WTI: Cirque and Destroy

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

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

WTI: The End of an Era

This edition of WTI is solely about Lloyd Carr, his retirement, his legacy, and the future of the program. Tomorrow we'll look into the MMB's season with some more football content.

Geoff:	Everyone's known for the last week, but Lloyd Carr made it official today. He's stepping down from his spot as our head coach.
Craig:	It is the end of a 13 year era which, depending on whom you talk to, was a success, a failure, or a maddening enigma.
Geoff:	By turns, I'd say it's been all three.
Geoff:	This is a huge turning point in the program's history. Not since Bo signed on for the 1969 season has the program had to look for its next scion.
Craig:	In many ways, it's the 2008 election of Michigan football, no clear successor, lots of speculation, and a very long run up to the actual decision
Geoff:	Lloyd Carr has done tremendous things for this football team.
Craig:	And for the University.
Geoff:	I'll never, ever forget the magical run in 1997. I was still a junior in high school then, but I dragged my best friend and his flu-like symptoms to the Notre Dame game. I made it to a few more that year too, and I was there for the 1997 Michigan-Ohio State epic and the '98 Rose Bowl.
Craig:	As I stated in my Coach Carr encomium, he is my coach, and I don't know that I have ever wavered from that. You just don't quit on someone because they aren't winning up to the exceptionally lofty standards one has set in their head. Yes, we were maddened at turns by some of the losses, but we overlook some of the comebacks.
Jeremy:	I'd gone to a few games before Lloyd, but he was the face of the program for my formative years.

