Meta - MGoShoe Homage - MIA 1+ month

Submitted by TESOE on

It's been over a month since MGoShoe checked out.  I for one miss him. 

http://mgoblog.com/content/being-steve-buschemi#comment-1210472

He was a huge presence rightfully bio'd by SixZero...

http://mgoblog.com/diaries/mgoprofile-volume-9

I have to agree with him that post Appalachian State PTSD sufferers are not to be suffered.

There have been many a great MGoUser who have come and gone.  I miss Michigan Dan, MGoObes, TOB and even some banhammered into oblivion ... and many other unmentioned posters.  They all have their reasons too many to list or attribute.... 

MGoShoe...RIP.  I am jealous of the time you have bonused back to yourself this past month.  I hope you spent it well and are enjoying the wild ride that is Michigan athletics.

Homage complete...carry on.

Transatlantic Flight

September 26th, 2011 at 1:33 AM ^

I agree. It's weird how people just sort of vanish from you radar, but MGoShoe and the others you mentioned provided great commentary. It is interesting to think about how much the message board has evolved over the years. I myself have been reading since late 2007 (though only a sporadic contributor), and as things have expanded and changed in both the site and the program, the dynamics have shifted drastically over the years. I don't think it has necessarily gotten any worse, but there is a bit of nostalgia in me for some of the nuttier, King of Belch type of creatures that used to lurk around.

Best of luck guys.

Michiganian for Life

September 26th, 2011 at 1:56 AM ^

TSS I am right there with you.

To MGoShoe's main point, this blog has gotten out of control with the rediculous attacks on our Athletic Director.  Please know this is not intended as an ad hominem attack, just an observation.  In my opinion Brian needs to watch and control is irrational anger towards Dave Brandon.  I say that because when Brian speaks on the issue his zealous followers take up the banner three fold and make this blog downright unbearable at times.  Of course this is an incredible blog and Brian's work is generally wonderful, but this attack on the AD has got to end.  I get it, you don't agree with his corporate background, his business like attitude - whatever it is...save it for when/if he does something ACTUALLY worth a complaint.  If you don't feel like these complaints are noteworthy, simply look to the fact that a great contributor to this blog is no longer.

turd ferguson

September 26th, 2011 at 2:16 AM ^

Come on, man.  Of all people to be sensitive about, you're sensitive about Dave Brandon? 

I agree that the criticism around here can be too harsh, especially when it's about U-M athletes (e.g., Obi Ezeh) and especially especially when it's about high school kids (e.g,. the "terrible, noodle-armed" high school QB who throws to one of our recruits).

But Dave Brandon?  He'll have more influence over how Michigan football changes in the coming years than anyone, and it's completely reasonable to push back when he floats ideas like a Michigan mascot or moving the UM-OSU game to the middle of the season.  Brandon's a big boy, and he needs to hear those voices.

StephenRKass

September 26th, 2011 at 9:34 AM ^

You picked the two easiest trial balloons to criticize (mascot, UM-OSU.) These are not emblamatic of all DB decisions.

The point is, not everything is worthy of criticism. DB has been criticized for firing RR, for the hiring "process," for hiring Hoke, instead of Harbaugh, for pizza, for the scoreboards, for having any music in the stadium, for night games, for pom poms, for scheduling Alabama in JerryWorld, for legacy jerseys, for not retiring numbers, and on and on and on and on. DB is a big boy, and can deal with criticism, but yes, constant whining like a 10 year old school girl (of which there is one under my roof) gets old, very old. If criticism is not constructive, you risk being completely shut out and ignored. Oh wait, DB has done that already? Go figure . . . 

As for the OP, I too miss mgoshoe, and some of the whiny threads are so irritating I can't ready them any more.

turd ferguson

September 26th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^

Wait, who criticized DB for scoreboards, night games, pizza(?), and half of the other things you mentioned?
<br>Brandon's in a position where it absolutely makes sense to apply pressure when it's something important to a silent majority of the fans (e.g., advertising on the field). Plus, it's not like I picked Brandon's only two questionable moves. From Appy State to Pop Evil to "throwbacks" that we've never worn and look more like Adidas ads, I think it's reasonable to want to keep an eye on him.
<br>If he doesn't feel any pressure from fans, then he'll (rightfully) always default to maximizing profit. We need to show where there are other passions involved.

