I was talking to one of my readers the other day - that makes a total of about 8 of you - and he informed me that he had read me pretty religiously in the past, but recently, he stated that he felt I had "lost it". What "it", I asked earnestly, in his opinion, had I lost?
"You know - the jab. The total disregard for peoples' and fans' feelings. You used to zing everyone pretty good. Now it seems like you're tip toeing around and trying to not piss anybody off. Just an observation." I thought about that. I thought about it a long time. It was a thought I simply couldn't shake. It actually was in my head when I woke up and when I went to bed. It would pop in there at inopportune times. Had I lost it? Was I less the "mean" spirited fan that I once was? Was there a drop off in how I used to write things vs. what I've become?
And when I searched for the answer, well....yeah.
I guess I am a little more "conservative" in my approach to bashing everybody. But, some of that swagger, brashness and bravado, or call it whatever you want, comes from SUPPORTING A WINNING TEAM!
Damn...If I trace back everything back to the biggest single debacle that derailed my enthusiasm and forced me to be humble in my approach to other schools and the voracity in which I go after the fans of those schools it would have to be when the world where Michigan Fans knew no losses to a MAC team (or a Division 2 team for that matter) all came to an end and the Apocalypse of Michigan Football began with a loss to Appalachin' Fuckin' State. Yeah, that was the beginning of the end...I couldn't poke fun without someone bringing that up or throwing it back in my face. Then, while that 2007 season had decent ending with a victory over Gatorland, I still had a funny taste in my mouth and the words simply never flowed as well as they did...Everything got stuck in my finger tips on the keyboard with the knowledge that I was a fan of a team that LOST AT FUCKING HOME to a DII school.
Start the Rod Experiment. Things go haywire even more. I mean, it really degrades quickly in one season. The obvious softness and apparent lack of talent becoming more evident with each game. And then it happens and we lose to a MAC team with a LOSING RECORD!...WTF....
Which more or less brings us to right now. What, what can be the upside to all of this? The fall has been complete. We have gone down as far as we can go. The soul has been burnt clean of everything that was once considered prideful, despite a strong outward apperance and a small rally in there when we defeated the Domers...We have more or less gone through the smelting pot of football refinement and have emerged as bright shiny new Steel - hungry fans, ready for victory and pursuits of National Titles.
In the quiet of winter, when you have time to reflect on life and wonder what could be, as a fan I used to dream of undefeated seasons. Times when I would let myself think about the Mythical BCS National Championship...Beating The fuckin' SUCKEYES...You know, regular stuff a Michigan Fan is SUPPOSED TO think about...
Now, I think of 7 wins. 7 wins and a bowl season...Is this what the MMQ has been reduced to? I would rather die an ugly death by "Snu-Snu" than have to suffer through another uninspiring season of garbage similar to what we have seen the last two years. But, it might have to be the Snu-Snu based on what we have seen and where were headed....
So, inspiration it seems, is scarce. How does one become inspired to hate and abuse the enemy when so much of the hate and abuse I want to dish out needs to go towards my own house? Where does one find inspiration to go after enemies with reckless abandon and accuse them of being everything that's wrong with College Football when my own team is a poster child of what not to do?
While I never thought the day would come when I would ever "quit" being the MMQ, there have certainly been times when I wondered why I did it at all? We're people reading? And it dawned on me:
I do it for ME. I don't care if you read or you don't. It's cathargic - if that's the word. I do it to relase tension, get my thoughts and words in order, and help keep me from either being an ass to opposing fans (which I used to do like there was no tomorrow) or cutting my own wrists - like I have wanted to do for the last two years.
So read if you enjoy, and I will stop being obsessed about worrying whether or not you are reading. That's the beauty of this job. There's no pay - so you can't fire me!
The MMQ
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Pete Carrol Video
I know - I hate to jump on the bandwagon of rampant internet video crap, but this one was sent to me and is simply too good to pass up...Click below to See Pete Carrol getting ready to go to Seattle....
Super Fan is great! And the daughter is classic......
More later.....
Super Fan is great! And the daughter is classic......
More later.....
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Cremesicles Must Now Sow What They Reaped
Yes, the title is correct. I haven’t really bashed Tennessee too much as the MMQ as they gave the Michigan Wolverines a fierce butt kicking in the Capital One Bowl a while back and I wasn’t sure the statue of limitations had exhausted itself yet on that one. But, the latest developments are more than worth commenting on.
Everyone is blaming Lane and making him out to be the bad guy…Maybe it’s the name “Lane” – you know like from “Better Off Dead?”
Lane? Really? Is Lane REALLY the bad guy here? Or is he simply a 31 year old opportunist jumping at the next best thing? Who can fault the kid. And I use kid here because it just now dawned on me that a kid I could have potentially fathered (meaning, I would have been of fathering age when he was born – YIKES) will be coaching the USC (University of Semi-Pro Collegians) in the very near future.
So, Tennessee a little over a year ago shows Phil Fullmer the door. And he won a National Title, had Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler, and a whole lot of good to great QB’s and other talent, and he, like every coach in the college football world, had his up and down seasons.
