The art of the cliché - Michigan talks the talk and walks the walk

If there is one thing that reporters - and English teachers, for that matter - hate the most, it's a cliché. These phrases, while once innovative and sometimes catchy, are often a way to avoid speaking one's mind.

In sports, these little bits of language are used most often when a team or person is doing well. While a coach may say 'We're taking this one game at a time,' the team's action on the field is always a better indicator of whether a cliché is accurate - or a bunch of garbage to appease reporters.

With a No. 2 ranking, a four-game lead in the Big Ten standings and a 40-4 overall record, one would think that the Michigan softball team would be quite skilled at using clichés.

And one would be right.

Barring a collapse, the Wolverines will be Big Ten champions and will host the conference tournament in just more than two weeks. With eight games to play and four games separating them from second-place Iowa, it would be human nature for the Wolverines to be looking toward the Big Ten Tournament.

Enter cliché.

"No," Michigan coach Carol Hutchins said about looking ahead. "We are going to focus on Purdue and that's it."

Come on, coach. Purdue? The Boilermakers, who come into Alumni Field tomorrow for a doubleheader, are in sixth place in the conference and are barely above .500 for the season. Just another useless cliché, it seems.

Not so fast. Michigan has already felt the upset bug this season. Last week, the Wolverines rode a 16-game winning streak into East Lansing for a doubleheader against Michigan State. The Wolverines were 12-0 in conference play while the Spartans were barely above .500 at 6-5.

After riding the pitching of Sara Griffin to win the first game, the Wolverines fumbled the second game to the Spartans. It seemed as if Michigan didn't follow its own cliché - take it one game at a time - which means one simple thing - more clichés. These comments were flowing nonstop after the Wolverines swept Northwestern this past weekend.

Michigan State "put things into perspective," Griffin said. "Maybe it was a good thing to lose so we could regain focus."

The quest of 'learning from a loss' is a theme in most clichés. While many teams claim to have learned lessons from defeats, much of what they "learn" doesn't show up on the field the next game.

That can't be said for the Wolverines, and Northwestern can attest. Michigan held the Wildcats -who came into the series in sole possession of second place - to just four runs in the three-game sweep, while scoring 17 runs of its own. Lesson learned? For now, yes.

"I think we bounced back good," Hutchins said. "We got back to playing Michigan softball, which involves solid defense and a lot of hitting."

Being the second-ranked team in the country helps a team avoid the reporters that cover it - a cliché or two often keeps the media at bay.

But are these clichés accurate? Will Michigan take things one game at a time? Learn valuable lessons each time out, etc.

While clichés may be a boring, effortless way to avoid talking in detail, a team that actually lives by the often-used quotes is more likely to be a champ - and not just a chump.

04-21-98