Well, I'm excited, and I was skeptical. As to the first two items on your list. . . we don't really know? Yours are mostly best-case scenarios--up to your estimate of potential wins--and I hope you're right. I think that what May will want, toward the end of season one, is a sense of gathering momentum. So if his team has stuff to play for down the stretch, that will be fantastic.
When we're disparaging, they're mercenaries. When we like 'em, they're just doing what every red-blooded American is gonna do. Getting that payday while they can. . . etc.
How quickly this team comes together will help decide its ceiling, for sure. Seems like you can discern a team that has a recognizable Dusty May shape, so that's encouraging. Also seems like a number of these guys, even if of modest evals, see the floor and pass well--I'd rather a team of great passers and team players, on a first go, than Calipari diamonds waiting to be cut.
This is going to be an interesting experiment. A lot may depend now, on things building fairly quickly so that money and enthusiasm find their way to May and the program. Hope all these guys can get to A2 and start jumping in the gymnasium, pronto. Will keep fingers crossed.
Chief was an honorific, and 'redskin' was a slur. It's not that hard to see that one connotes something positive, a kind of status, the other is derogatory. (Saying that someone somewhere called themselves that is like saying that Black people call themselves the 'n' word, which you'll hear some. . . people do. That doesn't. . . quite give you the right to call your sports team that, obvs!)
Lots of our history is fraught, and you can't go back and change it, but you can address stuff that's egregious. The fact that the redskins were in Washington, well. . .
I've lived long enough with the idea of the Seminoles, for example, to think that naming your team after a local indigenous group, especially one that struggled to retain their place and customs, is really pretty decent. Chiefs and redskins are not creative or compelling, anyway, crying out loud. People willing to get ornery about retaining them are usually bringing some reactionary political feelings along with them. Misplaced.
A strong year this year, and a team that looks like it will vie for an NC next year, can--I think--place us more permanently in the driver's seat for recruits. Recent great teams have been a strong testament to our recruiting prowess, with so many uncovered diamonds in the rough (see Roman Wilson!). Landscape's going to shift a little with SEC and B1G consolidations. But ideally we'd spot the diamonds AND steadily pull a greater share of stars. More stability at the top should prove a blessing.
Fantastic. A guy like this was, pretty clearly, the missing piece of the puzzle. (One might speculate that some of these guys see the team that Dusty's building, and know that spots are going fast.)
We're going to need to defend at the four, too; I will be interested to see whether there is one more promising forward out there for us.
Peter Frampton. Once found him on the floor of the bathroom in a NYC bar toward midnight on New Year's Eve while carousing with some of my RC U of M mates; he was, shall we say, very conked. We teased him, I'm a little embarrassed to say--while sharing in the riches--singing Ooh, Baby, I Love Your Way and accusing him of stealing it from Smokey. . . muttered that he was a one-hit wonder and departed. And that was ca. 1976!
He seemed a pretty forlorn character then, wanting sympathy in retrospect. But if anyone really was a one-hit wonder it's this guy, no? The R and R Hall of Fame would seem to have few other criteria than name recognition. Kool & The Gang are the only band I'd have voted for there, myself.
And the rest of your list. . . those aren't creators, they're imitators, no? Yes, Harry Nilsson belongs in--he was unique, a gesture back toward British dancehall, though not as creatively fertile as The Kinks. None of the rest of that lot have aged well, except in the farthest outer rings of suburbia.
I see this as a pretty big get. Should be our starting off guard, no? Have been skeptical that May was getting the resources that he needed, but the last three days have been encouraging. Effective forward play, pretty obviously, needs to be the next place of emphasis. I think that an unfettered Tschetter can get us some points, but on a Big Ten-contending team, he should probably be the third forward off of the bench.
Not even a little bit true. Juwan needed to go, and I've said so here for a month and more. And I've repeatedly voiced support for May. You're blabbering. My point is that Donaldson is an iffy prospect. But won't belabor this more. I too want him to prove a great get.
