September 13th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
It's a good thing that you brought it up as a topic. Otherwise, people might forget all about it and stop talking about it altogether.
September 13th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
Yeah asshole.
Don't jinx it.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
Winning doesn't cure all if the NCAA decides to be a bunch of assholes and takes away our bowl eligibiliy this year.
Yeah, I know it would be unwarranted and everyone is expecting nothing more than a year or two pf probation, but the fact is Michigan is a very high profile program which is why everyone knows about practicegate and I wouldn't put it past the NCAA to try to make an example out us.
This whole deal can't get settled soon enough in my opinion.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:00 AM ^
There has been no talk of it... until now.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
<Lights torch, readies the masses>
September 13th, 2010 at 11:57 AM ^
Thank you so much for reminding me. Reset the counter back to zero while you're at it.
September 13th, 2010 at 11:59 AM ^
Why does everyone add "gate" on the end of everything? I get Watergate because of the Watergate Hotel. But practicegate, spygate, and whatever-else-gate, just doesn't make any sense. It's a spy scandal, it's a practice infraction, it's supposed to be english. Anyone else agree? Anyone??
/end rant
September 13th, 2010 at 12:30 PM ^
1. One reason why the Freep-then-NCAA-investigation story has faded is because there has been no news on the subject. It will come up again, in four, six, eight or hwever-many weeks when the Infractions Committtee issues its decision on Michigan's self-sanctioning.
2. Another reason that there has been a vastly reduced amount of MGoBlog chatter on the subject is that a few weeks ago our host and proprietor asked that there be no more Free Press threads, barring dire circumstances. For my part, I've honored Brian's request.
3. And let's face it, the mechanics of the NCAA investigation are meh. It's a piddling, trivial, wholelottanothing of an investigation, and that is why Michigan's self-imposed sanctions are piddling, trivial and a whole lotta nothing. The real story was how a newspaper knocked Michigan's sterling national repuation on its butt for a time. That will be the story going forward, long after the book is closed on the 2009 investigation of Michigan football. Because Michael Rosenberg's rather obvious goal was to create a story that might have ended Coach Rodriguez's tenure. The Rosenberg story is not going away as long as he and his paper are still in business in Detroit.
3. Duh. There is real, live, football about which to chatter.
4. "Practicegate." Personally, I don't like the term. The common wisdom out there in the wider world is that Michigan broke rules on too much practicing. If that is true (I'd argue that it is essentially false), then it is only technically true. If there is a Michigan "--gate," I sort of prefer "Stretchgate," insofar as the only CARA time violation(s) were with respect to the counting of stretching time. And "Stretchgate" better serves to reduce the allegtions to the ridiculouslness they deserve. It also serves to point out the chasm between the original Free Press allegations, which we now know to have been "wildly exaggrated if not flatly incorrect," and the actual allegations produced as a result of the cooperative joint investigation of the NCAA lawyers and Michigan's outside counsel.
Still, I don't know why we couldn't use the occasion of this week to point out that in the Saturday morning paper, Michael Rosenberg and Mark Snyder both predicted a Michigan loss to Notre Dame.
September 13th, 2010 at 3:00 PM ^
You just can't help yourself, can you?
September 13th, 2010 at 2:52 PM ^
It's a non-story. We committed some insignificant infractions and will receive a minor punishment. There is zero chance of the punishment being severe.
September 13th, 2010 at 5:39 PM ^
Until you just brought it up. Sweet.