tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4817788479521603052024-03-13T15:00:29.597-04:00Grateful BlueMusic, Michigan Football, and Other NonsenseAssmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-58136196768686945432009-09-04T08:07:00.003-04:002009-09-04T08:11:22.591-04:00Michigan Football - Predictions<div align="justify">Okay, so in a scientific survey of the nominal contributors to this blog (all Michigan grads), here are the predictions for the 2009 Michigan football season<br /><br />Assman - 9-3<br />Catman - 7-5<br />Candyman - 8-4<br />Brandman - 8-4<br />Brakeman - 7-5<br />Taxman - 6-6<br />Lawman - 8-4<br /><br />The average works out to 7.5 wins. On the high end you'll find me, the Assman. I am admittedly a shameless homer and optimist (a cockeyed optimist, like Billy Mumphrey), and I actually had to rein myself in to keep from predicting 12-0. On the low end is Taxman, who is a pessimistic dickhead whose joy for life and former Michigan homerism has been crushed by the demands of his chosen career of "CPA," whatever that is, and the mind-numbing task of following the Detroit Lions. The rest of us are somewhere in the middle. At the end of the year, prizes (in the form of bragging rights, blumpkins, and generous helpings of sycophantic praise) will be awarded to the one who is the "least wrong" of all of us. We certainly don't agree on everything, but of course I think we can all agree on the following sentiment:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000066;"><strong>Go Blue!</strong></span> </div>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-32601410873617300812009-08-31T20:17:00.003-04:002009-08-31T20:33:58.945-04:00Michigan Football Preview - Special Teams/Overall<div align="left">Last year was a trying year (to say the least) for Michigan football fans. Among the litany of problems: horrible QB play, young offensive line, turnovers, confusion with the new system, poor tackling, bad pursuit angles, etc. Believe me, I could go on. And on. Anyway, 2009 is a new year, and with it comes renewed optimism. Last year I predicted a 9-3 season. I was correct with the numbers, but I had them in the wrong order. My prediction for this year is at the end of this hastily assembled post.<br /><br />Since writer/director John Hughes passed away recently, I thought I'd use some quotes from some of his best films (as a writer and director) to help me preview this year's Michigan Wolverine football team. Earlier I previewed the <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2009/08/michigan-football-preview-offense.html">offense</a> and <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2009/08/michigan-football-preview-defense.html">defense</a>. Today, special teams and the overall outlook:<br /><br /><strong>Punt Team/Kickoff Teams</strong><br />"Breakfast Club"<br /><em>Richard Vernon: You ought to spend a little more time trying to make something of yourself and a little less time trying to impress people. </em></div><div align="left"><em></em><br />Well, we all know about the awesomely named Zoltan Mesko. He is already on the watch list for the Ray Guy Award, given annually to the best collegiate punter. Suffice to say, I think this is the only single position on the entire team that I have complete confidence in - rightly or wrongly. Zoltan will boot the ball downfield. I think RichRod should be able to find enough athletes to sufficiently cover his massive mortar shots into enemy territory. The return game is another matter. As Michigan fans, we have been pretty spoiled the last few years. Steve Breaston was steady, and at times spectacular. He was always a threat to take a punt for a TD. We've also had the likes of Charles Woodson, Leon Hall, and Desmond Howard back there in the recent past, so I think our expectations are pretty high. Last year shattered those expectations to the point that I was happy if the return man held onto the ball. I don't want to look at the exact numbers because it's too depressing, but we fumbled lots of punts last hear. Martavious Odoms (he did return one for a TD) probably was the most dangerous, but also had butterfingers. So RR put Greg Matthews, our most sure-handed receiver, back there. And then he fumbled. So did Donovan Warren when he gave it a shot. No one distinguished themselves as a reliable option as a return specialist, so my hopes for this year is for someone to catch the ball and hold onto it like it's his last dollar. The potential return men this year are Odoms, Warren, Matthews, Kelvin Grady, Cissoko, and all of the shifty little slot receivers and RBs (V. Smith, Gallon, T. Robinson, Roundtree, T. Jones, etc.). Just hold onto the damn ball.<br /><br />For the kickoff team, Bryan Wright is the incumbent, and will probably hold onto the kickoff specialist job he performed pretty well last year. As for return men, see above. Hold onto the damn ball. It ain't gonna bite ya.<br /><br /><em>Quick Zoltan facts:</em><br />- He graduated this spring with a degree in finance and marketing<br />- Is currently working on his master's degree in sports management<br />- Was a Playboy All-American last season<br /><br /><strong>Placekicking</strong><br />"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"<br /><em>Ferris: Don't worry about it, I don't even have a piece of shit. I have to envy yours.<br /></em><br />This is a real mystery position. After KC Lopata (who made 10 of 15 tries) used up the last of his eligibility, we have a severe case of inexperience in the placekicking duties. There are seven (SEVEN!) kickers listed on the roster, and that is one position where you can realistically expect that a walk-on might be able to win a job. With that being said, I still expect Brendan Gibbons or Wright to win the job. However, for some of you the name Eddie Murray might ring a bell. The Wolverines have a "preferred walk-on" kicker by that name this year, but he is no relation to the former Detroit Lions kicker. He has a strong leg and might manage to take the kickoff duties from Wright. I would be satisfied to have a kicker with the success rate of Lopata last year. Worst case: the 2002 season (post-Epstein, pre-Rivas) was the year that started with Phil Brabbs (3-for-9) and Troy Neinberg (2-for-5), and ended with punter Adam Finley (7-for-10) taking over. If that is in the cards for this year, just shoot me now and get it over with. <a href="https://mgoblue.com/football/article.aspx?id=40894" target="_blank">That Washington game</a> almost gave me a heart attack.<br /><br /><strong>Coaching</strong><br />"Ferris Bueller's Day Off"<br /><em>Ed Rooney: I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind.<br /></em><br />Wow. Where to begin. Personally, I have a great deal of confidence in the head coach, Rich Rodriguez. He has a proven track record of turning around programs. The big leap typically occurs in year two. So, here we are in year two of the RichRod era. I expect big things. However, I understand why others have not embraced him: he's not a "Michigan man" (although his mentor, Don Nehlen, was); he's too nice to the media (many of the same people complained that Carr was too surly toward the media); etc. Some people are now pointing to the ridiculous "non-scandal" regarding offseason workouts - which will ultimately amount to nothing but a footnote at the end of a successful season. After a year in which the defense was a huge disappointment, RichRod made a bold move and hired Greg Robinson to coordinate the defense. Robinson has a proven track record of his own as a D-coordinator, despite his failings as the head man at Syracuse. I think Michigan has a coaching staff that will help them win games, this year and in the future.<br /><br /><strong>Overall Outlook</strong><br />"Breakfast Club"<br /><em>John Bender: You know what I got for Christmas this year? It was a banner fuckin' year at the old Bender family. I got a carton of cigarettes. The old man grabbed me and said "Hey. Smoke up Johnny."<br /></em><br />Okay, now for my prediction. I am pretty confident in the offense. With a new QB who is able to throw a reasonably accurate pass, an experienced offensive line that should have a grasp of the blocking schemes, and a deep stable of running backs, this offense could really be something to behold by midseason. The defense worries me, but bolstered by the addition of new defensive coordinator Greg Robinson, should show improvement in most areas, despite being somewhat young and inexperienced. The punting game is solid. The return game is questionable at best. The kicking is a mystery. The Big Ten conference is weak. They'll probably lose a couple they shouldn't, and win a couple they shouldn't. The team will take these new allegations of NCAA violations and band together and adopt an "us-against-the-world" mentality that has served so many teams so well over the years. I see a 9-3 season.<br /><br />And just one last quote from "Planes,Trains, and Automobiles," because I couldn't fit it in anywhere else ("that's what she said"):<br /><br /><em>Del: If they told you wolverines would make good house pets, would you believe them?</em> </div>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-77982068617268962632009-08-17T22:02:00.004-04:002009-08-19T06:08:27.873-04:00Michigan Football Preview - DefenseLast year was a trying year (to say the least) for Michigan football fans. Among the litany of problems: horrible QB play, young offensive line, turnovers, confusion with the new system, poor tackling, bad pursuit angles, etc. Believe me, I could go on. And on. Anyway, 2009 is a new year, and with it comes renewed optimism. Last year I predicted a 9-3 season. I was correct with the numbers, but I had them in the wrong order. My prediction for this year will come later.<br /><br />Since writer/director John Hughes passed away recently, I thought I'd use some quotes from some of his best films (as a writer and director) to help me preview this year's Michigan Wolverine football team. Earlier, I previewed the <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2009/08/michigan-football-preview-offense.html">offense</a>. Today, the defense:<br /><br /><strong>Defensive Line</strong><br />"The Breakfast Club"<br /><em>Andrew Clark: If I lose my temper you're totaled, man. </em><br /><em>John Bender: Totally? </em><br /><em>Andrew Clark: Totally.<br /></em><br />Brandon Graham is widely regarded as one of the top defensive linemen in the Big Ten. That's a good thing. He's the only returning starter on the defensive line. That's a bad thing. However, the cuboard is not exactly bare. Mike Martin played significant snaps last year - and played pretty well. He brings a year of backup experience to the line. It's hard to tell how they're going to line up - in a 3-man or 4-man line. If it's a 3-man line, the other starter will probably be Ryan Van Bergen. If it's a 4-man line, you might see freshman Will Campbell. After that, there's not a whole lot of depth. For some reason, I'm not too worried, because having Graham there makes it seem okay. Don't make him angry - you wouldn't like him when he's angry.<br /><br /><strong>Linebackers</strong><br />"Breakfast Club"<br /><em>Andrew: Why do you have to insult everybody? </em><br /><em>John Bender: I'm being honest, asshole. I would expect you to know the difference.<br /></em><br />Ever since the departure of David Harris a couple years ago, linebacker has been, at least for me, a sore spot. Harris could go from sideline to sideline, he was a sure tackler, and he could hold his own in coverage. We got spoiled. Since then, we've been saddled with the likes of Chris Graham, John Thompson, Shawn Crable, and Obi Ezeh - who have all been inconsistent at best. Sure, Ezeh makes some plays, but he also misses tackles and doesn't seem to be proficient at shedding blockers. The MLB makes the defense go, and if Ezeh does not make significant improvement this year, the defense is doomed to another season of head-scratching mediocrity.The other LBs are intriguing. Jonas Mouton showed promise last year, his first as a starter. Stevie Brown will try his hand at LB after what could only be described as a horrible season at safety. Others who could contribute this season - sophomores Brandon Herron, Kenny Demens, and JB Fitzgerald, and freshman Craig Roh. While I remain optimistic in the overall defensive improvement, I am in a "wait-and-see" mode for the linebacking corps. Best case: Ezeh makes a huge Harris-like leap to all-conference level play, Stevie Brown finds his true position, and one playmaker emerges from the rest of the linebackers. Worst case: Ezeh does not improve, Brown proves once and for all that he's not a good football player, and no one else does anything of note.<br /><br /><strong>CB</strong><br />"Mr. Mom"<br /><em>Joan: Can I give you a hand? </em><br /><em>Jack Butler: You can give me two. I don't know what the hell I'm doing.</em><br /><br />This may not be the weakest position on the defensive side of the ball, but it's definitely the position with the least depth. The starters will probably be Donovan Warren and Boubacar Cissoko ("It's the Donnie and Boobie Show!"), but with all the spread offenses and three WR sets that every team runs, all teams need at least three starter-quality CBs, or else they'll get shredded. The third CB will either be RS frosh JT Floyd or true frosh JT Turner. Teric Jones just moved over to CB from RB, and could help out as well. Any injuries at this position will further expose the lack of depth. However, after a semi-injured off-year, Warren is poised to fulfill his promise and to start becoming the shutdown corner he is capable of being. Hopefully, the front seven can get some pressure on the QBs and take some pressure off the thin defensive backfield.<br /><br /><strong>Safety</strong><br />"Weird Science"<br /><em>Chet: [to Wyatt] Boy, I wouldn't give a squirt of piss for your ass right now.<br /></em><br />Two years ago, the Michigan safeties were outrageously horrible. The opening game against that one Div. 1-AA team that we lost to? Lots of coverage problems. Last year? More of the same - coverage problems, bad pursuit angles, horrible tackling. This year, it's a clean slate, with two new starters in the safety spots. It looks like it might be Troy Woolfolk in one slot, and it's possible that true freshman Vlad Emilien might start in the other slot. No matter who starts, it will be two players who have never started a college football game. Due to the safety problems the last couple years, I am not terribly confident in the safety situation, to say the least. Other than Woolfolk and Vlad, others who could contribute this year include Michael Williams and Thomas Gordon. Hold your breath and cover your eyes - it could be ugly.<br /><br /><strong>Overview</strong><br />"National Lampoon's Vacation"<br /><em>Clark: I think you're all fucked in the head. We're ten hours from the fucking fun park and you want to bail out. Well I'll tell you something. This is no longer a vacation. It's a quest. It's a quest for fun. I'm gonna have fun and you're gonna have fun. We're all gonna have so much fucking fun we'll need plastic surgeory to remove our god damn smiles. You'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of you're assholes! I gotta be crazy! I'm on a pilgrimage to see a moose. Praise Marty Moose! Holy Shit!<br /></em><br />If you read all the stuff I wrote up above, you might find my overview rather perplexing. Despite the less-than-rave reviews within the position groups, I am pretty confident that the defense will make significant improvements over last year. First of all, I think Greg Robinson, the new defensive coordinator, knows what he's doing. Sure he had a horrible team at Syracuse the last couple years, but all that tells you is that he was a bad head coach. He's been successful assistant in the NFL and at Texas, so I think he will have a positive effect on the defense. Secondly, the improvement in the offense has to help the defense. I can't count the number of times that the offense went 3-and-out and the defense had to get right back on the field again. Or how many times the kick return man fumbled the kick right back to the opponent. They had to be tired. Last year's defense gave up an average of almost 29 points per game. I expect it will be closer to 20 this year.<br /><br /><strong>Next time: Special Teams, and overall season prediction</strong>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-21005898495777359082009-08-11T01:15:00.007-04:002009-08-17T22:02:00.128-04:00Michigan Football Preview - Offense<p>Last year was a trying year (to say the least) for Michigan football fans. Among the litany of problems: horrible QB play, young offensive line, turnovers, confusion with the new system, poor tackling, bad pursuit angles, etc. Believe me, I could go on. And on. Anyway, 2009 is a new year, and with it comes renewed optimism. Last year I predicted a 9-3 season. I was correct with the numbers, but I had them in the wrong order. My prediction for this year will come later.<br /><br />Since writer/director John Hughes passed away recently, I thought I'd use some quotes from some of his best films to help me preview this year's Michigan Wolverine football team. Today, the offense:<br /><br /><strong>QB<br /></strong>"Sixteen Candles"<br /><em>Samantha: This is Farmer Fred.<br />The Geek: Ted.<br />Samantha: Oh, I'm sorry, Farmer Ted.<br />The Geek: I'm not really a farmer. I'm a freshman.<br /></em><br />Barring injuries, the QB position will most likely be manned by two freshmen this season - Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson. Since he enrolled in January, Forcier will probably start the season as the QB, but expect Robinson to see plenty of snaps in running situations. There is no way, even though they are freshmen, that these two will not be able to be better than last year's tandem of Sheridan and Threet, who were historically awful. The final numbers for the Michigan QBs last year: 165-for-338 (49%) with 12 INTs and 11 TDs. I expect a much higher completion percentage on fewer passes this year (180-for-300). And I also expect a lot more than the 345 yards rushing from the QB position (maybe 600 yards). While I wouldn't exactly say that QB will be a position of strength this season, I also think that it won't be a glaring weakness.