Yep, it was one year ago today that I set up this little slice 'o the net to chronicle my plans and adventures in Ireland. Fitting then that I'm writing this, the 251st post, a year later, from the terminal at Shannon Airport, on my way home...again.
It's been a good little trip, and a nice epilogue to my adventures this previous spring. Strange packing in a quick revisit of most of the highlights of my time in Galway into just a few days, with a few other new and old experiences tossed into the mix, but a good time. Still, I think this time back and reflecting on my time here and the time since has reaffirmed that I'm at a place in my life and world where I belong. Adventures will always be there for the taking, and should be taken whenever feasible. But life goes on too.
When I get back I may try and sum up some more of the highlights and thoughts from this trip, but then again, I'm not sure there's much more that needs to be said that wasn't covered over the first 250 posts. It may be that this particular blog has run its course and is due to be retired.
Then again, maybe not...
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Toolin' 'round Doolin
Just a hyper-quickie as I need to get on the road back to Shannon to dump my car and catch the bus up to Galway. Trip is going grand so far. After a fantastic breakfast in Limerick with Conal and Emma yesterday, I headed out along the north edge of the Shannon estuary, all the way round loop head on the very tip of Co. Clare, then made my way up the coast through Doonbeg, Milltown Malbay, Lahinch and finally into Doolin. As Doolin was the home of the late Micho Russell, a legendary whistle player, and this weekend is the memorial festival in his honor, so a town already known for great trad music was brimming with it last night. I quietly slipped from pub to pub, taking in pints and tunes and the scent of peat in the cool, damp night air.
Will update again from Galway or possibly Shannon if I get stuck waiting for a bus.
Will update again from Galway or possibly Shannon if I get stuck waiting for a bus.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
There Once Was a Boy from Ann Arbor
Who ran into a girl from Ann Arbor.
He's writing this Limerick,
'Cuz it happened in Limerick--
A fuck of a ways from Ann Arbor!
It didn't take long for the small-world coincidental magic to manifest itself on this trip. Just about an hour after arriving in Limerick, while catching up with Conal at the student union coffee shop on the UL campus, one of his friends from the music program showed up. The friend, Nick, it turns out, is from Mt. Pleasant, and with him was his friend Becca, who apparently lives upstairs from a prominent Indian restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor at the moment. She arrived yesterday to hang out and visit for a week. I'd be more shocked and surprised, but have grown quite accustomed to the fact that random coincidental run-ins like this are amazingly commonplace on this small island.
Aside from that, the trip has been relatively uneventful so far. Made it in safe this morning, had a nice little drive around the backroads of East Clare while killing time until Conal would be out of class. Heading out shortly to grab some dinner and catch Aoife and Emma's play then off to a session and a pint (or two).
Final thought for the day: It's quite striking how a place can seem so utterly foreign and yet completely familiar at the same time.
He's writing this Limerick,
'Cuz it happened in Limerick--
A fuck of a ways from Ann Arbor!
It didn't take long for the small-world coincidental magic to manifest itself on this trip. Just about an hour after arriving in Limerick, while catching up with Conal at the student union coffee shop on the UL campus, one of his friends from the music program showed up. The friend, Nick, it turns out, is from Mt. Pleasant, and with him was his friend Becca, who apparently lives upstairs from a prominent Indian restaurant in downtown Ann Arbor at the moment. She arrived yesterday to hang out and visit for a week. I'd be more shocked and surprised, but have grown quite accustomed to the fact that random coincidental run-ins like this are amazingly commonplace on this small island.
Aside from that, the trip has been relatively uneventful so far. Made it in safe this morning, had a nice little drive around the backroads of East Clare while killing time until Conal would be out of class. Heading out shortly to grab some dinner and catch Aoife and Emma's play then off to a session and a pint (or two).
Final thought for the day: It's quite striking how a place can seem so utterly foreign and yet completely familiar at the same time.
Monday, February 18, 2008
What I Did With My Winter Non-Vacation
Hey! Lookee here what I found! It's me ol' blog!
Yeah yeah yeah...shame and scorn, lashes with soggy noodles... I haven't really forgotten about this place. It's just that I've had little that interesting to say lately, and less time to say it.
Not that I've been in complete hibernation for the past 2.5 months (though there've been times I might've wished it). There's just been nothing terribly blog-worthy on a daily, weekly (or even, apparently, monthly) basis.
But since you're curious enough to be reading this anyways, here's a quick rundown of the few things that have been going on in my plane of existence this winter:
1. Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez, as mentioned in the last post on 1201 S. Main, just a mere two weeks more recent than the last post here. So much for that brilliant idea (the other blog, not hiring RRod. Hiring RRod, was, in fact, a brilliant idea.)
2. So yeah... that other blog. It may become something still at some point. Construction on the stadium continues, but they haven't started completely tearing down the pressbox yet or anything. I've got pics, I'll get them uploaded and talk about it at some point. Maybe. I guess this is something that's not going on in my plane of existence, but what the hell...
