Unverified Voracity Is All Shiny
Release the offer kraken. Today is the first day 2013 basketball recruits can be offered, and since John Beilein is king of the rules he sticks to this date religiously. He's also more than a little crafty by doing this since Michigan just got a first-hand look at most of its top targets at Michigan's elite camp. UMHoops reports it was the most talented of Beilein's tenure and there was one potential offeree who stood out:
Monte Morris won the day
Michigan’s top point guard prospects were all in attendance and everyone in the gym, including the players themselves, knew it.
The guard targets all played pretty well but it was Monte Morris who was most impressive. Morris was very good during drills, took a couple tough losses in 3-on-3 play and then exploded during 5-on-5 play to finish the night. He had a string of great games on the main floor, in front of the Michigan coaches, controlling the tempo and dominating the game as a great point guard should. He didn’t force shots, but scored with ease slicing to the basket, and also ran the pick-and-roll very well. Most of the games on the main floor came down to the final possession, or were even decided by sudden death free throw shooting contests. When Morris’s squad started clicking on the main floor they cruised to a couple comfortable victories.
Michigan is presumably interested in Morris, then. Yesterday GBW published this headline, from which you can extraopolate who the #1 is:
A Clear #1 for Morris
Michigan’s Elite Camp managed to attract several top prospects including four of the c/o 2013’s best point guards. The top performer of group on the day was Flint (MI) Beecher standout, Monte Morris. GBW caught up with the talented floor general to get his thoughts on the camp, his recent unofficial visit to Ann Arbor, his decision timeline, and the school he currently has at the top of his list.
Unfortunately for Obviously Extrapolated Leader, when UMHoops interviewed Morris he was planning to take his recruitment until the end of his junior year. As anyone who's followed Brady Hoke's recruiting can tell you, timelines can move up. Keep your ears perked for one of Sam's gut feelings.
Hockey indoors and out. A smattering of news items on the hockey team have come down the pipe.
One: they'll be replacing the College Hockey Showcase with game against Northeastern. You can count so you know that's one game too few to replace the CHS; in the past what this has meant is that two Eastern teams head out and switch off against Michigan and MSU. Oddly, NU (not that NU) released its entire schedule and their game against M is just a one-off.
Two: Michigan and Ohio State are apparently going to play an outdoor game in Cleveland this January. That seems to be a questionable way to create the future. Ohio State does draw better for Michigan games, but not well enough to fill their basketball arena. A football stadium in Cleveland is going to be a tough sell, especially one year after Michigan fans nearly packed the Big House. When they did so they found out that outdoor hockey is pretty cool but kind of a gimmick—sightlines are suboptimal. I think I'd rather watch it on TV, and if I want to watch it on TV that stadium is going to be half-full. If it's part of a Winter Classic featuring the Wings and Blue Jackets, on the other hand… that could work.
Three: the new scoreboard in the flesh is so sexy.
This is creating the future I can get behind.
Four: In addition to placing goal replays directly into your brain, Brandon is creating a $14 million renovation of the old barn. The future includes completely replaced seating, the conversion of the current media level into "loge boxes," a new media level above that, and some additional "corner and platform seating." Seems like they might squeeze another 500 seats or so out of the old barn.
Not mentioned was the top priority of the blogosphere—returning the old man to his rightful place:
But they did mention "concourse improvements" so those are probably putting Yost's head on everything.
There can be no UV without tatgate. AnnArbor.com catches up with a local memorabilia dealer to find the state of his business with college guys:
“We would never touch a college guy,” said Newhouse, a 38-year-old Ann Arbor man who operates AllAmericanSportsHouse.com. “We know that’s the ultimate taboo thing.”
…“That’s just stupid,” Newhouse said. “It makes no sense, and people should know better, especially if it’s a team you like. These are Buckeyes fans who ruined their team for years. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”
I don't know, man, if I had the ability to make Terrelle Pryor show up at Chuck E. Cheese I might mortgage my program's future for one shining moment.
Taylor Lewan's golf swi—DUCK
Taylor Lewan’s first tee shot Monday at the David Mealer Memorial Golf Classic went screaming off of his undersized iron, traveling in a straight line into a wooden area located right of the tee box on hole 17 at Brandywine Country Club. A subsequent loud thud was Lewan’s ball hitting what everyone could only hope was a tree.
“Let’s get this day started!” Lewan yelled, sarcastically, in response to his regrettable shot.
IS EVERYONE OK
(Thirty-two Michigan players and a coach, Brock still working out with Barwis at his new Plymouth digs, Kevin Koger not playing because he's worse than that, general impression they should have done this at the swankiest putt-putt place they could find.)
Sharps hate us. The Wolverine Blog asks "why not us?" at a convenient time. Here's why not us: Just Cover notes some huge line movement at the Golden Nugget, which annually releases a set of "game of the year" lines early. In each case, Michigan got hammered:
…everybody is betting against the Michigan Wolverines. Along with Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State and TCU, the Wolverines were a popular bet against team among the betting professionals. And, hey, why not? Until further notice, the defense still sucks, the potent offense from a year ago is undergoing a makeover and, well, did you see last year? The Wolverines went 0-8 against the number in Big 10 play and have been one of the best teams to bet against during the ill-fated, three-year Rodriguez tenure. The coaching change isn't enough to inspire betting confidence.
