ESPN, Norby, and Millen on Michigan games
Hat tip to SB Nation Detroit for the original pull
From Richard Deitsch's Media Circus column in SI.com
SI.com: Matt Millen was assigned to the Big Ten this season and did a number of Michigan games. As someone who lived in Ann Arbor in 2009 and has contact with a ton of Michigan alums, there are a huge majority of people in the state who do not like hearing him on those games, rightly or wrongly. Social media backs such sentiment up given Millen is obliterated on Twitter during games he calls. Why would you assign a guy to call games in an area when he is so intensely disliked?
ESPN.com's Norby Williamson: You are making the leap that Michigan fans don't want Matt Millen there and maybe it's not much of a leap. I will tell you that Matt Millen with Kirk Herbstreit and Todd Blackledge, with no disrespect to any of our other college football analysts, they are on our top three teams at the moment. I don't know the breakdown of how many Big Ten games Matt did but he and Sean McDonough work that 3:30 p.m. window on ABC. I'm not sitting here saying "Wow, we have a Michigan game so let's stick it to Michigan fans." That's not what we want to do. We want everyone to enjoy their team and to be passionate about it.
At the same point, we are doing a regional and sometimes national telecast and I have to put the best people on the best games to get the best dissection of analysis and perspective on those games. That's my job. My job is not to aggravate any fan bases. Ultimately, you have to look at the bigger decision. You put the best people in the best opportunity to succeed. I don't really get [the] Michigan football connection with Matt. I get the Lions. But I get that it's clearly an issue among some fans in that area. The extent of the issue is the question.
Right, because there's no possible way that Michigan fans, some of whom live in the state of Michigan, might also have an interest in their local professional football franchise as well. Right...
January 17th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^
You go to your friend's house for dinner where they serve you a meal which you seem to be enjoying when it's suddenly announced you are eating kangaroo placenta pickled in koala urine. You are sickened by the thought and become visibly upset.
Do these actions make you an irrational individual or should you just accept the fact you enjoyed the taste and continue eating?
January 17th, 2011 at 11:58 AM ^
"That's six"
(UConn game this year)
January 17th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
....just SOUNDS dumb. With that said, I'd rather listen to 24 hours straight of Millen than be subjected to even 5 minutes of Mike Patrick and/or Craig James.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
January 17th, 2011 at 12:51 PM ^
i like how everyone is all "Millen ruined the lions! BLAR!"
terrible franchises like the bengals, cardinals and rams have been to the superbowl. the pittsburgh pirates have been relavent more recently than the lions. lets not act like Millen alone is responsible.
seems like we have plenty experience around here in assigning blame properly and spreading it around....
January 17th, 2011 at 1:04 PM ^
I have no problem with Millen. Yeah, he was awful as GM of the Lions, but I've moved on. He's decent as an analyst. However, I still think the B1G network should have a reality show of Barwis hunting down Millen and fighting him, like a wolf.
January 17th, 2011 at 1:30 PM ^
Yes, Millen is horrible calling any game. For the NFL ones, I wish Steve Young would smack him sometimes.
Regarding Millen in Detroit, it's not only his fault, Millen didn't "screw-up" the Lions like some have suggested. That honor belongs solely to William Clay Ford. The Lions have won one playoff game in 52 years and WCF is the common denominator. No other NFL team comes close to such futility. Not even close.
Millen was in Detroit for what 7 or 8 years? The Lions have been losing for 50 now. Do the math. Why does Millen get all the blame? HAVE YOU ALL FORGOTTEN ABOUT RUSS THOMAS ALREADY??? Russ Thomas was worse for the Lions than Millen ever was. Russ Thomas was a load that should have been swallowed.
January 17th, 2011 at 1:37 PM ^
Does Norby Williamson from ESPN have an email ?
Should blow his email box up and get a joint campaign with Michigan state on this
Also, throw Pam Ward in their too
January 17th, 2011 at 1:40 PM ^
All I can remember is the incessant blabber about all the negative Michigan / RR stats being repeated over and over again.
And a lot of it was inaccurate too. The worst record in Michigan history. No it was not. It was the most losses because they play more games now. But it was the fourth worst season.
Do you think the Michigan fan base is tired of hearing the same negative statements over and over again every week?
All I have to say about Millen is that he is the worst general manager in the HISTORY of the NFL...... in the History of the NFL...in the HISTORY of the NFL!
And the Norby Williamson of ESPN cannot figure this out. He needs a geography lesson on how close Ann Arbor is to Detroit. Fire this chump and hire someone with a brain in his head!
Millen makes bonehead statements alienating people. As a GM he called one of his players a "gay boy". Even if this is true you don't say this in public. This guy has some stupid superiority complex.
And McDonough cannot shut up. He feels like he has to talk non stop. Just report and comment on the game. PERIOD.
January 17th, 2011 at 2:12 PM ^
Dear Richard,
Thank you for bringing up the Millen / Michigan football issue. As a Michigan Wolverines and Detroit Lions fan,Just seeing Millen and having to hear that buffoon pisses me off to the point of turning the volume off completely. Norby states " My job is not to aggravate any fan bases . Well Norby, you have done a pretty daam good job of doing it every time that idiot Millen does a Michigan Wolverines game.
If Norby does not understand that Michigan and Michigan State fans are also Detroit Lions fans, Norby may not be smart enough to know what he is doing when it comes to picking the teams his announcers call each week.
The extent of the issue is the question Norby says, well Norby , let me tell you, The extent is huge. I guess somebody who went to Southern Connecticut State University could not figure it out to well , as they don't understand Michigan or the Big Ten.
Over at www.mgoblog.com ( check it out, and come visit us , awesome Michigan website), we have had this discussion for a long time now, and your article only made it even bigger today. In the last 2 hours alone, we have already 53 posts on this !
Please tell Norby to not put Matt Millen or Pam Ward on Michigan broadcasts ! We would gladly take the 4th or 5th team if it means no Matt Millen or Pam Ward ( she is horrible calling games, thank goodness I was at the Michigan Indana game in Bloomington so i did not have to suffer thru her game calling ).
And I can verify that many Michigan Wolverines fans and Michigan State Fans would agree we don't want Millen, or Pam Ward.
If Norby cannot figure out why Michigan and Michigan State fans would not want Millen to do their games, maybe he should look for a different job ! Maybe they have a programming job opening at WSIN 1590 am at Southern Connecticut State University.
Sincerely
Me
GO BLUE
January 17th, 2011 at 5:36 PM ^
I have no problem with him calling college football games. I'm not sure what being a bad NFL GM has to do with being able to provide color analysis in a college game.
January 17th, 2011 at 6:11 PM ^
Because he often comments about a player's NFL potential, and we all know that Millen may be the worst GM in the history of sport...utterly unable to identify talent.