The year prior to the canning of Fullmer, the Cremesicles made the SEC Championship game. But that simply isn’t good enough at Tennessee or in the SEC where every team, and I do mean every team, believes they have been given a free pass to not only be in the top 5 every year (there’s 12 teams in the SEC mind you) but the conference believes that one team from there collective deserves to be in the National Title game every year.
So, Tennessee fires Fullmer and looks for the “next” Urban Legend. Hires a kid that had just been canned after two unceremonious years at Oakland and figures they are making a long term decision. But did they look at the man? Did they test the character? Did they check any references besides those references that would immediately give them a big thumbs up?
I doubt it. And that’s why Tennessee is where it is today. Looking for another coach 14 months after they thought they had hired a long time commitment. So, they reaped and fell victim to the desire to be in the top 5 of the national rankings every year. And now they have to sow new seeds of being the “spurned” program for the classy, sexy, and over stuffed, big breasted Queen of the ball – USC.
I ask you this: What coach wouldn’t leave Tennessee for USC? Anyone? I couldn’t think of one name. Of course, there will be the NCAA investigation and everything, but my guess is with the likes of USC and what USC brings to the table for College Football in general, there will be a "slap" on the wrist. Sure, it might hurt them for a year or two...but they're still USC. And any decent coach should be successful there given time...Kind of like....Hmmm....Michigan? Or the Domers?
What does Tennessee do now? You hire a coach that has some ties or is from within or someone that sees the true opportunity that Tennessee presents. Every 4 or 5 years having an outside shot at a National Title with some great years in between. Rumors of a Heisman winner every once in awhile. Yep, Tennessee now has to sow the seeds of what they reaped when the canned Phil and decided to go all Hollywood and super big time with Lane. And who knows what seeds they can sow with a hastily thrown together coaching search. Ideally, there’s a perfect candidate out there somewhere. He’s a Tennessee man that has seen the ups and downs of college football... An assistant that has been somewhere for quite awhile and knows how to build a program. Someone solid, not so glitzy and superficial.
But alas, it may all come too late as the crop of recruits (the class WAS 6th in the country, according to the reports) may all just drift away on the breeze to better opportunities. And the new guy will have to start all over sowing seeds of greatness for UT.
Everyone is blaming Lane and making him out to be the bad guy…Maybe it’s the name “Lane” – you know like from “Better Off Dead?”
Lane? Really? Is Lane REALLY the bad guy here? Or is he simply a 31 year old opportunist jumping at the next best thing? Who can fault the kid. And I use kid here because it just now dawned on me that a kid I could have potentially fathered (meaning, I would have been of fathering age when he was born – YIKES) will be coaching the USC (University of Semi-Pro Collegians) in the very near future.
So, Tennessee a little over a year ago shows Phil Fullmer the door. And he won a National Title, had Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler, and a whole lot of good to great QB’s and other talent, and he, like every coach in the college football world, had his up and down seasons.
The year prior to the canning of Fullmer, the Cremesicles made the SEC Championship game. But that simply isn’t good enough at Tennessee or in the SEC where every team, and I do mean every team, believes they have been given a free pass to not only be in the top 5 every year (there’s 12 teams in the SEC mind you) but the conference believes that one team from there collective deserves to be in the National Title game every year.
So, Tennessee fires Fullmer and looks for the “next” Urban Legend. Hires a kid that had just been canned after two unceremonious years at Oakland and figures they are making a long term decision. But did they look at the man? Did they test the character? Did they check any references besides those references that would immediately give them a big thumbs up?
I doubt it. And that’s why Tennessee is where it is today. Looking for another coach 14 months after they thought they had hired a long time commitment. So, they reaped and fell victim to the desire to be in the top 5 of the national rankings every year. And now they have to sow new seeds of being the “spurned” program for the classy, sexy, and over stuffed, big breasted Queen of the ball – USC.
I ask you this: What coach wouldn’t leave Tennessee for USC? Anyone? I couldn’t think of one name. Of course, there will be the NCAA investigation and everything, but my guess is with the likes of USC and what USC brings to the table for College Football in general, there will be a "slap" on the wrist. Sure, it might hurt them for a year or two...but they're still USC. And any decent coach should be successful there given time...Kind of like....Hmmm....Michigan? Or the Domers?
What does Tennessee do now? You hire a coach that has some ties or is from within or someone that sees the true opportunity that Tennessee presents. Every 4 or 5 years having an outside shot at a National Title with some great years in between. Rumors of a Heisman winner every once in awhile. Yep, Tennessee now has to sow the seeds of what they reaped when the canned Phil and decided to go all Hollywood and super big time with Lane. And who knows what seeds they can sow with a hastily thrown together coaching search. Ideally, there’s a perfect candidate out there somewhere. He’s a Tennessee man that has seen the ups and downs of college football... An assistant that has been somewhere for quite awhile and knows how to build a program. Someone solid, not so glitzy and superficial.
But alas, it may all come too late as the crop of recruits (the class WAS 6th in the country, according to the reports) may all just drift away on the breeze to better opportunities. And the new guy will have to start all over sowing seeds of greatness for UT.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Bama Displays the Trophy
From the AP with MMQ comments thrown in for measure...
