Conference Expansion Roundup

- Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott has been given the power to make decisions regarding expansion.

- An announcement could come as soon as 7/27.

- Conjecture is that an expanded Pac-10 could make $20 million per year in TV money for member schools. This surprised me, as I would think with all those teams they could at least match what the Big Ten made last year.

- The Big Ten presidents and chancellors met today. According to MSU president Lou Anna K. Simon, council chair, "It's possible that the timeline may be altered, but not the process."

- To join the Big Ten, a school has to submit an application, then receive votes from at least eight presidents or chancellors. This vote could happen electronically, so another meeting wouldn't necessarily need to happen.

- Anyone else notice that every time Big Ten expansion is mentioned academic standards come up, but when Pac-10 expansion is brought up no one says anything about academics? AAU membership is often cited (list of members here) when talking about the Big Ten since every school is a member, but out of the Pac-10 Stanford, Arizona, Cal, UCLA, Oregon, and USC are members as well. Sure, it's not everyone, but I'm surprised it isn't a bigger part of the conversation.

- The Mountain West conference isn't changing for now. I'm sure that's a relief for everyone.

Inside Out

Another 90's song:

Deadline

The Big 12 has reportedly issued an ultimatum to Nebraska and Missouri: commit to staying in the Big 12 by 5 pm Friday or... well, it's not like they're going to be kicked out at the end of the week, but presumably there will be consequences. But, hey, Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe is still comfortable that the Big 12 will remain intact. Right.

The most interesting bit of information in the article? An actual measure of the difference in TV money between Big Ten and Big 12 teams. Big 12 teams each made $7-10 million last year, Big Ten teams made $22 million.

Also, I did some research and poked around ND message boards, trying to get an idea of the overall feeling about how all of this will affect Notre Dame. There's surprisingly little talk that I can find, and what there is suggest they aren't worried, as you would expect from the most arrogant fans this side of Ann Arbor.

Heating Up

Last month there was speculation about how Big Ten expansion could cause tectonic shifts across college sports. Apparently the Pac 10 got the message, because there is now a report that they're offering invitations to Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado, who would play in a division with Arizona and Arizona State. This would swell the Pac 10 to sixteen teams, making it the first mega-conference. Obviously, this changes everything. The Big Ten was planning on waiting through the summer, but they may have to act sooner rather than later before the feeding frenzy starts.

Will the Big 12 break up? Apparently Missouri and Nebraska are very serious about joining the Big Ten, even eager. Texas could go pretty much anywhere it wants, but would prefer to move with some of the other Big 12 teams to keep rivalries intact. Texas apparently is also looking in to starting a TV network of its own, which could complicate matters. As for the other teams, right now it sounds like they want to see what Texas does.

A few other issues:
- When are we going to see the SEC make a move? They can't be planning on just sitting back and watching this unfold.

- If the Pac 10 expands to 16 teams, does that the other major conference are going to try and get to that number?

- Notre Dame hasn't been interested in the Big Ten's offer. Are they starting to get nervous? Being independent is workable in the current landscape, but if mega-conferences are going to emerge in 2011 things will be much different.

- What are Kansas, KSU, Iowa State, and Baylor going to do if the rest of the conference abandons them?

First word: Diesel.

Shaquille O'Neal challenged last year's spelling bee champion to spelling contest on Friday. Kavya Shivashankar, 14, responded with a little trash talk: "Are you sure you want to do this? I did win the national spelling bee last year."

Apparently there are people that dislike Shaq, but when I hear of something like this, I can't imagine why. He'll follow through on this, and get killed, but everyone will have a good time. What's not to like?

The Way

More 90's music. You know how songs sometimes get connected to certain moments in your brain? My enduring memory of this song is listening to it while drinking Mountain Dew during a break from picking up stones with Big Daddy. Probably heard it a hundred times that summer but that's the one that sticks in my head.

The (Mostly) Perfect Game

A few thoughts on the blown call last night:

- Jim Joyce, by all accounts, is a good guy and great umpire. But he screwed this one up badly. Criticism is deserved.

- Threats against his family though are just stupid.

- Everyone involved acted with class. A shocking amount of class really. It speaks well of everyone involved.

- "Blown calls are part of baseball." "Human error is part of the game." I've heard that all day. It's garbage. I'm not really a baseball guy, but one of the things I do appreciate most about baseball is the history and tradition. Still, to keep technology out that could avert many mistakes is foolish.

- "Instant replay would make the game too long." Who could tell the difference? There's plenty of ways to cut more time out of MLB games, and replay can be done quickly if handled right. College football has an extensive replay system, but the overall amount of time added is minimal, especially compared to the impact of major blown calls.

- The bottom line for me: It is intolerable that thousands of fans at home can easily see that a call is wrong and nothing can be done to change it.

- I'm glad the MLB isn't stepping in and reversing the call. Yeah, it was bad, but I think that would be worse. And set an awful precedent.

- That Corvette sure is shiny.

- Armando Galarraga will probably be remembered better and longer because the game ended this way. Maybe he should change his number to 28 though.

- Politicians "declaring" it a perfect game and trying to score cheap political points? That's lame.

Comic Cover of the Week: Superman/Batman Annual #4

Closing Time

All this graduation stuff has got me in a 90's mood:

Now that's a sinkhole.

