OT: Michigan Sports Thread: The 1-3 Edition

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Sep 28, 2017
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Had Michigan played well yesterday... that wouldn't have been a big game for them. They were supposed to, according to Vegas, go in dry on Sparty. And I don't know that it should be overstated as MSU had a great game yesterday. They didn't. Michigan played a dogshit one. The run D by Sparty was great. But everything else? Ricky White went off because Vincent Gray might be the worst corner I've ever seen. He routinely bit on double moves that were right in front of him so Rocky Lombardi could arm-punt it into the waiting hands of his receiver. White had two-three huge catches that should very easily been reviewed and determined to not be catches.

Michigan made mistakes at every turn. Some of those were caused by Sparty, the vast majority were just abysmal decision after abysmal decision. Sparty didn't. That was the difference.

Really weird logic there...
 

BSHH

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While I am late to the A. J. Hinch party, I still am celebrating. The signing might feel better than it should after I was absolutely sure he would go to the White Sox, as the obvious upcoming team.

The cheating scandal is the fly in the ointment, though. That does not look good at all. But we are talking about
(1) baseball, where attempts of gaining an illicit advantage have always been common,
(2) sign-stealing in particular, which is not considered an infraction per se,
(3) an Astros organisation, whose players and officials were all informed, but not one single person stood up while the cheating went on,
(4) Hinch, who obviously was one of the few Astros who tried to prevent it and accepted the blame afterwards.

Now the Tigers have a both successful and modern manager, who by the way would not have been available to them if it weren't for this ugly cheating. Hinch lead Houston from a full-scale rebuild to the WS, which is exactly what the Tigers want for the next five years.

Hiring Hinch was a very quick and swift decision. He stated that Avila called him half an hour after the Dodgers won (which ended his ban) and he flew to Detroit the next day, where he extended his stay to talk to several staff members. Targeting and getting Hinch, whose work apart from the cheating is highly appreciated, within such short time indeed signals that Illitch and Avila want to make the Tigers a serious contender again. I did not really doubt it, but it feels good to be reassured. Since the virus took away quite some development opportunities from the much improved prospect crop, I expect next year to be the last rebuilding/transition season and from 2022 onwards sizable efforts from the ownership.

Gruß,
BSHH
 

Ricelund

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Apr 16, 2006
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While I am late to the A. J. Hinch party, I still am celebrating. The signing might feel better than it should after I was absolutely sure he would go to the White Sox, as the obvious upcoming team.

The cheating scandal is the fly in the ointment, though. That does not look good at all. But we are talking about
(1) baseball, where attempts of gaining an illicit advantage have always been common,
(2) sign-stealing in particular, which is not considered an infraction per se,
(3) an Astros organisation, whose players and officials were all informed, but not one single person stood up while the cheating went on,
(4) Hinch, who obviously was one of the few Astros who tried to prevent it and accepted the blame afterwards.

Now the Tigers have a both successful and modern manager, who by the way would not have been available to them if it weren't for this ugly cheating. Hinch lead Houston from a full-scale rebuild to the WS, which is exactly what the Tigers want for the next five years.

Hiring Hinch was a very quick and swift decision. He stated that Avila called him half an hour after the Dodgers won (which ended his ban) and he flew to Detroit the next day, where he extended his stay to talk to several staff members. Targeting and getting Hinch, whose work apart from the cheating is highly appreciated, within such short time indeed signals that Illitch and Avila want to make the Tigers a serious contender again. I did not really doubt it, but it feels good to be reassured. Since the virus took away quite some development opportunities from the much improved prospect crop, I expect next year to be the last rebuilding/transition season and from 2022 onwards sizable efforts from the ownership.

Gruß,
BSHH
Very well-put.
 
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RabidBadger

Mazur detractors will look like dummies!
Sep 9, 2007
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While I am late to the A. J. Hinch party, I still am celebrating. The signing might feel better than it should after I was absolutely sure he would go to the White Sox, as the obvious upcoming team.

The cheating scandal is the fly in the ointment, though. That does not look good at all. But we are talking about
(1) baseball, where attempts of gaining an illicit advantage have always been common,
(2) sign-stealing in particular, which is not considered an infraction per se,
(3) an Astros organisation, whose players and officials were all informed, but not one single person stood up while the cheating went on,
(4) Hinch, who obviously was one of the few Astros who tried to prevent it and accepted the blame afterwards.

