In early 1942, as the Japanese flexed their military muscles and ran roughshod over southeast Asia, their barrage left General Douglas MacArthur and his contigent of men isolated in the tiny Bataan province of the Philippines. The situation was hopeless, with only two possible outcomes: either fight and die (or worse, be subjected to the brutality of being prisoners of war under Japanese control), or surrender, something most military personnel would choose death over.
MacArthur was ordered to withdraw and relocate to Australia. He did so, but he also gave a speech in which he made a promise to the people of the Philippines, vowing that he would return one day to liberate them from Japan's looming oppression. Only a few short months later, Bataan was under Japanese control. While the Japanese consolidated their power in southeast Asia, the Allies regrouped and reconfigured their strategy. This led to the Battle of the Coral Sea off the northeast coast of Australia in May 1942, which stretched the Japanese too thin, which led to the Americans crushing them at Midway in June, which put Japan on their heels for the remainder of the war. Following Midway, the grueling Guadalcanal Campaign from August 1942 to February 1943 finally tipped the scales in the Allies' favor. From there, the Allies slowly tightened the noose on the Japanese, hopping from the Solomon Islands to the Marshall Islands, to Saipan, and the Philippine Sea, and Guam, and numerous others...until finally, in October of 1944, MacArthur fulfilled the promise he made, iconically wading through the water onto the shore of Leyte, returning to the Philippines.
Ten years ago, the sinner masquarading as a saint put Michigan on the defensive, dealing a shocking blow in November of 2001 at Michigan Stadium. The tide that was stemmed two years later was only temporary, as another ambush was released on us the next year, when a mediocre Ohio State team throttled Big Ten Champion Michigan in Columbus. If it wasn't obvious in the aftermath of that game, it should've been: Ohio State had seized control of the rivalry. Michigan had a precious few number of opportunities to stop them in their tracks:
Leading 21-12 in the 4th quarter in 2005, only to humiliatingly hand the game to the Buckeyes with a gameplan that can generously be described as cowardly and accurately described as pussy-like.
Chad Henne overthrowing a w i d e open Mario Manningham in the first quarter of a 7-7 tie in 2006, squandering a chance to recapture momentum in the game.
Mike Hart slipping on Ohio State's ice rink of a field making a cut on 3rd down early in the third quarter. If he stays up, he runs untouched into the endzone and ties the game at 28. Instead Michigan has to settle for a field goal, and continues to play from behind.
From the moment that game in 2006 ended, nothing was remotely close between the two teams. Ohio State held Michigan at arm's length in victories in Ann Arbor in 2007 and 2009, and polished their brass knuckles before punching Michigan's skull in in Columbus in 2008 and 2010 against crippled, flailing UM teams that were bringing knives to gunfights.
Headed into this season, with the names largely the same as the previous one, it was assumed that UM would once again bring the knife. Even with Ohio State's (self-inflicted) mess, most people figured they'd still bring the firepower, if only to a lesser degree than recent years.
Imagine the surprise, then, as the season unfolded and showed that Ohio State was in possession of little more than a BB gun, and Michigan's knife was actually a bayonet attached to a rifle; a microcosm of life, where fortunes turn on a dime, with almost no warning. What was dull and desolate one day can suddenly be bright and shiny the next. A 37-7 farce of a game one year can turn into a landmark 40-34 insurrection the next.
Saturday rekindled feelings we had long forgotten, but had always lusted for. The feeling of Michigan's running game imposing its will on Ohio State, instead of feeling like a two yard gain was a success like in recent years, or the abomination that was 2007. The resolve that this team had the talent and fortitude to respond when OSU threw a haymaker, as opposed to the last four years, when it was plain as day that we were done after an OSU score. The schadenfreude that comes with petulant little shits (I cleaned it up for the kids) like Zach Boren crying about Michigan celebrating.
If the last eight years are to represent the general status quo of life - full of a harrowing combination of hope, fear, and ultimately, disappointment and bitterness - then days like Saturday are the moments that justify all the haste and drudgery of the world around us. The unfortunate few among us that are stricken with the compulsion to overanalyze things to the point of stripping them of all meaning often twist, warp, and distort things in our lives until some of them blend together, with the lines of separation becoming too blurry to distinguish. Sometimes this is acceptable, and even desirable, as combining two things we enjoy often produces an entirely new level of enjoyment greater than the parts that compose it. Other times, though, when one of our pleasures is tainted or destroyed, the entire well ends up poisoned, because we find ourselves unable to separate them anymore; they've become linked, and as one goes down in flames, it takes the other with it. When that happens, only a transcendent event can overcome the ghost in the machine.
For me, Michigan football no longer brought me joy, because I made the mistake of associating it with other aspects of my life, and they became too intertwined. So when those "other aspects" swirled the drain, it dragged with it the one thing I had been able to keep clean for years. The result was this season almost being seen from a distance. When Roy Roundtree jumped over Gary Gray to send Brian Kelly's head the way of Hiroshima, I registered maybe a five on the excitement scale. When Sam the Eagle's Traveling Band of Righteousness dealt Michigan its first defeat, what should've been overwhelming frustration and anger was only general annoyance from the realization that I would once again have to tolerate sophomoric trash talk from the most ignorant of fanbases. When Junior Hemingway's touchdown against Iowa was called back due to the traditional incompetence that is frequently exhibited by the trained apes wearing zebra shirts in the Big Ten, my agitation that would usually result in something in the house being broken faded within an hour. When Michigan began to drag the blade across Nebraska's throat, my enjoyment was muted at best.
On Saturday, to quote a vaguely familiar movie, I had what alcoholics refer to as a moment of clarity.
The 2007 class arrived with the quarterback from Texas with a thermonuclear missile attached to his right shoulder and the star cornerback we pulled over the wire of Pete Carroll's SoCal fence in some sort of bastardized hostage exchange because USC came to our backyard and turned Ronald Johnson and his family into mercenaries. Also much-hyped in the 2007 class was Toney Clemons, whose legacy in the eyes of Michigan fans is that of a rat; a snitch who couldn't keep his mouth shut, choosing to spew lies to spite the coach he didn't sign on for. After one season, Ryan Mallett flew the coop, hated by his teammates and shrouded in mystery by the fanbase. Donovan Warren cut short his serviceable Michigan career because he was no longer willing to destroy his future under Tony Gibson's so-called coaching. So Warren's time in a winged helmet came and went without merit, lost in the inferno that settled over Ann Arbor during his tenure.
But from that inferno came battle-worn, weary, loyal soldiers: Junior Hemingway. David Molk. Ryan Van Bergen. Brandon Herron. Troy Woolfolk. Mark Huyge. Individuals who pledged their allegiance to Carr, saw everything that had appealed to them about Michigan came under siege under Rodriguez, only to make it through to the other side under Hoke.
During one of the endless waterboardings we took in 2008, I vividly remember someone saying, "Molk is going to have to go." Condemning the redshirt freshman center, calling for his expulsion, his excommunication, his exile.
At their sides, the remnants of the 2008 class, the ones who endured the death by a thousand knives more than any of us. The class that saw the local star defensive back flame out in a horrifying reminder of what can happen when young men lose their way in life. The class that brought a quartet of four-star linebackers to Ann Arbor, only to see one of them never make it to campus, another leave after the first fall practice, and yet another fail to realize his potential and spend his career as a backup, his development chopped at the knees by a staff guilty of criminal negligence on defense. It was the class that brought Justin Feagin, Dann O'Neill, Brandon Smith and Kurt Wermers. It gave us Sam McGuffie, the YouTube sensation who never got the chance to fly. And Michael Shaw, who scored the first touchdown of the Rodriguez era on a playaction pass into the flat from Nick Sheridan, back when the world was our oyster, and the uncertainty of the frontier that lay ahead didn't frighten us, but excited us.
That class brought us not just Elliott Mealer, but the Mealer family as a whole, and their story that was too heartbreaking for words and illustrated all that was unfair about the world we take for granted - and the perseverance that reminded us of the power of the human spirit.
The journey is over for much of the 2008 class. Mike Martin, the high school wrestling champion who very nearly flipped to Notre Dame after Lloyd Carr retired, only to honor his word, fight his way through the fog and go out on Senior Day with a lion's roar, avoiding the tragic martyrdom that Brandon Graham had to endure two years earlier. And Kevin Koger, the Ohioan who dared to defy the Empire in favor of Michigan, at a time when Tressel's hold on the state was at its zenith. On Saturday, the tight end from Toledo got the last laugh.
