Sports

The Big Ten Conference will soon include 14 teams.

Michigan Radio's John U. Bacon addressed the conference's decision to bring Maryland and Rutgers into its competitive network.

“On the Michigan chat boards, it is 98% apocalyptic disgust. It should be noted, that is in great contrast to Nebraska joining last year. They are not against expansion, per se,” said Bacon.

The potential financial gains are of great interest to the conference, said Bacon.

“The whole reason why they are doing that is the Big Ten Network’s footprint. This can add up to around $200 million dollars. I can think of no other reason why they would do it,” said Bacon.

There are two ways you can podcast "Stateside with Cynthia Canty"

• Podcast of the entire show
• Podcast of each segment
  

The Terrapins are coming to the Big Ten.

ESPN.com reported it first:

The University of Maryland's Board of Regents on Monday voted unanimously to accept an invitation to join the Big Ten Conference and leave the Atlantic Coast Conference, sources told ESPN on Monday.

The board unanimously approved the move to the Big Ten, a regent told ESPN. An afternoon announcement in College Park, Md., is expected.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) - Brad Keselowski has won his first NASCAR championship.

The 28-year-old Detroit native clinched the Sprint Cup title Sunday when fellow title contender Jimmie Johnson pulled out of the season finale because of a parts failure. The championship is the first for longtime NASCAR owner Roger Penske and gives outgoing car manufacturer Dodge the sweetest of parting gifts.

All Keselowski had to do was stay out of trouble over the final 60 miles, which essentially turned out to be 40 victory laps around Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Tomorrow, a man from Rochester Hills has a chance to do something no one from the state of Michigan has ever done.

28 year old Brad Keselowski is the son, nephew and brother of race car drivers.

But he’ll have the bragging rights at the Thanksgiving dinner table this year, if he becomes the first Michigander to win stock car racing’s biggest prize: the Sprint Cup title.

Keselowski currently leads in the NASCAR points standings going into the season’s final race at Homestead, Florida. He only has to place 15th or better to take the NASCAR crown.

On Veterans Day, we generally honor our Veterans.

It’s a good idea, for lots of reasons: they served our country, often in unpleasant places, and in great danger, to keep the worst of the world away from our homeland. 

My grandfather was a New York dentist who volunteered at age 39 to hop on a ship in the Pacific during World War II. 

My dad graduated from medical school, then enlisted in the U.S. Army, which sent him and his new bride to Fulda, Germany, to guard the border.     

Some Michigan hunters are just learning today that they won’t be able to bag as many deer this year as they have in the past.

Firearms deer season begins tomorrow.  The day before the start of firearms deer season is usually the busiest day at retailers who sell hunting licenses.

Whether your candidates won or lost this week, we can all rejoice that it’s finally over. 

Or, we think it is.  We can’t be sure anymore, can we? 

All this made me ponder the relative craziness of politics versus sports. I got to thinking: Which is sillier?  Playing politics, or playing sports? 

As silly as sports are – and I seem to devote half my commentaries to that very subject – after watching the 2012 campaigns, I can tell you, it’s not even close: Playing politics is sillier, in a landslide.