You are viewing this article in the AnnArbor.com archives. For the latest breaking news and updates in Ann Arbor and the surrounding area, see MLive.com/ann-arbor
Posted on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:28 a.m.

Michigan great Desmond Howard compares failed Rich Rodriguez era to Cherry Coke

By Kyle Meinke

LIVONIA -- The Michigan football team's postseason banquet had a redemptive feel to it after the Wolverines' 10-2 season and return to prominence this year.

The flip side of redemption, though, is that redeeming was needed, and reminders of the failed Rich Rodriguez era were unavoidable Monday night at the team's annual bust, which was hosted by Laurel Manor in Livonia.

It started with the keynote address by Michigan great Desmond Howard, who heavily criticized the fired coach.

DesmondHoward_UMStadium.jpg

Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, above, was the emcee of Monday's Michigan football bust.

AnnArbor.com file photo

The 1991 Heisman Trophy winner began by lauding first-year coach Brady Hoke and his staff for returning Michigan to its winning tradition after Rodriguez's "strange decisions" got the Wolverines off track.

"It’s a brand," Howard said. "It’s like Coke. So, some people in the board room at Coke made some crazy decisions in the past to make Cherry Coke. But then the consumers didn’t like it too much. So, they had to go back and bring in some brilliant mind to get this thing back on track."

Howard was probably referring to the failed New Coke, but his point was made.

"That’s like Domino’s Pizza saying we’re going to put out pineapple pizza, and then they realize the consumer isn’t buying that," Howard continued. "So, what Michigan did is we brought in some brilliant mind, (athletic director) Dave Brandon, and he got this thing back on track."

Rodriguez went 15-22 in his three seasons in Ann Arbor, the worst winning percentage of any Michigan coach in history. He also was a bust failure, slipping up at each of his three banquets, including comparing his 3-9 team in 2008 to Hurricane Katrina and the now infamous singing of Josh Groban's "You Lift Me Up" at last year's event.

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL BUST

AnnArbor.com’s coverage of the 91st annual Michigan Football Bust held Monday night in Livonia:

Denard Robinson named MVP in a close player vote

Seniors deliver humorous speeches, and David Molk’s resonates

Desmond Howard compares failed Rich Rodriguez era to Cherry Coke

Linebacker Marrell Evans not expected to return next year after transfer issues derail season
He was fired after being routed by Mississippi State in last season's Gator Bowl. Brandon then hired Hoke, a move Howard called one of the best in the country.

"And then he hired Greg Mattison," Howard added, noting the defense's improvement this year under its new coordinator. "Thank God for defense. Greg Mattison, thank God for defense."

Michigan's defense is allowing 17.2 points per game this year, down from the 35.2 it yielded last year.

Howard was the night's emcee and signed autographs before the event. He was joined in attendance by several former teammates, including his old quarterback, Elvis Grbac.

Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.

Comments

Terry Star21

Wed, Dec 21, 2011 : 10 p.m.

Cherry Coke cried, 'we're almost there' please, we're just trying to 'spread' our product, we know we're 'making the same mistakes over and over', but please it's frustrating - 'those are my boys out there". Desmond is the greatest, tell the truth and tell it like it is.

Scott

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 6:33 a.m.

Pretty classless. trashing the old coach in front of the new coaches and I suppose kids RR recruited- like Denard Robinson -were there to witness it.

PeteM

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 5:08 a.m.

Desmond is a great Michigan man, and one of my favorite players ever. That said, his comments were classless. RichRod failed at Michigan, and everyone is thrilled with the past season. That said, most of the players on the dais, including some of the seniors, were his recruits. We may have not had our MVP, Denard, this year if RichRod hadn't encouarged him to stay. It was interesting that almost all the seniors responded by thanking Rodriguez by name in addition to Hoke. My only question is whether Desmond ran his comments by Brandon or Hoke first, or if they were off the cuff.

Blu n Tpa

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 2:04 a.m.

Ed read the top of the thread. If the mouth that roared would shut up then real people wouldn't have to continue to rebut the trash that spews forth. Did you like what he had to say about matching what this team did, 10-2, under Coach Hoke and staff did this season? If you did, then we all understand you bias. If no, then tell the WCiMFH to shut up, and so would we. This is Michigan. Go BluE!

