An incomplete inventory of Brady Hoke's Office Bookshelf

Based on this video
An incomplete, but hopefully accurate list Things on Brady Hoke's Bookshelf: 

• A replica of a Navy SEAL Trident
• A copy of The Big House: Fielding Yost and the Building of Michigan Stadium by Robert M. Soderstrom
• A copy of the Michigan Football Vault
• A copy of Jim Brandstatter's Tales from Michigan Stadium
• A photo of Charles Woodson's LEAPING Interception vs. MSU 1997 
• A photo of a real wolverine in the wild
• A photo of the Rose Bowl marquee
• A copy of Michael Rosenberg's War As They Knew It
• A photo of the offensive line in the trenches vs. MSU (year unknown)
• An Under the Lights stadium poster
• A photo of Charles Woodson with Heisman Trophy
• A photo of Desmond Howard in Heisman pose
• A photo of Jake Long
• A replica helmet from 1950
• A replica Ron Kramer helmet from 1956
• A replica Don Moorhead helmet from 1969
• A replica 1997 helmet 
• An original redwood seat from Michigan Stadium 
• A photo of his daughter 
• A poster of the 1/2/98 Detroit Free Press front page 
• A Personalized Michigan license plate that says THETEAM
• A photo of Charles Woodson's INT vs WSU in Rose Bowl
• A photo of Jerame Tuman
• A 100th Game Game Ball from OSU 2003
• A paper cutout of the Michigan helmet wings, side view
• An additional game ball
• 1997 National Champions hat (navy blue)
• A copy of the Sports Illustrated 1997 National Champions commemorative issue.
• A copy of the Alabama Game Week plan.

In addition, photos on the wall adjacent to the bookshelf, Team 133 congratulating Brendan Gibbons after his Sugar Bowl winning kick, a sea of helmets picture, and some others.

I will say, Brady Hoke's office is like the dream version of what I would want my office to be.

October 18, 1995

It's not a game day, if you're wondering (Michigan had a bye that weekend). It was a Wednesday actually. But October 18, 1995 is the reason I want Brady Hoke to be a stunning success at Michigan. I cannot promise that he will be, no one can, but I know he has the first, most important step in being a success with Michigan football; he's the head coach. Woo-hoo! Living the dream!

I don't like to be too personal on here, because it's not a style that suits me well, but Brady Hoke today struck a chord when he said he would have walked from San Diego if it meant being the new head coach at Michigan. It struck a chord because I believed him. I not only think he meant it, I sincerely think he would have figured out a way to do it. It struck me because I am pretty sure I know the exact feeling Brady Hoke had today. Mine came on October 18, 1995, the day I got my fat envelope from the University of Michigan admitting me as a part of its next freshman class. All of the joy, all of the hard work, all of my effort and energy that I had put in to a goal that I had set for myself in third grade had finally paid off. I was in at Michigan. It was the place I wanted to be more than anything in the world and now it wanted me.

There were bumps along the way. I wasn't great in my accelerated math classes. I probably could have put in a little more effort there, done a little better, made it a little less of a question as to whether Michigan would want me. I distinctly remember crawling under my computer desk in my parents' basement for several hours after I got my first ACT score back, knowing it was under the magic number and worried that it wasn't going to happen and mentally working on the Plan B Dearborn-->Ann Arbor route. That fear of failing, of coming close, but not getting what I wanted, I knew that might fall on me, might haunt me, and it pushed me to do better, to be better, because the goal was important.

If you ask anyone who knows me, even a little, to describe me, one of the first five things they might mention is "huge Michigan fan". They're right, it probably is one of the five things people know and note about me, and I wear it like a badge of honor, in good times and in difficult ones. If it helps define who I am, if it makes it easier for people to get a sense of me, I'm all for it. The things I believe about what Michigan is are things I strive to be. Michigan doesn't always get it right, it's not perfect, but it aims high and works to live up to the idea of being "the leaders and best."

Which brings me back to Brady Hoke. Do not misunderstand me when I say that I think Hoke will be successful in no small part because he is passionate about being at Michigan, that there is nowhere else in the world he wants to coach, that this is his dream job. Passion and desire can only get you so far. But I also get the sense that Brady knows in his heart that while Michigan, the university, may believe in him at the moment, to hand over the keys and say "We trust you, don't scratch it.", he knows he has to convince a number of skeptical people that he deserves it. There are a few ways a person can handle that. One is to ignore it, trust your instincts, brush it off with something along the lines of "haters gonna hate" and trust that you'll win them over and if you don't, it doesn't matter what they think. The second one is to put everything you have into showing them that you are worthy, that you deserve it. From the things I have read, Brady Hoke seems like he is many things: genuine, humble, earnest, emotional, and passionate. Does this mean that he has the best defensive schemes in all of college football? No, but it does mean that he knows he has a hill to climb and he's going to find the right people to climb it with him. Does this mean he thinks Michigan will go 14-0 next season simply by showing up? No, but I think it means he's going to find a way to convince this team, his new family, that they can be successful if they play with passion, intensity, and intelligence. Does this mean he is going to get all of the best recruits in the land? No, but I think he is going to look for players who fit his vision of a Michigan football player, who know that they're good, but they can be better, and that if you want to be a part of something special, something larger than yourself, Michigan just might be the place to do that.*

Winning football games is not a Tinkerbell problem. Simply wishing it to be so, believing really hard, and clapping your hands does not put more points on your side of the scoreboard. But today, Michigan introduced a coach who believes, with everything he has, that he will give everything he has to be a worthy successor to legends like Yost, Kipke, Crisler, Oosterbaan, Schembechler, and Carr. If Coach Hoke's results match his passion, Michigan is in good hands.

