For a struggling MSU baseball team, having to play an afternoon game after coming home at 4 a.m. from a road trip earlier in the morning may not have seemed like the best way to break out of a slump.
Sophomore guard Jason Richardson’s decision to leave college early for the NBA hit MSU fans hard, but things may get worse before a recovery can begin. At 1:15 p.m.
As the nation’s top prep player of a year ago, Charles Rogers came to East Lansing confident of his abilities as an athletic, big-play receiver.
Replenishing its graduation-depleted roster, the Spartan hockey team expects to add three more players to its recruiting class today, bringing the class total to seven. Left wings Kevin Estrada and Mike Lalonde and center Ash Goldie have given verbal commitments to sign National Letters of Intent with head coach Ron Mason’s program today. Mason is out of town and NCAA rules prohibit him from talking about recruits until they have signed National Letters of Intent. Estrada, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound left wing, plays for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League - the same team that produced former MSU center Jeremy Jackson, who was dismissed from the Spartan squad in February. Estrada led the Chiefs with 118 points (34 goals, 84 assists) in 59 games this season. Lalonde, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound left wing, plays for the Prince George Spruce Kings of the BCJHL.
By JAIME ARON The Associated Press IRVING, Texas - Troy Aikman’s NFL career ended with the Dallas Cowboys after all. The three-time Super Bowl champion announced his retirement at a news conference Monday at Texas Stadium, where he starred for 12 seasons. “You watch and you think that your time will never come,” said Aikman, fighting back tears as he announced his plans.
A beautiful day for softball produced even prettier results for the MSU softball team, as it defeated Purdue 8-3 Sunday at Old College Field. After falling behind 3-0 after three innings, the Spartan bats came alive with timely hits in the middle innings. The Spartans pushed across two runs in the fourth thanks to an RBI sacrifice fly by senior Shealee Dunavan, who plays first base, and an RBI single by sophomore outfielder Tiffany Wallace.
Football fans who cheer on the Spartans this fall might have a new section. The Bobby’s World section, named after MSU head coach Bobby Williams, might have its name changed if the Student Alumni Foundation agrees on a decision tonight.“It is kind of a cheesy cartoon character’s name, no offense to coach Williams, and they want something a little catchier,” said Derek Byrne, a general management freshman and co-director of the former Bobby’s World section for the Student Alumni Foundation.Byrne said the group wanted to have a section for students to cheer and last year it was named Bobby’s World.He said there was a general consensus among the foundation’s members to change the name.“Some people think it is kind of cheesy and some people want to patent the name and there might be conflicts with the show ‘Bobby’s World,’” said Michael Campian, a criminal justice freshman and co-director for the former Bobby’s World section.Campian said the organization has been poring over a long list of names but hasn’t come to a conclusion yet.
All-American junior tailback T.J. Duckett will sit out the rest of spring football practice after undergoing minor shoulder surgery Friday.“I expect him back at full strength by the time preseason camp opens in August,” MSU head coach Bobby Williams said.Duckett, who finished last season with 1,353 yards rushing and a team-high seven touchdowns, has seen limited action this spring.In the spring’s first scrimmage he carried the ball just four times for 25 yards, and didn’t participate in Saturday’s second scrimmage.Following doctors’ orders to rest, Duckett was unavailable for comment Sunday.Sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker said the Spartans have plenty of depth at running back.
ALBANY, N.Y. - With MSU out of the race for a national title, Spartan fans who stayed for Saturday’s NCAA Championship hockey game had to pick which remaining team would get their support.Many Spartan loyals made their decision while mingling with opposing fans at FanFest, a three-day celebration in front of Pepsi Arena.
What a bittersweet end for two MSU teams.After making it to the glory land - the Final Four and the Frozen Four - the Spartan basketball and hockey teams bowed out without reaching one championship game between them.Both teams had remarkable seasons, but both ended the same way - in shockingly uncharacteristic and uninspired performances.Doubt lingered concerning the gigantic holes in leadership and spirit that former Spartan and current Detroit Pistons guard Mateen Cleaves took with him.The season was spectacular in almost every way, as the Spartans were undefeated in the preseason, and won their fourth-consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.The senior class also became the winningest in Big Ten history, claiming 115 career wins.
