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14 years 8 months
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Recent Comments

Date Title Body
I am glad you enjoyed the…

I am glad you enjoyed the game!

I concur with you.  I have…

I concur with you.  I have had this conversation with co-workers who rib me all the time about Michigan football.  This is what Michigan football is now.  We are not a win at all cost program.  We aren't going to take elite athletes who aren't elite students as well.  We aren't willing to take JUCO transfers or prospects with questionable pasts.  We aren't willing to tolerate domestic violence incidents.  We aren't willing to allow our student athletes to shoot and kill a guy a in a Craiglist transaction gone wrong.  This is what it is going to be going forward.  We will fluctuate between 10-2 and 8-4 seasons with an occasional threat towards a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff.  I really believe this is what Michigan football going to be going forward.  

I remember the first letter…

I remember the first letter I got was a small letter.  That was an admission deferral letter.  Then about 6 months later I received a denial letter.  I was pretty devastated.  I went to community college (Michigan State) for 2 years and had a 3.9 GPA.  I applied again to UMich, and this time I received a big acceptance package.  I graduated, and now when Michigan calls for money, I tell them I am and deferring my decision to give money until a later time.  Long story short, there is always hope to earn a Michigan degree even if you are one of the people that get a small letter.

I agree...

I am in full agreement here.  The band traveling is really not a big deal.  I understand the pagentry of college football, but ABC put MICHIGAN FOOTBALL on Primtime not the MICHIGAN MARCHING BAND.  If the band is so serious about traveling why don't they just pay their own way?  I have a problem with the band thinking they are entitled to travel because they are the band.  Michigan football will survive without the marching band; however, the marching band would not survive without Michigan football.  Just be happy they include you in home games before they decide they want to start charging you for the bench space you occupy... Give me a break here!

What is the turnout like?

What is the turnout at Fox and Hound for these games?  I moved to south of Fort Worth about 6 months ago and looking to meet people.  I would just hate to drive all the way out there to find out nobody is there.  Any insight into this?

Toledo is Never Beautiful

I live in the Toledo area now.  It is awful.  Unless you are a fan of unplanned teenage pregnancies, red neck Ohio State fans, single mothers, or back child support, Toledo is the worst place imaginable to live.

Definitely a lie

Compton is not anywhere near USC there isn't even an In n Out Burger in Compton.  Maybe he is confusing Culver City with Compton.

Yes

My brother graduated from SC and he lived right off of campus.  During the day, I don't think there was an issue.  The area immediately west and north of campus is not all that bad.  Granted that most students who go to USC come from priviledge background (hence Univ. of Spoild Children) it is easy to see why people would say its a rough area.  The area South of Exposition Park is an area I don't feel comfortable in at any time.  You are more likely to get robbed than you are killed off campus.

My Scalping Experience

Sorry to hear about that ticket.  I thought of scalping tickets up there too, but I feared getting either a fake ticket or an invalid ticket.  Last year, at the MSU game, I watched about 6 people in front of me be told their tickets were fake, and they weren't getting in.  When the police asked how much they paid, they told him $250 a piece.  I guess the silver lining in it is that they were MSU fans that got taken for a ride, not Michigan fans.  I won't scalp tickets to big games again.  I will take stubhub for now on.  Sorry to hear you got screwed.

It is Tough to Say

Given that he isn't a high level recruit, I doubt that he will be offered a scholarship by Michigan.  With that said, I think he will play for Michigan.  He has family member(s) who are directly involved in the University of Michigan Athletic Department, and they have been for a number of years.  I think he will most likely be a preferred walk on.

General Advice When Applying

Just general advice when applying, your resume formatting goes a long way as to whether or not your resume even gets looked at.  I applied for a job with a formatted resume and rejected immediately.  When the job was reposted a day later, I did just a plain text resume, no formatting, and I got a call back.  It happened on a couple jobs for me.  My advice is just to do away with the formatting when uploading a resume.

I don't think it is Meyer

I don't think that OSU would even offer the job to Meyer.  The last thing they need is a situation in Columbus like we had here.  I know that they would want another Buckeye just like the Michigan fans wanted a "Michigan Man".  Meyer isn't a Big 10 guy, and it will irk Buckeye fans that he is from an SEC school.  I think if Tressel does get fired, OSU will hire Mark Dantonio away from Michigan State.  He coached at OSU before, he knows the Big Ten, he recruits the midwest, and he is 3-1 against Michigan.  Marky Mark would be the guy I think they go for if/when Tressel gets fired.

