Tractor Traylor Watch: Game Three

In case you missed it, Robert "Tractor" Traylor has returned to the NBA, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers summer league team. This feature will last as long as he sticks around. My guess is this feature will be short-lived.

Traylor only played 11 minutes in the Cavaliers third Summer League game, a 72-69 loss to the Wizards. However, he made the most of his minutes, crashing the boards for 8 rebounds, including 6 on the offensive end. Tractor also finished with 5 points, shooting only 1-4 from the floor and 3-6 from the line. If Traylor could convert a few more of those offensive boards into points, he'd have a shot to stick in the league somewhere.

The Cavs fourth summer league game is tonight at 10:30 against the New Orleans Hornets. If you are so inclined, you can watch the game streaming online at NBA.com.

Bullet Points Are Handy: July 19

Today's nuggets of interest: Arrington signed, one less Pistons free agent target, and more.

• Former Michigan WR Adrian Arrington, the star of Michigan's Capital One Bowl victory over Florida last season, was signed by the New Orleans Saints yesterday. Arrington, the Saints' seventh round pick this year, earned a three year contract after impressing the Saints' staff during offseason workouts.
• Utah Jazz guard CJ Miles, who was rumored to be one of Joe Dumars' free agent targets, signed a 4-year, $15 million contract with Oklahoma City. Cross another potential Piston off the list.
• The Pistons finished off their Summer League schedule by beating the Bobcats, 78-67. Rodney Stuckey did not play again, and Will Bynum led Detroit with 16 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. MLive's Full Court Press has a recap, as well as a complete breakdown of the Pistons' summer league performance.
  
• Via the Pride of Detroit, the Lions may be interested in signing LB Takeo Spikes, who was released by the Eagles this offseason.
• If true, this is just fucked up. What Rhodes Scholar decided it was a brilliant idea to give China the Olympics again?
  

Benzing Not Coming to Michigan

According to Rivals' Chris Balas ($), German basketball recruit Robin Benzing, who had committed to Michigan earlier this year, will not enroll at Michigan. The 6'10" forward did not qualify to play for a Division 1 team by NCAA initial eligibility requirements.

This is pretty disappointing, considering Benzing would have added depth to this years' incoming class. As a 6'10" forward with deep shooting range, Benzing fit the mold of a big man in John Beilein's offensive system. On the bright side, this does give UM an additional scholarship to use in a future class.

Luol Deng to the Pistons?

In a repeat of last summer, the Chicago Bulls have been unable to sign starters (and 2009 free agents) Luol Deng and Ben Gordon to contract extensions. Via Matt Watson of the AOL Fanhouse, HOOPSWORLD's Bill Ingram brings up the possibility of a intra-division trade if Chicago cannot get a deal done with Deng:

The Chicago Bulls would ideally love to keep Luol Deng, but with negotiations going the way they're going it's likely the Pistons get serious in talks with Chicago. Tayshaun Prince would come back in trade and he's a veteran who could make life easier for new head coach Vinny Del Negro. Prince isn't exactly a vocal leader, but he knows how to win and he's all business.

This one could work out for both teams, although I see the Pistons coming out on top if the trade actually happens. Prince is a tremendous role player and leader (he has essentially become Rasheed's on-court anger management counselor in recent years), but he has not shown that he can be a first or second option on offense for a team. Deng is only 23, five years younger than Prince, and can be a go-to guy on offense (although he wouldn't have to be on the Pistons). Deng is also a strong defender with tremendous length, so any drop off defensively from Prince would be small, if even noticeable.

The Bulls are a very young team who need leadership, as well as something in return for Deng and Gordon if they cannot keep them from hitting the open market next year. Detroit needs to shake up their lineup, get younger, and add a scoring threat. This deal seems to fulfill those needs for all parties involved. Hopefully, the Bulls and the Pistons can look past their division rivalry and try to work out a trade that could benefit both teams.

Comments Fixed

Minus-1000 points to me for not realizing that in individual posts, comments have been showing up with black font on a black background. Hopefully this explains why many posts go completely devoid of comments. Font is now white. Comment away!

Bullet Points Are Handy: July 18

Will Bynum: Soon-to-be Piston?

