Pants Party (Part 2)

Craig: 
It was 2:19 when the final bell rang and I could get out of work, but not before I changed out of my khaki pants and high school official polo shirt into a maroon number and some long khaki shorts. Getting on the road at 2:45 EDT, I began blasting towards Chicago as quickly as good sense and the legal limit would allow, and I was doing great until I hit Marshall and a huge construction backup that largely stemmed from people not understanding the concept of zippertooth merging. The entire drive to Chicago was just a race in my head between where I was on I-94, what time it was on the clock, and where and when I wanted to be. I made it, but not before the temperature had dropped nearly 35 degrees since I had left SE Michigan!

One of the stranger moments of sitting with a bunch of knowledgeable sports fan is the mini-conundrum that erupted from a random stat placed on the board, showing that between 2000 and 2007, the White Sox had the best overall record in the AL Central. Given where we were sitting in the outfield, our collective vision was blocked from seeing whom the bottom two teams were, and Geoff and I presumed that the Tigers were bringing up the rear of the AL Central, whereas the rest of the group presumed it was the Royals, only for us to collectively realize that no one was completely sure (some research upon my return to SE Michigan indicated that it was in fact the Royals bringing up the rear)

A note on my karaoke performance: I am not at all musically gifted, and I know this, so that is why song choice was so critical in this regard. "I Want You To Want Me", while a great song, is much more about the awesome interplay of the whole band as one in it, and has a really tricky fast word section "Feelingallalonewithoutafriendyouknowyoufeellikedyin..." whereas "Desire", well, no one is actually going to be able to sound like Bono, but you can try and hit the inflections and the nuances of the song and can pull off something reasonable. I was also aided by harmonica accompaniment for the last section, which was pretty cool as well. Sadly (or really, THANKFULLY), no video exists of my performance, so we cannot prove or disprove my thesis. I also want to say that Geoff would have rocked "Anarchy in the UK" hard, since so few songs are in his deep range, he knows where his bread is buttered. And it still would have been less terrifying for Geoff to sing "I am an Antichrist" than Will's entire performance.

Was it a perfect trip? No, but what is? In a world where GZ and I are both used to pinpoint planning and control over every aspect of what we're going to do in the collective, this was some minor chaos. But, minor chaos breeds stories to tell, memories to have, and things upon which perhaps to improve the next time. We met with a great group of people who didn't disappoint and who welcomed all comers in like a demented family reunion. Going in blind, it was much more than for what I could have hoped.

