Author: Phil Callihan

Editor-in-Chief, UMGoBlue.COM -- AKA BLUE LEADER -- 1993 University of Michigan Graduate -- GO BLUE!
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…and the band played on- Michigan Wolverine Marching Band *will* play in the Cowboys Classic

On October 14, 2010, the Michigan athletic department announced that the Wolverines would travel to Dallas, Texas to face the Alabama Crimson Tide for the 2012 season opener.

“This is a great way to kick off the 2012 season with two of the nation’s winningest college football programs,” said U-M director of athletics Dave Brandon. “We are excited about playing a regular-season game in the state of Texas, a region of the country where we have traditionally recruited. Our goal is to get as many Michigan fans to the game as possible to witness this match-up of traditional powers.”

On Thursday April 19 2012, the members of the Michigan Marching were informed via email that…

“…it has recently been decided that the Michigan Marching Band will not be traveling to Texas for the Cowboy Classic game vs. Alabama this fall. The Athletic Department is treating the Alabama game as a standard road contest, not as a bowl game. Therefore, there is no bowl-style budget available to bring the band to Texas.”

What happened during the 18 months between these announcements may take some time to uncover but reaction from Wolverine fans was known immediately. Less than 5 days later the athletic department reversed itself and it was announced that band would be traveling to the game.

The solution that had remained a mystery for 18 months was suddenly solved in less than 5 days.

The message is clear- don’t mess with the band.

Fans may be accepting of piped in music during home games but the idea of having the Victors played via tape during a huge national game is unacceptable.

Fans, stung by rising ticket prices and seat licenses, and a less than stellar home slate of games put their collective feet down.

Sending the band isn’t cheap, and surely the athletic department can’t be expected to pay for everything all the time but considering the special nature of this game and the projected athletic department budget for 2012

…At the University of Michigan Board of Regents meeting on Thursday, athletic director Dave Brandon presented a budget with anticipated revenues of $121.2 million versus expenses of $109.8 million, a surplus of $11.38 million. The Michigan athletic department expects a surplus of $4.7 million for fiscal year 2011, which ends June 30. It will be the department’s 10th straight year in the black.

This should have been an easy call. Certainly it shouldn’t have taken 18 months to find a solution.

Now some have questioned the financial terms of the deal Michigan negotiated to play in the Cowboys Classic. They cite the loss of revenue for surrendering a home game at Michigan Stadium versus the revenue generated by traveling to Dallas.

This is why accountants don’t make strategic decisions for organizations.

Now there are things I don’t like about this game. First and foremost it leaves season ticketholders with a weak slate of game at the Big House this season. Secondly, Dallas err Arlington (the home of Cowboys Stadium) is one of my least favorite destinations and honestly I would have preferred playing an away in a collegiate stadium.

But those reasons aside, if you’re Dave Brandon you make this deal in a heartbeat.

For the 6 month run up to this game Michigan will receive unprecedented media coverage.  They get the opportunity to play a high profile game in the heart of prime recruiting territory and within driving distance of tons Michigan alumni.  They have locked in a high profile opponent, something that even a BCS bowl bid (Virginia Tech) can’t guarantee. The game is early enough in the season that the Wolverines can easily recovery from a loss, and if QB Denard Robinson pulls of the victory he and the Wolverines could be on the way to very special season.

And stay tuned because rumors of more special event games have been swirling for years. Visits to the New York area and the west coast (anybody up for a Nike/Adidas showdown?) have obvious appeal.

The only mistake in this saga was shortchanging the band.

And now with the minor details resolved we only have to wait for the actual game to be played.

I’m so excited I’ll even go to Dallas.

Go Blue!

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Not so Fab 5- Sorry Jalen, the Banners Need to Stay Buried

Jalen Rose recently took to twitter to voice his displeasure with UM President Mary Sue Coleman’s position that the banners “won” by the Fab 5 won’t be returning to Crisler Center anytime soon.

 “I saw that U of Michigan has no plans to put back up our hoops banners. Should I do like most of its former BBallers & never return?” he tweeted. “Or should I ask for the 250k I donated for my Endowed Scholarship back & move it to another school? Stay Tuned.”

Athletic Director David Brandon followed up with the obvious explanation on why the banners won’t be returning:

“We’re not even sure that we could put those banners up,” Brandon said. “If you vacated wins and forfeited wins and basically cleared the record books of any activity, it’s hard to believe we could put back up the banners. We’ve never even gauged with the NCAA to see if that were possible.
“And, truthfully, if we had to forfeit the wins, it doesn’t seem appropriate.”

Members of the Fab 5 believe that their achievements are being unfairly ignored. You especially have to feel for Ray Jackson and Jimmy King, who never achieved success at the pro level like their college teammates Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, and Jalen Rose.

The Chris Webber/Ed Martin scandal wreaked havoc on the Michigan Basketball record book and forever tainted the Fab5 legacy. Many Wolverines fans would be happy to leave the scandal in the past and move on. Jalen clearly agrees with them.

The problem is that Chris Webber is guilty as sin and Jalen is wrong to blame Michigan for the banishment of the Fab 5. That blame rests solely on the shoulders of Webber. To blame Michigan would be like Jalen blaming the police for his recent DUI. In that incident Jalen rightly accepted blame for his actions:

“I have no one to blame but myself for endangering the community,” he told the judge.

But Jalen doesn’t use the same criteria when he chooses to look the other way with scandal brought Michigan by former teammate Chris Webber and bookie Ed Martin.

Chris Webber is a thief. His blatant disregard for the rules robbed the rest of the Fab 5 of their legacy and destroyed the memories of those seasons in the minds of Wolverine fans. He also stole from his opponents, it wasn’t enough that he had more talent in his pinky finger than many of them. He also didn’t need to burden himself with the same rules as the common players.