This weekend fans can get up close and personal with the sparkling football. The trophy will be on display Saturday, January 9 at the Walmart Supercenter on Skyland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, from noon until 4:00 p.m. Sunday, January 10, it will be in the Gardendale location on 890 Odum Road from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Fans should be able to have their picture taken with the trophy.
This is where I'm supposed to insert some silly, mundane and insulting comment...but, honestly, can you think of a more fitting place for the BCS trophy to be displayed in the Great State of Alabama???? Cause I got nothin' -- I mean it is Alabama, it is a SUPER WAL-MART and where they have Subways, Pizza hut, and many other fine eating establishments....
Oh, what has the world come to???
This weekend fans can get up close and personal with the sparkling football. The trophy will be on display Saturday, January 9 at the Walmart Supercenter on Skyland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, from noon until 4:00 p.m. Sunday, January 10, it will be in the Gardendale location on 890 Odum Road from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Fans should be able to have their picture taken with the trophy.
This is where I'm supposed to insert some silly, mundane and insulting comment...but, honestly, can you think of a more fitting place for the BCS trophy to be displayed in the Great State of Alabama???? Cause I got nothin' -- I mean it is Alabama, it is a SUPER WAL-MART and where they have Subways, Pizza hut, and many other fine eating establishments....
Oh, what has the world come to???
That's A Wrap
Wow….Just when you thought college football couldn’t get any stranger:
Bama wins a "great" game over Texas without a QB. I turn the game on, tuck the kids in bed and come back and say to myself, "Gee, I have been watching Texas all year and I could have sworn McCoy wore number 12." Then it dawns on me that it's not Colt out there, but a frosh who hasn't seen a snap on the world's largest stage in the biggest college game that there is. Great, just great. That's what the season comes down to. Oh well, I watched, rooted for the comeback in the 2nd half, and then shook my head in disgust to see Texas give it away...As much as I wanted Mack to win it, too. $atan'$ Warriors, $atan'$ ways and means will all soon become NCAA fodder for investigation and rule re-writing. Time and everyone else challenging Bama's practices will hopefully cure the evil disease that is Bama Ball....But enough on that.
Tubberville to Texas Tech for the recently ousted Mike Leach. Tubberville has ties to the program and is a natural fit in the Big 12. Look for Tech to keep that fun offense alive and add the Defensive element that Tubberville will bring. I think the Big 12 just got a little tougher and the best team in Texas in three years might not be Orange – it might be Red…
Nothing official, but it’s so close to official that your MMQ needs to treat it as official – Pete Carroll leaves USC for the Head Coaching position for the Seattle Sea Hawks. Okay. I didn’t know that 4 losses would crush Carroll’s spirit – I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: you get inside the ropes at the LA hotspots when you’re winning National Titles but when your losing 4 games in a season and not playing in a BCS bowl, you’re essentially an out of work actor begging for a handout. And I was correct in suggesting that Sarkisian (former USC O-coordinator and Washington Huskie Head Coach) was a bigger part of that USC offense than Pete ever was... I think I was right. Of course, the NCAA keeps looking at USC and there was the Wuzzle’s rumor of Pete living with a grad student getting some strange which may have all played into it as well…Who knows, really…
What else can happen? I suppose $atan could announce that he’s leaving Bama and going to USC. He’s the type of guy that just might make that move. Of course, that would be coming out of left field, but you never know what NCAA violations that $atan has made knowingly and unknowingly and he might decide it’s just better to bolt and start his evil doings (over signing recruits, kicking non-productive scholarship players off the team) elsewhere than face the wrath of an NCAA investigation.
Michigan, well, Michigan was less than good this year. One Rivalry victory that seems very hollow and empty right now. Everything else needed to and must improve. Again, I could go into gory details, but there’s enough of that out there already. New AD may have a tough job on his hands, and I think he was on the same team as Les Miles…But if that was the case and Brandon was “pulling” for Rodriguez, what gives with Les Miles? It has to have something to do with someone and something.
What else, in no particular order – and from memory, I might add, did we see in this wacky football season - these all need to be original or unique to the season…
1. Domers can the Wuzzles Tuna (in a really big can)
2. Mangino resigns as most successful head coach at Kansas
3. Gill takes Kansas job and will be eyeing Pelini at Nebraska for the top spot in Big 12 north
4. Michigan goes bowl less (again).
5. Urban Legend retires and unretires in 24 hours…
6. Bobby gets shown the door after being the guy that built FSU’s program to what it is today…
7. Carrol calls it quits…Still trying to process that one.
8. Leach canned as a result of Closet Scandal
9. Tubberville Hired at Texas Tech
10. Stanford upsets everybody, but can’t win their bowl game…
11. Tiger isn’t Tiger any more…
12. Sparty loses heartbreaker after heartbreaker – and then the team does something completely Sparty-like and everyone gets booted off.
13. Kelly gets hired in the “Best Coaching Job in all of the Land.”
14. The end of Tebow-ism as we know it…(thankfully)
15. The beginning (hopefully) of The Forcier being With You.
16. OSU and the Big 10 getting some respect (finally)
17. Seeing Skanks repeatedly in the main stream press as a “common” term used to refer to slutty, sleep around chicks looking for a conquest.
