Random Sports Thoughts: MSU Football Edition

The Michigan State Spartans opened up their 2012-13 campaign with two wins. The first was a tough, ugly 17-13 win over Boise State. The followed that with a rare road trip to Mount Pleasant, and beat Central Michigan 41-7. Here are a few thoughts from those games, as well as things on my mind for Sparty going forward. 

Maxwell's House- After the Spartans win against Boise State, my Facebook timeline was full comments about Andrew Maxwell. Spartan fans were nervous and wishing for a Kirk Cousins sighting. Wolverine fans were calling him a worse passer than Denard Robinson(pure comedy). The knee jerk reaction was amazing and mostly off-base. While his week one performance was less than impressive, some perspective is needed. The Spartans defense, and running game will be enough to win most games. They simply need Maxwell to make plays necessary to keep teams honest, and not make any costly mistakes. He does not have to be a superstar for the Spartans to win. There will come a time that he has to win a game, and I believe he is capable of that. For now though, please relax, and let's see how Maxwell matures. The book here says the kid will be alright. 

Just Nasty: Michigan State's defense is nastier than Cullen Bohannon and Elam Ferguson defending Durant, Nebraska(word to AMC's "Hell On Wheels"). Through two games they have allowed a total of six points, and no touchdowns. Running the ball against them has been pretty much futile, and they get pressure on the quarterback at an aggressive rate. The knock on them has always been the secondary, but they are improved as well. There are not any holes in what is the best defense not named Alabama, or LSU in the country. With the horrible offense being played by most B1G teams, this defense should dominate for the entire season. 

Bellwether- One definition for bellwether is a person or thing that assumes leadership or forefront. That is a great way to describe Le'Veon Bell's new role as the featured back for the Spartans. He shown glimpses of a being special back since his Freshman year. So far this season, he has shown how special he can be. He literally carried  MSU in the win over Boise State. With 210 yards on 44 carries, and 6 catches for 55 yards, he outgained Boise by himself. It was an epic performance, yet alarming. Backups Larry Caper, and Nick Hill must step up. The B1G is going to be a long grind, and while the Spartans have found their "Bellwether", they can not overuse him. 

Room For Improvement: The Spartans face a test this weekend with Notre Dame coming in. The Spartans will need a solid effort from their receiving corps and back-up running backs in this one. Against Boise State, the receivers had drops that led to interceptions. This can not happen in the game this weekend against Notre Dame and going forward in the B1G season. They need to contribute to the offense, in order to keep other teams from loading up against Le'Veon Bell. 

Backup running backs Larry Caper and Nick Hill must show they can be productive when they get on the field. They are not being asked to be world beaters, but take at least fifteen carries, and make something positive happen. Fifty touches in one game is entirely too much, and if the Spartans need that from Le'Veon Bell to win, this season may end in another trip to a bowl not named Rose. 

Pasadena or Bust: Prior to the season, I expressed to a few people that I expected the Spartans to be in the Rose Bowl this year. With the defense and running game as good as it is, and steady development from Maxwell, this was not too lofty of an expectation. After three weeks of seeing other B1G teams, anything less will be a true disappointment. The Spartans are far from a perfect team, but they along with Ohio State are the class of the B1G this year. That will be a great game when they come to East Lansing on September 29. Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Michigan will provide tough tests, but the Spartans should be able to get past them all. So, I stand even firmer in my preseason thoughts. This year is Rose Bowl or bust for the Spartans. 

There you have a few of my thoughts after two Michigan State football games. This has the potential to be a special season for the Spartans. I look forward to watching, and sharing my thoughts on it with you all as the season goes. Thank you, and be on the lookout for the next blog. 

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message.  

Follow me on twitter @JimmyLWilsonJr

NFL Week One Picks

Week One of the NFL season kicks off about nine hours from now. With that, I'd like to introduce what will be a weekly(that's the plan) feature on my blog. I will highlight the three games that intrigue me the most. Give picks on those, as well as the rest of the games for the week. Here are the picks for week one. 

1. 49ers @ Packers: This game may be a NFC conference championship game preview. The Niners return most of their defense that was dominant all of last season. They lost linebacker Parys Haralson to injury in the preseason. That loss will hurt, but this defense should still be great. The offense has to score touchdowns and not field goals in the redzone this season. Hopefully that will improve with the additions they gave Alex Smith. 

The Packers return a team that went 15-1 last season. While that record should not be expected again, the drop off will not be too far. Aaron Rodgers will continue his ascent to best quarterback in the game status. He and his bevy of receivers should have another great season. They will need a little more from the running game, and Cedric Benson may be the back to provide that. 

