stephenrjking

November 8th, 2023 at 11:47 PM ^

I'll make it shorter* and keep it to one: Immediately after Michigan's 2021 victory over Ohio State, I cited my call for Harbaugh's firing and said "I was wrong." I repeated that same thought several times and continue to reference it periodically to offer context and honesty for my current opinions, a practice you have occasionally hilariously misinterpreted as me taking shots at Harbaugh. You spent weeks offering little original content to the board except to helicopter into threads hours after they had diminished and pretend that I had said no such thing. It was dishonest. At one point you posted to a front page thread I did not participate in and called me out unprompted, offering several very inaccurate characterizations of my positions (eg "still continues to toss in little oblique jabs at Harbaugh every chance he gets") and mindless ad hominems. 

You probably agree with a lot of the positive things I said about the program in 2021 (after MSU for example, but I don't recall you arguing that the team was still in position to have a successful season then the way I was) and certainly since, but you're curiously silent about it. Perhaps I don't "deserve" to be a fan in your eyes because I once held an opinion with which you disagreed, but I suspect it's more personal than that. 

Regarding this particular issue: I'll cop to the fact that my writing in the above post sounds harsher than I intend, but I'm not suggesting that Michigan is wrong to get support from legislators (and various other sources) and I so indicate by saying "when you go to the mattresses, you go to the mattresses" statement about a strategy I agree with. I think it's absurd that a super-fan, literally a former poster on this board, who got carried away in his quest to obtain signal intelligence, has prompted a national scandal that is drawing the attention of the Michigan legislature; since we're at this point, we are left with the the ridiculous spectacle of legislators writing the B1G to discourage the conference from rendering an extraordinary and dramatically harsh punishment for an infraction that is quickly being revealed to be... not that uncommon.

I strongly suspect you don't think that htthis should be anywhere near as big of a deal as it is, either. I'd love for you to contribute your own thoughts to the board, instead of taking shots at other posters, and I'll happily engage with that. 

*One thing we can surely agree upon is that "shorter" is not something for which I am prone to be characterized. Oh well, I tried. 

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20144031

TIMMMAAY

November 9th, 2023 at 9:41 AM ^

Well, at least you gave some examples. I disagree with how you're characterizing those examples, as I think you're either misinterpreting my position, or being a touch intellectually dishonest about it. Yes, I said those things, but context is key. You were beating your anti-Harbaugh drum for a long damn time, and for no good reason in my estimation. In the majority of the threads discussing the team, the passing game, and Harbaugh in general. I think time has shown that I was right the whole time, along with the minority of the posters here who continued supporting Jim. He's the best coach in the college game, and maybe the NFL too. 

Yes, you made a post saying "I was wrong". I felt that didn't nearly do enough to undo all of the vitriolic things you said over a 2-3 year span... a single "I was wrong" comment, which you still tried to hedge over the following months. 

And I really like how you toss in your little "mindless" comment. Just because I don't have the time, or inclination to post 300-500 word essays to the message board. I WORK, and have a life. 

But yes, I do agree with a lot of what you have said since last season... but it's the same thing I've been saying since 2016! Perhaps you don't/can't see it, but you carry a lot of hubris around in the things you post here. Sometimes that rubs me the wrong way. 

I mean, even in this minor exchange; go back and re-read my original comment to you. There was no vitriol. I just expressed (or attempted to express) how "wild" it is to me, just how differently we tend to see things. So then you respond... with this. I think you're more in the wrong here than I am, though I don't expect you to acknowledge that. 

Joined: 09/08/2008

MGoPoints: 56336

stephenrjking

November 9th, 2023 at 3:25 PM ^

Thank you for the response, even the stuff that is incorrect.

You are right, my response to you here is disproportionate to your current post. Not, however, to your general pattern of posts you offer that take shots at people (“you’re the worst” type comments that make up a significant portion of your posting history and add nothing to the board even when fired at posters that I am not fond of). Your description of the “vitriol” is inaccurate both in length and proportion.

