To the crowd-noise-obsessed Michigan fan, this calls to mind the Oversized Metallic Dandelion from last year’s Minnesota game. Associate Architecture Professor Mojtava Navvab was attempting to determine the difference in crowd noise that adding boxes would cause. The results were something along the lines of “2-4 times as loud,” and though I’m sleptical on that degree of difference, 1) I do not have a graduate degree in architecture, and 2) Even without glass last year, the difference in sound was noticeable.

Of course, the Athletic Department is not actively trying to increase crowd noise with the boxes (at least not as their primary goal), so they likely won’t pursue ways in which crowd noise in particular will increase with the added structures. However, if they wanted to really impact the noise on the field, the most effective way to do so would be encouraging fans to make more noise in the first place.

I’m not a fan of my college football events being Minor League Hockey, as Brian would say (translation: RAWK MUSIC, hokey pump up videos, etc.), but there are ways that the AD could promote a louder environment without delving into the corny. Other schools in the Big Ten take this a bit too far, Sparty, Ohio State, and Penn State among them – though I think it’s no coincidence that the latter two have the best homefield advantages in the conference, but there is a happy medium. Pump up videos are unnecessary, but the banner-shaped video board along the bottom of the scoreboards can be used for evil (a word which here means “good”). Step 1) Stop encouraging the GD3DKPT, also known as “God Damn Third Down Key Play Thingy.”  Step 2) Change the message on the board, not only during third down, but all defensive downs, to something simple like “Make some NOISE!”

I’ll wrap this post up before it gets off on too much of a tangent (that i’ve covered several times before), but, uh yeah. Sound test in the Big House tonight, huh?1

The Athletic Department will now get a design and come back to the Regents for approval.  We’re not very far into this project, but it is exciting that it’s getting going.

This is obviously a good thing for both basketball programs as it should help with recruiting and ease the scheduling conflicts of having 3 sports using Crisler.  It also signals that the Athletic Department will likely renovate Crisler as opposed to creating a new facility.  Crisler has sort of grown on me since they put in modern lights.

The document is very vanilla and doesn’t have very many memorable quotes, but there is one part that is kind of interesting:

The proposed addition will temporarily displace approximately 150 parking spaces during construction and will permanently displace approximately 60 spaces upon completion. This loss will be accommodated as part of the strategic parking and transportation plan for South Campus.

Emphasis mine. I’m not exactly sure what is involved, but I hope it involves an offensive into North Campus. Take that BFE!

Now that things are on the right path, I humbly offer a few suggestions to the athletic department the ensure this year’s game is a success.

• Have a real game with normal scoring. None of this “offense v. defense, a sack is 2 points for the defense, a first down is worth half a point…”-type nonsense. A spring game is for the fans, and so let’s not make it confusing to follow. Figure out a way to get it done (I suggest first teams v. second teams, but there are a number of other ways to get this done).
• If there are going to be activities other than a game, make them interesting. Florida has the players race each other (and students who want to try their hand at beating the likes of Percy Harvin). Michigan has players run through drills that fans don’t get. Which do you think is more interesting to observers?
• Invite every high school coach in the state, and most from Ohio. Encourage them to bring their teams. Invite every single prospect that has been identified for the classes of 2010 and 2011. I don’t care if they’re from Florida, Hawaii, or Timbuktu. If they want to come, they will. If it’s too far, they won’t. What does it hurt to extend an invitation? Since there’s guaranteed to be less media covering the spring game (regardless of who is invited), allow the recruits to stay on the sidelines during the scrimmage – something they cant do during an actual game.
• Have a festival-like atmosphere, or at least treat it like a game. Have tailgating, the Victors Walk, contests, concessions. Have the whole band and the whole cheerleading squad in attendance. Bring in forme (or current) NFL players to call plays. Invite College Gameday to Ann Arbor (they were in Gainesville last year) – or at least whatever BTN’s version of GameDay is. Invite all the media that cover the team during the regular season – go out of your way to make sure they know they are welcome.
• If it’s cold, have a pep rally in Crisler before the game. If not, hold it in the stadium. Have Coach Rod speak to the crowd.
• Give tours of parts of Michigan Stadium fans have never seen. Considering all the construction, that could just be whatever has been completed since November 15th. Let them in the locker room, or Junge (unless it’s being used for recruiting) or the press box.

