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Didn't even go to Michigan,…

Didn't even go to Michigan, but a huge Wolverine football fan rewarded this year after decades of close but no cigar years.  Only passing this along due to direct input from a very high level executive at one of the nation's large banks who gave this advice to his own son.  Stay away from the corporate world if you are a Caucasian male.  After decades of very real, and sometimes imagined advantages. the odds are not in your favor in an age where your chosen school has over 240 employees focused on DEI at a cost of $30 million annually.  Academia has no bearing on the corporate world in many instances, but the guidance offered is from a banking executive who sees it daily.   There are a multitude of areas where success can be found with hard work, connections (as others have pointed out), and a good overall financial education (accounting and entrepreneurship).  Just don't rely on climbing the corporate ladder to get to the wealth level envisioned in this day and age 

That sir, is movie reference…

That sir, is movie reference brilliance!!  Equaled only perhaps by a picture of Fredo as Pettiti.....Well done!

 

Well, the story goes that…

Well, the story goes that Frieder was having a tough time with the press during his time at Michigan, and went to Knight seeking support and help and if Bob would put in a nice word for him during his press conferences.  Knight did so........immediately following, there was a moment in the IU-Michigian game where Knight was....um... vociferously making a point to the refs, and straying out of the coaches box.  Frieder, after immediately being the beneficiary of Knight's support, yelled at the refs to T him up.  Knight was incredulous, and always looked at Frieder for being the weasel boy that he was.  Knight was indeed a bully, (got along famously with Johnny Orr), and didn't give a damn what the press thought.  Not to mention, when he had a team that was really good, they were going to win......that's a great feeling as a fan. Oh, and 3-1 against the Fab Five.  Numerous glaring faults, but clearly one of the great basketball coaches and minds of all time, basically recruiting from a 3 state area.

Few things are as…

Few things are as predictable as Michigan folk defending an institution like Disney, while railing on a guy like DeSantis.  By pretty much every measurable economic, not to mention common sense metric, DeSantis is hitting it out of the park pretty much every time he steps up to a microphone.  His success and popularity drives the prototypical self appointed intellectual Michigan alum apoplectic with loathing for everything DeSantis stands for.  Disney stepped in the horse manure by wading in on the bill they are so fond of misnaming.  Their enterprise is in a free fall, their brand is tarnished, and their pipeline of golden goose films has all but dried up.  'Mess with the mouse, get the ears".......More like mess with things outside your bailiwick, and get your ears knocked off.

More football, and more recruiting please, and thank you 

Interesting list, but as an…

Interesting list, but as an IU grad who is a Michigan fan, the Sheridan inclusion is preposterous.  He was an epic failure at Indiana.  Absolutely awful.  Taggart and Chryst sound like really bad ideas.  Actually the name that popped was Tee Martin.  Need a good offensive recruiter and willing to roll the dice there given his success.  Others?  Not so much..

 

“It was snowing that day so…

“It was snowing that day so that shouldn’t really count”

 

perfection!!!!!!!! 😂😂😂😂

99 out of a hundred?  As is…

99 out of a hundred?  As is covid diagnoses being asymptomatic?  Or survival rate, thereabouts.......actually a tad low,  of NFL players and/or anyone else under 50 being diagnosed?

 

Attaboy.....I read the anti…

Attaboy.....I read the anti capitalism screed thinking here is a guy who is either a self loathing rich guy, or a guy who paid enormous sums to attend college, took ALL the wrong classes, and wound up being pissed he can't get a job other than warehousing at Amazon.  

Amen.........this is what I…

Amen.........this is what I tried to say, but wasn't nearly as articulate!!!

