Dear Diary Needs More Words for Pain Comment Count

Seth

pain

Argh on you, club_med. Yes, I am flattered that you were inspired by my annual FEI-based bowl game watchability article, and I think it's great that you added Sagarin to it. Except now I actually have to find something else to write next Tuesday. Perhaps I'll do senior haikus.

Cam Gordon
I still can't believe
They pegged you as a safety
Here is your meat: raw.

Sorry Brian. You can do the next USCHO/RPI/Standings poll update from Center Ice. And he can take over LSA's weekly stat wrap, and LSA can take Best & Worst after the bowl game from bronxblue, who can do Inside the Box Score instead of ST3, and we'll send him to cover the press conference, and that'll be how we replace Heiko.

Season of Infinite Pain, Reviewed. "The Year of Infinite Pain" (glossary) was a name Brian came up with for 2005, before he knew what 2008 or 2009 or 2010 or 2013 could be like. Now diary giant Ron Utah is using "The Season of Infinite Pain" to describe this one. Not saying things won't improve, but, you know, that's just a might set up against two rivals who are peaking in a tough division, and a national competitive environment in which a lot of teams wantonly break the rules and ours doesn't. So just in case we need some more names:

  • The Autumn of Infinite Pain
  • The Time of Infinite Pain
  • The Annum of Infinite Pain
  • The Age of Infinite Pain
  • The Span of Infinite Pain
  • The Fiscal Year of Infinite Pain

If we are actually living in the last, here's guessing I don't make it past the 2014 Notre Dame game. If Dantonio and Urban get to 10 wins apiece against us there are several synonyms for "infinite" (eternal, interminable, perpetual, everlasting, boundless, incalculable, supertemporal) that may be substituted in various combinations.

Anyway Ron's wrap starts with the defensive line, which he gave a C+, but I think he's too high on Clark's season, too hard on Washington's (he was injured), and there needs to be more analysis of the heavy (ha!) rotational guys like Henry, Beyer, Ojemudia, Wormley, Heitzman and Pipkins.

Not on the Pistons, that's where. AC1997 is tracking Michigan guys in the NBA, as well as the transfers and dudes playing abroad. I'd love for this to be a regular monthly update for each season in action (so have a hockey one, and a baseball one, and football from August (free agent movement) through the Superbowl.

Etc. A quick statistical preview of Stanford, whom Michigan must beat lest they end the nonconference season without a signature win.

[Jump for Best of the Board and zen.]

Best of the Board

18646503165_5fafbd6619_o
Considering he may just be Michigan's best returning starter on the OL, Glasgow probably deserves to keep his scholarship from here.

COUNTIN' THINGS

AVPBCI wanted to know if Enwere and McDowell would close the class if both committed (figuring there's 4-ish spots left). First a check on the numbers:

  • +15 Recruits: Bunting, Bushell-Beatty, Canteen, Cole, Drake, Ferns, Furbush, Marshall, Mone, Peppers, Speight, Wangler, Watson, Ways, Winovich.
  • -13 Graduating: Fitz, Gallon, Jackson, Reynolds, Dileo, Schofield, Lewan, Black, QWash, both Gordons, Avery, Gibbons
  • -2 Banked (walk-ons who earned scholarships this year, likely to again): Kerridge, G. Glasgow.
  • -2 Possible non-renewed fifths: Paskorz, Ash. However Pipkins is likely to lose most of spring and fall to his injury so Ash may be important. Meanwhile Paskorz played at TE a bunch this year and Michigan is only bringing in Bunting, with Khalil Hill coming off his redshirt. Note: Furman was starting at times this year so I doubt the coaches give him the handshake.
  • -4 Expected attrition. It's rude to name names so we are not going to do that.

So max they can take up to six more guys from here, but that means no scholarships for two expected starters and two fewer seniors at positions with depth problems. You can tap those things for a late major recruit or to fix a hole that pops up. They won't use them to use them.

CRUTIN' THINGS

Coach Brown spoke to Josh Rosen, that California QB that reminds everyone of that other California QB we had. Rosen last summer said the cold weather makes Ann Arbor a non-starter, but now he may visit and that means there's hope. Coach also clarified some things about the dead period that just started.

One thing I'd like to add: if you're wondering why it seems Michigan recruits are all being fed a big load of horse-hockey this week (as opposed to another time) from rivals, it's because with the upcoming dead period it's tougher for the coaches to clear that sort of stuff up. Strategy, yo.

CRUMBLY THINGS

Now you can tell the difference between Assembly Halls. One is Assembly Hall, the other is now Skoljdt Assembly Hall. Or Skodjt. Or Skjoltd.

