Michigan State Friday

You see, madness, as you know, is like gravity.  All it takes is a little push!
-The Joker

Hi, Sparty.

Fred Brown, Georgetown.

Bill Buckner, Boston Red Sox.

Jose Mesa, Cleveland Indians.

Craig Ehlo, Cleveland Cavaliers.

Earnest Byner, Cleveland Browns.

Andres Escobar, Colombia.

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys.

Kyle Brotzman, Boise State.

Joe Pisarcik, New York Giants.

Chris Webber, Michigan Wolverines.

Scott Norwood, Buffalo Bills.

David Fucking Gordon.

Steve Bartman, Chicago Cubs.

Goats, all of them.

It's the downside of being a sports fan.  One that many of us suffer from.  For example, I'm sure some of my Cleveland readership wanted to hurl their computers through the window after the trio of Cleveland's goats.  We invest so much of ourselves into our teams.  The more we put in, the more we get out.  There's no joy like watching a team you've followed for years win a championship.  And there's no agony like seeing a team you've followed for a lifetime get to the cusp of greatness and fail.

And fail again.

And fail some more.

And failure, each painful loss, is another push.  

And that way lies madness.  Some of us have embraced that madness in our own lives.  Maybe with a profanity-laced tirade that made our friends stand in awe at just how emotionally invested we were in a game against the Air Force Academy.  Or maybe we accidentally coined a phrase:

Solid, B+ effort there, Cleveland fan.  With points deducted for use of cuts.

Which is why today, not just as Irish fans, but as sports fans, we must stand in awe and applaud one particular Michigan State fan: Mike Valenti.

We're all sports fans.  We've all seen our team choke a game away.  We've all been angry about it.  But Mr. Valenti did something about it.  Something spectacular.  As I said yesterday, in 2006 Michigan State had the ball on the Irish 35 with less than 10 minutes to go.  They were up 16 points as a driving rainstorm drew to a close.  The Irish came back to score three touchdowns and win by three.

Two days later, Mr. Valenti took to the airwaves on his daily radio show. And 36 hours after the game itself, he delivered live, on air, without stopping once, the greatest sports rant in the history of college football:

So friends, take fifteen minutes out of your day to bask in the glory of fandom in its purest form.  In fact, let's have a drink in Mr. Valenti's honor tomorrow.

After we crush the Spartans.

Score Prediction:  ND 24 - MSU 9

Backer Song of the Day: