For Michigan and Rodriguez, winning cures everything

ON FOOTBALL

Throughout Michigan's 31-7 shellacking of Western Michigan Saturday, the ABC cameras panned the Big House and settled on several "In Rod We Trust" signs.

There was an outpouring of support for the coach, who was coming off a disastrous 3-9 season, several legal issues and, most recently, allegations that he and his staff broke NCAA rules about hours allowed to work players.

Rodriguez has had his doubters, and, I'm sure, still has some. But there was nothing but love in the air for the embattled coach Saturday.

I wonder why...

Um, maybe because his players were kicking butt?

If you noticed, ABC didn't show many shots of the supportive signs until, 5 minutes into the rout, the Wolverines scored their first touchdown. From there, Michigan fans had no worries. After a quick second score, the outcome was never in doubt.

Would the sign holders have used their arm muscles to show them off if the Wolverines were losing? Or struggling?

Probably not.

Which brings me to the obvious thesis statement of this column: Winning cures everything.

Even at Michigan.

Anyone who thinks the Wolverines' program is more pure than the Ohio States and Floridas and Miamis of the college-football world is either joking around or nice and naive.

The Wolverines fully adopted the win-at-almost-any-cost philosophy when they put down the large down payment to snag Rodriguez from West Virginia and then paid a large chunk of his buyout from his old school.

So far, each of his four victories has been worth about, oh, $700,000.

His success, and job security, at Michigan will be judged solely on how much that cash-per-victory number decreases.

Yes, there is an ongoing investigation into the claims former and current players made about the amount of time spent practicing during the season and offseason. Maybe something will be discovered, maybe Rodriguez will have to explain himself (in other words, tell the truth).

But if Michigan's winning, if the Wolverines are in the Top 25, if they're back to competing for Big Ten titles, it won't matter. Athletic director Bill Martin is a businessman, and he knows what brings in the big bucks from boosters.

Wins.

He, like the rest of us, knows that Rodriguez can coach. Let me add to that: can coach really well. He's also a zealous recruiter.

So once the W's start rolling in week after week, and once his spread offense resembles what it did at West Virginia, that'll be all we'll hear about from anyone associated with the university.

It'll be all that really matters.

I mean, consider the reactions in and around Ann Arbor after beating a MAC team. If the Wolverines can take down Notre Dame, all this other stuff will be nothing more than flotsam.

All in the past.

And if Michigan beats Ohio State...

Rodriguez is no saint and is, undoubtedly in my mind, guilty of many things. But he's capable of coaching Michigan to large handfuls of victories.

And in today's college-football world, that's all that really matters.

How far will UM let Rodriguez go?

ON FOOTBALL

So Rich Rodriguez proved he can get emotional Monday.

The Michigan coach cried heartfelt tears. He made it clear that he cares about his players. It wasn't Rich-Rod like you normally see him.

But don't let the coach's emotional moment fool you. Since he stepped foot in Ann Arbor, he's been about one thing — winning. If that means isolating some players, so be it. If it means breaking a few of the NCAA's rules, ones that aren't exactly followed strictly by many BCS programs, so be it.

Rodriguez has never been a players' coach, has never been a coach determined to graduate his players.

And, really, he can't be blamed for this. In today's top level of college football, only one thing provides job security, and it has nothing to do with keeping second-string players happy.

Maybe Bill Martin and company were ignorant, but they had to have a decent idea of what they were getting into when they hired Rodriguez, who immediately became embroiled in a buyout dispute with West Virginia upon leaving the Mountaineers program.

No more Lloyd Carrs were coming to town, no more coaches who, seemingly, were able to live a balanced life while still running a nationally competitive Division I program.

The Michigan administration then watched as Rodriguez was in charge of the Wolverines' worst season — ever. And they rightly supported him, and his coaching staff, through the misery of the three months.

After all, no coach — who is running a program correctly and within bounds — deserves to be given up on after a year. Or even two years. At least three seasons are needed to implement a style, get new players and reach expectations.

But all that is thrown out the window when violations occur. And now that Rodriguez, and his coaches, face allegations about overtaxing players' practice hours — by a lot — his job can't be considered safe.

To simplify, if Michigan's investigation verifies what current and former players said about the Wolverines being forced to spend way more than the allotted 20 hours a week during the season and eight hours during the offseason on football, then Rodriguez has to be fired.

Allowing him to stay after such violations would speak terribly about what college football's winningest program has become.

