Football Bust Night: An Open Letter to the U-M Club of Greater Detroit

I was not talking about a Bacon appearance at the Football Bust.  John was never invited to the Bust; he never had any intention of appearing.  I don't think anyone ever had the slightest notion that John would be a speaker at the Bust.  In fact, I think John was at a long-scheduled book-signing last night as the Bust was occurring (unless his voice was still too sick to go).

Read the OP again; what I was talking about was a U-M Club lunch meeting at the DAC on Dec. 6, for which John was scheduled, and then uninvited.

Chitown is right. Even if Bacon's book is the God's honest truth, the Club is not obligated to hear him talk about it. Nor does deciding not to listen to him constitute a denial of the book's credibility. So all of Sec 1's bloviating about veritas is just empty rhetoric. 

It has nothing to do with LC or RR and everything to do with what might happen the next time we have to suffer through a coaching transition.

Personally, I'd like to see my Alma Mater be able to go calling on a list of the top young coaches that might be available and have them at least entertain our offer.  Say what you want about RR, he was viewed as one of the top coaches out there in 2007, young or old. 

Winning would have helped RR's case to remain.  That is certain, but it is also blatantly apparent that he wasn't fully accepted from day 1.  Even his biggest detractors cannot deny that.  His leash was short.  I see it as a teriible hinderance that we have announced to the world that if you want to coach at Michigan, you better have previous ties to the University and those ties better not be severed.  It may not be that black and white, but that is how it is now perceived.

So yeah..... I would like to see the " behind the scenes" details of the book not be ignored.  I am embarassed at how RR was treated, not because of it being RR and not because I needed him to remain coach, but because of what it means for us down the line.  Airing our dirty laundry may not change a thing..... but avoiding the issue certainly won't.

So Brady Hoke lost to Sparty too, so do they love him as well?   Yes there are many Michigan fans who approached Rich's firing with a "don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out" point of view, and would love for the whole mess to be buried and never brought up again. There are also many who think that in theory Rich could have succeeded, if he cleaned out his entire defensive staff. Given who Rich has hired at Arizona, I don't think that would have ever happened. So we are better off now, and I am happy. However, that doesn't mean we shouldn't recognize and learn from what happened.

I believe Section 1's point is not to dredge up "ooh Rich was so wonderful and he got screwed", but to support John U. Bacon, who wrote a book about a painful point in Michigan Football history, and exposed several underlying issues to an institution we had all previously viewed with something akin to piety. (Clearly I am in the crex camp here.)

I would bet Mr. Bacon would not get up and drag people through his book or the last three years, but rather have something to say in relation to this year and Michigan Football history. However, if Lloyd Carr is to present or honored, I can understand why the club would want to avoid discomfort or embarrassment. For my part, as long as the club approached John U. Bacon in a respectful way when they rescinded their engagement, I see no harm, no foul.

I think you're right in commenting that the fan base is unified regarding Hoke and the future. We loves us some epic double points and 10-2 seasons which were only a couple of plays away from being even better (4th and 1 play action fail + botched PI in the end zone).

I think the fan base is also fairly unified regarding Rodriguez' firing. I think most or all of us felt that the firing was at least justifiable, and at worst a year too late.

Where the fan base is divided is regarding the parameters that were in place for Rodriguez to succeed, which is partly what Bacon's book discusses. I think we can easily agree that when Hoke got the money to attract Mattison, his opportunity for success was improved over an alternate universe where he had to hand the reigns over to a lesser DC. Contrast that with the contract Rodriguez could offer Jeff Casteel according to Bacon, and it's fair to say that his opportunities were restricted.

Rodriguez failed as the HC at Michigan. He may have succeeded with a better opportunity to hire top notch coordinators and coaches on the defense, but he may still have failed. The complaint some of us have of the administration at the time is that the HC at Michigan should be afforded the trust and given every opportunity to succeed, and not be restricted to hiring second rate coordinators.

Others (most fans) either feel that Rodriguez had all the support he deserved/needed and failed, or that he should be good enough to succeed regardless of the framework in which he operates.

Hoke is great at coach speak - in part because he knows who has his back...and it isn't the fanbase.

I like Hoke and am behind him and the team 100%.  Even with a 10-2 season I can see dissention in the fanbase however.  Excellence is a life long adventure. I'll  judge nothing before the appointed time.

I was tempted to write a diary about what divides the fans despite the 10-2 record this year - but then I read through the 199 comments to Brian's Ennui post from yesterday.  Read those and tell me there isn't dissention and we aren't splintered.

We are all on board for quality football - no doubt there.  

I was proud of the teams' reaction to their two losses this year.  There were no excuses given.  The team is unified and that, for sure, is different than the recent past and a tribute to the upper class leadership and all around quality of the students on the team.