D21

Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 4:11 p.m.

Amen dude!

Ed daggett

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 12:28 a.m.

what a shame that Howard--at this event honoring the TEAM--chose to reduce himself to this level. Remember, every player at the dias with exception of fifth yr. seniors committed to RR. Low class comments by Howard

miatamich

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 11:20 p.m.

Desmond needs to get his analogies straight. Cherry Coke is delicious and still around.

Blu n Tpa

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 11:02 p.m.

Why is it that there is always an excuse, other than he couldn't coach in the Big Ten, or at Michigan, or against Toledo, or late in the season, or.....but it was because of Martin, or Carr, or DC, or not the DC, or not his players, or they are his players???? Coach Hoke understands and that's why we all like him. For the gal in o lie o I'll write big: NO EXCUSES! You have to be a woman because no man would hold on to a dead issue this long. Give it a rest. No one cares about the WCiMFH. He's LONG GONE! This is Michigan. Not Oprah.

Tony G

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:57 p.m.

Brady Hoke is doing a wonderful job. I get warm and fuzzies thinking of the U of M program versus one year ago. I'll be at the Sugar Bowl to cheer them on. However, it's very unfair criticism by DH and others when Bill Martin wouldn't sign RR's choice for defensive coordinator for $250,000 (according to 3 and out book), while Hoke got one for $750,000. Where might we be right now if we had signed RR and Mattison's equal at the time?

Tony G

Thu, Dec 15, 2011 : 7:12 p.m.

Ghost, getting hired as a DC in January is very late, not to mention he was unintentionally hired after defensive position coaches were hired. The point everyone is making here is that all DH and others (and you) need to do is cheer on the team you supposedly root for, without doing a hack job on the previous staff. The praise is effective without the insult. Your acronym, though cute, is part of the problem. Another thought that came to mind - RR left the program in pretty good shape, much better shape than he got it in. Even the defense at least had the talent in place that under proper guidance they could perform at a level to get us to a BCS bowl. Cheer for the team. Go Blue! I'll be in New Orleans to do that, will you?

Lorain Steelmen

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 9:52 p.m.

TonyG. Thank you, and very well posted. An excellent description of the situation here, and the contrast of the last 3+1 years. I'll add three things. 1. You do NOT have to be a member of MCC, WCIMFH, to say, 'Hey cut the guy some slack'. 'He deserves to be given a fighting chance to put in his system, without being undermined by a group, headed by the former HC!' That doesn't mean that we are somehow mesmerized by RR, only fair. The program RR inherited could NOT be turned around in three years, when you look at what he had in 'year one'. Sure RR was flaughed, but the deficiencies on D, COULD have been corrected by a Jeff Casteel. 2.Most of these kids are rightfully supportive of RR, just as they are BH. RR was responsible for bringing them in here, having the confidence in them to play them and develop them. Take Kovachs, or DRob as examples. It serves absolutley NO purpose, to denegrate the program, and them personally, by extension. They are smart enough to realize, that they, as players, did NOT produce last year. Comments tearing down RR, only serve to tear down these great kids! 3. I don't have a problem with 'Ghost' per se, sure we differ occasionally, and that's ok, but to dismiss Bacon's book, as somehow biased, is a load of you-know-what. Bacon has no axe to grind, and may well pay a big price in the future, for telling the truth, and thereby taking on, the 'ugly side' of the athletic department, and Carr, in particular.

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 6:46 p.m.

Shafer was hired in January 2008, so your whole point goes up in smoke. You need to read something other than JUB's book, which is little more than a piece of propaganda for the WCiMFH. And one other thing: Had the WCiMFH thought it so important to get Casteel, perhaps he ought to have given up a small bit of his salary in order to pay Casteel more. I'm bettin' that one never crossed the mind of the WCiMFH. GN&GL

Tony G

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 6:13 p.m.

