Just want to echo what Mr. Elbel and bluewave720 said. Thank you for sharing. I'm glad you're working through it with a therapist. And I'm so, so sorry that happened to you.
I miss USMNT talk on MGoBlog! So happy to see this back
That said, I would echo what others have said in this thread -- namely, that when evaluating the current crop of USMNT player Brian is conflating talent with achievement. Yes, there are similar numbers of players at "also rans" in the Top 5 leagues, but (again, as others have pointed out), Tyler Adams (and Josh Sargent) starting week in and week out for a Leeds team that is fighting for its life in the Premiership is not the same as Michael Bradley getting time with Borussia. Same with Antonee Robinson at Fulham. Heck, Tim Ream just got named checked by Pep Guardiola in the Fulham - Man City post-game press conference.
Pulisic, McKennie, Musah, Weah, Sargent, Aaronson, Reyna, Dest... these guys are, top-to-bottom, more talented than any group of attacking players the US has ever had and I don't think it's particularly close. The coach's job is to turn that talent into results. 3 goals in 4 games ain't it.
Yes, the roster is unbalanced due to a glut of midfield / wide attacking players, but... figure it out, man. You have four years. Which brings me to my biggest reason why I think giving Berhalter B+ is way too generous. It took the players almost two years to figure out what the heck he even wanted them to do.
How many of those early USMNT matches after Berhalter took over did you see players confused and frustrated because they literally didn't know what Gregg Berhalter wanted them to do? Way too many. However, he didn't change or adapt his ideas to the roster he had. He just got into weird, years-long beefs with John Brooks and an even more weird, years-long love affairs with Aaron Long. Saying that we "dominated" Canada after losing 2-0? (That game turned out to be quite similar to the 3-1 loss to The Netherlands. We had a huge possession advantage, more shots on goal, etc.)
Speaking of his system, if you, as a coach, are counting on Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson to play 90 minutes of mistake-free football while sprinting up and down the field for 4 games in 12 days? You're gonna get got.
He's tactically inflexible, he picks weird fights (John Brooks, plus asking Gio Reyna to tell the press that he's injured), the only reason he got the job in the first place is because his brother was running the USSF at the time... and finally, 3 goals in 4 matches. Not with this roster.
The USMNT finished 3rd in a very weak CONCACAF cycle. We finished 2nd in our group. We got played off the field in the knockout rounds... that's not a B+ to me. That's time to move on.
Say, chums. Has anyone else noticed the extent to which Thelonious Monk has included multiple elements from Michigan’s own Glen Osser into his playing? Mr. Monk (I have my doubts as to whether “Thelonious” is his birth name) employs everything from sitting down on a “bench” while playing to striking the keys with one’s fingers - all hallmarks of Osser’s distinct style that he developed at Michigan. Imitation is the highest form of flattery?
Mr. Monk even seemed proud of himself! Good on him.
I created a TV show. It's called "Danger Force" and the second episode airs on Saturday, 8p/7c on Nickelodeon. It's a spin-off of another show called "Henry Danger" which ran on Nickelodeon for five seasons.
If you have kids that are six or older, maybe try getting them to watch it. They'll like it. It's funny.
You should watch it with them, too, because it's something you can watch together that they'll like and you won't hate. According to the initial ratings report that I got earlier in the week we were something like "the most co-watched show on cable for the week." I believe "co-watched" refers to when kids 6-11 and adults 18-49 watch the same show. Yay for all sports being cancelled! (Sorry... I hate it as much as everyone else around here does... but there's kind of a silver lining for me... sorry... was that bad to say? That was probably bad to say.).
Anyway... I created a TV show. And even more unlikely, I woke up oddly proud of myself today. Then I saw this and thought I'd throw my two cents in.
Like Blue Fish, I logged on for the first time in months to let you know that you are embarrassing yourself and that you should stop. In the time it took me to do that you managed to embarrass yourself about four or five more times.
Nick Baumgardner is really good at his job. Your failure to recognize that and your decision to take an odd, out-of-nowhere potshot at the guy says a lot about you.
