Excellent observations from today’s practice from ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg [who’s got a bit of Jared from Subway in his blood] on his blog post here. He notes that Kevin Grady practiced with the team and here are a few more highlights: * Feagin’s speed is immediately noticeable, and he looked comfortable running some of the basic option pitches and throws in the spread offense. My guess is he’ll be used to run some option this fall. * Freshman Michael Shaw seemed to be getting a lot of work at wide receiver. It’s a little weird to see No. 20 in maize and blue who isn’t Mike Hart. * Walking through Michigan’s weight room on the way out, I stopped to check out the team-high totals for several categories. Johnson tops the bench-press chart at 500 pounds, Taylor squatted a team-best 625 pounds and cornerback Morgan Trent ran a 4.13 in the 40-yard dash. There was also a Barwis mention of course. Look dudes, I realize that all the attention is great for the program and recruiting and all, and it’s cool to have this guy here. And I’m as guilty as anyone for deifying Barwis, I even followed him around at the spring game in Saline (it was awesome). I’m glad to see I’m not the only one getting a…
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Michigan Fan Day? Probably
Update: It’s going to be 8/17, more info here. At the 2008 Michigan spring game, Rich Rodriguez was asked by an M blogger whether there’d be an opportunity to meet the players this year a la’ the Fan Day events during the past few seasons. Coach Rod said there would be something in August, in conjunction with the team picture day. He also mentioned the possibility of something else during the summer but that ain’t going to happen. Here’s the short audio clip from the spring game presser: [display_podcast] There hasn’t been an announcement yet but that’s not unusual. Scrolling through the press releases from last year it looks like the Fan Day was announced a couple weeks before it was held on August 25, 2007. I lobbed a call in media relations and asked about if this was going to happen. In Fort Schembechler form, the short answer I received was ‘maybe, no announcement yet’. I asked about where it would be held if it were a go, again, really nothing except for they’d have to see what facilities are available. My sense is that this is a go (it’d be foolish not to, especially after closing the spring game), it’s just a matter of making it official. Update: After posting this I got a note from Bruce Madej…
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Is this Garland Rivers’ Rose Bowl Ring?
Garland Rivers – mgoblue.com As a follow-up to my May 20th eBay Watch post on the 1986 Rose Bowl ring. The seller pulled the auction in order to provide some more information about the ring, perhaps to fetch a little more dough. The updated auction description offered more on the size of the ring, weight, etc., along with a few additional photos. [see the auction here]. The seller also dropped hints as to the identity of the original owner: We have researched a little regarding the player named on this ring it is our understanding that this player was a starter for Michigan during the regular seasons in which he played as well as in the Rose Bowl. He also played in at least one other Bowl Game with Michigan and that he held a team (Bowl) record for well over 10 years. Digging into the records on the 1986 team on the Bentley Library site, you obviously can narrow the list down to the starters in the Rose Bowl, then look to year before and after to find a player that started multiple seasons. Digging further, I reviewed the current Michigan individual Bowl record holders per the Capital One Bowl media guide published in late 2007. One name jumped out to me: All-American defensive back Garland Rivers. He meets…
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Carr Calls foul on Dispatch Report
Check out Jim Carty’s blog tonight. Carr told Bruce Madej [above, with Coach Rod at the Spring game] that the Columbus Dispatch report that claims Carr helped Justin Boren land at Ohio State is false: Carr denied the Dispatch report via Michigan athletics spokesperson Bruce Madej, who said the coach was unavailable for an interview Friday night. “Lloyd told me that’s a lie,” Madej said. Here’s the claim made by a “source” to the Dispatch: Maybe they should take a cue from previous Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, who according to a source close to the situation worked behind the scenes to help Boren obtain his scholarship release from Michigan. Carr even assured Boren that Ohio State is the closest thing to Michigan that he would find and that there are “good people” in Columbus. Elsewhere: As Coach Rod advised during the his ‘On the Road’ tour, sometimes you just need to let those who stray from the V formation go off….and die (geese metaphorically). Let’s focus on those that are here and that means some recruits. So while everyone’s still excited about Virginia QB Kevin Newsome, here’s a Spring Game outtake of Coach Fred Jackson closing the deal:
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On the Meyer Morton Award
The coaches did a nice thing at the start of the spring game on Saturday: they recognized the annual spring award winners. One of those presented was the Meyer Morton Award which went to senior Will Johnson. Here’s more from the official site, with the history of the winners and some history: The Meyer Morton Award, established by the ‘M’ Club of Chicago in 1925, is given to the football player who shows the greatest development and most promise as a result of the annual spring practice. Morton, a 1912 Michigan graduate, was a lawyer in Chicago from 1915-48 and served as a Big Ten football official for 23 years. This is the oldest individual award given by the football program and its winners include the late Gerald Ford. I actually found this pic of Ford with the award (1932) when researching a post after his death: You may have picked up this mention on the great mgoblog within Brian’s spring practice post today: Will Johnson won kind of a weird award for a fifth-year senior and returning starter to pick up. Brian’s right. It’s a little weird for a 5th year senior to be getting this award. I’m still digging for the reference, but I’m 90% sure I read somewhere that this honored was originally reserved for underclassman. Take…
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Rodriguez: Expect Fan Day in mid-August
MVictors Spring Game Coverage Most fans didn’t get a chance to see the team during today’s closed Spring game at Saline High School due to the Michigan Stadium renovation but there will be another opportunity for the Maize & Blue faithful to meet the team. After the question was raised by some dude who seems pretty cool, Coach Rodriguez confirmed today there will be one, maybe two, scheduled opportunities for fans to meet the players before the season starts. Per Rodriguez, “We’re going to have a Fan Day in August, and we may have one this summer as well but we’re certainly going to have one in August in conjunction with our picture day.” Related: Michigan Fan Day 2007 from Michigan stadium
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Worst Kept Secret: It’s Saline, It’s Closed
Finally official word from the official site on the officially private 2008 Michigan football spring game: ANN ARBOR, Mich. — University of Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez and the 2008 Wolverine football team will hold a closed final practice at Saline High School on Saturday, April 12. Due to the size of the stadium the public will be unable to attend. “We appreciate the gesture and effort made by Saline to help make this practice possible,” said Scott Draper, Assistant Athletic Director for Football. “Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate a practice open to the public.” With construction taking place at Michigan Stadium and to the back practice fields at Schembechler Hall because of the new indoor facility, Michigan is unable to accommodate a public practice at the University.
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Taking Five with Dennis Fithian
October 7, 2006 marked the annual renewal of the Michigan vs. Michigan State football rivalry. Typically this would have been one of the busiest days of the year for former WTKA radio host Dennis Fithian, but he was not in Ann Arbor that Saturday. He was instead about 40 miles down the road at Comerica Park for his new employer WXYT ‘The Ticket’ radio. Somewhere during the second half of the 31-13 victory over MSU, the Detroit Tigers were finishing off the favored Yankees 8-3 for a trip to the World Series. Fithian was there to cover it all for his new station. In the brutal world of sports radio, things have worked out well for Fithian. Each one of the Detroit-area stations in that market have seen significant turnover in the last couple years, WTKA in particular. The very popular former Ann Arbor drive time host was kind enough to speak with MVictors about radio, Lloyd Carr, Drew Sharp and even about reheating pizza. Here you go: MVictors: Let’s get right into it. Do you have any ill will toward WTKA for the way your departure was handled? Fithian: There’s no ill will whatsoever. A lot of people thought I was let go because of comments about the basketball program, especially when they didn’t make the NCAA tournament that…