You call it nuts, I call it doing my part for the team

MZone reader Steve, proprietor of the blog Michigan meets S.C., submits this guest post about his "rituals" when the maize and blue play.  I think we might be related.

Way back in the off season somewhere between the 2005 and the 2006 campaigns I broke down and a purchased a new maize shirt. Nothing special, mind you, just a plain shirt with the word ‘Michigan” emblazoned across the front.

Don't f**k with the windsock!

Now, as you recall, the 2006 season was especially good to us.  Going into the OSU game, we were 10-0 -- something we all know was owed to “the shirt”.  So I’m not saying I’m superstitious or anything, but well, don’t screw with my lucky stuff on game day.

Which leads us to this season.

My wife removed a Michigan windsock from our deck the day after the Notre Dame game and I thought I would wet myself. Here we were riding high at 2-0 -- a day after one of the most thrilling victories in Michigan history -- and she removed one of the main reasons why! (although a non-believer might call it a faded rag hanging from three strings.  But what do they know about messing with football karma?)

In the recliner during a game, I don’t mess with much: my drink, the remote, nothing.

If we’re doing well.

 If not, I start changing things around. I remember one year sucking it up against OSU. I changed to the couch in the 3rd quarter and the comeback was on. MLB manages will not step on the baseline when going out the mound to give the pitcher his walking papers for the evening. They must be nuts -- I'm just helping my team.

During the timeout at the end of the ND game, :08 seconds remaining, and I’m sitting on the deck watching the game (I watched the first half inside and, as you know, that didn't work so well).  Meanwhile, my wife was inside watching the game. But during that timeout, she comes out pacing and rubbing my neck! For God’s sake!  Not only was she jinxing it by coming outside all of a sudden, but she also moved the sliding glass door that was in the game winning position.

WTF?!

It was everything I could do to not bust! Panicked, I moved the door back to where I thought it was. How we won the game after that disturbance in the force is beyond me. Yes, I’m certified. But I bet I'm not alone among college football and MZone readers.

And as for the shirt, well, that was retired somewhere in during the first RichRod season. There are some things even a lucky shirt can't do.