META: Lost "Hello" posts for recruits who never came to UM?
As others have noted, we are solidly in the dead period for college sports, and as such we are all trying to keep the good times going here at the blog. Plus, it sounds like most of us are still waiting on our copy of HTTV.
With that in mind, I started to think about the inner workings of the blog, and one thing I always wondered was how "pre-written" are the Hello posts for new recruits. I mean, there is an obvious difference in quality between the posts created for the expected signings and those that come out when a long-snapper joins the squad (NTTIAWT). In order to have the information available to inquiring minds as soon as possible, I presume that Ace and his predecessors have pre-written at least parts of the posts beforehand, adding in a bit of context and some final notes when it becomes official.
So I was wondering, is there a repository of those Hello posts for recruits who didn't sign at UM somewhat unexpected, and if so, is anyone else dying to read some of them? Sure, it's 100% schadenfreude, but being able to look at a bit and see what might have been, or what bullet was dodged, would be pretty insightful. I mean, a partially-completed "Hello: Terrelle Pryor" post would be epic considering what has transpired. Or the great lost DT class of 2008 with a pun-filled Pearlie Graves and DeQuinta Jones posts, when Jay Hopson was expected to open up the Southeast to Michigan rule. Or the "Suck on it Ohio"-ness of the Brionte Dunn welcome page.
Again, this might drag up bad memories and all, but I think as fans sometimes we forget what might have been and revise history in the process. Anyone else share this sentiment?
No, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
This reminds me of how the obituaries of many celebrities are already written, just in case. If you're a walking train wreck like Charlie Sheen, for example, your obit is written while you are young and constantly updated.
Let's make this thread interesting. I will bet anyone that this thread does not hit 10 posts by 11 p.m. No spamming either.
How much?
$20 , but both these posts don't count.
Yer on. This one won't count, either.
Seconded.
to a blog for the team the player did commit to. I think Black Shoe Diaries ran a Zettel one.
Hello Rich Rodriguez… and Terrelle Pryor?
Great day for Michigan fans, we finally got our coach. I think he’ll be a good one. From a basketball stand point the Terrelle Pryor situation becomes one to watch. Kid is an animal at the wing and a great slasher. Football would be his number one sport, not letting him play ball until January but still the kid is a top 25 hoops prospect. The hole on the roster at the wing is so huge that this could be a gift falling into Beilein’s lap. This will definetely be a developing story over the coming days and weeks.
http://www.umhoops.com/2007/12/16/hello-rich-rodriguez-and-terrelle-pryor/
Hello: Demetrius Hart
After a long, strange recruitment, FL RB Demetrius Hart is (finally) committed to become a Michigan Wolverine.
INFORMATIVE PORTION
http://mgoblog.com/content/hello-josh-garnett gives you access denied, so you know there's something there. http://mgoblog.com/content/hello-terrelle-pryor does not. but that difference may have more to do with where the old staff stored files than whether or not they had a TP commitment post ready to go.
Hello: Demar Dorsey
You think we'd let one of the more controversial Wolverines in recent history go without getting the full treatment? Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to meet speed-demon, head-hunter, swag-dancer Demar Dorsey.
GURU RATINGS
Scout | Rivals | ESPN |
---|---|---|
4*, #19 S, #203 overall | 4*, #13 S, #162 Overall | 5*, 85, #2 S, #12 Overall |
But I don't consider Hart and Dorsey candidates for this thread seeing as we actually were able to read the "Hello" posts for these players
There really needs to be an "Awwwwwwwww....isn't that cute" moderation option available for pictures like this one.
Ugh, Logan...
Diamond, obviously. Sammy Watkins? Kris Frost, Arnett, Dillon Baxter, Donavan Tate maybe? Kozan is a must. Who else would we like to see?
Garnett. Thought he was Blue.
RoJo. Truly snake-oiled, silent commit to Michigan, would have been an amazing corner at Michigan, rather than adequate WR at USC.
Nick Perry comes to mind. Also, Will Hill, Cam Colvin, and Victor "Macho" Harris
And Jordan Payton.
Wasn't Will Hill the Florida Gator with the epically graphic NSFMSRK twitter feed? I can only image the uproar that would have resulted if he had been at Michigan the same time as RR.
Or Ty Isaac, or EJ Levenberry, or Armani Reeves
This has made me dead inside...
Here is Tim's 'Hello Aaron Burbidge' post. He never got to use it, so he sent gave it to the guys at The Only Colors (the good MSU blog aka the anti-RCMB).
Hello: Aaron Burbridge
(Bump for more info on one of the premier recruits in the 2012 class. Thanks for the info Tim, and have a great weekend all.)
Hey all, Tim Sullivan from mgoblog. I had a draft of a commitment post for Aaron Burbridge, and since the Spartans landed him, I thought you'd probably be interested. I hadn't updated it in a while, so some of the information may juuuuust a bit out of date. Apologies.
