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In My View
Updated: Jun. 29, 2020 at 5:21 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Michigan State welcomes freshmen athletes in four sports on campus today. Are they in for some kind of indoctrination. It can be intimidating enough when everything is going well. But these rookie collegians have much to learn in a short period of time and it won’t be easy battling the pandemic let alone other veterans on their various teams.
Updated: Jun. 26, 2020 at 7:25 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Michigan State has now tested its athletes on campus twice and two more who were tested earlier this week tested positive. That’s now three athletes and they go into quarantine. Will the number grow or not and when these athletes return will it be a problem with their teammates? These are all issues that must be determined prior to any fall season being expected to take place.
Updated: Jun. 25, 2020 at 7:14 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
If golf is struggling with the covid virus right now—and several players and caddies have now tested positive—what happens when the contact sports go back at it. Just because baseball has 60 games and the playoffs scheduled in my view it’s no lock any of them will fully complete competition through the end of this year. The virus has not left us yet and no vaccine has been produced so the obstacles to sports remain to handle.
Updated: Jun. 24, 2020 at 7:37 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
You wonder if the NCAA won’t soon convince all major football schools to just throw their hands up and try football and the winter sports later on this school year—football in the spring, the NCAA basketball tournament late spring in to June. Even if games are played this fall the hassles will be many and the financial issues will simply grow. I make it 50-50 football gets played as scheduled this fall given the current issues. We’ll see.
Updated: Jun. 23, 2020 at 5:32 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
None of these pro sports league is back yet and none definitively and even the NFL has question marks about the start of its season. It’s a Covid virus year and the sports landscape has not been sorted out yet and who knows if it will be any time soon.
Updated: Jun. 22, 2020 at 5:23 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Expectations are much different in Las Vegas for Michigan and Michigan State’s football teams for the coming seasons. Michigan State is 100 to one to win the Big Ten title, can’t ever remember less expectations. Both of them need help at quarterback replacing starters. Michigan believes it has the answer in either Dylan McCaffrey or Joe Milton. Michigan State is replacing Brian Lewerke, the starter on average teams. To have good seasons both teams in my view, must find answers at quarterback among other positions.
Updated: Jun. 19, 2020 at 7:30 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
I’m sure Tom Izzo joins me in believing the most controversial NCAA rule on the books is the transfer rule. Athletes are supposed to sit out a season upon transfer and not immediately play—unless they can gain a waiver. And this week Marquette got such a waiver for basketball standout D. J. Carton, incoming from Ohio State. Marquette’s Joey Hauser transferred to Michigan State a year ago and had to sit out last season because he couldn’t come up with waiver approval from the NCAA to Izzo’s disgust. Like I say the rule should be simple—you transfer, you sit out a year, no exceptions, period.
Updated: Jun. 18, 2020 at 7:18 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
No Big Ten marching bands at road games? That’s what may well happen this fall. Imagine Michigan’s band not paying at the Michigan State or Ohio State road games! But the economic issues facing college sports are more than just the athletic departments themselves. The bands at both Michigan and Michigan State may not travel for several years and they may have reduced ranks at home games this fall if games are played in the first place.
Updated: Jun. 17, 2020 at 7:22 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
All the upcoming Michigan State athletic department budget cuts? I’m guessing the most notable area for the non revenue sports will be in scheduling with a far more regional look—and therefore more bus trips and a big cutback in airplane travel both commercial and charter. Won’t be as noticeable in the big sports, but non revenue, big cuts coming which we’ll all recognize in my view.
Updated: Jun. 16, 2020 at 7:07 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
With college athletes on campuses, especially in the Big Ten, how much can teams really accomplish? No formal practice sessions per se, just work outs. Michigan State football needs practice sessions and coach Mel Tucker has to hope the NCAA gives each team 12 extra days of workouts next month which it is considering. Stay tuned.
7 Day Forecast
Updated: Jun. 15, 2020 at 7:19 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Big day in the Big Ten—fall athletes can report and at Michigan State every moment is precious for new football coach Mel Tucker who has not seen his players even work out yet. MSU has a long way to go in a short period of time so beginning today these meeting days, even though they are not normal practice sessions, in my view, are crucial.
Updated: Jun. 11, 2020 at 7:38 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Michigan State may not lose any or no more than pitcher Mason Erla in the major league draft—but then things change beginning Sunday morning. Beginning at 9am undrafted free agents can sign with any team for $20,000. Michigan State usually loses juniors who give up their senior year to try pro ball and in my view it has hurt the Spartans in years past since they have not won a Big Ten baseball title since 2010. Losing players early has been key and that could be the case again once free agents can sign, again beginning Sunday.
