“The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.” --Albert Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus”
“The gods had condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly rolling a rock to the top of a mountain, whence the stone would fall back of its own weight. They had thought with some reason that there is no more dreadful punishment than futile and hopeless labor.”
--Albert Camus, “The Myth of Sisyphus”
The Rose Bowl defines “mythic.” It is legendary, eternal, iconic, inevitable. It has always been the ultimate goal of every Big Ten football team, every season, since our parents’ parents’ parents were young. It is the Granddaddy of them All, and it is one of the last things about college football that retains any of its ancient magic.
The last time Michigan State went to the Rose Bowl, I was six years old; all the adults in my life made sure I understood every ounce of that weighty accomplishment. It had been 22 long years since the mighty, undefeated, No. 1-overall ranked Spartans were upset by UCLA, and MSU’s subsequent triumph over Rodney Peete and USC was all the sweeter for it.
This season’s Rose Bowl will mark 25 years since 1988, and 47 since 1966. That’s nearly half a century spent grinding between the middle and top ranks of the Big Ten conference, only once tasting its ultimate prize.
I have two children older now than I was then.
MSU AD Mark Hollis has said the football program’s goal is to go to Rose Bowls, yet in the remarkable first five years of Mark Dantonio’s tenure it’s achieved everything but. Dantonio is 44-22 as the Spartans head coach, including back-to-back 11-win seasons. The Spartans have gone to a bowl every season he’s been at the helm. They beat Michigan in Ann Arbor, and then in East Lansing, and then in Ann Arbor, and then in East Lansing. His Spartans have clinched a Big Ten Championship, won their inaugural division championship, played in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game. They’ve played for or won everything a Big Ten team can save a BCS National Championship Game . . . and the Rose Bowl.
In 2010, under 2009 rules, Michigan State would have gone to the Rose Bowl. In 2011, under 2010 rules, Michigan State would have gone to the Rose Bowl. Like Sisyphus, no matter how well or how often they push that rock up the hill, it seems they will never, never push it to the top. They’ll be doomed to win double-digit games and somehow miss the Rose Bowl for eternity. It is ridiculous, absurd that all that incredible effort and achievement is repeatedly denied its deserved reward.
But as Camus said in his essay, “happiness and the absurd are two sons of the same earth.”
In the intervening years, money and greed has chipped away at everything that made the Rose Bowl the Rose Bowl: from the swollen conferences that play for it, to the BCS system that prevented it from hosting their two champions every season, to new system that will protect the Rose Bowl Game Presented by VIZIO by ensuring it will sometimes feature the second- or third-best of each conference, and sometimes an unrelated national semifinal.
What was once “the best of the East versus the best of the West” will only happen if neither the Big Ten Champion nor Pac-whatever Champion are good enough to crack the top four nationally (unlikely), or if both do in a year the Rose hosts a semi and the seeds work out (even more unlikely).
BUT STILL.
The Rose Bowl still holds a massive sway over our collective subconscious. No team has ever buzzed on the sidelines of the fourth quarter their last game with a bag of Tostitos in their teeth. No team has ever collectively raised oranges into the air with fists clenched as time expires on their regular season.
It also holds sway over Mark Dantonio. John L. Smith never made it to the Rose Bowl. Bobby Williams never made it to the Rose Bowl. Tellingly, Nick Saban never made it to the Rose Bowl. If Dantonio could get to the top of that hill, in the same job Nick Saban couldn’t? It’d be a fantastic achievement and a wonderful way to cement Dantonio in the pantheon of Michigan State all-timers.
It also holds sway over the Spartan players. Throughout 2011, Spartan players talked about the Rose Bowl, wrote about the Rose Bowl, Tweeted “#P4RB,” over and over and over through spring ball, summer camp, and all autumn they sighted their target and aimed and again they just, barely, missed.
