John Beilein announced today that Manny and DeShawn will return for next year. This was a foregone conclusion of sorts, but confirmation is nice.

More later, because iPhone is not the optimal blogging device.

Posted under Photo Album

vs. Indiana

from indiana.edu

6:35pm Friday, 1:05pm Saturday, 1:05pm Sunday
Ray Fisher Stadium
Ann Arbor, MI

Media Game 1: Live Stats and Audio (WBCN)
Probable Starters Game 1: Chris Fetter (5-1) vs. TBA
Media Game 2: Live Stats and Audio (WBCN)
Probable Starters Game 2:  Eric Katzman (6-3) vs TBA
Media Game 3: Live Stats and Audio (WBCN)
Probable Starters Game 3: TBA vs TBA

Series: Michigan leads 123-54
Last Meeting: Michigan UM split the season series @Bloomington last year, but won the rubber match in the BigTen Tournament in Ann Arbor
Last Michigan Loss: 4-11, (April 2008 @ IU), Mike Wilson gave up 4 runs in .1 innings to start the game, Jenzen gave up 2 in 1.1 of relief.  Burgoon pitched 5.1 innings giving up 5 runs.

Overview

Indiana enters this series with a less than sterling 18-20 record, but don’t let that fool you.  This team is very good and is picked by many to be the team to beat out ranked Ohio State for the conference crown.  They currently are 8-3 in BigTen play, good for second and only .5 games behind Ohio State.  They are batting .327 as a team, also second to Ohio State.  Two of their three weekend starters claim conference ERAs under 3.00.  Eric Arnett is the leader for BigTen pitcher of the year (BT stats – 34 innings, 5 R, 5 ER, 34 K, 9 BB)  His 1.94 ERA leads the conference.  Matt Bashore was their ace last year, and has been pretty good in conference play himself.  His BigTen ERA is 2.82 over 22.1 innings with 7 ER and 22 K.

For player overviews, check out the Q&A with IUBaseballFan and his Q&A with me @ Behind the Plate.

The Weather

Weather looks perfect the next few days.

Winds are blowing straight in from center; they’re hard enough I don’t expect too many balls carrying out.

Promotions

Bring a phonebook to be recycled and get into Friday’s game for $1.  Also on Friday, the team appears to be giving away free trees.  They call it grow your own baseball on MGoBlue, but I think they meant baseball bat?

Saturday is Daddy/Daughter day through Heart of Michigan Council Girl Scouts.  Scouts and their dad’s get in for $5 a person and receive a food voucher.  Saturday also features a guest appearance by an ambulance and fire truck for kids to look at and hear safety tips from paramedics.  WOO FIRE TRUCKS!

Sunday is an extravaganza.  We start with a kiddie carnival with inflatables, face painting, “and much more!”  Little League and high school players receive free admission to the game.  Trading cards go to the first 500 fans.  AND after the game,” the ENTIRE Michigan baseball team will be signing autographs for fans!”

Awesome.  Get out to the games.

For the full list of promotions, go here.

Outlook

I’m not overly confident about this series.  I think Michigan can take one, probably tonight’s game.  I’m guessing the Indiana starter will be Blake Monar, who hasn’t been that spectacular.  He’s been their regular Friday guy though.  It’s unclear if IU coach Tracy Smith will move around his starting rotation in order to get his ace against Fetter.

The other thing going for Michigan is their luck against really good pitching.  Outside of Stoffel at Arizona, Michigan has been lucky to knock the aces around for most teams, or at least get an early exit (Reeser at Illinois).  The problem for the Wolverines has been the meh pitchers – like Monar.

At this point, I think we take game, two if we get really lucky and play solid defense.

Posted under Baseball

2010 Michigan Recruiting Board.

Michigan has offered IA QB AJ Derby. He had previously been included on the board as a defensive back, but made it clear that he’s being recruited as a QB. I’ve moved him and reflected that he has an offer. I was actually very crurious about the seeming lack of Michigan interest, so the offer certainly goes a long way to assuage those fears. For further education on Derby, check out the Youtube highlight of his team’s 2008 season. Understandably, said highlights have lots of QB action.

Removed WA QB Jake Heaps, who has narrowed his list to five. Michigan was never particularly involved in his recruitment, so this comes as no surprise. Time to pare down a few more of these QBs. Who’s next?

