Ohio State: Failure to Monitor (NCAA, Nov 10)
Penn State: Failure of Moral Courage (Court of Public Opinion, Nov 5)
Remainder of the Big Ten: Failure to rise above mediocrity (Scoreboard, Nov 5)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Badgers fall again & other thoughts
The proof is in the pudding. If OSU can score more points than you... then you suck. Yes, Wisconsin belongs in the same category as Akron, Toledo, Colorado, and Illinois.
I was actually in Ann Arbor this weekend, watching a decent Michigan squad pick on an overmatched Purdue team. I have to comment that Denard's passing skills seem to be diminishing each week; it was quite amusing to hear the collective gasps in the Big House each time the rock was heaved more than 20 yards down field. Denard would be wise to follow the Antwaan Randle El school of thought and enter the draft as a wide receiver. I know the Wolverine faithful love Mr. Robinson, but they seem to be deeply disturbed by his rate of tossing interceptions this year.
...and in other improbable news, OSU is atop the Leaders Division at 2-0, with games at home vs. Indiana and Penn State and on the road vs. Purdue remaining. These are all winnable games for the Buckeyes. Want to bet that the NCAA was hoping the folks in C-bus would finish 5-7 and avoid any chance of the Big Ten or Bowl postseason? Saturday's win sets the stage where the NCAA will soon have to make a ruling that pisses a whole bunch of people off (currently even money for The World vs. Buckeye Nation).
I was actually in Ann Arbor this weekend, watching a decent Michigan squad pick on an overmatched Purdue team. I have to comment that Denard's passing skills seem to be diminishing each week; it was quite amusing to hear the collective gasps in the Big House each time the rock was heaved more than 20 yards down field. Denard would be wise to follow the Antwaan Randle El school of thought and enter the draft as a wide receiver. I know the Wolverine faithful love Mr. Robinson, but they seem to be deeply disturbed by his rate of tossing interceptions this year.
...and in other improbable news, OSU is atop the Leaders Division at 2-0, with games at home vs. Indiana and Penn State and on the road vs. Purdue remaining. These are all winnable games for the Buckeyes. Want to bet that the NCAA was hoping the folks in C-bus would finish 5-7 and avoid any chance of the Big Ten or Bowl postseason? Saturday's win sets the stage where the NCAA will soon have to make a ruling that pisses a whole bunch of people off (currently even money for The World vs. Buckeye Nation).
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Spartanzzzz4Lifezzzz
To the Nut,
It was a grindout clash on the gridiron, one showing that both teams have something going on, but neither have a grasp of just what that is. Michigan State won on better coaching, better defense. From now on you must call us "The" Michigan State University.
To the Weasel,
I have to admit, the idea of beating you 4 years in a row doesn't seem very real... until you add Rich Rodriguez (and his legacy) to the mix. Oh, and the fact you don't have a QB (he's a hell of an athlete, nothing more). We beat you in coaching, defense, offense, special teams, intensity and thrown punches. You curled up in a ball.
Too bad there isn't a Badger on here. Better game ending than 2010 vs. Notre Dame. And to think, the Badger sitting next to me at work tried to argue "Wisconsin is better". Math must come hard to Badgers.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Ohio State Football Sucks For Realz
Yeah, real news flash there.
Before I get too far, I must congratulate the Greek for the win and wonder why Sparty showed so much mercy.... Between the Rees-esque statue-of-liberty fumble, the interceptions, and the garbage touchdown that Glass Joe (Bauserman) threw as the game ended, it seems that MSU did everything possible to keep the score close.
Anyway, I flew into Columbus this weekend for the shitshow. It's going to get ugly in Columbus (insert snarky comment.... here). The fans booed the team as they left field for halftime, and were giving Bronx Cheers at the end of the game for completed passes and first downs.
Fingers are already pointing. Since The Weasel is a fan of the Toledo Blade's Dave Hackenberg, I'll share this article and point out the best part: "The defense fought all game," Strong Safety Christian Bryant said. "We can't do anything else. The offense is on scholarship, too. Make a couple plays."
The implosion is happening right before our eyes, and we haven't even reached the halfway point yet. While people certainly expected Ohio State to struggle with the loss of it's head coach, 3-year starting QB, and the suspensions of several starters, it was presumed in the press that OSU would stay relevant and compete with Wisconsin for the Leaders Division title... and the forthcoming NCAA penalties may affect such a conference championship.
It's safe to predict that no one in Columbus will be packing their bags for a weekend trip to Indianapolis this December... or even a bowl. At 3-2, the season is about to get very grim for the Buckeyes. Oddsmakers will likely favor the Huskers, Illini, and Badgers in the next 3 games. And unless Denard throws 4 pick-6's to OSU defenders, the Greatest Rivalry In College Football will be a lousy game to watch for the 4th year in a row. It's likely that OSU will struggle to beat all 3 of Indiana, Purdue, and Penn State... meaning that bowl eligibility won't be in question either.
Oh yeah... OSU had 3 more players suspended for this weekend's game. I'm not sure how to interpret this. In order to discover this, you have to hire some good investigators for some good dirt-digging. Without the microscope on the program, this goes undetected. But you would think with all the shit that blew up on May 30, the athletic department would have ankle bracelet tracking systems on every player in the program. Someone needs to get fired.
Question to you all: Will Ohio State win 6 games this year? Will Urban Meyer coach the Buckeyes next year?
In other news, the Tigers and Lions are doing well! At least somebody is winning some games.
Before I get too far, I must congratulate the Greek for the win and wonder why Sparty showed so much mercy.... Between the Rees-esque statue-of-liberty fumble, the interceptions, and the garbage touchdown that Glass Joe (Bauserman) threw as the game ended, it seems that MSU did everything possible to keep the score close.