“As for this myth, one sees merely the whole effort of a body straining to raise the huge stone, to roll it, and push it up a slope a hundred times over; one sees the face screwed up, the cheek tight against the stone, the shoulder bracing the clay-covered mass, the foot wedging it, the fresh start with arms outstretched, the wholly human security of two earth-clotted hands. At the very end of his long effort measured by skyless space and time without depth, the purpose is achieved. Then Sisyphus watches the stone rush down in a few moments toward the lower world whence he will have to push it up again toward the summit. He goes back down to the plain. It is during that return, that pause, that Sisyphus interests me. A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself! I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured step toward the torment of which he will never know the end. That hour like a breathing-space which returns as surely as his suffering, that is the hour of consciousness. At each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks toward the lairs of the gods, he is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock.”
“As for this myth, one sees merely the whole effort of a body straining to raise the huge stone, to roll it, and push it up a slope a hundred times over; one sees the face screwed up, the cheek tight against the stone, the shoulder bracing the clay-covered mass, the foot wedging it, the fresh start with arms outstretched, the wholly human security of two earth-clotted hands. At the very end of his long effort measured by skyless space and time without depth, the purpose is achieved. Then Sisyphus watches the stone rush down in a few moments toward the lower world whence he will have to push it up again toward the summit. He goes back down to the plain.
It is during that return, that pause, that Sisyphus interests me. A face that toils so close to stones is already stone itself! I see that man going back down with a heavy yet measured step toward the torment of which he will never know the end. That hour like a breathing-space which returns as surely as his suffering, that is the hour of consciousness. At each of those moments when he leaves the heights and gradually sinks toward the lairs of the gods, he is superior to his fate. He is stronger than his rock.”
It is this season that interests me. The Spartans open their schedule with Boise State, and a chance to contend for national glory. This season’s Spartans can prove that even if the Gods have cursed them to spend eternity just barely failing to reach their goal, they can nevertheless achieve immortality.
Yesterday, a fire burned hot, tall and bright to allow Delvon Roe to suit up for the final home game against OSU this weekend. He'd be conferred all Senior Day privileges of kissing the S, helping box out Jared Sullenger and that hilarious hug between Tom Izzo and a dude 11 inches taller than him. Immediately, Roe threw water on the fire tweeting:"Lol I love my followers u all r great. It's not about me lets worry about wrappin up this big10 title OUTRIGHT!!N let the NCAA do there job." Hollis later got out the fancy china to have a talk with us over twitter about the NCAA's non-involvement in the decision for Delvon not to play.
One of two things REALLY happened here. A decision for Delvon not to play was reached by Izzo, Hollis and Roe and no NCAA waiver was requested. This is possible, the decision for Delvon to leave basketball didn't appear to be easy, he might just not want to reopen old wounds or a host of many other reasons(loss of focus on the game, sacrificing a valuable Roe minute in what will be a tightly contested game, etc).
OR
Izzo loves his kids, Hollis is a showman, I won't call him a PT Barnum of Athletic Directors, but the thought crossed my mind. If Roe is trying to get into acting and isn't a showman, he best think his career choice through. The NCAA said, "No, but we're gonna say no like when you try to hire a head coach and they say no. There's no offer and thus no refusal." We're going to say no because we're the Extraordinary League of No Fun it would contravene our bylaws.
So which bylaw would he be violating?
Luckily, the NCAA provides a summary of it's Regulations right there on the internets. I'll save you the trouble and just quote liberally since the NCAA should have no problem making it's policy on Student-Athlete Participation, clear, right? Riiiiiight.
Ethical Conduct - It's not salient, but clause A made me laugh out loud.
a.) You must act with honesty and sportsmanship at all times so that you represent the honor and dignity of fair play and the generally recognized high standards associated with wholesome competitive sports. [NCAA Bylaw 10.01.1
I have no idea what kind of Orwellian jackass wrote clause A, but he/she/they/aliens should be flogged publicly with a whip of nine tails as a complimentary theraputic healing activity to promote wholesomeness of the soul and the self. Also, unless Delvon Roe's Hobbled Knee is actually the name of his Speakeasy, he's in the clear here.
