Recent Comments

How about if no one apologizes for anything and we honor the Fab Five next year and we all move on withour lives?

I like your first idea, but the whole "I have student debt" is lost on me. Your school (I assume U-M) didn't make millions (if not billions) off of  you in ticket sales and TV revenue based on the time you put in outside of your studies and weren't allowed to have a job because of archaic if not draconian regulations. 

If you want to know how shitty of a deal it is, go to your office today and offer to forgo all forms of compensation if your office will give you a shitty one room apartment that you have to share with someone else and two meals a day. And you're not allowed to have a second job for spending money. And if anyone wants to give you any kind of additional assistance, it has to go through your employer to ensure that it doesn't go against regulations.

Your use of "Trey Burke winning the NPOY at Michigan" as an example kind of argues against your point. Michigan hadn't had an NPOY in forever and hadn't been a real player on the national scene in almost 20 years before Trey Burke stepped on campus.  So ask yourself: Did Michigan's basketball program make Trey Burke what he is, or did Trey Burke make Michigan basketball what it is?

 Is there a symbiotic relationship? Sure, but judging solely by attendance/ticket and donation prices before and after Trey's coming, I'd say there's a whole lot of evidence that Trey made the basketball program what it is more than vice versa.

You know Jackson is married to the Lakers' soon-to-be majority owner, right?

I'm not crazy about parity based scheduling. It's a great theory until that one season Michigan State/Penn State winds up in the championship game because parity-based scheduling matched it up with Purdue and Illinois, when each M and OSU lost a game to Nebraska/Wisconsin/Iowa okay not Iowa. 

I realize that can happen with standard scheduling as well, but at least those are planned in advance. I'm not crazy about parity-based scheduling in the NFL, as it leads to that come-out-of-nowhere playoff qualifier that gets torched by 40 in the Wild Card round (at least it used to before the entire NFL essentially became as good as everyone else).

Also, does this mean the "Land Grant Trophy" is going to be a thing again?

I doubt Smith makes it out of the first because someone almost always trades into the late first for that dropping QB. I'd love to see him go in the top 5, as that would give the Lions an option to Lane Johnson. Everyone is giving Johnson to the Lions, which to me is the worst case realistic scenario.

Many NBA people view it as a negative to stay all four years because you're three years older than many of the prospects; thus, you're more likely to have a lower ceiling. So whether or not he's a late-first/second rounder isn't as important as whether coming back next year could mean that he's not drafted at all.

Boy, this makes me feel better. 

never mind

I was afraid the letter was going to read:

YOU'RE A BALLER!

Michigan was "vicariously liable" because Fisher started giving Martin tickets to things like the 1993 Final Four and courtside seats at home games so that he could sit next to big recruits. Fisher did that. He ran the program. We weren't victims.

You can try to blame Webber or Bullock or Traylor all you want. They certainly get a share of it. But I choose to put the bullseye on the adult in charge, who was paid to know better.

I think he's just comparing the 1993 team, not the original Fab Five team. No idea why, other than the five freshmen making the finals is one of the more remarkable accomplishments in college basketball history.

Mitch's logic assumes that this season's seeded teams are comparable to the 1990s era, pre-Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant college basketball, which it is not. 

I love both teams, and take nothing away from this team and what they've accomplished.  But you really can't compare these eras. To say that one is "more remarkable" is kind of doing the ESPN "embrace debate" thing. They're both equally remarkable considering the respective climates of college basketball at their time.  

I don't have the requisite hate for Kansas to properly enjoy this. Give the Buckeye family crying at the 2007 BCS game over this anytime.

The university owns the rights. I'd try mgoblue.com, perhaps contact marketing to see if they'll release a podcast of it.

Makes sense. We've been sending our assholes there since Craven Morehead.

The Prestige is one of the most under-the-radar great movies. Nolan made it between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The Batman movies cast a large shadow on it.

If you must, only turn on 97.1 after six pm. Jamie and Wojo have shockingly balanced opinions for talk radio.

