What I'm thinking about

The Weekend Wrap

cdsiegle — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:41:42 +0000

Well this weekend just proves to you that Michigan State, this year, is better than Michigan in the main college sports (football, basketball, and hockey). This article can prove at least one of the those categories is true (hockey). Michigan State sweep this weekend series against Michigan. On Friday night, Michigan State beat Michigan 3-2 at Michigan. Then on Saturday, MSU shut-out UM 2-0. The Spartans are now 9-2-1 overall, and 6-1-1-0 in the CCHA. State also moved into sole possession of first place and extended their unbeaten streak to seven games.

This weekend was a good weekend for Michigan State but not for Michigan. Besides the sweeping of Michigan, Michigan State also won its football game against Purdue to become bowl eligible and the basketball team began the season with a win. On the other hand, Michigan lost to Wisconsin in football. The lone bright spot for Michigan this weekend was the basketball win. However it wasn’t against a very good team. So this year, especially this weekend, Michigan State is better in the main college sports.

Whatcha gonna do?

cdsiegle — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:16:46 +0000

The SEC season has been tainted with a lot of blown calls by the refs in favor of the undefeated team. This article talks about what we should do with these refs. It hasn’t been a one time thing:

First there was the LSU vs. Georgia game when the Georgia wide-receiver was flagged for excessive celebration even though there was nothing wrong with what he did (jumped up and down with his teammates). This lead to a LSU touchdown and victory on the next possession.

Then there was the Arkansas vs. Florida game. An Arkansas defensive end was flagged for a personal foul even though all he did was knock a player over that was trying to block him (perfectly legal).

Then there was the no call on Terrence Cody (Alabama defensive tackle) for taking off his helmet during the last play of the game when he blocked the field goal by Tennessee. This would have led to a potential game winning field goal again that would have been 15-yards closer.

During that same day the refs blew a call that the Florida player did not let go of the ball before he got to the end zone (which he did let go). This lead to a Florida victory.

Finally, the game that the article mainly talks about is the LSU vs. Alabama. A LSU player intercepted the ball during a crucial part of the game that could have turned the momentum and lead to a LSU victory. However, the refs said that the LSU play caught it out-of-bounds. But video evidence and a chunk on the field proved that he was inbounds when he caught it. But they never look at that. Alabama went on to win the game.

I feel the performance by the refs in the SEC has been poor this season. If it had happened once or twice i could understand, but it hasn’t. I feel what you do is at the end of the season, you fire the refs who are making the bad calls. Then hire new ones that have experience to replace the old ones that are making poor calls. Those refs are ruining the game for everyone. They aren’t letting the players play and have fun or making the right calls when necessary. The SEC should cut their losses and get some new refs.

And They’re Off!!!

cdsiegle — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:41:45 +0000

This past Friday marked the first game for Michigan State basketball this season. It ended in a 97-58 victory over Florida Gulf Coast. Michigan State started slow to begin the game but as it went on, Michigan State played like they were the #2 team in the country. Kalin Lucas lead the team with 21 points and Durrell Summers added 17 (14 in the 1st half). Also Draymond Green (11 points, 10 rebounds) and freshman center Derrick Nix (11 points, 14 rebounds) each added double-doubles. A lot of the team has been injured at some point so far in season. However, everyone played. Even Raymar Morgan (ankle) and Delvon Roe (concussion) go a few minutes during the game to get some game minutes. This is because on Tuesday MSU have a big game against Gonzaga that Tom Izzo wants Raymar and Delvon to be ready for.

Besides the first 10 minutes of the game, I was impressed with the way Michigan State played. They truly looked like the #2 team in the country, if not #1. Kalin Lucas looked like a true leader during the game. Summers and Chris Allen (both junior guards) also looked good out there. However the biggest surprise to me was the play of Green and Nix. Both of them were animals out there grabbing rebounds and put up points. If one of the those two plays that way most every game, State will be a tough team to play against. I know it was the first game of the season and against Florida Gulf Coast, but I have a good feeling about this year’s basketball team.

