"SENIOR DAY" COMPARISON: MSU vs UM

Everybody saw John Beilein's team lay an egg on "Senior Day" at Crisler on Saturday night, losing by double-digits without a single senior in uniform for the game. It was a sharp contrast to the show put on by Denzel Valentine and his classmates in Breslin.

Senior Day victories are not guaranteed, but they have become traditional for Spartan Basketball. The program is designed to bring the vast majority of its players to a performance peak during their senior seasons, culminating with a showcase in their last home game each year.

It's not quite the same at Michigan.

Beilein has eschewed both "Midnight Madness"

and "Senior Day" as meaningful dates on

the Wolverine basketball calendar.

Here's a look back at the last three Senior Days for both teams:

2016 "SENIOR DAY"

Michigan State won, 91-76

MSU Seniors = Valentine, Costello, Forbes, Wollenman

56 points, 17 rebounds, 19 assists

Michigan lost, 71-61

UM Seniors =  LeVert, Albrecht (DNP)

0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists

2015 "SENIOR DAY"

Michigan State won, 72-66

MSU Seniors = Trice, Dawson

21 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assists

Michigan won, 79-69

UM Seniors = None

0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists

2014 "SENIOR DAY"

Michigan State won, 86-76

MSU Seniors = Appling, Payne

16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists

Michigan won, 84-80

UM Seniors = Morgan

15 points, 10 rebounds, 0 assists

Summing up, the last three Senior Day games for each school:

• MSU is 3-0, with a combined victory margin of 31 points
• UM is 2-1, with a combined victory margin of 4 points

• Spartan Seniors: 93 points, 28 rebounds, 23 assists
• Wolverine Seniors: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 0 assists

UM carries on incessantly about "The Michigan Difference".

IS THIS IT?

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Tweet ****** The purpose of this web site is to expose the mainstream media bias that consistently portrays Michigan in a favorable light under any and all circumstances. We present current facts and review historical records to show that UM is not all they are cracked up to be. This process involves information that is negative by nature, offered as a counter-balance to the biased picture we all see on a regular basis in the mainstream media. These negative facts may involve Wolverine teams, players, coaches, administrators, and/or fans. We are here to prove that Michigan is NOT AS DIFFERENT as they want us all to believe.

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FOR THE UPDATED TEXT OF THIS ARTICLE

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MICHIGAN FANS TOTALLY MISSING THE POINT

The Internet is swimming with comments from fans defending their University of Michigan in on-line comment forums on sports media. The Bluebloods are enraged by their school football team! They don't like their precious "on-field product", and they're increasingly upset about their "off-field antics". Maybe Frank Clark was the straw that broke the camel's back.

There are a few Green Guys & Gals who chime-in on the Wolverine comment threads, and they mostly just pick on UM for one problem or another. They don't generally say anything directly about Michigan State, though many identify their affiliation clearly through their icon. Most of them are pretty close on facts and stats, and they are sort of rubbing it in their faces.

Invariably, the Michigan faithful will take shots at MSU, hitting whatever perceived weakness(es) they can identify. In some cases, their points are accurate. But they all basically fall back on  the claim that "this-or-that happens everywhere". Many commenters cite situations at other schools, and they frequently reference Spartan history in their viewpoints. But again, it always comes down to the key point that "this-or-that-happens-everywhere".

This is where they totally miss their own point. They are posting comments that prove what we've been saying for years; that Michigan is just about like any other similar place, with some good things and people, and not-so-good things and people. They are not "different", they are about the same.

Stuff happens everywhere, including at UM.

These Michigan supporters posting their comparisons

to other schools are proving that their school

is about the same as so many others.

We appreciate the reminders we keep reading on-line from the Yellow Faithful that their school is so similar to so many others in so many negative ways. So much for the "Michigan Difference".

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF UolM RUNNING UP THE SCORE

Having read the recent article, HERE'S PROOF THAT UM "RAN UP THE SCORE" AGAINST MSU IN 2002 FOOTBALL GAME, it seemed that a lot was left out.

Those chUMps are whining about a single TD. Yet those obsessive historians ignore their sordid past.

Let's take a look. Just a sample, mind you, otherwise it would have to become a serial post.

The largest margin of victory of the Spartans over UolM was in 1967, a 34-0 shutout. Using 34 points as the marker, UolM has exceeded that margin of victory over the Spartans 12 times.

10/12/1898: 39-0
10/8/1902: 119-0
10/12/1907: 46-0
10/12/1912: 55-7
11/4/1922: 63-0
10/3/1925: 39-0
10/9/1926: 55-3
9/29/1945: 40-0
11/9/1946: 55-7
9/27/1947: 55-0
10/8/1983: 42-0
11/2/2002: 49-3

With the exception of the 1983 game, all of those were played in AA.

