A chance to change

That is funny is that I just scrapped an entire column of worthless optimism. I had paragraphs of propaganda comparing the Hoosiers to gladiators on their way to Ann Arbor Arena. It was colorful, full of descriptive adjectives, and it was a load of crap. \nWhat kind of chances do we have in Ann Arbor? \nAbout the same chances I have of hitting puberty ... again.\nAnd these Hoosiers haven't come close to hitting anything this year -- especially the opposing players. They beat Central Michigan, Nicholls State and Kentucky -- teams that would give the Somalian football team a fighting chance. Oh -- and Somalia doesn't even have football team. \nIU came up short against Iowa. They were put in a choke hold by Ohio State and Michigan State. Minnesota scored more points in one quarter than IU did all game and now the Hoosiers will face Michigan -- a team they haven't beat since 1987. \nIn fact, the last time IU posted a win in Michigan Stadium was in 1967 when the Hoosiers went 9-2 on their way to a Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl appearance. \nAnd since that ship sailed faster than Superman on speed (wouldn't that be one helluva combination?), I guess it is time to start bracing for defeat. \nIU has beaten the Wolverines twice in the last 38 years, earning only three wins since 1959. The other Big Ten team they beat that year? Illinois. \nAnd since the basement bottom Fightin' Illini is the only other team these Hoosiers have beaten this season -- maybe it is a sign. \nYeah -- a sign that things need to change. \nAnd yet, IU is a program struggling to stay afloat a Big Ten tidal wave with a few tree branches and a volleyball named Wilson. On top of that, it has lost its leaders along the way. Defensive lineman Russ Richardson and linebacker John Pannozzo are likely to be out for the rest of the season. \nBut besides their bang ups and bruises, the Hoosiers - with or without my support - are buoyant to fight against the current that pushes them further below the Big Ten totem poll. \nThey have a sense of pride and a sense of being. The IU football team has had too long a losing history that hope, even in the form of an Uncle Sam knockoff, can sustain both the fans and their team in believing they have a chance. \nThey are underdogs -- the most romantic of sports characters. \nBut wait a minute. How could I suddenly call a team that hasn't had a winning season since 1993 an underdog? What kind of helium am I sucking?\nSee, they haven't always been underdogs. Before now, the Hoosiers were cellar-dwellers who were allergic to winning. Before now they strung together seasons of unintentional comedy. Before now, the program and their fans were comatose. \nSo what makes them, now, underdogs? \nAn underdog is someone who supplies the intangibles that motivate. Rocky had Mick. Brian Picolo had Gale Sayers. Rudy had Touchdown Jesus. The two Carolina Panthers cheerleaders had each other. \nAn underdog has that glimmer of hope kept aflame by a person that inspires it, and Coach Hep heartens the Hoosiers.\nThis season the Bloomington fans have been sold on a face lift to an IU football program. Yet, all anyone can see are scars and scrapes. \nFor the past four games, IU has been embarrassed in its losses. The Hoosiers have embarrassed their fans and they have embarrassed themselves. \nSo when no one is expecting a fight, much less a win, against Michigan on Saturday, maybe the Hoosiers can scrape together some dignity. Maybe, just maybe, this is a chance to change.