BASEBALL
Baseball team plays at Oldsmobile today
The MSU baseball team faces Eastern Michigan at 5:30 p.m. today at Oldsmobile Park. The Eagles are in the midst of an eight-game winning streak.
BASEBALL
Day named Big Ten's player of the week
Freshman Kyle Day went 11-for-17 with eight RBIs on seven extra-base hits last week and was honored as the Big Ten Player of the Week. Day, who leads the Big Ten in walks with 17, gets time at catcher and left field.
FOOTBALL
O-line undergoes retooling
How would one describe the offensive line for the 2005 MSU football team? The terms that surface aren't flattering. "Porous" comes to mind, as does "sieve-like" and "much-maligned." The group gave up 24 sacks last season, including 12 to Ohio State.
SPORTS
Shives to leave MSU; destination unknown
The first McDonald's All-American in MSU women's basketball history is leaving East Lansing after just one year with the team. Tiffanie Shives, a 5-foot-10 guard, has decided to transfer to another school.
BASEBALL
Walking off with a win
Lansing — Oliver Wolcott pumped his fist, then disappeared into a mob of his teammates. The senior third baseman's 10th-inning walk-off double had just scored junior catcher Sean Walker to give MSU a 9-8 win against Indiana on Sunday afternoon at Oldsmobile Park. "It's been a couple years," Wolcott said of his last walk-off hit.
SPORTS
Monday musings
Detroit Pistons general manager Joe Dumars has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, The Associated Press reports. Meanwhile, Dumars' former teammate, current Knicks' GM Isiah Thomas, has reportedly traded his Hall of Fame membership for a Kroger Plus Card and a two-week trial with the Hair Club For Men. The Ted Williams Museum, which commemorated the life of the late Red Sox slugger, is closing because of a lack of attendance. The museum's memorabilia will be cryogenically frozen. Of the more than 3 million brackets submitted to ESPN.com, only four correctly predicted the men's Final Four. Interestingly, that's the same number that correctly predicted the proper spelling of UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute's name. The Charlotte Bobcats cut guard Kareem Rush last week, citing a lack of effort in practice. We haven't seen this much caution to avoid a Rush since last year's freshmen found out about the greek initiation rituals.
ICE HOCKEY
Miller's future remains in limbo
MSU head coach Rick Comley knows that it's always a possibility to lose players early. This offseason, the question marks surround junior captain Drew Miller. Miller was drafted by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the sixth round (186th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
FOOTBALL
Sophomore sensation gives football fans hope
The spring sun is shining over East Lansing, a damp scent is in the air and the vacancy of the MSU football training facilities has been replaced once again by the sound of pads colliding with pads. The cut-and-dry personalities of MSU's winter sports coaches Tom Izzo and Rick Comley have been replaced by the entertaining, wacky psyche of John L.
SOFTBALL
Coach reaches milestone
The MSU softball team's series sweep gave head coach Jacquie Joseph 400 career wins at MSU. The Flint native and Central Michigan graduate is in her 13th season as MSU head coach. "I am very proud to be the head softball coach at Michigan State, and I look forward to 400 more," she said. The Spartans showed they can win games in a variety of ways by opening Big Ten play this weekend with victories against Minnesota. In the first game, which was postponed Friday and finished Saturday because of weather, the Spartans used a complete game two-hitter from sophomore Lesley Noel to record a 3-1 victory. But in game two, MSU's pitching and defense put the team in an early 5-2 hole. Junior pitcher Rachel Turney gave up six hits and five runs in less than three innings of work.
SPORTS
Jimmerson ready to emerge from sidelines
Sometimes, everything boils down to numbers. Last season, MSU head coach John L. Smith brought in two freshmen running backs — Javon Ringer and A.J.
SPORTS
Spring forward
Baseball Head coach: David Grewe, first year Record: 9-9 Last game: 14-5 win over Grand Valley State Next home game: 3 p.m.
SPORTS
Tigers will miss playoffs; should strive for .500
The weather is warming up and spring is kicking into full gear, which means only one thing — the Detroit Tigers are about to kick off another regular season filled with optimism and doubt. Optimism because the team added high-caliber free agents for the third straight season.
BASEBALL
Stealing bases becoming a crime for Spartans baseball
It's the top of the first inning of the MSU baseball team's game against Grand Valley State on Wednesday and sophomore rightfielder Tony Clausen is settling into the batter's box. Lakers pitcher Grant Payton steps on the mound, then glances over his shoulder at MSU junior shortstop Troy Krider, who's on first base after leading off the inning with a line-drive single to right. Krider leads a few feet off the base, leaning away from it like he's being pulled by an invisible magnet.
SPORTS
Team's future remains bright
MSU head coach Rick Comley still hasn't fully recovered from the emotional disappointment of last Sunday's heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Maine in the NCAA East Regional Finals. He's already watched the game tape twice. "We had so many chances to tie that game.
SPORTS
McCallie preps for future without senior stars
When the buzzer sounded Sunday to end the MSU women's basketball NCAA regional semifinal game, it signaled the end of the Spartans' season.
SPORTS
Bowen, Shimek to play in all-star game
Guard Lindsay Bowen and forward Liz Shimek will participate in the WBCA All-Star Challenge on Saturday in Boston, which will host the women's Final Four.
SPORTS
From the road
Hockey reporter Eric Fish shares his experiences from Albany, N.Y., the site of the NCAA East Regionals. It was nice walking around a city and hearing nothing but hockey talk.
BASEBALL
MSU too much for Grand Valley
The MSU baseball team turned Kobs Field into a manufacturing plant Wednesday afternoon. Only six of MSU's 17 hits went for extra bases, but the Spartans efficiently moved runners around the basepaths all afternoon, pounding Grand Valley State, 14-5. "That's just my coaching style," head coach David Grewe said.
SPORTS
Women's tournament needs the 'George Masons' for excitement
If you want to know what makes the men's NCAA Tournament so exciting, you need look no further than George Mason's upset victory over UConn on Sunday.
ICE HOCKEY
Seniors set bar high for future of MSU hockey
Albany, N.Y. — The hockey team's 5-4 loss to Maine in the NCAA East Regional Finals was a complete turn of emotions from what the Spartans felt nearly one week prior after clinching the CCHA playoff championship. Instead of smiles and hugs, there was an abundance of long faces for anyone wearing green and white after the game. After they watched Maine celebrate on the Pepsi Arena ice they skated over to the MSU fan section that made the trip from East Lansing and saluted the fans with their sticks the same way they salute fans after every home game — win or lose. And as the players' sticks hit the ice for one last time this season, the careers of the four regularly dressed seniors — David Booth, Corey Potter, Colton Fretter and Jared Nightingale — came to an end. "It's pretty sad right now," Fretter said, at a loss for words following the game. The only thing that could have prevented the sadness was a national championship and even then there would still be tears, although they would've been associated with another emotion. But in a few days when the seniors have had time to reflect on their college careers, each will realize they were part of something special. Before this season, the seniors had to field questions from the media on why they weren't in the national tournament, why they couldn't win the CCHA or why they couldn't get two weekend wins. This year, they accomplished all of that and converted critics of MSU hockey into fans.