Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 23
Sober January, Texas football, 2020 Link Dump, and much more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
Check out the introduction post here and the entire archive of previous newsletters here.
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Welcome to Sober January
Sober January is exactly what it sounds like: a personal challenge to not consume alcohol for the first month of the year. I’ve done it a bunch of times now. I like it. It serves as a nice reset after the holidays, and a chance to take a clear look at the year ahead.
It should be even easier than usual this year. No happy hours to walk to from the office, no pints to grab at bars on a nice Saturday, and thankfully, no Cowboys playoff loss to drink through.
For me, it’s always kinda shocking how easy it is after the first weekend. Skipping a couple of work-night drinks each week isn’t that hard for me and the personal satisfaction at the end of the month is worth it.
Join me. Save on drinks, on ubers, on hangover brunches. Plus, the surprise buzz you experience after 3 sips of a margarita in February is my favorite reward.
Share your Sober January journey with me @micahwiener.
Some thoughts on Texas football
The University of Texas fired head football coach Tom Herman this weekend. And, within a matter of hours, the university announced his successor, Steve Sarkisian.
This surprised me greatly. Herman did an OK job at Texas. He leaves the program better off than when he arrived four years ago, at least on paper.
Herman failed to generate any real excitement in Austin. While his offenses scored a lot of points, his schemes weren’t dynamic or exciting, and they certainly lacked any signs of the football genius promised with his arrival. He failed to endure himself to seemingly anyone: the media, his Athletic Director, the Big Money Boosters, his players, the state’s high school coaches and best recruits, and the Austin community at large.
Tom Herman’s teams were fine. He was the failure.
As we’ve discussed in this space, politics are everywhere. Tom Herman had an impressive resume for a football coach when he got the job in Austin. However, Herman apparently failed to learn the most important part of Mack Brown’s success in Austin: politics. I have no doubt that Herman can run laps around Brown on a whiteboard. But Herman was terrible at politics. It seemed to me that he always tried to say the right thing, but always got it just a little wrong. Throughout his tenure, there always seemed to be something just a little off about what Tom Herman said and did.
There were the weird and cringeworthy stunts and plays for attention that seemed beneath the Head Coach at the Univerity of Texas. Were any of these incidents a big deal in the scheme of things? Of course not. But could you imagine Mack Brown (or any high profile professional politician) doing any of them? Of course not.
Herman never won a conference championship or even a single press conference. His most memorable moment is laughable in hindsight: A Sugar Bowl win over Georgia that included one memorable (and in retrospect, embarrassing) moment, Sam Elinger’s postgame interview.
So Herman is out and Sark is in. A few thoughts on the decision:
It seems crazy to me that any athletic department could spend millions of dollars in the midst of a global pandemic and uncertain future to make any coach disappear. I am certainly aware that the Big Money Boosters are the ones writing the checks that Tom Herman will cash while not coaching, but still, the optics seem terrible to me.
I’ll just use the words of the great Pat Forde, writing for SI:
The total bill for firing Herman and hiring his replacement—Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian—is going to be well north of $40 million. Perhaps north of $50 million. Herman’s buyout is in the $15 million range, plus an estimated $9 million for the rest of the staff. Texas’s vanity will not allow it to pay Sark anything less than $4 million a year—probably more—even though he hasn’t been a head coach since being fired at USC in 2015 and was making $2.5 million at Alabama.
This is being shelled out four months after Texas laid off 35 people within the athletic department, left 35 other jobs unfilled, put some workers on furlough and had nearly 300 employees take a temporary pay cut.
Speaking of optics, how can this university, which holds itself in such high esteem ethically, hire another white guy without even the appearance of consideration of any minority candidate? The swiftness of the new hire surprised me more than the firing.
And of course, what do we make of Sark? Again from Forde:
Will he work out? Maybe. If so, it’s a great redemption story for a guy who lost the USC job due to personal problems reportedly tied to alcohol use. And Sark has done exemplary work as Alabama’s OC, calling plays for what has become an offensive juggernaut.
But Sark has a career record of 46-35 at Washington and USC. His best season was going 9-4 with the Trojans in 2014, which by USC standards is somewhere between ho and hum. He’s never had a team finish a season ranked higher than 20th. He also was fired as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2018.
That’s the guy triggering a $50 million decision?
If Texas got Urban Meyer, there’s no second-guessing a slam dunk hire. But Sark? The jury is still out. Some advice for Steve: call Mack and start politicking. It’s essential.
An update
In the October 5th newsletter, I wrote the following:
UT and A&M both got embarrassed Saturday. From Pat Forde:
The two richest athletic departments in America are Texas and Texas A&M, both of them raking in more than $212 million in 2018-19 with their massive stadiums and huge fan followings. They also sit on some of the most fertile recruiting soil in America. Yet in a sport that rewards the wealthy and the geographically blessed, the Longhorns and Aggies continue to produce middle-class results year after year.
Both teams have four-year starting quarterbacks, and both coaches have had enough time to recruit the players they should need to compete at a Top Ten level. Yet thus far this season, Texas is 2-1 with an extremely fortunate victory over Texas Tech, and A&M is 1-1 with a grim slog of a win over Vanderbilt.
