we have virtually no offensive line, and because of that, our small, inexperienced running backs suffer, and our lousy quarterbacks dont have enough time to make descent passes to open running backs which makes our punter and defence be on the feild way more than they should. Anyhow, now that I get this off my checst, we will see what happeneds against Notre Dame on the 13th.

School...yes, school. I did come here for school. Thats too bad, because after all the fun at the welcome week and after meeting people from all over, you get reminded that the whole reason you came to Michigan in the first place is because of school. And this school...is hard, hard as climbing a steap cliff ful of broaken class bottles with your hands tied and blindfolded, only to fall off the cliff because only 1/4 of the climbers are gaurenteed to make it, just like only 1/4 of the students who take econ are gaurenteed to make an A, only to watch the rest either bleed to death in thier frutless yet vain effort or faint in disbeleif of the hardship and just tumble down the cliff into obivion. Yes, that is the situation we have here at Michigan, where every one of our programs is in the top 10 percent. Yeah, enough said.

Church. I have been busy with many of what Nacho would call, "churrchy aporrrtunitees." I have done a lot for both University Christian Outreach and St Marys Student Parish combined. I have invited people from from UCO to St Marys and St Marys people to UCO, and people to both of them all over. I have also attended a modern non-denominational church one sunday with two new great friends that also are Will from Atlanta and Ashley from North Carolina, who are now both in the UCO/St Marys loop with me. Wahahaha. Anyhow, I have meet so many people from everywhere, including...


The Table Tennis Club. Thats right, I am appart of the table tenis club, and I will tell you what, they will rock your socks. Like literally. You will be so up in arms in their goodness, you will just want to take off your socks and throw it at them to stop them from spinning the ball everytime. I mean, you do want to actually touch the ball when you swing it, instead of completely missing and looking like a fool on crack every time you play! Baaa. But those guys are aweome. Probobly one of the nices sets of athletes, and quite humble for that matter, are table tennis players. I brought my racket and my confidence from winning that IM TACUCC tournament but it was useless. Haha. these guys are good. And they are from all over. Bobby, Andy, David, Wimpao, Tai, Wang, Clemons, Mike, and a few other dudes with names I cannot pronounce were there. I had one grand of a time, and I will hopefully be able to hit 1 or 2 of there 3 times a week meetings. Awesomeness.

I also started to read a book called Beyond Glory. It is the epic story of Joe Luis and Max Schmeling´s boxing battle of the world in 1938 when all Nazi Germany and all the about to be conquered world watched as the 2 went head to head for one of the most important sports contest ever. It is ranked in the top 5 sport contests of all time. Wow. Yeah, so I am attempting to read it, slowly, but surely. And I hope to be finished with it some time in March. If I finish before that would be a bonus, but I have to keep my goals realistic here, haha.


Well, for right now, that is all that is occupying my time. I could go into how hard the romance language department is too get a spanish class moved from one time to another, but I will save you guys from that pain that I had to suffer physically and that you in no way want to experience by reading about it. I am currently taking a spanish class, an econ class, two philosophy classes, and a sport management class. Yes, very varied, but that kinda helps too. Unfortunately I have 3 classes on friday which blows compared to my 0 classes on friday last year. But its all good, just keep me more busy!

People, stay in touch, leave comments. Please pray fro a successful year in the class room and on the basketball court for my men. Also, keep prayers for the Overton case which is going through some considerations for another trial, and for the Hurracane Ike which is supposed to hit South Texas. My family lives in Corpus Christi on the Gulf of Mexico and my cousins and grandparents live in Houston. So we will see what happeneds. Anyhow, leave me a message and cheers! -DP