FL RB Eduardo Clements has started to name favorites, and Georgia is on top for now. However, Michigan doesn’t seem to be that far behind for the south florida speedster:

“As of right now, Georgia is still my leader but Miami and Florida State are really high for me too. Michigan is an offer that came in not too long ago and I’m interested in them just because of their offensive scheme and how they pound the ball.”

Sounds like the Wolverines are hanging on at the end of an unofficial Top 4, no? Considering they were the most recent to offer him (which is now reflected on the board), they seem to be right in the thick of the race for his services.

OH RB Tyson Gulley is starting to see bigger interest, as IU is close to offering. However, with Michigan already having a couple backs in the class, I’d be shocked if they reached for a lesser-rated guy like Gulley.

Michigan has offered MD WR Adrian Coxson (info in header). This is odd, because they’re already drowning in WR recruits.

FL OL Brent Benedict is a hotly-recruited prospect, and he’ll basically have his choice of any school when it comes time to decide. That said, it’s an encouraging sign that Michigan is among the campuses he plans to visit this summer, as he conducts research for his eventual college decision.

Removed IN OL James Hurst, who committed to North Carolina. It’s odd that Michigan never really got in on his recruitment, considering he’s just one state away, and is considered one of the top offensive linemen in the class of 2010 at this early stage.

Were reports of OH DE Darryl Baldwin‘s narrowing his list to four schools (UM, MSU, OSU, ND) premature? His coach says so. Still, even if he hasn’t limited his choices to those, it’s fair to say that they are his top4. Also, note the article writer’s disdainful look at the internet recruiting sites “Internet reports speculated…” Yes, they speculated something by taking a quote directly from the kid’s mouth. FAIL.

TX LB Corey Nelson has named Michigan his leader. He’s a serious prospect, and Michigan is certainly in the hunt for linebackers. The interest came from the commitment of RB Tony Drake, yet another example of Rich Rodriguez’s recruiting strategy of building pipelines at powerhouse programs and taking multiple recruits from the schools in a single year. Burnt Orange Nation, of all places, has a bit of fluff on him as well:

The other top linebackers, Corey Nelson and Aaron Benson, are both smaller, faster linebackers more highly rated than Jackson (for now, at least), with Nelson in particular looking physically more like a safety than a linebacker as a junior.

Is that a problem? Should Nelson or Benson be punished for not fitting cleanly into the traditional stereotype of their positions? In a word – no. Throw out the old prototype of big linebackers with two-gap responsibility asked to take on fullbacks in the hole – there’s a new sheriff (or pirate, if you prefer) in town who likes playing in the wide-open places on the field.

That’s pretty effusive praise for a guy who almost certainly will not end up playing for Mack Brown’s Longhorns.

The Wolverines have sent an offer to CT LB Khairi Fortt (info in header). He’s a 4-star to Scout and to Rivals.

FL CB Cody Riggs nearly committed to Notre Dame on his visit to the spring game. I think he’s a guy that we can almost forget about, if not quite yet.

An all-star game update: FL WR James Louis (who may be close to committing to Florida) will play in the ESPNU game. The article mentions that FL LB Jeff Luc, who at last word was waiting to decide which all-star game to play in, has decided on the ESPNU game.

From Sam Webb’s Wednesday Recruiting Roundup:

• SC OL AJ Cann is not as high on the Maize-and-Blue anymore as he had been in the recent past.
• Despite receiving an offer from Oklahoma, it is not a foregone conclusion that MI DT Jonathan Hankins will see the in-state schools follow suit. Look for him to be offered a little further down the road, if at all.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

I generally try to stay away from NFL-related stuff, because quite frankly, I really don’t care.

HOWEVA, boring offseason is boring offseason, so let’s take a look at the draft prospects for Michigan’s relevant players. The draft is sometime this weekend, I guess. I think it starts tomorrow.

Terrance Taylor, DT
Going into 2008, Taylor had what was probably the rosiest-looking draft resume on the Michigan team. His production sagged somewhat during the course of the season, as Michigan’s defense imploded (this will be a common theme). He also had something of a reputation as a lazy player going into 2008, and though Barwis probably worked that out of him, the season certainly didn’t help him out. He will always be limited somewhat by his height, but he has very good strength, and is pretty effective against the run. Taylor projects as a late first-day or early second-day pick.

