Hondo’s Spartan Mailbag: Fitz, Bartholomae, Izzo & MSU Busy Season
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EAST LANSING, MI.--The Michigan State Spartans are in the midst of their “Busy season,” with hockey pushing toward a national title hunt, Tom Izzo’s cagers always relevant and poised for another impressive postseason, and, well…football is still going on.
Spartan Nation always responds in a big way, and after nearly three decades of covering the Green and White at Spartan Nation, and being a Spartan, where better to go?
In a new column that will appear weekly, we will answer the most asked and pressing questions surrounding the athletic department, and true to form, none of you disappointed this week.
Spartan Nation Speaks!
I want to thank everyone who sent DMs via our various Facebook pages and groups, and those who emailed us. Without further delay, let’s get right to it.
Did the AD Do the Right Thing?
Hey Hondo, outside of you, no one loves Michigan State as much as I do. I had mixed feelings when the new AD released his letter. Not sure to be honest, what I think; any thoughts you can share?Mike C. Bloomfield Hills, MI
Like you, Mike, I was struck when new Michigan State Athletic Director Dan Bartholomae released an open letter to the Spartan community with both excitement and consternation.
I appreciated his declaration that football is a top priority and his commitment to resourcing it to compete immediately. Yee-ha. That is sincere, not hyperbole or sarcasm.
Not since Mark Hollis have we had an AD that was as bold and forthright. Some, because they were politicians and bureaucrats; others, because they didn’t have the power and authority to do so.
He committed to funding key programs in the top third of the conference, maximizing roster revenue spending to the full cap, and aiming for multiple National Championships.
My consternation was that it felt a little rushed, but the more I stewed, the more I realized that's what we love about Izzo. It was raw; it was real.
Now, after reflecting, I love it; he put the gauntlet on the ground and drew the line. Our next question explains this in more detail.
New AD Yay or Nay as a Hire?
Uncle Hondo, love the Green and White, and love you, man. Share your thoughts on the new AD, Dan Bartholomae. Why didn’t we get Mark Hollis, and what do you think of him?Peter H. Frankfort, MI
I was totally in on it and think they should have made things right with Hollis, who a terrible Board of Trustees (hmm…some things never change) cost us. I know for a fact that multiple people wanted him, and multiple didn’t, and the politics of the day wouldn't let him come back.
One former MSU Administration key member told me, “The two sides won’t let it happen, they will have to come up with a compromise candidate.”
If Hollis couldn’t have it, Dan Bartholomae was my first choice. He understands us, the culture, and the state. He isn’t a bureaucrat like a few of our past ones since Hollis, and he was not going to be powerless or forced to be a politician like another.
He drew a line in the sand. He put football on notice that he would fund them, and fair or not, I think it is fair. Indiana has set the standard,
This year, Pat Fitzgerald was asked to bring a toothpick to a war he couldn’t win. Next year, that is not the case. I will talk more about that in the next email I answer, but rest assured, the new AD put his legacy under the microscope, and unlike the folks 60 miles southeast of the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation: Spartan Stadium, I like that rugged, gutsy, chip-on-the-shoulder toughness that separates the Spartan Nation from those who wear the Gray Poupon and blue.
Fitz? To Be or Not To Be?
Hondo, I love listening to you every Thursday morning (8:10 AM) on AM 1320 with Mike Austin. What are your thoughts on Pat Fitzgerald now that he is here?Jennifer D. Okemos, MI
Back in the day, I had Pat "Fitz" Fitzgerald on my radio show, and I never hid it; I know now that I like him and respect him—a lot. Like Adam Nightingale and Tom Izzo, he has to prove he can do it here, now, but I support him 110%.
This is a new era of college football, and we don’t know how he will do. This year, the school handicapped him with a poorly funded program, so he deserved a mulligan.
I was vocal, however, on some questionable staff hires.
I like Nick Sheridan the man, but at the time, not only me but multiple alums didn’t like it (and privately don’t now even more), and I can tell you that people I know well at the University of Alabama were stunned that he was hired for that job.
His performance, even with his talent in mind, has been questionable, to be kind, in my opinion. You can’t blame him for not having the players others do, but even against lesser opponents, one NFL executive told me, “It looks like he is trying to show how much he knows and not win the game with stuff they can do.”
Next year, Fitz will have two years to impress the Spartan Nation and his new boss. The players he has this year should not reflect what he has next year, but he has to prove he can evaluate and get the players he needs to compete, and he has to prove he can hire a competent staff.
Several good coaches on this staff can win big, including Fitz. I love the DCs, but he has some weak points, and he needs to demonstrate that, in the win-now era of college football, he can and will move on from poor-performing coaches, just like you do with players. Every coach he keeps, he is telling us he believes in, and that is fine, but a held-over, poor-performing coach next year will directly be his fault.
Owning the Ice
Hondo, you still hearing about NHL teams loving Coach Nightingale? Thank you,Mike K. Minerva, OH
Hi Mike, my brother lives in Minerva. Great town.
I mentioned this last year on a national radio show, and I am glad you caught it. My wife and I were in the luxury box of an NHL owner watching a critical game, and he told me, “Your Sparties (I corrected him) better hold on to Nights [Adam Nightingale], my guy; they keep bringing up his name, and he's a real up-and-comer. He may be the best evaluator and developer of talent in the American college landscape. They say he loves the place, but they best take care of him like Iz [Tom Izzo]."
For this article, I reached out to the aforementioned owner and asked him if anything had changed. His response is telling.
“Not a single damn thing. If he isn’t on a team’s radar, it is because they are a purchase talent level which is only about 15% of our league. The other 85% all know who he is. It isn’t a matter of if, but when the NHL comes calling. Then it is up to him.”
I love Night's personally as a human, and I am an over-the-top Michigan State hockey-obsessed human. Like basketball, I couldn't be happier with what he is doing.
In Izzo I Trust
Hondo, another year of hoops, you still all in on Izzo? What ya thinking?Marcus B. Southfield
What am I thinking, Marcus? Come on, man, you know me. I think any year Tom Izzo is back in East Lansing is a superb year.
He is the only person alive who is bigger than the University, an icon, and a Green and White treasure. Oh, and by the way, at some point this year, when people start complaining and grumbling like a bunch of spoiled children, I will see you in March, when he will have us back in the dance.
What he has done for this school on the court, and even more off of it, will have books written about him, and his legend will grow even more.
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Hondo S. Carpenter Sr. is an award-winning sports journalist with decades of experience. He serves as the Senior Writer for NFL and College sports, and is the beat writer covering the Las Vegas Raiders. Additionally, he is the editor and publisher for several sites On SI. Carpenter is a member of the Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
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