Michigan State 75 Kansas 62; Officials 0

Immediate reactions and things to consider while Verne Lundquist still struggles to say Idong Ibok's name correctly.

• In contrast to the last MSU vs. Big 12 clash (Texas), this game was really sloppy. Kansas turned the ball over around 134 times in the first half, and MSU seemed to return the favor in the second.

• MSU started slow but soon after asserted themselves as the more talented team. The late first half run wasn't so much an offensive explosion as it was consistent defense, limiting Kansas' shots and forcing them into turnovers. The Spartans also shot very well from beyond the arc to extend their lead.

• We all know official Eddie Hightower loves to take the game away from the athletes and put the spotlight on himself, but today was incredible. He and Dan Dorian decided to call everything and then some more, leading to the slowest second half in history. Both teams were in the double bonus by the 6:00 mark in the second, and the officials continued to blow their whistle like it was going out of style. What's most incredible is that the third official was out "with a foot" so the inordinate amount of fouls was called by only two refs! Both teams have legitimate gripes with the officiating. This all came to a climax with Hightower calling Travis Walton on a phantom shooting foul on an apparent Sherron Collins 3 point attempt. Hightower checked the replay to confirm that it was a 3 pointer, which clearly showed Collins' foot well over the stripe, yet Hightower proceeded to give 3 free throws. A fantastic display of poor officiating.

• I'm not sure how old Verne Lundquist is, but his last day can not be too far away. Instead of announcing the game action like a play-by-play man is supposed to do, most times Verne was telling anectodes, chatting with Clark Kellogg, or reminiscing about his glory days. He failed miserably at pronouncing Idong Ibok's name, instead consistently calling him "Ibong" all game; a combination of his first and last names. Verne even acknowledged his error early in the second half, then never corrected it and proceeded to call him "Ibong" the rest of the way. I guess that Gus Johnson was too much to ask for...

• CBS mic'ed up Tom Izzo, which would have been cool except they only showed Izzo yelling very basic things. "Hands Up!" and "Push It!" and "Ray! Ray! Ray!". The highlight undoubtedly came when they had Izzo's audio up for the mid-court meeting between coaches and officials after the official got hurt. After hearing the injured official yell "Son of a bitch!" we were blessed to hear someone suggest they "Just put his ass in a chair at mid-court." Which would have made the official the most capable of them all...

• Michigan State can not make free throws. It's something correctable, but usually that's what people say all year while they continue to miss. Make no mistake, missed free throws will be the reason for a loss at some point this year, and it's usually in March...

• It was good to have the Izzone back in action, but they were pretty vanilla most of the game. After getting fed up with some foul calls and after Kansas cut the lead to 9 they woke up for the end, constantly booing and harrasing Jayhawk players and making themselves be heard.

• The Izzone wasn't the only whiteout, as Izzo made a mass substitution with 12 seconds left. He emptied the bench and every last white guy came onto the court, creating a little unintentional comedy.

• Sherron Collins is a very talented player, and at first glance he had a great game. But he turned it over 8 times which really hurt the Jayhawks. He was their only real offensive threat and has great speed and finishing ability. I was a little surprised to see MSU covering him with a combination including Kalin Lucas, Travis Walton, and Chris Allen. I expected Walton to shadow him close, but they played off him mostly and he burned MSU with 25.

• Kansas' other threat, Cole Aldrich, wasn't really effective on the offensive side. MSU had plenty of bodies to throw at him and he seemed to be uneasy with the physical play. He was really good defensively though, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds. He finished with a quiet 14 pts, 11 reb.

• Kalin Lucas continues to impress. He was again MSU's best offensive threat, scoring 22 highlighted by 3-4 on three point attempts. He scored 9 of MSU's first 10 points which kept them in the game early, then spearheaded the run that put them up by double digits.

• While the game never really got close enough to worry, I'll bet more than one Sparty held their breath with 2:30 left when Sherron Collins threw up the 3 pointer that would have cut the lead to 6. He missed, and after Raymar Morgan made two free throws the game was over.

