GameDay analyst Kirk Herbstreit called in for a brief segment on Colin Cowherd’s show on ESPN radio today and discussed Big Ten football. On the topic of the Wolverines’ outlook for 2008, Cowherd projected 9 wins in Coach Rod’s first year. Herbstreit offered that he sees a rough break-in period for Rodriguez, yielding just 6 wins. Each thought the USC and Wisconsin games were the key tests for the pre-season #1 Buckeyes next season. I’ve heard a lot of media folks say 9 wins, I’ve heard as high as 11 wins. Coach Rod pretty much gets a pass next season but there is a limit to my patience. Six is right around that number.
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Dana Jacobson, Jesus Comments
You may have heard that fellow ’93 Michigan grad Dana Jacobson had a rough night in Atlantic City last month. It was at the roast for ESPN’s Mike Greenberg & Mike Golic, and according to various accounts Dana was seen taking pulls of vodka and stammering around. She then started to dump on Notre Dame (Golic’s alma mater) and decided to go all in: “f*** Notre dame”“f*** touchdown Jesus”and – the step-aside-because-lightning-is-about-to-strike… “f*** Jesus.” And there you have it. Apparently, she realized the gravity of the comment because she took the time to warn everybody. She was promptly booed off the stage. Take: We all hate Notre Dame, but typically that doesn’t extend beyond the football team. Heck, Bo even said ‘To Hell with Notre Dame’. As far as Jesus? None of my business but I think it’s ok for people to love the real Jesus and hate Touchdown Jesus at the same time.All in all, this is a case of people getting their pants in a bunch over nothing. Forget about whether she was drunk or not, she knew she needed to come strong to hang with the comedians in the room and of course flamed out. I mean, does anyone really think that Jacobson (or anyone else) hates Jesus? I thought Jews and Muslims still hold Jesus in…
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Terrelle Pryor’s Visit: It’s VERY Cool
What we learned: Not much. But we were sure reminded that Michigan weather can be brutal. Not that any visit in mid-January would yield bikini-clad co-eds mud wrestling in the Diag, but weather couldn’t have been worse. I stepped outside for 30 seconds on Saturday to get the mail. Once the wind hit me I went scrambling back to my car like a little girl. All the drinks in my garage froze. It was a harsh Michigan weekend. Maybe not quite as cold as in Green Bay but pretty close. It is hoped that he got to see some of the town and the facilities. The net? He’s from Pennsylvania so I don’t think this is a big deal for him. We did learn that the text message is king these days. It was reported that TP text’d an AP reporter and commented that on his visit, “It’s Cool”. It’s unclear whether that was a comment on the quality of the visit or the temperature in the air. It’s amazing to me that a) an AP reporter has Pryor’s cell phone number, and that b) Pryor knew the writer enough to respond to his message. We also learned that Rich Rodriguez has some pretty big paws and that Barwis gave a solid presentation on the direction of the strength and…
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Michigan Outdoors Man
It’s always great to catch up with former Michigan players. I recently chatted with Captain Michael Tilmann II, defensive back for Coach Moeller from 1991-1993. While his playing career was hampered by two knee surgeries, he went on to found Tilmann Outfitters, a premium vacation and fishing charter service out of beautiful Manistee, Michigan. He’s highly regarded in fishing circles and has hosted several shows on The Outdoor Channel. He was kind enough to speak with me: What are some of your best memories of your playing days? Tilmann: You mean the best memories that I can share?! It’d have to be having Bo come to speak to us before big games such as the Rose Bowls, Notre Dame, and of course against Ohio State. The respect he commanded when he walked into the full team meeting room was unmatched! As far as the games, the highlights were the ’92 and ’93 Rose Bowls, each against Washington. We lost the first with Elvis but won the second with Todd Collins. Here’s a photo from Pasadena on the sideline with Bo: Have you always wanted to be a fisherman?Tilmann: Yes, I’ve always loved to fish and this has been a lifelong dream of mine. That said, I’m proud to say I received my BS in Education. I am a teacher first…
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Huge Show Interview with Rich Rodriguez (full audio)
Bill ‘Huge’ Simonson interviewed Coach Rod today on his Huge Show, aired throughout Michigan and on 1050AM WTKA in Ann Arbor. The show host mentioned the interview would be available on their website tonight. What’s the hold up? Here’s the full audio of the interview: [display_podcast] Simonson has been going off on Ann Arbor News columnist Jim Carty all day for his recent column where Carty suggested that Rodriguez should apologize to WVU and pay the $4M. He’s dedicated the entire show to this topic, repeatedly calling Carty and his columns “garbage”. UPDATE 1/18: Jim Carty fires back at Huge on WTKA this morning, I’m looking for audio. Also Carty’s latest column reiterates his take that Rodriguez should apologize. Here were a few of my notes from the Huge/RR interview as it happened: [The papers were removed] “in the middle of the day.” “I threw out some old game plans…Notes that I took…Some we ripped up, some we shredded” “The innuendo was crazy” “If there was any pertinent information it was left there.” “Why would I try to hide anything? I would never do that.” “I never said I would NEVER leave. It was never my intent to leave. I was right in the middle of remodeling my house.” “I did not call a single Michigan recruit until after I…
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Shredding Incident writer on Valenti & Foster (audio)
From WXYT, here’s audio of Charleston Gazette writer Dave Hickman, the guy who broke the story on the Rich Rod shreadding incident. Here says his sources “are very highly placed (within the University)”, and says that there’s “no question that documents were destroyed”. [display_podcast] Here’s the Free Press reaction to the interview.
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Tribute to Carr from Lasting Lessons author
John Bacon, author of Bo’s Lasting Lessons, submitted a piece on Coach Carr to the current Michigan Today alumni magazine. Non-dues paying alums and non-alums alike might not see this otherwise. Here’s the link. It’s pretty much fluff but I like the way Bacon wraps it up: I teach a class at Michigan on the history of college athletics, and invited Carr to speak. Last year, just three days after Bo passed away and two days after the Ohio State game, Carr asked, “Do you still need a guest lecturer?” When I introduced him, all 75 students cheered, and he regaled them for the entire hour with stories about Bo, his own career and the importance of doing what you love and giving back. Carr may have a lukewarm relationship with TV, but the podium loves him. Carr told the class that if he wasn’t a college football coach, he would have been a high school English teacher—and a very happy one. Carr was a teacher—one of the best this university has ever had. And over time, I’m convinced, that is exactly how Lloyd Carr will be remembered. You can also catch Bacon on Sunday on 1050AM WTKA’s Off The Field with co-host and M legend Jamie Morris.
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Legal Review: Coach Rod and the Missing papers
We first called upon MVictors’s legal correspondent to assess Shand v. Martin. With the all the scuttlebutt around the missing paperwork at West Virginia, we once again call in a favor to our guest law..talking..guy. His take: I’m not too familiar with these employment-related laws – it seems like Coach Rod’s agent and the assistant UM law professor quoted in the following this Free Press article are on track, but criminal liability strikes me as a bit far-fetched. Coach Rod is certainly allowed to destroy his own personal stuff, but what exactly did he destroy and who owns it? From another related legal angle, there are intellectual property laws that come into play in the employment setting — i.e., whether the records he creates in connection with his employment are the property of his employer. You might have had to sign an “inventions assignment” agreement (sometimes called a proprietary rights agreement) in your field, and many companies make that a standard part of their employee handbook and hiring practices. Those agreements essentially say that what you create in the course of your employment is the property of your employer. There are also specific intellectual property laws that come into play in this area. It’s a bit goofy in the coaching world – coaches take their playbooks wherever they go, for…