<br /><br /><strong>RB</strong><br />"Sixteen Candles"<br /><em>The Geek: Relax, would you? We have seventy dollars and a pair of girls underpants. We're safe as kittens.</em><br /><br />The Michigan stable of running backs is pretty stacked this year. The only significant loss from last year is Sam McGuffie, who after a promising start to last year was laid out by a concussion and was never the same in the second half of the season. He transferred to Rice shortly after the season ended. Returning are seniors Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown (and I almost forgot Kevin Grady). I suspect that Minor will see the majority of the carries, but Brown has shown flashes of greatness when he's been able to stay healthy. Grady will probably continue to be the short yardage battering ram. Also returning is sophomore Mike Shaw, who had some great runs last year, and RS freshman Mike Cox. In addition, there are several freshman who could make some waves as well (notable nano-bots Vincent Smith and Fitzgerald Toussaint). Much like last year, I feel that running back should be a position of strength and depth.<br /><br /><strong>OL</strong><br />"National Lampoon's Vacation"<br /><em>Clark Griswold: O God, ease our suffering in this, our moment of great despair. Yea, admit this kind and decent woman into thy arms of thine heavenly area, up there. And Moab, he lay us upon the band of the Canaanites, and yea, though the Hindus speak of karma, I implore you: give her a break.</em></p><p><em><br /></em>The offensive line situation at the start of the 2008 season could best be described as "desperate." There was only one returning starter (Steve Schilling), and one of the guards (Tim McAvoy) was so bad that he was replaced part way thru the season by a former defensive tackle (John Ferrara). Many times during the first half of the season, McGuffie and the QBs were treated like tackling dummies. However, the line seemed to gel a bit in the second half of the year and it began to open some holes for Brandon Minor. The line went from cover-your-eyes-awful to competent. This season, I expect the line to make another leap forward from competent to good. The linemen have one more year in the spread system, and there is much better depth than last year. This year's line will return last year's starters Schilling, Molk, Ortmann, Moosman, Ferrara, Dorrestein, and some these guys may be replaced by RS sophomore Huyge or RS freshmen Omameh, Khoury, and Barnum. So unlike last year, there is depth and more talent and experience. Along with QB, this will be the most improved unit on the offense.<br /><br /><strong>WR/SR<br /></strong>"Sixteen Candles"<br /><em>The Geek: Yeah, but the thing is, I'm kinda like the leader. Kinda like the king of the dipshits.<br />Samantha: Well, that's pretty cool. Hey, but a lot can happen over a year. I mean, you could come back next fall as a completely normal person.<br /></em><br />The wide receivers/slot receivers were a perplexing bunch last year. There seemed to be a lot of talent, but it was hard to get a feel for how good they were when they were constantly being thrown uncatchable balls. When the Wolverines ran the bubble screen last year, it worked when the throws were on the mark - which was rare. That is a pass, more than just about any other, that has to be thrown to the receiver in stride so that he can continue upfield. It's essentially a long handoff, and our QBs were not good at it last year. Henne used to throw that pass perfectly all the time to Breaston, Manningham, etc. This is coming off as QB-bashing in the WR section of the preview, but the point of this is that it was hard to tell how good the WRs were last year when the throws to them were so bad. This year, all the receivers return, and new ones are arriving. I wish I could say with confidence that the receivers are going to be great and no on will ever fumble again, but until we see how they perform when passes hit them where they are designed to, it will be a mystery. I am optimistic that Forcier/Robinson will be much more accurate than Sheridan/Threet, so I expect better things from the receivers, but who knows. At WR, Mathews is a steady and dependable guy, and I expect big things from Stonum and Hemingway. At SR, Odoms showed flashes of brilliance (but he fumbled too much), and the incoming guys could be very exciting (Teric Jones, Jeremy Gallon, Roy Roundtree, Terrence Robinson). It would be great if Kelvin Grady (former M Hoops player and Kevin's bro) could add something to the offense as well.<br /><br /><strong>TE/FB</strong><br />"The Breakfast Club"<br /><em>John Bender: So it's sorta social, demented and sad, but social. Right?<br /></em><br />The tight end and fullback spots are an enigma in the spread offense. At WVU, RR used his fullback (Owen Schmitt) a lot, but that's because he was good. I'm not sure if Moundros is that good. The TE is another strange position in the spread. They could use the TE in the slot against a little 5'-8" CB and have a significant mismatch, as all the Michigan TEs are 6'-4" taller. I don't expect the Michigan TEs to have more than 25 catches between them, but I'll betcha they'll have 5 or more TDs.<br /><br /><strong>Overview</strong><br />"Planes, Trains, and Automobiles"<br /><em>Neal: As much fun as I've had on this little journey, I'm sure one day I'll look back on it and laugh.<br />Del: [giggles] Are you sure?<br />Neal: [starts chuckling] Oh God. I'm laughing already</em>.<br /><br />Next year at this time, we'll all be wondering what all the angst and hand-wringing was all about. It may take a couple games to get the freshmen all on the same page as the upperclassmen, but by midseason the offense will be running like a well-oiled machine. Personally, I think this offense is the NCAA offense of the present and the future. It's malleable enough that the mix of running and passing can be tailored to fit the strengths of the team. This year's strength will be the running game. I expect that we'll see around 65-70% running plays, and the team will rush for well over 2000 yards. The strength of the running game will open up passing lanes and make it easier to complete short passes to the talented but unproven slot receivers. By the end of the year, OSU will be very worried about how to stop the Wolverine attack.<br /><br /><strong>Next time: Defense</strong></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-69771248162421814112009-04-23T23:04:00.011-04:002009-04-27T08:55:17.152-04:00Dead Again - Buffalo 4/21/09<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J5ipVgj17dM/SfE4thxPQII/AAAAAAAAABI/iQkucwN78dw/s1600-h/Dead-4-12-09-228.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328102188966166658" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 281px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 171px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_J5ipVgj17dM/SfE4thxPQII/AAAAAAAAABI/iQkucwN78dw/s400/Dead-4-12-09-228.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When The Dead announced they were putting together a limited tour run, I was both intrigued and frightened at the prospect. Intrigued, of course, because the once epic sound and atmosphere of what is left of the Grateful Dead was coming to Buffalo. Frightened because, well, it is 2009, these guys are in the mid-sixties (mid-sixties takes on a different tone when it is an age, not an era), and one Jerome John Garcia would not be stage left. I have seen the many different incarnations of group and individual bands over the years – Ratdog, Phil & Friends, Other Ones, The Dead, and even Mickey’s band – and quite honestly they spanned the spectrum for me of ok to very good, rarely if ever hitting great/unbelievable on the meter. There have been moments, but nothing really consistently driving.<br />In addition, the apparent sell out to high ticket prices and using a ticket system that was blatantly looking to maximize their dime, made me sick. Long story short, I was online for the pre-sale, their lousy technology made it a 75 minute ordeal, they finally showed decent/mediocre seats after three rounds of lousy seats, so I took them. They then opened up far better seats in the days and weeks to come – give the rabid fan getting seats the first minute (or 75) mediocre seats so the casual fan is more likely to plop down a C-note on a good seat. Sham. Shameful. Plus the overall political shenanigans (whether you are right, left, or center), having Tipper Gore on stage with them in DC, to appearing on the View all make me a bit sick – especially after the GD was so blatantly apolitical all of their careers. Once again, chalk it up to “it is, what it is…”<br /><br />In addition, one major issue I have personally had with all these post-Garcia bands is that they play too much Garcia material and almost lean on it. In a way, I think that diminishes Weir’s, and somewhat Phil’s, writing and performing of many mainstays of the GD catalog. Unlike some Heads out there who discredit and don’t like Bobby, I have always liked him – rock & roll star and all.<br /><br />Let’s touch on the departed Garcia for a moment, even though it is all very well documented. Jerry was obviously the leader of the band, and supposedly a reluctant leader. He was a talented guitar player whose sound really defined the band. However, he lent much more - he truly provided a legitimacy to the music because he was a true music encyclopedia who infused all the different styles of music to the band’s repertoire – folk, bluegrass, pychedelia, rock & roll, and let’s not forget the beautiful ballad that I have trouble slotting into a genre. He embodied the music and gave it the sincerity, respect, drive, and ultimately the je ne sais quoi that I, and many, have been embodied with.<br /><br />On to the show and this particular band. I came to the conclusion that the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. The four – Bob, Phil, Billy, and Mickey – are much better together than the sum of their individual bands because they have more of the GD sound than any of their individual bands. In addition to the original four, they added keyboard player Jeff Chimenti, who is outstanding. He probably could have taken the bench at anytime as the Grateful Dead and fit in perfectly fine. He seemed to be a fine blend of 65% Brent and 35% Keith, adding both texture and melodic highlights.<br /><br />Warren Haynes had the most difficult job of the night and of the tour, but I can’t think of a better person to fill the role. He did not attempt to simply mimic Garcia’s style or licks, nor did he try to change it up too much to make it all his own. Haynes is a consummate professional, who really did it justice by playing a style reminiscent of Garcia at times, but putting his own mark at the same time. He walked that line particularly well, in my opinion, and he is a great guitarist. His vocals also added a great deal to the show. Honestly, I don’t know how the guy does it and how he keeps all the music straight – he must play 250++ dates per year between Gov. Mule, Allmans, Dead/Phil, and other miscellaneous projects. Another music junkie!<br /><br />The band has been pulling out old nugget after old nugget out in the first six shows before landing in Buffalo. The likes of St. Stephen, The Eleven, Cream Puff War, Alligator, Born Cross-eyed, New Potato Caboose, and more, have been unearthed. Unbelievable – one side of me thinks how great it is, another side of me thinks they are trying too hard! Stuff that never saw the light of day past 1969.<br /><br />However, Buffalo would be a more traditional show without any big bombs, and truthfully, that was fine by me. Yes, it would have been great to hear one of the old-time great tunes, but at this point I was looking for some live Grateful Dead music, because it is all good.<br />Ø They opened up with a very nice and upbeat Promised Land. Nice, traditional start as far as I was concerned, and a Bobby tune (cover of course…) to boot.<br />Ø Next they did a very nice They Love Each Other, with a nice hint of reggae groove. Warren took the vocals, some nice extended jams, and took a nice little ditty of a typical Garcia love song to an 11 minute groove.<br />Ø When the first bars of Mama Tried emanated, I was ear to ear – a cowboy tune!! Bobby seemingly doesn’t like the cowboy tunes much anymore, and it drives me crazy because that is what I want to hear! Nice hippie take on Merle Haggard, as always.<br />Ø Another heavy duty Garcia tune followed – Loser. Well played and sung mostly by Weir, they did a nice job with the song – again clocking in at 11minutes.<br />Ø Next, a nice surprise with Smokestack Lightning. I was loving life with another “Bobby” tune, but oddly Warren took the lead vocals. Haynes has a very soulful voice that plays very well with the blues, and he sounded great. Just a great blues tune.<br />Ø Stella Blue was unexpected and one of those Garcia ballads I would rather leave alone, however as soon as I think that, I find myself enjoying the rendition. They do a very good job with these tunes, no matter if I think they ‘should’ be playing them or not. 12 minutes, and very emotionally charged, “Dust off those rusty strings, just one more time…Gonna make ‘em shine” line, but I am sure it lost some people.<br />Ø More Bob coming up with All Over Now – one of the great old time cover tunes around...heck, it was the Stones first number one single in the UK!<br />Ø I headed for the men’s room toward the end because they have been playing 7 song first sets, but hey hey…another cowboy song – Big River!! I danced in the aisle-way for this one, and what a great song. Two cowboy songs in the first set – I was happy!<br />Ø First set was 65 minutes, well played, traditional 8 song first set – nice!<br />Ø The second set started after a 40 a minute set break. The tingling of Playin’ In The Band was being thrown around, and a 1973-ish, 17 minute version was being born. They played this song, always one of my favorites, very well with a long and expansive jam.<br />Ø Next was the closest thing we got to a nugget – Me & Bobby McGee. Wow, was this a good one - why didn’t they keep the tune in the repertoire through the 80’s and 90’s. Well performed and great to hear.<br />Ø Next were two crowd pleasers and Garcia tunes back to back – Loose Lucy and Ramble On Rose. Lucy was fun and light, as it should be, with some good sing-along. I believe they rotated the vocals around on this one.<br />Ø Ramble On Rose is just a great song and fun to hear and dance to. Again, like in Stella, it was tough to hear the ‘Take you to the leader of the band’ line without pining for the Fat Man. Are they going to play a 5 song pre-drums or how do they go into Drums from here? It was a bit disjointed, but they simply ended the tune, and Drumz ensued. Drumz began with Chimenti staying on electic organ to create a funky groove with the drummers. Some of it was interesting while parts were techno-sound annoying. Drumz finally took hold when Chimenti took a rest, and boy was it fun to see. Good stuff – truly a highlight, although a bit short with only the drummers working their magic. Space was far out and probably dragged a bit for some, and lost others, but I appreciate it – especially when you only see it 3 times in 15 years!<br />Ø Coming out of Drums, they noodled in different directions, but then oddly and rather awkwardly fell into a Maggies Farm. It was ok, but did not seem to fit well in that slot. Still a great tune, and any time a Dylan tune is played, it has to be taken seriously.<br />Ø While I am not usually in favor of Garcia tunes without The Man actually playing on them, next was one of my top GD tunes – Eyes of the World. I just love the song – the melody, timing, crescendos, the hippy-dippy optimism. Everything. Lead vocals were traded between Bob, Phil, and Warren. They did a nice job, although it is a tough Garcia tune to really shoot a bulls-eye because, to me, the song wreaks of him. I liked it a lot, and it took me to another place, as all good music should.<br />Ø They noodled more and hinted back into Playin’ several times. They couldn’t just go back into a Playin’ before they do one more song – could they? Yes, they did. I love the Playin’ Reprise to close the show, and while I like the fact that Warren Haynes did not try to copy Garcia verbatim on most of his licks, this is one place where I wish he had. That ending to Playin’ (or in the Reprise as the case may be) is one of my all time favorite Garcia riffs – I can still envision myself standing in Soldier Field, or other venues, with that ripping riff growling out at me and loving the fact it was slaying me. Not tonight, but a nice ending to the set, albeit a song short for my personal liking!<br />Ø I wanted a Box of Rain so badly I can’t tell you (they played it last night in Wilkes Barre). I wanted a Phil tune, on top of the fact that Phil did not take the vocals much at all the entire night, which was odd. Instead we got an all too cliché Truckin’ as the encore. Yes, it was well played. Yes, it is a consummate Bobby tune. Yes, it is a great song. However, too predictable for me.<br /><br />Overall, it was a very good show and well worth going to. Don’t think it warrants traveling for, nor do I think it is worth making the effort to see multiple shows, but if you have a chance for a local show, I recommend seeing it. However, one aspect does indeed lend itself to seeing multiple shows is the fact they are playing a ton of different material and you never know what you will get.