 

Thoughtful article, except…

Thoughtful article, except for the knee jerk play of the ever present race card. Money at stake is vastly different between hockey and basketball as well. As a national columnist, as opposed to the fan of a particular team first, and college basketball second, Dan fails to adequately value what a college program brings to a qualified athlete, namely promotion, coaching, development, maturity, etc...etc... The ones that truly have value capitalize substantially. Those marginal valued athletes run to columnists and cry they are being exploited. College basketball is for college athletes, meaning those that qualify academically. It's not a mystery what the requirements are to go to college from an academic standpoint. If you don't have the aptitude, the G league or Europe/Australia is a fine option to pursue the dream. College basketball is about 5 guys in red, playing 5 guys in blue, and fan bases that care passionately about the outcome. Jalen Green?? His one and done talents will be missed in no way whatsoever.  I am probably in the minority, but I love a team where the players are proud to represent the institution, and enjoy being part of the team instead of thinking first about 'establishing their brand'.  

Tuffy Rhodes of the Cubs. …

Tuffy Rhodes of the Cubs.  Hit 3 HR off Dwight Gooden opening day, and went on to hit..... 13 HR total over a 6 yr major league career........

 

So.....500,000 dead in 18…

So.....500,000 dead in 18 months.......I am taking the under.......want to make it interesting?   I'll offer up that flu deaths exceed Wuhan Flu deaths this year.  As much as you are sick of folks comparing it to the flu, you still fail to address the fact 'regular flu' has an existing vaccine shot, yet folks die of it in numbers that dwarf the flu, and the additional horror that flu doesn't appear to discriminate regarding age, as Wuhan clearly does.  We, in turn, are sick of the hysteria and purposeful cratering of an economy, while always taking the worse case scenarios.  This is a numbers game, and a big picture analysis is advisable.  Yes, people are dying, and that's unfortunate, even horrific to those close to the deceased.  Given that it appears a substantial, and I'll borrow your shtick and capitalize SUBSTANTIAL number of those deceased were compromised or near death with or without the virus, makes me reasonably suspicious that it is the plague you imagine (IMAGINE) it to be.   All that said, I apologize for jumping in on this discussion on a site meant for stuff we truly enjoy, Michigan athletics.  This kind of dialogue belongs on twitter, where we can rant uninformed and demonize the opposing view at will.......... 

Interesting article in the…

Interesting article in the WSJ the other day about how Clemson became an Alabama clone.  Started with hiring Alabama people.  Assistant coaches, led by a good coach, define how good you will eventually be (no, not ignoring recruiting/skilled rosters).  Watching games the bowl season, including Clemson, Alabama, and Ohio State, it is painfully obvious Michigan isn't close from a schematic standpoint.  Those schools draw up plays where the guy is wide open, or in position to let his talent take over.  Did I hear that OSU had two new starters on the O line for the Rose Bowl?????  2??????  At Michigan, that would dictate negative overall offensive yardage.  The cure?  Keep hiring OSU guys......Wariner was a start, now poach Kevin Wilson.  But only works if Harbaugh gives up Neanderthal mentality.  Parting questions.......how many times did Michigan get stuffed on 4th and 1 or 2 this year............How many time did they throw deep over the middle to an open receiver?  UM is nowhere near the elite schools as far as on field performance, and if K Wilson isn't an attempt to cure what ails them, certainly open to other names.......

Noted that you left out…

Noted that you left out Peters............gentleman's wager that he lights it up at either Purdue or IU after a transfer.  Needs to be in a system where they know how, and want to, throw the ball down the field, and where that carries more importance than 'presence' in the huddle.

Just a general thought…

Just a general thought......really, really enjoyed the game last night, and the convincing win........................however.................there were at least a couple of plays last night, where OSU's speed makes the play have a completely different outcome.  Shea's long run, his TD run, and Dylan's long run all become very short gains once you inject OSU speed into the equation.  Passing game is going to have be more exact, and designed routes run and completed instead of Shea scrambling around more often than not.  Actually, I am not going to dwell on that.  I am going to enjoy the win, and look forward to at least 4 more in a row before analyzing that further............

Pretty good effort by most on

Pretty good effort by most on this topic.  I think you can tell a lot about a person by their favorite movies.  so...

