OT: Dantonio's Digs
I enjoyed watching a large portion of the B10 media day, and a few things stood out to me regarding our favorite smack-talker, Mark Dantonio...
1) All of the 6 coaches I saw ended their comments within the first minute or so, in order to give the media time to ask questions. Dantonio held the floor for what seemed like 10.
And what was he talking about in those ten minutes? Oh, just a few jabs at UM, which should be predictable by now, I guess...
2) Dantonio listed three reasons that MSU is sweet, brah. First, was stability in the coaching staff. Specifically, "we have not lost a single coach on our defensive staff." Zing! Keep 'em coming, Mark. "What that gives us is an opportunity to critique rather than really reinvent things and have to have our players re-learn because we have a different coordinator. We've maintained both coordinators, so our terminology and the things that we do has been consistent."
...the next reason MSU is sweet brah was of course everybody's favorite topic over the last few weeks...
3) "we've had very low attrition in terms of the players that we've had. We have not lost many players. We've been able to keep those players in the program, and because of that, they continue to grow and mature not just as football players, but also as students and also as people, which are our goals."
I'm probably being a little over-sensitive to Dantonio's comments these days, but after making fun of fellow height-challenged Wolverine Mike Hart, I don't put anything past this Jim Tressel re-tread. The tone of his speech was different from the others that I did watch, though. I don't dispute that he's a good, if not very good, coach that fits in well at MSU. But ugh, his complex seems to shine through oh-so-easily. Anyway, the full transcripts and videos of each coach can be found here:
http://www.bigtennetwork.com/twitter/Live-Chat-2009-Football-Media-Days.asp
Dantonio is a d-bag as far as I'm concerned. He'd rather have M lose then M win and MSU to the Rose Bowl. What an idiot.
He is PERFECT for Sparty.
My hate for Dantonio continues to grow. Just when I think that I can not hate him any more, he has a douchey press conference like this. He's been planning on saying that for weeks, I'm sure. I definitely agree that he is a d-bag. I don't like the guy and I don't like how he speaks in general.
MGoTransfers Galore
Regardless of the outcome of The Game, if Sparty had beaten PSU, then MSU would've been B10 champs. I think the whole Rose Bowl thing was overblown, especially since MSU probably would've ended up as a BCS at large.
How do I get negative points for this post?
Dantonio is a d-bag...GO BLUE!!
one more "good" year at MSU and danantonio is gone anyway. i dont buy for a second any of that talk hes where he wants to be and blah blah. msu is a second rate program at the end of the day.
Last year I saw a "coaches who will soon be moving on to bigger and better things" list and, uh, he was on it lol.
"I was just laughin'. I thought it was funny. They got all excited, it's good. You know how you get your little brother all excited when you're playin' basketball and stuff - let him get the lead. And then you just come back and take it back."
c'mon guys, take it easy! he's a mom!
Well i hope you leave enough room for my fist, so i can ram it into your stomach, and break your goddamn spine!!-Lloyd Carr
I have a feeling that Coach is taking this all in and will not say a word off the field about it. Instead, wait until our Offense is humming and then drop 70 points on MSU. That should get his point across!
GO BLUE!
are " being a little over-sensitive to Dantonio's comments these days." Seriously, be a little more objective, he was just stating the positives of his program. This does not have anything to do with RR or Michigan.
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
"Seriously, be a little more objective, he was just stating the positives of his program."
I could care less what Dantonio says, but his comments are clearly meant to contrast what's been going on lately at U-M. He has endeared himself to the Spartans fan base with these kinds of things (pride before the fall and whatnot). If he wanted to "state the positives" surely there are better ones than those he mentioned.
LIAR!
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user lol
caused i laughed hard ... Mark D'umbbitch clearly is yaking a poke at us .. thats alright i will enjoy watching us stomp state as a michigan fan in the state student section on oct 3
Just Win Baby
I came in here thinking I was going to see pictures of Dantonio's house. I leave thinking Dantonio is a bigger doucheknob than I previously thought.
I was thinking he bought a new "crib" (is that still the term?) as well.
