The Wolverine

FROM OUR READERS Later that week, Mike Hart guaran- teed a win over their next opponent, Notre Dame, and the 2007 Wolverines went on to have a good season, cul- minated by a bowl victory over Tim Tebow's Florida team. Anyone antici- pating that the Wolverines' 2012 sea- son will follow a similar script? Lou Hoekstra Kalamazoo, Mich. The 2007 season began with two losses, but it ended with head coach Lloyd Carr receiv- ing a Gatorade dousing after U-M defeated Florida 41-35 in the Capital One Bowl. PHOTO BY AMIR GAMZU figure that stuff out on my own for our team! Finally, I muted the TV. They were not saying anything that was not an exaggeration of obvious facts. (I had to get that off my chest. There … I feel better now.) were some good things that happened in that game. Denard Robinson and Taylor Lewan showed everyone what it means to be tougher than nails. Leav- ing the game hurt Taylor far more than his injured leg. William Campbell did a commendable job plugging up the middle of the line. Looking on the bright side, there Dennis Norfleet may be our most exciting kick returner since Steve Breaston. Will Hagerup was booming Howitzer-range punts; I kept think- ing that I was seeing Zoltan Mesko again. Last and maybe even more com- forting, any Spartan fan that may be gloating over the Wolverines' present humility need only be reminded of their January 2011 bowl game against the Crimson Tide. To get my "hangover" washed out of my brain, I later watched several videos of past Wolverines football seasons. The one that was the most meaningful was highlights of Lloyd Carr's final season. It featured one of his press conferences after he started the year with losses over Appalachian State and Oregon. In the face of widespread discour- agement and controversy, Lloyd had a message for Peter, a concerned second- in strong fashion, and this team expects no less. In fact, it expects more, with sights still clearly set on a Big Ten championship run. Lou, the '07 Wolverines did bounce back DON'T FORGET DWORSKY Dear The Wolverine: The pictures in The Wolverine August edition of the ongoing renovation of Crisler Arena bring to mind the indi- vidual who connects Fritz Crisler the man to Fritz Crisler the edifice. That individual is Dan Dworsky, a man for all seasons. Dan was a standout defensive line- backer on Crisler's famous Mad Magi- cians teams of the late '40s. Following graduation and pro football, he began a long and distinguished architecture career in Los Angeles and the sur- rounding environs. Thus as a former player, he was chosen as the architect for the arena. He states that the original cost was $6.5 million. That was cer- tainly a bargain, compared to the pres- ent price tag of over $100 million. To complete the connection with a grade classmate of his granddaughter. In it he asserted that he was coaching great players with good attitudes and that he was refusing to let the situation get him down. Heaven forbid that the males would be called boys … and gals would pos- sibly sound demeaning. I noted in some of the articles in The Wolverine that the words girls and women were used interchangeably. What gives? Alice Herber Punta Gorda, Fla. personal touch, Dan the artist sculpted a bust of Fritz Crisler that sits in a showcase at the entrance and serves as a lasting tribute to his coach. I would hope that Dan Dworsky will be invited to the ribbon-cutting cer- emony of the opening of the renovated venue. Arnold Heyman, M.D. Los Angeles We'll see who is there, Dr. Heyman, but no doubt the original designer of Crisler won't be forgotten when the confetti comes down. GENDER DEBATE IS BACK Dear The Wolverine: I've just finished reading my first is- Alice, you shouldn't ever read of a col- lege-age woman referred to as a "girl." It's standard practice in sports writing to make the reference transition from high school girls to college women. Of course, it gets a little trickier on the male side. Male athletes have been referred to as "boys," without anyone batting an eye, for- ever: "The Boys of Summer," "Bo's Boys," etc. It seems the sensibilities are slightly different, perhaps because of the former group working to gain respect and equality of treatment in athletics. We try to refer to Michigan athletes as men and women, or young men and young women, unless some nickname or more ca- sual reference comes into play for a specific reason. u Or e-mail: jborton@thewolverine.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Wolverine Letters • P.O. Box 1304 • Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Be Heard! Send your letters to: OCTOBER 2012 THE WOLVERINE 11 sue of The Wolverine and wish to offer a few comments. I attended the Uni- versity of Michigan, on a scholarship, to get a Master's in English Literature, (1959-1960). I am presently the secre- tary on the Board of Michigan Alumni in Sarasota, Manatee & Charlotte Counties in Florida. David Brandon has spoken to our group twice, and been the featured speaker at the an- nual Big Ten Luncheon for all Florida alums from the Big Ten schools, once. Apart from attending sporting events during my year on campus, I have been back to Michigan only once, for the Michigan-Utah game in 2002. Reading about the various athletic teams on campus was a learning expe- rience. Thank you for providing inter- esting as well as informative material. I have one question: Why can't jour- nalists agree on what to call members of the sexes when writing about com- petitive events? I see it in print and hear it on TV (reality shows). Men/ women; ladies/gentlemen; boys/girls; guys/gals.

• Cover