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Unfortunately I agree. It is such a love/hate when it comes to my view of him.

I say, AND NOT BECAUSE I AGREE WITH HIM, good for him for expressing his beliefs.  Let his views be marginalized by the onward march of culture not fear or censorship.  

I am really going to miss this team.  I don't know that I've ever followed a team that so often just had me with nothing to do but smile as I watched.

Oh, and great video.

What happens if Beilein ends up with the same problem he had this season...his best 5 players are a PF, 3 SF/SGs and a PG?  And I hope he makes the same decision...go with the lineup that wins.

I never thought Mitch would leave. The joint press conference seems like a good time for the new faces of the program to announce they are coming back to lead the team next season.

He disappeared only if you measure productivity by a box score. He was a team leader, a calming influence, the second scorer focus of defenses that helped open up opportunities for Robinson and Stauskas, etc. He will be missed.

Is there a way to donate other than FB?

In his post-game comments following the last game Trey talked about his relationship with Beilein. It seemed clear that he has learned a lot and understands now what Beilein was trying to teach him. It sounded like what was once a source of frustration has turned into a strength and he said he would always love JB. All this is to say only that Trey will make sure his decision is sound, he loves his coach and teammates in a way he didn't last year. I think he will leave but I respect the hell out of his maturity and thoughtfulness.

I think it would have been stupid to put Burke back in and risk either a third foul or tentative defense.    

If nobody on Michigan's team takes Martin's money then there is no problem for Michigan.

After listening to Jalen discuss how it's his belief that Webber wants to disassociate himself with his college career, I don't really think it would be that cool.  And I don't think it would be a great sports moment, it would remind me of the reception Tressel got last season.  I'm not saying to hate Webber because I don't, but I don't like how he's handled any of this.  

He ought to have more of a part in reconciliation than showing up at a moment arguably long delayed in a large part because of him.

I'm not sure how anyone could question what Burke did last night or throughout the tournament.   Unlike various times during the season, he hasn't dominated the ball, he's moved it around, controlled pace, made excellent decisions off the pick and roll, drawn defenders and found the open man, etc.  Every team they have faced has focused on taking him out of the game and yet he's continued to play controlled, not forcing shots, particularly last night.  And let's not forget the defensive job he did on Carter-Williams who had 6 inches and an attitude on him.

Cute girls.  

I guess I'd prefer not to think about the reasons why they are watching movies and having offerings like Basketball Culture at the University of Michigan.

ESPN

Great news, I thought I didn't know where I was.  

Teams focus so much on taking away Burke and Hardaway that it creates open looks for everyone else.  I mean look at Stauskas today, he just camped out and waited for a pass, getting his shot off over and over while the Florida player was scrambling back from help defense.  

I do think Burke is probably the only player that can consistently get his shot against most defenders.  We don't often see Mitch, Stauskas, Robinson or even Hardaway going one-on-one, they are getting either open shots or lanes created by the offensive action.

I think when I was watching the Syracuse game they were talking about Boeheim going to the zone exclusively.  He said something about a college team not having enough shooters was a factor in that decision.  Michigan has enough shooters, everyone except McGary is a 3P threat.  They are going to have to hit them though.  Hulls and Sheehey were 0-9 against Syracuse and Ferrell didn't even attempt a 3.

No question in my mind it's Burke.  First, there's the shot.  Second there's the fact that he's the center of every opponent's defensive scheme and yet the offense Burke led got the better of allegedly two great defenses.

Michigan mentioned that it felt like a road game last night...which way does the crowd go tomorrow?

I just watched that last play again.  Burke was beaten and ends up trailing the play, Morgan leaves Withey to pick up Johnson and LeVert gets in front of Withey towards the top of the key blocking him from a straight shot to the basket.  That left him scrambling to try to defend the last 3 attempt but had he not hung back to slow up Withey things could have ended much differently.

In Self's post-game comments he said that the play wasn't to kick it out.  On top of that, he thought he had an angle for a shot.

I would really like to know what's up with Morgan because he should be backing up Mitch, not Horford.  Horford gave up the inbound dunk, didn't have the sense to get on Withey leaving Trey on him in the paint which led to a foul and generally hasn't contributed.  Morgan at least got to the foul line and a steal in his short time.

