The Victors

Saturday, 30 August 2014
Michigan 52-14 Appalachian State
1-0, B1G 0-0

I did not watch the Appalachian State game; I was in Los Angeles at the Ace's wedding festivities. I was awake by 9:00 A.M. Pacific time, but 'twas a busy day with much happening.

Saturday, 6 September 2014
Notre Dame 31-0 Michigan
1-1, B1G 0-0

I did not watch the Notre Dame game; I was in the vicinity of Frankenmuth at Red Patton's wedding festivities. I saw the halftime score at a bar attached to the reception hall & concluded that continued drinking was the proper response.

Saturday, 13 September 2014
Michigan Miami of Ohio
2-1, B1G 0-0

I did not watch the Miami of Ohio game; I was on a religious retreat on the Holy Redeemer campus. There was not the slightest temptation to see the game as my time was being very well spent.

Saturday, 20 September 2014
Utah 26-10 Michigan
2-2, B1G 0-0

I did watch the Utah game, at least as much as was played before the lightning & torrential rain. What I saw kind of made me wish I hadn't bothered. I was angry & emotionally volatile. I was firmly entrenched in the agony of defeat, with the thrill of victory only a distant memory. Truth be told, I hating watching the valiant Wolverines flail futilely against the epithetless Utes. I cannot say what was the worst part: that we lost; that we lost to a club from the ancient enemy, the Pac-12; or that we lost in such a familiar & predictable fashion. In isolation, I would rather not have watched the Utah debacle. Of course, life's event are not discrete strands but threads in a larger tapestry, & in context, watching the Utah fiasco was part & parcel of a lifelong love of the University of Michigan.

In the six days since the second loss of the young season, I've ranted quite a bit via the FaceSpace on a single theme: Brady Hoke must be fired! My case for Hoke's dismissal is triple-faceted. First, the current squad of valiant Wolverines, Team 135, do not measure up to Michigan Football's high standards. This is evinced by a 2-2 season record, both wins coming over decidedly inferior competition, & the generally sloppy & disheartening way Team 135 played in all four games, including the wins. It is a disgrace & an insult every time bumbling, psyched-out, interception-prone quarterback Devin Gardner takes the field wearing Heisman Trophy-winner Tom Harmon's № 98. Brady Hoke must be fired!

Second, under Coach Hoke the valiant Wolverines are getting worse. In Hoke's first season, using players almost exclusively recruited by his predecessor, the reviled Rich Rodriguez, Team 132 posted an improbable 11-2 record; even at the time, I commented lovingly that there were the worst eleven-win squad one was likely ever to see. The following squad, Team 133, posted an 8-5 final record, while the next squad, Team 134, went 7-6, including a losing record of 3-5 in B1G conference play. Year-on-year, as the roster is increasingly comprised of Hoke's own recruits, the valiant Wolverines are becoming demonstrably worse. A corollary observation is that Team 134 started the '13 campaign 5-0 in the non-conference schedule, before going 2-6 down the stretch; under Hoke, the valiant Wolverines are 4-8 in their last twelve games. This does not augur well for Team 135, who have to go 5-4 in conference play & their bowl game just to equal last year's unacceptable 7-6 record. Brady Hoke must be fired!

Third, Brady Hoke is not & never has been the man to return Michigan to winning ways. Though he had a reputation as a turnaround artist at his two previous head coaching jobs, at Ball State & San Diego State, prior to coming to Michigan Hoke had a 47-50 career record, a losing career record. Before Bo Schembechler, the restorer of Michigan Football's proud tradition, came to Michigan, he had a 40-17-3 record, a winning ratio of more than 2:1, whereas Hoke was sub-1:1. Hoke has never sustained a program, leaving Ball State as soon as he had success & staying at San Diego State for only two seasons (meaning all his success there came using his predecessor's recruits). Brady Hoke loves the University of Michigan, but he is not the man to restore the valiant Wolverines to their accustomed position atop the Big Ten Conference. Brady Hoke must be fired!

Go Blue!