Wednesday, April 2, 1975 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Seven I GOOD PITCH, NO HIT? I ..... 20-20 Hindsight th.: By JEFF SCHILLER 'Dumb jocks' .. . Batsmen S By RICK BONINO As any Michigan resident knows, those spring snowstorms can mean only one thing-a new baseball season is about to be- * 0 * IA'I"UI' t'GN/ELLTL4..' /11 / ILC4.'gin. Coach Moby Benedict doesn't "Bruce has a 3.7 grade average in high school, and is appear to have any Bill Free- interested in business administration. I think he'd be best off hans or Elliott Maddoxes on his at Michigan; the business school is one of the finest in the 13th Michigan squad. What country." Benedict does have is a deep, relatively young team that could MOUNDS LIKE a high school counselor, doesn't it? In fact, themake a real run at the Big Ten speaker is- assistant Michigan basketball coach Bill Frieder, W L V E R I N E title hopes and the aforementioned "Bruce" is none other than high school largely depend on the pitching AllAmerican center Bruce Flowers from Berkley. staff. "Good pitching will get the Of course, Frieder cites numerous "athletic" reasons for good hitters out," Benedict Flowers to enroll at the Big U. The fact remains, however, that claims. "With a good pitching Michigan is using its academic reputation as a major part of the staff you'll win more than you bait they hope will lure him. lose." If this year's returnees match Nor is Flowers an isolated example. Ferndale guard Tom last year's performances, Bene- Staton, a 3.6 student interested in either pre-law or pre-med; is dict will have little to complain getting the full story about Michigan's outstanding professional about. Michigan finished 18-16 schools in those areas. Ken Ferdinand, a 6-8 forward from Ur- last year due to its 3.00 team bana, Illinois, is interested in attending Michigan largely because, ERA, not its .248 team batting in Frieder's words, "His parents are very impressed with the average. school academically." CHUCK ROGERS, last year's Big Ten pitching leader, heads the Wolverine mound corps. However, the junior had a dis- appointing Florida tour and Benedict says he'll have to "get it back together." ! Craig Forhan, Lary Sorenson! and Mark Weber round out I Benedict's rotation. Both For- I han and Sorenson started last year, while Weber earned his spot with a fine Florida show- ing. Benedict may be at a loss when his starters fail, though.1 He admits real concern about his bullpen, and depth is a must with two or three doubleheaders every week. THIS YEAR the Wolverines may score enough runs to back up their pitching. Hitting pro- vided a bright spot down South. However, the Blue batsmen may find home a big change after sunny Florida, and not just! weather-wise. "We play in a pitcher's ball- Stto cm park," Benedict said. "The' fences are deep and the wind blows in during the spring." Wolverine power should be much improved this season. Catcher Ted Mahan, last year's leading slugger, will get some help from new first baseman Randy Hackney. Hackney, a Central Michigan transfer, pac- ed the club in homers and RBI in Florida. HACKNEY and returning sec- ond sacker Dick Walterhouse (.281 last year) anchor a solid right side of the infield. The left side sports some new faces, with freshman Jim Berra mov- ing in at short and last year's third base sub, Jeff James, taking over a starting spot. The outfield appears solid, with speedsters Pete Ross and M a r k Grenkowski flanking strong-armed Dan Damiani. Ross hit .269 as the regular first baseman last year while Grenkowski led the squad in hitting in Florida. " Benedict plans to platoon designated hitters. Freshman Bob Waslewski looms as the regular, and may occasionallyI switch duties with Mahan.C Other possibilities i n c lu d e speedy sophomore Jacob Has- lerig and freshman Mike Par- ker. MICHIGAN'S team speed con- tributes to the overall defense, 'with Walterhouse, Ross and Grenkowski all able to reach the ball quickly. Benedict also expects his catchers to throw adequately, if not with the authority pf previous Blue catchers like Freehan and John Lonchar. The Wolverines end their pre- season practice with twin bills against Detroit on Thursday and: Eastern Michigan on Saturday. Their Big Ten season opens with an April 11 doubleheader at Illinois. "Both Iowa and Minnesota look tough in the conference," Benedict said, "but we should be a contender, too." APRIL 4, 5,6 Asian Black Chicano ARTEHIT RECEPTION: FRI. 8-10 P.M.-SAT.-SUN. 2-5 P.M. Co-sponsored by UAC Minority Affairs MOSHER JORDAN BLACK CULTURAL LOUNGE .. SMARTHA COOK BLG SPRING HALF TERM May 4-June 28, 1975 ROOM and BOARD $368.88 INCLUDES PRIVATE ROOM AND 1 2 MEALS PER WEEK Gracious living, dining on the terrace, tennis court, indoor bike shelter. Apply at Martha Cook Building beginning NOW 906 S. University at Tappan 769-3290 I 1 For years, people have joked about or decried the no-work courses some athletes take to get through school. Some, less concerned with education, have even complained because Michigan doesn't have enough "cake courses" to ensure good marks for the jocks. But who gains when a college recruits athletes who can'tj cut it academically?E Not the athletes. Many of them don't get enough credits to graduate. If they fail in pro sports, they're left with nothing but memories to show for their college experience.