Recent Comments

Ok, clearly you've ruled out the possibility of anyone not wanting to play Arizona's football team. After all, you either liked Rich Rod or you didn't. As you observe, it's obvious that both factions want to play him. 

But wait, if that's the case, how come I don't want Michigan to play him? How come the poster you responded to doesn't want to play him? What kind of aberrant anomalies must we be?

This is an interesting idea that I hadn't thought of. I really appreciate the response. I have some concerns with this approach, though.

What happens when the estimate is too small? Does this mean that the size of the section would have to be the same for OSU and directional MI (leading to there still being a bunch of empty seats for poor quality games)?

I wonder if there are any legal issues with over selling like this.  

I'll have to wait and see how long the lines are for the ND game before I pass judgment. This will be my last year, so I would have had pretty decent seats I'd have to imagine. As long as I don't have to sit in the endzone I guess I'll survive. 

I see NDNation and "delusional" in the same comment, but you don't seem to be using one to refer to the other. NDNation is worse than the RCMB, except that everything there is covered in a veneer of smug elitism. 

Can someone knowledgeable on the subject elaborate a bit on Chechen-American relations? I would have thought there'd be some enemy of my enemy sentiment on the part of Chechnya, but so much for that. 

Except for a degree, that is.

Otherwise upstanding? I don't know about that. He was good at basketball though, so I guess it's all ok. 

My statements do not amount to nihilistic relativism. At all. And your comment about penicillin is irrelevant, because I was talking about community norms on the internet. But even if it was relevant, relativism does not equal nihilism. It might sometimes, but it often doesn't.  

Aren't you a professor? I vaguely remember you mentioning that you're a professor. I even pretended that you're a professor that I've had because he mentioned Michigan football a lot, even though that's a silly thing for me to do. It would be weird for me if you were in fact that professor, because part of that class dealt with the existence of God.

Some of them are no longer students, but still sit in the student section. I'd hesitate to call them "shadowy," though- they seem like nice enough people in person. They do organize the flag stuff, which is pretty cool. 

Don't pretend like the COY initiated this out of no where, though. I don't think they should have responded, but Brain basically called them (and others) out for not being more negative, which must be weird and threatening from the perspective of a (mostly) student fan group. 

As much as I love getting to watch college football and hockey, I've always been really conflicted by this. In some ways I would be upset to see it, but at the same time, athletics really does need to be de-emphasized. Michigan is a University first and foremost, and I never could justify to myself how sports reasonably fit into that. And spare me the nonsense about being great publicity for the school, because I disagree. 

I like this idea! Why don't you boycott mgoblog? Like, forever. It is my sincerest conviction that this place will indeed improve by that action. Everyone else will join in. Honest, I swear. Don't bother checking to make sure though, because then the blog will continue to suck. Remember, you're doing it for Brian.   

Please change your signature line to delete that quote. The irony is a bit overwhelming considering your post history taken as a whole. 

I remember him providing commentary for one of the MSU/ Wisconsin games in the 2011-2012 season. There were a lot of momentum shifts in that game, and it was just very exciting in general. His reactions seemed so genuine, something I think is missing from a profession that otherwise is rather contrived. I can understand the criticism he receives, and maybe he isn't right for soccer, but I disagree that he's comparable to Pam Ward. I can't help but smiling at his unbridled enthusiasm. It's almost comforting in a way to me, though that probably seems strange. 

Your trip to Boliva came after you made what could be construed as a very offensive joke about an ethnic minority...

What's "college hockey?" Does Michigan participate? 

I really hope your affiliation with the University isn't a close one. I'd rather scrap the athletic department altogether than have my degree associated with "bending/breaking rules" or a "who cares" attitude. 

Abuse of power? Unless the student was employed by the athletic department or was on scholarship, exactly what power are we talking about? 

Except, you know, this is relevant because the guy went to Michigan...

I'm a student. He's older than me. Still weird. Asking anyone for their autograph is weird no matter who you/they are.

Coal mining is a pretty dangerous profession, and it's just as exploitive when in many coal towns it's just about the only employment available. Working on fishing boats is extremely hazardous, and I suspect there aren't too many children of doctors working on fishing boats either. 

Some of you are funny. Jim Jones would be so proud. 

