10B -- he Michigan Daily Week a ag ne-=Tburday, November 6, 1997 0 r 0 The Michigan Dailyeeken Maga r I 21 State of the Arts t' 'I- El Weekend, etc. Column A SIMPLE REQUEST, MR. SANDLER THE THRILL OF THE GAME The following is a letter to comedi- an/actorAdam Sandler Mr Sandler has rescheduled his Oct. 25 HillAuditorium performance, which will now take place on Nov. 21 at 11:30 p.m. To Mr. Sandler: On Oct. 25, you were supposed to perform at Hill Auditorium in front of a student audience of thousands. But a case of laryngitis thwarted you, and many Wiiversity students - anticipat- ing bathroom humor, kooky songs and stand-up comedy - were left wonder- ing if their $16 would ever be seen again. You have fans here at the University of Michigan, Mr. Sandler. We rent "Billy Madison" and "Happy Gilmore" when we're in that kind of mood; we heard your Hanukkah song on the radio more times than we could count; we fondly remember your "sloppy Joe ... slop, sloppy joe ..." solo from the infa- mous "Lunch Lady Land" and, of course, Opera Man from your "Saturday Night Live" days. For weeks before the supposed Oct. 25 performance, I had been working on getting an interview with you. I thought, hey, that would be really great - a front-page feature about a huge entertainment event on campus. Wouldn't that entice students to see the show? Wouldn't that be interesting to get to know the man behind the laughs, songs and skits? I was persistent, sending fax request after fax request to your pub- licist, and for many weeks, I got no response. Although I heard nothing for awhile, I was still hopeful. Why, you ask? Two years ago, you performed another Hillel-sponsored event at the University, and a Daily staffer did get the opportunity to interview you. If you agreed two years ago, why not now, I thought to myself. So despite the no-response factor, I kept trying. Two weeks before the scheduled show, I finally received a copy of your latest CD and a publici- ty photo of you with a flower on your nose. That was nice ... but I wanted more. A week before the show, your publicist told me that you had decid- ed not to make Jennifer Petiinski yourself available Daily Arts Editor for any interviews. (The woman to whom I spoke on the phone told me that only one other publication, besides the Daily, had expressed an interest in arranging an interview.) But "unavailable" means unavailable, I guess. I had to accept the fact that, after nearly a month of trying, there wasn't going to be any interview. And, yes, I was mildly miffed - because I really don't see why it's such a big deal. Does it take up that much time to grant an interview to a college news- paper, one that prides itself on keeping its readership (of more than 40,000) informed of noteworthy events on cam- pus (i.e. your performance at Hill)? After all, we are the ones paying to see you; shouldn't we know more about you before the night of the show? Maybe I am being unfair and slightly unrealistic. Obviously, you are a busy man with a tight schedule to keep. It might be hard for you to find 20 min- utes here and there to spend time enter- taining different publications' same questions over and over again. After all, if you start granting interviews to one, then you may have to start granting them to all. But you did talk to someone at the Daily two years ago. Maybe you are a more recognizable celebrity now, but does that mean you are too important to remember the people and publications who helped put you in the spotlight? Please realize, of course, that this is not an accusation. I simply don't know your side of the story, or why you have cho- sen to steer clear of the press. From my perspective, though, it doesn't look good. But your show is now on for Nov. 21. In my book, there's still time. So I am going to try one more time. Talk to me, Mr. Sandler. Please don't ignore your audience. We are the ones who are coming to the show. -- E-mail Jen at petlinsk unmich.edu. Some sports at Michigan aren't fit to simply be called sports. They're no longer games or competi- tions. They aren't matters of school pride or spirit. They are cultures - ways of life for both fans and athletes. As with any culture, traditions are developed in the world of sports.< Thousands congregate dressed in garb appropriate for their chosen form of wor- ship. They paint their faces; they cheer; they throw marshmallows or hurl obscen- ' ities; and then they go home, where they anxiously anticipate the next game, the next time they will truly be able to live. People go just to go. Just to be part of the phenomenon, just to get caught up in the mindless fanaticism, to be part of something bigger than themselves. Sure, sports became popular for a rea- son. They're exciting, they're graceful. they force the competitors to push them- selves to the extreme. But somewhere, in the sheer hugeness of it all, the reason sports became popu- lar as sports -- as pure contests of athletic ability and nothing else -- gets a little lost. Somewhere behind all the excitement, all the face paint, all the television coverage, and the pre- game, post-game and mid-game analysis, we for- get what made us love sports in the first place. We forget what it means to rise above the confined limitations of our awkward human form and transcend our physical nature, if only for an instant. Think about average humans' experi- ences as they move through life, dealing with their surroundings. We clump around in our thick-soled shoes. We trip over our own feet. We bump into desks and stumble into chairs. We fumble with remote controls and cal- culators. We drop things. FCHRIS Usually we're reminded, not of our FARAH gracefulness, but of our clumsiness, our kRAH poor ability to cope with our environment. 