Dolokhov

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Date	Title	Body
2 years 16 weeks ago	Seconded...	Indeed, this has been at the back of my mind over the past week or so, as well. Sometime in the next 4 years, the Miami Hurricanes and the (real) UM will meet in a bowl game, the higher the stakes, the better. At least I hope this is the case...
2 years 16 weeks ago	Nope...	Nope, definitely Heather Thomas...
2 years 16 weeks ago	Heather Thomas, circa	Heather Thomas, circa 1980's?
2 years 16 weeks ago	Dude...	Dude... I'll be 40 years old 3 days before National Signing Day and, right now, I'm more excited about the potential and what this staff is doing with this recruiting on such short notice than I am about my birthday or any presents I might receive. Of course, on the flip side, this birthday may not exactly be one that many of us look forward to, but still, GIDDYUP!
2 years 17 weeks ago	Cow Pies...	Interesting, as I was also undecided as a young man, but between Michigan and MSU. So, in the 1980s my old man took me out to one of our family farms in western Michigan, walked me through one of the cattle pens, and asked, "Look around, son, you smell that?"  "Yes, sir," I replied. The old man then fixed me with a firm Marine Corps stare and said in his deep and raspy voice, "This, son, is Michigan State... Any questions?" "No, sir, not any more," I answered. I'll always owe my father a debt of gratitude for his strange ways...   *(All of this is, of course, an approximation and rather fictionalized accounting).
2 years 17 weeks ago	Snake Oil	Hopefully, as he was packing up the office, Rich forgot about his case of snake oil and left it for Brady to utilize, both now and in future...
2 years 18 weeks ago	Schad "Tweet"	"LSU might be willing to waive or lower Les Miles' 1.25M buyout to Michigan"
2 years 19 weeks ago	Sesame Street	I've heard it said that there is no such thing as a coincidence, so query me this: Did you by any chance catch Sesame Street this morning, i.e. Wherein the word of the day was "scrumptious" with Jessica Alba serving as the guest celebrity doing the word of the day spot? (And, apparently, Sesame Street is a much more mature show than I thought...).
2 years 21 weeks ago	Army of Darkness...	(Very, very randomly) switching lanes, and intentionally so, but it might be worthwhile to leave all of the above-mentioned films on their respective shelves and, instead, go out and rent "Army of Darkness," a tale so bad but so very, very good (with Ash - who surely loves lasagna as well - representing an embattled Rich Rodriguez)...
2 years 22 weeks ago	Q...	Agreed on Quinton Washington, he's got great size and physical ability, and it'd be great if he "sticks" at DT and becomes a difference maker there. Here's to hoping, anyway, as a lot can be done to "progress" him in the off-season, I think, if the coaching staff decides to keep him there.
2 years 23 weeks ago	Very, very nice... It's good	Very, very nice... It's good to see that hit again and, oh, how I wish Graham, Stevie B., and D. Warren were on this year's "D"...
2 years 23 weeks ago	Entitlement...	Nah, a significant part of our fanbase has developed a deeply held entitlement complex, and we really need to get over that...
2 years 23 weeks ago	Good Match-Up	Well, as a firm supporter of retaining Rich Rodriguez, I really like this match-up, as I think a healthy/healthier UM team has a really good chance of performing well, particularly after 15 more practices for our young secondary and a full month-plus from the OSU game for Mike Martin to heal up those ankles and return to his early season form. Really looking forward to this New Year's Day game!
2 years 23 weeks ago	Maybe...	Of course, it may very well mean that he will commit to Alabama, or that he's giving serious thought to doing so. That said, I don't know if it's "safe to say" much of anything right now, particularly with the UM Staff visiting Dee today and, additionally, the 2 months that currently exist between today and national signing day. It doesn't look good right now, but everything is fluid around the UM program and recruiting right now (not attempting to argue here, just trying to clarify where no clarity really exists).
2 years 23 weeks ago	Change of Timeline...	Agreed, the last meltdown didn't reflect real well on us. That said, I do wonder if there is any chance Dave Brandon changes his existent timeline and comes through with a decision one way or another? He's stated that he will stick to his plan/process and evaluate the program, coach, staff and team after the bowl game, but I wonder if there are factors that might force his hand to some degree (for example: Rich Rodriguez himself, current players, recruiting considerations, corners of the "melting down" fan base, etc.)? I'm not suggesting this will happen, and recognize my relegation/resignation to "wait and see" mode, but just wondering out loud here...
2 years 23 weeks ago	Thank You...	Thanks, Tom, much appreciated (as always). As an FYI, I did notice that Rivals took away Dee Hart's commitment to UM and has him as a "high" interest to Alabama. Not sure what exactly this means, but I suppose we'll find out tomorrow and in the days and weeks to come. Still breathing in, and breathing out...
2 years 23 weeks ago	Sigh...	OK, I just spent some time over at GBW and read what Tom B. had to share about the banquet tonight, including what I take as some positive comments about what Rich had to say and how he said it, as well as noting that UM is getting "killed" on the recruiting trail right now. So, while I'm taking that "wait and see" approach, I do fully support bringing Rich back (I think very highly of him, in fact) and my "lean" is that I am not overly fond of the way Dave Brandon is handling this situation, though I do respect him a great deal, as well, and assume he has a plan that he is following. That said, if I'm going to throw conjecture out there, the way this is playing out in the early stages it seems to me that one potentially reasonable conclusion - as others here have also suggested - is that DB does have a plan and that the plan may already be set in place and is merely waiting not only the conclusion of our bowl game but the bowl season as well (i.e. That the next head coach has been identified and, going forward, the dominos are lined up to fall when as the bowl season progresses and concludes, with everything being kept close to the vest in the meantime). So, if anything like this does happen, while I can do nothing but support and remain a fan of UM Football regardless of the outcome, I'll be disappointed in the way our university and fan base treated Rich while he was with us...