Webber’s post-Michigan career was also marked by a failure to follow the rules. When Chris was caught with drugs he denied responsibility. When he got a speeding ticket, the community didn’t appreciate him. When called to testify against bookie Ed Martin he lied through his teeth. Eventually his lies caught up with him and he was suspended for violating the NBA anti-drug policy and being forced to plead guilty to one charge of criminal contempt for lying to a federal grand jury.

Webber has never never expressed any regret for the dishonor he brought to Michigan. Perhaps if he had I might have some sympathy for him.

So the main reason for the banners not returning to Crisler Center from the dim archives of the Bentley Library are practical. The games have been erased so the banners are null and void. You can thank Chris Webber for that.

But there’s another more philosophical reason for the banners to stay buried.

To borrow a popular phrase these days- “THIS IS MICHIGAN…”

The Fab 5 never won a Big Ten title. The regular season was a mere inconvenience for them. And as far was being National Champion runner-ups, I can tell you as someone who attended Michigan during their reign, nobody was throwing them a parade for coming in second two years in a row. If you’re excited about losing in the Final Four you need to head up to East Lansing- they got that covered up there.

But I do offer a compromise. Disregarding his DUI Jalen has been an outstanding example of a Michigan Man since leaving the University of Michigan. He has contributed his time and money to many worthy charities and endowed a scholarship at Michigan. For these reasons, I propose that Michigan raise an unnamed #5 jersey to the rafters of Crisler Center.

For those willing to ignore the misdeeds of Chris Webber it can represent the Fab 5.

For the rest of us it can serve as a reminder to always question things that are simply too good to be true.

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Meet the New Boss; Just Like the Old Boss? Brady Hoke, Lloyd Carr and Return of Fort Schembechler

Last spring as we entered the Brady Hoke era, it would have been hard to notice any differences in access to the Michigan football program compared his predecessor- the recently fired Rich Rodriguez.

The main difference was Brady’s easy going demeanor and uncanny knack for saying exactly what the Michigan faithful wanted to hear from the new coach.

But after an improbable 11-2 season, capped off by a BCS Sugar Bowl win, one thing is clear- the fort is back.

The steel curtain has fallen, the blockade is in place, choose your metaphor but fresh information is a highly restricted commodity as we enter season 2 of the Hoke era.

In retrospect, the curtain of secrecy first showed itself with the unexpected “big game” road uniforms unveiled against Michigan State last season.

People aware of the game day surprise faced serious consequences if the secret leaked out in advance.

This spring the control of information was further locked down with the banishment of media from practices. Even former players and high school coaches who were still allowed access to practice were given clear instructions reminiscent of the World War II Manhattan project’s directive-  “What you see here, what you do here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here.”

After weeks of eager anticipation, the Wolverine faithful were treated to a spring game that showed…well not much. I’m convinced after watching the “game” on tape, that one conclusion is obvious- the Wolverines have great uniforms. After that I’m not so sure.

One thing I am sure of is that this atmosphere of secrecy sure reminds me of the Lloyd Carr era.

Hoke claiming he would like to have a full on competitive spring game for fans but is prevented from doing so because of “numbers” could have been taken verbatim from from a Lloyd Carr press conference. Fans can hold out hope for something more, some day, if numbers allow.

Don’t hold your breath for that to happen. Hoke like Rodriguez and Carr before him, is reluctant to risk injury in a meaningless exhibition.

So what does this mean for fans? Well they’re going to be reading a lot of re-packaging of press conference quotes and breathless recaps of official athletic department video clips.

And don’t expect a lot of insider leaks out of this version of Fort Schembechler. At least for now, the shields are holding.

The recent band-getting-hosed-by-being-left-out-of the 2012 College Football Kick-off game against Alabama seems to be a rare occurrence of unfavorable news leaking out before Athletic Director David Brandon could sprinkle his maize and blue pixie dust on it.

The veil of secrecy is not a bad thing. It served Lloyd Carr and Michigan football well during his tenure. But whether it can be maintained in an era dominated by social media and twitter is another thing altogether. It’s hard to imagine that a coach who doesn’t use email can appreciate the implications of these new information channels.

Is Brady Hoke taking a page out of his old boss’s playbook with the media?

We will have to wait and see if he starts trading verbal jabs with sideline reporters be sure.

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Michigan Wolverine Football- Team 133 on the Clock- Who will get Denard Robinson the ball?

The wait is over. Michigan football is back. And none too soon. After the early exit of the Wolverine basketball team from the NCAA tournament, the Wolverine football team returns to the gridiron for spring workouts.  After a surprising inaugural season capped by a victory in the Sugar Bowl, the Wolverines need to find replacements on the both the offensive and defensive lines and firm up the linebacker and defensive backfield. In short, there’s a lot of work to do.

Finding replacements for offensive center David Molk and defensive lineman Mike Martin need to be top priorities. The reliability, agility, and overall nastiness of David Molk cannot be overstated. The Wolverine offense suffered greatly over the years when Molk wasn’t on the field and you only need to go back and watch the first series of the Sugar Bowl that he missed due to an injury in warm ups to see challenge for whomever takes his place. Hoke has indicated that red shirt senior Ricky Barnum is currently being evaluated at center, but repeated during his opening press conference that, “…the expectation is for the position,” and every there is competition for every position every day. If Barnum struggles don’t be surprised to see others given an opportunity.

Why is center so important? Every play starts with the center and quarterback exchanging the football either by direct snap or shotgun.

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If all-world quarterback Denard Robinson doesn’t get the ball reliably it will be a long season.

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