Author: brian wallace

Detroit sports fan for life!!
Posted on

The Michigan Wolverines are Big Ten champions

Before the 2021-22 college football season even kicked off, the Michigan Wolverines were given a 2% chance of winning the Big Ten. Saturday night in Indianapolis, Indiana the Wolverines thrashed the Iowa Hawkeyes and in doing so became champions. While the College Football Playoff committee will choose who is the top seed (Alabama or Michigan) that simply does not matter. Michigan is going to the playoffs for the first time.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 04: Michigan Wolverines players celebrate after a defensive stop on fourth down during the Big Ten Championship college football game against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Dec. 4, 2021 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

“Those who stay will be Champions.” That quote from legendary Michigan Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler was running through my mind last night as I saw Aidan Hutchinson and other Michigan players who could have left after last season and been first round NFL draft picks.

Yet, there was Hutchinson and his teammates standing on the field of Lucas Oil Stadium as maize and blue confetti filled the air and covered the field as Michigan had just humbled the Iowa Hawkeyes to win the Big Ten Championship.

42-3, a lopsided victory to be sure. But, after scoring 42 against the schools biggest rival Ohio State, Jim Harbaugh had his Wolverines locked onto a championship. Nothing short of a championship would do.

Michigan’s offense started the game strong then Iowa’s defense found it’s footing and the game turned into a first half defensive slugfest. Going into halftime Michigan was up 14-3. Coming out for the second half a switch was flipped.

The Wolverines team speed was too much for the Hawkeyes to overcome. Michigan has been described much of this season as one of the most balanced teams in the country. They are a complete in all phases of the game. This is a Harbaugh trait.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – DECEMBER 04: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines reacts in the fourth quarter against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 04, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

This season has been what Michigan fans have waited for since Harbaugh returned to the school as head football coach. The Big Ten Championship is the kind of launching pad that very well could and most likely will propel the Wolverines back to the yearly top of the Big Ten and nationally.

It does not matter what happens in the playoffs. What matters is that Jim Harbaugh and his football team won the Big Ten and are now set up for great things going forward.

Posted on

Big Ten Championship preview: Michigan Wolverines vs Iowa Hawkeyes

Last week the Michigan Wolverines football team finally got over the hump and beat Ohio State. The Iowa Hawkeyes needed help, after Minnesota beat the Wisconsin Badgers and the Hawkeyes defeated Nebraska the Big Ten Championship game was set. 11-1 Michigan vs 10-2 Iowa. The game is played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is the first Big Ten Championship Game sell-out.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 27: Hassan Haskins #25 of the Michigan Wolverines carries the ball against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first quarter at Michigan Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

The Michigan Wolverines arrive in Indianapolis ridding the Big Ten’s best running game and one of the best in the country. Hassan Haskins who torched Ohio State for five touchdowns, leads the Wolverines rushing attack with 1,232 yards and averaging 5.0 yards per carry. Blake Corum is the other part of the Michigan two-headed run game. Corum has run for 865 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have struggled on offense the entire 2021 season. So how did Iowa make it this far? Defense. The Hawkeyes defense is a very good, very stout group. They do not generate a tremendous pass rush, but the linebackers and secondary makes life difficult for offenses.

For Iowa to come away with a win they must slow down the Wolverines ground game. No easy task as Michigan’s offensive line is among the best in the country. They also must try to contain both Wolverines starting defensive ends Aiden Hutchinson and David Ojabo. One small problem. The Hawkeyes right and left tackles are not graded high so this could be a mismatch to watch.

At the end of the day or game if you prefer, Michigan is the more balanced team. A team that showed against Ohio State they can beat anyone and are a threat to win the National Championship.

IOWA CITY, IA – NOVEMBER 20: Iowa right defensive tackle Logan Lee (85) sacks Illinois quarterback Brandon Peters (18) with help from Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell (31) during a college football game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 20, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images),

Iowa by no means backed into the Big Ten title match. 10-2 is a very good season. But, for the Hawkeyes for come away with the upset they need to somehow find an offense to put points on the board. The solid defense will get worn down if they are on the field for long periods of time.

