It’s about two hours after today’s loss to Ohio State, and I’m still bummed. I’m upset we lost at home. I’m upset because we basically lost the Big Ten title. I’m upset because we still don’t have that marquee win on our tournament resume. And I’m upset because we lost to fucking Ohio State.
So with a week off to regroup (and recover) before we travel to Purdue (eek), here are my latest MSU thoughts:
~Okay, so I completely jinxed Raymar Morgan. I applauded his big time play against Michigan, but ever since he has been invisible. While that is disappointing, is anyone really that surprised? It’s the story of Raymar’s career. We may win the Big Ten tournament, make a Final Four, or god willing win a National Championship, but it won’t be because of Raymar Morgan’s consistent play- because that doesn’t exist.
~It’s nice to see Durrell Summers coming around. Unfortunately he’s got a little Raymar in him, though. He got off to a blazing start against OSU, and then kind of disappeared for a bit. I’ve given up on Raymar, but I haven’t yet on Durrell. If we can get a consistent 15 points, 5+ boards, and solid defense from him that would more than make up for Raymar Morgan’s lack of…uselessness?
~What happened to our transition game? Remember how we used to push the ball up the court on rebounds for easy lay-ups? It seems like we are making a concerted effort to slow ourselves down and be under more control, which I get given our high turnover totals, but our half court offense hasn’t been too consistent. It’s like we took away a strength of our team in order to take away a weakness, but in doing so discovered another weakness, or another area of improvement.
~Okay, so speaking of the half court offense, it boggles my mind the number of deep jump shots we are taking so early in the shot clock. I don’t mind Allen, Lucas, and Summers shooting the ball, but please, run a set! Move the ball, run off a screen, get an open look, and knock it down. Don’t dribble, stop, and shoot with a hand in your face. It’s no wonder we were shooting 33% at one point against OSU! Play smart.
~I’m trying to be positive and believe in this team, but it’s getting harder and harder. If they can put it together at Purdue, I will be ecstatic and the memories of these recent losses will be wiped away. Just show me something, State, something that I can grab onto and feel good about going into tournament play.
~I’m a complete dork when it comes to recruiting and follow it very closely. As you know, MSU already has a top 10 class coming in, but more may be on the way…with the possibility of Herzog graduating, one more scholarship may open up- for 6’5” shooting guard Trey Zeigler, ranked the 26th best player in the country. I know we are focused on the here and now with the group of guys we have now, but it’s hard not to think ahead. We are losing one player next year- Raymar Morgan (I know- boo frickin’ hoo)- and adding a stud big, a scoring point guard, and a McDonald All-American assassin from 3-range. And maybe Zeigler. Bring back everyone and load up with more talent? Could be a fun year. Hopefully Lucas stays and doesn’t go pro.
~Mikey D
I adored Tiger Woods. I loved everything about him. His fifteen stroke Masters win, his one-legged U.S. Open playoff victory against Rocco, hugging his dad after tournament wins, the ridiculous chip shot he hit at the Masters a few years back- even his commercials, like the one where he’s bouncing a golf ball on his club before he hits a booming drive midair. When I first heard that photos of Elin and his newborn son were released I actually Googled them to have a peek. He was the reason I watched professional golf. And in a sports world where the most dominate athletes become polarizing (you love them for their greatness or you hate them because of their greatness- Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, etc.), Tiger Woods attracted nothing but fans. Nobody disliked Tiger Woods; everybody rooted for him.
It’s understandable to me that his story has crossed into mainstream media. I heard that three major networks carried Tiger's news conference today, which does not surprise me in the least. Tiger Woods- through marketing, through performance, through personality- transcended the sports world. There’s a reason he spoke at Barack Obama’s inauguration festivities. He’s that big.
I’ve heard a lot of radio and TV personalities, as well as read a few writers, trying to critique Tiger’s apology from today. I will be honest and admit that I haven’t listened to but a few snippets of his prepared speech that the radio played, and nor do I care to. His apology today was not meant for me, for you, and for anyone outside his family. The only people who should be accepting (or critical) of Tiger Woods’ apology is his family, the ones he’s hurt. They are the ones who get the choice on whether to accept it. It bothers me that people are complaining of the speech sounding too “robotic” or “rehearsed”. It bothers me that people are questioning Tiger’s sincerity. That’s not for me, or anyone, to judge.
But Tiger’s actions are. Even before all of his tabloid drama, the throwing of golf clubs and swearing after bad shots made me tilt my head curiously. And from the many women he’s cheated on his wife with to the bizarre Thanksgiving car crash, Tiger has made me look at him in a completely different light. And because of his actions, I will never be a fan of Tiger Woods again. I will never adore Tiger Woods the way I once did.
***
Do you remember a toy you once loved as a child? Those toys were hard to give up, even after you outgrew them. I had many toys I couldn’t bear to get rid of, so I would stash them somewhere in the back of my closet- a keepsake that would become forgotten but not gone. That’s what the Tiger Woods I once adored has become- a keepsake. He’s now in the back of my metaphorical closet, soon to be forgotten, but not gone.