*-A strange coda, but one I feel compelled to make. I liked Coach Rodriguez, a lot. I still like him as a person and I want him to be successful in his next coaching stop. I wanted him desperately to succeed not just because I wanted Michigan football to be great again, but because I genuinely believed that he was a guy who was trying to do the right things and everything he tried seemed to make things worse. He was like the Mr. Bean of college football coaches during the last three years. It is so easy, in retrospect, to dismiss the last three years as having no value. It would be a shame if we did. There are far too many lessons we need to take from the Coach Rodriguez era, both as fans and as people. One day, when Michigan fans conclude their own Rogers Commission investigation into the Rodriguez era, we may find the reasons that Michigan did not succeed during the past three seasons. For now, all we are left with are the known knowns, and we are left to speculate on the unknown knowns, the known unknowns, and the unknown unknowns of the era. We will speculate, piece together, connect dots, and hurl accusations and invective because, more than anything, the end of the Rodriguez era demands of us that we understand what the last three years have meant, and we are compelled to ask ourselves the simple question "Were they worth it?" You look around and the obvious answers point to no. But the obvious answers aren't always the best answers. Beneath the surface, there is a lot more to the last three years than a losing record, and we'll need to sort that out. We've got time, new evidence will surface, new pieces will be able to be put in to place. We'll know more. When we do, we'll make decisions from there.

But the reason this coda is here is because I want to remind people of two key points. 1). When you invest heavily in something and said thing ends, there is a grieving process. 2). Not everyone grieves on your timetable. So please be nice to your fellow fans. Let them take their time to find their way and realize that many of us are we're living in hope, of things unseen, because in the absence of evidence the alternative is fear and for many of us, it's way too cold to sleep in the long shadow it casts. We're a family, we'll be here.

Bobby Bowden, Charlie Weis, and the Art of the Possible.

Yesterday, it became very clear that two "prestige" programs in Division I football were going to move in new directions with their head coach. Notre Dame said goodbye to Charlie Weis after five seasons, the last three of which all featured at least six losses. Whispers and leaks out of Tallahassee had Florida State backing Bobby Bowden into a corner and giving him two unpalatable options for the 2010 season, "ambassador" or "retired" and Bowden is likely to choose the latter. In both cases, as well as in the case of Michigan under Rich Rodriguez, all three fell victims to the art of the possible.

Bismarck's maxim that "politics is the art of the possible" is, way oversimplified" the idea that you look at what you have set before you and you find a way to make something work, not everybody wins, but the compromises don't make any one too angry, or if they do, the aggrieved party is so powerless to do anything about it that they need not be worried about. The art of the possible explains why it is so much easier to replicate a scientific accomplishment, rather than work in a theoretical field, because you know that it can be done and what the result looks like. The art of the possible is what gives TCU and other non-power conference schools hope. They look at what Utah did to Alabama last year in the Sugar Bowl or what Boise State did to Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl in 2007. They see it can be done and it buoys them. They conveniently ignore what Georgia did to Hawaii in the 2008 Sugar Bowl because while it's also possible, it doesn't fit their narrative game plan.

The problem with the art of the possible as it applies to history as opposed to science is that unlike science, where progress always points forward and knowledge learned cannot be unlearned, history evolves where we can define progress, at least we could hope to define it, as moving toward the greater benefit of the largest number of people. The art of the possible in college football means that the landscape of college football has changed, to the benefit of a larger number of teams. Scholarship limits mean that larger schools cannot just horde players for depth, creating a trickle-down effect for other schools. The democratization of television coverage, be it by court decision or by the existence of cable and now the internet, has been a boon for the college football fan as virtually every game in Division I FBS can now be found somewhere to be watched. A fan can know, easily, as much about any of the other 119 FBS schools as they would their own twenty years ago. While 2009 is not a meritocratic wonderland where every team has a fair chance to win the national championship in any given year, it is a much more level playing field than ever before. The problem with this is that while fans may appreciate this on one hand, fans of certain schools may not appreciate the fact that this change means that things can never go back to being the way they were.

Notre Dame had everything going for it in a bygone era. If they were not America's team, they were Catholic America's team, and that's not a little thing. They were the aspiration of every working class high school football player at a Catholic school, and if Notre Dame wanted you, it meant something. Notre Dame was so big it got its own television deal and could remain an independent; long after all of the prestige independents found homes in conferences. Notre Dame carried enough weight to get special rules for itself in the BCS, and even as it is a waning power, their coaching search is still the talk of the college football nation, despite a tantalizing SEC Championship Game on Saturday and a still unsettled Heisman race. Notre Dame means something today because Notre Dame meant something for a long time. The problem is, today's high school junior will not necessarily be swayed by the glories of Notre Dame's black and white past, when Rockne and Leahy and Parseghian are but specters looming over the program and Lou Holtz is the crazy old guy on ESPN who gives the fake pep talks and does the magic tricks. Notre Dame means something, but not what it used to mean. When all you have is tradition to point to, you cling to it hard and fast, because no one can take from you what happened. Notre Dame will need to evolve to remain relevant in the new college football landscape. I suspect it will, simply because there is too much at stake not to do so.

Florida State had everything going for it in a not too bygone era. For 14 straight years, Florida State finished the year in the Top 5 of the AP Poll. Say what you will about polls, no one else has ever done that, in any era. Florida State went 152-18-1 during that period and played for five national championships during that era, more than any other Division I-A school. Florida State had flash, a bit of an edge, great rivalries with two other in-state powers, and a derring-do that said "We'll become the best by playing the best and beating the best." That is Bobby Bowden's doing. He may not invented Florida State football, but he invented Florida State football as anyone outside of Tallahassee knows about it or cares about it. But it's a new era, and since 2000, Bowden's Florida State teams have lost 42 times. That's as just a shade under as many losses as Florida State had from 1980-2000. The standard that Bowden set for Florida State is so impossibly high that I would be happy to argue that no school in a BCS conference could replicate half of it, let alone all of it. But, because the success is so recent, it's hard to understand how the landscape has changed and how it would be difficult to be that successful again. The art of what is possible for Florida State has changed just as much for what happened for Notre Dame. It may be a much quicker change, but it did change. They will evolve and adjust, because they have to and because Florida State fans will accept nothing less.