The team is playing like one that believes it won something in December and doesn't have to prove itself anymore. I guess that's a lack of heart. Maybe more of a lack of hunger, which is unconscionable considering they haven't won anything. It's all gone downhill since they were expected to be ranked number one vs. OSU in January.

PROTIP: Always assume the coaches know more than you do. Particularly when they've absolutely seen these guys play/work more than you have.

I simply meant that Meyer walks in with two NC rings and talks about winning championships. Hoke hasn't won any championships as a head coach. I'm not calling Hoke as a bad coach, nor am I arguing that Meyer is far and away a better coach.  I'm simply arguing that, from the perspective of a 17 year old who wants to play football, get to the NFL and, presumably, to win things along the way, Meyer likely looks like a better bet. 

It's not like these kids didn't have M offers. Perhaps Meyer is just more credible as a coach than Hoke is right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqkHPsY8p84

I think some of you should put your energy into bringing in accounts.

Let's face it: the NCAA is and has always been an antitrust disaster that's gotten by only because any lawsuit challenging the system would almost certainly extend beyond the plaintiff's career and become moot. The O'Bannon lawsuit originally only was for the videogame likenesses. That was minor compared to the television revenue.

But here's a question: say they are forced to split up thr BCS money. It naturally follows that theyd have to split cable revenues as well. Would it mean the end of the NCAA? Probably not. But it would mean the end of shamateurism, and the onslaught of massive hi def video boards for a baseball team that plays before sparse crowds.

I'm calling bullshit. Since when is there not a scholarship available in Alabama?

Probably Milliner for the Lions. They need secondary help and are probably picking too high to take a safety. 

I'd be willing to bet only the UTLs sold well (you rarely see anyone wearing any of the others). DB's been chasing that ever since.

Understanding that I have the flu and watched the game under the influence of Nyquil, there was a point where Gallon caught a pass and I thought it was Dileo. So yeah, identifying players was a real problem.

They gave him a huge extension after the sanctions were announced. That buyout is ironclad.

I'd play Uncharted in order. As good as 1 is, there was vast improvement in 2 and 3. Playing them out of order might lead to some unfair WTF moments when playing the first one.

Assassins Creed 3 is a long ass game, and pretty fun... right up until the ending. The ending sucks. It's almost Mass Effect 3 awful  (Nothing is all-the-way Mass Effect 3 awful). 

Far Cry 3 is excellent so far. FIFA is the best sports game you'll find. 

No. I meant Rita. She was a good character until they got married, then they turned her into an annoying wet blanket wife character. This was compounded by Rita scenes often including Aster and Cody.

But Lyla was pretty damn annoying too. Supporting characters are not the strong suit of this show. Quinn, LaGuerta, Batista, Deb, Rita ... all went through stretches where their characters became unbearable. The Batista/LaGuerta marriage was a disaster for the Batista character. The best supporting characters are often the one year guests. Ray Williamson was the best non-Dexter character this season.

How does anyone at Miami Metro Homicide have a job? Almost every suspect disappears without a trace. What is their murder clearance rate? 5%? 

You can't even get the 50 percent state credit anymore either

Braylon Edwards doesn't need me to defend him or anything, but I don't have a problem with what he put on Twitter. The short version: He's proud his brother is getting a scholarship from Minnesota, but doesn't understand why he couldn't get a chance from the school he and his father were All-Americans from. But he still loves the university. 

I don't agree that being named "Edwards" should have been enough for Berkley, but still, I'd hardly call that being an ass. 

Brian Kelly will be in the NFL within two years. Great coaching job this season.

I remember when

MGoBoard was a nice place

Now it's like MLive

His learning about the, uh, "2008-2010" era will be like when we learned about the Great Depression. "Man, that must have sucked."

Just in time.

Everyone assumed the Conley "news" was the reason for the DaMario Jones commitment. But perhaps it was this that opened the door for Jones.