18. Boy’s State playing TCU in a BCS bowl….weird…
19. Oregon losing and then punching the lights out at Boy’s State
20. The armed forces Teams competing successfully throughout the season…
Idle Thoughts From the Bowl Season - Season
1. NFL Wild Card Play-offs are BORING…Okay, Arizona and Green Bay made it interesting, but I had already turned it off before turning it on in the 4th quarter to catch the end.
2. Which Bowl will be the first to have a game on the 2nd Saturday after New Years? That’s an open night, after all.
3. More Games on New Year’s isn’t a bad thing, people in charge. I’m sitting there, watching. If your game is on all by itself on some other December 20-something day or evening, I might not and probably won’t be tuning in-unfortunately.
4. Because I missed some good ones.
5. Tebow and everything related to Tim is finally over.
6. Michigan was really bad. And I’m afraid it’s not going to get any better any time soon.
7. So, anyone want to bet how long David Brandon sits on his hands?
8. Over-Under is 8 games. Then you’ll know what he thinks, either on or off the record.
9. What’s with Braylon Edwards and the whole “Lloyd Carr’s University of Michigan” intro? I don’t like it…
10. Will the Domers ever accept the fact that without a conference, they’re simply Boise State and TCU if they are undefeated?
11. Not till it happens, if it ever happens.
12. Who will USC get as head coach? Pete left them in a bit of a bind
13. Early top 5 for next year: Bama, Suckeyes, Va-Tech, CornSuckers, Michigan…
14. Yeah, Michigan. Let’s not forget I’m the MICHIGAN MMQ…
15. It’s the Rod’s 3rd year…Put up or shut up
16. Will it ever be great to be a Michigan Wolverine again?
17. When will Tebow get drafted?
18. Who’s going to be sorry for “not taking him when they had the chance?”
19. Bradford doesn’t get me excited.
20. Wuzzles to Kansas City as O-coordinator?
21. Did Pete really live with a grad student? Was that part of the reason for the move?
22. Will the college Post Season ever be as good as the regular season?
23. All the changes, all the scandals…Is it the end of the innocence?
24. Do we look at coaches, players, celebrities in general and say, “What’s she hiding or what’s (who) he done?”
25. I guess we’ll always have Joe Pa…
The Hot Seat
If there's one thing I do, week in and week out, is I struggle very hard, sometimes into the wee hours of the night, searching for your Hot Seat Mascot weekly nominees. It's not a job that I love, but I feel compelled to do it for you, the readers. And I will continue with this endeavor, with your help (feel free to send in suggestions) and we will crown another hot seat mascot next year!
Erin Andrews, without a doubt, is the run away Hot Seat Mascot of the Year. We had some good ones, and the votes suggest that there was some early confusion, but for the most part, Erin was the one….But It wouldn’t be any fun to just have Erin in the Season Wrap, so, here is a sampling of the top vote getters for the year - a Mascot Review if you will.
Bama wins a "great" game over Texas without a QB. I turn the game on, tuck the kids in bed and come back and say to myself, "Gee, I have been watching Texas all year and I could have sworn McCoy wore number 12." Then it dawns on me that it's not Colt out there, but a frosh who hasn't seen a snap on the world's largest stage in the biggest college game that there is. Great, just great. That's what the season comes down to. Oh well, I watched, rooted for the comeback in the 2nd half, and then shook my head in disgust to see Texas give it away...As much as I wanted Mack to win it, too. $atan'$ Warriors, $atan'$ ways and means will all soon become NCAA fodder for investigation and rule re-writing. Time and everyone else challenging Bama's practices will hopefully cure the evil disease that is Bama Ball....But enough on that.
Tubberville to Texas Tech for the recently ousted Mike Leach. Tubberville has ties to the program and is a natural fit in the Big 12. Look for Tech to keep that fun offense alive and add the Defensive element that Tubberville will bring. I think the Big 12 just got a little tougher and the best team in Texas in three years might not be Orange – it might be Red…
Nothing official, but it’s so close to official that your MMQ needs to treat it as official – Pete Carroll leaves USC for the Head Coaching position for the Seattle Sea Hawks. Okay. I didn’t know that 4 losses would crush Carroll’s spirit – I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: you get inside the ropes at the LA hotspots when you’re winning National Titles but when your losing 4 games in a season and not playing in a BCS bowl, you’re essentially an out of work actor begging for a handout. And I was correct in suggesting that Sarkisian (former USC O-coordinator and Washington Huskie Head Coach) was a bigger part of that USC offense than Pete ever was... I think I was right. Of course, the NCAA keeps looking at USC and there was the Wuzzle’s rumor of Pete living with a grad student getting some strange which may have all played into it as well…Who knows, really…
What else can happen? I suppose $atan could announce that he’s leaving Bama and going to USC. He’s the type of guy that just might make that move. Of course, that would be coming out of left field, but you never know what NCAA violations that $atan has made knowingly and unknowingly and he might decide it’s just better to bolt and start his evil doings (over signing recruits, kicking non-productive scholarship players off the team) elsewhere than face the wrath of an NCAA investigation.
