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Speaking of butt-hurt, I was…

Well played... well played, "Sparty"

I simply could not agree…

Duplicate post deleted.  Nothing going on here. 

 

Move along...

I simply could not agree…

I simply could not agree more.  It is like I wrote this - except for the rhetorical quality, clarity of thought and lack of typos, of course. 

Thank you for taking the time as it saves me from doing this.  Keep up the great work.

In an effort to save the…

In an effort to save the rest of you time looking this up, here is the Reader's Digest version:

"Louis Martin Blazer, a former Pittsburgh-based financial adviser turned government witness, testified Tuesday that he paid college football players from several programs from around 2000 to 2013-14 in hopes of becoming their financial adviser once they turned pro. "

"The schools listed, per multiple reports, were Pittsburgh, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Alabama and North Carolina. Blazer did not offer any specific names and is scheduled to be in court again Wednesday. "

"He said he's never paid a college football coach."

I grant you that it appears…

I grant you that it appears to be the case, but there are so many intangibles here.  And I'm speculating here (which seems common in this thread)...

We have a name brand cashe with a very good, but not excellent, product on the field - so we have to work harder to get exceptional recruits. 

Additionally, if a recruit knows that he's going to have to wait two years to get any playing time he may be less likely to commit here vs a name brand cashe with better product on the field.  If he has to wait, why not go to a better product?

Amen brother Gruden.  Preach…

Amen brother Gruden.  Preach it. 

Do you really think you need…

Do you really think you need to remind ANY of us of that? 

Also lets remember that he was not technically a "bagman" for Michigan hoops since he started paying them - and others - in high school regardless of where they went to school.

It was when the players asked for tickets for him that he became a booster under NCAA rules and then the problems ensued.  Shame on us for not looking harder at him.

Again, Seth's approach is…

Again, Seth's approach is Binary Good.

Well played old boy.  Well played.

A huge win for this program…

A huge win for this program against a perennial power.  Congrats to the kids and the coaching staff.

Watching this program develop has been a blast. 

Yes - I have been through…

Yes - I have been through all of those phases and have too often fallen back despite acknowledging their truth.

I have come to understand that Michigan's losses and wins have little to do with my identity even though I like the world better when our Wolverines win.

I have even discovered that I don't actually hate our opponents schools - I simply despise some of their fans.  There are a few exceptions of course:  Penn State, Michigan Staae, OSU, ND, Wisky, Iowa, Alabama, Clemson, USC, Oregon, Texas, LSU, Florida, Duke, North Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, Florida State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Arizona, BYU, Utah, Illinois, Clemson, Georgia, UCLA, Colorado, the Yankees, and of course OSU. 

Those are the only ones that immediately came to mind.  There may be others if I gave it any real thought.

Did I mention OSU?  Okay.

I completely agree that there is a huge business in Sports talk and our program/coach is an easy target.  We've unfortunately earned that right.  But I do my best not to listen.  Because then I feel the need to logically defend anything Michigan against trolls that will never listen to reason.  One cannot win and only opens themselves to more personal attacks.

So...  great article that reinforces my own experiences. 

 

P.S. I may not actually hate Utah.  But I would add Texas Tech, Baylor, VA Tech, Tennessee, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Stanford onto that list.  And OSU.

Good to have him back.  Let…

Good to have him back.  Let's hope this doesn't hold him back.

UC can have flair ups and temporary calm times.  The good news is there are plenty of treatments (nothing can cure it) and he has one of the best Healthcare systems in the world to help him. 

 

Good to have him back.  Let…

Duplicate - deleted.  Sorry

"Mr. Blutosky... 0.0

https:…

"Mr. Blutosky... 0.0

https://youtu.be/NkCa49I6_xw

You and Warde not on…

You and Warde not on speaking terms again?

Amen Brother, amen.

 

BTW …

Amen Brother, amen.

 

BTW - I work in Owosso.  Go Blue!

This is true and certainly a…

This is true and certainly a component in our inability to compete with OSU.  I would submit that OSU's talent level has generally been higher (just how much is up for debate) over the last decade with one or two exceptions.  Meyer has generally been the better coach.  If the better coach only has to "out coach" us due to equal or slightly lower talent twice a decade, well we see the results.

Only if any of you have lived in Ohio, do you understand the degree to which OSU has locked down that state starting in the Fifties.  It permeates every facet of life down there.  Non-stop.  If it is true that "Winning solves everything", OSU has a big lead over us which magnifies the situation.

