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Brian Cook is, Among Other Things, a Coward and a Liar

And by "other things," I think you all know what I am referring to.

The latest in the escalating campaign of obfuscation concerning Nick Saban and the 2008 signing class, begun months ago by Michigan partisan Brian Cook, is this post concerning the departure of Tarence Farmer from the Alabama roster:

This is Tarence Farmer. He is no longer part of Alabama's team.
...
Sad.

The title of the post, conveniently, is "Cut," a certain pronouncement of Cook's knowledge of the events that transpired before Farmer's departure from Tuscaloosa. If Cook had actual knowledge of Farmer or Alabama, however, he would probably recall this quote from Farmer on his signing with Alabama:

"I committed to Alabama because of Nick Saban."

Farmer has never seen Tuscaloosa and was not considering Alabama before the hire of Saban. He added, "I'm making the visit this weekend. I have never been there, but from what I hear it's a very nice place."

So when news hit that Farmer was back in Texas and not expected to return, the first thought that crossed my mind was "the kind of kid that makes a rash decision like signing with a school far from home that he hadn't even considered signing with throughout his whole recruitment process based solely on the reputation of the new head coach is also the kind of kid that is going to transfer when he realizes playing time isn't in his immediate future," not, "thank God Saban is cutting that dead weight to make room for the new guys by robbing hard working kids who dreamed of wearing Crimson and White since they were kids!" Because honestly, Farmer's life is not, as commenter "chunkums" proclaimed, "seriously jacked up." The only thing "jacked up" or "sad" about this situation is that no one talked some sense into Farmer about how committing to a program you aren't even remotely familiar with at the spur of the moment is not a bright decision since you're either stuck somewhere you could wind up not liking, on a team with people you may not get along with, and with a staff that you may not feel comfortable with for four (or five) years, or you're just wasting a year of eligibility by transferring if things aren't to your liking. Either way, the simple fact that Farmer's decisions at the impetuous age of 18 were a little impulsive is the most likely culprit here, not a cold hearted decision made by a calculating opportunist who sees his players as nothing more than pawns in his vicious campaign of self aggrandizement. But hey, when your earlier proclamations of chicanery and unfair dealings quickly dry up and those barely literate rednecks which you consider beneath yourself because they aren't Michigan men start turning out to be right, you can always throw out backpedal posts in which you desperately cling to the mere hint of impropriety (never mind that said hint of impropriety resulted in a net good for those involved), mischaracterize, if not outright LIE about, the nature of the injuries of players who receive medical scholarships, and, as in the case of today's example of poor research, arrogantly assume that everything that happens at Alabama works according to your clearly limited knowledge of the program and it's players and proclaim the "sadness" of it all. It is, after all, the quickest and easiest way to handle it when your readers are apparently more than happy to take your word for it, and the safest way for you to simply carry on without having to actually be man enough to admit you were wrong and that Nick Saban does, in fact, know how to manage a roster and land highly prized recruits at the same time, and drop the whole affair. But since you're willing to stoop to such low tactics as the aforementioned mischaracterizations, lies, and backpedaling, then coward and liar are the two newest tags that will be forever attached to your name on this blog.

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Good post...

But I’ll be honest, I really couldn’t care less about Cook any more. It’s obvious he has nothing better to do than sit around and blog about Michigan, and it’s obvious that he’s going to read something sinister into every single thing that Saban does.

As far as I’m concerned, all he is doing is making himself out to be an idiot by constantly dragging out a position that he took several months ago, a position that is now wholly without truth, just as we said would be several months ago.

by outsidethesidelines on Jul 10, 2008 9:28 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

WTF?

Jebuz H Christos. UM is a friggin train wreck and this dreadmullet has nothing else on his plate besides ashing Nicky Lou? Jebuz. I’ve ranted about this on BHGP, EDSBS, SMQ, here and elsewhere, but honestly, what the f* is his gdam** problem?

Is it because Saban is a proven winner? That he was a Big Televen boy who went wayward? That he understood the medical (and character) issues facing his team?

C’mon, Brian, you duplicitous enema-guzzler, wtf is your problem?

by Stuck in the Plains on Jul 10, 2008 9:38 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Heer Heer!

I guess Auburn fans and Brian Cook have something in common:

They both love to talk about Alabama Football.

