Dave Brandon Just on WTKA

Submitted by pkatz on
.... I only caught the last few minutes, but pimp hand was going strong.

Talked about the reasons behind/plans for the D-1 lax programs, eventually adding Big House seating capacity to 120,000 by enclosing at least one of the end zones, and that the throwback jersey designs recently leaked onto the Internet are NOT correct

pkatz

May 26th, 2011 at 8:08 AM ^

adding bleachers that would surround the new scoreboards, and go as high as the current east/west structures. Said the first endzone he would enclose is the south side, but would only do it if the ticket demand/waiting list supported the additional capacity.
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<br>Also noted he would like to see this done during his tenure as AD.

BigT

May 26th, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^

I disagree.  If you look at what Happy Valley has, they put that massive upper deck on the one endzone, and it looks pretty intimidating, especially if you do it with a deck and some overhang, instead of just extending the bowl.  We could do the same thing, and either put the Godzilla-trons on top or surrond them with the seating.  

As for doing it for 1 or both endzones, I would obviously love it for both, but I think one could work.  We could pile the whole student section into that endzone and it would be crazy loud. 

 

MI Expat NY

May 26th, 2011 at 11:18 AM ^

I don't think you can add another deck to the big house.  It just wouldn't be right.  Adding the luxury boxes was fine, since you could rationalize that those were just larger versions of the old press box, but adding a second deck would significantly change the architecture of the stadium.  A large portion of the appeal of the big house is that all 100,000+ seats are in one giant bowl.  

jethro34

May 26th, 2011 at 8:09 AM ^

At least one?  If you're going to do it, why not do both?

I have a lot of hatred for schools that have stadiums with something on one end and not on the other.

NomadicBlue

May 26th, 2011 at 8:45 AM ^

hoverseats in the Big House!

Fuck luxury boxes. Why not float to the optimal viewing angle for each play from a recliner powered by anti-gravity.  The cost will be minimal, too.  Just one baby boy donated to the Michigan Football Training Center located on the moon where future student athletes will begin training prior to learning how to wipe their own asses.  Donations not fit to play football will be sent to the dark side of the moon to one of the many dilithium mines that will support the program.  All hail the Pimp Hand!

(Anti-gravity technology will also be utilized at the training center to counter the effects of the lower g-forces on the diminutive orbiting rock)

Wolverine In Exile

May 26th, 2011 at 9:04 AM ^

"The decision to place seating next to Michigan Stadium's GinormousTron scoreboard may have been financially good for the school, but after the 15th spontaneous combustion event occurring with people sitting near the electricity sucking icon, Michigan officials are scrambling to determine if the heat output from the board may be the cause. In a related story, Michigan physicists have announced they've found a new location for their fusion research center...."

Deep Under Cover

May 26th, 2011 at 9:27 AM ^

I am sure the "leaks" were a test bubble to gauge reaction.  Michigan fans, for the most part I think, have felt relieved not to don some of the hurrendous Pro Combat stuff that has come out.

They "leaked" a design idea to see how well it would sell I'm sure.

tubauberalles

May 26th, 2011 at 10:56 AM ^

they leaked a design idea everyone loathed so they could later release a still-loathesome but not-quite-as-loathesome design so everyone would be relieved and find it much better in comparison (even though it is still a loathesome design and if released on its own would have been handily rejected, as opposed to welcomed as much-improved, see: most marketing since New Coke).

 

BlueFish

May 26th, 2011 at 11:01 AM ^

I'm amused by how the News reported this development:

Michigan's football team will not wear a uniform against Notre Dame this season that resembles the uniform that was in published reports last week.

The Detroit Free Press published a picture of a "throwback" uniform and indicated that it would be the Wolverines' uniform for their Sept. 10 game against the Irish at Michigan Stadium.

If you gotta leak something (which I'm not convinced of), at least do it to the Freep so they're wrong...yet again.

Section 1

May 26th, 2011 at 10:14 AM ^

Not really.  "Leaked onto the internet" seems so generic, so beyond specific blame.  It was Freep.com, alone, that claimed to have the sample:

Michigan's jersey, according to a sample provided to the Free Press, will be modeled after the image shown above. A small number also will be added to the upper-left corner of the jersey front, opposite the Adidas logo.

Freep.com, May 20, 2011.

Maybe, not so much.  The Detroit Free Press continues to serve as your all-purpose first stop for inaccurate and unattributed news about Michigan football.

Section 1

May 26th, 2011 at 11:59 AM ^

...either way, the Free Press took off down the wrong path.  Shocking, I know...

Actually, the Free Press reported that the big block M was consistent with what Brian Kelly had himself blurted, out of turn, many weeks ago.  And maybe the design was a "possible" or a "prototype" that Brandon wanted to float, for some sort of informal public approval test.

No matter what, the Freep ends up as the butt-end of the joke; they were either wrong, misinformed, or used.  Everything except "right."

TrppWlbrnID

May 26th, 2011 at 11:21 AM ^

as against MOAR SEATZ!  a waiting list isn't that bad of a thing, especially with a lot of season ticket holders, i would guess being older and the state of the economy in michigan not being very strong.  also, the thought of a stadium that is too big to consistantly sell out being invaded by hoards of nebraska or OSU fans at the end of a season makes me dryheave.

Dave, its okay not to constantly maximize profit.

Section 1

May 26th, 2011 at 12:07 PM ^

Now, I have to admit, that I was against the most recent Stadium additions when first proposed.  Until I saw Bill Martin's Powerpoint presentation of how it would all work.  Only then, did I change my mind.  But I did change my mind.

So I'd gladly look at real, serious plans.

But I just don't see how this won't look ugly.  I think it is all about keeping up with any other school that threatens our attendance-number superiority.  Our Athletic Department is obsessed with that, and I don't think that's healthy, for the aesthetics of the Stadium and the comfort of the existing ticketholders.

(btw, if you ask me, the notion of a seat in what would be in about Row 125 of the south endzone sounds perfectly awful.  Like watching a game from Lenawee County.)

tedblue

May 26th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^

facade to enclose the south endzone would look sweet. The north end zone looks good as it is now, but looking at the south endzone from Stadium Blvd looks incomplete. Why not do an area like Cowboy Stadiums party pass. That way if you did not use the area for seating for a game, it would not take away from the look of a sold out big house.

Section 1

May 26th, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^

After the Brandon interview on WTKA was over, and Mark Snyder began to write it up for the Free Press (there will be a story in the Friday paper, it appears), Snyder apparently calls the Athletic Department, asking for further follow up from Brandon, so that Snyder isn't reduced, for the umpteenth time in the last year, to writing a column about what Brandon said to somebody else.

It would, uh, seem that Mr. Brandon said essentially, No, I am not talking to Mark Snyder; somebody tell him that for me...  Leading to this last line of Snyder's story for the day:

Asked this afternoon to elaborate, Brandon declined through a U-M spokesman.

LOL.  Brandon is not only working the pimp hand; he's now publicly telling Snyder that he can talk to the pimp hand, too.  That language is newspaper code for, if you're going to keep stiffing us like this, we're going to start portraying you as stonewalling public official.  I love this.