Robert "Tractor" Traylor was a large man whose Michigan basketball uniform busted at the seems. Unfortunately I must say was because Traylor was found dead Wednesday in San Juan, Puerto Rico of an apparent heart attack, he was 34.
Team manager Jose Carlos Perez told The Associated Press that Traylor was on the phone with his wife who was in Chicago when they were cut off. She called for someone to check on her husband.
Trailer was a star at Michigan and then drafted by the Dallas Mavericks as the sixth pick in the 1998 NBA draft. Traylor played for the Mavericks,Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers,Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Hornets in seven years in the NBA.
He had be playing for the Bayamon Cowboys and play in the BSN league in Puerto Rico. Traylor had been injured and not playing.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Traylor's wife, two sons and the rest of his family.
They had double-digit leads, but as the point was made on television... as long as Michigan has their solid three-point shooters, they can make up deficits if there's a decent amount of time left on the clock...
They did- almost... the Wolverines had their chance at the end...
And, as a result of what didn't happen, Coach K gets his 900th career win...
Almost in spite of themselves, North Carolina held on to advance to their 3,427th Round of 16 in the tourney...
They had a big lead, almost lost all of it, and still gave Michigan a chance for the tie at the end before a missed two-pointer that the Wolverines wanted to be a three and/or a foul call...
Texas survives as Oakland's losing number ((four)) disturbed a lot of the prop bets on the board... here's Rick Barnes... ((HT: KVUE-TV Austin))
Michigan, probably, put Tennessee fans out of their misery with a 30-point blowout of the Vols. The HQ would only hope AD Mike Hamilton would be closely behind... ((HT: WBIR-TV Knoxville))
The HQ is fairly certain that VCU head coach Shaka Smart got Jay Bilas to watch the upset of Georgetown- especially, when you hit 12 3's in the game as a team... Brandon Rozzell had half of them... Here's some postgame... ((HT: FoxSports))
UGA missed a game-tying three at the buzzer and Washington moves on to Face North Carolina. The Tarheels took care of a pesky LIU-Brooklyn squad... ((HT: KING5- Seattle))
All the tournament Buzz goes to Marquette with their upset of Xavier... Here's the Marquette head coach... ((HT: FoxSports))
And Memphis fans feel jobbed about the Arizona loss... they met the team at the airport... ((HT: MyFoxMemphis))
No matter what the level of basketball, coaches preach "use the glass." Well Wisconsin's Josh Gasser took that to heart from 30 feet out and won the game for the Badgers over Michigan 53-52.
Here's a version of the buzzer beater I doubt you have seen. (Thanks Youtube.com)
And here's the Big Ten Network version.
"I didn't have time to set my feet or take a jump shot. I just heaved it up there so that we'd at least have a chance," Gasser said after the game. "As soon as I let it go, I knew it was going to be off the board, but I thought it had a chance to bank in.
"I wasn't planning that, but I knew it was too hard but on line."
There's something almost magical about the words "Pitchers and Catchers report." I purchased my first baseball magazine today and opening it's pages almost opened me up to sunshine, sand and beautiful weather. Spring training is almost upon us and with that the hopes and dreams of all the major league fanbases that they could be the team to shock the world and make the playoffs. Granted for some that's a little more realistic then others, but on this day everyone's got a shot.
I'm a Marlins fan. I know that it doesn't fit with me being from Philadelphia, but I just never got into the Phillies. Most would say that's a poor move on my part, but I like being a fan of the Fish. I'll wait while you insert an attendance/fanbase joke. I've heard them all. Anyways, Florida's chances are as good as the Yankees or the Phillies right now because everyone's 0-0.
