PnC Is Ready For Some FOOTBALL!

What a weekend. Camp Obama (which will be sending me to a battleground near you!). The Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson. Tina Fey knocking her impression of Palin out of the park on Saturday Night Live . . .



Michael Phelps, uh, hosting SNL . . .

And sports. Where should we start?
I'll go in order (sorta) of occurrence:

So I was all excited for my first planned real college football viewing of the season, featuring Ohio State and USC, and I have to say I was pretty disappointed. It wasn't much of a contest from what I saw, so I got into conversation with a friend during much of it . . . unless someone was getting hit - hard! Well, I don't think this game will affect the Trojans because you can't get much higher than #1, but it wasn't entirely clear where Ohio State would rank because they lost to #1. Maybe they're #2 . . . maybe not. Maybe #13. I've seen the 100,000 comments from OSU fans on ESPN.com so I'm not trying to get hate comments from those who stumbled on this page from Google, but even they have to admit that was fairly unwatchable. This was on the premier national stage, so I'm sure the glare hurt worse, but they found a disappointed bedfellow in . . .

Michigan vs. Notre Dame. All you need to know is that the Wolverines had 7 fumbles, 6 turnovers, which resulted in 3 touchdowns for Notre Dame. Yes, it was mucky and nasty, as it was in a lot of parts of the country on Saturday, but they were both playing in the same conditions. It's funny (not "haha") that this used to be a huge rivalry, even outside of South Bend and Ann Arbor. I was just thinking yesterday that these programs aren't really relevant anymore except to their students and alum. Allegedly, they're both rebuilding (the Fightin' Irish
perhaps moreso than the waning Wolverines). But how long is that going to take?

Freak accident at the game: Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis had both his MCL and ACL torn when his defensive end crashed into him on the sidelines following a block. I always wondered if people ever got seriously injured standing that close, and now I know. Not as much outcry about this as there was for Tom Brady. I think it was a dirty hit. . .Unlike that weakling Brady who decided to succumb to the knife*, Weis says he's going to forego surgery (for now) so he can remain in the danger zone they call the sidelines, proving there's no "i" in coach, either . . .

Pro football. I like to end on a good note so let's start with the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers. Not a good week for the State of Michigan (in sports, anyway -- the Tigers just lost a doubleheader, too, to the Chicago White Sox). Unfortunately, being a Michigan team wasn't the only similarity the Lions had to the Wolverines. After coming back against the Packers in the second half, and going up 25-24 late in the game, the Lions -- or should I say Jon Kitna -- threw 3 interceptions in the last 5 minutes of the game. Even better, the three interceptions came in about 3 minutes - no, I'm not kidding. Two straight weeks facing young (or un-tested) QB's in Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers, and two straight bad losses. But they still manage to sell out every week. I might compare this to the phenomenon of voting for the same regime and expecting a different result . . . but I digress.

Speaking of Brett Favre, or teams that used to feature him, the NY Jets game against the New England Patriots was supposed to be very interesting a week ago. Brett vs. Tom, like an early Christmas gift. Alas, it didn't pan out that way, and to be honest, this game was ho-hum at best. I tried to watch it in real-time, and failed, then tried to DVR it, and couldn't get through it again. As not-interesting as it was, the Patriots are 2-0, and Matt Cassel has now started and won his first game since high school. I wonder when they'll start the predictions about them matching the '72 Miami Dolphins . . .