Geoff:	The first game I remember attending was in '89, so I have some memories of Bo, and more of Moeller, but the Carr era is the one I belong to.
Craig:	The Moeller era, for me, is a nebulous space where I have memories of it, but they are all specifically vague.
Jeremy:	On a micro scale, sure you can pick apart his losses and maddening tendencies, but on a macro scale, by which he'll later be analyzed, he improved the program's winning percentage. By any standard Michigan uses, he deserves his own building on the Athletic Campus. It's as simple as that.
Geoff:	You realize that 4 of the top 6 Big Ten coaches all-time were Michigan men? Schembechler, Yost, Crisler, and Carr?
Craig:	And, we must always remember this...Lloyd Carr did this in the first generation of head coaches in the scholarship limited era, competing after so many of Bo's advantages had been whittled away – Deregulation of college football on television leading to so much more national exposure, the internet, recruiting services, and 24/7 talk radio have all served to level the playing field.
Craig:	But let us please be clear that no one forced Lloyd Carr out. Coach Carr saw an opportunity to leave, at a time when it would likely be best for the school and the program, and he is taking it because, I suspect, he'd like to have a life that is more than just football. Can we begrudge a man for wanting to enjoy his retirement?
Jeremy:	Those stories are just as ridiculous as all the previous years of him being "on the hot seat" after three losses.
Geoff:	He's always said he's not taking the Paterno way out, or even the Bowden one.
Craig:	And there's nothing wrong with the Paterno or Bowden way, but merely, it is a choice.
Craig:	Can we also be clear that Michigan is not like a lot of other schools in that our hot seat is not the same as other places? Michigan is not an SEC or Big XII South school in that regard. Michigan's values are first and foremost a winning program with integrity. And the Fab Five era makes us exceptionally wary of anything that looks even a little sketchy.
Geoff:	Lloyd's program has never had the faintest whiff of scandal about it. Players may have showed up on the police blotter (Perfect Offseason Forever), but the program has always stayed clean.
Jeremy:	I've always trusted Lloyd to handle disciplinary situations properly, and IIRC, he's always done the right thing. Whether it be dismissing someone from the team or letting the system take its course
Craig:	And, honestly, we've all read Crime Notes, is Michigan's football program, statistically, any worse in some of these regards than the university population at large?
Craig:	And, by the way, the guys who have come back with the 60–60–6:00 program have been pretty much model citizens upon their return.
Geoff:	Do enough steps, you learn your lesson.
Jeremy:	They're probably better. I doubt anyone on the football team has triggered a smoke alarm with an overcooked pop tart, or assaulted a UHS employee with a picture frame.
Geoff:	We've been talking about the kind of program Lloyd has built, but this new era is upon us. Right now, Michigan is a high-level program, on the outside of the elite. Over the last 13 years, we have a .750 winning percentage, and we know that will be the Mendoza line for anyone who comes in.
Craig:	By the way, I need to put that in perspective. 8-4 is .667, 9-3 is .750 That ONE win is HUGE!
Geoff:	You look around college football, and you see what can happen with a new hire for the better (Urban Meyer, Pete Carroll) or for the worse (Solich/Callahan, Weis).
Craig:	Indeed. What every Michigan fan, whether they want to admit it, or can admit it, is they want to trade Cooper for Tressel. Now, I am not saying Lloyd Carr is our John Cooper. But John Cooper was not a bad coach. It's just that Jim Tressel has become the coach that Buckeye fans have wanted since Woody.
Craig:	But do you know how rare, how truly rare, that kind of trading up is? Look at Florida, they had to take their Zookian lumps before landing Meyer.
Jeremy:	We want that pendulum to swing back in our direction now.
Craig:	USC hated Carroll when he was hired. There were torches and pitchforks in the Southlands.
Geoff:	Cooper->Tressel is the gold standard for a program that wasn't in trouble going for the elite.
Craig:	It's interesting. Everyone says "Don't go NFL if you want to avoid a Nebraska/Notre Dame issue", but what did USC do? At the same time, USC had fallen off; we forget that given what they have become once more.
Geoff:	I have confidence we aren't going to hire a Charlie Weis. And, if we do, we won't hamstring ourselves with an onerous buyout like they did.
Craig:	I agree. I have a lot of faith in Bill Martin's doing this and doing this right, because this is a business decision as much as anything. Bill Martin knows this is his legacy on the line. This and the renovation. He's going to do everything he can to get it just right.
Jeremy:	He handled the Beilein hiring very well.
Geoff:	I think we need to be prepared for an interesting ride that could last into the first week of January.
Craig:	And he handled the Beilein hire in a way that gives me a lot of confidence in the idea of he's going to do it right. And he's going to start by saying as little as humanly possible to the media.
Geoff:	Again, with the Beilein hiring, we waited until we had a clear shot at the guy we wanted.
Craig:	Can we clarify something else? A Michigan Man does not necessitate someone who has ties to Michigan in the past. It is someone who embodies the values which Michigan Men (and Women) represent and holds the University and its interests dearest to his heart.
Geoff:	It's a straightforward guy who's about the school, not himself. About the team, not just the guy with the headset. He has to see himself (or herself) as part of the tradition we have at Michigan and, like you said, goes about the task of winning with integrity.
Craig:	So, just because we want a Michigan man does not mean that Michigan man has to be connected to Michigan. As I have been thinking about this, I want the best candidate for the job, not necessarily the popular one or the flashy one (particularly not the last one.) And that will be the hardest part. Callahan blew up every ounce of tradition at Nebraska and it became just another Big XII school. The new era will need to blend a reverence for tradition and heritage without being beholden to the old ways simply because it was what always done.
Geoff:	Right. Abandoning the triple option was one thing, abandoning the idea of what the 'Huskers are is another.
Craig:	Like destroying your massive walk-on program.
Jeremy:	The title of Michigan Man is earned, not given exclusively.
Craig:	So we can speculate all we want about whom, and toss names around, but in the end, it's like theorizing what you would do if you won the lottery, fun to speculate, but not likely going to matter much down the line.
Geoff:	I think Michigan is going to look for long-term success. I think they're going to take a full, fair look at all the candidates out there. I think Lloyd will have input, but Bill Martin has reminded everyone that the buck stops with the AD. I think Ferentz is a ridiculous idea, but Brian Kelly will get a look. And I think Les Miles has a 2/3 chance of becoming our next head football coach.
Craig:	Ron English gets an interview. I promise you this.
Geoff:	Mike Debord gets a buyout.
Jeremy:	I think we go through the motions and ultimately get Miles.
Geoff:	The longer this drags on, the more likely it's Miles.
Craig:	I think it's also important that we do not burn any bridges or make any enemies in this process.
Geoff:	Martin will handle everything quietly.
Geoff:	Let's get prepared for a flurry of media coverage without any real answers coming out.
Craig:	So, final thoughts. Certainly thank you, Coach Carr, for everything. That's as simple as I can think to put it. And to the next guy, I hope you know what you're getting into. Because we don't mind if you don't mind, because we don't shine if you don't shine.
Geoff:	Whatever happens, it's the end of an era. I'm worried about what could come next, but excited for the future. Thanks to our coach for 13 years of service and a national title.
Jeremy:	28 years of service.
Jeremy:	I hope we miss Coach Carr, but not ever in a regretful way. May he continue to be an outstanding ambassador for the University and not keep too low of a profile.
Craig:	And as Jam22 said, he needs to go out and spend some of that money. :)
Craig:	Thank you, Happy Thanksgiving to all...and good night.

