The sun is out, burgers are grilling and the smell of Busch Light wafts through the air. The tennis courts and the rock on Farm Lane are swarming with students, parents and fans alike.
Detroit - The coaches' and media polls were presented at the 2003 CCHA Media Day on Tuesday afternoon at Joe Louis Arena with the MSU hockey team placing third and second, respectively. U-M was picked to finish top in the league in each poll.
With her older sister Tiffany in the distance practicing drills before soccer practice, Linsey Laskowski looks off to the side and smiles as she tries to describe their sisterly relationship.
The NFL's Week Two was one for the running backs, with the Ravens' Jamal Lewis breaking the single-game yardage record and others falling back into form. Miami running back Ricky Williams fell back into form, while Bills running back Travis Henry scored three touchdowns and averaged little more than 1 yard per carry. The importance of Week Three is that trends begin to form. For instance, anyone playing the Lions or Cardinals could break out.
The door at the trainers' office inside the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center has seen more action than many Spartans players have lately. Injuries were a factor in Saturday's 20-19 last-second loss to Louisiana Tech and also will play a major role this weekend as MSU heads to South Bend, Ind. Senior quarterback Jeff Smoker said his team needs to get healthy during the week and be ready for the long haul. "I sure hope (we're) not (tired) because it's a long season," Smoker said.
Even after a somewhat disappointing 1-2 record at the U.S. Bank/Arby's Classic, the No. 15 Spartans learned if they calm down, they step up.MSU head coach Chuck Erbe knew the weekend would be the most difficult one of the season.
The MSU offense came to a halt without its star quarterback on the sidelines in its 20-19 loss to Louisiana Tech on Saturday.So, the Spartans are hoping that he'll be able to return for this Saturday's game at Notre Dame.X-rays were negative on senior quarterback Jeff Smoker's right big toe, meaning it is not broken, and he is listed as questionable for Saturday's game."Jeff is (the starter) right now," head coach John L.
The MSU secondary played well for 57 minutes, but the final three will tarnish its reputation for good.Sophomores Ashton Watson and Carlos Alexander could only hide their heads in shame as they watched a sure win slip out of their hands when D.J.
Like two war-torn generals meeting after a battle, Jeff Smoker hobbled over to Luke McCown to congratulate him after MSU was beat by Louisiana Tech on Saturday in the final minutes. Though he watched his team lose a 12-point lead in the final minutes from the sidelines, Smoker, on crutches, was still smiling as he and McCown met for the first time. The two senior quarterbacks shook hands and Smoker told McCown he led his team to a "heck of a comeback." The Spartans never trailed in the game until the final two seconds, after McCown completed an 11-yard pass to wide receiver D.J.
What was billed as a bout between the fastest fists in boxing left a sour taste in the mouths of most involved. The Golden Boy was overshadowed by a set of judges with an outside prerogative. Tearing a page out of the book of Vernon Forrest, Oscar De La Hoya fought the smart fight and was left stripped of his prize possessions - his WBA and WBC 154-pound title belts. Avoiding a recurrence of their first slugfest in 2000, De La Hoya used his lightning jab to make easy work of "not so sweet anymore" Shane Mosley. Despite a few flourishes of street brawling and a vision-impairing cut on his right eye, the result of an "accidental" head butt, De La Hoya waited out the fight, landing frequent quick jabs, which saw Mosley frustrated at every swing. De La Hoya used reach to his advantage, staying clear of Mosley's deadly uppercuts, and landed nearly twice as many punches as the new champion. But the official judges were not impressed, despite a more convincing performance than Forrest had in either of his victorious bouts with Mosley, and handed the belt over to the undeserving 32-year-old. Analyst George Foreman (yes, the grill guy) suggested it was a conspiracy against Top Rank boss Bob Arum, but that would be too crude, wouldn't it? If boxing really wants fans to relate to a sport that has moved from national TV broadcasts to overpriced pay-per-view Wrestlemania-like farces they wouldn't do things like this, right? They wouldn't allow the Golden face of their tainted sport to inexplicably get shafted twice, would they? But it happened, and the gracious loser will hold his ground.
The No. 8 MSU field hockey team kept its successful season rolling with a pair of victories in Kentucky over the weekend.On Saturday, a feisty Spartan offense demoralized Southwest Missouri State with an 8-1 victory.
With Jeff Smoker in at quarterback, MSU amassed 186 yards of total offense in the first quarter and most of the second.
The MSU women's soccer team finished nonconference play with a 5-1 defeat of Western Michigan on Sunday.
The No. 17 MSU volleyball team went into the U.S. Bank/Arby's Classic, facing three higher-ranked teams, looking for answers to where they stand nationally in the college volleyball ranks.The Spartans now know.After what could be dubbed a disappointing weekend, where they won only one match, the Spartans (6-2) found hope when recalling their pre-tournament thoughts - a possible three-loss weekend.Sunday's victory saved face."One win makes this a successful weekend," head coach Chuck Erbe said.
The MSU football team held a lead late into the fourth quarter, but for the second straight season the third time lost its charm. The Spartans were stunned by Louisiana Tech 20-19 after a series of MSU errors gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to win. Senior quarterback Jeff Smoker injured his right big toe in the second quarter and never returned, leaving backup quarterback Damon Dowdell as the Spartans only hope. "I'm in disbelief," Smoker said.
The No. 8 MSU field hockey team travels to the site of the 2002 Final Four to lock horns with stiff competition in Kentucky this weekend. Facing No.
The anticipation is over for the MSU volleyball team. This weekend, the team will find out where it stands nationally, facing three of the top 13 teams in the country in Lincoln, Neb., at the U.S.
Lansing - Two game-saving plays helped the Lansing Lugnuts remain undefeated in the playoffs with a 3-2 win over the Beloit Snappers in game two of the Midwest League Championship Series. Lansing is now ahead in the series, 2-0, needing to win just one of the last three games to claim the title. With two outs, two runners on and one run already scored in the top of the seventh, right fielder J.J.
Jim Slater's hockey résumé has many highlights. Being named captain for the Spartans' 2003-04 campaign by MSU hockey coach Rick Comley is somewhere below the header.
With the first test of the fantasy football season now in the books, it's time to regroup, reflect and rethink what went well - and what didn't - in Week One. Sure, there were disappointments. Top-flight running backs Marshall Faulk of the Rams, LaDainian Tomlinson of the Chargers and Corey Dillon of the Bengals ran like mere impostors of their typical selves, combining for 96 yards on the ground and no touchdowns. And there were sweet surprises. Rookie Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin reset the record books for a debut receiver, with 10 catches for 217 yards and a pair of touchdowns.