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Gibby's 8th inning 3-run HR…

Gibby's 8th inning 3-run HR off the Goose Game 5 1984 WS. Right after the fans sang "Goose"-busters when he entered the game in the 7th. 

Dan Snyder was perhaps the…

Dan Snyder was perhaps the worst combination of person/owner/GM (he called the shots on draft day) in sports history. The cheerleaders scandal, toxic workplace, coaching hires, etc. were a disaster. 

JJ's best landing points are likely Denver or Minny - hoping the Vikes even though they are a division rival. JJ is also a great guy to build around in the locker room too. 

I think that might be some…

I think that might be some smoke being put off by Washington to get Minny to offer a huge haul, and then use some of the picks to end up at 5 and take Maye anyway. 

In the end, I think Minny trades up to 5 and drafts JJ as the 4th QB in the top 5. JH then has a lot of 1st and 2nd picks to draft guys like Odunze, Kris Jenkins, etc. 

I'd imagine Warde will clear…

I'd imagine Warde will clear things up with the NCAA, since their hatred was focused against the current LAC coach. Little Tony P is going to find that the PAC4 teams expect some love and he can't only butt-kiss Ohio. Never thought I'd miss Devany, until TP came along to wipe Ohio's butt. 

Agreed on Juwan hiring. We…

Agreed on Juwan hiring. We were in a bad spot and didn't have the cache of mid-major choices like May, Medved, Byington, etc. Juwan hopefully takes a year off to recover his health and then get back to NBA as an assistant (and maybe a HC someday).

I've had my frustrations…

I've had my frustrations with Warde over the years (not firing Juwan after the slap, Mel, slow NIL, etc.) but figured we could do a LOT worse (Joe Roberson, Goss, Brandon) - personally, I think he aced the latest events this year (hiring Sherrone instead of "shopping around" which could have destroyed the team culture, firing Juwan (I didn't expect this until next year), sweeping in to get Dusty). Harbaugh was going to leave once he won a title. Jim delivered and then got to "interview" and approve the hiring of his boss for LAC (plus 80 MM over 5 years).

He is clearly respected by BoR and now NCAA (CFB Prez). Barring a scandal of his making, I see him retiring from here. Hopefully, Dusty's hiring prompts a better NIL and smoother admissions. 

And, yes, the personal attacks on weight, etc. are middle schoolish

I've done more than my share…

I've done more than my share of Job Performance Reviews (JPRs) over the years too. One red flag I always coached my team about was using the "I" vs. "we" or "the team" when it came to accomplishments. I was OK with and preferred to use "I" when referring to things that could have been done better. 

Warde's rant was filled with a lot of "I" - a sign of a guy who is finally being challenged by a boss (Santa) after the bumbling Schlissel. 

I agree on Martin. Remember…

I agree on Martin. Remember we also had the Ed Martin scandal still swirling over the hoops program plus having to deal with a new security world post 9/11. He definitely left the program (financially) far better off than he found it. I thought the Amaker hire was a great move - and still feel he was the right guy at the right time. He just couldn't get us over the hump into the NCAA. I was furious when Les was left hanging while Bill couldn't figure out his new boat on Ross' yacht. And thought RR was a great 2nd choice. Lesson learned from RR is if someone wants to leave their alma mater that bad, something is not OK. And, well Les???, at least we'd have a lot of attractive blondes around the program. Les cost Jeff Long his cushy job at Kansas. 

Of course, JB will always be the shining star for Bill.

The feisty tone of his…

The feisty tone of his interview clearly shows he IS aware of everything said about him here - which is quite pleasing and amusing.

Warde basically reported to himself for the first 6 years. He may have been hired by Schlissel, but Mark never gave a hoot about sports except replacing Brandon with Hackett in his 1st year. Going five years without any formal performance review confirmed what we thought about Mark's aloofness toward our sports programs. 

Santa is the most engaged Prez we've had when it comes to being at our games and showing support for our teams. In short, Warde finally has a real boss who cares about sports!

As for Mel/Juwan and the incidents in 2022, Warde was still his own boss as Mark got forced out in early 2022 and Mary Sue was only a caretaker who wasn't going to do anything of consequence. Santa finally came in Fall 2022, well after the smoke had blown over. Warde did what any average guy making 1.1 MM/yr would do when faced with controversies - don't rock the boat and just pretend it didn't happen. 