Ghost, what money had to do with it, is that Brady Hoke got his first choice at DC, money be damned. He probably got the best possible candidate of all potential professional and college DCs, with the highest contract ever awarded to a Big Ten coordinator. If RR had gotten his first choice, money be damned, Jeff Casteel would have come for only $250K. More importantly, there would have been a defensive coaching staff brought in intact. Everybody would have been on the same page. Because of how long it took Martin to hire RR, and the time for the failed negotiations to get Casteel $250K and a contract, Shafer was hired very late, and inherited a group of WV coaches who did not share his 4-3 philosophy and did not know how to coach it. The defense showed it through 5-6 games. Out of frustration and because of the success RR had with the 3-3-5 at WV, RR finally ordered Shafer to change to the 3-3-5 mid-season (Purdue game?). The defense did not improve and Shafer (rightfully) bolted at the end of the year. All this is per the "3 And Out" book. My point still remains that it is wrong to compare Hoke to RR, or to compare the defense now vs. under RR, because of the circumstances and resources each was provided. And my question still remains, what if RR and Mattison were hired at the same time in 2008, instead of Hoke and Mattison in 2011? I think we would be disappointed in the Sugar Bowl instead of thrilled with it. And DH shouldn't make such a critical comparison between the two staffs and their successes (or lack thereof). It's just not fair. Like Van Bergen said, "It's great to see everyone here, but like where were you the last three years? We were still wearing the same helmets".

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 9:22 p.m.

LS, Whatever Casteel might have been able to have done, Shaffer was successful before arrival and after departure, which raises the question of why he was not successful here with a defense that returned 8 starters and had been 24th in the nation the year before. I don't see what money has to do with it. GN&GL

Lorain Steelmen

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 9:02 p.m.

Ghost, I think we can safely say that Martin was not up to the AD's job, for one thing. Martin should have hired Miles in '07, rather than RR. Martin was fine at building buildings, but that's it. RR was brought in here to set up a 'spread offense' and that is what he did. Had RR been able to bring in a Jeff Castell, as DC, we may have a program playing for a NC this year. I was not an RR fan, but I do beleive that Martin was penny wise, and pound foolish. Neither individual was responsible for the shoody, underminig that took place from Carr. The problems that were evident in the program were the fault of Carr, not RR. perhaps to cove rup his last 5 or 6 years. I doubt that anyone short of Miles could have turned this thing around, in three years. And we all know what Carr felt about Miles. What we don't know is, what Carr would have done had Miles been brought in.

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 7:25 p.m.

So the WCiMFH didn't get who he wanted. Instead he hired Scott shaffer, someone who enjoyed success before and after being here. So what does money have to do with it? GN&GL

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5 p.m.

The WCiMFH = New Coke? Geeze, Desmond. That's being awfully harsh about New Coke! Good Night and Good Luck

riverraisin

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 10:56 p.m.

Classic comment And I'm not talking about Coke

Theo's Brother

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 4:27 p.m.

What a night! Things are back to normal! GO BLUE! P.S. Theo, why did you give my bust ticket to Lorain??????/

KeepingItReal

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 4:01 p.m.

I don't know who is advising Dez or whether he is being encouraged to say the things he is saying with the promise of some future commitment, but I would highly encourage him to tone it down a bit.

D21

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 3:10 p.m.

Well, can't blame Desmond but it isn't only Desmond and the players like Molk & Roh & Martin and others have admitted the night and day difference between the regimes, the surprising part is Molk saying that Hoke regime is better than the Carr regime, too (in the open, I mean). RR blabbed all over about himself and UM without UM saying anything in back except behind the closed doors til now. The RR lovers should have gagged WCIMFH's mouth first prior to criticizing the rest of the sane Michigan Men like ourselves. Theo212 was seen sobbing hardly at the table in the back thus ruining any epic poem he or she or it could have penned. TiM

D21

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.

I still don't undy why Moeller got fired unless it wasn't the first time he has done it.

D21

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 8:37 p.m.

hbM, I read you loud and clear, thanks. Lorain, Carr did make some mistakes, first with Mattison after the 96 season. And yes, Hoke does evoke memories of Bo but in a more calmer way during the games which I am thankful. You both got my votes. GO BLUE!

aawolve

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 1:05 p.m.

Molk had some other things to say about the "Michigan Men" in that room. I find it interesting, and very telling, that you chose to ignore them.

Lorain Steelmen

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 8:40 p.m.

