Brian and TomVH in NYC - a review
Brian and TomVH spoke last night to a group of NYC alums. Brian did his usual excellent job. I believe it was Tom's first time doing this (at least in NYC) and he did excellent as well. The content of their presentations largely has been covered on this site and elsewhere, but here are a few key points that were made:
- Brian's pretty high on the OL, thinks it might be the best in the B1G. Lewan is obvs, but he's also really high on Schofield;
- Both are super high on Pipkins and the practice buzz apparently backs that up;
- Status quo on Green and Treadwell - nothing you don't already know;
- Tom has heard from a significant number of recruits and their families that Hoke and Co. have done an outstanding job creating a family atmosphere that separates UM from the crowd and it isn't going unnoticed;
- To make matters better, in addition to being high on Hoke and the coordinators, Brian thinks that the position coaches are all outstanding;
- Both give us about a 25% chance against Alabama, and think reasonable expectations are about 9 wins. Doubt anyone will argue much with that;
- Neither seemed to think that the Roundtree injury is a big deal;
- Brian expects to see a lot of A.J. Williams;
- Brian thinks we'll see a lot more of Gardner at WR than most in the crowd were expecting; and
- Tom said that he thinks that the staff are such good recruiters that he expects the epic recruiting to continue. In fact, he thinks Hoke's magic poop will prevent Meyer from fencing in Ohio.
All that said, I personally was disappointed with the turnout, so if you're in NYC and didn't go, shame. I don't place the blame on the Alumni Association. I'm not actively involved with the Association, so I can say from a neutral standpoint that I thought they did a good job of publicizing the event, keeping the cost down, and running the event. And Brian and Tom did a great job, so the low turnout wasn't their fault. I know that last night the weather was horrible, but after the low turnout for the Novak/Hunwick event, this bothers me. If you're an NYC area alum, please consider this and make an effort to attend these events in the future. Your attendance benefits everyone.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:05 PM ^
for Brian and Tom as for Hoke and Desmond, either. Give it a few more years.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:08 PM ^
i'm 34, so most of my friends also don't know much about mgoblog. but this isn't the first time this event has taken place, the advance notice and method of informing alums of the event was the same as has been used in the past, the event was at the same time of year as in the past, and yet the turnout was lower. there are thousands of NYC UM alums. i'm not judging anyone. i'm just disappointed that i saw only about 100 people. and i'm asking more people to go in the future so we can continue to support this terriffic event.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:12 PM ^
How many showed up in the past?
August 16th, 2012 at 1:19 PM ^
i'm not involved in the planning, so i don't have raw numbers. but i'd guess twice as many. maybe 200.
also, i think one time brian wore a suit. now he dresses as you would expect brian to dress.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:26 PM ^
I am sorry I missed it. I wil clear next Aug. It just seems that many families plan vacation for kids this week. But that really is no reason at all. Although, Wall Street is gearing up for another round of layoffs. That may be a worry.
August 16th, 2012 at 3:16 PM ^
I live in NYC, am an alum, AND am on this blog mostly everyday and this is the first time I've heard of it. Keep in mind, I don't read every single thread either (especially for the sole purpose of writing a comment, like some people here...(you know who you are...))
Let the judging commence!!!
August 16th, 2012 at 3:53 PM ^
info was posted on mgoblog earlier this week, but that was also the day of the mgobrownout.... perhap start following the club on twitter? https://twitter.com/UMichAlumsNYC you can also visit http://nyc.umclubs.com/ to sign up for the weekly emails which will make sure you hear about all upcoming events. can also like 'em on facebook too...www.facebook.com/umalumniclubofnyc
there's always next year... no doubt brian and tom will be back in town.
August 16th, 2012 at 6:37 PM ^
The GF wants me to start doing alum events but when it comes time to watch games, I'd rather watch the important ones at home. That way I can control the volume, the bathroom, and if need be, cry with dignity.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:41 PM ^
and I assumed that had to do with Brian's surgery. Although the turn-out was lighter than previous years, I thought it was a very nice-sized crowd. And I selfishly preferred it, because I could actually hear what Brian & Tom had to say. The vast crowd at Brother Jimmy's a couple years ago had so many people there for meeting and mingling and clinking glasses and food platters, that we die-hard info geeks missed a lot. I suspect last night's group was heavily MGoBloggers. The questions betrayed knowledge of what's on and has been on the site, and everyone actually paid attention to the answers.
Thanks to both of them for coming out [EDIT: meaning Brian & Tom]. And good news for Chris Wormley if his surgery is in fact being done by Brian's surgeon. He made it to New York, seemed comfortable standing and in very good spirits.
August 16th, 2012 at 3:07 PM ^
stankoniaks - curious... outside of publicizing it on weekly club emails, facebook, club website, twitter, mgoblog, and wolverinenation forums, where else would you want to see the club publicize future events?
August 16th, 2012 at 4:20 PM ^
FYI I think the event was sent out via the NYC AA emails I think a few months out. I have gotten several of them, and it seemed they increased in frequency as we got closer.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:14 PM ^
August 16th, 2012 at 1:28 PM ^
Brian's writing style doesn't play well with a lot of alums. A long overdue apology for his months long rant against the hiring of Coach Hoke as well as ripping players for their on field performance would be a step in the right direction. Does he really think guys like Obi Ezeh, Steve Threet, and Nick Sheridan deserved to be mocked by MGoBlog? They tried tired best but lacked the skills (or coaching) to be good/great players. Brian adds a lot to the discussion about Michigan football, unfortunately some of the content he has created or allowed to exist on his blog tarnishes his reputation.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:46 PM ^
Surprised by the news that the turnout was bad... I've attended to Brian's previous NYC trips before I moved to Cali last year and they were always packed...
August 16th, 2012 at 1:53 PM ^
Sounds like a great event. Thanks for the recap. That's great of them to make the trip out to NYC.
If they're willing to make it out to DC, I am sure the club can setup a similar event.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:57 PM ^
Being a former New Yorker, I can confidently agree that mid to late August is kind of a dead-zone in Manhattan. The weather tends to be brutal, and has been especially so this year. Those who can afford to leave the city do. (And it stands to reason that many M alums can afford to take some sort of summer vacation.) Those who remain tend to stick near their ACs.
Brian and TVH ought to consider scheduling their next NYC visit for sometime before July 4th or after Labor Day. I realize the latter may be impractical, given their in-season workloads. But they'd definitely draw much better then.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:01 PM ^
So I assume Brian and Tom are on good terms? I was wondering about that after Tom left for ESPN.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:13 PM ^
but I imagine you'd be very hard pressed to hear either of them say anything negative about each other even if there was bad blood. They both seem too classy for that.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:28 PM ^
but leaving for ESPN seems like a legit career move for anyone.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:40 PM ^
Their interaction seemed like that of very, very good friends.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:09 PM ^
i was going to go, but the rain was extremely heavy (randomly) so just decided to head home.
also, august is the slowest month of the year for NYC. only tourists in town and all the NYCers are out on vaca.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:21 PM ^