Janelle Cooper scored 24 points, Ashley Jones had perhaps her best game as a collegian with nine points and 11 rebounds, and the Michigan women's basketball team in general gave it their best effort. And as in the previous 15 games, it proved to be insufficient as Illinois left Ann Arbor with a 67-57 win. Michigan finishes the Big Ten regular season with el zippo wins and 16 losses, and their overall record for the 2005-06 campaign is 6-22.

Michigan gets at least one more game, in the Big Ten tournament against Indiana. With a currently active roster of just nine players, only seven of whom really get much playing time, the Wolverines are at a severe disadvantage. Oh, and they already lost to Indiana once this season. Hope remains alive, though, and we will see what we will see.

I give this team all the credit in the world for their effort and for never giving up. They were dealt a very difficult hand and they have done all they could to succeed. I know it is little consolation to the players or the coaches, but sometimes you just have to be satisfied that you gave the best you had to give and then move forward.

The Sports Desk wishes Coach Burnett and the team best of luck in the Big Ten tournament and a much better 2006-07. With all players from this season returning, great improvement will definitely happen.

Saw a bit of the news today on one of the network affiliates here in Flint, Michigan and there was conservative talking puppet Thomas Friedman spewing inane gibberish about the situation in Iraq. Conveniently forgetting, of course, to be at all truthful about the United States role in making Iraq the basket case it is today, including Uncle Sam's longtime support for none other than Saddam "Satan" Hussein himself. The level of delusion and willful ignorance in the American mainstream is sickening and well-nigh Orwellian. "We" are always portrayed as purely innocent do-gooders and "they" as nothing but crazy terrorists and tyrants. Meanwhile the American corporate/government/military complex goes on in its own terroristic, greedy, and tyrannical ways, while useful idiots like Friedman sing the praises of Our Noble Leaders.

It was yet more Fear and Loathing at Crisler Arena last night as (expletive deleted) Michigan State beat the Michigan women's basketball team 68-42. Michigan was able to hang with the (expletive deleted) Spartans for the first few minutes but fell behind by 14 at halftime and even more as the second half progressed. The first half should have been closer, and Michigan could have even led at halftime as Michigan State did not play all that well and gave the Wolverines many opportunities that were squandered.

Last season, I decided to be a good sport and root for the other Big Ten teams in the NCAA women's basketball tournament. Not this time. I am way beyond sick of Michigan losing to all of those teams and so whatever ones make it to the NCAA's can officially go to Hell as far as I am concerned. I hope they all lose in the first round, preferably in the most embarrassing fashion to teams they have no business losing to. What can I say...a wounded Wolverine can be very nasty.

I did get to see Michigan's all time great Tabitha Pool at the game last night. It is always a pleasure to see her (or any of Michigan's alumni), and to know that she/they are doing well in life. Tabitha will always be a true "Champion of the West" as the Michigan fight song goes, and she is among my very favorite all time players.

Things will get better for the Michigan women's b-ball program, as soon as they have a more experienced team which will be next season. As for this season, only one more regular season game remains (Sunday at home against Illinois) and at least one game the following weekend in the conference tournament. Hopefully Michigan can get at least one win to have some momentum for next season.

Michigan women's basketball lost their final road game of the 2005-06 season, 67-55 to Iowa. Michigan played Iowa to a tie in the second half but trailed by twelve at the break, hence the final margin.

Jessica Minnfield scored a career high 20 points, and was joined in double figures by Stephany Skrba and Janelle Cooper who had ten each. But in general there was just not enough scoring by the Maize and Blue and this has been an ongoing problem of late.

All of the extra substitute players that Michigan has brought aboard, due to injuries to some of the regulars, got some playing time against Iowa. They are Mara Martin, Megan Bowman, and Lyndsay Miller from the Michigan volleyball team and walk on basketball players Lindsay Sklar and Renee Dean.

In happier Michigan sports news, the softball team won three and lost two of their first five games to get off to a good start on defending the national title. And women's tennis beat #22 Tennessee to pull even on the season at 3-3.

