text:
By Tiernan Ray
Apple (AAPL) last night announced a major renovation of top leadership, ousting John Browett, its head of retail operations, hired only last January, and saying Scott Forstall, its head of software development for the iOS operating system that powers the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, will leave next year, his duties being taken over by two senior executives, Jony Ive, the head of Apple's hardware design, and Craig Federighi, who has been overseeing development of the desktop OS X operating system.
Along with Forstall and Browett's departure, the company said former engineering director Bob Mansfield will lead a new group that consolidates Apple's chip design and wireless technologies, and it said Eddy Cue, who has run the iTunes store and other initiates such as the App Store, will take over responsibility for the "Siri" artificial intelligence assistant on the iPhone, and for the new Maps program that Apple introduced in September.
The Street this morning seems to be fairly happy about all of these developments. Browett's departure is generally regarded as necessary to save Apple's retail store from losing their reputation for service. Forstall's departure is more of a surprise to people, and somewhat mixed in terms of its implications. There is a tremendous amount of faith in Jony Ive, but also a sense that it's not a great thing for Apple to lose a talented veteran like Forstall.
Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster, who has an Overweight rating on shares of Apple, and a $900 price target, expressed relief that the changes seem to imply that Jony Ive will stick around for awhile, which would have been a concern for investors given his prominence. He notes, too, that Cook has nine years remaining on his contract with the company.
Regardless of the exact circumstances of Forstall's departure, "what is known is Apple is consolidating leadership around core long term executives, and the probability that the key management is committed to Apple appears to have increased," writes Munster.
Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets, who has a Buy rating on Apple shares and $1,111 price target, writes that the shake-up "a natural evolution at Apple as the Company increasingly pushes for a more seamless integration across devices and even better, more integrated experience for customers."
William Power with R.W. Baird, who has an Outperform rating on the stock and a $750 price target, today writes that Forstall's departure was a surprise, and that it "appears to be part of Tim Cook putting his own stamp on the company," and that "he is still surrounded by several key long-time Apple executives and innovators."
Brian Marshall of ISI Group wrote last night, While we view Forstall as key to AAPL's success having been head of the "all-important" iOS platform and are very disappointed to see him go, there's no change to our current positive view on AAPL.
"We believe if the company can be successful without Steve Jobs, it can be successful without Scott Forstall."
The least satisfied of these five analysts is Keith Bachmann of BMO Capital Markets, who has an Outperform rating on the shares and a $730 price target. Writes Bachmnan, the change is "a disappointment."
Mr. Forstall, who ran the mobile operating system unit, was very successful even under the demanding and watchful eye of Steve Jobs. While the new mapping service in the new iPhone is poor, we believe that over the course of his 15-year career at Apple, Mr. Forstall added value. With Mr. Jobs, it was always clear who was in charge of almost every decision. With Tim Cook, our take is that he is a "leader of leaders," which likely allows for more give and take, or even dissent, on key issues amongst executives. The sustained value of the implied new organizational structure will depend on the abilities and personalities of Apple's leaders. With a large base of approximately 60,400 full-time employees, it would be easy to conclude that the departures are not important. However, we do believe the departures are a negative, since we think Mr. Forstall in particular added value to Apple. However, we are not surprised that he would leave in a post Steve Jobs organizational structure, given his very strong personality.


text:
Media Suffering From AIDS Fatigue?
In 1983, the problem was getting the media to pay attention to HIV/AIDS. In 2013, the problem is getting the media to pay attention to HIV/AIDS.
By 1989, James Kinsella had amassed enough information to write the first comprehensive look at the how the nation's media missed the biggest story of the late 20th century. "Covering the Plague" makes a strong case of how and why major news outlets like The New York Times, the three alphabet network's news programs, the wire services and newsmagazines -- then still-dominant national news outlets --- consciously made the decision to ignore a pandemic in their midst.
As long as AIDS remained a gay disease, and then moved into other highly marginalized populations like Haitian immigrants and intravenous drug users, mainstream news organizations figured that their audience wouldn't be interested. They feared that if they did cover it, they would be resented for bringing the sordid topic of gay sex into people's living rooms.
Only when film star Rock Hudson died in 1985 did the media sit up and take notice. It speaks volumes that it took a major Hollywood celebrity to make AIDS a major story, not to mention the first time the president, Ronald Reagan, uttered the word "AIDS" in public.
The year 1985 proved a watershed. HIV had entered the nation's blood supply and struck particularly hard at hemophiliacs. Among those affected was a kid in Kokomo, Ind., named Ryan White, who has become to AIDS what Anne Frank is to the Holocaust -- the innocent face of a child undone by outside forces.
Instead of doing what they should have been doing all along, however, and reporting on the facts that were readily available from the Centers for Disease Control, media big and small chose the sensational route. Rather than reassuring people that HIV was not a particularly robust virus and didn't survive for long outside of the human body, they played to the public's worst fears that kissing, a toilet seat or even casual contact might (there's a world in that word "might") result in infection.
The resultant hysteria had real-life consequences. Hospital patients were quarantined, their meals slipped under the door, doctors and nurses dressed in full-fledge Hazmat outfits. Gay waiters, hairdressers and anyone else making physical contact were shunned. The Rays, a family with hemophiliac children, were pitted against the school board and the community in the Central Florida town of Arcadia. Eventually, their house was firebombed.
A Virus on the Move
If there's anything positive to have come out of this sordid story of the most respected journalists of their time behaving very, very badly, it's that LGBT Americans finally moved out of the shadows and onto the nation's front pages. Once AIDS did become an ongoing major story, there was no putting the genie back in the bottle -- or the queer back in the closet.
Our relationships, our jobs, our religious observance, our problems and our courage could no longer be ignored. The legacy of the '80s can be seen every day in every medium. Stories about gay men, lesbians and transgendered individuals are no longer swept under the rug; gay issues have moved front and center into the national debate.
So what went wrong? How did HIV and AIDS in America drift away from the media's radar while the pandemic continues?
When Kinsella's wrote in the late '80s that he remained "pessimistic about the prospects of the nation facing up to the next wave of AIDS, striking heterosexual minorities, as well as the nation's next major health crisis, already brewing in large American cities," he didn't know how correctly he predicted exactly what has happened.
A 2004 study found that total media coverage of HIV/AIDS peaked in 1989, the same year that Kinsella's book condemned the media for having ignored the crisis during its worst years. After the advent of the retroviral meds "cocktail," HIV went from "death sentence" to "manageable condition." That also meant that it was becoming as urgent as, say, diabetes.
Americans, it seems, had accepted HIV/AIDS as a permanent part of the landscape. There were a few spikes, notably when basketball superstar Magic Johnson revealed he was positive in 1991. But overall, Kinsella has been proven exactly right.
Journalists (or at least their editors) often cite the mantra that good news isn't news. But when the Bar Area Reporter, San Francisco's major gay newspaper, ran a headline reading "No obits," it became national news.
Attention Shifts to Global Pandemic
The 2004 study noted that the horrendous situation in the developing world, particularly Africa, became more and more of a focus of American media attention. Between 1997 and 2002, stories about HIV in the U.S. decreased 57 percent while stories about the global epidemic grew by 118 percent. But the study cited another reason, a term that has become the center of media criticism about HIV, "AIDS fatigue": Readers had tired of stories that seemed to repeat themselves about the newly infected; and journalists moved on to hotter, more of-the-moment topics.
Just last year, Housing Works, the activist organization that advocates for more and better housing for HIV-positive New Yorkers, complained that AIDS fatigue was responsible for a local media blackout of a landmark case it had won against the city's second-largest realtor. One observer in 2004 pointed a finger at activists like Housing Works for the problem.
By insisting "on framing it as an emergency rather than a lasting concern," wrote Kai Wright, an editor of New York's City Limits magazine, they sought to "create a sense of urgency by focusing on hyperbolic scenarios."
In recent years, the 30th anniversary of the first CDC report in 1981 on a strange cancer and a very rare form of pneumonia appearing in gay men in New York and San Francisco, garnered a spate of coverage. So did the first international conference on AIDS last year in Washington, D.C., after the federal government finally lifted its official ban on HIV-positive foreign visitors.
Those aside, the 15 seconds Fox News devoted to World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 this year is more typical of the attention major news outlets are giving to a virus that continues to infect 50,000 people a year.
A Minority Disease Not As Compelling?
Meanwhile, just as Kinsella predicted, HIV has largely moved into minority populations. The biggest national story on HIV has to be the dramatic increase in seroconversions among Latinos and especially blacks. Even though young black men are being hit particularly hard, the epidemic has been less selective for black women, who represent one of the fastest-rising groups seroconverting.
You wouldn't know it from media coverage. The 2004 study found that only 3 percent of stories focused on minorities. Maybe this was part of that overall AIDS fatigue -- maybe the public was burned out on AIDS stories overall (or at least assignment editors believed they were).
Many observers don't accept that as the reason. They believe that the culprit is America's continuing legacy of racism. As rates of infection dropped among white gay men, so did interest in HIV -- among them as well as the population at large. Longtime activists like Peter Staley have been complaining that the gay community no longer pays much attention to HV/AIDS. And if they don't care, why should anyone else?
When the media do report on what's going on in the black community, the fact that they're reporting it is treated like a major event. That's what happened after The New York Times published a front-page feature on the epidemic's impact on life for black gay youth just a few weeks ago. Activists treated it like a glass of water in the desert.
If you think that media coverage of HIV is only a side issue, talk to Robin Stevens. The researcher at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that media attention on HIV as "an African thing" and even more stories about HIV in general results in fewer African Americans getting tested.
For the blacks in her study, Stevens found that "media coverage was seen as a source of shame and embarrassment. As a result, they seem to have gone into denial," whereas whites are "more likely to experience news stories as a source of education and information."
Her conclusion? Blacks not only pay more attention to the message if it comes from black media, but find it less intimidating. Which means that perhaps we should be worrying less about AIDS fatigue in the media in general, and concentrating on supporting increased coverage in places like Eboony magazine and Black Entertainment Television.
What's Happening Now
This story is part of our special report titled "What's Happening Now." Want to read more? Here's the full list.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
January 08 2007
Serenity in Cake Form. Charm City Cakes, which has a show on the Food Network, features a Serenity-shaped cake on their Web site. More...
next 100 »
This site will work and look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.


