Leading the conference & cruising to a #1 seed, and the refs have it out for them on the road vs the last place team? Ugh. Fans like him are the lowest common denominator. What color is the sky in these morons' worlds?
Saw Wallace back during his Pistons stint parked outside the Domino's on the NE corner of Long Lake & Telegraph (a Hungry Howie's the last time I checked). Ginormous tripped-out Escalade. He sent one of his young sons inside to get the pizzas while he smoked a J. ID was confirmed as I backed out & noted the vanity plate (RASHEED1 or something similar).
Love Rasheed. Those Pistons, like the Bad Boys, should have also won back-to-back titles (and the Bad Boys should have won 3 straight!).
Kudos on the Bob Bergeron caption, Seth! Provided a good chuckle. I have always had a strange fascination/fixation re Michigan kickers since I was a kid. I think we're really going to miss Jake Moody .. defined clutch.
If we were to Scooby Doo mask reveal every coach in the league, would they all be Fran McCaffrey? Who's to say, but I call dibs on ripping off Izzo's jowls.
Gold, Jerry - pure gold. Thank you for being you, Brian Cook!!!
Best views of the Kirk are from Island Lake; less so but still visible from Lower Long. You might only be able to see the top of the tower from Upper Long. (Grew up in the area.)
October 3, 1970 vs. Texas A&M. I was less than a year old. My mom recalls I slept soundly throughout the entire 2nd half. I sang The Victors after the 14-10 triumph with an enthusiasm previously unknown to mankind (not). Cue Reese Witherspoon quote directed to my mother: "You brought a baby.."
Logged in to down-vote. This is a nonsense take. There is no way a start-up league has enough cash reserves to pay players, coaching staffs, and support personnel to play in empty venues. And attempting to allow paying fans would be currently illegal in nearly all of their teams' home cities. So no .. zero chance to "capture the market."
Denverite here. Will be interesting to see what Vail Resorts (and others) end up doing regarding refunds. I have a hunch they will end up issuing refunds for any daily or weekly tickets pre-purchased for times when the resorts are closed. If a season pass product has already been used (even only 1 or 2 days), that will be an S-O-L situation. I feel for the people who spent so much money on flights and accommodations, are already here, and now face closed resorts. But we're obviously in unchartered waters as a nation (and world).
mGrow, the Post Malone show here in Denver was actually Thursday night, not Wednesday (which kinda makes it even worse). It forced the hands of both Mayor Michael Hancock and Governor Jared Polis to implement drastic changes Friday morning. Hancock closed all city-owned, large public space venues, and Polis banned all gatherings of 250+ people. Pepsi Center is privately owned by Stan Kroenke, so the decision to continue with the concert was theirs to make at the time. Things have obviously changed. Regardless, really bad optics for Denver.
"If you know a MSU fan who's having trouble with recent events it's important to talk to them. Otherwise they may not understand how richly they deserve it."
Thanks, Brian. Terrific column, per usual. And this last bit is simply .. beautiful.
People who don't use their turn signals can shampoo my crotch. Such blatant assholery seems to be on the rise in the past few years. I find it rampant nowadays. Selfishness personified.
I watched that game at Scorekeepers .. as a senior. It had just re-opened after a couple years of dormancy following Dooley's closure (liquor violations IIRC). No one really knew about it yet; their pre-opening marketing kinda sucked. But it quickly hit its stride.
Jalen went off that game. Didn't Fisher bench him from the starting lineup for a team rules violation? I believe he was inserted into the game even before the first media timeout. Man, so many moons ago. I feel old.
Among many legendary Michigan hoops moments, the Aneurysm of Leadership is among my favorites. Boy, did we ever need that win something fierce. The shirtless Sparty-No douchebros with the number of days painted on their chests standing behind one of the baskets. Ugh. Was absolutely exquisite to finally put that shit to rest.
Gosh, half those charges in the Davison montage appear to be blocking fouls. Although college football has overtaken college basketball in terms of officiating ineptitude, the charge/block subjectivity is still somewhat suspect. The calls have gotten a bit better the past couple seasons, but the WTF factor is still prevalent at times. Even with the 2012 rule clarification, there's still the whole "stationary defender" line item. And I agree with prior commentary that the level of stoke Davison displays after the last instance is pretty ridiculous. I appreciate the excitement and enthusiasm which makes the college game so great, but that particular context is an odd time to show it. Last time I checked, I haven't seen any posters or contests featuring tool-fools taking charges.
