Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Humpday Quickies

Truthfully, aside from Tommy Bowden getting the old heave-ho in Clemson, it's sort of been a slow news week in terms of college football. The hype wagon hit fever pitch for last weekend, the OMG! BeSt wEekEnd Evur!!!! sort of feeling heading into Saturday. There is no Tuesday/Wednesday/Monday afternoon gameage for you to enjoy, and only 3 games before the Saturday slate. Slow news or not, here's what's shakin' on the Interwebs...

Ball State Quickies:
  • Dante Love is set to return to Muncie after being released from his Indianapolis rehab center and spending some time at home in Cincinnati. Great news for a great person.
  • Another Michigan fan spouting off how no one really wanted Brady Hoke and what a mediocre coach he is. I can only hope every other AD in the country thinks the same thing and Hoke stays in Muncie for the foreseeable future. The Michigan fan base amazes me at times, as the populations' difference between rational thought (see: Brian at MGoBlog) and psychopathic walking dumpster fire is seemingly razor thin.
    Why pay RichRod to wreck Michigan when this man can do it far cheaper?
  • In other Hoke news, Kegeratornation insists Bill Lynch is as good as fired at IU, and lists Hoke as his potential replacement. I would be shocked if Lynch was fired, and even more so if Hoke took over.
  • Ryan Wood, at the BSU Daily News, bemoans BSU's lack of commitment to the run game. Normally, the DN is a great newspaper with insightful commentary. As a former DN staffer, I should know. But this just doesn't make sense. Look at the stats, Ryan. This is the best rushing attack in recent memory.
  • Graham Watson, she of ESPN mid-major coverage fame, says the Cardinals are the surprise team of 2008. She also says Hoke is the non-BCS Coach of the Year.
  • Kevin Paul nominates MiQuale Lewis as an FBS running back no one is talking about... but should be.
Kentucky Quickies:
  • In consolations are bullshit news, after meeting at midfield, Brooks said something to the effect of "Streak's still alive", Spurrier says something to him, Brooks walks away muttering, "Aw... bullshit". The Cats, and Brooks, have never beaten Spurrier. And like the old saying goes, when you can't beat 'em, swear at 'em. Check the video here. (At about the 19 seconds to go mark)
    Visors, you, and consolations... all bullshit
  • In raging douchebag news, Bobby Petrino still is. Petrino says about UK fans, "I think they like me there." Riiiiight. And blonde white women still are ok around OJ.
  • ESPN SEC blogger Chris Low still lists Kentucky as a team that will get to a Bowl Game in his midseason SEC Report. Suffice to say it's possible still, but this weekend's Arkansas game becomes epic for that to happen.
  • Ken at A Sea of Blue breaks down the Kentucky-South Carolina game. I didn't get a chance to watch it, and it looks like I didn't miss much.
  • T Kyle King at DawgSports picks not only the winner in the UK-Arkansas game this weekend, but also accuses Petrino of petty theft. Giggity giggity goo.
Everyone Else Quickies:
  • The Tennessee OMG! RumORz over the should-we, shouldn't-we, maybe, maybe not, what's for dinner, Phil Fulmer firing are hitting record numbers. What shouldn't make Fulmer feel any more secure is when your Athletic Director announces a $7 million dollar surplus and (paraphrasing) that should a coaching change be needed, finances won't stand in the way. You know, should we need it. Which we don't. But if we do. Just saying.
  • In "How About Some Sour Grapes" news... Clemson QB Cullen Harper on the firing of head coach Tommy Bowden: "It's what he deserved". After that statement, Harper then went to Bowden's house, kicked his puppy, keyed his car, left a flaming bag of dog shit on the porch, and made sweet sweet love to Tommy's wife. Impressive only in the fact that a Clemson offensive player finally found paydirt this season.
  • Add alum and current NFLer Braylon Edwards to the aforementioned Michigan fans who are a little less than giddy under the new regime of Rich Rodriguez.
  • Orson at EDSBS again points out why Texas Tech is entertaining as well as a good football team.
  • Interesting perspective from Rakes of Mallow about the Notre Dame-North Carolina game.
  • It's bad at Washington State. Real bad.
  • How do you celebrate becoming the first MAC team to beat Michigan, Toledo? By starting a bar brawl, of course!!!
  • DR. Darryl Gross and Greg Robinson continue to struggle at Syracuse, this time a near-miss against West Virginia. Which doesn't really count since Bill Stewart has driven the team into the ground in record time. Watching Greg Robinson and Bill Stewart coach against each other is a cripple fight of the highest order.
  • Finally, in angry old man news, for anyone who missed Lou Holtz taking an argument on ESPN a little too seriously and in true old man fashion (see Rich Brooks above), ends by muttering obscenities as the cameras are still on.

5 comments:

Jake said...

So I take it you are claiming to be on the side of "rational thought"? Then how is it that you could have read a blog post that made absolutely no mention of Brady Hoke's coaching ability and then pawn it off onto your readers as "psychopathic walking dumpster fire"? If you are going to tell your readers that a post says "what a mediocre coach he (Hoke) is", then you might want to double check to see if the post actually says anything about Hoke's coaching ability. Those who clicked on your link surely found out themselves that it made no mention of Hoke’s merits as a coach but those who didn't left thinking, "man, the Michigan fan base IS crazy. What kind of moron would say Hoke is a mediocre coach?" I’m sure you would love it (extreme sarcasm here) if someone else did the same thing to your words.

