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Yesterday, before the game,…

Yesterday, before the game, my wife brought out an old photo of the two of us at the 1998 Rose Bowl, shortly after the birth of our first child. We were much younger than than we are today, it goes without saying. In remembering that day, one feeling - disappointment - overwhelmed the “thrill of victory” even to the present.
 

Michigan won, of course, escaping with a victory beating Washington State and Ryan Leaf the victory felt hollow, even in the moment. We all expected a blowout of Washington State. Just squeaking by didn’t create joy or feelings of conquest to supremacy. I was glad we won, but wished we had done so in a more consenting fashion. I left Pasadena neither happy nor sad. It felt like a missed opportunity. I knew the narrowness of the win opened the door for Nebraska and Tom Osborne to be awarded a share of the national championship. It is possible that Michigan would never have been awarded the title outright but by failing to win a convincing victory, we left the door open for a split vote.

It was a great season but it left a sour taste. This was a feeling I knew well as a Michigan fan from birth. Among my earliest memories, alongside 70 backflips when we beat Navy and Wangler to Carter to beat Indiana, was seemingly endless disappointment, almost always at or near season’s end. I recall listening to Bob Ufer calling away games (before all the games were televised) and the despair I would feel after a late season loss on natural grass at Purdue. We did well against Ohio State for the most part in those days but New Year’s Day games, and especially Rose Bowls, were sources of seemingly endless frustration.

Then came a so-called Game of the Century, just six years years into a new millennium. And only one day after Bo’s death. It all seemed premature. The game was a classic, but again, it ended in disappointment. And then another loss to USC in the Rose Bowl  

I started reading MGoBlog during Rich Rodriguez’s last season, when I thought things could not get much worse. You Raise Me Up? How could it all have sunk so low?

Although hiring Brady Hoke was not exactly inspiring, at least he spoke the language of Michigan football, as Rich Rod never had. Steeped in years of Schembechler speak as a kid, it seemed odd that Rodriguez came in and seemed not to care about the history of Michigan football. Even if it had just been fan service, it would have helped. I had an odd feeling from the beginning. When I saw RR in LA on his first speaking tour to Michigan alumni around the country, I left unsure if he had ever heard of Yost or Crisler or Bo. Maybe it shouldn’t have mattered. And maybe it wouldn’t have mattered if he had won more games. But when he didn’t, it mattered

Hoke at least seemed determined to try to honor past glories. Of course he was in over his head. We knew that for some time and the end was obvious when Shane Morris stumbled around the field after the seemingly nonexistent O line allowed another vicious hit and was then sent back onto the field in the game. I was in the crowd and was among many who booed Hoke that day. I didn’t like booing and hoped the team understood we all directed our frustrations at Hoke, not the players. Yet an overwhelming sense of disappointment was all we could feel that day as we witnessed the end of another coach’s unsuccessful tenure.

But we still had hope, as the turmoil in San Francisco seemed destined to bring Jim Harbaugh home if only Hackett could reel him in. With Harbaugh back in Ann Arbor, the team seemed primed for a return to competitiveness with Ohio State and dominance over Sparty.  

The latter proved fleeting after the Spartans stole a victory at Michigan Stadium in 2015. It was the first game I attended in the Harbaugh era. All I could do was sit there, face down, head in hands, next to my brother, and wonder how that just happened. I had taken a video of the scoreboard, and the cheering crowd just before the last play. It remained on my phone for a time as a testament to dreams dashed.

Then came the 2016 Ohio State game and it seemed that we might never again catch a break. More losses to OSU followed, each one seemingly worse than the previous. 

I may be deluding myself, but I don’t think so, when I say that I stood behind Harbaugh even in 2020. or perhaps, it’s better to say that I saw no better alternative. We were all disappointed, once again, but I still thought Harbaugh was as good as we can. It was probably a sense of resignation, more than support or confidence that we could get back on track.

