A Different take on Sharp's Gillespie and Rodriguez article
In his article, Drew says "Rodriguez should watch his back."
http://www.freep.com/article/20090329/COL08/903290447/?imw=Y
Plain and simple: Drew had a certain part of the male anatomy in his mouth when he wrote it. Plain and simple...
(I was trying to find the post of this on the site as I am sure it is already on here but I just couldn't find it since the MGoBoard Subject Title's aren't all that descriptive).
Interesting...but pointless.
However let the record reflect...once again,*Drew had a certain part of the male anatomy in his mouth*...so classic Drew!
just ignore sharp and he too will eventually be out of his current job.
There's nothing wrong with what Drew Sharp wrote in this article. If you noticed, he said it would be unfair for Rich Rod to be fired if he has another bad year, just as it was unfair for Kentucky to fire Gillespie after only two seasons. Sharp is spot on with what he wrote.
to be honest i didn't even read it. i just don't like what he's wrote in the past and now I don't even bother to give his columns a look anymore.
This.
I never have any interest in anything he says or writes.
The guy can be a tremendous asshat at times for sure, but, he was spot on with his article today. I must confess that I really enjoy his columns that bash William Clay Ford and the Lions. Those never get old.
There's no doubt that support for RR would lessen if we have another 3-9 season, but it doesn't take any brains to make that assertion. However, this is the first place I've read any allegation about any schmoozing problems, which means that Sharp pulled it out of another part of his anatomy. It's especially ludicrous given that RR is light-years more affable than Carr ever was on his good days. If he was a "reluctant schmoozer" he would never have opened up his practices to the media to the extent he has. RR's proven ability to persuade young men from radically different—and warmer—parts of the country to come north actually is actually a testament to his "schmoozing" abilities, since that's at the heart of any recruiting.
And the notion that more than a small handful of people in Ann Arbor are seething about the contract thing is simply laughable.
I really don't wish for the Freep to go under, but if they did there'd be one silver lining.
You missed the point. What Sharp is saying is that the "old guard" in Ann Arbor will use excuses like this as justification for wanting to dump a coach after only two years, just like they did at UK with Gillespie.
Except they won't.
March 30th, 2009 at 11:10 AM ^
I never said they would, however, there are more than few people who don't care for the new coaching regime in Ann Arbor. I'm continually surprised that this seems to be a revelation to some people.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:52 PM ^
And we know that you are one of them. Dude, get over the hiring. He's not going to get fired. And your knight in shining armour isn't going to leave Baton Rouge (unless he's fired).
If you noticed, in an earlier post of mine I said it would be wrong to fire a coach after only two years no matter what. I have nothing to "get over." Apparently, you do.
Jay is an example of the type of doubter that is welcome around these parts. He doesn't make up ridiculous scenarios that question Rich Rodriguez's character or claim that "we can't win when our team is full of 5'7'' playerz!" or anything like that. There is nothing wrong with skepticism, it is warranted after a 3-9 season
According to people close to the situation, Gillispie's firing had less to do with his subpar performance on the court and more to do with him being an alcoholic who engaged in erratic and allegedly abusive behavior toward his players.
Billy Gillispie lacked family values?
I used to go to Freep everyday to keep up on the haps in A2. I live in an SEC state so that was the only way for me to stay connected. I noticed that they would post an article like that about once every 2 weeks or so to get the blog polls hopping. All of the suckeye and kmarty fans would get on there and argue with UM nation while UM nation would run to RR's defense. It would always provide 10's of pages of blog posts. Articles like that are a journalists job because it keeps people interested and it keeps people talking and coming back. I think the very idea that we would get rid of RR after 2 years is ridiculous and the proof in that would lie with Tommy Ammaker getting 6 years. Yes the football program is bigger and comes with more pressure but Bill Martin is certainly smarter than that.
Rich Rod had better win some games this year. Another losing season, or a 6-6 season with a lot of home games and three creampuff games will cause a stir no matter what. A sharp tongue would only makes things worse.
Thankfully, I don't think that will happen. He has already said he learned a lot of lessons last year about opening his mouth and so far he appears to be on his best behavior. Also, the WVU fiasco is finally behind him, so you can't talk about that anymore.
He still has to win though. The team is young, but with three creampuff games and many home games, 7 wins is wholly reasonable. Yes there will be a true frosh at QB, but there's too much talent on this team and not a lot of competition from a weak B10 for them to lose more than 5-6 games. I think 8 wins is the benchmark. 7 is fine. 6 or fewer, and it will all depend on the circumstances.