Six of their seven regular season wins over the SEC (also known as "their only wins over the SEC") were before 1935. Their seventh was in 1988, over LSU in Columbus. 

Is 97.1 the official radio frequency of the big mouthed douchebag?

Congrats to Brian Kelly. It took three years, but he's finally turned Notre Dame into the best team in the Big East.

Gotta love MGoBoard, where the best recruit is always the one we don't have. 

Sorry, man. Replacement referees essentially stealing a game from a team on Monday night is bigger than Game 153. The travesty that these refs are should be the biggest sports story until the real guys are brought back. I know, "the real refs make bad calls too!" But at least they know the rules. 

The best part is that Millen had just traded for him and they acted like he was going to be the savior because Charlie Batch wasn't their guy. A healthy reminder that Millen sucks (like you needed one).

I think he was talking about the halftime show. I sit in 37 and I can't hear shit other than the drums unless they face us. 

I guess we should all praise Matt Millen for drafting Calvin Johnson then. Forget Jordan Dizon, Drew Stanton, Kalimba Edwards, Ikiama Alama-Francis, Gerald Alexander, Daniel Bullucks, Shaun Cody... all second round picks that crapped out. (In looking this up, it seems the best 2nd rounder of the Millen Era was Gerald Alexander or Boss Bailey.)

People act like he found Denard playing street football. Denard chose Michigan over Florida. Kid was going places. Glad it was here. 

2. The live blog should be called the Mlive blog. You can't hold the fanbase responsible for what assholes write in that.

Whatever the single game record low for points in a UFR is, Desmond Morgan will shatter it. They were picking on him all day. Not to make him a scapegoat or anything, but it was pretty noticeable.

But blaming the oversigning is just an excuse. We went the wrong way with recruiting for a few years, taking fewer OLs and DLs, loading up on smaller S/LB and "deathbackers," not to mention the 5 WR class. And we lost a few of those to attrition. Even without the oversigning, we'd have had a smaller, weaker team in this game.

I agree. This fan base needs to man the fuck up, have a group hug, and move on. This was one game against a superior opponent that got away. Eleven more regular season wins are out there to be had.

Great comment. If Tripp wasn't the best safety M has every had, he's certainly in the top three. I can't think of a more modern example who was better. 

Rich Rodriguez disproves your original thesis that the media loves a guy who gives them access. 

I think the writer summed up Brady's popularity quite well. He's not the typical current stick-up-his-ass college coach. He's down to earth, quick with a joke, treats everyone well, looks like the guy who fixed your car last week ... He's an everyman, and a damn good football coach. What's not to like?

I think the key to the statement was that they don't charge for the spring game. In other words, the AD would have to rent out Ford Field and make no money. What does the AD ever do that makes no money (other than, you know, host games in non-revenue sports)?

If it's still too soon, I suggest counselling. 

Barnhart's argument is silly, but yours is equally so. Many people, including football players, smoke weed without huge hurdles or other environmental reasons to do so. They just do it because they're young and it's there. To suggest that Mattieu's history is why he smokes weed is taking the same logical leap, with the same result.

And it wasn't that he smoked weed once. It was that he repeatedly failed drug tests, as if he didn't think there would be consequences for his doing so because he's the fucking Honey Badger. Which I think was Barnhart's point. He just did a really shitty job of making it.

They had division championship banners at the Silverdome in the last couple seasons. I guess they didn't really save space for them in the design of Ford Field. Honestly, I don't think any pro team should celebrate division championships with banners. It's ridiculous how many banners the Wings used to have ("1987 Norris Division Playoff Champions"). 

Everyone's entitled to their opinion. It's just that yours is so wrong. 

In punishing Penn State, the problem is that the extreme punishments seem too harsh, the lesser punishments seem too light, and the middle ground that solves the problems of the other two is hard to find.

The easiest thing to do is to say give them the death penalty, kick them out of the Big Ten, etc. I certainly see the arguments to do so. I've advanced those arguments. Shit, not that this matters, but when I started my NCAA13 dynasty, I kicked Penn State out of the Big Ten. I really think the presidents should consider it, but I doubt they have the balls to do it. 

