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Post-Naz has been a trial,…

Post-Naz has been a trial, but at least the team keeps winning 20, and KBA keeps building the brand.

Rather amazing chalk in the first round - yesterday's 11-6 Middle Tennessee St. upset (Louisville) was the only game with a lower seed winning. Michigan was the only team to lose in overtime, and probably should have pulled that one out. Favorites (including 8-seeds) were 31-1.

I did not expect the…

I did not expect the reaction here. Thought the strongest of it might be that she probably wasn't a good CC anyway. A relatively young woman with three young kids just had to prepare them for an unthinkable outcome.

I was born in England, but can't say I understand the royal fascination. Dumb or not, many of them take their roles leading charities and being an example of something quite seriously. Can't say I'd want to trade places, even with all the money attached.

Regardless, when I think of a 42-year-old battling cancer, that scares me. All the other stuff seems rather trivial.

Given the forecast and the…

Given the forecast and the closeness of Oakland, they moved the home opener up a day.

Home runs from Conway and fellow freshman Ava Costales (making her third start of the season) led the Wolverines to a 2-0 victory. Derkowski threw a three-hitter and struck out seven.

For last week's performances, Conway was named Big Ten freshman of the week.

Big Ten starts this weekend.

College sports is becoming a…

College sports is becoming a lot like a bunch of people crammed into a slow-moving Volkswagen Bug. This may be working for Big Ten and SEC football for now, but all this change is beginning to suffocate everything else.

The money's so big now that the path seems inevitable, but I worry that the fallout is going to affect the 99.9% of college athletes who don't play major college football.

What will college sports look like ten years from now if we don't separate major college football from everything else?

It is a perfect opportunity…

It is a perfect opportunity to see if someone can build an entire team of experienced mid-major players from the portal. Could be an interesting selling point in this day and age.

Why even go after five-stars and borderline four-stars who are seeking some cash before the NBA comes calling in a year or two? You can't team-build with those guys.

This isn't a "good riddance" post for Rooths. Just a thought that maybe the next coaching hire needs to be someone who sees this situation as an opportunity to thoroughly examine the portal and build something rather than just grab the best pieces he can. The landscape is so thoroughly different in this age of transition.

The Shinkansen were very…

The Shinkansen were very convenient. Nagano to Tokyo in 100 minutes.

If going from Kyoto to Tokyo, get a seat on the left side, and right side from Tokyo to Kyoto. Seat D or E (either way) is the window seat. Apparently a great view of Fuji for a few minutes.

We stayed at a Ryokan up in the mountains. The hot springs baths are quite nice. We splurged and had a room with one on the balcony so we could do that together. Really great at midnight when it's very cold out.

In terms of getting Marissa…

In terms of getting Marissa Young from Duke... it doesn't make sense. The ACC is simply on a higher tier than the Big Ten, where most teams cannot play home games until the end of March.

Here's the RPI of Big Ten teams going into the weekend's games:

Penn State 32, Indiana 40, Illinois 44, Minnesota 48, Ohio State 53, Northwestern 63, Nebraska 71, Rutgers 87, Purdue 89, Michigan 98, Michigan State 101, Wisconsin 102, Maryland 120, Iowa 130.

Duke is at 23 and is third in the ACC. Last year, Michigan was 49th in RPI and missed the tournament, likely second four out. The NCAA uses RPI as its first measure and at-large teams generally need to be in the low 40s to get a bid.

One sad note for the Big Ten: Jordy Bahl, who was World Series MVP for Oklahoma and then transferred to Nebraska (shocking the hell out of the entire sport), was injured in her first game and will miss the entire season (torn ACL).

My wife and I were in Japan…

My wife and I were in Japan last week, as well.

She taught English in Japan for a couple of years a long time ago, so she has a proficiency in Japanese that helped enormously.

I basically didn't need to try to talk to anyone. From what my wife said and the very limited interaction I had, my understanding is that Japanese people, particularly in Toyko, often have a much better written understanding of English than spoken. Often when they were trying to speak English (many do automatically if they see someone is foreign), I couldn't really tell whether they were speaking Japanese or English.