• Kansas has twin freshmen that have inexplicably similar names. Markeiff and Marcus Morris are very difficult to tell apart. The easiest way is to watch the game for a minute, and the one that picks up 3 fouls in that minute is Markieff, who fouled out today after 14 minutes. He is improving, however, because his record is 5 fouls in 7 minutes.
  

• Michigan State now turns to conference play at Penn State on Wednesday and hosting Illinois on Saturday. MSU lost at Penn State last year and Illinois is tough this year, so a 2-0 week would be very big for the Spartans. While it is almost a given they will lose before then, the Spartans may be favored in every game up until the road trip to Purdue on February 17th.
  

Weekend Watch List

Friday: NBA - Celtics at Cavs 8:00 ESPN
NBA - Pistons at Nuggets 9:00 FSN

Saturday: NCAA Basketball - Kansas at Michigan State 1:00 CBS
NFL - Baltimore at Tennessee 4:30 CBS
NFL - Arizona at Carolina 8:15 FOX

Sunday: NFL - Philadelphia at New York 1:00 FOX
NFL - San Diego at Pittsburgh 4:45 CBS
NCAA Basketball - North Carolina at Wake Forest 8:00

NFL Divisional Playoff Picks

This is the best football weekend of the season. The watered down Wild Card teams are gone, and the Big Boys of the league host games this weekend. Without further ado, the NFL Divisional Playoff picks...


TITANS (-3) over Ravens

These teams are built from the same mold. Both rely on their defenses and move the ball with a commitment to the run. Neither has a great QB, and neither has a spectacular pass-catcher. Both teams are well-coached and rarely hurt themselves with turnovers or mental lapses. They are very similar and very evenly-matched. Vegas agrees, giving 3 points to Baltimore and basically offsetting the standard 3 points for home-field.

With such a difficult game to pick, we have to turn to the most important players in the game, the Quarterbacks. And I don’t feel comfortable backing Joe Flacco on the road in the playoffs for the second time. A wildcard game in Miami is MUCH different than a divisional game in Tennessee. It will be cold, the crowd will be jacked, and the opposing defense will be much more formidable. While Kerry Collins will never be confused with Johnny Unitas, he has been in these situations before and will not be fazed. As long as Collins avoids back-breaking interceptions, the Titans can rely on their defense to win the field position battles.

And why is it that everyone forgets the regular season when the playoffs come around? It’s like because Tennessee had a bye last week they got worse. Everybody seems to forget that the Titans were the AFC’s best team all year, undefeated through 10 games, have a ridiculously good running attack, and have a great defense. Isn’t that the exact formula for January playoff success? I remember in October and November all the talking-heads agreeing “You won’t want to see this Titans team in the playoffs!” and “This Titans team is built for playoff success!” And although Baltimore has been on a really impressive streak, I’ll question the impressiveness of some wins. The win in Dallas doesn’t look so great anymore. They went 2-5 against playoff teams in the regular season. Miami was an overachieving team that they matched up perfectly with. All while Tennessee went 7-1 at home and went 4-0 against playoff teams (excluding the Week 17 throwaway vs. Indianapolis). I’m sticking with the reliable team that has proven itself to me over the course of 4 months.

The Pick: Tennesee 19, Baltimore 13



PANTHERS (-10) over Cardinals

Are we supposed to believe the Cardinals are good? After beating an average road team in Atlanta, due in large part to a defensive resurgence led by their home crowd and D-Line? Ummm, no thank you, I’m going to pass on any belief that the Cards are good and Vegas is too, apparently. They stuck this game with a hefty 10 point spread, undoubtedly tempting the bettors with Arizona and the points. To those tempted bettors I offer you this: 56-35, 48-20, and 47-7. What is it? It’s the score of Arizona’s losses to at the Jets, Eagles, and Patriots, respectively. I know Arizona lost at Carolina by only four points, 27-23 in the regular season. But this Cardinals team went 3-5 on the road this year with the wins coming at San Francisco, at St Louis, and at Seattle. They haven’t won on the East Coast all year, and went 1-4 against playoff teams during the regular season. Meanwhile, Carolina has gone 8-0 at home behind a great running attack and stout defense. Again, the formula for success in the playoffs. I don’t think there is any way that Arizona wins this game. The large variable for the Panthers is Jake Delhomme, but he won’t matter in this game. They won’t need him to win this game and will rely on DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to move the chains. It also doesn’t hurt to have a game-breaker in Steve Smith. While I don’t doubt that Arizona will score a few points, they have proven themselves to be a bad road team. 10 point playoff spreads are big and scary, but Arizona’s road woes should comfort you here.

