OPINION

By Steve Greenberg

updated 11:50 p.m. ET Sept. 19, 2007

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Today I met a man named Marty Gillespie on Potter St., about a half-block from Michigan Stadium. Marty was tailgating outside a pretty little house where he just happened to park his car decades ago. He has parked there for every home game going on forever, making friends up and down the street.

Marty, 57, had his two daughters with him today, and that was nothing unusual; Heather and Tara, the latter a UM alum who lives in Chicago, are season-ticket holders themselves. Their mother, Jeannette, used to go to every home game, too, but she died two years ago of cancer.

"She was a big fan," Marty said, eyes on the sidewalk. "Boy, she sure was in love with Anthony Carter."

That was long ago, but it seems like yesterday to Marty, himself an alum who has missed three home games since he graduated in 1973.

I spotted Marty because of his cap: a blue, felt tam, actually, with a yellow pompom on top. You know, Michigan colors. Jeannette made it for him 36 years ago. Marty looked like a Wolverines fan of the highest order -- devoted, charismatic and sober -- and that's exactly what he was.

"Our guys will come out of their funk today," Marty told me a little more than two hours before kickoff.

Indeed they did. Senior running back Mike Hart was unstoppable, freshman quarterback Ryan Mallett showed off his big arm, and the defense spent more time in the Irish backfield than Brady Quinn ever did.

It's official: Notre Dame is a truly terrible team. Michigan is not.

Michigan is merely so-so. How else can you look at a team that blew out Notre Dame but also lost to Appalachian State and got completely creamed by Oregon?

Wolverines fans undoubtedly are thinking Big Ten title tonight, but they are far off base. Michigan only has a chance if the Big Ten is even worse -- far worse -- than it has appeared thus far. At this point, there is little question Wisconsin, Penn State and, yes, Ohio State are superior to embattled (oh, you better believe he's still embattled) Lloyd Carr's crew.

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And then there's Notre Dame. I wasn't sure what to blog about as the time ticked down on a game so one-sided that it was difficult to fathom exactly what it meant for college football. Will Notre Dame win a single game this season? Is this the worst Irish team ever?

Turns out those questions can wait awhile. In a dank, depressing little postgame interview room in which reporters sat on edge wondering how in the world Charlie Weis would explain this one, Weis stepped forward with the brilliant and fascinating plan to "start training camp" on Sunday.

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I'm not using those adjectives sarcastically at all, by the way. The Irish will practice four hours on Sunday. Four more on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Full hitting. Zero living in the sordid past. Weis won't show his team the tape of the Michigan game. He won't even fancy up a game plan for next weekend's opponent, Michigan State.

"Not until things are fixed," Weis said.

What will the Irish throw at the Spartans? "A nucleus of plays and a nucleus of personnel groupings," Weis said. "Whatever we've got down."

How can they avoid falling to 0-4 with that sort of plan? Weis said he doesn't care. "We're starting over."

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That is brilliant. It's inspired. It shows a long-range view, but then such things are possible for people with 10-year contracts. That doesn't mean it will work, but it's better than sticking with the current hideous mess.

Anyway, in the end I decided to blog about Marty Gillespie because talking with him was by far the most pleasant part of my day. (Getting flipped off by a co-ed driving to the game was far down the list, right above watching the Michigan-Notre Dame game.) Fans like Marty who maintain perspective and a positive attitude even in the worst of times for their teams are worth their weight in gold.

Michigan isn't great, but don't you know? It could be so much worse.

"Appalachian State didn't bother me. It probably was good for college football," Marty said on Potter St. "The Oregon game was awful. They didn't have that effort at the end.

"But I know this team will hang in there because that's Michigan football. You find me a good loser, and I'll show you a loser. These kids are not losers. But even if I'm wrong and they go 1-11, it won't be the end of the world."

Um, 1-11?

"Yeah," Marty said. "No way they're losing to Ohio State."

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