Amateurism – All Sports.
a. You are not eligible for participation in a sport if you have ever (1) Taken pay, or the promise of pay, for competing in that sport. [Bylaw 12.1.2] (2) Agreed (orally or in writing) to compete in professional athletics in that sport. Exception: Prior to collegiate enrollment, in sports other than men's ice hockey and skiing, you agreed to compete on a professional team provided the agreement did not provide for more than actual and necessary expenses and you did not receive more than actual and necessary expenses. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.2.5.1] (3) Played on any professional athletics team as defined by the NCAA in that sport. Exception: Prior to enrollment, in sports other than men's ice hockey and skiing, you competed on a professional team provided you did not receive more than actual and necessary expenses. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.2.3.2.1] (4) Used your athletics skill for pay in any form in that sport. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.1.2.4] Exceptions: (a) Prior to collegiate enrollment, you accepted prize money based on place finish or performance in an open athletics event from the sponsor of the event and the amount of prize money did not exceed your actual and necessary expenses to participate in the event; or [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.1.2.4.1] (b) After collegiate enrollment, you accepted prize money based on place finish or performance outside your sport's playing and practice season and during the summer vacation period in an open athletics event from the sponsor of the event and the amount of prize money did not exceed your actual and necessary expenses to participate in the event. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.1.2.4.2] b. You are not eligible in a sport if you ever have accepted money, transportation or other benefits from an agent or agreed to have an agent market your athletics ability or reputation in that sport. [Bylaw 12.3.1] c. You are not eligible in any sport if, after you become a student-athlete, you accept any pay for promoting a commercial product or service or allow your name or picture to be used for promoting a commercial product or service. [Bylaws 12.5.2.1 and 12.5.2.2] d. You are not eligible in any sport if, because of your athletics ability, you were paid for work you did not perform, were paid at a rate higher than the going rate or were paid for the value an employer placed on your reputation, fame or personal following. [Bylaw 12.4]
a. You are not eligible for participation in a sport if you have ever
(1) Taken pay, or the promise of pay, for competing in that sport. [Bylaw 12.1.2]
(2) Agreed (orally or in writing) to compete in professional athletics in that sport.
Exception: Prior to collegiate enrollment, in sports other than men's ice hockey and skiing, you agreed to compete on a professional team provided the agreement did not provide for more than actual and necessary expenses and you did not receive more than actual and necessary expenses. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.2.5.1]
(3) Played on any professional athletics team as defined by the NCAA in that sport.
Exception: Prior to enrollment, in sports other than men's ice hockey and skiing, you competed on a professional team provided you did not receive more than actual and necessary expenses. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.2.3.2.1]
(4) Used your athletics skill for pay in any form in that sport. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.1.2.4]
Exceptions:
(a) Prior to collegiate enrollment, you accepted prize money based on place finish or performance in an open athletics event from the sponsor of the event and the amount of prize money did not exceed your actual and necessary expenses to participate in the event; or [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.1.2.4.1]
(b) After collegiate enrollment, you accepted prize money based on place finish or performance outside your sport's playing and practice season and during the summer vacation period in an open athletics event from the sponsor of the event and the amount of prize money did not exceed your actual and necessary expenses to participate in the event. [Bylaws 12.1.2 and 12.1.2.4.2]
b. You are not eligible in a sport if you ever have accepted money, transportation or other benefits from an agent or agreed to have an agent market your athletics ability or reputation in that sport. [Bylaw 12.3.1]
c. You are not eligible in any sport if, after you become a student-athlete, you accept any pay for promoting a commercial product or service or allow your name or picture to be used for promoting a commercial product or service. [Bylaws 12.5.2.1 and 12.5.2.2]
d. You are not eligible in any sport if, because of your athletics ability, you were paid for work you did not perform, were paid at a rate higher than the going rate or were paid for the value an employer placed on your reputation, fame or personal following. [Bylaw 12.4]
Well there it is, in section c. Roe has been auditioning for gigs and has even been in a movie called AWOL. He's represented or does work for the Okemos Talent Agency(that annual trip to the mall was good for something!). An argument could be made for or against d. as a higher rate of pay but I think it would be inconclusive either way. An argument could probably also be made for b. NOT THAT (b). but it seems to apply to athletic agents as opposed to Big Fancy Movie Star Agents.
