Boo to booing anything. Sure, we have our Friday tradition of “Boos and bravos” and considering that it requires both positives and negatives to make it work, it would seem that the action of condemning various items from the week that has passed would generally be a good idea. But right now, with spring break about to be in full swing — mentally, it’s already been in full swing for quite a while — we can’t find it in our hearts to give anything a thumbs-down this week. Consider this week’s version of “Bravos and bravos” to be our overly positive way of wishing you a merriment-filled spring break.
Bravo to ASU President Michael Crow. Earlier in the week, the Sultan of Fulton charmed our editorial board with his never-ending collection of striped ties and a metaphor-filled lesson in Mike-Crow-economics (give that wordplay a minute — you’ll give it sooner or later). While we still tend to disagree with some of his ideas, we always feel that he is both being candid with us and keeping the University’s best intentions in mind at all times. Later in the week, the man entered a 500-person room of Crow-hating rage on the West campus and put the crowd partly at ease with a smattering of well-chosen words. Love him or hate him, there’s no denying that the man is a brilliant rhetorician.
Bravo to the seniors of the ASU basketball teams. Their recruiting class was termed “The Incredibles,” and the seniors on the Sun Devil women’s squad have lived up to the billing. Briann January often gets credit for being one of the greatest players to squeak her sneaks across the hardwood in Tempe, but she’d be the first to tell you that her senior teammates deserve the credit, too. On the men’s side, it won’t be easy to say goodbye to Jeff Pendergraph. Where else will we get quotes about “stupid bounce” or colorful accounts of coach Herb Sendek’s shiny dome? Good luck seniors, you’ve done us proud.
Bravo to the amazing things being accomplished by former and current ASU students. Last week, we featured mechanical engineering sophomore Nigel Peltier who is now the co-holder of a world record in Scrabble after playing in a 1,127-point game. This week, we learned about Tanner Robinson, a sociology sophomore. Robinson, who was born blind, is currently training to hike Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa, in June. And then, on Wednesday night’s “American Idol,” ASU alumnus Scott MacIntyre, who is legally blind, made it through to show’s final 12 contestants. If anyone cares to match their achievements, feel free to do so and please give us a news tip beforehand.
Bravo to the relative safety of Arizona. As the issues in Mexico involving drug-related gang violence, Phoenix police are confident the violence across the border hasn’t permeated city streets. And while there are still dangers around the Valley, it is a stark contrast to the stories we have heard from border towns all week in our three-part series, “A Different War.” We take our community’s comfort and protection for granted. For those leaving the bubble surrounding ASU this spring break, we hope you vacation with caution and return safely.
