UPDATE: Uh-oh! CMU, EMU and now WMU in big trouble thanks to Rich Rod!

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

It bothers me that we have fanboi apologists here on a journalism board. Like Slappy (a former co-worker of mine), I too grew up in the Detroit area following Bo, Rick Leach, Anthony Carter and the gang, and listened to Bob Ufer. I even bought his two record albums when I was young.

That said, I am not a fanboi. I do not drink the maize and blue Kool-Aid. We're working in a business that shouldn't have fanbois. Our profession is a business, ladies and gents. Treat it as such.

The Freep did a damned good job. When I got my paper Sunday morning, I read every word of that report. Like someone said above, this newspaper recently won a Pulitzer. The folks there know what the hell they're doing.

If you're wondering, my screen name is a melding of the two college nicknames from the coverage area of the paper I used to work at (and no longer exists).

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

Well, here goes... and don't call me a fanboi apologist. I'm just someone who happens to love Michigan football.

As Zagoshe pointed out earlier, this program is a far cry from the one that Bo Schembechler led for years and had season after season of outstanding football (well, except for the bowl games). Gary Moeller could have been a worthy successor had it not been for an outburst in a restaurant.

Lloyd Carr was a good coach for his first several years, but toward the end I got the feeling he would have rather been upstairs in the athletic office, and it showed in the team's play. I think Rich Rodriguez is still a great replacement for Carr. If it turns out there are worse things going on there and the NCAA concurs, then fine. I'll deal with that when it happens.

There is still a lot more to this story that needs to come out. To me, it sounds like some players are crying because they actually have to work hard for a change.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

Or maybe they wanted to be able to work hard in the classroom, as well, without coaches texting them to tell them to get their ass to the voluntary football workout?

This isn't exactly Joe's Community College.

Maybe I've read one too many Murray Sperber books. Or maybe I'm just too close to the school and too invested to have a reasonable opinion. But I just find this whole thing runs against the values of the proper athletic-academic balance - and certainly at this university.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

Players in NCAA Division I football work hard all the time. It's practically a full-time job for them. And it shouldn't be. For all the hypocritical BS that the NCAA spouts, the 20-hour rule is a good one.

From what the reports say, it sounds like Rodriguez pressured them too hard.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

Michigan Rivals site headline is that the Freep's sports editor should be fired.

And away we go.

EDIT: Wow. It's written by Johnathan Chait.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

I just read that. I think he fails to remember that Rosenberg used to be a beat reporter.

Anyway, does anyone have a Rivals pass? A friend told me they have quoted Jeron Stokes' father and that he said his son's words were "twisted."

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

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Funny, then, how no players at any other schools been complaining about having to work hard. You think Rodriguez is the only coach who makes his players work hard?

The 20 hour rule is there for a good reason, to ensure that players have time for both the athletic and academic requirements of being a student athlete and to ensure that programs are playing on an even playing field. Rodriguez didn't break this rule because he wanted his players to work hard, he broke it because he wanted to gain an unfair advantage over other programs that are complying with the rule.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

Fixed.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

How many other programs are complying with this rule? Granted, it is probably the vast majority of the schools, yes.

Hey, if it turns out Michigan broke the rules, then yes there should be an appropriate penalty. I'll reserve judgment until I see more evidence.

And if Rich broke the rules because he wanted to win football games... well, if he was making them work harder last year, it obviously didn't work. ;D

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

The story actually makes a good point: that it's wrong to have a columnist writing hard news on a topic, person or team he has discussed heavily in previous columns. While I agree with that general principle, I also know newspapers are no longer willing to keep enough staff to keep the lines separate.

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

When it was open, Carty was a great contributor to the Ann Arbor News's piece on academics at Michigan.
While he was the lead columnist, do not forget at several papers a columnist is also expected to contribute to take-out pieces.
And Rosey's had Michigan connections deeper than other folks who have been on the beat for years and still get scooped like an ice cream shop...

 

Re: Uh-oh! Cental Michigan, or some other smaller football program, in trouble

You mean the one where DickRod blubbered to the media with tears in his eyes about how he cares for the kids?