SB Nation User Blog: straightbangin

An Important Stranger: My Relationship with John Wooden

straightbangin — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 01:42:21 -0000

From the diaries. Joey's musing over at Straight Bangin' is a great example of how beautiful writing meshing sports and life has made clowns like Bill Simmons of the world increasingly irrelevant (at least for me). This is a classic must read post about Coach Wooden from a gracious Wolverine who is an honorary Bruin on BN. GO BRUINS. -N

NB: This diary entry can also be found at Straight Bangin', a website for hip-hop fans who like to hold Lloyd Carr accountable for his failures and freak out about the George Allens of the world. Please also note that the author of Straight Bangin' recommends spending as much time as possible on Bruins Nation. Oh, and beat USC in football again. Please. Michigan fans beg you.

My entire family is from the New York area, and most of it still lives in and around the City today. My parents' idea of a good time is traveling to freezing cold, remote destinations; a large majority of my family hates to fly; and before I went to Michigan, no one from my household had spent much time in the Midwest, or, really, any place else, save for Cape Cod. When put in one of many other ways: I have absolutely no connection to the University of California, Los Angeles. I haven't even been to California, and from what I can tell, all anyone in LA does is drive around, complain about traffic, talk on the phone, and get tan.

Despite this East Coast bias-driven lifestyle, I can't remember a time when I didn't love John Wooden, a man who's synonymous with UCLA. And this is simultaneously surprising and to be expected. Ostensibly, there is no reason why I should care about an old white man whom was most relevant before I was born, coached a team I don't care about, and I will never meet. But I'm also the same person who first heard the word "bullshit" because the Madison Square Garden crowd was raining it down upon Charles Barkley and the 76ers; the same person whose father calls him at work to administer quizzes such as naming the starting five from the UMass team that went to the Final Four with Marcus Camby; and the same person whose 8th-grade teacher was confounded by my compulsive need to recite basketball scores during morning meetings in class each day. Basketball has always been a conduit for so many facets of my life, so of course I love John Wooden. He's a mythic figure of the sport.

His appeal is understandable, overall, but somewhat more complicated for me. Famous for his Pyramid of Success, myriad maxims meant to impart lasting truths, and nurturing soul as much as for his ten NCAA titles in twelve years, Wooden is the ultimate basketball father figure. Regimented, thoughtful, observant, principled, and caring, Wooden offered a benign but serious discipline that has become legendary given the lasting impact he made on his players. It's the sort of role many men envision playing in the lives of their children, and it's no coincidence that Wooden is a venerated constellation in my father's sky, much as my father is one in my own. The wisdom imparted in reminders such as "be quick but don't hurry" and "failing to prepare is preparing to fail" is very much in the style of the knowledge that my dad has handed out over the years, with aphorisms aplenty. And that Wooden's conductive medium for morality and teaching was the same as one of my father's--I can't tell you how many memories of my time with him will forever include warm remembrances of basketball--only has strengthened the bond that both my dad and I have been able to project onto a basketball deity. We have never known John Wooden, but yet we both feel, on some level, that he has always spoken to and for us.

I understand that it's quite weird to experience such warmth for a remote figure, and it would be nearly disingenuous were there not substantial reasons behind it. But my genuine esteem for Wooden was reinforced last night as I watched HBO's documentary about Wooden's UCLA dynasty of 1964-1975. Though only an hour and general to the point of neglect at times, the movie is an engrossing synopsis of not just Wooden and his teams, but also of the larger social, political, and moral contexts that surrounded what everyone saw on the court. The common denominator among all of the players interviewed is their dedication to the basketball program's patriarch, and hearing such authentic love manifested in various ways only enhances Wooden. A formative experience in my literary career was reading a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar autobiography, so it was even more rewarding to hear from the players discussed in the book, many of whom have grown into quasi-legends thanks to the input of my father, a basketball romantic.

That a 25-year-old sees so much of his own father in a man he's never met, and accordingly reveres the stranger, is likely one of the most bizarre but compelling pieces of evidence one might find when attempting to demonstrate just how important John Wooden has been not just to basketball, but to society. For some of the more basic elements, I'd suggest checking out HBO's documentary.

The Aftermath

straightbangin — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 03:20:54 -0000

Here is a suggestion: Go to London. That's what I did last week, and it was phenomenal--the sights, the beer, the odd spectacle of Americans running around a British grocery store trying to make Thanksgiving dinner. I recommend it highly.