As for fans? Well, they just need to show up, have fun (regardless of the weather), and maybe have a tailgate or two. If there’s one thing fans can do to help the team for next season, it’s showing they still care about and love the Michigan Wolverines, and maybe build a little confidence for the players and coaches going into ‘09.

What ideas do YOU have to improve the spring game? Leave them in the comments, and I’ll post a roundup/revision post as spring practice begins. Maybe the best suggestion will get a prize… Anybody interested in a DVD set? There’s a copy of The Rivalry Series: Michigan Beats Ohio State up for grabs.

• In case you live under a rock, MGoBlue is going to have a new video up each day until kickoff. See the archive here.
• Hoover Street Rag fills us in on the selections for MMB halftime shows this year. If the Team America song is not included in the “America Rocks” show, I will be sorely disappointed.
• FoxSports has published their “Toughest Places to Play” list. Michigan Stadium ranks #10. I still maintain that there should be two separate lists for home team winning percentage and for fan rabidity during games. (TFJ: Big House Blog).

You can click on any image for a higher resolution version.This is probably my favorite page, simply because of the ludicrous amounts of money they’re asking for and how I can’t believe they won’t get it all. The naming rights on this page (except for the Stadium Door Reception Wall) total up to $38.5M, almost 20% of the total construction budget.

These are the club seats that will be under the suites on the Crisler side of the stadium. I wonder how much more the necessary annual contribution is for these than say the 50 yard line row 20. Anyway, if we say the seats average about $2,500 and there are 3,000 of them, that means at least $7.5M per year in gifts in addition to the cost of season tickets. This comes on top of keeping the premium seats in the bowl as well if the rich people want to be with the unwashed masses.
These aren’t super exciting, and I can’t really get a number, but the rendering is pretty cool…

And now the big money makers:
There are 83 available suites (46 on the West side, 37 on the East Side). They come with free parking and “premium food and beverage service.” How premium?

Q13. Will beverage alcohol be available for premium seating patrons?
No. Michigan Stadium, including all premium seating areas, will be an alcohol free environment.

Not premium enough. So continuing with our math, lets assume the suites average $70,000 per year. That totals about $5.8M a year, and that doesn’t even count the gifts one would have to make to the Athletic department in order to get to the point in line to buy a suite.

So let’s recap:

Not too shabby. Assuming an overly simplistic model where all the prices stay the same and no interest has to be paid on the $226M construction costs, just the money from the premium seating could and capital gifts could pay back the costs in 13 years.

Well, I’ve been in Ann Arbor the past two summers and have noticed that the spring sports have been ridiculously good the past two years. Women’s track and field finished with a share of the Big Ten title last year and was runner up this year. The male runners won the title outright this year.

This year, women’s tennis made it to the second round NCAA tournament, while the men made it to the Sweet Sixteen. Both teams improved upon somewhat breakout seasons the year before.

Then there is baseball and softball. Both teams last year made it to the super regionals and gave the teams they played hell. I remember watching baseball’s first game against Oregon State in the Super Regional. Zach Putnam pitched a ridiculously good game. He only gave up one hit, but unfortunately that one hit brought in a run which was enough to earn Putnam the loss. It was one of the best baseball games I had seen.

As well as those teams did last year, the prospects are looking even better this year. One of the biggest reasons is the new Wilpon Baseball and Softball Palace Complex. Last year both teams played on the road in the Super Regional round. Michigan did not even put in a bid for either sport as the stands and press boxes were torn apart for the new construction. This year is different. Now Michigan has one of the nicer facilities, especially in the Midwest. Softball hosted and won its regional and will hope to do the same when it hopes the Super Regional this weekend. Baseball also has a very good chance of hosting it’s Super Regional series if it made it out of the regional round.

The new Ray Fisher Stadium will be getting it’s first test of a large baseball event when it hosts the Big Ten Tournament this weekend. In an e-mail from the media contact for baseball he said “With the new Press Box there is ample room, but I need to know who is coming so I can have Press Credentials waiting in your name.” which is a drastic change from last year when the media room was a tent behind Yost.