I'm fine with Trey's game, it will open up more for him if other guys are scoring.  The shots are pretty evenly distributed so far tonight.  They need to clean up the defense though, they are lunging and leaving paths to the paint wide open.

If I'm Kansas, I'm wondering why I'm not up a lot more.

I watched the post-game Beilein press conference and couldn't stop laughing, it started with the Saturday menu, "we had pizza and chicken wings, it was crazy."  Sunday got crazier with subs.  

It was the best kind of laughing, the kind you do as a kid when an adored grandparent says something that makes you laugh, not at them, maybe not even with them, but just out of the joy of finding something so innocently and perfectly funny.

Yikes...I was so certain it was going to read 14 point lead (just the way it was worded).  It's only gotten worse since I tuned in so it's probably best I go back to the project I need completed for a 2:00 meeting tomorrow.

JB's teams have handled the press pretty well in the past (the few times I've seen them face it).  He likes to pass his way out of it, quickly up the court.  McGary is a great outlet passer so I look for him to a play role. 

It seems we saw a bit of that old Beilein offense before he went all "PG dominate the ball" with Morris.  I hope Burke sees, shot falling or not, he needs to get Robinson, Hardaway and/or Stauskas involved.  I don't want to see him dribbling the air out of the ball, he's got too many threats on the floor to get into as many one-on-one battles as he does.

I cannot root for Michigan State and I will not root for Crean should he take his team to the final four.  Beyond that, I like the conference teams to win.

Reading around on Wolters I see him most often described as crafty, not quick, a good finisher and willing passer out of the paint who can use his dribble to create space.  He lacks lateral quickness on the defensive end, gives a cushion to his man to try to compensate and his good using help defense.

It doesn't sound as if he's a threat to blow by Burke but he has 4" on him.  

After he walked away laughing I am left to wonder what that was really all about.

I guess it's a pick your poison but Indiana's transition game is tough to defend.  I understand why Beilein gambled and I'm sure he didn't figure that they would miss the free throws.  Make a FT and have the defense set and waiting instead of scrambling down the court trying to match up.  It really was a good strategy and a decent bet that Hardaway and Burke could have hit their FTs.  It just didn't work out.

I think these last two games have been good for this team.  Beilein and his staff can talk and talk to the freshmen about being on the road, focusing on every play, toughness, etc. but it will never be the same as the actual experience.  Their backs were against the wall Sunday and they hung on to life.  A potential title was on the line tonight and they managed to claw their way back from a double digit defict to get a win.   Some fans see all of the problems but this is a young team that despite the ebbs and flows of games, managed wins while growing their experience.  Yes, Burke is rescuing them in the end, but    don't all champions have that guy?

I really like LeVert's game.  He is a better defender than Stauskas, has a better handle, can score the ball in a variety of ways and can get out and run in transition (I don't remember Stauskas being that quick).  The defensive rotations seemed so much better yesterday and Izzo even commented about how much more aggressive LeVert was as compared to their first game.  

I guess it doesn't matter who starts as JB has shown that he will sub early but I have to wonder for a team that has struggled on defense if LeVert isn't the better option to help set a tone at the start of a game.  I'll say this, I don't know if Michigan would have won, between turnovers and defense yesterday with Stauskas getting major minutes.  Yes, he may have hit a 3P shot or two but then again, State's whole defensive plan was to take the 3P shot away so I'm not sure a even a couple of threes would have made up for the other problems.

You're right, we are saying the same thing.  I heard Coach K (calling him that over spelling, not over affection) talk about winning programs and winning teams.  He said winning programs can overcome much more, they have a resilience grown and passed down from class to class.  Michigan is in the process of building that and given their youth, I remain optimistic that they still can.

Wow, I'm wondering where the "get the fuck off my court" attitude is on the team and I see it's not with a lot of the fans here either.  Where's that from?  State hasn't been playing exactly great since their win over the Wolverines.  And Appling is struggling in a big way.

The Wolverines have two choices.  They can come out full of self-doubt or they can come out with a new resolve.  I predict Morgan leads the bigs in establishing a tough ass attitude today and I hope the band wagon realizes a "me against the world" attitude means no re-entry for those who jumped off.

Tonight was the first time I've ever seen JB scream at one of his players.  And by all accounts he's pretty tough off the court.  I guess a coach can go all Larry Brown and impose his singular will but usually that has to come from a guy on the team, preferably one on the floor.  Michigan  doesn't yet have that winning program culture, they don't yet have that swagger, they don't yet have that refuse to lose player to rescue them on a night like tonight.  