Stringer Bell is sane, even if contrarian. Bronx is a thoughtful contributor to this board. They're both getting it right. I rarely see you say anything of substance, but maybe I've missed your great posts?
This is another, I'm sure, great kid who who will have to show marked improvement or be a far better fit in Dusty's scheme if he is going to overcome what are, to date, pedestrian numbers. Saying that is not a crime.
And yes, and no. I'm no hoops savant. But I have been following the team closely since the 1970s, played, and know a little about the game. Have some institutional memory about the subject. Remember how people maligned Beilein and Howard, and Amaker (for that matter), and want to plump for a little more awareness. Let's hope Donaldson is fantastic for Michigan.
May is getting a team assembled. I like May, and am wishing him well. I felt, at the end, that Juwan had to go. But if Juwan were pulling this guy in now, the comments would not be. . . quite as conciliatory. I'm sure I'll get negged, because right now everyone's drinking the koolaid--I'll have half a glass, myself. But sane people will recognize the truth of what I am saying.
This is thinly veiled racism. But worse--perhaps--it's outright claptrap. You had guys talking about how they'd run through walls for Juwan during the first couple of years. The Fab V turning out in support even during this year's hard times. Everyone grew dispirited toward the end, that's absolutely true. But a far cry from any notion that he was instilling some kind of inimical "culture." The guy loves the hell out of Michigan, and was heartbroken. His son is still on the team. Hunter loved Juwan, but couldn't get any MONEY here.
I know that people who know nothing just say shit to say shit--hey, that's sports. But this is crap. Think before you drivel.
I like Dusty a lot; I hope you're right. (Two seven-footers, now! Wow!) I don't see that he's being given the resources to do it right. And I don't think it's terribly untoward to say that when the players shuffle in an out annually, you start to lose a certain sense of attachment to them.
There's a reason why John left. He didn't want to play the game under these conditions. I've been watching, closely, since 1974; I was nuts about John, and Juwan. I worry that we get a bump, and then. . . either the school gets behind the team or we crater once again. (The schools, who make the money, placing the onus on fans to pay up, is another feat of prestidigitation, with fans--mostly--too dazzled by the commotion to remember where the ball is.)
I have some sympathy with your nervousness. We'll see soon enough. Without a massive, steady infusion of funds what we may get is a bit of an uptick, and then more of the same.
The guys start to be interchangeable; my ability to care slips. I admire people's enthusiasm here, but wonder how long it lasts? Are the guys better players, in truth--on this team being assembled in haste--than the players that Juwan and co. were choosing, being scrutinized and derided so heavily, last spring?
Yeah, Michael was a supernova. But his career looks different without Scottie Pippen, and the continuity that offered the Bulls. Not that Michael cared to acknowledge.
It frustrates me when we say that a mediocrity like Doyel is wildly talented and should know better! Exclamation mark! No, he's a bum, an old-fashioned fake crusader-style hack journo who just slobbered on a woman who is helping to make women and her sport taken seriously. Publicly. Made her presser about him and made his apology about him; that apology is me, me, me, me, Caitlin Clark, what about me, etcetera. Doesn't even end with a convincing or heartfelt statement.
It was like, "Look at me, the celebrated journalist for men's sports, DEIGNING to descend and see what the little ladies are up to! Let me take them all down a few pegs, establish my little flirty pecking order for future availability with the gal here. She ain't one of those. . . LESBOS, is she?"
I don't see that this is a burning offense, but it's a shunning offense. It's a "Stop it, fuckwad" offense for a boss, and it should help move the guy toward the reject pile when it comes to how he's regarded nationally. Forever.
You know, Denard didn't have to be a superstar in the NFL for me to love him to death. Neither does JJ. The truth is that we don't know how he'll turn out, and he has had fewer chances to prove himself through his throwing than quarterbacks who played for worse teams. Clearly, he's a fantastic student of the game, and capable of extraordinary accuracy, to rival all the other QBs in the draft; he has also put to rest any worries about the strength of his arm in drills and combine testing. He also played hurt toward the end last year, which may muddle perceptions of his value.