El Jeffe

September 26th, 2011 at 2:24 AM ^

Wat? Look, Brian could not be more clear that he is a young old fuddy duddy. He says it virtually weekly on WTKA. In addition, he has a blog, which is his. In this blog, he writes criticisms of many things, Dave Brandon's enabling of Pop Evil among them. And make no mistake--Pop Evil is a fucking atrocity.

I have no idea what bee got in MGoShoe's bonnet. Of all the things to take a stand on and quit over, scheduling Appy St. a second time has to be the least stand-worthy imaginable. Brian has crapped on Brandon for things far less idiotic than this craven money grab ("ASU (NTASU) II: The Revengening!!! This Time It's PERSONAL!!!"). Shoe can do whatever he wants with his time, obviously, but I don't get why that was the final straw. Having said that, I wish he would forgive and forget and return.

And finally, there is no meme I hate worse than the "Brian has a bunch of sycophantic yes men who agree with everything he says" meme. Perhaps, maybe, it is just possible, that among the thousands of people who read this blog, there are several who independently share his opinion on certain matters, rather than being in his Svengali-like thrall. Just because you disagree doesn't mean the agreers are a bunch of lockstep groupthink toadies.

turd ferguson

September 26th, 2011 at 2:38 AM ^

I agree with everything you said.

That includes the "yes men" meme, which you describe well.  It has struck me, though, that I don't remember any disagreement/debate about anything Michigan-related from within the MGoBlog staff types (Brian, Tim, Misopogon, Ace, etc.).  Whether it's oversigning, RR's job status, who is Michigan's best RB, or anything else, it seems odd that everyone is always in such lockstep.  At the end of the day, this is a sports blog, not the Department of Defense, and having friendly debate within the MGoBlog leadership might help to set a positive tone for debate on the MGoBoard.

El Jeffe

September 26th, 2011 at 9:36 AM ^

Your point about the leadership is an interesting one that I hadn't considered. I'm guessing you're mostly right, though I notice some disagreement on the podcast from time to time.

Mostly I think that Brian's inner circle understands that he has a particular editorial point of view and is almost always simply expressing his opinion. In terms of the topic of this thread, Brian has been pretty clear that he does not like the NBA-ifying of the Michigan stadium experience, and he lays the blame for that mostly at Brandon's feet.

The first part of that position is an opinion, and I'm not sure whether it makes sense for anyone to get into a "I like it/I hate it" discussion with Brian. The second part of that would require some digging, which makes me wonder if Ace or Heiko could do that digging. I would be interested to know, for example, if you made a list of Brian's top 10 most hated changes to the stadium experience (plus Appy St.), who would have green-lit those decisions directly or indirectly.

That is, I doubt Brandon is sitting there with a catalog of stuff you can do to make the kidz more hyped, yo, just flipping through the pages and ordering shit over the telephone. But he probably has set a tone and instructed his chain of command to develop ideas that make the fan experience more "modern." Some of that works, like the scoreboards. And then there's Pop Evil...

Seth

September 26th, 2011 at 11:24 AM ^

You think Brian and I don't have disagreements? Sing-alongs, man! Brian says parodying a song by changing the words is the lowest form of humor; I obviously think they're gold.

Also, Michigan's Best RB. I have been on Vincent Smith's bandwagon since his freshman year vs. Wisconsin and blamed his lower production in '10 on the injury. I was never that high on Hopkins but Brian was. I have revised my opinion this year to Fitz Toussaint but that's because Fitz has popped out, not because I've downgraded Smith. Brian is probably on the Fitz train now too, and I'm guessing his take on Smith has changed as well. Both of us were late to praise Kovacs and are now overcompensating because we've realized the WLA has been making fun of MGoBlog with the hash mark thing.

Heiko hasn't been around long enough or had his opinions on the front page enough that we would know if he disagreed about anything with Brian. Ace had his own blog and you can find a few times when he disagreed with Brian.

As for me, I don't know how useful it would be if I debated Brian. My Michigan football knowledge is pretty good for a lay man but Cook has UFR'ed a hundred football games and I've read 120 UFRs (remainder from BWS). Whenever I try to argue with him Brian inevitably pulls out arcane knowledge that I'd forgotten or never learned and I lose.