I don't care much for musicals either, but that's not the point. The reaction this thread has received from many hasn't been along the lines of "I don't care much for musicals as an art form because I feel that their romanticized depiction of everyday existence fails to adequately capture our experiences in a relatable way like good theatre should." It's been more like "Ha, you dropped your tampon." The former I find acceptable. The latter should only be uttered by bros sporting tribal tats and affliction shirts. Also, a few threads down is a video game thread that's been civil enough. Lets not pretend that the negative reactions here have solely been because this is OT.

It might be accurate technically, but it's a huge stretch if we're being honest with ourselves. 

Wow. Look at the crazy eyes on that OSU cheerleader. She may have set a person or two on fire before.

Texas, USC, ND.

I'm not from the Midwest. I'm a student at Michigan, but that only means I encounter other Michigan fans. Really, the only contact I have with rival fans involves them posting on this blog. Consequently, I don't ever get into pissing contests of this nature (at least not with rival fans). And yet, I care about this stuff. Honest answer. 

I always find it kind of funny when people say things like "these are the best years of your life." I remember being told that a bunch when I was in high school, too. Basically saying "it's all downhill from here." I don't graduate until next year though, so maybe my opinion will change. 

Some of us would prefer a little more restraint and dignity. I'm sorry if that makes you feel self conscious about your emotional outbursts. Also, some of those some of us are just barely older than 18, and so don't buy your age argument. 

Can someone please explain to me why people get so up in arms about the OOS percentage? "Oh no, our University has national appeal!" "Oh no, we have all these students paying insane tuition bills to subsidize lower in-state tuition." 

I don't ever sit outside of the heart of the student section, so I don't know what the experience is like for everyone else. Are you talking about the students or the entire crowd in general? 

"Threads about any of the following are likely to be deleted and may result in Bolivia/bans: politics, religion, Drew Sharp, Mike Valenti, Ace Williams."

Does this constitute an official lifting of the ban on Bleacher Report. I sure hope it doesn't.

Texas is a better job than every NFL position minus one? Yeah, ok.

Yeah.... if this were ranking the schools as a whole and not limiting to the football teams, we'd be somewhere between 3 and 5 on this list. 

I felt weird about it the moment the idea was introduced to me as a young child. Perhaps that's just me though.

You joined 27 minutes ago and this is your first post? Color me skeptical.

I hate this song. I really hate it. And yet ESPN insists on playing it every commercial break. Rather listen to Pitbull at this point. 

I don't know, he looks like he's more into it than she is. Feel like this one's on him.

Rape investigations are often mishandled, is the point. It demonstrates that rape cases can be mishandled even when there is no interference going on with the investigation. It could easily be the case that the ND rape investigation was mishandled because rape investigations often are, not because a football player was involved. To say that poor investigation + football team = corruption is not necessarily accurate, then.

You know what? You're completely right. My first post in this thread was hastily typed up  out of exasperation because it seemed like the OP was using this to take a jab at a rival. My post was bad for a number of reasons, this being one of them. All I have are rumors, because not much was ever really made public, no charges were pressed, no police report, etc. What I have heard (should be taken with a grain of salt because it was from a ND fan) was that the incident involved unwanted groping. Supposedly he touched the girl's breasts, she didn't like it, so he stopped. Shouldn't have been done, and indicates a dangerous sense of entitlement. But not rape. Then again, something much worse could have happened. You're right, I don't truly know. That's an important point though, because it goes both ways. It seems like in this case there's a lot of presumed guilt going around. I thought the default was supposed to be presumed innocence?

There was an investigation that was turned over to the authorities for one of the alleged incidents. No charges were made. The other incident is unfortunate (if it did happen), but not near as severe as the article would lead you to believe. I don't understand what the issue is. 

Something is wrong with me. I immediately (knee-jerk reaction) reversed my opinion of this as soon as I read that it was a tradition. 

Why can't he believe that that kind of bandwagon fan is wrong too? Your post only makes sense if you assume that he's supposed to automatically agree that if a bandwagon fan is a Michigan fan it isn't just as obnoxious as if they're a Man U bandwagon fan.

I bunch of schools have pages like this. I think Yale or Columbia undergrad was the first. 

Edit: according to Michigan law's page, it was actually Queen's University in Canada.

I've been very critical of Brandon on this blog in the past, but we don't have any facts here other than The run has been discontinued (and perhaps that it was an athletic department decision). Automatically assuming that this is a money grab on the part of Brandon is ridiculous. 

