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).




---
Added by Return2Glory: Blast from the past. App State "Doobie-Fest". How many players were not high for that game?
----------
Tweet ------------- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page. -------------- Please click on COMMENTS below the post to enter and view reader comments. ***If you are receiving this post via automated email, ***you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/

BASKETBALL MICROSCOPE: THE COMPLETE COMPARISON

(Part Ten of a Ten-Part Series)

We have extensively reviewed the MSU and UM Men's Basketball teams as we enjoy the off-season, and now it's time to tie it all up together. After looking very closely at nine different measurable factors, let's add up the results to put it all into perspective.

Here are the categories we've reviewed, along with the comparative results between the two teams. Each category heading is linked to the associated post detail:


TEAM BALANCE:  The Spartans have excellent balance throughout their roster, with players from at least three classes expected to be heavy contributors, and players at the same position spread amongst all the class-levels. Advantage MSU


POINT GUARDS:  The Spartans have three returning point-guards who played 100% of the position minutes, while UM loses their point-guard and will rely on a freshman to lead their team. Advantage MSU


SHOOTING GUARDS:  It's a close call between Gary Harris and whomever may play shooting-guard for UM, but no Wolverine surpasses Harris. Advantage MSU


SMALL FORWARDS:  Another close call between Branden Dawson and the several players who may play against him, but Dawson has size and experience and productivity on his side of the equation. Advantage MSU


POWER FORWARDS:  Adreian Payne wins any possible match-up at power-forward. Advantage MSU


CENTERS:  We give Mitch McGary the nod over Matt Costello at Center, but it may be closer than many people think by next winter. However, Horford and Morgan are the most experienced big men on either team. Advantage UM


BENCH STRENGTH:  With more than a dozen players coming off the bench, six of them freshmen who haven't played yet, it's hard to get a line on this category. It looks pretty even. DRAW


EXPERIENCE:  The Spartans return much more experience than most teams, including UM. Advantage MSU


PERFORMANCE STATISTICS:  Michigan State returns about 80% or more in most statistical categories, while Michigan loses around 50% of almost everything. Advantage MSU


Using these nine categories, MSU leads 7-to-1 with a draw. Two areas were quite close, as UM brings viable players to Center and the two Forward positions. Just one or two untimely injuries for the Spartans and this comparison could become 5-3 or even  4-4. (And we've certainly seen such injuries in the past, especially during the off-season.) But Michigan is more vulnerable to such a mishap, as they could ill afford to lose one of their big three sophomores or either of their top freshmen.

And that's the whole answer in a nutshell. For Michigan to do very well next year, they need at least two freshmen to have excellent seasons, along with one or two veterans showing a major jump in performance factors. That could all happen, but frankly, without it they have little chance of getting any trophies next season. Without two all-star freshmen and multiple candidates for the team "Most Improved Player" award, the Wolverines will be respectable and will probably cap-out at around 20 wins. An injury or two for them to contend with could mean bubble-status.

Turns out the rampant over-rankings of Michigan seem to have cooled off. After a multitude of Top Five preseason picks right after their five-game win streak, they may have started to find their own (lower) level in the minds of sports geeks everywhere. That's fine either way, I really don't care that much about rankings in the sport that has the best playoff system at the college level. Just wanted to point out a few things from our perspective in order to balance out the picture.





----------
Tweet ------------- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page. -------------- Please click on COMMENTS below the post to enter and view reader comments. ***If you are receiving this post via automated email, ***you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/

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.




----------
Tweet ------------- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page. -------------- Please click on COMMENTS below the post to enter and view reader comments. ***If you are receiving this post via automated email, ***you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/

MICHIGAN BASKETBALL TO HONOR "GODFATHER" ED MARTIN

(based on a true story)

You may have heard the news reports today that Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis is orchestrating a four-team, two-game tribute to former MSU Basketball Coach Jud Heathcote. The Spartans will play Gonzaga in a twin-bill preceded by Montana versus Washington State. All four teams have a connection to Heathcote, the beloved and respected mentor to Tom Izzo.

