Recent Comments

"has anyone else decreased mgoblog consumption due to the strange writing style of front page content?"

Nope.  Each writer brings a different take on their pieces, but they all bring their brains.

That's exactly why, as an alum, I'm not all fired up about him being gone.  It could be worse.  It could be a LOT worse.  And, it probably will be.

My son and I were at the match.  At about the 30' mark, we both noticed that there were Michigan "shots" recorded that were, shall we say, awfully generous in the scorer's interpretation of "shot".  Likewise, at least one close miss by Niagara in the second half wasn't recorded---we joked at the time that the same strike might have been credited as two shots had it been taken by Michigan.

Until the second goal---which was a bit of a fluky deflection off a defender---I was not convinced M would pull it out.  There was a shot advantage, no doubt---and a good chunk of play was in the Niagara half of the field.  But it wasn't quite as lopsided as the score sheet suggests, and it looked like it might be one of those games where the team pressing advantage just couldn't get one to go in.

Congratulations to all of you!

I've been on the faculty for 14 years now.  Every year I've been asked to serve as a Faculty Marshal.  Every year I've let someone else do it.  This year, I decided it was finally "my turn."  So, if you came down stairway #2 to enter the stadium, I was the guy at the bottom telling you to watch your step, and offering my best wishes.  I even saw several students from my classes.  It was such a good time, I'm thinking I should volunteer again next year.

I couldn't be more proud of you all.  Go do great things.

Even more amusingly, Duderstadt's current office is in the Dude.

Colin who?

At the top of Section six with my son. Let's Go Blue!

I'm pretty sure I saw it this week on the Green Rd. Busch's in Ann Arbor, as well.  Didn't pick any up yet, but it's On My List.

...the Health System is the true 800lb gorilla in these parts.  

The sponsored research doesn't hurt though, and neither does the relatively high tuition and healthy fraction of out-of-state students.

Edited to add: here's another interesting stat from the article:

"LSU generated less than $500 million in revenues in 2009-10, one of the lowest totals on the Journal's list. Michigan, the school with the highest revenue in the sample, reported just over $6 billion in revenue."

If you are a subscriber, the online version of the article also contains an interactive chart with more data.  The second school in total campus revenue is UCLA, with just under $4.8B.

As for football revenue, the interactive chart lists Michigan at 6th, with $63M and change, vs. Alabama at #1 with just south of $73M.

We're just in charge. ;-)

"Much of one’s love for a rivalry is directly derived from their hatred of the other side. What is a good guy, without a bad one? What is a novel, without an antagonist? What is a rivalry, if not for the bitter rival?"

Welcome back to the Big Ten, Urban.  You'd better bring it.

"If you know a Tennessee fan, take his belt and shoes."

I've been to Knoxville and heard talk radio there.  Truer words were never spoken.

Because the Big 12 *already* allows Texas to do this with their Longhorn Network.

A department that includes among their faculty Tiya Miles, a MacArthur Fellow (a.k.a. "Genius Grant"), is probably a notch or two up from the University of Phoenix.

As it happens, I've had the good fortune to meet Tiya.  We were both presenters on a panel at a recent Provost's Seminar on Teaching, in the Winter '11 term.  She is wicked smart, and is doing some pretty fascinating work---but again, don't take my word for it, because the MacArthur folks backed up that opinion with a cool half million.

The Ph.D. thing holds some water, but lecturers are often given a pass on it.  Most of the lecturers in EECS are Ph.Ds, but one or two are not.  Granted we are a department who values their lecturers, and every department is different, but we don't seem to care about it.

As for the discipline: I'm not as sure that it's thought of as soft.  Harry Edwards (from whom I took Intro to Sociology at  Cal) founded the field of Sociology of Sport as far back as the early '70s, when his seminal book on the topic was published.  I could well be wrong about the AC department's specific views on the matter, but it's a broad enough bunch that it would be hard to draw that sort of line without some senior faculty being on the wrong side of it.

But, as a member of the faculty, there is one thing I *can* tell you: We. Do. Not. Take. Well. To. Direction.  I can only *imagine* what our chair/executive committee would say if another *academic* department told us to let someone go, let alone the athletic department.

Pound sand.

