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ES Twitter Feed:: 2008 ES Preview :: MSU FB Recruits :: MSU FB schedules 2006-11 :: ES Poll: Who should be MSU's #1 QB this fall?? :: Big10 Standings :: ES Gear, Unofficial Go Big Green shirts, mousepads, thongs, shirts :: AP Poll, BCS, ES Pix 25 :: St Augustine to Gig Harbor Sailing Blog (2007) :: Muck Fichigan... Ann Arbor is A Whore :: Welcome to East Lansing and Michigan State University :: ES Special report. All NCAA football by state |
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This area available for a premium ad. Inquire Get your new '09 ES gear:
Previous Polls: Mar 25-31 Who will be MSU's player of the game vs Uconn: Suton 38% 29 votes Mar 10 - 15 Which would be the easiest #1 seed to beat? Memphis 38% 50 votes Feb 1 - Mar 9 What seed will MSU have entering NCAA tourney? #2 seed
- 73% 51 votes Jan 24- Jan 31 What is the second best team in the Big Ten? Illinois
43% Dec 16 - Jan 1 Point difference in MSU vs Georgia Georgia wins
by 7+ 38% Dec 7 - Dec 15 What scares you the most about UGA? It's an upper-tier SEC team 51%RB Knowshon Moreno 24% QB Matt Stafford 18% Coach Mark Richt 5% Pass defense 2% 55 total votes Nov 23 - Dec 6 Who would you prefer MSU play in its bowl game? South Carolina 56%Georgia 29% Oklahoma St 5% Ole Miss 8% Missouri 1% 96 total votes Nov 9 - 16 Considering MSU bowl needs, do your support Michigan over Ohio St? Yes
64% 103 total votes Nov 2 - 8 How many points for MSU vs Purdue? under
17 - 2% 45 total votes Oct 12 - Oct 18 How will
MSU finish the regular season? 91 votes Oct 19 - Oct 26 How many
yards will Ringer rush vs scUM? 63 votes Oct 12 -18 Best chance
for trick play vs Ohio St? 64 votes Oct 4 - Oct 11 What
is the key to victory at Northwestern? 73 votes Sep 28 - Oct 3 What
is the best matchup this weekend? 73 votes Sep 20-27 Who
is the best defensive surprise for MSU? 68 votes Sep 14-19 What
does MSU need to improve most to beat ND? 84 votes Sep 6-13 What should
MSU be most concerned about FAU? 66 votes Sep 4- 6 Which Spartan
does QB Brian Hoyer most closely mimic? Aug 31 - Sep 4 How many games will MSU win this year? 8 (45) 50.00%
90 Total
Votes Aug 26 - Aug 30 Total yards for MSU vs Cal? under 250
(4) 5.19% correct answer:
406 yards. 77 Total Votes Aug 16 - Aug 25 Key to MSU in 2008 Offensive
line blocking 28.47% 137 Total
Votes July 30 - Aug 15 Which of these players is your favorite? Greg Jones
(113) 57.95% 195 Total Votes June 28 - July 29 What do you think of MSU playing Montana State? Scheduling
D I-AA is too bad; now we've joined the rest. 30.27% I'm torn - we need a W, but it is watering down the schedule. 14.18% Appalachian
State II? We better win! 11.11% We need the
W for a bowl bid. Good move. 8.81% I love slaughters.
We'll kill them. A+ move. 5.36% 261 Total
Votes Apr
18 - June 27 Yes (48)
36.09% 133 Total Votes Mar 29 - Apr 17 Who would you rather gig with? Drew Naymick
29% Mar 22 - 28 Where will you watch MSU in Sweet 16? In Atlanta
3.81% 105 Total Votes Mar 15 - Mar 21 Which longshot will make it furthest in the men's NCAAs? W. Kentucky
29.63% 54 Total Votes Feb 29 - Mar 14 The Enlightened
Poll Semi finals
(39) 28.89% 135 Total Votes Feb 11 - 28 Who is the best player for MSU hoops so far this year? Kalin Lucas
56.18% 178 Total Votes Feb 1 - Feb 10 What will
be MSU's final reg. season M-hoops record be? 128 Total Votes Dec 29 - Jan 31 Your expectations for the '08 recruiting class Top 10 -
0.61% 326 Total Votes Dec 25 - Dec 28 Biggest advantage for MSU over BC? Rush offense
46.07% 89 Total Votes Dec 3 - Dec 24 Best thing about Orlando? Champs Bowl
30.46% 174 Total
Votes Nov 17 - Dec 2 The Enlightened
Poll A (47) 12.14%
387 Total Votes Nov 14 - Nov 17 Would you go see MSU play at the Motor City Bowl? Yes (111)
81.62% 136 Total Votes Oct 28 - Nov 13 Will MSU win another game? Yes (221)
61.22% 361 Total Votes Oct 21 - 27 What is the biggest key to victory over Iowa? Ringer/Caulcrick
- 150+ rushing yds combined 37.82% 156 Total Votes Oct 14- 20 Who is MSU's
MVP so far? 184 Total Votes Oct 7 - 14 Grade MD on the season so far? A (12) 4.69%
256 Total Votes Sep 30 - Oct 6 Other than MSU, who is the biggest surprise in the NCAA? California
(3) 1.99% 151 Total Votes Sept 23 - 30 Now how many wins will MSU get this year? 7 (102) 32.90%
310 Total Votes Sept 17 - 22 How many rushing yards can the MSU defense hold ND to? 50-100 (62)
43.06% 144 Total Votes * correct answer: 117 yds Sept 14 - 16 Compare Wannstedt's moustache: who is he mimicking? Ugly She-Man
32.09% 134 Total Votes Sept 9 - 13 How many points will Pitt score on MSU? 15-17 (32)
23.19% 138 Total Votes Sept 2 - Sept 8 What was more sweet? watching Appalachian St beat scUM? 63.49% watching
MSU crush UAB? 36.51% 189 Total Votes Aug 27 - Sept 1 How many yards will MSU run vs UAB? 101-125 (0)
0.00% correct answer:
298 yds. 116 Total Votes Aug 9 - Aug 26 What position is the key to MSU success this year? OL (51) 22.67% 225 Total Votes
Previous Quotes of the Day: ""Change your shorts, change your life. Get rid of that nine-year old Hindu boy and get rid or your wife. Step right up. " Tom Waits. (3/26/09) "I'll do anything for my sweet sixteen." Billy Idol. (3/24/09) "Jesus was way cool. He could've scored more goals than Wayne Gretzky." King Missle. (3/22/09) "I always sing the same song in the shower: The MSU Fight Song" actor James Caan (3/20/09) "It's time to light the stove." MSU head coach Tom Izzo (3/19/09) "Remember when I told you I would kill you last? I lied" - Arnold Schwarzenneger in Predator (3/17/09) "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." - Apocolypse Now (3/16/09) "That place was either designed by the town drunk or the village idiot" - Jud Heathcote on Williams Arena (3/15/09) "He can beat his'n with your'n; and he can beat your'n with his'n." - Bum Phillips. (3/14/09) "Please disperse. Nothing to see here." - Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Dreben in Naked Gun (3/13/09) "Hey, everyone. Free Shakespeare on me." - Rodney Dangerfield in Back to School (3/12/09) "Before Elvis, there was nothing" - John Lennon (3/11/09) I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal labotomy" - Tom Waits (3/10/09) |
Spartans To Finish Undefeated and Win Big Ten; LSUFootball.net rankings; Big Ten Media Day Welcome to East Lansing :: ES Feed on Twitter :: MSU Spring Game Program (9 July 2009)--If you didn't notice, check out College Football Poll's Big Ten Preview, which forecasts our Spartans at 12-0 and #7 in the nation, and a Rose Bowl Bid. How we'd end up undefeated in a BCS conference and at #7 makes me scratch my head (wouldn't that be likely either in the title game or maybe #3?).... but, we'll take it! My new favorite site - College Football Poll. LSUfootball.net seems to have completed its preseason analysis, with MSU at #35 in the nation, on the outside looking in, behind Ohio State (#8), Penn State (#11), and Iowa (#21). Big Ten Media Day is just around the corner, at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, July 27-28. It's the 38th annual event, and you wonder if MSU will notch its way into the #3 spot by the media or coaches? Spartans Add Another VHT to Recruiting Trail (1 July 2009)--There is a lot of discussion being made about MSU snaking yet another very highly talented high school gridder, notably local RB Nick Hill (5-7, 180-lbs) out of Chelsea... right in scUM's back yard. Hill ran for nearly 2,300 yards a year ago and scored 27 TDs. He caught another 19 balls... Add some muscle to his frame, and he might be yer next Javon Ringer. He turned down Stanford (so he must be smart), the MAC, and also considered scUM and ND. But, he'll be sporting the green and white! Complete list of recruits link here.
(27 June 2009)-Last time I spoke with Goran Suton was just prior to last year, and I asked about the team: "we're playing real well. we look good." I was with my family, at Goodrich's Shop Rite, and I didn't push too much, but said, "hey, keep it up. We need you, please work real hard." Little did I know he'd make the NBA. Suton is a great example of what can happen to anyone if you work hard and remain focused. He will go down in Spartan history as one of the most beloved players, in my opinion mainly because Tom Izzo kicked his ass enough to try to motivate him and understand life in the NBA and outside of basketball. Izzo's style FINALLY rubbed off - and Suton always shined in the biggest games the last two years. To his credit, he used the NCAA tournament to prove his worth and for the benefit of MSU faithful. MSU rode Suton to the national title game in '09. Suton dominated the NCAA tourney the last two years. He showed what he can do and likely earned about $500k from it. Do you remember when he came up from high school? Who was this punk? I first spoke with him at Meijer's on the north side of town 5 years ago, and he asked this other tall kid in front of me in the checkout lane, "how tall are you? I'm 6'7" -- just kind of awe-struck at college and life in general. Many, like I, thought Suton was doomed for a Drew Naymick-at-best college career. But, Suton had that Eastern European shooting touch down solid from day one. What he COULDN'T DO, was play defense. By year four, he grew another 3-4 inches, had a killer post up move, and started blocking shots like mad. This year, his defense was so impressive -- with the Gold Star award for shutting down UConn's Thabeet to 17 pts/6 rebs -- he showed all of us wrong. He could shut down a lane like yo mama giving Elvis the cold shoulder. Impressive. Now, here is Mr. Suton, the #50 draft choice in the NBA, drafted by the Utah Jazz. I'm virtually in tears. Here is his original recuriting analysis from Rivals.com as a 3-star out of Lansing Everett. Mind you: Marquise Gray was a 5-star, Drew Neitzel a 4-star, Tom Herzog a 4-star, Isiah Dahlman a 3-star, Maurice Joseph and Travis Walton 3-stars... who do you think was the most valuable of the bunch? Yes, SCREW THE RECRUITING RANKINGS. Here is a guy who worked as hard as any Spartan EVER, and he reached the gloryland. Good for you, Goran, you earned it and the hearts of MSU faithful are with you. Below, find a video I took of Goran's last stand as a Spartan, kissing the Breslin floor after putting up 10 pts and 11 rebounds particularly with a great second half physical effort... WE love you Goran. Thanks!