Which brings us to Michigan. Michigan didn't fire its coach yesterday. It didn't announce a retirement of one of the all-time coaching legends in college football. It didn't make any noise yesterday because its season is over at a disappointing 5-7, no bowl for a second straight year, and other than the crumbs of the recruiting trail, nothing to tide over a frustrated fan base until April at the earliest, and August for most. We've seen the screeds against Coach Rodriguez, claiming he's the wrong guy, desperately wanting him to be gone, and someone more like Bo brought in, because someone more like Bo would make everything better. The thing is, Bo's era is the same bygone era of Notre Dame past, and the same changes in the landscape that have been made to Florida State. A Bo clone could not just come in tomorrow and win 10 games and get Michigan back to the Rose Bowl by virtue of being Bo and doing the things that Bo did, because it is no longer possible. Too much has changed and while we do not have to like it, we need to accept that a new definition of success may be in line for many schools, Michigan included. Michigan held fast against the tide for longer than any other school in the modern era of college football. It doesn't mean that Michigan fans shouldn't want to go to a bowl game every year, that Michigan fans shouldn't want to be playing Ohio State in November with the Big Ten title on the line, that Michigan fans should accept the bending of the rules. What it does mean for every school is that it's a different world, one in which we sail forward on a troubled sea, looking for a shore like the one we were on just two years ago.

We may get back there someday, but it won't be the place we left, because it never is again. We've stepped into a new and larger world, one colder, meaner, and angrier than the one we left, and even should we make it back to the safe harbor of success, we'll know that what is possible changes from decade to decade and from year to year. We'll see the visages of Yale, and Chicago, and Army sailing on the horizon, knowing that their day is safely ensconced in the past. We'll see sleek vessels like Florida, and Boise State, modern, swift, and not encumbered by history, just by the future. We'll see stately ships like Texas and Oklahoma and Alabama and USC, older models who found ways to bring themselves into the present. And we'll see ships like Notre Dame and Florida State sailing along side us, looking for any direction home and hoping that they make it. Know that we're sailing alongside them. We just need fair winds and following seas.

I Find You Unpleasant

I thought that when the season came back, I'd be posting a lot more. Instead, I've been working non-stop and having a life. When I see something I want to say, it's usually been said more eloquently by somebody else. And what is there to say about this season? Hot start, then ice cold. They didn't play all that well at MSU, but had a chance to win anyway. They played much better at Iowa and were doomed by turnovers. They housed Babby Seal U, were dealing with Illinois, and then folded after the goal-line stand.

Which brings us to Purdue. What a miserable experience. Not just because of what happened on the field, but also the people around me. This Stevie Brown hater decided to come out of the woodwork to derisively yell "NICE COVERAGE, STEVIE!!!" any time Purdue made a completion that was anywhere near him. It didn't matter that Stevie was playing pretty decent coverage (+9-4 = +5 on the day)¹ and tackling immediately, it was All His Fault. My dad was flipping out about how Purdue was going up and down the field on us, but freely admitting that he has trouble distinguishing between poor coverage, a scheme that puts players in a bad spot, and a good play by the offense. And then there was the "THEY'VE GOT NO HEART!!!!!!" guy that Brian referenced in his Monday column. That guy was immediately in front of my dad; a paunchy, goateed 35-year-old in an Adidas #1 home jersey tucked into his jeans. Every problem was due to the fact that the players had either a.) No heart or b.) No intensity. Never mind the fact that Mike Williams opens up a sweep from Bolden because he's trying to do too much, overrunning the play. He can't conceive that the team would be losing due to talent deficiencies or execution errors. If they were just grittier, that would totally do it.

By the way, he thinks Brian Kelly should be our next coach.

Why do I hate this guy so much? Is it the hair trigger he has on FIRE COACH X RIGHT NOW? Is it that he has no idea how football is played or coached or the difference between talent and walk-ons? It's part of it. But what gets to me is this guy's belief that they are doing it on purpose. That they're dogging it out there and he is personally agrieved and offended and all of this is UNACCEPTABLE and THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES FOR NOT BEING IN THE ROSE BOWL RIGHT NOW. LOOK WHAT COACH IRVIN MEYERS DID AT FLORIDA. WHY DIDN'T BILL MARTIN GO GET BOB STOOPS? HOW DID HE NOT THINK OF RE-ANIMATING THE CORPSE OF FIELDING YOST? WHAT GOOD IS A BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING PROGRAM IF IT CAN'T BRING BACK LEGENDARY COACHES FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE? UNACCEPTABLE.

The reasonable response to the Purdue game is to say, "This sucks. I hate watching the team I love play bad football, and Brandon Graham and the other seniors deserve better than this. I'm going to go [to place] to avoid all sports / watch better football / get hammered. I hope Rodriguez can turn this around / I don't think it's going to work out / I thought things were going to be like this when they hired that guy, but I wish I'd been wrong." Obviously, reason plays at best a minor role in football fandom, but guys like THEY'VE GOT NO HEART Man make life actively worse.

I'll be watching the Wisconsin game today, and I'll be back for OSU (ugh) next weekend, but guys like that make me want to stay away.

¹ Plays Brown was +/-'ed on from the Purdue UFR:

O44 2 14 Shotgun trips Nickel even Pass Dig Brown 13

Brown(+1, cover +1) right there on the play and has a swat at the ball but misses it. He's still there to make a tackle, though the receiver drags him for a few yards. Excellent coverage; Michigan made it tough this time. Graham did tear through late, but this is a pressure -1... Elliot could stand and fire.

M33 2 6 Shotgun empty 2TE 4-3 under Pass TE Out Brown 3 (Pen -5)

Caught; Brown(+1, cover +1), in a cover-2 zone, lights up the TE as soon as he catches it. Illegal motion brings it back.

O45 3 4 Shotgun 4-wide 4-3 under Pass Corner Brown 6

Line shifted as per usual but the LBs are off the line and tucked in; weird. Michigan blitzes; Graham tears around the corner and beats one blocker, forcing another to come out on him. Purdue is clearly trying to pick Warren and get the slant as a result; Warren(+1) does a fantastic job of coming under the pick and having this blanketed. Holding? Maybe, but not called. Brown(-1), however, reacts to that route when he's in man on the slot guy and leaves his little corner route open, so Elliot has another option other than “die because of Graham.” Tough leaping catch from the WR.

O24 1 10 Shotgun trips bunch Nickel under Pass Swing Brown 3

Trips bunch set takes Brown out to them and he plays head-up on the guy on the LOS. Michigan drops into a zone; Purdue receivers attempt to run it off and hit the swing pass underneath; Brown(+1, tackling +1) makes a good open-field tackle to turn this into a meh play.