10 Year Reflection

cdsiegle — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:16:23 +0000

One day I was browsing at ESPN.com when i came across this article and videos. Andy Katz, an ESPN writer, wrote an article about an interview with Tom Izzo, the Michigan State head basketball coach. He talked about many things from this being the 10 year anniversary of the 1999-2000 MSU team that won the national championship to what Tom Izzo though of last year, and what he thinks about this year’s team and his expectations. Tom Izzo mentioned that this year in a lot similar to his championship team. Both teams had lost in the Final Four the year before and were returning many key players. Both championships are/will be in Indianapolis. Katz also asked Izzo if he feels he will ever coach a play like Mateen Cleaves (the senior leader, captain, and point guard for the championship team) again. Oddly enough, Izzo responded by say that he is doing that right now by coach his current point guard Kalin Lucas. This may all be a coincidence, but we will have to wait until April to see if the final results are the same.

There are a lot of coincidences between the championship team and this team. Even though i don’t think that is the reason why Michigan State will win the national championship, I still believe Michigan State has a chance to win. Right now they are ranked #2 in the country. I believe Kalin Lucas will have a phanamonal year, being named Big Ten Player of the Year and 1st team All-American. Joining Kalin as on the 1st team Big Ten team will be Raymar Morgan, who will have a good year after a frustration one last year. Also the freshmen centers will develop into premiere centers. This MSU team will win the Big Ten title both regular season and tournament. To then cap it off they will win the national championship.

Lets go Bowling

cdsiegle — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:03:53 +0000

Michigan State is finally bowl eligible for football. Thanks to a 40-37 victory over Purdue. Even though MSU has had a disappointing season so far, at least they will be able to play one extra game at the end of the season. This victory over Purdue show some true character from the MSU players. They were down 20-17 at halftime and later down 34-23 in the 4th quarter. Through the whole game they were out played. Purdue gained 524 yards of total offense against MSU on 92 plays [almost twice as many plays as the MSU offense ran (49)]. Purdue also out possessed MSU by having the ball 40 and a half minutes. While MSU only had the ball for 19 and a half. Even though that stats prove that Purdue should have crush MSU, State made big plays when needed. Michigan State scored on a 73-yard pass to make it 34-30. Then on defense, MSU blocked a key field goal to keep the score 34-30. On MSU’s next possession, they scored on a 9-yard pass to take the lead 37-34. However, Purdue came back to tie it. On the ensuing kickoff, Keshawn Martin returned it 85-yards to set up the game winning field goal by Brett Swenson with 1:51 left to play. Finally on the last play of the game, defensive end Colin Neely made a clutch sack to help State win the game.

Even though it was a nice game to watch, today should not have been when MSU became eligible for a bowl game. It should have come back on Oct. 17 against Northwestern. Also instead of a 6-5 record we should be 9-2 if not 10-1 or 11-0. This year has really been a tough luck year. MSU would have beat CMU, if it were not for the player jumping offsides on the missed field goal. Cousins should have hit Larry Caper against Notre Dame for the game-winning touchdown or at least not throw the interception on the next play. Wisconsin was an understandable lose. State never played well but if they played like they have at points in the season they would have easily won. Against Iowa, Chris L. Rucker should have been lined up on the inside of the Iowa wide-receiver, to not allow the game-winning-slant-route-touchdown-catch. Also the Minnesota, was another reasonable loss. However, if State doesn’t fumble on the kick-off they would not have been down 14-0 before the offense got on the field and by the way the game went, MSU would have score a touchdown. Making the game 41-35, in favor of Michigan State. But you can live in the past. There is nothing we can do. MSU can still salvage the season though. With a win at home against Penn State and then a win in their bowl game will give them an 8-5 record. So the season won’t be a complete loss.