(25 June 2009)--OK, so the ES has been out of it of sorts during the dead summer period. And, speaking of dead, the world interest in the shocking passing of "Billie Jean" Jacko did set me off kilter for a moment. But, shaking it off with a nice IPA, the ES learned that our 2010 class is... well, BLASTING into hyperspace with the commitment of stud QB Joe Boisture (pictured at right), who told the BC Catholics to to take a walk. Boisture also considered UCLA, Pitt, Wisky, and Kansas State. But, Dan Enos got him to East Lansing. God Bless Dan Enos. This is big. Boisture is 6-6, 210, and considered one of the best QBs in the nation. He's out of Saline, Mich. Figure MSU has the Nichol-Cousins battle of studs, and Boisture fits in with Andrew Maxwell to battle in the next generation. This is PURE SUCCESS for MSU down the road, and has to have Dick Rod at scUM fit to be tied that the Big Green is having so much success sucking talent away from his ass. OK, for the sake of hype, let's love Rivals and Scout. If you do, they have MSU commitments from the #4/#14 QB (Boisture), #3/#13 LB (Bullough), #7/#11 DE (Gholston), and #31/#19 DB (Hicks, 5-11, 179)... on top of DE Taylor Calero (6-3, 235, Southfield, MI) and #58 Athlete Tony Lippett (6-3, 180). Brings a tear to the eye, kicking scUM's arse on the field and off, god bless ya, Doctor. Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable; Phil Steele; Big Ten Coaches (24 June 2009)--Give some thanks again this year to Lake The Posts, who is compiling responses from Big Ten Bloggers as to cumulative thoughts on the pending Big Ten football season. Questions have been asked of the ES... and here is the ES' response:
Also please
rank each Big Ten team in order of predicted finish 1 through 11: Phil Steele About 3 weeks too late, but I finally tortured the kids in 93 degree weather, taking them to an outdoor concert at Eastwood Towne Center which cover band played a grandpa-monotone "Doctor My Eyes" and "Take it Easy"; didn't take long to hear their request "can we go now?"... so, headed over to Schuler Books and plopped down $9.48 for my Phil Steele. ES early impressions: nice to see MSU mentioned before scUM; Notre Dame at #7 means Phil hasn't yet given up the ganja and a pending ES research assignment; MSU listed at #29 is fine; Phil notes likely improvement in QB, WR, OL, DL, LB, DB, and ST... what's left? RB - and he says a higher ypc sans Ringer; Phil likes Dantonio, but he likes the tradition of the Irish and scUM better by overrating them. Phil lists PK Brett Swenson, LB Greg Jones, OL Joel Foreman as First Team All-B10; Schedule: he puts 2009 enemies, CMU and WMU, at #1 and #2 in the MAC. So what does this mean, coming from Steele? More to come later.... Big Ten Media Day If you have the time and money, why not head over to the Big Ten Football Media Day on July 27-28 at the Hyatt in Chicago. Expect MSU to take more of a dialogue that you've heard in years. Spartans Continue In-State Recruiting Dominance; Wings Fan in Pittsburgh, TSN on MSU, etc. (17 June 2009)--The Doctor nailed it. Again. After winning the in-state recruiting battle for the first time in a decade in February, the Spartans haven't missed a beat early in the '10 race. The Big Green added highly touted William Gholston and Mylan Hicks to a class that included Spartan LB legacy Max Bullough and Tony Lippett. Gholston is a 6-7, 235 lb speed rushing defensive end out of Detroit Southeastern: he joins MSU after turning down Oklahoma, Ohio State, USC, Alabama, Florida, Florida State, LSU, scUM, and the rest of the college football world. He's a future Spartan to be excited about. As for Hicks, he's a 5-11, 180 pound defensive back from Detroit Renaissance, and joins MSU over Iowa, Minny, Purdue, scUM, Wisky, Colorado, Arizona, and Mizzou. They are joining super-stud LB Max Bullough (of the Chuck Bullough, Hank Bullough Spartan legacy) and speedy athlete Tony Lippett as the first four members of the class of 2010. Excellent... things are looking up for the Spartans... gotta love the focus on DEFENSE FIRST. Other
thoughts: The Wings TSN on
MSU ES travels to Chicago, Pittsburgh donning Red Wings jersey (9 June 2009)--The ES wants thank Smig out in Novato, Calif., sometime ago presenting him with a personalized Wings jersey for participating in his wedding some years back. As he brings twins into this world, I'd have never thought that jersey would have come so handy. Two weeks ago, the ES wuz in Chi-town and happened upon the Reagle Beagle and a few other pubs, donning the Winged Wheel jersey and drawing enemies.... now, the ES heads to the Steel City for vacation, and will once again don said jersey, just to rub it in the face of the Penguins. Thanks, Dave! My timing is of the essence, and you're making the essence stink bad, real bad! It's glorious. GO WINGS! SPARTAN FOOTBALL COMMERCIAL I just saw a commercial for MSU football tickets for this year -- pretty good, succinct - replay of Adam Decker's stop of Iowa's Shonn Greene on 4th and 1 late in the 4th quarter to preserve the MSU victory. Then, George Blaha: "MSU Wins! MSU Wins!" Love it. Now I'm fired up. Time to wind up the tape from the MSU-Michigan crushing victory and watch the second half.... MSU cracks Lindy's, Phil Steele rankings. Otherwise, no love for MSU - but pundits drink the ND cool aid. (4 June 2009)--Other polling rankings of Michigan State: Lindy's at #24; Phil Steele at #29; ... one of the better rankings to follow every year is down at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, whose has Tony Barnhart doesn't rank MSU early; but, has ND #24 (there seems to be a collective agreement on the Irish, sans proof: "they have to get out of the dumps eventually, no?"). Finally, check out the national preseason update over at lsufootball.net, with MSU #35; ND is #24, Ohio State #8, Penn State #11, Iowa #21, and Minny #39. According to Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, only 2 of the country's 25 best players are from the Big Ten. Does this mean another long year and poor bowl performance? Similarly, no love for MSU out of ESPN"s Adam Rittenberg, with only 2 of the Big Ten's top 30 players from MSU (Trevor Anderson #30, Greg Jones #11). All MSU on Big Ten Network, June 1 (27 May 2009)--The Big Ten Network has an "All MSU" day planned for June 1. Here is the lineup, for all you early risers and night owls: Monday, June 1. All times Eastern
Join the Big Network Fan Council: Due June 15 (27 May 2009)--From Mike Vest at the Big Ten Network: "Hey Big Ten fans, we want to hear from you. What would YOU like to see on the Big Ten Network? Here's your chance to have your voice heard and have the opportunity to attend popular Big Ten events, meet Big Ten Network talent and tour the network’s studios in Chicago . Council members also will provide periodic feedback directly to network executives throughout the upcoming football and basketball seasons. Members will be required to attend one of two in-person Big Ten Network Fan Council Meetings. These meetings will be scheduled in Chicago around the 2009 Big Ten Football Kickoff Luncheon (July) and in Indianapolis around the 2010 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament (March). Fan Council members will receive a complimentary ticket to the Kickoff Luncheon and Men's Basketball Tournament semifinal games as part of their membership benefit. The Big Ten Network will review all applications for the Fan Council and will select between 30-35 applicants to become members of the Big Ten Network Fan Council. Members will serve a one-year term. In 250 words or less, tell us why you should be selected to join this exclusive group. The application deadline is June 15."
Fill out the application at http://www.bigtennetwork.com/fancouncil/ ES Ramblings on Farm Lane, ND vs Yankees, Arthur Ray, College FB Playoff, and Red Wings in Chi-town (26 May 2009)--Another week bites the dust. Items of note: the constrution on Farm Lane is going to extend into the early fall, likely impacting the much anticipated matchup between MSU and MSU. Blame the delay on the steel industry, I guess... Notre Dame to play Army in 2013 at the new Yankee Stadium? Good thing the Irish are scheduling the heavies... in all honesty, the Friggin Catholics have a better shot playing the Yankees. My, oh my, how the mighty have fallen. Excellent, indepth article on Arthur Ray from ESPN's Adam Rittenburg. This seem to be going slow, but steady in the fight vs bone cancer and a return to the Spartan gridiron. Anyone want to chime in on a college football playoff? As the ES has said time and time again, it is dead in the water. Just ask Big Ten Commish Jim Delaney... Wuz in Chicago for Memorial Day weekend. Perfect timing to wear my Red Wings jersey, and it was gorgeous rubbing it in on Sunday night. Blackhawks? Put a fork in 'em. College Football Previews - Lots of Florida, Texas, and Oklahoma. Some Talk on MSU (Athlon #20) (17 May 2009)--It's been a week since the ES last posted on here: must be summer. Anyhow, if
it is the beginning of summer, it also means the beginning of national
football previews, and the ES preseason compilation. But, why bother compiling
this when the folks over at lsufootball.net
have been doing this, and scoring it the same way as the ES has going
back to 2001: 1 point for #1, 2 points for #2, etc. - if not ranked in
a poll, each team scores 26 in that poll. The ES takes
issue with Notre Dame, TCU, North Carolina, East Carolina, Miami, and
Cincy ranked ahead of MSU - ???? love to see them play a 9-game Big Ten
schedule... note this ranking doesn't include Athlon, which ranked MSU
#20. Athlon: MSU at #20. "State’s football team seems poised to vault past flailing Michigan in the Big Ten hierarchy... With eight starters back, the Spartans could be salty on defense this year and kicker Brett Swenson is one of the top fantasy options." Bleacher Report: MSU at 5th in the conference. "This season, most of the defense returns and should be loaded with Greg Jones and Trevor Anderson leading a good front seven." Tim Hyland/About.com: Don't know this guy, but he buys the ND hype and picks an Irish 5-0 start (that's a win over MSU; he picks ND #15 preseason) and says "MSU is eternally second-tier." College Football News: Read their ND Preview: "...and Michigan State might turn out to be the best team in the Big Ten". Or, read their MSU early looksie: "There’s no Ohio State on the schedule and the road games are at Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Purdue. That’s easier than it looks on paper... Oh yeah, and Michigan still stinks. It’ll be a stunner if MSU isn’t better than its arch-rival again." FYI - watch The Quad at the NY Times, which had a great preview on MSU a year ago (ranked MSU #28 or #29)... they are at #107-Tulane right now. ES' Top 10 Moments for Michigan State athletics in 2008-09 (8 May 2009)--The ES wuz sicker than a dog the last three days... and, while resting & healing got me thinking - what were the best 10 Spartan experiences for ME -- the ES -- the last year. You might have others, if so, share them on the Tag Board. But here's mine: 10. MSU 63, Duke 49 - Women's basketball. NCAA tournament - This wuz a surprise, MSU #9 against the #1 seek Dukies; the ES had class that night, but came back and turned on the tele in the second half and WOW. Always gratifying to kick your departing coach's butt. Coach P was embarrassed. 9. MSU 17, Florida Atlantic 0. Football. Weather prediction was 70 degrees and rain all day. Weathermen were wrong: the heavens opened up, heaviest rain in MSU history (including ND game in 2006). ALL GAME LONG. Saw FAU QB pass knocked to the turf by RAIN. FAU receivers dropped 20 passes. Hoyer couldn't hang onto the snap. Ringer went crazy for nearly 300 yards. Let it rain, rain, rain.
MSU vs FAU... let it rain, rain, rain. 8. MSU 16, Iowa 13. Football. A physical, bruising game. All game long. Iowa played better between the 20s. But, MSU made all the big plays, at the critical times, including tackle of Shonn Green on 4th down late in the game to preserve the win. Exciting defense. 7. MSU 25, Wisconsin 24. Football. Here was MSU, being manhandled all game long by the Badgers... but UW couldn't complete the sale. The stands emptied around the ES with 9 minutes left... but MSU clawed back. With Swenson's 50-yard FG at 5:15 to pull MSU within 2, and the game winner, a 44-yarder with 7 seconds left. Thanks to Bielema's poor coaching decisions late, MSU took advantage and won in un-Spartanlike fashion.
