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September 30, 2001

   When it happened the first time, I was excited. When it happened the second time, I was astounded. When it happened the third time, I was ecstatic. Now that it's happened a fourth time, I don't even know what to think. It's ridiculous.
    Some people wait years for their favorite team to put together some suitably incredible finishes. We Northwesterners have been spoiled with four in the span of twelve games, basically the equivalent of one season, in which time the average team will have one pretty decent finish if they're lucky. The fact that Northwestern has had two of its last seven games go straight to ESPN Classic pretty much says it all. (And it isn't like those four are the only great finishes in school history - let alone in the past six years; see the poll of September 10.)
    The odd thing about the Michigan State game going right to ESPN Classic is that there wasn't anything all that great about it. "Oh, but the ending!" you whine. Yeah, I know what happened. I was listening on the radio, and by the way, to my detractors, I submit that having your emotions being directly tied in to someone's voice and really not being able to use your imagination can actually heighten the emotions you're going through. Not to suggest that people who go to the game miss out (you could wear your Walkman in the stands), just to suggest that I'm not missing quite as much as you all think.
    Anyway, to get off that tack, this really doesn't fit what I'd think of normally as an "Instant Classic" game. Compare it, for example, to the Michigan game. Okay, we all know nothing can top that one. But look at it: for one thing, there were points being put on the board pretty much the whole time. Neither team went a quarter without scoring - but Northwestern came from behind because of their 18 fourth-quarter points while holding Michigan to six in the same stanza. For another, the winning points were scored with well under a minute to play. For a third, the winning points came about thirty seconds after a play that started out as the backbreaker from Michigan and turned into the salvation for Northwestern when Anthony Thomas coughed one up. To paraphrase Chong, the Michigan game was better than sex. It was so good you can just say "the Michigan game." You don't need a year, a date, nothing.
    Now let's compare it to this year's Michigan State game. In this game, there was an entire quarter in which there was no scoring at all (the third). This in itself is not bad - the problem is why there was no scoring. Northwestern's offense was sputtering and Michigan State missed two - count 'em two - field goals - on back-to-back possessions, no less.
    Yes, we can all agree that the last five minutes - if not the last thirty seconds, in which sixteen points, almost a third of the game total, were scored - were amazing. But do five minutes make a whole game classic? Clemson beat Georgia Tech in OT today, with Woodrow Dantzler's touchdown ending the game. Is that one going to be on ESPN Classic this week? I don't think so. I'm beginning to wonder if Northwestern isn't getting by on reputation alone.
    I for one think that last year's Wisconsin and last year's Minnesota game were better than this year's Michigan State game. They'll never be talked about in the same light because they didn't happen at Ryan Field, but all you have to do is look at what happened. The Wisconsin game rivaled the Michigan game in its upset-minded, seesaw nature, and it had a 46-yard field goal on the last play of regulation to tie and a Damien Anderson TD in the second overtime to win. Better than the Michigan State game, no doubt about it. And the Minnesota game, which the pass that set up Wasielewski's winner is already being compared to because of the tipped ball, had something to it: a big-time, 21-point comeback. This was a game in which Northwestern trailed 35-14, late in the third quarter, before proceeding to score the next 27 points. You could argue that this game was relatively ugly, and more than half of it really was for NU fans, but the fourth quarter was so outstanding, particularly the way it ended, that you could, just like with the MSU game, ignore the more boring parts (things which the UM and UW games didn't really have). "So," you say, "you admit the Minnesota game wasn't that good." No, I admit it was not an instant classic, but I still maintain it had more going for it than the MSU game and the only reason it's ignored is because the NU students think it couldn't be that good if they weren't there.
    And that's their right. I mean, if your definition of a good game is one that kicks ass and which you were on hand for, then sure, the Michigan State game is right up there for Ryan Field regulars. (And I mean in the past couple years, because the 10/5/96 Michigan game was another fantastic finish in Evanston that would also, I think, top this one.) But my definition of a good game is, you know it when you see it. And it doesn't matter how you see it, or where it happened. And as such, I will agree that the Michigan State game (as it may henceforth be known, especially since it's probably the only notable game we've ever played against MSU) was a great game with a fantastic finish.
    But that doesn't make it "the second-best NU game ever" or even "of the last two years."

September 29, 2001

Well, the first week of classes has come to a relatively uneventful close. Russian has yet to be as scary as Chris made it out to be (though he maintains it will get there). Everything else is just moving along as classes tend to do.
There are other things I could tell you about - but in the case of these particular things, I would be asking for trouble. So forget it.