We have plenty of disagreements, but they're the subtle type you find within an administration, e.g. I'm pissed off NCAA isn't counting this year's stats from the WMU game because Denard is going to set records, and Brian thinks this is no big deal. I'm not sure this is the kind of thing the readers really would give a shit about, or at least not to the point where they'd sit around reading two people go off on it.

If you have your copy of this year's (publication formerly known as) HTTV, one of those differences became apparent in our picks for "breakout player" on O/D. Brian had Demens on defense and Hopkins on offense because his engineering mind puts a lot of faith in coaching and scheme, and those were guys with skillsets that structurally fit better in the new schemes. I went with Carvin Johnson (for reasons that would apply to T.Gordon) and Junior Hemingway because my mind tends to fixate on YMRMFSFPA more than scheme. Neither of us are extremists in this regard so a debate would again be kind of like "yeah he's right but..."

The biggest disagreement we've had on Michigan is during the Hoke hire, when Brian was like "We are ND" and I was like "okay fanbase on both sides, take a look at your own hypocrisies before calling out those of the others." But Brian had his balls on the table already in being the guy who said there's no way it's Hoke so then he had to, like, protect those balls. Mine were safely tucked away so i was in better position for Dylanesque critique. My way was safer but far less useful to the reader.

This comes down more to writing style than thought processes: I've got a ton of Mitch Albom sappycock in my writing which keeps me from saying anything that would piss too many people off; Brian's got a heavy dose of Chuck Palahniuk. Both of us would rather have people believe these traits are interpretations of DFW.

turd ferguson

September 27th, 2011 at 3:43 AM ^

Thanks for the response.  Before I say anything more, I should say that I genuinely respect you and your work here (based on what very little I know about you).  Although I often find myself picking on your opinions and quantitative analysis, I've always felt that your responses are classy and your writing is entertaining.

My point was not that you guys never disagree on anything; it was that it's odd that the disagreements seem so minimal even when the opinions held are controversial.  Attitudes toward the coaching situation have seem oddly uniform around here, and the handling of the injury-related attrition while Brian was gone seemed like an unnecessary (and I thought poor) attempt to speak for Brian in his absence.

I'm definitely not proposing any kind of formal debates.  I just think it'd be interesting to see some meaningful disagreement from the MGoBlog leadership.

 

Seth

September 27th, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^

Yeah, I caught some (rightful) flack for that. I can assure you if that was done to try to be Brian, it was subconsciously. That was me talking, not Brian. What people took for an approximation Cook-ian bias or critical directive was my journalism background (before Heiko I was the only one on staff with formal training in that) saying if something looks convenient it's important to find out whether that convenience had any part in what happened. There was no bias involved in that (how could there be when my biases are deeply pro-Hoke and pro-Michigan?) -- the purpose was exploratory because I think it's way more valuable to ask the question and answer it (like we did) than to ignore the question because asking it might create doubt. That is at the core of good journalism.

That's another big disagreement by the way. Brian thinks being a journalist is being a stenographer and different from what he does because he is a lay man who lets his biases be known; I think Brian is simply a better journalist than Mark Snyder.

What you're never going to see from this site is the kind of disagreement that you'd get if, say, you put X host from FoxNews in a room with Y host from MSNBC. The stark disagreements that make for great TV are useless arguments had between people who care more about defending their beliefs/tropes/biases than coming to a single understanding. You can't be like that an write for MGo. You shouldn't be in media at all if you're like that. However if you're not like that the disagreements are necessarily going to be subtle and becoming less so the longer they go on.

The coaching changes of the last four years were very polarizing for this fanbase, so I understand that it's hard not to see anything having to do with the coaches through that prism. However the coaches are the coaches today and we serve you best by being critical and fair to whomever the coaches are today; we must hazard the polarizing reality until it's so blitheringly obvious to every Michigan fan that Hoke is better for Michigan than his predecessor that nobody debates this anymore.

Between Brian and me, though, you're not going to see "meaningful disagreement" on any of those subjects except subtle differences between how we saw Carr and what we were willing to forgive RR for. So much of my understanding of Michigan football comes from Brian anyway, and what isn't comes from the same sources (Chris Brown, et al.). 