Godfather.............perfect casting, perfect story, perfect performance by Al Pacino going from college boy Mikey, to the Don himself.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest- There has never been a more hateable character than Nurse Rachett.  Plus Nicholson's play by play commentary to the blank TV screen when she won't let them watch the series.

Bridge Over the River Kwai-Last extended action scene where the water has gone down over night.........'You've got to do it boy........you've got to do it now!......'Keel im!"  Plus the victory in the battle of wills by Guiness, and him going out to face his troops.........

Close, but not quite there.....

Pulp Fiction-Switching up the sequences, and the dialogue.  Groundbreaking stuff.

Casablana-Rick is the MAN!

Great Escape-no one has been cooler before or since, than Steve McQueen trying to escape on the motorcycle.

Reservoir Dogs-1 scene

The joy and nonchalance of Michael Madsen, Mr Blonde, strutting and grooving across the floor (to Spinner's Wheel) as he prepared to carve up the hostage police officer, and the resulting torture.  

That, plus the Exorcist.  Relatively tame by today's standards, but back when it came out, it was groundbreaking stuff, and freaked out entire movie audiences, as well as this impressionable teen at the time.  

M-Dogs analysis

This is quite simply about the best post I have ever read on this blog, save some of Brian's gems.  Look around the country and the offenses being employed, and this is SPOT ON.  College football at some point boils down to coaching, and having guys who know what system works, and the ability to implement it.  I fear that we are being passed by in the sense that what works at the pro level doesn;t necessarily translate to the college level.  We regularly get scorched by mobile QB's, and it appears they can do so even to our lauded defenses.  Harbaugh is still the man, but needs to steal a page from Franklin's and as much as I hate to say it, Kelly's playbook and get assistants in who can light it up at this level.  Head coaches steer the ship, but its quality assistants who aim the guns and sink the enemy, for lack of a better analogy..............

Hold out hope for Peters

When he was a senior, my son and I saw him play against the Clemson QB recruit.  Peters dominated, and from following this blog, seemed like he was coming along nicely.  I know there are a lot of things that go into evaluating a QB, and the staff knows more than I would ever begin to appreciate, but I have always put a premium on a guy who can throw it from point A to point B.....accurately.....without launching it out of bounds.   Plus he is more athletic than both the guys who played ahead of him this year.  Something is obviously missing, so here's hoping its minor.  He needs game reps now, or I am telling you, he is transferring to IU or Purdue, and going to air it out.  Just a prediction based on nothing but opinion, and one game of seeing him in person.

As long as we are making predictions

Here's mine.........While I realize that Harbaugh is indeed the QB whisperer, and knows more about coaching than any of us mgobloggers ever could dream of, the wrong guy is playing QB.  One of his backups, Peters, will transfer to Purdue, and put up 300+ yards 2 of the 3 times he plays UM, provided Brohm stays in place.  Coaches get to see the QB's in all sorts of situations, and I am sure they have their reasons, but I have always placed a premium value on the guy who can best throw it from point A to point B.  I can't believe Speight is that guy.  His plus side was supposed to be his experience, but it hasn't shown this season, and we are through the non BIG part of the schedule, with things same same as last year, if that.  

That said, while making predictions, we squeak by Purdue.  At least it will be exciting.  When you bank on your defense, they need to shut down the (apparent) good offense.  Heaven help us if they don't.

 

Biased because I live in

Biased because I live in Indiana, and saw him play in high school, but Peters should be the guy.  We should adopt what I perceive to be a long standing practice at tOSU, that being that the best players play.  Seemed like Carr and those of a similar mindset thought that youngsters couldn't possibly grasp the complexities of college football, thus played upper classment both as a reward, and as a function of old school mentality. Peters is a better athlete, has a better arm, and is the future.  He should play early and often.  That said, the amount I know about quarterbacks could fit into a thimble, with a thimble's worth to spare.  In such times, go to the default mindset..........Trust In Harbaugh.

