Santa Praises Warde in Michigan Daily Interview
A nice Michigan Daily interview with Santa Ono.
Below is what he said about Warde. Seems pretty unequivocal to me. Count me NOT among the "torch and pitchfork" crowd coming after Warde. Warde is not to blame for Beilein, Hutch or Bakich leaving; they each had their own reasons for doing so. The Pearson thing was not great, Bob. Santa disagrees in the interview that Michigan is behind on NIL; I tend to agree with Santa on this, based on what I've seen and read and heard. Warde's had some missteps, but, overall, the department seems to be mostly humming along.
SO: So I’ve been a university president for over a decade, and you know that I was the President of University of Cincinnati and the President of University of British Columbia. And so it actually isn’t traditional that the president has no role, especially with respect to the recruitment and retention of head coaches. It’s pretty common that presidents collaborate with athletic directors to either recruit or retain individuals of that caliber. And so my relationship with Warde Manuel is fantastic. As I said when I was announced as president, I think he is the best athletic director in North America. I’ve worked with many. And I knew him when I was president of the University of Cincinnati, and he was athletic director for University of Connecticut. We were actually rivals, and so I experienced firsthand how good he is because of that rivalry between the University of Connecticut and the University of Cincinnati. So I have the utmost respect for him, and I think he’s doing a fantastic job. The extent to which I can be helpful, to support him run a successful program, I’ll be involved.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:27 PM ^
This interview might take some of the heat off Warde.
Santa seems to have given Warde quite a...gift...
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:53 PM ^
Warde apparently is not on the naughty list.
If he can now unleash the lawyers and thoroughly embarrass the NCAA over bugergate, he will be in everyone's good graces again.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:33 PM ^
Fire the lawyer cannon!
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:39 PM ^
That gift is the dreaded vote of confidence.
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:03 PM ^
That isn’t Ono’s style. He wouldn’t do the interview and accept the question to blow smoke. I am quite sure Ono has had talks with Warde about the needs of the athletic department, Harbaugh, the football and bball programs & NIL.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:01 PM ^
He will be on his way out next Friday at 5pm.
February 2nd, 2023 at 9:33 PM ^
That definitely wasn't a vote of confidence. He called him the best AD in the country.
That's so far from, "I'm confident Warde has us headed in the right direction."
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:29 PM ^
As a follow up, kudos to me for...
*Informative, clear thread headline
*Getting the link right
*Adding my own analysis
*Quoting the appropriate passage
A+ work...especially for an old guy like me!
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:31 PM ^
I will agree and upvote again - well done!
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:32 PM ^
*and humility. A+ for humbleness.
(j/k - i'd be way worse)
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:39 PM ^
I'm not even mad about this self-aggrandizement, given the immense volume of shitposts.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:41 PM ^
Proper, sir. I very much appreciate this versus "You'll never guess what a University President Said about *THIS* Athletic Director".
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:07 PM ^
Or another recent trend in what I assume is AI created headlines, "The college football world reacts to Santa Ono's comments about Warde Manuel".
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:59 PM ^
Great job. You deserve a pat on the back.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:04 PM ^
Yeah - the bar isn’t set too high when it’s praise worthy that “you didn’t fuck up”!!!!
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:13 PM ^
It's hard to be humble when you are perfect in every way. (I get better looking every day.)
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:34 PM ^
Excellent job! I graduated in 1986, and when I leave teaching it won't be because of parents, kids, or admin-it will be the ever-increasing technology demands that you must learn or be left behind.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:30 PM ^
Of course, if he did have any issue with Manuel, he wouldn't say so here. ("As a matter of fact, our relationship stinks.") That's a matter of decorum.
(The headline is misleading. Ono didn't say what he ordered at Pizza House.)
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:30 PM ^
Anyone know a good place to store pitchforks? Asking for some of my internet message board friends.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:43 PM ^
Pitchforks are best stored at home in a convenient location such as a closet or in an entry way. Ideally they'll be kept in the same place as your supply of torches, oily rags and cudgel(s). If located in a closet it is not advised that the closet be locked as that could result in a delayed response and the consequences that could follow. Maintain storage temperatures between 0 and 120 degrees F. Avoid excessive exposure to water or light. Treat your pitchforks periodically with a light coating of 3-in-1 oil and sharpen as needed. Heavy use may require more frequent oiling and sharpening. Above all, keep within reach of children.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
Me and the town-folk thank you. Here's our picture so you can have an image of all of the faces you helped today:
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:21 PM ^
wouldn't the plural of cudgel still be cudgel?
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:45 PM ^
Many of them find their way into someone's back.
February 3rd, 2023 at 9:10 AM ^
I don’t get the point of your question.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:30 PM ^
So he's decided to keep Warde because of how well the AD is running. For that I am not surprised. Also not surprised at the unequivocal wording of support if he's going to keep the guy. But do I think the issues with Harbaugh's contract negotiation is something he probably frowned on? Absolutely. But he can't admit it...