3. I bought a new car. Mazda RX-8. It's sweet. Except when there's snow on the ground. Good thing we've only had the snowiest winter in ten years, the first major fall of which came the day after I signed the papers on the car. Lovely.
4. I finally caved in to the peer pressure to expand my appreciation of the works of Joss Whedon. I have watched the entire series of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and am down to about a dozen episodes left of "Angel." The first season of Buffy was cheesy, but it picked up after that and remained a very solid show right through the end. I found Angel to be very slow starting up, but the last couple seasons have been very enjoyable. Put those two on the shelf along with "Firefly", and Whedon is my brilliant effin' hero. Spike may be one of the best characters ever written for TV. Oh yeah, and in an interesting postscript, the character of Angel was originally from.... Galway! Throughout both shows there are a number of flashback scenes set in Galway in the mid 1700's when he was turned to a vampire. Bonus sweetness, aside from David Boreanaz' awful attempt at a Connaught brogue.
5. Found a new addiction: Settlers of Catan. If you've played it, you know. If you haven't, you should.
6. Plumbing issues up the wazoo. (Hmm... I suppose that statement takes on completely different meanings depending on which half of it you take literally.)
7. Michigan hockey team has been kicking ice.
8. Oh yeah... there was also that whole little Capital One Bowl shocker over Florida, adding to the bi-polar nature of being a Michigan fan these days. Naturally, I was down there for the game, completing my third perfect attendance season in the past 4 years. Being the ever-edgy partybears that my traveling mates and I are, we rang in 2008 with a hyper-competitive round of mini-golf at the cheesy place across I-Drive from our hotel. We got to watch the fireworks from Disney and all the other theme parks ringing around the horizon from the green on the 16th hole on the top of Congo Mountain Volcano at midnight. Yeah, we're reckless bloody fools, I tell ya.
9. Playing lots of Irish music. I've been hitting the session here in town at Conor O'Neill's occassionally, and treking up to Dick O'Dow's in Birmingham pretty regularly as well. I shouldn't say anything to jinx it, but it looks like I may actually be in on a paying gig or two coming up soon (including St. Patty's Day). Oh, and more recently, I've once again rededicated myself to practicing the pipes. We'll see how long it lasts this time. :)
10. And finally.... I'm getting ready to head back to Ireland! Only for a quick visit this time, unfortunately. I'm heading out to Chicago tomorrow, then flying out of O'Hare on Wednesday, returning the following Tuesday.
The rough agenda will be:
Thursday morning - head to my favorite city in all of Ireland (and by that, I mean the one and only city in Ireland, that I actually hate)--Limerick. Planning on hanging out with my old housemate Conal for a bit that day and that evening, catching the latest Mephisto Theatre production, which as you may recall was the production company my housemates Aoife and Emma founded.
Friday - cruising Co. Clare. No particular plans... just going to poke along and enjoy the countryside and at some point find someplace to bed down for the night and catch some tunes. Will likely end up in Ennistimon, or maybe Doolin, but I might roll the dice and try a town I haven't stayed in before. Perhaps Milltown Malbay or Lahinch. Will mostly depend on where I can dig up a Friday night session I suppose.
Saturday - head up to Galway. If I get up there in time, hit the farmer's market falafil stand. Hunker down in a pub with a pint and get lost in the music and craic.
Sunday - Hit the farmer's market falafil stand (again?) then get to the Crane in time for the afternoon session with Sean Ryan and wibble at the knees listening and realizing how amazing of a whistle player I'll never be.
Monday - See above, sans the falafil stand.
Tuesday - fly back to Chicago.
Since being back in Ireland should equate somewhat to having interesting thoughts again, I will try and post a few updates while I'm gone, but time will be somewhat scarce, so I don't want to make any lofty promises and let down my hordes of adoring readers.
So there you go.... two and a half months worth of blog material in one post! Don't say I didn't get you anything for Christmas now, will ye?
Yeah yeah yeah...shame and scorn, lashes with soggy noodles... I haven't really forgotten about this place. It's just that I've had little that interesting to say lately, and less time to say it.
Not that I've been in complete hibernation for the past 2.5 months (though there've been times I might've wished it). There's just been nothing terribly blog-worthy on a daily, weekly (or even, apparently, monthly) basis.
But since you're curious enough to be reading this anyways, here's a quick rundown of the few things that have been going on in my plane of existence this winter:
1. Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez, as mentioned in the last post on 1201 S. Main, just a mere two weeks more recent than the last post here. So much for that brilliant idea (the other blog, not hiring RRod. Hiring RRod, was, in fact, a brilliant idea.)
2. So yeah... that other blog. It may become something still at some point. Construction on the stadium continues, but they haven't started completely tearing down the pressbox yet or anything. I've got pics, I'll get them uploaded and talk about it at some point. Maybe. I guess this is something that's not going on in my plane of existence, but what the hell...
