September 23, 2006. My Wolverines were on their way to an 11-0 start and had just sobered up the Irish (haha) to the tune of 47-21. The Spartans had beaten Notre Dame in South Bend in 2005 in OT and classlessly planted its flag on their 50-yard-line. A beleaguered Irish team entered East Lansing that day to face a resurgent Spartan team with a skilled senior QB and a deep backfield.
MSU dominated the first half, and then the hurricane hit. I remember that night, how hard the rain came down. I remember hearing the cheers from the stadium all the way up in North Campus, even in the middle of one of the biggest storms they had during my four years there. You couldn't ask for a more faithful fan base, one that wanted it more that night.
And then, it happened again. Again. MSU choked it away, and in the most heartbreaking fashion I have ever personally witnessed. I can't really describe the looks on the faces of the people on my floor afterward. It wasn't that they couldn't believe it; far from that, they suspected it would happen all along. And that must've been the worst part. Not just to lose to a hated rival again after such a great start, again, but to see that your team is exactly the team they've always been, and not champions. Still, not champions. I'd never seen looks like that on fans' faces before, and I haven't again since then, not even when I was at the Appalachian State game. Even I, a completely and utterly deathless enemy of Spartan football, felt sorry for them. Not condescendingly--sympathetically. It was truly awful.
But two years later, it's worth remembering for this awesome moment in sports radio history, brought to you by the Spartans' Mike Valenti. Listen to the whole quarter-hour. Seriously. You don't even have to be a sports fan, necessarily. It is, quite simply, unspeakably delightful. As far as I'm concerned, if the Spartans could just perpetually cause this sort of thing to happen, I would be extremely happy with that. Enjoy:
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