The way that things often work in this world, he might or might not ever obtain the chance to play for a championship team or be placed in the position to earn out. He could struggle, who knows? These things are gambles for every team. My money is on him achieving a high level of success, and. . . screw the haters. They will always be out there.
This looms as a really big issue, in year one. And may bring Dusty--and those watching with some optimism--up against the cold hard realities of Michigan's case. Which sometimes looked insurmountable for Juwan. Because whether Dusty's been promised augmented resources or not, he's filling an entire roster, from a pot that just doesn't match up to that of, say, a Kansas. Connecticut taking a player who lots of people were down on here, like Tarris, may speak more to the depth of that team, and its resources, than to Reed's proficiency, or that of his former coaches, who really needed him to excel this year to have a hope, not just be a promising part of a future youth movement.
Hope that Dusty doesn't get discouraged too quickly. But this reminds me a little of NIL, when it first emerged. Lots of enthusiasm from everyone, but not much indication that problems have been solved. We're already seeing that players are not just racing to be here or play for Dusty. The portal makes things interesting--as when a magician waves their hand in your face to confuse you. But none of this, none of it, has made the game more equal. Yes, there will be new winners and losers--we're already seeing that M isn't one of the former, at least not in hoop. But parity? It's dispiriting. There was a reason why Beilein left.
Nah, there was a lot of ugly, some of it shading into other things. There was lots of ugly during the Beilein period, as well. A lot of people who were taking the low road are on the high one now--the revisionism even from people like Brian is. . . a thing. Juwan is an icon, a Michigan great, and a great person; he deserved better. But. . . magnanimity late is better late than. . . even if mostly--well, how the world works.
For the record: I think Juwan had to go; he was unhealthy, in an impossible position, and not great at advocating for himself. I have high hopes for May; I like his approach to the game, including the concepts he borrows from European hoop. But if he doesn't get appropriately scaled, permanent, institutional report--which there's no suggestion is coming--what's likely to happen is an uptick and then mediocrity. He may hope to be at UNC by then.
He was asked to do too much, to be one of the two axes of the offense, and was not ready. We always want to judge players by what we see on the floor right now. . . which is why we often get it wrong. At U Conn, he'll be asked to do less,* and--I'd lay good odds--excel. Big men take longer, generally, to mature.
I think that the team had just one creator--Dug--and that once he could be limited, it was all over.
I don't suppose all of the people who were maligning the f out of him during this last year--here or at our neighboring U of M site--plan to come out of the woodwork now. May turn out to be another in a long line of players who anonymous fans maligned. . . only to see them head to the league.
There's a reason for it, though. As a former English professor, I can tell you: So many kids arrive at college unable to write. It's worse now, after Covid. To graduate a kid from the U of M who couldn't. . . unthinkable. You gotta have some standards.
Again, common sense is not what anyone's looking for at the moment. In the heat of the moment, the mob just wants to string somebody up. Woe betide anyone who tells them they're. . . a mob.
Likely means either that a) he needs money, like most of the people who will criticize him, or b) that he or coach May don't see him thriving in the system May's trying to put on the floor. Either one is perfectly acceptable from the point of view of almost everyone in the universe, other than M fans who want him in the fold. And even most of them won't have a clue whether he's a good fit or not.
The book on Rooths when he declared was that Michigan should aim higher.
You're saying that Wendy and I are the same person? Long time visitors to the site will have a good hoot over this. Hope no detective agency ever hires you; you would not be good at the job.
I'm an old-school A2 left-liberal professional who went to Huron. Wendy is, I'm pretty sure, a woman, a lawyer (?), much more centrist, and level-headed. I have been admiring her/their posts, sometimes saying so, for a while. She's one of those people who, if you're NOT running back and forth screaming with the lemmings, stakes out the kind of common ground this country desperately needs. She can, hopefully will, speak for herself, but she's one of the people who pointed out--as I did--while the torches and pitchforks were being pointed in all directions by the Kabuki people--that we had brought a lot of our woes upon ourselves. NEVER hand your opponent a stick to beat you with. On that, she and I most definitely agree.