In 1902, MSU (Michigan Agricultural College) had a total enrollment of 689 students, which included 158 women. In 1902, UolM had a total enrollment of 3792 students. No gender deliniation provided in the records.

Compare this to 2007, when UolM had 41,042 students versus Appalachian State with 13,997 students. That was a D-IA versus D-IAA with a student body ratio of greater than 3:1. In 1902, the student body ratio was about 5:1, which makes it more of a D-I versus D-III match.

So, go back to the 1902 score and decide whether or not UolM ran up the score. One other datum to consider when viewing that score - UolM was recruiting, MAC was not. UolM was the equivalent of a semi-pro team and MAC was barely out of the club sport category.

Fast forward to 1937, when NCAA reclassified MSC as a Major football program. MSC had a total enrollment of 1203 students, which included 503 women. UolM had a total enrollment of 11,777 students, which included 3514 women. That is almost a 10:1 ratio (> 11:1 male students).

Scrolling forward, MSU enrollment had achieved parity with UolM prior to the 1978 NCAA split of Division I into I-A and I-AA.

1945: UolM 15,437 MSC  4,308
1954: UolM 30,570 MSU 16,234
1964: UolM 37,945 MSU 31,268
1974: UolM 42,495 MSU 43,459
1984: UolM 34,347 MSU 40,272
1994: UolM 36,408 MSU 40,254
2004: UolM 39,533 MSU 44,836
2014: UolM 41,924 MSU 50,085
(Main campus enrollment only, Fall enrollment)

Of the 12 games played where UolM ran up the score, 10 of them happened when they were beating up on a team from a much smaller school. They did this all the time.

Year Record PF-PA
1901 11-0-0 550-0
1902 11-0-0 664-12
1903 11-0-1 565-6
1904 10-0-0 567-22
1905 12-1-0 495-2

Who did they play?

1901
Albion (MI) in AA
Case Institute of Technology (OH) in AA
Indiana in AA
Northwestern (IL) in AA
Buffalo (NY) in AA
Carlisle Indian School (PA) in Detroit
Ohio St. in Columbus
Chicago (IL) in AA
Beloit (WI) in AA
Iowa in Chicago
Stanford (CA) in Pasadena

1902
Albion (MI) in AA
Case Institute of Technology (OH) in AA
Michigan St. in AA
Indiana in AA
Notre Dame (IN) in Toledo
Ohio St. in AA
Wisconsin in Chicago
Iowa in AA
Chicago (IL) in Chicago
Oberlin (OH) in AA
Minnesota in AA

1903
Case Institute of Technology (OH) in AA
Albion (MI) in AA
Beloit (WI) in AA
Ohio Northern in AA
Indiana in AA
Ferris St. (MI) in AA
Drake (IA) in AA
Minnesota in Minneapolis
Ohio St. in AA
Wisconsin in AA
Oberlin (OH) in AA
Chicago (IL) in Chicago

1904
Case Institute of Technology (OH) in AA
Ohio Northern in AA
Kalamazoo (MI) in AA
Physicians & Surgeons (IL) in AA
Ohio St. in Columbus
American Medical (IL) in AA
West Virginia in AA
Wisconsin in Madison
Drake (IA) in AA
Chicago (IL) in AA

1905
Ohio Wesleyan in AA
Kalamazoo (MI) in AA
Case Institute of Technology (OH) in AA
Ohio Northern in AA
Vanderbilt (TN) in AA
Nebraska in AA
Albion (MI) in AA
Drake (IA) in AA
Illinois in Champaign
Ohio St. in AA
Wisconsin in AA
Oberlin (OH) in AA
Chicago (IL) in Chicago

45 home games, 4 neutral sites, 8 away games

Homefield advantage was very real in those days. Keep in mind, the Model T production started in 1908. The Wright Brothers went to Kitty Hawk in 1903. The first practical airplane was flown in 1909. The modern toilet was designed in 1906. A team typically travelled by train, arriving in time to walk to the stadium carrying their gear just in time for the game. Trains of that age typically ran at 20-30 mph, so a team would have to leave several hours to arrive in time, sometimes travelling overnight and sleeping on the train. Food service on trains was non-existent.

(We won't even get into whether the thugs recruited by UolM actually enrolled.) FYI, in 1906, UolM was censored by the Western Conference (aka Big Ten) for failure to comply with conference recruiting regulations.and members were not allowed to schedule games. UolM left the conference in 1907 and was readmitted after 10 seasons.