M-Wolverine

September 27th, 2011 at 5:33 PM ^

Because the day after you posted it, Tim posted the same thing, and took it up another notch, adding that Brian would reign fire and brimstone when he got back, so it seemed like overkill and lock step belief.  Of course, then Brian came back and was kinda "meh", but Tim really probably accelerrated that into overkill made it seem like group think.

I'm not so sure about

 

people who care more about defending their beliefs/tropes/biases than coming to a single understanding. You can't be like that an write for MGo.

I think this goes back to your fundamental belief difference. Because I think you've seen a lot of this on the front page. An easy (and not too inflammatory) example is the "why the offense was good against Wisconsin" post in what, late Spring, early Summer?  At that point it served no purpose other than doing just the above, and at a time when we were better off served with posts on SDS, what Borges or Mattison had run in the past, or anything analyzing the upcoming season. I'm not even commenting on the validity of the views anymore, right or wrong.  It's the matter that Brian, not thinking he's a journalist, believes he can do just that and write for MGo (because it's kinda his), and you think it's not what should be done, because he is an excellent journalist.  And there's actually nothing wrong with either view....it's just that there's been a whole lot of "defending of beliefs" written on here, and not much coming to an understanding.

The image problem lies in that there were very similiar stages of grief gone through by all the major players here; and that it didn't reallly reflect the fanbase as a whole. Or (where the problem really lies) even a majority.  Because though there's nothing wrong with an intelligent minority opinion getting it's say, the trap lies in when everyone around you is just  slight angles of the same thing, and in basic agreement, you start to believe that everyone believes as you do.  Many a time has there been just an outright assumption by Brian that "because I believe it, obviously everyone else does too" in matter of factly ways.  But the truth is, this is a pretty insular, and against the grain place. Again, not a bad thing by any stretch, as long as there's acknowledgement that reasonable people can and do disagree. (and they don't need to "fuck off").

That's the voice I think people are talking about....not cable news combativeness, which is more my style, because I like a good argument, but wouldn't make a good working situation, or frankly, a healthy forum. but reasonable disagreement on not just shades of gray, but bigger issues (if not actually the overarching goals and views of the program). It's not a democracy, but when all the major players object to the same things, it comes off not as based on thought, but belief.

The fact that you're waiting to be proved right or wrong that "Hoke is better or worse than" Rich, or Lloyd, or anybody is kinda the mindset shift where people see a new bias. A lot of it is the beatdown of the last 3 years, that has crushed many a spirit, for sure.  But there's an undeniable shift from believing in Rich, and fairly pointing out things that have gone wrong, to not much belief in the program, and fairly pointing out things that have gone right. It's fair, and reasonable, but coming from a negative slant, and not one that really fits a "fan's point of view" resource.  It's more coldly, and harshly, media driven. Because, the truth is, it'll all be from a certain point of view.  Was Lloyd better than Mo? Bo? Crisler? Vice Versa, combinations.  There aren't engineer hard data evidence, unless a guy becomes Yost.  I mean, even in the same guy, you have someone like Rich who's had a lot of success, and a lot of failure.  It's never going to be defined to your satisfaction.  We'll know in 3 years if we have continued to go in a horrible direction, or if we're better for it, or truly made a great move. Maybe.  

But till then, isn't it better to enjoy the journey?  The new math has gone from the glory of being a fan of Michigan, to not really enjoying anything, until "it's proven to my satisfaction"...which isn't going to happen. Because no one is perfect, and every fanbase has their complaints.  Reality will bring us enough pain and suffering. That's what it does.  If you have to err on not enjoying the good things along the way so you're ready for a dong punch, that really isn't going to hurt any less because kept telling yourself it was coming, or having fun when you take the first game under the lights, and make it an amazing historic night, and not worrying less than 24 hours after you've had something to be happy about, and turning every week into a month long marathon of winning and gloom.  There's time to be sober on Wednesday, with a UFR.  But it's catching, and being believed by those who read, because Saturday was a 3 TD victory that was treated more like a loss. Brian didn't think so, so I wonder if everyone else will still. 

Because it can work....but I just can't imagine how enjoyable it is to write or read from a viewpoint that would make Poe seem like Disney.  But all this made more sense and was more structured the first time I wrote it. Kids, don't use your work Internet Explorer to try a preview to see if the blockquotes worked at the end of the day, because it never loads and just dumps everything that sounded way more profound.

