outrage: shelved
Unverified Voracity Is Taking The Over
Filed under:
Site note: The number of people who have breached the 20-point barrier that puts people in special roles seems like enough to implement a first moderation step around here: n00bs can't start forum threads, though they can reply to them and comment on whatever. I'm a little worried this might cut off some useful stuff but the recent trend of people signing up and trolling needs reigning in. Consider it experimental.
Also, I'm watching a DVRed copy of the Brazil-USA game in about ten minutes, so content will be a little late this afternoon.
Nonwukaife. So… yeah. TX DE/LB Holmes Onwukaife tried to commit to Michigan a couple days ago but has apparently been denied. Earlier in the year the Travis Williams situation prompted some navel-gazing around these parts, with the upshot being Rodriguez's offer cannon giving me the heebie-jeebies, but this doesn't bother me that much.
Williams was told to wait for other guys to make decisions, basically, which means his offer was not actually an offer. Onwukaife saw two guys commit to his position, then was told the "barn is full; how about middle linebacker?" That's unavoidable, and Michigan tried to make room for him by offering to recruit him at another position.
What does bother me a little: 1) I wrote up a "Hello: Holmes Onwukaife" post which is now useless and 2) in the course of it I convinced myself I liked him a little better than Paskorz. C'est la vie.
Say what, son? Mike Brey, head coach of the fightin' flameouts at Notre Dame:
Notre Dame Mike Brey joked Tuesday that he knows of a surefire way to make certain the Fighting Irish don't have another midseason swoon like last season.
"If we could play in the Big Ten, maybe that would help us a little bit," he said.
Help you do what, exactly? Notre Dame was 1-2 against the Big Ten last year with the win against conference punching bag Indiana and losses against middle-of-the-pack Ohio State and eighth-place Penn State. Big Ten bashing is so ingrained these days that it gets invoked even when it makes zero sense.
Adventures in unwise bets. At Blogs With Balls I saw Orson Swindle pick up a slider, see that it had a tasteless slice of American cheese on it, panic, and then attempt to offload it on a cast of thousands. So I know this to be true:
We hate cheese. It’s not lactose intolerance, but rather a lifelong dislike so intense that our sister used to chase us with pieces of it. We can’t eat it on anything, and the smell of it cooking will drive us out of a room.
So this seems exceptionally unwise:
if Lane Kiffin is still coach at Tennessee in three years, we volunteer to eat a 6 oz piece of cheese on film to commemorate the occasion. The exact variety shall be left up to relevant experts, though really if Joel wants us to eat limburger so ripe it can hold up liquor stores at knifepoint after hotwiring a car, that’s what we’ll eat, even if we end up vomiting up a spleen over it. That’s how convinced we are that Kiffin will fail.
Three years? I, like the rest of the sports blogosphere without a closet full of dayglo orange, am convinced that Lane Kiffin is going to break John L Smith's records for hilarious failure, but even John L Smith lasted four years at State. Maybe if Kiffin was inheriting an unwrecked car, and maybe if he was at a place that had a quick trigger finger, this would be plausible, but, man… it's really hard to get fired in three years.*
*(I'd like Notre Dame fans to know that I excised a terribly funny Willingham-at-ND cheapshot here. Let's hold hands and get ice cream.)
Lacrosse fight. Black Shoe Diaries posted a thing about how Michigan was screwed if they took their dominant club lacrosse program varsity, which Varsity Blue responded to, which brought forth a BSD riposte, and, well, here we are. The main bone of contention revolves around if Brother Rice is freakin' awesome or not, and if Michigan can sustain a competitive lacrosse program on the backs of local talent.
I'm just, all, like… when has Michigan had trouble recruiting privileged kids from New York? People call Alice Lloyd "Lloyd Island," after all. If Michigan has a varsity lacrosse team they'll probably suck up their share of recruits and be competitive.
