Whatever This Is: The Rule is Dead and the Fab Five

Craig: Gentlemen...
Steve: Behold!
Geoff: And welcome to yet another edition of "Whatever This Is"
Craig: Where tonight we come with reason to celebrate
Geoff: The hated Rule 3-2-5-e has been overcome.
Craig: Ding dong, that rule is gone
Steve: Pardon? Are we talking about the new clock rules from last season?
Geoff: Yes we are.
Craig: And the now late clock rules
Craig: But here's the amazing thing of it all…the rules they will use to keep the game shorter actually make sense to me.
Craig: Kicking off from the 30, The shorter play clock coming back from TV timeouts, Limiting reviews to 2 minutes (Which really should have been there in the first place)…All of these are good ideas
Geoff: All kicking penalties can be enforced from the end of the kick.
Steve: Wow, the NCAA made rule changes that make sense?!?
Craig: Which prevents what Bielema did against PSU, no?
Geoff: Right.
Craig: It's just amazing, they listened to the coaches, they came up with alternatives, and everyone is a winner
Craig: It especially hurt the cause when CBS' broadcasts were not shorter in relationship to the shorter games
Geoff: Very much agreed.
Geoff: Since play begins again when the ball is kicked off, you can only run so much time off the clock before it becomes really to your disadvantage to take another offsides penalty.
Geoff: And the 30-yard-line kickoffs make it that much harder, as well.
Craig: Which means the return game is so much more important
Craig: As is the kicking game
Craig: Special teams become all the more special
Geoff: Hopefully our new kicker has better distance than Rivas.
Craig: Only time, and the name of our new kicker, will tell
Steve: Speaking of our next kicker, are we looking at a true freshman or someone who's been in the system
Geoff: Red-shirt, I believe.
Craig: Concur with GZ
Geoff: We should direct any readers over to EDSBS's run-down of the new new clock rules.
Geoff: It's very good, as you'd expect.

Geoff: Let's move on
Craig: I was just going to say
Craig: Basketball on tap
Steve: What's the word?
Geoff: They lost to Michigan State on the road
Steve: Can't say that I was. I was surprised that they were tied 29-29
Geoff: I've moved on from this season already, spiritually.
Craig: As have I
Geoff: It started with the UCLA loss and ended with the Iowa one.
Craig: The season should be buried in a shallow grave then shot repeatedly
Steve: I think you have those in reverse
Craig: No, Steve, I don't…
Geoff: Stake through the heart, cut off its head, fill the mouth with garlic…
Craig: Throw it in the Neva River…
Geoff: "I don't have a lot of experience with vampires, but I have hunted a werewolf."
Steve: So you actually feel the need to torture it before killing it
Craig: Turnabout is fair play…
Steve: Okay, but we're not making the stake out of a mop handle
Craig: No, we can draw the line there

Craig: But I would like to talk about another ghost of the past.
Geoff: On Saturday the Associated Press ran a story about the ultimate cause of the situation we find ourselves in: The Fab Five.
Craig: It's a fascinating article on several levels
Geoff: It really is.
Craig: Not the least of which is the seeming lack of remorse by all involved
Geoff: It's the thing that most jumped out at me.
Craig: I can understand the all for one, one for all aspect of it
Craig: But to be arguing that Chris Webber is the one being wronged by the system
Craig: And to seemingly mean it
Craig: I mean, he did take something in the neighborhood of 600,000 dollars, correct? (Ed note: My bad, it was roughly $280,000) and then he LIED about it.
Steve: I believe that it was between Webber and 3 other non-fab five players
Geoff: We obviously can't the players interviewed didn't at least show some token contrition that didn't make it into the article, but seriously? Nothing?
Steve: Personally, if I were one four who didn't take money I'd be pissed at Webber for soiling my accomplishment
Craig: OK, but large sums of cash were taken by Webber among others
Geoff: Webber was the only one who took enough to get the 10-year ban (of the Fab Five).
Craig: And ye he's gone all "McGwire" about it, "I not here to talk about the past"
Geoff: Yeah. You could understand the silence, but only until the legal aspects were all satisfied.
Craig: Agreed
Craig: But now, everything has been sorted out, how hard would a "mistakes were made" statement be for him to make?
Geoff: We just want some acknowledgment that he knows that a bad thing was done to the University and that he played a big part in that.
Steve: I honestly think he believes he did nothing wrong
Craig: And that in doing that bad thing to the University, he hurt the University, the program, the alumni, and the fans, and that that wrong, though 15 years old, still haunts the program to this day
Steve: Is there another case out there of a single player causing a program so much harm?
Geoff: He may well believe that. He's said he thinks it's wrong that players don't get paid royalties on jersey sales. But that's not the issue. Ed Martin's money burned the basketball program to the ground.
Geoff: Webber's not the only one, just the most famous. Bullock, Traylor, and (Taylor, I think)
Geoff: They also took money.
Craig: I believe you have the other three
Craig: And the thing is, I think a lot of people could be forgiving if Webber admitted that what he did was wrong, he knows it, and it was a mistake
Craig: But what gets me about those three is that those three demonstrate the lack of institutional control
Craig: Because they were TOLD not to associate with Martin
Craig: They had been warned!
Geoff: Yeah. And that's why Steve Fisher is persona non grata.
Craig: I just wish I could make sense of any or all of this
Geoff: Fisher and his coaching staff viewed Ed Martin as the kind of guy they had to keep around to get the recruits in.
Steve: One of the things that upsets me the most about this thing was the culture of enabling.
Geoff: Despite the fact that he couldn't have been more obviously dirty if he'd had bells and a siren.
Steve: One of the things I take the most pride in about Michigan is how we are one of the cleaner programs, or at least that's my perception, and then a small circle of people bring the whole thing down
Geoff: The football program has been as clean as you can get at a big-time D-1A program. So has hockey.
Craig: But the basketball thing just kills us. No tournament since 1998, and every time that comes up, the ghost of Ed Martin rises up once again.
Geoff: It's the reason Ellerbee was allowed to stick around. It's the reason Amaker still has a job.
Steve: Like we previously discussed, one of the keys to getting the program back on track is to identify a talented young couch
Steve: Start winning some more games, attract better recruits, repeat
Craig: In order to do that, you have to be willing to admit there is a problem
Geoff: And according to recent reports, Mary Sue Coleman doesn't think there is one.
Craig: Exactly, and if the boss of bosses thinks there's no problem, well, then you have to wait it out
Steve: True, but I really can't press her on that one. Her primary responsibility is academics
Craig: I disagree… Her primary responsibility is the public image of the university.
Geoff: Her responsibility is the University at large.
Craig: And the basketball team, right, wrong, or indifferent, is a part of that public image
Geoff: She likes that Amaker looks to be squeaky clean and a good representative of Michigan. She doesn't see that losing makes us look like a joke.
Steve: We may talking about different problems, the problem I'm referring to is the basketball team losing.
Steve: I stand corrected
Craig: It's like a reverse version of the Flutie Effect.
Geoff: How often have you heard our football recruits talk about the Fab Five? It still comes up all the time.
Craig: And thus, if President Coleman does not see that losing in a highly visible sport means discussions of "what's wrong with Michigan" ad nauseum, in dozens of media and fora, then she will not make a move.
Craig: I'm just saying
Steve: As the AP article stated "[a school and a community where] football [is] the first, second and third priorities". If this were the football team instead it would be a whole different story
Geoff: Absolutely.
Craig: Well, yes, because money talks
Geoff: It's harder to ignore 110,000 than 13,000.
Geoff: But the exposure from March Madness is disproportionate to the actual revenue ticket sales generate.
Geoff: And that in turn shows up in merchandise sales. I haven't seen a whole lot of those maize basketball jerseys, have you?
Craig: And the hockey team doesn't get the face time on sports talk radio
Craig: The basketball team does
Geoff: [Note: Ringing the 5-minute bell here]
Craig: And it's always in a negative light vis-à-vis Michigan State
Craig: Which I don't blame State for, since they have done a good job
Geoff: Absolutely. As much as we love college hockey, it's still only a notch above curling on the national radar.
Craig: If basketball is a must, I'd like to have the kind that wins.
Geoff: Detroit talent has been in a bit of a downturn for basketball lately, but there should be enough prospects in this state to support two competitive programs.
Craig: This whole thing comes down to, if there was a simple solution, we'd already be pursuing it
Craig: And frankly, I just don't see it.
Geoff: There's no overnight correction to be made, but it demands a commitment from the athletic department over the long term.
Craig: Agreed
Geoff: It keeps coming back to basketball being seen as the embarrassing screw up kid.
Steve: Take a page out of Stalin's book and come up with a five year plan?
Geoff: Hopefully without so many dead peasants and kulaks.
Craig: and fewer revisions
Steve: Kulaks, but they're the arch enemy of the proletariat!
Craig: Does Godwin's Law also apply to Stalin?
Geoff: Not yet. Because Stalin jokes can still be funny.
Craig: Fair enough
Craig: But on that note, I hear the marching band playing us off for this week
Geoff: And I say that as a descendant of Poles.
Geoff: Sounds that way from here too.
Craig: So until next time, I'm CDB
Geoff: And I'm Geoff Somethingunpronouncable.
Steve: And I'm Harvey the Wonder Hamster
Craig: and that's all for this week's edition of "Whatever this is." Good night.
Geoff: See you next time.

Whatever This Is: LIVE!

Tonight Craig and I will be hosting another edition of Whatever This Is, to commence at 10:00PM EST. We'll be discussing basketball, mostly. One of the topics will be this article from the Associated Press about the continuing shadow the Fab Five cast in Ann Arbor.

To get in on the action, join our AIM chat room. First, add yourself to your own Buddy List. Right click on your screen name, then select Chat --> Buddy Chat. Change the chat room name to "hooverstreet" and click SEND. Then you too will be in on all the hot blogging action.

