An MGoJob Is Available
Major changes are involuntarily happening around here. You see, Rudy, my people have been snatched up. Tim is moving to fill the vacancy at The Wolverine left by Josh Helmholdt's ascension to Midwest Recruiting Analyst. Tom is departing, as well. That site is yet to launch and I've been asked not to spill the specific beans so you'll have to deduce.
These are well-deserved jobs for both guys and I'm happy for them. For me—and you—not so much. Unless you want to do this:
MGoBlog Recruiting Ninja
The position is a combination of Tim and Tom duties that were previously split because of the organic nature of Tom's emergence. Recruiting ninja will:
- Collect information from around the web for a weekly roundup post.
- Write up new commitment posts.
- Maintain the recruiting board.
- Head out to reasonably local football games to get footage of commitments.
- Utilize the wonders of the internet to interview recruits on- and off-line.
Output should be a post or two daily with regular items on the message board a la Tom.
Ideally, candidates should:
- Already have a decent idea who Ben Gedeon is, what Tha Ringer is, and why Michigan's high-rated recruits drop more often than they rise when rankings are revised.
- Have a writing portfolio of some variety.
- Be able to write relatively clean copy without outside editing.
- Have an online presence.
- Know how to assemble and edit video.
- Have journalist skills like talking to people and getting information from them friendly-like without making them think you're weird.
- Desire for Michigan to win football games without that interfering with #6.
- Not mind odd hours.
All of these will be tough to achieve so don't worry if you're missing a couple.
The job pays like an entry-level gig at a regional newspaper. 100% telecommute, no set hours, flexible vacation as long as it's not during football season. If you want a business card that says "recruiting ninja" we can make that happen. No benefits at the moment because I haven't begun to figure that out, but if that is a hangup it is negotiable for the right candidate.
If you're interested, email me 4-6 pieces (preferably URLs to pieces) and a resume. If the email contains background on you that helps illuminate where you are and where you're going that will also be helpful.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:27 AM ^
Indeed. To be clear, is the paywall that will shield Tom from the masses the ESPN Insider paywall? If so, I think I can handle that expense. It's dirt cheap.
<br>Congrats to both Tom and Tim, BTW.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:30 AM ^
If Tom is gonna be some kind of ESPN Ann Arbor insider then I'm willing to pay up to keep getting the same TomVH updates. I'm sure a lot of us will
August 15th, 2011 at 12:03 PM ^
This was probably a factor in the ESPN job offer. The hope that some of the MGOBlog nation would follow him to the new site.
August 15th, 2011 at 12:08 PM ^
August 15th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
I'm not saying that people will abandon MGOBlog, but they will include the new site and possibly pay a modest fee to follow Tom because of his reputation gained here.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^
I've gotten myself hooked on this site. There are a lot of talented posters here and a couple of them are getting away. I'm not so sure you'll be replacing these guys very soon.
I am both happy and sad for Tim and Tom. They both deserve the opportunities ahead of them, but at the same time, my Michigan football itch won't get scratched the same.
Thank you both for your excellent posts and I wish you continued success.
Go Blue!
August 15th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^
amirite or amirite?
August 15th, 2011 at 11:28 AM ^
...Ace who would be an excellent candidate.
Ace Anbender of The Wolverine Blog.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:29 AM ^
I can vouch for that. Never worked with (for) a nicer guy.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:35 AM ^
My first thought was Magnus. But yeah, this Ace of the non WIlliams variety seems like a great candidate as well. Also, isn't there another guy that Tom works with (JC3?) at URecruit? He seems like a good candidate.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:38 AM ^
Jeff Contizano. I'd guess he's taking over URecruit now, but if Brian can lure him away, I think it'd be spectacular. Jeff is another great guy, who comes standard with connections..probably be the best Tom replacement. If Brian could get Magnus/Ace to replace Tim, I don't think the blog would skip a beat.
August 15th, 2011 at 12:03 PM ^
What about Chet?? He knows all the recruits...
August 15th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^
This JC3 sounds promising indeed...after DG and BRICE (and Benji if he repatriates) of course.
August 15th, 2011 at 2:35 PM ^
Thanks for thinking of me.
August 15th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^
Couldn't agree more, although I'd put the odds of him leaving in the same ballpark as the odds of Michigan losing every single game.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^
Say what you want about Sports by Brooks, but it looks like he nailed the ESPN Ann Arbor thing (as well as all the other ESPN college sports sites).
August 15th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
I qualify in all of those catagories except 2 through 8.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
Sorry to hear about the break-up of our little family, but congrats to Tom and Tim on realizing the fruits of their hard work. Nice job building the e-blog, Brian.
August 15th, 2011 at 3:15 PM ^
Brian is building an impressive blogging-tree. One day, Brian will be the Bo Schembechler of the Michigan Internet
August 15th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
Let's hope they come back for guest appearances, especially for any podcasts!
August 15th, 2011 at 11:25 AM ^
I was fully hoping for DGDestroys to take over, he seems to have his shit together but he kind of shot it down in an above post. Damn
August 15th, 2011 at 11:28 AM ^
I appreciate the love. I just wish there was some way I could make it work. I have always, like many others, dreamed of getting Tom's job
August 15th, 2011 at 11:28 AM ^
Please just nobody hire away THE KNOWLEDGE!