The Mt Everest of Tear Jerker moments

Dating myself a bit here, but the be all and end all for such moments is the Gayle Sayers/Billy Dee Williams speech in Brian's Song.  Hell, all I have to do is hear the melody of the song and the waterworks commence.

 

Indy, tops

I am pretty sure that MLaw06 is a bright lad, seeing that he most likely has a degree from one of the nations finest law schools.  And truth be told, his equating of the bar scene to whale watching has a slight ring of truth to it.  But last time I checked, this is a basketball tournament, not a travel junket.  Indianapolis is hands down the best place in the country to host an event.  Ask any journalist who has been to Super Bowls, or Final Fours as to which town does the best job in coordinating the event, and which city has the best logistical set up to host an event.  Indianapolis comes out on top every time.  If your intent is to hobnob with other yuppies at some Georgetown bar, or pay an arm and a leg for a hotel room, much less in getting there, then NYC and DC and the destinations of choice.  If you want to watch a basketball tournament in one of the country's finest arenas that is within relatively easy driving distance of most BIG school, and you can stumble out of the arena into any number of fine drinking and dining establishments, then Indy is your place.  

Absolutely full of it!

I can't believe how the so called sports journalists are buying this story, and the knee jerk administrators are frantically revising things to stave off any image harm.  This story might be just a load of crap.  A university should have to pay no more than what it would cost them to otherwise house and feed a student who is living in the dorms.  Problem is, living in the dorm cramps the style of the would-be BMOC, and the athlete chooses to live off campus, even though he may not be able to afford to do so.  Probably takes it a step further and lives by himself with no roommates so as he can properly entertain his admirers.  While the NCAA may do some things wrong, beginning with how coaches can go from school to school without repercussion while athletes need to sit a year, this isn't one of the issues.  If you can't afford to live off campus, live in the dorm, where everything is free.  Pretty damn simple, but then again, with a 0% graduaation rate for their basketball team, maybe those concepts come a little tougher at UConn.  Oh, on the other hand, thanks for taking Kentucky down.

 

 

Although this isn't

Although this isn't Thanksgiving season, one of the things I am thankful for is mgoblog, and the mgoblog community.  It and they feed the addiction that is Michigan football.

That said, the issue isn't whether Richrod should have been given another year, or whether Brady shoudl be canned.  Brady should be indeed given another year for a multitude of reasons that others have stated ad nauseum.  What the concern should be, is ARE WE GETTING BETTER?  Anyone that answers yes to that question is delusional.  The concern is that Brady will suffer the same affliction that plagued a predecessor, namely Carr-itis.  Carr-itis is manifested by hiring assistant coaches who aren't up to the task of producing top shelf teams.  And hanging onto them like grim death in the face of mountaints of evidence they should be replaced.  Face it folks.  Its ALL about coaching, and while coaching includes many components, not the least of which is recruiting, even a casual observer needs to wonder if Brady and crew are up to the task after this past season.  ManBall?  Please!  Running game=Sucks.    Special teams, other than a run by Gibbons=Sucks.  Ability of defense when it NEEDS to make a stop=Sucks.  

This year the excuses were inexperienced offensive line.  Candidate for next year's excuses.............Inexperienced Off Tackles.......if Shane is QB, inexperienced QB, inexperienced wide receivers.........inexperienced DLine.........and God forbid the injury bug bites us hard.  Of course, there is the old reliable 'Execution'.

I've said it before.  If the assistant coaches were working in the private sector, heads would be rolling.  Instead, its bunker mentality and business as usual.  That can be tolerated one more year, and then some hard decisions will have to be made, and at a minimum, a least a few heads have to roll.