It's also a nice remedy for the now annual post-OSU-loss hangover. Never has a Michigan football game left me so ambivalent, so let's take a walk...

I think the obvious takeaway from last weekend was that despite all of the rationalizations offered by the cockeyed optimists who populate the interwebs and represent themselves to be the true Michigan fans, there is no three-star substitute for five-star talent: Michigan's defensive-back recruiting failures were sadly on display against the Buckeyes. The Wolverines simply do not have the roster required to defend a well-run spread like the one that they've refined in Columbus. Justin King, Victor Harris, Taylor Mays, Jai Eugene, Myron Rolle, Antwine Perez, Nic Harris, A.J. Wallace, Darrin Walls--that's a lot of speed and ability that Michigan has recruited and failed to land in recent years. And when that happens, you're left with consolation prizes like Johnny Sears and Charles Stewart and Brandon Harrison and Morgan Trent defending wide receivers who are better at getting open than the DB's are at covering.

I thought that was the key difference in the game--Michigan's personnel didn't allow it to play the way that it needed to. Troy Smith was getting hit, and in the second half, the blitzes were limiting his time, but Smith wasn't sacked much and he always had options open because Michigan was covering receivers with linebackers and slow safeties or giving OSU wide receivers ten-yard cushions for fear of getting beaten deep. If Michigan has defensive backs who can run and cover better--even for literally two more seconds--then maybe Smith has less time, gets sacked more, and the OSU offense is forced to keep more blockers along the line.

Next year, when QBs are evading pressure in the backfield, screens aren't getting blown up as well, and running backs are getting to the second level more often, we'll see the ugly result of bad recruiting again, as the inadequate linebackers will be on full display. I hope you all savored David Harris and the healthy Prescott Burgess, because Chris Graham missing 75% of his tackles, John Thompson defending the pass, and everyone else (save for pass rusher Shawn Crable) looking inexperienced is not going to be all that pretty. I mean, what have you seen from Brandon Logan? What are you expecting from Cobrani Mixon and Quentin Patilla? Will the LBs ruin the team? Maybe/probably not, but when it faces an opponent like OSU--one with talent than can exploit a weakness and smart coaches who know what they're doing--you're going to wonder why Michigan didn't offer a scholarship to someone like Brian Cushing much earlier.

Also key was that Michigan played its worst defensive game of the year. Jim Tressel, his staff, and the OSU criminals deserve credit for their preparation and execution--they were better, and they were smart to spread out Michigan. But they didn't make Michigan miss tackles in the backfield; they didn't make Ryan Mundy run into Jamar Adams; they didn't make Shawn Crable go helmet to helmet on Troy Smith. (And for the record, Ryan Mundy has yet to play one good game at Michigan. Just an FYI.) Michigan's defense was not its usual self, in part thanks to the OSU scheme, but also in part thanks to unfortunate personnel, in part thanks to delayed adjustments, and in part thanks to generally poor play.

All of that said, Michigan only lost by three and was moving the ball well. As uncomfortable as I am with Mike DeBord's general football philosophy, and as disappointing as it is that watching a number of other teams makes it clear how absent creativity is on the Michigan coaching offensive staff, I must concede that in the year's big games, DeBord's schemes have worked well. Against OSU, the commitment to the pass on the opening drive meant that there was room to run, and Michigan did well enough to score five touchdowns and a field goal. Chad Henne has emerged as a quarterback in whom you can place your trust in a big game, and Mike Hart was getting 6 yards every time he touched the ball. Manningham and Arrington were both close to 100 yards receiving, and the ball was spread around nicely.

Unfortunately, some bad coaching, as always, hurt the Michigan offense in a game that was not at all about defense. For years, Michigan has been a bad short yardage team. Even against the Ball States of the world, Michigan fails to reliably convert on third-and-two or third-and-one. FOR YEARS. I don't know if it's strength training, technique, or emotion, but something is absent in this program if it can always spew rhetoric about commitment to the run and toughness and then come back, year after year, and regularly fail in the ground game or get the tough yards.

Against OSU, it was more of the same. Not only did Michigan fail to convert several important third downs when only a few yards or less was needed, but the inability led to bad play calling. At least twice on fourth-and-short near midfield, Michigan elected to punt rather than go for it. If that isn't an admission of your running game's shortcomings, and an error in coaching, I don't know what is: you can't stop the other team and only stand to net about 25 yards, and you're still going to punt? Pathetic. Nothing was worse, of course, then the third-and-one when Michigan tried to go deep to Manningham only to come back and...punt. I loved the impulse to take a shot deep, but at midfield with a yard to go, you gotta take two chances to fall forward once. Then go deep.