I'm sorry, Mr. Jones; it's time.

(HT: Sanjay)

Post-Game Day

WELL, THAT KIND OF SUCKED.

Game Day

BEAT OHIO STATE. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.

When the Head and the Heart Part Company...

On Wednesday night, someone on Deadspin Up! All Night asked me this very simple question:

"So, I hate to ask, but what's your thoughts going into this weeks big game? Do they win one for Lloyd?"

I pondered it, and I pondered it further. After the jump, my reply.

I don't know. I just don't know.

My heart tells me yes, that somehow, playing exactly one year to the day of Bo's death, Hart/Henne/Long's last home game, the last game in Michigan Stadium in its current configuration, and potentially Coach Carr's last game, that everything is setting up for the boys to rally together and win one, putting a gleaming capstone on what is a too readily dismissed period in Michigan football history.

My brain says Wells...Wells....Wells....The Mad Genius in a Sweatervest....DeBord still calling plays....Hart hurt....Henne Hurt...Wells...Crable's propensity to do something stupid...Mallettosis...Can't be done.

But, and you'll forgive me referencing Scripture during Football Easter week:

"But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love."

If hope dies last...if faith did not leave me after The Unpleasantness and The Slaughter in September, when it would have been easiest to be tested, but instead I still chose to believe. If Michigan football is my one true unquestioned love of my entire adult life, I have to believe they will find a way, even if everything logical and rational tells me not to get my hopes up, I must believe. Because hope does die last.

Or as someone much better at this than I am said: Go. Fight. Win. Please.

But, as someone else said, sometimes you only have two words left, and they are the only two you need. Go Blue!

A Big Rosy Block M

This is an excellent compilation of Bob Ufer clips from past Ohio State games. It is 15 minutes long, and worth each one of them. (HT: PSuth)

Coach Carr: An Encomium

I can't believe I am using South Park to get here.

In the final part of the Imaginationland trilogy, Kyle argues that fictional characters are sometimes more important than real people because they can have a profound influence on our lives as well as the lives of countless other people, even if they aren't real.

I have never had the good fortune to meet Coach Carr, and yet I know that his (rumored) retirement will have a profound impact on my life, as profound as any person I actually know.

While you can debate the merits of my priorities all you like, the reality is that I am not alone in this feeling. Coach Carr has been the head coach of the University of Michigan football team since 1995. It was probably a job he never saw himself holding, with Gary Moeller being Bo's hand picked successor. But he took the reins, never campaigned to get the interim label removed, beat Ohio State and became the man at Michigan. Two years later, he took us to the Promised Land, my Michigan annus mirabilis as it were. And while you can argue that Michigan should have won more games in the last ten years, you'd be a fool. Michigan's winning percentage during that post MNC season is just a shade under .750. That's right; he won three out of every four games. Or pretty much exactly in line with Michigan's all-time winning percentage. Coach Carr has held the lamp high. The naysayers may point to games that Michigan lost that they should have won, that the coaching staff failed to adjust, that they didn't use their best players in the right way, that they played too conservatively and that those failures, in the end, cost them dearly. But what about the other side of that coin, when Michigan rallied to win games it had no business winning? Do those not count because we should never have been in a position that required it or do you not count them because, as always, winning forgives a lot of sins?