D21. Carr never really was an effective HC. With the exception of '97, his teams generally were underperformers, mediocre. I think Carr was fortunate to have Mattison & Hoke during the early part of his career, and of course, the kids on that '97 squad, who were determined to win it all, in spite of Carr. When Mattison and Hoke left, it was obvious that there were 'issues'. Incidentally, it was Mo that hired Hoke, in '95, NOT Carr, although Mo was canned, before he coached that '95 team. Had Bo been in town that spring weekend, I think Bo may have saved Mo's job. Carr was the consumate politician, and the culture of entitlement that he created, behind the sceens, eventually took its toll. What always drove me nuts, was Carr recommmending RR, then immediately undermining him, once RR was hired. There were clearly, some significant personal and emotional issues that Carr has not dealt with. Dare I say 'ego driven'. But Carr is gone now, as is RR. From the jump, Hoke has displayed an 'intensity' that I have not observed here, since Bo was coaching. Carr never approached that level. Outsiders might incorrectly say that Bo didn't care for the kids, but I would argue, that it was just 'old fashioned, tough love'. Over time, the players appreciated it. What we are seeing on this 2011 team, is that 'old-fashioned' approach 'reborn', again. I am very suspicious, that Hoke was impacted by Bo, when he worked here as an assisitant, (for Ghost, BEFORE Bo died), and that Hoke genuinely has taken Bo's philosphy to heart. You can laugh at me or denigrate me all you want, but I firmly believe, that at his core, Hoke is recreating everything, in the manner, he feels Bo would have done,as if Bo had arrived here in 2011. And hoke is determined to make Michigan, Michigan again. I have to like that in Brady, and I will support him in this, because I also respected what Bo stood for. I like how Hoke deflects personal praise, and always mentions those 115 kids, and 'team number 132'.

heartbreakM

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:09 p.m.

Don't misread me. I respect LC a lot, and think he did a good and sometimes great job coaching. I just think it was time for him to go. (The time it became evident to me was at the Rose Bowl, 2007, when USC just completely outclassed a supposedly great Michigan team--it bespoke of lack of preparation. Remember Pete Carroll just stopped running the ball in the second half, something like 25 straight passes because they could not run? They killed us). LC has done some great things post-coaching (and according to John Bacon, some not so great things), and I hope he continues to do the positives and build up his legacy. Just the leadership he showed and taught his players is amazing. Not too many schools boast the type of alumni football players doing what these guys do with the Mott stuff, the golf outing, the support. It was just his time. Too bad Bill Martin blew it big time and had no succession plan in place. But it did get us to Hoke.

D21

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 4:44 p.m.

heartbreakM, Right, Carr had said that he asked then AD Martin about retiring after the 2006 season but Martin begged Carr to coach another season so he can take the time to search for a coach so the rest is history. Carr is all right in my book. He is more suited to be an asst coach but he did it well for awhile (after Moeller was fired).

heartbreakM

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 3:41 p.m.

Well we all know that LC burned out at the end and it was time for him to retire. Molk's comments were right. Hoke has the fire now which LC lost at the end. Carr knew that the summer before the app state disaster and should have retired on the spot or at least had a after Carr plan worked out. I think being coach is exhausting mentally, especially with the pressure imposed at Michigan. I also think Bo dying took a lot out of him. Thankfully we now have a coach who symbolically is doing all the right things, and coaching with fire and verve. It will make a big difference in Michigan football over the next few years.

Hailmary

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:24 p.m.

I would say, more like Diet Coke, a diluted version of the real thing in fact I'd go one step further and say, more like, Diet Shasta.

D21

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 3:14 p.m.

Coke Zero would be perfect

Brian Evans

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:21 p.m.

WTH, I like Cherry Coke and Pineapple pizza. Desmond makes me feel dumb now

TheWay

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:50 p.m.

Any "doctor" that says HFCS is more damaging than smoking is either an idiot or has an agenda. HFCS doesn't kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.

D21

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 3:13 p.m.

Try drinking these 12 oz glass bottles of Coca Cola with real sugar (not HFCS-High Fructose Corn Syrup...far more damaging to us than smoking according to a Dr Mercola report) from Mexico in a case for $16.99 from Costco as I jsut purchased yesterday. Great tasting and a big difference. HFCS = WCIMFH Real Sugar Coke = Hoke

Gordon

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:21 p.m.

