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Monday, February 25, 2019
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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Rage On
Students lined up in the early hours of Sunday morning, hoping to secure their spot in the Maize Rage for the game against Michigan State, one the Wolverines lost 77-70.
» Page 2B ANN ARBOR
Community convenes to plan Shapiro visit protest Ann Arbor residents and ‘U’ students organize against conservative author MAX KUANG/Daily
Former Associate Athletic Director and Life Coach Greg Harden talks about making challenging life decisions at the TedxUofM Absolute Zero Conference at the Power Center Friday evening.
TedxUofM puts on 10th annual conference, talks joyful living
Presentations center around theme ‘absolute zero,’ discuss challenging assumptions CLAIRE HAO & MADELINE MCLAUGHLIN Daily Staff Reporters
Over 1000 people gathered at the Power Center on Friday evening for the sold-out tenth annual TedxUofM conference Absolute Zero. Eight University of Michigan faculty, alumni and students spoke at the event, reflecting on their
personal experiences to share on what “absolute zero” meant to them. The event was also live streamed on TEDxUofM’s website. Clara Munkarah, LSA junior and co-director of the event, discussed the conference’s central mission of celebrating members of the Ann Arbor community who inspire innovation. “Ted is all about ideas worth
CAMPUS LIFE
Dance, song empowers South Asian survivors
SAAN and Michigan Sahana present Bloom, address sexual assault JIALIN ZHANG For The Daily
Bloom, an interdisciplinary performance that combined classical Indian song, dance and poetry with the discussion of sexual assault, took place Friday night in the Duderstadt Center Visual Studio. Hosted by the South Asian Awareness Network and Michigan Sahānā, Bloom promoted awareness surrounding sexual assault and the self-empowerment of survivors in the South Asian community. Musicians and dancers from Michigan Sahānā, a student association of classical Indian artists at the University of Michigan, focused on the appreciation of the traditional art forms of India. The director of the event was Anurima Kumar, a Public Health junior and a podcast editor for The Daily. Kumar said the idea of Bloom came when she thought of intergrating traditional Indian dances and the experiences of sexual assault together.
spreading,” she said. “For us, TedxUofM is about finding those people who spread cool ideas in the Ann Arbor and University of Michigan community. We’re trying to foster a community of intellect and inspiration.” She went on to reflect on the conference’s theme, “Absolute Zero,” which she expressed was
intentionally ambiguous to allow for highly personal speaker reflections. “We don’t have one interpretation (of absolute zero) in mind, that’s what we love about it — it’s so multifaceted,” she said. “It’s more holistic for our speakers to all be able to connect to it in different ways, it leads to a broad mix of ideologies.” See TED, Page 2A
ALYSSA MCMURTRY Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor residents and University of Michigan students gathered Friday Night in the tea room of Crazy Wisdom Bookstore to discuss ways to protest conservative author and commentator Ben Shapiro’s visit to campus, which is scheduled to occur on March 12. Those gathered at the meeting went over a powerpoint on strategies for the protest and who Ben Shapiro is, followed by a brainstorm session. Ann Arbor activist Adam Nash, who helped organize the meeting, stated the goal was to simply create a solution as a group to respond to Shapiro’s event. “We’re here because Ben
Shapiro was invited to campus to speak on March 12,” Nash said. “We just want to talk about what our community response should be to this.” Nash broke down their approach through St. Paul’s Principles. The principles include solidarity based on respect, organization of tactics to maintain a separation of time and space, avoiding public denunciations of other activist groups and not engaging in any violent actions. Nash then shared information he had gathered about who Shapiro is and how he conveys his message to the masses.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Arab Xpressions showcases culture, Non-partisan highlights growing presence on campus forum talks GOVERNMENT
Theme ‘Ajyal,’ Arabic for ‘generations,’ celebrates heritage through art forms, spoken word BARBARA COLLINS Daily Staff Reporter
LSA freshman Hiba Dagher arrived at the University of Michigan this past fall hoping to find a close-knit Arab community similar to the one she had at home in Dearborn. But initially, Dagher didn’t see this community on campus. She recalled how she didn’t meet people in her classes who shared her culture. “When I was applying to Michigan, everyone always told me that this was a very diverse campus and you’ll see a lot of people of color, a lot of people who look like you or understand where you’re coming from,” Dagher said. “I was going to my first classes and my first discussions and I wasn’t really seeing that, and I found people
treating me different … I didn’t expect it at college and I didn’t expect it at Michigan.” Dagher learned about the Arab Student Association through a group chat she created with members of her Dearborn Arab community. After attending events and meeting people with similar backgrounds to her own, Dagher became more involved in the Arabesque Dance Troupe and ASA. This past Saturday, Dagher took part in Arab Xpressions, a celebration of Arab heritage. Xpressions is an annual performance partnered with Arabesque and ASA that showcases Arab culture through aspects such as music, poetry, dance and song. The theme of year’s performance was “Ajyal,” Arabic for “generations.” Dagher found herself involved
with many different parts of Xpressions this year. She had a role in a video for the freshman skit and danced in the all-girls Raqs Al-Banat Dabke. Dagher also recited an original poem for the spoken words portion of the show and walked in the fashion show at the conclusion of the show. “You see Xpressions and you see, ‘Oh, this is a way that my culture’s never been portrayed to me before,’” Dagher said. “It’s Arabs who are holding the narrative in their hands and they’re forging it in whatever way they want to.” Beginning over a decade ago and originally performed in the Michigan Union, Xpressions moved into the Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre in 2017. The production moved again
to the Power Center last year, a theater with 1,300-person capacity. The show came close to selling out in 2018 and completely sold out this year, according to Xpressions Director Nicolas Nunu, an Engineering junior. Nunu became involved with Xpressions during his freshman year and directed this year’s performance. The show involved about 130 people and preparations began in October. He said the implemented theme, generations, demonstrates the changing Arab identity over time and works to navigate the idea of what it means to be an Arab American on campus.
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
Read more at MichiganDaily.com
carbon bill, cooperation
Student organizations discuss solutions, policy behind climate change JONATHAN WONG For The Daily
Citizens’ Climate Lobby, the University’s chapter of College Republicans and the Climate Action Movement at the University of Michigan hosted the Non-Partisan Climate Solutions Forum Friday in the Samuel T. Dana Building. The forum fostered discussion on the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2019. Tim Dalrymple, LSA sophomore and treasurer of Citizens Climate Lobby, began the event by describing and explaining each aspect of the bill including the fee, the return and the border tax adjustment. The first aspect of the bill places a fee on the extraction of oil at the site. “The fee is supposed to factor in the environmental cost that our economic system doesn’t factor in to carbon emissions’ effect on climate change,” Dalrymple said. “What it does is it incentivizes energy companies to produce less fossil fuels and extract less fossil fuels, given that a lot of current U.S. energy companies have renewable energy divisions.
CARTER FOX/Daily
Students perform “Wil3it Dabke,” choreographed by Sally Kafelghazal and Nicola Nunu, during the Arab Xpressions event at the Power Center Saturday evening.
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Editorial Staff CARTER FOX/Daily Artist David Opdyke and writer Lawrence Weschler discuss Opdyke’s current exhibition, titled “Paved with Good Intentions,” as well as the role art plays in contemporary politics and culture, at the South Thayer Building Friday afternoon.
TED From Page 1A Engineering freshman Paul Lellouche told The Daily after the event that TEdxUofM’s diversity of ideas allowed him to gain a broader worldview. “It’s interesting to see what different people dedicate their lives to--which are not necessarily domains I am exposed to in my classes,” Lellouche said. “They are incredibly interesting, and they enrich my life by giving me different perspectives, which I appreciate a lot.” David Kobrosky — LSA sophomore, Founder of Skatify and Co-Founder of Michigan Blockchain Skateboarding onto the stage, LSA sophomore David Kobrosky, founder of Skatify, an organization committed to building skate parks for emerging skate communities, discussed his love of skateboarding. In particular, he expressed it helps him see the world from a “ground zero” perspective, teaching him Sudoku Syndication to constantly challenge prior
assumptions. “(Skateboarding) taught me to see the world as a jungle gym,” Kobrosky said. “Skateboarders see stairs and don’t think about what they are or why they exist. They simply think about how they want to interact with them… Seeing these stairs from an angle of curiosity and asking myself ‘What can I do with these cement stairs?’ really taught me to see the world without prior assumptions or limitations.” In his talk, Kobrosky discussed how he had to come up with nontraditional designs for his skate parks in order to make them affordable and accessible in areas such as Ethiopia. “This action of breaking assumptions is the only way change is possible,” Kobrosky said. “Seeing these other skaters around me breaking them inspired me to do the same… I’ve tried to look at the world from a skater mindset, a place where assumptions don’t exist, but rationality does.” Aaron Dworkin — School of Music, Theatre & Dance Professor
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“When I was starting to think of Arts Leadership, Business Professor of Entrepreneur Studies about what I was going to talk Using stories from his life, about, I kept coming coming Prof. Aaron Dworkin reflected on back to this idea of memory loss,” his multi-racial, multi-spiritual Tronson said. “This idea of, it’s background and the importance not just absolute zero in terms of giving throughout his talk. of what you know, it’s in terms Dworkin is the founder of Sphinx of function, in terms of how we Organization, an organization construct our internal worlds.” However, most instances of dedicated to building diversity and entrepreneurship in the memory and memory loss serve arts, and was President Obama’s functional value, Tronson said in first appointment to the National her talk. “Perhaps instead of thinking Council on the Arts. In his talk, he noted how the about memory as a vault generosity of others forged him where items get placed in and into the man he is today, both in removed as needed, a concept his personal and professional life. that makes us all sound a little He said the ethos of generosity like robots, maybe we should should be founded on the joy think about memory as a flexible and functional map of the giving brings. “There is something unique world,” Tronson said. “Perhaps about the human condition if we think of memory not as when we give,” Dworkin said. “I information to be spat out, the encourage you to give something grocery list we need to remember of yourself every single day, or information on the exam… but beginning today. When you instead as this map that allows us give, give an amount that gives to have conversations, find our meaning to you. The greater the way around the world… What is value of what you give, the greater there to improve?” http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ Greg Harden — Former the impact will be on you.” Dworkin told the Daily after University Director of Athletic the event how transformative Counseling, Life Coach Known as the “secret weapon” giving to others can be in in of Michigan Athletics, Greg the larger community. “I wanted to be able to Harden is a motivational speaker connect my own background and life coach, training athletes and my life trajectory and from Tom Brady to Michael convey the types of things Phelps. His talk focused on we can do when we do it the merits of optimism, and collectively and bring about how individuals must practice change at a scale,” Dworkin maintaining positivity as they said. “And this idea that if would any other skill. “Practice, train, and rehearse: everyone in the audience can think about intentionally believe in yourself,” he said. giving something every “Understand you are no different single day – Will Ann Arbor from Desmond Howard, Tom change for the better? Will Brady, Michael Phelps — they the University of Michigan simply had a skill set. But they all had to believe, without question change?” Natalie Tronson — Assistant or pause, that they could have the world.” Professor of Psychology In an interview with The Daily, Assistant professor of psychology Natalie Tronson Harden reflected further on a discussed memory and its 15-year-old girl he cared for as role in changing behavior. In a clinical therapist, sharing the particular, she highlighted possibility of either going up or memory disorders such as down when at an “absolute zero” Alzheimer’s disease and post- point in life. traumatic stress disorder. Speaking to The Daily, Read more at Tronson reflected on her MichiganDaily.com conception of “absolute zero” as a loss of memory.
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The story I was Less is more: The rise of normcore too afraid to share ASHLEY KIM MiC Blogger
ARCHANA PRABHAKAR MiC Columnist
I am writing this almost a year later, wondering how it can still be taking over my life. It tears at my soul like a nasty disease; it pauses briefly, giving me a moment to gasp for air, before it sinks its claws back into me and pulls me under. It was around this time last year that I was sexually assaulted by a person whom I once considered a friend, a teammate. It feels strange to put into writing an experience that I never felt comfortable enough to share with the world. For months I was terrified to speak of it, fearing the damage to my reputation and contemplating the irrevocable consequences. I lived in consternation of the possible responses: my friends would take sides, believing instead of me this older man who had completely taken advantage of my trust and fooled us all with his charm, his talent, his goofy personality. He had been toying with my emotions for months beforehand, attempting to get me to confess my deepest and darkest demons to him. He acted like he was a hero saving me from my mental destruction. He’d say things like, “You never look like you’re having fun. Something is always bothering you, tell me what’s wrong.” What was wrong with me? Why did he assume that I’m plagued
by some incurable illness? Did I wear my insecurities like a pair of glasses? I felt these questions percolate in my mind and found myself consumed with guilt and self-pity. But in retrospect, what was really wrong? It was his constant prodding for information that
“The process is like a rollercoaster.”