So 80% of those games were at home and more than half were versus non-peer opponents. Go back and look at the scores. Did UolM run up the scores on any of those teams?

Perhaps a second look at the recent MSU TD will be seen in a slightly different light.

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The Dantonio Prophesies

Flashback to November 3, 2007, East Lansing.
It's midway through the 4th period. Michigan State had rallied from a 0-14 halftime deficit to take a 24-14 lead. Chad Henne went down with a twisted ankle. Ryan Mallet came in, botched the snap which bounced once right into the hands of Mike Hart who eeked out a 1st down. Momentum shifted. Michigan took the ball down the field and scored. Michigan State punted on the next possession, a 3 and out. Michigan drove down the field and scored to take a 28-24 lead. Michigan State drove to the Michigan 42 and turned the ball over on downs. All in all a good game with lots of on the field drama. A lucky bounce of the ball, which could have gone either way, decided the game.

After the game, Mark Hart on national TV, inferred that Michigan had just been playing with the Spartans like an older sibling might do.

“I thought it was funny. They got excited. It’s good. Sometimes you get your little brother excited when you’re playing basketball and you let him get the lead. Then you come back and take it from him.”

Watch the video. Watch his shifty eyes. He knew exactly what he was doing and knew it was wrong. It was classless. It was unsportsman like. Rivalry or not, one does not embarass or humiliate the team or person you just beat. His comments reek of arrogance.

What were the reactions to insult? The school? Crickets. Lloyd Carr and the UM coaching staff? More crickets. If there was anything said to Hart about it, it was kept quiet. The UM fans? They embraced it. Why, now, they had a new, creative insult! The media? They had a field day with it. Some prime examples: Going into the UM-MSU game last season, ABC announced it as "Michigan versus Little Brother Michigan State." The expression popped up during the B1G Ten Championship game and again in the Rose Bowl by the commentators. The UM players? Over the past 7 years there have been numerous uses by them.

On the Spartan side, when asked about it, Coach Dantonio responded with 2 memorable quotes.

"The pride comes before the fall."
"It's not over. It will never be over here. It's just starting."

Pride:
People often do not understand that pride in the context of that paraphrased scripture quote is not a good thing. It is conceit, hubris, arrogance, or a lofty and arrogant assumption of superiority. The full verse from Proverbs 16:18: "Pride comes before destruction, and arrogance before the fall."

Dantonio's quoting that passage has proven to be a prophesy of Biblical proportions.

Lloyd Carr ended his coaching career. Rich Rodriguez was brought in and brought NCAA sanctions down on Michigan. Brady Hoke was brought in and with initial success using the Rodriguez team and playbook has led the Ann Arbor squad to lower levels of success each year. Lots of individual, team, and program records set -- all negative. Players have been arrested and convicted. Recruits are turning away. The current coach and athletic director are under fire. The students and fans are in revolt.

In fact, the Michigan football team record looks like Hart's little brother, "...you let him get the lead. Then you come back and take it from him."

3-8
5-7
7-6
11-2
8-5
7-6
3-4 (season in progress)

We have seen the UM arrogance for decades. In 1978, Darryl Rogers refered to UM as:

"Those arrogant asses in Ann Arbor."

Now we are seeing the fall. Starting after the Hart Insult, MSU has racked up a 5-1 record versus UM. The sole loss came as hundreds of thousands of UM fans held their breath for 2 minutes while their team made a last second field goal to win 12-10.

A digression:
Funny thing about the UM arrogance. I was at a sports bar watching the game. There were some 20 UM fans and me. When the field goal was made, they cried out, "Little Brother." So relieved were they that the Spartans hand not won a 5th in a row that they totally forgot it was the 900th program win. Think about that. It was more important to them to beat MSU than it was to set an all-time NCAA record.

During those 6 years, UM scoring has steadily dropped, reaching a 10 year low of 6 points (-48 yards rushing) last year.

Since Coach Dantonio arrived, it has started.
7-6
9-4
6-7
11-2
11-3
7-6
13-1
6-1 (season in progress)

7 consecutive bowls. 3-4 record.
Currently on a 3-game bowl winning streak
2 Division Championships
2 Conference Championships
1 Rose Bowl win
13-game conference winning streak

There's a lot more: Individual, team, and program records; vastly improved recruiting; ever increasing numbers of players starting in the NFL; and near-zero off-the field issues.

And...
This will be the 7th year since the infamous Hart made his disparaging remarks.

And 7 is a number of Biblical significance.

The pride comes before the fall.
It isn't over.
It's just starting.

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IN MY OPINION: THIS IS THE "MICHIGAN DIFFERENCE"

There really is a "Michigan Difference."