O41 2 10 Shotgun trips Tampa Nickel Pass Hitch Brown 5

Brown(cover +1, +1) is again right in the receiver's grill as he makes the catch and has a swipe at the ball for a PBU, but can't make it. He does tackle(+1) with help.

M19 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide Nickel even Run Power off tackle Brown 19

Ugh. Center actually pulls here as two guys double Roh and Purdue goes for the outside. Roh(-1) gets sealed really quickly and is both out of the play and not occupying a double. Brown(-1) comes down too far inside and gives up the corner; Leach(-1) is sliced to the ground by the TE coming off Roh, Williams(-1) overruns the play as it nears the sticks and turns it into a touchdown.

O38 1 10 Shotgun 3-wide 4-3 under Run Zone read stretch Brown 16

Purdue motions in a slot WR to act as a second TE and Michigan does not react (RPS -1); Brown(-1) fails to get outside the slot guy and gives up the corner; Roh(-1) ends up spinning inside of the OT despite this run obviously going outside; Leach(-1) is indecisive and ends up getting blocked into oblivion. Bolden gets the corner and a bunch of yards.

M32 1 10 Shotgun 4-wide 4-3 under Pass Quick out Brown 8

Brown(-1) has the flat here and instead attempts to cover a TE that is running into Leach's zone; Warren has a deep half and is not responsible. (Cover -1)

O48 2 4 I-Form Twins 4-3 under Run Pitch sweep Graham -3

Graham(+1) slants inside, meeting the playside G a couple yards in the backfield as he pulls; he drives the G back, forcing Bolden outside. Graham gets stiffarmed but his interior play has allowed Brown(+1) to finish the TFL after he got outside his blocker effectively.

O32 2 9 Shotgun empty Tampa Nickel Pass Scramble Brown 4

Fake bubble to the slant Michigan likes to run except Brown(+1, cover +1) is not biting and Elliott has to look elsewhere, at which point Graham(+1) tears through on a three man rush and flushes him out of the pocket. Coverage remains good downfield so Elliot has to scramble; lot of short routes mean no one can peel off until he crosses the LOS. (Cover +1)

O6 1 22 I-Form Twins 4-3 under Pass Rollout comeback Woolfolk Inc

Elliott wants to go to the TE but Brown(+1, cover +1) has him covered and Elliott keeps rolling and rolling. He's late; as he reaches the sideline he chucks it to the other receiver, who Woolfolk(+1) has under control and makes a pass breakup on. (Pressure -1, cover +1)

The MMB and the Stadium Atmosphere: Straight from the Top

I emailed Director of Bands Michael Haithcock and MMB Director Scott Boerma regarding the MMB and the stadium atmosphere. They have allowed me to post their responses to my questions.

I offered my summary of the situation, or at least what the discussion involves: That much of the stadium can't hear the band like they used to, and the hypotheses given range from the new seats to fewer members to a greater emphasis on musicality over volume to the rubber on the fieldturf. Therefore, the piped-in music is necessary, because it's better than nothing.

Here is a portion of the exchange. First, Prof. Haithcock presented some national context for the situation:

1) The issue is not unique to UM! MSU had canned music played on Saturday while the band was on the field. Tennessee has a long tradition of the band marching to the stadium, doing a stadium entrance, and sitting in the stands prior to the game to play while the team warms up. At their first home game, the TN band marched into the stadium and was greeted with canned rap music. The band will boycott their previous tradition if canned music is in place. This does not solve our problem, but it does clarify that change abounds in the collegiate arena.

2) The pros are taking from college (the Pistons drum line for example) and the colleges are taking from pros. My sister is a high school athletic director in South Carolina and the HS fans want video boards and the same things they see on TV. The culture at UM has been very specific. Change comes slowly and reaction to change is always severe. I don't bring any of this up to lessen the reality of the current situation but to itemize what I have observed as a college band director over 33 years. [Emphasis mine. --ed.] We are dealing with a sudden shift in UM culture on one hand but a slow evolution that has been building like a volcano at other places. We are fortunate that in-stadium marketing is still off the table at the Big House. Many schools bands can not play the fight song during a time out so that a sponsoring soft drink commercial can be aired on the video board.

"BELLE TIRE!" comes to mind.

Then, he addressed the rumors regarding the band:

"The [enrollment] numbers have been the same in total size since before Prof. Nix left. The specific numbers of instruments change every year and always have. Those that claim the MMB is 'bleeding numbers' due to his leadership are either completely uninformed or have an agenda.

The same is true with the notion of emphasis on musicianship over volume. Is the "sound" of the band within the volume balanced differently? Yes. Is it less loud? No. This "personal" balance would be true of any director as it has been since the legendary Revelli. [...] The evidence just does not support the claim that the band is playing less loud than under Prof. Nix. Those that claim this is Prof. Boerma being a DCI guy and not a football fan just do not have a clue. DCI groups play louder than most college marching bands AND they play with sound qualities that have more staying power do to their blend and intonation qualities.

What would I or Prof. Boerma have to gain from encouraging less than full potential volume within the context of what we know about resonance, blend, and intonation. Those that want to blame me because my work these days is primarily in the concert hall are not aware of the true acoustical issues (you just can not "man up") or ever heard marching bands under my direction."

He points out that he hired Jamie Nix in 2001, Kevin Sedatole ('97-'98 IIRC) was a former student of his, and he hired two former MMB interim directors at his previous place of work.

"I did not, nor have not, changed my standards. [...] If I thought any stone was being left unturned to maximize the potential of the MMB, I would be working to fix the issue."

I offered my own opinion on the piped-in music (I'm against 95% of it). He says that this contributes to the relative volume:

"I will say that the modest volume of the pre-game music that existed previously has been raised significantly. Therefore, everyone who comes in the stadium prior to "band take the field" is treated to a new level of sound than ever before. If you combine this level with the new buildings, the amount of sound in the stadium is much greater. There is no way any band can compete with the number of speakers at the level of volume utilized. From my vantage point, I did not find the Western Michigan band or the Notre Dame band to be any louder than the MMB during recent home games."

