Bacon's new book not kind to Michigan

This thread just reminded me that it is lunch time. Thank you for that. 

As long as it is fair criticism.  He does care about the school.

Above anything else, Michigan football, although I love it, is one of many varsity sports programs at a world renown public research university. And you cannot defend gross excesses that happen at many schools because it is a "business." The securities industry is a business too but it's highly regulated.

Your use of "gaggidy gag" is probably more gag worthy than anything in his book.

I'm not surprised. 

So you'd be OK with advertising in Michigan Stadium.

I want something spicy but healthy.....what we thinking?

He no longer can just use Bo's good name to sell books

I haven't read the new one for good reason.  But give us a break, Bacon is in the business of selling books.  From those who know him he's been out over promoting himself for a long long time.  He used hearsay and speculative controversy to sell his RR book and he'll do the same again.  Nothing is sacred.

Do you mean Three and Out as your other "and Long" book? Three and Out was a really, really good book, if for no other reason than it gave unprecedented access to a program. The fact that it covered such a tumultuous time in Michigan was a coincidence that happened after he was granted access (it probably wouldn't have happened the other way around.) Despite having unlimited access, Bacon still presented the information he had fairly, and if anything in a pro-Michigan, pro-Rich Rod way. It is anything but just an airing of dirt on the program.

Dude holds U of M to very high standards; what's wrong with that? 

Your "newsflash: College athletics is a business" comment proves too much. College athletics can't continue to have it both ways; treat their coaches and admins like it's a "big business" while treating their athletes like it's a pure extra curricular activity, secondary to the kids' academic pursuits.

That's sort of the issue, no?

I took Bacon's class in the spring of 2012. The guy loves Michigan to his core, so he wouldn't say anything bad about the school if it wasn't fair criticism.



College football has undeniably, and probably irreversibly, evolved into a huge business, and many programs out there are the absolute end-all, be-all on their campus. In addition to Michigan and Penn State, I think Bacon will take plenty of shots at places like USC, OSU, Bama, Texas, Oregon, etc. In the end, we're all essentially guilty.

Has anyone read the book? When does it come out.

because I just didn't think it would be able to do so with an open mind at the time. I was one of those who supported RR and though he got a bit of a raw deal (please notice I used past tense, I am now firmly in the BH camp, and have been since his hire).

I think we are far enough removed now that I could actually read this book and enjoy it for what it is rather than look at it through a conspiracy theorists eyes trying to find some explanation for what went wrong. 

I had almost forgot about the 3 & O book to be honest, so thanks for bringing this topic up or I might have never read the book. For me to form my opinion on this topic though, I'll have to read 3 & out so I can determine if he has cause for being angry, so I'll come back once I'm done the book.

Newsflash:  Michigan isn't perfect.  As much as many of you would like to bury your heads in the sand and ignore anything negative about the university, there are things to criticize and just because someone brings them up doesn't mean they are a traitor or only care about money.  

Are we going to start calling anyone who says something we don't like about Michigan a "Fake Wolverine"?  Or run them out of town?  We're better than that, this is Michigan for Godsake!

think we'd all be a little bit deluded if we believed that Michigan athletics--in such a messy world--could do no wrong. 

So you haven't read the book because it's not even out yet, and you're already bashing both the book and the author?

uh-huh.

I think it's a great idea to put a "game" that takes high school kids, thrusts them into the national spotlight, turns a few into celebrities, injures a bunch of them, and generally treats them as commodities all for the profit of a few under the microscope on a regular basis.

I love college football and it provides a lot of opportunities for kids that might not have had them otherwise, but it's naive to think it's all rainbows and butterflies.

Hmmmm.. so if it is one mans opinion that makes Michigan look good it is a good book (Bo's Lasting Lessons), but if it is the same mans opinion that makes Michigan look sketchy it is a crappy book (Fourth and Long).

Got it. Thanks.

/dies

Shout out to all the Dave Brandon stooges on the board today. Someone needs to hold the guy accountable.

John U Bacon loves UM.  He grew up in A2, has taught here and idolized Bo and all things UM sports.  Because of his close affinity for the school, he was given unprecedented behind the scenes access to the football team for his book "Three and Out".  But he is a journalist, not a PR guy.  His job in writing the book was to synthasize what he saw, not regurgitate what the Athletic Department wanted him to say.  Only the athletes come out of that book looking positive - MSC, Dave Brandon, Bill Martin, RichRod all made serious mistakes.  UM folk were upset with Bacon re: his unvarnished portrayal and punished him for it - removing much of his access.  

I trust Bacon's intentions.  He wants UM to live up to our highest standards - both ethically and scholastically.  

I look forward to his next book.

so many people believe that Michigan can do no wrong is what got the program in trouble in the first place. Bacon Loves the university. It would be a slap in the face if he did not write with integrity.

I agree that we're not perfect at Michigan but it sounds as if Bacon is making it out to be something that just happens at Michigan when all teams do the same things.

In listening to the actual segment of the podcast, it seems like this was prompted by a call-in question which mentions a rumor that the book could be damaging somehow. Ira admits to being only ten pages into a draft copy of the book, and is in fact summarizing Dan Wetzel's opinion when he says what it is quoted in the OP.

Interestingly, he also mentions that Bacon's access at Michigan was comparatively limited when held against Ohio State, Penn State and Northwestern (I believe those are the other three programs examined). What exactly that means - if it is the case - will probably not be clear until we are in fact able to read the book. 

So really, there's not a whole lot to go on here other than what may very well be a paraphrase of someone else's opinion of a draft copy of the book.  

But I didn't really like "3 and Out". It wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as it could have been. I finished it thinking it was kinda meh. To me, it really didn't come across as objective (apparently it did to others, though, so maybe it was me). It seemed more like he was trying to act objective while still pushing his beliefs, which is his right, but it really seemed like it tried to push a lot on the reader, particularly between the lines.