I lump him in the same group as Roger Clemens, Michael Vick, and OJ Simpson- disgraced athletes who will never be able to win me back over. He’s in that category now.
I’m sure Tiger will bounce back someday. He’ll apologize for his actions many more times, expressing his remorse. He’ll return to playing championship caliber golf. Perhaps he’ll reconcile things with his family and move forward happily. But it’s never going to be the same for me. He’s tainted my image of him, and that cannot be changed, no matter how much time passes or how close Tiger Woods gets back to being the Tiger Woods of old.
Thanks for the memories, Tiger.
~Mikey D
The song is called "Symphonies" by Dan Black (a UK artist).
"Gimme, gimme, symphonies
Gimme more than the life I see
Score rise up
Angels play
Let my loneliness get blown away
Gimme, gimme, symphonies
Gimme more than the life I see"
Black also did a cover of Notorious BIG's "Hypnotize". I know a lot of covers can be (and are) awful, but I always appreciate an artist's spin on a fellow artists popular song. What's different and kind of neat with Black is that he uses the music from his own song, "Symphonies", to create the cover of Biggie's song. I don't think I've ever heard a cover song where the artist doing the covering uses the music from one of his own songs as the background. Pretty cool...to me.
~Mikey D
I don't usually read the messageboard comments (especially after a loss...or three losses in a row), but I was curious to hear what other fans are saying and thinking. Here's some of the comments from the State News messageboards:
-"I don’t have a problem with losses, they’re expected in our conference. What I do have a problem with is the obvious lack of effort or caring by our team."
-"The team is still overrated; they haven’t beaten anyone of substance this year and hang onto their ranking based on reputation only."
-"This is reality.
1. We are way to inconsistent, sometimes we look amazing, our athleticism is unmatched… other times we look lost.
2. Summers disappears. A player with more pro potential being benched for the entire second half in the biggest game of the year… something is going on with him.
3. Lucious turnovers. Key turnovers at critical times, he’s only a soph. but still, the pass into the second row when it was a 6 pt basically made a dagger moment.
4. Our defense is bad… really bad. This is the worst Defensive team I have seem. I used to think teams shot really well against us and it was just a fluke… after the last two games, its us. These guys are wide open."
-"I love the Spartans but can’t understand the lack of effort by some..What is the deal with Raymar Morgan ? He is a senior..looks uncoachable to me..sick of his dissapearing and whining, lack of taking the ball strong to hoop, and general uselessness..Love that "Whatever" look he gets when Izzo tries to talk to him..Bench Him..Let someone who will give effort play..He is one of the best athletes on this team..That is what is so sickening !!"
-"This team won’t go far in the tournament if Raymar Morgan doesn’t start playing with some conviction. He just doesn’t play hard for 40 minutes. If a call goes against him he pouts and whines instead of playing hard. Then he pushes off or reaches on defense, and gets into foul trouble. Time to buck up, Raymar. You’re a senior, there’s no next year. If Raymar plays as hard as Draymond does every night, this team will go far."
-"Izzo can’t play defense for them. It’s 90% effort and it’s obvious when they don’t even try."
-"My only confusion during the game is why Morgan didn’t get benched right alongside Summers. When he was in, we might as well have just been playing with four players."
-"The expression on Izzo's face at the end of the game said it all. The team just seems out of sync right now- if they lose at Penn State Tom is going to implode."
-"Wow – this team is 9 and 3 in a conference that is beating the tar out of each other and you all have complaints? Really? Come on just buck up and be a fan. There’s no whinning in Basketball – ‘specially Big 10 basketball."
For the most part, I think I'm with the fans here. Perhaps all of us State fans are a little over-emotional after three straight conference losses, but at the same time the reality is that this team has not gelled or played together like we've hoped. We wrote off the Florida, UNC, and Texas losses as early-season losses, ones in which we'd grow from. But now it's February, and if anything we've done more growing apart than growing together as a team.
As I mentioned to Kev last night, there's no way I'd pick this team for a National Championship right now. Sweet 16, at best. Of course there's still time for improvement...but it's running out.
~Mikey D
~The second wave of our winter storm is coming tonight/tomorrow. We ended up with about 28 inches over the weekend, and we are supposed to get 12-20 more tonight- and I'm not looking forward to it. While it's nice that I don't have to go to work (3 snow days and counting), it has been absolutely miserable trying to dig ourselves out of this mess. Our neighborhood is already a snowy mess and it's taken us 3 days to un-bury ourselves (yesterday was the first day we were able to leave our neighborhood), so I can't imagine another foot or so of snow will be a pleasant thing to deal with.
~So our satellite has been knocked out. Can't say I'm surprised; I could have guessed that blizzards and satellite dishes aren't a good mix. Now I love DirecTV and think their television package is the best I've ever had, but I am a little annoyed with them right now. With the snow on the roof (where our dish is located), DirecTV will not send out a technician to clean off/fix the dish until the snow is gone. Do you know long it will take 40 inches of snow to melt?!? So I looked in the phonebook to find a handyman who'd be willing to clear some of the snow off the roof. I never knew handymen would be so expensive...it's a $150 just to get someone to come out to the house! Fuck that. So I'm essentially without TV as I'm stuck inside, and who knows for how long.
