StephenRKass

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Date	Title	Body
18 hours 19 min ago	Curious how other reporters will take this	This is as good as it gets for a real fan. This gives an incredible window to what happens, and how decisions are made, and explains very clearly how the week goes. I'd love to know which OC's plan like this, and which ones throw things in to the gameplan at the end of the week. My curiosity is how football beat writers and others respond to what Heiko wrote. Do they even care? Is the nature of their job such that it really is irrelevant? Will Angelique or Snyder or 11 Warriors or Scout or Rivals or Tim or TomVH link to this? Will Heiko have a newfound or different celebrity in next season's Pressers? I don't know the answers, but this piece is a keeper. A couple final questions: I may have missed it, but what is Part II about? Is there any chance for a couple interviews like this with Mattison?
1 day 7 hours ago	What, pray tell, is "thread worthy?"	Is there not enough death for you in Moore, Oklahoma? Does there need to be a Michigan connection? Would the Tsunami qualify? Would the Twin Towers bombing qualify? FTR, this is off season, when OT is ok. And it isn't politics. Also, I happen to be hard at work, and hadn't bother to check the news. This post allowed me to bring up another couple windows and see what happened. Have some compassion. I pity someone like you, who doesn't give a rip about a tragedy like this, and whose world vision is so narrow that you don't care about anything beyond trivia like Michigan sports. I love Michigan sports. I follow Michigan sports obsessively. Way too obsessively. But at the end of the day, these are games that don't matter. They're children's games that we follow as a means of escape from sometimes humdrum existence. Please don't callously denigrate those who might ask for prayer for something that really matters. End of rant. p.s.  I still wish there were some OT posts about the city of Detroit and the Emergency Manager and the economic meltdown and corruption and crime and the future, but that seems to be such a third rail that it can't be touched by anyone. It is fascinating, from a distance, and I would have thought there would be some Michigan Alums in the Detroit area who might have an insider perspective on what's going on in Southeastern Michigan.
1 day 8 hours ago	Oh my goodness	I don't even know how to respond. I'll be re-reading this piece, and the comments, many times. This is incredible. I can hardly believe what you've done. One request:  please profusely thank Al on behalf the mgoreadership. I'm just blown away.
1 day 10 hours ago	Can mods get a positive ID from Ebay?	Can mods get a positive ID from Ebay? If so, he could get the banhammer. Everything always is about money. Sigh.
5 days 9 hours ago	Interested in best way to buy NW tickets for 2013	I'm Interested in best way to buy NW tickets for 2013. If any of you see any deals on this, please post on the main page. (there was a nice discount available direct from NW for the 2012 road game in Evanston, iirrc.)
5 days 12 hours ago	Are two Bye Weeks common?	I guess I haven't been paying attention, but I don't remember two bye weeks in the past. Does the team like doing that? I appreciate the observation that having bye weeks and beginning of the season prior to ND, MSU, & Ohio (assuming Appalachian State & Maryland are not killer games) is a good thing. At least I thing it is. Pushing the Ohio game back to Nov. 29 in 2014 and Nov. 30 this year is just begging for another snow bowl to happen. I'm curious how many people really like going to the game the weekend of Thanksgiving. Changing subjects slightly, I'm curious if Brandon is machiavellian enough to do something with GA & student tickets. Could Brandon sell say, 25,000 GA student tickets for 24,000 seats? Could Brandon sell 25,000 GA student tickets for 20,000 seats? Airlines do something similar all the time. They bank on people NOT showing up for flights. Obviously, they want to avoid people not getting seats, but they want every seat full on the plane. I could see this really providing a number of benefits. Extra income, albeit limited, by selling extra seats. Even more incentive to get there on time or early:  if you show up mid-way through the first quarter, you could be told, "sorry," there are no more seats available. Here's a $30 off voucher toward either basketball tickets, hockey tickets, or football tickets next year." Less empty seats in the stands, because 21,000 or 24,000 or 25,000 people trying to fill 20,000 seats are more likely to do so. (i.e., even with 1,000 or 4,000 no shows, you still fill the seats.) You could even say, (similar to the airlines,) "to guarantee a seat, you need to show up 30 minutes prior to gametime. If you arrive later, you are not guaranteed a seat at a particular game." You could offer students the opportunity for guaranteed seats at any time . . . for a price premium. (for a student donation of $300 above your ticket cost, you will receive assigned, guaranteed seating.) You could "resell" tickets at the gate at the end of the first quarter, if there are still seats available. Say, for Appalachian State, only 24,000 of the 25,000 available student seats are full at the end of the quarter. You could then sell 1,000 more seats at $5 or $10, to those who really want to get in at that time. (This reminds me of stories of how kids would get into Yankees games for a pittance 50 years ago. Of course, to do this, the trick would be to figure out just how much to oversell the seats. Ideally, you want all seats full, but you want to avoid turning away too many people because of being overbooked. Still, the whole concept is interesting.