This will be a tight, hotly-contested game. It should come down to the wire, and the Niners defense will make a play to give them the win in Green Bay. This game will whet our appetites, and leave us looking forward to a possible rematch in January. 

2. Steelers @ Broncos- Peyton Manning makes his regular season debut in Denver in this game. The NFL did not do him any favors by having him open up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Peyton looked great in his final preseason, and it will be interesting to see if he can pull that type of performance off against the Steelers in week one. 

When we last saw the Steelers, they were chasing Demaryius Thomas into the end zone in an overtime loss to Denver in the playoffs. That was a huge upset, and the Steelers will be looking to avenge that loss in week one. 

This will be another good game, however this time, the Steelers will prevail over the Broncos. This is another game we may see again in January. 

3. Redskins @ Saints- Robert Griffin III makes his regular season debut in this game. He is one of five rookies starting at quarterback in the NFL. He has shown a ton of promise, and this road game will be a good test for him to start with. New Orleans fans are always into the game, so it will be good to see how he handles it. 

The Saints finally get to open the season, and begin to turn the page on "Bountygate". This will be the first game without head coach Sean Payton. That fact alone makes this game intriguing to me. We get to find out how important a head coach really is to their team. It will be interesting to see how Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham and Co. handle this season. 

The Saints should pull out a game that will be closer than expected. RGIII and the Redskins will put up points, but it will not be enough to beat the Saints in the Superdome. 

Rest of the Week One Games:

Cowboys@Giants- Giants

Colts@Bears- Bears

Eagles@Browns- Eagles

Rams@Lions- Lions

Dolphins@Texans- Texans

Falcons@Chiefs- Falcons

Jaguars@Vikings- Vikings

Bills@Jets- Jets

Patriots@Titans- Patriots

Seahawks@Cardinals- Seahawks

Panthers@Bucs- Panthers

Bengals@Ravens- Ravens

Chargers@Raiders- Chargers

There you have my pics for Week One. Feel free to post yours in the comments, and we can see who has the better week. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the games this weekend. 

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message. 

  

Tips for A Successful Season: Parents Edition

With the school year starting, I feel it is necessary to give a few tips on how to have a successful athletic season. These tips will work for any sport in which your child participates. Sports can be a great learning tool, however, it will take effort from parents, coaches, and student-athletes for that to happen. So, in the first of a three part series I will address the parents.

1. Support Your Child- Unless you have to work, there is an emergency, or you are sick, there is no excuse for missing a sporting event your child is participating in. When I played, it always brought a sense of comfort to see my parents before the game started. As a coach, I noticed that my players always played harder when they knew their dad or mom was in the crowd. This support is something that is valuable and will never be forgotten by your child. Please, make sure to put anything you have going on aside for the two to three hours your child will be playing their game. They may not thank you in the moment, but they notice and appreciate you for it.  

2. Support the Coach- The job of a coach is not an easy one. They have to manage the attitudes and/or egos of their players.  At the same time, they need to make sure they have a proper gameplan in place for each game. Most importantly, they have to make sure that the players are successful where it matter most; in the classroom. That is plenty to deal with. As parents, you should do your job to make that easy as possible. You will disagree with some decisions the coach makes during games. You may not like the amount of playing time that your child is getting. However, you should never voice these gripes in front of your child. Your child will not show their coach respect unless you do.   Therefore, I recommend discussing issues and/or concerns you may have with the coach in private.  Public confrontations with the coach can be damaging to your reputation among other coaches, and correspondingly hinder your child in their future endeavors


3. Be Realistic- On every team there is a pecking order. Some players are more talented than others and playing time is given based on that. You need to be realistic about the skill level of your child relative to that of other players on the team. Unless he/she is in a league that requires everyone to play, they may not get the playing time you expect.  Instead of pacifying their complaints, or voicing yours, try talking to them about why they are not getting playing time. Are they playing hard in practice? Are they attentive? What are they doing to improve their game? Those three things alone can help a player get time where they normally would not. Acting like they are entitled to playing time simply because they are on the team will not.


