SHABAN: The times, they are a-changin’

Sunday mornings should be spent sleeping in. The time of the week that Maroon 5 once sang about is ideal for relaxation and tranquility. Unfortunately, this is not the case for fans of the Barclays Premier League. Due to the fact that these matches take place in Britain, which is five time zones away, people are sometimes forced to wake up as early as 8:30 a.m. if they want to watch a live game. I am one of these people. But what happened this past Sunday made up for all the sleep I lost. Driving slow or resting your bones doesn’t compare to witnessing a high-speed, entertaining, historic match like the Manchester derby.

For those who don’t know, it was Manchester United versus Manchester City. First versus second in the League table. The most successful club in Premier League history versus its local rivals, whose recent rise to football’s elite has dubbed them the “noisy neighbors.” The stage was set and the fireworks were off (sorry, I had to do one Mario Balotelli innuendo).

Manchester City beat Manchester United 6-1. I had to write it out completely because I still have a hard time believing it. United never loses this badly. Their famous and most-decorated manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, described it as “the worst result in my history, ever.” City has spent a gazillion dollars (this is an approximate number) on world-class players to form their juggernaut squad. Some people predicted City would win the league this year, but nobody really believed their collaboration would work. The win only awarded City with three points and there are still many months left in the season. But a massive score line like 6-1, and at United’s home stadium, represents something more.

Changing of the guard, a shift in power—whatever you want to call it, there’s a huge impact when it happens. Things stop happening in the form of how they always have happened. Suddenly, games and seasons become unpredictable. Think of when Peyton Manning finally beat the dynasty that was the New England Patriots. Or how about when the Red Sox did their thing over the Yankees back in ’04? More recently we saw it in the NBA when Dirk went from the always-underachieving all-star to the unstoppable captain clutch. All of these results had more significance than a simple win or loss.

There’s a chance we’ll get to see similar ramifications on our own campus this week. And you won’t even have to go up to Baker to witness it. Our volleyball team faces off against the Yale Bulldogs on Friday night, with the chance of some usurping. Yale holds that distinction of being a continuously successful program. The Bulldogs have finished in the top three of the Ivy League every year since 2004. They’ve won the league two out of the last three years and four times throughout their history. Right now they’re in first place and Columbia is only one game behind.

The Lions are actually quite similar to Manchester City Football Club. At first look, one obvious resemblance is the color of their kits. Their sky blue and white might as well be Columbia blue and white. City is boosted by a plethora of young stars and newcomers. The Lions are as well. The freshman outside hitter, Caitlin Brenton, has earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors this year and a sophomore transfer, Charlee Dyroff, has seamlessly stepped into the libero role and leads the team in digs this year. Manchester City is the richest club in the world and Columbia generates the highest percent return on its endowment in the Ivy League (that doesn’t really matter in this athletic scholarship-less world but is still something interesting to note). Last season City placed third, which is their highest-ever finish in the Premier League. Funny enough, the Lions finished higher in the Ivy League than ever before, which happened to be in third place.

So you can see where I’m going with this. The last time the Columbia volleyball team beat Yale was a decade ago. When the two sides met earlier in the season at Yale, the Bulldogs hadn’t dropped a set in the league and that was almost the case again when they went up 2-0 against the Lions. But the Lions rallied back to even up the game before being edged out in the final set, ultimately losing 3-2. That could be considered as a warning shot. The stage is set for this Friday (don’t worry—I’m going to try to avoid any Rebecca Black references). A Columbia win over Yale would pull the two sides level in the standings. More importantly, a Columbia win over Yale would represent a landmark shift in the rivalry. What happens in Levien this Friday will be huge in deciding the volleyball fate of the Ivy League for not only this season, but for many years to come. And if nothing else, it’s sure to be fun, fun, fun, fun (I can’t help myself, that song is great).

Ronnie Shaban is a senior in the School of Engineering and Applied Science majoring in mechanical engineering. He is a member of the varsity men’s soccer team.
sports@columbiaspectator.com