Um... serious question: How, exactly, would we in California “look to the Great Lakes” to “solve (our) water problems?” What would that look like? A pipeline that runs through more than six states, from Lake Michigan to Los Angeles? A constant convoy of, say, 3,000 tanker trucks that roll from Chicago to Palm Springs every day? What exactly is your fear here?
You are not understanding it correctly. Almost no one who lives in Southern California is “shocked” by earthquakes. At all. Look at the video of the game in Dodger Stadium. Do you see anyone panicking and running for the exits? Do you hear fear in the announcers’ voices? Do the players even seem to notice?
The answer to all those questions is no. Because no one in Southern California is shocked by earthquakes. If anything, when the subject of earthquakes comes up, people tend to say, “I’m surprised we haven’t had any really big earthquakes in the last decade. We’re due.”
So if anything, the feeling that Southern California residents have about the possiblilty of earthquakes is almost literally the opposite what you think it is. That should tell you something about all the other opinions you have about California and the people who live here.
PS - The house rolled a bit, but it wasn’t too bad (partially because I had our house bolted and retrofitted right after we bought it... because I know that I live in Southern California and earthquakes happen).
I played a game with myself where I tried to figure out what all the acronyms meant. For SAS I got “Special Air Service” (which I think is some kind of UK special forces). And then I read “Python” and thought “Monty Python,” which is ALSO UK-related so I decided that I was definitely right on Special Air Service and then I lost interest and gave up.
In defense of Russell Westbrook as a person, he once worked a full 12-hour day (with maaaaaaybe a half-hour break for lunch) for a show that I work on. There were lots of kids around and he was unfailingly and genuinely nice and funny and great with all the kids, for the full 12 hours. Like, fully engaged and constantly "on" and being charismatic and charming from 8am to 8pm.
He was much more quiet and a reserved around us adults, but still nice and completely professional. At the end of the day I hesitatingly said, "You seem... different... when you're on the court." He just shrugged and was like, "Yeah..."
Anyway... he was super nice and incredibly generous with the kids for a very long day of shooting. He even agreed to take a picture where he was pretending to hate the jokes I was writing! Not sure if he was pretending, though...
Our "house wines" for the summer are the Peju Sauvignon Blanc and the Lone Madrone Chenin Blanc. I don't have the bottles in front of me, but I believe they're both 2015.
I haven't really found a go-to red lately. Went through a big 2014 Thistle Ridge Pinot Noir from New Zealand phase earlier in the year but that well ran dry. Before that it was the 2009 Cristom Pinot Noir from Oregon. But that's long gone, too.
To be fair, I have not tried Koval's four grain. Just their standard whiskey.
For my 40th birthday, my wife threw me a surprise party where all of our friends showed up with a bottle of whiskey to open and share. By almost unanimous popular acclaim, Koval was on the bottom. I keep the bottle around becuase I like to have a supply of bad whiskey to pour for people, so they can contrast it against the good stuff.
Last piece of advice: DO NOT BUY KOVAL WHISKEY. It's gross. Just trust me. Don't. Get a bottle of Jefferson Reserve. Or the Four Roses small batch (the curved, sorta heart-shaped bottle. Or (a little more pricey) a bottle of High West Rendezvous Rye. Or Rowan's Creek (if you can't find it... it's not expensive, just not sure if it's available everywhere).
When it comes to writing, it's ultimately best to find your voice as a writer and then consistently develop that voice. Like it or not, a reference to Bayesian statistical analysis is absolutely consistent with Brian's voice on this blog. It's the main reason this blog is unique and highly successful.
(* - You have to think this in a "masters of war, from the East" in Conan the Barbarian kind of a way. Unless you read out loud, then you have to say it out loud that way.)
Am I crazy or is "That shocked me and shook my mind" just about the greatest quote of this recruiting cycle? Especially when you combine it with his hair! How have none of you kids with your straight bill hats and your hope the future not made a meme with that photo of Nick Eubanks and "HE SHOOK MY MIND!" in block letters underneath?