Anyway, I flew into Columbus this weekend for the shitshow. It's going to get ugly in Columbus (insert snarky comment.... here). The fans booed the team as they left field for halftime, and were giving Bronx Cheers at the end of the game for completed passes and first downs.
Fingers are already pointing. Since The Weasel is a fan of the Toledo Blade's Dave Hackenberg, I'll share this article and point out the best part: "The defense fought all game," Strong Safety Christian Bryant said. "We can't do anything else. The offense is on scholarship, too. Make a couple plays."
The implosion is happening right before our eyes, and we haven't even reached the halfway point yet. While people certainly expected Ohio State to struggle with the loss of it's head coach, 3-year starting QB, and the suspensions of several starters, it was presumed in the press that OSU would stay relevant and compete with Wisconsin for the Leaders Division title... and the forthcoming NCAA penalties may affect such a conference championship.
It's safe to predict that no one in Columbus will be packing their bags for a weekend trip to Indianapolis this December... or even a bowl. At 3-2, the season is about to get very grim for the Buckeyes. Oddsmakers will likely favor the Huskers, Illini, and Badgers in the next 3 games. And unless Denard throws 4 pick-6's to OSU defenders, the Greatest Rivalry In College Football will be a lousy game to watch for the 4th year in a row. It's likely that OSU will struggle to beat all 3 of Indiana, Purdue, and Penn State... meaning that bowl eligibility won't be in question either.
Oh yeah... OSU had 3 more players suspended for this weekend's game. I'm not sure how to interpret this. In order to discover this, you have to hire some good investigators for some good dirt-digging. Without the microscope on the program, this goes undetected. But you would think with all the shit that blew up on May 30, the athletic department would have ankle bracelet tracking systems on every player in the program. Someone needs to get fired.
Question to you all: Will Ohio State win 6 games this year? Will Urban Meyer coach the Buckeyes next year?
In other news, the Tigers and Lions are doing well! At least somebody is winning some games.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
A few interesting links....
Far be it for me to make a post without making a point, but there's a couple of links worth sharing here:
ESPNU Campus Road tour was in AA for the ND game. See the video here:
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/espnu-road-trip-ann-arbor-video
Some heroism at the Michigan / ND game: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011110915028
From the Toledo Blade, an open letter to Bo: http://www.toledoblade.com/DaveHackenberg/2011/08/30/Bo-in-case-you-didn-t-know-2.html
And finally, as much as I hate to do it, Rosenberg's article is both amusing and on point: http://www.freep.com/article/20110910/COL22/110911002/Michael-Rosenberg-U-M-caps-historic-night-let-Denard-run?odyssey=mod_sectionstories
Read. Understand. Discuss among yourselves.
ESPNU Campus Road tour was in AA for the ND game. See the video here:
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/espnu-road-trip-ann-arbor-video
Some heroism at the Michigan / ND game: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011110915028
From the Toledo Blade, an open letter to Bo: http://www.toledoblade.com/DaveHackenberg/2011/08/30/Bo-in-case-you-didn-t-know-2.html
And finally, as much as I hate to do it, Rosenberg's article is both amusing and on point: http://www.freep.com/article/20110910/COL22/110911002/Michael-Rosenberg-U-M-caps-historic-night-let-Denard-run?odyssey=mod_sectionstories
Read. Understand. Discuss among yourselves.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Congratulations and Good Luck
Just a quick entry to congratulate The Moderator on his recent exchange of nuptial vows and surviving the hurricane. Mazel tov!
I'd also like to congratulate Shoelace for once again snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Denard's nickname is also appropriate as far as Notre Dame is concerned, it seems the margin of victory is only ever as wide as those laces. What a great game to watch!
Good luck to the Spartans this week - I would love to see the Irish go 0-3 and Kelly go thermonuclear on the sidelines.
And good luck to my Buckeyes this week in the aptly-named Ineligi-bowl. After the stinker last week, they will need lots of it.
I'd also like to congratulate Shoelace for once again snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. Denard's nickname is also appropriate as far as Notre Dame is concerned, it seems the margin of victory is only ever as wide as those laces. What a great game to watch!
Good luck to the Spartans this week - I would love to see the Irish go 0-3 and Kelly go thermonuclear on the sidelines.
And good luck to my Buckeyes this week in the aptly-named Ineligi-bowl. After the stinker last week, they will need lots of it.
Most disgusting thing a Michigan Athlete has ever done
Ewwww...
New Biography Claims Sarah Palin Had A One-Night Stand With Glen Rice In 1987
The National Enquirer grabbed some details from the upcoming Joe McGinniss Sarah Palin book, and this chunk is too delightful not to share with you immediately. Apparently Palin had a fling with former Heat/Hornet/Laker Glen Rice while he was in college and while she was a sports reporter in Alaska, all the way back in 1987. Rice confirms it in the book.
Here's the Enquirer:
In the book, which will be published on September 20th, McGinniss claims Sarah had a steamy interracial hookup with basketball stud Glen Rice less than a year before she eloped with her husband Todd.
Sarah hooked up with the NBA great, then a 6-foot-8 junior at the University of Michigan when he was playing in a college basketball tournament in Alaska in 1987, the book says. At the time, Sarah, just out of college, was working as a sports reporter for the Anchorage TV station KTUU.
A publishing source told The ENQUIRER that McGinniss claims Sarah had a "fetish" for black men at the time and he quotes a friend as saying Sarah had "hauled (Rice's) ass down."
[...]
In the book, McGinniss quotes Rice as confirming the one-night stand.