Hockey Weekend in (or near) Michigan

Michigan had a pair of games this weekend in the CCHA. Having watched both of them, one on Comcast Local and the second live and in person, allow me a brief recap.

Friday Night: @Bowling Green 3, Michigan 2

Friday night's away tilt against the Falcons of Bowling Green was the kind of game that, in retrospect, was a perfect Admiral Ackbar game. It was, in fact, a trap. Michigan was riding a six game winning streak into the game and was playing the worst team in the CCHA this season. Experts will tell you that you have to get up for every road game, and statistically, the home team will hold serve in most cases, but if Michigan wanted any chance of unseating Notre Dame in the top spot, they had to have this one.

Michigan jumped out early, like 74 seconds in, on Chad Kolarik's 15th of the season, another shortie no less, but the scrappy Falcons rallied to make it a 1-1 tie after 20. The pace was solid, but I felt that Michigan was just sort of laying back, waiting for Bowling Green to remember who they were, and the flurry of Michigan goals would commence.

In the second, Michigan made it 2-1 on a goal from Rohlfs, with assists from Hensick and Porter. It was the kind of thing we have come to expect from the top line, and I must make a little mea culpa on this: I still think of TJ Hensick as a that freshman puckhog who would rather shoot than pass, or really do anything but pass, but clearly, when you lead the NCAA in assists, well, the joke is no longer accurate, just funny as an ironic call back. It would be 2-1 after 40, but I still felt like Michigan needed to be doing something more, because they should be destroying this BG team (who apparently have a new logo, of which I was not aware until the Comcast Local graphic used it.)

Michigan looked, in my opinion, a little lethargic in the third as they were just trying to hold the lead, and playing not to lose for 20 minutes rarely works. Sure enough, BG scored to tie it up, and Michigan could never find the gear to get that third goal.

And then they did something utterly silly...Jack Johnson broke his stick with under 90 second left and went to the bench looking for a new stick. Unfortunately, someone, I think it may have been Turnbull, jumped on instead of someone just handing Johnson, you know, your best defenseman a new stick, and Michigan was called for a too many men on the ice penalty. It would not have been a major problem until Bowling Green decided to make Michigan pay, getting a goal with 35 seconds left to steal a 3-2 win.

Really frustrating, especially because Michigan State, who is also still lurking around the top of the CCHA, salvaged a 2-1 overtime win against Ferris up at Munn. This setup...

Hockey Day in Michigan (Saturday Night): Michigan 3, Michigan State 3 (at Joe Louis Arena, Detroit)

The Michigan/Michigan State game at the Joe is an annual tradition and usually has a solid split of Sparties and the Maize and Blue faithful alike. I was joining the proceedings for another go round, but sadly, my ticket purchase would have been great in the sense of the seats in general, but we were also stuck in the middle of the Michigan State section, so we felt more than a little overpowered, especially by the Spartan Brass. (It's worth noting that the Spartan Brass "cheat" since they have an electric bass, so not only are they not all Brass, they also are using electricity.)

There was a good flow to this game early on, and you could feel Michigan was clearly up for the game. They had a lot of great chances early, but sadly, too many of them were right on Jeff Lerg. It looked like it was going to be one of those nights, especially since Michigan State put a pair past Billy Sauer in just 64 seconds time. It looked like State was going to win the day, because they were converting their chances when Michigan wasn't. The second period looked to be more of the same, especially when Abdelkader got his second of the night on the shortie (Michigan, we love short handed goals so much, we'll happily give them up as well!) and you couldn't blame Michigan fans if they were convinced that this would be a lost weekend.

But wait, a ray of hope, less than a minute after the shortie! Chris Summers...(Wait, CHRIS SUMMERS???)...got a feed from Kampfer and, boom, Michigan's right back into it. Based on my impression, that goal really lit a fire under Michigan. They seemed to tighten up on their defensive responsibilities and were playing harder at both ends of the rink. That said, they were still down a pair after 40 minutes. It was also one of those things was when you looked at the shot board, and you realized that Michigan was outshooting the Sparties by 15.

The third period saw Michigan really turning it on in the period split power play, but Lerg continued to really stand up (see, I passed on the obvious short joke here) and stop Michigan, until Chris Summers...(Wait, CHRIS SUMMERS, again???) got his second of the evening just 101 seconds into the third period. The entire mood of the building shifted at that point. The Spartan fans got much more uptight, but so did Michigan fans, because you wondered if the maize and blue could come all the way back. The energy level picked up in the stands, but on the ice, it was definitely noticed that, with about 10 minutes to go, Michigan State looked absolutely gassed (the shots bear this out, Michigan holding a 17-3 lead on that front in the third.)

For all of Michigan's intensity, all was seeming lost, you don't get points for effort. You do get points for putting the puck in the back of the net. All of the sudden, that is exactly what happened. Andrew Cogliano made an exceptional effort (thanks to a pass by Chris Summers...(Wait, CHRIS SUMMERS, again, really???)...and beat Lerg to knot the affair at three.

The overtime was uneventful, but one really got the impression that if it had been five minutes longer, Michigan could have taken it because Michigan State looked ready to go home. They were being forced off the puck with relative ease and were playing a great deal of dump and chase. Michigan looked to still have plenty of legs left, on the other hand. In the end, a 3-3 tie and Michigan salvages a point from this weekend.

I think the Saturday night game was, in many ways, a microcosm of the season for Michigan. A less than organized or interested first half met with a much higher level of intensity and skill in the second half. The question is, how will these last few games play out and how will Michigan go into March? Only time will tell.

Whatever This Is: Whip-Around

Craig: Welcome to "Whatever This Is", a new semi-regular feature of The Hoover Street Rag
Steve: Hoorah!
Geoff: So. Where to begin?
Steve: D-1A coaches as Deadwood characters?
Geoff: Hold on to that one, Steve.
Steve: Aye aye.
Craig: Thank you, I wouldn't have anything to contribute.
Geoff: Want to do a little on our signees, a little on hockey, and a little on basketball?
Craig: Yes, but not too much on signees, because signing day to me is America's evil little holiday.
Steve: So many predictions made off of so little info?
Craig: No, being obsessive about 18 year old kids as potential messiahs.
Steve: Alright, who do you think is our best recruit?
Geoff: Ryan Mallett.
Craig: Vince Helmuth.
Geoff: Mallett's the QB of the future, regarded as #2 in the country by most services, and it's a position we need desperately after Henne's gone.
Craig: Geoff, I don't disagree with you, I just needed to say someone different in order to have more of a discussion.
Geoff: The recruit we most needed was Donovan Warren, because the secondary is...well, a bunch of dudes who aren't Leon Hall.
Craig: Mallett is a huge prospect, literally, he's bigger than Navarre.
Geoff: Ah, the Water Buffalo.
Steve: Never heard that nickname before.
Geoff: It's an MGoBlogism.
Geoff: Two biggest [signing day] non-surprises: RoJo and Finch land elsewhere. Shockers, both [/sarcasm].
Craig: You know, the verbal commitment game is such an odd thing. How many people committed to Florida like, you know, yesterday?
Geoff: Yeah, really. With Finch, it sounds like Meyer just went out to show he can order off the menu any time he likes.
Craig: But Mallet is like what, 8'4", laser/rocket arm?
Geoff: He's Voltron.
Steve: No, Voltron had a flaming sword and no lasers.
Geoff: Is he Optimus Prime?
Craig: My argument for Vince Helmuth is that while fullback is not an ultra-important position, a great fullback can make a major difference
Geoff: Fullbacks are awesome. Obi Oluigbo had a breakout year this season.
Steve: Where would Mike Hart be without him? The guy created some big holes.
Craig: Plus, goalline stands and decoying.
Geoff: He caught a couple passes too.
Craig: But Helmuth is seen as the #1 true fullback in the country, and is a Saline boy, so like, you know, it's almost in the name, he's just down the road!
Geoff: I like the guys who you know are Michigan men.
Craig: Plus, early enrollee, which might mean playing time next year
Steve: My only concern with Helmuth is how tempted the ESPN guys are going to be to make professional poker references when talking about him.
Craig: I also agree with Brian et al that he will become a fan favorite at the Big House. Fullbacks tend to get the cult.
Geoff: Fullback is the archetypical workhorse who doesn't get the highlight reel material, but is instrumental in making the team better. Unless he's Mike Alstott and grabs the 1-yd TD run every time.
Craig: So, I didn't see the consensus, did Michigan get the best in conference class, or was it Illinois?
Geoff: I think Illinois was up there.
Steve: I believe that ESPN gave it to Mr. Zook
Geoff: We're a borderline top-10 class across the board.
Craig: OK, did anyone find it weird that it had no Ohioans, but it did have Californians and Texans?
Geoff: Yeah. That's strange.
Steve: Oh, if I might correct myself. ESPN gave us #10 and Illinois #12
Geoff: We've got at least 4 Californians this year, I think. And the depressing trend of top Michigan products going elsewhere.
Steve: Exactly 4.
Geoff: At least this time around they're turning more towards non-Big Ten schools.
Craig: The California thing I have heard attributed to Mr. English. By the way, may I just make the point that Illinois should not be a big surprise, Zook is known as a recruiter, and as recently as 2001, they were in a BCS bowl
Geoff: Yeah. [NAME REDACTED] always had great classes at Florida, as EDSBS points out.
Steve: 22 of 24 starters on this year's national championship team were his recruits. Although John L. thinks there be goin's on.
Geoff: ESPN also had an article on Zook and it paints him as a recruiting junkie. I think John L. Slappyface just has sour grapes.
Craig: Agreed.
Steve: That seems to be the consensus among the sports media as well.
Craig: John L. is still upset about the losing streak.
Steve: There's also the fact that he's never appeared to be playing with a full deck.
Craig: Motion to move on?
Steve: Seconded.
Geoff: Carried unanimously.
Geoff: Basketball? To get it out of the way?
Craig: Yes, it's like the second story on a Simpsons trilogy, the weak one goes in the middle
Geoff: In a word: Ugh. In a longer word: Ugggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhh.
Craig: Yes, in another word, craptacular!
Geoff: The OSU game was predictable, and it wasn't an embarrassment.
Craig: Well, it is hard to beat Greg Oden, a/k/a Wise LeBron for the commercials.
Geoff: Yeah. Sigh.
Geoff: The ones that kill me are games like Iowa.
Craig: Where we had a big lead and dropped it like it was hot.
Geoff: Letting the Hawks go on a 20-1 run won't win you a lot of ballgames.
Steve: Yep. But with the Ohio State game I'm dissapointed that we lost by 13 when were only down by 4 a couple of minutes into the second half.
Geoff: Bah. That one got away from us late.
Craig: I have to ask, did any Michigan fan truly not see this coming?
Steve: Which part?
Craig: The idea that Michigan would have this kind of meltdown as we moved through February
Geoff: Oh, no. Especially not with the schedule we've been looking at. We knew when we were 11-1 that it was an absurdly soft 11-1.
Craig: What gets me, deeply, is I begin to wonder how much Michigan fans truly are upset by this?
Steve: In my case not very. I've come to expect nothing of Michigan basketball.
Geoff: Ones that grew up on the '89 title and the Fab Five are weeping. Ones that better remember the Ed Martin affair or the time when Michigan was nothing aren't that moved.
Craig: Geoff, that's a good call
Geoff: It's a good call, it's a right call.
Craig: Thank you.
Steve: As someone born in 1984 I can say that '89 and the Fab 5 are in the far reaches of my memory.
Craig: Who is next on the hit parade? For men's hoops. Or Tommy's Tragic Circus.
Geoff: Minnesota at home. It's a trap game.
Craig: Oh, the Ackbar Special
Geoff: The Gophers suck, but the next game up after them is MSU in East Lansing.
Steve: Followed by a home game against Indiana.
Craig: Awesome, the greatest of all Futurama episodes is on
Geoff: Deep South?
Steve: Heck yeah
Craig: Yessir
Craig: Hail Atlanta!
Steve: "Oww, my small intestine!"
Geoff: Arrgh, the laws of science be a harsh mistress!
Craig: Anyway, sorry
Steve: Topic?
Geoff: Tournament hopes.
Steve: Slim to none?
Geoff: [Laughs until the laughing turns to weeping]
Craig: Is there something that is lower than the NIT?

