Unverified Voracity Confirms The Obvious Comment Count

Brian

Obvious. As part of his annual defense of the recruiting-industrial complex, Doctor Saturday has surveyed many things. Now he has struck upon the most over- and under-achieving teams as seen through the lens of recruiting classes. The overachieving list has a variety of causes:

  1. Oregon. Spread genius.
  2. Oregon State. JUCO/grayshirt addiction.
  3. Virginia Tech. FSU, Miami, UNC, and Clemson all recruit like demons and suck on the field. The methodology here prioritizes wins over teams with good classes no matter their results on the field. The ACC champion is set up to do well here.
  4. Iowa. Own Penn State, greatly benefit from Michigan's implosion.
  5. Stanford. Harbaugh. Sigh.

The underachieving list… well, you don't even have to look, really. Guess which big time rivalry finishes 1-2? You get zero opportunities. You got it anyway:

michigan-notre-dame-425w

Hurray! In Michigan's case the underachieving is due to massive attrition, a change in program philosophy, the program delightfully eating itself alive, and the dumbest hiring decision in the history of the world. Notre Dame had a decided schematic advantage.

The rest of the lame are UCLA, Texas A&M, Miami, and FSU. Unsurprisingly four of these teams have changed coaches in the last two years. UCLA is going to have a hard time not firing Neuheisel next year, leaving A&M the only school that may be able to dig out under the current leadership.

Special K is a disease. He infects the world. I could help but think about Special K when I read about UConn's spelling cheer. It's the generic spelling cheer wherein you spell out the thing you like and repeat it three times. Example: "B-A-C-O-N bacon bacon bacon!" In this case it's U-C-O-N-N. It would be better if it was bacon, but it's UConn.

UConn's version is actually a cool tradition, however, because of this guy:

kenny

His name is Kenny, and the reason UConn has a cheer almost as good as B-A-C-O-N is because this lone nut created it via force of personality. People love this:

The reason Big Red's cheer has caught on and become a marker of UConn's success for the past 20 years is because, unlike so many things at UConn games, it is organic. There is no sponsor. It is not forced. It is not pre-packaged. No, instead it is a reflection of pure joy at the success of the young men who step out on the court wearing the jerseys that say "UConn." It is beautiful, and cheering along with Big Red is one of my favorite parts of being a UConn fan.

Unfortunately this year the cheer has been pirated by the PA guy and is deployed at times completely irrelevant to the game situation. It's basically WHO WANTS SOME FREE UCONN CHEER. In two years it will be WHO WANTS SOME FREE UCONN CHEER BROUGHT TO YOU BY CORPORATION. It is in this way that genuine things are co-opted and destroyed by marketers.

Also: bacon, bacon, bacon.

Filling in another hockey blank or two. Hockey gets a 2012(?) commit from Max Shuart, a nephew of former Wolverine captain Alex Roberts. Shuart's playing for major midget—unusual for a Michigan recruit at this stage in his career—and has filled in with the U17 team this year. He's got no points in three games with the U17s.

Michigan also just picked up an Alex Kile from Compuware for 2013. Kyle leads his team with 18-19-37 in 32 games, and is ninth in the league in scoring. He was a 14th round pick of London in the OHL draft—it's always hard to tell how much of that seeming lack of respect is talent and how much is signability.

MHN points out that Kile and Shuart were born only ten days apart, so Shuart may be ticketed for 2013 instead of 2012. That would make more sense since a guy who's doing well, but not amazingly, in midget doesn't seem like a guy who's going to make an impact in two years. I couldn't find anything on the internets indicating either guy was getting early hype, FWIW.

Random two year old sings fight song. Aww.

Is there a way to avoid this pun? Rumors of Soony Saad's departure for Europe are no longer rumors. Michigan's going to have to replace basically all of their scoring next year, which totally sucks because with Saad they were probably Big Ten favorites and in position to establish the sort of success that sustains itself over years. Now I'm not sure who the hell is going to be probably better than Robbie Findley.

Yes, dolla bill. The number for Michigan's guarantee game against Air Force: 1.1 million, which tops Ohio State's million-dollar payout to Navy by a few thousand dollars but not their $2 million guarantee to Colorado. It's a little scary that we just went back to a mid-90s Michigan DC and we're going up against the triple option, no?

Bug status. Items fixed:

  • The iPhone app.
  • IE bug where content would show up way down the screen. (Inline CSS wasn't getting used on pages other than the homepage, for some reason.)
  • Up/down voting has returned. It's a bit different, as an update in the software brought a new widget that tracks up and down votes separately and more obviously. There's also a setting to "dim" comments that fail to meet a certain threshold; I picked –5. No idea what that will do yet. [It appears the answer is "nothing," but maybe it puts classes on these items that I'm not doing anything with yet.]
  • Have restored image upload facilities for trusted users using WLW. There is new login information that can be found in the post that explains how to use WLW with MGoBlog.

