Another journalist twirp. A Michigan guy who (gasp!) thinks Barry Sanders was better than Jim Brown and the U of M job was too good for CLM.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071202/COL01/712020595

I emailed him in response. I'll keep you posted on if he gets back to me:

Regarding your opinion piece "Les Miles Was the Wrong Coach for a Great Job":

If you know for a fact that Miles's people were talking with Michigan, go ahead and report it as fact. Or do you not care to pull a Herbstreit?

Look, I generally like your writing. But don't badmouth Les Miles and make him out to be a greedy snake while you elbow-nudge your audience and imply that you know the real story. That's journalistic immaturity. If you know it, report it as fact, with details.

By the way. Good luck to Michigan vs. Florida. Better hope Tebow breaks his other hand, and both legs, before January 1st.

Sincerely,
TC

No comment on the CLM bit but I think Barry Sanders was better than Jim Brown.

Is that why every time the Lions got into the red zone they took BS out of the game? Great back, yes. No Jim Brown.

Well Said!!! Miles might NOT be the right coach for "The Big House", but he fits in well at "Death Valley".

I am sure he talked, or at least planned to talk to Michigan. It's his alma mater. Why wouldn't he at least listen? The HC job at Michigan is one of the best gigs in the country. However, LSU is great as well. Why wouldn't Miles at least entertain the idea of realizing his dream of being the head coach in Ann Arbor, MI. That doesn't bother me one bit.

I say, give Miles a ton of credit for figuring out that LSU is the right fit for him. It's a place where he is loved. It's a place where he is welcomed. It's a place where he can call home, and he's taking us to the title game.

I have no problem with how any of this has worked out. So what if he talked to Michigan. Wouldn't you?

:geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux: :geaux:
:crystal: :crystal: :crystal:

Someone's bitter...It seems that these Michigan people are insulted that Miles said No to them...Don't t hey realize they're not an elite programs...They seem delusional just like Bama fans.

College board/forum, college talk, college comparison and I still say Sanders was better. Perhaps at Syracuse Jim Brown was a great lacrosse player but Sanders among many others were better IMO.

oh the other hand, a column in the oklahoman yesterday praised miles for going after espn. of course, being the oklahoman, they had to take some pot shots on other things, but if you look past those (i mean, it is an oklahoma paper, afterall) it is a pretty funny column.

rest of the column here

Let's also remember that dear Mitch works for ESPN too, so he's gotta defend his employer.

Nice sucking up, I wonder if he's looking for more air time???

It looks like Michigan is headed down the same road as Bama, Nebraska and Notre Dame. Once they get over the fact that the best coaches are not lining up at their door to coach UM might get it. It usually takes a few Charlie Weis/Nick Saban hires to figure it out. (I'm not saying Saban is a bad coach I'm referring to how he was hired after getting turned down).

I'm very happy CLM did not roll over for Michigan since it was his AM. Maybe he realizes how good he has it here at LSU. Why go to Michigan and have to fight the Lloyd Carr faction while trying to do your job. I think Les also sees the mistake Saban made and how much he regrets leaving and leveraging Bama for big bucks. I see Nick on this sandbar with the Tide rising and eroding his foundation at a fast rate. Nick has Arkansas, Georgia, Florida State, Tennessee and LSU all on the road next year. That could easily be 4 or 5 loses right there. If he goes 6-6 again I'm not sure he makes it to year 3.

Les has it great in BR and we love him. You can never be guaranteed having the same kind of success at your next job. It's always completely different.

Here is what I sent the little prick. Long, but I had to get it off my chest.


On your December 2, 2007 article about Les Miles and his presser before the SECCG, I would have to strongly disagree with you. You are correct that Les Miles cultivated the story because he made it obvious he would love to coach at UM. Les Miles' contract, his own words, and his history very clearly states that he is a Michigan man and would love to coach at the school. Les Miles has been open about this and unashamed in his heartfelt comments.
Now in your article you state that Miles was "getting belligerent about a process he encouraged, he invited -- and he ultimately parlayed into a jackpot?"
Your claim that Miles was aggravated at the media for speculating about him and UM, is completely false. Les Miles was not belligerent about the process and what the general media had speculated throughout the week.

Les Miles specifically announced what he was frustrated about in his Saturday Press Conference prior to the SECCG, and it was specifically about ESPN's false reports. Nowhere in your article do you articulate this and it is very disingenuous of you to ignore those quotes of his. Instead you cherry pick the quotes that will benefit your dislike of how Les Miles has handled things, or how he turned down the UM job. Les Miles specified ESPN in his "belligerent" press conference and how ESPN reported wrong information. Why don't you have these quotes in your article, Mr. Albom? Is it because you must protect the image of your employer? Yet, you don't hesitate to discredit Coach Miles who did nothing wrong. He lobbied for a job and that is it. He was only correcting an announcement by the "Leader in Sports" that was false.

Yet you do not hold ESPN or Herbstreit or his source responsible for reporting misinformation the morning of LSU's SECCG. Do you not think that ESPN and Herbstreit acted inappropriately Saturday morning by reporting information that could definitely affect the outcome of the SECCG? There would've been no controversy if ESPN had not reported "erroneous" information. Even if the information was true, why report that the morning before the teams SECCG? That is inappropriate in itself.

I really hope that you would think about writing another article that would reconcile the harsh comments you had for Les Miles, and that you would expose the fallacy in ESPN's inappropriate reporting and timing. You were off base and disingenuous in your article by not holding ESPN or Herbstreit responsible for their false reporting and their horrid timing of the story. This is the reason Coach Miles was belligerent. Not because of the media speculating throughout the week, but specifically because of ESPN.