Harbaugh as Bo impression from this week's GameDay
September 28th, 2010 at 9:05 AM ^
Dude is at Stanford. NOT anywhere near Michigan. Yes, he's a former Michigan player. Yes, he's got Stanford rolling. However, our coach is Rich Rodriguez. Our coach has taken something lost in Archea (yes, I can invent words, dammit), and made it new. It has taken time, but it is and will be glorious.
I realize that the point of this post is just wanting to see his Bo impression, but still, when we STILL get posts calling Harbaugh our "Plan B"... GRAGH!
September 28th, 2010 at 9:10 AM ^
I wish I could invent words. Oh well I guess I'll just leave that to the professionals (Blazefire of course).
September 28th, 2010 at 9:38 AM ^
Archea and Gragh are perfectly cromulent words.
September 28th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
giggidy
September 28th, 2010 at 9:14 AM ^
I'm getting tired of Harbaugh
Maybe avoid clicking on posts with Harbaugh's name in the title then, instead of clicking on them and complaining? As you seem to acknowledge, this is a legitimate topic for a post, so your gripe is misplaced.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:18 AM ^
how stating that I am tired of seeing Harbaugh in Michigan press and greater community is misplaced in a thread linking to a news article from the Detroit News on Harbaugh. But whatever you say.
September 28th, 2010 at 12:07 PM ^
Should we not talk about Henne or Woodson either? Or are they a different sort of "gone" from Michigan? Harbaugh took advantage of the oppurtunity given to him and is having a lot of success, we should be proud of him, not bitter because he's at Stanford.
September 28th, 2010 at 4:06 PM ^
is that those two aren't coaching rival programs and critics of the current coach aren't rallying to them. Also, they don't trash our school's academic integrity.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:18 AM ^
People are way too defensive about seeing Harbaugh as a threat to RR's job security on this blog. Harbaugh was a former QB that has a team rolling now. I realize there is talk of him being next in line, but if RR does his job you have nothing to worry about. I see nothing wrong with posting links/stories about a former player that is a successful coach. Especially one that relates to Bo.
You can be happy/supportive of Harbaugh w/o feeling guilty as if you're supporting RR being fired by doing so. The two are not related.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:34 AM ^
I think you're seeing the effect of Harbaugh's words disparaging his alma mater in these comments.
Personally, I am also sick about hearing about Harbaugh and how he loved Bo. If Bo were alive he would have slapped Harbaugh on his face for those comments. Nay, Harbaugh would never have said such things if Bo were alive. For that reason alone, Harbaugh loses all rights to talk about Bo in public, in my opinion. I'm happy for him that he's having some success at Stanford but his bad-mouthing of Michigan burned all bridges to Ann Arbor for him if I have anything to do with it (which I obviously do not).
September 28th, 2010 at 9:43 AM ^
I forgot about that aspect of him as a polarizing figure to Michigan fans. I could be wrong, but I thought he appologized/backtracked and J.Morris forgave him. Maybe I just made that up, but I thought I heard that.
I mean, I was disappointed in those comments as well, but I think banning him from speaking about his former coach and/or banning him from AA is a little harsh. Especially if he appologized. People make mistakes and say things they shouldn't. It happens. He has a big mouth too, so something was bound to slip. I guess I'm not as upset over the comments as a lot of people. My girlfriend and I were both former athletes at UM (not money sports) and there was some truth to what he said. I think he should have saved it for private criticism rather than the public forum he made the comments in, but I think he was looking out for the student-athlete at heart, and was proud of a lot of his players for being true student-athletes. So while he shouldn't have trashed his former school in public, I don't think it was as venomous and its made out to be.
September 28th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^
Harbaugh has not apologized, and Jamie Morris told him to "lose my phone number" after his unsolicited remarks.
September 28th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
I vaguely remembered hearing that, but wasn't sure if it actually happened. Good to know so I don't ever say that again. Thanks.
September 28th, 2010 at 11:27 AM ^
Jamie Morris got fired with extreme prejudice for misplacing a Cadillac.
For my money, what Morris did (broke the rules and then lied about it) is more disappointing than Harbaugh stating the obvious, albeit in annoying fashion.
September 28th, 2010 at 4:09 PM ^
Harbaugh didn't state the obvious. He lied (and continues to lie - it's part of his recruiting pitch). He claims, falsely, that Bo refused to allow him to major in history because it would take too much time away from football. That is categorically false. I find it rather pathetic that now that Harbaugh has begun to win as a coach, fans are suddenly rationalizing his misdeeds.
September 28th, 2010 at 4:24 PM ^
How do you know he lied about that specific situation involving him, Bo and his major?
September 28th, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^
"If Bo were alive he would have slapped Harbaugh on his face for those comments."
