Bleacher Report - Articles by Bob Rarig

Michigan-OSU Football Rivalry: 4-8 Never Looked So Good

Bob Rarig — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:01:15 -0500

“I don’t care if we go 1 and 11 as long as that ‘1’ is Ohio State.”

It’s a phrase most Michigan fans have uttered to stay sane this season. It’s a phrase I’ve said many a season when the Rose Bowl has been out of reach.

Ohio State fans probably say the same thing about Michigan when they’re out of contention.

And while the statement itself provides insight into the unwavering animosity between the two schools, it hasn’t been put to the test.

Both U of M and OSU have been premiere programs for decades. It’s the greatest rivalry in sports. Every year the last game of the regular season is the biggest.

It’s a self-hyping game. All you have to say is "Wolverines, Buckeyes" and sports fans start paying attention.

If one team is undefeated, they have to hang on against a team out for blood.

This isn’t because the other team is trying to be the "spoiler." No one cares who goes where if one team or the other wins. It's because the only thing that matters is who wins this one game.

It’s a one-game season. The best indication of this is that every coaching record you hear about at Michigan involves two numbers: 1) overall winning percentage and 2) winning percentage against OSU.

Jim Tressel got and has kept his job because of the second stat. Lloyd Carr lost his job (sorry, he retired) because of the second stat. Rich Rodriguez can save this season and perhaps his legacy at U of M because of the second stat.

If the Michigan vs. OSU game were at the beginning of the season neither program would be as storied as it is today. Every year the winning team would have a let down, having already defeated their main rival. Meanwhile, the losing team would probably tank because what's the point if you’ve lost to your rival?

That is why this game is always at the end of the season. It becomes a right of passage for the favored team and one last chance at redemption for the underdog. If the favorite can’t win, they don’t deserve to be in the championship game, or the Rose Bowl, or another BCS bowl. And if the underdog can pull out a victory it brings legitimacy to all the hard work put in on the practice field in spite of a disappointing season.

This year, Michigan has faced its most disappointing season is over three decades, even with the low expectations coming in.

This means one thing: Beating Ohio State would mean more this year that it has for over 30 years.

If U of M wins this weekend you’ll hear some Michigan fans saying, “Man, I wish we had lost more this year. It would have made this victory that much sweeter.”

Well, 4-8 never looked so much better than 3-9.

Go Blue.

Philadelphia Phillies' Bullpen Provides Balance

Bob Rarig — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:07:09 -0400

Last year, the Phillies were an offensive powerhouse that just barely made the playoffs, thanks to an incredible end-of-season push and an epic display of incompetence on the part of the New York Mets.

But then the Mets signed Johan Santana, leading to yet another preseason filled with predictions of the Mets winning not just the National League East division, but also the World Series. And while the national sports media had their eyes fixed on the big apple once again, hardly anyone noticed when the Phillies signed some guy named Brad Lidge.

There were just a few comments about how Albert Pujols had broken Lidge in the playoffs and that Philly was his second—if not last—chance.

If the media had entertained the notion that Lidge, who had once been nothing short of dominant in Houston, could have a resurgence in Philly, there would be arguments about which team made the better pickup: Mets or Phillies? Starter or Closer?

But such arguments were instead reserved for one man on one team: Joba Chamberlain of the New York Yankees.

The Yankees decided to make Joba Chamberlain a starter. They might be second-guessing themselves by now. Santana pitched well this season but didn't play in October thanks to a floundering Billy Wagner-less bullpen.

Meanwhile, Lidge has helped push the Phillies—whose starting rotation and offense were inconsistent for much of the year—deep into the postseason.

Admittedly, Lidge hasn't done it alone. In baseball, one man is never enough—*Cough, Manny, Cough*—to win a championship. The Phillies' entire bullpen has been remarkable this year, and one key factor has been having Lidge as the anchor.

Ryan Madson has been another key, as he has really come into his own this year after several years with the Phils. He has taken well to the role of right-handed set-up man for Lidge, while J.A. Happ and Chad Durbin have come up to the big leagues this year to fill Madson's former role of middle reliever beautifully.

J.C. Romero is the other piece in the strong left-right combo setting up Lidge. Romero has built on his success from last year while continuing to provide the bullpen with a fiery, sometimes in-your-face attitude that complements the silent intensity etched on the faces of Madson and Lidge.

