Friday, January 19, 2018

Whiskey - Tango - Foxtrot

WTF

I didn’t know what else to title this entry as I said those three little words – What the Fudge -  A LOT last night while watching what looked like the best team in the B1G destroy a team who I THOUGHT was playing the best basketball in the B1G.  A 20 point pantsing would suggest how wrong I was.  I’m glad I don’t try to bet College Hoops.  It would be very depressing to try to handicap games like this where you believe a team has a significant edge.   

The table was setting up nicely for a late January Showdown in West Lafayette against the Boilers if Michigan could take care of the next two games.  B1G Regular season Championship implications were on the line…

Now, Michigan is more or less playing the rest of the season for NCAA seeding, and they really can’t do much with their RPI or BPI based on games left…

So what happened?

Michigan finally dug a first half hole they couldn’t fill up with three-pointers.  Wagner disappeared, Simpson was non-existent and the Cornhusker’s Defense was stifling outside the arc.  At least Matthews had a game, but not much support from the rest of the team. Give Miles credit:  He knew he couldn’t play zone against the Wolverines and went on the attack on the defensive side of the court.  On offense, the Cornhuskers burnt up the nets and rarely missed. 

Michigan, OTOH, couldn’t seem to locate the backboard much less the rim.  A miserable 32% shooting percentage from the field is not going to win many games. 
While it’s depressing, Michigan has more or less solidified a spot in the NCAA Tourney -barring a COMPLETE COLLAPSE  - which I don’t think is going to happen.  I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again:  It’s HARD TO WIN ON THE ROAD in the B1G or any conference, for that matter.

What’s sad is Michigan had been perfect against Nebraska (8-0) since they joined the league in 2011.  That was an impressive run, but one that was bound to end at some point.  I just didn’t think it would end yesterday.  Michigan has been playing too well…

And too often.

This brings me back to my original early season BITCH about Delaney moving the B1G Tourney up a week just to play in MSG in New York which is SO CONVENIENT for all B1G fans to get to and support.  Compressing the regular season schedule is going to have a lot of late season unintended consequences regarding team fatigue.  It was a bad idea.  Michigan’s longest break between games this season is only 4 days, and most games are 3 days apart. 

That’s a lot of basketball without a break. 

I guess this was bound to happen.  Michigan plays Rutgers at HOME on Sunday in a noon tip.  Hopefully they can right the ship and get back on a winning streak.

More On Nassar and Sparty

At this point, here’s the list of People or Institutions that are calling for Mary Kay Simon’s resignation:

Every Michigan lawmaker regardless of party affiliation (short of the Governor)
The Lansing State Journal
State News (Sparty Newspaper)
The Detroit News
The Sparty Student Government
Multiple Alumni Groups and Sparty’s Main Blog – The Only Colors

I’m sure the Detroit Free Press will editorialize soon and call for her ouster as well.
The Sparty Board of Regents is meeting today in a CLOSED-DOOR meeting to discuss the situation as several of the above groups/individuals have called for the Board Of Regents to be replaced or dismissed due to lack of oversight.  Personally, If I was on the Board, Mary Kay would be done as Prez at MSU come the end of the day.  However, if history of the MSU board is any guide, they will stand behind Mary Kay until someone somewhere can prove she was negligent in her approach in this case.  However– if the Board of Regents had any balls – they would suggest to Mary Kay that she turn in her resignation and help calm the waters in Sparty-Land

Speaking of Which:  All I can say is that someone - ANYONE – needs to step up and show some leadership with respect to this situation.  The Ass Hat of the NCAA has come out with a “Too Little information to make an assessment at this point” lame ass comment. 

NOT ENOUGH INFORMATION?  ARE YOU FRICKIN’ KIDDING ME???  What MORE INFORMATION DO YOU NEED? 

VIDEO?

Nassar has already been SENTENCED 60 YEARS FOR HAVING 30,000 PICTURE OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ON HIS COMPUTER!!!

Frankly, there’s more evidence against Nassar then there ever was against Sandusky!
I am not even going to name the person who is designated to run the NCAA anymore as I get so pissed off whenever I see his name. 

I was called a hypocrite in an e-mail this week when I asked in my last post where the NCAA was on this issue and the person in question mentioned that I had written volumes about the NCAA over-stepping their authority in the PSU case.

Look – To everyone that thinks I’m being a hypocrite:

The PSU case involved a series of coaches, administrators and non-student athletes and should of (and was) handled by the legal system.  THERE WERE NO STUDENT-ATHLETES INVOLVED IN THE SANDUSKY CASE!  The NCAA (in particular the Head ASS HAT) abused their power in that situation by taking a non-athletics issue and ruling so harshly on it that PSU Athletics (and the resulting education potential of hundreds of student athletes) was almost erased from existence. 

MSU, on the other hand, had 14 individuals (I know I said 9 Monday but I missed a few people) that knew of complaints about Nassar since 1997 and he habitually and regularly molested and abused HUNDREDS OF STUDENT ATHLETES for nearly 20 years!!!


See the difference here folks?  The NCAA HAS DONE NOTHING HERE to even begin an investigation into the safety and well-being of the Student-Athletes at Michigan State University and it’s been in the news since 2015!!!

WHICH IS EXACTLY WHY THE NCAA IS THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!

In the end, the investigation should get stuck on the question as to why Mary Kay didn’t suspend Nassar immediately as soon as she caught wind of this mess in 2014.  She would NOT HAVE BEEN overstepping her authority if she had suspended him.  Back pay and an apology had she been wrong would have been enough.  She should have got more involved and showed a little more leadership. 

That was her fatal mistake.

Hollis, Sparty’s AD, has been strangely left out of this discussion, but I assume once the mob bags Mary Kay, they will turn their torches and pitchforks on him as well.
Again, three words I’ve said to myself way too much this week:


Whiskey – Tango - Foxtrot

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