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Mid-major basketball in…

Mid-major basketball in metro areas with numerous other entertainment options can be a depressing experience. I've been to games at UIC in Chicago. Their arena is super-accessible and the product isn't bad, but there are thousands of empty seats. Sitting a few rows up at center court is pretty easy to do.

I don't know for sure…

I don't know for sure whether Churchill actually said this, but:

Churchill: "Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?" Socialite: "My goodness, Mr. Churchill... Well, I suppose... we would have to discuss terms, of course... "

Churchill: "Would you sleep with me for five pounds?"

Socialite: "Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!"

Churchill: "Madam, we've already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.”

My point: Michigan is (and has been, to degrees) in the dirt for a long time, though maybe not to a *great* degree. At this stage there's no shame in mixing it up with the expert cheaters. I'm referring mostly to OSU.

If we're going to use the…

If we're going to use the large paintbrush this morning, I'm going to add another category: Mediocre* MBAs in positions of influence. I'm thinking of the health care industry now and a certain class of MBAs in that environment. (I have a particular undergrad path in mind, but I'll be nice and not mention it.) Ones who couldn't understand the big picture if they stared at it for several minutes. They're bossing around people much smarter than them.

On the main topic, here's where I am at the moment: Let's say Michigan cheated (not completely certain) and did something "unprecedented" (certain, as in, I do not agree). Let's say this was necessary to beat the pod people from Ohio. Given their collective emotional response, I'd say it was all worth it!

* Picture someone with unimpressive undergraduate credentials and nothing in the work history that suggests greatness. Maybe a tryhard personality. Add an MBA from a school outside the top tiers. There are thousands of them out there and they tend to take care of each other. They wreak havoc daily.

It seems that the MGoBlog…

It seems that the MGoBlog readership has already already hit the web archive link too many times.

I was able to find the SI version of the article. Would it be OK to drop a few quotes here? I hope so. Comments in brackets.

The Inside Read interviewed a dozen current and former coaches about the prevalence of stealing signals, and a majority consider the espionage a high-stakes game within the game. Most programs have staffers with binoculars in the press box peering at the signals being sent in on the opposing sideline.

Another SEC assistant said the bigger the staff of the school, the more he’s concerned. [Interesting. What Big Ten school does that bring to mind? Hint: It's in an adjacent state and south of Michigan.]

Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman said the Buckeyes don’t have a specific staff member assigned to trying to break the code of the opposition’s signals. [Did he mean to say they had a small army instead? Maybe this is just paranoia on my part, but I think this shows how smart and diabolical Urban Meyer was in that role. He anticipated questions about actions that could possibly be considered unfair and instructed his staff on how to handle them. Why unfair? See my earlier note. It would be easier for richer schools to have large, well-coordinated efforts.]

“I think it happens all the time,” Herman said of opponents stealing signals. “I don’t have a problem with it.” [So, just in case we're discovered, we won't have to backtrack from any morality position. It also makes us look above it all and keeps us in the good graces of other schools. Brilliant.]

There’s an easy way to curtail the culture of signal stealing in college football. McAulay, who has refereed three Super Bowls, is a vocal advocate of sideline-to-helmet wireless communication. [Timeless.]

I've made some edits. Hat tip to joegeo.

*** Disclaimer: I'm not a…

*** Disclaimer: I'm not a physician. I know and have worked closely with several. ***

In the main article there's a link to another ESPN article from right after the surgery:

https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/38407827/michigan-coach-juwan-howard-heart-procedure-6-12-weeks

Within, a quote of note:

Dr. Himanshu Patel, who performed the operation, said Howard is expected to fully recover in six to 12 weeks and could return to the program in four to six weeks.

I think we could trust him.

That's rough.

Based on his…

That's rough.

Based on his age, appearance, and lifestyle (EtOH consumption, probably long hours for many years with some stress), it seems easy to conclude that he is (as of a few days ago, anyway) a high-functioning alcoholic and somewhat lucky to be alive. How many years would a medical actuary have given him at 60?

Regarding the odds of him "getting help" and "turning it around," I wish him the best but consider both unlikely. Like many of you, probably, I'm old enough to have seen some extended family members and acquaintances drink themselves to death. Failures have greatly outnumbered successes.

Thank you. I was about to…

Thank you. I was about to berate the original poster for not including a link.

I've known a few people in I…

I've known a few people in I.T. over the years that have juggled multiple jobs. Never anything crazy, though, where they had to often switch between calendars in the middle of the day and be in two meetings simultaneously. Rather, the positions tended to be "lone wolf" in nature without many required meetings, where a bunch of work was tossed over the wall and could be done at whatever time during the day.

