CELEBRATING OUR ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Monday, January 12, 2015
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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GOVERNMENT
Snyder not discussing Oval Office possibility Governor gains national media attention ahead of 2016 primaries By EMMA KINERY Daily Staff Reporter
Following his reelection and the success of several of his state economic reforms, several national media outlets have floated Republican Gov. Rick Snyder as a contender in a crowded field of potential GOP presidential candidates. Snyder sparked national media attention after he visited Washington, D.C. in early December to accept Governing Magazine’s award for Public Official of the Year. During the trip, he said he hoped to visit more places around the country to tell the story of Michigan’s recovery. Several major national media outlets have since run stories about Snyder’s prospects, including Politico and The Washington
Post. However, the governor has remained noncommittal, telling reporters at the U.S.-China Automotive Forum on Sunday he thought experience running a state would make for an ideal presidential candidate, but he declined to say whether or not he would consider running for the position. “Right now I’m just trying to get around,” he said jokingly, in reference to a torn Achilles tendon. “I’m back to working on literal running first.” Michigan’s first lady Sue Snyder has been less reserved. During the annual joint interview with her husband on Michigan Public TV, she said she would not want Snyder to run for president nor seek the vice presidency. Snyder’s office did not return several requests for comment on the prospect of his 2016 candidacy. In regard to Snyder’s overall chance of attaining the presidency, Political Science Prof. Vincent Hutchings said the candidacy See SNYDER, Page 3A
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
During an inauguration ceremony, Chief Larry Collins is sworn in as Ann Arbor’s 14th fire chief at the Ann Arbor Fire Department Friday.
A inaugurates new fire chief after lengthy search 2
Mayor officiates ceremony as fire department welcomes new head By LARA MOEHLMAN Daily Staff Reporter
Ann Arbor’s new fire chief is preparing to set the city ablaze with plans to improve its fire-
F R O Z E N FA C E - O F F
fighting unit. Friday morning, members of the Ann Arbor Fire Department, the Ann Arbor Police Department and the Ann Arbor City Council gathered for the inauguration of the city’s new fire chief, Larry Collins. Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor (D) served as master of the ceremony, which took place at the Ann Arbor Fire Department on North Fifth Avenue. Taylor said he was excited to
Harper National report: Kidney patients addresses concerns now living longer in ‘U’ chat
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
University researcher stresses importance of disease awareness By PARISHA NOVA Daily Staff Reporter
Intestinal bacteria study uses Zingerman’s bread By LEA GIOTTO Daily Staff Reporter
When Ann Arbor locals think of Zingerman’s, they are most
likely not considering the establishment as a beacon for medical advancement. However, bread from Zingerman’s Bakehouse contributed to a new study involving intestinal bacteria and its role in curing intestinal and autoimmune diseases such as yeast infections and Crohn’s disease. The study, co-conducted by a University professor, found that certain bacteria in the intestines
Taylor stressed the importance of the Ann Arbor Fire Department in maintaining the city’s mission of maintaining the quality of life of its citizens. “At its core, basic services are what this city is all about, and at the core of basic services, of course, is fire, and police, and law enforcement.” Amy Brow, Ann Arbor Fire Department assistant chief of operations, also expressed See FIRE CHIEF, Page 3A
CAMPUS LIFE
HEALTH
LSA senior Monica Korzon, Woman’s Ice Hockey forward, plays in a scrimmage against the HoneyBaked senior B team Sunday.
Mice fed crumbs from local eatery to examine yeast, sugar digestion
welcome Collins to Ann Arbor, who had previously served as fire chief for the Brevard County Fire Rescue in Florida since 2009. “It’s a tremendous day for Ann Arbor to welcome a new chief,” Taylor said. “I want to say, chief, that I think you’ll like it here in Ann Arbor. I think you’ll be proud, and you will value your colleagues in the fire department because they are dedicated, professional, and work hard every day to protect us.”
— namely one strain called Bacteroides thetaiotomicron — are able to digest sugars on the surface of yeast, a large and unique component of the human diet. These sugars have previously been discovered to exacerbate many of the symptoms of common intestinal diseases. Eric Martens, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University Medical School; Wade See ZINGERMANS, Page 3A
A University-based data project has found patients with kidney disease are living longer than in the past. The United States Renal Data System, whose coordinating center is located in the School of Public Health Building, reported fewer cases of end-stage renal disease and fewer deaths related to it in the U.S. this year compared to last year in its annual data report. As of 2012, there were 636,905 people in the United States being treated for endstage renal disease, which worsens or eliminates the kidney’s ability to function and support the body’s needs. The kidneys filter wastes and toxins out of the body’s blood supply, making them an essential
organ for supporting life. Treatments for end-stage renal disease include dialysis — a method through which blood is purified clinically, or kidney transplant. Rajiv Saran, a professor of internal medicine and the associate director of the University’s Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center, said the report shows a declining trend in the growth rate of new cases of the disease. “The USRDS registers and tracks every patient diagnosed with end-stage renal disease,” Saran said. “For the last three years, the rate of appearance of patients reaching end-stage has decreased.” Saran said the data indicates an improvement in U.S. health care. After the age of 30 to 35, the body’s organ functions start declining. Low kidney function coupled with risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity makes the body more prone to end-stage renal disease. Fewer cases of this disease indicate an increased focus on addressing risk factors See KIDNEY, Page 3A
Vice president for student life discusses current campus issues By IRENE PARK Daily Staff Reporter
E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life, participated in the third #UMichChat event to discuss student life at the University on Friday afternoon. Participants asked Harper questions using the #UMichChat hashtag on Twitter about various topics, including the rewards and the challenges of her administrative role and campus issues she considers most important. The University’s Office of Student Life manages programs and facilities related to life on the University’s campus. When asked about the student life challenges on the agenda for the upcoming year, See TWITTER, Page 3A
SportsMonday Red Berenson doesn’t want the attention to be on his 800th win
» INSIDE WEATHER TOMORROW
HI: 13 LO: -7
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NEW ON MICHIGANDAILY.COM The Filter: Introducing Sidewalk Kal MICHIGANDAILY.COM/BLOGS
INDEX
Vol. CXXIV, No. 44 ©2015 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A ARTS........................... 5A
SUDOKU..................... 3A CL ASSIFIEDS............... 5A S P O R T S M O N DAY. . . . . . . . . .1 B
News
2A — Monday, January 12, 2015
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles
TA L K I N G H E A D S
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Hellen Weingarten, University of Michigan Museum of Art docent, gives a tour as part of a program focused on engagement with art.
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
WWII depletes graduate schools At the conference of the Association of American Colleges in Cleveland, university representatives from around the country discussed problems finding suitable teaching staffs, which had proved challenging with increasing enrollment. University representative Hayward Keniston, at the time the LSA dean, said World War II had reduced the ability of graduate students to teach. “Because of wartime depletion of graduate schools, there is no backlog of graduate students who would be eligible as instructors,” he said. The conference recommended the establishment of an agency to advise veterans of existing
vacancies in universities across the country. 49 years ago this week (Jan. 13, 1966) The Ann Arbor City Council passed its first significant legislation concerning high-rise buildings. This vote came after the construction of University Towers and more than a year of discussion. The code did not include a height limitation on high-rises, but set standards including floor area, lot size and the dis-
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES SPORTS
Sidewalk Kal
Track
BY ADAM DEPOLLO
BY CHRIS CROWDER
DePollo interviews Kalonji Davis, better known as Sidewalk Kal. Davis discusses his musical background, the production of his new EP titled On My Soul, and being part of the Chicago hip-hop scene. Davis says he will continue to release singles to see where his artistic direction will go next.
Inclement weather prevented the men’s cross country team from attending the Bob Eubanks Invitational in Grand Rapids over the weekend. Fortunately, they were able to gather enough runners to compete at the EMU Triangular instead. Graduate student John Spooney made it a memorable meet.
SPORTS
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
69 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (JAN. 16, 1946)
ON THE WEB... THE FILTER
THURSDAY: Alumni Profiles
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
SPORTS
Gymnastics
Swimming
BY CINDY YU
BY TED JANES
Michigan recorded its highest-scoring season opener in program history. More than half of the No. 8 women’s gymnastics team is comprised of underclassmen. But one of the youngest squads in the nation could have easily been mistaken for veterans on Saturday.
Anders Lie Nielsen is one of the best 500-yard freestylers in the Big Ten. Still, he didn’t compete in the event against Northwestern to conserve energy for a heated matchup with his rival in the 1.650-yard freestyle. While Nielsen fell short, he hasn’t seen the last of his Wildcat rival.
Jell-O
MUG Mondays
WHAT: Dr. Nicole Tarulevicz of the University of Tasmania will use materials from the University Library archives to explore the Jell-O company’s use of advertising in the early 20th century. WHO: University Library WHEN: Today from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library- Gallery (Room 100)
WHAT: The Michigan Union Underground will offer food, crafts and games every week in the Michigan MUG. There will be free takeaways, coupons, food and prizes. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: Today from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan Union Ground Floor
Immigration lecture WHAT: Luke Mogelson, 2013 Livingston Award winner, will be featured in a panel discussion about his New York Times article “The Dream Boat.” WHO: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy WHEN: Today from 4 to 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Weill Hall, Annenberg Auditorium
Exercise event WHAT: Porshia Thomas will lead a free group cardio kickboxing session. WHO: Trotter Multicultural Center WHEN: Today from 5:00 p.m. to 6 p.m. WHERE: Trotter Multicultural Center CORRECTIONS: Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@ michigandaily.com.
tance walls must sit back from the street. At the time, the code applied to the area west of State Street and between Kingsley Street and Madison Street. For the full story, read online at michigandaily.com.
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THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
The black box of the missing AirAsia flight is believed to have been found, Voice of America reported. Divers were sent to search for the black box and two days ago; the tail section of the plane was lifted out of the Java Sea.
2
Zach Hyman is quietly putting togeher a stellar season on the ice. The Wolverines’ senior forward does all the little things to make big plays happen while no one is watching. Maybe he deserves more attention. >> FOR MORE, SEE SPORTS PG. 1B
3
To protest the 13th anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay prison, protesters walked onto former Vice President Dick Cheney’s property on Saturday, Reuters reported. Some of the 20 protestors were dressed in orange jumpsuits.
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BUSINESS STAFF Madeline Lacey University Accounts Manager Ailie Steir Classified Manager Simonne Kapadia Local Accounts Manager Lotus An National Accounts Manager Olivia Jones Production Managers Nolan Loh Special Projects Coordinator Jason Anterasian Finance Manager The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Five guns found in car of Idaho shooting suspect Shooting leaves three dead and one critically wounded
(AP) — Investigators found five guns and a laptop computer in the vehicle of a man suspected of killing three people in a shooting spree, a police chief said Sunday, but they hadn’t yet uncovered any motive for the rampage. John Lee, 29, was arrested following a high-speed chase in nearby Washington state after the shootings Saturday. Police believe he opened fire at three locations in the western Idaho city of Moscow, killing his landlord, his adoptive mother and a manager at a restaurant his parents frequented. A Seattle man was also critically injured. Investigators searched Lee’s car and apartment late Saturday night, Moscow Police Chief
David Duke said. They found two semi-automatic pistols, a revolver, a shotgun and a rifle in the vehicle, along with a laptop, he said. Ballistics tests were expected to help determine which weapons might have been used in the shootings. Authorities were seeking a warrant to search the computer, he said. “There’s still nothing to identify a specific motive as to why Mr. Lee took these actions,” Duke said. The first death was that of Lee’s adoptive mother, Terri Grzebielski, 61, at her home. Police said Lee then headed to Northwest Mutual life insurance, where he shot his landlord, David Trail, 76, who was a local businessman and the brother of a former state representative, as well as Michael Chin, 39, of Seattle. Duke said Chin had no link to Lee, but he was discussing business with Trail when the gun-
man arrived. Duke said Chin was shot in the arm and leg. Authorities initially said he was being flown to a hospital in Seattle in critical condition, but Duke said Sunday he was flown to one in Spokane. It wasn’t immediately clear which hospital he was in; a supervisor at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center said Sunday the hospital would not confirm whether he was a patient there. There were “some issues” regarding Lee’s apartment, Duke said, but no eviction proceedings that police were aware of. Upon leaving the insurance office, the shooter drove to an Arby’s restaurant and asked for the manager. When she appeared, he pulled out a gun and opened fire. The manager, Belinda Niebuhr, 47, died at the Moscow hospital. Duke told The Associated Press that Lee’s parents ate at the restaurant and knew the manager well, but it’s not clear whether Lee did as well. He did not work at the restaurant as far as police knew, and workers who witnessed the attack didn’t recognize him, Duke said. Kelsey Stemrich said she was working at a cafe near Arby’s when she and a customer heard three gunshots and then saw people running from the restaurant. She says they took down the license-plate number of a car seen pulling away from the Arby’s and called it into police. Police in Washington spotted the suspect’s black Honda, and a chase involving multiple agencies ensued. Pullman Police Chief Gary Jenkins said the pursuit lasted nearly 25 miles, and Lee’s vehicle at times topped 100 mph before crashing off Highway 195 north of Colfax and rolling to a stop. Few details were available on Lee’s background. Duke said he had been adopted at birth, and he recently returned to Moscow after living for a few years in the Midwest.
