Oh, man. This is hard.

I'm sorry.

I'm really, really, really sorry.

I'm sorry for a lot: for not updating this site; for letting a vital stretch of the season go by; for letting you down. It sucks, it was shitty of me, and I'm sorry.

Where was I? Well, sort of everywhere. Since Memorial Day, it seems as though I can't ever go more than a week or two without taking a trip somewhere. And please don't read that as a complaint--traveling, like pimping, ain't easy but it sure is fun. This fall, the hectic schedule has taken me to Washington, to State College, to Ann Arbor, and to points in between. And when I am not traveling, I am hosting guests or working. And the problem with all of this is that when it comes up, it forces me to postpone so many other things--reading, laundry, socializing (er, other socializing), watching NBA League Pass, returning friends' phone calls--that blogging can be tough. Especially during the week, when my job has me working long hours and my schedule has me running around New York to dinners, movies, concerts, and whatever else we do here.

If blogging is so tough, why is Straight Bangin' relatively up to date? Another good question. SB is sort of like the internets equivalent of my childhood home--no matter what happens or where I go, it's always there for me. And that's an easy feeling. Updating SB still takes a lot of time, but it also has built-in advantages that, sadly, the Schembech can't match. On SB, I can churn out posts about the hip-hop I've been listening to all day on the subway and at work; I can post political screeds that I summon after spending time reading all manner of things; I can post self-indulgent, idiosyncratic lunacy, like why I hate open-toed shoes."

But this site is different. Here, I think I'm a little more self-conscious because I want to honor the mission of examining Michigan sports, I want to attempt to be fair in my treatment of the facts, and I want to provide content that is worthy of the BlogPoll. I may fail in all those endeavors, but they weigh on my mind when I sit down to compose something here. And accordingly, when I miss an update, or an event, or a game, the pressure to respond with something that not only compensates for the missed opportunity but also surpasses the quality of what it would have been can be discouraging. It can drive me away from the Schembech.

And that's what happened here. I got busy, I got careless, and it became harder and harder to come back. I'd walk down the block thinking about Alan Branch, but I'd be anxious about posting because I would have to own up to the guilt born of delinquency. I'd nervously watch Michigan hang on against Ball State and not even my alarm and frustration could conquer the fear of returning. This all must sound incredibly foolish and lame, but it's why we've gotten to this point.

But ultimately, as a real human being (and one who does this as a hobby), I realized that running from the problem--from the shame--was just making an eventual resumption that much harder to initiate. So I am here. Officially back. Sort of.

Two days ago, I promised a content explosion. Something I couldn't deliver upon thanks to work, a place where I stayed until very late. Well, that happened again yesterday, and the content explosion was delayed. Again. Until tonight/tomorrow. But we now have a plan. Below, please find a posting schedule to be followed in the immediate future that will help Schembechler get caught up and get right. It will be honored. That's my word.

Now please take me back. The kids have missed me. And deep down, I bet that you have to.

Again, I'm sorry. Coming soon to a Schembech near you:

• Friday: Ballot Returns: A blog ballot expose
• Saturday: The OMG Game Before THE GAME Indiana open-thread; Everyday Should Be Latter Day: The Last Michigan Month in Review
• Sunday: What We Talkin' About? Football?!: A Treatise on the State of the Game
• Monday: It's Great...to Be...a Michigan Wolverine: A Football Recruiting Primer
• Tuesday: Bounce Up Like Roundball: Michigan Basketball Is Here!