The good news is that in my opinion that's the next chapter of the program's development. If it's in them this season, which I think it well could be, tonight will be its inspiration.  It's up to Morgan, Hardaway and Burke to step up and lead.  And I think Beilein could help by shaking up the roster a bit.  Start the 5 best defenders, make a statement.

I have come to like Price quite a bit. He has a sense of humor, isn't afraid to express a critical opinion and is tied to Tiger history (at least from his playing days). I think he fits well with Dickerson...and certainly the two of them combined are multiple times better than Rod and Mario.

I'm not sure it makes that much sense.  With a more reliable passer who looks like he can drop back, see over defenders/scramble and make throws, a better running attack and a QB who is a threat to run it would seem to be much more for a defense to consider.  

There was an equal amount of silly talk about Stu last year, their best on-ball defender and possibly best communicator on the defensive end.  JB and Burke have said that Morgan is that communicator this season and his absence is really hurting them.  There were plays today where they'd go 25 seconds of good defense before collapsing and giving up an easy drive.  They are late on their rotations or in some cases, not rotating at all.  

When a team plays good defense it's almost like they are on a string and right now the freshmen just aren't there.  Burke and Hardaway might be adequate defenders but they count on help and when that's Robinson, McGary and Stauskas, 3 freshmen, they are in trouble.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6yNpFjOvNc

Cecil Holmes Soulful Sounds from the Black Motion Picture Experience.  This, not Pop Evil.  Listen to the beginning percussion and think what the band could do with this.

I don't know if I'd call them a "finesse" team.  I think of them more as a team that likes to get out and run, led by a PG who can fly and makes good decisions in transition.  Slow them down with a physical, in your shorts type defense though and they grind to a halt.  I don't understand this though since JB is known for his offense.  It's as if he threw all of those concepts out the window when he saw what Morris could do with a pick and roll.  I don't know if that's on Burke, if the freshmen have yet to grasp what has been described as a difficult to learn offense or what.  This team cannot seem to think beyond one pass and from what I know of the offense that JB brought to Ann Arbor it was about multiple decisions on each pass, depending on what action they got from the defense.  I don't see them thinking the game like this at all.

I think we lose sight of the fact that this team has lost a total of 3 games on the road by a total of less than 15 points while starting 2 freshmen and relying almost exclusively on freshmen off the bench.  Two of these losses have come while the guy referred to as their defensive glue and one of the upperclassmen has been out.  And this says nothing about the brutality of this stretch of the schedule.

I really don't think the team has regressed but rather is struggling with defenses that are limiting their transition opportunities and preventing them to put together the mini-runs that had become their staple.  Is Robinson tired or is his play a consequence of being lost in a half-court grind it out offense that misses the action of their best pick and roll player and big defender (Morgan) opening up lanes and rebounding opportunities?  

Having said this, I'm concerned about Tuesday.  Give JB time to prepare and he is as good of a coach as any in the country but they don't have that luxury.  Instead they will take a mentally fatigued team (if not physically) to East Lansing and it seems likely without Morgan.  Michigan is a pretty team to watch when they can get out and run but Tuesday is going to require that they show that they they have some street-fight in them.  They need some hate in their game, some  bloody-faced Novak and some get-the-fuck-off-my-court Morris attitude.  

This confuses me about the offense.  JB is known to for his motion offense and while I understand that he's ventured away from that the last few years, it seems that Michigan has nowhere to go when Burke is being effectively defended.  It's too much Burke looking to get his own shot when in a traditional JB offense he would back it out and spread the floor and show that he can think three passes out.  

This really is my biggest concern about this team.  JB is going to have to figure out a Plan B for Burke when a team is slowing them down and forcing them into a half court game.  

Would not have minded Dantonio?  I'm speechless, really, just speechless.

Metacritic aggregates reviews from multiple sources.  The review blurbs include genre and overall ranking and are linked (Paste, Mojo, Pitchfork, Spin, AllMusic, etc.) to the full article.  It's a great site to keep up with new or look for previous releases and it keeps you from the filter/bias of any specific source.

http://www.metacritic.com/music

If he is gay I would bet his own family, faith, football culture and NFL aspirations would have as much, if not more to do with his discomfort in coming out than the university he attended. 