I actually think the likely scenario will be very similar to the basketball program. The team didn't really know the system the first year (both Beilein and RR openly said so), but like Beilein's offense, they should be far more adept to it during the second season. At the very least, the fumbles should stop and the plays should be run properly. Just progress on those two ends, with nothing more, would have resulted in at least two more victories last year, so 7 wins should be very attainable. We should see some progress.
March 30th, 2009 at 12:46 AM ^
Let us not forget the accomplishments of Lloyd Carr
1) 6-7 in Bowl Games (only two BCS caliber wins, including 1 Shared Natty Title)
2) 4 Years in a row with a Bowl Game loss, including a loss in 2005 to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl (did we go 7-6 that year?) a year after we almost beat Texas in the Rose Bowl and returned practically all of our starters.
3) 0-111 against the Pac Ten, including two poor showings against USC in the Rose Bowl.
4) Generally coughing it up to sweater vest whenever he could, including the year we played OSU when both teams were undefeated.
Lloyd should have been gone after the loss to Nebraska but Martin gave him a couple of extra years. It is ridiculous to think .500 and a bowl game from Coach Rod this year would get him fired. I think Martin has him on a 4-year plan - if he can't get us to a BCS game in 4 years, he's toast.
FAIL
any post shitting on Coach Carr is automatically a FAIL. Now don't get me wrong. I'm just as excited about RichRod as most of you. In fact, I even wrote a diary asking the fans to give him time. HOWEVA...Taking shots at Carr is completely uncalled for. He's the only coach in my lifetime (and my dad's life even) to win a National Title at Michigan. He won many Big Ten titles. He had a Heisman winner. He still had about a .500 record vs OSU, even despite the recent failures in The Game.
How can this guy sit there and rip on Carr for losing to Ohio State in 2006? It was a 3 point loss to the #1 team in the nation on the ROAD.
Most importantly, Carr won and lost with class. He upheld the values instilled into the program under Bo. The program was run with respect to its past. Lloyd produced good people, and Lloyd is a good person.
Therefore, and I know this may be unpopular at this time for a lot of Michigan fans, but I will say it anyways. Lloyd Carr is going to be remembered by me as a legendary football coach at Michigan. I will put him on the list right alongside Yost, Kipke, Crisler, and Bo. Hopefully Rich Rodriguez can build his program and join all of them on that list!
I just stated the facts. Don't be mad at the facts. If I left out facts that you would like to state to support your opinion, by all means...
(and yes the natty title was very important and amazing...)
Edit: Let me state that I graduated in 2006 and the only year we really lived up to expectations was my freshman year (win over FL in Outback Bowl aka the Chris Perry game). I would say that at least 80% of the people in my class would probably use the following three themes (or something similar) to describe Carr:
1) Class
2) Generally underachieving results
3) Losing whatever edge / strategy he won the 1997 title with
results with every program in America because nobody wins it every year. Can you really say that the 2006 team "underachieved" because it didn't win the NC? They were 3 points away from playing for that title. Obviously, a disappointing finish, but I wouldn't call that underachieving.
Anyways, my point is that, yes...the end of Carr's career was somewhat disappointing. But there is NO REASON to belittle his career. I am completely satisfied with his career. In fact, watching the way he went out made me so happy for him.
You are right about the season we almost made the BCS title game. That season started off with a bang after we CRUSHED ND in South Bend (in my top 3 games of all time - probably with Wisconsin 2008 and Braylon over MSU).
Time heals all wounds, so I think Carr will ultimately be remembered more for his title than his inability to beat a Pac 10 team. However, my perspective as an actual student, on campus, after Lloyd's glory days had faded is a lot different than yours. He was a good coach - but he was not Bo.
And correct me if I am wrong - but aren't you the guy who never went to UofM and is just a life long fan from afar? If not, then I apologize. But it is my belief that it is much different if you went to the school, paid your way through, and live through it all - rather than simply watching it on TV and reading newspapers / blog sites.
"But it is my belief that it is much different if you went to the school, paid your way through, and live through it all - rather than simply watching it on TV and reading newspapers / blog sites."
You are insinuating that non-alumni fans are somehow less understanding and less invested in UM sports than alumni. That's fucking bullshit, and don't give me any shit otherwise, because I was in the same situation as you and I used to be ignorant enough to believe the same fucking thing. The reality is that there are many, many people that are much better fans than you and I that never went to Michigan. While not perfect, take a look at RBUAS in the left sidebar as an example. In short, get your head out of your ass if you honestly believe what you wrote.
"Different" was the word I chose to use. You seem to have unleashed some aggression on me for some odd reason.
