LSAClassOf2000

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Date	Title	Body
7 hours 33 min ago	Alrighty...	I don't see where people offering prayers and good vibes for a natural disaster that has affected people here per the content of the thread is the action of, as you termed it, "selfish assholes". I also don't see where you get the idea that this is a "Good Samaritan jerk fest" when a couple people have already inquired where they might donate to help the people in Moore. Blanket ad hominems are typically frowned on in the MGoBlog community.  Bolivia. See you in the waning hours before the season.
8 hours 2 min ago	Yahoo! Story...	http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/tornado-oklahoma-city-moore-205548879.html According to this, two elementary schools - Plaza Towers and Briarwood - were leveled and as many as seven children have died at Plaza Towers with about two dozen trapped in the rubble of the building.  Sadly, this is not the first time Moore has been hit, and indeed, it has seen a few incredible tornadoes in the last 15 years or so. Thoughts and condolences to the people of Moore, OK.
11 hours 36 min ago	Hilariously Enough...	His name somehow made it into an IMDB listing for the 1976 Rose Bowl - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1614938/ Not sure what the editorial rules are on IMDB, but someone was trying to make this look like a thing anyway. Now, if he had pretended to be Pete Johnson, who I believe scored Ohio State's only TD in that game....
13 hours 22 min ago	Ask And You Shall Receive...	You got me curious actually... I whipped this up quickly now that I have a base template for doing the comparison. Pardon the thumbnail link to the actual graph - these are not all that scaled down to only 400 pixels wide. Of course, take this for what it is worth as they are also being compared to Big Ten conference means here.  Notre Dame's recruits tend to be rated rather highly by Rivals, but their average star rating for the period 2002-2013 is 3.50, which is slightly lower than Michigan and Ohio State. This is the case despite their 2008 class, which averaged a 4.04 rating. The distribution of highly rated recruits (4 and 5-star) is similar to Michigan and Ohio State as well. In that space, Notre Dame recruited 17 five-stars and 108 four-stars based on Rivals data.  Here is the three-way comparison between Michigan, Ohio State an Notre Dame:
15 hours 48 min ago	A Different Approach...	Oregon State does this by actually producing a map every so often which highlights the approximate location of Oregon State coaches in their recruiting travels. For example: ...and yes, it is called the "Beaver Barrage". From the SBNation piece: "One gets the sense of Riley sitting at a great, orange #beaverthrone in the #beavercommandcenter, moving his #beaverchess pieces around the #beavermap, receiving #beaverintel from the field and adjusting #beaverbattle plans."
17 hours 54 min ago	Hudl.com Highlights...	Here is the Hudl.com video (LINK) According to this, last season he had 83 tackles, 14 TFLs and 11 sacks. The video highlights a fair number of the tackles for loss and the sacks, but they all look pretty good overall. Brown seems like he could dominate up front.
18 hours 11 min ago	Year-To-Year Distribution	Here is the year-to-year distribution: YEAR % OF 5* % OF 4* % OF 3* % OF 2* 2002 1.46% 19.71% 37.96% 40.88% 2003 1.57% 15.75% 45.67% 37.01% 2004 1.79% 13.57% 38.93% 45.71% 2005 3.01% 18.80% 44.74% 33.46% 2006 2.27% 21.21% 40.53% 35.98% 2007 2.02% 21.46% 49.39% 27.13% 2008 1.81% 18.05% 48.01% 32.13% 2009 1.17% 26.85% 46.69% 25.29% 2010 0.37% 17.54% 60.07% 22.01% 2011 0.39% 16.47% 66.27% 16.86% 2012 1.54% 17.37% 64.09% 16.99% 2013 1.54% 21.24% 60.23% 16.99% What jumps out to me is the trend in the columns for 3-star and 2-star recruits actually. By comparison, the 4-star column seems almost stable. The overall number of rated recruits sits almost invariably in the 255-280 range for the conference (again, including Nebraska for comparison here).
20 hours 35 min ago	Game 6 In 1988 Finals...	I still remember watching on TV when Thomas stepped on Cooper's foot and sprained his ankle, thinking in my 10-year old mind that this might be it for the Pistons. It was great to watch him come right back in the game (a minute later, maybe even less) and score 43 points in the game - including 25 in the 3rd quarter alone - despite being in visible pain. That was a very dramatic game in a very dramatic series.
1 day 7 hours ago	Can't Turn Up Much...	I haven't been able to turn up much either, but it should be noted that in his NFL career, he was the third WR behind Lynn Swann and John Stallworth even after his very notable Michigan career, during which he was an all-American in 1976, if I am not mistaken. With the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL, he was a consistent top producer on offense for the three seasons he was with them.
