MGoShoe

June 19th, 2012 at 4:05 PM ^

...2016 offer because I implicitly trust the coaching staff's ability to foresee the future with perfect clarity. Kiffinesque, one might say.

Leaders And Best

June 19th, 2012 at 4:19 PM ^

But I also think it is a combination with the increased coverage of recruiting to the point where the casual fan has a lot more information than 10 years ago. These offers may have been going out in the past, but fans may have never known about them.

Just on twitter in the last 10 minutes, there have been reports of Michigan offers to 2014 WR Drake Harris, 2014 DB Monte Nicholson, 2014 LB Joseph Henderson, & 2015 RB Damien Harris.

CRex

June 19th, 2012 at 7:18 PM ^

I wonder in the general sense how many of these early offers come with strings.  Like "We'll give you an offer assuming you meet these targets...".  It seems odd to basically tell these kids "We'll express mail you a written one the first day we legally can.".  

Basically the word "offer" has replaced the word "interest".

Bryan

June 19th, 2012 at 4:16 PM ^

No offers, real or otherwise, to a player until July 1 after his sophomore season. That gives them two years of HS development before any contact can occur. Giving 'offers' to kids that just finished their freshman year is too soon.

FrankMurphy

June 19th, 2012 at 4:23 PM ^

2015? Jebus.

Imagine what it must do to the psyche of a 14 year old kid to see his name and picture plastered all over the Internet by random strangers. 

FrankMurphy

June 19th, 2012 at 7:48 PM ^

No, the class of 2015 just finished its freshman year of high school. Freshmen normally begin the school year as 14 year olds. They turn 15 at some point before December 1 of the following year (in most states). So a kid who just finished his freshman year wouldn't be closing in on 16 unless he started school late, was held back, or has a December birthday.  

WolvinLA2

June 19th, 2012 at 11:01 PM ^

Well that's just not true.  I knew lots of kids who turned 16 over the summer going into their sophomore year, and also in the fall.  None of them were held back.  It just depends when your parents chose to start you.  I'm a January birthday, and I was by no means the oldest of my classmates.

M-Wolverine

June 20th, 2012 at 2:44 PM ^

I'm a month and a half older than him, but he was in the class behind me in college.  So he was always the old guy in his class, and I was always the young one.  We turned 21 in college right after the other, when I was a senior and he was a junior.

joeismyname

June 19th, 2012 at 4:29 PM ^

I used to play against this guys school sometimes in HIgh School (when I was on the JV squad).....I don't recall them being much of a power in the JV world...pretty sure Madison Central was the leader in the the county then.....don't follow KY high school ball at all anymore, but it is cool to see someone offered from there

UMichYank11

June 20th, 2012 at 8:04 AM ^

I didn't know this kid is from Berea...I graduated from Eastern Kentucky in Richmond last summer!  My parents still live in Richmond while I live in Bowling Green, KY! I lived in Grand Haven Michigan for a while before moving below the Mason-Dixon Line.  Either way, I was born and raised a Michigan fan!  Good to know that their are more Michigan fans in the area around Lexington!

03 Blue 07

June 19th, 2012 at 11:59 PM ^

No, not really. You only missed it by a couple years. I am 31, and I can remember when it changed, I was "past" that point in life, so I'd say it changed somewhere around...1991 or 1992. If you're 25, it's highly conceivable that you could have gone to Showbiz as a 4 year old. And yeah, I had my 7th birthday party at Showbiz Pizza. in 1988. Chuck E. Cheese was actually just a member of the band (I'm not making this up; there was a band of dancing, dressed up plush animals) at the time. I distinctly remember saying over and over again to him "you're not real- you're a person. I see you in there." I don't think Chuck liked it.

Louie C

June 20th, 2012 at 1:41 AM ^

That gorilla scared the living shit out of me when I was little. There are numerous videos on YouTube of the band doing covers of contemporary songs. Their cover of Usher's "Love In This Club" is hilarious and the choreography is so spot on it is actually kind of creepy. I'm on my phone so I can't embed the video. Just search for Rock-A-Fire Explosion (the name of the band), smoke a bowl or have a few drinks, and enjoy.

Jfox1020

June 19th, 2012 at 7:54 PM ^

that damn gorilla scared me shitless. Wasnt there a whole band of scary animals?? Im 30 and have to go to (Formely known as Showbiz) for my nieces and its not even close.. That was a huge deal in the 80's..The mouse blows

Knight

June 19th, 2012 at 8:30 PM ^

I once snuck into the stage area when it was closed to get a look at the weird robot band I spotted through the curtains. The room was dark except for one light above the stage. I was just about at the stage when the gorilla's head twitched and looked right at me despite not being on. I NOPE'd out of there and haven't been back since.

03 Blue 07

June 20th, 2012 at 12:01 AM ^

This is the best threadjack ever, by the way. And I SWEAR that Chuck E. Cheese was a member of the band in the late 80's. In Fairview Heights, IL, where I had said bday party, they were people in costumes. Or were there people in costumes AND a mechanical, robotic band? Shit, I don't even know, actually. Mind. Blown.

M-Wolverine

June 20th, 2012 at 2:50 PM ^

Showbiz and Chuck E. were competitors; separate companies. Even went to court against each other. Thus there were two different bands. (No one remembers the singing bear band?).  Then the arcade business went south, and Showbiz actually bought out Chuck E....and then eventually, to save on costs, adopted the Mouse for their shows and stuff, as said above.

But then most probably don't remember when these places were pizza arcades, and it wasn't about weird games and tickets.  The only non-video games were skee ball, and the ball pit. The rest was quarters (or tokens) and video games.  And you got one game per token....and video games lasted as long as you were good enough to not die, rather than a time frame and continuing with more quarters....and...and...get off my lawn....!!!

 

http://burgerbeast.com/2009/07/28/showbiz-pizza-chuck-e-cheese-saga/

GTWolverine

June 19th, 2012 at 4:51 PM ^

Before you pass judgement look up his film. This kid is a rare talent and is physically ready. Only way to go is up for this kid. I for one am glad we got on him early. He's a lifelong Michigan fan who idolizes Mike hart. No reason to not try and land a probable future 5 star early on.

GTWolverine

June 19th, 2012 at 4:51 PM ^

Before you pass judgement look up his film. This kid is a rare talent and is physically ready. Only way to go is up for this kid. I for one am glad we got on him early. He's a lifelong Michigan fan who idolizes Mike hart. No reason to not try and land a probable future 5 star early on.