Why we need liberals
This week in Badger sports:
Teams take to the road for tough weekend slate
The death of protest and its consequences
+OPINION, PAGE 5
University of Wisconsin-Madison
+SPORTS, PAGE 8
Complete campus coverage since 1892
l
dailycardinal.com
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Republicans present mining amendments By Meghan Chua the daily cardinal
Republican sponsors of the proposed mining bill announced at a press conference Monday amendments designed to increase environmental protections in the legislation. Environmental concerns have been at odds with economic priorities throughout consideration of the bill, which streamlines the process for obtaining a mining permit in Wisconsin. In addition to technical changes to the bill and heightening other environmental stan-
Jessica Chatham/the daily cardinal
This building, at 145 Iota Court, is one of three that could be deconstructed to make room for a student-focused apartment building if a proposal passes through Common Council Tuesday.
Residents discuss apartment proposal Opponents of construction focus on area’s ‘historic’ status By Melissa Howison the daily cardinal
Opposing sides in the debate over a proposed student housing complex in the Langdon neighborhood argued their respective cases on the proposal in front of a city planning committee Monday. The project site is part of the Langdon-State neighborhood which is included in Madison’s Downtown Plan, a city initiative aimed at preserving buildings that contribute to local districts on the National Register of Historic Places such as on Langdon. The new Waterfront devel-
opment includes renovation on the residences at 140 and 150 Langdon St. and deconstruction of three apartment complexes at 145 Iota Court, as well as 619 and 625 N. Henry St., all of which, with the exception of 140 Langdon St., the NRHP defines as “contributing buildings” to the neighborhood’s history. Project architect Randy Bruce said the new buildings will not detract from the neighborhood’s unique character. “[The drawings] show there is a certain rhythm that is established and how this new building is able to maintain that rhythm,” Bruce said. Neighborhood residents opposed to the plan said the deconstruction of the nearly 100-year-old apartments would cause the neighborhood to lose its status as an NRHP “historic district,” which would deny property owners in the area the tax exemp-
tions they currently receive. Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, called the argument nothing more than a “threat” and said there is little ground to support it as there has never been a case in Wisconsin in which a neighborhood lost its designation on the NRHP or its tax exemptions due to redevelopment. The Waterfront Apartments would consist of a 71-unit, sixstory building totaling 231 bedrooms, providing parking for residents, a courtyard that opens to North Henry Street and a dualfunctioning pedestrian path and fire lane connecting Langdon Lane to Iota Court. The developers, along with Bruce, said the fire lane would improve safety in the area by increasing access for emergency vehicles.
dards, the amendments prohibit exemptions from the mining law’s environmental protections if the exemption would significantly harm the environment outside of the mining site. Another amendment clarifies a permit-seeking company will pay for wetlands assessments if necessary for their permit. According to mining bill sponsor and Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, the amendments incorporate ideas from
mining page 3
Students adjust proposed state alcohol citation policy By Sarah Olson the daily cardinal
The Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Committee discussed Monday a new provision to its Responsible Action bill that would prevent students from using the policy as a means of avoiding a drinking ticket. Legislative Aff airs Committee Chair Dan Statter said although the committee does not foresee students abusing the bill to avoid drinking tickets, it is a “responsible addition” to the legislation. The Responsible Action bill is designed to protect students
from receiving citations for underage drinking when calling police to report a violent crime or calling for help in certain emergency situations. Members of the Legislative Affairs Committee met with the staffs of state Sens. Terry Moulton, R-Chippewa Falls, Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, and Luther Olsen, R-Ripon, all of whom seemed supportive of the bill, according to committee members. Also in the meeting, Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, spoke about the city council’s response
policy page 3
development page 3
‘Suspicious’ man grabs woman by arm on Gorham Street The Madison Police Department is working to identify a “suspicious” man who allegedly grabbed a woman walking on campus Saturday and attempted to take her with him, according to a police report. The 21-year-old victim was walking on the 400 block of West Gorham Street when the
suspect grabbed her arm and tried to pull her with him at approximately 6:12 p.m., MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain said in a statement. The woman told police she was afraid he was going to assault her and she was able to get away by ripping her arm from the suspect’s grip, accord-
ing to DeSpain. The report describes the suspect as a 6-foot-5-inch AfricanAmerican man in his 20s wearing a blue cap, dark pants and a “puffy winter coat,” who the police have not yet identified. DeSpain said the woman was listening to music on her headphones when she was attacked.
on campus
Sticking to the classics
UW Professor of Cello Parry Karp played classical music with pianist Eli Kalman at Morphy Hall in Humanities. + Photo by Grey Satterfield
“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”
page two A man who hates the police tODAY: chance o’ snow hi 33º / lo 8º
2
l
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
wednesDAY: mostly cloudy hi 32º / lo 30º
dailycardinal.com
An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 122, Issue 77
2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100
News and Editorial
edit@dailycardinal.com Editor in Chief Scott Girard
Managing Editor Alex DiTullio
News Team News Manager Taylor Harvey Campus Editor Sam Cusick College Editor Cheyenne Langkamp City Editor Melissa Howison State Editor Jack Casey Enterprise Editor Samy Moskol Associate News Editor Meghan Chua Features Editor Ben Siegel Opinion Editors David Ruiz • Nikki Stout Editorial Board Chair Matt Beaty Arts Editors Cameron Graff • Andy Holsteen Sports Editors Vince Huth • Matt Masterson Page Two Editors Rachel Schulze • Alex Tucker Life & Style Editor Rebecca Alt Photo Editors Grey Satterfield • Abigail Waldo Graphics Editors Angel Lee • Dylan Moriarty Multimedia Editors Eddy Cevilla • Mark Troianovski Science Editor Matthew Kleist Diversity Editor Aarushi Agni Copy Chiefs Brett Bachman • Molly Hayman Rachel Wanat Copy Editors Maya Miller • Jake Smasal
Business and Advertising business@dailycardinal.com Business Manager Jacob Sattler Office Manager Emily Rosenbaum Advertising Managers Erin Aubrey • Dan Shanahan Senior Account Executives Philip Aciman • Jade Likely Account Executives Erin Aubrey • Jordan Laeyendecker Dennis Lee • Hannah Klein Daniel Shanahan • Joy Shin Web Director Eric Harris Public Relations Manager Alexis Vargas Marketing Manager Caitlin Furin Events Manager Andrew Straus Creative Director Claire Silverstein Copywriters Dustin Bui • Bob Sixsmith The Daily Cardinal is a nonprofit organization run by its staff members and elected editors. It receives no funds from the university. Operating revenue is generated from advertising and subscription sales. The Daily Cardinal is published weekdays and distributed at the University of WisconsinMadison and its surrounding community with a circulation of 10,000. Capital Newspapers, Inc. is the Cardinal’s printer. The Daily Cardinal is printed on recycled paper. The Cardinal is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and the Wisconsin Newspaper Association. All copy, photographs and graphics appearing in The Daily Cardinal are the sole property of the Cardinal and may not be reproduced without written permission of the editor in chief. The Daily Cardinal accepts advertising representing a wide range of views. This acceptance does not imply agreement with the views expressed. The Cardinal reserves the right to reject advertisements judged offensive based on imagery, wording or both. Complaints: News and editorial complaints should be presented to the editor in chief. Business and advertising complaints should be presented to the business manager. Letters Policy: Letters must be word processed and must include contact information. No anonymous letters will be printed. All letters to the editor will be printed at the discretion of The Daily Cardinal. Letters may be sent to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.