September 25, 2001

Ah, day two of class. Tuesday and Thursday are much better than Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, because I only have two classes and I'm done by noon. The funny thing is that my TTh classes are entirely Russian: Russian at 9, Russian Lit at 10:30. Ain't that some shit?
Speaking of ain't that some shit, what is up with this fortune cookie I got? I quote: "Beautiful things awaits you." I recognize that Chinese restaurants (though actually I got this at Norris) aren't known for their grammar or spelling, in such famous examples as "Chinese glonous history" and "tuk under thurnb," but fortune cookies don't usually have this problem. This is a pretty egregious one too, as anyone who knows English worth a lick ought to be able to realize that they've singularized the verb following a plural noun. Come on.

September 24, 2001

   There are always concrete signs of the times. For example, you know it's fall in Evanston when the wind kicks up, the rain moves in, and the temperature drops 30 or 40 degrees. Oh, it's a party out there. Fortunately, as I mentioned earlier, I don't have more than a two or three-minute walk to any class, although the walk to Norris is somewhat of a pain in the ass.
    The Cubs started their June Swoon a little late this year, but they're in fine form, having as I write this lost three straight - and blowing multiple-run leads in all three games. So much for that.
    Quiz Bowl is starting, which is always fun for me, but we may get screwed out of tournaments, because no one seems to want to go. Hopefully this will change. Lazy, lazy people.
    I wanted to take a moment to mention the additions to the links page, because if I didn't you'd never see them, since everyone knows I don't update that page. The updates are pages for Jan and Leah (these may soon be added to the Quiz Bowl page, which I think I'm going to expand)'s personal websites. I wrote some smarmy things about them which appear on the Links page and which I won't reprint here because I don't feel like it. You should go there and read them, because they are far more interesting than the pages themselves (ha ha!).

September 24, 2001

I had to go to SBX today because the Norton Anthology of Shakespeare (over 3,400 pages of fun!) was located there. I also picked up a few spiral notebooks, which Norris was apparently out of.
The point to this is that they were handing out this little free box called "Campus Trial Pak," separated conveniently into two piles, one "for him" and one "for her." The outside promises "samples - special offers - cool stuff," the latter of which, it can safely be presumed, was not to be found inside. I present now, because I enjoy being boring, the contents.

    1. A CD for America Online 6.0. Every time AOL comes out with a new version, they seem to decide it would be a good idea to add more free hours. This particular CD offered 1000 free hours for 45 days. Of course, there are only 1,080 hours in 45 days, but this is better than at times in past when they've actually offered more free hours than could be found in the given period of days. At least in this case you know you can just leave your computer connected to AOL for 42 days on end (and then forget the last three), although as I recall AOL will boot you off for inactivity. Well, I'm always looking for new frisbees.
    2. An envelope containing "Special Student Offers!" This included: a special on Gateway computers, an offer to get a cell phone, a deal to get $126.40 worth of Newsweek for $12.67, the requisite "huge list of magazines, most of which you've never even heard of, at outlandish discounts," and an offer to get a Citibank Mastercard.
    3. A 2-pack of Vivarin tablets, with a coupon for $1.00 of your next purchase. What's the message here, I wonder?
    4. A package containing a 2-pack each of NyQuil and DayQuil.
    5. A packet containing two Ice Breakers mints.
    6. A packet containing one piece of Carefree Koolerz gum.
    7. Three Jolly Ranchers.
    8. A trial size of Old Spice High Endurance Red Zone deodorant. The scent was "Mountain Rush," which I would have guessed to be a flavor of sports drink.
    9. An entire bar of Zest "Rainforest Falls" soap. The packaging touted its newness in three languages ("New! Nouveau! Nuevo!"), which is a little strange to say the least.
    In other words, of the "nine" items in the package, only seven even have the potential to be useful. And I'm only planning on using three, maybe four of them, barring an illness requiring Ny/DayQuil. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some free mints to eat.

Oh, and at long last, because a certain nameless voter is a lazy bum, it's the latest Top 20 poll.

September 24, 2001

   Ah, the first day of class. Currently it's 8:20, and classes start at nine. I'm all showered already, so I've got a few minutes to talk.
    I've got a curious knack for nailing down classes pretty well in South Campus. Okay, I take that back - it's very easy to do this if you're not in Tech, but still, my fall quarters have been incredible. Last year in fall quarter I had classes at Parkes, the library, Harris, and Fisk. Then I had a class at Tech winter quarter (great timing) and one at Leverone (not bad, but north of the libes) in the spring.
    Come fall quarter again, it's even better than last year. I've got University, Harris, Annie May Swift, and Parkes. The AMS class directly follows the University class MWF, which is about a thirty-second walk. And TTh my day finishes up at noon, a nice little antidote to the fact that every day begins at nine (or really 7:30, when I wake up to avoid the shower rush at eight or so).
    Let's see, what to update. Well, the Top 20 Poll should be done by the middle of the day, so look for that. I'm also making a bit of a change to the About page, because why not? And I'm adding a link to the Links page, which I haven't done in approximately 37 years.