Today's roundup of news brings you more Pistons summer league coverage, word on why Carlos Guillen was not with the Tigers last night, and more...

• Again playing without guard Rodney Stuckey, the Pistons NBA Summer League team fell to the Dallas Mavericks last night, 79-73. Former Georgia Tech PG Will Bynum was the star for the Pistons, finishing with a line of 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and only one turnover. Bynum is pushing hard to make Detroit's final roster, and I would be happy if he made the cut. He's an athletic point guard who can score while managing the game and distributing the ball.
• Carlos Guillen was not with the Tigers during their 6-5 victory over Baltimore last night (thanks, Todd Jones, for making that one far too interesting). According to Tigers.com, Guillen few to Detroit after playing in the All-Star Game to be with his wife, Amelia, who was suffering complications during childbirth. According to Jim Leyland, Amelia is fine now, and the Guillen's are now the proud parents of a healthy baby girl, Camelia, who was born on July 7th.
• Zach Miner will be the Tigers' fifth starter for now, after Eddie Bonine was sent down to AAA Toledo. Hopefully Miner can regain his rookie form, before he started walking everyone in sight.
• Via Michigan Sports Center, the Wolverines are currently listed as 7 point favorites in their season-opening game against Utah.
• Jim Carty posted a transcript of Thursday's teleconference with now-former Wolverine Max Pacioretty. He had nothing but good things to say about Red Berenson and the Michigan hockey program, but it sounds like he was just ready to take the next step towards the NHL.
  

Where You At? Tim Biakabutuka Edition

The "Where You At" series continues with a look at former Wolverine running back Tshimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that Tim Biakabutuka was the greatest Wolverine ever to be born in Zaire. Biakabutuka, who was born in Kinshasa, left Zaire for Canada with his family when he was four years old, and did not start playing football until high school. During what would be his senior year of high school, he played for Vanier College, a prep school in Quebec, where he earned the moniker "Touchdown Tim" for, well, obvious reasons.

Biakabutuka committed to Michigan in 1993 after his impressive senior year. Despite joining the football team during the prime of Tyrone Wheatley's career, Tim was able to push for playing time. He first showed his prodigious talent during the ninth game of his freshman season, when he rushed for 140 yards on only 26 carries in a victory over Purdue. Biakabutuka split time with Wheatley in 1994, tallying four more 100-yard games and finishing the season with 783 yards and seven touchdowns.

Finally out of Wheatley's shadow in 1995, Touchdown Tim put up one of the finest seasons in Michigan running back history. He posted 1891 yards on the year, a school record that still stands, averaged six yards per carry, and added 12 touchdowns. In the Big Ten finale against undefeated and #1 ranked Ohio State, Biakabutuka outshone eventual Heisman winner Eddie George and turned in one of the legendary performances in college football history. He rushed for 313 yards, the second-highest single game total in Michigan history, and scored a touchdown as Michigan upset the Buckeyes 31-23. Against a defense that started three future first round draft picks (Mike Vrabel, Antoine Winfield, and Shawn Springs), Biakabutuka could not be stopped:

Biakabutuka decided to leave Michigan after his junior season, and was drafted eighth overall in the 1996 NFL Draft by the Carolina Panthers. Biakabutuka was set to be their back of the future, as the Panthers had only existed one season in the NFL before drafting him. After a lengthy holdout, Tim signed a 6-year, $12.5 million deal, and entered his rookie season as the starter. After only four games, however, he tore a knee ligament and sat out the rest of the season. The next two seasons, Biakabutuka spent much of the season either injured or playing behind Fred Lane (an undrafted free agent picked up in 1997), and ended up starting only two games.


Biakabutuka had his most productive NFL season in 1999, rushing for 718 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games, all of which he started. He showed flashes of the promise that made him the eighth pick in the draft, running for 142 yards and three touchdowns on only 12 carries in a loss to the Redskins, and averaging a solid 5.2 yards per carry on the season. He started 11 more games in 2000, picking up 627 more yards, but was far less productive than the previous year, averaging only 3.6 yards per carry.