Michigan, well, Michigan was less than good this year. One Rivalry victory that seems very hollow and empty right now. Everything else needed to and must improve. Again, I could go into gory details, but there’s enough of that out there already. New AD may have a tough job on his hands, and I think he was on the same team as Les Miles…But if that was the case and Brandon was “pulling” for Rodriguez, what gives with Les Miles? It has to have something to do with someone and something.
What else, in no particular order – and from memory, I might add, did we see in this wacky football season - these all need to be original or unique to the season…
1. Domers can the Wuzzles Tuna (in a really big can)
2. Mangino resigns as most successful head coach at Kansas
3. Gill takes Kansas job and will be eyeing Pelini at Nebraska for the top spot in Big 12 north
4. Michigan goes bowl less (again).
5. Urban Legend retires and unretires in 24 hours…
6. Bobby gets shown the door after being the guy that built FSU’s program to what it is today…
7. Carrol calls it quits…Still trying to process that one.
8. Leach canned as a result of Closet Scandal
9. Tubberville Hired at Texas Tech
10. Stanford upsets everybody, but can’t win their bowl game…
11. Tiger isn’t Tiger any more…
12. Sparty loses heartbreaker after heartbreaker – and then the team does something completely Sparty-like and everyone gets booted off.
13. Kelly gets hired in the “Best Coaching Job in all of the Land.”
14. The end of Tebow-ism as we know it…(thankfully)
15. The beginning (hopefully) of The Forcier being With You.
16. OSU and the Big 10 getting some respect (finally)
17. Seeing Skanks repeatedly in the main stream press as a “common” term used to refer to slutty, sleep around chicks looking for a conquest.
18. Boy’s State playing TCU in a BCS bowl….weird…
19. Oregon losing and then punching the lights out at Boy’s State
20. The armed forces Teams competing successfully throughout the season…
Idle Thoughts From the Bowl Season - Season
1. NFL Wild Card Play-offs are BORING…Okay, Arizona and Green Bay made it interesting, but I had already turned it off before turning it on in the 4th quarter to catch the end.
2. Which Bowl will be the first to have a game on the 2nd Saturday after New Years? That’s an open night, after all.
3. More Games on New Year’s isn’t a bad thing, people in charge. I’m sitting there, watching. If your game is on all by itself on some other December 20-something day or evening, I might not and probably won’t be tuning in-unfortunately.
4. Because I missed some good ones.
5. Tebow and everything related to Tim is finally over.
6. Michigan was really bad. And I’m afraid it’s not going to get any better any time soon.
7. So, anyone want to bet how long David Brandon sits on his hands?
8. Over-Under is 8 games. Then you’ll know what he thinks, either on or off the record.
9. What’s with Braylon Edwards and the whole “Lloyd Carr’s University of Michigan” intro? I don’t like it…
10. Will the Domers ever accept the fact that without a conference, they’re simply Boise State and TCU if they are undefeated?
11. Not till it happens, if it ever happens.
12. Who will USC get as head coach? Pete left them in a bit of a bind
13. Early top 5 for next year: Bama, Suckeyes, Va-Tech, CornSuckers, Michigan…
14. Yeah, Michigan. Let’s not forget I’m the MICHIGAN MMQ…
15. It’s the Rod’s 3rd year…Put up or shut up
16. Will it ever be great to be a Michigan Wolverine again?
17. When will Tebow get drafted?
18. Who’s going to be sorry for “not taking him when they had the chance?”
19. Bradford doesn’t get me excited.
20. Wuzzles to Kansas City as O-coordinator?
21. Did Pete really live with a grad student? Was that part of the reason for the move?
22. Will the college Post Season ever be as good as the regular season?
23. All the changes, all the scandals…Is it the end of the innocence?
24. Do we look at coaches, players, celebrities in general and say, “What’s she hiding or what’s (who) he done?”
25. I guess we’ll always have Joe Pa…
The Hot Seat
If there's one thing I do, week in and week out, is I struggle very hard, sometimes into the wee hours of the night, searching for your Hot Seat Mascot weekly nominees. It's not a job that I love, but I feel compelled to do it for you, the readers. And I will continue with this endeavor, with your help (feel free to send in suggestions) and we will crown another hot seat mascot next year!
Erin Andrews, without a doubt, is the run away Hot Seat Mascot of the Year. We had some good ones, and the votes suggest that there was some early confusion, but for the most part, Erin was the one….But It wouldn’t be any fun to just have Erin in the Season Wrap, so, here is a sampling of the top vote getters for the year - a Mascot Review if you will.
HOT SEAT RANK
GONE LIST:
1. Wuzzles
2. Groh
3. Bowden
4. Mangino – Resigned before the Ax could get him…Unfortunate, really…
5. Leach
6. Carroll
7. Groh
More than we can list, really…
2010 Season Hot List
Rich Rod – top spot. He is the only guy left the presss can talk about.
Dantonio – Yep. After the Sparty Shenanigans at the post season bust and party are finally figured out, Dantonio may get some heat.
