Rice, I look at it as Michigan's defense has been pure awesome in recent years. That's what gives me hope for this year's Game even though we have some big question marks on offense.
You're right that "fullback" now is much different from "fullback" in the period where the college game was dominated by triple option/wishbone offenses. Of course the FB blocked in those, but they would also get a fair number of carries per game. I could argue that a feature power back of the modern game (say, Marshawn Lynch) would be a fullback in most 1970 college offenses, and get 1000 yards a la Lytle.
Proving that I've seen this movie an unhealthy number of times, I can tell you the line in the gif is, "Be my friend...Godfather."
Fun Godfather fact: the feds in NY noticed that on their wiretaps in the mid-70s that the wiseguys started trending their speech away from what they really sounded like (think Goodfellas) to the very stylized syntax from The Godfather. The feds thought it was hilarious and proof that this group isn't exactly a collection of sharp knives.
Chicagoland people were positively obnoxious in the 90s saying, "Jordan could be an MLB star if he wanted," or "Jordan could win big in the PGA," like being the best player to lace up basketball shoes wasn't good enough I guess. So I kept telling people that the big story wasn't that he liked to gamble but that he got his ass handed to him on the course by Skinny the Hustler. Man, was that a mic drop line against those zealots.
The key question is "did he bet on MLB games?" If he dropped money on shitty football picks, then, yes, no one cares. You might remember the 3 day Michael Jordan scandal when it came out that he dropped boatloads of money at casinos and getting hustled in golf by a guy named Skinny (which, heh). His (correct) response was, "Who gives a shit? My dropping 100k at a casino is like the average schmuck dropping a hundred bucks." If that's the kind of betting Shohei did, big deal. But betting on baseball...oh boy.
Fields spent a significant time running for his life. I don't what his ceiling is but it's hard to show it when you're being chased down by a couple 280 pound men.
The counter argument is that our OL has become Wisconsinesque in having excellent 2-3 year backups waiting to start and the RB room is loaded with talent. QB is obviously another matter unless someone is quietly making a huge leap.
Ohio State is ALWAYS a concern. There hasn't been an OSU game in my life that I wasn't nervous about (I became football sentient in 1969). I have confidence that our run game and defense are good enough to beat them but if we're too one dimensional on offense, gonna be a difficult task.
At this point, Holmes could bring in a member a senior bowling league to be backup QB and I'd say, "Well, the dude has shown he clearly knows what he's doing."
Christ...bear in mind that Gordie only had 22 fights in his career. I'm quite certain that his coaches told him his being on the ice instead of in the box was better for the team. Same thing was true for Shanahan; very capable fighter, better sniper.
Same for Larry and Ali. Larry cried afterward knowing how brutal the beating was. Not sure what percentage of Ali's brain damage was due to Larry Holmes, but it wasn't insignificant.
I was a big fan of boxing in the 70s-80s and used to go drink beers with a friend at the Grand Blanc Inn in the mid-80s hoping to see Probie and/or Kocur fight. Watching guys who couldn't speak anymore, or ended up dead early etc. lead me to me feel guilt over it even BEFORE we knew what CTE is (I enjoyed watching Tommy Hearns beat on Wilfred Benetiz; Google Benitez and see where he is now). I get that athletes get hurt and sometimes have chronic pain the rest of their lives. Hockey fights are not necessary to the game however. I'm glad that they've become pretty rare.
Ha! I'd be careful because it seems like there's always a GM who loves the shiny object. As I recall, Mrs. GrowOld was the total badass when it came to lemons, so you'll want her to be ready to pinch hit, just in case.
Agree. Last year's team played hard but seemed to be held together with duct tape and twine at times. This year's team is more legit and we still have some heavy hitters in GR, SHL and juniors who will likely make solid to excellent NHLers.
ALMOST all the NHL games but definitely worth the 5 or 6 bucks a month to get the bundle. I watch all the Wings games and will flip on an interesting game for the background while I catch up on news and emails. Emphasis on "interesting" so virtually never Carolina (yaaaaawn).
