And treat those two impostors just the same…"
—Rudyard Kipling, "If—"
(№ 16) Michigan 66-56 Minnesota
21-7, Big Ten 13-3
The truly gratifying factor in tonight's victory was the valiant Wolverines' hustle. Every time the luckless Golden Gophers closed the gap—repeatedly drawing within two points, often because of a Michigan turnover due to a lazy or too-casual pass—a valiant Wolverine, often sophomore guard "Spike" Albrecht, would make a fantastic play, out-hustling everyone else on the court. The salutary effect of hustle in sport, most especially in basketball, can scarcely be overestimated. Hustle makes up for deficiencies in talent & scheme. Hustle nullifies an opponent's psychological advantage, & what's more can even psych out that same opponent. Hustle makes everyone on the club better. Hustle is the nearest thing there is to a panacea. The valiant Wolverines had the talent & the scheme to prevail, but the luckless Golden Gophers were dogged in their pursuit. Tonight, hustle carried the day. How appropriate that hustle was the watchword on the day the valiant Wolverines secured at least a share of the Big Ten championship. With a single win in either of the last two games, Michigan will win the conference title outright for the first time since 1986, before any of the current players was born. Very well done, men. You have my thanks, & the thanks of a grateful Wolverine Nation.
Next: Illinois, on the road. This will be the valiant Wolverines' first & only regular-season meeting with the feisty Fighting Illini. Go Blue!
Chief Illiniwek forever!
The Victors (ice hockey) | The Winged Wheel
I've recently discussed hockey, especially the virtues of attending games at Michigan's Yost Ice Arena, with Project PANDORA prospects Mike Lima & November. Yesterday, a few moments spent watching the N.H.L. Network informed me that the Eastern Conference (formerly known by the vastly superior name of the Prince of Wales Conference) has two divisions, the Atlantic Division & the Metropolitan Division. These are not ideal names, but they are better than the Big Ten Conferences erstwhile "Leaders" & "Legends" divisions. I was aware that the Detroit Red Wings had recently switched the Western Conference (formerly the Clarence Campbell Conference) to the Eastern, & I generally supported the move, both because it would allow the Red Wings to play a lot more games in the Eastern Time Zone & because it increased the frequency with which the Wings would face fellow "Original Six" clubs the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins, & the New York Rangers, with the unfortunate consequence of fewer games against the last "Original Six" club, the Chicago Blackhawks. But I had no idea that the N.H.L. had been reorganized into four divisions under the two conferences: Atlantic & Metropolitan in the East, Central & Pacific in the West. Also, I was reminded yesterday of the Big Ten Networks "Frozen Fridays," as the Big Ten is now a six-club men's ice hockey conference.
The takeaway? The time has come for an ice hockey version of the highly successful Project OSPREY, which reignited my love of collegiate basketball in early 2008. This will be tough sledding, since the monster Bertuzzi still sullies the good name of the Red Wings with his vile personage (this is why the once thriving "Believe" has become the neglected "The Winged Wheel"), but I believe that like Project OSPREY this new, or rather renewed interest will pay handsome dividends. A code name has yet to be assigned, in part because OSPREY set the bar so darned high. As ever, treasured readers, I will keep you abreast of developments.
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