I was reluctant to share with him. Him thinking he could exploit our mutual respect and open me up to vulnerability I never really wanted. What was wrong was, months after this began, he continued to harass me, and even begged me one night: “Come on, you’re embarrassing yourself. Everyone is watching you. Let me take you home.” I never forgave myself for what happened that night. I had nightmares, some of which became realities. I watched people I called my closest friends distance themselves, subtly at first but more blatantly as time progressed. I doubted every part of my integrity – as my story became murky in my mind, the truth buried itself
deeper and deeper, finding quiet anchorage under all the invasive questions. I was accused of incorrectly associating my memories, of making up stories to garner attention. I was told not to tell my friends, who were “too young and impressionable to understand the situation.” I watched the people I trusted the most with my story cover it up in the most disappointing way. Ultimately, I was alienated from a group of people I once considered my family and from an organization that allowed me to practice the single brightest passion in my life: dance. It took me a year to understand that what happened wasn’t my fault. It was completely beyond my control and unfairly stigmatized in my South Asian community. I accept that people have mistreated and disrespected me and I am writing this to tell other survivors of sexual assault that they don’t need to be embarrassed or scared of the consequences. If you decide to speak up do so courageously and know that there is an army of people willing to fight for you. After this traumatic experience, I began a healing process that is painful to bear, but beautifully hopeful. The process is like riding a roller coaster — there are anticipatory highs and careening lows, but the ride will eventually come to an end, and you will realize that you may be safe in your own skin once again.
If retro was the official comeback of 2015, normcore greets 2019 with a warm welcome, especially in Korea. Walking down the streets of Seoul, a chilled plastic cup of Gong Cha bubble tea in hand, I venture out and by looking around, a horde of people clad in frayed stonewash jeans, thin linen shirts, and white tennis sneakers accost my vision. My realization was right - normcore fashion is getting big this year. Starting from 2017 was the year normcore was pushed to the extreme, making it public to the masses. Normcore is the combination of the two words: “norm” and “hardcore”, basically meaning unpretentious, rather plain, flat-looking clothing that emphasizes comfort and similarity that is perceived as minimalisticchic. This reveals that it’s not the froufrou lace blouses and 5-inch heels anymore - the “more comfortable, more stylish” vibe is dominating the fashion industry. The Classy Fabulist Girl, Style Nanda It’s an androgynous, unisex fashion trend that focuses on capturing self-awareness and stylized blandness. Rather than focusing on the designer or a particular type of pattern, normcore guides the people to pay attention to their own body shape and the
clothing color that turns out to become ardently ordinary attire. It’s almost like an antifashion sentiment, the beauty and art of blankness that makes normcore so sexy. Normcore is especially big in South Korea. As the Korean community is a society of conformity, the whole idea of embracing the sameness, and seeking coolness among the sameness is easily absorbed into the culture. Sporting the whole “less is more” look, many Koreans are seen in the streets, walking around in comfy slacks, flats, and denim jackets or slouchy monochrome sweaters. The deliberate uniformity of ensembles unveil the reality that in fashion, one no longer has to make a statement or flaunt big names in order to be authentic; instead, casual and simple garments among the alikeness is what makes everyone different, and moreover, hip. As a Korean myself, I also appreciate the particular aesthetic of normcore. It is something that you can just dress in without having to think about it too much, but at the same time it makes you look slouchy-chic. Some of my favorite normcore wardrobe pieces are soft black turtleneck sweater, high rise straight-leg jeans with a distressed hem, light grey ankle socks and white Nike Classic Cortez sneakers to finish the outfit off with a nice little touch. Since I would describe my
Is MLK Day whitewashed?
KAYLA THOMAS
“Off the Record” Blogger
Even though the holiday created in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. is only technically one day, many people spend the whole latter half of January honoring his amazing legacy. Aside from the countless Instagram selfies posted with an MLK quote as the caption, many places hold a slew of events to commend the effect of his work on the world. The University of Michigan undeniably takes part in this practice. So as we leave behind the month that celebrated
MLK and enter the one that rejoices in the work of other Black figures just like him, I have started to reflect on what exactly this truly inspirational man stood for. During his lifetime, King spent his time advocating for the end of discrimination and racism against Black people as well as anti-segregation. Though this is by no means an exhaustive list, it captures the essence of what he cared about. When comparing his work to the current events that honor it, the main focus of the two don’t fully align. Many events across campus and across the country focus on the acceptance,
open-mindedness and love needed to make integration work. However, a lot of these events seem to conveniently leave out the large parts of his efforts that went toward uplifting Black people specifically. This leaves me to wonder: Is MLK day being whitewashed? Are we celebrating the entirety of Martin Luther King’s work, or are we only acknowledging the parts of it that everyone is comfortable with? Let me explain further. King didn’t spend his life fighting for the watered-down concept of togetherness that is often associated with his name
today. He was largely about Black prosperity. Yes, King was for all people. Yes, he wanted people of all races to be treated based on their personal characteristics and not their social identities. But it is clear that he saw elevating Black people as an effective and important means to achieving the racial equality and equity that we still yearn for today. With his speeches and letters — take his Letter from Birmingham Jail and I Have a Dream Speech for example — he incorporated a mixture of encouragement and convincing. He encouraged Black people that the cause was
How “The Simpsons” can fix Apu
Photo courtesy of Fox
ARJUN THAKKAR MiC Columnist
As a child, my brother and I ran home from school every day so we wouldn’t miss any of our favorite shows. We watched PBS and Nickelodeon for hours with our eyes glued to the TV until our mom forced us to do our homework — which we worked on while watching “Arthur.” Most of the shows we watched were educational, some downright nonsensical — I’m looking at you “Caillou”— but all of them were entertaining and influential for impressionable minds like ours. Yet one show stood out to me as particularly captivating. “The Simpsons” always broadcasted around 5 or 6 o’clock in the evening when the children cable networks switched to regular programming. A lot of elements drew me to the show — the slapstick humor, Bart’s school antics, Homer’s sheer idiocy —
but who most appealed to me was the character Apu, an Indian immigrant from West Bengal. When you grow up AsianAmerican, you don’t see a lot of characters reflecting your identity. Many shows used animals or objects for characters, but if they were human, they were usually white. The Simpsons defied this standard with a more diverse set of characters. Much like how women are reassured to see a current House of Representatives that better represents them and their interests, audiences and especially children like to see television characters they can relate to. And I certainly related to Apu. Apu owned a store, the Kwik-EMart, just like my dad. Apu was a family-oriented person with a wife, kids, and relatives in India, and I have a big family too. I was vegetarian, he was vegan. We both practiced Hinduism. Apu thus seemed like an extension of my family representing my
culture on national TV. My appreciation for Apu made it surprising to discover the character recently came under fire for being a racist stereotype of South Asians. Comedian Hari Kondabolu’s documentary “The Problem With Apu” described how the character’s accent and occupation are a racist exaggeration of South Asian culture. Pakistani-American comedian Kumail Nanjiani said he was often told to do “the Apu accent.” I was shocked to discover that a character who I had grown up appreciating caused a great deal of shame for other South Asians. What’s more disappointing is how the show creators’ response to the controversy lacks a fundamental understanding of the problem itself. In regards to Apu and South Asians, former “Simpsons” producer Dana Gould told Kondabolu in his film that “Their accents by their nature to white Americans sound funny. Period.” He clearly isn’t aware that his audience isn’t and shouldn’t be just white Americans, nor does he get to mock a culture’s accent for the entertainment of another. The show attempted to address the criticisms in an episode about political correctness that provoked an even greater response. Hank Azaria, Apu’s voice actor and a white male, was respectful of the criticisms and said he is “happy to step aside” from the character. The character himself has had a reduced role for
years, and reports indicated the show might just remove Apu to eliminate the controversy itself. I was never offended by Apu’s character nor asked to do his accent, though I understand how the character is harmful to the South Asian community. Yet the proper response to the controversy is not to get rid of the character and avoid any possible issue. Following this logic, the creators would get rid of all attempts at humor involving minority characters out of a fear of going too far. “The Simpsons” would cease to be a diverse and representative show, thus failing to reflect a diverse American audience. What the show should do instead is make Apu a more wellcrafted character. If the creators recruited South Asian writers to produce scenes that moved beyond stereotypes for humor, Apu would have more thought put into him. Azaria has been very receptive to public concerns about Apu. Though he has always been the voice of Apu, it would be more respectful for a South Asian actor to play the character for the representation to be real and genuine. The shift in voice would be jarring at first, but animated characters have changed voices before on many other shows. Apu can remain on “The Simpsons” without being a caricature, and with the right thought put behind him, the show can transform the character into the family man I saw in him years ago.
worth the fight while convincing white people that Black people deserved American rights. Despite that, honoring King’s legacy by preaching respect and allyship towards the group he worked to liberate seems to be an undiscovered concept. It seems that any time there is a cause or a person that stands up for the improved livelihood of Black people, it/they will only be accepted if the message is repackaged. Black people have to be taken off center stage in order for the masses to find it necessary to care about what is being said. Now don’t get me wrong, I have
personality as rather shy and introverted, normcore look is perfect for people like me who don’t want to stand out too much from others but still want to make a fashion statement. On the contrary, some fashion critics contest that normcore is not a true fashion style. They argue that there seems to be a clear, distinct line that divides normcore and what actual fashion is. But to think about it, what is “true” fashion anyways? These sort of confines and limitations stifle our creativity to come up with more clothing combinations, and isn’t fashion supposed to be about adaptability and versatility anyways - to let in a diverse array of styles to create a unique, flourishing community? Normcore isn’t about giving into the status quo or becoming a bland, unified mess; it’s actually about discovering the opportunity for connection and eventually your sense of self in the midst of likeminded individuals. By accommodating the norm, one can find true freedom by letting go of the pressure to look one-of-a-kind. So why not try out normcore today? It guarantees convenience and open-minded style at the same time in the busy fast-paced buzz of city life, yet it gives room for selfexpression. Talk about the epitome of the real “cool”!
no problem with non-Black people being inspired by King. I have no problem with King’s words being used to further efforts that don’t revolve around Black people. And I definitely don’t believe that his name should be disassociated with the general idea of love and unity. However, when it comes to a day or event specifically dedicated to acknowledging King’s works and passions, Black people need to have a leading role in the narrative. Like I said before, King was for all people. But he was especially for his people. Don’t forget that.
A Black fantasy CHINWEOKE EZEOKOLI MiC Columnist
I’ve loved to read for as long as I can remember. Words paint pictures, paint moments, paint stories for me. And man, do I love a good story. The more fantastic, the better. Don’t get me wrong, the real world is great (occasionally), but the worlds of fantasy are even better. Anything is possible. Anything is supposed to be possible. Now if only I could find a good fantasy movie with a Black female lead who has badass magical powers. Because when I really think about it, those are practically non-existent. Reading fantasy and sci-fi novels inspired me to start writing myself. From a young age, I found myself writing stories with white main characters, white secondary characters and white everybody else. It took some years for me to see the problem with this and the reason it was like this in the first place. For one reason or another, I struggled to see a main character who was like me, Black and female. Plain and simple. Except it isn’t simple at all. Being older now, I realize that I was making stories like the ones I had read. Not content-wise, but in the way that I had majority, if not all, white characters. And I thought that this was a weird thing, a solely me thing. But after seeing novelist Chimamanda Adichie’s TED Talk entitled: “The Danger of a Single Story,” I realized that no, I was not the only Black girl
this happened to. What she said resonated with me even more as a fellow Nigerian. But what really got to me was that she said she was writing stories with white people and she was a little girl living in Nigeria. I’m telling you now, as someone who has visited multiple times, there is no prevalent white population in Nigeria. Yet she was making up stories like the ones she read, where the girls had pale skin and blonde hair. Knowing I wasn’t the only one that had been influenced by that helped me feel less... guilty. But also made me realize what a problem that was. As a Black girl growing up, there were no Harry Potter equivalents that looked like me. Never any special Black girl chosen to be the heroine, who had the power to save the world. If there were any Black or darkskinned characters at all, they were background characters or the protagonist’s best friend. It’s a little different now. I’ve found more fantasy genre literature written by Black women with Black female leads who are the chosen ones, who have the power to save the world, and are as kickass as they come. And all I can think is how I wish I’d read books like this growing up, how I wish I’d seen movies like that. Because it’s so so important that little Black girls everywhere know, that little Black girls believe that they can be heroines too, not just white people. And I want to write that Black fantasy and let them know that there is such a thing as Black Girl Magic.