I'm done waxing poetic...here are the picks Michigan/Indiana Over 130 -- The Wolverines enter Saturday's game with Indiana winners of four of their last five. Michigan has done it with offense at home putting up 87 on Iowa and 75 on Northwestern. This is a team that doesn't mind running a bit at home. They have also scored 76 on Penn State and 75 on Utah. Overall, they are scoring 66.8 points per game, but takes into account their poor play away from home. Darius Morris (15.4 ppg) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (12.2 ppg) lead the way offensively. Michigan has gone over in seven of their 11 lined home games this season. That stat goes nicely with the six overs in eight road games for the Hoosiers. Indiana has given up nearly 79 points per game away from the confines of their arena. They are led by Verdell Jones III (12.2 ppg) and Jordan Hulls (11.3 ppg). Outside of a 53 point performance last time out in Purdue, the Hoosiers have scored at least 60 in every game away from home. Indiana won the first meeting between the two on January 15th 80-61. This game should be around that total this time as well. Brigham Young -20 -- Jimmer Fredette and BYU look to improve on their 104-79 win over Utah in the first meeting between the two teams. Fredette put up 47 points as the Cougars shot 47% from the field in this blow out win. As a matter of fact, the BYU starting five put up 102 of the 104 points in the game. The Utes are coming off a 32 point loss at San Diego State where they scored only 53 points. Utah has failed to score more then 55 points in their last three games. The road has been unkind at times to the Utes who lost by 13 at Hawaii, 13 at UNLV and 17 at Utah State. The team is allowing over 70 points per contest which doesn't bode well against BYU who is putting them up in bunches. The Cougars average almost 84 points per contest and have failed to score 70 or more once when they put up 69 in Wyoming. BYU has beaten almost every one of their opponents at home by double digits. This one shouldn't be pretty at all.
Washington -15.5 -- Washington got real healthy against California on Thursday night. Now they'll welcome Stanford to town. The Huskies continue to roll offensively putting up almost 86 points per game. Washington put up 109 against the Golden Bears last time out. We've given you the stats on the home domination for U-Dub. They don't mess around at all. This team will also have revenge on their mind as they somehow lost 58-56 to the Cardinal on the road on January 13th. Sure, Stanford got a win over Washington State last time out, but that performance hasn't been the road norm. The team has lost five games by double digits away from home. This one has blowout written all over it and if the Cardinal aren't careful, Washington may put up 100 or more on them too.
Who isn't envious of Jim Harbaugh. You have NFL teams throwing millions of dollars at you to coach their team. Your alma mater wants to move heaven and earth to bring you back and your current employer might sweeten the pot too.
The University of Michigan just canned a head coach that was doomed before the inked dried on the contract. Harbaurgh is the chosen "Michigan Man" to repair the train wreck yet he doesn't seem to want to accept the role.
Three NFL teams are ready to offer Harbaugh with checks with a lot of zeros on them and willing to do whatever to sweeten the offer.
Damn sucks to be Harbaugh.
Wednesday Harbaugh interviewed for six hours with newly appointed San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke and team owner Jed York about their head coaching vacancy.
Executives for the Miami Dolphins are having "exploratory talks" with Harbaugh but their is no head coach opening with the Dolphins.
Sources have told the Sun Sentinel that the Dolphins have put a decision on the coaching staff in a holding pattern.
In others word if Harbaugh is interested in moving to South Florida Tony Sparano is a goner.
Maybe Sparano sees the writing on the wall. (Thanks Sun Sentinel.com)
Is John Elway infatuated with Jim Harbaugh? Elway is the decision maker now with the Denver Broncos and a Stanford alum. Bringing Harbaugh in might revive Broncomania in the Rockies.
All Harbaugh has to do is listen pitches and count the money.
Ohio State, the pressure is on you in the Sugar Bowl. The Big Ten is counting on you.
The Buckeyes play Arkansas from the SEC Tuesday night in New Orleans. The Big Ten went head to head against the SEC three time on New Years Day and were pummelled. Alabama overwhelmed Michigan State 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl, Florida took care of Penn State 37-24 in the Outback Bowl and Mississippi State gave Michigan their worst bowl loss in school history 52-14 in the Gator Bowl. More on that later.