Just another school willing to do anything, within bounds or not, to win.

Actually, Martin and company aren't in the worst position. Especially if this season's team isn't great — and nobody expects that — he could use performance on the field as part of the reason for Rodriguez's dismissal (even if it's really all about the violations).

Michigan could escape this short era, call the hiring a poor decision, and move on to a safer choice that would, undoubtedly, yield better results off the field and, most likely, on them — unless the Wolverines come out of the woodwork to put together a great record this fall.

Crisis could be averted.

But that's far down the road. For now, it's pretty evident, if the allegations are true — and why wouldn't they be? The athletes have no reasons to lie — that Rodriguez is as dirty a coach as there is in the country.

He does whatever it takes, and pushes his players beyond their limits — ultimately resulting in some of them transferring — to win as many games as possible.

Last season, obviously, that didn't work. If it had, this probably wouldn't be as big of a story (though, still, notable).

If Rodriguez knew best, he would have realized from the 3-9 record that sometimes overworking players — in essence, turning them into full-time college-football players — isn't always the best recipe for success.

He could have learned a lesson from his predecessor, Carr, whom former players vouched for, never broke a single NCAA rule.

Winning lots of games, Rodriguez should know, can be done within the rules.

A tale of two halves at the Big House

ON FOOTBALL

It was as if Michigan fans knew what was coming.

There I was, standing on the corner of Main Street and Stadium Boulevard Saturday afternoon, and ticket sellers outnumbered buyers by an enormous ratio. I had walked up Main thinking it'd be hard to find a cheap ticket to the Big 10 opener. Usually a keen scalper, I jumped at the early opportunity to snag a pair of end zone seats — row 64 — for $56.

Face value for a ticket is, after all, $59. Two for less than face, I thought, was a bargain.

But I was a fool. An hour later, I bought a new pair of end zone seats — this time, ninth row — for a mere $40. And then my man Bubs and I desperately tried to lose the tickets I originally purchased. Finally, just minutes before kickoff, I sold one for $10 and gave away the other for $5.

It was as if no one wanted to go to the game.

It was as if — did I mention this? — they knew what was coming.

And the product the Maize and Blue produced in the first half wasn't worth five bucks, or even a nickel. Knowing how much I'd paid, I tried to look at the bright side during the 20-minute intermission. I texted my friend Pete, who was also at the game, "Ugly. Could be much much worse." And that was very, very true.

Despite Wisconsin dominating every aspect of the game. Despite the Badgers driving into Michigan territory six times. Despite the Wolverines mustering a total of 21 yards. And despite an abysmal five turnovers.

It was just Wisconsin 19, Michigan 0.

Still, it felt like 45-0. It felt over. With the way Michigan's offense was moving the ball — check that, not moving the ball — 19 points might as well have been 82 points. I returned to my seat for the second half, ready to cheer for any subtle positive. And sure enough, when the Wolverines picked up a first down on the initial play from scrimmage, the crowd went nuts. Of course, a punt came four plays later.

But everything changed after that.

First, there was the key stop of a Wisconsin drive that ended perilously close to field-goal range (any more points, at that point, would have killed the Wolverines). Then there was the first scoring drive, completed with the TD on third-and-10.

Two more big stops followed. Then the second scoring drive. And then, just seconds later, the interception return for a score that gave the Wolverines a 20-19 lead.

The stadium became absolutely delirious. Bubs gave me a bear hug. Fans were as shocked as they were excited. This couldn't be happening. How had a 19-0 deficit become 20-19 in just a few New York Minutes?

The Wolverines, apparently, were just as stunned, because they were a mess after John Thompson's romp to the end zone. They needed to go for the two-point conversion, but none of the right people got on the field. With the play clock near zero, and the offensive players scattered, Rich Rodriguez finally took a timeout.

Looking back on the moment, I could only laugh. They are kids, after all. I didn't blame them for getting lost in the moment. There's no way they could have believed what had transpired so furiously, so quickly.

My day inside the Big House had a happy ending, as the Wolverines hung on for a 27-25 win. The second half more than made up for the first half. In fact, those initial 30 minutes — however odious they may have been — were key in this regard: They set the stage for the greatest statistical comeback in the history of Michigan Stadium.

Rodriguez leaped in the air when it was over. The players rushed to celebrate with the students. The boo birds of the first half couldn't stop cheering their Wolverines after the final play.