September 22, 2001

Updates have been made to the Movies to See and Movies to Avoid the Shit Out Of pages, compensating for shifted release dates, and adding the "Critical Consensus" to movies that have been released in the past two weeks.

September 22, 2001

This might sound a tad insensitive, but bear with me.

     What is the deal with Hollywood's totally knee-jerk reaction to the recent events in New York City? Look, I think we can all agree that it was a national tragedy, but I don't think that recutting movies to remove any reference to bombs or terrorists is really the best way to go about things.
    This isn't like Columbine, okay? Movies about terrorists cannot even be suggested to be at fault for the disaster. Thus, pulling them off the slate, or worse, editing them, is not necessary. Okay, some people are more sensitive than others, and could be more easily traumatized by such films. But I'd hope that these people would be smart enough to avoid films that did such things. It's not really that hard.
    Let's take a look at some examples of films that are being affected:
    Big Trouble - originally, the ensemble comedy was due to come out yesterday. But because it has a bomb on an airplane in it, it's been pushed back into 2002.
    Collateral Damage - okay, I wouldn't really be too upset if this one died a quiet death. Its release is in jeopardy because the opening scene involves a terrorist blowing up a skyscraper. It used to be due out October 5 - now it's been practically erased from existence (even the official website is down).
    Training Day - this one was originally slated for yesterday as well. Now it's coming out in a couple of weeks. The change couldn't possibly have been to avoid competition - as only Glitter opens this week - so one has to assume it's because the film contains violence. Well, damn.
    Spider-Man - the film itself may not be affected, but the teaser trailer is gone. It did only feature Spider-Man catching crooks in a big web between the Twin Towers.
    Men in Black 2 - apparently the film featured a big climax involving the WTC. That'll be gone.
    The Time Machine - whether the ending's change is due to the disaster or not is unclear, since the release date change was announced on the tenth. But the end, which featured pieces of the moon falling on Manhattan, will be recut.
    Ocean's Eleven - the ending of this will apparently be changed, as it formerly featured a New York-themed Vegas casino going kaboom.

    Okay, so obviously some of these make sense. I mean, it'd be tough to justify keeping MIB2's climax at the WTC when it could be moved to another location (and will be), particularly since by the time the film comes out next summer, the Twin Towers will have been defunct for quite some time. But I hope that The Time Machine is not being recut because of the disaster (unless it showed buildings very similar to the WTC biting it when the moon hit). But I think that we're overreacting a bit in making changes to Ocean's Eleven. Come on. And pushing Big Trouble back, at least as far as they did, is weak.
    I agreed with Mike Lupica when, on "The Sports Reporters," he said that not playing football last week would not bring anyone back. I don't have a problem with the decision to not play sports last weekend - I can certainly understand it - but I didn't necessarily totally agree with it. I, for one, wanted something to get my mind off the disaster, and sports would have done that. And while these are all nice, sensitive gestures, they don't undo anything. Ditto for changing these endings. People who don't want to see that stuff are going to avoid them, and I think that there are definite threats of flow being ruined because of hastily changed conclusions. Yes, scenes actually featuring the WTC need to be fixed, but otherwise, give me a break.
    Virtually every reaction to the disaster has been knee-jerk. "Let's get all the Arabs," for example, which is the worst kind of blanket prejudice (blanket prejudice being the very same thing that caused the attacks in the first place). While I recognize the sensitive nature of the situation, I hope the movies involved don't get ruined because of hasty recuts designed to appease people.
    Yes, we should remain aware of and be sensitive to what happened. But let's not kill ourselves trying to avoid any appearance of insensitivity. Anyone who thinks that's what would be happening by releasing these movies is painfully unaware of the point.

September 20, 2001

Rare is the time when I go without a computer for such long periods. But it is only today that my computer finally found its way out of storage and into my dorm room, despite the fact that I've been here since Saturday and got my other boxes on Sunday. But it's all water under the bridge now, as I am back connected, and better than ever. Well, maybe not, but I might as well say that to feel good.

September 10, 2001

The first BigFlax.com Top 20 College Football Poll of the year is now up. We've got six voters right now (already matching last year's high) but I'm always looking for more. Send me an e-mail at r-flaxman@northwestern.edu if you wish to become a voter.