WTI: Boermania

Geoff: So we're thinking that, for the offseason, WTI is going to be a bi-weekly affair.
Craig: And I think it's a good idea... May I make a quick note?
Craig: As Michigan alums who have a strong background in trivia, GZ and I would like to congratulate UM's own Pete for winning his Jeopardy! College Championship quarterfinal match yesterday and advancing to the semis. We're wishing him luck as he goes forward.
Geoff: Absolutely. We always support our own in any competition, and especially when it comes to Jeopardy!.
Craig: Even if he did go to CC
Geoff: Hey, we can't all be perfect.
Craig: Maize and blue trumps that. Anyway Geoff, let us begin.
Geoff: Like we reported earlier in the week, Scott Boerma will be taking over the reigns of the Michigan Marching Band.
Craig: From Novi, and then Eastern Michigan from what I have read
Geoff: Yep. And he's been arranging for the MMB since '95.
Craig: As I suggested, it's like promoting from with-side...
Geoff: I like this hire. I think it was definitely the safest of the three finalists, since Boerma's been floating around the program for 12 years.
Craig: And from what I have gathered, this is something that he sees as a destination job, which hopefully means long-term stability.
Craig: We should point out for our readers, of the three HSR primary authors, I am the only one without an MMB connection, beyond being a fan.
Geoff: Hopefully. At Michigan, we tend to get the ambitious ones. It's not a surprise when they head off to be Director of Bands somewhere else. I just want to see them stick around for about 5 years or so, to bring some stability to the program. It was a revolving door in the late '90's.
Craig: Geoff, that's crazy talk, wanting an incoming freshman to have the same director when they graduate. Crazy talk!
Geoff: Here's how it went for me: As a high schooler, I participated in Crisler Concert under Sedatole, had my freshman year under Tapia, and by my junior season Nix was my director.
Geoff: Musically is where Boerma's a known quantity for me. He dealt mostly with the pop classical/movie theme shows we did, and I always really liked his arrangements. The man knows his way around a third trumpet part, which is saying more than you'd think.
Craig: I'll trust you sir.
Geoff: Jeremy's worried he'll blink the bass trombone out of existence, but I hope the lack of parts for that section was just because he wanted to sell the arrangement to others later.
Craig: Well, as always, time will tell. I'm excited to see what he comes up with for the Notre Dame game. And will Living on a Prayer continue as one of the least explicable Michigan Stadium traditions?
Geoff: I hope Boerma keeps going with the rock shows that Nix always did. I am whole-heartedly in favor of blatant pandering to the student section.
Craig: Pandering to the student section is your only guarantee of getting a semi loud crowd.
Geoff: Hey, I've heard that the baseball team is kind of good.
Craig: I have heard similar rumors, and upon [ping] investigation, I have learned [ping] that the maize and blue are [ping] an offensive juggernaut.
Geoff: There's a joke in here with all those pings and a denial-of-service attack, but I can't quite reach it.
Geoff: Right now we're 31-8 overall and a staggering 15-1 in the Big Ten.
Craig: And the games against Minnesota, the only other really good team in the conference, are a washout.
Geoff: That's both good and bad, I suppose.
Craig: Yes, no real test until the tournament, but that may end up at Fisher because of it
Geoff: I might have to find my way to the Fish this weekend. We're feeling the Illinoise on Friday, Saturday (x2), and Sunday.
Craig: It was a great experience last weekend vs. Sparty, enhanced by the Michigan Alumni Band.
Craig: So, we hope that our diamond men can make some noise for northern baseball.
Geoff: Final item: Andrew Cogliano has gone pro. What the heck?
Craig: If by "pro" you mean "wallowing in the AHL."
Craig: Oh I'm sorry, did I write that aloud?
Geoff: He speaks for all of us! Cogs is two seasons from seeing significant PT at the next level. I have no idea why he leaves now.
Craig: I don't get it. OK, wait, I do get it, but I don't think it's a good idea.
Geoff: Does he really think Edmonton's bad enough that he'll break into their fourth line next year?
Craig: Maybe he figures Edmonton would promote him because he's young and cheap?
Craig: Oh wait, salary cap era, that doesn't work anymore
Craig: GZ, why is it that we're more frustrated by hockey defections than we are football ones? Though I wonder if Alan Branch maybe wishes he had stayed in school.
Geoff: Because football guys don't go unless they'll at least get drafted and make the squad.
Craig: Makes sense, you know you're going because you're ready to go.
Geoff: We've seen way too many hockey guys go up, wave hello, and spend two or more seasons in the AHL. Paging Al Montoya...
Craig: Wait, he's still in hockey?
Geoff: He plays for the glory that is the Hartford Wolfpack.
Craig: You're right, he was involved in an EPIC AHL goalie fight this year (it's on YouTube).
Geoff: This is all disheartening. Defections from hockey, arrests from football. Perfect offseason forever!
Craig: Don't forget the lawsuit
Geoff: Blergh.
Geoff: And that's how I'll leave all of this.
Craig: Well, let's hope that we have some better things to discuss the next time.
Craig: Until then, I'm CDB .
Geoff: And there are some who call me...GZ. We're out.

It's Boerma

This is the text of the e-mail sent out this morning introducing Scott Boerma as the new director of the MMB:

Date: May 1, 2007 10:20 AM
Subject: Message from Prof. Haithcock

Dear Elbel Club Board Members--

It is my pleasure to announce that Scott Boerma will be the new director of the Michigan Marching and Athletic Bands, pending approval by the Regents of the University. Mr. Boerma's engaging personality, proven talent, and considerable experience make him an ideal choice to lead the MMB and its related activities at this time. His familiarity with the program should help to minimize challenges presented in such a transition and allow the students to focus on maintaining the standard of excellence that is the legacy of the program. His work in Revelli Hall begins on June 4th.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Scott Boerma to UM!

Michael Haithcock
Director of University Bands

New MMB Director?

We've got a report that Professor Haithcock has announced a new director of the MMB. Can anyone out there confirm this? E-mail us at hooverstreet|at|umich.edu if you have anything.

The Vault: Super Bowl VII (1973)

In The Vault, we at the HSR take a look at an old MMB performance or an old Michigan game of some sort. Our first installment is conveniently archived on YouTube, and it's the band's halftime performance at the '73 Super Bowl.

In 1973, a scaled-down block of the Michigan Marching Band became the first Big Ten band to play in a Super Bowl halftime show. They traveled west to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the glory that was Super Bowl VII, where the Miami Dolphins capped their undefeated season by taking down the Washington Redskins, 14-7. The '72-'73 band was the second to be conducted by George Cavendar and his first after assuming the title Director of Bands for the whole university, so we're talking about the immediate post-Revelli period.

The first clip looks like a standard college halftime, just with celebrity guest Woody Herman in all his '70's California glory, trying to see if America is ready for an ensemble composed of nothing but lapels and those sunglasses your grandpa down in Florida still wears. He plays all of five notes on his clarinet before breaking out the soprano sax for the next tune, but everyone (i.e. anybody who know who Woody Herman is) is just waiting for him to go back to clarinet for "Woodchopper's Ball".

And things have taken a turn. There are golf carts disguised as motorized helmets roaming the field, there are golf carts roaming the field. And each one comes equipped with its own girl in knee-high boots and geographically-appropriate sash, like they're all pageant queens. I have this nasty feeling that not all of them are fans of the teams they're representing. I'm just sayin', Miss Green Bay and Miss Oakland might be ringers.