Not to be outdone, the University of Michigan Basketball Program has also announced a tribute event to honor former Wolverine booster, Ed "The Godfather" Martin. Martin was known to have played a key role in UM Basketball history, as he was proven through an FBI investigation to have arranged for hundreds of thousands of dollars of illegal payments to several players, most notably Chris Webber.

To commemorate Martin's role in generating countless sums of dirty money to fuel the Wolverine's rise to power in the late 1980's and early 1990's, all of his numbers-runners from the River Rouge factories will be invited to attend the games. Webber will be the keynote speaker during a pre-game ceremony.

Other honored guests to be recognized by Webber during the pre-game event will include Bud Middaugh, the former Michigan Baseball Coach who paid his players for fake jobs around campus, leading to the NCAA probation penalties that resulted in trophies being returned and record books being revised. Also appearing will be Trish Roberts, the former Michigan Women's Basketball Coach who was sued by one of her players before being fired after a petition drive against her by parents of the team members.

The halftime festivities will feature former University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman, who is expected to recite her famous "Day of Shame" speech, originally given when she ordered that the banners hanging in Crisler Arena from the Ed Martin Era be taken down. Webber will also perform a special rap-dance called "Time Out", during which he will receive an inbound pass, drag his back foot conspicuously as if traveling, then dribble the length of the court only to stop abruptly and call timeout with a sheepish look on his face.

Steve Fisher is not expected to attend the event. Fisher was the UM Basketball Coach who signed Webber to his employment contract on behalf of Martin. Fisher is blamed for the entire scandal by university officials, who often refer to him as "that damn Fisher". Fisher was appointed to replace Bill Frieder when Frieder was fired by Glenn Shembechler on the grounds that Frieder was "not a Michigan Man". None of the three went to college at U-of-M.

A bit of frivolity will mark the interlude between games, as former Michigan Football Coach Gary Moeller will play a spirited game of quarter-bounce with current Michigan Hockey Coach Red Berenson. After both gentlemen have finished their drinks, they will split the audience in two groups for gender-separated activities. The women will be invited to watch Moeller punch-box a police officer at center-court while tearfully pleading with him to stop, while the men will follow Berenson to a nearby library where they will take turns urinating on the walls of the building.

Other teams expected to play during the event include Connecticut, Tennessee, and St. Mary's, all of whom are currently on NCAA probation.

A date for the event has not yet been selected, but the games will be played in Palermo, Sicily, legendary birthplace of La Cosa Nostra, known in America as "The Mafia".

----------
Tweet ------------- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page. -------------- Please click on COMMENTS below the post to enter and view reader comments. ***If you are receiving this post via automated email, ***you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/

DAVID BRANDON WILL NOT JOIN GARDNER ADMINISTRATION

(based on a true story)

University of Michigan Athletic Director David Brandon has declined an invitation to join the administration of President Devin Gardner. The invitation was made by Gardner after he unilaterally assumed the title of "President", albeit only in his own mind, earlier this month. Gardner also believes he is the starting Shortstop for the New York Yankees.

This web site reported on the new United States President last week.

Brandon recently announced that he would not be running for United States Senator, as he was far too busy "thinking about beating Michigan State". Brandon added that MSU is not really a rival to UM, nor do the games with MSU really matter very much, at least not as much as games with other schools, one of which is the "real rival" to Michigan. When asked to name that school, Brandon explained that he's not really very good at geography or spelling, but that he knows the other school is located "somewhere in Ohio". Most observers believe Brandon is referring to Ohio State, but others think he must mean Ohio University, since the Bobcats knocked the UM men's basketball team out of the NCAA Tournament in 2012.

Brandon interrupted his obsessive ruminating about Sparty by declaring that he will also not be running for Secretary of State, Governor, Justice of the Peace, or Dog-Catcher. However, he said he would consider applying to become the first astronaut to land on Mars, but only if NASA would allow him to plant a flag with the block-M on the surface of the planet. Brandon said the M-flag would be appropriate because the words "Mars" and "Michigan" each begin with the same letter, and he says he's very good at remembering single letters of the alphabet, even if he can't remember the full names of other conference schools.