3. I bought a new car. Mazda RX-8. It's sweet. Except when there's snow on the ground. Good thing we've only had the snowiest winter in ten years, the first major fall of which came the day after I signed the papers on the car. Lovely.
4. I finally caved in to the peer pressure to expand my appreciation of the works of Joss Whedon. I have watched the entire series of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and am down to about a dozen episodes left of "Angel." The first season of Buffy was cheesy, but it picked up after that and remained a very solid show right through the end. I found Angel to be very slow starting up, but the last couple seasons have been very enjoyable. Put those two on the shelf along with "Firefly", and Whedon is my brilliant effin' hero. Spike may be one of the best characters ever written for TV. Oh yeah, and in an interesting postscript, the character of Angel was originally from.... Galway! Throughout both shows there are a number of flashback scenes set in Galway in the mid 1700's when he was turned to a vampire. Bonus sweetness, aside from David Boreanaz' awful attempt at a Connaught brogue.
5. Found a new addiction: Settlers of Catan. If you've played it, you know. If you haven't, you should.
6. Plumbing issues up the wazoo. (Hmm... I suppose that statement takes on completely different meanings depending on which half of it you take literally.)
7. Michigan hockey team has been kicking ice.
8. Oh yeah... there was also that whole little Capital One Bowl shocker over Florida, adding to the bi-polar nature of being a Michigan fan these days. Naturally, I was down there for the game, completing my third perfect attendance season in the past 4 years. Being the ever-edgy partybears that my traveling mates and I are, we rang in 2008 with a hyper-competitive round of mini-golf at the cheesy place across I-Drive from our hotel. We got to watch the fireworks from Disney and all the other theme parks ringing around the horizon from the green on the 16th hole on the top of Congo Mountain Volcano at midnight. Yeah, we're reckless bloody fools, I tell ya.
9. Playing lots of Irish music. I've been hitting the session here in town at Conor O'Neill's occassionally, and treking up to Dick O'Dow's in Birmingham pretty regularly as well. I shouldn't say anything to jinx it, but it looks like I may actually be in on a paying gig or two coming up soon (including St. Patty's Day). Oh, and more recently, I've once again rededicated myself to practicing the pipes. We'll see how long it lasts this time. :)
10. And finally.... I'm getting ready to head back to Ireland! Only for a quick visit this time, unfortunately. I'm heading out to Chicago tomorrow, then flying out of O'Hare on Wednesday, returning the following Tuesday.
The rough agenda will be:
Thursday morning - head to my favorite city in all of Ireland (and by that, I mean the one and only city in Ireland, that I actually hate)--Limerick. Planning on hanging out with my old housemate Conal for a bit that day and that evening, catching the latest Mephisto Theatre production, which as you may recall was the production company my housemates Aoife and Emma founded.
Friday - cruising Co. Clare. No particular plans... just going to poke along and enjoy the countryside and at some point find someplace to bed down for the night and catch some tunes. Will likely end up in Ennistimon, or maybe Doolin, but I might roll the dice and try a town I haven't stayed in before. Perhaps Milltown Malbay or Lahinch. Will mostly depend on where I can dig up a Friday night session I suppose.
Saturday - head up to Galway. If I get up there in time, hit the farmer's market falafil stand. Hunker down in a pub with a pint and get lost in the music and craic.
Sunday - Hit the farmer's market falafil stand (again?) then get to the Crane in time for the afternoon session with Sean Ryan and wibble at the knees listening and realizing how amazing of a whistle player I'll never be.
Monday - See above, sans the falafil stand.
Tuesday - fly back to Chicago.
Since being back in Ireland should equate somewhat to having interesting thoughts again, I will try and post a few updates while I'm gone, but time will be somewhat scarce, so I don't want to make any lofty promises and let down my hordes of adoring readers.
So there you go.... two and a half months worth of blog material in one post! Don't say I didn't get you anything for Christmas now, will ye?
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Introducing: 1201 S. Main
Since I got back from my travels, I've been trying to decide what to do with this space. Obviously, my thoughts of late have been centered on Michigan football, particularly with some exciting stuff going on right now.
I hemmed and hawed a bit about turning this into a Michigan football blog. It's not really why it existed in the first place, and furthermore, I felt that there's really little that I could add to the Michigan Sports Blogosphere, especially in a time when MGoBlog is incredible, beautiful blogzilla that it is. I can't touch what Brian does there in terms of in-depth analysis and reporting.
But one thing I do have: Proximity to Michigan Stadium. As I drove by yesterday, I noticed that the back wall of part of the press box has been knocked out and gutted. With all the talk of the renovations, this was the first indication I had seen or heard that the press box seems likely to come down *this year*. (The construction plan does call for a new pressbox, but it is also slated to take part in phases over the next several years.
So, I thought a blog dedicated to Michigan Stadium, and all the ancillary facets of Michigan football might be a fun little niche that I can fill.