The band sounds great, but the drill formations of the day look a lot like an 8-year-old's stick figure drawings. And, hey! Flip folders. The Latin tune is kind of random, but the MMB always sounds at its best on these.

The hell? Suddenly we have a very random, very WHITE choir on a very fast take of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land", which really isn't nearly as gung-ho patriotic as the NFL would like us to believe. The choir sounds like someone set the record player to the wrong speed. Stock footage! WOOO! And...no, no, no. I will not accept this. The cheese factor was really high already, but a caricature of a 747 being CARRIED AROUND BY RANDOM DUDES does NOT belong anywhere near the MMB. This is ridiculously stupid. I hate you, 1970's. Dear God, the visual metaphor of the plane stopping in different cities and triggering the most obvious song...it's like a Looney Toons cue, but we're supposed to take it seriously. And this choir is still moronic. They sound lobotomized.

A historical note: A map of the continental US is part of the standard marching band repertoire, reserved for any patriotic tune the band plays when they haven't formed an eagle or a flag or George Washington's head. Nobody's ever really sure what to do about the Upper Peninsula, and sometimes it just disappears altogether. The same problem crops up with the Boundary Waters area in Minnesota. Also, continental drift has drastically reshaped Florida from how it's depicted here. The last time the MMB broke out the this formation was for the 9/11 anniversary show last year, but a fake Boeing zooming around the country was deemed unacceptable for obvious reasons (Someone remembered how dumb it looked in this video).

ANDY WILLIAMS! You should probably watch out for Claudine Longet, Andy, out on that platform. Actually...play on, Ms. Longet. "Marmalade, Molasses, and Honey" sucks, and all Andy can do is think, "God, I'm good." OH, PLEASE, DO IT NOW. "People...people who need people"...may need to be removed from my presence before I do them grievous bodily harm. WHY WON'T THIS END? Every time I see a bird release, I think of those doves getting cooked in the Olympic cauldron. Yeesh. Andy's really stretching for it on that last note. And...we're out.

The whole production is pure, unbridled, Grade-A 1973 crap. At the same time, the band sounds terrific. The percussion is muddy in the first clip, but everything else tells you that the Cavendar disciples aren't entirely full of it when they talk about how good they were. Don't ever let them know I said that. At the same time, high step at these tempos looks goofy and half of the drill formations are dorktastic.

New Stadium To Have Advertisements, Fewer Seats, Second Deck

Indignant Bill Martin to press: "Screw everybody!"

