Purpose Found in Pippin From Your President

V
O L U M E
X L I X
M
A Y
3 ,
2 0 0 5
N
Muscle Car
Revival
Sin City Reviewed
NBA Playoff
Predictions
PAGE 6
PAGE 7
PAGE 9
U M B E R
1 2
From Your President Purpose Found in Pippin
BY ANDREW ROBINSON
After being elected Student
Council President last year, I
knew that it was not going to
be an easy job. I also knew
that I was going to be working
with a very capable executive
committee that would not let
me down. Throughout the
year, they have proved their
worth.
Before last school year even
ended, the executive committee realized that the lack of
school spirit would be our major obstacle. While brainstorming for ways to boost the rising
seniors’ morale, Sloan came up
with the idea of a crawfish
cookout. The cookout was a
success that set a promising
precedent. As summer began,
the members of the executive
committee were confident that
we could restore the faltering
school spirit. Over the summer, Sloan and I thought it
MEMPHIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL
6191 PARK AVENUE
MEMPHIS, TN 38119-5399
would be really cool to bring
back the school mascot, so we
bought an owl costume. When
school began, the student body
immediately took ownership of
the owl, naming it Lloyd.
Throughout the year Lloyd has
proven to be another Student
Council success.
In another brainstorming
session, we decided to expand
the previous year’s ÜberMUS
competition into the ÜberTrials
– a series of different activities
and games in which
homerooms and grades would
compete against each other.
The ÜberTrials, which helped
destroy the monotony of
classes, lasted almost the duration of the first semester and
became a great tradition for the
school.
Football and Basketball
Homecoming Weeks are
probably the Student Council’s
most intense weeks. One of the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
NON-PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
MEMPHIS, TN
PERMIT #631
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
BY PETER TRAVIS
Charlemagne (Preston Battle),
the Emperor of the Holy RoMUS Theater productions man Empire, begins his quest
have always had a reputation to find complete, ultimate fulof excellence at the high school fillment. Pippin is helped along
level. The students who come his journey by a band of travtogether to put on these shows eling actors, led by the cunning
have succeeded in meeting Leading Player (Eric Wilson),
many challenges on the stage who show Pippin a variety of
and behind the scenes. The lifestyles which he could purSpring musical, Pippin, pre- sue, but all lead to disappointsented very different styles of ment. The deceitful players try
theatrical art that could have to seduce Pippin with war,
been difficult for a high school politics, women, and power,
program to grasp, but under but after all their efforts, a dethe superior direction of Mr. jected Pippin falls off of his
Eikner, the MUST C Produc- journey down the so-called
tion of Stephen Schwartz’s “right track,” Picked up by a
Pippin was a magical perfor- widow named Catherine (St.
mance that will not be soon Agnes’s Carly Crawford), Pippin falls into the routine of evforgotten.
The story opens as Pippin eryday life on her large estate.
(Walter Klyce), the son of Feeling trapped, Pippin flees
the estate,
much to the
dismay of
Catherine
and her son
Theo (Peter
Travis). Finally, it is
time for the
finale which
the Leading
Player has
promised
from the beWalter Klyce as Pippin and Eric Wilson as
ginning: Pipthe Leading Player
pin now has
the chance, literally, to go out
in a blaze of glory. Just as
Pippin’s decision to return to
an ordinary life dashes the
hopes of the players, young
Theo steps into the spotlight,
and everything has come full
circle.
The spring production of
Pippin exhibited everything
that an audience could hope
for in musical theater. The music, sets, lights, dancing, costumes, and energy contributed
to a production which exceeded the standard expectations for a high school musical.
Other performers included
Alex Chinn, Alexander Fones,
Will Hickman, Sonny Linn,
David Minervini, Ed Porter,
Andrew Robinson, Ansley
Fones (SMS), Mari Earle
(SMS), Rachel Weeks
(Hutchison),Amanda
Castroverde (SMS), Morgan
Beckford (SMS), and Louise
Smythe (Hutchison). Overall,
Pippin was a reflection of the
great amount of talent at MUS
and the work that goes into
MUS theater both on and off
the stage. The biggest thanks
are owed to Mr. Saunders for
technical design, Mr.
Hiltonsmith for musical direction, Debbie Jacobs for costumes, and Kimberly Baker for
choreography.
P
A G E
2
T
H E
O
W L
’
S
H
O O T
n e w s
Editors-in-Chief
Clint Cowan
Andrew Manugian
Associate Editors
Ben Bleustein
Parth Sheth
Technical/Layout
Editor
Roger Chu
Michael Fong
Cartoonist
Zach Glover
News Editors
Alex Chinn
Charles Askew
Sports Editors
John Taylor
Josh Evensky
Viewpoints Editors
Warner Russell
Amusements Editors
David Minervini
Peter Zanca
Columnists
Marshall Bartlett
John Daniel
Preston Dennis
John Hammons
Walter Klyce
Aaron Struminger
Photographers
Neely Mallory
Mike Montesi
Worth Morgan
Hank Wynn
Faculty Advisor
Mr. N. Thompson
Youth Legislature Passes the Bar
BY ALEX CHINN
The hotel lobby is packed
with high school students who
cannot wait any longer for their
rooms to be ready. You grab
your nametag and your bill
book, and you head out for
lunch. When you return, you
have opening ceremonies, candidate speeches, and finally
committee hearings ad nauseam. This familiar scene is
none other than the Tennessee
YMCA Youth Legislature, a
conference of over five hundred
delegates packed into the
Sheraton Hotel and the state
capitol for four days of intense
debate, long hours, and little
rest.
As usual, MUS was well
represented, having nearly seventy participants in the conference. These students, along
with others from schools
across the state, served in various roles, including legislators,
lobbyists, attorneys, reporters,
commissioners on the
governor’s cabinet, and offic-
ers. Most participants were
legislators in one of four legislative chambers, where they
discussed and voted on bills.
Seniors Warner Russell and
Trevor Skelley spent their
weekend lobbying for bills on
specific issues. Scott McLeod
and Michael McCulloch advised the governor as the Commissioners of Environment and
Conservation and Financial Institutions, respectively. Ten
MUS students served on conference leadership: Alex Chinn
as Speaker of the House,
Aaron Markowitz as Assistant
Senate Floor Leader, Jesse
Mahautmr as Chief Engrossing
Clerk, Jayshal Patel as Senate
Clerk, Chris McDonald as
House Sergeant-at-Arms, Andrew Manugian as Speaker
Pro-Temp of the Blue Senate,
Noah Feder as Speaker ProTemp of the Blue House, Clint
Cowan as Blue Senate Floor
Leader, Peter Zanca as Blue
Senate Clerk, and Erim
Sarinoglu as an Associate Justice. All of these officers were
highly commended by the
YMCA Youth in Government
staff for their excellent service
to the conference.
Finally, as all good things
must come to an end, it came
time for the conference to adjourn until next spring. But before we could leave, there were
awards to be presented and
offices to be won. Freshman
Nathaniel Kastan received an
award for outstanding statesman in the Blue Senate. Junior
Hayden Pendergrass was
named as an outstanding statesman in the Red House. Six
MUS students were named to
serve as officers at the 53rd
Session in 2006: Peter Zanca
as Lieutenant Governor, Shea
Conaway as Speaker of the
House, Frank Jemison as Senate Floor Leader, Hayden
Pendergrass as House Floor
Leader, Chris McDonald as
Speaker of the Blue House,
and Erim Sarinoglu as Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
Finally, thirteen delegates and
thirteen alternates were named
for the YMCA Conference on
National Affairs to be held in
July at Blue Ridge Assembly in
North Carolina. Being named
for National Affairs is a great
honor for any participant in
Youth Leg. Delegates from
MUS were Alex Chinn, Warner
Russell, Clint Cowan, Noah
Feder, and Jesse Mahautmr.