...he would tell everyone who would listen (and even those who wouldn't) that "It sure was a shame we had to let Coach go, but you just can't keep someone aroudn who does that."

They are getting to that message, but you are right, it has not been done unambiguously.  And, from the point of view of getting the NCAA's blessing, that's a Bad Thing.

"In OSU's case, I don't see how getting free/cheap tattoos makes them play better."

That depends on who knows what and how widespread it is.

Here's the thing.  College football is the last bastion of communism in the World's Freest Market.  Every player---every single one---is "paid" exactly the same, from the four year starting quarterback who Leads Your Team to Greatness to the guy who sweats out the practice squad and doesn't see the field unless some Rudy-like miracle happens to happen. 

And the pay is: One scholarship (length subject to chagne in the SEC).

Yet, acquiring the services of the Lead Your Team to Greatness types is pretty darn important to, you know, acheiving Greatness.

So, in this universe, little things can tip the scales.  If Big State U is better at producing NFL long snappers than anyone else, then the best long snapper in the country is going to be awfully interested in Big State U.  Likewise, if Another State U more or less routinely has its players picking up a couple bucks here, a few hundred there---you know, the infamous "pizza money"---then all other things being equal, Another State U starts to look awful tempting...if the recruits hear about it.

And, you have to admit, it would be easy to imagine a recruit hearing about jobs you don't have to work....charity events that include cash envelopes....what those golden pants are worth on ebay....and even a way to get a few extra tattoos.  Maybe not all of them, but the stories are likely to be told.  For an 18 year old kid, that's not the chump change it might be to us.

But, realistically, it's not the tattoos.  It's what happened after that.  The entire NCAA house of cards is built on one thing, and one thing only: institutions policing themselves.  Without that, the NCAA has nothing.  And, from where I sit, Ohio State plays this game better than anyone.  They are masters at finding secondary violations, reporting them promptly, and wagging fingers.  It seems as though that would get them in trouble, but it doesn't.  The NCAA *loves* it when schools do that.  Because, hey, a football team is going to have a few kids who make mistakes from time to time, and the important part is whether or not a school stays on top of it and corrects those mistakes as fast as possible.

But, the one thing you CANNOT do, under any circumstances, is intentionally hide a violation.  That threatens the very existence of the NCAA's whole idea of amateurism.  Do that, and Bad Things happen to your program, and in a hurry.

To OSU's credit, they are playing even this game masterfully.  "Hey, it's just one guy, a rogue coach.   Happened to be the head coach, but we've cleaned that mess up and are ready to move forward."

You know what?  The NCAA might just buy it.

I haven't read this particular book yet, but John has a reputation of being a stand-up guy and a top-notch journalist.  He checks his facts, he tells you what their provenance is, and when he believes but can't confirm something, he tells you that too.

There aren't many other people that I'd give as much leeway to, but I'd give John the benefit of a big ol' scoop of doubt.

Well, it's a damn good thing they don't have a systemic problem down there at Ohio State...

It doesn't mean much...until you lose it.  Then, it means a whole hell of a lot.

...until you lose it.  Then it means a WHOLE LOT.

 I'm stupid for having my name in my username.  

Maybe.  Maybe not.  I always post with some variant of my "real name".  I often have my signature linked to my "real life site".  It reminds me to avoid saying things I would not want my mother to read.

(And yes, she is in my facebook circle, too.)

Probalby just an honest mistake. Most of the people working those stands are from random groups doing fundraisers for their organizations, and work that weekend only.  I'm surprised they get it right as often as they do.

Dry Tanqueray martinis in the Redwood City Sofitel. Long two days at a client site, but upgraded for tomorrow's flight back to A2.

Any coach who keeps a dictionary outside his office is okay with me.

True, only three years.  But, it's not every day you go for two up 27 with six minutes to go.

...I'm one of those blue-blood snob-types that wasn't all that fond of the aw-shucks-gee-whiz hillbilly act, and missed Lloyd's dictionary and poetry readings.

But, the way Rich handled himself over the past month or two showed me a lot about his character, and his class.  I misjudged him, and he deserves more credit than I gave him, for sure.

I also admit that I thought three years wasn't enough, even though these three years have been historically bad in a lot of different ways.  I can see why he had to go, but I don't feel good about it.