Cause bama's pluck and gritt has writ her name in crimson flame.

by pluckandgritt on Jul 10, 2008 10:17 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

seriously, why even bother with cook anymore? as interesting as i once found his exegesis of the game his pretentious bullshit makes his site completely unreadable and that’s before you get to his anti-bama bias.

i will admit, there has been some good done by sparking a debate about the practice of “so called” oversigning but beyond that reading mgoblog is the internet equivalent of watching someone masturbate into a mirror.

by kleph on Jul 11, 2008 6:41 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Here, here ...

If I gave a shit what ANY damn Big 10 fan had to say about football, you would have to give me change. Send a freakin’ team to the BCS championship game that doesn’t get its ass handed to it in a hat by an SEC team, and THEN you can start criticizing the way we do things down HERE!

Actually, I think that is really what this is all about. It’s Big 10 football penis envy. They realize that they can’t beat us on the field, so they are relegated to lofting grenades over the wall about our conference’s so-called lack of ethics. After all, that’s why Coach Bryant won so many games, right? Because he cheated. At least, that’s what other schools’ fans are always telling me.

BamaFrazier

by BamaFrazier on Jul 11, 2008 6:54 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

I don't think that's entirely fair

In recent bowl games, the Big Ten and the S.E.C. have been pretty even; the overall record is at or near .500 over the last decade or so and most of the games have been very competitive. The blowouts by Florida and L.S.U. over Ohio State were more high-profile because they took place in the national championship game, but the flipside of that is that Michigan has a very good record against S.E.C. teams in recent years, and those were in bowl games played in our backyard rather than theirs.

That’s not to defend Brian or what he wrote; I left an earlier comment about this, to which I linked in the comments to Brian’s “Cut” posting. However, we need to be careful not to make the same sort of unsupported accusations Brian is making. He has no evidence that Nick Saban cut this particular player and we have no evidence that Brian is envious of Alabama’s success. Neither of us needs to say things we can’t back up with facts.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Jul 11, 2008 7:31 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Retracted

You’re right. I guess my obviously emotional charge should have been directed at the tops of our relative conferences. While, in general, we seem to be pretty even. When the SEC’s best plays the Big 10’s best, which recently seems to be Ohio State, it doesn’t seem close at all. And, that’s after having to play through the murderer’s row of an SEC schedule AND a conference championship.

Anyway, I apologize if my comments offended. I shouldn’t project the obvious mental deficiencies of Ben Cook onto all Michigan fans, much less the entire Big 10. Me culpa.

BamaFrazier

by BamaFrazier on Jul 11, 2008 7:52 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sorry, ... BRIAN Cook

Ben Cook is actually a pretty great guy over at Lindy’s.

BamaFrazier

by BamaFrazier on Jul 11, 2008 7:53 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Big Ten

Not all of us are idiots. Other than a few vague Wisconsin references by Todd, you’d never know I was from the hated Big Ten. Todd and Nico trusted me so much they let me write in the book. I think that counts for something!

And while SEC/Big Ten matchups at the top have been sad to say the least, if you head down the bowl schedule a bit, the rest of the teams matchup pretty damn well. Wisconsin’s played SEC teams the past 4 years in bowl games and it’s gone 2-2. Lost last year to Tenn, beat Arkansas in 07, beat Auburn in 06 and lost by 3 to Georgia in 05.

by tristarscoop on Jul 11, 2008 8:51 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hat tip

T Kyle King,

Great job of striking the irony in two consecutive mgoblog posts. Cook has no problem lambasting someone else for constructing an argument without any facts to support it, but has no problem with doing so himself.

by Kenny483 on Jul 11, 2008 8:40 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Uh

It’s obvious he has nothing better to do than sit around and blog about Michigan

Well, considering that’s his job and all I don’t really think that’s an insult.

For the record, I don’t care about Alabama or this “over-signing” thing either way, just wanted to point that little tidbit out.

by Wolverine_Dex on Jul 11, 2008 7:35 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

He probably should've added...

”...blog about Michigan, and make blanket statements concerning other programs without taking time to research into whether or not he’s sounding like a complete moron or just a partial one.” Maybe not those exact words, but something to that nature.

"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success" - Coach Bryant

by TopDaddy on Jul 11, 2008 7:42 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Maybe

But the off-season is long.

Personally, I like to think most kids going to play college football have enough common sense to see the number of scholarships, number of players, and make their decision from there. Some probably don’t and they get screwed, but I doubt it’s that high of a percentage.

That picture….is disturbing…

by Wolverine_Dex on Jul 11, 2008 7:51 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Preconceived Notions

Cook hates Saban. Cook thinks Saban is evil, and deceitful. Therefore, anything Saban does is evil. It all makes sense, when you think about it in the abstract!