Then came November 2021. For days I basked in the glow of Hassan Haskins’s running and a curb stomping victory over Ohio State. I watched and rewatched highlight videos accompanied to the tune of Mr. Brightside and I welled up. At last we beat them. And then we crushed Iowa. The loss to Georgia was easily forgiven and forgotten. After all, we beat Ohio State and won the Big Ten. It had been way too long and a loss at the end of the season was not unexpected. Things were finally looking up. 

We enjoyed another thrashing of Ohio State in 2022. What a game! Got a wide open receiver. They said the kid couldn’t throw the deep ball. Donovan Edwards gets past Ransom. Another Big Ten championship. I traveled to Phoenix, but the Fiesta Bowl with my family full of hope and expectation. I spent the third-quarter pacing around the stadium. I couldn’t stay in my seat and couldn’t believe what was happening. I think I was sitting near Brian around the 20 yard line in the lower bowl - if not, he sure looked like Brian. Another promising season that ended in defeat and disappointment. 

I was in the crowd for another Rose Bowl last week. The first one in a long time. It seemed for a few years while I was in school we went nearly every year. I brought with me the memory of the Washington State game. But this time we were playing Alabama and the mighty Nick Saban. I expected to win as I always do (even when my head tells me it is unlikely). And I was joyful and relieved when we pulled it out. I enjoyed celebrating after the game with my now grown up kids and friends. 

And that would’ve been enough, I think. But I am oh so glad my team won last night. No lingering questions. No doubt. National Champions! The best in the land. Best players. Best coach. Best team. We may never see another team like this one, and if I don’t, that will be ok. I’m going to let this one sink in. And I’m going to let go of all the disappointment of the past. Actually, I don’t have to let go. It was removed. This team washed it all the way.

Thank you, Brian. And Seth. And Alex. And mods. MGoBlog has taught me a lot. As has Team 144. I’m a lifelong fan. It’s all I know. It’s deep within me. And today my lifelong devotion has been rewarded. Go Blue! 

Lighten up, Francis. 

Lighten up, Francis. 

So small I haven’t noticed…

So small I haven’t noticed them, I guess. 

It’s over for everyone but…

It’s over for everyone but those who put money on M -36. 

Agree. I loved Bill Laimbeer…

Agree. I loved Bill Laimbeer and the Bad Boys. But he was a dirty (and very good) player, as is Draymond Green. 

Agree, except not sure…

Agree, except not sure anything comparable happens to normal NBA players hundreds of time each game. It's seems rare to me that anyone's arms get wrapped up or interfere with another player's leg as happened here. It happens, but not too often, and is different that simply jumping off one foot or the other.  

I do not like Draymond Green…

I do not like Draymond Green. Full stop. But he is in fact "very good at actual basketball things" - as well as getting in players' (and others') heads. Green is part (albeit not the most important part) of the nucleus of a Warriors team that has won four NBA championships. He was a defensive player of the year and is generally recognized as one of the league's best interior defenders.  

As a grad of LSA (Econ) and…

As a grad of LSA (Econ) and Michigan Law (too long ago to mention), I agree that in terms of placement into grad school, LSA is a perfectly fine way to go. But in almost no way does a BA in Econ resemble a BBA. That was exactly what I (and even more so the faculty of the Econ Dept) wanted. It never even occurred to me that one might apply to the B school until my roommate said he wanted to do (which is how you had to do it back then - no applying from high school) and the idea of having to take specific courses and applying again once you at the university seemed crazy as well as limiting. I preferred having Prof. Cameron for Classic Civ to taking an accounting course and wanted to learn about political philosophy more than calculus (although I ultimately had to take it for my Econ degree). If one wants to study business coming out of high school, which I personally could not have even imagined wanting, then LSA Econ would not serve as a substitute, at least in my time. The Econ faculty did everything it could to assure that Econ majors were not learning anything about business, outside perhaps on the intro and intermediate micro courses. As evidence, I submit my essay focusing on Bakunin and collectivist anarchism in my 300 or 400 level Marxist Economics course. I understand in recent years there have been many changes (motivated by competitive interests and requests from practically-minded students, I suspect) and LSA and other students can now take more B school courses and even select a Business minor. Whether that was the case a decade ago, when Kozan was looking, I don't know. But even if a minor was available, there are some people who want to study business and get a business degree. They don't want to study econ or poli sci or psych or, God forbid, English, at most of my friends did when I was in school. And they are not necessarily using their undergraduate degree as preparation for more grad school.