Tim's injury-plagued NFL career would come to a gruesome end the following season, in a Week 5 game against Washington. After already racking up 121 yards and a touchdown during the game, Biakabutuka tore every ligament in his right foot while caught in a pile during a fourth-quarter run. The injury was so bad that doctors considered amputating the foot immediately, but luckily the foot was saved. His career, however, was over.

Luckily for Tim, he had taken an interest in entering the business world even before his NFL career ended. In December 2003, with NFL teammates Muhsin Muhammad, Steve Israel, Eric Davis, Anthony Johnson and Dee Brown, as well as longtime friend Velly Janvier as investors, Biakabutuka opened the Beya Jewelry store in Charlotte. He named the store after his grandfather and one of his brothers, and turned an initial $2 million investment into two stores in the Charlotte area.

Although Biakabutuka was admittedly not a very religious man growing up, he turned to faith during his trying NFL career. Beya advertises itself as the "world's premier designer of Couture
Christian Jewelry" and features their own line of Christian jewelry, as well as designer jewelry, and according to a piece in the Charlotte Business Journal, Tim is very involved in the day-to-day operations of the store. Although the stores operated at a loss after formation, Biakabutuka expected them to be profitable by the end of 2007, and was generating annual sales of over $2 million.

Touchdown Tim in front of one of his stores (Photo from Charlotte Business Journal)

Although Biakabutuka said he enjoys being a part of the business world, he is still disappointed with how his NFL career turned out.

He loves business and its challenges, but acknowledges the pain of seeing players in his draft class still active on NFL rosters. If all had gone right, Biakabutuka would only now be winding down his NFL career. Instead, he's winding watches.

Biakabutuka regrets the way his pro career was ruined by injuries. He never had a 1,000-yard season, never played in a Super Bowl. "You wonder why, but what can you do?" he says. "If I didn't have ability, it would have been easier (to leave the NFL). But injuries got in my way."

Biakabutuka was one of my favorite players at Michigan. I was at the 1995 Ohio State game, and even before then I loved to correct people as to how to properly pronounce his given name (it's Tuh-MONG-ah Bee-OCK-ah-buh-too-kuh). I always thought he would make a great pro, and there were many signs that, if not for injuries, he would have been a Pro-Bowl caliber back. Many NFL players never get over how their careers ended, and never have the financial and business savvy to prepare for a life after football. It is great to see that Touchdown Tim is not only surviving in his post-football life, but flourishing, and doing something he has a passion for.

Step in a new direction (Charlotte Business Journal)
Tim Biakabutuka Statistics (Pro-Football-Reference)
Biakabutuka makes a name for himself (Vanier College)
MGoBlue: Statistics Archive
Biakabutuka breaks foot, may miss season (CBC)
Beya Jewelry: Partners

Braylon's Bowtie Bling

From MJD's NFL photo essay of the 2008 ESPY Awards:


Wow.

I heard Michigan State's 2004 defensive backfield led the ebay auction for that bowtie, but choked away a $17,000 lead in the last seven minutes of bidding.

Michigan Hockey Summer Curse Strikes Again

(Photo courtesy of the Michigan Daily)

Mike Van Ryn

Mike Comrie

Andy Hilbert

Jeff Tambellini

Mike Cammalleri

Andrew Cogliano

Jack MF'in Johnson...

The list of players who have left Michigan's hockey team early for the NHL seems endless. You can now add forward Max Pacioretty to that list, after just one promising season playing on the Wolverines' top line. Via MGoBlog, Pacioretty has just signed a three-year deal with the Montreal Canadians, who took him in the first round, 22nd overall in the 2007 NHL draft.

Pacioretty was the top returning forward for a Michigan team that made it to the Frozen Four last season before falling to Notre Dame in the semifinals. He had 39 points in 37 games last season, and was named the CCHA Freshman of the Year.

Dammit.

Pacioretty makes the big jump (Canadians.com)

Tractor Traylor Watch: Game Two

In case you missed it, Robert "Tractor" Traylor has returned to the NBA, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers summer league team. This feature will last as long as he sticks around. My guess is this feature will be short-lived.

