* "Blue Belly" Tom Crawford

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 1 (00:23):
You zero percent. Can't get my flower than that. That's
exactly right, Papacy, Matt in the gang here on West
Grand River, Okamitz. They're making friends. Great afternoon mid Michigan
and beyond. And welcome to the Drive with Jack the
Spotlight Radio Network. Jack Eblin here with my producer Boston
rob in studio today at one oh five West Alligan.

(00:46):
Big week here. In terms of so many sports, we're
done with Baseball World Series for the ages. I think
the best I can remember, going back to nineteen fifty nine,
my first one watching the Dodgers in the Chicago White Sox.
But we have allions losing, Michigan State losing both to

(01:06):
Minnesota Michigan football and getting a win. Not the most
impressive performance, but they didn't have Jordan Marshall over Purdue
and college basketball last night Michigan and Michigan State in
their debuts. Wolverines with a rop over Oakland University. Michigan

(01:31):
State a little bit of a scare from Colgate power
in the Patriot Conference Patriot League. Want to welcome in
Tom Crawford, Blue Belly, tom My broadcast partner for more
than twenty three and a half years, Everyone's favorite East
landsing Wolverine, creator of the Crawford podcasting network, Brave Cancer battler,

(01:57):
and Tom what do you make of this Wolverine basketball
team last night? Didn't have Yaxel Lendeborg for much of
the game. Didn't seem to matter.

Speaker 3 (02:11):
Yeah, the accident start, he got in soon after he's
got a hand issue. And two other players l J.
Casson did not play and Winters Radi did not play.
But there was an eight man rotation that was pretty
pretty potent, including seven guys in double figures. And Michigan
has some size, I tell you with Mars Johnson, this

(02:34):
kid from Illinois, the transfer, he has got some broad
shoulders and then Demarraw the very very tall transfer from
u C. L A. And then and then Yaks. When
you have that that front line and those three cats together,
that's a pretty potent front line. This is going to
be a fun team. It's way early, you know. And

(02:56):
the Grizzlies are you know, I mean, I don't know
how good oak And is. I mean, Greg Campy has
scrapping teams, but not big ten caliber, so we'll find
out later on. But just optically, as I like to say,
they look really really good last night.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Yeah, and last year people thought Michigan was gigantic with
the seven footers. But this year it's possible that frontline
is going to be bigger, at least at the center position,
and better, I would think. And that was the strength
of the team. Who else impressed you? Who else looked
really good last night?

Speaker 3 (03:37):
Well, Elliot Cadeou is a point guard and he was terrific.
I mean he had I think he had like or
twelve points and I'm trying to think of how many
assists he had. He was he had quite a few assists,
and he was harley a turnovers fact, he had twelve
assists one turnovers. It was a twelve to one ratio

(04:00):
and he was amazing. He's what was lacking has been
consistent guard play. And I asked Dusty after the game,
who is the backup? And he's got to plan for
that because there really isn't a legitimate two point guard.
I mean, most teams don't have two point guards because
it's such a finite position. It's specialized, and so it

(04:25):
would be by committee of you know players you know,
doing some high bred stuff. And he even and you know,
Dusty even said the Axe can play point guard. But
Trey McKinney or tru Lake Saint Mary. We saw him
play last year in the semi finals against these Lancing
he's a little thicker than he's more cut now he

(04:47):
was absolutely terrific. Aet twenty one points, he had seven
field goals, and the team as a whole nineteen to
three pointers for the Wolverines. That was another thing was
missing last.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
Year, right right. You know, I've heard that McKenny looks different.
As I watched him last year, I was not impressed
and thought he was maybe a little overrated. But from
what I'm hearing now, maybe the player that some envisioned
he could be. And some of the other players I
think who are back. The veteran players have probably taken

(05:21):
a step forward.

Speaker 3 (05:22):
Right Well, yeah, I mean I you know, when you
talk about leadership, there's no better leader on this team
than Will etc. I call him the Max Bredicone. You
know Max Medicine from the football team. He's a Max
Medicine of the basketball team. In fact, Dusty talked about

(05:43):
that when he's at practice, I mean something like you
might miss a practice for an injury or something. You
notice it because he brings an energy level to that team.
And I've seen that. This is his fourth year. He's
been a leader from day one, and he does whatever
it takes to help his team. And he he's improved

(06:03):
his three ballsis body, trimmed himself, shaped himself a little bit.
Seven guys in double figures last night, so that's cool.
And then La Maury Burnett is back, Namuri back for
his third year. He was at Texas Tech and Alabama.
Pryor great kid. I like the team already, but Morez Johnson,

(06:25):
I'm telling you what, he's the guy that's going to
be the difference. You know, you talked about last year's team.
They were big last year yet but they were not physical.
And with Glad and Danny Wolf Glad Golden Danny Wolf,
you had tall players, but you did not have any
rent protection. They have rent protection now, so when the

(06:47):
perimeter defenders Mike get burned, there's always some but they
can take a few chances here and there, maybe create
some turnovers because they know they've got a rent protection.

