The big day...and by big I mean so E-N-O-R-M-O-U-S-L-Y big

I don't hate Michigan State. I don't. We've lost three years in a row to Sparty, something that I've never known in my lifetime. It feels awful. It feels good that there's a legitimate rivalry, but bad that we're ending up on the short end of the stick of it lately. Of course, MIchigan football has just struggled through the most tumultuous three years of it's storied history, but that time comes for everyone, and a simple overtime loss kept us from bursting this green and white bubble. Today...I hope it all ends today. I don't hate Michigan State, but I sure hate losing to them.

Since I first stepped foot on campus in Ann Arbor we've lost only six times...1995, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2009, and 2010...only 31 times in over 100 years of punching each other in the face for an ugly trophy. Those kind of numbers suggest that it should feel awful losing to these Spartans of Michigan State. It does.

So I'm going to Dustin and Kelly's house, and surrounding myself with people I care about so that if things don't go so well I can be nursed back to rational thinking and coached off of the ledge, after all, my daughter needs a father. It sounds silly, but today means an awful lot to me. I can't even begin to imagine it going so horribly wrong that both the Wolverines AND the Tigers limp home defeated. Ugh, the notion would ruin a glorious autumn. Sometimes I wonder if I can even watch. Of course I can, but I've got a psychiatrist on speed dial.

I'm going to try to find some measure of balance today...try to achieve some kind of reasonable perspective, you know, not an eggs all in one basket kind of thing, but it going to be difficult. Zedder will help me cope, and June and Dusty and Kelly will be there to comfort and talk sense to me. Maybe my friend Jimmy will be there to swat me around if I'm fading. I should probably bring some paddles and a tractor battery with me, or one of those Pulp Fiction-esque adrenaline needles. maybe I could use a marker to x off the place directly above my heart right now..you know, save some time. I should probably check my benefits to see what kind of support options I have if today doesn't go so well.

I'm not a religious man but God keep me safe today.