tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.comments2023-12-21T10:20:43.344-05:00The Hoover Street RagGeoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09461267960136260783noreply@blogger.comBlogger908125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-9912228280192093952023-10-27T16:53:22.594-04:002023-10-27T16:53:22.594-04:00That 1981 Illinois game - we were listening on the...That 1981 Illinois game - we were listening on the radio and my dad had to go into work with M down 21-7. He said he was "leaving me in charge" and it was my responsibility if M didn't come back and win. <br />Obviously I did a great job!sarcasMikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099868386662465260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-66631358055211571232022-10-19T16:54:40.144-04:002022-10-19T16:54:40.144-04:00Insh'allah, you won't be writing the "...Insh'allah, you won't be writing the "Everybody Hurts" post for a good long time.<br /><br />Noel<br />noelenergyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18166175957801968186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-81786043963569180782021-12-05T12:32:32.209-05:002021-12-05T12:32:32.209-05:00Well said! "We hope for the best, but anythi...Well said! "We hope for the best, but anything that happens from this point is playing with house money." SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-81852879325239302182021-10-02T21:30:09.997-04:002021-10-02T21:30:09.997-04:00Maybe I need to check out some more Neko Case.
Go...Maybe I need to check out some more Neko Case.<br /><br />Go Blue.beenplumbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03600667198845331130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-64856113546739703852021-10-02T19:24:47.891-04:002021-10-02T19:24:47.891-04:00They took the Badger’s juice and embodied the spir...They took the Badger’s juice and embodied the spirit of that (amazing) song. It’s time to not be haunted. MGoShoehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14630126148159004715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-48506604465979497902021-10-02T19:04:31.573-04:002021-10-02T19:04:31.573-04:00I'm too lazy to look it up, but it feels like ...I'm too lazy to look it up, but it feels like the "has never won as an underdog" (before today) stat is mostly a side effect of not being an underdog very often?<br /><br />It's funny how perception goes, isn't it? Barely squeaking by Rutgers feels bad, while stomping Wisconsin feels great. But there's not a lot of evidence to suggest Wisconsin is better than Rutgers this year, is there? It all feels like a muddle to me right now.SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-87405271559153513492020-01-02T12:24:49.015-05:002020-01-02T12:24:49.015-05:00i'm not one of 'those' fans. with ver...i'm not one of 'those' fans. with very, very few exceptions, i go into a game expecting to win, up to and including every time we play ohio state. i'm not doom and gloom.<br /><br />BUT - yes, 0-10 as an underdog is bad, at least superficially. i say superficially because i suspect that the vast, vast majority of teams (including the most elite programs in the country) have very similar records as underdogs maybe not 0-10, but i'd be surprised if the win % is above .100 for college football as a whole.Matty Boyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12191353690200572540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-3210066903658638042019-10-20T16:00:55.348-04:002019-10-20T16:00:55.348-04:00I don't really get the "big picture"...I don't really get the "big picture" criticisms at all. Harbaugh already basically has Michigan playing at the average level they were from 1980-2005. The only real difference is that in his tenure, OSU has pretty consistently been a top 5 football team, and with that obstacle in the way wining the Big Ten is HARD. That sucks, and I'm hoping it's a puzzle he can solve soon, but it's not some sign of absolute failure, it's a sign we're not there yet.<br /><br />As for last night's game: look, back in the Lloyd Carr days, my dad and I used to complain that it was more fun watching our local high school team lose football games -- because no matter what, they always threw all their heart into the game -- than watching Michigan win some games -- because all too often, they looked like they were just half-assedly going through the motions. Last night's game was everything a fan should ask for, a vastly better game than any of our losses from the last year and quite a few of our victories, too.<br /><br />And if Michigan can play like they did that second half, they can win any game left on the schedule except maybe OSU. Like you said, this needs to be a turning point.