"I'm so ahead of my time, my parents haven't met yet"
Guys. It's true - they haven't lost a coach. That's good. It helps recruiting, continuity, scheme, etc. They haven't had much attrition. That's also good. What do you want the man to say?
on here is objective. +1
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
Why did you change your pic bro? That bill murray Caddyshack pic is hilarious.
JLOW
not sure why you are seeing a different pic. My pic should still be Bill Murray.
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
Its Bill Murray now, but wasn't it a Sparty face or something? Not being a jerk or anything. Just want to make sure Im not seeing things.
JLOW
Well, he can talk about any of the other 832 items that comprise a football program; the first 3 minutes of his speech was entirely comprised of (not so) subtle jabs at UM's program. Yes, they're all true, but come on, he totally had ulterior motives. Would you really put it past him?
are the most important subjects of a football program.
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
For a program that has none? Michigan also didn't have anyone seriously injured, didn't have the practice facility collapse, and didn't have a meteor destroy the big house, etc.
Yeah, I guess the coaches and people leaving decide how a program performs, not the players or anything. You are the only Spartan fan I have respect for, please don't lose it.
but I am not going to sit back and watch you guys trash Dantonio. I respect you and most of the posters on this board, but I think this is unprovoked attack. For most of you posters who say you could careless about MSU, this just proves you do.
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
I kind of like him. He embodies the State inferiority complex. Even when he is successful he has to constantly compare himself to Michigan and try to convince himself that his program is better. Nothing makes the rivalry better than making the State coach have the same personality as the typical State student.
Simply stated: Go Blue
Do you know what the questions asked of him were? In other words, what prompted those responses?
That's the silliest thing - all of these quotes came from the very beginning of his remarks, before he opened himself up for questions. These were all completely unsolicited comments.
It was a rehearsed speech before he yielded for questions!
His comments were clearly aimed at us, no doubt about it.
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user lol
I watched the speech, and I just don't see it. Yes, it was a rehearsed speech, but that shouldn't necessarily be surprising. He had one overarching theme: consistency in personnel. If he's trying to build something, I have to think that is one of the keys to success. And if his turnover is low, it's something to be proud of, because that doesn't seem to happen too often anymore.
Dantonio may be a dick sometimes, but these aren't jabs at UM or Rodriguez here. This is more a case of UM fans finding issues where there are none.
Recent recipient of the First Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence
disagreed. You don't go on naming off that stuff as your three best qualities as a team. I really don't feel like rehashing everything that's already been said, there was a reply toward the end of this thread that summed it up pretty well, hang on a minute...
This was Jabberwock's reply, I'm reposting:
Most of it is normal rah rah coach-speak.
however, I think SOME of the commentary was definitely intended as a dig at Michigan.
Mentioning the lack of attrition . . . I can understand, it's important to a program, but not usually part of a "top 3 great things about us" speech.
The coaching change topic WAS a dig at Michigan.
How is a non-event, actually even a topic of discussion, let alone one of the top three positives for your program?
If someone had asked him to list an advantage he thought MSU had over Michigan this year I would expect that kind of answer, but not out of the blue.
Here's how it goes:
He states that no coaches (anywhere) have left. (why is he talking about coaches leaving)
Then he says that the defense hasn't had any coaches leave (we understood you the first time, what's your point?)
Then he specifically mentions that his defensive coordinator hasn't left, so his kids won't be confused about new terms, etc. ( . . . Oh, I get it, he's obsessed about Michigan, now this topic makes sense.)
On another note, he keeps mentioning the 3 things about the program, but VERY CLEARLY lists 5 positive items for 2009.
With math skills like that, maybe we'll see a lot of 3rd down punts.
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user lol
Thanks for the bump TIMMMAAY.
I type too slow and get distracted by the phobia that somewhere in my house, . . . Spores are growing.
By the time I eventually hit Save, everything has usually been said.
insert pithy quote here
Spores? What kind?
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user lol
Rather than repost, please see my comments below in response to Jabberwock. In sum, I just think there is a perfectly reasonable, and more probable, interpretation of those comments. It doesn't excuse his past comments. It's only to say that not everything that comes out of his mouth has UM in mind.
Recent recipient of the First Annual Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Excellence
some are reading to much into his comments.