We got around almost entirely by train, with just a couple of buses where it was more convenient. Train prices are quite reasonable. It's about $1.50 for a subway ride in Tokyo (get a daily pass or the Pasmo Passport if you're going to use it a lot). Make sure you get the right tickets - there might be only one place in a train station where you can actually buy passes or even the individual ticket you need. That can take time.

The food is excellent and very low-priced for what you're getting. One example - we spent a morning at the Tsukiji Outer Market, which is the tourist/retail counterpart to the fish market that restaurants use and is one of the largest and most notable in the world. We went into a restaurant for lunch where we sat a bar and a chef stood in front of us and prepared ten pieces of sushi each, every one different and as fresh as they come - probably the best sushi I've ever had. Our bill was under $60. The exchange rate is great for us right now.

One place we really enjoyed - the Gyoen gardens in Shinjuku. Tokyo is so crowded. But they have their massive parks - and this one I think puts Central Park to shame. They have numerous teams of workers trimming and doing maintenance all day long. With the cherry blossom season coming up next week, it will be crowded, but definitely worth it.

We spent about half our trip in the mountain area near Nagano for a change of pace. That was welcome, because the one thing I did not like about Japan was the crowds everywhere. They don't have the luxury of personal space we have. I missed that almost immediately. Other surprises - almost everywhere, there are signs in English. You don't need to ask people much. I had a little trouble orientating myself getting out of train stations, which is unusual for me. I guess I rely too much on street names, and they don't. But there are maps everywhere and eventually you get it. Another surprise - I guess the air quality is pretty bad because it seemed everyone was coughing and harrumphing all the time. That wore thin at times. If we had a couple more days, we would have gone to Kyoto.

We were prepared to use cash more than we needed it. Having a credit card with no fees for international transactions was great.

It's not working out so far,…

It's not working out so far, but Tholl continues to recruit well. That buys her another year and she has some pitching coming in. The question is whether she can adapt to the modern game. Letting Conway be herself and giving all the young players some time to adjust is a good sign. Hutch had a shorter leash. That and poor baserunning were my two real criticisms of her - Hutch's record speaks for itself.

I'm not sure I understand…

I'm not sure I understand the effort comment. When you play basketball, that desire takes over automatically. Maybe a jaded NBA veteran reaches a point when games don't matter, but when it five-on-five, you want to win.

However, this does not necessarily apply to preparation for games. Is the coach putting in effective game plans for his roster? Is he able to adjust during games?

This part we didn't see from Howard this season. Could be he knew he didn't have the athletes. But it also could be that he didn't know how to use what he did have.

I'm not sure firing is going to fix this problem. But if Howard doesn't have a realistic plan for fixing it, good players aren't going to want to come here in the future. The shit really didn't work this year.

Season highlight: former…

Season highlight: former manager Selvala with his first career field goal. This gets the deficit under 10, dropping their record in games decided by less than 10 points to 2-2 since early January.

Halftime stats of note:

Halftime stats of note:

Turnovers: M 11, PSU 4

Rebounds: M 25, PSU 17

3PT: M 3-12, PSU 4-9

2PT: M 4-17, PSU 6-18

Given F___s: 0

Not watching here, but I saw the game thread had a lot of posts. Kinda like a Tiger game I went to decades ago. Tigers were playing an rainy, unpleasant game against the Yankees. Down about ten runs in the ninth, Larry Herndon came to the plate with two outs.

All of a sudden, the "Larry, Larry" chant erupts, as loud as in any game back then. He had to step out of the box, he was laughing so hard. Didn't help extend the game, though.

But I am not a cheerleader,…

But I am not a cheerleader, so, still no desire to indulge the foulest of the separate streamers. And no temptation at all to witness this likely end to a season that peaked (if you can call it that) as it started.

Surely there is a color even more chilling than cyan for Howard in this lame duck moment.

28-6 run before the bench…

28-6 run before the bench empties. Impressive. I suppose we can be teased that this team has inspired the change next year that every team won't make the Big Ten tournament. Might as well be true.

