Phil Callihan, Author at UMGOBLUE.COM Michigan Wolverine Football & Basketball

May 26, 2010April 27, 2012

Michigan Wolverine Football Lockers

When Schembechler Hall was renovated a few lockers were saved from the scrapper.

Now you can own the ultimate Michigan Football Collectable- Your very own Michigan Football Locker!

Multiple numbers are available.Some have been sold on ebay for $850 but email me and I can get you a discount. Shipping is available but is expensive ($250-$300), these things are huge.

There are a variety of numbers still available. The numbers are attached via a magnetic plate so the lockers have had *many* different numbers over time. The numbers were assigned by class- so as players became upperclassman their numbers moved with them to different places in the locker room.

The lockers also have a working combination lock and are in fairly good shape. Truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of Michigan football history.

Pickup is preferred (they are located in Detroit) and delivery is possible for an extra fee but you’ll have to work that out with the seller.

If you’re interested email me phil@umgoblue.com and I’ll put you in contact with the seller.

January 18, 2010April 27, 2012

Crisler Arena: 5 things that need to be fixed…

Bill Martin’s lasting legacy as Athletic Director is impressive list of facilities built or renovated during his watch.

Football, baseball, softball, and wrestling are among the sports that now have top rate facilities. Ice hockey has venerable Yost Ice Arena, with some of the most rabid fans in all of college athletics.

Virtually ignored during the building frenzy has been Crisler Arena.

Sure, new lights were installed and a new practice facility is on the way but the facility itself has some serious problems that need to be solved.

I believe that these problem would best be solved by having a crane working at Michigan Stadium “accidentally” knock the place down for the insurance money but what do I know?

Apparently the athletic department has no problem finding $226 million for Michigan Stadium which gets used eight or nine times a year but has to look through the couch cushions to scrounge together $20 million for renovating Crisler that three varsity sports call home.

So basketball is figuratively, and with new renovations to Michigan Stadium literally in the shadow of the football program. From the steps of Crisler you can gaze on the incredible new football field house, and then glance over to the glorious new softball/baseball complex nestled next to Yost Ice Arena.

What does a revenue sport need to do to get some love?

Here are the things that any renovation need to to address.

1. Add some character to the place

Crisler Arena has all the character of a K-Mart; bleak and depressing. It’s the ugly building next to Michigan Stadium. Nothing about it says, Michigan, history or tradition. It’s design cues echo the utilitarian cookie-cutter stadiums built in the late 1960’s and 70’s that have mostly (thankfully) been replaced.

2. Lose the top rows

The view from the upper reaches of Crisler Arena is terrible. It’s like watching basketball on google earth. Remove the top 5 or 10 rows and reduce capacity. Make the venue more intimate. Bring the crown into the game.

3. Ditch the cushy seats

The seats at Crisler are nice and comfortable. Like a movie theater. They encourage you to stay seated. Any renovation needs to look at some seats that encourage crowd participation.

4. Fix the concourses

The concourses need to be opened up with more space and light. Add more bathrooms. Improve the display cases- use multimedia to highlight all UM sports and loop Big Ten network footage.

5. Win

An energized crowd makes up for a substandard facility. The team needs to be regular participants in March Madness not to mention competing for Big Ten Title.

January 11, 2010April 22, 2012

5 things the NCAA needs to do to get serious…

The word is out.

Allegedly USC football coach Pete Carroll has escaped to the NFL just ahead of violations being imposed by the NCAA into benefits provided to former Trojan Reggie Bush.

This comes after former USC basketball coach Tim Floyd greased the palm of a handler to insure that top prospect O.J. Mayo became a Trojan.

It seems that USC is treading dangerously close to the NCAA determining that there was a “…lack of institutional control” and the serious penalties that come with it.

First, let’s address the elephant in the room. Michigan is no stranger to NCAA violations. The Ed Martin fiasco which brought criminals Chris Webber and Robert Traylor to Ann Arbor crippled the Wolverine basketball program for nearly a decade.

We Wolverine fans have seen first hand what happens when the NCAA brings the hammer down.

But it’s not enough. Too often coaches leave a program tainted with NCAA violations only to turn up at another school with a bigger contract and a clean slate.

The NCAA needs to make the following changes when a program gets caught breaking the rules.

1. Release the innocent players

It’s wrong for players to be punished for a violation that may have occurred prior to their attendance at a school. The only fair thing to do is give them option to re-open their recruiting, transfer and be immediately eligible the next season. Of course, unless they were part of the problem.

2. Require coaches to have certification to be eligible for NCAA post season bowls or tournaments

It’s very simple, if you’re on the coaching staff of the school that gets caught with major violations you lose your certification for five years. Any school is welcome to hire you but (1) the school will get no revenue from the NCAA post season tournaments or bowls and (2) you will not coach in any post season games. If you go to a pro league, the certification clock doesn’t start until you return to college.