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
for Slate.com. You can be gratuitously contrarian all the goddamn time over there, and you might even get paid for it.
There are lots of good little tidbits coaches can come up with for these kind of press conferences. It doesn't make any sense to ask "what do you want the man to say" as though he were obligated to report that no coaches or players had left the program.
n/m-fuck, I can't get a reply anywhere near the original comment.
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user lol
definitely ON topic brah! No need for the OT
This should surprise no one. And Spartyon, well...when a coach immediately installs a countdown clock when he arrives, mockingly asks for a moment of silence when a different team loses, and proceeds to engage a college kid in trash talk through the media after a game...well, the benefit of the doubt no longer applies.
Dantonio is a petulant child. He has fueled the MSU propoganda machine and has been the #1 negative recruiter against Michigan over the past year for a reason: he's afraid. Just like every other Michigan State fan is afraid. They're afraid because they sense what they believe to be weakness for the first time in 40 years. For the first time in their lives, they believe they have a chance to shed the moniker that has followed them for their existence. "Little Brother" is putting it mildly. "Immature Little Bitch" would be more accurate for both the mindset MSU has carried for decades, and the behavior Mark Dantonio exhibits. You can have fun with William Gholston and Mylan Hicks and Chris Norman. See if you can build a successful team based on Michigan talent and playing 2nd-3rd fiddle in Ohio.
I've had more than one person ask me, either here or through email, when I'm going to return to blogging over at GS. I'm not going to start shamelessly plugging my own site here, but suffice it so say, it's coming, and the topic is obvious.
And to the Spartans, I say enjoy this while you can. Whether you like it or not, history is on our side, and we will bury you.
http://genuinelysarcastic.blogspot.com
Look, I don't deny that the countdown clock, the "Pride before the fall", the Hart comments - all were classless. I'll give you all of that.
But these comments are incredibly innocuous. They mean nothing. Parsing every press conference for the smallest thing to find umbrage in strike me first as an incredibly unhappy endeavor, and second, pathetic.
While I'm not exactly offended by these comments, I wouldn't be surprised if he intended them as a bit of a jab at us. I mean, it's kind of weird to answer a question about the big selling point of your program by saying "We didn't lose anybody." That's the best thing about MSU's football program?
If you seriously believe that he didn't intend those to be a dig at Michigan at least as much as selling points for his program (lack of attrition is never something I've heard of as a selling point -- it's not like Rodriguez is giving these guys the RayRay treatment of Clemson, these guys are leaving on their own), then perhaps I could interest you in some Enron and Worldcom stock?
The guy's track record speaks for itself. He knew EXACTLY what he was saying.
I agree that not losing coaches can be a positive, but continuity for its own sake is not always good -- coaches who can't get the job done should be gotten rid of, it does players a disservice to have continuity in that case.
I'm sorry - I just get sick of listening about the latest thing that Dantonio did "to prove he's classless". People nitpicking his verbiage in a press-conference to find something to be offended by, then laughing at how "obsessed" Dantonio is with UM (despite, you know, going over the minutae of everything he says) is tiring. Winning will shut him up. He won last year, he can crow. Seriously people - just shut up, deal with it, and hope we win.
I guess I just don't see the big deal. If the man directly attacks Michigan (the Mike Hart fiasco, for example) that's one thing. Touting his program's stability, though, is not cause for outrage. He's either just stating fact or he's making some sort of feeble passive aggressive dig. If the later is the case, though, I mean program stability? This is supposed to make me angry? Not worth the effort.
you are also a reasonable poster. I don't understand the hatred of MSU, Dantonio, and now me?
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
If you're going to go to another team's message board, show some fucking spine and quite whining about how you don't understand why everyone isn't being a little bit nicer to you.
Lame.
because I think most Michigan alum/fans are reasonable people and are very knowledgeable when it comes to college athletics. I am not whining, just astounded by the comments about MSU.
" If it weren`t for pickpockets, I`d have no sex life at all." -Rodney Dangerfield
South Park.
Oh, very sorry, we were just distracted by your HUGE American penises!
The bottom line is that the coaches do not play on Saturdays. The teams do, so let them talk! Settle it on the field. May the best team win. NO POINTS FOR SECOND PLACE!
JLOW