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Date Title Body
Klatt announced that…

Klatt announced that Harbaugh wanted Zinter to receive the trophy.  That is totally in keeping with Harbaugh's actions all year, putting the limelight on his players and coaches, not himself.

Yep, it's better.  Thanks.

Yep, it's better.  Thanks.

I wonder if any other couch,…

I wonder if any other couch, in an emotional time like this, has ever specifically praised the university president!  We've all been impressed and grateful for Santa Ono over the last few days, obviously the team feels the same way.

I was impressed when I read…

I was impressed when I read what Santa Ono said.  Now we find out he (or someone in his staff) found a quote from Bo that is totally appropriate for this situation.  I'm even more impressed.  Santa get it!

The lights are awful.  The…

The lights are awful.  The only thing worse was the total blackout after touchdowns, or whenever someone decided it would be fun.  Those blackouts could be dangerous for someone in the stands climbing stairs, or a real hassle on the field trying to diagram a play or take care of an injury.  The really ironic thing is that the lights were NOT part of the halftime show!  The one time when they could get creative, integrating light and sound, and nothing.

I agree with the comments from others on the scoreboard stats.  Go look at last year's format and use that as the template.

No.  In order to do it right…

No.  In order to do it right you need to work at it, gather facts, conduct analysis, build a history.  That sounds a lot like several of my old jobs, which I have gladly left behind.

Unless it's Michigan or someone I hate (OSU, Sparty, ND) I would rather just watch a game, pick a favorite to mildly root for and see how it comes out.  I can relax and enjoy it.  If I had money on it I couldn't relax.

If it's Michigan, I am totally committed to a win.  If we win I feel great, and having also won some money is not going to increase my satisfaction even a little bit.  If we lose I am devastated, and losing money is just going to make it worse.

Your hotel may be an hour…

Your hotel may be an hour away under normal conditions, but it will be two hours if you stay till the end of the game.

Yes, I am older than 60.  I…

Yes, I am older than 60.  I have had my season tickets since I was a freshman in 1970.  That does not mean I am a cripple, or obsolete or unworthy of consideration.

Are you going to the game?  I would guess not.  Night games are a wonderful atmosphere for big games, the place was rocking for Washington.  Of course that was the second Saturday in September.

But after the game is a royal pain in the ass.  I live in the north side of Ann Arbor, less than 8 miles away, it took me 90 minutes to drive home!  For the Washington game it was probably worth it.  For 2-6 Indiana it is definitely not.  The high on Saturday is 49, the low is 31.  It's going to be cold sitting there for 4+ hours while Fox runs more ads.

I am furious about the outcome of the Staee game, but I am even madder that there are putting this nothing game at night.

Seth - Thanks for all this. …

Seth - Thanks for all this.  Would you care to expand on that last prediction?  Is it:

  • The offense does so well that Gattis get hired away from the program?
  • The whole coaching staff gets nuked, except Hart is retained by Harbaugh's replacement?
  • Hart is named head coach, brooms Gattis?
  • Just checking to see if people read all the way to the end of this?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Go Blue!

I'm a boomer and have been…

I'm a boomer and have been on the board for a while (can't remember how long.)  /s

Didn't get the meme.  Now that it's been explained agree it's not very clever.

I also noticed the head…

I also noticed the head shake.  But he did it other times later in the game, including a time when he just went into the game, before the play was called.  So it might just be a way of loosing himself up to get ready to play.

Sebewaing Beer - Brewed in…

Sebewaing Beer - Brewed in Sebewaing, Michigan till 1966.  Usually had a pheasant on the label, so guys called it feather beer.  My father drank it sometimes when he was feeling nostalgic and/or didn't want to buy more expensive beer, like Stroh's.

Nope, that's one wolverine. …

Nope, that's one wolverine.  The picture was an early Don Canham promotion/fund raiser.  There were a limited number of premium priced prints personally signed by Don and Bo, and a more general run where the signatures were reproduced.  My brother-in-law has the premium print hanging on his wall, mine was the reproduction, which I've got stored somewhere.

Thanks for this.  It's been…

Thanks for this.  It's been bothering me a lot (more than it should) not to have seen the whole play. 

It Bo's early years the conversion was always set up as a swinging gate.  Can't remember more than one or two times when they actually tried for two, instead of moving to a standard kicking formation.

My take, based on no inside…

My take, based on no inside information, is he wanted one more year (2019) so he could achieve the most wins in MSU history.  But he also planned to retire at the end of this year.  So he didn't want to bring in a new staff and then cut them loose after one year (which, if you think about it is is kind of admirable.)  He's just playing the string out.  You know he'll have himself and everyone else juiced up for the Michigan game, which will probably be their best performance of the season.  He doesn't want to lose his last game to Michigan, but beyond that I think he's just trying to get the season over with.