The-Skoal-hockey-puck-in-its-last-moments

(close enough)

S.S. Assembly Hall? Sassembly Hall? Nailed it.

CRUSTY THINGS

K3u2EQi

Urban eating pizza photo = photoshopportunity.

#EATING THINGS

Word from Vincent Smith and Tae Odoms with an update on the EATING project many of you contributed to.

Your Moment of Zen:

Bummed about losing the commitment of one 5-star? Have some Jabrill Peppers senior highlights.

And the hudl one is even better!

Comments

ericcarbs

December 20th, 2013 at 12:27 PM ^

Not trying to call you out but I am actually curious

But your sources are possible transfers, do they tell you who? (I don't blame you for not naming names). Also are they just really good insiders or people who actually have a connection to the program?

Also, the other two, is that just you using your knowledge or mumblings and whispers?

 

Again, not trying to call you out and I 100% believe you. I'm just curious.

TheFrigz

December 20th, 2013 at 12:43 PM ^

Damn Seth, you scared the hell out of me with the way you ordered those tags..  Saw "Jabrill Peppers, recruiting might not be so legit sometimes, year of infinite pain" and thought "Oh hell, what now?"

Ron Utah

December 20th, 2013 at 12:47 PM ^

I probably shoud have given Clark a "B" instead of a "B+".

As for QWash, I have to give the grade with the information I have.  I'm sure there were injuries, but he just didn't make enough of an impact this season.  Something was off--whether it's his fault or not, he didn't perform.

JohnnyV123

December 20th, 2013 at 12:54 PM ^

This sports year has been so bad that I have blamed myself superstitiously. I got engaged at 5 PM the day of the Penn State game (yes and made the sacrifice to not watch most of the game for my fiancee) when we were 5-0....and yeah since then it's just been 2-5, Da'shawn Hand, George Campbell, Mgoblog sucking with a lack of moderation, and throw in for a fun bonus the Lions trying to not make the playoffs.

Dallas Walmart…

December 20th, 2013 at 1:51 PM ^

Season started with high expectations and turned out miserable, leading to a lot of uncertainty going into 2006, then 2006 was great (minus the outcome of The Game).  Holding out hope that whatever happened between 2005 and 2006 happens again between 2013 and 2014.

tybert

December 20th, 2013 at 4:45 PM ^

Coming off 4 loss season, including home losses to ND and OSU and road losses at MSU and Indy, expectations were not so high in 1988.

We lost at ND and home vs. Miami in excruciating fashion, then won the rest of our games, save a tie at Iowa, including win at OSU and Rose Bowl win vs. USC.

Next year's team has the TALENT for a turnaround. The coaching staff and AD need to quit pulling out the "youth" vernacular every team we play a crappy game. 

Oh...and the B1G 10 Champion in 1987? Well they had a "hot" coach and went to thrie 1st Rose Bowl in 22 years, and needed another 26 to return to a 2nd one.

Wolverine In Iowa

December 20th, 2013 at 9:17 PM ^

'87-'88 was my first year at U-M.  I was not a Michigan fan before coming to U-M, but I certainly became one pretty damned quickly.  After the ND debacle in my first game at Michigan Stadium, we pounded Wash State, Long Beach State and then Wisconsin, before the 7 interception clusterfuck at State.  (Note:  we had a formal at the Union that night, and I puked my guts out in one of the bathrooms there.  There was also a lesbian wedding being held in the Union that night.)

The three years following my freshmen year were pretty awesome.

 

GO BLUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TreyBurkeHeroMode

December 20th, 2013 at 2:03 PM ^

Of the "Eternal September." It used to be that when the Internet was primarily accessed through academic systems, September was the time when freshmen would get their first Internet access and cause problems in USENET groups and MUDs and the like until they learned the rules of the road. Come September 1993, AOL opened up USENET to its users and the supply of stupid became inexhaustible, some people reckon that we're still stuck in that eternal September. (See also: The Attack of the Christmas Modems.)

My concern is that 2013 could have the same level of permanence, as we sit here thinking "Well, it can't be this bad forever."

MGoStrength

December 20th, 2013 at 4:48 PM ^

As much as it hurts to loose Campbell and Hand, if we only land one 5-star I really think Peppers was the best of the bunch and will have the biggest impact because of his position and our need for a playmaker back there.  

west2

December 20th, 2013 at 6:34 PM ^

it could have been worse....lots worse.  We could have lost to Akron, Uconn and NW ending the season 4-8 and out of a bowl.  Look at Florida's year or Eastern Michigan's.  Yeah it might not have been what we had hoped for but it could have been worse.