Editorial Board Matt Beaty • Alex DiTullio Anna Duffin • Nick Fritz • Scott Girard David Ruiz • Nikki Stout
Board of Directors Jenny Sereno, President Scott Girard • Alex DiTullio Emily Rosenbaum • John Surdyk Erin Aubrey • Dan Shanahan Jacob Sattler • Melissa Anderson Don Miner • Chris Drosner Jason Stein • Nancy Sandy Tina Zavoral © 2013, The Daily Cardinal Media Corporation ISSN 0011-5398
For the record Corrections or clarifications? Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an email to edit@dailycardinal.com.
michael voloshin voloshin’s commotion
I
have no reason to hate police officers. I have no criminal record. However, I had one run-in with the police that turned me off of local law enforcement forever. Let me set up the scene: I was a senior in high school, hanging out at a friend’s place one spring day. There were four of us, and we were just playing video games and talking about the next “American Idol” winner (What? I liked shitty music in high school). One of my friends, we’ll call him “Zeke,” was playing around with his new touchscreen phone when he accidentally pressed the “emergency contact” button, which conveniently calls 911 (who knew!). Zeke took the only logical course of action by hanging up the phone and coming to his best friend for advice—but his best friend wasn’t there, so he asked me instead. Now, Zeke and the other two guys at this house were all sophomores, while I was an
18-year-old senior (yeah, yeah, I hung out with younger kids, sit on it). I also took a crime class with the incredible Mr. Brook Brown, so I thought I could figure out how to talk with the operator when they obviously called Zeke back. The operator called Zeke back, and I picked up. I explained it was an accident and there was no cause for alarm. However, the operator insisted they have to send an officer whenever a call to 911 is placed. So hurray, I guess?
He wanted everyone out of the house and to have them tell their story.
Boring, boring, boring. Let’s fast forward to when the police officer arrives. So the officer calls Zeke’s phone and tells Zeke he’s outside of the house. I take a deep breath and meet the officer outside. First off, the officer didn’t get out of the car or take his sunglasses off. Honestly, I
don’t even think he looked at me. I explained the story and assumed that’s all he would need… haha, nope. The officer was confused as to why I answered Zeke’s phone; I guess my answer of “I’m the oldest” wasn’t enough (in retrospect, that was really dumb). So he asked me to get Zeke. The officer then asked Zeke why I answered the phone and he said because I’m older (let’s make the same mistake twice). The officer told us the reason he thought it was weird is because many times when an operator calls back, and someone else answers, then the person calling might be dead. Yup… Zeke died, and I found an impersonator with his same monotone demeanor to replace him. I thought we were done, but nah; this officer needed more. He wanted everyone out of the house and to have them tell their stories (again the same story), and after that, he wanted to lecture us. Before I get to the grand finale of this story that makes the last 500 words worth it, just remember that this is a case of an accidental phone call; nothing more, nothing less. Here’s what the officer said (this is the only part of the story
that is 100 percent real; I remember what the officer said wordfor-word to this day). “Do you know where I just was?” He asked. “I was at a young girl’s suicide. I should be over there trying to pick up the pieces, but I’m over here because you kids are fucking around with your phones. Do you know what that is? That’s obstruction of justice, how would your parents feel about that?” I was flabbergasted; I couldn’t even say a snarky comeback. The officer looked at Zeke and the other two and told them they were fine. He then took off his sunglasses and looked at me straight in the eye and said, “You. I don’t trust you. If I ever see you again, if you’re ever in trouble, I want you to know; I am not your friend. I will not be helping you out.” And he drove away, probably to the suicide. After all that, all I can say is goddamit Mr. Brown, you didn’t prepare me well enough. Have you ever had a runin with the law? Do you have an unfavorable view of the police? Tell Michael about it by sending him an email at mvoloshin@wisc.edu.
All views subjective, so ignore the critics Zac pestine zac, crackle, pop
P
lato, possibly the greatest of all contemplators— ancient or modern—vehemently denounced the actions of his arch foes, who worked tirelessly to convince the public that eternal truths were intangible and their chase will always be fruitless. Rhetoric, the sophists claimed, prevailed over all else. Persuasion, words, diction, these were the stuff of action. These were the stuff of truth, limited as they may be. As much as I admire Plato’s vociferous march to dignify eternal truths and rebuke its detractors, after reading the ambivalent reviews of the season-two finale of the Showtime series “Homeland,” I must corroborate the sophists’ claim that stronger arguments outlast such eternal truths to hold at least some water. After watching the pilot episode of “Homeland,” I found myself mesmerized and spellbound. I kowtowed to the drama, completing all 24 hours of it within a week. Sure, I caught wind of some of the inevitable plot holes along the way, but each episode was riveting and left me on the edge of my seat. Voyeurs into TV’s rendition of CIA life hooked me onto the show, a personal addiction rivaled by only Starbucks coffee. Naturally, after watching the season two finale, meaning all the episodes produced to date, I pined to see how critics and fellow fans felt about the direction of the series. I tirelessly flipped through Internet reviews of the season finale, which I felt to be
nothing short of spectacular, and was met by a barrage of both praises and criticisms. New Yorker… bad. Rolling Stone…bad. New York Times… good.
Although it was not news to me, I again realized that all views are subjective.
