Sparty had one big man, Ward, who was a freshman. That's it. Sure their recruits had some hype, but saying they "underachieved" with that kind of line-up might be a stretch.
Sure you have. He goes by Mork Dantoncolio until hockey season begins.
MSU Hockey is a tough call. You want them to suck, but I must say that when Red and Ron Mason had their programs humming, I saw some of the best hockey of my lifetime.
B1G Hockey (and a 6 team league) is an abortion. They destroyed the wonderfully unique CCHA for money, and we are left with games against vanilla programs like Penn State, rather than an instate rivalry weekend with Lake State or Northern.
I live in Gainesville and go to UF games regularly. State Police are an issue, but not the deciding factor. Most of the security is provided by Gainesville PD, whose officers are VERY ENTHUSIASTIC about the extra OT pay on gameday. They should have moved the game to 5pm Sat. or Sunday. Moderate rain and 30mph gusts in Gainesville right now, with only a 10% chance of showers on Saturday.
I will never root for Sparty in anything, but I have to say I enjoyed watching the way they played Hockey in the mid-Ron Mason years. The games between us were some of the most spirited hockey I have seen, and I respected Mason's accomplishments as a coach.
You're saying if they put Hicks in the HOF, it will be for publicity. If not, it is because he is a "different color." Rivalries aside, that is a pathetic shot at a program suffering from the tragic deaths of two good kids in less than two months.
I hate Sparty like Poison, but obviously not a much as you. Taking a shot at them for celebrating the life of an immensly popular player and 4 time Academic All-American (and then somehow managing to suggest racism as well) might be a bit misguided.
That's how Dumbtonio has done it. People keep underestimating them and they get an edge that way. Look at the thread about on this board about the ND_MSU game last week.....9 out of 10 predicted an ND blowout. We have more talent, but Sparty has another good team.
They've got some tough games. You didn't even mention Northwestern, and a game at Penn State. If the o-line struggles, they could easily have 4 losses.
You make it sound easy... MSU can't be good if we have a good coach. That's an absurd thing to say in the year 2016. We are going to win more than we lose, but neither side is winning 7 of 8 with these two coaches at the helm.
Their secondary struggled, but saying that D was awful is a stretch. They made the plays against OSU and denied us a first down that would have iced the game.
MSU Football and Hoops can burn in hell. However.....I attended many of the games back when Mason was in charge there and never enjoyed hockey more. A competitive rivalry between us in hockey when there a league title is at stake, is as fun as it gets. So, seeing an MSU "hockey shitshow" does nothing for me. That being said, Mark Hollis is a buffoon who's appeal has always been a mystery to me.
I don't disagree with the notion of enjoying watching MSU suck at hockey. However, a small part of me remembers the the special feeling of sitting inside Yost 20 years ago and watching the unmatched intensity of two Top Ten programs (and HOF coaches) letting it all hang out. Those nights were special.
Who has the final say in scheduling night games ? With regard to the big games, I always thought Television made the call and the schools fell in line. In other words, can we schedule Wiscy at night at let TV work out the details later, or does the B1G and/or ESPN/ABC request it ?
He had better camp as far away from Gainesville as possible. The Gator crowd down here hates him like poison. Hard to imagine that a coach who led a school to two titles could ever be universally despised the way Meyer is. Of course, maybe not considering the Snake Oil salesman that he was revealed to have been.....
I don't remeber Green's recruitment, but I doubt Valentine was ever seriously "on the verge" of comitting here. He is a Sparty Legacy that grew up in Lansing, playing for his father, who also played at MSU under Heathcote (and Izzo).
The FSU football program is most certainly a "cesspool", but Tallahassee is not. It is actually a very nice city in a beautiful part of Florida. Lots of southern Live Oak trees, rolling hills and farms. Not to mention just a short drive to the gulf.
Burress is the poster-child for Spartan idiocy...dumber than a box of rocks. But he couldn't have been 1-3 against us because he was only there for two seasons.
I miss things like a home and home weekend series against Lake State with conference playoff positions on the line. Much more interesting to watch a spirited in-state rivalry like that, than a vanilla match-up against Penn State.