Never to be forgotten is Martavious Odoms, one of the most unsung heroes I can ever recall wearing the maize and blue. Undersized, not especially fast, nothing about him stood out. Our earliest vivid memory of Odoms, aside from the random punt return touchdown against Purdue, was how he seemed to disintegrate in November of that first year, as the temperatures fell and the precipitation increased. The pint sized receiver from Pahokee seemed to wilt under the conditions of Big Ten football. But for the next three years, no one would surpass Martavious Odoms when it came to effort and sheer will to win. Countless touchdowns and big runs over the last three years came as a result of Odoms throwing a block downfield; the type of contribution too easily passed over.
The 2008 class's final chapter will be written next season. One more season for Kenny Demens, and Ricky Barnum, and JT Floyd, and Patrick Omameh. One more year for Roy Roundtree. One more year for Darryl Stonum to find some kind of salvation.
Earlier this year, I compared Michigan's explosion on the recruiting scene this cycle to the Arab Spring, an allusion to UofM rising up and challenging MSU's reign as recruiting king in the state. In my mind, the "Arab Spring" of Michigan recruiting began on March 24th when Ben Braden picked UofM over State, and ended on August 8th when Saginaw native Ondre Pipkins also picked the Wolverines, capping a four and a half month stretch that saw Michigan land 22 commitments. But as it turns out, I was wrong. The Wolverine Revolution didn't end with the pause in recruiting. It simply shifted into the seasonal phase, where the team no one expected anything out of fired back at the status quo. The defenders tossed aside as slow, small, weak and clueless in 2010 rose up in 2011 to oppress their oppressors. The same tortured souls that endured some level of Dante's Inferno against Northwestern in 2008, and saw the 2009 season slip away in one surreal sequence at Illinois on Halloween, and felt the weight of the world finally come crashing through in 2010 as Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Mississippi State sealed the fate of their coach in ruthless and draconian fashion...they found a measure of vengeance last Saturday.
They made it through the storm. And against the ghost in their machine, their most corrupt and deceitful of adversaries, they learned to fly on dreadlocks of gold.
Sports are funny. If you ever have the ability to step back and look at this thing called fandom and athletics, you may see how illogical and bizarre and insane the whole thing is. People investing so much energy and time and emotion in events they cannot control orchestrated by people they will never meet. When you look at it in that light, it comes across as lunacy. If you look at life as one big struggle for control, an endless series of events and encounters that people are hell-bent on grasping and controlling for themselves, then the concept of being a sports fan makes no sense whatsoever. Putting so much into something you have no sway over - in the real world, people get locked away in padded rooms for such nonsense.
But it is in that distinction that fandom makes sense. Because no matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we fight, we will always be confronted with things in life that are not only out of our control, but are outside our realm of understanding. Life is full of tragedies in that sense; the most gut wrenching and most painful things you can imagine often come down on the shoulders of those who don't deserve them, because life isn't about what you deserve. It should be, but it isn't. It's about what you get, regardless of what you do before then. The randomness of the universe is something I've never been able to cope with. Genuine, warm, loving, affectionate people shouldn't find themselves staring down the barrel of a disease that will eventually rob them of their ability to function. People who go about things the right way, who treat others with courtesy and respect, who embrace those around them and fit every possible definition of being a "good person" shouldn't have it all taken away in the blink of an eye because someone got distracted while driving and barreled through a red light and took a life because of their carelessness. But it happens. Amazing people are cut down in the prime of life. Reckless, clumsy fools walk away clean. People who fall in love and finally try to embrace it are tossed aside without a second thought, leaving them shattered and ruined and questioning how they could have been so stupid.
Being a sports fan often provides us with an escape from all of the above. We all spend our lives, whether we realize it or not, trying to reduce the misery. We seek out things that make us smile; things that occupy our time and make us feel good. That's what something like football brings. Every Saturday in the fall, we are provided with a little three-hour window that allows us to shed the shackles of life. We don't have to worry ourselves with things like bills, or working, or school. We don't have to dwell on the drama that comes with relationships, romantic or otherwise. We don't have to toss and turn at night, replaying the past in our heads to the point where we feel a perverse combination of sadness, insanity, and rage. For that one little sliver of time on Saturdays, the only thing that matters is what takes place on that field. And whether it's a conscious decision or not, many of us realize that this is our reprieve from the madness. So we throw ourselves headfirst into it. We pour every ounce of emotion we have into it. We shiver when we hear the fight song. We get goose bumps when we run across Schembechler sound bytes on the internet. We see winged helmets shining under the waning summer sun, and then under the looming grayness of autumn, and we feel content. We feel a sense of belonging. We feel like the 110,000 strangers around us are our family for those three hours. Because they know the words to the same song that we do. Because they get the same goose bumps that we do when Bo's gravelly voice echoes over the speakers. Because we all look at this grinning 20-year old from somewhere in Florida with dreadlocks pouring out the back of his helmet, and we see hope.
I've been miserable for a very long time now. Long enough that I can't recall a time when I felt differently. Anyone who has browsed this space of the internet for longer than 10 minutes isn't exceptionally surprised by this. I made the decision many years ago that life was wretched, that people were inherently evil and selfish, and the easiest way to deal with all of it was to never trust anyone, never let anyone get close, destroy any real meaning associated with anything, and to never place any expectations on anyone or anything, because without expectations, there can be no disappointment. A little over a year ago, something entered my life that delivered a wrecking ball to the wall I had erected between myself and the outside world. It brought destruction to the darkness, shook the foundations of everything I had programmed myself to believe, and shined some light in through the wreckage, opening my eyes to the possibility that there was more out there than I perceived. It presented me with the chance for happiness outside of those Saturdays in the fall. For the longest time, I fought it. I lashed out at it and spewed venom at it in an attempt to drive it away. But I wasn't able to. It seeped in through the cracks, because all along as I built the wall, some latent undercurrent of hope was busy chiseling away, leaving the door cracked for the future. And once that began, the wall crumbled. Three years ago, something similar happened in Ann Arbor, as the Schembechler-reinforced bubble around Michigan football was popped by Rich Rodriguez, who promised to lead us to greatness, while simultaneously exposing us to horrors we had never encountered before; horrors that had been unable to get through previously.
And just like the Rodriguez era turned out to be smoke and mirrors and ultimately hollow and without the greatness it portrayed, this intrusion into my life turned out to be corrosive and toxic. It tore through the wall, but with its potential it brought all the atrocities associated with life that I had spent years excising. And when that potential went up in an unceremonious puff of smoke, all that was left was the coldness of the outside world, once again permeating everything and making up for all that time it had been away. And so I saw my world crumble. The world I had established was empty, uninteresting, and colorless. The world I have now is the opposite - it's full, interesting, and colorful; full in the sense that it's full of pain, and hatred, and retroactive self-loathing. Interesting in the sense that it's full of unpredictability, like whether or not I'll have the strength to get out of bed, or whether or not I'll have any interest in living the next day. And it's colorful in the sense that there is an awful lot of red now; the type of metaphorical red that you see when you're infuriated and frustrated to the point of violence, and the type of literal red that comes with blood.
It's around this time that sports, while always being there as a crutch, as a pause, finds itself firmly put in perspective. The misery that always overcame me when Michigan would lose pales in comparison to the misery I feel now. The pain I felt when Michigan lost the Rose Bowl to Texas, or the 2006 Ohio State game, or pretty much anything from the last three years is nothing compared to the pain I'm in every second of every minute of every hour of every day now. The cold sense of dread we all began to experience at some point or another over the last three years, that one that told us that this was destined to fail, doesn't hold a candle to the chilling realization that I have almost every day that maybe I'm just not supposed to find happiness. Maybe I'm supposed to be alone and misanthropic and bitter and whatever else you want to use to describe it. Just as Rich Rodriguez's fate was out of all of our hands, maybe my own fate is out of mine. Perhaps in the ultimate battle for control in a life full of battles for control, I have none, and while things are bad now, fighting that would only make them worse.
On Saturday, Brady Hoke will lead the Wolverines into battle for the first time. The anticipation of a new season is amplified by the arrival of a new coach, and the fan base is abuzz as usual. Except for me. I feel nothing. Because I've allowed the one thing I truly loved, the one thing I thought was above all the chaos, Michigan football, to be tainted and poisoned by the spectacular tragedy that I've allowed to unfold over the last year. I don't anxiously await kickoff on Saturday. I dread it. Because I'm no longer watching a game. I'm watching a nonstop reminder of what has hollowed me out and left nothing but a shell. I'm not escaping from my own personal hell, I'm sinking deeper into it. Michigan was able to escape their hell. They put Rodriguez on the slow boat to China. But just as the metaphor perpetuates itself, things are never as simple in real life as they are on Saturdays in the fall.
