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EAST LANSING, Mich. — October 2007. The rivalry was dead. Michigan had just won seven straight and 10 of the last 12 games against their in-state rival Michigan State when in the post game-presser following a 28-24 Wolverines victory in Spartan Stadium, Michigan’s Mike Hart called MSU Michigan’s “little brother”.

Then Dantonio took to the podium and changed everything with one (kinda confusing) simple phrase: “The pride comes before the fall”. MSU would go on to win 8 of the next 11 games in the rivalry, turning the Spartans into Michigan’s older brother.

Last Tuesday, Dantonio took to the podium once again, this time to announce his retirement before MSU’s basketball game later that night vs. Penn State. Having already announced his retirement via twitter earlier in the day, nothing out of the ordinary occurred at the press conference. Dantonio conducted the press conference the same way he coached on the sidelines: Composed, quiet, stern, and proud. He fought to remain stoic, holding back tears, while he received a barrage of questions regarding the timing of his retirement.

The timing of his retirement was fishy, having just been given a $4.3 million bonus three weeks prior and a lawsuit from former staffer Curtis Blackwell earlier the same day. But Dantonio said the lawsuit had “zero relevance” in the timing of his announcement, admitting he had only made the decision a week prior when he typed his retirement letter on the way home from a recruiting trip.

The lawsuit against Dantonio likely wouldn’t have ended in anything more than a settlement (see Memphis basketball for evidence on how the NCAA handles these issues) or the loss of a few scholarships, making the belief that “he retired because of the lawsuit” unlikely. The timely $4.3 million bonus he received just before retirement is also a non-issue to anyone within the MSU administration or fanbase. If he did decide to hold off the announcement until after he received the bonus, so what? If anyone deserved it, it was Dantonio.

He’s the one who won 114 games in his career, made 11 bowl game appearances, won three Big Ten Titles, a Sugar Bowl, and a Rose Bowl for MSU.

The same one who nearly died from a heart attack following his “Little Giants” victory over Notre Dame in September of 2010 and less than a month later was back on the sidelines leading MSU to an 11 win season.

I always find it funny watching LeVeon Bell as a special teams player in this video.

But despite his glowing resume, Dantonio still has his detractors.

Throughout his career, he made a living recruiting less touted players and turning them into NFL draft picks. He also was known for giving players a “second chance” that might not have one otherwise. This backfired on him a few times, most notably when he went against his assistants’ advice and brought a recruit with a checkered past, Auston Robertson, to East Lansing… Only to have him kicked off the team shortly after for rape allegations. But for every Robertson, there are ten to twenty players who Dantonio helped mold into model citizens. But you don’t hear about those ones as much.

Dantonio was also a fiercely loyal guy, sometimes to a fault. That’s what made it so difficult for Pat Narduzzi to leave his position as MSU’s Defensive Coordinator for the vacant Head Coaching position at Pittsburgh in December of 2014. He had followed Dantonio to East Lansing from Cincinnati and had coached with him for a long time (over 10 years) — A similarity almost all of Dantonio’s assistants had.

So it came as no surprise as that when the Spartans had a 3-9 season in 2016 and a few lackluster years to follow, fans and media alike called for the heads of his coordinators — But Dantonio didn’t budge.

(For the full blog go to fatstacks.blog)

Today’s show is a quick lunchtime rundown on all 14 of Fats’ Super Bowl bets. With a current gambling record of 11-11, he needs some wins and he’s looking for the Chiefs to clean up this week as well as numerous different props bets to hit as well. Get in on the picks now or forever regret missing out on easy money!

ON today's "Emergency podcast" Klouse (Fatstacks PGA Analyst) joins the show to talk about this past weekend's "Cheating" debacle involving "Captain America/The Bad Boy of Golf" Patrick Reed.

Klouse and Fats break down this guys troubled past as well as the craziness that occurred this weekend where a Masters Champion blocked Klouse.

I LOVE THIS WEEKEND'S GAMBLING CARD:

I touch on 5 different NBA & CBB games taking place this weekend (Fri-Sun) and this is the strongest I have felt all year about a slate (11-9 San record // 5-2 last week).

On the docket I have:

#7 Iowa vs. #19 Illinois @ 9:00 PM (FRIDAY) on FS1 // #9 Alabama vs. #24 Oklahoma 12:00 PM (SATURDAY) on ESPN // Auburn vs. #2 Baylor || 4:00 PM (SATURDAY) on ESPN // Lakers vs. Celtics 8:30 PM (SATURDAY) on ABC || MSU vs. #13 OSU 1:00 PM (SUNDAY) on CBS ||

Trust me, you want to follow my picks this week.

Thanks for listening and make sure to subscribe if you haven't done so already!

Today's show is loaded and I needed the help of Scrambled Legs' Noah Jacobs to help me get through it.

We talk about Jake Paul's rise as what I am calling, the new face of boxing and fighting after Conor fell from grace.

Then we finish the show debating the recent NBA players vs. Inside the NBA TNT (Charles and Shaq) debate as well.

Thanks for listening and make sure to check out Scrambled Legs and Cruising Altitude as well!

#Fatstacks

On today's quick lunch break show, Fats breaks down Matt Stafford's decision to request a trade from the Lions || Sports Gambling's inaugural weekend in Michigan/Detroit || Conor McGregor's TKO Loss and the fallout from watching an all-time great start to fall from grace (He's still a millionaire).

Today’s podcast is a doozy featuring Fats and Fatstacks Golf Expert Klouse. We talk about our top 10 favorite golf courses and some of the best/worst parts about them. All the courses in our list are in the state of Michigan and they are all reasonably priced as well. Finally, on today’s show we also mention some of least favorite courses around (Willow Brook) and some other general thoughts on the upcoming golf season.

FSS: New Shoes every Monday-Wednesday-Friday

Okay, if you are anything like me… You had zero idea who the hell Dan Campbell was when the Lions announced him as their head coach. But luckily for you, I did some research so you don’t have to.

Is this guy the next Mike Vrabel? Or the next Jim Schwartz?

All that and more on today’s show, but don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and let us know your thoughts in the comments or on twitter (follow us there as well).

Today's friday special pod is a short one for the gamblers out there. Yes, I know I wen't 4-6 last week but that was just a warmup, this week we are going for perfection. So if you like money, give this one a listen... But don't come crying to me when all of these picks lose!

FSS: New episodes 3-5 times a week, thanks for listening!

New FSS Episodes every M-W-F

Kyrie Irving has officially gone off the deep again this week after a week absence from the Brooklyn Nets and KD.

On today’s episode Fats’ dives into Kyrie’s “troubled” history and the recent story as well as offering some comparisons to the career of legend, Pistol Pete Maravich.

Today’s pod is a bit of a different listen, but I do think there is something to be learned by comparing these two “peacocks” of basketball and their interesting view of things.

All that and more on today’s show, but don’t forget to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and let us know your thoughts in the comments or on twitter (follow us there as well).