Mikey D

Wow, really Notre Dame? You put this out after your football AND basketball teams have been underachieving for YEARS?



"Play Like a Champion." I don't think the current student body was even born the last time you did that.

You are Notre Dame. And you suck balls.

~Mikey D

Hey, you knew Nike wasn't going to give up on finding something to change. Gotta make that money.

















What do you think?

~Mikey D

I hate that he's landed three top-30 recruits for next year in the past three weeks (with probably more to come...), as well as the number one overall player for 2011.

He's what I hate most about college basketball. No kid goes there for a degree, the tradition, or even to win a National Championship. They go to Kentucky because it's the best school to get their draft stock up, because after a year they're going pro.

I get the whole one and done thing, but I don't like how a coach can use it as a recruiting angle. I know he's not doing anything wrong...but it just feels...bleah. Just bleah.

~Mikey D

Alright, so there have been rumors all over the internet about a current MSU basketball player looking to transfer out of the program. I've heard Herzog's name (looking for more playing time). Chris Allen's (bad chemistry with team). Sherman (homesick). Thornton (wants more playing time, and could see a reduction in minutes with the incoming freshmen class if he stays). Of course these are all just internet rumors, so who knows, but I've been waiting to hear or read something from a decently reliable source before I posted anything about it.

Well finally the rumor was addressed by The Grand Rapids Press with Tom Izzo. The article mentions two possible names to Izzo, Herzog and Thornton (No Allen, whew). Here are the two snippets about the two:

~"Senior center Tom Herzog, who graduates this year, is looking into the possibility of transferring to a lower-level Division I or Division II school where he could play immediately.

Herzog has yet to make a decision, Izzo said.

“He has a scholarship here, he doesn’t have to go anywhere, and he knows that,” Izzo said.

Herzog’s playing time has been sporadic since the Flint native arrived at MSU and he was one of two Spartans who did not see action in the NCAA tournament."


~"Austin Thornton has not approached him about transferring, despite rumors to that effect, and that discussion will not take place unless the player initiates it, Izzo said.

“I certainly don’t know where that rumor started, and Austin doesn’t indicate it in his workouts, his plans, or his future,” Izzo said.

Thornton, of Sand Lake, played an increasingly important role as last season progressed, and Izzo has said he believes that role could grow in the future."


So it seems like the Thornton rumor is just that- an unfounded rumor- but it seems like Herzog transferring is a real possibility. This is interesting because that would free up a scholarship for Izzo. He could either save it for next year, or find someone in this year's class who has not committed.

And that someone may have already been chosen, or at least targeted. According to various basketball recruiting websites, a small point guard (and small may be a generous term) out of Nevada has reportedly received an offer from MSU. His name is Jon Loyd, a virtual unknown to anybody that follows MSU basketball recruiting, but apparently has been making a lot of noise out west, despite his small stature (he's received offers from Florida, Oklahoma, Virginia, and UCLA is considering him as well).

Here's a highlight video that shows a lot of the top prospects from out west. To save you a little time, you can see Loyd (#24 in white) show off his skills around the 1:50, 2:40, and 3:00 marks.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5099577

Not only is Summers back in the fold, but he's saying ALL the right things:

~"I've got dreams of playing in the NBA, but I would rather win a national championship and graduate first," Summers said in a telephone interview. "I want to accomplish all those dreams instead of just one."

~"We want to follow the same path Mateen and Morris did," Summers said.

~"I want to win a third Big Ten title, get to the Final Four for the third time and win a national championship," Summers said. "We can put our group down as one of the best in Michigan State history and make our own footprints in the sand."

I can't wait for fall.