Seth

September 27th, 2011 at 6:30 PM ^

I think it's a bad idea for us to try to represent any views but our own. I shouldn't be aping Brian, and I shouldn't be taking a contrary position just so we have that.

There's a good amount of respect for other peoples' opinions but there's a line that's drawn when those opinions are no longer being argued with the same factual evidence.

There are going to be more times in the future where 90% of the fanbase is somewhere and every writer on this blog is going to be elsewhere and if there were not you should be worried because that means we are probably hiding something in the name of being popular.

This is a thought experiment I have found incredibly important for any dealings I have with people who think differently than I do: imagine there is no evil or wrong or bad or negative purpose behind a person's action, now think of why they did that. This exercise has been very helpful to me in figuring out intentions that I can't always see because of my own biases. People very seldom do things or say things for negative reasons -- those who conisistently do evil are the people who think others are most capable of evil and therefore can justify the most bad.

Try this with the offense vs. wisconsin posting: if there is no such thing as bias, and Brian posted the article about the offense last year versus Wisconsin when he did, why did he write the article?

The purpose I come to is because he's trying to illustrate a point about the effectiveness of Michigan's offense last year, and how effective it is going to be this year. The article, if I remember correctly, was written just before Spring Ball started, which is when it's safe to assume Al Borges was about to start teaching the 2011 team how to run the 2011 offense. As fans with a rooting interest, it was an important point in deciding what we should root for. Was the offense installed by Rich Rod worth saving even if run by a spread NOOB, or was it better to let the staff dismantle it in favor of building a future offense.

He chose that Wisconsin game because it is a perfect fault line, and fault lines are the best place to start when settling an argument with a big divide. We got cremurdered in that game and never felt like we were in it. So the natural tendency of any Michigan fan is to throw the offense under the bus and call the whole affair a bloody disaster. However the factual evidence is very strong from that game that Michigan's 2010 offense was awesome. Brian used that game as an example because it was a HARD test to pass for the theory of Great Offense. If the theory stood up even in that mess, it would have to be generally acknowledged a strong theory.

I think with that specific example and many other times you tend to see the theory as a bias and its hard test as creating controversy.

The purpose of MGoBlog isn't to be against the grain or with the grain, but to let the available information dictate editorial direction. You look at the Notre Dame game and Saturday night I was running up and down the Gowanus Canal screaming like a hobo because HOLY SHIT WOW FUCK AWESOME WHHHHAAATT? And then Sunday the glow is still there. And then Monday I rewatched the game and objectively if certain events aren't like crazy lucky for us Michigan didn't look like a team that will beat a team as good as Notre Dame more than half the time. I can't decide to ignore the massive swing created by a completely random Rees fumble on 1st and Goal because it would make for better enjoyment: it's there and it's true and that's that.

I can't speak for Brian--most of what's interpreted as negativity is really just him trying to point out flaws so they can be fixed. For me, there is still a sadness that wins over, e.g. SDSU can lessen but not fully lift. If you are waiting to see Misopogon go back to pure, absolute delight from Michigan football, one thing and one thing only has to happen.

Beating Notre Dame again again by 4 and being most of the way toward bowl eligibility before the Big Ten season feels as wonderful as it did the last two times. But for this fan and for this program there are benchmarks that must be passed before true euphoria can be experienced. Let's leave coach assessment out of this entirely and focus on where the program is right now. The next level is beating Michigan State. This signals Michigan is BACK to being a player in the Big Ten. It signals optimism. It signals things are righting. We are waking.

But you and I both know what needs to happen for the nightmare to truly be over and the pall to lift.

For me, every year there is one day in late November, and then either 364 days of pouring pessimism with a few occasional breaks or 364 days of bright sunlight pocked by a few clouds. You've never met me in those sunny years. You'd like me a lot.

hart20

September 26th, 2011 at 2:32 AM ^

Essentially, you've just said that anyone who agrees with Brian is an idiot and that they're ruining this blog. I'm split on Brandon, there are things that he has done that I have liked and there are things that he has done that I haven't liked. Brian agreeing or disagreeing with me is not going to change my opinion. . What's the difference between people "attacking" Dave Brandon and you attacking those who have the nerves to agree with Brian? I know you said that you didn't intend your post to be "an ad hominem attack", but what you said you wanted it to be and what it actually is are two different things.