Tim Jamison, DE
Jamison tantalized Michigan fans for four years by looking nigh-unblockable each spring, then failing to produce when the season rolled around. His reputation as a gameday no-show over the years (fair or not, he never produced to his potential) might haunt him. Jamison, like Taylor, has gotten in much better shape since the Barwis train rolled into Ann Arbor, and he might be a late-round pick that surprises people down the road with his production. Jamison looks like a late-round pick or perhaps a free agent.

Morgan Trent, CB
Trent went from fairly serious liability in 2006 to steady performer in 2007 (and a hero of sorts in the Capital One Bowl, as he famously ran Percy Harvin down from across the field and 15 yards back), and back to a liability of sorts in 2008. How much of his return to non-greatness was due to a lack of cohesion among the defensive coaching staff, and an inability to teach players the necessary techniques? Trent has blazing sped, but doesn’t really have great flexibility in his hips. As a big hitter, he’ll probably fit well in a cover-2 scheme. It seems that Trent will be a late-rounder or free agent.

Sean Griffin, LS
NFL teams need long-snap specialists, and Sean Griffin was one of the few who was invited to the NFL combine (let’s disregard that he was one of the few Wovlerines there, as well). I would be shocked to see a long-snapper be drafted, but a team will likely pick him up as a free agent, where he’ll hopefully man the position for yeasrs to come.

Carson Butler, TE
Incapable of blocking without committing a hold (contrary to Mel Kiper’s assertion), Butler is still a physical specimen who, unfortunately, could never get a grasp on the mental aspects of the game. He struggled so much at tight end as a redshirt junior that he was moved to defensive line halfway through the year. And let’s not forget about the disciplinary issues. He might get picked up as a free agent by some team hoping they can teach him how to behave and block. His physical tools certainly warrant giving him a second look.

Will Johnson, DT
I think Johnson will be the surprise of this sparse draft class for Michigan. He was a steady performer as a senior, though he didn’t do anything exceptionally well. He’s slightly undersized for the DT position, but too big to play the DE position. With his record-setting strength, he might be able to stick somewhere as a backup DT or a DE in the 3-4 scheme. Still, I thin kthat if he makes a team’s roster at all, it will be the first step to a productive, if never flashy, NFL career.

Brandon Harrison, S
Harrison has good speed and loves to lay big hits on guys. He is also 5-9 and not Bob Sanders, which will make NFL teams wary of him. He is yet another victim of the 3 coordinators in 4 years issue, meaning he’s never really learned any one scheme very well. If he can make it onto a training camp roster, he’ll have to impress in order to stick in the NFL.

Posted under Football, Personnel

Michigan split a pair of mid week games at Notre Dame last night.  It was one of those nights where Maloney was out to throw as many pitchers as possible just to get them work.  Even with that mindset, some pitchers still couldn’t make it through just an inning of work (Travis Smith, I’m looking at you).  Overall though, most of the pitchers did fairly well from what I heard on MGoBlue and the comments yesterday.

Katzman looked shaky in his one inning of work, walking the lead off batter and then hitting Golden Tate with a pitch to start the game.  After a strikeout and another walk, he managed to escape the inning without a run.

Kolby Wood threw the long relief; he was originally scheduled to start.  Over his 4 innings, he only gave up 2 runs on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 2 Ks.  He worked into a bases loaded jam in the 2nd and induced a double play, then again, in the 5th, he got a critical double play to preserve the lead.  After giving up a single and double to open 6th, Wood was pulled for…

Tyler Burgoon.  Burgoon managed to get a fly ball on the first batter, but it was deep enough to score a run.  Groundout, RBI single, double, groundout and we were out of the inning, but Wood lost the chance for the win.  Burgoon did pick up the win in the top of the 7th.  He’d close out the game with a pair of strikeouts and a groundout for the finish.  So while his first inning was a bit rough, he looked really good to finish.  Hopefully that shoulder isn’t affecting his pitching too much.

Game two started with Mike Wilson… and he wasn’t half bad.  He went 4 innings giving up 4 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts.  His toughest inning was the second; he started by giving up back to back singles and a walk.  He worked his way out with a pair of strikeouts and a ground ball.  That’s the type of situtation Wilson hasn’t performed in well lately.  It was a real promising start.  After giving up only a hit in each of the 3rd and 4th inning, Wilson started to lose command to start the 5th.  He walked both batters he faced, opening the door to the bullpen.

