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If the Big Ten actually…

If the Big Ten actually tries to do anything to punish Michigan before the NCAA, Michigan should absolutely leave the conference to go independent or join the SEC.  Why should we keep subsidizing the minnows of the conference by sharing tv money with them.  Screw that.

I 100% agree on the need to…

I 100% agree on the need to fix NIL.

That said, we've just seen Texas A&M lose 21 transfers and Ohio State's AD out begging for money to their NIL collective.  All this to say, getting guys in because they care about NIL means you have to keep those guys who care about NIL.  Having to re-recruit your own roster every year by throwing more money at them will eventually become more of a focus than recruiting the new freshman.  Simply put, if you strike the right balance of getting guys in who won't bolt after 1 year for more money and keep and develop them, you'll still do better than the teams with high turnover every year (even if they're bringing in 5*s)

They’re 11-1W now

They’re 11-1W now

To be the pedant in the room…

To be the pedant in the room: Hackenberg was complimentary of Michigan’s complementary football.  

Seems like Pearson will not…

Seems like Pearson will not be renewed and the University decided to put the report out so that the press would provide the context when that news breaks.

The team doesn’t play at…

The team doesn’t play at Maryland this year, so if you’re a fan in DC, your next closest opportunity is figuring out a way to get to Rutgers or Penn State (which costs money). 
 

I wasn’t willing to pay over $65 and was just hoping prices would come down. 

I work in the area,…

I work in the area, generally would avoid it after dark. Would recommend people pay for the parking at the arena and arrive early to park close. 

I waited to buy tix when…

I waited to buy tix when they were wildly expensive (cheapest were $65 + tax and fees in upper corner). 
 

Prices were cut dramatically from $225+ for lower mid court to $60 for lower mid court. 
 

Scored tix in the 4th row at mid court behind the benches for less than the worst seats would’ve cost me last month. 
 

Came here to say that he’s…

Came here to say that he’s technically right as the concurring opinion isn’t legally binding, but of course, with this being a Michigan blog, the first 2 responses covered that…

Just for fun:
We're now #10…

Just for fun:

We're now #10 on KenPom and #8 on Torvik after the win today

A case study in anchoring:…

A case study in anchoring: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_(cognitive_bias)

In the end, the only 2 things that matter are Big Ten Standings and Tournament Selection Committee Seeding

Looking at the Athletic…

Looking at the Athletic Department holistically, of course not.

Other schools are cutting programs, Michigan isn't.

Men's and Women's basketball and hockey are all looking great under his direction.

Warde is doing a great job, understand disappointment with football, but he definitely should keep his job.

The argument that every…

The argument that every investment is a greater fool gamble simply isn't true.

If you want to buy a farm or a rental property, you determine the price based on the relative value of the land/property and its ability to provide you a return through its ability to generate profit. Whether or not it's a good investment is based on purchase price, risk, break even point, opportunity cost, and potential to generate future profits.

Stocks are the same as a farm or rental property. They simply represent underlying businesses that hold assets and produce profits. Whether or not a particular stock is a good investment can be quantified. A case can be made for a stock being over or undervalued based on its tangible book assets and potential future profits.

I understand not wanting to invest in particular companies, there are ESG funds available or you could build your own diversified portfolio of companies that you don't find objectionable.

I'm fully in favor of decentralized digital currencies- I'd have no problem putting all of my cash holdings into a stable coin like Libra, but the idea that an everyday functional currency can also be an investment that will provide significant returns simply doesn't work.  If Bitcoin is volatile enough to be a good investment, it will be a bad currency; if it's stable enough to be a good currency, it's a bad investment.

I think the future of cash/currency is decentralized and digital, but I see it being more like Libra and less like Bitcoin. Bitcoin may be digital gold, but you don't buy your daily coffee with gold.

The problem with…

The problem with cryptocurrency is that it's really bad as a currency. It doesn't hold its value stably or predictably and no goods/assets are represented by their price in Bitcoin, it's always converted into the local currency to transact. It lost 85% of its purchasing power in one year (2018).  While I'm sympathetic to the arguments against holding all of your assets in one fiat currency, I see a stable coin like Libra (a digital currency representing a basket of fiat currencies) rather than Bitcoin being the solution here, as you could actually count on its value remaining steady/predictable.