While driving by the Big House a few nights ago, I was struck by the sign on the gate at the SW corner that I'd never really noticed before, prominently noting the address of Michigan Stadium: 1201 S. Main.
Seemed as fitting an address as any for a blog dedicated to the stadium.
However, as I set up the name this morning, much bigger things are stirring in the world of Michigan football... The head coaching search is at a boiling point. As of early this morning, ESPN was reporting that Les Miles was going to be Michigan's next head coach, and not only that, but that he'd already picked out his new defensive coordinator.
Since then, however, ESPN and the world of Michigan chatrooms, blogs and message boards has been a maelstrom as reports have come out that he has in fact signed an extension to stay at LSU. Reports and counter-reports have been flying back and forth. Tension is high, anyone's guess at this point how this is going to shake out, though it's not looking promising for Michigan at the moment. (But that could change. It already has several times today).
So yeah... my blog dedicated to Michigan Stadium already has three posts on it, not one of them dedicated to Michigan Stadium. It happens.
But without further ado, I present in it's earliest, rawest form, with a temporary layout, etc:
1201 S. Main
I hemmed and hawed a bit about turning this into a Michigan football blog. It's not really why it existed in the first place, and furthermore, I felt that there's really little that I could add to the Michigan Sports Blogosphere, especially in a time when MGoBlog is incredible, beautiful blogzilla that it is. I can't touch what Brian does there in terms of in-depth analysis and reporting.
But one thing I do have: Proximity to Michigan Stadium. As I drove by yesterday, I noticed that the back wall of part of the press box has been knocked out and gutted. With all the talk of the renovations, this was the first indication I had seen or heard that the press box seems likely to come down *this year*. (The construction plan does call for a new pressbox, but it is also slated to take part in phases over the next several years.
So, I thought a blog dedicated to Michigan Stadium, and all the ancillary facets of Michigan football might be a fun little niche that I can fill.
While driving by the Big House a few nights ago, I was struck by the sign on the gate at the SW corner that I'd never really noticed before, prominently noting the address of Michigan Stadium: 1201 S. Main.
Seemed as fitting an address as any for a blog dedicated to the stadium.
However, as I set up the name this morning, much bigger things are stirring in the world of Michigan football... The head coaching search is at a boiling point. As of early this morning, ESPN was reporting that Les Miles was going to be Michigan's next head coach, and not only that, but that he'd already picked out his new defensive coordinator.
Since then, however, ESPN and the world of Michigan chatrooms, blogs and message boards has been a maelstrom as reports have come out that he has in fact signed an extension to stay at LSU. Reports and counter-reports have been flying back and forth. Tension is high, anyone's guess at this point how this is going to shake out, though it's not looking promising for Michigan at the moment. (But that could change. It already has several times today).
So yeah... my blog dedicated to Michigan Stadium already has three posts on it, not one of them dedicated to Michigan Stadium. It happens.
But without further ado, I present in it's earliest, rawest form, with a temporary layout, etc:
1201 S. Main
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Updates? Updates.
There's really not much to update though. We're not much closer to knowing what bowl Michigan will be in OR who our next coach will be.
We do know one bowl and one coach that WON'T be matched up with Michigan, soon, however.
The Outback Bowl in Tampa has extended an invite to Wisconsin, which they accepted. And Iowa's Kirk Ferentz has been eliminated (whether by his choice or ours hasn't been specificied, though it appears to be his) from the coaching search.
So where does that leave us? (Bowl edition): At this point, it all depends on whether Illinois gets a BCS bid or not. If they do, we'll most likely be in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on New Years Day. (If I understand the rules and trust posters on the Victors Board correctly, we would be the only team left that Capital One could take with OSU and Illinois BCS-bound and Wisconsin already committed to Tampa.)
If Illinois does not get a BCS bid, it's believed that they will get the Capital One invite, dropping us to fight it out with Penn State for two undesireable late-December games: The Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, and the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. I'd imagine we'd probably go to Champs Sports in this case, and PSU to Alamo, since we were just in San Antonio two years ago, and there can't be many M fans eager to repeat that trip. PSU, on the other hand, has only played there once--8 years ago.
So where does that leave us? (Coach edition): Miles away. Or, Miles closer. The speculation is almost unanimously on Les Miles at the moment. Brian Kelly's name has been tossed around, and one ridiculously unreliable rag even went so far as to say that he was in "if the interview doesn't turn off the Woman President". Bwahhahah.
Few other candidates have been receiving much attention lately, which seems to indicate Miles is at the very least, Michigan's clear next choice. That Ferentz was apparently their first choice is scary, but that bullet appears to have been dodged for now, so no harm done.
If things with Miles don't pan out, Kelly certainly appears to be next in line. Rumors have it that he has been contacted by Nebraska about their opening as well, though, so we may need to move quickly to avoid having to fall down to choice #4.