Sorry. Comments about Rod are not befitting a "Michigan Man". Michigan hired the man. He was / is a transition coach. He left with a lot of class hardly any comments about Michigan compared to the comments by ichiganders about him. Failed? I think not. Wrong place wrong time? Probably! Desmond was / is a great player and this team came to play ball and did it well also. Hats off to both and the best to Rod in his new coaching position.

D21

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 4:39 p.m.

Yeah right, what a bad piece of revisionist writing! RR showed NO CLASS in commenting or to be more precise, LAMENTING, over and over about "They are my guys" stuff that made every true Michigan Man roll up our eyes. Maybe u missed the memo where the Arizona AD said they promised RR that they will schedule a game with Michigan and within a week or so, RR said, "Oh, I was kidding". And you still respect him, PUH-leeze! You, sir, ain't no Michigan Man, sorry. :)

truebluefan

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:50 p.m.

Gordon - refreshing, pleasant commentary amongst a sea of angst and vitriol. Thanks.

MRunner73

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:16 p.m.

It was hard at times to be criticize Rich Rod but still be all in for the players. That era is over but the fall out will remain for some time to come. Hoke started the healing before the season began. He opened up football practices to all former football alumni. The 10 win season accelarated the healing with the fans. Include the win over OSU and a three game winning streak and there is not much to be criticle about these days. Maybe Desmond should have not made any mention about the previous era but I will not be criticle of him.

chiro19

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:01 p.m.

I have to agree that this is purely a response to the rediculous claims by RR over the last 2 weeks in which he said he would have been atleast 10-2 this year if left to finish the job! This maybe a poor stage to say those things but then again these types of events use to be a lot more quiet to the public. I do think it may have been more appropriate for Desmond to start singing a Josh Groban song, stop after the first few lines and make a joke about it and then left it. Go Blue!

garrisondyer

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 6:53 p.m.

@truebluefan You speak the facts. Of the past, that is. True, RR's teams increased by 2 wins between seasons 1-2 and seasons 2-3. Nobody knows what would have happened between seasons 3-4 had the regime not been ousted. All one can do is speculate. I, for one, doubt that RR's team in his 4th year would have improved on the defensive side of the ball. Could account for an extra loss here or there, when compared to Hoke's first year record.

truebluefan

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:58 p.m.

RR's teams at Michigan improved by two wins each season. Was 9 or 10 wins out of the question in a watered down B1G this past season? I think not. Cousin Eddie's retort in 5, 4, 3 2, 1...

Theo212

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:57 p.m.

My boys and I were at the banquet (Table 11). It was sad to see/hear the murmuring when Des got way off topic. We just sat there and acted with dignity and distinction, as usual. During lulls, me and the boys were looking up 40 times for some of the Hokie skill players. (Not pretty). Like Lloyd did in his last bowl game, we're gonna have to abandon Bronco Nagurski Ball if we want to have any shot in the Big Easy. Go Blue!

GoblueinNE_PA

Wed, Dec 14, 2011 : 3:50 a.m.

Matt P., you have to actually watch the games to know that about this years team. Theo never watched anything. His comments continue to make that obvious. You are absolutely correct, the spread never went away. I was hoping with the RR hire at UA, we'd rid ourselves of the RR fan club, but alas, that is not the case.

Matt Patercsak

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:19 p.m.

dude, we ran the spread like every game. we have not run "bronco nagursku ball" yet. not even close

Blu n Tpa

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:36 p.m.

If there had not been the recent numbskull comments made by the WCiMFH, I would agree that bringing him up for this Football Bash would have been a mistake. But since it is current and relevant there is no reason to ignore the 2 ton elephant in the room. Now let's not beat this subject to death. We have a competitve team that is well coached going to play in a major bowl. So let's keep our eye on the prize. This is Michigan. Go Blue!

tulsatom

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:24 p.m.

Thanks for the replies about Tater. I was just curious about his whereabouts in case anyone knew.

Lorain Steelmen

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 5:14 p.m.