You're usually far too percipient, Wendy. People here enjoy being part of the lynch mob, and don't often even care what the subject is, as long as they can warm their hands beside the fire of something they feel that they belong to. It's primitive, but near-universal, especially during these tribal times.
The problem, as I see it, is that all eyes will be on Alex Orji. I am really pulling for him, but if he hits his throws, it may not mean much. If he misses them, it could be very meaningful. I don't see much upside for the game's impact on perceptions.
There is more than a little something to this uncomfortable comparison. I have a Black friend who calls the NFL 'the new plantation,' but the designation may be even more apt in the college milieu. The idea that they're enlightening the savages in plucking them from their natal homes and allowing them to take part in their enlightened settings has also been part of the ur-narrative too, no? :)
Recent Comments
Further evidence that we should be seeing some really creative hooping in months and years to come.
Well, I'm excited, and I was skeptical. As to the first two items on your list. . . we don't really know? Yours are mostly best-case scenarios--up to your estimate of potential wins--and I hope you're right. I think that what May will want, toward the end of season one, is a sense of gathering momentum. So if his team has stuff to play for down the stretch, that will be fantastic.
When we're disparaging, they're mercenaries. When we like 'em, they're just doing what every red-blooded American is gonna do. Getting that payday while they can. . . etc.
How quickly this team comes together will help decide its ceiling, for sure. Seems like you can discern a team that has a recognizable Dusty May shape, so that's encouraging. Also seems like a number of these guys, even if of modest evals, see the floor and pass well--I'd rather a team of great passers and team players, on a first go, than Calipari diamonds waiting to be cut.
This is going to be an interesting experiment. A lot may depend now, on things building fairly quickly so that money and enthusiasm find their way to May and the program. Hope all these guys can get to A2 and start jumping in the gymnasium, pronto. Will keep fingers crossed.
Hey, you've gotta trust the new coach. No way these guys bring him in if he isn't a player of promise.
Mgoblog after football and basketball are over: Nothin' shakin' but the rent.
Post of the day. Shut down the internets.
One can pretty well sniff where arguments like this come from.
Chief was an honorific, and 'redskin' was a slur. It's not that hard to see that one connotes something positive, a kind of status, the other is derogatory. (Saying that someone somewhere called themselves that is like saying that Black people call themselves the 'n' word, which you'll hear some. . . people do. That doesn't. . . quite give you the right to call your sports team that, obvs!)
Lots of our history is fraught, and you can't go back and change it, but you can address stuff that's egregious. The fact that the redskins were in Washington, well. . .
I've lived long enough with the idea of the Seminoles, for example, to think that naming your team after a local indigenous group, especially one that struggled to retain their place and customs, is really pretty decent. Chiefs and redskins are not creative or compelling, anyway, crying out loud. People willing to get ornery about retaining them are usually bringing some reactionary political feelings along with them. Misplaced.
Agree!
https://www.maizenbrew.com/2024/4/21/24136565/michigan-wolverines-basketball-transfer-portal-sean-stewart-duke-blue-devils-dusty-may
A strong year this year, and a team that looks like it will vie for an NC next year, can--I think--place us more permanently in the driver's seat for recruits. Recent great teams have been a strong testament to our recruiting prowess, with so many uncovered diamonds in the rough (see Roman Wilson!). Landscape's going to shift a little with SEC and B1G consolidations. But ideally we'd spot the diamonds AND steadily pull a greater share of stars. More stability at the top should prove a blessing.
Fantastic. A guy like this was, pretty clearly, the missing piece of the puzzle. (One might speculate that some of these guys see the team that Dusty's building, and know that spots are going fast.)
We're going to need to defend at the four, too; I will be interested to see whether there is one more promising forward out there for us.
