DUMP the chUMps (Spartan Resource)

This is the place where the fantasy legends of "Myth-Again" are systematically debunked. This is where "chUMps" are dUMped! We provide a unique perspective on Spartan sports, and we also bring you anti-chUMps humor and highlight actual facts about UM that expose "The Michigan Difference" as "The MythAgain Difference". PLEASE NOTE: The "Spartan Resource Center" is on the left-side column. You can quickly access a wide range of articles from a variety of sources using these links.

Friday, January 31, 2014

KEY POINT IN BRENDAN GIBBONS SCANDAL: HIS VICTIM CAN STILL PRESS CHARGES

One of the key points consistently overlooked in the online discussions of the Brendan Gibbons Rape case has to do with the former Michigan football player's actual legal status. Many folks new to this situation thought that since he was never convicted in a court of law, that means he was never arrested. That point was clarified yesterday.

But a lot of UM apologists also want to say "the case is closed, he was never found guilty, there's nothing here, time to move on", and so forth. I pointed out that Gibbons actually WAS FOUND GUILTY by a university discipline process, and that legally-binding judgment was based on a standard of the preponderance of evidence against Gibbons. So it's clear that there is something there (not nothing there).

The victim in this case can still press charges against Gibbons, as there is no statute-of-limitations for first-degree criminal sexual assault in the State of Michigan. The S-O-L for other degrees of CSC range from six years to ten years, depending on the severity of the crime. Here is the link, read it for yourself. If the local police recommended charges on first-degree sexual assault, and if the prosecutor wants to bring it forward, the victim has the rest of her life to move forward with prosecution.

We're hearing that the police were ready to move forward with this case in 2009, so why might the victim have decided to hold back? Plenty of normal reasons that normally apply in these cases, but in this situation, the victim may have made a logical and conscious decision to use the legal discretion allowed to her by the statute-of-limitations.

If she was advised that she had a full decade to bring legal charges, and in the meantime she could pursue justice against her attacker through a university process that would allow her to maintain a low public profile during her college career, I could see her making that choice. Could you?

Perhaps the victim was waiting for the university process to play out, while also going through college in a quasi-normal fashion, before returning to the legal stage. This appears plausible.

Gibbons could still be charged with

First Degree Sexual Assault,

and he could still be found

guilty in a court of law.
He is not legally "off the hook".

(If this were to happen, it would not be

a "muscle pull" or "family issues".)

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Thursday, January 30, 2014

BRENDAN GIBBONS APPEARS TO BE ABOUT AS "GUILTY" AS O.J. SIMPSON

It was great to see the Gibbons situation finally exposed. Now we know what happened four years ago, before it was all swept under the carpet.

I remember the original report on MLive, perhaps the only media outlet to cover it. The first news was that "a football player" was charged with rape, and there were no follow-up stories for more than a month. Finally there was a report saying the charges had been dropped.

Most people do not remember when the incident happened in 2009. Many are just hearing about it for the first time. For those new to the story, many of the key details may be elusive to comprehend at first, as it may be a bit of a shock to hear it all in retrospect.

It appears the main defense ("excuse") people have for Gibbons is to emphasize that he has not formally been found "guilty" in a court of law. This fact is one of many fundamental aspects of the case. But the story as a whole is based on actions, not an inaction, and the key act was taken by the University of Michigan itself by expelling the alleged perpetrator. In the quasi-legal arena of public institutions, he was determined to have been "guilty" according to "the preponderance of evidence".

While the institution is not a court of law, neither are the available penalties identical. If found "guilty" in a criminal court of law, Gibbons could have been given a maximum sentence of prison time. As he was found "guilty" through the institutional disciplinary review process, he was given the maximum sentence of expulsion. Both are correct uses of the term "guilty", though used in the two different contexts.

Without question, in this case, Brendan Gibbons is GUILTY. And that's why I bring Orenthal James into it.

Most people would say they thought O.J. Simpson committed murder. But he was not convicted of it in a criminal court of law. So does that literally mean that O.J. was "not guilty"? If so, what about the successful civil actions against him later on? Was he not found "guilty" in those courts? You could say Simpson was "guilty" or "not guilty" in different contexts and be right or wrong.

Surely there are acts of brutality that occur during wartime situations that don't result in formal charges, but does the lack of formal processing mean the actions didn't happen? What about the time before people had courts, does that mean those types of actions never occurred back then since there were no charges to be filed? Women's equity advocates have long been vocal about how many of these actions do not result in formal convictions, even though they actually happened.

None of this is germaine to the story. It seems clear from the widespread media reports that Michigan Football Coach Brady Hoke knew that Gibbons had been "convicted" (internally) yet played him in the next game anyway. We now know that the comments Hoke made about a "muscle problem" and "family matters" were smokescreens at best, perhaps even a deliberate cover-up through open lying to the public.

Plus, if Hoke knew (as he must have known) then so did David Brandon. That ties them both together in the scheme, as Brandon had to be aware of the situation, even if only by hearing Hoke speak publicly on the subject of Gibbons. And presumably he did nothing about it. That makes one of them the "accessory" to the other.

There's your story. No point in debating the use of the word "guilty", as some folks won't get the idea that some words have a range of meanings. The key to this revelation is the complicit role-playing by Hoke and Brandon to protect the eligibility of Gibbons and Taylor Lewan.

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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

IN MY OPINION: BRANDEN DAWSON SHOULD BE THE MSU "SUPER-SUB" WHEN HE RETURNS TO ACTION

The Michigan State Basketball team would be best-served by Branden Dawson as the sixth-man in the rotation when he returns from his hand injury. While Dawson has started many games for MSU, he should not be re-installed as a starter next month.

The team is going through a great evolutionary process without both Adreian Payne and Dawson, and Payne should be worked back into the starting lineup as soon as he's ready. When Payne is deemed capable of starting, he should do so.

But Dawson should be held back as a "super-sub", in a role much like Morris Peterson played in the late 1990's. This team needs something special coming off the bench, and Dawson has the versatility to shut down a hot scorer and/or take over the rebounding while attacking in transition. He seems perfectly well-suited to coming off the bench early in games, even if his total minutes played are equal to the starters.