But I also see the other side: that everyone involved with the scandal is dead, in jail, or on their way to jail. Why punish Adam Brenneman and Bill O'Brien for what Jerry Sandusky and Joe Paterno did? I think a huge fine to be paid to the NCAA/Big Ten to set up a fund for victims all over the country (not just the Sandusky victims, because believe me, they're going to be getting their ounce of gold from PSU). The problem is that the sycophantic remaining worshippers of St. Joe Paterno, who may be a vocal minority for all we know, will kick off a fundraising drive to make up the difference. Is it much of a punishment then? The problem here is that football was king at PSU, and this will somehow be proven to be true once again. Culture change? I don't think so.

I lean towards the death penalty/ejection, starting in 2013 or 14, but it wouldn't be without some regret that the real people who will pay for the sins of the fathers will be their sons.

You can raise the difficulty level, you know.

I found this game to be a large improvement over last year's. Last year's game became unplayable as OLBs would have more INTs than CBs as any pass over the middle was within the SuperLB's jumping range. The safeties' ability to cover a post, turn on the release of the ball and spring 30 yards to arrive in time to intercept a sideline fly route was pretty absurd as well. The dynasty mode became painfully redundant. 

I chalk up some of the defensive AI issues to the new vision cone reading system, and I actually don't mind it. It's actually somewhat realistic, in that running a four vert will cause safeties to make a decision on coverage. In the past, it didn't matter, because the safety would cover one, let the other go free, then turn and book over to defend the guy who was uncovered. Now there are consequences. The key, at least for defending the four vert, is either having enough deep coverage or getting to the QB. 

I think you're dwelling on the negatives a bit too much. Not to say that this game is perfect, by any means, but it's a much improved game than it has been for many years. 

I'd also like to add to your adjustment suggestions: 

Game Speed: Madden usually plays a little better because it's default speed is much slower. You can go to the settings and turn down the game speed (I use "very slow") which makes the game more realistic. It's not slow motion, by any means, but no one's running 2.7 second FAKE 40s.

There's another setting for speed differential (don't remember what it's called) that allows you to make the difference between faster players and slower players greater. So you don't see Denard getting beat to the sidelines or caught from behind at full spring by a DT.

I completely agree with you. It sounds great to have a nine game conference schedule ... until you lose out on the division championship because you played five away games while another team only four. If they go to nine games, they might as well go to ten. Just two non-con games? The Pac 10 did it for years before the NCAA added the 12th game. And as long as non con scheduling is going to largely consist of MAC/AA teams, who cares about the other two games? (As M fans, I mean. Clearly, Purdue and Indiana need those tomato cans to kick around.)

I really like that the zone read actually works now. Plus, you can slow the gameplay speed down in one of the options which makes it play more like Madden. It's not without it's problems, but this game is a vast improvement to last year's. 

Behold Arsenal's new purple away kit. And poor Szczesny...

I'm hoping that SOA continues to rebuild itself after a terrible season three. Season four was good but [SPOILER FREE!] I hated the way the season ended. 

But you are completely right about Terriers. Great show, terrific finale. Check it out on Netflix. Also, the guy who played Britt is a huge Michigan fan.

Eight will happen eventually. I don't know that it will be for the best, but I think it might satisfy everyone in that an undefeated MWC team will probably be in the top eight and qualify. Top six or four? Not so much. They'll need to do something to prevent another trip to Congress or to federal court in the event that the first year's tourney feature three SEC teams and USC or something. (Yes, I didn't include Michigan, insert them for USC if it makes you happy).

No doubt. Steve Aquamendous did a, uh, Tremendous job of not adding to the controversy to get some cheap site hits. He deserves a mention. If only the same could be said for guys like MSpeedKills and Kyle Meinke.

How do you know they're "sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring what's actually happening?"