Did you know Bo? Do you know Harbaugh? Those two had a personal relationship for over 30 years. It's ridiculous for you to presume what Bo would (or would not) have thought about Harbaugh's comments. I'm sure that their bond was a bit deeper than a couple of sound bites.
September 28th, 2010 at 4:12 PM ^
Yes, I'm sure Bo would be close friends with a man who slandered him and accused him of a lack of academic integrity. The fact that Harbaugh once played for him does not mean Bo would have automatically loved him forever. Bo hated Les Miles's guts after Les reportedly spread rumors to recruits about Lloyd Carr having Parkinson's.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:34 PM ^
I think that you've got a little too much free time invested in internet rumors.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:26 AM ^
What's your problem, dude? Harbaugh's a Michigan Alum, and the article references Bo and the Michigan coaching tree. Neither Angelique nor the OP diss RR or talk about "Plan B."
My only "Plan B" comment: I sure hope that RR sticks around for the duration, 20 years or so, like Bo & Woody. I would hate to have to go to Plan B because after some success, RR went on to greener pastures in the NFL.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:30 AM ^
with this post in particular, as I said. I'm getting tired of seeing his name everywhere, because 3/4 of the time, it is in reference to him as a "potential head coach" replacement for us.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:49 AM ^
contrafibularities.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:53 AM ^
Jim Harbaugh was the QB at MIchigan when I first really started paying attention to MIchigan football (7-9 years old). He was my favorite player then and is still probably my favorite all time player. The comments he made a few years back were really not as untrue as most slappy fans would like to believe, and he was just talking up the team he coaches. Sort of an "all in for Stanford," kind of thing. I don't think Bo would have had a problem with it at all. Regardless, Jim Harbaugh is a Michigan Icon and there is absolutely no reason to complain about referencing him. We reference when one of our guys runs for congress and nobody bitches about the 'no politics' rule. I, for one, have no problem with this post.
September 28th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
The truthfulness or lack thereof is not the point. A true Michigan Man" should never say what he did in public like that. I don't really care what the motivation was - he needs to keep his mouth shut, especially if the statement was entirely unprompted (he simply volunteered that statement). If he was trying to praise his Stanford "student-athletes" then find a different way to do it.
That said, I believe anything about Harbaugh is relevent to this blog and I presume that Brian (and Blaze) would agree.
September 28th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^
Sometimes I wonder if the people who claim that Bo would have been pissed at Harbaugh are old enough to remember Bo. First of all, He was like another father to Harbaugh and I really doubt one comment would have been enough to affect that. Secondly, if Bo had ever left to coach another team, he would be the first to say 'the hell with Michigan.' That is what made Bo great, he didn't give a crap about what anyone thought, it was all about 'the team.' Harbaugh is the coach at Stanford and was saying whatever he thought he needed to to help his team. I think because there has been so much negative pub about Michigan over the last few years everyone is becoming overly sensitive.
September 28th, 2010 at 10:48 AM ^
Except that Bo didn't leave Michigan to coach another team, and "To Hell with Michigan" was an impossibility for Bo. In the early '80s, he had a very lucrative offer from Texas A&M that would have paid him significantly more than he was making at Michigan. In his press conference announcing that he would decline the offer, Bo said, "There are things in life more important than money, and one of them is Michigan." Loyalty was one trait that Bo prized. Bo's loyalty to Michigan was through and through, down to his marrow. Harbaugh sure didn't observe the same loyalty to his alma mater, trashing his alma mater to boost his popularity with the team he coached.
Regardless of the truth of what Harbaugh said, he crapped on Michigan and on Bo for his own self-interest, after Bo died, because he knew that Bo wasn't around to beat the hell out of him for it. I believe that Bo would have thought that disloyal.
September 28th, 2010 at 11:57 AM ^
Maybe so, but you have to admit that what Harbaugh said in such a public forum was a stupid a-- thing to say. Even if you agree with the substance of his comments and/or like him as a person/coach/etc. you have to admit that it was stupid.
September 28th, 2010 at 12:14 PM ^
I think it was stupid, yes. He should have found a way to avoid using Michigan to pump up his program. Bo fired Ernie Harwell. Brian Griese got drunk and broke the front window at scorekeepers. Jamie Morries got fired for inappropriate use of a car, Lloyd Carr called a female reporter stupid (or at least her question). Moeller had a drunk in public incident. Stonum had a DUI. The list of "Michigan Men" making mistakes goes on and on and on. You can't just pick one to rail on and forgive the others. We are "Michigan Men," not "Holy Men." We all make mistakes.
September 28th, 2010 at 12:43 PM ^
is not like the others.
