The MSU baseball team will host its second annual First Pitch Dinner at 1 p.m. Sunday in Spartan Stadium's LaSalle Bank Club. Tickets for the event are $25 for children and students, $30 for MSU baseball alumni and $50 for the general public.
Redemption is on the mind of the MSU women's basketball team. After a poor showing in a 55-48 win last Thursday, the Spartans look to put on a better performance at 7 p.m.
The question must be asked: How strong is sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg's back? Jeff Lerg was unquestionably shaky to start the season, but if there is any reason — and maybe it's the only one — the Spartans are competing for a first-round playoff bye, it's because of their goaltender's spectacular play since December.
The Big Ten Network will make a stop in East Lansing this weekend as part of its college basketball tour that is set to visit all 11 Big Ten schools throughout the 2007 season. The tour has been organized to promote the Big Ten Network's 24-hour coverage of sports that is set to debut on television in August. Fans in attendance at the MSU men's basketball game on Saturday will have the opportunity to win a trip for two to the 2007 or 2008 Big Ten men's basketball tournament when given a ticket while entering the game.
Only two MSU players were able to find their range Tuesday night, but that's all the Spartans needed to top intrastate rival Michigan. Junior guard Drew Neitzel must've felt the urgency of the conditions surrounding the matchup with U-M because he wasted no time in lighting up the scoreboard. Neitzel, known for his second-half scoring outbursts, poured in 14 points and three assists in the opening 20 minutes.
Big Rapids — The No. 6 Spartans nine-game unbeaten streak ended Tuesday night after a 2-1 loss to Ferris State. The game resembled Friday's matchup with the Bulldogs (10-19-3 overall, 7-15-2 CCHA) in many ways — superb goaltending, defensive struggles, tied score at one apiece late into the game. The only difference was who scored the final goal. "This loss hurts a lot," MSU head hockey coach Rick Comley said.
MSU women's soccer head coach Tom Saxton announced Monday four new recruits who will join 10 returning starters from last year's squad that went 8-9-1 and missed the Big Ten playoffs. The team picked up two defenders, a defender-midfielder and a forward. "Our 2007 Michigan State recruiting class may be small in number, but it in no way will it be small in impact," Saxton said in a written statement.
When certain athletes make the transition from adolescence to college success, it can sometimes go straight to their heads. Not for freshman gymnast Rochelle Robinson. After a flawless 10.0 performance on the vault during Saturday's Fox Run Invitational in New Hampshire, Robinson got right back to her normal routine while practicing with the rest of her Spartans teammates. "I just basically take each week one at a time," Robinson.
Senior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry is averaging nearly eight rebounds per game over the last four games.
The No. 6 Spartans hope tonight's rematch with Ferris State doesn't seem like deja vu. After a frustrating 2-1 overtime victory over the struggling Bulldogs (9-19-3 overall, 6-15-2 CCHA) Friday, the Spartans (18-8-3, 14-6-3) will be looking for a more convincing win.
Whenever the MSU and Michigan men's basketball teams have met during the last decade, the stakes have rarely been anything more than bragging rights.
Two Gonzaga basketball players were arrested last week after marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms were found in their car. Defense attorneys are confident any related charges will be dropped once prosecutors see how little else there is to do around the Gonzaga campus. An estimated 93.1 million people watched last Sunday's Super Bowl, making it the second most watched football game ever. Media analysts caution that number might be high, since many people actually turned the game on during a Rex Grossman possession and thought they were watching a documentary on natural disasters. Upset by Dwyane Wade's criticism of Dirk Nowitzki's leadership skills last week, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban ripped Wade on his blog, saying among other things, "You obviously have an overinflated value of your own." Cuban then pushed up his glasses, adjusted his suspenders and yelled upstairs to tell his mom how funny the joke was that he just made. A Serbian village ravaged by floods is trying to change its fortune and attract tourists by constructing a statue of Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa film character in the middle of town. Residents hope the gimmick works better than the last recovery idea — a life-size mural of a nude Don Vito. New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez is selling a children's book based on his experiences playing while growing up. The book costs $252 million over 10 years, but it won't open when you really need to read it most.
Detroit — The No. 6 Spartans should credit their three points this weekend to sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg. Lerg stood tall, stopping 33 shots in Friday's 2-1 overtime victory over Ferris State and stopping a career-high 54 shots in Saturday's 3-3 tie against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena to extend MSU's unbeaten streak to a nation-leading nine games. "He was excellent," MSU head coach Rick Comley said.
West Lafayette, Ind. — The looks on the faces of forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton and guard Jodi Howell in the post-game press conference said it all. They had just seen a 17-point lead slip away along with, more than likely, a chance to win the Big Ten after falling two games back of Ohio State with four games left to play.
It was a rough Friday night for the No. 20 MSU wrestling team when it was ousted, 35-4, by No. 1 Minnesota. Senior Nick Simmons recorded the lone victory for the Spartans (3-8 overall, 2-4 Big Ten), and freshman Franklin Gomez and senior Andy Simmons' Big Ten undefeated streaks came to an end. Freshman Rocky Cozart nearly recorded a victory for the Spartans, but was edged, 14-12, in a sudden-victory overtime against Minnesota's Tyler Safratowich. The Spartans returned to action to close out another weekend of road meets when they faced No.
All-Star Weekend is just a week away, which means it's time for my yearly self-indulgent NBA column.
The No. 17 MSU gymnastics team took first place Saturday in the Fox Run Invitational, defeating West Virginia, Brown and New Hampshire, the host team. With a team score of 194.000, the Spartans edged past New Hampshire's score of 193.975, giving the Spartans their second straight first-place finish. Freshman Rochelle Robinson achieved something that every gymnast strives for in a career — the perfect 10.0. Robinson's flawless score came from her performance on the vault.
The MSU gymnastics team will carry its No. 17 rank into New Hampshire this weekend for the Fox Run Invitational, where the Spartans will look to do something they've become quite accustomed to doing at this tournament — winning. Every other year, head coach Kathie Klages, now in her 17th season, takes her energetic gymnasts to this meet to bring home a victory. "We are very familiar with it," Klages said.
The No. 6-ranked Spartans are getting ready for their rivalry matchup against Michigan at Joe Louis Arena on Saturday, the fifth game between the two teams this season. Oh, and they also are preparing for tonight's home game against Ferris State. It's not difficult for MSU (17-8-2 overall, 13-6-2 CCHA) to treat the Bulldogs (9-18-3, 6-14-2) as an afterthought to a key matchup with the No.
The MSU women's swimming and diving team competes in the Big Ten Championships this weekend in Minneapolis, Minn.