Two of my favorite places are The Swamp and Notre Dame. Florida is a great place to see a game, but make sure it is an SEC Match-up for the best atmosphere. You will run into your fair share of mug-wumps around that stadium, but I really enjoy the scene inside Florida Field
Notre Dame is interesting. Tens of thousands of people on campus, and not a spec of trash anywhere....kind of like Disney World. I used to hate them like poison, but the fans in the stadium are among the nicest people you will meet. Completely different from the delusional ND fanatics that over-run the internet.
This is most certainly the year it will happen. However, I am not going to proclaim the end of Sparty like many are. That program will remain strong, and it will be better for us and the conference that it does. The victories will be much sweeter than ever before, and we should embrace being part of a nationally relevant in-state college football rivalry.
I hate Dumbtonio like poison, but to say playing for him is taking the easy way might be a stretch. If you are talking about discipline issues then sure. But players seem to work and develop there & that weight training coach looks like a tough SOB.
This is true. But these are also high school kids....If you are a recruit on a visit, how can you not be disappointed that the coach didn't at least say Hello ?
I have spent a lot of time in Gainesville and it is a great college town. To say that recruits "cleave to FSU over UF" is certainly a stretch. And if you are going to compare to Ann Arbor, Gainesville is the town with the world-class research hospital (Shands at UF) and also a beautiful performing arts center. That being said, I like FSU and Tallahassee a lot. Great city to visit, but UF has the better academics, along with a bigger & more beautiful campus as well. But, neither one have the culture of A2.
We will start winning our share, even Sparty knows that. But, D'antoni has been putting guys in the NFL and that gets kids' attention. Sure, Lansing sucks and MSU doesn't offer the same academic standards. But these recruits are looking beyond college...looking at Leveon Bell, Cousins and also the two first round DB's the past couple of years. Plus they've got some others high on the board for this season. Harbaugh will no doubt deliver the a high level of player development, but in the here and now, Sparty has some clout.
Unfortunately, reaching a level of "flat-out dominance" against D'antoni is not just dependent upon Harbaugh building and maintaining a Top 5 program. We are well on our way to that, but Sparty also has a program now. These games are going to be the kind of interstate wars that Bama-Auburn have showcased the past decade, and our wins are going to mean so much more than they did during the Sparty-No years.
It is not hard to understand. Interstate rivalries with national implications are great for college football and much more fun to watch. If you are afraid of losing to Sparty, you want them to revert back to what they were. If you want the victories to be sweeter than ever before, then you embrace the idea that tnis will be a real rivalry going forward with much more than bragging rights on the line.
I want Sparty out of these playoffs. However, I am not foolishly waiting of them to return to irrelevance because that is not happening. I choose to embrace the competition because the victories will be that much sweeter. A Bama/Auburn style in-state rivaly with big national implications is something this state has never seen, and I can't wait for it to happen....Even if it means accepting the FACT that D'Antoni's program is here to stay.
Doesn't matter. The MSU hockey brand is done, and now a cellar dweller. Happy to see it, but hard to believe for someone who has been watching college hockey for 25 years.
Agree with the comment about an Orlando Bowl game being anti-climactic for UF. Hell, they play their homes games in a nicer stadium. In fact, I have always wondered why they don't play some sort of bowl game at The Swamp.
Despite the widely held belief that State is going back to mediocrity because of "the past", reality says that neither team is going to win 6 of 7 going forward. For me, an Auburn/Bama type of competitive rivalry is more fun than having one program consistently in the toilet.
Recent Comments
Sparty had one big man, Ward, who was a freshman. That's it. Sure their recruits had some hype, but saying they "underachieved" with that kind of line-up might be a stretch.
Sure you have. He goes by Mork Dantoncolio until hockey season begins.
MSU Hockey is a tough call. You want them to suck, but I must say that when Red and Ron Mason had their programs humming, I saw some of the best hockey of my lifetime.
B1G Hockey (and a 6 team league) is an abortion. They destroyed the wonderfully unique CCHA for money, and we are left with games against vanilla programs like Penn State, rather than an instate rivalry weekend with Lake State or Northern.
FYI - Larry Nassar is a Michigan Alum.
