Dear Diary is 1183 and We're All Barbarians
SUCH a good movie.
You chivalric fool; as if the way one fell down mattered. On Wednesday this week I had to put our family dog down—he was 14 and been slowing down since we lost my dad, and he had a stroke during the night, and it was sad but undeniably the best way and best time to go. Afterwards I was supposed to collect my daughter, get the roundtable posted, then get to the facility that's trying to get my Mom able to walk again within the impossibly small window her insurance company will pay for it. I didn't want to engage the sympathy choir, nor was I ready to go fixing things or move on. Instead I wandered into a breakfast place and ordered a coffee, and stared at texts of things people say when your heretofore ridiculously fortunate family is going through the mother of all mean regressions.After a time I struck up a conversation with an older dude who from his Michigan hat I identified with the super Michigan-stickered car outside. He was, of course, a current player's dad, and other than his kid who's the best player in the entire world, he had a lot to say about the darkness hanging over this program that twinkling lights could only temporarily keep at bay.
He echoed a lot of what another player's brother said in a diary earlier in the week:
The program is in shambles. Bo is not coming back and it's time to move on. The cult like adherence to tradition and "this is Michigan" is the very reason we are plummeting towards rock bottom. We don't need another Bo or another Michigan Man, we need a competent, forward thinking administration who will take advantage of the massive institutional advantages Michigan provides.
The players are acknowledging reality while doing everything they can to make sure there's a team tomorrow. We got a glimpse of this from Gardner's aneurism of leadership
…and another from a letter to the players by their senior punter:
"Play for the guys in your class who you texted the day you committed, and live in the dorms with. Play for the elementary kids back home whom you've never even met, but know who you are and where you play. Play for your high school coaches, the guys you've met at combines, your family, your friends. Finally, play for yourself. Pride in yourself means that, win or lose, you worked and competed as hard as you possibly could until the schedule provided no more games to play."
When the fall is all that is, it matters.
[After the jump, I know. You know I know. I know you know I know. We know Henry knows, and Henry knows we know it. We're a knowledgeable family.]
The Oracle told me that I would fall in love and that that man...
the man that I loved would be The One.
The Matrix. I began linking these last week but might as well include the entire six-part series on the coaching candidates by Ron Utah. I am renumbering to something that makes sense to me because I am Gen X. Episode IV: A New Harbaugh, Episode V: The SEC Strikes Back, Episode VI: The Return of the Red Guy, Episode I: The Phantom Mentions, Episode II: Attack of the Spread O-Clones, and Episode III: Revenge from the Sticks.
Ron has a scoring system for his guys that's like GPA. The other coaching candidate reviewer in the diaries, alum96, came up with a separate matrix a 5-star scale of the dudes he's reviewed. He needs to be tougher on the "is he a dick" category, but that's quite a gray area since the great coaches tend to be some kind of asshole.
I don't like his method though because it doesn't separate, say, success as an assistant from dominating a major conference for 10 years. I ran this for the last five Michigan hires, and Hoke (!) was the best candidate (46 points) because he got fives things far less important that "has won football games," like "will he come?" and "will he stick?", and not being a dick, ethics, and fitting the culture. Bo was a 45 on Ron's scale, Mo got 43, Lloyd 42, and RR a 39.
I propose a new scale. Try this sheet. Under my weights (hover over the categories on the google doc for explanations) I broke the coach things into categories and subcategories, weighted toward more important aspects of coach desirability. There's 120 possible points, which would be a guy who invented the offense AND defense that everybody now uses, and left the school he turned into a superpower to win multiple Superbowls. The short version of Michigan hires since Bo, plus Jim Harbaugh c. 2014, at the time we got them:
| Category (Possible Pts) | Bo | Mo | Carr | RR | Hoke | Jim H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous Coaching Success (50) | 11 | 12 | 9 | 27 | 8 | 31 |
| Expertise (30) | 13 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 8 | 15 |
| Team Building (15) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 10 |
| Long-Term Program Health (15) | 9 | 9 | 13 | 7 | 14 | 8 |
| Short-Term Program Health (10) | 5 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Attractiveness (120) | 45 | 53 | 47 | 59 | 38 | 71 |
This passes the eye test at least: Hoke and Carr were most attractive for the long-term health of the program, while Rodriguez had a history of winning and a perfect expertise score on one side of the ball, but deficiencies in other areas. If you're looking at this and wondering why Bo would seem like less of a sure thing than taking the interim tag off of Lloyd Carr, I resubmit Canham's face.
Harbaugh on the other hand looks like a home run because he's turned around moribund programs on three different levels.