You think you've seen sinkholes? Not until you've seen the one in Guatemala City after Tropical Storm Agatha:

Nuke the leak?

Well, this is certainly a novel idea. And potentially a good one.

Captain America

According to AICN, this is the costume from the upcoming Captain America movie:

Going Home (Live)

I'll be in CC this weekend for Graduation Madness Part IV: The Big Weep. Things are going to be pretty busy, but I might be able to get away for a while if anyone is around.

Also, since I used the title, I might as well post a music video:

Comic Cover of the Week: Detective Comics #865

Quote of the Day

My grandmother always said: 'God has a plan for all of us.' I should have went along with his, not mine, my plan sucked!

-Mickey Rourke

Mass Effect: The Movie?

According to Spinoff Online, the Mass Effect series of video games is being adapted into a feature film by Legendary Pictures. Since Mass Effect 2 is the best game I've ever played, I'm pretty excited. And worried. I don't think a video game has ever made the transition to successful film, and Mass Effect could be a real challenge to adapt. A thorough play-through takes around 50 hours, so there's potentially 100 hrs of story to be mined so far. However, while Mass Effect has more character development than most games, much of the plot going from point A to point B to find clues that propel you towards the final showdown. That's less interesting in a film than in a game. But if you can manage to adapt the story the studio would have a hit the size of Star Wars on its hands, and at least two sequels.

Please don't screw it up.

Solomon Kane

10-3?

David Goricki of the Detroit News thinks the Spartans will go 10-3 this season. He predicts losses to Wisconsin, Iowa, and Penn State and wins over Notre Dame and Michigan.

I'm not so sure about this. The bronze in the uniforms is worth a loss on its own. I think he's right in picking the three losses he does, right now those are the toughest games on the schedule. But I think there has to be at least one more loss in there somewhere, maybe Purdue or NU, or even one of the high-profile games against ND or UM. The fact that they might wear an alternate uniform puts the ND game at risk before they even step on the field. Goricki thinks the defense will be much better, I'm going to have to see them prove it on the field before I have any confidence in them.

That's No Cave

There probably isn't much of a contest, but this is the coolest oven mitt ever:

30

Thirty years ago today, The Empire Strikes Back, the best of the Star Wars movies, premiered in theaters.

Didn't I see this in a movie?

I can't say I support robbery, even in Paris, but I have to admit that some part of me thinks it's cool that a thief made off with paintings worth around $613 million from the Pairs Museum of Modern Art last night. One of the paintings was a Picasso. This is heist movie stuff here. It's kind of fascinating to hear of it actually happening.

There's one amusing part of the story as well. The director of a next-door modern art museum (So, there's a lot of those in Paris I suppose?) said: "These five paintings are un-sellable, so thieves, sirs, you are imbeciles, now return them." Uh, you think someone went to the trouble of stealing these paintings without a plan?

Comic Cover of the Week: Atomic Robo vol. 4 #3

Quote of the Day

I will not be denied the pragmatic, functional utility of anything based on the inept, clumsy, irresponsible failure of brain-dead, uncoordinated numskulls.

-Ted Nugent, "My Gun Control"

Flint Powers Catholic High Closed For Phone Outage

FLINT, Mich. -- Flint Powers Catholic High School is closed Wednesday after reporting problems within its phone system.

School officials contacted WNEM TV5 early Wednesday morning to report the closure. No other details were released.



Seriously? Phones? What if there was no toilet paper? Would they close if the TV's were broke too?

Best Joe Carter Impersonation

Pirates outfielder Lastings Milledge found a way to turn an RBI double into an epic fail last night against the Cubs. This is incredible. Check it, out, bottom of the fourth, bases juiced, and Milledge is still looking for his first bomb of the year. And he got all of this one…there it goes, a grand slam…Uh-oh!!!! Off the wall, but dude didn’t know it. He’s in his homerun trot, head down, arm outstretched like he’s Joe Carter or something, only to get hung out between second and third. Uh-oh! Owned. Afterwards, he did his best to roll with one of the most embarrassing plays ever: “I think that was the most exciting double in PNC park history. I never thought that it didn’t go out because the music was playing and the fireworks. But clearly it didn’t go out, it was a double and I’ve got to go in the weight room in the morning.” Yeah you do, player. Then again, in your defense, you haven’t hit a bomb in a long time, so I could see where you’d forget what you’re supposed to do. And that ballpark fireworks jockey did not do you any favors either. Hey dork, I know you’ve got your finger on that button, your just dying to light up the sky, and since you work for the Pirates, you don’t get many chances to do it but I don’t think you want to waste those bottle rockets on a double do you? Make sure a homerun is a homerun before you try to get that party started. Doing it to the opposition would have been funny, but you just deked one of your own. How very Pirates of them. All of them.

I can't post a video, but try here.

Pirates v Cubs on Thursday, May 6

Iron Man Movie Review?

So, any reviews of the new Iron Man? It's been in C-squared for the opening two weeks (I doubt he had a midnight showing on May 7 though). I hope to check it out this week.

