The Explorers' Club
№ CCCXIII - The Turk.







The Victors
Michigan 35-13 Minnesota
6-3, Big Ten 4-1

The valiant Wolverines of the University of Michigan bested the luckless Golden Gophers of the University of Minnesota to retain possession of the Little Brown Jug, the first rivalry trophy in college football. Woo hoo! Also to be celebrated, the valiant Wolverines became bowl eligible with three games left in the regular season, their third consecutive year of bowl eligibility. (There was a time when bowl eligibility was regarded as a foregone conclusion before the season began, & those days will come again, & may already be here now, but for this Wolverine at least the trauma of the previous streak's end is still so fresh that I rejoice at the attainment of this benchmark of success.) There even remains an outside chance that the valiant Wolverines could play for the Big Ten title, though we did our cause grievous harm in going down to defeat at the hands of Nebraska last week. The valiant Wolverines again found the end zone, after being held to field goals in the last two contests (one victory & one defeat); huzzah for offensive production! There was much to like about Saturday's game, not least the victory over a longstanding Big Ten foe & the retention of the prize, the Little Brown Jug.

I was mightily impresses by the play of quarterback Devin Gardner, playing in relief of injured starting quarterback Denard "Shoelace" Robinson. However, Gardner's impressiveness did raise two troublesome, interrelated questions. Why has he been put at risk all season playing wide receiver, when clearly he was the valiant Wolverines' best option at backup quarterback? Why was redshirt freshman Russell Bellomy put in as quarterback against the unwelcome Cornhuskers last week, when Shoelace was first injured? I did not see young Bellomy's performance—I missed most of the accursed night game attending a rock show by The Loose Ties—but the numbers were horrific: three of sixteen passing, with three interceptions. (Bellomy threw sixteen passes; three were received by Wolverines; three were intercepted by Cornhuskers; ten fell incomplete.) Young Bellomy was thrust into a sink-or-swim situation & he sank like a stone. He's a freshman with very limited game experience; he'll improve with time (or he'll spend his collegiate career riding the bench). The blame does not fall on Bellomy, but on the coaches who, to carry through the metaphor, threw him into the water. Why Bellomy over Gardner? Why has Gardner been continually risked as a receiver? The valiant Wolverines' defense under Defensive Coordinator Greg Mattison is solid. The valiant Wolverines' offense under Offensive Coordinator Al Borgas remains a question. Mre precisely, Borgas's acumen as offensive coordinator remains a question. The Gardner-Bellomy kerfuffle only raises further questions, though if Gardner can play against superior opposition with the poise & skill that be demonstrated against the luckless Golden Gophers, one question about the valiant Wolverines' post-Shoelace prospects might have been answered.

Next: the plucky Wildcats of Northwestern University, & a welcome return to the "Big House," the peerless Michigan Stadium.

The Rebel Black Dot Songs of the Day
Fitz & The Tantrums, "Dear Mr. President" from Pickin' Up the Pieces (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary:

"Dear Mr. President, there is trouble on the streets,
Now is the time and the test we must meet,
Dear Mr. President, take a look around,
Please Mr. President, put your foot down."

Samstag, 3 November
Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Fortunate Son" from Chronicle: 20 Greatest Hits (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I strive always to be cognizant of how very fortunate I am.

"It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no senator's son, son,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one."