text:
Veteran Appreciation Banquet to be held soon
The Elks Lodge, along with the American Legion, VFW, Vietnam Veterans and all Auxiliaries, are getting ready to host the seventh annual Veteran Appreciation Banquet.Every Wednesday night at 7 P.M., the Borger Elks hold meetings to plan and organize the night's events such as preparing all decorations, food preparation, ceremonies, finances, etc. This years banquet will be held on Nov. 3, 2012. The banquet is a way to celebrate all veterans of America. Veterans and their spouses are strongly encouraged to attend. The evening has a lot in store for our veterans, such as door prizes, awarded tokens, and awards for the oldest and youngest attending veterans. Like last year, there will be a brisket dinner at 7 p.m. right after opening ceremonies at 6 p.m. and social hour at 5 p.m.During opening ceremonies, professional bagpipe player Larry Fowler and thirteen-year-old Jordan Langhenning of Panhandle will play songs such as "Amazing Grace" and "America the Beautiful". There will also be a special speaker all the way from Portland, Ore., Scott King. King is a former Marine and the founder of Remember the Wounded Ride. RTWR is nonprofit organization with a mission to help make life better for our combat wounded men and women and their families; educate the public as to the effects of war on the American family and honor the injured and their families of America's wars. King is also known for his epic 14,000 mile solo bicycle ride to raise awareness of the needs of combat veterans and their families. King's ride took two years (April to October 2010 and May to Sept 2012) to complete and covered the forty-eight contiguous states. During his ride, King stopped at over 260 Elks Lodges and several other veterans' organizations to interview many combat veteran members for the story of their experiences in combat. The stories have been collected for a series of books that is aimed to educate the public as to the real-life difficulties and trials faced by the men and women of our military in the defense of our nation.So come hear King speak about his adventures, eat a great dinner and honor veterans on Nov. 3 at the Veterans Appreciation Dinner at 5 p.m.


text:
Health Highlights: Aug. 10, 2012
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:
New Gene-Based Prenatal Testing Has Pros, Cons
Scientists say that new high-tech "microarray" prenatal testing can spot many more genetic abnormalities in a fetus than current screens, but some experts worry that the test might leave parents with more questions than answers.
As reported by The New York Times, the test still requires sampling of fetal cells via amniocentesis (in which a needle is inserted into the uterus) or via tissue removed from the placenta. However, the new test replaces standard examination of fetal chromosomes under the microscope with a DNA-sensing chip that spots genetic aberrations that would otherwise remain unseen. Those mutations often lie behind conditions such as autism or mental retardation.
A study validating one of these new tests is expected to be published in a peer-reviewed journal soon, the Times said. Those who support the new test say any new information it can give will be valuable, while others worry that parents will be presented with complicated genetic information with a myriad of possible outcomes, a situation that will only cause unnecessary worry and make already difficult decisions even tougher.
Barbara Bernhardt, a genetic counselor at the University of Pennsylvania, has spoken with women who have undergone microarray prenatal testing. She told the Times that many of these women "are just not prepared for the uncertain information they are getting, often very late in a pregnancy."
But the test has its supporters, too.
"There definitely are complicated things you run into," Dr. Arthur Beaudet, chairman of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, which offers the newer form of testing through its laboratory, told the Times. "But in order to avoid that, are you willing to give up detection of clear-cut terrible disorders?"
The tests are not cheap, either: According to the Times, microarray testing can carry price tags of between $1,500 to $3,000, not including the cost of the amniocentesis.
Breast Cancer Charity Announces Leadership Shake-Up
Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the leading breast cancer charity in the United States, announced Wednesday that its founder will step down as chief executive and its president will resign.
The shake-up comes on the heels of controversy that erupted in January after the organization tried to cut financing for breast cancer services provided by Planned Parenthood because that organization also provides birth control and abortion services, which some Komen executives oppose. Komen later had to reverse its position, following a firestorm of opposition from abortion rights groups.
In the statement released Wednesday, the charity said these latest moves signal "a period of transition," and that founder Nancy Brinker will move into a management role that focuses on revenue creation, strategy and global growth once the search for a new senior executive is complete. President Liz Thompson will leave Komen in September, the charity added.
Brinker founded the organization in 1982 after her sister, Susan G. Komen, died of breast cancer; more than $740 million has been funneled toward breast cancer research since then, the charity said, which is more than any nonprofit has raised apart from the federal government.
"Our mission is clear and consistent, and will never change, regardless of the controversy earlier this year," Brinker said in the statement. "We are doing everything in our power to ensure that women have access to quality cancer care and the support that they need, as we seek answers through cutting-edge research."
Planned Parenthood said in a statement released Wednesday that it will continue to work with Komen.
"In our shared commitment to ensuring that all women have access to breast health services regardless of income, the Komen-funded Planned Parenthood programs have helped thousands of women in rural and underserved communities get breast health education, screenings, and referrals for mammograms," Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in the statement. "We are proud to continue this work together."
Posted: August 2012


text:
For the ninth consecutive year Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, FL will donate 10 percent of its Saturday, October 20th sales to the United Way of Brevard County.
Celebrate the grand re-opening of the Ron Jon Surf Shop at Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida with games, music and TONS of prizes!
Your browser does not support iframes.
Follow Ron Jon Surf Shop