6 days 6 hours ago	Bolland is very good at that	Watch Bolland on Zetterberg.
6 days 6 hours ago	21 hits for Wings vs. 9 for Hawks	The Wings are definitely hitting the Hawks. No one should be complaining about calls not being made against Chicago:  the Red Wings have definitely been the most physical team out there.
6 days 6 hours ago	No, the UC does come alive	I'm not sure whether they take the Red Wings seriously or not.
6 days 7 hours ago	Glad I'm not the only Blackhawks fan here	I'm looking forward to this series. Last. Time. Ever.
6 days 7 hours ago	I would hate to be a Red Wings fan	They're based in Detroit, and they have a losing playing record to the Blackhawks. Go Hawks!
6 days 18 hours ago	To each their own	To each their own Travel to Florida is much cheaper and closer for most Americans . . . you can make it in 18 hours if you really drive through. Pasadena is at least twice that, plus the possibility of blizzards, so driving is no longer even an option. St. Augustine, IIRC, does have some significant history. So does Key West. There are plenty of places, if you know where to look, where you can enjoy shrimp and beer at a non-plastic place on the beach or the water. Speaking of the beach, there's nothing like enjoying a nice walk on the ocean or gulf when the temps are around 70. I personally am not a big Disney Fan, although some people love Orlando. However, for those who drink beer, Busch Gardens in Tampa isn't bad. Also, everyone should go to the NASA Kennedy Space Center at least once. There are plenty of Michigan alums who were astronauts, after all. I've lived 15 minutes from the Rose Bowl, and also lived in Florida. I would choose California in a heart beat. But short of the Rose Bowl, for all the reasons above, I'd rather be in Florida, rather than, say, the Cotton Bowl, Alamo Bowl, Pinstripe, Music City, Motor City, etc., etc. Obviously, the Sugar and Fiesta Bowls are in decent venues, but other than the game itself, I think I'd personally rather be in Florida than New Orleans. Arizona isn't bad, but I'd still take California or Florida.
1 week 1 day ago	Good Insight	There may be a few who are hanging on, knowing that they have a chance to make the two deep or have a chance to hit the field if there is an injury. HOWEVER, if in August it quickly becomes apparent that the incoming Freshmen have passed them, and that they're NOT going to see the field, I could see a few more dropping off the team. If you're only going to be on the scout team, and you want to start every week, you need to go to a lesser team. The other interesting question is how scholarships work. That is to say, do players keep scholarships if they drop off the team? I could see a senior sticking it out through September, but dropping at that time, if that made a difference in receiving free tuition, room, board, etc., for the 2013 - 2014 school year.
1 week 1 day ago	There is no perfect answer	However, this post is: About a highly rated potential Michigan recruit, thus toward on topic; About his speed, which is on topic for the play of a DB That content makes this pretty relevant, and not OT. If the post was about: you; a generic 200m final with a shadow report; a recruit who Michigan is not recruiting, who has shown no interest in Michigan; that would be irrelevant and OT.
