"Sports Fans Had a Great First Week"
By Capt. Fred Davis
Published: Monday, January 13, 2014


Michigan had a great start for 2014 when the MSU Spartans beat Stanford in the 100th Rose Bowl. It was State’s fifth trip to Pasadena and the Spartans were overdue. Their last time was in 1988, 26 years ago. State had an overall 12-1 record, which led to their Rose Bowl opportunity. Their single loss to Notre Dame was just a blur in the past.

U of M did not fare as well for the season with a 7-5 record, but they did manage to beat Notre Dame which was to be the highlight of the season. They got a bowl invitation: The Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl (Has anyone heard of that one?), which was played in Tempe, Ariz.

Michigan ran head on into a determined Kansas State Wildcats team, which only posted a 6-4 season record but whipped Michigan 31-14 decisively.

Ohio State (12-1) was not beat until MSU spanked them in the Big Ten Championship match. They fell flat in the Orange Bowl though when they met Clemson (10-2). It was a close game however with Ohio in it to the end, with a score of 40-35. The game did prove that MSU had the best defense in college ball.

Our Red Wings couldn’t hold up in an old-fashioned outdoor hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They put up a valiant effort, losing 3-2 but provided plenty of excitement for the largest crowd to ever view a hockey game. The total head count was 105,511 who filled the U of M stadium in Ann Arbor in temperatures of 13 degrees with wind chills of 0. Snow had to be cleared off the ice several times during the game.

MSU fans were sure happy with their win but it may have kept some of them from following the very recent resolutions they had made. Imagine those who had resolved to quit smoking and just hours later watched the game, especially the first half. The excitement was enough to make some people take up smoking. Those who said no more nail biting were probably hit hard also.

We can’t imagine too many beer drinkers vowing to give that enjoyment up but all those who take a sip now and again and wanted to quit had to be stopped dead in their tracks. Glasses and bottles were clinking together for toast after toast to the victors.

Remember I quoted that statement about only 8 percent of those that make resolutions keeping them more than 30 days? Our MSU fans couldn’t even make it the first day, but they sure had a great excuse.

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