I've received a lot of praise over the last few years for some of my work here, and while I don't think much of my writing in general, I appreciate all the compliments I've gotten for some of the things I've posted here. Being my own worst enemy, even this blog reminds me of things I'd much rather erase from my memory forever. But it is what it is. I've never particularly enjoyed my own writing because from my perspective, I write my best work when I'm feeling the worst. If you're a longtime reader, go back and read any of the pieces that you enjoyed. You won't find a single one that conveys optimism. They're all whimsical, or tragically nostalgic, or sometimes downright depressing. From that angle, I suppose this is my best writing of all.
Anyway, I'm glad that my work here has been able to move some of you in some way. I can't predict when the next post will appear here; I can't predict where I'll be in a day, or an hour. Planning for the future creates expectations, and I'm not about to create any, for me or for you.
1986: Youngstown State, trying to boost morale to the economically devastated region of northeast Ohio, hires Ohio State offensive assistant Jim Tressel as head coach.
November 17, 1987: Ohio State fires head coach Earle Bruce after three straight losses. Four days later, Bruce's final game as head coach is a win in Ann Arbor over Michigan.
December 31, 1987: Arizona State head coach John Cooper is hired by Ohio State to replace Bruce. Conventional wisdom says Cooper became the most appealing candidate to Ohio State because of his victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl 364 days earlier.
Spring, 1988: Quarterback and Youngstown native Ray Issac arrives at Youngstown State. Around this time, Tressel introduces Issac to Michael Monus, chairman of the Board of Trustees at Youngstown State and CEO of the drug store chain Phar-Mor. During their first meeting, Monus gives Issac 150 dollars, the first of what will become a habitual series of payments that will total roughly $10,000.
December 21, 1991: Isaac quarterbacks Youngstown State to a 25-17 win over Marshall in the I-AA National Championship Game.
July, 1992: Youngstown State chairman Michael Monus is indicted on fraud and embezzlement charges related to cooking the books at his drug store chain, Phar-Mor. The case would become known as one of the largest cases of corporate fraud in U.S. history. During the course of the investigation, Monus's relationship with Ray Isaac is brought to light. Tressel says he has no knowledge of Monus's payments to Isaac.
January, 1994: The NCAA delivers a notice of allegations to Youngstown State. Tressel, along with Youngstown State Athletic Director Joe Malsimur and Youngstown State President Leslie Cochran assure the NCAA that they will conduct a thorough internal investigation into the matter. This turns out to be a sham, as Malsimur never contacts Monus, and Tressel never speaks to Isaac. In December 2003, Tressel would claim that he can't recall whether or not he talked to Isaac about the allegations. Isaac says he never spoke to anyone.
December 18, 1995: Michael Monus is convicted of one count of conspiracy, two counts of bank fraud, five counts of wire fraud, two counts of mail fraud, two counts of filing false income tax returns, 96 counts of interstate transportation of stolen goods, and one count of obstruction of justice. He is sentenced to 19 and a half years in prison. Shortly before this, Monus and Isaac are both implicated in the bribing of a juror in Monus's first trial, which resulted in a hung jury. During this time, Isaac reaches out to Tressel for help, but Tressel distances himself, saying he doesn't want to know anything and Isaac should simply cooperate with authorities.
November 23, 1996: #21 Michigan, losers of their previous two games, beats 2nd-ranked and undefeated Ohio State 13-9 in Columbus, making this the third time in four years that Michigan has ruined an undefeated season for the Buckeyes. It is at this particular game in 1996 that Ohio State fans openly rebel against John Cooper, hurling insults and obscenities at him as he leaves the field.
March 4, 1998: During the course of Michael Monus's trial for jury tampering, more rules violations are exposed at Youngstown State. The NCAA accuses Youngstown State with lack of institutional control, one of the most serious violations in the NCAA. The NCAA determines that Youngstown State's internal investigation in 1994 was not thorough or in-depth.
February 28, 2000: The NCAA concludes its investigation, accepting Youngstown State's self-imposed penalties, which include a reduction of two scholarships in 2000-2001, 2001-2002, and 2002-2003. Because the NCAA's statute of limitations expired in 1996, they cannot take away Youngstown State's 1991 National Championship. The NCAA also chooses not to sanction Tressel.
January 2, 2001: John Cooper is fired by Ohio State the day after losing to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl. Cooper finishes his career at Ohio State with a 3-8 bowl record and a 2-10-1 record against Michigan.
January 17, 2001: Ohio State hires Jim Tressel away from Youngstown State to replace John Cooper as head coach. The next day, during halftime of the Michigan-Ohio State basketball game, Tressel delivers his famous line that has become Ohio State lore: "I can assure you that you will be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan."
January 20, 2001: Youngstown native Maurice Clarett, the star rusher for Harding High School in Warren (14 miles northwest of Youngstown) and the #1 running back recruit in the country, commits to play for Jim Tressel at Ohio State.
March 21, 2001: Ohio State cornerback Derek Ross is arrested on charges of driving without a license and providing false information to police. He is sentenced to 30 days in jail and suspended for the spring, but returns for the season and leads the Big Ten in interceptions.
November 15, 2001: Ohio State quarterback Steve Bellisari is arrested for driving drunk two days before OSU's game against Illinois. Tressel suspends him, only to reinstate him and allow him to play in the team's bowl game.
November 24, 2001: Tressel makes good on the promise he made 10 months earlier as Ohio State beats Michigan 26-20 in Ann Arbor. During the game, Maurice Clarett takes an official visit to Michigan on UM's dime, and spends the game on the Ohio State sideline cheering for the Buckeyes.
March 2, 2002: Ohio State tight end Redgie Arden is arrested for drunk driving. He spends three days in jail and is suspended from spring practices. Tressel reinstates him before the season and he plays in 11 games in 2002.
April 27, 2002: Ohio State linebacker Marco Cooper is arrested for felony drug abuse and carrying a concealed weapon. In November, he pleads out and is put on probation.
July 26, 2002: Ohio State fullback Branden Joe is discovered asleep in his car on a highway ramp near Ohio State's campus. He refuses a breathalyzer test, and is suspended for three weeks of preseason camp, along with the first game of the 2002 season.
July 29, 2002: Ohio State wide receiver Angelo Chattams is suspected of being involved in a theft, but prosecutors allow him to enter a program for first-time offenders and avoid a criminal charge. He is excused from the team, but never suspended.
August 17, 2002: Ohio State defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock is arrested for underage drinking. He is suspended for three weeks of offseason workouts, but is not suspended for any games.
August 24, 2002: Ohio State wide receiver Chris Vance is arrested for underage drinking. He is held out of the first two games, and goes on to be Ohio State's 4th leading receiver in the 2002 season.
October 13, 2002: Ohio State linebacker Fred Pagac, Jr. is arrested for persistant disorderly conduct. Arrested at 3:45 AM, police say he was intoxicated and had a role in a fight involving two women, and did not stop fighting when ordered by police. He is suspended for one game, and is allowed to play in the National Championship Game against Miami in January.
October 30, 2002: Ohio State long snapper Kurt Wilhelm is arrested for felonious assault. He is held out of Ohio State's game against Penn State.
April, 2003: Maurice Clarett files a report stating that a car he borrowed from a local dealership was broken into and thousands of dollars in cash, CDs, stereo equipment, and clothing was stolen. Clarett calls the police from a phone in Jim Tressel's office. He is later charged with lying about the value of the items and falsification of a police report. He pleads guilty, is ordered to pay a fine, and does no jail time.
May, 2003: Ohio State cornerback/receiver Chris Gamble and nine other players are ruled ineligible for signing autographs at a convention, during which they took an hourly salary.
June, 2003: Ohio State tight end Redgie Arden pleads innocent to his second drunk driving charge in 15 months.
Fall, 2003: The NCAA begins an investigation at Ohio State amid allegations of academic fraud and ineligibility. The investigation revolves around Maurice Clarett, and a teacher admits that Clarett received preferential treatment. The teacher is fired, and Clarett is found to be in violation of 14 conduct bylaws, two violations of receiving extra benefits because he is an athlete. The investigation also discovers that the Monte Carlo Clarett is driving was a loaner from a used-car lot. To make things worse, and forcing Ohio State's hand, is the fact that Clarett was regularly receiving benefits from Youngstown acquaintance Bobby Dellimuti. Dellimuti provided Clarett with 500 dollars in cash, and paid for thousands of dollars worth in cell phone bills for Clarett. Ohio State suspends him for the entire 2003 season. It is later revealed that Jim Tressel knew Dellimuti and knew who he was before Clarett's freshman season in 2002.
