Quote of the Day: “Take a few breaths before you start blogging about it (Harbaugh’s suspension) and let the initial emotions subside so that a clearer picture of what’s going on can present itself to you.” I received this in an email from a good friend immediately after the Harbaugh suspension was announced.
I followed his advice and watched the Michigan basketball game prior to writing tonight’s blog.
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Michigan’s head coach Jim Harbaugh has been suspended by the B1G Commissioner for three games effective for the last three regular games of the 2023 season. Per the B1G Commissioner, the University is at fault in the sign stealing, but Harbaugh is the one being suspended because he is the head coach of the program violating the B1G sportsmanship policy. All of this because U of M violated the in-person advance scouting of future opponents and using the in-person advanced scouting to record the future opponents’ signs which are being signaled from the coaching staff to the QB on offense and to the defensive captain when on defense. See my Image of the Day for a copy of the B1G letter sent to U of M.
In response to the B!G suspension, the University of Michigan has filed a temporary restraining order tonight in Washtenaw County circuit court. This will probably have no affect on Saturday’s game with Penn State due to the lateness of the filing and the noon kickoff of Saturday’s game.
As I said when this story first broke a few weeks ago, I didn’t understand why it is even an issue. Sign stealing has been part of sports since signs were invented.
The NFL has allowed electronic communication between the coaches and the QB since 1994. In 2008 electronic communication was expanded to be used by one player on the defensive team. This enhancement cut down on the time between plays by nearly 9 seconds.
In the MLB they now use PitchCom to communicate pitcher’s signs between the pitcher and catcher. Prior to PitchCom, stealing signs was an art form in baseball, which is why the signs changed depending on where the runners were located. However, coaches continue to use hand signals to communicate with batters, runners, and defensive players. You can bet the opposing teams are doing everything in their power to figure out the signs, which is why they are changed throughout the game or from game to game.
In basketball, the head coach provides signs to his players during each possession as to what play he wants run on offense, and on defense. You can bet the other team is trying to figure out the signs to their advantage.
As a sports official for over 50 years, I am not condoning the breaking of rules. If Michigan’s football team broke the rules and they used them to get a competitive advantage, then they should be held accountable, which is what the B1G commissioner is trying to do. However, the commissioner’s timing of announcing it less than 24 hours prior to the biggest game of the season for Michigan is suspect.
The bigger question in my mind has not changed since this first broke. Why is this even an issue? Technology has changed, but the NCAA has not changed with the times. NCAA has said it is about the money for some of the smaller NCAA schools, which is Bull S**t. The NCAA brings in so much money that it could easily find the funds it would take to convert the 300 plus schools to electronic communication. In 2022, the NCAA had revenue of $1.1 BILLION.
The NCAA and correspondingly, the B1G, has been caught with its head in the sand and now they have found a scapegoat to deflect the blame. As a reminder, the NCAA announced earlier this week that it will be piloting the use of electronic communication between coaches and the players during this year’s bowl season. Isn’t the timing of that announcement absolutely amazing?
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I gave the Michigan legislature the Onion of the Day yesterday because of the tootless legislation they passed to address the lack of transparency in our state government. Today they get the Onion of the Day because they adjourned the legislative session for the remainder of the year. They are giving themselves the rest of November and all of December paid time-off at the taxpayers’ expense.
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Orchid of the Day: The Michigan men’s basketball team once again had an outstanding offensive performance tonight in their game against Youngstown State. Redshirt sophomore Will Tschetter was 8-8 from the field including 4-4 on three pointers, while Olvier Kkamhoua was 7-7 from the field and 1-1 on three pointers.
Onion of the Day: The state legislature one more time. See above.
Question of the Day: Will the suspension of Harbaugh be detrimental to Michigan over the last three games, or will it motivate the team to reach new heights?
Image/Video of the Day: Letter from the B1G to Michigan.