I can answer this

 

I actually was a former athlete at Michigan, and I had to get surgery.  I will answer it to the best of my ability and knowledge
  • Does the university pay for health insurance through a typical provider?  Or do they cover the cost of surgery / maintenance suffered through participation in a varsity sport out of pocket?

The University provides a secondary liability insurance for all student athletes.  This is pretty much done through the U of M health system.  If the student athlete is injured during practice, a game, event related to the sport, or wear and tear directly caused by the sport the student athlete gets it covered.  The surgery will be done by U of M staff physicians and orthopedic surgeons.  U of M health system will bill your primary care provider.  If your primary care provider denies the coverage, the U of M athletic department covers it as a part of their liability insurance.  U of M will also incur the cost of rehabilitation billed in the same manner.

  • Do universities with affiliate hospitals have an advantage in this regard?

Not quite sure on this one.  Maybe if you rephrase the question, I can answer it.

  • Are there any benefits different for non-scholarship athletes and/or former athletes?

Benefits are the same for all student athletes.  If you are a football player, gymnast, or cheerleader you are covered as long as you are an athlete on a varsity team as defined by the athletic department.  Club varsity sports such as lacrosse are not covered.

  • Is the practice regulated by the NCAA?

I don't know the answer on this one.  I imagine most schools take out liability insurance for all their student athletes, but it may not be mandated.

He is a great recruit

About 4 months ago, the Toledo Blade did a story about how his father passing away helped shaped him into the man he is today.  He is a very smart kid and a great addition for this class.  He will make a great Michigan man.  Here is the link to the article for those interested.

http://www.toledoblade.com/article/20100930/SPORTS12/100929569

Don't forget to add...

Don't forget to add a brand new Jersey Shore on MTV at 10.  Life can't get much better than this.

Where can I get one of those?

Watching that video makes me want to go out and buy my own big tire, so I can go flip it around in the parking lot of my apartment complex.

That's why he is a good player

You ever wonder why Cam Newton can run over all those SEC defenders?  It is because of all the extra weight he is carrying in his wallet.

Post Season awards are a joke in all sports

I went on a rant today at work about how these post season awards are a joke on every level.  I don't want to take away anything from Hamilton, but he won in a landslide.  Cabrera got only 5 first place votes?  His stats were very similar.  Post season awards come down to this:  Who is the sexiest player on the sexiest team?  Point and case Derek Jeter winning the golden glove for AL SS.  Austin Jackson goes out and hits nearly .300 and doesn't win the ROY?  He was an everyday player.  He lost to a guy who was a closer and played in 40% of the number of games that Jackson played in.  I don't like that because your team didn't finish didn't go to the playoffs it is a negative.  The only award they got right this year was the CY Young

Corollary, I work in Ohio, and I argue with all these Buckeye fans that Denard Robinson should be in the top 5 for heisman voting.  He has better stats than Cam Newton, more rushing yards than Lemichael James, and both of them are in front of him for the projected heisman winner.  Denard won't be invited because his team isn't in the BCS or competing for a big ten championship?  The heisman unfortunately has turned into beauty pageant as well.

Michigan Needs to Change Scheme

A 3-3-5 Defense works if you have guys who are fundamentally sounds, tackle well, and you can get pressure on the QB with three guys; however, Michigan doesn't do any of that on defense.  That may come with experience, but it is unlikely.  Michigan needs 4 down lineman.  The fact of the matter is Mike Martin is a great nose tackle, but we are missing beef in the center.  I think he is listed at 300lbs but he looks to be about 285-290 lbs.  He gives up roughly 30 lbs to every big ten offensive lineman.  He needs a partner in crime in the middle who has beef who will require a double team as well.  Without that, we can't get any pressure.  You could march out 7 all americans on defense and if you give the quarterback 3-5 seconds to throw the ball he is going to make you pay.  

