Member for

11 years 8 months
Points
23505.00

Recent Comments

Date Title Body
People are complex. I love…

People are complex. I love this version of Juwan. Other facets of his personality still need some burnishing. Still, last Friday was a sad day for me. 

What struck me was how…

What struck me was how quickly they moved the puck through the neutral zone into the OZ. This was due to the best breakout passing from the DZ we’ve seen all year. The passing overall was consistently good, too. This was a great tune up game for FYS. 

You said it, Lake. OP should…

You said it, Lake. OP should have called it “Fire-Day Posbang” instead of Friday Posbang. Kind of a melancholy event to posbang, but the suppurating bandage had to be ripped off. 

Harbaugh could have been…

Harbaugh could have been more 'Forthcoming' about copping a plea and begging for forgiveness from their paper tiger authority.  That, and the public insistence that athletes at the core of a billion dollar enterprise be treated fairly, put a big X on his back.  Michigan is an easy and perpetual target for haters and gossipers. 

Giggidy

Giggidy

When he was a freshman:

 -…

When he was a freshman:

 - Bo passed away

 - Mike Hart carried the rock

 - Chad Henne was our QB

- Mario Manningham and Stevie Breaston caught his passes

 - David Harris was his MLB
 - He play behind LaMarr Woodley

Yep, he’s been playing awhile. 

Saban is a hypocritical ass…

Saban is a hypocritical ass and has a lot of gall to lay the blame on athletes wanting mo' money.  He's been complicit in, if not running, a RICO recruiting scheme as long as he's been there.  How has he recruited the most 5 star talent in CFB for the last decade? M.O.N.E.Y.  He'll just have to find peace in his retirement, you know, gardening, watercolor painting, running his network of Mercedes dealerships.

I read 3-Body and found it…

I read 3-Body and found it substandard in terms of epic Sci-Fi.  It felt like there was tiptoeing around censorship issues and, as noted above, the resolution was ameteurist.  If you're interested in well crafted and imaginative Sci-Fi from a modern author, by far the best I've read in the last decade is by N. K. Jemisin.  Her Broken Earth Series won the Hugo Award 3 years running along with a Nebula award. 

Oops. Love those extra words…

Oops. Love those extra words and letters.

That takes me back in time. …

That takes me back in time.  Huron Valley Swim Club, along with Ann Arbor Country Club, were the two powerhouses in the summer league I (and the rest of my siblings) swam in back in the early-to-mid 60's.  They produced a lot of talent that made Ann Arbor schools among the best in the state back in the day. 

Sitting in the dirt?

Sitting in the dirt?

Don’t forget George Pomey …

Don’t forget George Pomey (PG), Larry ‘Trigger’ Tregoning (SG) and Oliver Darden (SF).  That 1965 team was loadeD and it took one of John Wooden’s great early UCLA teams to deny them a National Championship. The architect of Michigan’s rise to national prominence was their head coach, Dave Strack.

 

Player Interview Rankings…

 

Player Interview Rankings:

Sainristil: 1st

Everyone Else: 2nd Place or Lower

 

/FIFY

 

Golden Son Returns 

Shining…

Golden Son Returns 

Shining Start Turns To Dark Clouds 

Balls Clank Off Like Rain 

+1 for Isadore 'Friz'…

+1 for Isadore 'Friz' Freleng reference.

Now your just pandering for…

Now your just pandering for my upvote

/s

A core requirement of being…

A core requirement of being a journalist is to get the facts straight.  You can certainly opine of the meaning of a story, but only if the facts of the story are correct, otherwise you wind up like some well-known national media outlet which distort a story factually for purposes of substantiating an opinion.  CBS online has deteriorated from the media outlet of Walter Cronkite and Edward R. Murrow.

Tell me something I don't…

Tell me something I don't already know.

To Hell with the Figthing…

To Hell with the Figthing Irish.

What else is there to say…

What else is there to say but:

https://imgur.com/gallery/Jgz720h

I was in an airplane, flying…

I was in an airplane, flying back home from who knows where, and the pilot kept giving us updates during the game.  The tension was palpable and when the plane de-boarded at Metro with ten minutes to go (or so, it was impossible to know), we all headed to the nearest bar.  To our dismay, everywhere there was a TV, there was also a huge crowd and given the 25" tube TVs running a low resolution, you couldn't see a thing, but they did have the sound turned way up.  What a scene! 