I guess he could have been duped and been really in love with this person...he made up a bunch of details post-death just to make his feelings credible to the average person who might not have extended the same sympathy if they had known the details.

I'm not sure about a gay relationship.  I mean I know that sports coverage is crazy but they really haven't sunk as low as to follow college players around to see who and how often they are dating.  On the othe hand, if there was a buzz on the ground that he was gay maybe he needed the cover in his daily life and it grew out of hand.  And if he was so compelled I think it would probably be more about football culture than the university.

Strangely a red flag went up for me when I heard him emotionally talking about the support he had received from Kelly during the Heisman interviews.  That didn't seem true given the stories I've heard from others who have played for him. 

Looks like Mr. Armstrong is down to the last card of his deceptive deck. 

You come as an angel tonight as I weigh some decisions.  May God bless you.

When you know your secondary isn't going to cover I guess you pick your poison and try to disrupt what you can.  I don't blame the decision.

So the Wolverines will send out a QB to make his fifth start, be without their starting RB and feature an OL that has, with one exception, not distinguished itself to line-up against a pretty highly ranked defense...and if they don't win it will be the fault of Borges?  

Sorry to say, this should be it for him. 

I posted this on the game thread but I really think JB is building a program in the tradition of the very best basketball programs and is on his way to be a legendary-type coach here.  His journey to Ann Arbor was long, he seemed to win everywhere and yet never attract the spotlight of the loud-mouth, egocentric types that populate the college coaching positions today.  And in the same quiet fashion he's been building the Michigan program, aided by the facility improvements no doubt, but his basketball brain, values and vision can't be overlooked.  

I think to truly appreciate what Michigan appears to have become you have to look at what JB was trying to build and who helped him build the foundation.  He wanted guys who thought the game, who were coachable, who were decent students, who had the character to represent the university, who helped install his system to usher in future classes, etc.  It's true, without Harris or Morris or Burke Michigan would have accomplished far less, but I think it's equally true, when it comes to all of the ingredients it takes to build a program, that without Stu and Zack's 4 years that the program would not be where it is today. 

Northwestern averaged 1 more point per game in the conference this season than Michigan, and they didn't play Ohio State.  Like it or not, Hoke believes football starts with owning the line of scrimmage not playing poor-man football with a scheme designed to overcome the talent and size of the opposition.

You know what deserves a SNL skit?  Some fan's expectations.  Rodriguez comes to Ann Arbor and his apologists lecture on the bare cupboard and time it will take to transition for the football wizard to rescue the Wolverines from almost two straight decades of winning records and bowl game appearances.  Hoke arrives, restores pride, delivers two straight winning seasons and bowl appearances from a ridiculously bare cupboard and you are talking major disappointment?

Coaching overcame what coaching could overcome.  What Michigan ran face first into this season is the limitations of their roster...no upperclass depth, no elite WRs or RBs, weak OL, etc. and they still managed to win the games they should win and compete in all but two games. 

Major disappointment would have been a .500 or below record.  This season was respectable, not glorious, but respectable and there is every reason to believe in the foundation Hoke and company is building.

How do you figure out what when wrong with the offense without giving some credit to the defense they were up against and the built in intensity of a rivalry game with an oppoenent whose entire season (in terms of the conference) was on the line?  And how do you disregard the built in limitations of gameplanning when you have a QB with a penchant for throwing interceptions?

Michigan put up over 300 yards, the second most that State has allowed anyone this season.  Yeah, a couple of those FGs should have been TDs with better execution but to say that Michigan got lucky is what's silly.  I'd say State got lucky that Denard missed a couple of chances to put the ball in the endzone.

Good god...they came out strong and couldn't put anything on the board.  That can't happen on the road.  Very frustrating.  And for whatever their problems in the running game and the OL, Denard does not need to be throwing interception after interception. 

I was impressed with Fitz too...he didn't at all sound like he was going through the motions and saying what was expected.  He stood up like a man and answered some difficult questions without flinching.

And you are nuts if you don't see how Alabama's defense, filled with talent, was lining up.  Do you really think Saban didn't know, until proven otherwise, that Denard's legs were Michigan's only offensive threat? 

Not that it matters but the refs have been horrible, just horrible. They are afraid of Saban.

