I've meant to write on this blog earlier, but never got around to it; however, seeing as hardly anybody besides me reads it anyway, it hardly matters.
I enjoyed the MSU football team's off-week. It really couldn't have been timed better: not only was it a great time for the team to heal and get some important players back, but it gave yours truly time to focus on Halloween and catch my breath before the home stretch in November.
Even fans need a breather during the season.
We get back into the grind this Saturday, when the Spartans travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Huskers lost last week to lowly Purdue, but they remain a team that can't be taken lightly. Tommy Armstrong--who, at the Big Ten meetings before the season, declared his desire to beat MSU--is back at quarterback. He may still be ailing from turf toe, but I've no doubt he'll bring everything he has on Saturday. To make this game even more dangerous, it's at night and Nebraska is fighting for its postseason life. One more loss and they will not be eligible for a bowl game.
All this said, the Spartans should find a way to win this one. After four consecutive tough games with Nebraska, MSU will not take them lightly--I'm sure of this. I look for the Huskers to hang with the Spartans for about the first three quarters with the Green-and-White pulling away in the fourth quarter. I predict a final score of 38-24.
***
On Tuesday night, the first college football playoff rankings were released. Michigan State is seventh. I know that many MSU fans are upset about this, but I've neither surprised nor do I care. The bottom line is that the Spartans need to win out to make the playoff. That's all it comes down to. A road win over a wounded (but still dangerous) Nebraska should count some; a romp over Maryland at home is expected and won't help MSU's resume; but clearly a victory over Ohio State on November 21 will catapult the Spartans into the top four. Then the Spartans will need to beat an improved Penn State on Senior Day in East Lansing and beat whoever the opponent is in the Big Ten title game (probably Iowa). MSU can't afford to stumble at all in its remaining games because there is no way the committee will vote more than one Big Ten team into the playoff, least of all a team like Michigan State with little name recognition.
***
The Drive with Jack Ebling had former MSU quarterback Bobby McAllister as a guest yesterday. They talked a little about the 1987 Ohio State game in Columbus (a 13-7 MSU victory). That got me to google "Michigan State Ohio State 1987" and, quite miraculously, I discovered that BTN2GO has the game in its archives. I haven't seen the game since it was played in 1987, when I and some college friends wrapped tin foil around TV antennas in order to improve our poor dorm room television reception. About all I remember is that the game was a defensive struggle and a true nail-biter. It was MSU's last major obstacle of the Big Ten season as they marched to the conference title and a Rose Bowl win. I plan on giving a report in this blog after viewing the game for the first time in 28 years.
Showing posts with label Jack Ebling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jack Ebling. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Trying to get into basketball mode; and a Heart of a Spartan book report
I'm having a hard time making the transition from football to basketball. The joy and euphoria of the MSU football team's accomplishments in 2013 still consume me.
But Big Ten action is underway for the Spartan basketball team. They opened up play on New Year's Eve at Penn State: a game in which MSU started off sluggish in the first half but completely shut down the Nittany Lions in the second half. Today, the Spartans are on the road for again, this time against Indiana. Though the Hoosiers are in a rebuilding year, Assembly Hall is a notoriously difficult place for visiting teams. I see this game as a dogfight, with the Spartans probably pulling away late--but I wouldn't be shocked at all if Indiana pulled the upset.
***
Back in November, I was the lucky beneficiary of a $50 gift card. I knew immediately what I wanted to use it on: something I'd wanted to obtain for a year, but never had due to its high cost (and some people not getting the hint during holiday seasons): Jack Ebling's book about the Michigan State football renaissance, Heart of a Spartan. As luck would have it, the $50 gift card covered the price of the book.
I've been reading the book here-and-there since November. I had to take a break from reading it during the twelve days I was on vacation in late November (it's far too large of a book to take on any travels), and only got to it a few times during the hectic Christmas holiday.
The book is good. Jack Ebling is a talented and insightful writer, and few people are as well-versed on MSU sports history and lore as he. The book is also chock full of outstanding color photographs. My only criticisms are that Jack takes a few too many potshots at "that school down the road," and the book could have used a better copy editor. There are far too many typographical errors littered throughout the text. In fact, there are so many typos that I wonder if the services of an editor were actually used at all.
It also seems that much of the book was taken from Ebling's blog posts on the Red Cedar Message Board, as he makes a few references to "this board." For readers not familiar with the online Spartan Tailgate and Red Cedar Message Board, this may be confusing.