~Mikey D

http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2010/04/lucas_returning_for_senior_season

First, I don't understand the infatuation with the Masters, or any other golf tournament for that matter. Granted I don't love golf- I definitely like it- but what is up with the Masters becoming "must see TV". And it's not the whole Tiger Woods angle I'm talking about, but rather the fans of the game who couldn't wait to sit down for hours and watch coverage of the first couple rounds. Really? Hours of enjoyment devoted to the first two rounds? Seems boring to me. On my ride home from school this past Thursday I was listening to my usual sports talk radio, and the host couldn't even finish his thoughts because he was too distracted by the golf he was simultaneously trying to follow. If it were the final round, or maybe even the third, I would totally understand, but there's no drama in the first two rounds. And without drama, it's just guys in funny pants with weird head-tans playing a round of golf and all commentary along the lines of, "_____ is putting himself in position to be right there on Sunday." Perhaps I just don't enjoy all the subtle nuances of golf like others do, or maybe I have more of a life than I thought.

I did enjoy the last couple hours of the final round of the Masters, though. I didn't really have a horse in the race (now that Tiger is dead to me), but I quickly was drawn to Phil. And towards the end I started thinking about Tiger and Phil, and how complete opposites they are. Righty, lefty. Black, white. In shape, fat (hey now). You either love Tiger, or you love Phil when it comes down to the two of them. But now you can add the whole family angle to their list of differences. Tiger, a cheating bastard, and Phil, the man dedicating his play to his beloved wife. I find it interesting how popular both are, how successful they've both been in golf and with sponsorships, and yet how completely different they both are. The similarities are few and far between, yet they are titans of the game.

But I was rooting for Phil to win, and when he hit the birdie on 18 and walked over to his sick wife and hugged her...yeah I cried. I can't even imagine that happening to Grace, or someone else I loved, and to come through and win a major golf tournament while she was in bed and sick...that's just remarkable. And for her to come out and support her husband makes the story not just a great sports story, but a truly romantic one as well. You could tell it meant the world to each of them- her being there, him winning for her- as they embraced and cried.

If you were looking for a replacement for Tiger Woods to root for, like I was, Phil seems to be as good as any.

(Although in 2nd place is Fred Couples- why don't you wear socks old man? That's gross but kinda awesome at the same time.)

~Mikey D

American League
AL East
1. New York
2. Boston (Wild Card)
3. Tampa Bay
4. Baltimore
5. Toronto
~New York and Boston are interchangable. I like Tampa Bay, and I think they'd be first in any other division in the AL. I just don't think they have enough starting pitching or as strong of a bullpen as the Yanks or Sox. And this is the year Baltimore overtakes Toronto for fourth!

AL Central
1. Chicago
2. Minnesota
3. Detroit
4. Kansas City
5. Cleveland
~I want to be wrong on this. If the Tiger's starters can keep us in games as they have thus far, we've got a chance. But our offense isn't going to win games 11-10 because we don't have the firepower. If Jackson and Sizemore can give us more than expected it would be a tremendous boost. And the same with Guillen...he's not a typical #5 hitter, but he's got to act like it this year. Bonderman and Willis have to also be strong at the back-end of the rotation. See all these things that have to go right for us??? Tough. I like Chicago if they can stay healthy. I think they're the most complete team in the division. But you know Minnesota will be there in the end.

AL West
1. Seattle
2. Oakland
3. Los Angeles
4. Texas
~I have no clue here. Any of these four teams could win it. Your guess is as good as mine.


National League
NL East
1. Philadelphia
2. Atlanta
3. Florida
4. New York
5. Washington
~A Phillies-Braves dogfight. I don't like either bullpen all that much, and even with Halladay I think the rotations are about even. But I've seen the Phillies a few times already this year, and that line-up is ridiculous. Polanco was the perfect pickup, as he has been a table setter thus far for all the big bats. In last night's game they forced the Houston starter out of the game in the 3rd inning...and he only gave up three runs. Why take him out? He had thrown over 80 pitches. The Phillies just know how to play the game and play it well. Complete professionals, and I'm taking them.