Then it dawned on me: I really didn’t give a crap about what any of the reviews said. I definitely could not have cared less what other fans thought. I liked to see people engaged with the show, but their opinions did not affect mine at all. Moreover, I realized that their reviews and ideas were directly related to their own personal experiences, their moods while they were watching the show and writing their reviews, and how pedantic they felt like portraying themselves. Although it was not news to me, I again realized that all views are subjective. When it comes to analysis, there are no eternal truths. There is only the legitimacy that we lend to so-called experts. To make a left turn here, I want to propose that while we remain checked in our own beliefs and remain cognizant that additional insight will always bring alternating viewpoints along with it, we should not regard any “expert’s” opinion to appear as truth to us. We must remain committed to our own senses. We must recognize that if we like or dislike something, our visceral tendencies may be apropos. This is to say that if, as a Wisconsinite, you somehow don’t
like cheese curds, there may be something about cheese curds that really is unappealing, despite the overwhelming majority of people who place cheese curds on a hegemonic pedestal. The same goes for Leonardo DiCaprio films. Conversely, if by some freak chance you believe that the Chicago Cubs are a halfway decent franchise, then there really may be some aspect of the last century (which is widely believed to have brought nothing but devastation and embarrassment to the organization and its fans) that you can draw positivity from.
What I am trying to say is that many of our own opinions derive from how strong we perceive the arguments surrounding them, or how good we are at rationalizing or lying to ourselves. Arguments make the world go round, so argue well. Is that only a subjective truth? Well it depends how well you defend its claim. How is that for a sophisticated answer? Did you watch the “Homeland” season two finale? What did you think? Share your own argument with Zac by sending him an email at pestine@wisc.edu.
Have great sex this Valentine’s Day Ask the Dirty Bird for answers to your burning sex questions! Send questions to the Cardinal’s sex columnist Alex Tucker. Email:
sex@ dailycardinal .com
news
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 3
l
dailycardinal.com
Wis. Supreme Court candidate criticizes out-of-state funding
Meghan Chua/the daily cardinal
Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, said the amendments strengthen environmental protections in mining.
mining from page 1 many individuals, including Democrats. “Not only do we have good bipartisan amendments, we also strengthen environmental protection even further,” Suder said. Under the proposed amendments, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources must also take into consideration a mine’s impact on archaeological sites and water quality near mining waste sites for a number of years increased from the original proposal. State Sen. Tom Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, said retaining the state’s high environmental standards as well as certainty for business owners looking for an answer on their permits are both priorities in the bill. “We’re very proud of our environmental heritage in this state,” Tiffany said. “But also that there be certainty for an applicant that they’re going to get an answer.” However, state Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, said in a state-
ment even with the amendments, the mining bill is “deeply flawed” and continues to give “too much power over the process to the mining company.” “It still contains provisions that weaken environmental protections and it still shortchanges Wisconsin taxpayers,” Jauch said. Also Monday, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior sent Tiffany, one of the bill’s coauthors, a letter criticizing the bill’s process. According to a press release from Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chairman Mike Wiggins Jr., the legislature has not adequately involved Native American citizens, “who stand to suffer the most from weaker environmental laws.” Wiggins said although legislators have met with “more affluent, non-tribal” groups in northern Wisconsin, they have not met with Native American communities. “We cannot exchange clean water and our democratic process for legislators’ weak promise of jobs,” he said.
Student government releases details for spring Diversity Week The Associated Students of Madison Diversity Committee released details Monday about plans to hold a Diversity Week in April to encourage students to examine different aspects of diversity, as well as think about their own identities. Five days of events across campus will take various approaches to discussing diversity, beginning with sexuality on April 15. The subsequent days will be devoted to disability, religion, gender and multiculturalism. Diversity Committee Chair Mia Akers said she hopes
Diversity Week will help students recognize there are many ways to approach diversity. “Our ultimate goal is to really just raise awareness about all the different facets of one’s identity,” Akers said. Diversity Committee member Victoria Atkinson said over 20 student groups, such as Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment and the LGBT Campus Center, will lead workshops and panels dedicated to the topic of the day, with the possibility of keynote speakers concluding each day’s events.
development from page 1
people will see that it works and it’s successful and they’ll come and just continue to do so because someone already did it and broke the barrier,” Erickson said. Three plan commission members voted in support with five opposed, which means the development needs a “super majority” of 15 out of 20 possible Common Council votes to receive final approval at the meeting Tuesday, according to Resnick.
Emily Erickson, a UW-Madison sophomore and member of Alpha Chi Omega, who lives a block away from the proposed structure, is in strong opposition to the plan and said all 50 members of her sorority living in the house share her opinion. “We’re really scared that if [Waterfront] comes to Langdon, makes this apartment complex, takes away from the character and makes profit off of it,
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Vince Megna called on his two opponents to turn down campaign contributions from out-of-state individuals and groups Monday. Megna, a Milwaukee lemon law attorney, said he made the request to Justice Pat Roggensack and Marquette University law professor Ed Fallone because he is “disgusted” by the amount of outside money that has flowed into recent state elections and wants to ensure the campaign remains about the people of Wisconsin alone.
The move comes just days after new campaign finance reports revealed the incumbent Roggensack holds a significant fundraising advantage over her challengers. According to those filings, the Roggensack campaign had more than $55,000 cash on hand at the end of 2012, compared to $6,900 for Megna and $5,400 for Fallone. Roggensack campaign adviser Brandon Scholz dismissed Megna’s request as a political stunt, adding that judicial candidates are not legally allowed to solicit donations for their own campaigns.
“This is a typical political attack from candidates who can’t raise money for their own campaign,” Scholz said. w“I’ve instructed my campaign to comply fully with the law on campaign contributions and I don’t see any reason to deviate from that,” Fallone said. The two candidates who emerge with the most votes in the Feb. 19 primary will move on to face each other in the April 2 general election. The winner will serve a ten-year term on the state’s highest court. —Adam Wollner
Ward not expecting state funding cuts to UW By Cheyenne Langkamp the daily cardinal
University of WisconsinMadison Chancellor David Ward told the Faculty Senate Monday that university funding in the upcoming state biennial budget looks as though it will remain “steady.” Ward said although the budget remains largely unclear until its release later this month, he is not expecting large cuts. “I think we will probably hold our own,” Ward said. Faculty Senate University Committee Chair Mark Cook also spoke about the committee’s involvement with the planning of a new College of the Arts, which would include the art, dance, music, and theater and drama departments. According to Cook, the creation of the new college seeks to unify
policy from page 1 to safety concerns after the May 19 shooting on the 500 block of University Avenue. Madison Common Council took the shooting incident seriously by allotting $50,000 in additional police funding, sending officers to approach gang members directly and working with community organizations to redirect young people standing outside bars, according to Resnick.