AOL Radio

If I am not mistaken, you can download the AOL Radio app on the android market.  From there you can choose the Detroit radio stations and pick Oldies 104.3.  You will get the audio stream with Frank Beckmann and Jim Brandstatter.  Hope that helps.

Wouldn't it be great if...

Wouldn't it have been great to see a foot race between Kovacs and Stanzi on a pick 6?  That could've been the greatest pick 6 I have witness other than Shaun Rogers running one back against the Broncos 3 years ago.

I would also add in the crowd

When we went back down by 21 and Forcier got us back to 14 and then 7, the crowd noise was impressive.  It was a definite upgrade from last week.

What about Martin?

Maybe I wasn't paying too much attention, but I saw Patterson on the field a lot more than I would like today.  Did Martin miss a significant chunk of time due to injury?

Facebook

You can't log onto facebook and see all the "little brother/sister" comments and "sparty on" from your Spartan loving friends/co-workers

I agree

I have watched TP play several times, and I sit there scratching my head over the decisions he makes.  One play he makes a great decision, the next play he looks like the back up JV high school quarterback.  He is a phenomenal athlete and has all the physical skills to be a great QB, but my only explanation for his up and down playing is he just doesn't have it between the ears.

Sparty On

Nothing is worse for me than logging on facebook and seeing all my MSU friends update their profile status to say Sparty on.  First of all, that is dumb.  Second of all, they are glorifying their school as a party school instead of a fine academic institution that you should pride yourself on.  

Ready to play?

Like everyone else is asking what does "ready to play mean"?  The fact of the matter is Mike Martin is a bit undersized when going against O linemen who are 315+.  Our D line was manhandled by UMass yesterday.  I think if you are putting in a 330 lbs William Campbell atleast there is some serious beef in the middle.  I don't think Terrance Cody for Alabama was in any shape to play for anything but the guy took up space and was tough to move.  Is it possible that Campbell could have that same effect?

A couple plays stand out

Obviously guys like Kovacs and Leach are smart players.  They know the game well, they can read offensive plays, and execute.  I think we can all agree though, that they lack the athleticism that you would typically see out of a Michigan defense.  I think this was evident every time that Leach tried making a tackle.  He was just manhandled.  I don't know if he isn't running through the tackle like he should, but he would meet the RB head on and get pushed back for 3-4 additional yards.  That ended up being the difference several times between third and short and third and long.

I believe Kansas State offered him as a QB

If I recall correctly, he wanted to play QB, and he wanted to play with Adrian Witty.   The only school that offered him those opportunities were Kansas State and Michigan.  His decision came down to the two and it was a no brainer to go to Michigan.  I am pretty sure that Kansas State offered Denard as a QB.

The material isn't going to help

I don't think there is any material that will cushion better one way or another.  The problem comes with the angle of collision and if their is rotational forces.  Say if I guy gets hit head on the brain the will smash against the front and the back of the skull and you get a grade I concussion.  Say that same hits occurs when the receiver is rotating his head to look at the ball the brain has both front and read motion as well as side to side and you will get a grade III concussion.  This kind of concept can be seen when in that Johnny Damon collision with Damon Jackson where Damon was turning his head and got knocked out cold and Damon Jackson walked away.  I don't think the material in the helmets would really help that much.

It is probably about Chris

If I am not mistaken, this is the Furman Paladin's first game this season.  I bet it is to announce that Chris Forcier is the starting QB for Furman.  I would be shocked if it was about Tate.

Check out Johns Manville

Johns Manville has its world headquarters in Denver.  It is a good sized company with really great benefits and is part of the Berkshire Hathaway family.  It does roofing, insulation, and engineered products, similar business to Owens Corning.  The technical center is in Littleton.  I don't know if they are hiring, but you may want to check that out.

Rudy's

I lived in California for awhile, and I was told that Rudy's in Newport Beach was a Big 10 bar.  Every time I went there, I ran into a group of people from the state of Michigan, mostly MSU grads and a couple Purdue grads in there.  I would check that out.  It is about in 5-10 minute drive from Laguna.

If it is too good to be true...

