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Yep, great point.

Yep, great point.

Re: doing something…

Re: doing something differently, I can as a Reds fan put this in very concrete terms: let's say Rose had rested Reds' star Eric Davis, who stole 80 bases in '86, b/c of a tweaked hamstring...Davis was hurt a lot...And let's say you're at home and up by one run and you get a guy onto first with no outs in the bottom of the eighth.  Do you now pinch run Davis to try to steal second to get a second run?  Or do you rest him b/c that would be better for the season as a whole? 

I agree that things would be fine if Rose really and truly did nothing different b/c of gambling, but I don't see how you could ever count on that being the case.  Also, the mere appearance of a conflict is terrible for the game.  Fans need and deserve to know that a manager is looking out for his club and not his gambling winnings.  

Eh...but what if you bet on…

Eh...but what if you bet on the Reds to win by 1.5 runs and you're up by only one run heading into the ninth?  Are you truly focused on the long-term success of the team, or--as suggested above--are you going to do whatever you can to make sure that you score the second run?  As for the game as a whole, do you start guys that you would have rested otherwise?  Are you extra-aggressive on the bases throughout the game to try to make sure you get your two-plus run differential?  Do you leave a pitcher in longer than you would have?  The conflicts of interest are just too much.  

I so hope that you're right…

I so hope that you're right.  Seeing a once-in-a-lifetime athlete go down for gambling would be awful.  

Actual LOL.

Actual LOL.

Once a player is in the…

Once a player is in the portal, the school is under no obligation to take him back--at least not in any sense that's based in NCAA rules or contract law. 

No problem at all!  You made…

No problem at all!  You made a good point.

I was speaking loosely and-…

I was speaking loosely and--I assure you--not trying to convert anyone to a religion.  And I agree with your last sentence.  

If I'm being honest, I am as…

If I'm being honest, I am as giddy as a schoolboy about the extent to which May is vaguely Beilein-ish.  It's great to be excited about the basketball team again.

Juwan Howard is a Michigan…

Juwan Howard is a Michigan legend, and we're lucky to have him as a Wolverine.  His tenure as HC of the team didn't work out, but that's hardly a moral failing.  In fact, here's a mini-rant: we as a country have a really bad habit of associating earthly success with virtue and earthly failings with poor character.  This is a terrible and corrosive way of viewing life!  These are distinct issues.  

Anyway, I'm grateful for this column.  And thanks for posting, OP.

 

I remain excited about both…

I remain excited about both Dusty May's coaching ability and his duets with Patsy Cline. 

This is exciting! He's…

This is exciting! He's apparently very well regarded as a person, and he knows how to build a program. I highly recommend reading Dylan's ten points about him over on UMHoops...Next year won't be good as far as wins and losses, I have to think, but it will be fun to watch the team grow.

I'm thinking of your recent…

I'm thinking of your recent exchanges about Warde when I say this: this hire may not work out for whatever reason, but I don't think that anyone can say that Warde botched the firing/hiring process. He dealt with Howard quickly and then landed the coach that most ADs would have gone after.

I was talking with a…

I was talking with a coworker about this. I think Clark has to be the biggest star in college basketball. I can't even come up with a men's player who might eclipse her. 

Dayton is still alive! They…

Dayton is still alive! They have a chance if Love cools off a little. 

My coaches in order of…

My coaches in order of preference:

1.) Craig

2.) John Beilein

3.) Dusty May

4.) Medved

5.) The USF coach or the Drake coach

Re: Tang, I believe Brian…

Re: Tang, I believe Brian already mentioned this, but I would be concerned about the difference between running a program at KSU and doing that at Michigan.  KSU is not exactly picky about its athletes' qualifications.  

Think very carefully before…

Think very carefully before you hang a pheasant outside of your house.

A couple of thoughts on…

A couple of thoughts on Anthony Grant: 

He's a good coach.  Not that Brian is saying this, but Dayton isn't a machine that's going to win no matter who the coach is.  People have failed there before.  

Foolish as this may sound, I'm not 100% sure that Grant would leave UD.  He played there and has had significant support from the AD in dealing with a terrible personal tragedy.  He might be a Dayton lifer.  

"When do I start?"

Tomorrow…

"When do I start?"

Tomorrow? 

Minutes!  We've got minutes!…

Minutes!  We've got minutes!  Anybody want minutes?  Minutes here!

FWIW, Joe, I would never…

FWIW, Joe, I would never joke with a koala who is wearing sunglasses.  That's serious business.