Herman is 27-16 in his first 43 games in Austin, a .628 winning percentage. Mack Brown was 26-17 in his final 43 games at Texas, a .605 winning percentage that got him fired despite nine straight 10-win seasons that preceded the downturn. Under Herman, Texas is 18-11 the Big 12; Iowa State has the same league record in that span.
Fisher is 18-10 in his first 28 games in College Station, a .643 winning percentage. Kevin Sumlin was fired at A&M with a .662 winning percentage. The Aggies (10-8) are two games better than Mississippi State (8-10) in SEC play since Fisher arrived.
I wrote:
As mentioned, the Aggies gave Jimbo a 10-year guaranteed contract. Is there any person alive you’d offer a ten-year contract to do any job? Seriously, you might love you lawn maintenance guy, but you’re not gonna guarantee him ten years worth of money. Especially not at a number higher than any other lawn guy in America.
Poor Aggies.
Following that publication, the Aggies won their last eight games, including the Orange Bowl. The Aggies will finish the season ranked inside the top 5, and signed an impressive recruiting class. Jimbo Fisher is more popular than ever in College Station.
Texas actually finished the season 5-1 with an Alamo Bowl win. The Longhorns will have a new coach next season.
Texas is likely to pay upwards of $40-50 million in total to buy out the previous coaching staff and pay salary for the incoming one. Perhaps, the Aggies’ $75 million investment in Jimbo wasn’t so crazy after all.
Correction
Last week, I wished “good riddence” to 2020. That word is spelled “riddance.” My apologies. Thankfully 2020 is over. Here’s to ‘21.
Here is a quote about President Trump
From Top Republicans back Trump’s efforts to challenge election results
“What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change,” said one senior Republican official. “He went golfing this weekend. It’s not like he’s plotting how to prevent Joe Biden from taking power on Jan. 20. He’s tweeting about filing some lawsuits, those lawsuits will fail, then he’ll tweet some more about how the election was stolen, and then he’ll leave.”
Here are some quotes from President Trump
“So look. All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have. Because we won the state.”
From Trump’s Focus as the Pandemic Raged: What Would It Mean for Him?
“You’re killing me! This whole thing is! We’ve got all the damn cases,” Mr. Trump yelled at Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, during a gathering of top aides in the Oval Office on Aug. 19. “I want to do what Mexico does. They don’t give you a test till you get to the emergency room and you’re vomiting.”
Here is a quote said to President Trump
Raffensperger responded: “Well, Mr. President, the challenge that you have is, the data you have is wrong.”
Tweet of the Week from a star of network sitcom “Will and Grace”
Good riddance.
Newspaper headlines of the week
Thankfully there wasn’t a crowd in Philly last night or there might have been a riot. Great headlines tho.
2020 Link Dump
Below is a list of pieces I enjoyed last year but didn’t feature in this space. In the interest of starting fresh, here are a bunch of great stories presented without commentary.
Amazon Wants to ‘Win at Games.’ So Why Hasn’t It?
After brute-forcing its way to dominance in so many industries, the tech leviathan may finally have met its match.
The Ministry of Fun
The feel-good gospel of the pastor made famous by Kimye and Bieber
How Cameo Blew Up During Quarantine
With live events canceled, people are increasingly marking birthdays, graduations, and breakups with shout-outs from C-list celebrities.
THE INSIDE STORY OF THE $8 MILLION HEIST FROM THE CARNEGIE LIBRARY
Precious maps, books and artworks vanished from the Pittsburgh archive over the course of 25 years
In 1989, USC Had a Depth Chart of a Dozen Linebackers. Five Have Died, Each Before Age 50
None of them died on the field, but for each former Trojan, football was inextricably tied to mortality. These are their stories.
Pity the Poor Punter During the NFL’s Offensive Boom
Obsolescence is a necessary byproduct of innovation. With teams scoring at a historic rate in 2020, punters are spending more time on the sidelines wondering when—or if—they’ll be called into action.
How Did a Florida Man Become the Face of the Texas Republican Party?
Texas GOP chairman Allen West is at war with the governor and in love with the camera.
What Is The Internet Doing To Boomers’ Brains?
Social media platforms are sucking a generation into a misinformation rabbit hole.
How Offshore Oddsmakers Made a Killing off Gullible Trump Supporters
The emotions and strategies behind record-setting bets on a MAGA victory that never came.
Bigger hauls, fewer choices: How the pandemic has changed our grocery shopping habits forever
A permanent shift toward online shopping means less innovation, fewer new brands, and, for some people who lack choices, reinforcement of unhealthy eating patterns
The Ugly (and Glorious) Truth About American Supermarkets
In his new book, “The Secret Life of Groceries,” Benjamin Lorr argues that the kale chips and shade-grown coffee sold at supermarkets define who we are.
Where else can I find Micah content?
Podcasts: Mind of Micah, Back Door Cover, Too Much Dip
Twitter: @micahwiener & @producermicah (Why two twitters? It’s a long story)
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LinkedIn: @micahwiener
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Email: micahwiener@me.com
Soooo....How's that sober January going? What a perfect first Trump quote you put on here this week to really foreshadow what happened Wednesday Jan 6th. Yowza. You're awesome though. Sendin some positive vibes your way for 2021. Continue the great work.