As an aside, my Dad was a hockey player (and a very good one) and BBA grad (even longer ago, obviously) and he made it work, along with washing dishes at my Aunt's sorority, teaching skating, and other sides jobs to pay the bills - the scholarship back then was tuition only and even that was less than $100 per semester, but was more than he would have been able to afford.  

In my mind, I remembered…

In my mind, I remembered Ricardo Montalban saying "rich" Corinthian leather.  

Better at writing music than…

Better at writing music than performing it. No. Sublime on both counts. The fact that many others have done great covers of Beatles' songs points to the strength and breadth of their catalog, but the harmonies, innovative and inventive instrumentation, and performance of their own songs - on the whole - takes a back seat to no one.   

Wow! That's quite a take.  

Wow! That's quite a take.  

It is different and very…

It is different and very good, but not better than the original - not even close.  

It is different and very…

It is different and very good, but not better than the original - not even close.  

I think he was kidding. 

I think he was kidding. 

Listen to the WTKA …

Listen to the WTKA  Roundtable from Thursday.  

Too young to remember AC?…

Too young to remember AC? Take a look - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVF-FsumaT8

That is the current…

That is the current consensus - among those who aren’t victims (or, apparently, fans of a football team on which the victims play). Also known as a luxury belief. 

Probable is probably correct…

Probable is probably correct. I also wish there was less mystery surrounding all of this.

No bearing? At all? What if…

No bearing? At all? What if he thought the evidence was not there? I think Harbaugh was part of the decision making - that’s all I’ve said. If AD and head coach disagreed, then we may have another issue on our hands.  

All I’m saying is that the…

All I’m saying is that the immediate manager should be making hire and fire decisions in the first instance. And that if Harbaugh didn’t want to fire him - yet, at all, until investigation completed, etc - then we have a situation on our hands inside the department. Weiss may have done bad things. I don’t know yet. But if Harbaugh wasn’t part of the decision making or Warde overruled him, then the tension - assuming there is any - between AD and head coach has been exacerbated. I suspect strongly that Warde consulted with Jim and they agreed on the termination. I’m really just taking issue with the assumption that it was Warde’s decision and his alone. 

Agree BG appears to be in a…

Agree BG appears to be in a good spot in SF but who knows? Could be a good person to reach out to in this situation. Are you placing BG in the 2% exception? Can’t see how you could say it’s pea brained in this particular situation. 

Someone made a decision.  It…

Someone made a decision.  It did not happen spontaneously. 

Agree on rarity. But wouldn…

Agree on rarity. But wouldn’t you first give the coach the chance to do so? Warde announcing it does not mean Warde decided it.  If Warde did hire without Jim’s consent, drama within the department may just be starting. 

Didn’t read the article from…

Didn’t read the article from Webb (I don’t subscribe), but why suggest what he is saying is “homer spin”? It looks like an article reporting on a call he had with Davis’s father. Might the father not have said complimentary things about discussions with Harbaugh?

He certainly has the…

He certainly has the authority.  That isn’t the question. But if he made this decision rather than Harbaugh - or over Harbaugh’s objection - then the theatrics surrounding our head coach may not be over yet. Many were just suggesting Warde must be on the way out because Ono tweeted about Harbaugh’s return next year. Just as it was a few days ago with Ono, this is just an announcement of a decision. I don’t try think it necessarily means it wasn’t Harbaugh’s decision. But if it was not and Warde fired Weiss without Harbaugh’s agreement on this issue, why wouldn’t it raise Harbaugh’s hackles? Authority is one thing but I have to believe Harbaugh, not Manuel, made the decision, or at least executed it with Harbaugh’s approval and consent.  