Lots of media attention to Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident, in which he shot a fellow hunter. If only this were all that Cheney and his cronies in the United States Government have done wrong lately. There is, of course, a whole litany of High Crimes that have been committed by Our Duly Elected Jackasses (both Demublican and Republicrat), including of course the twin evil Wars on Iraq and "Drugs." Both of which are sucking up obscene amounts of money that could be used for any number of more worthwhile ends such as Health Care, Education, and Disaster Relief (such as in New Orleans, maybe?). Instead, Uncle Sam creates more disasters and wastes millions of OUR money in the process.

It has been a few days since this Gonzo Journalist posted anything, so here are some random observations, beginning with some other Michigan women's sports news.

Water polo started out with six straight wins at home, including three over ranked teams. Then they went out west for the Stanford Invitational and promptly lost four in a row, all to ranked teams. So they now sit at 6-4 on the season.

Women's gymnastics is typically among the top programs in the USA but so far a national championship has eluded them. This year they are 8-1-1 so far, with the only loss to #2 Utah and the tie against #6 Nebraska. The Wolverine gymnasts are also currently ranked in the top ten.

Swimming and Diving is ranked #22 nationally, heading into the Big Ten championship meet.

Tennis is 2-2 with both losses to ranked teams.

Track and Field is currently ranked #9 nationally.

The Spring sports will be starting soon, including Softball where Michigan is the defending National Champions and ranked #1 in both preseason polls. Coach Carol Hutchins and the team begin their title defense this Friday in Gainesville, Florida with a game against DePaul.

Michigan women's basketball gave #7 Ohio State all they could handle Friday night. The Wolverine women trailed by only two at the half, took a one point lead to start the second half, and kept it close until the end when the Buckeyes pulled away.

This with a roster now consisting of two sophomores and five freshmen out of the original eleven players who started the season. Coach Burnett has supplemented the seven currently active original players with three Michigan volleyball players and two walk-on basketball players.

Although the rest of the schedule will be tough, hope remains that maybe Michigan can get at least one win before 2005-06 draws to a close.

With a game against #7 Ohio State looming, the Michigan women's basketball program got even more bad news with the announcement that sophomore forward Katie Dierdorf will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury.

This is a major blow not just to the team but to Katie Dierdorf specifically. She missed most of her freshman season with a similar injury to her left hip, but played enough games that she was not able to get an additional year of eligibility. She played in even more games this time around, so will end up losing another year of eligibility. Katie is a very tough and hardworking player, just like her dad Dan was for the Michigan football team. It is unfortunate that her college career has been so injury filled, and we all hope for the best in terms of recovery. I know that Katie will do whatever it takes to get healthy and have a successful last two seasons.

Meanwhile, Cheryl's Crew will have to do their best to carry on the rest of this campaign.

In the February Z Magazine:

A report from the ACLU on the illegality of National Security Agency spying on United States citizens. The Bush Jr. Administration just gets more and more lawless and corrupt, in a three decades later replay of the Richard Nixon years. Why impeachment proceedings have not begun yet amazes me.

A related article by Olga Bonfiglio (of Kalamazoo College, here in Michigan) details the erosion of freedom in the United States due to the USA PATRIOT act. She gives some historical background to remind us that this is not necessarily a new thing, as evidenced by the COINTELPRO program of FBI spying and intimidation of progressive political organizations in the 1960s and 1970s.

Nicolas Davies writes about a report published in the medical journal Lancet that found that the vast majority of deaths in the Iraq war have been caused by the "coalition" forces led by the United States. This, of course, does not reflect well on the warmongers in the U.S. government and their allies, and so must be sent down the "Orwellian memory hole" as Noam Chomsky likes to refer to the place where unpleasant facts get banished.

Carolina Cositore reports on a promising development in Latin America and the Caribbean known as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, or Alternativa Bolivarana por las Americas in Espanol (ALBA). This is an alternative to corporate and United States dominated "free trade" policies such as NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and FTAA (Free Trade Agreement of the Americas), which are not free or fair to anyone but the very rich. By contrast, ALBA is oriented towards the needs of all people and focuses on such things as eliminating poverty and protecting the environment.

