Braylon and Blogging

Many of you have probably seen (or at least heard about) the Costas HBO show wherein he talks to Will Leitch of Deadspin. It's pretty much the same old "bloggers aren't qualified like me!" crapola, but slightly less so because it's Costas, and he's not as bad as most (Stephen A Smith, anyone?). He has a roundtable after the interview segment featuring Leitch, Buzz Bissinger (wrote "Friday Night Lights" and is a crotchety old cook), and our man, Braylon Edwards. Leitch gets attacked and defends himself decently, but Braylon, in my opinion, comes out looking the best in this. He has some very good points about the effects of sites like Deadspin (and I suppose MATW). It's good to see the Michigan education working strong.

On a brief aside, I'm not a huge Deadspin fan. There are a bunch of reasons - the "we" pronoun used for everything, the fact that they never take an opinion, the fact that they post pictures of athletes drinking at private parties and then claim to be less invasive than the MSM, etc. But Will Leitch is a good ambassador for blogging and makes an admirable, if not flawless, defense of his profession.

Why Women's Sports Aren't Real Sports:

There is ridiculous, then there is this. Imagine, LaDainian Tomlinson brea- OK, not Tomlinson since she would be pouting on the bench. Scratch that. Imagine Joseph Addai breaking loose for a 70 yard run against the Pats. Suddenly "POP!" there goes his ACL. Addai lays in a massive pile of pain on the ground, the ball live next to him. Up rushes Tedy Bruschi, who picks up the ball, places it in Addai's hands and then carries him over the goalline. Would we applaud Bruschi? No. We would heckle him and throw bottles at him. This is sports.

I only hope both teams went out for ice cream after the game.

Western Oregon senior Sara Tucholsky had never hit a home run in her
career. Central Washington senior Mallory Holtman was already her school's
career leader in them. But when a twist of fate and a torn knee ligament brought
them face to face with each other and face to face with the end of their playing
days, they combined on a home run trot that celebrated the collective human
spirit far more than individual athletic achievement.
Both schools compete as Division II softball programs in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Neither has ever reached the NCAA tournament at the Division II level. But when they arrived for Saturday's conference doubleheader at Central Washington's 300-seat stadium in Ellensburg, a small town 100 miles and a mountain range removed from Seattle, the hosts resided one game behind the visitors at the top of the conference standings. As was the case at dozens of other diamonds across the map, two largely anonymous groups prepared to play the most meaningful games of their seasons.

It was a typical Saturday of softball in April, right down to a few
overzealous fans heckling an easy target, the diminutive Tucholsky, when she
came to the plate in the top of the second inning of the second game with two
runners on base and the game still scoreless after Western Oregon's 8-1 win in
the first game of the afternoon. "I just remember trying to block them out," Tucholsky said of the hecklers. "The first pitch I took, it was a strike. And then I really don't remember where the home run pitch was at all; [I] just remember hitting it, and I knew it was out." A part-time starter in the outfield throughout her four years, Tucholsky had been caught in a numbers game this season on a deep roster that entered the weekend hitting better than .280 and having won nine games in a row. Prior to the pitch she sent over the center-field fence, she had just three hits in 34 at-bats this season. And in that respect, her hitting heroics would have made for a pleasing, if familiar, story line on their own: an unsung player steps up in one of her final games and lifts her team's postseason chances. But it was what happened after an overly excited Tucholsky missed first base on her home run trot and reversed direction to tag the bag that proved unforgettable. "Sara is small -- she's like 5-2, really tiny," Western Oregon coach Pam Knox said. "So you would never think that she would hit a home run. The score was 0-0, and Sara hit a shot over center field. And I'm coaching third and I'm high-fiving the other two runners that came by -- then all of a sudden, I look up, and I'm like, 'Where's Sara?' And I look over, and she's in a heap beyond first base."