The old saying "addition by…

The old saying "addition by subtraction" (subtracting a negative is like adding a positive) may apply here. I did hope he'd find a place and learn his trade, but it looks like he is simply sucking oxygen out of the room.

His team got smoked by 33 in the final PAC12 tourney, while he scored 20 of the 57 points. Seems like a guy playing 1 on 5. Opponents are more than willing to let him isolate himself on the court from his teammates.

He really did have a solid SOPH year as a transfer. 2:1 ASST/TO ratio. "improved" FT% from 44 to 62. Team made NCAA and advanced to round of 32. 

Meanwhile, I'd be happy if GWIII comes back, even if just to be a role player helping spell the guards in Dusty's 3-G offense. 

During Schlissel's time as…

During Schlissel's time as Prez, Warde was essentially his own boss. I recall reading where Warde had not had a formal performance review in 5 years. Mark, other than his one good moment firing Brandon and hiring Jim Hackett way back in 2014, seemed more focused on anything BUT sports. As was reported, he seemed to spend more time flirting about some dessert dish with a UM employee than worrying about any of the teams or Warde's performance.

What happens to a person in a high profile job when they are their own boss by default? They either become a heavy-handed dictator who force-feed unpopular changes - OR - become a risk-averse couch potato, which is what happened to Warde (except for the post 2020 season where he forced Jim to accept a much smaller base contract when the fan-base was livid). 

Santa is the first guy to really push Warde during his tenure. He does deserve credit for having a plan this time around, involving JB, and hiring a guy I'm really beginning to like as more than a one-hit wonder. 

Neither a Warde-hater nor a…

Neither a Warde-hater nor a Warde-lover, but his biggest mistake with the Pearson situation was his inconsistency.

Feb 2022 - Juwan slaps a UW assistant and gets a 5-game suspension.

Spring 2022 - Pearson's hockey culture is called out in a report and Warde fumbles the response.

I think, as some mentioned here, that Warde just wanted the storm to blow over and bring back a guy who had taken his team to the FF4. Just as he kept Juwan after his 2021 team reached the Elite 8 the previous season.

The newspapers wouldn't bury the story and Warde finally moved on with Mel. 

Which is worse - slapping an opposing coach (after a blow-up the year before vs. Maryland's coach) or having a toxic locker room???

Personally, I would have moved on with both and set a bar that we could be proud of. At least today, both coaches are gone. 

The lame example they use …

The lame example they use (Tressel and tattoo-gate) is so blatantly different than anything JH did. Sweater vest was caught red-handed lying about something more than burgers that impacted the eligibility of key players. 

Next up, we'll vacate wins and go under 1000 again and give up our NC.

Love these clowns - makes for a happy Monday!

 

Although I had Devries as my…

Although I had Devries as my top choice (given his extended record at Drake), May was also a great hire. He took a program that had ZERO history and got them 60 wins in two years, plus a Final Four. 

Next year will be rough on the record side but the culture will get a fresh re-start. When JB took over for Amaker, he had to break in a lot of new people where the culture was "soft" - Dusty has a different problem. The culture under Juwan was both lazy and entitled. Guys wanting to better their own resume (1 and dones) vs. play team ball and commit to at least a 3 year plan. 

Warde deserves some good credit for this one - I wonder if JB also helped behind the scenes???

GO BLUE!

I love the guy at Iowa State…

I love the guy at Iowa State but know more than a few ISU grads. It is a fervent basketball school since former UM Johnny Orr revived the program. Huge crowds and intense atmosphere. I don't think he'd come here, as much as it would be nice to see.

I like Mark Few but given…

I like Mark Few but given his recent DUI (last 2 years) and the current DUI situation with our "new" (maybe former?) DL coach, no chance Warde goes there. 

John Cooper and ASU beat Bo…

John Cooper and ASU beat Bo in the 1987 RB. This was the main reason Ohio hired him to replace Earle Bruce. 

I don't feel good about it,…

I don't feel good about it, from a personal level because of his Fab Five history. But in no way could I see him rebuilding this program. He's better off back in the NBA as an assistant and maybe later get a HC job. Will root for him to be successful wherever he ends up. 

Hoke wasn't a UM grad but was considered to be a Michigan Man from his assistant days. Sad to see him go too in 2014 but knew it was the right thing. Both Brady and Juwan loved Michigan. I give them credit for showing the hard work and love. Things just didn't work out. 

