Dr. Green and White Sports Authority

Today, I present to you an underdog story. Strap Purl might even refer to it as a story of David versus Goliath. The Michigan State Spartans football team is in the midst of a suddenly tumultuous season. The loss last week to the Bruins of UCLA has shaken the small, football-loving community of East Lansing to its core. This week, the Spartans travel to the city of Bloomington to face the mighty Indiana Hoosiers. The Hoosiers are big and athletic and suddenly ranked No. 3 in the country. The Spartans find themselves banged up and with a shrinking bench. The odds are heavily stacked against them. To add to the drama, Michigan State has a coach that is suddenly under fire. Members of the community are speaking out and questing if he is the right man for the job.  But Head Coach Jonathan Smith is undaunted by the criticism. He is focused on getting back to work. His team needs get back to basics. There needs to be a focus on fundamental and defense and on all 11 guys on the field func...

I noticed something odd during my drive to East Lansing on Saturday morning. When I left my house, the skies were mostly clear and the sun was shining. It looked like a beautiful fall day in Michigan. I was expecting a beautiful day for football in Spartan Stadium. But as I approached East Lansing from the east on I-96, I noticed a large bank of grey, dark cloud rising up in front of me. It looked like some sort of meteorological depression was hovering over the city. I did not realize it at the time, but it was a dark portent for what was about to transpire on the gridiron. I was confident that after two tough road games in a row, the Michigan State Spartans would play a disciplined, sharp game of football on homecoming against the 1-4 UCLA Bruins. I expected a double-digit, feel good win that would set the stage for the backend of the season and a likely bowl game for the first time since 2021. I was wrong. Instead, it was UCLA that came ready to play. The Bruins mauled the Spartans ...

There are times when a certain person, group, or piece of creative media rises into the public consciousness, seemingly from nowhere. In some cases, these concepts burst onto the scene and burn as bright as a supernova but soon fade into eternal darkness.  In pop music, artists of this ilk are known as one-hit wonders. I would wager that many or all of you have heard the songs "Come on Eileen", "Tainted Love", "My Sharona", "Baby Got Back", "Mickey", and "I'm Too Sexy". Some of you can probably name the singer or group behind each of those songs. But can you name literally any other song from that artist? Me neither. The world of sports can also have its share of one-hit wonders and I am not just talking about the theme of my Against All Odds article from earlier in the week. Sometimes a player, a coach, or a program can turn the beat around for a game or even a season before fading once again into obscurity.  But sometime...

I learned something new this weekend about Big Ten traditions. Fans of the University of Nebraska historically release a series of red balloons after the first touchdown is scored at a home football game. My internet research tells me that this tradition started in the 1960s and was suspended in 2022 due to concerns over the environmental impact and global helium shortages.  The tradition was partially brough back in 2024 for special occasions such as this weekend's homecoming game against Michigan State. A release of said red balloons was visible on the television broadcast following the score in the first quarter of the Cornhuskers' 38-27 win over the Michigan State Spartans. Because I grew up in the 1980s, the sight of a large number of red balloons immediately made me think of this: A little bit more internet research reminded me that the ballad "99 Luftballons" by the West German band Nena is actually a cautionary tale about the dangers of overreaction.  The lyri...