I'd like to propose that the term "mind shake" replace "puncher's chance" when describing UM's chances of flipping an otherwise committed (or heavily leaning) recruit on a weekend visit. As in, "(PROSPECT) is committed to Tennessee, but if he makes it to Ann Arbor for an official visit there's a chance for mind shaking." (Or "... a chance for the Harbaugh mind shake.") Recruits could also be on "shake watch," a particularly out-of-nowhere flip could be a "mindquake", etc.
Brian is absolutely a writer. He's a good one. Sometimes, he's even an inspired one. Your assertion to the contrary says much more about you than it does about Brian's writing.
... a new defensive coordinator saying he plans to make the team "more aggressive." It's only one half step away from meaninglessness coach-speak like "toughness" and "physicalness" and such. "Chemistry issues" have little to do with why last season was so disappointing. The biggest reason, by far, that last year was so dismal was plainly shown by the scouting report on Taylor Lewan that Brian linked to on the blog last week -- the one that quickly moved from a scouting report on Lewan to an evisceration of Michigan's overall offensive scheme. Coach Hoke has already made the only move he can to attempt to address that problem. Everything else is just window dressing.
Granted, window dressing is all we have during the off season. I don't mean to denigrate overanalysis in general, but only on this particular point.
There is a distilling region of Scotland known as the Lowlands, which produces whiskeys that some people call "Lowland Ladies" because they are lighter and easier to drink than almost any other type of scotch. Conversely, the Laphroaig distillery, which is located on the sland of Islay, produces incredibly full-bodied, peaty, oily, almost medicinal whiskeys. There is simply no way anyone who knows anything about scotch would ever say "Laphroaig is for ladies."
Speaking of Laphroaig, although I have a bottle of Quarter Cask on my shelf (and I absolutely love it) I'm celebrating World Whiskey day with High West Rendezvous Rye poured over a really big ice cube.
... that letter was downright creepy. I can almost guarantee you that it's disconcertingly similar to fanmail Webber received when he was at the height of his playing days. Honestly, how many variations of the following letter do you think Chris Webber has received:
Dear Chris Webber,
I've loved you for decades. No one undestands you the way I do, because I also went through (RANDOM EXPERIENCE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING). Look at how I altered my appearance to look more like you! Please pay attention to me.
Sincerely,
Fan Who Spends Way Too Much Time Thinking About You And Has Clearly Lost Perspective
That this guy is an Associate Professor is only slightly less embarrassing for the University than the Ed Martin scandal.
2) As someone else said, "Who the hell else is it gonna be?"
3) Fact: Kalis and Braden, who will start over Chris Bryant, which will cause much muttering and chin-pulling and scrutinizing on the part of the MGoPriestly class.
4) Fiction. I expect the Spring Game to be an homage to the Stately Offenses of Yore.
5) Fiction.
6) Fiction, but he will get heavy rotation.
7) Fact.
8) Fiction. Lost in the discussion of Desmond Morgan's height and weight vs. the ideal MLB measurables is what Brian discovered in many a UFR last season. When Desmond Morgan hits you, you stop.
"Interesting to note that former DL coach Montgomery is not even mentioned."
Seriously? The man leaves UM for a job with 1) higher pay and 2) more responsibility and now we're all going to act like girls with too much makeup and too little clothing, dancing drunkenly at Ricks RIGHT IN JERRY'S FACE so he KNOWS that we're totally OVER him.
The fact that you, OP, mentioned Jerry Montgomery is a lot more revealing than the fact that the article you linked to didn't mention him. Get over it. Don't be that drunk girl at Rick's.
... for Unsolicited Advice Fest 2013 is as follows:
1) I think a great many people are conflating their feelings about Brian's writing with the results of the 2012 football season. This is a UM sports blog, and that means it's a UM Football blog. Having listened to Gary Grant, Roy Tarpley, Antoine Joubert, et al on the radio in my bedroom as a kid I'm as happy as anyone about the Great Basketball Renaissance. But the Michigan Athletics brand begins and ends with the helmet. Them's the brakes.
