1st ever Schwanda Sports Mail Bag

I would love for this to be a every other week thing, or once a month at least. You can email me question, mostly sports, but I will answer any. Email is schwa1sa@cmich.edu


These are real questions from real people:



Why are Tomatoes considered fruits even though they grown on
the ground and are eaten with other vegetables?

- Adam from Columbus

Thanks for the question Adam, I have no idea, so I checked Wikipedia and found out this:

Botanically, a tomato is a fruit: the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. However, the tomato is not as sweet as most foods eaten as fruit, and is typically served as part of a salad or main course of a meal, rather than at dessert. It is therefore considered a vegetable for most culinary purposes. One exception is that tomatoes are treated as a fruit in home canning practices: they are acidic enough to be processed in a water bath rather than a pressure cooker as "vegetables" require. Tomatoes are not the only foodstuff with this ambiguity: eggplants, cucumbers, and squashes of all kinds (such as zucchini and pumpkins) are all botanically fruits, yet cooked as vegetables.


A lot of people have been talking about the need for an expansion in the NCAA basketball tournament. I personally believe it is fine how it is. What would you do? What do you think would be best for the sport?

Anonymous

I Love the tournament, it is my favorite time of year, but how I would change it is instead of teams from bad conferences that win their conference tournament playing in the play in game, those teams earned their spot, they should be in. Their should be 4 play in games. Those games would have the last 8 teams on the bubble play, and the winners would get the 4 9 seeds in the tournament. That way you get 4 great must watch games to fill out the field, and those teams that are on the bubble can't bitch, because they had a chance. Now sure you would still have more then 8 teams in question, but I think this would be really fun.



If you were a senior in high school this year, and you were being recruited by every college coach in the country. What would be your top three coaches in the whole country to play for be? And why?

Anonymous

That's a great question, for me Coach K would be one, no question about it. He has done so much, and I would know that I would come away from my time their not just a better basketball player, but a better man as well. Second would be Coach Izzo, I think he would also get the best from me, and I think that he does what ever he can to get the most and best out of his players, and to get his players the most attention, even if sometimes it has to be in a questionable way. Third is a tough one, because I have been lucky enough to meet the first two on my list, but number 3 I haven't, I would pick Coach Williams at UNC. His track record speaks for itself, and I think he would do a very good job getting me to play well right away.. since he needs the help right now.

How would you fix college basketball’s problem with one and done’s? Do you think the rule of having to be 19 years old to enter the NBA is fair? And how should it be changed to fix the problem? Is it fair for everyone involved (Player, College, NBA)?

Anonymous

This is simple to me, if you are good enough to play right out of high school and a team wants you, you should be able to go right to the NBA. However, if you do go to college I think you should have to go for at least two years. That way the Lebron's, Durant's and John Wall's of the world can go right to the NBA without having to go to college for a year, where everyone knows they are gone after one year, and they basically only have to go to class for one semester. Once spring semester starts they don't even need to go to class, unless they have a coach with integrity who makes them go to class, that sends the wrong message to everyone. I think that would be the best for everyone. If someone is good enough to play in the NBA and doesn't want to be in college it hurts the NBA if they are not there, it hurts the college if they are but don't really want to be, and really it hurts the player, since if you don't want to be somewhere you can't do your best.

By the way, thanks to Rory for the last 3 Anonymous questions.


I have a two point question for you… One, what do you think about the expansion of the Big Ten in particular Texas? Two, why do you think Mount Pleasant sucks so… so… sooooooo… BAD!!!!???

John from Milwaukee

Well first, Mt Pleasant doesn't suck John, you just have to make the best of it. I also understand you come from a lot of fun places, and great college towns, so maybe you are expecting a little too much. There is 5 or 6 bars within 5 miles of each other, I don't see what's wrong with that, though Mission street is terrible. For your real question, though I do know you think the MTP sucks, I think the big ten does need a 12th team and get a conference title game, however Texas doesn't make sense to me. They are a good school in both of the major sports, football and men's basketball, as well as many other things, and with the BTN they could make much more money if they were in the big ten, but to me, I think it needs to be either Pitt or Mizzu. (assuming ND would never join because they have way too much of a good thing going) Pitt makes sense because you have the PSU rivalry, and they are also good at basketball and football team. Then you can have PSU, Pitt, OSU, Michigan, MSU and Iowa then the other half could have Wis, Minn, ILL, IU, Purdue, and Northwestern. Or you get Mizzu to get the rivalry with ILL and have Mizzu, Ill, Purdue, IU, Iowa, and Northwestern and then still have Mich, MSU, OSU, PSU, Min and Wis. Either one I think will work.


What is your take on the state of the Michigan football and Basketball programs? Do you think Rich Rod will turn it around next year? Do you think Tre Zeigler go to Michigan?

