Jay Bilas, you blow.
Did anyone see the Tenn-Fla pregame with the ESPN crew basically ripping apart our squad? Jay Bilas was definitely leading the pack, insisting that we have big, big problems. I agree, except our problems include zero inside presence, soft D, and little to no rebounding. However, Bilas and crew made our program out to look like a bunch of thugs and that Belein has this 'very serious' problem to deal with. Anyway, obviously i'm a biased michigan fan but after every replay of Harris' elbow I kept thinking that we we're seeing something different.
Anyway, I always thought it was dumb when people hated ESPN but this really pissed me off. Do they not remember where we were last year? Or the years previous when Amaker was our coach (Bilas did make a point how he NEVER got thrown out of a game in his 4 year career and neither did his teammates, hmm Tommy A?, but we had 2 in 2 games)?
Bilas is a douchebag.
January 31st, 2009 at 8:57 PM ^
GOD I hope Brian takes that assclown Bilas apart on Monday. That idiot has just been itching for a moment to grind his ax with UM again. Hey Bilas, Shamaker was a terrible coach and was fired. Sorry to tell you that everything Duke doesn't walk on water. Quit being a bitch.
BTW, somebody might want to inform these ESPN morons that there is no such thing as an "unintentional flagrant foul".
February 1st, 2009 at 12:11 AM ^
I agree, but FWIW, a flagrant foul can be intentional or unintentional.
February 1st, 2009 at 4:58 AM ^
Are you sure about that? I'm not, but I thought that a flagrant was more than just a hard foul. I suppose there is a fine line and it's hard to really know a player's intent, but I thought a hard foul that seemed unintentional wasn't a flagrant. I could be wrong though.
February 1st, 2009 at 9:37 AM ^
Yep, I'm sure. I actually looked it up yesterday during the game.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=2&url=http%3A%2F%2F…
Rule 4, Section 29, Article 2c (page 72)
"Flagrant personal foul, live ball. A flagrant personal foul shall be a personal foul that involves severe or extreme contact with an opponent or involves contact that is extreme in nature while the ball is live."
Note no mention of intent. Also, FWIW, I'm a HS ref and in the NFHS rule book, it specifically says a flagrant can be intentional or unintentional.
February 1st, 2009 at 9:58 AM ^
flagrant or not, he shouldn't have been ejected for playing the game and making an unfortunate move with his elbow.
February 1st, 2009 at 9:39 AM ^
So, I guess you can argue, technically, the correct call was made. But no way do I think that should have been a flagrant. It was an unfortunate accident that warranted a foul and nothing more.
January 31st, 2009 at 8:59 PM ^
Just saw it. A lot of piling on going on there. They were talking about how the Big 10 needs to crack down on this and whenever someone gets hit with an elbow it should be considered the same as a punch.
Making a HUUUGE deal out of a guy getting hit with an elbow like it never has happened before.
Have these guys played pick up before? Happens ALL THE TIME. Yeah, Novak was dirty, but the Manny play was nothing.
January 31st, 2009 at 9:00 PM ^
Hubert Davis (the youngest, go figure) was the only one who wasn't like "OMG MICHIGAN SUCKZ AND CHEATZ! BAN THEM!".
I liked Bob Knight before, but I'm tired of him sucking ESPN dick. Fuck them all.
January 31st, 2009 at 9:07 PM ^
Everything ESPN does is to get more attention. If it was most teams, ESPN would rip on the refs in this case and show the replay a million times because refs seriously fucking up is a big story. However, since it's Michigan, which has a national following and all that jazz, they get more attention by ripping Michigan.
January 31st, 2009 at 9:47 PM ^
is a no talent ass clown. He is probably the most biased sports commentator in history. Remember last year when Tyler Hansborough was elbowed by Duke guard Gerald Henderson? He defended Henderson last year and said the play was not dirty. IMO, what Henderson did to Hansborough was twice as dirty than what Manny did. Manny had no intent to connect with an elbow. He was just swinging the ball from the right hip to the left shoulder. Its called a clear out. Bilas rips our program and coach and says we have major issues to deal with. Your a public figure on a national network Bilas, start acting like it.
I agree with the Novak suspension but if Manny gets suspended, I will be ripped. They better not hold a grudge towards us come tourny time if we are on the bubble.