This is followed by an article by Melissa Hornaday that details the negative effects of CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) on the women of the Central America region. Many women farmers in the region have lost their land and been forced into labor in "maquiladora" factories due to CAFTA, which has had much of the same bad impact on the poor that NAFTA has had on the poor of North America.

Edward Herman on "retail" and "state" terrorism, a subject that he and Noam Chomsky have often discussed. Retail terrorism is what most of us think of when we hear the word "terrorism." and 9/11 was perhaps the most extreme example of this.

State terrorism, on the other hand, ends up killing and injuring many more people but is typically not referred to (at least in the mainstream) as "terrorism." Examples of this are many, including the U.S. war in Vietnam and Southeast Asia in general in the 1960s and 1970s, the military coup in Chile in 1973 that was supported by the United States (which, ironically, took place on September 11 of that year...why do we never hear about that "9/11???," and the current U.S. and allies war in Iraq. Then there was the U.S. supported 1954 coup in Guatemala, the U.S. support of the "contra" terrorists in Nicaragua, ongoing U.S. backed terror against Cuba, ongoing U.S. support of Israeli terror, etc., etc. Of course, other countries including the former Soviet Union engaged in state terror as well, but that is no excuse for the United States which likes so much to portray itself as the champion of human rights, peace, and democracy.

Herman also discusses the role of the corporate media in twisting the truth and turning state terror into noble crusades for freedom, or whatever other comforting notion is put forth.

Finally, Sofia Jarrin-Thomas on the U.S. military's efforts to recruit in high schools, particularly in the Latino/Latina community. This also happens in the African-American community as Michael Moore showed in one of his films, with footage of military recruiters approaching young African-Americans in Flint, Michigan. Poor people of all races are increasingly under pressure to join the military as other options to make a living become harder to find. And so the poor suffer for the benefit of people like George Bush, his Republican and Democratic Party buddies, and the Corporations For Which They Stand.

Due to the colder winter weather, I have not been strolling Beautiful Downtown Flint as much lately. Today I decided to brave the frigid temperatures and found these Random Bits O'Gibberish from the person who (as I have reported in the past here) sees fit to write in black magic marker on the buildings in the downtown area.

"IT THE SUPREME CREATORUNCREATOR"
"OLD ERA NOWST" (this being near the entrance to a business with the name "New Era," but what "nowst" is supposed to mean is anyone's guess)

"COLOUR CHARTS FOR?" (this one has been there for a while)
and right underneath that on the same building, we have "ONLY A POLICER CAN DO WHAT?"

Very faded but still legible, a ways further down Saginaw Street: "U.S.C.A. AREA ETHICS?"

"!ZYENOMMONEYZ!" with "ICHIJKLINTONSYZ!" right above it on another building.

A little further down Saginaw Street there is an open lot with a short wall in front of it where our scribbler has inscribed "TATHYZOU! STEELINGS! U.S.O.A.A.A.A.P.T.S.Y.Z."

Finally, on the old Detroit and Northern Savings Bank building which is now part of the Flint Journal newspaper's operations, there is "WE ARE ALL MOVERS!"

Some of these messages contain actual words or at least what appear to maybe, possibly be actual words, like "steelings?" None of them make any apparent sense, but in These Postmodern Times who is to say what makes sense anymore, anyway?

My prediction of Steelers by three was not exactly right...if you took the Seahawks and the points, unfortunately you still lost.

Hines Ward gets the MVP, and Detroit says hello to "The Bus" (Jerome Bettis), who announces his retirement from the trophy presentation stand. And that's the end of this little experiment in stream-of-consciousness, gonzo journalism as a Super Bowl happens.

They are already hawking Steelers Super Bowl souvenirs on TV.

My best guesses for Super Bowl MVP...either Willie Parker or Hines Ward of Pittsburgh.

Seattle gives it up on downs with three seconds left...Steelers run the clock out and it is over...break out the "Steelers Super Bowl Champs" hats and t-shirts. 21-10 is your final from Ford Field.