Peter Frampton. Once found him on the floor of the bathroom in a NYC bar toward midnight on New Year's Eve while carousing with some of my RC U of M mates; he was, shall we say, very conked. We teased him, I'm a little embarrassed to say--while sharing in the riches--singing Ooh, Baby, I Love Your Way and accusing him of stealing it from Smokey. . . muttered that he was a one-hit wonder and departed. And that was ca. 1976!
He seemed a pretty forlorn character then, wanting sympathy in retrospect. But if anyone really was a one-hit wonder it's this guy, no? The R and R Hall of Fame would seem to have few other criteria than name recognition. Kool & The Gang are the only band I'd have voted for there, myself.
And the rest of your list. . . those aren't creators, they're imitators, no? Yes, Harry Nilsson belongs in--he was unique, a gesture back toward British dancehall, though not as creatively fertile as The Kinks. None of the rest of that lot have aged well, except in the farthest outer rings of suburbia.
I see this as a pretty big get. Should be our starting off guard, no? Have been skeptical that May was getting the resources that he needed, but the last three days have been encouraging. Effective forward play, pretty obviously, needs to be the next place of emphasis. I think that an unfettered Tschetter can get us some points, but on a Big Ten-contending team, he should probably be the third forward off of the bench.
Not even a little bit true. Juwan needed to go, and I've said so here for a month and more. And I've repeatedly voiced support for May. You're blabbering. My point is that Donaldson is an iffy prospect. But won't belabor this more. I too want him to prove a great get.
Stringer Bell is sane, even if contrarian. Bronx is a thoughtful contributor to this board. They're both getting it right. I rarely see you say anything of substance, but maybe I've missed your great posts?
This is another, I'm sure, great kid who who will have to show marked improvement or be a far better fit in Dusty's scheme if he is going to overcome what are, to date, pedestrian numbers. Saying that is not a crime.
And yes, and no. I'm no hoops savant. But I have been following the team closely since the 1970s, played, and know a little about the game. Have some institutional memory about the subject. Remember how people maligned Beilein and Howard, and Amaker (for that matter), and want to plump for a little more awareness. Let's hope Donaldson is fantastic for Michigan.
But not, o bright spark, too busy to contribute your own unhelpful comments. Talk about coming on to shoot yourself in the foot! :)
Old School has been all over this, and is a venerated member of this board. I was eager to hear what he thought after a second look.
May is getting a team assembled. I like May, and am wishing him well. I felt, at the end, that Juwan had to go. But if Juwan were pulling this guy in now, the comments would not be. . . quite as conciliatory. I'm sure I'll get negged, because right now everyone's drinking the koolaid--I'll have half a glass, myself. But sane people will recognize the truth of what I am saying.
This is thinly veiled racism. But worse--perhaps--it's outright claptrap. You had guys talking about how they'd run through walls for Juwan during the first couple of years. The Fab V turning out in support even during this year's hard times. Everyone grew dispirited toward the end, that's absolutely true. But a far cry from any notion that he was instilling some kind of inimical "culture." The guy loves the hell out of Michigan, and was heartbroken. His son is still on the team. Hunter loved Juwan, but couldn't get any MONEY here.
I know that people who know nothing just say shit to say shit--hey, that's sports. But this is crap. Think before you drivel.
Actually, he didn't say he didn't enjoy last year. He said we have real reads this year. Logic can be yer friend.
I like Dusty a lot; I hope you're right. (Two seven-footers, now! Wow!) I don't see that he's being given the resources to do it right. And I don't think it's terribly untoward to say that when the players shuffle in an out annually, you start to lose a certain sense of attachment to them.
There's a reason why John left. He didn't want to play the game under these conditions. I've been watching, closely, since 1974; I was nuts about John, and Juwan. I worry that we get a bump, and then. . . either the school gets behind the team or we crater once again. (The schools, who make the money, placing the onus on fans to pay up, is another feat of prestidigitation, with fans--mostly--too dazzled by the commotion to remember where the ball is.)
Again, we will see.