Opinion
4A — Monday, February 25, 2019
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TIMOTHY SPURLIN | COLUMN
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MARISA WRIGHT | COLUMN
T
When the victims are not white
here is little doubt that emotional abuse allegations were the reporting about the reported against Kelly. Though bad — and sometimes Kelly was arrested in 2003 on illegal — behavior charges of possession of prominent men of child pornography, has led to important he was only arrested change in terms of on multiple counts how we think about of sexual abuse and acknowledge charges last week. sexual assault and He continues to violence. When the make money on his reporting on sexual streamable music, assault in Hollywood some of which contain and the media began allusions to his MARISA to lead to real change, heinous crimes. WRIGHT I was disturbed and In 2004, comedian a bit nervous but mostly grateful Bill Cosby was accused of sexual for the women and men who assault by Andrea Constand, stood up to tell their story. A year and a year later, Tamara Green and half later, it is necessary to also came forward with similar reflect on the movement and allegations dating back to the assess how well we have done 1970s. Since then, 60 other right by its victims. women have accused him of Though the initial wave of sexual assault, some including public allegations has dwindled, being drugged and then reports of sexual assault by assaulted. It was not until April powerful men continue to 2018 that Cosby was convicted emerge. The most recent public on three counts of aggravated person to be accused of sexual indecent assault and sentenced to assault is Virginia Lt. Gov. three to 10 years in prison. Justin Fairfax. On Feb. 3, reports surfaced of Vanessa Tyson’s allegation that Fairfax, then a John Kerry staffer, forced her to perform oral sex at a hotel room during the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Five days later, Meredith Watson released a statement in which she detailed that Fairfax raped her while they were both students at Duke University in 2000. After the accusations that Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam wore blackface, many assumed Harvey Weinstein was Fairfax, the only Black person removed from the Weinstein to hold statewide office in Company within three days Virginia, would ascend to the of the first reporting about his top of the commonwealth’s illegal behavior. Matt Lauer was government. Once the sexual similarly fired from NBC one assault allegations surfaced, day after allegations surfaced. Fairfax did initially receive some Even more recent, Ryan backlash, including some calls for Adams’s music was shelved resignation and impeachment. after reporting by The New York However, those calls have been Times of his abusive behavior walked back. toward women. Only two weeks after these Why are some men delivered allegations, this story has fallen swift, severe punishment while out of the news. Even when it was others continue to hold societal in the news, this story did not power? We should look to their receive the same backlash and victims. From this pattern, it fury that the allegations against seems clear that men whose producer Harvey Weinstein, Sen. victims are primarily upperAl Franken or even Alabamian class, often socially powerful Senate candidate Roy Moore did. white women receive harsher Why isn’t there a collective rage repercussions than those whose on the behalf of Fairfax’s victims? victims are not. Why aren’t there protests or social When Prof. Christine media campaigns attempting Blasey Ford accused thento get justice for Vanessa Tyson Supreme Court nominee Brett or Meredith Watson? Why does Kavanaugh of sexual assault, it seem like sexual violence there was an outcry against his against Black women is treated nomination, as there should differently than sexual violence have been. Just like Harvey against white women? Weinstein, Matt Lauer and Let’s review. others should absolutely face The first report of assault serious and hefty punishment allegations in a major newspaper for their actions. Yet, the against singer R. Kelly was allegations against Justin published in 2000. The report Fairfax seem to have faded to included having sex with a minor, the background. Few, if any, which is particularly problematic continue to draw attention to given the age of consent in the charges against him. Illinois is 17. There were also The problem is not that several lawsuits filed against R. people are outraged on the Kelly for having sex with minors behalf of white survivors. The and recording sex acts without problem is that people are not consent between 2001 and 2002. as equally outraged on the Again in 2017, physical and behalf of Black survivors. It
The problem is that people are not as equally outraged on the behalf of Black survivors.
should not have taken almost 20 years for R. Kelly to receive (some) punishment for his actions, nor should it have taken 14 years for Bill Cosby to be convicted for his. And it should not take just as long for Justin Fairfax to face repercussions if an investigation confirms the allegations against him. Additionally, a study published by researchers at SUNY Geneseo in The Psychology of Women Quarterly found that white women are less likely to intervene in a sexual assault if the victim is Black. According to the researchers, they “found that although white students correctly perceived that Black women were at risk in a pre-assault situation, they tended not to feel as personally involved in the situation.” The white female bystanders reported they felt “less personal responsibility” and that the Black victims “experienced more pleasure in the pre-assault situation.” While the woman who coined #MeToo, Tarana Burke, has been doing work on behalf of women of color since the ‘90s, the rest of us risk failing the movement if we primarily focus on the experiences of white women. The assault of any woman deserves our attention and empathy, but most sexual assaults and rapes take place where other oppressions already exist. This means that women who hold other marginalized identities are particularly vulnerable to sexual assault, specifically because they hold even less societal power. These groups include women of color, disabled women and queer women. There is an existing and growing sect of feminists who work to end oppression that intersects at multiple marginalized identities in ways that create new and overlapping oppressions — also known as intersectional feminists. Still, most of society and mainstream media are not considering the sexual victimhood of black women as wholly distinct and important to address. This is absolutely unacceptable. White women must make anti-racism a fundamental pillar of our feminism if our goal is to achieve real and tangible change to improve women’s lives. Our work must first focus on the oppressions of those most marginalized, because only through helping those most marginalized can we dismantle entire systems of oppression themselves. Audre Lorde once said, “I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own,” and the truth of her words persists today.
Marisa Wright can be reached at marisadw@umich.edu.
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O
Goodbye Opportunity, hello opportunity
n Feb. 13, the Earth said a bittersweet final farewell to one of the greatest accomplishments in space history: the Mars rover known as Opportunity. Opportunity, or “Oppy” as some call it, went silent last June when a planetwide sandstorm developed and likely covered solar panels used to power the rover, leaving Oppy unable to recharge its batteries. In a hauntingly beautiful last transmission, Oppy’s communication translated to, “My batteries are low, and it’s getting dark.” Words haven’t choked me up that much since hearing Peter Parker whisper, “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good” in Tony’s ear in “Avengers: Infinity War.” Opportunity, along with its partner rover Spirit, launched in 2003 as a part of the Mars Exploration Rover mission. What was originally slated as a 90-day mission to search for evidence of past water on Mars turned into a much longer journey, with Spirit becoming embedded in soil in 2009, losing communication in 2010 and its mission officially ending in 2011, and Oppy lasting an incredible 15 years on the red planet’s surface. Between the two rovers, NASA was able to collect enough evidence to conclude that water did indeed once flow on Mars. This was a monumental discovery that changed how we view our sister planet and the possibilities of space exploration itself. In many ways, Oppy represented the best qualities of scientific exploration. It highlighted what can be accomplished with unlimited curiosity, dedication to exploring the unknown and commitment to cooperation. It has earned its place as a legend in the space history book, but we must not let its mission stop here. Opportunity’s last transmission should be a rallying point for humanity to again push our limits and aim further than we ever have before. Our next goal should be putting humans on Mars; moreover, we ought to strive to establish a full-time colony. This task is no easy feat, but with hard work and determination, it is entirely within our grasp — to boldly go where no one has gone before.
To many, such an aspiration may very well seem like a plot from Star Trek, but realistically, it is much more science than sciencefiction. If we focus our resources and concentrate on a clear target, reaching Mars may be easier than we think. During the Cold War and the infamous space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, former President John F. Kennedy stood before a nation and declared we would put a man on the moon. It wasn’t a question of “if,” but a matter of “when.” He famously inspired a generation when he said, “We choose to go to the moon and these other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” After a few years of intensive research and experimenting, the U.S. was able to see Neil Armstrong take those first few historic steps across the lunar landscape. When we decided to go to the moon, we didn’t have the technology yet, just an idea and old-fashioned American determination. The same ideas can apply to Mars if we truly want it to.
In many ways, Oppy represented the best qualities of scientific exploration. Unfortunately, after the success of the Apollo missions, former President Richard Nixon fundamentally changed the space program. He reeled in U.S. ambitions by ending human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit and did not embark on a new space exploration goal that would require huge investments like Apollo. From then on, NASA’s human spaceflight was limited to the space shuttle program and the International Space Station, until former President George W. Bush began phasing out space shuttle missions after the tragedy of the 2003 Columbia mission killed 7 astronauts. Since 2010, the U.S.
has been entirely dependent on Russia for getting our astronauts to space, though that has the potential to change, as President Donald Trump said in the recent State of the Union that “this year, American astronauts will go back to space on American rockets.” This is likely in reference to the SpaceX test flight scheduled for later this year. There are those who say space exploration is a waste of resources and that money spent on space would be better used here on Earth funding schools, health care or defense. While I understand where doubters are coming from, history provides evidence contrary to this notion. In order to get to the moon, we had to develop technology at a faster rate than ever before, and the side-effects of that kind of development are technologies that vastly improved our lives. Cell-phone cameras, CAT scan machines, athletic shoes, water purification systems, memory foam, baby formula and artificial limbs are just some of the products of space travel research. If that is what we could do then, imagine the possibilities that could come from a mission to Mars now. The potential is almost incalculable, and just one of many reasons going to Mars is worthwhile. In 1969, the entire world watched proudly as humanity took a giant leap forward into the future. Now, 50 years later in 2019, we have the opportunity to accomplish the impossible again, the ability to achieve something even those who watched the moon landing live could not imagine being feasible. Reaching Mars is that new impossible possibility. I’m not sure exactly what it is about exploration that has captivated the human mind for so long — the thing that pushes us into the unknown. Regardless of what it is that drives us, we need to listen to the call, embrace the uncertainty and dive headfirst into discovery. While we have just closed a significant chapter on the quest for Mars, the next one is just beginning. We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to not squander the next opportunity to explore Mars.
Timothy Spurlin can be reached at timrspur@umich.edu.
DANA PIERANGELI | COLUMN
I
Jesus Christ, make it stop
n 2002, The Boston Globe uncovered and exposed systematic sex abuse in the Catholic Church. These discoveries paved the way for thousands more abuse scandals to be uncovered, and put the Catholic Church under scrutiny for the next 17 years. The reporting was so inspiring that the movie “Spotlight” was created to tell the true story of how these crimes came to light. The true story “Spotlight” tells is this: Sexual abuse runs rampant in the Catholic Church, and the scandal goes all the way up to the Vatican. The Boston Globe wrote 600 articles about the scandals, which lead to public accusations against 271 clergy members, and brought more than 1,000 survivors in Boston to step forward. In that year, BishopAccountability.org also came out with a list of places where major abuse allegations have been found. On that list there were two Michigan cities: Detroit and Grand Rapids. But if this was in 2002, it has definitely been taken care of by now, right? Flash forward to 2018: the Pennsylvania grand jury. A grand jury report exposed that more than 300 Catholic priests were credibly accused of abuse in August, focusing specifically on six Pennsylvania diocese. It found that hundreds of priests abused children and that church officials helped cover it up. Since then, states like New York, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and New Mexico have also begun working to investigate the scandals in the Catholic Church. Priests from cities all over the nation joined the cacophony of voices rising up in protest and began to issue statements condemning the cycle of abuse and cover-ups that have overrun the church. But that did not even come close to solving the issue. Now, in 2019, Pope Francis issued a statement on the
fact that nuns have been consistently abused by clergymen — another scandal that has been covered up for decades. These women have had children and forced abortions due to the abuse and rape they endured from their own superiors. Some have been reduced to sexual slavery at the hands of many of men in their dioceses. These kinds of abuses have been happening all over the world; a report last year released cases of abuse in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America. And this is the first time the Pope has issued any statement about the abuse of nuns and the first time it has been a big part of the general news cycle.
For a long time the cycle of silence in this particular community was too great to break. Many nuns issued reports as far back as the 1990s, only to be ignored and silenced. In 1996, there was a study from Saint Louis University that uncovered the sexual trauma endured by nuns from Catholic priests. Some of the abused nuns did not share any of this information, even with their own community, for fear of not being believed or even being punished by their superiors. Others came forth long ago but were ignored. For a long time the cycle of silence in this particular community was too great to break. But now that it has been broken, the floodgates have opened. The cover-up is one of the most disturbing parts of this already horrifying issue.
It made clear that some of the highest officials of the church were culprits, whether they were an abuser or an accomplice. Even those who have been accused of doing nothing are not in fact doing nothing. They are assisting the abusers by turning a blind eye to their crimes, relocating them when the crime is found out and keeping them within the church. Allowing the abuse to continue under their watch is almost as bad as committing the abuse in the first place and they deserve repercussions for their actions. With such a deeply rooted tradition of covering up instead of facing the allegations, when will the scandals end? Will we ever get to the bottom of this issue? Right now it seems like there is a new scandal coming out every day. After 17 years, we are just beginning to skim the surface of these atrocities. Pope Francis has stated: “I think it is still going on because something does not stop just because you have become aware of it.” It is not enough for this to have been uncovered. The Catholic Church needs to take action and rectify the situation. And this will only come through rooting out all the abusers and starting fresh with new policies to prevent this from ever happening again. Several U.S. bishops have already proposed developing a code of conduct and creating a committee to develop policies, but few concrete changes are being enacted now. What is a clear course of action right now is removing all known abusers and accomplices from the ranks of the Catholic Church; neither should be allowed to stay in power. “Spotlight” paved the way, but now the Catholic Church must walk down it, either to restoration or retribution. Dana Pierangeli can be reached at dmpier@umich.edu.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Monday, February 25, 2019 — 5A
COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW
TV REVIEW
Students & Symphony put ‘Now!’ returns even better on a stunning show for AA SAYAN GHOSH Daily Arts Writer
ZACHARY M.S. WAARALA Daily Arts Writer
The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and select pianists from the Doctor of Musical Arts program in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance performed a two-part series of classical orchestra pieces at Hill Auditorium over the weekend on Friday and Saturday nights. Upon entering the auditorium, I immediately noticed that people of all ages were present. I saw some who looked to be seasoned symphonygoers, while others, apparently new parents, brought along their smiling toddlers, all of whom seemed to enjoy the performance — even those too young to be able to verbally communicate it. At the Friday night performance, I spoke with audience member Stevie King, who said that she had come to the performance to support her coworker, who is a flutist in the orchestra. She also brought along her husband, who is a pianist himself, in the hopes that he would enjoy the work of Claudio Espejo and Hsiu-Jung Hou. I also spoke with Palmer, a senior at the University of Michigan and a member of the University’s Men’s Glee Club, who said he wanted to attend more events in Ann Arbor before he graduates. “It’s free and a good study break,” said Palmer during intermission. He has been on the stage at Hill with the Glee Club many times, but as he states, “It is nice to just be an audience member.” I
spoke with another gentleman who owns two houses: one in Ann Arbor and another in New Hampshire. After seeing an ad in the Record, he and his wife decided to attend the performance, as they “like to see what humans are capable of.” It was apparent that the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra and DMA pianists attracted audience members from both the University and
Broadman conduct with intense passion was artistic. His face would get beet-red and his movements fast and violent as the crescendos of his orchestra bid him to. He seemed to physically muscle through the symphony, as though he needed to exhaust himself to pull the music out of the written page and out onto the orchestra. I am certain that this man was hypertensive for a significant portion of the performance. “Finale: Alla breve” is a piece from Piano Concerto no. 3 in D Minor, op. 30 composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff. It was played during the Friday night performance with Hsiu-Jung Hou at the piano. Hou presented in a deep maroon dress that looked like a point of color amid the blackness of the orchestra from which the orchestra fanned out from Hou and her piano, adding a bit of colorful drama to the already-dramatic piece. “Finale” was played with such vigor and passion that it was as though the listener has been sent down a winding road filled with both triumph and melancholy. The Saturday night performance brought with it some of the best classical piano I have ever heard, courtesy of Eun Young Lee, Mi-Eun Kim, and Ji-Hyang Gwak. The combined performances on Friday and Saturday night further showcased the talent housed in Ann Arbor and the University, and its capability to draw in audiences from in and around the area.