AP PHOTO/Michel Euler
Charlie Hebdo newspaper staff, with editorialist Patrick Pelloux, right, cartoonist Renald Luzier, known as Luz, left, react during a march in Paris, France, Sunday, Jan. 11.
Millions protest in France following terrorist attacks Rally is described as the largest in French history PARIS (AP) — More than a million people surged through the boulevards of Paris behind dozens of world leaders walking arm-in-arm Sunday in a rally for unity described as the largest demonstration in French history. Millions more marched around the country and the world to repudiate three days of terror that killed 17 people and changed France. Amid intense security and with throngs rivaling those that followed the liberation of Paris from the Nazis, the city became “the capital of the world” for a day, on a planet increasingly vulnerable to such cruelty. More than 40 world leaders headed the somber procession — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas; Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov — setting aside their differences with a common rallying cry: We stand together
against barbarity, and we are all Charlie. At least 1.2 million to 1.6 million people streamed slowly through the streets behind them and across France to mourn the victims of deadly attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, a kosher supermarket and police officers — violence that tore deep into the nation’s sense of security in a way some compared to Sept. 11 in the United States. “Our entire country will rise up toward something better,” Hollande said. Details of the attacks continued to emerge, with new video showing one of the gunmen pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group and detailing how the attacks were going to unfold. That gunman, Amedy Coulibaly, was also linked to a new shooting, two days after he and the brothers behind the Charlie Hebdo massacre were killed in nearly simultaneous police raids. The attacks tested France’s proud commitment to its liberties, which authorities may now curtail to ensure greater security. Marchers recognized this as a watershed moment.
“It’s a different world today,” said Michel Thiebault, 70. Illustrating his point, there were cheers Sunday for police vans that wove through the crowds — a rare sight at the many demonstrations that the French have staged throughout their rebellious history, when protesters and police are often at odds. Many shed the aloof attitude Parisians are famous for, helping strangers with directions, cheering and crying together. Sad and angry but fiercely defending their freedom of expression, the marchers honored the dead and brandished pens or flags of other nations. Giant rallies were held throughout France and major cities around the world, including London, Madrid and New York — all attacked by al-Qaidalinked extremists — as well as Cairo, Sydney, Stockholm, Tokyo and elsewhere. In Paris, the Interior Ministry said “the size of this unprecedented demonstration makes it impossible to provide a specific count,” noting that the crowds were too big to fit on the official march route and spread to other streets.
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SNYDER From Page 1A
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich.
Parked pick-up truck explodes Authorities say they are investigating an explosion in a pickup truck parked in the driveway of a home near Detroit. Oakland County sheriff’s deputies say nobody was in the vehicle at the time of the Saturday morning explosion. The blast significantly damaged the truck and sent debris across the Springfield Township home’s yard and driveway. The explosion also shattered a window on the home but nobody inside was hurt. Deputies are working with state and federal law enforcement officials to determine the cause or motive of the blast.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Court case could foil government suits over job bias The Supreme Court could put the brakes on the Obama administration’s growing crackdown against companies facing claims of discrimination against women, minorities and other protected groups. Justices will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that considers whether employers can defend discrimination lawsuits by asserting that government lawyers did not try hard enough to settle claims before going to court. Companies are complaining increasingly about the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s “systemic litigation” program, which turns individual complaints of bias into high-stakes class-action cases on behalf of dozens or even hundreds of workers. The enforcement strategy has netted over $100 million in legal judgments and settlements from more than 50 companies since 2011, including $20 million from Verizon Inc. to settle allegations that the company unfairly fired or disciplined hundreds of disabled workers for missing work.
PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia
AirAsia black boxes may be recovered While Indonesia’s navy said divers had not yet found the black boxes from the AirAsia plane that crashed into the Java Sea two weeks ago, searchers on Sunday honed in on intense pings detected amid a growing belief that the devices will soon be recovered. “The two are close to each other, just about 20 meters (yards),” Soesilo told reporters. “Hopefully, they are the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.” Officials said earlier Sunday that two separate pings had been detected. Tonny Budiono, team coordinator at the Directorate of Sea Transportation, said in a statement that the signals were intense in one area, and that the recorders were believed to be lodged there beneath wreckage. If divers are unable to free it, all of the debris will be lifted, the statement said. —Compiled from Daily wire reports
might not be realistic. “This is not a reflection on Snyder, but it takes a lot of money to make a viable run for the White House,” he said. Hutchings also noted that several high-profile Republicans such as Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul and possibly Marco Rubio have already established themselves as candidates in the race and locked up key donors. The 2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney also stated his intention to run to a group of donors last week. He said he felt it was already too late for Snyder to launch a successful campaign, and since Snyder has not been actively seeking donors, he most likely will not run. Nonetheless, as the country gears up for the 2016 race, several aspects of the governor’s record have received prominent attention. Snyder won reelection in 2014, carrying 51 percent of the vote in what was expected to be a close race against his Democratic counterpart Mark Schauer.
TWITTER From Page 1A Harper identified several prominent University issues. Last February, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights announced they would investigate the University for its handling of allegations of sexual misconduct. In Jan. 2014, The Michigan Daily first reported former kicker Brendan Gibbons’ permanent separation from the University for violating the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy, which drew wide criticism of the University’s response policy to sexual assault on campus. Last year, the student-led #BBUM movement attracted widespread attention on Twitter. Through tweets, students discussed challenges faced by Black students at the University. As part of the campaign, members of the Black Student Union and the administration have discussed changes to the Trotter Multicultural Center as one way to improve minority experiences on campus. “What I think about a lot is sexual assault on campuses, diversity and inclusion,” Harper wrote. “The steady but too low numbers of students of color. Also issues of high risk drinking.” Harper also wrote that her undergraduate education at the
As governor, Snyder also passed a right-to-work bill that allows employees to retain their jobs without needing to join a union, a policy few other GOP governors have been able to accomplish. However, since Republicans in Congress have attempted to dismantle portions of the health care reform laws passed under the Obama administration, Snyder’s policy record could also become a source of scrutiny. Richard Hirth, professor of health management and policy at the University, said Snyder might face opposition in a Republican primary based on his administration’s Healthy Michigan Plan. The plan, which expanded Michigan’s Medicaid program, has been touted as an early success, enrolling over 400,000 low-income Michiganders since April, but also places Snyder in contrast to the prevailing GOP standpoint on highly contested federal healthcare legislation such as the Affordable Care Act. “Since he was so instrumental in the Healthy Michigan plan, it will be hard for him to run completely away from it,” Hirth said. “He can still oppose the (federal) health care law broadly as a mat-
ter of principle to appeal to voters who oppose the law.” After Romney lost the 2012 presidential election, Hirth said the GOP would be less likely to support a candidate such as Snyder, who has arguably taken a more moderate approach to health care reform. As governor of Massachusetts, Romney pioneered a plan with similar facets as the ACA. However, if Snyder made it to a general election, Hirth said he may be able to win some level of bipartisan support. When the Healthy Michigan Plan passed in December 2013, Snyder requested federal waivers that allowed the state to receive federal funding for the plan while avoiding adoption of certain requirements under the ACA. However, Hirth was skeptical Republicans would accept a candidate who took the middle-ground approach to health reform. “I don’t think I’d want to be him making that argument in most Republican primaries,” he said. “If he somehow got through the primaries, I think he could play that as a responsible, middle-ground approach.” Statement Editor Ian Dillingham contributed to this report.
University and desire to share her own experience led her to her current position. “I did my undergrad work here,” Harper wrote. “It was everything I needed, plus stuff I didn’t know I needed. I have a passion and love for young people & want them to have that kind of experience, so they can change the world.” However, Harper also wrote that her job is not without challenges, such as considering the needs of multiple parties, especially if they are in conflict with one another. She noted the necessity finding a balance between transparency and rights to privacy, as well as individual freedoms and the interests of the community at large. According to Harper, the balancing act is why problems in student life take a long time to get fixed, even if the administration places a priority on finding a solution for the problem. “Big myth: If I care, a problem would be fixed NOW,” Harper wrote. “Many problems are more complicated & involve many people.” Harper described a day at the Student Life office as a consistent exercise in prioritizing and stressed the importance of keeping the work moving. “Every day is balancing the important with the urgent,” Harper wrote. “We have to be proactive in keeping important work moving. It doesn’t matter
what the schedule is.” Finally, Harper also listed several ways the students can get involved and have a voice at the University, such as volunteering at the Ginsberg Center and attending events through the Center for Campus Involvement. In an e-mail to the Daily, LSA senior Katie Szymanski, a UMSocial Media intern, wrote that the staff of UMSocial, which handles the University’s social media accounts, usually does not participate through their personal accounts to let the community participate instead. However, Szymanski said she felt inclined to tweet a question during Friday’s chat. “I felt like this topic regarding student life and campus community really spoke to what I’m going through as a senior at the University of Michigan,” Szymanski wrote. “At one point, I joked about being indecisive about graduate school and looked at Royster for her response. She responded with ‘Tweet it at me!’ It almost felt like I was talking with one of my own friends.” The next #UMichChat will take place in February, with Republican Gov. Rick Snyder and Thomas Zurbuchen, professor of space science and aerospace engineering and the associate dean for entrepreneurship. The topic will focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and the state of Michigan’s future.
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Monday, January 12, 2015 — 3A
ZINGERMANS From Page 1A Abbott, an adjunct professor of chemistry and biology at the University of Lethbridge in Canada and research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; and Harry Gilbert, biochemistry professor at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom, collaborated on the study. With studies currently underway, the researchers hope the Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron bacterium can be developed into a therapeutic for people with diseases such as Crohn’s. Abbott said distinguishing the bacteria’s relationship with sugar compared to yeast was an important step in moving forward. “On the surface of the human intestines, there are sugars that are very similar in structure to what you find on yeast, but there are dedicated pathways in this bacteria for digesting human sugars and for digesting yeast sugars,” he said. “(This) suggests that the relationship that bacteria has with the human host is very different from the relationship it has with yeast.” In their study, the researchers tested their findings on mice, whose digestive tracts are similar to those of humans. To do so, they fed the mice Zingerman’s bread; the company provided 50-percent yeast-leavened
KIDNEY From Page 1A for the disease. Though 14 percent of U.S. adults suffer from chronic kidney disease, which can eventually lead to end-stage renal failure, Saran said awareness of the condition is low in comparison to illnesses such as diabetes or heart disease. “We need more awareness; we need people to practice primary and secondary prevention,” he said. “Less than 20 percent of those diagnosed with the disease are aware of their low kidney functions.” To prevent the chronic condition, Saran also noted the importance of monitoring kidney function patients coming in and out of the University of Michigan Health System. Pri-
FIRE CHIEF From Page 1A enthusiasm about the new appointment. “Somebody of this caliber, we could’ve only wished for. It’s like Christmas – we got it!” Brow said. Both Collins and his colleagues said they look forward to changes and improvements in store for the department. “For years we’ve needed this type of leadership to make succession plans, and I think that he’s going to be able to get us going in the right direction,” Brow said. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Collins said he wants to involve members of the community in the process. “I’ve got to get in and get my feet on the ground,” he said.
breadcrumbs as food samples for the mice. “Mice don’t have any androgynous bacteria already in their gut so we can put what we want and … the quantity and genetic composition that we want,” Martens said. “So instead of putting one human bacteria on top of hundreds of species of mouse bacteria already there, there’s nothing there. We know exactly what the physiology of the system is.” Gilbert and Martens teamed up after attending a conference together in 2009, where Gilbert became interested in one of Martens’s previously published papers on fungal cell molecules and intestinal cell walls. “It really kind of started as a light discussion over a beer or two at conference and a few simple experiments and those few simple experiments turned out to be really interesting,” Martens said. “A lot more detailed studies came after that.” Martens and Abbott said they were pleased with the study’s results. “Everyone who becomes a researcher, you know, your whole career or your mission is to do something that actually makes a difference so if, in some small way, this study can lead to a therapy for people suffering from intestinal diseases, that would be very rewarding,” Abbott said.
mary prevention, which involves screening for risk factors, is the first step toward overcoming this challenge and accelerating the decline in the incidence of the disease. “Non-communicable diseases such as these need early attention,” Saran said. “We need to take action sooner.” Saran said transplants and dialysis have helped keep people with chronic kidney disease alive longer, which is why fewer people are reaching end-stage renal disease. Even so, the pool of patients diagnosed with the chronic disease is not declining. In Ann Arbor, dialysis units have been cropping up increasingly in the last three years. “The pool of sick people still continues to increase,” Saran said. “A chronic disease does not go away.”
