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Gonna get super nerdy and…

Gonna get super nerdy and call it "The Boggart" because honest to god what happened in that game was what I feared most.

Your references are apt I tell you...APT!!!

As someone who must fall in the same age bracket as you, your references are fantastic.  And, if anyone on here doesn't get them, well that's on them for not being culturally literate :-p

 

That said, this made me LOL: "Michigan has to show up to this one. Literally. Like, they have to come to the stadium with shoes and helmets and stu"

 

Because, if it was on purpose, then it was awesome because you assumed we had already tuned you out about Illinois and if it was a typo, well, you were already tuning out on Illinois and it makes complete sense.

 

As usual, great job!

Harbaugh - Bridging the Political Spectrum Gap

I realize I'm taking a risk by saying something that might be construed as political but here it goes:

 

Apparently the one man who can bring Republicans & Democrats together is indeed Jim Harbaugh.  I look forward to 2024 after Michigan's 8th Playoff Appearence and 6th title (I conceded that Alabama may win a couple) Jim Harbaugh decides to run for President and wins handily.

 

On more serious matters, I do not understand the Wisconsin fan base.  You would think there would be more concern about what is going on in that organization.  The number of people who flee continues to be shocking and Barry Alvarez seems totally out of touch.  The handful of Wisconsin fans I know don't seem perturbed by it at all.

Ruddock

It was difficult to watch Ruddock's post game interview.  You could see him fighting back the emotion.

 

I agree with everyone else, that I wonder what Harbaugh would have done with him through 4 solid years.

 

His situation is so unique because of being a grad transfer.  It's sort of sad that he won't be here to see through what has the potential to be an even better season next year.  That being said, I think it's safe to say he is officially part of the Michigan Family and I know that the fan base will always treat him as such.

 

As for the rest of the team, this feels so different compared to previous years.  There is this undeniable vibe around the team that they believe in themselves for next year but you also know they won't be allowed to rest on any laurels.  *Looks at calendar*  Damn, over 8 months to go.

No Grantland = Sad me

Brian has summed up very well the demise of a site that I now sorely miss.

 

That last paragraph alone was the perfect summation.  Whenever I was looking to kill time, I knew I could go to Grantland and find something entertaining to read.  One of the original pieces there that locked it in was a story on stadium design here in the U.S. (very industrial) to stadium design elsewhere (much more organic).  It was fascinating and was about sports without actually being about sports.  It was the kind of article I could get a non-sports fan to read and discuss it with them.

 

As a TV junkie Andy Greenwald was a particular favorite and if you follow him on Twitter, you got an explanation of why Grantland was so good.  They had one main policy: no assholes.  He said that journalism is frequently an industry where people get ahead on the backs of others and the Grantland staff worked hard to let people be themselves and write what they wanted to write.

 

When I had a break at work on Monday I was going to fire up Grantland and then sighed because I knew it wouldn't be there.

Damn Shame

This was a site that took hockey seriously and covered it fantastically.  Most everything there was well thought out coherent pieces.

They gave a week of articles to covering Detroit which was great and was not the typical "LOL, Detroit sux" you get from other media outlets.

Also, judging from the writers reactions on Twitter, their contracts were with "Grantland" and they are all pretty much out of work.  However, many were either on to other things or were soon to be.

Sincerely wish them all the best.  

Thank you

There it is.  I knew I was missing another route to it.

I know the score prediction is irrelevant

But 11?  TD, Botched conversion, FG, Safety or 3 FGs, Safety?  TD plus 2 Safetys?

I'm tempted to say that if MSU gets a safety I will eat a lemon.

 

In trying to come up with a score prediction, I've been confounded by MSU.  I have to believe that they're going to come out jacked up for this.  They have to be.  Mark Dantonio is a grumpy old man with questionable suspension policies but he's a good coach.

 

My prediction is 24-17 Michigan.  I think the goose egg gets busted unfortunately.  If Michigan is able to run up a score, then I would seriously start to wonder if the Narduzzi effect is as big as the Harbaugh effect.

Nervous Anticipation

I believe Michigan should and will win but its at like a 60%.  The other 40% is reminded of all the goofiness that surrounds this game, the fact that MSU is in next week and, lets be honest, its been a while since faith in this team hasn't resulted in a gut punch at some point. during the season.

 

That being said, there is just a different aura around this team.  That defense has rightly earned swagger and I'm legitimately looking forward to a game that could very well end 14-3 or something like that.

1st Music I ever bought...

The first music I ever purchased with my own money: The cassette tape of Totally Krossed Out by Kris Kross.

