[Ed 4/27/2011: Originally posted November 19, 2009 – bumping up this interview with Ira and Mandich because you should hear it.] Excellent interview this morning on WTKA 1050AM, as Michigan legend and current Miami, FL radio personality Jim Mandich dialed up Ira Weintraub to discuss Ohio State, 1969, the current team, Bo, Chad Henne and Jake Long on his Dolphins and much more. Gotta love that he’s flying up to the big game on Steve Ross’s luxuriously private jet. Definitely worth a listen: [display_podcast] . You can hear all of the WTKA podcasts here, anytime.
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Getting Pantsed
One nugget in the Ohio State/Tressel tattoogate Notice of Allegations [full version] released today concerns the Ohio State gold pants - the little charm OSU players get if they beat Michigan.
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eBay Watch: Gold Pants Galore !
Oh man, word is out that Terelle Pryor hocked his ‘gold pants’ charm, the prize Buckeyes get if they beat Michigan in the big one. The tradition started in 1934, Gerald Ford’s senior year, when then coach Francis Schmidt told his men not to fear Harry Kipke’s Wolverines because: “They put their pants on one leg at a time, the same as we do!” –Francis Schmidt, March 2, 1934 There are four sets of the gold beauties on sale right now: 1967 click to view 2009 click to view 2007 click to view 2008 click to view The pants include the year, the score and initials of the player who originally owned them. As a Wolverine this is funny but as a historian/memorabilian this hurts – really. That a guy would toss this out on the market while he was still in school? I almost understand a ring to the BCS game, but brother, not the pants! Ed. 12/24 – Sure enough, the auctions above were pulled from eBay :{
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Beat Ohio!
Cover of ‘Ohio Sports Forum’ magazine, December 1976 (on eBay now) Go Blue today in Columbus. (P.S. Nope, Woody couldn’t stop Bo in ‘76 or ever again).
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This Week in Michigan Football History: The Student becomes The Master (1976 Ohio State)
Here’s the next entry in ‘This Week in Michigan Football History’ to be played Saturday on WTKA 1050AM’s Key Bank Countdown to Kick-off pregame show before tomorrow’s battle against the Badgers. This time we look back to 1976, as Bo was set to face off with Woody Hayes in the 8th battle of their 10 Year War. Here’s the audio and it’s deeply laced with the voice of the great Bob Ufer and I love it: [display_podcast] A hat tip to the great WolverineHistorian who compiled this collection of clips with Bob Ufer calls overlaid. Watching Rob Lytle fly out of the backfield and break off those big chunks of years is a quite a spectacle: The sponsor of This Week…is Wolverine Beer so here’s where you can find it. You can hear all of the This Week… clips here.
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"We got it done." Dave Brandon on WTKA (09-02 audio)
WTKA welcomed Dave Brandon with Handel’s ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ on air this morning. Brandon said he got a lot of nice emails last night and was clearly happy how things ended up. Here’s the audio, give it a sec to load: [display_podcast] A few notes: "I’ve run public companies for the last 22 years. I’ve gotten pretty good at managing expectations. A way to exceed expectations is to manage them [laughs]. We were in a situation where it was absolutely unclear what the ultimate decision was going to be and I wanted to make that known that it was unclear and the fan reaction was very helpful and very important." He joked that he had 2006 U-M graduates emailing him explaining the importance of the OSU-UM rivalry. "I knew that.." "I don’t know how you lay it out any better for Michigan." "We came out of this really, really well." On determining division rivals. Brandon said they "went back and forth" but in the end, decided that overall conference record wins division. Tie-breaker is head-to-head, division record, then BCS rankings. [Take: I don’t like using BCS rankings in tie-breakers. Why let that goofy-assed system determine what we do in our league?] On the Notre Dame rivalry. "We’re going to contract out several years, probably to 2014 or 2015.." There’s a "handshake…
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Tea Leaves into Divisional alignment (Dave Brandon audio 08-20)
WTKA broadcast live from Schembechler Hall this morning and Sam and Ira did a solid segment with AD Dave Brandon. Topics ranged of course, but Brandon also addressed some tough questions about divisional realignment, particularly where Ohio and Michigan might fall. You can hear these and all the WKTA podcasts here, or click below, in two parts. He gets into the division realignment questions in the second part: [display_podcast] Notes: A few key quotes on divisional realignment. When asked if he were making the decision, would he put Michigan and Ohio State in the same conference division? Brandon paused then answered. "No." Sam asked, "Why?" Brandon: "Because we’re in a situation where one of the best things that could happen, in my opinion in a given season, would be the opportunity to play Ohio State twice. Once in the regular season and once for the championship of the Big Ten. Sam asked about whether they would hold the tradition to keep that the last game of the season. Brandon: "I think there’s a distinct possibility that that game will be a later game in the season, but not necessarily the last game of the season. And that’s simply because…I don’t think the coaches, or the players, or the fans, or the networks or anyone, would appreciate that match-up to…
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Swing to Cure Diabetes – May 17 – M Golf Course
Another member of the Michigan football family is stepping up and giving back. Former U-M quarterback/cornerback Rich Hewlett is holding the second edition of his ‘Swing to Cure Diabetes’ at the Blue Course on Monday, May 17. The outing benefits both JDRF (The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and the University of Michigan Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UMCDC). Details from the official website: Date: Monday, May 17th, 2010 Time: 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. Format: 11:00 a.m. Shot-gun Start Location: University of Michigan Golf Course 500 Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI Cost: $250/per golfer To Register: Download and complete the Registration Form Register By: May 1, 2010 I was at the last Swing event, held in 2008 at the Blue Course as well. Many dignitaries were in attendance including honorary chair Kathy Schembechler along with coach Carr: These are great causes and it’s a wonderful event. It’s a great chance to play the U-M course and meet some cool folks and help fight this awful disease. I’ll be out there and hope to see you too. For more info, to join the outing or to donate or sponsor, check out their website: swingtocurediabetes.com. ————————————————————————————- As for Hewlett, his claim to fame while donning the winged helmet will always be getting the start as a freshman against Art Schlichter and the Buckeyes in…