 

Just tried to vote for Dez…

Just tried to vote for Dez but they've shut the link down.

That's not funny...In fact…

That's not funny...In fact it's exactly what I'm worried about.

We said we would learn a lot about this team after the Wisconsin game.  We did.  Nobody thought the Rutger game would have any significance.  But if we don't obliterate them tomorrow we will have learned more about this team, and it won't be good.

Agree with all of this, but…

Agree with all of this, but isn't this old news?  Still, glad to have something to talk about other than last Saturday.

Thanks for this.  I read…

Thanks for this.  I read your work every week and appreciate your insights.  You're twice as old as the players, I'm three times as old.  I wish I could tell you the pain is not so bad at my age, but I'd be lying.  

I'm trying to convince myself that the dysfunctional offense is at least partially a result of "transition."  I tell myself we're only 3 games into the season.  But we haven't really seen any progress over those three games and that is discouraging.

Maybe we all need to adjust our expectations.  I don't want to do that, but I've only seen one Michigan national championship in my lifetime, and that may be all we can expect.

I will never, ever bet…

I will never, ever bet against Michigan!  But, that is a very tempting spread.

M-Live (Ann Arbor News)…

M-Live (Ann Arbor News) reports 2 people were reported for violating the "drone ordinance."

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2019/09/3-arrests-6-ejects-during-michigan-win-over-middle-tennessee-state-police-say.html

So maybe that drone was not legit.

EDIT - Never mind, already reported.

I really enjoy these columns…

I really enjoy these columns, win or lose.  This one seems to be a bit more of a downer than most.  Perhaps you put an extra spoonful of BPONE on your Wheaties this morning?

Thanks for writing these.  I look forward to reading them all season long and hope your December 1 edition will be full of joyous celebration!

Go Blue!

The article in the Detroit…

The article in the Detroit News includes a quote from the ruling stating that the suit can now move to discovery, which is the last thing MSU wants.  I expect a settlement (and big payout) soon.

 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/08/21/msu-loses-bid-kill-suit-alleging-rape-athletes/2075774001/

Don Canham may not have been…

Don Canham may not have been a fan of women's varsity sports, but at least he gave us female cheerleaders.  Of course his decision may have been influenced by his daughter Clare, a freshman at Michigan who wanted to be a cheerleader.  I think for the first few years they were known as "Pom-Pom Persons" so as not to imply they were part of the male cheerleaders, who were mostly varsity gymnasts or divers,

Thanks for doing these. 

Thanks for doing these. 

Discussion on the demise of the Ann Arbor News is still relevant today.  More to the point of MGoBlog, the end of the AA News as a daily newspaper led the Athletic Department to offer press credentials to MGoBlog, transitioning the blog from an aggregator of content to a creator.

Look forward to reading the next installment.

Even if many of the PSU…

Even if many of the PSU players in the portal opt to return, 18 still seems like a large number to nominate themselves to transfer, which is basically a vote of "no confidence" in the team, the coaches, or their place on the team.  It will be interesting to see how it works out next fall.

So get your wife her own…

So get your wife her own tools and tool box.  Gives you an excuse to go buy tools and keeps your tools in your tool box.

Missed it live, caught it on…

Missed it live, caught it on the first replay.  But this side to side comparison is great.  He nailed it, even the eyes.

The good news is, it's going…

The good news is, it's going to be warm.  That makes all the difference.  Suggest light clothing (shorts, t-shirts) waterproof shoes if you have them, and ponchos or the tarp suggested above.  A couple of plastic bags to keep wallets, phones dry, hats with brims to keep the rain off you faces, particularly if you wear glasses.  If there is lightening in the area they'll makes us all leave, which is a drag but not dangerous.  Maybe have some dry socks, other clothes for after the game.

Have fun, go blue.

No Hitter 1/2*

The scoring could have gone either way.  (For those who didn't see it, with 2 out in the 7th the Eastern batter hit a sharp grounder between short and third.  Uden at third got her glove on it but couldn't field it cleanly and the batter was safe.)  If I was scoring, and I'm not expert, I'd have called it a hit.  So give it a half asterick.

Great game by Blanco, even if it's against a losing team.

Betsa

The home plate umpire was terrible.  Hutch was warned in the first inning after complaining about balls and strikes.  OSU got a similar warning later in the game.

In spite of that, Betsa kept her cool.  We've seen her get rattled in bad situations before and become her own worst enemy.  Now, when she didn't get the strike call she deserved she just smiled, shook her head and went back to work, even while the game was still close.

