The NCAA took 2 years to finish their investigation then claimed it would be unfair to ban the team from postseason play since half the roster wasn't there when the violations happened. What? How does the AD survive? I would have expected Ward Manuel's firing to be required for the lack of institutional control. How is Conor Stalions not considered a representative of UM's athletic interests? If he was, he surely had contact with Bryce Underwood outside of the permissible times and conditions. As it is, Stalions will never have to buy a drink in Ann Arbor again.
OK, so I can sort of understand not wanting to punish current players for something they had nothing to do with. But the players who DID benefit from the sign stealing? Strip them of their wins. And, frankly, the title too.
On another note, if anyone wants to come help us with the next tifo, there's still time AND the Crew game will be playing! 3201 Alberta St. There is beer and there will be pizza.
RE: Not wanting to punish current players I am sure they all knew when committing to scUM that there was a potential of penalties coming and yet they signed anyway. Besides I am sure they all could have transferred out immediately anyway.
good point. Now that transferring is much easier/possible, punishing programs is much LESS of an issue of punishing players not involved. Thinking about it, I almost wonder it that's part of the reason they're being lenient. In the past, players couldn't transfer as much, so a program could withstand a couple years post-season ban or losses of scholarships . Something like that could end up being the death knell of UM nowadays. Granted, I personally think it should be. How this whole situation isn't a lack of institutional control is beyond me
Still the greatest Crew game ever, by what some people say was the best team in MLS history. Every single man in the Crew Ring is here, although one of them was wearing red.
One of the questions in a recent "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" was basically "Which national park is Coffin Canyon and Funeral Peak in?" @cleazer would have known that without even seeing the answers.
You could add him, Hesmer and Marshall to the Ring and you'd hear no argument from me. Eddie Gaven chose his own.path through life. You and I would run over a crowd of grannies with a bulldozer to have his talent and ability, but he answered to a higher calling. Mad respect.
He could still be playing. The Fire made a decent run the next year and have been absolutely non factors since. Just barely existing. Blanco and McBride collected 0 trophies during their time there. What a shame. edit. I think they had to add the FC in their name so it would be on page 1 when you googled it, past - bunch of results for the TV show and actual fire disaster (as I just experienced)
Eddie Gaven is 38. He probably could still be playing somewhere. The franchise, named in memory of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, was founded as the Chicago Fire Soccer Club on October 8, 1997, the Great Fire's 126th anniversary. November 21, 2019 was when they became Chicago Fire FC when they moved back to Soldier Field. Oddly enough, they played in Bridgeview last weekend due to the Bears game the next day.
Was wondering about that, as I saw it on the news. I was in Chicago for the Great American Stamp Show. Unlike last month, when we went to see the Loons, I had no desire to see the F*re
Ave Maria is a different place. Founded by Tom Monahan as a place of Catholic spiritual renewal. They're hard core. Coaching there was a Christian mission. A misseo dei if you are into the theology. This is a man, you'll recollect, who always wore a small pouch with a scrap of scripture on a strap around his neck. He is beyond devout. https://share.google/MMp1r6TzHD6UqUWe4
One of my daughter’s former team mates played there then her brother played for Eddie. Then he just quit on them, left the kids very suddenly with no explanation. I play golf with the kid’s dad, not a very favorable opinion of him.
Did I say that he is a particularly normal guy? He retired from the Crew at IIRC 27 years old and gave no explanation beyond "personal reasons". He quit the Ave Maria job with not even THAT much of an explanation. Eddie is just Eddie. He and God have their own thing going and the rest of us aren't invited
I would also add that Eddie wasnt really all that interested in a coaching career. He took the job because Ave Maria founder Tom Monahan, the multi billionaire who founded Domino's and is a devout Catholic purist, went to him and talked him into taking the job because God. Or something. He was never going to be a lifer there or use it as a stepping stone to some big time job.
Part of coaching is being able to run your mouth and get people to listen. Eddie always struck me as a relatively quiet personality. Yelling at people for a living just doesn't seem to fit.
Close. Scapular. Yes, I looked it up. I'm a good Protestant boy so its way beyond me but it has to do with a covenant with Mary and something about the Carmelite way of life. He never took it off.
Not to drag out the Eddie Gaven stuff but an.old Crew fan pal wrote to me last night after seeing this discussion and made two points: First, Gaven is as close to an ascetic monk as most of us will ever know. The money and all that has pretty much no interest for him. He played for his own reasons and quit for the same, and still started more MLS games before age 25 than anyone else ever. Second, naming him to the ring would.be cool and well earned but there's a very good chance he wouldnt show up anyway. It would probably look a lot like vainglory to him.