Michigan chUMps, skunkbears, trolls, Walverines, and the like think that Michigan reached the top a long time ago and there is nothing more to do; that what was achieved 50 or 100 years ago is the be all and end all and, now, just keeping the name clean is all that is needed to prove greatness.

How Michigan State University and many, many other schools approach things highlights the "Michigan Difference."

We are NOT trying to be better than Michigan or even the equals of Michigan. We let that school down the road follow its own path. The Michigan standard is NOT what we Spartans are striving to achieve.

Our goal is not to close the "gap" between MSU and any other school. Instead, we are trying to be the best WE can be and then striving to be even better. We are reaching for the ever higher SPARTAN goals by setting ever higher SPARTAN standards of excellence in academics, social awareness, and athletics.

We Spartans do not view the job as done - then, now, or ever. We do not perceive ourselves as immune from error or flawless or superior. We do not claim to be better than everyone else or even better than most or many or even a few. Let others make those claims - we don't care about such things.

What we care about is constantly striving for excellence and constantly raising the bar, setting new standards for excellence and striving to reach those ever loftier goals. We recognize this as a journey, as a job that will never be finished. We will ever be satisfied with the status quo. Our only claim is that we are better today than we were yesterday and we will again strive to improve today and tomorrow.

Nothing less will do. Not for we Spartans.

Spartans Will!



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HEY MICHIGAN: WHAT WAS THAT BIG "DIFFERENCE" AGAIN?

The main purpose of our work on this web site is to balance the media playing field when it comes to coverage of Michigan State and Michigan, particularly, though not exclusively, regarding sports. Most of our stories are about men's sports, but hey, when Suzy Merchant's teams out-perform their counterparts down south on such a regular basis, we'd like to help more people hear about their success.

The central problem with the University of Michigan is that they systematically brain-wash young people into thinking (and then actually believing) that they are superior to others. The main tool used by UM to do this is embodied in a marketing slogan designed to make money; "The Michigan Difference".

Those of us who didn't go there are constantly offended by the arrogant attitudes of those who did, and worse, those who didn't. The infection permeates our local cultures here in the State of Michigan. We fight the disease here on a regular basis, providing information that is overlooked and/or underreported, pointing out how "average" the U-of-M and its students actually are (in real life, not on Madison Avenue and Walmart clothing racks).

So the Brendan Gibbons rape scandal is a great case in point. (Not a great case in general, as it is sad, lurid, and so very disappointing.) According to an official process run by the University of Michigan, Gibbons committed sexual misconduct that may be legally proven to be "rape", if there is ever any legal process that plays out in this case. We're not saying that makes UM "bad", we're saying it makes them "normal", i.e., NOT DIFFERENT.

To those who have been pointing out that the Department of Education is also investigating Michigan State regarding Title IX processes related to sexual misconduct, we say, fine, that's more evidence that UM is NOT SO DIFFERENT. They're mostly the same as a lot of big universities.

Michigan is just another school to us, one of fifteen state-supported institutions, and they are increasingly known for their arrogance and hubris, not their educational programs. If the mainstream media ever adapts to this reality, and starts reporting on it accordingly, we may have no further reason to operate this communications platform.

Until then, however, we have some more information for you. It's about that so-called "Michigan Difference" claim. Here's an excerpt from a web site run by actual students at the University of Michigan:

"All these cases come down to one thing: this university does not care about you. The claims of diversity in the pamphlets it hands out to potential students is just that: empty words in a brochure that is quickly thrown into the trash and forgotten. The speeches with hollow phrases such as “Leaders and the Best” and “the Michigan Difference” are just that: self-congratulatory pomp that inflates our ego to perpetuate the illusion that we are significant, that we matter, and to cover up the reality that the university does not care about us."

Some of these same students marched in protest this week, complaining about the soft treatment given to confirmed rapist Brendan Gibbons:

"We are fed up with the violence that is being committed at the University of Michigan by those with power. Fed up with our bodies being used for the benefit of those at the top.

"Fed up with a university administration and athletic department that has violently acted for 4 years to cover up and suppress the details surrounding football player Brendan Gibbons’s rape of an 18-year old UM female student in November 2009.

"Fed up with the top administrators’ silence on Brendan Gibbons’s violent use of this woman’s body for his pleasure in order that they could continue using the body of one of UM’s athletes to bring in large profits that feed into their exorbitant salaries.

"Fed up with how the university’s promotion of a culture of immunity for those high in its hierarchy of power fosters the perpetuation of rape across campus."

You can follow the "Student Union of Michigan" on Facebook.




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RACIAL TENSION PREVAILS AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Race relations in this country have been a hot-topic touchstone for more than a century. It's difficult to find a "good way" to discuss the problem. Some people even believe that it's not a "problem" anymore.

