Coach D on ESPN interview

Coach D was interviewed by Adam Rittinger of ESPN, following the conclusion of the Green and White game ( a 38-37 ot victory for White) and its my opinion that he has

brought something to MSU that has been missing. A charismatic leader with ties to MSU.Having served as an assistant and then gaining valuable experience at Ohio State and then head coach experience at Cincinnati, he stated that the job at MSU is a destination job. This is what was so bitter about the Nick Saban incident. The Big 10 network was replaying the 2004 MSU vs UM game, and watching my squad put up 280 yards on a UM defense that averaged 275 PER game, only to lose in 3 ot really put into perspective all the agonizing years of the John L days and the Bobby Williams days.Coach D also is the first coach in a while to really understand the importance of the intrastate rivalry.Coach said last year in an interview, " in Michigan, your either green or blue, period." And we all know...it aint always easy bein green.

The spring game showcased several senior defensive backs, ALL the fit and in shape offensive linemen (++++) and Keyshawn Martin, who I think will shine THIS year.

With 3 decent tailbacks, it will be incumbent upon the line to help establish a respectable run attack.If that works out, I feel the future is VERY bright. Dell, Cunningham,White, Martin and two good tightends in Celek and Gant makes our passing attack pretty good.A few things that bugged me....defensive lineman is a shortcoming.Not a huge problem, but we lost some depth there and corner backs.The play didnt look that hot, but the players physically looked ok.We shall see soon enough.I think the QB situation is a win/win game I feel. Cousins looked good and Nichol has all the tools to be Stanton grade or better in my opinion.Again...we shall see. Cautious Optimism warriors...such is the path to success in Spartan land.

In my time of dying....

Mike Pinks funeral got me to

thinking about stuff that people

deal with when someone dies.

At his service, the funeral home

played Mikes favorite rock songs

in a low tone in the background, while

a large flat screen television posted a

nice variety of photographs from throughout Mikes life.

I liked that touch. They really started wailing when "knockin on heavens door" came across the speakers. I guess I never gave much thought to wha kind of music I would want played at my funeral. I love so much different stuff, it would be hard I would think, for a loved one to pick out the soundtrack of my burial. Jeni and I sat together listening to music and quizzed each other on what we might select to play. I have a mind like a Rolodex for music sometimes, so I was pretty close when I was guessing band to song type questions.

Jeni, not so good all the time with titles, was very close with a suitable tribute playlist. I want cremation, but in the old Norse way. Build a huge timber pire and set my old corpse a burning. "Smokin like a ole tire, that bastard...", my brother-in-law would say." Someone will probably call the township...I just knew this was a bad idea...", my mom says, as her head flies from side to side looking for the cop wagon to come and haul us a way for off season burning. Jeni, exasperated by now, has retreated to the front doors to smoke, the only evidence being the hum of the Amigoand the sound of the plastic oxygen tubing dragging behind her. Jamie , overcome with grief, has gone off to rifle through my stuff for some Magic cards he still claims are his.Hope, having ran out of energy two rows into the bleachers, sits with her hand on hip, disgusted with all the bad manners she see's in the room, followed by momentary weeping because she realizes that the only person on earth SHE could beat playing cards is burning like a oil fire.

And low, what is this gathered on the

sidewalk outside? All the poor summabitches that ever got monetarily jumped in hold'em poker. About 17000 people smoke and share tales of how fast the chips passed from them to me. Standing next to them, all the people who was "just about to call you" when they thought, "hey I owed that guy some serious cash..", as they passed your obit in the paper."They dont know about the money, Ill cash in on the luncheon afterparty...".