The new coach is going to have to put up with small crowds (except when rivals take over Crysler) in the early days. I've been a fan since the mid 70s under Johnny Orr. I was a FR in 81-82 when we started 0-13 and finished 7-20. Fan support was sparse that year but went to some games on 5 dollar student tickets. At least that team was young and played hard. Mistakes made were really rookie/FR variety but you could see the growth happening when we upset a ranked Iowa team and gave defending champ IU a big scare. This team got worse and worse as the year rolled on.

I like Devries too, but am…

I like Devries too, but am open with some of the other names already mentioned (Medved).

I'm totally prepared for patience if we start seeing some coaching skills put in action on the court. On another thread, someone mentioned Tom Crean's experience rebuilding a totally devastated IU roster after Sampson got them in trouble. Crean was and is a real dick but he did a good job getting them from 6-25 in his 1st season to 27-9 in Year 4. 

Even when JB had a losing season in Year 3, the culture wasn't a tire fire. There is absolutely nothing positive about this year's team, on or off the court. 

Warde put the lever and flushed the coach out. Time for the new guy to flush out the locker room (keep Reed and Will). Goodbye, Jace!

Great note. Yep, Crean had…

Great note. Yep, Crean had to rebuild nearly a full roster (thanks to the shady guy who has since rebuilt Houston) - at least we have the portal to make it a bit faster. 

I used to think the 2020 locker room for Football was a toxic mess, but now believe just a few bad apples spoiled the mix and the rest of the woes were transfers and opt-outs. We still had Aidan, Josh Ross, and Hassan who refused to let that happen again in 2021, which led to one of my favorite teams of all time. 

I'd personally like Reed and Will to stay around. Even with their limitations, I liked their character and work ethic. 

Dug should sign for the bucks (Arizona or Kansas?) since at 5' 11" he's not going far in the pros. 

It's not just lack of talent…

It's not just lack of talent or even playing guys out of position. Just a few players seemed to show signs of improvement AND actually balled out most of the time. Reed and Will are the only two guys I felt played hard and as well as expected. TWII could have been a decent role player under JB and deserves some praise for putting in the hard work (most games were 30+).

Otherwise, this team played without a sniff of fundamentals and at times just seemed to be standing around and letting guys wide open for 3s or coast-to-coast lay-ups 

Dug???? Would love for a new coach to come in and sell him on how good he can be but also get on his back for lackadaisical play. 

Still remember going to my…

Still remember going to my German class in the LSA Building in 1983. Some guy in my class had already enjoyed some early morning corned beef and green beer - he was mostly sober by class time. I was only 19 so couldn't "legally" do that but always thought it would have been fun for breakfast :>)

He's going to have a lot of…

He's going to have a lot of legal issues to deal with - hopefully maintain 0% BAC, random tests, etc. I think he needs to be suspended w/o pay until the court case can be settled. I have an extended family member who was busted and had to breath into something tied to his ignition for at least a year.

While legally, the system may look back on his 2011 arrest when charging him (not an attorney, just an engineer), if I were Sherrone, I'd suspend him from gameday for the first 3-4 games w/o pay but let him work the practices. 

 

I think anything short of 4…

I think anything short of 4 year rebuild is not feasible. This program is a truly flaming mess. And, if Hunter D is right, the NIL for hoops will need a lot of work (funding). 

Next year: assemble a patch-work roster and get to the NIT. NIT is likely even a stretch but at least start building a strong culture. Never again should a guy from Nebraska go coast to coast for an uncontested lay-up on Senior Day. Bring back the Fab 5 banners - it's been over 30 years, and 20 since they went down. With the admissions challenges, we won't be able to get a Love kind of guy from UNC.

2025-26: bring in some fresh recruits, a few more portals and try to get into NCAA. At worst, a long run in the NIT so fans can see the progress. Then press for more NIL funding.

2026-27: make NCAA as at least a 10 seed. Hopefully win opener but even w/o that keep building a roster of guys who play for 3 years minimum. NIL is no longer a 4-letter word with Warde.

2027-28: get us back to Sweet 16. 

Thanks for generating this…

Thanks for generating this nice list. Personally, the more I've read about each guy, I like Devries the most. Midwest guy. His son is clearly playing well above his recruiting grade (D Jr has 2 MVC MVP awards - far more accomplished than anything Juwan's kids did here). Plus, absolutely no evidence his son taunts a trainer or is spoiled or hates to play D. 