<br /><br />The sound was very good, however the vocal mix was a bit low in spots. I believe some of the vocal issues come down to the fact that Weir has lost some of the power that his vocals used to feature and demand. The stage set up was traditional and as I remember it. However, the light show seemed to be lacking. We had just ok seats (see ticket issues above) but I thought to myself that it was just as good we were far enough away not to see them up close – the Stones Imax film killed me with all the wrinkles and veins! It has always been bizarre to me that Weir went to the longer grey hair with bushy beard and mustache after Garcia passed – there was not a big screen in the place, and I was fine at a bit of a distance.<br />The circus was indeed in town! The weather was mediocre at best, although the rain thankfully held off, and there was a smallish Shakedown Street set up. Complete with kind veggie burritos, grilled cheese, beer ($3 now!), big looners, pipes, clothes, and the ubiquitous smell of patchouli in the air.<br /><br />Make no mistake – this is not the Grateful Dead that we once saw. However, they were very good, and it was a really enjoyable to see them. The depth of material these guys are playing really is remarkable. Only three repeated tunes through the first 6 shows is incredible, and there have been some pretty obscure and daring attempts. Truly great live music allows me to shut down and turn introspective for periods of time, and this one qualified there. One of the omnipotent thoughts I had was that life is nowhere as simple as it once was (not a huge revelation), and nor do I make it that way for myself. Racing off to Chicago, Alpine, or NYC for shows in the late 80’s and early 90’s on a whim were all too good of days that I am certainly glad I had and shared with the closest of friends.<br />All the years combine, they melt into a dream…<br /><br /><br /><p>(Set 1)Promised Land, They Love Each Other, Mama Tried, Loser, Smokestack Lightning, Stella Blue, It's All Over Now, Big River<br />(Set 2)Playing In The Band, Me and Bobby McGee, Loose Lucy, Ramble On Rose, Rhythm Devils, Space, Maggie's Farm, Eyes of the World, Playing In The Band, (Encore)Truckin'</p>candymanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06557827457037345848noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-79897103493706503482009-04-21T16:37:00.007-04:002009-04-21T16:53:07.647-04:00Isaiah Thomas - FIU Coach<a href="http://www.sportable.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/sleepyisiah.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 405px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.sportable.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/sleepyisiah.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.sportable.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/sleepyisiah.jpg"></a><p align="justify"><br /><br />There is no way this turns out badly. After all, Isiah has been successful everywhere he's been...<br /><br />I'm not sure how the interview went at Florida International for Isiah to actually land this job. Maybe something like this...<br /><br /><strong>FIU:</strong> So, Mr. Thompson...<br /><strong>IT:</strong> Please, call me Isiah.<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> Okay, Isiah. So I've looked at your resume and I find it very interesting. You claim to have been the commissioner of a minor league professional basketball organization called the CBA, but I can't find any record of it's existence. Can you please explain?<br /><strong>IT:</strong> Well, it went bankrupt shortly after I left. Of course it was not because of anything I did during my tenure as league commissioner. I actually turned down an offer of $11 million from the NBA to buy the league and essentially be its minor league affiliate. It didn't seem like a fair price.<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> I see (scratches head, writes note). So tell me about your experience as a head coach with the Indiana Pacers.<br /><strong>IT:</strong> Well, I took my team to the playoffs for three straight years.<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> That's right, I remember that. Didn't you go to the conference finals or something like that?<br /><strong>IT:</strong> Well, actually Larry Bird took them to the conference finals the year before I got there. We lost in the first round in each of the seasons I was the head coach.<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> I see (scribbles note). So, you then became President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks. Tell me about some of your most successful contribution in that position.<br /><strong>IT:</strong> Let's see. I was able to parlay two high first round draft picks and get talented young big man Eddy Curry from the Bulls. I hired Larry Brown. I signed Jerome James...<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> Okay, I get it. Let's move on. After you fired your hand picked head coach, Larry Brown, after just one year and replaced him with yourself, how would you assess your performance as head coach of the Knicks?<br /><strong>IT:</strong> I feel we performed up to the talent level that the GM gave me.<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> Um, but weren't you the GM?<br /><strong>IT:</strong> Technically, but Mr. Dolan signs the checks.<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> Okay. Well, Mr. Thompson, I don't see anything here that would make this look like a good hire. I'm gonna have a hard time selling this to the board of regents. You seem to have failed at every job you've had since your playing career ended. In addition, I seem to remember some sort of a sexual harassment lawsuit against you and the Knicks. Convince me that you are the right coach to usher in a new era of basketball for Florida International.<br /><strong>IT:</strong> Well, the Knicks are still paying me. I'll work for free.<br /><strong>FIU:</strong> You're hired. I'll set up a press conference...<strong><br /></strong><strong><p>FIU = Failure Is Unavoidable</strong></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-78869410039149566392009-04-14T09:11:00.010-04:002009-04-14T09:46:13.317-04:00Mark "The Bird" Fidrych - RIP<a href="http://www.collectomaniacs.com/roy/1976AL.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 418px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.collectomaniacs.com/roy/1976AL.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p align="justify">I was in the kitchen last night making pizza, when my wife turned the TV channel to the news. The first thing I heard was Katie Couric talking about Mark Fidrych. Uh oh. Then, the kicker: The Bird was dead at the age of 54. My mind immediately flashed back to the summer of 1976, when I was just ten years old. The Detroit Tigers were not very good that year. As a team, they won just 74 games, but the Michigan summer was electrified by the emergence of a young 21-year-old phenom by the name of Mark Fidrych. He pitched a complete game in his first start (a 2-hitter over the Indians), and believe it or not it got better and better throughout the summer. Not only did Fidrych have a great season statistically, but his quirky game day antics became a national phenomenon. On the mound, he would seemingly talk to the ball. Between innings, he would get down on his hands and knees and manicure the mound by hand until he got it just right. He was a lovable country redneck from rural Massachusetts. He was a breath of fresh air. </p><br /><br /><a href="http://i.rollingstone.com/assets/rs/11/3861/images/22693_lg.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 224px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 260px" alt="" src="http://i.rollingstone.com/assets/rs/11/3861/images/22693_lg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="justify">I have been a Tiger fan since my early childhood - as far back as my memory can take me. I remember going to Tiger stadium when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old with my dad. I remember seeing lots of different Tiger players in my formative years: Gates Brown, Joe Coleman, Willie Horton, Mickey Lolich, John Hiller, Ron LeFlore, Dick McCauliffe, Aurelio Rodriguez, Bill Freehan, Al Kaline, Mickey Stanley. But no one really captured my childhood imagination until Mark Fidrych. He was one of a kind. He had the kind of season that young pitchers dream of when they get drafted out of high school. He won 19 games versus 9 losses that season. He had 24 complete games out of 29 starts (for context, the major league leader in complete games this past season was CC Sabathia - he had ten). He had four shutouts. He started the All-Star Game for the AL. Reportedly, teams begged the Tigers to change their rotation to allow him to pitch certain games in their stadiums. Attendance at Tiger Stadium soared when Fidrych was pitching. </p><p align="justify"><br />Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury early in the 1977 season and was never the same again. He was on a similar pace with 7 complete games in 11 starts prior to his injury. After coming back from the knee problem, arm problems followed. He was out of the majors for good after the 1980 season.<br /></p><br /><br /><a href="http://elliottlarkfield.typepad.com/undergroundbaseball/images/2007/07/27/fidrych060677.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 299px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 405px" alt="" src="http://elliottlarkfield.typepad.com/undergroundbaseball/images/2007/07/27/fidrych060677.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="justify">After his baseball career was over, he owned a trucking company and just became a "regular guy." He seemingly never had any regrets about his shortened career, and he never expressed any bitterness. he was happy to have had the time he had. As Neil Young might say, "It's better to burn out than to fade away." Fidrych burned brighter than anyone in the summer of '76, and his flame was extinguished just as quickly.</p><br /><p align="justify">"The Tale of Mark Fidrych" is probably one significant reason that teams are now so careful with pitchers. They monitor pitch counts. They monitor innings. They try to avoid extreme increases in innings pitched from year to year. If such care would have been taken with Fidrych, perhaps he would have had a more productive overall career. But it may have also robbed us of that one magical season, when a colorful character called "The Bird" let us fly with him.<br /><br /><br /></p><blockquote>"That ball has a hit in it, so I want to get back in the ball bag and goof around with the other balls in there. Maybe it'll learn some sense and come out as a pop-up next time." - Mark Fidrych (1976)</blockquote><br /><p></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-91561392870873300212009-04-09T09:13:00.026-04:002009-04-09T15:23:50.970-04:00The Masters Lookalikes, Volume 2Well, it's that time of year again. April is an outstanding month for sports: MLB opening day, Final Four, NFL Draft, NCAA spring practice, and of course The Masters. I did this lookalike thing <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2008/04/masters-lookalikes.html">last year</a>, and I enjoyed it, so let's have another go at it, shall we? I will not repeat any from last time, so if think of a good lookalike, check on the <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2008/04/masters-lookalikes.html">previous post</a> and see if it was covered already:<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4GETs8mpI/AAAAAAAAA2o/XvqCz0R9bAM/s1600-h/jimenez.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322698480676543122" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4GETs8mpI/AAAAAAAAA2o/XvqCz0R9bAM/s200/jimenez.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.fiendishbunnies.com/images/Most_Interesting_Man.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 123px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px" alt="" src="http://www.fiendishbunnies.com/images/Most_Interesting_Man.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Miguel Angel Jimenez - The Most Interesting Man In The World (Dos Equis TV commercials)</strong><br /><br /><p>I think this one's more for his smoky voice and accent than it is for his actual looks. They both smoke cigars and travel the world. Stay thirsty, my friends...<br /><br /></p><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4FUV6LTMI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/f3qjGrc-1q8/s1600-h/donald.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322697656635182274" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4FUV6LTMI/AAAAAAAAA2Y/f3qjGrc-1q8/s200/donald.bmp" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4Fh9hHp_I/AAAAAAAAA2g/mhovzWg56O0/s1600-h/kjeldsen.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322697890605803506" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4Fh9hHp_I/AAAAAAAAA2g/mhovzWg56O0/s200/kjeldsen.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/29/neil_patrick_harrisjpg.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 124px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/29/neil_patrick_harrisjpg.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Luke Donald - Soren Kjeldsen - actor Neil Patrick Harris</strong><br />Could there be two golfers who look like Doogie Howser/Barney Stinson? Apparently there are at least two entered in The Masters this week. Each has a forehead that won't quit - more like a "five-head." Hey-o....<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4HM1ay8WI/AAAAAAAAA2w/jPHx6wac8ik/s1600-h/mize.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322699726677799266" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4HM1ay8WI/AAAAAAAAA2w/jPHx6wac8ik/s200/mize.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4HR4r-pKI/AAAAAAAAA24/YcH0e76KHZs/s1600-h/williams.bmp"></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4HwTE7loI/AAAAAAAAA3A/VY1CpHnd4Yc/s1600-h/williams.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322700335934576258" style="WIDTH: 136px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 158px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4HwTE7loI/AAAAAAAAA3A/VY1CpHnd4Yc/s200/williams.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Larry Mize - UNC head coach Roy Williams</strong><br />A former Masters champion, and a current NCAA champion...<br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4I7b9KB0I/AAAAAAAAA3I/y72Ys0Jgt6o/s1600-h/stadler.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322701626808076098" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4I7b9KB0I/AAAAAAAAA3I/y72Ys0Jgt6o/s200/stadler.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4JKdiXvbI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/o-9Oe-DLmSY/s1600-h/walrus.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322701884930637234" style="WIDTH: 151px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4JKdiXvbI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/o-9Oe-DLmSY/s200/walrus.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Craig Stadler - a walrus </strong></p><p>The main difference between these two - one has whiskers and a 6" thick layer of blubber to keep himself warm during the inactive winter months, and the other is a flippered marine mammal.</p><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4McTuhNaI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/4AfLkDfM8ZI/s1600-h/hansen.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322705490069763490" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4McTuhNaI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/4AfLkDfM8ZI/s200/hansen.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4Mi-33cMI/AAAAAAAAA3g/5LlWdjly6fQ/s1600-h/toby.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322705604730908866" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4Mi-33cMI/AAAAAAAAA3g/5LlWdjly6fQ/s200/toby.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Soren Hansen - actor Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson from "The Office"</strong>)<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4bpFxSBaI/AAAAAAAAA3o/JPgz0gY6ins/s1600-h/sutherland.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322722202335970722" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4bpFxSBaI/AAAAAAAAA3o/JPgz0gY6ins/s200/sutherland.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4bs7plWjI/AAAAAAAAA3w/er6ZZzJ990o/s1600-h/mcbrayer.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322722268338805298" style="WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4bs7plWjI/AAAAAAAAA3w/er6ZZzJ990o/s200/mcbrayer.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Kevin Sutherland - actor Jack McBrayer (Kenneth from "30 Rock")</strong><br />They both have an "aw shucks" quality.<br />"Gee Mr. Donaghy, I think you're the best boss ever."<br />"Gee Mr. Woods, you sure can putt real good?"<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4tRmHt-lI/AAAAAAAAA34/7X1o5hPSwxI/s1600-h/petterson.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322741589912451666" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4tRmHt-lI/AAAAAAAAA34/7X1o5hPSwxI/s200/petterson.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4tVjmAQII/AAAAAAAAA4A/RtgBxJYky5w/s1600-h/campbell.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322741657953648770" style="WIDTH: 124px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd4tVjmAQII/AAAAAAAAA4A/RtgBxJYky5w/s200/campbell.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Carl Petterson - actor Larry Joe Campbell from "According to Jim"</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd43-4meqfI/AAAAAAAAA4I/Cw8uHzhwizg/s1600-h/quiros.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322753363083700722" style="WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd43-4meqfI/AAAAAAAAA4I/Cw8uHzhwizg/s200/quiros.bmp" border="0" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd44CdENQBI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/gi_050UGGh4/s1600-h/cohen.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322753424411672594" style="WIDTH: 121px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/Sd44CdENQBI/AAAAAAAAA4Q/gi_050UGGh4/s200/cohen.