In the Cavaliers Summer League contest against the Houston Rockets, Traylor finished with 6 points (2-5 from the floor), 2 offensive rebounds, and 4 personal fouls in 16 minutes of action. Traylor made the most of one of his baskets, earning a mention in the NBA.com recap for putting the Cavs ahead midway through the fourth. Unfortunately, Tractor's clutch basket was all for naught, as the Cavs fell 73-72.

Traylor has yet to crack Cleveland's starting lineup, which is not a good sign for anyone who wants to see him somehow make their regular season roster. He has two games remaining to showcase himself before the NBA Summer League comes to a close. Quiver in fear, Cleveland all-you-can-eat restaurants: the inevitable post-cut Tractor eating binge may soon be upon you.

(Photo courtesy of the Michigan Daily)

Tractor Traylor Watch: Day One
NBA.com: Summer League 2008 Box Score

Bullet Points Are Handy: July 17

For today's roundup, there are a couple of Tigers trade rumors, some Pistons news, and one remarkably familiar-looking Ohio State t-shirt.

• The Florida Marlins have contacted Detroit about trading for catcher (and ex-Marlin) Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge will be a free agent after this season, and Detroit has a viable alternative at catcher in Brandon Inge. However, Detroit probably won't start dumping players until they're completely out of the playoff picture. This is a rumor to keep an eye on, but any trade of this nature is probably at least a couple weeks off.
• Jon Paul Morosi of the Free Press is reporting that Detroit is willing to trade reliever Fernando Rodney. Rodney is 31 years old, has struggled the last two seasons with shoulder tendinitis, and is currently sporting a robust 7.71 ERA. I'm sure the Tigers will get great value out of that deal.
• Via MLive, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey played down rumors of a potential deal for Tracy McGrady. He said that Detroit had called "a few weeks ago" to inquire about a possible trade, but wouldn't say whether or not it involved McGrady. Any preliminary offers, he said, were turned down. It doesn't sound like the much-discussed McGrady trade is going to happen, although it would be interesting to see if Joe Dumars revisits these talks at some point.
• Speaking of Dumars, it seems that he is not pleased with Piston fans complaining that he is not doing enough to improve the team. Patience, everyone. In Joe We Trust.
• Varsity Blue digs up a photo of this season's Ohio State student football shirt, which appears to completely rip off the 2005 Michigan student shirt. Stupid Buckeyes, go to a real school, stop cheating, etc. Insults will be better thought out by November, I promise.

Update: The NHL has released the schedule for next season. Check out the Wings' here.

Tracy McGrady to Pistons Rumors Heating Up?

Stephen A. Smith, reporting last night on the late Sportscenter, said that he has spoken to Tracy McGrady about the possibility of him becoming a Detroit Piston. T-Mac seems quite open to the idea:

If Detroit is truly interested, and McGrady is open to gunning for a title with the Pistons, it seems that this rumor may actually have some merit. Dave Dial of MLive brings up a very interesting point regarding McGrady's monster contract:

Something else to take into consideration, McGrady's huge salary would come off the books the summer of 2010, considered the best free agent class ever that includes Bosh, Wade, LeBron James. So the Pistons would give McGrady two seasons to show his worth and if things did not work out they would have a lot of cap space in 2010.

I doubt Detroit would be the preferred destination for LeBron James (I think he's destined to be a Brooklyn Net), but if Detroit could be in the running for Bosh or Wade, trading for McGrady makes a lot of sense. It's only a two-year investment, he really wants a title, and would like to be a Piston. Detroit would likely trade Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince in any proposed deal, just to make the salaries match up. McGrady would be a big upgrade over Prince, and trading Billups would allow Rodney Stuckey, who showed flashes of brilliance in the playoffs last year, to step into starting role. If Detroit could get some guard depth in the deal (Luther Head works with the cap), this would be an interesting trade for Detroit. I say "interesting" because it could either vault Detroit to a title, or the next two seasons could be awful if McGrady is affected by his chronic back issues. The trade would give Detroit a real possibility of landing a superstar free agent if McGrady doesn't work out, which would put Detroit right back at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Clearly, this is all moot if these rumors are only rumors, but I still expect Joe Dumars to make a big move this offseason. This would certainly be a big move, and one that would put some title buzz around the Pistons again.