We won't subject her journalistic ethics to any kind of scrutiny at this point, because, well, wow. And, oh, don't worry, we are all just as terribly confused as you are.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Sometimes that Michigan degree won't get you a job
http://deadspin.com/5826977/braylon-edwards-has-the-kind-of-resume-no-free-agent-wide-receiver-would-want
Actually, I have no idea if Braylon graduated. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say he may have. I never realized he was out with Stallworth the night of the crash with the pedestrian. That's pretty terrible, just by association.
Since this article was first written he has signed with SF. Not sure if that's a good fit or not.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Who's the wittiest of them all?
http://www.freep.com/article/20110725/SPORTS08/110725051/MSU-s-Hollis-orders-special-Spartan-pizza-U-M-s-Brandon?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Pretty funny, pretty harmless.
Brandon is a pretty pathetic in saying the pizza "sucked". It didn't suck, you just got jobbed in public.
Oh and further proof that the NCAA is nothing more than a money making machine.
Dear UConn, get a real stadium.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
MLB All-Star Balloting - What a joke
Ok. I know I'm a homer and my ballot probably proves that, but the all-star ballot is a joke. It's a popularity contest. The all-start game hardly recognizes the games best players, but rather the most popular from the fans...which means the Yankees and the Red Sox. The biggest such travesty this year is Russell Martin beating out Alex Avila. Russell Martin? Are you kidding me? He's batting .230 with no power in a home run haven. Availa? He's only hitting .304. For a catcher! I'm sure the Greek will agree with me, Avila should be starting for the AL.
For what it's worth, here's my AL votes (with the leader in parenthesis):
AL 1B (Adrian Gonzalez, Bos): Gonzalez, Bos. Yeah, this one is pretty easy. He's the first half AL MVP. No question he should be starting.
AL 2B (Robinson Cano, NYY): Cano, NYY. Another pretty obvious choice. Only 2B hitting for average and power consistently....and one of the few teams with a consistent 2B.
AL SS (Derek Jeter, NYY): Peralta, Det. Maybe a homer decision on my part, but how can you honestly vote for Jeter? He shouldn't even be starting for the Yankees right now! Peralta is hitting over .300 with some power and has been the most consistent hitter for the Tigers.
AL 3B (Alex Rodriguez, NYY): Rodriguez, NYY. Yeah, it hurts to vote for anyone sharing a name with our beloved Dick Rod but he's been that good compared to the other 3B. Who else, Brandon Inge? That's like voting Jim Tressell for the most honest coach award.
AL C (Russell Martin, NYY): Avila, Det. I still cannot believe Martin is winning this race. If he had any sense he would withdraw. Attack boy Alex behind the plate!
AL OF (Granderson, Bautista, Hamilton): Granderson, Bautista, Ellsbury. All four of these guys deserve to be there but Hamilton missed some significant time.
I'm not going to bother with the DH. Wait, yes I am. Ortiz of Martinez? I don't think so. Eat'em up Tigers, eat' em up. Stomp the Tribe!
I should probably note that I only differ with one OF, SS, C and DH (40%)
(Note for the Nut: We are talking about baseball here, you know, the sport with the little round white ball with red seams? I know, it's tough for you to follow).
For what it's worth, here's my AL votes (with the leader in parenthesis):
AL 1B (Adrian Gonzalez, Bos): Gonzalez, Bos. Yeah, this one is pretty easy. He's the first half AL MVP. No question he should be starting.
AL 2B (Robinson Cano, NYY): Cano, NYY. Another pretty obvious choice. Only 2B hitting for average and power consistently....and one of the few teams with a consistent 2B.
AL SS (Derek Jeter, NYY): Peralta, Det. Maybe a homer decision on my part, but how can you honestly vote for Jeter? He shouldn't even be starting for the Yankees right now! Peralta is hitting over .300 with some power and has been the most consistent hitter for the Tigers.
AL 3B (Alex Rodriguez, NYY): Rodriguez, NYY. Yeah, it hurts to vote for anyone sharing a name with our beloved Dick Rod but he's been that good compared to the other 3B. Who else, Brandon Inge? That's like voting Jim Tressell for the most honest coach award.
AL C (Russell Martin, NYY): Avila, Det. I still cannot believe Martin is winning this race. If he had any sense he would withdraw. Attack boy Alex behind the plate!
AL OF (Granderson, Bautista, Hamilton): Granderson, Bautista, Ellsbury. All four of these guys deserve to be there but Hamilton missed some significant time.
I'm not going to bother with the DH. Wait, yes I am. Ortiz of Martinez? I don't think so. Eat'em up Tigers, eat' em up. Stomp the Tribe!
I should probably note that I only differ with one OF, SS, C and DH (40%)
(Note for the Nut: We are talking about baseball here, you know, the sport with the little round white ball with red seams? I know, it's tough for you to follow).
Monday, May 30, 2011
Happy Birthday sir Nut!
And what a birthday present we have for you! A brand NEW sense of morality for THE Ohio State University! Ok, so it's not that extreme, but come on, how does it take MONTHS to figure out that Tressel needed to go? The coach LIED about NCAA rules violations. His overall record or the fact that he owned us Weasels from the North really do not matter after that.
Let's take a step back for a second and examine this situation:
Nonetheless, we should all wish the Nut a happy birthday for at very least, he doesn't have to find himself wearing Michigan gear all fall in protest.
And as promised, now that tOSU has finally shown some sense of decency with their football program, my protest has ended and I promise to become a full participant in our blog.
--The Weasel
Let's take a step back for a second and examine this situation:
- Several star football players at Nutsville traded leveraged their name or actual memorabilia for perks. Yes, the school makes millions off of these players and yes, star players across the country are likely doing the same. But there's a rule against it, and the player's got caught. Does the rule make sense? Not entirely. Should it be changed? Probably. Are the player's guilty? Yes.