The Spartan fandom couldn't believe it, as MSU beat Wisky on a long FG 6. MSU 35, Michigan 21. Football. We kicked rival scUM's ass. Saw this one on the tele, but gorgeous it was to see us run all over scUM, and laugh at Wolverine ineptitidue. Ringer-Hoyer was gorgeous, as was the Spartan secondary. Normally, this would rank much higher, but had to watch the kids while my wife was sick as a dog. 5. Cal 38, MSU 31. Football. This ranked so high because the ES traveled out to Cali to watch this game -- as someone who watched 8 years of Cal football as a kid, it was neat to return to Memorial Stadium as a visitor. Chock opened the City up to the ES again. Fun. OK, we lost, but MSU showed some early signs of its potential. The location was PERFECT -- not a great stadium (porta-johns in the stadium?), but San Fran/Berkely rocks. Just a blast. 4. MSU 61, Wisconsin 50. Men's basketball. Wisky was on the edge of the top 25 and MSU was trying to find itself after a crushing loss at Purdue. But, the Spartans proved why they were the better team with the best performance in Goran Suton's career; Suton completely dominated on the boards and with his inside-outside shooting in the second half to help MSU use the game as a springboard to its conference title. The Breslin was never louder. 3. MSU 62, Purdue 51. Men's basketball. The Spartans ran away with this game late as the team's depth and strength pounded the Boilers into submission. MSU played controlled, minimized mistakes, rebounded with a passion - a good preview of the tourney to come. This game cemented why, under Izzo, MSU is a tourney-tested success team instead of a "wanna be" like Boilermaker's history. A complete team effort across all statistical measures. And, experiencing the postgame celebration,on the floor with the fandom & players, cutting the nets, was awesome.
Travis Walton cutting down the net after beating Purdue wuz sweet. 2. MSU 23, Notre Dame 7. Football. As the Sloth said, "Beating Notre Dame never gets old." And, once again, we kicked their ass. This isn't even much of a rivalry anymore, but we hammered the Irish physically pretty good. Great, watching the demolition among a crowd of supporters, pretty much the same crowd that was at California amazingly, with a kickass tailgate at Big Bob's before the game. And, singing the old ADPhi fight song when ND played their Irish gig was hilarious... Sing along Cheers
Cheers for old AdPhi, We never
stumble we never fall Nanananananana Look at
the crescent look at the star It's Saturday,
HEY, time for the game 1. MSU 82, UConn 73. Men's basketball. It hurts the ES to put hoops above the gridiron, but it belongs here. Greatest sports experience of my life, being at Ford Field for the Final Four. And, then to see us KICK THEIR ASS. It was a wild atmosphere, people tailgating in the Big D for hoops before the game. Weather was great, about 55 degrees and sunny. The town was PACKED. Walking into the arena, watching the team take the court brings shivvers up my spine. In Detroit. After Summers' dunk, the 40,000+ Spartan Fandom exploded. Post-game Detroit looking like Burbon Street. A big time wow. Very very cool; amazing; once in a lifetime experience. And, it was in Detroit. So so sweet.
Wow, what an experience in the Final Four. And, here, we kicked their arse. Big 11 Expansion Nonsense; Izzo Broadway Excellence
Adding a football-only school (Notre Dame) to the Big 10 is living in dreamland, and JoePa's dream will crash and burn like a popping a hot air balloon. (7 May 2009)--If any of you picked up the LSJ and read Joe Rexrode's comments, filling the balloon of Joe Paterno's Big 10 expansion talk with hot air... well, it is just that. Hot air. #1 is that the conference Presidents don't want it; and Big 10 commish Joe Delaney put all his eggs into the ND basket 10 years ago only for the eggs to land on his face. Finally... read Rexrode's column a bit more closely: not once does he mention football, but that is what he is really talking about: football. Thusly, the only team really in the mix here is Notre Dame.... Give the greedy Irish another 2-3 losing seasons with Fat Boy, and they might actually take a hand out from the Big Ten. We're talking about more than football here: the Big Ten will NOT add a football-only school, and thus added travel costs for other non-football sports will balloon. But, adding any other AAU team (Pitt, Rutgers, Mizzouri, Syracuse) and you are likely adding more significant travel costs for the majority of the membership. This, at a time when institutions are reducing their athletics budgets and travel costs and beginning to play more same division mid-major teams from their own state. We've had this discussion before, but it is always nice to dream in football-only land. But, it is only a dream. Lesson learned? Just because JoePa says something doesn't necessarily mean its worth printing. Unless, he is gonna talk about squeezing his Charmin. Reason #11,947 to Love Tom Izzo CBS Sportsline wrote an awesome column about Tom Izzo and his "Izzo Goes to Broadway" fundraiser to raise $125,000 for cancer at the Wharton Center. The Spartan nation gushes with joy and love for such an awesome person... and coach. Won't he do anything? Has he no shame? No he doesn't, thank God - we love ya coach! Dance, dance, dance! U of Toledo Point Shaving Scandal (6 May 2009)--If
you haven't heard, several former basketball and football players from
the University of Toledo have been charged by the federal government in
an
indictment for sports bribery -- point shaving in both basketball
and football back in 2006. Two metro Detroit businessmen bet about $407,000
on Toledo basketball games alone...
(27 Apr 2009)--Roll Tide! Well, the ES heard about this last week, but wuz waiting for the offiical announcement before the discussion. Yes, Michigan State will play at Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer (aka Alabama) in 2016 (Sep. 3) and here in East Lansing in 2017 (Sep. 2) -- it's been signed, sealed, delivered. MSU will also hook up with a home and home at West Virginia in 2014 (Sep. 13) and 2015 (Sep. 19). FYI - the ES is sniffing around, and has learned of some other long term, non-conference maneuvers with the Michigan MAC schools (CMU, EMU, WMU). Stay tuned on that. This is great news on both Alabama & WVU scheduling, but especially 'Bama. We need to play good, solid programs to move up the ladder in national respect. And, potentially playing Nick Saban is perfect. Matching up with I-AA teams like Montana State does us no good -- hopefully, 2009 will be an aberration and we never play a I-AA school again. Playing non-conference teams from BCS conferences is a big time bonus for our ranking. Oh, on a side note, MSU will play a lower-tier football power, Notre Dame, nearly annually through 2025... with a few breaks for the Catholics to catch their breath.
(26 Apr 2009)--OK, now with the Spring game behind us, let's consider some other notable things in Spartan sports. Spartan Academic Performance Scores The NCAA's Academic Progress Rates will be released next week for all schools... and MSU faired very well for all its sports, including football and men's basketball. MSU passed the 925 bechmark score in all sports... but the lowest was football at a 931 multiyear rate, and 935 for 2007-2008: something to keep an eye on. NOTE: any team with a score under 925 could result in penalties (most notably scholarship losses or post season bans if failing for extended periods of time). The question is, how many gridders are taking and passing courses less academically challenging or with minimal effort solely to remain athletically eligible vs. how many are interested in learning anything? Munn Ice Arena Needs Ice Overhaul The refrigeration unit for the ice rink in Munn Ice Arena will need to be totally replaced by 2015 - at a cost of $3 - $4 million. MSU is not alone, as the feds require any ice rink that uses freon to replace its freezing system. Where is the money going to come from? At Ohio State, the money DOES grow on trees... they just drew 95,000 who paid $5 each to watch the spring game - that's $450,000... Time for Financial Priorities & A Leaner Meaner MSU Athletics Which brings up the question: how long will MSU keep 25 sports? The athletic department writes a $10 million check to MSU to pay for athletic schlarships every year, and as tuition skyrockets and athletic costs go through the roof... well you wonder when MSU will become lean and mean. The largest athletic program in the nation is Ohio State with 36 sports, and they just opened a brand new $20 million acquatic facility. MSU can't compete with that, so why bother?
*from Equity in Athletics Data Analysis Cutting Tool, US DOE. But, take a look at University of Texas: they have 18 sports (half the number of Ohio State), and have the largest revenue: over $120 million. The NCAA requires a minimum of 16 varsity sports to be a member in Division I-A... so, what the ES is saying, is that MSU will likely need to cut some of its sports in the next 5-6 years in order to maintain a reasonable level of success and not spread itself too thin vs. expenses, as one can argue it already is. Likely the first sports on the chopping block? Swimming - MSU has the worst facilities in the Big Ten, and it can't afford (and doesn't have the support) to build a new varsity pool the right way. The athletic department supports 24 scholarships for men's and women's swimming at MSU.
In a way, it is kind of too bad MSU invested $5+ million in the new baseball facilities. Don't get me wrong, baseball is cool and has somewhat of a history at MSU (Gibby, Garvey); it's a beautiful stadium. But, let's get real. MSU is under snow through early April. That new park won't get much use each year. And the Spartans (and Big Ten) are rarely, if ever, competitive because of the weather. The last national champion from the Big Ten in baseball was Ohio State in 1966... Texas doesn't play ice hockey, why should we play baseball? But, we just built a new stadium, so I guess this argument ain't going anywhere. Michigan State can't be all things to all people and cater to every type of athlete; we need to consider what is practical in college athletics, and geography/weather should play some role to prioritize. Bottom line, MSU should reduce the number of sports it offers to reduce its debt load and cut swimming. I argue it will happen in the next 6 years, if anything to pay for the new ice surface at Munn Ice Arena. Thunderstorm Sinks ES' Spring Game Boat. Where's the Running Game or the O-Line? (25 Apr 2009)--Well, the ES didn't make it out to the Spring Game... I bundled up the kids, ready to go - and then a massive thunderstorm him, just pouring rain. C'est la vie, maybe next time. Big time bummer. Anyhow, good to see some of the feeds off the MSU website. Looks like both Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol played well - and that both TEs Charlie Gantt and our new Clemson transfer, Brian Lithicium, made big plays. Looking forward to more analysis later after checking out the evening news. Sometimes stats don't tell the whole story. Sometimes they do. In this case, looks to me that MSU's offensive line has LOTS of work to do, as a total of 73 yards were gained on the ground for BOTH the Green and the White. On 40 attempts. That is 1.8 yards per carry. The longest runs? By wide receivers: 26 yards by DB Chris Rucker and 11 yards by WR Keyshawn Martin. Either our defensive line is AWESOME, or the more likely story is our o-line struggled. ON the other hand, the passing game excelled, with both QBs throwing for 357 yds and 4 TDs... Nichol was 20-28 and Cousins was 29-43. Neither had an INT against a deep and experienced secondary (on both sides). Linthicum and Blair White each has 6 catches, Chris Rucker had 5 catches, Mark Dell an Charlie Gantt had 4 catches; BJ Cunningham and Keyshawn Martin each caught 3 balls. On defense, give it up to the LBs: Greg Jones with 10 tackles (2.5 for loss), Eric Gordon with 11 tackles. Trenton Robninson had an impressive 8 stops. Oh yeah, the passing stats demonstrate the final score: White (Nichol) beats Green (Cousins), 38-37 in OT. Now, go study boys and have a great summer! Spring Game Lineup; Live on Spartan Radio Network Check out ES live updates of Spartan Sports on twitter...