~Now when I say I'm without TV, I should preface that. I am without my cable television channels. The premium stuff. Yesterday when we escaped our house, Grace and I went and bought a digital antenna to plug into our TV (yep, 21st century rabbit ears...that apparently get HD signals. Who knew?). They were only $20...but they work. I get all my "core" channels. So last night I was able to watch "How I Met Your Mother" and "24" and all that good stuff. It will have to suffice for the time being, but I'm going to have to watch MSU/Purdue online tonight. I fucking hate watching games on my computer...bleah.
~Speaking of State...I can handle the losses. Really I can. Wisconsin is tough at home, and that Illinois game was a complete trap. ESPN College Gameday, primetime, no Lucas...that's tough to pull out. But I can't stand the stupid mental errors anymore. I'm hoping things will change, but right now our basketball IQ is well below average. When we turn the ball over, we do it by making some of the most idiotic decisions I can ever remember a basketball team making. Is that fixable? Is throwing the ball all over the court until eventually we throw it three rows into the stands a problem that can be worked on, or is that just who we are? And of all the things I think I miss most about Suton and Walton, it's their smarts. They got it. They got what MSU basketball was about, and they were high IQ guys on the court.
~And the defensive intensity! I don't want to see a team ever get 70 points on us. EVER! If we lose, it's going to be 60-59, Big Ten style. When Thornton and Kiebler can walk off the bench and provide more defensive intensity than all of our starters combined, that's sad. We are giving the opposition too many open and uncontested jump shots. If you don't want to fall behind by ten points early because your opponent is hitting three after three, then PUT A FUCKING HAND IN HIS FACE! Get up on him!!! Stop reacting to shit, and start forcing the tempo. Control the game by forcing bad shots and crashing the boards.
~Speaking of Thornton, he hits a buzzer-beater at the end of the first half...and then rides the bench for the entire second half. Nice reward for a job well done...err...
~Possibly the weirdest Tom Izzo quote ever (about Draymond Green): "He's a warrior," Izzo said. "He's the perfect Spartan. He's a blue-collar workhorse, and I'm going to ride him like a jackass." I think Izzo is going crazy.
~If we don't beat Purdue tonight at home, bye-bye Big Ten title. It's that simple. I hope we win tonight and can turn things around.
~Superbowl. Now I had to watch online through crappy live streams and listen to the end on the radio, but of all the Superbowls in recent memory I can't say I was that pumped about this one. I liked both teams, so I didn't really care who won, and for me that made the game less interesting. The last two years we've had Cardinals-Steelers and Patriots-Giants...some real intriguing storylines and David-Goliath games. This year it was about which good-guy QB would get a ring...eh, sorry, doesn't get me too pumped. Of course it set a new ratings record, so apparently I'm in the minority when it comes to feeling this way.
~I keep hearing these Johnny Damon rumors to Detroit...please no. Why would we spend $10 million+ a year for a stopgap CF? Weren't we trying to cut the payroll down and give the younger guys a shot? Plus I don't trust Damon to have the same year he did last year and he is an awful defensive outfielder now. Just doesn't make sense to me.
~Kudos to the Tigers for signing Verlander. It was the smart move. To me, position players are replacable and easier to come by, but quality pitching isn't. With Verlander, Porcello, and Scherzer we have the potential to have one sick trio of starters for years to come. It still stings losing Granderson, but Detroit made the right choice. They could only afford to keep one of the two (probably), and they went with the pitcher. Good job, Dave.
~David Schoenfield on ESPN.com had an interesting proposal on division realignment in baseball. More than any other sport, baseball is stuck in its ways and seems to almost resist change. And that's one of the things I love about it, but this is a very interiguing plan to me. I think I would be on board with it...
~At school last week a kid called me "an over-sized 6th grader". One day I'll be a man, one day...
~Mikey D
The snow has finally stopped! Unfortunately it has knocked out my satellite signal. Looks like I'll be watching the MSU game online tonight...bleah. Blizzards and satellites apparently don't mix.
I finally did get to shovel our walkway. See the cars in the background? Completely covered.
Me triumphant.
Grace loves snow.
Just to show you how deep it was around noon today, I am standing in the snow. It goes up to my knees in the picture, but my feet aren't touching the ground. I'm probably standing on top of a good 8 to 12 inches.~Mikey D
Tom Izzo and Bruce Weber are having a free throw contest before tonight's game. This is a really fun idea and I can't wait to see it (provided my satellite dish with its 20 inches of snow piled on top of it comes through with a signal), and will really test Izzo's reputation as being a solid free throw shooter. I'm sure Weber is probably pretty good too, since he laid down the challenge, and the crowd will definitely make it hard on Izzo. It will be fun to watch!