I will say that when I first saw Iron Man, I didn't think it was that great. Nothing spectacular. Probably because it came out between "Batman Begins" and "Dark Knight" and I had high expectations. But, I rented it again this weekend and I watched it about 3 times. Much better every time. Pumped for the new one. Hope you have a good review.

Comic Cover of the Week: Siege #4

Good News

After rumors yesterday that Human Target was on the bubble, Fox has announced the show is being picked up for a second season. This is great news as Human Target was the best new show of the season. Hands down, no contest. Mark Valley, Chi McBride, and especially Jackie Earle Haley were all awesome in their roles. If you haven't watched an episode you should go to Hulu and catch an episode right now. Right this second.

Super 16?

Now it gets interesting. Lynn Henning has an article in the News discussing rumors that the Big Ten has extended invitations Notre Dame, Nebraska, Missouri, and Rutgers. ESPN's Pat Forde reports these rumors are false, but agrees with the details of the expansion, which are that the Big Ten expands to 16 teams and the conference breaks down into four "pods" of four and two divisions of eight.

The most interesting part? Forde speculates that the moves by the Big Ten could cause tectonic shifts across the entire college sports world. The ACC and SEC won't be able to stand by as the Big Ten is active and will look to expand themselves. The Big 12 and Big East could be cannibalized in the feeding frenzy. Notre Dame might have to join up because no one else would be left to play against. Bowl game tie-ins would be disrupted. Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

Or maybe not. However, if the Big Ten goes to 16 teams, I think it should actually change its name to the "Super 16" and get a new logo similar to Three Doors Down:


Okay, they probably won't do that, on account of the kryptonite jokes, and maybe licensing, but it would sure make for a cool uniform patch.

5 Best Baseball Books

The WSJ ran an article this weekend listing the author's picks for the five best books written about baseball. Now the only baseball book I've ever read is "Moneyball", but I thought this might be of interest to some. "The Glory of Their Times" does sound interesting. (Hat tip: John J. Miller at The Corner)

Quote of the Day

Enough radioactivity was released to create 17 Hulks and a Spider-Man. Here is an artist's conception:

Quite disturbing.

-Kent Brockman, The Simpsons, "To Surveil, With Love"

"Men of Iron and Steel"

Here's a fascinating article on politics and superheroes, via Day by Day, if you're interested. An excerpt:

Superheroes are a libertarian fantasy, because they are individual men and women given the power to shape the course of history, and burdened with the moral responsibility to use it wisely. Spider-Man learned this in his hour of grief, after a moment of selfishness cost a good man his life. Superman is a Kansas farm boy who discovered he was a god, and devoted himself to protecting the mortal men and women around him, who he loved and respected with all of his heart. Batman is an extraordinary individual who devoted his talents to the pursuit of justice, freely choosing a path of agony and terror when his wealth and ability offered countless other choices.

Re: "Netflix!"

That delay Hollywood studios are pushing on Netflix? Apparently not working so well, according to this report. Ha. (Hat tip: Big Hollywood)

Buck Rogers

On the Outside Looking In

There's another article in the News today about Big Ten expansion, most notable in that it mentions everything you'll hear from now until the fall is speculation and rumor and not even fresh at that. This is probably worth remembering at some of the more outlandish theories are thrown around.

There's also a bit about ND and it's AD talking about how important their independence is to them. Which is no doubt true as the Domers have the biggest egos this side of Ann Arbor. But I'll make a prediction: In the near future Notre Dame is going to find itself desperately wanting in on a major conference and all they'll be able to find is a "No Vacancy" sign.

How Ernie Harwell found his faith.

I don't think I can add much to what other people saying (like here and here) about Ernie Harwell after he passed away last night, but I did find this video where he discusses with Mitch Albom how he became a Christian:

Comic Cover of the Week: Hellboy in Mexico (Or, a Drunken Blur)

On and On (Live)

?

Did anyone else know that Michael Tait, of DC Talk fame, is now the lead singer for the Newsboys? Apparently he took the role last year and the first album with him singing comes out on 7/13. I'm not sure my brain can process this. Tait's a talented guy, but a song like "Breakfast" is just going to sound wrong without Peter Furler, kind of like a really good cover band.

Here's a link to the video of the first single.

A boy named Suh.

In honor of Ndamukong Suh's first practice as a Detroit Lion:

A Thought

I had one thought after reading Lynn Henning's list of favorites to join the Big Ten: I think I would be physically ill if Nebraska joined the Big Ten.

"Netflix!"

Let me tell you a story.

Not all that long ago, Hollywood executives saw that DVD sales were dropping, so they were making less money. Straining their pea-size brains they cast about for an answer. The fact that they were making horrendous movies that no one would want to buy was quickly passed over. "Netflix!" they cried. Netflix and its competitors must be stopping those dopey consumers (that's us) from buying DVDs. So they hatched a plan to delay the release of many of the major films to the various rental services and punish them if they bought copies elsewhere, assuming the dopey consumer (us again) would buy more crappy movies on DVD because we just couldn't wait a few extra weeks to see them. Sherlock Holmes was one of those movies.

