How times have changed....

This past Friday was snowcoming. I think back to when we were in school and then even up to about 2007. A Friday night basketball game you could count on almost a packed house every time, and if a big time rival was in town you could count on standing room only. I attended the game and granted Cass City isn't good and Bad Axe isn't exactly a rivalry game but to their credit they made Snowcoming against someone they could beat. The 2 things that were alarming was the fact that the stands were about 5/8 filled to capacity. Maybe it's because the GTW's down, maybe it's because schools enrollments are down. (Once again..it's snowcoming and a friday night game that is hard to come by these days) The most alarming thing was that there WAS NO BAND. We had NO FREAKIN BAND at Snowcoming. So when we got to the 2010 Snowcoming kind and queen are (drum roll please........) No Drum Roll. Silence. Now I know that band people aren't going to tell you that the band is for the sporting events alone, but please, there better be a darn good reason there was no band. It was pathetic. And what made it all worse was that Cass City played their best game of the year and spanked Bad Axe. No band to get people fired up and pile on BA. And I know we are all just striving for equality in boys and girls sports but this is hurting everybody. Attendance is way down all across the board and that means revenue to the school and sports program is down. Now you can say well the economy is down, maybe people aren't traveling or wanting to spend the money, but again it's the cheapest entertainment your going to find on a friday night. When is someone going to say hey, it was better for everyone the way it was.

Weird Stat

I don't know if I posted this before, but the NY football Giants started the season 5-0...failed to make the playoffs. The Denver Broncos started 6-0...failed to make the playoffs. I'd feel sorry for them, but considering the Lions started 6-2 a few years ago only to finish 2-6, I don't.

He knows what he wants his legacy to be.

Kurt Warner announced his retirement on Thursday.

"It's not the way I threw the football, it's not particular games that I won, but that they remember that here's a guy that believed, that worked hard," he said. "Although things didn't always go in his favor, he continued to press through, and with his faith in himself and his faith in God, he was able to accomplish great things."

Super Bowl ad stokes abortion controversy

"It would be the first time that Focus on the Family, a politically influential evangelical group founded by James Dobson, has bought air time during the Super Bowl." Check out the story here.

And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?

(This could also be a Quote of the Day segment). Here is an interesting take from an Ex-NBA player on the Haiti situation. I don't completely disagree, but his timing couldn't have been worse. Dude, hire a PR group.

Bigger Fish To Fry?

There is a story on espn.com about the possibility of exploring whether or not the BCS violates antitrust laws. You get the sense the Obama administration renigged on their earlier offer to "throw his weight around" for a playoff system a little towards the end of the story.

Shakespeare in the voice of Elcor.

Shoot To Thrill

Patience?

The State News has an editorial up today urging patience. An excerpt:

Before students storm the athletics offices with pitchforks, they should remember there are major elements from this project that have yet to be revealed.

With that being said, if the total package still doesn’t do justice to the Spartan identity when it’s unveiled in all its glory in April, Spartans should feel free to raise holy hell.

I like the "holy hell" part, but the rest is wrong. Here's the original statement from AD Mark Hollis:

The Spartan logo, posted on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Web site, is a single element of a comprehensive brand and identity project that will be unveiled in April by Michigan State athletics. As in all branding, the power of a single symbol cannot be appreciated or measured outside the context of the total presentation.

My company spent a lot of time last year working on brand and identity. We had a meeting explaining the proper use of corporate logos, appropriate Powerpoint backgrounds, and all sorts of other stuff. Many unique logos were eliminated so that the main corporate logo is the only one used. We were told everything was to be consistent so as not to damage the brand.

So what does this have to do with MSU? You've seen the new logo. If the goal is to make MSU's brand consistent with a "comprehensive brand project" the the new logo and the old logo can't coexist. Using both would undermine the consistency that's supposed to be the whole point. It's much more likely that the block S would also be eliminated and MSU's visual identity would be pared down to the new logo and a new "Michigan State" font. Sparty might even be in jeopardy. Context isn't necessary, there's no acceptable outcome based on what we already know.