And it's anybody's guess at this point who that might be.
We do know one bowl and one coach that WON'T be matched up with Michigan, soon, however.
The Outback Bowl in Tampa has extended an invite to Wisconsin, which they accepted. And Iowa's Kirk Ferentz has been eliminated (whether by his choice or ours hasn't been specificied, though it appears to be his) from the coaching search.
So where does that leave us? (Bowl edition): At this point, it all depends on whether Illinois gets a BCS bid or not. If they do, we'll most likely be in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando on New Years Day. (If I understand the rules and trust posters on the Victors Board correctly, we would be the only team left that Capital One could take with OSU and Illinois BCS-bound and Wisconsin already committed to Tampa.)
If Illinois does not get a BCS bid, it's believed that they will get the Capital One invite, dropping us to fight it out with Penn State for two undesireable late-December games: The Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, and the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando. I'd imagine we'd probably go to Champs Sports in this case, and PSU to Alamo, since we were just in San Antonio two years ago, and there can't be many M fans eager to repeat that trip. PSU, on the other hand, has only played there once--8 years ago.
So where does that leave us? (Coach edition): Miles away. Or, Miles closer. The speculation is almost unanimously on Les Miles at the moment. Brian Kelly's name has been tossed around, and one ridiculously unreliable rag even went so far as to say that he was in "if the interview doesn't turn off the Woman President". Bwahhahah.
Few other candidates have been receiving much attention lately, which seems to indicate Miles is at the very least, Michigan's clear next choice. That Ferentz was apparently their first choice is scary, but that bullet appears to have been dodged for now, so no harm done.
If things with Miles don't pan out, Kelly certainly appears to be next in line. Rumors have it that he has been contacted by Nebraska about their opening as well, though, so we may need to move quickly to avoid having to fall down to choice #4.
And it's anybody's guess at this point who that might be.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The hunt is on
So yes, as expected, Lloyd did officially announce his retirement on Monday morning. He will coach the team through the bowl game, and then the Lloyd Carr chapter of Michigan football will be closed.
It's strange to see the perception of the man in the aftermath. It's as though the fanbase overall is tripping over themselves to try and figure out how they feel. There is a very strong outpouring of gratitude and warm remembrance towards Lloyd for all that he brought Michigan, but it is mixed with equal doses of relief and joy that he is finally moving on. The past 13 years have had some of the finest moments in Michigan football, but they've also had some of the lowest. He's been responsible for both.
What isn't being debated though, is that he is a class act and a fine gentleman and representative of the University and that we have been lucky to have had him here.
But there's also little hiding the excitement of the possibility that a new coach could elevate Michigan to a consistently elite level that, outside of 1997, Lloyd always seemed to fall just short of. So who might this superman savior be? For those who haven't been spending the past days scouring internet message boards and newspaper clippings, here's a pictorial rundown of the likely and not-so-likely candidates:
Front Runners:
1. Les Miles, Head Coach, Louisiana State - You'd have to have just emerged from under a rock to not know who Miles is at this point. A "Michigan Man", Miles played for Bo and was later an assistant under both Bo and Gary Moeller. He has the pedigree of being part of Bo's lineage, yet has spent considerable time outside the program, including as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys, and as the head coach of Oklahoma State and now LSU, where he has the Tigers poised to win a National Championship. The notion of a coach leaving in the midst of, or immediately after, winning a National Championship is unprecedented, but Miles has made it clear that Michigan is his dream job. The timing, however, is going to make things incredibly tricky. Could or would Michigan lure him away before the National Championship game? Can they afford to wait a month and a half until it's over? The best case for Miles to be the next coach is ironically for LSU to lose either against Arkansas on Thanksgiving, or in the SEC Championship game.
2. Kirk Ferentz, Head Coach, Iowa - Ferentz's name has been tossed around occasionally over the past couple of years as a potential replacement for Lloyd. Just today, speculation and rumors have put him neck and neck with--and depending on who you listen to, ahead of--Miles. Ferentz has had several very successful years at a program where recruiting and winning is much more difficult than at Michigan, however, his past few seasons have not been so shiny. UM President Mary Sue Coleman was the president at Iowa when Ferentz was hired there, and they are reportedly very close. In addition, Ferentz has a daughter at UM. Of the available coaches out there, Ferentz would be the most like Carr, both pros and cons. As AD Bill Martin has been quoted as saying he'd like to "clone" Lloyd Carr, this seems to point towards Ferentz as being exactly the type of character coach that Martin would strongly consider. It may very well drive the fanbase nuts, though.
Reasonably Possible Candidates:
3. Brian Kelly, Head Coach, Cincinnati - If Michigan is looking for their very own Tressell--someone with local ties and a high track record of success at a lower level--Brian Kelly is that man. Before taking over at Cincinnati, Kelly led Central Michigan to the MAC Championship, and prior to that, he built Grand Valley State into a Division II powerhouse, winning two DII National Championships there.
