I can't help but laugh.  The very first message I read after Roger
Spurgeon's very eloquent message about Michigan-bashing is this... Kindo of
ironic?  OK, here I go...
 
First off, if you don't understand that the best team doesn't always win a
single game series, then you don't understand sports. Period. End of
discussion.  I don't know how to put this any more bluntly.  I honestly
don't think Arizona is the best basketball team in the country, *but they
played the best when it counted.*  They wanted it more than Kentucky.  So
they are the National Champions, and deservedly so.  Was Michigan the best
team last year?  Quite possibly not.  I still think the best Michigan squad
might have been the 93 team, but they didn't win it all.  It's a fact of
sports.  I'm not saying Michigan deserved the national championship,
because North Dakota earned it, and I congratulate them.  But, if you look
at the season as a whole, I honestly feel that Michigan was the best team.
Blaise said it.  Parker said it.  Morrison said it.  Berenson said it.
Does that make Morrison and Berenson bad people?  I guess, if you believe
what some people on this list seem to think, it does...  I've met Brendan
several times.  He is a very nice, very modest, very classy person and I'm
damn proud to have him on my team.
 
At 08:52 AM 4/1/97 -0700, Greenie wrote:
>It's extremely hard to ignore the fact however that Red did not ONCE
>mention anything positive about his opponent. If this game were a result of
>horrendous officiating, countless stupid mistakes by Michigan players, or a
>plane crash killing Michigan's first line, then perhaps one could let Red's
>comments pass.
 
Red's team had just lost what was probably the most devasting loss in his
career as a coach, if not his entire hockey career.  He was upset.  He
wanted to let his team know that he was proud of them.  If I were on the
team, that's what I'd want my coach to say, too.
 
>Yet not once have I read anything, in any paper, web site, or email forum,
>concerning a single positive remark towards their opponents -- either
>before or after the game -- from anybody associated with Michigan's hockey
>team.
 
This is insulting, plain and simple.  I applaud North Dakota, I'm very
happy for them, they deserve the championship, no question about it - that
doesn't change the fact that the loss was the most devasting sporting loss
I've felt since the Mets lost the 88 playoffs to the Dodgers in game seven
when Roger Darling let up six runs in something like two innings of work...
 It hurt, because I love the Michigan hockey team and I'm a die-hard fan.
For two days, I wouldn't read any posts, and articles, any anything about
the game.  I didn't pick up a copy of the Michigan Daily on Friday.
Because if I did, I would have relived it in my mind, and I didn't want to
do that.  And if you have such a problem with that that you have to
personally attack me and every other Michigan fan and people "associated
with Michigan's hockey team" then you need help.
 
>I've heard far too many times, mostly from Michigan fans both in public and
>here on Hockey-L, as well as from Red and the Michigan press, as to how
>"classy" and "mature" Morrison is. Perspective does funny things, I guess.
>Did anyone hear Morrison congratulate the other Hobey nominees, as just
>about any other award recipient does? For his sake, I hope he did, and I
>just plain missed it.
>
 
Have you ever met Brendan Morrison, Jason?  I'm just wondering, because
it's a pretty big step to take one comment made at a very emotional period
in one's life and make a character judgement based on that comment.
 
>For the insulting side, how about the thousands of Michigan fans that just
>plain LEFT the state of Wisconsin after the "best team" lost? So much for
>enjoying a solid weekend of hockey. A hotel doorman had accrued over 100
>tickets for the final without paying a cent. He said that half of the
>tickets were litterally tossed to the ground as Michigan fans returned from
>the game or left to drive home.
 
Wow.  I'm sorry if Michigan fans have lives outside of hockey.  I'm sorry
if some of us had classes on Friday that, while we were willing to miss
them to cheer our team on and support in search of a national championship,
we're not ready to miss for a hockey game we have no personal interest in.
I'm sorry if some of us had papers due on Monday.  We are STUDENTS!!!!  We
have to WORK!!!!  Please, if you're going to bash us, dig deep and try to
find *something* a little better than that.
 
>Of course, there were also all the Michigan fans who, during Saturday's
>championship, couldn't resist yelling in my face (as I am a BU fan) as I
>was standing in line for food, souvenirs, or the bathroom. Then their was
>the small crowd a few rows in front of us that launched obsenities back
>towards our small crowd, and continued to berate me outside the arena.
 
And I'm sure there's not a single obnoxious BU fan.  Not one, not for the
high and mighty Terriers.  And are you sure someone in your group didn't
say something to instigate it?  It wouldn't surprise me, seeing as how much
you hate us Michigan fans.
 
 
-Josh
Michigan fan and damn proud of it.
_____________________
 
        "What would you do if you ate your daddy's shoes?"
 
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