We lost a lot of games to injury. Via m1jjb00 Michigan is behind only Maryland in the conference in % of starters' starts lost to injuries this year. He adjusted for quarterbacks and counted suspensions with injuries, but Braxton Miller and Venric Mark things don't count. They probably should since their coaches were planning on them going into the season. Like, Michigan rightly gets credit for Magnusson being out, but isn't it a bigger deal that Penn State lost an All Big Ten caliber guard in Miles Dieffenbach?
Post-Brandon spring cleaning. Things we want to keep. Things that should be destroyed.
Post-fanapocalyptic Etc. From the Student Section thinks Dave Brandon's efforts to reform are probably genuine but too little too late. Best and Worst liked that the focus of fans was on screaming encouragement at the players to win football games. Erik in Dayton on why people protest. Inside the Box Score is lights-themed. People meeting Michigan people. Third down and guh.
Your Moment of Zen and Compliance Under Provision 6 of the Norfleet Atomic Dog Act of 2560
Via Melissa Storch
October 17th, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
Seth, sympathies and best wishes to you and your family during this time. Hope it all works out. And as someone who has had to bury a couple of pets recently, I'm surprised you could hold it together enough to get anything out this week.
October 17th, 2014 at 1:58 PM ^
it was weeks before I could talk about it without breaking up.
October 17th, 2014 at 7:30 PM ^
October 17th, 2014 at 1:58 PM ^
I'm really sorry to read about your dog as well. You're losing a family member when a pet you've had that long passes away. You guys have had a bad 2014 and...well...shit. Hang in there. Hopefully 2015 will be much better than 2014.
October 17th, 2014 at 2:12 PM ^
I am very sorry to hear about your family's dog. Losing a beloved pet, for whatever reason, can be shattering. Considering everything you and your family have been through this year, you deserve a break.
As one whose family is also going through a series of mean regressions, my sympathies and thoughts are with you.
One day at a time....
October 17th, 2014 at 4:20 PM ^
My family is grappling with similar issues. My father's sister (my aunt, obviously) passed away over the summer...and now my mother is in the middle stages of dementia.
It's cliche to say...but we all really do need to count our blessings each day. Enjoy what you have...while you have it.
October 17th, 2014 at 2:14 PM ^
than putting a dog down. Had to put our pooch down...on my birthday. Worst. Birthday. Ever.
October 17th, 2014 at 2:16 PM ^
Thanks for the article Seth.
October 17th, 2014 at 2:27 PM ^
about the dog, Seth. I have 3 and although I haven't had to put any dogs down since I was in high school, I know that when the time comes I have to put any of them down...I will be a complete wreck. Dogs are the best things to come home to after a tough day....
October 17th, 2014 at 2:31 PM ^
I had to put down my dog in 2009, and was there in the room with him. To this day I have not been able to tell the story because as soon as I think about it my eyes fill with tears. Crazy how attached we can get with a beloved pet. Anyway, my sympathies.
October 17th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
October 17th, 2014 at 2:58 PM ^
And I'm sure he had a great one. My first dog was 14 when we had to put him down and I was shattered. We've since got a new furry kid in the family, and he's great, but I still miss him. My deepest sympathies, Seth.
October 17th, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^
OH, and fire Brandon...
just though I'd throw that in there.
October 17th, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^
right on I think. Its interesting though that RR was that progressive forward thinking coach that is now coveted. It seems that when RR could not turn it around in 3 years and install any semblance of a Michigan like defense he was toast and everyone wanted the old ways to return. Now that we have that Michigan guy and he is struggling we want to go back the other way now. Yes Michigan has massive advantages but it also has a massive amount of baggage. There is nothing worse when you are running an organization that has been successful in the past than to have people from those previously successful times stand over your shoulder and tell you how they did it and what they think you need to do now.
October 17th, 2014 at 4:19 PM ^
Times change. Bo's values and his message of team over individual is timeless.
If you happen to find somebody with Michigan lineage, that's great, but in terms of the various metrics that should be used to determine suitability of a new coach, being a former player or coach would be low on the list of items I would use as selection criteria.
Respect tradition, but be flexibile enough that tradition is not a hindrance. Sometimes, that may be a tough row to hoe, but certainly doable for any capable coach whether he has a Michigan pedigree or not.
October 17th, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
Sorry for your loss Seth.
October 17th, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^
October 17th, 2014 at 4:13 PM ^
-- when mine goes I won't be able to write with such clarity.
Also: well done on the film reference. Awesome stuff. What a great line: "When the fall is all that is, it matters." I think I'll rewatch the movie this weekend.
October 17th, 2014 at 4:22 PM ^
Sorry to hear about your dog, Seth. That sucks.
