The end of June post

Time for me to get in my end-of-the-month post.

The NBA draft took place last week, and both Adreian Payne and Gary Harris were selected in the first round. Of the two, Adreian Payne--barring injury--should have the best NBA career. He has the length and the inside/outside game.. But I wish both Payne and Harris the best.

Maryland and Rutgers are set to officially join the Big Ten on Tuesday, July 1. I'm underwhelmed by the addition of these two schools, and think it waters down the conference. I suppose Rutgers women's basketball improves the Big Ten, and Maryland men's basketball is formidable, but neither school was added with athletics that much in mind. It's a money grab, plain and simple.

Maybe as time goes on, I'll soften and fully accept Maryland and Rutgers in the Big Ten. But as of now, it doesn't excite me at all. The bottom line is that, in many ways, I don't like the direction college athletics is taking. I don't do well with change to begin with, and this sort of change is irksome for me. I grew up with a Big Ten that actually had TEN schools. Now the conference has added three more schools in the span of three years. I was just finally getting used to Penn State in the Big Ten.

Now, Maryland and Rutgers have been added, and not due to athletics, not due to academics, but in a cynical attempt to stake a claim of the east coast television market. Sure, Jim Delany will claim that this had nothing to do with it, but let's be honest. That's what it was about.

My one post for May

I happened to notice that I'd written no posts during the month of May.

Seeing as how this is my last chance to do so, I am here to rectify the situation. So here is my lone post for May.

I'm enjoying the "off-season." Quite honestly, I'm also still reveling in MSU's tremendous 2013 football season and I want this warm glow to last for as long as possible. For that reason, I can't say I'm "looking forward" to the 2014 football season. Not that I'm dreading it or anything. Certainly not--though it's difficult to see how 2014 could possibly top 2013. As I believe I already wrote in here, the only way for that to happen is if the Spartans finished the season undefeated and went on to play in the national championship game.

Just today, the Big Ten Network replayed the Rose Bowl and followed that up with the Spartans' 29-6 dismantling of Michigan. I never, never, never tire of watching either one of those games. I could easily put those two games (along with the Big Ten Championship win over Ohio State) on an endless loop and watch it for several days in a row without getting bored.

Watching those games, though, I still see room for improvement: not with MSU's defense, but with the offense. Connor Cook made enough mistakes in those games that, as successful as he was for the most part, he needs to tighten up his play and make better decisions at times. Of course, he was only a sophomore and I expect that he WILL be a better quarterback in 2014.

For now, I'll continue to revel in the 2013 football season (and if the Big Ten basketball tournament title game against Michigan is replayed, certainly catch that). No need to rush the 2014 football season, there's plenty of time to enjoy the summer and reminisce.

Spring Game...and Earl Morrall

After several weeks away, decompressing after the wild football and basketball seasons, I'm back.

I went to the spring football game yesterday, along with my wife, two kids, and my parents--who drove down to Lansing for the game. It really was an enjoyable way to spend a family get-together, and something a little out of the ordinary to share with my extended family. To make matters even better, we bumped into my sister-in-law and husband at Spartan Stadium, so we were all able to sit together on the west side of the stadium at roughly the goal line.

I can't say I devoted as much time to analyzing the play on the field as I perhaps would have had I been alone. I spent most of my time spending money on food (cotton candy, soda pop, nachos, hot dog, peanuts) to keep the kids happy, chatting with family, and just generally enjoying the sunny April afternoon.

From what I could tell, though, the defense will be strong again. I was looking forward to seeing Damion Terry and he did not disappoint. Terry lined up at slot receiver/flanker in his first play on offense and scored a touchdown with an exciting mix of speed and shiftiness. He also played quarterback for the both the Green and White squads and displayed a strong arm and maneuverability. Terry will be one to watch in 2014.

The spring game also afforded an opportunity to celebrate the 2013 season and what this 2013 senior class achieved in their four seasons at MSU. A great halftime video montage on the scoreboards showed highlights from the Little Giants game against Notre Dame, through all the wins over Michigan, and the bowl game victories culminating in the Rose Bowl. It's been an amazing journey for this football program and one I quite frankly never thought I'd see in my lifetime.

2014 should be another excellent year for MSU football, but the only way 2013 can be topped is if the team goes undefeated and wins a national title (or perhaps loses one game and wins a national title). I don't expect that to happen. It's not that I don't think it can happen, it's simply that to expect such a lofty achievement is setting ones self up for potential disappointment if it doesn't occur.