Well it seems to be a pretty big problem at the University of Michigan, even these days. We know this from UM students who are protesting the situation in Ann Arbor this week. In a nutshell, these students feel like it's quite a problem nowadays, and I suppose it's fair to say "they should know". After all, the student protesters are African-American.

Maybe this doesn't have anything to do with sports, but then again, maybe it does. Take a look at the picture that's part of the first article linked above (here it is again). Look at the sign being held by the woman on the right. Read the hand-written statement that says "I'm more than just a wide receiver", and notice that signed initials, "D.N." We can't be sure who wrote that statement on that sign, but there is a wide-receiver on the Michigan football team named Dennis Norfleet.

Many of us recall the affirmative-action challenge lawsuit that went all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. The University of Michigan won that case, meaning they were not illegally applying admission benefits to racially-defined minorities. (Another version of the dispute is back on the SCOTUS docket.) But that was a way of helping those groups, not hurting them. So why are black folks at UM feeling under-appreciated these days?

Well maybe it's because of events like this one, where an on-campus fraternity hosted a special party to basically make fun of black culture. Most of us would have to admit that we'd more likely expect such a racist carnival to be held in Mississippi or Alabama, but not "up north" in Michigan. But there you have it.

The UM student body is about 4% African-American, compared to about 8% of the MSU student body. Due to the larger number of students at Michigan State, there are about three times as many black Spartans as there are black Wolverines. For whatever that's worth.

Anyway, some people will call this "pot-shotting" or picking on Michigan, but let's remember how much they sanctify themselves and glorify one another on a regular basis. They truly think they are special, yet this is another example of how they actually have plenty of warts and blemishes and problems, and really, they aren't so much different from the rest of us.

THERE IS NO MICHIGAN DIFFERENCE

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Requiem for the chUMps

We are just beginning to see the real aftermath of the total domination of the Ann Arbor Charm School ball club by the Michigan State Spartans. We've already been hearing from the chUMps an old, familiar mantra.

"Wait 'til next year!"

Then the list the roster and recruiting stars and blah, blah, blah they do go on about how fabulous their recruiting classes have been and will be and how they will again dominate the rivalry (note they are now calling it a rivalry) and on and on ad nauseam.

One must ask: Just how valuable are all of those elite 4 & 5 star recruits if they do not stay long enough to play? From Chat Sports: Exclusive: Multiple Michigan underclassment exploring transfer options.

So, the chUMps think the Ann Arbor Charm School ball club is going to close the gap with the Spartans in 2014? Not with as much as 10% of their team bailing. Part of that article addresses the question of why the recruits feel they were misled during recruiting.

Several things that I was told were promised to players that are now considering transferring that have not come to fruition during their 1 or 2 seasons on campus:
 - A blitzing defense that attacks the QB
 - Steady rotation of running backs, giving multiple players the chance to get meaningful carries
 - Steady rotation of d-linemen, giving younger guys meaningful snaps
 - A progressive, attacking offense
 - The Big Ten’s toughest offensive line
 - Top O-line coaching and technique
 - A Big Ten championship by Hoke’s 3rd season, national championship contention by year 4.

In addition, highly touted recruits such as JuJu Smith are just saying no to the chuMps.

We will pass by the easy target of UM player suspensions.

Well, the highly overepaid Coach Choke apparently got a barrel of snakeoil from Rich Rodriguez and has been spreading it heavily.

And this same likeable guy is still claiming the chUMps will see their team in the Rose Bowl. This season. Ok. I exaggerated. The claim is the goal to get the B1G Title is still on, still achieveable.

Is it possible the maize haze is finally clearing?

Is it possible that Vegas will drop the line on UM winning the National Crown? (Update, they did.)

Are we finally actually seeing that school down the road by its true colors? Is it possible that people are finally realizing there actually is a Michigan Difference and that in Ann Arbor it is more aligned with NCAA Sanctions (the probationary period just ended) then those unsubstantiated claims of Leaders and the Best?" It's McCheatin U. for God's sake!

What can you expect from a program led by the chief Noid?

6-29

Wait 'til next year!

 

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There is a "Michigan Difference?"

From MLive.com:

Is the gap widening between Michigan and Michigan State? Brady Hoke: 'I don't think there is a gap
by Nick Baumgardner

Some quotes:
But the Spartans were out for blood. They were out to embarrass Michigan. To physically punish the Wolverines one more time.
And they accomplished all of those things and so much more.

If there's going to be one football team from the state of Michigan playing in the Big Ten Championship game this December, it'll likely be the Spartans.
In order for Michigan to get there now, the Wolverines need to win all four of their final regular season games.
And the Spartans need to lose all three of theirs.