Meh, only "slightly" less. It's mid-winter in central Wisconsin (18 degrees tomorrow). The place will be packed and rocking. It will be a very difficult environment as usual. I've had this one circled on the calendar since the opener as a big question mark. Cautiously optimistic.
I solely stated Davis as a "project" (being a 3-star and having the athletic limitations in high school that you mention). I didn't view Chatman, Donnal, or Wilson as projects. They were all 4-stars and generally touted recruits. I simply mentioned the former pair as more significant recruiting misses for Beilein than a 3-star project coming out of a small high school in rural Michigan. I love JB, but no one is perfect (except Nick Saban apparently).
"..the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority paid for a complete upgrade of that tray during the off-season. The original waterproofing and drainage systems of the field tray were replaced, along with the sod and root-zone mix. The new system comes equipped with leak-detection technology."
Growing and maintaining perfect sod can be fickle, especially in a climate like Arizona. Maybe the root system was adversely affected by disease. I'm sure the grounds crew is beside themselves in frustration that such an expensive, high-tech system could produce such a rough result.
Meh, I think Beilein has always viewed Austin Davis as a project. And let's face it, "projects" don't pan out much more often than they do. TBQH, he's not nearly as significant of a JB recruiting miss as Mark Donnal or Kam Chatman. I have been cheering for Davis since he stepped on campus, as he's from an area of Michigan that a large portion of my dad's relatives are from. I love a good small town Michigan kid success story. I'm pretty sure JB will be using the next 3 games as one last coaching opportunity to help Davis gain some much-needed confidence. Otherwise, it's onto Brandon Johns.
My hand is raised (for the banked 3 going in at the buzzer). I've come to the conclusion that strange things tend to happen in Evanston, both at Welsh-Ryan and the neighboring football field. A periodic blowout sprinkled in both sports, but a whole lot of bizarre facepalm stuff on most occasions. Relieved we somehow escaped with a W.
"I’d listen to a 45-minute pod of them discussing Antietam or some such shit."
Guffaw. Kudos, Alex. Those are the kinds of hidden gems that make this blog so..damn..good. Fantastic TWO, gents. Terrific stuff. Hard not to be absolutely stoked about this team's potential. I don't see a loss potential 'til .. (I will shut up now).
Looking very forward to this game. The Purdue battles were must-see-tv last season, even the loss. On another note, there is no way John Beilein is able to retain Luke Yaklich beyond this season, right? Regardless, I'm going to enjoy this season like a case of fine French Boudreaux.
Outside of a program blatantly struggling and its head coach being on the hot seat (witness the final seasons of Rodriguez and Hoke and the respective impacts on those recruiting classes), I don't subscribe to the narrative of one game affecting recruiting in any impactful manner. That is certainly not the current climate in Ann Arbor. We're still a program on the rise. Maybe a head-to-head battle like Zach Harrison might take a detrimental hit due to the debacle last Saturday. If he wants to come to Michigan, he'll be in the class.
What was truly amazing is that I didn't really hear that particular whistle watching on TV either. I can't imagine how much louder it was actually inside the arena. Great stuff. Need an equally participatory crowd on Saturday as well. Let's open the conference season with a bang against a really good opponent. The Purdue games last season were epic.
This is a great post, matty blue. I wish more people could/would buy into this perspective. It's ALL silly (bread & circuses), so embrace the silliness.
Would definitely agree to try more for corner than directly behind the basket. But that being said, I've sat in the latter at Crisler a few times, and they're fine. I think the only "bad" seats are the last row or two of the upper bowl.
Once again, the free throw shooting is .. a concern. Finish 6 or 7 missed layups/dunks & shoot FTs adequately, and we're up by 15. Love the overall poise, though. Could have easily gotten rattled a time or two, but nope.
This will always be a divisive, controversial issue in the fan base. I grew up loving the Notre Dame rivalry, as it was early in the season (if not the outright season opener like this year), and it was generally the first big national spotlight game. I still love the rivalry and attended the game in South Bend this year (and had a fabulous time despite the loss). I know guys who pay a crap ton of dough for really nice season tickets at the Big House. They want to see good matchups, not three MAC teams. I think the scheduling is fine. Notre Dame or similar (Washington in '20-'21), a middle tier traditional program (SMU this year, Army in '19), and a MAC cupcake is nicely balanced OOC scheduling.
The huge problem is the much mentioned off-kilter tilt of odd/even years imbalance. I still have no f'ing clue why we had to play those back-to-back games in East Landfill ('13-'14). So moronic on the part of Delany & Co. And then the salt in the wound of having to resume the Notre Dame rivalry down there after playing there in '14. A condition of resumption should have been a game in Ann Arbor, even if they had to wait a few seasons for schedules to clear. The MSU & OSU imbalance does not appear to be getting fixed before '26, as conference schedules are already out through '25. This is a maddening issue.
We're likely in the extreme minority, but I'm with you on this. Would really love a chance to see our boys play in the Rose Bowl. An ideal game time on New Year's Day for viewing. Classic Pac 12 matchup. The other options appear almost nauseating to me in terms of spin cycle boredom. The Peach Bowl at noon on the 29th (a hardcore 10:00 am Mountain - guh)? No thanks. Another tiresome bowl matchup with Florida? Pass. A zero-to-gain matchup with UCF? Ugh. I'd happily settle for a Fiesta Bowl bid vs. LSU, but that is seeming increasingly unlikely. Can't wait for Sunday evening for all of this to be officially announced.
In light of various game times, at least things will be relatively settled by kickoff in Indy, since I don't wish to be pulling for the bucknuts in any way/shape/form.
Damn, really good game between Wisconsin and NC State too. Nice late comeback by the Badgers after hanging around within spitting distance most of the 2nd half. Doesn't look quite like the Ethan Happ one-man band of last season.
Recent Comments
Leading the conference & cruising to a #1 seed, and the refs have it out for them on the road vs the last place team? Ugh. Fans like him are the lowest common denominator. What color is the sky in these morons' worlds?
It's the "beer with the taste for food." Oh wait, that's a Natty Light.
Saw Wallace back during his Pistons stint parked outside the Domino's on the NE corner of Long Lake & Telegraph (a Hungry Howie's the last time I checked). Ginormous tripped-out Escalade. He sent one of his young sons inside to get the pizzas while he smoked a J. ID was confirmed as I backed out & noted the vanity plate (RASHEED1 or something similar).
Love Rasheed. Those Pistons, like the Bad Boys, should have also won back-to-back titles (and the Bad Boys should have won 3 straight!).
Kudos on the Bob Bergeron caption, Seth! Provided a good chuckle. I have always had a strange fascination/fixation re Michigan kickers since I was a kid. I think we're really going to miss Jake Moody .. defined clutch.
https://mvictors.com/bob-bergeron-30-years-later/
Fantastic analysis & great write-up, Matt. Kudos and thank you!
"The Botulism Preventers." Outstanding.
RCMB is a putrid cesspool. All the worst attributes of sports fandom in one place. Don't go there.
Gold, Jerry - pure gold. Thank you for being you, Brian Cook!!!
Logged in (for the first time in a while) to down-vote.
McCaffrey
Best views of the Kirk are from Island Lake; less so but still visible from Lower Long. You might only be able to see the top of the tower from Upper Long. (Grew up in the area.)
re the top basketball coaches under 40,
"Maybe the problem with the list is that it exists."
This.
October 3, 1970 vs. Texas A&M. I was less than a year old. My mom recalls I slept soundly throughout the entire 2nd half. I sang The Victors after the 14-10 triumph with an enthusiasm previously unknown to mankind (not). Cue Reese Witherspoon quote directed to my mother: "You brought a baby.."
Logged in to down-vote. This is a nonsense take. There is no way a start-up league has enough cash reserves to pay players, coaching staffs, and support personnel to play in empty venues. And attempting to allow paying fans would be currently illegal in nearly all of their teams' home cities. So no .. zero chance to "capture the market."
Denverite here. Will be interesting to see what Vail Resorts (and others) end up doing regarding refunds. I have a hunch they will end up issuing refunds for any daily or weekly tickets pre-purchased for times when the resorts are closed. If a season pass product has already been used (even only 1 or 2 days), that will be an S-O-L situation. I feel for the people who spent so much money on flights and accommodations, are already here, and now face closed resorts. But we're obviously in unchartered waters as a nation (and world).
Breckenridge
mGrow, the Post Malone show here in Denver was actually Thursday night, not Wednesday (which kinda makes it even worse). It forced the hands of both Mayor Michael Hancock and Governor Jared Polis to implement drastic changes Friday morning. Hancock closed all city-owned, large public space venues, and Polis banned all gatherings of 250+ people. Pepsi Center is privately owned by Stan Kroenke, so the decision to continue with the concert was theirs to make at the time. Things have obviously changed. Regardless, really bad optics for Denver.
"If you know a MSU fan who's having trouble with recent events it's important to talk to them. Otherwise they may not understand how richly they deserve it."
Thanks, Brian. Terrific column, per usual. And this last bit is simply .. beautiful.
People who don't use their turn signals can shampoo my crotch. Such blatant assholery seems to be on the rise in the past few years. I find it rampant nowadays. Selfishness personified.
The 2016 game vs. CU was in Ann Arbor. I don't believe we've played in Boulder since '96.
I watched that game at Scorekeepers .. as a senior. It had just re-opened after a couple years of dormancy following Dooley's closure (liquor violations IIRC). No one really knew about it yet; their pre-opening marketing kinda sucked. But it quickly hit its stride.
Jalen went off that game. Didn't Fisher bench him from the starting lineup for a team rules violation? I believe he was inserted into the game even before the first media timeout. Man, so many moons ago. I feel old.
"Nico Collins is going for a jump ball against a guy who can drive a tank but is also 5'9"."
Man, that is just pure gold. Great stuff, Brian.
"Kathy Bates has nothing on Izzo."
That's just good stuff right there, Brian. Kudos.
"FWIW, Moretti is an Italian guy who moved to Lubbock. This has no bearing on anything. I want to see this movie, though."
This blog is a true pleasure, Brian. Thanks for being such a brilliant writer.
Yeah, this is gonna be a slugfest. Go Blue!!!
Among many legendary Michigan hoops moments, the Aneurysm of Leadership is among my favorites. Boy, did we ever need that win something fierce. The shirtless Sparty-No douchebros with the number of days painted on their chests standing behind one of the baskets. Ugh. Was absolutely exquisite to finally put that shit to rest.
Terrific stuff. Basketbullets is one of my favorite features. Thank you, Brian. Keep up the excellent work. Your efforts are truly appreciated.
Gosh, half those charges in the Davison montage appear to be blocking fouls. Although college football has overtaken college basketball in terms of officiating ineptitude, the charge/block subjectivity is still somewhat suspect. The calls have gotten a bit better the past couple seasons, but the WTF factor is still prevalent at times. Even with the 2012 rule clarification, there's still the whole "stationary defender" line item. And I agree with prior commentary that the level of stoke Davison displays after the last instance is pretty ridiculous. I appreciate the excitement and enthusiasm which makes the college game so great, but that particular context is an odd time to show it. Last time I checked, I haven't seen any posters or contests featuring tool-fools taking charges.
Meh, only "slightly" less. It's mid-winter in central Wisconsin (18 degrees tomorrow). The place will be packed and rocking. It will be a very difficult environment as usual. I've had this one circled on the calendar since the opener as a big question mark. Cautiously optimistic.
It's "McCaffrey."
I solely stated Davis as a "project" (being a 3-star and having the athletic limitations in high school that you mention). I didn't view Chatman, Donnal, or Wilson as projects. They were all 4-stars and generally touted recruits. I simply mentioned the former pair as more significant recruiting misses for Beilein than a 3-star project coming out of a small high school in rural Michigan. I love JB, but no one is perfect (except Nick Saban apparently).
Loved it. A highlight in a weird, (mostly) ugly game.
From an azcentral article this past summer:
"..the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority paid for a complete upgrade of that tray during the off-season. The original waterproofing and drainage systems of the field tray were replaced, along with the sod and root-zone mix. The new system comes equipped with leak-detection technology."
Growing and maintaining perfect sod can be fickle, especially in a climate like Arizona. Maybe the root system was adversely affected by disease. I'm sure the grounds crew is beside themselves in frustration that such an expensive, high-tech system could produce such a rough result.
It's bermuda, so it wasn't dead. Just dormant.
Meh, I think Beilein has always viewed Austin Davis as a project. And let's face it, "projects" don't pan out much more often than they do. TBQH, he's not nearly as significant of a JB recruiting miss as Mark Donnal or Kam Chatman. I have been cheering for Davis since he stepped on campus, as he's from an area of Michigan that a large portion of my dad's relatives are from. I love a good small town Michigan kid success story. I'm pretty sure JB will be using the next 3 games as one last coaching opportunity to help Davis gain some much-needed confidence. Otherwise, it's onto Brandon Johns.
This is so comically ironic and apropos of the cultural, social, and political era in which we live.
