The Girls of September '79
Happiest of birthday wishes to Mrs. Skeeter, Esq. (née Skeeter)! We have been friends since the tenth grade, when I was fifteen years old; so, I have now had the pleasure of Mrs. Skeeter, Esq.'s friendship for more than half my life. Just this past spring, I was afforded the privilege of being hosted in Old New Amsterdam for a whole week by Mrs. Skeeter, Esq. & her delightful husband, Mr. Skeeter, Esq. (né Jimmy From Queens), with the pleasant result that the friendship not only endures but thrives even after spending so much time in such close quarters. Objective FINNLAND was initiated & carried out at Mrs. Skeeter, Esq.'s urging, & I thank her for always being there to give me the kick in the rear so often necessary to get me moving (more figuratively than literally). Happy birthday, Julie!

The Victors
Michigan 28-24 Notre Dame
2-0, Big Ten 0-0

Saturday's clash between the valiant Wolverines & the vile Fighting Irish, the two winningest programs in college football, was not a classic Michigan-Notre battle for the ages. Both teams made a great many pathetic mistakes, both teams left a lot of points unscored, and neither team took advantage of all or even most of its opportunities. But what impressed me most about the game was that Michigan was able to overcome those lost opportunities. The valiant Wolverines committed a variety of drive-killing penalties & sundry miscues to paralyze their offense for the vast majority of the second half. Meanwhile, the vile Fighting Irish, while dealing with their own miscues, clawed their way back into the game. Time & time again, from the tenures of Gary Moeller to Lloyd Carr to Rich Rodriguez, when Michigan repeatedly fails to capitalize on opportunities to knock down a struggling opponent & put the game away, we pay the ultimate penalty for that ignominious failure: defeat. So, when the offense sputtered & Notre Dame exploited the holes in our defense, I admit I resigned myself to this being another game that we'd let slip through our fingers, a game we could have won if only we'd answered the door when opportunity knocked. But then Shoelace & the offense proved that they are what every Michigan man strives to be: good in the clutch. The final drive was magnificent. Though it does raise the infuriating question of where that skill & execution had been for the rest of the second half, we should not lose sight of the fact that when the game was on the line, when there was no second chance, the valiant Wolverines proved themselves to be not only winners, but victors.

I'm a dark, pessimistic soul, and so I must caution that these are yet early days. Connecticut & Notre Dame might turn out not be any good this year. Last-gasp drives are no way to run a railroad; sure they're exciting, but they lead more often to defeat than to victory. I'm terrified that Michigan is now ranked in the Top 25 (no. 20 in the A.P., no. 22 in the B.S.), remembering that our 4-0 (non-conference) start to last season earned us a similar ranking, because those whom gods destroy they first make proud. I'm aghast by hyperbolic mentions of Denard "Shoelace" Robinson as a Heisman Trophy candidate, though my horror is tempered by the fact that much of the hyperbole is not coming from the Michigan nation; so, it's not just hubris on our part. And my terror at our ranking is mitigated by the realization that we might actually deserve it; UConn & Notre Dame might turn out to be good this year, in which case we might well be giant-killers!

Saturday was a jolly day, because there's no spectacle in sport that tops a close victory over a hated foe for thrills & pleasing afterglow. Shoelace is a revelation, a marvel to behold. And I've held firm from the beginning: "In Rod we trust." I'm excited for this weekend game against UMass and the rest of the season ahead. Win or lose, it's always great to be a Michigan Wolverine, but there's a reason why our fight song is titled "The Victors." We've always been the leaders & best, let's get back to being victors valiant & conqu'ring heroes and, in time, the champions of the West. Go Blue!