I don't think Van Persie's staying or leaving was going to have an effect on Arsenal's interest/lack therof in Dempsey. However, I would love it if Dempsey did go to Arsenal. The team severely lacks toughness and could use someone like him to provide an aerial threat and he's better made for the EPL than Gervinho and even Theo Walcott. Arsenal could do much worse on the wing.

Interesting video, but I wonder sometimes what leads someone to post it (and many of the other OTs) on a Michigan sports message board. Not bitching about it. Just wondering what makes one see something like that and think "MGoBlog must see this!" 

I think it's important to remember that we don't really know these people. We think we do because of their importance in sports and presense in the media. But we know their public personas only. They might be that person, they might not be. I think the lesson is to avoid putting these guys on a pedestal. They aren't exactly curing cancer or feeding the homeless (or insert whatever you determine to be a noble mission). 

It could simply be that an aging Joe Paterno had an moment of weakness as he focused on going for the all time wins record and decided to make a business decision over a moral one. But it's moments like that that reveal true character. When choosing between himself and protecting kids, Joe Paterno chose himself. 

I don't know, you guys. Tony Mandarich and all. Sure, 23 years have passed...

The NBA... Where tanking begins in June!

To clarify, to me, it's a state case because the request was made under Ohio's version of FOIA. There is a federal statute involved, FERPA, but the issue is whether Ohio State violated the FOIA statute. There's no allegation that OSU violated FERPA, so I don't really see a federal issue, and certainly not one that SCOTUS would have any interest in. 

Posting without reading should be a capital offense. 

Yes, but a case by case analysis isn't needed if the claim is simply that the NFL and its members/employees withheld information regarding concussions and the players all suffered the same harm (i.e. diminished lifespan, quality of life, vitality, etc.)

We can debate the merits of the class action industry all you want, but it's a debate for another day. 

Maybe, maybe not. Class actions don't require cases to be factually identical in every way. The issues would be the same.

There's an additional issue for instances in which medical teams told guys they were okay and sent them back in, or withheld potential effects of additional headshots. 

Not saying this is a sure winner, but to outright dismiss the suit's prospects is really premature. 

If there ever came a time where Derrick Green or Laquon Treadwell begged to come to Michigan and were turned away, some of you might -- MIGHT -- have had a point. But that's not going to happen. Until that time comes, the people crapping on this kid really suck.

I just hope Scott didn't come to the site to read what Michigan blogs are saying about his commitment. He is, after all, a 17 year old kid who is very good at a unique skill and got a scholarship for it.

Don't forget the shitstorm when Shawn Conway committed. Then when he was ineligible and our receiver depth dropped to nil, people start inquiring whether he can qualify from whatever hole in the wall JC he's at.

Wouldn't the failure to pay the labor be evidence that it's unregulated? 

Your analogy makes no sense. By tryiing to be funny by smashing the camera, you're still intentionally destroying the camera. By trying to be funny by sliding over a car hood, you're not intentionally smashing the hood. If he had climbed on top of the car and stomped on the hood over and over, you'd have a much better argument.

See West Virginia's away unis. It's the same thing you propose.

I like the Rose Bowl and all, but it loses something when  the Big 10 and/or Pac 10 champs aren't there, which has happened quite a bit in the last 10 years. Since 2002, the following non-Big Ten/Pac 10 champions have been in the game.

2002: Miami, Nebraska*

2003:Oklahoma

2005: Texas

2006: Texas*

2007: Michigan

2008: Illinois

2009: Penn State

2011: TCU

*These are BCS Championship games. Obviously more prestigious than a Rose Bowl without nat'l championship implications, but not adhering to the tradition, which is my point. 

In other words, the only time the game has been between the champs of each conference was 2004 (Michigan/USC), and 2010 (Ohio State/Oregon). Not exactly adhering to the tradition.

Also, what's more prestigious: a championship game played in Ann Arbor or a trip to California?

1. Mike Hart. I know everyone feels sympathy for the RR guys suffering through that debacle, but let's not diminish the good times because we've had some bad ones. Mike Hart is the Jim Harbaugh of the 2000s.

