Michigan defeated Minnesota 28-14 this weekend, but before I even had time to watch the replays my State fan friends were already talking smack.
“If Michigan was so good why did they only win by 14.”
I must have heard this at least three times since Saturday. People downplaying a fourteen point win, yet when we talk about USC’s 28-14 win over Michigan in the 2004 Rose Bowl- USC thumped them. Isn’t this a double standard? And didn’t Michigan State just lose Illinois? How comments are like that even remotely justified.
Thoughts on High School errrr Michigan State Football Reading the newspaper today I realized that Michigan State cared more about who was planting what on the 50-yard line after Saturday's game- than what was on the scoreboard.
And it's not like a team that just lost to bottom feeding Illinois even has the right to oppose a flag plant in the first place- but the ironic thing is they were the ones who started the flag planting in the first place.
Forget about Notre Dame and the Golden Megaphone trophy- nobody brings the Megaphone trophy to the games anyway. What is important is that the players are more motivated to fight after games they lose, and taunt the Irish after wins, than they are to beat a team with as much prestige as my flag football team.
Say what you want about who was right or who was wrong but ask yourself a question: Would Ohio State ever flag plant, or get in a fight after a game? What about Auburn, USC, Michigan or Texas? Definately not. So if John L. Smith wants his team to become elite like the powerhouses I've mentioned maybe he needs to have his team act like one. Otherwise they will never play like one.
And its not like he's going to have a long time to do it. Surely the search for John L.'s replacement began moments after the loss to Illinois but is there anyone really out there. Gary Barnett and Rick Nueheisel and Steve Mariucci come to mind as great replacements for the Spartans. They would surely help continue the trend of Spartan coaches who couldn't control their teams actions on and off the field.
Mid-Major coaches are a tough breed to choose from too- Smith has proven that since he came up from Lousville as did Dan Hawkins with this terrible thing he calls a football team over in Colorado. Then you have the coordinators and assistants from around college football in the NFL, but would anyone really leave a job in the NFL to coach for MSU and risk career suicide? And would anyone leave a cushy job as a play caller to take the reigns of a program struggling to breathe right now?
Probably not.
Thoughts on Howie Long’s thoughts on the Lions:
During Sunday’s NFL pre game show on FOX Howie Long stood up for Matt Millen crediting Millen with a tough job in managing the Lions. As if his Radio Shack commercials aren’t bad enough, he has the nerve to support Matt Millen the worst general manager in the history of sports. Yes he is way worse than Isaiah Thomas.
When the Lions hired Millen in 2001 he was in charge of rebuilding a mediocre team who had limited success in four previous decades. A few sporadic playoff appearances, a couple wins, and a whole slew of 8-8, 9-7 and 10-6 records. The Lions needed a little help to become a little more consistent, take some shape, and become a contender now and then. But with Millen, the best they have done is 5-11. Basically, Howie Long supports a guy who has managed to rebuild so poorly that it needs to be rebuilt again. He supports a general manager who drafts terrible players, chooses poor coaches, makes bad media decisions (calling Johnny Morton ####) and offends fan more than anything else. He also supports a team president who has presided over the worst stretch of Lions football ever. You look it up. In the pantheon of terrible Lions stretches has there ever been a worse five years for them? No.
I could go on for hours but the point is clear, the Lions have always been terrible, Millen has made them intolerable, he is just as bad, if not worse than any one else in the organization. Every one is to blame, and if Howie Long doesn’t think so, maybe he should ask himself how he would evaluate the situation if this was his favorite team.
To the four of you who left comments the last few days… thank you. You have inspired me to re-write my blog in its entirety this time using a Microsoft word format while occasionally using the save feature – truly a thingof beauty.
One very important poster stressed his enjoyment with Hot Pocket related categories which has me wondering what is everyone else’s favorite Hot Pocket?
I used to believe Hot Pockets were good if they fell in the pizza genre but more recently have become addicted to the Cheeseburger flavor Lean Pockets. Even the Chicken, Broccoli and Cheese have been known to cram my freezer shelves. These hot pockets that I speak of may be the best frozen food since Ted Williams…. I mean ice cream. Who’s with me? To the NGS Judges out there – have you guys tried the Sub Pockets? Would you classify them in the same family of frozen pizza snack – or would you put them in a whole different conference?
I have never tried the Beef and Cheddar- how about you?
Now to the stuff I promised to cover before:
Brett Favre: Even as a Lions fan I find it hard to root for the guy but enough is enough. When the man starts tossing hook shots into the Bears secondary it is time for the media to idolize another sports star. I heard about some guy named Tom Brady apparently he’s pretty good; maybe he’d be a candidate.
Detroit Pistons: Is it too early to talk about a Motown regular season record run. 72-10 looks doable right now. Speaking of the Pistons who is this Maurice Evans guy? Why do I live between Detroit and the Palace of Auburn Hills and not know where this guy came from?
What's hotter? This Pistons Dancer or the basketball teams win streak. Thats a hullabaloo.
Really random but I love the name Speedy Claxton. Almost as much as I love Rec Specs.
