Busy Sunday for Rich Rodriguez. First, he’s the main event on “Outside the Lines” (more on that in a bit) and then he makes his much-anticipated public debut at the Michigan-Ohio State men’s basketball game.

Remember, Jim Tressel used that stage brilliantly when he was introduced in 2000. Rich was, shall we say, not quite as committed.

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez didn’t make any bold predictions or talk any trash Sunday at halftime of the men’s basketball game against Ohio State.

But he did make one promise to fans on the Crisler Arena floor when it came to the kind of football his team will play against the Buckeyes and every other opponent.

“When you come in the Big House, when the maize and blue come out of that tunnel, I guarantee you they will play hard and they will play physical,” said Rodriguez amidst cheers.

Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised because WVU coaches who go to Michigan aren’t the best motivators. Maybe there’s something to this. The Mountaineers beat UCLA that day, despite the locker room let down, and the Wolverines won Sunday — and don’t look now, but Michigan suddenly gets it.

As for “OTL”…

Thought it was about as fair and neutral as one could expect considering WVU officials declined interview requests — and I don’t have a problem with that. If the University remains content engaging Rich in the court room and not in the court of public opinion and wants to keep him swinging in the wind, that’s fine by me. At the worst, the line of reporters more or less told WVU’s side of the story.

(By the way, I contend I said “…turn the cameras off…” but some people seem to think I said “…turn them cameras off…” In fact, some of you seem convinced. Let’s just slide it into our vernacular. It’s really funny. I like being reminded of my poor English. Really. No sarcasm at all! My mom and mother-in-law, both educators, are really proud. As is the school of journalism I attended, which may or may not revoke certain awards. My father-in-law is a printer, so maybe we’ll get to work on a line of T-shirts. Proceeds will not benefit PayUpRich.com.)

I do have/share/want to convey a few gripes:

> Showing right at the top of the segment that crazed woman screaming at the pseudo-Rodriguez at the Wheeling Nailer’s game. Thought it was a strange representation of the fan base and the environment, but perhaps somewhat accurate, too.
> “Mike Smith, University of West Virginia booster”
> Failure to take a closer look at the (death) threats which, as we now know, are … well, they’re not entirely accurate. I’m sure ESPN had a deadline to meet, so perhaps there wasn’t ample time to go back and check, but it shouldn’t have been allowed to linger as it did. Rich made this blanket statement about the treatment his kids and nieces and nephews have experienced and there was no explanation. Which brings me to …
> Mark Schlabach. Really good reporter and writer, but given that he was the live guest, maybe he should have been asked to follow up on what is the most serious allegation in the story. Then again, that’s just me.
> I really like George Smith. And not just because he wears hats well. He asked good and relevant questions and got good and relevant answers.
> Thought the whole thing more or less missed the forrest from the trees. Again, I thought it was pretty good and circumstantially even-handed, but it overlooked the central issue. The reason the reaction has been so severe and so negative is because Rodriguez flat-out refuses to honor his contract. Period. He said it in his introductory press conference. By fighting the buyout, he’s accused WVU of many serious misgivings. 
>  There was only a brief reference of the shredding. It’s not a terribly controversial issue, but only he was allowed to explain it, which is where WVU’s silence hurts. Also no mention was made of the phone calls to recruits and the racial allegations. A lot of that has contributed to this ugly divorce and made people so mad. Then again, there’s only so much that could be wedged into the allotted time.