Three alternates were also selected from MUS: Aaron
Markowitz, Peter Zanca, and
Hayden Pendergrass.
Thanks are in order for all
of the faculty members who
made this trip possible. Mr.
Olson and Mr. Berman served
as chaperones and members of
the awards committee. Mr.
Amsler, as always, did the bulk
of the work to organize everything, both for MUS and for the
entire Memphis delegation.
The Government Club also
must thank the helpful library
staff for all their work with our
proposals.
Eric Wilson: No Fortune’s Fool
BY WALTER KLYCE
Monday, April 25, was a
tremendous day in the history
of Memphis University
School—more specifically, in
the life of senior Eric Wilson.
That morning, Eric, having already won the school and regional contests, competed
against fifty-seven other students from around the country
in
the
nation-wide
Shakespeare Monologue
Competition in NYC, as sponsored by the English-Speaking
Union. He performed Sonnet
147 and a comic piece from
one of Jaques’s speeches in As cold reading, Eric chose a Coriolanus, a play about an
You Like It; in fact, he per- monologue
from overly proud Roman general.
formed them both so well that Shakespeare’s little-known
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
he made it past the semifinals into the final ten.
That afternoon, Eric
was asked to perform
both monologues again
for a second triad of
judges; in addition, however, he and the other
nine contestants were
given cold readings
(monologues they had
never seen before) to
deliver, with only five minutes of preparation.
Although his hair is, Eric is not wet behind the ears when it
comes to Shakespeare
Given two choices for the
M
A Y
3 ,
2 0 0 5
P
A G E
3
n e w s
Venimus, Vidimus,
Vicimus
BY WALTER KLYCE
Sadly, after overcoming great
obstacles, the chariot was defeated by the weather when the
race was cancelled due to rain.
However, the team overcame
this let-down and pressed on
regardless. Roger Chu
achieved first place for his art
entry; Alex Chinn and the
eighth graders performed well
on the academic tests; and,
most of all, our athletes slaughtered the competition on the
field and in the pool, with Louis
Ghawji running a 5:13 mile and
lapping four competitors. Although our certamen team got
slaughtered by the superior
dorkiness of Rossview, the
weekend was nevertheless an
enjoyable success.
All right, I’ll admit it: we
didn’t win the overall sweepstakes. But for a team that
didn’t even make a showing
last year, second place (out of
around thirty competing
schools) isn’t too shabby. And
future conventions promise to
only get better, as long as the
dadgum freshmen choose to
show up next time. Ergo, we
can expect further greatness in
the coming years, casting a
positive light on not only our
fantastic Latin department but
also our entire school.
Attending the State Latin
Convention is a rite of passage
for any young man; fortunately,
many of our students receive
the chance during their eighth
grade year. However, only the
pauci, the superbi, the fortes
choose to stay the path and
stick with Latin through high
school. This last weekend, an
elite group of discipuli, armed
with togas and accompanied
by Mr. Duff, Mr. Torrey, Mrs.
Reinhardt, and, of course
“Sudds,” made its way to
Clarksville to do battle with the
infidel.
The preparation for this
event was extensive. Tom Chiu
proposed and illustrated a club
t-shirt, which President Jesse
Mahautmr organized and distributed to the team. Juniors
Will Pickens, Will Thornton,
and Grayson Sharpe designed
for the costume contest a threeman costume of Romulus,
Remus, and the she-wolf, respectively. Yell Leader Peter
Zanca helped construct the
chariot and devised creative
and inspiring chants, such as the
ever-popular “Veni, vidi,
vici”—appropriately, this is our
motto in the TJCL (Tennessee
Junior Classical
League). And,
most notably,
Sudds had everyone enter essay,
speech, and poetry contests to
help ensure our
success.
Will Pickens, Grayson Sharpe, and
Once we arWill Thornton dressed up as
rived, our dominaRomulus, Remus, and the wolf
tion was clear.
2005 STUDENT COUNCIL
most difficult parts of planning
Homecoming Week, however,
is figuring out how to outdo the
previous years. We must plan
creative Days of the Week and
various activities throughout the
week that the student body will
enjoy. Planning the pep rallies
never fails to involve cramming
Wednesday and Thursday
night at Sloan’s house. Sloan,
who as Vice-President was
large and in charge, did an excellent job of executing two of
the best Homecoming Weeks
in my memory. Sam Sawyer,
as Commissioner of Social
Events, also planned two
homecoming dances that
proved to be very fun for everyone in attendance. I agree
with the majority of feedback
that I received: both Homecoming weeks were successes.
The year didn’t stop with
ÜberTrials or Homecoming.
Fall Fest turned out to be a
success with the football tournament and MUS vs.
Hutchison soccer game. Jack
Heflin and Trevor Skelley also
provided fun for everyone with
their fair-style game in which
contestants could win prizes
ranging from stuffed animals to
live gold fish.
William Montgomery provided memorable special activities – he put a twist on the
milk chugging contest with the
addition of a funnel. Frank “the
Tank” Jemison definitely took
that one home. Ben Tacker arranged several widely attended
Dutch Treat Dinners with Mr.
Olson, Mr. Smythe, and Mrs.
Crosby. Knowing the underclassmen needed a place to
socialize, we, with the help of
the Civic Service Organization,
purchased the couches and
chairs for the foyer of the Campus Center. The Student
Council has also been hard at
work planning the upcoming
Spring Formal. We are excited
that the year’s final dance will
be in the Tower Room in the
Clark Tower on May 7th.
I personally am very proud
of the year that the Student
Council has had. I feel that we
have been very successful in all
WILSON MONOLOGUE
Although he was up against
some of the best high school
actors in the country, the judges
recognized Eric’s sincerity,
poise, and unique charisma and
awarded him the first-place
prize—and he was the only
male to place. In reward for his
achievement, Eric will receive
a cash prize of one thousand
dollars and be given a free
four-week trip to London this
summer, where he will work
with some of the best coaches
in the country.
This achievement is an appropriate finish to Eric’s fantastic high school career. Although
Eric had won the school competition three times before and
placed third in the city in 2003,
Monday was his first appearance at the national competition, and thus it is even more
impressive for him to have done
so well. Eric is the first MUS
student to ever win this competition, and he has set a legacy
that will endure long after he’s
graduated. For his own part,
Eric has accepted the flood of
praise graciously. He modestly
suggests that “it was part luck.”
Mr. Saunders adds that “it was
part training” as well; and there
is certainly no question about
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
our endeavors and have
reached our long-term goal of
bringing school spirit back to
the level that it should be. I do
not think that this year would
have been the same if the executive committee had not
comprised diligent workers
who all shared the same desire
to have a great year; our advisor, Mr. Weir, also played a
prominent role in brainstorming and executing events.
