Note: the following is a recent post I made on www.spartantailgate.com regarding Detroit sports talk show host Mike Valenti. Mike has the number-one afternoon drive-time show in the 11th-largest radio market in the United States.  I think it is safe to say that when Mike was hired at The Ticket (in Detroit) he was the youngest host ever in a Top 20 Market.  As I recall, Mike was 23 or 24 years old when he arrived in Detroit.

Tom and I were privileged to get to know Mike in his earliest years as an undergraduate at Michigan State University.  Bitter Rivals has had a long and rewarding relationship with both Mike Valenti and Trevor Barnes - the founder of the Red Cedar Message Board (now spartantailgate.com).  Trevor was Bitter Rivals first (and best) webmaster of bitterrivals.com and the designer of our kick-ass logo.

My "career" as an "agent" began and ended with Mike.  I think it was the best acting job I ever pulled off in my life.  Mike and I plotted for months to get him into the Detroit market.  I sent letters on his behalf to both of the sports talk stations - WDFN and The Ticket.  Keep in mind, I had a full-time gig at the time as CEO of a major international trade association.  My "Agency" consisted of some mocked-up letterhead, cassette tapes of some of Mike's best shows, and some major cajones.

Kevin Graham, the new program director at The Ticket (who spent some time in the Lansing sports-talk market eariler in his career, "This is Kevin Graham, of The Fan"), finally bit on one of our "fishing lines".  As the new guy on the block, Kevin spent his first couple of weeks listening to unsolicited audition tapes - like the one we sent him on Mike.  Kevin called me and said he wanted to explore hiring Mike at The Ticket.  He told me that one of the things that impressed him was that someone as young as Mike already had an "agent".

No false modesty here - Tom and I always knew Mike would succeed and predicted he would rise to the level he's achieved today.  Mike, it wasn't a hunch, you were a stone cold lock. Yep, the Bitter Rivals pointed to Southeast Michigan and called our shot.

My "agent" fee?  A gentlemen's agreement that once Mike hit it big, he would help score me primo season tickets for MSU football and basketball (and the World Series, the next time the Tigers get there - you dodged a bullet this year, Mike).

I think of Mike every time I sit down at my 46 yard-line, lower bowl seats in Spartan Stadium (press box side) and my lower bowl, Row 18 seats (facing the Spartans bench) in Breslin.

I've got one last invoice for you Mike - Pay It Forward.

[originally posted on www.spartantailgate.com on November 15, 2011]

Those of you hating on Mike Valenti either have very short memories or are simply uninformed.

I was Mike's first agent and got him his job at The Ticket. Before Mike got to the Detroit market, the airwaves were inundated with U-M slappies and MSU haters. MSU could not get a break, even as Izzo's teams were excelling on the hard court. The worst of the worst were Gregg Henson and Art Reigner.

Henson had advanced in the Detroit market to program director at WDFN and then the Ticket and would only hire sports jocks with a U-M bent. It wasn't until Henson got fired at The Ticket that we were able to get his replacement Kevin Graham to even listen to Mike's highlight tape (Mike started at The Impact - MSU's on-campus radio station and then went on to local fame at WQTX 92.7FM in the Lansing market, thanks, in large part, to Tom Crawford and Jack Ebling). Believe it or not, Graham originally wanted to pair Mike up with Rob Parker, but I convinced him that he would end up as an accessory to a crime (homicide) because Mike would have killed Wob.

We knew the Detroit market was ripe for a true Spartan perspective; someone that could go toe-to-toe with scUM fans and trade punches with the smug alumni and Wal*mart Wolverines. Mike wasn't afraid to call out the Blue Wall, either.

Agree or disagree with Mike's perspective but understand, he loves his school - warts and all. Mike does his homework, is strong enough to weather the body blows of the haters and will land haymakers on a regular basis.

Appreciate what you have, because he's been a breath of fresh air since arriving in Detroit.

[Mike response]

First of all a big thanks to you Ted. You've been there from the start and have always been one of my biggest advocates. You and Tom are wonderful people above all and will always hold a special place in my heart. Thanks for the kind words. Funny how a hunch and a few tapes turned into all this. You believed then and believe now.

I appreciate the kind words from the RCMB crowd. This is a DSF most times so for me to be batting 80% in the thread means I'm doing something right.

Haters are what they are. Meaningless. It's mired in bitterness, jealousy, anger, or just a desire for attention. Guys like duffy or Pipersfly have been doing it for YEARS. Poor guys.

As for what I do on the air involving MSU it's pretty simple. I will be our biggest cheerleader when things are good and our biggest critic when things are bad. I speak my mind and yes, I'm emotional. I'm emotional because unlike with "teams" MSU is in my heart. I spent the best 4-years of my life along the Red Cedar and it has and always will be who I am. MSU represents more than a score or a team, it represents my family having it;s first college graduate. It represents me truly growing up. It represents my degree, my experiences, my career, life lessons, it is an omnipresent force in my life. It's personal.