[Edit] TBH, I don't remember if it was a taped delay or not, but I think it was the early evening (EST) when we got back.

My and my buddy have just…

My and my buddy have just signed up for our 49th year in section 12. We’ve talked about hanging it up, what with the influence of money and general sense of being exploited for our loyalty, but it doesn’t get much traction between us. You go to the games for the players and to be witness for the legacy of the team. Last year’s team was a fantastic reward for us, but I don’t see them as any more deserving than any other of the long line of teams we seen from our perch in row 52.  Next year’s team will need our small voices just as much. 

I went to school with one of…

I went to school with one of his kids. Looked a lot like him, tall and gangly with a bookish appearance.  RIP, Mr. Weidenbach.  Born in the same year as my dad. 

I still have hope for…

I still have hope for Naurato, I think it's way too early in his career to give up on him.  Change in College Hockey seems to be much slower than football or basketball, and goon squads of older players still neutralizes talent, but I don't want Michigan to give up on skills development and think Naurato will develop toughness in his coaching given some time.

I'm shocked, I say, shocked…

I'm shocked, I say, shocked that Alex didn't say a word about that very questionable call in a 3-2 game.  Even if the Michigan major was a 2 minute roughing call, it would have been cheap given how they let them play all night.  That, and the noxious homering of the broadcast crew, left a bad taste in my mouth.

YYTV if you only have one…

YYTV if you only have one service. It has an abundance of channels and serious DVR chops. 
 

I like appleTV, prime video, and the free version of Hulu as garnish. 

I'm rocking my brand-new M…

I'm rocking my brand-new M-Den long sleeve championship tee today.  Even Sabb jumping into the portal isn't gonna bring me down.  Next man up, LFG!

Speaking into existence. …

Speaking into existence.  Good Work!

I'm sorry, but are you…

I'm sorry, but are you saying you don't want the Lions to draft JJ.  Surely you jest, or have had a temporary lapse of reason.  JJ has demonstrated the following:

 a. 28-1 as the starter of this years National Champion over the last two seasons

 b. Able to adapt to whatever the game plan is with efficiency

 c. doesn't turn the ball over

 d. demostrated selfless leadership qualities, from rooting Cade along as a freshman to being the Leader on a team of leaders.

No numbers need be cited.  I want this guy on my team.

Tough crowd down in C-Bus. …

Tough crowd down in C-Bus.  I will freely admit that I haven't been paying close attention to MBB this season, or last season for that matter, but I thought Holtmann has done a pretty good job with mediocre rosters over the years.  College Athletics: Where Money is in and loyalty/tradition is loooonnnng gone.

Nice Read.  Got me thinking…

Nice Read.  Got me thinking about the many years of hope, success, failure, and frustration with Michigan Football that I've experienced.  This year was different, and I just knew it.  Every team we played was put in a meat vice, and in the end, it was mopping the floor and getting ready for Dexter's next victim.  No splitting our success with a crybaby Nebraska team, no stupid losses to Purdue or Wisconsin, just the quiet satisfaction that we are, in fact, the leaders and best.

What is increasingly evident to me as I age out of the mortal coil, is not that Michigan Football is what makes my collegiate tribe special, but rather that Michigan is very possibly the best educational institution in the world and it's where I went to school.  I'm damn proud of that and of the success that my fellow alumni have earned.  We've made a difference.

As expected, MSU homer…

As expected, MSU homer broadcasters. Beat those Sparty villains. 

It's a cheap ploy for votes,…

It's a cheap ploy for votes, like kissing babies or making promises which you have no intention of keeping.

For that matter, why the…

For that matter, why the carve-out for getting outside the tackles and throwing it past the line of scrimmage, given they don't enforce throwing it out of bounds for purposes of a) avoiding a sack, and b) avoiding an interception.  If the QB is not past the line of scrimmage, any pass that meets the criteria a and b referenced above, is intentional grounding of the football.  If the QB rolls out, it doesn't make any difference in enforcing the rule.

Calvin was #96.  So you were…

Calvin was #96.  So you were playing during the Giordano/early Red years.  Those were tough times for the hockey team, but it doesn't change the fact that you are part of a proud brotherhood.