Nobody here in Gainesville has evacuated for anything. It is nothing more than a windy and rainy day...all of which will be gone by tomorrow.
I live in Gainesville and go to UF games regularly. State Police are an issue, but not the deciding factor. Most of the security is provided by Gainesville PD, whose officers are VERY ENTHUSIASTIC about the extra OT pay on gameday. They should have moved the game to 5pm Sat. or Sunday. Moderate rain and 30mph gusts in Gainesville right now, with only a 10% chance of showers on Saturday.
I will never root for Sparty in anything, but I have to say I enjoyed watching the way they played Hockey in the mid-Ron Mason years. The games between us were some of the most spirited hockey I have seen, and I respected Mason's accomplishments as a coach.
You're saying if they put Hicks in the HOF, it will be for publicity. If not, it is because he is a "different color." Rivalries aside, that is a pathetic shot at a program suffering from the tragic deaths of two good kids in less than two months.
They've got a solid program now, so two of three sound about right as long as Dantonio is still around.
Dantonio doesn't have an agent.
I hate Sparty like Poison, but obviously not a much as you. Taking a shot at them for celebrating the life of an immensly popular player and 4 time Academic All-American (and then somehow managing to suggest racism as well) might be a bit misguided.
That's how Dumbtonio has done it. People keep underestimating them and they get an edge that way. Look at the thread about on this board about the ND_MSU game last week.....9 out of 10 predicted an ND blowout. We have more talent, but Sparty has another good team.
Sparty doesn't play Iowa.
Harbaugh bleeds Blue, but he's not a dick like Mork, and I honestly don't think he hates Sparty anywhere near as much as most of us on this board.
They've got some tough games. You didn't even mention Northwestern, and a game at Penn State. If the o-line struggles, they could easily have 4 losses.
You make it sound easy... MSU can't be good if we have a good coach. That's an absurd thing to say in the year 2016. We are going to win more than we lose, but neither side is winning 7 of 8 with these two coaches at the helm.
Their secondary struggled, but saying that D was awful is a stretch. They made the plays against OSU and denied us a first down that would have iced the game.
Screw Turkey. They butchered the Armenians and bully anyone who chooses to acknowledge those attrocities.
MSU Football and Hoops can burn in hell. However.....I attended many of the games back when Mason was in charge there and never enjoyed hockey more. A competitive rivalry between us in hockey when there a league title is at stake, is as fun as it gets. So, seeing an MSU "hockey shitshow" does nothing for me. That being said, Mark Hollis is a buffoon who's appeal has always been a mystery to me.
Those games vs. MSU in the late 80's-90's were among the most intense hockey games I have seen in person. RIP to a great coach.
Brilliant way to alienate your own fan base. I have no idea why Mark Hollis is lauded as some sort of exceptional AD. He is a buffoon.
Anyone remember when the NCAA First Round campus sites used to be 2 games - total goals ? That was an unusual format, that I liked for some reason....
Surprised no one has mentioned we play 8 games at home, and only 4 away. When was the last time that happened ?
An AD sets up a search committee to identify candidtates. He is amost never a member of that comittee at any school.
I don't disagree with the notion of enjoying watching MSU suck at hockey. However, a small part of me remembers the the special feeling of sitting inside Yost 20 years ago and watching the unmatched intensity of two Top Ten programs (and HOF coaches) letting it all hang out. Those nights were special.
Who has the final say in scheduling night games ? With regard to the big games, I always thought Television made the call and the schools fell in line. In other words, can we schedule Wiscy at night at let TV work out the details later, or does the B1G and/or ESPN/ABC request it ?
He had better camp as far away from Gainesville as possible. The Gator crowd down here hates him like poison. Hard to imagine that a coach who led a school to two titles could ever be universally despised the way Meyer is. Of course, maybe not considering the Snake Oil salesman that he was revealed to have been.....
I don't remeber Green's recruitment, but I doubt Valentine was ever seriously "on the verge" of comitting here. He is a Sparty Legacy that grew up in Lansing, playing for his father, who also played at MSU under Heathcote (and Izzo).