text:
5. our defense is good when we get pressure - especially against this QB
5. our defense is good when we get pressure - especially against this QB
So pressure on a freshman QB works. Who would have thought...
Scoop n score then a 3 n out
now how bout a hitch n go for 6?
what is this thing where we bring more than 4 down linemen called again?
Great start to the 2nd half! Let's see what adjustments Borges makes and if Devin can solve his cranial rectal sublimation.
2nd half team boys!
Sorry if already posted or if it's a dumb question, but what does the Big Red S stand for in the crowd?
I think it's just the breast cancer tribute PSU "S"
and kick some ass!
I like coming from behind to narrowly escape with victory. Keeps my heart healthy. My liver on the other hand...
call the play that doesn't result in a pick 6 or loss of 4 on first down and we're GOLDEN
Do you think the collective psychic screaming to bring the heat on Hack worked, or did Mattison finally get the game tape of the IU game?
be ok 77!
ok little fire and desire, much needed, solid start, 6 from D def helps. get ahead of the chains, spread them out and keep the D guessing
Funchess blocked!!
Has anyone else noticed that we can't run the ball?
Coaches haven't.
Why still No green?
better against a wall of defenders? Doesn't matter who is carrying the ball, there is nothing there.
that could quite literally cost us the game. lost all momentum
F'n Kalis. It's bad enough you're getting your butt kicked
Devin needs to run the ball with abandon and score a touchdown... right here
as another turnover
Maturity from Gardner in a tough situation. Glad to see him eat the sack.
No sack, no loss of yards.
after the whistle, not a good move
hero ball
Fitz is now averaging 0.5yds/carry. Obviously some of that is due to our Oline getting blown backwards
only time we can actually block someone is after the whistle when other team stops playing
Lets get another stop D!
I feel like I am rooting for the other team to mistakes more than I am for Michigan to do things well because I have given up on the latter.
When does Borges figure out that PSU's only freaking plan on D is to blitz? WHEN!!!!!!!!!?????????
and all the scantily-clad ample-chested virgins within it for a behemoth, unstoppable offensive line.
Isn't it abso-fucking-lutely amazing that Fitz cannot gain ONE FUCKING YARD. I realize the blocking is poor, but he fucking dances immediately and it seems to let the opposing DL crash in on him, instead of just going FORWARD!
Did anyone else notice Lewan block a guy almost over the bench oob earlier? No call there. Kalis stumbles and gives a little shove and they call it. Boo
At the risk of stating the obvious, a stop would be nice.
The defense is laughing now. They know he hates pressure.
Fuck yeah D!
Offense needs to throw a pizza party for the defense.
Sooo many interceptions.... So many
Ramon Taylor!!! My *black man*!!
I just called that to my wife.
Note if we can find a way to do more than punt after a turnover we'll be good
gonna outscore penn state. legooo
Worlds fastest jogger.
I hate long 1st and goal yardage!
Okay. Now for the love of all that is holy, we need a TD here.
take a time out. jeesuz
How many TFLs have we had this year? About infinity?
Awful, aqful call.
On the draw Glasgow and Bryant blocked 0 total people
Obvious play calling is obvious.
to 100% waste a play. it's idiotic. so dumb.
not 3
Catch the fucking ball funchess
That helmet rule is total bullshit. The PSU guy pretty clearly grabbed Devin's helmet, and we pay the price for it?
Was catchable!
Continued wasted opportunities. Gardner hasn't played well tonight, but he put that ball right where it needed to be. Funchess needed to come down with that.
Alright, 2 PSU possessions, 1 for Michigan in the 2nd half...10-0 Michigan. Aside from a TD, couldn't ask for much more. Another TO or 3 and out! C'mon Defense!
count to two and throw. probably would have scored, and it would have crushed penn state. blindingly obvious call and result.
They never would have seen it comong
This is such an ugly game.
Defense is up !
MOAR pressure!!
These refs REFUSE to call hold on the edge on PSU. FUCKING HORSE SHIT!
Lol frank Clark on a TE
Frank Clark and Chris Wormley shouldn't be in pass coverage against tight ends. That is all.
back in effect
Wow. This looks so easy.
Nice sack by Black. But watch the hold on JMFR!
to the success of a defense
again, why have we abandoned the pass rush?
held every play. Fucking bullshit.
there we go!!
Go back and look at that shit! JMFR screaming in from the edge, 77 on PSU's right arm across his chest HOLDING HIM. Would have pushed them out of FG range. HORSE SHIT!
Nothing else
I want Derrick green. I want him.
He can't run through holes that aren't there.
What's the scoop with Dileo on o? Is he just not getting open? You would think he would be a nice choice for gardner when he is in trouble.
But we hold too
Pass to set up the run.
Millen shut the fuck up
they are totally holding our receivers after they catch the ball.
i'll take it
Does Gardner look hurt? Please let it be just me.
If Gallon is triple covered every time Devin throws to him then somebody else has to be open.
remember that fake read option pass play we ran at the end of the first half? that was a really good play. why'd we waste that?
The line has played well without Lewan. Better than I expected.
Why Borges!!!!! ????
Run into the 2 gap. No more 6 gap stretch bullshit.
calling pass plays with no intention of throwing. effective but not exactly exciting
Not good...
Borges keep on calling those stretches? Is he clinically insane?
This may be the greatest comment ever.
this game is crazy
and over
I want to hear a candid assessment of Michigan's OL from the coaches. I know we'll never get it, but I want to know what's wrong -- besides, "they're young."
I don't have any idea what's happening any more
When Gardner uses proper mechanics he throws a good ball.
run in the second quarter.
I'm really pulling for him this season.
they knew it was coming. Fitz has a crappy line trying to open a hole against the entire defense. I'm no fan of Fitz's running this season, but he had no chance. None.
Jeremy Gallon!
is that you can play horribly and predictably... and still get your act together to come back. It's not fun to watch, though, and of course Penn State has a great chance of winning this miserable game, still.
to be winning a game. well, except maybe against uconn and akron
Nice! 17-3 in the 2nd half!
sporting the maize warm-up!
I just want to be 6-0 so we don't have to worry about bowl eligibility.
It's like when we try to run the opposition just totally blows our OL up, every time, against every team. How can the OL be THAT BAD?!? I just don't understand.
You guys need to lighten up. We're winning! And we stopped running on first down every play, so our coaches aren't completely clueless. It's a good day
I mean, people cry about coaching, others say they're young, or maybe they're just not very good. People complain about play calling, but at some point, shouldn't the OL be able to get their RB 3-5 yards? Is it the RB? I am befuddled.
Still sad about not bringing the heat on Hack in the 1st half...but with a win I'll get over it.
But he's going to forgo his 5th year and go to the NFL!
Why can't we run like that twice in a row? Why? Fitz just dances.
I know, right? Hit the hole GOING FORWARD not sideways. It cannot be ALL on the OL!
My point exactly.
decisively when it is not there 99% of the time. RB can't magically create a hole that is not there. Not to mention Al calling slow developing stretches isn't helping.
Obviously that is true. But, it can't be ALL on the OL. I mean, there seem like times (from my couch at least) where if Fitz would just plunge forward, he'd get something. Instead, he dances and barely get's back to the LOS.
even there on that last gain...skipping and going sideways, not FORWARD!
Jesse James. Refuse.
this freshman needs to feel some pain!
GMat dialing up the pressure, or threat of it! WTG! Nice play by Black again!
Trying to earn the right to rush 4
Think we need one of those Ishtar drives right about now.
That's a shame. Good stop on 3rd down
Fickin Big baby!!!
________________ is just what ___________ defense/offense needed.
20 Goto 10
Odds that Michigan begins the drive with a -2 yard Fitz run?
Edit: Sometimes I absolutely love being wrong.
It's a nice feeling having some breaks go OUR way for once.
Is this how Notre Dame alums feel all the time?
has that play been at
Ohh that what running the ball is like.
yeah but even there, did you notice, that if he just ran FORWARD at the end of the run he'd could have made a few more? He skipped and got stopped.
pass and RAC.
and wherefor art thoust been or some such nonsense
Is something wrong with Gardner's pants?? He keeps adjusting them.
wearing a brace, I think that's what hes adjusting
Fitz hit that hole hard, nice gain
I like the run too...but rewind it and watch the end of the run again. He made the one cut into the hole, then tried to cut again. Just keep churning and pushing forward, and fall forward. he danced sideways at the end. I dunno, I am a fat 40 year old on my couch, but it seems to me that he's very rarely going all out FORWARD.
FUNCHESS! 37 yrd TD. WOW that kid is awesome!
Magnusson has been money!
Fuck "Bunches of Funchess"!!!
I'm talking about Funchmaster Flex!
No, seriously...WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!111!!!!!
drew dileo!
And I will give Borges some credit. After our OLine sucking so badly, he's gone to a lot of max protection
Huge block by Butt on that play!
No matter what happens this season, damn we got something special with Funchess.
He could have had 2 more touchdowns. He starts making those catches and I say we give a tight end #1
he's already got a Legends Jersey. He's near uncoverable.
Good to see all the negative Nancy's turning around
Varied it up a bit offensively there, always helps. I liked the quick route to Dileo as much as any play there. We need more plays like that to keep a defense from keying on the runs and play actions.
Pity flag.
Uh wormley sighting?
A positive outlook was always present with Denard, and Devin has managed to carry the magic with him as well. This team has been down in several games this season, and has fought back, with each player emotionally and physically exhausted at the conclusion.
These are good times.
where not having Pipkins hurts.
One fourth and a foot stop out of 2 isn't bad.
Blitz blitz blitz
have to murder somebody to be called for a hold? They have doing it all game.
NO SHIT! It's amazing! Arms across the chest on every fucking play, and NOT ONE holding flag, IIRC! Shameful!
I guess. Note to refs: PSU's line isn't good enough to keep their QB clean for 8 seconds.
nothing on the broadcast, obvs, but wondering if anyone has heard?
But they're not calling it at all!
Shouldn't that have been intentional grounding? Kick would've nissed
I'd like us to play Green a couple snaps on this series. PSU has only seen him on 1 carry. It'd be a nice mixup
Do you honestly think it'd make much difference? The running game outside of Gardner has gone nowhere all night.
and now Fitz starts runnign well
I'd rather see Deveon but at least someone else for a couple plays
There's 27
wear 'em down and Fitz will start getting yards
Akron with the upset bid over a ranked NIU? I'll latch onto that like a baby on a teet.
Need a first down. First down > 40 seconds.
The PI call on Morgan was clearly Uncatchable. Sit down obrien.
PSU #4 has been one of the MVPs for UM. Several timely PIs
more love!
I understand that might have cost them the game buuuuut that was clearly a penalty. Come on, man.
we got 'em.
O'Brien is underestimating Gallon's vertical. He could've made a play on it
Wouldn't have even needed a vertical.
HUGE! Hold on to that ball now, boys!
Awesome run. He's going to feel that tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday..
Gardner still showing lots of heart... Gotta give him props for that.
Deveon! Deveon! Deveon! Deveon!
Smiff! Smiff! Smiff! Smiff!
Now that PSU sees it slipping away, they're going to hold onto that call. Probably for 50 years.
Put them away Devin! FINISH HIM!
You guys calling for Borges to try to "win the game," i.e., try to score are idiots! Last thing you want to do is give up a turnover. WTF?!? Work the clock!
Gardner is stupid
Hoke is consistently subpar with end of game management. Headset perhaps?
I disagree, that is on Devin.
Put in Gibbons!
C'mon Devin, that delay of game was a KILLER!
That's absolutely the right call. If you don't think so, I'm right.
Hooray. 3 bad coaching decisions in a row
WTF are you talking about? That's on Devin to not get the snap off. You MUST punt there. WTF would you have done?
1) Hoke needs to call a TO if that situation
2) Running wide instead of straight up
3) Should've then accepted a delay of game to improve the punter's chance
All because of devins idiot delay of game
You're a fucking idiot!
What a terrible timed jump? We don't deserve this.
That was just an incredible catch. Sucks for us but that was just amazing
NO FUCK YOU! You'd be out there throwing the ball and might turn the ball over. Devin get's that snap off and the game is FUCKING OVER. You MUST bleed the clock you fucking idiot!
If Devin can't even manage the clock to compensate for his propensity for turnovers, he HAS to be benched. I haven't had this much contempt for a player since Navarre.
So you're saying that bleeding the clock down so that all you have to do is snap it on 3rd down, and the game is over is NOT playing to win?!? WTF?!? Devin fucked it up. Snap the ball, and they have maybe 10 seconds to move the ball. You're a fucking idiot.
The fucked up thing is jackasses like you would be going APESHIT if Borges came out slinging it around and Devin threw another INT and they came down and scored. You know NOTHING about football.
We decided to no longer put pressure on the qb, not cover the sidelines, and have safeties nowhere to be seen? Interesting strategy cotton.
Come on, guys.. Overtime is fun!
We have the better kicker. But they have the taller WRs.
kick it here
Come on! No better way to crush the souls of PSU is to beat them in their house in overtime!!
Hating the game management by Hoke. From the Lloyd ball before the punt, to the prevent D and not bringing at least 5 on PSU's last drive.
You guys are clueless!
Borges needs to get fired..
played to not lose rather than win !
horrible play calling most of the night
he chokes on the road
i've had it with Borges
no wonder why he has bounced around his whole career
we need a dynamic OC
that loss is all on Borges more than anybody else
Countess is due!
Oh dear.
Damn conservative play calling. These coaches need some balls.
never played to win.. :(
A Fitz carry is a wasted down.
You guys are nuts. You idiots act like you're riverboat gamblers...fucking pussies would be shitting your pants if you were in that situation.
are such a tool.
Now punch it in!
see what happens when you try something tricky in the clutch! LOL moron!
Fucking Borges. Just QB Kneel if you're going to call shit like that
Are you kidding me?????? Be aggressive!!!!!
My God Fitz is a waste.
Sten - and you see what happens when Borges calls a pass??? We move it.
Hey didpshit, I saw that, but it was SETUP by the plays before. I was talking about PSU idiotic risky play that cost them the game (likely).
You idiots are bitching about the play calling, but Michigan has had 3 changes to win.
God, you know jackshit about football. You just curse like a petulant little boy
I've forgotten more about football than you'll ever know. The game was OVER if Gardner doesn't get a delay of game penalty. It was the right thing to bleed the clock, and it would have worked had DG not fucked up. In OT, when the other team gives you a chance to win with a FG, you play for the FG. Are you fucking daft?
Yep, you really are an idiot. If the other team misses a FG, you still try to score a TD. Only resign yourself to a FG if THEY (not you) stop you
From the 25 with a kicker like Gibbons? Are you serious?
Fire Brady Hoke!!!! Are you kidding me with this bullshit play calling????????
Al (Sten) Borges needs to be fired for his horrendous play calling
Write a sternly worded letter to Dave Brandon, and let me know how that works out for you.
youre also a potty-mouthed internet tough guy.
Sober up & try again next week.
Sober as a judge.
Look, all I am saying is that Michigan had the game WON if Devin doesn't get the delay of game flag. Then, they had it won several times on the (usually) sure footed foot of Gibbons. I have no problem with the way they ended the game, save the delay of game penalty.
Your an idiot
come to FG's again... Man!
There's a coach with balls
Call with their season. It doesn't matter. They had to go for it
set match, unfortunately. Well. We're ust not a very good team
Can't turn the ball over that many times and keep winning. 11 turnovers in 6 games? Is that right?
Cowardly loss. Embarrassing.
too many opportunities to win the game, wasted.
Terrible play calling. Played not to lose. Team didn't deserve this ... Coaches did.
Far as I'm concern that dumbass punt we did cost us. they had no time outs left
Or the dumbass delay of game.
Terrible play calling on offense. Played way too conservatively on offense in OT
Defense was pretty damn good.
This loss is on Borges and on the ST
How were we outcoached? We (again) spotted the opposition 14 points with turnovers. Then, we went "by the book" in bleeding the clock at the end of the game, and it was one snap from working. He snaps that ball, PSU maybe has 10 seconds to go down the field, maybe. I look at this game, again on Gardner. STOP TURNING THE BALL OVER, and you win. Easy enough.
Well for starters they could have called timeout instead of taking a delay of game 1 play before punting from the 35 instead of a FG from 28. And then to do it twice? Poor coaching.
I love Hoke and love what he is doing here but this was on him.
This team is really not very good at all. I am disappointed in Hoke for not gambling more in O.T. The team that gambled won. I rarely say this about Michigan, but they really did not deserve to win. The defense failed when we needed a play with 37 seconds left and Penn State with no timeouts. It was a pathetic effort.
This team is really not very good at all. I am disappointed in Hoke for not gambling more in O.T. The team that gambled won. I rarely say this about Michigan, but they really did not deserve to win. The defense failed when we needed a play with 37 seconds left and Penn State with no timeouts.
coaches gave away OT #1. if it werent for recruiting i might be pretty sour on these coaches.
Sorry triple post
I really don't understand the "gamble more in OT" thing all you guys are throwing around. PSU got the ball first, didn't score, we set up the EASY FG with our top-notch kicker. Blocked. Then back and forth. Yes, the team that gambled won, but that was after they dodged repeated bullets and at that point had nothing to lose. Michigan SHOULD have won the game in regulation and twice in OT.
Fans tend to prefer gambling, I think. But I'm with you: you have a high-percentage kicker, a high-variance quarterback, and your offensive line is Schofield-Burzynski-Glasgow-Kalis-Magnuson.
We can argue back and forth, but if people can't even see the argument for playing for the FG there, I don't know what to say.
devin is good at picking up globs of yards. settling for a 41 yard attempt without any real attempt to improve field position was a stupid decision.
I've seen a lot of bad things. That might be the king of bad things.
Hoke is a hell of a recruiter and a really shitty game coach.
Fuck everything.....
no one needs to get fired.
we made some mistakes, made some hits
never agreed with those situations where it all comes down to the FG kicker. not fair.
THEY cheated like hell, got caught some of the time.
it's not going to be 6/6.
what else?
oh yeah GO BLUE!


