No. LXVI - Albert Grey (1851-1917), 4th Earl Grey, among many other honors and distinctions the benefactor and originator of the Grey Cup, though not the Earl Grey after whom the tea is named.
Project TROIKA
In Steeze's own words, "It might have taken a little while to get used to having a partner, but I think we are a good team and each contribute in our own ways." I could not agree more forcefully. I have become an enthusiastic advocate of collaboration. (Artistic collaboration, not Vichy France.)
The Victors
Under the banner of College Hockey at the Joe, the valiant Wolverines overthrew the dastardly Spartans at the august Joe Louis Arena in sacred Detroit, Michigan last evening by the sore of 5-2! Huzzah and hooray! My mom, pop, and I saw an after dinner screening of Vantage Point (waste neither your time nor your money, it's rubbish); so, I tuned in to the game midway through the third period, by which point the fearless boys in maize and blue were already ahead of the villains in green and white four goals to two. Still, 'twas a blissful ten minutes of hockey, especially the way the side of good and righteousness was able to control the puck in the waning moments even as the fiends from East Lansing were in desperate need of a goal. And in such situations an empty-netter, as the valiant Wolverines scored, is the icing (no pun intended) on the cake. The C.C.H.A. is ours! On to the tournaments!
Go Blue!
And as a segue into Project OSPREY, though I was not able to view the Michigan-Illinois basketball game (curse the Big Ten Network!), the score tells the tale: Michigan 49-43 Illinois. The game must have been atrociously ugly, but when such a win raises your team's record to 9-18, any win you can walk away with is a good one, and most gratefully appreciated. I believe in John Beilein's methods and strategy, and you should, too. There is yet a long, hard slog ahead, but we are on the road back to respectability. Now if someone will bring me the head of Chris Webber so that I might use his skull as a chalice, I'll be pleased as punch.
Four Big Ten wins in the last five games! Go Blue!
Project OSPREY: Big Time, Baby!
Wisconsin 58-53 Ohio State - The hated Buckeyes have lost all three games of the season that I have watched on television. Pardon me for a second while I commit their remaining schedule to memory. That said, this would have been an opportune game for a meteor to fall from the heavens and immolate the arena and all within. Cursed, unreliable meteors.
Notre Dame 94-87 Syracuse - I tuned to watch Wisconsin-Ohio State, but found instead the waning minutes of Big East action. Another stage on which a meteor could have shone brightly, dagnabbit.
Saturday, 23 February
Tennessee 66-62 Memphis - I watched the big showdown between No. 1 Memphis and No. 2 Tennessee after the end of Michigan's victory over Michigan State at the Joe (see above), and struck by an odd sensation: I found myself rooting for *gasp* Tennessee. The Memphis coach has been on P.T.I. earlier in the week and I'd found him to be really obnoxious, not least because of his defense of his team's piss-poor free throw percentage. Had Memphis made a few more of their free throws (for the night they shot below 50%), they might very well have prevailed and kept alive the hope of a perfect regular season. Still, I don't feel at all good about this, curse that Bruce Pearl for his infectious enthusiasm!
Thursday, 21 February
Minnesota 69-60 Michigan - Brick, brick, brick, brick, brick. We shot very, very, very poorly and were lucky to lose by only nine. Rats!
Tuesday, 19 February
Indiana 77-68 Purdue - As a remarked to my father two days later, Purdue and Michigan must have gone to the same shooting clinic over the preceding weekend, because neither team could buy a basket for love or money. And curse the Big Ten for this being the only regular season meeting for these two heated rivals. I think we'd all like to find out if the Hoosiers have the same swagger inside Mackey Arena.
Sunday, 17 February
Michigan 80-70 Ohio State - Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha! Sweet victory! New Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez addressed the crowd at halftime and up in the rafters the visiting Ohio State broke out into a chant that was head down in the floor as "Asshole! Asshole!" Hated Buckeyes who claim to have been among that throng claim that they were actually chanting not "Asshole!" but "Tressel! Tressel!" I find it almost poetic that even when uttered by his most ardent supporters the demon Tressel's name sounds just like "asshole."
