Unverified Voracity Crams It In Comment Count

Brian

Staying for a while. Helmet numbers are around until someone gets tired of them again if correspondence sent to Shane Morris is any indication:

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I like them so much better when they're the same color as the rest of the helmet. Let's work on that, kids. Also someone send one of these to Treadwell with a #1 on it.

Michigan Replay, 1999. Intro not present, unfortunately. Post PSU win. This was smack in the middle of the We Own Penn State period.

Old, old school. Great article by John Kryk as he catches up with 91-year-old Al Wistert to talk about how his brain's doing and various other things. Wistert is hale and hearty, full of stories:

Wistert said he often did take a pounding; speed can help an undersized tackle avoid only so much contact.

"It was always a problem," he said of his size. "Each guy that I played against outweighed me by 40 or 50 pounds, and that was never easy.

"Playing nine years in the NFL would be a long time in any era. I didn't have a lot of injuries, though. I usually played 60 minutes and didn't come out of the game. But I managed to survive it. I guess I was pretty tough."

Wistert said he doesn't recall there being any protocols, or even concerns, back in the '40s about the effects of hits to the head. He doesn't recall having suffered a concussion, and said he doesn't know of any teammates who were ever kept out of a game for having had, in the parlance of the day, his "bell rung."

"No, I don't remember any serious precautions that they would make about that. So I guess there wasn't any concern about it."

Wistert played both ways for nine years in the NFL at 214 pounds. Different era then. Obviously.

NEVER TALK JIM DELANY. Unless you're telling that story about how you fingerbanged Mark Shapiro. All responses to all questions should be colorful anecdotes about turning his outrage into yearning. That's quality stuff.

It's just the everything else that's an issue:

"I don't have a lot of regard for that team," Delany said in a phone interview with The Associated Press.

Who is that team?

"I don't have a lot of regard for that team," he said. "I certainly wouldn't have as much regard for that team as I would for someone who played nine conference games in a tough conference and played a couple out-of-conference games on the road against really good opponents. If a poll doesn't honor those teams and they're conference champions, I do.

He didn't say Alabama. Did he have to? Anyone ever heard of a team not winning its division or its conference but going on to win the national championship?

GODDAMMIT JIM DELANY NOW ALABAMA IS GOING TO SHOW UP IN DALLAS AND TRY TO WIN. OUR WHOLE PLAN WAS THIS: DO NOT MAKE ALABAMA FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD WIN THIS FOOTBALL GAME. OUR WHOLE PLAN IS NOW: AAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEE. I SHOULD SHAKE YOU, SCREAMING "GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF" AND YES I KNOW THAT'S IRONIC.

Or maybe this doesn't matter and Alabama was already thinking they should win the game. But probably not.

Potentially useful walk-on? Michigan's acquired a preferred walk-on named Chris Maye from Union City, Michigan. He's a defensive back and he seems pretty fast:

Maye had several opportunities; officially visiting U-M and Michigan State for track, as well as making official visits to U-M, MSU and Army for football. He was the No. 1 track recruit at U-M, but Maye set his sights on playing football, actually turning down track scholarships.

With Brink poised to contribute and Kovacs entering his fourth year as a starter, guys like these are worth keeping an eye on in case they turn out a lot better than expected. Or Dantonio offers them. Whichever comes first.

Slash. Slash is old now, and I wonder if he just has a wig with the hat attached that he puts on when he wants to be Slash and takes off when he just wants to be an old guy in leather pants. Maybe he has to take the leather pants off too.

Anyway: Jay Bilas is sick of watching basketball teams beat up on weak sauce that probably shouldn't even be in D-I and has a radical solution($):

The bottom half of Division I is simply not competitive enough on a consistent basis to justify the bloated size of Division I. If Division I is reduced to a more reasonable size, there would be better games, a better distribution of talent across a smaller pool, and a better and more marketable product.

If Division I shrinks to 120 or 150 teams, the cry that Butler and VCU would be left out is the first one hears. Slow down. Look at the 120 FBS teams on the football side, and then look at the top 150 in the BPI. Teams like Butler (which just bolted the Horizon League for the Atlantic 10) and VCU would be among the 120 to 150 teams that are qualified and committed to a better Division I. It would include plenty of committed and competitive teams, and nobody would miss the early-season games against sacrificial lambs.

