Monday, June 29, 1998 - The Michigan Daily - 5 T4OTABLE QUOTABLE " They're drawing well ... There's no reason for that to change. There's not that much else to do in Omaha." - Michigan assistant hockey coach Mel Pearson, on the success of the hockey program of the University of Nebraska-Omaha. ETTERSTOTHE TOR and needs away games 1o rest ro THE DAILY: In Erin Holmes' recent arti- le "Footbalfans my get way games at home" 15/98), a possibility of the chigan Marching Band per- orming at Michigan Stadium uring road football gains is nentioned. tIurge the Athletic epartment and the Marching and not to do so. As a former memberI reatly appreciate that the Athletic Department feels the Football fans would be drawn by band's presence. I also real- ze that our band is treated better by the Athletic Department than any other band in the country is reated by theirs. But I feel this idea would harm the band mem- bers more than benefit the Athletic Department. Only someone who has rarched in the band can know pow much strain is placed upon a member. For a 2-credit class, d members are expected to work more than 30 hours a week daring the course of the season. This does not include an addi- tional 60-80 hours during August for preseason practice, nor does it include reporting to Ann Arbor the day after Christmas for bowl game practices. While the rewards forb the applause, games and p of thousands tremendous, physical wea With sevc or more road concerts alre Marching Ba ly looks at o ends betweei November 2 are the onlyc home, catchi even sleep in hers are grate Athletic Dep provide, it is of these hard als. I urge the Depar ent value the stu more than th generate. eing in the band - short-sightedness of policymak- traveling toroad ers when tackling controversial erforming in front issues. Rather than tackle the of people - are issue at hand, the easiest and the so is the mental and least inconvenient solution x on the members. always seems to be banning en home games, one firearms. The real issue is the games and two demand for firearms that exists ady on the slate, a in society. Until the demand for nd member current- firearms disappears, people will mly two free week- find means of acquiring them n September 5 and regardless of laws. I. These weekends Why not educate owners of opportunities to visit firearms on properly storing up on classes or firearms (away from children) . While band mem- and how to handle them safely? eful for all the Wouldn't teaching people to artment and fans safely handle and own firearms unfair to ask more be a much more productive A-workng ini vidu- means of controlling guns? e Athletic t Tie cost of enforcing a ban and DrwSedatole to on firearms could be better used dents' well being by educating those bent on own- e money they can ing them. While I have never owned a gun, I have had contact DONALD ADAMEK with someone who did. I LS&A SENIOR learned how to handle guns safe- ly. It is a lesson that I treasure should I ever decide to acquire a gun. handled properly, a gun ca ssue provide its owner with a sense o security. The weakest and small- suns not est of women, when properly trained, can defend herself from ssed attack. Why does the media focus on the few stories involv- LY: ing children and.firearms'?Is it s like Jack to fan the fires of public outrage Moses Isn't Leading over gun control? 1 s _ 3 Hype prevents us from enjoying the imperfection Anyone who followed the NBA finals a cou- long before, so that actually playing a basketball ple weeks ago got a lesson in hype. Our game was anticlimactic. society has lost all ability to simply look forward But it's as if the finals never ended. They were to events. Now, we get the Event of the Century just the appetizer to a summer of speculation. of the Week. A little hype is healthy and increas- Prepare for headlines like, "Michael Jordan will es one's anticipation, but too much has caused us clip toenails." It's as though every move he makes to expect too much. tells something about what he will do. I mean, after the NBA finals I am I actually feel bad for this man, for sick of Michael Jordan. Don't get me :whom I still have some antipathy dating wrong - in my mind there is no ques- back to the 1991 Eastern Conference lion he's the greatest player ever. But finals when Zeke and Laimbeer walked since the playoffs began, the only story out without shaking hands. I pity him was Michael Jordan and his potential- because, like so many people in our soci- ly final run at the championship. In ety, once the media got a look at Jordan, recent weeks, Jordan has been on the he never escaped. cover of Sports Illustrated five times. And Jordan has the added burden of They might as well have run the same being seen as infallible. He has no mar- picture every week, because even gin of error. Everyone who watches him Jordan had lost his meaning by the DAVID expects nothing but the minimum 30 third cover. He's great, we get it. WALLACE points and game-winning shot. And of course every pregame and CATCE I N The thing is, I wish I could be as per- postgame show speculated on his next T TH XR Y feet as Michael Jordan has been numer- move: would he win c r lose, come ous times for just one moment of my back or retire? If Jordan was on the screen, it was life. I want to hear the crowd