So Long and Thanks for All the Fish
A short note to say thank you to all of you as I leave this site for good. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed some of the best moments on the Internet right here where the quality of discourse and the intelligence of all the material is second to none. But the snarky classlessness of this site in general and Brian in particular as it relates to Brady Hoke has asphyxiated the joy that used to accompany my daily visits here.
The thought of years of adolescent digs at a man who is the epitome of everything we have declared is special about Michigan just because his resume isn’t up to incredibly uninformed standards chills me. When I can look on the front page of a site renowned for its cerebral excellence and see an Internet tantrum taking form as “Hoke-y bits” and “healing old wounds iz gud” and “footbaw” – that is if I can get past that moronic banner and its awesome wit “We can has Hoke?” and “SRSLY?!” - it’s time to look elsewhere.
From 30,000 feet, Brady Hoke is ten times the man of any author on this site and his unapologetic love for this university fortunately is unaffected by the sniggers of non-athletes with electronic pens who sleep in until 11:00am every day.
Have I always wanted Brady Hoke as our coach? No, of course not. I didn’t know a thing about him. By the tsunami of material about our new coach has me electric with enthusiasm, and I will be damned if I am going to rain on my own parade by clicking on a link that has lost its Michigan soul.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:43 PM ^
I'll miss ya, M-Dan.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:43 PM ^
Keep your head up man. You can control what you read and the threads you enter. This is the USA. This site represents opinion. This site represents The Michigan Fan. Regardless if you agree with some of the content...the one thing in common is we all want what is best for the team.
Don't give up! A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner!
January 12th, 2011 at 11:45 PM ^
Relax.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
that this will be just like when girls deactivate from Facebook because it's "too much" then go back a week later. Hopefully this happens to you too!
January 12th, 2011 at 11:51 PM ^
January 13th, 2011 at 2:09 AM ^
get a lot of that crap around here. The OP is spot on with his assessment and then you've got jerk bags saying stuff like, "don't let the door hit you". Real classy everyone.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^
I have to say I share your sentiments to some regard. Last week I found myself begging for someone other than Hoke to be our coach and it was because of this site. I had no particular reason other than Brian's utter disgust for him as a football coach. However, after watching today's press conference and hearing him speak I am looking forward to a great couple of years with Hoke at the helm. I believe it was EXTREMELY unfair the way that Brian treated Hoke in some of his posts, even worst knowing that this guy was on the shortlist of coaches who might actually end up in AA. In a time were the Michigan fanbase is extremely divided this site should be use as a unifying tool, but it was not. In the end, as a Michigan student & fan, I trust the people who made this decision (Brandon et al.) and I am 100% behind the hire and the coach. I urge you to do the same for the sake of the team... and more importantly for Michigan
January 13th, 2011 at 12:38 AM ^
I've heard a lot of really good things about Hoke, but I was also hoping he wouldn't get the job for this same reason. Well, at least if Denard stays, I think it will reduce the teeth-gnashing.
January 13th, 2011 at 2:27 AM ^
Seriously, while I agree that the press conference was great, there seems to be too much contagion that it means BH will win games. I'm with Brian, I like to use real tangible evidence (like a previous record) to draw my prediction, not a speech.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:49 PM ^
Can't say I disagree with you. Given how big this site has become, Brian doesn't have the luxury of taking such a contentious stand against a coach. I think he probably realizes this, given that his rhetoric hasn't been as swear-laden as he promised. Mgoblog has become a legitimate source of information and as such, needs to have a certain amount of objectivity.
I've been around for 2 1/2 years and there have been some great posters and not-so-great posters here. I ignore the ones who seem like idiots or who are incredibly uninformed. Then, there have been the ones who have gotten banned (King of Belch comes to mind). But there was a time when extreme views were frowned upon, as was dickishness. Hopefully, we can get back there.
Wait, are you even still here, Meeeeechigan Dan??????? Meeeeeeechigan Dan???
January 13th, 2011 at 8:53 AM ^
Those are mammals.
Oh, probably fleeing from Rosenberg.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:52 PM ^
Stop being such a pussy.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:53 PM ^
A fanbase that's gone through a lot of disappointment, surprise, and uncertainty over the past few years isn't going to miraculously come back together overnight. Sure, a new coach can be a uniting factor, especially one who loves Michigan as much as Hoke clearly does. But some people have different requirements for what earns their respect. Some still feel ripped off.
And many of us, including Brian are still a little shell-shocked and dealing with our own visceral, gut reactions to what's happening. It's both agonizingly slow and incredibly fast at the same time. We're being pulled side to side constantly, but we're not moving forward. Yet.
Once the new regime (or the old guard, as some think) picks up a little steam, we'll see where we stand. No one here is going to stop rooting for Michigan because of this hire. But people's minds don't just change. We've been divided for a decent chunk of time. Let's take a little bit to allow our wounds to heal before we make rash decisions - even if we feel as though our program hasn't afforded us that same courtesy.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:53 PM ^
Well that's the great thing about the internet. See, if you don't like a site, especially one that's provided for free, you can just not go to that site anymore...