Etc.: The USA's World Cup bid has slashed 27 venues from its list, but Michigan Stadium is still standing; add Florida State to the teams that run the 4-3 under Greg Robinson is installing at Michigan.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:40 AM | 
Lloyd Island
Lloyd Island
June 18th, 2009 at 12:00 PM |
Representin. I had no idea
Representin. I had no idea
Representin. I had no idea about Lloyd Island so it was quite a culture shock. I was born and raised in small town, Michigan.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:55 PM |
as a semi-proud alum,
as a semi-proud alum,
...i never heard the phrase "lloyd island." mosher-jordan...now THAT was long island west.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:41 AM |
Brian, I like the idea of
Brian, I like the idea of
Brian, I like the idea of stopping the trolling on the site but I feel like there could be some other metric to be used for starting forum threads. While I rarely get involved in the forum, (I've been a reading the site for almost two years and finally became a member last year) I would still like the ability to start a forum and share something.
Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? ... Morons.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:12 AM |
Cosign
Cosign
This seems like a particularly bad time of year to be implementing this, given that many posters' 20 points were scored on the following four post types:
1. OMG 3*
2. The grammatically challenged are cunts
3. No there not
4. Well, McFarlin is a cunt
I personally post a lot more during those times of year when UM is actually playing, you know, sports. I wouldn't want to be 86'd just because I didn't contribute to the madness, madness I say.
P.S. If you give me 16 points for this post, then I cheerfully withdraw my objection.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:36 AM |
I second that.
I second that.
I have been an avid reader for 3 years.... this is my first post...
I feel guilty and relieved... at the same time !!
Remember: Everyone rises to their own level of mediocrity.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:38 AM |
Avid reader since the
Avid reader since the
Avid reader since the Horror... ahh! Point system!
June 18th, 2009 at 10:16 AM |
Tell me he was simply joking....Brey wasn't dissin the Big X?
Tell me he was simply joking....Brey wasn't dissin the Big X?
I seem to remember Conn using everything they had in their gas tank to beat Michigan. Without the tall kid in the middle AA play...Michigan would have walked out of Storr with a win. Stu launching the treys were one of my highlight of last season. He was simply on FIRE the second half.
Brey feelin heat...hence the jab at the BIG X! Even if NL played in the BIG X...they wouldn't have finish in the top echelon.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:10 AM |
Well, I don't feel like a
Well, I don't feel like a
Well, I don't feel like a n00b because I've been here since day one.
I like starting threads once in a great while, though, and I often creep on the board. I guess I'll get to forum-posting today?
Hail.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:04 AM |
I'm with you. I'm feeling
I'm with you. I'm feeling
I'm with you. I'm feeling the need to comment on everything today in case I need to start a thread sometime soon.
I haven't felt the need to correct someone's grammer (see what I did there) or bash a facebook stalker so I am pretty far behind on my points.
In such a cynical, sarcastic society, oftentimes looking for the negative on anybody or anything, if you're fortunate enough to spend five minutes or 20 minutes around Tim Tebow, your life is better for it. -Thom Brennaman
June 18th, 2009 at 11:26 AM |
Points..whatever
Points..whatever
I'm on almost daily and couldn't care less if I have any points either.. 90% of the comments are back and forth wise cracks that have nothing to do with actual content anyway.
But while I'm at it...yeah I'm not a fan of shot-gunning offers and slow playing kids. Feels weak and like we'll take what we can get.
Does anyone think RRod is trying to get kids to commit early, then strongly encourage them to enroll early? That way they get an extra 6 months in "the program"?
B
June 19th, 2009 at 12:09 AM |
Damn, I'm tired. But hey, if
Damn, I'm tired. But hey, if
Damn, I'm tired. But hey, if I see something cool about the team, I'm now able to share it with the community.
Plus, I think I was pretty reasonable in each of the posts I made today
Hail.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:26 AM |
Ever since M hired RichRod
Ever since M hired RichRod
Black Shoe Diaries has been a huge irrational dick about Michigan ever since RichRod was hired. BSD's main poster is, I think, from Pittsburgh, which I guess partially explains it.
BSD is one of the more dickish bloggers out there anyway, but his dickishness goes to 11 when the topic is Michigan sports.
Also, dick.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:46 AM |
As opposed to an irrational
As opposed to an irrational
As opposed to an irrational moron before RichRod was hired. BSD would be ok if Mike wasn't a giant cockface.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:57 PM |
Geez what did I do?
Geez what did I do?
I didn't even write the lacrosse post. I'll be the first one to tell you I don't know a damn thing about lacrosse.