This team is re-establishing (or re-discovering) its identity and personality, and the starting group should remain fixed without Dawson for the rest of this season. This will confound the opponent upon his entry into the game, it will give him a view of what's happening before he starts to compete, and it will provide a little bit of foul protection for him as he could not get whistled for that quick first foul. It would also allow him to take on the opposing starters when they are getting winded for the first time, possibly creating short-term mismatches.

I realize we're all focused on the return of Payne, and again, he should return to a starting role as soon as possible. But Dawson will be most effective and helpful to his team as the first player coming off the bench.

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MSU BASKETBALL IS ZERO GAMES BEHIND UM IN THE CONFERENCE STANDINGS

The Spartans win against Iowa has left them zero games out of First Place in the B1G Conference standings. Most people still describe Michigan as "being in first place", but technically, it is tied-up between the two schools. MSU has played two more games than UM, so the Wolverines need to win their next game to pull ahead.

By the time Michigan State plays another conference contest, Michigan will have caught up on the schedule with two more league games. But while the Spartans were knocked out of First last weekend, they are back in it with a non-conference road trip coming up this weekend.

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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

GIBBONS EXPELLED AFTER SCORING 12 OF LAST 18 POINTS BY UM AGAINST MSU

The University in Michigan has expelled Brendan Gibbons, the Wolverine football player who was mysteriously absent from their December bowl game. Here is the original report from the Michigan Daily. Here are some other reports about it:

The Detroit News

The Bleacher Report

Yahoo Sports

Fox Sports Detroit

The Detroit Free Press

Gibbons kicked four field goals over the last two years against Michigan State, accounting for 12 of the 18 points given up by the Spartans in the last two games. No touchdowns were scored by Michigan in those games.

Gibbons did not play in the final regular season game against Ohio STATE, and UM Coach Brady Hoke said it was due to a "muscle problem". Asked about the absence of Gibbons on the bowl trip, Hoke said the player was attending to "family business". The Detroit Free Press reports that both statements made by Hoke regarding Gibbons came after the university process had concluded and expulsion was imminent.

The expulsion is believed to be the first against any student in at least two years at Michigan.

(Interesting to note that MLive waited until just before Noon today to report this story. Every major media outlet had this story last night, but not MLive.)

RELATED STORY:

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL IS THE DIRTIEST TEAM IN AMERICA

IF YOU WANT "EXCUSES", TALK TO A MICHIGAN FAN - - - SPARTAN FANS ARE OFFERING "REASONS"

Michigan fans are accusing Spartans of "making excuses" when we note that Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson were unavailable to play last weekend due to injury, and that Keith Appling is hampered by his ongoing injury situations. Perhaps they think mentioning that Matt Costello is still coming out of mononucleosis or that a lot of guys who played last Saturday are young and/or haven't played much in the past are also nothing but "excuses". My summary of this syndrome can be read here.

Time to put the meat back onto the griddle. Seems like Michigan fans were the excuse-makers during football season, and many of their excuses were not as valid as the reasons Michigan State fans were reviewing for not being able to beat UM at the Breslin Center for the 14th time in the last 15 years.

Let's review the various statements made by both fan groups:

"Payne and Dawson were unavailable to play, therefore giving Michigan an improved chance to win." The Wolverines counter-claim is that they are playing "without" Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch McGary. But Burke and Hardaway dropped out of college to leave UM, making them ineligible to play this season; they will never play again under NCAA rules. This counter would be valid if Spartans were complaining about the absence or Derrick Nix, or maybe Raymar Morgan or Antonio Smith; those guys are gone for good and in no way are part of the current picture. As for McGary, he's injured, but he was projected to leave for the NBA after last season, and Michigan was still ranked #4 pre-season at that time, meaning he wasn't considered an essential part of the team this year. He also probably won't play another game in Ann Arbor, so that's a different situation.
CONCLUSION: THE ABSENCE OF PAYNE AND DAWSON ARE RELEVANT FACTORS IN THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME.

"Keith Appling is playing through considerable pain and physical limitations due to his array of injuries. He is playing hurt, therefore giving Michigan an improved chance to win". This claim is identical to the claims during football season that Devin Gardner was hindered by his ongoing injuries. So any UM fan that complained about - - - or even mentioned - - - Gardner's physical status during the football season, must acknowledge the same situation with Appling.
CONCLUSION: APPLING'S INJURIES ARE RELEVANT FACTORS IN THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME.

"There were a lot of MSU players on the floor who played many more minutes than usual, including during crunch-time, and this affected the ability of the Spartans to be successful." This sounds more like an "excuse" than the others. But all we heard through football season was that the Michigan team had a young line, or maybe they had a young team, or maybe they had 60 freshmen on their sideline, or things like that. If the Wolverines can claim excessive youth and inexperience as the reason for losing nearly half of their football games, it must also be acceptable as a partial answer to why Michigan State lost a single game by five points.
CONCLUSION: THE PREPONDERANCE OF INEXPERIENCED PLAYERS FOR MSU HAD AN IMPACT ON THE OUTCOME OF THE GAME.

"Branden Dawson has a self-inflicted injury; therefore his absence cannot be considered anything but an excuse for not winning." But Gardner's many injuries during the football season were also "self-inflicted", as he decided to hang on to the football repeatedly and run forward, only to be brutally and viciously sacked. In effect, Gardner injured himself.
CONCLUSION: THE CAUSE OF DAWSON'S INJURY IS IRRELEVANT WHEN ANALYZING THE IMPACT OF HIS LOSS.

Spartan fans, in general, are NOT blaming the loss on the Head Coach, the assistant coaches, the Athletic Director, and/or the University President. All of those figures at the University of Michigan drew heavy criticism on a regular basis from UM fans, many of whom actually blamed those people for their football team's failures.

What claims have you heard Michigan fans making these past few days that need a little more scrutiny? Please submit them for review by COMMENTING BELOW, and we will take a look at them here on this web site.