The Russell Wilson/Brandon Weeden/Drew Henson Argument
So why was it cool for these guys to play Pro Baseball and then be college QB's in the fall? They accepted their money as professional baseball players so they were eligible to play College Football. So if Delvon Roe had left college and become a Professional Competitive Eater or a Professional Golfer, it'd be cool for him to suit up on Saturday.
A One-Day Retirement Clause
It's too late for this and won't help Delvon Roe for Sunday, but would it really be such an awful idea to have a One-Day Retirement Clause? All of the professional sports are allowed to sign guys to one day contracts so they can retire as a member of "their team". In just the list above, there are two exceptions to six rules, would it really be so unwieldy to add a One-Day Only Retirement Clause? Update 3/2 9:34AM: The idea being allow the person to dress with the team, warm-up, be a player in every sense except actually playing the game. This was implied, but it was late when I finished the post and I think it needs to be spelled out. After all, this isn't corporate tax law or anything.
As far as Delvon goes, don't feel sorry for him. Delvon Roe is a great kid who seems to have found acting makes him happy. There are worse fates to befall someone than realizing your original goal was really just a waypoint to a different path. Hell, some of us should be so lucky as that. While there might be a sting for him not playing Sunday, he has a whole career of proud memories to look back on as a Spartan. He's welcome home anytime he likes.
Earlier in the week, an article was written on Cantonrep.com titled "Buckeyes-Spartans Recruiting War Heating Up". In it, the author goes on to make Pat Narduzzi sound like an angry ex who felt he's been cheated out of things that rightfully belong to him. Further, Narduzzi goes on to talk about a gentlemen's agreement which existed between Dantonio and Tressel that involved leaving recruits unpoached.
Actual photographic evidence of when this agreement was made. Tressel, McJimbers and Dantonio
Normally, this wouldn't be cause to write a post, Narduzzi makes Dantonio look like Matt Lauer in front of a mike so you can't take him too seriously. However, this all came up yesterday again in the introductory press conference for the new recruits. In a Detroit News article titled "Mark Dantonio says recruiting committed players 'unethical'" It contains transcript from yesterday's press conference referencing the Urbaning of former MSU commit Se'Von Pittman.
It didn't sit well with the Spartans coaches and a few days ago defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi spoke about a "recruiting war" beginning. On Wednesday, the feelings hadn't changed, though the Michigan State coaches were careful not to single out any team or coach. "I would say it's pretty unethical," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "You ask people for a commitment, you ask for people's trust, ask for people to make a commitment to you, but then you turn around and say it's OK to go back after somebody else's commitment. That's a double standard. "Everybody's got a job to do, there's a lot of pressure, but we're all grown men and we're trying to do a job, just like society today in every respect, whether it's a reporter or doctor or lawyer or somebody else. People are gonna try and do their job, they're gonna do what they have to do to get it done sometimes."
It didn't sit well with the Spartans coaches and a few days ago defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi spoke about a "recruiting war" beginning.
On Wednesday, the feelings hadn't changed, though the Michigan State coaches were careful not to single out any team or coach.
"I would say it's pretty unethical," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said. "You ask people for a commitment, you ask for people's trust, ask for people to make a commitment to you, but then you turn around and say it's OK to go back after somebody else's commitment. That's a double standard.
"Everybody's got a job to do, there's a lot of pressure, but we're all grown men and we're trying to do a job, just like society today in every respect, whether it's a reporter or doctor or lawyer or somebody else. People are gonna try and do their job, they're gonna do what they have to do to get it done sometimes."
Look, I get that we're all pissed Meyer stole Pittman, but this seems over the top to me. Complaining about the poaching of an admittedly marquee recruit during your Signing Day PC seems petty. Pittman would have been a valuable addition to this class, but MSU will do without him as well.