I fight back tears during the alma mater. I've shed tears in jubilation with my father. I've also shattered an Armstrong Hall chair at a Bill Burke INT during the Purdue game in 1999. Dammit.

All I'm getting at is this. Knock what I do, knock what I say. All good. But dont ever question where my loyalties are or how much I care. That's just silly. I can easily shut the emotional door to the giants, Celtics etc. My teams. But MSU? Never. I'll take it to my grave.

Respectfully, 
Mike V.

This week's news has been consumed with the sordid details surrounding former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky's Grand Jury Indictment.  This is a story of human failure at the highest level all under the guise of protecting the facade of a pristine image.

Many years ago, Walt Disney looked at an orange grove in Orlando, Florida and had a vision for a utopian fairytale land where everything would be right and good.  As he turned his vision into a reality, he faced a daunting task; Florida is flat as a board with a water-table just a few feet from the surface.  Walt's solution was to move acres of earth, change the local topography and create an underworld below the surface of what would become DisneyWorld.

This underworld served a specific purpose, it was the only place on the property where Disney workers were allowed to break character, relax and  be themselves - without fear of tarnishing the wholesome Disney image.  However, the second these employees stepped out from this netherworld; their mantra became, "Don't mess with the Mouse".

Walt Disney spent millions to establish a brand of wholesomeness and he knew that one crack in the dam could lay all his efforts asunder.

Below is a link to the Grand Jury Indictment report against Jerry Sandusky.  It is a difficult and troubling read, with many passages disturbing and extremely graphic in nature.  It outlines a systemic failure of responsibility and leadership at the highest levels, a monumental betrayal of trust of an authority figure (Jerry Sandusky) and a distorted sense of circling the wagons in an effort to maintain the "Cult of Clean Living" in Happy Valley.

See the report pdf HERE.

The saddest thing regarding this whole sordid ordeal was that this should have ended 13 years ago were it not for the blind eye turned away from the young victims by those in positions of authority that were enabled, entrusted and mandated to protect against this alleged predator.  Instead, these "leaders" fled to the underworld and invoked "Omerta" to protect the "Cult of Clean Living" that is (was...never were...) Penn State.

According to the Grand Jury Indictment, in 1998 (when Sandusky still served as Penn State's defensive coordinator) a lengthy investigation was conducted of Sandusky involving minor boys in the Penn State football showers by the University Police and the "child protection agency" (p. 9 of Grand Jury Indictment report).  Thus began a lengthy slide down the slippery slope of "the culture of cover-up" at Penn State.

In the Indictment report it noted, "After a lengthy investigation by University Police Detective Ronald Shreffler, the investigation was closed after then-Centre County District Attorney Ray Gricar decided there would be no criminal charges.  Shreffler testified that he was told to close the investigation by the director of the campus police, Thomas Harmon" (p. 19).

The report went on to note, "Jerry Lauro, an investigator with the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, testified that during the 1998 investigation, Sandusky was interviewed on June 1, 1998, by Lauro and Detective Schreffler.  Sandusky admitted showering naked with Victim 6, admitted to hugging Victim 6 while in the shower and admitted it was wrong." (p. 20).

In May of 1999, Joe Paterno informed Jerry Sandusky that he would not be promoted to head coach (as many assumed) and Sandusky retired later that year with emeritus status.  In addition to the regular privileges of a professor emeritus, he had an office and a telephone in the Lasch (football) Building.  The status allowed him access to all recreational facilities, a parking pass for a vehicle, along with other perks and faculty discounts.

The Indictment report detailed how Sandusky allegedly used these on-campus privileges as his personal lair to prey on his "Second Mile" victims for another 10 years.

The Grand Jury Indictment is just the beginning of the judicial process and we can expect more details to come forth on this tragic incident.  But, as you read through the report in its entirety, one can't help but to connect the dots and ask the same (paraphrased) question that Senator Howard Baker asked almost forty years ago during the Watergate trials, "What did [JoePa] know, and when did he know it?"

Ever since the Michigan game the Spartans have had a target on their back in the national media and the Big Ten offices.  Editor's note - If you want to read a detailed account of the jousting that occurred between Michigan State administrators (MSU AD Mark Hollis and MSU President Lou Anna Simon) and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delaney, click on  the link below for Hondo Carpenter's seminal article on the subject.

View the article Here.

Clearly, the Wisconsin game was a shot across the bow to the national media and Big Ten offices that the "dirty play" label was a major distortion of the body of work that MSU has put on the field during Dantonio's five years as head coach at MSU. Sooooo, how do you explain the return of "Evil Sparty" in the 9-penalty fiasco last weekend in Nebraska? To review, Michigan State "gave" Nebraska five first downs on penalties, often at critical times in the game.