At least they've fixed one…

At least they've fixed one of their big problems this season. They're 2-1 in games decided by less than ten points since the Maryland loss back in early January dropped them to 1-8. Of course, their solution to that problem was less than ideal.

Well, J.J. has bulked up a…

Well, J.J. has bulked up a bit, which is good. On the other hand, he has the dreaded tiny hands, which the media likes to talk about. But it should be pointed out that Joe Burrow, of recent draftees of some note, also measured 9-0.

Sainristil had himself a day…

Sainristil had himself a day... that's nice to see. And then you see him on tape, and he's so good at making plays that you know he's going to pick up defenses quickly. I think he can be a big success in the NFL.

I think he's as high as the…

I think he's as high as the fourth round. The injury is going to be on people's minds. But, he's over 200 pounds. I don't think he should lose weight. He can still take on defenders - a third-down back who can handle a blitz or sneak out of the backfield for a screen.

He's elusive, and that matters as much as straight-line speed for what he'll be doing. Most importantly, he's a gamer. NFL coaches love players like him. He'll find a way to contribute.

And... they own Florida.

And... they own Florida.

The Seminoles are up to 13th in the rankings, and had won 11 in a row. Now two of their three losses are to Michigan.

Their pitcher today was 8-0 and had given up one run all year. Michigan scored four in the first, then six more in the third off the bullpen.

Freshman Erin Hoehn was one strike from a mercy shutout, but ran out of gas. Derkowski came on to finish it (error, then strikeout). 10-2, Michigan, in five innings.

Michigan had no home runs today, but ten hits and, more importantly, no sacrifices. Still, a couple of baserunning mishaps (they are not a good base-stealing team, but they keep trying). A step in the right direction - there's potential there.

Keke Tholl and Lilly Vallimont each had a pair of hits and Hoehn, who is the rare pitcher who also hits, had a three-run double. She often starts at designated player when not pitching.

Erickson can hit. Conway and…

Erickson can hit. Conway and Vallimont might develop into exactly the type of power hitters they need. But Tholl's approach has to transition to the modern game and they have to develop these hitters.

It's going to be a rough season. Last year, they were maybe last five or six out of the NCAAs. This year, they're not going to be anywhere close to that. But it's not a mess like men's basketball. There's a future here if they can transition.

Hard to blame Manuel. We have the hand-picked successor of one of Michigan's most successful coaches - a legend in her sport. He had to go with that. Anyone would have. Now we know Tholl's approach isn't working. Can she adjust? How long does Manuel give her? Those are the important questions.

Yeah, I don't feel down…

Yeah, I don't feel down about this, though softball has been the sport I've followed the most closely since my days covering them for the Daily.

That Washington game has me set for a long, long time.

Hard to say. She's been…

Hard to say. She's been around the program for decades and she has recruited great hitting prospects. Not so great with pitching, but there's some help in the pipeline.

What's frustrating is seeing her play for one run, no matter who is at the plate. It's not a 1-0 world any more. And with a team that just can't get on base, throwing away outs seems very 1990s. The hitting prospects aren't developing. But they are excellent bunters.

I think it's fixable, but they need a modern hitting approach and I'm not sure she wants to embrace that. Hopefully, she'll wake up tomorrow and adjust. Another year or so of this offense and hitting prospects won't want to come here. I'm sure other coaches are already pointing this out.

Football should be separate…

Football should be separate from the other sports.

All of this change and realignment and most of the NIL crazy (men's basketball shares that) is because of major college football alone.

It's great to have a fair national championship process for football. It's the only major sport in our country that hasn't had one until recently. A playoff system could improve on that.

But the conference structure works for every other college sport. And that's getting torn apart for this. An 18-school Big Ten does not work for basketball. It doesn't work for other team sports.

Because of money and the way universities work, football is dragging every other sport into this new alignment. This is going to end up providing far fewer opportunities for college athletes in other sports as travel expenses and rivalries become more difficult to maintain - especially at the majority of colleges where football does not turn a profit.

Just make a football league, create a CBA and pay the players. I get it - the SEC and Big Ten have expanded into this all-important position and want to use that leverage. But I worry it's coming at the expense of everything that made college sports work in the first place. That if we continue along this path, in 10-20 years we're going to end up with the European model (universities have club sports that no one cares about and great athletes do not go to college).

