A tale of two teams:

• LSJ: Spartans ace exam
• DetNews: Seminoles eliminate Wolverines

Come on, Michigan! Give Tommy Turtleneck one more year!

Well, last night's MSU game was pretty impressive. You gotta love any time your team scores the first 14 points of a game. Once again, Walton gets the unsung hero of the night award for his bruising defensive performance. Props to Morgan and Gray for stepping up early and getting the offense rolling. Drew put up a few key threes that helped maintain our comfortable lead. Overall, I thought it was a really balanced effort, which is exactly what we'll need tomorrow, if we're going to have a shot at beating UNC.

Man, that Ibok injury was something gruesome, wasn't it? Good Lord, I've never seen anything like that happen on live television. It looked like the guy's elbow was three or four inches out of place. Yeeeeoooow! He's a solid role player who gives us quality minutes (especially when Naymick is in foul trouble, as he was last night), so he'll be missed tomorrow. That said, I thought the walk-on, Hannon, did a fairly decent job when he came out to replace Ibok. Of course, Naymick, Gray, and Suton are going to have to watch the fouls against UNC tomorrow.

My picks were pretty solid yesterday: I went 14-for-16. The two games I missed were Duke/VCU and Xavier/BYU. My old man did me two better though, putting in a perfect 16-for-16.

Good thing we're not in the same pool.

Anyway, the tournament has already been pretty exciting. Can't wait for tomorrow's game. GO GREEN!

Hoo boy, can't wait for tonight's game. It's amazing how much more fun the tournament is when you've got some juice on it. Rooting for teams you could normally care less about... it's fantastic.

Anyway, good luck to everyone who's in an NCAA pool.

And GO GREEN!

• Freep: Nobody more vital than Neitzel in regional
• LSJ: Hoops heaven
• State News: It's game time
• State News: MSU vs. Marquette, off the hardwood
• State News: A closer look at Drew Neitzel's down screens
• State News: Prognosticators weigh in
• State News: McCallies receive offers to leave MSU

Extras is one of those shows that got better and better with each episode during its first season (like the original Office).

Since I don't get HBO, I haven't seen season two yet, but this scene with Patrick Stewart is bust-a-gut funny.



Patrick Stewart: I will "Make It So."
[blank look from Andy]
Patrick Stewart: You've seen "Star Trek: The Next Generation?"
Andy Millman: I haven't, no.
Patrick Stewart: Why? Your wife won't let you have it on?
Andy Millman: I'm not married.
Patrick Stewart: Oh, your girlfriend then?
Andy Millman: I haven't got a girlfriend either. I live alone.
Patrick Stewart: You're not married, you haven't got a girlfriend... and you've never watched "Star Trek?"
Andy Millman: No.
Patrick Stewart: Good Lord...

That's not a complaint. Yesterday was gorgeous, and I enjoyed every minute I got to spend outside. Stefy and I went out to dinner at Bravo after she got done with class, and we even ate out on the patio. Okay, so it was a little windy... actually, it was a lot windy. But we still had a great time, and it felt so nice to be out and about in just a lightweight jacket.

Of course, it'll be back in the 30s by Saturday :-/

Now, a quick comment about American Idol. Does the show really need to be two damn hours? I realize they're back up to a full slate of twelve contestants who have to sing in one episode, but there has to be a way to trim it down to at least an hour and a half. I did two loads of laundry and read two magazines cover-to-cover during the show, fer cryin' out loud.

Also, I'm afraid I'll have to disagree with EW's resident Idol critic, Mike Slezak, here... this is a two-way race between Melinda and LaKisha. There are a few contestants who are halfway decent, but I'll be shocked if it doesn't come down to these two girls.

According to Jody Rosen, a critic for Entertainment Weekly and Slate, "consensus has formed" among rock critics that Arcade Fire has replaced U2 as the "World's Greatest Band," following the release of their new album "Neon Bible." Um, wha?