WTI: The Triumvirate Convenes

Craig:  Game on...
Geoff:  And so we begin another edition of WTI, joined for the first time by Jeremy.
Jeremy:  Greetings
Geoff:  So with the three major sports' seasons being over, the news coming out of Ann Arbor has been scattershot.
Jeremy:  It's all gone downhill since Branch declared for the draft.
Craig:  Yes, but congrats to the baseball team for making the Top 25 with a ping
Geoff:  We've also got new facilities proposed for football, a lawsuit, various basketball dramatics... How about we start with the football program, since we haven't said much about that in a while?
Craig:  Agreed, even if we're just talking about Practice
Geoff:  It's a good thing Iverson isn't here.
Jeremy:  Just practice.
Geoff:  The new proposed indoor practice facility (which I promise I'll try not to always refer to as "Noosterbaan") will cost $26.1M.
Geoff:  And it's a clear symptom of the facilities arms race.
Craig:  Which leads to all sorts of further questions
Jeremy:  We can't have a practice facility gap!
Craig:  This will lead to a facilities U2 incident and a facilities Bay of Pigs fiasco and a facilities Fall Out Boy song. The last being the most dangerous
Geoff:  I think we can get by on being Michigan for a while, but you either jump in with both feet or become a second-class program in the long run. Which is pretty depressing when you're talking about college athletics.
Craig:  It really does. At some point, someone has to stand up and say no, and I don't know who will do it
Geoff:  It should be the NCAA, but they're gutless.
Jeremy:  They're saying it would go up "where an outdoor facility exists." So it's just a $26 million roof?
Craig:  And walls
Geoff:  And 2,000 seats is the rumor coming out of Maize n Brew.
Craig:  Hell, you could make a lacrosse facility out of that
Geoff:  Dave over there thinks that's a big part of the equation. The new fieldhouse means you can always guarantee the football team a place to practice, so lacrosse/everyone else can use the vacant one. I think Lloyd is just going to be really happy to finally hold all practices inside a fortress.
Craig:  Well, have you ever looked at the wall around the outdoor facility?
Geoff:  I remember a Daily column when I was in school where the writer was watching from his roof across State Street and within a few days had representatives from the Athletic Department pay him a call.
Jeremy:  It's not very high. I've heard someone -- yeah, you just said that.
Geoff:  Lloyd's just looking to close that loophole.
Craig:  True story: My sister when she was 14 was once practicing at UM's soccer field and my dad and one of my sister's friend's dad were just sort of standing at the top of the bleachers, looked over for five minutes and had a representative come over, 20 minutes after they stopped, politely requesting that they never do it again lest they call the police for trespassing. Which is very interesting, since it's all public ground
Geoff:  Craig, our friend Joe put it best when contrasting it with USC's open practices. Paraphrasing, "Why bother? Like Michigan's going to run a play no one's seen before?"
Jeremy:  A punt formation, maybe. Can we still joke about that?
Geoff:  Too soon! I kid, I kid. That was so weird.
Craig:  Is that three personal protectors?
Jeremy:  It's an open wound unless/until we beat Oregon this year.
Geoff:  OK, so the other piece of football news is the lawsuit brought on behalf of the Michigan Paralyzed Veterans of America, charging that the stadium renovation plans are not in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. As usual, Brian's got the full breakdown of all of this, but the long and the short of it is...they definitely have a case.
Craig:  This is a lot of very interesting stuff, and while I don't have a strong feeling, I would like to see Michigan be compliant.
Geoff:  Running the numbers, I don't see how they could be, unless they get creative with their definitions, maybe saying that the skyboxes constitute new buildings and, hey, they've got plenty of wheelchair-accessible seating in those. Which seems a little chintzy to me.
Jeremy:  Someone pointed out the number of handicapped-accessible tickets actually issued is far less than the number of [seats] required for ADA compliance.
Geoff:  Yeah, I saw that there are only 52 season ticket holders needing them and full ADA compliance for the whole stadium would require 1,000 seats.
Craig:  But by the same token, are there people who would want them, but know they are bad seats?
Geoff:  There are currently 100 available in the endzones. So, they do kind of suck.
Geoff:  It would take a monstrous investment to put wheelchair-accessible seating on the 50 in row 20.
Craig:  Yes, you know that crazy missing section at Comerica. That kind of thing
Geoff:  Realistically, wheelchair-accessible seating can only be put in at ground level, which is Row 72.
Jeremy:  My grandma had one this year. Her biggest complaint was the foot traffic walking in front of her all the time, since that's the ground level entrance and there's a balcony-like area for wheelchair access.
Craig:  Yeah, that would kind of suck.
Jeremy:  In any case, while pursuing ADA compliance is a noble goal, it's not like there's a queue of people on five-year waiting lists for the tickets (or being forced to sit in 'regular' seats). It sounds like a disingenuous prop that the anti-luxury-box types are just throwing in the path.
Craig:  That's what really bothers me (and Brian hit upon this) the two things are becoming intertwined in a way that makes me sick.
Geoff:  Let's talk about the real issue behind this. The cost of devoting 1000 seats to handicapped patrons isn't a matter of installation fees. The cost comes because the seating areas for them have to be bigger. If each handicapped seat is equal to 2 regular seats, that's $60,000 lost by the athletic department [per game].
Geoff:  This is way too frustrating, because there has to be a way to have the stadium set up for a maximum of 1000 disabled visitors, but be able to convert the empty spots to regular seating if they don't fill up.
Geoff:  If you have only 52 who need the ADA-mandated seats, you should be able to sell the remaining 1900 equivalent seats to people who can pack the stadium.
Craig:  You know Geoff... When I went to the Tigers playoff game last year, we did just that, sat in seats set aside for disabled guests that weren't needed. So it can be done.
Geoff:  I think we should move on to basketball now. The Alex Legion saga has twisted and turned for some time now, just when it seemed Beilein was going to be able to keep the recruiting class intact.
Jeremy:  I don't think the loss of Legion would be devastating
Geoff:  It probably wouldn't.
Craig:  I just think the whole mom vs. Godfather angle thing is fascinating
Geoff:  It's very, very weird. Even though he's got a shot at playing college ball anywhere he cares to and maybe making the Association, I can't say I envy Alex Legion at this moment.
Jeremy:  The more damaging aspect would be be the public perception of Beilein and that he lost Tommy's guys
Craig:  Yeah, but as more of this comes out, I don't know how much of this falls on Beilein.
Geoff:  Yeah, that's where it's at. You don't want to give the Terry Fosters of this world any ammo.
Geoff:  The Reed Baker situation has quietly gotten strange, too. I guess Beilein has declined to drop a scholarship on him.
Craig:  Which is weird, because you would think that Baker would fit perfectly in the system
Geoff:  Do you think if Legion decommits that Reed Baker, Rainmaker gets to use that vacant slot? Or is he gone no matter what?
Craig:  I don't know, because it seems like we actually have extra scholarships, or is that presuming Legion does not sign
Jeremy:  He would've fit well into the system, with K'Len Morris coming back, and Smith and Baker as good shooters
Geoff:  I want to see what this walk-on from Alpena's going to be like. I saw him [Eric Puls] on some highlight reels on the local news when I was up skiing this winter.
Geoff:  Final item: Kevin Porter has been named the captain of the hockey team for next year.
Craig:  Northville represent!
Geoff:  Hopefully this means he'll be sticking around.
Jeremy:  it didn't keep Tambellini around.
Geoff:  You have a point.
Geoff:  I wonder why Red starting naming his captains and not allowing them to vote like they used to?
Craig:  So he didn't have to tamper with the voting like Herb Brooks
Jeremy:  So is the opposite of Schadenfreude the feeling you get watching MSU score the GWG with 18 seconds left on the one year we manage to beat them?
Craig:  Yes, yes it is
Geoff:  You're right on the mark there.
Craig:  Hockey Christmas became Hockey Passover (TM M. Coen)
Geoff:  As the firstborn male child in my family, that's an apt metaphor.
Jeremy:  Their last loss of the season was to us, in fact.
Jeremy:  In 1998, MSU had a 5-0 record against UM, and we lost in the CCHA semis, then went on to win the national championship. Apr 19 10:45 PM
Geoff:  Whoa. Freaky.
Jeremy:  So, bring back the 12-team tournament, and convince Michigan players to actually stay for 4 years.