4. Greg Schiano, Head Coach, Rutgers - The man has built a successful program at Rutgers. Yes, Rutgers. Being an East Coast guy, though, it is believed he is planning to wait it out for the Penn State job to become available. Good luck with that, Greg. That job will not be available until Joe Pa dies, and at the rate he's going, his entire team might be made up of juiced-up cockroaches before that happens.
5. Rich Rodriguez, Head Coach, West Virginia - Has been very successful in Morgantown, but WVU is his alma mater. Seems unlikely we'd pull him away from there, but it's possible. And how much would WVU fans hate us if we poached RRod just a year after stealing away basketball coach John Beilein?
6. Mike DeBord, Offensive Coordinator, Michigan - It's largely believed that he was being groomed as Lloyd's hand-picked successor, but his offenses always left Michigan fans wanting so much more. There was much rejoicing when he left a few years ago to be the head coach at Central Michigan, but he resigned there after just a few short, disappointing seasons, citing that the program had "barriers to success" (His successor, #3 above, didn't seem to have a problem with these obstacles, though you could argue that Kelly benefited from DeBord's recruiting at CMU). If he wanted to jump start his candidacy, a 91-yard, 3-point outing by his offense against Ohio State was not the way to do it. DeBord will get a courtesy interview, but Bill Martin will have a fan mutiny on his hands if he actually hands the keys to the program over to him.
7. Ron English, Defensive Coordinator, Michigan - a more palatable choice than DeBord, but his lack of experience and relatively short tenure at Michigan are not doing him any favors. Nor are his defense's performances in several key games over the past couple of seasons, although his initial impressions were very high and he is very well liked by the players.
8. Mike Trgovac, Defensive Coordinator, Carolina Panthers - Trgovac is another former Michigan player. He has NFL experience, but no head coaching experience. I really don't know anything more about him.
9. Cam Cameron, Head Coach, Miami Dolphins - Cam was a long-time assistant at Michigan, where he was praised for helping to develop many of Michigan's star QBs and WRs of the late 80's and early 90's. His career has been up and down since then and has included stops with the Washington Redskins, Indiana Hoosiers, and San Diego Chargers. Unfortunately, he seems to be a much better assistant than head coach, based on his track record thus far.
10. Bret Bielema, Head Coach, Wisconsin - Bielema's name sort of came out of nowhere recently. He's only in his second year as Wisconsin's head coach, and while he's been fairly successful, there does not seem to be enough evidence to prove that he'll be a great coach, and even less to indicate that he has any interest in Michigan.
Longshots:
11. Jeff Tedford, Head Coach, Cal -Tedford has done an amazing job at Berkley, building an academic powerhouse/football doormat into a perennial challenger in the Pac 10. He is particularly known for his success in grooming successful quarterbacks everywhere he's been. His disciples include Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington (yes, Lions fans, please remember that he was actually a good QB in college!), Akili Smith, Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers. He is firmly entrenched on the west coast, however, there have been reports that he's not happy at Cal and may have hit the ceiling there and could be looking to move on to a more promising program. Unless he thinks Pete Carroll (USC) or Mike Belotti (Oregon) are going to be hanging it up anytime soon, that would most likely mean leaving the coast and heading inland.
12. Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach, Stanford - A year ago, Harbaugh would have been a very intriguing choice. One of Michigan's favorite sons, he burned a lot of bridges after taking over as Stanford's head coach by repeatedly taking verbal shots at Michigan's academic standards and expectations regarding their athletes. He had a very successful run as the head coach of the University of San Diego before taking over at Stanford, where his first season has been disappointing, save for a shocking upset over USC.
13. Steve Spurrier, Head Coach, South Carolina - Laugh if you will, but rumors are the "Ol' Ball Coach" wants out of SC. Personally, I can't stand the guy, (and he's 3 months older than Carr) but if by some chance he was interested in the position, you absolutely have to at least talk to him.
14. Jon Gruden, Head Coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Gruden's name has been linked to some degree with both Notre Dame's and Ohio State's previous coaching searches as rumors have crept along The Internets that he is interested in coaching at the college level. But whether there's any basis in those rumors or whether they just keep resurrecting themselves every time a major collegiate position is open is unknown.
15. Bill Cowher, currently retired - The longtime coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers retired after winning the Super Bowl two years ago, but he is only 50. It is conceivable that he could still return to coaching, either at the college or NFL level, though he seems to be content to be out of it. His alma mater, NC State, apparently approached him last year and he declined, so getting him up here seems incredibly unlikely.