The Pick: Panthers 38, Cardinals 20



GIANTS (-4) over Eagles

My favorite line of the weekend. What exactly has this Eagles team done to warrant such a small line? Yes, they’ve gone a nice 4-1 against playoff teams this year. They smashed Dallas and Arizona at home. But they also tied Cincinnati 13-13. They were dominated by Baltimore. They lost 10-3 in a must-win game at Washington in Week 16! And I’m not impressed by their win in the Meadowlands, considering the Giants were days removed from Plaxico Burress’ misfire and all that came along with it. Sure Philadelphia won in Minnesota last week, but are we supposed to be impressed by beating a team led by Tarvaris Jackson? And remember, Philly could hardly move the ball against the Vikings defense without Pat Williams and Darren Sharper. Are we expecting them to score more than 13 against the Giants defense in cold, windy New Jersey?

The Giants have been considered one of the two best teams in the league all year long. At one point, they were the consensus pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, before it all came apart after Plaxico shot himself. But did it all come apart? They won in a classic against Carolina in a battle for home-field advantage only 3 weeks ago. It should remind you that this team is for real, capable of running it down your throat and stopping you when they need to. And I’m not buying Philadelphia resurgence. They made it into these playoffs based on Tampa Bay and Dallas collapses, never really threatening to make it until 4:15 on Week 17. Additionally, their Head Coach is a terrible game manager, their QB habitually disappears in big moments, and they can’t run the ball. I think I’ll take the defending Champs at home -4…

The Pick: Giants 26, Eagles 13

Chargers (+6) over STEELERS

My least favorite line of the weekend. In any regular season week this is a definite stay-away game, but there’s no hiding in the playoffs. While I feel confident in the NFC games, the AFC games are toss-ups, and because I like Tennessee and haven’t picked an underdog to cover yet… We’ll go with the Chargers. It is not a confident pick. They are 9-8. They have no business in these playoffs over a deserving team like New England. They have a terrible coach. They will be without LaDainian Tomlinson. But they do have some attractive qualities. They have an elite QB, arguably the best of the remaining QB’s in the playoffs. They have an absolute weapon of a punter in Mike Scifres, who could be VERY important in the sloppy field in Pittsburgh. And they have a very talented defense with the ability to sack the QB. Which is exactly what Pittsburgh has trouble with. Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a concussion and a regular season in which he took immense punishment, thanks in large part to his O-Lines inability to stop the pass rush.

However, you must play on both sides of the ball and Pittsburgh has a great defense. The best defense in the league. I do not doubt their ability to slow down Darren Sproles, even to stop him outright. They should keep San Diego from scoring often, and may even create points themselves. This should lead to a low scoring, field-position game; much like the last time these teams met. And thanks in large part to the Chargers’ huge special teams advantage, I’m going with them to not only cover, but win outright.

The Pick: Chargers 23, Steelers 20

Red Wings Win; The Sun Rises

ESPN - The Detroit Red Wings were in full flight Thursday night. Marian Hossa, Dan Cleary, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg each had a goal and an assist in Stanley Cup champion Detroit's 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars. "They're the top team in the league and they pretty much embarrassed us for 60 minutes," said the Stars' Steve Ott.

Well said, Steve Ott, well said. What else is there to say about this team? They are as reliable as the sun rising. One week its a "Showdown" with San Jose. Red Wings dominate 6-0. The next week its an important home-and-home with Chicago, Wings take both. Yesterday was the rematch from last years Western Finals and the supposed turning point of Dallas' season. Nope. This team continues to cruise, and has run its record to 28-7-5. I don't even have any sort of joke or commentary. What can you say about a well-oiled machine that methodically and consistently takes care of business. I think Steve Ott said all that was needed to be said...