An Idea Whose Time Came Some Time Ago

I would buy this game.

(The inspiration)

WTI: Schadenfreude Is the Best Kind of Freude

Geoff:  The big news this week (other than the awesome return of 30 Rock and The Office) is the John Beilein hire as men's basketball coach.
Craig:  And while the former was most excellent (as was the news of 30 Rock's renewal), the latter is exceptionally of interest to the readership.
Geoff:  Frankly, I was surprised by the hire, even as it became more obvious that Beilein was the target. He was one of the best available, sure, but I didn't think the checkbook was going to be pried so far open.
Craig:  And let's compliment everyone on the fast, clean, and crisp way this was done
Craig:  The story seems to be one meeting between Martin and Beilein in Atlanta, and a lot of trust on both sides.
Geoff:  Both sides have said all the right things, that's for sure.
Geoff:  And I'm incredibly relieved not to have the sort of mess they're dealing with at Arkansas.
Craig:  Yes, that is a mess beyond mess down there. But I like the way that Beilein introduced himself yesterday, and he's already working the media. For instance, he slated to be on Jim Rome tomorrow. I am not an avid Rome listener, but I don't ever remember TA being on Rome.
Geoff:  Tommy had a way of ducking the media.
Craig:  And I realize that Beilein is a story of the week with the hire, but I am hoping this bodes well for the sense of I want to talk Michigan basketball and I want to get people interested. But I also think he knows that winning will be the surest way to do that.
Geoff:  I think the questions around Beilein aren't so much whether he's a good coach, but whether he's an elite coach.
Craig:  I am wondering if Michigan needs an elite coach. Right now, I would settle for a good coach who runs a good program, a clean program, and someone who seems to be able to adjust in game and get the most out of his players.
Geoff:  I agree that's what Michigan needs now. I see Beilein putting us in the NCAA Tournament within a couple years, no matter what. The question is whether we're getting to the Final Four down the road.
Craig:  And I guess that is the major question. But right now, isn't it one step at a time?
Geoff:  I think I really like Beilein for the coming year. He's proven that he really does get everything out of his players and they take a disciplined approach to the game. That'll cover up for a younger team that doesn't have all the parts.
Geoff:  The Big Ten's going to be super weird next season. A lot depends on who sticks around at Ohio State, but Iowa, Minnesota, and Michigan all picked up solid to legendary coaching hires.
Craig:  Indeed, which brings me to another question, if I may.
Craig:  One of the big rumors of the day is with Billy Donovan staying at Florida (and congrats to our new Gator overlords. Anyone who beats tOSU like that twice in a title game in a span of 14 weeks...), one of the big names being floated for Kentucky is Tom Izzo.
Craig:  My question is: Wouldn't Izzo be crazy to leave East Lansing?
Geoff:  He'd be insane. He's a god over there. Their fanbase is crazy for basketball. Kentucky's just crazy.
Craig:  Heck, when he suggested HE should coach the football team, we can't be sure if he was serious, but he's well enough thought of up in EL that people began the "Hmmm...that could work" conversation.
Geoff:  There's always the theory he's using it as a contract ploy.
Craig:  Could be, could be.
Geoff:  Moving on. There was the late unpleasantness in Denver.
Craig:  Yes, yes there was.
Craig:  It was the worst Christmas ever
Craig:  I just wandered around with my head down and hearing the soft piano of "Christmas Time is Here" playing in the background I was so distraught.
Craig:  What really bothers me is that Michigan got four goals in the first minutes of periods and still lost by THREE GOALS!
Geoff:  Yeah. The mind, it boggles.
Geoff:  I don't like the inflexibility of the seedings when we get into the tournament. We weren't totally screwed by it, since we were a 2 seed, but Minnesota really took it in the teeth.
Craig:  Which raises an interesting question: Should the committee have more latitude in adjusting the brackets? Michigan State's 3 was far more advantageous than Michigan's 2, because they were in GR and we were in Denver.
Geoff:  The committee has really abdicated responsibility for the seeding by going strictly by PairWise. They can throw up their hands and say, "Hey, that's how the PairWise broke." I think maybe a system where the PairWise (or better yet, the KRACH) determines the field, but the committee can massage the seedings.
Craig:  But here's the thing, weren't Michigan, Michigan State, and the Sioux all tied?!?
Geoff:  According to the PairWise, maybe. But anyone who looked at the teams over the past couple months could tell who was playing the best hockey.
Craig:  The basketball committee seems to live with the notion that people won't be happy with their decisions, but isn't having the best tournament possible the ultimate goal.
Geoff:  Finally: Hobey Baker.
Craig:  Yes, what the heck is up with the Hobey?
Geoff:  What kind of idiot planet do we live on where the nation's leading scorer, playing in a very good conference, doesn't make the final three?
Geoff:  I give up. I'm throwing in the towel on this stupid end of a season.
Craig:  Agreed. Hope springs eternal, come October. We'll miss you JMFJ, but we must begin again.
Geoff:  This has been such a year of coming close but never getting to the top, in football, in hockey, even a little bit in basketball, being a game or two out of the tournament. The Tigers get to the World Series, the Pistons to the conference finals.
Craig:  We have our final: BC wins in a crazy finish, living to play Michigan State...
Geoff:  Dear North Dakota: HA. HA. Schadenfreude is the best kind of freude.
Craig:  Indeed...And if there's one thing that some NoDak fans know, it's German.
Geoff:  So we have our final set, MSU vs. BC.
Craig:  Indeed...Go Eagles?!?
Geoff:  I can't root against the Spartans, due to other family loyalties. But I'm not rooting for them either.
Geoff:  BC's the better team, I'd say, but don't look past the Spartans. It's just one game, and anything can happen if Lerg's having a good day.
Craig:  It sometimes is just all about goaltending. We should know.
Geoff:  So, that about wraps things up for this week.
Craig:  Indeed. Good work Geoff, I hope that the sleeker WTI is more enjoyable to our readers.
Geoff:  Join us next time on WTI for...who knows what, really. Later, everyone.

