Unhealthy MSU, U-M rivalry takes a breath

EAST LANSING – This is usually my least favorite week of the year on the job.

Not the Michigan State-Michigan football game itself. That’s fun. It’s the days leading up to it — the hostilities, smugness, insecurities and lack of any sort of rational perspective, all manifesting itself intolerably.

A great rivalry ought to be intense and competitive, but also celebrated. Instead, this one regularly morphs into nasty Neanderthal tribalism from the fan bases, and by kickoff, my only hope is that both teams can somehow lose.

This year might just be the healthiest the rivalry has ever been. - Read more at LSJ.com