- Not the University. Lowering standards to admit unqualified students downgrades the academic reputation of the school.] Eventually, top-rank high school graduates and the better profs go elsewhere. Not the other students. Often they understandably resent= having to work for their grades, while scholarship athletes get preferential treatment. And maybe not even the program. For every "dumb jock" who can help a team win, there exists an intelligent one who can and should be turned off by an environment that dis- courages serious study. After all, the nation's two best centers of recent memory, Kareem-Abdul Jabbar and Bill Walton, were bona-fide B+ students, majoring in History and Psychology, respectively. There weren't many better forwards last year than Mary- land's Rhodes Scholar Tom McMillan, nor quarterbacks more prolific than Pat Haden of USC, also a Rhodes Scholar. Other stars, such as Indiana's Steve Green, Illinois' Rick Schmidt and Michigan's Steve Grote, have won all- academic honors. They, and countless others whose grades are perfectly respectable (if not so flashy) reap the benefits of a good college education, as well as top-flight athletic competition. Finally, those players who go to school for no other reason than to play ball, are the most likely to give up years of eligibility to turn pro. When they do, the morale and workings of the. program suffer enormously. As athletic department operating margins continue to shrink- or. disappear-recruiters will be forced to become more selective. Programs with only a handful of available scholarships can't afford to risk them on people who probably won't make it in class. When, inevitably, such a situation becomes universal, those schools which refused to lower standards in the past will reap a just and substantial reward. Blue recruiting effort Billboard The Intramural Relays for " _9 aims tU By AL HRAPSKY With spring scarcely a week old and the recruiting season in full swing, Johnny Orr and Michigan since Campy Russell. that "April showers bring May flowers." But the fl o w e r sj they're after isn't a blossoming orchid or Morning Glory- he's high school all-American Bruce Flowers of Berkley, Michigan. Flowers, at 6-8 and 215 pounds, the most sought-after basket- ball player from the state of his coaching staff are hopeful He is being graciously received on the Michigan campus today and tomorrow by the Wolverine, coaching staff. A superlative scorer who averaged 28 points and 20 re- bounds pergame last year, and once scored 42 points on 21 of 22 shots from the floor in a single game, Flowers heads a list of some 17 players that TL Tnn 71 pick Flowers all divisions will be held on Wednesday, April 2, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Michigan is courting this month. Orr says the Berkley star has narrowed his collegiate choices down to Michigan, Notre Dame and Indiana, and that Notre Dame is the strongest alternative to Michi- gan. The Wolverine coaches indicate that Flowers will be able to step right into a start- ing position and the results will be instantaneous. "Flowers is the key to our recruiting," Orr stated. "I think he's the best player in the Mid- west." "Flowers can start right away for us," claims Michigan's main recruiter, Bill Freider, "with him we can be national conten- ders next year." Flowers recently turned down an opportunity to play in the High School All-American game in Dayton, Ohio in order to com- pete in the shotput and high jump for the Berkley track team. His versatility also car- ries over to the academic field, as he sports a 3.7 grade point average. O t h e r hly sought-after Michigan talents are Tom Sta- ton of Ferndale and Alan Hardy of Detroit Northwestern. A 6-3 guard who averagesd I22 points and 15 rebounds and five assists a game, Staton played all three positions for Ferndale this past season. Frieder describes Staton as a tremendous individual and athlete who "could become better than QuinnBuckner." Staton boasts a 3.6 grade point average and wants to major in pre-med or pre-law. He's considering Indiana and Wake Forest in addition to Michigan and he will visit Ann Arbor Friday. The Wolverines are also hop- ing to corale Hardy, a 6-5 for- ward who was voted the most improved player in the Detroit Public School League last sea- son. This season Hardy scored 22 points per game, while haul- ing down 15 caroms and block- ing an average of five shots. Although Frieder predicts that he would make an excel- lent college forward, Orr