If you are keeping score the Big Ten is 0-3 against the SEC this bowl season. Once again the Big Ten appears to soil their britches against the SEC.
Those were just three games on what was a brutal day for the 10.
It all started in the Ticket City Bowl in Dallas. (They play that game in the old Cotton Bowl stadium.) Northwestern faced Texas Tech and give the Wildcats credit they almost pulled it off losing to the Red Raiders 45-38. By the way Northwestern hasn't won a bowl game since the 1949 Rose Bowl. Speaking of the Rose Bowl, Wisconsin ended up fearing the Frog losing to TCU 21-19.
New comer Nebraska didn't help your cause losing to Washington in the Holiday Bowl. The Huskers are feeling a year early the alleged bowl curse of the Big Ten.
Only the conference "I" schools have been successful this bowl season with Iowa and Illinois winning their bowl games.
For the rest of the Big Ten, what gives? You bathe in cash. You have a highly successful cable network yet when the big bowls are played the league takes a dump.
You can say recruit speed and "modernize" your programs from the "three yards and a cloud of dust" mentality but Ron Zook and Rich Rodriquez have tried that and you see how that has worked out. Zooker might survive at Illinois but Rich Rod is about to get the boot in Ann Arbor.
Note the following exchange from the Gator Bowl post game press conference: Q. Do you get any sense because of the way this game unfolded that any sense at all that this will affect Brandon's decision about you? Did you think it was about this game and that this could impact it negatively? COACH RODRIGUEZ: You're asking the wrong person.
Q. Do you think you'll be back next year? COACH RODRIGUEZ: You're asking the wrong person. I do.
Q. Do you think your team was distracted by all the hoopla surrounding your job status? COACH RODRIGUEZ: Really we didn't talk about it much, really. I know that guys it was the elephant in the room every time our guys were meeting.
Michigan athletic director David Brandon will have the final say on that one and the odds are Rodriquez will be looking for work soon.
The Big Ten has some sole searching to do in football.
Photo Courtesy: John T. Greilick / The Detroit News
The mathematically challenged Big Ten Conference, which will have 12 teams next year, unveiled the conferences new logo Monday.
It's a nice looking logo, simple and well done.
"Its contemporary collegiate lettering includes an embedded numeral "10" in the word "BIG," which allows fans to see "BIG" and "10" in a single word." Michael Gericke said who along with Michael Bierut of the international design firm Pentagram designed the Big Ten's new logo. "Memorable and distinctive, the new logo evolved from the previous logo's use of negative space and is built on the conference's iconic name, without reference to the number of member institutions."
Which is 12, two more than 10.
Big Ten commish Jim Delany gave it a thumps up.
"We think the new logo is fun and has something for everyone."Delany said in a release from the Big Ten Conference.
It's a logo, it has nothing for me.
Is it me or is their something subliminal about the "I" and "G" in "BIG"? Kind of looks like the number 16. Is that the number the 10/12 ultimately wants?
The new division names are far more confusing that what the ACC concocted five years ago. The division names are the "Leaders" and "Legends".
"'Legends' is a nod to our history and to the people associated with our schools who are widely recognized as legends - student-athletes, coaches, alumni and faculty." The Big Ten commishDelany said. "'Leaders' looks to the future as we remain committed to fostering leaders, the student-athletes who are encouraged to lead in their own way for the rest of their lives, in their families, in their communities and in their chosen professions,"
LEADERS: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Wisconsin
Next a new fancy name for the Big Ten Championship Game. How about the "Dozen Bowl" since you refuse to acknowledge their is 12 teams in your conference.
Branding is everything.
Here's a video of the annoncement of the new logo and division names. (Thanks Big Ten Conference/Youtube.com)
Well, because, we have already... and what you've thought of, we've probably heard...
67-65, three overtimes, Illinois missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, the game was played at Crisler Arena, wasn't it...???
Yup... heard them all... and from folks more experienced than you at this...