Really, you put Lloyd's "that's a stupid question" in with the rest of that list? Pretty blatant spin you put on that one - Lloyd, who was universally crabby to every reporter he ever encountered, told Todd Harris that his questions was a stupid one at halftime of the Ohio State game. Your spin makes it seem that Lloyd had a moment of sexism where he demeaned a female reporter on air. What the fuck is that? Oh, and Lloyd later apologized.
Not obviously female
September 28th, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
I am so sick of this all or nothing BS. Lloyd Carr said something stupid (sorry if I remembered the sex of the reporter incorrectly) which made him seem like a dick and got played on national sports shows, thus painting Michigan in a negative light. Was he right? Yes. Was Jim Harbaugh right? Anyone wander into the CCRB during the day lately? When I was in school there were more kids in MIchigan athletic sweatsuits that in jeans and shirts. Not to knock Kinesiology, but I am sure all of those kids have been encouraged by the coaching staff to study Chemical Engineering, right? They both said something that was true that they probably should have kept to themselves. But hey, to keep the peace, let me just agree with you. Jim Harbaugh is a dick who hates Michigan, the UofM athletic department is determined to graduate 100% of their athletes with doctorates, it is very rare that an ex player goes into sales after school to capitalize on their recognition as an employment asset(see ALRO Steel and car dealerships), RR has never recruited players of questionable scholastic aptitude and Denard Robinson is clearly the greatest passing quarterback ever to play here.
September 28th, 2010 at 2:14 PM ^
To some people, it might seem like you're wildly constructing straw men out of my comment - "surely," these people might think, "calling UMDad out for mischaracterizing a specific incident regarding Lloyd in the midst of a facile argument that equated all kinds of (real or imagined) misbehavior ... this alone does not imply that UM athletics is perfect and has never done anything wrong, does it?"
But you see what these people don't. You were able to look deeply into Todd Harris' eyes and see that what I really meant to say was that it's all or nothing, bucko, and you better get your shit straight about never saying anything negative about Michigan ever. It's an ability that only comes with maturity and age, and the 15-20 year-olds on this site have a long way to go.
Harbaugh is a dick, by the way.
September 28th, 2010 at 2:31 PM ^
I drug a couple of more people into the discussion with those final comments. I have run into several people lately who can't stand to have anything that is not 100% over the top positive be said about the University. As far as my mischaracterization, come on...have you seen the guys hair? You can't blame me for remembering that clip as being a woman.
As far as the younger people having a ways to go, they do. I remember sitting at dinner with a friend of mine and her roomate, who used to date Tom Brady. This is when he and Henson were still splitting time and I told her that I wanted Henson to play because I thought Brady din't show enough heart and poise. She yelled at me for a half hour and I deserved it. You get older (and I am only 34 for the record) and you start to realize there there is a lot more grey in these things than there is black and white.
September 28th, 2010 at 3:10 PM ^
You were a lot nicer than I deserved after I went into full-bore snark mode there. And yes, Todd Harris, much like Todd McShay, is actually pretty feminine. I realized this after putting up his picture.
Which one yelled at you - Brady's ex or your friend? Either way, you should have dated the yeller - sounds like a keeper.
September 28th, 2010 at 5:35 PM ^
Brady's ex, which was kind of awkward because she was there with her new boyfriend. She kept going on and on about how great of a guy he was and how he would show everybody how good he was, etc. I would say she was psychic if it weren't for the fact that she broke up with Tom Brady.
September 28th, 2010 at 1:04 PM ^
I hope, because the alternative isn't that good. You didn't really compare a grown man throwing him mentor and school under the bus to:
- Bo being told by his owner to fire Ernie Harwell, and doing what his boss told him (it wasn't Bo's idea).
- A kid getting drunk and breaking a window, or a DUI (hey, a DUI! We've forgiven Harbaugh for that...multiple times!).
- Jamie Morris doing something stupid, but not really all that embarrassing to the University...and he paid for it, harshly.
- A Carr "incident" that you can't even remember properly (someone of your age...having problems remembering things??)...and frankly, that Carr was right on. It was a stupid question.
- Moeller getting drunk in public (who suffered more for this than Harbaugh or anyone else have for their problems).
The difference between all these "mistakes" and the one you point out? The others weren't done to harm or at the expense of Michigan. And all had repercussion, and/or apologized for it. Harbaugh? Nothing. If Jim wants to apologize for what he said, I'll give him credit for manning up, and forgive him. Mistakes are made, and this one would have been easily correctable. But I haven't heard or read that yet.
September 28th, 2010 at 1:23 PM ^
Saying, "other people have done bad things also that were totally different from the bad thing you should just forget about" is a pretty stupid argument. I was stuck on the blatant falsehood of his Lloyd story, but the rest of them don't really fit either.
