Prior to yesterday, no comment had been left at The Secret Base since 18 December last year. I was beginning to ponder how best to mark, on 18 January, one month since the last comment when the California Dreamer & Daddy Dylweed commented independently on different posts. As to my reaction, I'm torn. I am always appreciative of comments (& wish I knew the magic formula for attracting more of them), but I was kind of looking forward toward marking a big deal out of the sad, pathetic commemoration of a month without comments. I'll cater to both impulses: genuine thanks to the Dreamer & Dylweed for their continued readership & engagement with The Secret Base & sarcastic thanks to the same pair for ruining my proposed pity party. Thanks, guys!

The Victors: Project OSPREY
Iowa 75-59 Michigan (№ 13)
14-4, Big Ten 4-2

Well, that was awful. All things considered, we were very lucky to lose by only sixteen points. The valiant Wolverines played lackadaisical defense & inept offense; so, a loss by twenty or thirty points was well within the realm of possibility. The valiant Wolverines played a textbook perfect game to defeat the pesky Badgers last weekend, but then this week needed overtime time to squeak past the plucky Wildcats before offering only token resistance to the tenacious Hawkeyes this afternoon. All this augurs ill for the coming week's contest against the dastardly Spartans, the "hope" being that the valiant Wolverines aren't as bad as they appear but are simply spoilt brats who think it beneath their station to play their best against "lesser" foes like Northwestern & Iowa. (That we are in desperate straits is proved by my hoping that my own team is a crew of contemptible asses rather than unskilled buffoons.) I concede that I might be overreacting to one loss. The valiant Wolverines are 14-3, after all. But today's game was terribly disheartening, as we went from weakness to weakness, never putting up much of a fight against a not-so-good Iowa squad. My pessimism is also based in the knowledge that three of our next four games are against mighty Michigan State, Purdue, & Ohio State; so, unless the valiant Wolverines can pull themselves together quickly & start playing more consistently we could very swiftly find ourselves at .500 in Big Ten play. *gulp*

Go Blue!

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Aquabats!, "Poppin' a Wheelie!" from Hi-Five Soup! (Captain Thumbs-up)

Commentary: It is a tribute to The Aquabats! that even though I miss their vintage '90s ska sound like a deposed monarch misses his throne, Hi-Five Soup! was still a finalist for 2011 Album of the Year.

"But I love love love love love love poppin' a wheelie!"