Slap-Happy Thoughts

Oh that silly John L. Smith. You'd think the Michigan State coach would be focused on blowing a sure victory -- don't you love it Notre Dame fans -- and bouncing back with a strong Big Ten showing that could very well save his job.

Instead, he's worried about Irish coach Charlie Weis' comments that he was "slapped" during a second-quarter altercation Saturday night.

It occurred after Notre Dame safety Chinedum Ndukwe was penalized for hitting Michigan State quarterback Drew Stanton out of bounds. Spartan receiver Matt Trannon got involved and was penalized as well.

Smith showed a tape of the incident to reporters during his Monday press conference, saying that Weis wasn't strucked by anyone from Michigan State. In fact, Weis never said who hit him. He said on Sunday that he might have been hit by someone on his own team.

The Spartans are sending the tape to the Big Ten office. You figure Weis doesn't care, although he wouldn't address it at all during today's press conference. He's too busy focuing on the next game -- Saturday against Purdue.