Crowdsourcing Qs for U-M Club of DC MGoBlog Event

Submitted by MGoShoe on

As previously announced in this diary, MGoLeader is scheduled to appear at  "An Evening with Brian Cook of MGoBlog" next Thursday evening in Washington, DC.

At the event, Brian will review the football season, preview the upcoming bowl matchup, and discuss the Michigan basketball and ice hockey seasons to date. He’ll take prepared questions from our moderator (yours truly) and answer your questions on these and related topics.

Here are the details for those considering attending:


Date and Time: Thursday, December 6 from 5:30 to 8:00 pm.

Location: Holland & Knight, 800 17th Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20006

Metro Stations: Farragut West (Blue & Orange Lines), Farragut North (Red Line)

Admission: AAUM Members: $20; Non-members: $25. Admission includes beer, wine, and appetizers.

Registration: Online registration is available here. You may also register over the phone by calling the Alumni Association at 800-847-4764.


As promised, I'm crowdsourcing (on topic) questions from the entire user base. I'll use the input below to develop my prepared questions on football, basketball, hockey, the Athletic Department, B1G expansion, and college sports in general. I'll also leave ample time for attendees to ask their own questions.

ClearEyesFullHart

November 27th, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^

In an alternate universe where Denard Robinson had been moved to tailback In spring ball, what do you suppose Michigan's record to date would be?

Juicy.

ClearEyesFullHart

November 27th, 2012 at 1:15 PM ^

As in the opposite of a "softball". Trying to answer it myself challenges both the logical theoretical mind as well as one's personal feelings for Denard as QB, and trying to reconcile the whole mess with the fact that he won 11 games last year at quarterback...Again, the opposite of a softball question.

1464

November 27th, 2012 at 12:59 PM ^

How has MGoBlog turned out in relation to your expectations when it was just a sparkle in your eye?  What are you most proud of in terms of what the site has matured into?  What are some of the things that you'd like to change?

It'd be nice to hear some meta questions, in terms of behing the MGoScenes.

Matter of fact - Brian, if you are reading this, expanding on this thought, I would love to read an offseason series of posts that chronicle the formation and maintenance of this site.  Your ability to tell a story would serve well in an eBiography of the site. 

"It all started with..."

"The first time I met..."

"I knew something big was brewing because..."

"Heiko smells like..."

Moleskyn

November 27th, 2012 at 1:00 PM ^

Does Brian think Al Borges' job security is in question heading into the offseason? Will the offense's performance in the bowl game determine that, or does Brian think he's safe regardless?

JeepinBen

November 27th, 2012 at 1:02 PM ^

Quick version: What will the offense look like next year?

Long version: Between what we saw of Gardner at QB, the talented recruits that we have stepping into key roles on the offensive line, and the already elite defense, how close is Michigan to being a top 5 team? This year we beat the bad teams and lost to the really good teams, despite competing in 3 of the losses. When will Michigan's offense and special teams catch up to the level of the defense and when will we legitimately be MNC contenders?  

BiSB

November 27th, 2012 at 1:07 PM ^

Next steps for the blog? Looking to refine the current lines of businesa, or expand into new areas (FULL TIME GYMNASTICS CORRESPONDENT!!!)?

Seth

November 29th, 2012 at 10:58 PM ^

  • Redesign-Drupal 7
  • "Primary" (UFR, game columns, muppets) and "Secondary" (UV, Dear Diary, pressers, etc.) levels for stories so the big stuff isn't pushed away by the small stuff.
  • Newspaper layout with different sections for hoops/football/hockey
  • E-newsletter
  • Custom highlight reels (in the works)
  • Spring Game event
  • Sponsors of things (liveblog, podcast).
  • Bringing back pluses and minuses, then taking them away again, then forcing you to complete a quest a la Ready Player One to unlock pluses and minuses on your account.
  • Content always free.

None of these but the last are guarantees. Could really use the sponsors now to make the other things happen.

