The Dylan Thomas Is Not In Comment Count

Brian

3/25/2006 - Michigan 1-5 North Dakota - EOYOIP

The hockey team did indeed go gentle into that good night. That was okay -- there wasn't much hope from the start and Michigan provided no reason for the fan to generate any once the puck dropped. A Chad Kolarik knuckleball that fluttered over Jordan Parise's shoulder had to pass for the rage, but since Michigan spent all of ten minutes in this game within two goals of the Sioux it was one of the meeker rages you'll see. Michigan hockey should be picking up a deed to the earth any time now.


No, no... rage here; light here. Didn't you guys take English in high school? Should I bust out the Gatsby?


Why was this okay? The overall effect of the North Dakota bombing was similar to the '03 Rose Bowl against USC. We knew we were dead meat going in and there was no point at which it looked like we could pull an upset. Warren St. John's law of fan pleasure ("the pleasure derived from a victory is inversely proportional to the expectation said victory would be acheived," to paraphrase) should have a corollary that states that psychic damage is minimized when you know you're going to lose to vastly superior competition and do. Then I could just say "Corollary I to the WSJ LOFP" instead of write all this and save everyone a signficant amount of time.

It would have been nice if the hockey team was half-competitive like Navarre & Co. They weren't. That's life. Resignation, frustration, and exasperation* all passed through my head, but it was mingled with relief. The 2005-06 trial by ordeal is over. Let's not dwell on it when we can overhype football players we've never seen. Onwards and upwards or something.

*(for comic hilarity, please read in the voice of Cajun Man)