Friday, October 10, 2014

FMQ - PSU


Odds and Ends

Well, the maize and blue brain trust (it kills me to type that – it really does) are meeting this afternoon going over last minute game plan type stuff prior to playing the other Blue team in the B1G East.  If I’m not mistaken, this coaching staff has probably taken the “Forget the 1st 6 games of the season.  Those are behind us.  There’s nothing we can do about those anymore. All we can do is worry about and win the next 6!  You are playing for Michigan and most of all, you are playing for the pride of Michigan.  6 wins are still within your reach!!!”

That kind of pep talk usually lasts about 2 quarters.  Hard hitting, some scoring (maybe) and then some sort of adversity will arise and Michigan and the coaching staff will curl up and crawl into their shell…As the Tuna (Bill Parcells) once famously said, after 6 games, you are what you are.  I’m not saying Michigan can’t win Saturday, but the FMQ knows which way he’s going to bet it.  Former team members areshowing up for the walk of honor into the stadium to show their support.  Here’s the link.

Goal Post Revenue


So, that’s a lot of $500 and $1000 donations for hunks of goal post.  Granted, I would giddily pay that for a chunk of goalpost from say a National Title or something…But still, fans and their money…when the team is winning of course…can soon be parted.
Hey – BranDictator – don’t get any wild ideas about heading out to the field after PSU with a steel saw to cut down and sell the posts.  The fans might take the saw, start separating you into little, bitty parts, and take those home and mount them on the wall instead.

mgoblog On BranDictator and Hoke Removal/Timing

I’m just cutting and pasting the mailbag response that Brian put together regarding BranDictator (The question was essentially- Will BranDictator and Hoke be fired and when):

I just don't know. I'm only answering this because I get a lot of emails to this effect; usually if I can't answer something reasonably I just say so privately and that's it. But… yeah, I don't know.
One thing I've learned is that insider information is often colored by the desires of the source; slap one degree of separation between that source and you and then it seems really true and important. This is not so important when someone has a broken bone; it is vastly so when political infighting is involved. So I don't take a whole lot of stuff about Hoke staying seriously; I know it's popped up on premium message boards here and there. There's a faction amongst the old program alums who can't stand to be as flagrantly wrong as they were and will swear up and down that Hoke can be saved.
He can't. Anyone who watches his team knows that this is a disorganized mess and in year four that goes back to one guy and one guy only. There is no expectation this would get better, and in that light the successful Hoke years look like flukes born of disproportionate talent and flat-out luck, as Michigan's 2011 was.
I guess Michigan could run the table but any reasonable season projection gets you to 7-6 at best and that is a firing, if only because whoever the AD is will know that continuing with Hoke is going to be an inflection point on season ticket sales.
As far as Brandon, I do not know. I've read all there is to read and heard all there is to hear and what is clear is that here is some sort of serious support for the guy that centers around Stephen Ross and his dollars and drops off almost immediately after that. If this was a democracy he'd be booted in an 80-20 election; it is not.
I would have faith that the people around the president who have his ear because of dolla dolla bill y'all would eventually be able to come to this conclusion:
  1. Someone else would be about as good at continuing the things who make the people in the AD support him
  2. Anyone else would be less toxic to fans and especially students.
Even if you somehow believe that guy whose PR stunts will literally go in a textbook under what not to do is the best guy for the job, the next best guy for the job is 99% as capable and isn't loathed by half the Michigan fanbase. This flies in the face of our nation's CEO fetishization, but here it's undeniable.
Logic then demands I say that both guys will be gone by the end of the year, but logic ain't got nothing to do with it.
As to the timing, Hoke's not gone until after the OSU game. If he was going to get the axe immediately it would have been after the Minnesota game. Short of that happening again, he's got the rest of the year. Michigan may announce he's done before OSU, a la Earle Bruce; functionally he's your guy the rest of the year.
Brandon could go at any time. I hear that there are some meetings coming up in the next week that could be the impetus for his dismissal, but as long as Stephen Ross is backing the guy it's going to be pulling teeth.

Gruden? 

As much as I think I would welcome this…I find it hard to believe that Gruden would leave what he has to KNOW is the absolutely perfect job in all of the world – Color Analyst for MNF and all the other little crap he does for ESPN.  I have grown a lot fonder of “Chuckie” ever since he and Tirico took over MNF.  It would take a mountain of money for him to even consider leaving that world and deciding to jump into the barrel of monkeys that is Michigan Football and, probably more specifically, Michigan Athletics, right now…but I guess stranger things have happened.  Why bring Gruden up?  Twitter exploded when this photo hit:


But, again…It’s not going to happen.  Keep repeating that in your own head until it sinks in.  Along with Harbaugh, Miles, and Harbaugh.  And probably Mullen.

Which leaves us…Who knows?




This Week’s Picks!

I’m going to apply the Katy Perry technique – Colors and hot QB’s to this weeks picks!

Northwestern (+4) @ Minnesota:   Let’s see…If I’m Katy, I like PURPLE!!!  Plus, they have a cute coach and a kitty for a Mascot.    
Take Northwestern and the 4 for $30

Georgia @ Missouri (+3):  Oooooo….The QB has initials that match my favorite candy!!!  M&M!!  Therefore,
Take Missouri and the 3 for $20

UNC @ domers (-16.5): I like shiny gold helmets!  They’re just so stylin’!!!
Take the domers and lay the 16.5 for $30

Sparty @ Purdue (+21):  Connor Cook – Call me!!!
Take Sparty and lay the 21 for $40

LSU @ Florida (+1):    Tigers are a lot cuter than Alligators and LSU has some purple in their unis!!!!
Take LSU and lay the 1 for $20

PSU @ Michigan (+2):  Both of these teams are Blue…and I’m not a Blue fan…So, who’s lost more?  Michigan?
Take PSU and lay the 2 $20

PARLAY!

Sparty  - domers – Mizzou - $20

Starting Bank:           $822
Total Bet:                   $180

Bank:                          $642

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