I had a very long response typed up to this. As is inevitable with such long responses though, when I reached the end I felt like I was being overly dramatic. Tl;dr version: I agree with Colonel Forbin. I don't know the specifics of the Ashley situation, but the death of someone is NOT the sort of thing that should be used to disparage a football rival.

I waaayyyyy overrated MSU. BOOOOO, me. At the time I was sure they were headed to the Rose Bowl. 

Honest, non snarky question. Why the concern for athletes but not for other students at the same University? 

I thought I remembered you revealing at one point that you were college aged? Aren't you going to Eastern Michigan, or is that someone else? If your definition of OMGWESUCK is not winning a title, then you ARE used to seeing us perform this way. Also, your expectations are ridiculous. The hockey team isn't bad, and hasn't been in my lifetime. Consistently one of the best teams in college hockey. 

Because the scenario being discussed is living close to the Rose Bowl and nothing else or being close to everything except the Rose Bowl. I suppose if those are my options and I'm an Iowa or Purdue fan, then my perspective would be different, yes. 

Uhhhh, what?

There's this guy that's usually near me in the student section that wears maize football pants, a jersey, and receiver gloves to every game. In my mind I've started envisioning you as that guy. You're kind of ruining tht illusion for me with this additional information, though. 

If by "a poster above" you mean me, you're wrong. the priorities in question (those being complained about in this thread) are those of the students that don't show up. My point is just because you might have a certain priority doesn't mean that everyone else should. 

I would agree with you that yes they should if what you were suggesting made sense to me. It's very difficult to tell the difference between a ticket request form sent in by someone that will show up for every game and a ticket request form sent in by someone who wont. Demand is demand. Reducing the size of the student section does nothing to change the information asymmetry inherent to this situation. For all you know you could be eliminating the seats of students that will show up. Also, there's the difficulty of choosing which requests to grant and which to deny. And proposed systems to determine who shows up and who doesn't sound like logistical nightmares. 

If you (hypothetical student) have an Antro 101 lecture at 10 AM on a tuesday and you show up regularly, you have my respect. I think I showed up three times to that when I took it.

The "recruits love this stuff" line is such a tired one. I have never once found it convincing no matter how many times you people try to convince me it's a good argument. Also, we should not be trying to "keep up with other teams." You're really selling the school short if you believe that.

I think it's pretty much established at this point that NMU is the team I'm going to miss least. 

Abstraction? Concept? Idea? Do I get to play (Philosophy major)?!?!? Please tell me I get to play now, because people don't usually let me. 

Hahaha. This thread is awesome.

I was going to leave this alone because honestly it's not that important, but something about this post annoys me. Not sure what it is though, it's a pretty benign post.

She's not right, at all. Women's motivations and desires are irrelevant (to this discussion, not in general). We were discussing the most successful strategy for getting women to sleep with you, not how they feel about it. In terms of pure, dispassionate numbers, the jerk wins nearly every time (all else being equal). If you want to argue that this isn't the most fulfilling path for either party, perhaps you have a point. That wasn't what we were talking about though. Being a jerk works. It just does, I'm sorry. Even if it IS just women mistaking jerk for confidence, it still works and that's what matters for the discussion.

Also, I believe her when she says she offered her "advice" respectfully. Still was super annoying though becuase in doing so she framed things as her educating the poor clueless brutes, when in reality she was arguing a straw man. 

/Rant.  I need to go to bed and stop posting here after drinking. This was super off topic for this blog. So, uh.. Go Blue?  

Sorry, I missed the reference. The forthcoming downvotes are well deserved. 

I will say this, girls in the south are just better generally. 

/shots fired

//War of Northern Aggression Round 2

I am sooooo linking to this thread in the future when people try to argue that mgoblog is populated exclusively by mature, reasonable people.

Wasn't race related benching a fairly common practice at the time when playing southern schools? What happened to Willis Ward was a big deal for the University of Michigan. Probably wasn't very remarkable for GT though, at most a footnote. Also not remarkable in the larger context of the civil rights history of this country. They probably haven't made a statement about it because they've probably forgotten about it. Willis Ward was one of the largest civil rights failings in UM history. GT, as a southern institution, has a much larger history to address first before some football game. I don't mean to diminish how awful the incident was, but to expect a response from GT is very Michigan-centric. 

I do. I also remember having enough pride in myself to not let other people dictate my decisions like that.