However, we would not have
been successful if it weren’t for
the great support that we received from the student body
and faculty. I, on behalf of the
executive committee would like
to thank the students and faculty for trusting us with your
school year. I hope it has been
as enjoyable for you as it has
been for us. I would also like
to give my best wishes to
Zane, William, Andrew,
Preston, David, Doug, and Dev
for next year. I am confident
that they will maintain the level
of school spirit and provide the
students and faculty with a very
enjoyable and memorable year.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2
that. Eric’s six years of experience in Hyde Chapel under
Mr. Saunders and Mr. Eikner
have provided him with a solid
theatre background which contributes to his incredible command of the stage. Furthermore, the time he spent at the
Tennessee Governor’s School
for the Arts this summer gave
him additional preparation.
Barefoot in the Park was easily the best student show in recent memory. In other words,
Eric’s success, while deserved,
shouldn’t be all that surprising;
it just confirms what we already knew.
P
A G E
4
T
H E
O
W L
’
S
H
O O T
N e w s
Interview with a Legend: Mr. Olson
BY BEN BLEUSTEIN
Coach Wise said, “You might
want to check your sleeve, it
What is your first memory still has all of the tags on it.”
Uhhh, yeah, that’s about it.
at MUS?
Olson: Ok. I took this job
straight out of graduate school, What is your first memory?
so I didn’t have a tie and I Hmm, well this is kinda weird,
didn’t own a jacket. I had been but I actually remember being
warned that I needed a jacket, born. For the first eight years
so I went and bought some nice of my life, I had a recurring
pants and a sports coat. I left nightmare. The dream started
the jacket and pants to be tai- with my being in a dark cave.
lored, but I found out they There was a strong suction on
were taking me to lunch at the the cave, but I fought it, and I
Crescent Club immediately. was like ‘Ahh.’ The cave turned
My girlfriend at the time picked into a blurry yellow room. If
up my clothes, before they had you think about it, that’s what
been sized, and I got dressed being born is like.
in my office. When I got to the
top floor of the Crescent Club, Are there any stories that
you never got to tell to your
classes?
Yeah, I’ve got one. My parents got divorced when I was
25. I was obviously out of the
house by then, but every holiday I had to go to two houses
for dinner. The first Thanksgiving they were divorced my
mom was pretty emotional.
She told me that there was
something she had never told
my father, but felt really guilty
about. She said, “When I was
taking you to the store with me
one day, I set you in your carseat on top of the car. When I
leaned into the car to get my
purse, you fell off the car and
landed on your head. I think
that’s why you get headaches.”
So a little later I went to my
dad’s house and I told him the
story. He said, “Oh, that’s terrible, but there’s something I
haven’t told your mom that I
feel guilty about. One day your
Photo Courtesy of Mr. Olson’s Paint Program
Mr. Olson’s artistic depiction of the source of his mom made me take you for a
headaches walk in your stroller and I
thought I would give you a
thrill. I proceeded to push the
handles really hard, flipping the
back of the stroller (making it
look like a stretcher), and leaving you behind on your head.
I always wondered if that’s
why you get such bad headaches.”
Do you still get headaches?
Every now and then.
What is the funniest thing
you remember from your
experiences at MUS?
Hiltonsmith and I played a lot
of pranks on each other over
the years. Once, after
Hiltonsmith and I got back
from a trip to New Orleans,
there was a note in my box that
read, “I need to see you in my
office immediately. I have some
serious concerns about your
trip to New Orleans- Ellis
Haguewood.” I knew it was
fake, but I checked with Ellis
just in case. He said that he
never sent me a memo. I
showed him the note and he
told me I had to get him back,
and if Hiltonsmith came to his
office, he would tell him that
Olson cursed him out. Did you
get that? Sorry for the pronouns. I put a note in
everyone’s box saying that I
had resigned. Hiltonsmith then
put a note in everyone’s box
saying “John Hiltonsmith committed suicide.” Well, once
Hiltonsmith’s dog bit me, so I
told everyone in a memo that
the school was afraid of lawsuits, therefore, all dogs over
20 pounds must be put to
sleep. The next day, Mr. Mutzi
was in the office and overheard
him asking Ms. Hurst when he
needed to put his dog to sleep
by.”
What are you going to miss
most about the school?
The people, generally. The students and the teachers, yeah.
Student Council Speeches: Function Before Fun
BY FRANK JEMISON
Does it really matter whom
we elect for Student Council
positions? I mean one guy is
probably as good as the next,
so why not elect a guy for an
entire year if he humors you for
three minutes? This year’s executive committee has proved
that dedicated leadership really
does determine the year’s demeanor. We had a great committee and a fun year. So it
seems that the people we elect
really do matter; shouldn’t their
speeches portray who they are
rather than merely how funny
they are?
Don’t get me wrong: I think
Student Council speeches
should be funny. I don’t spend
Monday and Tuesday of election week waiting to hear candidates expound upon their
platforms or credentials; I want
to be entertained. A good
speech should make us laugh,
and a great speech should put
us on the floor. A good sense
of humor is essential in some
positions, like Vice-President
and Commissioner of Special
Activities, yet I think that for
some positions, like the Commissioner of Welfare and the
Commissioner of Student Services, the funniest candidate is
not always the best one.
Mr. Clifft gave a chapel presentation two years ago in
which he used statistics compiled by his classes to show
what motivated students’ votes
the most. He demonstrated
that, in most cases, the quality
of a candidate’s food at the
street party influenced students
more than the quality of the
candidate’s speech, unless the
speech was particularly funny.
Knowing how to cook, owning a large grill, and having easy
access to large amounts of food
are no longer essential qualities
of a leader, as they once were
in hunter-gather societies. De-
spite the similarities between
hunter-gather societies and
ours here at school, I think we
should modernize the way we
choose leadership, even to the
extent of actually considering a
candidate’s plans and pertinent
qualities. I believe the best candidate is the one who can best
fulfill the responsibilities of his
office; therefore, a candidate’s
plan for fulfilling his duties during the coming year as well as
his ability to carry out that plan
should influence students’
votes. I do not think that all
speeches should be like the
presidential speeches, but candidates should present the stu-
dents with their credentials and
plans that they have for next
year. An extra thirty seconds
should be allotted to each candidate to be used at the beginning of his three minutes to explain his qualities and plans.
This way, students can not only
miss a little more class but also
vote intelligently. The speeches
should stay funny or be even
funnier, but they should also
present the students with legitimate and pertinent reasons to
vote for one candidate over
another.
M
A Y
3 ,
2 0 0 5
P
A G E
5
v i e w p o i n t s
Parity in Punishment?
BY PARTH SHETH
A little over a month ago,
two MUS juniors got up in
chapel and made an announcement that was intended to be
humorous. However, it was
immediately apparent that, not
only was the announcement not
particularly amusing, but it was
offensive and directed maliciously at a particular individual. As with all offenses of
this type, these two students
were brought in front of the
Disciplinary Committee. The
pair was sentenced to three
days of in-school suspension.
Additionally, both students
were prevented from running
for Student Council offices.
This punishment seems harsh at
first glance, considering both
boys made their announcement
with no malice intended. It
seems even more severe when
compared to a situation that
arose last year.
During the winter of my junior year, several of my classmates stole the Junior English
Review semester exam and
proceeded to distribute this
exam to whoever wanted a
copy. The Honor Council
found out about this cheating
scandal and prosecuted all of
those guilty of stealing the exam
or receiving a copy of it. Those
who actually stole the exam
were rightly expelled; however,
those who willingly obtained a
copy of the stolen examination
were let off with what
amounted to a slap on the wrist.