Now we can clearly see the "MICHIGAN DIFFERENCE."

Maybe they should find something better to do then call us "Little Brother."

That's just a suggestion, just a thought... Based on what? Why should they stop? After all, ABC in its introduction called the Spartans "Little Brother Michigan State" while referring to Michigan as merely "Michigan."

Game Results:
2006 MSU 13 at UM 31 (Smith/Carr)
2007 at MSU 24 UM 28 (Dantonio)
2008 MSU 35 at UM 21 (Rodriguez)
2009 at MSU 26 UM 20
2010 MSU 35 at UM 17
2011 at MSU 28 UM 14 (Hoke)
2012 MSU 10 at UM 12
2013 at MSU 29 UM 6

The defensive trend line is obvious.
MSU has won 5 of 7 games by 6 points or more and lost 2 by a combined 6 points.

The recruiting gap is closing.
The Myth - Part I
The Myth - Part II

Win-Loss Records:
Coach Choke is 1-2 versus MSU.
Coach Dantonio is 5-2 versus UM.
UM seniors are 1-3 versus MSU seniors.
Last decade: 5-5

It isn't over. It will never be over. It's just starting.
-- 2007, MSU Head Coach Mark Dantonio


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MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SUSPENDS ANOTHER PLAYER

The Michigan Football program has suffered another failure, losing another player to suspension due to illegal activity. This is at least the second such player suspension this season.

MEDIA BIAS GLARING AS MICHIGAN FOOTBALL FLOUNDERS

The Mainstream Michigan Media Machine (M-4) is working overtime in top gear to convince everybody that there are no problems with Michigan Football. This, despite two belly-flops in a row against low-end opposition.

Meanwhile, that same M-4 has Michigan State in the middle of the griddle, turning the heat up as high as possible in order to grill the Spartans for doing exactly what they were predicted to do.

Most people had MSU 3-1 after four games, and they are literally 3-1 after four games. How does this story draw so much attention? The Irish opened as seven-point favorites, and by game time, they were picked to win by four points. They won by four points. Where is the news angle? In Journalism, this is known as a "Dog Bites Man" story, and as such, is not particularly newsworthy.

But the Michigan Football team was a huge surprise to everyone the past two weeks, picked to win by three to five touchdowns in each game, yet struggling to mount fourth-quarter comebacks each time to win by a field-goal. One of those games featured a last-second goal-line-stand to preserve a hollow victory. In Journalism, this is known as a "Man Bites Dog" story, and generally would be the front-page story.

But the M-4 has issued numerous excuses for the Wolverines, complete with encouraging predictions for the rest of the season. They didn't play their game, they're young, the quarterback is inexperienced, the opponent was fired-up, everybody has an off-day, the ball bounces funny, and maybe sometimes chickens really do have lips. Whatever. Free pass for the yellow-pants.

Despite the details of how the Spartans got to 3-1, they remain on track for all but the most optimistic of pre-season predictions. Indeed, it may be more newsworthy that they took over with a chance to win at the end of the game than the fact that they lost.

But the Michigan Football fiasco goes largely unexamined. How could a Top 20 team with Top 10 recruiting classes make such a mess of themselves for two consecutive weeks? Why doesn't the M-4 invade Shempbuckler Hall demanding answers? Where is the ongoing series of critical reviews of the Wolverines? Why isn't Donut Boy on the "hot seat"? How come the assistants wearing blue aren't up for public evaluation and critique?

This is the same-old, same-old, same-old story. The M-4 works full-time to make Michigan look good while at the same time making Michigan State look bad. We urge you not to believe it, as there is no "Michigan Difference" beyond this consistently favorable treatment in the mainstream media.




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HERE'S AN OPEN LETTER TO chUMp NATION

Dear chUMps,

Just wanted to give you a shout out and see how you were feeling after your big home win against Akron on Saturday. Man, that was a first-class blowout, you guys really showed your dominance.

I saw you paid some dudes to skywrite a message over the stadium before the game. But you got the wrong stadium! Your game was being played in Ann Arbor, while coincidentally, we had a game coming up when your planes starting blowing smoke. Silly chUMps, nice idea, but you missed!

Hey, what was all the trash you were talking about the past two weeks? Something about our team not winning very "convincingly" against "inferior opponents"? What was that again?

It is sort of funny that blue-sky message was being written just as your team was getting it's lips Zipped in front of all your fans. Great win, awesome, like I said, your team looks totally unstoppable. Especially if you can avoid playing M.A.C. teams or even those from the lower division. (Seem to recall you had some difficulty with an FCS team in the past.)