List of known issues in approximate order of importance:

  • IE 7 users (and I think just IE 7 users) are having issues seeing the box wherein comments are composed. Note: I don't even try to support IE 6, so if your company hasn't updated its browser in ten years I cannot help you.
  • The message board is ugly and uses space inefficiently again (but at least there are permalinks).
  • Voting is not applying points to user accounts.
  • mgolicious is not automatically updating.
  • Sidebar pagers are goofy.
  • The message board homepage is also in an undesirable state.

If there's something else wrong email me about it, please.

Etc.: There was a very silly AnnArbor.com article that chalked up Forcier's departure to the "impossible expectations" placed on his shoulders, such as going to class and not taking incompletes. It cried out to be fisked; The Wolverine Blog has fisked it. Tom Harmon is the #5 Big Ten Icon, so 1-4 better have dominated jungles, too. Braves & Birds explores why commentary is so dumb. Wrestling takes out OSU and Indiana; I stumbled across the OSU dual on BTN and decided "what the hell" since Michigan was ahead. It was surprisingly entertaining.

Comments

Bronco648

January 31st, 2011 at 1:25 PM ^

You can always switch to Plain Text Editor and add the block quote tags yourself.  If you don't know HTML (no offense) enter the word 'blockquote' (surrounded by the greater than and less than symbols "<>") where you want the block quote to begin and repeat the same thing where you want the block quote to end.  Only, add a backslash and a space before the ending 'blockquote' within the "<>" (i.e. "<" backslash space blockquote ">")

HTH

oriental andrew

January 31st, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^

Yeah, my company still uses IE6 as it's only supported browser, although testing for IE8 is in the works.  Any other browser (except Opera, oddly) require manager approval + detailed business case.  The communications and web developer folks get it, obviously.  I don't.  The oddity - Opera.  For some reason, this is "unlocked" and open to anyone to install via SDS.  Not many people know it's out there, but it is SO good to have a more advanced browser than IE6 on my work PC.  

And so I majorly digress.  Back to whatever it was you were talking about now...

oriental andrew

January 31st, 2011 at 3:59 PM ^

I'm not a tech guy, so I wouldn't know.  There are many companies which are still on IE6, though, including many of my clients (I'm a consultant, and some of these clients are F500).  Not as rare as you'd think.  Many companies are also still using MS Office XP/2003.  

ultra-violent

January 31st, 2011 at 1:20 PM ^

Did that dad seem like a dick the way he corrected his son? Not that teaching him the right way is bad.  Kid was cute and paid no attention when his dad did correct him.

 

maybe... Wait till the little champ has it down to show the world if you can't handle his 5yr old remix.

 

Good post btw.

 

 

 

James Howlett

January 31st, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^

A minor exception here. Iowa, wasn't on UM's schedule in 2008. Which was obviously to UM's benefit as Iowa went 9-4, with all four loses coming by a combined dozen points. Hard to imagine how many yards Shonn Greene would have put up on that defense or how ugly the offense would have looked against a top 10 scoring defense. Unlikely UM beats Iowa in 2008 even if LC had come back for a triumphant victory lap after the ugly ASU/Oregon year.

Iowa has been consistent in their recruiting mediocrity. UM's implosion really had little to no impact on Iowa's recruit up until this class. Where Iowa is having a strong year for Iowa's traditional lack of recruiting prowess. So, even if Iowa would have split the 2009-2010 games(which is slightly generous to UM even if LC had returned.)it wouldn't have greatly effected Iowa's fortunes. Iowa, also suffered to a degree from UW's emergence. Which largely picked up the UM slack, and whom Iowa is more a recruiting peer.

Further, if Hinton had made that list 5 years ago. It's likely Iowa would have been on it, or very close to it. With two BT championships during that span of time. So, I'wa consistent overachievement really isn't significantly effected by UM's implosion. Although, going forward?

 

 

 

michgoblue

January 31st, 2011 at 1:19 PM ^

"It's a little scary that we just went back to a mid-90s Michigan DC and we're going up against the triple option, no?"

No.  It is significantly less scary with Mattison than it would have been with GERG (mis) managing the defense.

briangoblue

January 31st, 2011 at 3:39 PM ^

We didn't have trouble with running QBs until Donovan McNabb detonated the Big House in the '98 opener. Mattison was long gone by that point. I prefer to think of him as the guy who helped kick Ohio State's ass as the Florida co-DC in the 07 title game, but then again, I'm not on a two month Hoke-induced Smiths binge.

 

cheesheadwolverine

January 31st, 2011 at 2:04 PM ^

Bayern Munich, Anderlecht, SC Freiburg and 1860 Munich.

I mean sure Bayern is not hapening since no American outfield player ever has played at a club that size (notice I said "played", not "was signed by", Oguchi Onyewu) but that's still the biggest club in Belgium, a Bundesliga team and another really big team in the German second division.  Signing with any of those clubs would put him among the American elite immediately.  Hard to blame him, if these are really his opions.

msoccer10

January 31st, 2011 at 3:45 PM ^

but I am really excited for his future. Leading the nation in scoring as a freshman is no small feat. I hope he can eventually emerge as the world class scorer that the US has lacked forever. I really think one world class striker could make the US men's national team a contender. Not a favorite by any stretch, but at least in the conversation. And how sweet would it be if he was also a wolverine!