Getting pancaked in the season opener really took the wind out of the football season's sails. After that, Denard's performance and injuries prevented any kind of consistent momentum. It would have been one thing to see a senior Denard Robinson put a flawed team on his back and heroically carry them to an 8-5 record while shredding the individual record books in the process. Instead, we got the Notre Dame game. And the relief of breaking the losing streak to Michigan State was followed by... the Nebraska game. Feel the excitement!
2) A message for Brian. I'm just going to put this out there. If you like it, you can take it. If you don't, you can send it right back: Don't listen to one f-ing word anyone on here has to say about your writing. Not one. You created something from nothing. This entire blog sprung from your head like Athena. So in the words of Mr. Earlie Johnson, aka the Hugh Hefner of Muskegon (we all saw that column, right?), just "do what you do," man. Just do what you do.
Both Ty Isaac and Leon McQuay-- and their parents -- had plenty of time and resources to discern which college was right for them. If they were as dilligent as they claimed to be, there should be nothing particularly surprising about this move. In fact, as Steve Lorenz put it on Twitter last night, Lane Kiffin firing his OC two days after Signing Day is "the most USC thing ever." The fable of the Scorpion and the Frog has appeared in multiple cultures on multiple continents for literallythousands of years. These recruits and their parents have only themselves to blame if haven't gotten the memo by now,
... re: your point about the Fab 5 being a better collection of talent while the current group might be a better team - especially when you factor in the respective coaches.
Take a look at each group's top three players - Webber/Rose/Howard vs. Burke/Hardaway/Robinson. Really hard to argue that the latter group is more talented. But after that, I'd take Stauskas/Morgan/McGary and the rest over King/Jackson/Voskuhl and company.
And Coach B vs. Coach F? Um... not even close.
I remeber reading an SI article where Bo mentioned that the trainers had to create special pads called "Bunch protectors" because Jarrod Bunch kept hurting people during blocking drills. So JB gets the nod.
And now I realize that I can't edit/complete my original post. SoullessHack, Jr #2 strikes again.
... but most of these players will be from my personal "Golden Era" of Michigan football, which does not necessarily correspond to success on the field as much as it reflects a time in my life when I was old enough to understand and watch football, but still young enough that these players seemed like 20-foot tall diamond-crusted demi-gods. Not all of them. But most.
Coach- Bo.
QB- Jim Harbaugh
RB- Jamie Morris
FB- Jarrod Bunch
WR- Anthony Carter
WR- Desmond Howard
TE- Paul Jokisch (Yes, Paul Jokisch. Because I can neither describe nor explain the joy Paul Jokisch receptions gave me as a youngster. They didn't come often, but they always seemed to come on 3rd and 8, and they always seemed to be for 15+ yards.)
TE- Derrick Walker
T- Greg Skrepenak (er, legal "troubles" aside)
T- Jake Long
G- Steve Hutchinson
G- Mark Hammerstein
C- David Molk
DE- James Hall
DE-
DL- Mark Messner
DL-
LB- Andy Moeller
LB-
LB-
CB- Leon Hall
CB- Charles Woodsen
S- Tripp Welbourne
S-
P-
K-
KR-
KR-
PR-
PR-
Crap. SoullessHack, Jr #2 just woke up. More later.
Still breaks my heart to this day. It was my first experience dealing with a shocking, out-of-nowhere upset of my favorite sports team, and my 11-year-old brain just couldn't comprehend what was going on.
Why does that guy for Minnesota keep running for 1st downs on 3rd-and-long? Why can't they just TACKLE him?! This isn't supposed to be happening!
Ugh. I can still hear Howard King saying, "Ricky Foggie the ball carrier..." (which seems like such an odd phrase today, but somehow our never struck me as odd back then).
1) Blockquoted in MGoBlog = the highlight of my career. I'm not joking.
2) SoullessHack Jr is definitely a kicker. But probably not for three hours. Probably.
