ces following his MVP performance in Super Bowl 50.

Its not a typical start to the season for Michigan State as it opens with Furman on a Friday night.The No. 12 Spartans wont see normal for a while, but the Friday Night Lights atmosphere at Spartan Stadium (7 p.m. ET, Big Ten Network) is a welcome sight. Next week coach Mark Dantonios team has a bye before hitting the road to take on Notre Dame.Dantonio prepares to enter his 10th season leading the Spartans having resurrected a program that saw almost no consistency in the preceding decades.Hes never had a losing season and has been to a bowl game every year, and in the last three seasons, Dantonio has led the Spartans to wins in the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl, a spot in the College Football Playoffs and three straight finishes at No. 6 or higher in the national rankings.Add in three Big Ten championships and 11 or more victories in five of the last six seasons, and its clear Dantonio has established the Spartans as a national program.We can sell results, we really can, Dantonio said. We can sit there and say, This is what weve done, these are the things you can look forward to if you come to school at Michigan State. Theres opportunities for you.Thats really the difference there. Early on in the process, that was not the case. But now it seems like thats what we sell.Furman was 4-7 last season and its only game against a Power 5 school resulted in a 42-3 loss at Virginia Tech.Some believe the Spartans will see a drop-off, something critics have been predicting every year since Michigan State won a share of the Big Ten title in 2010.That doesnt mean there wont be challenges moving forward. Ohio State continues to be among the best programs in the nation and Harbaugh mania has taken over at Michigan with the presence of coach Jim Harbaugh convincing most the Wolverines have returned from their funk.And thats just the hurdles Michigan State has in the Big Ten East. Winning another division title will be tougher as the Spartans must replace quarterback Connor Cook -- the winningest quarterback in school history -- along with defensive end Shilique Calhoun Big Ten Receiver of the Year Aaron Burbridge.The conference schedule is favorable as both Michigan and Ohio State travel to Spartan Stadium late in the season. If Michigan State can continue its mastery of Michigan (winners in seven of the last eight) and keep challenging the Buckeyes (MSU is the only team to beat Urban Meyer in Big Ten play), the results will be there once again.And the rest of the conference will continue to wonder when the drop-off will come.To remain on a level plain, the Spartans need stability at quarterback.Tyler OConnor doesnt need to be Connor Cook, but it needs him to manage the Spartans pro-style offense and limit the mistakes. He was Cooks backup the last two seasons and helped orchestrate the Spartans win at Ohio State last season when Cook was out with an injured shoulder.Hes also got as much knowledge of the offense and has the respect of the players in the locker room. OConnor had plenty of chances to transfer but had his sights set on the season.To date, OConnor has one big hit on his resume -- leading the Spartans to a victory over Ohio State at Ohio Stadium last season while Cook rested a sore shoulder. But as he told teammates in his fall camp speech, he didnt stick around East Lansing to be a one-hit wonder.I cant imagine not being here after hearing things about different schools, he said. We have it great here, not only football-wise but the culture and the people and education. Theres just too much to pass up on and go somewhere else if you dont know how good it really is here. Rob Gronkowski Youth Jersey . 10 Texas Rangers jersey for one last time. Young formally announced his retirement Friday after returning to Rangers Ballpark, his baseball home for all but the last of his 13 major league seasons. Julian Edelman Jersey . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. http://www.patriotsjerseysauthentic.com/Tom-Brady-Super-Bowl-Jersey/ . It was the kind of score that might make everyone else wonder which course he was playing. Except that Graeme McDowell saw the whole thing. Crouched behind the 10th green at Sheshan International, McDowell looked over at the powerful American and said, "Ive probably seen 18 of the best drives Ive seen all year in the last two days. Tom Brady Jersey . Deulofeu injured a muscle in his right leg in Evertons 4-1 win over Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday. Barcelona says that its team doctors will "co-ordinate" with Evertons medical staff as Deulofeu recovers. Tom Brady Patriots Jersey . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. CHICAGO -- The Cincinnati Reds hope new pitching coaches will help address whats ailing a revolving door staff.The Reds dismissed pitching coach Mark Riggins prior to Mondays series opener against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and elevated bullpen coach Mack Jenkins into the role.Theyll also bring up Triple-A Louisville pitching coach Ted Power to oversee the Reds bullpen.The changes came after the Reds had used 27 different pitchers -- including 12 starters -- since Opening Day with poor collective results for a staff ranked at or near the bottom in major league pitching categories.I wish it was a different situation for Mack to enter, Reds manager Bryan Price said. If we put everything else aside and just look at Mack as a pitching coach, I dont think theres any question hes ready to do this job. He knows the organization, hes extremely invested in all the players and his familiarity here gives him a real step up.The problem for the Reds is translating minor league success to the next level.The challenges that weve had at the end of last year and this year is transitioning the pitchers that are pitching well in Triple-A to actually pitching well in the major leagues, Price said. So perhaps the heads together (Jenkins and Power) will allow us to get to a place where we can get over some of these hurdles.Cellar-dwelling Cincinnati (30-54) has lost 15 of its last 19 games after Mondays 10-4 setback to the Central Division-leading Cubs.Entering Monday, the Reds had the leagues worst team ERA (5.51), walked the most batters (364), were 24th in strikeouts (298), 26th in oppponents batting average (.dddddddddddd272) and had the fewest shutouts (one).The numbers arent good, Price said.Riggins, 59, was in his first season on the clubs big league staff. He spent the previous four as the Reds minor league pitching coordinator.The Cubs have also had some pitching worries with starters delivering a 6.60 ERA during a 4-7 road trip, including a four-game sweep by the New York Mets that saw rocky outings by reigning Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and left-hander Jon Lester, named the National League Pitcher of the Month for June.But Kyle Hendricks helped allay worries about any Cubs free fall as he scattered four hits and did not allow an earned run over 5 1/3 innings as Chicago snapped a four-game losing streak with Mondays victory.The return date for outfielder and leadoff hitter Dexter Fowler from the disabled list remains up in the air.Fowler, who was sidelined last month with a right hamstring strain, could be voted an All-Star Game starter but has to be activated by weeks end in order to play.Its not impossible to think that it can be by the end of this week, said Cubs manager Joe Maddon. But its a day-to-day thing. Hes getting better, hes feeling well.The series continues with day games on Tuesday and Wednesday before an off-day for the Reds.The Cubs, meanwhile, host the Braves on Thursday in a makeup of a April 30 rainout. Its part of a run of 24 consecutive games that will carry Chicago into the All-Star break. ' ' '