So, four weeks later, I have Sherlock Holmes at home (Quick review: Good, not great, surprisingly British.). The disc proceeds to show at least 10 previews for new movies or DVD releases. All unskippable. Probably 10 minutes of time, possibly more. Of course you can still fast forward at 64x, so it goes by quickly, but that time is still wasted. Now my first response is to unleash a gang of hungry badgers on the executives of Warner Home Video, but I don't have the time to catch badgers. I could swear of buying Warner Home Video products, but it's not like I was going to buy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. So instead, the next time I think about buying a DVD, I'll think back to those 20 seconds wasted while waiting to start Holmes, and I'll do what I did then: Skip it.

Comic Cover of the Week: Fantastic Four #578

Take It From Me (Live)

Mark V

Now You Know

What I've learned in the past three days:

1. Alternate uniforms add buzz to rivalry games.

2. Athletes make school decisions based on how the uniforms look.

3. Sports fans were confused about who "State" was.

4. People had trouble identifying MSU because all of the uniforms didn't match.

5. What the athletes think is the most important.

6. Athletes were lacking a sense of mission or purpose before they got new jerseys.

7. The block-S logo was confusing.

8. "Swagger" comes from a new jersey.

Another Thought

Another thought sparked by, but not necessarily completely on, the MSU uniform change. Tradition is more important in college football than any other American sport, maybe any other sport period. You can pretty neatly divide up NCAA teams by classic uniforms vs. "cool" uniforms. For example, in the Big Ten there's Ohio State, Michigan, and Penn State (the undisputed king of conservative uniforms) vs. Minnesota, Northwestern, and now MSU. Nationally speaking, you have the likes of Alabama, Texas, LSU, and USC vs. Oregon, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Florida (who used to be solidly in the other camp).

Obviously, having a classic uniform doesn't make you a good team. 'Bama didn't win the championship just because they kept simple uniforms around. But they do say something about how the institution thinks of itself. And how the fans view it. Keeping a uniform around means keeping a commitment to your history and having pride in it, or at least being willing to own it. So a team like Texas doesn't reinvent itself, Texas is Texas, take it or leave it.

Teams that constantly change uniforms destroy that consistency and connection. Or, if you're Oregon or VT, the uniforms seem to be an end in themselves, forget supporting tradition or building a legacy, let's just provoke reactions from people. And maybe we can sell some merchandise.

Even for a team like Michigan State that has a long history with significant highs (6 national championships) but a long period of mediocrity, I think it's better to stick with the classics, otherwise it seems like you're trying to brush history under the rug instead of owning it and moving forward.

Brand Identity, One More Time

One more set of thoughts on MSU's new "brand identity", probably the last for a while:

1. Here's the press release that has some explanations of program.

2. A quote:

Michigan State University has a rich athletic and academic history. To keep these traditions alive, historically relevant marks that connect to the school and Spartan history have been utilized. Combined with contemporary typography, the new concept creates a cohesive identity program that not only respects the traditions of the university, but looks ahead to the promise of a great future.

That's crap. Historically relevant wasn't a factor, they just picked whatever they liked and came up with some rationale for keeping it.

3. There's a grain of truth in this brand identity stuff, but it's 90% marketing people trying to justify their existence. If an athletic team wants to build an identity, they need to win. The rest is just window dressing.

4. The explanation for bronze: "Symbolically represents strength and integrity, and was used as a material in Spartan armor." Sure, but that doesn't explain why they picked a clashing, totally new color to use in the uniforms. I will blame every single thing that goes wrong this season on that color. Missed a tackle? "Needs more bronze." Bad call? "More bronze."

5. The new font takes "inspiration from Greek architecture and the Spartan ethos of simplicity and strength."


Greek architecture? Whatever, this is about a new font that Nike has a copyright on so no one else can use it.

6. The MSU shield logo they made up sucks. And it's mostly bronze.

7. There's some talk that the all-green jersey may be the alternate. If that's the case, it's incandescently stupid.

8. Haven't seen a good picture of the helmet yet, but apparently there's a stripe, but it's tapered. I'll withhold judgment until I see a better picture, but I don't think that it will work.

9. I'm trying to figure out the over/under on these uniforms. One year? Three years?

10. A little time to get used to these uniforms is not making them any better.

More Brand Identity

I'll probably post more on this later, but when reading the article on the new brand and uniforms in The State News, I was a bit taken aback by this comment regarding the logo controversy from Hollis:

It would have been naïve of me not to take those comments into consideration. But (the MSU community) better be receptive to change because I want to win and I want to win on levels that we haven't before. Sometimes you have to shake the trees to have something like that fall out.

The proposed logo change made me think it was pretty likely that ego was a large part of this rebranding. Now I'm sure Hollis is an arrogant jackass.

Old School

My mother just found this picture:

35

That's the number of bowls the NCAA approved for the next four years. Cue the complaining about too many bowls. As always, my answer: shut up. You cannot have too much college football, especially in December.

New Uniforms

MSU unveiled its new "brand and identity" program today; you can see all the photos here. The basketball uniforms don't look to have changed much, so this is all about the new football uniforms:


A few thoughts:

1. I don't love the new font, but I think I like it on the numbers. It's only okay on the lettering.

2. I miss the all-white uniforms. They really should have these available.

3. I do like the overall design of the green shoulder/white shoulder uniforms. In fact, I drew a concept that was fairly similar back in '03:


4. All of the uniforms should have shoulder numbers.

5. I miss the "State" wordmark.

6. There's green stripes on the side/back of the pants that are pretty lame, but I don't think Nike can make a football uniform without random stripes these days.

