I traveled via bus with the Metro Detroit M Alumn Assn. Had a tight schedule so had little pregame time around the stadium. I had not been to the shoe since '06, but had some takeaways compared to the other 6 times I had visited for The Game:
1. Did not get one F-Bomb. In contrast to past trips, where profanity filled the air, from both genders and every age group, and young, drunk men behave in a way that proves they have parents who never taught them how to conduct themselves outside the trailer...a pleasant surprise.
2. Stadium was quiet most of the game. I was with a friend, who is an M season ticket holder, but had never been to the shoe. He was amazed at how quiet it was, particularly compared to reputation. O fans were very tentative, until the tie. The ground was shaking after the ot td.
3. The circus acts and ads during breaks were really annoying. At one time they launched t-shirts into the crowd.
In short, it seems that recent efforts have cleaned up some of the behavior that makes the community and the university look classless.
totally respect that, thank you!-it is a timeless classic that, in my opinion, does an amazing job of capturing the frustrated mood of an outsider, underdog, and most specifically, male adolescent. with the plot of the opera taking place in the early 60's, the themes hold up to this day. townshend = genius.
I was pulling into UM Dearborn parking lot to jump on the bus with the Detroit Alumni Association. News came over the radio that Bo had passed. It was a somber feeling on the bus-we had a cameraman filming highlights for the HBO documentary who kept trying to get us to sing and cheer... unsuccessfully.
I have always felt an alignment with Tom because I met him that night. I had a few "root beers" at the Columbus Marriott, where the team was staying. I remember calling him Vic and he very politely corrected me. He was so cool about it, I could not help but follow him on 7 from then on. Had no idea the brutal day he had... Amazing that he has not told that story, publicly, until today.
all in for rich and want to see what another year does, but a part of my brain keeps saying it just might not be the right fit. this happens in the real world. you might have a great organization and a very talented professional, but they just don't align. couple that with the fact that it appears our ad never really assessed the situation before the hire-expectation were not set, he never taught his guy the culture, leaving him to learn it the hard way, need for d improvement from day 1, etc...
even the strongest rich followers have to admit he was not set up for success from the start, has not been able to demonstrate the ability to maximize talent, or be flexible with talent he was given. the core strategic advantages michigan offers do not align with his vision. it may just be a bad marriage, no knock on the program, the coach, only the stakeholders who brought him here...
nice reference to canham...have not heard a lot of references to him, but he played such a huge part in the success of the program during the bo years.
if i could pick any one in the world to be our next ad, i might consider tony dungy: he is from marshall, mi, played big 10 football and basketball and has a fondness for the history and tradition of big 10 sports, father attended um, has been associated with some of the best coaching minds over the years, has numerous networks in the sports world and would have a good eye for developing coaching talent, very ethical character, has a passion @ education-parents were both teachers, has a christian based mission to impact others, and is a skilled manager of people. talented players and coaches would be interested in working with him.
i would love to see someone talk to tony to convince him that he could make a huge impact with young athletes and his home state as the um ad.
well said.
rich's biggest fault is lack of big picture mentality.
great offensive mind, not skilled at what bo would have called the skills of the ceo of michigan football...
the thing that i have to keep pushing to the dark recesses of my mind is...the offense wasn't the problem under lloyd. we were branded as the program that put talent in the nfl. 5 star quarterbacks attracted talented supporting casts...
under lloyd the defense devolved every year since 97. it has taken us this long to realize our problem is on defense. could we have made a simpler transition and put $$ into a dc stud?
when we finally are back to respectability, will it be worth all the pain of the past 2-3 years?
go blue
the thing that i have to keep pushing to the dark recesses of my mind is...the offense wasn't the problem under lloyd. we were branded as the program that put talent in the nfl. 5 star quarterbacks attracted talented supporting casts...
under lloyd the defense devolved every year since 97. it has taken us this long to realize our problem is on defense. could we have made a simpler transition and put $$ into a dc stud?
when we finally are back to respectability, will it be worth all the pain of the past 2-3 years?
go blue
i am with you raback...