Quibbling aside, Heart of a Spartan is a well-written and fascinating look into the program that Mark Dantonio has built at MSU, and is full of emotional stories of what makes this football program so special. I just finished reading the chapter about Arthur Ray, Jr.'s struggles with cancer, and the 2011 game against Youngstown State in which Ray's roommate and friend Joel Foreman voluntarily ended his consecutive start streak so that Arthur Ray could start the game against Youngstown State. It is such an amazing tale of bravery, selflessness, and friendship and I will admit I was teary-eyed.
Heart of a Spartan is a must-own for any MSU football fan. And, no, Jack Ebling didn't pay me to say that.
But Big Ten action is underway for the Spartan basketball team. They opened up play on New Year's Eve at Penn State: a game in which MSU started off sluggish in the first half but completely shut down the Nittany Lions in the second half. Today, the Spartans are on the road for again, this time against Indiana. Though the Hoosiers are in a rebuilding year, Assembly Hall is a notoriously difficult place for visiting teams. I see this game as a dogfight, with the Spartans probably pulling away late--but I wouldn't be shocked at all if Indiana pulled the upset.
***
Back in November, I was the lucky beneficiary of a $50 gift card. I knew immediately what I wanted to use it on: something I'd wanted to obtain for a year, but never had due to its high cost (and some people not getting the hint during holiday seasons): Jack Ebling's book about the Michigan State football renaissance, Heart of a Spartan. As luck would have it, the $50 gift card covered the price of the book.
I've been reading the book here-and-there since November. I had to take a break from reading it during the twelve days I was on vacation in late November (it's far too large of a book to take on any travels), and only got to it a few times during the hectic Christmas holiday.
The book is good. Jack Ebling is a talented and insightful writer, and few people are as well-versed on MSU sports history and lore as he. The book is also chock full of outstanding color photographs. My only criticisms are that Jack takes a few too many potshots at "that school down the road," and the book could have used a better copy editor. There are far too many typographical errors littered throughout the text. In fact, there are so many typos that I wonder if the services of an editor were actually used at all.
It also seems that much of the book was taken from Ebling's blog posts on the Red Cedar Message Board, as he makes a few references to "this board." For readers not familiar with the online Spartan Tailgate and Red Cedar Message Board, this may be confusing.
Quibbling aside, Heart of a Spartan is a well-written and fascinating look into the program that Mark Dantonio has built at MSU, and is full of emotional stories of what makes this football program so special. I just finished reading the chapter about Arthur Ray, Jr.'s struggles with cancer, and the 2011 game against Youngstown State in which Ray's roommate and friend Joel Foreman voluntarily ended his consecutive start streak so that Arthur Ray could start the game against Youngstown State. It is such an amazing tale of bravery, selflessness, and friendship and I will admit I was teary-eyed.
Heart of a Spartan is a must-own for any MSU football fan. And, no, Jack Ebling didn't pay me to say that.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Another crazy week in the Big Ten
Rico Beard had a funny line on today's "The Drive With Jack Ebling": "The Big Ten title is like a piece of pizza in a room full of polite guys." (Since I didn't have time to write it down, I'm paraphrasing to the best of my recollection).
That perfectly describes the way the top teams have been playing down the stretch. As either Jack or Rico said (I can't remember), it's not as if these teams don't want to win the title, they just don't seem to know how.
As an aside, Jack Ebling's new drive-time radio show, on WVFN 730 AM in the Lansing area from 3-6 PM, is quite good. It's much better than The Huge Show, which it replaced this week. (If you're wondering, I was not paid for that endorsement!).
I'm coming to you from my Nook, so I apologize in advance for any typos and if this ends up looking like one giant paragraph. It's been a crazy week in Big Ten basketball. First, Michigan dials it in during the last few minutes in State College and loses to the hapless Nittany Lions. Unfortunately, this probably led Michigan into desperation mode and led to the Wolverines' defeat of MSU last Sunday. Wisconsin, a team that seemed to be on a role, stumbles mightily to Purdue IN MADISON! (I just hope this doesn 't put the Badgers in desperation mode tonight against the Spartans). To top off the week of stunning Big Ten developments, Indiana loses to Ohio State in Bloomington on the Hoosiers' Senior Night in front of a partisan IU crowd poised to celebrate an outright conference title. Aaron Craft had a tremendous game and the Hoosiers looked like they were suffering from a bout of stage fright. I don't think I'd seen IU look so tentative all year.
As someone who had all but handed Victor Oladipo the Big Ten Player of the Year award, I am now having second thoughts. As difficult as it is to give credit to a Michigan player, Trey Burke has carried the Wolverines in their last few games, and made huge plays down the stretch against Michigan State and Purdue to seal victories for Michigan. I echo the thoughts of others when I say the award may come down to the showdown between Indiana and Michigan at Crisler. If Michigan wins and Trey Burke has a good-to-great game, he's the POY. Same deal with Oladipo.