7. These are definitely better than the '02 "gladiator" uniforms.

8. Good call on not using green pants.

9. I am afraid that this is going to start MSU on a cycle of changing uniforms every few years. These are nice enough, but not so great that I expect them to be around in ten years.

Draft Day

So I forgot about the draft last night, even though I had read about it that morning. I suppose that means I'm not a fan of the new format. I am a fan of the picks the Lions made last night though. It's hard to think of a way to do better than coming out with Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best at the end of the night.

More on Salt

An observation from the Washington Examiner on the same subject I posted about the other day:

But that hasn't been working fast enough to suit the first lady and others in the obesity crusade. And by limiting sodium contents, the goal is to make junk food less tasty and, by extension, less delicious compared with the organic, locally grown rhubarb you're supposed to be chomping.

You just can't be trusted to choose your own diet.

Comic Cover of the Week: The Spirit #1

... from my cold dead hands.

According to The Washington Post, via Ramesh Ponnuru at the Corner, the FDA has decided you eat too much salt and you need to be saved from yourself, so it plans to regulate the amount of salt that can be used in processed food. But don't worry, they plan to phase limits in over ten years, so you won't notice it right away, you'll just end up with a vague feeling that somehow everything used to taste better. So, will people put up with this? I don't think I'm alone is saying you can pry my salt shaker from my cold, dead hands.

Eyjafjallajokull

Here's a pic of the volcano (How do Icelandic kids ever learn how to spell?) that's been in the news:


More here. Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at The Corner.

Boo!

Boise State is replacing their blue field with... a blue field. Apparently the current one is causing glare that irritates fans. No word on the irritation caused to the rest of the nation by Boise State having a BLUE FIELD. Seriously, if the NCAA is in a rule-making mood, they need to make a rule that says everyone has to have a green field.

Durrell Summers Will Return

You never know what to expect in a college basketball season, but my anticipation for next season has increased exponentially now that Durrell Summers and Kalin Lucas will be back. A factoid the News adds (that unfortunately probably doesn't mean anything): "The last time a pair of Michigan State standouts chose to stay in school instead of turning pro, the school won a national championship."

New Rules

The NCAA is making some changes to the rules for the 2011 football season, according to ESPN:

1. No more messages on your eye black. I can see where this could have potentially been heading towards trouble, but it does kind of seem like it's a parting shot at Tebow.

2. No wedge blocking on kickoffs. I'm not sure I like this much, but it brings the rules in line with the NFL, so I guess I can't say much against it.

3. Taunting will be assessed as a spot of the foul penalty. High-stepping into the end zone will mean you never get there. I'm warming to the idea, but the NCAA needs to make sure the officials have clear guidelines for what is and isn't taunting. If a major team loses a game because of a cheap taunting call, the fans and media are going to go ballistic.

Comic Cover of the Week: Daredevil #506

Since it's a little slow around here, a new feature to entertain myself: my favorite cover frome the week's comic releases. This week, Daredevil #506.

?

How good is Jimmy Clausen? Mel Kiper Jr. has him as #4 overall on the Big Board and the highest-rated QB. Scout Inc. has him at #37 and the second-highest QB behind Sam Bradford. ESPN: The Advertising Pamphlet just featured a long article about how perfect a spiral Clausen can throw and how great his mechanics are, which was certainly fascinating from a physics standpoint. Notre Dame was 6-6, but Clausen was dealing with an injury most of the year. So, franchise QB or not? Physics aside, I'm guessing not.

Amazing Play

I heard this play on the radio yesterday, but that really didn't do it justice:

Red Dead Redemption

?

So, how do you revive a dead possum? Link courtesy of The Goldberg File.

Harrry Brown

RE: Must Be Tough

A few thoughts:

1. It might be an "easy" path, but Kansas, Syracuse, Ohio State, Kansas State, Georgetown, and Pittsburgh couldn't manage it. Can't blame the Spartans for that.

2. I admit that I don't think MSU would still be in it if the sequence had been New Mexico - Maryland - Kansas - Ohio State instead of New Mexico - Maryland - UNI - Tennessee.

3. This is actually one of my problems with the Tourney. MSU could make it to the final game without playing a team seeded higher than fifth in their region. If they were to win I expect you would hear lots of squawking from Duke/West Virginia that it wasn't fair. But fairness has nothing to do with it.

4. This is also why I'm not a fan of a football playoff. People accept a 5 vs. 5 semifinal in basketball, it would cause a riot in football. And people wouldn't watch.

Must Be Tough

It must stink going into recruits homes and telling them, "If you come play at Michigan State for 4 years, I can theoretically guarantee you will play in two Final Fours. Are you interested?" Six out of 12 doesn't stink.

If someone would have told Izzo at any time before/during the season that he'd qualify for the tournament as a #5 seed and would advance to the Final Four without playing #1 (overall) Kansas, #2 Ohio State, and would only have to play #5 seed and oh yeah, mid-major Butler, to advance to the championship game, he'd probably have said you were playing a video game. Must be nice to sail to the championship game. I guess I shouldn't use the word "sail." More like have the easiest possible path to the championship game...EVER. (I chose not to use the word "sail" because they clearly had problems with some teams, even though they weren't top seeds.)