What a difference a Terrence Taylor halftime speech makes, huh?

Of course, the question now is whether the second half was simply a fluke, an aberration. Wisconsin sure helped Michigan by dropping passes, committing crucial penalties and turning the ball over twice (four times in the game).

I don't know how good Michigan is. I've no idea whether the thrilling comeback will mark the beginning of a winning streak.

But I know this: The young Wolverines learned how to win Saturday. This lesson shouldn't be overlooked.

The defense carried them all afternoon, first holding Wisconsin to the quartet of field goals and then stopping key third-down plays in the third and fourth quarters that gave the ball back to the offense. And members of the offense made plays when they had to be made.

There was freshman quarterback Steven Threet putting Michigan on the board with a perfect lob pass to tight end Kevin Koger on third-and-10. And there was Threet again, two possessions later, completing an absolutely necessary third-and-9 pass to Greg Mathews for a first down. On Michigan's final scoring drive, Threet rumbled for 58 yards after a perfect play-fake.

And freshman Sam McGuffie finished off the scoring march with three tough runs in-between the tackles, the final one putting him in the end zone — barely — on third-and-goal from the 3-yard line.

All those plays were necessary. Take any one of them away, and Michigan is probably 1-3 right now. Yes, the Wolverines got lucky, too. Wisconsin was its own worst enemy in the second half. But a wise man once told me, "Son, you make your own luck." (OK, I heard it on "Lost," but you get the gist.)

Long after the marching band had stopped blaring, the field was barren and the stands empty, the fact remained that a patchwork Michigan team with a new coach had turned an almost inevitable 1-3 start into 2-2 and 1-0 in the Big 10.

And something tells me, even from 657 miles away now, that there might be a few more buyers on the corner of Main and Stadium for the Illinois game next Saturday.

Fantasy football: attracting NFL fans every day

ON FOOTBALL

Baseball may retain the moniker of "America's Pastime," but no civilized American can argue that it's this country's most popular sports league.

That honor firmly belongs to the National Football League, which will take center stage Thursday night when the Super Bowl-champion New York "Football" Giants take on the Washington Redskins.

I, for one, will remain more focused on baseball and college football for the next few months. Why? Because the end of a season -- baseball's -- is always more thrilling than the beginning of one, and I enjoy the college-football season more than the NFL's (at least until the bowls). Every games means so much more.

That doesn't mean, however, that I won't pay attention to nearly every NFL game each week, watching bits and pieces of several -- some from home, some from congested bars -- and keeping track of them all online.

And I hate to admit this, but fantasy football is a big reason.

Before I enter Fantasy Land, let me say this: I consider myself a sports nut. Translation -- over the years, I've developed a penchant for watching games that mean absolutely nothing to me just for the sheer excitement of the action, the drama of the final minutes. I consider myself rare in this aspect.

Being from Michigan, am I a huge Detroit Lions fan? No. I watch them when I can -- and bare with their losing ways -- but I'm no die-hard, blue-paint-wearing idiot (seriously, who would wear paint for the Lions?). But you can find me watching the end of a close Denver-Oakland game on a random Sunday evening. That's just the Sports Guy in me coming out.

But now, my interest in the NFL is headed to another level. For the first time, I am in two fantasy football money leagues this season. In one, I'm a joint owner. The other team is solely under my direction. That means checking the NFL news every day to see who's hurt, who's available and who's in their coach's doghouse. It's a bit time-consuming, but addictive as well.

And it's just another reason to watch the NFL on Sundays, Mondays and sometimes Thursdays. Normally, I might tune in -- on a mundane Thursday night -- to the final quarter of a Giants-Redskins season-opener. That is, of course, if the game is close. But with Washington tight end Chris Cooley on both my fantasy teams, I'm sure I'll watch more than a quarter this Thursday.

Call me a fantasy nerd. That, I guess, is what I'm becoming. Now, granted, I'm not even close to the upper echelon of fantasy players, who, among other things, keep track of Denver's fourth-string running back situation. Heck, I can't name the Broncos' second R.B. But random games mean even more to me now.

Not only will I hope for another epic Colts-Patriots game this season. I'll hope for a great performance from Tom Brady, whom I drafted No. 6 -- I know, risky pick -- ahead of the Colts' Joseph Addai in my solo league.

Of course, fantasy football also creates conflicts in a fan's head. For instance, my hometown Lions take on Jacksonville on Nov. 9. Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew is on my joint team. What if it's a late-game situation and the Lions need a defensive stop, but I desperately need rushing yards from Drew?