While she was doubling back to tag first base, Tucholsky's right knee gave out. The two runners who had been on base already had crossed home plate, leaving her the
only offensive player on the field of play, even as she lay crumpled in the dirt
a few feet from first base and a long way from home plate. First-base coach
Shannon Prochaska -- Tucholsky's teammate for three seasons and the only voice
she later remembered hearing in the ensuing conversation -- checked to see
whether she could crawl back to the base under her own power.
As Knox explained, "It went through my mind, I thought, 'If I touch her, she's going to kill me.' It's her only home run in four years. I didn't want to take that from
her, but at the same time, I was worried about her." Umpires confirmed that
the only option available under the rules was to replace Tucholsky at first base
with a pinch runner and have the hit recorded as a two-run single instead of a
three-run home run. Any assistance from coaches or trainers while she was an
active runner would result in an out. So without any choice, Knox prepared to
make the substitution, taking both the run and the memory from Tucholsky.
"And right then," Knox said, "I heard, 'Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?'" The voice belonged to Holtman, a four-year starter who owns just about every major offensive record there is to claim in Central Washington's record book. She also is staring down a pair of knee surgeries as soon as the season ends. Her knees ache after every game, but having already used a redshirt season earlier in her career, and ready to move on to graduate school and coaching at Central, she put the operations on hold so as to avoid missing any of her final season. Now, with her own opportunity for a first postseason appearance very much hinging on the outcome of the game -- her final game at home -- she stepped up to help a player she knew only as an opponent for four years.

"Honestly, it's one of those things that I hope anyone would do it for me," Holtman said. "She hit the ball over her fence. She's a senior; it's her last year. … I don't
know, it's just one of those things I guess that maybe because compared to
everyone on the field at the time, I had been playing longer and knew we could
touch her, it was my idea first. But I think anyone who knew that we could touch
her would have offered to do it, just because it's the right thing to do. She
was obviously in agony." Holtman and shortstop Liz Wallace lifted Tucholsky
off the ground and supported her weight between them as they began a slow trip
around the bases, stopping at each one so Tucholsky's left foot could secure her
passage onward. Even with Tucholsky feeling the pain of what trainers
subsequently came to believe was a torn ACL (she was scheduled for tests to
confirm the injury on Monday), the surreal quality of perhaps the longest and
most crowded home run trot in the game's history hit all three players.
"We all started to laugh at one point, I think when we touched the first base,"
Holtman said. "I don't know what it looked like to observers, but it was kind of
funny because Liz and I were carrying her on both sides and we'd get to a base
and gently, barely tap her left foot, and we'd all of a sudden start to get the
giggles a little bit." Accompanied by a standing ovation from the fans, they
finally reached home plate and passed the home run hitter into the arms of her
own teammates. Then Holtman and Wallace returned to their positions and
tried to win the game. Hollywood would have a difficult time deciding how
such a script should end, whether to leave Tucholsky's home run as the decisive
blow or reward the selfless actions of her opponents. Reality has less room for
such philosophical quandaries. Central Washington did rally for two runs in the
bottom of the second -- runs that might have tied the game had Knox been forced
to replace Tucholsky -- but Western Oregon held on for a 4-2 win. But unlike
a movie, the credits didn't roll after the final out, and the story that continues has little to do with those final scores. "It kept everything in perspective and the fact that we're never bigger than the game," Knox said of the experience. "It was such a lesson that we learned -- that it's not all about winning. And we forget that, because as coaches, we're always trying to get to the top. We forget that. But I will never, ever forget this moment. It's changed me, and I'm sure it's changed my players." For her part, Holtman seems not altogether sure what all the fuss is about. She seems to genuinely believe that any player in her position on any field on any day would have done the same thing. Which helps explains why it did happen on that day and on that field. And she appreciates the knowledge that while the results of Saturday's game and her senior season soon will fade into the dust and depth of old media guides and Internet archives, the story of what happened in her final game at home will live on far longer. "I think that happening on Senior Day, it showed the character of our team," Holtman said. "Because granted I thought of it, but everyone else would have done it. It's something people will talk about for Senior Day. They won't talk about who got hits and what happened and who won; they'll talk about that. And it's kind of a nice way to go out, because it shows what our program is about and the kind of people we have here."

