Freep high school football "dream team" ignores UM commits
Anybody see the 2009 Michigan high school football "dream team" on the Freep's site today? Notice anybody missing? Maybe a certain college's stud commitments at QB and RB? That's right, Devin Gardner was left off in favor of SH Stevenson's QB and Austin White ended up behind Chelsea RB (and MSU commit) Nick Hill. What does everybody think? Undeserved snubs or the right calls?
December 6th, 2009 at 5:57 PM ^
qb in the nation, apparently, is not even the #1 ranked qb in his own state.
go figure.
December 6th, 2009 at 5:57 PM ^
It's not a true dream team since it was devised by a nightmare of a publication.
I have not read the Freep or looked at their web site since August.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:14 PM ^
I have totally ignored the freep ever since august, too. I used to check it once in a while for some news, but this site gives me way more and it's usually less anti-michigan...usually.
December 6th, 2009 at 5:59 PM ^
Who cares? Let the Freep have their love affair with the Spartans. That being said, I couldn't imagine a dream team without the top dual threat quarterback in the country. So yeah probably got snubbed.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:00 PM ^
Don't care.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:10 PM ^
Looks like RR is one of the speakers for their dinner.
"The Free Press all-state dream team will be honored at a banquet, co-sponsored by the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame, at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Dearborn Inn. Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez will be the featured speaker."
That's going to be awkward.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:04 PM ^
Devin Gardner is the best quarterback in the country, according to Rivals, but he's not the best in Michigan. Interesting...
December 6th, 2009 at 6:07 PM ^
treatment of anything connected to Michigan and even things not connected is getting out of hand.
Yeah, the Freep hates Michigan and loves MSU, so what. The Freep is a shitty publication and unless the gov't bails them out too, they'll be out of business if everyone ignores them like they should.
December 6th, 2009 at 7:22 PM ^
But, personally, I think the MSU bias is a Freep plan: shift to advocacy journalism to stay in business.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:12 PM ^
Personally I don't see a problem with awarding Jason Fracassa the spot on the dream team as QB. The guy put up monster numbers and set state records for completions in a season and career, most yards in a season and career, and most touchdowns thrown in a season and career.
Just because he doesn't have Gardner's pro/college potential, doesn't mean he shouldn't be recognized for having the most statistically dominant season in Michigan HS Football History.
This comes down to the age-old question. Do you give the award to the person who is regarded as having more talent or the one who puts up the best numbers. Whichever side you stand on this argument, you can't say Jason Fracassa didn't put up the stats to earn the award.
FWIW, according to Rivals Fracassa is being recruited primarily for Baseball.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:13 PM ^
The Freep obviously has AIDS, but I would rather see an award like this go to the high school kid who put up huge numbers but probably doesn't have a future in the game than a blue-chip recruit like Gardner. Devin will get plenty of honors in both high school and college.
December 6th, 2009 at 7:12 PM ^
to stevenson, its pretty sweet that a kid who is 5'9 can break every record in the book. Wish they could of took hom states ahh but yet again the catholic school prevails lol.
Yes he is being recruited for baseball he has a coulpe big ten offers wisky purdue Illini
December 6th, 2009 at 6:16 PM ^
with drunks and thugs. Hey, lets go to the Red Cedar and have a brew. I have a couch.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:36 PM ^
FUCK YO COUCH.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:48 PM ^
I've been kicked outta better homes than this!
December 6th, 2009 at 6:42 PM ^
Nick Hill is definitely inferior to Austin White. Then again, who gives a fuck, right FREEP? Blah.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:43 PM ^
this free press crap is just getting ridiculous now...no miller or jackson either?
December 6th, 2009 at 6:54 PM ^
It is called the "The High School Football Dream Team", not "The Potential to be Great College Players Dream Team" or "The Scout/Rivals Dream Team". If the kids who are on the team put up better numbers than those who are likely to be better college players, then they deserve to be there.
December 6th, 2009 at 6:57 PM ^
Dream teams don't count.
All-American selections do.
Let's see how many of those MSU recruits make THAT selection over UofM recruits.
