And treat those two impostors just the same…"
—Rudyard Kipling, "If—"
Tuesday, 4 March 2014
(№ 12) Michigan 84-53 Illinois
22-7, Big Ten 14-3
The valiant Wolverines of the University of Michigan are outright, undisputed Champions of the Big Ten! All congratulations to the '13-'14 squad of valiant Wolverines for earning Michigan's first solo title since 1986 & second at-least-partial conference title in three seasons. The Big Ten was first known as the Western Conference, & the valiant Wolverines are now truly Champions of the "West."
Hail! to the victors valiant!
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes!
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The leaders and best!
Hail! to the victors valiant!
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes!
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The Champions of the West!
After such a dominant victory, especially one that secured a prize as sought-after as the conference title, it is vitally important to remember the wisdom of "If—." This triumph is indeed an impostor. Skilled as efficient as Michigan's offense is, it will not reliably be as overwhelming as it appeared Tuesday night; rare indeed will be the half in which the valiant Wolverines score fifty-two points on almost seventy per cent field goal shooting. I am a better winner than I am a loser, by which I mean I am better able to retain a sense of perspective after a win than after a loss. Regardless of all other variables, I was well-pleased to see the valiant Wolverines not fall behind early, as had become their habit of late.
Next: Indiana, at home on Saturday in the regular-season finale. February's 63-52 defeat at the hands of the wily Hoosiers was one of our most irksome losses of this campaign, & my hope is that the valiant Wolverines will be looking for both revenge & to (further) stamp their authority on the conference title with a win. (Or maybe that's just me.)
Go Blue!
Project GLOWWORM
Also, I'm a fan of Illinois head coach John Groce, but I'm really a fan of the bright orange sport coat he was wearing on Tuesday. One of the many proofs of the evil of the Entertainment & Sports Programming Network is that even in its "E.S.P.N. on A.B.C." guise, its correspondents do not wear corporate logo blazers, much less the glorious yellow sport coats that were the trademark of A.B.C.'s Wide World of Sports. We here at The Secret Base applaud Coach Groce's stand against the uniform tyranny of blue, black, & gray coats. (Of course, I write that last sentence as a chap whose formal wardrobe consists of a blue suit, a gray suit, a charcoal suit, a tuxedo [black], a gray sport coat, & a brown sport coat, which though not enumerated as part of the "uniform tyranny" is common enough.)
Chief Illiniwek forever!
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