When Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Mark Dantonio took the job at Michigan State in 2006, it seemed like a turning of the corner of sorts for the hard-luck program. Gone would be the days of losing to less-talented teams and those snatches of defeat from the jaws of victory that happened only two often. And then they lost to Central Michigan last week. And then they marched into South Bend, hoping to give Notre Dame a run for its money.
It was the second straight week the Spartans gave an opponent a second chance and paid for it.
Michigan State’s Larry Caper slipped through the Irish defense and was all alone in the back of the end zone. Caper got his hands on it, but it was high and he couldn’t pull it down.
[On the next play, Notre Dame linebacker Kyle] McCarthy’s interception at the 4-yard line with 57 seconds sealed Notre Dame’s 33-30 win. via.
Dantonio was unimpressed with his team’s ability to close the deal against a team that they either should have beaten or taken to OT. And he should be, because this is as John L. Smith-esque as it gets. And with the Spartans set up to begin conference play at Wisconsin next week, one has to wonder if they can get it into gear and actually close out a game. It’s the equivalent of being caught with clown porn twice in the span of a week. If you have to lose, just don’t make it so damn ugly.
ASYLUM POLL: Who’s worse in the clutch? Tony Romo or Michigan State?
Gunaxin makes the best argument for the Big Ten that I’ve heard in some time–and he does it exclusively with visual aids. Which is much better than visual AIDS, which is what happends when you contract visual HIV. Anyway, see the whole gallery there. See my favorites here. That’s how it works.
Tiny Davidson College trounced the mighty Wisconsin Badgers 73-56 to advance to the Midwest Regional final of the NCAA Tournament and thoroughly spoil my weekend. Instead of repeating "serenity now" in stressful situations, my new mantra will be "Big Ten teams do not cover" because, well, they can't even fucking win. I'm sorry, this isn't about me or how much money I wagered on this game, it's about the little school that could and their star player:
On the red trim at the bottom of his shoes, Stephen Curry has written in black marker, “I can do all things.”
Where the hell did this guy go to camp? We just had to sew our names in our clothes at summer camp, but I like the way Curry thinks. Forget the Big Ten maxim, I'm going to begin reciting "I can do all things" on my way through life and let a judge decide if I've gone too far.
Oh yeah, Michigan State lost to Memphis 92-74:
“It just got out of hand so quickly,” Spartans coach Tom Izzo said.
Oooh, that's a good aphorism, too. I can use that on the witness stand. -KD
Photo credit: Getty Images
Well, not really, but at least they have some great hits once in a while. My head this morning feels a little like Kyle Jefferson's felt after this collision:
Wisconsin ended up defeating the warriors of Leonidas 37-34. It's comforting to see a ranked team beat an unranked opponent, especially when 7 squads failed to do so yesterday. Time to liquidate the baseball card collection - act now for reduced rates on Jack McDowell rookie cards. -KD
Former Michigan State lineman Hubert Thompson has been arrested and charged with murder of a 66-year-old man.
Hubert D. Thompson, 28, who played for Michigan State, surrendered peacefully late Friday after holing up in his apartment for nearly seven hours while police SWAT teams surrounded the building. He was ordered held on $3 million bond.
Police found James Malone, 66, sprawled on the pavement below the balcony when they arrived around 1:45 p.m.
That's right: Thompson (allegedly) tossed the old guy off the roof. Yikes. There's still no word on whether he broke a promise to "kill [Malone] last."
From this terrible story comes a terrific post from Tom Fornelli of Foul Balls, who was a high school teammate of Thompson. Fornelli paints a picture of a gentle-hearted and massively talented player, which makes this news even more disturbing. It's definitely more worthy your time than this post. All I can do is be a jackass and quote Commando. But you have to admit, it was pretty sweet when Schwarzenegger through that pipe through that other guy's chest. Then he said, "Let off some steam." It was even cooler because the bad guy was wearing a fishnet shirt, and everyone knows that only strippers should wear those.
This video is from last December, but I hadn't seen it before, and the way I figure, it's always mascots-getting-attacked season at With Leather. This may be the only time a male cheerleader ever gets exposure on this site.
This is like that daydream I had when I was wearing the plush rabbit suit and got tackled by a sexy cheerleader because I was exposing myself outside her window. Except replace "sexy cheerleader" with "off-duty police officer" and "daydream" with "court date." I think she and I really hit it off. There's no date more romantic than a court date.
FACT-Y UPDATE: Some Badger commenters have pointed out that this game was played in 2000. I guess that's why I hadn't seen it before. That was before the Internet.