Judge: No school prom but girl's right violated

If you thought "Prom Night" was bad, or if you thought our Prom's blew, this is probably what's to come.

Quote of the Day

For two hundred plus years we’ve kicked ass, and we’re now choosing the belief system of the idiots whose asses we’ve kicked.
-Greg Gutfeld, Daily Gut: Anger is a Right (Big Hollywood)

Carrier Games?

The News has an interesting profile of MSU AD Mark Hollis today. This part in particular caught my eye:

His latest idea: To honor the members of the armed forces with the Carrier Games, perhaps to be played Nov. 11, 2011, on the deck of the USS John F. Kennedy as it sits anchored in Jacksonville, Fla. One game would feature MSU and North Carolina (with Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan as honorary captains, respectively), the other Air Force against Navy.

That is the greatest idea for a basketball game ever. Make it so.

Rabbit Fire!

I ran across this Spider-Man cover today and it made me smile:

Knuckle Down

I really like this article by Bob Wojnowski in today's Detroit News.

Quote of the Day

From today's Dilbert:

Pointy-haired Boss: Is he qualified for the job?

CEO: Like a monkey with a hammer!

Interested?

If the Lions are seriously interested in Pacman Jones, then they're every bit as stupid a decade of ridicule would suggest. Sure, Jones had skills, but he's wasted that talent by being a menace off the field. The guy isn't going to change, he's just waiting for some suckers to fall for his contrite act so he can get more money to blow at nightclubs and strip joints. Leave him be, the Lions don't need another embarrassment.

Road to Serfdom

We are driving headlong down the road to serfdom, and no advanced democracy that has come down this far has ever found an off ramp.
-Sally C. Pipes, NRO Symposium

Not A Coupon Insert

A great quote from a great article by Jonah Goldberg today:

The other side says that our rights come from God, not from government. That while the government has an obligation to promote the general welfare, it doesn’t have a holy writ to design the nation as it sees fit. The Constitution is not a coupon insert in your local paper, brimming with all sorts of giveaways and two-for-one deals. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights delineate what the government cannot do, not what it can. What was so fantastic and revolutionary about that is that for the first time in history, a nation was founded on the proposition that the government should mind its own business. Believing that doesn’t make you a fascist, it makes you a patriot.

Ain't No Grave

Prognostication

As the OSU-UM basketball game was coming down to the wire this afternoon I remarked to one of my coworkers, who was checking the score online because her boyfriend was at the game, that OSU would make a last-second three to seal the game. When she checked the score again before the last play I said OSU would definitely be making that play. Final score 69-68 on Turner's three with .2 left.

Skillet - Monster

An 8th grade female student at school brought this CD in today for PE class. Let's just say that went over better than playing the Beatles. I think I've heard this song a few times, probably on Z93 or 101.5 and never knew it was Skillet.

#1?

Ann Arbor is the number one college sports town in America, according to Forbes magazine, which is well-known for its sports expertise. And by "well" I mean "not-at-all". The criteria used are listed in the article. They seem reasonable, and I'm sure Forbes was very methodical and analytical in putting together the list. Heck, even after the past two years, there's probably a strong argument to be made for Ann Arbor. But look at some of the other cities on the list:

#3 Norman, OK (OU)
#4 Palo Alto, CA (Stanford)
#9 College Park, MD (Maryland)
#10 State College, PA (PSU)

State College? Stanford? I think there might be something important missing in these rankings.

Cosby Dropping the Hammer

Finally, someone has the stones to say what "we" all have been thinking for a long time but "we" would get in major...cough...trouble...if we said anything like this.

Say what you want, but he's pretty much right. If anyone is allowed to say something, he should be.

Way to go Dr. Hux!

Top home-school Texts Dismiss Darwin, Evolution

Check out how messed up our world is getting here. I've posted the story below.


Home-school mom Susan Mule wishes she hadn't taken a friend's advice and tried a textbook from a popular Christian publisher for her 10-year-old's biology lessons.

Mule's precocious daughter Elizabeth excels at science and has been studying tarantulas since she was 5. But she watched Elizabeth's excitement turn to confusion when they reached the evolution section of the book from Apologia Educational Ministries, which disputed Charles Darwin's theory.

"I thought she was going to have a coronary," Mule said of her daughter, who is now 16 and taking college courses in Houston. "She's like, 'This is not true!'"

Christian-based materials dominate a growing home-school education market that encompasses more than 1.5 million students in the U.S. And for most home-school parents, a Bible-based version of the Earth's creation is exactly what they want. Federal statistics from 2007 show 83 percent of home-schooling parents want to give their children "religious or moral instruction."

"The majority of home-schoolers self-identify as evangelical Christians," said Ian Slatter, a spokesman for the Home School Legal Defense Association. "Most home-schoolers will definitely have a sort of creationist component to their home-school program."

Those who don't, however, often feel isolated and frustrated from trying to find a textbook that fits their beliefs.

Two of the best-selling biology textbooks stack the deck against evolution, said some science educators who reviewed sections of the books at the request of The Associated Press.