I don't want to pile on Lloyd or the play calling too much, though, because while those factors influenced the game's outcome, so too did the excellent of Troy Smith and the absence of the Michigan defense.

And so, really, I'd like to be madder than I am. Two years ago, I thought that Michigan quit in Columbus, and that was one of the most inexcusable performances I've ever seen, a horrible indictment of Lloyd Carr. Last year, I thought that the effects of conservative play calling and the cronyism that allowed Jim Herrmann to retain his job for so long were on display, and such obvious and avoidable misery was galling to the point that I actively hoped that Carr would be fired. This year? I am deeply saddened by the lost opportunity and another defeat at the hands of the Buckeyes, but I also don't think the coaching held the players back, that wholly poor execution doomed the team, or that the lesser team won. The majesty of this incarnation of The Game, the obvious superiority of the OSU coaches and Troy Smith, and the strong effort in defeat from Michigan all made this game somehow more tolerable.

Sadly, I think Michigan must admit that: 1) Tressel owns Carr; 2) OSU was better. If Henne doesn't overthrow Manningham, if OSU doesn't get two touchdown runs of over 50 yards, if Crable doesn't hit Smith--lots of things could have been different and altered the outcome. But let's not forget that Smith overthrew open receivers, that Adrian Arrington broke tackles, and that OSU gave away the ball twice for no reason. The breaks tend to even out, leaving you with a winner and a loser. And as has become the regular case, Carr and Michigan again lost to a team that maximizes its talent and always forces Michigan to adjust to what it's dictating.

OSU is likely going to play USC in January for the national title, and in some ways, that's fitting, because those are the two best programs in the sport right now. And that, more than a single game loss, is what really is troublesome.

I was proud of the Wolverines last weekend. I only wish that they had been better. Michigan must find a way.

Ohio State Open Thread

straightbangin — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 13:54:46 -0000

Work ran a train on me this week, and thus, my blogging was again a little teh horrible. Sorry.

Anyway...It is finally here. Today is the kind of day that you spend a lifetime of love waiting for. Your love of Michigan; your love of Michigan football; your love of college football--today is what that is all about.

Al Pacino knows:

So now: Are you ready? I am. It's gonna be a great day.

Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue! Let's. Go. Blue!

Know Your Buckeyes: What's Wrong with You People?

straightbangin — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 13:41:04 -0000

Now that it's Ohio State week, Schembechler Hall feels that it is only right that we all attempt to better understand the psyche of the aliens in our midst: Buckeyes. All week, I will endeavor to help you, the public, understand what kind of sick, twisted, socially malignant people we are dealing with. Though behaviors such as hurling urine at strangers, cheering for the successful spelling of a simple word like "Ohio," glorifying the sousaphone, and getting paid by boosters to attend classes like Don't Get AIDS will never be relatable or palatable to actual humans, it is my hope that by Saturday, we all will have a better understanding of why these troglodytes act as they do.

In part two of this series, we examine Buckeye fan behavior...

One of the best ways to tell a Buckeye is through the behavior displayed when attempting to support the team. Thanks to the fact that Ohio is one collective pit and most Buckeyes live in underground caves, only surfacing for football games and court dates, your typical Ohio State Joke of a University supporter has not developed everyday life skills. This results in unfortunate choices like championing the sweater vest:

It also leads a typical fan to unfortunate indulgences of "creativity," such as this high-school-level editing project set to music that can only be described as bad. Were the creators of this video not so certain that they were being funny, this would seem much less lame:

Your typical Ohio schools are vocational in focus, emphasizing abilities like running from the police, saying "not guilty" and "this is the first time I've heard of it," and developing methods to launder booster money. This leaves many Buckeyes without an outlet for the limited literacy skills that they develop later in life, and like all cute children who pick up something new, they're eager to show off the range of their low-level ability.

This odd mix of absent social mores and deficient competencies can often result in unfortunate choices, such as urinating in places where they walk and fall down:

Know Your Buckeyes: What's Wrong with You People?

straightbangin — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 22:18:50 -0000

In part one of of this series, we will take it slow, first getting a sense of whom and what we're dealing with...

When pathetic Buckeyes aren't busy masturbating in the library...