The most ridiculous thing about your misrepresentation is that you made up what you wanted my post to be about just so you could have an easy example of a Michigan blogger who is irrational. My words weren't even about Hoke (who I think has done an outstanding job over the last two years at Ball St.) rather the wretched hypocrisy in someone calling into a radio show six games (!!!) into the season to bash Bill Martin for not hiring Brady Hoke when nobody wanted him 10 months ago. THAT is an example of "psychopathic walking dumpster fire."

You find me someone who doesn't think that's ridiculous and I'll find you a fool.

You also might want to go back, say, 10 months and look at what Brian was saying at Mgoblog (you know, the "rational thought" to my "psychopathic walking dumpster fire") about the possibility of Michigan hiring Brady Hoke. In fact, I'll help you out...http://mgoblog.blogspot.com/2007/12/profiles-in-cronyism-brady-hoke.html

Brian said of the possibility of hiring Hoke..."Awful. Awful, awful, awful. The worst possible candidate. The mere idea this guy -- who's never even been a coordinator anywhere and has his MAC team performing at a level well below the program's historical baseline -- could get the job is infuriating. Only at Michigan could this happen, and if it does I guarantee you that Bo is going to haunt the mofo that signs the contract."

Feel free to use me as an example of how idiotic the Michigan fan base can be. I'll be sure to lump you in with the jump to conclusions, make up your own stories (i.e. one firecoachx.com website=everyone wants coach x fired), write stupid things on purpose just to increase readership media, or if you prefer, the poorly researched blogopshere. Sound fair?

Best of luck to you.

Jake

Alan said...

Jake,

I doubt you'll be back, but in case you are, I'll respond. I never claimed to be in the "rational thought" category at all. I don't cover Michigan, so I'm not part of the people being evaluated.

The reference to your post was in fact a reference to the caller, but with your parting shot of 'I can’t believe there is a guy out there, living and breathing, who could actually bring himself to mutter the sentence, “Martin blew it by not hiring Brady Hoke.”' it's clear you didn't think Brady was a good enough coach to consider.

Time will tell on the RichRod era in Michigan, but if Hoke can compete and win at BSU, then he's clearly a little better than people, including the overwhelming majority of M fans, are giving him credit for.

Brian was wrong about Hoke then, but I think on the whole, he's one of, if not the, example of sane and tempered fanbloggers. I respect him as a writer and fan despite his misguided assesment of Brady.

The link to your page was nothing more than news and notes on Ball State staff, which we do every week. It had nothing to do with readership, controversy, or anything else. And if after reading the blog you decide to lump this site with the fanatical dumpster fires, then so be it.

If you are in the camp of supporting the hiring of RichRod and also in the minority of at least respecting the job Hoke has done, then I misjudged you.

Anonymous said...

There is absolutely no way TSIB fires Lynch with three years left on his deal. Even with BCS conference lucre flowing in, they aren't in a financial position to eat seven figures, not with the Brinks truck they just backed up for Crean, the cost overruns on the Memorial Stadium expansion, and the economy in the dumpster.

Lynch will absolutely get one more year, if not two, to make his mark on the Hoosiers' program. Which makes all Ball State fans happy inside.

Jake said...

Alan,

I appreciate the response. My goal for that portion of my post was to highlight how utterly absurd it is for anyone to be suggesting that Bill Martin made an awful hire after six games and then suggesting that had Martin hired Hoke—a move that would’ve been the most unpopular decision in the history of decisions—Michigan would be winning all sorts of games. I’m not sure how someone could actually say Martin blew it by not hiring Hoke without laughing at himself/herself because of how hypocritical it would be. You definitely misinterpreted my last line that you dubbed a “parting shot.” It was not a parting shot on Hoke. It was a parting shot on the caller for being serious about saying Hoke should’ve been the guy. That’s like saying the Cleveland Browns should’ve taken Tom Brady #1 overall in 1999 only after Brady won three Super Bowls and had the greatest statistical season by a QB of All-Time. You’ll have to trust me on this: that last sentence had nothing to do with Hoke as a coach. It had to do with the fact that nobody should be saying something like that because there wasn’t a single person who publically lobbied for Hoke.

Anyhow, to find those thoughts somewhere on the internets being fashioned as a hate piece for Hoke and as an example of how ridiculous the Michigan fan base is offended me. I’ve read your post quite a few times and I can’t interpret it any other way than that you were referring to my post/blog as “psychopathic walking dumpster fire.” If I’ve misinterpreted your words, then I apologize.

Hoke is rippin’ it up. He’s going to be on the short list of many coaching searches. I like Ball St. I root for Ball St. I don’t think Michigan should’ve hired Hoke last year, and I’m still glad that didn’t happen. Rodriguez and Paul Johnson were my two top choices. As you can imagine, I was (and still am) ecstatic that we were able to land one of those. Rodriguez is a much better recruiter than I ever thought he would be and the future is looking great.

Anyhow, I certainly am not going to lump you in with irresponsible blogging or journalism or whatever based on one post. I was simply trying to show you how I viewed you lumping me into the psychopathic portion of the Michigan fan base.

Take care and best of luck to you.

Jake

Jake said...

Correction: That would be #1 overall in the 2000 draft.