December 6th, 2009 at 7:02 PM ^
Like people have said, Fracassa broke every major passing record in Michigan high school history. He deserves the accolades. As far as Nick Hill/Austin White, I've heard multiple people on here say that Hill was not very good when they saw him, so there might be more room for discussion there.
December 6th, 2009 at 8:17 PM ^
The Freep did this last year too, with Edwin Baker. (Didn't make all state, Mick McCabe wrote a column slamming the Army All-American game for selecting Baker when he wasn't even all-state!)
December 6th, 2009 at 8:55 PM ^
FWIW, Jason Fracassa's Grandpa is Al Fracassa - probably the most legendary high school coach in the state of Michigan. I'm not sure if this actually has anything to do with it, but the kid also did put up very impressive numbers.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:00 AM ^
there is a reason why jason doesn't go to brother rice... and thats because there is a rift between jasons dad and al. my dads best friend does work for the brother rice football team and is very close to al fracassa. i asked him why the grandson isn't playing there and he told me that there is a family rift.
December 6th, 2009 at 9:17 PM ^
Who cares. In a hopeless attempt to fight the tide of extiction raplidly pulling it into the abyss the FREEP has become sensational tabloid rag. Like the balance of the regional newspaper industry it is desperatly searching for a way to reinvent itself and it has chosen to cover inflammatory and sensational topics to keep readers coming back. If readers have issues with the FREEP the best thing you can do is stop aknowledging its existance, the rest will take care of itself.
December 6th, 2009 at 11:53 PM ^
i guess i'm a little surprised chris robinson from ovid-elsie didn't make the list. he's leading the mr. football voting by a ton and by all accounts is pretty incredible. if anyone is getting bypassed by guys because of their future college potential i'd say say mr. robinson has the most room to complain
December 7th, 2009 at 9:09 AM ^
Hard to argue against this guy's high school numbers. If high school performance rather than future potential is the criterion, Robinson should be on there.
December 7th, 2009 at 9:34 AM ^
Umm, I'm pretty sure in the hard copy of the sunday Freep, Devin Gardner was listed as the QB on the Division 2 dream team....
December 7th, 2009 at 9:46 AM ^
Yup, its right there online also (I dont dare link). Wasnt this a big waste of ire.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:07 AM ^
I didn't read too closely, but I guess if the "Dream Team" is supposed to be players picked from any division, then I can understand some of the commotion. If it's D-1 only though, then yeah.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:11 AM ^
You are correct. They picked an All-Star team for each division individually and then selected a state-wide "Dream Team" from all of the divisions. Gardner made it for D-2, but didn't get the nod for the "Dream Team."
December 7th, 2009 at 10:40 AM ^
Ok, I see. Brain no work. Must. Get. Coffee.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:07 AM ^
who the free press has on their dream team. odds are they went by overall numbers than actual talent level. which is the case most of the time with teams like this. the same thing kind of happened in hensons SR. year when the high school all american team came out. drew henson was not the QB on that team, ronald curry was.... so the people who put the team together put henson at punter so he would be on the team.
if the free press wants to do a circle jerk with MSU, let them. its obvious they are more concerned with selling papers and getting web site hit then report the news.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:15 AM ^
That is BS!
Do you think Freep writers have a hatred toward UM prior to joining the paper or is it something that they learn while employed there? I'm leaning toward the latter.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:20 AM ^
This team seems to be based almost exclusively on raw numbers and state records. I really could care less, but it kind of shows why some sports - swimming, track, cross country, etc. work well as numbers-based sports, while most team sports need to be regarded beyond mere wins, losses, and yardage.
December 7th, 2009 at 10:40 AM ^
Although I tend to agree with you, sportswriters live on facts. There is no way the FREEP staff or the other coaches were able to see one if any of the individual games by the players. The only game the majority saw with these kids was the championship games, which Gardner played poorly in. As a result, they turned to stats.
I agree with you that it isn't the best metric, but stats sometimes play the biggest role in giving out the awards even in the pros. While it may not be the best way to dole out awards, it is almost impossible for sportswriters to see all of the games in a season, so stats is the way to go.
December 7th, 2009 at 11:18 AM ^
freep is a rag with obvious special interests...do what i did and quit reading that garbage...