Most of the competitive programs would make it above that bar, and Bilas further suggests that top D-II teams—where the bottom 200 teams would end up—could get bids to the NCAA tournament to keep the Cinderella factor high. End result would be much better nonconference scheduling. It's a win for fans.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where John Calipari cancels the IU-Kentucky series because he can't get Tom Crean to move it off of home courts. Fans are about #10,000 on the list of stakeholders. As long as the NCAA is a loose confederation people are going to make eyes at status they can't achieve. There's nothing to be done except make sure you avoid the real dregs so your RPI doesn't suffer.

Answering rhetorical questions. It's my hobby. Here are three masquerading as one:

Zack Novak: The world's smallest, toughest and most self-deprecating power forward?

Smallest: at a major college level, yes. Not for all of D-I thanks to the problem above. Toughest: um… probably not. Most self-deprecating: hell yes. Should have asked "most likely to have a rage fit" as well:

“A great all-around athlete,” Beilein later added, gesturing along the table of 10 honorees at Barton Hills Country Club. “If he had chose wrestling, he’d be sitting next to (wrestling assistant) Sean (Bormet). If he had chosen hockey, a great defenseman, he would have been. (Hockey coach) Red (Berenson), don’t you think so? Knock some people around. (Football coach) Brady (Hoke), a cornerback? One of those other things -- a safety?

“(Golf coach) Chris (Whitten), that’s the one thing I know, he would not be sitting next to you -- unless Happy Gilmore can make a comeback, because every club would be broken by the end of the first round.”

I find it odd that Beilein knows who Happy Gilmore is. This is probably unfair.

It's like Japan, except flat and slippery and less irradiated. That would be Michigan hockey practices this fall. The addition of Andrew Copp, an end-of-the-bench NTDP player who is likely to be Danny Fardig 2.0, gives Michigan 15(!) forwards, 9(!) defensemen, and 4(!) goalies this fall. Some of these guys are deep roster players who aren't getting scholarship money and don't expect to play, but the defense corps is especially jammed now that it appears everyone's back next year.

Michigan brings in two NTDPers who will be drafted, one very high, and these guys who played frequently last year:

  • Merrill
  • Moffie
  • Bennett
  • Chiasson
  • Serville
  • Clare

Two of those guys are probably going to get scratched every weekend unless Connor Carrick is also in the scratch mixture.

Scoring is the main issue. The cavalry there arrives in 2013. A senior-year blowup from AJ Treais would be most welcome.

Etc.: BYB's Kurt Mensching gets a Detroit News columnist gig. May they replace Rosenberg as effectively. Kyle Bosch will enroll early. The Hoover Street Rag posts its version of Special K for a day. These posts are tempting me to put together a list of the worst possible stadium anthems. Sigur Ros: untoppable

Michigan Hockey Net is not a big fan of the new jerseys. The St. Louis Blues gave Red a shotgun once. In a good way. Jacobi on the Snow Bowl.

Comments

Blue in Yarmouth

May 11th, 2012 at 3:12 PM ^

In fairness...someone of his age who had suffered a concussion 60 years ago probably wouldn't remember it either, especially if it was a serious one and he suffered any real damage. That's one of the effects of concussions.  I'll be happy if I'm alive and can remember my own name at that age.

omahagoblue

May 11th, 2012 at 3:26 PM ^

It would be a good idea to get a customized #12 Morris jersey. Since you can't order the name/number combo of a current or former player, and he is not on the team yet, if you do it now you can get away with it.

matty blue

May 11th, 2012 at 3:39 PM ^

that al wistert is still alive makes me very, very happy.  he and his brothers had their number retired.

never, never forget this:  the wistert brothers have had their u of m jersey number retired.  this is not a small thing.  just ask dave brandon, he knows from tradition.

sorry, cheap, unnecessary shot there.

also - al's nickname was "ox."  too bad that nickname has fallen out of favor, because it's pure awesome.

his comment on concussions is interesting.  the reason "precautions" weren't needed is that the head wasn't used as a weapon as it is today.  watch newsreels of the era and you'll see no leading with the crown of the head whatsoever.  the nfl talks a lot about hitting defenseless players, but they almost never talk about tackling technique.  they should.