Whoever USC hires
Next Year (Pre-Season)
1. $atan’$ Warrior$’
2. Suckeyes
3. Va Tech
4. Corn Suckers
5. Oregon
6. TCU
7. Boise State
8. LMU
9. Arkansas
10. Michigan
Sleepers: Purdon’t, Cincinnatti, Gatorland, Domers, USC, Washington, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Laters…
GONE LIST:
1. Wuzzles
2. Groh
3. Bowden
4. Mangino – Resigned before the Ax could get him…Unfortunate, really…
5. Leach
6. Carroll
7. Groh
More than we can list, really…
2010 Season Hot List
Rich Rod – top spot. He is the only guy left the presss can talk about.
Dantonio – Yep. After the Sparty Shenanigans at the post season bust and party are finally figured out, Dantonio may get some heat.
Whoever USC hires
Next Year (Pre-Season)
1. $atan’$ Warrior$’
2. Suckeyes
3. Va Tech
4. Corn Suckers
5. Oregon
6. TCU
7. Boise State
8. LMU
9. Arkansas
10. Michigan
Sleepers: Purdon’t, Cincinnatti, Gatorland, Domers, USC, Washington, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, Laters…
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Big 10 - Not So Bad
So, the Big 10 goes 4-3 in the Bowls (should have been 6-1 - Northwestern and Minnesota each lost tough games that were very winnable) and they have two BCS victories to boot.
So much for the Big 10 bashing. Maybe Michigan was better than we all thought and the conference was simply that much tougher than anyone was giving it credit for. Of course, there will always be doubters...
Question is: Can Michigan find it's place back in the hierarchy of this conference sooner rather than later? Top to bottom, it's actually looking pretty tough:
1. OSU- not going anywhere with Pryor around for at least another year.
2. PSU- Clark is gone, but the heart of that team is coming back
3. Iowa - Better than most people thought they were. One play away from beating OSU.
4. Wisconsin - 9 wins looks almost automatic for the cheeseheads any more..
5. Northwestern - Coach has them believing...I was hoping Notre Dame would have looked harder at this guy a pulled him away...
6. Minnesota - squeaked in and will improve for the foreseeable future....
7. Sparty - Don't know...Could all fall apart next year or they could come out from this debacle stronger than before..
So there's your top 7. Purdue ain't too shabby and will continue to cause problems for all these teams and don't be surprised if they are part of the dance next year. That means Michigan has it's work cut out for itself and needs to get a lot better in a big hurry.
Sigh....I'm alreay worried...
So much for the Big 10 bashing. Maybe Michigan was better than we all thought and the conference was simply that much tougher than anyone was giving it credit for. Of course, there will always be doubters...
Question is: Can Michigan find it's place back in the hierarchy of this conference sooner rather than later? Top to bottom, it's actually looking pretty tough:
1. OSU- not going anywhere with Pryor around for at least another year.
2. PSU- Clark is gone, but the heart of that team is coming back
3. Iowa - Better than most people thought they were. One play away from beating OSU.
4. Wisconsin - 9 wins looks almost automatic for the cheeseheads any more..
5. Northwestern - Coach has them believing...I was hoping Notre Dame would have looked harder at this guy a pulled him away...
6. Minnesota - squeaked in and will improve for the foreseeable future....
7. Sparty - Don't know...Could all fall apart next year or they could come out from this debacle stronger than before..
So there's your top 7. Purdue ain't too shabby and will continue to cause problems for all these teams and don't be surprised if they are part of the dance next year. That means Michigan has it's work cut out for itself and needs to get a lot better in a big hurry.
Sigh....I'm alreay worried...
It's David Brandon
If you haven't heard, David Brandon, former Domino's Pizza CEO and, more importantly, former football player for the University of Michigan has taken over AD responsibilities at Michigan. Funniest Fact in this thing:
Dominoes World Wide Sales - Between $5.5 and $6 Billion...With a B....
Michigan Athletic Budget - $90 to $95 Million...With an M....
But he doesn't see this as a step down. Frankly, you might - just might - be looking at your next governor in 8 or 12 years.....
Interested in reading more? Check mgoblog for opinon and hiring interview....
Dominoes World Wide Sales - Between $5.5 and $6 Billion...With a B....
Michigan Athletic Budget - $90 to $95 Million...With an M....
But he doesn't see this as a step down. Frankly, you might - just might - be looking at your next governor in 8 or 12 years.....
Interested in reading more? Check mgoblog for opinon and hiring interview....
Monday, January 4, 2010
First Monday of 2010
Where Have I Been and What Have We Missed?
You know – I have been living life! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! I hope it was great and Santa gave you everything you wanted…So far, I have not heard that the top 10 defensive recruits de-committed and signed with Michigan, so I guess Santa is still working on my list….Seriously, it was a great holiday and it went by way too fast.