Then it is too good to be true.  You have to be extremely careful when buying an Authentic Jersey off ebay.  I bought an alleged Kobe Bryan Jersey that was Authentic, came with nike tags, was drifit, stitched everything, and it was $50.  An authentic NBA jersey retails for well over $100.  Long story short, I got it from the guy about 2 months after I won the auction, and it was fake.  It looked like the guy made his own jerseys and slapped on the NBA stuff, sewed on the numbers.  He did a good job, but for someone who can spot a real or fake, I knew it was fake.  That and the 40 inch chest it was supposed to be measured 56 inches, despite the tag saying 40.  Do not do business with Jerseystore2000

I did, however, have a great purchase of an authentic Donovan McNabb.  I believe that I spent $70-$80 and came back excellent quality.  In my opinion, you are taking a big chance at getting some counterfeit stuff, but it may be a risk worth taking.

Best Advice Ever...

Don't find your hunny where you make your money.  

Scholarships for Cheerleading

I have some inside information on this subject.  The NCAA does not officially recognize cheerleading as a sport; however, the Big Ten recognizes cheerleading as a varsity sport.  Cheerleaders at Big Ten Universities get the same privileges and clothing/apparel that other varsity sports get such as free Adidas shoes, warmups, and access to the student athlete center.  

There are no scholarships in the Big Ten for cheerleading.  It is important to understand that Big Ten cheerleading is not very good.  Southern schools such as those in the SEC actually recruit kids and give them scholarships.  Some of the top programs like Kentucky or Louisville will pay for kids schools, but their teams are far more competitive than any Big Ten team.

Chemistry Major Here with Serious Advice

I graduated from Michigan with a degree in Chemistry.  I thought it was a great program.  When you get into upper level classes, you form real good relationships with professors, and the classes are more enjoyable.  I absolutely love chemistry.

If you are majoring in Chemistry, you have to be 100% on board for getting a Ph.D.  As I have found out, the job opportunities for someone with a bachelors in pure Chemistry are quite limited.  In fact, I am going back to get a masters in Chemical Engineering just so I can find a decent paying job.  To be completely honest, you get enough chemistry to do nothing.  You can't go into biochemistry jobs at Pfizer or Novartis because you don't have enough biochemistry.  You don't have enough instrumentation experience to get a job an analytical.  You don't have enough organic chemistry to go into materials research.  These are all things that I have found out while applying to jobs.  My co-worker from Texas A&M has found a similar experience.

My advice is to go into chemical engineering.  The common perception in industry is that a chemical engineer can do anything that a chemist can do, but a chemist can't do what a chemical engineer does.  You will start out at more money, and you will have a lot better job opportunities.  If I could've done it over again, I would've not made the mistake to major in chemistry, and I would've just majored in chemical engineering.

Kansas joining

I am all for expansion of the big 10 conference, but I think it is imperative to keep the Big 10 the model of Academic Excellence.  The Big 10 has great engineering schools, great business schools, and overall they are great academic institutions.  It is something that I take pride in as the conference as a whole.  Since I live in South Carolina, while I hear all the SEC mumbo jumbo, I can always argue that the Big 10 is far superior academically, and in the long run, that is all that matters.  To see them take a school like Kansas would be an embarrassment.  Academics should be more important than just expanding for the sake of expanding.

Travel Requirements

I think its even more difficult to understand how hard these kids have it when they have to travel to away games.  If you are a basketball player, you know that you are going to have at least 9 out of town, overnight travels.  Have you ever tried studying on a bus or on an airplane?  They miss out on opportunities to attend office hours or get extra help at the study tables at the academic center.  

They should get paid

I understand the argument that they are already being paid via their scholarships.  I think its very difficult to wrap your head around being a full time student plus a full time student athlete.  They put in long hours in the classroom and on the field, and the university makes millions of dollars off of these kids.  You weren't buying a generic number 7 or 20 jersey in 2004-2008.  You were buying a Chad Henne or Mike Hart jersey.  They are under a tremendous amount of pressure to perform in the classroom and on the field.  I think they should see some share of whatever profit the athletic department makes off ticket sales and jersey sales.

Greenville has its plus

Greenville has its pluses for sure, but for me to go from Greenville to Los Angeles is not the cheapest option. If you use priceline with Greenville, you can get some killer deals when you name your own price. I flew United from Greenville to Dulles to Detroit for $175 when the retail price was $474. Its not a bad airport, just not the best option for me going to Los Angeles.