Sounds like Biff’s primary advice was simply, “Tell these guys how much you love and appreciate them.” Moore has already shown he does that with his mom’s favorite live interview.
By the way…Biff’s advice works across multiple situations. Take it from a retired manager type. It’s amazing how you can make someone’s day with a hand written note and a Starbucks card.
I peeked at OSU's schedule and came away with a what the fuck...Prior to "CHEETERZ!", their fanbase mantra was "Michigan played a weak schedule", of course. I thought with the addition of the PAC refugees that they might have do more than beat us and Penn State to make some noise. Yeah...a game in Oregon. Otherwise it's MACrifices, rebuilding/awful B1G programs and Iowa in the Shoe with their mighty offense. Five stars across the board and only three games that won't require 12 turnovers to lose. I'll enjoy jumping on boards to point that out when they puff out their chests.
Bearing in mind that predictions are for funsises, I'm guessing that the general feel was, "Michigan is a REALLY good team but stupid shit happens all the time in college football." This goes back to when I was a kid and Bo would dump a game to Wisconsin or some damn thing. So, a lot of writers thought PSU might be the stupid shit game, being in their stadium and their having an excellent defense. If I recall correctly, a lot of board predictions weren't dissimilar.
That all said, I'm beginning to think that Seth is a wizard of some kind.
Oh man, the RichRod flame wars of 2010-11 were epic. For just one example, someone called up my posting history and negged me 20+ times for directly quoting a Mississippi State linebacker's assessment of Rod's offense. And that was a flesh wound compared to what most others got. Emotions run high here generally but that period was the message board equivalent of Stalingrad.
My idiotic opinion (I'm quite aware that I'm a C- football student; tries hard, not very smart): don't sleep on Jadyn Davis. He's not the 6-4, cannon arm QB with measurables to Neptune that make analysts drool but he just keeps doing enough. The hardest thing to measure is football IQ and my sense is that he's got that. It's possible that by the end of the year, with the Bowl practices and some Kirk Campbell coaching, he just might be the best option.
Oh, I figured you were at best a concept in the early 80s. I don't know that the stretch of houses has changed that much though. It was a pretty good hike to class but I enjoyed living down there.
Really well written, like all your diaries. I've dug a little into military history over the years because I find it fascinating and have family ties to some momentous stuff (not me, thank God; my dad's fervent wish was that his son didn't have to go through what he did). Guys like you make me realize how much more I can learn.
By the way...S. Forest represent! If memory serves, my address was 1122 (so SOUTH Forest) in 1982-83. I believe that was the year I took a course on WW2 taught by a retired full bird colonel working on his PhD. I cannot remember his name, but can picture him, and I LOVED the class.
Our WR block like crazy, which is likely attractive to the NFL. I’m too stupid to know, but how does their route running look? The nature of our offense takes away from WRs getting big numbers, but if their routes are good, maybe Bellamy is doing ok?
Because of the love for Williams, Penix et al at the top of the draft, JJ just might find himself the heir apparent on a very good NFL team. Homer glasses caveats apply, but I think he might be the QB from this draft people remember in 15 years.
Maybe we could have a Portal/NFL declaration stickie? Keeps things less cluttered and I honestly feel bad for people getting flamed for trying to be helpful. As Grow Old notes, news gets posted every few seconds and I don't live on the board enough to keep up with all of it.
A Buckeye pummeling in successive years was dark, yes, but go back to the Flame Wars in Rich Rod's last year. Hoo boy. Not only was it dark but we started to cannibalize each other. That was truly looking at the world from the bottom of a well.
Walther draws the lines we do that Jim's outspokenness on giving the athletes power and a piece of the pie is what lies behind the OUTRAGE over advanced in-person scouting. Walther also ties in Jim's outspokenness during George Floyd/BLM as evidence that he's sincere (I'd add the statements about fairness in the justice system from 7-8 years ago). Good piece.
It's interesting that they turned the comments off.
