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 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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