I can't think of a more deserving player to be on the receiving end of Saturday's "Rocket" Hail Mary pass than Keith Nichol. Here's a kid that through no fault of his own has been on the short-end of significant competitive situations - and in each case, accepted the outcome and moved forward.

First was his quarterback dual with eventual Heisman Trophy winner and number one NFL draft pick Sam Bradford.  Jeez, talk about stiff competition.  Next, after his transfer to Michigan State, he pushed Kirk Cousins throughout spring ball and half of the 2009 season for the starting QB spot for the Spartans.  After the Rather Hall fiasco, he stepped up to the plate and represented himself admirably as a wide receiver in the Alamo Bowl - always putting the team's needs first.

"Look at me! Look at me!!"

There were two things that happened prior to the opening kickoff that assured me that Michigan State was going to make it four wins in a row.

The first was the weather.  Thoughout Michigan's first six games, Denard Robinson made each long pass a fluttering, wobbly crapshoot.  And this was often in perfect weather conditions.  Now factor in a gusting 35 mile-per-hour wind, and MSU had a decided schematic advantage.  The defense was able to load up in the box because there was no way Robinson was going to beat them with his arm.

Sure enough, as the game progressed, Denard Robinson's throws came to resemble more of a pooch punt than a forward pass.  On a couple of his throws, he was missing receivers by 15-to-20 yards!

Nothing gets a Walverine more choked up than when they discuss the "great traditions" and supposed "Firsts" that the University of Michigan claims to have had a hand in.

First and foremost among their vaunted claims is the cherished "winged helmet".  Well, not only was Michigan late to the game on this fashion statement (by almost 10 years), but at least four other schools, including Michigan's two biggest Big Ten rivals - Michigan State and Ohio State - wore the winged helmet prior to Michigan's debut in 1938.

Click here for the full story.

And here's the kicker, no coach (oh, say, for instance, for the sake of argument..... Fritz Crisler) or team invented the design of the winged helmet, it was simply a Spaulding stock item that several colleges used starting in 1930.  In other words, the "FH5 helmet" was there for the taking for a mere $10 - "act now, while supplies last!"

Tom, you asked for the truth?  YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

Next week we'll pierce the bubble on that whole, "Michigan inventing the sun" myth.

* Special thanks to Jack Ebling for this story nugget.

Bye weeks - love 'em or hate 'em they're here to stay.  Depending on where they fall in the schedule, they can either be a well-earned break from the daily grind of college football or something that's "too little, too late".

That was certainly the case a couple of years ago when Michigan State received their bye week one week before the Big Ten season's last game.  The lack of depth on that Spartan team had them limping into their bye week, with under-manned second stringers having moved up into starting roles due to injuries.  Many of the starters attempted to gut it out until the bye week - making bad injuries even worse.

This week's bye week couldn't come at a better time for the Spartans - allowing a banged-up offensive line to heal and prepare for the Spartans Bitter Rival on October 15th.  In addition, DL Tyler Hoover and wide-out Bennie Fowler should make a reappearance on the playing field as well.

But, what really concerns me about bye weeks is the unstructured, bacchanal-type atmosphere that a number of athletes flock to.  They act like sailors on liberty after being out to sea for six months.

You know, I always pictured Glen Rice as a perimeter-type player, but recent revelations from author Joe McGinnis' upcoming book on Sarah Palin (a.k.a., "The Denali Dartboard", "Palin the Pincushion", "Sally the Sieve") has opened my eyes to his balling skills .  In my mind I remembered Rice as a finesse player but, if you believe some of the information disclosed in McGinnis's book, he doesn't get nearly enough credit as a low-post (or is it bed-post?) banger.

The Luddite Bowl – sponsored by GE

So the University of Michigan dipped a toe into the 20th century and played a home game at night.  Big, frickin' deal.  I'm sure our friends in the SEC were just scratching their collective heads and laughing at the fuss U-M was making about this "historic event".  Let me clue all you Walverines in on something the rest of the modern world takes for granted - illumination.

Those "Magic Sun Machines" you installed during your stadiums' recent face-lift have been around for over 100 years.  The good news is that by waiting so long to get on board with the rest of modern civilization, you avoided having to sacrifice a virgin to the Sun Gods in order to spark those babies up.  Lucky break for you since it would probably have taken you longer to find a virgin in the greater Ann Arbor area than it did renovating the stadium.

Musings from the Mancave

Now where were we?  So, what's up? It's been a while since we last caught up on things.

Fairly workman-like effort last Friday night at Spartan Stadium. The crowd was pumped, Youngstown State put up a valiant fight for over half the game, but in the end the script played out pretty much as written.

It was a great first game for coaching purposes, as there were enough mistakes and missed opportunities to light a fire under the team this week at practice. Humble pie is a good training-table dessert for a team that received a lot of positive pre-season press - based on last year's 11-2 season and the potential talent pool expected from the returning players.