*crickets*

Geoff: Yeah. That's what I thought.
Craig: If we end up there again, can we bring signs to the NIT games calling Tommy a NITWIT?
Geoff: I would not oppose such a measure.
Craig: This is what bothers me. I want to like Tommy, I really do. But at some point, being a nice guy is not enough, no?
Steve: With a school of this size, you're expected to win occasionally.
Geoff: Tommy, from all accounts, is a good guy. He did well to bring the program back from the days when Ellerbee still had the scandal hanging over us
Steve: Agreed
Geoff: But at some point you have to start winning for real.
Craig: I know the popular call is for Rudy T, but I am going to start calling for Cazzie. I mean, I hear he's doing good things down at SCAD.
Geoff: Rudy T wouldn't take it, I don't think. Health problems.
Craig: That was my thinking
Geoff: I'm not sold on the need for a personal connection to the Michigan program. I don't care if it's a guy looking for his step up the ladder.
Craig: I'm also down with that as well
Geoff: We want a kickstart back into the ranks of nationally-prominent programs. If some guy hangs around for a couple years, gets us to win a tournament game, and then bolts for some perpetual power, that's good enough. Because after that you can get a guy more willing to stay.
Steve: And that brings in better recruits. Along with the better record.
Craig: True, because then you have the Michigan name and the recent history
Geoff: OK. Next: Hockey
Craig: Woot
Geoff: We ended up with a nice January there.
Craig: Yes we did, and I'd like to make an observation about last Saturday's game, which I watched in its entirity. Before watching Bubba Ho-Tep.
Geoff: Please do.
Craig: It was the first time this season where I felt I saw Michigan not only trying to do the little things, but succeeding. First to the puck, winning board battles, blocking shots, making the extra pass. And while it was only a 3-1 win against a middling CCHA team at Yost, it looked like they were playing with some heart and vigor.
Geoff: That's the sort of thing you really want to see. When we had ND at home, it was just the opposite.
Craig: And for the first time all year, I felt a little confidence about the team's prospects in the tournament, should we get there
Geoff: I should go buy my regionals tickets to Van Andel and go regardless of which teams they put there.
Craig: Again, good call, right call
Geoff: Anyone else in for it?
Craig: Which weekend?
Craig: Is it March 24?
Steve: I'm game.
Geoff: March 23 and 24.
Craig: I'll let you know
Geoff: Cool.
Craig: What I also like is that I think that the defense is playing better in front of Sauer.
Geoff: OK. So the next game on the docket is MSU at the Joe. It's a big game.
Craig: It is. And I will be there for it.
Steve: Excellent
Craig: I think it's a big game on a number of levels
Geoff: We will demand appropriate reportage.
Craig: I shall.
Steve: Craig, how did Sauer look to you?
Craig: Oh, I don't know. He had three exceptional saves where he finally looked like a goalie who was following the puck like a dog follows a laser pointer.
Geoff: We won 3-1. That's good enough for me when it comes to Sauer.
Craig: I think he's like a Beatles song...he's getting better all the time. But i will be interested to see him on Hockey Day in Michigan.
Geoff: You were saying before that you think this MSU tilt is a big game on a number of levels, Craig?
Craig: Yes, as much as winning the last six games has been big (and I fully expect that to be seven by Saturday), they have been against the teams which currently sit 9, 11, 8, and (12) in the CCHA standings. MSU is a rivalry game on neutral ice against a team only four points back with a game in hand, so if Michigan wants to hold on to second place in the league, they need this one. At least a tie.
Geoff: You mean "neutral" ice. And, yeah. It's a biggie.
Craig: I don't know, as much as I liked thinking of JLA as Yost East, it really hasn't been in recent years.
Geoff: Oh, I meant the opposite.
Craig: Oh, OK, that makes sense. And the Sparties are very boisterous, and they bring the bass guitar, which is totally cheating
Steve: There's no electricity in pep band!
Geoff: The last few times I've been there it's been wall-to-wall green and white, except for the CCHA championship where we beat OSU. Ok, not really. But there have been a lot of them.
Craig: Well, I'll have the maize jersey on. By the way, MSU's game in hand will even out on Tuesday when they play Ferris to finish out the home and home starting on Friday.
Craig: I don't see Michigan catching the Domers, but holding on to #2 and potentially drawing Miami at the Joe would be big. So they really need this one
Geoff: You know it. And with that, I think our Hour of Power draws near closing.
Craig: Indeed, the old hand on the wall is pointing to 11, and that means, that's all for this week's edition of "Whatever This Is"
Geoff: See you next time, folks.
Steve: I enjoyed it
Craig: Please feel free to comment on this, contribute, or suggest topics to discuss next time
Geoff: Thanks guys.

Whatever This Is: Scheduling

On Tuesday, Craig and I talked about the athletic department's plans for new and renovated facilities down on South Campus. Last night, the topic was scheduling. Steve, who happens to be my brother, also weighed in. Full disclosure: This isn't a verbatim transcript. Grammar and spelling errors have been corrected if I caught them, in a lot of cases I've stitched consecutive messages into one, and I've flipped the order on very few. All of this has been in the service of better readability; nothing of an editorial slant has been applied.

This seems destined to be a regular feature (Converting an AIM chat to a post is way easier than just writing one yourself!). We'll tentatively schedule the next round for Thursday, February 8, at 10:00PM EST in the hooverstreet AIM chat room.

---

Geoff:  OK, so here we are again. Maybe we don't need to go 3700+ words this time.

Craig:  Well, I mean, the "building boom" did require a lot

Craig:  Plus, Futurama's on in 30 minutes

Geoff:  Both good points.

Geoff:  So: Scheduling.

Craig:  Or as I have called it "Eight Games a Week"

Geoff:  Yeah.

Craig:  But before that Geoff, may we unbury the lede? If this is going to be a continuing feature, we'd happily take Michigan-related topic suggestions and a name for this. Please leave them in the comments.

Craig:  That said...Roll.

Geoff:  OK. Bill Martin says that we need 8 home games to pay the bills.

Craig:  Yes, he said this, and this scares me.

Geoff:  It's absurd to play 2/3's of your schedule on your home field. And if you insist on it, you end up playing NOT ONE non-conference game on the road.

Craig:  Yeah, I mean, look, I love going to Michigan football games, but that is a lot to ask of the stakeholders

Geoff:  They'll wring that extra cash out somehow, no matter what.

Craig:  There has to be some team whom would love to have Michigan in. And why not perhaps a neutral site game?

Geoff:  Oh, absolutely. Some team with a big stadium so that we don't lose too badly on the gate receipts.

Craig:  Those were way more prevelant in the past. You find an NFL stadium that labor day weekend and fill it up.

Geoff:  Right. Why not play at Soldier Field against a cross-country team?

Craig:  Like the Georgia Dome for UGA as I have suggested. Michigan always brags on the amount of alumni that they have around the country, I am sure the Southeast, West, South, would love to see the Wolverines live. Heck, even North Texas in Irving.

Geoff:  You just can't pull a quality opponent unless you're willing to go home-and-home or to a true neutral site.

Craig:  And I think Michigan is being way too stubborn on this one.

Steve:  Given how poorly they've done on the road early in the season I can certainly see why

Craig:  But how much of that early season fatigue is because they won't get out there and play someone middling on the road?

Steve:  I assume we're just going to assume that Notre Dame is cursed then?

Craig:  No longer. I think the echoes of that were silenced this year, at least for a while.

Geoff:  One thing's certain: We aren't going to the Pacific time zone.