October 27, 2003: Ohio State tight end Louis Irizarry is arrested on three counts of first-degree misdemeanor assault. He is suspended two days later, and is found guilty of one count of assault, one count of negligent assault, and one count of disorderly conduct. He is put on probation, and is listed as second on the depth chart at tight end on Ohio State's spring 2004 roster.
November 16, 2003: Ohio State wide receiver Santonio Holmes and quarterback Troy Smith are arrested six days before the Michigan game on charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct after a fight on campus in the early morning hours following Ohio State's win over Purdue. Holmes is held out of the starting lineup against Michigan, but plays the majority of the game and catches two touchdowns.
April, 2004: Ohio State fullback Branden Joe is cited for a misdemeanor open container violation, his second alcohol-related offense.
May 1, 2004: Ohio State tight end Louis Irizarry and cornerback Ira Guilford are arrested and charged with robbery after a student is assaulted and his wallet is stolen at 3 AM. They both plead innocent, and Guilford is released on bond, while Irizarry is held until the determination can be made whether or not he violated his probation from his October 2003 conviction.
May 5, 2004: Ohio State punter A.J. Trapasso is charged with underage drinking.
May 17, 2004: Ohio State punter A.J. Trapasso is arrested for underage drinking for the second time in 12 days.
June 7, 2004: Ohio State tight end Louis Irizarry is arrested for criminal trespassing after police pull him over and discover he has been banned from the campus of Ohio State.
October 23, 2004: Ohio State running back Lydell Ross is arrested for attempting to pass fake money to a woman at a gentlemen's club.
November 9, 2004: Maurice Clarett blows the whistle on Ohio State, attempting to expose all of the alleged corruption going on at his former school. He claims he "took the fall" during the 2003 investigation into his academics at Ohio State, and is now trying to clear his name. Clarett says that Jim Tressel arranged for Clarett to have access to several loaner vehicles, and that Tressel's brother Dick set up lucrative jobs that Clarett did not have to show up to. He also says that members of Tressel's staff introduced Clarett to boosters who provided him with cash benefits based on his performance on the field. Clarett says he would have been ineligible for the 2002 season, but that the Ohio State coaching staff set him up with an academic advisor whose only goal was to keep him eligible. He claims the academic advisor put him in Independent Study courses with hand-picked teachers who would pass him regardless of attendance. His allegations are corroborated by former Ohio State linebacker Marco Cooper. Cooper, who was kicked off the team because of multiple drug-related arrests, says he too was set up with fraudulent jobs and was provided with cars in exchange for signed memorabilia. Clarett says he is blowing the whistle on Ohio State because he feels they "blackballed" him from the university after suspending him for the 2003 season.
October 12, 2004: Louis Irizarry is sentenced to three years in prison.
December 20, 2004: Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith is suspended for the Alamo Bowl and the 2005 season opener for accepting $500 from a booster.
December 21, 2004: Ohio State wide receiver Albert Dukes is arrested on two felony counts of second-degree lewd and lascivious conduct involving a 12 year old girl. Tressel allows Dukes to travel with the team to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, and the charges are later dropped when the parents refuse to let their daughter testify in court.
February 16, 2005: The NCAA reprimands Ohio State offensive line coach Jim Bollman for trying to set up a recruit with a car, a loan, and a tutor. Jim Tressel is also reprimanded because Bollman is his subordinate.
May 11, 2005: Ohio State kicker Jonathan Skeete is arrested for drug trafficking. He is suspended.
May 19, 2005: Ohio State running back Erik Haw is cited by university police for smoking marijuana outside a dorm.
May 21, 2005: Ohio State lineman Tim Schafer is charged with disorderly conduct after police had to break up two fights between Schafer and another man. Both men were bloody and smelled of alcohol.
July 20, 2005: Ohio State athletic officials investigate a possible second NCAA rules violation by quarterback Troy Smith. Smith attended a quarterbacks camp run by Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, but because Ohio State runs on quarters instead of semesters, Smith may have missed class to attend, which would be an NCAA violation. Jim Tressel declines comment, saying the university's compliance department has not finished its inquiry.
December 6, 2005: Police say that Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk and center Nick Mangold reported a burglary at their apartment following their win over Michigan. According to the police report, the robbery took place sometime between 6:00 PM on November 22 and 8:00 PM on November 23rd. Hawk and Mangold tell police that $3000 in cash, $1425 in movies, two laptop computers, a $500 Gucci watch, and $750 worth of PlayStation and X-Box equipment was stolen. Police were not told about the crime until November 28.
December 22, 2005: Ohio State offensive lineman Andree Tyree is suspended from the Fiesta Bowl for a violation of team rules. It is later revealed that Tyree failed his third drug test.
March 7, 2006: Former Ohio State kicker Jonathan Skeete returns to the team as a walk-on following his arrest on drug trafficking charges in May 2005. He was convicted in October 2005, and despite his status as a convicted felon, he is readmitted to the university and reinstated to the football team.
April 2, 2006: Ohio State offensive lineman Alex Boone is arrested after driving under the influence and being involved in a two-vehicle crash. Jim Tressel says that Boone will not be suspended for any practices or games.
August 9, 2006: Ohio State tight end Marcel Frost is suspended for the 2006 season for violating team rules. Although the athletic department refuses to comment on the nature of the violation, spokesman Dan Wallenberg says Frost will remain on scholarship and be eligible to return in 2007.
September 18, 2007: Ohio State wide receiver Ray Small is arrested for driving with a suspended license.
September 24, 2007: Ohio State quarterback Antonio Henton is arrested for soliciting a prostitute.
December 12, 2007: Jeannette, Pennsylvania businessman Ted Sarniak is cleared of allegations of bribery as a result of police opting not to arrest Sarniak in October 2006 when he crashed his car into a utility pole following the Jeannette-Catholic Central football game. Sarniak smelled of alcohol, but was not taken into custody. Though cleared of the bribery accusations, Sarniak has a documented history of providing Pittsburgh Steelers football tickets and other gifts to police officers in Jeannette.
December 20, 2007: Ohio State cornerback Eugene Clifford is suspended for violating team rules.
January 17, 2008: The night before heralded Jeannette quarterback Terrelle Pryor takes an official visit to Michigan, Ohio State coaches have dinner with Jeannette businessman Ted Sarniak, who is a friend and mentor to Pryor.
March 19, 2008: Terrelle Pryor signs with Ohio State.
April 11, 2008: Ohio State defensive backs Eugene Clifford, Jamario O'Neal, and Donald Washington are held out of practice but not officially suspended. It is rumored that all three players failed drug tests.
July 7, 2008: Ohio State defensive back Eugene Clifford's career at OSU ends, as he is arrested again, this time for assault after allegedly punching two men in the face. He transfers to Tennessee State later in the month.
July 26, 2008: Ohio State defensive tackle Doug Worthington is arrested and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated. He misses no game action in the 2008 season.
December 11, 2008: Ohio State defensive end Nathan Williams is arrested for shoplifting. He receives no punishment other than "internal" from the coaches.
February 2, 2009: Ohio State offensive lineman Alex Boone is arrested after being belligerant and uncooperative with police while he jumps on car hoods in a drunken tirade. Boone flees from police, who find him under a patio and have to taze him to subdue him.
June 11, 2009: Ohio State running back recruit Jaamal Berry is arrested for felony possession of marijuana in Miami. He pleas down and agrees to take a six-month drug program online in exchange for having the charges dropped. He is allowed to enroll at Ohio State and join the football team without issue.
September 9, 2009: It is discovered that violations were committed during Ohio State's recruitment of quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Pryor's official visit to Ohio State for the game against Wisconsin in 2007 came with a discounted hotel rate. The other violation involves former Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith working at an Ohio State football camp in the summer of 2007, during which time Smith encourages Pryor to pick Ohio State. As a result of the hotel violation, Pryor is quietly ruled ineligible in August 2009 until he repays $158. Ohio State files a request to the NCAA to reinstate Pryor on August 21, and he regains his eligibility in time for the season opener on August 30.