Now, to his defense, he did only have access to one side of things. But I do think he tried to make Carr and Co, and pretty much the whole old staff, look bad. I think he tried very hard to make RR human. But to me, it also came across a bit of "because you gave me access I'll take it a bit easier on you". I for one, would have liked much more in depth talks about what happened  with coaching, player coach interaction, team relationships, and the like, and much less "this player was crying at half time". I didn't feel like I really got to know Michigan's program because of the book.

My personal feeling is that he kind of took the easy way out. It was pushy enough but not overly so to become preachy, it struck at a fanbase that wanted all-access and really just got a taste of access, and it had an agenda that many could relate to or that was controversial enough to sell to those that couldn't. No doubt, it was a good book to sell and because of that a good book to write. I also have no doubt that Bacon does love Michigan. I just think he really kind of took an easy way out for what could have been with the access he had. Not that, in reality, more access would have put Michigan or college sports in a better or more positive light necessarily.

Isn't it hard not to feel a little dirty about the money side of big time college athletics?  The hypcrisy of calling them amateurs gets harder to ignore when every year another $10-20 million is added to the bottom line of major athletic departments like UM. 

And after seeing what many in the UM administration and booster groups did to undermine RR from the minute he got here, I don't have the same faith in those institutions that I used to. 

The UM Football program, while great in many respects, is not immune to pettiness or serving self interests above all else. 

How on earth can we hope to form an opinion on an unreleased book that none of us have read yet?  To say "the folks in Ann Arbor wont like it much" is a bit vague for my liking as it raises more questions than it answers.  What wont we like?  Why wont we like it?  What is he saying that we're not going to agree with our want published?  I'm a bit unclear on those pesky detail things.

Look - John U has already penned a book that a lot of people in Ann Arbor "didnt like".  Either because it made one side (the anti RR folks) look mean spirited and petty while painting the other (the pro RR side) as powerless victims of the evil cabal aligned against poor Rich.  And both sides didnt like the dirty laundry aired out so widely for all others to see.

So what's one more book people won't like in his quiver?

I can't create my own thread (at least I don' think) but UCONN is sending season ticket holders a one time use code for a $120 three pack (Blue Mini Plan Package) of tickets including the Michigan game. The tickets are in section 231 and include Michigan plus any two teams on the schedule. It appears there is no limit to the # of tickets that can be purchased with the unique code. I don't need the code so I am happy to share it with someone that does or to coordinate tickets for a group of people. The ticket price is $120 for 3 + $6 Fee/Ticket (3 Pack) + $5 1st Class Mail (per order) + $7 order charge (per order). The current minimum price is $138 per ticket on SeatCrunch plus whatever fees they add on. 

Never heard of him.

So, we have an OP basing his opinion on a few comments about the book, then several people jumping on him because omg! John Bacon luvs Michigan! Everything he reports is so totally true and free of any possible bias!

.i agree with those who say let's just wait and read the book, then we can pass judgment (and probably end up right where we started).

I supported the RR hire.  The guy is an offensive genius that just proved it again at Arizona.  He absolutely sucked at coaching the defense or putting together a coherent defensive strategy, but he was and is a very, very good offensive coach, and most believe him to be a good motivator.

I really liked 3 and Out.  We all know the story of the defensive failures, and that was hinted at (though certainly not thoroughly discussed) in the book.  The reason I liked it was that it gave me the other side of the story--the part I didn't know.

I don't think Bacon is just a money-grubber.  I think he tries to find some truth in his work.  I'm not going to pretend 3 & Out wasn't imbalanced--it was.  But Bacon's access probably showed him something that I also believe to be true: RR is a good coach and a good man, but was in the wrong place and made some stupid choices.  It's probably hard to be critical of someone that you've come to admire, esp. when that preson has already received plenty of criticism.

Don't get me wrong--I was glad to see RR go.  He blew his opportunity and deserved to be fired.  But I like getting both sides of the story, and I'm grateful for Bacon's perspective.  I don't have to agree with everything he writes to like it.

Hopefully he writes a new edition of Blue Ice next.

Always like hearing from Bacon. He seems to have a real love for the university. I will hold judgment on the book until it is actually out. If it ends up being about sports being big business that would not necessarily be news.

I think Bacon is worth a read everytime.  When Michigan wins it's amazing what people will overlook.  When they don't, it's amazing what gets dug up.  I respect Bacon for staying relatively consistent as opposed to all the fair weather fans who don't look deeper than win totals.

War and Peace. I heard it ruffled a lot of feathers in Russia. I have not read it, but I don't like it. Probably won't buy any of Tolstoy's later books.

The standard hearsay definition is "an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matters contained therein." Such statements are generally excluded from evidence because they aren't subject to verification by cross-examination. Some exceptions open the door to hearsay, such as dying declarations, admissions against interest, and others, but they're usually narrowly drawn. A jury or other fact-finder is only supposed to hear reliable, tested facts on which to base their findings. After all, they're determining the fate of someone's liberty or property.

John Bacon wasn't involved in a court trial; he didn't need nor did he profess to offer facts that met such a high standard. Sure he offered opinion and maybe even some speculation. So what? You read what he says, and maybe read or listen to the comments of others, and decide for yourself how credible he is. I agree with some here who found Three and Out okay, but without the heft of a definitive, credentialed, searching analysis of why RichRod got canned. Fine --- it wasn't supposed to be the 9/11 Commission Report. It's just his view of what went down based on his research, his interviews (or lack thereof) and his inferences drawn from that research and those interviews.

Will I read his next book? Sure.  

prompts such immediate, passionate, and even crazy commentary over there as do the initials "RR" do on MGoBlog.