Oh yeah, I hear ya!

I live in the Greenville, South Carolina area. The airport here is super small so you can either go to Atlanta or you can go to Charlotte. If you fly from Charlotte to Los Angeles, its around $200, and you fly from Charlotte to Atlanta for a 2 hour layover and then on to Los Angeles. I figured I would save the time and just fly out of Atlanta instead. Flying from Atlanta to Los Angeles is around $450. It makes no sense to me how that even works. I miss the good old days of being able to get direct flights and none of this layover garbage.

Not a Good Move

This is not a good move. The guy is 36 years old. I am not going to say he is washed up, but he isn't a big name player anymore. If he is a better defensive left fielder than Raburn or Guillen, then I would like it, but Damon has a very weak arm and doesn't play great defense. It should be a red flag that no other team has offered him a contract (other than the Braves), and spring training has already started.

I live in the Upstate too

I will keep an eye out for it as well. I live in Simpsonville. I didn't know there were that many Michigan fans/alumni in the upstate. Dakotapalm, are you the guy driving south down I-385 with the Michigan license plate holder who I yell "go blue" at every morning? I wish there was an upstate alumni association. It is nice to see some Blue fans in the upstate.

Two Experiences to share

Last year, my brother applied for Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. programs at Texas, Michigan, USC, UCLA, and Georgia Tech and submitted his application material before November 1. He heard back from Georgia Tech in December, UCLA in early February, USC in late February, and Michigan in early April. Texas lost his application.
I applied for Chemical Engineering Ph.D. programs, and I was told to expect to hear a decision in the next two weeks. I have had everything in since mid-November. It is a little frustrating not hearing anything.
Good Luck.

Wisconsin Loves to Sue

I had a friend from Waukee, Iowa who said that their high school was being sued by Wisconsin because of their use of a W that resembled the W from the Wisconsin helmet. I thought that was the most outrageous thing I have ever heard. I looked it up, and sure enough, the University of Wisconsin threatened to sue little Waukee High school over a W as a logo. On top of that, I guess they tried suing Washburn University for it. Its pretty pathetic. I put a link below for the details.

http://www.vegastrademarkattorney.com/2007/12/university-of-wisconsin-f…

No, I am not joking

USC has more talent on their roster than ANY team in the Pac-10. Look at the guys who get recruited to go to Arizona, Washington, and Washington State. They arguably have more talent than anyone in the nation. USC should've been in the championship ever year. They have 3 5 star recruits at running back. Their backup quarterback started in the NFL. Yet how can you explain losses to Washington and Arizona and getting absolutely steam rolled by Oregon and Stanford in 2009? Look at those rosters and tell me who has more talent and who should win. They lost to Oregon State in 2008. Who had more talent? They lost to Stanford at home in 2007 at home when they were a 40+ point favorite. They lost to Oregon State and UCLA in 2006. Those kinds of hiccups are enough to call them underachievers.

He's more like...

Pete Carroll is more like the Phil Jackson of college football. He is the best baby sitter in college football. When you look at the level of talent that he recruits year in and year out from southern California, they should be in the national championship every year. On paper, they are arguably the most talented team in the country, yet they are perennial under achievers.

MGoUnemployed for 9.5 Months

I graduated in December 08 from U of M. I had a job lined up at a biomedical company that fell through because of the economy. I searched for 3 months, applied to about 400 jobs, and had a couple interviews. I stopped looking, and about 3 months later, I got a phone call from someone who found my resume on monster. Now I work in the back woods of South Carolina.
My advice to job searchers who are flexible is to apply to jobs nobody wants to live. I got most of my interviews from small towns. I applied to jobs in middle of nowhere Kansas, Wyoming, Nebraska, and other places. I usually heard back within 2 weeks from applying. Applying to metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago may be a lost cause for new grads.
Good luck for all you MGoUnemployed club members.

It's not crying...

It's not crying, its called nose sweat. ESPN always has some emotional pieces. I got some serious nose sweat the other day when they talked about the Va. Tech and Lance Armstrong. During the Elliott Mealer story, I got real bad nose sweat. If you want to have a serious man cry, watch the story of Rick and Dick Hoyt. It will have you crying like a little baby.