Tom Lemming on WTKA
If you guys didn't catch it on Friday, here is Sam Webb calling Tom Lemming out on the recruiting article that he wrote. http://wtka.com/index.php?fuseaction=home.podcasts_sel&id=955
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:26 PM ^
That was an interesting conversation.
I don't think Tom Lemming has an ax to grind with U of M or anything. I think he honestly believes MSU has a better class than Michigan.
I just think he's wrong.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:29 PM ^
I was somewhat on the fence about Tom Lemming before, but this makes me think he's a total retard. He mentions half of MSU's class as impact players, and then refers to the cream of Michigan's crop as guys who "could contribute." Andrew Maxwell gets all kind of praise, but TForce gets nothing. Lemming had no response when Webb brought up that UM had 5 guys at the Army game while MSU had 2.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:37 PM ^
I noticed that, too. He said a lot of MSU recruits were impact players but all the guys Sam Webb brought up, Lemming said they "could be impact players."
However, he did have a response to UM having more players in the Army game - he said that was Rivals' doing, not his own. He didn't have a voice in the selection process this year, apparently.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 PM ^
He did not say he didn't have a voice, he said he no longer had "the final say." He is still very involved in the selection process. What I meant when I said he didn't have a response wasn't that he sat their silent, but he didn't have a retort to why M had so many more guys there than MSU. I was hoping he would say why he thought so many more of our guys were chosen, but he didn't.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:40 PM ^
Lemming's axe to grind seems to stem from the times he used to take pictures of players at UM and when RR came in, he told him no and now he goes to MSU and all of sudden MSU has better recruits...Curious.
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:06 PM ^
Yeah, on todays recruiting roundup and on gobluewoverine hour, Sam and Tom Beaver both said that Tom L was being an asshole.
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:12 PM ^
You'd probably be an asshole, too.
Think about it - his job is to rank players and, in turn, schools. And when schools aren't ranked as high as they want to be, their "representatives" (fans, internet guys, radio guys) start bitching and moaning. It calls the guy's integrity into question. And now that I was reminded of the little dustup about the photo op at Michigan being canceled this past year, Sam Webb's closing question about it seemed to be a little barb at Lemming saying, "Remember that photo op getting canceled last year. Is that going to happen this year? Or is that why you're a little down on Michigan?" I definitely think Webb was trying to imply something with that question, because it was totally unrelated to the topic they were discussing for 95% of that conversation.
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:34 PM ^
He was talking about that today and how Lemming called the school right after they spoke accusing Sam Webb of something.
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:36 PM ^
Yeah, judging from that conversation, I'd say either Sam Webb is an asshole or both of them are. Webb was clearly incapable of having an objective conversation on the topic.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:00 PM ^
Sam Webb is objectivity.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^
That's funny, because the last thing I want from him is homerism.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:05 PM ^
Come on man, it's U of M sports radio. It's pretty difficult to have a show focused on a team that is also completely unbiased. Especially since most people want to hear good news about their team.
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:59 PM ^
WTKA is not owned by UofM.
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:28 PM ^
What the hell does that have to do with ANYTHING Jay?
He is the host of a radio show called: "The Michigan Insider", on a radio station that bills itself as "The Unofficial Voice of Michigan Sports", AND he writes for GoBlueWolverine the Magazine.
Why on earth would you want/expect him to be objective?
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:12 AM ^
Did I say anything about ownership?
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 PM ^
It's not that I want him to be completely unbiased. It's that I don't want him laughing at the notion that Lemming ranked his players differently than everyone else. That conversation was doomed for failure because he didn't approach it with an open mind. Sam Webb basically just called him up to argue with him. He (IMO) took a shot at Lemming's journalistic integrity at the very end. And when Sam Webb said, "I'm going to run through a list of Michigan players and you tell me if they'll be impact players," he started arguing with Lemming on, like, the second name and that topic never went any further.
Even if it's a UM station, I'd rather have a guy give honest, straight-up information than give it a UM slant. If this were an OSU radio guy and we got wind of it, we'd call the dude a homer. It does me no good to hear a homer's side of things.
Ask the questions. Let the guy answer. If he says something you disagree with, point out where he's wrong. End of story. It was just a shitty, shitty interview, in my opinion.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:26 PM ^
Thanks for the rational explanation.
February 2nd, 2009 at 4:07 PM ^
IIRC, the "book" on Lemming for years is that he overrates midwest recruits. So, besides his axe to grind, he also seems to be a parochial pissant.
Since UM is recruiting more in the south, Lemming can't help but underrate their classes now.
February 2nd, 2009 at 5:32 PM ^
Lemming is kind of an idiot. Though so is Webb. Neither of them listens to each other.
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:56 PM ^
Yeah, but Webb is OUR idiot. Lemming is just a, well.....Lemming.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:01 PM ^
If he was a "lemming" he would fall in line with ESPN, Scout, and Rivals and say that Michigan's class is better. Tom Lemming was basically the instigator of today's recruiting craze. To call him a "lemming" (even though I know you're somewhat joking) is far, far off-base.
February 2nd, 2009 at 8:08 PM ^
Lemming is just retarded. Sorry not every recruit who dominates Michigan high school football dominates the Big 10. Like he is just plain retarded.
And maybe Webb isn't objective, but he is arguing the truth here. MSU's recruiting class isn't even on the same level as Michigan's, but to say it's ahead....
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:07 PM ^
mrider:
Your post brings me back to one of my favorite contentions:
Dominating the state of Michigan in recruiting will get you a nice, eight or nine win season pretty much every year, putting you at the top of the little eight.
However, if you want to win the Big Ten or have any hope of competing for the National Championship, you have to recruit nationally and get your share of warm weather kids.
Little sister seems to be content "dominating the state of Michigan;" great for them. It gives them something to brag about and feel good about themselves while losing two out of three on a regular basis to UM.
But they won't be a regular visitor at the Rose Bowl, nor will they put a dent in their usual .333 record against UM.
For UM, that works out great. MSU will have a decent computer ranking, thus helping UM's computer ranking, but they will present no real threat to UM.
Sounds like everyone wins. Sorta.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:34 PM ^
Funny thing is, MSU doesn't even dominate in-state. We usually still end up with the creme of the crop in the state (Campbell, Cissoko, Mike Martin, O'Neill, etc). Even when they get the best RB or QB in the state, we find one even better out of state and sometimes didn't even offer the in-state "stud". Furthermore, if Michigan doesn't offer or interest an in-state all star recruit, they'll go out of state to USC or OSU like Perry, Rojo, Barksdale, or James Jackson.
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:02 AM ^
Michigan State gets quantity, Michigan gets quality.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:36 PM ^
It's funny how Lemming says everyone has been ignoring MSU's recruiting classes lately, and he says they have been competitive with Michigan "lately" well 1 better season after a complete overhaul in football.