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Alvaro Quiros - actor Sacha Baron Cohen from "Borat"</strong><br /><br /><p><br />Add your suggestions in the comments and I'll try to add as the day progresses.</p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-33350234229983403992009-04-01T11:30:00.003-04:002009-04-01T11:41:39.611-04:00Michigan Coaching Change<p align="justify"><strong>Ann Arbor, MI</strong> -- In an unprecedented move, the University of Michigan Athletic Department has announced that they have terminated the contract of head football coach Rich Rodriguez after just one season on the job. Athletic Director Bill Martin stated that "the team was not progressing at a satisfactory pace," and that coach Rod's methods were not "Michigan-like" enough. Martin also cited the high rate of transfers out of the program since coach Rod took over, including presumed starters Sam McGuffie, Ryan Mallett, Steven Threet, Justin Boren, and Toney Clemens. He also noted that he had been contacted earlier this week by coach Bo Schembechler himself, who told him that he needed to find a new coach who didn't run some sort of newfangled fancy offense, and preferably one who is more surly with the media. Martin further explained that the coaching search will begin immediately. Martin is awaiting further instructions from Bo as to the potential candidates, but speculation is running rampant that candidates will include Lloyd Carr, Mike DeBord, Stan Parrish, Gary Moeller, Jerry Hanlon, Les Miles, Corwin Brown, Jim Harbaugh, Mike Trgovac, Jamie Morris, Mark Messner, and Todd Bowles. Bo is expected to re-appear in Martin's dreams in the next few days. </p><br /><br><br /><p align="justify">Updates will be reported on this site as news develops.</p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-57370114719424614912009-02-17T08:25:00.008-05:002009-02-17T09:12:50.701-05:00Random Thoughts and Links<p align="justify">I don't really have a topic today, but I do have some random thoughts about some stuff:<br /><br />- Steven Threet did the best with what his talent allowed him, but everyone knows he was not a good fit for the spread as RichRod likes to run it. The old style Michigan QB (a 6'-4" 230 lb "pro-style" QB) is a thing of the past. At best, Threet could have expected to start for a few games this coming season, but only until Forcier or Robinson got up to speed. He was a gamer, he played hurt, and despite his rather limited speed, he ran the ball when RichRod called for it. But in this offense, you have to either be a very good passer, a very good runner, or decent at both. He was not an accurate passer, and was too slow to make other teams respect the run. I still can't figure out how Wisco let him run 50 yards untouched near the end of that game. Anyway, I wish him well at his new school. He left without trashing the program, unlike some other ungrateful traitors <span style="font-size:78%;">*cough*Boren*cough*</span>. Anyone out there who is reporting the Threet transfer as another nail in the Michigan coffin is way off base. Threet was a square peg who transferred into a situation where all the holes were square. When Carr resigned, the holes changed shape and became round, and the square Threet no longer fit. He recognized it and decided to move on. End of story.<br /><br />- Delaware State? Really? Is that the best we could do to fill the schedule? Michigan's out-of-conference schedule is WMU, EMU, Delaware State, and Notre Dame. Ohio State has Navy, USC, Toledo, and New Mexico State. While that's not exactly a fantastic schedule, it's at least all Div. 1. Delaware State, unlike App State, is not even among the best teams in their conference (MEAC). In fact, they are not even the best team in Delaware. That distinction would go to Delaware University, which sports a familiar looking uniform. That would have been a novelty - having these two teams match up in the big house. </p><p align="justify"><br /><a href="http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/sep/loveaaronvurilg.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 309px" alt="" src="http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2008/sep/loveaaronvurilg.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.mgoblue.com/uploadedImages/Sports/Football/Articles/2000s/2008-2009/News_Releases/odoms-102908_300.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 235px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 310px" alt="" src="http://www.mgoblue.com/uploadedImages/Sports/Football/Articles/2000s/2008-2009/News_Releases/odoms-102908_300.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><p align="justify"><a href="http://thebosh.com/upload/2007/10/03/bar-refaeli-bikini.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 296px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 332px" alt="" src="http://thebosh.com/upload/2007/10/03/bar-refaeli-bikini.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />- Dear SI.com: you are making it very hard to read the articles about actual sports on your website. I visit the website, and <a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/?cnn=yes">Bar </a><a href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/?cnn=yes">Refaeli</a> is staring at me with that come hither look and those exquisite cans, barely restrained behind the minuscule amount of fabric that passes for a bathing suit. What is a fella to do? I'll tell you what I did. I went and took a gander at the bathing suits. Let me tell you, in case you had not noticed, Brooklyn Decker and Bar Refaeli are quite spongeworthy. How am I supposed to get any work done?<br /></p><p align="justify"><br />- <a href="http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/sunny/">"It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia"</a> is one of the best shows on TV. Of course, being on FX, it's hard to find. Anyway, I just downloaded seasons 1-4 and it is absolutely hilarious. Each of the main characters is such a scumbag in his own way that it's almost endearing. It's like watching South Park, but each character is like Eric Cartman. They are completely devoid of any positive character traits. I have begun watching episodes on my Zune on the bus to and from work. Have I mentioned that I love my Zune? Well, I do.<br /><br />- <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/16/buffalo.beheading/index.html">Buffalo is in the news again</a>. What the hell? A beheading? If reminds me of my time in Trinidad. When I was there back in 1998, I started hearing about people being hacked to death. I thought it might be some sort of a Trini slang term, but it was just what it sounded like - people using machetes to kill people. Sheesh.<br /><br /><p>- Michael Phelps should get his own bong and smoke whatever he wants in the privacy of his own home, not in public, where practically everyone on earth has a camera phone. I think 8 gold medals is enough to earn him some time to relax. Whatever cretin took that photo and sold it to the British tabloid that published it should definitely watch his back, because Michael Phelps is a pretty big guy and is in pretty good shape and could probably severely punish you for doing what you did. Asshole.</p><p></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-67364143832634921082009-01-27T10:00:00.003-05:002009-01-27T10:00:24.091-05:00Fun with Names - Super Bowl Edition<p align="justify">Previously I had a good time poking fun at some unusual names in the <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2008/08/sec-preview-fun-with-names.html">SEC</a> and the <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2008/08/big-ten-preview-fun-with-names.html">Big Ten</a>, and even the <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2008/08/team-usa-olympics-fun-with-names.html">Summer Olympics</a>. It's Super Bowl time, and it's time to make fun of more names. The usual disclaimers apply, and these are meant for entertainment purposes only - even if they are only for <em>my own</em> entertainment...<br /><br /><strong>Arizona Cardinals</strong><br /><br /><em>- Calais Campbell</em> - "You know what will make us sound sophisticated? Naming our kid after a French town. Paris? Nah, that's overused. How about Calais."<br /><em>- Karlos Dansby</em> - "Carlos" is just too pedestrian. How about "Karlos?" Ooooh, that's edgy.<br /><em>- Early Doucet</em> - He has a sister named Timely, and a brother named Tulate.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/SX8XHdNgroI/AAAAAAAAA2A/BwQ22Va5Ooo/s1600-h/urban.bmp"></a><br /><br /><em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/SX8b3v6VLgI/AAAAAAAAA2I/CBJ4gexLVV0/s1600-h/urban.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295982331378871810" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 65px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 90px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/SX8b3v6VLgI/AAAAAAAAA2I/CBJ4gexLVV0/s400/urban.bmp" border="0" /></a>- Jerheme Urban</em> - Odd spelling for the first name, and he might be the whitest looking man in the NFL.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0208/images/Morpheus.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 265px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 130px" alt="" src="http://www.ufodigest.com/news/0208/images/Morpheus.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>Pittsburgh Steelers</strong><br /><br /><em>- Orpheus Roye</em> - Orpheus? Wasn't he in The Matrix. "You are the one, Neo."<br /><em>- Marvel Smith</em> - Short for Marvelous, I'm sure. And who wouldn't want their kid to be named Marvelous? Oh, you either?<br /><em>- Limas Sweed</em> - This one looks like an anagram to me. Sawed Limes? Sesame Wild? Sea Mildews? Ass Weed Mil?<br /><em>- William Gay</em> - You know how I know you're gay? It says "Gay" on your uniform!<br /><em>- Willie Colon</em> - You combine a Willie and a Colon, and that spells trouble. Hey-O!<br /><em>- Mewelde Moore</em> - His lesser known brothers are named Uwelde and Hewelde. Dad's name is Iwelde.<br /><em>- Keyaron Fox</em> - I think she's a sideline reporter on the Versus Network or something.<br /><em>- Santonio Holmes</em> - "Hey, why don't we name him after where he was conceived - the parking lot of the Alamodome in San Antonio? How about Alamodomelot? Too long? How about Santonio? All right, let's go with it."<br /><em>- Jared Retkovsky</em> - There's nothing particularly unusual about his name, but it should be noted that he was a furniture mover until he was signed in October to replace injured long snapper Greg Warren. From carrying a piano up to a third floor apartment, to jogging onto the field and throwing a ball between your legs eight times in a game: Upgrade!<br /><br /><strong>Old Guy First Names<br /></strong><em>- Ralph Brown<br />- Bertrand Berry<br />- Clark Haggans<br />- Victor Hobson<br />- Lyle Sendlein</em><br /><em>- Elliott Vallejo<br />- Gabe Watson<br />- Arnold Harrison<br />- Ike Taylor<br /></em><br />Sounds like a fine group of fellows who get together every Tuesday night at the Senior Center for a game of dominoes or canasta: Ralph, Bert, Clark, Victor, Lyle, Elliott, Gabe, Arnie and Ike. Prune juices all around!<br /><br />I'm sure I missed a few good ones. I am but one man. Leave more ideas in the comments if you'd like.</p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-15190859659364497682009-01-20T09:20:00.013-05:002009-01-27T10:11:37.869-05:00Inauguration Day Is Finally Here<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/SXXyGp2nfVI/AAAAAAAAA1k/kU5Ky5ZM42o/s1600-h/inaug.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293403133171957074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 449px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 231px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/SXXyGp2nfVI/AAAAAAAAA1k/kU5Ky5ZM42o/s400/inaug.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="justify">In case you haven't heard about it, today is inauguration day. The constitution says that the new President is to be sworn in by noon today. There are so many thoughts going through my head about the significance of this day. I thought I would just start writing a "stream of consciousness" type of a post, with my various thoughts, as if anyone cares. Some of this is gonna sound sappy, but whatever. It's a historic day:<br /><br /></div><ul><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> I have not seen so much national pride on display on a single day since 9-11-01. Obviously, the nation came together on 9-11 as a reaction to several despicable acts of cowardly terrorism, but today is much different. Today, it's because there is a genuine feeling of hope and brotherhood. Despite the fact that the global economy is in the crapper, Barack Obama obviously has the ability to inspire hope in people. Just look at the above picture of the National Mall in Washington, DC. Amazing. There are supposedly about 2 million people gathered on the Mall to witness this historic event.</div></li><br /><br /><li><div align="justify"><strong>- </strong>Even the most cynical among us must acknowledge that Obama has a unique ability to inspire people of all types. It's telling that there people traveling from foreign countries to attend the historic inauguration festivities.</div></li><br /><br /><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> I acknowledge that the hope that Obama has inspired could partially be due to a feeling of desperation - a need to cling to something new and positive. Nevertheless, if desperation can lead to positive action, then I'm all for it. If desperation can lead to making the right decision, then embrace that desperation. If desperation can make you proud to be an American, gimme some of that desperation. I'm tired of being thought of as a smug, arrogant country due to the public image of our smug, arrogant President and Vice President. I want America to be great again, and not because we can lob bombs at people - but because people aspire to something more. I want to be a peacemaker, not a war-maker. </div></li><br /><br /><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> During the election, and since the election, I have been considering why people would vote for a black man for President when they would not in the past. In addition to Obama's aforementioned ability to inspire, I think it's also partially due to the fact that he seems to be someone who is very different from past black candidates (of which there was only one of significance - Jesse Jackson). Jesse was from the older generation that was closely tied to the civil rights movement, and many people still associated him with that movement. Many older white people were still suspicious of that era of what they considered "black militants." Obama was born in 1961, so while he grew up during the sixties, he was not a participant in any of what suspicious white people might call militant activities. </div></li><br /><br /><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> I can't remember what bands played at Bush's inaugural celebrations, but I'm guessing that the bands that are playing for Obama's inaugural parties are much better: Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Usher, U2, James Taylor, Beyonce, will.i.am, etc. </div></li><br /><br /><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> We have finally broken from the pattern of electing an endless stream of old white guys to be president, despite the fact our country is one of the most multi-cultural and diverse in the world. What took us so long? It just took the right candidate. In fact, you could argue that Obama is the true picture of America. He's multi-ethnic (white mother, black father). He was raised by a divorced mother (around 50% of marriages end in divorce, according to some experts). He's admitted to using drugs in his younger years (like most of us, and unlike the last two Presidents, who danced around the subject). </div></li><br /><br /><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> Does anyone else think it's curious how Israel and the Palestinians took the opportunity to escalate the situation in Gaza during the time after the election, but before the inauguration? They knew that they could pretty much do whatever they wanted during Bush's "lame duck" time. Not that he would have necessarily done anything anyway, but it just seemed like a fortuitous bit of timing. And now Israel has said that they will be out of Gaza by the time Obama is inaugurated. Hmmm. </div></li><br /><br /><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> Despite the fawning coverage by the news media, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/wyoming.gop.inauguration/index.html">not everyone is happy</a> about the results of the election. Some of the quotes in that article are startling to me. Here's one that is particularly disturbing:<br /><br /><em>"I don't want the federal government to give away our individual rights. I don't want them to take over our business. I don't want them to take over our religion."<br /></em><br />Are you kidding me? They are worried about the government giving away our individual rights after what Bush did with the Patriot Act? And this person somehow has gotten it into his head that the government will "take over our religion," despite the fact that Obama has never expressed any desire to do so, and the fact that the constitution expressly forbids it? You know - the First Amendment. Stuff like this just baffles me. I get the feeling that they're just worried about their guns.</div></li></ul><ul><li><div align="justify"><strong>-</strong> For the first time in a long time, I feel obligated to capitalize the word "President." Take that for what it's worth.</div></li></ul><p align="justify"></p><br /></li><br /><p align="justify">So there you have it. My thoughts. Leave yours in the comments it you choose. Or you can grumble to yourself about what an idiot I am, or nod your head in agreement. Either way, in the immortal words of Grace Slick at Woodstock:</p><br /><br /><p align="justify"></p><br /><br /><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>It's a New Dawn...