Craig:  And yet, we probably should

Geoff:  For recruiting?

Steve:  For preserving Willingham's job with the Huskies?

Craig:  No, to get used to playing out there in case we need to make an end of season trip to the Arroyo Seco

Geoff:  Let's turn the conversation to this coming season, for the moment.

Craig:  Yes, let's. And by the way, that Washington game in Seattle was a fiasco that we tend to forget because of what happened next

Geoff:  The extra game is almost certainly going to be at home, given everything circulating.

Craig:  Yes...

Geoff:  And Vanderbilt has already declined the option to come north again.

Craig:  Yes they have

Geoff:  Word on the ebays is that Bowling Green is the likely opponent. Or at least a Bowling Green-caliber team.

Craig:  Bowling Green...

Geoff:  Yeah. I think this actually sounds worse than it is.

Craig:  Ok, wait, so that's a guaranteed MAC-rifice, the Echoes, and Crimes Against the Eyeball. And then MAC-rifice II

Steve:  Just how badly are we trying to end our streak of sell-outs?

Craig:  OK, if you're going to do that, why not move the Eastern game to Ford Field and let them call it an EMU home game?

Geoff:  Because that's what Northwestern is doing already?

Craig:  Oh.

Steve:  And I don't think the Athletic department would really go for that much loss of capacity.

Craig:  I did not realize that Northwestern is coming to Ford Field. If only I had some chance to see Northwestern play in southeastern Michigan...

Geoff:  For one year, I'm not that pissed about an 8-game schedule. For one thing, we get to reclaim the season attendance record (PSU and OSU both had 8-game homestands before).

Craig:  Oh, good point. But if it becomes a pattern...

Geoff:  I would like an NCAA mandate of a maximum of 7 home games.

Craig:  Neutral site games not counting toward that total?

Geoff:  Correct.

Craig:  I'd really like to see that. And you know what, that would be win win, because then athletic departments could howl at the NCAA and blame them, but also smile that they don't have to worry about the eighth game.

Craig:  By the way, this expansion of the schedule was poorly thought out in terms of scheduling. There's a reason these things lock in years in advance

Geoff:  Seriously.

Craig:  But, again, money is the driving factor here

Steve:  As for the theoretical neutral site games, at least for the first couple of years ESPN would salivate over the marketing opportunity.

Craig:  You know, it's funny you bring that up, you would think ESPN would be working to try and play matchmaker here. They do it, behind the scenes, for men's hoops. Especially now with those Saturday night games. You get some big "name" schools together early in the year and see what happens.

Geoff:  Playing a big-time game at Ford Field would also obviate the need for lighting at Michigan Stadium without giving up much of the home field advantage.

Craig:  And, I am sorry, the missed opportunity here is that there are TONS of Michigan football fans in SE Michigan who can never get into the Big House and who would love a shot at those tickets to see Michigan live. And that isn't even counting season ticket holders who would ALSO buy those tickets. You wouldn't need much of a marketing effort at all to sell out Ford Field

Geoff:  Plus you could sell the tickets at NFL prices, too. And alcohol.

Craig:  Ooh, the cause of and solution to all of life's problems

Geoff:  And the most tremendous markup in all the land.

Steve:  Is the alcohol ban an NCAA rule or a Michigan Staduim rule?

Craig:  Michigan Stadium rule as I understand it

Geoff:  It's definitely a University-wide policy.

Steve:  The more this gets discussed the better the neutral site games sound. Especially for the universities if the game is held in a venue where the increased ticket prices surpass the the loss of capacity. Law of supply and demand after all.

Craig:  Ooh, even better point. No student tickets, which means that you can get full value on every seat.

Geoff:  Soldier Field, I think, would be a nice place to go. It's got big capacity, it's a 4-hour drive from Ann Arbor, and there are a ton of Michigan fans in Chicago.

Steve:  Lets not forget the larger number of luxury boxes you get with professional sports arenas .

Craig:  All good points Geoff, but doesn't Michigan have a game in Chicagoland this season anyway?

Geoff:  That's true. Maybe not this year, but when the 'Cats are off the schedule or are a home game. It would probably have to be an inter-sectional matchup to be worth putting it there.

Craig:  That one I'll get behind... Boise State?

Geoff:  Sure would be an interesting game. Let's use that to segue into talking about opponents.

Craig:  Just don't fall off the segue.

Steve:  And make sure it's charged.

Geoff:  I have my initials embroidered on the front of my Segway's bag.

Geoff:  I've stated before that I think every BCS program in the country should schedule at least two other BCS teams as part of their non-conference schedule.

Craig:  And I agree with this wholeheartedly

Geoff:  Even if we end up with two MACrifices this year, we'll still play Oregon and ND

Craig:  I think it's good for the game and good for seeing who is what with what. Which is good

Geoff:  It's a respectable slate. And no I-AA nonsense.

Craig:  I think that if you play a I-AA team, you need seven wins to be bowl eligible

Geoff:  Yeah. I-AA wins and losses shouldn't count.

Craig:  But Geoff, are all BCS teams created equal?

Geoff:  No, they aren't. There's a difference between Baylor and Texas, of course. We should play one elite team and one middling one.

Craig:  or between Florida State and Duke

Steve:  And Boise State and USC

Geoff:  Boise State is a tricky case.

Craig:  Yes it is. Is it Gonzaga? Or is it a one hit wonder? Though I do wonder if this is one of those on-the-map games, where they can bring in lots of second tier chip-on-the-shoulder guys who want to be "a part of something".

Geoff:  With a program that fresh on the scene, you can't tell if they're going to be Boise State 2006 or Boise State "We Invented the Humanitarian Bowl Just So We Didn't Get Left Out".

Steve:  That is the problem with a team that doesn't play anyone

Craig:  To their credit, they do have that Georgia game in between the hedges. They have tried

Geoff:  They proved it in the Fiesta Bowl this year. Oklahoma wasn't a crap team. They were real. ANYWAY.

Craig:  Sorry, yes. Damn you hook and ladder!

Geoff:  We should play an elite team, a middling team, and maybe a BCS doormat for good measure.

Craig:  Where do we put Notre Dame on that?

Geoff:  You'd have to put them still up there with the elite.

Craig:  It is a name game, even when it's not worthwhile.

Steve:  That is why I would classify them as middling

Craig:  But does that prevent Michigan from scheduling say, a Georgia, because they're thinking, dude, Irish already there?

Geoff:  Re: ND. You can put them on the schedule and expect them to be good. When they turn out to be crap, that's unexpected.

Steve:  Sorry, had it the wrong way 'round.

Geoff:  Long-term scheduling is tough, and so much of it has to do with being able to count on how good a team will be.

Steve:  Just throwing this out there, what is your opinion on dumping a traditional rivalry for a year in hopes of creating a new one?

Craig:  I know WDFN's Mike Stone has thrown it out there for years that Michigan should not play Notre Dame every year unless they join the Big Ten. Which would allow Michigan to do what you're suggesting there, Herr Oberst.

Geoff:  You shouldn't dump a rivalry to create a new one. But [suspending it for] a one-off or a home-and-home against a big name school, well that's one to think on.

Craig:  Texas A&M. I will keep pushing for that.

Geoff:  See, that's one I've been on the edge of saying. Kyle Field is a big stadium, so the payday's going to be good.

Craig:  Steeped in Tradition. Usually solid, but rarely a power

Geoff:  They've been an average Big XII team, so you don't run yourself through just by putting them on the schedule.

Craig:  Does Bill Martin have a suggestion box?

Steve:  This is another argument to add to the neutral site idea, it's a great way to get big name schools together who wouldn't normally play each other

Geoff:  You also get yourself down to the fertile recruiting ground of Texas.

Steve:  Where I hear the stars glow big and bright

Geoff:  *clap* *clap* *clap* DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS!

Craig:  Sorry, I had to go to the basement of the Alamo.

Steve:  For a program like Michigan, does playing far afield really help recruiting that much?

Craig:  I really think it does. Because it shows that you might come back there. You play a national schedule

Geoff:  And thus get national attention. USC's scheduling has been pretty awe-inspiring at times. They schedule who they want, wherever their opponents choose to play, and go down and knock them out.

Craig:  IT'S IN!!!Well we've sat on it long enough. GoBlueWolverine received word this morning from Long Beach (CA) Poly standout Donovan Warren that he had officially committed to Michigan. [Thanks to TAB over on the comments at MGoBlog]

Geoff:  Huzzah!

Craig:  The Arkansas thing this year was amazing.

Steve:  That is a very good way to impress people.

Craig:  That is confirmed on Scout, by the way.

Steve:  Craig, you're closest to Mexico. Go out and get us some Tijuana firecrackers

Geoff:  The reason why this Donovan Warren announcement (WHICH IS T3H AW3SUM) is so surprising is that USC practically gets right of refusal on so much of the top talent around.

Craig:  And that's backyard talent

Craig:  We should note, by the way, that this is not recruiting talk. Once committed, we may discuss openly. Though we still feel a little dirty about it

Geoff:  So noted (And not the good kind of dirty).

Steve:  "Signing Day" is tomorrow, is it not?

Geoff:  Next week, I think. Next Wednesday? But it's a public commitment he's very unlikely to back out of.

Craig:  It would have a very WWE feel to it. WAIT, THAT'S PETE CAROLL'S MUSIC

Geoff:  Not him, not The Humanitarian!

Steve:  You think you know a guy.

Craig:  Anyway, back to the schedule. I am sorry for that.

Geoff:  OK. So, I'd say that playing a national schedule and establishing yourself as more than just the king of your backyard can help you land the five-star talent. And, more than that, you may get the next level of guy.

Craig:  And in this day and age, when recruiting is well, what Orson et al said, you need to draw the attention.

Steve:  Yes, beating top schools in a bowl game is one thing, beating them at in their own stadium...well, that's hard to top

Geoff:  We've had luck with pulling big-time QBs out of other states (Brady, Henne, Mallett) and some elite WR talent, but maybe we can get your four-star linebacker too.