Guess that unnecessary roughness theme applies to the entire athletic department.

Can't wait to see Izzo up in his face on national television.

*

Avila is probably banged up after the number of hits he took yesterday.  Beyond that is this really that puzzling?  Inge is playing to take our attention off Raburn.

Chris Webber is the son of an auto worker and teacher, a pretty average middle class kid. 

People's job opportunities are restricted by all kinds of things, from degrees, to experience, to age.  So are people's voting rights, driving rights, marriage rights, etc.  I don't see why the NBA can't set whatever requirements they want. 

...in re to his own decision last year, "I have no regrets — none at all. I did all I wanted to do at U-M, which was to rebuild the program and put it on the right foot and leave things better than when I got there."

Without question he was a part of the process and he helped but he did not rebuild the program and put it on the right foot.   He did all he wanted to do at Michigan, good for him.  I wish Morris no ill but he fell short of the sort of goals that inspire the affection of many fans and would have cemented him as a cornerstone in the rebuilding of the program...the embrace of the Michigan experience, the education, the team and the goals of champions. 

And you clearly don't know what you are talking about.  Go look at the tears in Morgan's eyes and listen to him explain what they meant to the team.  This team over-achieved and they wouldn't have done it without Stu and Zack's leadership. 

I'll contribute.  Who knows, maybe if we set up some kind of paypal thing we could get some traction with the Michigan family.

I'm not surprised.  NBA PGs these days are all about quicks and Morris doesn't have them.  To make up for that you better have a killer perimeter game and he didn't have that when he left Ann Arbor either.  When all this fails you can make a roster as defensive specialist but again, Darius wasn't that when he left Ann Arbor.  Heck, Stu was always assigned to the best offensive backcourt player when he played with Darius. 

I don't think JB is losing any sleep over this but I do think that winning the conference championship is more difficult than an NCAA bid. 

We have got ourself a basketball program.  Thank you Stu, Zack and Coach B.

In some ways yes, in some ways no.  Morris wasn't a good defender and he dominated the ball so much that I'm not sure we would have seen what we have from Burke (at least this fast or this often) had Morris stayed.  Defenders didn't have to respect Morris' quicks, his dribble drives into the lane were more like slow motion probes to get the defense to react.  If Morris had a consistent mid-range to 3P game it might have been different but I think in some ways his game would have relegated Trey to the perimeter too often.  And I'm not sure Michigan's defense would be as good as its been.

Yeah, Stu and Zach are going to be missed.  Oddly, I think Stu might be missed more.  He doesn't get near the credit he deserves for his defense, especially on a team that has won some pretty big games because of their defense.  Hardaway needs to get it together on that end of the court, he certainly has the ability but his will and focus are yet to be determined.  And at this point I don't know what can be reasonably expected of Brundidge. 

Yippee, those airbags require unbuckling.

I can't imagine John Beilein wanting to be anywhere else.  The man toiled in relative obscurity until a comparatively  late age to get an opportunity at a big time program.  He's an old school, cerebral coach who values basketball brain as much, maybe even more, than basketball talent.  Michigan is a perfect opportunity for him to leave his mark, to prove his values are still relevant.  

Did you see him beaming in the pre-game interview?  That's a man who put everything he believed to the test and is seeing Ann Arbor embrace his product.  He kept his nose down, took guys like Stu and Zach when he could have avoided second guessing with a couple of ***, quietly changed his staff and pursued his vision.  And his response to this success was to show up with his wife at 6:45 AM yesterday morning bringing hot chocolate and donuts for the kids who had waited in line.  

Michigan is damn lucky to have him, to not have to worry about the character of the kids he brings in or what he does to land them.  But maybe my favorite thing about Beilein is something I just read in a  Rothstein article about last night's game prep.  JB had brought up a scene from the movie Tin Cup when Costner's girlfriend yelled at him to just go for it.

"Coach said, 'Just go for it. Tin Cup it. Eighteenth hole, hit it in the drink three times, go for it, rip it,'" Michigan senior guard Zack Novak said. "'Tin Cup.' He's got random thoughts."

Random thoughts or the stuff of genius from a man who has been rebuilding a program before our eyes using his own blue print.

The benches get shorter as the games grow tougher.  I don't think depth is a problem for them, they had arguably less last year in terms of experience.