Wednesday, 13 February
Duke 77-65 Maryland - Both Maryland and Duke play fundamentally solid basketball and this game was a genuine joy to watch. I am glad the Blue Devil's prevailed, but 'twas unfortunate it had to come at Maryland's expense. Such is the magnificent tragedy of sport, for every winner there must be a loser.
Tuesday, 12 February
Purdue 60-54 Michigan State - Ah, it couldn't have happened to a more deserving collections of rogues. Tom Izzo is the perect basketball coach, with the notable exception that he has pledged his considerable talents to the Michigan Agricultural College, as vile a congregation of mouthbreathers and bottomfeeders as you'll ever see. Of course, for all that the dastardly Spartans can play, and I was mightily impressed with the ill-starred Boilermakers' triumph.
Vanderbilt 93-52 Kentucky - I watched most of the first half of this game and was absolutely shocked when I read the final score the following day. How in blazes did Kentucky manage to accumulate fifty-two points? The team I saw in the first half could not have bested an intramural team composed of me and four clones, two of whom would have their dominant right arms tied behind their respective backs.
Monday, 11 February
Georgetown 55-53 Villanova - I hate the way Georgetown plays ball. Great defense is one thing, but out on the court the thuggish Hoyas act like they're the Philadelphia Flyers' old "Legion of Doom." Basketball is supposed to be a contact sport, not a combat sport.
Sunday, 10 February
Indiana 59-53 Ohio State - Fielding Yost's ghost, I love watching T.O.S.U. lose!
Arizona State 59-54 Arizona - The only item at issue here is which team was more desirous of the loss. In the opening minutes, Arizona State did everything in their power to claim the defeat, but as the game wore on Arizona proved that they simply wanted it more. They seized fast to the loss and would not be shaken loose for all the world. Did someone spread the rumor that the winning team would be sent to the glue factory or something?
Saturday, 9 February
Notre Dame 86-83 Marquette - I hate to admit it, but the vile Fighting Irish do seem to know their business, those kids are solid in every phrase of the game. Blast! Also, please tell me Marquette was wearing specialty uniforms for charity, because those clown suits cannot be the shorts and shirts in which they purport to represent their school. Eek!
Louisville 59-51 Georgetown - Have I mentioned that I hate watching Georgetown? I'm no fan of Rick Pitino, but was glad of this game's result. I only caught the back half of Louisville-Georgetown due to the Michigan-Miami hockey game (see below).
The Victors Addendum
Saturday, 16 February
Michigan 4-2 Lake Superior State - Schweet.
Saturday, 9 February
Michigan 5-5 Miami - So, let me understand this. When a Miami player whacks the puck up into the protective netting above and behind Michigan's goal, that puck is still in play, but when a Michigan player whacks the puck into the netting above and behind the Miami goal, that puck is ruled out of play, resulting in a face-off. One can almost admire Shegos's dedication to corruption; when that sack of crap takes a bribe, by Jove, the briber gets his money's worth! We would have had a weekend sweep of the cheating Red Hawks has the officials not thrown the game. C.C.H.A. stand for, what? Corrupt Collegiate Hockey Association?
Go Blue!
The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
The Pogues, "Streams of Whiskey" from The Best of the Pogues (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: I confess, there are times I miss Flogging Molly, but The Pogues have proven an effective salve.
Samstag, 23 Februar
Real Can of Yams, "Let's Get Drunk and Clean the Room/Riot Grrl" (live) performed and recorded on 30 Dezember 2002 (T.L.A.M.)
Freitag, 22 Februar
Reel Big Fish, "Beer" from Everything Sucks (T.L.A.M.)
Commentary: The third of three renditions of "Beer."
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