The FSU football program is most certainly a "cesspool", but Tallahassee is not. It is actually a very nice city in a beautiful part of Florida. Lots of southern Live Oak trees, rolling hills and farms. Not to mention just a short drive to the gulf.
I don't understand how this works...Sparty plays Northern and it is an "exhibition" game. We play them and it is not. How is that call made ?
I miss things like a home and home weekend series against Lake State with conference playoff positions on the line. Much more interesting to watch a spirited in-state rivalry like that, than a vanilla match-up against Penn State.
Two of my favorite places are The Swamp and Notre Dame. Florida is a great place to see a game, but make sure it is an SEC Match-up for the best atmosphere. You will run into your fair share of mug-wumps around that stadium, but I really enjoy the scene inside Florida Field
Notre Dame is interesting. Tens of thousands of people on campus, and not a spec of trash anywhere....kind of like Disney World. I used to hate them like poison, but the fans in the stadium are among the nicest people you will meet. Completely different from the delusional ND fanatics that over-run the internet.
Not a Jacksonville fan, but N. Central Florida is a hotbed for football talent.
This is most certainly the year it will happen. However, I am not going to proclaim the end of Sparty like many are. That program will remain strong, and it will be better for us and the conference that it does. The victories will be much sweeter than ever before, and we should embrace being part of a nationally relevant in-state college football rivalry.
I hate Dumbtonio like poison, but to say playing for him is taking the easy way might be a stretch. If you are talking about discipline issues then sure. But players seem to work and develop there & that weight training coach looks like a tough SOB.
This is true. But these are also high school kids....If you are a recruit on a visit, how can you not be disappointed that the coach didn't at least say Hello ?
I have spent a lot of time in Gainesville and it is a great college town. To say that recruits "cleave to FSU over UF" is certainly a stretch. And if you are going to compare to Ann Arbor, Gainesville is the town with the world-class research hospital (Shands at UF) and also a beautiful performing arts center. That being said, I like FSU and Tallahassee a lot. Great city to visit, but UF has the better academics, along with a bigger & more beautiful campus as well. But, neither one have the culture of A2.
We will start winning our share, even Sparty knows that. But, D'antoni has been putting guys in the NFL and that gets kids' attention. Sure, Lansing sucks and MSU doesn't offer the same academic standards. But these recruits are looking beyond college...looking at Leveon Bell, Cousins and also the two first round DB's the past couple of years. Plus they've got some others high on the board for this season. Harbaugh will no doubt deliver the a high level of player development, but in the here and now, Sparty has some clout.
Unfortunately, reaching a level of "flat-out dominance" against D'antoni is not just dependent upon Harbaugh building and maintaining a Top 5 program. We are well on our way to that, but Sparty also has a program now. These games are going to be the kind of interstate wars that Bama-Auburn have showcased the past decade, and our wins are going to mean so much more than they did during the Sparty-No years.
It is not hard to understand. Interstate rivalries with national implications are great for college football and much more fun to watch. If you are afraid of losing to Sparty, you want them to revert back to what they were. If you want the victories to be sweeter than ever before, then you embrace the idea that tnis will be a real rivalry going forward with much more than bragging rights on the line.
I want Sparty out of these playoffs. However, I am not foolishly waiting of them to return to irrelevance because that is not happening. I choose to embrace the competition because the victories will be that much sweeter. A Bama/Auburn style in-state rivaly with big national implications is something this state has never seen, and I can't wait for it to happen....Even if it means accepting the FACT that D'Antoni's program is here to stay.
MSU Hockey is horrible. That trophy will do nothing but gather dust in some closet at Yost.
Agree with the comment about an Orlando Bowl game being anti-climactic for UF. Hell, they play their homes games in a nicer stadium. In fact, I have always wondered why they don't play some sort of bowl game at The Swamp.
Penn State w/ Franklin won't be better than Sparty w/ Dantonio under any circumstance. Franklin is a good recruiter but an awful gameday coach.
Despite the widely held belief that State is going back to mediocrity because of "the past", reality says that neither team is going to win 6 of 7 going forward. For me, an Auburn/Bama type of competitive rivalry is more fun than having one program consistently in the toilet.
Saying he befriended a cancer stricken child for positive publicity is a bit harsh.