“I’ve got to get a better understanding of the community, the department and its needs.” “I think at that point in time what we do is we sit down and (compose) a strategic and a master plan to guide us into the future based upon changes in demand, based upon fiscal resources, based upon training needs and those kinds of things … We want that to be an open process.” At the ceremony and reception, Collins said he considers Ann Arbor to be a world-class city, adding that the AAFD could become a world-class department to match it. He said he feels privileged to lead the organization, though he still maintains ties to Ohio, where he served at the Dayton Fire Department for thirty years. “And remember: go Bucks,” he said.
Opinion
4A —Monday, January 12, 2015
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A
Back to his roots
fter the results of the midterm elections poured in — a curt realization for the Democratic Party that the American people were all but impressed with the Democrats in office — President Barack Obama said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that, “Whenever, as the head of the party, it doesn’t do well, I’ve got to take responsibility for it.” Responsibility is what he’s ABBY been taking — issuing veto TASKIER threats to Congress, restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, exercising his executive action power on immigration issues and reminding countless Americans in both red and blue states that the American economy is steadily and surely improving. Last Thursday, Obama delivered a speech at the Ford Motor manufacturing plant in Wayne, Michigan. Behind the podium, where Obama delivered remarks, sat American-made Ford automobiles — red, silver and blue. On the left side of the podium, an American flag hung, stretched flatly and tightly, as if straightened by a military bed-maker’s hand. Amidst the atmosphere created by an American auto plant cloaked in patriotic garb, it all felt very working-class American. This wasn’t surprising given the rhetoric Obama has consistently delivered while in office, one during his address in Michigan. Obama’s speech commenced a three-daylong trip to Michigan, Arizona and Tennessee — states that voted Republican for governor in the recent midterm elections. Given the new GOP Senate majority, Obama’s red-state stops were strategic reminders of the White House’s exploits since 2008. The three states on the agenda all exemplify initiatives taken in the economic, housing and education spheres. And further, on Jan. 9 in Knoxville, Tennessee, Obama announced a colossal initiative on the education front — America’s College Promise — making “two years of community college free to responsible students who are willing to work for it.” This promise mimics the Tennessee Promise, a similar pact for Tennessee residents, making Tennessee the spearheading force for free higher education. In Michigan two days prior, amidst pipes and car parts, Obama discussed the revival of the American auto industry. In 2008, as reported by the White House, the automobile industry was “on the brink of collapse.” The same report, published June 2011, states that in 2009, “the president’s decision to save GM and Chrysler was about more than those two companies. It was about standing by the countless workers, communities, and businesses — large and small — that depend on the automotive industry.” Although Ford — the most secure of the Detroit three — was not among the companies that received a federal bailout, by aiding GM and Chrysler, America avoided a “cascading impact throughout the supply chain, causing failures and job loss on a larger scale.” Because of Ford’s tie to the same auto suppliers as GM and Chrysler, Obama’s decision to provide a bailout can in large part account for Ford’s current profitability. When speaking to the people, plant workers and apprentices-turned-professionals of Wayne, Obama manifested a tendency blatant even in speeches given during his first presidential campaign: a deep appreciation and con-
cern for the middle class. “If we all do our part, if we all pitch in, then we can make sure that this rising tide is actually lifting all the boats, not just some,” Obama said. “We can make sure that the middle class is the engine that powers America’s prosperity for decades to come.” After a very rough six years in office, Obama has turned a corner, taking a proactive stance in addressing his administration’s achievements and proposing new initiatives that have put liberals on the edge of their seats. This stance is demonstrative of the fearless attitude seen in a younger, more optimistic Barack Obama — one that sparked a national movement toward the alluring concept of change. But disappointment has become a national sentiment over the past six years, with Washington in gridlock and the Obama administration only grazing over issues with a moderate tone. I believe the new Republican Senate majority was almost welcomed in by some liberals, assuming that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell sticks to his word to pass legislation. As an advocate and lover of all things Obama, I’ve found myself defending his presidency for no other reason than that I see him as a moral person, a family man and a leader. I’ve clung to words shouted during his 2008 acceptance speech: “I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you.” But along the six-year road, the path that has lodged too many national and international crises to count, it began to feel like maybe the American people weren’t as victorious as we had once hoped we’d be. However, once Obama began to announce shocking and almost radical new initiatives, such as restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, I, along with the rest of the country’s Obama enthusiasts, were reminded of his willingness and determination to change the free world. Obama’s speech in Michigan planted subtle hints at the administration’s victories — the federal bailout of the auto industry is a big one — but I believe his words went beyond that. He asserted that “this state proves that no matter how tough times get, Americans are tougher.” And what I believe is embedded within that statement is that no matter how tough times get in America, the Obama administration is tougher. Toughness is what he’s demonstrating in response to the GOP Senate majority. Action is what he’s proposing for the last two years of his presidency. Consistency is what he’s preaching when he comments on the middle class and its importance to our great nation. Obama’s rhetoric, now reformed to become fiercely operative, is at the forefront an oration delivered to members of the middle class. His new policies and intentions aren’t uber liberal, and they aren’t on the brink of socialist either. They’re intended to fuel economic, personal and professional growth among the majority of Americans. Twice during his speech at the Michigan Assembly Plant, Obama noted that no matter what, we should never become complacent. Complacency is the touch of death to progress. Americans are resilient, and Obama, an American, is resilient. Given his consistent concern for those who need help coupled with a new drive to enact change, I will leave with words that probably put a fire in your belly back in 2008: Yes we can. — Abby Taskier can be reached at ataskier@umich.edu.
MICHAEL PROPPE | VIEWPOINT
In defense of President Schlissel Michigan Daily columnist Carly Manes wrote a bizarre and unfair criticism of University President Mark Schlissel in an article published January 6. As someone who has been impressed with Schlissel, I felt compelled to respond. The strange assertions began early in the piece, when Manes wrote, “Based on his background in higher education, his visible identities and his expressed intent in taking the most highly esteemed position at this university, I didn’t see what he could bring to a campus such as ours.” What does this even mean? His background in higher education (professor at Johns Hopkins, dean at University of California, Berkeley, provost at Brown) left him unqualified to be Michigan president? Would Manes have preferred a politician? His “expressed intent” to take the job? Did we want someone who accidentally took the job? Any fairminded observer has to conclude Schlissel’s experience makes him eminently qualified to lead the University, so Manes’ initial doubts are confusing and unfortunately not made explicit enough to take seriously. Manes criticizes Schlissel’s handling of sexual assault because he objected to a
framing of requests by an anonymous group of students as “demands,” which, he said, “makes it really difficult to have discussions.” Schlissel’s comment “dismisses and silences students’ feelings and experiences,” Manes wrote. “While Schlissel didn’t have to agree with any of the demands, he needed to affirm the feelings of those who wrote them, not mock his students.” I’d agree — if that was all he had to say on the topic. Had the author bothered to watch Schlissel’s interview in which he made those comments, posted on the Daily’s website, she would have also heard him say, “I’m impressed by people that develop this passion … to take the time and show up in public and talk about something they care about a lot. The kinds of things that the students who were discussing their feelings about sexual assault and the way the University handles this were all reasonable things to think about and discuss.” The University needs the help of the student body to fix its poor approach to sexual assault; Schlissel is welcoming a discussion on this issue much more openly than his predecessor’s administration did. Her final grievance against Schlissel is
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that, in meetings with students, “not once (has he), or anyone on his behalf, (taken) a single note on the ‘student feedback and input’ that was requested.” “Inexcusable,” she writes. Really? Given Schlissel was able to recall several of the previously referenced demands specifically (seriously, watch the interview, he knew them all off the top of his head), we know he is absorbing what students tell him. And the lack of note-taking would be a small-time offense by Schlissel — if it were true. As one recent fireside chat attendee told me, “he wrote his notes on the back of his name tag to ensure he would remember what a student said to him.” Additionally, I am told there is normally someone taking notes on a computer for him during fireside chats and other meetings with groups of students.
Schlissel’s engagement with students in his first six months has been impressive. The first meeting he held on the day he was introduced as president-elect was with students (at his request). He has held open and frank fireside chats with students and meetings with student groups at a greater frequency than his predecessor. He has been visible in the student community, even inviting students over to his house for Thanksgiving dinner. He responded professionally but quickly to the scandal and student outrage brewing over the mismanagement of Michigan Athletics. Schlissel installed an interim Athletic Director who has already taken great steps to reform the culture of the Athletic Department. Schlissel is working with students on new efforts to promote diversity and sustainability on campus.
Six months is not nearly enough time to judge Schlissel’s tenure as President, and he is bound to hit a few speed bumps as he acquaints himself with the University. But his leadership has, so far, been a breath of fresh air for the University. I hope students continue to raise issues to Schlissel (hopefully more serious issues than “take notes”) and that he continues to engage with students. If he is the president I think he is, the student voice at the University will enjoy a bigger seat at the table than it has in a while. And Schlissel could become one of the most transformative presidents in our University’s history because of it. Michael Proppe is a graduate student in the School of Business and former president of Central Student Government.
MARY KATE WINN | VIEWPOINT
More than a high-five President Barack Obama stopped in Wayne, Michigan on Jan. 7 for his first speech in a three-day tour leading up to his State of the Union address. Held at a Ford Assembly plant, his speech highlighted the success of his administration’s bailout of the auto industry in 2009. Michigan Republican Party Chairman Bobby Schostak, however, called the president’s tour “another opportunity he’s taking to run all over the country and high-five himself.” Schostak continues to insist that the auto bailout was unnecessary, stating that there were “other options.” Obama’s speech was more than just Obama high-fiving himself. It was ultimately a celebration of the middle class, the auto industry and Detroit. Obama did, however, highlight the success of the auto bailout. The auto bailout used $80 billion of taxpayer money and, as Obama noted, as of last month “the auto companies have now repaid taxpayers every dime and more of what (his) administration invested.” Being transparent about the use of taxpayer money was, in this case, inherently self-congratulatory, but that doesn’t make it unnecessary. For a move that was so unpopular, it would be foolish not to point out its success. The president stuck his neck out for the auto industry, and showing America that he did the right thing is hardly deplorable. The focus of the speech, however,
was not the Obama administration. The emphasis quickly shifted back to the people who took the opportunity to save a newly revitalized auto industry that was given to them and ultimately made it successful. Obama made it clear that it was the workers he was addressing, and their counterparts at other plants throughout America, who made the bailout successful. To the workers, Obama declared, “because of you, manufacturing has a future in this country.” Repeatedly, he stressed that it was the autoworkers who saved America’s last bastion of manufacturing. It was the people working in both management and labor throughout the auto industry who took the money from the bailout and turned the auto industry around, helping the economy to recover. Its success wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and sacrifice of the autoworkers. The fact that the speech was delivered at a Ford plant to Ford employees speaks to the necessity of the auto bailout. Ford never received funding from the bailout, so why would Obama go there to comment on its success? The bailout saved more than just General Motors and Chrysler. It saved an entire industry that would have fallen apart if GM and Chrysler had failed. Schostak used the fact that Ford was able to restructure on its own without government financing as proof that the
bailout was unnecessary, but the Ford employees cheered for Obama when he spoke about the success of the bailout because they understand the basic economic structure of the auto industry better than Schostak. They know that Ford could not have simply restructured and become as successful as it is today if GM and Chrysler had failed. Should GM and Chrysler have failed, auto suppliers could not have survived, and Ford would have suffered as a consequence. The livelihoods of those employed by the Big Three and their suppliers depended on this bailout. For Schostak to continue to deny the necessity and success of the auto bailout as the chairman of the Michigan Republican Party is pig-headed and misrepresents Republicans across Metro Detroit whose jobs were saved in the bailout. Furthermore, in his rush to be against anything and everything Obama-related, Schostak prematurely wrote off Obama’s speech as a mere self-congratulations, when it ended up being more about the triumphs of the auto industry, the middle class, Detroit and Michigan. After all, I think few Michiganders would disagree with Obama when he said, “this state proves no matter how tough times get, Americans are tougher.” Mary Kate Winn is an Assistant Editorial Page Editor..