The weather for the 2007 Spring game (above) was beautiful to kickoff Dantonio's career. Tomorrow, it'll be even better... (24 Apr 2009)--The Spring game kicks off at 1:30 pm tomorrow EST in Spartan Stadium. If you can't make it to EL, you can listen to it on the Spartan Radio Network, 1240-WJIM (link here for live audio)... highlights will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network at 10 pm. Check out the roster for the game, as well as game notes. To watch: four things in particular: 1) quarterback play (Cousins or Nichol?); 2) running backs (Ray, Legget, or Anderson); 3) offensive line (servicable, or can they open holes)? 4) defensive line (can they get to the QB?). Those not playing or with injuries are: Josh Bodell, Rocco Cironi, Kendell Davis-Clark, Marcus Hyde, Ashton Henderson, Arthur Ray Jr., Jeremy Ware. Blogging About Blogs & Access; G&W Game Notes (21 Apr 2009)--The ES wants to welcome the newest Green & White blog... of sorts, or rather a condensing (re: maximize efficiency?) of Spartan blogs into one: The Only Colors (sing along with me... "fight for The Only Colors, Green and White. Go Right Through for MSU..." The prolific group combined Spartans Weblog, Ground Zero EL and a couple of other beat reporters into a blog for the ever growing cookie-cutting look of blogs at SB Nation. Still, the content will be rich and dynamic, filled with statistics as usual... which will still leave the ES with his ranting, off-kilter diatribe on Spartan revenue-generating sports that he aims to continue. While the sports blogging world continues to reproduce like bunnies, it is unfortunate that so many college sports bloggers seem to find the need for "access" to the team, as if access gives them some type of perspective they can't find otherwise. Shit, the best stories on Spartan athletics would probably come from the bottom of a bottle of bargain Scotch while running into a fellow Spartan, watching a game on rewind, somewhere more than 2,000 miles from the epicenter of our universe that is East Lansing. Still, the ES has to admit it is fun to dissect the numbers anyway one sees fit: fumbles per possession, tackles per quarter, extra points per career, or number of times you've scored less than 21 points against Indiana with a quarterback who has less than three syllables in his name. Back to the point at hand. We Big Ten Bloggers have had some interesting discussions behind the scenes and there has been some extraordinarily contrite discussion on bloggers vs journalism. It's been a useful and healthy dialogue. That said, the ES is real hopeful the boys over at The Only Colors gain access of some form or fashion, if they really want to (maybe they don't). I have some access on my own that helps to design my picture but doesn't provide any colors: I like it like that. Da ES don't want no stinking game access. It's 15 degrees, snowing like a M-F'er, and the ES wants to sit in the upper deck and tell it like everyone else sees it. Otherwise, hear the reports of us kicking their arse on the 11 o'clock news and get the basic stats from the SID staff. If we Spartoonies want (need) expert sharp analysis (not provided by the LSJ) on the number of run right traps off a RT roll block in a pro set formation on 3rd down when opposing linebackers are in a 5-3 set, I'll turn it over to Spartan Mag and The Only Colors... 'tis what they do best. But, if you want to know how my green blood ran cold when our loss is precipitated by a boneheaded personal foul to eliminate our sacking their quarterback on a 3rd and 14; or, how the ES felt about encountering Irish fans carrying signs demanding we appreciate their love for Jesus, or the inevitable road trip to watch our Big Green with Spartan brethren that always is a good time; or, the hatred of our little sister that is Meeechigan... well, you'll continue to come to the right place. Journalism? Naaah. Opinions? Soytanly. So, that said: No matter how much Adam Rittenburg wants to think otherwise, it's not very interesting that Cousins or Nichol were picked 16th or 17th or 40th or 112th for this weekend's Green & White game. Um, hello. We're playing ourselves. And, they will be #1 and #1A this fall. It's also no surprise that Spring standout safety Trenton Robinson was picked #2 behind LB Greg Jones - Robinson has been awesome. If there is any surprise, it is Caulton Ray as the #1 RB selected... even the ES wrote this guy off early, and I stand corrected. But, seriously, it really doesn't matter who is on whose team or who was selected when. Rather, what does matter is... going to the game, wearing shorts, bringing the kids, and getting a sun tan. Can't wait! Tank Tops & Shorts For Saturday's Spring Game (21 Apr 2009)--Put your rain jacket away; better yet, have a bonfire on Friday night and burn your parkas. Saturday, this Saturday, it is gonna be BEAUTIFUL for MSU's annual Spring Game. 80 degrees and sunny skies are in the forecast. 1:30 pm is kickoff, but here is an excuse if there has ever been to be lazy on campus. It's amazing - for each of the past three years, the weather has been perfect for Spring Games, 70+ degrees and sunny. Must be the weather gods and the football gods love the Doctor, Mark Dantonio. Don't be surprised to see 30,000 or more on Saturday. If you can't be there, the Big Ten Network will have a Spring football wrapup at 10 pm. Follow the Spartan Gridders on twitter. What the ES has learned?
Kickoff times this fall: MSU vs Iowa (10/24, 7 pm) and @ Minny (10/31, 8 pm) are scheduled for prime time, the game @ ND is scheduled for 3:30 pm. Congrats to all you female Spartans out there: The Spartan Football Women's Clinic held Saturday, April 18 at the Duffy Daugherty Football Building raised nearly $17,000 for the Arthur Ray Fund. With 200 participants at the clinic and all proceeds benefiting the fund, the event brought in $16,865. Spring Practice Winds Down As Offense Ramps Up (20 Apr 2009)--It's good to see the offense beginning to gel as the Spring ball comes to a close. The Big Green have two practices remaining, this Tuesday and Thursday, before the Spring Game on Saturday... and, a scrimmage this past Saturday gave rise to the abilities of our quarterbacking duo, Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousins. Each quarterback threw a pair of scores: Cousins played 10 series and completed 16-of-26 throws for 214 yards, while Nichol played nine series and hit 15-of-25 passes for 196 yards and one interception. Receivers played well, including Blair White (8-105, 2 TDs) and Mark Dell (2 rec-56 yds, TD), Keshawn Martin (4-47), and Charlie Gantt (3-56). Both Caulton Ray (21 TD run) and Andre Anderson (2 TD run) has scoring touchdowns running the ball. "The entire offense was on the same page today," Cousins said. "In the first scrimmage two weeks ago, the offense wasn't focused and everything seemed out of whack. This time around, the offense brought energy and intensity to the field and that showed in the final result." Hard hitting safety Marcus Hyde and safety Ashton Henderson (sprained knee) both suffered leg injuries in the scrimmage. With the offense clicking in on all cylinders, it should make for a dynamic and entertaining Spring game this upcoming Saturday, at 1 pm. Hope you can make it. How the Mighty Blue Have Fallen, har har (17 Apr 2009)--This was hilarious re: Greg Paulus. Too bad scUM didn't get him to commit, so we could pummel his Duke arse into the ground this fall. Duke AND scUM - too good to be true. Failing to get a Dukie hoopster to play the gridiron for scUM is a riot. Man, the mighty blue have fallen. Hey, maybe the Big Green can get Jason Richardson to suit up for the Green & White this fall, no? John Madden Has Retired
(17 Apr 2009)--This means something to me as a football fan. It means something BIG TIME. Though my first football experience was attending a MSU football game in 1975, it was really John Madden who made me love the game. During my formative years, from 1976-1984, I grew up in Suisun City, California, exactly 49 miles from the Oakland Alameda County Coliseum. Upon arriving in California, I fell in love with the Oakland Raiders and John Madden. Sure, they were mean and a rag-tagged bunch of hoodlums. My first exposure to my first favorite team was with Mark VanEeghen at running back; the intimidating, long-armed “Stork” Ted Hendricks at ‘backer; that bald guy, Otis Sistrunk on the offensive line with massive Gene Upshaw on his side; the baddest safety I’ve ever seen (to date), Jack Tatum; and just the scrappiest passing corps in NFL history, the “Snake” Kenny Stabler throwing it to the-guy-who-never-dropped-a-pass Fred Belitnikoff, the deep ball to Cliff Branch, and the best pass-catching TE in history, Dave Casper.
Hell, I even loved Ray Guy. I’d climb the fence to the school yard and punt and punt and punt for hours on end, all by myself, thinking I was Ray Guy (...it paid off, as I ended up being the starting punter in high school).
But, while the Raiders had great talent, they had the best coaching under Madden. He really was the best. Here was this roly poly, fat, loudmouthed coach who would rumble up and down the sidelines, cursing and spitting and screaming at his players and the officials – and I loved every minute of it. He was entertaining as hell. And his teams were so hard nosed, mean, and scrappy -- but they would execute the game plan and win on just brute force, desire, and solid fundamentals. That is where I picked up the love of football, from the 1976-1978 Oakland Raiders. Madden was a winner (the winningest football coach in football history). Madden was really the reason I loved the Raiders. I cried when he quit as coach of the Raiders, enough to switch my allegiance and become a diehard San Francisco 49ers fan.
When he went to the broadcast booth, he was awesome. Man, he was entertaining for the first 20 years. Turducken: what the hell? Hilarious. I watched him like a hawk and listened to his ramblings for years in the broadcast booth, up until the late 1990s, until about 2000. He and Pat Summerall were the perfect pair – the Laurel and Hardy, the Abbot and Costello of football. Madden wasn’t as great the last eight years, and he dropped a few notches as did the NFL. But, like his Million Dollar buses, this trip with Madden was a great ride. I have John Madden to thank for making me love football. The love for offensive linemen will never be the same without Madden. Congrats on a great run, and good luck in retirement, coach. Maybe I’ll see you in the stands in the Rose Bowl some day. Spring FB Games Across the Big Ten Conference; Early Previews (15 Apr 2009)--The ES, scouring the 'net again, found some tidbits of info that may seem interesting (or not) for Spartan fans. Seems as if half of the Spring Games are this Saturday (Apr 18), the other half are the following Saturday (Apr 25), with scUM the exception (last Saturday). Note that on both Apr 18 and Apr 25, the Big Ten Network will have a Spring football wrapup at 10 pm.
Early Looksie at Big Ten The Chicago Tribune picked MSU to finish 5th in an early preview of the 2009 Big Ten football season (Iowa #1, scUM #8). The Bleacher Report has an early preview of each team, with MSU at 6-6 and scUM at 4-8, and OSU winning at 10-2/7-1. The Rivalry, Esq., picks MSU over Kansas in the Alamo Bowl, and Ohio State going to the Rose Bowl to play Oregon. College Football News asks "Does the Big Ten Stink?" and puts MSU's needs at QB, RB among the top concerns in the Big Ten, and puts a target on Greg Jones' back; check out their look ahead across the Big Ten. The ES will begin counting magazine preseason predictions as they roll onto the web and newsstands in the next 2-3 months; we'll see if the Doctor has any love from the pundits... Spartan Spring Game - Press Box Seats Hey, if you have a few extra dollars floating around, consider buying a press box seat for the Spring game -- at $50 each, proceeds will go towards the George Webster Scholarship fund and the Arthur Ray fund. Arthur Ray, our OL recruit who has undergone cancer treatment in his leg. Spartans have raised $31,500 so far towards his $50,000 in medical bills.
