Brian and TomVH in NYC - a review
Brian and TomVH spoke last night to a group of NYC alums. Brian did his usual excellent job. I believe it was Tom's first time doing this (at least in NYC) and he did excellent as well. The content of their presentations largely has been covered on this site and elsewhere, but here are a few key points that were made:
- Brian's pretty high on the OL, thinks it might be the best in the B1G. Lewan is obvs, but he's also really high on Schofield;
- Both are super high on Pipkins and the practice buzz apparently backs that up;
- Status quo on Green and Treadwell - nothing you don't already know;
- Tom has heard from a significant number of recruits and their families that Hoke and Co. have done an outstanding job creating a family atmosphere that separates UM from the crowd and it isn't going unnoticed;
- To make matters better, in addition to being high on Hoke and the coordinators, Brian thinks that the position coaches are all outstanding;
- Both give us about a 25% chance against Alabama, and think reasonable expectations are about 9 wins. Doubt anyone will argue much with that;
- Neither seemed to think that the Roundtree injury is a big deal;
- Brian expects to see a lot of A.J. Williams;
- Brian thinks we'll see a lot more of Gardner at WR than most in the crowd were expecting; and
- Tom said that he thinks that the staff are such good recruiters that he expects the epic recruiting to continue. In fact, he thinks Hoke's magic poop will prevent Meyer from fencing in Ohio.
All that said, I personally was disappointed with the turnout, so if you're in NYC and didn't go, shame. I don't place the blame on the Alumni Association. I'm not actively involved with the Association, so I can say from a neutral standpoint that I thought they did a good job of publicizing the event, keeping the cost down, and running the event. And Brian and Tom did a great job, so the low turnout wasn't their fault. I know that last night the weather was horrible, but after the low turnout for the Novak/Hunwick event, this bothers me. If you're an NYC area alum, please consider this and make an effort to attend these events in the future. Your attendance benefits everyone.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:16 PM ^
I agree with Brian that we could certainly have the best group of starting linemen in the conference. Just please stay healthy guys!
August 16th, 2012 at 1:53 PM ^
It's close with Wisconsin as both have a hole to fill. Phil Steele thinks Dan Voltz is starting for UW at guard. Michigan State would also be up there, at least before the news on Treadwell came out. Now, they got a hole in the interior.
Michigan wins hands down on the tackles; I don't see anyone slated at right tackle in the B1G I'd rather have than Schofield.
An interesting team in a year or 2 will be Minnesota. I think they're scheduled to start 4 sophomores (or something like that).
August 16th, 2012 at 2:19 PM ^
August 16th, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^
Word on MSU. They were a good team because of their defense. They were a run first team that was 78th in the nation running the ball.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:58 PM ^
MSU was reminiscent of some of the later Carr teams. They insisted on being a run-first team despite clearly being better at passing than running. They needed Cousins to convert a lot of 3rd and longs. I think they're going to miss him.
August 16th, 2012 at 3:18 PM ^
August 16th, 2012 at 3:49 PM ^
SI decides to rank MSU above U of M...
August 16th, 2012 at 12:30 PM ^
That all sounds pretty good...I'm also glad to see Brian say that 9 wins is reasonable and that you agree. I've been a little worried that people are going to freak out if/when Michigan's 11-2 record of last year and '12-'13 recruiting success don't mean a ten-plus win season this year. This year's schedule is rough.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:29 PM ^
They should come to D.C. in the future. Huge alumni base who usually turns out for events like these.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:30 PM ^
Agreed, and you sound like just the guy to coordinate it!
August 16th, 2012 at 12:51 PM ^
Sure, I'd be happy to. Who should I contact? Brian, Seth, Lloyd Brady?
August 16th, 2012 at 2:18 PM ^
Probably should go through the DC club:
August 16th, 2012 at 12:42 PM ^
DC always packs events. And I live here. Come to DC next year, guys.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^
Come to LA! Tons of alumni here as well, and most of us miss out on a lot of the in-person stuff, so we get psyched about it when it happens. Plus, it's LA. You guys can go to the beach or your wives can see celebrities or something.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:12 PM ^
we got about 25 hardcore fans. and it's paradise!
August 16th, 2012 at 3:31 PM ^
I'll come talk out there.
August 16th, 2012 at 3:48 PM ^
...There are at least 4 1/2 fans here!
Plust, the homestead of the One Who Wears 21. (And the one who used to wear 20.)
August 16th, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^
To go to Ohio. Haven't loved too many of my trips there. How about we get a fund together for the whole Trotwood "Alumni Club" to come up here to Ann Arbor going?