ALBANY, N.Y. - No longer will Boston College head coach Jerry York have to listen to jeering chants of “1949” from opposing fans. The Eagles (33-8-2) claimed their first national championship in 52 years with a 3-2 overtime win over North Dakota (29-8-9) on Saturday night at Pepsi Arena. “We’ve been very, very close to winning three straight national championships prior to this tournament,” said York, a BC alumnus who coached Bowling Green to a title in 1984.
After a disappointing 5-6 football season that saw MSU give up 689 yards worth of penalties, the Spartans have begun taking the first step in spring practice to reduce costly mistakes.With an emphasis on poise and self-control on the gridiron, MSU head coach Bobby Williams said the squad has responded well to the challenge of avoiding costly errors.
ALBANY, N.Y. - It was almost a storybook season. MSU’s hockey team held the number one spot in the national polls since Nov.
ALBANY, N.Y. - Ryan Miller’s season may have ended Thursday, but he still has a chance for one more win this weekend at the Frozen Four. Miller is one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award - college hockey’s most prestigious individual trophy - which will be awarded today at 2:30 p.m.
Yes, the season didn’t end the way fans had hoped, and yes, MSU will lose another talented class of seniors.
LANSING - Anyone who has lived in Michigan for a few years knows the old joke: Michigan has two seasons - winter and construction.
ALBANY, N.Y. - A year ago at this time, Joe Markusen was sitting on the edge of his couch, cheering as North Dakota claimed its seventh national hockey championship. A native of Grafton, N.D., a small town that adores the Fighting Sioux hockey team, he graduated from Park River High and naturally became a fan of the school down the road in Grand Forks, N.D. “There’s no professional league in North Dakota, so college hockey is pretty big,” said Markusen, a 6-foot, 186-pound freshman defenseman.
To say the MSU football team had a rough time on the offensive side of the ball last year would be like saying the stork in those Warner Brothers cartoons had a little too much to drink when it delivered babies.
MINNEAPOLIS - For all 65 Division I college men’s basketball teams that were eligible for NCAA Tournament play, this year’s road to the Final Four was at times a long bumpy trip because of the intense scheduling involved with March Madness. And local Minneapolis event coordinators, national media, Metrodome employees and more than 2,000 volunteers who helped set up this year’s nationally acclaimed event can share their pain. “It’s definitely a tough task to set up a Final Four,” said Marc Ryan, the University of Minnesota’s assistant athletic director for external relations. “Our biggest challenge was to put all the right people together, ranging from technicians, maintenance workers, support staff and merchants, to community groups and local businesses.
Head baseball coach Ted Mahan saw a reflection of the team’s entire season Tuesday at Kobs Field.The Spartans (13-12) split a doubleheader with Saginaw Valley State, losing the first game 9-2 and rallying to win the second 4-1.“One good; one bad - 13-12 - that’s what we’ve done all year,” Mahan said.The “good” showcased a Spartan team putting runs on the board, making plays defensively, and pitching well.After four shutout innings from freshman starter Bryan Gale, he yielded one run in the top of fifth.Mahan said Gale’s performance on the hill was nothing new from the rookie hurler.“It was outstanding,” Mahan said, “He can just flat out pitch.”With the win, Gale upped his record to 3-0 and maintained a team-leading 1.61 ERA.Facing the 1-0 deficit, freshman left fielder James Moreno led off the bottom half of the fifth frame with a homer to deep left-center field, evening-up the score.After a ground ball out by freshman first baseman Scott Koerber, junior third baseman Troy Bergman, junior second baseman Don Watchowski, sophomore right fielder Brett Wattles, junior shortstop Jared Koutnik and sophomore center fielder Bob Malek all consecutively singled.Wattles’ single scored Bergman, and Malek’s brought home Watchowski.Sophomore catcher Brady Burrill’s sacrifice fly and tag-up from Wattles gave the Spartans more insurance than they needed.The fifth inning Spartan rally keyed around Moreno’s solo shot.“The second game Moreno picked us with a home run, and we had some enthusiasm,” Malek said.“The home run by Moreno was the biggest hit of the game and of the day,” Mahan said.Moreno realized his home run helped spark a sputtering Spartan offense.“After one hit, if everyone’s picking each other up, it can lead to six or seven more hits,” he said.“Then you win the game, and in the second game it was huge.”Moreno had only appeared at the plate 21 times this season, and responded to the chance to play.“I was given a shot today, and I just got in there and took my hacks,” Moreno said.