white_pony_rocks

September 26th, 2011 at 1:58 PM ^

people shouldnt voice their opinions when it is critical of brian's opinion in a piece he writes for the front page of his blog.  It looks tacky and whiney and it isnt going to change anything, so if you get the feeling you aren't going to agree with a post by him, either stop reading it or read it and keep your  negative opinion to yourself, but saying things like "I think brian needs to tone down his criticism of dave brandon, its pathetic", or "brian needs to stop with talking about the negatives of hoke since he is our coach now and it makes him look like he isnt on board with the program", nothing you say will change anything so just shut up.  if you have a problem with something another poster says then by all means, go ahead and attack, all of us are fair game

TheLastHarbaugh

September 26th, 2011 at 2:42 AM ^

Shoe was correct in his ASSesment of Brian.

Brian became way too emo after the Hoke hire.

I loved RR, and was 100% committed to his tenure unlike some jackassholes on the board (looking at you, dahblue), but the second RR was fired and Hoke was hired it was time to move on. Brian spent an unecessary length of time whining over the departure of Rich Rod. The rational posters on the board know why he failed, and those who hated him could not be convinced if God himself came down from the heavens and explained to them in person, so there was no need for Brian to go on his emoscapade. Those who got it, got it, those who didn't, never will.

I get people being frustrated with the process. I get people who were upset that we didn't land Harbaugh or Les, but the coach we have now is, IMHO, excellent. He knows that he's not an offensive genius like RR, or a defensive mastermind like Bo. He understands his limitations, and much like one, Lester John Joseph Miles, hires outstanding coordinators, and allows them to call the games while he uses his exceptional management and recruiting skills to build a winner.

/My 2 cents

turd ferguson

September 26th, 2011 at 2:44 AM ^

We should have one thread where everyone's allowed to say whatever he/she wants about Rodriguez, the treatment of Rodriguez by media/fans, and anything else related to the coaching stuff.  Just get it all out -- maybe even without people replying to other posts (just a series of opinion pieces).  After that, let's just bury the damn thing and get on with our lives as Michigan fans.

profitgoblue

September 26th, 2011 at 10:45 AM ^

You idea is well-taken but I'm not sure people can take another one of these conversations.  I was as active as any in those threads over the last 2 years and, looking back, it was not fun.  Not at all.  All that happened was that people's feelings got hurt,  Those conversations went and continue to go from zero to nuclear like *that* and were the opposite of constructive.  Its probably just time to let sleeping dogs lie and move along . . .

Magnus

September 26th, 2011 at 3:58 AM ^

I guess I didn't really realize that MGoShoe was gone, but he was a quality poster.  I remember specifically skipping over that Buscemi post because it was too non-football related.

Why did MGoObes leave?  I've been wondering that for a while.

TheLastHarbaugh

September 26th, 2011 at 4:18 AM ^

I miss Obes too, but I feel he was too cool for us to begin with.

Non Sequitur: The GA RB, Kamani Thomas (Sp?), what are your thoughts? I was a defensive guy when I played, and my offensive knowledge is limited to the few times I played fullback (few and far in-between), but it seems by the limited highlights I've seen (so obviously it's difficult to extrapolate anything but...) it seems his competition level is awful. Thoughts, good sir?

Magnus

September 26th, 2011 at 4:44 AM ^

I wasn't very impressed with the competition, but he goes to a decent sized school and, therefore, his competition would likely be from good sized schools.  They're definitely not very fundamentally sound, but there should be some decent athletes trying to tackle him.  IMO, Thomas looks better than either of the other two running backs Michigan has offered for 2013.

aaamichfan

September 26th, 2011 at 8:23 AM ^

The quality of posters on the MGoBoard has gotten pretty bad lately. Sometimes you open a thread, and it's worse than mlive. There needs to be some enforcer-like character to keep some of the dumbasses out.

Seth

September 26th, 2011 at 8:32 AM ^

I miss Shoe as well. Anytime a longtime respected user leaves it's a moment for editorial to reflect on whether we are doing as good a job as we can.

I'm not happy that we scheduled Appalachian State -- I think that goes for a majority of Michigan fans, and this blog at its core is about the Michigan fan experience. In the course of fandom sometimes we all simply lose our shit. Brian is no more immune from this than you are. He probably went too far in tying together a few nonrelated items (mascots, Pop Evil, App State) to essentially say DB isn't a "Michigan Man" (or "doesn't get it.")