Of course, the whole emo whiny post about how the site used to be so much better just makes you sound petty but whatever, take care.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:32 AM ^
No, it let's the owner of the site know that people are sick of him pouting about the hire. It shows threw in his posts and it makes it really hard to read knowing that he's doing the exact same thing that he has criticized the last three years.
January 13th, 2011 at 9:06 AM ^
Brian has integrity and, surely, reserves his right to criticize and applaud when he sees fit. He's not a cheerleader, he's a cheerer, to be sure, but his job isn't to fall in line.
January 13th, 2011 at 10:25 AM ^
I'm not saying he has to. But, I'm not supporting someone who doesn't support my coach and my team. He has two options, he can continue mocking Hoke or he can get behind him. I have two choices, and I can assure you that both of those choices is paired with one of his. So, I'm leaving it up to him. He can either support the team or lose some readers. It's that simple.
January 13th, 2011 at 2:36 PM ^
And the owner of the site has an e-mail address which he reads. Airing his concerns on the board shows that the OP is just being petty and vindictive. If his concern was with the quality of the site and Brian's writing, he'd be best to e-mail to Brian rather than publishing it for the entire site to see.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:53 PM ^
The irony of this post is suffocating.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:56 PM ^
I agree. It's become all about Brian and his parrots. And sissy points.
This blog lost its soul long ago and will never get it back. I'm not saying that's wrong, though. People, and blogs, change. they go Big Time. They make money. Life goes on.
You say you choose not to be a part of it. I hope you maintain your integrity.
I've fought the Rich Rodriguez crowd for years. Brian allowed them to take over this blog and ruin it. But I kept coming back.
I wrote a diary asking what was Rich Rodriguez building. Turns out he wasn't building anything. He was destroying Michigan football and a large segment of our fan base followed him into hell and simultaneously destroyed Michigan-based message boards.
It happened on Scout as well. Character assassination of Lloyd Carr, Dave Brandon, Brady Hoke--and hell yeah--Jim Harbaugh and Les Miles. And all by a board allegedly populated with Michigan "graduates." Yeah, right.
Oh well.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:04 AM ^
completely off topic and the kind of posting that the OP has made obvious is the kind that has driven him away.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:18 AM ^
... but you won't be a champion.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:33 AM ^
That rarely happens while sitting in front of my computer. YOU are the reason, YOU killed Meechigan Dan.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:57 AM ^
Completely contradictory and not well thought out........sigh.
It's been two days since a coaching change that seemed like it's taken the last 3 months to complete. Let people have reactions, rational or irrational, we'll all unite at some point.
And what exactly is a sissy point?
January 12th, 2011 at 11:56 PM ^
Did you really just play the "lack of Michigan family values" card and bail? Ok Justin...
January 13th, 2011 at 12:25 AM ^
Hopefully you'll be back, the rest of us will be waiting. If you're looking for a better place to go, good luck. Should some changes be made? Probably, but not on Brian's part. It's his blog and if you should be mad at anyone, it's the users (and I'm not excluding myself because I've posted some really dumb things). My guess is it's because we're a fan base who has had to go through quite a bit that we're not used to these past couple years (losing--a lot, NCAA allegations, coaching changes). This blog is a good way to get through it, even if it means some posts that are below the integrity of this board. So what you're seeing, we hope, is just a temporary way to cope with what's been going on as of late. Also, it's a blog. A better blog than the rest, but still a blog nonetheless. People will come around. But what the hell do I know, I haven't really been around that long.
Peace.
P.S. I hear mlive's a good option.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:58 PM ^
I share your feelings in many ways, and I disagree with many things that Brian writes, but I've never felt the need to just quit the site in protest. If that's the way you feel, though, best of luck to you. I suppose that doing things like spending time with friends or family are more rewarding than mgoblog anyway.
January 12th, 2011 at 11:59 PM ^
I think that the response that Meeeechigan Dan is getting speaks volumes. Wendyk5, JimHarbaughScramble, and the others that go back to the haloscan days understand what the OP is saying. There is a problem with the boards and it takes someone to stand up and say it. I wouldn't advocate taking your ball and going home, but something has gone wrong.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:17 AM ^
Problem with the boards? Absolutely. But you can't expect an internet discussion board to be completely free of idiots who may occasionally generate an unpleasant tone.
Problem with Brian? I wholeheartedly disagree. What's the problem - that he rationally analyzed the situation and decided that a coach with a 47-50 career record and effectively 2 winning seasons wasn't qualified to coach at Michigan? That he's not pretending that everything is wonderful if he doesn't really believe it's the case? I literally have zero problem with anything Brian's written about the coaching carousel of late.
Go back and read his "Profiles in Cronyism" post about Brady Hoke 3 years ago and tell me you think his tenor has changed. Sheesh.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:26 AM ^
Honestly, I didn't see a whole lot of rational analysis of Hoke's candidacy on the front page before his hiring. It was more like "Here's 5 more reasons why this is a terrible idea," complete with cherry-picked statistics and quotations that make Hoke look bad. If you were to draw all your information on Hoke from Brian's articles, you probably wouldn't have known that he ran a spread offense at BSU, or that he used a variety of formations at SDSU - or that he's 25-13 over the past three seasons. Or that he was our designated West Coast recruiter when he was here, and landed Tom Brady. And this is a guy who demeans the MSM for "lazy reporting"!