And yes, it is different if you involve yourself with a team b/c you have been a life long fan from afar versus actually going to the school. I didn't say that alumni are better fans, did I? Infact I would argue that is typically not the case. For example, I was in the stands for those four years and usually the fans were either:
1) Too Drunk
2) Too Quiet
3) Too Pussy to Really Get into the Game
Rarely did you find the fan who was legitimately concerned about the game, helped to make the stadium as loud as it could be, and could remember the walk to and from the game.
But yeah, it is different if you went to the school and paid your dues. That is your school and no one can take that from you. Ever wear a Michigan shirt in a non-Michigan city and get asked if you are just a fan or an alum? People ask the question for a reason - there is a difference.
Now take a chill pill please.
Paid you dues? Seriously? Fuck that. You paid your fucking tuition. You got a degree. That's it. Just like I did and just like thousands and thousands of others did. So get that other shit out of your head.
And I know what you said. No, you didn't say "better". But read what I fucking wrote. I said you were insinuating that non-alumni fans are somehow lesser fans than alumni. "Different" was a passive way of saying it, but do not give me any bullshit otherwise, or I will consider you a fucking liar.
I don't get what all the anger is over. A poster below seemed to agree with me - fans that go to the school are more invested - like it or not. That is your school. I'm sorry if Michigan couldn't offer you a J-School program (I have friends that went to Mizzou for this reason, so I understand), but if your school caught fire and made a BCS game, or the NCAAs, I'm sure they would be #1 and Michigan would take a quick back seat. Nothing in this world would ever make me shift my focus from Michigan. My school. That is something only alumni can say.
There are exceptions to the rule of course as to non-Michigan alumni who always bleed Maize and Blue. However, there are far more fair weather fans than there are exceptions to the rule.
"if your school caught fire and made a BCS game, or the NCAAs, I'm sure they would be #1 and Michigan would take a quick back seat."
Absolute BS! You are an idiot to judge people in this way. In fact, my school does have a very fine football program and I still cheered against MY OWN SCHOOl when they played Michigan a few years ago. You don't know me, and you don't know anybody else like this. You're a quick to judge retard with an elitist attitude. People like YOU are the reason other fan bases find ours so arrogant.
"fans that go to the school are more invested - like it or not."
Absolutely false. I am willing to bet you that I pay more attention and put more time into Michigan's team than the vast majority of the students on that campus.
"there are far more fair weather fans than there are exceptions to the rule."
Oh, you must mean those student section fans who show up late, completely wasted, then leave before the game is over without giving two shits about the team?
I'm done with you after this post, no matter what you respond with because you've already established that you're a judgemental idiot. You have ZERO right to decide who is and isn't a big enough fan.
My apology if I don't make it to as many games as you. Sorry we all can't afford to drive 2 hours home, 1 1/2 hours to the game, another 1 1/2 home, and then another 2 hours back to school, along with parking, tickets, and food every fucking week. Watching on Tv doesn't make one any less a fan. If that were true, I wouldn't care two shits about the Red Wings. I've never been to a Wings game, yet I somehow managed to cry when Steve Yzerman's jersey was sent to the rafters. This tells me that I can care without going to the game.
In conclusion, I'm going to judge you now. I'm a better poster than you because I didn't register 3 days ago. Take your bullshit over to Mlive where that garbage flies. Idiot.
Done.
As always there are exceptions to the rule and your love for Michigan seems to fit that bill. I won't back down from what I stated, because it is different to go the school versus root for them from afar. It is called being an alum and that term alone makes it differnet. Is it all superficial? Obviously some people believe so, but as a hardcore sports fan myself, I feel as if there is a difference.
I still think you are a doucher though for getting this heated about the subject and arguing that you are "a better poster" than me. That is a low blow. Ouch!
Actually, I have never worn my Michigan stuff in a non-Michigan city and been asked if I was an alum or "just" a fan (and it's words like that by the way which give away your intent.) Typically what I'm asked is "how did you become a Michigan fan?" with the unspoken second part being "when you live here?" (here being any one of the four different places I've lived since leaving.) "I grew up there" is the only answer I've ever needed."
March 30th, 2009 at 10:47 AM ^
I've ever heard made on here. I've been watching Michigan games since I was 8 fucking years old. I go to Central Michigan. I'm not fucking going to stop watching Michigan just because I went to a school with a better journalism program. Your attitude is so elitist that it's not even funny. You're that type of Michigan fan that everyone hates. So I guess people shouldn't watch college football at all before they go to college, right? Because obviously I wasn't IN college when I was EIGHT YEARS OLD. Man, get a fucking grip on reality. Dumb ass.