He was as tough as anyone,…

He was as tough as anyone, but he averaged less than a penalty minute per game. The Fontanito fight was the stuff of legends - he destroyed the guy. But the 22 fights is believed to be correct.

I covered quite a few NHL…

I covered quite a few NHL games back in the '80s. Many of the fighters were quite serene about their roles on teams. In most cases (Probert being an exception - he had some serious skills in front of the net), they grew up playing every winter wherever they could, and were humbled by the guys who could skate and score. They knew what they needed to do to keep playing - protect those guys.

Whenever I did interviews after a game, I could always count on them to provide a solid analysis of the game. They loved being in the league and they loved helping the star players stay on the ice.

One veteran I interviewed after most games was Harold Snepsts - had a few years with the Wings late in his career. One of the most intelligent, calm, players I talked to in any sport. He could tell you anything about the strategies both teams were using out on the ice. He immediately became a minor-league head coach after retirement. I was very surprised he didn't make it back to the NHL in that capacity.

Joey Kocur was another player I interviewed regularly. The fights were planned and not an every-game thing. Many times, especially once he had some experience in the league, he was out there and everyone knew he wasn't fighting unless he absolutely had to. He showed me his hands. Took pride in them - there was scar tissue on top of scar tissue, but he could barely hold a stick properly a lot of the time he was playing.

I don't like that fighting is or was such a part of the sport. The players and coaches genuinely believed (many still do) that enforcement, as they called it, kept the sport relatively clean and pure. But now we know that getting punched in the head shortens lives. Probert died at 45.

I think the sport would definitely benefit from long suspensions for dropping the gloves. But that has to be paired with long suspensions for dirty play of other types - stickwork, blind-side checking, launching someone into the boards. The game is so fast that it's too easy to play dirty and it's effective.

I'm not sure they ever…

I'm not sure they ever checked in. I think their reservation was lost in the portal.

That was some run Blake had in overtime, a beautiful thing to behold.

I feel a permanent pass from…

I feel a permanent pass from a fan perspective on this one - the national championship felt like a worthy ending to a lifetime story.

But the basketball teams are only struggling to deal with massive changes from the ill-advised COVID pass to the new instaportal. Both teams have two veteran portal starters from the last off-season alone. How in the world do you integrate that into your program?

As time passes, they'll experience more continuity. KBA has good recruits coming in. I suppose we'll have a new men's coach soon enough, but it will be at least one more rough year.

Volleyball took a nosedive, but that started a while back. Sometimes, you don't promote from within. Hockey - a lot's been written already, just the structure of the sport makes long-term success unusually difficult. They could be back next season. Softball - I think what's wrong is obvious and it has a lot to do with a team that recruits really good hitting prospects and forces them to learn little-ball at the expense of everything that made them good hitting prospects in the first place. Hopefully, Tholl figures that out before recruits stop coming here because there's a real risk of undoing a great program.

I think Michigan is the only…

I think Michigan is the only program in the country where this is a legitimate concern. Other major programs have leadership that will stand in front and make sure that never happens.

(apologies in advance to those of you who still believe in Santa)

That's the first game I've…

That's the first game I've watched wire-to-wire this season. I didn't know how bad it was. How self-inflicted.

Howard was whining after the last game about the admissions office, I guess. No, even if you had a first-rounder through the portal, how would it make a difference? This was a game competent teams win. Maybe he's just checked out, knowing there's no way he deserves another season.

I'll blame Warde if and only if he doesn't make the call after the season. No reason to do it now, like OSU.

It would be interesting to…

It would be interesting to know if Warde is watching this second half and what he would say to defend Howard at this point.

Because it doesn't look like Michigan knows how to play the game. These dunks and turnovers, over and over - that's something you should be able to fix.

Anyway, it is what it is. Obviously, losing tonight is not a back-breaker. But everything needs to change next season.

You should see what the…

You should see what the softball team did (or didn't do) today against fairly weak competition. Teams that can't get on base should not be throwing away outs the way they do by trying to play little-ball all the time.