Rutgers/Kansas

The Rutgers/Kansas game feels like a "Faces of Death" video.  I kind of want to watch part of it just to see if its as bad as everyone says.  I likely will also end up having nightmares for the next week because of it.

 

#M00PS made me laugh out loud and now requires explanation to co-workers.

I'm in Michigan and...

I'm sure you'll be inundated with Michigan brews but I have grown to enjoy Frankenmuth's Winter Bock. Best craft IMO in Michigan is New Holland. Dragon's Milk is just the best.



That being said, in my travels, a brewery I love is Pyramid on the west coast. They have a Hefeweizen that is really great.



As far as traditions go, I have 4 siblings and every Christmas I go to a specialty store (last year was The Wine Seller in A2) and put together a six pack for each of them around a theme. One year was all Michigan brews. This past year was all English/Scottish brews.

Here's mine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qba7BQAjfA

I have it but...

...the audio is not great.  You can only pick out bits & pieces of it and I was also filming the whole field so as to get the team touching the banner.  I'll post it tonight since apparently its the best we can do right now.

Goosebumps

All the goosebumps, all the feels...

 

It's oddly counter-intuitive but its the same feeling you get on that first 40-50 degree day in the Spring after a hard winter.

 

Well written Brian!

Awesome!

A much needed bit of brevity in my day. But, one quibble: "...injured Jim Harbaugh." I know what those words mean individually but I don't understand that combination.



Very confusing.

The things I come out of hibernation for

I was about to post this equation but you beat me to it.  I took an Astronomy class my last semester and the professor talked about this in the last week and his comment was that this equation is sort of arbitrary because the last 4 constants are pretty much based on how the user "feels" about the topic.  That being said, I agree that based on the evidence of planets with liquid water, which is one of the big items for life based on what we know, it stands to reason that we are not alone in the universe but its unlikely that we've been visited.

Jim IDGAF Harbaugh

1st, Cowherd is a tool so this was hilarious to listen to.  2nd, Harbaugh was giving short, terse answers and honestly didn't sound any different to me than his hiring presser, so it seems thats just how he is.  Colin's questions were inane and rather than make any attempt to be a real journalist, he just gave up.  And as for whether or not any recruits will not choose Michigan based on this interview, I imagine Jim would rather not have anyone playing for him who puts stock in a Colin Cowherd interview over what is said in recruiting discussions.

Cathartic

As I said on twitter, this is cathartic.  It really is "The Rise & Fall of Dave Brandon" and a piece which should be mandatory reading for people in positions like AD as a how-not-to.  There is only one thing he oversaw that I agreed with: matte & chrome helmets.  I realize I'm in the minority but I'm a huge sucker for them when they take the standard design and make that change only.  But when that is literally the only thing I can say nice about an AD...not good.

I'm Gonna Get Banned but...

sorry, I stand up for what I believe in: Golden Grahams are #1. Cinnamon Toast Crunch leaves a grit in the milk that is just annoying. It beats out a lot of the fruity cereals, but falls behind GG and most of the chocolate ones.

Just a blast

It's been a couple years since I've been to a Michigan hockey game, but man I'm so glad I went to this.



The atmosphere was electric and while the team had slumps of lower energy and getting outplayed, they always came back to take control when it was needed. Racine was great and that MVP trophy was earned.



Beating Tech in a hostile environment and then State, it's the most fun I've had with Michigan Athletics in a while!



Go Blue!

Spot On

I totally agree with you Brian.  First off, as an EE/CE grad I totally empathize with the Networks comments.  That class drove me insane and yet I remember the professor fondly and had the utmost respect for him.

 

Regardless, I've often wondered why they don't have a major in "Professional Athletics".  Let them do what they need to do on the field and then supplement it with things like basic accounting & finance type courses, a marketing/PR type course, etc... 

 

As you've so deftly pointed out, there is a way to do this which leaves everyone better off.

Damn...All the good jokes are taken

But I'll try anyway: Mark Dantonio is pissed that U of M didn't show Breast Cancer the proper respect it deserved in due time (October) and has used this as fuel to get them to kick Bye week's ass.

 

Also, "Year of Infinte Stupididty" is the best description I've seen.  Thank you Skapanza.

Gobsmacked!

That's the only term I have to describe my feeling right now. (Plus its a great word :-))

 

First off, nice job to the crew here at MGoBlog for doing the leg work to shed as much light as possible on the legitimacy of the e-mails in questions.