1 day 8 hours ago	Comeback Indeed...	I would agree with that. Peralta already has over 40 hits this season after having only about 130 in 150 games last season. He's already got about half of his total runs from last year and about 1/3 of the home runs already. As I recall, keeping him was not a popular thing in the offseason among those who frequent the sports talk shows and other sorts of popular outlets, but so far it has paid off. It is nice to see.
1 day 20 hours ago	"The Scream" Guy...	"I get it now....use the styptic pencil BEFORE the Lagerfeld. THE BURNING!" Also, jaw-drop guy: "Good lord....jockeys DO exist...."
2 days 7 hours ago	Sipping Glenkinchie...	Per the earlier thread, sipping some Glenkinchie - a nice, smooth Lowland single malt.  That passed ball and the Sanchez throwing error sort of loom large after that home run sadly - for the moment anyway.  As for happenings, the Romulus City-Wide Garage Sale is this weekend, so we merged with my mother-in-law's sale, took our stuff there, and made a day of it. We even made burgers and hot dogs at lunch and made money off of that as well.
2 days 8 hours ago	Fairly Confident....	We did pretty  well in the initial seeding per the Facebook Poll. The admittedly unscientific Legends Division results were: Michigan - 723 votes Iowa - 349 votes Nebraska - 251 votes Michigan State - 240 votes Northwestern - 57 votes Minnesota - 24 votes So, Michigan took 45% of the Legends Division vote initially. Michigan helmet fans were definitely showing up.
2 days 12 hours ago	Here's The List...	The last Triple Crown winner was Affirmed in 1978 (the third winner of the Triple Crown in the 1970s), which means the Belmont Stakes which Affirmed ran would have been about a month before I was born. It would be fun to see the first one in my lifetime too.  Here is the complete list of Triple Crown winners, along with the Kentucky / Preakness Doubles (meaning the horse did not win the Belmont) as well as other close calls (LINK).  I still would like to see a horse named "Do The Pose".
2 days 12 hours ago	Glenkinchie...	I will have a sip of the Glenkinchie tonight in celebration, which my friend at the liquor store managed to find for me. Very nice Lowland single malt and perfect to toast a Wings (and hopefully Tigers) victory later.
2 days 20 hours ago	Additional Information...	Here is Eastern Michigan's official announcement - (LINK): The entire description for the $5,000 donation level: "Skydive with Coach English! If we hit or exceed our overall goal of $60,000 in fundraising efforts (between our IndieGoGo campaign and Golf Outing), Coach English will be skydiving and you can join him! You'll be able to ride with him from Ypsilanti to Skydive Tecumseh, compliments of LaFontaine Buick GMC of Ann Arbor and spend the day and jump with coach! Your on site training, jump and equipment is all included and you'll get to ride in the plane and jump out of it with Coach English. In the event we don't reach the $60,000 goal, you'll still get to ride with the coach to Skydive Tecumseh, spend the day with coach and participate in the skydive. " Skydive Tecumseh is a pretty cool experience, to be fair, so there is that if nothing else. Beautiful view of Ann Arbor from 18,000 feet too. Here's his indiegogo.com site (LINK)  - with 22 days left, the campaign has managed $100.
3 days 8 hours ago	Tribute Video...	This is the tribute video that Jim Nantz made for Ken Venturi's induction into the World Golf Hall Of Fame this year actually...great video and very appropriate now as it highlights Venturi's career on and off (but really still on) the course. One thing that I did not know - Venturi had the longest career as a lead analyst of any broadcaster in any sport.
3 days 12 hours ago	Stories With Some Quotes...	The Chicago Tribune had a direct quote from Alex Bars (HERE): "I thought about it real hard for like the last month," Bars told Irish Illustrated. "Pressure started coming on and spots started filling up. I just realized that was the school for me." The ESPN blog (HERE) has a little more too. Bars had said that he knew about a week ago, but his parents encouraged him to wait and make sure he was going where he really wanted.  Best of luck to Alex Bars.
3 days 14 hours ago	Taped Coverage...	If you're like me and not near a TV at the moment, per the Sporting News (HERE) and confirmed by a quick search of the ESPN listings, the Combine will be aired on ESPNU at 4 AM and 9 AM tomorrow as well with three further re-airings this coming Wednesday.
3 days 16 hours ago	Nice To See...	This is pretty good news even if it is ESPN really, and it is interesting that it should come now that I am working on a diary about recruiting rankings. I've been using Rivals data, but the last two classes (2012 and 2013) have the average recruit at 3.5 stars or better, which is far above the conference mean. Right now, the average for 2014 is at 3.44 stars, but that's with only nine commits to date.  Within the conference, even Ohio State has not strung together three straight years at 3.5 or better in my own research, so it would be great to be the first to do that. It's also a good situation when your seven remaining targets are all in the Top 100 per their list anyway.