Emphasis mine.

I asked two questions:

1. What, if anything, is being done to address the concerns that the band is inaudible to many in the stadium?

"The MMB was moved a few years ago back to the Press Box side after a decade opposite the student section. There were many reasons for this but it was instigated by athletics. We continue to be concerned that everyone can not hear the band in the way we all would like. We used to get the same complaints from people who sat behind the MMB when it was on the other side. We continue to get the complaint from those who sit opposite the visiting band. There is a reason Civil War bands marched at the front of the army with instrument bells that were 'over the shoulder.' These are directional instruments.

We hope to review the location of the MMB with athletics given the new acoustical situation and the reality of our new atmosphere. The band is working daily to maximize volume. Prof. Boerma and the staff will be working to face more directions."

2. How do you feel about the music being played over the PA? Did the MMB staff have any input in it, or was it a decision just handed down?

"I am realistic enough to understand that some variety of canned music will probably be with us going forward. The music selection, when the music is used, and the volume of presentation are all things I hope the MMB leadership will have some input on as we go forward.

The decision to implement canned music was essentially handed down. It has also become an increasing element at basketball games. There was an indication of how it would be used within the game that has been exceeded by a wide margin."

[Emphasis mine.]

[It] makes no sense to ban the amplification of the band and then play canned music while the team is in the huddle or approaching the line of scrimmage. You will remember that the canned music went beyond the line the band is supposed to cease in relation to the play on many occasions.

I suggested that this is telling the band "we don't need you;" he disagreed:

"I honestly think the message is a) we need the MMB to be 'all in,' and b) we need to provide this different experience to shake things up and get the stoic UM crowd involved in a new generation of UM football. The same changes in atmosphere were in place a West Virginia with similar displeasure initially expressed from the fan base. The MMB staff was made aware that these changes would come with the territory once the coach was hired."

---

Prof. Boerma agreed with much of what Prof. Haithcock wrote, but added this about his approach to rehearsals and performances:

My students are completely involved in the games, and I am asking them to play full out all the time. (As a matter of fact, my new dentist sits on the "visitors" side of the stadium and comments to me often how thrilled he is that the band is now more actively and boisterously engaged in the game than they used to be.) I'm not (or even have been) purposefully having them play softer; I'm constantly using phrases like "fill up that Big House with Big Sound!" Anyone who actually believes that I've attempted to make the MMB play softer is simply ignorant. Do I have a responsibility to make sure that the band plays with balance and blend? Of course I do. Do I want them to be the loudest thing in Michigan Stadium? You bet I do!"

On the architecture of the stadium as a factor:

"We were excited about the new press boxes when they were being built, because their slanting-in architecture was sure to capture more sound from the band. When we rehearsed in the Big House on the Wednesday before the first game this season, we noticed a definite change. However, when you suddenly add 110,000 fans screaming for a newly-proficient football team, there is simply no way to compete. Add to that the insanely loud canned music... All is relative."

On the MMB enrollment numbers:

"Reports that the numbers are declining in recent years are simply untrue, as Prof. Haithcock accurately reported. They've been the same all 3 years I've been here, which is truly remarkable, considering the football seasons we've recently experienced. However, JUST like when Prof. Nix was here, the numbers of certain sections fluctuate year to year, which is something no one can control. Jamie used to complain to me that he could never get enough euphoniums or tubas. We've got the largest tuba section I've seen in this band for years, and we have over the performance block number of euphoniums.

On the canned music:

"I am meeting with the people responsible for this in Athletics this afternoon. If anyone out there thinks we're just sitting around letting this happen, they're gravely mistaken. We take this VERY seriously. Most importantly, the people truly hurting about all of the nasty comments are the students in the MMB who are simply trying to carry on the incredible tradition. Please respect them and encourage others to do the same. They deserve it... and they truly are 'All In for Michigan.'"

Thanks to both of them for allowing me to share their responses. If you do choose to email either of them (mlhaith@umich.edu and sboerma@umich.edu respectively), please do so respectfully.

Beat the Eagles!

Down The Stretch They Come: Hockey Projections

First thing: More to come tomorrow on the ND series. Craig and I were in attendance at both games, so we've got a few words to say about that bit of awesome.

I've been looking at Michigan's schedule for the rest of the regular season in the CCHA and wondering what we can expect in the second half of conference play. The Wolverines have a tough road ahead, with series against Michigan State and Miami in the next few weeks after having just despatched Notre Dame. They've been on a torrid pace, but with the high-quality opponents left on their schedule, there's no way they can keep it up, right? So I've tried to use a little math to project how teams in the conference will fall at the end of the regular season.

I broke it down, game by game, and I decided that the difference in current winning percentage is the best barometer of the chance teams have of winning a game. Two teams with .500 records should have the same chance of winning a game, but a team with a .700 record should have a better chance than one stuck at .300.

Projected Points = 2*(Number of games)*((Team winning % - Opponent winning %)*0.5 + 0.5)

2 = 2*(2*(0.600-0.600)*0.5+0.5)
3 = 2*(2*(0.750-0.250)*0.5+0.5)
4 = 2*(2*(1.000-0.000)*0.5+0.5)

In a few weeks, Michigan will be playing Miami. Right now, the stats for that series project like this:

2*(2 games)*((0.9375 UM winning % - 0.8333 Miami winning %)*0.5+0.5) = 2.2038 pts projected for Michigan

It basically projects a split, with Michigan having a slightly better chance than Miami of getting a sweep or an additional point. Before last weekend's sweep, it was predicting about 2.4 pts for Michigan off Notre Dame, which seems fair enough, considering the number of chances each team had in the third period of Friday's game before Caporusso buried the game winner with 20.3 seconds left on the clock.

This is how the numbers fall for the entire CCHA for the rest of the year. I've included the pace that each team is on (which is solely based on its winning percentage) for comparison.