Tom Izzo is wrong.

That was hard to type. I didn't expect Izzo to go against his boss in the press conference today, but getting hit with a "shame on you" is too much. His arguments are also weak. Gruff Sparty (a third logo used on merchandise, not uniforms) and changing between the block S and helmet logo on football helmets isn't the same as changing a ubiquitous and beloved logo. Replacing the Greek-influenced "Michigan State" wordmark with the Nike "State" wordmark is closer, but those are only used on basketball uniforms and didn't eliminate either the block S or helmet logo. If you're going to argue for the new logo, you have to make a compelling case for replacing a popular logo with 30+ years of history with a new design. I haven't seen that done yet.

Shame on Tom Izzo.

UPDATE: I like this photo posted on Facebook:

One down, four more to go

You know what I'm referring to. I've been penciling it in the last few years. There are now only four teams that have never reached the Super Bowl.

Lions
Jags
Browns
Texans


They've really been dropping like flies the last 10 Super Bowls. I'd say the Jags have the best chance of being the next team to do it. I don't see that happening in the next 3 years though.

Mirror, Mirror (Live)

More Logo Opinion

Eric Lacy of the Detroit News has an article up about the logo situation. An excerpt:

To simply put it: This move doesn't make sense.

How does a school's brand become recognizable if it constantly changes over the course of several decades?

By no means is this anything personal against Hollis or any other school officials, but it's a fair question to ask.

I'll disagree on one point: It's personal to me.

Nostalgia Vs. Common Sense

Last week nostalgia had a showdown with common sense in my head. Common sense was on the mat out cold before the end of the first round. Here's the result:


There's a rematch next month when Battle Cat is released, but somehow I suspect the results won't change.

Uprising

How do you instantly send thousands of Spartan fans into a rage? Change the venerable (it's been used since at least '77, going by The Helmet Project) Spartan helmet logo:


AD Mark Hollis confirmed the logo yesterday after it was discovered on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website. Hollis says the logo "is a single element of a comprehensive brand and identity project" and that "a single symbol cannot be appreciated or measured outside the context of the total presentation." So far that excuse isn't going over well with the fans. As of right now 9,196 fans have joined the Facebook group JUST DON'T - No new Nike-influenced Spartan helmet and 95% have voted against the new logo in a poll at the State News.

Just how serious is this? I just sent an email to Mr. Hollis explaining that I would not be able to renew my football season tickets if the new logo was adopted. And I meant it. I won't be the only one.

UPDATE: More at Uni Watch. The Facebook group now has 10,387 members.

UPDATE 2: Someone on Facebook uploaded this picture of a t-shirt with the new logo:


I have to admit this t-shirt isn't bad, if it came out without any talk of changing the logo I might even buy it. But if they mess with the logo, no new Nike merchandise for me.

Accuracy

You want accuracy? Well, check out the Weather Channel's website. Here's what it said for Davenport, IA at various times today:

8:30 AM: Fog ending by 10am

11:00 AM: Fog ending by 1pm

3:20 PM: Fog ending by 5pm

I have a feeling it will still be foggy at 5pm, but by then it will be too dark to know the difference.

UPDATE: At 7:02pm, the forecast reads "Fog ending by 7pm." Nice.

Mass Effect 2

Shocking News

According to Yahoo!, Miguel Cabrera has spent the last three months in a program to treat his alcoholism after his much-publicized night of binge-drinking before the biggest game of the year. Cabrera, naturally, says that he's turned his life around. I have doubts about that, but he can keep his blood alcohol below .26 it would be a good start.

Hits the Mark

If you missed it tonight, Human Target premiered and it looks like it's going to be worth watching. Lots of action in the episode, much of it on a train, which is a change of pace (not as cool as the bus fight in "The Transporter", but few things are). Jackie Earle Haley stars in a supporting role, which isn't as cool as Rorschach, but pretty close. The series is based on a comic book, though they've made a few changes.

New Super Bowl shuffle???