Unverified Voracity, Sponsored By The Letter H
Ohhhhh. Reader Alton finally reveals the key change in the rules that has caused coaches nationwide to dream about high octane no-huddle attacks:
New NCAA Rule 2-4:
"A dead ball is ready for play when:
a. With the 40-second play clock running, an official places the ball at an inbounds mark or between the inbounds marks and steps away to his position.
b. With the play clock set at 25 seconds, the referee sounds his whistle and either signals to start the game clock or signals that the ball is ready for play"
2-4b is, helpfully, the existing rule and 2-4a is the new rule in effect when the 40-second play clock is. So there is a hypothetical window in which you can snap the ball under the new rule -- ball is down and umpire is moving -- that you couldn't under the old rule. So maybe there is something to the seemingly inexplicable meme. We'll see this fall.
Side note: my main issue with the new clock rules is how confusing they are. The clock's like this unless it's late in the half, at which point it's completely different. Any time you're implementing a rule and feel the need to not implement it at a certain point in the game, you should probably reconsider.
Ehhhhh? The preseason coaches poll just came out and Michigan is #24. Weird, but #24 before the bowls will probably be 8-4 and I kinda think they'll be 8-4, so not too weird. Other teams of note:
- #3 Ohio State
- #12 Wisconsin
- #19 Illinois
- #22 Penn State
- Receiving Votes: Utah (#28), Michigan State, Notre Dame
Uhhhhh. Ohio State DT Doug Worthington picked up a DUI a few days ago. Kevin Grady's ability to drive(-ish) at a blood alcohol level that would put most people in a coma prevents the throwing of stones from this particularly glass house, but is this a little fishy?
Police also say Worthington's Cadillac Escalade had license plates that were registered to another vehicle.
I don't want to be one of those guys who goes around calling Ohio State "O$U lol," but there's an obvious parallel to Maurice Clarett and the Exceptionally Generous Columbus Car Dealer here. It could be nothing, but it could be the jenga block that topples Ohio State's nefarious empire! Moooohahahaha!
Or, uh... it could just warrant some followup. Which no doubt the Dispatch will get right on.
Brahhhhh! Yes, the still got me to post this brief video of a Michigan State coed informing us that RICKS WOO RAWKS:
Oops. This video is stuck on autoplay and thus pure evil. Link here.
Remember that when Michigan State fans launch into soliloquies about the totally awesome poon available on campus, this sort of person is what they're talking about. The only thing I'd touch her bits with is a geiger counter.
And we're done with that conceit.
Context, please. There's a big article in The Sporting News about Justin Boren. In it, he makes Rodriguez-like promises that he'll "let it all out" after he's done and blah and blah and blah. I don't care much anymore; it's not like I'm going to be thinking "boy I hope we beat Ohio State" this fall because of some guy on the bench. But they done dragged me into this:
As it stands now, Boren remains a favorite target on Michigan message boards, with threads labeled: "Attn, NFL: Justin Boren Is A Quitter Who Could Not Handle The System" or "Justin Boren deserves doom and unmitigated failure."
The first "thread" on "Michigan message boards" is actually a post from this blog back in March. The very first words of that post: "Not really." They were even bolded. Michael Bradley, the author of the piece, literally did not read two words of the post. The second "thread" is also a blog post from March, this from "The Errant Yachtsman" At press time said blog is averaging four hits per day and has racked up a total of 1,676 visits; this link has a good chance of doubling that number. (Bradley's projected age: 104.)
Bradley's evidence that Boren "remains" a favorite target on Michigan "message boards": two four-month-old blog posts, one read solely by the author's mother, the other specifically disclaiming the sarcastic headline in the first two words.
And for the record, yes, Michigan fans are well within their rights to think the Borens are dicks. Reason: they've been dicks. Boren not only decided to transfer to Ohio State, but launched an unprovoked attack on the program on his way out that every coach from sea to shining sea will use as negative recruiting ammunition until Rich Rodriguez leaves. Rodriguez, for his part, had said nothing except "Justin Boren has decided to leave the program."
Bradley completely glosses over this in his article, choosing instead to focus on the destination of his departure instead of the nature of it.
(Sidenote: the only thing of interest is a confirmation of the internet rumor that Boren skipped stuff to go plow with Dad: "Boren missed only one Columbus "snow event" while he was at Michigan and that was because he was sick." No doubt Rodriguez put an end to that practice, and that's the source of at least some of the animosity.)
And, finally, the last word on 'Bama. Reserve offensive lineman Patrick Crump has left the team because his "heart wasn't in it," and I kind of have to say something again, I guess, even though it's just going to be the same thing again. Fortunately, the WLA's got it covered:
While Alabama fans want to rationalize the size, scope, and masturbatory practicality of this attrition away, the fact remains that there is and should be some skepticism around Overlord Saban. He knowingly over-signed recruits. He needed to lose a significant number of scholarships. On the cusp of fall practice, he loses exactly that number. Boom. I'm not stupid and I'm not a virgin; coincidences like this don't just happen.
Or, at least, they defy probability. It's incredibly convenient that Saban lost just enough players to fit his entire class in, and IMO the likelihood all the departures were voluntary (excepting the Johns/Elder felony departures, of course) hovers around 0%. That's all. You know what I think, you know what Bama bloggers think, and no one's changing their minds. I'll let it lie now.
Etc.: Rambling, gambling, call-blowin' Big Ten referee Steven Pamon is fired; Darius Morris is committing today, and everyone's fired up; there are no CPU sliders in Madden. Someone please fire Tiburon; VB looks at Rodriguez's first, difficult year at West Virginia.