Big Ten Championship prediction: Michigan 33- Iowa 20

Posted on

Why did it take Jim Harbaugh a while to turn the Michigan Wolverines into a winner?

The Michigan Wolverines are playing for the Big Ten Championship, Saturday night. In what may be one of the most unique seasons in the school’s history. Head coach Jim Harbaugh took a pay cut, fired most of his coaches, hired new coaches and named a new starting quarterback. Then went out and one a spot in the championship game. But why did it take this long? Let’s dive in.

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 23: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines looks on while playing the Northwestern Wildcats at Michigan Stadium on October 23, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan won the game 33-7. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Before Jim Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor, the Michigan Wolverines football team was headed by Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez before him. Rodriguez and for the most part Hoke’s teams were pretty much finesse driven. Which is fine and all I mean Ohio State has played that way for a long time.

Jim Harbaugh is a power football guy. His philosophy is a rock solid offensive line and defensive line. Harbaugh would rather have his lines dictate the game, as was the case Saturday when Michigan used power to shove Ohio State defenders all over the field.

Coaches recruit for the system and style they like. That said when Harbaugh took over for Brady Hoke there was a team with a lot of finesse players on the roster. Not only that but Michigan already had more recruit’s from Hoke that would be enrolled that fall.

Those players would stay at Michigan at least three seasons. Harbaugh began to recruit the players he preferred many did not play right away. This is year seven for Harbaugh at Michigan his players whom he had groomed started to look like Michigan football teams of the past.

Now with his team having a chance to play together and gain some much needed team chemistry the Wolverines were taking shape. I am not making excuses for why it took so many seasons, I am just examining the why.

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – NOVEMBER 13: Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh congratulates wide receiver Roman Wilson (14) after his second touchdown catch of the game during the Michigan Wolverines versus Penn State Nittany Lions game on November 13, 2021 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA. (Photo by Randy Litzinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

This season with his vision finally matching the on-field  product, Harbaugh’s Wolverines were a power football machine. The way to beat finesse teams is with power football. Power wins nearly every time.

Michigan Fans and fans that follow the Big Ten should get use to this style of Wolverines Football it is what the head coach runs and it wins a lot of games.

Posted on

0-5 no more! The Michigan Wolverines football team dominates Ohio State

It is a long standing no-no to talk trash leading up to “The Game.” The Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes, the golden game for college football and sports in general. The week leading up to the showdown that pitted the number two team (Ohio State) in the country against the number five team (Michigan) players did not talk trash. That had already been done months earlier by Ohio State head coach Ryan Day who said he was going to “hang 100 on them.”

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN – NOVEMBER 27: Hassan Haskins #25 of the Michigan Wolverines celebrates with teammates after his touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the second quarter at Michigan Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

Jim Harbaugh and his Michigan football team did not forget the words of the schools most hated rival’s head coach. They used it as ammunition and a means to bring total focus. What happened yesterday in Ann Arbor was nothing short of dominate.

I have been saying since Ohio State’s first game the teams defense was not that good. Sure they beat up on teams they should have and gave the illusion they fixed some of the defensive woes. On a snowy afternoon at Michigan Stadium, that defense was exploited.

Michigan’s offensive line thrashed the Buckeye defense and the Michigan’s running game not only set the tone but inflected it’s will. Hassan Haskins lead the ground attack with 28 carries for 169 yards and five, yes five touchdowns the first running back to ever score five time against Ohio State.

Fans have been waiting for this brand of Jim Harbaugh football at Michigan. He built Stanford into a power football team years ago. Make no mistake Harbaugh was never in danger of losing his job. Those rumors came from outside the state of Michigan.

STATE COLLEGE, PA – NOVEMBER 13: Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines looks on during the first half of the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium on November 13, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Harbaugh revamped his coaching staff and transformed his program in one offseason. Sure he is now 1-5 against Ohio State, but now he has the Wolverines going in the right direction and the rest of the Big Ten knows it.