Bullet Points Are Handy: I Hate Art Fair Edition

Ann Arbor: Now Part Shanty Town

As any resident of Ann Arbor knows, Art Fair is the weekend when thousands of art enthusiasts descend upon downtown, essentially shutting the town down from Tuesday through Saturday. Inevitably, the temperatures climb to around 90°, which is only good for local ice cream shops and stores with good air conditioning. Think Bonnaroo without the music, but plopped right into the middle of your hometown. Most "townies" choose this weekend to get as far as they can from Ann Arbor. As for me, I'm stuck at Ground Zero, working my job at the Michigan Student Union all week. Sunday cannot get here soon enough.

But you don't care about that. Bullet points? Yes, please.

• The Pistons lost their NBA Summer League game against the Milwaukee Bucks yesterday, losing a 12-point first half lead before falling 73-59. Rodney Stuckey didn't play (sore toe), so Detroit was lead by Arron Afflalo, who had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Much, much more here.
• The MLB All-Star Game took place last night, with the AL winning the marathon 15-inning game 4-3. The Tigers' lone All-Star, Carlos Guillen, went 1-3 with a walk after entering the game in the eighth inning. I bailed on this game before the 12th, as FOX's unending mentions of Yankee Stadium lore forced me to turn the TV off before I put my foot through Joe Buck's televised face.
  
• A Michigan Citizens State Bank is suing former Red Wing Sergei Fedorov for payment of over $2 million in loans. Considering how much money Fedorov has made in his NHL career, saving must not be one of his strong suits. The man dated Anna Kournikova, however, so I'm not going to knock his lifestyle too much.
• The "Winter Classic" game between the Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks has been officially announced by the NHL. The game will take place at Wrigley Field on January 1st, 2009. It is slated for a 1 pm ET start, and will be televised on NBC and CBC.

Where You At?: Scott Dreisbach Edition

The "Where You At?" series continues, this time with former Michigan quarterback Scott Dreisbach.

Scott Dreisbach had one of the more unique career paths of any Michigan player I remember. He played 15 games in is first two seasons, started 11 of the Wolverines' 12 games in 1996, and was a member of the 1997 National Champions. However, Dreisbach only attempted five passes in his last two seasons at Michigan, 47 fewer than he threw in his first game.

It is that first game that Dreisbach is most remembered for by Wolverine fans. In the 1995 season-opening Pigskin Classic against Virginia, he spearheaded a 17-point fourth quarter comeback, capped by a last-second touchdown pass to WR Mercury Hayes (video link via iblogforcookies). The freshman attempted 52 passes in the game, a school record at the time, completing 27 for 372 yards and two scores.


From there, Dreisbach's career at Michigan went mostly downhill. He only played three more games during an injury-riddled freshman season. Although he started the first 11 games of his sophomore season, ineffective play caused him to be benched in favor of Brian Griese during the Ohio State game. He would never start another game at quarterback for the Wolverines. Griese kept the starting job throughout the 1997 season, and a junior by the name of Tom Brady won the starting job in 1998. Dreisbach shared the backup duties that season with freshman Drew Henson, who sucks at baseball. Say what you will about Dreisbach's ability, but you can't say he was beaten out by poor quarterbacks.

Dreisbach went undrafted, but signed a free agent deal with the Oakland Raiders in 1999. After playing in two preseason games, he broke his leg and missed the entire season. His luck didn't get any better from there. Dreisbach was placed on the injured reserve in 2000 with a torn rotator cuff, spent two weeks on Buffalo's practice squad in 2001, and was released from the Lions in August of 2002 after getting sent to the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe. Despite spending time on three NFL rosters, Dreisbach never saw a minute of playing time during the regular season.

With his NFL dream effectively over, Dreisbach moved on to the Arena Football League. He played for five different teams from 2003-2007, starting two games in 2004 for the Dallas Desperadoes. In 2007, as a member of the Columbus Destroyers, Dreisbach was the backup quarterback, manned the holder duties for 13 games, and even saw time at linebacker(!), recording 11 tackles. In what should come as a shock to no one who has read this article, he broke his arm making a special teams tackle against Georgia, which ended his season early.