Graham Hays is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. E-mail him at Graham.Hays@espn3.com.

Leadership.

Being a great leader? Priceless.

Draft

Tremendous work, Bill & Scott. Snagging Jerod Mayo and then coming back with Shawn Crable? Wonderful. Terrence Wheatley is a baller as well and can play multiple positions.

The Pats are now absolutely LOADED for next season. No weaknesses at all. The linebacking group is looking quick with Mayo, Hobson and Crable joining Adalius, Vrabel, Bruschi and possibly Junior.

Also, Mike Hart going to the Colts is perfect. I can't wait until the first time he runs his mouth and Crable or Adalius buries him. If he makes the roster.

OMFG!!! GENTLEMAN'SAGREEMENT!!!

GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT!!! GENTLEMAN'S AGREEMENT!!!

DISCOUNT SNAKE-OIL ON SALE IN COLUMBUS!!!

Fellows has change of heart
Kevin Noon

BuckeyeGrove.com

It was a shock to many Ohio State fans when one of the top
players in the class of 2009 opted to go out of state and commit to Illinois.
Buckeye fans can now have a sigh of relief after Garfield Heights
(Ohio) defensive end Melvin Fellows had a change of heart. The Buckeyes are now
up to 12 commits in the class and have landed another Rivals100 player.

It Worked So Well With Clarett...

Per ProFootballTalk...

Speaking of things that are Official...

The next UM Heisman winner just committed.

Word of advice: Buy stock in companies who deliver tube socks to the Ann Arbor area...

It's Official...

I guess there's no gentleman's agreement regarding transfers...

Dear Jake,

Enjoy years of being driven to the turf, used and abused by your daddy in Foxborough.

You are now the enemy. Richard Seymour, Ty Warren and Vince Wilfork will welcome you to the NFL on September 21.

Regards,

DP

Confirmed: Jake Long is a Marine Mammal

As reported on MATW 614th, Jake Long was in negotiations with the Miami Dolphins to be the number one pick. And now, it's confirmed. Congrats to him - he's come a long way since jumping out of burning buildings. And with this, Lloyd Carr gets one last accolade as head coach: had a player be taken first overall. Just one thing - why did ESPN have to post the dumbest picture ever of Jake Long to announce this?

Sweater-Vestin' Sonofabitch...

"Only between the gentlemen." That was what Jim Tressel said when asked if there is a "Gentleman's Agreement" between Big Ten coaches regarding recruits. Eff you, Cheaty.

The Columbus Dispatch of all places has an article outlining one (of many) scenarios when Tressel recruited a player already committed to another Big Ten school. It also quotes Saint Jim retracting his statement.

I think I speak for every Michigan fan when I say to you, Jim Tressel: die in a fire, you disingenuous oxygen-vampire.

"If a kid tells us he's going somewhere else, that's it...if a guy is not interested in coming to Ohio State, and he says that, then we've got to move on."

Heh?

The REAL Can't Wait

14-2. Giddyup.


New England Patriots

Wk Date Matchup Time
1 Sept. 7 Kansas City Chiefs 1 p.m.
2 Sep. 14 at New York Jets 4:15 p.m.
3 Sep. 21 Miami Dolphins 1 p.m.
4 Sep. 28 Bye
5 Oct. 5 at San Francisco 49ers 4:15 p.m.
6 Oct. 12 at San Diego Chargers 8:15 p.m.
7 Oct. 20 (Mon.) Denver Broncos 8:30 p.m.
8 Oct. 26 St. Louis Rams 1 p.m.
9 Nov. 2 at Indianapolis Colts 8:15 p.m.
10 Nov. 9 Buffalo Bills 1 p.m.
11 Nov. 13 (Thurs.) New York Jets 8:15 p.m.
12 Nov. 23 at Miami Dolphins 1 p.m.
13 Nov. 30 Pittsburgh Steelers 4:15 p.m.
14 Dec. 7 at Seattle Seahawks* 8:15 p.m.
15 Dec. 14 at Oakland Raiders 4:15 p.m.
16 Dec. 21 Arizona Cardinals 1 p.m.
17 Dec. 28at Buffalo Bills1 p.m.