If you want to know what Jim Harbaugh thinks of Buckeye head coach Ryan Day, he took a swipe at him during the post game interview. Speaking about Day, who took over for Urban Meyer, “Sometimes people that are standing on third base think they hit a triple, but they didn’t.”

Next Saturday night the Michigan Wolverines will faceoff against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game.

 

Posted on

Boba Fett to lead a fight against Crimson Dawn?

The highly anticipated Disney + streaming show, The Book of Boba Fett is set to kick off December 29. The show will focus on Boba Fett along with his partner Fennec Shand and their role in running the Star Wars underworld that was once ruled by Jabba the Hutt. In fact the two appear to set up base in Jabba’s old palace on Tatooine.

Jabba the Hutt (Photo by Eamonn McCormack/WireImage)

Now rumor has it that a certain group will challenge Boba and Fennec’s authority in  ruling the underworld. That group is none other than Crimson Dawn. The crime syndicate founded and once lead by Maul.

Crimson Dawn became known to Star Wars fans during the events of Solo: A Star Wars story. You will recall that Han Solo’s love interest Qi-ra killed her  boss Dryden Vos to take over Crimson Dawn with Maul as her boss.

With that as the backdrop, there was a struggle for control of the Star Wars underworld. Qi-ra had remodeled Crimson Dawn into a band of criminal rebels . You’ll need to watch the trailer for The Book of Boba Fett or re-watch it here:

There seems to be an indication that Boba who says he intends to rule with respect and Fennec come into some conflict. I am convinced it is with Crimson Dawn. Which would mean the return of Qi-ra as well.

LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 18: Darth Maul attends the European premiere of “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” at Cineworld Leicester Square on December 18, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)

That leads to another question, will we also see Maul? If so that would lead into Kenobi which is set air on Disney + next year as Obi-Wan and Maul fought on Tatooine.

We will all find out soon enough. But, The Book of Boba Fett has the making of a very good story. Again, I full expect a Fett/ Fennec vs Crimson Dawn struggle to take place for control. It should please Star Wars fans everywhere.

Posted on

Writing challenge day 11: The Rise of Skywalker

The final chapter in the Skywalker era of Star Wars was the exclamation point to the failed sequel trilogy. JJ Abrams failed to save the three films and instead left a mess for Disney to clean up. The Rise of Skywalker is such a hot mess and so bad. Here is why.

ANAHEIM, CA – APRIL 16: New Storm Troopers on Day One of Disney’s 2015 Star Wars Celebration held at the Anaheim Convention Center on April 16, 2015 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

In all fairness the movie starts alright. Emperor Palpatine is alive, well he cloned himself. It turns out the he has been pulling the strings the whole time. Waiting to revive his empire for “the final order.”

Rey still training to be a Jedi. The small band of rebels need to attack Palpatine and choose to do so on the Sith planet of Exegol where the Sith Lord has been devising his plan.

The film is so clunky that a semi decent middle of the movie still misses the mark. There is a nice Rey vs Kylo Ren water lightsaber battle. Also a rather ho-him attempt at a tear jerking  moment between Ren and Han Solo.

The Rise of Skywalker cracks under the pressure to save the trilogy after the mess of The Last Jedi. The worst possible moment came when Rey decided she was going to be a Skywalker.

So now, characters can be whoever they want to be? Other than be trained a little bit by Luke and Leia she had no ties to the Skywalker name or family. It simply did not fit, did not work and again angered the fan base.

In the end Disney failed miserably. The Star Wars sequels were not good and fans bailed on the franchise. To the point that movies were put on the backburner until they could come up with some that would sooth things over.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 19: “Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker” posters at the “Star Wars” Marathon hosted by Nerdist on December 19, 2019 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)

The failed movies also made Disney focus on streaming shows. Something they have been better at because Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni are overseeing the projects.

