Six

​Some call Michigan vs. Michigan State a rivalry game. Geography plays a part in that. Just 60 miles separate the two campuses, but I remind you that just a few feet of stone separated East and West Berlin. And that's how different these two institutions are.

To the Northwest, smothered in Green and White, lies Michigan State University. A land grant college (the first in fact), by definition it's an A&M...as in Michigan A&M. It was founded in 1855, but wouldn't become a University until 1955. In 1950, Michigan (yes, we were in charge) reluctantly allowed Michigan Agricultural College to join the Big Ten as a replacement for The University of Chicago, who left the conference in 1946. The University of Chicago stopped playing D1 football in 1939, but its seven Big Ten Football titles is still one more than Michigan State has managed to win since. No, seriously, Michigan State has six Big Ten Football championships. Six.

This is where the inferiority complex comes into play. It's a pretty serious one. Your typical Michigan State fan was shunned by the University of Michigan coming out of high school. (See The Thin Letter). Occasionally, you'll run into a Sparty that will tell you they chose Michigan State over Michigan. And occasionally, monkeys fly out of my ass. But you have to feel for them. You get shunned academically, then you stand by and watch as your school gets dominated on basically every possible field of play for your career there. And while there is dominance in the Big Ten athletic arena by Michigan over Michigan State, that isn't necessarily the problem. The problem is Michigan State's complete and utter ineptitude overall in sports.

Michigan State has 76 total Big Ten Championships all-time in all sports. Michigan has 337. As a reference for MSU's crappiness, Penn State has 41...they joined the conference in 1991. Purdue with 65 and Northwestern with 66, are the only two that are worse than the Spartans. However, Purdue and Northwestern are highly ranked academic institutions. Also of note are Michigan State's 10 Big Ten Championships in the sport they so patiently wait to commence each fall after football falters...basketball. 10 however, is two less than Michigan's 12. Interesting.

The comparisons become tiresome. I find myself pointing out the failings of Michigan State University every year prior to this "Backyard Brawl." Why you ask? Why am I wasting my time with this Big Ten also ran? It's them. They beat us sometimes. 28 times in fact. With this being the 100th meeting between us, the lopsidedness of the matchup speaks for itself. What is truly amazing is that the 28 losses is the second most handed to us by any team. And each one of those losses gives Sparty the notion, if only for a day, that they are as good as Michigan. That no matter what happened in the past...academically, athletically, socially...that day, everything is ok, and their worthless lives suddenly have meaning and purpose. So what do they do when that happens?

Burn down the city they live in.

And the cycle continues. No doubt that on paper Michigan should beat Michigan State once again this year. What is slightly scary about that prospect is that a win this year will make six in a row. A seven game winning streak is difficult to maintain in any series...and paper, well, we all know what paper means. If there is anything that college football has shown us this year it is that on any given Saturday, anything can happen. That adage applies to no one better than it applies to Michigan. So, Michigan State can certainly find a way to beat Michigan, even if they shouldn't. And that sucks. Because just as every other year, and in every possible way...we're better than they are.

Lou Holtz Pep Talk

​Lou Holtz's weekly pep talk was aimed at the Nittany Lions this week. For those that missed it, the quote to note is:

...and Michigan is arrogant. They are probably over there doing crossword puzzles with a pen because they think they never make mistakes.

Thanks Lou. Your pep talk did wonders for us against Oregon...hope it has the same effect on Penn State.

For a look at the Michigan-Penn State game from the other side, read this post from Black Shoe Diaries:

Don't let their 1-2 record fool you. Michigan is a dangerous opponent this weekend. They are a wounded animal backed into a corner. Now with conference play starting they have new life. Make no mistake. They intend to run the table, win the Big Ten, and go to the Rose Bowl thumbing their nose at everyone saying they suck.

And then lose the Rose Bowl, right? We don't do well out west.

And then there's the Spartans: 3-0. Bumped us to the Big Ten Network next weekend, eh? Amazing start right? Well, don't get too cocky East Lansing, this is the 3rd consecutive year with such a start. They ended up 4-8 last year and 5-6 in 2005. Notre Dame blog The Blue-Gray Sky covers this week's matchup as I quickly switch to Go Irish mode.

Let us also not forget quite possibly the best you tube video ever....Mike Valenti's rant from last season put to music with some great Sparty highlights. Love it...watch it. And thanks to Deadspin for reminding me of it.

That's all I've got....still waiting for Johnny Cleveland's Pregame?

Blue Cagers Maintain A Little Dignity; Winter (Spring) Reunion Date Official

​So, it's tough to look past what took place last night, as I rarely miss an opportunity to take a jab at Sparty. Michigan beat Michigan State 67-56, splitting the series with them for the second year in a row. But given the status of the abomination that is Michigan Wolverine basketball, you might not have known, or even noticed. The front of the Free Press sports page contains only a small blurb, and it's a negative one at that. It seems like only yesterday (OK, more like the early to mid 90's) that this game was front page material on a local level and sometimes even a national level. Quite frankly, other than holding serve over the half-wits around my office, I myself care very little. This program cannot be fixed by a single win, or even a winning streak. Not today. Not on Saturday against Ohio State.

Saturday will be senior night, and the Michigan faithful will gather to pay homage to a group of young men whose talent and skill set has only regressed over their time here. What will really hit home for me is the end of the career of Courtney Sims. 