September 6, 2001

The new poll, in case you hadn't noticed, is "What is the most memorable Northwestern football game since 1995?" Because space wouldn't really permit it up there, I figured I should give you a summary of the games down here so you could make a more informed judgment.

1. September 2, 1995, South Bend, IN: Northwestern 17, #9 Notre Dame 15
Northwestern was outgained by the Irish, and had fewer first downs and more penalties. But Darnell Autry rushed for 160 yards, Steve Schnur threw two TD passes, and the Wildcat defense held on a fourth-down stand late in the fourth quarter. It was the first time NU had opened a season with a win since 1975 and their first win over Notre Dame since 1962. The Cats had entered the game as 27-point underdogs to the then-#9 Irish.

2. October 7, 1995, Ann Arbor, MI: #25 Northwestern 19, #7 Michigan 13
NU held Brian Griese under 100 yards passing and scored the game's last thirteen points to upset then-#7 Michigan in Ann Arbor. NU had not beaten Michigan there since 1959, or anywhere since 1965. Tim Biakabutuka had 205 rushing yards, but had a touchdown that would have put UM up 20-6 called back on a holding penalty.

3. October 5, 1996, Evanston, IL: #22 Northwestern 17, #6 Michigan 16
NU trailed #6 Michigan 16-0 entering the fourth, but a touchdown, two-point conversion, and three Brian Gowins field goals gave the Cats 17 points and the game. Gowins' third field goal was his longest - 39 yards - and had to be kicked twice after the first attempt (which would have been good) was whistled dead. The field goal came with 13 seconds left, capping a drive that saw Steve Schnur hit Brian Musso on fourth and 13 to keep the Cats alive.

4. October 19, 1996, Madison, WI: #14 Northwestern 34, Wisconsin 30
Down 30-20 in the fourth, NU scored twice, including D'Wayne Bates' go-ahead catch with 37 seconds left, to win 34-30 in Madison. The Cats looked dead after Brian Gowins missed a 56-yard field goal with 1:47 left, but a minute later Ron Dayne lost the ball while trying to run out the clock. Safety Eric Collier pounced on it at the Wisconsin 41, and Steve Schnur ran 21 yards on the next play before finding Bates from 20 yards out.

5. November 16, 1996, Evanston, IL: #13 Northwestern 27, Purdue 24
Another last-second fumble bailed NU out as the Cats beat Purdue 27-24. After their ten fourth-quarter points had tied the score, the Boilermakers were driving again, but Eric Haddad's fumble was recovered by linebacker Barry Gardner with just over two minutes left. NU ran 1:56 off the clock and moved down to the Purdue 15, from where Brian Gowins hit the game-winning field goal with seven seconds left.

6. September 23, 2000, Madison, WI: Northwestern 47, #6 Wisconsin 44 (2OT)
Wisconsin led 23-17 in the fourth quarter when Damien Anderson scampered 69 yards to put the Cats up 24-23. The teams proceeded to trade touchdowns (Wisconsin getting a two-pointer), tying it at 31, before Vitaly Pisetsky's 47-yarder with 51 seconds left put the Badgers up 34-31. Unfazed, the Cats quickly drove to the Wisconsin 29 and Tim Long hit a 46-yarder - his career long - with no time left to tie the game. The teams traded TDs in the first OT, but NU held UW to a field goal in the second before watching Anderson take it in from 12 yards out for the 47-44 upset.

7. October 28, 2000, Minneapolis, MN: Northwestern 41, Minnesota 35
Minnesota led 35-14 late in the third quarter, and things looked tight for the Cats. Then Zak Kustok found Sam Simmons from 13 yards to leave the Cats down 14 going into the fourth. Kustok took it in himself twice, tying the score with under ninety seconds to play. Minnesota's attempt to play for overtime failed miserably, as the Cats quickly got the ball back. With no time left, Kustok heaved the ball from near midfield to the end zone, where it was deflected to Sam Simmons, giving the Cats a remarkable 41-35 win and a moment known as "Victory Right."