That is super-helpful. …

That is super-helpful.  Thanks!  I hope you're doing well.

Is much of the anti-Manuel…

Is much of the anti-Manuel sentiment coming from something to do with hockey?  I ask that as an honest question.  I generally don't know much more about the hockey team than the score of the most recent game.

Hot take: Juwan Howard is a…

Hot take: Juwan Howard is a good guy who just couldn't get it done as the head coach.

Michigan went 3-17 in…

Michigan went 3-17 in conference play and lost 18 of its last 20 games.  It did not make the tournament last year.  And there are no unusual mitigating circumstances beyond Howard's surgery. The end.  

Congrats on the anniversary!…

Congrats on the anniversary!  But watch out for guys in togas. 

FWIW, I join those saying…

FWIW, I join those saying that we shouldn't read much of anything into comments made immediately post-game.

The only "positive" I feel,…

The only "positive" I feel, fwiw, is that we are at rock bottom as far as on-court performance.  Things can't get worse in any meaningful way.  Or, at the very least, I'm pretty sure that I could not be more checked out as far as the team's performance.  

You are a champ, Alex.

You are a champ, Alex.

I'll be deep in the cold,…

I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I buy Peacock.  

Happy birthday to Craig!  If…

Happy birthday to Craig!  If he wouldn't mind sharing with us what the fall of the Roman republic was like, that would be very interesting. 

Barring something truly…

Barring something truly strange, going 3-17 in conference play ought to be the end of a coach's time at Michigan. 

"Iowa had 30 assists as a…

"Iowa had 30 assists as a team."

Wow.

Where I essentially just…

Where I essentially just repeat what Brian said: 2024-25 is going to be a bad year for Michigan basketball as far as wins and losses.  Why not at least make it one where a new coach is building the foundation of a new program?  What magical series of events is going to facilitate a Howard-led turnaround next year?  The summer is gone. The harvest has passed.  And we are not saved.

Well damn.  I really hope…

Well damn.  I really hope that he and his family are okay.  

Michigan is the three-time…

Michigan is the three-time Big Ten champion and the national champion.  And they've defeated OSU in every game since the pandemic.  All is quite well. 

To be clear, I wasn't…

To be clear, I wasn't defending the idea of keeping Howard as coach.  I was pointing out that it's going to be very hard to reload the roster in one offseason. 

Re: bringing Juwan Howard…

Re: bringing Juwan Howard back: putting aside the Martin scandal, we are in the lowest moment of Michigan basketball since I've been following the team (the late '80s).  Howard deserves to be treated as a Michigan icon for the rest of his life, but how does next year look anything other than absolutely hopeless?  The incoming recruiting class is not going to move the needle a whole lot.  And the program remains heavily restricted re: adding transfers (as we've discussed frequently).  In what universe is next year with Howard much better than this season?  

Please include a trigger…

Please include a trigger warning with this!

Every game should be a…

Every game should be a playoff game.  And every game should start in overtime.  Too much is not enough. 

If Sanderson's account is…

If Sanderson's account is incomplete or inaccurate, Michigan needs to counter it at this point. It's become fact for all practical purposes. 

Graig has a black goatee and…

Graig has a black goatee and lives his life to thwart Craig.  

Michigan had six assists to…

Michigan had six assists to go with its eighteen turnovers. 

I don't think there's any…

I don't think there's any question that his playing career plays a role here.

Re: Howard, I'm not sure…

Re: Howard, I'm not sure that I've seen a coach rebound after having teams (I include last year's squad) play with so little pride. Schemes can be tweaked. Roster holes can be filled. But it seems like a coach can motivate players or--at least in the near future--he can't. 

I hear you, but Sanderson's…

I hear you, but Sanderson's version of events doesn't involve anyone striking, shoving, kicking, etc. anyone.  It appears that he and Juwan Howard never even made contact.  There could have been violence, but there wasn't.  There may have simply been no HR violation in a strict sense.  

I should add that I don't know what the Michigan AD's HR rules are.  But they probably wouldn't want to box themselves into a corner in which two coaches yelling and posturing is inherently a violation of a rule.  

My memory is that you are a…

My memory is that you are a fellow Bengals fan that accordingly you have, like me, seen this before.

If that's accurate, it goes…

If that's accurate, it goes a long way toward explaining Michigan's on-court problems with effort and demeanor.  

I finally saw the Elvis…

I finally saw the Elvis movie. It's a bit much and only sometimes rooted in fact, but it's thoroughly enjoyable. "Suspicious Minds" is a great song.