Little do these deadbeat parasites know, but whilst they plot to secure a free lunch, my funeral inferno has spilled over into the parking lot, and all the deadbeats

shit box little cars are fully involved in the fire. The poker enemies, hearing the sirens notice how close the fire is getting to their stuff,and in turn trample the deadbeats.Normally this would sound like screaming and the crushing of human bodies, but due to the fact the deadbeats are just soulless shells of insect feces, they crumble into a fetid powder under the heels of the "poker stampede". My mother, proudly striding toward the parking lot points to the big red trucks in distance and says," the township.Told ya we shoulda called em.....".With the flick of the wrist and a fist in the air, Jeni takes off down the hillside.She has seen enough of this chaos.With her Amigo's battery dangerously low ( because like a cordless phone, them things plug themselves back in...dont they?) she stalls in the rain gutter.To proud to ask for help, she stares out to the roadway and plans her next move.

My sister hustles up the side walk

catch up with my mom who has made it to her car and now searches inside her hand bag for the keys she has in her other hand.With a loud summons, my dad shouts down to Jeni," hey you...ahh what her name, ahh..",he asks,"..whats her name?..".With no more than a shift in her scooter seat, Jeni floats the old man the bird.Having the attention span of a Cocker Spaniel, my dad wanders down the sidewalk surveying the burning cars.

5 fire trucks roll past the funeral home at 74 miler per hour, showering the wayward Jeni with fine gravel taking her back to "the Best room you got.." episode, where we stayed at a motel that had a pool 30 ft from an off ramp from I-75. Whomever took it upon themselves to call the township for the burning ordinance violation got the house number wrong, and with the blink of an eye, the rescue squad roars by , and off into the distance and becomes a little red dot on the horizon. Freeing her Amigo Jeni rolls to the end of the street, turns to see my family piled up at the traffic light, 17 burning cars and trucks, a small oil fire from my body and a crowd of 35 or so on lookers.With the eruption of a small propane grill tank in the bed of a burning truck, a cool wind, and then.....rain....Jeni leans back, shakes her head from side to side, and with a laugh says......." nice, Cary......nice".

Whats your profession?

With a glare and a strong exhale, my face says "go away".Images in my mind of pain and suffering of my enemies bring a smile to my face.It is not a good day.Nothing can make it a good day.You will not cheer me up.Every step my feet stab into the steel steps toward the mindless babble center that is the workplace.The same faceless slabs of flesh mill around and grumble their grumbles,revive the same sarcastic humor from yesterday and the 7000 days that came before.Like flickering lights in a dark sky, the few angles of mercy walk past, cast a sympathetic glance and say "hello Mr.Ellis..".Hello.Good to see you.My face softens and I make eye contact on my way by, and return the kind and thoughtful gesture.Its amazing how few people are really appreciative and reciprocate good manners and polite demeanor.I reward this rare find with the utmost courtesy and support.The hours pass slowly and the souls of these rare and colorful creatures is slowly extracted from their bodies.The pay, hardly worth the cost, is the only motivation.Vampires rule this world.They suckle at your spirit and nibble for sustenance,tending the cattle.With rehearsed speech and propaganda befitting a Nazi rally, they attempt to mask their bitter disrespect and utter contempt with having to actually PAY MONEY for your hours with demands for more ,providing less means to accomplish the "goals" they have set.Every day is the true definition of doing what you have to do versus doing what you love to do.Apathy is the only virtue they nurture.Without apathy, the slaves would revolt and leave the farm.They need it.They promote it.Without apathy, the sun light of vision and creativity would no doubt sear their pale undead skin leaving them blistered and angry.I know of these things, so in their dark corners they plot and wait for the time to strike.Empty is this vessel, for I will overcome.I will bring the light and lead the people.It is the path to productivity and true success.Our will and our virtue shall be the rock that they shatter against, or all shall be lost and the sounds of industry will fall silent and the walls will grow lonely with only eachother to look at.Enlightenment is so close, but their eyes blinded, can not see.Faint in the distance, the horn sounds out the call to arms.I shall be ready.