Your Spartan Gridders? Defense, Defense, Defense in 2009 (11 Apr 2009)--It has taken the ES about 5 days to recover from the Final Four -- seriously -- and now we can switch over to the true passion... football. Gotta love the hard hitting, the Xs and Os chess matches, the war strategy, the season of attrition, and just the level of brutality of football. That said, let's get right to it. The ES is gathering his information from a variety of sources, and particularly Coach Dantonio's recent comments to the media. The Doctor notes that we're already more than half-way through spring ball (yes, our basketball success bit that much into spring football), with six practices to go before the April 25 Spring game at 1:30 pm at Spartan Stadium. Quarterback: OK, don't say it ES. Don't say it. OK, I'll say it: "The two quarterback system has come to East Lansing." Right now, sophomores Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol, will both likely see game action in the fall. They are athletic and gamey. Cousins has played well in game action; Nichol went to Oklahoma and was beat out by Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford. ES thinks either will be a step up from the underacheiving but winning Brian Hoyer. Running backs: Replacing Javon Ringer is impossible. Expect RB by committee this fall. In the spring, it's a dead heat between AJ Jimmerson, Ashton Leggett, and Andre Anderson. Don't know much about this Caulton Ray kid - so we'll leave him on the side for now. True freshmen blue chippers Edwin Baker and Larry Caper will suit up this fall. So far? "We're looking for the guy that can break the tackle, can take something out of not much and make something out of it." Tight End: MSU has a transfer at TE who has been impressive. Brian Linthicum transferred to MSU from Clemson, he had 11 catches for 76 yards in 2007 before sitting out last year. (photo of him scoring a TD for the Tigers below). MD: "Brian is a guy who catches the ball very well and is tough. He knows what to do, and you'll see him play as well. I think we had four tight ends who played in games. If you look at him he's played about 500 snaps at Clemson so we have to consider him to have game experience." Add in highly talented Charlie Gantt who returns for his second year, and looks like we have the makings of a solid TE corps. We'll have more on receivers in the next report.
Offensive line: This is a line that performed average last year, as expected, and was manhandled by stiffer defenses. And, it loses its two senior starters from a year ago. My guess: MSU offensive lines always overperforms when the least is expected, and underperforms when more is expected. This year, the cup is half empty, so let's expect with good coaching they will overperform. Rocco Cironi is out this spring with shoulder surgery (he'll be fine this fall). Former defensive lineman Antonio Jeremiah has switched sides of the ball and is still learning the O-line, J'Michael Deane is a newbie but is "tough, very athletic," D.J. Young from nearby Sexton high school has been seeing reps, and Sophomore Jared McGaha has also seen some work. However, "I would say disappointed because they are seeing so many different things--different zone pressures and different movements from our defensive front... We're young there." Defense: The defense will be this team's strength, particularly at Linebacker and Defensive Back. Safety Trenton Robinson replaces All Big Ten Otis Wiley, and is impressive: "Trenton is playing safety and he's doing a nice job. He's been very disciplined back there, he's got good ball skills, he's a very good tackler and he's extremely quick and very powerful." Linebacker Brandon Denson "is having a very good spring. He's 230 pounds, plays with great power, explosive. He's having a good spring." MLB Greg Jones is already an All Big Ten 'backer, returning for his junior campaign. Add in Chris Rucker, Ross Weaver, and Johnny Adams and you may have the best returning secondary in the Big Ten. Add Danny Fortener and woodshed-hitting Marcus Hyde to safety and you have depth, experience, and toughness. Our next update, we will focus on the defensive line. Kicker: Ummm, not so good. We've been spoiled lately, especially last year with Brett Swenson (GW FG vs Wisky, 22-28 FGs in 2008). Enter Dan Conroy: "He's a young player and he's got to continue to work confidently, and I think when he is sure of himself on practices days he's very good, and when his confidence dies a little bit he's not quite as good." Injury Notes DB Kendall Davis Clark joins OL Rocco Cironi out in the spring with shoulder surgery.
(8 Apr 2009)--Rewind to Monday afternoon. I had just finished work, and my brother stayed over the weekend to watch us compete for the National Championship. We just drove down to Pinckney to pick up my friend Dave from California -- his wife is about to be induced into labor with twin girls; but he was in town because his father unexpectedly died. Go figure: here is his favorite team of all time on the Mountain Top, he's about to be a Dad for the first time, and his father just was let into the Pearly Gates. Yet, there we were, in our rental car outside of Ypsilanti and I'm thinking... "My God, we're going to Detroit to play FOR THE NATIONAL TITLE." Remarkable. Dave's emotions must have been off the charts on those stress scales. He hit about every category in a week. We were driving to Detroit to win a championship. I had goosebumps. OK, so we didn't play well and UNC played typically great. But, just to think before the game that we were so excited to PLAY IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. And, we deserved it; we played all the best teams and kicked everyone's butt. We just weren't as good as Carolina. But, the greatest part was walking into that arena and hearing the roar of the crowd -- likely the record in the history of the world for the most people in one stadium to root on one basketball team in a title game (Basketbowl in Ford Field had more Kentucky fans than the Championship in Ford Field had UNC fans). It was AWESOME. That night of the title game, I wore the same clothes as I did on Saturday, just not to jinx the Spartans. I took my white flag hanging out the front of the house, and made a cape out of it. I died my hair neon green. I put Sparty stickers all over my face. My buddies recorded me as "Super Spartan." Screw Johnny Spirit, for one night, I was Super Spartan. Cool. We went to Steve's Place, drew about 4-5 draught beers a piece and then arrived at Ford Field to watch us get dismantled. We're #2 - that's cool. At the beginning of the year, if you would have said I would have been in the audience watching us in Detroit compete for the national title, I would have said "Bullshit." But, I was there. Extremely cool. And, the Final Four vs UConn was an explosion of fun. Just 'cause we kicked the Huskies' ass. Durrell Summers dunk (see below) was one of the greatest in Final Four history. I watched the replay at home on Sunday night. I loved how Clark Kellogg said "Oh my God", Jim Nantz said, "WOW!" and then said "Ford Field is shaking." It was. That was worth the $275 ticket price. Just that dunk. I'll remember that forever. The comments from the players, from coach Tom Izzo, all the articles from the media talking about MSU's destiny in a downtrodden state and how it rode it to the title game was great... but it was HARD WORK. These guys worked their tails off and had an amazing run, one of the greatest in recent memory. Michigan State has solidified itself as an elite team. And to be there in person to watch it was astonishing. It was the greatest sporting experience of my life. That win over Uconn, that experience brought a tear to my eye. Tears of joy. Next year, we have just one more step to go, and we'll have the players to do it. In 2010, in Indianapolis, Michigan State will win the title. And, barring a disaster, I'll be there. AGAIN. God, I love being a Spartan.
Oh, well, being #2 ain't so bad; Team Returns to Breslin at 11 am... Football time (7 Apr 2009)--It's not the worst thing in the world, being #2. MSU got its butts kicked by North Carolina, 89-72 or something like that. The ES left to get back to East Lansing by 1:30 am in the morning. I'm tired. But, one wonders why Tom Izzo kept Chris Allen in the game for such long stretches as he couldn't hit the broadside of a barn... Durrell Summers has played a far better tournament and would have been better suited than Allen. Also, MSU's decision to run proved disastrous as UNC is the fastest team in the nation.... turnover after turnover after missed shot by MSU spelled doom. It's too bad MSU didn't bring its A-game. Still, it has been one helluva run and a great experience. Congrats to Tom Izzo and the young men for making a great run to the title game in the Motor City. As Izzo said, "it's been a helluva ride." The team will return to the Breslin Center at 11 am for fans to greet them. And, by the way, it is football season, spring ball is under way. The ES will have a report later this week. The Spring Game is Saturday, April 25, at 1:30 pm at Spartan Stadium. MSU WILL WIN THE NATIONAL TITLE - WEAR WHITE (6 Apr 2009)--Tipoff time: 9:20 pm, CBS Sports, Ford Field, Downtown Detroit. Watch 55,000+ Spartans on hand ROARING on the Spartans. Should be amazing to see. The day is here. The Enlightened Spartan is expecting one of the greatest days in MSU Sports history with a victory over North Carolina and our third national title. Only ESPN's Steve Lavin is giving us anyshot, and all the statistical pundits out there must now be questioning their quantitative methods which had MSU losing to Louisville and UConn. The methods don't account for massive once-in-a-lifetime crowds and carrying an entire state on your back. And, except for the state of Carolina, the entire COUNTRY is rooting for the Big Green & coach Tom Izzo. God its' great. That said, previews are here and here. I hate Tyler Hansborough, and expect Idong Ibok and Draymond Green to physically teach him a lesson tonight. The most interesting matchup will be to see how Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Travis Walton handles National Player of the Year Ty Lawson... tie goes to the defense? Let's hope. Offensively, MSU will ride Goran Suton, Raymar Morgan, and Kalin Lucas to the title... it will go down to the wire, with the home team prevailing to an exploding crowd. MSU 71, UNC 70. MSU is calling for a White Out... WEAR WHITE! I CAN'T WAIT! GO GREEN.... PS - who ordered the 3+ inches of snow? Ouch! 40,000+ SPARTANS WATCH MSU WHIP UCONN -- GREATEST SPORTING EXPERIENCE... EVER Click on all images to enlarge
(3 Apr 2009)--It was the greatest sporting experience of my life yesterday, the Final Four in Detroit. Wow. I can't wait until Monday. What an AWESOME experience. Anyone who says anything different is out of their minds. Tears of joy. We whipped UConn, 82-73, beat their ass real good. Despite one of the worst officiated games I've ever seen. Wait until Carolina gets a load of our defense. We rock. It should be a great championship on Monday night, and expect 60,000+ Spartans to rock and roll. I love Steve Lavin; he seems to be the only guy out there who understands our "lunch pail" and "hard hat" mentality, and he is the only pundit giving us an edge with the home crowd. Watch what we do to UNC on Monday and raise the banner for Michigan State and the state of Michigan. Check out the photos below (click to enlarge) and listen to the crowd roar at the end as MSU storms off to victory. I remain blown away at what I witnessed. The City of Detroit was like Bourbon Street after our victory. Amazing party atmosphere, never seen so many Spartans partying in downton Detroit. Very cool. Wait until we rock Detroit with our championship on Monday night. We need it.
Our Governor's
a state fan... Big Green rumbles before the game
Time To Go Win a Title. Go Gig At the Old Shellilegh. Open Chat Here. PLAY THE MSU FIGHT SONG. Tipoff Saturday, 5:30 pm EST Saturday; Uconn favored by 4 pts over MSU. Open Chat Here.
Here's what it should look like at the Final Four... A shot from Basketbowl at Ford Field in 2003, MSU vs Kentucky, largest crowd in the history of the world to watch a basketball game. Click to enlarge. (3 Apr 2009)--The Time is Now. Detroit, Michigan needs a title more than any other place on the planet. Let's have the Michigan State Spartans bring it home. This game has been previewed and over previewed, you all know what's going on. Pregame party will be at the Old Shellilegh Pub in downtown Detroit. The ES will be there with the Nike MSU Ultimate Fan Celebration: "Nike is hosting a special fan celebration at The Old Shillelagh in Detroit on Saturday, April 4, from 12 - 6. Alumni and casual fans alike are welcome to attend and cheer on the Spartans during this exciting championship run... Now Nike is giving back to the Spartan fans with this special fan party, handing out free t-shirts and signs; face painting and revelry; select uniforms and footwear; food and beverages abound." There has been some great articles, here are the one's ES likes the best:
And, some good previews:
Oh, and we have your Detroit insult from Connecticut, as expected, by Hartford Courant writers Mike Anthony: "Ford Field is a zoo, just like everything else in Detroit, the city of discombobulation, the only city with detours off of detours. But it has the the Final Four, so we're here with a smile." What does the ES say? MSU 67, UConn 64. Let's go grab that title, boys, and kick some Thabeet arse.