Travis Smith came in and wouldn’t record an out.  The defense set the tone for his outing, with a John Lorenz error on the first batter Smith would face.  The next batter would single in two runs.  A hit by pitch and walk later, Notre Dame would score again.

Matt Miller would take over from here (still 0 outs in the 5th).  The first batter he faced flew out to Alan Oaks in left, plating a run on the sac fly.  Miller then struck out 4 of the next 5 batters to finish the game.  Miller was damn impressive.

Offensively, Coach had a chance to move some people around.  Ryan LaMarre was given the night off to rest; this was his first set of games to sit out.  Cislo also sat out most of the second game, coming in to pinch run in the last inning (and get caught stealing).

Despite the shakeup, Michigan was back to its favorite past time in game one – strikeouts.  The Wolverines struckout 10 times, lead by the hat trick of Kenny Fellows.  The left on base stat was also a little high, but about average for Michigan at 8.  Lorenz owned half of those, but I will point out that at least he didn’t strikeout this game.

The good came from Coley Crank.  Coley went 3/5 on the day with a double and a solo homerun.  Anthony Toth also went 3/6 with an RBI.

Defensively we had 2 errors on the game.  Berset had a throwing error that didn’t lead to a run, but should be at least noted.  Lorenz had the error (previously mentioned during the Travis Smith escapade) that lead to a run.  His defense has been suspect lately, but he did earn some props from Kolby Wood in game one:

“I came in and tried to aim the ball when I was first throwing and got into a jam[…] There were a couple of tough plays, and then John Lorenz, our third baseman, made a really nice play and picked me up. That gave me a lot of confidence.”

So at least he’s got that going for him.  The kid is still a freshman and will struggle.

In the long run, this doubleheader doesn’t mean much of anything.  It was good to see Michigan keep its composure in game one.  I was also glad to see we hit a pair of lefties around a little bit.  We’re facing two really good lefties this weekend from Indiana.  So hopefully this was good practice leading up to that.

First game Friday is at 6:35pm at the Fish.

Posted under Baseball

Preface: Posting will be light today and tomorrow. Football is slow. Basketball is slow. No LAX report until Monday.  This will also act as most of my preview.  So savor what content you get. – FA

This weekend of the baseball schedule features a home series with the Indiana Hoosiers.  In order to give you a little bit of a preview of their team, I exchanged some Q&A with IUBaseball of Behind the Plate.  Behind the Plate is slowly becoming one of the top school specific baseball sites in the BigTen (yes, there are more than one, there are five that are baseball exclusive as compared to me leeching from Tim and Paul).  My answers to his questions can be found here.

Question 1: While much praise is due to manbearfreak Josh Phegley, I can’t help but see headlines about freshman Alex Dickerson. Who is this 6’3″ freshman phenom? How in the hell did he end up at Indiana from San Diego? I know its not Friday yet, but is it already too late to hide the women and children? Does he have a weakness?

Alex Dickerson was definitely a huge get for Head Coach Tracy Smith. “Skip,” as the players like to call him, has made considerable headways out on the West Coast the last couple years. Obviously Dickerson is the biggest and most notable signee to this point, but it is interesting to note that there are currently 7 players on IU’s roster from California, all of which are either freshmen or sophomores. As to how IU actually landed him, I would imagine the fact that fellow Hoosier freshman Drew Leininger was a high school teammate of his certainly helped the cause. In addition, sophomore 1B Jerrud Sabourin, who had a very successful freshman campaign, is also from San Diego and played in the same high school conference as Dickerson.

Although there wasn’t a ton of hoopla surrounding Dickerson’s signing, there were no doubts about his hitting prowess. He was drafted out of high school in the 48^th round by the Washington Nationals, and he was an all-state selection by two different publications in a state that is very rich in baseball talent. All that being said, his success so far is actually not all that surprising. IU was just very fortunate to land such an impressive talent. I don’t know about “hiding the women and children,” but Dickerson indeed does not appear to have many weaknesses at the plate. In reality, his biggest weakness is actually his defense, and that is why he has yet to see an inning of action in the field in Big Ten play. The word is that he can’t field a lick, but fortunately that is a weakness Michigan’s pitchers won’t be able to expose.