Now to the Spartans. They're in a little rut, though it's not as if the three teams they've lost to are chopped liver. I expect Keith Appling to get out of his funk tonight and have a good game against Wisconsin, and for the Spartans to slough out another ugly low-scoring win over the Badgers. Wisconsin may be desperate, but I think MSU will be both inspired and ornery.
As an aside, Jack Ebling's new drive-time radio show, on WVFN 730 AM in the Lansing area from 3-6 PM, is quite good. It's much better than The Huge Show, which it replaced this week. (If you're wondering, I was not paid for that endorsement!).
I'm coming to you from my Nook, so I apologize in advance for any typos and if this ends up looking like one giant paragraph. It's been a crazy week in Big Ten basketball. First, Michigan dials it in during the last few minutes in State College and loses to the hapless Nittany Lions. Unfortunately, this probably led Michigan into desperation mode and led to the Wolverines' defeat of MSU last Sunday. Wisconsin, a team that seemed to be on a role, stumbles mightily to Purdue IN MADISON! (I just hope this doesn 't put the Badgers in desperation mode tonight against the Spartans). To top off the week of stunning Big Ten developments, Indiana loses to Ohio State in Bloomington on the Hoosiers' Senior Night in front of a partisan IU crowd poised to celebrate an outright conference title. Aaron Craft had a tremendous game and the Hoosiers looked like they were suffering from a bout of stage fright. I don't think I'd seen IU look so tentative all year.
As someone who had all but handed Victor Oladipo the Big Ten Player of the Year award, I am now having second thoughts. As difficult as it is to give credit to a Michigan player, Trey Burke has carried the Wolverines in their last few games, and made huge plays down the stretch against Michigan State and Purdue to seal victories for Michigan. I echo the thoughts of others when I say the award may come down to the showdown between Indiana and Michigan at Crisler. If Michigan wins and Trey Burke has a good-to-great game, he's the POY. Same deal with Oladipo.
Now to the Spartans. They're in a little rut, though it's not as if the three teams they've lost to are chopped liver. I expect Keith Appling to get out of his funk tonight and have a good game against Wisconsin, and for the Spartans to slough out another ugly low-scoring win over the Badgers. Wisconsin may be desperate, but I think MSU will be both inspired and ornery.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
A little catching up to do...
I finally get around to writing in this blog, and I have to fight my way through annoying pop-up ads just to write a post.
Only nine days until MSU's first football game of 2012, and I'm steeling myself for another four-month adventure ride. With new faces at receiver and a brand-new quarterback, there are some unknowns with this team, and I really don't know what to expect. Boise State should give the Spartans a good test in the opener, and I would not be shocked if the Broncos stole a victory here. I don't necessarily expect Boise State to win, but they will arrive in East Lansing with no fear whatsoever. Heck, look at their track record: since Chris Petersen became coach, Boise State has the obscene record of 73-6. In the last four seasons, the Broncos are 51-2! Sure, they lost some significant contributors from last year's team, including starting QB Kellen Moore, but something tells me they have plenty of guys who are just pining to get on the field. This game will not be easy for Michigan State.
Here's a little potpourri of MSU sports-related topics that I've been mulling over for the last few weeks:
Joe Rexrode, the excellent sportswriter for the Lansing State Journal, has left the LSJ for the Detroit Free Press. I'm not surprised to see this guy's career advance. He's one of those writers whose skills transcend mere sports writing, and it was only a matter of time before his career advanced beyond Lansing. I've long appreciated his wit, intelligence, work ethic, and great writing, and he should bring a welcome Green-and-White presence to the Freep.
Speaking of good local sportswriters, Jack Ebling's book Heart of a Spartan is officially out, and I'd love to pick up a copy (and I'm sure I eventually will buy one), but I just can't afford the 50 buck price tag right now. It's just gonna have to wait awhile.
I still haven't been on the MSU campus to see the enormous new Spartan Stadium scoreboards, but I've heard they are impressive. My only concern--and it's a lame, splitting-hairs concern--is that, from photos I've seen, the north end zone scoreboard looks "tacked on" the stadium, with the scoreboard supports resembling scaffolding that was left there and never removed. So my concern is merely cosmetic. I hope that the scoreboard supports will be fully integrated into the Spartan Stadium architecture. (Go ahead and roll your eyes all you want!).