This game is a big…

This game is a big opportunity to catch Sparty on an off day. And they're just throwing it away. 16 turnovers, several easy State baskets in transition.

State hasn't shot that well…

State hasn't shot that well. Michigan has, but free throws and dumb turnovers have made a difference. You take down two at the half as an OK result, but shooting like that, they should be up ten.

If they were to forfeit…

If they were to forfeit their remaining games, Petitti would suspend Harbaugh for three games.

I guess that's no longer funny. Neither is this team, but at least Dug has found his range again.

The last five minutes or so…

The last five minutes or so has been like watching a root canal. If you didn't know they were a last place team, you'd have a hard time comprehending how Michigan could put five guys on the floor who simply cannot play the game together.

I believe there's talent there, but they don't know the game.

On pace for 18 turnovers,…

On pace for 18 turnovers, and it's not like Sparty is offering much pressure. Most are just careless.

This team is also pretty slow getting back in transition. State looks a little flat tonight, but this team simply isn't taking advantage.

It wasn't a good challenge…

It wasn't a good challenge. I agree with the call. Could really hurt someone pulling them down from behind.

The + apps are not…

The + apps are not substitutes for the channels. They offer additional content - back bench stuff.

I used an antenna only until the national championship game, at which point I did a free trial of Fubo.

More than half of the Michigan games were televised until the playoffs, which were on ESPN.

The major streamers seem reliable enough. It's basically the same thing as cable at this point. Channel bloat, prices going up twice a year. There's talk of a sports-only streamer coming online in a year or so at about half the price of other streamers, but I'm sure that will get bloated soon enough.

It seems his ideal recruit…

It seems his ideal recruit is someone who might get drafted in the NBA, might not. Which means they have potential, but have to get some polish - at the college's expense.

Those players (if I'm not straw-manning Howard here) are not good college recruits. They don't stay in college long enough to contribute and end up (as was the case with his son and his notoriously bad approach to defense) hurting the team in the long run.

I don't think Howard has the experience necessary to take a different approach if things aren't working out. I don't like that I'm hoping for a change, but I think it's necessary, because here we are, just three hours before the tip-off for a game at Crisler against Michigan's biggest rival, and there's no front-page preview or story or even what passes for a pre-game thread. No one cares. And it's not even a Peacock game.

It's an interesting…

It's an interesting opportunity as NFL jobs go. He has a quarterback, but otherwise, it's a semi-rebuild there and what's there seriously underperformed (hence the new coach).

They also have a difficult cap situation, which will force some difficult personnel decisions. He will have to work closely with the GM to install pieces of a roster that fits what he wants to do.

Since there are so many talented Michigan players available in the draft, it will be perceived that he wants to bring a few in. So other teams might wheel/deal to grab Michigan players right before he drafts. The draft will be a very challenging experience, given the attention he has received and his new salary level.

I wish him well. I think he wanted to stay here, but changes in the college game, plus the often-weak protection and support he received from the school changed how he felt. He brought the championship trophy to Ann Arbor - that makes him a hero in my mind forever.

I'd like to see 3. Under the circumstances, 3 is a lot to hope for, so I'd pick 7 - Improvement into the 8-9 win range, maybe short of the playoffs in a difficult division in the better conference.

A couple of years back, I…

A couple of years back, I put a lot of time into studying the effect of the regular overtime rule.

That was a guaranteed possession unless the opponent scored a touchdown on its first possession.

They changed it after the game two years ago when the Chiefs beat the Bills in the divisional round in a crazy 42-36 game that featured three touchdowns and a field goal AFTER the two-minute warning.

Kansas City won the OT toss and marched it in for a touchdown far more easily than they did last night.

It was kind of the perfect example of the coin toss being too important.

However...

By then, there was a lot of data on the overtime rule. And it turned out that the coin toss wasn't that important - they had found a very good balance there.

In a game where offenses dominate, like Kansas City/Buffalo, perhaps the new tweak improves the fairness of the rule. It's hard to say. Since playoff games can't end in a tie, I see the case for it. You want to avoid the appearance of a bad luck result based on the coin toss.

