If you’re a Michigan/MGoBlog fan, you might have found yourself witnessing quite a dust-up on Twitter between Brian Cook, Ace Anbender, Ant Wright, and others. I’m going to say a few things about it, because this is the internet and it was built to express people’s opinions about anything and everything, right?
- Ace has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, which is a real thing, and he started a Go Fund Me that (IIRC) raised $100,000+. Then he posted pictures of “non-essential” items on social media, and people got upset because…he wasn’t posting pictures of his medical bills, I guess.
- Donations are donations. If you don’t believe in the cause and the people receiving then money, then don’t donate.
- A donation does not mean that the recipient can only buy essential items for the rest of his life. At some point a person who receives a donation is going to buy a bottle of wine, a video game, tickets to a concert, etc.
- Also, refer to #2.
- Ace, Ant Wright, and Brian can all be buttholes in their own way. We all can. Today there were a lot of people being buttholes.
- Full disclosure: I rarely agree with Ant and muted Ace on Twitter a long time ago. So I don’t really have a side, except…
- …if you’re ever unsure, read #2 again.
Hit the jump for stuff that doesn’t have to do with buttholes.
Pro Football Focus got done looking at the East-West Shrine Game and I actually happen to agree with PFF for once (LINK). But the linked article provides a little more insight, which confirmed my suspicions:
- Michael Onwenu had the #3 overall score on the East offense and the highest overall mark of Michigan’s players.
- Jordan Glasgow was the #5 rated defender on the West team.
- Lavert Hill only got 15 snaps (the fewest of any defensive player on his team) and his PFF grade was the lowest on his team.
Michael Onwenu ? ? ? pic.twitter.com/zCE3xxy0go
— TheWolverine.com (@TheWolverineMag) January 19, 2020
Frank Clark used quite a move to beat Taylor Lewan for the game-sealing sack against the Titans. The Titans weren’t going to come back from two scores down with less than two minutes, anyway, but still an impressive finish:
Frank Clark with the spin cycle to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl ??
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 19, 2020
(via @thecheckdown) pic.twitter.com/wWicleEw65
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Those guys have a big problem over there … they have no escape.
So, when I get disgusted by the chronic level of drooling stupid displayed by some of our, assumed to be, highly educated group of fans, I have the option of checking out and into something else. In this particular case, a very, very long standing project jumped up, cuffed me over the ear hole and pointed to the clock, forcing my attention elsewhere.
These guys are now professionals, but more importantly, have families to feed. They are trapped like rats. They can’t check out. They can never check out. Under the circumstances, I think they are holding up remarkably well.
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“They are trapped like rats. They can’t check out.”
If they’re going to transition, then do it now (in their late 30s or early 40s) rather than later. The degree of trapped-ness increases as you cross the 50-barrier and beyond.
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Agree fully on the notion they are trapped there although I think Brian has always had an overly inflated opinion of himself that has now devolved to being near impossible to read – I think he believes himself to be the David Foster Wallace of college sports blogs not to mention how condescending he is to pretty much everyone on the podcast. The 2 weeks he missed being sick were the best episodes in recent history. Also think Seth is writing the better pieces for the blog and has a much firmer grip on reality. I don’t follow any of them on Twitter but I have friend whose daughter has CFS and wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
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Agree on Seth … I’ve enjoyed his writing for some time.
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Fighting over social media is a Mutually Assured Negative Event for both party. Neither party comes out looking good after the beef today. What really saddens me about this incident is that it will lessen the ability of a person in need to raise funds from the Michigan community. I am sure some people regretted their decision to donate money to Ace and will be discouraged from making similar donations in the future.
On a football note, where was this Michael Onwenu during Michigan’s season?
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I watched that Onwenu loop a couple of times, and it seems to me Onwenu’s hands are outside, grabbing hold of the other guy’s shoulders. At the end it looks like he bear-hugs him to the ground. Did I see that wrong? If not, then are the rules changed? I thought OL had to keep their hands inside.
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They’re generally not going to call that since he’s driving him straight back and the guy isn’t really fighting to one side or another. Yes, it could technically be called holding; no, it won’t be called any more than 2% of the time.
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Nice blog post on the twitter dustup and I also agree with the sentiments of the commenters. I love mgoblog but it has been challenging for Brian to bring the juice when the team hasn’t given us a positive surprise in over a decade…
Magnus, I am intrigued by your statement that you “agree with PFF for once”. I was not aware that you thought so poorly of their evaluations. I think your readers would be interested in some examples of where you think they are missing the mark. Do you see any clear biases in their grading?
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Thanks.
I’ve given some examples over the years, but I know you just signed up, so welcome to the blog!
The most common issue I have with PFF is that it does not seem to account for what a player SHOULD have done.