Some time ago, probably during the 2011 football season, I wrote about how I planned on finding and posting my own, literal, treasures (or perhaps, more accurately, garbage) from my personal "Spartan attic." Well, a few months ago while going through some old papers, I found just the ticket. I admit that I am an inveterate packrat, and I have saved notebooks from as far back as my MSU student days in the late '80s and early '90s. In an English 101 notebook from my freshman year in '86, I found a silly little essay I wrote for my own amusement called "A Sappy Ode to Spartandom", and it was written shortly after the MSU football game lost a heartbreaking game to Iowa--a game I attended. So, here it is...
Only nine days until MSU's first football game of 2012, and I'm steeling myself for another four-month adventure ride. With new faces at receiver and a brand-new quarterback, there are some unknowns with this team, and I really don't know what to expect. Boise State should give the Spartans a good test in the opener, and I would not be shocked if the Broncos stole a victory here. I don't necessarily expect Boise State to win, but they will arrive in East Lansing with no fear whatsoever. Heck, look at their track record: since Chris Petersen became coach, Boise State has the obscene record of 73-6. In the last four seasons, the Broncos are 51-2! Sure, they lost some significant contributors from last year's team, including starting QB Kellen Moore, but something tells me they have plenty of guys who are just pining to get on the field. This game will not be easy for Michigan State.
Here's a little potpourri of MSU sports-related topics that I've been mulling over for the last few weeks:
Joe Rexrode, the excellent sportswriter for the Lansing State Journal, has left the LSJ for the Detroit Free Press. I'm not surprised to see this guy's career advance. He's one of those writers whose skills transcend mere sports writing, and it was only a matter of time before his career advanced beyond Lansing. I've long appreciated his wit, intelligence, work ethic, and great writing, and he should bring a welcome Green-and-White presence to the Freep.
Speaking of good local sportswriters, Jack Ebling's book Heart of a Spartan is officially out, and I'd love to pick up a copy (and I'm sure I eventually will buy one), but I just can't afford the 50 buck price tag right now. It's just gonna have to wait awhile.
I still haven't been on the MSU campus to see the enormous new Spartan Stadium scoreboards, but I've heard they are impressive. My only concern--and it's a lame, splitting-hairs concern--is that, from photos I've seen, the north end zone scoreboard looks "tacked on" the stadium, with the scoreboard supports resembling scaffolding that was left there and never removed. So my concern is merely cosmetic. I hope that the scoreboard supports will be fully integrated into the Spartan Stadium architecture. (Go ahead and roll your eyes all you want!).
Some time ago, probably during the 2011 football season, I wrote about how I planned on finding and posting my own, literal, treasures (or perhaps, more accurately, garbage) from my personal "Spartan attic." Well, a few months ago while going through some old papers, I found just the ticket. I admit that I am an inveterate packrat, and I have saved notebooks from as far back as my MSU student days in the late '80s and early '90s. In an English 101 notebook from my freshman year in '86, I found a silly little essay I wrote for my own amusement called "A Sappy Ode to Spartandom", and it was written shortly after the MSU football game lost a heartbreaking game to Iowa--a game I attended. So, here it is...
"A Sappy Ode to Spartandom" (written in October 1986)
I thought we were going to win. I honestly thought we were going to win. State had the ball first and goal at the Iowa 3 and there wasn't any doubt in the minds of anyone in the stadium that we were going to run it up the middle for an easy six and win the game. But did this happen? Of course not. What happens? [Dave] Yarema drops back and throws the ball in the end zone for an interception and we lose.
It's games like the one I just described which test the endurance of long-suffering Michigan State fans like myself. Sometimes I even wonder why I didn't go to a school with a better football team, like that snob school down in Ann Arbor. Luckily, I always come to my senses and remember that Michigan State is the best school in the world.
Michigan State and Michigan State sports have always been a part of my life, so much so that if anyone ways something bad about either one, I take it as a personal insult. Both of my parents graduated from State, so I can remember watching the Spartans on television or listening to them on the radio all of my life. I can still remember the 1974 Michigan State-Ohio State football game in which the Spartans upset the favored Buckeyes. Levi Jackson ran the ball 83 [sic] yards from scrimmage for the winning touchdown. After the game, I knew where I was going to college.
I love Michigan State. Sure, as a Michigan State fan, I always have to hear about how much better the University of Michigan is. However, I never let these comments bother me. There is no school I'd rather go to, and that includes any Ivy League school or Its Royal Highness, the University of Michigan. Whenever I walk home from Berkey Hall after my English class and see the architecture and ivy on the old buildings and Beaumont Tower rising in its infinite majesty, I start playing the fight song in my mind and thank God that I'm a Spartan forever.
