The Victors: Project OSPREY
Thursday, 24 January 2013
(№ 2) Michigan 68-53 Purdue
18-1, Big Ten 5-1

Nifty! Watching the game with my father was not as unpleasant as I'd anticipated, in large measure because he was resigned to the probability of defeat even before the tip-off. He was never terribly excited by Purdue's first-half performance, correctly forecasting that the ill-starred Boilermakers could not continue to score three-pointers with the same astonishing pace. 'Twas not a perfect game by the valiant Wolverines, but I am not yet so spoiled by their successes that I'll complain about a fifteen-point margin of victory over any Big Ten club. Ill-starred Boilermaker D. J. Byrd's tenacity reminded me of former valiant Wolverine hero Zack Novak; that kind of scrappy brawler with a never-say-die attitude is a fan-favorite if he's on your squad, but a bugbear to play against. Fortunately, the cool, ruthless efficiency of Michigan's Tim Hardaway Jr. & Glenn Robinson III were too much for even a never-say-die spirit to overcome. I also see a little of Novak's boundless enthusiasm in Mitch McGary; if that big lug can ever learn to (a) control himself & (b) finish strong, he'll be nigh-unstoppable in the paint.

Next: The valiant Wolverines visit the feisty Fighting Illini on Sunday. If they prevail, there is a good chance Monday's new Associated Press poll will find Michigan ranked № 1. Then a home game against the ferocious Wildcats on Wednesday before next Saturday, a week from tomorrow, sees the start of the "murderers' row" part of the valiant Wolverines' schedule: four games in eleven days—at (№ 7) Indiana, a rematch against (№ 14) Ohio State in the friendly confines of the Crisler Center, at Wisconsin, & at (№ 13) Michigan State. The pesky Badgers might not be ranked, but they enjoy one of the most decisive home-court advantages in N.C.A.A. 'ball. But let us not get ahead of ourselves. We take Illinois & Northwestern lightly at our peril; there are no easy games in the Big Ten, only easy ways to lose.

Go Blue!

Elsewhere in Project OSPREY
U.C.L.A. 84-73 Arizona (№ 6)

I've only seen the epithetless Wildcats of Arizona play twice, last night's defeat & an earlier narrow escape against the epithetless Buffaloes of Colorado (Wayback Machine). I admit that the sample size to too wee to permit any scientifically valid conclusions, but sport is more art than it is science. How in blazes is Arizona ranked in the top ten? They must be a Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde club, & I only ever see Mr. Hyde, because the club I've seen kind of stinks. O.K., that's overly harsh, but there is no way in the high holy heck they're one of the nation's ten best collegiate squads. I'm not claiming any credit as a jinx, Arizona got into this trouble on their own; after the Michigan-Purdue game I watched an episode of Nova off the D.V.R. & by the time I returned to basketball the epithetless Bruins of U.C.L.A. already had a double-digit lead in the second half. I've nothing against Arizona beyond their membership in the ancient foe, the Pac-12, but it's always fun to see overrated chumps take a fall.

Project GLOWWORM
This week, 'twas been cold enough for me to wear the fur ushanka, a product of Finland, that I inherited from my late paternal grandfather, may he rest in peace. Sacred Michigan was largely spared the double-digit subzero temperatures that befell locales both east & west of the cocooning Great Lakes, but afternoon highs were only in the single or low double digits above 0° Fahrenheit. Glorious! Glorious! 'Tis a fleeting glory, but this is already a far better winter than '11-'12's, a baleful season of misery that scarcely ever saw temperatures cold enough to freeze water, & no occasions for the wearing of the mighty, & mighty stylish, ushanka. I expect to resume wearing my insulated flatcap as soon as tomorrow.

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, "The Phantom of the Opera" from …Are a Drag (T.L.A.M.)

Commentary: I've decided to affix an ellipsis to the Gimme Gimmes' album titles to solve the problem of how they are to be read. Sure, the title of the album from whence comes "The Phantom of the Opera" is Are a Drag, but that's a lousy title for an album 'til you look at the cover & recognize that it's meant to be read "Me First and the Gimme Gimmes are a drag." The same convention holds true for the rest of their catalog: …Have a Ball, …Blow In the Wind, …Take a Break, …Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah, …Love Their Country, …Have Another Ball, …Go Down Under, & …Sing in Japanese. My solution is the ellipsis.