An uninformed analysis of MMB director candidates

The search for the next Michigan Marching Band director has been narrowed down to three finalists. Below is the text of the e-mail describing the candidates and the dates of their 'audition' in front of the students, as sent by Prof. Haithcock to students on 3/27.

Monday, April 9: Isaiah Odajima is currently assistant director of the Michigan State Marching Band. When you look past the color green and the MSU connection, you will remember his drill designs (think Homer's head). Numerous video submissions of marching shows from other applicants utilized his designs and he is viewed as one of the most creative experts in drill writing in the country. He knows the expectations and potential of major college athletic bands, including the MMB. Rivalry aside, MSU is a great collegiate marching band. Mr. Odajima went to MSU to work as an assistant director while working on his doctorate (which you can't do at UM). He is too smart to mingle traditions or make changes that you should fear. He is an excellent musician whom I have known for a decade as he studied with me while obtaining his masters degree at Baylor University. His personality is warm and engaging. He is married and has a four year old son.

Thursday, April 12: Scott Boerma is currently director of bands at Eastern Michigan University. Mr. Boerma is as nationally known in arranging as Prof. Nix and his arrangements were as equally present in the submissions of other applicants as Mr. Odajima's drill writing. He taught high school for many years and his work with the Madison Scouts was behind much of their musical success. He is a Michigan native who is known by every high school band director in the state. While EMU is in the MAC, the quality of his work both on that campus and through his national visibility makes him a strong candidate. Composition is something Mr. Boerma is increasingly interested in as he expands his creative horizons. If you have met him at an MMB rehearsal, you know he is very gregarious and outgoing. He and his wife Amy already live near Ann Arbor.

Monday, April 16: Craig Cornish is director of the marching band at Middle Tennessee State University, a position he has held since 2002. Prior to locating at MTSU, Mr. Cornish conducted the marching band at Nebraska for four years. Moving from Nebraska to MTSU appears an odd transition until you realize that Mr. Cornish left Nebraska of his own accord due the pitiful salary afforded him by the athletic department at that institution. One reference at Nebraska told me "our athletic director at the time paid Craig less than he paid the kids who pick up the towels the players drop." This is not an issue at UM as the salary for this position is both an endowed chair and supervised by the Dean of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. Mr. Cornish taught public school music in Kentucky for fifteen years and his ensembles had outstanding success. He has won university wide teaching awards at both Nebraska and MTSU. His references suggest, "students will love his warmth and enthusiasm, plus he really knows how to motivate students to do better than their best." His resume shows the quality of his work in both drill design and arranging. In addition, the size and quality of the MTSU marching band is major even if the athletic conference is minor. Mr. Cornish would view this job as a "destination" job.

The candidates will be subjected to a rigorous interview process. This includes a "leadership forum" meeting with drum major, rank and section leader candidates, a teaching session with available students, an open forum for all students to ask questions, a time to fill out evaluations, and individual or small group meeting times. Additionally, each candidate will have to meet with the search committee, the dean of the School of Music, two meetings with Prof. Haithcock, several with the MMB staff, and a presentation to music students.

[edit: content deleted, 1984 big-brother style, because it's not worth having it up.]