text:
Fainting may be in our genes, which may explain why keeling over at the sight of blood tends to run in families, according to researchers in Australia.
The researchers located a specific region on chromosome 15 that is thought to be a prime suspect for "vasovagal syncope," a drop in blood pressure followed by loss of consciousness.
The study "strengthens the evidence that fainting may be commonly genetic," said neurologist Samuel Berkovic of the University of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, author of the report published this week in the journal Neurology.
Berkovic's team interviewed 44 families with a history of fainting, six of them with a significant number of relatives who faint. One family included 30 people in three generations.
What triggered the fainting? Pretty predictable stuff, such as the sight of blood, injury, a medical procedure, pain, frightening thoughts and prolonged standing.
Scientists have been debating whether fainting is genetic, environmental or both. Some suspect fainting may have an evolutionary benefit; falling over and lying still in response to blood loss increase survival chances.
Last year, Berkovic published findings of a study that showed identical twins were twice as likely to share the fainting trait than were fraternal twins. Fainting among nontwin relatives was low, suggesting that the way fainting is inherited is usually not by a single gene.
Other research suggests there may be a genetic link that makes people susceptible to blood phobias, but that substantial environmental factors come into play.
A person may have a predisposition to react strongly to trauma, such as the sight of blood, with a heart-pounding "fight or flight" reaction, then with a counter-reaction that slows down the pulse and blood so much that it causes loss of consciousness.
And there's nothing like passing out, or watching mom or dad pass out, to teach the brain to fear what brought it on. Phobics may then start reacting in anticipation of giving blood, for instance, dooming them to the same loop of tension-fear-faint. The genetic component, scientists argue, comes only in the fainting part.
So, you probably can thank mom and dad, either way.


text:
Creating fish-friendly environments
Fish such as salmon are inextricably drawn back to the place of their birth so that they too can procreate and continue the cycle. Some fish follow specific migration routes, and those that inhabit rivers and estuaries impacted by dams and power plants are at risk. Research aimed at protecting these fish is being conducted at the University of Southampton, led by Dr Paul Kemp, from the university's International Centre for Ecohydraulics Research (ICER). This European science centre is fast making a name for itself around the world as it helps engineers develop hydropower to understand fish behaviour and come up with innovative ways to keep them away from turbines and intake systems.
Dr Kemp is focusing his efforts on investigating behavioural attraction and repulsion along with other aspects of fish behaviour, including distribution and routes of migration. Some fish, such as salmon and trout, will alter their behaviour according to specific hydrodynamic cues, such as acceleration of flow. This can reduce the number of fish that may go down a dangerous abstraction point, for example into a turbine or other water supply off-take, but is negative in the case of safe fish passes that also tend to have accelerating flows.
Developing fish-friendly constructions is not a new occurrence, as Dr Kemp explains. 'Fish ladders are not new technology. There are records in 13th century England of a need to provide a space within weirs to allow salmon to reach upstream spawning grounds, which had to be wide enough to allow a well-fed pig to stand sideways without touching the sides,' says Dr Kemp. 'It's thought this "King's Gap" dates back to the days of Richard the Lionheart, but we need to be more sophisticated now to protect species from harm. What we really want to do is to tap into aspects of fish behaviour to manipulate their distribution and movement to increase the probability of deterring them from hazardous areas, such as turbine and water supply intakes, while diverting or attracting them to other preferred routes, fish passes for example,' Dr Kemp adds.
Historically, work in this area has focused on salmon; recently, however, it has broadened to include several species of fish that could be threatened by engineering work to modify rivers and control the flows of water. Research is currently under way around the world, including at China's Yangtze River, and the mighty Amazon in South America. The scientists at Southampton use the flumes at the university's science park to examine fish behaviour in response to hydrodynamics encountered at dams.
Another major area of Dr Kemp's research concerns eels, whose population has dropped by 90 per cent over the past 2 decades. The adults, which leave freshwater rivers to swim thousands of miles to the Sargasso Sea in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean to spawn and die, are replaced by their tiny young, known as elvers, which make the arduous trip back to populate European rivers. Due to the collapse in eel stocks, this species is now protected by EU legislation and the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
However, both adult eels and elvers are still at risk of being sucked into water-cooling systems at power stations or being chopped up by hydropower turbines. Much work remains to be done in protecting the eels; researchers at Southampton are investigating whether changing the lighting or acoustics near inlet pipes could encourage the fish to keep away.
Dr Kemp adds: 'Eels are slightly different and less sensitive to hydrodynamic cues than some other species of fish, and alternative approaches are needed for them. We are looking at the combined effects of different types of cues — hydrodynamics, acoustics and lights, for example, to increase the probability of inducing a desired response.'
See also


text:
During the weekend of Aug. 5 and 6, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Enforcement Division agents made three arrests for alleged operation of a motorized vessel while intoxicated. The arrests were made while utilizing the division's Remote Testing Unit on the Ouachita River in Ouachita Parish. In addition to the DWI arrests, six subjects were cited for littering violations.
Thaddeus J. Ryan III, 40, of Monroe was arrested for alleged operating a vessel while intoxicated. Ryan was also cited for improper running lights. Theron A. Philips, 32, of Monroe, was arrested for operating a vessel while intoxicated with a child 12 years or younger in the vessel. Philips was also cited for littering. Robert L. Grady, 45, of Columbia, was also arrested for operating a vessel while intoxicated with a child 12 years or younger in vessel. In addition, Grady was cited for careless operation. They were booked into the Ouachita Parish Jail.
Roy E. Maxey, 36, of Umpire, Arkansas; Shon G. Berry, 35, of West Monroe; Tommy L. Auston, 19, of West Monroe; Jason C. Lyle, 29, of Shreveport; Ryan M. Higgins, 21, of Monroe; and Timothy J. Williamson, 22, of West Monroe were all cited for intentional littering offenses.
Penalties for operating a boat while intoxicated are identical to those for operation of a vehicle while intoxicate on the highway. If convicted of the offenses, the DWI violators may receive a maximum fine of $1,000, or jail up to six months, or both for first offenses. The penalties for intentional littering are fines up to $250 and eight hours of community service. Careless operation of a boat is punishable by fines up to $300 and 30 days in jail, or both. The penalties do not include additional court costs. The penalty for running light violations is a fine of $50 or 15 days in jail or both.
Agents participating in the cases were Lt. Mike Rockett, Lt. Rick Owens, Sgts. Jamie Hagan, Darren Bruce, Jimmy Vining, and Sr. Agents Wayne Parker, Mike Jeter, John Volentine, Stan House, Josh Estis and Scott Jeansonne.
For more information, contact Lt. Col. Keith LaCaze at firstname.lastname@example.com [3] or 225-765-2988.


