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No offense Yo_Blue, but…

No offense Yo_Blue, but please do not ever compare McAfee to the late, great John Belushi.

To be clear, I am 100% for…

To be clear, I am 100% for compensating the players appropriately, and love Coach Harbaugh's vision for compensation in some form and amount across all student-athletes. Certainly football and basketball student-athletes should get a bigger piece of the pie, without question. 

What I would hate to see is the complete collapse/dissolution of intercollegiate non-revenue sports, for many reasons. As a former rowing student-athlete at a Pac-10 university and as a fan of all intercollegiate sports, I can't imagine a Michigan (or my alma mater) without so many of my favorites: softball, field hockey, soccer, wrestling, rowing, etc. 

Another aspect of this, and something that my intercollegiate rowing coach understood very well, is that non-revenue sports tend to produce very successful and generous alumni that give back with their time, talent, AND treasure. 

And, as the Stanford athletic alumni argued when their AD cut 11 Olympic sports in 2021, only to reinstate them, the negative international performance implications for many US national teams would be huge. 

It seems to me that structuring intercollegiate Olympic/non-revenue sports in some manner akin to how the Ivy League operates could serve as a model going forward. Perhaps the ADs who get paid the big bucks can figure out that.

el segundo,

For board…

el segundo,

For board perspective I think it is interesting to identify the sport to which you are referring as men's rowing, America's oldest intercollegiate sport. I won't name but can pretty much narrow your sons' institution down to one of three public universities with successful/historic men's rowing programs. On that note, unlike women's rowing which has been an NCAA sport since the late '90s, men's rowing is governed by the IRA (Intercollegiate Rowing Association), and at the D1 level is composed of some of America's finest universities.

While I fear for the future of men's rowing as a varsity level sport, perhaps its saving grace through all of this will be the fact that they have remained out of the NCAA (when at one point it looked like this was a mistake) and its unique stature at most of these institutions buoyed by some very powerful/wealthy alumni groups. Certainly some will not survive. For example: The axe fell early for Rutgers' 150-year old men's rowing program back when they joined the B1G, and despite their history of success, their alumni have not been able to lobby it back to varsity status nor have they been able to fund it back to a competitive IRA-level team.

The future of men's intercollegiate rowing at the varsity level will most likely be a very independent and even more exclusive version than already exists of "haves and have nots". And as you note, this takes away varsity-level competitive opportunities for some gifted student-athletes, many of which start as "walk-ons", and several of whom then go on to be integral members of our US national team. (As a reference: The national team impact was part of Stanford's athletic alumni rallying cry when they initially cut 11 Olympic sports in 2021, only to then restore them months later.)

It will be interesting to see how other non-revenue sports react and adjust to what lies ahead...

COWARDS!!!

COWARDS!!!

Speaking of the 2016 game…

Speaking of the 2016 game and its orchestrated/sanctioned theft by the B1G and Ohio State, I have been sharing the Schwarzel/Sagers/Capron YouTube video with friends who are only getting the "Michigan cheats" propaganda in their normal news cycle. I then asked them to insert themselves into this scenario with their arch rivals having three fanbois refereeing their game. I also asked them, that if they agreed with any of the non-calls, to explain why. The result: A lot of stunned silence and disbelief at what they viewed. 

Of course, the ass pat on Weber by a smiling Sagers drew some interesting commentary. 

I'm as fucking disgusted today as I was seven years ago. Fuck these REAL cheaters. Fuck Ohio State. Fuck Urban Meyer. Fuck Charmin Day. Fuck the B1G. And fuck Woody for good measure. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mhG1Pp6SJM

Agreed. I have been saying…

Agreed. I have been saying this for years (to anyone that will listen)!

But wait, I thought Ohio…

But wait, I thought Ohio State prepared for Michigan every week? 

So you're saying there was a…

So you're saying there was a Stalions to Deion connection over the summer? Now Prime's comments on this matter are making sense (says every Buckeye conspiracy theorist on Twitter-X)...

I have close connections to…

I have close connections to the US Naval Academy, so nothing about his character traits are a surprise to me. Combine that with his lifelong love/obsession for Michigan football, and we end up with a "Manifesto". (Come on, Connor, couldn't you have at least called it your "15 Year Strategic Plan"?!)

100% agree. It's just one of…

100% agree. It's just one of the many dirty hits we have seen by that Barry Alvarez/Bret Bielema-influenced Wisconsin program over the last 10 - 15 years. Despicable.