They were allowed to retake
the examination and make up
to a 65 on it, and they were
given one day of in-school suspension during
which they
were able to
study for their
new exam.
MUS is a
school that
prides itself on
its Honor System and the effectiveness of
its
Honor
Council. However, by punishing those who cheated with
one day of suspension and
those who crossed the bounds
of good taste by three days of
suspension, the administration
is, in effect, saying that it is
worse to be offensive or insulting than it is to cheat. In my
opinion, this
position is extremely
hypocritical:
we tell prospective students and
parents that
the Honor
Council is the
most important, most
fundamental
aspect of the
school upon which everything
else is built, yet we put less
weight on an Honor Council
offense than we do on an inappropriate chapel announcement.
By punishing these two juniors far more severely than
those caught cheating, the
school has sent the message
that cheating is less of a crime
than an offensive or insulting
chapel announcement. And
while we should attempt to impose a measure of good taste
upon proceedings at the
school, we must not subordinate the Honor System to this
desire for good taste. The
school must focus on what is
truly important; MUS must
place an emphasis on strongly
punishing those offenses which
strike at its very heart: Honor
Council offenses.
A Look Back at High School: Part Three
BY WARNER RUSSELL
Good news or bad news,
however you choose to take it,
this is the last one of these articles I will be writing. Yes,
that’s right; high school is over
for me. April 29th has finally
come and gone, and another
chapter of my life is complete.
I honestly can’t believe that my
four year tenure at MUS is
done. I’m overcome with anxiety about college, yet I’m wading in a sea of sorrow knowing
that my childhood has ended.
MUS has provided so much
for me, but the thing that has
set MUS apart from the rest,
aside from the faculty and tradition, is the camaraderie.
I came to MUS knowing
very few people, and the ones
I did know, I didn’t know well.
The first few weeks were typical for someone at a new
school. I waited for a good
thirty seconds after getting my
food just trying to find someone to sit with, and I usually just
sat at the table absorbing the
sundry conversations. This
situation didn’t last too long,
because before long I was surrounded by a great group of
guys who had a lot in common
with me. However, its not my
personal friendships that I wish
to discuss, it’s the overall atmosphere of brotherhood at
MUS.
I have been very lucky to
be a member of an extremely
cohesive class. I have heard
stories and even witnessed examples of classes that, were by
no means bad, but that just
seemed to lack the fellowship
with that the Class of 2005
possesses. Through times of
struggle and through times of
triumph, I have watched this
class grow and had the honor
of growing with them.
It is no secret that our class
has seen its share of hard times.
The honor council scandal of
2003 is something that will always be remembered, but I
believe that, in remembering it,
people will see the dignity the
Class of 2005 showed and respect the way we handled ourselves. One of the main principles of the MUS Community
Creed is accountability, and
those involved, whether directly
or indirectly, in the scandal
showed true accountability.
Although it hurt us initially, in
the long run, I believe that we
only became closer and more
respected through this testing
of our character. My grandfather always told me, “What
doesn’t kill you only makes
you stronger.” The Honor
Council scandal is no excep-
tion. It had the potential to drive
our grade apart, creating a possibly irreparable rift, but instead
we held our heads high and
marched on never turning
back, a feat that few could
have accomplished.
Now, for a happier example
of camaraderie, who can forget the state championship season of 2004? Led by senior
captains Kane Alber, Joey
Friend, and Warren Grimm, the
Owls did something many
thought impossible. When I
rushed the field the night after
the MBA semi-final game, I
looked at our seniors and realized that they and MUS as a
whole deserved the victory.
High fives and hugs were
shared between senior players
and their friends who didn’t
play. This was one of those
moments that brings a tear to
the eye, though you try to hide
it. As I hugged and patted the
backs of those sweaty guys I
felt a sense of pride that I can’t
fully explain. I realized a week
or so later that this year would
always be remembered well by
everyone involved. Our exemplary school spirit has brought
our class together, and that spirit
has propelled us to help create
one of the most successful
years that MUS has seen in
some time.
Through the good and bad
times, the Class of 2005 has
matured tremendously. I am
sad to say goodbye to this
class, but I know that we will
always look back on this year,
as well as our other years, with
much fondness. Even though
our time at MUS is over, the
sense of camaraderie that we
have enjoyed here will provide
a lifetime of memories for us to
enjoy.
P
A G E
6
T
H E
a m u s e m e n t s
The Return of the Muscle Car Era
BY JONATHAN LUNATI
stiffer, faster, and better looking. A speed bump was placed
in the muscle car rebirth as
Some of the most famous
Chevrolet pulled the plug on
icons of the muscle car era are
their thirty-five-year-old
returning. Sure the Ford MusCamaro platform due to its
tang never really left the scene,
poor sales. Fortunately both
and neither did the Camaro
the Ford Mustang and the
until 2003, but now tremenChevrolet Corvette held on.
dous efforts are being made to
Having seen Ford’s recent suc“retro-style” the cosmetics of
cess with their all-new Mustang
American automobiles. Simulplatform for 2005, Chevy is
taneously, equally vigorous efnow planning to design a retroforts are being made to enstyled Camaro for their reintrohance cars’ performance capaduction of the Camaro platform
bilities. This “retro-styling” is
in 2007. What is really intriguan effort that is excellently exing about the modern muscle
emplified by the new 2005
car era is the fact that now PickFord Mustang, but Ford was
ups (like the Ford Lightning and
not the first to capitalize on the
Chevrolet SSR) are considered
appeal of this revival. This remuscle cars, as well as wagons
vival has really been occurring
(like the new Dodge Magnum),
ever since the muscle car era
and even Jeep Grand Cheroended.
kees, coming with an optional
In the prime of the muscle
340 H.P. Chrysler-Hemi
car era, generally defined as late
Engine. The Golden Age of
1960’s to early 1970’s, cars
muscle cars might have ended
were reaching exorbitantly high
with an oil scare in the 70’s, but
levels of power and were areven with skyrocketing oil
guably the most cosmetically
prices, more “muscular”
appealing
muscle cars are becoming
body styles to
available than there have
ever roll out
been in a very long time, not
of Detroit.
to mention the ready availNumbers like
ability and diversity found in
4 4 2 ,
aftermarket parts. Even
454,396, 427
popular culture has taken a
and many othsudden strong interest in the
ers quickly
automobile industry. T.V.
make true
shows
like
TLC’s
muscle car
Overhaulin’ really exemplify
fans drool,
the beauty of muscle cars
and these
through their restorations.
numbers are
There has never been a beteven instilled
ter time, in the history of the
in the minds
automobile, to be a muscle
of people
car enthusiast. The next ten
who know.
years are sure to be nothing
Badges like
short of spectacular, but we’ll
Z-28,SS,
Cobra,GT
Major companies are leaning towards a retro-style look. Seen here are just have to see what Detroit
Camaros, Mustangs, and Chargers with their vintage counterparts cooks up next
350,GT 500,
and yes, even
HEMI, have similar affects on
the population. Rising gas
prices and insurances companies, leery of folks like myself
with 300-500 horsepower at
the wheels, drove the muscle
car era into hibernation to an
extent. There were crazy-fast
cars available throughout the
late 70’s and 80’s, but most of
them were not Americanmade, and those that were
American-made were not major production vehicles: some
companies offered pricy, special edition cars that had reasonably high amounts of horsepower relative to other cars of
the era, but these were hideous:
the one that comes to mind, of
course, is the 1980-1981
Mustang Cobra. Mustang
fans, after the Mustang II fiasco
and the hideous and still underpowered Cobra, were about
ready to give up on Ford. So
Ford, along with Chevrolet and
Pontiac, started stepping up
their horsepower toward the
end of the 80’s and into the
early 90’s. Body styles were
still not of the caliber of 25
years before, but clearly Detroit was realizing that people
missed having a V-8 capable
of 250+ horsepower under the
hood.