April 2, 2010, 2:32 PM: Jim Tressel receives an email from Chris Cicero, a Columbus attorney. Cicero informs Tressel that several players have been selling signed items to tattoo parlor owner Edward Rife, who is under heavy investigation from the authorities on suspicion of drug trafficking. Rife informs Tressel of all of this, and details Rife's criminal history.
April 2, 2010, 6:32 PM: Tressel responds to Cicero's email, telling him he will "get on it ASAP."
April 16, 2010, 9:43 AM: Cicero emails Tressel again, giving details of cleats, jerseys, Big Ten championship rings and a national championship ring being sold.
April 16, 2010, 11:20 AM: Tressel responds to Cicero once more: "I hear you!! It is unbelievable!! Thanks for your help keep me posted as to what I need to do if anything. I will keep pounding these kids hoping they grow up. jt"
April 16, 2010, 2:26 PM: Cicero recommends that Tressel ban his players from going to the tattoo parlor and having any contact with Rife. He asks that Tressel keep their email communication private.
June 1, 2010, 7:33 AM: Tressel emails Cicero, informing him that the team will be receiving their 2009 Big Ten Championship rings, and asks if there are anymore names that Cicero can give him.
June 1, 2010, 4:09 PM: Cicero tells Tressel he has no new names, but that the names he gave him previously "are still good."
June 6, 2010, 9:15 PM: Five days later, Tressel thanks Cicero in what is their last known communication.
September 13, 2010: Jim Tressel signs an NCAA certificate of compliance, which indicates that he has reported any knowledge of any violations.
December 7, 2010: Authorities contact Ohio State, notifying them that they have raided Rife's tattoo parlor, and discovered several Ohio State items. The authorities, obviously unaware of any NCAA implications, are simply inquiring as to whether or not the items may have been stolen. The Ohio State athletic department is notified of this the next day.
December 9, 2010: Jim Tressel is informed that federal officials know about the items. Tressel still does not inform his superiors of his email exchanges with Chris Cicero. During the next week, Ohio State plans an internal investigation into the matter.
December 16, 2010: Ohio State interviews the six players implicated: quarterback Terrelle Pryor, running back Daniel Herron, wide receiver DeVier Posey, offensive tackle Mike Adams, defensive end Solomon Thomas, and linebacker Jordan Whiting.
December 17, 2010: Ohio State informs the Big Ten and the NCAA that they are preparing to self-report violations.
December 19, 2010: Ohio State releases its report, and declares the six players ineligible.
December 21, 2010: The NCAA contacts the six players, asking for additional information. Ohio State provides this information the next day.
December 22, 2010: The NCAA notifies Ohio State of its decision: 5-game suspensions for Pryor, Herron, Posey, Adams, and Thomas, and one game for Whiting. Incredulously, all six players are allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl on January 4.
December 23, 2010: Jim Tressel and Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith hold a press conference, announcing the findings and sanctions.
January 13, 2011: Ohio State's office of legal affairs stumble upon Tressel's email correspondence with Chris Cicero. They conduct a search of the email accounts of all members of the football staff, and discover that no one else knew of the players' contact with Edward Rife before December 2010.
January 16, 2011: Jim Tressel is questioned by Ohio State officials, and he acknowledges his contact with Chris Cicero.
February 2, 2011: Ohio State offensive lineman recruit Chris Carter is arrested the day before Signing Day on a charge of sexual imposition. He is accused of fondling up to eight girls at his high school under the pretense of measuring them for ROTC uniforms. Despite having a confession from Carter, authorities drop the charges five days later, and Carter is allowed to sign with Ohio State.
February 8, 2011: During an interview with NCAA and Ohio State officials, Jim Tressel admits that he knew violations were committed when he did not report what Cicero told him.
March 7, 2011: Yahoo! Sports reports that a source has told them that Jim Tressel knew of the violations in April 2010 and did not tell anyone else. Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith accelerates the process of the completion of the university's self-report.
March 8, 2011: Ohio State releases its report, disclosing Tressel's violation and announcing a two-game suspension and $250,000 fine for the head coach.
March 17, 2011: Ohio State and Jim Tressel announce that the two-game suspension will be increased to five.
March 25, 2011: It is revealed that Jim Tressel in fact didn't keep the email correspondence with Chris Cicero all to himself. He forwarded the emails to Ted Sarniak, the Jeannette businessman with an affinity for giving gifts to police officers, and friend and mentor of Terrelle Pryor from Pryor's days as the #1 recruit in the nation at Jeannette High School.
April 25, 2011: The NCAA delivers a notice of allegations to Ohio State and Tressel, accusing Tressel of failing to "deport himself in accordance with the honesty and integrity normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics as required by NCAA legislation and violated ethical-conduct legislation when he failed to report information concerning violations of NCAA legislation and permitted football student-athletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition while ineligible."
May 1, 2011: Ohio State linebacker Dorian Bell is suspended for the entire 2011 season for an unspecified violation of team rules, with all rumors pointing to a persistant marijuana issue. Bell immediately leaves school with the intent to transfer; his hometown Pitt Panthers turn him away.
May 7, 2011: The Columbus Dispatch reports that Ohio State will investigate used-car purchases by dozens of Ohio State athletes at two Columbus car dealerships. The Dispatch discovers that at least eight athletes and 11 athletes' relatives bought used cars from two specific dealerships during the past five years.
May 23, 2011: Former Ohio State basketball player Mark Titus posts a lengthy blog post detailing his eyewitness accounts of "an unusually high volume of brand new Dodge Chargers driving around on campus, and just about all of them had tinted windows and rims on the outside with Ohio State football players behind the wheel on the inside."
May 25, 2011: Former Ohio State receiver Ray Small tells the Ohio State student newspaper that he sold items for cash during his time at Ohio State, and he also mentions that "the best deals came from the car dealerships." After facing blistering criticism from former and current Ohio State players, in addition to Ohio State fans, Small backtracks on his story, saying the newspaper twisted his words.
May 27, 2011: Ohio State announces that it will not disclose the correspondence between Jim Tressel and the Jeannette businessman, Ted Sarniak.
May 30, 2011: Jim Tressel interrupts his vacation in Florida to return to Columbus and deliver his letter of resignation to Athletic Director Gene Smith and university President E. Gordon Gee. The resignation comes on the eve of what is believed to be a very destructive Sports Illustrated article that is rumored to put Tressel and Ohio State even deeper in the hole.
Nothing Ohio State has accomplished in the last ten years is valid anymore. From Clarett, to Smith, to Pryor, and all the others in between, with the cars and the cash and the discounts and the cutting of corners, Ohio State is essentially an SEC school operating in the Midwest. Tressel is a proven, documented cheater, and if the NCAA has any balls at all, they will slap him with a show-cause order, blackballing him from ever coaching again. He has successfully manipulated his public perception so he comes across as a righteous, homely, ethically pure gentleman, when the reality is he's basically a gangster, willing to do whatever it takes to win, and turning a blind eye toward the corruption that he himself endorses. He distanced himself from Ray Isaac at Youngstown when the NCAA came calling. He distanced himself from Maurice Clarett while simultaneously shredding Clarett's credibility when he tried to destroy Ohio State. If some injustice is committed and he somehow survives this latest storm, he will distance himself from Terrelle Pryor and his friends, too.
Tressel entered into a perfect marriage with Ohio State back in the winter of 2001. A native son with enormous success at a lower level, but more than ready to take the next step. And a school so desperate to reverse their fortunes in that final game in late November, so eager to erase the sour taste of 2-10-1 from their mouths, willing to sell their souls at all costs if it means claiming dominance over "That School Up North." That is the culture of Ohio State football. The means don't matter whatsoever. As long as the end is a victory over Michigan, they will tolerate anything that comes their way. And now they deserve the darkest of fates. They knew what they were getting in Tressel: a faux-superior thug, who shares the win at all costs mentality of his followers. They are essentially a hostile regime, with Tressel leading the masses in "Death to Michigan" chants. And any dissenters, anyone who dares speak out against the regime - Kirk Herbstreit, Bruce Hooley, Mark Titus, Ray Small - is thrown to the wolves, their credibility and character put through the meat grinder by the bloodthirsty masses. The brainwashed followers, from the dusty streets of Youngstown to the outskirts of Cincinnati, from the shores of Lake Erie and Glenville High School to the backwoods of Westerville, and Centerville, and the epicenter in Columbus, they all march in lockstep as Senator Tressel commands them. And eventually, he will lead them off the cliff, and they will follow him without question, even it means their own destruction.
There's a Latin saying I like to use a lot, mainly because it makes me look much more cultured than I actually am, partially because Kiefer Sutherland used it in Desert Saints, and also because it's pretty damn true.