8. November 4, 2000, Evanston, IL: #23 Northwestern 54, #12 Michigan 51
   Billed as an "instant classic," the NU-Michigan game featured nearly 1200 yards of total offense - 654 by NU, and 275 (268 rushing) by Damien Anderson alone. Zak Kustok had his best game of the season, completing 27 of 40 passes for 322 yards and two TDs with no INTs.
    The Wolverines took a 28-10 second-quarter lead and appeared in control. But the Cats battled back and trailed just 28-23 at the half. UM led 35-23 and 42-29 in the third quarter, but Anderson's 45-yard run late in the third made it 42-36. After a Hayden Epstein field goal, Kustok ran 12 yards to make it 45-43. A Tim Long field goal put the Cats up a point, but Anthony Thomas scored with 8:34 left to put Michigan up 51-46.
    NU came back down and appeared to go ahead on a slant to Teddy Johnson, but a penalty on center Austin King called it back, and on the next play, Anderson dropped the ball in the corner of the end zone with 1:49 left. Michigan appeared poised to run out the clock, but Thomas - shades of Ron Dayne - lost the ball and Raheem Covington grabbed it with less than a minute to play. This time Kustok found Sam Simmons for the lead, and a two-point conversion made it 54-51. A bad snap on the game's final play cost Epstein a chance at a 56-yard field goal that would have tied it.

So there you have it. Freshly informed, you may now vote.

September 5, 2001

It's that funky time again: Rob v. Dave, NFL Pick Extravaganza.

In case you hadn't noticed, the top of this page is just lousy with link buttons. I added two more today, for the NFL Picks main page and also for the Australia trip, a portion of the site which was sort of quickly buried but deserves more attention. When the BigFlax.com Top 20 College Football Poll kicks off next weekend, expect a button for that as well.

September 4, 2001

   I had just finished Bill Bryson's Notes from a Small Island and was in a vaguely Brysonian frame of mind, as I perhaps too often am, when it occurred to me, with no small measure of despair, that the Cubs have been to the postseason as many times in my lifetime as in my father's lifetime. I suppose he may find this more depressing than do I, but nonetheless it is true: since 1952, the Cubs have appeared in the postseason three times: 1984, 1989, and 1998. They played 13 games combined in those three appearances (which consisted of just three series since, as I've mentioned before, they haven't won a playoff series since the last WS win in '08) and won a total of three.
    In addition to this, the Cubs have appeared in postseason play a total of eight times in my grandfather's lifespan, which tacks on five World Series appearances between 1925 and 1945 (their last), none of which, of course, they won. They also managed to win a total of six games in those five appearances - taking three from the Tigers in 1945 and thus playing, in Game Seven of that series, what I believe is the only game they've played where they could have won the World Series since '08, even though they'd actually appeared in quite a few World Series between the two points. Actually, between '08 and '45 the Cubs were kind of the Buffalo Bills of baseball (or the Atlanta Braves of old-timey baseball) - frequently reaching the championship but never winning it.
    The Cubs made the World Series in 1910, 1918, 1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945. In none of those years did they win it. In '32 and '38 they suffered the ignominy of being swept by the Yankees. They also lost several times to the Tigers, the team they had defeated in 1907 and 1908, and, coincidentally, the team they would have faced had they made the World Series in 1984, which I still maintain that they would have had Wrigley Field had lights, thus allowing the Cubs to maintain the home-field advantage that was rightfully theirs. Of course, things being fair the networks wouldn't have forced night games in the first place. In any event, had this happened the Cubs would, I think, certainly have at least made the World Series in my lifetime, though they may well have lost to the Tigers (since Detroit ended up making quick work of the overmatched Padres).
    The one possible downside to the Cubs winning the World Series in 1984 would be that I would not remember it now, and when the Cubs win the World Series I definitely want to remember it. Of course, were I not speaking as the fan of a team that has now gone 93 years without a title, at a time when the Florida Marlins waited a scant four years for their first crown (albeit in somewhat dubious fashion, roster-wise), but rather as the fan of a team that had gone just 17 years without one - and up until 1996 would have won a ring more recently than the hated Yankees - I might feel differently. Regardless, I see that I have once again devoted way too much space to the fact that the Cubs have a history of falling short - well, really, in most cases failing to get anywhere near close enough to fall short. In any event, I spend every summer clinging to the hope that the Cubs will at least make the postseason, thereby giving them a much better chance to win the World Series than the summers in which they miss it (read: nine out of ten, historically). This year may be the best chance the Cubs have had at even making the World Series since 1984 (in '89 the Giants were probably a little too tough for the Cubs' largely overmatched pitching staff), which isn't saying much, because they may not even make the postseason unless the offense can stay more consistent. But if it can, and as long as they don't have to face Arizona in the first round (would you want to face Randy Johnson twice, plus Curt Schilling, in a short series?), maybe the Cubs can, at the very least, win a playoff game.
    Yeah, just one game. That'd be okay for now. Cubs fans learn not to set their sights too high.

Oh, if you want to be a voter in the BigFlax.com Top 20 College Football Poll, drop me an e-mail.

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This page last updated: Tuesday, July 30, 2002 09:19:30 PM