Mike from Ann Arbor

Personally I think Rich Rod will get it turned around if they just let him. He had to change everything and that takes time. I think they will be better this year, and by 2011 they will contend for a big ten title. If they panic and fire him, they will be messed up for a few years since all the players that have been brought in from the last two years would not fit in to a tradition "michigan man" system. As for basketball I really like Coach Beilein and I do think that once they get some length for the 1-3-1 they will be ok. This year has been a step back, which is too bad for them and their fans, but Manny will come back and 2010-2011 will be a better year. As for Trey, we will find out in April, but if I had to pick right now, I think he will go to Michigan, because he can come in and help right away, and stay close to his family.


If you had to estimate a specific total in dollars on how much money you have spent at McDonald's and O'kelly's combined over the last 8 1/2 years what would that dollar amount be? Be as specific as you can, but to make it easier I will let you round to the nearest hundred

Dan from Big Rapids

Dear god. I don't even think I can begin to guess that. Lets put it this way. 5 years of 25 bucks a week, for 52 weeks at McDonald's is 6,500, so if I had to guess, $8,000 at Mcd's. As for O'kelly's, just since I was 21, so 6 and a half years ago, keeping in mind that since November 23, 2007 when my daughter was born I have gone their a lot less, but from December 2004 to November 22, 2007, I would have to guess anywhere from $50-150 a week would be over 15,000. I hope to god that is high, but it may be about right. There were a lot of nights where I had 250-300 bar tabs. Plus even if I get out with 20-30 tab, you do that a few nights a week, for a few years, it adds up. I don't want to think about it, because I think my wife would kill me. But it was a lot of fun, and a lot of great times.

Who are your top 5 Chippewas of all time? (Can be from any sport)

Dan from Big Rapids

Wow, another great question Heck. I don't know if I want to go with my 5 closest friends who are Chippewa athletes, or my 5 favorite to watch, or my 5 best. 5 closest friends- Wynn M, TJ Meerman, Brian Brunner, Bubba Gritter and Todd S. 5 favorite to watch (most also good friends)- JR Wallace, Mike the manchild M, Ike Brown, Dan B, and of course CK. 5 best, only since I have been here, 2001- CK, Dan L, Dan B, Wynn M, and AB. I hope I didn't forget anyone.

If you had the money and opportunity to watch a sporting event in any three sporting venues (past or present) which three would you choose and why?

Dan from Big Rapids

1)Boston Garden any mid 80's game between the Lakers-Celtics in the NBA finals. All that history, and all those great games, I would love to go there.
2)old Yankee Stadium during a world series game- same as the garden, it was between this and Fenway.
3)Gonzaga- I like Gonzaga a lot and I would love to go there for a game. There are lots of places I wish I could go to watch a game, and I have been lucky enough to go to a few, and I hope I can keep going to more.

Who is better Kobe or Lebron?

From Louie Lips

To me it's still Kobe, because he is a better defender and has a post up game, and also is a much better shooter.. Plus Kobe has 4 rings which is 4 more rings then Lebron will ever have. Lebron is sick and most likely will get to become a better shooter, but he still needs a post up game to get over Kobe, IMO.

How and what do you think fat boy needs to do to become not fat? Do you feel that this is a possibilty? Or in your lifetime, corwin will always be a big tuna?

Hallski

He needs to stop drinking, and care enough to work out. I don't think that will happen, because he loves drinking way too much.


What is joseph addai's 2010 season going to look like, and how
much of an impact will he have?
Also what are you're predictions on his carries, yards, and tds?

From Big Hick

I have to say I am torn, because I had Donald Brown in a keeper league, and I drafted him last year, hoping they would spilt last year and then Brown would keep getting more and more carries. However, I thought Addai played really well in the Super Bowl, and still is a better pass catcher out of the backfield and a better blocker. So I think it may be one more good year for Addai, and then by 2011, if there is football, Brown will be the feature back. As for my predictions, last year he had 219 carries for 828 yards and 10 TD. I think next year he will have a few more carries, so I will go with 230 carries, 910 yards and 11 TD.

If you were to be any animal, what would it be and why?

E from Wake via Massachusetts

I would be a dog, so I could just lay around all day and do nothing.

Also, if Marko Spica needed a kidney and you only had one left, would you give your remaining one to him?

E from Wake via Massachusetts

No because if he can live with no heart he could live without a kidney.

There is a fire in rose arena and you are with robbie, bitz and spica, all who have passed out from the smoke. You have the ability to save one, assist in saving another but that person will not be able to play ball ever again, and you have to leave one in the fire. What do you do?!

E from Wake via Massachusetts

Wow, that is great. First I would save Robbie first, and then I would come back in and save Marko, because I don't want him to die because he is way too funny, even though most of the time he isn't trying to be, so even if he couldn't play ball again, no one would really notice and he could still be his fun social self. That is tough because I don't want anything to happen to any of them of course, and Bitz and Robbie are both my boys, but I think Robbie has worked so hard to make himself better that we need him on the team. I think he is a better leader then Bitz, even though they are both great players, and great people.



Thank you for all the questions, please keep them coming, email me questions at any time to be in my next mail bag. schwa1sa@cmich.edu. I'm right, you're wrong.