The Golden Nugget released lines on five Michigan games and in four of them, after a crazy initial weekend of betting, have moved significantly against the Wolverines. Nobody is betting them, at least nobody among the crowd of sharps and wiseguys who do this for a living, so much so that they pack the Golden Nugget in early June in to get bets down before most of the college football betting public has even bought a preseason annual. The critiques are that Michigan remains a soft team, the Golden Nugget overrated a typically public program and sharp bettors love betting against first year head coaches installing a new system. The Nugget is going to take a bath unless the Wolverines, as my old bookie once urged them more than a decade, can just cover the spread.
Notre Dame moving from M –2 to ND –3 with reports that is up to ND –6, Northwestern moving from M –4 to a pick'em, and MSU going from a 3.5 point favorite to 7.5. Sharps are betting Al Borges Denard Fusion Cuisine does not go well.
Meanwhile, our neighbors to the south had no lines posted for obvious reasons.
The young people. This, from one of those alumni tour things, is all your fault:
Finally, for all you MMB fans out there, I was able to speak with DB about the piped in music at the stadium. DB said that there was some resistance in the Big 10, but that they have been able to change the rule and now can mike the band. They expect this to make a big difference. He cautioned that they will keep some piped in music because the 'young people' like it, but is hoping for about 65% MMB and 35% recorded.
Let the bodies hit the floor, yo.
Etc.: Pitt and Penn State miraculously sign a two year contract to play in 2016 and 2017. Article subtitle "new coaching staff stresses accountability" makes inevitable appearance as dictated by the laws of man and God. Mets Maize on fanbase 180.
At the 2009 game Misopogal saw a group of OSU fans jumping up and down singing "Oh-O-O-O-O-Oh-Oh" to this and said, rather loudly,
"Oh look, they learned a vowel!"
Have I mentioned that I love my wife? She almost got me killed but some things are worth dying for.
and taught myself the bass riff in about 5 minutes. It's such an absurdly simple song and I can't believe it gets the exposure it does.
...Las Vegas baths.
If you think the sightlines are iffy in a football stadium, they are even worse in a baseball stadium. Progressive Field is the home of the Indians.
will be an awfully tough sell if the game is in Progressive Field. It'll be interesting to see how the high walls in the outfield impact sight lines. I know they put a rink in during the winter anyway, so it could be ok.
Anything in Ohio having to do with OSU/UM should sell pretty well, especially a novelty like this. Depending on the location of the ice, the bleachers, on top of the 19 ft. wall in left field, could provide a decent view.
At the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field sight lines were terrible. Good seats for baseball = terrible seats for hockey. The bleachers were too far away, and the whole lower concourse section was too low to see most of the action over the boards.
Doesn't mean it wont be an awesome event. The game at Wrigley sure was. I didn't even have tickets, but Wigleyville was like Ann Arbor on Gameday
That's the view from the 1st baseline
I laughed at this from the Mets Maize piece:
"The focus of fall practice has unofficially shifted to attrition. Like, rooting for it. Will anybody miss Ray Vinopal when Jarrod Wilson faxes his NLI?"
"
IS EVERYONE OK
(Thirty-two Michigan players and a coach, Brock still working out with Barwis at his new Plymouth digs, Kevin Koger not playing because he's worse than that, general impression they should have done this at the swankiest putt-putt place they could find.)"
Anyone else having some difficulty with understanding what Brian is talking about here? I know he was an engineering student, which probably qualifies him as functionally illiterate, but this just made my brain hurt.
/And yes, I'm joking about the illiterate part.
Brian is recapping the article. there were 32 members of the football team. Brock is still working out with Barwis.
The football players are NOT good at golf - example is Lewan's 1st Tee Shot. Koger is so bad at golf he went and elected not to play.
The general impression of the event is maybe golf isn't for these guys. Mini-golf would have raised just as much $$ and been far less embarrassing for the players, as they are not good golfers.
/how I read it
Some Snippets:
A man who is 6-foot-8 and almost 300 pounds looks uncomfortable as he takes practice swings with a golf club unfit for someone of that size.
When that man is considered to be the class clown of the University of Michigan football team, hilarity is bound to ensue once he takes a swing that counts.
Van Slyke is said to be the best golfer among the Wolverines, as his score for 18 holes generally falls somewhere in the 70s.
Lewan played in a group that included his girlfriend, some of Elliott’s high school friends, and Omameh, whose first shot didn’t go well either, sailing high — but not far — into the air. Koger followed that group around in a golf cart but elected to not play.
“I may be the worst golfer out here,” the Whitmer graduate said.
