Scers sweep .t GL
SportsThursday

The best albums of '07
the B-side

IIE ffidigan B aI~i

Thursday, January 3,2008

michigandaily.com


MICHIGAN 41,

WITH NEW COACH WATCHING, WAITING, AN ERA ENDS IN TRIUMPH

THE IOWA CAUCUSES
Students
could tip
race if
they show up
Candidates, calendar could get
college crowd to caucus
By ANDY KROLL
Daily Staff Reporter
DES MOINES - Four years ago, in the lead-up to
the 2004 Iowa caucuses, Demotratic candidate How-
ard Dean tried to label himself the ideal presidential
candidate for students and the voice of young Amer-
ica.
Armed with proposals to reform college loan repay-
ment processes and overhaul President Bush's No
Child Left Behind education plan, Dean reached out
to student voters in his campaign, visiting numerous
college campuses in Iowa. Dean saw the youth vote as
a critical step to securing the Democratic presidential
nomination. But when the delegates were totaled, giv-
ing Dean a dismal fourth-place finish in the caucus,
analysts pointed to a poor turnout from the 18- to 24-
year-old demographic as the culprit for Dean's stun-
ning failure.
In reality, young caucus-goers did turn out in large
numbers for the '04 Iowa caucus - they just didn't
caucus for Dean as expected. Instead, young people
See CAUCUS, Page 7A

Senior quarterback Chad Henne threw for a career-best 373 yards and garnered Most Valuable Player honors in the Capital One Bowl on Tuesday, leading the Wolverines to a
41-35 victory over Florida. The win sent retiring coach Lloyd Carr out on a positive note and gave the team's senior class its first bowl victory in four tries. Michigan finished the
season 9-4. FOR MORE FOOTBALL COVERAGE, SEE SPORTSTHURSDAY.

In upset, team gives
Carr his last hurrah

By DANIEL BROMWICH
Daily Sports Editor
ORLANDO, Fla. - It was a
perfectly fitting end to a season
where nothing fit at all.
After ayear inwhich the pieces
of the Michigan football puzzle
were beaten (twice), humbled,
torn, sprained, dislocated and
then beaten (twice) again, the
pieces finally came together and
created an everlasting image for
anyone who cares about Wol-
verine football: Michigan coach
Lloyd Carr riding victorious off
the field on his players' shoulders
after a more-impressive-than-it-
looked 41-35 upset of the defend-
ing National Champion Florida
Gators.
"It was a great ride," Carr said.
"A great ride by a bunch of great
guys."
Carr was talking about being
carried off the field, but he could

have just as easily been referring
to the game that had just finished
or even to his final season as the
Michigan football coach.
After an up-and-down season
finished with losses to Wisconsin
and Ohio State, critics predicted
that the Wolverines would be
outmatched and outclassed by
Florida (5-3 Southeastern Confer-
ence, 9-4 overall). Michigan (6-2
Big Ten, 9-4) foresaw a different
ending to its coach's final season.
"You hear all throughout the
weeks that it's not even going to
be close, it's going to be a rout,
they're going to beat us by SO,"
wide receiver Adrian Arrington
said. "Even their players were
saying that. We had a big chip on
our shoulder, and we came out
here and played."
Critics like ESPN's Kirk Herb-
streit had bashed the Big Ten in
recent weeks, saying teams like
See BOWL, Page 7A

Two weeks into job,
Rodriguez feels heat
By SCOTT BELL my shock watching the game at
Daily Sports Editor the hotel with my family, and it
comes across that ticker, getting
ORLANDO, Fla. - When sued for $4 million. That wasn't a
Rich Rodriguez got a chance to good night."
sit down and watch a little foot- Rodriguez didn't talk about
ball after a whirlwind couple of the specific details of the situa-
weeks, the newly hired Michigan tion, and his agent Mike Brown
football coach thought he'd final- declined comment after the law-
ly get a chance to relax. suit was initially filed on Dec. 27.
But Rodriguez's moment of West Virginia University officials
rest was short-lived. are suing their former coach to
Less, than two weeks after collect a $4 million buyout of his
being introduced as Michigan's contract.
fourth head coach in 40 years on "It's been difficult and it's been
Dec. 17, Rodriguez found out he a little disappointing, to be honest
was being sued by the university with you," Rodriguez said. "A lot of
he had just left when he saw the folks have been terrific. The players
news scroll across the bottom of have been terrific. A lot of the big
ESPN during a bowl game. boosters and supporters have been
"I don't think that's normal, terrific. But it's been a little disap-
that's not normal protocol, I pointing with some of the things
didn't think," Rodriguez told with the administration and some of
reporters in the press box before the fans."
Michigan's Capital One Bowl Rodriguez hasn't had too many
appearance Tuesday. "Imagine See RODRIGUEZ, Page 7A

