Off the Mark

Admittedly, I was wrong.

I have grown up an MSU Spartans fan.  I attended more games at Spartan Stadium than any other in my youth.  I even volunteered to sell hot dogs for my church so that I could get to every game for free.  I met my future wife at an MSU tailgate.  Most of my great memories with friends occurred on Saturday afternoons in East Lansing.

Then I went to a game, they lost to Central Michigan on dumb penalties, and I couldn't take it any longer after suffering through the loss of Saban, the comic book tenures of Bobby Williams and John L Smith. Loss to Louisiana Tech in 2003, the Jeff Smoker cocaine deal, Mike Hart and the "little brother", last minute defeats snatched from the jaws of victory, year in and year out,  ENOUGH, ENOUGH.

I panicked and wrote my first ode on the internet.

 I have been letting all my friends know i have done a lot of thinking, and I am ok with my decision and I am ready to move on. I am making this official.
I can no longer be an MSU Spartan fan. 
I can no longer accept undisciplined penalties, contests against weaker opponents ending in disappointment, gimmick coaches (see John L Smith), indecisive coaches (see Mark D'Antonio), pretty boy kickers (see Brett Swenson), being content with a Jan 1 bowl and not emerging from tier 2 of college football and into tier 1.
I am returning to my roots, back to where there is a strong tradition of success, a place where the national championship is the goal year in and year out, where excellence is expected not just wished for. A place where football is taken seriously, not a place that seriously considers Tom Izzo as a possible coach.
So you may see me attend Spartan Stadium with my wife and take my kid for his first game, I will take the abuse of showing my true colors among the 80,000.
I accepted this new approach to fan-dom this past weekend, and I must say, my weekend was not disrupted by an errant pass in the red zone to win the game.  Hook em horns!

In my defense, I may have not been able to take it any longer, by 2008 the Lions had the worst season in NFL season EVER, the Tigers had endured the worst season in AL history EVER, and the Spartans were embarrassing.

I was tired of losing.  I turned to my father ---- My dad grew up in Texas, he played high school football in the Cotton Bowl, we always had Longhorn gear around the house and professionally wecheered for Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Ed "Too Tall" Jones.  Naturally as a kid (1990-1996) I cheered for Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman Deion Sanders, and the rest of the bandits and Barry Sanders.  I had the best of both worlds the lovable losers and America's Team.

And let's face it, Americans love winners.  We don't put the silver medalist on the Wheaties box, we put the Gold.  We don't remember who lost the election of 1956 (Stevenson) because they didn't become President.
We cheer for winners.

At this point in my life I wanted to cheer for a winner.  Convenient for me, Colt McCoy was taking the Longhorns to the National Championship game the year I bailed on the Spart-oonies.

The other part of it, is I have seen enough football (is there such a thing).  I played in high school, I played in college, I have lived the life.  Like when people ask me if I watch reality TV ---- I answer my life is reality.  I lived the football life for 10+ seasons.  I don't need to go to every game, live every play, die with every misstep.  I already committed myself to 3 hours of Lions football, why ruin my Saturday too?

Enter, my wife.  A lifelong, die hard, MSU fan.  She has had season tickets every year since she began school there.  She has enjoyed two Rose Bowls and now a third.  She attends every game, rain or shine, win or lose, she is a true green lifer.

And so, I kept going and I have witnessed a change. Coach Dantonio has won big games in the regular season Note Dame (Fake FG to win!), Boise State, Wisconsin (HAIL MARY!) Michigan (5 of 6 years), In bowl games, MSU has defeated Georgia (OT) & TCU (game winning drive w/ the backup QB Cook)

I was skeptical this year, no decision at QB or RB, questionable receivers from 2012....lots of questions.

But Coach D kept true, he saw it, he knew this class "Would Be the Ones" to take us to Pasadena

So I am moving off the MARK, so to say.  Coach Dantonio, you have done a world of good. Congrats and keep it up.

Right now it looks like Mrs Hot Corner and I will be in Pasadena, cheering on the "only colors"

Signed, a Spartan fan.

Keep it Hot on the Corner, pat