(2 Apr 2009)--President Lou Ann Simon has declared Friday as the official "Green & White Day" throughout Spartanland. MSU Public Relations has dedicated a new website to the Final Four: www.finalfour.msu.edu The ES captured six tickets to the game... including four from UConn in the Husky section... I'm sure Spartans far and wide logged in to buy up those remaining UConn tickets at an astonishingly low $208 for all three games. Next MSU Pep Rally at the Grand Court of Somerset Mall in Detroit, 5:30 - 7 pm on Friday. Oh - and you have to love the JoePa's who finished #66 by winning the NIT tonight. You'd think they had won the Motor City Bowl, they're so excited (seriously: here and here)...
THOUSANDS AT THE BREZ SEND MSU TO THE BIG D (1 Apr 2009)--The ES snagged some footage on YouTube from today's Pep Rally at the Brez for the Big Green as they headed for Detroit for the Final Four. Thanks for the footage to whomever posted it for the free world. Enjoy:
SPARTAN PRIDE (31 Mar 2009)--MSU will have its open shoot around from 12-12:50 pm on Friday. It is free and open to the public, at Ford Field. PACK THE HOUSE. Tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6:30 pm, the MSU Athletic Department is hosting a "Send Off The Spartans" event at the Breslin Center, with a parade route afterwards: Spartan fans are encouraged to put on their green and white gear and line the sidewalks along the route. The bus will depart from the tunnel of the Breslin Center travel north on Harrison Road to the Michigan Avenue intersection. The team bus will then travel through downtown East Lansing on Grand River Avenue to Okemos Road. The Bus will turn right on Okemos Road and head to I-96. IF YOU ARE A SPARTAN, I CHALLENGE YOU TO WEAR SPARTAN GREEN EVERY DAY THROUGH THE CHAMPIONSHIP. LET'S PAINT THE COUNTRY GREEN. The ES is back in East Lansing after a week long trip to Washington DC. And, oh what a week it wuz. Luckily, the ES brought plenty of Michigan State gear with him with the anticipation of MSU advancing... and it wuz SO GREAT. For instance, today the ES wore a green MSU long sleeve shirt through Alexandria, Virginia to my conference across the Potomac at the Gaylord Resort. At least 10 DIFFERENT PEOPLE gave their support alone: "Go Michigan State" and "Go Green" from two joggers. During an amazing lunch outside at the Wharf Restaurant (it was about 65 degrees and sunny), a guy pointed to my shirt and drew his line across his chest and said: "you guys have had an amazing run." Tim travels frequently to Saugatuck as an actor and has family from Toledo. Another guy named Tim is the riverboat captain for the Alexandria-Gaylord Resort water taxi: he gave me two free ride tickets yesterday and today, and said "good luck, enjoy the game"; hell, his first mate, Gerald, and da ES had long conversations and he said "SUTON IS THE MAN." Gerald was all over Tom Izzo with praise. One young fembot was walking with her friend and she walked past and turned around to look at my green shirt and said, "Hey, Michigan State! Go Green!" One older woman (ancient is more appropriate) looked at me and said, "I have Michigan State in my bracket, and you're gonna win it all. I went to the University of Michigan. My grandfather went to Michigan Agricultural College, My dad to Michigan State College, and my sister went to MSU. But not me, but I'm still rootin' for ya. Good luck!" It was cool - last night, the ES was at a reception with MSU alumni and current students in the PhD and Masters higher education programs. There must have been 100 Spartans there. They asked the ES to lead the whole crowd in the MSU fight song, which of course I did and then yelled "Go Green, Go White" to roaring approval. The ES wuz honored and in tears of joy of excitement; bursting at the seams with pride. My buddy from Georgia called me -- he's also very interested in sports and does some consulting work relating to college athletics. He asked "how are you?" The ES: "Died and gone to heaven." Looks like the West Coast ES connections, Chock & Smig, are heading to the Big D for the game. If the ES can secure tickets (working on it), expect to see green hair, and a green and white face. Tickets are now going for $338 or more -- read USA Today about the impact of MSU's proximity to the venue on ticket prices. Jacked isn't even the right word. Because, we can win the whole deal, MSU is playing so well. And, it's our turn for the title. We need it, Detroit needs it, and the state of Michigan needs it. I'm about ready to explode. This is GREAT. Three key stats heading into the Final Four: * MSU is
limiting opponents to 61.2 points per game during the tournament, which
ranks first among the Final Four teams. Did you read the article by Pat Forde? Damn, that's one helluva beauty, pure love for Izzo's work this season. HELLO DETROIT MSU IN FINAL FOUR AGAIN! (30 Mar 2009)--We're taking I-96 to Detroit. 75 Miles. Sparty ON! Michigan State rolls on to the Final Four, baby! MSU brutalized Louisville in a dominating 64-52 demolition of the Cardinals. Give Izzo credit, he really put together a solid plan to take Louisville out of their game and allowed MSU to dominate UL defensively. Give Travis Walton credit -- he completely dominated UL's best player, Terrance Williams, to 5 pts as usual shutting opponent's best guards down. DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS. MSU will face UConn at 5:30 pm on Saturday - UConn is favored by 4 points. This may be Tom Izzo's best performance as a coach, his nation-leading fifth Final Four in 11 years. He was in tears of joy and emotion as he watched his team crush the Cardinals and cut down the nets. Travis Walton? Bawling like a baby, this was so important to him to keep the Final Four tradition alive at MSU. Walton is the heart and soul of this team. The Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year is a stud -- Walton is one of the greatest defensive players in Spartan history; he may be the best ever. Goran Suton (19 pts, 10 rebs vs UL) has earned his place on the All Tournament team with one of the greatest tourney performances in Spartan history. He was named the region's most valuable player -- and he was. He has been a dominating dominating player -- offense and defense. Suton is averaging a double double, 20 ppg and 10 rpg, but it is his DEFENSE which is remarkable. He's built cement wall in the low post, and he's getting steals and blocking shots. Remarkable, and consistently awesome. What about Durrell Summers? Here's a guy who canned a pair of threes in the second half that were the nails in Louisville's coffin. Led by Summers and Kalin Lucas, MSU turned on the gas on offense and was amazingly efficient, while the Spartan defense tired out Louisville where they just missed shots. MSU showed its versatility and whipped Pitino's boys. We taught 'em a lesson. MSU may not be favored vs a UConn team that lost to Louisivlle and lost the Big Least title. But, if you count MSU out, you're an idiot. Izzo will create the game plan to take Thabeet out -- expect a lot of Ibok and Green to beat Thabeet up and wear him down. ESPN's Davis and Digger aren't even considering the home field for MSU, but at least Vitale metioned it. Amazing only three times since the field expanded to 64 has a Final Four team played in an arena in their home state (last two: Kansas in 1984 and Duke in mid-90s). Perfect, that sounds like an MSU win to me. The ES hopes to be there, I can't wait.
Tickets Going For $295-$3,692 Despite Poor Economy (30 Mar 2009)--Tickets aren't available to the public unless you bought them last year when they were first announced; it's sold out. Each school will receive 3,200 to distribute, and another 400 to student season ticket holders. At first glance from TicketsNow, tickets were already going for $295 to $3,692 each.. Let's keep on top of this -- demand will far exceed supply and the cost will likely soon go up in the thousands; demand despite being in a state with a battered economy and with General Motors' CEO given the boot by the feds. Will people be willing to spend their college kids' savings to go to the game? There's no credit out there to raise your maxed out Visa cards or take out a third mortgage for tickets.
BRING ON LOUISVILLE; SUTON & SPARTANS ADVANCE TO THE ELITE 8! MGM Mirage has Louisville favored by 7 pts over MSU; tipoff Sunday at 2:20 pm EST. (28 Mar 2009)--Spartan coach Tom Izzo once again displayed why he is the best coach in the nation, in MSU's 67-62 advancement over Kansas to the Elite 8. Izzo subbed frequently (almost too much to the point of us screaming put the starters back in!) in the first half, and the game of attrition helped MSU outlast Kansas in the end. That Kansas Freak Show #45 Cole Aldrich was killing us all game long, so Izzo put Idong Ibok on him -- and that took care of that. Next thing you know, Aldrich was nearly shut out the rest of the game with Ibok banging the crap out of him. Just a brilliant move -- Izzo sat down Ibok for a short stretch, and you could hear everyone in the bar yell "put Ibok back in!". Finally, Suton ROCKS - 20 pts, 9 rebs and 5 STEALS. That guy will be missed; not only does he grab the rebounds and loose balls, but he is just a major offensive threat. Suton is having an All-America swan-song in the tournament -- he HAS to make the First Team All-Tourney team at this point. He is playing GREAT. And, Draymond Green is AWESOME as a freshman. MSU played better than Kansas today. Period. Kansas hung with MSU for most of the game, but you never got the sense that they were beating MSU... rather, it was more of MSU beating itself with unforcered errors and missed open shots. Eventually, it all caught up to Kansas and MSU took the lead for good... sure, it may have been the last 3 minutes, but that thin margin of error is how Izzo and MSU have played ALL YEAR LONG. Finally, just a thought... where is Raymar Morgan? He is MIA. Someone better go out and get a search party to find him before Sunday's game vs Louisvlle. While we're at it, lets shake up Devon Roe, too. CONGRATS COACH IZZO & MSU... BUT YOU AIN'T DONE YET. BRING IT HOME TO DETROIT!!!!! ES predicts Spartan hoops victory over Kansas (27 Mar 2009)--Well the ES heads to DC for a five day conference where I'm focusing on intercollegiate athletics in student affairs. The thing is, my need to snake out of the meeting tomorrow night at 9:30 pm to head to the bar to watch The Big Green Defense Machine. I'll try to make it to the Capitol Lounge on Sunday for the Elite 8 if we take care of Kansas again. I'm expecting (hoping) them to be late - last year's games were 6:40 pm/9:57 pm on Sunday... (but Saturday's games are 4:40/7:05 pm). By the way, Vegas had both Duke and Memphis at 10-1 odds to win the title. Each got their butts kicked tonight. MSU is listed at 25-1. Here is a blandish article on Kansas-MSU via the Bleacher Report, too many softballs thrown but it's about the game so it is another read. What is more interesting is seeing how UConn and coach Jim Calhoun is under heat for potential recruiting violations -- the report comes out the smae time as the Huskies kicked some Boiler butt. But, it doesn't seem to be too serious about the recruit named, rather is seems like excessive phone contact with recruits may be the more serious charge if proved true. How will MSU do against Kansas? I give you Spartans Weblog here and here. Or, you can take my preview: we're gonna outboard, outhustle, outbruise, and outlast the Jayhawks. Still waiting for Raymar Morgan to go apeshit - this is the game. MSU 72, Kansas 63... as I said earlier, USC wuz tougher than Kansas. And then there wuz one. The only Big Ten team remaining in the tournament is the Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans, after Purdue wuz dispatched by UConn today. Funny, as Rivals rips apart Purdue's ugly, eye-squinting uniforms while watching the Boilers lose. Also nice to see Duke get whipped tonight by 20 points by Villanova. FYI - this day, 30 years ago... the ES was 10 years old in California, watching on tv as MSU students drank green beer in some bar in celebration of MSU defeating Indiana State for the NCAA title. New Spartan Baseball Stadium; McCallie Goes Home After Spartan Spanking to Sweet 16; Wrestler Wins National Title (24 Mar 2009)--In the meantime, while we await the Sweet 16 men's game on Friday, it was fun to watch the Spartan women Duke's butt, espeicallly teaching a lesson to former Spartan skipper Joanne P. McCallie. MSU, a #9-seed, hammered #1-seed Duke 62-49, and advanced with the men to the Sweet 16. Maybe, yes, ok, we're a basketball school. Congrats! Also, it is nice to beat up on Ohio State in any sport, and we did that over the weeked with 133-lb Spartan Franklin Gomez winning the NCAA wrestling championship over Buckeye Reece Humphrey with a score of 5-4. It's our first wrestling individual title since 1995. Double Congrats! Finally, as I'm walking to class today, I walk by the Red Cedar River, I turn and look and say, "whoa". There was the women's softballers playing Western Michigan (we won 5-3, MSU is 11-15 overall, and, yes we've played 26 games!), but moreover, there was the NEW MSU BASEBALL STADIUM being erected. It's pretty big; impressive for someone who used to call the games as PA announcer for CMU baseball for two years. I may have to take the fam out for a game or three this spring when it gets above 60 degrees. Here's a photo:
Spartans
favored by 1.5 over Kansas.