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NO SIGN OF BRADY HOKE AT THE BRESLIN CENTER SATURDAY NIGHT

One of the many story-lines surrounding the MSU-UM basketball game over the weekend was the absence of Brady Hoke in the Breslin Center. Nobody reported seeing the Michigan Football Coach at the basketball game, a striking contrast to last season. Hoke attended the same game last year, sitting behind the Wolverine bench in an apparent attempt to steal recruits from Mark Dantonio.

Hoke is known for his attraction to Sparty, the Michigan State "mascot". He is also known for making the wrong call at the wrong time in his football career. So it may not be that surprising to notice that Hoke conspicuously attended the game that his school lost by 23 points, then stayed away from the game where his team won by five points.

David Brandon was also absent from the big game, despite his recent claims that he was "proud of" MSU for winning the Rose Bowl. Plenty of highlights of the football season were shown on the big-screen at Breslin, so we think Brandon would have enjoyed being there. Plus he would have been comfortable reading the wrap-around digital message board at Breslin, as the experience of reading it from ground level is similar to reading sky-writing. (Brandon is a sky-writing enthusiast.)

In fact, not that many Michigan fans at all in Breslin last weekend. Certainly less than 1000, and probably fewer than 500 from my perspective. Proves that they weren't all that confident entering the game, perhaps explaining all of their crowing after the game.

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Monday, January 27, 2014

MICHIGAN FANS ARE "THE BEST" - - - AT MAKING EXCUSES!

First off, congrats to the arch-rivals for winning the big game. Way to "steal one on the road". (Not like the stealing that Ed Martin helped you with, just a figure of speech.) Because when you lead a game for only nine minutes of the first 37 played, then outscore the home team by five points (20-15) in the last three minutes, you have, indeed "stolen" a game.

But they all count one, and you can't change the standings once the wins are posted. Disappointing to lose, but we saw it coming once Branden Dawson took a step away from basketball last week.

What's amusing is to read all of the Michigan fan comments (on MLive and elsewhere) and see how many of them are accusing Spartans, including Tom Izzo, of "making excuses" when noting that Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson were injured and unavailable. Or that pointing out how beat-up Keith Appling is right now is a way of "making an excuse for losing". These folks love to be the pot-calling-the-kettle-black!

All through football season we heard nothing but excuses from Michigan fans (and coaches) for their lackluster performances. Was it just me, or did you also hear these types of comments from the blue-and-yellow faithful only a few months ago:

"We have a young interior to the offensive line"
"We have a young offensive line"
"We have no offensive linemen - - - thanks, RichRod"
"We have more than 60 freshmen on the team"
"We have a young team"
"Devin Gardner is all beat-up"
"The cupboard was bare when Brady took over"
"Al Borges is the problem"
"Greg Mattison is the problem"
"Brady Hoke is the problem"
"David Brandon is the problem"
"Mary Sue Coleman is the problem"

Not once during the football season just past did Michigan fans (or coaches) own up to the facts that they weren't a very good team, their program reputation is fading fast, and their players weren't all that good despite their high-school rankings. All we heard were the comments listed above.

Now those same Michigan fans accuse MSU fans (and coaches) of "making excuses" when we point out that Payne and Dawson were injured and out, while Appling (and maybe Costello) were injured and still playing. Their main counter-punch to the Payne/Dawson absence is that two of their stars from last year dropped out of school and quit college basketball, so there, nanny-nanny-boo-boo!

I think you can all see where this is going. Let's review the claims of excuses by Michigan fans in comparison to the excuses those same fans were making all through football season. We will compare the main explanations offered by the MSU side that are being called "excuses" with the actual "excuses" that UM folks were making about football.

That article will be coming up NEXT on this web site.

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Sunday, January 26, 2014

THIS DAY IN chUMp HISTORY: JANUARY 26, 1941

Today is one of the great days in University of Michigan sports history, as one of their most beloved and respected coaches was born on this day in 1941. Today is Gary Moeller's birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COACH MOELLER!

Moeller is one of those "Michigan Men" who never attended college at UM, instead playing at Ohio STATE. So he is literally a "Buckeye". But he was paid by the university, twice as an assistant coach, and later as head coach. It was during his illustrious run at the top of the wolverine food-chain that Moeller made history for his employer.

Gary Moeller was arrested on April 28, 1995 for drunk-and-disorderly behavior at the Exalibur restaurant in Southfield. He was carrying on like an angry drunk, verbally abusing anybody nearby, including his wife. When the police arrived, they tried to let Moeller go without being arrested, but Moeller wouldn't take a hint or accept the help. He kept ranting and raving and stinking up the scene until he had to be handcuffed and taken off to the pokey. Plus he punched some cops along the way.

Moeller was "resigned" within days, and a previously unknown assistant coach protested very loudly about the firing at first, then was hired to be his successor. The very vocal objector was Lloyd Carr. So Carr's UM career was made possible by the firing of Moeller.

Wolverines everywhere can celebrate the fond memory of Michigan Head Football Coach Gary Moeller, hand-picked by Glenn Shembechler to take over his program, being dragged off to the drunk-tank after driving his wife and everybody around him crazy while he drank himself into oblivion.

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SPARTAN WOMEN EARN BIG ROAD WIN TO SALVAGE TOUGH WEEK FOR MICHIGAN STATE BASKETBALL

The Michigan State Women's Basketball team notched an impressive road victory Sunday afternoon in Columbus, beating Ohio State for the first time in four years, 82-68. The win leaves MSU in second-place in the B1G, a game behind Penn State.

It was a disappointing week for Spartan Basketball, with the women losing to the league-leading Nittany Lionesses a week ago, then again to last-place Illinois on Thursday, both games at the Breslin Center. The men's team struggled to beat Indiana before losing to Michigan, with both of those games also played at Breslin.

The defeat of the Buckeyes was accomplished without the services of starting point-guard Kiana Johnson, who was unavailable for the game. Three freshmen combined for 51 points to lead MSU, Tori Jankoska with 25, Aerial Powers with 20, and Brandy Agee with 6. Senior Analise Pickrel added a double-double, with 10 points and 10 rebounds. 6'7" Center Madison Williams played a career-high 19 minutes, compiling eight rebounds and seven blocked shots.

