Oh football.  How I love to hate you and hate to love you!

Let me ‘splain…

I was born and raised just outside of metropolitan Detroit.  As such, my professional football team by birth is, has been and will forever be the Detroit Lions.

I am also a proud graduate of Michigan State University.  If you cut me, do I not bleed green?!? (PS – I do)

So Saturday Michigan State plays uninspired and undisciplined while losing to Central Michigan and then today the Lions did what they do best…provide that faint glimmer of hope before monumentally failing!

Sadly, this weekend became one of those soul crushing, drive me to drink depressing weekends!  There have been so many before this last weekend and I am sure as the sun shines that there will be more in the future.

I tell myself each year that I will not get emotional, that these are just games, but that never works.

WHY? Why do you hurt me so?  You cruel, cruel mistress you!

At least I have my fantasy teams…oh wait, I was playing the guy who started Drew Brees!! The guy who threw for SIX touchdowns against the Lions…UGH!

When does hockey and basketball start?

Looking through my posts it came to my attention that I really hadn’t added much to my “Idiot” series of posts…after some soul searching, I figure now I should come clean, bear my soul if you will, to the 10′s of readers to this fine weblog (or blog as the kids call it) about a “small” incident that recently occurred.

Let me take you back to a few weekends ago when a little basketball tournament was happening in The “D”.  My friend Sam Singh who is finishing up his 16 month trek around the world (see his blog at www.singharoundtheworld.com) flew back to Detroit just because Michigan State was in the Final Four.  I picked him up on Saturday afternoon and we headed downtown to join in the festivities.  That evening, as we are all aware, MSU beat UCONN and they were now going to advance to the Finals on Monday.

That next morning (Sunday) and I had planned for Better Half to bring Lil’ Baird downtown for brunch with Sam.  “Uncle” Sam had not seen Lil’ Baird yet and Better Half wanted to also see Sam, so it seemed like a good plan.  Little did I know that Better Half had been working on a plan of her own. [Read more →]

“There can be only one!” – Connor MacLeod, The Highlander

Monday, April 6, 2009. (JULIAN H. GONZALEZ/DFP)

Well there you go.  The 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball season has come to a close and Spartans everywhere got a huge humbling at the hands of the North Carolina Tar Heels.  Ouch.

All through the day, you start believing, thinking “why not us”. Anticipation starts to build.  The venue looked great. There was a sea of Spartan fans. The noise was terrific during the team introductions.   The teams come to center court, the tip goes up, flash bulbs go off, the hair stands on your arm as the realization that you are at the finals. 

But then, in keeping with an automotive theme, the wheels came off.  Who were these guys?  This wasn’t the same team that beat Kansas, beat Louisville, beat UCONN?  Did the pressure of the moment just catch up with them?  I looked down for a minute and we were losing by 10.  Ouch!  The air came out of the arena.  Sure, there were fleeting moments where the crowd tried to will the team a bucket, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  Down 20.  I feel the anger start to build.  I’m cussing like a sailor.  Better half spent a fortune on these tickets and we’re getting our butts handed to us.  OUCH!

But then you start trying to rationalize things.  If they could just get the lead to 15, maybe get within 10 by half, just go on a small run…

I didn’t want to stay, but I did until 2:00 minutes left.  I just couldn’t watch another team, that team, hold up the trophy and celebrate on what became “our” floor.  I still have avoided media coverage from last night.  I’m just not ready for that.

“So we come, to the end of the road” – Boyz 2 Men

Tell you what though, I really do love my school and this team provided some great memories this year. Friends flew in from all over the country for this Final Four. We drank beer, did shots, sang the fight song, ripped on each other and reminded ourselves just how lucky we are to have each other. For that, I am grateful and I know I’ll look back and only see the great times.

I’m rambling, so I’ll stop.  Thank you Spartans!  Thank you Izzo.  You represented us well and provided a positive spotlight on Michigan all week.  We’ll see you next season!

GO GREEN! GO WHITE!

Michigan State University vs. the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

As if Spartans needed any more motivation…a little something to start the day!

How about a rendition of the fight song, feel free to sing-a-long:

Now, the 2000 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final:

and finally, that one song we are hoping to hear for the Green tonight:

GO GREEN!  GO WHITE!

Wow, just wow.

Three weeks ago I was in Indianapolis for the Big Ten Tournament and as par for the course over the last five years, Michigan State won solidly on Friday and then blew it on Saturday.  I came out of watching that game wondering if we’d even make it out of the first round of the NCAA tournament.  That OSU lost was weak!

