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Anti-Michiganism plagues campus, Crisler and more

It's not too far off -- Aug. 31, that is. No, it's not my birthday. It's not graduation. Ostensibly, it's just another day in the life of an astoundingly mediocre columnist.

But to the `U' -- and all you associated with the `U' -- Aug. 31 shall be quite a special day indeed.

The last day of August is the first day of the Michigan football season, as the Wolverines host Illinois. And with that begins an entirely different season, a season that encompasses several sports, a season that endures for almost a full year -- namely, hunting season.

Aug. 31 is the day students, media and people spanning practically the entire globe begin taking their shots at Michigan athletic teams, coaches and players. They'll start with the football team, end with the hoops team and nail everyone who claims to be a Wolverine along the way.

It'll be here soon enough, no doubt. But when it comes, I just hope the naysayers have something new to ... well, to naysay, because the present storylines are getting old.

Anti-Michiganism was quite high during football season, beginning with the many boos voiced at Michigan Stadium at the season-opening Virginia game. It continued throughout the year, as the Wolverines never threw, scored or won enough to please anyone.

But just as Albert White's vertical leap carries him to a level a bit higher than Will Carr's does, scrutiny of the Wolverines has reached an all-new plateau with the change from football to basketball season.

These guys can't shoot straight ... Fisher can't coach ... the Wolverines don't play smart and as a team ...

You hear the criticisms so often, they resonate in your brain to no end, causing you sleeplessness and nausea and robbing you of the ability to concentrate in class, on a book or even on tying your shoelaces.

Or maybe that's just me.

Still, these are all criticisms we've heard before -- heard often before. The players seemingly are never safe from the endless faultfinding.

And nowadays, neither are the fans. They're not loud enough, we write in the paper -- or in some cases, we write that to the paper.

It's bad enough when your team is in sixth place in the conference. Being subjected to all of this negativity makes following the season all the less enjoyable.

But wait: there's more. There's the issue of that car accident, the one Maurice Taylor, Robert Traylor and a few other players got into Feb. 17. Why didn't the coach suspend them ... what were they doing out that late ...

What were they doing out that late? They were probably the same thing the rest of the University population was, except they weren't even drunk.

Still, the accident has been portrayed as an incident, and it's become an indictment of the players and coach Steve Fisher.

In short, it's all gotten way out of hand.

That's why I can't wait for Aug. 31, when the new season begins. Hopefully, that day will be the start of a yearlong string of Michigan successes.

Now, I don't wish for this because I'm a Michigan fan. I just wish it because it'll give people around here something different to talk about.

Instead of treating Aug. 31 as the first day of hunting season, maybe Michigan students and fans can designate that day as the one on which they start truly backing their team.

It shouldn't be too long 'til then -- six months and four days, to be exact.

Hopefully that day will come sooner than that.