...they're instead busy runing things like music and creativity. What follows is just pathetic, and among other things, it should lead us to question how the penal system in Ohio is being administered--how can all of these mentally challenged convicts have this kind of free time?

Every Day Should Be Latter Day

straightbangin — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 22:00:46 -0000

So while I was on hiatus, Michigan, like, played some football and stuff. A quick rundown:

Penn State: Every season, my friends and I choose one away game to attend, and this year, State College was our destination of choice. Here's what you need to know about State College, PA: it's in the middle of nowhere; it's really, really white, save for the mandatory smattering of Asians who matriculate at centers of higher learning throughout the United States; it's filled with mostly nice, completely paranoid college-football fans who either don't read and watch television much or just don't know how to assess football teams (you wouldn't believe how many fans insisted that a Nittany Lion win over Michigan would have sewn up a BCS berth); it seems to be a town long afflicted by identity theft, what with the constant need to remind everyone that "[Th]e[y] Are...Penn State," as though anyone cares or thinks that the cheer is good (it's not--it's basically the worst one in all of sports); and it is a place of moderate fun, far better than the affront to college towns known as "South Bend," but far worse than Madison, WI and even Eugene, OR.

As for the game, the big fear going in was that in the absence of Mario Manningham, the Michigan offense would become a boring, predictable, relatively inert one-dimensional abortion of football. It sort of looked that way early on as the teams traded punts, but Michigan emerged as a methodical unit that, thanks to a defense that killed two quarterbacks and completely neutered an already only semi-potent offense, was strangely effective despite the modest scoring effort. In typical Lloyd Carr fashion, a failure to get some first downs and a late Penn State TD led to some end-game anxiety, but PSU wasn't going the length of the field with a third-string QB against the UM defense.

Iowa: More of that Mike DeBord football vs. seemingly inferior opponents: run into stacked fronts, especially on first down; throw as though someone put a gun to your head and forced you to do so; avoid stretching the field because it would make it easier to run and because the only guy on your team who really can is hurt; and let the defense continue to be a god-body unit. The major melodrama of the week was the legal limbo of Adrian Arrington, as it was speculated that he might be held out--with Mario already a no-go, OMG!--due to an outstanding violation stemming from a domestic dispute. As it turned out, Adrian played, caught a bunch of balls, and may or may not have done something bad. He hasn't started, but has played significant snaps, for the past two weeks, so who knows?

Also notable was that the UM game appeared to be the functional end of the Iowa season, as the Hawkeyes defense looked fantastic in defeat...and the team then fell apart, losing to Northwestern (!) and Wisconsin at home. Not Kirk Ferentz's best work, but hardly a full repudiation of his reputation for great coaching. You go win 30 games in three years in Iowa City.

Northwestern: Just an ugly game, thanks to some mounting, nagging injuries; some execution errors; the Mike DeBord Make Our Fans Hate Us offense; and, oh by the way, the mid-Fall Midwest version of a monsoon--swirling winds, chilling rain falling sideways, and weather too warm for snow but just cold enough for everyone to be miserable. The offense looked as though it had regressed, but the defense was, again, fantastic. Surprise, surprise.

Ball State: A few years ago, this was going to be a bye week. But then the NCAA moved to a full-time 12-game schedule, major teams scrambled to find patsy opponents for one more home game, and Michigan wound up playing a MAC team during Week 10 of the season. They also treated it as a bye, anyway, playing the second-string defense for large swaths of the second half once going up 31-12. Mario Manningham was back, however Michigan stuck to the ground, mauling Ball State for more than 300 yards, with Mike Hart and Brandon Minor going over 100 yards. A lack of focus coupled with a lack of experience left the second-team defense vulnerable to a come back, and thus Ball State made it a close game, falling 34-26 thanks to Charles Stewart and Johhny Sears each surrendering long touchdowns before the real defense came back in for a somewhat enthused goal-line stand that kept Ball State from really threatening.