 

Second off, like a lot of other people, I don't understand how this behavior is coming from someone who was a CEO of a decently large company.  The only time you see this sort of brashness is in the Steve Jobs/Mark Cuban vein.  Guys who built something from the ground up and in a sense have earned the right to not care about other people's opinions or feelings.

 

After reading this I wonder if Dave Brandon took over as AD and assumed the "I played for Bo" label he could affix to himself made him untouchable.  Clearly there is some premise he is working under that makes him think he is "above the law" both literally & figuratively and I would be curious to know what that is.

 

One would think this is the last straw.  I have to believe that this is going to spread quickly, as it should.

Co-Signed

Agree with every part of your post, including the preface and that last point.  That is the part that is really starting to grate with me.

 

During the NHL lockout, the owners hired a PR firm who was well known for having a mantra of "change the narrative".  They worked with different political groups in the past and the idea was that if you can frame the argument in the right way you can win it every time.  And that is what I see Dave Brandon doing: changing the narrative.

 

Its turned from "fans vs. Athletic Director" to "fans vs. Athletic Department" implying we are against the kids.  And, the worst part is that the media is now beating that drum too.  We all love our University, and to insinuate that being against the direction of Michigan Athletics also means you are against Michigan Athletes is insulting.

 

So yes, I think you've done a great job of laying out rational arguments and are absolutely calling his bluff.  I would sign a petition with this letter at the head.

I'm sorry

Are we just totally disregarding McGonagall?

You want to talk about a person who treasures student safety and yet knows exactly when to get tough, when to bend the rules, etc....  She has a damn good eye for talent, clearly saying "be-damned with tradition" and having the first freshman seeker in generations.

No one would bring more stability to the role than her.

It's because she's a woman isn't it? *sigh*  I was hoping we could evolve beyond this "We need a Hogwarts MAN" thing.

P.S. My only concern is the potential for accusations of impropriety what with having purchased her star player his own dope ride.

----

And yes, this is the exacty kind of thread we all needed today.  So all the haters need to lighten the hell up.

 

Totally Agree

Add my name to the list of people who agree with this article.

 

When a team is winning there is a "Yeah, but he's our dick/crazy person/rule bender/etc..." mentality in sports both from the team and the fans.

 

On the question of whether it has an effect, my opinion is that at the outset when things don't work, that causes the bad attitudes.  But, there is a tipping point where the poor chemistry gets so bad it becomes a catalyst, accelerating the vicious cycle or downward spiral.

 

I don't know how much blame you can put on the coaching staff.  18-23 year olds are tempermental.  There are times when the grudge runs so deep that any amount of coaxing and/or yelling from a 50 year old isn't going to solver the problem.  It may even make it worse or cause the player to turn on the coach because player X thinks coach is taking player y's side.  I do not envy any coaching staff having to deal with locker room problems in college sports.

Minnesota

"You find yourself happy when he wins, but in the same way you're happy for your dog when he finally finds where you put his water dish."

The entire post was fantastic, but that line there did me in with the lols.  Nice post!

Ridiculous

I do not understand the NCAA.  A one year ban?  That is so far beyond fair and just punishment.  (Whether punishment is even necessary is a whole other argument in itself.)

 

At the end of the day though, I understand Mitch's decision and I wish him the best in the NBA.

 

Thanks Mitch.  We'll always have 2013.

You have stumbled upon another idea...

...Forget-me-now's for all in attendance at the App State game

Bear with me

So, first, a caveat that I'm recalling this from memory and have little data on hand to back this up, however, I remember several years ago some radio show or another covering this exact topic.

One of the stronger theories, if I recall, was that when you start to get into the 5-7 seeds, you are usually looking at teams that finished in the top half of power conferences but didn't win it (2014: OSU, Duke) and are usually inherently flawed while in the 10-12 seeds you can end up with conference winners of non-power conferences (2014: Mercer) and a team that wins its conference outright can be more balanced and capable of exploiting the flaws of their opponent.

Obviously, Dayton is an outlier to this theory as they did not win their conference but I suppose one could point to the dreaded "hot team" or "matchups" explanations which can bandied about without needing any data to support it :-)

 

Ricky Bobby

I too have been avoiding the whole "Dave Brandon is a problem" discussion.  I mean, I was for lights in the Big House and night games and I had a blast at the Big Chill.  However, I read this and the replies and I just get this image of Ricky Bobby with "He sold the windshield!"

 

"This DJ is dangerous and inconvenient to the U of M experience, but I do love paying customers." - DB

 

I feel old for complaining about this...

 

Thanks.