I felt the same thing you did, Brian, though for different reasons. Work, life, having kids and the crushing Alabama defeat left me feeling the exactly the way you described.
I was on my couch, not in the stadium (get off my back, I'm 2500 miles away). I was wearing my t-shirt. My two year old son was beside me, cheering gamely for "Deenarr WOB-inson!" as the team stood on the sidelines before kickoff. (SoullessHack, Jr. refers to both #16 and the entire team as Denard Robinson... although any non-Denard player is "the guy.") It was nice. Nice. Not the gut-churning excitement I've felt every other year. But it was nice. I guess.
Then Denard made the MLB miss. I counted three steps straight upfield and said, calmly, "They're not going to get him. SoullessHack, Jr., though, jumped up on the couch and started screaming, "DENARR WOBINSON DENARR WOBINSON! RUNNING! RUN RUN RUN!" When they cut to the cheering crowd, SHJr took his cue began to clap and jump up and down.
"HE DID IT! DENARR WOBINSON RUN SO FAST WIFF DA FOOTBAWL!!"
Yeah, the defense probably stinks. The OL will be a continuing source of mysterious disappointment all season long. Borges will have to cobble together an offense from a grab bag of nonsense like freshmen TEs, converted QBs and that flea flicker play from Tecmo Super Bowl. But there's worse things than watching SHJr watch Denarr Wobinson will run so fast wiff the footbawl.
Recent Comments
Just want to echo what Mr. Elbel and bluewave720 said. Thank you for sharing. I'm glad you're working through it with a therapist. And I'm so, so sorry that happened to you.
I miss USMNT talk on MGoBlog! So happy to see this back
That said, I would echo what others have said in this thread -- namely, that when evaluating the current crop of USMNT player Brian is conflating talent with achievement. Yes, there are similar numbers of players at "also rans" in the Top 5 leagues, but (again, as others have pointed out), Tyler Adams (and Josh Sargent) starting week in and week out for a Leeds team that is fighting for its life in the Premiership is not the same as Michael Bradley getting time with Borussia. Same with Antonee Robinson at Fulham. Heck, Tim Ream just got named checked by Pep Guardiola in the Fulham - Man City post-game press conference.
Pulisic, McKennie, Musah, Weah, Sargent, Aaronson, Reyna, Dest... these guys are, top-to-bottom, more talented than any group of attacking players the US has ever had and I don't think it's particularly close. The coach's job is to turn that talent into results. 3 goals in 4 games ain't it.
Yes, the roster is unbalanced due to a glut of midfield / wide attacking players, but... figure it out, man. You have four years. Which brings me to my biggest reason why I think giving Berhalter B+ is way too generous. It took the players almost two years to figure out what the heck he even wanted them to do.
How many of those early USMNT matches after Berhalter took over did you see players confused and frustrated because they literally didn't know what Gregg Berhalter wanted them to do? Way too many. However, he didn't change or adapt his ideas to the roster he had. He just got into weird, years-long beefs with John Brooks and an even more weird, years-long love affairs with Aaron Long. Saying that we "dominated" Canada after losing 2-0? (That game turned out to be quite similar to the 3-1 loss to The Netherlands. We had a huge possession advantage, more shots on goal, etc.)
Speaking of his system, if you, as a coach, are counting on Sergino Dest and Antonee Robinson to play 90 minutes of mistake-free football while sprinting up and down the field for 4 games in 12 days? You're gonna get got.
He's tactically inflexible, he picks weird fights (John Brooks, plus asking Gio Reyna to tell the press that he's injured), the only reason he got the job in the first place is because his brother was running the USSF at the time... and finally, 3 goals in 4 matches. Not with this roster.
The USMNT finished 3rd in a very weak CONCACAF cycle. We finished 2nd in our group. We got played off the field in the knockout rounds... that's not a B+ to me. That's time to move on.
This. Especially point 3.