August 16th, 2012 at 12:54 PM ^
I can't walk 2 city blocks in this town without seeing a Michigan shirt or a license plate with "Michigan Alumni" on it. If half the people who came to B-Bill's for game watching showed up to the event it would be a massive success.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:33 PM ^
Saw two people in Michigan gear at a Nationals game last weekend
August 17th, 2012 at 12:06 AM ^
Fascinating. Please tell us more about this.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:30 PM ^
Mattison keeping opposing offenses under wraps whatever the personnel shortages on D =
good good news.
Despite my own and others' trepidation about Alabama, I don't think we've got a lot to lose. A win by us kicks the season off memorably for the entire country and makes for stratospheric excitement here; a loss gets written off as expected.
Plus, the team will have measured themselves against the country's very best semi-professionals, carry the lessons into the rest of the season.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:56 PM ^
and maybe even ND, and win the B1G and get back to the Rose Bowl (at the least).
August 16th, 2012 at 12:34 PM ^
Appreciate the recap. I can't usually make Chicago Alumni Association Events due to my work schedule/other factors, but if they brought Brian in that'd be must-see. Instead they're bringing Gerry Dinardo to talk... which I will be missing.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:40 PM ^
I'll be around the Wrigley during weekend of the Alabama game. Any suggestions on a good place to watch the game?
August 16th, 2012 at 1:09 PM ^
The Michigan bars in that area are Moe's in Wrigleyville, Duffy's in Lincoln Park and Rockit Bar and Grill in River North. Duffy's and Rockit usually get pretty packed.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:51 PM ^
I would pay a good amount of money to be at Duffy's for the Bama game. It's by far the best place I've been to watch a game outside the Big House, and that's including Ann Arbor bars. Definitely a younger crowd, though.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:20 PM ^
Duffy's. Get there early.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:23 PM ^
Check out the map from this post. Duffy's isn't too far away and seems to be the most cited UM bar in town. For better or worse, it has a college atmosphere (packed with drunk young people and all the sights, sounds and odors they come with). Rockit is actually in Wrigleyville and although I haven't been there on game day it might be a little easier to find a seat and actually watch the game. Sorta depends what you're looking for.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:31 PM ^
rockit burger bar is right at wrigley. not far from wrigley is a great newer michigan bar "the diag"- they were jack's bar and grill and just renamed themselves "the diag" due to their michigan sponsorship. they even duplicated the block m from the diag in their beer garden patio. they typically have give aways as well. it's between diversey and wellington on southport about a mile south of wrigley and 1/4 mile west.
duffy's owners like to get michigan alumni money but don't give anything to ann arbor or the local alumni.
August 16th, 2012 at 2:23 PM ^
The Diag is another option: http://www.diagchicago.com/
Often events that the UM Club of Chicago runs will be held there. In fact, they will be running buses from The Diag to South Bend for the Mich-ND game on Sept 22: http://www.sportspowerweekends.com/support-michigan-on-the-road-against…
August 16th, 2012 at 2:57 PM ^
Thanks for all the options. I know the Cubs are in town that weekend so it should be a good time that day.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:45 PM ^
did they also hire a translator?
August 16th, 2012 at 12:36 PM ^
August 16th, 2012 at 12:46 PM ^
So you would prefer that they fly in Brian and Tom to preview the already started season in September? Or in June or July before camp has started, they don't have as much information and pre-season excitement/hype isn't as great? This was the third or fourth time Brian has come and I've been to each. They all were scheduled in August. The previous turnouts were better. While I don't expect people to schedule their vacations around this event, I seriously doubt that August vacations was the primary reason for the low turnout.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:59 PM ^
This would be intersting to find out why turnout was so low. I am on vacation in Vegas, so I am actually not in town. August is a fairly dead month in the city and most people I know are going on vacation this week. But, this event has been held in aug before, right?
August 16th, 2012 at 2:58 PM ^
i should probably refrain from jumping in on this convo, but what the hell here goes. we are of course aware that august is vacation time for alot of NY'ers. that said, it is a football kickoff event, and is usually held right before football season starts for a reason. as ish points out, if we did it in september the season has already started and previews are pointless. too early in the summer and the info wont be as useful/relevant since fall camp hasn't started.
event last night was about 100ppl, and to be honest i dont think previous crowds at the kickoff event were even that large.
exact timing of the event had to do with coordinating schedules and venue availability.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:53 PM ^
Hm. So all NYC alumni/ae work on Wall Street?
I learn something new every day.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^
OK, but really it's a bad time for a lot of people. It's one of the last weeks/weekends where the weather is nice, before football starts, and before kids start school, so it's a very popular time to travel.