But something has happened to this team, and I think it’s name is Travis Walton.  I think he just grew stones and is absolutely refusing to lose!  Last night, we finally saw REAL HEART with this team.  Sure I picked MSU in my bracket to get to the Final Four, but I had them losing that game to UCONN.  I mean, Kansas – DEAD, Louisville – DEAD, UCONN – DEAD, Dean Wermer – DEAD (sorry, that’s from “Animal House“)…this has been a murderer’s row of games, not to mention that USC game as well.  With each victory, you can sense the confidence, the will, the heart growing…

Yesterday was a perfect day.  Weather was great!  The “D” was absolutely hopping.  So many familiar faces and old friends! I have NO reason not to believe that Monday will be just as fun.

I am so proud to be a Spartan today!  Win or lose on Monday, it’s going to be a fantastic experience.  I had the pleasure of seeing us win in 2000 at the RCA Dome and I’ve already got my tickets for this year.  I can’t wait to see the sea of green in that stadium, to get the chants started, to sing the fight song and hopefully cry like a baby when we cut the nets down and watch “One Shinning Moment” on the JumboTron.

GO GREEN! GO WHITE!! (GO IZZO!)

PS – Ate some great bacon today at Fishbone’s in Greektown.  They have a terrific brunch.  It was a little salty, but just what the doctor ordered after last night!

I know I told you yesterday I would tell you about the resort I went to this week…but that is being put on hold.

Why? Because I’m as excited as a kid on Christmas Eve.  The Final Four begins tomorrow in downtown Detroit and I CAN NOT WAIT!!!

It has been so hard to focus today.  My MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS open things up with UCONN tomorrow at 6:07 pm.  We had almost 30,000 people at Ford Field today just to watch the Spartan’s open practice.  The town is truly abuzz…I love it when it is like this around here.  Super Bowl XL was big, the MLB All-Star Game was big…but this…because MSU is in it…it just feels HUGE!

I am hearing from so many friends who are coming into town for this.  Earilier this week, I even held a Facebook Fundraiser for my buddy Sam Singh (SHOUT OUT) to fly him back from Kenya (his latest stop on his trip around the world, check out his blog) to get here for the Final Four!  I am happy to say we raised the money and I am picking him up tomorrow and headin’ straight to the “D”.  It is going to be an absolute blast!!  Old friends, our school playing for a championship and a bunch of adult beverages – GOOD TIMES!

Due to everything going on, I will not have a post tomorrow.  You can follow me on Twitter or through the Twitter update on the right side of this blog.  Just a heads up, most tweets will probably read like this:

“WHOOOOOOOO”

“Whiskey, Whiskey, Whiskey”

“Look who passed out”

“Your Mom”

“Why did I drink that?”

So enjoy! 

 

GO GREEN!  GO WHITE!!

Behold the POWER of “Bacon Sunday“!!! 

The team no one in the nation gave any chance to win just crushed the overall number one in the NCAA Tournament!! That’s right, my MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS are heading to the FINAL FOUR in DETROIT!!!

I couldn’t sit still the last 9 minutes of the game. We were over the limit putting Louisville in the bonus and just starting to build the lead…even up 15 under 2 minutes, I still couldn’t stand it. My finger nails are bitten to their nubs. WOW, just WOW!

I had the great opportunity to watch the Spartans in person win the 2000 National Championship and to even dream of having the same opportunity in my own backyard…goosebumps!

UCONN is next and that will be tough as hell…but PITT goes down, Louisville goes down, Memphis goes down…we can win this thing…why not?!?

GO GREEN!! GO WHITE!!

In the immortal words of Bevis from Bevis and Butthead – “Oh my liver!”

I am back home for the long weekend in Indianapolis.  It was the annual pilgrimage to the Big 10 basketball tournament.  There were three of us on the drive down, but we were five strong on the ground. The weekend started well enough (as it always does), when made good time, got in to town a hour before MSU’s game with Minnesota, found a place and got seats right along the bar before the game began.  But then…it was all down hill (as it usually is).