I don't know how much I'll be poking around on this blog until football season. I'd like to do a season-ending wrap up of what has been a truly great year of MSU sports, but I can't guarantee I'll get to that.

I should close this post with a salute to Earl Morrall, a great Spartan football player who died two days ago at age 79. Not many players have won a Rose Bowl AND multiple Super Bowls. Morrall did both. As an All-American quarterback at Michigan State, he led the Spartans to a 1956 Rose Bowl win, and then played an incredible 21 seasons in the NFL: a career that spanned parts of three decades. It was in the twilight of his NFL career that Morrall enjoyed his greatest professional success. At age 34, he was the 1968 NFL MVP. Morrall had a splendid season replacing an injured Johnny Unitas that season, and quarterbacked the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III against the Jets. Though the Colts lost to Joe Namath and the Jets, they went on to win Super Bowl V two years later where, once again, Morrall replaced an injured Unitas.

As a member of the Miami Dolphins, Morrall won championship rings in Super Bowl's VII and VIII. In the Dolphins' undefeated 1972 season, Morrall once again had to step in for an injured star quarterback, this time Bob Griese. Morrall started 11 of the Dolphins' 17 games that year, beginning in game five of the regular season and extending to the AFC championship game--when, due to a poor performance against the Steelers, he was lifted in favor of a healthy Bob Griese. (Though looking at Morrall's stats from that game, they were not that much different from Griese's). Still, not bad at all for a 38-year-old "has-been" who had been claimed by the Dolphins on waivers in April '72 for a paltry $100. Morrall's efforts that season earned him the AFC MVP award and NFL Comeback Player of the Year.

Earl Morrall stuck around for another four season before hanging up his spikes for good in 1976, thus ending a career that proves that, with perseverance and a little bit of fate mixed in, an athlete can be a late bloomer and achieve great success when conventional wisdom would suggest the opposite.

Farewell to a great athlete and a great Spartan. Rest in peace, Earl Morrall.

Rest in peace, Princess Lacey.

(And hang in there, Adreian Payne). 

 

Why I don't like to make predictions...

Michigan State looked all the world like a team that was gassed and exhausted after the Friday night slugfest against Virginia. The team that lost to UConn yesterday was not the same team we've seen since the first game of the Big Ten Tournament against Northwestern.

More later...

Elite Eight (and beyond)

Earlier in this blog, I know I criticized Bo Ryan. I can't remember the specific posts, but it's easy enough to find them.

 

I'm going on the record right now to say I've changed my tune, and I'm truly happy that he and his Wisconsin Badgers team have earned a spot in the Final Four. Bo Ryan is undeniably a great coach who seems considerably more humble now than he was when he first arrived in Madison. He has paid and his dues and deserves to finally win the big one.

 

MSU beat Virginia last night in a bare knuckled fistfight of a game. It wasn't always pretty to watch--who's kidding who, it was downright ugly--but the Spartans made big plays down the stretch and closed out the game in a fashion that tested the heart health of anyone watching.

 

The worst part of the 10:15 start time was that I knew, no matter the outcome, I'd be so wired after the game that I wouldn't be able to sleep until at least 2 AM, and that's precisely what happened. Adrenaline-induced insomnia set in and I found it impossible to calm down. At least it was a Friday night.

 

MSU takes on UConn for a spot in the Final Four. Quite frankly, MSU has been through too much to lose this game. Now, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself because UConn has been playing well and Shabazz Napier is a hell of a player, but I just don't see the Huskies beating the Spartans.

Sweet Sixteen

I'm coming at you from my smartphone, so I apologize in advance for any typos.

Since I last wrote in this blog, the MSU men's basketball team rolled past Delaware and survived a bit of a scare from feisty Harvard. Now, it's a showdown with #1 seed Virginia tomorrow night.

I have a feeling this game against Virginia will not be a thing of beauty. With Tony Bennett's hard nosed defensive approach, almost identical to his father Dick Bennett's Wisconsin teams, this game may be similar to the 2000 Final Four game between Michigan State and the Badgers. In a game that more closely resembled a wrestling match, the Spartans won 53-41.

A close game with Virginia should be good for MSU, as big leads don't seem to suit them well. Their minds tend to wander, as they did in the second half against Harvard. A game against a team like Virginia will force the Spartans to be diligent for a full 40 minutes, and I hope will bode well for a win.