Team	GP	Winning %	Points	Projected	(Pace)
Alaska	18	0.3611	13	21.98	(20.2)
Bowling Green	16	0.5625	18	30.80	(31.5)
Ferris State	16	0.4688	15	26.12	(26.3)
Lake Superior	16	0.1563	5	13.88	(8.8)
Miami	18	0.8333	30	44.11	(46.7)
Michigan	16	0.9375	30	46.31	(52.5)
Michigan State	16	0.8125	26	40.90	(45.5)
Nebraska-Omaha	20	0.4750	19	26.83	(26.6)
Northern Michigan	18	0.3889	14	22.69	(21.8)
Notre Dame	18	0.6389	23	35.92	(35.8)
Ohio State	16	0.2188	7	15.52	(12.3)
Western Michigan	16	0.1250	4	10.96	(7.0)

As you can see, the Wolverines are on a pace for a 52.5-pt season, but the projection knocks them down to only 46.3 pts, which would have them going about 8-4 down the stretch. Considering that the team is 22-2-0 right now, at first glance this seems excessive. But consider that they're playing the two next best teams in the league a total of six times during that stretch and it's a little less unlikely. Each game we play is like a loaded coin flip; eventually it'll come up tails, even if we play bad teams. That's what happened in part with OSU earlier in the season. We ran up against a hot goalie when we weren't playing our best and we couldn't get a bounce to bail us out.

Here's a breakdown by series of the remainder of our schedule:

Opponent	Projected
(Current)	30.00
MSU	2.25
Northern	3.10
Miami	2.21
LSSU	3.56
MSU	2.25
Ferris	2.94
Total	46.31

Ferris, Northern, and Lake State are mediocre-to-bad teams, but they get six chances to run into us on a bad night. Still, I think the numbers are conservative; 9-3 is what I'd call a successful conclusion to the season. I think we split with Miami, and State wins at least one game off of us, probably two. And if the Spartans only win one, there's a good chance someone else steals a game. A 48-point regular season would be a magnificent achievement and position us well for the CCHA playoffs and the NCAA tournament. A 50-point season would be simply astonishing, and I can't even believe anything north of that is possible. Down this stretch run, I just want to see our guys keep playing sound hockey, take care of business against teams they shouldn't lose to, and make it to the tournament without injury. Let's see how this plays out.

WTI: Cirque and Destroy

Craig:	Good evening and welcome back to another edition of WTI: Cirque du Solame
Geoff:	Those who weren't numb by halftime may have noticed that Saturday's MMB show was rather different from what you usually see.
Craig:	I was numb, frozen, and still noticed.
Geoff:	The theme was, in fact, "Cirque du Soleil". Yes, that "Cirque du Soleil".
Craig:	French Canadians without the involvement of Rocket Richard makes me sad.
Jeremy:	Cirque music has exploded in popularity among high school marching bands, and it's not surprising Boerma wanted to bring it to the college level.
Geoff:	No, it wasn't a big surprise, given his connection to the high school level.
Jeremy:	We were promised "corps style marching and footwork, and I thought the marching and formations were actually a focus of the show instead of just ambient background to accompany the music.
Craig:	Um, can I ask a question though? I wouldn't recognize the music of Cirque if you gave me three dozen chances. Was I not the target audience of this show?
Geoff:	The target audience of the show was the OSUMB.
Jeremy:	I wouldn't either, but the intent was to impress you with it, not get you to sing along.

Geoff:	Yeah, but the music (at least from the brass and winds) was kind of the background for the marching and the drums.
Craig:	I guess being in the end zone, and in the third row, it's hard to be impressed by footwork. Not a knock, that's just visuals.
Geoff:	That's a valid point. It's tough when either you don't have either the larger view or the close-up one. The middle distance is rough.
Jeremy:	I thought it was an interesting departure from the MMB's traditional style – less big swoopy forms, and far more drill 'activities' in small sections like follow-the-leaders, rotating boxes, ripple effects. And a drum break!
Geoff:	For what it was, it was a well-designed, well-executed show, but one that left 98% of the stadium scratching their heads.
Jeremy:	Agreed.
Craig:	I think that's a very fair assessment Geoff, and the problem with that is, that's over 100,000 people scratching their heads.
Jeremy:	It was certainly a dramatic contrast from OSU's Yay America show.
Craig:	Hey, you can't boo freedom, right?
Jeremy:	Exactly. And that's why they bring something sentimental and/or patriotic to Michigan Stadium each time. We get it, guys – Veterans Day is the Monday before the game. But it *always* is.
Geoff:	They even used the same streamers from 2005, I think.
Craig:	Well, they do have all those extra swallow-tail flags...
Jeremy:	For those who missed it, OSU spelled out the names of the service academies while playing the official song of each (Anchors Aweigh, etc) and making some rotating lines that didn't set well.
Geoff:	I think I'd like this show better if it wasn't the last one of the year. I'd rather see a show that engages the whole stadium to close out the year. If you want to get experimental, don't leave it for your last show. I know, I know we want to stun the OSUMB into dumbstruck awe, but I'd rather try to do that by getting the stadium fired up.
Craig:	Exactly. The stadium was deader than dead at halftime due to the weather and perhaps the most boring half of football in recorded human history, we needed something that would get the crowd back into it. This show was not that...
Jeremy:	I've been scratching my head since August on Cirque for this week's show. Maybe if they'd had the flags make a thirty-person pyramid, suspended from a cable, underwater...
Geoff:	With Chinese acrobats on spinning ropes...
Craig:	Or the magic of charging you $85 and convincing you that what you're seeing is amazing...
Jeremy:	And they mean to tell us there's not one contortionist in the band willing to be set on fire inside a giant glass ball?
Geoff:	Kids today just aren't as tough as they used to be. Back in the Cavendar era you woulda had 14 volunteers for that.
Craig:	Including two dousing themselves with lighter fluid AS they volunteered just to show their commitment.
Geoff:	Since the bowl game show will be a repeat of a previous halftime, this effectively marks the end of Boerma's first year at the helm of the MMB. For me, the highlight of the year was the Guitar Hero show. Excellent songs, great arrangements, obvious (and effective!) pandering to the students, but since it's classic rock, it engages the whole audience.
Craig:	Agreed. I don't know that I have ever enjoyed a MMB halftime as much (admittedly, the stomping of Notre Dame made that easier to do) and I think it compares favorably with, say the Cal band's tribute to video games.
Jeremy:	...And the Cal band's tribute to video games compared favorably to the MMB's 2004 video game tribute.
Geoff:	It was a great show, but it doesn't quite catch up to the magnificent Monty Python halftime, for me.
Craig:	I will note, I missed the Python show live.
Jeremy:	Guitar Hero was the most effective, since it engaged the audience most directly. I liked the music from the Modern Broadway show the best, but I'm a sucker for Springtime for Hitler.
Craig:	Continuing the fine tradition of not saying aloud what the name of the song is if it might raise eyebrows.
Geoff:	Oh, that was a good one too. And even though I'd never heard the music from Wicked before, I really liked how it all turned out.
Geoff:	As important as the on-field results are, the off-field stuff is a big part of the director's job. I don't have any sort of line into the current MMB, but from what I've heard, relations with the Alumni Band have markedly improved this year.
Jeremy:	I do, but wasn't aware there were problems. Does this mean more gigs?
Geoff:	I don't know. Possibly more baseball or softball games, I'd imagine. Maybe an impact on donations, I'd say, if the alumni are kept happy. But mostly it gives me confidence that other off-field things are being taken care of and I won't show up to practice one day to hear that our trip to Penn State this week has been cancelled because we have no money [Note: This actually happened once when I was in the band].
Jeremy:	It seems like there are halftime show sponsorships every week now. At $10,000 a pop, that's helpful. The Irwin family deserves a wing of Revelli Hall.
Geoff:	Absolutely. And if we ever manage to build up the endowment enough, maybe we'll go back to two road trips every year. Anyway, we'll see how things carry into the next semester and the offseason.
Jeremy:	Let's hope the functional extensions of the MMB – the athletic pep bands – get some quality media attention this year, as both programs are poised for headlines (right?).
Geoff:	If we win the College Hockey Showcase, or just beat Minnesota (fingers crossed), let's hope the hockey team gets some pub. And, hey, basketball could go crazy and be competitive with UCLA.
Craig:	The Michigan hockey team is doing right now what we have wanted them to do do for years, win the games they should win.
Geoff:	Thanks to everyone who reads this.
Craig:	Indeed. Again, happy Thanksgiving, and remember folks, just because football season is over doesn't mean we're going anywhere.
Jeremy:	But if we DO go somewhere, let's hope it's Tampa Bay and not San Antonio or Orlando.
Jeremy:	Goodnight!