<br /><br />PS If you watched the replays of the last play last night, the defender is clearly tugging on Ronnie Bell's shirt. I don't think we ever saw a camera shot where you can be sure he was doing it before the ball got there... but who the hell defends a pass by pulling a player back after the ball gets there? If that gets called pass interference, I think we're favorites to win the game at that point.<br /><br /><br /><br />SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-48383754546291292982019-10-10T00:13:23.180-04:002019-10-10T00:13:23.180-04:00There is also the "silent" wave. Back i...There is also the "silent" wave. Back in the mid-80's, the announcer "yelled" at us for making too much noise while doing the wave and thus being overly discourteous to the opposing team. So we did a silent wave - normal speed and all, but absolutely, and completely, and utterly quiet - no one said a peep. You could have heard a pin drop. Eerie, but fantastic!!brant hinrichshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03318263850871102499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-41871648662044910762019-10-08T23:05:47.237-04:002019-10-08T23:05:47.237-04:00Early Michigan really wanted Cornell to be our big...Early Michigan really wanted Cornell to be our big rival. For Michigan it meant a connection to the East, where the real action was (see: having to teach Notre Dame how to play football just to get a game with them). But when Cornell had a bad season they decided to cancel the Michigan game on Thanksgiving, offered Minnesota, then bailed on Minnesota after the Gophers had pre-sold tickets. Back then teams routinely scheduled games mid-season, so it wasn't that big a deal for Michigan to make up the game, with a return trip to Chicago and a trip out to boomtown Kansas City the week before. But it really soured the chance for Cornell to become our big end-of-the-year rival, and with that went any chance that Michigan could sneak into the East. Rather than being the western outpost of the Ivy League, we would be the eastern edge of the West. Misopogonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07852888144275755045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-56074815019534145022019-09-01T20:09:50.463-04:002019-09-01T20:09:50.463-04:00I see little reason to worry about the overall dir...I see little reason to worry about the overall direction of the program from this game. First game flubs happen, and Michigan still won pretty handily. The offense really is revamped significantly. We had some new(-ish) players stand up strong, which is great! I'm a lot less worried about running back and cornerback than I was going into the game yesterday.<br /><br />I am worried about the injuries, though! One of the big strengths of this team was supposed to be having six good offensive lineman. If two of them are out injured before the first snap, that's clearly worrisome. And while I'm quite fond of Ben Mason, having him start at DT was downright scary.SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-25031145878585121242019-01-01T21:21:13.202-05:002019-01-01T21:21:13.202-05:00But it should be a lot better by now...But it should be a lot better by now...gebrewer64https://www.blogger.com/profile/13466979437901192224noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-84300910167821176722018-12-29T18:44:12.861-05:002018-12-29T18:44:12.861-05:00Meh, it could be so much worse. People have a sho...Meh, it could be so much worse. People have a short memory.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08982083030416533477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-20404220740842908622018-11-25T08:32:11.154-05:002018-11-25T08:32:11.154-05:00OMG, that game sucked. I'm not convinced ther...OMG, that game sucked. I'm not convinced there even is a way to understand what the hell happened, unless maybe it was a combination of being more banged up than we thought after last weekend and still distressingly thin on a number of key positions.<br /><br />I know I shouldn't be, because the Internet is full of dumb, but I'm still a bit surprised at the raft of "we will never win" comments out there. We went 10-2, with both losses on the road to top 10 teams. Of course we all want better, but this would have been a good season for ANY Michigan coach in my lifetime. Three of them arguably never had a better season than this.