I like this better than the college overtime process. But college has the additional pressure that a regular-season tie game is often so damaging that a winner needs to be decided even if they have to go to the equivalent of penalty kicks.

Caitlin Clark has become a…

Caitlin Clark has become a phenomenon. It's a bit like when Tiger Woods was dominating golf and announcers would say, "the whatever open took place this weekend - Tiger Woods was seventh at five under par." And that was it. If NIL were based on immediate commercial value, she'd be worth more than the entire rest of the sport right now.

So, good for her. It's too bad the record has to come against Michigan. It'll be a circus, with a long break when the record is set.

Not so good for the league, wasting the opportunity on Peacock. That was such a dumb move, taking the bird bucks for the short term when featured games on other outlets reach so many more people.

Yep. They changed the rule…

Yep. They changed the rule. This was the first OT playoff game under the  new rule.

I don't understand the defer case unless the weather is terrible and your defense is better than your offense.

The college advantage of knowing what you need to match or beat by deferring is negated (and more) by having the third possession when it's sudden death.

I didn't like SF's play calls when they got close. I thought they should have been thinking TD all the way - the run was working again by that time and they had run twice to get it to 3rd and goal from the 4. You call two plays in the huddle and if you don't get the TD - at least you've backed them up far enough that Mahomes has to be extra careful against those DEs.

Seemed like a game neither…

Seemed like a game neither team wanted to win until that last possession. Lots of missed opportunities. It wasn't a classic despite the overtime, but Mahomes showed in the end why he's going to the Hall of Fame.

Yes, it's how it works. No,…

Yes, it's how it works. No, it has never happened. And no, if San Francisco scored a TD, the game would have continued. This was the first OT playoff game under the new rule guaranteeing a possession no matter what.

I always watch, even though…

I always watch, even though the incessant commercial breaks make it as long as a college game. It's simply a better product.

Last season their RPI was 85…

Last season their RPI was 85 (Michigan's was 49) and they were 15-29 and last among the nine Pac-12 schools that have softball teams.

So, no, this would have been a rough loss. But the Wolverines hung in there and won it - Lily Vallimont's first career-hit was the walk-off. Michigan's position players are very young and this tournament gave them valuable experience.

Two outs from a difficult…

Two outs from a difficult loss to Oregon State - two scratch singles in 6 1/3 innings, then a home run from Maddie Erickson, a double from Jenissa Conway and Lily Vallimont's first career hit - an RBI single, capped a walk-off 2-1 victory over the Beavers.

LeBeau pitched well after giving up a first-inning home run. Hoehn came on in the sixth to keep Oregon State from increasing its lead.

For relevance, RPIs from last season for the teams involved in this tournament at South Florida.

Florida - 24 - won, 2-1 (10)

Michigan - 49

South Florida - 73 - lost, 1-0

Oregon State - 85 - won, 2-1

Illinois State - 116 - won, 5-3

Bethune-Cookman - 228 - won, 3-2

Yeah, one post per game…

Yeah, one post per game after the football season has ended... sure clutters things up. Good thing there's something in the header to indicate the sport or it would be chaos.

Anyway, these are informative. Good to have impressions from someone watching the games.

For whatever reason, Caitlin Clark has broken through and become a story in the mainstream. What she does seems so simple - a dead-eye from well beyond the 3-point line and terrific passing sense when defenses collapse on her. But no one else is close to her when it comes to these skills, so she's something to watch.

I don't think Michigan can slow her down, but maybe KBA has some ideas. It's an opportunity to make a high-profile appeal to the NCAA committee, because a lot of people are watching now. Keep the game close and entertaining, and it's a rare opportunity to advance their cause even with a loss.

The great thing about…

The great thing about Michigan fans is that they never, ever, say anything negative about a team that's now 8-16 and in last place in the Big Ten. Or the coach.

How dare he.

Anyway, I'm not fond of COVID years or transfers or whatever, but these are professional athletes and we can no longer pretend that academics means much of anything, so this is a big non-issue for me. I don't feel anything, positive or negative.