Rodriguez talks about his public persona
During a recent interview with U-M coach Rich Rodriguez, he talked about how he has always said he will never change, that he is who he is.
But, in this era of YouTube and other Internet sites, he is aware that much of what he says, even in jest, can make its way into a public forum and open him to criticism.
"To clear up about changing, that doesn't mean you don't tweak things -- in other words, you make this adjustment to a practice schedule, you make a few adjustments here and there, but who you are as a person, who you are as a coach, I think very few coaches ever change. Sometimes they come in and say, 'Oh, this is a different environment,' and they try to change who they are, and I think that's a mistake.
"I think we've tried to be -- what's the right word? -- true to ourselves in what we believe in. And you have to be that way, because I don't know how you sleep at night if you're not. If you're going to be fake, I don't know how you can live with yourself. At least, I couldn't. You have to be cognizant (of where you are in public), but I learned that a long time ago in public. People are going to YouTube you, and sometimes I forget when you speak at an alumni thing, I know they're taking pictures, but I didn't know they were taking videos. If you say something, you've got to realize everybody can interpret it a certain way. But there are some people who take things way too seriously. I know life is serious, but there's too many people going through tough, tough times, not to have a little sense of humor. That's one thing maybe people have misunderstood about us. If you're over in our offices, everybody has thick skin, everybody gets teased. Having a sense of humor, to me, is critical. We have a lot of fun doing that, and maybe that has us portrayed in a different light. It's not like that. We like to have fun. We love what we're doing and we want the players to have fun."
More Rich Rod
Even with The News' internet site, there are space limits, so not all of my interview with Rich Rodriguez made it into Tuesday's paper or on the website.
Here's something that didn't make it.
Rodriguez said this about his job:
"I don't coach Michigan football, I live it. It's with me even when I go on vacation with the family. I'm living it every moment of the day."
I asked him what his wife, Rita, thinks of that. They have two children.
"She loves it, too," he said. "I'm fortunate, because my family is living it right there with me. My family comes to every practice, so they see what happens, and they don't have to ask me questions. They've been doing it for so long, that's just our lifestyle now.
"That's part of her DNA and part of what she does. It helps that they love football, particularly in a place like Michigan. They love being here. We're going to be happier when we're winning more and hopefully that will happen soon. I think they love the profession I'm in. I'm happy for my kids -- this has afforded them opportunities to visit places and (get) exposure to people and be in a community like this, that they would never have gotten. I didn't fly until my first year in college for a bowl game. I got the typical trick played on me by the veterans. It was a charter, but they told me I couldn't get on without a ticket. I was worried for an hour, 'They didn't give me a ticket.'"
More all-day Michigan on BTN
It will be all Michigan for 24 hours on Sunday on the Big Ten Network.
Among the schedule highlights:
* The classic 1969 Michigan-Ohio State football game will air at 5 p.m.
* The thrilling 2000 Orange Bowl, which Michigan won 35-34 over Alabama in overtime will air at 8 a.m.
* The 1989 NCAA tournament championship, which Michigan won 80-79 over Seton Hall in overtime, will be on 8 p.m.
* Michigan's triple-overtime victory over Michigan State, 45-37, from 2004.
A possible 2010 opener for Michigan?
Michigan is still searching for a home season opener for 2010 that not only will open the season but also the newly renovated Michigan Stadium, expanded to include suites and a new press box.
The Wolverines, as we already know, have non-conference games set at Notre Dame (Sept. 11), and at home against UMAss (Sept. 18) and Bowling Green (Sept 25).
But they need an opponent for what would be the "dedication game" for the stadium on Sept. 4.
Who could it be?
Well, the Idaho Statesman recently suggested it could be Boise State, which does have an opening that Saturday. Boise State, according to the paper, is looking for a big payday and will not require a return game, which is exactly how UM athletic director Bill Martin likes it.
"Right now, I'd go where I can make the most money," Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier told the paper, which also included several other big-name BCS teams looking for a game that weekend. "If I can play at home and make that much money, then I'm going to play at home. But it's difficult to make that much money in our stadium size. ... I've tried to avoid those (guarantee games). Now they're much more of a reality going forward."
Boren on Michigan-Ohio State
Former Michigan offensive lineman Justin Boren, now poised to become a starter at Ohio State this fall after sitting out a year following his transfer from the Wolverines, told the Columbus Dispatch he does not keep in touch with any of the current Michigan players.
Boren left the program after a brief participation in then-first-year coach Rich Rodriguez's first spring practice with the team. Among the reasons for his departure, Boren cited an erosion in "family values."
Boren told the paper that he's more than aware his first game against Michigan at Michigan Stadium in November will be a hot topic. He told the Dispatch in the article published Sunday that he does not anticipate talking much about that game with media.