</strong></span></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-1146764268182856792008-12-31T09:59:00.006-05:002009-01-05T08:05:33.139-05:00Michigan - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly<p align="justify">Well, I figured it's time for a "year in review" post focused on the state of Michigan. Needless to say, it has not been a great year for the state (full disclosure: I used to live in Michigan, but now live in Texas). Let's have a look a the good, the bad, and the ugly.<br /><br /><strong>The Good</strong><br /><br /><em>College Football</em><br />The Wolverines obviously didn't have a good year, but three teams from the state got bowl invitations this year. WMU and CMU have already lost their bowl games, and MSU plays tomorrow. CMU, behind Rich Rodriguez protege Butch Jones, continues to have success in the MAC with Dan Lefevour at QB. In Kalamazoo, WMU coach Bill Cubit just signed a new 5-year extension after taking the Broncos to their second bowl game in four years. The Spartans continue their resurgence behind former Buckeye assistant Mark Dantonio, and will try to knock off the preseason number 1 team in the country, Georgia.<br /><br /><em>Medical Marijuana</em><br />In November, voters in Michigan approved a <a href="http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2008/11/michigan_voters_approve_medica.html">medical marijuana</a> ballot measure. This is wonderful progress against the stigma of using whatever means necessary to help people with chronic illness and chronic pain deal with their maladies. It has proven medical value to relieve pain, nausea, and other symptoms caused by cancer, MS, AIDS and other diseases (or the drugs used to treat those diseases). If morphine and codeine, essentially medicinal forms of heroin, can be used to help alleviate pain and suffering, why not cannabis as well? As Peter Tosh says, "Legalize it, don't criticize it."<br /><br /><em>Calvin Johnson<br /></em>Lions wide receiver Johnson was the only good thing in an otherwise dismal season. If he were playing on a team that had any semblance of an offense, he would have had well over 100 catches.<br /><br /><em>Red Wings<br /></em>Oh yeah, the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup.<br /><br /><strong>The Bad</strong><br /><br /><em>Kwame Kilpatrick<br /></em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Kilpatrick">The Mayor of Detroit</a> finally bowed to pressure and resigned from office in September after years of scandal in his administration. Just look at that wikipedia page. There are eleven items under "controversies" and the majority of the article is related to them. I guess Kwame could fall under "good" since he's no longer the mayor, but his whole administration was in constant turmoil, so I'm filing it under "bad."<br /><br /><em>Michigan Football</em><br />After going to a bowl game for 33 consecutive years, Michigan slumped to a 3-9 record this year despite hiring a new coaching staff headed by Rich Rodriguez. The team was plagued by many problems, including the adjustment to the aforementioned new coaching staff, the installation of new offensive and defensive systems, the loss of ten of eleven starters on offense (including the top pick in the NFL draft and two other four year starters), way too many turnovers, and incompetent play at several positions - QB, Safety, Linebacker, O-Line. At this point, Michigan fans are divided in their feelings about the new administration. I am optimistic about the future of the program, as Coach Rodriguez has continued to recruit very good talent, and he is a proven winner in a BCS conference. But make no mistake about it - this was a very bad season. But at least the hoops team is ranked now.<br /><br /><strong>The Ugly<br /></strong><br /><em>The Detroit Lions<br /></em>The Lions became the first team in NFL history to lose 16 games in a season. They were monumentally bad. They lost by an average score of 32-17. They lost only three of their games by less than a touchdown. Five different QBs took snaps during the season (Drew Henson had the distinction of being sacked more often than he threw a pass - three sacks, two pass attempts). They finished 30th in offense, and 32nd in defense. The defense intercepted four passes for the entire season. I could go on (and on and on...), but I think I'll just take a knee and head to the locker room. NOTE: The Lions were 4-0 in the preseason though.<br /><br /><em>The Detroit Tigers<br /></em>Despite spending lavishly in the offseason, acquiring Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, the Tigers sunk to last place in the AL Central - behind even the lowly Royals. They traded Pudge Rodriguez to the Yankees. Joel Zumaya got hurt again. Curtis Granderson was out for the first couple weeks of the year. They started 0-7 and never recovered.<br /><br /><em>The Economy</em><br />The unemployment rate in the state of Michigan in November was 9.6% - which is a 0.3% increase over the previous month, and a 2.2% increase over the previous year. The auto industry is begging Washington for a bailout. The big three are cutting production across the board. <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98420426">Chrysler</a> is shutting down production at all of its North American plants for an entire month. The slowdown has affected all tiers of the supply chain as well. And that trickles down to all the people who provide goods and services to those people. Also, due to the mortgage crisis, Michigan is near the top in foreclosure rates. Like the section above about the Lions, I could probably go on, but I'll just take a knee again.<br /><br />Keep your chin up, Michigan - 2009 has to be better, right?</p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-66270060471590076432008-11-25T10:36:00.006-05:002008-11-25T16:31:13.389-05:00Snake Oil Contributions<span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Note: This was written right before the OSU game</em></span><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ihfjoreSzHw/SSweH5tlM7I/AAAAAAAAAAM/fdILZVQsg1E/s1600-h/snake+oil.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272622384843928498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 294px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ihfjoreSzHw/SSweH5tlM7I/AAAAAAAAAAM/fdILZVQsg1E/s320/snake+oil.jpg" border="0" /></a> Timing is everything. Here we were leading up to the most meaningless Michigan-OSU game in my lifetime and I get the envelope from our esteemed Athletic Director Bill Martin – the Preferred Seat Donation Form. Outstanding! What a great time to demand more money from the fans. (Note the excellent use of the euphemism “donation,” it infers some voluntary component in the process – there is nothing voluntary about the fee for the right to buy your season tickets). Bill’s letter closed with these inspiring words as we sat on the cusp of our first 9 loss season in the history of Michigan football: “Now more than ever, it is great to be a Michigan Wolverine.” Really, it is true. Read it for yourself <a href="http://www.mgoblue.com/uploadedFiles/Sections/Clubs/Articles/dev-brochure-2008-09.pdf">here</a>. Hmmmmm. If Bill thinks this is the best time ever to be a Wolverine, I really fear for our future.<br /><br />But since this is a critical year and I know Bill and Mary Sue Coleman need our help, “now more than ever,” here are some ideas for the next solicitation letter:<br /><br /><strong>· <u>The Rich Rodriguez Contract Termination Fee Fund</u></strong><br />For a modest $2.5 million you can help fund the Bill Martin brain trust that concocted the plan to lure our third choice for a coach away from the place where he had just signed a contract. Our friends in West Virginia need this money much more than we do. Let’s chip in and help them rebuild their program after the loss of their native son.<br /><br /><strong>· <u>The Rich Rodriguez Salary Contribution Fund</u></strong><br />This recurring $2.5 million delivers terrific value for all friends of the Michigan Athletic Dept. Our average cost per win (excluding contract buyout provisions) is now only $833,000.<br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>· <u>The Weight Room Improvement Fund</u></strong><br />This was a relative bargain at $1M+ and it has paid vast dividends already. Just look at the performance of our athletes in the second half of games this year - 1-6 after leading or tied at halftime. Stamina, endurance. And don’t forget an important byproduct of this investment was our trainer Mike Barwis and his world-renowned "prehab" regimen. This makes players less susceptible to injury and able to bounce back faster from injury. Isn’t it evident that this team suffered far fewer injuries than the Carr teams of yesteryear with that Neanderthal training regimen?<br /><br /><strong>· <u>Naming Opportunities</u></strong><br />How about naming a column in our new stadium? Skybox and club seat sales are robust given the two exciting wins against Wisconsin and Miami the team notched at home this year. So why not just bypass those pedestrian luxury seats and really step up for the U, how about $10M+ and we will name a concourse or brick tower after you or your favorite trophy wife? We will throw in a luxury box in the end zone for free – we have a large inventory of those still unclaimed.<br /><br />As you can see, contributions to these funds and others have already delivered great, immediate returns for the football program. We will concern ourselves with the secondary and meaningless stuff like funding scholarships and aid for needy students later. First things first, let's get our world-class coaching staff up and running, eh? They need all the support they can get.<br /><br />Let’s hope we didn’t buy the most expensive batch of snake oil ever peddled and that 2009 brings a lot more success and maybe we can bring the average cost per win down to $193,000 with a little something leftover for scholarships and the like.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Go Blue!</span></strong><br /></span>Catmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08983435946708220911noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-45891145255227349982008-11-21T08:22:00.006-05:002008-11-21T08:48:45.754-05:00Seinfeld Band Names<em><span style="font-size:85%;">Unlike most years, when the Michigan-Ohio State game would be the focus of a post on the Friday before the game, I have instead chosen to take my mind off what will probably be an ugly blowout. Instead of football, to take your mind off the impending disastrous 33-6 shellacking, how about some Seinfeld and music?</span></em><br /><br />My wife and I were having a conversation a couple weeks ago about a band that named itself after something from a Seinfeld episode. The name of the band: <a href="http://www.jerkstoreband.com/">Jerkstore</a>. Brilliant. They're apparently a heavy metal (or "nu metal," whatever that is) band. Anyway, I thought this would make a great blog topic. So if you are a band in search of a good pop culture name that will catch the attention of potential fans, here are some ideas for "Band Names Derived from Seinfeld Episodes."<br /><br /><strong>1. Mulva<br /></strong>This would have to be some sort of hard rock girl band - think Sleater-Kinney or Hole. Band members could even take on aliases like Delores, Bovary, Celeste, and Regina.<br /><br /><strong>2. The Van Buren Boys</strong><br />I think this would have to be a progressive bluegrass combo. They would be very popular at summer festivals and in small clubs throughout the country - think Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, or The Gourds. Instead of flashing the peace sign or the heavy metal "devil horns" sign, fans of the band would show eight fingers during the twelve minute mandolin and fiddle solos.<br /><br /><strong>3. The Re-Gifters<br /></strong>I think these guys would have to be a cover band, perhaps playing covers of contemporary homogeneous pop noise like Nickelback, Daughtry, and Creed. They're probably playing at a bar near you this weekend.<br /><br /><strong>4. Poison Envelopes</strong><br />This band would have to be emo or goth. They wear black clothing, black eyeliner, their instruments are black, and their music is completely depressing. Their fans cut themselves or burn themselves with cigarettes and read Sylvia Plath and the Anarchists Cookbook for fun.<br /><br /><strong>5. Izzy and The Mandelbaums</strong><br />This would have to be a klezmer band. They play bar mitzvahs, Jewish weddings, and they'll even play at your son's bris. Their hit song would have to be titled "You Think You're Better Than Me?" Which brings us to our next band name...<br /><br /><strong>6. Shakey the Mohel<br /></strong>Punk rock. Loud. Think Sex Pistols - only more Jewish. The sight of Hasidim slamming in the mosh pit is something to behold. Beards, hats, and sideburns would be flying everywhere.<br /><br /><strong>7. Spongeworthy<br /></strong>This would have to be kind of a novelty jam band. Maybe kinda like Ween or Phish. Lots of good jamming, but with some quirky lyrics. Fans would be called "Spongeheads" and might even fashion some hats out of sponges, kinda like Green Bay Packer fans with their cheese heads. Oh yeah, and they smoke a lot of weed.<br /><br />Any more suggestions?Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-346897234125097202008-11-13T07:44:00.008-05:002008-11-13T08:01:08.758-05:00NCCA Hoops<p align="justify">I guess it's never too early for a NCAA tournament bracket. Wait, maybe it is. ESPN's Joe Lunardi already has fabricated a tournament bracket - it's March Madness in November! I'm not sure if they had previously come out this early in the year with a bracket, but <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/bracketology">here</a> it is. As strange as it is to see a bracket out so early in the season, it's even stranger to see some of the comments from the readers. Some of the espn.com readers are really taking this seriously. Here are some examples, but you can peruse them from the link too. </p><p align="justify"><br /></p><blockquote><p><strong>JMoist21</strong> (11/12/2008 at 12:00 PM)<br />Wisconsin as a 2 seed??? Michigan State AND Purdue are better than Wisky by a landslide. Do you do any research Joe, or do you just pull names out of a hat? Terrible.</p><p></p></blockquote><p align="justify">Not only is JMoist21 upset that Wisconsin is a 2 seed ahead of MSU and Purdue, but has the stones to say the they are both better than Wisconsin "by a landslide." Wow. Perhaps he knows more about Big Ten hoops than I do. In fact, he probably does. But making hyperbolic statements like that before the season seems to me to be - oh, I don't know - the dumbest thing in the world - by a landslide. </p><p align="justify"><br /></p><blockquote><strong>NWarsh23</strong> (11/12/2008 at 12:26 PM)<br />Wisconsin is not even the best team in their state, Marquette is clearly better and it is not even close, but yet Marquette is a 5 and Wisconsin is a 2, now that is a joke</blockquote><br /><p align="justify">This guy is certain that Marquette is "clearly better" than the Badgers and that it's "not even close" before he has seen either team play a game. Hmm. Perhaps these guys should be working for ESPN. Look, I'm not a fan of the Badgers, but it seems to me that Wisconsin is consistently pretty damn good. Coach Bo Ryan has taken them to the elite 8 once and the sweet 16 twice in his seven years as head coach. I have no idea whether or not they (or the other teams mentioned by these two clowns) are going to be good this year but considering their track record, it seems foolish to me to totally discount the possibility that they might be better than Marquette or MSU or Purdue. Of course, I suppose it's no more foolish than having a bracket in November in the first place....</p><p align="justify"></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-48217890918844947002008-11-12T14:48:00.009-05:002008-11-12T16:59:17.103-05:002008 Election - Five Stages of Grief<a href="http://rushprnews.com/Obama.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 484px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 374px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://rushprnews.com/Obama.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="justify">Well, the 2008 election is finally over and I for one could not be happier with the result. Plus, the campaign coverage was getting tiresome and monotonous. Living in Texas, I am surrounded on all sides by McCain supporters - at work, in my 'hood, everywhere. There is definitely a palpable anger that many people have toward our new president, and I can't say I blame them because I was the same way in 2000 and 2004. Right now, McCainiacs are going thru the standard five stages of grief that are characteristic of any person dealing with a loss:<br /><br /><strong>Stage 1 - </strong><strong>Denial</strong><strong>:</strong><br /><em>"I can't believe it. How could this have happened? How could we have elected a commie terrorist sympathizer?"</em> I think even the most ardent McCain supporters probably cruised right thru this stage pretty quickly. After all, it was a pretty resounding victory for Senator Obama. if you were in denial at all, a quick look at the election returns should have cured you of that rather quickly. It happened - so move on to stage two already... </p><p align="justify"><br /><strong>Stage 2- Anger:</strong><br /><em>"NO! NO! How can you accept this?"</em> This one may linger for a lot of people. As much as we may like to think that as a nation we have risen above the days of bigotry racial discrimination, ask any minority and they'll tell you differently. But there are a lot of people who are angry about the election results, and not just for racial reasons. Many people think that their taxes are going to go up, that our military will become soft, that other countries are just waiting to attack us now that the Republicans are out of office, they're gonna take my guns away (gun sales have skyrocketed since the election), etc. Some people might be stuck in stage 2 for the duration of Obama's presidency. I know Rush Limbaugh and Anne Coulter were stuck there for the entirety of the Clinton Adminstrations. For the rest of you, just move on stage 3... </p><p align="justify"><br /><strong>Stage 3 - Bargaining:</strong><br /><em>"Maybe this will be good for the country afterall. We were guided thru our country's most serious economic downturn by a Democrat. And it's great to see a black man elected to the presidency."