An open letter to Bill Martin

Dear Mr. Martin: First and foremost, congratulations. In light of your many business accomplishments, the athletic director post at Michigan may not look like much, but as I am sure you are aware, there are an awful lot of people out there who live and (especially lately) die by the prominence of the Michigan athletic department.

The fact that you are refusing a salary for the turbulence you are inheriting speaks volumes about your commitment, for the goal of any businessman, it seems to me, is to make money out of the deal. You've said that it's all about doing your duty for your alma mater - who wouldn't like that attitude in this day and age?

Ryan Moloney Grace, too

To be honest, you are a bit of a mystery to me. During our past phone conversations, you've come across as the cheerful next-door neighbor, or the uncle everyone looks forward to seeing at the family reunion.

I've compared notes with other reporters on staff here and I am not alone in this sentiment. We've called you at absurd hours of the day and night and instead of understandable irritation, we get "gosh guys, what can I help you with?"

We college reporters are not PR people, as many coaches mistakenly believe - we are searching for the truth, no matter how unpleasant. Mindful of our intentions, you still ask us if we enjoy our jobs, if school is all right and what we plan to do after college.

In spite of our better judgement, most of us are wowed by your alarmingly disarming demeanor. Such a refreshing change from the athletic department we normally deal with.

A couple of weeks ago, I was working on a story about Lloyd Carr's contract extension. This story was open and shut, a space-filler really. I only wanted the details of the contract and the length of the negotiations.

I spoke to one of your mid-level administrators within the department - could he answer a few questions about Carr's new contract? "Well," he sniffed, "it depends on what kind of questions you ask me." I assured him there was no malicious intent behind the story, to which he referred me to another department red-taper who was conveniently out of his office.

From a department that has become less and less user friendly over the past few years, this experience is not only unsurprising, but increasingly standard. It's hard to pinpoint any single reason for such oft-employed truculence. Perhaps department administration are still programmed from the last A.D. - a man whose persona with both the media and his coaches could best be described as "aloof."

Whatever the reason, the changes, as they say, must start at the top. How appropriate that you are a businessman, Mr. Martin, because let's be frank - college sports is a business and quite a lucrative one when it is run correctly. Going into this new millennium, you have an opportunity to return this athletic department to the glory days of Canham, Weidenbach and heck, even Bo.

To start with, most of your coaches are qualified, excellent leaders of men and women, so the well-being of your athletes is not as high of a priority in question. The 2 million dollar debt, which is to Michigan like a street-scraping muffler dragged in back of a Mercedes, needs to be almost your singular concentration.

Once upon a time, the teams at Michigan were seen as extensions of an at once gracious and confident athletic department. Somewhere along the line, administrators stopped listening to their voice mail and Sports Information Directors forgot that their job is to accommodate the media, not dictate the way stories should be written.

I sincerely hope last week changed all of that. Whatever happens - and nothing seems out of the question anymore - keep that famous kind streak of yours throughout your tenure. For, it's an amicable personality, coupled with an acute business sense, that gets buildings named after you around here.

- Ryan Moloney can be reached via e-mail at rmoloney@umich.edu.