January 31st, 2009 at 10:52 PM ^
As much as I dislike him, I must say that Bilas is one of the best analysts out there in terms of his technical knowledge of the game and ability to convey that in an intelligible way. It's when his personal biases and idiosyncrasies get in the way of his talent that things go sour. The thing that makes this just a bit more irksome than usual (singling Bilas out of the bunch here) is that he was pretty damn favorable to Michigan when he called the second Duke game. Or so it seemed. The whole "this is Michigan basketball!" thing and the lack of any Amaker mentions was encouraging, but today he showed himself to be the front-running jerk he's always been.
January 31st, 2009 at 10:05 PM ^
If I read too much more on here, I’m gonna blow up. Seriously, I’m about to go on a rampage.
It boggles my mind how so much of the media jumps dumps on Michigan. Jay Bilas–obviously still pissed about the whole Amaker thing.
Digger Phels a.k.a. Notre Dame homer.
Absolutely absurd. JB needs to get control of his team? Really? We’re up 1 point on the road in a game we’re not suppose to be in squarely on the bubble—yeah like Manny Harris tried to knock Kramer out. Do people not think before they speak.
I wish I was Eric Puls. I wish I was on the team. Because I would do everything in my power to fire everyone up. This is absolutely ridiculous—we are a bulleye and its BS. I would turn this into fire and desire in that locker room.
Sheryl’s article really bothers me too—obviously Manny is saying all the right things. No doubt Novak’s call influenced what happened today. “We had two things go against us.”—I mean, I guess Manny. But shouldn’t that piss him off? Shouldn’t that light a fire in him? Shouldn’t this fire up the team.
Let’s go boys! Enough of this shit. Boy I’m fired up tonight. I realize this post didn’t make alot of sense but I’m fired up now.
And another thing—-
I live in Cleveland so I can’t go to many of the games. Those of you that can go—make sure you do everything you can to help create a home court advantage. The dance is still very do-able but we have to win at home. So jump around, scream, yell and get loud. This team deserves it and they need our help. Everyone should take it personal. Everyone should take what happened today personally. This is our team. Enough is enough.
January 31st, 2009 at 10:11 PM ^
Yeah lets go fuck the rest of the big ten lets get ourselves in to the tourny
February 1st, 2009 at 1:10 AM ^
Bilas is a butt pirate. End of discussion.
February 1st, 2009 at 2:16 AM ^
Zing.....Lame zing but a zing nonetheless
February 1st, 2009 at 8:14 AM ^
'Jay Bilas' sounds suspiciously close to 'Gay Bias.'
February 1st, 2009 at 9:21 AM ^
this might be a bit off topic but i didn't want to start a new thread. anyone know where i might be able to see video of the novak elbow?
February 1st, 2009 at 10:19 AM ^
is very much like the Notre Dame cult in football. Anyone who gets in the way, questions them or undercuts their hypocrisy is muzzled.
No question Martin gets on this by first speaking with ESPN about Libilas and then to Delany about the atrocious B10 refs. Funny, they only originally called a regular foul on Manny for a common basketball move, but then to respond to the crowd they eject him from the game? That's ridiculous. Those refs should be suspended for the rest of the year. Better yet, they should be fired. Martin needs to stand up to the rest of the B10 coaches that want maximum contact without fouls because they field physical players with no actual basketball skills. Delany should consider how the B10 teams will do in the tourney when those cheap defensive moves are called fouls and you go 1-6 like football because no one can score, pass, dribble or do anything that even remotely suggests offense. The irony, of course, is that we get accused of being too physical when the opposite is true. Other teams are getting away with obvious fouls that would be called by any other conference. We are the victims. MSU, Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin and all the other no talent teams with no NBA prospects and just cheap pricks like Kramer are the real offenders here.
February 1st, 2009 at 11:39 AM ^
Um MSU is the only team in the Big Ten as of now that can compete on the national stage. Plus Morgan, Summers, and Lucas could turn out to be NBA prospects in the future.
February 1st, 2009 at 3:03 PM ^
They have home losses to Northwestern and Penn State and their best win is against Texas, which is easily neutralized by a bad loss to Maryland. I hardly consider that upper echelon.
Truth be told, there isn't a single B10 team that's Sweet 16 caliber right now (maybe Minnesota). You have about 7-8 good but not great teams (I still consider Michigan to be among them). We're talking bowl disaster all over again, and all in the name of playing "physical" by fielding no talent guys who just know how to commit fouls. You substitute MSU for OSU in football and you see a disturbingly similar trend.
As far as MSU's "prospects," I don't think any of the guys you mentioned are PURE SCORERS. That's what you have to be now. There are very few NBA players that get by on defense alone. You need athletic guys who can make plays on both sides of the court. This is a trend you're seeing in all sports.
February 1st, 2009 at 11:46 AM ^
watch sports, not sportscasters