Caution:Wild animals are dangerous

Attack cat.Everyone who enters the house gets this warning.." dont worry about the dog..its the cat you need to worry about...".Such is true for the poor Comcast tech that came over yesterday to repair the cable TV issue. Seems this last weather debacle caused some hidden damage. This poor guy was a buck-o-five skinny guy with a pleasant demeanor who said, " yeah right" when warned about the cat. Sinatra began stalking the guy from the onset and actually allowed him to touch when supervised.HOWEVER, when said tech meandered off to inspect cable integrity, the attack cat sprang into action. With a growl and a short sprint, when Jeni wasnt looking, attack cat latched on with all four legs and teeth into the Workman's lower leg.He quickly called out for the removal of the animal.Sinatra, suspecting his attack ill timed released the guy and sped off to plan his next assault.Jeni, in hot pursuit, scooped up the felonious feline and chucked his cats ass into the laundry gulag.This DID NOT make kitty happy.He spent the next half hour howling and methodically destroying the wood frame around the door.Luckily for us and the cable tech, he was wearing high cowboy boots and the only damage was several prominent punctures of the leather and no skin damage.The lucky Tech guy later said he would not want to be the unlucky criminal who burglarized casa Ellis.A face full of claws and teeth certainly would spoil someones day I think.Sinatra is about 13 lbs. Pound for pound, he would whupp any Rottweilers ass I suspect.Im just happy he loves me and mommy and the dog.If he didnt I would surely sleep with the bedroom door CLOSED.

Fried day

Fried day, my favorite day. Today is the day I openly engage in consumption of fried foods.Especially fried fish. All you can eat goodness. This fact is directly responsible for the expansion of my waist line and the pain in my leg joints. I dont care. I love fried food so much, a cat turd dipped in beer batter sounds good enough to try. Waffle fires, steak fries, cod, perch, pollack, whatever. The waitstaff at my favorite troughs LOVE me with enthusiasm beyond description. I tip good and eat fast. My love of artery clogging comes from genes. A long line of big eaters. Im not ashamed. I love me. I loved me at 200 lbs. Ahh yes...200 lbs, 30 inch waist, I could run like a deer, hit like a dump truck and was agile.......I have never been agile. I have two directions, straight ahead and stop. Stop isnt a direction, so you get it. Yes, fried food , my not so secret lover has driven that man away. Now I still hit like a dump truck, but the deer days are over and I wont get into my waist line. If I didnt like to cook AND eat so much, its possible I could have maintained the 200 lb level, maybe. I often wonder how much age really has to do with overall fitness. Im not so old that I have trouble losing weight. A small change in portion size and diet yields instant results, and exercise puts it on turbo. Strange as it is, I dont feel the motivation, knowing Im well over optimum weight. I think its an overall contentment with life. I just dont feel bad about it. I guess good self image isnt something to complain about .It also helps I could care less what others really think also. Im pretty good about how I look in public, taking the time to look appropriate that is, so rudeness isnt ever an issue face to face. I have a perma-scowl I wear by nature, so I guess snickering at a giant meanie pants lookin like guy doesnt happen much. Im ok with that. I hate having to slap around rude people. Stopped out to the dads today to look over some finances and snapped a few pictures today, some blooms and a old pooch. Good wishes for everyone this weekend, I have a funeral tomorrow for a coworker of Jeni's that had a heart attack at work and died right there.Mike was 44 years old.Maybe Ill order a salad tonight.

Easter flowers for everyones moms

A good OLD friend

more spring things

Spring Blooms

colors vivid and beautiful

things popping up everywhere

Helloo There...