[Edit] Back to Calvin.  He was the first of Bo's great middle linebackers and held the career tackling record for a new york minute.  It was O'Neal -> Ron Simpkins -> Paul Girgash that ruled the middle of the field for a decade.  Bo's scheme was to do a lot of slanting with the DL and funnel everything to the linebakers.

Pretty sure the Linebacker…

Pretty sure the Linebacker your brother ran away from was Calvin O'Neal, as there was no leslie on the team and Calvin was our All-American tackling machine that year (outside of your brother, of course).  I was a big fan of the hockey team in those years, so maybe i saw you play.  Did you play with either of the Lindskog brothers (they may have been before your time)? I knew them when they were at Michigan, they were a lot of fun as crazy Canadians from the plains of Alberta.

[Edit] To answer the question, I grew up in the area and went to the research and teaching school run by the University, so Michigan was always in my consciousness.  My first memory of seeing a Michigan team play in person was watching Roger Staubach beat our ass in 1963.  After having been a ski bum for a few years in the early '70s, I grew tired of abject poverty and transferred to Michigan to get my union card.  Good choice on my part.

I love Juwan's intensity and…

I love Juwan's intensity and love for Michigan, but I've also never seen a Michigan team that is worse in the second half of games than whatever *this* is, and I go back to Cazzie's day.  The most obvious trait seems to be periods of confusion with no touchstone (e.g. let's just focus on defense for the next 2 minutes) to fall back on.  In some ways, it looks like the players lose interest, but even if that's true, it still falls back to how they are coached in practice and during the game.  I hold no malice for anyone on the team, but the whole deal looks like it needs a fresh start.  

The OP’s dream playoff…

The OP’s dream playoff scenario (traditional bowls, with a conditional championship game) is not going to happen.  Nobody is going to put together a CFP and not make a cash cow championship game mandatory. But, I do feel bad that traditional bowl rivalries have gone the way of the dinosaur.  We’re going to miss regional conferences. 

Wayne be getting it on with…

Wayne be getting it on with Sister Anne 'bout now.  RIP.  As a side note, my late brother used to work with Dennis Thomson, the drummer for the MC5, who introduced my brother and I to the fabulous Star Corned Beef Deli at Telegraph and 12 Mile.  Still the best corned beef in SE Michigan.

The last 40 years has seen…

The last 40 years has seen us with two coaches (Brendon and Pearson) except for the last 1 1/2 years with Naurato behind the bench. It takes a talent like he has years to get the experience we’re accustomed to seeing guide our teams through weekend series, let alone whole seasons. He’s a good coach now, but he’ll be great in a few more years. 

Take that Catch to the bank!

Take that Catch to the bank!

It will be fascinating to…

It will be fascinating to see where Mike goes in the draft, as well as half the other draft eligible guys were sending out there.

Laporta was taken with the…

Laporta was taken with the 33rd pick.  And I was skeptical with they picked Gibbs, Branch, and Campbell (Iowa LB that Corum embarrassed), all in the first round.  Holmes and Coach Dan have earned my trust on judging talent.

Regent Acker,

I owe you an…

Regent Acker,

I owe you an apology.  When I saw the post here that you would be writing a front page post, I (cynically) thought I would be a CYA piece about the failure to resign Coach Harbaugh and posted those thoughts. It was a disservice to you, and I was wrong. Thank you for showing me (well, us) the human side of your story.  I happily lecture people to not 2-dimensionalize people, that we’re all complex examples of humanity and reality isn’t about seeing others as cardboard cutouts. I failed that test. 

I think the key phrase is …

I think the key phrase is “highly sought after” in conjunction with “Detroit Lions”.  This is not a common occurrence. 

NIL, as a bag-man…

NIL, as a bag-man replacement tool for inducing recruits, serves to dilute concentration of talent.  More schools can have leverage in acquiring talent. My conclusion is that raises the value of coaching and development and that plays well into Michigan’s hand. 

Gus Johnson before there was…

Gus Johnson before there was a Gus Johnson...

Surprising that Bump was 34…

Surprising that Bump was 34 when he took the job.  It aged him prematurely.  

I would be old in any…

I would be old in any context...

Here’s their Wikipedia entry…

Here’s their Wikipedia entry:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrill%27s_Marauders

They (the WWII unit) have the distinction of every member being awarded a Bronze Star.