- The head football Nut has not only been a success on the field, but supposedly off the field as well. He really did seem to run a clean program. But he uncovered violations and then started a whole snowball of mistakes. First, he failed to report it, looking to protect his players (his words) and protect his program (a reasonable interpretation by the rest of the country). Then, he failed to report it and LIED that he knew of any violations. Finally, as the store broke of his prior knowledge, he still didn't come clean. Let's face it folks, there is a lot of shady stuff going on in college sports and the coach's best course of action is to be open and honest about potential violations. If you are not, well, the head football nut is a good example of what happens.
Nonetheless, we should all wish the Nut a happy birthday for at very least, he doesn't have to find himself wearing Michigan gear all fall in protest.
And as promised, now that tOSU has finally shown some sense of decency with their football program, my protest has ended and I promise to become a full participant in our blog.
--The Weasel
Happy Birthday Nut!
Let the rumor mill begin.
No one leads a rumor charge like ESPN (http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=feldman_bruce&id=6607026) Among the names:
Personally, I'd love to see Rich-Rod come in to Columbus. How do you make the most hated rivalry even more hated? Through the fire-starter into the mix. Take the guy who failed at Michigan and put him in a situation loaded with players of his ilk. An then watch him succeed. I think we'd see the ROTC programs doing hand to hand combat.
The other question running through my mind - what else was going on underneath the sweater vest? The known allegations are obviously true, but probably no worse than would probably be seen at another school. There's something more there - and we're not just talking about a pocket protector or chest hair so thick it could be its own sweater vest.
THE rivalry is completely reset. Can Sparty take advantage or got through its own turmoil?
No one leads a rumor charge like ESPN (http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/blog?name=feldman_bruce&id=6607026) Among the names:
- Urban Meyer, who The Nut already debunked on purchasing a house. If he almost killed himself in Gainesville, will things really be much better in Columbus?
- Bo Pelini, from Youngstown, Ohio where they just grow coaches. The kids working at McDonald's are qualified to coach any D3 program
- Gary Patterson of TCU - would he jump ship after leading the frogs to the Big East where he can work to overtake UConn as the Big East football 'power' and make a BCS bowl
- Jon Gruden - When searching for a coach, you have to mention his name. It actually rule 1428.2.3a of the NCAA guidebook. This is automatically out since no one in Columbus has even taken the shrink wrap off of their copy.
- Mark Stoops - He's not Bob. (But still part of the Youngstown tree.)
- Gary Pinkel - He's turned around Missouri into a very solid program in the real Big 12. But he'll never be Texas, or Oklahoma, or Nebraska - oh wait, he doesn't have to be them any more. For a guy who's almost 60, it'd be a big move to start over unless he wants to get a thick pair of glasses and try to coach to 85 like the real legend.
- Mark Dantonio - This one would make me sad quite honestly. He's a Tressel guy and did a great job with Cincy and Sparty and it would probably crush the Greek. Does OSU really want to take a guy who is part of the Tressel regime?
Personally, I'd love to see Rich-Rod come in to Columbus. How do you make the most hated rivalry even more hated? Through the fire-starter into the mix. Take the guy who failed at Michigan and put him in a situation loaded with players of his ilk. An then watch him succeed. I think we'd see the ROTC programs doing hand to hand combat.
The other question running through my mind - what else was going on underneath the sweater vest? The known allegations are obviously true, but probably no worse than would probably be seen at another school. There's something more there - and we're not just talking about a pocket protector or chest hair so thick it could be its own sweater vest.
THE rivalry is completely reset. Can Sparty take advantage or got through its own turmoil?
Finally!
Tressel quits on my birthday. Odd to say that it's a gift, but it certainly makes me happy.
Though I think Interim Coach Luke Fickell is going to need more than the Force to keep the team in balance this year. He'll need something much more powerful... he'll need the Schwartz.
Pryor's career may now be done. Fickell doesn't owe him anything, and if they win the first 5 games without him, I think it will be very unpopular with Buckeye nation to start him again.
What are the odds that Urban Meyer becomes the next head coach at OSU? There was a rumor that he bought a house in Upper Arlington... but searching the Franklin County property register reveals no Meyer, Urban. Who knows.
Anyway, 2011 is going to be a radically different Big Ten season, with Michigan and Ohio State both having new coaches on the sidelines, 2 new divisions changing the schedules, and the addition of Nebraska. It should be good to watch the overall races.
Though I think Interim Coach Luke Fickell is going to need more than the Force to keep the team in balance this year. He'll need something much more powerful... he'll need the Schwartz.
Pryor's career may now be done. Fickell doesn't owe him anything, and if they win the first 5 games without him, I think it will be very unpopular with Buckeye nation to start him again.
What are the odds that Urban Meyer becomes the next head coach at OSU? There was a rumor that he bought a house in Upper Arlington... but searching the Franklin County property register reveals no Meyer, Urban. Who knows.
Anyway, 2011 is going to be a radically different Big Ten season, with Michigan and Ohio State both having new coaches on the sidelines, 2 new divisions changing the schedules, and the addition of Nebraska. It should be good to watch the overall races.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Schadenfreude
The definition.
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/billboard-mocking-ohio-states-jim-tressel-appears-along-michigan-interstate/
I have been really surprised to read comments from Michigan fans and alumni like "What a great day it is to be a Wolverine" whenever more bad news for the OSU football program hits the press. Maybe a great day would be when Michigan figures out how to actually beat OSU... especially if Michigan can beat OSU with eligible or (even better) ineligible players on the roster. That would be a day to celebrate. However, I feel that beating OSU, even if severely crippled by NCAA sanctions, will be good enough to declare a public holiday and parade around town.