I have first hand knowledge…

I have first hand knowledge of the ripple effect of this decision and its now reverberation on people's lives. The son of my college teammate is a '21 top 5-ranked boy's volleyball player from California. He was recruited and offered by nearly every top program, going on all of his official visits (including to Ohio State, where they had him on the field of Ohio Stadium pre-game), but had Stanford as his number one all along. Due to the delayed Stanford recruitment/application decision process, he essentially waited out an offer from them thereby forgoing all of his other offers. Stanford finally made the offer, they celebrated, and exactly 1.5 weeks later he got the phone call from the men's VB coach about the cancellation of the program. They were devastated, and had nothing having turned every other program down. Finally, UCSD offered, and then, Harvard called, and he ended up committing there. Certainly an amazing "consolation prize". Today, however, with this news, they are angry all over again and in utter disbelief, and certainly torn as well... 

Great win for Marshall! But…

Great win for Marshall! But who knew that Niedermeyer calls NCAA soccer games?

Not only did Keith Jackson…

Not only did Keith Jackson love rowing, but he called the race between the Huskies and the Soviets from Moscow in 1958, when he was a young sportscaster for Seattle's KOMO TV. The Huskies upset the Soviet crews including the one that had beaten them at the Henley Royal Regatta, just two weeks earlier. He always maintained that this was the highlight of his broadcasting career, with the irony being that he was a Washington State alumnus. 

Video of the race and his call: https://vimeo.com/251000747?ref=tw-v-share

A short version of how the UW crew ended up in Moscow at the height of the Cold War: https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/uw-crews-cold-war-win-is-still-worth-a-toast/

You are welcome, NT5. 

You are welcome, NT5. 

Beach recommendation: Go to New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, and head all the way south on South Atlantic Avenue to the Canaveral National Seashore (https://www.nps.gov/cana/index.htm). CNS is one of the last unspoiled beaches in Florida, and is truly special. At CNS make sure you check out Turtle Mound (https://visitnsbfl.com/explore/arts-and-culture/turtle-mound-at-canaveral-national-seashore), an ancient shell midden created by the Timucuan people, the original inhabitants of Florida. The view at the top of Turtle Mound is spectacular on a clear day. As for fishing, CNS has excellent surf fishing, and December can be one of the best months to be there. The best fishing will happen on a day with a light offshore breeze (wind out of the west), thereby making the surf glassy and the water clear. This time of year is ideal for pompano (an excellent eating fish), whiting, bluefish, Spanish mackerel, redfish, and flounder. You will want to use spinning tackle and at the minimum an 8 - 9 ft. rod (an ideal rod would be 11 ft. or more; you can rent tackle at bait shops in NSB). If you rent from a shop, ask if they have pole holders as well, as you want the rod to sit steady while waiting for the bite. Bait: mole crabs aka sand fleas (dig them up in the sand at the surf's edge), clams, cut mullet, and "Fishbites". You will want to use a "pompano rig" with circle hooks and a 4 - 5 oz. pyramid sinker to lock down the rig in the surf. After you cast and put the rod in the holder, reel up any excess slack so that the line is tight and ready to hook any bites. If you have circle hooks, the fish will hook itself in the corner of the mouth; no need for a big hook set. You will know you have a hit when the rod tip starts bouncing and pulling down. Make sure your drag is not too tight as large fish will pull the pole holder over and the rod will go eastbound for a swim (I've seen it happen...). If the water is clear, look for the sandbars and do not cast onto them. Instead, cast into the trough between the sandbars (waves rise, crest, and break on the sandbars, so don't drop your bait there). The trough will be deeper and the fish will generally travel, hold, and feed there. At high tide you can make a short cast into the first trough and give that a go. If you have polarized sunglasses and the water is clear, you very often will see the fish moving through the surf. Oh, and FLA now requires a fishing license when fishing from shore, so check into that. Good luck!

Food in NSB: Two very Florida recommendations: JB's Fish Camp (http://jbsfishcamp.com/), just north of the entrance to CNS, is quite the place. It is situated on the river side, has decent food, a good beach vibe, and great sunsets. The Breaker's (https://breakersnsb.com/) is right on the beach on Flagler Avenue (Flagler is the main street of NSB, beachside). Well known for great burgers and good fish sandwiches, it is an NSB icon. NSB has other good food and drink, and if you want something other than burgers/fish sandwiches/steamed shrimp, check out AA Garden Fusion for excellent Vietnamese/Asian cuisine (http://www.aagardenfusion.com/#homepagehttp://www.aagardenfusion.com/#homepage) or the Third Wave Cafe and Wine Bar (https://www.thirdwavensb.com/). Both are located on Flagler Avenue as well. 

Let me know if you have any questions....

What year did you graduate…

What year did you graduate from EHS?