Issues, issues.

I like to think that I'm still more of a football fan than a fantasy football nut, but I won't be able to determine this for sure until well into the season. It should be a revealing experience for me.

And I'm sure millions of other NFL fans experience similar conundrums. But no one's hopping off the fantasy bus. It's simply too intoxicating. Too easy to get hooked on.

To add to this, running a team doesn't take much time. Rosters are small and there's only one slate of games a week. Additionally, there's so much information available, you don't have to dig to find out who's probable, who's questionable, which running back's carries will decrease and which wide receiver has a bad rapport with his coach.

It's an easy game to play, and -- I'm hoping -- not that tough of a game to win (I'll let you know in four months).

I'm just glad I've resisted the fantasy baseball urge, and college football fantasy games are few and far between (and, with thousands of unknown players, don't interest me).

So for now I'll focus on the baseball playoff race and the beginning of the Rich Rodriguez era in Ann Arbor.

But simultaneously, I'll be keeping my eye on the number of carries the Broncos' Selvin Young, one of my RBs, gets.

Because if they dwindle, I might need to learn the name of that second-string guy out in the Rockies.

Some food for thought...

ON EVERYTHING

I couldn't feel much further away from the sports universe. Here I am, sitting in the living room of the Red House in Center Sandwich, N.H. (basically the middle of nowhere).

Yes, there's decent Internet service. But no television, and no sports bars nearby. That's right — I'm on vacation from the 365/24 sports world, and I'm loving it.

But me being me (thanks, Manny, for the phrase), I haven't been able to completely shut myself out from what's been an eventful early August. My musings are below:

Tainted Olympics?: By the time I leave this self-proclaimed Utopia, the 2008 Beijing Olympics will be all but over. That means, of course, that I will probably miss all of NBC's 2,387,519 hours of coverage (ballpark estimate).

Oh, well, I'll survive. Here's how I know: When someone mentions the Olympics, the first thought that comes to my mind doesn't involve Michael Phelps going for a record eight gold medals; it doesn't center around the U.S. hoops team trying to regain control of the world; and, no, it has nothing to do with the men's 100-meter dash. Sadly, I think of how in the world Beijing got these Games.

An extremely polluted city; so bad, some athletes wore oxygen masks upon arriving. A government that has — against its long-ago promises — gone so far as to restrict what websites foreign journalists can use. A government that forced thousands of citizens out of their now-demolished homes so lavish Olympics facilities could be built. And the list goes on...

(And I haven't even mentioned all the doping that — I'm 118 percent positive — is going on.)

There are great athletes at these Games who deserve attention for their impressive accomplishments. And I'm sure they'll get that publicity, but not from me. I'll be doing my own Olympics here in the beautiful Northeast — climbing mountains and biking up long, twisting hills.

Manny trying now?: How frustrated must the Boston Red Sox be? A week and a half ago, Manny Ramirez could barely run out a groundball to first base. Now, he's batting better than .500 and jacking tape-measure home runs for the Dodgers.

Well, the truth is that Boston can't regret trading Ramirez no matter how well he plays for the Dodgers. He was miserable in Boston and there was no guarantee he would compete hard — or at all — for the rest of the season. He had to go.

But if Boston misses the playoffs and the Dodgers make it? Let's just say there'd be plenty of whispering in the current American City of Champions.

Favre stays with Green: Hey, Brett Favre remains in a green uniform. Of course, the New York Jets wear a different hue of my cousin's favorite color than the Green Bay Packers. And now, more important (obviously!), they're a team to be reckoned with in 2008.

Will Favre have the great season he had in '07? I doubt that. He's a year older and doesn't have quite as much offensive artillery in New York. Plus, even the AFC East (and the almost-winless-in-'07 Dolphins) is better than the anemic NFC North — at least on the defensive side of the ball.

But even a mediocre season from Favre would be an upgrade from what the Jets had. There's no doubt that he can sling it a bit farther downfield than rubber-armed Chad Pennington.

And finally, as if the NFL needs another publicity boost, having Favre back will be a shot in the arm to TV ratings. Which basically means that the NFL will go from being America's most popular sports league to, well, its even more most popular league. Make sense? And Favre playing in New York? Hmm ... if the Yankees and Mets somehow make the playoffs, the sports sections of the Post, Daily News and Times might need to be doubled come October.