I'm not saying that Michigan football fans or alumni shouldn't feel some satisfaction. Even if this was truly the work of one man, OSU has been deeply shamed, and the cover-up is much worse than the stupid stuff RichRod ever did. This event, along with the hiring of Hoke, now gives the Michigan football program a chance to get back in the running for the Big Ten crown. But isn't excellence really about conquering the tallest mountain? Cheering for the earthquake that reduced the height of the mountain seems a little beneath Michigan alumni.
BTW, the URL above was sent to me by a fellow buckeye who just relocated to Michigan for the 2nd time. Apparently he found the job that 11% of Michigan residents could not. (Sorry... just keeping up with the subject of this post.)
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/billboard-mocking-ohio-states-jim-tressel-appears-along-michigan-interstate/
I have been really surprised to read comments from Michigan fans and alumni like "What a great day it is to be a Wolverine" whenever more bad news for the OSU football program hits the press. Maybe a great day would be when Michigan figures out how to actually beat OSU... especially if Michigan can beat OSU with eligible or (even better) ineligible players on the roster. That would be a day to celebrate. However, I feel that beating OSU, even if severely crippled by NCAA sanctions, will be good enough to declare a public holiday and parade around town.
I'm not saying that Michigan football fans or alumni shouldn't feel some satisfaction. Even if this was truly the work of one man, OSU has been deeply shamed, and the cover-up is much worse than the stupid stuff RichRod ever did. This event, along with the hiring of Hoke, now gives the Michigan football program a chance to get back in the running for the Big Ten crown. But isn't excellence really about conquering the tallest mountain? Cheering for the earthquake that reduced the height of the mountain seems a little beneath Michigan alumni.
BTW, the URL above was sent to me by a fellow buckeye who just relocated to Michigan for the 2nd time. Apparently he found the job that 11% of Michigan residents could not. (Sorry... just keeping up with the subject of this post.)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
And the last time Michigan beat OSU was....
....before I address the topic of this post, let me explain my absence in the blog thus far. Let's just say I've been staging a holdout. I had vowed to myself that I would not comment until Ohio State finally discovered some sort of morality, took responsibility for the program and fired Tressel. I'll comment on this more in The Nut's original post, but let's face it. THE NCAA HAS CLAIMED YOUR COACH IS A LIAR. That's bad. Seriously OSU, lying is not good. Nonetheless, I've regained my wits and realized that the chances of OSU developing a sense of morality is about as good as MSU demonstrating a culture of high intelligence (for my friends the Greek and the Nut, that chance is zero).
Back to the original theme. This fall, when Michigan and OSU clash in Ann Arbor and the TV execs at ABC start making that graphic highlighting how long it's been since Michigan beat OSU, will the correct answer become 2010? In other words, if OSU is forced to vacate the 2010 season how do we view the outcome of the 2010 Michigan OSU game? OSU no longer can claim victory and I'll be the first to admit that Michigan certainly can't claim victory, so how do we view it?
The fact of the matter is that this whole idea of vacating victories for inelligble players at best just creates very odd situations. Consider the following:
The point is this: altering past history is not a severe enough penalty for these rule violations. Sure, you are removing them from the record books but you cannot remove the events from people's memories. OSU beat Michigan last year, even if they cheated to do it. If the NCAA wants to send a message that breaking the rules have severe consequences, then they need to penalize OSU harshly. Destruction of the program like Michigan basketball seems fitting, but at the very least, taking the Greek's suggestion of replacing Tressel with Rich Rod would be a good start.
More comments to come tomorrow as my holdout has officially ended.
Back to the original theme. This fall, when Michigan and OSU clash in Ann Arbor and the TV execs at ABC start making that graphic highlighting how long it's been since Michigan beat OSU, will the correct answer become 2010? In other words, if OSU is forced to vacate the 2010 season how do we view the outcome of the 2010 Michigan OSU game? OSU no longer can claim victory and I'll be the first to admit that Michigan certainly can't claim victory, so how do we view it?
The fact of the matter is that this whole idea of vacating victories for inelligble players at best just creates very odd situations. Consider the following:
- Michigan was determined responsible for the fab five and Ed Martin when he was listed as a booster for the final four during their freshman year. So, the record is stricken from that point on. So, did the fab five make the tourney, win 4 games and then Michigan basketball ended for 8 years?
- In 1997, another season vacated for Michigan Basketball, Minnesota won the regular season men's basketball championship in Ann Arbor. Minnesota was later forced to vacate the 1997 championship, including all of the games played. So if both Michigan and Minnesota removed records of this basketball game in 1997, did it really happen? For what it's worth, I was at the game. Is what I witnessed only alive in my memory?
- Since my mom has been referenced in this blog already and she made an interesting point related to this, I'll bring it up here. If I had flown from Minnesota to Ann Arbor for that 1997 game would Northwest refund my flight since the game never happened? What about U of M for the ticket I bought?
The point is this: altering past history is not a severe enough penalty for these rule violations. Sure, you are removing them from the record books but you cannot remove the events from people's memories. OSU beat Michigan last year, even if they cheated to do it. If the NCAA wants to send a message that breaking the rules have severe consequences, then they need to penalize OSU harshly. Destruction of the program like Michigan basketball seems fitting, but at the very least, taking the Greek's suggestion of replacing Tressel with Rich Rod would be a good start.
More comments to come tomorrow as my holdout has officially ended.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Jimmy the Greek
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6424573
OSU is still operating under the delusion a 5 game suspension will suffice. Thought I'd take a moment to handicap a few of their options...
4-1 OSU stands by their 5 game suspension and the NCAA tacks on significant extra time, say all of the 2011 season (and maybe a bowl or two).
6-1 Tressel "retires" to take some heat off of OSU, to no avail. Sames consequences come down from the NCAA as mentioned above.