But there we have it. Directors from MSU via Texas, MTSU via Nebraska, and EMU via Novi. A decision will be announced at the beginning of June.

Breaking: John Beilein Is The Next M Basketball Coach

It's lighting up all over the place, but multiple sources have John Beilein, late of West Virginia, accepting the job as Michigan's next men's basketball coach. Brian's been on top of this all day, and now CBS Sportsline has it too. I think it's gotta be a done deal by now, and I can only hope for the best for Beilein and our program.

NCAA Hockey Previews: East Regional

Seriously, we're really excited about the NCAA hockey tournament. Deadspin did a preview of all 64 teams in the basketball edition, so in that tradition we offer you these incredibly uninformative previews of the teams in the hockey tournament. We started posting these by regional yesterday, so today's are the last two. All the regional previews are compiled in a handy PDF here (205K).

East Regional – Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY

Clarkson University Golden Knights The Empty Seats Do Raise Questions. Verbatim from Wikipedia: "The Cheel Arena attendance record of 4,125 was set on January 18th, 2003 against arch-rival St. Lawrence University, although many consider it to be unofficial due to the large number of empty seats at the game." Clarkson also owns the dubious distinction of the only school to reach the finals three times and come away without a championship. It Really Was An Awful Film. Then Again, So Was Down Periscope. Roger Ebert coined the "Stanton-Walsh Rule" which states that "no movie featuring either Harry Dean Stanton or [Clarkson alumnus] M. Emmet Walsh in a supporting role can be altogether bad." Ebert later conceded that this rule was broken by 1999's Wild Wild West.

St. Cloud State Huskies Thanks, Unky Herb! Herb Brooks coached the St. Cloud State Huskies in the 1986-87, helping the Huskies move up to Division I play. He was also instrumental in the building of the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Ducks Fly Together. That same National Hockey Center became the site where many of the interior scenes were filmed in The Mighty Ducks. No word on whether Brooks helped develop the Flying V.

University of Maine Black Bears We're #2! Strangely, the University of Maine is only the second largest university in the state, and not only that, it loses out to a directional school. Its enrollment of 11,000 students is eclipsed by the University of Southern Maine. Twice As Nice. Maine is one of only two schools (Minnesota-Duluth being the other) to see back-to-back winners of the Hobey Baker Award. This occurred in 1992 when Scott Pellerin won it and then in 1993 when Paul Kariya was honored as the Black Bears won their first national championship.

University of Massachusetts (Amherst) Minutemen Take THAT, Bob Vila! Among the famous non-sporting alumni of UMass include William Monahan, the Oscar winning screenwriter of The Departed, Bill Pullman (not Bill Paxton), Rob Corddry, formerly of The Daily Show and now starring on Fox's The Winner, and Black Francis of The Pixies (did not graduate). The best of these however may be Norm Abram, Class of 1972, "America's most famous carpenter", host of New Yankee Workshop, and Massachusetts' second most famous television Norm. Jack Donaghy will be rooting for the Minutemen. Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, is a UMass alum (Class of 1957). Known as Neutron Jack for his sometimes ruthless style of cutting employees, he was named Manager of the Century by Fortune Magazine in 1999. Geoff only has nice things to say about him.

Top 9 Tournament Games In Michigan Hockey: Part 3

We're attempting to put together a list of the top 9 – one for each Michigan national championship – NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament games we've witnessed, either on TV or in person. This list is presented in no particular order. Without further adieu, Part 3

Michigan 4 - 3 North Dakota (1998). In their first game of the 1998 regionals at Yost, Michigan's game-winning goal came on a fluky bounce where a Princeton defender's skate tipped a Michigan pass into his own net. That wouldn't be enough if Michigan was going to beat North Dakota. In the first period, Michigan looked like a team about to get hustled off its own ice. North Dakota raced out to a 2-0 lead. As the period wound down, Michigan made things worse by giving the Fighting Sioux a 5-3 power play and a 3-0 game seemed almost inevitable. Matt Herr was still in the box when the second period began, but when he jumped back onto the ice, his teammates got him the puck and he cut the deficit in half with a shorthanded goal. North Dakota scored a few minutes later, but again the Wolverines made it a one-goal game going into the third. They leveled the score with Greg Crozier's powerplay goal less than a minute into the period and Yost went NUTS. Not just any-other-arena crazy, but insane-for-even-Yost crazy. The rest of the period was a titanic struggle, but Michigan broke through again with 2:54 to go when Herr gave the puck to Bobby Hayes on a 2-on-1. He buried the game-winner and pandemonium broke out. Marty Turco sums it up as "Best game ever" and "the biggest game I have ever played in." This from a two-time NCAA champion. –Geoff

