Jalen interview with Bill Simmons; pleads for Chris Webber to join the fab five tomorrow night.
#Fab5Reunite
For those who don't want to open another tab:
Kind sir.
I fucking love Jalen Rose.
How cool would it be to see Webber their cheering his heart out while Michigan wins a championship and erase the nightmare that happened 20 years ago? That would be an all-tiime greatest sports moment IMO.
After listening to Jalen discuss how it's his belief that Webber wants to disassociate himself with his college career, I don't really think it would be that cool. And I don't think it would be a great sports moment, it would remind me of the reception Tressel got last season. I'm not saying to hate Webber because I don't, but I don't like how he's handled any of this.
He ought to have more of a part in reconciliation than showing up at a moment arguably long delayed in a large part because of him.
While that's true, now is as good a time as ever to change how he is handling it.
Tomorrow is as good as any.
And also, the anti-Chris Webber revisionist history has always bugged me. Michigan was down two in the final seconds when the Time Out heppened. Their win probability had to be pretty low in that situation, before the mistake. It's not like he cost Michigan that championship. We were probably going to lose anyway.
It's also not like Webber was the only one who took things. Nearly a decade of wins were wiped out -- C-Webb only was at Michigan for two years. It's frankly lucky that the '89 championship wasn't taken away as well.
The kid was in high school, maybe middle school, when Martin started giving him money. And he's been vilified for 15 years for it. It's time for us to let it go, and for him to let it go. I would hope he's there tomorrow, since it's not the Fab Five without him.
Steve Fisher can stay far away tho. Adults should know better.
I'd love to see Webber: after a mea culpa and an apology.
*there
This comment was for my original post. I wasn't correcting the person who responded to my comment; this isn't "trolling".
Rice, Robinson, Higgins, Vaught, And Mills have a get-together instead.
Would love to see it, but I'm not sure Robinson can have that many visitors in a week, yet alone a day.
Robinson would have to space his visitors out a bit.. and get them on a preauthorization list
I think there's a misconception out there that Webber doesn't care. I think he cares. I also think there are some hard feelings with the University that make him want to just stay back and root privately for this team. I also think he's incredibly embarrassed. He's a smart guy. he made a decision when he was younger that I will gaurentee he thinks about every single day because he had part in essentially taking three successful years from the program not to mention the TO. If he shows up, great I guess but I don't expect it and I don't really blame him. I don't think it's something where he is trying to stick it to anyone.
Anything behind your theory that he roots for Michigan in private? I can see a plausible situation where he is bitter and jaded enough where the contrary is true.
He tweeted his support for the team before the Syracuse game, so I don't think it's theoretical that he roots for Michigan.
He also said we were going to beat Kansas during a TNT broadcast before the game.
it's time.
I was leary about it at first, but now that the team has played their hearts out and made it to the finals, it is time indeed.
As a Michigan representative. I also wish Webber wasn't such a coward.
Based only on me watching the fab five doc, it seems like Chris had a rough time off and on at the university. Then, the infamous timeout. I cannot even fathom how embarassed he must have felt and then the added embarassment of being in the Ed Martin scandal. I think Jalen is probably right in that he wants to be totaly separated from it. I hope he can overcome that though and show up with the rest of the fab five tomorrow night
Yeah Jalen. Get it done
Come on CW lets do this!!!
Not to be downer, but why the hell are you so eager to to see a player who helped bring corruption and shame to the university in a major and lasting way? A great player, sure. And everyone deserves a shot at redemption. But he's still playing the petulant victim. I don't think the university needs a reminder of that tomorrow night.
You're like the Nyquil of downers.
I don't get this either. We are going to hear over and over about how many years it's been since Michigan was in the finals...and some want to celebrate the main actor in causing the long, dark era that followed the Fab Five?
While it may be a stretch to call Webber a victim, he was far from being the main actor. It was, after all, the Ed Martin scandal.
Also, this isn't about celebrating him -- it's about celebrating this year's team. People comparing this to Tressel's triumphal return at the horseshoe last fall (as someone did the other day) are way off base. He won't be getting carried off the court on anybody's shoulders, but it would be cool if he was there cheering when Trey Burke is.
If nobody on Michigan's team takes Martin's money then there is no problem for Michigan.
I so hope this happens. I would love to see the Fab 5 there when THIS team does what they could not.
but what would the fab 5 do if they won? I imagine if it were just the other four they might go down to the court or maybe even the locker room, but I doubt C-Webb would be allowed to do that? Would they just stay in their seats? Because that seems too boring for them (kind of /s but not really).
Webber CAN do whatever he wants. The University just can't purchase tickets for him
It's just that I would think allowing him to celebrate with your players might count as association. Just being really cautious on this one.
Let this team have their spotlight. If the fab five want to come to the game, great. No need for the publicity and media attention
How exactly do you want Jalen to make it known that a bunch of people including himself want to see him at the game?
It would not be difficult for him to contact Webber personally, I'm sure. Bringing it into a public forum makes it seem to be about publicity, attention, and ultimately self-promotion.
The game is played on the court by the current players; the fab five had their time in the limelight and it was glorious but also had a dark side. It's over- has been over for two decades. Should Michael Jordan issue a press release before attending a UNC game?
I'm sure he's contacted Webber himself many times abou the idea. He had to do something to get a bunch of people behind it.
That would be awesome, I'm 100% for it.
...after this extremely public appeal, you can all forget about him making any attempt to reconcile.
I don't know about extremely public. If this wasn't posted on here I never would have seen it.
It's on the the front page of ESPN.com. I'd say that is pretty public.
He doesn't need to show up. All he needs to do is say (tweet?) something like "Hey this game doesn't feel like the right time for me, but we'll get back together soon, Go blue".
It is time. It would be an unforgettable moment.
But I'm only ok with it if Webber takes responsibility and mans up. Not sure how he could or would do that. Maybe just being there would be enough. If he cheered his heart out. Just don't know.
I've been wearing a hat to every game this season from the 93 Final Four my dad got when he was there. Do I wear this hat tomorrow or is it bad luck?
Wear the hat.
Agreed. Wear the hat! I'll be wearing the same t-shirt I've been wearing for every game this year. Also didn't wash it after the Cuse game.
I wore that exact same T-shirt the last two games.
I am on 4 games with same shirt, including sweating my ass bc its a thick long sleeve, at a shirt and tie brunch on easter. Dedication is definatly a understatement.
/s
I'll wear it. Maybe if I get close enough to the Fab Five reunion in the dome I'll get them all to sign it, one can dream right?
Ironically I ran into someone with the SAME EXACT HAT, authentic from '93, but the Kentucky version. Who would've though that two 20 year old hats would be spotted in the same place?
You've been wearing it all year. Why ask or even think of changing now??