The SportsMonday column

David Den Herder

A weekend of unpredictability

Four years here in make-believe land have taught me a surprising amount about the real world.

First, I'm pretty sure my friends are real people, and not talking sock-puppet animals with voices all resembling a graying man that changes his shoes every time he walks in the door.

Second, Ann Arbor could use a trolley.

But third, and less important, I've found that when you're absolutely sure about something, you're usually wrong.

This past weekend has offered reaffirmation to that end. And while I'll spare the fuzzy (to me) details, the world of sports has more than compensated.

The Mike Utley effect

Listening to the Big Ten teleconference is an altogether excruciating experience. The conference - held every Tuesday - entails all 11 Big Ten coaches, two hours of questions, and one hell of a neck cramp (perhaps I should invest in a speaker phone).

But somewhere between ramble on instant replay and Cam Cameron talking up Iowa, questions came to Joe Paterno about Penn State cornerback Adam Taliaferro.

For some odd reason, this was the first I'd heard of his tragedy. Taliaferro had been paralyzed on the field against Ohio State and was undergoing spinal fusion surgery.

The story grabbed me. The kid was a freshman - four years of make-believe land ahead of him, and from there, who knows? I was intrigued by how shaken the hardened Paterno sounded, and moved by stories of John Cooper and other Buckeyes visiting him in the hospital.

It unescapably reminded me of 1992, when Detroit Lion Mike Utley suffered a paralyzing injury in the Silverdome.

The city of Detroit rallied around Utley, and the emotionally driven Lions surged all the way to the NFC title game that year. "Thumbs up" was the battle cry. Thumbs up for Mike.

Now how the season ends is of almost no significance to Paterno compared to this ordeal. During the teleconference, Paterno said he hadn't even had time to look at film of Purdue yet.

And not that it mattered, but I was sure Purdue would have no problem handling the hard-luck Nittany Lions.

So sure.

I don't know what was said in the locker room in State College this week, but it gives merit to the power of emotion. Somehow, Penn State prevailed.

"Every once in a while you forget how great this game is," Paterno said Tuesday. "People go out there and knock each other around, but in the clutch they're there for each other."

Dreaming of gold

Can you relate to the "uncomfortable dream?" It's not really a nightmare, because it's not scary. But it's not a good dream either. It's the kind that, after you wake up, you think - "I'm glad that was a dream, and not real life."

Allow me to equate this year's USA basketball "dream team" to the aforementioned.

Before the opening ceremonies, I was sure that the Americans would dominate their way to an easy gold medal, and that NBC would televise it for my amusement. So sure.

But this weekend once again checked my confidence in inevitability. The United States came within a buzzer-beater of playing for the bronze, and France came within four points in the gold medal game.

Sure, it was a lose-lose situation for the Americans (after all, they're supposed to win), but I was a little embarrassed for the multi-millionaires.

Of course, my embarrassment was tape-delayed.

Blue, White and greenbacks

My final taste of this athletically unpredictable weekend came from none other than Yost Ice Arena.

After a well-earned bottle of beer and about 20 minutes of MTV Friday evening, I thought it would be fun to check out the fresh blood at the annual Blue-White game.

Since the exhibition wasn't on the student package, I was sure admission would be free - at least for students. So sure.

To my surprise, the kind gentleman at the door requested five of my dollars to watch my peers play each other.

"It's for a good cause," he said. "Scholarships."

How do I apply? I spent all my tuition money on season hockey tickets.

- David Den Herder can be reached at dden@umich.edu.