De gestibus non est disputandum.
Literally translated, it means, "there is no disputing about tastes." Its meaning, in case it's not obvious, is that when it comes to matters of opinion, debate is pointless. If you're trying to engage someone in an argument about something they have strong belief in, you're never going to win. You can't talk people out of their beliefs, whether it be religion, politics, music, or...football.
For the past three years, many (most?) Michigan fans did everything they could to excuse Rich Rodriguez. The list of deflections and excuses is extensive, ranging from everything between the red wristbands he wore to the actual play on the field. Only when faced with an excessively overwhelming heap of evidence did the vast majority of Michigan fans finally agree that he simply wasn't going to get it done, and that the future no longer held any promise of improvement under his guidance. But until the evidence was mountain-high - increasingly laughable losses to Michigan State, Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and finally Mississippi State - did the diehards (myself included) finally abandon ship. The breaking point was different for everyone - for me the MSU game put one foot out the door, and the PSU game put the other one out and slammed the door shut - but until we each reached that point, we stood strong in our beliefs and convictions, no matter what anyone else said.
That is why Michigan fans won't win the fight against Michigan State fans, and vice versa. It's like Muslims vs. Jews at this point. Neither side can convince the other out of the belief that the other side is destined to lose the endless struggle. There's always some sort of excuse, and that applies to both sides. For three years, we've heard MSU fans (and recruits) jabbering about Michigan disrespecting the state by not pursuing many of the in-state players, and how Michigan State was "turning the state green" and that "Michigan State is THE university of Michigan", and other superlative, hyperbolic nonsense. During this time, Michigan fans had some good reasons and some bad reasons for this. A good reason was the blatant and obvious influences of certain people on the recruitments of certain star prospects now residing in East Lansing and Columbus. There was nothing Rich Rodriguez could've done to change these situations, because they began to fester under Carr. A bad reason was the "Michigan doesn't have enough talent, we'll recruit nationally anyway" schtick. Yes, Michigan is down the totem pole in terms of sheer numbers when it comes to high school talent in football. But if you toss it by the wayside, the stars you miss on will almost always come back to bite you, and that's as painful as not having them on your team. We got lucky in the Epic Fail 2007 Class when Ronald Johnson, Dionte Allen, Joseph Barksdale, and others left entirely, instead of picking local rivals of UofM. Not so lucky in recent years; regardless of how they got there, William Gholston and Lawrence Thomas at Michigan State are problems. Johnathan Hankins at Ohio State is a problem. When the neighbors set up shop in your kitchen and start cherry picking your groceries, it's not as simple as going back to the market to get more.
So now, present day. Three years of submitting to our East Lansing Overlords has given way to an uprising and demanding an end to the Dantonio regime, and our new leader dares to tread on the dictator's territory. And once he does, and has, a different line of rhetoric begins, one that is inherently laughable: that Michigan State is evolving into a national recruiting power and can afford to miss out on the state's best players, because they'll get equal or better ones from elsewhere - sounds eeriely like the comments from Michigan fans the last three years that MSU fans heartily laughed at while hanging their "Mission Accomplished" banner over the mitten.
Another excuse is "All the kids Michigan is landing were scUM leans anyway." Oh, so you're implying the playing field wasn't fair? And you feel comfortable stating this while Gholston, Fred Smith and Ed Davis put on MSU jerseys while their high school coach spends his days fetching Dantonio's coffee and bran muffin each morning? You're okay with that position while Lawrence Thomas and Mylan Hicks suit up for the Spartans, knowing that their coach from Renaissance famously threw UofM under the bus while bouncing Dantonio's balls off his chin? Things considerably soured for Michigan at OLSM during the latter years of Carr and Rodriguez's three years, and yet when Hoke comes in and immediately lands James Ross (the best player in the state), you get one of two excuses. One follows the mindset summed up by the title of a post on a Michigan State message board: "(OLSM coach George) Porritt showing his true Blue colors again", the comical notion that Porritt favors Michigan despite sending Kalin Lucas, Jon Misch and Dion Sims to East Lansing in recent years. The other is "Ross is too small anyway." He's the same size Greg Jones was in high school. I think he worked out pretty well for MSU. Ross was also a high priority for both Ohio State and Penn State, two schools that I'm pretty sure know a thing or two about linebacking.
And then when presented with the cases of Mario Ojemudia and Devin Funchess, students at a notoriously pro-MSU school in Farmington Hills Harrison (Agim Shabaj, Drew Stanton, Mark Dell), a school still heavily influenced by former Spartan Mill Coleman, MSU fans play the "playing time" card. Lifelong Michigan State fan Ojemudia was obviously scared away by depth chart at MSU and was sold on a dream by Hoke and Mattison. So basically, Hoke's taking the same approach Dantonio took when he arrived at Michigan State, but it's a shallow and flimsy pitch this time. At Cass Tech, MSU fans were all excited to be in the top two for Dior Mathis, and got their hopes up when MSU offered Royce Jenkins-Stone and Terry Richardson before Michigan did. And then when Dior was clearly ticketed for Oregon, and Richardson seems bound for Ann Arbor, they're both far too small and too Cissoko-like to ever be impact players. Never mind that Oregon is developing a pretty impressive track record with defensive backs, or the fact that Richardson has offers from Alabama, USC, Ohio State, Penn State, and other elite programs. If Nick Saban offers you as a defensive back, chances are you're pretty good at football. But by all means, pigeon-hole the kid because his size resembles that of another player who had already graduated from Cass by the time Terry got there. If Richardson went to Renaissance, MSU fans would be comparing him to Mylan Hicks. But because he goes to Cass Tech, he's Cissoko part two. Comparing players because they go to the same high school is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard.
If Richardson was too small, Dantonio wouldn't have offered him. If Ross was too small, Dantonio wouldn't have offered him. If Ojemudia was too small, Dantonio wouldn't have offered him. You don't offer recruits a year before they sign if they aren't at the top of your board. I'm pretty sure James Ross was the first recruit either school offered for this class. He isn't "ideal" linebacker size, and isn't a physically imposing specimen like Gholston or Thomas. But he's also much, much more advanced as a football player than either of those two. That's not to say Gholston or LT won't be great. They absolutely can be. But so can Ross. His instincts are unmatched, and MSU fans trying to dismiss his commitment to Michigan as "he's too small" or "UM has more playing time" or "he was always a Michigan lean" are chewing on some exceptionally sour grapes.
Stop trying to spin what is plainly obvious: your "in-state dominance" was more a result of Michigan being thrown in the tank for three years. "Lifelong Michigan fans" still went elsewhere during Rodriguez's tenure. Whatever infrastructure Dantonio built in the state has already been surpassed by Hoke. If you think a bumpy first year will suddenly open the eyes of the recruits who have committed, and there will be some mass defection, you are sorely, sorely mistaken. Even Rodriguez never lost a single in-state recruit he got a verbal commitment from. The only in-state kid Michigan lost in recent memory (who was publically committed) was Jake Fisher, and that was because of the coaching change. Michigan State is coming off a (shared) Big Ten Championship, and an 11-win season, and now they can't even convince kids who grew up cheering for MSU and go to an MSU-friendly high school to commit to them. MSU may be able to salvage Aaron Burbridge - but it's unbelievable that Hoke has already pulled Michigan even. This is a kid that should've been committed to State months ago, and now Michigan has a real shot of stealing him away. Hoke has beaten Dantonio heads up in every single recruiting battle to date, and the future looks bleak too.