Low expectations in Ann Arbor: Ann Arborites should know that preseason college football rankings mean about as much to the actual season as Brittney Spears and Paris Hilton mean to Barack's chance at the presidency. Just ask the members of last year's highly touted team.

Still, it must be relaxing for the Wolverines to be ranked just No. 24 in the opening coaches' poll.

There is no pressure on this team. None, really. Sports Illustrated went as far to choose Michigan to finish 5-7 and in the bottom half of the Big Ten behind interstate rival Michigan State. Wow.

And while I don't think the predictions are far off (although 5-7 is a bit ludicrous), don't be surprised if Rich Rodriguez quickly transforms the Wolverines into a very explosive, fast and dangerous team. I won't hide my disappointment in Rodriguez as a person, but I believe in his ability to coach and ruthlessly recruit.

It'll likely be a rough first season, but the most refreshing thing about watching the 2008 Wolverines will be all the novelties. Everything about the team will be new, including some of the players, the plays called and the strategies.

It should be fun — if frustrating — to watch.

And finally: Minnesota Twins fans are a lucky bunch. Think about this for 13 seconds: The team enters every season with low expectations. That, certainly, was the case before this year. The organization had dumped its centerpiece, pitching ace Johan Santana. Nobody expected the Twins to do more than show up at the ballpark every night.

And now they're in first place? Unbelievable. They've won the A.L. Central four of the past six years and suffered just one losing record (79-83 last year). They're the polar opposite of this season's Tigers.

Low payroll. Low expectations. Overachievers.

Kudos to the Twins organization for their continued success.

All right, it's 1:09 a.m. Getting late for a vacation blog.

I'm out. Time to climb up the rickety old stairs.

No, I'm not watching signing day

ON COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Listen, I love sports as much — and probably even more — as the next guy. Heck, I'll watch a closely contested Rutgers-St. John's matchup over "American Idol."

But I refuse to watch or pay much attention to this media-created phenomenon called "National Signing Day."

And that's coming from a Michigan guy.

No, I don't have my fingers crossed that Terrelle Pryor — who's apparently in Rich Rodriguez's "Fave Five" — will sign with the Wolverines. And, no, I won't jump off my third-story apartment building's balcony if he becomes a Buckeye.

Sorry, but I'm reserving those emotions/bad decisions for the actual college football season, when Pryor might actually play in a college game. Until then, he's just another high school kid who gets way too much attention and probably has a blown-up head because of it.

Letting 17- and 18-year-olds declare their college choices on national TV is one of society's many problems (alongside, you know, poverty, the economy, pollution, etc.). Put yourself in the kid's shoes for a second.

There you are, surrounded by a throng of people sticking out microphones and recording devices in your face. To your right are all your supporters — or people who want some of your money once, as you all believe, you go pro. To your left is your coach, who hopes to get a higher-paying job or at least a raise out of this.

And I didn't even mention the cheerleaders.

I'm not in denial. I know this is the way our over-hyped society works now. I'm just throwing out a caution flag.

Perhaps, in two years, a Florida or Notre Dame will be able to look back at this day and say, "That day is when we built this national title. When 'Joe Schmo' and 'Bill Dill' put on our hat, we instantly became national title contenders."

But no matter who signs where today or in the days to come, the worth of the Class of 2008 won't be determined until at the very earliest September and possibly not until the fall of '09 or 2010. I've never played tackle football — except during recess back in eighth grade — but I've heard whispers that the college game is a bit faster and a bit more complicated than the competition at the high school level.

By all means, correct me if I'm wrong.

So as good as Pryor is, as mesmerizing as his YouTube video is, hold the phone on calling him a future All-American. Michigan fans, you're not competing for the national title next season regardless of which state Pryor plays football in. Ohio State fans, you'd be best suited to stay far away from the national title game — just throwing that out there.

National Signing Day is the second-most over-hyped day in American sports behind — you guessed it — the NFL Draft. Buildup to the draft is absolutely ridiculous. It's a bunch of former NFL players guessing who will be good in the NFL and for what teams college studs will play for. Stay tuned for my "No, I'm not watching 10 straight hours of NFL draft coverage" column coming in April.

For now, however, I think I'll enjoy a beautiful day here in Chapel Hill and leave the TV off until Duke-UNC tonight. Yep, that's right — actual college athletes competing against each other on national TV.

That's something I don't have a problem with.