GURU RATINGS
Scout |
Rivals |
ESPN |
24/7 Sports |
4*, #11 WR |
4*, 5.8, #19 WR #134 Overall |
4*, 79, |
4*, 92, #29 WR, #4 Michigan, #229 Overall |
Scout says 6-1, 180, Rivals has the same height but 5 pounds lighter. Both 24/7 Spots and ESPN say he's 180 pounds, but ESPN is the lowball on height, saying he's merely 6-0, while 24/7 is the high estimate at 6-2. A consensus size then, would be 6-1, 180 for Burbridge. I've seen Scout listing him at 6-2 more recently, so the high side of 6-1 is fair.
(The rest is at: http://www.theonlycolors.com/2011/7/29/2303241/hello-aaron-burbridge)
Did Burbridge end up qualifying? IIRC, supposedly, he wanted to commit to UM but was "turned away" because of shaky academics.
This thread is depressing.
At least MABW made $20.
No he didn't. Not with the number of posts clearly intended to push the count up.
I see 18 right now that have no reference to your bet and have information pertinent to the OP's question. You pay the man.
you're doing it wrong.
At least you are a man of your word.
I counted about 18 legitimate posts, and a few (mine included) to just boost up the count. It's a legitimately interesting topic.
Say Hello To Iowa's Denard Robinson
Iowa's scout team has a pretty gargantuan task in front of it this weekend: figure out a way to replicate Denard Robinson and the Michigan Wolverines offense. And while coaches can probably scheme something similar to the Michigan spread for the defense, finding a suitable physical analogue for Robinson is a much more daunting task.
Fortunately, the coaching staff has found a member of the team to fill that role. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Iowa's Denard Robinson.
I'm Denard Robinson!
http://www.blackheartgoldpants.com/2010/10/13/1748499/say-hello-to-iowas-denard-robinson
DON'T THEY DARE MAKE THE COMPARISON BETWEEN THAT MAN AND DENARD. I SENSE NO MAGIC IN THIS MAN. NO MAGIC.
But I think his facial hair gives it away that it isn't the real Denard. Nice try Iowa...
That don't see the light of day. I wouldn't be surprised if right now there are at least partial Hello posts for Green, Fuller, McQuay, Treadwell, Isaac, and Levenberry, not to mention the possibility of a bit writen up on someone like Mathis, who at one time named Michigan the leader.
These Hello posts would be interesting, and more interesting to look at how things potentially could have turned out for Michigan and how their careers at different schools confirmed or disagreed with the write up.
I'm guessing the Treadwell post is 90% done, updated continually as new information comes out, and just waiting for the actual commitment.
Alright alright I'll pay him.
MABW I need your address
Don't worry about it man, I never really intended to collect. Just having a little Internet fun.
Yeah weal internet fun is how it starts. Dead hookers is how it ends.
What does Craig James have to do with this?
When it seems they're close to pulling the trigger and Michigan has a good shot, Ace (before him Tim, before him Brian) does in fact start writing one up, though for most of that time the post is on the Windows Live client (i.e. the author's machine), not on the blog.
When we get a Hello post that's pre-written and doesn't get used, it's normally offered to a blog for the school the kid chose since much of it applies to them. There have been a few taken up on this offer and you can find some MGoBlog-written pieces (un-sourced but recognizable) in some strange places because of this.
The unpublished front-page stories are a treasure trove that each new MGoStaffer has explored at least once. Yes there are Hello posts in there at various stages of writtenness for E.J. Levenberry, Armani Reeves, Sam Grant, Josh Garnett, Bri'onte Dunn, Anthony Standifer... Many of these are just a photo and a few links and an "informative update coming" for guys we basically got word weren't signing but wanted to be ready with a something just in case. I was as entralled at the concept of a treasure trove of unpublished MGoContent as you, but honestly the lost Hello! posts are mostly a photo and link dumps. There's of course the infamous EPIC FRONT PAGE DOUBLE POST of Allen Gant.
There's a few other interesting things to discover but most of it is stuff Brian wrote for other sites but put on here to get the formatting correct and looking swell. There's a bunch of Tim stuff he wrote before he left which were meant to be used during the season, but since that would have been months after he left it wasn't really right to keep publishing his stuff. There's evidence too of Brian's several attempts at an Ann Arbor 101 post that finally became the Where to Eat in Ann Arbor article, again mostly link dumps.
That's about it. Like my grandpa's attic, you imagine there's all this neat old stuff hidden away with great stories, but really it's just a bunch of junk somebody never got around to throwing out.
I'm inclined to believe this. Lost Hello posts have April Fool's Day written all over it. If there were such things, we'd have all gotten punk'd by now. Brian seems like the type of guy to screw with us just for the fun of it.
Thanks for the insight. I figured as much, but with guys that were near-locks I always figured there would be a bit more information.
I'm just always intrigued by the inner workings of sites, and knowing that there is a hidden folder called C:\My Documents\mogblog\myposts\pron\new_recruits\hello\not_pron\unused somewhere on Brian's, Tim's, and Ace's computers just makes me happy.
Ann Arbor 101 would be an awesome summer series while things are slow.