Updated: Jun. 10, 2020 at 5:46 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Nearly 200 players will be chosen in the major league amateur draft which begins tonight—among them could be Michigan State junior pitcher Mason Erla. He is considered a hot prospect and reminds me of Mark Mulder who went on to a terrific major league career. Erla has speed, is a power pitcher and was off to a great start in MSU’s abbreviated season when play was halted but he should get chosen somewhere among the five rounds.
Updated: Jun. 9, 2020 at 7:45 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
You like baseball, you get a sense of it tomorrow and Thursday with the Major League draft. The Detroit Tigers choose first and likely will take slugger Spencer Torkelsen. Only five rounds this year, usually 40 and how the minor league teams in the future will amply be stocked with players remains to be seen in my view.
Updated: Jun. 5, 2020 at 5:29 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
No need for the Pistons to resume their season—so it’s wait til next year. Why are they looking for a general manager, why have they not had one? That doesn’t seem like a well oiled machine to me and the Pistons’ record the past few years adds to that thinking I have.
Updated: Jun. 4, 2020 at 7:57 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NBA is proposing an October draft. That would be brutally tough for college teams trying to determine their rosters next season. Who is available and who is not? Michigan State has two players in the draft at the moment, Xavier Tillman and Aaron Henry. So Tom Izzo won’t know of their availability until right before the season begins? That would be tough.
Updated: Jun. 3, 2020 at 7:35 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Here’s hoping the July 8 girls softball all star doubleheader can be played at Ranney Park. Eaton Rapids faces some all stars in the first game at 6 o’clock followed by a true all star game. It likely will be the first live sporting event in greater Lansing since the state boys high school basketball district semi finals on March 12th. More than 60 girls are due to take part which at least in a small way will keep from the entire senior softball season from being wiped out.
Updated: Jun. 2, 2020 at 7:13 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
This is the 10th anniversary of Armando Gallaraga’s near perfect game for the Detroit Tigers. Umpire Jim Joyce made an erroneous call on a ground ball that would have ended the game and Gallaraga would have gone into historical baseball lore. This was before replay. Replay would have overturned such a call. And that’s why in the big picture replay is good for sports and would have made that game one for the ages.
Updated: May. 29, 2020 at 5:54 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The announcements by Michigan State and Michigan this week that students will be on campus this fall beginning in August, indicates football has a much better chance of being played. That was necessary and it appears that’s the goal although in my view much can still change, for better or worse over the next two months prior to August practice.
Updated: May. 28, 2020 at 8:00 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NFL owners vote today on whether to amend onside kicks for next season. Teams can choose the conventional way or on two occasions have a 4th and 15 situation at their own 25 yard line hoping to pick up a first down. If you’re a Lions fan do you on side kick or let Matthew Stafford try to pass for the first down? The Lions may have to try such tactics next season since they are behind so often late in games.
Updated: May. 27, 2020 at 7:54 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
One of the biggest issues for high school football this fall is not the pandemic—it’s money! The school districts will likely be hurting when the state passes out money and extra curricular activities like sports may well get hurt depending on the district. And pay to play may be mandatory and if it is high, how many parents won’t be able to afford it after going through financial issues of their own this year from the virus? Food for thought and not very pleasant in my view either.
Updated: May. 20, 2020 at 8:29 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NCAA needs to help its member schools dropping sports because of virus revenue concerns. The minimum number of sports is 16 to stay division one. I’d eliminate that number completely. Quantity to me is not a big a deal as quality and many mid major schools will struggle to field 16 sports moving forward. Central Michigan is at 16 after dropping men’s track and field yesterday and CMU has five men’s sports considered too few. How will the NCAA respond? Stay tuned.
Updated: May. 19, 2020 at 7:39 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
I don’t know how the colleges will exactly play the games, but I’m certain some how some way football will be played in the coming school year, just for the monetary reasons alone. With estimates by some schools of being down $75 million in revenue without football many wouldn’t even stay in business with such a hit. Believe me one way or another, even playing in the spring, football will be seen at colleges whether the format changes a great deal or just a little, for the main reason that the cash it would provide is mandatory.
Updated: May. 18, 2020 at 8:14 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
I don’t know if college football will be played this fall but if it is I predict chaos everywhere. It’s because the 130 division one schools all have a different vision of how things might work. There will be hassles everywhere and for sure I see schedules getting amended during the season for one reason or another. Believe me chaos this fall, college football, book it.
