Here's my article on Tim - and his son Jackson - and the amazing day they had on Saturday:

Excerpt from Mike DeCourcy:


And however much — and however famously — he might express his concern about the direction of NCAA athletics, Izzo insists he’s in no rush to join superstar coaches Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Jay Wright and “Nick Saban, my good buddy” who recently retired.

“I swear to God, I feel healthier now than I did four or five years ago,” Izzo told The Sporting News. “Not that I was unhealthy, but I think I’ve tried to learn how to manage some of these changes. And COVID. It was a rough five years when you think about all the things that everybody went through, not just coaches.

“What keeps me going is I’m too stubborn to give in to these stupid new rules. I still want to do it, and there’s a couple of us in our league – Matt Painter is one – I still want to do it the right way, making some adjustments to the new way. But I still enjoy the kids. I still enjoy the practices. I think I enjoy the games.”

Izzo allowed that he does not have “as much respect for the profession,” explaining that coaches “haven’t stuck together very well” and instead allowed the athletes to make all the rules.

“The change, as it’s gone, has been difficult for everybody,” Izzo said. “You know, and I know, that’s why a lot of guys are out. Maybe they don’t come out and say that.”

"Pete Rose, Major League Baseball’s all-time hit king and the Cincinnati Reds icon whose signature gritty hustle couldn’t outpace the gambling transgressions and obfuscation that kept him out of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, has died, according to a spokesperson for the Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner in Nevada. He was 83.


Rose was one of baseball’s greats – a winning-obsessed sparkplug who topped MLB’s all-time hit list with 4,256 over a 24-season career. He stood out for his all-in effort, sliding head-first and running even when a pitcher walked him – a style that earned him the nickname, first derisively, then admiringly, “Charlie Hustle.”



He played for three World Series champion teams – the Reds’ stacked “Big Red Machine” roster in 1975 and 1976, and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1980 – was voted to the National League’s All-Star team 17 times, and won both the National League Rookie of the Year award (1963) and the Most Valuable Player award (1973)."





PERSONAL TAKE: He gambled on baseball as a Manager and not as a player, so I think he should be in the Hall of Fame, perhaps with an asterisk or explanation by his name. No one played the game with more enthusiasm or hustle than Charlie Hustle, aka PETE ROSE.

Spartans head to Oregon tonight (9 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX).

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game.

Spartans @ Ducks - who ya' got?

On Thursday, Michigan State head men's basketball coach Tom Izzo and three of his players — senior guard Jaden Akins, sophomore forward Xavier Booker and junior guard Tre Holloman — participated in the 2024 Big Ten Basketball Media Days event in Rosemont, Illinois. Here is what Izzo had to say.

More here:

HAPPY (almost) GAME DAY GANG. Let's prepare for Friday Night Lights by starting with the offensive line and ending with our best bet of the game.

If there was any doubt that Michigan State men’s basketball head coach Tom Izzo’s digs at the annual Izzone Campout were anything reflecting glamping as opposed to camping, he put that to rest.

“It’s a damn tent with a sleeping bag,” Izzo said on Tuesday.

“When it rains, it rains in it.”

More from Izzo on MSU Madness, Izzone campout and some quotes about the team one week into practice:

White-White-White

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I was joined by Scott Reed, publisher at Duck Sports Authority. Scott shares players to watch on offense and defense for Oregon and compares the Ducks and Spartans.

Check out this preview to get all the information you need to know before Michigan State's 9 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff on Friday.


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All too often does the burden of a downward season stretch fall on the quarterback, but it is the nature of the game. Fair or not, the weight of the Michigan State program has been placed on sophomore Aidan Chiles’ shoulders, who just turned 19 years old in September. While confidence hasn’t wavered in the young man since he stepped on campus, he’s beginning to understand that it’s important to lean on his team during the good and the bad.

More here:

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo will be joined by senior guard Jaden Akins and sophomore forward Xavier Booker in Rosemont, IL on Thursday (Oct. 3) for B1G MBB Media Days.

Coach Izzo will participate in a panel discussion at 10:20 am ET on BTN.



Players and coaches will appear on BTN throughout the rest of the day from Noon to 5 pm ET.

It may be his only season at Michigan State, but Jordan Turner has forged a leadership position both on and off the field and is setting an example for how those leaders act and play under Jonathan Smith.

Read here:

On paper, Ohio State dominated Michigan State 38-7 on Saturday in East Lansing while holding the Spartans to 246 total yards. However, the Spartans were moving the football, especially in the first half.

Michigan State had drives of 55 yards, 64 yards, 12 yards (on a short field following an INT) and 59 yards the first four times it had the ball. Two of those drives resulted in fumbles, one ended in a turnover on downs, and the 12-yard drive finished in the end zone for a touchdown.