We get a BOGO deal if his son follows him here, as expected. He'd be the best player on our roster.

Overall, any of the guys above can win at UM. I'm not expecting a JB performance, but would expect at least some S16 and an E8 or two.

Next year's team will be lucky to make the NIT - not sure if there's a thread on who we'd actually want back after the team quit on JH. 

 

I love JB as much as my dad,…

I love JB as much as my dad, but he needs to relax in retirement-lite and enjoy the grandkids. 

This is a time for a guy who has built up two or more programs and just loves to coach. Please, no more of the one-and-done guys like Jett, Caleb, Moussa, etc. They are a poison on a program that needs guys to buy into a strong system like how JB had and also some of the mid-major guys. I'm tired of guys who focus on THEIR game and not on development in all areas.

Not unless we can get Bob…

Not unless we can get Bob Griese and Frank Broyles as assistants. That would be a great crew!

The criteria I'm hoping to…

The criteria I'm hoping to see met:

1. HC success at two or more schools (not just one amazing season)

2. Under 55-ish

3. Ability to beat a few of the big boys

Researching a few teams with coaches:

1. Cronin - is he tiring of UCLA and the pressure (lots of success until this year)?

2. McCasland (TTU) - he's revived a program that crashed the year before

3. Dixon (TCU), although 58, he's done well at Pitt and TCU - may not leave because he played at TCU

4. May (FAU), McDermott (Creighton, age 59), and a few other mentioned here.

I'd love the guy at Iowa St but that's a huge hoops school since Johnny Orr revived the program in the 1980s. 

Sad but necessary. Love…

Sad but necessary. Love watching the Fab Five reruns on YouTube, especially the Elite Eight win over Ohio (they were a 1 seed) in 1992. And the FF4 wins over Cincy and Kentucky.

We need a guy who has followed a Beilein type path, at least developed programs at two schools (JB had even more than that). A lot of choices out there and we have the money. Even McCasland (age 47) at TTU is a solid candidate. He's only in his 1st year at TTU but did well at N Texas and other schools before that. 

Just get us back to NIT level next year while rebuilding and then onto NCAA. 

 

We're stuck with another…

We're stuck with another year of Juwan. Period. Wish he would leave with the same grace that the Stanford hoops coach just did (read the notes from his final press conference). He got fired but accepted accountability. Juwan will insist his shit works (3-17, 8-24) even when he's finally shown the door.

The issue with Sanderson was probably brewing for a few years. He sounds like a Mike Barwis type of guy. Maybe some softer edges but still pushed people like Duncan Robinson and Nik S. to be the best version of themselves. Juwan probably kept him for continuity and as part of a bargain with JB's guys to stop them from wanting to transfer. 

Whoever mentioned that it was a mistake for Juwan to have had his sons on the roster nailed it. I have known a few people who were coached by their dad. They would talk often about how they were expected to be the most dedicated and least praised (and most criticized) and how it helped them be the very best later in life. Sadly, Jett and Jace have a petty entitlement mentality that I don't think Juwan had as a player. This is not to say the younger generation (I'm 60) has the same mindset as J&J - a lot of people in college sports playing or coaching under a parent feel more driven than ever (Jay H got to be an NFL coach because Jim wouldn't give him anything more than his first break). 

It's clear the J&J fellas helped create a dysfunctional locker room and Juwan showed only tough love to Jon when he should have sided with him. Jett is going to be a bust. And I wouldn't hire Jace to even work in a carwash (his laziness would piss off the people who really worked hard). 

The timing of the Sanderson…

The timing of the Sanderson incident (supposedly late Fall, perhaps about the time we were 3-0) certainly leads one to believe this was a jolt on a team that had questionable talent and dubious work ethic. That one jolt was enough to crush any togetherness and focus, hence the bad losses to follow. This team was really a house of cards on many levels, waiting to fall, but I never expected 5-24 to follow.

I'd like to see a change come Monday but expect Warde to carry on for one more year. It's much easier to kick the can down the road as a leader than take decisive action. I know a lot of people want Warde gone, but my sense is that he is more secure than ever in his role, particularly with the BoR. Santa is not going to push him out either. He doesn't have power alone without consulting with the BoR. His elevation to Prez of CFB PO committee speaks volumes of what his bosses think of him.

I'm expecting an even uglier 24-25, maybe not even winning 3 B1G games. Throw in a few more embarrassing home losses to mid-majors like LBSU and McNeese. This time Warde will have to make a move if we are drawing 3K for games vs. CMU and half the fans are Chips. 