When Brandon was told that Mars was known as the "red planet" due to its appearance being similar to the school colors of both Ohio State and Louisville, he said he was too busy "thinking about beating Michigan State" for any space-trips.

Gardner had no word on who else he may be inviting to join his imaginary new government, but he said once he finished up with a three-game home-stand against the Houston Astros, he would return to the White House to think about it.




----------
Tweet ------------- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page. -------------- Please click on COMMENTS below the post to enter and view reader comments. ***If you are receiving this post via automated email, ***you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/

DEVIN GARDNER HAS DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR

It was nice to see all of the living ex-Presidents holding hands and singing love songs together this week at the library event in Texas. In case you missed it, here's the story about the dedication ceremony for the Bush Presidential Library.

But somehow missing was Devin Gardner, inadvertently left off the invitation list. What sort of a protocol mishap could have led to this glaring omission?

Since many of you are wondering who Devin Gardner is, let's review the details of his newfound status. Gardner is a football player at the University of Michigan, the guy who played back-up to Denard Robinson the past two years.

I know, I know, that just begs the question; "Who is Denard Robinson?" Quick refresher here. Denard Robinson was once-upon-a-time the lead running-back for UM, known for taking direct snaps from center, then making up whatever he could do with an offense that ran around the field dressed like bumblebees hoping the kid with the untied shoes could run for a touchdown. He played in the Forrest Gump Offense, based on the strategem "Run, Denard, Run". So, Gardner was the guy who played back-up to that guy.

Gardner is now so thrilled to be the next Denard "Forrest Gump" Robinson, that he has declared himself to be President of the United States of America. That's not his candidacy for President, mind you, that's his actual job. At least to him it is. In his own mind. (Sort of like having an imaginary friend, but for bigger people.)

So where was Gardner at the event in Texas? Where was DRob? Where was Tate Forcier? Where was Nick Sheridan? Where was Steven Threet? They were all starting quarterbacks at the University in Michigan, so doesn't that qualify them for Presidential status along with Gardner?

For that matter, where was Jim Harbaugh? Oh right, we now where Harbaugh is; a long, long, way away from UM.

You can just imagine Gardner addressing his teammates in the huddle. "My fellow wolverines," he might begin, "ask not what Brady Hoke can do for you, ask what you can do for Brady Hoke". Like maybe pass him another plate of cheese-fries.

One can hear Gardner in the locker room, giving a pregame address: "Four years and seven games ago, our fathers brought forth in this stadium a new football strategy, conceived in lunacy, and dedicated to the proposition that either Tate or Denard better run their asses off or we gonna' get beat down."

The media will gather for the post-game news conference, just to hear President Gardner proclaim, "Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was "civis Romanus sum". Today, in the world of football, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Weasel."

I guess the youngster can think whatever he wants to think about himself and his team. Maybe when he's getting ready to change a play at the line of scrimmage, he will shout out "I veto that!" If another player screws up a play, perhaps he will approach his teammate to offer him a "full pardon". He will undoubtedly refer to the team captains as "my cabinet", and the offensive line as "the secret service".

Well, we should probably all give the new President a chance to enact his policies during his term in office. Maybe, if things go well, we'll get to see his "Vice-President" in action.




----------
Tweet ------------- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page. -------------- Please click on COMMENTS below the post to enter and view reader comments. ***If you are receiving this post via automated email, ***you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/

PICK MSU WOMEN'S BASKETBALL OVER UM NEXT SEASON

[Part Three of a Three-Part Series]

The predictions I make in this series will not qualify me as the next Nostradamus. I'm only saying that things will return to normal in the basketball rivalry between Michigan State and Michigan, beginning next season, specifically in the women's games.

No big surprise to pick MSU over UM in women's basketball, eh? After all, the Spartans hold the all-time series lead (62-16) and have won 21 of the past 23 rivalry games. Suzy Merchant is 13-2 against the Wolverines. We could go on-and-on with these kind of statistical comparisons. (And we will.)

But the Blues Sisters actually found a way to beat our Green Goddesses last season, a one-point win at the Crisis Center, then took a 20-win record into the Big Dance and actually won a game. So some people, at some point, will start the talk about the "rise of Michigan Women's Basketball" under their new head coach, and eventually how "the tables are turning" and so forth. Same as we hear about their men's team.