As for those who say Hoke is a terrible coach and was Michigan's Plan D or E or whatever (and even cite other Michigan people who wanted nothing to do with him): don't pretend to know how Michigan's coaching search went down. Even the vast majority of Michigan fans aren't sure what exactly happened. The general consensus is that Dave Brandon had a wink and nod agreement with Jim Harbaugh, and that it fell apart at the last minute when Harbaugh's NFL stock went nuclear. After that, no one knows for sure. There's a line of thinking that Les Miles was genuinely pursued, and politely declined, and then Michigan moved on to Hoke (making him a Plan C at the worst). There's another that says Miles was "pursued" only to placate the Miles faction that spent the last three years pouting and raving that they were ignored in 2007. This line of thinking points back to Brandon allegedly saying he would never hire Miles (everyone knows about the skeletons in his closet), and that he never offered Miles the job and was focused in on Hoke immediately after the Harbaugh agreement fell through. If that's the case, then that's not a bad Plan B. Brian at MGoBlog was famously opposed to Hoke's candidacy in 2007, and there remains a certain segment of the UM fanbase that believes Hoke is a patsy and Lloyd is really Emperor Palpatine, pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The fact is, Dantonio never did anything as a head coach prior to arriving at MSU that was more impressive than what Hoke did as a head coach prior to arriving at UM. Dantonio had success as a coordinator - on the staff of a proven cheater on a team that rode a felon and an ineligible athlete to a national title. As a head coach, Dantonio did nothing of merit at Cincinnati, and yet has proven himself to be a very dependable coach at State. Hoke also had success as an assistant, and he has a national championship ring on his finger too, from 1997. So he had an under .500 record at Ball State. Can you name a coach that had success at Ball State? Can you even tell me where Ball State is located? And yet he managed to win 12 games in his final season there in 2008, their first 10-win season since 1978. They scored the most points in school history that year, with 489. The second most was 2007, also coached by Hoke, with 409. After that, in third place? 377, in 1977. At San Diego State, Hoke took over a program that was 4-7, 5-7, 3-9, 4-8, and 2-10 in the five years prior to his arrival. Two years later, they were 9-4, losing four games by a combined 15 points, being the only team to stay within striking distance of TCU (until the Rose Bowl), and winning the Poinsettia Bowl by three touchdowns. No evidence exists to suggest Hoke is any worse of a coach than Dantonio was prior to taking over MSU's program. Using the aversion many Michigan fans had to him as proof he's a lousy coach is amusing, but useless.
Throw out all the excuses you want. "MSU's depth is scaring recruits away." "Some of these kids are too small." "Some of these kids are lifelong Michigan fans." "Hoke is selling a dream." "There will be mass decommits when we kill UM on the field this year."
Thank you, Rationalization Man. You have saved the village.
I suppose I could just link to this post from exactly one year ago. It's essentially the exact same thing.
One of the biggest cliches in this world is "all good things must come to an end." And as is the case with almost all cliches, it's a cliche because it's true. There is nothing in our lives that has an infinite lifespan. When we encounter something good, or even decent, something we deem to be worthwhile, even if we resist it at first, we eventually come to rely upon it, and we subconsciously do whatever we can to preserve it. We try with all our might to keep the decency in our lives, clinging to whatever joy we find in an otherwise cold world.
But it's irrelevant. The passage of time inevitably brings with it the winds of change. Regardless of what we do, sooner or later, the things we cherish slip through our hands, in some way or another. The most tragic among us witness the greatness fading away, while the blissfully ignorant remain blind to it until they realize it's gone. Either way, the end result is the same: we all feel the same emptiness when we lose something we held dear. We all feel the same pain in our hearts that accompanies the void that was once filled. In the end, all we have left are the memories we forged, the images we burn into our minds, and the sounds of a lost paradise that we use to fill the silence that dominates the present after what we loved has faded into the clouds of history.
For Red Wings fans, the past 20 years have instilled in us a righteous sense of superiority. We acquired the feeling that not a team in hockey could match the skill of the Red Wings, and if the Wings played "their" game, their precise execution would win the day. We never acknowledged the possibility that another team was actually "better" than us. In 2006, Edmonton wasn't "better", they simply employed the trap to suffocate the Wings' offense, a crutch used by a clearly inferior team. In 2007, Anaheim wasn't better, they had to resort to goonery and thug tactics to muscle their way past the Wings in the West Finals. In 2009, the Penguins weren't better, they were simply able to drag their bodies across the finish line just ahead of ours, because we had to endure injuries upon injuries and terrible officiating and the brutality of the Western Conference playoffs. Detroit fans have this romantic notion that if the Wings were in the Eastern Conference, we would've won every Stanley Cup since 1996.
I'm (mostly) exaggerating, of course, but the base point remains the same. By and large, we've never accepted the possibility of a team being better at what we do than us. But now, as we stare own the barrel of another elimination from San Jose, as we swallow the bitter pill of a seventh loss in the last eight playoff games against the Sharks, the reality is as obvious as it is painful: they are truly and genuinely better than the Red Wings. They're not deploying some gimmicky defense, nor are they taking advantage of pussy ass referees and pulverizing the Red Wings after every whistle. No, they're doing what the Red Wings have done for the majority of the last 20 years. They're dominating in the faceoff circle. They're winning the battles in the corners. They're backchecking and forechecking with relentless vigor, and for the most part they are destroying us in the special teams department as the Red Wings' penalty kill swirls the drain for the third year in a row under the incompetent eye of Brad McCrimmon - while former Red Wings assistant Todd McLellan dominates the Wings in the areas he himself built to elite status while in Detroit. Our own weapons, used against us. Beaten at our own game.
The reality we all want to ignore but can't deny now lies ahead of us, plain as day and right out in the open. The days of overbearing dominance by the Red Wings in the West is over. The mystique is no longer there. These same Sharks wilted away like spineless cowards in the face of the Winged Wheel four years ago when Robert Lang scored in the final minute to tie Game 4, a game the Red Wings would win in overtime to tie the series. The Wings dominated the next two games to eliminate the Sharks. For Michigan fans, this is a familiar experience. For 40 years, Michigan occupied the minds of the other Big Ten programs, a phenomenon we sometimes refer to as "Winged Helmet Paranoia." In that same vein, "Winged Wheel Paranoia" has enjoyed a reign of nearly two decades. And it's gone now. Teams don't fear the Red Wings anymore. The Sharks and Penguins have shattered the aura of invincibility that surrounded Joe Louis Arena since the early 90s. The mind games are gone, just as the last three years (some would certainly argue more than that) saw the mystique fade from Michigan football. Teams no longer fear coming into the Big House; just the opposite, in fact. They see it as an opportunity to exact vengeance for years of tyranny under the oppressive thumb of the Wolverines; a chance to snatch a pound of flesh 40 years in the making.
But the thing is, as Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison have the grand opportunity to restore the mystique, as they plunder the state of Michigan and lay waste to Mark Dantonio's grand vision of "turning the state green", as they dare to encrouch on the evil empire's territory to the south of us, there exists much smaller chances for the Red Wings to fight off the wave of insurgency against their power. College football provides the luxury of a clean slate every few years as the entire roster turns over and the chance for younger, better players to step in presents itself. We're already seeing the beginning of it for Michigan football, as we can rest assured that greatness lies ahead with James Ross, and Royce Jenkins-Stone, and Joe Bolden, and Kaleb Ringer, and other stars in the making whose best days lie ahead. This isn't the case in pro sports. The usurpation of Detroit's throne in the West by teams like Chicago, and San Jose, and Vancouver - these are teams with nuclei much younger than ours. The future doesn't hold promise for the Red Wings as much as it holds uncertainty. Lidstrom and Rafalski are on their last legs; behind them resides unproven talent that will need to be proven lest an enormous hole in our already-shoddy defense be torn open. The Wings had great hope for Jonathan Ericsson, and instead we've been treated to three years of incompetence and utterly dreadful play. Up front, Datsyuk and Zetterberg and Franzen are on the wrong side of 30. Bertuzzi and Holmstrom are almost out of gas. The youth that exists in the system - players like Tatar and Nyquist and Pulkkinen and Kindl and Smith and Mursak - is completely and utterly unproven at the NHL level, and as the transition from old to young takes place over the next several years, we'll have to rely on these prospects to live up to their full potential, all while competing against teams that will have their young stars entering their prime.
A future that contains the unknown is a future to be feared. And for those of us who invest far too much emotion in trivial things like sports, the angst of the unknown is surpassed only by the agony of the present, as we watch the one thing we could always rely on be laid to waste. For me, the socially inept, self-loathing, clinically depressed jerk, what little energy I have left as I struggle to find a reason to get out of bed each day is zapped as the Red Wings fade away into the sunset. I get to watch them break apart and slip away, just as all good things in my life have already done so. My shattered existence just fractures more, the spider web of cracked glass growing each day, with things like hope and optimism being conspicuously absent, and worse, the concept of them becoming more and more foreign.
Three things in life are certain. Death, taxes, and the expiration of all things pleasant and comforting. Some of those things last longer than others. Some can last 20 years. Some can last 15 months. But they all end. Whether it's via a three minute phone conversation or an unexpected snap shot from the right circle, time always catches up.
And time brings everything to an often-unwanted conclusion.
In the almost six months since I finished Part 3 of the "Battle of Michigan" series, highlighting the ongoing battle between Michigan and Michigan State for the state's top high school prospects, much has changed. Both schools were burned by the loss of high level prospects previously thought to be near locks, and of course Michigan went through the change from Rich Rodriguez to Brady Hoke, a transition that is still causing ripples.