The coast-to-coast lay-up in…

The coast-to-coast lay-up in the final home game to a guy who already had 28 points was the "best" statement to define this season. Not only did people play poor, they quit to boot. 

Any thoughts of who could rebuild this mess and be back in the NCAA in two years????

 

Never thought about the…

Never thought about the impact his sons would have but this is very true. The final straw was a lazy Jace, on a full ride to one of the best public U's in the world, gets a great (but cranky) S&C coach fired.

I was fortunate to work in a company where nepotism, though it had its moments, was never a dominant feature. His sons are spoiled and sooner or later Juwan can thank them for getting canned.

I wasn't for Jim to get fired after 2020, but felt he needed to move on for his own mental health. Thankfully, he recharged the staff and we went 40-3. Juwan, if back (as I expect, since Warde isn't one to do anything bold), could very well go 0-fer in the B1G next year. 

I was at that 1998 game vs…

I was at that 1998 game vs. McNabb. He made us look silly. It was 38-7 before we scored three TDs in the 4th vs. 2nd stringers.

JJ is Brett Favre but with better legs to scramble. Tries to make a few plays when it isn't there (witness: overturned Bama INT on the 1st drive when a throwaway was clearly the only call).

He is 27-1 as a starter. 

When this whole story broke,…

When this whole story broke, it reminded me of a situation from work some years ago where people complained about a leader who seemed part of the "Golden Child" class, and therefore untouchable. The leader was passive-aggressive and damaging to both team morale and performance.

A complaint was filed through the ethics line. I told people that it would go nowhere because of this person's glowing reputation amongst senior leaders. While this leader didn't have the strikes against them that Juwan already has, it still should have brought SOME sort of corrective behavior (e.g., formal acknowledgment from the leader that they needed to do better, even if they had no other discipline taken against them). Of course, nothing happened (unsubstantiated, that word again) and the leader took spite against the team and made life worse. 

I suspect things had been brewing between Juwan and Jon for some time. Jon probably felt he would be one of the fall guys and decided to give himself a chance by formally complaining. Hopefully, he got some kind of severance package. 

While some here throw some shade on JUB, I do believe he is credible (enough) on this subject as well as the rumor that Warde is getting an extension. As for the Mel ordeal, it's too far in the past for Warde to be held accountable anymore, in the world of "corporate" America (universities are as corporate as corporations but not held accountable to any kind of shareholders) that ship has sailed.

The only answer, sadly, is for more teams to pile into Chrysler and take over the arena next year. Mixed in with games vs. Oregon where less than 5,000 show up. Imagine if Santa goes to a weeknight game and a sparse crowd is there. That's going to give him the ammo to go to Warde and force a change. 

This is why I detest when…

This is why I detest when POLITICAL party ends up being the determinant in who is on your school's BoT or BOR. No reason why all public state schools shouldn't have a governor appoint a trustee/regent, with approval from State Senate, and them limit them to ONE 8-year term. 1998 was a great year to run as a "R" in Michigan given Dems had nominated Fieger as Guv nominee. None other than future UM AD flunkee David Brandon got a job on our BOR. 

Retired from a Fortune 100…

Retired from a Fortune 100 company a few years after getting my BSE ChE degree from UM in the mid 80s. The MSU grads at my company were top notch people, as were the UM and PSU, Ohio, etc. grads. 

The difference is the bottom half at UM could easily have graduated from MSU with at least a 3.0, but some of the bottom half of MSU would have been better going to a directional (CMU, etc.) Michigan school.

I always felt welcome at MSU when visiting for games in the 80s. Friendly rivalry, some good natured ribbing, etc. I think the whole campus culture, even down to the student level, changed for the worse when Dicktonio had his 2008-2017 run vs. UM of 8-2. That seemed to inflame even friends of mine who were MSU grads to think they were somehow "equal" or even better than UM. Even when tunnel mauling happened, the "sane" MSU fans still wanted to blame two UM players for "skipping" into the tunnel. As if somehow, getting a BRIEF (once every 40 years) edge of UM football makes MSU a better "school"

Hopefully, a continued run of dominance will bring mainstream Spartan grads back to their "hey we're good but not UM good" mindset. 

When you use your position…

When you use your position to bad-mouth an interim MSU President, you have lost all credibility. Glad the state has a way to remove these two buffoons. 