As a group, these pitchers have done the only thing a bullpen is asked to do: shorten games. The Phillies are undefeated when leading after the eighth. Undefeated. Lidge hasn't blown a save all year.

They carry these streaks into the World Series where they will face the Tampa Bay Rays. And it will be no surprise if they carry them into next season.

The Rays are more like the L.A. Dodgers than some realize. Both are young teams with savvy managers and lots of talent.

But there are two important differences.

The first? Well, that would be Manny, who—love him or hate him—can flat-out hit.

The Dodgers' lineup, one through eight, matches up well with the Rays. But Manny changes a pitcher's approach to the game and adds that little bit of extra pressure. The Phils' bullpen got the job done against L.A. It can get the job done against the Rays.

The second? Levels of expectation.

The Dodgers are a storied franchise and they had a one-year window (Manny's contract) for a "quickie" World Series title. Everyone wanted to take advantage of this opportunity before Manny rode off into the sunset to play in new Yankee Stadium. The players might have felt, and buckled slightly, under that pressure.

The Rays, on the other hand, had never won more than 70 games in a season before now and couldn't fill their stadium for Game Seven of the ALCS because of a Monday Night Football game. They might move the franchise soon because their fanbase in Florida is so uncommitted.

They're also young. Perhaps too young to know how big a series this is. It's easy to say they know, but do they feel it? The Rays might just be relaxed enough to be patient and let Lidge walk them with a slider rather than chasing it to end those bases-loaded, one-out jams he seems so fond of getting himself into every now and then.

But as a lifelong Phillies fan, I'm not worried about going to our bullpen. I'm just hoping to have the lead when we do.

Philadelphia Phillies' Unpredictability Could Be Their Greatest Weapon

Bob Rarig — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:09:47 -0400

Inconsistent.

It's an adjective that perhaps best describes the Phillies' offensive production throughout this season, since interleague play began. But despite the fact that the offense has given Phillies fans a lot of headaches, heartburn, and maybe even panic attacks and ulcers, their is one undeniable fact: It has worked thus far.

Not only has it gotten the Phillies within two wins of their first world series in 15 years, but I believe it will get them their first championship in almost three decades.

Why?

Overmanaging.

It's a verb that describes what a lot of mangers do in the playoffs. There is a never-ending list of things that fans and media can question about managerial decisions throughout a game that is eventually won or lost by the players.

Why did(n't) you leave your starter in?

Why did(n't) you pinch-hit in that situation?

Why did(n't) you put that guy on to get to so and so?

Why did(n't) you call that hit and run?

Why did(n't) you go with your closer for the last five out instead of three?

The questions that certainly seem to get asked more than others are those about pitching changes or the lack thereof, and I predict that these are the questions Joe Torre and a not-so-fortunate A.L. manager will be answering in some upcoming press conferences.

Maybe Chase Utley is cold so you pitch around Victorino. Oh look, Chase just hit a go-ahead double to break out of his slump.

Maybe you pitch around Chase because Ryan Howard isn't hitting the way he was in September. Oh Gee, Howard just hit a game-tying home run to the opposite field.

And who would throw to Howard when you have Pat Burrell coming up, who just had an awful last two months of the season. Oh, that's right, you forgot about that three-run home run he hit against the Braves in the second to last series didn't you? And the three so far in the playoffs? You should have remembered those.

Well, at least you don't have to worry once you get past Burrell right? Unless, of course, you'd be worried about facing Jayson Werth, who can hit in the two-spot any given day or Greg Dobbs, who collects clutch hits like he's buying them off of eBay, or Feliz or Ruiz, who come through when you least expect it.

So go ahead, opposing managers. Walk that guy to get to the next guy. Bring in that lefty to face a lefty. Leave your starter in for one more batter instead of stalling and bringing on that reliever. It doesn't matter. The hot get cold and the cold get hot, but the only thing that matters is that, when it comes to the Phillies this year, it's not a question of if someone comes through; it's a question of who.

And the Phillies have more than nine answers for that question on any given day.

Go Phillies!

The Legend of My Allegiances: How Can One Person Love PSU and U of M?!

Bob Rarig — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 07:37:26 -0400

Hello. My Name is Bob Rarig, and I am a Michilvania Nittany Wolverine. This is my story.

Like a lot of boys, I developed my early sports allegiances based on whom my dad rooted for. Since my dad never cared about college sports, I was left to find my own allegiances. Since I grew up in south central Pennsylvania, one would think I would be a Penn State fan.