Orlando advice from a NATIVE…

Orlando advice from a NATIVE (username does NOT check out):

If you want to get away from the touristy areas and get a feel for the original parts of Orlando, I would recommend the following:

College Park: An original Orlando neighborhood, just on the north side of downtown, with Edgewater Drive as its "Main Street". There are a number of good neighborhood restaurants and bars there, and it is only a short drive to the Citrus Bowl. Also located in College Park is Edgewater High School, the alma mater of three former Michigan players: Tom Neal, Greg Mathews, and Mike Jones (YTMJ). (FYI: Edgewater will play national powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas this Saturday for the 7A state title.) Recommendations: Ollie's Public House (sports bar); Armando's (Italian food); PR's Taco Palace; others.

Thornton Park: Located just on the east side of downtown and Lake Eola, a small neighborhood "town" in easy walking distance back into the heart of downtown Orlando (Orange Avenue and Church Street, location of many bars and restaurants). Recommendations: Graffiti Junktion for burgers/sports/good vibe; Maxine's on Shine for a true neighborhood hangout; others... Also, Thornton Park is very close to Orlando's "Little Saigon" (community of Vietnamese restaurants and stores), with its central point being Mills Avenue and Colonial Drive (aka Hwy 17/92 and Hwy 50). Vietnamese recommendations: Saigon Noodle and Grill on North Bumby Avenue; Anh Hong on the corner of Mills and Colonial. 

Winter Park: WP is its own town, just about two miles northeast of downtown Orlando. Park Avenue is the main street of WP, and you will quickly note that it is a very affluent area. WP is home to Rollins College, Florida's oldest institution of higher learning. It is a very beautiful campus, and is worth a walk among the oaks, the Spanish/Mediterranean-style architecture, and the lake. Rollins plays DII sports, had a football program back in the day that notched a win against Miami (YTM), and has one of the most unique nicknames/mascots in college sports: "The Tars". Notable alumni include: Bubby Ebsen (aka Jed Clampett), Fred Rogers (YTMR), Anthony Perkins (yes that "Psycho"), and Elin Nordegren (Tiger's ex). Recommendations for food/drink: Park Social; The Porch; Prato; Hillstone; Atlantic Beer and Oyster; many others... WP has two main commercial areas: Park Avenue/Fairbanks Avenue area, and the N. Orlando Avenue area (note that Orlando Avenue and Mills Avenue as mentioned above are the same roads). Also, WP is located among a beautiful chain of lakes, so for a real FLA experience, take the Scenic Boat Tour (https://www.scenicboattours.com/). 

Let me know if there are any questions....

Ohio State: dead to me…

Ohio State: dead to me. Michigan State: dead to me. Penn State: dead to me. Wisconsin: dead to me.

I, a former lifelong fan of the Big 10 who believed in its balance of academics, athletics, and ethics, am fully disgusted by the conference, its "leadership", and its blatant favoritism of certain programs.

The University of Michigan can stand alone academically, and it can stand alone athletically. Therefore, I truly believe that Michigan should extricate itself from this mess (at least in football) once and for all and move to independent status.

You clearly know nothing about the sport of rowing...

and it's evolution nationally and internationally. There are many public schools and community programs all around the US now, hell, even in the South. This isn't the 1960s, so you can pack away that "rich man's sport" stereotype. But if you want to speak about the socioeconomics of sport in America, you could say it requires a "rich" family to keep their children in any youth club sports these days.

Women's rowing is here to stay

Not sure what your gripe is with Michigan Women's Rowing or the sport in general, but it isn't going anywhere. Women's rowing was part of the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program in the mid '90s in order to achieve Title IX compliance. The sport is very well represented in nearly all Division I conferences with the exception of the knuckleheads in the SEC. Take a look at the seedings for last year's Division I top 8-oared shells below. Do you really think the athletic department at Michigan doesn't want to compete with some of the finest academic institutions in the world in the sport of rowing? (An ancillary benefit is that Michigan's program and even the Men's Club Team have been well represented on the US National and Olympic teams.)

1 Washington
2 California
3 Texas
4 Princeton
5 Ohio State
6 Stanford
7 Michigan
8 Brown
9 Yale
10 Washington State
11 Indiana
12 Virginia
13 Notre Dame
14 Syracuse
15 Iowa
16 Wisconsin
17 UCF
18 Gonzaga
19 Northeastern
20 Navy
21 Massachusetts
22 Jacksonville

This ^^^.

I agree 100%.

Defensive collapse..

Ugly.

Great preview SBW!

Here's hoping the bats will be alive this weekend. If so, as you noted, this team can play with anyone.

One sidenote on the "unfortunately-named" Kamalani Dung: She is from Hawai'i, and is obviously of Asian descent. If her family name "Dung" is Vietnamese, which is a very common name in Viet Nam (both first and last), it would be pronounced either "Yoom" (southern dialect) or "Zoom" (northern dialect). I am not sure how she pronounces her famly name, but both of the aforementioned are much more palatable options over the English alternative.