My personal preferences? It's hard to say where I'd rank the Longshots, other than Tedford being my overall clear number one (aside from the Ludicrously Unpossibles, such as Pete Carroll, Bob Stoops, Bill Bellichek and Cryogenically Restored Fielding H. Yost). Of the Front Runners and RPC's, my preference is as follows, with the cut-off line between "excited about" and "disappointed with" being drawn at 4.5:
1. Les Miles
2. Brian Kelly
3. Rich Rodriguez
4. Greg Schiano
5. Kirk Ferentz
6. Cam Cameron
7. Ron English
8. Mike Trgovac
9. Bret Bielema
96. Osama Bin Laden
97. A wooden cut-out painted in the likeness of Woody Hayes, Block O cap and all
Update: A couple other names that have been tossed about which I forgot about: Randy Edsall, Head Coach, UConn and Paul Johnson, Head Coach, Navy. Both have been relatively successful at lower-profile D-IA schools, and I'd list them probably under the Reasonably Possible Candidates. On the Exciting-Disappointing line, they'd probably fall somewhere between Ferentz and English.
Update to the Update: I also forgot Bobby Petrino, Head Coach, Atlanta Falcons. Petrino was instrumental in building Louisville into the national contender that they've become. I'd also file him under the RPCs and would rank him either side of Rich Rodriguez.
It's strange to see the perception of the man in the aftermath. It's as though the fanbase overall is tripping over themselves to try and figure out how they feel. There is a very strong outpouring of gratitude and warm remembrance towards Lloyd for all that he brought Michigan, but it is mixed with equal doses of relief and joy that he is finally moving on. The past 13 years have had some of the finest moments in Michigan football, but they've also had some of the lowest. He's been responsible for both.
What isn't being debated though, is that he is a class act and a fine gentleman and representative of the University and that we have been lucky to have had him here.
But there's also little hiding the excitement of the possibility that a new coach could elevate Michigan to a consistently elite level that, outside of 1997, Lloyd always seemed to fall just short of. So who might this superman savior be? For those who haven't been spending the past days scouring internet message boards and newspaper clippings, here's a pictorial rundown of the likely and not-so-likely candidates:
Front Runners:
1. Les Miles, Head Coach, Louisiana State - You'd have to have just emerged from under a rock to not know who Miles is at this point. A "Michigan Man", Miles played for Bo and was later an assistant under both Bo and Gary Moeller. He has the pedigree of being part of Bo's lineage, yet has spent considerable time outside the program, including as an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys, and as the head coach of Oklahoma State and now LSU, where he has the Tigers poised to win a National Championship. The notion of a coach leaving in the midst of, or immediately after, winning a National Championship is unprecedented, but Miles has made it clear that Michigan is his dream job. The timing, however, is going to make things incredibly tricky. Could or would Michigan lure him away before the National Championship game? Can they afford to wait a month and a half until it's over? The best case for Miles to be the next coach is ironically for LSU to lose either against Arkansas on Thanksgiving, or in the SEC Championship game.
2. Kirk Ferentz, Head Coach, Iowa - Ferentz's name has been tossed around occasionally over the past couple of years as a potential replacement for Lloyd. Just today, speculation and rumors have put him neck and neck with--and depending on who you listen to, ahead of--Miles. Ferentz has had several very successful years at a program where recruiting and winning is much more difficult than at Michigan, however, his past few seasons have not been so shiny. UM President Mary Sue Coleman was the president at Iowa when Ferentz was hired there, and they are reportedly very close. In addition, Ferentz has a daughter at UM. Of the available coaches out there, Ferentz would be the most like Carr, both pros and cons. As AD Bill Martin has been quoted as saying he'd like to "clone" Lloyd Carr, this seems to point towards Ferentz as being exactly the type of character coach that Martin would strongly consider. It may very well drive the fanbase nuts, though.
Reasonably Possible Candidates:
3. Brian Kelly, Head Coach, Cincinnati - If Michigan is looking for their very own Tressell--someone with local ties and a high track record of success at a lower level--Brian Kelly is that man. Before taking over at Cincinnati, Kelly led Central Michigan to the MAC Championship, and prior to that, he built Grand Valley State into a Division II powerhouse, winning two DII National Championships there.
4. Greg Schiano, Head Coach, Rutgers - The man has built a successful program at Rutgers. Yes, Rutgers. Being an East Coast guy, though, it is believed he is planning to wait it out for the Penn State job to become available. Good luck with that, Greg. That job will not be available until Joe Pa dies, and at the rate he's going, his entire team might be made up of juiced-up cockroaches before that happens.
5. Rich Rodriguez, Head Coach, West Virginia - Has been very successful in Morgantown, but WVU is his alma mater. Seems unlikely we'd pull him away from there, but it's possible. And how much would WVU fans hate us if we poached RRod just a year after stealing away basketball coach John Beilein?
6. Mike DeBord, Offensive Coordinator, Michigan - It's largely believed that he was being groomed as Lloyd's hand-picked successor, but his offenses always left Michigan fans wanting so much more. There was much rejoicing when he left a few years ago to be the head coach at Central Michigan, but he resigned there after just a few short, disappointing seasons, citing that the program had "barriers to success" (His successor, #3 above, didn't seem to have a problem with these obstacles, though you could argue that Kelly benefited from DeBord's recruiting at CMU). If he wanted to jump start his candidacy, a 91-yard, 3-point outing by his offense against Ohio State was not the way to do it. DeBord will get a courtesy interview, but Bill Martin will have a fan mutiny on his hands if he actually hands the keys to the program over to him.