Your Father is Proud

Your father is proud!

Fragels

Fragels from Bagel/Fragel on Plymouth Road.  Bring an insulated bag so they stay warm on the way home.

Went Outside

What this really means is that there was nobody in the department they were willing to put in charge, even on an interim basis.

Props to Ross

I would like to think that if I had donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the university I would be able to say "I don't think alums should runs the University."  But I'm not sure I'm that open minded. 

Yes, maybe Ross sees the handwriting on the wall and just decided to be gracious.  But even that deserves a lot of credit.  Look at Carr's behavior during the RR years, the refusal to support someone who wasn't his pick, even when it hurt the university he supposedly loved.  Ross could have kept quiet, or made threats in private or in public.  Instead he said, in effect, my gifts to the university are without strings, give or take a few naming rights.  That's a pretty class act.

Parting gift to the guy who got her the job

MSC knew she was headed out the door and wouldn't be there to protect DB.  So she gave him an extension with a big payout if her successor fired him. 

That's my grandaughter!

That's me and my grandaughter on the blanket at the bottom of the I in the end zone.  Movie was OK, stadium was special.  I've never been on the field before, in spite of 40+ years with student/alum season tickets.  Hots dogs, pretzels and bottled drinks were half of the usual price, which made them reasonable.

I am not a fan of most of the things that DB and his marketing crew have done over the last few years, but this one was nice.

For the next time - The self printed tickets had all the usual prohibited items listed.  However, the were letting packs and baby strollers in (I think they were searching them) so anyone with a small child too young to watch the movie could still come in.  Wish they had made that clear at mgoblue or somewhere else.

All in all enjoyable and will do it again.

I Got Two!

The first one came August 13, signed by Brian (per my order) with a UGP return address.  Today I received a second copy, not signed, with an MGOBLOG return address on Metty Dr, in Ann Arbor and a Duluth, MN bulk mail permit.  I'd be glad to send the extra copy back if needed.

I've read most of it, appreciated the skill and expertise of everything I've read, and enjoyed all of it except for the section on the offensive line, which is is not enjoyable because it is honest and probably accurate.

Thanks for helping me get ready for the season, and GO BLUE!

Seat Cushions

As much as I distrust the AD in situations like this, I wonder if the "no cushions" policy posted on the web site was a trial balloon, or just a mistake.  The reason I tend to think it was a mistake was that the handbook mailed with my season tickets less than two weeks later has the same wording as the "revised" policy, allowing foam cushions.  And my tickets came in a week or so after others on the blog reported receiving their tickets.  Yes, it is possible the AD poneyed up major money to have the slick booklets reprinted in a few days time, but it seems more likely someone goofed.

Also, the revised policy was issued in less than 24 hours.  Normally the DB trial balloons have a half life longer than that.

 

So, it's not just the students.

I'm old enough that I understand your third bullet point completely.  I have had season tickets since my freshman year.  I bought them for 11 years when I lived in Minnesota, even though I only made it to a couple of games a year.  I bought season tickets because the enjoyment of being at the game, the fans, the band, the tailgates, were all far better than watching the game on TV. 

But, the relentless pressure from the athletic department to squeeze  every nickle from the fans so they can build indoor rowing facilities, plus the added security hassles each year, plus the advent of HDTV noted above, combined with all the traditional hassles of long lines to the bathrooms, traffic before and after the game, etc. have greatly diminished the enjoyment of being at the game and increased the attractiveness of staying home and watching it on TV.

The one day seat cushion ban that wasn't (last month) forced me, once again, to ask why I lay out close to $2K for four season tickets.  The answer, to this point, is that I would really miss seeing and hearing the band, I would miss the chance to bring my granddaughter to one or two of the exhibition (non-cpnference) games, and perhaps I would miss tailgating.  So I'll probably keep buying, for a while.

But eventually I won't, as age and inconvenience win out over nearly 50 years of enthusiasm.  Will my son, also an alum, pick up my tickets?  Neither of us knows.

And that's the issue facing the athletic department.  The wait list for season tickets is gone.  Dave Brandon hires marketing "experts" to generate "game day excitement" like canned music, rocket men and flyovers, but the number of people buying, students and non-students, continues to decline. 

I suspect by next year there will regularly be empty spaces in several areas of the stadium, not just the student section.

Next Year

Blankets are still allowed, so next year it will be blankets.  Then they will set up blanket rental booths so you can rent a blanket for a game if it gets cold.

Check with the Umpire

I believe the center will check with the umpire before the first snap of the game to make sure he's OK with adjusting the ball (rotate to align laces, etc.).  Then he's good to go for the rest of the game.

Has anyone looked at the PSU offense to see what adjustments their center made when he approached the ball?