Speaker 1 (06:57):
So we know what the offense can do. And just
because a team scores points against you, doesn't mean your
defense is bad. I think back to those UNLV teams
tom and they'd give up eighty five points, but they'd
score one hundred and fifteen and a lot of it
was on pace of play and what the defensive pressure

(07:18):
would produce. So do you think Michigan's going to be
a high scoring team, one of the highest in the
country all year long, or will they settle down and
have some lower scores?

Speaker 3 (07:28):
Well, I mean the two exhibition games against Cincinnati and
Saint John's, they're in the hundred range there obviously well
over the hundred range. I mean, it sure looks like that.
I mean, if there is anything that we will be
a plenty of emphasis, it's perimeter d and protecting the arc.
And they struggle with that the last couple of years.

(07:51):
And you know they I mean Oakland had what eleven
threes last night. But the schedule, it's gonna be they're
gonna learn about themselves. I mean, they go to Well,
they got Wake for us. It was not a vintage
acc team, but Kema Millpack. They got them at LCA

(08:13):
we from tonight, I believe it is. And then they
got TCU in Fort Worth and we go on the
road that might be a little bit to Then they
have Villanova coming at home in early December, and a
couple of other tough games too, So they're they're gonna
they're gonna find out real quick. I mean, Michigan State's
gonna find out really quick. I mean, Arkansas is a

(08:34):
good team, but Michigan find out soon enough. And and
this is what you want to do. You want to
find out what your weaknesses are, work on them because
Big ten play starts early, as we know the last
few years. You've got to be ready in early December
for a couple of games before you take a break
from that a little bit before they they then they

(08:54):
played USC on January two in the Arbor. But yeah,
a lot a tough enough schedule to find out what
you're about and prepare for a good run.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Would you say Michigan is a favorite to win the
Big Ten favorite? How do you look at well, I.

Speaker 3 (09:11):
Mean, Purdue is obviously the favorite. I mean that, I
mean that seems universal.

Speaker 1 (09:18):
And come out and pick Michigan to win the national championship.

Speaker 3 (09:23):
That's a kiss of death. That means they won't. But
there's a lot of people that think they can get
to the final four. I heard them talking about that
the Big Ten Network, and that's so hard to tell.
But they have they have depth, Like I mean, they

(09:43):
were pretty deep last year, but this is the quality
depth at multiple at all positions. And you've got a
nice blend of talent, and then you have leadership and
you have some this fight out experience, there's a there's
a these players to play a lot of basketball. What
you get when you have poral kids?

Speaker 1 (10:03):
Right, Well, forty three point win last night, and it's funny. Oakland,
losing by forty three, scored seventy eight and Michigan State
only scored eighty in its win and Spartan's were struggling
again to shoot and shoot at the foul line, something

(10:23):
they did very well. Last year, missed thirteen more free throws,
missed eighteen in the exhibition loss at Yukon. So it's
thirty one missed free throws in a week. As you
can imagine, tom Izzo was not thrilled by that and
some other things. And I'm sure it was a very
spirited practice today.

Speaker 3 (10:41):
Well, you know, I ran into Larry Lage in the
presser who covers you know, yeah, you're underlaying you your guy.
You were the mentor for Larry ap writer and he
covers foth Michigan Michigan State basketball. He was not in
the fencing, but he watched the first as come, I go,
how they look? You know, well A struggles and blah

(11:02):
blah blah blah blah, And I go, how many times
do we hear this in the early season for a
time azo team and then the grit and the termination
ultimate polish and productivity comes late January, in the February
and then look out for March.

Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah. And I have to say, of all the teams
in Michigan State has played in openers, the no name
kind of teams, not when they would open with the
Champions Classic game. But Kolkiate is a terrific basketball team,
and Matt Langele. You know, I think he's one of
the top ten coaches in the country. They won the
Patriot League five in the last six years. They beat

(11:41):
Syracuse back to back in the Carrier Dome or fix
in the NCAA tournament, and.