You argue that you, like me, have a life, and that’s perfectly valid. Nobody has time to read everything, and certainly not the voluminous entries I’ve posted. That’s fine. But your categorical descriptions of the content are inaccurate, and suffer from apparently not seeing stuff I have written either before or after 20-21. You cannot both claim ignorance due to time constraints and also sufficient knowledge to characterize the breadth of my discourse. And your frequent jabs at me suggest that your desire for me to “undo” things I’ve said stems from personal animus, not to mention a standard of conduct that you do not follow yourself, nor one that can be reached to your satisfaction. You acted like I did acknowledge error in my arguments when I did, and when called upon it, you have said “not enough.”

You appear, to me, to be committing many of the infractions you claim frustrate you in others.

Thanks for taking the time to respond! I’d love for you to offer more counter-arguments to people you disagree with, including me. You could contribute a lot if you wanted to.

 

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20144031

TIMMMAAY

November 9th, 2023 at 5:10 PM ^

Eh, I don't really want to. 

Again, I don't think you're portraying my "history" here accurately. Not at all. Not even close. 

You're also misrepresenting my characterization of how/why/which posts I respond to. I didn't say I haven't read your posts... I was saying I don't have time, or the inclination to get into lengthy exchanges here. I strive for brevity, and clarity. Above all, honesty. 

So, I'm going to bow out of this exchange. If I felt you were attempting to be equitable in the conversation, I would continue. But you aren't. So I won't. 

Have a nice evening, Stephen. 

Joined: 09/08/2008

MGoPoints: 56336

Don

November 8th, 2023 at 4:05 PM ^

Well, 11 members doesn't constitute the "Michigan House of Representatives." 

You can be sure that there are at least as many Sparty slappies in the House who are outraged at Michigan's perfidiousness.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 148557

Go Blue Beat T…

November 8th, 2023 at 4:07 PM ^

I agree this is pretty sweet, but it’s always weird to me when government gets involved in sports. To this day I don’t understand (full disclosure, I am a Cardinal fan) why the hell Mark McGwire had to testify before Congress over PEDs for a game. What the hell do they care? So weird; that said, standing up for due process is really a part of how this country is run and rests on its basic tenets. The sad reality is once we introduced cancel culture it was really hard to undo. 
I think so often about that line from Gladiator…”Rome is the mob.” Here we are.

 

the full quote, because it’s our nation’s current heartbeat:

 

“I think he knows what Rome is. Rome is the mob. Conjure magic for them and they'll be distracted. Take away their freedom and still they'll roar. The beating heart of Rome is not the marble of the senate, it's the sand of the coliseum. He'll bring them death... and they will love him for it.”

 

 

Joined: 10/27/2010

MGoPoints: 1172

MGlobules

November 8th, 2023 at 4:27 PM ^

Remember: If they derail our championship run that will not be something they can return to us, like a borrowed broom. The time to fight them is now, not later.

Joined: 11/17/2008

MGoPoints: 48086

stephenrjking

November 8th, 2023 at 4:52 PM ^

Indeed. If there is, in fact, an “emergency dossier” as reported earlier this week, one could wonder why this is the time to use it…

And the answer is because this is a malicious and absurd attack by rivals to try to derail what is likely the best Michigan football team of our lifetime. 

There is no next year and there is no moral victory here.

I may find the plotline absurd at times, but that’s because there was an apparent infraction by a single staffer that was absurdly turned into a national conversation (almost from the get go, Stew Mandel took like one day to advocate for Michigan to be banned from the BCG, and that media pile on absolutely drove the rival schools and Tony Petty). If you say later “whoops we overreacted to that” but Michigan loses because Harbaugh isn’t there, there are no take-backs. 

Joined: 03/15/2012

MGoPoints: 20144031

wexgoblue

November 8th, 2023 at 4:59 PM ^

I went to HS with Rep. Brabec's spouse! So cool to see her name on this! Also, kudos to politicians coming together to advocate for common sense and the rule of law and due process...

Joined: 07/01/2008

MGoPoints: 152

M-Dog

November 8th, 2023 at 5:51 PM ^

Democracy in action. 

Many of them probably don't give a damn about Michigan and its fans, but they give a damn about the votes of all those Michigan fans.

Smart.

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 257573