<br /><br />And as for our future prospects? Our two big question mark areas from last year, offensive line and quarterback, both seem to be much improved, and with no reason right now to think things won't be even better with the OL next year and things looking fairly good at QB as well, maybe great if Shea stays. Defense might be more of a question mark, but I sure as hell am not going to bet against Don Brown.SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-4994300800407500672018-10-22T17:11:45.487-04:002018-10-22T17:11:45.487-04:00Thanks, @Craig. Elie Wiesel once said the opposite...Thanks, @Craig. Elie Wiesel once said the opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference. So personally, I opposite-of-love MSU. I'm glad my school's football program isn't run the way theirs is, but in the end that's their problem and I've only got brain space for them one week a year. Now, I live out of state in Tampa Bay, so maybe it's easier to say that from a distance — but it's not like we don't have all the Spartans (and Buckeyes) we need down here, either. <br /><br />But even if people do want to go even beyond a "these slights shall not stand" attitude and muster up some OSU-like hate for MSU, I still get it. I feel like the rivalry has been pushed that way for a while now, so it doesn't surprise me. It's not where I'd go, but I'm not going to gasp and clutch my pearls when Chase Winovich embraces that hate in his postgame interview. I have two teenagers of my own, and I know how it goes when you tell them to take the high road. This wind wasn't sown by Michigan, but it was sown anyway. Time to reap the whirlwind.<br /><br />What I do worry about is whether there's a difference between emotion and blinding emotion. I'm fine if we decide we want to match MSU's hate with the passion of a thousand suns — just don't let it make us <i>become</i> MSU.<br /><br />Michigan's probably got more big boosters now than in the past (or at least their profile is higher), but it still feels to me like their influence is outweighed by students, fans and alumni like us. Stephen Ross backed Dave Brandon, at least publicly, long after it was clear he needed to go. It was the convention called on Mark Schlissel's lawn that carried the day.<br /><br />So, as students, fans and alumni, it matters what we want. And we need to maintain our willingness to burn a winning program down to the ground (like we did with basketball post-Ed Martin — if it shows signs of rot, even if those rivals we hate revel in it. A lot of Michigan fans already get that. The way things are headed, more of us need to. <br /><br />Anyway, thanks for the kind words and for tolerating my lllooonnng rant. I love your blog, and Go Blue.Mgrad92https://www.blogger.com/profile/03628713254118779325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-3659373029723502522018-10-22T16:12:46.798-04:002018-10-22T16:12:46.798-04:00@mgrad92
I thank you for this because it is an ex...@mgrad92<br /><br />I thank you for this because it is an excellent point. Perhaps it's not so much loathing, even though the emotionality of Saturday would have made me get there, as much as "accept no slights" which is admittedly, reactive and potentially still problematic, but this is a great great point.Craig Barkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397826983297392993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-12267603900311661282018-10-22T14:32:20.748-04:002018-10-22T14:32:20.748-04:00I scrupulously avoid worrying about things I can&#...I scrupulously avoid worrying about things I can't do anything about — but I know Michigan State has ached for this rivalry to be bitter, hate-soaked and classless since at least 2007. I can't make people start or stop hating MSU, so I'm not going to worry about whether they do — but I'll certainly lose zero sleep over Spartan tears about finally getting what they've wanted. <br /><br />However.<br /><br />I have a lingering sense MSU has used their hate for Michigan to justify overlooking a multitude of sins in their athletic programs over the years, whether it's PED abuse, slaps on the wrists for arrests, more serious accusations swept over the rug, etc. As long as you're getting over on Michigan, they'll overlook that stuff — and I feel like that's a problem. <br /><br />If you say you want to match MSU fans loathing for loathing, I'll say ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. But the trick is going to be keeping that hate from ever blinding you to the corrosion of your program's values.Mgrad92https://www.blogger.com/profile/03628713254118779325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-63104308236163173552018-09-09T18:22:30.198-04:002018-09-09T18:22:30.198-04:00Maybe "digging out of a hole" is like th...Maybe "digging out of a hole" is like this. You are traveling down a potholed dirt road and your wheel goes into the hole up to the axle. You call your wife and say, "honey, I'm going to be late for dinner, I am in a hole, and I have to dig my way out." Then you get out your shovel and start digging.Land lubberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07769724907422312800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-30185879293876926402018-03-30T15:05:00.299-04:002018-03-30T15:05:00.299-04:00Your probability calculations are off: the probabi...Your probability calculations are off: the probability that one of two independent events occurs is not the sum of their probabilites; if it were, then if you flipped two coins simultaneously, this would imply a 100% chance that one of them would come up Heads.