Coach Carr is my coach, in the literal sense that he was the coach at Michigan while I was a student, but he's also my coach in a figurative sense, in that I felt like my coming of age as a Michigan fan came under his stewardship. Do not doubt for a moment the love, reverence, or appreciation I have for Bo. He ignited my flame as a Michigan fan, he's the one who made me want to be a Michigan man when I was just eight years old (I'm a first generation Michigan alum, but a third generation Michigan football fanatic, so I am sure my mother and maternal grandparents helped a lot, but the story goes that when I was asked in third grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was that I wanted to go to Michigan and watch football. When asked by my teacher if I meant play for U of M, I said, no, I could never play for Michigan, but I think I'm smart enough to go there, so that's my plan. From that moment on, my childhood and the decisions I made were steadfastly focused on one thing and one thing only, getting into Michigan. Flash forward to October 15, 1995. Mission accomplished.) Gary Moeller serves as the bridge, the coach when I was beginning to understand that football was a lot more complicated than simply the guys in the winged helmets needed to score more than the other guys. But Coach Carr is my coach, the coach who guided my team through the truest years of my passion, when I first began to blend sheer emotional connection and fanaticism with an academic understanding of the game. I still don't know if I could tell you about hitting your A gap or running into the mesh, but I know why you run Zone Left when you have Jake Long on your line, and I know why you play for field position in real life when you'd go for it on fourth down against the computer. The heart and the head often feud when watching football, but that, in and of itself, makes it all the more special.

When one is the football coach of a major national college football program, only the greatest scrutiny exists, only the highest power microscope will serve the purpose of those fans who in their heads think they know better, because in their hearts, they just want what is best for their teams. It comes with the territory, and it can be argued that no other sport in American life places such value on each individual win and loss because one wrong turn can mean the end of a season. In really delving into the mindset of Michigan fans over the last couple of seasons, what I have realized is that perhaps, collectively, we're only happy when it rains; that without something to complain about, we don't know what to do. We live our football lives waiting for the shoe to drop and it ruins, on many occasions, our ability to appreciate what we have before us. Let us resolve to not to that here. Let us appreciate what we have seen on the field for the last thirteen seasons.

At many schools, Carr would be the greatest coach in their history, a man they would rush to name something for on their athletic campus. But Coach Carr was the steward of a program where anywhere you look on the athletic campus, you are reminded of those who have gone before. Yost Ice Arena, Crisler Arena, Oosterbaan Field House, speed Bumps, Schembechler Hall. How do you make your mark against such a legendary roster of coaches (to wit, Carr is just the 8th Michigan head coach since Michigan Stadium opened in 1927, and only the tenth since the beginning of the 20th Century. That's it, ten head coaches in 107 years.) Well, you do it, in this day and age by honoring your traditions, but running a clean program, and winning. When you think about it, no coach wins as much as their fan base would like them to, in part because fans, being fans, have unreasonable expectations. So, the question becomes, what is winning often enough? What is the price of winning? What is the ultimate goal of intercollegiate athletics? These are questions which have and will continue to plague sports fans. We do not have clear answers in this regard. However, if we are allowed to draw on our heritage for a moment, winning clean may be a Michigan football fans most revered value. We have seen the muck and the morass that our basketball program has fallen into after a gilded era of pyrite victory in the early 1990s, and we know that we never want to have our football program go through that same Hell. So we resolve that if we are winning and winning clean, this is what matters most. Michigan's football program is far from perfect, our football player police blotter is honestly a little shameful in the abstract, but it's also relatively mild compared to the rest of the college football world. So perhaps this is the best lesson going forward, and the way to best honor Coach Carr's legacy.