Speaker 3 (11:46):
There seemingly always in the NCAA Tournament to me.

Speaker 1 (11:50):
And this game was tied in the second half and
then Michigan State had a run and blew it out
to fifteen. But you know there was a moment there
where you said they don't get their act together, going
to get an l here. I want to switch gears,
Tom and talk about college football and the first college
football Playoff unveil tonight of the rankings. Uh you look

(12:13):
forward to this? Or do you like it? Though it
used to be?

Speaker 3 (12:17):
Uh? What do you mean by I like it?

Speaker 1 (12:21):
Fourteen before we had Oh I got your.

Speaker 3 (12:24):
Yeah back there? Yeah? But or why do like it myself?
I really do because and I think I saw Ryan
Dave's press conference today. He's not gonna watch it and
they're gonna be talking about his team because you can't
do anything about it. You know, you gotta go one
and oh every week. But I think it's great myself.
You're asking the question. I think it's great because it

(12:47):
keeps college football in the news tag but every Tuesday night,
and it kind of builds a momentum when you're watching
this whole you know, chess magical and we have people
going back and fourth and I find it intriguing and
entertaining as a fan. There's a lot of me, a
lot of fans out there like me. I think it's

(13:09):
great and I'm looking forward to it tonight. I mean,
my team's not you know, in the far distance and
the back of the pile of teams back there, but
who knows. You never know what's going to happen. But
it's always fun to see how many teams from the
SEC are up there in the Big Ten and you

(13:30):
try to grasp on the tendencies of where this thing
might be headed.

Speaker 1 (13:34):
Tom, do you think the Big Ten gets any bonus
points for having the last two national champions if it
comes down to a third or fourth team. Let's say,
let's say Oregon gets in and there's a chance for
a fourth team, or as you suggested Sunday night on
Press Pass, Iowa beats Oregon. Then does the Big Tens

(13:56):
back to back national champs. Is reigning kings of talentce
football help or does it not matter?

Speaker 3 (14:04):
Well, I mean I don't. I mean, they ran about
four or five in a row or something, and the
SEC had long strings of this. And I think, as
I mentioned on Sunday nine and press pass, when you
have what nine teams in the top twenty five, ye
you know, and that usually has some relationship to the

(14:25):
you know, it coincides somewhat to the CFP. I mean
that that's impressive. I don't necessarily think this committee looks backwards.
I think they go with the blank canvas Lisa should,
but I think it's great for the Big Ten that
they've finally broken through that. And good lord, Indiana might

(14:48):
be the third one.

Speaker 1 (14:51):
It could be, certainly could be. It's interesting now I'm
hearing more people say Indiana should be number one based
on the b body of work. I guess it depends
on what you make of Texas, But in terms of
Big Ten play, it's really hard to do any better
than Indiana has done. Did have one scare at Kinnick Stadium.

(15:14):
You know, it happens to everyone, but I would think
that right now I wouldn't want to play Indiana, and
that includes if I'm Ohio State as team just out
rushed its opponent last week three sixty seven to thirty seven.

Speaker 3 (15:31):
Yeah, indian Yeah, the Indiana road when at Also Stadium
in Eugene was so impressive. And you know, William at Iowa,
I mean, Michigan was number one in the nation I
think in twenty sixteen when they went to Kinnick and

(15:51):
they lost, you know, right before, you know, right towards
the end of the season, and that kind of got
that season a little loft kilder and it's tough place
to play. And I was good defensively, and so Oregon
is going to be exposed either good or bad. And
you know, but I mean think of thinking it a

(16:14):
thing goes down to Indiana and Ohio State like we
think it will. The magnitude of that there won't be
any big ten championship game in this new format that
will will have any high that will be off the charge.
I can't imagine what the ticket prices would be.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
Hey, you know, Tom, you want to go see that game?

Speaker 3 (16:40):
Uh?

Speaker 1 (16:41):
Uh, credentials? Would you want to go down to Indianapolis?
You've been down there for championship. I went down to
watch to watch Ohiose State Northwestern, So I.

Speaker 3 (16:54):
Will ponder it. I will ponder.

Speaker 1 (16:57):
Here's the thing about it.

Speaker 3 (16:58):
I think it's got a basket ball game, so okay, okay, yeah,
So I am kind of leaning towards that as opposed
to going to watch the Buckeye split football.