But yes, a lot of UM alumni in NY work in finance.
You don't need the /ae, alumni refers to both genders.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:11 PM ^
Crap. Now it's TWO things for today, and I'll have to be super careful to avoid learning anything tomorrow.
August 16th, 2012 at 1:11 PM ^
I am sorry, I do.
August 16th, 2012 at 4:17 PM ^
To be honest, I think this is fairly true. I am a recent Michigan grad living in NYC and the other Michigan people here I know all have finance/consulting jobs. That's the reason they come to NYC; if you are looking for different types of jobs you probably wouldn't move to the most expensive city in the country. Not that I think this is cool or a good thing, I fucking hate NYC and the corporate atmosphere here for those of us working in those kind of jobs.
The other types of jobs here (retail/artsy/random stuff) seem to be all manned by people who graduated from good, but not great, schools which are regional to NYC, at least from my personal perspective. These are people who have basically lived in or near NYC their whole lives and love it. I'm assuming most of the Michigan people who do these jobs would just do it in Chicago/other Midwestern cities.
August 16th, 2012 at 4:58 PM ^
from Michigan and educated at Michigan, there are many of us in New York. But many of us in the arts rarely went to games because of our own extra-curricular commitments or simple lack of interest, and at least one of us is now living out what she missed in her collegiate youth.
August 16th, 2012 at 6:33 PM ^
Definetely not a job. I do not work in finance and transfered with my company from Chicago. After living there for five years, I LOVE Chicago and could spend my whole life there. I've been here over a year now and don't want to spend one more day in NYC. I miss Chicago. (sigh)
August 16th, 2012 at 6:42 PM ^
I hope the girl is working out. Chicago was a great town, I had alot of fun there and most of my friends from there, love it. I just found it to be sort of small. NYC can be too big and different at times. People get lost in the day to day.
August 16th, 2012 at 9:33 PM ^
That's what I loved about it. I would work downtown and come back to my neighborhood which was like a small town. There are millions of people in Chicago, but when you come home, people know your name. I loved that. I miss talking about B1G football with coworkers as there is only one person in my entire office that watched college football at all. He says he grew up with Mike Hart too.
I miss the clean streets and the fresh air. I miss the beautiful tree lined streets. I miss walks on the lakefront at night. Those things don't exist in NY. Living in NY is stressful as hell too.
Fortunately, the girl is working out. :)
August 16th, 2012 at 11:38 PM ^
There are millions of people in Chicago, but when you come home, people know your name.
So basically...
You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
You want to go where people know,
People are all the same,
You want to go where everybody knows...
Your name.
August 16th, 2012 at 7:45 PM ^
I managed to make it out after a friend of mine notified me. It was great to hear in person all the great things I read on the blog. And have my questions answered.
And of course Great to see the heavyweights in Person!... Welcome to NYC TomVH. Glad you made it out!. And hope to see you both again soon!
BTW .... I was 2 #s away from winning the raffle! I think it was rigged!
August 16th, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^
Did Tom actually say "Hoke's magic poop"? Because if so, that would be awesome.
August 16th, 2012 at 12:57 PM ^
Have to disagree with you on your characterization of NYC alums. We've had really good turnout for a lot of events. In particular the coach series talk and the Desmond talk were completely packed and filled to the brim.
I personally didn't know of the event until earlier this week. I'm not sure I'd characterize the publicizing of the event as all that great. I'm sure an email or two were sent out, but I remember hearing about the Hoke/Desmond events well in advance.
I think there are a couple of factors that could explain the turnout:
- It wasn't as well publicized as other events have been. Like I said, I didn't know about it until Monday. It's possible that I just didn't read the emails sent out.
- Not sure where they had it this year, but the location the last time I went (at Brother Jimmy's) I thought was difficult for this event. Brian had his powerpoint and it was difficult seeing in the cramped backroom that everyone was in.
- A lot of the alums in NY are older and aren't familiar with MgoBlog or either or those guys. Yeah, obviously there are tons of new alums (just go to Prof. Thoms on a game Saturday), but a lot of the alums aren't recent grads. While myself and a lot of my friends are obsessed with all things Michigan, the majority of people I went to school with have no idea what Mgoblog is.
- The year I did go see Brian speak, he was going over his presentation and then having a Q&A. While I enjoyed myself, I remember being a bit disappointed in that I already new everything he was saying and his responses from reading the blog.
It is unfortunate that it wasn't better attended. Seems as though Brian and Tom were gracious enough to visit and it would have been great if more people had come out. I would have stopped by myself, if my schedule had permitted. However, it's a bit unfair to rush to judgment on this for the aforementioned reasons.