Okay, I'll admit I've only ever listened to one complete Arcade Fire song, "Wake Up," which, coincidentally, was used as the intro song during U2's Vertigo Tour. It's actually a really great song, and I had it on repeat on my iPod for about a month back in late 2005. But "World's Greatest Band"? Puh-lease.

I'll admit, I'm clearly unqualified to pass judgement on this band, but isn't it a little premature to hand off the "World's Greatest Band" crown to a group that has existed for less than four years, and only released two albums?

Does anyone else remember the ridiculous hype surrounding The Arctic Monkeys among the UK rock press last year? NME even went so far as to say their debut album, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not," was the fifth-best British album of all-time... four notches above the highest-ranking Beatles album, "Revolver." Seriously... WTF?

Like I said, I'm not trying to dog Arcade Fire here – for all I know this new album really is great – but it seems like rock critics are a little too desperate to name the next "Greatest Band in the World."

Maybe rock music has just been in the toilet for so long – both in terms of quality and record sales – that people have lowered their expectations. I honestly don't know.

Arcade Fire may legitimately earn the title of "World's Greatest Band" someday. Someday. But, as a rule, I think five albums and/or ten years of existence should be a prerequisite.

Another fun night out on the town. We all went out for Danielle's birthday dinner last night (for those who couldn't make it to the surprise party on Saturday) at Sheshiang Garden. I hadn't been there in a few years, but it was really good. After Apple Jade, it's probably my second-favorite Chinese place in town.

Aside from the obnoxious Chinese opera song that was on repeat for well over an hour (seriously wanted to kill myself), we all had a really fun time.

Stef and I just came back to my place and watched some TV after dinner. Pretty low-key evening.

Not a lot planned for the week, other than watching MSU basketball on Thursday (and hopefully Saturday). Go green!

Tommy Amaker: "We're excited about being a participant in the NIT."

Bonus QOTD, from Lester Abram: "You're happy you're still playing, but nobody wants to play in the NIT. It's something you have to do, though."

Man, now that's a winning attitude!

Meanwhile, some people are using the word "Cinderella" to describe MSU:

If the Spartans win, they'll extend their stay in Winston-Salem, N.C., and face top-seeded North Carolina on Saturday.

The odds of MSU winning two tournament games might be slim, but the Spartans' tournament history contains more than a few upsets.

Izzo has never lost a second-round game.

"I've been part of some incredible things that have happened," he said. "This is one of those teams, that if Cinderella's slipper could fit anybody, it's one of these kinds of teams."

The best comparison to the situation MSU would face if it beat Marquette is one that unfolded during the 2002-03 tournament, when the Spartans were a seventh seed. They beat 10th-seeded Colorado in the first round in Tampa, earning them a matchup with second-seeded Florida in the second round.

MSU spanked the Gators, 68-46, in front of a partisan Florida crowd and advanced as far as the regional final.

I won't hold my breath this year, but Tom Izzo has pulled a few rabbits out of his hat in the tournament before. The 2003 elite eight run, and the surprise final four appearance in 2005 are perfect examples.

Should be a fun weekend.

Friday
I worked until about noon on Friday, and hit the road for Stef's house. It was about 1:30 by the time I made it into town, and I was getting pretty hungry at that point. We grabbed a quick bite at this burger joint in Birmingham, and came back to relax at the house for a while before heading out to visit Stef's grandma.

I hadn't seen her in a while, so it was nice to sit and catch up for a while. Stef and I have been trying to round up some pictures so I can do a graduation video for her, so we spent some time going through June's collection while we were there.

Of course, the main reason for our visit was to go out to dinner at June's church for their fish fry. While I don't mean to knock the fish fry at St. Casmir, the one at June's church had a much better variety of foods to choose from – salads, pasta, all kinds of fish, calamari, spinach pie, etc. – and the price was pretty comparable. I know the Catholics like to think they have the market cornered on fish fries, but watch out for those Greeks.