Jason Garrett Leading Lions Coaching Search?

Dallas Morning News - The good folks from Showtime's Inside The NFL sent this by special delivery and I pass it on for it is better to give than receive (except at the start of NFL overtime periods.) On tonight's show insider Michael Lombardi anoints Jason Garrett the leading candidate for the vacant Detroit Lions job because is "the guy they think can turn their franchise around."

This comes from the same Michael Lombardi that said last week Garrett was withdrawing his name from consideration for the job, so take it for what its worth, but he has traditionally been pretty accurate with his info. I'm not sure how anybody can feel confident with this hire. The Lions have been so bad on the defensive side of the ball for so long, it seems that a defensive-minded coach would be neccessary. That said, I don't find their defensive candidates attractive either. Jim Schwartz, who is a well-known candidate and Leslie Frazier are both a little too Rod Marinelli-esque for my tastes. My personal hopes were that they would target Rex Ryan, the Raven's Defensive Coordinator, but he doesn't seem to be a candidate. What looks definite is that they will hire somebody without head coaching experience. There has been some public clamoring for an experienced coach, but the new NFL trend is to hire assistants and after the successes this year of John Harbaugh, Mike Smith, and Tony Sparano, this clearly won't change this year.

We all must remember these are the Lions. If they hired Vince Lombardi as Head Coach with Bill Walsh to run the O and Bill Belichick to run the D, they would find a way to miss the playoffs. Actually they would almost certainly miss the playoff with a dead Head Coach and a dead Offensive Coordinator. In reality, any success will happen due to good drafting, and with the same management that they've had since 2000, don't expect anything to change. They have 5 picks relatively early, so it is actually an attractive job, but if the first overall pick is a failure, it will set this franchise back another 5 years. The draft is the Lions Fan's Super Bowl, and this years will be no disappointment. If history has taught us anything, its that the coach of this team doesn't really matter. From Fontes to Mariucci to Marinelli to Bobby Ross, the results have always been the same, but the next coach of this team must draft well for any success.

Where the Hell is Dave Dombrowski?

(Are you excited for the Captain Crooked Hat era?)

Ok I'm posting an APB for Dave Dombrowski. Because he sure as hell isn't at Comerica, in his office, calling other GM's, making deals, or attempting to assemble any sort of a pitching staff. While the available closers have slowly been picked up or traded for, the Tigers have sat on their hands, doing who-knows-what. K-Rod goes to the Mets, which is fine, we all knew we wouldn't be splurging on the big dogs. JJ Putz is traded to the Mets, which is fine, we don't have many prospects as it is. Brian Fuentes signs with the Angels for 2 years and $17.5 M. Well within the Tigers price range (considering that Todd Jones made $7 M last year). Kevin Gregg was available, Dombrowski wanted no part. Kerry Wood was available. He signed in Cleveland. Rumors say that Jose Valverde, Chad Cordero, and Bobby Jenks are all available, yet Dombrowski has no plans for them. And today, Trevor Hoffman signed for a measly One Year and $6 M in Milwaukee. Detroit management has sent the message loud and clear to the fans: Get ready for the Captain Crooked Hat era.

If you thought Todd Jones was a rollercoaster, wait until you have to stomach Fernando Rodney. Captain Crooked Hat has undeniable talent, a changeup that can fool anybody, and the mental stability of a schizophrenic bipolar cocaine addict. He is flat out untrustable. And all indications point to the Tigers' braintrust either depending on the return of Joel Zumaya (let's be realistic...) or readying themselves to rely on Captain Crooked Hat.