Senator

November 27th, 2012 at 1:51 PM ^

10 years ago, we hoped for better players, since it didn't seem like Carr was being outschemed, just outmatched, by better players at USC, Texas, or OSU. 7 years ago, we hoped Carr would soon retire, and with that retirement would see the end of DeBordian incompetence and risk-aversion induced face-palming. Under Rodriguez we hoped he'd find a sentient defensive coordinator capable of fielding even a mediocre devense. We hoped that the FreePress jihad would die out and that recruiting would pick up as a result. 

Now, as you've mentioned in writing and in your podcasts, we're coached by bafflingly stubborn dinosaurs who insist on drinking from a lake long after it's dried up simply because that's the lake they've always drunk from. With the state of college football changing all around them, where is the hope for the future? That they suddenly adapt? In what world does Urban Meyer not out-scheme them year in and year out? Even if our recruiting stays steadily awesome, we're still just keeping pace with OSU. So talent being equal, do we just have to wait for Mattison to produce insanely elite defenses? Should we give up on the hope that our offense will ever be remotely threatening? Should we expect that our ceiling is 11-2 from now until the end of the Borges era?

LSA91

November 27th, 2012 at 2:02 PM ^

Two Part Question

1) If you were AD, what are the top 2-4 things you would like to see changed about coaching philosophy, playcalling, staff, recruiting or similar issues.

2) In the privacy of the AD's office, what do you think Hoke and Borges would say to justify going the other way?   In other words, these are two smart, experienced guys who want to win games.   Do you think that they:

   (a) Don't get it;

   (b) Understand but disagree (and if so, what's their best case); or

   (c) Agree but don't currently have the tools?

profitgoblue

November 27th, 2012 at 2:04 PM ^

Maybe he could speak about a blog's spot in college football reporting vs. other established media sources (newspaper, etc.).  Speak about his work in getting a spot at the press conferences and in the press booth and resistance/support he encountered along the way.

Also, it'd be interesting to hear his take on the evolution of the recruiting process from when a lot of the DC members probably remember college football (back in the 90s) to today, when the recruits are all over the internet and twitter.  I'd be interested to hear his thoughts with respect to at least the reporting aspect of recruiting.

M-Wolverine

November 27th, 2012 at 2:19 PM ^

What he thinks about Maryland (and Rutgers) joining the Big Ten. I mean, we have a good idea, but just to see how he plays to his audience.

AC1997

November 27th, 2012 at 2:21 PM ^

  1. Where do you see the blog in 3 years?  What haven't you accomplished yet that you want to with your site?

     
  2. If you were AD, what 3 things would you do immediately?

     
  3. If you were Hoke, what 3 things would you change going forward and why?

     
  4. Considering that RichRod failed miserably and Chip Kelly isn't walking through the door to replace Borges, what is your ideal "Pro-Style Offense" and why?  Explain what aspects could/should be incorporated into Michigan's offense and what the likelihood is that they will. 

     
  5. Looking at the depth chart and recruiting class for 2013 what areas will be strengths and weaknesses?

     
  6. Of the remaining recruits on the board, rank them from the one you want to see in a winged helmet most to least.

     

profitgoblue

November 27th, 2012 at 2:25 PM ^

Hey Shoe, is there any chance someone could record the discussion and put it up on the AAUM-DC website or even up on this here site?  I'd be cool for all of us that are members of other AAUM clubs or can't attend the event.

 

Yostal

December 3rd, 2012 at 11:35 AM ^

Brian, you are the founder of Blogpoll and had extensive notes on the nature of how various voters in said poll built their rankings.  So, what are we to do with Michigan this year?

On the one hand, they have four losses, not good.  On the other hand, those four losses came, on the road/"road" to teams with four losses between them (all on Nebraska).

On the other hand, none of Michigan's eight wins stand out as being particularly good, Northwestern being arguably the most impressive, and that took a miracle and overtime.

So, while many "expected" 8-4 this year, was this a good 8-4 because of the teams Michigan lost to, or a bad 8-4 because Michigan didn't win one of the games that gave them a signature win for Team 133?