Anyway, dinner was really good, and we hit the road at around 7 for the drive into Detroit for our concert at the Majestic. We got there, parked, and made it inside by around 8PM. The venue was pretty small – just this main floor that would probably only hold 500-600 people, stuffed to the gills – but what was cool was that we were able to get up front and lean right up against the stage.

The show was supposed to start at 8, but the opening act didn't take the stage until 9, and Badly Drawn Boy didn't come out until 10. After BDB's 2+ hour set, we had been on our feet for well over four hours, and were both completely exhausted.

Of course, it was well worth it. The show was even better than I imagined. BDB played pretty much every song I wanted them to play, and the highlight of the night was when Damon came over to our side of the stage during "All Possibilities" to shake people's hands. Stef got a couple of closeups with her camera while he was by us, and we both got to reach out and shake his hand. I realize no one has any clue who this band is, but for me, this was an amazing concert, and I'm so glad we were able to go.

Saturday
We didn't make it home until well after 1 on Friday night, so it felt good to sleep in until about 10:30 on Saturday morning. Stefy and I eventually got up though, and she made me an omelet for breakfast (mmmm).

That afternoon we headed out to the mall to finish getting a few things for Danielle's birthday. There wasn't a whole lot left to do, but it's always nice to get out and putz around the mall for a while. After we were done shopping, we grabbed some smoothies in Birmingham, and started heading home. By the time we made it back to the house, we pretty much had to start getting ready to head out for the birthday party.

This was something like Danielle's fourth or fifth "surprise" party in a row, and believe it or not, she claims she was surprised yet again (although I have my doubts). Still, we had a lot of fun at her house, and chowed down on some yummy food from Steve's Deli before heading out to see a Second City show in Novi.

The only Second City performance I've ever seen was the B-stage in Chicago, and this one had a similar setup. The thing that was cool though was that they threw in some Michigan-specific jokes, which a lot of people seemed to appreciate. All-in-all it was a really funny set, and we were all thankful to Danielle's mom for inviting us. Stef and I were pretty tired by the time we made it back to Danielle's house for birthday cake, so we pretty much had to eat and run.

Sunday
After another late night, we both wound up sleeping in late on Sunday morning. With the time change, it was actually 11:30 by the time I woke up, which was pretty ridiculous. Stef made me another omelet for breakfast, and we just sorta lounged around for a couple hours, which was nice. After catching up on last week's 24, we eventually got up and around, and headed into Birmingham for a late, light lunch at Pita Cafe.

I pretty much packed up and hit the road after our lunch, and made it back to Lansing by 6 or 6:30. To be honest, I was kinda looking forward to a lazy night at home, but I forgot that I needed to get some groceries for the week, so I headed out to Kroger at around 8 to do some shopping. After that I just watched a little TV, and tried to get to bed at the usual time, even though I wasn't really that tired yet (damn time change).

Anyway, that was it for the weekend. I hope everyone had a good one.

Well, I couldn't watch the game on Friday, but I'm so glad we went to the concert instead. MSU made it into the NCAA tournament for the tenth year in a row, and that's ultimately all I cared about.

I think the tournament committee handed us one of the toughest brackets we've ever had – Marquette is no pushover, and beating UNC would be a tall order – but a win against Michigan and better performances against Northwestern and Wisconsin might've given us a higher seed. This team has shown it can beat anybody on any given night, but a lot of stars will have to align for Michigan State to make it into the Sweet Sixteen.

Like I've said though, this was one of the most exciting teams we've had in a few years, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what this squad will achieve next season.

• Hey, Joe: Badgered
• Bleeding Green: Tough draw
• DNews: MSU's opening game is at 7:20 Thursday
• Hey, Joe: No. 1 seed for Michigan [in the NIT]
• DNews: U-M tickets for NIT game on sale today [sweet!]
• Freep: No good reason to keep Amaker