2 years 23 weeks ago	Breathing...	In and out, in and out, in and out... As some have here noted, this board has completely melted down over a rumor which, if it comes to pass, is definitely a big, big BUMMER, but it's not the end o' the world and it certainly wouldn't be the end of UM Football, regardless if Rich or whoever else may be our head man next year. That said, I have been terribly excited about Dee Hart going BLUE and, again regardless of who the head coach will be in 2011 and going forward, I really hope this works out for us in the end, i.e. Dee remaining BLUE or returning to the BLUE by February 2nd. But, I'm taking a wait-and-see approach, on this and on everything else. In the meantime, it simply ain't worth the angst to behave as if the ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE is upon us - though admittedly it may sometimes be fun to do so - even where we may in some places be reverting to cannibalism in the BLUE UNIVERSE. Be well, brothers and sisters, one way or another the light will eventually return to A2.
2 years 23 weeks ago	Death by Speculation...	Thanks, good post. My only contribution is to note that out here in Seattle my head is spinning in Exorcist-like fashion, what with so many questions, so few answers, and so much speculation.  Strangely, even though I'm looking forward to seeing how everything sorts itself out over the next month or two between now and national signing day in early February, I'm actually sort of enjoying this chapter in UM Football (not the losing, or the "not quite winning enough," but the "up in the air," "I wonder how this is all going to work out" location we currently find ourselves in). For the record, I'm for retaining Rich Rodriguez, but this Christmas season has taken on added dimensions as I wonder what will be placed underneath our maize and blue tree this year. As a small and useless aside, here's to hoping our stockings hold a resurgence of earning helmet stickers in 2011, though. Challenging, difficult and exciting times, my friends...
2 years 24 weeks ago	Thanks!	Thanks for the update and information, I very much appreciate it! Also, I am really high on Rawls, and would really like to see him in this class, though with Michigan Nation in "wait and see" mode I'd be a little bit surprised to see additional commitments between now and early January (unless there is information being passed along to and through the coaching staff that we are not aware of, which is of course entirely possible). Sitting here, typing and, as one who enjoys following recruiting, I'm realizing just how "on pins and needles" I feel right now and, in all likelihood, will feel for the next month-plus...
2 years 24 weeks ago	Good Work...	Good work on this diary, I appreciate it and it's given me another fascinating metric to chew on while we await the next word(s) from Dave Brandon. Also, I like how you placed and related the two graphs together, and the picture that the "strong" graph seems to paint. Again, excellent work and thank you for contributing it to this board.
2 years 24 weeks ago	A Good Plan...	Haha! This sounds like a good plan to me, for your son and... for you too!
2 years 24 weeks ago	Christmas List...	Good work! If only the action figure were real, I'd be placing it on my Christmas list and hoping Santa placed it in my (39-year-old) stocking on Christmas morning... Where I might also have to break out the old Star Wars action figures from my youth, paint an Ohio State uniform on Darth Vader, and bring Denard into imaginary battle against the dark side of the force while we all await word from Dave Brandon...
2 years 24 weeks ago	On Recruiting...	Agreed, while I think highly of Dave Brandon and trust him to make the best decision(s) for UM Athletics and UM Football - as if I have any choice, right (?) - this is the one significant critique I have of the evaluation process as he's (clearly and repeatedly) laid it out, i.e. Not only does this seeming "limbo state" likely put some significant questions in the minds of the kids already committed (Hart, Crawford, et al), but coming to a decision after the bowl game leaves very little time for either Rich Rodriguez or his potential replacement (and staffs) to finish strong for this recruiting class by the February 2nd signing date (I think that's the date this year). Additionally, I'm really curious how the current staff (and Dave Brandon) will handle the recruiting events through the month of December with those kids tripping to Ann Arbor. Of course, it may be that the AD has given or will be giving these kids and their families some assurances, but the question about the head coach (and staff) has to be at the forefront for many/most of these kids and I'd have a hard time thinking such assurances would somehow get "leaked" at some point in time (if even given, of course). Waiting is hard...
2 years 24 weeks ago	Thanks for the Post...	Thanks for the post, Tom, really appreciate it and, even amidst so many other questions, I hope we can finish the season strong with a bowl win and a couple of these kids going Blue...
2 years 24 weeks ago	Congratulations, Denard!	Congratulations, Denard! Great news, and well earned!
2 years 24 weeks ago	Thank You...	Thank you for the clarification, as I was searching high and low for this same information. Much appreciated!
2 years 24 weeks ago	On Denard...	Yes, definitely, I agree with your more reasonable and optimistic response to my worse case scenario tongue-in-cheek fiction (at least, I hope it's fiction)...
2 years 24 weeks ago	Suspicious Minds...	Well, suspicious minds might suggest that, if Rich Rodriguez is not retained as the head football coach at UM that, in all likelihood, he will be brought on as the head man somewhere else in fairly short order. In the Universe where the gods hate Michigan football, Denard would follow Rich Rodriguez wherever he goes, sit out a year with two years of eligibility remaining, and win a Heisman Trophy while guiding that program to 1-2 BCS appearances. That said, here's hoping that fiction does not become reality. Sigh...
2 years 24 weeks ago	On the Flip Side...	Of course, on the flip side of my above post, perhaps waiting for another month allows some time for some distance from the regular season (and the bad losses to Wisconsin and OSU) for the emotive/reactive "Fire RichRod" sentiment to die down, and for Dave Brandon to cooly support Rich Rodriguez for a 4th year without jumping into the middle of a fire on either side of the fence. Again, I've no idea at all, but since Dave Brandon is seemingly doing such a solid job of keeping everything close to the vest, we exist in a world called conjecture, I suppose.

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