The Spartan Women are now 13-7 overall, 5-2 in the league. They will host last-place Wisconsin on Thursday.

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Friday, January 24, 2014

THE LAST FIVE SEASONS OF BASKETBALL AT MSU AND UM

Let's take a look at the overall basketball team performances of Michigan State and Michigan on a season-by-season basis over the last five years:

MICHIGAN STATE

2009: 31-7 first place / final four
2010: 29-9 first place / final four
2011: 19-15 fourth place / first round
2012: 29-8 first place / sweet sixteen
2013: 27-9 second place / sweet sixteen

MSU FIVE YEAR TOTAL = 135-48 (.738)

Five Big Dance Bids, Two Final Fours, Two Sweet Sixteens

MICHIGAN

2009: 20-13 seventh place / second round
2010: 15-17 seventh place / no tournament
2011: 20-13 fourth place / second round
2012: 24-9 first place / first round
2013: 26-7 fourth place / final four

UM FIVE YEAR TOTAL = 105-59 (.640)

Four Big Dance Bids, One Final Four

Over the past five years, MSU has won about 10% more games, including three conference titles and two final fours, compared to one each for UM. (We'll leave years six through ten for later review, as we're confident those UM years will pale in comparison to the same seasons for MSU.)

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SPARTAN BASKETBALL vs WOLVERINES: LAST TEN GAMES

Here are the outcomes of the last 10 games between MSU and UM in Men's Basketball, listed in chronological order with the winner and final margin (bottom = most recent):

MSU by 15
MSU by 12
MSU by 1
MSU by 16
UM by 4
UM by 7
UM by 1
MSU by 10
MSU by 23
UM by 1

A quick sum of the numbers shows that UM outscored MSU by 13 points in its four wins, while the Spartans outscored the Wolverines by 77 points in their six wins. That's a 10-game margin of +64 points for MSU. So the last ten games are 6-4 for Michigan State, with an average annual margin of 6-7 points per game in favor of the Spartans.

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

IN MY OPINION: BRANDEN DAWSON WILL RETURN FOR HIS SENIOR SEASON

Nobody expected the hideously bad news that Branden Dawson TOOK HIMSELF OUT of the basketball season, but like all bad news, once you hear it, you just have to deal with it. There is no way to spin this into a good thing.

However, all dark clouds have their silver lining. In this case, it's time to just come out and say it: BRANDEN DAWSON WILL RETURN FOR HIS SENIOR SEASON. So we lose a chunk of what this year might have been, but we get a little more for next year.

As for Adreian Payne, here's my opinion on how he should be managed from here on out.

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IN MY OPINION: WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE ADREIAN PAYNE SITUATION

My opinion is that Adreian Payne should return to action as a "second-half only player" beginning this Saturday against Michigan.

In this plan, he would never play during the first half, thereby limiting the stress on his foot to only one session per game. The now-normal player-rotation on the front-line would continue to be used in the first half, allowing some of those players to play more aggressively, knowing that Payne could be playing in the second half. Gauna or Schilling or even Costello could pick up two or three fouls without creating a problem (other than team fouls).

Payne would warm-up for the second half, and if the Spartans lead by 10 or more at halftime, he can continue to rest. If it's a single-digit lead or a deficit, he gets to play along with everybody else.

This decision doesn't have to be a "all-or-nothing" scenario. It's possible that Payne could play in this limited approach for a game or two or three, then take another game or two off if needed. It's possible that "totally curing" the problem by taking a month off may not prevent it from coming back as soon as he starts to play again, effectively wasting the second half of his senior season.

My recommendation is to MANAGE THE INJURY rather than trying to CURE IT. If Payne starts a game but cannot finish, it may prove debilitating to everybody involved. If he doesn't start, but comes in at the end, it could be rejuvenating to the team.

BOTTOM LINE: The plantar-fascitis may be a chronic injury that requires long-term management. If so, developing a viable injury-management strategy is critical to the professional viability of Payne. It benefits everyone to follow this approach.

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Wednesday, January 22, 2014

THE "chUMp-of-the-Year" FOR 2013 is DAVID BRANDON

The 2013 "chUMp-of-the-year" is DAVID BRANDON. The skywriting stunt was enough to get him the first monthly award in September, and now he has the first annual dishonor as well. He is truly King chUMp.

The competition between a wide array of chUMps was very close, finishing in a virtual three-way tie between Brandon, Desmond Howard, and Taylor Lewan. All had solid chUMp credentials, and all were worthy of the award.

With all due disrespect for Desmond Howard! If ever there was a chUMp who wanted to be King, it would be Howard. His stupid commentaries about Spartan Football made a fool of himself and his employer. But while Howard has established himself firmly with his chUMp credentials, Brandon is older, so he should know better. He also has the authority to straighten up chUMp culture, but he chooses to perpetuate it. He is definitely guilty of extreme chUMpy-ness.

Here is the way several of our readers saw the situation:

MSUSpartan76:

"Father Noid is my vote. Who is worse, the idiot or the idiot who hired the idiot? Not only did he hire the sky writers, he then went on to claim they were off course, that it happened all over the state (except over Michigan Stadium), then tried to minimize it by claiming it cost (out of athletic department funds) much less than what the sky writers said it cost. To continue his arrogance (a quality valued by chUMps), he did not bother to try to match the MSU Alumni fund raising for a significant charity. Had he done so, he could have regained a measure of respect.

"No respect. Arrogance. Ability to simultaneously talk out of both sides at the same time. Idiot. Makes for a chUMp."

return2glory:

"David Brandon is the leader. He could cure the culture, but he has proven to be a true-blue chUMp. He sets the tone in the sports department. He is totally cool with his coaches and players referring to another Big Ten institution with the name of an institution in the MAC as an insult ("Ohio"). If fans want to do that, fine - he has no authority over them, but players and coaches in multiple sports? Pre-2013, he allowed this childish practice to continue even after his basketball team got beat by that very MAC team wearing green and white in the NCAA Tournament. His DECISION to arrange and pay for the the skywriting of GO BLUE in the sky above Spartan Stadium on game day was childish and his lies related to it, despicable. His actions raised the levels of chUMpitis through all of Blue Nation. He is the leader. David Brandon is king chUMp."