So, to whomever comes next, please understand that tradition is deeply revered here, and find a way to walk a middle path between honoring what has gone before and moving into the future. Find a way to win clean, to never bring shame to those who cherish the Maize and Blue. Know that you are not jumping into the most intense pressure cooker in American college football, but a different kind of pressure cooker.

In closing, Coach Carr, enjoy your (rumored) retirement. May you not be too far from Ann Arbor on game days, and not too far from our hearts.

How Michigan Influences OSU

As we prepare for the 104th edition of the greatest rivalry in all of sports, it's important to take a few jabs at each other along the way. Here are some aspects of college football where Michigan has influenced the Buckeyes.

Stadium Decoration

Because the athletic director loved the colors*, the rotunda at Ohio Stadium is decorated with maize and blue flowers. Michigan Stadium wasn't built for five years afterward, but it's probably not hard to guess what the color scheme was going to be.

Nostalgic Longing

The Ohio State song "I want to go back to Ohio State" straight-up stole its first lines and melody from Michigan's "I want to go back to Michigan."

Marching Band Formations

The first script Ohio was formed in 1932 by the Michigan Marching Band.

Yes, this is not THE [HYPERBOLE] SCRIPT OHIO as we know it today. It is still Ohio, in script. And OSU fans will be quick to point out that the MMB just marched straight there. Which is fine, because it gets it over with faster.

The OSU band also played music from Titanic at last year's game. While they played Celine Dion's famous song, they formed the ship, cracked it, and sunk it off the edge of the field, using fire extinguishers for steam. The crowd loved it.

Now, that's a clever idea, but I liked it better when the Michigan Marching Band did it in 1998.

"Michigan Daily: The Band Plays On - 10/1/1998: 'That whole thing with the band members grouping in the shape of that old sunken ship, complete with the fire extinguishers for steam, was quite creative and entertaining, and very cool.'

How to Behave

Actually, they came up with this one all on their own. I hope.

*No. It's because the winner of the 1922 dedication game got to paint the flowers in their colors. Michigan won 19-0.

Leaving Early

I read this New York Times article yesterday after spotting it on mgolicious. Hat tip to Mike B. for putting this in my head months ago, but one of the things I don't think the Times is mentioning is that Canadian players are a slightly bigger flight risk than their American counterparts. The majority of guys who've left Michigan early are Canadians: Tambellini, Cogliano, Comrie, etc. Chart? Chart:

Players Who Left Early

Player	Country	Final Year	Yrs Left	Current League
Brian Deasley	Canada	1988	2	N/A
Aaron Ward	Canada	1993	1	NHL
Cam Stewart	Canada	1993	1	N/A
Ryan Sittler	Canada	1994	2	N/A
Robb Gordon	Canada	1995	3	N/A
Mike Van Ryn	Canada	1999	2	NHL
Mike Comrie	Canada	2000	2	NHL
Andy Hilbert	USA	2001	2	NHL
Jeff Jillson	USA	2001	1	AHL
Mike Cammalleri	Canada	2002	1	NHL
Mike Komisarek	USA	2002	2	NHL
Danny Richmond	USA	2003	3	NHL
Dwight Helminen	USA	2004	1	JYP (Finland)
Jeff Tambellini	Canada	2005	1	NHL/AHL
Mike Brown	USA	2005	2	AHL
Al Montoya	USA	2005	1	AHL
Andrew Cogliano	Canada	2007	2	NHL
Jack Johnson	USA	2007	2	NHL

It's not a huge split at 10-8. And looking further at the past five years, it's 5-2 for the Americans, but I almost want to throw Al Montoya, Dwight Helminen, and Danny Richmond off this list: Montoya's listless junior year points to him just being generally unhappy at Michigan, while Helminen and Richmond were rumored to be headed for academic troubles if they hadn't bolted for the pros. So almost all of the Americans who've jumped early have had some other reason to leave than seeing a shot at the NHL.