Looks like your quarterback may have missed out on the September Heisman, too bad for him. I know how much he was counting on getting it, sort of like a birthright as a UM QB, right? But at least he is still President of the United States, at least in his own mind.

Maybe your players shouldn't have shoveled down all those donuts right before the game. Oh well, Coach Hoke told them to do it, didn't he? He sure loves his donuts! (How does he keep his figure?)

At least you can be proud that your football team is still on NCAA Probation. Not many teams can make that claim. That's part of the "Michigan Difference". The entire Hoke Era has been marked by Probation and plenty of donuts.

So anyway, I guess if your team scores only 28 points on Akron, that's a lot like scoring 26 on Western Michigan or maybe 21 on South Florida. And I guess that giving up 24 to Akron is like allowing 17 to Youngstown State. Maybe your team and my team aren't as "different" as you've all been saying the past two weeks.

In fact, maybe you all ought to just shut up and realize you're no better than Akron, on any given day. Just like everybody else. You're "normal", not "special". Just like everybody else.

So Zip your lips and we'll see you on November 2nd. Bring your planes along if you want to, it seemed to work fine for us on Saturday in Spartan Stadium.  See you then!


Most Sincerely Not Yours,


SpartanMan82




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WOLVERINE TERRORISTS TO FACE THE LEGAL MUSIC

One of those Michigan Wrestlers who prepared Molotov Cocktails  on National No-Title Night will face the music tomorrow.

Rosario Bruno will appear before Judge Archie Brown in Washtenaw County Trial Court on Wednesday afternoon.  Justin Dozier already confessed to the same crime last month and is awaiting sentencing in August.

Both are University of Michigan students on scholarship with the wrestling team, and both played prominent roles for Wolverine Wrestling last season. Each has wrestled in nearly three dozen matches, so they are not "walk-ons".

What's most surprising about this situation is that neither of the student-athletes was in one of the various University of Michigan libraries at the time, studying for exams or just for the pure love of learning. Instead, the two were bombing their own neighborhood.

The Michigan Mainstream Media Machine (M4) has tried to convince us that the reason athletes attend the University of Michigan is because of the strong academic programs offered there. According to M4, it's the great academic culture that draws in all of the best scholar-athletes. Something about these two guys does not remind me of a Rhodes Scholar.

Haven't heard of this story? Wondering if it's really true? Check out all of the links for proof. Consider how well-publicized the case would be if it happened in East Lansing with MSU athletes. Perhaps this represents the "Michigan Difference".




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SUMMER SERIES TWO: MICHIGAN IS NOT SO DIFFERENT

Ever notice how Michigan fans seem to believe they are better than the rest? I know, dumb question, it's obvious. They like to talk about the "Michigan Difference" but they never explain that the difference is mainly in their own arrogance and conceit.

Their school is fine, their sports are fine, there are good points and bad points about their whole package. But they truly believe that they are better than you and me and anybody that's not them. In the final analysis, that's the "difference" between UM fans and the rest of us.

In the worst cases, we call them "chUMps". Why call them by that name? We all have our reasons, and here are mine. (link here)

Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Some folks actually attended Michigan and yet avoided the attitudinal infection that afflicts so many of their students and fans. That's why I say that not all Michigan fans are chUMps. (link here)

Those chUMps called out Spartans for years, labeling us in various ways and accusing us of various things. Like burning couches, for instance. Then, when their men's basketball team lucked their way into the Final Four, what did the Michigan fans do after the games? They burned couches, proving that they're not so different than many others. (link here)

As if arson wasn't enough, these same chUMps then decided to commit vandalism by attacking the famous Sparty Statue on the MSU campus. No other schools send people to do that to Sparty, so maybe that's the "Michigan Difference". (link here)

Then after trumpeting their academic reputation and trying to tie it in with athletics, they turned their own school into a Basketball Factory by sending college dropouts directly to the NBA without diplomas. Wow, that is so different from Kentucky! (link here)

Keep your eyes and ears open for more examples of how Michigan is "different" and send them to us by commenting on this article (below).




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Added by Return2Glory: Blast from the past. App State "Doobie-Fest". How many players were not high for that game?
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MICHIGAN IS NO "HARVARD OF THE MIDWEST"

The snooty folks we call "chUMps" like to brag about their school as if it's the academic pinnacle of excellence, trying to portray the U-of-M as some sort of an honorary member of the Ivy League. They even refer to Michigan as "the Harvard of the Midwest", as if they actually attended either institution.

Well, to be fair, there are some people who actually attended and/or graduated from the University of Michigan, and we should give them fair credit for supporting their school in true-blue fashion. It's just that those actual graduates are increasingly NOT including Wolverine basketball players.