I've never believed that Dantonio lives by this uber-ethical recruiting code as it pertains to committed kids. He may well have had a Gentlemen's Agreement with Tressel but both OSU and MSU fans can agree the greatest evil of the Big Ten lives in Ann Arbor. For Dantonio regarding committed kids, I've had the feeling that he'll put in a call and if they say no then he lets it go. Coincidentally, this is exactly what Meyer said yesterday.
"Sometimes they say, 'How can you go recruit a young guy committed to another school?'" Meyer said. "You ask a question, 'Are you interested?' If they say, 'No,' you move on. If they say, 'Yes, very interested,' then you throw that hook out there. If they're interested, absolutely [you recruit them], especially from your home state. Is it gratifying to take a guy from another school? Not at all."
Something tells me the process of saying no to Urbz goes a bit more like this though.
I want to have Se'Von Pittman play football here. Call him and see if he's interested.
No Urbz. No Dice.
Deploy the hookers and coke, ask if he's interested now.
Cars and tats?
Offer my heartfelt allegiance and this Simpsons Yo-Yo
Se'Von Pittman is on the phone.
What's always surprised me most of this adherence to an ethical code is that it is so counter to Dantonio's on the field attitude. On the field, Dantonio will gamble the whole game on a trick play because he knows he has a chance to play on the assumptions of others that a FG will be a FG and a punt a punt. Why does it surprise him so that someone would be willing to do the same thing in recruiting?
The class of 2013 needs to be man-by-man one of the strongest at MSU since he came here in 2007. MSU has enjoyed the on-field success of an elite program the past four years using elite recruits from the class of 2009 and 2010. The classes of 2011 and 2012 are solid and 2012 is not far off from 2010 from a rating perspective, but if we want to continue having eleven win seasons and playing for Big Ten titles MSU needs to recruit at it's 2009 and 2010 level consistently.
In short, if Dantonio needs to ask a second time if a recruit means "No" when he calls, that's fine with me. Given the Urbaning of the Big Ten it's going to become part of what's necessary to win in November.
Do you remember when everyone was freaking out about Narduzzi leaving for Texas A&M? A&M was going to bring in the money truck and that would be that. It would have involved doubling Duzzer's salary, allegedly, to pay him equally to the A&M offer.
Well, the check is here and it's time to pay up.
Normally this is the part where I would come in with the populist rage and expect to continue the pace of success MSU football has enjoyed without this newly instituted manadatory "donation". That's not what this post is going to be about though, this post is going to be about how this "donation" has become a part of most major college football programs. In this ESPN article from 2006!!, they talk about 50 yard seats at Florida going for $12,000 a season a seat. All of a sudden an extra 500 looks pretty reasonable by comparison. Some other schools that participate in this "mandatory donation" program are Florida, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama, LSU, Michigan and Nebraska.
Why is it important to keep up with the Joneses? Well, for starters in this article written a few weeks ago the following point gets made:
The average Bowl Subdivision assistant made nearly 11% more in 2011 than he did last year, USA TODAY's third survey of assistant coaches' compensation finds. Since 2009, the average pay for FBS assistants has increased to more than $182,000 from just over $155,000 — an 18% jump.
I don't recall what the salary of an assistant coach who is not the recruiting coordinator, offensive coordinator or defensive coordinator is, but it was below that $182,000 dollar mark last I checked. (The number 155k is what's in my mind). Michigan State had a better W-L record of all but seven teams in 2010-2011. Boise State, TCU, Alabama, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma State and Stanford. I believe of those seven teams Alabama and LSU have mandatory football donations. Oklahoma State has T. Boone Pickens, Stanford is a private school, Oregon has Phil Knight, BSU and TCU aren't BCS schools.
If you're curious how much the cost of your season ticket is going up, you can find out right here. Mine are going up 50 dollars per seat. At an average of 51 dollars per ticket per game, MSU is now squarely competing with the Lions for your season ticket buck. I attended several games with a Lions season ticket holder last year who sat in the endzone in the 100 sections for 58 dollars a ticket. Luckily you save money on the 8 dollar beers.
