Nice Column by Albom on Michigan poised to surpass Fab 5
There is a nice column by Mitch Albom on how the current Michigan team can be more remarkable than the Fab 5. (LINK: http://www.freep.com/article/20130402/COL01/304020124/mitch-albom-michigan-wolverines-final-four-could-be-better-story-than-fab-five
I know many of you don't like Albom at all. Many of you also love the Fab 5. But without being disrespectful to the past, I think Albom has written a nice piece comparing the new team to the old, and also giving honor to John Beilein and his success. Albom writes,
You can make a case that this 2013 group is poised to weave an even more remarkable story. That's not hyperbole. It's fact. Remember, the 1993 Fab Five team was five sophomore starters who had been together for two seasons, three of whom had been starters from their very first game. Today's U-M group starts three freshmen -- one of whom only got his starting role a few weeks ago -- plus one sophomore superstar and one junior. Collectively, that's a lot less experience than the Chris Webber-Jalen Rose ensemble.
Albom goes on to say,
This group is more impressive (than the Fab Five.) The Fab Five, a No. 1 seed, beat a 16 seed, a 9 seed, a 12 seed and a 7 seed to make the Final Four. Their real test came in the national semifinals against top-seeded Kentucky, which they edged by a few points in overtime. Beilein's group, seeded fourth, already has beaten a No. 1, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 13 seed -- all but one by fat margins. If Michigan gets past Syracuse, another fourth seed, on Saturday night, it will have gone as far as the Fab Five ever did. And will be poised to do something that legendary group could never do. Win it all.
On Beilein, he writes
The fact that Beilein has done it with intelligence, humility, discipline, hard work, good recruiting and a sense of history makes it all the better. Remember, this is a guy who, like the kids, had never been to a Final Four, despite nearly four decades in coaching. . . the fact that he rebuilt this program smartly and patiently, with year-by-year improvement and steady, heady leadership, is even more impressive.
While you may not care for Mitch Albom, today's column doesn't descend into treacly nonsense. But it does a nice job of praising Beilein and the current team, and also does well in comparing the team to our last high point.
Okay class ... use the words "treacly" and "boob" in a sentence. :-)
"treacly"
Dictionary.com -- "contrived or unrestrained sentimentality"
Kate Upton is the greatest model ever. When I think about Kate growing older it makes me treacly when I imagine she will no longer be able to model because her boobs will sag.
I mean, what some find remarkable others may find commonplace, so who can say what is more remarkable than something else. For me I don't think there will ever be a collection of young men (all in the same recruiting class) that will play for the same team (with a similar outcome)that could everimpact me the way the fab five did. I just don't see that happening.
I love the guys on this team now and root for them every bit as much as I did the fab five, but I can't honestly say that I think they are as remarkable as the fab five were. That isn't meant as an insult though, as I can't think of anything I have encountered in my life (save the birth of my quadruplets almost five years ago) that was as remarkable as the fab five...but that might just be me.
It is why I negged Mrs. Kass' husband. Nothing personal. He meant well. I'm no fanatic about the particular terms of any Freep boycott. People can do what they wish as far as visiting the site. (Which is invariably about a day late and a dollar short compared to the Michigan blogs.) But this Albom column was nothing, other than some warm Maize and fuzzy Blue for the Albom-sentimentality cohort.
Let's just have this team achieve what the 89 team did. With all due respect to the fab five, the 89 team is the benchmark team for me. The Fab Five were great but they didn't win a god damn thing.
I hate that line of reasoning. If you make the Final Four, that's a hell of an accomplishment and you raise a banner for it. Don't tell me that if we lose on Saturday we "haven't won a thing."
And thinks the comparisons should stop-
http://annarbor.com/mi/wolverines/2013/04/jalen_rose_this_michigan_team…