Throughout the 90’s, the
muscle car era really picked up
steam. Even companies like
Dodge were getting back into
the game. With the entry of
their aluminum block V-10
powered Viper in December of
1991, the heat was back on.
The 90’s brought about some
of the best-looking and most
powerful cars to come out of
Detroit in over twenty-five
years, and people started getting excited. Over the past
thirty years, the engines have
become more powerful, lighter
weight, and more emissions
friendly. From the year 2000
it seems that every year brings
with it rapidly improved cars.
Every year the cars get lighter,
O
W L
’
S
H
O O T
M
A Y
3 ,
2 0 0 5
P
A G E
7
a m u s e m e n t s
Mars Volta Review
BY WILSON CASTLEMAN
With their groundbreaking
2003 debut, De-Loused in the
Comatorium, The Mars Volta
proved that there was indeed
much new musical territory to
be conquered. Their unique fusion of progressive rock, free
jazz, punk, and Latin lit up the
music world, and showed great
potential from this band. With
their second album, Frances
the Mute, they have crafted an
absolute masterpiece, covering
nearly every aspect and genre
of music imaginable, and doing so with the finesse and talent required to make this album
the best of the new millennium.
While some may call
Frances the Mute pretentious
or boring, I found it one of the
most interesting, compelling,
and exciting pieces of music to
come out in years. Its only flaw,
in my opinion, is the ambient
noise between tracks that simply goes on for too long sometimes. Strangely enough, the
only song that doesn’t contain
any ridiculous filler is the marathon of a closer, “Cassandra
Gemini.”Abig improvement on
this album is the vocals: while
sometimes annoyingly frantic
on Deloused, they are much
smoother on this album, and
singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala
often takes the opportunity to
show off his excellent pipes.
The album kicks off with a
swelling acoustic guitar in
“Cygnus...Vismund Cygnus,”
but soon launches you into a
fine example of the album’s
new sound. The fast tempo and
polyrhythms soon build into an
exciting guitar solo, and the rest
of the song winds through soft
passages and points of great
energy. “The Widow” is con-
siderably shorter than the other
songs (hey, they needed a
single, I suppose), but has a
powerful, mournful tone,
largely because of the predominant trumpet, played by
Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist
Flea, and a great chorus. My
favourite track on the album
was the upbeat, salsa-esque
“L’via L’viaquez,” This
song has a very smooth atmosphere, with strong accents of
Latin music, and features most
of the lyrics in Spanish. It also
sports some absolutely excellent guitar solos, compliments
of Chili Peppers guitarist John
Fruciante. “Miranda That
Ghost Just Isn’t Holy Anymore” is much slower paced,
and again mournful, but puts out
a very unique vibe. The jawdropping epic closer,
“Cassandra Gemini,” takes you
on a complete musical journey
through prog-rock, jam, freejazz, Latin, and punk for almost
32 minutes. Strangely enough,
this is the most compelling and
focused track on the album,
and is definitely one of my all
time favorite pieces of music.
This album is easily one of
the best albums I’ve ever heard
in my life. This could just be a
first impression, but I think over
the years, this album could easily stack up with my all time
favorites. There is simply nothing like this right now, and you
owe it to yourself to pick up a
masterpiece of modern rock,
and possibly one of the best
albums of all time.
Wilson gives the album 5
out of 5 buzzards.
Walk Down the Right Back Alley
BY PETER ZANCA
eyes or hair). Also, the cinematography comes directly from
After a bad experience with the angles used in the novels
filmmaking in the mid-90’s, themselves. The script is alcomic book legend Frank most entirely unaltered from the
Miller decided to keep his novels’ dialogue and narration.
graphic novels out of the hands Other than the omission of a
of Hollywood producers. few unnecessary transitional
However, when approached scenes, Sin City the film is a
by director Robert Rodriguez direct representation of the
about his Sin City series, Miller novels.
The film relates three of
could not pass up the opportunity to see his stories come Miller’s most popular stories in
to life on screen. Rodriguez, an order of release rather than
avid fan of the graphic novels, chronological order. Each story
promised Miller that he would takes the audience into the
do his best to preserve the darkest corners of Basin Cityartist’s vision. In fact, -a politically corrupt, prostiRodriguez brought Miller on tute-ridden, morally bankrupt
set to serve as his co-director. metropolis. The first story, “The
The collaboration of their cre- Hard Goodbye,” follows
ative talents combined with the Marv, an impossible-to-kill
technology of digital filmmak- misanthrope, as he goes on a
ing and special effects to cre- quest to avenge the murder of
ate a film noir uncommon in Goldie, the only woman who
mainstream American cinema. has ever shown him kindness.
Frank Miller’s Sin City is a Marv’s journey leads him all the
stylish, action-packed film with way to the head of the city’s
a nostalgic feel. Presented pre- political corruption. 80’s burndominantly in black and white, out Mickey Rourke gives an
the film will have the occasional enormously entertaining perforglimpse of color (a character’s mance as Marv, while Elijah
Wood successfully
creeps the audience
out as Kevin. Rutger
Hauer makes a
cameo as Cardinal
Roark, Marv’s eventual nemesis.
The second story,
“The Big, Fat Kill,” is
the darkest tale of the
three. In this story,
Dwight (Clive Owen)
ventures into the heart
of the city while following out-of-control
Jackie Boy (Benicio
Del Toro). Jackie
Boy leads Dwight
Photo Courtesy of Yahoo!
Bruce Willis plays Hartigan, a into Old Towne, Sin
weathered cop City’s red-light dis-
trict; however, in Old Towne,
the ladies of the night are the
law. When Jackie Boy crosses
the line with one of the girls, he
and his friends are slain in a
back alley. In a cruel twist of
fate, Dwight and the girls find
out that Jackie Boy was actually a cop. Dwight then must
go on a mission to get rid of
the bodies before the girls lose
control of Old Towne.
The third story in Sin City
is the most poetic as a retiring
cop Hartigan (Bruce Willis)
spends his last day on the force
protecting a young girl named
Nancy from a serial rapist
(Nick Stahl). As a result of his
actions and the corruption in
the city, Hartigan is thrown into
jail despite having saved the
girl. Upon his release seven
years later, he must protect
Nancy (Jessica Alba) one last
time from the rapist.
Dealing with dark subject
matter and violent actions, Sin
City could easily have become
a festival of gore and offensive
language. Of course, many
critics would say that this is, in
fact, all that there is to the
movie. The violence never
stops from beginning to end
with fistfights, guns, knives,
swords, cannibalism, multiple
castrations, dismemberment,
and decapitation. However, the
violence that is portrayed in the
film does have a style to it.
Also, there is much more to this
film than violence, cool special
effects, and a good
soundtrack. There are many
underlying themes of redemption, salvation, and sacrifice.