I am not going to do a bowl re-cap this year. Why? I didn’t see them all and the ones I did sneak a peek at, I didn’t see in their entirety. I know, what was I doing? Did you see them all? Didn’t think so….but I will comment on the ones I glimpsed in Idle Thoughts…
And I figured the BIGGEST news story I would have to comment on returning from a long lay-off would the the Urban Legend Resignation – Leave of Absence – I’ll be on the sidelines in September trilogy that lasted all of about 48 hours. But I am sure that was long enough for most of the diehard GatorLand fans out there to drink hemlock, find a stomach pump, and then try to guess what exactly in Gatorland is going on…
Quick analysis: Ole’ Urb had his first major health scare. Kind of like that first time you’re told you have a minor cancer, high cholesterol, or have some other very serious but manageable health condition. You panic at first, take a long look at your life and everything that you haven’t done but want to do, and then you decide if you have the bucks in the bank to call it a day. I am sure that after a long, grueling season and a loss to Alabama, Urban was mentally shot. Then he has to go recruiting – I am sure a 45 year old’s most joyous moment is to go to some kid’s home who may or may not pan out at the college level and tell him how great he could be if he works hard, yadda, yadda, yadda. Anyway, Urban decides that maybe he was a little hasty and wants to see what 3 months of R&R does for him before officially hanging up the whistle…Not that big a deal…
However, the Leach thing came from out of left field. This one was interesting in that:
The kid is Craig James kid and he has the ESPN pulpit to preach from
Leach totally pissed off EVERYONE at Texas Tech last year by shopping himself around to a high bidder, only to find out that character counts and nobody really wanted a loud mouth, “My way or the high-way” guy that managed to win some games at Texas Tech.
The fact that if he was still coach on January 1, he would get $800,000.
Anyone watching that didn’t KNOW that Leach would get canned on December 31st was either a moron, an idiot, or both. You don’t piss off an administration, hold their feet to the fire for big bucks, have a mediocre season, and then give them a reason to can you. It’s too easy for the administration. My guess is this wasn’t the first incident and we’ll hear more. But it’s interesting to watch none the less….
I could comment on some of the other minor stories, but suffice it to say that most of you probably already know what you want to know after gorging yourself on football and ESPN for the last 4 or 5 days..
Idle Thoughts From the Weekend
1. Ding-Dong, Tebow’s Gone! (Sorry Caryl – but I am glad we don’t have to hear his name anymore in the collegiate game)
2. Seriously, maybe it’s just the news and information society we live in today, but was there EVER a college player who’s name was ever mentioned more than this kid’s?
3. There were some good games on New Year’s Day…Where were the rest of the games?
4. I guess the days of gorging yourself on college football on New Year’s is truly over…My watching was done in the middle of the 1st quarter of the Sugar..
5. Okay, I clicked back twice to see that Cincinnati had managed to score…and that was about it. 6. Tonight is TCU and Boy’s State (Alliteration Heaven: Patterson vs. Peterson) in the Fiesta…I will take a nap and hope for a close game.
7. Capital One Bowl needs the turf…That game was painful to watch with players tripping over chunks of turf…
8. Best Game so far: IMHO – Northwestern – Auburn
9. Biggest Surprise: Cornsuckers destroying and blanking Arizona….
10. 2nd Biggest Surprise: Laters Beating Jimmy’s Cardinal…
11. 2nd Best Game (that nobody saw): Bowling Green vs. Idaho in the Humanitarian…I caught the 4th quarter…Great game…I wish it had been on New Years. PSU-LSU was good, also…
12. 3rd Biggest Surprise: Navy 35 – Missouri 13.
13. Feel like everything at this point is a let down?
14. Would a play off keep things alive a little longer?
15. News from Bama and Texas is so quiet, I almost forgot they’re both in the big game..
16. Rose Bowl was actually pretty good, with the exception of the winner…I know, I should root for the Big 10, but damn, I hate THE OSU….
17. Sparty should have beat Texas Tech with everything going on there…
18. Va Tech beats WVU…Another one I missed – but saw parts of.
19. Suh number 1 in the NFL draft? Really? Didn’t somebody try that before with a defensive lineman only to have it flame out?
20. What about Eric Berry from the Cremesicles? Charles Woodson showed Sunday that he can still play….
21. Is the sanity of this many bowls logical?
22. My daughters wanted to know how many I was able to get to 28 out of the 34 before I ran into a dead end…Forgot New Mexico, St. Petersburg, New Orleans, Eagle Bank, Music City (thought this one had died), Armed Forces and International….
23. And know, I didn’t name all the fruits and call them bowls…I named legitimate bowls.
24. You try it next year from memory…It’s not as easy as it sounds…
25. Should I continue to do this through College Hoops Season?
26. Do you people follow college hoops?
27. Hot Seat is redundant in College hoops, so that isn’t necessary…
28. We did beat Ohio State, which is nice.
The Hot Seat
It’s still Erin…Here She Is!
You know – I have been living life! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! I hope it was great and Santa gave you everything you wanted…So far, I have not heard that the top 10 defensive recruits de-committed and signed with Michigan, so I guess Santa is still working on my list….Seriously, it was a great holiday and it went by way too fast.