"My attitude is there are 11 games before that game," Boren told the paper. "I can't let myself get worked up thinking about that game. I don't want to take a chance of being unprepared for any of the first 11 games. The week that game gets here, it will be my primary focus."
All-day Michigan on Big Ten Network next Monday
It literally will be a Michigan kind of day on the Big Ten Network next Monday (June 15).
The BTN will be airing 24 consecutive hours of Michigan programming, starting at 6 a.m. with the Wolverines' 1985 men's basketball victory over Iowa in three overtimes.
Here's the schedule (all times Eastern):
6 a.m. Men’s Basketball: Michigan 69, Iowa 67 (3 OT) (1/19/85)
8 a.m. Football: Michigan 38, Minnesota 35 (10/10/03)
10 a.m. Hockey: CCHA Tournament semifinal: Michigan 3, Alaska 1 (3/20/09)
Noon: The Branch Rickey Story
12:30 p.m. Out of the Blue: The Michigan Difference
1 p.m. Big Ten Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships (3/7/09)
3 p.m. Hail to the Victors: Greatest Stories of Michigan Football
4:30 p.m. Football: Michigan 24, Ohio State 12 (11/22/69)
6:30 p.m. Wolverine Sports Magazine
7 p.m. Men’s Basketball: Michigan 113, Duke 108 (OT) (12/9/89)
9 p.m. Big Ten Legends featuring Jim Abbott, a former University of Michigan and Major League Baseball pitcher born without a right hand.
9:30pm Big Ten Short Stories, Michigan Wolverines (This Michigan-centric episode includes Heisman memories, stories from Charles Woodson and Desmond Howard, features on Lloyd Carr and Jim Abbott, and a Day in the Life feature on John Beilein, men's basketball head coach).
10 p.m. Football: Capital One Bowl: Michigan 41, Florida 35 (1/1/08)
1 a.m. Big Ten Legends, featuring Lloyd Carr, the Michigan football head coach from 1995 until 2008.
1:30 a.m. Big Ten Short Stories: Michigan Wolverines
2 a.m. Football: Michigan 45, Michigan State 37 (3 OT) (10/30/04)
4 a.m. Men’s Basketball: Michigan 69, Iowa 67 (3 OT) (1/19/85)
Kickoff for Michigan's Big Ten opener set
Michigan's Big Ten opener against Indiana, which also is Homecoming, on Sept. 26 is set for noon, the conference announced Wednesdsay.
It has not yet been determined which network will carry the game.
Michigan has won 15 straight against the Hoosier, but the series is coming off a two-year hiatus. Michigan leads the overall series, 50-9.
Molk on Rimington watch list
Center David Molk is among 44 named to the 2009 Rimington Trophy spring watch list, the award's selection committee announced Tuesday.
Molk is one of only five sophomores on the watch list.
Former Michigan center David Baas (2001-2004) earned a share of the Rimington Award in 2004 (with Louisiana State's Ben Wilkerson) and is the only Wolverine to have won the award.
The Southeastern Conference leads all conferences on the watch list with six candidates. The Big Ten has five players on the watch list. Mike Brewster (Ohio State), Ben Burkett (Northwestern), John Moffitt (Wisconsin) and Joel Nitchman (Michigan State) are the others.
The Rimington Trophy is named for former Nebraska center Dave Rimington and is award annually to the top center in college football.
Rich Rod wouldn't mind making public how coaches vote each week
Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez weighed in over the weekend on how the USA Today coaches' poll should be handled.
The American Football Coaches Association continues to mull over whether it will make the coaches' poll completely anonymous or continue revealing the final regular-season poll only or consider other possibilities.
But Rodriguez said he will have no issues with any decision regarding the future of the poll.
"To me, it doesn't matter one way or the other," Rodriguez said Sunday. "I can understand why some coaches don't want to release it, but I can also understand why a lot of folks want it released for transparency or whatever.
"I was a voter last year, and I hope I am going to be a voter again. I think it's going to be more random selected who's voting, so who's voting from each league is going to be a more random process, which is fine. I think overwhelmingly the coaches want to be involved and have a say so. Whether they release (the poll) or not, I could care less."
Rodriguez rallies U-M fans
Michigan's football season begins Sept. 5, but the Wolverines already have their theme in place for the upcoming fall -- "All in for Michigan."
This will be the program's 130th season, and the second under coach Rich Rodriguez. In a letter to Michigan fans posted on www.mgoblue.com, Rodriguez, whose Wolverines went 3-9 last season, has asked them to help make Michigan Stadium "the toughest venue in the Big Ten, and we need your help to accomplish our goal."
Fans can purchase in August a maize "football season" T-shirt that features the season's theme -- "All in for Michigan" -- on the front and "The Big House Pledge" on the back.
The season begins Sept. 5 against Western Michigan at Michigan, and two "maize-outs" are scheduled this fall -- against Notre Dame on Sept. 12 and against Penn State on Oct. 24.