Swinging from the left side, Dickerson really likes to go the other way and hasn’t really shown the ability to pull the ball. Last weekend, however, I did see him pull a ball off Penn State’s T.J. Macy (who hadn’t given up a homer all year) over the right field fence, so I don’t know how big of a weakness this truly is. Other than that, I would say Michigan’s best bet may be to just pitch around him this weekend.

Question 2: Now to Phegley. while most of my readers may not remember/know this, Phegley is probably the best offensive player in the BigTen, and is probably a first round draft pick in this year’s MLB draft. His defense however is a bit suspect. He’s only caught 6 of 25 stolen base attempts this year. What does Indiana do to keep runners honest? A ton of pickoffs? Quick slide steps? Arnett, subject of question 4, just not allowing base runners? Do you expect the Wolverines to run much?

To be honest, I would say that Phegley’s reputation is what keeps runners honest in many cases. 6 for 31 is obviously not a great percentage, but it is still important to note that only 31 runners have even attempted a stolen base against him. I think the fact that IU starts 2 left-handers and a very hard-throwing right-hander also works in the Hoosiers’ favor as far as steals are concerned. Michigan is 3rd in the Big Ten in stolen base attempts with 69 on the year (as of Tuesday), so all things considered, I think it would be safe to assume that Michigan will be aggressive on the basepaths this weekend in an effort to manufacture runs against a strong crop of starters. [manufacture runs, what is this you speak of? – FA]

Question 3: Speaking of base stealing, who do the Wolverines need to watch out for on base?

Without a doubt, the biggest threat on the basepaths for the Hoosiers is junior Evan Crawford, who is currently 2^nd in the Big Ten with 18 steals. The speedy CF has only been caught stealing twice this year (both in the same game, one of which was on a failed squeeze play attempt and the other on a pitchout), and MLB scouts rave about his speed. He is definitely the one the Wolverines will want to pay the most attention to on the basepaths. Outside of Crawford, only 2B Tyler Rogers (7 steals in 8 attempts) has stolen more than 5 bases. IU began the season with a more passive approach on the basepaths, but they have been more aggressive of late with 19 steals in conference play. Besides #9 hitter Vince Gonzalez (who I can guarantee will not be stealing any bases anytime soon), any other Hoosier is a threat to run as all other starters have recorded at least 1 stolen base on the year.

Question 4: I have to think Arnett is up for pitcher of the year. A sterling 8-1 record, 1.94 ERA, opponents batting .202, 9 K/9IP, and 4 complete games. Wow. His only loss came against then #20 ECU in a complete game. What hope does Michigan have against them in game 2?

Yes, Eric Arnett is undoubtedly among the front runners for Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. He leads the Big Ten in wins, ERA and innings pitched, is second in opposing batting average and fourth in strikeouts. There are definitely a number of worthy candidates at this point (including Michigan’s own Chris Fetter), but I think Arnett stands as good a chance as any pitcher in the conference at taking home that piece of hardware. Consequently, Arnett will be a very tough match-up for the Wolverines. After throwing 3 straight complete games to open conference play, he is coming off his shortest Big Ten outing (97 pitches in 6.2 innings in a 15-1 romp over Penn State) and should be well rested for Saturday’s contest. While Michigan sports several dangerous hitters and can score a lot of runs, given Arnett’s track record this season, I just don’t see the Wolverines experiencing much success against the big right-hander on Saturday.

Question 5: Last year’s Fetter vs Bashore game was an epic thriller (2-1 IU victory in walk off fashion as both pitchers got the 7 inning complete game). Does Blake Monar stand any chance of going head to head with Chris Fetter on the mound, assuming he’s still the Friday starter?

