Unverified Voracity Blogs Blogs Blogs

Blogs blogs blogs. Some of the Big Ten stragglers have picked up blogs of note:

• Indiana is now covered by The Hoosier Report.
• Paging Jim Something-something violates the first rule of naming your blog -- make it something other than a random collection of letters -- but also covers Minnesota.
• I think I've mentioned Hawkeye State but if so I am mentioning it again. Hawkeye State. Hawkeye State Hawkeye State Hawkeye State. Unless they lose to ISU, in which case I will call it Cyclone State.

Still AWOL are blogs for Illinois (understandable), as IlliniTalk hardly posts and usually doesn't put much more than a link or two up, Michigan State (also understandable, though it would be better if there was one blog everyone was really excited about that just got suckier and suckier until it disappeared three years later and was replaced with an even thrilling-er blog), Northwestern (come on... I've been to Evanston; there's no excuse not for some bored student to have a blog).

Oh no he di'in't. Speaking of PJS, they've been all over this minor internets brouhaha started with one endearing post from NDNation:

So I just moved into a new apartment, and it so happens that Tim Brewster, the new U of MN coach, lives in the same place. Last week there was a "meet and greet" for the coach, and he gave his spiel about how great things would be for the MN Gophers, how they were changing the program around, and how excited they were to be moving into a new stadium in '09. He repeatedly made the statement "we need to keep Minnesota players in Minnesota" and told the crowd if anybody was from Cretin-Derham, to spread that message. I went up to him afterwards and told him congrats and good luck, but that I was from ND and we might be recruiting the same Minnesota players.

In what I can only describe as bizarre, Brewster basically went off on me, saying how sick he was Notre Dame and our arrogance, pompous attitudes, and fear of playing Minnesota in their new stadium. When I told him it was the collective opinion of ND fans that it was our athletic director who wouldn't budge the schedule, he went off on Weis of all people, called him a "slob, a disgrace to Notre Dame, with his dirty mouth and appearance" or something similar. He said Notre Dame could never recruit another Minnesota player until Weis was under 350 pounds. This whole time I was kind of in awe that another D1 coach could be so tactless, especially around somebody who he had never met. I should have asked him if had a Notre Dame opt out clause in his contract, like Holtz. Oh well. But now I really wish we would play them in for their first game in the new stadium

Wheee for unsubstantiated probable-fantasy from the looniest place in all the tubes! Except someone actually asked Brewster if, when prompted about Notre Dame, he momentarily contracted Tourette's. The response, as you might expect:

The gist of this posting was e-mailed to Brewster and he was asked if this conversation had taken place. Brewster's response was:

"I may be a first-time head coach, but the info in that e-mail is ridiculous. Charlie is a good friend of mine. There is a good reason why I don't read the Internet."

(Doesn't read the internet? Move aside Amish, we have a new punching bag.) Not that he'd cop to it even if he had said the mean and nasty and so so true things he is accused of saying. For MNIrish's part, he stands by his posting:

I'm not making it up! I was honestly just trying to joke with him as a conversation starter, knowing that coaches can't comment on specific players,but can talk about a school (ie Cretin-Derham). As a Minnesotan, the U of M is my second favorite program, and I have been impressed with Brewster from the start. I actually debated about whether to post my encounter, chalking it up to a bad day for the coach, but now for him to say Weis is a good friend? Unbelievable, from what I heard from his mouth. My feelings aren't hurt, I know a lot of people don't like Notre Dame, but we like Weis and don't think he is a disgrace by any means. And he doesn't deserve to be berated like that.

I'd be more inclined to believe him if the ludicrous, unflattering personal anecdote delivered against a member of the ND Nation enemies list (contents: everyone less enthralled with Notre Dame than Tom Lemming) was not a standard form of expression over there.

Indoctrinate. Indoctrinate. Beilein's running a first-ever Michigan basketball camp, as per his usual tactics; Eric Lacey has some information:

Went to Michigan basketball camp today and saw a lot of signs of offseason progress. The camp itself is taking off, attracting more than 230 in the first session and could get up to 300 for the second.

Plus several of the current players that are working it look in great shape including Jerret Smith, Anthony Wright and Ekpe Udoh. Wright has lost about 25 pounds due to extra cardio workouts immediately after playing pickup ball. Smith also looks slimmer and Udoh says he's gained nine pounds of muscle.

More at the Detroit News' blog, but hurry over in case someone posts something else and you have to scroll down the page. Which would be tragic.

Jim Carty now has a blog under the auspices of the Ann Arbor News and has an interview with Beilein up. Our new God-Emperor seems cautious about rasing expectations too much:

Q: Incoming freshmen guards Manny Harris and Kelvin Grady have received a ton of attention prior to even stepping on the court. What's your approach with them?

BEILEIN: I've watched a lot of their film. Those are the films I've watched quite a bit. Grady, he really seems like he has a high IQ. Kids who are quick as he is, you rarely expect their mind to catch up to their body quickness. But I was really impressed with the games I saw him in, how he had a good mix of making plays and knowing when to slow it down and run a team. I was really impressed with that.

Manny's not going to be 18 until October 29, so he's going to be one of the younger freshmen in the country. Everybody has to be careful of expecting too much from Manny. Let him just sort of go through the process and learn. I'm really impressed by what I saw, but I don't want to build on that any more.

K'Len Morris and Zack Gibson are really freshmen. K'Len's never played. We're going to have a lot of very, very young players.

Other brother Daryl. Texas wide receiver Daryl Stonum is announcing Sunday between Michigan, Florida, and USC. He has visited one of those schools, which is us. Should be a slam dunk. Someone sent me this; provided in celebration.



Case: rested. This man thinks this haircut is good for a picture thousands will see. This is his opinion on the BTN: "You should thank Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany." QED? QED, MFer.

Etc.: Does the Big Ten have a wack, impossible-to-enforce new recruiting "rule"? (Personal opinion: no, and the Sporting News is full of le crap.)