4. Learn From Losing- Handling adversity and failure is one of the biggest learning tools that come from sports. Dealing with these things in sports, will help your child as they progress through school, and even adulthood. However, they can not learn from hardship by having excuses made whenever these situations come about. That can have the same effect on them in life and they will become excuse makers. Last year, my team at the Boys and Girls Club won a tournament game against a team that beat us by thirty points in the regular season. Walking out of the gym, I overheard a mother from the other team tell her son, "They did not beat you guys, the refs gave them the game." We won by thirteen points, and there was not much doubt about who was going to win throughout the game. It was extremely hurtful to hear because it simply contributes to the notion that we are not in control of our own destiny.  Children do not have to correct mistakes or work to be better, just blame someone else for your failure. We may not realize it, but those types of lessons can come back to haunt the child as he/she gets older. Instead, ask him/her what they could do differently or improve upon? Do not give them excuses as a cop out, because they will be thirty year-olds, and still doing that.


5. Encourage The Child- Any athlete is his/her own worst critic. Between the coach, and their own personal thoughts, a player gets beat up enough, so there is no need for you to do that. Instead, be a sounding board for the player. Let them vent, and express their feelings to you. When they have a bad game, the last thing they need is to come home and get brow beat by their parents. Should they choose to talk about it, just listen, offer some encouragement (not excuses), and move on. They will appreciate you for that more than you might realize.


These are just a few tips for a parent to have a successful season. You all play a very vital part in the success of your child, be it positive or negative. Hopefully with these few tips, you will be a positive force as the sports seasons start. In the next edition I will have tips for the coaches. Talk to you then.



I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message.

Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. is a writer that enjoys watching, playing, and talking about sports. He coaches basketball at the Boys and Girls Club of Lansing. You can visit his blog at mrwilson42.blogspot.com for thoughts on current sports events. Follow him on twitter @JimmyLWilsonJr, and feel free to email any feedback to him at jimmyl.wilsonjr@gmail.com.

Boxing Should Own August

The month of August is the bane of my exsistence as a sports fan. The NBA free-agency period has ended. Tim Tebow is being debated for no apparent reason. Preseason football is providing a tease of what is to come. Baseball, golf, and auto-racing are the main sports being played. Those are sports that I can do without. All of that leaves me stuck looking towards September and the start of actual football. My question is, why wouldn't boxing take this month to spotlight itself?

Boxing has been an afterthought in the sports world for years. Between the price of pay-per-views, bad decisions, crooked politics, the heavyweight division dying, and MMA growing, people do not tune in like they used to. Casual fans come out in mass to watch Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquaio fight. That is cool, but how are you going to keep those people coming back when Floyd and Manny retire? You have to introduce up and coming fighters with the hope that casual fans latch on to them. The month of August would be the perfect time to do that. 

On September 8th and 15th there are two fights that have me excited as a die-hard boxing fan . On the 8th, Andre Ward will take on Chad Dawson for a super-middleweight belt. On the 15th, Sergio Martinez will take on Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr for a middleweight belt. Both of these fights will be great battles, and are toss-ups as to who will win. These fights in August would have been perfect to introduce these fighters to the casual fan. Instead, the genius promoters chose to have these fights at the beginning of college football season. Yet another bad move by the boxing establishment. 

Dawson, Ward, and Chavez, Jr. are three fighters that could carry boxing on in the future. Martinez is on the downside of his career, but still a compelling guy nonetheless. These type of fighters, along with others like Danny Garcia, Adrien Broner, Nonito Donaire can carry the next generation of boxing. They are entertaining fighters, with personalities that will make you love or hate them. Garcia and Broner had fights in July. Donaire has a fight coming up in October. Why not have them fight in August so they can showcase their skills and personalities? Probably because that would make too much sense. 

So, boxing, let me introduce you to August. This month could help get you a little more time in the limelight, instead of on the backpages. You can present yourself to a sports starved audience during this month. You can showcase up and coming fighters, so that the casual fan won't declare you dead when Floyd and Manny retire. There are many things you need to do to repair your image. Setting up big time fights during this month can help start that process. Hopefully, next year you take advantage of what this month can do for you, and give me something to enjoy leading up to football season. Thank you for listening.

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message. 

Tips for Fans

As summer turns into fall, we are quickly approaching football season. People will be gathering at stadiums, sports bars, and houses each weekend to watch the games. We will be venting our frustrations on Facebook, Twitter, and sports talk radio. As a courtesy, I would like to offer a few tips to make sure you do not embarrass yourself as a fan. It is very easy to do so, and not even know that you are. So, please take this advice, and govern yourselves accordingly.

1. Be Respectful- Football games bring out a different side for a lot of fans. The most mild mannered person you know will yell, jump around, and get really aggressive while watching their favorite team. All of this is cool, and expected. The problem comes in when that aggression leads them to string together more cuss words than an episode of The Wire. I understand and am happy that we live in a country that embraces Freedom of Speech. However, I should be able to take a child to a game without having them cover their ears to not hear all the cussing around us. Buying a ticket, or a beer does not give you a license to be rude and disrespectful. So, please sir, please ma'am, come up with something better than a sentence full of cuss words when you're upset about the game you are watching. 