Dreisbach has not appeared on an AFL roster (that I can find) since breaking his arm in 2007. However, he has left us with this incredible roster photo, complete with third-grade style background, bedhead, and shirt size. Between this and the Virginia touchdown, I'm pretty content with the career of Scott Dreisbach. Thanks, Scott, and don't ever let anyone tell you that you need a comb or a shirt larger than a children's medium for any picture, ever.

Columbus Destroyers Player Profile
Scottish Claymores Player Profile
Lions dump Scott Dreisbach (CBC)
ArenaFan Online: Scott Dreisbach
MGoBlue Statistics Archive

Bullet Points Are Handy

A quick roundup of some Detroit sports headlines:

• Former Detroit RB Kevin Jones is close to signing a deal with the Chicago Bears. It's great to see Jones land with another NFL team after injuries plagued his time with the Lions. However, I hope he doesn't make us regret releasing him twice a year for the next few seasons. That seems like exactly the type of thing that would happen to the Lions.
• In other Lions news, the Tampa Tribune is reporting that Detroit is interested in quarterback Chris Simms. Simms has been buried on the Tampa Bay depth chart, and looks to be the odd man out on a team bloated with mediocre quarterbacks. I hope we don't give up much more than a 6th- or 7th-round pick for him, if we are really interested at all.
• Matt Joyce was named the AL Player of the Week for the period ending July 13th. Joyce went 9-22 during that time, with four homers, four doubles and six RBIs. Joyce has been a pleasant surprise while filling in for Magglio Ordonez, and it is nice to see him get some recognition.
• Ken Holland is confident that the Red Wings and Valtteri Filppula will be able to reach a deal before the 24-year old forward is scheduled for arbitration on August 1st. The sides are close on a potential 2-year deal, and are also in talks about a long-term contract.
  

West Virginia: Still Bitter

Warning: If you appreciate writing as an art form, and you don't also consider mashing crayons into the wall an art form, you may want to skip this one.

Chris Burke of MLive's The Diag blog dug up this article from today's Herald-Dispatch in Huntington, West Virginia. Apparently columnist Chuck Landon isn't pleased with the way the Rich Rodriguez buyout lawsuit turned out. Already, the premise of this article is somewhat flawed.

Earth to Chuck: West Virginia will receive every single penny of the $4 million buyout. This is what is called a "victory". You should be taking pleasure in these things.

As bad as the idea is behind the article, the execution is infinitely worse. They say if given an infinite amount of time, an infinite amount of monkeys would eventually type the works of Shakespeare. I'd give three monkeys a quarter of an hour to pound out this masterpiece. A small sampling:

As far as I'm concerned, the controversial former West Virginia University head football coach got away with "Grand Theft Contract."

Well, from where I'm sitting, UM just dropped the bar so low in this limbo contest about the only thing that still can pass under it is Rodriguez' ethics.

Unfortunately, not even Febreeze could eliminate the odor wafting off of Rodriguez' part of the deal. It stinks to high "Almost Heaven."

Geez, who is Rich Rod's tax adviser -- Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Douglas H. Shulman?

Now, that's what I call an H&R Block. ... and tackle.

Git 'Er Done, Chuck. With that smarmy little gem, I'm expecting the Times to come calling any day now.

Burke provides even more quotes in his post, but I couldn't take much more of that. Instead, I will provide a visual representation for how much it hurts to read Chuck Landon:

There, I feel much better. I'm out like Rosie O'Donnell (that was for you, Washington Post).

Tractor Traylor Watch: Game One

In case you missed it, Robert "Tractor" Traylor has returned to the NBA, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers summer league team. This feature will last as long as he sticks around. My guess is this feature will be short-lived.

In his first summer league game for the Cavs, Tractor contributed 8 points on 4-6 shooting and 3 rebounds. He also added 4 personal fouls and 3 turnovers. I guess he still has some rust to shake off before the backboards start falling. In news I don't care about, the Cavs lost to the Knicks in the contest, falling 97-94. Second-year forward Wilson Chandler led New York with 26 points and 8 rebounds, which should give you some idea of the level of competition Traylor is facing.