From "Anonymous":

"I know in my heart I'm supposed to say Brandon. He's older, should know better, and yet still makes decisions - not to mention the comments made regarding those decisions - that baffle the mind. What is wrong with this man?"

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

TWO DAYS UNTIL RIVALRY WEEKEND BETWEEN MSU AND UM

The Spartans and the Wolverines will pick up the pace with four rivalry games this weekend, including men's basketball at Breslin, a wrestling match, and a pair of hockey games.

Michigan State has won six games in a row against Michigan in six different sports dating back to October 2013. The streak is likely to end this weekend, as MSU would need three upsets to sweep all four match-ups.

The Spartans will be favored at home against UM in basketball regardless of the outcome of tonight's game. Some Wolverine fans are claiming that the men's basketball series between the schools has evened out, largely because of the five-game win streak enjoyed by Michigan (against other teams) in the 2013 post-season. But two of the last four wins by UM have been by a single point, while MSU has had multiple double-digit wins over their rivals in recent years. You can review a long-term summary of the men's basketball rivalry by clicking right here.

For a YouTube highlight summary of the greatest men's basketball game ever played between the two teams, click here. And get ready to rumble on Saturday night.

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LEWAN MISSES OUT ON 2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" AWARD, COMPETITION NOW BETWEEN BRANDON AND HOWARD

Taylor Lewan has been named "Second Runner-Up" in the 2013 "chUMp of the Year" competition, leaving David Brandon and Desmond Howard to vie for the title.

The virtual three-way tie between Lewan/Brandon/Howard was essentially broken by virtue of the first tie-breaker, which is age. While all three rightly earned their chUMp recognition, Lewan is viewed with more leniency since he is still a young pup. Theoretically, there is time for him to repent. The older candidates should (theoretically) know better.

Therefore, Lewan finishes as the three-seed, with the winner to be announced tomorrow on this web site.

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Monday, January 20, 2014

FIVE DAYS UNTIL THE NEXT SHOWDOWN AT BRESLIN

The Spartans will defend home court against the Wolverines this weekend in men's basketball. It's the first meeting of the season, after the two teams split a pair of regular-season games last year. Michigan State won by 23 in East Lansing before losing by a point in the last second of the game in Ann Arbor in 2013.

Some folks are thinking that the series is fairly even now, since UM won four of the last six games (two of them by a single point). A guy named "SomeGuy73", who posts a lot on MLive, suggested recently that Michigan fans could claim a new basketball supremacy in the same way that Michigan State fans claim that status in football. Hmmm. Maybe we should take a closer look.

Here are the outcomes of the last 10 games between MSU and UM in Men's Basketball, listed in chronological order with the winner and final margin (bottom = most recent):

MSU by 15
MSU by 12
MSU by 1
MSU by 16
UM by 4
UM by 7
UM by 1
MSU by 10
MSU by 23
UM by 1

A quick sum of the numbers shows that UM outscored MSU by 13 points in its four wins, while the Spartans outscored the Wolverines by 77 points in their six wins. That's a 10-year margin of +64 points for MSU. So the last ten games are 60%-40% for Michigan State, with an average annual margin of 6-7 points per game. Pretty close, but if you had to designate one team as better, the data favors Tom Izzo.

Now let's take a look at the overall team performance on a season-by-season basis over the last five years. (We'll leave years six through ten for later review, as we're confident those UM years will pale in comparison to the same seasons for MSU.)

MICHIGAN STATE

2009: 31-7 first place / final four
2010: 29-9 first place / final four
2011: 19-15 fourth place / first round
2012: 29-8 first place / sweet sixteen
2013: 27-9 second place / sweet sixteen

MSU FIVE YEAR TOTAL = 135-48 (.738)

Five Big Dance Bids, Two Final Fours, Two Sweet Sixteens

MICHIGAN

2009: 20-13 seventh place / second round
2010: 15-17 seventh place / no tournament
2011: 20-13 fourth place / second round
2012: 24-9 first place / first round
2013: 26-7 fourth place / final four

UM FIVE YEAR TOTAL = 105-59 (.640)

Four Big Dance Bids, One Final Four

Over the past five years, MSU has won about 10% more games, including three conference titles and two final fours, compared to one each for UM. Again, the data favors Sparty.

None of this foretells the game on Saturday, but it appears the tide hasn't quite turned towards the yellow-and-blue, or even all the way to "even". The next few games in the series could swing the pendulum either way, or it could begin to settle in the middle. But for now, the Spartans control the series, and will seek to extend their advantage this weekend.

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MSU Hoops Pick and Roll: Inaugural Edition

INAUGURAL EDITION
Our feature on MSU BASKETBALL brings diverse responses to
a variety of questions related to the Spartans program.

Pick & Roll will be published periodically during the season and weekly through post season action.

Our Panelists:

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

SpartanMan82 (Check out SM82's Basketball Posts)

This Week's Questions:

1. Is Tom Izzo about to pop a vein in his neck, or what? Explain what we're seeing with all of the ferocious intensity from our favorite Coach.

2. The Spartans seem to be sputtering at times, yet they are matching long-standing team records and setting new ones almost every game. Will this team live up to its highest expectations?

3. Quick guess, who leaves early from MSU after this year?

Panelist Responses:

1. Is Tom Izzo about to pop a vein in his neck, or what? Explain what we're seeing with all of the ferocious intensity from our favorite Coach.

SpartanMan82 (Check out SM82's Basketball Posts)
I think people are making too big of a deal out of it. I know some people are revolted to see what they believe is a repugnant image, but I'm still seeing it as an aberration largely specific to Valentine, who he's known since birth. When you recruit a player as an assistant coach, then recruit his sons, the coach/player relationship is a little different. I don't think any of us can truly know how it's different, or how it feels to be different in that way, or any of it. Denzel's brother sits right behind the bench, and his Dad stepped down from high school coaching (after two consecutive state championships) largely to pay attention to his son at MSU. So I'm sure everybody in the Valentine/Izzo camp is on track with everything.