Peter gives this film 4 out
of 5 buzzards.
P
A G E
8
T
H E
O
W L
’
S
H
O O T
a m u s e m e n t s
Jersey’s a Dump
BY DAVID MINERVINI
tion (they have over 100
dumps). The Garden State is
On March 30th of this year, also the home of square danca tremendous blow struck the ing and Barbara Streisand.
world of comedy. That day, New Jersey is the only state
comedian Mitch Hedberg mys- that has a “state dinosaur.”
teriously suffered a heart at- With Barbara Streisand and
tack. The thirty-seven year-old dinosaurs running wild, it is obwas a stand-up comedian who viously risky to visit this New
has been described as “the next England cesspool.
Mitch Hedberg is not the
Seinfeld.” Mitch was between
shows when he died, alone in only soul that the state of New
a hotel room in New Jersey. Jersey has devoured. In fact,
Some people suggest that the a beautiful Beluga whale recomedian’s excessive drug cently swam up the Delaware
habits contributed significantly River into New Jersey to comto his death; however, the mit suicide. According to
Hedberg family has offered no CNN, “State officials said the
statement regarding these ac- ten to twelve foot white whale
was spotted near Beverly,
cusations.
Actually, the comedian did about eight miles south of the
not keep his frequent drug use point where it was first spotsecret from the public. Rather, ted around noon Tuesday at
Hedberg’s drug use played a Trenton.” Stephen Jones, a
significant role in his stage char- New Jersey state trooper,
acter and comedic perfor- said, “our enemy here is…the
mance. Hedberg publicly ad- whale…we want the whale to
mitted to using marijuana, al- get his…like…mad.” The pure
cohol, and stimulants for a pe- evil that pulses from New Jerriod of ten years. But modern sey has now swallowed my fascience tells us that the real vorite comedian…and a
reason behind the comedian’s whale. In reverence for the
death was not drug use: it was dead, I leave you with an
original Mitch quotation.
the state of New Jersey.
I wrote a letter to my dad
Originally founded by Satan, New Jersey was estab- - I wrote, “I really enjoy belished as a colony that would ing here,” but I accidentally
be free from any decent man- wrote rarely instead of really.
ners, coy personalities, or ac- But I still wanted to use it so
cessible roadways. Since its I crossed it out and wrote, “I
founding, New Jersey has de- rarely drive steamboats, dad
- there’s a lot of
veloped into a
**** you don’t
snarling, metroknow about me.
politan machine.
Quit trying to act
Currently, New
like I’m a steamJersey leads the
boat operator.”
nation in indusThis letter took a
trial manufacturing, chemical
The world lost a harsh turn right
production, car
comedic genius in away...
Mitch Hedberg
theft, and toxic
waste accumula-
A Loose Interpretation
BY PARTH SHETH
The Interpreter, directed
by Sidney Pollack, is an action
thriller centering on the United
Nations. Nicole Kidman is
wonderful as Sylvia Broome,
an African-born interpreter
working at the United Nations.
Returning to the UN building
late one night to pick up a bag
she left there, she hears a voice
talking about assassinating Dr.
Zuwanie, the leader of the fictional country Matobo (although this character clearly
represents Zimbabwean leader
Robert Mugabe) who, though
hailed as a liberator 20 years
earlier, has resorted to genocide to rule his nation. Dr.
Zuwanie has been accused of
war crimes and will be speaking at the UN in less than a
week to defend his policies.
Kidman reports the threat to
UN security officers, who immediately inform the Secret
Service (who are responsible
for protecting foreign dignitaries on U.S. soil). Secret Service agent Tobin Keller, played
masterfully by Sean Penn, is assigned to investigate Broome
and protect Zuwanie.
The interplay between
Kidman and Penn creates several memorable scenes. These
two great actors have great
chemistry on screen and play
off of each other well. Penn’s
character moves believably
from a skeptic of Broome’s
claims to her protector. The
two develop a closeness based
on shared loss and sympathy
for the other’s situation.
Thankfully, however, Pollack
spares us a romantic situation
between the two major characters; such an interaction
would have been not only implausible, but also detrimental
to the movie as a whole. The
closeness that does develop
between the two seems far
more genuine and believable.
The movie has a sense of
realism that is greatly enhanced
by the fact that the movie was
filmed on-site at the United
Nations; The Interpreter was
the first movie to be given permission to show the General
Assembly Room. The introductory scene, which shows a security team clearing the UN
buildings after a potential
threat, has the realistic feel of a
documentary. The scenes
filmed in New York have an authentic feel as well.
While the Interpreter is
built on suspense, the ending is
never in any doubt. And while
there are a few interesting and
unexpected plot twists, you
know from the beginning that
everything will turn out well.
Pollack’s villains are very
transparent and one-dimensional; all of them are thoroughly evil and malicious with
no redeeming qualities. Many
of the minor characters are
completely insignificant and fail
to arouse any sympathy or
concern from the audience.
Also, the final scene is unnecessary and seems tacked on
simply to add a sense of closure to the movie. However,
despite these shortcomings,
The Interpreter is still a worthy film. The outstanding acting by and screen
chemistry between
Kidman and Penn
and the realistic
scenes in the UN
building make The
Interpreter a movie
worth seeing, despite its somewhat
weak plot.
Parth gives this
movie 3.5 buzzards
out of 5.
Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Movies
Tobin Keller, expertly played by Penn, interrogates Kidman as
Sylvia Broome
M
A Y
3 ,
2 0 0 5
P
A G E
9
s p o r t s
2005 NBA Playoff Predictions: Squeaking By
BY: JOSH EVENSKY
We are in! After an up and
down season, the Memphis
Grizzlies have made the playoffs for the second-straight season. The goal of every team is
to make the playoffs. While the
Grizzlies accomplished this
goal, the season was not as
graceful as it could have been.
After a 5-11 start, Mike
Fratello took over for retired
Coach Hubie Brown. Fratello
did a great job of turning a lost
team into a playoff team over a
few weeks. But relief from a
playoff berth did not come until late in the season. With a crucial four game West Coast road
trip ahead for the Grizzlies,
many basketball analysts began
to think that the Minnesota
Timberwolves would be able to
pull off the miracle by replacing us for the eight spot in the
playoffs. All the Grizzlies had
to do was get one win in six or
the Timberwolves had to lose
one game in five. The clinch did
not come until a loss at Minnesota against the Seattle Sonics
sealed the Grizzlies fate.
Earlier this year, I wrote an
article for The Owl’s Hoot predicting the Grizzlies would
make the playoffs as the fifth
seed. While I was right about
the playoff berth, my seeding
was a little off. But hey, I did
get eleven teams out of sixteen,
not a bad ratio by any means!