June 19th, 2009 at 6:05 PM |
http://www.blackshoediaries.c
http://www.blackshoediaries.c
http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2009/1/20/729029/iceberg-what-iceberg
I don't mind you when you're not talking about Michigan. And yes, I know you didn't write the Lacrosse post.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:56 PM |
For the record
For the record
I grew up near State College. Not Pittsburgh.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:00 PM |
To quote Brian
To quote Brian
"Though this site has sparred with BSD in the past, Mike remains one of the true gentlemen of the college football blogosphere."
June 18th, 2009 at 10:31 AM |
Lacrosse
Lacrosse
"If Michigan has a varsity lacrosse team they'll probably suck up their share of recruits and be competitive"
Oh, but it would take years and a lot of luck. As a native Ann Arborite now living in the epicenter of Lacrosse in Baltimore, MD it is a whole different ball game out here. U-M would need to keep all of--and only the--best players in state and then pull heavily from Maryland, New York and Delaware in particular. Not to say it can't be done, and they would likely pull a number of middling recruits, but it would take lots of time and a tremendous coach. "Competitive" is relative. Competitive in the midwest or in their division, I would agree. Competitive nationally, not so much. For comparison, Ohio State and Notre Dame have the best midwest varsity lacrosse programs, far and away. They are established and draw some of the aforementioned east coasters. Come tournament time, if they make it, they look like a high school team against schools like Towson or UMBC, and God help them if they go up against Hopkins, Princeton, Virginia, Syracuse, Duke etc.,
Of course, I'd love to see Varsity Lacrosse at Michigan and could see them ultimately reaching Ohio State type status in the sport *shiver* with an ultimate goal of winning an NCAA tournament game or two after a decade or so.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:04 PM |
I beg to differ
I beg to differ
"For comparison, Ohio State and Notre Dame have the best midwest varsity lacrosse programs, far and away. They are established and draw some of the aforementioned east coasters. Come tournament time, if they make it, they look like a high school team against schools like Towson or UMBC, and God help them if they go up against Hopkins, Princeton, Virginia, Syracuse, Duke etc.,"
Umm Hopkins won the title in 2007 and it took them OT to beat ND in the tourney that year. In 2008, OSU bitch slapped Cornell (2009 National Champs) in the tourney.
It would take a few years but UM would reach the top sooner than people think. Like already stated, they pull in a ton of east coasters already so it wouldn't be that big of a stretch to have UM pull in some good recruits in the first few years. Throw in some of the top tier guys from Michigan, Ohio and Illinois plus a good coach and you've got yourself a contender.
"If they ever catch me, they can have 'em."
June 19th, 2009 at 11:44 PM |
Coach Paul
Coach Paul
I would say they may already have a pretty good coach. Read his bio. Plus, he started out in the athletic department, so I assume he's well connected at Michigan. Anyone who can build a program like they are building with almost zero support from the university should get a hard look. I'm kind of surprised he's stayed this long. He must get offers.
I tend to agree with the posts on here saying that lacrosse could be very competitive in D1 very quickly. I have lived in both New York and Maryland, the hotbeds of lacrosse (back in MI now). I know the respect the school gets in general, and I hear from my family back east that there is a buzz growing in the lacrosse community about the team.
To those say they could care less about lacrosse...so be it. There are a lot of people who have narrow views of sports, following only the popular ones. There are others who simply don't know enough about it to have an opinion yet. There are obviously some who have seen it and simply don't like it, although from my experience that category is fairly small. I was exposed to the sport after college, and I have to tell you I can't get enough of it. It has so many of the parts that I like from football, basketball and hockey. I'm glad to see the Michigan team is finally getting some of the attention they deserve. I hope the university eventually makes a D1 commitment to the sport. It's a great fit at Michigan, and I really see it having the potential to grow into a second tier "major" sport, like hockey.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:58 AM |
Shrug, registering deters a
Shrug, registering deters a
Shrug, registering deters a lot of trolls, having to post 20 times will deter more. Nothing is perfect sadly.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:59 AM |
I would like to take this
I would like to take this
I would like to take this opportunity to decry your cheap point-grabbing.
In an unrelated comment, I heard a rumor that you get some sort of mutant superpower when you reach 50 points.