3 days 18 hours ago	Great Story...	Detroit Western really does have some great people behind their program. Juan Sanchez has been a large part of efforts to build better baseball facilities and promote the sport in southwest Detroit, and it is great to see baseball start to make this sort of resurgence in Detroit (I had no idea it hadn't been since the 80s that someone from the PSL had signed a letter of intent - the PSL has churned out MLB talent in the past).  This is a great story and thanks for sharing this, Raoul. From the sound of it, he has an incredible work ethic which will serve him well regadless of his path, whether it is Michigan or the pros. I believe Hector Gutierrez pitched an 18-strikeout game against King last month too - there was a spread about that game in the paper then.
3 days 20 hours ago	On The Flip Side...	There is this entry from ESPN on ACC bowl tie-ins moving forward (LINK). Right now, the ACC has eight tie-ins even with the expansion to 14 teams, and due in part to the agreement with Notre Dame, they've apparently been looking to expand the number of tie-ins to as many as ten. Over the past several seasons, they have averaged eight eligible teams and would have hit this number last year if not for the issues at UNC and Miami.  So, if John Swofford has a say, Notre Dame and the ACC will be accommodated somehow.
4 days 8 hours ago	And We're Tied....	DON!  A rather nonchalant breaking pitch finds its way to the seats. We are tied 1-1.
4 days 9 hours ago	Granted, This Is Gene Smith....	One ofthe linked articles had an interview with Gene Smith (HERE).  Obviously, this talk about a division with different legislative guidelines is vague at this point, but in the interview, Smith points to his theory that "60-70 schools" (presumably, the most successful half of Division I, by and large) are different in nature. He specifically mentions recruiting, pointing out that it is a very different thing at his school versus, using his example, Middle Tennessee. Of course, the gripe would seem to be that you have the schools from lesser discussed conference voting on any legislation with the same relative power as a Big Ten or SEC school.
4 days 15 hours ago	The Marchex Blog...	The full results are here in their blog - (HERE) The study also looked at the most curteous and least curteous states, and indeed, Ohio again ranks among the bottom five in courtesy as well.  No specific rankings are given for the state of Michigan, but according to the graphics, we are "occasionally profane" and "usually courteous".
4 days 15 hours ago	Here's The Press Release...	The Big Ten's press release is here, and it contains some information on the formula going forward. It certainly doesn't excuse the 2014 home slate, but it helps to explain it, at least in part.  (LINK) It seems like 2014 and 2015 are essentially being considered transitional years between the addition of Maryland and Rutgers and the run-up to the 2016 start of the nine-game conference schedule. The essential formula is that a given team will play the other six teams in their division plus two from the other for 2014 and 2015, and then that will expand to three teams from the opposite division in 2016. I believe that confirms what we suspected anyway.  Here's where you can find everyone's schedule - (LINK). As for our 2014 home slate, Indiana on the day after Halloween somehow makes me think of Charlie Brown saying, "I got a rock."
4 days 17 hours ago	Brand Equity...	I would agree. I don't think Brandon left a significant possibility that this would happen, given how he phrased this. He definitely realizes that, above any other portion of the uniform really, the winged helmet is perhaps the most significant contirbutor to brand equity for Michigan football. Actually, and Brandon touches on this, it really goes beyond that in the sense that the helmet is also identified with the university itself on some levels, so there is also that consideration. Michigan actually gets specific mention in a lot of brand management studies as an example of, by and large, "doing it right", and I would assume Brandon knows this too. Beyond the numbers in 2011 and the Outback Bowl matte helmet, I would think anything more drastic would be a long, long discussion, if anything came of it at all.
4 days 19 hours ago	Pretty Amusing Interview...	I had to chuckle when he opened by saying that he almost didn't call, but he didn't want to "chicken out". I really thought his answers about the ND-Michigan rivalry were great - he seemed quite genuine in his disappointment, and using UTL's atmosphere as example of what it could be worked well to illustrate that.
5 days 7 hours ago	What Gus Bradley Said...	"Asked after the session whether that makes Robinson a “quarterback” or a “Wildcat” option, coach Gus Bradley laughed and said, “We don’t have to tell you,” according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union" I assume that, even in Jacksonville, the starting QB job would be Gabbert's to lose despite the numbers, but you can't blame Gus Bradley for trying to figure out how many volumes he can add to the offensive playbook because of Dilithium. It really would be fun to see him take some snaps as an NFL quarterback in addition to his other duties, even if it is purely situational.
5 days 13 hours ago	Rather Unfortunate...	It's sad to see these stories of players with quite a bit of promise and NFL potential ending up with either extremely short careers, all the while embroiled in problems. He won a few conference and national honors in his time at Alabama - I think he is only one of two Crimson Tide players to win the Butkus Award actually.  I wonder if we'll hear about a comeback attempt somewhere down the line (three credited seasons in the NFL Pension Plan, but I believe he wouldn't be able to collect until 55), but even then, it is unfortunate for McClain that any second shot will be substantially more unlikely than the shot he just gave up.

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