Can't Wait.

Leaked Memo

2008 Frozen Four Participants

Billy Sauer, you suck. Worst big game performance ever. Kudos to Bryan Hogan who was put in a horrible position by the flailing one and almost pulled off a miracle. I suppose this is when we're supposed to talk about how this team wasn't supposed to be here, 4th place predictions, etc. But getting this far and losing sucks, especially when you spot the other team a 3 goal lead when an 8 year old could've stopped them.

Baskin Robbins for the Wolverines on Saturday! Pick up your participation ribbons and Billy's mom will take everyone for ice cream!

I Hope Jake Long Likes Hot Weather, Bitches

So apparently the Tuna and his Dolphins are in contract discussions with Jake Long to be the number one overall pick in this year's draft. Awesome. He'll be the first Michigan player to have that honor, and he damned-well deserves it. He eschewed the 'ole NFL draft to come back and try to win some big games his senior year, and regardless of the outcome, he still excelled. It's not everyday somebody turns down a top-5 draft selection to don the maize and blue for one more year. If ever the oft-overused and at times cliche "Michigan Man" moniker was to be satisfactorily employed, it would be for Jake Long.

A testament to how amazing his play was is that years from now, when the Henne/Hart years are dissected and probably lamented as tough ones, Jake Long's name will never come up as a reason to why the teams underachieved. No, his name will be used for invocations of "if only the rest of the team was more like..."

Lloyd Carr on Long, in what is probably the highest compliment a guy can get:

"I coached 30 years in the Big Ten Conference. What I would say about Jake Long is, there's always a lot of discussion about, 'Who is the greatest football player you ever saw at Michigan?' "Jake Long belongs in that discussion."

And if that doesn't persuade you as to Long's awesomeness, here's Russell Crowe's response to who he would want on the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Shawn Crable or Mike Hart:

"I want Jake."

And so too, apparently, do the Miami Dolphins. American football is probably a safer career option than Aussie Rugby, but good to know he has a backup if need be. Outstanding work by an outstanding guy. I'd say something lame like "make us proud," but he's already done that for us Wolverine faithful.

Now if only he could punch Justin Boren in the brain. Just once.

Foreshadowing

DickRod or Deion?

You Decide. DickRod will fit right in at Michigan. He already OWNS Penn State.

Flint and Dearborn: Guess What? YOU SUCK.

Looks like the thin-letter recipients at UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn are in an uproar about not getting student tickets to games at the Big House. Guess what? You shouldn't!

Flint, Dearborn in ticket pinch

In football seat shortage, Wolverines outside Ann Arbor fall by the
wayside

In the University's latest football ticketing policy change, students at
the University's Flint and Dearborn campuses will now have the lowest seating
priority in the Big House and won't be able to join seating groups created by
students at the Ann Arbor campus.

Hmm...kids who aren't students at the school getting the lowest seating priority. Sounds right to me thusfar.

In the past, football tickets have gone on sale to students from all three
campuses at the same time, but tickets for students at the Flint and Dearborn
campuses went on sale yesterday. Tickets were made available to the Ann Arbor
campus on March 17. A similar policy giving some graduate students from the Ann
Arbor campus the lowest seating priority was proposed about three weeks ago, but
was reversed after the Athletic Department was flooded with complaints.

Score one for the athletic department. Graduate students in Ann Arbor= REAL UM students. Dearborn/Flint= thin letter recipients. Again, nothing wrong thusfar.

Wade Merrill, president of the UM Flint Student Athletic Association, said most
students on the Flint campus didn't learn about the revised policies until they
tried to buy tickets along with Ann Arbor students on March 17. When he and
other Flint and Dearborn students tried to buy their tickets, the online
ticketing program reported an error and refused to let them log in, Merrill
said.Merrill said he called the Athletic Ticket Office in Ann Arbor to ask about
the problem and was told that Flint and Dearborn students would be told when
they could buy tickets in "a few weeks."