text:
Browse by Medical Category
The Andrew L. Warshaw, MD, Institute for Pancreatic Cancer Research
Friday, May 8, 2009
Dr. David Fisher
Approximately 100 people attended the Friends of the MGH Cancer Center's annual fundraising forum April 22 in the Bulfinch Tents. This year's event featured MGH skin cancer experts David Fisher, MD, PhD, chief of the Department of Dermatology and director of the Center for Melanoma, and Jennifer Wargo, MD, of the Department of Surgery.
Ginny Durfee, president of the Friends, opened the discussion by thanking attendees for their continued support and reiterating the group's mission. "Many times, people are confused about the mission of the Friends of the MGH Cancer Center," she said. "We do not fund bricks and mortar or salaries; rather, we support programs and services that provide comfort, support and care to patients and their families."
The Friends help fund a wide variety of services at the MGH Cancer Center, including the HOPES program – which offers yoga, massage, acupuncture, music and art therapy, educational seminars and workshops to patients – and the Maxwell V. Blum Cancer Resource Room, which provides a comfortable environment for patients and families seeking cancer-related information.
In his lecture, Fisher also thanked the group for their work. "As physicians, we can only provide some of the care cancer patients need. A huge part of care is the kind of support that you are providing – support that improves patients' quality of life."
Both Fisher and Wargo presented lectures on the prevention and treatment of skin cancer, describing how it develops and its dramatically increasing rate of occurrence. Wargo's talk gave special attention to new immunotherapy techniques that are proving to be highly effective in treating skin cancer.
Back to Top


text:
If you want to know what exactly a program is doing, e.g. to find out why it's using 50% cpu right now, you can use the strace command:
strace -r -fF -T -p `pidof someprogram`
As always, you can find out more about the usage with man strace. It often does not respond to Ctrl-C in my experience, which is why I often kill it. killall -QUIT strace
And it also often forgets to restart the program it traced, so try a killall -CONT someprogram.


text: So eventually, I'm getting a car. SUVs ain't cutting now. Maybe later when I'm making more. So with cars, whats realistic with total power (bass and mid/highs), amount of woofers, batteries, DBs and all that good stuff? I drive an Explorer now and if I wanted loud and drivable, I could do a C-pillar wall. I'm curious about staying in the trunk and what can be done in general. I'm feeling like making a car skull cracking loud and drivable ain't possible


text:
WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the college lacrosse season is just getting under way across the country, The Tewaaraton Award is pleased to announce the 2012 Men's and Women's Watch Lists. The lists include the top players across all three divisions of collegiate lacrosse and highlight the early contenders for the 2012 Tewaaraton Award.
This year's list has 64 schools represented, which is a record high. "We are particularly excited with the number of schools represented in this year's Watch List, which is a strong indication of the growth of the sport and the excitement that the Award creates throughout the lacrosse world" said Jeff Harvey, Chairman of the Tewaaraton Award.
The Selection Committees are made up of top collegiate coaches and are appointed each year by the Tewaaraton Award. "Our selection committees have a passion for this Award and these Watch List players should know that this is a distinction that only the best coaches could provide," said Sarah Aschenbach, Executive Director of the Tewaaraton Award.
The Selection Committees will make additions to these lists as the season progresses and athletes earn a spot along side these elite players. In late April, both lists will be narrowed to 25 and these men and women will earn the distinction of Tewaaarton Nominees. In mid-May, the 5 Finalists in each category will be announced. These finalists will be invited to the Tewaaraton Award Ceremony, which will take place on May 31st, at the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC.
For information on the Award and to purchase tickets to the event, go to www.tewaaraton.com.
About The Tewaaraton Award
The Tewaaraton Award was formally established in August of 2000 with the inaugural presentation taking place at The University Club of Washington DC in June of 2001. The Tewaaraton Trophy symbolizes lacrosse's centuries-old roots in Native American heritage. Tradition dictates that each year the Tewaaraton Award celebrates one of the six tribal nations of the Iroquois Confederacy: the Mohawk, Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, and the Tuscarora. To honor the heritage of the sport, the Award presents two annual scholarships to students of American Indian decent. The Tewaaraton Award is recognized as the pre-eminent lacrosse award honoring the nation's top male and female collegiate lacrosse players and is endorsed by the Mohawk Nation Council of Elders and US Lacrosse.
About The University Club of the City of Washington, DC
Established in 1904 during the tenure of William Howard Taft, the Club's first President and later the President of the United States, the membership is a diverse mix of professional, business and government leaders. The Club's mission is to provide members and their families: congenial social gatherings, good fellowship, excellent dining, guest rooms, athletics, a rich variety of cultural, international and educational programs activities, and other services to enhance health, wellness, intellectual growth and fitness within the Club's superbly maintained and expanded historic Clubhouse.
Men's 2012 Watch List
Sean Aaron, Goalie – Union College
Brent Adams, Midfield – Fairfield University
Andrew Barton, Midfield – Providence College
Pierce Bassett, Goalie – Johns Hopkins University
Peter Baum, Midfield – Colgate University
Carter Bender, Attack – University of Hartford
Anthony Biscardi, Midfield – University of Massachusetts
Ian Braddish, Midfield – Hofstra University
Sam Bradman, Midfield – Salisbury University
Colin Briggs, Midfield – University of Virginia
Fergus Campbell, Goalie – Dartmouth College
Charlie Cipriano, Goalie – Fairfield University
Travis Comeau, Attack – Georgetown University
CJ Costabile, Long Stick Midfield – Duke University
Kevin Cunningham, Attack – Villanova University
Bobby Dattilo, Midfield/Face Off – Hobart College
Nikk Davis, Midfield – United States Naval Academy
Tim Desko, Attack – Syracuse University
Daniel DiMaria, Defense/LSM – Harvard University
Billy Eisenreich, Attack – Bucknell University
Dante Fantoni, Attack – Lehigh University
Kyle Feeney, Goalie – Bucknell University
Tyler Fiorito, Goalie – Princeton University
Nick Galasso, Attack – University of North Carolina
Matt Gibson, Attack – Yale University
Rob Grimm, Attack – University of Maryland Baltimore County
Tim Henderson, Defense – United States Military Academy
Curtis Holmes, Midfield – University of Maryland
Shayne Jackson, Attack – Limestone College
Sam Jones, Attack – United States Naval Academy
Grant Kaleikau, Attack – University of Delaware
Austin Kaut, Goalie – Penn State University
Jeff Keating, Attack – Roanoke College
Micah Keller, Attack – Hampden-Sydney College
John Kemp, Goalie – University of Notre Dame
Roy Lang, Midfield – Cornell University
Chris LaPierre, Midfield – University of Virginia
Joe Lisicky, Defense – Lynchburg College
Jeffrey Lowman, Goalie – St. John's University
Matt Mackrides, Attack – Penn State University
Greg Mahony, Midfield – Yale University
Mark Manos, Goalie – Drexel University
JoJo Marasco, Midfield/Attack – Syracuse University
Kiel Matisz, Midfield – Robert Morris University
Mark Matthews, Attack – University of Denver
Joel Matthews, Attack – University of Detroit Mercy
Jack McBride, Attack/Midfield – University of North Carolina
Kevin McCormick, Midfield – Tufts University
Brian Megill, Defense – Syracuse University
Bryan Neufeld, Attack – Siena College
Chris Nourse, Defense – Georgetown University
Robert Pannell, Attack – Cornell University
Mason Poli, Defense – Bryant University
John Ranagan, Midfield – Johns Hopkins University
Joe Resetarits, Attack – University at Albany
Connor Rice, Attack – Marist College
Jack Rice, Attack – Villanova University
Stephen Robarge, Midfield/Face Off – Virginia Military Institute
Dan Savage, Midfield – University of Pennsylvania
Michael Sawyer, Attack – Loyola University
Rob Schlesinger, Midfield – Brown University
Tom Schreiber, Midfield – Princeton University
Logan Schuss, Attack – Ohio State University
Steve Serling, Midfield – Hofstra University
Ryan Snyder, Face Off – Lehigh University
Steele Stanwick, Attack – University of Virginia
Garrett Thul, Attack – United States Military Academy
Jeff Tundo, Attack – Stony Brook University
Justin Turri, Midfield – Duke University
Kevin Vaughan, Midfield – Harvard University
Joe Vitale, Midfield – Adelphi University
Ben Waldron, Long Stick Midfield – Binghamton University
Chad Wiedmaier, Defense – Princeton University


text:
Gibb named USA's top man on the beach
Gibb, 36, and partner Sean Rosenthal finished the 2012 season as the World Tour points leaders, 100 points ahead of second-place Alison Cerruti and Emanuel Rego. They also qualified for their second straight Olympic Games, where they finished fifth.
"I am very honoured and very excited about the award," Gibb said. "Absolutely this has been my best year ever. It's crazy that I'm 36 years old and just had my best year."
Gibb was especially proud of having his best year in 2012 after having one of his worst in 2011 when he and Rosenthal managed just one silver medal and one bronze in 14 international competitions. That season came after Gibb was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2010. The cancer was removed via surgery and no further treatment was necessary, allowing him to continue training and competing.
"The impressive thing was just getting through that year (2011)," said Gibb. "In 2012, I regrouped and that is a testament to good coaching and support."
Download highresolution
| More