Edit: Didn't make this clear before. By this I mean that I find it very unlikely that he's doing this out of spite. A couple tweets aren't enough to drive someone to make important life decisions. Why is it so unbelievable that he'd actually want to go to OSU? Several thousands of people do every year.

Does "Hardware Sushi" refer to Sushi Town on Packard right next to that hardware store? I've been wondering for a while now. 

Honestly, I'm having a difficult time getting too upset about this. 

I don't know about the Merrill part of your post. He looked really bad to me, and I got a good view from my vantage point in the student section. Obviously not a medical professional, but it probably isn't good news to be stumbling about like that with a distant look in your eyes after taking a shot to the head.  

Umm, well.... North Korea is best Korea...?

You do live in South Korea, right?   

It's still incredibly unfortunate though. And honestly, it probably isn't too healthy to have that on the team. 

Why do you guys take such exception to other people not sharing your priorities? 

Pffft. I bet you like hot dogs. Keep chugging along, I Like Burgers. Don't be deterred from spreading your message by heretics like Lakerine. 

Apparently, two other players were arrested as well. Sophomore Tight End and a Junior Offensive Lineman.

http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2012/10/6/3464262/three-iowa-football-players-arrested-micah-hyde-ray-hamilton-drew-clark

Actually, I think his argument is sound. As I understand it, his argument is:

1) I am a hypocrite if and only if my actions were qualitatively similar to his.

2) It is not the case that my actions were qualitatively similar to his.

Therefore, I am not a hypocrite.

Looks sound to me. I guess you could argue with 2), but Thorin's point is that it's different because he isn't linking to his own website (and, on the contrary, is acting in a manner contrary to his own interests). I don't think he was being a hypocrite. I DO think he was being a dick though, and the soundness of this argument does nothing to address that at all. 

Syllabus: Don't be stupid. Boom, now where's my tenure?

Contrast does add additional meaning that compare does include, but not explicitly. 

But I like the country club stereotype! I hope to be that stereotype some day and look down my nose at the hoi polloi that attend lesser schools like Iowa or Nebraska. 

/s... kind of.

Nice job following through on your commitment, though.

Haha, wasn't even thinking about "The Sickness Unto Death," though it is perhaps fitting in that it deals with despair. Was thinking more along the lines of SK's views on the absurd. It definitely requires a suspension reason to understand Illinois' loss to Louisiana Tech.  

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that tape sharing was mandatory in the Big Ten and therefore the standard means by which coaches gameplan. Hence MSU contacting the league office (which I'm assuming wouldn't happen if this were simply a gentlemen's agreement type complaint).

Is this unfathomably awful for this kid and do I feel really bad for him? Yes. I don't see how OU should be criticized for this decision, though.

I don't get why we just can't admit that the South has a better system in place for developing high school talent, and also doesn't have to deal with losing athletes to basketball as much. Why is that so controversial?

Aren't you the guy who gets really excited each time we add new and more obnoxious receiver gloves/ uniformz (don't I remember you saying you frame them)? If so, you have no room to complain, nothing wrong with these in comparison. If not, my apologies.

I'm usually firmly in the get off my lawn camp when it comes to new uniforms, but these are the least offensive so far, I think. 

This is one of the few instances where the CIC would actually be a negative for a prospective new member. Also, the administrations of Big Ten members take a much more involved role in the conference than most other conferences. I can see ND not wanting to deal with Michigan and Wisconsin (who hold a lot of power). Even if you don't accept reasons like these though, there are still a bunch of other (football related) reasons that have nothing to do with protecting brand/ avoiding being tied to the midwest. NBC TV deal, scheduling flexibility, special BCS consideration, that kind of stuff. 

The issue is that when we're under center we run play action it seems like the majority of the time. I remember watching the air force game and being able to predict play action on multiple occasions before the snap. Running play action under center is a good idea, and something that should happen, but only if you set it up first with actual runs from under center, which we don't do. 

I keep writing up a snarky response to this, and I keep deleting it. Something about you getting married in a few days is messing with my internet fury.  

Um, can you do me a favor and change your avatar? My lecture hall is absolutely full of bronies, and I’m afraid they might get the wrong idea about what kind of website I’m on. 

Minnesota is the opposite sex circa 6th grade? Oh, God...

Anything with a 3:30 kickoff

/trollface.jpg

"Cool story Bro" is typically used ironically. So no, putting it in your own post isn't like laughing  at your own joke. More like a preemptive measure against internet snark. 