"I feel fairly strongly about this. These books are promulgating lies to kids," said Jerry Coyne, an ecology and evolution professor at the University of Chicago.

The textbook publishers defend their books as well-rounded lessons on evolution and its shortcomings. One of the books doesn't attempt to mask disdain for Darwin and evolutionary science.

"Those who do not believe that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God will find many points in this book puzzling," says the introduction to "Biology: Third Edition" from Bob Jones University Press. "This book was not written for them."

The textbook delivers a religious ultimatum to young readers and parents, warning in its "History of Life" chapter that a "Christian worldview ... is the only correct view of reality; anyone who rejects it will not only fail to reach heaven but also fail to see the world as it truly is."

When the AP asked about that passage, university spokesman Brian Scoles said the sentence made it into the book because of an editing error and will be removed from future editions.

The size of the business of home-school texts isn't clear because the textbook industry is fragmented and privately held publishers don't give out sales numbers. Slatter said home-school material sales reach about $1 billion annually in the U.S.

Publishers are well aware of the market, said Jay Wile, a former chemistry professor in Indianapolis who helped launch the Apologia curriculum in the early 1990s.

"If I'm planning to write a curriculum, and I want to write it in a way that will appeal to home-schoolers, I'm going to at least find out what my demographic is," Wile said.

In Kentucky, Lexington home-schooler Mia Perry remembers feeling disheartened while flipping through a home-school curriculum catalog and finding so many religious-themed textbooks.

"We're not religious home-schoolers, and there's somewhat of a feeling of being outnumbered," said Perry, who has home-schooled three of her four children after removing her oldest child from a public school because of a health condition.

Perry said she cobbled together her own curriculum after some mainstream publishers told her they would not sell directly to home-schooling parents.

Wendy Womack, another Lexington home-school mother, said the only scientifically credible curriculum she's found is from the Maryland-based Calvert School, which has been selling study-at-home materials for more than 100 years.

Apologia and Bob Jones University Press say their science books sell well. Apologia's "Exploring Creation" biology textbook retails for $65, while Bob Jones' "Biology" Third Edition lists at $52.

Coyne and Virginia Tech biology professor Duncan Porter reviewed excerpts from the Apologia and Bob Jones biology textbooks, which are equivalent to ninth- and 10th-grade biology lessons. Porter said he would give the books an F.

"If this is the way kids are home-schooled then they're being shortchanged, both rationally and in terms of biology," Coyne said. He argued that the books may steer students away from careers in biology or the study of the history of the earth.

Wile countered that Coyne "feels compelled to lie in order to prop up a failing hypothesis (evolution). We definitely do not lie to the students. We tell them the facts that people like Dr. Coyne would prefer to cover up."

Adam Brown's parents say their 16-year-old son's belief in the Bible's creation story isn't deterring him from pursuing a career in marine biology. His parents, Ken and Polly Brown, taught him at their Cedar Grove, Ind., home using the Apologia curriculum and other science texts.

Polly Brown said her son would gladly take college courses that include evolution, and he'll be able to provide the expected answers even though he disagrees.

"He probably knows it better than the kids who have been taught evolution all through public school," Polly Brown said. "But that is in order for him to understand both sides of that argument because he will face it throughout his higher education."

Cavs Fans Set "Snuggie" Record

Rome Take from 3/9/10:


You know how sometimes it's hard to gauge the exact moment when something "jumps the shark"? The moment it goes from interesting to annoying. From funny and fresh…to played and lame. Well, in the case of the Snuggie, it's not hard. It wasn't when they came out with team-logo Snuggies. Or, when they released "leopard print" Snuggies. Incredibly, it wasn't even when they released Snuggies for pets. No, that moment happened Friday night in Cleveland when 20,000+ Cavs' fans set the Guinness World Record for "largest gathering of people wearing fleece blankets." Congratulations, Cleveland. What was the previous record, 2?

Look, at this point, if you don't own a blanket with sleeves, you know somebody who owns one. But neither you nor anyone else has ever shown up in a public place rocking one. Well, except for the 20,000 Cavalier fans who did just that Friday night! They became the first people to "snug-up" at a sporting event, since that family of freaks did it in the commercial at a soccer game.

Look, I know that everybody wants to break some kind of world record, but it shouldn't be at the expense of your dignity. Now that the Cavs' fans have the Snug record…is it going to force the Magic to keep pace with the world record for simultaneous "slap-chopping"? Are the Steelers going to convert the "terrible towel" to the terrible Sham Wow?

Congratulations Cleveland. Unlike LeBron, the Snuggie record is something they can never rip from you. That one's going up on a wall and never coming down. I mean, who else would even bother to try?

Quote of the Day

Little Kindergartner: "Mrs. Haag, Cole said the 'f-word.'"

Mrs. Haag: "He did? Whisper it to me in my ear."

Little Kindergartner: "He said 'Shut Up.'"

"Aerographic"

Remember that t-shirt I posted during the MSU logo controversy? It's for sale now at the MSU athletics official online store. The new jerseys are also up, which the Spartans wore for the first time when they beat Michigan on Sunday. I'm not sold on the picture in the mesh portion on the back of the jersey. It gets extra points for having Beaumont Tower worked in to the design, but there's a deduction for the now shelved helmet logo being used.