Craig:  Or DB?

Geoff:  Exactly.

Steve:  I was about to say, especially this year.

Steve:  The Ducks are going to be a home game for us, correct?

Geoff:  So how would this theoretical non-conference slate sit with you guys: Lead off with Western Michigan at home, go on the road to South Bend, home for Miami (Ohio), and then A&M in College Station

Steve:  I think that would do wonders for our strength of schedule

Craig:  I like it. I like it a lot

Craig:  Is this your 2008 sked?

Geoff:  No, just spitballing. Though I wouldn't mind it. The only issue is that it puts your two toughest games on the road. One solution would be to play the Miami game at a neutral site.

Steve:  And we'd be playing Ohio State on the road as well in 2008

Geoff:  Yeah. That would be rough.

Craig:  TAMU is locked in. They've already got Arkansas State, Miami, USAFA, and Army.

Steve:  I'd try to have A&M as the neutral site

Craig:  No, Kyle Field, you want to play there. It's 80K. That's a good gate.

Steve:  Point taken

Geoff:  The idea should be to schedule one good BCS program at home and one on the road.

Craig:  Agreed. Agreed.

Geoff:  Now, if we make one of our remaining two games a lousy BCS school, they should still have an adequate-sized stadium on campus or go to an NFL joint for a "neutral site".

Craig:  Also agreed.

Geoff:  So, to the bottom line:

Craig:  Only fittingly.

Geoff:  Eight games is too many to play at home.

Steve:  Yes.

Craig:  Agreed

Geoff:  It asks a lot of your ticket-buyers and it's ridiculous from a competition standpoint, because you know that last game is just going to be from some crap school who'll take the lie-down.

Craig:  Agreed.

Geoff:  Michigan should do its utmost to schedule two good BCS opponents for its non-conference schedule. It'll play one more game against a MAC team, leaving that 12th game to be decided.

Craig:  Agreed.

Geoff:  And that's fine. They can do what they will with that, but try to get a decent gate on it without hanging that price tag on your ticket-holders without their say-so.

Craig:  There really should be some input from the stakeholders on this. It's a big deal

Geoff:  Seriously. If you've got a block of four tickets, you're talking a good $240 or so, right?

Craig:  Absolutely

Geoff:  Anyway.

Geoff:  It's been good talking to you guys, but I'm going to have to fight my way through the lake-effect tomorrow, so it's time to pack it in.

Craig:  It's Winterfest tomorrow, so I need to be ready for '09 Chaos

Geoff:  And general disarray.

Craig:  So let's call it a night

Craig:  Until another installment of "Whatever this is"

Steve:  Take it easy, and my Wisonsin ticket was priced at $59 so I concur on the $240

Craig:  Fire Team Alpha already in position, Geoff.

Geoff:  Lock and load.

Steve:  So that's what that red dot on my chest is.

Short Ends

HSR tipster Dave sends another item our way.

The Smoking Gun has pictures from a Clemson "MLK party." Why is this a HSR tip? Look at the lower left of the picture.

So yeah. A proud moment indeed. At least it wasn't an actual Michigan student.

Hockey:  Took care of business this weekend, rather nicely. Billy Sauer let up on his shockingly good January long enough to let four by on Friday, but only after we were up 7-1. A better Saturday, and he walks away with the 6-2 win and a much-needed sweep. The Blog That Yost Built has a much better, much more complete look at this.

Basketball:  Yeeeeeesh. They have, indeed, no alibi. Ugly. Maize 'n' Brew live-blogged both halves of the Indiana game, while MGoBlog drew Wisconsin.

Building Boom on South Campus

Geoff:  Michigan is poised to embark on the biggest building expansion of the athletic campus since the days of Fielding Yost. The new academic center is done, the baseball stadium is in progress, and $300 million in other construction is on the horizon.

Craig:  And no new parking!

Geoff:  Seriously.

Geoff:  There's no question that a lot of it is overdue (the softball field is not commensurate with the team that plays there), but it's a huge financial undertaking.

Craig:  Yes, and sadly, being Michigan, we seem to be following that old adage about making no small plans

Geoff:  Let's start with the projects that have already been approved/built.

Geoff:  The academic center cost $12M, entirely private money.

Craig:  I always approved of this highly; I think it shows Michigan's commitment to academics with athletics. I remember packs of varsity athletes wandering around the school of ed back in my day looking for their study tables, and it was just confusing, so for them to have one place, right there on the athletic campus, that's a good call

Geoff:  I like seeing that we're paying more than lip service to the idea that the athletes are also students.

Geoff:  My mom always gets mad that regular students don't get any facility like that

Craig:  And I would agree with that, except that regular students do not have to do their mandatory two hours of study table a night at a specific time and place

Craig:  At least, as I understand

Geoff:  Exactly

Geoff:  I wasn't holding down a more-than-fulltime job for the entire year.

Craig:  So yeah, it's nice, and it does fit in nicely right there by Yost, as does the new front of Yost

Geoff:  They did a nice job of blending it in.

Geoff:  So the next project we're getting into is the baseball stadium renovation.

Geoff:  We got the lights put in last year, and now they've moved on to reconstructing the stands.

Geoff:  The price tag, when it's all done, will be a relatively modest $9M

Craig:  Though I love baseball, I had never been to a Michigan baseball game until last year, but I enjoyed it a great deal (especially for just three dollars, but we'll get to that later.)

Craig:  I think a better Fisher Stadium is in order and I hope it will help Michigan, though I suspect that only thing that will truly help Northern baseball teams is global warming

Geoff:  True enough

Craig:  That said, you don't need a killer app for college baseball.

Geoff:  Nine million isn't chicken feed, but if this renovation lasts as long as the last one did, it's money well spent.

Craig:  Agreed

Geoff:  The one I'm more excited about, actually, is the Alumni Field improvements for the softball team.

Geoff:  The spring before last, I went to the Big Ten tournament we were hosting

Geoff:  They had temporary bleachers set up throughout the outfield, and this should cut down on the need for those.

Craig:  Agreed, the softball team has earned it, although I must ask, does Title IX necessitate this for balance to the Fisher improvements?

Craig:  Not that I mind, I am just wondering if it's required in the timing

Geoff:  I don't think so. There's a debate over the exact application of Title IX, but the current thinking is mostly that the number of teams should be equal.

Geoff:  Football blows up any sort of monetary comparison, for one thing.

Craig:  This is true

Craig:  Anyway, the softball team needs a better field and I am happy to see them getting it

Geoff:  Absolutely. I had a lot of fun at that tournament. I sat in with the alumni band, and it was just a great atmosphere all around.

Geoff:  Their run to the NCAA title was great to follow on ESPN.

Craig:  Even last year was great, until Barry Bonds and ESPN conspired to ruin the SuperRegional, the dastards

Craig:  I know we should be over it, but I am still peeved

Geoff:  Oh, I'd almost put that out of my mind.

Craig:  That was the bottom of the seventh after all

Geoff:  But, yeah. Peeved.

Craig:  But we digress

Geoff:  Indeed. But as long as we're in this rhetorical cul-de-sac, I'll point out that Jennie Ritter is an IOE.

Geoff:  OK. On to the behemoth: Michigan Stadium.

Craig:  The Big House

Geoff:  $226M

Craig:  I will admit, I have waffled on this more lately than a Southern quick service breakfast fan

Geoff:  It's an enormous investment. It could cripple the athletic department for years, it'll result in a big markup in ticket prices, and it could look like dogshit.

Craig:  And here's my question...is it really needed?

Geoff:  It depends on if we want to stay in the arms race.

Craig:  I mean, I understand the press box, I have the program cover from 1957 touting Michigan's new football media center, but the rest of it is just arms racing

Geoff:  It's not so much the facilities arms race to keep up with the Buckeyes, it's the revenue stream behind the luxury boxes.

Geoff:  You lock in your corporate crowd and your big donors there.

Craig:  And the saddest part is, honestly, I really love the egalitarian nature of Michigan Stadium

Geoff:  Me too.

Craig:  No ads, and if one person gets soaked, we all do

Craig:  Literally, not figuratively

Geoff:  If you've got the big bucks, you get press box 50. But you get the same 18" everyone else does.

Geoff:  The shelf life on that is limited, though. It's been a matter of "when" for the last 5 years, at least.

Craig:  I know. I think the rumored Kyle Field 115K expansion always made me think that this was on the horizon

Geoff:  Are there even 115K in College Station?

Geoff:  I mean, Ann Arbor isn't a megalopolis unto itself, but at least Detroit's metro area is within shouting distance of 5M.

Craig:  I honestly always felt that smelled of "Screw it, we do everything bigger in Texas." I mean, look at Royal Memorial's new Tyrannovision

Geoff:  Oh, yeah. Another thing I'm glad we haven't entirely caved to.

Craig:  Football stadium size is always argued that it's easy to get massive numbers in for seven Saturdays a year

Craig:  But that always makes me worry as to why we're doing it

Craig:  It's seven Saturdays a year

Geoff:  The thing you get with college football (since we don't have pro football in Detroit) is you go down to the game, you tailgate with the same people for years on end, and you get a sense of a shared endeavor that I've never felt with any other sport.

Craig:  Absolutely. I know that my love of football Saturdays has been greatly enhanced by adding that part of the experience to my quiver in the last couple of years

Geoff:  So. The design itself.

Geoff:  On the whole, I kind of like it.

Craig:  Agreed

Craig:  I like that it feels like Yost

Geoff:  The whole athletic campus is getting the same sort of brick theme with a bit of more modern glass, it seems.

Geoff:  It's the unity of design that Central Campus has never had.

Craig:  Yes, there is a, well, I want to call it 21st Century, but it's really the sleek veneer of the 1950s with the glass, but hey, it's Michigan. In our architectural tastes, that's progress.