And on that note, I will sign off for now. I'm headed up to the Upper Peninsula for a five-day camping vacation, but will try and post one more time before the Boise State game.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
One month until football season (and other thoughts)
It has been a long time since I last wrote in here as I have, for the most part, taken a break from Michigan State sports and college sports in general. That's not to say I have been living in a cave and have not taken note of the Penn State situation or the Big Ten meetings in Chicago, but I have been spending most of my time enjoying the summer, watching in my son's Pony League baseball team in June (and working with him on his baseball skills), watching (and being frustrated by) the Detroit Tigers, recovering from an unexpected hernia repair surgery in July, and occasionally tuning into the Olympic Games.
So let's play a little catch-up: The NCAA handed down sanctions against Penn State, and by-and-large I agree with them. What surprised me was the ruling that Penn State vacate all football wins between 1998 and 2011, thereby stripping Paterno of the all-time record in victories. My immediate reaction was that the NCAA was piling on. But at the same time, I can understand the argument that the cover-up of Sandusky's evil during this period gave Penn State a competitive advantage that it most definitely would NOT have had if the world knew what Sandusky was doing. What happened at Penn State was "lack of institutional control" at its most egregious, so it's hard to argue that they were hit too heavily by the NCAA.
Michigan is getting a lot of love from the media (like that's something new?). They are the consensus media pick to win the Big Ten football title this year. Michigan should be good this year, but Big Ten champions? I'm definitely not convinced. Then again, I'm hardly an unbiased observer.
This morning, Jack Ebling was on Staudt on Sports. Unfortunately, I did not catch the entire interview because I had was in a doctor's appointment (follow-up checkup to make sure I recovered from my surgery, in case anyone is interested). I was surprised to hear Ebling on Staudt's show, because I thought that Ebling and Staudt (two of the kingpins and elder statesmen in Lansing-area sports) did not get along. This notion was based on something Ebling said on the radio a few years ago when he called out a certain local sports commentator, but not by name. At the time, it was obvious to me that his anonymous sports commentator was Tim Staudt. If Ebling and Staudt had differences in the past, it must be water under the bridge now because both guys seemed to enjoy the interview, and Ebling had some interesting things to say about his career as a journalist, the upcoming Big Ten season (he goes against the grain and picks Purdue to win the Leaders Division), and his soon-to-be released book about MSU football, Heart of a Spartan. The book is a must-buy, as it sounds outstanding.
As we approach the start of college football, I will try to post more in this blog. I meant to post more this summer, but obviously that didn't happen. I think I was more burned out than I realized and really needed a few months to recuperate, since it's such hard work being a couch potato sports fan.
So let's play a little catch-up: The NCAA handed down sanctions against Penn State, and by-and-large I agree with them. What surprised me was the ruling that Penn State vacate all football wins between 1998 and 2011, thereby stripping Paterno of the all-time record in victories. My immediate reaction was that the NCAA was piling on. But at the same time, I can understand the argument that the cover-up of Sandusky's evil during this period gave Penn State a competitive advantage that it most definitely would NOT have had if the world knew what Sandusky was doing. What happened at Penn State was "lack of institutional control" at its most egregious, so it's hard to argue that they were hit too heavily by the NCAA.
Michigan is getting a lot of love from the media (like that's something new?). They are the consensus media pick to win the Big Ten football title this year. Michigan should be good this year, but Big Ten champions? I'm definitely not convinced. Then again, I'm hardly an unbiased observer.
This morning, Jack Ebling was on Staudt on Sports. Unfortunately, I did not catch the entire interview because I had was in a doctor's appointment (follow-up checkup to make sure I recovered from my surgery, in case anyone is interested). I was surprised to hear Ebling on Staudt's show, because I thought that Ebling and Staudt (two of the kingpins and elder statesmen in Lansing-area sports) did not get along. This notion was based on something Ebling said on the radio a few years ago when he called out a certain local sports commentator, but not by name. At the time, it was obvious to me that his anonymous sports commentator was Tim Staudt. If Ebling and Staudt had differences in the past, it must be water under the bridge now because both guys seemed to enjoy the interview, and Ebling had some interesting things to say about his career as a journalist, the upcoming Big Ten season (he goes against the grain and picks Purdue to win the Leaders Division), and his soon-to-be released book about MSU football, Heart of a Spartan. The book is a must-buy, as it sounds outstanding.
As we approach the start of college football, I will try to post more in this blog. I meant to post more this summer, but obviously that didn't happen. I think I was more burned out than I realized and really needed a few months to recuperate, since it's such hard work being a couch potato sports fan.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)