October 17th, 2014 at 4:58 PM ^
Seth,
You have had some tough times of late...hope the bad things are all behind you.
October 17th, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^
Is it the way they can't hide their emotions? The loyalty? The unconditional affection?
Short lives, but they dig into you. Deep.
October 17th, 2014 at 6:42 PM ^
I did that trifecta way too much myself the last few years. My sympathies.
As for "Hoke and Carr were most attractive for the long-term health of the program..." I'm scratching my head how that evaluation could ever have been applied to Hoke, given his record prior to Michigan.
October 17th, 2014 at 8:56 PM ^
October 17th, 2014 at 7:32 PM ^
It's been a few years now but I vividly remember having to put my 13yo Lab/Husky down. I have 2 kids and at the time one was 12 and the other 10. It doesn't take a wiz kid to tell how many dogs they had up till then. My daughter the oldest was hysterical and my son the younger had himself wrapped around my leg begging me to fix it. Christ almight, nearly kept me from getting another pet. Puts lousy football in perspective.
Good luck with your mother and I hope things get better.
October 17th, 2014 at 7:45 PM ^
Hi Seth, my dog is months away from 14 and slowed down a lot but thankful for each day I have her. Being a lab/shephard mix I was just hoping for a good 12 years when I picked her up from the Humane Society in 2001 so the last 2 years I have felt very lucky. So I know when the day comes it is going to be very tough. Sounds like you have had a very rough 2014 so I hope things turn around for you and family in 2015.
October 19th, 2014 at 9:15 PM ^
October 19th, 2014 at 11:32 PM ^
Seriously. If it's just following somebody around to neg everything they post, that's middle-school childish.
If they're that bad, then don't worry, they'll say something legitimately neg worthy soon enough. In the meantime, hold your fire man.
October 17th, 2014 at 8:30 PM ^
it is losing a family member
October 17th, 2014 at 8:38 PM ^
Seth,
I feel for you. Our dogsitter lost one of our dogs two months ago while we were on our honeymoon. We came back early, looked endlessly for the past two months with no luck. My wife is still struggling with it. I hear the "it's just a dog" thing from people but when you raise one from a pup and then one day he's just gone it's more than "just a dog". I've never had a dog that didn't love me but I've known a lot of people who don't.
I hope your daughter is doing okay with all of it.
October 17th, 2014 at 9:19 PM ^
Lloyd in that jacket is hilarious.
October 17th, 2014 at 11:18 PM ^
Sorry about your dog, and dad, and mom. Nightmares you can't wake up from are the worst. You have my sympathy.
October 18th, 2014 at 4:08 AM ^
Posts like this. At the end of the day this is all a human affair. We hang on dearly to the things that bring us joy (like Michigan Football) because we know sooner or later there will be pain.
Seth et al., you are brave to put your vulnerabilities in the public eye so the rest of us can take a deep breath and truly realize what we have. Thanks man. Cheers, and all the best.
October 18th, 2014 at 8:19 AM ^
because as most all pet owners feel, they are family and their passing will be grieved as the passing of a family member. I'm looking at Mowgli, one of our cats, as I type - 60 words a minute, baby - him looking out the window at the leaves blowing around outside, now with his head cocked slightly as he turns around because he hears someone come in from the garage, him being a lunk-head of a cat, that if he passed away what a tremendous loss it would be. Some folks are of the mindset that they could not replace the pet, that it hurt too much, but I've been through several cats - I could relate the passage of time in my life in terms of the cats I've owned, "remember during the time of Boots that such and such happened" - and I remember them all fondly. Here's to hoping you can move on and welcome a new family member when the time is right.
October 18th, 2014 at 9:32 AM ^
October 18th, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^
As someone who's been there and knows the perfect storm of personal tragedy you're experiencing, godspeed.
October 18th, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
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October 19th, 2014 at 8:01 AM ^
I went to the Avon Old Farms game at Taft yesterday.It was of and on rain so there were a lot of dropped passes including at least 2 from Clark.His first pass was taken away from him by a defender for an interseption in the end zone. It appears to me that he needs to work on his hand strength. That being said he was a man amongst boys on the field. He didn't need any technique to chase down the Taft's qb and he knocked guys over routinely when blocking. He also catches the ball with his hands but as stated needs a lot more strength there. On a bad note I talked to a former AOF headmaster who said that Chris' father told him there IS going to be a coaching change. I said the the Michigan AD was probably going and not the coach. Kevin Ollie the UConn head bb coach was also there as his son is the AOF qb. I did get a thumbs up from Chris as I was obviously decked out in Michigan gear.
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