Geoff:  I'm not entirely sold on the glassed-in stairwells, but the overall design is better than I'd hoped for. I'm still worried that it'll look like they built a couple of towers outside the stadium, but it shouldn't end up looking like a spaceship landed.

Craig:  It is not Soldier Field, but you're right, it does basically look, on some level, like we threw up a couple of dormers

Geoff:  One thing that we're probably going to lose is that wow effect of going through the tunnels for the first time and realizing just how massive the stadium really is.

Craig:  You're right, but I do think that the majesty will come through as you walk up

Geoff:  The annoying thing to me is that they aren't bothering to add too many rows at the top before planting the towers. If they want extra seating, it's going to have to come in the end zones.

Craig:  Yes, although I will say that the end zone seats provide a tremendous difference in the way you view the game if you're up high enough. But, yeah, your overall point remains

Geoff:  The best thing that should come about from the renovation will be the noise impact.

Craig:  I really hope that the proposed physics on that is correct, that it will make Michigan Stadium loud and raucous, because Michigan fans are passionate about the game and loud at the right times...I apologize Geoff, because I know you know have heard me rant on this, but it always bothers me that Michigan fans are seen as dispassionate because they are not loud, whereas I think it's focused intensity

Geoff:  There's a fair point to be made there. I know, from watching games with my dad, that he could drop dead of an aneurysm he's so intense, but he never makes a sound.

Geoff:  I think that if we reach a critical mass we can turn the Big House into a more exciting place to play.

Craig:  I also think that people have to believe that it will work

Geoff:  Right. When you're in Row 85, it's hard to believe your voice will really be heard.

Craig:  But if you hear a loud crowd, you get into it

Geoff:  I think this will help. Even at the Rose Bowl, with its one big press box to reflect noise, it felt like the Michigan fans that were there were almost as loud as the whole stadium back home.

Craig:  Heck, when we were at Indiana, where there may have only been 30K of us, I thought we were louder than the whole of the Big House

Geoff:  Right. A small, passionate group in a stadium with louder acoustics.

Craig:  Here's the thing

Craig:  I genuinely hope Bill Martin knows how important this idea is to Michigan fans

Craig:  Because we have Hill Auditorium, which we like to claim is the most acoustically perfect place on earth

Craig:  So if we can get that right, people can study this to figure it out, right?

Craig:  I mean, we can make stealth technology, we can make it go the other way

Craig:  Not on planes, that would be bad

Geoff:  Right. The acoustics aren't that hard to roughly figure, IIRC. You'll know if a place will be loud or dead. Maybe not how loud, but you'll have an idea.

Craig:  All right. I think I'm nervous about the plan, but I am somewhat relieved because this does not FEEL like Halo 2 in terms of the input level alone

Geoff:  It's going to happen in some form. The possible money to be made is just too huge.

Geoff:  OK. So we've burned through a cool $252.5M so far.

Craig:  Call Everett Dirksen

Geoff:  Whoa. An Everett Dirksen joke. You don't see those every day.

Geoff:  That'll get a Wikipedia link.

Craig:  Make sure you get the quote I'm going for here

Geoff:  What is it? "A billion here, a billion there. Pretty soon you're talking about some real money"?

Craig:  Yep

Craig:  That's it

Geoff:  Shot in the dark on that one.

Geoff:  Anyway.

Geoff:  The last stop is the least defined: Crisler.

Craig:  Ahh yes, delicious ambiguity as one of our illustrious alums once said

Geoff:  When it was first announced, there was a $15-$20 million price tag to rip out some seats, put in luxury boxes, and get wrestling and gymnastics their own gym to play in.

Craig:  Ok, so far, so good

Geoff:  Now the Detroit News is saying that the cost could balloon to $75 million.

Geoff:  That's a significant revision there, and you still don't get a new arena.

Craig:  And at that point, why not just start over?

Geoff:  Exactly.

Craig:  I'm sorry, but Crisler is a morgue

Craig:  I've said this for years

Craig:  And if Michigan is serious about being an all-sports power, they need a better arena

Geoff:  The Breslin Center cost $43M in 1986. USC's Galen Center was $143M. A new basketball arena will not come cheap.

Geoff:  The brand-new Galen Center, I should say.

Craig:  I'll throw another one at you

Craig:  $129.8 million for the John Paul Jones Arena at Virginia, and it took three years to build. That's a whole lotta love.

Geoff:  It took some serious privateering for that sort of loot.

Craig:  Comcast at Maryland was $125 million.

Geoff:  Value City was $116M.

Craig:  And that's dual purpose

Craig:  Which raises a specter I don't want to raise

Geoff:  Yeah. The one that's always lurking at the edge of the Crisler discussion.

Geoff:  Yost.

Craig:  I love Yost, mostly because of its flaws

Geoff:  I love the benches, I love the ceiling.

Craig:  THOUGH, if I may make a point, the Athletic Department needs to understand that $25 a seat for a regular season game is way too much

Craig:  I skipped a game this weekend when I was offered tickets because it just seemed wrong for Ferris

Geoff:  That number doesn't go down anytime...ever.

Craig:  Nothing against our Bulldog Friends

Geoff:  Of course.

Craig:  A college hockey game, at best, should top out at $15

Geoff:  Let's see what the Kohl Center is charging...

Craig:  By the way, the Kohl was built in 1998 for 76.4 mil, and it's a dual

Craig:  22 and 18 for this weekend at the Kohl for UAA

Geoff:  Yeah.

Craig:  North Dakota is $25

Geoff:  And noted fan of 1940's Germany [or at least their collectibles] Ralph Engelstad paid for that place.

Craig:  $27 for Minnesota

Craig:  OK, so it's not out of line

Craig:  It's just annoying

Geoff:  Yeah. It's just the way things go when you're a big school hockey team, I think, especially at a shiny new arena.

Geoff:  At Michigan, it's because there isn't a 12000-seat rink.

Craig:  I remember back in 1998, I thought student ticket prices were out of line compared to the rest of the CCHA, and the good people of the athletic department pointed out that they compare to MInnesota, Michigan State, and Wisconsin, not BGSU, Miami, and Northern

Geoff:  Wow. That $27 at Minny is for standing room. If you want a seat, it'll be $30.

Craig:  Wow, and Michigan State is $22

Craig:  OK, so it's not out of line, it’s just – to reiterate – really annoying

Geoff:  Yeah.

Geoff:  To steer this back to Crisler for a second: The basketball team needs better facilities. At the very least, a hardwood floor of their own that they don't have to share with wrestling, men's gymnastics, women's gymnastics, and the women's basketball team.

Craig:  Absolutely

Geoff:  If that costs us $20M, well that's the cost of doing business.

Geoff:  We're already losing recruits because of our inadequate facilities.

Geoff:  At some point, however, it's not worth it to give Crisler a facelift.

Craig:  There's no way to put lipstick on that pig

Craig:  But if you give the pig some lipo...

Geoff:  And I don't think that line is anywhere north of $30M.

Craig:  How much will it cost to light things a little better?

Geoff:  Fair enough question on that one.

Geoff:  I think we need to think of it in terms of the separate costs for each facility built. Wrestling and gymnastics need their own spaces.

Craig:  Though you can give one of the two Cliff Keen

Craig:  And let the other get the new place

Geoff:  Right.

Geoff:  I don't know how much meet space each one needs, though.

Craig:  Wrestling does not need much room, five mats and some locker room. Honestly, a good sized high school gym would do the trick

Geoff:  With that done, a new locker room and weight room would go a long way to upgrading what's already there.

Craig:  Agreed

Geoff:  It's a band-aid [on Crisler], but that $226M for Michigan Stadium is going to be a lot of debt hanging around.

Craig:  Honestly, you could take care of wrestling and volleyball for I think roughly $12.5 mill

Craig:  So I don't know

Geoff:  I think a Crisler replacement is going to happen, but it would be a lot to get it done within the next decade with the financial burden that football will hang on the athletic department.

Craig:  I think that's a major conclusion...with one major possibility: a huge gift

Geoff:  Yeah. Bill Martin is always listening to what a greenback has to say.

Craig:  If you look at a lot of the arenas that have been built lately, they have had seed money, like the JPJ and the Kohl

Geoff:  The Galen Center squeezed $50M+ out of its namesake.

Craig:  And I am wondering if Michigan basketball has an angel out there

Geoff:  Well, they'd better report any contact with him to the compliance officer.

Craig:  Zing

Geoff:  Which hangs a lantern: Part of the issue here is basketball's continuing status as the athletic department's bastard child.

Geoff:  It's an embarrassment that hasn't brought them anything worthwhile in the past decade.

Craig:  Except grief, lots of grief

Geoff:  Oh, we got grief. Plenty of that to go around.

Craig:  And to raise a point inelegantly

Craig:  In reading about Texas A&M's football history this year, I was struck by the quote from the University president whose name escapes me at the moment, around the time when the Aggie football program began in earnest. He wrote to one of his colleagues that he was not sure if they needed to have football, but if we must have football, I'd like to have the kind that wins

Craig:  I think that's how people feel about Michigan basketball

Geoff:  Exactly. We're a football school that likes its hockey and expects its basketball team to be worthy of the name it carries.

Geoff:  We don't understand why they aren't yearly contenders for the Big Ten title, or at least a tournament appearance. And I'm not talking about the NIT.

Craig:  Michigan is not a desert of basketball talent, after all

Craig:  I blame that damn explorer

Geoff:  Which one, exactly?

Craig:  The one that flipped on the way back from Detroit with Matteen Cleaves in it

Geoff:  Oh. That damn Explorer. I thought you meant Cadillac or Father Marquette.

Craig:  No, I should have been clearer

Geoff:  At any rate, basketball isn't about to eat Tommy Amaker's contract any time soon. It'll keep puttering around for a few more years at least. Then Tommy'll either start winning or the number left on his tab won't look so bad.

Craig:  That rolls about right

Geoff:  If they do start winning, I think they get a much better look from the athletic department and some work on the facilities accelerates.

