2B - November 29, 2010
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com s
2B - November 29, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom I
Harbaugh isn't signed,
sealed or deliveredjust yet
Special teams
falter for Blue
.
he Ancient Greeks
believed that the Earth
was located at the center
of the universe
and all other
objects orbited
around it.
It made=
sense at the
time, and two
of Greece's_
greatest phi-R A
losophers, RAN
Aristotle KARTJE
and Ptolemy,
embraced the
geocentric model wholeheart-
edly.
But, as you know, that wasn't
the case. It wasn't until the 16th
century when Copernicus pub-
lished his heliocentric model that
anyone thought the sun was the
center of the universe.
This weekend, I saw a similar
gaffe happening in the minds of
Michigan fans across the coun-
try. With Rich Rodriguez's job in
absolute jeopardy, they turned
their attention to a certain for-
mer Michigan quarterback and
current Stanford head coach. And
in pre-Copernican fashion, many
Wolverine fans have decided Jim
Harbaugh will be next in line to
walk the sidelines of Michigan
Stadium.
Heck, he might as well have
been named Michigan's head
coach on Sunday.
The fact of the matter is, he
wasn't and won't be right away.
Yes, there's a chance that he
does coach the Wolverines next
season. But what many Michigan
fans don't understand - and this
is where Ancient Greece comes
in - is that the University of
Michigan might not be the best
option for Harbaugh. Maybe, for
Harbaugh, the football world
doesn't revolve around Michigan,
like many fans and alumni think
it does.
There's no doubt that the Wol-
verines have to be toward the
top of Harbaugh's list and he's
definitely on top of theirs. But is
Michigan at the very top?
With how well Harbaugh has
done in Palo Alto, there may not
even be reason for him to leave
the sunny beaches of Califor-
nia. He has a pretty good thing
going with the Cardinal, tak-
ing them from a 4-8 team in his
first season to an 11-1 record and
top-five ranking this season. He
also recruited and built up quar-
terback Andrew Luck, who will
most likely be the No. 1 player
drafted in April's NFL Draft.
But fans at Stanford don't quite
appreciate Harbaugh's success.
In one of the Cardinal's most
recent home games, the stands
were just two-thirds full. That's
not so typical of a program that
will likely play in a BCS bowl
come January. And it's something
that doesn't sit well with Har-
baugh or any of Stanford's former
coaches.
"On most campuses with foot-
ball, when you wake up on Sat-
urday morning and look around,
you can tell something is going
to happen, even if you're not sure
what it is," a former Stanford
coach told the San Jose Mercury
News. "Not here."
So sure, he'll probably leave
Palo Alto. And he would never
have to deal with attendance
problems at Michigan Stadium
- the Wolverines haven't seen a
crowd of less than 100,000 since
October 25, 1975.
But maybe attendance isn't the
issue. Maybe he'd prefer to follow
the steps of a certain Stanford
football coach who made it pretty
well at the next level - with the
San Francisco 49ers.
After being named Pac-8
Coach of the Year in 1977, leg-
endary coach Bill Walsh left the
Cardinal for the 49ers. Three
Super Bowls later, I'm guessing
he doesn't regret his decision to
jump to the NFL.
And Harbaugh could do the
same without a blink of an eye.
The 49ers job will likely be
PAUL SAKUMA/AP
Stanford football coach Jim Harbaugh played quarterback at Michigan and has suc-
cessfully built Stanford into a top-5 team. It's not guaranteed he'll come to Michigan.
open, just as the Michigan job
will likely be open. And you bet-
ter believe that San Francisco
will make a push for Harbaugh.
John Harbaugh, Jim's brother,
could also be in his ear when it
comes to coaching at the next
level. John currently coaches the
Baltimore Ravens, and the two
are known to have a very close
relationship - one that could
blossom for all to see on the NFL
landscape.
That's not to take away from
the pageantry and great oppor-
tunity Harbaugh has in Ann
Arbor, a campus where he will be
revered and exalted as the savior
of Michigan football. To experi-
ence that feeling from your own
alma mater would be a pretty
good selling point for anyone.
It's also widely known that
Athletic Director Dave Brandon
would prefer to avoid a tedious
coaching search, if/when Rodri-
guez is no longer Michigan's
coach. After all, the last coaching
search at Michigan was one of
the most embarrassing fiascos of
former athletic director Bill Mar-
tin's career.
But if there's anything we can
learn from Martin's mistakes, it's
that Michigan is not the center of
the college football universe.
And the Wolverine faithful
can't handle losing Harbaugh like
they lost Les Miles - another
"sure thing" - after Lloyd Carr
retired following the 2007 sea-
son.
So temper your expectations
about Harbaugh and remember
that the University of Michigan
isn't the end-all-be-all of coach-
ing positions. Maybe he comes to
Ann Arbor and turns the whole
program around. Maybe he goes
to the NFL and wins a Super
Bowl. Maybe Rich Rodriguez
comes back next year.