Sportscenter.com raves: Sgt. Wolverine, "Michigan's biggest fan"!
June 18th, 2009 at 11:42 AM |
Untrue
Untrue
Untrue
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
June 18th, 2009 at 11:58 AM |
Super Powers?
Super Powers?
Are they cool super powers like x-ray vision, admantium claws, or a narley utility belt?
June 18th, 2009 at 12:19 PM |
I was hoping for the fearsome
I was hoping for the fearsome
I was hoping for the fearsome destructive powers of the Deathbacker. I don't know why I'd need those powers, but they sound like fun.
Sportscenter.com raves: Sgt. Wolverine, "Michigan's biggest fan"!
June 18th, 2009 at 10:53 AM |
That link to Tomahawk Nation
That link to Tomahawk Nation
That link to Tomahawk Nation was intense. Great read and decent discussion in the comments. Not an FSU fan, but definitely gained some more respect for their fan base. It hasn't been mentioned much (maybe because expectations are low), but hopefully, our D-line can rebound from last year and provide a consistent presence throughout 2009. Seems like the coaches have a couple solid pieces to work with in Graham and Martin. And I've been reading this site daily since about 2005? So, I guess now is the time to actually jump aboard the comment train. Just in case.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:19 AM |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
June 18th, 2009 at 3:51 PM |
I think that's pretty
I think that's pretty
I think that's pretty accurate...Hockey guys with a +3 upgrade to doucheyness
June 18th, 2009 at 3:10 PM |
You're trying to antagonize
You're trying to antagonize
You're trying to antagonize me.
wolverineliberationarmy.com/blog
June 18th, 2009 at 10:59 AM |
My 2 Cents
My 2 Cents
I know nothing of lacrosse and don't care either way. Lane Kiffin is a noob and the only thing that could sustain his stay at UT would be the awesome staff he put together and the kids that his top recruiters haul in every year. I think Kiffin is probably the best examnple of the phrase "You can bullshit your way to the top, but it won't keep you there" insomuch as when the wins don't come, the fanbase, alums, and boosters will call for his head. Hell they kicked one of their own in Fulmer to the curb; they'll definitely boot Kiffin.
I'm not a fan of telling guys to wait for other guys to make decisions on committments before your offer is valid. It sends the wrong message and could backfire on us in the coming years as a tool for negative recruiters. It is not quite as bad as a last minute recruit de-committ, but it's right up there in my book. I know the numbers are down, but I don't think that justifies the "Reaady, Fire, Aim!!" approach we've seen this year. Hopefully, this is not a trend.
Notre Dame is so irrelevant these days that even their cheap shots carry no weight.
Can someone tell me why Brian keeps calling this defense a 4-3 under? A 4-3 under is just a shift of the linebackers to basically tell the offense we'll give the left side of the field, but we're pinching down on the right. I would call this defense a 3-4 with non-traditional DL roles...not a permutation of a defense that's a true 4 man line. In fact, until we see it for a few weeks, I would be hesitant to give it any name or moniker at this point exception "Mystery Defense We All Hope Fucking Works". There is nothing new about this defense from any other except what we call the hybrid positions. Unless they can find a way to get another guy on the field to make it 12 on 11, we're not breaking any new ground here.
June 18th, 2009 at 12:01 PM |
4-3 vs 3-4
4-3 vs 3-4
Can someone tell me why Brian keeps calling this defense a 4-3 under? ... I would call this defense a 3-4 with non-traditional DL roles
Let's just agree to call it a 3.5-3.5, shall we?
(+1 point!)
June 18th, 2009 at 11:01 AM |
point system
point system
you should make it a combination of number of posts and the date when the user joined.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:22 AM |
makes sense to me ;)
makes sense to me ;)
.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:42 AM |
I even think just date would
I even think just date would
I even think just date would be good. I'm thinking a troll would be more deterred by having to wait a week or a month or something than having to make 20 quick posts, especially with how traffic on this board seems to have picked up since the point totals were added. Of course, this is a problem for lurkers who just signed up, but pretty much any initiation system is.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:55 AM |
Probation Period
Probation Period
I tend to agree with the above point. Make time, not the number of posts, the primary criteria for whether or not someone can post. I have posted stuff in the past, but have not done so for a while, and tend to read the diaries less and less these days and forms almost not at all. But none of my past posting counts as "points." Now I have to re-earn my stripes in order to post? I am so keyed up by the thought of reading posts I don't want to read and writing replies I don't want to write all simply to earn my points. Talk about an enthusiasm builder.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:46 AM |
I was thinking the same; but
I was thinking the same; but
I was thinking the same; but I'm not sure how that could be implemented. What would be the threshold then?