“It was pretty frustrating,” offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren said this week about not cashing in on the opportunities. “I thought we did a lot of good things against one of the top defenses in the country. It was good to see. I felt like our guys came out, started fast, were making some plays, mixing it up, executing at a high level. Get down there, fourth-and-1, we get stopped on that drive and then two turnovers in the low red zone. It crushes you. I just think if we’re able to push some of those in then it’s a totally different game coming out of half.”

More from Lindgren:

It’s essentially going to take a mistake free effort. Looking back at last week, even mistake free we probably lose. OSU is a juggernaut. BUT without the Velling fumble, failed 4th down conversion, dropped interception, and Chiles gets the call on the facemask, we probably lose something like 45-31. Very competitive game.

Oregon is very talented, but they are not Ohio State. If we went toe to toe with OSU for a quarter and a half, even with the mistakes, I like to believe we have not seen the best this team can be.

I was curious so I checked out a few Oregon message boards. They are worried about one of their corners, their run defense, offensive run game. Lindgren has done a beautiful job of scheming wide receivers open every single game this season. I’m sure they will see the weaknesses in their secondary and expose them. Chiles will need to play within himself. We will need to win the turnover battle. I truly like our chances.

I just have a feeling this is the game MSU finally puts it all together and finds themselves in a tie game late in the 4th. The defense gets the offense the ball back, and J Kim hits a bomb with little to no time left to seal it.

It's October 1. Which means that the majority of NIL contracts through MSU's new official NIL Collective (and corporate sponsor) Spartan Nation NIL had payments due last night at midnight. (Most NIL contracts are set up for quarterly payments).

My sources are telling me that the payments were made without issue and we won't be seeing a repeat of the situation last year. You'll remember one year ago the players were receiving communication from the collective ON THE WAY TO THE IOWA GAME and all hell was breaking loose.

This is an important date as well because the next NIL contractual payments will be due on or before 12/31, which means MSU should be drama-free on this topic for a few months.

It should be noted that MSU's other NIL Collective - This is Sparta! - has not had any issues like this in its three-year history.

Within a 15 minute span, I received the Oasis presale code for the Soldier Field show (not my first choice) and then my ex-wife texted me and told me that she bought four Taylor Swift tickets for the November 1, 2024, Indianapolis show for face value ($400 each), and my girlfriend told me that she thinks we may need to break up.... What a wonderful day!!!!! (I've been trying to break up with her for about two months now)

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GoFundMe link if you would like to donate:

DL Kekai Burnett (No. 1), OL Charlton Luniewski (No. 75), TE Charlie Baker (No. 3), LB Carter Enyard (No. 10), DB Dorian Davis (No. 7).

*Numbers based on on practice jerseys see in photo, not their actually jersey numbers for MSU (except for Luniewski).

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In many ways, this situation surrounding this week's matchup at Oregon is a carbon copy of how I felt going into the Ohio State game. I think the opponent is a little overrated. I think MSU is a little underrated. I think the spread is too high, and I think that there is a good chance that the Spartans look pretty good and at least cover.

If MSU get blown out again, I think that fans need to start coming to grips with the idea that if it walks like a mediocre, borderline bowl team, talks like a mediocre, borderline bowl team, and quacks like a mediocre, borderline bowl team, maybe it just is a mediocre, borderline bowl team... at least for now.

I also trying (as always) to have a bit of fun with theme. I pulled a bit of a Nintendo head fake. Note that while the piece contains several duck references, there is but one goose reference.

As always, enjoy!

Tom Izzo said after practice today that Gehrig Normand sprained/twisted his knee at Monday's practice (non-contact injury).

Izzo doesn't know the exact timetable, but he said that Normand will probably be out for a couple of weeks.

Class of 2025 four-star Virginia shooting guard Jordan Scott announced that he has set three official visits. He will be at Michigan State on Oct. 4. Scott also has official visits with Maryland on Sept. 13 and Virginia Tech on Sept. 21.

He has already taken multiple unofficial visits to MSU as well.

The 6-foot-7 Scott ranks as the No. 85 overall prospect and No. 23 shooting guard in the 2025 cycle.

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Class of 2027 wide receiver De'Anthony Crittenden has been a frequent visitor to East Lansing this fall, and his relationship with Michigan State took another step on Tuesday night, as Crittenden reported a scholarship offer from the Spartans.

Crittenden out of Glenville High School in Cleveland, spoke with Spartans Illustrated to describe his emotions after the Michigan State offer and provide updates on his recruitment.

"It felt great getting offered by Michigan State," Crittenden said. "I’ve been to two games and the atmosphere is great — fans are very loud and proud for the community and cheering the team on."