I was a FR in 1981-82 when…

I was a FR in 1981-82 when we finished with 7 wins. Even that season didn't feel as ugly as this one. We started 0-13 and finished 7-7 to go 7-20. A lot of youth (Eric Turner, Leslie Rockymore, plus an injured Tim McCormick) led to a winning season (no NIT) the next year, followed by an NIT title in 1984, two years later.

This team has no vibe, has shown no improvement (in fact, the opposite), and coaching that makes no adjustments. Freider was not a guy who did well in the NCAA but he sure could recruit and won his fair share of regular season games.

I don't expect Warde to do a thing over than issue a statement while bringing back JH. 

I remember talking with a…

I remember talking with a TCU fan while at Disney World after the 2022 playoffs. He went to both playoff games. We got to talking about X (whom TCU shutdown in a 17-10 win in Austin) and how UM 2022 had some very good WRs (Bell, CJ, Roman, etc.) but didn't have a gamebreaker. 

He didn't feel X would have made a big difference for UM because, while he would make some crazy insane catches, he also was well known for dropping key 3rd down passes that were right on the money and also mis-run a route and lead to an INT. For all his talent, he was frighteningly inconsistent. 

I think the NFL mock drafts have him around 7 to 9th for WR. It's more than his small size. Maybe if he gets on a well-coached team with a good WR coach, he might be worth a 2nd round pick. 

These are all great ideas!…

These are all great ideas! And thanks for being a season tix holder. FB is enough of a chore for me, living 2 hours away in Midland. You are no fair-weather fan. (I went to even the worst of the RR games, including the frozen and wet NW game for a 3-7 2008 team - so I know a thing about fandom, but not at your level).

The problem is Warde reminds me of a few corporate leaders who seemed to be great when things were easy (business conditions humming along, economy doing great, etc.). Then something goes awry, and they freeze up. They DO see the problem (I don't believe Warde is ignorant of the problems and need for a big change) but doing nothing is always the easiest and safest path. 

If he really wants to win back some fans AND give JH one more chance, he needs to create a lot of incentives (half price day for food and non-alcohol drinks when playing LBSU, Rutgers, etc.) as well as some way to who physically attend some of the crappier games, like a chance to get a free upgrade to a better seat for that game. This is better than buy a coke, get two tickets of Brandon. 

After we got off to the…

After we got off to the usual good start (22-15), then Purdue went on a 32-14 run to close the half.

I think the Boilers fans presence and chants actually motivated our players to show some pride. We melted down in the 2nd half vs. Rutgers and Sparty (not to mention others, but those two home losses could have been wins), going scoreless for long stretches. Nothing should embarrass you as a player more than having visiting fans take over your home arena. Even booing isn't as bad as most players just think "Eff Em, those fans" or do the Joe Nathan chin-flick. Empty seats make you feel like you're at one of those Bahamas tourneys with 1000 fans. 

Matt Painter even told his players at halftime he'd never seen something like this before and they should play to rally their fans even more. 

Too bad Nebraska fans don't travel well in hoops. I would actually like to see a lot of red and see our players give a crap like they did in the 2nd half Sunday.  

Was a FR in 1981-82 when a…

Was a FR in 1981-82 when a young UM team under Freider (2nd year) started 0-13. Went to a few games (it was about $5 per ticket at walk-up window). Word was that Freider, after a long winless start, went into Canham's office and offered to resign but was told no (carry on with the team). The team was at least competitive later in the season, even finishing 6-7 with a win over ranked Iowa. The difference is that team was very young and had a future (won NIT two years later, followed by back-to-back outright B1G titles). I was at a game where we gave defending champs IU a genuine scare. Big fan support that day.

After the 7-20 1981-82 season, we were not worse until JB's 1st season (08-09) with a depleted roster (10-22) left by Amaker when he realized he was going to be let go about mid-season. 

This team will end up 8-24 (sorry nope we don't beat a surging Nebraska that can't afford to slip up). TWill may not like it, but this season is the worst in the last 50 years and only the third such 20+ loss in school history. Sure, the team played hard yesterday. Why wouldn't people play for pride? 

I fully expect Warde will give JH another year but better be prepared for a lot of giveaways to season ticket holders, especially things like a free soda and hot dog voucher for certain games that are not transferrable. 