Tractor continues his quest to return to the NBA on Wednesday night, as the Cavaliers take on the Houston Rockets.

NBA.com: Summer League 2008 Boxscore

Where You At?: Dr. Eric Mayes Edition

I realize that the last Where You At? post, while certainly entertaining, did not exactly cast the Michigan football program in the best light. When you consider your team to be one of the upstanding programs in the NCAA, profiling a player who shot at police and eventually got busted with weed is not the best way to prove this point. With that in mind, today's Where You At? looks at the post-Michigan career of linebacker Eric Mayes.

The name that immediately comes to mind when I think of Michigan football captains is linebacker Eric Mayes. The co-captain of the 1997 National Championship team, Mayes only recorded 46 tackles in his career at Michigan. He served as a backup linebacker in 1995 and 1996 after walking on to the football program. His impact on the field in 1997 was overshadowed by the contributions of Woodson, Greise, Streets, Ray, Tuman, and a host of others. However, Mayes' impact as a leader was as large as any player in recent memory.

Mayes' career at Michigan followed a Disney-esque storyline. The Kalamazoo native transferred to Michigan in 1995 after going to Xavier College, a small Louisiana school that did not have a football program. As a walk on, Mayes contributed on special teams during his first two years on the team, registering 16 total tackles in that time. After the departure of All-American and captain Jerrett Irons before 1997, Mayes took advantage of the chance to fill both Irons' starting role and his captaincy. He had the best game of his career against Notre Dame, making 14 tackles (one for a loss) and breaking up a pass.

Unfortunately, his playing career ended in the very next game. On Indiana's fourth play from scrimmage, Mayes took an awkward cut after shedding a block during a routine running play, tearing a ligament in his knee. It was quickly revealed that the injury would not allow him to return that season. As a fifth-year senior who was not eligible for a medical redshirt, Mayes had played his last game as a Wolverine.

Despite not being able to contribute on the field, Mayes continued to fulfill his duties as a captain. One of the most memorable images of the 1997 season occurred after Michigan beat Ohio State, clinching the Big Ten title and sending the #1 Wolverines to the Rose Bowl. During the on-field celebration, the Michigan team carried Mayes on their shoulders. It was one of the happiest and most touching moments I have experienced as a sports fan, and I'm sure most Wolverine fans would agree.

Photo from Michigan Daily Archives

Since Mayes' football career has ended, he has dedicated himself to the world of academia. He got his bachelor's degree from Michigan in 1998, and earned a master's in Education Technology in 2000. In 2006, he received a Ph. D. in Educational Psychology from Howard University. During the time he was at Howard, he "held several positions...including president of the Educational Psychology Student Association; graduate assistant in the Office of Retention, Mentoring and Support Programs; research assistant in the School of Education’s Office of the Dean; and technology assistant in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction." I'm pretty sure the man's resumè had its own aura, smelled of freshly-baked apple pie, and ran triathlons in between visits to the local children's hospital.

In December of 2007, Mayes was appointed associate director of the Merrill-Palmer Skillman Institute and executive director of its Child Development Lab at Wayne State University. To quote the Wayne State University website:

The Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute (MPSI) has been a vital part of Michigan’s landscape for nearly a century. Founded in 1920 as the Merrill-Palmer Institute, early efforts were aimed at serving Detroit’s children through formalized, academic programs in child development – a discipline then in its infancy. Over the years, the Institute has trained generations of early childhood researchers, teachers and mothers, as well as conducting pioneering research in the field with applications nation-wide.

Today, MPSI remains at the cutting edge of research and training in child development. Long recognized as a leader in childhood research, early education, and family outreach, MPSI continues to expand its efforts to meet the changing conditions and pressures of modern society on urban families and young children.

In the article announcing Mayes' hiring, Wayne State also lists his efforts to better the community.

In the area of community service, he has volunteered for the Special Olympics as a team captain; D.A.R.E. program (Kalamazoo, Mich.); University of Michigan’s Motts Children’s Hospital; City of Hope Cancer Center; and West Side Cubs— Police Athletic League’s football team in Detroit.