Two minute warning and Seattle forces a punt. They are going to need a miracle, but we will see what we will see...

Roethlisberger picks up the first down on a keeper. Could be lights out for the Seahawks.

Now it is third and three for da Stillers and Seattle has to take another time out.

Pittsburgh starting to grind it out and kill the clock...and Seattle has to take a time out. Three and 54 to go and Pittsburgh has a second and six.

Blitzburgh comes up with a third down sack and forces Seattle to punt. Six and twenty to go and da Stillers have the ball at their own 20 and an 11 point lead. Not looking good for the Seahawks.

And after further review...the call is reversed! Seattle keeps the ball and has a first down

Hasselbeck picks up a lot of yardage on a scramble, but (apparently) fumbles and Troy Polamalu recovers for Pittsburgh. I say apparently because the play is being reviewed to see if Hasselbeck was down before fumbling. Stay tuned.

Pittsburgh scores on a gadget play...Antwaan Randle-El gets the ball on a reverse and throws it 43 yards to Hines Ward for the touchdown. Jeff Reed with the PAT and it is 21-10 Stillers. The Seahawks need to do something to respond with 8:56 left on the Ford Field clock.

Seattle could have had the ball on the Pittsburgh one yard line, but a penalty nullified the play, then there was a sack, then Hasselbeck threw an INT. So Pittsburgh has the ball back with just under 11 minutes to go in regulation.

Fidelity Investments ad with Paul McCartney. I think I have seen this one before today so this is not a Super Bowl original ad.

Oh. My. Goddess. A cheesy ad for Menard's home improvement stores! During the freakin' Super Bowl! Complete with cheesy "Save Big Money At Menard's!" jingle.

Now we have an ad for local (Michigan) ambulance chasing attorney Lee Steinberg.

Seattle moving the ball pretty well, almost to midfield as the third quarter ends. Now the quarter is over, and so we go to the fourth with da Stillers ahead 14-10 but Seattle moving the ball. Hold on for what could be a great finish in Detroit.

Late in the third quarter and the teams are trading punts. The latest, by Pittsburgh, backs Seattle up at their own two yard line.

The last commercial break featured a nauseating ad for the Assholemobile, otherwise known as the Hummer. Have I mentioned how much I hate people who drive these things?

Hasselbeck to Stevens for a Seattle TD. 14-10 Steelers. This is getting good.

Big defensive play by Seattle...with Pittsburgh inside the Seattle 10 and looking to score again, a Seattle interception by Kelly Herndon is returned across midfield. The Seahawks are not dead quite yet.

Seattle misses a 50 yard field goal, and da Stillers take over in good field position. The pressure is on the Seahawks defense to get a stop here. We will see what we will see.

Pittsburgh struck quickly in the second half, as Willie Parker broke free for a 75 yard (!!!!!) run to put the Steelers ahead 14-3 with 14:38 left in the third quarter.

This is the longest rushing play in Super Bowl history.

Good block by Alan Faneca of the Steelers.

Here comes Seattle, let's see what they can do.

The Rolling Stones played these songs at halftime: Start Me Up, Rough Justice, and (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction. Before the last of these songs, Mick Jagger commented that "we could have played this at Super Bowl I. And indeed they could have, as "Satisfaction" came out in 1965 and the first Super Bowl was in 1967. But back then, the NFL did not have rock and roll bands playing at the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh 7-Seattle 3 at halftime of Super Bowl XL. Steelers scored on a run by Ben Roethlesberger but it was questionable whether he "broke the plane of the goal line." It was reviewed and upheld, so I guess the officials thought he did.

Seattle had a good chance at the end of the half but inexplicably let a lot of time run off the clock and had to settle for a 54 yard field goal attempt that was missed.

The Rolling Stones will be playing at halftime.

Seattle up 3-0 about halfway through the second quarter, and Pittsburgh has not done much on offense so far.