So let's squash that propaganda campaign before it has a chance to get started.

I pointed out in Part One of this series how challenging last season was for the Spartan Women, besieged by injuries throughout the year, losing three players for the season, and another one at the end that I didn't even mention (Akyah Taylor). Yet Coach Merchant still led her troops to a 25-win season, a third-place league finish, an appearance in the conference tournament final game,  and a second-round run in the NCAAs. Sounds a lot like what George Washington did at Valley Forge.

I described in Part Two of this series how the Michigan Women rode their five-member senior class to one of the best seasons in their dismal history, including the first win against MSU in four years. And how they did it the right way, with actual college students playing all four years, led by Jenny Ryan, a great player who would have fit right in wearing green-and-white, but chose otherwise.

I'm saying now that the trend-buck stops here.

Here's a quick look ahead at what we know about the basic on-court match-ups between the two teams for next year, minus much detail about several players on both teams who haven't played enough (or at all) to discuss:

FRONTCOURT:
This is where the Wolverines are weakest, with only two players over 6'1", neither of which has ever started a game. Val Driscoll (6'4") comes off a medical redshirt season after scoring 26 points her first two years as a deep-bench backup. Cyesha Goree (6'3") will look for her first starting assignment after scoring 23 points in two years. No freshmen are on the way to help.

For MSU, three veterans return to fill the lane, Juniors Becca Mills (6'4") and Jasmine Hines (6'3") along with Senior Analise Pickrel (6'3"). Hines is a wide-body who played in all but one game last year, scoring eight points and grabbing five rebounds per game. Mills started 28 games, scored nine and rebounded four, and hit nearly 33% of her three-point attempts. Pickrel played 29 minutes per game, scoring nine and rebounding four and leading the team in three-point shooting at 37%.

This looks like a game-long mismatch in favor of the Green team, especially considering that Madison Williams (6'7") may be able to contribute something on the court after her injury rehab.

BACKCOURT:
Michigan brings a trio of guards with experience, Nicole Elmblad, Brenae Harris, and Madison Ristovski. Elmblad started all but one game, but averaged only four points and two assists. Harris and Ristovski were seventh and eighth in minutes played, but each scored less than two points per game. The Wolverines will rely on freshmen at these positions to back up the returnees.

The Spartans feature Senior Klarissa Bell and Junior Kiana Johnson, with backups Camille Glymph, Branndais Agee, and Aerial Powers. Bell led the team in scoring, rebounding, minutes played, and was third in assists. Johnson was third in scoring, second in assists, second in steals, and third in minutes played.

Agee is the Top 50 player who was sidelined by injury last year, Powers is the 6'0" Top-100 player who also lost last year due to injury, and Glymph is the Auburn transfer who was ranked #52 by ESPN coming out of high school. And Tori Jankoska joins the team after scoring 30 a game as a high school senior last year on the way to winning Miss Basketball in the State of Michigan.

MSU looks strong at the guard rotation, with two proven veteran leaders backed up by four promising newcomers.

BENCH & UNKNOWNS:
Left unmentioned for Michigan State were 5'11" guard Mariah Harris, who played very little as a freshman after winning Player of the Year in Ohio Division Two in high school and getting a #44 national ranking. Also coming off the bench for MSU will be Akyah Taylor, a 5'11" forward who was named first-team all-state in Indiana as a high school senior.

UM has a highly ranked freshman guard who missed the season with an injury. Michigan's recruiting class contains four guards, including three under 5'9", leaving gaping holes in the frontcourt and inexperience coming off the bench.

For UM fans who have accused me of "lacking logic" in my articles: Read it and weep. The future seems clear for the women's basketball rivalry between Michigan State and Michigan.




----------
Tweet ------------- Remember to check Spartan Headline links, updated real time, at the bottom of the page. -------------- Please click on COMMENTS below the post to enter and view reader comments. ***If you are receiving this post via automated email, ***you need to go to the site to view headline links and embedded videos in this post: http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/