text:
brady hoke
Summer 2015 Survey Results
We had a survey, 3,556 people responded to it. We learned some things about them:
1. They only get to a few games
The average was two a year but the split is more like 26% go to no games, 36% get to one, and 38% get to more than one.
2. Most don't have season tickets
Four in five (79%) responders don't. Also, when these were run against the previous question season, ticket holders averaged 5.05 games a year, while non-season ticket holders went to 1.11 per year. Season ticket holders were then asked if they would have renewed if Michigan had kept Hoke. Most (68 percent) would but even 32 percent "no" is ominous:
3. There's a clear preference for ADs
|1 (bad)
|2 (poor)
|3 (meh)
|4 (okay)
|5 (good)
|[no response]
On overwhelming majority (almost 90%) of respondents gave Brandon a 1 or a 2. Conversely, Hackett cleaned up; among Michigan fans just 17 people who are impossible to please out of 3400 is some kind of magic. Brian demanded I combine these in a bar graph.
Ace: "That is beautiful."
Brian: "See? Bar graphs!"
4. Harbaugh?
Harbaugh has some catching up to do on his boss, at a still really positive approval rating of 4.27 out of 5. Then again Hackett has already reeled in a 5-star while I guess Harbaugh has yet to do so.
5. As for his predecessor
6. They'll pay more for better opponents, but not too much.
What they have now is about what the market wants to bear.
7. What they want to wear
Either the readership didn't understand that Underground Printing is our t-shirt guys and this would essentially mean MGoBlog gets to design all the uniforms, or they understood too well. Anyway UGP barely beat Under Armour, probably because they're the only company other than Nike that spells their name right.
8. Who they'd like to play
You're going to have to click this one I think:
Notre Dame is the obvious one, and the next-most popular was Harbaugh taking a shot at his old team. Stanford makes a lot of sense in fan type, location worth visiting, old history, and a team we haven't seen much of. LSU would be great too though it probably will be less fun (and less easy) once Les and Cam are out of there. The Pac and SEC were easily the most desirable conferences. A breakdown:
|Pac 12
|ACC (no ND)
|Notre Dame
|Big XII
The games already scheduled weren't included, otherwise I'm sure the interest in Texas and Oklahoma would shoot the Big XII back up to at least ACC levels, while Washington and Colorado could put the Pac 12 on equal footing with the SEC.
If You Pretend You Are A Statue Do Not Be Surprised When You Erode
Oblig coach obit. Don't get on my case, man.
I mean, he gave Penn State a free shot at the endzone by taking a timeout with three seconds left in the first half.
What do you do with that? How do you put that into your ongoing calculations? Add that datum to the rickety mess that is your ever-shifting, often-hypocritical, prone-to-explode model of your favorite thing in the world, and what happens? I don't know. The brain elects not to travel down that path. The future ceases to exist, replaced by only the ever more nonsensical present. All series diverge. Projection is impossible.
Let's jam that thing in anyway.
Not an improvement, but not any worse either. At that point such a thing was almost expected, after the previous year's offensive line roulette and 27 for 27 and two minute drills that usually took five minutes. Time for some maniacal giggling, then.
On the bright side, even three-and-a-half years deep into a coaching tenure that resembled nothing so much as Wile E. Coyote sauntering off a cliff Brady Hoke still had ways to surprise you.
via Seth
Brady Hoke should never have been Michigan's football coach. This was apparent from the start, as at the time of his hire he had two assets: the fool's gold of an undefeated MAC regular season and a reasonable, if truncated, turnaround job at San Diego State. Aside from that he had five seasons of average MAC ball and zero years as a coordinator. Even the breakout year at Ball State ended with consecutive blowout losses to Buffalo and Tulsa.
When you stake your program to a resume like that you're as likely as not to come out the other end with Tim Beckman or Tim Brewster or Darrell Hazell. An infinite number of nondescript gentleman have had the ball bounce the right way during the furball that is a season in the Mid-American. Some of them populate the lower rungs of the Big Ten when Purdue can't think of anything better.
And then there's Bo.
Bo was on another level, having gone 27-8-1 in league play in six years with Miami. Even he was widely derided. Here is that picture again.
In the center is a man who has made a Decision. It's no exaggeration to say that Michigan's best and… most recent athletic directors staked their careers on whether they could separate coaching talent from noise.
All these years later, you get why Canham rolled the dice on Bo. Bo was a legendary hardass who took nothing from anyone and comfortably existed atop the roiling mass of chaos that is any football program, successful or not. He chewed out players on the sidelines, sent them back in the game, and cracked impish smiles at the reaming he'd just handed to the young man. He has a gravitas that stays with the program—veritably looms—a decade after his death. Bo had the proverbial It, and you can understand how he communicated that to Canham in whatever passed for a job interview between them.
That understanding will permanently elude historians attempting to discern what comparable force of personality Brady Hoke brought to a press conference in the Junge Center in January 2011.
There was a moment, though. Now it's hard to remember that Brady Hoke had two years in which it seemed he was indeed gold that does not glitter. Hoke gruffly intoned "This Is Michigan, fergodsakes" in response to a question nobody remembers. He wore short sleeves in weather ranging from torrid to frozen. His matter-of-fact declarations and tough toughness were his tentpoles. We hung a great edifice of hope on it; Hoke going to and winning a BCS game in year one provided buttresses and filigree and whatnot to the structure.
At a few years remove it's clear that Hoke stumbled ass-backwards into that success. Few 11-2 seasons have been jankier than Michigan's 2011. The Notre Dame game that kicked things off was a deranged exercise in winning against double coverage; Michigan threw 41 times for 2.8 YPA against Michigan State; they had 166 yards of offense before chuck-and-pray time against Iowa; they were one overthrown Braxton Miller pass away from losing to a .500 OSU team; they won that bowl game with 184 yards of total offense.
The signs were all there, even in the moment ("lucky as hell," quoth this space in the aftermath of the Denard After Dentist game). I alternated between excitement at the idea of a head coach who had an innate aggressiveness on fourth down and wondering why the hell they thought Denard Robinson could be Tom Brady.
But the games were won, and the recruits rolled in. Hoke seemed to stroll through a garden of four-stars gathering what he would. For a year or two, everything seemed just fine. In 2013, Michigan beat Notre Dame rather easily. Michigan fans were walking on air. Then someone looked down.
Rarely in the history of college football has a fanbase been jerked so rudely to attention as already beleaguered Michigan fans were in 2013. The relatively straight line that was the Hoke era turned into a harrowing plunge straight into the bowels of second-and-eleven-play-action hell. Save for an inexplicable Ohio State game, Michigan became the most brutally unwatchable team in the country the instant they left the field against Notre Dame.
Hoke was the same person through the good bits and the bad. He was gruffly nonsensical to start and gruffly nonsensical to end. As success turned to failure, the things we liked about him became the things we hated about him. Remember when this was hilarious?
via Ace
That joke isn't funny anymore.
Despite the fact that people will still swear up and down that Brady Hoke is a great dude, I have less charity in my heart for him than I did Rich Rodriguez when it came to write his obit. A slice from that piece:
Coaches aren't humans. They are walking soundbites wrapped in great swirling cloaks of mythology. Rap on one of their chests. You will get a hollow clang and a statement about senior leadership. Kick sand in one of their faces. You will get a lecture from Peter the Great. Peter the Great will be confused and incensed that he cannot sentence you to hang. Tell one his aunt has been dismembered by bikers on PCP and you will get a statement about senior leadership. Seniors don't do PCP and rip aunts limb from limb, because they have leadership.
Rodriguez was human. He was just this guy. He wasn't supernatural or metallic. If you rapped his chest he would probably get a little weepy. He did not seem like a great leader of men, or a colossus astride anything, or even a dude fully in control of his shit.
Hoke was that coachbot even in impossible circumstances. By the end so many indignities had piled up that I was waiting for him to snap.
It never came. He endured the brutally painful press conference following last year's Minnesota game as a coachbot. He released a statement apologizing to Michigan State for Joe Bolden putting a small piece of metal in their field. At no point did he bite the head off a reporter, or say that his boss had sold him down the river, or do anything at all other than repeat the same goddamn things he'd been repeating for two straight years.
I liked Rodriguez because he seemed like a person who reacted to stimuli. He reacted too much, but at least you could see that he was processing information and coming to conclusions about what it meant.
Hoke did not do this. Whether Hoke was stoic or insensate is in the eye of the beholder; given the chaos around the program my vote is the latter. He seemed to shut down in terror when his dream job turned to a nightmare.
As the competence of his team deteriorated, Hoke shuffled his coaching staff nonsensically instead of making real changes. He stuck with his terrible punt formation and a style of offense unsuited for his quarterbacks. Even after it was clear his disastrous program could not be allowed to continue—the financial ruin it would cause must have been apparent to even Michigan's most recent athletic director—nothing changed. If Hoke thought he had a chance, well, he also called timeout to give Penn State a free Hail Mary.
At least Nero fiddled. Brady Hoke stood there in the rain without so much as shaking a fist at the heavens.
Unverified Voracity Files Mouse Tort
- basketball scheduling
- brady hoke
- brady hoke is like whatever man do your thing
- cord cutting is coming
- jehu chesson
- jim harbaugh
- jim harbaugh is the most interesting man in the world
- ncaa: the lawsuits
- nike
- rutgers
- tim beckman's terrible horrible no good very bad habit
- tyrone wheatley
- unverified voracity
- 1993
Well, of course. Mr. Harbaugh goes to Washington.
A software engineer named Nick Harris was visiting Washington, D.C. one morning in April when a stranger outside the Supreme Court asked him for directions to the White House. It was only a brief interaction, and yet Harris remembers it well.
"It was very odd," he said. "Like, why am I running into Jim Harbaugh at the Supreme Court?"
Harbaugh met with five justices, coaching them on the finer points of fair use law.
Also of course. Mr. Harbaugh finds a friend.
Per his wife, Sarah, Jim Harbaugh recently caught a mouse ... while dining at a restaurant.
— Brendan F. Quinn (@BFQuinn) July 31, 2015
That mouse is now the Seahawks' starting tight end.
The worst possible take. This guy covers Rutgers for a living so he knows real when he sees it. I mean, I guess?
It was a good show. But let's be clear: It was every bit a show. Harbaugh turned on the happy personality for the cameras, and he was so effective that it almost made you forget about the other Harbaugh. The one that Colin Cowherd had to hang up on during a radio interview. The one whose personality contributed to an implosion with the San Francisco 49ers.
The one a former player said might be "clinically insane."
That Harbaugh. Which Harbaugh is the real Harbaugh? I have no idea. I only know the guy, much like Flood, from what I've seen from afar.
But I do know this: The Kyle Flood who was talking with the Big Ten Network cameras rolling on Friday? He is the same Kyle Flood was was standing in the hallway a few minutes talking to me, and will be the same Kyle Flood if you run into him this weekend around Piscataway.
This, you should know, is by design. … putting on a show when the cameras are rolling? That's not Flood. He'll let the shiny new guy have the spotlight.
Observing Jim Harbaugh for a period longer than 20 seconds and coming away with the conclusion that any part of his personality is under control is… well, it's an opinion. It's an opinion like Kyle Flood's home state recruiting…
Rutgers is involved with just one of the uncommitted players
…but is definitely a thing someone thinks.
Dubstep ahoy. We have discussed it. We are still not sure if this is a joke.
We're leaning yes. But this is the place that hired Beck Man, so we can't be sure.
Not bad dot gif. Here is a small chart about dollars.
Louisville has really done a job making themselves a thing, I tell ya.
Note that USC and OSU aren't on these lists because they have differently styled deals in which they're given a floor and then get a royalty rate above that. OSU's 2012 deal is for a minimum of 9.7 million a year.
Nice guys. Man, there were a lot of quotes from Big Ten Media Days that set your teeth on edge about the state of the program under the previous administration. You don't want to read too much into them because every transition comes with talk about how now it's serious. But the results on the field are looking for an explanation, and some of it is in here:
"The practices in the spring were four hours," Ross said. "I remember a time where if practice ran a little longer than expected that we'd start sulking and complaining. Now, it's four hours and we're accustomed to it. We can work hard for as however long as needed, not "try to get it over" work. The seniors got everyone on path. In order to be successful we have to change what we've done in the past."
Previously, Michigan split their practice time between the field and film work and the like. Since stretchgate we're all experts on what a countable hour is, and a lot of that film stuff can be moved to non-countable if it's not with a coach. It's likely that Michigan was wasting countable hours under Hoke. That is not likely to be the case under Harbaugh.
In fact, he's encouraged everyone on the team to get jobs. Chesson:
"In my perspective and how I was raised, you have a certain responsibility to yourself to commit and to be a positive role model. What better way than to get a job and see how it feels to practice, go to school and then go cut fields and cut grass, come back and sleep and do it all the next day?" …
"I don't know a guy who doesn't have a job. When you're working, you're earning a wage. So many people in society don't have that opportunity. For us to do that is awesome."
People often compare college footballing to a full-time job that you have to go to college on top of; Harbaugh's like "and also you should have a part-time job."
Also with continued bizarre anti-mayonnaise stance. Andy Staples has a column on cord-cutting and the Big Ten's upcoming rights negotiations. He's referencing Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scot's contention that the Big Ten might get the short end now that ESPN is tightening its belt:
Scott is correct that rights fees won't go up forever, but the Big Ten deal could be the last hurrah before networks get more cost-conscious because of cord-cutters. The Big Ten is going to get a massive deal because ESPN and Big Ten Network partner FOX need those rights to compete in the new marketplace. With deals for all of the other Power Five leagues, the NFL, NBA and MLB all locked down until at least 2020, the Big Ten's deal next year is the biggest thing left. It might be the last one of these deals signed for a primarily bundled marketplace.
Which is all well and good for Jim Delany, who will flit off into retirement before that contract comes close to ending. Those of us still around in an unbundled world are going to be looking at a ridiculous 14-team conference that was foisted upon us in the pursuit of short term dollars.
Also, Staples continues slamming mayonnaise even in the context of a BLT. Apparently he hates tomatoes, too. Poor bastard.
This again. Michigan's basketball nonconference schedule:
That is Xavier and garbage at home. All six non-Xavier D-I opponents were 200+ in Kenpom last year. Football has seemed to figure out that giving people reasonable opponents is something that helps preserve the covenant between fans and the program. Hockey (which announced a schedule like this one minus Xavier) and basketball have not figured this out.
These are slightly different problems. Hockey needs any legitimate opponents to spark interest and help their strength of schedule in the dire Big Ten. Basketball has a respectable schedule, but they fill out the holes with the absolute dregs of D-I. This is bad for both fans and the team. The NCAA uses nonconference schedule strength as a metric, and they calculate it crappily, so taking on the truly awful teams hurts you disproportionately.
There are going to be a couple of duds every year—that game just before Christmas is always going to be against a team starting a 6'2" center—but upgrading some of those opponents from the Delaware State level to the Bradley level is preferable to the current situation.
This year is Breaston year. Next year is Denard year. Part of the NCAA's increasingly desperate attempt to keep the status quo:
The Nebraska athletic department is joining lots of other schools in limiting the numbers on the jerseys fans can buy. For this year, only No. 1 and No. 15 — as in 2015 — will be sold at the Huskers Authentic team store. Next year, it'll be 1 and 16.
Licensees selling jerseys are limited to the same numbers, and nobody gets a grandfather clause.
And the change isn't just for football, but for all sports that have jersey replicas for sale.