At the same time, the two Canadians who left early played on a team with very few Canadians. 57 players have suited up for Michigan in the last 5 years. Eight of them were Canadian and 2 left early, for a .250 rate. The remaining 49 were American and 5 left early, a 0.102 rate. Given that everyone who left early was drafted, we'll examine that pool. According to the mgoblue.com rosters, 20 Americans were draft picks during this period, while 4 Canadians were as well. Two of those Canadians left early, for a .500 rate, while 5 Americans did, a 0.250 rate. The small sample size is annoying, but the numbers match up with the anecdotal evidence (Note: Does anyone have better data here? I know I found at least one problem with these rosters. Danny Richmond was listed as undrafted, since he didn't leave until he was drafted over the summer following his freshman year).

Significant also are the Americans who could've left, but didn't: Nystrom stayed, Hensick stayed, JMFJ stayed until Red gave his blessing, Porter is still with us. It just seems like you can get an extra year out of the Americans, whereas the Canadians will go to the next level as soon as they see the opening.

---

I asked Mike to look over a draft of this for me, and he gave me back some great stuff. He's the source for all the data on guys who aren't in the NHL or AHL anymore. This is what he sent along:

• Brian Deasley left in 1988. This would be Red's first big loss. The Toronto native left after two years to join the Canadian National Team after nearly winning the Cy Young his sophomore year (18-4). He never made it to the NHL.
• Denny Felsner stayed all four years (1989-92). He was Red's best player during my era, including a 94 point senior year. American.
• Cam Stewart stayed for three years (1990-93). Kitchener native. Played 184 games in the NHL.
• Ryan Sittler stayed for two years (1992-94). He was the #7 overall pick in the 1992 draft, but had trouble moving past the third line at Michigan, going 18-33 in his two years. Went to the AHL, got injured, never recovered. Native of London, Ontario.
• Mike Knuble nearly left before his senior season (1994-95). The NHL lockout probably kept him at Michigan. American.
• Robb Gordon left after one year in 1995. He was 15-26 in his freshman year and was getting serious ice time and was on the #2 PP. He went to the WHL and had a 4 game NHL career. From B.C.
• Dwight Helminen left after three years. Hancock, MI native. He was about to flunk out anyway. Now playing in Finland.
• Jason Bacashihua signed a letter of intent in 2000 but never played for Michigan. Native of Garden City. Just got traded to the Avalanche, who sent him to Lake Erie. Has played 38 games in the NHL.
• Trevor Lewis signed a letter of intent in 2006 but never played for Michigan. Native of Salt Lake City. Currently in the Kings farm system.

Eric Nystrom is the only first round pick in the Red era to stay all four years. So I would be worried about Max Pacioretty.

The Vault: Michigan Stadium Dedication 1927

Michigan fans know that while Ohio Wesleyan was the first opponent in the Big House, the stadium was dedicated during a game against tOhio State with a 21-0 victory on October 27, 1927.

Noted YouTube poster WolverineHistorian posted this newsreel clip, enhanced by some classic work by what sounds like Michigan's men's glee club and old-timey piano, that really must be seen. So watch the clip, and then I will have some notes after the jump, and you are strongly encouraged to post your own notes.

* Like Simpsons writer John Schwartzwelder, I have an abiding affection for old-timey Americana. This clip has SO MUCH OF IT! The use of "Varsity", complete with what looks like a pep rally, is just icing on the cake.

* It's just amazing to see people filing into Michigan Stadium, a building that looks no bigger than 40 feet off the ground, from an empty field. No concrete to be seen anywhere. And yet, the stairways and the tunnel are pretty much the same today as they were 80 years ago.

* "Today's aerial footage was provided by a biplane!"

* Look at how close the field is to the first row. I know older Michigan fans always think that the lower rows are a nightmare because of the pre-1990 arrangement, but you can really see it there.