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Edvinas Berzanskis, Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Devin Eggert, David Harris, Rachel John, Jordyn Kay, Aarica Marsh, Victoria Noble, Michael Paul, Allison Raeck, Melissa Scholke, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Mary Kate Winn, Jenny Wang, Derek Wolfe
P
Going ungraded
resumably (depending on one’s year of graduation) we have been graded for DANI the past 15 years VIGNOS of our lives. Whether it’s an S for Satisfactory, a 4.0 for perfection or a B+ for you almost made it, most students have had an arbitrary numbering system attached to their name for as long as they can remember. Upon my recent conclusion of undergraduate courses, I am undeniably reflecting on my time as a student. An adviser asked me the other day how it feels to be done. I said it felt good, but I wasn’t exactly sure why … I love learning, I love the University, I love my professors, my peers, Ann Arbor, etc. So again, why does it feel so good “to be done”? I thought for a moment and said, “It is liberating to not be graded for my work for, what feels like, the first time in my life.” We are innately social creatures, we attempt to be well-rounded, and we strive for excellence, to be healthy and physically fit and to maintain close relationships with others, while also miraculously obtaining a 4.0. If the pursuits that I listed above are truly the essence of life, then this 4.0 pressure is not feasible and only marginalizes what one considers important about our existence. Mentors often tell us grades
cannot possibly calculate one’s improvement or a student’s knowledge — yet their existence persists, and not only that, but grades continue to be a predominant factor in being admitted to most forms of collegiate education. If grades supposedly “don’t matter that much,” then why is it still the form in which we are reviewed? No one wants to be the student who craves the A- instead of the B+ or the B instead of the C, but we are living in a culture that grooms students to be grade grubbers. Professors similarly dislike this neediness for higher grades and often choose to stick to a bell curve. If grades don’t truly matter, then why not give the student an A or just a big P for pass? Perhaps it’s because there is a similar pressure from public universities to not inflate grades or for professors to appear tough. Whatever the reason, the pressure comes from all angles. It is not my point to direct fingers at a particular branch of education, but rather to show the vicious cycle and the paradox in which students are trapped. Maybe it’s not the fault of the students, professors or even universities as a whole, but moreover the symbol of what education has grown to mean and the ideas that it perpetuates that underlie the real problem. Perhaps I am suggesting abolishing standardized testing or a refor-
mation of our system of grading, but what really must occur is a change in the system of education as a whole. In Ken Robinson’s video, “Changing Education Paradigms,” the narrator discusses how the foundation of education began in a time when women didn’t have rights and slavery existed. It is ignorant to think that the ideologies and structures that were created back then should be maintained nearly 400 years later, when we have progressed way beyond these confines. Robinson states, “The problem is they are trying to meet the future by doing what they did in the past.” Yes, this argument has been presented before, but it’s still difficult to find the change. In order to create a learning community where we practice what we preach, a huge shift in the paradigm of education is hopefully on the rise. If nothing more, at least for the time being, it is helpful to recognize the paradox and pressure students face. As much as one can, we can individually attempt to live outside of the paradox: learn in classes, work hard and hopefully the arbitrary letter will follow in the right direction. And, if not, remember that this grade is flat, it has no breath, no heartbeat, no laughter, no passion and in no way can reflect the complexity of a person. — Dani Vignos can be reached at dvignos@umich.edu.
ARE YOU YEARNING FOR CONVERSATION WITH INTENSE POLITICAL ANALYSIS? HAS RICK’S BEEN A DISAPPOINTMENT? IS SKEEPS NOT PROVIDING YOU WITH TANTALIZING CONVERSATION? DON’T WANT TO GET YOUR FAKE ID TAKEN? Check out The Michigan Daily’s editorial board meetings. Every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m., the Daily’s opinion staff meets to discuss both University and national affairs and write editorials. Also, you might meet the love of your life. But probably not. E-mail opinioneditors@michigandaily.com to join in the debate.
Arts
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MOVIE REVIEW
Monday, January 12, 2014 — 5A
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
Franchise falls apart in ‘Taken 3’ Neeson’s screen presence can’t save messy blockbuster By JAMIE BIRCOLL Senior Arts Editor
Not even Liam Neeson could save this one. Though the 62-year-old action star manages to maintain his always impressive Cscreen presence, his Taken 3 talents are wasted on this Rave and most lacklus- Quality 16 ter, incoherent 20th Century Fox and ill-conceived action vehicle from French director Olivier Megaton (“Colombiana”). Indeed, it’s time to lay this “Taken” franchise to rest. A sequel to the previous two “Taken” films in name only, this third go for retired covert operative Bryan Mills features no kidnappings or Albanians from Tropoja. Instead, Mills is framed for the murder of his exwife (Famke Janssen, “X-Men”) and must embark on a mission to clear his name while doling out occasional mild-mannered, PG-13 punishment to those responsible. In theory, this idea is intriguing — an update of “The Fugitive” with Neeson replacing the equally formidable Harrison Ford in the title role. Sadly, the premise proves the only comparison between the two films. Where “The Fugitive” is clever, gripping and intelligent, “Taken 3” proves humdrum, a mere exercise in emptying wallets. The script, from French maestro Luc Besson (“Lucy”) and American Robert Mark Kamen (“The Fifth Element”), is so contrived, so very ignorant of just how stupid it is. And Megaton’s direction features, quite simply, some of the choppiest, most incomprehensible cam-
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Smells like teen spirit...or maybe that’s manure.
20TH CENTURY FOX
When will they let me stop making these movies?
erawork and editing, as well as a dearth of poignancy and immediacy. One chase sequence — and there are multiple, each less compelling than the previous — features, and I’m not even kidding, four cuts in about one second. That’s about equivalent to twisting your head side-toside as fast as you can in one second — it’s dizzying. Throw in some shaky camera work, and you have yourself an unintelligible film. The actors are given little to work with; Liam Neeson (“NonStop”) is solid as always, though he has far less to do here than one would hope (but he does survive two, count ‘em, two car explosions). Newcomer to the franchise Forest Whitaker (“Out of the Furnace”) plays the cop assigned to take Mills down. I assume he was added to create a sense of urgency, but, really, what kind of threat does the LAPD pose to a guy who singlehandedly took out an entire human trafficking cartel? Maggie Grace (“Knight and Day”) returns as Mills’s daughter to look sad and helpless. And Stuart, the new husband of Mills’s ex-wife from the first “Taken,” miraculously reverse-aged 10 years and was recast as Dougray Scott (“Mission Impossible 2”). I’ll admit, I have a soft spot
TV REVIEW
‘Galavant’ is fun, not funny By ALEX INTNER Daily Arts Writer
The musical TV genre has a very mixed track record on network television. While “Glee” was successful for a long time and “Empire” B+ opened strongly this week, other Galavant attempts (like “Smash”) have Mini-Series failed. While Premiere the ratings for Sundays “Galavant” at 8 p.m. were nothing ABC to write home about, this show should have gained more attention. Though it’s not perfect, the first two episodes produce a highly entertaining hour of television, putting it among the better television musicals. “Galavant” follows an eponymous knight (Joshua Sasse, “Rogue”) whose true love Madalena (Mallory Jensen, “Young & Hungry”) was kidnapped by the evil King Richard (Timothy Omundson, “Psych”) so he could marry her. When Gal interrupts their wedding, Madalena chooses to remain with the king. After a year of heartache, the Princess of Valencia (Karen David, “Waterloo Road”) asks for his help in a quest to save her kingdom from the clutches of King Richard. What contributes the most to “Galavant” ’s fun tone is its music. Written by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater (collaborators on Broadway’s “The Little Mermaid”), the songs are catchy and cathartic. The core of the show lies in its ability to release beautiful songs in each episode. Numbers like King Richard’s
“She’ll be Mine” or the quartet songs “Maybe You’re Not the Worst Person Ever” prove that Menken and Slater know how to put together amusing tunes with some clever words. Though the main “Galavant” melody does begin to tire by the third reprise in the hour, Slater adds some sharp quips to the lyrics which lessen the burnout. While the songs’ humorous lyrics are fantastic, the show’s dialogue is disappointing. Some contain humorous moments, but many have gags that come off as overly broad. Sometimes they have a solid idea, but it lasts for one or two lines too long, like a scene where Gal’s rival Sir Jean Hamm (John Stamos, “Full House”) tells a series of “yo-mama” jokes. Creator Dan Fogleman was also responsible for “The Neighbors,” which was similarly hitand-miss comedically. It’s a shame that these scenes aren’t as strong, because they’re the only things that hold this show back from being the best small-screen musical. The lack of comedic success is not the cast’s fault, however. Many of the actors bring charm to the screen despite being saddled with weak material. Omundson especially gets some of the more immature jests, but he has so much fun with his part that you hardly notice the bad jokes. He gives a huge performance, chewing scenery left and right. It works well, especially in the musical numbers. He is what makes “She’ll be Mine” as amusing as it is. “Galavant” is exactly what a TV musical should be. Its songs are catchy and it’s a hell of a good time. While the humor isn’t always strong, the other elements are prominent enough to make it incredibly enjoyable television.
for these kinds of action films — yes they’re mindless, yes they don’t advance cinema in any way, shape or form and yes, they’re fun as hell. Not everything that we deem cinema needs to be high art, not everything needs to be avant-garde, cerebral, meaningful. Sometimes a healthy dose of escapism is not only welcome but also necessary. But it’s mishandled films like “Taken 3” that prove me wrong. I’ve gotten a lot of flak for wanting to see this film, and in this instance I was rightfully put in my place. The action film as a genre has been thoroughly stripped down into a series of explosions, quick cuts, shaky camerawork and poorly developed characters. There is, or used to be, artistry to convincing an audience that they are watching something urgent, that there is danger and that they should care about the man or woman facing that danger. What we have now is a mere semblance of action’s former self, a genre that seemed original not ten years ago reduced to a skeleton, a formula. So for now, I’ll look to the past for my adrenaline fix, for my danger. And to all those wouldbe warriors out there, looking to revive a lost art, I have but two words for you: Good luck.
