COMC haul #4: a change (and these new guys) are welcome

(Note:  all COMC haul posts can be accessed here)

To recap what was an incredibly shitty sports Saturday for fans like me, the following occurred on 10/27:

• Michigan lost an ugly game to Nebraska, with the lowlight being the offense's production after Denard Robinson left the game with an injury.  Michigan no longer controls its own fate in the race for a spot in the Big Ten title game.
• Michigan State eked out a win against Wisconsin.  This has almost zero effect on anything, but some Spartyfreude is always nice.
• Ohio State stayed undefeated thanks to a win against Penn St.  I guess it would be fun to play against an undefeated Buckeyes team, but again, it's always nice to see them lose.
• Notre Dame beat Oklahoma, which is fine since they're usually about as overrated as the Domers are, but this one's annoying because Irish fans are about the most clueless trash talkers in the history of ever.
• The Tigers continued their lack of offense on the way to an 0-3 World Series hole and may have the honor of being swept by the Giants tonight.

Ok, now here's the part where I count my blessings:  I'm happy that my Michigan team is in a position that we're disappointed by this loss but still in the thick of things, and more importantly, at least we're not Colorado or Auburn, because, YEESH.  And I'm proud of the Tigers making it to the World Series despite Jim Leyland, and even if we get swept, it's valuable playoff experience for the younger players.

So that was the unwelcome news, but here's some welcoming on my part:  hello to these three Wolverine alumni who are now part of the football PC!:

Junior Hemingway 2012 Upper Deck Rookie Autographs auto

Kevin Koger 2012 Upper Deck Rookie Autographs auto

Mike Martin 2012 Upper Deck Rookie Autographs auto

These three guys are football PC members #s 91, 92 and 93, putting me just a few away from my New Year's goal of 100.  I knew I had to have these after I managed to pick up their teammate, David Molk, earlier.  I think this is a fantastic looking set (aside from the stupid use of green foil, which makes zero sense) featuring excellent photography (as usual, for UD), a nice borderless design, and best of all, college unis!  And now, a quick blurb about each player:

If there's one thing you can say about Junior Hemingway, it's that he was simply an amazing blocker for someone his size.  Michigan has an outstanding reputation for having its WRs block, but Junior played above and beyond when you consider how tiny he is.  He will be sorely missed by a Michigan team that seems to be lacking in WR playmakers right now.  He was drafted by the Chiefs, and hopefully his size won't work against him in terms of his shot at the NFL.

Kevin Koger was one of my favorite Michigan TEs in recent memory.  He did everything you could ask of someone at the position, including blocking well and generally catching passes, including plenty of tough ones.  Koger went undrafted and is now working at a local middle school.

Mike Martin was THE guy on a much-improved defense in 2011.  A player that offenses constantly held (which the refs managed to recognize about 25% of the time), Martin was simply a beast, and easily one of the best defensive players to come out of the program in a few years.  Greg Mattison's coaching acumen has prevented a drop-off in performance for the Michigan D in 2012, but it would be crazy not to recognize just how dominant Mike was in his senior year.  He was a third-round pick for Tennessee this year and has earned a bit of playing time, compiling 26 tackles including two sacks in seven games.

Remembering everything these three guys did for the team, especially during the turbulent Rich Rodriguez era, definitely makes me feel better.  And no matter what happened this weekend, there's always the next.  GO BLUE!