The Blame Game

Saturday was a debacle, and I think there's a lot of blame to go around. Some of it is ours, some of it goes elsewhere, but we have to find out who's responsible so that we can go about correcting the problems. Here are a few reasons why we think Black Saturday happened.

Geoff:

• New Mix CD Sucks
  Fiona Apple? What was I thinking? IT'S DIVISION 1 FOOTBALL, it demands something stronger than that. And you can tell I gave up entirely on track ordering after "Hounds of Love".

• New Season T-Shirt Possessed By The Devil
  I should've stuck with last year's "DOWN IN FRONT IS NOT A CHEER" shirt from the M Zone. Instead I bought this season's shirt at the M Den before kickoff. Maybe I should make some sort of burnt offering of it to appease the football gods.

• Hailey Lafontaine
  Les Miles said it best: "Never...and I mean never...have I seen such a thoroughly mediocre and pisspoor performance by a child in all aspects of her life as in Hayley Lafontaine." She's dragging our program down just by existing, and this honesty and passion are why Les Miles should coach Michigan football and win eleventy-two champeenships for us.

• The Earth
  Stupid Earth, going around the sun that extra time. We were fine up until November 18 of last year, but then the Earth must've passed through some weird radiation field that renders all attempts by Michigan to play defense entirely useless.

• The Iraq

  I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, uh... people out there in our nation don't have maps, and, uh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and, uh, the Iraq everywhere like, such as and... I believe that they should, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S., err, uh, should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries, so we will be able to build up our future for our
  – Appalachian State student/Miss Teen South Carolina Lauren Caitlin Upton

  To steal from Lewis Black, that's the kind of sentence that when you hear it, your brain comes to a screeching halt. And the left hand side of the brain looks at the right hand side and goes, "It's dark in here, and we may die." Don't! Don't think about that response for more than three minutes, or blood'll shoot out your nose. I think too many members of the football team spent too long trying to make sense of that and then all of a sudden it was the third quarter and they'd just come to.

• Jerry Falwell
  Somehow, in time, I'm going to figure out a way to blame this on Jerry Falwell. Until then I will lean on Sports Night references like a crutch.

Craig:

• The New Ride
  For the first time in my life, I am driving a car that is not yellow or blue. I decided in April to go with a Black Mercury Milan instead of a navy one after nine years of loyal service from the Nautic Blue Volvo S70.

• Hats Off
  Last season, I wore my Tigers home cap to every game. This year, I switched to my Michigan football hat with the side view of the winged helmet, forgetting that was my headgear of choice in 2005.

• Damn You, Jim Harbaugh
  While I have several Michigan jerseys, including a pair of home #7s, old and new road #7s, a Tom Brady 2000 Orange Bowl replica (which it turns out should be a white and is a blue, but still looks good), and sewn, unlabeled #4. I wore the #4 last year, but did not want to wear it this year due to the summer of discontent.

• Alumni Showdowns
  Michigan is 1-3 since I started writing the alumni showdown feature with the win coming against Indiana. So that's done.

• Nike
  I should have worn the adidas shoes to the game to appease our new corporate overlords. Instead, it was the Nikes.

Pre-Pregame: Inside the Tunnel

The marching band receives much attention for its high-profile activities before they enter the tunnel in Michigan Stadium: The rehearsal on Elbel, the stepshow and inspection at Revelli, the march to the stadium, etc., are all popular events. But since the public doesn't get to see what happens between that parking lot performance and the entry onto the field, I dug through my collection of pictures and found some that help tell the tale of pre-pregame excitement.

It contains minor spoilers; if you may, at some point, have an opportunity to experience what's about to be described, don't proceed.

After playing The Victors and Let's Go Blue toward the stadium, the band is called to the mouth of the tunnel. People line up in entry lines -- the same ones that come through the other side -- and run, one line at a time, most of the way down. Running down can be exciting, but there is a pole in the center that's at just the right height to cause serious damage to instruments and tender body parts. The enormous GO BLUE painting greets friend and foe alike.

