WTKA Roundtable 1/10/2019: Ramming Jupiter Comment Count

Seth January 11th, 2019 at 7:23 AM

Things discussed:

  • Craig can beat Joe Simon one-on-one.
  • Greg Mattison is off to make his money, takes his integrity with him. Michigan absolutely would have had him; this was an Urban Meyer move.
  • Dispelling the Mattison myths: No he didn't underrecruit Zach Harrison. No, Big Foot isn't buried under this studio.
  • The Game is a business: how much do the fans care?
  • Hoops: Developing the bench. Johns! Still skittish as an offensive player, but boards and athleticism and blocks, oh my!
  • Poole now the 3rd dragon. Iggy isn't a black hole anymore.
  • Is this a national championship team? They're beating very high expectations.
  • Big Ten basketball: It's Michigan-Michigan State. No awful teams in the league; Rutgers is 100ish and beat Ohio State. McQuaid shut down Carsen Edwards.
  • Sam: "X has no hope against Cassius Winston-*wink*"

You can catch the entire episode on Michigan Insider's podcast stream on Podbean.

Segment two is here. Segment three is here.

THE USUAL LINKS

Michigan's lost 99/100 to Ohio State we're all insane; can we please talk some basketball?

Comments

Rabbit21

January 11th, 2019 at 9:27 AM ^

Sam has really drawn a line in the sand defending Mattison.  Is this due to the fact he's friends with him and doesn't want to say a bad word about him?  Or is this a program access thing?  I understand the principle he's trying to get across, but does he really not understand why people are so pissed?  

As far as the other examples being brought up, there was always an intervening stop, no-one going DIRECTLY to a rival.  No-one out of Ohio State would ever go DIRECTLY to Michigan so why is it okay for people to do the reverse.  I get Washington a little better(still don't like Sam's extended defense of the guy and some of the "conversations" Sam claims he had sound like wishcasting).

In any case I find it odd that Mattison is not getting Boren'd by Sam and wonder if this is basically him trying to maintain  relationships with the coaching staff and proving he will always defend their decisions no matter how of a middle finger they seem to be giving Michigan.

I want to take Brian's position of this seems stupid, but find myself nodding in agreement to Craig's position that this is about recruiting and winning a news cycle and seems like an Urban Meyer move. 

MGlobules

January 11th, 2019 at 9:38 AM ^

I dunno. The Mattisons are friends with the Harbaughs. After mugging for the fans, the coaching fraternity tends to be pretty chummy. Mattison got offered the DC job, a role that M couldn't offer him. And although M offered a raise, I don't believe they would or could have matched that. It may in fact be something between the polar explanations so far supplied--that it worked out a little better for both sides, and that not being idiots about it afterward is the preferred approach for both parties. 

After all, why would Harbs rub his own nose in/call attention to any apparent humiliation, esp. with an old family friend? And why would OSU crow? In fact, both schools end up with something that they needed: OSU with a guy to help with their D transition and Don Brown with an old comfortable intimate who might audition for bigger things shortly. 

The horrors of Mattison and Washington's intimacy with UM operations are exaggerated. 

Let it go, friend, let it go. Unless it serves you to be angry. In which case maybe do it in the corner. :)

Rabbit21

January 11th, 2019 at 9:51 AM ^

Washington I get(although I think Sam is WAY over-stating his case), Mattison I don't and I find it odd that Sam is going so full bore defense of Mattison is all.

As far as OSU crowing, check out their fan twitter.  As far as bad media storylines go with Michigan loses long-time assistant to Ohio State.

There's no way this isn't a middle finger in some fashion(especially from a guy who already left for Notre Dame and had ties to Urban Meyer).  And I am mostly speculating that Sam is going so hard in defense in order to maintain coaching staff access, which is a good business decision, but I find it odd that there isn't at least a little frustration there.

Wanigas

January 11th, 2019 at 10:59 AM ^

In the spirit of Craig Ross, here's some data on the M-OSU rivalry going all the way back:

https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/umosu/results.htm

As the data show, the outcome is not quite as severe as Brian thinks it is, but there is no denying the past 18 years have been nothing short of lopsided and brutal for M fans (which is Brian's point I think).

Here's hoping for better days in the years to come.

Go Blue! 

 

CR

January 11th, 2019 at 11:27 AM ^

Thanks. I know, no politics. But how can you not be intrigued by a guy with this particular life, one eventually killed by an abject swine (Stalin) with an ice-axe? Especially given his relationship with Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo?

I once helped defend a guy accused of ax murders (see People v. Karl Eisen in Massachusetts) whose life kinda very vaguely intersected with Hitler and Stalin. After a very strange trial --one with inconsistent verdicts---he was released pending appeal and then hung himself.

So it goes, Billy Pilgrim. Digression, sorry. But my advice is to stay away from Stalin and axes.

  

ak47

January 11th, 2019 at 11:17 AM ^

Coaches and players look at rivalries differently than fans do because of the nature of the sport. Coaches can't have favorite teams because its their job, same with players. Its why you see players can smile and talk to opposing players after crushing losses to rivals. Its different and hard for fans to accept.