Oh Sparty. We believed in you. We were thrilled for you. You started the season oh so well.  We thought Mr. Dantonio had changed the mindset in East Lansing. 

And then you reminded us why you are Michigan State football.  You are the school that once mentioned having basketball coach Tom Izzo take over the football program.  Huh?  Oh Sparty, we feel for you.  ( Someone get Mariucci off of NFL Network so he and Izzo can be in East Lansing coaching together.) 

You're more of an annoyance than anything else.  When I claimed my allegiance many moons ago to the University of Michigan, my brother just to be different, picked Michigan State.  He bet me a couple times in football.  #### poor results for him.   Happiness for me.

FYI.....Michigan invades Spartan Stadium Saturday.  Let's get this straight, this is a nice and for the most part, clean rivalry.  If you've never been to a Michigan-Michigan State hockey game, whether it be in Ann Arbor, East Lansing or Joe Louis Arena, that gets my vote for being the fiercest of any sporting rivalry between these 2 schools.  Michigan State owns Michigan in basketball, quite the opposite in football though.

This is also a nice rivalry because MSU fans for the most part are also Tiger, Piston, Lion and Red Wing fans.  They're not Ohio State fans, that's a step in the wrong direction. ( November 17 ####es)  Anyway, you kind of have to root for MSU.  You can't hate Sparty, East Lansing is a GREAT, let me repeat that, GREAT college town. 

But on occasion, Sparty pisses you off.  When they ever so keenly keep an extra second on the game clock so T.J. Duckett can catch a game winning touchdown.  Or when they trip Desmond Howard in the end zone so " no one" defeats " number 1". 

But more times than one can keep straight, Sparty does things like blow a huge lead to your team and while laughing, you say " Oh, those poor ####s!"  Or Sparty gives you the impression they have an NFL changing reciever and so your favorite NFL team picks, lets say Charles Rogers, in the NFL Draft and the guy is a BUST. 

One can not hate Sparty, we love Sparty.  We root for Sparty.  We want Sparty to fight for Big Ten titles in football.  We want Sparty ranked.  WE WANT A RIVALRY SPARTY!!!!!!!  You can't replace Ohio State, sorry, they're our first.  One doesn't forget your first, right Buckeye? Oh, we got Buckeye to blush.  How cute.

We ask this of you Sparty.

1. Change your mindset.  Doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you've got a confidence problem.  If the Detroit Lions can start to change around their losing mentality, so can you Sparty.

2. Give us a reason to not like you.  I couldn't even find that much to dislike about you Sparty.  You just sit there and take it. You've got to fight back Sparty.  When I put my foot on your seat, because I want a footrest, don't act like that's okay.  It's not okay!  Damn it, that's your seat!  ( This happened in Spartan Stadium 2 years ago.  We got their early and I'm wearing a Michigan hat, coat, you name it.  I'm relaxing before the game and my feet are in this guys seat.  Instead of asking me to move my feet, he just sits closer to his buddies.  I would have moved my feet!  But he didn't even put up a fight.  He's a true Spartan.)

3.  Play to your potential every week. You had me fooled earlier this year.  I believed the words of Mark Dantonio.  I believed Sparty, I believed!  But, I should have known better.  I should have known when Michigan State fans didn't get excited about the quick start.  I should have known you would come back and scare the #### out of Ohio State, but lose in the end.  And then you lost to Iowa and Northwestern.  Would you have lost to Minnesota also?  Don't answer that.

Well Sparty, the 100th meeting between Michigan and Michigan State is Saturday.  Will you win?  It could happen.  You're due for a win in this rivalry, plus you play at home.  And, I pretty much called you out here, and that will probably come back to bite me. Michigan might just be penciling in a big FAT W .( Something they shouldn't do again after the Appalachian State disaster.)  We just don't know with you Sparty, I'll reluctantly say:

MEEEEEECHIGAN wins 26-18.

GO BLUE!