OK, now it starts getting funny. "When they tried to buy tickets along with Ann Arbor Students." Hilarity. How about the Flint braniacs try and register for classes along with Ann Arbor students? That would be awesome. I would love to see a scenario like this: Johnny McFlintstudent shows up at Angell Hall for a class, and doesn't hear his name called. He raises his hand curiously wondering what's going on. He brings the prof his UM Flint ID and demands to know why he isn't on the class roster. What? You mean you AREN'T A STUDENT HERE? Shocking. Trying to buy football tickets with the Ann Arbor students shows why you weren't accepted to begin with.

Michael El-Zein, a first-year student at the University's Dearborn campus, said
he was angry about the new policy. El-Zein said he was surprised by the policy
and thinks it perpetuates the view that the Flint and Dearborn campuses are less
important than the flagship campus in Ann Arbor.."For the administration to
officially say that you do matter less than our freshmen in Ann Arbor was the
final straw," El-Zein said. "For the administration to take the side of the
unspoken majority is really insulting."

Memo to "Angry Michael:" You ARE LESS IMPORTANT!! See, when I got the thick packet from the U and you received a thin letter and an application to Dearborn, it basically said that DP's test scores and hard-work through high school earned him a spot at a top 25 school and afforded him the opportunity to participate in student activities. Your thin letter said "here, try getting into the glorified community college we've created, and if there's room, we'll let you drive 25 miles to watch us play football." Hey Angry Michael, I hate to crush your dreams, but if you tried to play football here? You couldn't. BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT A REAL STUDENT.

This is great, too:

On April 1, three days after the new policy was officially announced, Merrill
started a Facebook group in response to the changes. The group, called "Restore
Football Seating Priorities for ALL Michigan Students," encourages members to
send a form e-mail that addresses the new policy to Bodnar and Athletic Director
Bill Martin

Oh no! Not a Facebook group! I have a feeling that a similar Facebook group should exist for REAL Michigan students called "I scored higher than a caterpillar on my ACT therefore I didn't have to settle for UM-Dearborn and can get student tickets for Michigan football!"

Get it done, students*.


*note: the word "students" refers to those studying at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

DickRod's Words of Wisdom (by Proxy)

"It's like back before the Civil War when slaves had the right to buy their freedom. A penalty of $4 million is almost like a slave from Africa trying to buy his freedom in America."

-- Marv Robon , an attorney for Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez -- and an amateur historian, apparently -- explaining why his client shouldn't have to pay a buyout in his West Virginia contract.

Just to Clarify

No, Peabody has not ever posted about the Detroit Tigers and how they will win six championships in a row, with Verlander winning the Cy/MVP. The Tigers suck enough without any compounding jinx. They are, in fact, inhaling gluteal mass at an alarming speed. At this point, they're slapping the wood like they're Mark Dantonio's wife - no effort or emotion, and with marked fear that the other party would enjoy this much more with the New York Yankees starting lineup.

Above, Sheffield reacts to the lack of lemon squares in the clubhouse buffet

Victory for MSU!

Stupid is as stupid does. It's great. MSU's self pwn3rship here has saved me from having to comment, because there are no more words needed to describe how dumb MSU students are.