August 1st, 2008 at 10:39 AM ^
not a fan of the autoplaying video (at work) hidden far down the post.
Edit: Brian caught it, but i guess that's what I get for constantly refreshing the main page throughout the morning
August 1st, 2008 at 10:53 AM ^
If I have learned one thing from my addiction of reading this blog daily, it's that Brian would so be all over that chick in the video despite whatever he says to the contrary. You can make clever little comments about geiger counters and the like, but if you had to choose between another night of World of Warcraft and Ms. Drunk MSU, she wins hands down 87% of the time. Sorry Brah, just needed to out you on that one.
College Click TV does have a section for U of M,
The person describing the scene doesn't seem to be a student, maybe he wandered up from Ypsilanti?
<i> back to back home losses for the 1st time in 50 years... that's half a decade people.</i>
ladies & gentlemen: Generic State U
August 1st, 2008 at 10:59 AM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 11:12 AM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 11:23 AM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 11:37 AM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 11:41 AM ^
The TSN article was less of a hit job than I was expecting. Justin comes across as kind of a big baby. He calls all Michigan fans ‘idiots’ because he received some unpleasant text messages. Obviously texting someone you don’t know mean things is a really stupid thing to do but ask Ryan Hamby, who received death threats because he dropped a TD pass against Texas, how OSU fans react to adversity. This isn’t to point a finger at OSU but just to mention this is common behavior. Justin committed what I believe any knowledgeable person, even OSU fans, would call a significant betrayal. People are going to be mad and justifiably so. The TSN article seems to suggest anger is not justified or message board posts are usually reasonable. I think it’s weird that the game in A2 will be ‘the best day of his life’ and he’s jazzed it’s in A2 because that makes me think he doesn’t recognize our right to feel betrayed which is pretty weak. After Carr stated categorically that he did not help Boren get his release papers nor did he recommend OSU, I imagine Carr’s pretty happy that Boren keeps implicating him. If you love your old coach so much then quit dragging him needlessly into your shit.
It’s done. He’s gone. I don’t hold any of this against RR. I think the attempt to paint Justin Boren as a sympathetic figure, unless he starts receiving actual threats or something more than mean text messages, should fail
August 1st, 2008 at 11:54 AM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 11:58 AM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 11:58 AM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 12:00 PM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 12:02 PM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 12:06 PM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 12:09 PM ^
That's a pretty fucking moronic statement Jamiemac. I think you need to try meeting Brian first which I have. In public. At a bar. And - gasp - he socializes on a normal level.
Not everybody would hit any remotely cute drunk chick, myself included.
August 1st, 2008 at 12:13 PM ^
and he will call offensive holding on every other play for the rest of the game. O-linemen respect the umpire and call him "Sir."
August 1st, 2008 at 12:27 PM ^
August 1st, 2008 at 12:44 PM ^
There's no need for the snarky reponse.
I'm not talking about the dog-fighting. I actually wasn't thinking about that at all. I'm talking about him flipping off fans and I think he's made inappropriate public statements about disputes he's had. For that matter, add Manny to the list (nice to fans, but unprofessional during his dealings with BoSox management).
You know I'm reasonable. This wasn't rhetoric. I'm not yelling and screaming (in typing), "how dare he or his father call himself a Michigan Man!!" I didn't call him a pussy who couldn't handle workouts, and I said that I understand if he's more comfortable at OSU. I know how you are characterizing me and my post, and you're wrong and have not carefully read it.
This is about a kid who did something wrong. I mean, isn't what he did unprofessional? And fine, maybe he was talking about Michigan fans who emailed him and not all Michigan fans or whatever. That isn't right and is certainly not a good way of getting him to reconsider. But he could have said something like, "they don't know the whole story" or "it's none of their business" and just call it a day. Yes, he's just a kid and an amateur athlete and this does seem like nitpicking, but he doesn't know anything about know how to conduct himself. Most college athletes do a pretty good job of speaking in public, and those who don't usually don't go as far as Boren did. This is more of an indictment of his parents and his values, ironically.
maybe you'd also like to point out that the PD link explains the plate confusion.
"It's also true the plates on Worthington's vehicle did not match his registration. This is a fact that escaped me in my original story, but has since caused some chatter. What exactly does that mean?
Not that much, according to Richard Morman, the deputy chief of police for the OSU campus police. He said that Worthington had recently purchased the Escalade (which goes for about $20,000 to $24,000 according to the Kelley Blue Book). According to Morman, the dealer put his old plates, from what Morman said was a GMC sports utility vehicle, on the Escalade and told Worthington to make sure the plates were properly transferred. He did not do that, so he was cited for it, along with speeding and drunken driving."
wow, research instead of unfounded speculation!
I remember that article, it was entitled 'Why is Michigan so Mediocre.'
He said the block M stood for mediocre. It was the big story in their annual preview mag for 1997. I probably still have it in a dusty box somewhere. The same mag had CU preseason #1 and Manning winning the Heisman.
Oops!
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:21 PM ^
this class will be full of floridians.
And, yes, I was kidding. I had hoped it was obvious, but sometimes it is hard to tell in emails and posts and the like, so dont worry about it. For future refence, when I include a 'fer gawd's sake' its a tell tale sign that I am kdding, or ranting with a comedic effect.
Anyway, gjp, I hope to meet you, Brian and all the usual suspects who comment here sometime during the upcoming season.......and we will all compare in person who we would hit and who we would not hit.
August 3rd, 2008 at 12:24 PM ^
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