</em> After you have gotten over your anger, try to find something to grab onto. If you wish, you can focus on the insprational story of a mixed race man being raised by a single mother and his maternal grandparents to become the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, and then go on to ascend to the office of the President of the USA. Isn't that the American dream? Certainly much moreso than GW Bush's rise to power: born into wealth, born into political entitlement, stumbled to the presidency with dubious electoral victory in Florida. After you are able to be inspired by the wonder of Obama's accomplishment and his strength of character, you may want to move on to stage 4... </p><p align="justify"><br /><strong>Stage 4 - Depression:</strong><br /><em>"Man, this terrorist socialist is actually gonna be POTUS? I wonder what no-good leech on society my tax dollars are going to support now."</em> Well, pretty much the same same leeches your tax dollars currently support. Only now you'll be subsidizing their meth habits and lottery tickets with <em>even more</em> of your tax dollars! Jesus - why don't we all just stock up on ammo, move to the storm cellar, and wait for the end of the world. Or you can move to stage 5...</p><p align="justify"></p><p align="justify"><strong>Stage 5 - Acceptance:</strong><br /><em>"It's going to be OK."</em> It may take a while for most of you McCain supporters to get to this point. Some of you might never get there. I eventually got there with GWB as President. It definitely took a while though. Every time he opened his mouth and made one his famously stupid proclamations or verbal gaffes, I would slide back to stage 4. At my place of employment, within shouting distance of my desk, there are people in all five stages at this point in time. One of the more pragmatic of those guys has already made it to stage five. I applaud his practical approach. If you find yourself stuck in any of these five stages, step back, take a deep breath, and move on. John McCain already has...<br /></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-62478377508355901572008-10-28T08:21:00.008-04:002008-10-28T09:01:11.816-04:00I'm Billy Mumphrey<p align="justify"><strong></strong><a href="http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/failures/image/coke.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 337px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/failures/image/coke.jpg" border="0" /></a><em>"You see Elaine, Billy was a simple country boy. You might say a cockeyed optimist, who got himself mixed up in the high stakes game of world diplomacy and international intrigue."</em><br /><br /><p align="justify"><span style="font-size:85%;">- <span style="font-size:0;">Kosmo</span> Kramer (The Assman)</span><br /><br /><p align="justify"><br />Okay, today I'm Billy Mumphrey. But I'm ready to admit that Michigan's football season is a lost cause. Although I am still convinced that this is just a bad season, and not a sign of bad things to come in the future, some others are not so sure. In my season-long quest to convince myself and others that this season is a transitional one, and does not necessarily mean doom for the Michigan football program, I thought I'd explore some other relatively recent transitions to new ways of doing things. Many teams/products have tried new formulas throughout the years, with mixed results. Let's examine some of those, shall we:<br /><br /><strong>New Coke</strong><br />The geniuses at Coca Cola decided in 1985 that their product was not dominant enough in the cola marketplace - their market share had dipped from 60% just after WWII to 24% because of the emergence of Pepsi. Coke's response was to come up with a new formulation for their cola that tasted more like the sweeter tasting Pepsi Cola. To make a long story short, New Coke (or Coke II) was such a failure that Coca Cola brought back the original formulation as "Classic Coke" just 77 days later and New Coke was ultimately phased out altogether by 1992. This failed marketing ploy is the standard by which all failed marketing ploys are judged - kinda like the "Watergate" of stupid marketing ideas.<br /><br /><strong>Nebraska Football</strong><br />Obviously this is a closer parallel to the Michigan football situation. Tom Osborne retired after the 1997 season (after sharing the 1997 national championship with Michigan), and his handpicked successor Frank Solich took over the program. In Osborne's 25 seasons at the helm, the Nebraska program had finished the season out of the top ten just four times. Solich coached the team from 1998 thru 2003, when he was fired despite winning nearly 75% of his games. Then, Nebraska inexplicably hired Bill Callahan, who had recently been fired from his position as head coach of the Oakland Raiders. The Huskers changed from a power running I-formation offense to a "west coast" style offense - with disastrous results. The Huskers fired the AD responsible for the hire, then hired Tom Osborne as AD - who then fired Callahan. Nebraska is still recovering from this. This comparison should strike some fear on the hearts of Michigan fans everywhere, but there are as many differences as similarities - so don't panic too much. Because...<br /><br /><strong>Oklahoma Football</strong><br />Another close parallel to Michigan football. The Sooners broke from the successful Switzer era (successful early, but struggled later) by hiring Bob Stoops in 1999. Stoops previously had been the defensive coordinator at Florida. The season before his arrival, the Sooners were 5-6, despite the superior talent accumulated by head coach John Blake's stellar recruiting. Stoops was 7-5 his first season in Norman - a season in which they used the spread offense for the first time, let by a JC transfer QB. They won the BCS championship in 2000 - just Stoops' second year on the job. Oklahoma has consistently been near the top of the rankings ever since.<br /><br /><strong>Bush Administration</strong> <a href="http://www.blackfive.net/photos/uncategorized/rummy_fingers_2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 350px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px" alt="" src="http://www.blackfive.net/photos/uncategorized/rummy_fingers_2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Despite his re-election in 2004, things were not going well with the Bush Administration in 2005 and 2006. During 2005-06, Bush changed out most of his cabinet. Gone were Sec. of State Colin Powell, Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Chief of Staff Andrew Card, Interior Sec. Gale Norton, Sec. of Energy Spencer Abraham, and Sec of Homeland Security Tom Ridge (among others). However, the results were largely the same. The President has one of the lowest approval ratings in the history of approval ratings. Whatever it means, the success or failure of this midstream re-structuring of the cabinet will essentially be judged by the voters on a couple weeks. Election of McCain will be an endorsement of Bush policies, and election of Obama will be a repudiation of same. Barring an upset, it looks like it was a failure. Personally, I think the entire 8-year term was a failure, but perhaps that's a post for another day.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://www.kidzworld.com/img/upload/article/a2070i2_hosts-AW.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 185px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 149px" alt="" src="http://www.kidzworld.com/img/upload/article/a2070i2_hosts-AW.jpg" border="0" /></a>American Idol</strong><br />While the essential format of American Idol has remained constant - marginally talented karaoke singers judged by three panelists of varying degrees of qualifications to judge anyone - the first year of the program featured two hosts: Ryan Seacrest and Brian Dunkleman (nice hair, dude). After the first season, Dunkleman was jettisoned and Seacrest was left as the only remaining host. Whether or not it was because of the newly formatted hosting arrangement, the show's ratings have been consistently high - routinely 50% higher than the ratings in season one - and Seacrest is a ubiquitous presence on television. Regardless of whether you like this show or not - and I do not - this has to be viewed as a good decision. In addition, many of the shows that are rip-offs of American Idol have the same format - single host, three judges: America's Got Talent, Nashville Star, etc. <p align="justify"><p align="justify"><strong>Windows Vista</strong><br />I have Vista on my home computer, and I haven't had any major problems with it, but I am not doing anything fancy on my home computer - Microsoft Office, torrents, internet browsing, blogging, watching porn, downloading pics of celebrity nipple slips, etc. But there are lots of whiners out there are complaining for various reasons. But there are also some positive reviews, mostly from gamers. I'm not computer savvy enough to know what the issues are, but I do know that the switchover from XP to Vista was insignificant from my standpoint. I think the jury's still out on this one.<br /><br />After forty years of success under the guidance of Bo Schembechler and his former assistants Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr, AD Bill Martin went "outside the family" to hire Rich Rodriguez from West Virginia. Not only did Martin hire an outsider, but one with an entirely different offensive philosophy. Coach Rodriguez is one of the creators of the spread offense that is used throughout the country with great success (nine of the top ten offenses in the country run a version of the spread). The good news is that West Virginia went 3-8 his first season, and 9-4 his second season. Then he went on a streak of four conference titles in five years. And the year WVU did not win the conference title, they finished second. The bad news is that it was the Big East.<br /><br />The last time Michigan hired an outsider, they hired a little known assistant coach named Bo. That worked out pretty well. How will this one turn out? I'm hoping it's more like Oklahoma rather than more like Nebraska or Coke II. Stay tuned...<br /><br />Mumphrey.....out<br /></p><p><br /></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-21829280184293318342008-10-24T08:28:00.006-04:002008-10-24T10:15:01.873-04:00Michigan-Michigan State<a href="http://www.dangerouslogic.com/images/edwards_msu_2004_front.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 365px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.dangerouslogic.com/images/edwards_msu_2004_front.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="justify">While I am optimistic about the <em>future</em> of the Michigan football program, I must admit at <em>present</em> it's a little depressing to be an underdog to our "little brothers" at home. It's kinda embarrassing to be hoping for an upset of Michigan State at home to save our season. If the Spartans are going to beat the Wolverines, this is the year to get it done, because RichRod's squad is only going to get better over the next few years. Here are some arguments why Michigan can win this game - and some Sparty counter-arguments:<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Michigan State is one dimensional on offense...<br /></span></strong>So far this year the Spartans have rushed for 160 yards per game (and remember - college football counts sacks as negative rushing yards). Javon Ringer is a stud, but that's the extent of MSU's offense. QB Brian Hoyer is completing less than 50% of his passes this year - not good. If Michigan commits to stopping the run by putting Brandon Harrison up on the line of scrimmage (and I'll start throwing stuff at my TV if they don't), Hoyer is probably not capable of beating them with his arm.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">...but that one dimension is pretty damn good<br /></span></strong>Ringer already has 1179 yards on the season, and already has more carries than all of last year. He's a workhorse and, like legendary Mike Hart, he does not fumble. Michigan's defense has proven to be less than stout against the run, despite the fact that their strongest unit (in theory anyway) is their defensive line. The problem is the linebackers and the safeties are bad. The Spartans could exploit this.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Michigan's offense is coming around...</strong><br /></span>In the first half of the Penn State game, here is a summary of the Wolverines' first three drives: 86-yard TD drive, a 49-yard FG drive, and a 78-yard TD drive. They had 253 yards in the first half against the Nittany Lions, who have a pretty good defense. Minor and Threet ran the ball well, passes were on target, and there were no turnovers. As long as Threet is in the game (and the offense doesn't give the ball away) the Michigan offense is competent, and borders on being good. Note to RichRod: Let Threet play the whole game.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">...but Nick Sheridan</span><br /></strong>Yeah, I know. For some reason, Coach Rod insists on running Sheridan out there time and time again when Threet doesn't appear to have any sort of injury and Sheridan doesn't appear to have any sort of talent. If Sheridan plays at all, that is a bad sign. God bless the kid, because he's out there giving it his best, but the offense becomes stagnant (or just plain bad) when he's in there. The defense doesn't have to play for the pass at all, and there is no running room with 8 guys on the line of scrimmage. The Michigan offense becomes more one dimensional than the Sparty offense, except they don't have a stud like Ringer to fall back on. If Sheridan takes off the headphones and puts a helmet on, Spartan fans should rejoice and start ordering celebratory shots.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><strong>Brian Hoyer may not play...</strong><br /></span>Starting QB Hoyer is listed as questionable (covers.com lists him as "questionable - Head" - an assessment that many Spartan fans might agree with). As shown above, backup QBs are a scary proposition for the offense. Many times it leads to narrowing the number of plays that the offense is going to call, making the job of the defense easier. The backup is a freshman. Even if Hoyer starts, after a head injury in the OSU game, one hit from Brandon Graham could send him to the sidelines asking for a popsicle and his blankie.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#009900;">...but Brian Hoyer sucks</span></strong><br />I'm not sure why Spartan fans would not be excited about the possibility of getting someone else in there to run the offense. After all, Ringer's gonna get 40 carries anyway, so does it really matter who's going to hand him the ball? Why not replace the QB with a fullback and just snap the ball directly to Ringer?<br /><br />The Spartans haven't won in Ann Arbor since 1990. They have to be pointing to this game as an opportunity, not only for a big win, but to impress the recruits that are going to be on their own sideline and also the opposite sideline - both physically and metaphorically.<br /><br /><strong>Prediction:<br /></strong>I think the Wolverine offense has turned the corner. They seem to have good balance and have the talent to make plays - as long as Threet is playing. Brandon Minor adds power to a previously "soft" running game. The defense has to start making plays, and the turnovers have to stop. If Threet plays the whole game: Michigan 27, MSU 24. If Sheridan plays more than one token series: Michigan 17, MSU 27. Enjoy the game and as always:<br /></p><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000099;">Go Blue!</span></strong> </div>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-68292051571927790062008-10-16T09:46:00.004-04:002008-10-16T10:00:00.301-04:00Michigan Football and the 2008 Election<p align="justify">I got to ponderin' this morning, and I came up with an infallible and irrefutable theory. I decided that your opinion on the fortunes of Michigan football probably mirrors your opinions on the upcoming presidential election. Here is how I see it:<br /><br /><strong>1. The Future is Bright</strong><br />This is the group of Michigan fans that, despite their struggles so far this year, believes that the Rich Rodriguez hiring was the right one and the program will flourish under the new coach. Essentially, these are the hopeful optimists who are confident that the spread offense is the offense that will take us into the next great era of Michigan football. These people have observed how the game has changed, and how "three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust" just doesn't cut it anymore. The traditionalists think that these people are naive idiots, and that we are being led down a path to ultimate destruction - as if not making a bowl game one year is some sort of apocalyptic event.<br /><br />This group consists mainly of Obama supporters. Supporters of Obama are more prone to embrace change, and are tired of the "same-old same-old" of tired Bush policies that McCain offers. But the supporters of Obama don't just want change for change's sake. They truly believe that Obama is a leader who can take us thru the current turbulent economic times and rid ourselves of the Iraq war anchor that is hanging around our neck. Traditionalists think that these people are naive idiots and that Obama is all flash and no substance, and that he's a Muslim pinko terrorist sympathizer - as if talking to world leaders we don't agree with is some sort of traitorous betrayal to freedom loving patriots everywhere.