That's going to happen again, because you're talking about a dude who CARES a lot about what he's reporting.

If you want passionless reporting, go read a newspaper. If you want someone so personally invested in Michigan football that he'll give up a substantial portion of his life to Upon Further Review, understand that you are dealing with someone personally affected by anything having to do with Michigan football, and that such people are liable to simply lose their shit once in a while.

That said, I understand that every time someone here does lose our shit, we're going to be less respected on that issue next time it comes up. Everyone still casts a wary glance whenever Brian criticizes Hoke or DB because Brian emphatically lost his shit during "the Process" and all that. I would ask that readers have a little patience for fellow fans, otherwise every time Hoke or Brandon makes a mistake, we won't be able to report it.

profitgoblue

September 26th, 2011 at 10:37 AM ^

What you say is exactly correct - Michigan football is inherently emotional and the difference between Brian and the vast majority of us is that his life is devoted to studying, analyzing, and discussing all things related to this emotional sport for the world to see.  I think all of us feel those same emotions, we just do not have the same platform from which to broadcast those emotions.

Sure, Brian may say things people disagree with or even hate him for (?), but people need to remember that for every inflammatory point there is an equally inflammatory counterpoint.  In my eyes, the coaching change discussions were a perfect example of how not to discuss emotional issues.

For me (if anyone cares), what is most important going forward is to make sure that everyone has a chance to express his/her opinions without being personally attacked.  There was far too much of this over the past year and I think it truly hurt people's feelings.  Its easy to forget that behind each of these posts/threads there are people that have a great common ground - Michigan football. 

I think everyone should remember that many of us went to school together, lived in the same dorms, ate at the same favorite spots, walked the same path to Michigan Stadium, threw marshmallows at the ABC cameramen, and share a mutual love for Lloyd Brady.  There's more in common between us than not, I think.  Maybe we can try to be a little more civil to each other going forward.  Because this blog should be something that people enjoy reading, for both informational and educational purposes. 

/blowing nose

Njia

September 26th, 2011 at 12:42 PM ^

MGoShoe (by his own admission on these hallowed e-pages) is a decorated, former naval officer and current reserve officer. He is also a very successful senior executive at a major IT company. Unless he had decided to completely make a left turn with his career (and at the risk of his spouse beating the sh-t out of him) it would very much surprise me if he had.

M-Wolverine

September 26th, 2011 at 8:51 PM ^

Informative posts and info, pulled together and contributing for nothing. And contrary to some, the most even-keeled of posters on here. The only side he was on was Michigan's. If he's driven off, it's definitely time to take a long look in the mirror.
<br>
<br>Because you were really misreading the thread if you thought it was "too much passion" that drove him off. It was that all the passion was being directed one way...in being unendingly negative...about EVERYTHING. Passion should go both ways, good and bad. But it hasn't. Even the very first column after a historic win vs. Notre Dame, surely conceived in the hours after it, was as much Emo as WOW. Not the UFR a couple of days later with sober analysis...the UTL reaction! It's cultivating an insulated world where 4 wins = 4 weeks of worrying and griping on the boards. Brian seemed more positive today...I wonder if people will follow suit after the negativity of Saturday.
<br>
<br>The content is still fine, but I find myself more and more interested in the supporting articles by you, and while TomVH was a big loss, Ace and Heiko are doing great too. But it's been mainly about the MGoCommunity, and hanging out with guys talking Michigan. I mean, remember when we actually wanted to organize an MGoTailgate, rather than kill each other? I look at the highest point total guys on the blog...and I see a lot of guys who post a lot less. Some is life, some is other interests (and blogs), but I can't help but think a lot of it is fatigue. And it'll survive and evolve. But I don't know that it's a better place. And I probably haven't helped, either.

ClearEyesFullHart

September 26th, 2011 at 9:04 AM ^

There's nothing in the bylaws that says that Brian has to be a Michigan fan.  If he wants to banhammer folks who want to defend the program that is Brian's prerogative.  If he wants to tell people to go F#$@ themselves because they spotted him sobbing at the end of the Notre Dame game...Go start your own blog if you dont like it.  Brian is under no obligation to root for the maize and blue.  If you dont like it, then leave.