Now that the playoffs are about
to start, I have again compiled
a prediction list, this time for
first-round match-ups and subsequent advancements:
WEST
1. Phoenix Suns*
8. Memphis Grizzlies
While the Grizzlies had an above average season, the Phoenix
Suns exceeded all expectations. With a league-best record of
62-20, the Phoenix Suns enter the playoffs as the team to
beat. With their run-and-gun offense, the Grizzlies will struggle
to find the points to match the Suns’ game. Even though the
Suns did not make the playoffs last year, I think that they will
be able to get past a gritty, defensive Grizzlies team. Series =
Suns in 6 (4-2)
4. Dallas Mavericks*
5. Houston Rockets
Even though the Rockets play great defense, the Mavericks
have too many weapons for Tracy McGrady and company to
overcome. The loss of Juwan Howard, who is out with a heart
problem, hurt the Rockets’ chances. Coach Avery Johnson
and the Mavericks should be able to advance, but the fierce
competition should make for a great series. Series = Mavericks in 7 (4-3)
3. Seattle Sonics*
6. Sacramento Kings
Ray Allen and a defensively strong Sonics team should be
able to handle the injury- ridden Kings. Series= Sonics in 5
(4-1)
2. San Antonio Spurs*
7. Denver Nuggets
After an incredible post-All-Star break record of 25-4, the
Denver Nuggets, under Coach George Karl, have been unstoppable. I would pick the Nuggets if they were playing any
other team besides the Spurs. A healthy Tim Duncan, along
with his experienced teammates, will be too much to overcome. Series = Spurs in 7 (4-3)
EAST
1. Miami Heat*
7. New Jersey Nets
Even with a star-studded backcourt of Jason Kidd, Vince
Carter, and Richard Jefferson, the Nets have no one to stop
Shaq. This should be an easy series for the Heat. Series =
Heat in 5 (4-1)
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Washington Wizards*
Injuries to starters Eddy Curry and Loul Deng should bring a
disappointing ending to a great season for the baby Bulls. The
Wizards should be able to advance to the second-round with
stars Gilbert Arenas, Larry Hughes, and Antawn Jamison.
Series= Wizards in 6 (4-2)
1. Boston Celtics*
5. Indiana Pacers
This should be a great series with plenty of drama. Reggie
Miller is playing in his final playoffs, so I doubt he will go out
without a fight (Not a real fight, of course: Ron took care of
that). The acquisition of Antoine Walker should give this talented Celtics team an edge against a depleted Pacers roster.
Celtics in 7 (4-3)
2. Detroit Pistons*
7. Philadelphia Sixers
This should be an easy series for the defending champions.
Allen Iverson the benefit should be able to affect the outcome
of at least one game. Pistons in 5 (4-1)
SECOND ROUND
West:
1. Phoenix Suns
4. Dallas Mavericks*
Series= Dallas in 6 (4-2)
CONFERENCE FINALS
West:
4. Dallas Mavericks
2. San Antonio Spurs*
Series= Spurs in 6 (4-2)
3. Seattle Sonics
1. San Antonio Spurs*
Series= Spurs in 5 (4-1)
East:
1. Miami Heat
2. Detroit Pistons*
Series= Detroit in 7 (4-3)
East:
1. Miami Heat*
4. Washington Wizards
Series= Heat in 5 (4-1)
3. Boston Celtics
2. Detroit Pistons*
Series= Pistons in 6 (4-2)
* = team advancing to the
next round
Photo Courtesy of NBA Media Ventures
Bonzi Wells’ efforts fell short in the Grizzlies’
Game 1 defeat
Finals:
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Detroit Pistons*
Series= Detroit in 7 (4-3)
P
A G E
1 0
T
H E
O
W L
’
S
H
O O T
s p o r t s
An Assessment of U.N.C. Hoops
BY CHARLES ASKEW
Many of you out there have
come up to me in the last week,
blurting out such ill-conceived
phrases as, “North Carolina
sucks!” and “Dude, y’all are
screwed!” What you all are
referring to is the mass exodus
of the North Carolina roster to
the 2005 NBA Draft. Sean
May, who said at the rally after the National Championship
win that he would be back
again next year, is gone, along
with Raymond Felton, Rashad
McCants, and stellar freshman
Marvin Williams. And that is
without even mentioning the
wealth of experience lost in the
three seniors Melvin Scott,
Jackie Manuel, and Jawad
Williams.
Now, the only components
we have left from the National
Championship team are highflyer David Noel, shaky point
guard Quentin Thomas, whose
only start this past season was
a loss to Santa Clara, and
Reyshawn Terry. One might
ask himself who these players
are, and this query would be
justified: the three players together averaged only six points
last season. That average
won’t win you many games in
the ACC. But let’s consider the
other teams in the conference.
Wake Forest, who lost in
the second round of the
NCAA’s to West Virginia,
loses its best two players to the
draft: point guard sensation
Chris Paul and the man in the
post, Eric Williams. Georgia
Tech, who made it to the National Championship game in
2004, loses its outstanding
point guard, Jarrett Jack, who
incidentally looks like Cuba
Gooding, Jr., and important
seniors, Luke Schenscher, Anthony McHenry, Isma’il
Muhammad, and B.J. Elder.
Maryland loses its best player,
John Gilchrist, and N.C. State
loses the ever-overrated Julius
Hodge. And who else is there?
Oh yeah, that evil school down
the road from Chapel Hill
whose mascot is, appropriately, a Blue Devil: Duke.
Congratulations to all Duke
fans. The only players your
team loses are Daniel Ewing,
who must have grandchildren
because he was there forever,
and Reggie Love, who might
have been the worst player in
Duke history. Y’all get to keep
your stars, J.J. Redick and
Shelden Williams. In mentioning such high-class individuals,
I find it necessary to mention
that J.J. is a baby. Yes, he
writes his own poetry because
he is stressed about the fans
that yell at him during the games
and he wants to go on to ESPN
to tell the whole country of his
grievances. My sole response
to his whining is a consoling
“boohoo.” And if Duke were
a civilized university, it would
not want Shelden Williams to
be on the court with the name
of the school plastered on his
jersey. One may ask why I’m
so hard on him, but the truth is
quite simple: Williams has to be
the ugliest guy in ACC basketball history. His eyes are abnormally close together and are
extremely far south on his massive forehead. I gag every time
I look at him, especially when
ESPN shows the close-ups
while he’s shooting free throws.
And besides, he was completely owned by Sean May
this year. May had 20-20
games both times out against
Coach K and his squad of misfits. But I guess we’ll have another season of dealing with
those guys. It’s definitely going
to be a long year. In addition,
Duke has recruited two more
annoying white guys: high
school player of the year Josh
McRoberts and assist man
Greg Paulus.
What about North
Carolina’s recruits? Tyler
Hansbrough showed his stuff in
the World All-Star game a few
weeks ago at the Fed Ex Forum: 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and MVP of the game.
Bobby Fraysor is a stellar
guard from Chicago who
shows signs of Kirk Hinrich.
And two other guys, Marcus
Ginyard and Danny Green,
show great potential. And who
wouldn’t want to start for the
National Champions? There’s
a bunch of playing time for a
bunch of prospects that North
Carolina will probably end up
with. Don’t count the Tar Heels
out just yet.
Many of you might want to
ask me, “What do you say to
the annoying people that come
up to you and say that North
Carolina will stink next year?”
Well, I’d say that I’m happy
with taking the National Championship and running with it. It
was great watching a bunch of
great guys with great talent beat
# 1 Illinois. They deserve to go
to the draft. They wouldn’t
want to take the chance of getting hurt their senior season.
And, besides, they have the
chance of being the first team
ever to have four players go in
the first round of the NBA draft,
and probably five players
overall.
The UNC squad has been
through a lot of adversity,
adapting to a new coach and
dealing with selfishness. They
finally lived up to their hype and
their history, and they gave a
great coach and a great guy his
first National Championship.
Go Heels.