"Fair and square" is a pretty strong phrase. If they think they might have something, it'd be easier to say something without saying anything ("This is the night to celebrate these great student athletes. They played their hearts out and the only thing we should focus on is the hard work and teamwork both teams showed.")
You got me wondering so I went over to 11W, thinking I'd get some good shadenfreude. Wow-that board is a cesspool. A couple reasonable Michigan fans posted and were greeted by "you like your own farts" stuff (not exaggerating). The rest of the thread was "ChEaTeRz!!!" I feel like I wandered into a third grade classroom.
I've got 20 years on you so your first "best "really hit home. Adding to it: my son and I went to the Oilers-Blackhawks game last night. The idea was to see McDavid/Dreiseidel and Bedard (then Bedard broke his jaw--next time). We were riffing on checking off seeing future legends, the way I can say I can say I saw Gretzky, my dad saw Howe, etc. I told my son that what makes sports a cool hobby is that there's always a new legend, a player or team that people will speak fondly of when they're old. So I can talk about "that awesome Championship 23 team" and savor the memory while, hopefully, enjoying the next legend. If I don't make it to the next one, that's OK. I'll have this one.
Recent Comments
Rice, I look at it as Michigan's defense has been pure awesome in recent years. That's what gives me hope for this year's Game even though we have some big question marks on offense.
They could never compete with Ravinia. Book end the games with kids’ rec league soccer and you might get people to stick around to watch the Cats.
I hope you’re right. Our D and run game sets us up beautifully for smashing heads.
Sorry to be a dick, but I upvoted you for making me laugh.
You're right that "fullback" now is much different from "fullback" in the period where the college game was dominated by triple option/wishbone offenses. Of course the FB blocked in those, but they would also get a fair number of carries per game. I could argue that a feature power back of the modern game (say, Marshawn Lynch) would be a fullback in most 1970 college offenses, and get 1000 yards a la Lytle.
Don't forget this magnificent motherfucker. FB 6th overall.
Proving that I've seen this movie an unhealthy number of times, I can tell you the line in the gif is, "Be my friend...Godfather."
Fun Godfather fact: the feds in NY noticed that on their wiretaps in the mid-70s that the wiseguys started trending their speech away from what they really sounded like (think Goodfellas) to the very stylized syntax from The Godfather. The feds thought it was hilarious and proof that this group isn't exactly a collection of sharp knives.
Chicagoland people were positively obnoxious in the 90s saying, "Jordan could be an MLB star if he wanted," or "Jordan could win big in the PGA," like being the best player to lace up basketball shoes wasn't good enough I guess. So I kept telling people that the big story wasn't that he liked to gamble but that he got his ass handed to him on the course by Skinny the Hustler. Man, was that a mic drop line against those zealots.
The key question is "did he bet on MLB games?" If he dropped money on shitty football picks, then, yes, no one cares. You might remember the 3 day Michael Jordan scandal when it came out that he dropped boatloads of money at casinos and getting hustled in golf by a guy named Skinny (which, heh). His (correct) response was, "Who gives a shit? My dropping 100k at a casino is like the average schmuck dropping a hundred bucks." If that's the kind of betting Shohei did, big deal. But betting on baseball...oh boy.
Fields spent a significant time running for his life. I don't what his ceiling is but it's hard to show it when you're being chased down by a couple 280 pound men.
You and the communist agree. If this were 1953…
The counter argument is that our OL has become Wisconsinesque in having excellent 2-3 year backups waiting to start and the RB room is loaded with talent. QB is obviously another matter unless someone is quietly making a huge leap.
Ohio State is ALWAYS a concern. There hasn't been an OSU game in my life that I wasn't nervous about (I became football sentient in 1969). I have confidence that our run game and defense are good enough to beat them but if we're too one dimensional on offense, gonna be a difficult task.
At this point, Holmes could bring in a member a senior bowling league to be backup QB and I'd say, "Well, the dude has shown he clearly knows what he's doing."
Christ...bear in mind that Gordie only had 22 fights in his career. I'm quite certain that his coaches told him his being on the ice instead of in the box was better for the team. Same thing was true for Shanahan; very capable fighter, better sniper.