What it all meant:

The big item is the offense. If you view this Michigan football season as a cohesive narrative whose conclusion will ultimately and directly draw upon what has and has not been seen so far, you have to be heartened by the Michigan offense that was "on display" during the middle month of the season. Just as it did against Central Michigan and Vanderbilt in the opening weeks of the year, Michigan did exactly what was required to beat its opponents, establishing the run--always its top priority--and little else, thereby "saving" wrinkles and special plays for an opponent like OSU. Personally, I find this method of offense to be abhorrent: it allows lesser teams to stay in games, it provides little margin for execution error, and it fails to fully seize upon advantages that might come with a superior level of talent. A DeBord proponent might point out that his system perfectly complements a dominant defense, but I'd point out that: a) to presuppose a stalwart defensive effort in every game is how UM has lost far too many games in the past; b) asking the defense to routinely rise up is a heavy burden, week after week; c) a team wastes chances to improve upon trouble areas and develop depth when it aims to just get by.
Against Indiana, Michigan showed more formations and threw more on first down than it had in the preceding month, a welcomed divergence from the usual stretch-play left.
Kevin Grady should either become a fullback or, like, get better. In recent weeks, he's looked like no better than the fourth-best RB (relative to Hart, Jackson, and Minor), and now almost halfway through his collegiate career, he can fairly be labeled as a disappointment. Reputed to be a powerful runner with nimble feet and good vision, Grady has shown little of any of those attributes as he runs into the line and regularly fumbles.
If there is a better linebacker in the country than David Harris, I haven't seen him. Harris reads plays so well that he is regularly blowing up a run or snuffing out a screen; he's a sure tackler; and he has led by example so well this year.
If Carson Butler could a) catch, b) not fumble, and c) not get called for a penalty at least once a game, he'd be the next Antonio Gates. He really runs well and has a way of getting open.

Ballot Returns

straightbangin — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 23:59:23 -0000

An obvious problem that arose in the vaccuum left by my delinquency was the fall off of my public ballot disclosure. I write "public" because I mostly kept voting, although I sadly missed this week. Here's what the past three ballots have looked like:

Week of 10.23:

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	25
2	Southern Cal	24
3	Michigan	23
4	West Virginia	22
5	Louisville	21
6	California	20
7	Texas	19
8	Clemson	18
9	Arkansas	17
10	Auburn	16
11	Florida	15
12	Tennessee	14
13	Wisconsin	13
14	Notre Dame	12
15	Boston College	11
16	Rutgers	10
17	LSU	9
18	Georgia Tech	8
19	Nebraska	7
20	Oklahoma	6
21	Boise State	5
22	Oregon	4
23	Wake Forest	3
24	Texas A&M	2
25	Missouri	1

Dropped Out:

Week of 10.30:

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Michigan	1
3	West Virginia	1
4	California	2
5	Arkansas	4
6	Auburn	4
7	Florida	4
8	Tennessee	4
9	Southern Cal	7
10	Texas	3
11	Louisville	6
12	Wisconsin	1
13	Rutgers	3
14	Boston College	1
15	Clemson	7
16	Notre Dame	2
17	LSU	--
18	Oklahoma	2
19	Boise State	2
20	Georgia Tech	2
21	Texas A&M	3
22	Washington State	4
23	Oregon	1
24	Wake Forest	1
25	Virginia Tech	1

Dropped Out: Nebraska (#19), Missouri (#25).

Week of 11.06:

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	25
2	Michigan	24
3	Texas	23
4	California	22
5	Arkansas	21
6	Auburn	20
7	Florida	19
8	Louisville	18
9	Southern Cal	17
10	Wisconsin	16
11	Rutgers	15
12	LSU	14
13	Tennessee	13
14	West Virginia	12
15	Boise State	11
16	Notre Dame	10
17	Oklahoma	9
18	Wake Forest	8
19	Boston College	7
20	Georgia Tech	6
21	Oregon	5
22	Oregon State	4
23	Brigham Young	3
24	Virginia Tech	2
25	Maryland	1

Dropped Out:

As you can see, the deltas are all effed up, so I apologize. I guess the biggest things to note:

The most recent ballot reflects games through last Saturday, so for these purposes, Louisville was still undefeated.
Texas made a big jump mostly because Colt McCoy is playing out of his mind; I am not sure if the SEC teams are that good or if they are just beating each other up; and no one else seems like an obvious choice for the top five, save for Cal, which remains there.
Notre Dame has stayed in the same area for weeks because it plays no one and has lost to the only discernably good team it's played.
I have been tempted to drop Michigan a number of times given how badly the offense has played in recent weeks, but I see no other team with a resume that argues for its ascendancy.

And It Weighs a Ton: Reports of My Demise Were Greatly...on Target

straightbangin — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 06:47:51 -0000

Oh, man. This is hard.

I'm sorry.

I'm really, really, really sorry.