The obvious question is why haven't they made moves? I can understand that trades are hard to make without any prosects (exactly the Tigers situation), but what happened to the spending? Thus far in free agency, they've spent $1 M on Adam Everett and $3 M on Gerald Laird. And considering what came off the books after the season, their payroll is considerably less than where it was in 2008. I'm sure that the economy is playing a role like it is for every other team (NYY excluded) but I hardly doubt there are tons of less people buying $5 pizzas. In fact, $5 pizzas should be flying off the shelves they are such a good deal. Plus, the Red Wings sell out their overpriced tickets every game, so you know he's making money there. I know that Illitch is going to want to cut back a little, but pitching is an important aspect of baseball. And the last I checked, the Tigers have no bullpen and ZERO dependable starters for next year. Really who are we counting on next year? Verlander of course, but will he bounce back? Bonderman, I presume, but he is a huge question mark coming off major surgery. Dontrelle Willis? Zach Miner? Nate Robertson? And we haven't even covered innings 7 and 8. All I know is the Tigers have major holes in the pitching staff and have made no moves to improve. Let's hope that Dombrowski has a miracle plan.

A Look Ahead to MSU-Kansas

(Mario Chalmers will not be shooting for Kansas)

I wanted to take a minute and look ahead to one of the weekends marquee college hoops games, in Kansas vs. Michigan State. Tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m. from the Breslin Center, perfectly scheduled to avoid any NFL playoff action. There are probably better games on Saturday (Nova-Louisville and WVU-Marquette come to mind), not to mention the game of the week in North Carolina vs. Wake Forest on Sunday night, but when the defending National Champ comes to the Breslin Center to take on the Big Ten favorite Spartans, it’s a welcome change of pace from the monotony of Big Ten play.

Kansas lost most of their Championship team, but they have reloaded quite well. They are led by Junior Guard Sherron Collins and Sophomore Center Cole Aldrich, who create a nice one-two punch. Additionally, they have some really nice Freshmen making contributions. Tyshawn Taylor and Marcus Morris are the notable new kids on campus. Kansas sports an 11-3 record and has recovered from a disastrous loss at Arizona to win 3 straight including an impressive home win against Tennessee last weekend. While they have had some bumps in the road this year (losses at Albany and vs. UMass), Kansas has shown the ability to reload and maintain their status as one of the nation’s elite teams.

Michigan State is playing its best ball of the season. They’ve won 8 straight coming off the drubbing by UNC, and carry a 12-2 record. Wins in the 8 game stretch are highlighted by a win vs. Texas in Houston, and consecutive road wins at Minnesota and Northwestern. Tuesday night they handled Ohio State to improve to 3-0 in the Big Ten. The improved play can be attributed to a more healthy group of players. Goran Suton is rounding into shape, and each game Tom Izzo is able to set his rotation and minutes more definitively in the up to this point unstable front-court. A healthy Delvon Roe and Suton allows the Spartans to display their depth and win important battles down low.

The matchup favors MSU in a few key areas. The home court will help, as the Izzone will reappear for the first time since early December. MSU also has an important defensive weapon, as Travis Walton has shown the ability to lock up on opposing guards, as evidenced by his job on AJ Abrams in the win at Texas. He will undoubtedly shadow Sherron Collins all afternoon. That matchup combined with the multiple bodies MSU can throw at Cole Aldrich should ease any worries that Spartan Nation has. MSU also boasts much more depth than the Jayhawks, which may allow them to methodically wear down Kansas and create a 2nd half advantage. Should Walton eliminate Collins as a weapon for the Jayhawks, they don’t have much else and the Spartans may cruise. But if MSU allows Kansas to hang around they have the firepower to steal what would be a huge win for them. It looks to be an entertaining game between two of the nations perennial powers.

Michigan Tries Their Best to Lose to Indiana

I'm sure all you're going to hear about is how Michigan won in Bloomington for the first time since 1995 and blah blah blah. But let's face it here: Michigan was losing by 20 to Indiana in the second half. And not to your father’s or even your barely older brother’s Hoosiers. These are the now 5-9 Hoosiers. These Hoosiers lost to Lipscomb just over a week ago. They returned just one scholarship player after their mass exodus this summer, and he was averaging about 1.3 points per game. Indiana is so bad, the university could field a comparable team of janitors and lunch lady’s. And while Michigan’s comeback from 20 down with 18 minutes left and from 11 down with around 4 minutes left is impressive, I don’t think it outshines the big huge giant elephant in the room, which is the massive and inexplicable deficit they faced. I have been thus far impressed with Michigan. The win over Illinois was hard-fought and the two huge upsets over UCLA and Duke cannot be understated. But if Michigan wants to be taken seriously and compete in the Big Ten they have to avoid losses to bottom-feeders like Indiana. I know the fan base all thinks they’ve punched their ticked to the dance already (which is crazy-talk), but they will have to play much better in the Big Ten and particularly on the road if that is to happen.