multiple art departments that are currently spread across various colleges on campus, as well as improve resources and increase visibility of the arts programs. Cook said the idea for a College of the Arts has been in the works for decades but is now reaching the final planning stages and the “devil will be in the details” as the proposal moves forward this year. Cook said planners will be reaching out for input from faculty, staff and students over the next month. The Board of Regents is tentatively scheduled to review the proposal in October. Sara Goldrick-Rab, chair of the Committee on Undergraduate Recruitment, Admissions and Financial Aid, also gave a report on educational opportunities for Wisconsin students of color at UW-Madison. According to Goldrick-Rab,
statistics show only 3 percent of African American high school students from Wisconsin are “well-prepared” to attend the university. Goldrick-Rab said “well-prepared” means the student scored over 22 on the ACT and was in the top 25 percentile of the graduating class. Goldrick-Rab said the committee is looking for commentary on what role, if any, the state’s flagship university should take on the issue. Faculty Senator James Doing said while he would love to have more diverse students in his classroom, UW-Madison is a competitive institution and it may not help students to let them in if they are underprepared. “I don’t know if we do anyone a favor by letting them in with an 18 ACT,” Doing said. “I think that you’re setting them up to fail.”
“It changed my entire perspective on campus safety,” Resnick said about the shooting. Resnick also addressed the high cost of housing in Madison, noting Madison’s low vacancy rate has led to a lack of competition between the landlords. “We’re seeing something on campus where landlords can basically not invest a single dime into their property and they will still find some student who is willing to live there.” he said.
Resnick said he hopes new housing projects, such as the Xo1 apartments on the corner of University Avenue and Brooks Street, will spark more turnover and more selection in the housing market. Statter said Resnick has been “accessible” and “competent” in his work with the Legislative Affairs Committee. “While there can always be more to do, I think the city council has gone above and beyond what is called of them,” Statter said.
courtney kessler/the daily cardinal
Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, speaks with student leaders Monday about Madison Common Council initiatives to increase campus safety and protect students’ rights as tenants.
arts l
4
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
dailycardinal.com
Video games need to offer more options Adam Paris Sega What?
P
ress X to “insert good deed here,” press B to “insert bad deed here.” These boring prompts seem to permeate nearly every genre of game nowadays. The prevailing belief is that if developers add choice, their game will immediately morph into something tasteful that tests the moral fiber of its audience. I’m all for instituting player choice. The more ways an individual can interact with a game’s systems and craft an individualistic tale, the better. The main issue is that these choices become preordained so early in a play through that they hamper the emotional impact and sense of authenticity for the rest of the experience. Assuredly some gamers will play through a title, making choices on a purely individual basis. The vast majority however, will typically decide they want to be a renegade or paragon early on in their play through effectively eliminating organic decisions determined by the particular situation. “Mass Effect 3” is a prime example. I chose to play mainly as a renegade and although I utilized the occasional paragon option, most of my choices were
dictated by this decision made almost 3 years earlier when I first played “Mass Effect.” Not only does this destroy any spontaneity, it also significantly lessens my investment in the narrative as a whole. While this may sound like player error, the problem stems from the developers crafting specific endings or gameplay elements that generally fall into two narrow and opposed tracks. These moral quandaries breed specific payoffs down the line, but personally I oftentimes straddle the line between these two disparate parts if I examine each decision from an individual standpoint. “Bioshock” ties an integral game currency to the black and white moral decisions present in the game. If I sacrificed precious “little sisters,” I would acquire a far greater reward than if I let them go. I destroyed every single one I found. In reality I would never sacrifice them, but the game’s systems forced my hand into a decision driven more by gameplay than personal contemplation. People can certainly make the argument that is the point of the choice: forcing players to decide whether money or life is more valuable. I thought the opposite, and by pigeonholing me into a particular track I didn’t necessarily want to follow, none of the decisions felt personal or impactful. Instead, they felt like hollow button
presses eventually paying off with an incredibly underwhelming cut-scene. I wish more games instituted the gray area between the two tracks, a concept probably best exemplified by “Heavy Rain.” A unique game that relies mainly on tedious button inputs, “Heavy Rain” has one of the most robust, organic senses of choice in any game.
I’m all for instituting player choice. The more ways an individual can interact with a game’s systems and craft an individualistic tale, the better.
“Heavy Rain” never made me feel like there was a particular path I had to take for the sake of gameplay. The existence of legitimate relationships formed throughout the game combined with the fact that these in-game character dynamics can actually mold my specific choices makes for a far more compelling gameplay hook than hitting X because I want my character to have some cool looking, illuminated scars. Although “Heavy Rain” is worthy of the praise above, it sticks to the game industry’s slavish devotion to overt onscreen prompts that obliterate true immersion. Every game’s visual language is vast-
ly different and the onscreen indicators certainly work in games like “Mass Effect” or “The Walking Dead,” where such prompts are an integral part of dialogue. That doesn’t mean the developer’s choice to splay this obvious dichotomy onscreen is prudent. “Spec Ops: The Line” still illustrates to the player they’re in a decision-making situation but breaks away from industry standards by leaving it up to the player to discover numerous approaches to a particular scenario. At one point in the game, a government agent is crawling away from the main character. Players assume control to either kill the man or allow him to gradually escape and rappel to safety. This is a basic choice, but one that feels far more satisfying simply because it allows the player to discover their options independently of obtuse onscreen prompts. There is certainly no obvious example of how best to integrate morality into video games. Indeed, few games have actually made me question my moral decisions by virtue of their potential ramifications down the road. Life is very rarely black and white; it’s time for video games to quit staring at the two most boring ends of the spectrum. Think the one-two punch that Adam finds lame is actually the bomb? Let him know at arparis@wisc.edu
Mad you missed The Daily Cardinal’s recruitment meeting?