7. Ron English, Defensive Coordinator, Michigan - a more palatable choice than DeBord, but his lack of experience and relatively short tenure at Michigan are not doing him any favors. Nor are his defense's performances in several key games over the past couple of seasons, although his initial impressions were very high and he is very well liked by the players.
8. Mike Trgovac, Defensive Coordinator, Carolina Panthers - Trgovac is another former Michigan player. He has NFL experience, but no head coaching experience. I really don't know anything more about him.
9. Cam Cameron, Head Coach, Miami Dolphins - Cam was a long-time assistant at Michigan, where he was praised for helping to develop many of Michigan's star QBs and WRs of the late 80's and early 90's. His career has been up and down since then and has included stops with the Washington Redskins, Indiana Hoosiers, and San Diego Chargers. Unfortunately, he seems to be a much better assistant than head coach, based on his track record thus far.
10. Bret Bielema, Head Coach, Wisconsin - Bielema's name sort of came out of nowhere recently. He's only in his second year as Wisconsin's head coach, and while he's been fairly successful, there does not seem to be enough evidence to prove that he'll be a great coach, and even less to indicate that he has any interest in Michigan.
Longshots:
11. Jeff Tedford, Head Coach, Cal -Tedford has done an amazing job at Berkley, building an academic powerhouse/football doormat into a perennial challenger in the Pac 10. He is particularly known for his success in grooming successful quarterbacks everywhere he's been. His disciples include Trent Dilfer, Joey Harrington (yes, Lions fans, please remember that he was actually a good QB in college!), Akili Smith, Kyle Boller and Aaron Rodgers. He is firmly entrenched on the west coast, however, there have been reports that he's not happy at Cal and may have hit the ceiling there and could be looking to move on to a more promising program. Unless he thinks Pete Carroll (USC) or Mike Belotti (Oregon) are going to be hanging it up anytime soon, that would most likely mean leaving the coast and heading inland.
12. Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach, Stanford - A year ago, Harbaugh would have been a very intriguing choice. One of Michigan's favorite sons, he burned a lot of bridges after taking over as Stanford's head coach by repeatedly taking verbal shots at Michigan's academic standards and expectations regarding their athletes. He had a very successful run as the head coach of the University of San Diego before taking over at Stanford, where his first season has been disappointing, save for a shocking upset over USC.
13. Steve Spurrier, Head Coach, South Carolina - Laugh if you will, but rumors are the "Ol' Ball Coach" wants out of SC. Personally, I can't stand the guy, (and he's 3 months older than Carr) but if by some chance he was interested in the position, you absolutely have to at least talk to him.
14. Jon Gruden, Head Coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Gruden's name has been linked to some degree with both Notre Dame's and Ohio State's previous coaching searches as rumors have crept along The Internets that he is interested in coaching at the college level. But whether there's any basis in those rumors or whether they just keep resurrecting themselves every time a major collegiate position is open is unknown.
15. Bill Cowher, currently retired - The longtime coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers retired after winning the Super Bowl two years ago, but he is only 50. It is conceivable that he could still return to coaching, either at the college or NFL level, though he seems to be content to be out of it. His alma mater, NC State, apparently approached him last year and he declined, so getting him up here seems incredibly unlikely.
My personal preferences? It's hard to say where I'd rank the Longshots, other than Tedford being my overall clear number one (aside from the Ludicrously Unpossibles, such as Pete Carroll, Bob Stoops, Bill Bellichek and Cryogenically Restored Fielding H. Yost). Of the Front Runners and RPC's, my preference is as follows, with the cut-off line between "excited about" and "disappointed with" being drawn at 4.5:
1. Les Miles
2. Brian Kelly
3. Rich Rodriguez
4. Greg Schiano
5. Kirk Ferentz
6. Cam Cameron
7. Ron English
8. Mike Trgovac
9. Bret Bielema
96. Osama Bin Laden
97. A wooden cut-out painted in the likeness of Woody Hayes, Block O cap and all
98. A friendly amoeba
99. Mike DeBord
Update: A couple other names that have been tossed about which I forgot about: Randy Edsall, Head Coach, UConn and Paul Johnson, Head Coach, Navy. Both have been relatively successful at lower-profile D-IA schools, and I'd list them probably under the Reasonably Possible Candidates. On the Exciting-Disappointing line, they'd probably fall somewhere between Ferentz and English.
Update to the Update: I also forgot Bobby Petrino, Head Coach, Atlanta Falcons. Petrino was instrumental in building Louisville into the national contender that they've become. I'd also file him under the RPCs and would rank him either side of Rich Rodriguez.
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