1 week 3 days ago	I'm sure you're right	I'm sure you're right (about the trash talking and hatred that is present in-State.) I think that MSU will always have somewhat of an inferiority complex, at least in terms of the University. There are some programs (obviously, agriculture or animal science related) where I think they are significantly better than Michigan. But as far as being "prestigious," they're not in the same class, and never will be. This complex means that some of their fans will always be galled with Michigan. I guess I don't get why Michigan fans let them get under their skin so much. I mean, we have the most significant rivalry with Ohio, and until this year, had quite the rivalry with ND. But those rivalries don't seem to have quite the same level of pettiness and triteness and even hatred that I see some Michigan fans have for MSU. I get that some Michigan fans "respect" ND & Ohio, in a different way. Maybe things will never change until MSU improves both academically and also on the gridiron.
1 week 3 days ago	Arghh	Thank you. None of us avoids all grammar and spelling errors. I'll plead guilty to multi-tasking and being sloppy, but still, there's never an excuse for that mistake. (Weird thing is, I had it right in the first bullet. What's up with that?)
1 week 3 days ago	I look forward to the day when this ceases to become important	I look forward to the day when following how Spartan fans respond to recruiting battles ceases to become important. I like being a Michigan fan. I will never be an MSU fan. Having said that, I don't have the hatred and spite for Spartie that many feel. As for why anyone would choose MSU, well, there are a number of reasons: You jell well with their staff. Your parents went to MSU. MSU has your program of interest and Michigan doesn't. You were accepted to MSU. You are a better fit for what there team is doing and your particular skill set. Michigan is a great choice. However, if the option is there, so is Alabama, or Southern Cal, or Stanford, or Florida, or Notre Dame, or Texas, or Texas A & M. For me, Michigan was the obvious choice. For a number of football players, one of the above schools might really be a better choice. Honestly, it never ceases to amaze me how many decisions are made on the basis of emotions, and then "reasons" are given to support what ultimately is an emotional decision.
1 week 4 days ago	Why just one?	I like the following official sports: Men's Volleyball Men's & Women's Fencing Women's Ice Hockey I agree with the following other suggestions: Curling. (sure to be a fan fav.) Dodgeball. Here are a few more possibilities Roller Derby (go rent a great Ellen Page movie:  Whip It.) Cricket (there actually are several leagues near my home.) Badminton (this is offered at our local high school.)
1 week 4 days ago	You make a great point	You make a great point regarding the eye of our own staff to decide who they want to offer. I do trust Mattison and the coaching staff (obv. Hoke) to decide who they'll pursue. I also think that a bird in the hand (within reason) is better than two in the bush. (That is to say, I definitely want Hand and McDowell, but don't think it is worth slow playing Marshall.) If both Hand and McDowell want to come to Michigan, I trust we'll find a way to make it happen. I also think we are now entering a period of enough depth where you can redshirt someone like Marshall. The competition in practice sometimes allows someone who you have moderate expectations for to really rise to the top. An (unfortunate) example of this is Hankins. He should have been offered at Michigan, and he did well at Ohio. If we bring on Marshall, he'll know and we'll know inside of two years whether or not he has what it takes to see the field regularly. If he does, it validates the offer. If he doesn't, well, he is depth, or he can go the way of Ringer. There is no perfect way to predict who will pan out, and you're always going to have some attrition. Honestly, bringing on guys with decent potential who still have to be coached up is a great way to improve. (i.e., I want more high ceiling guys who still have a ways to get there.)
1 week 5 days ago	Makes sense to me	Guys at mgoblog are always talking about how wonderful a Michigan education is. And looking at the other 4 schools, Michigan is way better educationally. If I had a guaranteed admission to a grad school at Michigan, plus all costs are covered, plus I know that the NFL isn't in the cards, well, is there a better option? He comes as a backup, and knows he's a backup. He also knows he is one injury away from starting. He receives value of $60,000 plus. (admission, tuition, room, board, books, etc.) Maybe he gets to stay as a grad assistant the year after in exchange for covering some of the cost of a second year. This is a total win - win situation. Michigan gets a backup. He gets to be backup at a great school, with a real chance of some PT. Plus, he ends up with a graduate degree from Michigan. Unless he really, really wants a guaranteed starting position, I'd go for Michigan in a heartbeat.