Updated: May. 15, 2020 at 8:03 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The Pandemic may be mighty costly to Tigers pitcher Jordan Zimmerman. Had the Tigers cut him in the off season they’d have owed him $25 million. But they kept him and if the Tigers play half a season he’ll likely get half that amount. If the season is canceled in its entirety he gets paid for spring training $286,000. He’s gotta be sweating it out that at least some portion of the season indeed is played right?
Updated: May. 13, 2020 at 8:28 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
I would think the Big Ten would be issuing frequent updates on its sports fans for the fall—if for no other reason to give the millions of season ticket holders in football reasons to renew. But the Big Ten says very little about its future for sure.
Updated: May. 12, 2020 at 7:57 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The pandemic is hurting the Detroit Tigers rebuild. They need fresh faces in their minor league system but the amateur draft this year has been reduced from 40 rounds to five and it may be reduced next year too. They have the first pick in June and that’s fine, but they can ill afford to take a player who can’t help them big time down the road. And by the end of the week we should know if the Tigers and the other big league clubs will have any minor league play this season at all.
Updated: May. 11, 2020 at 9:20 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
This should be the week we learn for sure if there will be minor league baseball this season. The Major Leagues will present a formal proposal to their union and the minor league teams look like they may well be done til next year. Stay tuned.
Updated: May. 8, 2020 at 7:55 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
What we have not seen yet is who will leave the MSU football roster after Mel Tucker sees the team he inherits whenever his first practice occurs? It’s commonplace for new coaches to inherit a new team and some players from the previous head coach don’t last into the new year. No one has left Mark Dantonio’s roster yet because Tucker hasn’t had practices. But how different will the MSU roster look once practice unfolds toward the 2020 season?
Updated: May. 7, 2020 at 9:08 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NFL announces its 2020 schedule tonight. Seems to me if any sport is going to try to go through a normal season if that’s the right term this year, it’s the NFL, partly because of timing partly because of its hold of power.
Updated: May. 6, 2020 at 8:16 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NFL announces its 2020 schedule tonight. Seems to me if any sport is going to try to go through a normal season if that’s the right term this year, it’s the NFL, partly because of timing partly because of its hold of power.
Updated: May. 5, 2020 at 9:11 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Former Grand Ledge High football coach Matt Bird has credibility when issuing warnings to anyone, let alone his current Muskegon Reeths Puffer football players, about the dangers of the corona virus. Bird has been cleared after battling the disease for five weeks and being mis-tested twice. And his advice follows the norm—social distancing and wash your hands!
Updated: May. 4, 2020 at 8:46 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
When MSU has had its best football teams its quarterbacks were good enough to play in the NFL. There is no heir apparent to Brian Lewerke and MSU coach Mel Tucker has one prospect coming in with next year’s freshman class Hamp Frey from Texas. He has had injury issues but when healthy he’s shown promise. Who knows if he’ll be the guy for MSU down the road but for sure in my view, MSU must begin with a stellar quarterback to have any kind of a good season.
Updated: May. 1, 2020 at 9:31 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NCAA is apparently not going to approve the revised transfer rule, no penalty to transfer one time, at least for the time being. The virus is being blamed for enough other confusion and believe me many college coaches will welcome the fact that the current transfer rules, though most believe reform is needed, will be relieved that this legislation is not going to pass any time soon.
Updated: Apr. 30, 2020 at 8:56 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NCAA is ready to enact revisions in its code for athletes regarding their earning outside income for their likeness. Whether the state legislatures across America agree with the eventual changes or not remains to be seen but I see massive cheating on the horizon over and above what we see already.
Updated: Apr. 29, 2020 at 8:10 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
It’s not the NBA draft that’s a threat to college basketball as much anymore as the minor league called the G League can pay reasonable salaries, like $125,000 per year and even more. The G League is a threat in my view to a number of college underclassmen not good enough for the NBA but good enough to leave school.
Updated: Apr. 28, 2020 at 7:54 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
I always hear about a team’s draft grades when the NFL draft ends each year. How can you judge any team’s draft until the players play and at that until they’ve played a couple of seasons? I claim no one can properly assess an NFL team’s choices, even the overall number one pick. How do I know Joe Burrow will quarterback the Cincinnati Bengals the way he did LSU to the national title? Maybe he will. But until we see how do we know? Grading drafts is nuts.