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
June 18th, 2009 at 11:58 AM |
cosigned
cosigned
It seems to me that the more important factor is how long you've been a member. The longer you've been reading the site, the more good sense you have of what the MGoCommunity is about, and what the expectations are for posts in terms of intelligent analysis, comprehensible grammar, and the avoidance of chicken-little syndrome. I'd propose a waiting period between site registration and new-post-creation privileges, to (1) give the n00b some time to get to know the place, and (2) prevent people from registering just to drop a panic-bomb post.
A point-based system can still work, if there's some way to tie point gains to post quality. But if you get a point for each time you post, that merely encourages you to post a lot, whether you have anything to say or not. And if you get a point for each person who comments on your post, this actually rewards dumb posts: as we've seen recently, "I facebooked a recruit" will get 100+ hits of evisceration by the natives, whereas the last post TomVH originated (on May 18th) generated only 10 comments. Which would you rather read? Points make posting into a game: how many points can I rack up? Basically, I see this as encouraging quantity over quality -- something that I know Brian hates in blogging generally.
And yes, I only wrote this so I could gain one more point.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:14 PM |
Agree completely!
Agree completely!
And you saved me the trouble of writing multiple paragraphs to cover my blatant point-whoring!
June 18th, 2009 at 1:32 PM |
And furthermore . . . .
And furthermore . . . .
Yes, I'm going to keep this up until I get to the magical "20." Not because I have a burning desire to start a post -- it's just that I HATE that rude reminder at the top of the page that I'm not "allowed" to.
June 18th, 2009 at 1:35 PM |
I'm selling my points. Buck
I'm selling my points. Buck
I'm selling my points. Buck a piece. Let me know if you're interested.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:25 PM |
Preview of coming attractions
Preview of coming attractions
My first post: Should RR continue to recruit 3*'s who fit his system, or would that be an abandonment of M's power to attract 4* and 5* talent?
Then: Who will be our starting QB after Tate and DG?
You can't wait, can you? Maybe you'd like to lower the selling price for those points?
June 18th, 2009 at 2:29 PM |
Wait a second . . . .
Wait a second . . . .
I'm on to Brian's scam! He triggers a posting frenzy as we all scramble to get to 20, and then rakes in the mega-bucks from all the resulting traffic on his site! (Insert evil genius laugh here)
Well, I'll show him . . . . I'm stopping at 19.
June 18th, 2009 at 2:54 PM |
You're a douche
You're a douche
If you agree, don't respond to this post.
Follow me on Twitter @gfraley05
June 18th, 2009 at 3:30 PM |
I see what you're doing!
I see what you're doing!
Do I respond and vindicate my non-douche-ness, or do I remain silent and true to my principled stand against point-mongering?
Not a tough call . . . .
What do I win? Autographed MGoBlog photo?
June 18th, 2009 at 5:48 PM |
you get
you get
to keep your dignity!! congrats! haha
Follow me on Twitter @gfraley05
June 19th, 2009 at 8:45 AM |
Thanks Brian!
Thanks Brian!
I didn't realize that, as an elite member, I'd get this great new avatar! Also got the secret decoder ring -- it's cool how it translates from 20 different languages, including WLA.
Oops, was I not supposed to reveal that?
June 18th, 2009 at 11:46 AM |
BGH
BGH
Where you been?
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
June 18th, 2009 at 11:04 AM |
SAVE YOURSELF
SAVE YOURSELF
Brian, don't watch the US/Brazil game. All you need to know is Bradley started Beasley and Kjlestan. With predictable results.
June 18th, 2009 at 11:19 AM |
Eh
Eh
I never create topics anyways.
Represent!
Proud member of the 6/30/2008 circle of trust.