They proved that while their skin may look like that of an 80-year-old, their blood is a lot like that of an 18-year-old college freshman as they put on a beer shotgunning demonstration outside Michigan Stadium prior to the Wolverines’ Saturday afternoon game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles.

Hat Tip – [MGO Blog]

Vaughan who had just scored an empty-net goal just 35.8 seconds from the NCAA hockey championship game savored his victory, while the North Dakota Fighting Sioux fan only succeeded in giving his wife a face full of his ass.

We don’t know if she likes that sort of thing in bed, but we’re willing to bet that he’s not going to see much action after she finds out the humiliating spectacle was caught in full view of the cameras.

Much of basketball is about set-plays and executing the things you have worked on in practice, but there are always those moments when one must perform some on-the-spot improvisation.  Take Michigan’s Darius Morris, for example, who just so happened to trip on his own player while bring the ball up court, but was able think quick, delivering a bounce pass to Tim Hardaway Jr. before hitting the ground.

It is plays like this that separate the good from the great.

The rivalry between the 2 inner state teams got ugly in the last minute of the game.  Michigan Wolverines defenseman Steve Kampfer was hit from behind by States Andrew Conboy (If you watch the video closely it reminds me of the Todd Bertuzzi on Steve Moore hit from behind).  As Steve Kampfer laid on the ice, forward Corey Tropp of the Michigan State Spartans came in and two hand slashed him while he was down. Kampfer laid motionless for about five minutes before being helped to the dressing room by teammates.

“What happened near the end of the game this weekend is not the way in which we want our hockey program represented,” Comley said in a statement. “We cannot condone their actions. We felt that we had to send a strong message that this behavior will not be tolerated.

“However, one thing needs to be clear — this was an incident that was an emotional, split-second action, for which these players are being punished. I don’t want this to be portrayed that this was anything premeditated or that any single player was targeted.”

MSU coach Rick Comley has suspended the two hockey players, Corey Tropp and Andrew Conboy for the remainder of the season.

It just boggles my mind that something like this could happen during a college hockey game.  There were times during my hockey career that while on the ice I felt I needed to get someone back.  It never crossed my mind to use my hockey stick as a weapon.  Making a clean hit or fighting the player was the only way to to solve a problem during a hockey game.

It’s nice to see that coach Rick Comley has suspended these players for the remainder of the season, but if I were the coach these 2 hockey players would never suit up again for the Michigan State Spartans in their college career.

Spartans Player Hits and Slashes The Wolverines Player During The Game

Todd Bertuzzi Hit On Steve Moore

There is no need to worry Wolverine fans because the Athletic Department has agreed to pay out $6.6 million for the 2008 year. The amount on his contract was $2.5 million and they also dished out $4.1 million to compensate for his buyout at West Virginia. All this would have been acceptable, or at the least tolerated had Michigan won more than 3 games this past year.

In the last year, Rich Rodriguez abandoned his former team, led the Wolverines to their lowest win total since 1962 and placed the entire blame on the back of his defensive coordinator, real classy. While the entire state of Michigan deals with the recent recession, and a 10% unemployment rate mainly due to the closures in the auto industry, Rich gets richer (no pun intended).

So if your looking for your unemployment check just ask Rich Rodriguez he may be able to help out.

“It may not go in the record book like a national championship, but it was like a national championship environment,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said.

7 years later and 2 NHL Winter Classic games in the books, the city of Chicago will host the 3rd ever Winter Classic at Wrigley Field.  The game will face the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. 

The hottest ticket in Chicago, crews are working frantically to finish all the construction for the game for January 1st.  Construction crews will work from December 15th-31st, having 3 days off at Christmas to change the baseball diamond into an ice rink.

So far everything seems to be going ok, except for one little accident.  The Zamboni driver forgot to check if the flatbed truck was level on the ground before driving it off the truck.  The Zamboni fell off the truck and nobody was injured.

If you are interested in watching the transformation live on web cam be sure to check out at NHL.com.

All the information below is provided by the NHL

Here’s a look at some of the interesting numbers pertaining to the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks at Wrigley Field on Jan. 1, 2009.

1 — NHL games played at Wrigley Field (as of the drop of the puck for the 2009 Winter Classic).

2 — Players in 2009 Winter Classic who played in 2008 Winter Classic (Detroit’s Ty Conklin, Chicago’s Brian Campbell).