These also tended to be younger people working 70-80 hours a week. I never got the sense that they were ripping anyone off.

Good to hear that things…

Good to hear that things work appropriately sometimes! :)

At UMH the funemployed (plural) were eventually noticed and dispatched. The person at the consultancy was dug in well politically, though, and survived long enough to make a graceful hop somewhere else. (No clue how that next gig went ...)

You're a lucky man, HighBeta…

You're a lucky man, HighBeta. I've seen this even at UM Hospital and a consultancy that's a household name.

This reminds me of a time…

This reminds me of a time when I met a couple of PGY-8 thoracic surgery fellows at UM Hospital. These guys had done undergrad, med school, and their general surgery residencies at top schools.

Back then and probably today, the lifestyle was very punishing. It was a little chilling to see how aged they looked in their mid-30s. Get your sleep if you can, kids.

uofmfan_13 has a good…

uofmfan_13 has a good question for us.

Hutchinson for sure. Harbaugh, too, obviously, if we're including coaches.

What are the criteria?

For sustained individual greatness (disregarding team record) Brandon Graham and Denard seem like great choices.

I enjoyed watching Peppers play, especially on punt returns, where I think he's the GOAT for the fielding part, I don't quite see how he was responsible for bringing the brand back to relevancy. But, I'm not sure who'd rank above him.

That's four players. Other guys I'd consider for culture reasons are Hassan Haskins and Ronnie Bell.

You (of all people on this…

You (of all people on this board) had an opportunity to find (https://www.google.com/search?as_q=urban+meyer+predictions+texas+harrison) a Tweet and include it in your post. Here you go:

https://twitter.com/TIM_MAYsports/status/1654501035375747073

... and it's being filmed by…

....... and it's being filmed by the mysterious shirtless guy on the boat who appeared in his remote interview.

When I have pleasant dreams…

When I have pleasant dreams about the 2023 football season, Michigan runs the table and OSU brings two losses to The Game in Ann Arbor. They have no hope of winning the Big Ten or going to the playoff. Their mercenaries are even less motivated than usual. You can imagine the rest.

I'd love for there to be a…

I'd love for there to be a year where OSU has that issue and we don't (as opposed to how it is now, when they just stack up 4- and 5-stars).

"Kris Jenkins is going to be…

"Kris Jenkins is going to be the next great Michigan DL."

Whoa. Next, you're going to tell me that this year's Ann Arbor art fair weather will likely involve high heat and humidity. Maybe a thunderstorm, too.

Fun post, though. Could you share more about your occupation without compromising your identity?

I'll be watching Damani's…

I'll be watching Damani's career with interest. I hope he does well wherever he goes.

Completely agree on the…

Completely agree on the helmet. It's like they've forgotten it in the budget since 1950-something. I think an all-white helmet would be an improvement.

I don't like Alabama's helmet for the same reason.

Here's a related one I like:

Here's a related one I like:

Fred Jackson voice: Gatlin…

Fred Jackson voice: Gatlin is already bigger and faster than Don. (Really -- he is.)

For those (like me) who had…

For those (like me) who had no idea what "the CW" is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_CW

Also, think about being a Pac-12 leftover. One minute your peers are UCLA and USC, the next they're UCF and Cinci. That's called sinking in class.

Ah, but misery and interest…

Ah, but misery and interest aren't on the same axis.

Reach late middle age like…

Reach late middle age like me and intrigued is all you'll need to be when watching UM football and basketball. Success is a nice-to-have. It's the circus.

For example, I won't say the Rodriguez years in football were successful, but it was interesting watching something different. Next year I'll enjoy seeing some roster turnover.

It's off-the-charts bizarre…

It's off-the-charts bizarre and a very interesting decision by Santa, who has to know how it would be received.

Where are they getting their…

Where are they getting their numbers? I don't see anyone "showing their work."

2006? I think the past two…

2006? I think the past two teams were better than it on paper. (Never mind on the field ...)

The OSU teams Michigan beat the past two years were (*on paper*) more impressive than the 2006 OSU team.

You could look at the bowl season. 2022's OSU team did pretty well against the SEC's king. After the 2006 season OSU got stomped by Florida.

How about 1997? There was a team with NFL talent all over the field.

Being a centerpiece of a…

Being a centerpiece of a Final Four team would capture attention, yes, but scouts tend to filter that information and focus on the player and his projected fit with their team and the NBA.