Now the Tigers have a both successful and modern manager, who by the way would not have been available to them if it weren't for this ugly cheating. Hinch lead Houston from a full-scale rebuild to the WS, which is exactly what the Tigers want for the next five years.

Hiring Hinch was a very quick and swift decision. He stated that Avila called him half an hour after the Dodgers won (which ended his ban) and he flew to Detroit the next day, where he extended his stay to talk to several staff members. Targeting and getting Hinch, whose work apart from the cheating is highly appreciated, within such short time indeed signals that Illitch and Avila want to make the Tigers a serious contender again. I did not really doubt it, but it feels good to be reassured. Since the virus took away quite some development opportunities from the much improved prospect crop, I expect next year to be the last rebuilding/transition season and from 2022 onwards sizable efforts from the ownership.

Gruß,
BSHH

I read all of your posts in Brainy Smurf's voice because of your avatar:laugh:
 

The Zetterberg Era

Ball Hockey Sucks
Nov 8, 2011
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Had Michigan played well yesterday... that wouldn't have been a big game for them. They were supposed to, according to Vegas, go in dry on Sparty. And I don't know that it should be overstated as MSU had a great game yesterday. They didn't. Michigan played a dogshit one. The run D by Sparty was great. But everything else? Ricky White went off because Vincent Gray might be the worst corner I've ever seen. He routinely bit on double moves that were right in front of him so Rocky Lombardi could arm-punt it into the waiting hands of his receiver. White had two-three huge catches that should very easily been reviewed and determined to not be catches.

Michigan made mistakes at every turn. Some of those were caused by Sparty, the vast majority were just abysmal decision after abysmal decision. Sparty didn't. That was the difference.

I think because of the disgusting opening week performance where I will be honest I felt it happening and turned it off people forgot MSU defensive unit wouldn't be that bad. They had seven turnovers, that unit actually played well. It was so embarrassing even Spartan fans kind of lost that part by in large. Also after watching Minny lose to Maryland the night before you started to think maybe U of M's offensive performance was helped by a bad Minny D. So it really shouldn't have been 21, I think probably 7 to 10 point dogs was more on point, think Vegas had that wrong.

With that said, Gray is a microcosm of what plagues Harbaugh at U of M in my opinion. He and Dr Blitz both seem to have trouble admitting when something is killing them and giving different looks. They have a game plan and I don't know if they are too proud or think they are too smart to change it but it routinely bites them. The one against MSU where you might say overlooking is that MSU was pretty honest that was their plan, they kicked off the broadcasts radio and tv talking about MSU believing they had a speed advantage on the perimeter in the WR vs CB matchup. But what did you get.... Man coverage, exotic blitz calls, the stuff that has made him who he is. Listen that is great for Don Brown, but the other part of him is he seems to lose a couple games a year over the course of his career. Harbaugh played it mostly safe again with bland offensive change throughout... Hey Jim the officials are calling a lot of stuff on deep balls, why don't we throw more??? Nah we will throw the one get no call and just go nuts on the sideline, why not try more than a few. It was predictable by the third quarter how often were two or three guys running to where the ball was as it were arriving there. These are college kids, when they are picking out tendencies like that you have problems. Honestly the most amazing part to me is Harbaugh did what he did with the 49ers. Then I look back on perhaps the best linebacker core in league history and one of the first real slash gimmicky offenses and it carried him big time in that setup. Credit to him to go to it an adapt, must have been someone on the staff that did it. It is the last time he seemingly acknowledged a weakness and played to his strengths. Guy is spinning his tires as I said to my sister who is a U of M alumni, I would be furious at this point if I was a fan of theirs. I don't believe he is ever taking that team to greatness.

Honestly the meanest thing I can say is as a rival fan, I hope the Harbaugh era never ends.
 

Bondurant

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Honestly the meanest thing I can say is as a rival fan, I hope the Harbaugh era never ends.
Harbaugh is not the issue. The football program is no longer relevant and running on past glory. Big Ten is a one team conference. Just a simple reality of NCAA football. Bring in Urban Meyer and this will not change. I like Harbaugh. A lot of fellow Michigan fans simply do no want to face the reality of Michigan football.
 

RabidBadger

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Sep 9, 2007
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Harbaugh is not the issue. The football program is no longer relevant and running on past glory. Big Ten is a one team conference. Just a simple reality of NCAA football. Bring in Urban Meyer and this will not change. I like Harbaugh. A lot of fellow Michigan fans simply do no want to face the reality of Michigan football.