The first few minutes in the tunnel allow time for stretching or finally getting a drink from the water bottles. People will be all over the place. The tunnel is dimly lit in yellow lights, and the brief glimpses of players standing by its bright exit provide dramatically framed moments of excitement. Occasionally, celebrated alumni will head down the ramp. Here, Braylon Edwards stops by the 2005 Notre Dame game with his famous pink shirt, B E chain, and, uh, MCard. It's been a while and I may have the order of these next things mixed up. Eventually, both teams will return to their locker rooms via the tunnel. When the opponents enter, the band stands tightly lined up, in complete silence, staring straight ahead. This is usually ignored but occasionally players (primarily from the MAC schools) will taunt the band. That's fine -- if you're focusing on the band, you're not focusing on your game. When the Michigan team comes up, the drumline strikes up a beat.

Most of the band sings "Eye of the Tiger," then the drum major lines them up for singing "The Yellow and Blue." The band gets herded to the front in tightly packed lines (the mouth of the tunnel is surprisingly narrow). When it's finally time to go, the assistant director receives a cue over his radio and points up to the press box, where Carl Grapentine is watching intently, poised to make his famous announcement.

The week's preparation and work finally and absolutely pay off.

Only two days until we get to see this again.

Whatever This Is: Hockey Christmas

Craig:  Welcome to WTI, boys and girls...
Geoff:  Tomorrow the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey tournament begins.
Craig:  It's like hockey Christmas!
Geoff:  Michigan doesn't actually begin play until Saturday night, but other Regionals action is on tap. However, we don't really care about that crap on this site.
Craig:  We're acknowledging it, but that's it
Geoff:  There's no way around it, but the Wolverines have an impressively difficult draw in this year's tournament.
Steve:  Yep, in Denver in the same pool as Minnesota and North Dakota
Geoff:  They open up against North Dakota, one of the hottest (if not the hottest) teams in the country.
Craig:  Rated #7 in the country
Geoff:  But they're #9 in the PairWise, so they get a #3 seed.
Craig:  I do want to say that as tough a draw as it is, I have some confidence for Michigan going in, but that said, it all comes down to Billy Sauer.
Geoff:  Sauer's been good, but he did have the one mistake Saturday night that became the game-winner for ND.
Craig:  I think it's interesting that Notre Dame was able to limit Michigan to just one goal, but they did so by playing ugly, ugly hockey. Hockey that makes small children weep and ask plaintively "Why are you trapping?!?"
Geoff:  I hate watching them play that game. It was like Oilers-Wings last year, just brutal, brutal stuff.
Craig:  Yes, and that's the thing, in a tight game, we saw that it was a small mistake that became a huge mistake. Hopefully Sauer and the D all took something from it.
Craig:  But I don't see NoDak having the right personnel to pull off that kind of style. Especially because a lot of that is reliant on David Brown's continued excellence in net.
Geoff:  I don't think North Dakota sees the need to play like that. It's not their game. Whereas ND all year has been about limiting the shots that get to Brown, letting him stop them all, then pouncing on mistakes in the other zone.
Craig:  Which means that Michigan, will, hopefully, be able to play its game. But they will also need to work on limiting NoDak's chances
Craig:  I do think it will be interesting to have no WCHA or CCHA refs in the Regional
Geoff:  Having no CCHA refs may be a good thing. Shegos was frickin' brutal in the final. The second period saw a ridiculous number of trips to the box, especially by one Jack Johnson.
Craig:  Shegos, why? That's all I can ask.
Geoff:  I think Jack Johnson said something about his mom.
Craig:  Wow, I do think that is the only way you can slow down JMFJ
Geoff:  I'd be willing to put that down to just the one night, except that for the past couple of years his penalty calling has been almost as bad.
Craig:  I wonder if that is as much about points of emphasis as anything
Craig:  But, back to Denver, can any team really feel comfortable in this region?
Craig:  North Dakota probably wishes that they had anyone other than Michigan, and I am sure Minnesota, having been asked about Holy Cross dozens of times this week, is making sure they treat Air Force as if they were actually bringing missiles to the game.
Craig:  Plus, I think there might be some pro-USAFA folks in Denver, because really, I believe it's a very hard thing to cheer AGAINST one of our service academies.
Geoff:  Notre Dame finds a way. We all know they hate freedom.
Craig:  True. True. Plus, it's not like the Gophers are much beloved in that part of WCHA country
Craig:  In all of the previews I have looked at, the consensus on Michigan/North Dakota is, well, you pick, we can't.
Craig:  Which makes me hope it will be a good game, but as a Michigan fan, I don't want a good game, I want six goals in the first for Michigan and then putting it in cruise.
Geoff:  They have the ability to beat anyone in the country. It's putting all the pieces together for four straight games that makes it so difficult.
Geoff:  With the way Sauer's been playing and all the weapons we have on offense, it's a stalemate. I'll give a slight edge to North Dakota for having a lot of recent tournament success and having just absolutely pwn3d the WCHA, the toughest league in college hockey, the entire new year.
Craig:  I think I have to agree. As much as I want to believe, for as much as I will be cheering for them, I don't know how any Michigan fan can be objective and go in to this game with a lot of confidence.
Geoff:  Actually, this might come down to our ability to defend UND's top line without ending up in the box. UND's #1 line has 150 points between them. Stopping them goes a long, long way to winning the battle. This sounds like a job for JMFJ.
Craig:  You know, this looks like a job for Chris Summers. Or someone similar. I just get the feeling, in a game like this, it's getting a goal from an unexpected source that can be critical.
Geoff:  These things often do come down to that.
Craig:  I think it speaks volumes that we're sort of stuck on cliches.
Geoff:  I think it means we should pack it in tonight.
Craig:  I agree. Enjoy the games, and Geoff's great work on the previews and reviews.
Geoff:  Briefly: Tubby Smith took the Minnesota job. It's puzzling and insane and it means Michigan is down to the #2 position available at best. It could break open a coaching logjam as guys move a step up. And we won't know much of anything until Bill Martin speaks. That's all we have on that. Goodnight, everyone.