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Your Weekly General Michigan State Athletics Question & Answer Article

 

Hondo, I have read, watched, and now with radio listened to you for years. I loved your viewer mail on TV, but I can say that I have never emailed you. With the start this past week of a weekly segment on general MSU athletic questions I had to write. I think it is neat that you always have talked about the sports that don’t make money and as much as I love football and basketball, I just love the attention to the other things. You are a true Spartan. Carrie

Thank you Carrie, that is very kind. I care about the other things, as do most Spartans. I think that it is important for people to know about and although they may not draw the interest of football or basketball I think as long as people have questions this Q and A format is the best way to address them.

 

Hondo, I truly enjoy that you don’t sugarcoat answers. When I get done either watching or reading what you do I have never said, “Gee I wish he would tell us how he really feels.” Last week you mentioned about cutting sports and Hollis. Could you elaborate? What sports would you cut? Max

Max, thanks for the confidence. I alluded to this last week, but it is not a matter of IF Mark Hollis will cut sports…it is WHEN. It’s coming and it has to. Hollis is in a no win situation with the administration, in my opinion, and how they have taken a stand alone and self sufficient entity and are now draining it of funds. Just like whether people like it or not, America will have to address it’s debt and spending of money we don’t have by both parties. Hollis has done a masterful job and the athletic department is in NO WAY in as bad of fiscal shape as our nation, but the principle is the same. As the dollars tighten, it will be non-revenue sports that get cut. Look around the nation at many of the premier athletic schools and see how many varsity programs they have. As far as what programs I would cut, that isn’t fair. If I named them people would assume that I don’t care or don’t like that sport or coach at MSU. Sadly, it is our culture. If you have frank conversations people take them as an attack, which they wouldn’t be. Let’s just say that I don’t see it happening this year, but it will come at some point at MSU.

 

Hondo, I am really excited about U2 coming to MSU and the chance that many other things could come here and be done as a way for MSU to raise money. Do you think Hollis will look at other events? Roger

Roger, as you know if you have followed Spartan Nation long, I am an avid supporter of Mark Hollis. I wrote and reported on TV that he was the one for the job over a year before he got it and was the one to break that he had it. I can tell you one thing with 100% certainty about Mark Hollis. He has looked at, under, over, around and repeated the process at any opportunity to make money for MSU athletics. Will he do other things? If it fits his plan, he would for sure. Don’t worry about him missing chances to produce revenue.

 

Hondo, I need you to settle a bet. My buddy and I know that there was an MSU goalie in the Stanley Cup Finals as a coach. I said Ron Scott and he said Newell Brown. Who was it? Tony

Well buddy you are both wrong. Bob Essensa was the goaltending coach for the Bruins.

 

Hondo, I really loved having a lot more MSU baseball coverage this season. Keep it up.  Does baseball have a shot at ever making money here at MSU? Kyle

Kyle, I love MSU baseball and the job that Jake Boss is doing. No need to thank me, because you people love it also and it shows. Baseball making money here is a great question. Down south many of the SEC schools’ baseball programs make far more money than Izzo’s basketball program. Could it here? Yes, but the NCAA would have to change a lot of the rules and worthless regulations that hurt northern baseball and the Big Ten conference would have to stop hindering their own schools. Could it? For sure. Will it? I don’t see it, and sadly, that has nothing to do with Jake Boss.

 

OK everyone, there you go, our weekly general MSU athletics Q and A article. We will continue them every Tuesday morning so if you have a question (not about basketball or football) here is a simple way to get it here. Send your questions to SpartanNationMail@yahoo.com and put in the subject line general. If it doesn’t get answered in the article you will get a personal response. Thank you!