* Suits. Everywhere suits. I know that northern weather makes this an impossible, but I like the idea that you dress for a game, as some Southern schools do.

* No yard numbers on the field, narrow band sidelines, no end zone decorations.

* Lots of footage of the cheerleaders, but no footage of the MMB. Disappointing.

* Speaking of cheerleaders, I wonder if this is the game where the live Wolverine mauled the cheerleader, leading Michigan to permanently abandon the mascot concept.

* Hey, you can see people shredding their Michigan Football Guides and tossing them into the air after a score. Some things never change. I wonder what the 1927 version of Punt/Counterpunt was like...

* On the last play of the footage, you can see that even 80 years ago, Michigan had problems containing a mobile Buckeye quarterback and finishing their tackles.

* By the way, Michigan went unscored upon in its first three games in the Big House. Navy scored 12 in the fourth game at Michigan Stadium to become the first opposing team to find paydirt at Michigan Stadium.

The Vault: M at Notre Dame 1978

Check out the modified pregame entrance the MMB deployed at Notre Dame in 1978. No doubt this was an alternate routine developed for stadiums with tunnels in the end zone. It starts about a minute in.

This is a wise idea, as many stadiums, including our major rivals' (MSU, OSU, and ND) all had these entrances. Entry lines form in the tunnel and off the sideline, then march toward each other until they intersect. They branch off into their regular alignment with a quick 90-degree turn (which is painful to think about while doing entries).

The band coverage then stops mysteriously without resolution while they blather about some guys. But so many questions persist! Why is one rank of flags hauling ass twenty yards downfield past the band? Why is the M centered on the 10 yard line? What happens next? Where does the M go? I know some folks who read this were in the band then (Al McCord?), and perhaps they can provide insight.

"It's a Know-Nothing Party School"

We turn to Detroit morning rush hour DJ Dick Purtan and his classic circa-1977 parody for the appropriate sentiment on this week's game.

Beat the Buckeyes

Nothing has changed since we beat MSU. OSU for the Roses. Can't wait to see these folks all over again. Go Blue!

MSU In Pictures

We left my parents' house for East Lansing at 12:30, after my brother got home from work. On 696, we got a call letting us know that we should avoid 96, that it was a parking lot starting at Howell. We headed up 75 and west on I-69. My dad dropped my brother and I off at Grand River and Abbott. I had a vague idea about how to get to the stadium from there, but it really helped when I stumbled upon the Spartan Marching Band, lined up to parade over.

Our seats at Spartan Stadium were right in the middle of the Michigan section, which was good for me. Now I could be that much louder without risk.

Pre-game was good, even if it was the abbreviated version. The backbend was perfect. One change was that the band exited the field by taking the M off onto the sideline opposite the press box.

I didn't notice at the time, but someone in the comments pointed out that one of the SMB snares fell over while doing kick-step, and I actually have a photo of it.

The cheerleaders entered the field ahead of our team, and did that whole "run around waving your flag in the other guy's face" thing. I don't really like that when other teams do it in our stadium, but it made for a good picture once they came over to the actual Michigan fans. Then we had a flyover of four F-16s. Note the wire for the ESPN skycam.

Our first play from scrimmage was obviously zone left. Long and Butler crushed their guys, Moundros had a good block on his man, and Mike Hart was into the second level. Arrington looks like he's solid on this too.

The only Michigan TD on our end of the field all day was the Butler reception. The sun made this a bit fuzzy, but you can see it.

The MMB did the Modern Broadway show again from the Minnesota game. Sparty wants to join our flags.

The band performed "Springtime For Hitler" from The Producers, "Dancing Queen" from Mama Mia (without the dance this time), and "Defying Gravity" from Wicked. I have better pictures of this show from the Minnesota game, and I'll hopefully get around to posting them this week.

The SMB performed a '90's rock show that was decent, if kind of bland.

Nothing good happened on our end of the field in the second half, but I had to pull out the camera again after the Manningham TD.

GLORIOUS VICTORY ACHIEVED! Additional pictures can be found here.