2 — Times Detroit and Chicago have met in the Stanley Cup Final. Chicago won in 1934 and in 1961.

3 — Outdoor NHL games that Red Wings goalie Ty Conklin will have played in should he appear in the 2009 Winter Classic. Conklin played for Edmonton in the Heritage Classic in 2003 against Montreal and for Pittsburgh in the inaugural Winter Classic against Buffalo).

3 – Stanley Cups won by Chicago (1934, 1938, 1961).

4 — Current NHL goaltenders who dressed for but did not appear in previous NHL outdoor games (Jocelyn Thibault, Mathieu Garon, Stephen Valiquette, Dany Sabourin).

5 — Seconds between goals scored by Detroit’s Norm Ullman against Chicago’s Glenn Hall on April 11, 1965. That still stands as the record for the fastest two goals by one player in NHL playoffs history.

6 – Number of sweater numbers retired by each franchise.

13 – Combined number of Norris Trophies won by the two franchises. Red Wings have won eight (six by Nicklas Lidstrom). Blackhawks have won five (Pierre Pilote won three).

13 – Combined number of Calder Trophies won by the two franchises. Blackhawks have won eight (Patrick Kane, in 2008, was the most recent). Red Wings have won five (Roger Crozier, in 1965, was the most recent).

15 — Combined number of Hart Trophies won by the two franchises. Red Wings have won nine (six by Gordie Howe). Blackhawks have won six (two each by Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita).

16 — Combined number of Vezina Trophies won by the two franchises. Blackhawks have won 11 (Charles Gardiner and Tony Esposito each won three). Red Wings have won five (three by Terry Sawchuk).

18 — Combined number of Ross Trophies won by the two franchises. Blackhawks have won 11 (four by Stan Mikita). Red Wings have won seven (six by Gordie Howe).

22 — Degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of an NHL sheet of ice.

22 — Wheels on the specially-built refrigeration/construction truck that traveled from its construction site in Mobile, Ala., to Chicago — with a stop in Atlanta — to haul state-of-the-art ice-making and ice-monitoring equipment to the Winter Classic.

23 — Degrees Fahrenheit, or -5 Centigrade, the average daily temperature on New Year’s Day in Chicago over the last 30 years according to the National Weather Service. The average high is 30 F (-1 C). The average low is 15 F (-9 C).

50 — Combined number of television cameras that will be sprinkled around Wrigley Field by CBC, NBC and the NHL Network.

52 – Age at which Gordie Howe played his final NHL game, making him the oldest man to appear in a League game. Still-active Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios is the second-oldest player in NHL history — he turns 47 on Jan. 25.

53 — Length, in feet, of the world’s largest mobile rink refrigeration unit, specially built for the NHL Winter Classic.

68 — Combined number of shutouts legendary goaltender Glenn Hall recorded for the Red Wings and Blackhawks. Hall had 17 shutouts in 148 career games with Detroit and then 51 more in 618 games with Chicago.

79 – Number of current NHL players who have dressed for a “major” outdoor game — 2001 Cold War (Michigan-Michigan St.), 2003 Heritage Classic, 2006 Frozen Tundra Classic (Wisconsin-Ohio St.), 2008 Winter Classic.

288 — Miles from Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to Wrigley Field in Chicago

502 — NHL-record number of consecutive complete games played by goaltender Glenn Hall from the beginning of the 1955-56 season with Detroit through the first 12 games of the 1962-63 season with Chicago.

701 – Regular-season meetings between the Red Wings and Blackhawks (as of Jan. 1).

1,767 – NHL games played by Gordie Howe, the most in NHL history. Detroit’s Chris Chelios had played in 1,616 NHL games — the most among active players — entering this season.

1926 — The year of the first Blackhawks-Red Wings game (Detroit won, 1-0, on Nov. 24 at Chicago Coliseum).

1957 — The year in which CBS televised the first network hockey game in the United States. The Rangers defeated the Blackhawks, 4-1, on Jan. 5 in New York with Peter Puck making his broadcast debut.

20,000 — Gallons of water needed to create an ice surface two-inches deep on Wrigley Field (NHL rinks normally are 1″-1.25″ thick).

41,000+ – Fans expected to attend the game.