If the police are…

If the police are investigating, he must be guilty. He very well could be guilty of something - we will see. Firing him while a police investigation is pending suggests the evidence is there on violation of work rules. But it’s pretty unfair - and dare I say, un-American - to say that if cops are involved then he must have done it (whatever it is).  

And the offense was pretty…

And the offense was pretty good before that. Who knows? Remember when people were asking why he wasn’t a head coach yet?  Not that long ago. 

Warde announced it for sure,…

Warde announced it for sure, but do you really think he is the one that made the decision? If so, Harbaugh should be entertaining other offers because his boss is stepped on his toes. 

That’s a little dramatic isn…

That’s a little dramatic isn’t it? If tough to handle then stop following it and do something better with your time. 

When I got a mobile phone…

When I got a mobile phone with a different number, first text I received was: “Hey bitch, we want those ashes back. I just found out. U want shit to hit the fan!”

Warde will not be making the…

Warde will not be making the decision on an assistant coach. He’s not Dave Brandon. 

Kidding I hope. Davis may…

Kidding I hope. Davis may end up being a great QB in college or a bust. Find the best person you can and let the chips fall where they may.  

I don’t think we will miss…

I don’t think we will miss him. Just a guess but I’d be surprised if better candidate is not identified.  Never seemed like a long-timer anyway. 

If Warde decided this…

If Warde decided this unilaterally - which I do not believe - then Harbaugh would have every reason to ask that he be canned. AD should not be making decisions on assistant football coaches. 

Is Warner coaching now? Has…

Is Warner coaching now? Has he said he wants to coach? I’d call Greise before Warner. 

Why would this be Warde’s…

Why would this be Warde’s decision? Did Warde decide to hire him. Seems like the person to make the hire and fire decisions is the head coach to whom Weiss reported. 

Look, most everyone likes…

Look, most everyone likes Howard and was happy he was hired. But this team looks bad, big recruits have mostly flopped, it doesn’t seem like a lot in the pipeline, and the buck stops with the coach. There was a lot of frustration with Beilein in some years too, but I did enjoy watching his teams - even the not so good ones - and I don’t find that true over the past two years. 

Not sure he was even the…

Not sure he was even the best shooter in his class from Canada. 

Fans probably intended to… Fans probably intended to mean a significant portion of the fan base - or at the very least more than one. That would seem accurate.
Does 19-13 get in? I think…

Does 19-13 get in? I think the 0.1% chance in just about right. But you can always hope, I suppose.

The entire team he’s played…

The entire team he’s played here? He was dominant offensively in the paint as a freshman.  

We’ve had plenty of nice…

We’ve had plenty of nice things on the court in recent years. What are you talking about? 

So are you saying you would…

So are you saying you would rather watch this team than those coached by JB? I think that would place you in a small minority of fans. JB’s teams were definitely “crisper” than what we are seeing now - or I’d say in longer form that those teams were better coached, gave greater effort, were more disciplined, were better defensively (as the years progressed), and much better organized offensively. 

I don’t know where anyone…

I don’t know where anyone could find much evidence of game planning or an overall scheme when watching this team play. I could hardly sustain my attention. I find this team hard to watch.  

No opinion here. What’s…

No opinion here. What’s yours? Honestly interested. 

If you don’t seek out…

If you don’t seek out information on recruiting, it will happen just like the old days. Leave your worries behind - just get off the internet.  

Sam Webb parrots the party…

Sam Webb parrots the party line is certainly the most common opinion around here. But last week Sam went on and on about the negative impact of the uncertainty regarding Harbaugh's return. Those statements did not seem calculated to win favor with the head coach, although I suppose he could be echoing others on staff (from whom he actually gains his "insider" status) who are encountered difficulties with recruits. 

Is there still a Pizza Bob's…

Is there still a Pizza Bob's?  I thought when I last walked down State St. that it wasn't there. Did it move?

Why would it be the AD…

Why would it be the AD making the decision about an assistant coach?

Burns, eh?

Burns, eh?