Perhaps you've noticed, dear reader, that unlike years past I have neglected to weigh in on my views of MSU football. I'm sure you're desperate to know why. Well, the quick answer is that I just haven't felt like it. So far, the season hasn't seemed all that compelling. After all, who gives a damn about the Youngstown State, Florida Atlantic, and Central Michigan games? Booorrrriiiinnnnggg! I almost wrote about the Notre Dame loss, but just never got around to it. Today, the Big Ten season begins with the Spartans taking on Ohio State in Columbus. Maybe the result of that game will inpire me to write about MSU football.
I have a feeling that this is going to be "one of those years". By that I mean...a disappointment. I just have little confidence in this MSU football team this season. The offensive line has been weak thus far, and Kirk Cousins' confidence has looked shaky. And anyone with any knowledge of MSU's gridiron history over the last 45 years knows that the Spartans have a tough time stringing together two good years in a row. However, I hope that the MSU football team proves me wrong.
(I'm also trying really hard to get beyond having this blog merely as a sports blog. I'm still entertaining the thought of creating a separate "sports only" blog, and leaving this for other--more important--aspects of life).
I may be able to change the Spartans' football fortunes by watching this Saturday's Ohio State game in my "Magic Basement". The magic basement, as I have begun to call it, is where I have witnessed several sports miracles in the last four years. Now on the surface there is nothing that appears remotely magical about my semi-finished basement. By all outward appearances it is ugly, somewhat dank, and rather unkempt. A good 75 % of it is dominated by my two boys' playthings. On either end of the basement are the cats' litter boxes, so the basement frequently has the subtle scent of cat pee or poo--lovely eh? The basement, however, is the main repository of Mark's Sports Archive and Museum, and also features our old Sharp TV (with cable) and an old leather sofa. It is on this old television, in this dank underground dwelling, that I witnessed MSU's come-from-behind win over Penn State in '07, the '08 Michigan win, the '10 comeback win over Northwestern, along with several memorable Spartan NCAA tournament basketball wins. In all fairness, I also saw the MSU losses to Michigan in '07 and the end of the last-second loss to Iowa in '09, so maybe the basement isn't so magical after all. I like to remember the good games, though, and remain convinced that fairy dust has been sprinkled in the basement.
Maybe in a future post, I'll present some photos of the Magic Basement. I'm sure after my dazzling description of its beauty and charm, you are dying to see it.
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