Speaker 1 (17:09):
I just think that might be maybe as good a
Big Ten football game as we have seen maybe since
two thousand and six, right with Michigan and Ohio State,
the one versus two games, And there were others, but
that one particularly stands out to me with Troce.

Speaker 3 (17:23):
Well, you know why, the Indiana story is mind boggling. Yeah,
how that's gone. And when you really think of I
don't remember a two year story since I've been following
college football that has gone to the going to the
top so quickly as Indiana. You probably you've got a
deeper depth, you know than me do. Wow.

Speaker 1 (17:45):
No, I think that's the most amazing turnaround. And to
think that they could in their home state beat the
defending national champs and number one run team. Oh, then
that settles the Big Ten championship, you know, it settles
an awful lot and That doesn't mean that teams wouldn't

(18:05):
meet again, could in the National Championship game, but just
just a crazy time no one envisioned. You know, here's
another amazing stat about Indiana. I was thinking about this today,
Tom going on the road. Okay, we know what they
did in Eugene, Oregon, and that's I think the toughest

(18:28):
place to play in the country, even tougher than Kinnick.
But they went to Maryland and played Illinois. Right, so
the two pretty good teams outrushed those teams six hundred
and seventy nine to thirty nine.

Speaker 3 (18:50):
I know, I know, so manyse metrics are unbelievable what
they've accomplished. And I listened to Signetti's press conferences. I
get a kick out of him. He started, he's an
acquired taste, let's be real, Okay, but he's acquired me now.
I'm just finding him. His attention to detail and the process.

(19:15):
He's so saban Ish. It's like Nick saban Yes, it's crazy,
and I wouldn't want him. I wouldn't want to play Indiana.
I'd rather play anybody else right now in the country
than Indiana.

Speaker 1 (19:29):
Wow, here's one for you, Mike Griffith as Texas A
and M very high, and it's had them number one
in his Football Writers Association poll. You're very familiar with
college football in the state of Texas, having worked there.
Oh yeah, Texas started out the season rank number one.
What kind of a blow would it be to Longhorns

(19:52):
and they're arrogance if suddenly these upstarts from college station
win the national title?

Speaker 3 (20:00):
Well, yeah, I know Texas is arrogant, but A M
is psychotically arrogant, you know. I mean when you meet Aggie, Yeah,
just me and like, say you're in a business cocktail
party or something something or the tamer of Calmers. When
you meet somebody from Texas A and M, you will

(20:21):
find out that they graduated from Texas A and M.
I'm not exaggerating within sixty seconds of the first word
being spoke. I'm not kidding. It's crazy level of arrogance.
But they got. Texas is playing Texas A and M
on the twenty eighth in Austin. Fact, my daughter Taylor

(20:44):
will be at that game. She goes to all the
YouTube games. That will be a dynamic environment you watch, that.

Speaker 1 (20:51):
Would be something to see. Well, we won't see that one,
but maybe we can still see another one. Yeah, yeah,
when you think about Michigan in Michigan State, Tom, the
level of satisfaction with last Saturday Night's win, Hey, it counts.
It's seven and two and that sure sure beats the

(21:11):
alternative for most teams. But are fans in love with
this team, enamored with it, or just saying, okay, well,
this probably isn't the year to get Ohio State.

Speaker 3 (21:24):
Well, they care about the team, they're concerned with the team,
and they're still consumed with the team, but their optimism
is really guarded and the entry bug has a lot
to do with that. Now, some better news came out
of Ann Arbory yesterday. Jimmy Rohlder recovery and Cole Sullivan

(21:45):
is moving along a little bit better than anticipate. Those
are critical linebackers in that room, and they could be
back at least by Maryland, if not by Northwestern and
obviously Ohio State. And then the surgery of Justice Haynes
might open the door. Uh, this is a miraculous thing

(22:06):
of medicine. He might be available to play the buck Eyes,
which he will be everything. Everything would be me, all
hands on deck for that game. But the Bryce Underwood
situation remains the big question mark, you know. And then
I asked, I asked Sharon the question. I'm not saying
you got defensive, but he's he's really supportive of his

(22:31):
quarterback and make sure there's plenty of blame to go
around spacing the wide receivers, the past pro and everything
like that. So but there's there's a lot of freshman
behavior in that quarterback. He's got a lot of talent.

(22:52):
He works hard, but man that he is going to
be under the lights at another level when they play
Ohio State. I know that's and when you're at Torono,
says you week game twelve, you're not a freshman anymore, right, right,
So let's call that sophomore version of Bryce Underwood and

(23:13):
we'll see how that plays out.