20-1 Tressel stays, only serves 5 game suspension, the rest of this story is swept under the sweater vest. Seems like a longshot, but it's just the sort of sleazy crap Tressel has pulled off for a while.
1000-1 OSU fires Tressel, imposes Michigan-esque "RichRod" punishment by hiring... wait for it... RichRod. He's recently stated an interest in getting back in the game and believes the only reason he doesn't have a position now is that he was fired so late in the hiring season (http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6415022). Right, RR, that's the reason why - here is your chance to make things right.
Discuss.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Fiddler on the Roof?
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=6383822
Tradition? Is that really the platform Hoke is going to revive the program on? Really? I'll admit it is better than any idea RR had.
The idea of tradition in sports has always eluded my sense of sensibility. Sports are about today. Who scores, who wins, who loses. Tell me, do you watch ESPN Classic or ESPN? The "Golden Dome" doesn't mean much to a top flight recruit today who was born after Tim Brown joined the NFL. Any kid entering his senior year of high school thinks the winged helmet is a joke. What have you done for me lately?
Hoke is making a lot of right steps towards correcting the self-imposed RichRod punishment, but I have trouble understanding how having Jaime Morris talk to today's kids about 1984 is going to motivate them. Maybe Joe Morris will chime in and kids will really listen.
Discuss.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Coaches responsible?
To answer the first topic "Are college sports coaches responsible for too much?", my answer is typical MBA in, it depends.
Part of me says, how in the hell do they get blamed for the antics of 18-21 year olds they are already sticking their necks out for in the form of scholarships, room, board and booster handouts. I mean, how much more should these coaches be responsible for keeping track of? I can imagine how hard it is to instill "culture" or "common sense" into the lives of kids who are wholly unfamiliar with either of those ideas. At a certain level it seems to me that coaches should set up a system of plausible deniability where full time babysitters are hired to look after the athletes. Let the coaches coach and recruit, let the babysitters (i.e. HR function) keep the kids in line (and be responsible for the off the field antics).
On the flipside, coaches are being paid well enough to sell their soul, so shouldn't that include taking responsibility for what the team is doing, on and off the field of play? As a taxpayer (and, hence, employer of some major college coaches - I'm talking to you Tubby Smith) I think coaches should be held responsible for who they bring in. Their team represents who they are. That much is clear.
Making this all relevant to last week's news, what should Tressel be responsible for? In my mind, all of it. The reasoning - he knew last April and tried to hide it. Sorry Jimbo, you were clearly made aware via email by an alum lawyer (http://a.espncdn.com/media/pdf/110310/Ohio_State_Letter.pdf), you sat on it and now are trying to play it off. Who would want someone with as low of morals/ethics as those leading young men? The state of Ohio loves class acts like Bob Huggins and Jim Traficant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ5Os1400uc) - I shouldn't be surprised.
What concerns me most about Tressel is the fact Dantonio is part of his coaching tree. Makes me wonder what's awaiting my fine Spartans. Hopefully our fate isn't anything as bad as Michigan's self imposed "RichRod" punishment. That was harsh.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The First Topic....
Way to jump the gun Nut. As always, yet another Buckeye that just can't follow directions. This does explain why you get a small fry instead of a large fry when you go to McDonald's. But of course, he is talking about the huge monkey in the room - the violations that occurred at THE ohio state university. No one can be happier than the Weasel since his dirty boy was sent packing. And lest we forget HIzzo-ner up in Spaty-ville who isn't so squeaky clean either (http://on-msn.com/eW8rsp).
Former Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight (might have coached somewhere else but not too sure about that) who for some reason feels the need to cover his upper arms with red sweaters has said that NCAA rule book for coaches is so thick and so complex, everyone is violating some rule. So the first topic to throw out there is this:
Are major collegiate sports coaches responsible for too much?
Former Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight (might have coached somewhere else but not too sure about that) who for some reason feels the need to cover his upper arms with red sweaters has said that NCAA rule book for coaches is so thick and so complex, everyone is violating some rule. So the first topic to throw out there is this:
Are major collegiate sports coaches responsible for too much?
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Hero to Zero
I'm not going to talk about our first scheduled topic. Rather, I'm going to talk about the big shit smear that is all over Ohio State.
I've already gone through a range of emotions, most of which don't need to be rehashed here. But after reading countless articles of the Yahoo! Sports story, the press conference, columnists opinions, and the damning emails themselves, it seems pretty clear that Tressel tried to pull a fast one. I would have been disappointed if he had properly reported the email back in April, which would have likely resulted in a couple-game suspension of the 2 players mentioned. I had a bad taste in my mouth when the 5 players were allowed to play in the BCS game. But after discovering that Tressel essentially lied to NCAA investigators in December during their investigation, I'm done. His system, his program, and his reputation held people to higher standards. Or so we thought. I still believe that Ohio State is an outstanding academic institution. But retaining an employee who knowingly violates program bylaws and effectively creates double standards sends the wrong message and tarnishes the reputation of the institution, faculty, students, and alumni. Jim Tressel must go.
What was harder to hear than these facts, or that Tressel never really apologized for these mistakes, was that Dr. E. Gordon Gee and Gene Smith said they absolutely planned to keep him. Clearly the expected loss of income would be harder to deal with than repairing the institution's reputation... That's the message, anyway. I am truly embarrassed.
Just to be clear: I actually like Jim Tressel, and I have tremendous respect for him as a coach. I never cared for his sweater-vests or conservative coaching style, but I thought he truly did try to create an atmosphere where his athletes could get an education and have a better place to mature than they might at some other football factories. His personal style seemed to represent Ohio well. But this conduct is unacceptable... even if the mistake could be considered honest. Retaining him as a coach does lasting harm to the reputation of the university.