It's not impossible, but it is one BIG challenge.

Bang Bang Henry's silver…

Bang Bang Henry's silver hammer came down upon their head...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJag19WoAe0

Bang Bang Henry's hammer made sure they were dead.

I sense a sick day coming on…

I sense a sick day coming on.  You should rest and drink plenty of hoppy fluids. 

 

You're welcome.

Please explain your lack of…

Please explain your lack of confidence.  I'm all ears.

I feel bad for the kid, but…

I feel bad for the kid, but it couldn't happen to a more deserving school.

Go Blue Baseball!

... and yet, we both read…

... and yet, we both read every word and understood his memories and enthusiasm. 

Not so weird when you…

Not so weird when you consider these three things:

1.  It's Maryland.

2.  It's Maryland.

and 3.  It's Maryland

As Michigan fans/alums we…

As Michigan fans/alums we don't understand prison life - but as an OSU guy, Zach understands that he has to rep the right colors so that he can fit into the right gang inside the joint. 

It also gives him some small amount of control over who's bitch he will be. 

... and MSU at #6.

I can…

... and MSU at #6.

I can live with that.

Is it my imagination, or…

Is it my imagination, or does this seem a trivial post?

Asking for a friend.

You are so brave.

You are so brave.

A BIG night for Michigan…

A BIG night for Michigan Wrestling.  Congrats to the Team.

Perhaps we're a wrestling school too?  Just a questions for us to wrestle with...

Actually, you read that memo…

Actually, you read that memo incorrectly.

It said that, "Chris Carter will be going after T&A".

 

This is exactly why OSU has…

This is exactly why OSU has him teaching an Ethics class next semester.

Drop mic.  Walk away.

My best guess is 14th.

Go…

My best guess is 14th.

Go Blue!

Recruits care.

Recruits care.

"The most egregious…

"The most egregious reference of straight up paying players at any school listed dates back to the mid 90's at...you guessed it...Michigan basketball."

"My god do some research." 

Start with the Ed Martin relationship with Detroit players - NOT Michigan players.  Then get back to us.

https://www.sbnation.com…

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/4/10/5594348/college-football-bag-man-interview

So your school was so…

So your school was so concerned that they dropped Div 1 sports (I am familiar with the U of C story), BUT you're not sure about "following" Michigan because we use academics as an excuse for losing?

So if Michigan dropped Div 1 sports, you couldn't follow us anyways.

 

 

 

https://www.sbnation.com…

https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/4/10/5594348/college-football-bag-man-interview

We could win - honest we…

We could win - honest we could - if we would just lower ourselves to everyone else’s level. - I don't think that this is the sole determinant of Michigan's ability to win.  But it is a hindrance.

You want to tell me the Fab Five weren’t paid? - well, two were.  But if you had taken the time to actually research it at all, you would see that the payments occurred before they came to Michigan from a guy who was at that time was not a Michigan booster.  But you obviously don't care about facts.  Never let the facts get in the way of a biased accusation - right?

I forget, did they ace molecular genetics? - you didn't forget.  It is not a class at any school.  Anywhere.  But your point is that they didn't take tough classes, which is fair.

Brandon Gibbons was raping girls and Taylor Lewan got kicked off the team for threatening the girl to keep her from reporting. Or, wait, did they play out their careers at Michigan? - There was one girl.  Gibbons was expelled from the University.  Not our finest moment to be sure.  Lewan's accuser could not prove that he threatened her and later retracted her statement.

We aren't as good and we're speculating as to why.  There are many many reasons.

 

Q:  Do you know what the…

Q:  Do you know what the similarity is between a Michigan student and an Ohio State student?

 

A:  They could both get into Ohio State.

We're not a Harvard or Stanford or Notre Dame.  We were aware of that.  We're okay with that.

OSU has made big steps in their academic standings.  Congrats.  But, they really had nowhere else to go but up.

OSU has clearly excelled in football and have dominated the series over the last 25 years.  You're elite in that way.  Congrats. 

But in very few ways is OSU an equal school to Michigan academically.  Read any US New & World Report on colleges, any Times Higher Education, any QS Top Universities, any Forbes, etc.

Let's look at the QS Top Universities:  Michigan #20 - OSU #89.

So... Congrats on your 27 ACT score.  If in your mind, this trumps the fact that no unbiased organization agrees with you that OSU is an academic equal to Michigan, you are a Buckeye.

