Sam Webb announced this morning on WTKA 1050AM that they will be expanding their Michigan spring football coverage by broadcasting live from the last spring practice, live next Thursday April 9 from 3-6pm. Interviews will include Rich Rodriguez before practice, Mike Barwis, and other guests that are “yet to be confirmed”.

Much hubbub is being made of incoming quarterback Denard Robinson’s 100 meter dash time, a 10.44 according to the reports (HT: mgoblog).  Always nice to see these metrics but of course track stars unleashed on the gridiron haven’t exactly set the football world ablaze.    The current world record in the 100m belongs to Usain Bolt, the 9.69 he ran this summer in Beijing.  Robinson’s time would have been the world’s best back in the early 1920s, when the record was held by US runner Charlie Paddock.  The 10.4 time bested fellow US athlete Jackson Scholz who put up a 10.6 in 1920.   If those names sound familiar, Paddock and Scholz were two of the high profile American athletes featured at the 1924 Paris Olympics in the 1981 epic Chariots of Fire, probably the best movie ever made. Fans of the movie may be interested to know that the lead character, English sprinter Harold Abrahams, took the gold in the 100m in Paris with a time of 10.6.  Here’s the clip of the race from the movie.  The Prince of Wales is the gent talking to the runners at the beginning, note the wager he makes with our man Paddock.  (We lost).   If you’re wondering why the old man punches a hole in his hat, you should rent the movie.

The athletic department put up a tightly produced piece promoting the April 11th Spring Game.   If you’re at work and the folks around you like the banging of pots, pans, and garbage can lids, crank up your volume: One note: At 0:53 in, is that a photo of Kevin Grady right before he fumbled inside the five against Notre Dame?

I caught this first on mgoblog, and reader Bethany sent me the details.  Apparently the Fab Five reunion and charity event that was planned for this weekend has been 86’ed.  Ouch.   Here’s the email she received: Please be advised that the Celebration of Michigan Athletes, hosted by members of the Fab Five that was to take place on  April 4, 2009 in the Sound Board at Motor City Casino Hotel has been cancelled.  Neptix..com will be facilitating your refunds and they will start processing them on Monday, March 30th.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.  We appreciate your support of the Fab Five and will advise you in the future of any upcoming events.  If you have any questions or concerns in regards to your refund you may call Neptix.com direct at 248.632.0298 or for other inquiries you may email us at fab5event@yahoo.com. The tickets did seem a little pricey, but it’s not clear why the event was nixed.  Lack of paying customers?  Did one or more of the Fab 5 have to back out?  (It wouldn’t be the same with four….that’s the problem with a nickname like that.) Hope to find out soon. Update 3/31:  Doug Karsch discussed on his show on 97.1 The Ticket today.  He and his co-host speculated that the Fabulous ones canceled…

An excellent edition of John U. Bacon’s ‘Big Show’ on WTKA 1050AM this afternoon.  I caught a few of the segments featuring Clark Kellogg, SI’s Tim Layden, former Daily writer Nate Sandals, mgoblog‘s Brian Cook, and Bruce Madej, Michigan director of media relations and associate athletic director. The topic was the great shift in the media, particularly vivid this week on the heels of the annoucement that the Ann Arbor News will be shutting its doors this summer. Cook, the undisputed king of the M bloggers, talked about how the changes might affect coverage in general and his work in particular.  He also spoke of his relationship (none) with the athletic department, a situation he described as “a Mexican standoff” which I’m told usually ends badly. Counter that with Madej, a former News staffer and the man who’s controlled media access to Michigan athletics since 1982.  He offered his perspective on how the athletic department views the changes and interestingly, how they view new media entities like bloggers. Here’s the audio from Cook then Madej: [display_podcast] Great stuff today.  One suggestion: I’d like to have Bacon and frequent in studio guest Richard Deitsch bring on Charles Eisendrath, director of the Knight-Wallace fellows, and allow Eisendrath to share his views as he did with Mitch Albom last week. By the way,…

Historic bad calls by refs involving Michigan.

The whole Rich Rodriguez contract buy-out fiasco is firmly in the rearview mirror but I thought this was interesting.  Most of these contracts have buy-outs that work both ways: one if the coach terminates the contract early, another if it’s the decision of the school. For whatever reason Kentucky hoops coach Billy Gillispie never worked out the details and failed to sign a formal contract.  He was terminated today and he’d be wise to do the same with his agent and lawyers.  From Rivals/Yahoo: Gillispie signed a memorandum of understanding in [athletic directory Mitch] Barnhart’s house following a whirlwind courtship that lasted less than a day. Yet he never signed a formal contract as his lawyer and the university fought over the wording. In the end, that decision may end up costing him millions. Barnhart said the university did not plan to pay Gillispie a $6 million buyout that was to be part of his seven-year deal that remains unsigned. “Suffice it to say it will be less than that,” Barnhart said. Brutal.  Tom Izzo has been mentioned as a candidate which is nothing that a few more “Thank You, Tom” billboards can’t fix. 

The pain!  Michigan hockey is done, upset by Air Force 2-0.   From WCBN’s live blog late in the third period: Even with multiple man advantages, it just seems to be one of those night[s] where nothing goes Michigan’s way. More later.  It sounded like a lethal combination of coming out a little flat, a hot goaltender, tough bounces and some questionable calls.