2. Know What You Are Talking About- Imagine you are a person that is heavy into politics. You have a watch party for the Presidential election, and invite some friends over. Most of your friends are heavy into politics, and there are some insightful conversations going on. There is one friend who is a casual observer of politics, he is trying to chime into the conversations, but what he says makes no sense. After a while, it begins to get annoying, and you politely ignore him. Well that is the same feeling we get as sports fans during sporting events. This is one of my biggest pet peeves. Why express fake outrage when you do not really know what is going on? Let the people who know what is happening argue about plays, and events in the game. That will keep you from looking like Akeem yelling "Yes, in the face!!!", when it was actually halftime on Coming to America. 

3. Cut The Refs Some Slack-  In a football game, there are between 120-140 plays ran by each team. That means the players have 120-140 chances to influence the game and keep it out of the referees hands. Yet, as fans we tend to blame any close loss on the refs. A painful example of this is the 2011 Big Ten Conference Championship game. Michigan State had a few opportunites to put Wisconsin away. Instead, MSU let them stay close, had a close call go against them, and lost by one point. As much as I wanted to blame the refs, I had to accept, that MSU did not finish Wisconsin off when they should have. It is a tough pill to swallow, but once you do, you will not look like a person crying over spilled milk whenever your team loses a close game. 

4. Pick A Team and Stick With Them- Most of us have teams that we grew up rooting for. As a sports fan, we should realize that our team will not be great every season. In the years that they are not great, you can not jump on the bandwagon of a team that is. This is not a new practice, but with the advent of Facebook and Twitter it has been shown to be very common. They will start the season cheering for one team, then once that team falls off, they will be cheering for whoever is hot. That is a little corny. Pick a team, and if they are down stick with them. It will make the payoff that much sweeter when they begin to win again. Take my word for it as a Michigan State Spartans and San Francisco 49ers fan. 

5. Do Not Talk Until It Is Over- Every fan, myself included, has fallen victim to this. The team you are cheering for is winning early in the game. So, you get on Facebook, or start making phone calls to gloat. Next thing you know, your team falls apart, and eventually loses. Now, you have egg on your face because of all the trash you were talking earlier. Your best bet is to watch the game, enjoy the fact that your team is leading, and save all calls and Facebook statuses until the game is complete. That way you will not have to ignore phone calls and comments on your Facebook page after the game. 

Well there you have it. Just a few tips for my fellow fans to make the upcoming football season go a little smoother. Take heed to these, and you should have a good time from September to January. Thank you for your time, and enjoy the games this fall. 

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message. 

Light Rain On Your Parade

First and foremost, I would like to personally thank Mitch Kupchak, and everyone else involved in bringing the "Dwightmare" to an end. This has gone on entirely too long. From his season of flip-flopping, to all the unfruitful off-season trade rumors during the summer, this has been like a bad reality show. So, thank you for getting Orlando to pimp out the next decade of their organization to get rid of the NBA's new public enemy #1. Now, onto my thoughts on the trade. 

Most Laker fans making plans for June and an anticipated Finals match-up with LeBron James and the Miami Heat. On paper and 2K13, it definitely seems like a foregone conclusion. The Lakers have not only added Dwight Howard, they also acquired Steve Nash, Antwan Jamison, and Jodie Meeks. All of this, and they didn't get rid of Pau Gasol. Those moves give them their strongest roster in years. However, the actual NBA season isn't played on paper or 2K13. Here are a few reasons why I think we should slow down on making our parade floats. 

1. Dwight's Back- Dwight Howard suffered a herniated disk that required surgery. He is optimistically saying that he will be ready for the start of the regular season, but that may not be the case. How do we know that coming back from such a serious injury, he will be the Dwight Howard that we remember on the court? Will the explosion and quickness still be there? That is how he has made his bacon in the league. He is far from a skillful player, which means he depends on his athleticism. Modern medicine has been able to fix a lot, but until Howard returns, assuming he will return the same as he did before his surgery is dangerous. 