If it's not really a currency, then is it an investment? Not really.

Crypto has no intrinsic value and produces nothing. Stocks represent an ownership share of a company with assets and profits. Bonds represent debt that must be repaid (if not, debtholders have recourse through bankruptcy). Real estate can be rented out while held and will retain some value to be sold (which isn't to say it can't lose value). Even gold and precious metals can be melted down and sold as a commodity to create jewelry or electronic components.

It is a greater fool gamble rather than a currency or an investment (hoping someone else is foolish enough to pay more for something than you did). It may work out and make some people very rich, it may also lose 85% of its value again like happened in 2018. The key to building and preserving wealth isn't speculation, but rather preservation of capital and long-term compound returns.  Holding a portfolio of 60% US stock index, 20% International stock index, and 20% bond index may not see the same surges in value as Bitcoin has seen recently, but it also won't see the same kind of drop as Bitcoin saw in 2018 (also- I can feel more confident holding this portfolio in a drop than I could something with no intrinsic/productive value). Plus there's the tax efficiency of being able to hold index funds forever without having to sell and realize capital gains (although dividends in a taxable account will be taxed, it's also a way to have income without realizing gains on your principle investment).

I'd rather be moderately successful making the right risk-adjusted long term decisions than try to win the lottery.



 

SOURCE: #Michigan has…

SOURCE: #Michigan has dismissed defensive coordinator Don Brown.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 22, 2020
It seems as if Ford has made…

It seems as if Ford has made their biggest bet on the future in the Mustang Mach-E, attempting to plant a flag in the EV market as the best EV crossover.

Obviously now doesn't seem to be the best time to be launching a new $40k+ vehicle, but what share of the crossover EV market they're able to take will say a lot about the long term prospects of the company (crossovers and EVs being growing segments). By all accounts, the vehicle performs exceptionally well and has most of the tech offerings one would expect in a mid-tier EV. Reliability will be key.
 

If the Mach-E is a success that Ford can build on year after year, the investments in tech and EV will have spillover across the lineup.

Even if the Mach-E doesn't succeed, Ford still has an incredibly strong brand that isn't going anywhere. The Mustang and F-150 are iconic and the Raptor line of pickups is catching fire. The less commercial Ford GT and Shelby brands are indicators of the companies performance bona fides. The reintroduction of the Ranger to North America and the Bronco returning also seem to be the right moves to bring back vehicles with well-known names in the SUV and light truck segment.

I pay more attention to the vehicle side than the management/financial side, but all things considered, Ford seems to have been positioning themselves well for the future recently on the decisions they're making about what vehicles to produce.

I was thinking along the…

I was thinking along the lines of the live podcast taping of theirs that I attended. Don't know if that was under the NBC umbrella or Maven (who I guess produces their podcast), but I was imagining that money may have gone straight to them.

Brian's model of running…

Brian's model of running MgoBlog has long struck me as the future of online media. Direct to a narrowly interested fanbase willing to pay for things (merch, HTTV, etc.). Locally and/or communally sponsored (businesses in the Ann Arbor/UM ecosystem sponsoring posts and the podcast).

Credit to Brian for boldly forging his own path on this front. While I'm sure the drop in ad revenue is hurting Mgo's bottom line right now, at least Brian is in charge of his own destiny on this.

It definitely seems as if local news and sports news will have to recreate itself in this model (either like NPR as a donor and sponsor supported not for profit for news or as a fanatic driven indy like MgoBlog or MenInBlazers). I guess the other model is popular national paid for like NYTimes, WaPo, or The Athletic.

Hey Karon, if you read this…

Hey Karan, if you read this... go get that paper

Was just on 247 and thought…

Was just on 247 and thought to myself, I wonder where Stephen Herron is ranked now (he's down to 136). 

If we picked up Harrison at this point I think that would more than make up for the Herron decommit earlier this cycle

I've lived in Michigan,…

I've lived in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, New Jersey, and DC (work takes me to a lot of different places).  Living in Wisconsin and Iowa I couldn't help but root for the Badgers and Hawkeyes, because the programs are clean and the fans are good-hearted and passionate.  In NJ and DC I never heard about Maryland or Rutgers and never once felt the desire to see their football teams play, let alone win.  The gap between the clean and storied programs with the new-blood bottom feeders could not be more stark.