We have some interesting games now that inter-conference play is well under way, the rivalries are getting more and more intense as the games have more meaning down the stretch.

Our record now sits at 5-7, but following this week we will crack the .500 mark to move to 8-7.

Let take a look at this weeks College Football Free Picks for week 9.

1. Virginia Cavaliers @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (-14, O/U 41)

Pick: Virginia Cavaliers +14 – We like the Cavaliers this week against the upstart Yellow Jackets, the Cavaliers are coming off their biggest win of the season beating the Tar Heels in overtime. Georgia Tech is playing some of the best defence in the country, however the Cavaliers have been playing some good football themselves, winners of three straight which includes victories over Maryland, East Carolina and North Carolina. Play the points with the Cavaliers and expect a low scoring game.

2. Georgia Buldogs @ LSU Tigers (-1, O/U 50)

Pick: Under 50 – What were the line makers thinking setting the line so big? Trust me they know what their doing, however, I can’t help but to play the under for the game. both defences have the potential to lock down against any offense in the nation, I will hope they lock down this week. Play the under the it’s way to high for a game of this stature.

3. Michigan State Spartans (-4, O/U 45) @ Michigan Wolverines

Pick: Over 45 - We like the over for this game as these inter-city rivals are always geared up for these games. The coaches also anticipate these games as bragging rights and recruiting within the state of Michigan is always at stake.

Remember to check back next week with out College Football Free Picks.�

Now that we know we will have a new no. 1 the question is who will that be. Let’s take a look at the upcoming games this Saturday.

1. Conneticut Huskies @ Louisville Cardinals: This game features a 4-0 Husky team led by Junior sensation and Heisman candidate Donald Brown.  On the other side of the ball we have a Louisville team that is winners of 2 straight and has scored 89 points in its last two games.  The key to the game is Tyler Lorenzen, if he can minimize his mistakes UConn has a chance to win. He has thrown 1 touchdown to 6 interception this year, after throwing 6 interceptions all of last year.

2. Minnesota Golden Gophers @ Ohio State Buckeyes: This is an interesting game because the Gophers were not supposed to be 4-0, however they are, in large part to the combo of Weber and Decker.  They have not faced a team with the calibre of talent that Ohio St. possess however, it will be a challenge for the gophers to score points.  Highly touted freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a good game in his debut, that coupled with the fact that the Buckeyes are expected to have Chris “Beanie” Wells in the lineup may pose problems for that Gopher defence.

3. Wisconsin Badgers @ Michigan Wolverines: The battle at the big house! This week Michigan welcomes a Badger team that has not won in Ann Arbor in 14 years.  Wisconsin can take note that this Michigan team is not as experienced as years past, they start freshmen in all three major offensive positions, but that does not mean they can take the Wolverines lightly.  This is a division game and from our experience of last night we should never count an underdog out especially on their home field.

4. TCU Horned Frogs @ Oklahoma Sooners: The Horned Frogs are not strangers to the big game, they have beaten the Sooners in their last two visits to Norman. Both teams have been dominant this season, Oklahoma has an average margin of victory of 40.7, which is not a huge distinction from TCU’s 35.3 points. The Sooners enter the game as 18 1/2 point favorites, but don’t be surprised if the game is a lot closer than that.

5. Illinois Fighting Illini @ Penn State Nittany Lions : The Nittany Lions have been the most dominant team in college football this year.  On Saturday they will receive their toughest challenge yet as Juice Williams and the Illini travel to Beaver Stadium. The Illini were able to knock off the Lions last year, but this is a Penn St. team that features a new, electric quarterback in Daryl Clark.  Clark can get it done through the air as well as with his feet, the Illini defence has to be aware of Clark’s presence otherwise this could turn into another Penn State rout.

6. Alabama Crimson Tide @ Georgia Bulldogs : In the most anticipated game of the week 5 schedule, the Crimson Tide travel to Athens, Georgia to play the third ranked Bulldogs. Georgia is no surprise thusfar this season they have won the games they were suppossed to win. The Tide however, have shocked the the football world, climbing to 8 on the power rankings. This will be a clash of two teams with very stingy defences and dominant running games. The key to this game will be which quarterback does more to lift his team to victory. If that question could be answered you will likely have your winner.  

Make sure you check back next week with our College Football: Week 6 Preview.