I’ve resisted the urge to engage in Drew-Sharp-bashing since I posted some critiques of his work early in this blog’s existence. I’m convinced he’s employed by the Free Press merely so his absurd musings can create controversy and draw traffic to the paper’s website.
This time, though, I can’t resist the urge to point out the utterly inane nature of an assertion he’s made* about the MSU football team:
They’re probably the worst 8-2 team in the country.
Really?
Let’s do what a journalist might do when confronted with a statement of this nature: you know, investigate whether there’s any evidence to suppport the statement.
As it turns out, Sharp is technically correct. MSU happens to be the only FBS team in the nation with a record of 8-2. So they’re both the best and worst 8-2 team in the country.
But I doubt Mr. Sharp intended his statement to be the answer to a trick question. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and expand our definition to include all 2-loss FBS teams in the country. Here’s a complete list, sorted based on their current Sagarin ranking:
- 10: Georgia (7-2)
- 12: Missouri (7-2)
- 13: Ohio State (7-2)
- 16: North Carolina (6-2)
- 17: LSU (6-2)
- 18: Michigan State (8-2)
- 20: California (6-2)
- 22: Northwestern (7-2)
- 23: Georgia Tech (7-2)
- 24: Florida State (6-2)
- 25: Minnesota (7-2)
- 32: West Virginia (6-2)
- 38: Pittsburgh (6-2)
- 42: Cincinnati (6-2)
- 49: Air Force (7-2)
- 55: Maryland (6-2)
- 56: Western Michigan (7-2)
- 59: Central Michigan (7-2)
Methinks this list speaks for itself. But, in case it doesn’t, I think we can all agree that MSU is a better team than Northwestern–a team we beat handily on the road.
Sharp’s point presumably is the same one I made yesterday: This team is playing over its head. An entirely valid point. Why a full-time journalist feels the need to take that point and turn it into a hyperbolic claim completely unsubstantiated by facts is the mystery (unless you buy my idiocy-drives-traffic conspiracy theory, of course).
Final note: At least we know Sharp spends a small portion of his time wisely. This statement would seem to indicate he reads at least one college sports blog (scroll to the bottom of the linked post):
They make T-shirts here celebrating victories over 2-6 opponents, and then wonder why their program is often recognized with a snicker.
*I’ve included the link out of a sense of good bloggership, but, please, I beg you, do not click on it. If you do, the Free Press will have already won.
The “recognized with a snicker” point isn’t sui generis to mgoblog. On the contrary, basically anyone who closely follows college football, and specifically the Big Ten, thinks that.
Sharp is an awful journalist in my opinion. I read that article on Sunday and could not believe that he actually wrote it (or that the editors allowed it).
He is no better than Rob Parker of The Detroit News. Prior to the Michigan State/Michigan game Parker wrote an article about how MSU HAD TO WIN. It was about how a loss for MSU would mean a ruined season and a tell-tale sign that the program has not progressed at all under Coach D. It was also filled with “just-in-case” excuses for U of M about how a loss would not hurt the team. But what ticked me off about the article is that after the game Parker could not bring himself to write any article giving MSU its due credit. Instead he went on TV and falsely accused Cousins of wrongdoing.
Another commonality between the two would be the fact that neither can write a positive article about MSU or any Detroit Pro team, unless a championship had been won the night before. Every article, no matter the sport or season, has a negative spin to it.
Along with calling Wolverines “Skunk Bears”, a little Drew Sharp bashing is probably satisfying once or twice a year. More than that it’s just depressing, though, since you are ultimately just left wondering how is possible that he has a job, how can someone do this little work and get away with it, how can you be this blatantly awful and still maintain any credibility at all, and how can someone ruin even the purest of joyful moments? Spot on reply, kj.
I do also subscribe to mgoblog’s suggestion to boycott his columns on the web just to not give it another hit count. While it seems to amount to the “gasoline boycott” email schemes, you feel much better inside when you consciously pass up a Sharp column. I actually read one last week because I didn’t realized it was one of his (usually I can tell by the title alone), and then I read the one referenced here because I was genuinely curious to see just how badly he could frame the events of last Saturday. Incredible.
Tim, it’s the “T-shirts celebrating victories over 2-6 opponents” part that I am inclined to believe Sharp lifted from MGoBlog.
Drew Sharp is trash.
Thanks, bye.
Drew Sharp : Detroit Free Press :: Jay Mariotti : Chicago Sun-Times. Except that Drew Sharp still has his job, which is a shame.
Drew, you unfathomable derelict… T-Shirts are printed after almost EVERY big conference game!! Don’t believe me? Is Penn State’s program “recognized with a snicker”????
http://store.cstv.com/marketplace/store_contents.cfm?cart_id=082501422711118083851153357620080311&store_id=336&dept_id=-1&product_id=136737
http://store.cstv.com/marketplace/store_contents.cfm?cart_id=082501422711118083851153357620080311&store_id=336&dept_id=-1&product_id=136736
I should clarify — I think that the post-UM t-shirts, billboards, etc. were horribly lame, and I really wish that MSU fans could follow the lead of our team and act like we’ve been there before.
The point still stands, however, that Drew Sharp is a shameless sensationalist and colossal idiot.
What Ben said. Also, it’d be nice if all Spartan fans weren’t stereotyped based on a vocal minority. I guess that means the rest of us need to be more vocal, eh?
To make matters worse, the normally-sensible Adam Rittenberg has cited Sharp’s quote (without disputing it).
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-2-594/Spartans-still-alive-in-Big-Ten-title-race.html
Blegh. By the way, a belated “EAT SOME OF THAT, &#@*&&!!!!!” to Ray Bentley, who pulled out the “I don’ know, this looks like ‘same o–[can't bring myself to write it]‘ to me…” on the ESPN2 broadcast. Meanwhile MSU kept getting stops on Wisconsin, Hoyer kept coming on, and the very next play after that statement was the 32-yard completion to White.
Based on the list, MSU is also the best 8-2 in the country–it’s the only one.
HAHAHA DREW we all know this is the only way for you to blow off steam about U of M’s HUUUUGEEE letdowns.. appl st and TOLEDO, I mean TOLEDO??? c’mon..the winningest program in college football should never loose those games…never! no excuse
Oooooo-kaaay… who let this dog out?
[...] football: Michigan State 21, Purdue 7. It’s hard to argue with Drew Sharp’s contention that MSU is far from an elite team. (Though it’s also hard to see why he takes such glee in [...]