The point is we don't know.
And if Brandon waits until the
bowl game to decide on Rodri-
guez's future, we may never know
what would have been. Harbaugh
could move 33 miles down the
road to San Francisco by then.
Kartje received a "Jimmy's
Coming Home" t-shirt while writing
this column. He can be reached
at rkartje@umich.edu.edu
By MARK BURNS nesota (8-5-1) lead in half.
Daily Sports Editor With less than 20 seconds left
in the period, the Gophers pushed
MINNEAPOLIS - With the their lead back to two, netting a
No. 8 Michigan hockey team down power playgoal off the stick ofErik
1-0 at No. 15 Minnesota midway Haula.
through A Minnesota forward blasted a
Sunday's MICHIGAN 1 one-timed shot from the slot, with
contest, MINNESOTA 3 the rebound trickling to the right
the Wol- MICHIGAN 4 of Wolverine senior netminder
vernes WISCONSIN 4 Bryan Hogan. Unguarded and
received with awide-open net, Haula found
a five- the back of the net.
minute power play after Golden "Minnesota's a good team, and
Gopher defenseman Aaron Ness when you give them a lead, we
was whistled for checking-from- couldn't answer the bell," Beren-
behind and given a game miscon- son said. "That power play goal in
duct. the last minute, that really hurt us
For Michigan, it was the ideal and we couldn't get that one back."
chance to grab the equalizer and Michigan played a pretty solid
some momentum after failing to third period, outshooting the
sustain much offensive pressure in Gophers 12-4 in the final frame,
the opening 30 minutes of play. but the Wolverines still couldn't
But the Wolverines squandered capitalize on its chances.
the opportunity, tallying just four. As senior forward Louie Capo-
shots on the power play en route russo said following the loss, "it
to a 3-1 loss at Mariucci Arena in was definitely a game that you
the final game of the 18th College want to forget."
Hockey Showcase. Michigan tied Prior to the contest against
Wisconsin, 4-4, in Madison in its Minnesota, Michigan played Wis-
first game of the showcase contest consin (7-6-3) on Friday night at
on Friday. the Kohl Center. And though the
"You got to get something past end result was different, special
your goalie there," Michigan coach teams dictated the outcome of the
Red Berenson said of the 5-on-4 game as well.
power play. "A team sometimes Not counting junior David
gets more energy from killing a Wohlberg's 10-minute misconduct
penalty, and the teamonthe power late in the third period, Michigan
play gets more frustrated. That's was whistled for eight penalties *
kind of what went on tonight." while Wisconsin had seven.
Whether it was Minnesota's During the 10-game stretch
heightened pressure on the pen- starting with a contest at New
alty kill or Michigan's inability Hampshire on Oct. 17, the Wol-
to quickly move the puck in the verines were just 2-for-43 on the
Gopher end, the Wolverines didn't power play. But against the Bad-
register agoalonthe power play all gers, the team doubled that total, *
night against the WCHA's worst with senior Carl Hagelin and soph-
penalty-killing team. Michigan omore Chris Brown both register-
was 0-for-4 with the man advan- ing power-play tallies.
tage. Additionally, at one point in
According to senior forward the second period, the Wolverines
Matt Rust, "panic" may have hin- received four consecutive penal-
dered the Wolverines. Rust said ties, leading to two Wisconsin
that after two or three minutes of power play goals. The Badgers
the five-minute major, in which were 3-for-6 on the night with the
Michigan couldn't score, "play- man advantage.
ers began to make plays they don't "We were surprised at all the
normally make," leading to frus- penalties," Berenson said on Fri-
tration. day night. "We're disappointed in
"Things just went downhill that part of the game. Then our
from there," Rust said. penalty killing wasn't good enough
Minnesota took the momentum for their power play. At least our
from the penalty kill and scored power play gt a couple back. It
what would be the game-winner was a good game, a hard-fought
three minutes later off the stick of game. You just like tontake the ref-40
Nick Larson. erees out of it and givethe players a
But Michigan (8-4-4 over- chance to play the game.
all) responded, as senior for- "Let's face it, they're a 28-per-
ward Scooter Vaughan fought cent power play. And they've been
off two Gophers behind the net able to score on just about any-
and wristed a shot on goaltender body they play. They got pucks in
Alex Kangas. Kangas stopped tonight.
the initial shot, but Vaughan "We knew what they were try-
corralled his own rebound and ing to do, and they did it. We just
banged it home to cut the Min- couldn't stop them."
back to the box score when he
ELITE EIGHT beat Maurer in the 71st minute.
From Page 1B Not satisfied with the advan-
tage, given the back-and-forth
goaltender. first half, Meram put the game
Shortly after the Wolverines out of reach and, in turn, put the
gained the 1-0 advantage, South Wolverines through to the Elite
Carolina (13-7-2) received ascrip- Eight with a set piece goal.
pling blow when a challenge Despite an impressive per-
from senior Will Traynor led to formance by Michigan redshirt
a red card. junior goalie Chris Blais, the
Gamecock coach Mark Ber- Gamecocks were not to be shut
son wasn't very happy about the out at Stone Stadium, affection-
referree's call. ately dubbed "The Graveyard"
"(The ref) saw it," Berson said. because of its proximity to a
"I didn't see it. But he saw it." local cemetery.