If you are in the area, check out baseball and softball this weekend. The schedule for the Big Ten tournament isn’t posted yet, but softball is set to play Virginia Tech at Noon this Saturday. Even if you’re not in town, you can catch the softball team on ESPN and I assume BTN will cover the tournament.

It could be a special year for both of these teams. They deserve all the support they can get.

UPDATE: Details about ticket prices and availability for baseball are here. Similar details for the softball super regional tickets are here. Take-home points: Baseball is $7 per game. Softball is $5 for general admission bleachers or $7-$8 for the nice, new grandstand.

The Old Barn at 1000 South State Street looks unimposing from the outside. The casual observer would have no idea that it is the home of college hockey’s most successful program, with an NCAA record 9 national titles. However, step inside the doors during a Michigan hockey game, and it is like walking into a different world. “As sophomore defenseman Chris Summers insists, it’s difficult to describe all that goes on during Michigan games, with spontaneous ribbing and insulting of opponents, off-color chants, pep band contributions and the energy of the building. ‘But once you have been here for five minutes of a game, you understand,’ he says.” Even at Michigan, where football will always reign supreme, Yost stands out as “the greatest place to watch a Michigan sporting event on campus.” Whether in 1923, when it was built, or today, Yost is one of the best and most important buildings in college athletics.

Today, Yost Ice Arena looks very different from the way it did when it was built as Yost Field house in 1923. Though the exterior is basically unchanged, there are a few key differences. Ice permanently covers the playing surface of the building, and the seating arrangements have been adjusted several times over the years. In 1996, Yost underwent a major renovation, in which press facilities were upgraded, seating was added on the north end of the ice, and a new home locker room was constructed. Because of this renovation, seating was decreased substantially. Just 5 years later, the arena was again changed. Balcony box seating and a club lounge were added on the east side. These improvements to Yost Ice Arena were intended to improve the hockey experience for spectators and players. The Michigan Daily, however, was no so fond of either renovation.

Yost Field house was the first building of its type on any campus, and its construction may be partially credited for the obsession in today’s athletic departments with building new facilities to attract recruits and train athletes. “Everyone in the country has a Yost Field House now” says Kip Taylor. He alludes to the fact that, although Yost was the first field house built, everyone soon realized what a genuinely good idea it was, and followed suit. As the building was in the planning stages, Fielding Yost knew that he would like it to be named after himself. However, at the time, naming buildings against living people was against university policy. However, behind strong support from the students at Michigan, Yost was able to convince the administration to break the “no living legends” rule. The rule has also since been forgotten in the naming of such buildings as Schembechler Hall (built in 1990, Bo Schembechler died in 2006), Crisler Arena (built in 1967, Fritz Crisler died in 1982), and Canham Natatorium (built in 1988, Don Canham died in 2005) (Bentley Historical Library).

“I just think it captures the entire college atmosphere. The stands are right on top of you, and the fans are active and vocal.”

Even more impressive is that Commissioner Tom Anastos is an alumnus of Michigan State, one of the Wolverines’ greatest rivals. As famous as Yost Ice Arena has become for its spectacular reputation as a hockey venue, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, Yost Field house was originally designed to accommodate nearly every sport – with the notable exception of hockey. However, over the course of its existence, Yost has served many roles in Michigan athletics, and is now known as one of college hockey’s premier venues. It may not be the most advanced facility, but according to Michigan coach Red Berenson,

“if you want to play in a rink with a great environment and a lot of history, then you should come to Michigan, because Yost is a player’s rink.”

It is that history, in fact, that gives Yost its special place in college sports history. While other college venues may be older, or bigger, or more high-tech, Yost Ice Arena is the one that most accurately captures the history of college athletics.

The Big House Thing
Various fans and members of the blogosphere are up in arms about Michigan Stadium’s capacity being below that of Beaver Stadium during the next two years. Personally, I think it is no big deal.

While having the largest stadium in the nation is something nice to be able to hang your hat on, I’m pretty sure avoiding constant litigation is more productive for the athletic department. Being able to get on the good side of the ADA also holds Michigan to the higher moral standard that I believe is an important aspect of our Tradition, and rids us of the annoyance of John Pollack, who Brian dubs (not-so-affectionately) “The Hero of Tienanmen Square.”