No, sorry. Harbaugh is the issue and to dismiss UM's standing as a recruiting magnate is a flimsy excuse. Harbaugh is the flip side of Steve Spurrier who flopped in the Nfl instead of the NCAA. I think you can look at the ridiculous qb carousel from the "qb whisperer" for a start.

If you have the resources to pay a coach Dabbo Swinney money (but not even get Luke Fickell results) you are in a good position to sit at the table with the big boys. Badger and Sparty fans are not making this excuse, and those programs do not have the "brand" UM has.

I have no doubt Urban Meyer the scumbag would come to Ann Arbor and have success Bo and Lloyd would envy. You might point out how Saban flopped at MSU. Well, Belichek flopped with the Browns. They just weren't the Belichek and Saban we now know. If Harbaugh were the Badgers coach this crap would have worn pretty thin a couple years ago.
 

Bondurant

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No, sorry. Harbaugh is the issue and to dismiss UM's standing as a recruiting magnate is a flimsy excuse. Harbaugh is the flip side of Steve Spurrier who flopped in the Nfl instead of the NCAA. I think you can look at the ridiculous qb carousel from the "qb whisperer" for a start.

If you have the resources to pay a coach Dabbo Swinney money (but not even get Luke Fickell results) you are in a good position to sit at the table with the big boys. Badger and Sparty fans are not making this excuse, and those programs do not have the "brand" UM has.

I have no doubt Urban Meyer the scumbag would come to Ann Arbor and have success Bo and Lloyd would envy. You might point out how Saban flopped at MSU. Well, Belichek flopped with the Browns. They just weren't the Belichek and Saban we now know. If Harbaugh were the Badgers coach this crap would have worn pretty thin a couple years ago.
Yes. It was such a great program that they had to resort to hiring Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.
 

The Zetterberg Era

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Yes. It was such a great program that they had to resort to hiring Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.

Rich Rodriguez turned down the Alabama job before it was offered to Saban. He was their first choice and had won 3 BCS bowl games at West Virginia. He wasn't a bad hire, not allowing him to actually play his game and Llyod Carr undermining him from day 1 was the bad part. They get what they deserved for that, parts of the program wanted him to fail. He never really stood all that much of a chance.

Hoke is basically the same as the guy they have now, just a helluva lot cheaper.

Michigan is a great brand, so if they can find a guy to truly turn a corner there they become relevant quickly again. USC, Oklahoma spring to mind in terms of teams we saw fall on hard times and snap out of it. I think U of M is really unlucky Moehler liked fighting guys in bars, because to me he probably wins a couple National Championships and really changes things in more recent times. As it is U of M's only outright title stretches back to 1947, though they were robbed 50 years later in my opinion... Still they have always been more a machine towards winning than the ultimate prize team. I don't know it is a confusing brand really to pin down as someone that grew up deeply hating them as an instate rival. They feel very national and their brand reach is spectacular, even as a rival that part of Michigan is hard for me to ignore. I still really do believe they could be a national power though.
 

jkutswings

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But Michigan hasn't been a national power on the field in a quarter century. They've raked in the dollars and only been concerned with maintaining the brand instead of demanding excellence on Saturdays.

And really, other than the elite defense of the 97 team, for decades on end their identity has largely been a 10 win team that's still clearly a notch below the big boys. But I'm not complaining - they can rot with Captain Khakis for as long as possible.
 
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RabidBadger

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Yes. It was such a great program that they had to resort to hiring Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke.

Rich-Rod was a hot hire at the time. He may have been quit on too early for not living up to the program's so-called standards. Hoke, whatever. That's your Luke Fickell hire. My point is, if other programs had UM's resources they would not be resigned to have UM's results.

At any rate, don't you think it's unacceptable to bring in a hot Nfl coach, make him the highest paid coach in the B1g only to be the 4th or 5th best team in the conference...with no signature wins (Notre Dame doesn't count, they are equally overrated)? Man, it's not like UM has become Indiana or something.
 
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YpsiWings

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It is worth mentioning that Harbaugh has had some rotten luck during his time as coach. If not for a fluke punt at the end of a game and an injured QB he is 5-1 against State. O’Korn was so bad it hurt my eyeballs. An obvious stop on 4th down in overtime is called incorrectly or else he has a win against Ohio and is playing for the Big 10 championship.