We can speculate as amateur psychologists about the motivations and fears of Tom Izzo, and how they all translate into what we've seen him like lately. Or we can just let it ride, likely to not see much of that exact same stuff again, for a variety of reasons. I choose to let it ride.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
I think Izzo's intensity comes from two places: frustration and motivation. This year's team plays a lot like a really good NBA team will. Those teams that seem to "turn it on" whenever they want to. The problem is they are not always on and almost seem like they are not in it. Then they turn it on and go for an 18-3 run. I think Izzo knows he has something special here with this group and the fact that they let teams hang around or they try to coast to wins, instead of coming out and just dominating the competition is frustrating (add in the injuries and lineup juggling and you have one frustrated coach). At the same time he doesn't want this team to fall too far into the trap thinking they can just go at anytime. We saw it against OSU. With 8 minutes to go they were in chill mode and when they tried to turn it on around 3 minutes, it wasn't there. He is pushing these guys as much as he can so they don't fall asleep at the wheel.

As Posted by Return2Glory on M-Live: return2glory | SpartanResource.com
Izzo has such a high balance in his emotional bank account with each player that it allows him take withdrawals and not get into the red (overdrawn). He makes so many deposits into their emotional bank account the withdrawals hardly matter.

Reader Response: kmak
That's a good way to put it. Many are missing the whole picture. Where were all the nay-sayers when Izzo was out giving Green an unbridled bear hug on the court after a play well-done? These kids know Izzo has there backs. We may see him yell and walk away, but what we don't always see is the compassionate conversation he takes the time to have in the locker room with his players after the game and give them a pat on the back or sometimes a bear hug.

____________________________________________

2. The Spartans seem to be sputtering at times, yet they are matching long-standing team records and setting new ones almost every game. Will this team live up to its highest expectations?

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
So much can go off kilter in college basketball. Come Tourney time, one loss means you are done. This team has the goods. It seemed like MSU always has a good balance where their are 2-3 guys that can push that 20 point area in any game and then there are a few others that don't surprise in double figures. This year Appling, Payne, or Harris can push 30 any given night. Dawson, Valentine, Trice and Kaminski have all scored 15 or more points in games this year. This team is a Championship caliber team. Its crazy to think about the injuries and bad breaks this group has gotten and they are still 17-1. Only 3 players have played in all 18 contests this year: Appling, Valentine and Schilling. And guys like Costello, Payne, Harris, Dawson and Trice have battled through illness or injury in a few of those contests they were in. If the team can get healthy and Izzo can do what Izzo seems to always do, this team is scary.

SpartanMan82 (Check out SM82's Basketball Posts)
They are certainly in position for everything other than the undefeated season. But the "highest expectation" is the National Championship, and those can no more be guaranteed in January than they can in March. So we'll have to see about that.

But most of the "sputtering" appears to have been part of the annual process of re-creating a new team. To have only one loss, and none in the conference after five games, puts MSU in the driver's seat as the other teams all play begin to each other.

If the Payne-to-Gain process pays dividends with a truly healthy player before too long, everything else seems to be falling into place for a strong February and beyond. The Costello mono-thing should gradually dissipate, as he first sat out for it six weeks ago. Harris seems quite functional and reports that his ankle is better every day. The injuries to Appling by definition will take time, but with time they will heal, as they are not chronic or stress-induced. (Appling suffered impact bruises to one side of his body from a fall he took on December 4.) In the meantime, other players are stepping in and trying to step up. If everybody is healthy and the team is at full strength when the finish-line starts coming into view, this team could reach any or all of its goals.

_________________________________________________

3. Quick guess, who leaves early from MSU after this year?

SpartanMan82 (Check out SM82's Basketball Posts)
Everybody has been counting Harris as definitely gone, and understandably so, based on his apparent draft-rank status last year. But he hasn't been packing the stats recently, and I heard Jim Comparoni say that he "may" return, so I'll put Harris at 80% gone.

I've had my doubts about Dawson leaving early for some time, and his performance package doesn't look so darn draft-able right now. I'm guessing he stays, and I'm up to around 70% on that right now. There is still time for him to "make a run" with a mid-season uptick like Payne made last year. But he's on track to stay for his senior season.

If Dawson stays, gains motivation and focus like we've seen Payne do, and benefits from the increased freedom of his Senior year, MSU could remain a viable team next year. (It will be a tough comedown even with him, but without him, much harder.)

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
Harris. And even that might not be the best decision. Really this question should be "do you think either BJ or Harris will leave?" Harris is still highly regarded but he is going to slip a bit because this is now the second year that he has had injury issues. He also might slip a little more because he has had a propensity to disappear at times. Now that could be injury related but it doesn't help that outside of Valentine he has the lowest shooting percentage on the team of the guys in the regular rotation. He has also fallen in love with his outside shot. He is on pace to shoot as many 3's as he did last year within the next 7 games. And he is hitting over 10% less of those attempts. For a guy who is supposed to be a scorer, he is not having a strong showing this season.

BJ is improved over last year but he needs to experience a revolution to be catching any NBA eyes. Even if he does that he might be in the AP boat and better off coming back for a senior year. BJ has still has a tendency to not play 100% all the time. We have seen Izzo sit him because of his effort this year. And while BJ has shown some improvement in his offensive game he is not NBA ready. The guy is 6-6, 225 lbs. That makes him a 2 in the NBA and no one is putting a guy on their team that is a shooting guard that can't (or won't) put up the long ball. Even if you wanted him to be your 3, that is an issue because that swing spot has become the gold standard for the position you build around. Guys like LeBron, Durant, George and Carmelo, all are 3's. BJ can leap with those guys but he doesn't have the jumper or ability to create enough for himself for any team to see him as anything more than a bench guy.

So I think they should both stay but I think Harris is a strong lean toward leaving. NBA teams still draft based on what a guy could be, and not what he is, so someone with big dreams for what Harris could be will jump on him early and that is what you want as a player.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" FINALIST PROFILE: DAVID BRANDON

The 2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" race has come down to three finalists, Taylor Lewan, Desmond Howard, and David Brandon. Today we make the case for Brandon to be crowned King chUMp for 2013.