Earning the right to wear band T-shirts By MELINA GLUSAC Daily Arts Writer
They’re everywhere. Who would’ve thought two little x’s for eyes, a squiggly smiley face to finish them off and an all-caps rendering of a band name would unite and inadvertently become the biggest fashion statement of 2014? Sure, the typically black and yellow T-shirts containing the aforementioned components emerged way before this past year — 1987, to be exact, when Nirvana formed. But it wasn’t until last year (possibly before, one is too traumatized by it all to look these things up) that Urban Outfitters and other hipster-catering clothing brands decided Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl were the new Louis Vuitton bag. As preposterous as it sounds to the ears of any ex-brooding teen or early ’90s connoisseur, grunge is “in” now, dipped in flannel shirts, Dr. Martens and Nirvana; 1994 has come full circle (except, of course, in regards to popular music). Teenage girls, fashion bloggers and hip men alike don Nirvana t-shirts. Got a lone black blazer? Finish it off with some distressed jeans, black booties and a Nirvana t-shirt. It’s a neutral; it goes with every-
thing. Don’t worry. All this leaves music purists and Nirvana fans with one pesky question: Do these people even know who Nirvana is? Now, maybe we’re not giving them enough credit. I’m sure they know Nirvana was a band with a lead singer that died. Oh, and they sang that one really catchy song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” right? Yeah, that was a good one. Really edgy, man. That one was rockin’. But do they know some of Nirvana’s best work (i.e. “Dive” or “Aneurysm”) wasn’t a product of Nevermind, however glorious it is, but rather 1992’s Incesticide? Do they know about “In Bloom” or the Biblical imagery of “Heart-Shaped Box”? Do they know Cobain wrote “Something in the Way” about his experiences with homelessness, allegedly living under the bridge on Wishkah River in Washington when he couldn’t find a place to sleep (though Novoselic disputes this)? Moreover, do they intensely dislike Courtney Love? Probably not. Well, maybe the Courtney Love part. I like to think this paraphernalia constitutes a “true” fan, one that is worthy, for lack of a better word, of wearing a shirt with a certain band’s name. I personally employ a strict 15-song rule before
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I slip any sort of music-related attire on my body: If I know at least 15 songs by the artist on the T-shirt, I deserve to wear it. Part of it’s a pride thing, but the other part is some deep irrational fear that I’ll run into another human being like myself who will test me, as I’m testing all Nirvana T-shirt owners with these words. Knowing all the guts and glory behind your choice aesthetic of the day makes it that much more worth it, at least to me. What angers most Nirvana fans is the “style over substance” mindset many outfitters of the urban variety have adapted — they prefer the frock for its grungey chic look rather than the fact that it reminds them of the sunny tune, “Rape Me.” Understandable, but not intellectually desirable. Nevertheless, it’s exposure — the fashion world has made sure people don’t forget about one of the best things that happened to the music industry in the ’90s, whether that was a conscious move or not. All the Forever 21 models are carrying on Cobain’s memory, as much as that would have nauseated him, perhaps even inspiring people to revisit the justifiably legendary band. In the meantime, though, I’ve only given you seven songs for your repertoire. Study up before you slip on.
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Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis ACROSS 1 “Say it isn’t so!” 5 Slick 9 Japanese poem with 17 syllables 14 More than simmer 15 Natural skin soother 16 Caravan stop 17 ’50s-’60s Ramblers, briefly 18 Grand Prix series designation 20 Brings in, as salary 22 Geeky types 23 Controversial Vietnam War defoliant 26 Onetime Leno announcer Hall 29 Salt, in Franasce 30 “__ we there yet?” 31 Add to the staff 33 Serving at Popeyes 36 Gutter site 37 Avon or Fuller Brush work, e.g. 42 Too 43 Country bumpkins 44 “I hope you’ve learned your __!” 47 Pro vote 48 Little white lie 51 “__-hoo! Over here!” 52 What Al Capone led 56 Collar attachment for Spot 57 “MASH” setting 58 “Shh! Don’t tell!” and hint to what can precede the starts of 18-, 23-, 37- and 52Across 63 Cheesy sandwich 64 Dance in a line 65 Actress Garr 66 Autobahn auto 67 Like a truck climbing a steep hill 68 Flower part 69 Tiff DOWN 1 White House family 2 Respect that’s “paid”
3 Coin with a buffalo, once 4 Designer MaryKate or Ashley 5 Klutzy fellow 6 U.N. worker protection gp. 7 Doone of Exmoor 8 Red Sea republic 9 “Texas” poker variety 10 Very small batteries 11 Prefix with metric 12 Kith and __ 13 Exploit 19 Hankering 21 Button that gets things going 24 Sandwich cookie 25 Raring to go 26 Airline with famously tight security 27 Symbol of peace 28 Hair colorings 32 Vegetables in pods 33 The “B” in TV’s former The WB network 34 “Your point being...?” 35 Target city for Godzilla
37 Tyne of “Judging Amy” 38 Margarine 39 __ buco: veal dish 40 Scuba diving area 41 Not tight 45 Familiar adage 46 Evening, in ads 48 Inflame with enthusiasm 49 Marcos with a shoe collection
50 “Take a hike!” 53 Verifiable findings 54 “Snowy” wader 55 Sauce tomatoes 56 “Othello” conspirator 58 Here, in Le Havre 59 Truck weight unit 60 NBC late-night comedy hit 61 Before, in poetry 62 Tiny Dickens boy
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Arts
6A — Monday, January 12, 2015
FILM REVIEW
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
‘Inherent Vice’ a The alternative difficult head trip Best Songs of 2014 By RACHEL KERR Daily Arts Writer
Anderson is a great director, but can’t engage audience By AKSHAY SETH Daily Film Columnist
Seconds after the last Saturday night showing of “Inherent Vice,” a 70-year-old man sporting a frayed ponytail and what B+ looked like a knitted Hawai- Inherent ian poncho stared into the Vice trashcan. MovRave 20 and iegoers dropped empty cartons Quality 16 of popcorn Warner Bros. inside. They walked by. The old man gaped, seemingly mesmerized by its butter-smeared bowels. In a crowded Michigan multiplex populated mostly by youngish college students, mostly lamenting how they ‘“should’ve seen the movie high,” the man appeared out of place — an anachronism lost in a ditty of time. He looked like he listened to seashells, owned beach shorts before they were called beach shorts. And for a few seconds, as I stared at the old man who stared into the trashcan, I thought maybe I’d found an incarnation of what Paul Thomas Anderson spent 148 minutes (and $35 million) constructing. An ode to a bygone era forever doomed to lament its own demise, to stare into nothingness as indifferent descendants strolled by. Then, with a noticeable swell of his Hawaiian poncho, a bobble of his frayed ponytail, the old man threw up his head. He leaned back for a moment. I leaned in for a revelation. He throatily hawked some snot into the can. “Well, that was a shit-boring movie” was what he said before disappearing into the night. I agreed, kind of. During the car ride home, when a friend made an exasperated comment about the film’s impenetrable plot — which is to say, its unfathomably complex clusterfuck of a story — I nodded, but clung to a hollow doubt that maybe the perplexity was intended. Maybe Anderson wanted half the theater to collectively mutter “whaaat the shit” under its breath as credits rolled. After all, the writing does accurately convey the tortuous Thomas Pynchon prose that inspired it. So maybe the head scratching was all part of the high? Maybe destiny intended me to look for answers in a poncho-draped geezer? Maybe? Nah. The film’s most obvious failing comes in the form of its unforgiving storytelling. It starts and ends with Doc Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix, “The Master”), an eternally-stoned 1960s private eye
WARNER BROS.
“Two ounces of weed, please.”
tasked by his ex, Shasta (Katherine Waterston, “Being Flynn”), to pinpoint the whereabouts of her current beau, the millionaire land developer Micky Wolfman. From there, this otherwise straightforward noir rambles through hazes of marijuana fumes to greet Nazi bikers, cocaine-addled dentists, lesbian prostitutes and Owen Wilson’s Nose in a journey that climaxes in achieving not much more than further muddlement. The head trip escalates in paranoia as Anderson and Pynchon’s threadbare strands of plot bind and intertwine themselves around an ethereal criminal organization called The Golden Fang, which seems to have sunk its teeth squarely into every illegitimate pie baking in fringe Los Angeles. Then as the film progresses and sinks deeper into conspiracy-laden confusion, something weird happens. The audience gives up. It settles back, it reclines in cinema hall seats, it watches as Anderson attempts a brand of comedy inherently tied to Phoenix’s mutton chops. He’s what would happen if Winnie the Pooh met a few pounds of reefer — so well-intentioned, you often wonder how he manages to even fathom an act of wrongdoing let alone confront it. An air of optimistic puzzlement frames his every move, and Phoenix uses the lethargy well, drawing consistent laughs with the smallest facial tics awkwardness can allow. The whimsical physicality of that portrayal is contrasted sharply by Josh Brolin’s (“No Country For Old Men”) Christian “Bigfoot” Bjornsen, renaissance LAPD officer, lover of chocolatedipped bananas and hater of all things hippie. Where Sportello whispers, Bjornsen screams. Where Phoenix toddles, Brolin marches. Yet, there’s a weird kinship developing between the characters that Anderson wants us to see. It’s emblazoned somewhere in that bygone-era ethos evoked throughout much of the movie, but subtler notes slip through in the two actors’ interactions. We see it when they play off each other, when they talk. There’s never any doubting how Doc’s earnest, carefree
behavior is going to be gobbled up by the impending ’70s, as is Bjornsen’s squareness, but there’s also solace in knowing the hippie lived/smoked a life he wanted in the time he had. The sunset feels decidedly more cataclysmic for his companion. Brolin conveys a hidden vulnerability in his character’s operatic chest-beating that rings like a cry for help. He’s been hiding behind the straight lace for so long, even the drawn out, slow scenes where we see him doing nothing but sucking away at his chocolate-dipped bananas feel fraught with homoerotic undertones. It’s enough to warrant a laugh, and Anderson makes sure to offer them up every chance he gets, though the subtext here is gloomy at best. The humor carries the freewheeling, lowbrow feel Pynchon wrote into his novel, and often, the punchlines are clearly better on paper than when stretched out on screen. But the movie doesn’t suffer for want of steadiness — there are enough chuckles to be had in the utter absurdity of the images to keep audiences watching. Confused, but watching. The real culprit is hollowness, an impermeable “why” you keep asking yourself at the end of every scene, and, ultimately, a “why” that stretches itself across the whole film. Anderson’s response to that “why” would likely be to forget it even exists: Let the strangeness wash over you, marvel at the way it seeps into the smallest of plot devices, and only if you get the time, lean in for the much nastier shit growing inside — the class warfare, the racial tension, the hard drugs powering it all forward. The stuff that’s inevitable. Making a film about the beach, coursing with soft dissolves and a cleansing sanguinity redolent of the tides, may just be Anderson’s way of finding some nostalgia in all that violence. It may simply be Doc curled down in a fetal position, thinking about that ex who will never really be just an ex, as a phalanx of police officers steps over him. What it’s not, well, at least not completely, is a shit-boring movie.
When hundreds of great songs of all genres are released every year, it’s no surprise that The Michigan Daily’s “Top Songs of the Year” ballots are consistently wide-ranging and diverse, with plenty of worthy tracks snubbed in the final annual list. With this in mind, Daily Arts Writer Rachel Kerr would like to present an alternative list: her own personal choices for 2014’s best music. 1. “2 On” – Tinashe ft. Schoolboy Q Tinashe told ThisIsRnB that “2 on” means “when you’re like a little too turnt up. It’s like being extra just like whatever you’re doing.” And Urban Dictionary tells us it literally means to be on two different substances — “to be drunk and high at the same time.” Whatever the hell it means, this undeniably catchy song channels the universal feeling of going out and making some regrettable — but enjoyable — decisions. Who can’t relate? 2. “After Ur Gone” – Alex G Alex Giannascoli, better known as “Alex G,” is a Temple University student who has quietly been uploading music to the Internet for years now. Reminiscent of indierock favorites such as Built to Spill or the late Elliot Smith, “After Ur Gone” succeeds by contrasting the rocker’s fragile vocals with hectic bits of electric guitar. The track appears on Giannascoli’s first fulllength album DSU. 3. “Gone Down the River” – Fletcher C. Johnson There’s something about this track that just feels right — it’s
both authentic and natural. “Gone Down the River” sounds sentimental, but not sappy; meaningful, but also fun. It’s hard not to appreciate the infectious rhythm of the 7-minute track as it dances beautifully between country and rock-n-roll. 4. “Continental Shelf” – Viet Cong “Continental Shelf” is the kind of postpunk I love. It’s loud and unsettling and makes you a bit nervous. The clanging of the guitar could be overwhelming, if not for the hypnotizing melody carrying the track. It sounds very Interpol-esque, but back when they were young and still making good music. 5. “Tuesday” – ILOVEMAKONNEN ft. Drake As a loyal Drake fan, I first listened to this song only for his verse. After my first listen, I believe I even called this song “terrible.” But the song has a way of growing on you. Makonnen’s jagged, unconventional rapping style, which I once found annoying, is actually pretty upbeat and catchy. You can’t help but sing along as he sings, “Got the club goin’ up, on a Tuesday,” no matter what day it is. 6. “Brother” – Mac DeMarco Mac Demarco’s Salad Days was hailed by many as one of the best albums of 2014. With its release, DeMarco’s already large cult following grew even larger. “Brother” showcases everything that is great about the album – dreamy lyrics, lackadaisical guitar riffs and some good advice about growing up – “you’re better off dead / when your minds been set / from nine until five.”