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:31 PM ^
My brother sat behind Santa at the WHKY game on Sunday. I jokingly asked my brother to ask Santa what he thought of Warde. My brother politely declined. But he did ask me to share with my MGoFriends that “Santa goes to Michigan Women’s hockey, so should you!” Santa greeted the team after the game. I’m more hopeful that WHKY will be raised to Varsity status. I just don’t think it will happen in time to benefit my niece, who currently plays on the team.
P.S. My other niece is in the Michigan Women’s Glee Club. Support them too!
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:31 PM ^
Fire Warde
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:33 PM ^
I have no clue how any of this ends up but what else was he supposed to say? It's not like he can trash him publicly.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:47 PM ^
It should also be mentioned that on Wardes watch, we've seemed to have a cornucopia of big ten titles across all sports. Don't devalue this. I guess I'm in the minority in saying I'm glad we have him and to be careful what you wish for.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:59 PM ^
I don't know how many of those coaches Warde actually hired. I know Bakich, Barnes Arico, Harbaugh and many of the other coaches who have been successful were Brandon or Hackett hires.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:47 PM ^
But it's not just hiring. It's financial (and other forms of) support, it's assistant coaches, it's recruiting and scholarships ...
We tend to focus only on football and basketball (ok, and to a lesser extent baseball and hockey), and only focus on our particular dissatisfactions (purported NIL incompetence, his failure to publicly admonish Harbaugh for his flirtations with the NFL, whatever) ... while overlooking the success of those programs, and the rest of the athletic department.
In other words, he gets blamed for everything that is visible and goes badly, but he gets no credit for everything that goes well. Fair enough, I suppose -- that's the job. But we should at least be aware or, and acknowledge, that dynamic. The Michigan athletic department is doing quite well, and he's been in charge for seven years now. That's probably not a complete coincidence!
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:01 PM ^
The financial support has been there before Warde and will be there after Warde. In fact, I would argue that coaching salaries and facility upgrades in nonrevenue sports have decreased in the years that he has been AD.
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:26 PM ^
Ok, prove it. And don't say the word bakich..
February 3rd, 2023 at 12:30 AM ^
This is emphatically not true.
Money is turned on or off in a heartbeat based on many factors, one of the most critical being the AD.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:49 PM ^
Public facing coach speak.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:50 PM ^
I don't blame Warde for any of the coaching issues other than wanting to retain Pearson and burying that report. That's close to fireable offense to me but there isn't much you can do when people like Hutch want to retire, Beilein doesn't like college basketball anymore, and Bakich rightly notes that the Big 10 is a mid-major baseball conference and he needs to get out.
I'm not a fan of Warde or a detractor; he seems like an average P5 AD. Anyone expecting significantly better is sorta fooling themselves.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:26 PM ^
I'm not a fan of Warde or a detractor; he seems like an average P5 AD. Anyone expecting significantly better is sorta fooling themselves.
That's reasonable.
But I was hoping for Warde having a fucking spine and telling the NCAA to go fuck themselves over burgergate. Instead Warde is their cuck.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:33 PM ^
How do we know he hasn't? Or maybe he is just backing Jim's decision to not give them what they want. That's basically telling them to go fuck themselves without explicitly saying it.
Personally, I don't want our AD to publicly tell the NCAA to fuck off. It might feel good temporarily, and the board may give him a collective cheer, but nothing is going to make the NCAA dig in their heels more than being humiliated in front of the rest of the college world.
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:19 PM ^
There ya go again, being reasonable.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:20 PM ^
Personally, I don't want our AD to publicly tell the NCAA to fuck off.
In this instance, yes, I do.
The NCAA needs Michigan (and schools like Michigan) more than the Michigan needs the NCAA.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:40 PM ^
The NCAA needs Michigan (and schools like Michigan)...
Sure it does, because the NCAA is just a representative of the schools. But there's little to no chance that any of these schools would stand up for Michigan in a public pissing match.
One thing I've learned is that it's best not to publicly humiliate petty little individuals because they'll constantly try to find some way to get revenge and they'll try to come after us for every little thing in the future. I would give this advice to football coaches, ADs, college presidents, and leaders of a country like the USA.
Privately tell them to respectfully go fuck themselves. Don't admit to lying and make them prove that you did. But there's just way too little to be gained from publicly shaming them.
Just my .02. You're free to feel how you like.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:22 PM ^
You're right.
We're aligned (mostly).
I've learned what hills to die on in life and how to play the game.
But I've also learned that you get a free pass every now and again too.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:16 PM ^
Nah, I'm never right. But thanks for letting me have this one. 😊
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
Nice to see Santa move Warde off the naughty list.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:52 PM ^
This is just wrong. I was told by a number of people that Warde was on his way out. We were just waiting for WD's aunt to weigh in.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:06 PM ^
WD's aunt to weigh in
Interesting. I've never wondered how big she is.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:52 PM ^
This is just wrong. I was told by a number of people that Warde was on his way out. We were just waiting for WD's aunt to weigh in.
Uh-oh, the dreaded double post. I shall chastise my mouse.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:34 PM ^
I shall chastise my mouse.
Don't do it too often or you'll get dark circles under your eyes and grow hair on your palms.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:15 PM ^
Oh, so that explains it.