Big Ten Basketball Guru "The Wonk" remarks:

I don't know that I've ever seen a situation quite like the Sims case. Here's a senior who started the first game of his freshman year and has more or less started ever since. And he's benched in the February of his final season. Wow.

Ya, wow. The fact is, every year there was a story about Courtney's off-season. "Courtney put on 35 pounds of muscle to get tougher." "Courtney lost weight to get quicker." "Courtney went to big man camp." "Courtney joined a cult." "Courtney grew a pencil-thin mustache." In the end, Courtney played like, well...like a Courtney. I feel like I've been bitching about him for ten years. And it's probably not all his fault. However, I don't think a coach can stop you from being a girl. It's in the genes.

Anyway, we've got Saturday against #1, then the Big Ten tourney starting next Thursday. A win Saturday plus a win in the tourney, and we just might find ourselves in the NCAA Tournament. Any other scenario (aside from a Big Ten tournament championship) will land us in the NIT. Either way, without significant improvement, next year could be the last tour of duty for Amaker's Army, a "don't ask, don't tell" type of organization.

Winter (Spring) Reunion

The official date has been set for the 2007 Winter Reunion. It will be Saturday, March 31, at Fraser's Pub in Ann Arbor. Join us for food, drinks, and to meet Goody's next wife. Festivities will start at 1:30pm, and roll all the way thru the Final Four games. Hope to see you there.

We Miss You Already...

In breaking news out of the ahh-nus (sorry, Borat seems to be everywhere) that is East Lansing, it seems that the John L. Smith era has come to an end. John L. has apparently accepted a $1.5 million buyout of the remainder of his contract. According to Joe Ferguson, Vice Chairperson of Michigan State's Board of Trustees, "What we need here is more players. What we need here is better recruits. We don't make excuses. What we need is more depth and more players." Which poses the question: What the hell is a Vice Chairperson of the Board of Trustees?...and do the Wolverines have one? The news has sparked mass celebrations throughout E.L., but in lieu of riots there have been just a few private couch burnings.

• Bleeding Green has the pre-presser post writing John L. off into the sunset.


• The Enlightened Spartan is elated that MSU can now be "better than average."

John L. has posted a 22-23 record for the Spartans, and has never beaten Michigan or Ohio State. He will go down in history as the only coach to lead a team to blow a 16-point 4th quarter lead (Notre Dame), and come back from a 35-point deficit (Northwestern) in the same season. It was that kind of inconsistency that made him the perfect fit for Sparty, but alas, 

the tribe has spoken

. He will coach the remainder of this stellar season in an attempt to push his record over the illustrious .500 mark and get those Sparties to the Motor City Bowl. Good bye John L, I look forward to seeing you slap yourself in the face as an assistant coach in a non-BCS conference.

It appears Ron English's name is getting tossed about on the short list for next head coach, which makes me laugh. Because we all know who the next coach will be... the Mooch and the Izzone united in perfect Sparty harmony. Love it.

Captain Michigan Scores More Than Michigan State

​The preseason Heisman candidate and his band of preseason Big Ten Champion darkhorses came into Ann Arbor on Saturday. They were bruised, battered, and coming off two of the most embarrassing back-to-back losses in their history. They had absolutely nothing to lose, and could begin to salvage a disastrous season by handing their "rival" their first loss. Winning fixes everything. Unfortunately for the Spartan faithful, the Green and White seem to only know how to disappoint. 

Unlike the past two years, it wouldn't take overtime. The loudest cheers came during announcements of the score from the  Detroit Tigers dismantling of the Yankee dynasty just 35 miles away in Comerica Park, and it was the only cheering the Michigan State faithful would feel compelled to participate in. In fact, this game was less in question by the end of the first half than Michigan's games against Vanderbilt and Central Michigan. Michigan dominated, broadcasting their weekly edition of "Establishing the Run", racking up 211 yards on 5 yards per carry. 122 yards of the ground attack came from Mike Hart, 51 from Kevin Grady, and 39 from true frosh Brandon Minor, who broke a 40-yard TD run to seal the game late in the 3rd quarter. Henne-to-Arrington showed up again with a spectacular leaping grab of 13 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Henne-to-Manningham, now a household name, came through again with 2 touchdowns of 41 and 27 yards. A late 2-yard touchdown by a scrambling Stanton somehow warranted his own personal celebration, but it would not be enough in his final chance to beat the Maize and Blue. Michigan wins 31-13...and it has never been less exciting. On it's way to being only termed a rivalry because of geography, Michigan-Michigan St. not only didn't warrant a Maize Out, it barely deserved your attention.

So we quickly move on to next week. Michigan has earned themselves half of a perfect season, the first since 1997, and that means that things are starting to get serious in Ann Arbor. They have two solid contests in the next two weeks before three weeks of patsies on the road to Columbus. First is what many are calling a "trap game" under the lights in Beaver Stadium, where the visiting Wolverines will come in ranked #4 for the first time since...you guessed it...1997.

The tailgate was completely ridiculous, full of first-timers, and overrun with a level of drunkenness and debauchery not previously observed. Exhaustion even had me down for the count. Perhaps the masses were not quite prepared for the longest home tailgate in UMTailgate.com history, as many stumbled in late to the battle for the Paul Bunyan trophy, and some didn't make it at all. But in the end, it didn't matter. Get drunk, pass out...forget about it...with Michigan State, you can relax.