It was the highest scoring game in the history of Michigan football- 132 points. The previous highest scoring Big Ten game also involved Michigan. They shut out Michigan Agricultural College - now known as Michigan State - 119-0 in 1902.
The last FBS game to produce more points was when Navy beat North Texas 74-62 on November 10, 2007, according to STATS, LLC. The previous Michigan record for total points wasn't nearly as dramatic, beating West Virginia 130-0 in 1904.
Roy Roundtree had a field day on the Illinois defense- he had a school-record 246 yards receiving and two TD's.
Michigan drove down the field in the final 75 seconds, breaking a tie when Denard Robinson scored from four yards out to beat Indiana 42-35 in front of a sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium.
"I'm really disappointed for our kids," said Indiana head coach Bill Lynch. "I thought they had great effort and kept battling the whole time. We played a very, very good football team with some great players."
The freshman quarterback ((that would be Robinson)), considered an early front runner for the Heisman Trophy, finished with 217 yards rushing on 17 carries with two scores. He also went 10-of-16 for 277 yards and three TD's through the air.
That's almost another 500 yard all-purpose outing, kids...
Brittany Diehl delivers the bad news from a dark Bloomington
Michigan Stadium is once again the biggest is college football. After a few years of renovations "The Big House" has reached 109,901 in capacity. Recently the University of Michigan "moved that bus" and revealed to media what a good contractor and a new coat of paint can do.
Here's a report from intern Clare Stachel of WXYZ-TV Detroit:
Another report by GoBlue.com (Thanks Youtube.com)
And for you history buffs, here's footage from the Michigan Stadium dedication game in 1927 against arch rival Ohio State.
Things are getting interesting in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Late Sunday night University of Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said the institution would launch a "full investigation" responding to the Detroit Free Press report that Brother Phil posted earlier.
Here's Bill Martin's statement released by the University of Michigan:
"We are committed to following both the letter and the intent of the NCAA rules and we take any allegations of violations seriously."
"We believe we have been compliant with NCAA rules but nonetheless we have launched a full investigation of the allegations in today's newspaper."
"We have already reached out to both the Big Ten and the NCAA and we will have more to say on this as soon as we have completed our assessment."
Photo Courtesy: Julian H. Gonzalez/Detriot Free Press
Michigan's hockey team could play two outdoor games next year, one at Wisconsin's Camp Randall Stadium and the other at Michigan Stadium.
Michigan's executive associate athletic director Mike Stevenson says the Wolverines are considering a December 2010 game at Michigan Stadium. The football venue will seat about 108,000 after the $226 million renovation in complete. "We've just started to evaluate and start gathering the details that would be necessary to plan for such a game," Stevenson said. "It's definitely something that (Michigan hockey coach) Red Berenson and (Michigan athletic director)Bill Martin are excited about."
"I hope so. I'd love to. I mean, that's a great event," Michigan head coach Red Berenson said.
Berenson, who is in his 25th season as the Wolverines head hockey coach, told the Michigan Daily that outdoor games are a growing trend in the sport.
According to Stevenson, their are two reasons why an outdoor hockey game is being considered at Michigan Stadium: "We will have completed the stadium by then, and this will allow us to honor the career of Red Berenson."
The outdoor hockey attendance record is 74,544, set when Michigan State hosted Michigan at Spartan Stadium on Oct. 6, 2001. Berenson was part of that experience and has wanted to do it at the Big House for quite some time. Michigan athletic officials feel the time is right.
Stevenson told The Ann Arbor News talks are concluding for a Wolverines-Badgers hockey game at Camp Randall Stadium on Feb. 6, 2010.
The talk around the OSG HQ water cooler is that would be way, way cool. You can bet the OSG crew will make the trip for that one. We hope the Detroit Red Wings consider playing a game there as well. That would be off the charts for the Winter Classic.
Robert "Tractor" Traylor was a large man whose Michigan basketball uniform busted at the seems. Unfortunately I must say was because Traylor was found dead Wednesday in