And I had the same experience with wrestling. Wandering around on cable and noticed we were in a match agains OSU, so I watched a bit. Always nice to see a victory over the Buckeyes.

JeepinBen

January 31st, 2011 at 1:32 PM ^

Brian, do you see the site retunring to it's pre-malware-disaster levels soon? In terms of the layout, usability, etc?

I know you're working tirelessly on this stuff, and I hope this isn't read as bitching. I'm just wondering if we have a status update.

Thanks for all you do

erik_t

January 31st, 2011 at 1:55 PM ^

This is the first I've heard of any funny- or quasi-funny-business regarding Oregon State and grayshirts/JUCOs. Might we see some elaboration at some point? It's been my recent perception that OSU's success just stems from experienced lines and general good coaching from Riley (particularly somehow having Pete Carroll's number).

jmblue

January 31st, 2011 at 3:50 PM ^

They do take in a ton of Jucos - but that's true of many schools.  The simpler explanation is that all of the schools on the "overachiever" list have excellent coaches who are good at identifying the right kind of players to fill their program's needs.  

Contrast this with Larry Coker.  When he was at Miami, he is known to have literally used Rivals and Scout to identify players.  Once his own recruits replaced Butch Davis's, his program collapsed.

cjm

January 31st, 2011 at 2:08 PM ^

Okay I was kidding the other day when I posted that if you could just get the voting fixed by NSD that would be heaven on earth.  I figured this week would be so crazy (leading up to NSD) that the "arrows" was of least importance.

I'm impressed Mr Cook.  You are quite the hard worker.  Nice job surviving MalWare 2011.  And maybe more important, nice job surviving all of the panic from your followers during MalWare 2011.

cheesheadwolverine

January 31st, 2011 at 2:25 PM ^

Does anyone else find perverse encouragement in the unerachiever tag?  It means we still have the pull to get elite athletes (are a national program? to bring that debate up again).  It means we can and likely make it back to the top.  And it's not like "Michigan has sucked for the last three years" surprises anyone.

Desmonlon Edwoodson

January 31st, 2011 at 3:16 PM ^

I would hardly call Rodriguez the dumbest hiring decision in the history of the world.  Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time we were all pretty excited about it.  Just remember: Brian Ellerbe.  Plus Kwame was elected.  Twice.  

echoWhiskey

January 31st, 2011 at 4:13 PM ^

A quick look at comments that would be affected by the -5 threshold doesn't appear to reveal any added CSS classes to work with.  I like the idea though and welcome the implementation.  

Purkinje

January 31st, 2011 at 5:00 PM ^

"It's a little scary that we just went back to a mid-90s Michigan DC and we're going up against the triple option, no"

 

You couldn't possibly be any more pessimistic, could you? Seriously, you have no idea what's going to transpire next season and beyond. You act like our program is old and fossilized, like Notre Dame, since we fired Rich Rodriguez after he blatantly didn't work out. You seem to forget that we're only 4 seasons out from a legititmate shot at the national championship in 2006-07. It's not all so fucking gloomy.

 

/rant

tricks574

January 31st, 2011 at 6:11 PM ^

I think it was angry ohio state lower weight hating god. First nikko triggas, an AA 125 and I think the record holder for career pins at osu, gets hurt. Then his backup, STUD freshman Logan Steiber, also gets hurt. Steiber probably would have seriously challenged for an AA spot this year. Then another stud recruit, collin palmer gets busted up. Add that to graduating jaggers and pucillo and I believe older palmer, its not a very good team.

Michigan has looked excellent this year though, the young kids are wrestling really well. Grajales is an absolute monster, the fact that he's up 2 weights and still competing with and even beating top ten kids speaks volumes about exactly how good he is. His HS class of recruits was incredible, 2 of them have legit shots at 4 peats, kyle dake and david taylor, and grajales andthe aforementioned palmer were just as good in high school.

On a final note, I would like to share a tweet from one of the greatest wrestlers in michigan high school history. After iowa upset number one PSU, coached by former iowa state cyclone cael sanderson, brett metcalf tweeted "wonder where cael will go now to try and beat us"

PizzaBob

January 31st, 2011 at 9:11 PM ^

yes, sure, that's awesome, but my two year old knows all the hockey cheers, at does them at the dinner table, in the car, and at the grocery store. And sometimes at the games.

sieve sieve sieve sieve sieve!

M-Wolverine

February 1st, 2011 at 10:33 AM ^

I'd say bringing back the "NEW" label on new posts in the threads themselves would be a high priority, because currently finding any new posts in threads of length of over ten is all but impossible.  No point in going back over old threads as it is currently.