Coach Carr called in to support 1130AM WDFN in Detroit to support Stoney and Wojo’s radiothon. He shared his disdain for the Big Ten media day going on right now, and updated us all on his recent travels. He discussed his athletic prowess and that his golf game is catching up with his natural skills. Carr’s also enjoying catching up and spending more quality time with former players. Things of course turned to Rodriguez and he was asked if he wished anything was done differently in the hiring. He paused, then hinted at some concerns about today’s coaching contracts but quickly said he was looking forward toward the team, their challenges this fall. Carr admitted he has not read 1 pre-season magazine. Carr said he knows there are a lot of very good players coming back, and he thinks the attitude is solid and excited about the conditioning and thinks things will be many people “pleasantly surprised” by this team. Much more in the 13 minute segment. I especially liked his final message for the radiothon hosts, enjoy:
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Dave Brown 34th Wolverine Enshrined into College Football Hall of Fame
Congratulations to the late Dave Brown who joined 19 other coaches and players into the College Football Hall of Fame today. The two-time (’73-’74) All-American defensive back was inducted alongside JoPa and Doug Flutie. But you wouldn’t know about it because there is minimal local coverage [Freep] including no mention on mgoblue.com? What’s the deal? It’s not like the athletic department isn’t on top of things: there’s a mention of Dan Deirdorf winning an award for broadcasting. Brown is the 34th individual with Michigan ties to be inducted. I don’t have any memories of Brown since I was a wee lad when he took the field, but it’s clear he had some skills in the defensive backfield (9 career interceptions) and was a fine punt returner (11.1 career average). He co-captained the great 1974 squad that finished 10-1 and 3rd in the final AP poll. The lone loss that season was the 12-10 defeat at the hand of the Buckeyes. Here’s his full bio on his new college football hall of fame page: Dave Brown was the leader of one of the most successful and yet frustrating periods in Michigan football history. The Wolverines posted a 30-2-1 record, tied for three Big Ten conference titles and never went to a bowl game. The defensive units on which Brown played were…
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Fritz Crisler didn’t sign all three of these
Great observation by MVictors guest columnist Lew. He suspected some funny business in comparing the signatures on the two letters I wrote on in the last eBay Watch. Lew’s comment: Great stuff, as usual, MVictors. I’m no handwriting expert, but what’s up with the “Fritz” signature on the Biggie Munn letter? Lew’s instincts are correct in that there’s something goofy, but after a little digging, I think he’s actually got it backward. In looking back on some older posts, it looks to me as if the Biggie Munn letter of recommendation signature was delivered by Crisler himself, it’s the signature on the letter congratulating Ohio State that ol’ Fritz left to his secretary! Here’s the evidence: The signature from the 1954 Football Bust has got to be authentic and while I’m also not a handwriting expert, it certainly shares many characteristics with the Munn letter of rec, and it’s nowhere in the neighborhood of the OSU letter. Also, how and/or why would someone falsify Crisler’s signature at a football bust? Case closed. You’ve got to chuckle a bit that Crisler didn’t bother to sign the OSU letter, although I’m sure it wasn’t meant as a slight to his colleague in Columbus.
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Brandstatter on Karsch show (audio)
Michigan radio color man Jim Brandstatter sits in with Doug Karsch on 97.1/1270 and hits on the $4M buy-out and Michael Rosenberg’s recent piece [mgoblog’s blow-by-blow analysis] that trashes Rodriguez. [display_podcast] UPDATE: Today’s editorial in the News ties the Rodriguez settlement to the athademics scandal: If anyone is under the illusion that Michigan football is part of the universe of public education, get over it. Sure enough, we’ll get over it. Will you?
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Bloggers Done Good (Again)
Go now – get your copy of Brian Cook’s Hail to the Victors 2008 – An Annual Guide to Michigan Wolverines Football. And not just because there’s an article by yours truly in there. I finished it up this weekend. Last year was the inaugural issue for the guide and it was very well done [MVictors review] and a fine read – this year’s edition is outstanding. The analysis of each unit is sharp, detailed and offers another feature you won’t get in the typical preseason guides- some solid laughs. (Cook prescribes a having a glove handy if you are watching the Sam McGuffie mixtape for the first time “so you can be slapped out of your hysteria”.) A sampling: – “[TE Carson] Butler is one of those guys who creates a mismatch as soon as he walks on the field, but that mismatch is only in favor of Michigan if he goes out in a pass pattern.” – “Junior LaTerryal Savoy’s sell-by- date has expired.” – HTTV ’07 dropped this on Morgan Trent: “In two years of playing time he’s yet to make a great break on the ball to disrupt a pass.” Cook summarizes Trent’s improvement in this year’s guide, “Teams actually avoided him [last season].” – On Donovan Warren: “He’s a split second here and there from…
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R.I.P Michigan Replay: Fine by me
Michigan Replay is dead. Rich Rodriguez killed it. And I'm actually ok with this.
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M Practice Facility Construction Photos
There’s many changes going on around the athletic campus, with much of the focus for obvious reasons on the Michigan Stadium renovation. MLive.com‘s doing a nice job of publishing frequent updates on the project, here a nice photo from last week: Just down the road another major project is going on that hasn’t got much attention: the new football practice facility. Those in Ann Arbor know of this because you can’t miss it. The frame of the enormous structure, which is built on the site of the old outdoor practice field and the varsity soccer pitch, now dominates the skyline along State Street and it towers over Schembechler Hall. For those out of town I thought you might enjoy of few shots, click to see enlarge: Here’s a few details on the $26.1 million project from mgoblue.com: The new football facility, approximately 104,000 gross square feet to be built on an existing outdoor practice field, is expected to include a full-size football field, lobby, restrooms and storage space. Approximately 3,000 gross square feet of space in Schembechler Hall will be renovated as part of the project. Whoa! That’s a lot of gross square feet (I think). I don’t think the soccer pitch was a big loss. I used to occasionally walk by that thing after football games and always felt…
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Did Dumars fall for DJ White in Ann Arbor?
When I spotted Detroit Pistons GM Joe Dumars at the Indiana game in Ann Arbor this season I figured he was checking out the ridiculous Eric Gordon..this guy: He probably was, but it looks like someone else in the Crimson and Cream impressed Joe D as he sat courtside: Yep, Dumars ended up selecting Hoosier forward D.J. White last night in the NBA draft and it was that night that probably sold him. In just 31 minutes of action, White tallied the first 20-20 night for an IU player in a decade, racking up 21 points and 22 rebounds right in front of Dumars. UPDATE: As noted in the comment, Dumars didn’t fall too far in love, as he traded him away!