The weather improves and spring is here. Iam very happy about this, although I have to say winter was a different animal this year for me. Usually, I hate it. Cold, snow, and lots of misery. This year I returned to my Michigan born roots, and really , winter was ok. We had some exceptionally cold days and more than enough snow to move around, but overall it was manageable. My good buddy pulled me out of very deep sleep and the picture above is what Sinatra looked like when my eyelids cracked open. He immediately began purring his nasty cat breath into my nostrils just as I took that initial deep " wake up" inhale. " Breakfast?", Sinatra inquires. "9 am ........", I grumble. He doesnt care that I work sometimes until well after 2300 hours. " Ive been asleep all day...", he says. " And night.....unlike me", I reply. No matter, he flops over on his side and turns his head completely upside down and winks at me stretching out his little cat arms to touch me lightly on the face. Relenting, I get up to the crunching goodness that is my knee joints and stagger to the bathroom. The market awaits, and the money train is pulling out of the station. I have changed the title of my blog to something more suitable and I intend to shift away from sports rants about MSU and focus on an abundance of other things.Im an aspiring photographer and creative writing is a long time love, so I shall blog more often about this sort of jibbery write what most dont understand. Warnings all around, mature subject matter will be produced, so disclaimers apply. Insight into the demented side of that which is my mind can be disturbing and cause itchy , runny nose, gas, bowel discomfort, prolonged erection, abnormal bodily discharge, vomiting and euphoria leading to paranoia, mostly in women and animals. Use as directed. Im planning a photo project that should be great. It will include psuedobondage, witchcraft, roadkill and many other taboo mannerisms sure to entertain.Have a great day people, or dont. I dont care.

Swinging BOTH ways.......

Very recently, I clicked on one of those pesky ads on Yahoo! Finance page,
whilst smoldering about market shifts and the facts of life as pertains to trading
the market. Keep in mind, I've been trading for sometime now. I wouldn't say I'm
a pro, or make any claims to be some sort of economist, but I have learned just about
all the things NOT to do when trading the market. I refuse to believe that Buy & Hold
is a strategy at all, unless your investments are meant to stay in place for eternity.
Eventually, if your choices are good, buy & hold will provide steady dividends and through
prudent reinvestment, your money will grow and regardless of price, you will end up ahead
of the game. I dont think that way. I like to trade for INCOME. The market has changed in the last two years to be a traders market. I think this is in part to the deployment of trading software, provided by both retail brokers and put in use by larger banking/investment firms.
Most of this software analyzes price points and volumes and then makes a determination of
buy/sell points based on this data, with the obvious disclaimers that say if you lose your ass, its not their fault, because you didnt look close enough. ANYWAY, I clicked on an ad for Sogotrade, a discount broker based in New York city. At first glance, it looked attractive. The commissions are $3.00 per side with no minimum account fees or start up fees or any of the burdensome
crap that pisses you off. Nice. Next thing I notice is that Sogotrade is a self clearing broker, which eliminates third party clearing, a benefit in that cost savings for the broker is passed to the customer in the form of lower fees and trade commissions. Nice.
Third, after deeper investigation, I found that Sogotrade has advanced procedures in place for account log in security and account safety. Being a victim of identity theft myself, this is VERY nice.
I opened an account and after an annoying period of waiting for account set up to activate, and my security documents to process, I funded the account and started trading.
WOW. Is all I can say. The system works well, I was awarded 100 free trades with a measly 30 day expiration ( thats the only negative really) and short sales go off without a hitch.
This is the crux of today's blog entry. Trading BOTH DIRECTIONS. For anyone who dabbles in the market, one thing to keep in mind is this, predicting whether or not a stock will go up is for
fortune tellers and suckers. This market DOES not trade on fundamentals or hardly any of the traditional things your economy professors preach. Trading volatility is the key to success. VOLATILITY. As long as the market is open, you can make money. The other key to winning is knowing what your trading. Know the industry, know the players. Its hard to draft a fantasy team that wins if you just guess. You need to know who and what. The difference is, you dont care if your star 1st baseman bats .400 or goes 0 fer 273, as long as he gets HIS TURN AT BAT.
Translation, as long as the market is open, it will vacillate. Thats all we need. Want to know more? Comment with questions and we can discuss. Have a great day people, and stay safe.

Is that the..ahh yes it is.....