The Saturday night performance brought with it some of the best classical piano I have ever heard
the greater Ann Arbor area. Both performances utilized the talents of Robert Broadman as guest conductor. Broadman was Artistic Director of Live from Orchestra Hall, the free worldwide webcasts of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, until he was appointed the position of Interim Director of Orchestral Studies at Eastern Michigan University in 2018. Broadman is also the winner of several prestigious musical awards, including the first place award in 2018 and 2015 for The American Prize and Maestro Vytautas Marijosius Memorial Award in Orchestral Programming. Watching
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SUMMER EMPLOYMENT Release Date: Monday, February 25, 2019
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Sources of nuclear energy 6 Wolf call 10 Banned pollutants, briefly 14 Exodus mount 15 Author Wiesel 16 “I smell trouble” 17 Tavern mug 18 Get off the lawn, as leaves 19 Noncurrent currency of Italy 20 Tricolor flier in Dublin 23 Longtime forensic drama 25 The first “T” in TNT 26 Bitcoin, notably 27 Quality sound reproduction 31 Prefix with violet 32 Shipshape 33 Mineral hardness scale 34 “The game is __”: Sherlock Holmes 36 “Alas!” 40 Waves to ride on 41 Hit that barely gets over the infield 42 “And suppose my answer is no?” 46 Panini cheese 48 “Alice” diner owner 49 “That’s all __ wrote” 50 “What’s your hurry?” ... and a literal hint to what’s hiding in 20-, 27- and 42-Across 54 Stereo preceder 55 Length times width 56 Erode 59 Blue dye 60 Storm-producing weather systems 61 Wharton’s Ethan 62 Must have 63 Crafter’s website 64 Brown-toned photo
DOWN 1 Stubborn animal 2 Chickadee relative 3 20% expressed as a fraction 4 Snail or junk follower 5 “New York, New York” crooner 6 Valiant 7 Disney snowman 8 User-edited site 9 Eyed wolfishly 10 Don, as boots 11 China’s __ Kai-shek 12 Carried 13 Shielded from the sun 21 College sr.’s exam 22 Send out 23 Buddy 24 Grain storage area 28 Tax-collecting agcy. 29 Like most light switches 30 Classic roadster 34 Used car lot event
35 The “F” in TGIF: Abbr. 36 Furry sitcom ET 37 Landing site for Santa’s sleigh 38 Dance in a pit 39 Olympic fencing event 40 Wise one 41 Opinions 42 Dog at a cookout 43 Ramis of “Ghostbusters”
44 “Doesn’t bother me at all” 45 NFL official 46 “Oh, no, bro!” 47 Dazzled 51 Relaxed running pace 52 Fells with an ax 53 Steak order 57 Mate, across the Channel 58 Tazo product
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
By Ed Sessa ©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
02/25/19
02/25/19
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“Documentary Now!,” the brainchild of four very successful “Saturday Night Live” alumni (Seth Meyers, Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Rhys Thomas), takes the best elements of the latter’s sketches and extends them into bite-size mockumentaries. Very often, these mockumentaries skillfully straddle the line of surreal and somehow perfectly believable, taking real documentaries and turning up the dial ever so slightly on every aspect of production. Season 3 (or Season 52 as the show calls it) begins with an ambitious, yet perfectly executed parody of “Wild Wild Country,” aptly named “Batsh*t Valley.” The mockumentary tells the story of coked-up cult leader, Ra-Shawbard (Owen Wilson, “Cars 3”), who takes his groups of followers to a small Oregon town called Chinook. The townspeople are perplexed, but welcome the new residents anyway. They are amused by the cult’s insistence on, for example, making sure the vegetables they eat give them permission to be eaten. On the other hand, they are less amused
by the frequent, loud orgies that become a point of conflict. The story is told through a mix of old newsreel footage and present-day interviews of former cult members and FBI agent Bill Dawes (Michael Keaton, “Spider Man: Homecoming”). There’s rarely a line of wasted dialogue, and the tension that escalates between the cult and the townspeople becomes so engaging it’s hard to forget how batsh*t it all actually is.
as cult spokesman “Ra-Sharir.” She is a truly detestable villain: Her checkered past and dark turn lay the groundwork for the second half, where the show truly goes insane, reminiscent of the final fight sequence in “Hot Fuzz.” Like when it is revealed that the names of cult members are just anagrams of the names of Steelers players (“Ra-Shawbard” is derived from Terry Bradshaw). Yet, within the framework that the episode develops for itself, all the events still seem strangely natural. “Batsh*t Valley” features an impressive attention to detail in the way it parodies its source material. The most absurd aspects of the cult are detailed in the same manner-offact tone as “Wild Wild Country,” and some specific characters will be instantly recognizable to fans of the show. However, it is absolutely not necessary to have watched “Wild Wild Country” to enjoy this, and like any show made by Fred Armisen and Bill Hader that I have ever watched, I can guarantee several references and jokes went over my head. And that’s what makes “Documentary Now!” continue being so brilliant. Even though it may not be for everyone, everyone can indeed find their own way to enjoy it and marvel at its absurdity.
‘Documentary Now!’ IFC Wednesdays @ 10 p.m. Season 3 Premiere
You might just believe for a second that you are in fact watching a documentary about a Jonestown-esque cult, but then the show throws out something remarkably absurd such as “orgasm jars,” where cult members must scream their pleasure into a jar in order to preserve it for future moments of darkness. Even more impressive than Wilson’s woozy cult leader performance was that of Nescar Zadegan (“The Good Doctor”)
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Best hip-hop album covers DYLAN YONO Daily Arts Writer
One symptom of the streaming era is that making a statement with an album cover has become an underappreciated art. A byproduct of albums going from 12-inch physical records to Spotify thumbnails on a phone screen, it’s much easier to overlook album art (that’s not to say we didn’t have awful album covers 20 years ago). However, a cover can be an important part of an album’s legacy, and artists should treat it as such. It’s the first thing a listener sees and can be an important part of framing the experience. Hip hop is a genre founded on sending a message with words, and a picture tells a thousand words. So, what makes good album art? When talking about album art in hip hop, most people will point to older album covers as the greatest. Naturally, the first ingredient to a classic album cover is that the album itself will stand the test of time. Those classics set the example for good artwork. First, take what is arguably hip hop’s greatest album cover (an argument that I’ll fight for tooth-and-nail) from the classic group A Tribe Called Quest. The Low End Theory, hailed as one of the greatest and most inf luential hiphop records of all time, was an innovation in both sound and cover design. The dark cover features a woman with vibrant red and green body paint across her body, posed on her knees and shot from the side. The woman in body paint was eye-catching, sexy and Afrocentric, capturing the essence not only of A Tribe Called Quest, but of hip hop as a genre. Today she is a timeless logo for hip hop. A good album tells a story, and so does a good cover. N.W.A.’s politically charged debut, Straight Outta Compton, had many stories to tell about the realities of gang life in Compton, California. So does its threatening cover. In the photo, the group stares menacingly over the camera with the skyscrapers of LA
towering behind them. Eazy-E points a gun at the viewer. There is indeed a tale to the photo on the cover. As told to NME by photographer Eric Poppleton, “We were in downtown Los Angeles ... I just lay on the ground and they pointed what hopefully was an unloaded gun down at the camera. I couldn’t say for sure whether it was ready to fire, but it was definitely a real gun. There wasn’t anything fake back then.” Personally, I like to think Eazy had the gun loaded. The cover of Straight Outta Compton captured the essence of gangsta rap in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but The Pharcyde was the first hip-hop group to defy the trend that N.W.A. pioneered. Their debut, Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde, featured an outrageous cover showing the four eccentric emcees riding a rollercoaster into a toothy vagina. And that works — it’s an album about goofy shit. Few artists were going against the grain in sound during the era saturated in gangsta rap, and The Pharcyde took their sonic rebellion to the extreme with their lighthearted humor — and album art to match. To answer the question, good album art is iconic, a symbol of the music, the artist, and the era of hip hop that it falls in. Good album art is beautiful, drawn by artists with a vision, or photographed with care. But most importantly, it captures the essence of the album. Music is an experience, and the cover is a part of that experience. And just as hip hop has spread its inf luence in sound, so has it started trends in visuals with iconic album covers. A major theme in hip hop is innocence gone early, a product of the dangerous communities that many hip hop stars have grown up in. The album that kicked this trend off is the masterpiece Illmatic, featuring a young Nas superimposed over the Queensbridge projects. The Notorious B.I.G. followed suit with a baby picture on Ready to Die, which was the subject of many disses for biting Nas. Contrary to popular belief, the
child on the cover is not Biggie himself — it was a kid from the Bronx booked through a modeling agency. The baby picture album cover theme would make waves, with baby photos gracing the covers of some of the biggest albums in the next millennium: Lil Wayne on Tha Carter III, Kendrick Lamar on Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City and Drake on Nothing Was the Same. The comic book-inspired cover trend was extremely prevalent in hip hop in the ’90s, but has since died down, with Czarface being the only group still pumping out albums with beautiful comic covers. Many amazing works of art came out of this trend, however. Earlier I talked about Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde as the model cartoony album cover, but several other iconic covers followed afterwards, such as GZA’s Liquid Swords, MF DOOM’s Operation Doomsday and Wu-Massacre from the Wu-Tang anthology. The most recent phenomenon in album art has been the “meme cover.” Over the last few years, the most memorable album covers have been ones that go viral online. Fans can even generate their own album covers inspired by Views, The Life of Pablo and Ye. Snapchat users have a sticker of their bitmoji inspired by DAMN. Album cover parodies aren’t a new phenomenon by any means. Fans have probably made thousands of variations of famous album covers like Abbey Road and The Dark Side of the Moon. But in recent years, memed-out hip-hop album covers have been making the rounds on Twitter more and more. Even if it takes a back seat today, the pursuit of innovative cover design is still alive. Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, the man behind Kanye West’s Graduation cover, designed one of hip hop’s most wallpaper-able covers with KIDS SEE GHOSTS, an instant vinyl purchase for me. The cover of Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy is both surreal and beautiful, painted by Ann Arbor native Eric White. Here’s to future classic album covers to come.
Arts
6A — Monday, February 25, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
STYLE NOTEBOOK
WORLD MUSIC COLUMN
Travis Scott’s ‘Astroworld’: Over two decades after its Album or a luxury brand? release, ‘Re’ remains iconic SOPHIA HUGHES Daily Arts Writer
Pablo Supply. Astroworld. October’s Very Own. Gucci. Louis Vuitton. The 21st century has made these brands synonymous in terms of luxury, and the homogeneity of the prices reflect this. Social pressure is mounting for young people to be up to date on the latest fads, and specifically those generated by artists. This is where the artists we know and love come into play. Kanye West. Travis Scott. Drake. With prices ranging from $100 to $200 for a hoodie, what is driving people to pay so much money for such a conventional item? If you haven’t heard of Astroworld yet, I’m going to be honest, you’ve probably been living under a rock. The masterpiece of an album by Travis Scott made its debut last summer and, since then, has captivated listeners whether they’re bobbing their heads up and down to “Sicko Mode” on an elevated surface or playing “Yosemite” on repeat on their way to class. Travis Scott has become a household name among millenials and the popularity of his limited merchandise only demonstrates this further. The Astroworld “Wish You Were Here” sweatshirts hit Scott’s website for $95 (not including shipping) only a few weeks after the album went out. Looking at the sweatshirt, it is difficult to understand why millenials are so eager to splurge on something that, to be frank, isn’t that exciting in its design. In fact, if the design had been entirely different, the number of sales would likely stay the same. This is because customers are buying the brand and what it means rather than the design.
Sound familiar? This almost parallels the marketing behind designer brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Now, before someone calls me out on diminishing the expertise that goes into creating designer brand clothing, consider the customers rather than the creators. Certain individuals are going to buy the new Balenciaga shoes whether they like them or not. This is because the attention they get and the impression they give
life organizations on various campuses have adopted their branding. Some sororities and fraternities have promoted rushing their organization by posting Facebook cover photos that have their organization written in the same font as the album. Since these artists and the albums in question have become so popularized, this is an effort to attract audiences using something that people automatically view as cool, likable, and hip. This goes on even further into apparel; people can essentially purchase an Astroworld hoodie for a marked down price that says “Alpha Phi” instead of “Astroworld.” But for some customers this purchase not only signifies to those around them that they have listened to the album thoroughly enough to showcase it, but also that the artist is of great importance to them. Even the most frugal fans hold these artists in such high esteem that buying their merchandise is their way of paying their respects while also finding a way to be close to them. Though this may seem to contradict my earlier point about the parallels between the customers of designer brands and those of popular artists’ merch, it only further proves it. Not all customers of designer brands are swimming in wealth and mindlessly making purchases. Certain customers have placed a great deal of thought into their purchase. Therefore, the 21st century reflects this transition, or rather addition, of treating the merchandise of artists at the same level of designer brands. Whether or not customers are buying these luxury items to gain status or feed their passion, let’s be real, the outrageous price tag isn’t stopping anyone.
Certain individuals are going to buy the new Balenciaga shoes whether they like them or not
off to those who see them wear the shoes compensates for the price or the look. The same can be said for sporting an Astroworld hoodie or wearing an “I Feel Like Pablo” shirt. For many millenials, owning these merchandise items creates a grey area between who that own the boots are actually die hard Travis Scott fans or merely following a trend. All of a sudden, the Travis Scott hoodie has become a way to prove oneself even though some purchasers know no songs besides “Sicko Mode.” The importance of showcasing ones love for “I Feel Like Pablo” or Astroworld can be seen in the fact that Greek
SAYAN GHOSH
Daily World Music Columnist
One of the most common descriptors of Mexican rock band Café Tacuba’s (stylized Tacvba) album Re is that is the Spanish-language “White Album” of the Latin rock movement. The comparison is not too far off from the truth. Diverse, eclectic with a mix of new and more traditional Mexican sounds, the hourlong, 20-song album is a self-contained epic. Even if it may not have reached the cultural status of the “White Album,” its unbridled sense of joy and passion gives the album a leg up on its Liverpudlian cousin. Lead singer Rubén Albarrán has one of those Billy Corgan/ Julian Casablancasesque voices that have no business sounding that good. Squeaky and nasally, it’s utilized quite skillfully by Albarrán in tracks like “Esa Noche,” a boleroinf luenced track scorns an ex-lover (“No me hubieras dejado esa noche, porque esa misma noche encontré un Nuevo amor”). The track features beautiful vocal harmonies during the chorus, and the smattering of strings contributes to the overall melancholy. It’s important to note that Café Tacvba’s music is not itself a perfect representation of traditional Mexican folk, but a catchy synthesis of more traditional elements with the Western rock canon that the band members themselves were quite familiar with. However, they borrow from more than just bands like The Beatles. “Trópico de Cáncer” has a distinctly Brazilian tinge to its chord progressions. “La Ingrata” is heavily inf luenced
by norteño music, a regional Mexican style of music itself heavily inf luenced by the music of European immigrants from Germany and Poland. Simply listening to the wide variety of styles of music present on Re made me want to explore the genres and references that are littered throughout it, from the form of the corrido to ranchera music
Flores.” “Ven y dimes todas esas cosas … Escucharé a todos tus sueños” (“Come and tell me everything … I’ll listen to all these dreams”). Ugh. “Yo te eschucharé con todo el silencio del planeta, y miraré tus ojos, como si fuerran los últimos de este país” (“I’ll listen to you in all the planet’s silence, and look at your eyes as if they were the last left in this country”). God no, stop it. But I can’t stop listening to it. Maybe it’s so damn corny that it comes full circle, and the feelings that it expresses simply can’t be made up in a crude pastiche of love song lyrics. Maybe the words on paper don’t convince you. Well, just listen to Albarrán earnestly scream at you, with all the sunny guitars and accordions leading him on. Personally, I hate it and love it too much to describe. Another standout soon after “Las Flores” is “El baile y el salón” (“The Dance and the Ballroom”). A tender, romantic piece about two men falling in love on the dancef loor, it features some of Albarrán’s best singing and lyrics: “Yo que era un solitario bailando, me quede sin hablar, Mientras tu me fuiste demonstrando que el amor es bailar” (“I was just a lonely dancer left speechless, while you showed me that love is dancing”). The band is even more impressive live than in the studio, and “El baile y el salon”’s live versions are some of their best work. Re is not an album that consistently reaches the heights it is capable of reaching, but it is tremendously vibrant and sunny nonetheless. A love letter to the world’s music, dancing, Mexico and life itself, it is a valuable introduction to the world of Latin rock and Latin music in general.
Maybe it’s so damn corny that it comes full circle, and the feelings that it expresses simply can’t be made up in a crude pastiche of love song lyrics
from the rural parts of Mexico. Re strikes me as essentially a love letter to the music and culture of Mexico. Even though I have read that several songs are in fact parodies of these traditional styles, I can tell that they are parodies borne of love rather than mockery. My personal favorite on this magnificent album is “Las Flores” (the f lowers). I don’t normally trust ridiculously sappy songs. In my admittedly stupid way of viewing things, they can’t be as aUtHeNtic as songs borne out of some kind of darkness of some kind of emotional pain. But that’s all bullshit. I mean, listen to “Las
BOOK REVIEW
Finding magic & alchemy in Maria Popova’s ‘Figuring’ ASIF BECHER Daily Arts Writer
While reading Maria Popova’s “Figuring,” I was thinking a lot about the old science of alchemy, the medieval precursor to chemistry. Before we knew about atoms or different theories of electron orbitals and magnetism to explain why materials work the way they do, there was alchemy — the practice of trying to transform one substance into another. One of the most legendary and mythical alchemic practices included the process of making an ordinary substance into liquid gold. “Figuring” isn’t quite a work of science fiction or biography. It’s also not quite poetry, not quite prose, not exactly a short story collection — and yet it’s also kind of all of these things. It’s a work of alchemy in the oldest, most classical use of the word. It’s a tapestry, woven out of the stories of various scientists and writers throughout history, connecting history, memory and personal experience to theories of astronomy, theoretical physics and ecology. Maria Popova transforms scientific logic and reason into poetry and poetry into calculus. In her hands, biography becomes liquid gold. Popova examines the lives of the people usually excluded from science writing (mostly queer women) and in doing so, crafts a narrative about the way people move through history and the way they perceive the scope of the universe. As Virginia Woolf would describe it, “Figuring” is “no longer rooted, but gold f lowing.” It would all be painfully overwrought and embarrassing if Popova wasn’t such a skilled writer and scholar, or such a deeply empathetic and human storyteller. “Figuring” doesn’t succeed in spite of its grand ambition and scope, but because of it. Clocking in at over 500 pages, “Figuring” is a dense and intricate read, but Popova’s writing is clear and simple, designed to draw people in rather than alienate. She doesn’t obfuscate for the sake of it. The complexity is earned, even necessary for the tapestry she’s creating. The book takes a semi-biographical structure, with each chapter marking a new intersection of a different person’s life and work. Where other writers might draw a line between personal and professional lives, Popova finds such distinctions counterproductive to authentic discourse. In an early chapter about the famous 19th century astronomer Maria Mitchell, Popova imagines the woman who would go on to become the first working female astronomer, the woman who would later discover a brand new comet, at 12 years old, staring up at the sky. “I imagine this contained young woman surprising herself with a spontaneous gasp when she sees what she saw at half past 10 that first day in
October in 1847,” Popova writes. The book is full of quiet moments like this. Science to Popova is anything but clinical — it’s full of wonder, emotion and love. She approaches discovery as a reverential space where people are at their very best, describing it as, “ ... the ecstasy of having personally chipped a small fragment of knowledge from the immense monolith of the unknown, that elemental motive force of every sincere scientist.” The sincerity is key here: Popova isn’t just uninterested in cynicism — she actively combats it. Each story she tells and each figure she highlights is a testament to achievement, to bravery, to the exact point where memory and future meet. If her language is f lowery and poetic, it’s on purpose. She explains this with a quote from environmentalist and ecologist Rachel Carson’s journal, writing that “If there is wonder and beauty and
‘Figuring’ Maria Popova Pantheon Books Feb. 5, 2019
magic … science will discover these qualities. If they are not there, science cannot create them. If there is poetry in my book about the sea, it is not because I deliberately put it there, but because no one could write truthfully about the sea and leave out the poetry.” In another break from traditional science writing, Popova is entirely uninterested in the myth of the unencumbered lone genius. “There is no such thing as a self-made person,” she writes. It’s a breath of fresh air in the face of decades of science writing that insists on the brilliance and self-sufficiency of men, whose ideas just apparently popped out of thin air one day. When she writes about Johannes Kepler, she acknowledges that yes, he was undoubtedly one of the greatest physicists in the world, but consider how he had people who supported him — a mother who paid for his education, teachers who trained him, a family who sustained
him. Popova’s thesis — that absolutely every moment, person and action is connected — extends from concepts as esoteric as the Big Bang and dark matter to ideas as seemingly simple as a young scientist’s support network. “The human mind,” Popova writes, “seems unwilling to wrap itself and its prosthetic of language around the notion of pure impartial probability. We imbue even the word chance with a constellation of subjective meanings … as serendipity’s accomplice … as free will’s counterpoint.” Popova’s insistence on connection, on not telling linear stories but creating three dimensional spaces for narratives to live in, has few artistic precedents. Milan Kundera, maybe, but his tangents on philosophy, science and history are crafted more like asides rather than interwoven as an integral part of the story. The closest counterpart in my eyes isn’t a novelist at all, but actually the musician Joanna Newsom. Like Popova, Newsom doesn’t shy away from tackling ambitious themes like death and creation, writing sprawling narratives that transcend the chosen medium (biography and folk songs, respectively). Newsom’s work, like Popova’s, invites a warm but complicated intimacy, pulling an intricate series of seemingly disparate narrative threads together to create art that’s demanding, yes, but ultimately beautiful. A passage from Newsom’s 2015 single “Sapokanikan” could easily serve as a summary thesis of Popova’s work: “And the records they left are cryptic at best / Lost in obsolescence / The text will not yield, nor x-ray reveal / With any f luorescence.” It’s hard to read words like that and not feel a sense of loss over all the art and science and discovery that’s been destroyed by popular consensus and history, especially in the context of work created by women. A lot of the time, telling one story means silencing another. Holding one man up as a genius destroys the work and discoveries of all the women he learned from and collaborated with. But reading “Figuring” feels like a warm affirmation that women have always been there, at every turning point of every great discovery and achievement. No matter what happens, no matter how constricting the circumstance, the curiosity of a 12-year-old girl staring at the sky in wonder will never break. Both Newsom and Popova seem to be asking questions like: Who do we remember? Why do we remember? Can we build a story out of a forgotten memory? In reading “Figuring,” you get the sense that the answer is an emphatic yes, as long as you don’t mistake a myth for a history, and as long as you have the time, patience and delicate touch needed to dig through the rubble and make the text yield. If you dig long enough, and if your mind is open enough, Popova argues, you might find a hidden treasure — a story everyone thought was lost forever.
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | February 25, 2019
SPORTSMONDAY
STRAIGHT
CASH MSU 77, U-M 70
Design by Jack Silberman Alec Cohen / Daily
CASSIUS WINSTON LEADS SPARTANS OVER WOLVERINES Ethan Sears Managing Sports Editor The game, and control of the Big Ten, teetered as the ball found Matt McQuaid. Michigan’s defense had lost the Spartans’ shooting guard. The senior made the Wolverines pay. His jumper from the right block found bottom, and Michigan State’s lead grew to eight. With just under four minutes to go in the game, it was all the Spartans needed. When the buzzer sounded, No. 10 Michigan State (23-5 overall, 14-3 Big Ten) walked off Crisler Center’s court as the first visiting team to win on it since last January. And, with a 77-70 win over No. 7 Michigan (24-4, 13-4), the Spartans gained sole possession of first place in the Big Ten to boot.
After a single handed try at a comeback by Jordan Poole fell short, with guard Cassius Winston hitting six straight free throws in the last 40 seconds, Michigan’s players walked back to their bench with their heads hung low. The buzzer sounded and they filed through a handshake line replete with disappointment on one side, joy on the other. The game was chippy. The game was close. The game was everything you’d want from a top-10 matchup of in-state rivals, living up to its billing and then some. And the Wolverines, ultimately, fell short. When freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis arrived in Crisler’s media room afterwards, he let out an audible groan. “It definitely hurts,” Brazdeikis would go on to say. “It felt weird, cause we had the
lead. We were up six with like 13 minutes left. And then all of the sudden, we’re down and it didn’t feel right.” And, for a brief moment, the game was Michigan’s to win. When McQuaid got called for a personal foul early in the second half with which he disagreed, Michigan State’s shooting guard turned to Tom Izzo in fury. Brazdeikis, who finished with 16 points, turned to a sellout crowd and raised his hands. Two minutes later, he drove baseline, dunked with two hands and let out a yell as Michigan’s lead extended to six, Izzo called timeout and the crowd roared alongside him. The game, and all that went with it, might have tipped there. Instead, it turned. Izzo told his team not to panic. He told them to make defense and rebounding a
calling card. He told them they had proven they could hang. It worked. “As I tell them, I’m gonna get into everybody who doesn’t do what they’re supposed to do,” Izzo said. “And that’s just the way it is.” The Spartans’ defense proceeded to clamp down, going over four minutes without allowing a point as they chipped into the lead, retaking it after three free throws from McQuaid following the under-12 timeout. As that one-point lead became five and minutes mounted, the Wolverines’ offense kept struggling. “They’ve been a traditional hard-hedge, flat-hedge team,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “They didn’t do any of that today. And so, they’re daring some of our guys to shoot. They’re going
underneath things. It threw us off a little bit in our timing.” In the final 10 minutes, it became clear: the Wolverines had little answer for Winston and no way to score consistently. Junior guard Zavier Simpson and Winston both played 40 minutes and, unlike previous iterations, Winston got the better of him, scoring 27 with eight assists. After redshirt junior wing Charles Matthews left the game early with an ankle injury, Michigan struggled to find a consistent scorer. Simpson had 19 points, Brazdeikis 16, but Michigan State switched ball-screens and forced the Wolverines to play 1-on-1. Matthews returned by the end of the first half, but shot just 1-for-8 from the field, creating a hole Michigan was unable to fill.
INSIDE SPORTSMONDAY STUDENTS LINED UP EARLY SUNDAY MORNING TO SECURE A SPOT IN THE MAIZE RAGE See Page 2B
Despite two teams that came into Sunday with top-10 defenses in adjusted efficiency, points came fast and easy in the early going. When Michigan State seemed to gain separation after a Kenny Goins 3-pointer put it up 27-20, the Wolverines jumped out to an 8-0 run of their own. At halftime, though, the Spartans held a 39-37 lead, and the game felt closer than that. That tone continued, but on the scoreboard, it was Michigan State pulling away. Standing at the podium 25 minutes after the game ended, Izzo offered up a harsh, but true assessment of his opponent. “Michigan didn’t play as good as they’ve been playing. And some of it was that — we had something to do with it — but they had something to do with it.”
SportsMonday
2B — February 25, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SportsMonday Column: The grind for the Maize Rage
B
elieve it or not, it was pretty warm early Sunday morning. Or at least as warm as one can expect it to be in Michigan at 4:30 a.m. on February 24th. That’s when I set out to Cliff MIKE Keen Arena, where I knew PERSAK students would be lined up to get one of the 750 wristbands being handed out at 7 a.m. that would grant them access to The Maize Rage — the courtside portion of the student section in Crisler Center — for the Michigan basketball team’s bout with No. 10 Michigan State. It was misting, but that wasn’t much of a bother considering the comfortable 45-degree weather in Ann Arbor. I arrived at the line, which already wrapped all the way down to Yost Ice Arena, and went straight to the front to see who had gotten there first. As it turned out, the first students were asleep in a tent. “Somebody’s allegedly in this tent,” said Duncan Taylordean, a senior in the school of engineering who was part of the second group in line. Taylordean arrived at 2:30, but his friend Arjun Sangwan, also an engineering senior, got there at 12:30 with some friends and saved a spot for Taylordean and some others. Personally, if I were getting moving at that hour, I would be a bit peeved that I wasn’t first, but Sangwan was unperturbed. “Who cares if you’re five or 10th, honestly?” Sangwan said. Added Taylordean: “Honestly, if you’re in the first 500, you’re gonna be in The Rage.
That’s all people wanna be in.” I was curious as to how many people were actually in line at that hour, so I decided to work my way back. As I left Taylordean and Sangwan, one of their friends, Arjun Ashok, a senior microbiology major, shook his head at me. “Two more hours, man,” Ashok said. I started walking south on State Street, estimating the bodies that I couldn’t see huddled inside tents or under blankets. A group of students asked me what number they were, and when I told them they were around 20th, they were fairly excited. Behind them, there was a group of freshmen. They had trekked down from Markley, about a 20-minute walk — I know from experience (shoutout First Little Hall) — and showed up on the corner of State and Hoover Streets around 1:30. “We thought we were gonna be further back, honestly,” one of them told me. “We heard some rumors.” This is the balancing act that all the students had to play Sunday morning. Nobody was quite sure when the line would start, only that they knew there would eventually be a line and that they wanted to be in it. Tim Kaplan, an LSA senior, and his friends live across the street from Cliff Keen. They had gone out the night before, and on their way back home, they saw the first tent pitched. “We thought, ‘Oh, this could happen earlier,’ ” Kaplan said. They proceeded home and got whatever shut-eye they could — Kaplan says he got
about 20 minutes — then set out around 3:00 with the wooden chairs from their kitchen to reserve their spots in line. Even further back in line, a group of students including Matt Rose, a business senior, and Andrew Myers, a freshman in LSA, stood under a couple of umbrellas. “We were planning on getting up this early, and then he asked in the Maize Rage group around 4:30, like, ‘Hey, what’s the line looking like?’ Rose said, pointing to Myers. “And they were like, ‘Oh, it’s around here.’ ”
I sent in the group chat, like ‘Hey, we’ve gotta go.’
Added Myers: “I sent in the group chat, like, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta go.’ ” The characters within the line are surprisingly varied. At least two fathers were there, accompanying their daughters in the line. One kid wore a Michigan State beanie. He was visiting his friend and didn’t even have a ticket to the game, but was instead getting a wristband for his friend’s girlfriend. Truly commendable chivalry. The means of staying warm varied, too. Most were under blankets and in winter coats,
though some chose less conventional routes. One student, who wished to remain anonymous, told me that on a scale of 1-10, he was “10/10 fucked up.” By the time I left, around 5:30, the line had wrapped into the parking lot by Yost. A rough count gave me about 500 students that were there at that time. I would imagine the line kept growing after I went home. What unites them all is more to the point. Each of them chose to wake up at an ungodly hour, or
We thought we were gonna be further back (in line), honestly.
neglect sleep altogether, to wait in the rain and cold to be as close as they possibly can to the Wolverines’ biggest game on Sunday. Every person I asked gave the same prediction — that Michigan would come out on top over their in-state rival. Maybe it’s that kind of commitment that has given the Wolverines their home-court advantage this season — an unblemished 16-0 record at Crisler Center. Even if you believe that has nothing to do with Michigan’s success in Crisler, try telling that to any one of those 500 kids. Persak can be reached at mdpers@umich.edu or on Twitter @MikeDPersak.
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Members of the Maize Rage waited outside as early as midnight in bad weather on Sunday to get wristbands for the afternoon game against Michigan State.
Second-half miscues doom Michigan Cassius Winston gets his revenge,
propels Spartans past Wolverines THEO MACKIE
Daily Sports Writer
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis scored 16 points but struggled down the stretch against Michigan State.
ARIA GERSON
Daily Sports Writer
Charles Matthews heaved up a shot that clanked off the front of the rim. It was Michigan’s third straight missed three. With just over a minute left in the game and Michigan State up by nine, a contingent of Spartan fans began chanting “Go green, go white!” as those clad in maize and blue began streaming for the exits. It was an about-face from the scene just 14 minutes earlier. Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis got the ball on a fastbreak, drove to the hoop and flushed it in right over Michigan State’s Kenny Goins, putting the Wolverines up by six and bringing the crowd to its feet. But after that, the Spartans called timeout. Michigan didn’t score for five minutes. And the complexion of the game changed completely, resulting in a 77-70 Spartan win. “We’re just trying to run our stuff,” said junior center Jon Teske. “We just weren’t getting open shots. We weren’t getting good looks and like I said, just give credit to their defense, they did really well.” Out of the timeout, Michigan State’s defense threw the Wolverines for a loop. Spartan coach Tom Izzo doesn’t usually switch ball screens, but on Sunday, he did. Michigan State forced Michigan into one-on-
one situations, daring someone to make a shot. No one did. “It’s tough because basketball’s about making those shots,” Brazdeikis said. “And we didn’t make them today.” Junior guard Zavier Simpson seemingly stopped the bleeding with a driving layup that put the Wolverines up one with 10:34 remaining. But for five minutes and three seconds, the only points Michigan scored came on two free throws from redshirt junior wing Charles Matthews. By then, the Spartans were up seven. “You gotta take good shots,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “And I think our shot selection is better than it was earlier in the year, but you’ve gotta take good shots at that time, but when we’re in the oneon-one situations right now, we’ve gotta be more effective with it. We have certain habits that are not good for some oneon-one situations.” Scoring droughts like that are nothing new for the Wolverines; they happen in almost every game. But Michigan State is a team well-equipped to take advantage of those stretches. When Michigan idled, the Spartans hit the gas. The Wolverines tried to get the ball to Simpson. He missed two threes. They tried to get it to Matthews and Brazdeikis. They missed, too. They tried to
get it to Teske, and all they could do was watch as his attempted layup slid over the basket. Finally, less than a minute to go and the deficit at eight, they tried sophomore guard Jordan Poole — who shot poorly all game and got himself into foul trouble. But Poole’s made those shots before. Somehow, Poole swished a 3-pointer and then another — the latter from well beyond the arc, an improbable shot that sparked hope of an improbable comeback. After an intentional foul, Poole got the ball back. But the third time wasn’t the charm. From there, the Spartans made their free throws to make the lead near insurmountable. Michigan’s only basket in the last 30 seconds came on a Simpson layup with eight seconds left — one Michigan State didn’t even bother defending. “We tried a whole bunch of stuff,” Beilein said. “But they just had a really good defense today and we could not get the leverage that we normally can create with certain styles of defense.” The Wolverines lost a midJanuary matchup at Wisconsin because they couldn’t make big shots down the stretch. That’s an easy symptom to diagnose. But against the Spartans, Michigan — Poole specifically — came up clutch in the end. It was the middle that was the problem.
Cassius Winston sat in front of reporters at the Big Ten Tournament last March and declared he wanted a rematch with Michigan. Earlier that season, the Wolverines had gone into East Lansing unranked and knocked off No. 4 Michigan State, while Winston finished with 11 points and four turnovers. When Michigan beat Nebraska two hours after his comments, ALEC COHEN/Daily Winston got his wish. The result, though, was the same as it had Cassius Winston scored 27 points, besting Michigan’s Zavier Simpson. eight assists. It was Winston up there” and re-emphasized been two months earlier. The Wolverines, again, who, when Michigan made a the importance of winning a displayed their defensive desperate attempt to claw back conference title. But beneath it all, there was dominance. Winston, again, into the game, iced the win with managed just 11 points, as six consecutive free throws. It an air of relaxed satisfaction that Zavier Simpson — the point was Winston who was showered can only come after dumping a guard Michigan recruited as its with “MVP” chants from a vocal proverbial monkey off one’s back. “When it was all said and row of Spartans fans atop section contingency plan — shone. Ahead of the rivalry’s latest 214. And, at the end of it all, it done,” said Spartans coach Tom chapter, Winston was careful to was Winston who dribbled out Izzo, “probably the guy who’s avoid providing the Wolverines the clock, mobbed by a flurry of been scrutinized the most by me teammates when and you, Cassius Winston, was with any that elusive unbelievable.” motivating There’s a reason that Izzo, buzzer finally soundbites, holder of 10 wins in Ann Arbor, sounded. insisting that “We were called this his biggest ever win last year’s just screaming at the Crisler Center. A loss losses were not and stuff, just could have been catastrophic for on his mind. pushing him,” his team’s psyche — its fourth But Sunday said freshman in a row against Michigan, a evening, as the forward Thomas confirmation that the state’s clock ticked Kithier. “We basketball hierarchy had been toward zero were just so flipped. on Winston’s Thanks to Winston, those happy. Especially first win over Michigan as a starter, they were the way Cassius has played. worries never materialized. each time the He played his heart out and he Because impossible to ignore. Wolverines threatened to make “(My teammates) know the deserves it.” Lounging back at his them reality, he responded in a struggles I’ve had with this team before and know how big of a temporary locker beneath the way he was unable to a year ago game this was for me,” Winston Crisler Center while a horde of TV — whether that be with a floater, said, minutes after securing a cameras and iPhones crowded jump shot or perfectly placed 77-70 win. “And they were there his face, Winston himself did assist. “What’s cool for me is it’s been for me the whole time. They not carry the expressions of a wanted this just as bad as I did. man who had just conquered his a process here,” Izzo said. “… He’s had the process, tough freshman We all wanted it really bad, for biggest demon. Even while remembering year, very good sophomore year, more reasons than just the game the celebratory final moments, now he’s having, so far, a great and it showed.” And sure, his teammates may he didn’t crack a smile. His junior year.” And sure, the difference have wanted the win. But make comments alternated deflected no mistake: This was the Cassius praise with a focus on Indiana, between “very good” and “great” Michigan State’s next opponent. comes in the form of 6.3 extra Winston show. It was Winston who wriggled When asked where this ranks points and .5 assists per game. around the Wolverines’ defense among the biggest wins of his More importantly, it comes in to finish with 27 points and career, he merely said, “It’s the form of a win over Michigan.