Updated: Apr. 24, 2020 at 9:02 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NFL’s rookie salary scale has been a godsend for the Detroit Lions. Without it the Lions for years had their top draft picks hold out and many missed most if not all of training camp. As we all know, the Lions rookies need all the prep time they can get.
Updated: Apr. 23, 2020 at 4:38 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Finally some real sports—the NFL draft begins a three day run tonight and even though the players chosen may or may not play this year hope springs eternal for those who follow sports and the NFL right? The NFL wants to make this draft look big time despite it being done virtually and the look should be something the fans will follow closely to see if it resembles in any way drafts from years past.
Updated: Apr. 22, 2020 at 8:07 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
As each day goes by it is more likely there will be no minor league baseball this season, in my view. The Major Leagues have all they can handle trying to play games themselves and so the Lansing Lugnuts’ 25th season may have to go on hold.
Updated: Apr. 21, 2020 at 8:41 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Ken Sudall has chosen umpires for mid Michigan high school softball and baseball games for 30 years. His people are struggling—no games, no unemployment either, although he is fighting for that at the moment. But Sudall tells me half his umpires get out of the business because of fan abuse after two or three seasons. That surprises me but if that’s the case I’d say the various high schools better do a better job disciplining their own fans or they won’t have to worry about the virus knocking out spring sports, abuse of umpires will do it on its own merits.
Updated: Apr. 20, 2020 at 8:53 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NFL draft begins Thursday and the Detroit Lions, as usual, need help almost everywhere. Unless they trade the third pick, they likely will take Ohio State defensive back Jeffrey Okudah. Darius Slay is gone so the Lions need a signature defensive back whether it’s Okudah or someone else later on. The Lions always talk about trading down to get more picks but they never do and I’ll believe that when I see it.
Updated: Apr. 17, 2020 at 7:56 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Former Michigan Stater Brian Allen is the first NFL player to be stricken with the coronavirus. He’s in his third season with the Los Angeles Rams. If the season was on how would this issue be handled? Allen says he’s about to be fully released to work out again but what about his teammates? Would they be quarantined and would games be postponed, canceled, or what? All issues to consider with football to be played or not played this fall.
Updated: Apr. 16, 2020 at 9:10 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Is the time for the Big Ten to add six more monster schools for a 20-team league divided into two ten team, or Big Ten divisions?
Updated: Apr. 15, 2020 at 8:38 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The University of Cincinnati has canceled its men’s soccer program because of financial issues at least to some extent from the coronavirus. Look for more men’s sports at more colleges to be dropped by necessity. Cuts will come to major college sports it is inevitable. Maybe not immediately to Michigan State and Michigan but the three in state MAC schools have to got to have sports cuts as an option moving forward from the pandemic.
Updated: Apr. 14, 2020 at 7:37 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Would football move seasons back if necessary this coming season? High school not likely, but the colleges could almost play in the spring which they are discussing. And the NFL already plays through early February so would they just play right through the winter just to gain the confidence of fans in the stands? It’s all up in the air right now with much to be considered for sure.
Updated: Apr. 13, 2020 at 8:42 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
What about college football next spring instead of this fall? It is being considered. Would fans attend, would it work, would it work on television would the money needed to keep athletic budgets solvent still be there? Don’t know how that would look but everything is on the table these days.
Updated: Apr. 10, 2020 at 3:43 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The virus will change college sports but maybe a three way combo of other forthcoming changes will loom even larger—the transfer portal, combined with the transfer rule where athletes don’t have to sit out a year one time only and the new laws coming that allow athletes to profit from their own image. Those three changes combined, in my view, will change college sports dramatically in the years to come.
Updated: Apr. 9, 2020 at 7:44 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
The NCAA says it is still considering the one time transfer without penalty rule for each athlete entering college sports on scholarship. As it is more than 600 basketball players these days are in the transfer portal, and they know they may have to sit out a year now. What if they won’t have to sit out in the future with a modified transfer rule? The numbers in the portal, in my view, will drastically increase no doubt about it.
Updated: Apr. 8, 2020 at 9:00 PM EDT
|By Tim Staudt
Just think Al Kaline earned somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.4 million in his 22 year Detroit Tigers’ career never more than $100,000 per year. The Tigers’ pitcher Jordan Zimmerman, who won one game last season, will make $25 million this year alone. He may make 25 starts or about $1 million per start. When baseball was the national pastime salaries did not dominate like they do today pricing so many families out of attending games as when Kaline played.