RBUAS
I found myself hungering for more and more Michigan content today (and mostly everyday). So, to satisfy this hunger I started browsing the Michigan blogs box on the left side of the page and came across RBUAS. Now this wasn't the first time I've read his stuff but this time I went to the very start (October 2005) and began reading his posts from there.
Yes I was desperate. But thanks to this desperation I rediscovered perhaps one of the best -- certainly the most unique -- sportsblogger on the nets.
I know this is old news to many of you but MGoBlog casts a wide net and those of you that havent read some of the posts on there are missing out. This guy will remind you why you're obsessed with Michigan football, and some of the things he's written about Carr, Hart and other Michigan greats are just beautiful.
It will make many of the posts on this board seem so petty that you will graciously rise above it and become a better netizen.
Do it. http://umichedme.blogspot.com/
No, I am not Johnny in disguise trying to stir up some hits before the season starts.
(sorry if seeing the title in the recent boards gets your hopes up...no, he hasn't updated since last years osu game.)
August 13th, 2009 at 11:40 PM ^
...is/was one of my favorites. I wish he would write about Michigan more, though I understand he's been writing professionally these days.
His piece in HTTV09 was quite typically excellent.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:06 AM ^
Any idea who he's writing for?
August 14th, 2009 at 8:48 AM ^
He writes high school sports for a paper in Connecticut. Or at least he had been doing so.
August 13th, 2009 at 11:53 PM ^
I'm not a personal fan of Johnny nor does his flowery prose do much for me, but whatever gets people pumped up for Michigan is cool by me.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:05 AM ^
I wouldnt necessarily describe it as flowery...maybe elegant? haha, to each his own.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:24 AM ^
The love for Carr, Henne and Hart to the exclusion of pretty much everything and everyone else grated on me. It wasn't so apparent while he was writing during the Carr era, but his bias was exposed after they left.
I know some people like his work, and appreciate his unique fandom. That's fine. But it's not Carr football or Henne football or Hart football. It's Michigan football, and that's still there. I see no reason to feel differently about it, simply because it's now Rodriguez, Forcier and Minor.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:43 AM ^
there were plenty of other underachieving Wolverines to pick from. I personally would have gone with Pat Massey. You can't get more underachieving than a DL who's 6-8 and knocked down all of 5 passes in a 4-year career.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:00 AM ^
Bellamy managed to hang in the NFL for 5 years as an undrafted free agent.
August 14th, 2009 at 12:51 AM ^
Definitely one of my favorites. I do wish he'd add more RR era content.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:02 AM ^
Because he's not a fan of Michigan or RichRod. It's pretty blatant in all the content. He connects with the Hart, Henne, Long and Carr era, and that's it.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:24 AM ^
I saw Major League today. You were great as Rick Vaughn.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:21 AM ^
Sorry I just remembered some of the bad blood from the WLA/MGoBlog/RBUAS saga from some months ago didnt mean to open that can of worms...just like his writing style as a Michigan blogger and thought more people ought to see it.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:38 AM ^
This isn't about "old beef" or anything like that. If you read what he wrote he was obviously a fan of Michigan so long as Hart, Henne, Carr and Co. were at the helm. When they left some of the magic died for him. If you read the posts leading up to his post on Minor it is obvious. Now it looks like, judging from his last post, that he may have found something to hold onto with Brandon Minor. But Minor has only one more year, and what happens when he leaves. Do we get 3000 word articles about how bad it hurts that he can't connect to the team any more? If that is the case then I don't need to read all of that any more. I'm not saying that Johnny isn't a talented guy, or anything. I'm just saying that his Michigan fandom doesn't sit right with me. I don't think anyone of us from the WLA would ever speak for the entire group. This is my opinion.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:21 AM ^
i speak for the entire WLA when i say musket loves to eat balls
ZING
August 14th, 2009 at 2:44 PM ^
You used to love it.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:05 AM ^
Whats an "opinion"
Nice 10-cent word there fancy pants.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:41 AM ^
A lot of you have trouble with him saying this:
"I never counted on them for anything. How is it at all possible, or even reasonable, for me to care about them as much as Mike Hart. If it seems like there's less emotional investment, it's because on some level there is. It's not intentional."
Is he wrong? Did you really feel the same way about Sam McGuffie as you did about Mike Hart?
C'mon, how someone can say Johnny isn't a fan of Michigan? Yes, he found a deep association with Mike Hart and Henne and Jake Long and Lloyd, and the emotive quality of his posts was a perfect complement to mgoblog's analytical nature. When they left, that connection was hampered because I feel like those guys helped define Michigan football for him (they were the face of our program for four straight years, after all).
I don't think that means he isn't a Michigan fan, and it's silly to disparage him. He interprets fandom differently than you, but that's okay. I'm glad we have him on our side.
August 14th, 2009 at 6:16 AM ^
I'm not sure why people got so upset about the fact that Johnny was honest about how he felt about last year's team. I don't think it makes him any less of a fan. I'm pretty sure as this year's team grows and develops, he'll develop the same attachment to it, and hopefully write more about it.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:45 AM ^
For the record: this isn't about "bad blood" (we e-mailed him, apologized for rudeness, he accepted, and even partook in a liveblog we had) or a hatred of the guy. I think he's a pretty good writer, in all honesty.