Posted on

Writing challenge day 10: The Last Jedi

What just happened? That was my feeling exiting the theater after watching Star Wars The Last Jedi. The one Star Wars movie that split the fan base. This is definitely the movie that pushed Star Wars, in some good ways but mostly bad ways. Fans either love this movie or hate it. There is no middle ground. Here is why.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – DECEMBER 14: Competing screening accross the street at the El Capitan theatre with AT-M6 Walker on display at the Opening Night Celebration Of Walt Disney Pictures And Lucasfilm’s “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” At TCL Chinese Theatre held at TCL Chinese Theatre on December 14, 2017 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

The Force Awakens was pretty well received. The Last Jedi was met instantly by hatred. There are a few reasons why. The Last Jedi offered situations that pushed the fans in a direction that they did not want to go.

The death of Luke Skywalker was widely panned. It was also no way for a beloved character to exit (excluding Force ghost.) Then there was a child. An everyday ordinary child with no ties to the Jedi or the Force who could suddenly use the Force. That effectively ruined the mystique of the Jedi.

I say that but at the same time it did also offer a broader thought on the Force. Still the fan base was not pleased. There were some good moments in The Last Jedi, such as Rey wondering who her parents were. Kylo Ren revolting against Supreme Leader Snoke and slicing him in half.

The sequel trilogy began to fall apart in the eighth installment of Star Wars. It went places that it should not have. Star Wars fans like simple stories with well delivered lines and great special effects.

After long week’s at work Star Wars fans do not like to sit down after paying hard earned money and be force to think hard. Which is what The Last Jedi makes you do.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JUNE 18: (Images embargoed till 9am, 23rd June 2016) Star Wars: Episode VII character Kylo Ren at the Star Wars Gallery at Harrods on June 18, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Anthony Harvey/Getty Images for Harrods)

Switching directors is a no-no. The Force Awakens and The Rise of Skywalker were directed by JJ Abrams. While Rian Johnson took over for The Last Jedi. This was a huge blow for the trilogy on the whole.

Tomorrow we conclude our look at the Star Wars films with The Rise of Skywalker. See you then.

Posted on

Writing challenge day 9: The Force Awakens

I really like Star Wars. When The Force Awakens was set to hit theaters in 2015, I was amped up. After leaving the theater I was a underwhelmed. Director JJ Abrams was known for reviving movie franchises. Star Wars did not need reviving just fresh stories. The problem is The Force Awakens is the best sequel movie by a long shot. Here’s why.

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 09: Daisy Ridley’s wax figure character Rey from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is unveiled at Madame Tussauds on August 9, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Neil Mockford/Getty Images)

We are introduced to Rey who is in the same sort of mold as Luke Skywalker. Rey is sort of a cross between Luke and Obi-Wan Kenobi which is odd for a new character. Also Finn and Poe Dameron round out the new Star Wars trio.

Finn and Poe share kind of funny, kind of annoying scenes together mixed in with the new droid BB8. There is next to no character development with Finn an Poe so that gets a bit muddled.

Rey is trying to find Luke Skywalker and the whole film is about that search. Kylo Ren who is actually the best character in the entire sequels is played by Adam Driver. Ren is the son of Han Solo and Princess Leia. He turned to the dark side but really just because he wanted to. That was not ideal writing.

There is a nice chase scene in the film and it does fairly well as an introduction film. Two events in the film really began to sour the Star Wars fan base.

  1. The death of Han Solo. Walking into a lightsaber. Seriously? This is how one of the most iconic movie characters dies? Okay.
  2. When Rey does finally find Luke Skywalker it is the moment everyone has been waiting for, and then there he is and he’s bitter, angry and rude. Really? This is not the essence of Luke’s character. That was a big miss.
BANGKOK, THAILAND – 2015/12/17: BB-8 arrives one of the characters in the epic science fiction movie, Star Wars: The Force Awakens during its global phenomenon opening at Major Cineplex Galaxy Adventure realm in Siam Paragon. (Photo by Vichan Poti/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The Force Awakens was in hindsight an alright film. The fact that it turned out to be the best of the new batch of Star Wars movies probably tells you how I personally feel about the sequel trilogy. I am not alone, Disney is now trying to fix the mess they created and it is going to take a lot.