It’s also important to note that Michigan Stadium, despite announcing it was the home of “the largest crowd watching a football game anywhere in America today,” did not in fact hold this distinction on two Saturdays. The September 8th contest against Oregon was outdrawn by Notre Dame’s visit to Happy Valley (109,733 to 110,078) and Michigan and Penn State’s respective beatdowns of Eastern Michigan and Iowa had the attendance battle go to the Lions as well (108,415 to 108,951). The top 15 most-attended games in ‘07 were all in Ann Arbor or State College, with the top 4 taking place in the Big House.

It is important to note that Michigan Stadium was not at or below official capacity (107,501) once in 2007, nor would I expect this to be the case in 2008 (at 106,201). With a new headman in Ann Arbor, and a lot of media interest surrounding this change, it is likely that there will be many members of the media in attendance, at least for the first game. Media and other game services personnel account for the difference between capacity and attendance. Penn State is also the only school in America who averaged more than Michigan Stadium’s projected new capacity (other than Michigan, of course). An exciting style of play, as Michigan is expected to have, will only help the case.

So, do I think this is a lot of hand-wringing about something that won’t greatly affect anyone? Yes. There is little practical reason to have a dick measuring contest in terms of attendance. It won’t impress recruits (they will still be awed at the sheer expanse of Michigan Stadium, and think that Beaver Stadium looks like an erector set gone wrong (for the record, I like the stadium, but it is far from aesthetically appealing)).

Recruiting Woes
Speaking of fans being irrationally concerned over matters, many are starting to express worry over the lack of Michigan commitments so far in this class. There are a few points that people will need to take into account before they start jumping of bridges.

Rich Rodriguez and staff had to play catch up on 2008 before they could worry about 2009. While other staffs had their 2008 classes completed, and were sending out feelers to 2009 prospects, Rodriguez had to first secure all of Lloyd Carr’s previous commitments, then get more players to sign with the Maize and Blue (Hill, Floyd, Feagin, Roundtree, Shaw, Robinson, Odoms, Barnum, Omameh), almost all of whom were four-star prospects. Odoms’s recruitment even stretched out past signing day, and Terrelle Pryor’s is obviously still ongoing (even if many Michigan fans have given up, don’t think for one second that Rodriguez has). Thus, other schools (including Michigan State) had a head start on Michigan.

Mark Dantonio’s class is looking good, but the players haven’t signed anything yet, and some of them might not fit Michigan’s new system. Brian covered this yesterday.

Michigan is one of the last schools to have its junior day. While schools like Texas get nearly their entire classes to commit at junior days, Michigan hasn’t had an opportunity to hold its junior day yet. This is mostly because of playing catch-up (see above, in addition to the coaches getting to know existing players and each other). Junior Day is finally coming tomorrow, and with more offers likely being given out, and a good possibility for a commit or two, Michigan will jump back into the recruiting game with a vengeance.

With a new headman roaming the sidelines in Ann Arbor, and a facility in transition, 2008 will likely see several changes in the overall atmosphere at The Big House.

Rich Rodriguez brings an exciting new style of play, both offensively and defensively. This may mean that fans in the seats are more into the game, but it could also bode poorly. Transitioning to new systems is always difficult, and the radical change expected of Michigan will likely lead to major struggles, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The fans need to understand this, and support the team through tough times early in the 2008 season.

At West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez’s teams consistently played under the lights, and many fans are hoping the concept of a night game will follow the coach to Ann Arbor. However, this may not be as likely as presumed. While Lloyd Carr never was a proponent of late starts, the general issue stems from the administration. Michigan’s athletic department has routinely stood against night games for several reasons, including national exposure (which is no longer the case with primetime network coverage), alumni preference, and preventing all-day drinking. While Rich may be able to cast one more vote for later games, it would take a minor miracle to make a change in year one.