SWEET 16 BABY!!!! #2 MSU Advances to Sweet 16, AGAIN, with a hard-nosed victory over Southern Cal (22 Mar 2009)--Your players of the game: Goran Suton and Travis Walton in Michigan State's 74-69 victory over USC. Suton was an absolute STUD on defense against a very effective and difficult inside Trojan game. He had 7 pts, but 10 crucial rebounds. Travis Walton? A career high 18 pts (8-13 FG) and his usual hands-in-face defense. Also, let's gives some props to Draymond Green, who had 9 rebounds and 7 points, including some crucial rebounds and FTs in the home stretch. MSU had way too many unforced errors (15 TOs), but their depth certainly helped out in the end. MSU outshot USC 43%-40%, hit 46% three pointers (6-13) to USC's 10% (1-10), and had 20 assists to USC's 10. Yes, the better team won today, and if we had not committed so many unforced errors, maybe MSU would have won by 10 or more. Check out the CBS video. Actually, after Summers started draining threes early, you could have figured MSU would have won - he is certainly the gravy that makes us excel whenever he gets it going. A great game, USC is real good, better than a #10 seed. We will face defending national champion Kansas next. Likely, the game will be next Friday evening, against a young team we beat into submission earlier this season but since has grown into a fine fine team. Go GREEN! It is Michigan State's 8th trip to the Sweet 16 in the last 12 years. Yawn, we're regulars there. If you don't have MSU in your bracket at least to the Sweet 16, you're an idiot. Ha! Go WHITE! :) Michigan State Favored by 4 over Southern California, Tipoff 5 pm. Let's compare MSU vs USC. Live Chat. (22 Mar 2009)--Your #2-seeded Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans will face a stiffer test today, this time from the Pac 10 tourney champion, and #10-seed USC Trojans. MSU is a 4-point favorite (over/under is 129 total points scored in this game; bookies are obviously expecting a defensive tussle). As Steve Lavin would put it, bring your hard hat and lunch pail to the game. It should be a dandy. In its 77-72 opening round win, Michigan State's suffocating defense completely walled off Robert Morris immediately after RMU took a 2 point lead, and MSU exploded behind Allen and Suton for a 21-0 run into the second half. Add in solid low post domination by Raymar Morgan, Draymond Green, and Delvon Roe.... and, Next thing you knew, old Jed's a millionaire and MSU is in the second round. But, the Trojans ain't swiss cheese: they have five athletic starters who are 6-foot-5 or taller, and all of them love to attack the rim. In the opening round, USC defeated BC 72-55. They shut down Boston College's Tyrese Rice to just 9 points, half of his 17 ppg average. BC was held to just six field goals in the second half and shot a season-low 32.7 percent shooting for the game. Let's compare the two first round games:
Wow, both teams had similar first round experiences. However, one thing really stands out: MSU's depth. Against RMU, 10 Spartans played at least 10 minutes, and not one of them logged more than 25 minutes. After Suton completed his decimation of RMU on the glass and in the paint, with 10 minutes left in the game he sat. He'll be well rested. When you look at USC, three players: Dwight Lewis, DeMar DeRozan and Daniel Hackett, played the whole game. And, leading scorer Taj Gibson played 36 minutes. These guys also played all 120 minutes in the Pac-10 tourney. When you consider MSU's strong, bruising defense and the second game in three days, attrition will be a factor in the second half. Give MSU a big advantage here. Travis Walton sees the similarities: "I know they run opportunities when they can get them, and lately they have been playing pretty good defense and rebounding the ball really good. That's been kind of their key to winning." On a personal note, I know many colleagues in my PhD program who have come up to Spartan country from USC (strange conicidence but true). I hope we teach them a lesson, for bragging rights if anything else (this ain't football!). :) USC seems to be a better shooting team (Gibson was 10-for-10 against BC). MSU, however, is a better rebounding team. And, it has the signifcant bench strength. Give this game to MSU, running away with it in the second half. MSU 68, USC 61. Come back here for a Live Chat today, 5 pm. The ES will be here to chime in. Suton Goes Apeshit, Again, in Dominating Peformance over Robert Morris. MSU vs USC, 4:45 on Sunday. (20 Mar 2009)--It's official: next year, Goran Suton will be missed. Michigan State completely dominated Robert Morris tonight, and the big difference was the time that RMU took the lead. After that, MSU dominated going on a 21-0 run through halftime and into the second half. MSU ended up winning the game, 77-62. But, Suton went freaking berzerk, with 11 points and 17 rebounds before he finally had a seat with about 10 minutes left in the game and MSU up by 23 points. His performance reminded the ES of his game vs Wisky, when he could do no wrong. When Suton plays that well, always in the right place at the right time, just 1/2" taller than anyone else, with springs in his shins, and with the touch shot -- well, we just can't lose when Suton goes nuts. The Green outrebouneded RMU 43-25, and outshot them 46%-41% FG and an impressive 74%-54% FT. Wow. Next up, the Southern Cal Trojans on Sunday at 4:45 pm. Spartans to face Robert Morris at 10 pm: How early Big Ten tourney exits turn into Spartan Success; Live Chat (20 Mar 2009)--Michigan State seems to be a mystery in the Big Ten Tournament, year in and year out. But, they are rarely a mystery in the NCAA Tournament. It is no secret that Michigan State is one of the nation’s premier programs, built on the fact that the Spartans have had more success in the NCAA tournament than any other Big Ten team – or any other team in the nation in the past 15 years. MSU rarely wins the Big Ten Tourney, with only two post-regular season titles (1999, 2000) since its debut in 1998. However, over that same period, Michigan State has earned 12 consecutive trips to the Big Dance, under Izzo.
MSU post-season under Izzo:
So, let’s make the comparison: Big Ten tourney disappointments by Michigan State have seemingly provided the needed refocus and bounce for Michigan State’s annual long-runs in the Big Ten Tournament. There may be no better comparison than the last Final Four trip in 2005, when MSU bowed out early to Iowa in the Big Ten tourney... Izzo was so ticked off, he followed up by smashing the game tapes to smithereens in front of the players – and a subsequent four game winning streak to college basketball heaven, the Final Four.
The question for Spartan fans is: would you rather have a Big Ten regular season championship or a Big Ten tourney championship to secure a trip to the Final Four. It seems obvious: MSU’s lackluster success in the Big Ten tournament since the Flintstones departed in 2001 (7-8) has resulted in one Final Four, Elite Eight, and Sweet Sixteen appearance, and an NCAA tourney record of 10-7. You hate to have to pick an either/or, but we Spartans will take the attrition of a regular season crown over three months and the subsequent refocus from an early tourney exit than the Big Ten tourney title. Do you hear that Purdue? You have it, and it’s all yours.... we don’t need it.
This analysis (not in Xs and Os, but rather in Ws and Ls) spells good fortune for Michigan State this year, which is fielding arguably its best team since the 2001 Final Four team. And, luckily enough for Spartan fans, the refocus seems to be working, as the players have noted they are having their best practices of the season.
The X-factor may be the resurgence of Raymar Morgan. A healthy, focused, and red-hot Morgan will cause havoc for Robert Morris. RMU has no player taller than 6-feet-8. Of the 6-8 players, Rob Robinson and Dallas Green, neither has the physical size to match Morgan, who weighs 225 pounds. "It's great," Morgan told the Free Press "It's a chance of a lifetime. I can finally get to show the world what they've been missing for a while. And my team, it seems like we are playing our best basketball over these last couple of practices. So everybody's feeling good. Everybody is close to 100%."
ES predicts: Raymar Morgan-infused Spartans 84, The Short, Sharp Shooting Colonials 66.
Check back
this evening for a Live Chat for the game. President picks MSU to the Elite 8. Light the Stove. (2006 Mar 19)--President Obama released the First Ballot yesterday, and sho' nuff... there wuz Michigan State in the Elite 8. He has the Big Green going through Robert Morris, Boston College, and Kansas before being tripped up by his eventual runner up, Louisville. Other Big Ten picks by the Prez: Ohio State, second round; Purdue, Sweet 16; scUM & Illini, Minny, Wisky, nowhere. That's not lots of respect for the Big Ten by the man from Big Ten country. Nicest quote out of Izzo: "It's time to light the stove. We've got to put everything we've got on the line." Big Ten Bloggers Roundtable on the NCAA Tournament (2006 Mar 16)--KatsTMill (aka BoilerTMill) over at Hammer And Rails (aka Off the Tracks) gets the kudos for setting up this roundtable. Check out the responses over at the H&R by Wednesday night.
Q1. For those in the tournament, what was your signature win that made sure you were dancing? For those out, what was that one loss that prevented you from going? ES: That first question is a two part question.
Part A - Knew Michigan State was dancing: Season Opener, 118-57 exhibition win over Northern Michigan.
Part B – Michigan State’s signature win: So much to choose from considering MSU is the nation’s leader with 12 wins over Top-50 rpi teams. Shall we select the 75-62 blasting of defending national champs Kansas? The 62-51 thumping of then-#19 Purdue? Raymar Morgan scoring 29 points to crush Oklahoma State, 94-79? Suton's going-berzerk performance in a 61-50 slapping of Wisky? Naah, more likely the 67-63 victory on the road over then-#5 Texas. Q2. The conference jumped from four bids to seven this year, and it could have been nine with the right breaks. What is the biggest factor in this jump?
Last year’s freshmen became sophomores. Q3. Talk about your first round opponent for a moment. What advantages/disadvantages do you see in facing them (Penn State and Northwestern fans may talk NIT here).
Michigan State Advantage: Robert Morris was a financier for George Washington’s army, he wasn’t a basketball player. Michigan State Disadvantage: RMU's stunning, 48-46 Northeast Conference tourney victory over Mount St. Mary’s. Q4. What are your realistic postseason expectations? Final Four, baby. No less. Q5. How will your team get back to/make the step forward to the NCAA Tournament next year? this is officially known as the Iowa and Indiana question. Next year? Huh? We ain't done with this year, yet. Since you asked, we Spartans don't rebuild, we reload. Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo, Izzo. Izzo. Ummm, Raymar Morgan doesn’t get the Bubonic Plague and stays healthy as a senior, our sophomores (Kalin Lucas, Chris Allen, Durrel Summers) become juniors and our freshmen (Delvon Roe, Korie Lucious, Draymond Green) become sophomores. Youth and Depth, youth and depth. MSU OPENS
AS #2 FAVORITE TO (2009 Mar
16)--The #2 seeded Michigan State Spartans are favored by 17 points against
#15 Robert Morris of the Northeast Conference. However, if you check out
the Future Odds over at Vegas Insider, MSU is a Your Big Ten tourney schedule, with MGM Mirage odds: Thursday Friday If you are up at 9:55 pm on Friday (if you're not, you are Spartan fool) to watch, you will get the joy to listen to the best hoops commentator on the planet, Gus Johnson, call the game alongside Hall of Famer Len Elmore. Finally - Idong Ibok made the Second Team Tournament "All Porno" names. This, from a program that produced Magic Johnson.