Michigan has not announced a similar restriction but they're probably thinking about it. So instead of fans buying the things they want and the players getting a portion of that, nothing for anyone.
Take it from Tyrone. PSA, 1993.
Via Dr. Sap.
Etc.: This week in Steve Patterson: ShaggyBevo has to change its name due to legal sabre-rattling. In lieu of actually writing a Gold Cup react I'll just endorse this one. The Broken Bits Of Chair trophy lives. Media day interview from the official site. The turkey is a prisoner. For now. Brady and his phone. ESPN asked Ian Darke to call college football. He said no because he knows his limitations, but I kind of want to see what that's like.
Mike Riley and Jim Harbaugh go back.
Unverified Voracity Retires Books
[Bryan Fuller]
Let's get ready to softball. Michigan's part in the Women's College World Series kicks off tonight at 7, as they take on six-seed Alabama. Michigan swept Alabama 8-2 and 4-1 earlier this year, but that was before the Tide turned to freshman Alexis Osorio to do most of their pitching. The game is on ESPN2.
Meanwhile in Louisville. Baseball takes on Bradley tomorrow in the UL regional. Michael Baumann has an excellent and concise preview at D1Baseball. On Michigan's first-round opponent:
Bradley has become the poster child for the RPI robbing traditional power conferences of spots in the tournament, as the Braves' No. 19 RPI — which peaked at 10 — never quite felt right. Going 10-11 in the MVC — which is a good conference, but not that good — is a bad look, and along with an 11-12 record against the RPI top 100, always gave off the impression that the Braves were a paper tiger.
Bradley will need a win out of No. 1 starter Elliot Ashbeck (11-4, 3.11) in the opener against Michigan, and from there, they can try to cobble together something that gets them from the start of the game to closer Matt Dennis (3-0, 1.59, 12 saves) until it's time to start Ashbeck again.
That sounds as enticing as possible for a 2-vs-3 matchup in which you are the lower seed.
Should Michigan get past the Braves, Louisville (presumably) presents a formidable challenge in the next round. Michigan figures to draw a pitching matchup featuring a projected first-round pick against their #2 starter, who is… not going to be a first round pick.
MLive also has a Bradley preview.
Today in things we are glad no longer warrant a post. Remember the books and the birds?
Those were deployed in annual posts poring over the worrisome state of Michigan's APR after the Carr-Rodriguez transition year saw a huge crater that threatened to drag Michigan under the red line for penalties. Those posts have officially been retired.
Michigan football recorded a perfect single-year APR score (1,000) in 2013-14 for the first time since the NCAA began monitoring the metric in 2004-05. The program's four-year rolling APR average now sits at 990, third in the Big Ten. The NCAA released the updated figures Wednesday.
Well done, Hoke and academic staff.
Meanwhile I'm growing more and more skeptical of the validity of the APR. As a number of commenters pointed out in the post on freshman ineligibility, any metric that gives Crean-era Indiana basketball a perfect score is not particularly rigorous. But it's better to be at the top of a not particularly rigorous metric than towards the bottom.
Summer camp, 1992. I wish I could bottle old Michigan replay music and have it follow me around, en-jivening my day to day.
It's about that time. Michigan basketball refrains from offering recruits until June 1st of their junior year. June first is just a few days away… and nobody seems to know who is on the list. Or if there is even a list.
Michigan has just two certain spots in the class of 2017—those from the departures of Derrick Walton and Zak Irvin. They are aiming for a point guard in 2016. Assuming they get one that would fill their scholarship slots and push center commit Austin Davis to 2017 minus any attrition. That means they'd have one slot at most with almost no idea where they should use it.
For the first time in a while it seems like June 1st will pass without a solid definition of Michigan's top targets in a recruiting class. It is possible some offers will go out, and more possible still that Michigan finds some gentlemen at their annual summer camp, which is scheduled for June 6th. Here is a 2017 top 100 guy planning to attend from a long way way:
Having already landed its biggest 2016 recruit, Tyus Battle, Michigan is now setting up its wish list for 2017.
One name currently included is Greg Floyd Jr., a 6-foot-8 forward from Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, the Las Vegas Knicks, Floyd's AAU team, announced via Twitter that Floyd will visit Ann Arbor for Michigan's College Practice Camp on June 6.
Michigan may also offer NY combo guard Kevin Heurter, who is currently scheduled to be a member of the class of 2016 but has a 2017 offer from Syracuse and is very young for his class.
It's a kind of legacy. The SEC has added neutral observers to the press box to determine whether or not a player cannot continue because he has been hit very hard in the head. Get The Picture dubs this the…
The Brady Hoke Rule
Woof. On the other hand, APR?
I wonder how Dantonio will get mad about this. This is clearly not trolling. It is the opposite of trolling.
"We know we're not the biggest guy on the block (right now)," Harbaugh said, per a live video stream recorded by The Wolverine. "Michigan State's the biggest guy on the block."
Harbaugh's comment was then met with a clap from someone in the back of the room. He acknowledged that clap, and followed it up by heaping praise on what Mark Dantonio and the Spartans have accomplished.
It is directed at Michigan State and Mark Dantonio, the man who's super power is generating offense from anything and everything. It is master trolling.
I heard you like team in your team in your team. There is a Michigan hype video narrated by the wonderfully scratchy Xzibit. Unfortunately it is not embeddable, which rather defeats the purpose of putting it on youtube. But at least it's on youtube instead of Michigan's terrible proprietary player?
(Woof on the writing, though. Lou Avery's generic organizational slogans of the week. You probably paid someone to do that. I will do this for free, Michigan. It is already my job.)
More like Steve Albrecht. Someone asked Steve Nash about Spike and comparisons made between the two during a reddit AMA:
"He's a good young player — flattered."
That's dang right.
Etc.: Journalism! Science! Maybe he just likes peeing in condoms. Hooray money, I guess. SEC complaining is the sweetest complaining. Matt Hinton is relevant to your interests: how to build an offensive line. Jabrill Peppers probably not staying five years. Quinn on Battle. Quinn on… Battle.
Behind the Sticks: Advanced Stats and Brady Hoke's Offense
[Adam Glanzman]
"Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's the Dude, in Los Angeles… But sometimes there's a man, sometimes, there's a man. Aw. I lost my train of thought here. But... aw, hell. I've done introduced him enough." –The Stranger, The Big Lebowski
In mid-2010 I got hired by a bank to be a
Customer Service Representative teller. This put me on the front lines of the never-ending war between people's money and the financial organizations that hold it. I learned very quickly that there were two things that could turn a mild-mannered citizen into a venom-spewing troglodyte: bank fees and Rich Rodriguez.
I loved when people came into the bank wearing college gear because it meant I'd be able to easily strike up a conversation about football, and people are a little less likely to verbally assault you when you're able to find some common ground. The operative word in that last sentence is "little," but I digress. By the fall of 2010 people were so fixated on the abject disaster that was Michigan's defense that they willfully ignored how incredible the offense was. This was the fuel they needed to turn the "RichRod isn't a 'Michigan Man'" fire into a raging inferno, and it got so out of control that I talked to people who were even criticizing Rodriguez's wife for not being Michigan-y or Michigan-ish or something crazy like that. At one point someone complained to me about her having blonde hair.
The Microscope of Public Scrutiny was so zoomed in on Rodriguez and everything surrounding him that Dave Brandon was able to make the Free Press look stupid and then lie in wait. At some point in 2010 Brandon's opinion aligned with the bank's clients; to them, the Rodriguez experiment had failed. Enter: Brady Hoke.
Hoke represented everything that the anti-Rodriguez movement wanted: familiarity with the program, a defensive background, and the mixture of self-oriented humility manifest in his claim that he'd walk across the country for the job and the program-oriented bravado in the interminable fergodsakes claim.
The honeymoon phase lasted a full season, but by the end of Hoke's fourth year the program was in a place similar to where he found it, a place all too familiar to Michigan's fanbase. One side of the ball was above average, but the other side was in such shambles that the team collapsed under the dead weight.
"Once we get the power play down, then we'll go to the next phase. You know, because we're gonna run the power play."
Brady Hoke, 3/23/2011
The transition from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke was like switching from cold brewed coffee to run-of-the-mill drip coffee; a move away from the newer, higher-octane movement and toward what felt more traditional, the tried and true. The fallout from this was immediately apparent in the speculation that one of the most dynamic players to every don the winged helmet might transfer to a school with an offense better suited to his talents (i.e. a school that wouldn't put him under center and have him hand the ball off).
In what may be one of the most significant events in program history (more on that later), Denard stayed. Al Borges still tried to put Denard under center and Michigan did rep power, but there were enough zone reads incorporated to allow Denard to continue waking up opposing defensive coordinators in cold sweats. You know all of this. You watched it unfold. That also means you watched crimes perpetrated against manpanda and an offense hell-bent on skinning its forehead running against a brick wall before finally, mercifully, abandoning their MANBALL-big-boy-football-noises ideals and exploding out of the shotgun.
This piece is intended to be the counterpoint to the memory's emphasis on the spectacular. The intent isn't to accuse, but to take a more calculated look at what exactly happened to Michigan's offense over the last four years and see where things went well, as well as where and how things stopped functioning.
[After THE JUMP: charts and tables]
Q&A: John U. Bacon On His New Book, Endzone
Pre-order at Amazon or Barnes & Noble (or both!)
Mark the date: September 1, 2015. Two days before the Harbaugh era officially kicks off, John U. Bacon's latest book—Endzone: The Rise, Fall, and Return of Michigan Football—hits the shelves, and it's available for pre-order today on Amazon. In anticipation of the release, Brian asked Bacon a few questions about the book, and his answers should pique the interest of those reading this fine site.
BRIAN: So you have a new book coming out. What is it about? Is it about anything that may be of interest to the readership of say, this blog?
JOHN U. BACON: Funny you should ask. We think it might well be of interest to Michigan fans in general, and MGoBlog readers in particular, because they seem to care a lot about Michigan football, and this book happens to be about Michigan football. In fact, MGoBlog's vaunted leader – you – will make more than a few appearances therein, plus Ace, and even a few of your readers.
More specifically, this is why I think the readership of MGoBlog might be interested in Endzone, from the first draft of the jacket copy:
Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football tells the story of how college football's most successful, richest and respected program almost lost all three in less than a decade – and entirely of its own doing. It is a story of hubris, greed, and betrayal – a tale more suited to Wall Street than the world's top public university.
Endzone takes you inside the offices, the board rooms and the locker rooms to see what happened, and why – with countless eye-opening, head-shaking scenes of conflict and conquest.
But Endzone is also an inspiring story of redemption and revival. When those who love Michigan football the most recognized it was being attacked from within, they rallied to reclaim the values that have made it great for over a century -- values that go deeper than dollars. The list of heroes includes players, students, lettermen, fans and faculty – and the leaders who had the courage to listen to them.
Their unprecedented uprising produced a new athletic director, and a new coach – the hottest in the land – who vindicated the fans' faith when he turned down more money and fame to return to the place he loved most: Michigan.
If you love a good story, you'll want to dive into Endzone: The Rise, Fall and Return of Michigan Football.
So, there it is. And that's why I think your readers might be interested.
So is this a follow-up to your previous books? In what way?
Short answer: Yes, it picks up where Fourth and Long left off.
Long answer: it gives the reader a deeper understanding of how Michigan football got to where it is today – the bad and the good. Also, Endzone focuses more on the leadership of the athletic department and the university itself than on the team, though we have plenty of interesting stuff from former players, too.
Because this book focuses entirely on Michigan – unlike Fourth and Long – I have the space to write a better biography of Dave Brandon, to shed more light on how the University administration works with athletics, and to include the eye-witness accounts of the decision-making the past four years, including the hiring of Harbaugh – which is an amazing story in itself.
You were of course embedded in the locker room for the first book. For the second you were exiled to St. Helena, with nobody in the AD willing to give you any quotes. How difficult has it been to get inside the department this time around?
I love this blog – and UM fans generally – because when you reference St. Helena, you don't have to explain it, and your readers don't have to look it up. That, to me, is the Michigan Difference – or at least one of them.
Although I obviously wasn't inside the department during the past four years, it hasn't been hard getting inside the story, because so many people at all levels of the equation have been willing to speak, many even eager. I've sent out fewer emails for interviews than I've received.
My strong sense, from these many conversations, is that they're not calling to grind their axe but to explain where Michigan went wrong, and what Michigan could easily avoid in the future. I've already transcribed over 90,000 words of interviews – the entire "Bo's Lasting Lessons" was shorter, by comparison – and not one of them wants Michigan to fail. To a person, they love Michigan, they were heartbroken watching the ship start to sink – and they're relieved to see it back on the rise.
One simple lesson I've already learned: You should not confuse the general with the soldiers. They didn't always agree, but the soldiers often felt they couldn't speak up. Now they can.
Have any stories you might be comfortable relating right now to whet appetites?
Well, my publisher would kill me if I did that. But what the heck!
By now most fans know the public narrative – and if they didn't, your rundown last week hit the main events very efficiently – but it's the stories behind the stories that Endzone will provide, from Brandon's experience at Domino's to how he got hired as Michigan's AD, to his relationship with President Coleman, to how he fired Rodriguez and hired Hoke, to why he didn't get Harbaugh or Miles, and how he and his staff faced the growing displeasure with his tenure last fall. (Perhaps you've read something about this?)
More specifically, we'll explore how the Notre Dame rivalry crumbled (not suddenly, as we've been told); we'll explain how the students got the administration's attention to affect real change; we'll get to the bottom of the Shane Morris situation; and we'll spell out how many people worked to get Harbaugh back – from old friends to Regents to Hackett himself, not to mention Jim's wife Sarah – and how they did it.
Why didn't you take the best advice I've ever given anyone and name this book "Brandon's Lasting Lessons"?
While I greatly appreciate the best advice you've ever given anyone – and feel fortunate to be the sole beneficiary thereof -- if I'd named this book "Brandon's Lasting Lessons," it would probably come off as disrespectful to Bo, and maybe just a little sarcastic toward Brandon, too. One reader suggested I title it, "I told you so," which I thought sort of comes off as an "I told you so."
Plus -- I hate to tell you -- I will do my best to be as fair to Brandon as I can. I've already talked at length to a Regent, a player and others who love him. It's clear that Brandon was very good on academics, for example, and very popular with many student-athletes.
That said, I get your point. If you held Bo's Lasting Lessons in one hand and Endzone in the other, you might think the previous athletic director was consciously trying to do the opposite of Bo's advice at every turn – and Endzone will address that, too. In fact, your suggested title is the answer to your readers who wonder why we need to know more about this saga: there are lessons to be learned here, lessons that go deeper than just the list of crises, and if Michigan doesn't learn them, more mistakes will follow.
Another reason not to title it that: while Brandon is obviously a central figure in this book, the Harbaugh story will comprise the third and final act of Endzone. For once, I've got a happy ending to write.
You do realize that I'm going to call it that anyway?
Yes, you've made the very clear.
No matter what you do?
Yes, it is understood.
You can't stop this train, Bacon?
I don't think that's a question, is it?