Blake Monar is scheduled to get the ball for the Hoosiers on Friday, and while Chris Fetter is undoubtedly one of the toughest (if not the toughest) match-up in the Big Ten, I am confident he can toe the rubber at Michigan and give the Hoosiers a solid outing against Fetter and the Wolverines. While it is likely the runs will be few and far between for IU on Friday, Monar has demonstrated that he is more than capable of handling the #1 spot this season. In 8 starts, the left-hander (who was drafted in the 26^th round out of high school last year by the New York Yankees) is 4-2 with a 5.02 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 52 innings of work. He is coming off a rough outing last weekend against Penn State, but prior to that he had impressive starts at Illinois and Iowa and had only given up 4 extra base hits all season (all doubles). In fact, if you take away the 2 starts against Penn State and Minnesota, Monar would be holding opponents to a .226 batting average and have a 3.27 ERA. He also threw 7 strong innings and gave up only a single earned run in a tough-luck loss against Ohio State and Big Ten Pitcher of the Year candidate Alex Wimmers down in Florida over spring break. Coach Tracy Smith loves the young freshman’s approach: “What really acts as a strength is his [Monar’s] mentality” he recently said an interview. Monar has proven himself to be a gamer, and I think he will rebound with a solid effort against Fetter on Friday.

Question 6: What happened to Chris Hervey? The guy was a monster last year, now he’s just rotating in occasionally. What gives?

Although Hervey is hitting .272 after hitting .373 in 54 starts last season, the senior outfielder has actually started in 10 of IU’s 11 Big Ten games, including the last 9 in a row, and seen action in all 11 games. Early in the season he was pushed for playing time by a number of his teammates (including T.C. Knipp, Michael Earley and Brian Lambert), but he ultimately established himself as an everyday player again and has been a formidable lead off batter with a .406 on-base percentage. He is one of two Hoosier seniors and has proven himself to be one of the top clutch hitters on the team despite not hitting as well overall as he did last year. We all know what Hervey is capable of, and it appears that IU’s coaching staff is opting to let him work his way out of this slump on the field. The Hoosier faithful are certainly keeping their fingers crossed that he returns to last season’s form sooner rather than later.

Question 7: What are your expectations for the weekend?

I think IU will take 2 of 3 from the Wolverines. The match-up between Monar and Fetter will be an excellent one on Friday, but it’s just too hard to pick against Fetter right now. As such, I see Michigan taking Game 1 with Arnett and Bashore pitching the Hoosiers to wins in Games 2 and 3. Although this will likely be a close series, I ultimately think the Hoosiers’ combination of quality starting pitching and strong hitting will be too much for the Wolverines.

Thanks to IUBaseball for instigating this and his responses.  Remember catch mine at his site, Behind the Plate.

Posted under Baseball

Or: How I learned to stop worrying (about size) and love the star system.

Since the dawn of the Rich Rodriguez era, there’s been a marked shift in recruiting philosophy. No, not the sudden emphasis on Central and Southern Florida. I speak of the recruitment of several tiny dudes each of the past three years who could plausibly play running back or slot receiver. The Lloyd Carr regime rarely recruited anyone under 5-9 (Mike Hart notwithstanding), and certainly not to play wide receiver. On the contrary, Carr seemed to only be interested in wideouts who were over 6-0, and preferred big guys who were 6-4 and over. Why the sudden change in philosophy? Il’l let the venerable Jim Stefani have the floor for a moment:

Lloyd was looking for big and fast RBs and WRs, kids who would fit in well into his pro-style offense and project well for the NFL.  There are only a small handful of prep players each year that met the skill set that he was looking for (big AND fast), so it was critical that he land a few of these kids every year.

RichRod, however, is looking for small and quick slot type receivers and backs who excel in space.  There are a lot more small and quick 5-7 to 5-11 slot types out there to recruit every year than there are future Braylon Edwards’s or Chris Perrys.  These kids may not project as NFL first round draft picks down the road, but they are kids who have the specific skills to succeed in RichRod’s offense because what they will be asked to do in this offense will be quite different than what the backs and receivers were asked to do playing Lloyd-ball.

So what does this mean? Rich could just grab any old guy off the street and he would perform equally as well as Percy Harvin? Of course not. However, there is something about the little guys that is more exciting (despite, perhaps, lower rankings). I think part of the reason Michigan fans fell in love with Martavious Odoms last year was not because he was an exceptional slot man, but the fact that the Wolverines hadn’t had a little guy at that position at all in so long. The concept of the slot receiver was as appealing as Odoms himself. If Michigan starts getting elite slot guys down the road, the offense could be that much more potent and exciting.