I am not going to do a bowl re-cap this year. Why? I didn’t see them all and the ones I did sneak a peek at, I didn’t see in their entirety. I know, what was I doing? Did you see them all? Didn’t think so….but I will comment on the ones I glimpsed in Idle Thoughts…
And I figured the BIGGEST news story I would have to comment on returning from a long lay-off would the the Urban Legend Resignation – Leave of Absence – I’ll be on the sidelines in September trilogy that lasted all of about 48 hours. But I am sure that was long enough for most of the diehard GatorLand fans out there to drink hemlock, find a stomach pump, and then try to guess what exactly in Gatorland is going on…
Quick analysis: Ole’ Urb had his first major health scare. Kind of like that first time you’re told you have a minor cancer, high cholesterol, or have some other very serious but manageable health condition. You panic at first, take a long look at your life and everything that you haven’t done but want to do, and then you decide if you have the bucks in the bank to call it a day. I am sure that after a long, grueling season and a loss to Alabama, Urban was mentally shot. Then he has to go recruiting – I am sure a 45 year old’s most joyous moment is to go to some kid’s home who may or may not pan out at the college level and tell him how great he could be if he works hard, yadda, yadda, yadda. Anyway, Urban decides that maybe he was a little hasty and wants to see what 3 months of R&R does for him before officially hanging up the whistle…Not that big a deal…
However, the Leach thing came from out of left field. This one was interesting in that:
The kid is Craig James kid and he has the ESPN pulpit to preach from
Leach totally pissed off EVERYONE at Texas Tech last year by shopping himself around to a high bidder, only to find out that character counts and nobody really wanted a loud mouth, “My way or the high-way” guy that managed to win some games at Texas Tech.
The fact that if he was still coach on January 1, he would get $800,000.
Anyone watching that didn’t KNOW that Leach would get canned on December 31st was either a moron, an idiot, or both. You don’t piss off an administration, hold their feet to the fire for big bucks, have a mediocre season, and then give them a reason to can you. It’s too easy for the administration. My guess is this wasn’t the first incident and we’ll hear more. But it’s interesting to watch none the less….
I could comment on some of the other minor stories, but suffice it to say that most of you probably already know what you want to know after gorging yourself on football and ESPN for the last 4 or 5 days..
Idle Thoughts From the Weekend
1. Ding-Dong, Tebow’s Gone! (Sorry Caryl – but I am glad we don’t have to hear his name anymore in the collegiate game)
2. Seriously, maybe it’s just the news and information society we live in today, but was there EVER a college player who’s name was ever mentioned more than this kid’s?
3. There were some good games on New Year’s Day…Where were the rest of the games?
4. I guess the days of gorging yourself on college football on New Year’s is truly over…My watching was done in the middle of the 1st quarter of the Sugar..
5. Okay, I clicked back twice to see that Cincinnati had managed to score…and that was about it. 6. Tonight is TCU and Boy’s State (Alliteration Heaven: Patterson vs. Peterson) in the Fiesta…I will take a nap and hope for a close game.
7. Capital One Bowl needs the turf…That game was painful to watch with players tripping over chunks of turf…
8. Best Game so far: IMHO – Northwestern – Auburn
9. Biggest Surprise: Cornsuckers destroying and blanking Arizona….
10. 2nd Biggest Surprise: Laters Beating Jimmy’s Cardinal…
11. 2nd Best Game (that nobody saw): Bowling Green vs. Idaho in the Humanitarian…I caught the 4th quarter…Great game…I wish it had been on New Years. PSU-LSU was good, also…
12. 3rd Biggest Surprise: Navy 35 – Missouri 13.
13. Feel like everything at this point is a let down?
14. Would a play off keep things alive a little longer?
15. News from Bama and Texas is so quiet, I almost forgot they’re both in the big game..
16. Rose Bowl was actually pretty good, with the exception of the winner…I know, I should root for the Big 10, but damn, I hate THE OSU….
17. Sparty should have beat Texas Tech with everything going on there…
18. Va Tech beats WVU…Another one I missed – but saw parts of.
19. Suh number 1 in the NFL draft? Really? Didn’t somebody try that before with a defensive lineman only to have it flame out?
20. What about Eric Berry from the Cremesicles? Charles Woodson showed Sunday that he can still play….
21. Is the sanity of this many bowls logical?
22. My daughters wanted to know how many I was able to get to 28 out of the 34 before I ran into a dead end…Forgot New Mexico, St. Petersburg, New Orleans, Eagle Bank, Music City (thought this one had died), Armed Forces and International….
23. And know, I didn’t name all the fruits and call them bowls…I named legitimate bowls.
24. You try it next year from memory…It’s not as easy as it sounds…
25. Should I continue to do this through College Hoops Season?
26. Do you people follow college hoops?
27. Hot Seat is redundant in College hoops, so that isn’t necessary…
28. We did beat Ohio State, which is nice.
The Hot Seat
It’s still Erin…Here She Is!
Add Leach to the list…I don’t know if I should start a list for next year yet or not, but I can tell you that Rich Rod will be on a lot of Pre-Season lists…And when he loses his first game, look out.
What’s Left
Fiesta – TCU Boys State. Go…TCU? Do I care?
Orange – Iowa vs. Georgia Tech…Go Iowa!
Championship – Can’t Stand $atan…Go Shorthorns! Beat Bama…
GMAC – refuse to watch these flea bag affairs. Just kidding - I will root on Central as it’s close to home and should be a good game.