The 2014 class saw only 1 of

The 2014 class saw only 1 of 6 recruits play 4 years at Michigan due to a variety of reasons:
NBA: DJ Wilson
Injury: Hatch
Transfer: Aubrey Dawkins, Ricky Doyle, Kam Chatman

The perceived recruiting problems can mostly be chalked up to this class not sticking around and causing the coaches to scramble to fill holes.

The 2015-2017 classes and transfers in have been solid in filling the gaps of the 2014 class. The 2017 and 2018 classes look like they could be great.

I think these last 2 classes are more of a baseline expectation for recruiting under Beilein than the 2014-2016 classes that were mostly trying to fill unexpected gaps due to attrition.

3 point shooting will be the

3 point shooting will be the big concern going into next year. If Mo goes pro, this team will be losing their 3 most prolific and highest percentage 3 point shooters: Duncan- 78 @ 38%, MAAR- 73 @ 37%, and Mo- 63 @ 39%.

Returning they have Poole- 40 @ 37%, Matthews- 34 @ 31%, Simpson- 24 @ 29%, and Livers- 21 @ 36%. No other returning player has made more than 10 3’s this year (Ibi and Eli both made 10 and shot below 33%).

The incoming freshman look to contribute solid outside shooting, but returning only 2 guys that shoot above 33% from 3 means that next years team might have offensive performances like this one all too often.

This most likely would’ve

This most likely would’ve happened under any CEO, but hiring Brandon almost definitely accelerated the process. My father worked for a toy/gift company that went under about 5 years ago, the whole industry is changing.

I live about 5 miles from the corporate HQ in New Jersey, interested to see who might move in there.

New York City is now the pro

New York City is now the pro basketball home to Trey, Tim, Nik, and Caris.  With Caris playing point guard off the bench for the Nets we could see a game where all 4 are on the court at the same time and matching up with each other.

They just ran out of the

They just ran out of the first batch- think there should be more on the way shortly.

Brewery 4 Two 4

I recommend Brewery 4 Two 4 in Holland, mainly because they currently have a beer on tap in honor of my brother: 

"NEW BEER ALERT!! #301 Under the Bridge Brown featuring Milk Sugar and Mackinac Island Fudge Coffee



The backstory to #301 Under the Bridge Brown (Featuring Milk Sugar and Mackinac Island Fudge Coffee)



Brian Genzink, loved craft beer. Getting out and exploring the breweries in West Michigan was a central component of Brian’s social life. His love for beer created connections and fostered relationships that went way deeper than just brewing; his friends became his family and these relationships brought out the best in Brian. From creating new brews and entering local competitions to sharing his latest brew on his friends home tap, craft-brewing showcased Brian’s creativity, generosity, and love for life. 



One year ago, Brian’s life was cut tragically short by diabetes. When Brian passed away, he was training to ride his bike 100 miles in the West Michigan Tour de Cure to raise money and awareness to help combat this deadly disease. To honor his life and continue to tell his story, Brian’s sister Lisa, along with many others who love Brian, rode their bikes 10 miles in the Tour de Cure on September 11, 2016. Collectively, they rode 100 miles and were able to meet Brian's goal in both miles and dollars. Sharing in this experience allowed friends to turn pain into purpose. When the Tour ended, Lisa knew that she couldn’t just walk away from her part in the fight against diabetes. So she began to get connected and volunteer with other young adults affected by diabetes and that’s where the idea for Brian's Brew was born. 



The event was structured around an on-site homebrew competition and celebration event at Brewery 4 Two 4. The competition was comprised of 10 teams of up to four brewers. Representatives of both the American Diabetes Association and the JDRF were on hand to hold some informal education sessions with the purpose of spreading Diabetes awareness during the down times of the homebrew process. 



The winner of this competition, was the team of Jimm Sullivan and Steve McPharlin. They got to brew the winning recipe in house at Brewery 4 Two 4. This beer, a session brown with lactose and Mackinac Island Fudge Coffee is a unique take on the last beer that Brian brewed before his passing. 10% of all sales of this beer will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation & ADA. We ask that you raise a toast to Brian while you drink this beer and enjoy it as he would have."