So why is Michigan now recruiting these tiny guys? As Jim said, the tiny guys are more likely to have the skill set that Michigan needs for the slot position to be effective. Good speed, exceptional quickness, and very good change of direction are all important to make plays in space. A bubble screen is only as effective as the ability of the receiver to make a guy miss, run by a guy, and get the ball down the field. Taller guys are generally less flexible (particularly in the hips – look at cornerbacks), and less able to change direction on a dime. Tall guys can be just as fast – look at Usain Bolt or Larry Fitzgerald – but lack the flexibility for this particular position.

That said, there are taller guys out there who have the skill set. These are freak athletes, like Percy Harvin, even Steve Breaston. With more height, and the same ability to run fast and change directions, evade tacklers, etc., these players are superior. They can do everything the little guys can, plus they’re able to get balls that are thrown higher, etc. These end up being your higher-rated guys. Noel Devine was a five-star, but think if he had the same skills at 6-1. He’d probably have potential to be one of the best ever.

Down the road, Michigan will probably be able to get these taller athletes with slot skills. However, that doesn’t mean that there’s no place in the offense for tiny guys.

Posted under Football, Personnel, Recruiting, Video

With FA unavailable, I’ll give the status update on baseball’s series with Notre Dame.

Today’s game in Ann Arbor was rained out, and will be made up tomorrow. However, instead of playing a home-and-home with the Irish, Michigan will now play a road doubleheader in South Bend. The games start at 4:30 PM tomorrow, though the weather doesn’t look particularly promising.

Remember, his brief preview of the series can be seen here, and hope for nice enough weather tomorrow to play the DH. Now the question is, do I drive down there for the games?

Posted under Baseball

UPDATE: TimFAIL. Almost immediately after I say the game looks like it won’t be canceled, it is. 

As of right now, it looks like the game is going to be played. I’ll update accordingly if it’s not. -t

We’ve got a home and home scheduled with Notre Dame that is supposed to start tonight at 7:05pm.  I’m not so optimistic it’ll be played.  Tomorrow has a better chance.  If the game gets canceled tonight, I expect a doubleheader at Notre Dame tomorrow.  We’ll see though.

Notre Dame is a middle of the pack BigEast team, a conference Michigan has performed well against this year.  Unfortunately all that success was in week 1 during the BigEast/BigTen challenge when Michigan looked really good.  The Irish enter the series with a 22-14 record (8-7) in the BigEast.  Their team batting average is a very respectable .309, and the team ERA of 4.93 is also pretty good.

Tonight’s game features Kolby Wood and Notre Dame’s senior lefty Sam Elam.  Elam will be making his 6th appearance and first start in this game.  He appears to be high risk-high reward.  He has struck out 13 batters in 9 innings, but he’s also walked 11 and given up 9 earned runs.  His opponent batting average is only .161, but the walks have really hurt him.

Wednesday will see Mike Wilson take on Irish freshman lefty Ryan Richter.  Richter is 3-1 in 7 appearances (1 start) with a 2.04 ERA.  In 17.2 innings of work, he’s given up 17 hits, 8 walks, and 16 strikeouts.  Looks like were getting the power lefties from the Irish.  Richter’s only start came against Northwestern, a 5-1 loss where he only lasted 3.2 innings while giving up 2 runs on 6 hits, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts.

AJ Pollack leads the Irish offense in average with .350, but he also has his share of power with 5 homers and ten doubles.  Pollack also leads the team with 13 steals in 18 attempts.  He is joined by Jeremey Barnes in the lineup who is second on the team with .341 average and 7 homers.  Barnes is the leading slugger at a .644 slugging percentage.  Greg Sherry and Golden Tate are also both hitting over .335.  Tate, unsurprisingly, is also a stolen base threat.  He’s 6/7 on the year.

Other Notes:

• Irish Illustrated – Their preview of us.

Posted under Baseball

Don’t forget, you can always visit the 2010 Recruiting Board here, or by clicking the link on the left sidebar.

Moved to Committed:
FL S Marvin Robinson. And there was much rejoicing. Also, there was a weird “OMG Half Shirtlessz” picture.

SC RB Marcus Lattimore has named Auburn his favorite after visiting for the Tigers’ spring game. I would be surprised if this lead holds up after he visits other schools, including Michigan, which he’s currently scheduled for the OSU game. His top 10 remains unchanged, but Auburn has shuffled their way to the front.

