It's a link-o-rama this morning:

• LSJ: Smith sacked
• LSJ: Simon, Mason to lead search
• LSJ: Simon was decisive in making the right move
• Freep: 'L' IS FOR LAME DUCK
• Freep: Izzo should play key role in search
• DNews: WHO REPLACES JOHN L. SMITH?
• SNews: Smith fired but will remain coach until end of season
• SNews: Players 'taken by surprise'
• SN: Replacement search not yet started; candidates on radar

Here are my thoughts. First off, it sounds like Lou Anna Simon was the one who pulled the trigger. Big props to her for sticking to her guns after sending out an email last year talking about how she expected the team to compete for championships. Of course, this raises the question: if the president of the university had to make the final call, where was Ron Mason in all this? Was he just a bystander, and if so, why the hell is he still getting paid to be our Athletic Director?

Look, Ron Mason was a brilliant hockey coach, but let's face it, he boned it big time when he picked John L. Smith to lead our football team. Frankly, I don't want Ron to be significantly involved with picking a new coach since we can't afford (literally, since it'll cost us $4.3 million to pay off Smith) another screw up.

I'm not sure I want to get Izzo involved either. We all know who he'll recommend. Mariucci is a nice guy, but he was supposed to be a turnaround man when he came to Detroit, and he couldn't get the job done there. He now has a reputation of failure in this state. Kids who grew up watching him shake his head during Lions games won't want to come play for a guy like Steve Mariucci. Recruiting is too important in the college game to take a risk on a guy like that.

The timing of this decision was a bit surprising (I never thought the administration would fire Smith before the end of the year), but I think it's very smart. First, we pulled the trigger before the election, which means we can start searching for a coach before George Perles gets on the board. Second, it sends a message to the fans that the administration is serious about getting the program in position to compete for titles -- even if we end up making it to a bowl game this year, it's still not good enough. Third, it puts the word out in a very big way that MSU is looking for a head coach starting today. We immediately become one of the most tempting destinations for a whole slew of coaching candidates, which means we'll have a more talented pool to choose from.

There's another thing to consider. Every Spartan fan has friends and relatives who happen to root for that other university in Ann Arbor. I'm sure they'll tell you who they think we should hire. Here's a bit of advice: don't listen to them. One of the names on the short list of candidates will be Ron English, Michigan's defensive coordinator. The Wolverine fans will mule and puke and say there's no way he would leave Ann Arbor. Maybe he won't. Hell, I'm not even sure if he's one of the best people to consider hiring, but we need to be selfish here. I want a coach who will turn this program around and get us back into a position to win championships, and if we happen to steal a key member from our arch rival's coaching staff, that's just icing on the cake.

Look, aside from a short spurt of success in the late 90s, Michigan State football has been sputtering since we won the Rose Bowl in 1988. I've been a loyal Spartan fan all along, but I'll admit that the team is approaching Lions territory for me, where I pretty much quit caring all together. I don't think I watched an entire game all year -- and yes, I'm including the Michigan game that I went to (we left after the 3rd quarter). Pathetic. It's time to get on the right track and quit screwing around. Spartan fans deserve better.