(Winston) played his heart out and he deserves it.
SportsMonday
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
February 25, 2019 — 3B
Slow start continues in Louisiana ‘M’ stays unbeaten with sweep LANE KIZZIAH Daily Sports Writer
the inning. It was these types of plays that kept the score low. In its first few innings against Memphis (5-8) on Saturday morning, Michigan looked like it might face similar problems, as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Wolverines responded quickly as senior infielders Faith Canfield and Alex Sobczak and sophomore infielder Natalia Rodriguez all made it across home plate. Michigan held onto this lead with Rodriguez scoring again in the fourth inning, ending it’s five-game losing streak with a 4-2 win. The Wolverines kept this momentum going against California State University, Northridge (4-7). The offense proved that strong batting can be contagious, getting 10 hits, eight of which resulted in runs. Beaubien was the one standout, pitching her fourth career no-hitter and her first of the season. With the offense and defense finally coming together for the Wolverines, Michigan ended the game with a commanding 8-0 win. The final game of the weekend proved to be a solid rematch against Louisiana State. The first matchup saw weak offensive play from the Wolverines, and the rematch saw much of the same. Michigan pitching carried it to a 2-1 loss. For the first three innings, it matched the Tigers in runners on base, but couldn’t
finish. Luckily for the Wolverines, freshman right-hander Alex Storako’s pitching kept them in the game early on. Storako registered four strikeouts in a row, shaping the game up to be a pitcher’s duel. “I’ve made some significant jumps to just be able to trust myself and the process that I’ve come to know these past couple of months,” Storako said. “Be able to be stress free and loose and playing the game the way that I know how.” The third inning marked the first signs of trouble for Michigan as it left two runners stranded on base in the top of the inning, and allowed LSU a run off of an error by Storako at the bottom. With runners on second and third, Storako recovered the inning, saving the Wolverines from an even larger deficit. While junior Madison Uden tied up the game with a run in the top of the fifth inning, Louisiana State quickly regained its lead. After walking a batter in the bottom of the same inning, Beaubien relieved Storako in the circle, but she wasn’t there for long. Before the inning was over, Beaubien allowed one runner to steal second base and eventually take home, leaving Michigan with another loss. Much like the first game against Louisiana State, Hutchins opted to replace Beaubien with Shaefer before she was able to finish her first inning.
The first couple of games of the LSU Invitational saw the Michigan softball team plagued by the same problems it’s faced all season. Towards the end of the weekend, though, the Wolverines looked revived both at the plate and defensively, grabbing two wins to salvate a 2-3 weekend record. Friday, the Wolverines (6-8) were overwhelmed by Stanford (11-2) and No. 9 Louisiana State (13-3). While Michigan gave up only one run through the first five innings against Stanford, trouble came in the bottom of the sixth. With the game tied at one, sophomore left-hander Meghan Beaubien faced six batters in the inning, hitting two batters in a row and giving up three runs in the process before being pulled for sophomore right-hander Sarah Schaefer. The latter didn’t fare much better, giving up an additional three runs before the inning ended. “I didn’t really have the right mindset,” Beaubien said. “You want to go into that situation with a clear head and telling yourself to throw your game and things are going to work out. What you don’t want to do is try too hard to get out of the situation or get the results you wanted. I was trying too hard to get the results.” The Michigan offense couldn’t make up the difference in the 7-1 loss. Friday evening saw much of the same from the offense against the Tigers, mustering up only one hit in a 2-0 loss. There were some reasons for optimism, though. Both the infield and outfield played consistently smart defense. Senior catcher Katie Alexander prevented a runner from stealing third in the bottom of the second inning, and junior outfielder ALEC COHEN/Daily Haley Hoogenraad dove to grab a fly ball in center field to end Sophomore left-hander Meghan Beaubien had mixed results on the weekend.
FILE PHOTO/Daily
Sophomore catcher Joe Donovan hit a three-run home run to help the Wolverines to a 9-1 win on Saturday.
ABBY SNYDER
Daily Sports Writer
It’s a high-percentage out. That’s what Michigan coach Erik Bakich – and most baseball coaches – will say when asked about rundown situations. Two infielders and one baserunner don’t usually add up to a runner in scoring position. But in the top of the eighth inning on Saturday, fifth-year senior outfielder Miles Lewis slipped past The Citadel’s infielders to take third base on an infield single from junior outfielder Christian Bullock. A few pitches later, sophomore catcher Joe Donovan sent them both home as he knocked a threerun blast off of Bulldog pitcher Jordan Buster. It was just one of many things that went right for the 17th-ranked Wolverines (6-0) as they swept the Bulldogs (2-4) this weekend, winning 2-0 on Friday, 9-1 on Saturday and 6-3 on Sunday. After this weekend, Michigan is one of seven teams in the top 25 that is still undefeated two weeks into the season. “We’re always happy to sweep,” Bakich said. “It’s hard to sweep, especially on the road
against a good Citadel team like this that has an older pitching staff with speed and some weapons in their lineup. We had to play well to come out on top.” Donovan had an especially productive weekend for the Wolverines. He notched five runs batted in over the course of the weekend. He also remained consistently solid defensively behind the plate, making several strong plays off pitches in the dirt. Friday, he caught a runner trying to steal second, and on Sunday, he ended the fifth inning by picking off a runner at third base. Michigan’s pitching staff also continued to dominate throughout the series. Junior left-hander Tommy Henry pitched a complete game of one-hit baseball on Friday. He faced only the minimum 27 batters with a career-high of 13 strikeouts. Saturday, junior righthander Karl Kauffman continued the trend, striking out nine and allowing only three hits over eight innings of work. “What Tommy Henry and Karl Kauffmann did from the starting pitching standpoint really set the tone and gave us every opportunity to win the series,”
Bakich said. “To get those types of performances from Tommy and Karl certainly sets a tone.” Junior outfielder Jordan Brewer also contributed to Wolverines’ strong performance this weekend. On Friday, he stole two bases after reaching first on a single to center field. On Saturday, he had three hits, and on Sunday, he saved a run, throwing a baserunner out at home plate. Brewer has had a productive start to his first season at Michigan after transferring earlier this year from Lincoln Trail Community College in Robinson, Ill. So far this season, he has a batting average of .385 with five hits and four stolen bases over the four games he’s played (and started) in this season. Before the first pitch on Friday, the Wolverines presented the Bulldogs with a plaque to honor their service to the military, as they do with all military academies they play. “It’s a tough group of kids. We credit what these kids stand for and what they’re all about,” Bakich said. “At the end of the day, we have a lot of respect for them and their patriotism and their duty, and for those that do serve, we sincerely appreciate it.”
Michigan trounces Clarion, 37-6 Wolverines fall in East Lansing JACOB COHEN For The Daily
Following three rounds of focused and determined wrestling, fifth-year seniors Malik Amine and Alec Pantaleo raised their arms to the tune of “The Victors” echoing through Cliff Keen Arena. It was clear they both left everything they had on the mat, standing with their heads held high as the crowd gave them each a loud ovation. The No. 4 Michigan wrestling team began its meet with the four graduating wrestlers — Amine and Pantaleo, as well as redshirt juniors Sal Profaci and Mike Volyanyuk — being honored with their families. The former two set the tone for a dominant victory over Clarion with a pair of convincing wins to open senior night. After the quartet was celebrated at the beginning of the meet, the Wolverines’ other wrestlers followed suit, with two freshmen, Mason Parris and Jelani Embree, and a slew of sophomores and juniors working hard to earn key team points. It seemed as though the group got out of the blocks fast and simply never looked back, steamrolling its way to a 37-6 win. “Our seniors, they’ve got great
discipline, great leadership, great work ethic … they’ve contributed a tremendous amount to their teammates, and the Michigan wrestling program will be forever grateful for them,” said Michigan coach Sean Bormet. Given the coach’s praise for the senior class, their leadership should come as no surprise. The Wolverines owe much of their success both during the meet and throughout the season to the seniors’ leadership. Hopes are high for this trend to continue as March, an all-important month in the wrestling season, approaches. “I’d say the biggest point tonight is to continue to build on the excitement you have for your wrestling, for what’s coming in March,” Bormet said. Riding the dominant win, confidence is clearly high. For Michigan, staying the course is the message of choice as the team looks forward to the upcoming Big Ten and National Championships. The final dual meet of the
season is a time for the team as a whole to look forward to the major competitions to come, but it also is a time of reflection for the seniors. “It’s just been a long ride, man,” Amine said. “It’s just, time flies, and I remember when I was a freshman on campus, so it’s just pretty much cherishing it and just being thankful. I thanked my parents, you know, my coaches, and it’s just been a long ride. And obviously it’s not over, but your last match at Cliff Keen, you kinda blink and it’s all over.” Amine’s sentiment expresses exactly how grateful these seniors are for their experiences as Michigan wrestlers. He encapsulated the nostalgia felt by these men, a feeling that he, a member of a proud family legacy, feels to an intense degree. “When I look back, when I have kids and they grow up, having the whole entire legacy my grandpa started in the 1960s, it’s just a crazy thing to think about,” Amine said. “I’m lucky to be an Amine.”
Our seniors, they’ve got great discipline, great leadership.
KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily
Fifth-year senior Malik Amine played at Cliff Keene Arena for his last time as a Wolverine on Sunday.
CONNOR BRENNAN Daily Sports Writer
Down by seven points with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Amy Dilk stepped up to the foul line. The freshman point guard missed both. Freshman forward Naz Hillmon collected the second miss though and drew a shooting-foul herself. Hillmon, too, couldn’t get either to fall. Missed opportunities characterized the Michigan women’s basketball team’s (19-10 overall, 10-6 Big Ten) 74-64 loss to Michigan State (18-9, 8-8) Sunday afternoon — the Wolverines’ first defeat in eight games. Energized by a late-season clash against their in-state rival, the Spartans jumped out to a quick nine-point lead in the first three minutes. Thanks in large part to the introductions of Hillmon and sophomore forward Kayla Robbins though, Michigan seemed to settle in. The comeback run started midway through the first quarter when Robbins blocked Victoria Gaines’ layup attempt. Playing at the top of the full-court press, Hillmon then swiped the ball from the Michigan State ballhandler and passed it ahead to sophomore guard Deja Church for an easy basket. Hillmon — as she has done all season — went to work inside, securing an offensive rebound and powering through the Spartan defender for an and-one. Two minutes since coming off the bench, Robbins and Hillmon had helped erase Michigan State’s lead entirely. “I thought we had to settle down,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “The environment and pressure kinda got to us early. Once we settled down and started pressuring them, I thought that really helped us and changed the tempo of the game.” With Michigan’s miniature comeback, the intensity picked up. To the chagrin of both sidelines, the referees did their best to stay out of the contest early. Turnovers, on the other hand, occurred in bunches and helped establish an up-and-down nature to the first
KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily
Amy Dilk missed two free throws towards the end of Sunday’s game.
quarter. With just over a minute remaining, senior guard Nicole Munger knocked down her second 3-pointer of the game. Two free throws and a layup by the Spartans gave them a four-point lead heading into the second quarter though. The second quarter was in many ways a mirror image of the first. Michigan State quickly pushed their lead back out to nine. Jenna Allen added to her 10-point first quarter with a layup, before Mardrekia Cook hit from the beyond the arc. Behind Munger’s hot-hand from deep — hitting two more in the second quarter — and Hillmon’s dominant inside presence, the Wolverines clawed their way back into it once again. Hillmon’s touch and strength were on full-display, catching entry passes from all angles and with a quick powerdribble, rising up through contact to finish. And yet, the Spartans remained calm. Allen continued to dominate inside, which provided her teammates with open looks from the perimeter. When the second quarter had come and gone, Michigan faced a five-point deficit. Michigan State’s freshman point guard Nia Clouden catalyzed an electric start to the third quarter for the Spartans with an and-one and a number of crafty assists. The Wolverines struggled all afternoon with rebounding — one of their greatest strengths. In the third quarter specifically, Michigan State accumulated seven offensive rebounds. On top of Michigan’s inability to
keep the Spartans off the offensive boards, its offense was stagnant. Going inside to Hillmon — who finished with 27 points — was the only viable option. As a result, the Wolverines struggled to keep up and entered the fourth quarter trailing by 11. Michigan gradually whittled away at the deficit in the fourth. Points almost exclusively came from Hillmon and Munger though. A deep jumper from Munger on the wing cut Michigan State’s lead to seven. Two minutes later, Hillmon received a pass from freshman point guard Amy Dilk and finished against Allen. “(Hillmon) was incredible,” Barnes Arico said. “She was all over the place and we did a great job of finding her. She almost made every shot she took so I wish we could’ve found her a bit more. She was outstanding again tonight.” Unfortunately for the Wolverines, they couldn’t manufacture enough offensively and the Spartans scored when they needed to. After playing solid defense the entire possession, Michigan allowed Cook to score a back-breaking open layup. From there, the Spartans sealed the deal at the line. “We got some stops but we couldn’t really get many scores,” Barnes Arico said. “We turned it over when we got stops so we weren’t able to make enough of those plays.” Having had to play catch-up all afternoon, the Wolverines closed in on multiple occasions but could never vault themselves into the lead in the end.