maybe i am just emotionally drained, but for the first time in his tenure, i am feeling the frustration...
firing rr would be ridiculous, but you have to start wondering how big the price has been to turn the program. if we win 7-8 games in 2010, was it worth all the pain of the past 2 years...
i have stated before that the blame rests on martin's shoulders. the rr hire was thrown in his lap and he did nothing to set expectations, manage the process, coach his new coach on managing relations at um, etc... he had plenty of time to prepare for lc's retirement and managed the process like a novice.
my frustration with rich is his ongoing poor pr. his body language is that of a guy who is not happy to be here. i know he wants people to see him as an experienced guy who deserves his pay, but once in a while humor us with a statement about how great it is to be here. use some language that suggests you want to be here. we know he is a great offensive mind...but a head coach needs to sell a vision and communicate with the public-at least a bit, and esp during the hard times.
what's next?...the auto industry rebounds?
we will all be lying in bed tonight with our maize and blue red ryder bb guns...all is right with the world...can't wait to tune into valenti on monday pm...
has done a nice job with upgrading buildings...needs to work on personnel managment skills. Hiring process was a mess. With all that is at stake within the football program, regular efforts should be made by a manager to have file full of candidates and an understanding of who is interested in our program when an opening occurs. A good portion of UM AD time should be in communicating with potential candidates, esp. knowing that Lloyd was potentially leaving some time soon. We "lucked" into a great candidate who was not our first choice and presented a big change in world view. In what appears to be a hasty hiring, few expectations were laid out...creating a number of bumps in the transition. I hope Mr Martin takes a greater leadership role in helping his "guy" manage what appears to be ongoing internal challenges to his hiring. Bring the internal conflicting powers together and try unite behind our current coach.
I agree with valenti that we risk becoming the next ND or MSU if the UM stakeholders bicker about the hire, with some factions sabotaging rr.
Recent Comments
My heart still aches, but would not trade the outcome to be a fan of osu, or psu.
It will always be great to be a Michigan Wolverine.
I traveled via bus with the Metro Detroit M Alumn Assn. Had a tight schedule so had little pregame time around the stadium. I had not been to the shoe since '06, but had some takeaways compared to the other 6 times I had visited for The Game:
1. Did not get one F-Bomb. In contrast to past trips, where profanity filled the air, from both genders and every age group, and young, drunk men behave in a way that proves they have parents who never taught them how to conduct themselves outside the trailer...a pleasant surprise.
2. Stadium was quiet most of the game. I was with a friend, who is an M season ticket holder, but had never been to the shoe. He was amazed at how quiet it was, particularly compared to reputation. O fans were very tentative, until the tie. The ground was shaking after the ot td.
3. The circus acts and ads during breaks were really annoying. At one time they launched t-shirts into the crowd.
In short, it seems that recent efforts have cleaned up some of the behavior that makes the community and the university look classless.
Love Michigan football
NO.
Love Michigan football and all that it stands for.
Proud of my University.
They can all go to hell.
Griffin Claw Brewery rules...
on that note, btn featured wisky game from '08...steven threet.
totally respect that, thank you!-it is a timeless classic that, in my opinion, does an amazing job of capturing the frustrated mood of an outsider, underdog, and most specifically, male adolescent. with the plot of the opera taking place in the early 60's, the themes hold up to this day. townshend = genius.
any song from Who's next.
+ Hendrix, Beam, Taylor, Page
- Tressel
could not agree with you more.
I was pulling into UM Dearborn parking lot to jump on the bus with the Detroit Alumni Association. News came over the radio that Bo had passed. It was a somber feeling on the bus-we had a cameraman filming highlights for the HBO documentary who kept trying to get us to sing and cheer... unsuccessfully.
I have always felt an alignment with Tom because I met him that night. I had a few "root beers" at the Columbus Marriott, where the team was staying. I remember calling him Vic and he very politely corrected me. He was so cool about it, I could not help but follow him on 7 from then on. Had no idea the brutal day he had... Amazing that he has not told that story, publicly, until today.
amen