And I'll give him credit for at least being honest about jumping off the bandwagon: he wasn't one of the "THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE" curmudgeons. But, I feel like it's fairly obvious, and I don't think I'm mischaraterizing his feelings, that he was a fan of Henne, Hart, and Long, more than he was of Michigan. And this makes sense - he's a kid who never lived in Michigan, went to Michigan, or really paid much attention to them before 2004. So does it make sense for him to root for UM after those guys leave? Maybe, but I can see how it wouldn't happen.
Further, I don't think "3-9" should be a reason why you like the team or players less. Assholes here want to talk about "Nick Sheridan=Death" or (and I'm guilty of this) how awful John Thompson was, or how Threet can't throw, etc., etc., etc., but at the same time, I admire that Sheridan walked onto the field in Minnesota with the "NOOOOO SHERIDEATH!" crowd in his ear and shut them the fuck up. I admire Threet and McGuffie for sacrificing their bodies and playing hurt while dicks in the stands wrote the team off, and I admire Thompson for taking one to house to beat Wisconsin after being written off on multiple occasions. As a commenter on our blog wrote the other day - "Last year showed me how much I actually love Michigan football, and not just how much I love winning."
August 14th, 2009 at 9:13 AM ^
That last sentence is exactly how I feel. I did not make that comment, but I, like most in that clubhouse, certainly reflect that.
2008 was the first time in several years I was able to get to every home game. I made a lot of memories, had killer tailgates for the opener and MSU games and turned a lot of invisible e-friends into real friends.
Their record may blow, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the kids who went out there last season despite the rampant negativity that swirled around them.
As for RBUAS, I appreciate his writing and passion, but I was a bit irked at that rhetoric last season. For most of us, the class of 2008 is one of many eras of heros. College football is about letting those go and embracing the new crew.
Which i was more than happy to do last season, record aside.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:13 AM ^
I don't think the point of Johnny's posts from last year (obviously I can't speak for him) was that he no longer liked Michigan football or that he was jumping off the bandwagon, but that the emotion connection he had with the prior team was no longer there. I don't necessarily see that as a problem, or an indication of poor fandom. I see that as him wearing his emotions on his sleeve, for better or worse. I'm comfortable saying, as someone else did above, that my connection with McGuffie last year wasn't the same as it had been with Hart, obviously because I had the privilege of watching Hart play for the prior four years. I think whatever it was Johnny was feeling last year was exacerbated by the fact that not only was there player turnover, but coaching and system turnover as well, meaning the Michigan football team he saw last year truly did not look like the Michigan football we'd seen previously. I don't think anyone would argue with that.
I never saw Johnny badmouth any of the players on last year's team, or suggest that they weren't worthy of admiration. He simply wrote about his connection to the Hart-Henne-Carr team, and how it was no longer there. I never understood why that prompted the vitriol that it did.
And I agree with you - "3-9" should never be a reason to like the players or team less. But I don't think that was what Johnny was suggesting, and I certainly don't think he's no longer a fan of either Michigan football or the players and coaches that represent it.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:53 AM ^
I don't want to have this argument again.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:50 AM ^
what happened between WLA and this guy but IME there are different types of fans. You have the type that are simply a fan of the sport, others who are a fan of players and still others who are fans of teams.
If what is being said here is true it sounds like he was a fan of the players, not so much the team. I have been a UM fan for over 20 years now and it has never mattered how they did on the field or who was out on the field. I love UM and I live and die with each game. I have liked some players more than others but when I hear about this emotional connection with last years team (and this isn't the first time I have heard it) it makes me question if the person is truly a fan of UM or not. If they were they would have found plenty to cheer about regardless of how the season ended.
I love UM and anyone who puts on the uniform, and I always will.
August 14th, 2009 at 1:24 PM ^
I mean, I'm just not sure that people can be so cleanly divided. I watched Mike Hart play from ages 14-17, and it's kind of stupid, but I really looked up to him. I'm a sophomore at Michigan now and my favorite birthday present ever was this year when my girlfriend got me a signed Mike Hart mini-helmet.
But at the same time, I've spent a disgusting number of hours keeping up with the latest edition of our team, and getting over-excited about Denard and Tate and Turner. My favorite moment of my freshman year was seeing Odoms on State Street after the Wisconsin game, congratulating and shaking hands with him. God I love Martavious.
So, I think I'm one of many people who don't fit in those categories. I'm a fan of the team, but that just makes me even more of a fan of the individual players.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:16 AM ^
once the season went south (Utah - definitely toledo) there was still plenty of things to watch for as a M fan.
The improvement of the Oline and running game. Mouton's emergence. Graham's dominance. Cissoko and Odoms stepping up as freshmen. When that offense was clicking (first half against PSU and Ill) despite losing those games, I gained a lot of hope for what this could turn into. There was hope for the future in that season and that should have been enough for any M fan to not abandon the team.
There have been many great M players over the years and they all have one thing in common - the winged helmet. Players come and go and my attachment will always be to M.