7. “Without U” – Spooky Black It’s hard not be intrigued by a white kid wearing a turtleneck and du-rag who starts uploading music to the Internet. What’s even more intriguing is how difficult this kid is to define. Spooky Black is in the same league as rising irony-tinged rappers Yung Lean and Lil B, artists whose creativity is constantly questioned and rarely understood. “Without U” demonstrates Black’s surprising range as an R&B artist, proving that he should be taken seriously. 8. “Hella Hoes” – A$AP Mob If you like ignorant rap, you can’t not love this song. What’s better than A$AP Mob standouts Ferg and Rocky, along with their counterparts, literally just rapping over and over again, “I got hoes?” Doesn’t get much better than that. 9. “Blue Suede” – Vince Staples Beginning with its siren-like intro, “Blue Suede” seethes with urgency and paranoia. The beat is loud, and Vince Staples’s lyrics are explicit. It was the first single from Staples’s first official EP Hell Can Wait. The track is best played at maximum volume, so you can’t hear yourself attempting to rap along as Staples aggressively tell us, “Bitches ain’t shit but hoes and tricks.” 10. “Off the Corner” – Meek Mill ft. Rick Ross I once had a friend say he’d kill a person for this beat. Dramatic, but a testimony to the strength of the track (or my friend’s sanity.) But when Rick Ross goes in, it’s hard not to agree.
TV REVIEW
ABC
Power suit.
‘Carter’ a promising new take on Marvel By DREW MARON Daily Arts Writer
One of the treats of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the manner in which creators have portrayed its intricate design through B+ various settings and perspec- Agent tives. Such is the case with Mar- Carter vel’s most recent Series Pilot television series, Tuesdays “Agent Carter.” It’s 1946 New at 9 p.m. York City and ABC Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell, “Captain America: The First Avenger”) is picking up the pieces of her life following the end of World War II and the loss of Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans, “Snowpiercer”). But the show is more than just a “Captain America” spin-off. Creators Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (“The Life and Death of Peter Sellers”) bring the sly political commentary that made “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” such a hit. The duo write a solid pilot, albeit one that is somewhat safe, before they give the reins over to the more-than-capable showrunners Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas (“Reaper”). Whereas “Winter Soldier” was
a paranoid political thriller and “First Avenger” a nostalgic pulp swashbuckler, “Agent Carter” finds itself somewhere in the middle. In the pilot, inventor Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper, “My Week With Marilyn”) is accused of treason and branded a fugitive. He enlists the help of Carter to use her connections with the Strategic Science Reserve to clear his name and bring those responsible to justice. As Carter evades her male superiors, she stumbles upon a secret organization called “Leviathan” which may or may not be stealing Stark’s weapons and selling them on the black market. The revelation of a secret organization with an ominous name might not be the most original move, but it does clue comic fans in on the potential thematic path of the series. In the comics, Leviathan is an organization that stems from Stalinism in the same way Hydra stems from Nazism. Though it’s too early to say for certain if “Agent Carter” will be the MCU’s take on McCarthyism, it would make sense given Marvel’s love of “pop with purpose.” A lot of the heart in “Agent Carter” is thanks to its lead, Hayley Atwell. The pilot has plenty of gunshots, punches and supernatural craziness, but it also features Atwell’s confident and soulful performance. If some found Peggy
in “First Avenger” as just another beautiful love-interest, “Agent Carter” smashes that notion with a roundhouse kick to the face. She balances action chops, wit and a tragic sense of loss with subtlety and charm. Though Atwell is great, some of the cast in the pilot feel a bit underused. Shea Whigham (“Boardwalk Empire”) is a little shallow as Carter’s sexist supervisor — a shame given the actor’s spectacular resume. Nightclub owner Spider Raymond (Andre Royo, “The Wire”) was killed off early in, which was also disappointing. That being said, it was fascinating seeing Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) embrace the sleaziness of his pretty boy image as Agent Jack Thompson. And it’s interesting to speculate where the show might take Enver Gjokaj (“Dollhouse”) as a well-meaning, wounded war-vet and fellow agent. While the pilot of “Agent Carter” doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Marvel has created an exciting actionadventure series that announces a brave new talent in Hayley Atwell. The upcoming “Daredevil” series might be Marvel’s bolder television property, but “Agent Carter” does a hell of a job proving that the House of Ideas can make mainstream hits outside the movie theater and still attract the best talent in entertainment.
SportsMonday B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | January 12, 2015
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
1984
Berenson earns first win as Michigan head coach
1990
Mr. 800
Michigan makes first NCAA tournament apperance since 1977
1996 1998
Berenson gets win No. 800 as Michigan sweeps No. 9 Minnesota at Yost By JEREMY SUMMITT Daily Sports Editor
Red Berenson’s 31-year tenure as the head coach of the Michigan hockey program has comprised an era of prestige laden with countless awards and accomplishments. His first-ever win came in Berenson’s first game as head coach of his alma mater on Oct. 12, 1984, a 6-4 victory at Miami (Ohio). And on Saturday, Berenson became the fourth coach to eclipse the 800-win mark after his Wolverines pounded Minnesota, 7-5. “I can remember my first game at Michigan was at Miami and we won the game, and our team was so surprised that we won that they were celebrating like we’d won the Stanley Cup, and I knew we were in trouble,” Berenson said. However, in just a few years, things took a drastic turn, as Berenson began to build Michigan hockey into a dynasty. The journey from his first win against Miami (Ohio) to Saturday’s victory has been a long but memorable one with two national titles, 11 Frozen Four appearances, 11 conference championships and 22 NCAA Tournament berths sandwiched in between. Behind four first-period goals, the Wolverines (4-1 Big Ten, 12-7 overall) put an old-fashioned beatdown on the ninth-ranked Golden Gophers (1-2-1, 10-7-1) for their eighth win in their past 10 games. “We were happy with the amount of goals we put up, obviously, offensively,” said sophomore forward Tyler Motte. “But defensively, we gave up a little too much in our D-zone. We’ll give up shots as long as they’re not grade-A opportunities, and that’s what we saw too much of, I think, this weekend.” With Michigan clinging on to a 2-1 lead in the final minute of the first period, senior forward Zach Hyman and sophomore forward JT Compher scored exactly 30 seconds apart to take a 4-1 lead into the first intermission. The other Wolverine goals came off the sticks of senior forward Travis Lynch and junior forward Andrew Copp at the 12:48 and 14:27 marks, respectively. “Coach (Berenson) was on us that we need to be prepared and start on time today,” Hyman said. “Even though we gave up that first goal, I think we outshot them in the first period and getting four back in the period, we end up exploding a little bit in that period, and that was huge for us.” Minnesota forward Travis Boyd carried a large load all weekend, tallying a goal in Friday’s contest before netting the first two goals for the Golden Gophers on Saturday. His first was the product of a perfectly threaded pass from forward Seth Ambroz, who split the Michigan defense just over seven minutes into the game. Ambroz would also net a goal of his own with a wellexecuted redirect off a shot from the point, coming just 14 seconds after Michigan’s sophomore defenseman Michael Downing scored his fourth of the season. Downing’s tally was enough for coach Don Lucia to pull the reigning Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, Adam Wilcox, for the first time all season. Playing a large part in Michigan’s offensive outburst was Dylan Larkin, who’s coming off a dynamite performance for Team USA in the World Junior Championships. Larkin never missed a beat upon his return to Ann Arbor, as he would net the Wolverines’ final two goals to extend his point total to 20 on the year. “A lot’s going right,” Copp said regarding Michigan’s offense. “I think our power play did a really good job today… We’re getting pucks behind their (defense), we’re cycling pretty well down low, we’re scoring off the rush, scoring off faceoffs, power play like I said, so it seems like any possible way that we can put the puck in the net, it’s going See BERENSON, Page 2B
WORTH THE HYPE
DIVISION I
SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN
The milestone Red doesn’t celebrate
R
ed Berenson hopes this story will be about something other than himself. His team just beat the No. 9 team in the country, won eight of its last nine games and moved to the top of the Big Ten standings, but I’m not discussing that success. Instead, I feel compelled to write about his 800th win as a coach in his college hockey career, because it’s GREG mind-boggling that someone can win 800 games at any level in any GARNO sport. Berenson joined a list of three other coaches in college hockey Saturday night, and it’s important that everyone realizes how much effort and how much time goes into that achievement. There are no more than 40 games in a season, and that’s only if a team makes the Frozen Four. Berenson is now 800-391-84 in 31 seasons. He started when he was 44 years old, compared to the three other 800-game winners — Jerry York, Ron Mason and Jack Parker — who all started before they turned 29. He had to transform a struggling program that couldn’t pay its fans to attend games into one that captured two national championships. Feats such as these are rare and special. But then, so are coaches like Berenson. These are the feats that capture the attention of those who otherwise haven’t kept track or wouldn’t pay attention. These are the feats that deserve that attention. But he doesn’t want this story written. He’s not interested in celebrating the accomplishment any more than he’s interested in celebrating his birthday. “I read about (the milestone) more than I think about it,” he said on Wednesday. “I just had my 75th birthday, and I didn’t celebrate that, and I didn’t celebrate New Years and I didn’t even celebrate the GLI (the team’s first title since 2011).”
ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Berenson earns 300th win, Michigan wins eighth national championship over Colorado College
1998 1996 DIVISION I
ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP
NATIONAL CHAMPION
Michigan wins second national championship under Berenson
2014
Berenson passes Rick Comley for 4th place on all-time wins list
2015
Berenson earns 800th win as Michigan head coach
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
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T
his milestone almost never happened. Just last year, Berenson was ready to retire. Michigan had lost in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament and missed out on the postseason for the second year in a row. He said he thought about leaving hockey because he “can’t handle losing” and “can’t handle a team underachieving.” He’s back now, of course, but was willing to leave hockey because he knows losing starts with the coaching staff, and he wasn’t leading his team to success. There’s a story — one Berenson may not even remember — of a little boy and his grandfather meeting him for the first time. They are introduced, and Berenson asks the seven-year-old, “Do you know how to skate?” The boy acknowledged that he had not learned how. With a straight face, Berenson replied, “If you can’t skate, then you can’t play hockey, and if you can’t play hockey, then what are you?” Berenson’s life is hockey. But he’s willing to give it up in order for the Wolverines to win.
n Zach Hyman leads Michigan in goals, but the plays that don’t show up in the box score merit Hobey Baker consideration, writes Erin Lennon. Page 2B
*** See SPORTSMONDAY, Page 2B
OOP, THERE IT IS
n A late alley-oop clinched Michigan’s home win over Minnesota on Saturday, the Wolverines’ second straight victory. Page 4B
SportsMonday
2B — January 12, 2015
SPORTSMONDAY From Page 1B
O
n the second floor of Yost Ice Arena is the media interview room. There are pictures of Michigan teams celebrating championships, trophies from the two Hobey Baker winners, awards for the countless conference championships and national titles. It has two couches and an armchair along the walls facing inward. There’s a blue, leather armchair, just like one a grandfather would have fallen asleep in, at the head of the room. It faces the trophies and the pictures and the people who have come to speak with Berenson. Everything around the room, including that blue chair, serves as a constant reminder about the success at Michigan. Berenson doesn’t keep plaques or trophies for reaching 800 wins, because he cares more about seeing his players graduate with a degree than he does about cranking out draft
picks. He keeps those awards because he cares about his team more. “He’s always hungry, always looking for the next best thing,” said junior forward Andrew Copp. His wins have never been about himself. Berenson will be quick to remind you he’s got a creative, offensive mind in assistant head coach Brian Wiseman and an experienced defensive leader in associate coach Billy Powers that make him look smart. He has had players like Jack Johnson, Marty Turco, Brendan Morrison and Mike Knuble, all of whom played some of their best hockey for him. Berenson’s biggest smile on the night of his 800th win came when he realized Knuble was in the back of the interview room, watching his coach dismiss how big a feat he accomplished. “I think it’s good before it became too much of a conversation piece,” Berenson said. “It’s not really about me, but something happens like this every 100 games, I guess.” Added senior forward Zach
Hyman: “Someone asked him, ‘You’re at 799, did you know that?’ And he responded with, ‘Yeah, if you’re counting.’ So he’s a humble guy, and you don’t see it on his face a lot.”
at Yost is really important for us,” Copp said. “You know, and in Pairwise (rankings) and NCAA implications, I don’t know where we’re at but we’re right on the borderline now, and if we keep playing the way we’re playing, we’ll find ourselves in the tournament.” Earlier in the week, Berenson said he wouldn’t celebrate his 800th victory, but a sweep of Minnesota is enough to make even the most stoic of coaches crack a smile. “I just had my 75th birthday, and I didn’t celebrate that, and I didn’t celebrate New Years and I didn’t even celebrate the GLI,” Berenson said after Wednesday’s
practice. “I mean, I was glad. To me, the best part of the GLI is in the locker room for the two or three minutes after the game where everyone can sit there and say, ‘Wow this is great.’ “They’re sweaty, they’re sore, they hurt, they’re tired and they’re happy and they’re fulfilled.” Exactly 800 times now, Berenson has felt that satisfaction from walking into a locker room and standing over a sweaty, sore, hurt, tired and happy bunch of Wolverines. He won’t admit Saturday’s victory is sweeter than another, but this is one of many that will be etched into the record books.