Sabotage

I was going to post a video of this song earlier in the week but forgot about it. Then I ran across this video, via Hero Complex, and couldn't pass it up.

Nolan is Super

Christopher Nolan is going to be the producer on a new Superman movie. The script isn't written yet, so it will be 2012 at the earliest before this hits theaters.

I'm a fan of Nolan and "The Dark Knight" is my favorite movie, but I have mixed feelings about this. I hope it doesn't get in the way of a Batman sequel, which is apparently being worked on and is mentioned in the article. With the last one making a billion dollars it's unlikely to be pushed back, but I'm slightly concerned. Also, Nolan's films don't strike me as being an obvious match for telling a story about Superman. I'm sure it will be a great story, but I wonder if it will feel like a Superman movie. Though I don't really like the other Superman movies, so that may not matter much.

American

Heard the suggestion (via National Review) that we should put "American" on the race questions on the census. Its true, and protests racial bean-counting.

Here's the link:
Sending a Message with the Census - Mark Krikorian - The Corner on National Review Online

I'm all for it.

Generic Manager

This is, sadly, very familiar:

Iron Man 2, Trailer 2

Victory for MSU

Winning a share of the Big Ten title is pretty sweet. Winning that share by beating Michigan is even sweeter.

Seven Nation Army

MLB'er Complains About Gun Rule

Great Romey take from Tuesday, March 2, 2010:


An NFL player shoots himself in the leg, and a few NBA’ers go bone-head in the locker room with their guns, and now they’ve ruined it for all responsible gun toting athletes…and they don’t like it! Especially, some major leaguers who aren’t even allowed to strap in their own clubhouse!

First, St. Louis Cardinal Ryan Franklin all but said, “from my cold dead hands.” And now Orioles’ outfielder and gun enthusiast Luke Scott says while he understands the rule, he doesn’t think he should be penalized for the knuckle-headedness of others. He says he’s been carrying heat into clubhouses for years. Why, I have no idea! And, even he admits he really doesn’t have a good reason to do so, even if he wants to continue doing it: “barring a tactical entry where terrorists come in and hold us hostage, that’s about the only thing that could possibly warrant me carrying a gun in the clubhouse. That’s highly unlikely and I admit that.” Really, you don’t think Hans Gruber is going to round up Karl, Theo and the fellas’ and take the Baltimore Orioles hostage?!

I mean, why is homeland security so focused on our government buildings and subway systems…when they should be focused on the Orioles’ clubhouse as a potential target. Raise the threat level to “Oriole Orange”.

Again, I’m not saying you can’t own a gun. I’m saying you can’t have it at work. Because last I checked, you worked at a major league ballpark, not Nakatomi Plaza, Mr. Cowboy.

USA! USA! USA!

Ryan Miller received more applause last night than Sidney Crosby before the Sabres and Penguins dropped the puck. They were in Pittsburgh. Miller is introduce around 1:20, Crosby at 2:25.



So, just to be clear, the visiting goalie got a better response the the home team's star player. (Via John J. Miller at The Corner)

Coincidence

Last night I watched "Punisher: War Zone" and came across the exact same bible verse, Matthew 7:1-2, that we discussed in Sunday school that morning. What are the chances of that?

MVP

I was disappointed that the USA lost the gold medal game to Canada yesterday, but it's good to hear that USA goaltender and fellow Spartan Ryan Miller won the tournament MVP. Miller knows something MVP awards as he won the Hobey Baker award while playing at MSU.

A few thoughts on the game:

1. Team USA beat Canada once earlier in the tournament, didn't lose a game before the final, but still had to play Canada for the gold. Does that seem right to you?

2. I did watch the game; it was the only Olympic action I watched.

3. Hockey in HD with no commercial breaks is awesome. I couldn't leave the couch to get something to drink because the action was so fast and furious. There would be a lot more hockey games if every game was like that.

4. I hate Sidney Crosby.

March Madness

Yahoo! Sports College Basketball Tournament Pick 'Em is live today. You probably already have an email in your inbox, but if not the group number is 6376 and the password is monkie. There's extra options for scoring and number of brackets this year, so take a look and make suggestions if you want anything changed.

The Funniest Joke In The World

LT out of SD

The Sand Diego Chargers released LaDainian Tomlinson on Wednesday after nine years with the team. Injuries and age (he's 30) have caught up with Tomlinson, though LT seems to think Norv Turner's pass-heavy offense explains some of his recent troubles. Despite that, he's still one of the best who's ever played: 12,490 rushing yds (8th all-time), 138 rushing TDs (2nd), and 153 total TDs (3rd). Tomlinson has rushed for 1,000 or more yards in 8 of his nine seasons, he also rushed for 1,815 yds in 2006 when he had 9 consecutive games of 100 or more yards. Also, I can't find the stats, but I suspect Tomlinson and thrown more TDs than any modern RB.

This makes me feel old. LT is the first superstar I can recall knowing about in college and following in the pros through their decline. For most of the past decade he's been a fantasy force (leading my team to the 1st championship in league history) and arguably the best RB in the NFL. It's strange to think that he won't be a candidate for the #1 fantasy draft pick next year, if he's even in the top 10.