I can still remember that September Saturday as we were driving to the Michigan State football game, and what did we see up in the otherwise blue sky but a smoke message that said "Go Blue". For many people, this was the incident that introduced them to David Brandon. His obfuscated responses to many inquiries about this over-the-top stunt revealed Brandon to be a consummate dodge-artist, as well as a Machiavellan puppeteer.

It's unusual to think of an Athletic Director as "King chUMp", but consider their universe in obverse relation to our own. We have Mark Hollis, an AD that is busting the performance-bar for his profession, setting new marks for innovation on a regular basis, and steering the Michigan State programs to unprecedented success across the board. He has raised a great deal of money and established sound financial practices to work within his limited budgets. (e.g., When was the last time we kept paying a coach who we fired?)

So perhaps it's realistic to recognize that as good and effective and dignified Mark Hollis is, his counterpart on The Dark Side may be as corrupt as Hollis is clean. That's consistent with what Anonymous told us:

"I know in my heart I'm supposed to say Brandon. He's older, should know better, and yet still makes decisions - not to mention the comments made regarding those decisions - that baffle the mind. What is wrong with this man?"

MSUSpartan76 made a compelling case for David Brandon as King chUMp, making his pizza background into a silly nickname:

"Father Noid is my vote. Who is worse, the idiot or the idiot who hired the idiot? Da blane! Da blane! Not only did he hire the sky writers, he then went on to claim they were off course, that it happened all over the state (except over Michigan Stadium), then tried to minimize it by claiming it cost (out of athletic department funds) much less than what the sky writers said it cost. To continue his arrogance (a quality valued by chUMps), he did not bother to try to match the MSU Alumni fund raising for a significant charity. Had he done so, he could have regained a measure of respect.

"No respect. Arrogance. Ability to simultaneously talk out of both sides at the same time. Idiot. Makes for a chUMp."

Another huge vote comes from ReturnToGlory (R2G):

"David Brandon is the leader. He could cure the culture, but he has proven to be a true-blue chUMp. He sets the tone in the sports department. He is totally cool with his coaches and players referring to another Big Ten institution with the name of an institution in the MAC as an insult ("Ohio"). If fans want to do that, fine - he has no authority over them, but players and coaches in multiple sports? Pre-2013, he allowed this childish practice to continue even after his basketball team got beat by that very MAC team wearing green and white in the NCAA Tournament. His DECISION to arrange and pay for the the skywriting of GO BLUE in the sky above Spartan Stadium on game day was childish and his lies related to it, despicable. His actions raised the levels of chUMpitis through all of Blue Nation. He is the leader. David Brandon is king chUMp."

R2G makes the key observation that dozens of these silly "Ohio" references were made publicly, officially, and consistently all through 2013. While Brandon himself may not be saying the word, he holds the authority to put a stop to the silly games started by Brady Hoke upon his return to UM. And while nobody got a "chump-of-the-Month" citation for calling the Buckeyes "Ohio", perhaps somebody should have gotten one. In the view of R2G, all "Ohio" references track back to Brandon, and that alone may be enough to win the annual prize.

Brandon is the last Finalist to be profiled on this web site. The final decision on 2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" is coming this week. You may still have a voice in the process by commenting your vote!

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Saturday, January 18, 2014

2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" FINALIST PROFILE: DESMOND HOWARD

The 2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" race has come down to three finalists, Taylor Lewan, Desmond Howard, and David Brandon. Today we make the case for Howard to be crowned King chUMp for 2013.

Howard's main point of misbehavior in college comes mostly in retrospect, as a more mature consideration of his "Heisman-pose" suggests he was over-the-line with that stunt. But there hasn't been much to complain about with him until recently, as he's been using his commercial sports commentator job to toss around a lot of trash about Michigan State. It was bad enough in September, when Howard was dishonorably-mentioned for his disparaging remarks about MSU Football. But it continued all season, right down to a half-time prediction at the Rose Bowl, in which he called for a runaway Stanford victory. His views on the Spartans placed him so far off the curve, and made him so consistently wrong, that one might think his employer would begin to notice.

We first consider this comment from "Anonymous", regarding the trophy-posing commentator:

"I really believe the vote has to go Desmond Howard. This man sits on a major media platform, watched by thousands of future D-1 football recruits and parent alike. The man is so ingrained in chUMp love that he can't be professional for even the shortest of segments and give other teams their due respect. The man talked about the MSU Defense being "good but "not great", and he referred to the MSU Offense as being inept "because that is Dantonio ball". He stated that Stanford would "run away with the Rose Bowl in the second half" due to the adjustments made at halftime. His hatred for MSU I'm sure goes right to "#No. 1 vs No One", where he dropped the final pass in the endzone to cost UM a possible victory. Pass Interference? Maybe. A pure Drop? Absolutely."

Perhaps the most compelling case for Howard comes from "MadisonMegaPlans", who says:

"Mine is Desmond Howard for sure. He is supposed to be some kind of promulgator of football knowledge, instead he is a poor excuse for what he is supposed to be. Sure, it's entertainment, but for football fans it needs to attain a reasonable standard of expertise minus the bias. From the beginning of the season he downplayed and downgraded the defense. He picked against State when they played UM, OSU and of course the 17 point spread he predicted for a Stanford win. State hasn't given up 30 points since the BCG against Wisc. in 2011. Only 2 teams have scored 28 points over the past two seasons. So Stanford was going to somehow blow us out by 17? It was a totally punk-ass statement that he stuck with through halftime. Keep in mind he is part of a group of UM players from the 90's that have this totally elitist attitude toward the Spartans, stating that MSU should not be mentioned in the same sentence with UM. Any win MSU got back then was the result of some freak play or whatever. He cannot let go of that and admitting the truth in the face of evidence is more than he is capable of. I get nauseated just hearing him speak."

But MSUSpartan76 does not think Howard should get the trophy:

"Desmond Howard is just irrelevant. Someone needs to tell him. Then again, he won't believe anything anyone tells him.

"Desmond Howard is working to be replaced with someone who (a) does not look like a nerd and (b) actually knows something about football."