Did you notice how Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway just dropped out of college? Uh huh. Derrick Nix got his MSU degree, but the academic-all-stars from that other school didn't walk the stage and grab the sheepskin. And they're not alone.

The Michigan basketball program has featured four college dropouts in the last four years, those two along with Darius Morris (2011) and Manny Harris (2010). Morris only "attended" (wink-wink) one full year of (ahem) "school" at that prestigious center of higher education. This year's flunkies mean that those four players were enrolled for a grand total of only eight years combined, and none of them are PhD candidates.

This trend has been noticed, as recent articles from the Detroit Free Press and MLive have shown. But instead of being embarrassed by their academic failures, the Michigan camp is spinning the story that these non-students prove that U-of-M is "elite".

This is just another distortion about Michigan, perpetuated by Michigan. They once again are trying to have it both ways. If their athletes all graduate, they will point to their academic superiority. If their athletes drop out of school, they will claim it makes them special. Whatever.

Here in Spartan Country, Tom Izzo hasn't had a prominent player drop out of school for the NBA since 2006, a seven-year run of athletic and academic synergy, during which time his teams have made the Big Dance each year, won three conference titles, and made two final fours. Where are the trumpets blaring on behalf of Michigan State Basketball?

Instead, the mainstream sports media are slowly spoon-feeding us the illusion that Michigan is better because, in effect, they are Michigan. Whatever UM does will be considered the correct state of being, regardless of how MSU is better, and no matter how long MSU is better.

BOTTOM LINE: The University of Michigan is selling out it's self-proclaimed academic priorities in a bold-faced attempt to try to catch-up to Michigan State University, especially in Basketball. Perhaps Mary Sue Coleman should proclaim another "day of great shame" in Crisler Arena.




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NO GOLDEN SEASONS FOR MICHIGAN BASKETBALL

The college basketball playoffs are the most exciting event in amateur sports, largely because of the unpredictability of the event. Upsets are so common that the tournament was nicknamed "March Madness". So-called Cinderella teams like Wichita State this year, or George Mason in recent history, have captured the hearts of sports fans with their improbable runs to the Final Four.

In the final game, it's usually a highly seeded team that prevails, with occasional exceptions like 3-seeds Florida (2006) and Syracuse (2003). 4-seed Arizona beat a pair of 1-seeds to win it all in 1997, but they were the lowest ranked team to win the title in the last quarter of a century.

Exciting as it may be for the underdog to make a run, it only seems appropriate for the tournament champion to be a team that already won its league title, either in the regular season, or in the league tournament, or both. Such was the case this season with Louisville. The Cardinals completed the trifecta for a Golden Season that will shine for years to come.

The Michigan Basketball team has never had such a Golden Season. Their only NCAA Tournament title came in a year that they finished in 3rd-place in the Big Ten. The only times they won the league title and made the Final Four was in 1964 and 1965. Every other Final Four year for UM has come after a non-championship conference finish. And every other time they won the league title, they have failed to reach the Final Four.

Michigan State has had six Golden Seasons, the most recent being three years ago. The Spartans won their regular season league title and made the Final Four in 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, and 2010. MSU also won the league tournament in 1999 and 2000. Both National Championship seasons included conference titles (1979 & 2000). These years were not built on short winning streaks or exciting runs, they were based on wire-to-wire dominance.

So it's no wonder we wear the shirts and hats and wave the flags to commemorate such memorable achievements. There were no blips on the screen, no wave-riding to a single trophy in these years. These were awesome years of tough players, great coaching, and wall-to-wall teamwork. They should be celebrated and remembered by all Spartans.

And no wonder the Wolverines are jealous, they've never had anything like it. It's been 48 years since they put together a conference title and a Final Four in the same year, and back then the Big Dance was the Little Sock Hop, with only 23 schools in the mix. They've gotten so sore watching Michigan State run past them and leave them in the dust that they've made up urban legends about Tom Izzo not being able to "win the big one". Izzo and his Spartans have crafted five Golden Seasons since 1999, while the Michigan program was imploding on its own deceit, denial, deception, and dishonesty.

The Spartan Basketball program has made its reputation with hard work and determination, while their arrogant southern cousins have devoted themselves to sinister skulduggery and shady subterfuge. While no allegations have been made about the John Beilein program to date, remember all the years it took for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to crack the blue wall last time.

We should remind the yellow-shoe lovers that they ought to defer their gratuitous celebrations over their limited recent success until enough years have passed that we know it was for real. In the meantime, Spartans can take pride in the great achievements of years gone by, knowing that our detractors have literally "never been there before".



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