Interesting ending to the Denver Broncos game vs. the San Diego Chargers. End result is two last second losses and an 0-2 record for the Chargers. With about a minute or so left in the game, down by 8 points, around the 10 yard line, Broncos QB Jay Cutler clearly fumbles the ball (he'd already dropped it once a few minutes earlier), and the Chargers recovered it. But the ref blew the whistle (I couldn't hear it but he confessed to it) which deaded the ball at the 10 yard line. Saved by the whistle. Then Cutler threw a TD to WR ER (Eddie Royal), which meant the Broncos were only down by one. Then, I saw the unbelievable - really, even the other Broncos were surprised. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and Cutler call for a two-point conversion for the win, at home, rather than just going for the extra point, which would have tied the game. In basketball, sometimes they'll go for the 3-pointer for the win rather than the two-point field goal if they have a better look at the former. But in football, since the extra point is pretty much a given, and every single game is so precious (as Chargers coach Norv Turner's post-game interview so aptly "alluded"), going for the conversion is pretty risky. But they went for it, and they converted it, with another pass from Cutler to Royal. The commentators alternated between Shanahan was "playing with the house's money" (i.e., they pressed their luck after they'd already lucked up with the bad call) and that the coach was showing his confidence in his team, more specifically, in Cutler. I agree. Whether they converted or didn't, knowing coach would bet the house on you has to do good things to the self-esteem. Smart man. All I know is that Shanahan has instantly earned my respect, because if they don't convert that, the secret service may have needed to return to Mile High Stadium to get him out of there. Or maybe the fans are nicer in Denver than they are in the rest of the country. Either way, people would have been pissed. . .but they won, so they're not (and to anyone who regularly bets for/against the Broncos, now you know). This just proves yet again that the only difference between a bad idea and a good idea is whether it worked. Kudos to Cutler, again, for keeping the party going under the circumstances. . .

Eli Manning and the NY Giants beat the St. Louis Rams. zzzzz. Which leads me to the real point of this post . . .


BRING ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!






*Severe sarcasm, in case you're new here.

Still Fab, Fifteen Years Later

I saw this billboard when I was scouring the Internet a few weeks ago but I didn't have a reason to post until one intrepid (like a Dodge) reader sent me a link to Jemele Hill's latest offering on Page 2. As a way of background, Jalen Rose paid for this billboard to be posted along a freeway in Detroit last December, and it has stirred a little controversy as of late, apparently because no one saw it until the freeway opened back up again. (Note to those who advertise on closed roads/freeways).

Jemele is from "the D" and from her article, appears to have love for Jalen. But I disagree with a few things she said.

First, she poses the question:

What was Rose thinking with the billboard, which has the five players' jerseys and the word "Timeless" underneath? Did he not get that, while the Fab Five gave college basketball a flair and style that has yet to be duplicated, the colossal damage inflicted by scandal-stained reputations indirectly contributed to Michigan basketball's being irrelevant for nearly a decade?

She is referring to all the hubbub that occurred following an investigation into the alleged money laundering and other illegal activities of one Ed Martin, who was what one calls a "booster" - literally, one who helps boost the team by giving it (and sometimes the players, as it seems) money. The investigation led to the revelation that Martin loaned (to be repaid upon turning pro) over $600,000 to several Michigan basketball players over the course of nearly 10 years, including approximately $280,000 to Chris Webber, who eventually pled guilty to obstruction of justice for lying to the grand jury about his involvement with Martin. The three other players to whom it was shown Martin gave money were Maurice Taylor, Robert Traylor, and Louis Bullock. Michigan's Coach Steve Fisher was fired after it was shown that he gave Martin free tickets. Rather than face punishment from the NCAA, Michigan sanctioned itself, including (courtesy of Wikipedia):

• No postseason play in 2002-03, even though the players who took Martin's money were no longer at the school.

• The school forfeited the entire 1992-93 season and every game it played from the 1995-96 season through the 1998-99 season. This included the 1997 National Invitation Tournament title and the 1998 Big Ten Tournament title. It also vacated its two Final Four games in 1992 and its entire NCAA tournament record in 1993, 1996, 1998 and 1999. All told, Michigan forfeited 112 wins.

• Returning $450,000 received from the NCAA for postseason play in 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.

• Banners commemorating the 1992 and 1993 Final Four runs, the 1997 NIT title and 1998 Big Ten Tournament title would be removed from the rafters at Crisler Arena.

• Two years' probation.

Shortly thereafter, the school deleted all reference to Webber, Taylor, Traylor, and Bullock from Michigan's records.