Say, chums. Has anyone else noticed the extent to which Thelonious Monk has included multiple elements from Michigan’s own Glen Osser into his playing? Mr. Monk (I have my doubts as to whether “Thelonious” is his birth name) employs everything from sitting down on a “bench” while playing to striking the keys with one’s fingers - all hallmarks of Osser’s distinct style that he developed at Michigan. Imitation is the highest form of flattery?
Mr. Monk even seemed proud of himself! Good on him.
This.
Thanks for watching! That’s what we’re going for — kids will like it, parents will at least not hate it.
I created a TV show. It's called "Danger Force" and the second episode airs on Saturday, 8p/7c on Nickelodeon. It's a spin-off of another show called "Henry Danger" which ran on Nickelodeon for five seasons.
If you have kids that are six or older, maybe try getting them to watch it. They'll like it. It's funny.
You should watch it with them, too, because it's something you can watch together that they'll like and you won't hate. According to the initial ratings report that I got earlier in the week we were something like "the most co-watched show on cable for the week." I believe "co-watched" refers to when kids 6-11 and adults 18-49 watch the same show. Yay for all sports being cancelled! (Sorry... I hate it as much as everyone else around here does... but there's kind of a silver lining for me... sorry... was that bad to say? That was probably bad to say.).
Anyway... I created a TV show. And even more unlikely, I woke up oddly proud of myself today. Then I saw this and thought I'd throw my two cents in.
Like Blue Fish, I logged on for the first time in months to let you know that you are embarrassing yourself and that you should stop. In the time it took me to do that you managed to embarrass yourself about four or five more times.
Nick Baumgardner is really good at his job. Your failure to recognize that and your decision to take an odd, out-of-nowhere potshot at the guy says a lot about you.
Um... serious question: How, exactly, would we in California “look to the Great Lakes” to “solve (our) water problems?” What would that look like? A pipeline that runs through more than six states, from Lake Michigan to Los Angeles? A constant convoy of, say, 3,000 tanker trucks that roll from Chicago to Palm Springs every day? What exactly is your fear here?
You are not understanding it correctly. Almost no one who lives in Southern California is “shocked” by earthquakes. At all. Look at the video of the game in Dodger Stadium. Do you see anyone panicking and running for the exits? Do you hear fear in the announcers’ voices? Do the players even seem to notice?
The answer to all those questions is no. Because no one in Southern California is shocked by earthquakes. If anything, when the subject of earthquakes comes up, people tend to say, “I’m surprised we haven’t had any really big earthquakes in the last decade. We’re due.”
So if anything, the feeling that Southern California residents have about the possiblilty of earthquakes is almost literally the opposite what you think it is. That should tell you something about all the other opinions you have about California and the people who live here.
PS - The house rolled a bit, but it wasn’t too bad (partially because I had our house bolted and retrofitted right after we bought it... because I know that I live in Southern California and earthquakes happen).
I played a game with…
Same.
I played a game with myself where I tried to figure out what all the acronyms meant. For SAS I got “Special Air Service” (which I think is some kind of UK special forces). And then I read “Python” and thought “Monty Python,” which is ALSO UK-related so I decided that I was definitely right on Special Air Service and then I lost interest and gave up.
Turns out I was not right.
Nikka Pure Malt.
In defense of Russell Westbrook as a person, he once worked a full 12-hour day (with maaaaaaybe a half-hour break for lunch) for a show that I work on. There were lots of kids around and he was unfailingly and genuinely nice and funny and great with all the kids, for the full 12 hours. Like, fully engaged and constantly "on" and being charismatic and charming from 8am to 8pm.
He was much more quiet and a reserved around us adults, but still nice and completely professional. At the end of the day I hesitatingly said, "You seem... different... when you're on the court." He just shrugged and was like, "Yeah..."
Anyway... he was super nice and incredibly generous with the kids for a very long day of shooting. He even agreed to take a picture where he was pretending to hate the jokes I was writing! Not sure if he was pretending, though...
Sounds like it wasa fun trip!
Our "house wines" for the summer are the Peju Sauvignon Blanc and the Lone Madrone Chenin Blanc. I don't have the bottles in front of me, but I believe they're both 2015.