The woodshed. Thats what it was ...the woodshed. UNC put MSU away VERY early. My team looked tight and did everything on the "paddle my ass" checklist:
1) Turn the ball over
check
2)Shoot 0'fer
check(Chris Allen handled that one)
3)Miss at least one of EVRY one and one freethrow opp.
check
It didnt help that Ellington hit the rim 3 times all night and Lawson collected 8 turnovers all by his lonesome. The Spartans seemed to loosen up, but quite frankly, the ship had sailed to a
20 point lead by that time. The size differences was not ASTOUNDING, but enough to mention here. The Suton effect brought us the equivalent to his scoring average closer than in December, but that was about it.
In summary, I had loads of fun Saturday, AND NO FUN AT ALL MONDAY. I wont say "I figured UNC was gonna win" like all the poo-poo pants folks, but I did know it would be rough.
Rough...hehehe, its kinda funny now. I asked for quick death, and my wishes were granted.
All in all, MSU made it to a place no Big Ten team was supposed to, and wiped out the vaunted
BIG EAST POWER. Power...yeah right. We also gathered a Big Ten title by running away with it, the largest margin of victory by any team in the 10 since, oh...1984-85?
My buttocks are stinging from the whuppin' we got, but my head is held high. Im proud of our teams trek to glory, I want to thank all the players, coaches and staff for all the hard work, and say in summation.....GO GREEN!!! See ya next year....summabitches...haHAHhahAhHAHAHA

The calm before the storm....

Its close now. As I survey the camp, the smokey taste from the fires crosses my palate. No sleep tonight. The horrors of previous battles still ring in the ears of the common soldier. The mere appearances of the old Commanders and our retired leaders inspires. No one wishes to falter in the eyes of the great ones. The ones who carried the shield and spear bringing glories of legend and tales passed from fathers to sons. "what consumes your mind captain?",inquires the page.No response. Just a slow walk and a steely gaze, the muscles in the jaw tighten and contract, then tighten again.Then words,"they know not what sacrifices will be asked in the day to come.What of their homes,what of their brothers? These things not in their minds, but in their hearts.In the blood of the arm that thrusts the spear and rends life from our enemies.In the screams of pain of the wounded and fallen, that is where the things of home exist". Looking across the fire lit field, the men sit and drink, tend wounds and laugh. Their shadows loom large against the rocks and trees, expanding and growing to shape the figures of the great ones.The ghostly elders wager and speculate, observing the preparations and the prayers.These mortals do not know what lies over the next hill, or how high the summit they claw their way toward actually is."Folly, pure folly", laughs one."VICTORY is at hand!!",shouts another. The shadows draw weapons of thunder and lightning bolts ,posture, pressing chest to chest.Tense silence, squinting eyes locked in a death stare reserved for their victims.Both shadows step back clasp hands and tip backward belly laughing. The Spartan warriors on earth at the gods feet look skyward to see lightning streak through the night clouds and here thunder rolling in the distance. Not saying a word, they look at one another, nod and know.The elders and legends favor them and wait...watching. All the warriors know there are no promises, and defeat looms large in the back of their minds. The task at hand is of difficult nature and the enemy determined and capable. Its the time to defend home and drive the enemy into the sea.
The warm air turns cold as the wind whips up.Temperature drops and snow begins to fall.
What of this omen, what is its possible meaning? It portends nothing. The time has come Spartans.The barbarians approach howling and clattering swords against the shield.Two enter, one leaves..........God speed us to victory, or bring death quick and glorious.GO GREEN!

Thabeet,Thabeet,Thabeet....Thats all folks!