SportsMonday
4B — February 25, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
When the party’s over
I
t started as a trickle. A handful of fans got up from their seats and headed towards the exits. Cassius Winston drained two free throws to push the Spartans’ lead to nine. That trickle became a steady stream. Then JACOB a river. SHAMES Jordan Poole tried to prevent it from growing further, hitting a pair of deep 3-pointers in the final minute. But it wasn’t enough to stem the tide of maize flowing out of Crisler Center. And that was that. Michigan State 77, Michigan 70. “Michigan State just had a tremendous game plan, and they played better than us,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “ … They made us play poorly, and give them all the credit in the world.” Beilein’s postgame presser continued in the same vein for 13 minutes. It was the personification of a gut-punch — a party brought to a quiet, deflating end. Early Sunday morning, the line to secure seating in the Maize Rage started forming about the same time most students were falling asleep. Saturday, the seats that made up the Michigan student section had been draped with the same t-shirts that rested on all of Crisler Center’s 12,707 seats, ensuring a “Maize Out” for Sunday. It wasn’t just any Maize Out. The shirts, which read “Shock The World, Boys, Go Blue!”, were a reference to Michigan’s 1989 team, which reunited to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Wolverines’ only national championship. Glen Rice, Sean Higgins, Steve Fisher and others shared memories, cracked jokes and were honored during halftime, soaking
in the program’s finest achievement. The party was about them, but other guests were invited. The 1964 Wolverines, which made Michigan’s first-ever Final Four, were honored in the first half. Later, the 1974 Wolverines — winners of the Big Ten— were honored as well. Last, but most importantly, the current Wolverines had a game. Not just any game, mind you. Michigan vs. Michigan State. No. 7 vs. No. 10. Two teams that don’t like each other one bit, separated by 65 miles but tied atop the Big Ten. For one afternoon, every star in the college basketball universe had somehow come into alignment. It lived up to the hype. The Spartans were without forward Nick Ward and guard Joshua Langford. The Wolverines had a less-than-100 percent Charles Matthews, who tweaked his ankle in the first half. No matter. The opening 20 minutes was left-hook after left-hook, the decibels rising with every possession. One dizzying sequence saw 15 points in 109 seconds. Six baskets and three 3-pointers, each hit by a different player. Michigan and Michigan State both feasted off the building’s energy. For Wolverine freshman Ignas Brazdeikis, this took the form of rocking Xavier Tillman to sleep and nailing a 3-pointer in his face, or beating Kenny Goins down the baseline and exploding for a dunk, pumping up the crowd every chance he got. For Spartans Goins and Matt McQuaid, this meant quieting the crowd by hitting five triples between them. If you were introducing basketball to someone, you could hardly do better than a first half in which both teams averaged over 1.2 points per possession. It was 20 minutes in which the sport seemed to be on steroids. Neither team had to sustain such a torrid pace to win. But all parties have to come to an end at
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Michigan fans left Crisler Center disappointed on Sunday after the Wolverines fell to the Spartans, 77-70, in a much-anticipated, top-10 rivalry matchup.
some point, and the partygoers have to sober up in time to go to work the next morning. Michigan State did. Michigan didn’t. From the 15-minute mark until Poole’s last gasp, the Wolverines scored just nine points. Meanwhile, Winston finished with 27 points, eight assists and two steals. The Spartans never threw a knockout blow. Winston continued to do his thing, Michigan’s shots stopped falling and slowly but surely, Michigan State sucked the life out of Crisler Center. “For 30 minutes,” Beilein said, “it was a tremendous basketball game.” Now that the party’s over? The blurry pictures are deleted from phones, the hazy, potentially embarrassing debauched memories forced to be forgotten. Brazdeikis and junior center Jon Teske
speak with reporters and give short, concise, monotone answers about what went wrong. Give the Spartans credit. Their defense was great. We just didn’t hit shots. We’ll bounce back. We’ll learn from this one. This is what a rivalry game looks like on the losing side. The rivalry gets stripped away. If there’s any extra pain here, it’s not on display. In his two-minute opening statement, Beilein doesn’t mention the fact that Michigan and Michigan State don’t exactly exist on friendly terms. He admits the Spartans outplayed his team today, the same as if it were any other opponent. Furthermore, the Big Ten race is still on. As cliche as it sounds, anything can indeed happen. There’s work left to be done. “There’s so much more to our season than beating Michigan
State,” Beilein said. “I know that hurts some of our fans … (but) everybody should be very happy they went to something like that for at least 30 minutes, and of course, the Michigan State fans for 40.” Michigan State, of course, doesn’t have to go to work just yet. The Spartans can sleep in and revel just a bit longer. Tom Izzo is asked if this win, under the circumstances, was one of his team’s biggest. Michigan State’s coach answers affirmatively. “John and I talked before the game, this could end up one of the best rivalries,” Izzo said. “ … There aren’t a lot of places where two schools, in state, both ranked in the top-10.” Both teams have had their say. Crisler Center, finally, settles. The former Wolverine greats will return home to their post-
basketball lives. Their past glories, brought back for a day, will return to the past. Cleaning crews pick up trash and sweep away debris. They leave a yellow foam finger, which, for a while, stands alone in Section 118. Eventually, that too is gone. The Maize Out is no more. The shirts have been taken home by those in attendance, and the seats’ normal blue color is visible again. The Maize Rage, too, has disappeared. The seats have been pushed to the wall to make way for six hoops, three on either side of the court, for Michigan’s practices later this week. After a supercharged weekend of basketball, it’s time to return to the office. Shames can be reached at jacosham@umich.edu or on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
Different weekend, same result Wolverines beat Buckeyes on Friday, fall in double-overtime on Saturday as Ohio State clinches Big Ten title at Yost JORGE CAZARES Daily Sports Writer
If there was any doubt that these two teams dislike each other, the Michigan hockey team and Ohio State put that doubt to rest on Saturday night. It took until the second overtime period of the tightly-contested slugfest to declare a winner. When forward Mason Jobst took a tripping penalty at the end of the first overtime period, it appeared as though the Wolverines (13-12-7 overall, 9-8-5-2 Big Ten) would receive a prime opportunity to win on senior night and, more importantly, come out of the weekend with five points against sixth-ranked Ohio State. But seconds into the second overtime period, junior forward Will Lockwood took a tripping penalty, himself — essentially neutralizing the penalty call on Jobst. A mental lapse by Michigan resulted in a breakaway for Jobst when he exited the penalty box. He capitalized on the opportunity finishing past Mann to give the Buckeyes (19-8-5 overall, 12-6-4-3 Big Ten) the extra point in second overtime, 4-3. “We’re three-on-three, and I just think we lost track of what was going on,” said Michigan coach Mel Pearson. “We’re pressing to score and we’re not maybe in that defensive mode. We lose track of the time on the clock and the guy jumps out behind us and they make a good play, he gets that breakaway. The wrong player you want on a breakaway.” After last night’s game, Pearson assured that his team would come out in the first period more energized. And through the opening minutes on Saturday, the Wolverines were locked in, entering the offensive zone frequently and creating chances. That early offensive momentum was halted, though, after a fiveminute penalty on senior forward Brendan Warren for kneeing 7:32 left into the period. After looking strong on the penalty kill through the first four
minutes, it was Ohio State that a little bit of a blown coverage on puck along the boards in the RIAN RATNAVALE got on the board with 48 seconds it. We were good at times but poor Wolverines’ offensive zone. He Daily Sports Writer remaining on the man advantage. at times. We lost the special team took a hit from behind this sent Right after Mason Jobst’s Forward Carson Meyer received battle tonight, we lose the game. him crashing headfirst into the double-overtime game-winner the puck in the slot and fired a wrist Last night we won it, we win the boards and temporarily knocked sailed past Strauss Mann into sophomore unconscious shot past freshman goaltender game. That’s how critical it is this the the back of the Michigan net, the as he lay sprawled on the ice. Strauss Mann’s stick side –– giving time of year.” freshman goaltender knew that he When play stopped halfway Defenseman Tommy Parran — the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. could’ve recognized sooner that Michigan’s offense picked up through the second period, the who delivered the hit — was given the Ohio State forward was going where it left off after the penalty Wolverines were facing a two- a game misconduct, the second of to glide out of the penalty box. goal deficit with the momentum the game for the Buckeyes. Cecconi kill. “I have to take responsibility for was called for a two-minute Just three minutes later, teetering in favor of Ohio State. not slamming my stick and trying They emerged from the roughing minor as he came to the junior forward Will Lockwood to get our D’s attention,” Mann sprinted up the right side of the stoppage of play on the power defense of his teammate. said. “I wasn’t really expecting it The Wolverines were unable to ice with freshman defenseman play. And a minute into the man honestly.” Nick Blankenburg to his left. advantage, senior defenseman capitalize on the ensuing power All it would’ve taken was a As Lockwood entered into the Joseph Cecconi cut the deficit in play and went into overtime tied at few knocks on the ice with his offensive zone, he played the puck half to 3-2 on an odd-angled shot three goals apiece. stick when the penalty clock was With neither team taking the across to Blankenburg who was from the right side of Nappier on running down, and one of the entering the slot. With defenders a feed from junior forward Nick edge in the first overtime period, each team picked up one point. Wolverines’ defenders would’ve on his hip, Blankenburg faked Pastujov. gotten into position. At the same In the third period, the The game continued into a second backhand, pulled the puck back time though, that responsibility forehand and fired past goaltender freshmen continued their senior overtime to determine who would doesn’t entirely fall on Mann — Tommy Nappier to tie the game at night weekend heroics. After earn the extra point. any of the other three skaters And in the second overtime recording two goals in the third one. could have noted the impending “I just tried opening up for period on Friday, freshman Nolan period, Jobst clinched the victory situation with the sixth-ranked (Lockwood) and then the pass kind Moyle found the back of the net for Ohio State when the puck Buckeyes’ leading points man, but of was to my feet,” Blankenburg once more for another game-tying found him as he exited the penalty none of them did. said. “It’s nice that he just got it to goal. After having his initial shot box. He finished past Mann on the “I know the other guys feel me in the first place and then just attempt saved, he collected the breakaway opportunity to seal the responsibility there too, but we kind of went to my forehand and rebound along the boards behind game, 4-3. just gotta know the clock,” said “Tough points to give up, had a little bit too much speed, so the net. He played the puck back freshman defenseman Nick I kind of ran into the goalie a bit into the crease, where it took a especially when it’s so critical,” Blankenburg, who was also on the there. Then as he was sliding over, deflection off a defender’s skate and Pearson said. “But tough play at ice. “And we shouldn’t let 26 have his pad lifted up a little bit, so I just snuck past Nappier to tie the game the end, we just have to make sure a breakaway in overtime like that we’re more aware of what’s going slid the puck under there and it at three with 10:25 remaining. in three-on-three, because he’s Tempers flared once more with on there but overall I can’t fault our went in.” debatably one of their best players, The Wolverines entered the 5:55 left. Sophomore forward effort, guys worked hard, but we so we have to be better on that first intermission outshooting Dakota Raabe was chasing the just didn’t work smart.” Ohio State, 11-7. Early in the second period though, the Buckeyes regained the lead. Forward Brendon Kearney held the puck at the top of the right faceoff dot and fired an innocent-looking wrist shot. Mann was slow to react on his glove-save attempt as the puck found the back of the net, 2-1. Ohio State added one more five minutes later on the power play. After a strong minute and a half on the penalty kill for the Wolverines, the Buckeyes finally got set up on offense and took advantage quickly as forward John Wiitala extended the lead to 3-1 eight minutes into the period. “We were good on that major until the last, just the last bit of it,” ALEXIS RANKIN/Daily Pearson said. “They get that goal Junior forward Will Lockwood was penalized in the second overtime on Saturday, handing Ohio State a critical advantage. and then they get another one. Just
part,” Playing smart — as Michigan coach Mel Pearson noted Saturday night and after Tuesday’s penaltyridden loss to Notre Dame — is something, even this late in the year that the Wolverines need to do more consistently. In Friday’s win, Michigan committed just four penalties and killed every single one — allowing a total of five shots in that span. And just one second after its own power play ended, up 3-2 on Ohio State, freshman defenseman Jack Summers took advantage with a game-sealing slapshot. “You have to play smarter,” Pearson said. “And the power play, when we get the opportunity in our game we have to do that. We did that last night and we didn’t tonight.” Michigan was in prime position to take a 4-on-3 advantage headed into the second overtime of Saturday after Jobst’s tripping penalty, but junior forward Will Lockwood responded with his own tripping penalty and a de-facto ejection two seconds into the second extra frame. Though the Buckeyes were the more penalized team for the weekend and had two players thrown out of Saturday’s game, the Wolverines couldn’t capitalize on any of their power plays after their first goal. “We can’t get too high when we score a goal or if Ohio State gets a five-minute, we can’t get too excited or get too angry,” Blankenburg said. “We’ve just got to stay at an even-level and just be calm. “I feel like when we get running around or things start to not go our way or we just kind of get a little out of it a bit, then you can kind of tell as a fan or a spectator when we start running around a bit or not sticking to our game.” Lockwood’s penalty, if anything, wasn’t the backbreaker. Neither was not recognizing Jobst’s oddman rush out of the penalty box. Each mistake, be it an emotional one, a tactical one or a special team one, built up to those lost points Saturday.