After Covid, I remember a…

After Covid, I remember a friend who's a long-time Iowa FB ticket holder telling me that Iowa had given season ticket holders a bunch of on-line coupons (free soda, free hot dog, etc.) that they could use but wouldn't be transferrable to the next person if you sold that game ticket. You are EXACTLY right that UM cashed in big when the program was going well and not only jacked up the prices, but made concessions ridiculously priced. 

Was not a big fan of Bill Martin as AD but he did get Amaker (who was the hottest guy on the market) and then later JB. While he brought in PSLs, I don't think he made it absurd with dynamic pricing like Brandon did.

Feel bad for the players who have showed up. The coaching is just pitiful. Laziness starts in practice. The guys shocked me yesterday by not folding when down 15. But, this is a MESSAGE to the AD. Get creative on promotions, discounts, ability to "upgrade" your seat after say 5 minutes has run off the game clock (if you're late as a fan, too bad, you lost your seat). 

40-3, 3-0 vs. Ohio, 2-1* vs…

40-3, 3-0 vs. Ohio, 2-1* vs. Sparty (* for the ref-induced 37-33 loss), 3-0 vs Frames (+2 in Happy Valley), 3-0 all-time in B1G title game, 22-game home winning streak, 25 game B1G winning streak (counting the title games). 

Time for a brew!

Pretty much, an NFL HC has…

Pretty much, an NFL HC has to be a CEO and visionary thinker. Not the best of his lot at a Coordinator level. Dan Campbell's "going to bite a kneecap off" showed the guy had a vision for toughness, then hired a staff to motivate at the next level. 

EB sounds like a Peter Principle guy - he's better than Matt P whose D melted down vs. Nick Foles in the SB and then the Eagles D got even worse under his leadership last year. He needs to show that he can develop the staff under him (RB coach, etc.) as well as take a no-name QB and turn him into college equivalent of Cade McNown. 

If he was as good as he looked at KC, JH would have taken him to SD. That says a lot. 

 

Amazingly, I don't think I…

Amazingly, I don't think I've INTENTIONALLY watched a single minute of play this year. Maybe saw some play when we were at Applebees, etc. but wasn't paying close attention. 

The game was played late…

The game was played late afternoon. USA wanted to move it to prime time but Soviets refused because that would have made it well after midnight back home. It was a Friday anyway, so not sure why the Russkies didn't just say yes and then vodka-up after hours.

I remember my sister calling me from Wisconsin while on a business trip to tell me the news and to watch the game. Was a JR at Livonia Stevenson HS at the time so gladly made popcorn to watch the amazing event.

Just a few weeks earlier, the Soviets beat us at MSG in an exhibition game 10-3. Their coach later said that was a bad thing to happen since it caused his players to underestimate our team. 

After our win over Finland, USSR beat a Sweden team that we had tied (2-2) by a score of 9-2. It was too little too late. 

I'm expecting Warde to let…

I'm expecting Warde to let him come back next year, even though I'm ready for Dusty May or some other mid-Major guy to come in and get us at least into the NIT in two years. Next year is a loser no matter what we do. The roster has deteriorated and Dug is likely to leave even if JH stays. 

We were caught short (JB leaving in the later spring left us without an easy hire). This was an experiment that has failed even worse than I thought.

Love Juwan's passion and drive. Dislike his "Chicago" attitude when it comes to slapping and getting into bench clearing arguments. 

Not worried about WBB - KBA…

Not worried about WBB - KBA has brought to heights that we've never had before. Still a pretty good team, just some frustrating losses. I can remember for years when women's hoops were losing close to 20 games a year. MSU's coach replaced a long-time coach who faded in later years but could still recruit. Let's check back in 2-3 years. 

Hockey: MSU's been a dud for the last 15 years. Adam is in his 2nd year. Whether he's the long-term answer will be sorted out over the next 2-3 years as well. KBA in hoops has a longer grace period to me because of what's she's done in her tenure. 

MBB: the most frustrating thing is MSU's been so mediocre (for Izzo) the last four years and is just +6 Ws over Ls in B1G the last four years. I've already given up any hope for Juwan but realize he will likely be back for 2024-25 because Warde isn't going to fire a guy coming off heart surgery and JH isn't going to step down. There are a number of good coaches at mid-majors that could come in here and get us to at least an NIT bid in 2025-26 with help from the portal. Then recruiting (with help hopefully from a decent NIL) kicks in. 

But I'm still loving 15-0 and my NC gear!