- Over the weekend, to coincide with the third (?) annual Carr's Wash for Kids, a car-wash event that raises money for the Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, the Detroit Free Press ran a flattering, deserved story about Lloyd Carr's emergent legacy of charitable endeavors. I don't think that any of Carr's critics, myself among them, would ever argue that he doesn't comport himself in an admirable way when it comes to anything that doesn't have to do with winning football games. He is a great role model and a seemingly nice man. And that, of course, means...that he had still better win 10 games this year. (Which, sadly, we all know isn't happening. And yes, I know it's June.)
- The realistic criticism of Carr was in the Detroit News today. Dave Dye had the simple task of cataloguing the preseason expectations for Michigan and Michigan State set forth by the national college football magazines. The Sporting News' Tom Dienhart wrote, "Year in and year out, no Big Ten team has more talent. Year in and year out, no Big Ten team is more disappointing. The common denominator: coaching. Hmmm. Let's call this a make-or-break season for Lloyd Carr. He can handle it, right?" Sounds about right. And Athlon has Carr as one of its five coaches on the hot seat. I think that this is incorrect, from a factual standpoint. Carr won't get fired this year if Michigan goes something like 8-4 (my prediction) or even 7-5 again. He won't ever get fired! Too many UM fans and administrators have forever lionized this pedestrian coach who got lucky twice and loses three games like it were a job. (Wait, scratch that...) That said, though, it's nice that these journalists are attempting to hold the man accountable for his chronic underachievement. If only more publications closer to the program would do the same. Maybe it would help lead to positive reform.
- Lloyd also took a shot at the Columbus Maximum Security Penitentiary and Home for the Mentally Challenged, noting that some schools are known to be cheating while the NCAA does nothing to enforce its rules. I'm riding with Lloyd on this one. Maybe the NCAA should stop legislating against its athletes and sending inflammatory, ultimately fruitless letters to the Florida States of the world about their mascots and instead figure why so many Buckeyes had so much to snitch about during the Maurice Clarett affair.
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