(Though I would argue that DUIs are ethically worse than what Harbaugh did. No matter how nasty Harbaugh decides to get in the press about UM, there's little potential for those comments to kill people, cause immeasurable grief, etc. And yep, Jim's got a few of those under his belt too. This is not to say that anyone who's had a DUI should never be forgiven, especially people who do it when they're young. But driving drunk is a really shitty thing to do, no matter how commonplace it is.)
September 30th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^
What I was saying though, was, that Harbaugh has done the same thing...and wasn't hated for it. So you can't say that we let other players off for DUIs, but fry Harbaugh for the same. Because it didn't happen that way.
http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/9902673/
ENCINITAS, Calif. - University of San Diego football coach Jim Harbaugh was arrested early Sunday on a charge of drunken driving after being stopped for running a stop sign. Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback, was released after 7½ hours at the Vista Detention Facility. He is to appear in court in December. “I’m upset at myself about it, and more embarrassed for everyone else around me, the team,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “My No. 1 concern is the players. I’m trying to set a good example for them. There’s a consequence for making poor decisions and now that applies to me.”
September 28th, 2010 at 12:57 PM ^
Were you paying attention at the time??
Harbaugh said the coaches steered him away from majoring in History. So, he's basically saying Bo wouldn't let him graduate in a tough major. I think Bo would have had a BIG problem with someone saying he and his program has no academic integrity...basically calling him a hypocrite. And the doctors and lawyers who graduated for Bo probably have a problem with it too.
And Bo didn't care what outsiders thought about him. Someone on THE TEAM betraying him? That would have hurt.
September 28th, 2010 at 1:40 PM ^
It is not that I am that old, I am just finally realizing that the average age of people on this blog seems to be 15-20.
September 30th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^
But I realize that wisdom doesn't always come with age.
September 28th, 2010 at 12:06 PM ^
Was Harbaugh right about football players being steered towards easier majors? Undoubtedly. Did the players who were actually smart enough to pursue more difficult majors do so? Yup. I'm betting ol' Captain Comeback actually owes the academic support staff a big thank you for pointing him towards the most Sports-In-Ancient-Rome-y courses they could find.
Personal vitriol aside, the truly obnoxious comment by Harbaugh was this:
They’re adulated when they’re playing, but when they get out, the people who adulated them won’t hire them.
Claiming that the alumni network simply turns a cold shoulder toward ex-football players is a crock of shit, and honestly more incendiary and hurtful than the comments regarding academics. It was a self-aggrandizing move for his new school, possibly fueled by bitterness that someone pointed out he wasn't as smart as he thought he was back in college. And I do think Bo would have had some choice words/bestial growls/right crosses for Jimmy if he were alive to hear his bullshit.
September 28th, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^
Just add it to the Becktionary.
September 28th, 2010 at 10:19 AM ^
Now, if we start getting hit with a bunch of John Harbaugh, or his brother in law, Tom Creen articles, then we have problems (though John was a former assistant under Bo so I guess if he was doing an impression of Bo that would be alright to post as well).
September 28th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
stop being such a gigglesnort and let it go.
September 29th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
I find it especially annoying that the "plan B" crap is being posted in mgolicious. This is an M blog, I'm sure Stanford has their own blog to cover stuff like this.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:18 AM ^
my first michigan jersey was a #4. the gameday bit was very good. his impression of bo was priceless. love his intensity as a coach.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:20 AM ^
will probably be this weekend.
Not Florida at Alabama, but Stanford at Oregon. Offensively and defensively both teams are royally kicking ass.
This article by Angelique just serves as a reminder to the anti-RR crowd of both Harbaugh's potential and availability should RR revert to 5-7 or 6-6. Thanks Angelique, what would we do without your Post It note articles?
I don't think Harbaugh would accept a job at Michigan until he accomplishes something and wins a conference title at Stanford. This weekend's game is a critical juncture in Jim Harbaugh's HC career.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:25 AM ^
Why are we discussing this at all? There is no reason to consider a replacement coach until it becomes obvious we need one. At this moment in time, Rodriguez is a freaking superhero. Until we revert back to the 2008 stone age here, I don't see that changing.
September 28th, 2010 at 9:42 AM ^
September 28th, 2010 at 9:51 AM ^
it seems even Angelique and the DetNews isn't immune to the "most clicked on" story concept (not much detail, not much relevance to the current football season, but hey, a tenuous link is good enough, right?). The never ending links in the Freep to Justin Boren commentary have only now started to dissipate, and suddenly Snyder and Rosenberg write funny/charming/positive stories about the 2010 team and individuals.
If only our media were more like Rich Rodriguez, and write about Michigan players and the current season, rather than stir things up from all sides of ignorance or drama. It's college football, it ain't Shakespeare.