<br /><br /><strong>2. Oh My God, What Have We Done</strong><br />This is the group of Michigan fans that wanted Michigan to hire a coach with a more "traditional" offensive philosophy; i.e., more like Lloyd and Bo. This group would probably include the guys who already have started the <a href="http://www.firerrod.com/">Fire Rich Rodriguez</a> website. There is panic in the air. These guys want to dump Rodriguez now and think that we can still get Les Miles, despite the fact that he already had a chance to come here if he really wanted to, and chose not to. These are also probably the people who are floating the rumor that Rich Rod is talking to Clemson about their head coaching position. They point to all the perceived mistakes and shortcomings of the coach - he can't recruit like Lloyd, he talks to the media more than Lloyd, his offensive system has failed to adapt to the existing talent, etc. They think that Kirk Ferentz is a "maverick." The people from group (1) above think that these people are stodgy old out-of-touch buzzkills, and that hiring a coach with a more "Lloyd-like" offense would have been a huge mistake.<br /><br />This group consists mainly of McCain supporters who are reluctant to embrace change and feel that the war is a good idea and is totally justified in the age of global terrorism. These people believe that leaving Iraq before being able to declare some sort of "victory" is tantamount to surrender. These people are also convinced that in these troubled and turbulent economic times, they want a president who won't do anything different than the previous administration. Change is something these people can't handle. They think that John McCain is a "maverick." The people from group (1) above think that McCain is a stodgy old out-of-touch rich man, and that electing someone who would perpetuate Bush's failed policies would be a huge mistake.<br /><br /><strong>3. Oh My God, This is Horrible - But I'm Hopeful...</strong><br />This is the group of Michigan fans that is taking the "wait-and-see" approach to the new coach. They can see how we needed to modernize the offense, bring the conditioning program into the 21st century, and get some new blood in the program. On the other hand, they are also leery of outsiders, and wonder why we couldn't have hired a "Michigan man" instead of some guy from West Virginia. These people are straddling the line on RichRod, and are ready to jump to either side if something happens. Win over PSU this weekend - "I'm starting to warm up to this guy." Loss to Minnesota later in the year - "I'm not so sure about this coach." The people from groups (1) and (2) think these guys are mamby-pamby dispassionate non-fans who can't make up their minds.<br /><br />This group consists of the "undecided" voters. I'm not sure what these people are waiting for. They can see both sides on every issue, and have some opinions in common with each candidate - "I like Obama's plan to get out of Iraq, but I'm pro-life." You've got 19 days left - make up your mind. They watch the debates trying to find something to cling to, and read all the spam e-mails that falsely claim that Obama is a Muslim and McCain has cancer and is about to die. The people from groups (1) and (2) think these people are mamby-pamby dispassionate boneheads who can't make up their minds.<br /><br />So, there you have it. Where do you fall in the spectrum? If you're a Michigan fan, please weigh in. I'm a man of science. I want to attempt to prove or disprove my theory. From this post and previous posts, I'm sure you can guess into which group I fall...</p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-40261372322149578362008-10-15T08:22:00.007-04:002008-10-15T08:43:43.549-04:00Michigan Football - Improvement<p align="justify">Well, since I already talked about the obvious <a href="http://gratefulblue.blogspot.com/2008/10/michigan-football-midterm-analysis.html">things that are wrong with Michigan football</a>, I thought I'd weigh in with some equally obvious opinions on what I think needs to be done in the second half of the 2008 season to set up the Wolverines for a successful 2009 season. Please note: I am an expert, and my opinions are unassailable.<br /><br /><strong>1. Don't play Nick Sheridan any more unless Threet is hurt.<br /></strong>Next year's opening day starter, believe it or not, will probably be Steven Threet. The alternatives are incoming freshmen, and odds are that they'll be sitting to start the year. Playing Sheridan at all is just a waste of time. Threet has to get as many reps as he can at QB. This offense needs an experienced QB who can read defenses in order to decide whether or not to hand the ball off, keep the ball, etc. Since he's gonna be the starter next year, play Threet every possible snap.<br /><br /><strong>2. Fix the offensive line.</strong><br />The blocking is atrocious. Use the second half of the season to get the top five (or seven, or eight) as many snaps as they can. As long as they stay away from injuries, the O-line should improve with more experience. Incidentally, this observation is number one on the all-time list of most obvious observations of all-time. Please congratulate me on my keen sense for the obvious.<br /><br /><strong>3. Turnovers</strong><br />If the Wolverines can cut their turnovers in half for the last half of the season, it should be seen as a victory. I'm not sure how you can coach a team on how to hold onto the ball, but if there's any way to have Mike Hart give these guys some advice, he should be consulted. Stop dropping the friggin ball on the ground. Since he handles the ball on every snap, Threet needs to take special care of the pigskin in order for the team to have any success. Also, stress the importance of creating turnovers on defense.<br /><br /><strong>4. DEEE-FENSE!</strong><br />Since the offense is obviously struggling, perhaps the defense should get more aggressive and take some more chances. Use Mouton as a pass rusher like Crable. Blitz the safeties more. Whatever. It's increasingly apparent that the offense is not going to be able to put up huge numbers this year, so challenge the defense to step up and create turnovers by attacking the opposition with more funky stuff. And tackle better. The defensive line was supposed to be the strength of the defense, and other than Graham they have been pretty quiet.<br /><br /><strong>5. Rotate the safeties</strong><br />It's becoming more and more apparent as the season goes on that safety is a position of weakness on this team. It's time to sit fifth year senior Charles Stewart and get some of the other guys in there to get more experience. The safeties are like the QB of the defensive backfield, and they need snaps to get experience: Williams, Chambers, Smith, Floyd - hell, put a CB back there if he can tackle (Woolfolk, Cissoko, etc).<br /><br /><strong>6. Play baseball<br /></strong>Treat the last half of the season like a MLB team that is out of the pennant race. Instead of playing veterans who won't be here next year or don't figure to play much next year, play the young guys and give them a chance to see what they can do. I am by no means suggesting that they give up on the season and play all freshmen. On the contrary, perhaps this season can be saved if the coaching staff can get some of the young guys some more snaps. And I'm not talking about all freshmen all the time. We're already using a fair share of youngsters, but I'm talking about playing select underclassmen who Coach Rodriguez and his staff know they will need contributions from next year.<br /><br />I think the key things we need to look for the rest of the season are "improvement" and "experience" from almost all areas of the team, except of course Zoltan, who's already the most awesome thing about this team (and if that, my friends, is not an apt microcosm of the season, I don't know what is). Any further suggestions? I'm certain Coach Rodriguez reads this blog regularly and will take any advice that we give him. </p><p align="justify"></p><p align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000099;"><strong>Go Blue!</strong></span></p><p align="center"> </p><p align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;"><p><span style="font-size:85%;"><strong>NOTE:</strong> I apologize for my excessive use of the word "obvious" throughout this blog entry. Please forgive me, but I am obviously unable to use a thesaurus.</span></span></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-31537007322601599792008-10-13T10:17:00.006-04:002008-10-13T10:30:28.718-04:00Michigan Football - Midterm AnalysisWell, so far this blog has been suspiciously silent on the ongoing debacle that is the 2008 Michigan Football program (a couple work trips and the painful reality of the season have gotten in the way). So I guess it's about time we addressed it, as difficult as it might be. I was on record saying the team would win nine games this year, and that prediction is already shot. The ineptitude is astounding. There are a lot of reasons for the poor results:<br /><br /><strong>1. QB</strong><br />This is the most obvious, as the QB is the most visible player on the field. Threet has been decent at times, and has even shown that he's capable of running the ball on occasions where it's needed. However, he makes bad decisions, is inaccurate throwing the ball, and has shown a propensity for fumbling. At least twice already this season, Threet has fumbled the ball while just cocking his arm to make a throw. His backup and nominal "co-starter" for the first couple games, Nick Sheridan, has shown nothing to make anyone wonder why he was a walk-on. Michigan's pass offense is 102nd in the nation (108th in pass efficiency). Sheesh.<br /><br /><strong>2. Offensive line</strong><br />The O-line has one returning starter from last year. The blocking has been downright dreadful. They have been unable to open significant holes for the running game, and have not shown any consistency in their pass blocking. Sheesh.<br /><br /><strong>3. Safeties</strong><br />There have been several big plays that could have been averted if only the safeties had taken a better angle on the play. Both Steve Brown and Charles Stewart have been atrocious at times. Brandon Harrison has been pretty good, but he's had his share of miscues as well.<br /><br /><strong>4. Hold on to the damn ball!</strong><br />In just six games, the Wolverines have fumbled 20 times already, and lost 11 of those. As a comparison, for the 13-game 2007 season, Michigan fumbled 29 times and lost just 13. Although time of possession is somewhat of a misleading stat overall, it's indicative of turnover impact and offensive ineptitude. Michigan is averaging just 26 minutes of possession this year. Michigan is 114th in the country in turnover margin. Sheesh.<br /><strong><br />5. Coaching</strong><br />Okay, I'll admit the coaching has been lacking so far, but I'm gonna revisit this topic later, so don't panic. I place a lot of the blame for the shoddy tackling and the poor blocking on the shoulders of the coaching staff. While I understand that it's a new staff, a new system, yadda yadda yadda, I still expected the talent on the team to be able to adjust to the new schemes with not a whole lot of drop-off. I was wrong. Perhaps the talent level is lower than I thought.<br /><br />So, at the risk of sounding like a total homer, I'd like to say a few words about what I think are the positives about the season as we hit the season's midpoint.<br /><br /><strong>1. Sam McGuffie<br /></strong>Despite the lack of blocking by the O-line, McGuffie has managed to eke out some good gains on a regular basis. In addition, he's shown that he is capable of being a good receiver out of the backfield. And he does not fumble often, unlike Minor and Grady.<br /><br /><strong>2. Martavious Odoms<br /></strong>When he gets the ball, it feels like he can go all the way. He's lightning quick and has good hands. Unfortunately, too many times the ball is thrown inaccurately or his blockers whiff and he's hung out to dry. He has a chance to be a great one.<br /><br /><strong>3. Zoltan</strong><br />Okay, I'm reaching here, but Zoltan has been spectacular. The punt team is second in the nation in net punting average. Zoltan is the man.<br /><br />Here's what I'm hanging my hat on: I have confidence in the system. Despite the shortcomings of this year's team, I don't think the spread offense is to blame. Lot's of teams run the spread, and most of them copied it from RichRod. Did anyone catch the Okla-Texas game last weekend? Oklahoma runs the spread offense, and theirs works because they have a great QB and their linemen can block. I think that once we get a good QB to Ann Arbor (hopefully next year with Forcier and Beaver on the way) and the linemen learn how to block, the offense will start to click.<br /><p><br />In this age of instant analysis and feedback and blogs, don't fall into the trap of giving up on the team and the new staff just because of a slow start. I think it's too early to panic and bail out on the system because the players are unable to execute it. I think we have a good coaching staff that needs more time to teach the new offensive and defensive systems to the players. Once they have more experience under their belt, I think the offense will flourish. This year is gonna be painful though. It's already surpassed what I thought the pain level would be for this season. I was not anticipating <em>this</em>. Anyway, as always...<br /><br /><p align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Go Blue!</span></strong></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-65834253210549433872008-09-26T00:01:00.003-04:002008-09-26T00:01:00.346-04:00Know Your Foe - WisconsinThis Saturday marks the beginning of the Big Ten season. The Wolverines play host to Wisconsin this week. Michigan had two weeks to bounce back from a sloppy loss to Notre Dame. I was unable (fortunately or unfortunately - you make the call) to see the game due to hurricane issues down here in Texas. So far this season, Wisconsin has three victories over "mid-majors," including an impressive road victory over perennial giant-killer Fresno State. Likewise, this is Michigan's first game this season against a ranked opponent.<br /><br />With that, I give you this week's installment of "Know Your Foe."<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/ff/NumenLumen.gif" border="0" /><br /><strong>History<br /></strong>The University of Wisconsin is a public University that was established in 1848. The Madison campus is known for several things, including the liberal activism and hard partying ways of its students. In fact, in the May 2006 issue of Playboy, Wisconsin was named the #1 party school in the country. I remember I bought that issue just so I could read that article - really, the articles are great.<br /><br /><strong>Location<br /></strong>Madison, Wisconsin. The campus is located about a mile from the state capitol building. From all accounts I have read, it is considered a beautiful campus, and Madison often is found in the "nicest places to live" lists put out by various publications. The home football games are played at Camp Randall Stadium, which has a capacity of just over 80,000.<br /><br /><strong>Nickname <a href="https://www.msu.edu/~willso11/images/Random%20Pictures/badger.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://www.msu.edu/~willso11/images/Random%20Pictures/badger.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></strong>The nickname "Badgers" was borrowed from the state of Wisconsin. The territory was dubbed the "Badger State," not because of animals in the region, but rather because of an association with lead miners. In the 1820s and 1830s, prospectors came to the state looking for minerals, and without shelter in the winter, the miners had to "live like badgers" in tunnels burrowed into hillsides. The badger and the wolverine are actually part of the same family of carvinorous mammals known as Mustelidae. The family also includes weasels and ferrets.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://addresslabelsusa.com/wisconsin_helmet.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://addresslabelsusa.com/wisconsin_helmet.jpg" border="0" /></a>Colors/Logo/Fight Song<br /></strong>The official colors are "cardinal and white." Just call it "red," will ya? The logo is kind of a stylized block W. I think it's called the "Motion W" and the university sued some high schools whose logos looked too much like the Badgers' logo. It seems to me to be a little bit petty, since afterall, it's really just a font? Can you trademark a font?<br /><br />The fight song is a pretty good one, but it's obviously centered around football. Do they sing this during basketball games?<br /><br /><em>On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin, plunge right through that line.<br />Run the ball clear down the field, a touchdown sure this time.<br />On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin, fight on for her fame.<br />Fight, fellows, fight, fight, fight, we'll win this game.<br /><br />On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin, stand up Badgers sing.<br />"Forward" is our driving spirit, loyal voices ring.<br />On Wisconsin, On Wisconsin, raise her glowing flame.<br />Stand, fellows, let us now salute her name.</em><br /><br />However, what I remember most about this fight song is its use in some sort of ad campaign for cheese back in the 80s. It used the same tune, but the lyrics were something like "On Wisconsin, on your taco, on your cordon bleu, on your *something*, on your *something*, the taste is good for you." The use of their fight song in a cheesy cheese ad for cheese automatically downgrades it.<br /><br /><strong>Mascot</strong> <a href="http://www.madtownlounge.com/members/420/420-bucky-badger.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand" height="196" alt="" src="http://www.madtownlounge.com/members/420/420-bucky-badger.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Bucky the Badger is one of the more recognizable mascots in the country. I particularly like the 20s style striped sweater that badgers have been known to wear in nature for thousands of years.