Link in case you missed it in Brian's OP: http://www.toledoblade.com/Michigan/2011/06/14/Mealer-golf-outing-scores-an-ace-2.html
I don't think anything good has ever happened after that phrase was uttered. That means: someone hired someone else (also not young) to survey statistics collected by a third person (also not young) probably not directly correlated to the original topic. Case in point: student attendence has not dropped at Michigan Stadium since the introduction of RAWK music, therefore "young people like it."
See also: striped jerseys.
Now, if they had some sort of social media interaction, like vote on facebook for the song you want to hear at the game instead of Staind/Disturbed/Korn/Drowning Pool/System of a Down/Saliva/Limp Bizkit/et. al., then young people might actually like it.
All he had to do was throw the word "hip" in there and it'd be as perfectly out of touch as anything can be. "Hip" is a word spoken by old people to describe something that they think "the young people" like but that most young people don't. As in, "We think the Nissan Cube is a really hip car."
looks like a member of the "rat pack" from the 60's (Sinatra, Deano, Sammy & Joey). Actually a very cool cat !!! But ... those golf shoes ... ouch !
Go Blue !
I assume his elbow issue must be improved if he is able to golf now. This is good news!
They shound't have to use the line as motivation for the first night game at the Big House against a bitter rival.
Dear DB,
I don't like piped in music, and nobody I know does either. Masses of drunk people will dance and yell to anything, especially the MMB. Stick with the MMB.
Sincerely,
Young Person
Dear DB,
I like piped in music, and everybody I know does too. Masses of drunk people will dance and yell to anything they can actually hear. Stick with the piped in music. The band just isn't good enough anymore.
Sincerely,
Young Person
Dear DB,
Some people on the internet think sarcasm is funny. I am one of those people.
Sincerely,
Young Person
- Well, I hope we do land Morris--we already have a jersey ready to go with his name on it.
- It is my understanding that micing the band (micing? miking? looks wrong both ways) creates lots of complications for the people coordinating when the amplification needs to go on/off. I'd love to hear more from one of the true band geeks about this, if only because I'm fascinated by everything that goes on in the stadium.
- We sat near T. Lewan at a spring sporting event and that boy is REALLY LOUD.
Is there something new that has changed?
The reviews were mixed. It helped in my section, but apparently was not such a success in the student section, with the amplified band out of sync with the real band.
I believe the band was mic'd but there were difficulties turning the mics on and off on time, and also with the slight delay between hearing the actual band and hearing the band through the sound system. At least I think that's what she was referring to.
DB spoke a bit about optimal placement of MMB in the stadium to allow for the best acoustics.
As in... The current placement isn't optimal?
Are you happy with where the band is placed? (I am; it's perfect for me.) Is there any other place you think it should be?
Have you ever sat in the Sec. 16-17-18-19 corner of the Stadium? The sound of the band is awful up there, especially the upper rows. (I should add; I sat in 18 for one game in 2009. I didn't sit there last year. Maybe the mic-ing helped.)
I don't care one way or the other. I will say no one ever said a peep to me when I was in the MMB about not being able to hear the band when we were on the other side. It all started after the move.
Remember, the move was made by the Athletic Department in conjunction with the MMB, sold under the idea that the new concrete pour and seating arrangement in that section would be better for the band to fit everyone in the stands, instead of the drums and tubas in bleachers on the field level, and the entire band on the field level for big games (so they could sell the tickets). It was seen as a win-win for both parties, as Athletics could sell that block of tickets every game instead of twice per year, and the MMB had a theoretically better arrangement (which, honestly, was true).
Then all of the sudden no one could hear the band. I'm not going to get into the usual argument of Boerma v. Nix and loudness and all that. I'll just say there was a clear delineation of when the complaints started.
It just seems to me, if the band is mic'ed and people are still complaining, I'm not sure what else can be done. How can one can hear piped-in music, but not a mic'ed band, when they come through the exact same speaker system?
Well I'm a young people, and I hate it.
<br>
<br>An aside: even if we hate the piped in, I don't think we've given them enough credit for playing mostly semi-local stuff (i.e., White Stripes, Eminem, et al). That is to say, if it's gonna happen, there are still outcomes that are preferable to others. Think piped-in Ke$ha.
No credit is given for coincidence. The piped-in music is nothing other than the latest incarnation of Jock Jamz. We aren't playing the White Stipes and Eminem because they're local...they're played because 2934 other sporting venues play the same songs. Journey is not local. Neil Diamond is not local. G n R...also not local. It's bad that we pipe in music...it's terrible that we're about 10 years behind minor league baseball teams in selection of tunes.
Young people have loved the Michigan Marching Band for decades. They will continue to love it in the future.
Golf is so much more fun when you suck at it. True story. I shoot about a 115, maybe 112 on good days, and I actually don't think I'd enjoy golf any more if I shot 90s, except to be able to brag about my score more. It's more of an adventure this way. I get to try and shoot out of all kinds of fun situations.
If people still aren't happy after the band was mic'ed, I wonder if the problem isn't them...
Was obviously a donkey, not a tree.
Omameh thought he spotted a ND linebacker in the clouds.
Comments