Rosenberg and Albom both had columns on HOke

[michlady77]

Rosenberg's was today an dis long but good read
http://www.freep.com/article/20110902/COL22/109020466/Michael-Rosenberg-Hoke-s-long-journey-had-one-goal-coaching-at-U-M?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
print edition had pic of the Hoke brothers in high school

Albom - http://www.freep.com/article/20110901/COL01/109010576

loved this one in albom"s

Welcome to the perfect match of man and mold. Michigan fans desperately wanted a coach like Hoke, and Hoke desperately wanted Michigan. The three-year Rich Rodriguez experiment was like an avowed meat-lover going vegan because everyone says he should, until he finally spits out the bean curd and says, "Gimme a steak!"

 

[myczk1aj]

Yea, I read Albom's yesterday. Liked it. "He's a steak man".

 

[Michchamp]

I liked Rosenberg's column a lot better. Rosenberg's article has some interesting tidbits in it. Like this one:<blockquote>...at the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, the Wolverines ride in a motorcade to and from practice. Other coaches see the police escorts as a perk. Hoke sees them as something more. ...

Hoke doesn't like networking with other coaches, but he befriends the cops. In 2003, he gets the head coaching job at Ball State, the only head coaching job he ever really tried to get. And every year, he has special guests. The cops, who live in Orlando, take vacations in Muncie, Ind., to visit Brady Hoke.</blockquote>Or this one. Those were my first two games as an undergrad. You bastard Hoke!<blockquote>The games from the 1997 national championship season are a blur to Hoke. But the 0-2 start from 1998 is seared in his memory. Michigan's defensive line, a key element to the '97 run, could not generate a pass rush.

"I did a bad job of preparing that group of guys for the next season," Hoke said. "I assumed, since they started in '97 and played a lot of football, that they understood, on a daily basis, what it meant to prepare. And I did a crappy job. I did a terrible job. I blame myself for those two losses, the Notre Dame loss and the Syracuse loss, because we didn't play up front."</blockquote>these two quotes really hammer home the difference between RR and Hoke, and why RR didn't mesh with our culture. he assumed Michigan was just another job, and I think to some fans, and even some alumni, it is and they'd prefer it be treated that way. But it's not, and thank god for that.

 

[michlady77]

rosenbergs is more indepth and based on talkign to Hoke

Albom's was just an op ed type

 

[Monster]

yeah that 0-2 start in 98 was shocking. I remember going in and donovan mcnabb being their guy, thinking, "We're about to kick the shit out of this guy".

 

[jever4321]

I was at that Syracuse game. Man that was lopsided. All I remember was McNabb and Conrad shredding the defense. They put up some points late to make the score more respectable, But that was a Pretty convincing beating.

 

[Michchamp]

yep, I remember the same thing. I forget the final score, but it was never close. They piled on points early, and McNabb running the option shredded us.

I forget who eventually beat them (I know a couple teams did). They looked unstoppable to us, and I remember thinking they were going to win a national title that season.

oh well. Nice of Hoke to take the blame for those. I'm sure (at the time) all some people did was bash the players, Lloyd Carr, or conservative play calling...

We got revenge the next season by beating Syracuse @ Syracuse in a very strange game.

 

[masterscorpio77]

I remember that game also, the score was closer then what the game actually was, Syracuse took it to them pretty much the whole game. They called off the dogs in the second half.

 

[Guest]

Mitch Albom is a hack.

He can thank the Fab Five for making him a national name and needs to let go of the notion he's any sort of "insider" for Michigan sports on any level.



And he's got the funniest looking ears on TV since Leonard Nimoy played Mr Spock!

 

[alonzomoseley]

Great article by Rosenberg. But, Jesus, read the comments. Some very seriously worried and bitter MSU fans.

 

[dannydiggler]

I agree with Victors on Album being a hack. His books suck. A high school freshman could out-write him.

 

[Michchamp]

well... I was trying to be nice, but I agree about Albom.