Andrew Redlawsk, a junior a Loyola University in Chicago, a
Kari O'Brien, a University of Iowa junior, sign people in and
hand out literature at a John Edwards rally in Iowa City.


STUDENT GOVERNMENT
Petition could
stretch break

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS
It's official: 'U'prof making
bid for Czech presidency

M
si
0

Res
the U
too sh
overpa
Studer
online
ing th
week
spring
Thi
ran ne
21, th
final
day.
The
byan

ore than 4,000 end of the semester.
LSA sophomore Alex Jiga,
tudents signed co-chair of the academic affairs
commission, said the Universi-
nline proposal ty's break doesn't give students
enough time to rest and visit with
By ANDY KROLL friends and family.
Daily StaffReporter "Students need time not only to
spend with their families over the
ponding to concerns that holidays, but also to recuperate
niversity's winter break is and prepare for a new semester,"
ort and forces students to Jiga said.
ay for airfare, the Michigan As of last night, 4,274 students
nt Assembly launched an had signed the petition.
petition in December ask- "We want to show the admin-
e University to add an extra istration that students are pas-
to winter break and start sionate aboutthese changes," said
break a week later. Public Policy junior Max Nowak,
s school year's winter break co-chair of MSA's Academic
early two weeks from Dec. Affairs Commission, which spon-
o day after the fall term's sored the petition. "What better
exams ended, until yester- way than to have a student-based
grassroots effort that we can
change would be offset bring to the table to show how
extra week of classes at the See PETITION, Page 7A

Set to challenge
incumbent, Svejnar
needs widespread
support
By JULIE ROWE
Daily StaffReporter
Two weeks after Ross School of Busi-
ness Prof. Jan Svejnar announced his
candidacy for president of the Czech
Republic, former Czech president Vaclav
Havel has endorsed the University pro-
fessor for the position.
Svejnar, a Czech native, served as eco-
nomic advisor to Havel during his presi-
dency. Havel served as the country's first
president following the collapse of the
communist government in 1989. Svejnar
drafted plans to establish a free market
economy. He has since maintained an
influential role in Czech economic policy.
Svejnar will run against Civic Demo-
cratic Party candidate Vaclav Klaus.

Svejnar, who was asked to run by the
environmentally-focused Green Party
in November, became an official candi-
date after he received formal nomina-
tions from 10 senators representing major
political parties.
In the Czech Republic, the president
is elected by parliament
instead of the general
public. Sve ar faces a
challenge L cause the
Civic Democrats hold 40
of the 81 seats in the sen-
ate. Svejnar would need
to secure every other SVEJNAR
vote to gain the major-
ity needed for a victory. As a result, his
chances of winning the election depend
on his ability to gain support from parties
across the political spectrum.
Svejnar will spend the weeks leadingup
to the Feb. 8 election seeking the support
of the Christian Democratic and Com-
munist parties. The Communists have
criticized Svejnar because he does not
currently live in the Czech Republic and
See SVEJNAR, Page 7A

FOR MORE CAUCUS COVERAGE
" See pages 2A and 3A for information on how the
caucuses work and a lack of student housing available in
Iowa.
* See michigandaily.com/thewire for continuous
updates from the Iowa caucuses.


TODAY'S
WEATHER

HI: 22
LO: 14

GOT A NEWS TIP?
Call 734-763-2459 or e-mail
news@michigandaily.com and let us know.

ON THE DAILY BLOGS
Words from outgoing coach Lloyd Carr
MICHIGANDAILY.COM/THEGAME

INDEX NEWS ..................
Vol. CXVIII, No. 68 S U D O K U........... .
020tTheMichiganDaily OPINION..............
mirhigondaily.ras

.........2A CLA SSIFIEDS......................6A
.....3A THE B-SIDE........................1B
........4A SPORTSTHURSDAY............1C