text:
Mary Ann takes a good, long look at this elegant white vegetable before creating a spring-fresh Cream of Asparagus Soup, a crisp White Asparagus Salad, and an Italian favorite, Asparagus, Bassano del Grappo-style, topped with a rich, buttery egg sauce. One look at this snow-white gift from the garden and you'll be green with envy.
Visit the Website: http://www.ciaoitalia.com/
Episode #2102 / Length: 29 minutes


text:
I am taking Molly to PetsDX in Pittsburgh (I found them through this board ) on Tuesday for an MRI to see if she has SM. With the exlusion of pre-op blood work which we are having done today at our Vets office, the total price for the MRI will be $1275. This is supposed to include everthing from when we walk in the door to the radiologist reading.
Does this sound about right/average for an MRI?
I have the quickcare gold plan thankfully (however wish I had gotten the double coverage now).


text:
Want to remind yourself or a friend about this program? Fill out this simple form and klru will email you a reminder on the day that it will air.
Sid Engineers A Solution
series: Sid The Science Kid
air date: 12/06/12 10:30 AM
Sid has a big, big, big problem! He's trying to grab a cereal box located way up high on the kitchen shelf, but he just can't reach it. He tries using a stool, but he still can't grab it. He wants to know, how is he ever going to grab that cereal box??? At school, Sid and his friends encounter another problem. They need to get a ball down that got stuck in a tree. Susie has an idea. If they have a problem, it's time to "engineer a solution." The kids work as a team, brainstorm some ideas, draw pictures of their ideas, and then try building their ideas. And to make the day even more exciting, Dad visits school and volunteers to help the kids build a special "grabber" to get the ball down from the tree!
WARNING: Email reminders for this program have already been sent out. Your reminder may not reach the intended address in time for this program's airing.
Back to TV Schedule