NL Central
1. St. Louis
2. Milwaukee
3. Chicago
4. Cincinnati
5. Pittsburgh
6. Houston
~It's a 162 game season and I don't think anybody in this division has the horses to keep up with the Cardinals. The Cards have already started beating down the Reds and Brewers, and the Cubs and Astros are off to slow starts. Could be another easy division title for the Redbirds.

NL West
1. Colorado
2. San Francisco (Wild Card)
3. Los Angeles
4. Arizona
~Again, any team in this division could win it. Wild, wild west. I think the Rockies' pitching match the Giants' staff, but it's the Rockies' lineup that puts them over the top. Throw in an established closer like Street, and the Rockies have the pieces. I think the Dodgers take a step back this year, and I think Arizona just has too many question marks and health concerns.


Playoff Predictions
American League:
New York Yankees over Seattle Mariners
Boston Red Sox over Chicago White Sox

Boston Red Sox over New York Yankees

National League:
Philadelphia Phillies over San Francisco Giants
Colorado Rockies over St. Louis Cardinals

Philadelphia Phillies over Colorado Rockies

World Series:
Philadelphia Phillies over Boston Red Sox


World Champions: Philadelphia Phillies

Take it to the bank. I've been wrong every year!

~Mikey D

The band is called "Fun." and the song is 'The Gambler'. There is no music video for it, and I didn't want to post an audio-only video, so I searched and came across this performance done in the Impact studio at MSU.

It's just a pretty song, and ridiculously sweet (it's about his parents and their relationship). It's got some great romantic lines, and I can't get enough of it (Grace can attest!).

My favorite is about a 1:13 in...
"I swear when I grow up, I won't just buy you a rose...
I will buy the flower shop,
and you will never be lonely..."



"I will never leave your side, la la la la la la..."

This guy was the lead singer of the defunct band, "The Format", and the rest of Fun.'s songs are pretty darn good. Very upbeat and happy for the most part. Good stuff...if you like this type of music.

~Mikey D

Final Four Thoughts
I keep having these “cyclical” emotions about last night’s game and our tournament run. First, I’m extremely disappointed we couldn’t pull out last night’s game. We had our chances- I mean, we really had our chances- and to come up two points short stings. But on the other hand, we made one hell of a run in this tournament, which was something NOBODY expected after the way our season went, how the Big Ten tourney unfolded, our draw/seeding in the Big Dance, and with the injuries. With everything stacked against us, we still shared the Big Ten crown and made it to the Final Four. That’s a good feeling. That said, last night’s game was a golden opportunity. With no true dominant team in this year’s field (a la UNC), a National Championship was a realistic possibility, and we blew that chance. That’s depressing…which leads me back to my first thought on our missed chances during the game. Around and around in circles I go.

As far as the game goes, I’m not going to bitch and moan about the officials and some of the calls they made. Yes, we got into some foul trouble which made Raymar a non-factor. But in the end we still could have won. And good teams, they persevere. They are able to adapt a game plan to an opponent, overcome some bad calls, and have guys step up when needed. We couldn’t do that last night. Part of the reason is we are not a truly great team (very good, yes, especially with how we’ve played the last five games), and part of it is that injuries and depth finally caught up with us. It’s that simple.

And credit Butler. They once again played “their” game, which worked. They force their opponents into situations where they’re uncomfortable and they capitalize on their mistakes/struggles. I wasn’t overly impressed with Butler’s play (they’ve been getting a lot of hype, if you hadn’t noticed), as their winning seems to be predicated on another team’s errors, which you would think wouldn’t work for six games in a row in the NCAA tournament. But Doug Gotlieb had a good point last night. Butler beat UTEP and Murray State to open the tournament (#12 and #13 seed, respectively), and then played Syracuse without Syracuse’s top big man (win by 4), a Kansas State team a day removed from a 2OT game against Xavier, and MSU, who was banged up and without Kalin Lucas. It will be very interesting to see if their style of play works against a Duke team who is at full strength. If I was a betting man, I’d take Duke…by double figures. (did you notice how I started this paragraph with “credit Butler” and then I didn’t give them much credit? Haha, I guess I just don’t like Butler- I will be impressed if they beat Duke, though).