Buzzards Speak Softly, Carry Big Sticks
BY JOHN KLINKE
This year the lacrosse team
has been led by three captains:
Dan Gibson, Jimbo Rainer, and
Sam Sawyer. Seniors such as
Ethan “Shockey” Knight, Mark
“Bubba” Scales, and Cooper
“Iron man” Hopkins have also
played a large role in leadership for the team on the field.
The team is 9-1 for the season
with only one loss to CBHS
earlier in the year. We are first
in the Tennessee West Region,
and we are third in the South
and 65th in the nation. We
started our season in Orlando
at Disney’s Wide World of
Sports; we won two scrimmages against a New Jersey
team, and a game against a local team. Our first in-town
game we lost against our city
rivals, CBHS. The team has
rebounded and learned from
the loss, for since that game,
we have been undefeated. Our
change was due to the amount
of leadership on the team. The
captains as well as many seniors put the team back on
track. Since then, the team has
beaten teams such as
McCallie, Lassiter, and
CBHS; the win over CBHS
sealed the number one seed
for our team. The win over
Lassiter was “the weirdest
game ever” said Coach Dent
on the ride home. Doug
Boyer scored the tying goal
with less than a minute left,
and Dan Gibson had the
winning goal with fifteen
seconds on the clock. Those
two players were the leading
scorers that game. Gibson had
six goals, and Boyer had two.
Dan Gibson is leading in points
while defensemen like Ethan
Knight and Mark Scales lead
the defense in takeaway
checks. Jimbo Rainer, handsdown the best goalie in the
state, also helped carry the
team to many victories. We are
looking forward to a strong finish to the season. The Semifinals and Finals of the State
Tournament are on May 13th
and 14th in Chattanooga. The
team is getting prepared and
Senior Goalie Jimbo Rainer is focused on bringing back the
invaluable to the Buzzards State Championship to MUS.
M
A Y
3 ,
2 0 0 5
P
A G E
1 1
s p o r t s
Tiger Takes Fourth
BY OWEN MERCER
After a major championship
dry-spell beginning in 2002,
Tiger Woods finally ended his
“slump” in a playoff victory
over Chris DiMarco. After
shooting a 74 in the first round,
Tiger got back on track by firing a 66 in the second round,
placing him a lengthy six shots
behind DiMarco. After shooting a 65 in the rain-delayed third
round, Woods charged ahead
to lead DiMarco by three
strokes going into Sunday.
Heading into the final round,
golf fans prepared themselves
for a showdown of major proportions. And this year’s final
round was nothing short of
spectacular. The two golfers
separated themselves from the
pack by the start of the final
round and traded great shot for
great shot throughout the
round. Tiger started strongly
with a birdie on #1, pulling
ahead by four shots, but a bogey on hole 10 brought
DiMarco back to within two.
DiMarco pulled even closer
with a birdie on 11, but he surrendered a shot with a bogey
on 12, that famous par-three
test of Augusta’s Amen Corner. DiMarco birdied 14 to
once again bring the deficit to
one, and both golfers birdied
15, relatively short par-five.
With Tiger’s lead was at one
when he misfired his tee shot
to the back of the green on the
par-3 16th.
With Woods’ missed green,
however, came an opportunity
for greatness. Tiger saw the
short game test and rose to the
challenge, adding yet another
historic moment to the annals
of Augusta. Tiger’s tee shot on
16 left him delicate a chip that
broke over 20 feet. Woods
chipped the ball hole high, and
then watched as it slowly broke
toward the cup. Finally, the ball
reached the hole, hung on the
lip for a full, agonizing second,
and then completed its final
revolution by falling into the
cup. The shot sent a huge roar
throughout Augusta National’s
towering pines, and the birdie
gave Tiger a two-shot lead with
two holes to play.
The tournament looked to
be within Woods’ grasp, but
the drama wasn’t over. On
both 17 and 18, Woods
faulted with bogeys while
DiMarco remained steady with
pars, highlighted by a clutch
up-and-down on 18 to tie
Woods. The stage was set for
a sudden death playoff. Woods
and DiMarco returned to 18,
and after each had split the fairway from the tee, the Masters’
outcome came down to midiron approach shots. DiMarco
led and, as he had in Sunday’s
regulation play, attempted to
land the ball on the 18th green’s
shelf. Sadly, though, the ball
lacked the single yard needed
and trickled down and off the
green’s front. Tiger, seeing an
opening, stuck his approach
just above the flagstick. Minutes later, Woods had sank his
15-foot birdie putt and claimed
his fourth green jacket.
In his ensuing interview in
Butler Cabin, Woods dedicated the victory to his ailing
father Earl Woods, who is suffering from heart problems.
With this monumental accomplishment, Tiger Woods joins
the elite company of Nicklaus
and Palmer as being one of only
three players to win four or
more Masters titles.
International Soccer Heats Up
BY AARON STRUMINGER
If you took offense at the
fans who participated in the
brawl at the Palace of Auburn
Hills, then you will be shocked
by an incident that happened
in Milan, Italy, a few weeks
ago. No, the fans did not come
onto the field, and the players
did not go into the stands.
However, unlike the incident in
Detroit, players were injured.
In the 72nd minute, Inter Milan
seemed to tie the game at 1-1
against their city rivals, AC
Milan. However, the referee
immediately disallowed the
goal and, soon afterwards, utter mayhem ensued. The fans
were already frustrated because they were losing 3-0 in
aggregate, or total goals scored
in two games between opponents (whoever wins the aggregate moves on to the next
match). Because of that frustration, the fans decided to create a fireworks spectacle. Unfortunately, these fireworks
were actually flares that the fans
had brought into the stadium.
The throws were aimed at the
referees and AC Milan players. One of the flares even hit
the AC Milan goalkeeper,
Dida, and he suffered seconddegree burns.
This event signals a new low
in player-fan relations. Fights
are not rare in European soccer. At many stadiums, fans
have been known to rush the
field or go outside in order to
get into fights with fans of the
opposing team. Then again,
these fights occur after the players have left the field, so they
do not put innocent people into
danger. The relationship between players and fans is completely different from the rela-
tionship between fans and other
fans. Fans should never, at any
time, put players into danger.
Unfortunately, this is not the
first incident in which a soccer
player has been hurt by a fan.
Another occurrence in recent
memory is the killing of
Andreas Escobar. Escobar
played for Colombia in the
1996 World Cup in the United
States. At the end of the game,
a ball deflected off of him and
into his own goal. Soon after
he had returned home, a crazed
fan shot and killed the unfortunate young man. I wish I could
say that this trend is going to
stop, but this is just not the
case. Instead, soccer fans are
becoming rowdier and more
willing to break laws, a dangerous habit and one that could
cost the game dearly in ratings
and respect.
P
A G E
1 2
T
t h e
H E
b a c k
O
W L
’
S
H
O O T
You face it everyday: the
plaguing dilemma of which path
to take to respective buildings
in the school in order to minimize the number of strenuous
steps. But alas, your troubles
are over, for I have remedied
this eternal conflict. No longer
will you, the students of MUS,
remain in the dark about your
right. I have charted the number of steps in specific paths
on the map and grid below.
Think of this as my going-away
present to underclassmen, and
enjoy.
M
A Y
p a g e
1,263 Steps to Greatness: A Campus Survey
BY CODY CURTIS
-
3 ,
2 0 0 5