Want your name in 10,000 newspapers? Well, write for the Arts Page. It’s never too late to start!
moe. to bring their jam-music prowess to Madison By Brian Weidy the daily cardinal
The Daily Cardinal recently spoke with moe.’s bassist and vocalist, Rob Derhak, while the band prepared to set out on their 2013 winter tour. Back in 1989, guitarist Chuck Garvey, Derhak and former band member Ray Schwartz formed moe. at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Currently, the band is made up of Derhak and Garvey, as well as guitarist Al Schnier, drummer Vinnie Amico and percussionist Jim Loughlin. It was difficult for the band to find similar acts to perform along side in the Buffalo area. “There was no jam scene at all [in Buffalo],” said Derhak. “It was a thriving eclectic music scene.” The Wetlands Preserve, a nightclub in New York City, would end up being a very important place for moe. Derhak still regards it as one of his favorite venues. “That place is where we kind of grew up as a band,” Derhak said. “Not really as people so much.” In 2012, moe. released What Happened to the La La’s, the group’s tenth studio album. On the album, the band took a number of roadtested songs and brought them into the studio for the first time. One of these songs was “The Bones of Lazarus,”
a reworked version of the fanfavorite, “Lazarus.” “For the most part it was my idea to change it as we had been playing it for a while,” said Derhak. “If we we’re going to record it at that point, I would want it to have a different feel, and be a little bit of a different song.” Though the band has been around since 1989, they remain at the cutting edge when it comes to using technology. At their moe.down festival, the band performed their song “Crab Eyes” on five iPads that were running GarageBand and Mallets software. This innovative move caught the attention of the people at Apple.
said ‘What if we tried to play our instruments like that and play a song?’” After a video of the band using the iPads went viral, moe. found themselves performing at MacWorld. The band’s festival performances have also been a big part of their annual touring schedule as they have been able to capitalize on the burgeoning festival market. “It really comes from [being] out there playing
other festivals and meeting other bands and meeting other promoters,” said Derhak. “The idea of doing a festival is appealing to everyone in the band, our fans [and] to fans [that] are fans of festivals, not just of moe.” The band is known for their relentless touring schedule; however, it has been a few years since the band has played in Madison. Since the band’s most recent appearance in Madison was back
in 2005, there is a palpable excitement for moe.’s upcoming return. “We haven’t been to Madison in a while … but it’s such a great little town,” said Derhak. “I’m glad we are going back, a lot of good people, a lot of really good, solid moe. fans there and I am just really excited to be going back there.” moe. will take the stage at the Capitol Theater at 8 p.m. Feb. 8.
“We haven’t been to Madison in a while ... but it’s such a great little town.” Rob Derhak bassist and vocalist moe.
“We were trying to come up with new and interesting things to do,” said Derhak. “We had just met this one guy who worked for Apple backstage at a show in St. Louis and I want to say it was just when the iPad 2 came out … he showed us that it had GarageBand on it and he showed us how you play it. It was pretty intriguing and I
moe. is scheduled to perform at the Capitol Theater Feb. 8 at 8 p.m.
photo by Alexandra valenti
opinion Modern times aching for liberal left dailycardinal.com
Michael Cruz opinion columnist
T
he thought of speaking out against the actions of a government that may have you killed or imprisoned without trial is petrifying. The war on terror that has defined our previous decade as a nation has wreaked havoc on our civil liberties, further destroyed our global reputation, and deceived a once respected political system. The loudest bandwagon carrying us into the current decade came to town chanting hypnotic newspeak by convincing naive activists that they were a member of the 99 percent. The term is branded on buttons and t-shirts, though most cannot conceptualize its implications: very powerful propaganda. Some members of the left do not understand the danger in the growing animosity between America’s social classes. It’s a frightening reality when individuals prefer to debate their economic entitlement as opposed to current American war crimes. What happened to the demonstrations we saw in the early 2000s focused on the actions of our government? What happened to personal
accountability and independence that defined American work ethic? What’s happening to the left? Back in 2011, the same month protesters began to gather on Wall street, the United States government secretly ordered the assassination of three American citizens without their constitutionally protected right to a trial: a New Mexico man, his son and a naturalized American citizen that once lived in Queens, New York. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports that an estimated 1,126 civilians lost their lives to U.S. drone bombing, which spans a total of three undeclared wars: Yemen, Pakistan and Somalia. The media is too distracted by the recent events at home, while those that truly influence our legislators are finding ways to circumvent our Constitution. Just like the pilots of these unmanned military drones, the anti-war left is nowhere to be seen. Terrorism is an ideology. Our government has been at war with this frame of mind for well over thirteen years and what kind of progress have we made? How does a country defeat an enemy that exists in the minds of men who live in a state governed with no borders? To fight
war on ideologies with bombs is like fighting climate change with blogs.
Democracy seems to work only when everyone can agree on whom and what to demonize.
With that said, we have absorbed a delusional sense of constitutional justice and bent our own priorities with a pair of pliers purchased from Walmart. These past few years our liberal friends have preferred to spend their time contrasting America’s economic social classes as opposed to condemning the violent actions of the Democrats they elected into office. Instead of accusing lawmakers for America’s disarray, we point the finger at the neighbor with the political bumper sticker, become angry with a man that makes chicken sandwiches because he is not comfortable with gay marriage and tweet our latest complaint about corporate America on our new iPhone 5. Traditionally speaking,
Tuesday, February 5, 2013 • 5
America could always count on the voice of the left to speak up about questionable military action and civil liberties, but the new generation has chosen instead to focus on redefining their concept of personal accountability. The anti-Vietnam war movement kept the media busy in their scrutiny of Democratic President Lyndon Johnson and his agenda--a great example to set for their children and the following generations. What was the message of the Occupy Wall Street movement? Are political demonstrations effective anymore or are we just hypnotized by our deluded sense of civil responsibility? The politics of America’s current generation consist of Twitter hashtags barking about individual entitlements while megaphones and peace flags handed down from our parents remain in storage. Pessimism will tell us that Democracy seems to work only when everyone can agree on whom and what to demonize, but instead of blaming the wealthy producers of this country for our economic turmoil maybe we should peek under the veil of our own government. The founding fathers wrote the story of America’s future and the protagonist
was intended to be Uncle Sam. The students of the Age of Enlightenment had a keen sense of foresight, but throughout America’s successive generations our dissonance has brought us face-to-face with a dismal future. The writing is on the Facebook wall. We are living in a divided country uncertain of who to blame and our ever-growing government has developed an agenda with a life of its own. In the past, the left has helped to correct this country onto the proper course. It’s a frightening reality when witnessing out-of-control spending, confusing foreign affairs and media headlines saturated with gun control rhetoric. What will we do when we find ourselves as citizens unarmed and cornered? It takes years to build a reputation, but only moments to destroy it. I’m concerned for our friends on the left; we can’t effectively move forward without them. Michael is a senior majoring in economics. Do you feel like your political beliefs are adequately represented by the media? Do you feel that our generation has reached a new level of complacency? Tell us what you think! Please send feedback to opinion@dailycardinal. com, and visit dailycardinal.com for more content!