Great work SBW!

Thanks for a very thorough season preview, and thanks to you and MGoSoftball for always providing such valuable game analysis throughout the year.

Looking forward to watching Team 40 create their own Michigan Softball legacy, starting today at 12:30pm.

GO BLUE!

Email

I just sent you an email regarding the tickets.

Thank you.

To define that on a more micro level...

Ohio State actually went TWO YEARS, yes, TWO YEARS (October 2013 to October 2015) without a offensive holding call in BIG TEN play.

In other words, in the 2014 season they had ZERO holds called against them in B1G games.

Really? F$%king unbelievable.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/10/17/9562415/ohio-state-holding-big-ten-game-first-time-since-2013

P.S.: CAUTION, very ugly video embedded in that link above.

Notre Dame?

Just so they can preserve their "Independent" status, they can go 7-5 every season, and then jump into the playoffs at the end of the year?

In my opinion, any future conference realignment structure should force Notre Dame to join the 21st century of college football.

Thanks SBW!

Looking forward to watching Team #40!

Correction...

Kirby Hocutt (chairman of the committee) said the margin between Washington and MICHIGAN (NOT Colorado) is "razor thin".

LINK: https://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2016/11/michigans_shot_at_playoff_seem.html

I understand that points are credited for....

a Top 10 win, that is why I was suggesting a "bonus" weighting based on the fact that a given win is over a P5 conference champion.

Agree on your point about the committee...it will be interesting to watch it play out tonight and Sunday.

Thanks Maizer.

Great work on this.

One question/suggestion: How about assigning some amount of "bonus points" for a win over a P5 conference champion?

Not to be a complete homer here, but it seems to me that should hold a significant amount of weight.

Understood, however....

a lot of that yardage came on plays where the DBs were in a position to make the play but just did not turn around to do so, and, when Delano Hill fell down on one route. If Stribling and Thomas turn around on those plays, they have a PBU and maybe even a pick.

One correction....

The Apple Cup is on Friday the 25th at 3:30pm EST.

Wow. The Maryland player with a huge foul in the box....

and no call! WTF.

F&#k the Maryland players talking shit to the crowd.

 

WTF was that call to award them the free kick?

It looked like a VERY clean tackle to me.

Greg Mattison

I have a few family/friend/football camp connections to him, and even though I am just a periodic acquaintance, he has always remembered me. In my few conversations with him, I have been so impressed with his genuine, down-to-earth, and engaging nature.

Ugh.

Wisco takes the set 15 - 13 and the match 3 - 2.....

13 All!

Timeout Wisco.

Michigan serving!

GO BLUE!

Wisco up 13 - 11.

Timeout Wisco.

M serviing.

 

Wisco up 10 - 8 in the 5th Set....

Timeout Michigan.

Note: Play to 15 in the 5th Set.

Let's go ladies!

Yes! Going to a 5th set!

Michigan wins Set 4 25 - 20!

M up 14 - 7 in Set 4.

Timeout Wisconsin.

Let's go ladies!

Game is on BTN Plus for those who have it....

Here is the link to the Gametracker:

http://www.mgoblue.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wvolley.html?event=1501287&school=mich&sport=wvolley&camefrom=&startschool=&

 

Miami Hurricanes

That display of blatantly dirty cheap shots on the FSU QB and their typical classless "The U" fan behavior is why I never want to see that program good again.

Yes...

While the team did beat UNC back in August during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, it was all UNC in the 2nd half today.

All UNC in the 2nd half

UNC scores four goals on penalty corners in the 2nd half to win 5 - 1.

Now 3 - 1 UNC....

UNC scores two goals in a 3 minute span, one on a penalty corner, and one on a fast break attack and deflection by the UNC player that caught the M goalkeeper off her line.

Congrats to the UM women rowers!

And regarding the safety of the water quality at the rowing venue, also known as the "Lagoa", the test run last summer where FISA held the Junior World Rowing Championships was not good; 11 rowers and 4 coaches from the US Team alone contracted various illnesses that they attributed to contact with the water:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/11/americas/brazil-olympics-us-rowing-squad/

No doubt about that.

My question was somewhat rhetorical; she is a phenomenal pitcher.

I just wish somebody, anybody, amongst the great bats in the line-up, could have figured her out.

Me too.

I woke up this morning thinking about all of the "what ifs".

It is going to be very difficult to watch OU vs. Auburn, knowing that it should have been Michigan playing for the NC and a storybook ending for a great senior class.

Great summary charblue.

One point of note as I am not sure if you were implying that Christner is a senior or not by grouping her with Susalla, but she is only a junior this season.

From all accounts she is a great team leader. Hopefully she will get her bat back in to the full time production as she had in 2015.