Date/Time: Friday, Mar. 20. 9:50 pm. About Robert Morris: Pittsburgh, PA. #113 rpi. 23-10 record (9-7 on the road). Northeast Conf regular season & tourney champions. Notable opponents: L, 62-70 to Miami-FL; L, 72-92 to Pitt; L, 57-78 to Xavier; W, 73-60 over Central Mich. Links to Robert Morris University: official website, hoops team, wikipedia, Northeast Conference, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette NCAA bracket, Tickets to Minn Regional (2009 Mar 15)--Michigan State will play Robert Morris in the first round of the NCAA tournament in the Midwest Region. The Big Ten Champion MSU Spartans earned a #2 seed. They will play in Minneapolis on Friday (Time TBA). The four #1 seeds: Louisville, Pitt, UConn and North Carolina. It was nice that the first region shown by CBS was the Midwest region, so we didn't have to wait all hour long (as usual) to see where MSU ended up. A #2 in the Midwest seems about right. As Clark Kellogg said tonight on CBS Selection Show: "there's not much difference between a #1 and #2 seed in my mind." Let us hope he is correct. Potential second round matchups for the Big Green include: #7 Boston Coll or red hot #10 Southern Cal. In the bottom half of the bracket is #3 Kansas vs #14 N Dakota St and #6 Wake Forest vs #11 Dayton. The ES likes the lower half of this bracket. Probably our best draw in YEARS. We have lots of depth, and certainly we can show all these teams how to play defense -- none are defensive minded. Although winning the Midwest Region through Louisville is gonna be tough, any #1 (other than Pitt - MSU owns Pitt) would be tough. Who knows, maybe John L Smith will sport a Spartan shirt if MSU plays Louisville in the Elite 8? But first things first, we need to get through the bottom bracket. More later. Big Ten teams: #2 MSU (Midwest), #5 Purdue (West), #5 Illinois (South), #8 Ohio St (Midwest), #10 Minny (East), #10 scUM (South), #12 Wisky (East). Penn State's bubble burst. Who was Robert Morris? The financier of the American Revolution, Morris was particularly important in obtaining munitions and other supplies and in borrowing money to finance George Washington's army.
(2009 Mar 14)--In East Lansing, the sun was warm, the birds were chirping. No snow to be seen. But, inside Conseco Fieldhouse, the Spartans were cold as ice. MSU couldn't hit the broadside of a barn and played sloppy on defense to fall in the Big Ten semis to Ohio State. Give OSU credit for coming to play hard in its best effort of the year, but also give MSU blame for not caring. MSU hit just 3 of 21 threes -- and at one point were just 1 of 13. Blah. Tom Izzo said his team "looked tired." Tired? Of what? They're the #1 seed in the Big Ten. If they are tired, everyone else should be exhausted. Coach better whip them into shape quick. MSU likely has locked in a #2 seed in the NCAA tourney -- which is too bad, as so many other teams fell (including UNC today) that could have gave MSU an open door to #1. Pray for a Midwest seeding.
(2009 Jan 12)--With his spare time over the holiday break and between bowl games, the ES investigated how each state fared in college football success in 2008 and to consider the presumption that the best college football is played in Texas, Florida, and California. The aggregate wins and losses in 2008 of all NCAA member college football teams (Divisions 1, 2, and 3) were compiled and separated by state as a state's winning percentage. A state's college football success was also calculated using a different formula after adjusting for total number of teams in a state (some states had far more football teams than others). A visual representation of the data by state helped to provide a comparison of football success by state and by region. The South had the greatest success by winning percentage and the Midwest had the greatest success after adjusting by number of teams. Michigan finished near the average in winning percentage, but better than average after adjustment. The study confirmed in 2008 that Texas and Florida were among the states with the greatest college football success, thus supporting the publicly perceived identity of the states as college football powers. The NCAA's Principle of Competitive Equity is to ensure "equity in competition" for all college sports (NCAA, 2008). This is better known as a level playing field. Considering the ideal of college football competition to be equitable, then where are the perceived disparities in the outcomes of competition, considering all NCAA divisions? Is there more success in one state or region than another and by how much? Let us consider college football in the South, or in Florida, Texas, and California, or elsewhere: where was the best (and worst) college football played in 2008? When considering a state's success in college football, one should consider all the individual colleges that play football and the players who compete on each team: across all NCAA Divisions 1, 2, and 3. When looking at a team's success, one must consider the contribution of each player on a football team. A significant number of college football players attend colleges within the same state that they attended high school. And, the common understanding among the media, the general public, and the millions of major college football fans is that the "best recruits" are from the warm weather states, particularly those of Texas, Florida, and California (Holcomb, 2008; Simmons, 2008; Sondheimer, 2008). In August 2008, ESPN's Great State Debate led off with a on-line discussion of which eight states created the best football talent, led by Texas, Florida, and California. Data was gathered of the wins and losses in the 2008 regular season for all NCAA-member institutions from the Internet. Websites that were particularly useful were www.ncaa.org, www.yahoo.com, www.d2football.com, and www.d3football.com. Each of these sites sorted football teams and records by their conference affiliation. Records from 631 teams were included in the dataset: 120 teams from Division 1-FBS; 125 from Division 1-FCS; 147 from Division 2; and 239 from Division 3. The data were separated by state, representing 49 states plus the District of Columbia. Alaska was not included in the dataset because it did not have any NCAA college football teams. The results of a total of 6,855 games in 2008 with NCAA member football teams were included in the analysis. Only NCAA-membership institutions with football teams were considered. All regular season contests from 2008 were included in the dataset. Playoff or bowl games were not considered. The total number of college football teams by division and by state was included. This was done to later engage in dialogue and consideration if a particular division impacted a state's final ranking either in winning percentage or by adjusted score. Results were calculated with two methods: aggregate wins & losses (winning percentage) in each state; and, adjusting winning percentage by average number of teams (AWANT), or multiplying a state's winning percentage by the number of teams in the state divided by the average number of teams per state. Results Available is a complete listing of results, and team by team comparisons within every state and division. Below, I list the top 11 schools with each statistical categorization.
Geographical results The clustering by geography helped to demonstrate certain trends of college football success by region. The most significantly visible results are presented below. Again, for more data and larger maps, link here. Trends of success determined by winning percentage:
1. The Northeast
and Midwest had the largest cluster of states closest to average success
(.500), noted by two clusters in the range of .450 - .499 and .500 -.549. Trends of success determined by Average State Winning Percentage Adjusted by Number of Teams (AWANT):
1. The Heartland
and Mountain regions had the least amount of success when adjusting the
score by number of teams in the state, with a large contiguous area of
14 states from Oklahoma to Washington in the two lowest categories: an
AWANT of 0.20 - 0.49 and 0 - 0.19. The state of Michigan's football success Michigan
fared better-than-average compared to other states' college football success.
Michigan's success ranked 21st at 51.7% (.517) by winning percentage with
106 wins and 99 losses. There were 19 total NCAA-member schools included
in the Michigan dataset. Michigan ranked higher by AWANT, finishing 11th
among the 50 states and in the second-tier, with a score of 0.78. Discussion Regionally, the statistical and visual representations demonstrate that in 2008, states in the South were the most significantly successful in college football. Most states in the South were included among the top half of the states by AWANT. And, the results in the South were nearly as dramatic by winning percentage. The data demonstrate that, in 2008, both Texas and Florida fared in the top tiers of college football success, supporting a hypothesis of this study. The highly populated industrial states in the Midwest and in the Northeast represented the most dramatic shift between the two graphs, when considering for number of colleges participating in NCAA football. The Midwest and Northeast ranged around average considering winning percentage, but soared to the top of the heap when factoring in number of teams. Virginia and Minnesota were the only two states which ranked among the top 10 in both winning percentage and adjusting for number of teams (AWANT). The geographical representation highlighted in the Northwest and Mountain states, the lack of school selection may lead to interstate flight of "best recruit" football players to adjacent states. While more dramatically presented by winning percentage, the results were also present by adjusting for number of teams (AWANT). While the distance in the two regions may be furthest between NCAA member schools, the results in this study demonstrate it may matter less. Considering that geographical distance from home is a significant factor in college choice of athletes and with fewer NCAA schools to select in states within the Northwest and Mountain regions, high school players - including the most talented players - may choose to instead attend a school in a neighboring state. When comparing these regions to the South, this study supports the findings by Dumond, Lynch, and Platania (2008) that "the distance between a recruit and the prospective college is an important factor, as is whether the school is in the same state as the recruit. This distance effect is strongest in the South and weakest in the West" (p. 81). Note that it cannot be overstated the extent that institutional, financial, or other environmental contexts affect a school's football win-loss record. Priorities of institutions toward athletics may likely change more drastically as the revenue stream from athletics becomes less significant to an institution's budget, particularly noted by an institution's NCAA division and institution size. Also consider a coach's philosophy may work well in one state or region and not in another. Conclusion So, what
does the ES make of all this? The basis of this investigation was to consider
all of a state's college football teams in aggregate as a representation
of the success of college football within a state, as compared to other
states. A cornerstone of the NCAA is to create and enforce rules and regulations
to ensure that there is an equal playing field among all teams in a division.
Certainly, it can be argued whether or not the NCAA has succeeded to provide
equal competition. By collecting and segregating 2008 wins and losses
by state, this investigation supported the concept of particular advantages
to states in football: more success in the South and Midwest, and less
success in the Mountain and Northwest. It supports the perception that
in 2008 college football success is among the strongest in Texas and Florida;
however, that perception could not be applied to California. And, in 2008,
a team's winning percentage may be due in part to both a state's perceived
identity as a college football power, and a recruit's consideration of
the distance between a school and home. References Dumond, J. M., Lynch, A. K., & Platania, J. (2008). An economic model of the college football recruiting process. Journal of sports economics, 9(1), 67-87. Holcomb, T. (2008, April 14). The great high school football state debate: Who's producing top players? Atlanta Journal Constitution. Langelett, G. (2003). The relationship between recruiting and team performance in Division 1A college football. Journal of sports economics, 4(3), 240-245. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). (2008). NCAA Manual. Indianapolis. Simmons, R. (2008). Best high school football state settled once and for all. Sondheimer, E. (2008, November 22). Pac-5 football playoffs are the best, bar none. Los Angeles Times. READ MORE IN NEWS ARCHIVES... Link on panorama shot below, courtesy ES
300 + 2007 Spartans = Cool Wallpaper (2007 August 21)--Click below on the very cool wallpaper the ES received yesterday in an email from TM (Rbokie24). It widens out to 1800 pixels... very slick.
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The
Enlightened Spartan, copyright 2009. The
Enlightened Spartan was designed by Athletic
Experts 1. |
Yes,
Suton IS NBA material
No,
not Jacko - its Boisture, and it Has Dick Rod Reeling
Alabama
& West Virginia on the Gridiron... 
Spartan
Athletics... Academics, Finances, and Priorities. Shall MSU Swimming Take
A Dive?
Personal
thoughts about Sparty and the Final Four: WHAT A RIDE
Michigan
State Awarded #2 Seed in Midwest Region - Next Up: Robert Morris on Fri,
9:50 pm