Lack of background checks at gun shows gives criminals easy access Mike brost opinion columnist
W
e’re a nation of 315 million constitutional law scholars. Most Americans avoid the legalese of their credit card contracts like the plague. But the Constitution and specifically the Second Amendment? No problem—we know exactly what it means. But the fact is what you or I think about the Second Amendment is pretty meaningless, because it’s the Supreme Court’s interpretation that counts. So what has the highest court in the land said about the Second Amendment? It turns out that until 2008, not much. In 2008, though, the Supreme Court affirmed in its District of Columbia v. Heller decision— for the first time in the court’s history—the individual right to have a handgun in the home for self-defense. Thankfully, that decision, according to many constitutional law scholars, leaves room to try to prevent the type of gun-related tragedies that have scarred communities from Aurora, Colo. to Oak Creek, Wis. to Newtown, Conn. In other words, gun control and the protection of Americans’ Second Amendment rights aren’t mutually exclusive propositions. Sadly, a lack of political will threatens to derail measures that could prevent future violence. After all, on gun legislation, over 55 percent of members of the House of Representatives have an “A” grade from the National Rifle
Association, making them unlikely to pass gun control measures. But now is the time for policy makers to act with a renewed sense of urgency. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have rightly identified gun violence as a complex and multi-causal social problem. For starters, it’s currently easier to buy an assault rifle in America than to get mental health care. The very poor have access to mental health care through Medicaid; the very rich have premium health insurance plans that cover mental health care. For the rest of Americans— that is, the vast majority of Americans—affordable mental health care is exceedingly rare. To prevent future tragedies, access to affordable mental health care must be broadened. The second greatest threat to the passage of credible gun control legislation is a lack of realism among policy makers. America may have been spurred to action after a deranged man broke the peace of the bucolic town of Newtown, Conn. with an assault rifle, but the truth is that the lion’s share of gun violence is committed with handguns, not assault rifles. America has just 5 percent of the world’s population yet Americans own 50 percent of the world’s guns, most of those being handguns. So how do we prevent handgun violence, with the understanding that the Second Amendment protects Americans’ right to them? First, it’s worth noting that most gun owners act responsibly with their firearms,
using them only for recreation and self-defense. But crime statistics also tell that tens of thousands of Americans use guns for more nefarious purposes. Criminals have easy access to background-check free guns through gun shows. A whopping 40 percent of all guns in America are bought at gun shows. Under current law, the sale of most firearms at gun shows are exempt from background checks. Closing that loophole would ensure that fewer guns fall into the wrong hands. When asked last week during congressional testimony why the National Rifle Association does not support closing the loophole, N.R.A. Chief Executive Wayne LaPierre responded by saying, “My problem with background checks is you are never going to get criminals to go through universal background checks.” Wait, what? Yeah—that’s why we need them: They will eliminate an important avenue through which criminals get their hands on guns. And Wayne LaPierre testified before Congress as recently as 1999 in support of background checks at gun shows, citing them as an important and pragmatic way to prevent gun violence. Many of the proposed measures to mitigate gun violence lack congressional support to become law. But eliminating the gun show loophole has the greatest potential to keep guns out of the wrong hands and save lives. Congress must act, and soon. Questions or comments? Send us an email at opinion@dailycardinal.com.
Want more?
WE GOT IT!
visit dailycardinal.com for opinion, news, sports, photos, and more!
opinion Super Bowl XLVII super disappointing 6
l
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
jonny Shapiro opinion columnist
F
irst, let’s get this straight. I’m a huge football fan. Super Bowl Sunday is one of my favorite days out of the year. Football. Wings. Drinking. The only thing that would make it better would be if my favorite team had actually made the big game. Sadly, though, they did not. And so, for the 18th time in my life, I sat through a game that has absolutely no bearing on my fandom. Only this time, I took notes. On everything but the game. Commercial breaks during any other broadcast are the viewer’s free time. When Dennis Haysbert comes on telling you about Allstate, no matter how alluring you find his voice, those strong enough generally find their way to the fridge or to the bathroom, or just out of their seat to take a walk and stretch out. The Super Bowl sadistically denies you of this privilege. If you get up to empty your pounding bladder, you run the risk of missing the gem of the Super Bowl commercials, effectively alienating you from the following conversations about the bungee jumping dog who simultaneously bit a
man in the crotch. Luckily, if you actually left the couch this year, you didn’t miss much, unless you care to watch soft-core porn while sitting next to everyone on your floor. GoDaddy.com, famous for its racy commercials featuring Danica Patrick, set a new precedent for what to expect of commercials during the Super Bowl when they exposed 100 million people to a close up of an awkwardly intense makeout session between a beautiful blonde woman and a thirteenyear-old Jonah Hill.
During the blackout, CBS displayed its incredible ability to fill time with mindless babbling.
The balance quickly shifted from immediately gratifying commercials meant for laughs to creepy, uncomfortable commercials that make you ask, “What the hell did I just witness?” Car commercials showed how owning a Hyundai Sonata sends you on extravagant adventures, grants you a magical, blonde genie and fixes your
marriage. A pistachio commercial featuring a certain Korean pop star made me wish the Mayans were right. Bud Light turned Stevie Wonder from a household icon into a maniacal super-villain. Color me superstitious, but cursing your buddy’s chair has got to have some ramifications in the demonic underworld that is apparently run by the very old, very blind 70s soul singer. All hope for Super Bowl XLVII’s commercials seemed lost until The Rock came on the screen and started being The Rock, practically running through a warzone for a glass of milk. I also enjoyed Tracy Morgan coming on the screen and yelling at me about his sports drink or chicken nuggets or something. Paul Rudd and Seth Rogen nailed their commercial as well. Those two could be bantering about clubbing baby seals and it would put a smile on my face. Halftime rolled around, and while Jim Harbaugh threw a temper tantrum in the locker room worse than a five-yearold girl on speed, Beyonce mystically appeared on stage. With her, my dorm’s common room was flooded with screaming girls like there were free cupcakes. Beyonce proceeded to take this opportunity to treat
The Daily Cardinal
dailycardinal.com
the Superdome like a strip club on Bourbon Street. Soon she was joined by Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, reuniting the fabled Destiny’s Child. It seems like I’m the only one that would have rather seen Sean Paul walk on stage instead and sing his part to “Baby Boy.” Regardless, I’d rather spend the Super Bowl half time watching Beyonce do her thing as opposed to Tom Petty strumming the guitar. Sorry, Tom.