Howard mouthed-off against MSU all football season, using his paid position to denigrate his hated rival, while claiming the Spartans were only the #3 rival for UM.

What do you think? Should Desmond Howard be anointed King chUMp for 2013? Add your vote by commenting below.

The third Finalist, David Brandon,

will be profiled tomorrow on this web site.

Friday, January 17, 2014

2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" FINALIST PROFILE: TAYLOR LEWAN

The 2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" race has come down to three finalists, Taylor Lewan, Desmond Howard, and David Brandon. Today we make the case for Lewan to be crowned King chUMp for 2013.

Lewan was named "chUMp-of-the-Month" in December 2013, largely based on the police investigation into reports that he assaulted civilians wearing Ohio STATE apparel the night after losing to the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor. Here's what we said back then:

Mister Big Pretty Boy ended the month by losing to Ohio STATE at home and then carrying on about how nothing matters pretty much at all except for "being Michigan". Okay, ugh, what a doofus. Like we haven't heard all that claptrap before.

But it turns out that Mister Bloody Forehead decided to meet up with a few Buckeyes after the game, as in, way-y-y-y-y-y after the game. Like after midnight, the first day of December. Not actual players, mind you, just some fans of Brutus. And he might just have beaten one or two of them up. Maybe a little stomping. He might have had some police protection. Then he went ahead and played in the bowl game. That Hoke is such a strict disciplinarian!

It was Lewan who provoked and pummeled William Gholston two years ago, including the infamous play during which Lewan held Gholston to the ground by his facemask on the backside of a long play while nobody was looking that way. It was after being held down for several seconds that Gholson jumped up and slapped Lewan on the side of his helmet, drawing the penalty. But that was 2011.

In the 29-6 game on November 2nd, Lewan was observed through post-game video review committing multiple un-called penalties, including helmet-twisting on the backside of a long play. That was after he said UM had been "bullied" by MSU in the 2011 game, but before he said it happened again, which he said the week after the 2013 game.

Lewan has garnered some reader support for the nomination. Consider these comments from "Anonymous":

"First instinct is a bright, flashing red blinker over the bloodied forehead of Taylor Lewan. It's so hard to even consider anyone else when you've got that psycho in the mix.

"He very likely attacked some OSU fans (an act not inconsistent with his character), hours after a loss. This followed not-so-nicely his earlier having very likely threatened a female with a re-rape (another act - the threat, at least - seemingly not inconsistent with his character).

"His brutality carried over to his on-field performance, most noticeably during the MSU trouncing of UM.

"His tortured interpretation of the state of UM Football reflected his own narcissism and delusional elitism (this last being not so uncommon amongst UM faithful). This is perhaps most evident in his comments in the presser after the OSU game.

"The guy is just dangerous. All the more dangerous considering he seems to have been enabled in his lunacy by AAPD, Hoke and Co., refs, and the press, among others."

MSUSpartan76 was quick to the point, when he said, "Taylor Lewan belongs in jail." He later added, "We expect Taylor Lewan, and Royce Jenkins-Stone to share a cell, with Fitz Toussaint performing janitorial services for their cell-block."

As the process continued and Lewan advanced at every step, our "Anonymous" reader summed up the difficulty of the decision:

"But the wacko-factor compels me to vote for Lewan. Big, nasty, mentally unbalanced (we can assume, given the behavior), with a chip weighing down his massive shoulders, and unencumbered by any semblance of moral restraint. Unless he makes some serious adjustments - with the assistance of professionals - my Chump of the Year might well be wearing prison blues soon enough. That is, if he leaves any witnesses."

Even C-Mann79 has weighed-in on the balloting:

"I cast my ballot for top chUMp of 2013 for our boy Taylor Lewan. I was at Lucas Oil Stadium for this year's B1G Championship and watched the boy wonder accept some offensive lineman award. When 80,000 joined in a chorus of disapproval as his name was announced he had a huge belly laugh as he filled the stadium's big screens.

"Mr. chUMp, you earned these boo's not because you play for a conference rival. You earned them because you continue to call your rival's Ohio and Little Brother. You earned them because you play like you have all ready been drafted by the Oakland Raiders for your dirty play. (Justice would be served if he has to block for his Ohio friend, Terrelle Pryor.) You earned them because of your off the field escapades. You earned earned them because your truly are a chUMp. Your varsity mug shot should be emblazoned next to the definition of a chUMp on this website for the year for you truly earned that designation for 2013."

There has been no further news on the police investigation into Lewan's behavior after midnight on December 1st. The reports that came out on December 24 can be found by "googling" TAYLOR LEWAN POLICE INVESTIGATION.

One final note is to recall the comments Lewan made in the days after losing to Ohio STATE. He basically said, "No matter that we lost, we're still better, na-na-na-billygoat!"

So now we leave it to you one final time, if you haven't commented your vote yet, please do so below.

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Thursday, January 16, 2014

2013 "chUMp-of-the-Year" FINAL VOTING GOES INTO OVERTIME

When we look back at the year 2013, we will probably realize that it was a really great year for chUMps. Meaning, there were a lot of them, doing a lot of chUMpy things. And we only started keeping track in September.

We have named three Finalists for the "chUMp-of-the-Year" award, and the race is virtually a dead-heat. This showdown is basically a tie between three prominent chUMps; a current player, a former player, and an administrator:

TAYLOR LEWAN

DESMOND HOWARD

DAVID BRANDON

In the next three days, we will make the case for each of these candidates. We will use reader comments to explain why each of these chUMps was the Grand Marshall of 2013. Please be sure to add your comments to each article, as the final winner has not yet been determined.

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THE LOWLIGHTS OF 2013 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL, BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE DETROIT FREE PRESS

Things went so poorly this year for Michigan Football that the Detroit Free Press finally had to admit it. No more "Blue Wall" syndrome (or so they would like you to think).

So they published a photo essay depicting the worst moments of the very memorable 2013 season. No, it didn't include any pix of Taylor Lewan face-masking or fan-stomping, and there wasn't an image of Royce Jenkins-Stone sparking the on-field brawl against Ohio STATE.

But hey, at least they're trying, right?

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL 2013 PHOTO ESSAY

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