cheer. I think we all time to cue the violins. NBC looked for drama at want to be like Mike and have a time when we are every possible angle. so perfect no one can touch us. Seeing someone There was no bigger drama than what would be rise to the very top gives us hope that we too can Michael Jordan's final shot. I would almost swear become the greatest in some chosen curriculum. that I heard Bob Costas at the end of Game 2 say, And so, when someone or something becomes "If Michael Jordan gets hit by a bus after the renowned for a unique brand of excellence, game, that was his last shot." There was practi- they've got to stay at that level for everything. cally a countdown. If a slew of reporters had their They are hyped until the expectations become too way, Jordan would have choreographed his great to meet. Jordan doesn't always hit the shot games so that they could have analyzed every (though he did this time), but he always plays at move like figure skating. Speaking in a hushed a level of greatness. The simple satisfaction of voice, Dick Button could have announced, "Right playing a good game - of producing good work now, Jordan will be going for a triple salchow - should not be overshadowed by the times one reverse-dunk with a foul on Greg Ostertag." doesn't live up to expectations. 'Hie crowd used And of course, when he hit his last shot to win to cheer for those who didn't win, but were noble the title, it was ho-hum. All the ramifications had in defeat. been beaten to death, all the drama squeezed out ---Daviinidwazcc a c/an ben etdrihnavim ni-ched Real I with addre TO THE DA Article Schillaci's "I the NRA tol Mainstream embarrassin Protect the (6/15/98) are an g reminder of the DEBORAH WEINMAN] LS&A SEN10 KAAMAN BFEEZAs IT' HPPE $ILLAIXY, ICW~T RtI& PVWN 614 TOpcCO. IT'S A$ IF TaRi& $ 90"t RO C4APOTTE P#R09 Of "E WT" # WkSYOV YD fMS 6o40006. ARE~ YOU FAt4ILAR WIthTH O* X FeL-J. I 4f I i I& in There's nothing like a serving ofjunkfoodfor thought D o you ever wonder about little things like if Maybe your "things" are a little deeper or Bob Dylan just looks dead, or is he really? philosophical than mine, but we can't all be And why do radio stations sometimes get high-brow intellectual types now. But when you fuzzy when you hit the brakes in your car? think about it, there's a ton of stuff out there that What is minced meat exactly? just doesn't make sense. And if things do make I wonder about things like this all the time, sense, sometimes you just have to wonder how and while I may very well be insane, chances someone thought of them. are you think about them too. There Hell, I'm 21 and I haven't come close have to be things ... things that have to even having an idea that could N people honking for you to move it at become something useful or inventive. the light that's been green for 10 sec- Even something useless would be nice. onds. Things that don't usually come ' I'msure the guywho invented the clti to mind becanuse they just ixist, hut Ie was no Einstein. Ile swas probably when you do stop and ponder them, some laid-off garbage man whose you're left scratching your head. miniature wooden cow had gotten wet Take heroin. Who's idea was it to and started to grow some funky mold take a needle and jab it into his arm -4 uon it. That could easily be me. for fun nonetheless? Were peopler, Yet life's great mysteries elude me. doing this in medieval times? With CHRIS And of course I'm not just talking wooden needles? It had to start some- LANGRILL about odd little products here. time, you know. 1D..i i Phenomena such as Keith Richards stu- Or condoms. How did they come WNIl pefy me. The man's been living off Jack about? Was it a bunch of doctors sit- Daniels, heroin and bacon sandwiches ting around one day or, better yet, some plastic for about 70 years now. And he can still walk manufacturers who came up with the idea? Was around and play guitar without the help of a plastic even around? Can you imagine the con- nurse. versation that yielded the product? I don't know about you, but I find it much "Yes, I've been getting a lot of sailors with irri- more thought-provoking to think about these tated thingies, too. What should we do, Shamus?" bits of everyday life than to, say, stare at a sun- Dr. Shamus looks at his colleague and a light set and contemplate how we're just small specs goes off in his head."Let's wrap some sheep skin in a great big universe. There are bigger ques- around their willies, That will do the trick." tions to ponder, like how many seas must the Lastly, there are weird and useless things. white dove sail before she sleeps in the sand? Pigs feet and mini octopi (calamari?). Why do And so what if I stole this last thought from we eat certain things like this? Do you have to Dylan? My creativity started running out fool yourself into believing they taste good? around the chia pet point in this column. I am a How about the pogo ball? Those ugly little neon Communications major after all. things that we all bounced around on in fifth Actually, that may explain a lot more than I grade. There's also Alf, curling, silly putty, thought. pocket dictionaries, Jolt Cola, plastic fruit, -- IfJyou think Chris Langrill is a terrible speedos, bestiality and on and on. writen; you can reach him at sircnma n/Quich.e/i.