GoDaddy.com, famous for its racy commercials featuring Danica Patrick, set a new precedent for what to expect of commercials during the Super Bowl.
The Superdome staff threw a curveball at the audience when they blacked out half the stadium. Bold approach when being trusted with hosting the biggest event on national television. Comments and jokes were made about Ray Lewis turning violent in the dark confusion. During the blackout, CBS displayed their incredible ability to fill time with mindless babbling. I don’t know why
analysts can’t just admit that they have no idea what is in the minds of the coaches. The blackout confirmed what we all have always secretly thought: sports analysts are as useless as Alex Smith. James Brown kept interrupting their dribble to send me down the sideline to listen to some guy I’ve never heard of tell me that he has no idea when the lights are coming back on. And not only that, I was sent down to two different sideline reporters to tell me that they both have no idea. Just have Shannon Sharpe try to string together a couple of intelligent sentences and explain to me that the lights will come on as soon as possible so that the announcers can get back to their riveting discussion on which type of AstroTurf is the best. The game clock (eventually) hit zero and the Ravens were crowned Super Bowl XLVII champions. But the real champions are those who still get Jim and John Harbaugh confused. Those are the true Super Bowl fans, the ones who stick it out through blowouts and overtimes to see talking babies and the occasional wardrobe malfunction. Jonny is a freshman majoring in journalism. Did you enjoy this year’s Super Bowl? Please visit dailycardinal.com for more content, and send all feedback to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.
There’s a lot happening on campus. All of it affects you.
So tell us what you think!
Write for the Opinion section of The Daily Cardinal!
Excellence in journalism since 1892
Send an email to opinion@ dailycardinal.com expressing your interest. We’d love to have you!
comics dailycardinal.com
Its not a Monday
Today’s Sudoku
So was a man with a beer belly... In 1985, a pregnant woman was falsely accused of shoplifting a basketball and had to “disrobe” herself to prove her innocence. Tuesday, February 5, 2013 • 7
Eatin’ Cake Classic
By Dylan Moriarty www.EatinCake.com
© Puzzles by Pappocom
Classic
By Melanie Shibley shibley@wisc.edu
Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Caved In
By Nick Kryshak nkryshak@wisc.edu
Today’s Crossword Puzzle
First in Twenty
By Angel Lee alee23@wisc.edu
By Steven Wishau wishau@wisc.edu Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com
NEIGH SAYERS ACROSS 1 Causing no problems for coppers 6 Body part some macaroni resembles 11 Pictured 14 Shorelines do it 15 Brownish gray 16 TV Tarzan Ron 17 Legendary Greek ruse 19 Spy org. 20 Anxious 21 Gold purity unit 23 It moves tape through a machine 26 First among progeny 27 Keynote speaker, e.g. 28 Pull from the ground 30 Organic necklaces 31 Carpet cleaner’s target 32 A quick study 35 Rural hotel 36 Diminishing 38 Have a stroke? 39 Curiosity victim, in a saying 40 Lugged, as a large shopping bag 41 Like some circumstances 42 Runaway bride, say 44 Make something 46 Accessories 48 1776 battle site
9 Greek penny 4 50 “Little Red Book” follower 52 Area 51 craft 53 Classic horse tale 58 Word with “marked” or “masked” 59 Shop tool 60 Amid the waves 61 Chester White’s home 62 Swords used in the Olympics 63 Conduct the class DOWN 1 Rent 2 Commit a faux pas 3 Baby’s first and second word? 4 Fiddles with 5 Shanty 6 Allen of the Green Mountain Boys 7 Country abutting Vietnam 8 Repress in memory 9 Goddess of abundance and fertility 10 Seven-day 11 1973 Triple Crown winner 12 Word on a wanted poster 13 First name in Tombstone lore 18 Within shouting distance
2 Hullabaloo 2 23 Acute infant condition 24 Trade-show site 25 Equine in a Blood, Sweat and Tears song 26 “___ go bragh!” 28 “That’s ___ nonsense!” 29 Rendered, as a compliment 31 Fill beyond full 33 ___ -Novo (African capital) 34 Adolescent, almost 36 Expiable 37 Conks on the head 41 Having toothlike projections 43 Universal workplace 44 First bed 45 Do an ushering chore 46 Reunion attendees 47 Make lean, in a way 48 Pulls from a pipe 50 Aussie’s friend 51 Lumbago, e.g. 54 PC perch, perhaps 55 “God Bless the ___” (Lee Greenwood hit) 56 Gumshoe, briefly
57 “Boo” follower, in a triumphant shout
Cru
Charlie and Boomer Classic
By Natasha Soglin graphics@dailycardinal.com
Sports
tuesday february 5, 2013 DailyCardinal.com
Baltimore proves that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good
Press Conference
found Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard touchdown to send the game to overtime with 31 seconds left. Baltimore would win 38-35 in double overtime. The Ravens then caught New England on arguably their worst performance of the season, with Tom Brady looking completely out of sorts late in the game, coming away with a 28-13 win. Sunday night, the referees decided to swallow their flags on a Niners fourth-and-goal play in which Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith appeared to hold wide receiver Michael Crabtree in the end zone, preventing him from having a shot at a catch and effectively ending the game.
matt masterson master’s degree
A
shoaib altaf/cardinal file photo
The Wisconsin men’s basketball team will look to win consecutive Big Ten conference games for the first time since Jan. 12-15. The Badgers host Iowa at the Kohl Center Wednesday night.
Wisconsin teams face big tests this week By Adee Feiner the daily cardinal
Men’s Hockey
The men’s hockey team (8-66 WCHA, 11-9-6 overall) saw its 11-game WCHA win streak come to an abrupt end this past weekend in North Dakota, where they only managed to secure one point after tying and then falling to the Fighting Sioux. The Badgers are back at home this weekend to take on Bemidji State at the Kohl Center. Friday night’s game will be preceded by a special ceremony honoring the 30th anniversary of the 1983 NCAA championship team, when former Badger, NHL star and U.S. hockey hall of famer Chris Chelios will drop the puck. After going unbeaten against conference rivals, head coach Mike Eaves admitted that being unable to beat North Dakota was pretty surprising. “I think our standards have been so high,” Eaves said at Monday’s press conference. “It was tough to go back and watch that game [yesterday].” Eaves stated that the small misstep isn’t reason enough for the team to get worked up about losing, but rather an opportunity for them to finetune the small details. “We’re not getting bent out of shape,” he said. “We have some things we need to adjust a little bit, and we’ll get back to work today and do those things.” Senior forward Derek Lee is still dealing with some residual headaches, which Eaves men-
tioned that team physicians are working to get to the root of. “We’re trying to figure out if it’s his neck muscles causing those lingering headaches or if it’s the [concussion],” he said. “But he’s able to go to school and do all of his cognitive stuff.” The Badgers will also most likely be without sophomore defenseman Jake McCabe, who suffered an ankle injury in Saturday’s game.
