Our fearless leader, Pete, is taking a week off to visit Peru, where we hope he will relax and renew before returning to tackle the taxing uncertainties of the upcoming football and basketball seasons. I won't pull an Al Haig and declare that "I am in control here", tempting as it is. The blog will be in good hands with Ben, Josh, Dan, Patrick and I available to guide the ship until Pete's return. Meanwhile, here are a few links to tide you over.
Basketball Prospectus | Unfiltered - In case you missed it, Penn State is looking for a new head basketball coach now that Ed DeChellis has left the Big Ten for the Patriot League and the U.S. Naval Academy. There seem to be three reactions to this news: 1) Shock that DeChellis would take such a large status and pay cut; 2) Cynicism that DeChellis could see the prospects for the Lions this year and looked to sell high; and 3) Acknowledgment that DeChellis was making the best deal he could under the circumstances. This article by the ex-Wonk is an effective presentation of #3. It is interesting, nonetheless, that DeChellis waited SO long to quit, putting Penn State in a pretty difficult position for the coming year.
Hope and concern: Michigan State - Big Ten Blog - ESPN - Rittenberg with some shocking claims: MSU is deep at the skill positions and has questions on the offensive line.
MSU's Larry Caper debuts Spartan Dawg TV | The Enquirer | battlecreekenquirer.com - You'll need to set 14:34 aside for this one. You may want to contact your cable provider if you're not currently receiving Spartan Dawg TV with Larry Caper and Le'Veon Bell. Another installment is planned for next week. Oh boy.
College Sports | All teams at U-M, MSU exceed NCAA academic requirements | The Detroit News - Just exactly how the NCAA measures academic progress in its athletic programs and whether its metrics are especially useful are a subject of current discussion. For now, MSU is doing A-OK under the current system.
Kalin Lucas To Work Out For Pistons On Wednesday - Motown Lowdown - SB Nation Detroit - Kalin Lucas, who projects as undrafted in most pre-draft mocks, is working out for the hometown Detroit Pistons. It would be very cool if the Pistons could make something happen here.
Top newcomers in Big Ten basketball - College Basketball - Rivals.com - Jason King of Yahoo takes a look at some new faces in the coming Big Ten basketball season, including Brandon Wood and Branden Dawson of MSU.
Ten breakout performers from Great Lakes Classic | MLive.com - I include this link not only for its assessment of Spartan target James Young's performance at the Great Lakes Classic this past weekend but for its in-print confirmation of an unfortunate development that our friends at Michigan Prep Stars (@MichPrepStars on Twitter) texted me about on Sunday. MSU 2012 verbal and probable Mr. Basketball candidate Matt Costello hurt his ankle during a game and had to be carried off the court. Let's hope it's not serious.
Michigan State Spartans | MSU's Jeff Holm, Kurt Wunderlich get top honors in Big Ten | The Detroit News - It's been a great week, and season, for Michigan State baseball. After clinching a tie for the conference title with Illinois over the weekend the Spartans captured Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Coach of the Year honors, as well as placing 5 players on the All-Big Ten team.