'Perfection' - Daily columnist recalls five greatest 'M' memories

On the way home, a concerned senior voiced his displeasure.

"Can you believe our defense?" he asked, fully confident in the answer he wanted. "I mean, without Blackburn in goal, we would have gotten killed!"

This one-way banter continued for most of the walk, with him offering suggestions on how to remedy the failing basketball and hockey programs and me nodding along, or off depending on the comment, as we neared our respective homes.

Mark

But his final comment struck a chord. As he entered his house, he reminded me, "our Michigan sports career is over."

It was so routine, just like he was a player on the teams he cheered for, expelling generous portions of his soul from four years of fandom.

Though the career isn't entirely over - the baseball and softball teams have two months to play - his moment of reflection stirred me to deep thought about the most memorable Michigan sports moments of my four years on (and off) this campus.

Drum roll, please.

5. The 1997 NCAA Ice Hockey Semifinal Game (Bradley Center) - Boston University 3, Michigan 2

The sting of the hit may be a moment no one in attendance will ever forget. Skating down the ice in his sterling maize jersey, Brendan Morrison provided as smooth a sight as Michigan fans had ever known. He was polite, courteous and the best college hockey player in the nation.

But after BU's Chris Drury leveled him midway through the first period, Morrison was licking the ice.

As the brutish power of BU pummeled every one of the Wolverines' offensive stars, the magic of the perfect team disappeared. The days of questioning the score and not the outcome vanished and the contemplation of heartbreak revisited the defending champion.

Now, that team is remembered for what it didn't do - win the NCAA championship - instead of what it did.

It was a group of smooth upperclassmen poised for their destiny. They had won the title a year earlier, before it was their turn, all in preparation for their senior year. They could toy with a defense and nearly score at will. Posting eight-goal games was as routine as lacing up their skates.

Watching John Madden break away for a shorthanded tally or Jason Botterill punch yet another rebound goal past a helpless netminder became the norm.

But that all ended in a half-empty arena on a cold Milwaukee March day. The best sports team in my four years at Michigan was the one that didn't win.

4. The 1996 NCAA Regional softball final (Alumni Field) - Michigan 10, South Carolina 1

Under a sky that bore no clouds but brought down searing heat, Michigan sophomore pitcher Sara Griffin tossed a gem. Her fearless motion, hard and deliberate, had the Gamecocks wishing and hoping for a chance. Griffin never gave it to them.

Just one day after outdueling All-America hurler Trinity Johnson, 1-0, in the first round of the regionals, the two met again and this time, Griffin had the bats behind her to match. Johnson's arm fell flat early in the game and the Wolverines capitalized, thrusting themselves into their second consecutive berth in the Women's College World Series and certifying their status as an elite program, capable of beating the nation's best team consistently.

While the hundreds who packed the Alumni Field stands and lined the chain-link fences will remember first baseman Traci Conrad's leap of joy after she made the final putout, I'll recall Michigan coach Carol Hutchins soaking in the greatest victory of her career, witnessing her own toughness in her players.

3. 1998 Big Ten men's basketball tournament final (United Center) - Michigan 76, Purdue 67

It remains one of the most touching and frightening moments of my 22 years. Minutes after dominating the glass, the paint and gumpy Purdue center Brad Miller to live up to the billing he received before his freshman season, Michigan behemoth, er, center, Robert Traylor wanted to share the first-ever Big Ten tournament title with his grandmother, Jessie Mae Carter.

So Traylor led what was believed to be the first off-court celebration of a tournament title. The only problem was, he had to get off the court. Instead of choosing the path most traveled, the 6-foot-8, 310-pound MVP chose the path of least resistance - over press row and my fragile-as-a-twig body. As I assumed a crash position, he shook the table and hurdled over me to reach his destination.

Thankfully, there were no casualties, his teammates joined him in the stands with their families - "We'll follow him anywhere" one remarked - and Traylor once again proved that in big-as-they-come contests, no one played bigger.

2. 1998 NCAA Ice Hockey Championship Game (FleetCenter) - Michigan 3, Boston College 2 (OT)

The Boston experience provided Michigan hockey fans with an unusual paradox. In a city filled with some of the nation's greatest history, the Puritan town slept easily, believing the hometown Boston College Eagles would coast to the championship against a lucky-to-be-alive Michigan squad. In a town famous for the RED Sox and its RED Boston University team, the Bostonians forgot to recall the refrain.

They remembered on Saturday night, when Michigan freshman Josh Langfeld scored the championship-winning goal in overtime to certify Michigan's RED Berenson as the toast of the town. He took a severely depleted team to a an unimaginable level, reaching a peak completely opposite the valley he sat in 12 months before.

There's an unwritten rule that sportswriters aren't supposed to bias themselves for or against either side when covering a game. But on that night, when Langfeld's biscuit tagged the back of the title basket, it was high fives all around and cheap hotel wine to celebrate the underdogs.

1. 1997 Ohio State game (Michigan Stadium) - Michigan 21, Ohio State 14 / 1998 Rose Bowl (Rose Bowl) - Michigan 20, Washington State 16 (tie)

In a season that everyone ever associated with the University will recall for eternity, two sterling moments remain crystal clear.

Against Ohio State it was the mad rush to the field following the game as the masses embraced every player on the Michigan squad, cheering them on and joining in a celebration that was years overdue. The usually quiet-as-a-feather Stadium echoed on nearly every possession as the energy of hope and heroics merged into a 100,000 fan force of support.

Though the Rose Bowl took place thousands of miles from the Michigan campus, fans around the word knew the importance of the game and remained riveted to its every moment. From Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson's cradling of Washington State's dream in the first quarter to Brian Griese's gritty first down scramble in the fourth, this was a moment for Wolverines everywhere. January 1, 1998 will be remembered as the day Michigan and its fans achieved the status they'd always claimed as a birthright.

Perfection.

- Mark Snyder can be reached via e-mail at msnyder@umich.edu

Snyder

04-01-99