I haven't really found a go-to red lately. Went through a big 2014 Thistle Ridge Pinot Noir from New Zealand phase earlier in the year but that well ran dry. Before that it was the 2009 Cristom Pinot Noir from Oregon. But that's long gone, too.
There are exceptions of course, but on balance 2010 is a much better vintage for Brunello than 2011. I'll hang up now and take my insults off the air.
It's a multi-decade trend!
To be fair, I have not tried Koval's four grain. Just their standard whiskey.
For my 40th birthday, my wife threw me a surprise party where all of our friends showed up with a bottle of whiskey to open and share. By almost unanimous popular acclaim, Koval was on the bottom. I keep the bottle around becuase I like to have a supply of bad whiskey to pour for people, so they can contrast it against the good stuff.
Angostura
Standards:
Angostura Bitters
Dry Vermouth
Sweet Vermouth
Agave Syrup
Trendier things:
Cynar
Flavored bitters (orange, chocolate, spicy, etc)
Last piece of advice: DO NOT BUY KOVAL WHISKEY. It's gross. Just trust me. Don't. Get a bottle of Jefferson Reserve. Or the Four Roses small batch (the curved, sorta heart-shaped bottle. Or (a little more pricey) a bottle of High West Rendezvous Rye. Or Rowan's Creek (if you can't find it... it's not expensive, just not sure if it's available everywhere).
Do. Not. Buy. Koval. Whiskey. It's gross.
(* - You have to think this in a "masters of war, from the East" in Conan the Barbarian kind of a way. Unless you read out loud, then you have to say it out loud that way.)
Am I crazy or is "That shocked me and shook my mind" just about the greatest quote of this recruiting cycle? Especially when you combine it with his hair! How have none of you kids with your straight bill hats and your hope the future not made a meme with that photo of Nick Eubanks and "HE SHOOK MY MIND!" in block letters underneath?
I'd like to propose that the term "mind shake" replace "puncher's chance" when describing UM's chances of flipping an otherwise committed (or heavily leaning) recruit on a weekend visit. As in, "(PROSPECT) is committed to Tennessee, but if he makes it to Ann Arbor for an official visit there's a chance for mind shaking." (Or "... a chance for the Harbaugh mind shake.") Recruits could also be on "shake watch," a particularly out-of-nowhere flip could be a "mindquake", etc.
Good Lord, those last three sentences before picture of the M GO BLUE banner made me cry.
I'm not kidding. They actually made me cry.
But if I watch the "... the team, the team, THE TEAM!" speech at the right time, I'll 100% tear up.
... a new defensive coordinator saying he plans to make the team "more aggressive." It's only one half step away from meaninglessness coach-speak like "toughness" and "physicalness" and such. "Chemistry issues" have little to do with why last season was so disappointing. The biggest reason, by far, that last year was so dismal was plainly shown by the scouting report on Taylor Lewan that Brian linked to on the blog last week -- the one that quickly moved from a scouting report on Lewan to an evisceration of Michigan's overall offensive scheme. Coach Hoke has already made the only move he can to attempt to address that problem. Everything else is just window dressing.
Granted, window dressing is all we have during the off season. I don't mean to denigrate overanalysis in general, but only on this particular point.
And fantastic idea to stop to speak to Laura Hoke. Thanks for typing this up.
... or you misunderstood him.
There is a distilling region of Scotland known as the Lowlands, which produces whiskeys that some people call "Lowland Ladies" because they are lighter and easier to drink than almost any other type of scotch. Conversely, the Laphroaig distillery, which is located on the sland of Islay, produces incredibly full-bodied, peaty, oily, almost medicinal whiskeys. There is simply no way anyone who knows anything about scotch would ever say "Laphroaig is for ladies."
Speaking of Laphroaig, although I have a bottle of Quarter Cask on my shelf (and I absolutely love it) I'm celebrating World Whiskey day with High West Rendezvous Rye poured over a really big ice cube.