August 15th, 2011 at 11:44 AM ^
I'm sorry about that.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:28 AM ^
I don't think this is really his cup of tea, but wouldn't it be glorious if Magnus dropped TTB and took one of the jobs?
August 15th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
I think he'd be great at filling the role that Tim had here, but I'm not sure if he'd be the right guy to fill Tom's shoes. Epinion.
August 15th, 2011 at 2:33 PM ^
I would potentially be interested, but the in-season commitments might be a problem. During football season I work about 85 hours a week, and that's not including administrative duties and film study. The off-season is when I have a fair amount of time to devote to Michigan football.
I'm flattered that you thought of me, though.
August 15th, 2011 at 5:41 PM ^
Would love to have you over here in an "official" capacity Magnus, especially if you brought your countdown with you.
August 22nd, 2011 at 3:08 AM ^
I will offer to be your assistant.
Pay me in beer.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:30 AM ^
Though I'm pretty sure #6 and #7 at a bare minimum would disqualify him.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:33 AM ^
But I'm not sure anyone wants the comparison to the work Tom was doing. It'll certainly pale.
Does this mean we're going to get Beaver-like comments on how MGoBlog is stealing their material from Tim and Tom? /s
August 15th, 2011 at 11:34 AM ^
coachBT not only WRITE, but also RIGHT. no sugarcoat, he's be great!
August 15th, 2011 at 11:35 AM ^
Just a thought...
<br>I wonder if it might make sense to have someone else (or, ideally, Brian) write the commitment posts -- or at least the "my two cents" parts. It'll be difficult for someone who develops relationships with these kids/families/coaches to write those posts objectively.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:36 AM ^
Congrats to Tom and Tim, while I'm sad they're leaving I'm glad they are moving on to opportunities they wish to explore.
Am I the only one who hopes Brian finds someone new? I really like the wide range of opinions the other authors provide and think MgoBlog performs a crucial centerpiece to said wide range. There's a lot of talent in the Michigan blogosphere and I'd prefer it not all be centralized.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:38 AM ^
#9: Must be a Michigan Man. (This is to disqualify Andy Katzenmoyer, just in case he learned to write....)
August 15th, 2011 at 11:38 AM ^
Silver lining here, the rumor that this site was being gobbled up by ESPN is looking to be just that. I can handle having to follow Tom via twitter or on his new site but wouldn't be able to handle Brian and his analysis being neutered.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:42 AM ^
August 15th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
I think the ideal candidates to not lose any quality would be JC3, DG, Magnus, or Ace (not Williams).
Of course, I have faith in Brian if he hires an outside guy. He really found some good ones in Tim and Tom.
Ideally, there would be two different positions. It'd be nice to have an evaluator (like Tim) and someone who gives interviews and gets to know the recruits (Tom). It'd be tough to combine them into one position.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:43 AM ^
Brian's job descriptions don't seem right. I see nothing about answering the TomVH signal when lit and nothing about knowing when to buckle and unbuckle.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:45 AM ^
Magnus needs to give up high school football.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
Someone who doesn't share all of Brian's viewpoints on here too, in an official capacity. While I'm not accusing anyone of being in lockstep, I think it's fair to say everyone at least kinda leans Brian way on things (other than Tom, who keeps his views well hidden). And maybe that's by design, for a more pleasant working environment. Couldn't knock it. But it might be better reading if the other guy was someone once called "a grumpy old man". But whatever works, I'm sure there will be someone good.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:49 AM ^
The real question is who owned the MGoCreeper van? If Tim owned it, better include that in the job requirements.
August 15th, 2011 at 11:49 AM ^
Howeva, this is turning out to be a shitty day:
Tim and Tom leave my favorite site.
A local radio host has jumped stations and totally f'ed up my morning bathroom time.
My SUV mysteriously had the check engine light come on with some awesome misfiring one week after I allowed my anus to be reamed $1400 for the AC compressor. Leaking coolant on the spark plug or some BS.
I love Mondays. Anyways, Congrats!!
August 15th, 2011 at 11:55 AM ^
I'm nowhere near qualified but I get the feeling that if a couple of the more knowledgeable/frequent posters join forces then they could potentially take on this position while still maintaining their day jobs. No?
August 15th, 2011 at 12:02 PM ^
August 15th, 2011 at 12:05 PM ^
Years, which, the Internet does not appreciate.
August 15th, 2011 at 12:19 PM ^
Ha. You do know how Tom started doing this stuff, right? All you need to know is how to hit the "send friend request" button on Facebook.
August 15th, 2011 at 1:34 PM ^
but I agree with your sentiment here. Look, I loved Tom's input as much as anyone's but he doesn't have any sort of special powers. Many of his interviews are done over the phone or computer so I am really failing to see what is so irreplacable if I'm being honest.
Now I'm not saying everyone could do what he does, there is a definite need for discretiion, being trustworthy and having a personaility that will encourage a person to speak freely when communicating with you (in other wors, not Chet) but I could see many posters on this site having the ability to step in and not miss a beat (not me, but some of the other posters I have seen on here0.
Give Tom and Tim there due for providing great analysis and information to all of us, but it is ok to be honest and say that a person with a phone, time, good communication skills, good personality, trustworthy and discrete could do this job with out a great deal of trouble. It won't hapen right away because you have to build relationships, but once the newcomer does that I think they will be fine.
Good luck Tom and Tim, I enjoyed all your hard work!
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