Same for Larry and Ali. Larry cried afterward knowing how brutal the beating was. Not sure what percentage of Ali's brain damage was due to Larry Holmes, but it wasn't insignificant.
I was a big fan of boxing in the 70s-80s and used to go drink beers with a friend at the Grand Blanc Inn in the mid-80s hoping to see Probie and/or Kocur fight. Watching guys who couldn't speak anymore, or ended up dead early etc. lead me to me feel guilt over it even BEFORE we knew what CTE is (I enjoyed watching Tommy Hearns beat on Wilfred Benetiz; Google Benitez and see where he is now). I get that athletes get hurt and sometimes have chronic pain the rest of their lives. Hockey fights are not necessary to the game however. I'm glad that they've become pretty rare.
Ha! I'd be careful because it seems like there's always a GM who loves the shiny object. As I recall, Mrs. GrowOld was the total badass when it came to lemons, so you'll want her to be ready to pinch hit, just in case.
Agree. Last year's team played hard but seemed to be held together with duct tape and twine at times. This year's team is more legit and we still have some heavy hitters in GR, SHL and juniors who will likely make solid to excellent NHLers.
ALMOST all the NHL games but definitely worth the 5 or 6 bucks a month to get the bundle. I watch all the Wings games and will flip on an interesting game for the background while I catch up on news and emails. Emphasis on "interesting" so virtually never Carolina (yaaaaawn).
Lyon is red hot. If he can keep it going, the Wings can cause some trouble in the playoffs.
Cossa is red hot in GR, too. Prospects are looking pretty damn good.
Speaking of shrooms...
Literal shit? Eww.
To paraphrase a critic, punk was born in Detroit in the late 1960s. Fuck Hudson's.
Yes. NFL is quite the magnet.
Sounds like Biff’s primary advice was simply, “Tell these guys how much you love and appreciate them.” Moore has already shown he does that with his mom’s favorite live interview.
By the way…Biff’s advice works across multiple situations. Take it from a retired manager type. It’s amazing how you can make someone’s day with a hand written note and a Starbucks card.
I peeked at OSU's schedule and came away with a what the fuck...Prior to "CHEETERZ!", their fanbase mantra was "Michigan played a weak schedule", of course. I thought with the addition of the PAC refugees that they might have do more than beat us and Penn State to make some noise. Yeah...a game in Oregon. Otherwise it's MACrifices, rebuilding/awful B1G programs and Iowa in the Shoe with their mighty offense. Five stars across the board and only three games that won't require 12 turnovers to lose. I'll enjoy jumping on boards to point that out when they puff out their chests.
Pffft. There's a reason I perk up for prescription drug commercials. You get used to knowing that the coach would call you "sir".
I’m as sober as my teetotaler grandma ever was and I read it the same way.
(It was hilarious watching my dad hide the beer and wine when she came over)
Bearing in mind that predictions are for funsises, I'm guessing that the general feel was, "Michigan is a REALLY good team but stupid shit happens all the time in college football." This goes back to when I was a kid and Bo would dump a game to Wisconsin or some damn thing. So, a lot of writers thought PSU might be the stupid shit game, being in their stadium and their having an excellent defense. If I recall correctly, a lot of board predictions weren't dissimilar.
That all said, I'm beginning to think that Seth is a wizard of some kind.
Oh man, the RichRod flame wars of 2010-11 were epic. For just one example, someone called up my posting history and negged me 20+ times for directly quoting a Mississippi State linebacker's assessment of Rod's offense. And that was a flesh wound compared to what most others got. Emotions run high here generally but that period was the message board equivalent of Stalingrad.
Yep--Hart, maybe Campbell. More likely Hart.
Clink or Elston to DC?
I also think that Jim will help Moore out when needed like his brother did for him. Moore and Jim obviously really, really love each other.
Elston or Clink maybe?