Craig:  So, perhaps it comes down to "earn it?"

Geoff:  I think so.

Craig:  I think the key in all of this is that Michigan needs to listen to the alums (and the fans, which as we know, are not always one and the same)

Geoff:  If a replacement for Crisler comes along, do you think they go dual use, shuttle the hockey team into Crisler, keep them in Yost, or build a new hockey arena too?

Craig:  That's a complicated question. I think that Yost occupies some classic real estate along State Street and does give Michigan a link to the past. They also have spent a LOT in renovations in the past 15 years on Yost, so it's hard to see dumping the barn. The possibility of Michigan hockey playing in a modified Crisler feels weird to me, because it is not a hockey arena (I know it would be, but I just can't see it.) Honestly Geoff, I really can't speculate because I just can't see it

Geoff:  I think they'd build a dual-use arena if they went down that road. The marginal cost doesn't seem like it would be huge and you know that they'd salivate over they extra ticket revenue.

Geoff:  I'd hate, hate, hate to dump Yost. No new arena could possibly have a tenth of the character of that building.

Craig:  And those quick-convert Friday night hockey / Saturday afternoon hoops / Saturday night hockey games would be fun, fun, fun.

Geoff:  Yeah. Somehow they manage at the Kohl Center, but the Buckeyes have been known to squat at Nationwide.

Craig:  I honestly think that this is what will keep it from happening at Michigan.

Craig:  They'll look at Yost and say, “It's selling out, it's a draw, it has a good rep, and we're spending so much anyway.”

Geoff:  The other possibility is to keep some of the games at Yost and some at the new joint. Some people wouldn't get full-season [ticket] packages, but it could be done. Anyway, it's a complete pipe dream at this point.

Craig:  You know, that would be interesting, because keeping Yost would also allow Michigan to upgrade to varsity women's hockey

Craig:  And you could have your Ferris' et al at Yost and your Notre Dame, etc at NeoCrostler

Geoff:  (CROAST-ler?)

Geoff:  (Crisler + Yost?)

Craig:  Yes

Geoff:  Ha!

Craig:  And Yeastler sounded wrong

Geoff:  Yeah. Don't go with that one.

Craig:  But Crostler, yes, that's what I am calling faux dual purpose

Geoff:  Well, I think we might've raked this topic over the coals for as long as possible, at least for tonight.

Geoff:  Final thoughts?

Craig:  As long as we can come back to Eight Games a Week at some other point`

Geoff:  Oh, definitely.

Geoff:  We can do the Scheduling Spectacular after 30 Rock [On Thursday at 10:00. If anyone else wants to join in our chat, I’ll set up a room on AIM under “hooverstreet”].

What's the Best Conference in College Football?

I've spent time on and off for about the past month working on this post, and it's finally here. I've done an analysis of all of the BCS conferences to find the best one out there. It's pretty long, and Blogger isn't conducive to letting me mess with the CSS like I want to, so the full text follows after the jump.

1.  Foreword

On Saturday, December 2 of last year, as people debated whether Florida or Michigan should be invited to face Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game, the perceived historical strength of the SEC and weakness of the Big Ten was taken as a given by some commentators and voters.  This was not a new statement, and I'd heard it so many times before that I almost believed it.  But as a lifelong fan of a Big Ten team, it irked me and I wanted to see for myself if it was true, or just another myth.  To answer my own question, I've prepared a comparison of the BCS conferences over the past 15 seasons (and shorter intervals) and here I'll share with you my results.

Continue reading...

Live-Blogging Out of Control: Michigan vs. PSU

First Half

Michigan takes the tip, and half-heartedly passes it around beyond the arc before an equally lame to get it to Courtney Sims down low.

Penn State gets it out of bounds and they waste no time before making an equally unproductive attempt to drive the lane.

Michigan takes it upcourt, where Dion Harris nearly loses it. They pass around, looking for an opening, but get nothing before Ronald Coleman gets a fairly open look from 3-point range as the shot clock threatens to expire. He gets the shot off and drains it.

Penn State's possession mirrors Michigan's, but they can't find their own open look. A shot doesn't hit the rim, though they retain possession until the shot clock expires.

Michigan tries to work the ball down low to Courtney Sims, but he can't get anything. Petway finishes. 5-0.

Penn State gets a long look from 2 and Cornley knocks it down. 5-2.

Dion Harris is jealous that everyone's been shooting but him, so he promptly drains the 3. 8-2.

PSU's Geary Claxton draws a foul off of Ron Coleman near the free-throw line. He drains both, 8-4.

Harris rotates it around, gets it back. He feints down the lane before dishing it back out. Lester Abrams can't hit the open look from the three point line.

PSU quickly comes back the other way, but Claxton can't hit an open three from the wing. They follow it up, control the rebound, and get the easy two. 8-6.

Michigan commits their first turnover of the game, getting caught for 3 seconds awfully soon into their next possession.

The maize and blue press on PSU's possession, but it doesn't do much. Penn State probes the man coverage. They throw up a running 3, and Claxton nabs the long rebound before it can go out on the wing. They get another shot, and it's tipped in on offensive goaltending, maybe? Whatever, it's still 8-6.

Michigan wastes its next possession down low, as the ball goes out.

Claxton is camped out under the basket. Someone hacks him as he goes up. Knocks both down. 8-8.

Penn State defends at halfcourt, forcing some dangerous passing between Reed Baker and Dion Harris. Harris gets the ball back and hits his second three of the night. 11-8.

Nice defense from Michigan yields a pass deflected. Reed Baker passes it up the court and Udoh finishes, even with his shoe untied. 13-8.

Dion Harris gets called for a weak bump; it's his second foul and he has to sit. Michigan immediately yields a dunk on the out of bounds play.

Michigan's attempts at shot creation are worthless. Penn State comes back and quickly drains a 3. Ugggh. 13-12.

We pick up another foul, this time on the offensive side. Claxton can't drive the lane and we get the ball back.

Jerret Smith looks a little more competent today. Lester Abram gets the ball and is fouled as he goes up for a jumper. He hits both his free throw attempts. 15-12.

Scrum under the basket, but Penn State gets the ball out of bounds. PSU kicks it out, then tries to lob it down to the block. Yeah, not a good idea when it's Petway defending that.

Careless play with the ball lets the Nittany Lions strip it, and C. Sims takes a foul trying to get it back. D-U-M.

PSU's 3-pointer rims out and we recover and make the most of the opportunity. 17-12.

They're shooting quicker than they'd like, I think, on PSU. Play's going quickly back and forth with a fair number of misses by both teams. The tempo after a few of these transitions gets to Penn State and lets Michigan get a transition basket. 19-12.

ESPN+ is talking about Daniel Horton. I miss him too.

Claxton is drawing a crowd and not getting open looks.

On the other end, Sims muscles his way up, but can't hit the easy basket.

Petway with a huge block on Claxton gives Abram the same opportunity, but he can't get it done. Sims can't tip it in, but the rebound comes right back to him. He gets hacked on the way up this time and will shoot two after the break.

If Sims can't find his touch, we are screwed. His teammates are getting him some looks, but he can't knock them down. I'll choose to play optimist for now, because there's no way that the universe should allow those kind of shots to go unconverted for too long. Besides, Sims just made his two free throws. 21-12.

Man. That zone experiment did not go well. Claxton dissected it. 21-14.

Claxton picks up his second foul on a bump, but the Nittany Lions steal the inbounds pass. Sims returns Claxton's favor by picking his own foul on the floor when he gets beat defensively.

Ekpe Udoh cannot shoot free throws. Yikes. He makes his first Big Ten free throw (1/5!) to make it 22-14.

Penn State's short white guy finds space out on the wing for three. 22-17. Since he's Morrissey, he'll probably crysturbate over it later tonight.

Damn. Ron Coleman does that whole 3-to-beat-the-shot-clock thing again. Sweetness. 25-17.

OH, COME ON. Morrissey's shooting another three and we foul him. Someone misjudged his approach angle there, but there's no excuse for that. Morrissey is an 81% free throw shooter, but he's so surprised by this development that he misses his first two. He regains his composure to hit the third. 25-18.

Reed Baker, Three Point Maker gets one coming off the screen. 28-18.

4:30 left in the half. PSU picks up a foul. Udoh was held after picking up their turnover, and Hassell (?) now has three personals. Fouls all over the place. Lester Abrams makes a jumper to make it 30-18, then picks up his second. Note to players: Don't breathe on anyone tonight. That's totally a foul.

PSU makes it a 30-20 game, but Coleman comes right back to drain yet another three. He is en fuego. 33-20.

Petway takes a direct charge from Morrissey on the other end, and he's fired up. On the other end, he finds Udoh under the basket to make it a 35-20 ballgame.

Penn State isn't playing as a team right now, and Michigan's making them pay, as they get nothing again. On the other end, Reed Baker walks with the ball.

The Nittany Lions come back the other way and it's like there's a wall in front of them. Petway grabs a rebound and is fouled. It's too bad he's such a terrible free throw shooter. PSU scrambles to get the ball and push it upcourt. Petway and Udoh come flying in to block the first shot from the behind (awesomely, I might add), but Claxton is there to finish. 35-24.

It's just chaos down there now. Michigan lets a possession get away, and Penn State cashes in on their end.

Ron Coleman draws a foul, and he hasn't missed tonight. His first free throw is easily in there. The second one hangs on the rim for an eternity before the ball remembers that he isn't missing tonight and drops. 37-24, 1:05 left in the half.

It's been so wild tonight that someone bounces into Claxton and PSU's in the double bonus. He hasn't missed from the line until now, when he goes 1/2. 37-25.

The shot clock is ten seconds ahead of the game clock. As it winds down, with nothing left, Petway is left alone under the bucket. Jerret Smith finds him and he gets hammered by Cornley. He gets 1/2. 38-25.