January 13th, 2011 at 12:43 AM ^
I don't expect a board free of idiots. The best I can hope for is a tone set to marginalize the idiocy.
The problem is that the opinion has been based previously on copius amounts of analysis and thought. The ESPN scroll says that Hoke is 47-50. It's a complex situation with good aspects and bad aspects. Simplifying the discussion does it no justice on either side. This simplification in turn leads to even more simplified analysis on the boards or worse, just parroting Brian's ideas.
I was all for Rodriguez. I still wanted him to stay, even when the evidence was building at the end of the year. I have reservations about Hoke. I can also see the reason a change was necessary. It isn't a worry about the opinion expressed, which I have agreed with Brian on more than not, but the simplifications made to back up the arguments.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:03 AM ^
I can understand Brian's sentiments and his writing is inherently sarcastic when it's appropriate. The aspects of his disdain seem melodramatic and unfounded, though. I can understand not being excited about a hire, but not coming out and supporting the guy seems strange from someone who is obviously passionate about Michigan. There was also Joe Schad-like speculation of Denard leaving and the recruiting class imploding, etc. based enitrely on pessimism that eventually bordered on whining. I hope the tone changes soon. Brian should run his website the way he wants to, but the recent posts seem out of character to say the least.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:40 AM ^
it's an emo blog. he writes what many feel, but would not necessarily express publicly.
January 13th, 2011 at 1:08 AM ^
I guess that could be his stance. But he's also banned people for emo posts.
January 13th, 2011 at 1:35 AM ^
nor his opinion that he knows more than David Brandon on hiring people.
I think Meeechigan Dan could have made his point in a way that wasn't all Cartman-like, but I do think this site is built on the community having an intelligent conversation, and letting people know when they are beginning to rant versus discuss.
Watching the basketball game I was surprised that students have embraced this faster than random people commenting on a sports blog. I mean the cynical could just explain it away as people trying to be on TV, but then again they already would be on TV regardless, they are in the first 5 rows! They could have worn a banana costume and gotten on TV, but they chose to paint themselves blue with yellow letters spelling out Brady Hoke!
I definitely enjoyed this blog analyzing Rich Rodriguez, and I hope that when fall comes it will be analyzing Brady Hoke in the same exact way.
But for now I'm just hoping they talk more about basketball and hockey!
January 13th, 2011 at 12:05 AM ^
January 13th, 2011 at 12:05 AM ^
In my defense, I have class at 11. So I am up at 10.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:05 AM ^
I don't really get people who assume just because they didn't like the hire means they don't support Hoke as the coach. I didn't like the process, I didn't agree with the decision made. I still have my doubts about whether Brady Hoke can build a consistent winner here at UM. That being said after listening to him, I'm fired up and ready to run through a wall. I'll be at the Big House Sept 3(?) cheering till I have no more voice as we beat Western.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:08 AM ^
Hey Dan can I have your MgoPoints?
January 13th, 2011 at 12:17 AM ^
This is Brian's blog. He is entitled to his opinion in any way he wants. So I guess everyone putting their opinions about Brian's opinion makes you all hypocrits (can someone help me out on the spelling..ha?).
January 13th, 2011 at 12:21 AM ^
maybe it's the meth.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:51 AM ^
January 13th, 2011 at 8:20 AM ^
No one is saying Brian's not entitled to his opinion. Not one person who "quits" the site, complains, or follows Brian like a lapdog is asking Brian to keep his opinions to himself.
The OP is simply saying he doesn't share Brian's views, sees most of this blog as an entity that simply types "What Brian says" and is moving on.
No attacks, no name calling; he's just had enough. There's no need for a zillion guys to rush to defend Brian. Brian will certainly be OK without Meechigan Dan or anybody else that moves on.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:18 AM ^
I can't really disagree with anything you've posted. I'm wondering right now where this site is headed.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:20 AM ^
go blue
January 13th, 2011 at 12:22 AM ^
Swim high, little dolphin. We'll just have to muddle on without you, somehow.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:23 AM ^
Thinking about how this site has changed, I'm wondering if it's simply due to the size/popularity now. It seems message board posters share a problem people with microphones have; they don't know when to shut up. Give people a mic and they tend to say far more than needs to be said, and with such a large audience here I see the same thing.
But I don't know what it takes to change the current culture. I'd imagine if people just didn't respond to most of the crap it would go away, but how do you get everyone to ignore all the garbage and not respond with negbombs and the like? Maybe moderation that deletes the topic from everyone but the posters view, so they think they are being ignored.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:33 AM ^
I understand the sentiment of the OP but I think it's logical for people (particularly Brian) who effectively spend their lives on Michigan football to react negatively to a coaching hire that was perceived at first to require another long transitional process. The perception seems to have changed somewhat since the announcement and I expect it will continue to change if/when Hoke starts to win games.