South Carolina never fully The lone South Carolina goal
recovered from playing a man came with six minutes remain-
down. ing in the contest - far too lit-
As the remaining minutes tle time for a serious comeback
dwindled, the Wolverines added threat.
two more goals. Maryland defeated No. 15 0
Freshman Soony Saad, held seed Penn State 2-1 on Sunday to
to a rare scoreless game against advance to a home matchup with
Central Florida, found his way the Wolverines.
Cashing out in Atlantic City
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -
arly on Saturday morning, I ]
sat at a blackjack table at one
of the many casinos along
the boardwalk in this oceanside
resort. Rava,
our dealer, had
just replaced
Stevie, who
had been deal-
ing very good o
hands.
Well, that's
what I was told, CHANTEL
because hon- JENNINGS
estly I had no
idea what I was
doing. I'd never gambled before, i
and for the mostpart, I was just
listeningto the people around me
as to whether I should tap the table
with my middle finger or slice the
air with my hand (those blackjack
savants out there know this as 'hit-
ting' or 'standing').
At my best, I was up $65 and I
should've taken a hint when the
high-roller at our table walked
away after Rava dealt some pretty
awful hands. The table had gone
cold and I began to loose what I'd
gained.
I stepped away after having bro-
ken even, which apparently is an
accomplishment in itself when it
comes to things like gambling. Or
as it turns out ... basketball.
if014 $
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Now, I understand that for most
Michigan men's basketball fans,
this weekend won't look like much
of an accomplishment. The Legends
Classic will be remembered as the
event where the Wolverines got
their first two losses of the season,
where they spent their Thanksgiv-
ing breaks, where UTEP dunked
on them five times, where they fin-
ished fourth - out of four.
But, honestly, it was about time
they got beat. And I don't mean that
in a vengeful sort of way. I mean
that there's only so much to learn
when you're defeating teams like
Bowling Green and Gardner-Webb
by 20.It was about time a group
of players that really challenged
Michigan was added to the Wol-
verines' learning curve and I think
the shoreline tourney did just that.
A three-point loss to No. 9 Syra-
cuse and a nine-point loss to UTEP
mean more for the growth of the
Wolverines than any other victory
on Michigan's schedule so far this
season.
These young players needed to
face an opponent that forced them
to examine - in game play - every
single decision they were making,
a team that pushed the Wolverines
to play ata higher level, a team that
offered certain challenges Michi-
gan just can't duplicate in practice.
Because in practice, who can
fight Jot
single in
single ti
scout te
a 2-3 zo:
provide
a suffoc
defense
practice
shoot, o
everyth
can fort
Yes, t
But wit]
lessons.
and real
this wet
down t
M
lea
this
Morl
players
Orange
with th
Marcus
from Nt
come Jr
match u
rdan Morgan for every bodied up against players just as
ich of post position every good earlier in the season.
me down the floor? What When Stu Douglass gets ready
am can play as devastating to play in East Lansing later that
ne like Syracuse's, only to month, he can look back at his game
an encore the next day with against UTEP's Randy Culpepper
ating UTEP man-to-man (reigning Conference-USA Player of
? And who on Michigan's the Year) as a warm-up to defend-
squad can outrun, out- ing the second-ranked Spartans'
ut-score, out-muscle, out- Kalin Lucas.
ing the Wolverines - Who And when Michigan faces No.
e the best to become better? 3 Ohio State or No. 15 Minnesota,
he two losses were ugly. sophomore Darius Morris will be
h them come innumerable more prepared to read whatever
Take the good with the bad defense they throw at him because
lize that what they learned he's seen defensive sets that are lon-
ekend will benefit them ger and quicker.
he road. So yes, the Wolverines went
0-2 this weekend. And yes, a Leg-
ends Classic Championship would
*i have looked much better. But that
Iichiigan w~ii didn't happen. So don't dwell on it,
mo ef because Michigan will learn more
rn more from from this pair of losses than any
pair of losses, major win over a small school.
pair f lo ses* Syracuse and UTEP are two
very good teams. And for what the
two losses took from Michigan's
record book, they also gave back in
gan fighting three massive early-season experience that will
from the ninth-ranked undoubtedly pay off as the season
will only make his battle progresses.
e Morris twins (6-foot-9 Breaking even, now that's
and 6-foot-1O Markieff) something tobe thankful for.
o. 6 Kansas more bearable _
anuary. He'll be able to Jennings can be reached
up with them, knowing he's at chanjen@umich.edu
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Tuesday, November 30, 2010 4:10p 8 Rackharn Amphitheater