In Part 1, published on July 28th of last year, the 2011 instate battle looked as such:
And now we arrive at the present. Both coaches are coming off underwhelming, disappointing 2009 seasons on the field, and one of the two has some warmth under his seat. But at the same time, both are also becoming more entrenched in the state and building relationships with the coaches within the mitten.
Both UM and MSU have, at this moment, offered the following prospects this cycle:
1. LB Lawrence Thomas, Detroit Renaissance (Michigan State) 2. WR DeAnthony Arnett, Saginaw 3. OL/DE Anthony Zettel, West Branch Ogemaw Heights 4. CB Valdez Showers, Madison Heights Madison 5. DE/LB Brennen Beyer, Canton Plymouth (Michigan) 6. RB Justice Hayes, Grand Blanc 7. OL Jake Fisher, Traverse City West (Michigan) 8. LB Ed Davis, Detroit Southeastern
Eight offers apiece at the end of July is abnormally high, indicating a deep year in-state. The early scoreboard reads Michigan 2, Michigan State 1, and it will of course be much different as time passes. If I had to guess today, I'd say Arnett goes out of state, Zettel goes to Michigan, Showers goes out of state, Hayes goes to Notre Dame, and Davis goes to MSU. Those are 100% guesses though, no inside info.
Furthermore, Michigan offered these kids, but MSU didn't:
Until the class is wrapped up and everyone is signed, this number is purely cosmetic, but at the moment, Michigan's 2011 in-state recruiting is at 40% (4 for 10).
On the other side, here are MSU's offers this year with no UM offer:
Again, it's early, but MSU's percentage this year is 27.3% (3 for 11). This number in particular will most likely change wildly if history is any indicator, as MSU will probably extend several more in-state offers before the class is finished.
Since then, Michigan landed Justice Hayes, MSU landed Ed Davis, and both schools lost Anthony Zettel, DeAnthony Arnett, Valdez Showers, and Jake Fisher.
Here is the revised list of prospects that both UM and MSU offered in the 2011 recruiting cycle:
DE/LB Lawrence Thomas, Detroit Renaissance (Michigan State)
WR DeAnthony Arnett, Saginaw (Tennessee)
OG/DE Anthony Zettel, West Branch Ogemaw Heights (Penn State)
DE Brennen Beyer, Plymouth Canton (Michigan)
CB Valdez Showers, Madison Heights Madison (Florida)
RB Justice Hayes, Grand Blanc (Michigan)
OT Jake Fisher, Traverse City West (Oregon)
LB Ed Davis, Detroit Southeastern (Michigan State)
In a bizarre twist, neither school offered the same instate prospect after the summer. These are the same eight players from July. The final head-to-head scoreboard for 2011 reads MSU 2, Michigan 2, with four going out of state. Zettel and Arnett were particularly damaging to UM and MSU, respectively. Zettel was a heavy lean to Michigan throughout the entire process, but had whispers in his ear that dissuaded any sort of early commitment, and when it became clear that Rich Rodriguez was a dead man walking, those whispers finally swayed him, and he committed to Penn State. Brady Hoke and Greg Mattison made a late charge, but Zettel stuck with his commitment to PSU. Arnett, on the other hand, favored MSU throughout most of the process, and as it turns out, MSU's coaches treated him as such, and ultimately dropped the ball. They took him for granted, and he slipped right through their fingers. After that, the numbers are a wash compared to the summer; Fisher dropped UM for Oregon, and Hayes was turned from Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, these are the final numbers for Michigan on 2011 instate; kids that UM offered but MSU did not. Shawn Conway is omitted because he is a non-qualifier.
CB Delonte Hollowell, Detroit Cass Tech (Michigan)
LB Desmond Morgan, Holland West Ottawa (Michigan)
CB Raymon Taylor, Highland Park (Michigan)
RB Thomas Rawls, Flint Northern (Michigan)
These numbers combined with the ones above give Michigan a final 2011 instate recruiting percentage of 50% (6 of 12).
Conversely, here are MSU's signees instate who were not offered by Michigan:
RB Onaje Miller, Lansing Sexton (Michigan State)
TE Jake Duzey, Troy Athens (Iowa)
LB Taiwan Jones, New Baltimore Anchor Bay (Michigan State)
DE Damon Knox, Muskegon (Michigan State)
That puts MSU's final tally for 2011 at 41.7% (5 of 12). Michigan's percentage bumped up from 40% in July to 50% in the end, while MSU's percentage went up from 27.3 to 41.7.
The final tally during Rich Rodriguez's ill-fated tenure in Ann Arbor, straight up, head to head with Mark Dantonio: Michigan 11, Michigan State 10. The 11 for Michigan:
Boubacar Cissoko
Mike Martin
Kenny Demens
Rocko Khoury
William Campbell
Cameron Gordon
Thomas Gordon
Devin Gardner
Austin White
Brennen Beyer
Justice Hayes
And the 10 for MSU:
Fred Smith
Tyler Hoover
Edwin Baker
Chris Norman
Larry Caper
Dion Sims
William Gholston
Mylan Hicks
Lawrence Thomas
Ed Davis
Factoring in the complete 2011 class now, in the last four classes, Michigan offered 40 prospects in the state of Michigan, landing 18 of the 40 (45%). Over the same time period, MSU offered 74 and landed 39 (52.7%).
So...that book is now closed. The "outsider" Rodriguez is gone, and the perception that he neglected the state of Michigan during his time here will live on in the minds of the people who want it to live on. Unfortunately, as is often the case, perception is often reality, facts be damned.
So now...here we sit, in early February 2011. Both UM and MSU have closed the door on the 2011 class and are in the process of diving head first into the 2012 class, especially in Michigan, where the overall talent level is probably the highest it's been since the loaded 2007 class. The last couple days in particular have seen a frenzy of offers going out instate from both sides, as Dantonio continues his mandate of making the state of Michigan #1 and Brady Hoke works to rebuild what Rich Rodriguez allegedly tore down.
Neither team has any commitments yet, but the list of prospects both schools have offered and are pursuing is impressive:
LB James Ross, Orchard Lake St. Mary's
WR Aaron Burbridge, Farmington Hills Harrison
LB Royce Jenkins-Stone, Detroit Cass Tech
CB Terry Richardson, Detroit Cass Tech
DE Mario Ojemudia, Farmington Hills Harrison
In addition, Michigan has offered these prospects, but not MSU...:
DT Dan O'Brien, Flint Powers
TE Devin Funchess, Farmington Hills Harrison
WR/TE Ron Thompson, Eastpointe East Detroit
...while MSU - but not UM - has offered the following:
WR Dennis Norfleet, Detroit Martin Luther King
OL Kelby Latta, Battle Creek Harper Creek
DL Matt Godin, Novi Detroit Catholic Central
DT Jabari Dean, Detroit Renaissance
S Riley Bullough, Traverse City St. Francis
10 offers from MSU and 8 from UM - 13 prospects total - is a very, very large number so early in the process. It's a sure bet that both schools were certainly offer at least some of the kids the other side already has. And that's not even factoring in kids that neither have offered yet but are still evaluating and waiting to see in camp during the spring and summer.
It will be a very competitive year instate once again, and the battle lines are already being drawn. The general consensus among the "experts" and fans is that the top three are (in any order, really) Ross, O'Brien, and Burbridge. Cass Tech remains very friendly to Michigan, giving UM an inside edge on Jenkins-Stone and Richardson - and by extension James Ross at OLSM, who is close with the CT duo. Farmington Hills Harrison is still Spartan territory, and MSU has to be considered the favorite for Burbridge and Ojemudia (and Funchess if/when they offer). Bullough is quite obviously an MSU lock with his brother there and all the other connections, while Thompson grew up a big Michigan fan. O'Brien also grew up in a UM family and looks up to Mike Martin, but Michigan has some bridges to repair in the wake of the coaching change.
It's too early to make any sort of reasonable predictions about where these kids end up, how the numbers shake out, who wins the battle in 2012, but one thing is certain: the war of perception is over. Brady Hoke has already gotten back into the good graces of many high school coaches in the state of Michigan who were turned off or felt disrespected by Rich Rodriguez. You can argue the fairness of that until you're blue (or green) in the face, but the fact is, the outsider perception is that a "Michigan Man" is back in charge of Michigan, and the prestige and respect that that moniker entails is going to pay dividends, sooner or later.