My hand is raised (for the banked 3 going in at the buzzer). I've come to the conclusion that strange things tend to happen in Evanston, both at Welsh-Ryan and the neighboring football field. A periodic blowout sprinkled in both sports, but a whole lot of bizarre facepalm stuff on most occasions. Relieved we somehow escaped with a W.
Damn, that is a tiny cheerleader.
"I’d listen to a 45-minute pod of them discussing Antietam or some such shit."
Guffaw. Kudos, Alex. Those are the kinds of hidden gems that make this blog so..damn..good. Fantastic TWO, gents. Terrific stuff. Hard not to be absolutely stoked about this team's potential. I don't see a loss potential 'til .. (I will shut up now).
Looking very forward to this game. The Purdue battles were must-see-tv last season, even the loss. On another note, there is no way John Beilein is able to retain Luke Yaklich beyond this season, right? Regardless, I'm going to enjoy this season like a case of fine French Boudreaux.
That is an incredibly bizarre photo; I wish to un-see it.
Outside of a program blatantly struggling and its head coach being on the hot seat (witness the final seasons of Rodriguez and Hoke and the respective impacts on those recruiting classes), I don't subscribe to the narrative of one game affecting recruiting in any impactful manner. That is certainly not the current climate in Ann Arbor. We're still a program on the rise. Maybe a head-to-head battle like Zach Harrison might take a detrimental hit due to the debacle last Saturday. If he wants to come to Michigan, he'll be in the class.
What was truly amazing is that I didn't really hear that particular whistle watching on TV either. I can't imagine how much louder it was actually inside the arena. Great stuff. Need an equally participatory crowd on Saturday as well. Let's open the conference season with a bang against a really good opponent. The Purdue games last season were epic.
This is a great post, matty blue. I wish more people could/would buy into this perspective. It's ALL silly (bread & circuses), so embrace the silliness.
Would definitely agree to try more for corner than directly behind the basket. But that being said, I've sat in the latter at Crisler a few times, and they're fine. I think the only "bad" seats are the last row or two of the upper bowl.
That was simply super fun to watch. Only nitpick was the FT shooting. This team is fully capable of making a similar run as last season.
Once again, the free throw shooting is .. a concern. Finish 6 or 7 missed layups/dunks & shoot FTs adequately, and we're up by 15. Love the overall poise, though. Could have easily gotten rattled a time or two, but nope.
This will always be a divisive, controversial issue in the fan base. I grew up loving the Notre Dame rivalry, as it was early in the season (if not the outright season opener like this year), and it was generally the first big national spotlight game. I still love the rivalry and attended the game in South Bend this year (and had a fabulous time despite the loss). I know guys who pay a crap ton of dough for really nice season tickets at the Big House. They want to see good matchups, not three MAC teams. I think the scheduling is fine. Notre Dame or similar (Washington in '20-'21), a middle tier traditional program (SMU this year, Army in '19), and a MAC cupcake is nicely balanced OOC scheduling.
The huge problem is the much mentioned off-kilter tilt of odd/even years imbalance. I still have no f'ing clue why we had to play those back-to-back games in East Landfill ('13-'14). So moronic on the part of Delany & Co. And then the salt in the wound of having to resume the Notre Dame rivalry down there after playing there in '14. A condition of resumption should have been a game in Ann Arbor, even if they had to wait a few seasons for schedules to clear. The MSU & OSU imbalance does not appear to be getting fixed before '26, as conference schedules are already out through '25. This is a maddening issue.
We're likely in the extreme minority, but I'm with you on this. Would really love a chance to see our boys play in the Rose Bowl. An ideal game time on New Year's Day for viewing. Classic Pac 12 matchup. The other options appear almost nauseating to me in terms of spin cycle boredom. The Peach Bowl at noon on the 29th (a hardcore 10:00 am Mountain - guh)? No thanks. Another tiresome bowl matchup with Florida? Pass. A zero-to-gain matchup with UCF? Ugh. I'd happily settle for a Fiesta Bowl bid vs. LSU, but that is seeming increasingly unlikely. Can't wait for Sunday evening for all of this to be officially announced.
In light of various game times, at least things will be relatively settled by kickoff in Indy, since I don't wish to be pulling for the bucknuts in any way/shape/form.
Damn, really good game between Wisconsin and NC State too. Nice late comeback by the Badgers after hanging around within spitting distance most of the 2nd half. Doesn't look quite like the Ethan Happ one-man band of last season.