I was waiting with great

I was waiting with great anticipation for Brian's comments on Saturday's debacle.  I have come to greatly appreciate Brian's analysis, and fandom as well.  He is often very good at talking the collective fanbase off the ledge, or alternatively, articulating very well whatever the relevant issue was.  That said, I am a bit disappointed that his post today didn't pack more punch to it.  He is obviously disappointed as well, but doesn't come out and state well enough what the cure is.  Lacking that, here are today's list of woes:

1.  Michigan can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like no other program I am aware of.

2.  Change comes ridiculously slowly when it comes to Michigan football.  They are more inclined to go into bunker mentality/circle the wagons, rather than make changes which are obvious to most.  The changes that need to be made may not be a clear cut as we see them, but the staff (Hoke) needs to offer up why changes should not be made (and they need to make sense), and he hasn't done so.

3.  Sick of excuses-Oh, we didn't have Lewan in there....Oh, we have too many redshirt freshman.....blah, blah, blah........News flash.........the Penn State QB is a freshman.  Not a red shirt freshman, but an actual freshman.  No apologies being made for him.  Also, the way you season your backups/youngsters, is that you play like you are capable, and blow out teams like Akron and UConn, and rest the starters in the 2nd half.  Then in the future, whether it be due to graduation or injury, this 2nd line is a bit more capable.  See the Ohio State playbook in this regard.  Not wanting to emulate tOSU in much of anything, but I wager their tailbacks would go for a bit more than 27 yards in 27 carries against a D that was shredded by Indiana.

4.  Loyalty is an admirable thing, but what do you think it will take for Hoke to replace someone, for example his offensive line coach?  Short of child porn on the guy's computer, I don't think Hoke will ever replace anyone, taking a page from Lloyd's playbook.  Top programs see a deficiency, and they go out and hire the best guy in the country.  Who wouldn't want to come to Michigan as a position coach??????  Saban does it, Spurrier did it in specific examples I know of, and I am sure there are many others.  

I hate to see current and future talent wasted.  If some of the position coaches were territory sales managers in a for profit company, they would have been sh*t-canned a long time ago.  Michigan will have a hard time being great again, until they quit being complacent with mediocrity.

While certainly not a

While certainly not a Wisconsin expert, I do understand they got rid of a new O line coach early on, and then they came into their own.  Admittedly they also crapped the bed against MSU, but so did a lot of teams offensively.  While a lot of stock is indeed being put on the Nebraska game, 552 yards is HUGE.  Nebraska D, while not a juggernaut, is respectable, and they got their asses handed to them by a one dimensional offense.  Impressive every day of the week.  And again, by comparison, Michigan couldn't get the yard or two they needed all year, and all day long against OSU.  They are what we want to be from a running standpoint.

O line differential-Wiscy v Meechigan

OK guys (and gals)..............take off your Maize and Blue blinders for a moment, and imagine you are a top flight offensive line recruit, looking to advance your fame and fortune at the collegiate level, with aspirations toward the pros.  Do you go to Michigan............or Wisconsin?  After watching the game a bit last night and Wisconsin just freaking bulldozing Nebraska, I have got to admit the obvious choice is Wisconsin (throwing tradition, legacy, and the whole Michigan experience to the side for a moment).  I mean really!!!!!!!!  Wisconsin doesn't have a passing attack, so they know you are just going to run it, and they run it at will.  With Authority.  Spectacularly so.  Meanwhile, back in Ann Arbor, we can't get one yard rushing if our life depended on it.  All year long..............ALL     YEAR     LONG...........Despite our declarations about how we want to be physical and run the ball.  The intent is there, the coaching effort is there........................Is it talent?  Coaching?  System?   Weight Program?    Whatever it is, and I suspect coaching, they (Wiscy) have it figured out, and meanwhile, Michigan is lost in the proverbial wilderness, wandering aimlesssly without a clue.  Hopefully, the new class with Kalis and Kugler in particular, can reverse the trend and give us a truly cohesive unit that can in some way replicate the Wisconsin gold standard, because they are indeed, the gold standard, and have been for quite some time.

 

I was there.............