Michigan 5 - 3 Colorado College (2003). In an up and down regional final at Yost, Eric Nystrom gave Michigan an early lead when Dwight Helminen's rebound came to him, but Colorado College quickly surged ahead on the strength of their lethal power play and future Hobey Baker winner Peter Sejna. Sejna assisted on CC's first powerplay goal at 8:10 and scored his own at 10:42 of the first. Michigan was getting annihilated by the powerplay and had to find a way to either stay out of the box entirely or play better on special teams. As the former wasn't really an option, the Wolverines opted instead to apply more pressure all over the ice. CC went on the powerplay 6 more times without registering another goal and Michigan's offense kept plugging away. Milan Gajic tied the game again in the first by just getting to David Moss's pass and putting it past CC's drawn-off goaltender. Early in the second, Jeff Tambellini was in the box for a stupid, stupid crosschecking penalty (taken with :33 left in the first!) when Mark Mink jumped on a bad, lazy turnover by CC in front of their own net and sent it home for the 3-2 lead. CC wasn't about to go away though, and midway through the second they pounced on an Andy Burnes turnover at center ice to tie it up at 3-3. Even though CC was a dangerous, dangerous team, I started feeling like Michigan was going to make it through if only because it was a Yost crowd. I'd seen it happen just last year, and it felt right. Sure enough, about 4.5 minutes into the third, Jason Ryznar and Moss were digging for the puck behind the CC net. Ryznar came away with it, moved in front of the goal and put away the game-winner. –Geoff

Michigan 3 - 2 Colorado College (1996). It was on like at noon on a Saturday on ESPN as I was finishing up my senior year of high school. It was a Saturday and I knew Michigan was doing well because I had seen the loop of Mike Legg's goal played in perpetuity on SportsCenter during the previous week. I don't even have to say which Mike Legg goal, you know the one. Michigan was riding a hot netminder in sophomore Marty Turco, and the scoring of a pair of guys with the same initials, Brendan Morrison and Bill Muckalt. Michigan is in the Maize unis, and Colorado College, a school I had never heard of, is giving them fits. It's back and forth, up and down, a defensive struggle (only eight shots were taken in the first period between the two teams. I don't remember if this had anything to do with the less than stellar ice at the Coliseum, it's been a while.) But then it happens, in overtime, sort of out of nowhere, going top shelf on a falling CC goalie at the 3:35 mark of overtime to seal the deal. Michigan wins its eighth national title, and their first since 1964. I'm a fan for life and I know I want season tickets for Yost when I get there next year. I get my first Michigan jersey from M Den, and the rest is history. –Craig

NCAA Hockey Previews: Northeast Regional

We started posting these by regional yesterday, so today's are the last two. All the regional previews are compiled in a handy PDF here (205K).

Northeast Regional – Verizon Wireless Arena, Manchester, NH

University of New Hampshire Wildcats Who Are We? The Wildcats! Unlike certain other sports, New Hampshire is the lone team in this year's tournament calling themselves the Wildcats and only one of two in all of Division I hockey. The most popular mascot? Four teams (Michigan Tech, Northeastern, St. Cloud State, and UConn) call themselves the Huskies. Get The Picture. Famous UNH alumni include novelist John Irving, actor Blanchard Ryan (of Open Water fame) and Craig's favorite, actor Mike O'Malley of Yes, Dear and an eponymous sitcom which was cancelled after two episodes.

Miami University RedHawks They're a Bit Pedantic About That. Miami University is a bit touchy about that other Miami, as they've been around since 1809 and feel they've earned it. The first line of their Wikipedia page states that it is often "colloquially and incorrectly" referred to as "Miami of Ohio", so that about sums it up. Harrison Wouldn't Wear A Helmet Either. Miami is one of only four schools to produce both a president and a Super Bowl-winning quarterback (the others being Michigan, Stanford, and the Naval Academy). Their alumnus Benjamin Harrison (not the Harrison that died after 30 days in office) is one of the mostly forgotten presidents of the late 19th century. Ben Roethlisberger left Miami after his junior season to declare for the NFL draft.

Boston College Eagles The 700 Club. Coach Jerry York is the leader among all active coaches, besting cross-town rival Jack Parker of BU. However, many of his 749 wins at the start of this season came not with BC, but with Bowling Green and Clarkson, so Parker is the leader by a longshot for wins at a single school. NBC. Both SNL's Nancy Walls and Amy Poehler are alumnae of Boston College. Walls, who's married to Steve Carrell, has also been featured on the Daily Show and as Michael Scott's girlfriend/real estate agent on The Office. Poehler (married to Will Arnett) has been part of the Upright Citizens Brigade and did some excellent work as an RA on Undeclared ("We don't have judgment, we just...have pizza").

St. Lawrence Saints Viggo the Carpathian. Or rather, the Cantonese. Nestled way upstate in Canton, NY, St. Lawrence counts among its alumni actor/poet/musician/Aragorn Viggo Mortensen. Apparently the university has a talent for producing stars of epic movies, as Kirk Douglas attended class somewhat earlier in the century. Hockey's Cradle of Coaches? As a player, Ron Mason took St. Lawrence all the way to the finals of the NCAA tournament back in 1961, where they lost to Denver by a painful 12-2. Mike Keenan is another Saints product, and we hear he's still looking for work somewhere. In the early '80's a certain Mike McShane guided the Saints, but we're pretty sure he's not the guy from Whose Line...

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.