Posted on

Writing challenge day 8: Return of the Jedi

When I sat back in the theater chair in 1983 and the opening crawl to Star Wars Return of the Jedi made it’s way across the screen what happened next was nothing short of the perfect way to conclude the original Star Wars trilogy. “Jedi” had forged it’s way into the hearts of the fan base and left some great memories along the way.

American actor Mark Hamill and British David Prowse on the set of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi directed by Welsh Richard Marquand. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

As the film opens C-3PO and R2-D2 are headed to the palace of the vial gangster Jabba the Hutt. They are soon reunited with Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and other familiar faces.

There is still Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine and the Empire chasing down the rebels. What “Jedi” offers is genuine conflicted feelings. Luke is conflicted about facing his father. Darth Vader is conflicted with guilt from abandoning his family. Star Wars does confront human interests and the complexity that it can be.

There is also perhaps the best Star Wars space fight in any of the films to date. What should not be overlooked is that Darth Vader was being serious when he told Luke they could overthrow Palpatine and rule the galaxy together. Luke did not buy into that and he nearly died as a result.

The Luke vs Vader lightsaber fight is a lot of fun. When you thought it was going to be alright, Emperor Palpatine shoots lighting from his finger tips, which seeing the movie for the first time was nothing short of awesome.

Star Wars changed movie making. The Empire Strikes Back changed how important good/great sequels are to movie franchises. Return of the Jedi showed how critical it is to finish the story and have closure.

The eye candy that Star Wars offers is backed by solid acting even when the script is bland. George Lucas understood and understands this as well as anyone.

On the set of Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi directed by Welsh Richard Marquand. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

The legacy of the original Star Wars trilogy is still being felt in other films and streaming shows on Disney +. The characters are beloved and quotes are very easy to come by almost daily.

Tomorrow we begin to look at the sequel trilogy (yes, we have to) the elements of good and the whole lot of bad. Please stop by and leave a comment.

Posted on

Writing challenge day 7: The Empire Strikes Back

Coming off of Star Wars (A New Hope) the most successful movie of all time, the next film had to at the very least be as good as the first. The pressure was on and it was high. What happened next would become the heartbeat for all Star Wars films. The Empire Strikes Back released in 1980 and quickly became not only THE fan favorite of the franchise, but it became the sequel movie that set the bar for all sequel movies in all different categories.

American actor Mark Hamill on the set of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back directed by Irvin Kershner. (Photo by Lucasfilm/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

The plot of The Empire Strikes Back is a simple one. The Empire is bent of destroying the rebellion. So simple as I said.  Imperial Walkers, a city in the clouds, a swamp planet all pushed “Empire” to the forefront of Star Wars movies.

The film opens on an ice planet with a battle that sets the tone for the darkness to come. Luke Skywalker now feels he must learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi. Enter Yoda, a small Jedi Master who trains Luke. During his training Luke ventures into a cave and fights Darth Vader, upon slicing Vader’s head off the mask sort of explodes to reveal Luke’s face in the helmet.

Later in the film we learn Darth Vader is Luke’s father. I still remember seeing “Empire” in the theater for the first time and the ooh’s from the entire theater when Vader tells Luke the truth.

The Empire Strikes Back offers a collection of Bounty Hunters as means to find the Millennium Falcon in order to capture Han Solo, Princess Leia, C-3PO and R2-D2 and end the rebellion. This is where we meet Boba Fett, who would go on to have a very impactful presence in future Star Wars projects.

British actors Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, American actors Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher on the set of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back directed by Irvin Kershner. (Photo by Lucasfilm/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

“Empire” pushed Star Wars and became the backbone of the franchise. In fact every Star Wars movie since is compared  mostly unfairly to The Empire Strikes Back. Yet, so are other movie franchises second movies.

Tomorrow will conclude our look at the Original Trilogy when we dive into Return of the Jedi. See you then!