Question: If we had last year’s team in this year’s tournament, do we cut down the nets?


The Power of the LEGO Ball
I’ve held the LEGO ball for every tournament game since 2003, except for one year, 2004, when I had to work (a first round exit to Nevada…and you can put that one on me). Since that time MSU has gone to three Final Fours, one Elite Eight, and one Sweet Sixteen. Do not doubt its powers! And of all the losses MSU has had in the tournament since 2003 (again, excluding 2004 because I suck), every loss has been to a Final Four team( 03-Texas, 05-UNC, 06-George Mason, 07-UNC, 08-Memphis, 09-UNC, 10-Butler). That stat is kind of amazing to me. Tom Izzo, while he will lose in the tournament, does not get beaten or upset by junky teams. Just think about that next year or in years to come when MSU is picked against in some “trendy” upset matchup. It probably won’t happen.

There is one disturbing trend about these losses. MSU does not fair well against teams colored in some shade of blue and white. This is the fourth year in a row we’ve been eliminated by a “blue” team, and the sixth in eight years. The LEGO ball’s colors? Blue and white. Hmmm…coincidence?


The Road to the Final Four
One thing that has been bothering me is the shots MSU has been taking for their “easy” road to the Final Four. Was it the most difficult? Certainly not, but it wasn’t easy in my opinion.

For starters, if the selection committee had to do it all over again, do you think that they would seed Northern Iowa at #9? Or Butler at #5? Or even Tennessee, with how good they looked, at #6 (hey, an argument could be made)? I think one thing that the selection committee grossly misjudged was the depth of talented teams at the mid-major level. No way was St. Mary’s a #10 or Cornell a #12. I didn’t even think Gonzaga got a fair shake! The committee seemed to give love to teams that, frankly, didn’t deserve the good feelings (I’m talking to you Vanderbilt, Wisconsin, and Villanova). So if you look at just the rankings, yes, MSU’s road is quite easy. But the teams they played, for the most part, were better than their seed.

Secondly, the fact you make it to a Final Four is not easy no matter how you spin it. All roads to Indy were difficult and full of land mines for every team. Before the tournament, if I told you Kansas had to beat a #16 and #9 seed to make the Sweet Sixteen, you’d say that road was fairly smooth. Kansas couldn’t do it. If I told you Kentucky had to beat a #16, #9, #12, and then #2 seed to get to the Final Four, you’d like their chances considering they’d really only have to exert themselves for one game. Kentucky couldn’t do it. I think you see my point-there’s no perceived easy road. Every team is playing at a high level and going balls to the wall. Talent, especially in these days of parity, doesn’t always win out.

So don’t bash MSU for having to play the likes of Northern Iowa and Tennessee. They had to play two teams who were playing tremendous basketball, and they won. Give them credit for another great run to the Final Four.


Preseason Predictions
What I got right:
-The landscape of college basketball: “This year's top teams are great, but not all-time great. There's a lot of young teams out there (Kansas, Kentucky), but the field is wide-open. It's up for grabs. And like a rebound opportunity, I expect MSU to grab it.” As the tournament has shown, youth did not serve, and there hasn’t been a truly dominating team. And MSU made the most of their time in the tournament.

