Tom "The Bird" Izzo to Throw Out First Pitch

The Freep is reporting that Tom Izzo is set to throw out the first pitch for the Tigers on Monday:

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Monday's Tigers game against the Yankees at Comerica Park.

Izzo will be next door to Ford Field, site of this month's Final Four, where his Spartans beat Connecticut in the national semifinals before losing to North Carolina in the title game.

Better Than Rocky III

...with UNC playing the role of Clubber Lang.

State v UNC: The Third Serving

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge schedule is out and it looks like State will be playing UNC again, in what is turning into the premier matchup between these two power conferences. It has potential to be a #1 v #2 matchup, so get ready!

Suton is a Hot Commodity

Goran Suton's flight into the limelight during the 2009 Final Four has left him with an interesting dilemma: which national team does he want to play for? He is Bosnian by birth (and by mother,) but his father is Croatian. Therefore, both Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia are inviting him to play for their teams. Would he have had this problem a year ago? Probably not. Things are looking good for this Spartan.

I'm not really sure why he wouldn't play for Croatia, though. He's been a member of their youth teams for a very long time and doesn't really have a tight link to Croatia. Plus, it's not like Croatia is an elite basketball nation (Toni Kukoc, anyone?) but maybe I'm missing something...Either way, this is not a bad problem to have. It's much better than my situation of getting picked up last in pickup games, after the kid with one leg.

Hat tip to Spartan Sports Page

Really ESPN?

As if being on the internet wasn't bad enough while at work, now I have to contend with softcore porn ads too! Oh yeah, this is an animation...

Meet our 2009 boys basketball dream team

The Freep has posted Michigan's 2009 Dream Team, which consists solely of juniors. Keith Appling leads the charge. Go State!

G Keith Appling

Detroit Pershing (Class A) 6-2, junior

Accomplishments: Averaged 23.8 points, six rebound and five assists. Led team to state title, scoring a state-record 49 points against Kalamazoo Central. Committed to Michigan State.

Coach A.W. Canada: "Early in the season he got hurt and then he came back, but he didn't come back like we wanted him to. We got on him about working harder and spending more time on his game. He is one of the best defenders in the state."

Appling: "The biggest game for me this season was the second round of the districts against Henry Ford (a 92-89 win). If I don't hit that shot, we probably lose the game. In the championship game, my teammates kept getting me the ball and told me to stay aggressive."

I think Appling would've won the state's Mr. Basketball if juniors were eligible. Derrick Nix, another MSU signee, won anyways, so I'll let this one slide.

Greg Paulus: The Poor Man's Matt Ishbia

Apparently, Greg Paulus was an All-America QB in high school, but decided to ride the pine for the Dukies rather than do something he's good at. Now that he's a senior, he has apparently reconsidered his choice and now wants to be a quarterback. I think that this picture pretty much sums it up:


Here's the link to the full article by Chris Mottram over at the SportingBlog.

On the Bright Side

State landed number two on Andy Katz's postseason/preseason top 25 list. Even he notes that a lot could change, depending on who declares, but this still takes a little weight off of my shoulders:

Only KU is ahead of MSU in the poll and, well, they beat them twice last season.  I think I am only going to post positive articles for the next week so that I can personally feel a little better.  I may also post articles mocking UNC....haha.