The brand has certainly

The brand has certainly fallen off in the last several years with "Jordans" losing much of their luxury brand appeal.  As they increased supply and reissued old versions- their mystique has definitely decreased:

http://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/08/02/retro-jordans-price-hype/

I was surprised to see how

I was surprised to see how much Furbush was playing and especially how much Lawrence Marshall was playing.  Seemed like both held up pretty well.  Looked like there were other guys rotating in on D that I couldn't keep track of.

Even though he's clearly not

Even though he's clearly not 100% I still enjoy seeing him on my TV every Saturday. 

This is the week where I just

This is the week where I just sit on mgoblog clicking refresh all day long

Go to Karben4 Brewing: 3698

Go to Karben4 Brewing: 3698 Kinsman Blvd. Madison, WI.  It is easily the best brewery in the state (although Lakefront is great as well).  

If you like the beer they have there, buy some and take it back with you as it's very hard to find out of state.

Absolutely

After people were calling for Beilein to be fired 2 months ago, then he finished with a winning record in the league and won the Big Ten Tournament.

If they lose their next game by 15 points.  This season was still a great success. 

Look on the bright side,

Look on the bright side, Coach Freeze.  You'll be able to spend a lot of time with your family soon

The Toys R Us corporate

The Toys R Us corporate headquarters in Wayne, NJ are located 3.2 miles from Kareem Walker's high school (De Paul Catholic).  If we don't get Walker, we know who to blame.

Seriously, thank you for the

Seriously, thank you for the work you guys do.  I've been reading Mgoblog since I was in middle school, I'm 24 now.  

There are few things in the world that keep your attention for 10+ years.

Allow me to predict the

Allow me to predict the future here:

He'll blow up next summer, get more attention, higher programs will offer him, and John Beilein will be lauded for his ability to spot talent.

Send a cease and desist

Send a cease and desist warning.  Doesn't even have to be written by a lawyer

edit: unless you want money (which you're entitled to, people with shitty business practices should have to pay people they try to take advantage of).  In that case, sue

10/7/2007 against Eastern

10/7/2007 against Eastern Michigan University

From NJ but in Michigan visiting family that weekend.  I was 16, I had long been a Michigan fan and I couldn't wait to see my first game at the Big House.  My dad had raised my brother and I to be UofM fans and I know he was excited to take his boys to their first games.

I remember I was really dissapointed that Mario Manningham wouldn't be playing due to suspension.  We knew there was a good chance that Mike Hart would break the rushing record that day, so we were really excited when he broke the record and we could say we were there.  

10/11/2008 against Toledo

This was the second game I went to at the Big House.  Not as fun

I've lost all ability to keep

I've lost all ability to keep up with what's going on in recruiting.  Too much is happening in a short amount of time.

It's from an episode of Louie

It's from an episode of Louie

When trying to make a point

When trying to make a point about handling yourself with dignity and class, it might be helpful to embody those qualities.

Michigan has been terrible at

Michigan has been terrible at inbounding the whole time Beilein has been here, one of his few flaws as a coach.  Lost 2 possesions in the final 2 minutes because of it today.

(No subject)

Does him going to Arizona

Does him going to Arizona make sense

Per Bruce

Per Bruce Feldman:

@BruceFeldmanCFB: BREAKING #Vols OC Mike Bajakian is leaving #UT to pursue other coaching opportunities, multiple sources told @FOXSports.

If Kelly was going there to play RB this could have an impact

COMBOS!

COMBOS!

I live in Bergen County, and

I live in Bergen County, and the Bergen Record is a fantastic paper.  

Proud of the football players that come from this region.

Yeah, they haven't actually

Yeah, they haven't actually produced any of these things yet, it's just a concept and not even to the point of prototype.  

An OLED sleeve that you would wear on your arm seems much more plausible, even if it would look dorkier

Jevon Sheppard (spelling?)

Jevon Sheppard (spelling?) has been a regular for the national team since leaving UM.

Robert Sacre from the Lakers is also a regular