“He’s always hungry, always looking for the next best thing.”
BERENSON From Page 1B in the net.” The Golden Gophers seemed to answer nearly every time Michigan found twine, but forward Connor Reilly’s goal in the closing minute of the second period seemed to be the final threat. Forward A.J. Michaelson scored from the slot with under three minutes remaining, but neither his nor Reilly’s tally was enough to overcome the Wolverines’ well-cushioned lead. “It’s tough to win up in Minneapolis, so holding serve here
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
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he horn sounded on Saturday evening and the camera panned to Berenson, not to the team’s celebration. He exhaled, as if winning his 800th game was a relief. The crowd chanted “Thank you, Red,” while the student section bowed in appreciation. Berenson gave a slight wave to the crowd, but was no more excited than any other win. He walked off the ice and into a locker room applauding him. “You look around the locker room and you feel better about the guys you’re playing with, you feel better about your team,” Berenson said in the locker room after the game. “That’s how I feel as a coach.” Win No. 800 doesn’t feel much different than win No. 1, because each one is about the success of the Michigan hockey team. So now, Berenson is most excited that everyone will finally be able to move past the milestone. He can focus on beating Ohio State next for win No. 801. You know, if you’re counting.
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Red Berenson earned his 800th win Saturday when the Michigan hockey team completed a sweep of Minnesota.
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Zach Hyman has put together a strong senior campaign with a team-high 11 goals and 15 assists in 19 games.
Zach Hyman deserves your attention C utler Martin glided on one leg toward his teammates after netting the overtime game-winner Friday, securing the Michigan hockey team’s comeback win over No. 9 ERIN Minnesota. LENNON Everyone had watched as Martin buried the shot that ended the series opener. But nobody had seen the player who set up the dramatic tally, the player who embraced him in a bear hug after the goal: Zach Hyman. Hyman, a senior forward, tallied six points in the sweep. Both nights, he led the team with six shots and finished plus-four in the series. Yet the individual performance — which came against one of the best defenses in the country — was typical for the alternate captain, who surpassed his career best in points just 15 games into his senior season. The numbers tell us Zach Hyman is worthy of Hobey Baker-type attention. Hyman now leads Michigan and the Big Ten in points, while his 11 goals rank first on the team and second in the conference. And after upping his season total to an impressive 26 points in 19 games, the Florida Panthers prospect is now No. 5 in scoring in the country. Hyman is consistent. He’s clutch. He’s fast. He’s capable of leading a talent-filled roster at any level. Right now, Zach Hyman is the player who deserves the most attention from opposing defenses. His teammates know that, even if he won’t take the credit. “I’m fortunate to be playing with really good players,” Hyman said Saturday. “The puck is going in for me right now, and that’s always nice to see.” And if you pay just a little more attention to the No. 11 jersey, you’ll see Hyman’s contributions extend beyond the box score.
With just under 12 minutes remaining in the third frame Friday, junior forward Andrew Copp sent Minnesota forward Kyle Rau into the boards, and roughed several Gophers en route to the penalty box. He was tossed from the game and, after three minutes of the five-minute penalty kill, junior goaltender Steve Racine had allowed two goals, giving Minnesota a sudden 3-2 lead. So while the captain watched from the locker room, Hyman became general of the offense, finding junior forward Justin Selman to regain the tie midway through the period. “I didn’t even see the goal,” Hyman said Friday. That’s because as he threw the puck in front of the net, Hyman was already on his back, falling into the boards. Hyman isn’t the kind of player who demands attention; he’s the kind that deflects it to his teammates. “(Freshman defenseman Zach Werenski) made that play, and then I don’t know how I got the puck, but I luckily got the puck, and I just wanted to take it wide on their ‘D,’” he said of his own tally. Playing alongside the 15th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft in freshman Dylan Larkin means Hyman’s success has often been associated with the center. At the Great Lakes Invitational, without brandname players like Larkin and Werenski, it was Hyman who anchored a blue-collar effort in Michigan’s first title since his freshman year. On a new line, Hyman added gamewinning goals against both Michigan Tech and Michigan State, contributing half of the Wolverines’ offense. Simply put, Hyman is the kind of player Michigan needs to model its offense after if it wants to win against gritty teams like Michigan Tech and Minnesota in a postseason run. “If you look at the stats here, one goal, three assists, six shots,” Larkin said Friday.
“You can tell he’s stepping up and taking our team to the next level. It’s fun to watch, and he is fun to play with.” On Saturday, with five minutes remaining in the first period, Hyman, pinned to the boards, won a puck from his knees, drawing a penalty before skating around to fire a shot before the whistle sounded. Three seconds and one pass later, the unit scored a powerplay goal. At times, Hyman makes players like Copp and sophomore forward JT Compher, U.S. National Team Development Program players who have received their share of media attention well before stepping foot onto campus, look mediocre. With 42.7 seconds remaining in the period, the alternate captain took a puck through the neutral zone, splitting two Gophers defenders en route to an unassisted goal. “I know he’s fast,” Martin said. “He’s the fastest kid on our team, for sure.” None of this, though, should come as a surprise to those who follow Michigan hockey closely. Hyman has long been known as one of the hardest workers and one of the better two-way players on the team. His 17-point junior season was a career best, which is noteworthy considering he spent time at both center and winger. When he isn’t scoring or offering praise for his linemates, Hyman is listening and leading by example. During a goal review in the second period, Hyman stood alone in the crease talking with Racine before skating back to the Michigan bench to deliver a message to Berenson. Several minutes later, Racine left the game due to a foot injury and was replaced by sophomore Zach Nagelvoort. It was Hyman who paid attention to Racine. It’s time to start paying attention to Zach Hyman.
“You can tell he’s stepping up and taking our team to the next level.”
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SportsMonday
January 12, 2015 — 3B
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Power trio lifts ‘M’ over OSU in OT By BRAD WHIPPLE Daily Sports Writer
ROBERT DUNNE/Daily
Freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty scored 24 points on 6-for-11 shooting from 3-point range in Sunday’s win.
Wolverines are answering their own questions
W
ith the final seconds of overtime ticking down on the
Michigan women’s basketball team’s 100-94 win against Ohio State, coach Kim Barnes Arico looked MINH out onto the DOAN court and smiled. And she kept smiling as she went down her bench, hugging every player, coach and trainer. “I know how incredibly hard everyone works everyday, and I was just so proud of them,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “This is an Ohio State team that’s been playing extremely well that has a lot of talented kids on their team, and we stuck together to find a way to win.” Her team had just beaten a Buckeye squad that had won seven in its last eight games, a team that featured the first and 15th-leading scorers in the nation, and everything that could have possibly gone right went right for Barnes Arico and the Wolverines. Before the season began, there were four big question marks that Barnes Arico was concerned with: rebounding, senior forward Cyesha Goree, youth and the strength of the Big Ten. When Barnes Arico started her hug line, she did so because her questions had been emphatically answered. First, there was rebounding. While Michigan is still one of the shortest teams in the Big Ten, rebounding hasn’t been as big of an issue as Barnes Arico thought it would be. The Wolverines have stood their ground on both the offensive and defensive glass with Goree and senior forward Nicole Elmblad leading the charge, grabbing a majority of the rebounds. But with contributions from freshman forward Jillian Dunston and senior guard Shannon Smith, Michigan has done just fine on the glass. Sunday’s game against the
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan Women’s Basketball
100
Points Michigan scored Sunday, its highest total since 1998
36
Points senior guard Shannon Smith scored Sunday, a career high
2001
The last year Michigan beat Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State in the same season
19
Rebounds by senior forward Cyesha Goree
22
Turnovers forced by the Wolverines
9-1
Michigan home record, compared to 0-4 on the road
Buckeyes showcased the team’s rebounders, with Goree pulling down 19 while Elmblad had eight. As a team, the Wolverines outrebounded Ohio State by 14 by the end of the game. The Wolverines are still an undersized team, and with the rest of the Big Ten schedule looming, rebounding is a question they are going to have to continue answering every single night. But against the Buckeyes, they looked like they had a cheat sheet decoding the bounces of the ball. The second worry Barnes Arico had was whether or not Goree could repeat her second team All-Big Ten performance now that she has received some recognition for her efforts. While Goree wasn’t double teamed as much against Ohio State, she has had to fend off double and even triple teams most games. But she has found a way to still average a doubledouble. “She is the number-one person on everyone’s scouting reports after she wasn’t on anyone’s scouting report last year,” Barnes Arico said. Added Smith: “I think we have the best big in the country.” And Sunday against Ohio State, Goree only strengthened that opinion. Not only did Goree earn herself a double-double by halftime, she played the intangibles — diving for loose balls or fighting for space inside — as well as anyone could have. With 18 points to go along with 19 rebounds, Goree made a statement to the rest of the league that she is going to be an inside presence every night, despite her name appearing at the top of every team’s scouting report. But Goree is just one piece. Other teams still know Michigan has just three seniors, and no matter how Goree and her senior counterparts played, Barnes Arico was worried about the youth of the team and if they would be able to handle the pressures of a tough Big Ten schedule. But Sunday, over half of the players who played for the Wolverines were
underclassmen, and while they didn’t have as much impact as Smith or Goree, all five underclassmen contributed in some way. Freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty was on point, as usual, with her shot, scoring 24 points on six-for-11 shooting from behind the arc, and bounced back from her four-point performance at Rutgers. Flaherty has answered her coach’s questions about youth by making Barnes Arico forget there ever was one. “Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is still a freshman playing college basketball at the highest level,” Barnes Arico said. Sophomore Danielle Williams’ hustle and defense were integral as she was a big part of a fullcourt press that stonewalled the Buckeyes from crossing half court at times. And while freshman forward Jillian Dunston and sophomore guard Siera Thompson both struggled with foul trouble, the duo still contributed a combined 10 points to the cause. But even if all of those things went well, Barnes Arico was worried about the talent of the Big Ten. But after five games of conference play, the Wolverines have proven that they can hang with the best in the Big Ten, as they have beaten three top teams in the conference, including both of last year’s co-champions in Penn State and Michigan State. “The challenge every night is to keep that intensity each and every single night, because if you have a letdown in this league, you’re going to lose.” Michigan’s loss to Rutgers on Wednesday gave Barnes Arico little to smile about, but after its win over Ohio State, Barnes Arico couldn’t stop grinning. Just because the Wolverines answered all of Barnes Arico’s preseason questions doesn’t necessarily mean Michigan will win the national championship, because it is going to have to answer the same questions night in and night out. But for one game, at least, everyone contributed to the victory. And everyone got a hug.