Speaker 1 (23:14):
And I thought earlier in the yeartim he had been
victimized by his receivers. But in this last game, you know,
he had a roll out, he had a guy wide
open in the end zone and Steady threw it in
traffic for an interception. And then he was trying to
scramble in. And he's amazing what he can do with
his legs too, But bumble the ball into the end
zone for a touchback. And he makes a mistake like

(23:36):
that against Ohio State, He's going to be paying for
it for the whole year.

Speaker 3 (23:41):
So you know, it's funny bringing it up because when
every overthrows, I tell my buds, well, an underthrow is
coming up now. And it's true. He touched me. You know,
a lot of you know, thought overly thought process into it. Yeah,
so's just going out and and just playing the game

(24:01):
that comes natural to him. And then he's when he's
locked in on a receiver, you know he'll go over
the first progression and you know he had he had
his wide out wide opening the end z over a
touch own a second read. He's not picking up a
second reads. He's not picking up the You saw that
against Michigan Sate where you know your nickel blitz is

(24:25):
from your court, you're not He's not picking those up.
He's got a lot of learning to do. But I
still believe in this kid. Yeah, and I think he's
going to be one of the great quarterbacks in Michigan.

Speaker 1 (24:34):
Two more quick questions for you. We saw Michigan State
lose in overtime a game it dominated in Minneapolis, losing
twenty three to twenty another twelve penalties. It's funny Miami
also was upset Saturday, committing twelve penalties. Michigan State now

(24:54):
twenty two penalties in the last two games to its
opponent's eight. Good luck with that when you're at a
town disadvantage to begin with, who's going to coach this
team next year?

Speaker 3 (25:07):
Uh? Well, gosh on like Rico Beer, I'm not Jonathan Smith.
I don't think Jonathan Smith will be coaching. I really
don't have any idea because there's so many moving parts
and I don't know when Michigan say, I mean, I

(25:29):
assume they're going to wait till the end of the year.
I don't see any advantage now of pulling the plug.
But where they stand in line in terms of the
buying power, and then there's a lot of issues when
a coach takes that job. You know, who's my general
manager going to be? How much? And I owe money?
Am I going to have? There's a lot of things
that Michigan say, has to decide are we going to

(25:51):
provide this level or are we not? And that's what
they got to look at themselves.

Speaker 1 (25:56):
Yeah, and right now, I think the alumni, the potential,
your big, big donors are saying, come see me when
you have a real team, when you have a coach
and someone we believe in, And right now that doesn't
seem to be the case. You wonder what the team
morale will be and if it'll splinter and guys will
not want to practice or play the rest of the way.

(26:16):
Last thing is you were as riveted by this World
Series as I was, and you said, you know, we
kindled your love for baseball.

Speaker 3 (26:24):
It did. It really did.

Speaker 1 (26:26):
Eleven extra innings, so it wasn't just a seven game series.
It was seventy four innings or the record number of
pitches that we watched. What do you think the Detroit
Tigers learned from this World Series of.

Speaker 3 (26:40):
Anything, Well, you got to have a good story rotation,
you have to have a good bullpen, and you have
to have timely hitting. I mean, how many I love
to know the stat of standard runners that the Tigers
had this year?

Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yeah?

Speaker 3 (26:59):
And were they do it relative to the rest of
Major League Baseball the other teams, because I mean there
were some really clutch hitting in this game, and that's
that added to the drama and guys just you know,
stepping up, and I you know, then you got some
extraordinary players obviously, and then Will Smith is a home run.

(27:23):
I mean, think about how that's going to change his
life forever. Oh yeah, you know, I mean he was
a Freddie Freeman this year. You know, like last year
that there's always that guy who can do that, and
I always wonder, how do they do that? How do
they do that? Under fire? I mean, that's that's what

(27:43):
That's why baseball, I mean, because it's just you and
the pitcher. I mean you're on you're on the under
the spot like like no other sport other than maybe
a picker trying Scott Norwood trying to win a Super Bowl.
But I mean, it's it was really impressive. And you know,
I'm looking forward to see what the Tires doing the

(28:04):
off season and hopefully they can be in this position
to get back. And I feel bad for the Blue Jays,
but man, what was serious?

Speaker 1 (28:14):
Tom? Great to talk with you, and uh, we'll give
you a break after three weeks in a row. On
you'll be back with you by week.

Speaker 3 (28:23):
I got my own bye.

Speaker 1 (28:25):
Week, that's right. Yeah.

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