1 week 6 days ago	Just re-read the quote	Of course Meyer's being sarcastic. When he says, "They're supposed to be. That's what the Rivals and Scout tell us," how could this be anything other than sarcasm? I can almost see the smirk/smile on his face. And to tell you the truth, I could see Borges making a quip like that Heiko. "They must be good, because Rivals and Scout say they're good." On a different level, that's why I hope that they continue to do they're own analysis. I like giving offers to guys like Stribling, and LTT, and making room for walk ons like Glasgow. In 2014, Bushell-Beatty & Speight & Bunting all may significantly outperform their "star rating." It is great to get guys like that who were missed or under-rated by the services.
1 week 6 days ago	I'd think every school uses every resource possible	If I were in charge, I'd want to use everything possible. That would include a network of friendly High School coaches, Scout, Rivals, 247 Sports, ESPN, knowledge of offers made by rival schools, summer camps at your school, other summer camps, knowledge of performance during the season, etc., etc. In my limiited experience (in a non-football recruiting context,) you want to do everything you possibly can to identify guys who will be a good fit for you by doing multiple things. Why not get every possible piece of analysis out there? Now, if guys rely on these services and aren't doing their own analysis, well, of course you can expect problems. I'd sure want to know about every possible recruit out there.
2 weeks 2 days ago	Overlooked Dumars	I guess my focus was on the current team, but Dumars is certainly basketball savvy. I loved him back in the day when he was a player. He isn't the only one who hasn't seen on court success translate to successful in the general manager's office. IIRC, a certain MJ, along with Isaiah, haven't seen a long trail of success in the front office. But that doesn't take anything away from Dumars for me.
2 weeks 3 days ago	Loved them both	There are a couple of distinctions between the two. First, as noted, Ufer was an unabased Michigan fan and homer. That was glorious, and made him "one of us." Jackson was always fond of Michigan and Bo, but was a national broadcaster.  IIRC, when he broadcast in later years, he basically was able to cherry pick teams and venues he would agree to do, and Michigan was on that short list. Second, Ufer worked in the media of radio. What many of you youngsters can't comprehend is that pre-internet and pre-cable TV, you had to go to the game to see it. The fact that Michigan was on ABC several times was a huge thing, and big recruiting help. But if you couldn't watch the game, you had to be somewhere that you could find a radio broadcast. I can indeed remember beautiful Fall days when I couldn't be in Ann Arbor, hearing his voice and the horn coming through the radio. His shtick worked so well for radio and for Michigan fans. Here's the thing, though. I literally don't know how Ufer would have been as a TV commentator. I don't know that the horn would have worked the same way. His corniness and passion bled through the soundwaves. I know I would have preferred him to most anyone on TV now, but I really have to stick with Keith Jackson for a Michigan game on TV.
2 weeks 5 days ago	Me too!	Really glad for this post. Different from yesterday, still very much appreciated. You distilled what was important and relevant to Michigan. Don't let negative Nancy' stop you . . . keep on posting.
2 weeks 5 days ago	Awesome	Love the Internet. Love mgoblog. Love boheimian rhapsody. Just incredible. Thank you!
2 weeks 6 days ago	How to moderate?	"Interesting" would work, except that's positive. What really is wrong is seeing "normal" up there.  It'd be great to have an "abnormal" choice. Or "weird." But none of the choices really fit. (not flamebait, not trolling. All of the images together are "redundant," but I'd never want to see posts like this truly become "redundant.") One other question:  how long did it take to put that together?
2 weeks 6 days ago	Not as defined	The way I understand the OP, they are saying he may be greatly underranked and he should really be a top 5 player. The proof will hopefully come in the tournament next year, when we're paired against Kentucky and their "best class ever" and we not only beat them, but Walton clearly is better than all their top 10 ranked recruits. Yeah, that's really counting your chickens a bit early, but that's what we hope for, isn't it?
2 weeks 6 days ago	Me 7	I'm not an insider, but you already told me what was critical. I love when front page stuff as well as stuff posted to the board forum summarizes the gist of paywalled stuff. The mods can delete what they need to, but I appreciate seeing the kernel and a bit more from other posters who pay for the access. Thank you for posting!
3 weeks 9 hours ago	IMHE	In my humble epinion (variant of IMHO (In my humble opinion.) NSFW - Not suitable for work NSFH - Not suitable for home, which morphed into NSFMSRK

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