Go Blue!

 

The academic angle is…

The academic angle is overblown. - Perhaps, but it does exist.

Michigan does not have the same academic standards when it comes to football that Stanford has. - correct, but not too far behind.

If you are a 5 star recruit and are interested in Michigan, as long as you meet the NCAA's minimum standards, have no criminal history, you're getting into Michigan  - not true at all.  Sorry.  I know for a fact that this is not true.

Michigan does have a geographic disadvantage that will keep them from elite recruiting territory. - true.

All things equal, recruits generally pick the local school. Michigan will lose most of these battles and never quite break into elite recruiting territory. - Correct.

Does it make sense continuing to run Harbaugh's traditional offense... - not to me.

Amen.  However, I do believe…

Amen.  However, I do believe that there are institutional barriers to recruiting.  ND's coach has mentioned this, as well as Stanford's - so there is some basis here.

Coaching needs to take a  big step up and I believe the Harbaugh's up to the task.

Your request to "Provide a…

Your request to "Provide a single shred of evidence of payments" is absurd.  It really is.

But let's try this:  "The most common non-cash gifts to recruits are cars. In every major city inside the Southeastern Conference's footprint is a tangle of auto dealerships with varying ties to particular schools."

"Hey, how'd he get that ride? His uncle bought it. How did his uncle buy it? Paid cash. Paid cash, how'd he do that? Shit, we don't know, but here's the receipt where he paid cash, and now y'all ain't got shit."

"We can only get away with whatever's considered reasonable by the majority of the folks in our society. That's why it's different in the SEC. Maybe that's why we're able to be more active in what we do. Because no one ever looks at the car or the jewelry and says, 'How did you get that, poor football player?' They say, 'How did they get you that and not get caught, poor football player?'"

"There might not be a cultural mandate, but describing an October Saturday in the South as a culture accepting of this behavior would be a raging understatement."

Source:  https://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/4/10/5594348/college-football-bag-man-interview

Read the entire article.  While it does not mention any of your schools by name, it only mentions the SEC Conference.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Go Blue!

Bank statements can show…

Bank statements can show your income and expenditures but are not good indicators of a person's real wealth. 

A Balance Sheet would be preferable. 

As an RIA, I see many of the same reactions to market fluctuations as I do as an Alumnus with our fan base.

I believe the the OP's  points are valid, but to various degrees unique to each recruit.  Of course there are other influences as well that are outside of his Diary, but as a catalyst for discussion - an excellent starting point.

Go Blue.

But we're dealing with…

But we're dealing with seventeen year old kids who are often from warm weather states and are listening to other coaching staffs (and often friends and family) about how cold it is in Michigan. 

Cold is a relative term and Michigan is a lot colder than Florida in the winter. 

Enlighten us on where you…

Enlighten us on where you came upon this knowledge, please.

I will admit that in the case of Ed Martin's involvement with Chris Webber and others (but NOT all of the Fab Five) we did not exercise adequate institutional oversight.  We can argue all day as to whether Ed Martin was a Michigan booster - since the payments occurred prior to enrollment and also happened with other Detroit area players that didn't attend Michigan - but Michigan didn't look into it and we got what we deserved. 

The on court result?  Back to back appearances in the NCAA finals.  This would seem to support the theme of this Diary.

I will give you the fact that boosters are hard for any school to control. 

The rest of your post is tripe.  Show us your sources or go away.

You're forgetting an…

You're forgetting an important rule:

Never let facts get in the way of a good story. 

Carry on

Excellent points.  The trips…

Excellent points.  The trips will matter to some 17 year old kids, and to most parents.  It will have no meaning to others.  We can't get them all.  Our message either resonates or it doesn't. 

I do believe that most highly ranked and recruited kids want to 1.  be comfortable but pushed, 2.  improve their game, 3.  have their talent spotlighted, 4.  win championships and, 5.   have a shot at the pros.  Speaking in generalizations - everything else is simply a lower priority.

 

 

Instead...

We’ll get to listen to different debates over whether the starter is any good or not, or whether his troubles were injury, or the offense of line, or playcalling, or blah, or black, or blah…

Thank you Wilton

You are a Michigan Man. Nothing but our best wishes for your future, no matter where you go or what path you choose.

I'm surprised

That Penn State didn't offer first.

 

(just sayin')

The issue here is not if we broke a few rules

or took a few liberties with our female party guests.

We did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PYb_anBMus

^ What he said.

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