Michigan was 4-0 heading into today's game against Michigan State. They could have easily been 2-2. They have had a lot of good fortune hiding the fact that they simply can't play defense. I have been saying it all year. And I also predicted that today's game at Michigan State, the first road game of the year, would be a loss. I hate being right.
Michigan almost pulled off another miracle behind the arms and legs of freshman QB Tate Forcier, rallying from a 20-6 deficit to tie the score at 20 with 2 seconds left after an Elway-esque 93 yard drive. But Forcier's overtime pass in the end zone was tipped and intercepted and MSU scored a TD on the next series. Game over. Still, the Wolverines are lucky to be at 4-1 and this has been a very fun season so far. Well done, boys!
Now to shift gears, the NHL regular season started this week and my St. Louis Blues faced the unenviable task of playing back-to-back games against the defending Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings to open the season, in Sweden no less. The Blues are definitely an up and coming team and there is a lot of optimism in St. Louis this year. That said, they are still a pretty young club and Detroit won the West last year and the Stanley Cup the year before that. They are a powerhouse and the Blues arch-nemesis. To say that the Blues have been intimidated by the Red Wings over the years would be putting it mildly.
So the opener was Friday and the Blues came out cold, falling behind 3-1. But veteran Paul Karyia came back from an injury plagued 2008 to tally 2 goals, including the game winner in a 4-3 Blues victory. It was a terrific start to the season. I was hoping we would split the 2 games with Detroit and this was a great beginning.
The Blues once again came out slower than molasses in the 1st period of game 2; Detroit was quickly up 2-0. But once again, the Blues came alive and rallied, this time for an impressive 5-3 win behind veteran forward Keith Tkachuk's 2 goals. The Blues are coming home 2-0, in first place in the Central division and, just as important, 2 games up on the Red Wings. I have to believe that this start has gotten into the Red Wings' heads just a *little* bit. Detroit faces a very tough Chicago Blackhawks team next - could they be staring at 0-3? We'll see.
The Blues are really playing inspired hockey so far. The slow starts are a little worrisome but right now everything seems to be clicking. It's a long season and injuries can always wreak havoc on any team in any sport, but so far the Blues are looking mighty fine in 2009.
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