The rest of Friday night saw us hitting six bars and almost getting into a fight with a female body builder from Wisconsin about how much Bo Ryan sucks (that was my bad).  There was no bacon consumed that day, but at least seven White Castle cheeseburgers…

So Saturday started out where Friday left off, and that was with White Castle (I’ll leave that to your imagination).  UGH!  I wimped out at breakfast too when I ordered the granola yogurt parfait…no meat at all…yogurt…so already, the day felt off.  I finally did man up and I got my bacon from a BLT at our third bar of the day (after the Spartans lost, we call that a typical Saturday at the tournament).  What made the sandwich even better…the Jameson 18 Year whiskey.  I love me some Jameson and this was like nectar from the gods, over ice.  This and a BLT…HEAVEN!!!  But I do also believe this was the beginning of the end…

The Saturday tally for yours truly was only 5 bars…for it was at the 5th…the little bar back at our hotel…was when I decided I had to go upstairs for a bit.  I have no idea what I said or why I had to go up to our room, but I never left as I laid down and didn’t get out of bed until almost 12 hours later. Seriously, one of the weakest moves by me EVER!  I blame the yogurt…I started the day soft.  I should know that to start a marathon day, you need a marathon breakfast!

It was a slow Sunday morning, but I made up for the weak breakfast the day before with a “Tremendous Twelve” breakfast (minus the eggs) at Perkins on the way home.

So now I sit at my computer, stinking up the basement, eyes drooping and stomach doing flips…but the Spartans, amid the weekend loss, still got their #2 seed and will be in the Midwest bracket which shapes up well for us to make it to Detroit for the Final Four.  I got to see my friends, made a few new ones, drank some fantastic whiskey and bad rum, watched us win and suffered through the loss AND had one hell of a time doing it (as usual).  Good weekend!

Up next…Detroit Tiger’s Opening Day (which is on a FRIDAY – HOLLA’)

Hey all – it’s early in the morning and when this is “robo-posted” I will be on the road with my boys, headin’ to Indianapolis for the Big 10 Tournament.

The fine institution of higher learning that graduated me back in 1994, America’s First Land Grant College, Michigan State University will be playing at NOON. So it was up at 6 am, giant coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts and away I go.

As I will be more than likely be drinkin’, I will not be posting until Sunday night. Have a great weekend!! When I get back I should have some bacon tales, a story or two from Indy and my review of “Watchmen” (finally seeing this weekend).

If you just can’t wait til Sunday night, I will be Tweeting.  Check out the Twitter Widget on the left side of the blog or follow me on Twitter!

Go Right Through for MSU!

OUT!

or “How Baird Got His Nerd Back!”

So a much better week in Nerd News for me.  I got myself FOCUSED and came at it with a new found dedication to nerdiness!!  I have not been nerdy for so long now that I just had to get myself back in the game!

In “Watchmen” News…they release this incredible little game on their website.  Stuff like this really gets by nerd juices flowing!!  I got caught up in it and played this for about 20 minutes in my office on Thursday (shhhh).  Between things like this and what is being updated everyday on “The New Frontiersmen” site…it’s just AWESOME.  I told Better Half to get a sitter now so we can get to the movie the weekend it opens.  Since we’ve had Lil’ Baird, I haven’t stepped foot in a theater.  I even missed “Quantum of Solace“.  I will NOT miss this movie in the theater!!!

It was clean out the DVR weekend as I watched:

• Batman: Brave and The Bold- good episode with Despero and the Green Lantern Corp, caught up
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars – three episodes, caught up
• Psych – two episodes, caught up
• The F Word – six episodes (more on this later)
• Leverage - one episode, not caught up yet
• 30 Rock – two episodes, caught up
• The Office
• Burn Notice – two episodes, caught up
• Lost (this show is SO ROCKIN’ THIS SEASON!)
• Top Chef
• Dirty Jobs - four episodes, caught up (one was a show on animal rendering – DO NOT watch if you are eating!)

It’s really easy to blow through the DVR when there really is no sports on TV.  No MSU basketball, no Pistons…freed up a lot of time.

When I got back home last Thursday, I had a new box of comics waiting for me as well.  Now usually when I get my new books (bi-weekly) I sit down immediately and can get through almost all of them in one, maybe two nights.  Being so busy with work, I still had a stack from the shipment before I needed to get through.  In between all that TV watching, I knocked out all about 12 books, getting me just into this weeks shipment.  I should be caught up by Tuesday night!  One good book I got this week was the first part of Neil Gaiman’s “Whatever Happened to the Cape Crusader” story running in “Batman“.  Neil is a terrific fantasy / comic writer.  You may have seen his name lately as the writer of the new movie ”Coraline“.  A quick aside, the producer of “Coraline”, Bill Mechanic is a Michigan State grad.  In the movie, the dad is seen wearing a MSU sweatshirt!  GO GREEN!)

I am also try to catch up this week with all the news from the New York Comic Con that happened last week and the International Toy Fair going on right now.  I was lucky to attend both of these events last year with Fathead.  This year, just picking up what nuggets I can from the blogosphere!

No video games this week…but I am determined to get back to playing Lego Batman.