August 14th, 2009 at 10:33 AM ^
"Last year showed me how much I actually love Michigan football, and not just how much I love winning."
I agree, but taking it a step further, I think last year taught some of us to not take the success for granted. The next time you watch Michigan pound an inferior opponent or pull off an upset it will taste infinitely sweeter due to the perspective gained in 2008. I love the abuse I got from my friends and strangers, I always just thought in my head "Fucking right I love this team."
You have to tear it down before you can build it up into something greater.
August 14th, 2009 at 9:15 AM ^
Let's remember the 'revolution' that occurred; on this board as well as others there were many of us bonded to the old regime, bonded to traditional Michigan football. Suddenly an outsider is the coach who at the time wasn't a 'Michigan Man'; for those folks this change threatened to break with tradition, to change Michigan as they knew it in an adverse. It was a civil war but the war is over and we move on; the hatchet has been buried, the family is together, let us hold no more grudges.
August 14th, 2009 at 7:43 AM ^
I found the blog boring and uninformative. I wondered if it was a caricature, but I think not.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:48 AM ^
I felt that RBUAS was sappy and overdramatic. Most of the people who have posted with complaints echo my feelings.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:53 AM ^
Shit! I thought Johnny was back... :(
August 14th, 2009 at 8:59 AM ^
would you ever miss Bursley?
August 14th, 2009 at 9:58 AM ^
I hated that place. I had a good roommate and hall, but the buses were the worst.
No amount of Panda is going to change that.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:08 AM ^
Mama Bursley's cooking. /sarcasm
I lived there for two years a long, long time ago. Ohhhh the memories.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:17 PM ^
Yeah I've been asked that before. A lot. I'm pretty much the only bursley alum that loves the place. I just had a fantastic Freshman year what can I say? And since I didnt go to class much the morning bus ride wasn't a problem and the vomit comet at night was usually fun.
Yes, with all the the deep analyses and arguments going on in this particular topic I choose to respond to this one. Not gonna touch the rest of it with a pole of many feet.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:17 PM ^
Yeah I've been asked that before. A lot. I'm pretty much the only bursley alum that loves the place. I just had a fantastic Freshman year what can I say? And since I didnt go to class much the morning bus ride wasn't a problem and the vomit comet at night was usually fun.
Yes, with all the the deep analyses and arguments going on in this particular topic I choose to respond to this one. Not gonna touch the rest of it with a pole of many feet.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:30 AM ^
I think a lot of people kind of lost some interest in the team; it just wasn't the same after he left, particularly with the uninspiring Gary Moeller replacing him. Perhaps it is the same way with Johnny and Carr. And as stated above, Johnny's ties to UM are virtually non-existent.
From Chitown above:
"Last year showed me how much I actually love Michigan football, and not just how much I love winning."
I agree with JamieMac that is a great quote. To me sports have been about drama, and there was a lot of drama last year. It's easy to love Michigan football with its rich, winning tradition. But think about the fans of lesser programs like Temple, Vanderbilt, Michigan State, Iowa State etc. There aren't many of them, but they are really fans. We just got a very small taste of what they've had to endure constantly.
Being a fan of the university and its football program is more than living and dying with winning and losing.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:41 PM ^
You can say "How could you care about Threet and McGuffie as much as Hart and Henne?" But as a lifelong fan and alum, I ask: How could you care about Hart and Henne as much as Perry and Navarre? This is college football. It's not like Hart and Henne were here for decades and left as free agents... they had 4 years. We all knew they would. Just like every other player that came before.
John Navarre was my favorite quarterback in Michigan history. I loved him because he was so much of an underdog and everyone just hated on him. Do you know how long it took me to warm up to Chad Henne? That moment against SDSU when he was hit while taking a knee.
Maybe it's because I was a student. Maybe it's because I grew up an obsessed Michigan fan just a 20 minute drive from Ann Arbor. Whatever it was, I've always been able to connect to this team. If you, Johnny, Brian or anyone else can't then I pity you.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:46 PM ^
I'm going to do a little projecting here, because Johnny hasn't written anything in a long, long while, but this is what I imagine might be the deal:
I think (almost) all of us have a soft spot for Lloyd Carr and the way football life was for us during his tenure. I loved the Henne/Hart/Long years as well, though certainly not as eloquently.
The fact is, though, that era ended when Lloyd retired and our three senior stars graduated. And that era was replaced with a foreign coach with foreign assistants and a foreign offensive mindset that required a different type of player.
Yes, that transition was painful. Painful.
It's hard to have the same kind of attachment with a bunch of Freshman and players who you've only known as backups as you might have with someone you've watched play for four years.
So we all dealt with that shock to our football systems in different ways. Some of us lamented the past, as Johnny did. Some of us became militant in our fanaticism, as the WLA did. Some of us somehow became better fans for it - more appreciative fans, more knowledgable - in between watching for improvement, looking for glimmers of hope and biding our time.
"Two years, fuckers. Give us two years."
I think what we might have seen with RBUAS's last post that he's coming around. Yeah, Minor will be gone in a year. But he saw glimmers in the others. And after all, who the hell were Henne and Hart in 2004?