Has Michigan offered FL RB Darion Hall? Yes, according to Phil Kornblut:

Clemson has an offer out to running back Darion Hall (6-0, 200) of Naples, Fla. He has also been offered by Arkansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, SMU, Vanderbilt, West Virginia and Michigan. He also is hearing from Miami and Florida.

I’ve added him to the board as offered.

Sam Webb Detroit News fluff on MN OL Seantrel Henderson, the consensus #1 overall recruit. Both Michigan and MIchigan State are in his current top 10. He also won’t announce a decision until one of the All-star games (he hasn’t decided whether he’ll participate in the Army or ESPNU game). I wouldn’t be surprised if Michigan tries to get Eastern to land MN Ath JD Pride, so Henderson could be close to his good friend.

PA OL Seth Betancourt is currently looking at the SEC. Distance from home apparently matter to him, though he’s currently considering every school that extends him a scholarship offer. Michigan is not yet among those schools, but such programs as Pen State, Boston College, and West Virginia are.

Seems as though there’s a bit of a controversy surrounding NC DT Gabe King and several other athletes who were looking to transfer to Northern Guilford High School next year. Northern’s principal has already resigned over the ordeal, and it should be interesting to see if King’s eligbility at that school is threatened.

OH DE Darryl Baldwin has come out with a final four that includes Michigan (along with MSU, OSU, and ND). The article was crafted by a Sparty author, so be mindful of bias and incapability of forming a complete sentence. I keep forgetting whether it’s Baldwin or Derrick Bryant that is a supposed lock to OSU, so remain mindful that one of them is.

There was a weird situation early Sunday, in which Bob Lichtenfels of Scout.com said DC LB Javarie Johnson had committed to the Wolverines. GBW (on Lichtenfels’s own network, oddly enough) quickly pulled out their best Mike Gundy and said “THAT AIN’T TRUE.” Over the course of the day, they posted several articles (or “blogs” as they idiotically call message board posts) that ultimately showed they were correct, though he’s still listed as a commit on Scout. Still, Johnson did visit Ann Arbor this weekend and leave with an offer, so Michigan is interested in him. Additionally, commitment rumors don’t really crop up without some form of reciprocated interest. I’ve added Johnson to the board, and he might be a prospect to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

TX LB Caleb Lavey committed to Oklahoma State. This is weird, because Michigan had previously been considered the heavy favorite for him. After a brief visit to Oklahoma State, the lifelong Michigan fan immediately committed to the Cowboys. I’m not going to take him off the board quite yet, because, well, WTF? Oklahoma State? Seriously?

IN DE/LB Blake Lueders has a top 6 that does not include Michigan. It does include BC, Stanford, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Wake Forest, and UNC. However, somebody instruct LTP that “Top 6” != “Final 6.”

SC S Bashaud Breeland has named a top 3 of Clemson, South Carolina, and Virginia Tech. He is still considering the rest of the schools that have offered him (including the Wolverines), but those three stand out for now.

FL CB Nickell Robey is pretty good at track, fyi. Despite a hamstring injury, he managed to win the long jump and triple jump, and finish fourth in the high jump.

Florida’s Spring Game may have gotten the Gators some recruiting returns of their own. Of note to Michigan fans:

Lithonia, Ga., Martin Luther King running back Mack Brown, who some have labeled as the No. 1 target on the Gators’ board this season, said that Florida has officially taken over as his top school.

One guy who had a major slip on how he feels about Florida was Delray Beach, Atlantic wide receiver James Louis. In an interview with Scout.com after Saturday’s game, Louis actually said he’ll be a Gator soon. He didn’t commit, but he said it looks like he will.

Both are downgraded from “longshot” to “extreme longshot” at this point. I’m not sure exactly how interested the Wolverines were in Louis anyway, but it looks like he’ll be off the board soon enough. By the way, the author of the article estimates that there were over 1,000 recruits and parents of recruits at the game. Something for Michigan to aim for in future years, no?

Removals:
LA DT Risean Broussard. Committed to Tennessee.
FL LB BJ Butler. Committed to Georgia.
TX LB/S Luke Muncie. Committed to LSU.
OH CB Mike Dorsey. Committed to West Virginia.

Robey Photo by Ernst Peters of The Ledger.

Posted under Football, Recruiting