The blinking is totally unnecessary. No sugarcoat.
It is giving me a headache after only 10 seconds. Completely unnecessary.
Is it just me going crazy or is the italicized text blinking...?
sorry, not very computer savvy. i used shockfx's basic html post so i used whatever html codes he used.
at least i tried
Go back into your post in html and remove "<blink> and "</blink>" and you should be good to go.
Well, most of the html is optional.
You know the Freep is going to spin this in either one of two ways:
"Rodriguez is only doing this for positive publicity,"
or
"Rodriguez at UM Hospital, causes medical equipment to fail on dying child."
I was thinking of something like "INFANT FALLS DEATHLY ILL; RODRIGUEZ NOTED TO BE IN AREA." And, beneath that, "Several fans believe that Rodriguez does not support Family Values."
- - -
Really, isn't it interesting that all articles of this type (i.e., ones that don't tar and feather RichRod) are in the DetNews? I'd really like to hear the reason for that someday. I'm tired of speculating.
are like the good & evil twins (William Shatner) from the Priceline commercials.
You can tell the Freep is the evil one because they are the one sporting the goatee.
Good to know Coach Rodriguez is out there doing these kinds of things. I don't think you would want to be anywhere near that kind of heart wrenching situation unless it was out of something genuine. I am not cynical enough to think anybody did this for publicity.
Part of me is optimistic and hope he (and everyone else) does this kind of thing out of the goodness of his heart.
The other part of me doesn't really care why he's doing it, as long as he's doing it and the kids get something out of it. The only way I would really care about his motives, is if they affected how he acted with them (i.e. mugging for a picture then hightailing it out of there with the kid asking a question about 4th down decisions).
... just right, the stuff in italics looks normal.
Every one should read that story and if you have a heart you will be very touched by it. Great job by the detnews to writte something different...
Sad, sad story. With my wife pregnant right now, really my worst nightmare.
I am glad that RR took the time, but I wonder how the News gets wind of a story like this? If it comes from the family, then great. If it is fed to the press by Michigan PR, not so great.
the scout message board and got a huge response, my guess would be that's how she got wind of it.
Angelique has an account at gobluewolverine so I'm assuming she read the original post first hand since it was on the front page of the forum for about a week
Seems pretty clear to me that it was Page who spread the word to the outside world. I bet that Angelique reads GoBlueWolverine.com since Sam Webb writes for both that site and for the News, and she is a guest on Sam's radio show from time to time. If you want to believe the worst, then I guess you can blame RR or Brandon instead. Good luck with your impending arrival.
"Page found his way and went back to his Michigan "family," the Internet message board on GoBlueWolverine.com. He poured his soul into a message he wanted Michigan fans to read with the hopes of giving a glimpse into Rodriguez's impact that day and to give parents the simple reminder to appreciate what you have.
He was stunned by the response.
Page then shared his story via e-mail with Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon, who sent him a response."
RR did good here and made a difference to a family in pain.
As to your point, I'm sure there is a battle for the hearts and minds of the UM faithfull. But honestly, there always is.
RR gets slapped around for fun and profit by the pandering media on slow news days without any notion of fairness or decency. I am glad that positive stuff can come out as well regardless of intent.
As a first time father with a 9-mo old, let me tell you all that this is a parent's worst nightmare... you've just been through the most grueling 9-months of your life up to this point, you're filled with hope and joy when that little kid enters the world, and then find out that he/she's going to only have less than a week to live? Man, I don't know how I would get through that. God Bless RR for his actions, but more than that, I hope everyone who reads this story says a little prayer for that family...
I'm with ya. I'm a first time father as well, to a 1-year old who goes to sleep with a Michigan football and constantly makes me beam with pride when he yells out "Go Blue". Hearing a story about Rodriguez showing support for a young father on what was likely the most heart-wrenching moment of his life makes me proud to be Wolverine and proud that he's our coach.
As someone who has needed to rush a newborn (48 hrs from birth) back to Mott, I can say from experience that I can relate to the father's feeling of his whole world crashing down around him. It can be a very, very lonely, utterly helpless feeling. You know the doctors are doing everything they can, and you pray it will be enough.
Those few moments that Rich Rodriguez spent with the family probably did more to lift their spirits than the visits of a hundred clergy. He's a true champion.
Go Blue!
That is a truly tragic story. I have always been behind RR and stories like this only increase my admiration for the man.
My heart goes out to this family. Almost two years ago my wife and I had quadruplets. At the time there was another couple having triplets in the room next door that we became very familiar with (and stayed in contact since).
My wife was able to carry our children 34 weeks while the other lady only lasted 30. Our children were (and still are) very healthy. None even needed help breathing once born for more than 1 hour.
The other family had family had triplet girls. One was born with cerebral palsy, one needed open heart surgery at 4 months old and the other continues to have high blood pressure.
There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about how blessed my family has been throughout this experience. When I hear stories like this and the family we know with triplets it saddens me greatly. The loss of a child (or even raising sick children) has to be one of the hardest things a family would ever encounter.
Rest in peace Baby David III.
Glad to see a positive story about RichRod
This is pretty funny.
I heard about this back in May, from a message board posting, probably here. The story has been around. If anything the delay in getting it published would be checking to make sure it WASN'T a PR job.