<br /><br />Using 14.39% for hockey and 23.69% for basketball, here are the probabilities:<br /><br />Both win: 3.4%<br />At least one wins: 34.7%<br />Exactly one wins: 31.2%<br />Neither wins: 65.3%Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15836866616030819589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-64017859479720888162018-03-29T18:55:10.258-04:002018-03-29T18:55:10.258-04:00Actually the chance to win either is a+b-a*b or ab...Actually the chance to win either is a+b-a*b or about %3 less than you calculated.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03998492528949428350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-12688285358054360442018-01-03T17:48:45.164-05:002018-01-03T17:48:45.164-05:00These are wholly fair points, especially the secon...These are wholly fair points, especially the second comment. Craig Barkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17397826983297392993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-78899280998324888142018-01-03T09:59:58.591-05:002018-01-03T09:59:58.591-05:00PS The 9-8 in the last 17 games is such a stupid s...PS The 9-8 in the last 17 games is such a stupid stat. We're also 19-8 in our last 27 games. Both stats are pretty meaningless.SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-47614593008224810022018-01-03T09:57:49.851-05:002018-01-03T09:57:49.851-05:00We already HAD the quick turnaround under Harbaugh...We already HAD the quick turnaround under Harbaugh -- his first season literally doubled the number of wins in Hoke's last.<br /><br />This season was disappointing, but it wasn't very surprising. We started with a super-young team and had a host of key injuries on the offense. Harbuagh's worst season as a coach here still is better than the worst season under Schembechler, Carr, Rich Rod, or Hoke. And did Bo, Mo, or Carr ever face a Big Ten conference where three teams other than Michigan were in the top ten at the end of the season?SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-38296418642438111762017-11-29T20:13:08.812-05:002017-11-29T20:13:08.812-05:00Perhaps a game changing moment, the amazing open f...Perhaps a game changing moment, the amazing open field tackle by the OSU defender on the first down of that series of plays you talk about. Your runner was headed for a first down and I just was shocked at what a great play was made to stop him a yard short of first down. If he gets a first down on that play, who knows, it could have changed the outcome of the game.Alessandro Machihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06316327488702524564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35971090.post-39851449828282374702017-11-26T19:35:01.001-05:002017-11-26T19:35:01.001-05:00"Michigan was on its third choice quarterback..."Michigan was on its third choice quarterback and when it needed a big play in the fourth quarter, its offense coaching staff inexplicably called three straight passes when the running game had been flashing brilliant all afternoon."<br /><br />I'm finding minimal coverage of details and timing with a google search, but my chat record with my mom indicates Juwann Bushell-Beatty went out hurt at about quarter to 3 yesterday, replaced by Runyon. That suggests he was out most or all of the fourth quarter. And if you remember, when they switched from Ulizio to JBB back in October is exactly when our running game starting clicking. It's not crazy to think our running game might have been noticeably weaker in the fourth quarter for that reason. Hope to figure out more when the UFR comes out.<br /><br />It's weird how the expectations game goes. Given the expectations going into the game, I've got to think that almost every Michigan fan would have been overjoyed to hear that with two minutes and change left in the game Michigan had the ball with a chance to drive and take the lead back with a touchdown. Then we somehow conjured up one of the best quarters against the Buckeyes that any team has had in the 2010s, and somehow losing the game is suddenly traumatic rather than expected.<br /><br />And on the flip side are the people who just seem to think a loss is a loss, and don't notice that we have played really well against OSU the last two years. I don't see any obvious reason to expect OSU to get worse, but there is every reason in the world to think UM is going to keep getting better than next couple of years. I cannot WAIT to find out what happens next.SFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02815984722071185197noreply@blogger.com