Honestly, I don't know what else to say. By all accounts, Eric Mayes is an unbelievable person, a guy who every Michigan student, player, coach, and fan should be proud to associate with their program.

Dr. Eric Mayes: A Gentleman and a Scholar

'M' football co-captain Mayes out for season (Michigan Daily)

MGoBlue: Statistics Archive
Eric Mayes appointed associate director of the MPSI (Wayne State University)
Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute (WSU)

Michigan NCAA 09 Roster Ratings

In what has become a holiday of sorts, EA Sports' annual release of their NCAA Football video game series is tomorrow (or tonight at midnight, if you are a nerd like me). My buddy Noah, who writes for Operation Sports, just sent me a link to a full spreadsheet of the player ratings for NCAA 09. Some Michigan players of note:

• The QB situation is ugly. Steven Threet is 77 overall, and backup Nick Sheridan is a 74. Freshman Justin Feagin comes in at a lowly 68, though he does have solid 85 speed.
• Our best player? RE Tim Jamison, who is rated 92 overall. Didn't see that one coming. LE Brandon Graham, who was somehow a 99 overall last year, dropped to an 84.
• As for the running backs, Brandon Minor is the highest rated at a solid 89, followed by Kevin Grady and Carlos Brown, who both come in at 86. In one of the greatest crimes against reality ever perpetrated by EA Sports, Sam McGuffie (#34 in the game, which doesn't have the updated numbers for freshmen) only has an 82 jump rating. Sam respectfully disagrees:

• Brown is an intriguing possibility at quarterback for those who don't want to run the spread with Threet or Feagin. He has 84 throw power and 68 throw accuracy, which may be just enough to keep the defense honest if you want to use his 94 speed and acceleration to shred opposing defenses with the run.
• The Wolverines' greatest strength (by far) is the defensive backfield, comprised of CB Donovan Warren (91 overall), CB Morgan Trent (88), FS Brandon Harrison (90), and either SS Charles Stewart or Stevie Brown (both at 83 overall). Freshman CB Boubacar Cissoko, who will play nickel corner in the game, is also rated an 83.
• Kicker KC Lopata is a 58 overall. Seriously. He was 11-12 on field goals last year but is worse in the game than any player on Northwestern. What gives?
• Other players of interest: DT Terrance Taylor (89 overall), MLB Obi Ezeh, who was given #47 instead of #45 (85 overall), WR Greg Mathews (86), TE Carson Butler (82), P Zoltan Mesko (82).
• It is pretty tough to tell who the freshmen are, since the numbers don't match what they wore in the spring, and EA tends to make all the freshmen pretty unremarkable until they prove their worth on the field. McGuffie and Cissoko were the only freshmen who were easy to distinguish, so I won't attempt to put numbers next to the rest of them.

Here's hoping the EA Sports ratings don't play their way out on the real field next season (especially since Ohio State is a 99 overall in the game).

(Picture courtesy of Gamespot)

New Michigan Jerseys Officially Revealed

Via the Detroit Free Press, Michigan is officially revealing its new adidas uniforms today. The Free Press posted a full photo gallery of the new home and road uniforms, including the above image.

The changes to the road jersey have already been covered here, but now that they're officially released, I'll offer my "official" opinion: It could be worse. Yes, the side stripes aren't exactly attractive, but adidas didn't do anything too crazy with the uniform. In fact, they actually did some pretty cool stuff that doesn't show up on the pictures:

“We’re celebrating what’s special about the school,” said Mark Clinard, Adidas’ business unit director for football, baseball and motor sports. “The details are what speak to that. As we learned more at very beginning stages of partnership, we were looking at what’s special about Michigan. We put Bo Schembechler’s famous quote ‘Those Who Stay Will Be Champions’ in the hem of the authentic jersey. It’s not just about us just putting a logo on the program. We also have (silicone prints of) the 42 Big Ten championships on the inside of shoulder pad area. We can do everything with the outside of the jersey to uphold the honor and tradition. We’re putting more on the inside.”

That's pretty cool if you ask me. Clearly adidas understands the amount of stock Michigan and their fans put in upholding tradition. Putting a Bo quote inside the jersey will go a long way to winning over the more skeptical fans.