During the college football season I made my way from FootballOutsiders.com to mgoblog.blogspot.com (long story, but in essence there were enough references in FO that I was finally curious to see what it looked like, even if it was an “enemy” site). mgoblog had a great suggestion during the UM coaching replacement almost-fiasco. Stop reading Drew Sharp. Paraphrasing his stance, Sharp does nothing but take a dump on both UM and MSU fanbases, is casually dismissive of any feedback he takes time to reply to, never has anything substantive to offer, seems hellbent on antagonizing the fanbases for the sake of controversy alone, and in the process is often contradictory (in UM football case, he both posted an article where he asserted there was no option for Rodriguez to get Tyrelle Pryor away from Tressel, then another article a week or so later stating landing Pryor would be an empty victory in catching up to Ohio State).

I find this suggestion phenomenal. The idea is that decreasing the page hits sends the message that readers don’t want Sharp’s antics — canceling subscription to the Free Press with a letter to the editor stating this as the reason being the most extreme action. I know this sounds a bit like the old dream “everyone stop buying gas and oil companies will have to drop prices!!”, but in this case, if nothing else, at least you don’t have to burden yourself with all the anger or depression a Drew Sharp read will certainly bring. For me, I didn’t even read this article. I just saw the headline following the game and thought to myself: “Of course…”

Yesterday afternoon yielded a game that rivaled our upset of #1 Wisconsin last year at the Breslin. The first contest in the ever epic month of March, national network television coverage in the middle of an afternoon, Senior Day for a pair of Drews who will be memorable in more ways than one, a perfect home record on the line, and a convincing, blowout win over a highly ranked, conference-leading opponent brandishing the top two players in the league.

Neitzel’s five threes and Naymick’s two blocks were not personal bests for either player, but they were exactly what fans have come to expect of them each game. Instead of having a single player break out and really turn the screws on the Hoosiers, Spartan role players stepped up and performed to what seemed like their fullest abilities all in the same game. Fans have been waiting for a game like this for a while.

We saw it to some extent versus Penn State last week, but that was Penn State. We saw it earlier against NC State and San Jose State, but those matchups didn’t carry yesterday’s weight. Most games this year have been saddled to varying extents with baggage of turnovers, mental mistakes, inconsistencies, and what we kept telling ourselves were aberrations. MSU would usually have just enough of a standout performance by a lone player to pull out close wins through much of the conference schedule, and the staggered rotation of egg-layings by team members inevitably piled up during the same 40 minutes in Iowa City and College Station. The downfall of this team this year has been players’ inability to perform to their full capability all at the same time. No real Spartan fan would argue with that. But yesterday, fueled by the intense desire to send their two Drews out the way they deserve, this team bound together and rallied to do just that.

Will this momentum carry down to Champaign and over to Columbus? I’d sure like to think so. I’ve got to think that those prospects are greater than those they had heading into Madison last week after two good showings at home against Penn State and Iowa. I’d like to think they’ll take these last two games heading into the conference tournament, but I know better than to bet too much on that. Playing consistently and playing away from home have proven difficult for this club this year, for whatever the reasons. It’s been frustrating for fans and even more frustrating for MSU players and coaches, I’ve got to think. This was supposed to have been an incredible year, with a dangerous mix of veteran leadership, and the speed and scoring offered by three highly-touted freshmen. Reality has been much closer to the ground, with hitches and glitches throughout the year, some explainable, some not. Whatever happens, and regardless of what should have happened all along this year, yesterday’s result couldn’t have been that much more perfect of a sendoff.

All of that brings me back to our third Drew, Mr. Sharp. Just like the first two, he’s in a class all of his own, but of a much different kind. Sure, he’s writing for a Detroit paper, but that doesn’t automatically doom him or his opinions. And sure, I’m biased, having grown up a Michigan State fan all my life, having followed them as closely as I could, over all their ups and downs. I find it hard to believe Sharp is so close-minded and hardened to see any significance in yesterday’s game, in light of the disparity between the season-that-was and the season-that-was-to-be. These kids appropriately played their hearts out yesterday against a quality opponent, for a change they were not bogged down with mental errors and lack of focus, and all he takes away from that showing is simply another exhibit of inconsistency. Surely Sharp has no kids of his own, whom he’s seen struggle with their own weaknesses only to get back up, try it once again, and eventually put it all together to succeed. Maybe he has. I’d hate to know what he tells them when they finally do succeed. Sharp has the market cornered on writing worthless trash – we’ve seen that for some time. But if he truly perceives and believes the way he writes columns like his latest, then his caliber as a human life form isn’t far behind. Even biased reporting can be done tastefully. It must be depressing and exhausting to be constantly that bitter and backhanded. I fail to see why the Free Press feels his skewed thoughts should be dispensed to the thinking public, let alone give him a paycheck to encourage it.

Here’s a (low-quality) clip of Neitzel’s departure:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Aqiwce9f3dg

I can’t think of a more fitting home send-off for the Drews.