My idiotic opinion (I'm quite aware that I'm a C- football student; tries hard, not very smart): don't sleep on Jadyn Davis. He's not the 6-4, cannon arm QB with measurables to Neptune that make analysts drool but he just keeps doing enough. The hardest thing to measure is football IQ and my sense is that he's got that. It's possible that by the end of the year, with the Bowl practices and some Kirk Campbell coaching, he just might be the best option.
Oh, I figured you were at best a concept in the early 80s. I don't know that the stretch of houses has changed that much though. It was a pretty good hike to class but I enjoyed living down there.
Really well written, like all your diaries. I've dug a little into military history over the years because I find it fascinating and have family ties to some momentous stuff (not me, thank God; my dad's fervent wish was that his son didn't have to go through what he did). Guys like you make me realize how much more I can learn.
By the way...S. Forest represent! If memory serves, my address was 1122 (so SOUTH Forest) in 1982-83. I believe that was the year I took a course on WW2 taught by a retired full bird colonel working on his PhD. I cannot remember his name, but can picture him, and I LOVED the class.
Also Marcus Ray “Take that!” Loved that one.
17 million a year for that show. That’s a shit ton of good beat reporters instead going to those knuckleheads.
Our WR block like crazy, which is likely attractive to the NFL. I’m too stupid to know, but how does their route running look? The nature of our offense takes away from WRs getting big numbers, but if their routes are good, maybe Bellamy is doing ok?
Wheatley if you'd like a size comparison.
Because of the love for Williams, Penix et al at the top of the draft, JJ just might find himself the heir apparent on a very good NFL team. Homer glasses caveats apply, but I think he might be the QB from this draft people remember in 15 years.
Maybe we could have a Portal/NFL declaration stickie? Keeps things less cluttered and I honestly feel bad for people getting flamed for trying to be helpful. As Grow Old notes, news gets posted every few seconds and I don't live on the board enough to keep up with all of it.
Ooof. I feel for those Husky fans.
I can't say I blame him. I have no idea if he could sustain success at UW and the pay bump to go to Tuscaloosa would be a whopper.
A Buckeye pummeling in successive years was dark, yes, but go back to the Flame Wars in Rich Rod's last year. Hoo boy. Not only was it dark but we started to cannibalize each other. That was truly looking at the world from the bottom of a well.
Naked boot PA, Griese to Tuman, maybe Amani Toomer over the top. That destroyed many teams.
Walther draws the lines we do that Jim's outspokenness on giving the athletes power and a piece of the pie is what lies behind the OUTRAGE over advanced in-person scouting. Walther also ties in Jim's outspokenness during George Floyd/BLM as evidence that he's sincere (I'd add the statements about fairness in the justice system from 7-8 years ago). Good piece.
It's interesting that they turned the comments off.
I prefer Buddy Guy.
"Fair and square" is a pretty strong phrase. If they think they might have something, it'd be easier to say something without saying anything ("This is the night to celebrate these great student athletes. They played their hearts out and the only thing we should focus on is the hard work and teamwork both teams showed.")
You got me wondering so I went over to 11W, thinking I'd get some good shadenfreude. Wow-that board is a cesspool. A couple reasonable Michigan fans posted and were greeted by "you like your own farts" stuff (not exaggerating). The rest of the thread was "ChEaTeRz!!!" I feel like I wandered into a third grade classroom.
Hey, as a times two prostate cancer guy (got it, came back), I'm fine with the bath tub commercials, even if Nick is in them. This shit suuuuuuucks.
I've got 20 years on you so your first "best "really hit home. Adding to it: my son and I went to the Oilers-Blackhawks game last night. The idea was to see McDavid/Dreiseidel and Bedard (then Bedard broke his jaw--next time). We were riffing on checking off seeing future legends, the way I can say I can say I saw Gretzky, my dad saw Howe, etc. I told my son that what makes sports a cool hobby is that there's always a new legend, a player or team that people will speak fondly of when they're old. So I can talk about "that awesome Championship 23 team" and savor the memory while, hopefully, enjoying the next legend. If I don't make it to the next one, that's OK. I'll have this one.