Seriously, to all you guys who contribute and to Brian for providing a place that usually has great discussion on all things Michigan.



When push comes to shove we have some of the most loyal and fantastic fans in college sports. We have outliers and a lot of us have been known to have our less than stellar moments (or maybe that's just me ;-)) but in the end we all love our University and want them to kick ass at everything all the time no matter how unrealistic that may be.



So once again thanks to all of you guys for giving us a place to throw our two cents in.

$$$$

I'm not going to attempt to interpret Brian's feelings or what he's exactly angry about.

 

And, I haven't paid for tickets to a U of M game since I was a student so, I can't exactly speak from experience.

 

However, looking at this from a purely rational standpoint, the odds are not in M's favor on Saturday.  I hope to god they win.  I really do.  But deep down I don't think they will.  Does this make me a "bad fan" because I don't believe they can overcome odds and statistics?

 

People selling off their tickets is unfortunate.  Its sad.  I thought the NW/OSU game was sad because of how much damn red was in that stadium.  It can't feel great for the kids playing the game.

 

That being said, who are any of us to judge someone for why they choose to sell off a ticket?  Bottom line, there is an economics to the whole thing and when all is said & done, going to a sporting event, be it amateur or professional, is entertainment and a distraction.  If people have deemed that the entertainment they will derive from the event is not worth the money they will spend then they don't consume the product.  And sorry, don't tell me its not a product.  If it wasn't, then the tickets would be free, especially for students.

 

Just my 2 cents.

I'm with you Brian

The absolute chaos that a 3-9 season wrought was at least entertaining, in the same way a Shakespearean tragedy is entertaining, but still...



This mediocrity where we are Iowa just fills me with a general malaise. There appears to be no desire from those in charge to be more.



So, I watch and root for the kids to do well and not let anything register on an emotional level.

What

So, I'm having an absolutley idiotic day at work today.  People are acting really strange.  One of our customers seems to be going out of its way to hire morons to interface with us.  One of my team members is actually thinking returning to his home town in Mexico that is not only a U.S./Mexico border town but a border between two cartel territories (Reynosa, look it up, its a fun place).  So yeah.

 

Then, I see the board today and the Ace Williams story and I feel like the world is going crazy around me.

 

Or maybe I'm the crazy one and I don't realize it....Oh God. 

 

Drew Sharp & Jason Whitlock are still morons right?  That fact will be my "constant".

Announcing & Game Feeling

I will say I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed the passive agressive announcing we were getting when it came to Gardner.

Between the 30 yard completion that was "short" and the 1st down we got "barely" my question was did Devin sleep with the announcer's wife or run over his dog or something?

It was getting ridiculous that at every turn there would be a positive Michigan play followed by some slam against Gardner.

I know he wasn't perfect but come on, positive is positive.  1st downs are 1st downs whether they happen "barely" or not.

Also, on the negativity front, Brian did call this exactly what it was, a necessary beat down of an inferior opponent.  Short of a FSU/Maryland style 63-0 drubbing (can't wait to add that to the B1G), is anything north of "Good job boys...OK, lets move on..." an appropriate response here?

 

#Hernandezing

First, Happy Anniversary!



Second, on the death being the secondary story, I totally agree. I won't go so far as to say I was appalled, but I definitely was left a little uncomfortable when I started seeing pics on Twitter of people "Hernandezing". (Pulling your arms out of the sleeves of your t-shirt and putting them behind your back in the shirt)



All I kept thinking was "A guy died and your making meme's out if the accused arrest photo? What the hell?"

This is...

Dist-URB-ing...Get it?!  Get it?!?

*hangs head in shame*

*mumbles* Sorry.  Its just I'm shocked no one else has said it yet.

 

On a serious note.  It is a little weird and I would find it offputting if a coach started using a nickname for me that referred to my rear end, whether it was meant as a compliment or not.

It seems to me nicknames like that are reserved for signifcant others and...that's about it.

This is why I watch sports

There is nothing else I know that can cause you to run such a wide spectrum of emotions in such a short amount of time.



And my god, between the explosion of sub related tweets, watching this shot over and over and now the addition of Bartelstein the Magnificent who can predict your awesome immediate future, I have been giggling like a child all night.



It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine.

Well fuck...

...my co-workers are going to think I have Tourette's as I randomly spew "fuck"'s the rest of the day.

fuck.

I appreciate the thought process

Specifically, I appreciate putting in context of that Bill Simmons article, which was really well stated.  We question everything nowadays and this is really no different.

I don't know if Ole' Miss is really guilty of anything, but it certainly smells fishy enough to cause a lot of people to question the whole thing.