Too Much Emotion?

I would submit that part of our problem on Saturday, particularly with Denard's first two interceptions, was playing with too much emotion, trying to force plays that were not there.  Football is a funny game, where being too "up" is as bad as being too flat. 

And, of course, learing to control the "up" comes with experience.  Hopefully we learned from that last week and will be able to play within the system next week.

John Pollack

About a month ago I had a similar conversation with someone from the Michigan School of Architecture (not a student.)  Similar comments as Mr. Pollack, plus a couple new ones like "It doesn't fit in with the neighborhood."  (What?)  And a general distain for anything made of brick, which was too boring.  Of course, he hadn't been to a game in years, didn't know much about football and didn't seem to be aware that the Athletic Department had a whole bunch of new buildings of similar style spread acorss the south end of the main campus.

The best approach for Mr. Pollack and is ilk is to ignore them.  They will go away, or more correctly find another big project (that they didn't design) to attack.

Club Seats

I toured the suites and club seats when they had the open house.  The suites were very nice in terms of amenities, luxury, what have you, but they are still suites, not really different from suites at any of a number of other venues.  If that's the way I want to watch a Michigan game I will stay home and watch on my TV.

But the club seats were great.  Once I hit the lottery (it will take a while, since I don't buy tickets) that's where I would spend some money.  Wonderful sight lines, sheltered from the worst of the weather but still out in the weather, and comfortable seats.  Glad to hear the folks in the seats were yelling like the rest of us.

Tate

A point of clarification.  In the first half, Tate had the headphones on and was signaling in plays.  That's the job of the third string QB.  So it was no big shock to him that we didn't go in when Denard when down.  With Denard out, Tate became the second string.  Jack Kennedy then put on the headphones and Tate was warming up.

Jack Kennedy kept the headphones the rest of the game, my guess is the coaches wanted him to get some time signaling plays since he may need to it again this season.  At that point all Tate could do is watch, with TV cameras poking in his face.  If it were me I would want to deck a camera man.  Instead, he put a towel around his face.  Not the best option, but a whgole lot better than belting someone.

Thanks to TomVH for an excellent job.  Tate will stay, Tate will play, and at some point he and we will be very glad he's here.

It will always be THE GAME to me.

Dave Brandon and I are the same age, class of 1974.  For me, and I'm sure for him, OSU will always be the most important game of the year.  Mr. Brandon is a very smart guy, but in this case I think he has let his personal viewpoint interfere with his analytical ability. 

KSmooth is correct, as time passes and a greater portion of the general population doesn't know if it was Bo or Woody who coached Michigan, the OSU game will just be another contest between two good programs.

"The Victors" was written after a stirring Michigan victory.  Michigan fans know the opponent was the University of Chicago.  Most of the rest of the college football world doesn't know and doesn't care.  Rivals change, or in the case of Chicago, go away.  Rivalies must be important or eventually they just become another game.

Very Few Audibles

One of the most striking things about that game is the pace from breaking the huddle till the ball is snapped.  Not much reading the defense and adjusting, it's nearly all "Here we come, try and stop us."  Of course some of this is the number of option plays called and run.  But a lot of it is a simpler playbook and an emphasis on execution. 

The game has changed.

Never Mind the AD

Here are e-mail addresses for Mary Sue Coleman and each regent.  http://www.regents.umich.edu/about/regents.html  Suggest you devote most your energies there.  They were the ones that killed off naming rights to the Ohio State game a few years ago.

Water Bottles at Michigan Stadium

With 70 or so responses to this string most of the points have been covered.  But a couple of items:

Free water - 20 drinking fountains and 48 concession stands is not enough for 109,000 people.  That's 68 locations, or 1,600 people per location.  No matter what assumptions you make about the number of people needing water and how long it takes for them to get their 9 oz. glass, there is simply not enough time from gates open till end of the game to take care of everyone who needs water on a 90 degree day.

Security - If anyone ever decides to do something horrible at a major sporting event, it will not be on a hot day when the fans are wearing shorts, t-shirts and not much else.  Instead, it will be on a cold, rainy, windy day when everyone is dressed for the weather, including ponchoes and heavy coats.  Never mind a water bottle, on a rainy day in October you could bring in an AK-47 without anyone noticing.  Banning water bottles in the name of security is nonsense.

Done Deal? - Remember when Michigan and Ohio State announced naming rights for the game?  That decision was changed after a major outpouring of rage from fans and alums.  The same thing can happen here if we keep up the pressure.  Never mind complaining to the athletic department, they've made their decision.  The complaints need to go to Mary Sue Colemen and the regents.  Don't give up, it's not over yet!