With a pass, a short sprint and a thunderous one handed dunk in Stanley Robinsons grille, Durrell Summers ignited the crowd of 72000 in Ford Field. I wasnt there, but L.O.S.T was out at Michigan Theatre, and at that moment in time, we all erupted to our feet riot screaming. That moment came with 5:40 or so left in the game and we could see the spirit drain out of the UCONN Huskies.Momentum never swayed really, and even at the start of the second, UCONN asserted its will and gathered momentum, but all the sandbags in the Sahara couldnt hold off MSU when the levee gave way.MSU started the game fast building almost a 9 point lead instantly, but with a 4 or 5 minute scoring drought, UCONN came back to lead by 5 at 9:35.The crowd quieter, we all sat hands clasped over our mouths watching.Methodically executing play after play,MSU played bucket for bucket. They gathered a turnover here, there and again, wore down the UCONN starters (31 minutes minimum for Huskies 5). One thing I saw that I think needs commenting on, is a similarity between UCONN and Oklahoma. Several times when Thabeet or Robinson made a play, there was a scream and a pose after the play like some skinny Pro Wrestler, while MSU pushes he ball up the court for 3 on 1 and 4 on 2 break points.Oklahoma in its embarrassing loss would throw down a super masculine dunk then pose.....down by 20 points. A little reminder fellas....its not about SI covers or NEWS @ 6 highlights, its about team play and FINISHING. Thats why we play Monday, and Blake and Hasheem are at home watching TV.

Suton did all he could,Lucas poured in the points and Walton shutdown whoever he guarded.Summers,Allen and finally Raymar Morgan chipped in.The future, Draymond "Dancing Bear" Green played well above his age in basketball years.I think he has bought into the plan as has Delvin Roe, another future MSU great. With so many guys coming off the bench and playing beyond the call of duty, its hard to mention them all. Final results? 82-73 MSU WINS!What else can I say ......

one more time boys, one more time.

Dig deep

Its about 1pm Saturday. 5 hours to game time. Im nervous as if I was going to suit up and play.
Die hard fans and former athletes like myself all know what Im feeling. I played many 3 on 3 Gus Macker style basketball tournaments, and every time, I was nervous. My confidence never rattled, as I thrive on the challenge. I always liked to play people who were obviously taller and better players than me ( wasnt hard to find) because I always feel the drive to shine. There is no sensation quite like when your in the "zone". The basket is as big as a swimming pool and the ball flows off your hand with the smooth release and rainbow flight. If its all REALLY clicking, you can post like Kevin McHale, and fill the basket like Larry Bird. Exhaustion means nothing, the effort of your opponents means less. I have to say, I dont get there a lot, but it happens every now and then. I have learned over the years, that I cant overwhelm my mind with the stakes of the game. I always do better when I focus on game fundamentals. Play hard, stay alert, bend but dont break. That probably doesnt make sense to most, but my player friends know what Iam saying. The pregame mental checklist. Just before the tip off, or the kickoff, or the first tee you push into the ground looking down a fairway. A deep breath and a hard exhale and inner monologue..." go time ". The Spartans have another ridge to climb in UCONN. Thabeet and the post play for UCONN is mighty.Two good guards run the show.They're gonna want to penetrate and pass into the lane so 7' 3" can get his. I dont see many jumpers from UCONN. Maybe Im wrong, but I dont think thats what they're gonna push. Constant mental analysis has exhausted my brain battery. I have beaten this game to death in my mind about as much as I can. Im ready to see em do it. Spartan nation is hungry. People in Michigan are punch drunk from the effects of our failing state economy, and an overall decline in morale. A win for MSU would fan a spark to hopefully build to a flame. The dark underbelly of human kind is slowly showing more and more of itself as we struggle to maintain dignity and some semblance of the style of life we have become accustomed to. Crime is way up, and unemployment is around 12.5% in Michigan. 1 of every 10 people are either unemployed and / or unemployed and on state assistance. Why the mainstream enjoys trashing the upper midwest is beyond me. Doesn't matter, actions speak louder than bullshit. We will rise again. Lets get that party started with a victory for MSU and the Big 10 today at 6pm. Im heading down to Michigan Theatre to watch the game. Michigan Theatre is a Spanish Ren style theatre build around 1930 or so. Very orante and very beautiful. A treasure in our crappy city that just holds onto existence by charity and dedication of people who love it here and want to preserve our towns heritage. Good place to see a show. Time for a shower, some lunch and time to gather up the L.O.S.T cohort. Loud and proud my friends, LOUD and PROUD. GO GREEN.