I loathe Ray "I didn't see nothin'" Lewis

I really do.  And, the best summary of the death of the two young men I heard came from Rick Reilly (slightly shocking, I know)

He said something along the lines of how the police never went after another person in the death of those two people.  Therefore, as far as the legal system is concerned, they both died of spontaneous stab wounds.

Can we get a statue where he is in the pose of "See No Evil" with his hands over his eyes?  That's my suggestion.

Surprise & Believability

Honestly, very little shocks me anymore in the sporting world.  Lance Armstrong being doped registered as a "Oh well, that's a shame".

 

The Te'o thing though, really surprised me.  To me, he came off as a stand-up guy and as much as I despised Notre Dame, I really found it hard to get snarky at him.  Instead I got snarky with the media that made it seem like he was the only one to suffer personal tragedy ever.

 

That being said, I admit that I allowed the media to bias my opinion to the positive about a man I had never met, which happens all the time.  For the most part, we barely know these people.  We see prepared packages about them and interviews where the players have been coached how to respond.

 

I don't feel stupid for having believed what was reported as truth.  I feel stupid for being surprised and shocked.

 

On the believability front, I think this is the snap judgement reaction: A lie has been exposed so therefore everything surrounding said incident must also be a lie.

 

I think Brian's article sums up pretty well that the story should not really be surprising and any outrage should be directed towards MSM which has turned into narrative building and story telling for ratings as opposed to actual journalism.

Nice touch...I think

At the risk of potentially insulting your artistic skill, the fact that none of the M jerseys in the first panel have the same color blue or yellow is a fantastic touch, if intended and I'm not seeing things.

If not, I apologize but it is still hilarious.

Don't like the uni's, like the helmets

I posted on FB after watching the Utah State/Toledo matchup where they both had matte helmets that I'd be curious to see the M helmet in matte.



I like this helmet. I think a full matte would be cool too.



That being said, I don't like the uni. It's too busy and weird.



Fighting the patch is a losing battle. That's what the bowls do these days. I'm guessing (hoping) its an Outback Bowl requirement and not a choice by DB.

The Logic

The Logic is that if Bielema knew how to take advantage of the talent he had at his disposal and properly coach a running game, the games would never have been within reach of a hail mary.  That is what he has said at least.

The point where Buckeye-fan & I agree with him on is that OSU was a mess last year and Braxton Miller was really green and they should've been able to win that game.

FWIW, normal logic seems to take a vacation with this particular Badger-fan on a consistent basis.  This same person stated that Calvin Johnson is not a top-5 receiver in the NFL, so I like getting his opinions simply for entertainment.

Badger-Fan Perspective

I work with a Badger fan from Wisconsin & a Spartan/Buckeye fan from Michigan (his parents went to OSU, he went to State) and it is always an interesting discussion with them on things like that.

Badger-Fan is practically giddy, especially now that Alvarez is going to coach the Rose Bowl.  In his words "Bielema went to Rose Bowls, Alvarez won them."  He is convinced that last year's team was a National Championship caliber team now that he's seen Russel Wilson in the NFL and therefore Bielema blew it.  He also believes that Wisconsin is a destination program and therefore will get someone fantastic.

Spartan/Buckeye fan is very leery of the entire thing and feels like it could go either way but bottom-line, Bielema leaving for Arkansas is not a good sign for the B1G.

My fellow Michigan fans & I are fearful that we are going to see the end of Wisconsin as a power program and OSU will have run of the division (assuming current divisions maintain) and the B1G will continue to suffer a quality issue and fall even further behind.

So, its all about perspective I suppose.

Big 0x10

See, Delaney is secretly a computer geek and wants the Big 10 name to make sense again.



So, we get to 16 teams and end up with the Big 0x10....



Seriously though, I tried explaining the entire situation to a non-sports fan and they said at the end "These are Universities right? Who are supposed to focus on education?"



I laughed and laughed and laughed.

Fitzgerald & Demens

I personally cannot wait for the flood of Fitzgerald gifs that come out of that obnoxiousness.  I am not a gif creator, but I imagine him on a trampoline or wearing a cheerleader outfit with pom poms, pigtails & skirt.

 

As for Demens, my friend & I watching on TV were both saying before the play started "Why are they only putting 3 on the line?  Why are the rest playing so far back?  Oh boy...."  and then as the play ended "OHHHH!, That's why so Demens could tee him up.  THAT WAS AWESOME!"  I really need to start trusting Mattison more.  He really has earned it at this point.