Penn State will have last shot if they can find it. Morrissey puts up a dying quail as he's getting smothered beyond the arc, and the half will finish 38-25.

---

I'm pretty sure PSU's advertisement is some leftover song from Vitamin C's last album. It's pretty terrible.

The Foul Situation:
2:   Coleman, Harris, Abram, C. Sims (Michigan).

ESPN doesn't even list the PSU players on their site, but they aren't exempt from it either. Both sides are going to need to adjust to tonights refs..

---

Second Half

Morrissey gets called for a foul on the floor to start the half. Michigan quickly yields the ball back, though. Petway picks up his first personal foul as he pushes Cornley. The possession still ends in futility.

Ron Coleman misses his first attempt of the night, his first attempt at a two.

Petway quickly picks up his second, as Cornley tries to get around him. Amaker really believes that the bump should've been an offensive foul, and he's not all that wrong. Cornley takes advantage to hit both. 38-27.

Michigan shrugs it off. Coleman intercepts a pass and they bring it up again. The pass down low gets deflected back out to halfcourt and out of bounds. A long three attempt doesn't go down.

Another freaking foul, only 17:13 into the second half. Abram's 3rd. He'll sit. Tough pass goes in to Claxton, past three Wolverines. Claxton converts. 40-29.

Courtney Sims goes right after Brandon Hassell, forcing him into his fourth fouls and out of the game. Sims hits both free throws. 42-29.

Steal by Courtney Sims, way out, but he can't control it. With him out of position, PSU tries to drive the lane. Petway blocks the hell out of it, then steals the pass from Bogatic(?), hits the bucket, and draws the foul. He misses the free throw, but what a play. 44-29.

After PSU converts on their possession, we get lazy on ours. The ball is stolen from Coleman and Jerret Smith gets called for the blocking foul as PSU's Jackson heads in for a layup. He gets one. 44-32.

Penn State gets the ball back, and finally the call for contact goes our way as Udoh draws the charge. Then Sims goes ahead and gets an offensive foul called on him. I don't know if there's going to be anyone left on the floor at the end of this. 15:00 or so left.

Claxton makes the layup. 44-34.

Udoh comes back the other way and sinks a ten-footer. 46-34.

Michigan steals the pass and pushes it up the court. Harris's three is just off, but Udoh skies for the rebound and is fouled. The ESPN+ crew thinks he might've gotten away with going over the back. It's on Claxton, and he has to sit. Dion Harris hits a jumper to push the lead up to 48-34.

They can't do anything on the ensuing possession and the pace is getting quicker and more frenetic, the way Michigan wants it. PSU picks up a foul on the floor, on Bogetic. Harris tries another three that won't go, and Bogetic commits his third foul, a weak push-off. Michigan, now in the bonus for the last 13:00 of the half, converts, making it 50-34.

On the other end, Petway gets called for his 3rd personal, and Bogetic is on the receiving end for a change. He gets 1/2. 50-35.

The teams trade ineffective possessions before Cornley finally breaks it up with a short jumper. 50-37.

Ed DeChellis is gambling. When D. Sims gets called for traveling, he puts 4-foulers Claxton and Hassell back in the game, with a full 11:00+ left on the clock. I guess he figures he's already down 13 with a weak bench that's racking up fouls, so what is there to lose?

PSU trips as the try to drive the lane, giving Michigan the ball back. Harris takes an ill-advised three that won't go. Penn State takes an equally ill-advised shot on the other side. Reed Baker, of all people, tries to go baseline. He draws the foul and goes 2/2 at the line. 52-37.

Claxton gets a wide-open look at the basket and can't hit his three. Lester Abram, on the other hand, drops his. 55-37.

Penn State is crashing the glass tonight. Off their miss, no one can pull it down. It goes off Reed Baker as he gets demolished. PSU's Walker hits a big three-pointer. 55-40.

Reed Baker answers with an authoritative three. 58-40.

Possessions traded, before Hassell drives the lane and draws a foul from Dion Harris. He can't make either, and it remains 58-40.

Baker's wild three -- maybe deflected -- is saved by a flying Deshawn Sims. Dion Harris is so shocked to get it back that he travels at the top of the arc.

When we return, PSU is shooting free throws. They get both. 58-42.

Our shoddy point guard play costs us again, as we turn it right back over. Cornley gets it down low when he gets D. Sims to lose his balance and finishes his layup. In his face, he forces Udoh to waste a timeout on the inbound pass. Michigan needs to get their heads back in this one; there's still about 7:00 left on the clock and we're rattled by PSU's pressure defense. 58-44.

Michigan takes their turn to push the tempo. A streaking Dion Harris takes an easy 2. 60-44.

A PSU player gets breathed on wrong and they're in the bonus. He's an 85%+ free throw shooter, so he makes both. 60-46.

GAAAAAAHHHHHHHH. Another turnover. And they turn it into a three-pointer. We absolutely need to be able to hang onto the ball and pressure Claxton and Hassell into their final fouls. 60-49, 6:40+ left.

A Lester Abram pull-up jumper makes it a 62-49 ballgame. On the other end, he comes up with the loose ball after Petway and Cornley get a little physical. We push the tempo up-court and find an open look at a three. Knocked down. 65-49.

Being in the bonus pays off, as Lester Abram gets right back to the line to hit both and restoring the lead to a full 18 points. 67-49.

Petway picks up his fourth personal foul, and they go to the line with a chance to cut back into it. Cornley gets one and Ron Coleman gets his miss. 67-50.

Abram tries a tough jumper, despite being close, and it won't fall. At least we drained the clock on that possession.

PSU takes a quick shot that won't go. Michigan moves the ball around and around before Jerret Smith decides to get on the stat sheet with a 3. 70-50, and I'm starting to relax with 3:30 left.

The three-point shot has been working insanely well for us tonight. His teammates finally let Dion Harris get the ball back and he buries one. 73-50.

We're in garbage time now. PSU gets two, somehow. Cornley is 5" shorter, but he gets a hand on a Sims shot, then tries his own off-the-mark 3.

Sims draws a foul, and he's been excellent from the line tonight. He just needs to get there more often. He hits his fourth and fifth of the evening. 75-52.

Bogetic can't get the layout to fall and some Finnish dude can't get the rebound. Michigan moves the ball around, and PSU has conceded, as they aren't fouling. Jerret Smith takes this opportunity to drain a jumper. 77-52.

Bogetic answers on the other end. I haven't seen this many threes in a game since Colts/Ravens. 77-55.

"Just like football! Just like football!"

PSU gets a meaningless basket to make it a 77-57 blowout, and everyone just lets the clock run out.

---

This is the best game I've seen Michigan play all season. We were helped out by the foul trouble that Penn State's only good players got into, but we found what we needed to step on their throats once they were down. The three-point shooting was just phenomenal, but we shouldn't count on it. What I liked best was at the end of the first half. We pushed the tempo and played emotional basketball, but we didn't play stupid basketball. We just hustled them off the court.

Rose Bowl Wrap-Up

Hey, all. We haven't forgotten about this, we promise. It's just that, well, what are you going to say? Michigan played terrible football. They didn't make any adjustments at halftime, even though it was a minor miracle that they were tied at 3-3. They were demolished on the offensive line all day long. The defensive line was outgamed (the number of times Woodley was just a little too late was depressing), and our secondary wasn't going to be able to stop USC's receivers without help from them.

I would've written it all up anyway, since I at least had some fun pictures to share, but some asshole stole my digital camera out of my luggage. I stupidly left it in my checked suitcase on my flight home and someone in the baggage-handling crew made off with it. Maybe they worked for the TSA, maybe they worked for US Airways/America West. Whoever you it is, screw them.

So you guys get the abbreviated version, wherein I ignore everything but the band-related parts. Enjoy!

Pregame

USC's band was first, and they sounded very average. Their marching was like Wisconsin's, but drained of all the energy, and their sound was just as listless. The coolest part was when the drum major (in Trojan costume) pierced the 50-yard-line with his sword, but in the end it's still just a guy sticking a knife in dirt. What's actually cool is Traveler, the white horse.

Michigan came next and it was night and day. They were focused, they were energetic, and they blew me away. The band was louder than I've heard them in a long time, but they were still top-notch, musically. The marching looked better than I've seen it all year. Even if the audience was 75% USC, you could tell which band meant more to its fans.

The first half occurred. It ended 3-3.

Halftime

The MMB went first at halftime and played their Led Zeppelin show, which rocked even more the second time I heard it. That probably had a lot to do with being on the press box side of the field for once, but they were really cranking it out. USC's band did a lot better with their halftime than their pre-game. Their theme was "Hey, we're close to Hollywood, so when anyone needs a marching band they call us." They did "Pump It" by the Black Eyed Peas, and a couple of other pop songs.

The second half was very, very bad. My brother and I left with 4:00 on the clock, something I've never done at a Michigan football game we were losing.

Motor City Bowl Fever!

Before I left Detroit, I had the opportunity to attend the Motor City Bowl. They seemed to be understaffed at the security gates, so I missed pregame from the Middle Tennessee State Band of Blue, but they sounded pretty good. Their halftime was really a quality performance. The tuba section had some show-band moves going for them and the whole band's musicianship was way higher than you'd expect from Directional State University. The Chippewa Marching band, however, lost serious points with me when their halftime show needed 3 vibraphones, a gong, and a bass drum on the sideline. For one thing, who's going to hear 3 vibraphones over the rest of the band at halftime? And a bass drum? Don't you already have like 6 of those things out on the field? Lame.

The game wasn't a total cakewalk for CMU, but it wasn't really in doubt. Middle Tennessee did their best, and their quarterback was certainly a gamer to come back after Dan Bazuin rung his bell pretty good, but they didn't have the talent. Speaking of Bazuin, he made some serious plays and was a general menace in the backfield. One play in the second half left him nearly motionless on the field for several minutes. He popped up, ran it off, and missed just the one play. Totally deserved his MVP award.