That UCLA game was one of those rare deals where Michigan actually came back to snatch a victory out of the jaws of defeat.  It was the culmination of a great day and great football doubleheader.  Ohio State got CRUSHED by USC in the Coliseum, and from there, we loaded up on a chauffered bus to Pasedena and saw the Michigan-UCLA nightcap.  My seats were such that the onside kick came straight at me.......I think it was JD Carlson (?), who closed the deal with a last minute FG for the win.

As they used to say in the old beer commercial."It doesn't get any better than this"

 

Doing things the right way

Jim Harbaugh could potentially be a great Michigan coach.  But he should have to wait his turn, and maybe never get his chance.  There is a right way to go about things, and wrong way, and if RR is run out on a rail like some of you would like, then the Michgian tradition and class will forever be cheapened in my mind.  Yes, the team is struggling, but look where this period started.  I mean really..........Nick freaking Sheridan?  Playing QB at Michigan?  So we have gone from losing to Appy State and barely nudging Ball State at home, to glimpses of greatness with one of most likeable, talented, yet not-quite-a -finished product-yet athlete in Denard.  We have the table set where upper classmen and returning starters actually are on the grid for next year.  And you guys want to shit can RR, casting your lot with Rosenberg and his ilk?  Yeah, I know the D sucks out loud, not to mention special teams.  So DB forces some changes by making RR get rid of Gerg, and goiing out and getting the best D coordinator money can buy, along with the staff the D coord wants to bring in.  Can you imagine the possibilities of what this offense could do with another year of experience, with defense that actually generates 3 and outs and puts our offense in good field position?  With a field goal kicker you have confidence in from 48 yds out?  We will kick ass and take names if you allow it to happen.  If it doesn't, at least you lived up to your end of the bargain by allowing the stated contract term.

If you don't wait, and get rid of RR now, you may get the result you desire, but it comes at a cost.  The cost is that you enable every limp dick out there like Rosenburg and Sharp to say "I TOLD you so!".  You also don't honor the contract you offerred, and by everything that is right and holy, a coach deserves 4 yrs to see what he can do, particularly when it involves the overhaul that UM has needed.  And for those of you who doubt an overhaul was needed, let me remind you that we have lost to tOSU for 7 years in a row, and RR has only been there for 3. 

Michigan is at a crossroad here, with no certainty as to which way to go.  When in doubt, you do the right thing, and that is honoring the committment you made, giving the guy the fair shot of his four full years.  If it doesn't work out after that point, then it doesn't work out, but everyone can hold their head high and say they gave it their best shot.  Staying the course could work out as I hope, with the start of a new(er) tradition, with RR leading the way.  I look foward to it.

But I swear, if you whining gutless weenies have your way and he is done now, then not only do we face an uncertain future, but we go forward being just that much less special, which is something I have never had to consider in being a fan for the last 45 years.

Thus endeth the sermon.

07 ND

So I was scheduled to go down to Bloomington to watch the 07 ND games with my son who was in school there.....8 days prior, I get admitted to the hospital with a hacking cough......go into full blown rip Van Winkle coma on Tuesday........awake Sunday morning after the game, and am watching highlights, and they are showing the ND Michigan game.........I am thinking, "that isn't until next Saturday!   I'm supposed to watch this with my son!"Good thing was, it was an all time highlight reel, so despite the confusion, I figured this turned out pretty good...........

Swarbrick is the Man

Jack Swarbrick handled all legal aspects of the Indianapolis sports organization I work for the last 25 years. He is shrewd, eloquent, brilliant, and he 'gets' the bigger picture of both Olympic sports and college athletics. I can guarantee that the guy who landed the Super Bowl, numerous NCAA Final Fours, and the NCAA itself to Indianapolis did not go into their coaching search unprepared. Only reason the search won't be successful is that the available talent pool is a tad shallow this year. It would be better for Michigan if he were to leave ND for the NCAA, because if he stays, ND will ultimately have programs that excel both academically and on the field.