Another poster today made a new post asking Beaver if this was true which a million replies came back yes since it has been on Scout.com for a few months.
Mr. Page posted a reply to the thread again today telling how the story got picked up, he wrote DB and got a really nice reply from him. A few days later someone from UofM emailed him asking him if he would talked to Angelique so she can write this story up and give Rich Rod some good press which he agreed to.
Sad story and my heart really goes out to Mr. Page and his family.I'm about to get married and one day start a family and I can't imagine the pain this family has right now. I'm happy for the Page's that Coach Rod came in that room to make a bad time a little better for 15 minutes for them.
I'm pretty sure Angelique is on GBW so I'm sure Beaver passed the first post along or she saw it combined with the UofM media people.
My understanding is that UM coaches and athletes have been visiting children in the hospital since at least the 70's, and I wouldn't be surprised if it has been a much more long-standing tradition than that. To think of one athlete who made a big difference while he was at Michigan, Juwan Howard had a reputation of the Children's Hospital being like a second home to him while he was in Ann Arbor. I'm not the least bit surprised that RR does this.
I would also never question his motivation for this. I remember reading long ago that Bo and his staff wanted players to realize how fortunate they are and that they could help kids simply by being there for them. I also remember reading that Bo thought these visits helped players grow and mature as human beings.
I am pretty sure that neither the athletic department nor the hospital ever intentionally publicizes these visits, except during the golf tournament. If they did, the papers could have a story like this every day. It says a lot about society when some are so cynical that they refuse to believe that there are a lot of people in the athletic department who deeply care about these kids and will do anything they can to brighten their day.
I suppose some will now criticize UM and/or RR for trying to turn this into a big PR thing. Not me—the initial impetus for the story coming to light in the first place was Page's post on GBW.
IMHO, RR is simply carrying on the tradition going back to Bo, and probably before him, of Michigan coaches and players reaching out to those—whether they're UM fans or not—who are in need of support during incredibly difficult times. That's as important a characteristic of a true "MIchigan Man" as wins and losses are.
"Rodriguez signed an "All in for Michigan" towel that he told David Sr. was worth $4 before he signed it and $1.50 afterward."
I'm glad RR can maintain a sense of humor through this whole ordeal.
...self deprecating humor a lot. It's endearing because it has a hint of accuracy. Here's to an autumn that makes this sort of joke passe.
This story had me in tears. I think we all need to remember that it is not always about wins and loses. Life is short and what RR did for that family will help comfort them for the rest of their lives. Little David had a little piece of Michigan Football before his passing thanks to RR his wife and several Michigan men.
Wins are a good thing though.
My thoughts go out to the Page family! Great to see such a positive article in very negative times. RR is a class act.
All in for Michigan! Go Blue!
Eyes got a little cloudy when it hit me that the UofM football staff gave this father the most bittersweet and tragically beautiful Father-Son Michigan memory that he had always wished for.
And with Father's Day right around the corner, for those of us without children yet, it's a poignant reminder to be thankful for the memories we've been able to share with our fathers.
I can understand the dads of mgoblog getting teary-eyed reading this, but us? Glad I'm not the only childless MGoPussy on the board.
... induces seizures. Blinking, argh, must... stop... reading...
I definitely won't see it in the Freep . . . because I don't read the Freep.
This should have came with a nose sweat warning. I'm a little verklempt after reading this.
You're supposed to give us a topic to discuss amongst ourselves when that happens.....very touching story, and my prayers go out to the family. Rod is going to turn this thing around, HAIL
heart warming...check
feel-good story despite the baby's death...check
Definitely not the paper-that-must-not-be-named material.
RIP David III
To paraphrase Bill Simmons, there is a lot of smoke and dust in the office right now.
It definitely happened a couple of months ago, but it is still nice to see not only the coach, but also a couple of players, take some time and visit people who might need a pick-me-up. Its articles like this that makes the character assassination by hacks like Rosenberg and Snyder that much harder to swallow.
Two years ago I held my 2nd daughter at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis as she breathed her last few breaths. She only lived 15 hours, and for most of them we knew that, barring a miracle, she wouldn't live long. I know how intensely Dave Page would have protected those last hours with little David. There is no chance he would have let anyone who appeared to be in it for PR to cheapen his time with his son. He would have been keenly perceptive of poor motives. Also, I don't think you can act your way through something like this if you're RR. I remember one of the physicians we interacted with coming across as a bit fake in her sympathy, although I'm sure she was trying her hardest. I have no doubt that Rodriguez was genuine in this.
This story had me tearing up as i read it. Really tragic for the family. I think this just reinforces that Rich Rod is a good human being. It saddens me and really makes me angry that people continue to question the type of person he is and questions his commitment to his players. He is a good person and has proven it on multiple occasions. Anybody who thinks this is a PR stunt can fuck off.
Section 1 didn't make this post
the writer of the story doesn't know the difference between sympathy and empathy
Of all the things shared in the article and you take those two things from it.......that says a lot.
Edit: Also, I think it may be you mixing up empathy/sympathy in this case. RR can't have sympathy for the person, as one has to have first hand experience in the same type of situation to have sympathy. Empathy seems like the right choice to me in this circumstance.