Heartbreak, close, but to be more succinct, I don't necessarily think you have to 'support' an existing coach, if you disagree with him, BUT, I DO believe, he deserves the curtesy of putting in his own program in place, without being undermined, or have a knife stuck in his back. Carr allowed this program to deteriorate, then recommended RR, to Martin, then worked to undermine him, once he was here. I lost a lot of respect for Carr though all this.... At least we now have a coach who wants to recreate what BO and Mo tried to build here.....and that is a good thing.

heartbreakM

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 3:34 p.m.

Tater was always a former coach booster but the problem is that he would never discuss (or she). We can all agree or disagree but we have to be open to other ideas being posed and engage. Otherwise we just end up shouting at each other. But it does beg the question that LS always raises.... Do you have to blindly support the coach because he is on your team or can you support the team and be critical of the coach at the same time, like Desmond seemed to be? That was always my view. Hated the prior coach but will always be a Michigan loyalist. Not everyone agrees with that.

Blu n Tpa

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 3:27 p.m.

tulsatom I also have missed the "tater" byline on this site. He was a strong advocate for the WCiMFH but he did it with facts and well reasoned comments. I sometimes "feel" something familiar with some of the postings here, like his style but without the "tater" name. Hope you're right about being OK. That would be one hell of a cast to last all season. Maybe he's been busy working for CBS sports or moving to AZ.

tulsatom

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:02 p.m.

Speaking of WCiMFH, one of his biggest proponents on this site was Tater. I haven't read any comments from Tater in a long time. I hope he is doing ok and not lying in a hospital room somewhere in a cast. Although I didn't share his lofty views of the former U-M head coach, I enjoyed reading his commentary. I wonder what he thinks of the job Coach Hoke and staff has done.

MichFanTex

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:21 p.m.

Never a fan of RRod was I, charlatan was one of my more favored descriptions, Howard made a very good analogy about branding and Cherry (New) Coke, but he could have eased off the more critical remarks of RRod. Of course I wasn't there and so didn't hear his remarks, still, it strikes my as unnecessary piling on.

heartbreakM

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 3:29 p.m.

I think Desmond never liked the former coach, as his public comments on espn always were critical from day one. I would have liked only celebration of the present as it says enough but Desmond is consistent with his prior comments.

tulsatom

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:12 p.m.

While I like Desmond and didn't care for the job the previous U-M coach did, I think you can celebrate a team's present success and promising future at your annual team banquet without trashing the previous coach. That doesn't sound very classy to me. In all fairness to Coach Hoke, I doubt he had any input into those remarks.

RudeJude

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:10 p.m.

So was he making a comparison to New Coke or Cherry Coke?

garrisondyer

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 6:44 p.m.

What the heck is New Coke? I must have completely missed this. I agree with Desmond's main point: Why mess with a good thing? No need to completely overhaul it. A few tweaks will suffice.

MichFanTex

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:24 p.m.

No doubt it was New Coke to which he was alluding. New Coke was the failed replacement for Coca Cola which is now known as Coke Classic. Cherry Coke doesn't attempt to change the branding, merely is an addition to it.

golfer

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:06 p.m.

all said and done. you got one more to go. nice to see a different type of awards gathering. lots of smiles.

knotch

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 1:03 p.m.

The Brevity , has some truth to it...I get Desmond's analogy. I see where he was going. From what has been written in John U. Bacons book. It's looks like the House of Blue was in a shambles, then the great Idea after losing Lester Miles, Some dude from West Virginny.

truebluefan

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 12:32 p.m.

I had Wheat Chex this morning. I like a little crunch in my cereal and I find Wheat Chex provides that. I suspect there are other cereals out there that would also yield that wonderful crunchiness as well. This article offends me. Who doesn't like pineapple on their pizza? Forget Cherry Coke. Yeah, it's bad. OTOH, tell me what's wrong with Coke Zero?

RWBill

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 6:08 p.m.

I despise pineapple on pizza. Horrible idea.

John Batts

Tue, Dec 13, 2011 : 2:19 p.m.

I, for one, can't stand pineapple on pizza. It's no more suitable for a quality pie than ground beef. It's like putting tuna fish on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Some things just shouldn't happen.