Gabranto

May 11th, 2012 at 3:55 PM ^

6:49 of the video you get to see Hoke wearing a headset back in the day! He has the same look on his face as he does now when the line doesn't get there soon enough

reshp1

May 11th, 2012 at 3:56 PM ^

Classy move by the coaches to send Shane an anniversary card. I know he isn't exactly a flight risk, but it's nice to see the coaches continueing to build relationships with commits. I know if I was a HS student, I'd feel pretty good getting a card like that.

jmblue

May 11th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^

From Jacobi's Snow Bowl article:

Michigan's offensive output wasn't just bad, it was probably the worst ever seen in a winning effort. According to Ohio State record books, Michigan recorded just 27 yards of total offense (all rushing) and zero first downs in the entire game. Both are, obviously, Ohio State records. Michigan actually punted 24 times in its winning effort. Read that sentence again. It is a sentence that SEC fans will probably relish reading from now until the end of time. Michigan punted 24 times against Ohio State in one game and won. It's OK to laugh. You should.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but didn't we just "quick-kick" most of that game? I thought after we took the lead, we were happy to punt it away.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

May 12th, 2012 at 12:18 AM ^

SEC fans can "relish" it all they want.  Just having the temperature unseasonably in the 30s during a bowl game was enough to make Miami roll over and die against Wisconsin a few years ago, so it can reasonably be asserted that SEC teams would be crying for mommy in that kind of weather.

Bando Calrissian

May 11th, 2012 at 4:36 PM ^

Again, Michigan had the option to make the helmet numbers match the wings when the decals were ordered from Helmet Hut.  They were given two options, and chose the darker shade that didn't match.  

Part of me wants to think it was done out of the idea that the maize recalibration is coming and it was easier to just go with one shade from the start if everything else was going to match it eventually anyway, but at the same time, why would they bother?  The mystique of Big Jon Falk...

French West Indian

May 11th, 2012 at 5:20 PM ^

Sigor Rós untoppable for stadium anthems?  I think there countrymen/women in Múm would probably be worse.

I'm sure we could think of more too, if we tried.

Gulo Blue

May 11th, 2012 at 6:50 PM ^

If the one Alabama fan living in my neighborhood is any indication, there never was a chance of flying under the radar.  Before the game was ever discussed, I'd heard about "freakin' Tom Brady" several times.  You'd think Michigan's come-from-behind, overtime Orange Bowl victory was last year.

snarling wolverine

May 11th, 2012 at 7:13 PM ^

Brady had some rough moments that day but man was he clutch on those last two drives.  He converted several 3rd and longs that game against a loaded PSU defense.  

And David Terrell was such a great player . . . what happened to him in the NFL?

Decatur Jack

May 13th, 2012 at 4:11 PM ^

Because there isn't that much outrage that the helmets still have huge numbers on the side. In fact, many Michigan bloggers (MaizenBrew Dave over at MnB) have said that they REALLY LIKE THEM!

I'd kind of like to know Brian's opinion on this (maybe a blog post?), but I have a feeling that as long as Michigan is winning there won't be much outrage over the helmet numbers--except, of course, from the few of us who are currently outraged about it.

M-Dog

May 14th, 2012 at 9:34 PM ^

I don't like them for 3 reasons:

 - They mess up the classic look that is our helmet,

 - They don't match the color of the wings,

 - They celebrate an era - late 50's and 60's - where we were not very good.

I look the other way because they are a lesser of evils.  So basically I'm not complaining because I am afraid it could be worse (like grey facemasks and bumblebee stripes).  Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

MaizeMN

May 12th, 2012 at 12:35 AM ^

"GODDAMMIT JIM DELANY NOW ALABAMA IS GOING TO SHOW UP IN DALLAS AND TRY TO WIN. OUR WHOLE PLAN WAS THIS: DO NOT MAKE ALABAMA FEEL LIKE THEY SHOULD WIN THIS FOOTBALL GAME. OUR WHOLE PLAN IS NOW: AAAAAAAAIIIIEEEEEE. I SHOULD SHAKE YOU, SCREAMING "GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF" AND YES I KNOW THAT'S IRONIC"

1. Screw Delany

2. Screw Alabama.

3. GO BLUE!. "

FGB

May 12th, 2012 at 1:38 AM ^

I did not recall David Terrell playing defensive back at all.  I guess that was the reverse-Woodson effect in those days.

ThoseWhoStayUofM

May 12th, 2012 at 2:19 AM ^

Jim Delany should shut up, not because he might give Alabama bulletine board material (yes I understood it was sarcasm) and not because his opinion on Alabama is ignorant and stupid (which it is).  He should shut up because his opinion is about as irrelevant as Mark Hollis' opinion on Trey Burke's decision to stay at Mich or go pro.  Dude... wtf are you doing talking about Alabama, from the SEC, while you are the B1G commissioner?... you pompous arogant ****.