'CT Ideally, sports should celebrate our ability to overcome these constraints. Maybe we can't all dunk the ball. Maybe we can't be Jordan on every single play. But there are times - as isolated as they may be - when we truly feel like we can fly, hit a last-second shot or toss up the perfect finger roll. Whether we're playing or watching, times like these give sports their power and make them spe- cial. It's not about big-name stars, multimillion- dollar contracts or even a difficult non-conference schedule. , But we can still find that original, unadulterated passion for competition and athleticism - and we don't always have to search between two end zones. One of my most poignant memories centers around a sport that much of mainstream America usually leaves for the Europeans, unless their grade schoolers happen to be involved - soccer. When I was eight, my dad, in a misguided attempt to expand my horizons, forced me to join recreational soccer. The season was a nightmare. When I played, which wasn't very often, I would spend the whole time standing idly at defense (my team was an offensive juggernaut), daydreaming and lost in my own world. If the ball came my way, my teammates would usually shout for me to get out of the way - not that I could blame them. I simply wasn't cut out for playing soccer. Then, one sunny afternoon, it finally happened. Somehow, I worked my way in front of our oppo- nent right Wx playe abov hand goal Fc made the r As more that whic we f W club perfi with of th So big want sens FA POLO Continued from Page 48 Ten schools to play tournaments, and we also have annual trips to tournaments in Texas and at the Naval Academy." Heller said. "We held up really well versus a varsity Harvard team this year,'only losing by a single goal." Haller said this team is comparable to. and possibly even stronger than, last year's national champions. "This team is just as good, or maybe a little better talent- wise" Heller said. "But we are a lot tighter as a team. while last year we had a lot of individual players." Heller said the squad was barely challenged at last week's Big Ten championships, beating a solid Ohio State team 9-5 in the finals. Team members took home a sack full of indi- vidual accolades, with Michigan players constituting almost half the all-Bio Ten team. Richard Witt was the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player, while Peter Cornue and Micah Frankel were also named first-team all-conference. Next week, the water polo team hopes to pair its Big Ten championship with another national title. But club champi- onships are not the only thing on the Wolverines' minds- the club champs want to become a varsity team. Heller said that despite players' hopes. there is little chance the team will attain varsity status. He said that Title IX makes' any such hope a pipe dream. But, he does recognize the ben- efits of the legislation. "I don't have any problems w ith Title IX. I think it's a good thing that women are getting more oppoiunities to play var- sity college athletics?' I eller said. But the future still holds promise, ith only three top play- ers graduating, the team thinks it can maintain its dominance for years to come. Heller said.Winning another national title could mark the start :f a dynasty. Y0~ Hua USED: DESKS, TABLES, CHAIRS, Dressers, Chests, Sofa Beds, Computers and other equipment pN, ", ins .e MORGAN STANLEY f Pwukwy saxtv , a Y5 UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN PROPERTY DISPOSIT[ON 3241 Baxter 764-2470 Noon to 4p.m., M.F Cordially invites students of all majors to attend a presentation on the Investment Banking Financial Analyst Program November 10,1997 7:00 - 9:00 PM Michigan Union (Pendleton Room) Interviews-January 13, 1998 (First Round) January 14,1998 (Second Round) Morgan Stanley is an Equal Opportunity Employer MORGAN STANLEY IS A REGISTERED SERVICE MARK OF MORGAN.STANLEY, DEAN WITTER, DISCQVER &.CO, 1 1 OPEN MOO-SAT 9:30-7:30 (los~d SuNdAys 3 13.434.$95' 28378 WA4ItNAw AVIfYp'iANsii/Oi Mill EASiToN US 2 1 F'OLNIANs SQLARI Sliopp1iN, CI NiI R -' ~,SAY IT' lhe sweetest gouquee * 9 9:5-1634 2026 W. Stadium (across from Post Office) Ann Arbor WITH COOKIES Holiday bouquets and gourmet cookies Personal messages written on cookies Delivery anywhere in the USA Corporate accounts available Credit Cards accepted FREE I GOURMET COOKIE On your next visit Bring in this Coupon ; * xkpes42llty7 VOLLEYBALL Continued from Page 5B good time, representing Michigan," she added- The intensity of volleyball is present, but the players' No. 1 priority is school. "I like volleyball, but getting a degree from Michigan is more impor- tant than playing varsity volleyball at another Division IIfor Ill school," Allen said. The team won both a national and Big Ten title in 1993, the first year of the team's existence. "Our club team is better than a lot of Division 11 and Ill. schools' varsity volleyball teams," Allen said. The players seem to know exactly what they want from a club sport in terms of time and intensity. They prac- tice hard, yet not every day of the week. "A lot of us got offered scholarships elsewhere, but a lot of us didn't want to make the time commitment," Allen said., "We even have a girl on the team this year that was on varsity last year." The team is traveling to Northwestern this weekend, to Indiana University the following weekend, and then to Michigan State after that. When asked to predict the team's success for the upcoming season, Allen confident- lv said, "Our team is very good this year. and should make it to Nationals -, - lt. 'KE 4 a v a e" . i"i -, _o' PEACE CORPS INFORMATION SESSION Peace Corps is currently placing college seniors in posi- tions that begin in the spring and summer of 1998. For information about current openings, visit the University of Michigan campus representative at the International Center, 603 E. Madison Street. Book Giveaway Expresso Royale Cafe 324 S. State Street from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm on Thursday, November 6, followed by a reading at 7:00 pm ~- (313)C747-2182 ,a' www.peacecorps.gov. - ti4 I Tickets will be honored from previous date Sponsored by M R lii'-i 'L- I-of