Bears Offer Marinelli D-Line Job?

(Nobody is gonna confuse this gathering as the Nobel Foundation)



Free Press - Could Rod Marinelli find another job before the Lions replace him? The Lions fired Marinelli as coach last week after he led them to the NFL's first 0-16 season. But he has been offered a spot on the Bears' staff, the Chicago Tribune reported.Marinelli reportedly interviewed Monday with the Seattle Seahawks. He also has Tampa Bay connections in that organization. He was in the Detroit area Tuesday but could not be reached for comment.



What a slap in the face. The Chicago Bears completely undermine all that Rod Marinelli has accomplished by offering him this lowly position coach job. We're talking about NFL record-setting Rod Marinelli. Would the 49ers like for Tom Brady to be their backup QB? Sure. Would the Cardinals like to sign Adrian Peterson for situational 3rd downs? Of course. But those are upstanding organizations that respect the accomplishments of others. Rod Marinelli would be crazy to take the D-Line job in Chicago when the Seahawks Head Coaching job is right it front of him. Because if there's anybody less exciting in the NFL than Mike Holmgren, it's Rod Marinelli; and that is EXACTLY what the city of Seattle needs. In fact, they should call Art Shell while they're looking, I hear he's available.

In reality, the Lions organization should be downright terrified that Rod takes this job. Moving to team within the division? Noooo! How will the Lions ever be able to throw the ball with Chicago's relentless pass-rush? Because if I've learned anything over the years of watching football, it's that nothing says "Sack the quarterback" like 0-16. I mean, Rod will have the instant respect of those Bears players when he walks in that locker room. But if he comes to his senses and passes on the offer, he can always fall back on construction. Because any construction crew would kill for a guy with as sharp of a shovel and a will as strong as Rod's.

2009 Preview

So now we turn our attention to 2009. In the Detroit sports world things can't get much worse than 2008. The Tigers won't finish behind the Royals (right?), the Pistons will surely do better (yeah, probably not), the Red Wings can't improve, and the Lions are staring consecutive 0-16 seasons right in the face. Well maybe 2009 doesn't hold much promise in the professional sporting ranks for the Murder Capital. But lift your weary heads, Detroit! In the amateur ranks lies much promise. MSU has yet another Top 10 basketball team. Michigan is respectable for the first time this decade. The Final Four is actually coming to Ford Field in April, and Wrestlemania is coming to Joe Louis later this month... Don't act like you're not excited. August is a long way away, but MSU's football team should be a Big Ten contender and Michigan might make the Motor City Bowl! And it doesn't stop there!


In the world outside of sport, the White House will finally shave its Bush off, which is great for everybody. We can expect some of our soldiers to come home from the Middle East, which is fantastic. And maybe it won't snow as much this winter. The Todd Jones experiment is over... Hope you like Captain Crooked Hat (Fernando Rodney)!!! And sometime around May the sun will come back. Indeed, lift your weary heads, Detroit!

2008 Recap

Ahhh, 2008. A year that will not soon be forgotten. In this glorious year we saw the economy collapse, the Tigers finish in last place, the American Automotive Companies damn near go belly up, a war in Iraq, the Lions go 0-16, Michigan lose at home to Toledo, and Michigan go 3-9 and miss a bowl game for the first time since George Washington crapped in his diaper. We suffered through a Philly-Tampa Bay(!) World Series, had to stomach Eli Manning win a Super Bowl (Black Sunday), and had to survive through a never ending Presidential Election.

But we were also blessed with another Red Wings Championship, an entertaining NBA Finals, the resurgence of Michigan State Football, and the Lions going 0-16. And let's face it... If you're reading this then you're alive, and that's more than Al Davis can say. Let's hope 2009 comes with some more fun.