3. Widen the culpability for NCAA violations

There are far too many people who look the other way while violations are happening. Too few people on coaching and athletic departments pay little or no price when a program gets busted for cheating. The NCAA needs to encourage people to constantly be on the look-out for potential violation rather then looking the other way. You need to make their future job prospects depend on it.

4. Simplify the rules

The NCAA rulebook is a jumble of contradictions and unrealistic guidelines. It needs to be simplified and streamlined to be easily understandable.

5. Set a future date for adoption

Give schools two years for these new rules to simplified and prepare for the changes.

January 1, 2010July 20, 2011

2010 M Football- 10 things to leave in 2009

As a new year begins there are some things that are best left in the past.

1. NCAA violations

Seriously, enough of this crap. It’s bad enough that the NCAA is taking forever to investigate the first batch of allegations made by the Detroit Free Press. Let’s hope that 2010 is scandal free.

2. Teams we’re never heard of

Delaware State? You know things are bad when a program’s band gets more press than the football team. Unfortunately this one is already shot since Massachusetts and Connecticut are on this season’s schedule. We’ll have to roll this over for 2011.

3. Home for the holidays

OK, all the people who thought that it was just horrible that the football team would usually leave before Christmas for their bowl destination have been appeased. Athletic department staff who haven’t spent Christmas and New Year’s Day with their in-laws for decades have made appearances two years in row now. It’s time to get the football team, athletic department staff, and alumni traveling again.

4. Big Ten Expansion

Expansion rears its ugly head again. Move the season back if you must but ditch the idea of the league championship game. Multiple divisions with some games against league teams counting and others not are stupid. Rather than follow in the moronic footsteps of lesser conferences do something innovative to highlight more of the league’s top teams rather than just the top two. Imagine a Big Ten/Big East challenge after the Big Ten season is over that matches the top the 5 seeds of each conference in neutral sites like Chicago, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. The other conferences would be drooling to have that kind of exposure.

5. Tate Forcier’s unflappable confidence

I love that Tate Forcier has great confidence. However I an tired of hearing how losses don’t bother him. Tate, seriously, they should bother you. Not crush you- but they should motivate you to work harder. The robotic quotes seem a little odd. Show some fire…

6. Potshots from the Michigan “family”

There a lot of people within the Michigan family who are both for and against Coach Rich Rodriguez. Unfortunately some of those who support Coach Rodriguez have taken shots at the previous regime. Coach Rodriguez is responsible for the Michigan football team from here out. There is no way he would allow a current player to blame his current poor performance on the starter from two season ago. We need to hold Coach Rodriguez to the same standard.

7. Being swept by the “states”

The later part of Lloyd’s tenure as head coach Michigan certainly struggled with Ohio State. But he absolutely owned Penn State and Michigan State. It’s time for Rich Rodriguez to start new winning streaks against all of the “states.”

8. Whining that the cupboard was bare

On the day that Coach Rodriguez took over the cupboard was hardly bare. The first job of a new coach is to re-recruit players currently in the program. For whatever reason many players decided to leave either by declaring for the NFL draft or transferring. I have no problem with players leaving and Coach Rodriguez wanting to have his own type of players on the team. But he had active role in creating the current roster. For him to imply that the talent wasn’t here when he took over is disingenuous.

9. Piped in music for every game

Eminem’s “Lose Yourself’ being played against Ohio State or Notre Dame is cool. When it’s played against the likes of Delaware State or Eastern Michigan it’s a joke.

10. Michigan Stadium being taken over by opposing fans

The best way to do this is for the team to start putting the smack down on the field. Opposing fans hate showing up and seeing their team get whooped on the field. This doesn’t mean for Michigan fans to treating opposing rudely. Save that idiotic behavior for other schools. Cheer loudly and let the team take care putting the smack down.

December 11, 2009April 26, 2012

2009 M Football- The year in photos…

Here are a selection of photos from the 2009 football season.

When freshman phenom Tate Forcier suited up for spring practice I wondered if he’d be able to take the pounding of an entire season. Tate’s progress was accelerated when returning starter Nick Sheridan was injured early in spring practice. From that point on Tate was the focal point at QB for the Wolverines.

LB Obi Ezeh and DB Donovan Warren rest prior to media day. Donovan would declare for the NFL draft after the season and Obi would lose his starting job.

Players posing for a group shot during media day. The good feelings would disappear during a disastrous game versus Illinois.

The Wolverine drill. One of the few times where media gets to see players go all out against each other.

RB Michael Cox showed that he has the speed to be force for the Wolverines next season.

Players rehabbing from injuries. They insisted on having the photo taken,

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The Wolverines take the field undet the coveted M Club banner. Some traditions never change.

Brandon Graham was a beast on defense.

Craig Roh was a pleasant surprise on defense. Just a little bit of holding…

#10

When Denard Robinson was in the game there was always the potential for an electryfying run. Whenever he broke free it would cause complete mayhem for opposing defenses.