Freshman guard Katelynn Flaherty made a 3-pointer. And another. There were 50 seconds left in regulation when she received the ball at the top of the key. Unguarded and 24 feet from the hoop, she drained the 3-pointer with a flick of her wrist, tying the Michigan women’s basketball team with Ohio State at 82, forcing overtime and sending Crisler Center into a mad frenzy. The Wolverines (3-2 Big Ten, 11-5 overall) got the ball to start an electric five-minute battle, and Michigan played its best basketball of the season. Rebound by rebound and intangible by intangible, the Wolverines controlled overtime and came out with a thrilling 100-94 victory over the Buckeyes. Flaherty, alongside senior guard Shannon Smith and senior forward Cyesha Goree, led the charge against Ohio State, and all scored in double digits. “It was pretty incredible,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico. “I’m so proud of our seniors and of our entire team for the way that they battled and played today.”
Michigan paved the way for its first 100-point scoring total since 1998 with the help of a fullcourt press on defense, which held Buckeyes guard Kelsey Mitchell — the nation’s leading scorer with 26 points per game — to zero points by halftime and just 13 overall. Near halftime, the defense cooled down before firing back up late in the game. As the defense clicked once again, so did Flaherty, who had started the game in a slump. After losing control of the ball twice in the first half, resulting in four points for the Buckeyes, she was benched. But when the stakes rose, she reverted back to her usual 3-point finesse. To start the extra minutes, Flaherty followed up her clutch shot with another open triple from the same spot — ending the game with a career-best 24 points. “Coming out (my 3-point shooting) felt good, and then, just like Michigan State, I missed a lot,” Flaherty said. “But at the end, I started hitting them again. And my teammates find me in great spots that I’m wide open for.” Then there was Smith, who was fearless en route to a careerhigh 36 points. Whether absorbing contact when driving to the basket or
taking a charge, she executed every intangible there was and helped launch the Wolverines into overtime by scoring five quick points in 18 seconds. During that span, Flaherty dove on the floor to steal the ball and passed to Smith, who was already in transition and faced only one defender to make an easy layup. The crowd jumped to its feet, and Smith signaled to get loud. Whenever Michigan missed shots, it seemed as though Goree was always there to take the ball back. Goree — who had a doubledouble in the first half alone — ended the game with 18 points and a career-tying 19 rebounds. Goree halted several crucial Buckeye possessions and helped Michigan outrebound Ohio State, 45-31. “She is the number one person in everyone’s scouting report,” Barnes Arico said. “That speaks to her work ethic, her motor and her desire and passion to be a great basketball player.” The Wolverines have now beaten Penn State, Michigan State and Ohio State in the same season for the first time since 2001. If the trend continues, even bigger things could be on the horizon.
WRESTLING
Michigan splits on weekend ‘M’ falls just short against No. 2 Minnesota but tops Michigan State By NATHANIEL CLARK Daily Sports Writer
EAST LANSING — Reflecting the poise and strength Paul Bunyan used to cut down trees, the Michigan wrestling team nearly took down a giant of its own. The 15th-ranked Wolverines fell just short of a road upset of No. 1 Minnesota on Friday, 20-19, and came back on Sunday to beat down in-state rival Michigan State, 28-9. Michigan went 5-5 in individual matches on Friday and 7-3 on Sunday. “Our goal was to make sure we put (the loss at Minnesota) behind us,” said Michigan coach Joe McFarland. “I think the guys did a pretty good job of that.” The big story from Friday was No. 8 sophomore heavyweight Adam Coon. With Michigan (1-1 Big Ten, 4-2 overall) down 17-10 to the Golden Gophers, Coon
tossed No. 13 Michael Kroells onto his back a mere eight seconds into his match. Coon went on to pin Kroells at the 0:23 mark to cut the margin to 17-16. “Having a stopper like (Coon) is very important,” McFarland said. Redshirt sophomore Conor Youtsey followed up Coon’s victory with one of his own, a 10-7 decision over Jordan Bremer in the 125-pound class. Youtsey’s win gave the Wolverines their first lead of the meet, 19-17. It also set up a do-or-die matchup at the 133-pound weight class, with junior Rossi Bruno taking on No. 1 Chris Dardanes. Bruno fought valiantly, but Dardanes scored a takedown with less than one minute left in the third period, sealing the match for himself and the meet for Minnesota. Sunday’s meet against the Spartans went much more smoothly for Michigan. Youtsey led off with a victory over Mitch Rogaliner, 3-2, in the 125-pound class. “(Conor) getting the first win was huge in that it gave us the momentum for the match,” McFarland said. Bruno followed Youtsey with
a dominant performance of his own, notching a 4-0 win over Hermilo Esquivel at 133 pounds. No. 13 Alec Pantaleo, a freshman, and No. 19 Brian Murphy, a sophomore, kept the Wolverines’ momentum going with 10-3 and 6-0 wins, respectively. Things got tense at the 165pound match, when Ryan Watts of Michigan State went down with an injury late in the third period in a close battle. Watts eventually got up, but No. 10 Taylor Massa, a redshirt sophomore, grabbed a win by injury default, putting the match out of reach. The weekend matches capped a two-month-long stretch on the road for the Wolverines. Michigan will return to Cliff Keen Arena on Jan. 18 to face Ohio State in their first home dual meet of the 2014-15 season. McFarland is excited for his team to resume channeling Paul Bunyan in Ann Arbor. “It hasn’t been a typical year,” McFarland said of the long road stretch. “We usually have at least one dual meet at home in the first semester. But we always enjoy wrestling at Cliff Keen Arena and it’ll be nice to be home.”
SportsMonday
4B — January 12, 2015
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
‘M’ rallies past Gophers, moves to 3-1 in Big Ten Wolverines shake slow start, close out Minnesota at home By LEV FACHER Managing Editor
The Michigan men’s basketball team attempted eight 3-pointers in the first half of its 62-57 victory over Minnesota on Saturday afternoon. It made none. But the Wolverines made up for their long-range struggles, and then some, in the second half, culminating in a trey from sophomore guard Derrick Walton Jr. that brought the Crisler Center crowd to its feet with just over three minutes remaining in the game. The shot and the ensuing three-turnover sequence gave the lead back to Michigan after a 14-minute stretch in which the Golden Gophers held the advantage. Though the game, at that point, hadn’t gone the Wolverines’ way, the final nine minutes played out exactly as they drew them up in the timeout huddle. “It was a little bit of everyone (talking in the huddle),” said junior guard Spike Albrecht. “The main message being, ‘We need three straight stops.’ Get stops, and get out and run an offense.” It was an afternoon of oddity in Ann Arbor, but that didn’t stop the Wolverines from orchestrating their comeback, which began with 8:56 remaining in the game and Minnesota leading by nine. The head-scratching moments included sophomore guard Zak Irvin backing down a Minnesota defender and getting whistled for a charge
while he attempted to finish a fast break. Also included were freshman forward Ricky Doyle missing the front end of the rim by several inches on a first-half free throw but later banking in a foul shot. To top off the often-sloppy, nonsensical play, freshman forward Kameron Chatman twice fouled the Golden Gophers’ Andre Hollins on 3-point attempts. Hollins went 5-for-6 on the resulting free throws. Hollins remained a thorn in the Wolverines’ side throughout, as he finished with 18 points. The Gophers’ Carlos Morris added 16 points of his own on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. If Minnesota had passed the ball as well as it shot it, the game might not have been close. But the Golden Gophers continually provided Michigan an open door to victory by coughing up the basketball with regularity. The Golden Gophers finished with 17 turnovers, baffling their secondyear coach, Richard Pitino. “Those turnovers were inexplicable,” Pitino said. “We didn’t allow ourselves to win the game. … We will not beat anybody — home, road, neutral — if you do that.” But despite the 17 turnovers, Michigan finished with just 11 points in offensive transition. “We just didn’t convert,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “I’m a bit concerned right now about our fast break — we’ve got to be better at it, and we’ve got to work at it more. We’ve spent so much time in defensive transition, (but) we’ve got to be better in offensive transition.” It wasn’t just the transition offense that struggled, especially in the early going. Michigan showed only
sparks of offensive cohesion in the first period, with one flash of brilliance coming when Albrecht left Doyle alone at the rim with a sneaky one-handed dish. Doyle finished with an emphatic two-handed reverse dunk that gave a previously quiet crowd a rare moment of excitement. But for most of the half, the Wolverines had trouble scoring simply because of 10-for-28 shooting from the field. Of the made shots, just three came from outside the paint. Trailing by seven, Walton drained a pair of foul shots, forced a Minnesota turnover and used a lightning-quick crossover at midcourt to set up an alley-oop layup to Irvin. A Minnesota turnover forced Pitino to take a timeout, which Doyle followed with an andone layup. Fittingly, he banked in the free throw, cutting Minnesota’s lead to 49-47. Michigan fought tooth and nail to hold onto its narrow lead in the game’s final minutes. Doyle drove the nail into the coffin with an emphatic dunk that put the Wolverines up 59-55. Irvin attributed the offensive improvement in the second half largely to Michigan finally cracking the Golden Gophers’ defensive front. “We just turned it around, tried to get in the paint,” Irvin said. “And if they put us in there, then we can kick it out.” The kick-outs led to vastly improved shooting in the second half — the Wolverines went 4-for-10 from beyond the arc in the second half, a far cry from their eight fruitless firsthalf attempts. Walton and LeVert tied for the team lead in scoring with 15 points each, followed by Doyle and Irvin with 12 apiece.
RUBY WALLAU/Daily
Derrick Walton Jr. tied for the team lead with 15 points and threw a late alley-oop pass to Ricky Doyle to clinch the win.
Walton takes over second half By DANIEL FELDMAN Daily Sports Editor
Derrick Walton Jr. didn’t come to Michigan, according to Michigan coach John Beilein, as a scorer. The sophomore guard took over the reigns of the point guard position last season from Trey Burke, and was surrounded by a bevy of offensive weapons around him to ease his progression into the Wolverines’ system. This season, however, things are different for the Michigan men’s basketball team. Walton has to create opportunities for himself as frequently as he needs to create opportunities for others. If he looked to pass only, the Wolverines’ offense just wouldn’t flow. “He came to us as a pass-first guy,” Beilein said. “And while we love that, if everyone was just playing to pass, you’re not going to find anybody open. So, we want him to be more aggressive shooting the ball.” With 38 seconds left in Michigan’s 62-57 win over Minnesota Saturday, Walton had a choice coming out of a Wolverine timeout. According to Beilein, four options existed for Michigan, which held a two-
point lead. With Caris LeVert on the floor, surely one option was for the lanky junior guard to get the ball at some point during the possession. However, the play that Michigan (3-1 Big Ten, 10-6 overall) and Walton executed was something that Michigan had never pulled off before, even in practice. As Walton drove towards the foul line, he lifted the ball in his right hand upward at the hoop, offering the deceiving look of a hook shot. When he lofted the ball in the air, freshman Ricky Doyle flew in to grab the ball with two hands before throwing it down for the dunk, giving Michigan a four-point lead. For the guard that was once so pass-centric, it was the threat of a shot that allowed Walton to pull off the pass. “I love that he turned his shoulders on the last one, got down at the foul line and just threw up a hook shot,” Beilein said. Added Walton: “All season, Ricky has just been finishing in a crowd, so of course I have confidence throwing it to my big fella.” For his partner in the backcourt, the explanation was
simpler for Walton’s pass and general excellent play in the game, especially in the second half. “That was D-Walt going to work,” said junior guard Spike Albrecht. “He just kind of took over in that second half.” Totaling 15 points, five rebounds and three assists, Walton looked like his old self, not someone still suffering from a sprained toe. Making three out of Michigan’s four 3-pointers of the game, Walton resembled the faston-his-feet thinker and player that he’s been known to be. “Derrick was playing like we remember Derrick playing,” Beilein said. “He’s not 100 percent healthy, but he was healthier today.” While the timetable for Walton to return to full health is unknown, Michigan will need to rely more than ever on his intangibles and creativity, whether he practices or not. “We haven’t done that in a game or a practice yet with it completed as a dunk,” Beilein said. “We practice it a lot, like once a week, but we haven’t done it in (a game). “That took a lot of courage to do that. And I’m so happy we did it — make or miss, it was the right play.”