The wily and dumb like a fox former coach of the MSU football team is at it again.  Since November of 2008, George Perles has been shopping the story that he may run for governor and we'll have an average temperature this winter of 75 degrees, too.

    And then this week, an unsuspecting sports reporter got statewide attention as he wrote that Perles was going to announce his candidacy just after New Year's Day.

    The equally unsuspecting scribes at the Associated Press dutifully picked up the story and Perles got thousands of dollars of free advertising for his impending bid for governor.

    The only thing wrong with the story is that it is not true.  Other than that, it was a fine piece of political journalism.  (Note to sports writers: Stay in your own lane please.)

    Once the new angle hit, Tim Staudt, the sports guy in Lansing, called up the coach on a radio call in show and asked about all this.

    Perles back peddled faster than Lance Armstrong in reverse.

    Seems Perles really said that he would have an announcement on what he would do after the first of the year.  Notice that making a decision one way or the other is not quite the same as saying you are running.  A distinction that makes a huge difference.

    The A.P., when given a heads-up, to its credit, revised the story.

    Meanwhile an entrepreneur on EBAY, the do-it-yourselfer Internet department store, is offering Perles for Governor T-shirts at 15 bucks a pop plus another five smackers to ship it out.

     "Show your Spartan Pride," the sales pitch suggests.

     It even perpetuates the incorrect story line on the impending announcement, but hey, it's the Internet where accuracy tends to get in the way of a good story.

     So get'em while they are hot before the true story gets out that the affable jock isn't running for anything accept maybe his handkerchief to muffle that laughter you here over at the Perle's household.

    Oh btw, the shirts are not returnable.  How fitting.