Men’s Basketball
The Badger men’s basketball team (6-3 Big Ten, 15-7 overall) won Sunday afternoon’s match against Illinois, and will host Big Ten rival Iowa (3-6, 14-8) this Wednesday at the Kohl Center. Head coach Bo Ryan met with the media on Monday to discuss his team’s success on the road and within the conference. “All you’re trying to do, when you’re drilling your players, when you’re working on things, is the upcoming opponent, their tendencies, what we do against people that do this, this and this,” Ryan said. Wisconsin has already faced the Hawkeyes once this year, where the Badgers fell 70-66, due to a system that Ryan admits his team will have to step up to compete with. “They certainly can play,” he said. “They have guys with experience. They have depth. [They] are as good as any team I’ve seen in the league.” Sophomore forward Frank
Kaminsky returned to action on Sunday after injury setbacks had caused him to miss four games, and he is likely to play again against Iowa.
Women’s Basketball
The women’s basketball team (2-7 Big Ten, 10-12 overall) is coming off two Big Ten conference games, which included an upset over Penn State 63-61, and a loss to Illinois 64-56. The Badgers head to Columbus to take on Ohio State (2-7, 12-10) for the second time in less than three weeks, continuing their conference play. Head coach Bobbie Kelsey, who admits she wasn’t too pleased with Sunday’s loss, spoke on Monday about her team’s ongoing learning process about staying consistent in their game. “I want them to understand that we can’t have lulls and dips,” she said. “We have to be very consistent, and our margin for error is very, very slim. They’re learning how to win and how to build that tradition and culture in this program.” Kelsey knows the Buckeyes will be looking to for revenge after the Badgers took the first match, and she also hopes it can be a bounce-back moment for the team. “We’ll take that challenge like we always do and prepare for it. It will be interesting to see how this team comes back after a loss that we probably— we were right there, and we let it just kind of slip away.”
Cato, Mudd take home Big Ten weekly awards Junior Japheth Cato and sophomore Austin Mudd were both honored by the Big Ten Conference for their achievements in track and field this past weekend. Cato was named the Big Ten Field Athlete of the Week Monday and Mudd was named as the
top Track Athlete of the week in the conference. Cato won his secondstraight title in the heptathlon in Nebraska at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational. The Crete, Ill., native came in first in five of the seven events.
Mudd became just the fifth UW athlete to break the four-minute mile barrier with a time of 3:59:33. The Greenwood, Ind., native posted the third-fastest mile time in UW history and it is the eigth fastest mark this season in the country.
n old, old cliché in sports says that “it is better to be lucky than good.” As antiquated as that notion seems to be, perhaps no team embodied that idea more than the 2012 Baltimore Ravens. If you think about it, the Ravens are one of the more unlikely Super Bowl winning teams in recent memory. First off, they have a quarterback in Joe Flacco who is the greatest in the NFL in his own mind, but nobody else’s, and has been inconsistent at best over much of his career. Flacco finished 14th in passWhat I will say though, is ing yards and 15th in touchthat the Ravens are one downs this season—hardly elite of the luckiest teams to numbers—but in the playoffs he bring home the Vince had the highest passer rating Lombardi trophy. in the league and had a touchdown-interception ratio of 11-0. I don’t think too many people saw that coming. They have a running back While the play was controverthat may actually be the best in sial in its own right, it was even the NFL, but he is criminally more contentious because on the underutilized in their offense. previous drive, San Francisco Be honest, how many times defensive back Chris Culliver do you remember hearing Ray was called for pass interference Rice’s name Sunday night aside on a very similar play, resulting from his third quarter fumble? in a Baltimore first down. In the Ravens 14 regular season You can probably go to any and playoff wins, Rice averaged sports-related website on the 19.2 carries per game. Internet right now And in their six lossand read about es? He averaged just how the power 12 carries per game. outage induced Sunday night, Rice 34-minute delay carried the ball 20 took Baltimore out Number of times and we all know of the game in the touchdowns how that turned out. second half. Finally, thrown by Joe The Ravens also Baltimore’s luck Flacco in his four have a defense that, had run out, right? playoff games, most in the NFL. while immensely talI must have ented, is, as Danny missed the part Glover would say, during that delay “getting too old for when the 49er When Ray Rice carred the ball 20 this shit.” players were given or more times this Long regarded as orange slices and season, the one of the best defenCapri Suns while Ravens went 7-1. sive units in the NFL, the Ravens players the Ravens showed had to run wind that age was catching sprints up and up with them this year, as they down the field. finished just 17th in passing Fact is, after the break, San yards allowed and 20th in rush- Francisco simply outplayed ing yards allowed. Baltimore, and if it weren’t for Hardly elite numbers there, some bad play calling near the and even though they allowed goal line and a no-call on a defen31 points Sunday, they got the sive penalty, the Niners would be job done when it mattered most. our Super Bowl champions. Baltimore shot out of the But alas, luck got in the way gate this season to a 9-2 start, once again. but they stumbled coming into I can’t say that Baltimore is the playoffs, losing four of their undeserving of a Super Bowl last five. Few would have been title: after all, they did everyshocked if they had made an thing that was required of them exit in the first round this year and beat the four teams they against Indianapolis. were matched up against in the Most Super Bowl winning playoffs. What I will say though, teams rely on the skill of their it that the Ravens are one of the playmakers, but if you look at luckiest teams to bring home the Ravens postseason run, they the Vince Lombardi trophy. Do you think the Ravens got really got pretty lucky. After taking care of busi- lucky, or were they really the ness at home against the Colts, most deserving team to win Baltimore was, for all intents the Super Bowl this year? Let and purposes, finished in Matt know what you think at Denver, until Flacco somehow sports@dailycardinal.com
11
20