Saw a very nice ad from Dove (the soap brand) encouraging girls to have better self esteem. Not something I expected to see during the Super Bowl, but I am very glad this ad was run and I am glad I got to see it.

The NFL had a moment of silence before Super Bowl XL for Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks. Very classy move, bravo to the NFL for remembering these two champions of the Civil Rights Movement!

National anthem done by Motown's own Aretha Franklin and New Orleans' Aaron Neville and Dr. John. Also very nice!

Just when it seems it can not possibly get any worse, it gets worse. Michigan women's basketball was routed by Minnesota 83-48, to fall to 6-17 overall and 0-11 in the Big Ten. That was not the only bad news from the Twin Cities. Katie Dierdorf was injured in pre game warmups and did not play. It is not certain what exactly is wrong or how long she may be out. Ta'Shia Walker got 23 minutes of playing time against Minnesota, but word is that she may have to miss some games with a health issue as well. This would leave Michigan with an extremely thin roster of only seven players including two sophomores and five frosh. Seeing as how they have not managed a Big Ten win with Katie and Ta'Shia, the prospects look very grim indeed. Best wishes to Katie and Ta'Shia for a quick recovery, and good luck to the team in general...they need it now more than ever.

Less than a half hour until Super Bowl kick off...I stand by my feeling that Pittsburgh will win by three which means Seattle will cover the four point spread.

How long, oh Goddess, how long? Michigan women's basketball once again flirted with victory before surrendering to defeat as Penn State won 78-62. Michigan led by as many as 12 in the first half and got as close as five in the second. Another undeserved win for the raging homophobe and all around despicable Rene Portland. I am not sure how the lawsuits against her and the PSU program are going, but I hope she and the program lose big in the courtroom and that she ends her career in disgrace just like Bobby Knight, Woody Hayes, or Richard Nixon.

The free throws were heavily in favor of PSU, more proof that the Big Ten officialdom is out to get Michigan in the one sport where Michigan is currently most disadvantaged. Last year I was a good sport and rooted for the other Big Ten teams in the NCAA, but not this time. They can all go to hell as far as I am concerned.

I can't wait for this to turn around and for Michigan to be successful, so we can rub the rest of this stupid conference's noses in it for once.

Pittsburgh is currently a four point favorite over Seattle in Super Bowl Extra Large. What is a betting person to do? Hard to say, as I see this being a very close game. I think the Steelers will win, but perhaps take Seattle and the points.

The Detroit Pistons are a very good bet to win the men's NBA championship, or as good a bet as you are likely to see coming down the pike any time soon. San Antonio has the next best record at this point, but not even Suave Rico-wannabe Manu Ginobili will save them if they have to face Detroit in the finals.

Also in first place in their division are the Detroit Red Wings. They are looking to be a solid contender for the Stanley Cup, as Captain Steve Yzerman just keeps on keepin' on. It would be great to see him get one more ring, and then of course to see Brett Favre do the same with the Packers next NFL season.

Speaking of Ol' Number Four, the word is that if he had to decide right away, he would probably retire. Fortunately, the Packers are not pressuring him to make any hasty decision, so there is plenty of hope that he will be back for at least one more season.

In politics, Gee Dumbya Bush gave his State of the Onion (oops, make that Union!) speech last night, and it was a Typical Chock-Full-O'Bullshit Gibberish Fest. He talked about Amerika leading a worldwide struggle against tyranny, while of course he himself is a tyrant. What a bunch of crap.

Cindy Sheehan, a peace activist and mother of one of the victims of Dumbya's war, was ejected from the hall where the Coward In Chief was speaking because she dared to wear a shirt with an anti-war slogan. And so the Sovietization of Amerika continues unabated.

More sad news came with the passing of Coretta Scott King. She tirelessly carried on the work of her spouse, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., and for this she will always be remembered and admired. And not long after her passing came the equally sad but oh so predictable crocodile tears from corrupt greedheads like Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. If only he and others like him would spare us the empty words and actually follow the example of people of true integrity like Martin and Coretta King.

That's all this gonzo journalist cares to ponder for the nonce...Good Night and Good Luck.