Small but Powerful

cdsiegle — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:25:44 +0000

One of the “This I Believe” essays I read for class was The Power of Hello. The author is Howard White, the vice president of Jordan Brand at Nike. He talks about how his mom taught him to say, “hello” to everyone. Even though “Hello” is not a very big word it can still be very powerful. He goes on to say that he feels that saying “hello” to everyone has made him a better person. It also has helped him advance in the work world to where he is today.

The Power of Hello, was my favorite “This I Believe” essay that i read. Howard White’s believe has a very vallid point to it. By saying “hello”, acknowledging them, and being polite to them can go a long way. Also when I listen to him speak his essay, he was very well spoken. I feel he knows what he is doing. He seems very intelligent and that his “hello” has helped him get to many places in life. I has encouraged me to try to do the same as Howard White.

Will it really help?

cdsiegle — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:12:05 +0000

In the article by Norbert Gleicher, she writes about how Barack Obama wants to set up an “expert panel” for the health care system. The “expert panel” is apparently needed because the United States is spending $6,000 more per person than any other advance country. This would apparently cut cost for the health care system by reducing wasteful spending a by providing “guidelines” for doctors on which procedures to perform. The “guidelines” would eliminate options on various procedures so doctors would have a more limited options for what to do. With less options less equipment would be needed and less money will be spent so health care becomes cheaper.

This “expert panel” is a logical fallacy. This is an example of faulty use of authority. How will we know that this “expert panel” is really experts. They don’t know what is best for each individual person. Everyone is different. Besides the option that the “expert panel” may choose may be an expensive option that some people may not be able to afford. Or the option may be the cheaper way out but isn’t as effective as the more expensive way. So people with a more disposable income would be able to choose the better procedure to hopefully save a family member’s or their own life.

Down Play

cdsiegle — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:50:35 +0000

This article talks about the health care and welfare debates. That many people are taking advantage of the welfare they get. That too many people are depending on welfare instead of trying to earn their own money for health insurance. In the article a person uses a passive voice to try to down play the situation. They said, “Yes, somebody gets paid, and the money comes from somewhere. That’s okay, as long as it doesn’t come from the covered party.” It was a good use of passive voice to down play this situation.

However this is a serious issue. If the government did cut back on welfare, it would create a sense of urgency for people to try to get their own job and not depend on the government. The government could then have less national debt to worry about and more money to use on other issues instead of wasting it on people who are not even trying to make their lives better.

We don’t need him

cdsiegle — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:24:14 +0000

In this blog article found, the author says the Yankees don’t need Joe Girardi, their manager. He goes on to give examples of how Joe Girardi has gone on to hold the Yankees back from their whole potential. That even if the Yankees do win the World Series (which they did), that the Yankees don’t need him. He even used italics to emphasize a couple of sentences in his blog.

The use of italics was one of the punctuations we learned to use properly in class. Italics was one of the topics i had to teach the class. This blog has a perfect example of using italics to emphasize a word, phrase or sentence. If i had found this blog sooner, I probably would have used it in my power point. I thought it was pretty good.

Quit Being Stubborn

cdsiegle — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:56:30 +0000

This Op-Ed article is about the feud that still exists between the great Bob Knight and Indiana University. Back in 2000 Indiana fired Bob Knight as their basketball coach due to Bob Knight’s uncontrolled temper. However, a few weeks ago IU (Indiana University) tried to make peace with Bob Knight by inducting him into Indiana’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Sadly, Bob Knight decided to not attend the induction. Michael Rosenberg writes in it how both sides need to forgive each other and forget about their infamous past. Rather that they should look back at all the great things Bob Knight and Indiana have done together. They created a power house basketball program. Including winning the national title a couple of times. Unfortunately that has not happened and people still just remember the bad events between the two in the past.

I agree with Rosenberg and Op-Ed. Bob Knight and Indiana should forgive each other. This feud has gone on too long. However, I feel that with Bob Knights personality, Indiana is going to have to apologize first. It can’t be a low key type of apology either. It will have to be a big press conference by Indiana saying that they were wrong to fire Bob Knight. But that situation is not likely to happen so this debate between these two will go on forever.