While it might seem I'm against this uptick in costs, I am in fact for it, conditionally. I mean look at the MSU home schedule in 2012. Boise State, Notre Dame, EMU and the fighting Mike Harts, OSU, Nebraska, Iowa and Northwestern, that's a fantastic home schedule. There will be a number of memorable games there. And who wouldn't want to add MSU to a list and have it look like this: Florida, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Alabama, LSU, Michigan and Nebraska. As college football programs go, that's a pretty damn elite echelon.
The only problem is that for me as a fan, this moves the needle on program success from a nice-to-have to must-have. If MSU fans are going to pay Alabama-like ticket prices, it's not unreasonable to expect Alabama-like success. I have every faith that Mark Dantonio can deliver, but it bothers me a bit that I feel like he has to.
The game should be incredible. Statistically, the only difference between these two teams is what they each had for breakfast this morning. Incredible defenses and good offenses. It could very possibly be a quality defensive 10-7 type game.
I respect the hell out of this 2011 Spartan Squad. I thought their regular season ceiling was 9-3 and I thought all three would be in the Big Ten. A win at OSU? Unpossible! Four in a row against UM. Very Difficult! Getting the monkey off our back at Iowa. Eh. Not very likely. Yet, we did ALL of those things and we played in the first ever Big Ten title game. So it feels cheap to draw my line in the sand on this issue.
Yet, I laid out my Herculean Effort to go to the game a few weeks ago for the game in Indy. I blew out my voice in the concourse leading the Go Green/Go White cheer before kickoff. I like the rest of Spartan Nation had my still-beating heart ripped from my chest with unfathomable sadness. The promise of a good game, while likely, is as of right now an empty promise. Unless I was burning Benjamins to run my furnace, I don't think I'd go to the Outback Bowl.
It's not the Outback Bowl's fault. I wouldn't be excited to go to the Sugar Bowl either. The Cap One Bowl three years out of four does not a good time make. I think this is MSU's best matchup and opportunity to create a competitive and interesting bowl game. Yet, I'm just kind of numb to the whole thing, or was kind of numb until yesterday. Now I'm pissed, again, not with the Outback Bowl.
The Argument
"MSU's fans need to show up so future Bowl Selection Committees don't view MSU as a school who won't support their team."
My blood boiled a bit after reading this argument. Here's a fact. "The Spartans have ranked among the NCAA's top 25 in attendance each of the last 55 seasons, including 19th in 2010, averaging 73,556 fans per game." Well fine, that's home attendance, we'll overlook the fact that the Football team has sucked for probably half of those years. Rexrode dropped this nugget a few days ago: "MSU fans have done well in Florida recently, bringing an estimated 30,000 to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando in 2009 and 2011.A Capital One Bowl exec gushed to me about MSU fan support a few weeks ago, saying it kept MSU in the discussion for that game despite the fact that MSU has been in Orlando in three of the past four years (the Spartans played there in the Champs Sports Bowl in December of 2007)." I was at the Big Ten title game, I feel comfortable saying that was 60/40 in favor of MSU.
We travel. We show up. We support our team. In 2006, when MSU went 4-8 and John L slapped himself out of a job, 70,819 fans showed up on average to all the games. That's 94.4 percent of the stadium in a year where MSU almost lost to Idaho. Don't even get me started on how well supported the basketball team is.
It's cliche and shitty to argue that the bowl system sucks without offering another alternative, but explain to me how this makes more sense than nothing? If MSU's attendance numbers don't speak for themselves, what will? Are we short the requisite number of fairweather fans? If that's the problem, maybe we're better off that way.
Anyway, go to the game if you have the means, it should be a good one. This is not a crusade to persuade people to stay home. This is a complaint that the notion that MSU doesn't travel off these sluggish sales for it's team is stupid and petty. For my own part, I'll be at home, having an ironic Bloomin' Onion party and rooting like hell for my Spartans. But don't question the MSU fanbase, we've been rocking out the NCAA attendance top 25 since before this game was called the Hall of Fame Bowl and we'll continue doing so long after Outback has sold the naming rights to someone else.