What I got wrong:
Okay, before I start listing off all my incorrect predictions, at least I wasn’t as bad as this guy from the State News: (http://www.statenews.com/index.php/article/2009/04/spartans_have_talent_for_2010_final_four_run)
-Our health: “I think we'll stay healthy this year.” God, not even close.
-Raymar Morgan: “I think Raymar Morgan is going to end his college career fulfilling the expectations he came in with. He will be our man on a mission, and his determination and will are going to carry us through the tough parts of the season. I expect him not only to be good, but great this year.” Goodbye, Raymar, I was hoping for a different season and finish for you.
-Our record and finish: I said MSU would finish with a 26-7 regular season record, and we ended up being 24-8. I said we’d finish 3rd in the Big Ten with a 13-5 record, and we were co-champs at 14-4 (although we were considered the 3rd seed in the Big Ten Tournament). I also said we’d be national champs, but like last year, came up just short. Overall my predictions were not far off, but not right.


A Look Ahead
Okay, so Raymar is gone next year, which I know everybody is going to be broken up about. I think Lucas and Summers both come back- I’m almost sure Lucas will- but now I’m worried about Summers with how he played in the tournament. Hopefully he and Lucas (childhood best friends) stick it out and make one last tournament run in the Green and White and go out with the glory they deserve.

Assuming those two stay we are bringing back our entire team- which more than likely means another top-5 preseason ranking. I like to think next season we’ll have a little more focus than this year, with perhaps Lucas, Summers, and Allen stepping up and truly leading the team in their final campaign. But if we are as inconsistent as we were this year…ugh, I’m pretty sure I’ll be in the hospital with a stomach ulcer.

But the talent level will be stacked at every position, complimented nicely by our incoming recruits. We will have a backcourt that consists of points Lucas and Lucious, a nice 1-2, with Keibler doing his defensive specialist thing. At guard we will have Allen, Summers, Thornton, Appling (think of a better shooting Kalin Lucas, without the point guard skill set yet), and Bryd (6’7” guard that rebounds and drills 3’s). It will be a nice mixture of aggressive scoring guards and perimeter oriented guards. Our bigs include Roe, Green, Sherman, Nix, Payne (looks like JaJuan Johnson), and Gauna (reminds me of Suton- tough, can hit the 3- but may need some time to develop). We might also get Trey Zeigler, who looks like a 2, possibly a 3…Durrell Summers-esque. He’s another talented athlete who could contribute right away (although he can’t hit a free throw to save his life- Derrick Nix style). Izzo will have depth next year and should be able to match-up well with any team we play. Even on nights where our play is off, we might have the depth and talent to wear most teams down and pull out games. Should be fun.

And it’s hard for me to see a better conference than the Big Ten next year, top to bottom. Illinois is bringing everyone back. OSU will probably lose Turner, but they’re bringing in Sullinger, so they won’t miss a beat. Purdue will be healthy with Johnson, Grant, and Hummell. Wisconsin already had a young team, and they’ll be back. Minnesota is returning basically everyone. Northwestern is bringing everyone back (they will make the tourney next year!). There will be some bottom feeders- Michigan, Penn State, Iowa- but the quality of the conference, overall, will be ridiculously good. A Big Ten Championship would be just as impressive as any tournament run.

Michigan State Basketball:
I love it. I'm probably way too invested in it, but it's the team I follow the closest in sports. I'm passionate about it. And as another season closes, just think- in October we will raise another Big Ten Championship and Final Four banner. Anytime you do those two things, you know it's been a good year. Congrats, State, on another fine season.

~Mikey D

Maryland Fan:
I am a sick mother fucker for enjoying this.



Tennessee Fan:
Adam, I think this guy just called you a prick...



Northern Iowa Fans:
Yeah, just a little different than State fans.



Michigan State Fan:
I'm pretty sure this is you Kevin.



I'm with the weird guy! Let's go Green! Beat Butler!!!

~Mikey D

I'm so happy to be making this post! It's April 1st, and MSU is still playing ball. As exciting as this run is, and whatever outcome occurs this weekend, do take a step back and realize that right now (and by right now, I mean the last fifteen years) we are in the "glory" years of Spartan hoops. 6 Final Fours in 12 years? That's just remarkable.

And let's make it two National Championship games in a row! Come on, boys! Let's do this!











~Mikey D