Jeff Seidel: Michigan State punter Mike Sadler’s wacky wit nice respite

EAST LANSING – Come inside the wacky, witty world of Mike Sadler, the resident comedian of the Michigan State football team. It is a curious place that is funny, sarcastic, self-deprecating and full of humor.

Sadler, a fifth-year senior, is one of the best punters in the country, but he constantly pokes fun of himself on Twitter.

“I just asked my waitress what sport she thought I played. Her answer? Disk golf. Time to reevaluate my life.” — Sadler tweet on July 7.

The sports world can be downright depressing these days. It is full of arrests and losing streaks and injuries and don’t get me started on those pesky Kansas City Royals.

But Sadler is a breath of fresh air — if that fresh air were a mix of dark comedy, late night visits to Taco Bell and a wonderfully twisted view of life.

“Do cows drink milk? Seriously.” — Sadler tweet on July 25.

While you ponder that, let’s go to a scene. It was media day at MSU, and Sadler took his spot at a table next to quarterback Connor Cook, who was swarmed by reporters and TV crews.

“That’s the first sick joke of media day,” Sadler said, looking at Cook. “Put me right next to Connor? I already feel insignificant when it comes to media day. Have fun over there, Connor. Have fun.”

But the truth is, several reporters did seek out Sadler. Because he is such a good quote.

“As a punter, how big is your playbook?” a reporter asked.

“It fits on a sticky note,” Sadler said.

“Is there a special conditioning test for punters?”

“No,” he said, laughing. “Look at us. There’s not a shot.”

But behind all the jokes, behind all of that self-deprecating humor, Sadler has a crucial role on this team.

Sadler is a preseason All-America who averages 42.2 yards per punt, sixth best in MSU history.

“He’s a fantastically consistent punter,” said MSU assistant coach Mike Tressel, who handles special teams. “His ability to down it inside the 10 is unreal.”

Sadler did it 24 times last year, tops in the FBS.

And when teams start out that deep against the Spartans, trying to move the ball 90 yards or more, they are toast.

“Last year, no offense was able to start inside the 10 and drive down the field for a touchdown against our defense,” Tressel said.

Smart guy

Sadler is the guy you want your kids to emulate. He is a three-time academic All-America, who graduated in 2013 with a degree in engineering with a 3.93 grade-point average.

“He’s a real, real genius of a kid,” said offensive lineman Travis Jackson. “I think that’s what makes him so witty and fast. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, which is refreshing for someone that smart.”

And then Jackson broke into a smile and added: “He really cares about his teammates and has a beautiful smile.”

Yes, it’s nearly impossible not to smile or joke when you talk about Sadler.

He is working on a master’s degree in public policy and he did an internship with the Senate this spring.

“Just finished my first day of work at the Senate and haven’t been fired yet.

#

LiveToInternAnotherDay

But adjusting to the life of suits was challenging.

“Death by wearing a suit in a hot room on a humid day has to be one of the worst ways to go out.” — Sadler tweet on May 13.

Maybe, he’ll end up working in the public sector. Maybe, he’ll go to law school. And a Rhodes scholarship is still a possibility.

Then again, maybe, he’ll just be a comedian.

“As a 3rd day intern is it appropriate to run around the office screaming ‘HUMP DAY!’ or nah?” — Sadler tweet on May 14.

Lots of followers

Sadler has more than 15,000 followers on Twitter. He was bored one day and sent out a tweet. He wanted to crash somebody’s high school graduation party, and he wanted to bring along Cook.

“We had probably 200 or 300 offers from California to Maine,” Sadler said. “It was bizarre.”

Some of his tweets are funny, if you share his twisted sense of humor.

“Have we ever tried mating a zebra and a Dalmatian? My mind is blown trying to figure out the pattern of their coat. Spots? Stripes? Both?” — Sadler tweet on Feb.17.

Some of his tweets poke fun of others.

“NASA is predicting a meteor shower tonight with between ZERO to 400 meteors/hour. In other words, they don’t know if there is a meteor shower.” — Sadler tweet on May 23

And some of his tweets are a twist on pop culture.

“The ALS challenge is going strong so I’m creating the#PunterCashBucketChallenge All you do is dump a bucket of money on the nearest punter.” — Sadler tweet on Aug. 14.

Quick note to NCAA compliance staff: Relax, he’s kidding. Then again, who wouldn’t want to stand there and get a bucket of cash dumped on them? But alas, Sadler doesn’t play in the SEC and he will have to wait a year to play in the NFL.

But if there was one tweet that summed up Sadler, it was this one that he sent out Aug.11:

“So bummed when I heard the news about Robin Williams. Laughter is the best medicine of all and he shared it with many.”

And that also happens to be the best part about Sadler, too.

Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.