Police deem Cedar Fest a riot
By Kelly House

The State News Published: April 6, 2008

A press conference was held today to review the events of last night’s Cedar Fest in Cedar Village apartments, which police are officially classifying as a riot.
Police estimate between 3,000 and 4,000 people from MSU and other areas crowded into the 200 block of Cedar Street for the event. About 5 percent of the MSU student population was there, East Lansing police Chief Tom Wibert said.
Throughout most of the night, the crowd was under control, Wibert said.
“Most of the people in the crowd were being peaceful,” he said. “Our goal was to single out those few who were acting out and endangering others and arrest them while leaving the rest of the crowd
alone.” But around 1:30 a.m., Wibert said the crowd suddenly became hostile.
A stop sign was ripped from the ground at the intersection of Waters Edge Drive
and Cedar Street and the number of objects being thrown into the crowd and at
police increased. At about 2:07 a.m., police launched flash bangs, which are
loud firecracker-like devices, and smoke bombs, but when most of the crowd
refused to disperse, tear gas was launched several minutes later.
“We used tear gas as a last resort,” Wibert said. “We used a lot of restraint last night
in our actions.” Throughout the incident, police launched 24 smoke grenades,
20 flash bangs, 20 stingball grenades, which disperse small rubber pellets, and
13 rounds of tear gas.During the 2005 disturbances in Cedar Village, Wibert
said police fired 299 rounds of tear gas.Fifty-two arrests were made and 48
tickets were issued throughout the night. About half of those were MSU
students. Wibert said police don’t have concrete estimates of the number of
injuries, but many injuries resulted from alcohol incapacitation and injuries
due to thrown beer bottles, cans, rocks and bricks. About every officer reported
being hit by thrown objects at least once throughout the night, but none
received injuries that required medical attention, Wibert said.
Wibert said damage to personal property was relatively minimal, but the windshield of one police vehicle and the left rear window of another were smashed. Four fires were reported during the course of the night, including Dumpster fires throughout the complex and piles of burning beer boxes in the middle of the crowd. East
Lansing police Capt. Kim Johnson said police don’t know if damage to downtown
businesses, including broken windows, was a result of Cedar Fest or isolated
incidents.“Our investigation right now is centered around the Cedar Village
area, and then our investigations bureau will go ahead and look at other parts,
other crimes in the city and see if we can try to track those individuals down,”
he said. East Lansing Mayor Vic Loomis said officials will seek the strictest
legal action against those arrested. He also said the city is encouraging the
university to take disciplinary action against those involved in the
riot. While an estimate of the total cost to the city hasn’t been determined,
Loomis said cleanup costs, overtime payment of workers and compensation to
neighboring police and emergency medical teams called in to assist will all
factor in. He said those convicted in connection with the melee will be pursued
for monetary compensation.

Go Heels

NFLShop Struggles

I love the NFL Shop. Between Patriots.com and the NFL Shop, I spend enough in one year to get a normal man divorced. That said, the online NFL Shop has some pretty cool marketing techniques. They can track your buying trends, and also identify your favorite team so that marketing can be done to pique your interests. I'll get catalogs in the mail with a "custom" Patriots jersey on the back with my name on it. I'll get team-specific mailings and e-mails highlighting Patriots items since that is what they know I buy. Pretty cool yet basic tactics in marketing to their consumers, right? Well, not so much. I always read the emails from NFL Shop to see if there's any cool Pats stuff to buy. Hell, the draft is approaching. Anyways, today they mention "Free Shipping on any Order Over $75!" I click to open, and what I see is disgusting and gross. NFL, you're better than this.

Breaking News: Porter Injured?

Again, MATW doesn't serve to break news, but we are 2/2 this year. I wrote of the Randy Moss contract agreement before ESPN, as well as Terrelle Pryor's decision and press conference before Rivals. So, we only go "news" when we have real news. Good or bad. Well, I have some "bad" news this afternoon.

Michigan captain and Hobey Baker finalist Kevin Porter went down in practice yesterday with what the team was hoping to be only a high ankle sprain, but it appears that there was a break in the bone.

The Ann Arbor News is first reporting the story this afternoon, and the Michigan Insider this morning with Sam Webb on WTKA mentioned that there were unconfirmed reports out there that a player had been taken to the hospital for X-rays, and those reports were confirmed, as was Porter’s identity. Porter was seen around campus in the last hour walking with crutches.

The prognosis if the ankle actually is broken is grim. It’s safe to say either way that Porter won’t return for the Frozen Four. Michigan probably can still put away Notre Dame without #11 in the lineup, but the Fighting Sioux of North Dakota linger in the title game. Ouch.