OT: MSU Assault ESPN Article
I know that a number of you are irritated about the number of MSU-related threads popping up on the board, but the final paragraph to this article is simply beautiful, when contrasted with the Free Press coverage:
"Winston served nearly four months in jail for assault following another altercation involving Michigan State students last October that left hockey player A.J. Sturges seriously injured. Dantonio reinstated Winston to the team and allowed him to return to practice the day he was released from jail."
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=4728934
December 9th, 2009 at 9:50 PM ^
I like to know that someone with the right ideological world-view is monitoring the Freep and other problem cases to keep the rest of us here apprised on what the benighted world outside Mgoblog is seeing in the paper at the breakfast table. I've signed on to the Freep boycott (I'm in Atlanta, so this only means not clicking the Freep links that come up) because I don't want to reward them for being obstreporous and naughty (I wouldn't be interested in the Freep otherwise anyway).
Is anybody following the howler-of-the-week at Freep? I was wondering about a Drew Sharp editorial on Dec. 3 which, apparently, included a jab at ski masks and contained the words "should be dismissed." I didn't check it myself in order to conserve on Freep hits; I was wondering if anyone saw anything of interest in that editorial, such as a sign that Freep is beginning to get a clue.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:14 PM ^
in my opinion was very anti M-State football"program & "dantonio" for letting this stain happen as soon as the program in east lansing is being turned around. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop on the Ann Arbor program, but I don't think M was even written about. It was not a standard D.S. article.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:25 PM ^
A good article by an MSU grad highly critical of Dantonio
http://www.dailytribune.com/articles/2009/12/03/sports/srv0000006987565…
December 10th, 2009 at 9:23 AM ^
We have Pat Caputo, of all people, criticizing Dantonio and MSU athletics. Now he can blather on for months about how impartial he is. It takes no courage at all to criticize Dantonio et. al after 10% of the football team commits an premeditated smackdown.
December 9th, 2009 at 10:55 PM ^
...but I still don't see any of the knee-jerk accusations disguised as opinions that are thrown at UM and RR for far less than what is happening up there. Rittenberg let the facts do the talking, but I seem to remember him formulating negative opinions of RR from time to time, and Rittenberg is one of the most fair writers out there.
I want to see Saint Dantonio's name out there in the MSM with charges of "lack of control over the program" and "thug culture." It sounds like, of all people, Drew Sharp might be the first in the entire statewide market to do that. If so, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in awhile.
December 9th, 2009 at 11:11 PM ^
You don't see the knee jerk accusations because Dantonio's winning as much as pretty much anyone at the Little Brother. The Saint gets the treatment b/c he is winning...it will turn this way for RichRod and he will soon enough return to the post Oklahoma genius levels...
Unquestionably Dantonio should answer for his judgment in terms of players. There is no question he lacks control/oversight on the players. But, and this is an issue, the only way Dantonio competes is by recruiting that sort of player, that sort of person. Lately, more than ever, it's just bit him in the...
December 10th, 2009 at 7:23 AM ^
everything with MD, because 22-16 is not killing it, in my opinion. He's no Nick Saban, Duffy Daugherty or George Perles, at least not to date. Two games over .500 in conference for career. No signature wins save over crappy Michigan teams, at least none that I can think of. A lot of blow-out losses to top conference teams. I think he's selling the "promise of tomorrow" better than recent MSU coaches, and Spartan fans and some columnists are buying it.
MD and staff have a good PR effort going (at least until this mess) and he has a public persona and message that Spartan fans have bought into. Problem is that now it doesn't jibe with reality. Until this year, they didn't seem like SOS (Same ol Sparty). But now, patitudes about "changing culture" are nice sound bites for the press to repeat, but seem a bit empty in the wake of this season. Off the field problems, obviously. Plus some melt down losses that have plague that program for a while now. Next year will be telling. Was 2009 an anamoly? Or is SOS rearing its ugly head.
December 9th, 2009 at 11:47 PM ^
Haha the title sounds like Sparty assaulted ESPN HQ in Bristol. Somehow I wouldn't be surprised...
December 9th, 2009 at 11:56 PM ^
While I can't say I'm not loving every minute of this, I hate to see these kids basically throw away their careers. You want to see them make good decisions and not do this, but oh well. :)
December 10th, 2009 at 12:54 AM ^
"Our football program has been disappointed before, and we will rise above this. We always will." Dantonio postures himself as Sisyphus.
He is right. They will be continuously "rising" because they will always be down.
December 10th, 2009 at 1:44 AM ^
... I hate that people continue to refer to this as a fight. I actually wrote Rittenberg, who I think is okay for the most part, to tell him that the word is completely inapplicable to an event in which large men punch women.