2. Jake Long.

3. Brandon Graham. 

4. Mario Manningham. 

Good team to try to make as a defensive back. Versatility might help him out, as he'd have to play special teams to make the team.

But when Michigan fans blame the refs after a loss, totally awesome and understandable?

Yes, and in 2009, when the Tigers lost the one game playoff to the Twins, I'm sure they were kicking themselves about some game they lost in April as well. Was it important? Ultimately yes, but I'm doubting that Kentucky and Indiana will be concerned with tourney profiles anytime soon. I'm not sure teams worry about seeding as much as the fans do. 

1) I don't care what kids major in. That's their business. No one complains when a rich kid majors in art history. So why should football players be required to major in business adminstration or engineering? 

However, Mark Huyge is anecdotal evidence, just like "2 star recruits are great because of Pat White." It disproves nothing. Obviously, Huyge isn't the only guy, but statistically, many college athletes are in "safety majors" like general studies. We make fun of Urban Meyer's sign mocking Michigan's general studies majors as utter bollocks, but it's for the hypocrisy more than the untruthfulness of it. The question is whether the schools direct them in there or if they just aren't that into school and choose them because they view the sport as their job. I'm not sure you'd find a concrete answer as you'd probably find examples on both sides throughout college football. 

2) I don't think there's even a debate that college athletes spend about 40 hours a week on their sports. It doesn't make you "Rosenberg" to say it. The practice limits are for mandatory practice time only. They spend at least that much time on extra conditioning, film study, etc. Might be called voluntary, but that doesn't mean they aren't all doing it. Point is, the guys are spending that kind of time away from their studies, which in turn makes the university (or at least the athletic program) millions of dollars a year (not to mention the billions of dollars it makes the NCAA.

I heard Urban Meyer pulled that offer just this morning. 

I have to agree with the others. Law school isn't the guarantee it used to be. Not only are the jobs available for new (and hell, even experienced) attorneys becoming less plentiful, but they are paying a lot less unless you get into the Big Law firms. (Put it this way: is it worth it to suffer through law school, only to graduate to a job that pays, say, $40k? Because that's the reality for a lot of grads, and those are just the ones that can find jobs.) It is possible to get hired by one of them from Wayne, etc., but it's much easier to get there from a place like Michigan. 

Personally, I've advised those that have asked me to not go to law school if they have other options, unless it's their absolute dream that they don't mind taking much less than they might expect. Almost all of them have gone on to law school anyway. All but one has told me that they regret it. (The one moved to another state and I haven't kept tabs to know how she's doing.)

You don't say...

Anytime you get a chance to flamebait someone named Flamebait, you have to do it. 

I don't know why anyone would even follow recruits on Twitter,, let alone Facebook. Believe me, if they tweet anything interesting or relevant, someone like Ace or TVH will retweet it. Otherwise, you're looking in on a teenager's inside jokes with his friends. 

What ^ said, plus Shaq, Vince Carter, etc. And those are just the ones that are publicized. If they don't return to school, that's on them. 

This is the most ridiculous assertion ever posted on MGoBlog and that's saying a lot.

Channel 3009 if you have UVerse.

Let's not do the thing where we blame the victim for being there. 

The only real downside of the early commit is that they don't pan out because either they were early developers or perhaps they don't work as hard. As you mentioned, these kids are all highly rated but for Khalid Hill, who is destined to play a position (H-back) that likely doesn't exist at his high school. Not taking kids because they might decommit is foolish. That's like not asking women out on dates because you're afraid they might not marry you later.

I think some people's apprehension is based on the number of decommits under Rodriguez, even though much of that was in one year. Those seemed to be caused more by the southern kids taking a good offer and waiting to see if something better comes along closer to home. (Thinking Dequinta Jones and Pearlie Graves here. Hell, you could probably throw in Shavodrick Beaver as well, if you want to consider Tulsa to be "something better closer to home.")