I have some sympathy with your nervousness. We'll see soon enough. Without a massive, steady infusion of funds what we may get is a bit of an uptick, and then more of the same.
The guys start to be interchangeable; my ability to care slips. I admire people's enthusiasm here, but wonder how long it lasts? Are the guys better players, in truth--on this team being assembled in haste--than the players that Juwan and co. were choosing, being scrutinized and derided so heavily, last spring?
Yeah, Michael was a supernova. But his career looks different without Scottie Pippen, and the continuity that offered the Bulls. Not that Michael cared to acknowledge.
It frustrates me when we say that a mediocrity like Doyel is wildly talented and should know better! Exclamation mark! No, he's a bum, an old-fashioned fake crusader-style hack journo who just slobbered on a woman who is helping to make women and her sport taken seriously. Publicly. Made her presser about him and made his apology about him; that apology is me, me, me, me, Caitlin Clark, what about me, etcetera. Doesn't even end with a convincing or heartfelt statement.
It was like, "Look at me, the celebrated journalist for men's sports, DEIGNING to descend and see what the little ladies are up to! Let me take them all down a few pegs, establish my little flirty pecking order for future availability with the gal here. She ain't one of those. . . LESBOS, is she?"
I don't see that this is a burning offense, but it's a shunning offense. It's a "Stop it, fuckwad" offense for a boss, and it should help move the guy toward the reject pile when it comes to how he's regarded nationally. Forever.
You know, Denard didn't have to be a superstar in the NFL for me to love him to death. Neither does JJ. The truth is that we don't know how he'll turn out, and he has had fewer chances to prove himself through his throwing than quarterbacks who played for worse teams. Clearly, he's a fantastic student of the game, and capable of extraordinary accuracy, to rival all the other QBs in the draft; he has also put to rest any worries about the strength of his arm in drills and combine testing. He also played hurt toward the end last year, which may muddle perceptions of his value.
The way that things often work in this world, he might or might not ever obtain the chance to play for a championship team or be placed in the position to earn out. He could struggle, who knows? These things are gambles for every team. My money is on him achieving a high level of success, and. . . screw the haters. They will always be out there.
Sounds like Scottie's son is a gentleman AND a scholar. That's neat. And he has his father's smile. Will be fun to have him in A2!
EDIT: And hey! If we can double him up, all the better!
Sounds like Scottie's son is a gentleman AND a scholar. That's neat. And he has his father's smile. Will be fun to have him in A2!
Good analogy. But what if Dusty doesn't even know the cap? Or it's shifting? Or he's waiting on word about this or that donor? Could be maddening.
Yeah, I may steal that.
This looms as a really big issue, in year one. And may bring Dusty--and those watching with some optimism--up against the cold hard realities of Michigan's case. Which sometimes looked insurmountable for Juwan. Because whether Dusty's been promised augmented resources or not, he's filling an entire roster, from a pot that just doesn't match up to that of, say, a Kansas. Connecticut taking a player who lots of people were down on here, like Tarris, may speak more to the depth of that team, and its resources, than to Reed's proficiency, or that of his former coaches, who really needed him to excel this year to have a hope, not just be a promising part of a future youth movement.
Hope that Dusty doesn't get discouraged too quickly. But this reminds me a little of NIL, when it first emerged. Lots of enthusiasm from everyone, but not much indication that problems have been solved. We're already seeing that players are not just racing to be here or play for Dusty. The portal makes things interesting--as when a magician waves their hand in your face to confuse you. But none of this, none of it, has made the game more equal. Yes, there will be new winners and losers--we're already seeing that M isn't one of the former, at least not in hoop. But parity? It's dispiriting. There was a reason why Beilein left.
Often, I'm afraid.
Nah, there was a lot of ugly, some of it shading into other things. There was lots of ugly during the Beilein period, as well. A lot of people who were taking the low road are on the high one now--the revisionism even from people like Brian is. . . a thing. Juwan is an icon, a Michigan great, and a great person; he deserved better. But. . . magnanimity late is better late than. . . even if mostly--well, how the world works.