However, I never liked PSU because everyone else loved PSU, but no one could give me a reason why. In retrospect, all they would have had to say was "Joe Pa," and I probably would have caught on.

But they didn't, so I started rooting for Michigan.

Why?

1) Because their football helmets were (and are still) awesome.

2) Because PSU fans didn't like Michigan

3) Because Notre Dame fans (the only other college fans you could find where I'm from) seemed to loathe Michigan (and since even the geographical explanation wasn't an option for Notre Dame fans, I thought Notre Dame fans were much dumber than PSU fans).

Since I was 11 at the time, I didn't fully understand how apt a choice I had made. By the time I was 12, I realized that Notre Dame was one of Michigan's greatest rivals and that Michigan was actually really good at football and (then, at least) basketball.

I took a lot of crap in high school for being a Michigan fan, but the 1997 national championship made it all worth it. When I was a senior, the only college I wanted to go to was U of M, but my parents made me apply to other schools, including Penn State. I was accepted to PSU. I was wait-listed and eventually denied by U of M.

Devastated, I went to Penn State to save money while earning my bachelors degree. I never told a soul that I was a Michigan fan except for two of my girlfriends (who just happened to be U of M fans, too).

The first football game I went to was the 1999 PSU vs. Michigan game the week after Minnesota had ruined PSU's bid for a national championship. That was the last year PSU had Courtney Brown and LaVar Arrington on defense.

*On a side note, I walked by LaVar Arrington on the sidewalk once during my freshman year, and I'll never forget that he was wearing a black leather jacket that must have taken three cows to make. Dude was huge!*

I distinctly remember my friends getting upset with me when I didn't go nuts when PSU picked off a pass in the end zone to deny Michigan the lead. In a rare moment of smoothness under pressure, I immediately responded, "The way we've played on offense so far, does it really matter?" And they bought it!

They actually stopped cheering for the their defense and started worrying about the offense! Michigan won that game (and hasn't lost to PSU since), and I was more careful in the stands from then on, although it got easier as I started to really love PSU over time.

Despite maintaining my allegiance to U of M, I never really got over getting rejected by the admissions department. I think that that was one of the biggest motivators I had while going into college, and it drove me to an unexpected level of success in the classroom, which gave me the opportunity to go to graduate school.

Having developed an allegiance to Penn State over four years (while not abandoning U of M—I still rooted for Michigan in the games against PSU), I applied to Michigan for grad school simply for the acceptance letter: the one thing missing from my substantial U of M paraphernalia collection.

I had really wanted to go to grad school in California, but once I visited both UC Irvine (where people seemed to be robots) and U of M on recruitment trips, I knew I belonged in Ann Arbor.

Just as my Michigan allegiance (or, more accurately, my PSU hatred) waned over four years in Happy Valley, I thought that I might start abandoning PSU the moment I stepped on campus in Ann Arbor.

Quite the contrary.

My time spent at Penn State remains the best years of my life, and there is an unavoidable bond one has with their alma mater that strengthens over time. I love Ann Arbor; it feels like home and Michigan Stadium is one of my favorite places in the world; but the life of a graduate student is much different than that of an undergrad.

Being a very nostalgic person, I have always loved reliving the best parts of my past, and that now includes cheering for the Nittany Lions. I invited my best PSU friends to Ann Arbor for the PSU vs. Michigan game last year. I wore a Penn State jersey to the game and sat in the student section of the Big House.

My friend Jake asked me, as we were setting up the tailgate, if I would be wearing a U of M jersey if Michigan had the better record. I said yes. Jake wasn't happy to hear the truth but begrudgingly gave me props for the honesty.

I never thought coming to Michigan would involve me going to a game in the big house wearing a Penn State jersey. I would not hesitate to wear the maize and blue into Beaver Stadium—the temporary big house. Some, or perhaps most, would call me a front-runner for cheering for the team with the better shot at a conference or national championship every year when these two teams meet head-to-head.

I can't argue with such an assessment, but I've reached the point where I have no other way of choosing whom to root for in such a scenario. I've been a Wolverine for 15 years and a Nittany Lion for nine.

I earned a degree from both schools. I love them both and won't apologize for it. But no matter whether you're a PSU or U of M fan, you can't argue the fact that I have twice the reason to hate Ohio State and Notre Dame, so it can't be all bad, right?

Coming soon: Redskins to Bengals? and The Team vs. Conference Quandary.