If Player X blocks the wrong guy – but beats him to a pulp – then it seems PFF gives that guy a positive grade. The guy he should have blocked might be making a sack, but there’s seemingly no accounting for scheme.
A more specific example is blown coverages. I have seen multiple blown coverages by Michigan’s secondary (Delano Hill, Brad Hawkins, etc.) resulting in big plays/touchdowns, and then you look at a perfect coverage score by PFF after the game. And just because Hill/Hawkins didn’t end up being the closest guy to who scored the touchdown or caught the big pass, they don’t get dinged.
An off-the-top-of-my-head list of players that I can remember seeing PFF scores for after games and thinking, “What game were they watching?”: Sean McKeon, Nick Eubanks, De’Veon Smith, Brad Hawkins, Delano Hill, and Michael Onwenu.
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I don’t agree with “a donation is a donation.” This is a matter of integrity. If Ace ever needs help in the future, he will likely regret the way he handled this.
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I agree that people are questioning the integrity. I don’t know if it’s warranted in this case. But I do think if Ace had a PR guy (not that he should or anything), the PR guy probably would not have advised him to type “Happy birthday to me” in a tweet with a picture of recording equipment. Ace could have continued doing whatever he did without telling anyone that he bought new podcasting equipment, and nobody would have been the wiser. I never listen to a podcast and think, “Hmmm…I wonder how this guy got his microphone.”
And you are almost certainly correct that people might not be as giving with their money, time, effort, etc. in the future.
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Probably could have gotten away with it, but that’s beside the point. Is it right – in public or private – to use donations that way.
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I agree. Old news that has nothing to do with me, but if someone asks for money to buy a bottle of wine, a nice suit, or fancy equipment they aren’t going to be very successful. That’s not what people gave for. That was not the ask.
It is a betrayal to plead poverty and then spend it on lavish luxury.
Like a Red Cross executive using donations to stay at a fancy Swiss ski lodge. Paying them a decent salary to execute the organizations objectives is not. It can be a fine line, which is why most bigger organizations establish clear policies. In this case it was clearly crossed IMO.
I think it speaks to arrogance. Mgoblog has been wildly successful. It’s been great to see that site grow over the years, but they are increasingly antagonistic and entitled IMO, and not just on Twitter. The “Michigan Money Cannon” is not some abstract entity – it is successful people sharing some common objectives and values.
Some of the hostility is understandable but that’s the nature of the business. You are an entertainer and some of your customers are going to be jerks. One can only put up with so much, but in this case there was a legitimate point being made from the critics. Perhaps it wasn’t made very well, but nonetheless.
Mgoblog could use an impartial/external ombudsman to do an bi-annual review. Hopefully BrianGoBlog is smart enough to be doing something like that. I would like to see that site and other independent sites (including TTB) continue to thrive.
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I’m not sure that it was “clearly” crossed, but a lot of people think so. I can’t tell if that’s because of, you know, morals, or if it’s just because internet people get outraged easily. Ace asked for help paying his bills and hopefully finding a way to get back on his feet. According to Seth/Misopogon, who posted on MGoBlog, that podcasting equipment has probably paid for itself “threefold” with what Ace has been able to do with it. There’s the old saying about, “Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” Well…perhaps because he was able to buy the podcasting equipment, maybe he can be fed for a lifetime.
MAJOR DISCLAIMER: I am not a fan of Ace. He and I have had run-ins in the past (online, not in person), and I am not impressed. I also don’t like his writing. I usually skip his articles and only read Brian’s, Seth’s, and sometimes the other guys they have writing for them.
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It’s not what people gave money for. If it helps Mgoblog operate then Mgoblog should pay for it. “Happy Birthday to Me” doesn’t sound like that.
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I share your opinion on Ace, but that’s beside the point here. Could be my favorite entertainer or somebody I revile and I don’t think it would change the fact that the request and usage of funds was mishandled.
I can’t speak for everyone complaining about it online or elsewhere, but I do think they have a legitimate point.
The betrayal of trust may make people less likely to give, not just to Ace, but to others who need medical help in the future. What if my money ends up going to some extravagance they may worry. I’ve seen it before they may say.
Notwithstanding all that the real tragedy here is that people have to go online begging for help to get medical care, even when they are young and gainfully employed.
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Losers find a way to lose………..
I don’t care how much money anyone has or anyone makes or how they got it.
Losers are losers and they’ll find a way to lose. Mgoblah is full of losers from top to bottom and yeah its a microcosm of Murahka , in general. Peeps with victim complexs that want to be treated like the fuking baybee & pitiful pathetic pieces of peopled pussy protoplasm they are.
Can this blog now move on and be a place of strength?
Fuk mgoblah…………intjohn
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