I don't think Iggy would've moved the needle much with another year at Michigan. He "was who he was."

You raise a good question about college. Maybe he wanted visibility? A year of U.S. university experience? I don't know.

Persi already has three…

Persi already has three seasons behind him. If he's not ready next fall he'll arguably never be ready. (I think he did fine this year and would be comfortable having him as the LT.) Bounds will be a third-year player, so we should get some indication if he'll ever be starter material.

Yes. OP's "Here's a thought…

Yes. OP's "Here's a thought of mine!" post would fit in perfectly with the old (and useless, with bad signal:noise) MLive board.

This guy never loses:

This guy never loses:

Modern popular culture…

Modern popular culture soothsayers don't usually get much heat for their bad predictions. They'll move on to the next story in fifteen minutes.

Another reliable source…

Another reliable source reported that, if he gets one of those jobs, he's going to privately urge Cade McNamara to enter the NFL draft so that he can pick him in the first round.

In years past, it seemed…

In years past, it seemed that the ACC teams (because of less desirable relationships with the bowls) were often playing teams they were favored to beat.

(No subject)

I mentioned this in another…

I mentioned this in another post, but I wonder if Georgia was possibly overconfident based on a combination of the score of this year's Michigan-OSU game and last year's semifinal. Obviously a lot of players have departed from both teams, but it wasn't hard to see a difference in overall talent.

On OSU: I wouldn't be…

On OSU: I wouldn't be surprised if some Georgians assumed, using some sort of transitive rule across years, that they'd pound Ohio based on The Game's score this year and the ease with which they dispatched Michigan last year.

I think the analysis should…

I think the analysis should include running repeatedly into stacked boxes. I think I'd be annoyed by that even if Michigan had won.

I'm a longtime Wolverine fan…

I'm a longtime Wolverine fan, but even optimistically I can't see Michigan ahead of Georgia in that list.

... at what percent of…

..... at what percent of capability?

Also, I'd like to hear some pregame Keegan news if anyone has any.

Imagine how hot that seat…

Imagine how hot that seat would be if "Urbs" had managed to win one more championship with all his top-rated recruits. (It's a generally horrible thing to imagine.)

Fickell and his staff seem…

Fickell and his staff seem like aces when it comes to identifying talent in the 3-star range. I'd happily steal recruits from him.

That was my interpretation,…

That was my interpretation, too, but I think the OP could've spelled it out much better.

I think they got lumped with…

I think they got lumped with the best of the S-E-C for one reason.

Here's how Michigan and OSU look the last five years by recruiting class ranking (source: 247):

2018: OSU: 2; UM: 22
2019: OSU: 14; UM: 8
2020: OSU: 5; UM: 10
2021: OSU: 2; UM: 13
2022: OSU: 4; UM: 9

OSU's average player ranking was higher than Michigan's every year, so 2019 is a little deceiving. In other years they're pretty clearly in the top tier (along with Alabama, etc.) and Michigan is clearly in the next tier.

As 2018 (not really significant here, as several key players have moved on the NFL) has shown, recruiting rankings aren't destiny. Still, they've been shown to be positively correlated with future player success.

Coaching and motivation matter, but better players give you a margin. Hopefully we'll have another good outcome Saturday.

No great love for Wisconsin …

No great love for Wisconsin (especially basketball), but I almost always cheer against cheatin' Kansas. Go Badgers.

Regarding Gutierrez, he…

Regarding Gutierrez, he definitely bounced around:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Gutierrez

I had no idea. I thought he made a couple of brief practice squad appearances.

Persi is in his third year…

Persi is in his third year. Putting the COVID eligibility confusion aside for a moment, that would make him a RS sophomore. Becoming a starter as a RS junior doesn't seem premature at all. We can probably expect improvement next year and the following year (unless he blows up and leaves early), but he's probably not too far from his ceiling at this point.

I've heard lots of…

I've heard lots of complaining about USNWR rankings over the years (not just for law school). Where there's smoke, there must be at least some fire. For those familiar with how they work, why are they so despised?

Regarding McCarthy, I've…

Regarding McCarthy, I've wondered if they want to "test" his shoulder as little as possible just in case the injury recurs.

"Michigan State is the best…

"Michigan State is the best defense in the history of American Football from inside the 3-yard line."

I'm glad that was noted. They've been narrowly amazing. I have to think their success rate on 2-point conversions is pretty good, too. 4th down as well, possibly.