Whoops, meant to reply to OP
... that letter was downright creepy. I can almost guarantee you that it's disconcertingly similar to fanmail Webber received when he was at the height of his playing days. Honestly, how many variations of the following letter do you think Chris Webber has received:
Dear Chris Webber,
I've loved you for decades. No one undestands you the way I do, because I also went through (RANDOM EXPERIENCE THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING). Look at how I altered my appearance to look more like you! Please pay attention to me.
Sincerely,
Fan Who Spends Way Too Much Time Thinking About You And Has Clearly Lost Perspective
That this guy is an Associate Professor is only slightly less embarrassing for the University than the Ed Martin scandal.
This. This is the name. Put it on the board.
You win the Deep Woods Off Player of the Game award for typing this up. Bravo and thank you.
1) Fact.
2) As someone else said, "Who the hell else is it gonna be?"
3) Fact: Kalis and Braden, who will start over Chris Bryant, which will cause much muttering and chin-pulling and scrutinizing on the part of the MGoPriestly class.
4) Fiction. I expect the Spring Game to be an homage to the Stately Offenses of Yore.
5) Fiction.
6) Fiction, but he will get heavy rotation.
7) Fact.
8) Fiction. Lost in the discussion of Desmond Morgan's height and weight vs. the ideal MLB measurables is what Brian discovered in many a UFR last season. When Desmond Morgan hits you, you stop.
9) Fact. Because of blind hope.
10) Fact. Gulp.
"Interesting to note that former DL coach Montgomery is not even mentioned."
Seriously? The man leaves UM for a job with 1) higher pay and 2) more responsibility and now we're all going to act like girls with too much makeup and too little clothing, dancing drunkenly at Ricks RIGHT IN JERRY'S FACE so he KNOWS that we're totally OVER him.
The fact that you, OP, mentioned Jerry Montgomery is a lot more revealing than the fact that the article you linked to didn't mention him. Get over it. Don't be that drunk girl at Rick's.
... for Unsolicited Advice Fest 2013 is as follows:
1) I think a great many people are conflating their feelings about Brian's writing with the results of the 2012 football season. This is a UM sports blog, and that means it's a UM Football blog. Having listened to Gary Grant, Roy Tarpley, Antoine Joubert, et al on the radio in my bedroom as a kid I'm as happy as anyone about the Great Basketball Renaissance. But the Michigan Athletics brand begins and ends with the helmet. Them's the brakes.
Getting pancaked in the season opener really took the wind out of the football season's sails. After that, Denard's performance and injuries prevented any kind of consistent momentum. It would have been one thing to see a senior Denard Robinson put a flawed team on his back and heroically carry them to an 8-5 record while shredding the individual record books in the process. Instead, we got the Notre Dame game. And the relief of breaking the losing streak to Michigan State was followed by... the Nebraska game. Feel the excitement!
2) A message for Brian. I'm just going to put this out there. If you like it, you can take it. If you don't, you can send it right back: Don't listen to one f-ing word anyone on here has to say about your writing. Not one. You created something from nothing. This entire blog sprung from your head like Athena. So in the words of Mr. Earlie Johnson, aka the Hugh Hefner of Muskegon (we all saw that column, right?), just "do what you do," man. Just do what you do.
However, I would argue that what you describe isn't the "other point." It's the main point.
Both Ty Isaac and Leon McQuay-- and their parents -- had plenty of time and resources to discern which college was right for them. If they were as dilligent as they claimed to be, there should be nothing particularly surprising about this move. In fact, as Steve Lorenz put it on Twitter last night, Lane Kiffin firing his OC two days after Signing Day is "the most USC thing ever." The fable of the Scorpion and the Frog has appeared in multiple cultures on multiple continents for literally thousands of years. These recruits and their parents have only themselves to blame if haven't gotten the memo by now,
I remeber reading an SI article where Bo mentioned that the trainers had to create special pads called "Bunch protectors" because Jarrod Bunch kept hurting people during blocking drills. So JB gets the nod.
And now I realize that I can't edit/complete my original post. SoullessHack, Jr #2 strikes again.
My God -- it's full of stars!