My only hope is that the NCAA, in their investigation, finds all the fault with Tressel, and not the University or Athletic Department. And I hope, that upon reading the NCAA report, that the university has the gumption to fire Tressel for cause, pointing to any found NCAA violations and his contract.
I suspect that the Jim O'Brien (basketball coach) firing has left OSU rather gun-shy. O'Brien was fired for cause, as he had acknowledged giving $6000 to a Serbian player's mother back in his home country. While this was acknowledged in the press as a nice humanitarian gesture, it was clearly a major violation of NCAA bylaws. Ohio State fired him. O'Brien took OSU to court for "wrongful termination," and won. OSU had to pay the remaining $2.4M of his contract. Why? A former Chairman of the NCAA Rules Infraction Committee testified O'Brien had not violated any rules. Go figure. At this point I gotta believe that the University will axe Tressel for cause if the NCAA deems that major violations happened. But they'll sit tight and act all lovey-dovey until the NCAA makes its decision.
Regardless, OSU Football has been knocked from it's perch atop the Big Ten. We just don't know how far down it will land. With or without Tressel as coach, I forsee several years in the wilderness, USC-style.
Go Bucks. :/
I've already gone through a range of emotions, most of which don't need to be rehashed here. But after reading countless articles of the Yahoo! Sports story, the press conference, columnists opinions, and the damning emails themselves, it seems pretty clear that Tressel tried to pull a fast one. I would have been disappointed if he had properly reported the email back in April, which would have likely resulted in a couple-game suspension of the 2 players mentioned. I had a bad taste in my mouth when the 5 players were allowed to play in the BCS game. But after discovering that Tressel essentially lied to NCAA investigators in December during their investigation, I'm done. His system, his program, and his reputation held people to higher standards. Or so we thought. I still believe that Ohio State is an outstanding academic institution. But retaining an employee who knowingly violates program bylaws and effectively creates double standards sends the wrong message and tarnishes the reputation of the institution, faculty, students, and alumni. Jim Tressel must go.
What was harder to hear than these facts, or that Tressel never really apologized for these mistakes, was that Dr. E. Gordon Gee and Gene Smith said they absolutely planned to keep him. Clearly the expected loss of income would be harder to deal with than repairing the institution's reputation... That's the message, anyway. I am truly embarrassed.
Just to be clear: I actually like Jim Tressel, and I have tremendous respect for him as a coach. I never cared for his sweater-vests or conservative coaching style, but I thought he truly did try to create an atmosphere where his athletes could get an education and have a better place to mature than they might at some other football factories. His personal style seemed to represent Ohio well. But this conduct is unacceptable... even if the mistake could be considered honest. Retaining him as a coach does lasting harm to the reputation of the university.
My only hope is that the NCAA, in their investigation, finds all the fault with Tressel, and not the University or Athletic Department. And I hope, that upon reading the NCAA report, that the university has the gumption to fire Tressel for cause, pointing to any found NCAA violations and his contract.
I suspect that the Jim O'Brien (basketball coach) firing has left OSU rather gun-shy. O'Brien was fired for cause, as he had acknowledged giving $6000 to a Serbian player's mother back in his home country. While this was acknowledged in the press as a nice humanitarian gesture, it was clearly a major violation of NCAA bylaws. Ohio State fired him. O'Brien took OSU to court for "wrongful termination," and won. OSU had to pay the remaining $2.4M of his contract. Why? A former Chairman of the NCAA Rules Infraction Committee testified O'Brien had not violated any rules. Go figure. At this point I gotta believe that the University will axe Tressel for cause if the NCAA deems that major violations happened. But they'll sit tight and act all lovey-dovey until the NCAA makes its decision.
Regardless, OSU Football has been knocked from it's perch atop the Big Ten. We just don't know how far down it will land. With or without Tressel as coach, I forsee several years in the wilderness, USC-style.
Go Bucks. :/
Introduction
This blog is your typical debate focused blog, with a minor twist. The three panelists each represent one of three rival schools: Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. To say were passionate about the issues we discuss is certainly true, but to say we are passionate about our schools is an understatement. You'll see that while we do try to debate each other on the facts, we view the best argument is made while making fun of our rivals, whether the argument is true or not. In fact, in a totally fictitious scoring system (think Who's line is it Anyway) made up by our moderator, the winner will typically be the one who best insults their rivals, not necessarily the best argument related to the topic at hand.
Now, more about us and why were are doing this. This blog is written by four members of the Ross School of Business (University of Michigan for those not in the business world) class of 2006. During our two years of school together we found out two things: (1) We all love debating each other (particularly with sports) and (2) with three of us representing three rival institutions with our undergraduate degrees, the debates can become quite entertaining (at least to ourselves).
Since graduation, we've lost that routine contact with each other to continue these important discussions. Sure, we have the occasional e-mail discussion on related topics, but we lack the one common place for our viewpoints to clash in a public forum. So, why not create a blog? We'll at least amuse ourselves with it, but we do hope others enjoy the banter as well.
Onto the introductions (from the prospective of "The Weasel," so outside of each person's title, undergraduate school and the fact that all of these guys are as good as people as you will find, little is probably true):
The Greek: Matt McRitchie came to the University of Michigan in a program designed to give our little brothers of MSU a chance for a real education. Matt was the best of the best coming out of East Lansing, which put him comfortably in the pass / low pass grade level at Michigan. Although Matt is the only non-engineer of the group, he does have three redeeming qualities (all true): (1) He truly is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, (2) Matt is a great Tiger's fan even while living in Twin country and (3) despite his arrival in Ann Arbor, Matt always remained truly loyal to the Spartans no matter what was happening around him.
