Sunday, April 5, 2009

Just A Quick Word (or two!!)

In Case Y'all Didn't Know

I am from Michigan, and I am rooting for State all the way. No matter where I am, I NEVER root against the home team. The only exception is Ohio State football, where I sit quietly (hey, they gave my cousin a scholarship ... he played for them, and I followed him along!) and let the game play out.

Sitting up watching the against UConn, I again felt the 'will' of Michigan State take over the game, especially in the second half. I half expect that you will hear about UConn being a little distracted ... funny how they weren't distracted when they were winning. Anywho, it finally hit me watching the game with AKA, and the pregame show they had Eminem and Kid Rock do a little something about Detroit and what the Spartans run means ...

... and it REALLY hit me. I got over the annoying local people talking about how much the State NCAA success meant to them ... because as I said, this isn't a State town. But she told me how the towns considered 'out state', the U.P., the kids in places like Saginaw and Bay City, the small towns that going to State would be a great achievement, THEY were the ones represented by the players ... the small towns in Ohio ... unlike Carolina who is a national team, with no players from the state contributing significant minutes, almost every key player for State has come from and around Michigan.

Don't know if I am the only one who sees it (oh, I am sure I am not ... the number 23 has become the number for players from Saginaw ... so the next player from there will prolly 'graduate' to that number), can tell that as much as they want the national title for themselves, they want it for their friends back home, the ones who didn't have the chance to play and go to school. For all the ones who have lost their jobs, never to return. Struggling with their mortgages, and dealing with life.

They are a different team, made up of players that the other so-called big schools overlooked. But the 'want it' factor runs deep with the players. Honestly, I don't know if they can be Carolina. The Tar Heels were the consensus pick at the start of the year, and they are where they are supposed to be.

Still, for a team that was in the preseason Top Ten, the bandwagon never really picked up anyone for State. Whoever says that they had them winning before the tournament, let alone the season started is lying. The only person I knew that picked them, were the folks right around the campus ... oh, and me.

I don't know if I will be able to see as many State games, either in football or basketball as I have the past two seasons. If this is what I think it is, my last season in Michigan, I am super glad for their run back to Detroit.

Speaking of Detroit ...

I will prolly try to find that article in Time about the city. I want to be able to contrast what I read with the 'boots on the ground' observations that I make day to day. The civic leaders are a joke. Two words: Monica Conyers.

Since I want to keep down breakfast, I won't say anymore about her clown ass. Will get back to reg'lar programming on Tuesday.

1 comment:

Beth said...

I remember that you were calling for State to go all the way from the very beginning!

There are some counties in our area that are hit so hard by job loss. Elkhart County is at like 18% unemployment. So I understand how something like this is a huge morale boost for all of Michigan!

Go State!

Hugs, Beth