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. Syl Apps Jersey . 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The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Just about the only thing that Justin Maxwell knew about the Kansas City Royals when he showed up to the ballpark Wednesday was that they were in the playoff hunt. Turns out thats precisely why the Royals wanted him. With an eye on the post-season for the first time in a decade, the Royals traded minor league pitcher Kyle Smith to the Houston Astros to acquire the speedy Maxwell, giving them a right-handed bat to help balance out the lineup for the stretch run. "It was definitely a surprise. I was on my way to the ballpark and (Astros GM) Jeff (Luhnow) gave me a call with the news," Maxwell said. "I dont really know much about Kansas City, but Im excited. Its a team in the wild-card hunt, or at least thats what Ive been told." Maxwell was expected to join the Royals in time for the series finale Thursday in Minnesota. Kansas City will have to make a corresponding roster move then. Kansas City had won seven straight entering Wednesday nights game at Minnesota, climbing above .500 and positioning itself to play meaningful baseball in August for the first time since 2003, when the club finished 83-79 for its only winning season since 1993. Still, the Royals were 7 1/2 games out of first place, so there was just as much speculation that theyd be sellers at the trade deadline as chatter about picking up some help. "I just think everybodys excited with the way theyre playing. I think everybody to a man has confidence in everybody on this team, and a little bit of help helps," Yost said after the deadline passed. "I think they feel as a group what weve got here is enough to compete with." Right-hander Ervin Santana was the name brought up most often in trade rumours. Hes in the final year of his contract and could be too costly for the Royals in free agency, especially after a resurgent season. Santana is 7-6 with a career-best 3.03 ERA. Santana had made it clear that he wanted to remain with the Royals, though, and even counted down the minutes on Twitter until the 4 p.m. EDT trade deadline had passed. "Yessssssss!!!!!!," Santana tweeted afterward.dddddddddddd"Lets go get em!!!!!" Well, the Royals will go get em with a new outfielder to help out. They were seeking a right-handed outfielder prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, and at least on paper achieved their goal. Maxwell is hitting just .214 with two homers and eight RBIs in 40 games this season, but hes hitting .302 against left-handed pitchers. Yost said hed play him at any of the outfield spots but mostly off the bench as a pinch hitter or defensive replacement. Maxwell fits the bill for relatively cheap, too: Hes making $492,500 if he spends the entire season in the majors, and the Royals will have him under control through 2016. "I definitely enjoyed my experience here in Houston. It was my first extended time in the big leagues," Maxwell said. "I had a lot of fun this year and last year, met a lot of great guys on this team. I just wish them all the best." In return for Maxwell, the Astros picked up 20-year-old Smith, a fourth-round pick of Kansas City in the 2011 amateur draft. Hes 5-4 with a 2.85 ERA at Class-A Wilmington this season. Maxwells career has so far been filled with more downs than ups. He broke into the big leagues as a 23-year-old with the Nationals in 2007, but only played in 108 games over the next three seasons. He was traded to the Yankees in 2011 and then claimed off waivers by Houston, where hes spent the past two seasons. Maxwell hit 18 homers and 53 RBIS last season, and the Astros were hopeful of a late-career breakout this season. But he broke his hand while getting hit by a pitch in late April, and then sustained a concussion in late June while trying to make a diving catch. "The season didnt go the way I wanted it to," Maxwell said, "but I still have a chance to finish it out strong and thats what Im looking to do now." While hes expected to share time with David Lough in right field, Maxwell could become even more valuable if the Royals are without centre fielder Lorenzo Cain for an extended period of time. Cain hurt his left groin on Saturday. Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping China NFL Jerseys China Jerseys Cheap Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys 2019 Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys From China ' ' '