Damn, no way do I want to be wishing the end of summer before it even begins...but it's hard not to be more excited about fall after watching that.

I like the idea of honoring them in some way.  They both took so much criticism from the self-proclaimed basketball geniuses out there.  They were the poster boys for why Beilein couldn't recruit and wouldn't survive.  I've had so many arguments about this over the last few years.  I've always believed that JB has a set of criteria when he goes recruiting and if a kid doesn't measure up in terms of heart, basketball IQ, passion for the game and coachability, he passes.  Were there a couple of 3* or 4* types he might have lured to Ann Arbor instead of Stu and Zach.  Absolutely, but I don't think they would have made half the difference. 

Brian's right, they built the program, at least a new foundation.  They helped validate Beilein's vision.  They helped open the new Crisler Center with a competitive team filling the seats.  And they helped give their coach a chance to get in the living rooms of the more talented kids. None of these kids will fill out JB's entire evaluation scorecard any better than Stu and Zach. 

They had a few attempts but didn't hit them.

For the most the head doesn't move against the heart.  Garnett might well be leaning Stanford but that friendship thing might be too much for his heart to overcome.  And it's not as if he wouldn't be getting a world class education as part of the deal.

I don't really care where Izzo was coaching, I wouldn't like him.  I don't like those kinds of personalities, the "aw shucks" act when things go well and the polar opposite when things go poorly. 

Tonight I saw Denard having a blast, Stu stop a 4 on 1 break and the best freshman PG in the country...life is so damn good.

Damn that's good stuff and it still stands, a bore is a bore regardless of the century.  I even love the dated references, it's like the language of the non-bores. 

Edited to add that I am now hooked after reading in the forward, "the change from high school to college is tremendous."

Man, I just don't get why they keep sending him out there.  Not only is Jefferson completely ineffective he's bitching at his own players. 

Burke has exceeded every expectation I had for his freshman season.  This team is so much more dynamic with his ability to push the ball and slash to the basket.  Just wait, and every indication is that it will happen through the course of the season, he gets a fuller command of JB's offense. 

Admittedly, I don't ever watch West Virginia but their defense is far from impressive tonight.  Clemson has oer 300 yards and the first half isn't over yet.

Yes, he jumped a sinking ship and who can blame him?  For years Rip was thought to have the best mid-range shot in the NBA.  He's a smart player, is effective in a half-court offense and is a willing passer.  He's never been lock down defender but his length and motor made him more than servicable back when defense was the Pistons calling card.  He was always quicker than Billups which would at times have him defending the opponent's PG.  I'd still rather have him than Ben Gordon or Stuckey.

Don't know what to say but that offense, including the blocking schemes, was a while in the making. 

I only caught the second half too.  Darius didn't have many highlights.  My favorite take-away was when the announcer (towards the end of the 3rd quarter) asked how much time was left and his partner replied, "too much."

I like 'em with the exception that it looks way too busy with the "M," Adidas logo and patch right in a row.

I'll give him this, there is an option not to click on these threads.  That, however, doesn't mean this near obsession with Rodriguez isn't embarrassing.  I don't see regular reporting on Tommy Amaker or Ron English;  if Mike DeBord or Obi Ezeh's names come up we can count on ridicule and scorn; can Gittleson's name be brought up without reference to pizza and buffet tables, etc. etc. etc. 

What in the hell accounts for this bottomless reservoir of affection for Rodriguez while others with Michigan ties ignored or derided?  Why do so many continue to genuflect at even the sound of his name? 

Yes, I can't click through either. 

Similar but for different reasons.  The international designation at the airport has to do with the length of the runway (as I recall) and it's capacity to accommodate international flights.  State, similarly, has the capacity to accept national recruits.  In both cases it just means they can, doesn't mean they do.

I'm not sure how Michigan fans can read some of the recent comments from Martin, Molk and VanBergen or recent comments from Pipkins about what guys were saying about the new staff  and still be talking about Rodriguez.  

I mostly agree with this.  Rodriguez can be a very charismatic man and he might well be the offensive genius some believe but when times get tough I think he has a history of painting himself as the victim.  I don't necessarily though think he's negative, that kind of stuff comes out only when he's the subject of criticism, he deflects it with comments like the Lombardi line.  

I have the same feeling.  His heart has always seemed to be with Ohio, it was the situation that had him looking.