I'm sorry for a lot: for not updating this site; for letting a vital stretch of the season go by; for letting you down. It sucks, it was shitty of me, and I'm sorry.

Where was I? Well, sort of everywhere. Since Memorial Day, it seems as though I can't ever go more than a week or two without taking a trip somewhere. And please don't read that as a complaint--traveling, like pimping, ain't easy but it sure is fun. This fall, the hectic schedule has taken me to Washington, to State College, to Ann Arbor, and to points in between. And when I am not traveling, I am hosting guests or working. And the problem with all of this is that when it comes up, it forces me to postpone so many other things--reading, laundry, socializing (er, other socializing), watching NBA League Pass, returning friends' phone calls--that blogging can be tough. Especially during the week, when my job has me working long hours and my schedule has me running around New York to dinners, movies, concerts, and whatever else we do here.

If blogging is so tough, why is Straight Bangin' relatively up to date? Another good question. SB is sort of like the internets equivalent of my childhood home--no matter what happens or where I go, it's always there for me. And that's an easy feeling. Updating SB still takes a lot of time, but it also has built-in advantages that, sadly, the Schembech can't match. On SB, I can churn out posts about the hip-hop I've been listening to all day on the subway and at work; I can post political screeds that I summon after spending time reading all manner of things; I can post self-indulgent, idiosyncratic lunacy, like why I hate open-toed shoes."

But this site is different. Here, I think I'm a little more self-conscious because I want to honor the mission of examining Michigan sports, I want to attempt to be fair in my treatment of the facts, and I want to provide content that is worthy of the BlogPoll. I may fail in all those endeavors, but they weigh on my mind when I sit down to compose something here. And accordingly, when I miss an update, or an event, or a game, the pressure to respond with something that not only compensates for the missed opportunity but also surpasses the quality of what it would have been can be discouraging. It can drive me away from the Schembech.

And that's what happened here. I got busy, I got careless, and it became harder and harder to come back. I'd walk down the block thinking about Alan Branch, but I'd be anxious about posting because I would have to own up to the guilt born of delinquency. I'd nervously watch Michigan hang on against Ball State and not even my alarm and frustration could conquer the fear of returning. This all must sound incredibly foolish and lame, but it's why we've gotten to this point.

But ultimately, as a real human being (and one who does this as a hobby), I realized that running from the problem--from the shame--was just making an eventual resumption that much harder to initiate. So I am here. Officially back. Sort of.

Two days ago, I promised a content explosion. Something I couldn't deliver upon thanks to work, a place where I stayed until very late. Well, that happened again yesterday, and the content explosion was delayed. Again. Until tonight/tomorrow. But we now have a plan. Below, please find a posting schedule to be followed in the immediate future that will help Schembechler get caught up and get right. It will be honored. That's my word.

Now please take me back. The kids have missed me. And deep down, I bet that you have to.

Again, I'm sorry. Coming soon to a Schembech near you:

Friday: Ballot Returns: A blog ballot expose
Saturday: The OMG Game Before THE GAME Indiana open-thread; Everyday Should Be Latter Day: The Last Michigan Month in Review
Sunday: What We Talkin' About? Football?!: A Treatise on the State of the Game
Monday: It's Great...to Be...a Michigan Wolverine: A Football Recruiting Primer
Tuesday: Bounce Up Like Roundball: Michigan Basketball Is Here!

TONIGHT IT IS ON

straightbangin — Tue, 07 Nov 2006 13:40:24 -0000

I AM SO SORRY. TONIGHT, CONTENT (AND ROMANTIC) EXPLOSION; MAJOR APOLOGY; MAJOR RE-UP.

GREAT SUCCESS.

BlogPoll: Week #6

straightbangin — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 02:48:54 -0000

This week's ballot is below. Analysis follows this evening.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	--
2	Florida	2
3	Southern Cal	--
4	Michigan	1
5	West Virginia	4
6	Louisville	1
7	Texas	3
8	Tennessee	3
9	California	8
10	Clemson	2
11	Oregon	3
12	Arkansas	14
13	Auburn	11
14	Notre Dame	--
15	Missouri	6
16	Iowa	2
17	Oklahoma	2
18	LSU	12
19	Georgia Tech	3
20	Virginia Tech	1
21	Georgia	8
22	Boise State	--
23	Rutgers	--
24	Wisconsin	--
25	Boston College	--

Dropped Out: Wake Forest (#20).