The great Angelique Chengelis joined Ira and Sam today on WTKA’s Michigan Insider to talk concussions, Hawkeyes, substitutions, Denard, the media getting the boot from practice (and her understanding of “the rules”) and the Delaware State campus: [display_podcast] . Full podcast and all of the Insider podcasts here.
-
-
$6.6M and a dope with a Calculator
John Heuser’s piece in the Ann Arbor News, discussing this week that Rich Rodriguez’s compensation tallied up to $6.6M, was thoroughly blasted in the blogosphere– see Brian Cook’s posts on mgoblog and AOL, and the gang at Wolverine Liberation Army. Heuser was defended by his former colleague Jim Carty on his blog. JC called it a “meaty little story” and after acknowledging Brian Cook’s greatness took a few shots across the virtual bow. If you read this site regularly you might recall my October 2008 interview with Dave Shand where he reveals the scuttlebutt that Michigan was going to pay the taxes on the buy-out: Shand:…So it cost Michigan, they say $2.5 million. But I’ve heard, through back sources, that Rich Rodriguez did not realize that the $2.5 million that Michigan is paying on his behalf is taxable, so Rodriquez is going to have to pay taxes on that. Plus there’s the million and a half out of his own pocket. That was indeed scuttlebutt at the time, but then a couple weeks later Rodriguez’s contract was FOIA’d and the terms of the buy-out were revealed. Those terms included the language on the tax neutralization [from my post on October 27, 2008]: Thanks to the contract being available via FOIA, we know that this is true (here’s the full contract),…
-
Bacon Interviews Rodriguez on Inaugural Big Show (audio)
Local author, professor and Michigan athletics historian John U. Bacon launched his new radio program this afternoon on WTKA’s ‘Big Show’. As announced a few weeks ago, Bacs will take the Monday 3-6pm slot on the live local program which rotates hosts throughout the week. He started off with a bang as just a few minutes after taking the air he had Coach Rich Rodriguez on the line. They discussed the rigors of recruiting, how the internet has changed recruiting, on “derecruiting” (getting players adjusted to school and the football program after they’ve been fawned over for years), on the reception he got at Crisler during the Illinois hoops game, on the search for the defensive coordinator (nothing new, although he admitted a factor was the NFL playoffs) and on the defensive scheme he’s looking for, and more. Enjoy: [display_podcast] A couple notes: * I got a chuckle when he and Bacon joked about how coaches rave over the food served the families of recruits. Rodriguez said jokingly, “the tea tastes sweeter”, which is a reference to southern-style iced tea, also called sweet tea (prounounced swate tay) due to (duh) it being loaded with sugar. You’d be hard pressed to find a recruit’s moms serving sweet tea anywhere in these parts anytime but especially this time of year. I’m not…
-
Beautiful Hoops; M downs Illini 74-64
What a classic basketball game today as Beilein and hoops recover from the tough Wisconsin loss to get their first conference win, 74-64 over Illinois. It certainly wasn’t a must win, but losing the first two Big Ten games at home would have caused a bit of a shiver. On hand for the game was once again coaches Carr and Rodriguez, each with their wives. BTN color man and Buckeye Jimmy Jackson couldn’t help but admit that he was sorry that Lloyd Carr hung up his whistle, saying as a Buck, Carr was his favorite coach. Some forget that Carr crushed the Buckeyes early in his coaching career and despite the struggles against Tressel was 6-7 lifetime. But he certainly finished on a down note and Jackson’s comment would be excusable if Carr and his wife Laurie weren’t sitting right next to him on the end of the press table. Come on man. But I thought Jackson did a good job for BTN and today, and man, was he awesome at Ohio State. When they panned over to Fab Fiver Jimmy King chilling in the tunnel JJ talked about some of their battles (Ohio State won two during the regular season with Michigan winning in the NCAA tournament). I was at the game at Crisler his senior year and Jackson…
-
More Cowbell, Coach!
With Coach Beilein out with an inner ear infection, fortunately a few other coaches filled the void at the Eastern Michigan hoops game this afternoon: Wife Laurie trying to help Coach Carr out with the rhythm on the cowbell. Coach Rodriguez takes a break from the recruiting trail BTN in HD was not designed for Coach Keady Related: – Game Recap from UM Hoops
-
Coach Rich Rodriguez: Born in Chicago, IL
John U. Bacon’s fine piece on Rich Rodriguez published in Michigan Today included this: Rodriguez’s grandfather left Spain for the coal mines of West Virginia. Looking for a better life, the family moved to Chicago, where Rich was born. This prompted a few folks to contact Michigan Today and the author to dispute this, citing sources that claim Rich Rodriguez was actually born in Grant Town, West Virginia. Bacon wrote a response to those folks, here’s a portion: No matter how many sources list Grant Town as Rich Rodriguez’s place of birth, he was born in Chicago, and raised there until the middle of second grade. (I’ll take his mom’s word on that.) His family did leave their home late at night, and suddenly, and, as the article says, Rodriguez had not heard of West Virginia until they were leaving for the state that night. Further, the article was accurate in stating that Rodriguez did not visit the campus of West Virginia University until he first arrived there as a freshmen [sic]. In fact, Rodriguez had never seen a Division I football game in person until he was a player on the sidelines for his first game at West Virginia. Whether readers choose to believe Coach Rodriguez is, of course, entirely up to them, but I can see no reasonable…
-
Rich’s Arse (YouTube)
Check out this guy
-
Paging Doctor Rodriguez
Letters continue to steam into the Ann Arbor News. I scanned the paper today and the News dropped the Rodriguez missives in their own little section. This gem from writer Leslie landed inside ‘FOCUS: U-M FOOTBALL’ on the Opinion page: Ann Arbor News 11.10.07 As if Rodriguez doesn’t have enough people coming after him for what’s he’s actually paid to do. Leslie couldn’t resist herself and dropped the old coaching-salaries-are-out-of-control anvil. Yes, the sales of Twizzlers at Saturday’s game could fund a ballet troupe for three decades–we got ya Leslie. Indeed there are more important things in the world than football. But guess what–There’s a reason why 110,000 people pack into Michigan stadium each week and millions more watch on TV. We need an escape, sister, so lay off the U. and Rodriguez & fly right.