SNL Chronicles of Narnia Rap: In less than 4 minutes this rap starring Chris Parnell and that one kid with the goofy hair made me realize SNL has a pulse – or at least more so than Mehmet Okur. Great references to Google Maps, Mr. Pibb, Bruce Willis and the Ghost with no real correlation to that Narnia movie that none of us will ever go see. However I like the Taco Town skit from a few months ago. Not like it matters but I have never had Mr. Pibb – or eaten at a Sonic Burger. I read a blog about this sort of thing on the east coast but I would like to state for the record here in Michigan we have more Sonic commercials than expressway potholes. The thing is we don’t have any Sonic’s. I traveled to the Final Four earlier this year and I passed by the same Sonic twice. Needless to say it was closed both times making me wonder if it’s a multi-million dollar national drug front.
The Chronicles of Narnia Rap is on par with the Taco Town skit.
Lions vs. Saints Thriller:
Yes I just used Lions, Saints and thriller in the same sentence. But did anyone see that comeback. First the inept offense of the Lions implodes- only to regain their composure grabbing two key first downs and win the game on a Jason Hanson kick. As a Michigan State student I could not draw comparisons to the Spartans Buckeyes game from the fall. As Harrington was running off the field with twelve seconds left I saw Joey Harrington quickly morph into Drew Stanton – meanwhile my dad is yelling at the t.v. “Joey come back” and all I can think off is that John L. Smith quote “ the team is playing their tails off and the coaches are screwing it up.” Great quote, great game(s). But one question why didn’t the Lions just spike the ball – wouldn’t it be easier – wouldn’t it be just like the Lions to do the hard thing?
Lastly I want to mention that I plan on writing a quick book review on Bringing Down the House – but since the contest is almost over if I don’t get to it just remember – on par with the Boxcar Children. And no one older than 25 understands that reference. Twelve years later, I still wonder what it would be like to live an abandoned boxcar. Quaint and adventurous strike me as fitting terms as do hobo and shower less.
A book that I won’t be writing a book review on is Now I can Die in Peace by that one Sports writer who we all know so well. But as much as I love the guy’s writing, he has become so repetitive talking about team B and their rivalry with the hated team A. See I won’t even mention the real names of either of these teams because truth be told I think it’s overkill. I also think most of us now hate team B as much as team A just because team B has reached Dallas Cowboys or L.A. Lakers status where ESPN devotes extraordinarily inappropriate amounts of time to mundane coverage of Kobe Bryant flossing or Bill Parcells eating. I won’t even mention this writers name because he frustrates me now – almost as much as that overrated Outfielder who signed with team A after playing with team B. Honestly what is 6 million more dollars anyway. We have Tsunami victims and Hurricane Victims who don’t have homes and wannabe Jesus is signing with the devil for a bigger paycheck – it makes me angry. I also get really angry when super sportswriter only talks about a cursed town when really I am the one who is cursed. Yeah I have the Red Wings and the Pistons but truly love the Lions and Tigers. They easily cancel each other out – plus I’ve dealt with the Michigan Basketball sanctions the MSU football meltdowns and the Detroit Drive folding – these types of sports tragedies are unimaginable to fans of City A. They need to pull a Trillville and “Get On My Level”.
If you followed that I hope you can follow this and trust me when I tell you not to go see Fun with #### and Jane. In a nutshell it is the worst movie since #### Tracy and the only other movie aside from #### Tracy that I actually walked out on. Nowadays these Jim Carey flicks are such a crapshoot- this one is not worth the gamble.
Okay it took me that long to hit the save button for the first time –which scares me. When will I learn?
Anyway I am exhausted from skiing, thank you all for your input. As this contest winds down thanks for all your comments everyone and good luck also thank you fox sports for this great opportunity.
Before I go one more plug. I know I have said this before but the Detroit Red Wings rule and so does Chuck Norris. So go to Google and search for Chuck Norris FactGenerator it yields quotes like
“Why is six afraid of seven?”
“Because Chuck Norris.”
Chuck Norris is less intimidating in spandex but who isn't?
I just spent forever and a day writing a really funny blog. My page froze. Mad face.
I am exhausted now and way too tired to write and I know I haven't written in a while but come wednesday I hope to touch on all these topics I just wrote about but wasn't smart enough to save.
The NHL, Bill Simmons, Fun with #### and Jane, Brett Favre and Jim Carey's current mediocrity, the Red Wings come from behind win, the Pistons JV game versus the Spurs, the Shaqobe Broneal rematch, Brian Billick being a horrible coach, my grandmothers O.J. Simpson love fest, 24 hours of a Christmas story, 365 days of Stuart Scott Ebonics, Paul Pierce, The Detroit Lions comeback, MSU Spartan football flashbacks, Detroit sort of but not really being more cursed than Boston, me hating the Red Sox and Yankees, The College Football Encyclopedia, The Chronicles of Narnia Rap, Collegehumor.com hall of fame and more.
Yeah it was long. Yeah I am real angry.
But one question before I go. Every one has a mad face but does Bill Cowher have an extra mad face? Or is his mad face considered a normal face?