LOL, I can't believe that you're trying to pass off a post full of opinion in which you claim we were "0-111 against the Pac-10" as "just the facts." More like some of the facts, a lot of the speculation. You should work for ESPN
March 29th, 2009 at 10:07 PM ^
People forget that the only person whose opinion matters in regard to RR keeping his job is Bill Martin, and Martin is not a clown like Barnhart at Kentucky. I think he realizes that firing Rodriguez after 2 seasons would set the program back further than keeping him on, even if we do poorly again.
I'm going to assume that Martin will do the right thing and stick to his guns (especially since his reputation as an AD hinges in part on whether hiring Rodriguez pans out). There are certainly some things that I disagree with in terms of how Martin presents himself, but he's a businessman, and a good one at that, and I'm willing to bet that he'll use some sense before he were to think about a change.
March 30th, 2009 at 11:49 AM ^
Barnhart is no clown. If what is being alleged about Gillispie is true, he would have been fired by any AD.
drew assclown should watch his back. how long until the freep becomes internet only?
March 30th, 2009 at 11:03 AM ^
Non-alumni fans are probably better fans than alumni because they don't HAVE to suffer through it. They could just bandwagon hop when convenient.
Suffer is a good way to put the 3-9 season, but at least BBall is back on track.
And yes, my original point is that it hurts more for alumni whenever M loses.
my original point is that it hurts more for alumni whenever M loses.
And this is what makes you an elitist, arrogant prick, as if somehow having attended UM makes you special and gives you greater emotional attachment to the team. Bull. Fucking. Shit. It’s the same elitist, arrogant attitude that led you to refer to a non-alumni fan as “just a life long fan from afar,” and to somehow differentiate yourself as having experienced something special because you “paid your dues” rather than “simply watching it on TV and reading newspapers / blog sites.”
I abso-fucking-lutely guarantee you that there are many, many alumni that went to UM, just as you did, who are fair-weather fans or simply don't give a shit, just as there are many, many lifelong non-alumni fans that are much more emotionally invested in the team. Point is, the place where you get your fucking degree does not dictate your level of emotional attachment. Yet you can’t seem to separate your diploma from your fascination with the team, when it is only the fascination with the team that really matters. Your diploma does not give you any fucking right to judge or consider non-alumni fans differently. The fact that you can’t grasp this is what makes you the type of UM fan that I hate.
There's a long list of people like that who give real Michigan fans a bad name and he is the stereotypical one.
I think you guys just invented the internet high five. Congrats!
Sports is a passion of mine and I based where I went to college on a combination of a public school with strong academics and strong sports program. So it is wrong that I cannot seperate between the two? How? I still root for my high school team. I played there and got a degree there. When I think back to high school often memories of football come up. Is that wrong too?
People hating on their own are exactly the type of people I hate. We are alums here, can't we just get along? Or are your foul mouthed tantrums too much to overcome? Perhaps you need medication. I would look into that if I were you.
Uh, don't see why it's necessary for you to bring up in every post that your an alum and that being an alum makes your fandom and loyalty to Umich more important than everyone elses. I'm an alum, but I'm as much as a fan as everyone else on this board, nothing more, nothing less. If you feel that being an alum makes you a better Michigan fan, then fine, keep it to yourself. Stating that your alum isn't going to make your arguments and posts any more relevant or effective.
Just defending outbursts from two posters on this board that probably should have died a long time ago.
You're a piece of shit. "Posters on here who should have died a long time ago." That's really classy Mr. Alum. You're acting like a prick. I'm also an alum, but my little brother is not. We've both been cheering for Michigan long before I considered going there for college. Does the fact that I got in and he didn't all of a sudden make me more of a fan than he is? In fact, I would venture to say that he is more of a fan than I am. I have friends out here who went to Michigan, but are fair weather fans, AT BEST. They paid their dues.
Don't give me the whole "attacking one of their own" bullshit. I don't like all of the people I went to college with. Just because we share an alma mater doesn't mean you can be a prick and I can't tell you so.
Classy. Good to see that your UM experience improved you as a person...
Now you see, here is where you and I differ once again. I would not wish death upon you or anyone else. I would only wish death upon your computer.
all right: i did ban this guy because this is out of line, but this got out of hand all around really fast. Can we maybe take the internet less seriously, everyone?
since the time I was in here posting. Having my fandom called out is certainly one of my hot button issues.
anyone else think he might have been referencing the fact that the "outbursts" should have died - not the actual posters themselves?
while he's certainly an asshat, i think he was guilty of poor sentence structure more than anything in this particular post.