SIAP: Surprisingly decent take from ESPN on today’s game/Signgate

Written by David Hale

So after a season in which Michigan's first nine games were little more than batting practice before Saturday's showdown with Penn State, this should feel like something significant, an official announcement that, in spite of any schedule-based skepticism, Michigan is a championship contender.

But no. The story is about Harbaugh, a story written in court filings and message board furor and breaking news alerts.

It was a story told through Sherrone Moore, working as interim coach Saturday, sobbing (and dropping a few curse words) in his postgame interview. It was, depending on your perspective, an emotional catharsis or yet another moment of Michigan victimizing itself.

It's a story that will be shrouded in mystery, such as where Harbaugh will spend game days from now through the showdown against Ohio State. We assume he spent Saturday in his underground lair, perfecting the space laser he's designing to blow up the moon, but really, anything is possible.

It's a story that will be adjudicated -- by the Big Ten, by fans, by media, by courts, by Connor Stalions' vacuum company investors -- with only a passing nod to due process, objective truth or reasoned context.

After all, it's OK to discern the opponent's signs from TV copy, or the all-22, or to call up former graduate assistants to dish on their old team, but it's not OK to buy a ticket, sit in the stands and watch. Whether that makes sense might be a worthy question, but the only issue at hand is whether Michigan broke a rule -- a literal written rule and, perhaps, the unwritten rule in which gamesmanship is OK unless it's overly convoluted, entirely stupid and executed by a guy with a hilarious name. 

---------------

[Edit @ 1:35am: ESPN link removed because ESPN. 

While it still might be OK to summarize things from ESPN, it's definitely not in our best interest to provide links that serve to generate income for them.  Whenever and wherever possible, I'll be removing ESPN links from the MGoBoard.  -rob f