April 06, 2009

Please Exit the Bandwagon in an Orderly Fashion

April 06, 2009/ The Webmaster

My biggest concern is what the State of Michigan will do now that Michigan State choked like a bitch in the championship game. Poverty, homelessness, joblessness...they were all coming to an end. The bad economy was to be carried out on the shoulders of Tom Izzo and some dude from Bosnia, but now our woes will continue. Why? Because somebody decided to embrace this "Michigan State is saving the world" bullshit, and forgot that there was a basketball game to play.

Ha ha, I couldn't be happier.

The press wanted this to be bigger than what it was. Izzo and East Lansing took the bait, and set several championship game records of futility.

And for the Michigan fans that decided to Go Green for the weekend, I will chalk it up to you latching on to a winning team with some type of close proximity to where you live, to the fact that maybe you know a Sparty or are friends with a Sparty, or that you got lucky with one of the prostitutish coeds during your formative years. I believe that you wouldn't have even blinked if they were ousted in the first round, in fact you probably would have chuckled a bit. I think by halftime you were chuckling tonight. They call that the bandwagon. Don't feel bad, we've all jumped aboard a bandwagon or two in our lives. I forgive you. Even you Lloyd. It's probably the right thing to do for someone in that position. Just remember it for next time.

Because I promise you that you will never hear Dantonio praise John Beilein.

April 03, 2009

Remember the Time

April 03, 2009/ The Webmaster

Freep gave us a flashback to an article that I see and read often as it hangs proudly next to my bathroom mirror. Mitch Album (back when he was cool and not writing in the Life section) eloquently captures a great moment in Michigan history...

Nobody believed us," said Higgins, clutching his little brown box with the championship ring inside. "The people were all saying 'Seton Hall, Seton Hall.' Just like at the beginning they were saying 'Xavier, Xavier.' They didn't know how many nights we sat up talking about a national championship. I think it was all that doubting by everyone else that enabled us to win tonight.

Hat tip to Kisses-T for forwarding this on and reminding me of its importance heading into a weekend of Sparty-filled crap.

April 03, 2009

Noooooooooooooooo. No. No. No. No. No.

April 03, 2009/ The Webmaster

Hmmm. This speaks for itself, and you know where I stand.

If you see Izzo, tell him I'll be cheering him," Carr said of Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo. "He and Jud Heathcote, those are two of the best guys in the game.

And...

I think he's real, Carr said of Izzo. I think there's no airs and no pretension about him. He bring(s) a great intensity and competitiveness. He obviously has a love for the game and for Michigan State that's special.

I couldn't dream of producing prose that exemplifies the exact opposite of Izzo better than that, other than to say that he is also a tall, joyful man.

So, ya, there's that.

April 02, 2009

OK, OK, I'm Interested

April 02, 2009/ The Webmaster

I've been teetering between "ho-hum" and "kinda cool" with regards to the pre-Spring Game flag football game. But after today's additions to the rosters, coupled with the return of Gary Moeller, I'm leaning heavily towards "kinda cool." They've gone ahead and added The Train. From RichRods facebook page...

A-Train will play!
Anthony Thomas - RB, 1997-2000

And from earlier in the day...

Ali Haji-Sheikh - PK, 1979-82
Brandent Englemon - S, 2004-07

I know KevinSec30 is a big fan of The Sheikh. The whole roster is here and is updated daily. You might need to have a facebook account to see it. As of right now, here it is:

Rick Leach - QB, 1975-78
Bill Dufek - OT, 1974-78
Jim Betts - S, 1968-1970
Michael Taylor - QB, 1987-89
Kenny Jackson - DB, 1996-98
Scott Dreisbach - QB, 1995-98
Mike Leoni - OL, 1978-79
Chris Bohn - LB, 1988-1990
Chris Calloway - WR, 1986-89
Jay Riemersma - TE, 1992-95
Andy Mignery - TE, 2001-03
Jason Carr - QB, 1993-95
Todd Richards - WR, 1993-95
Aaron Richards - WR, 2000
Larry Foote - LB, 1998-2001
Mark Bihl - C, 2003-06
Ron Bellamy - WR, 1999-2002
Thomas Wilcher - RB, 1985-86
Aaron Shea - TE, 1996-99
Ali Haji-Sheikh - PK, 1979-82
Brandent Englemon - S, 2004-07
Anthony Thomas - RB, 1997-2000
Guest Referee: James Hall - DE 1996-99

The Spring Game weekend is shaping up nicely.

March 30, 2009

Weekend Roundup, You're Either With Us, Or You're With the Terrorists Edition: March 30, 2009

March 30, 2009/ The Webmaster

Lots of talk around the 'sphere about whether you, as a Michigan fan, should have been...or should be...pulling for Michigan State during their run in the NCAA tournament. The simple answer is: you can do whatever you want. I'm not your dad, so if you want to get all teary-eyed when you recreate memories of the Flint-Stones, bump chests with your buddy over the dominating play of war-torn Bosnia survivor Goran Suton, embrace ESPN's assessment of Michigan State as the team that saved the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit, or even name your first kid Mateen...I really don't care. If you want to play the Big Ten unity card, that's awfully nice of you. GO BIG TEN! Wooo hooo! In the end, what you are really asking is if being a fan of Michigan State basketball, or rooting for them in some capacity, makes you less of a Michigan fan.

Yes, it does.

You can slice it any way you want to, you sleep with the enemy. Pardon the old joke, but you should have three favorite teams: Michigan, the team playing Michigan State, and the team playing Ohio State. And if the Big Ten sucks, or the perception of it sucks, there is a simple solution...you root for YOUR OWN TEAM to win more games. You don't root for Sparty or the Buckeyes to make it better. And when Sparty and the Buckeyes take the field, court, wrestling mat, or ping pong table to play each other...you root for injuries and recruiting violations.

Pulling for Michigan State is the easy thing to do. It's exciting, this Final Four. And it's right down the street. The word "Michigan" is in the name of their school! But Michigan is not there. And you shouldn't be either, unless you've got UCONN gear on.

From Genuinely Sarcastic:

In the end, it's all equal. There is strong dislike on both sides for the other, and personally, I think it's an abomination for a Michigan fan to cheer for Michigan State to get to the Final Four. Not because of anything that may come of this in recruiting, but because MSU fans aren't going to do the same for UM. I cheered for Kansas, I cheered for Louisville, and I'll be cheering for Connecticut. I'm a Michigan fan, not a Big Ten fan,and a Michigan fan doesn't cheer for Michigan State.

This debate covered en masse and other stuff from the internets...