ex- pressed some doubt about his attitude. "We're a little concerned with Hardy's desire," he said. "Sometimes he does a lot of t hi n gs and sometimes he doesn't. He's a little erratic but he's a good kid." The Northwestern star is also looking westward to Arizona and Washington State for a possible college career. Tomorrow: a look at out of state recruits. I e* . w By The Associated Press 1. UCLA (451,) 28-3 2. Kentucky 26-5 3. Indiana (21) 31-1 4. Louisville 28-3 5. Maryland 24-5 6. Syracuse (1) 2:3-9 7. N. Carolina St. 22-6 8. Arizona State 25-4 9. N. Carolina 23-8 10. Alabama 22-5 11. Marquette 23-4 12. Princeton 122-8 13. Cincinnati 23-6 14. Notre Dame 19-10 15. Kansas State 20-9 16. Drake 20-10 17. Nev-Las Vegas 24-5 18. Oregon State 18-12 19. MICHIGAN 19-8 20. Providence 17-10 969 830 787 762 525 443 403 377 295 246 210 127 124 110 69 67 41 40 36 27 We're looking for certain majors to become Lieutenants. KNICKS ELUDE SIXERS: Milwaukee trips Pistons From Wire Service Rors anti rpcprvp fnrwgrd Minkev , ' York comeback that helaed the I ti"L.--- -.---I--nC W; U - m S LJa V VAk '.1 £Yj.&SL .MU y ..... .-.- -5 -.. 1 11 G M - MILWAUKEE - The Mil- Davis led the Bucks to an eight- Knicks beat Philadelphia 99-95 waukee Bucks held the Detroit point string that gave Milwau- last night, enhancing their Na- Pistons without a point for three kee a 92-85 lead. tional Basketball Association minutes late in the fourth quar- After George Thompson hit playoff chances. ter and kept their slim playoff the first basket, Davis hit a The victory gave the Knicks hopes alive by beating the Pis- side jumper, fed Jon McGloc- a 39-40 record and a one-half tons 98-91 last night. klin for a fast break basket game lead over idle Cleveland The Bucks have three games and then drove to the basket in the battle for the fifth and remaining and must win them, for a layup. final playoff spot in the Eastern all, while Detroit must lose itsI Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored Conference. New York has three two remaining games for the 27 points to lead the Bucks and games remaining and, could Bucks to earn a wild card berth Thompson added 18. Bob Lanier in the playoffs. had 19 for the. Pistons. Milwaukee has games against Detroit is now 39-41 and the S C O R E S Detroit, New York and Chicago Bucks 36-43. The Pistons lead remaining, while the Pistons the Bucks by 2 games in the play Chicago tonight and then scrap for third place in the k ,NBA the Bucks. NBA's Midwest Division. Chicago 98, Buffalo 93 The Bucks led 72-67 going * * * New York 99, Philadelphia 95 into the final quarter, but De- Houston 113, Atlanta 104 unit mill. nd. d dal R - Pearl shines washington 110, New Orleans 101 fr 5 { ))7ii iJ y ff( d d n e d . .I clinch a playoff berth by beat- ing the Cavaliers at Cleveland Thursday night. Cleveland has two games left. * * Bulls close in BUFFALO-The Chicago Bulls moved a notch closer to wrap- ping up the Midwest Division championship in the National Basketball Association last night with a 98-93 victory over the Buffalo Braves. The Bulls got a 24-point per- formance from Chet Walker and a clutch tip-in by Tom Boer- winkle in the last two minutes to snap a three-game losing streak and end Buffalo's five- game winning streak. MAY GRADUATE? if you plan to attend the May 3 commence- ment, you must order a cap & gown by Fri- day, April 4, 1975. University Cellar 769-7940 hrt pu eu aneau anu ue . i 84 with 5:33-remaining. For the next three minutes the Bucks held Detroit without a basket NEW YORK - Earl Monroe and Walt Frazier combined forI 47 points and triggered a New Sport(s of The Dal Bartow to UCLA? The "Who will coach UCLA?" question continues to boil around the country. Yesterday the Memphis Press-Scimitar re- ported that Fighting Illini coach Gene Bartow had "the inside l track" to the position being vacated by the retiring John Wooden. UCLA has made no announcement. Bartow compiled an 82-32 record at Memphis State before moving to Illinois last year.! NHL Buffalo 3, Boston 1 Atlanta 2, N. Y. Islanders 2 Kansas City 3, Los Angeles 1 St. Louis 7, Minnesota 3 ABA Denver 126, Indiana 115 St. Louis 122, Utah 109 Memphis 121, Virginia 102 San Antonio 130, San Diego 113 wHA New England 5, Phoenix 2 Minnesota 5, Vancouver 2 Chicago 3, Cleveland 2 (OT) Toronto 7, Indianapolis 1 k7 .I University Housing Council .UHC reps needed from every Mechanical and civil engineering majors ... aerospace and aeronautical engineering majors. . . majors in elec- tronics ... computer science. . . mathe- matics. The Air Force needs people ... many with the above academic majors. And A ETDT h-c o - _cr-if f-_o rt rn- . offering full scholarships. All offering $100 a month allowance during the last two years of the program. Flying oppor- tunities. And all leading to an Air Force officer's commission, plus advanced education. If you'd like to cash in on these Air Fnrrphpnpit- -,tb.Iniinsinn h I ,