That's alright, we (from the South) don't care much for your accent either. The Northern vowel shift is obnoxious and grating. Worst thing about it though is that most of you believe you don't have an accent. 

Edit: this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_cities_vowel_shift

When stats from the previous season are used in conjunction with analysis of which starters from last year return/left, it can sometimes be meaningful. Otherwise we wouldn't be able to say with as much confidence as we can that Alabama will be a much better team than Akron. 

Walk down State Street or Hoover in front of Revelli Hall on game day. They'll be everywhere.

1. Under

2. Over

3. Under

4. Under

5. Over

6. Over

7. Under

8. Under

9. Over

10. Under

"Kindly do us all a favor and remove the sand from your vaginal canal before posting in this thread. Ty." 

Lol at that move taken straight out of the RCMB playbook.

“So what's behind such a radical shift in fortune, such a statistical improbability? It certainly isn't on-field performance. Judging by inter-conference records -- that is to say actual games as opposed to media guesswork and bestowed rankings -- the SEC plays other BCS conferences about equally. Witness the record since the start of the BCS era in 1998:”

Here the writer lists a bunch of SEC records against other conferences. These numbers don’t have any context though, so they’re effectively useless. For all we know (from just those numbers alone), the PAC-12’s 12-10 record against the SEC could be the result of a bunch of Vanderbilt v. Oregon matchups.

“To SEC apologists who claim that the SEC's overall winning records in bowl games is evidence of success in "games that matter" against "quality opponents," I offer the counter-argument that because bowl game pairings are more easily manipulated than regular-season games, and because SEC teams frequently play in bowls near home stadiums, they often result in more favorable match-ups for SEC teams.”

Bowl games are actually more likely to produce matchups between correspondingly good teams (the 3^rd best Big Ten team against the 3^rd best SEC team) than regular season games because of the way bowl tie-ins work. For this, the bowl records ARE a more interesting and reliable statistic. And every bowl game I’ve been to (I’ve been to a few of them) has had about 50/50 fan turnout, or else it was slanted in our favor. I don’t buy the quasi home game argument.

“So, if the SEC plays other conferences about even, why do SEC teams keep winning national championships? That answer, of course, is the BCS and its corporate underwriters, who have created a reliable business model for determining national champions that is in all respects a self-fulfilling prophecy designed to protect its primary investment.”

Oh, of course!!! And here I was thinking it was because they kept winning the National Championship game.

“To be the best, so goes to the old sports adage, you've got to beat the best. But since only SEC teams are consistently declared the best, only SEC teams get the chance to prove themselves against "the best."

Except, you know, in the National Championship game where other conferences have consistently failed to capitalize on that chance.

“In 2010, for example, the Auburn Tigers began the season with a consensus ranking of #23, behind SEC rivals Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, and Georgia. The only way a team regarded so lightly early in the season can possibly climb into the national championship game -- which Auburn did that year -- is to beat a slew of highly ranked opponents, which Auburn also did that year. Because polls are arranged from the outset so that SEC teams will face the most highly ranked opponents over the course of a season, only teams from the SEC are time and again able to manage this feat.”

Does anyone really think Auburn didn’t deserve to be in that game?

“Consider again that the BCS was created by then-SEC commissioner Roy Kramer, also known as the "godfather of the BCS," a man who "attached plastic explosives to college football" and blew it up, according to an ESPN web post. ESPN, of course, is the commercial entity that dominates the college football landscape, and which has a near incalculable economic interest in promoting the nationwide perception of the SEC's elite status.”

CBS has more of an interest in the SEC’s success, but whatever. Did ESPN craft the perception, or are they just profiting off it? I don’t have a good answer to this. Neither does the writer. I’m going to stop, because this is getting long. I do agree that some of the SEC’s success is hype, but not to the extent this guy claims. Sorry, by the way. Didn’t mean to come across as pretentious. Perhaps “gaping” was a bit much.

Oh, it is lame. Really, really lame. If ever we as a student body were to get such a thing organized, there's no way the exchange rate would be anywhere near 1:1.

How many points do I need to get that awesome pencil sharpener? Much better incentive than $5 worth of blue bucks, as far as I'm concerned.  

I've seen it happen. Not at Northwestern, at Michigan. At hockey games, even.

Honestly no. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me. It's a silly policy, but not anything to get worked up about.