<br /><br /><strong>Academics</strong><br />According to US News and World Reports, Wisconsin (Madison) ranks a respectable 35th, on par with the likes of Georgia Tech, Lehigh, UC-San Diego, and Rochester (Michigan ranks 26th). The University is a leader in stem cell research, and is one of thirty "sea grant colleges" in the US. These colleges are involved (which include UofM and MSU, among others) in scientific research, education, training, and extension projects geared toward the conservation and practical use of U.S. coasts, the Great Lakes and other marine areas.<br /><br /><strong>Athletics<br /></strong>Barry Alvarez put the Badgers back on the football map when he took over in 1990. His first season, they were 1-10. With the exception of 2001, Wisconsin has been to a bowl game every year since 1996. In 1998 and 1998, the Badgers finished in the top five in the country for the year. Bret Bielema took over the head coaching duties for the 2006 season, and has continued the success. Wisco's men's basketball program has also become a consistently successful one. They have made the NCAA tournament the last nine years, including one final four. The men's and women's hockey teams each won national championships in 2006. Also, the men's and women's rowing teams have won 27 non-NCAA titles (whatever that means) between 1990 and 2006.<br /><br /><strong>Famous Alums</strong><br />This is a pretty good list, but lacks true "star power." The list includes lots of football and hockey players. Among the more interesting alums are major league baseball commissioner and former owner of the Milwaukee Brewers Bud Selig, Second Lady Lynne Cheney, musician Steve Miller, actress Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm In The Middle), aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, broadcaster Greta Van Susteren, ESPN basketball writer Andy Katz, Democratic Senator and owner of the Milwaukee Bucks Herb Kohl, Sierra Club founder John Muir, and movie producers Jerry and David Zucker, who were responsible for producing and directing what might be the single funniest movie of my childhood, the 1980 classic "Airplane!" Surely, everyone is familiar with that movie. "I <em>am</em> familiar with it. And don't call me Shirley."<br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.heavyness.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/airplane.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong>The Game</strong><br />Despite the fact that the Wolverines' first three games have been uninspiring (to say the least), I have a good feeling about this game. The Badgers' style is pretty straightforward. They will run PJ Hill until he collapses from exhaustion. Fortunately for Michigan, their strength is the defensive line. Unfortunately for Michigan, the linebackers have been inconsistent. If the defense is able to control the Wisco running game, there is a good chance that Michigan comes out of this game with a victory. If Hill runs for less than 50 yards, it means that they have pretty well controlled the line of scrimmage. If he runs for over 120, that's a bad sign. On the other side of the ball, if Michigan can get competent play from their QB this week, they have a chance. For that to happen, the the big fellas on the offensive line have to play a lot better, and the little fellas have to hang onto the ball. Call me crazy, but if Fresno State can hold Wisco to 13 points, Michigan should be able to do the same. The question is whether or not the offense can generate any points. There was significant improvements offensively against the Irish (except for those pesky fumbles), but the Badgers are a lot better then ND. I say the offense gets some footing and is able to run the ball against the Badgers defense. The home field is the key here, and the Wolverines win their Big Ten opener: Michigan 21, Wisconsin 13.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Go Blue!</span></strong> </div><div align="center"></div>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-71908576058412517562008-09-12T00:00:00.013-04:002008-09-12T04:26:40.838-04:00Know Your Foe - Notre DameIn week 2, we saw Rich Rodriguez's first victory as Michigan coach. It was an ugly, close victory against a MAC team, but it's still a win. This week's opponent is a familiar one - The University of Notre Dame. The Irish looked pretty unimpressive themselves in pulling out a close victory at home over a San Diego State team that lost in week one to Cal Poly. The game this weekend is between the two winningest programs in college football history. However, this year's matchup does not have the luster of years past. It's got all the excitement of a MAC school taking on a Sun Belt school. So, bring on Troy vs. Eastern Michigan. With that, I give you this week's installment of "Know Your Foe."<br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a230/dd51/Notre20Dame20Fightin20Irish.jpg" border="0" /><br /><strong>History</strong><br />The University of Notre Dame is a private school that was founded by a Catholic Priest (who may or may not have been a pedophile) as an all-male institution in 1842. Currently, it's organized into five colleges and one professional school. It became co-ed in 1972. Undergrad enrollment is only 8,352. There are no fraternities or sororities on campus, and 80% of the undergrads live on campus in single-sex dorms. Also part of its history, I attended an all-sports camp there for two weeks during one summer in the late 1970s, where I excelled in nothing and was recruited by no one. I did, however, learn some interesting new ways to use swear words to my advantage, and I ran into Notre Dame basketball stars Orlando Woolridge and Bill Laimbeer. <p><br /><strong>Location </strong><a href="http://www.nd.edu/~ywu1/campus%20of%20Notre%20Dame/Main%20Building(golden%20dome)2.JPG"><strong><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.nd.edu/~ywu1/campus%20of%20Notre%20Dame/Main%20Building(golden%20dome)2.JPG" border="0" /></strong></a><br />Notre Dame, Indiana. That's right. I bet you thought it was in South Bend. Notre Dame is actually an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unincorporated_community">unincorporated community</a> just north of South Bend. It's in northeastern Indiana, just four miles from the Michigan border.<br /><br /><strong>Iconic campus buildings</strong><br />Notre Dame has two - the golden dome that sits atop the "Main Building" (wow, that's some inventive nomenclature), and of course the library, on which is painted the famous "Touchdown Jesus."<br /><strong><a href="http://apudgeisasandwich.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/touchdown-jesus.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://apudgeisasandwich.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/touchdown-jesus.jpg" border="0" /></a> </p></strong><strong><p>Nickname</strong></p>The Fighting Irish nickname was originated in the early 20s. I must admit, it's a pretty good nickname. Any nickname that includes the word "fighting" is okay by me. Before the official adoption of the Fighting Irish nickname, Notre Dame had several other unofficial nicknames, including Rovers, Ramblers, and Terriers. Other nicknames for students and alumni include Domers, Assholes, and Insufferable Pricks.<br /><br /><strong>Colors/Logo/Fight Song<br /></strong>The official colors of Notre Dame are "Madonna blue" and "Papal gold." In modern culture, when<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/SMghSMs9yEI/AAAAAAAAA0k/hag6V33vuvM/s1600-h/ndlogo.jpg"></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_x1UuVrfwE8U/SMgoYkLZHQI/AAAAAAAAA00/rshePU8lZno/s1600-h/ndlogo.jpg"></a>the words "Madonna" and "blue" are used in the same sentence, the "blue" is usually a verb, as in "That Madonna concert really blew," or "When she blew me, I was thinking of Madonna circa 1990." The teams also occasionally wear green because of the whole Irish thing.<p><br />The Irish have several different logos. The interlocking ND is a classic, but the fighting leprechaun (show above) is good too.<br /><br />The Notre Dame fight song ("Notre Dame Victory March"), along with Michigan's and a few others, is probably one of the most recognizable collegiate fight songs in the country. The lyrics are inspiring, and the tune is memorable. The lyrics include lots of battle and war imagery - glory, fight, heart, loyal, thunder, victory, and of course a "rah rah" thrown in for good measure. A good school fight song should be able to be used in football or in battle. This one could definitely inspire an army infantryman or a defensive lineman. It's a classic.<br /><br /><em>Rally sons of Notre Dame <a href="http://images.chron.com/blogs/longhorns/NotreDame_Logo3.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://images.chron.com/blogs/longhorns/NotreDame_Logo3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Sing her glory and sound her fame<br />Raise her Gold and Blue<br />And cheer with voices true:<br />Rah, rah, for Notre Dame<br />We will fight in every game,<br />Strong of heart and true to her name<br />We will ne'er forget her<br />And will cheer her ever<br />Loyal to Notre Dame.<br /><br /><br />Cheer, cheer for Old Notre Dame,<br />Wake up the echoes cheering her name,<br />Send a volley cheer on high,<br />Shake down the thunder from the sky!<br />What though the odds be great or small,<br />Old Notre Dame will win over all,<br />While her loyal sons are marching<br />Onward to victory!</em><br /><br />Change "Notre Dame" to "USA," and "Gold and Blue" to "Red, White, and Blue" and you'd have yourself a nice little song to rally the troops prior to battle.<br /><br /><strong>Academics</strong> <a href="http://www.thermocaster.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/charlie-weis.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 173px; CURSOR: hand" height="230" alt="" src="http://www.thermocaster.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/charlie-weis.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />According to <a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college">US News and World Reports</a>, Notre Dame ranks an impressive 18th, on par with the likes of Vanderbilt, Rice, Emory, and Cal-Berkeley (Michigan ranks 26th). They've got a good law school, a good business school, and a good architecture school. It appears that the Notre Dame educational experience is very well rounded, much like head football coach Charlie Weis.<br /><br /><strong>Athletics<br /></strong>Notre Dame competes in the Big East Conference in all major sports (unless you consider hockey a major sport - the hockey team competes in the CCHA) except football, where they have maintained their independence, mainly due to money: they have their own TV deal; they don't have to share the money they make from bowl games; and they can schedule service academies every year. In football the Irish have won 11 national championships (the last one being in 1988) and have had seven Heisman Trophy winners. Recently, the football team has fallen on (relatively) hard times. They have not won a bowl game since 1994, and during their 9-game bowl losing streak, they have lost those bowl games by an average of about 17 points. The Irish have been invited to join the Big Ten numerous times - most recently in 1999 - but each time they declined.<br /><br />Notre Dame is also competitive in women's soccer (national title in 1995 and 2004, runner up in 2006), men's hockey, women's basketball, and men's basketball. But make no mistake about it - Notre Dame is a football school.<br /><br /><strong><a href="http://data.foxytunes.com/artist_images/006/001/000/1006-large.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://data.foxytunes.com/artist_images/006/001/000/1006-large.jpg" border="0" /></a>Famous Alums</strong><br />While the list of prominent Notre Dame alumni is long, it's mostly populated by educators, researchers, businessmen, and anonymous politicians. Among the more significant alums: rocker Ted Leo (of Ted Leo and The Pharmacists), the four founding members of the band Umphrey's McGee, actor George Wendt, former Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, talk show hosts Phil Donahue and Regis Philbin, famous Chicago scapegoat Steve Bartman, and Hubert Schlafly, the inventor of the teleprompter.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ratemyeverything.net/image/9877/0/Condoleezza_Rice_Bikini_Show.ashx"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.ratemyeverything.net/image/9877/0/Condoleezza_Rice_Bikini_Show.ashx" border="0" /></a><br /><strong>The Game</strong><br />This could be ugly. Michigan has struggled to score points in their first two games under Rich Rodriguez. The QB play has been unsurprisingly abysmal. The running game showed signs of life against Miami but let's be honest - it was only Miami. Notre Dame, as referenced in the intro, has played just one game so far this year, and it was an uninspiring victory at home against one of the worst teams in the country. There have been some ugly games in the recent history of this rivalry, but those were ugly because they were lopsided in favor of Michigan (two 38-0 games and a 47-21 game in the last six years). This one's gonna be ugly because both teams are struggling. This is a pivotal game for both teams, since the winner of this game is going to come through it with much needed momentum to carry into the rest of the season. Michigan gets a week off before hosting Wisconsin and Illinois, and the Irish have to travel to East Lansing to face a tough MSU team. If Michigan loses, the fans will have an extra week to panic about the state of the team and the wisdom of hiring RichRod. If the Irish lose, their already panicky fanbase may start to turn on Jabba the Weis. I think this will be a low scoring game, with Michigan managing to limit their mistakes a tiny bit more than the Irish. The Wolverine ground game will gain more momentum against the questionable Irish defense. Jimmy Clausen will get sacked at least four times. <strong>Michigan 16, Notre Dame 12</strong>. Confidence level - approaching zero. So now, thanks to Hurricane Ike, it's off to the storm cellar, where I will subsist on water and spam for the next week or so. I hope our <del>double-wide</del> house makes it through. Enjoy the games this weekend, and of course...<br /><br /><p align="center"><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Go Blue!</strong></span><br /></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-481778847952160305.post-66182707817365203602008-09-11T09:53:00.004-04:002008-09-11T10:30:13.704-04:00Epic Fail - 2005 NFL Draft<a href="http://www.sportsbusinesssims.com/images/draftlogo.gif"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.sportsbusinesssims.com/images/draftlogo.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><p align="justify">With the latest news that Niner QB Alex Smith is out for the season, and his career for the Niners is probably over, I decided to take a look at the 2005 NFL draft and check the status of the top ten picks in that draft. Smith was the top pick in the draft. Here are the rest of the top ten. It does not look too good:<br /><br /><strong>2. Ronnie Brown</strong> - He is backing up Ricky Williams, of all people, for the Dolphins. While he has had a couple decent seasons, the second pick in the draft has to be considered a failure if he's not a starter and a consistent 1200 yard rusher.<br /><br /><strong>3. Braylon Edwards</strong> - He's been great. No complaints. One of the few Michigan receivers that has lived up to his lofty draft pick <span style="font-size:78%;">*coughDavidTerrellcough*</span> and the only one from this list who has made a Pro Bowl.<br /><br /><strong>4. Cedric Benson</strong> - Released by the Bears this past offseason, and not currently on an NFL roster. Has been arrested twice this year for alcohol-related offenses.<br /><br /><strong>5. Cadillac Williams</strong> - Suffered a patellar tendon tear last year while playing for the Buccaneers, and doctors are doubtful that he will ever come back to full strength.<br /><br /><strong>6. Adam Jones</strong> - "Pacman" had an unspectacular rookie season, a very good second season, and was suspended for the entirety of his third season due to legal troubles. He was traded to the Cowboys for a fourth round pick. I'm sure that if you could find a Tennessee Titans fan, he would tell you that Pacman was a huge disappointment. Most well known for "<a href="http://deadspin.com/sports/nfl/pacman-jones-doesnt-like-to-make-it-rain-238768.php">makin it rain</a>" in a Las Vegas strip club.<br /><br /><strong>7. Troy Williamson</strong> - The Vikings needed a speedy receiver after trading Randy Moss to the Raiders. What they got was 79 catches in three seasons. He was traded this offseason to the Jaguars for a 6th round draft pick.<br /><br /><strong>8. Antrel Rolle</strong> - Missed almost all of his rookie season with a knee injury. Played fairly well last season, but was moved to safety prior to this season.<br /><br /><strong>9. Carlos Rogers</strong> - Serviceable cornerback, but has only 150 tackles and 4 INTs in three seasons.<br /><br /><strong>10. Mike Williams</strong> - He was the third consecutive WR picked in the first round by the Lions. Two of the three are not only no longer with the Lions, but also no longer playing in the NFL. Williams is one of those. He totaled 44 receptions in three seasons.<br /><br /><p align="justify">By any measure, this has to be the worst overall top ten NFL draft picks in recent memory. One Pro Bowl appearance, two guys already traded, and two guys already out of the league after three years (and not due to injury). By comparison, the 2004 draft has already had six players from the top ten picks make the Pro Bowl, and even the 2007 draft already has two Pro Bowlers.<br /></p><br /><p><br /></p>Assmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04291844788626138094noreply@blogger.com0