The NCAA apparently felt that they didn't go far enough, and sanctioned the team for an additional two years, docked it a scholarship from 2004 to 2008, ordered Michigan to keep away from Webber, Traylor, Taylor and Bullock until 2012.


Yep. Long sordid story. Back to Jemele's article.


So given all of this history behind the billboard, Jemele talks to Jalen himself about it. He tells her that he felt that they deserved to be honored and not discarded as if they didn't exist, and that he probably wouldn't have been able to post this billboard in Ann Arbor. They weren't angels, he says, but on the other hand:

What bothers me is that, at the end of the day, the checks that changed hands, from sponsors to everyone else, those were cashed," Rose said. "No checks were returned."

Jemele responds that they were ordered to give back $450,000, but says she understands his point, and that the longer she listens to Jalen explain the hypocrisy of what happened in the Michigan scandal, the more it starts (to her dismay) to make sense.

But does she really understand? She ends the article with the following:

Maybe this billboard isn't the end of the world, as Manny Ramirez would say. I know. I waffled. Don't worry, Rose and I will always disagree on a few things. College athletes do operate in an unfair system that allows them to be exploited, but it's the fairest system we have. It's still not an excuse for players to not follow the rules.

But preserving a memory? I've got no problem with that.

Actually, I think you do have a problem with preserving a memory, Jemele. Your first question and the above statement leads me to believe that you think there is something wrong with Jalen putting up the billboard because the Fab Five (including Jalen, who admitted to taking "pocket money" from Martin) "tarnished" the Michigan name and tainted the hallowed halls of college basketball with their conduct.

First off, Jemele went to Michigan State, so as much as she tried to hide it, I'm sure she never felt much sympathy for the Wolverines.

But the real issue is with the implication that these young college-aged kids are to blame for what happened to them. You take kids, often with little or no money, put them around millionaires (including sponsors, boosters, sports TV execs, other students, etc.) who can't wait to make a buck or a million more off of them, who are willing to give them a taste of the good life in order to make themselves richer in the long run, and then expect them to act like they don't see it. As much as I think I have a lot of integrity, I don't know what I would have done in a similar situation.

And so the University of Michigan and the NCAA would rather sell out its players and act like this is the first time this has ever happened, like this is the worst case of this ever happening, like they really didn't know it was happening, and Michigan happily cuts all ties with those "money-grubbing players"? Give me a break.

Who should be held more responsible: 50 year old men with the money, or 18-year olds with no money?

You all know my feelings on how the NCAA treats its "student athletes." It's all a sham. Whether people want to admit it or not, this exact same Michigan situation is happening all over the country as I type this. The NCAA can try to turn a blind eye to it, but I firmly believe they know what's going on.

Perhaps the Michigan situation is worse only because it actually came to light, which was only because the guy who had the money (Martin) made it illegally. Had he made his money on top of the table, Rose, Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson would likely still have their banners, still have their records, and still have their respect for being arguably the most talented (talent doesn't always win championships), and indisputably the most influential college basketball team in the history of the game.

But instead, Ed Martin was caught, and the Fab Five got caught up with him . . . erased from the history books as if we never saw them play.

Unfortunately for the NCAA, they can never be erased from our memories (or the Internet). And thankfully, 15 years after they first stepped on the scene (man, I am getting old!), Jalen Rose had the awesome audacity to make sure that that memory stays alive in the place where people admired them the most: home.

Because home understands. Home understands where these kids came from. Home understands what they went through when they were thrown in an environment with kids who were driving nice cars and wearing designer clothes. Home understands that, whether you're rich or whether you're poor, money is hard to ignore when it's thrown in your face. Home understands that the people who made the most money off of these kids never shoulder any responsibility whatsoever for any NCAA violations, and, as Jalen pointed out, never gave a dime of it back. Home understands that the people who end up taking the blame are not always the ones to blame.

Jemele may be from the same neighborhood as Jalen, may even return to Michigan to live when she retires, but until she fully acknowledges the utter hypocrisy and intense pressure faced by many of the top-recruited college athletes to bend the rules, she'll always be far away from home.