2. Chemistry Project- It has been proven in the past that Kobe doesn't play well with other "alpha dogs". See the Shaquille O'Neal years if you need a reminder. Dwight Howard has said himself he doesn't want to play with another superstar. That he wants to be a go-to guy, and the one a team leans on offensively. You're telling me after the season of immaturity he has shown that his mind has changed on that? That line of thinking is naive and irrational. Kobe told him that if he came to L.A., he'll be the third option. Kobe doesn't play games, or deal well with goofy behavior. Those things describe Dwight Howard. Those are just the off the court chemistry problems. On the court, it will be interesting to see how the team's chemistry works. Everyone keeps screaming, pick and roll between Nash and Howard, but where does that leave Pau Gasol? What are they going to do when Metta World Peace decides he's not getting enough shots and starts jacking? We know Kobe is going to get his shots, but trying to figure out how to keep all the other dogs happy is going to be a tough task for Steve Nash. He plays point guard like a chemist, but there may be too many combustible elements for even him to deal with on this project. 

3. OKC's Not Going Away- To make it to the NBA Finals, the Lakers will have to knock off the Oklahoma City Thunder. I'm sorry, but this isn't going to be an automatic win for the Lake Show. Dwight Howard has said himself, the center that gives him the most trouble is Kendrick Perkins. The last time I checked, Perkins is still on the Thunder's roster. Steve Nash couldn't guard Russell Westbrook in his prime. Why do we think he'll be able to even contain him when he's in the twilight of his career? James Harden is still a threat coming off the bench, despite the fact that he played like a buster in the Finals against Miami. Serge Ibaka is great on the defensive end, and serviceable on offense. This is without mentioning arguably the best scorer in the world, Kevin Durant. This is the same team that put the Lakers out last season. They will be just as hungry as the Lakers are after their loss in the Finals. So, before we pencil the Lakers into the Finals, let's remember they will have a classic battle on their hands with OKC. 

I'm sure that this will be seen as "hate", as any dissenting opinion about what the masses think to be true is. The Lakers have made significant upgrades to their roster, and are a definite title contender. However, it is not wise to think a Championship is a guarantee. There is plenty of basketball to be played before a championship parade in the end of June. Consider this blog the voice of reason in case the Lakers do not perform how you expect next season.  For that my friends, you're welcome. 

Moments Social Networking Missed: Olympic Edition

The Olympics have been broadcast in tape-delay form for as long as they have been going on. There is no way to show everything that is happening live. This has not been a problem until this year's Olympiad. With  Facebook and Twitter being bigger factor in life than it was four years ago, it has been hard to avoid results of events to be shown later that night. This has led me to my second installment of "Moments Social Networking Missed". These are moments that would have shut down the internet if social networking was available when they happened. Come with me on this trip down memory lane.

The Dream Team- As we all know, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the greatest team ever assembled. The Dream Team had 11 Hall-Of-Fame players on it. They absolutely destroyed every team that was in their way. While the games weren't competitive, social networking would have had a field day talking about the exploits, and dominance of this team.

Highway Robbery- Before Roy Jones, Jr. became one of the best boxers of our generation, before he told us "Y'all musta Forgot", before he dropped gems as a commentator on HBO, he was part of the worst decision in Olympic boxing history. He absolutely destroyed his opponent, a Korean fighting on his home turf, who was in the final based on a couple of dubious decisions. This article talks about the corruption surrounding the fight and that still exists in Olympic boxing. Roy gives his take, and explains why he still doesn't watch it. Imagine the uproar once this story broke during the Olympics if social networking was around in 88.

Vince Over Weis- No need for a fancy title. Simply put, this is the best in-game dunk in basketball history. Vince Carter was at the height of his "Half-Man Half-Amazing" abilities during the 2000 Olympics. This play typifies that. Twitter explodes when Blake Griffin does his thing, but I think the server would have been shot for hours after this piece of destruction by V.C. Enjoy.

Golden Shoes- Michael Johnson came into the 1996 Olympics looking to make history. He wanted to be the first man to ever win the 200 and 400 meter races in the same year. Not only did he do that, he did it in spectacular fashion. He won the 400 by a full second ahead of the Silver medalist. Three days later, he won the 200 in World Record time, and dominated the field in that as well. He did this all while wearing golden shoes. Usain Bolt always has social networking talking during his events, and Michael Johnson would have too.

So, there you have it. A few moments that weren't destroyed hours in advance by Facebook and Twitter. My best advice, and a familiar refrain from these games is to stay off those sites if you don't want to know what happened. I know it may be tough for some to do, but from here on out, that is the only way that great Olympic moments shown in tape-delay, will seem fresh and new to you when you watch them. Thanks for your time, and be on the look out for the next edition of Moments Social Networking Missed.

I'm Jimmy L. Wilson, Jr. and I approve this message.