Having said that, yes his time has been disappointing. Great teams/coaches do not rely on luck and calls going their way, they make their own breaks. Have watched Alabama/Clemson/Ohio do that consistently. Just unfortunate that almost every tossup play in big games has gone against Harbaugh.
 

lhsgolf19

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Tigers with a huge Hiring this morning... UM's pitching coach Chris Fetter will be the Tigers new pitching coach.

He is widely regarded as one of the best pitching coaches out there (MLB, Minors, College, etc)... Absolute rising star in the industry... Only 34.

Hinch & Fetter is one heck of a start to the new coaching staff.
 

Ricelund

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Tigers with a huge Hiring this morning... UM's pitching coach Chris Fetter will be the Tigers new pitching coach.

He is widely regarded as one of the best pitching coaches out there (MLB, Minors, College, etc)... Absolute rising star in the industry... Only 34.

Hinch & Fetter is one heck of a start to the new coaching staff.
Excellent news.

He and Verlander will be a big help in making sure Mize, Manning, and Skubal achieve their potential!

:naughty:
 
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TCNorthstars

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Hot damn! Sparty just sent me an email that I can buy a fan cutout for their fanless home hockey games at Munn. The privilege would only cost me $75! No word on if I get to keep it at the end of the season.

7480312E-19EB-4A7F-93C0-EFC1941298FA.png
 
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BSHH

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Once again I dare to ask about the Lions. As some elders here might remember, they play in the NFL and used to draw some attention in this thread back in the days. Perhaps these times re-appear when the HC, who cannot even ensure enough defenders taking the field, and the GM, who insisted on signing this HC and has not really brought this team ahead himself, will be relieved of their duties (and my recurring anger) in spring.

Gruß,
BSHH
 

RabidBadger

Mazur detractors will look like dummies!
Sep 9, 2007
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Once again I dare to ask about the Lions. As some elders here might remember, they play in the NFL and used to draw some attention in this thread back in the days. Perhaps these times re-appear when the HC, who cannot even ensure enough defenders taking the field, and the GM, who insisted on signing this HC and has not really brought this team ahead himself, will be relieved of their duties (and my recurring anger) in spring.

Gruß,
BSHH

The Lions are still in Detroit?:sarcasm:
 

saska sault

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Those two wins probably have ownership thinking they had a chance. Ill give Patricia credit, he is good at keeping his job somehow when he has almost never proven the ability to do the job at an even mediocre level in any aspect.

The sad reality may be that things get alot worse... I have a hard time seeing us keeping "building blocks" and making a competitive team. I really want to see Stafford win something in Detroit.. But its time.
 

jkutswings

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The Lions are still in Detroit?:sarcasm:
They now have cutouts in the stands, to coordinate with the facsimiles on the field.
And on the sidelines.
And in the front office.
And in the owner's box.

See? They've finally reached across the board consistency.
 
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BSHH

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Those two wins probably have ownership thinking they had a chance. Ill give Patricia credit, he is good at keeping his job somehow when he has almost never proven the ability to do the job at an even mediocre level in any aspect.

The sad reality may be that things get alot worse... I have a hard time seeing us keeping "building blocks" and making a competitive team. I really want to see Stafford win something in Detroit.. But its time.
Winning something is a tall order in this era. I would be actually pleased if the Lions became a playoff contender again.

While any team indeed will need "building blocks" for this, I consider the NHL to be quite volatile. A shrewd GM could easily pick up talented players in the later rounds of the draft or after they have been given up by their previous teams because of the salary cap restrictions. The SB runs of the Falcons, Rams or 49ers did not come out of nowhere, but I don't think one of them was deemed a stacked team before.

Is Stafford really such a good QB that his time in Detroit should be considered a huge waste of talent? I consider him to be an above-average QB; but particularly now I see how well young QBs like Burrow or Herbert and Murray perform without too much of a supporting cast around them. Other teams found solid game managers in Bridgewater or Tannehill without giving up much. Therefore, I do not think the Lions will necessarily fall into a hole as soon as Stafford leaves. But their front-office needs a complete turnaround.

Gruß,
BSHH
 
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Ricelund

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Tony Paul (who I think is easily the best Tigers beat writer) suggests the Tigers could/should take a look at the following: LeMahieu, Springer, Realmuto, Lester, Paxton, Tanaka, and/or Stroman.
 
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