The Nut: Ben Obrock was a child prodigy. Remember Doogie Howser? Ben was smarter. And then tragedy struck. Ben went to Ohio State. Sure he got an engineering degree, but he earned that on his first day in Columbus (to get an engineering degree from OSU, you just need to spell "engineer." Needless to say, Ben was the first and only engineer graduate from THE ohio state university). After four years in Columbus, Ben's IQ dropped several hundred points (when Ben first arrived in Ann Arbor, he was not able to tie his own shoe laces....little did we know that would have made him the big ten offensive player of the year if he played football). Ben was given admission as part of an experimental program. The experiment? Is it possible to rehabilitate an OSU graduate and make them a contributing member of society? Due to the superior intellect in Ann Arbor and the fact that Ben is an incredible person (despite his mistake of going to OSU), Ben has been completely rehabilitated. If only his loyalty to OSU would disappear as well...
The Weasel: My name is Mark Ascione. I had the privilege of growing up in Ann Arbor and continuing on for my undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Michigan (where I eventually learned that there was in fact a world outside of Ann Arbor). I've always been a passionate fan of the Wolverines and I always will be, no matter how sarcastic I have to be in order to watch Michigan football games these days. I had the privilege spending two years with Matt, Ben and Rob (introduced below) who all are some of the best people to get in a debate with, or have a drunken heart to heart at Jimmy John's after a long day of tailgating. I'll leave the rest of my bashing to my esteemed colleagues with their comments to this post.
Finally, The Moderator: Robert Jericho came to Michigan from some school. Being that it wasn't even in the Big Ten, the rest of us stopped listening to his past. Frankly, we think he made it all up. I'm pretty sure I saw him serving fries to me at McDonald's when I was in undergrad. But, we needed a neutral voice and Rob was willing to do the work for free. So, we figured, we couldn't get rid of him in business school, why try now? In all seriousness though, Rob does add a more moderated voice to the discussion (though he is loyal to Michigan) and an excellent ability to bash all of us at one time. In addition to being one of those amazingly great guys as I described everyone else as, Rob has an excellent debate ability that provide great insights while being incredibly insulting at the same time.
And that's the crew. We will have guest voices from time to time both representing our schools in others, but we plan on being the main...er...victims...with this experiment. We hope you all enjoy!
Now, more about us and why were are doing this. This blog is written by four members of the Ross School of Business (University of Michigan for those not in the business world) class of 2006. During our two years of school together we found out two things: (1) We all love debating each other (particularly with sports) and (2) with three of us representing three rival institutions with our undergraduate degrees, the debates can become quite entertaining (at least to ourselves).
Since graduation, we've lost that routine contact with each other to continue these important discussions. Sure, we have the occasional e-mail discussion on related topics, but we lack the one common place for our viewpoints to clash in a public forum. So, why not create a blog? We'll at least amuse ourselves with it, but we do hope others enjoy the banter as well.
Onto the introductions (from the prospective of "The Weasel," so outside of each person's title, undergraduate school and the fact that all of these guys are as good as people as you will find, little is probably true):
The Greek: Matt McRitchie came to the University of Michigan in a program designed to give our little brothers of MSU a chance for a real education. Matt was the best of the best coming out of East Lansing, which put him comfortably in the pass / low pass grade level at Michigan. Although Matt is the only non-engineer of the group, he does have three redeeming qualities (all true): (1) He truly is one of the nicest people you will ever meet, (2) Matt is a great Tiger's fan even while living in Twin country and (3) despite his arrival in Ann Arbor, Matt always remained truly loyal to the Spartans no matter what was happening around him.
The Nut: Ben Obrock was a child prodigy. Remember Doogie Howser? Ben was smarter. And then tragedy struck. Ben went to Ohio State. Sure he got an engineering degree, but he earned that on his first day in Columbus (to get an engineering degree from OSU, you just need to spell "engineer." Needless to say, Ben was the first and only engineer graduate from THE ohio state university). After four years in Columbus, Ben's IQ dropped several hundred points (when Ben first arrived in Ann Arbor, he was not able to tie his own shoe laces....little did we know that would have made him the big ten offensive player of the year if he played football). Ben was given admission as part of an experimental program. The experiment? Is it possible to rehabilitate an OSU graduate and make them a contributing member of society? Due to the superior intellect in Ann Arbor and the fact that Ben is an incredible person (despite his mistake of going to OSU), Ben has been completely rehabilitated. If only his loyalty to OSU would disappear as well...
The Weasel: My name is Mark Ascione. I had the privilege of growing up in Ann Arbor and continuing on for my undergraduate and graduate education at the University of Michigan (where I eventually learned that there was in fact a world outside of Ann Arbor). I've always been a passionate fan of the Wolverines and I always will be, no matter how sarcastic I have to be in order to watch Michigan football games these days. I had the privilege spending two years with Matt, Ben and Rob (introduced below) who all are some of the best people to get in a debate with, or have a drunken heart to heart at Jimmy John's after a long day of tailgating. I'll leave the rest of my bashing to my esteemed colleagues with their comments to this post.
Finally, The Moderator: Robert Jericho came to Michigan from some school. Being that it wasn't even in the Big Ten, the rest of us stopped listening to his past. Frankly, we think he made it all up. I'm pretty sure I saw him serving fries to me at McDonald's when I was in undergrad. But, we needed a neutral voice and Rob was willing to do the work for free. So, we figured, we couldn't get rid of him in business school, why try now? In all seriousness though, Rob does add a more moderated voice to the discussion (though he is loyal to Michigan) and an excellent ability to bash all of us at one time. In addition to being one of those amazingly great guys as I described everyone else as, Rob has an excellent debate ability that provide great insights while being incredibly insulting at the same time.
And that's the crew. We will have guest voices from time to time both representing our schools in others, but we plan on being the main...er...victims...with this experiment. We hope you all enjoy!
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