Michigan Stadium will feature a new look in 2008, as it works through phase one of renovations. New concessions, first aid, and bathrooms will be present, along with a metal frame for the luxury boxes. During the season, work will continue on non-gamedays. The stadium won’t be aesthetically pleasing, but the wait will be worth it for the final result.
http://mgoblue.com/football/article.aspx?id=111194
It will be an interesting dynamic to see how players and fans (and visiting recruits) will respond to a stadium in transition.

Fans of the Wolverines were excited to get their first look at the 2008 squad this spring, with a return to the tradition of hosting a spring game. Rodriguez’s West Virginia teams took part in the yearly tradition, and the Michigan headman was expected to have his new team face off in the Big House.

The unavailability of Michigan Stadium won’t necessarily preclude the Wolverines from having any spring game, however. There is still the possibility that Michigan could have their inaugural spring classic at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. For Field will be unavailable on April 19 and 26th, as Team Michigan of the AAFL will be playing home games on those dates, but the field is not in use on April 12th. The Michigan open spring practice (not game) took place April 14th last year.

The possibility of a spring game in Ford Field has both positive and negative aspects for the Michigan football program. In terms of negatives, this makes it significantly more difficult, if not impossible, for many students to attend the game. Additionally, it prevents recruits from being able to experience the Big House for the first time. On the other hand, a spring game in Detroit allows easier access for many (right on I-75), and since the previous spring practices weren’t too well attended, maybe the on-campus location wasn’t such a big deal in the first place. Additionally, those who were concerned about Rich Rodriguez’s ability to recruit Detroit may be comforted by the fact that his squad will be exposed to citizens of Motor City firsthand.

What do you think? Feel encouraged to comment.

Blue Steel

Not only is Barwis’s philosophy different from outgoing S&C guru Mike Gittleson, but his equipment is as well. Rumors of Michigan’s purchase of $600,000 circulated shortly following Rodriguez’s introduction as UM’s head coach. Confirmation comes in the way of an auction, held this Sunday at Oosterbaan fieldhouse. The Michigan Athletic Department is selling off all of Schembechler Hall’s old gear.

Barwis is known as an intense motivator, who expects nothing less than the best from his players. Ryan Mundy, ex-Michigan and West Virginia YAC-ceding safety has experience in the programs of both Gittleson at Michigan and Barwis at West Virginia. Mundy thought Barwis’s program was much better:

As far as the strength and conditioning program is concerned, Mundy says West Virginia’s program is much more intense than Michigan’s. Other players that have transferred to West Virginia have said similar things in the past, explaining that at some other places the players coming into the program are physically bigger and more explosive. West Virginia develops it.

“Down here we do a lot of Olympic lifts – squats, power clings, hang clings and things like that – and I hadn’t done that type of stuff since high school,” Mundy said. “I had to get my body back used to doing those types of movements. As far as the practice down here we run after practice and we never ran after practice at Michigan.”

For a nearly-obsessive look at Mike Barwis, check out Go Blue Michigan Wolverine, and try to ignore the fact that he’s practically illiterate.

Michigan’s current home field advantage is lacking, not only behind traditionally great stadiums like The Swamp and Death Valley, but also Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Wisconsin, and even Notre Dame.

While much of the blame is placed on the stadium’s structure, there is much more to it than that. Notre Dame Stadium is a carbon copy of the Big House, but much smaller, and the advantage there is much better. It’s a general attitude within the stadium and the fanbase in general that could be improved to help out.

Part One, featuring the band, will come tomorrow (unless there is some real news). The other parts will come whenever there is nothing more pertinent to post about.

In the ongoing facilities race, this is a step in the right direction for year-round practice, and recruits always love shiny news things. The project is expected to cost $26.1 Million. Link to Regents Action Request.

Downsides: Soccer field moving down by the varsity tennis center, too far to walk. Obviously attendance at soccer games is too high as it is.

The $750,000 update is expected to be completed by the start of next season. For the time being, that will rule out possible expansion around the end zones once the renovation is done (that wouldn’t have happened for a very long time anyway).

For those of us desperately wanting a Godzillatron (a la Texas), there is no good news. When Texas renovated Royal Stadium, they built one Godzillatron, which, along with some (relatively inexpensive) audio upgrades, cost $8 million. I still wouldn’t rule out improving the screens to HD capabilities, though the video boards will not become ridiculously large.