For the record: I think Juwan had to go; he was unhealthy, in an impossible position, and not great at advocating for himself. I have high hopes for May; I like his approach to the game, including the concepts he borrows from European hoop. But if he doesn't get appropriately scaled, permanent, institutional report--which there's no suggestion is coming--what's likely to happen is an uptick and then mediocrity. He may hope to be at UNC by then.
He was asked to do too much, to be one of the two axes of the offense, and was not ready. We always want to judge players by what we see on the floor right now. . . which is why we often get it wrong. At U Conn, he'll be asked to do less,* and--I'd lay good odds--excel. Big men take longer, generally, to mature.
I think that the team had just one creator--Dug--and that once he could be limited, it was all over.
*And be less exposed on defense.
I'm not sure I'd call such boilerplate legalese writing, but okay. :) I think that my point stands.
I don't suppose all of the people who were maligning the f out of him during this last year--here or at our neighboring U of M site--plan to come out of the woodwork now. May turn out to be another in a long line of players who anonymous fans maligned. . . only to see them head to the league.
There's a reason for it, though. As a former English professor, I can tell you: So many kids arrive at college unable to write. It's worse now, after Covid. To graduate a kid from the U of M who couldn't. . . unthinkable. You gotta have some standards.
I am cool with it.
Alabama, OSU two years ago, and--maybe weirdly--Purdue for the Big Ten championship, two years ago. That game just seemed to set the stage.
Again, common sense is not what anyone's looking for at the moment. In the heat of the moment, the mob just wants to string somebody up. Woe betide anyone who tells them they're. . . a mob.
Likely means either that a) he needs money, like most of the people who will criticize him, or b) that he or coach May don't see him thriving in the system May's trying to put on the floor. Either one is perfectly acceptable from the point of view of almost everyone in the universe, other than M fans who want him in the fold. And even most of them won't have a clue whether he's a good fit or not.
The book on Rooths when he declared was that Michigan should aim higher.
You're saying that Wendy and I are the same person? Long time visitors to the site will have a good hoot over this. Hope no detective agency ever hires you; you would not be good at the job.
I'm an old-school A2 left-liberal professional who went to Huron. Wendy is, I'm pretty sure, a woman, a lawyer (?), much more centrist, and level-headed. I have been admiring her/their posts, sometimes saying so, for a while. She's one of those people who, if you're NOT running back and forth screaming with the lemmings, stakes out the kind of common ground this country desperately needs. She can, hopefully will, speak for herself, but she's one of the people who pointed out--as I did--while the torches and pitchforks were being pointed in all directions by the Kabuki people--that we had brought a lot of our woes upon ourselves. NEVER hand your opponent a stick to beat you with. On that, she and I most definitely agree.
You're usually far too percipient, Wendy. People here enjoy being part of the lynch mob, and don't often even care what the subject is, as long as they can warm their hands beside the fire of something they feel that they belong to. It's primitive, but near-universal, especially during these tribal times.
i THINK i SEE WHAT YOU'RE dOING HERE
Whodathunk.
Also, it's reading in a GREAT DEAL to assume Harbaugh's royally pissed. Mars says it's not surprising, hello. . .
Yes. Whether he's no. 1 or 2, I think that no one knows.
The problem, as I see it, is that all eyes will be on Alex Orji. I am really pulling for him, but if he hits his throws, it may not mean much. If he misses them, it could be very meaningful. I don't see much upside for the game's impact on perceptions.
OTOH, everybody have fun!
We venerate these guys, but a lot of them are. . . extremely awkward humans.
So does that mean we should accept it? I'm never sure where people are going when they repeat such shibboleths.
There is more than a little something to this uncomfortable comparison. I have a Black friend who calls the NFL 'the new plantation,' but the designation may be even more apt in the college milieu. The idea that they're enlightening the savages in plucking them from their natal homes and allowing them to take part in their enlightened settings has also been part of the ur-narrative too, no? :)