To me his writings come off like some sort of 9/11 conspiracist. Never let the lack of evidence keep you from supporting an ill conceived theory.

by Kenny483 on Jul 11, 2008 8:36 AM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Ironic

Ironic you compare Brian to a 9/11 conspiracist. Did you learn how to compare totally irrelevant things to 9/11 from Saban?

by Daniel L on Jul 11, 2008 8:44 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Good grief

Comparison does not mean equating the two.

It’s almost like a literal reading of things is the new hyperbole.

by Nico2.0 on Jul 11, 2008 9:36 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Duh

Comparison does not mean equating the two. But inherent in any comparison is attempting to determine equivalence. Kobe Bryant is not Michael Jordan, but the comparison is not unreasonable. Harold Minor is also not Michael Jordan, but the comparison draws derision and laughter because the two things aren’t even close.

Another example, comparing Alabama to Harvard is completely ridiculous. Comparing Alabama to Mississippi is reasonable though. When someone compares things that are orders of magnitude different to rational people, they deserved to get laughed at.

by Daniel L on Jul 11, 2008 9:44 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Comparison/Hyperbole

The comparison as you say, had nothing to do with 9/11. The comparison was about someone appearing to be ignorant of the facts, like those who believe the terrorist attacks were a cover up. Was what Cook did as bad as people who deny the holocaust or deny 9/11 as bad? Of course not!

I appreciate you coming by to defend Cook, though. If you want to parse words, then I will stick with the actual point that he is ignorant of what he is writing about.

I was going to compare him to Hitler, because that is what white people do, but I thought I would throw in a new right-wing version!

by Kenny483 on Jul 11, 2008 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Saban/Cook

Here’s where you should’ve stopped:

“Cook hates Saban. Cook thinks Saban is evil, and deceitful. Therefore, anything Saban does is evil. It all makes sense, when you think about it in the abstract!”

It’s as simple as that. The hatred probably has alot to do with the fact that Saban actually coached one of Michigan’s rivals. It’s really not a difficult concept to grasp.

Since you’re into comparisons…it would be like Tuberville taking the head coaching job at say… Florida State. Now he’s there and doing some things that (to even a casual fan) seem “a little shady”. I would guess that the average Bama fan might latch onto that, and probably make a bigger deal out of it than it probably deserves.

by Apocalypse Now on Jul 11, 2008 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Why would any Bama Fan care about Tubbs once he leaves the Barn?

Once a coach leaves a rival school, why would we care what he does especially if he’s no longer in the conference? that doesn’t make much sense to me.

If Tubbs were to leave Auburn for some other school in some other conference, i would think about him less than i do now, which isn’t very much to start off with.

I'm in no condition to drive...wait! I shouldn't listen to myself, I'm drunk.

by That Other Dave on Jul 11, 2008 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hmmm...

Did you learn how to go somewhere you’re not welcome and impliment your opinion as though it may be accepted and work from Rodriguez?

"There's a lot of blood, sweat, and guts between dreams and success" - Coach Bryant

by TopDaddy on Jul 11, 2008 9:56 AM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

At the risk of stating the obvious

This type of shit is why the internet sucks. Gimme a historical perspective on the Dubose/Fran years or a play analysis anytime. That’s why the internet rules. Elevating the dialogue without petty fecal tossing. But this shit, pun intended, is beneath anyone with more than 42 functioning braincells.

"YouTube has destroyed our ability to know when we're entertained. It has turned us into a nation of deranged Roman emperors. We're a continent of Caligulas, sitting around in our bathrobes saying, 'Hmm ... I'm bored. I'd like to see something poop or sneeze.'"
--Patton Oswalt

by pantsfucious on Jul 11, 2008 12:27 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

YES!!

I have 43…missed the cutoff!!

Roll Tide, Bitches!!!

by BamaReturns07 on Jul 11, 2008 12:28 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

pantsfucious say...

man who fling verbal poo on internet dumb as shit

by gerry dorsey on Jul 11, 2008 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Testing, testing, one, two, three . . .

Hm.

Daniel L said the comment thread had been locked, but it seems to be working fine for me.

Oh, wait . . . he said Todd and Nico had locked the comment thread he was winning. Well, no wonder this one’s still open, then.

Go 'Dawgs!

by T Kyle King on Jul 11, 2008 2:45 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

what a douche

nossle. not even the bag. the nossle.

I'm in no condition to drive...wait! I shouldn't listen to myself, I'm drunk.

by That Other Dave on Jul 11, 2008 4:14 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

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