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The Michigan Daily-Thursday, February 4, 1982-Page 9
Sorensen makes pitch for Indians
By CHUCK JAFFE
* Everyone likes Lary Sorensen.
Michigan liked him enough to offer
him a scholarship. The Milwaukee
Brewers.liked him enough to persuade
him to leave school early and go pro.
The St. Louis Cardinals liked him
enough to make sure he was-included as
part of a trade for All-Stars Ted Sim-
mons and Rollie Fingers. And now the
Cleveland Indians like him enough to
have traded All-Star catcher Bo Diaz to
ethim.
THE FIVE-YEAR major league
veteran is now preparing for his first
season with the Indians-his third team
in three years.
"We were working on a contract with
St. Louis when we were told that I was
going to Cleveland," Sorensen said.
"That was a pretty rude surprise, but
the people in Cleveland really made us
feel ' good about it. Phil Seghi
(Cleveland's Vice-President and
eneral Manager) really showed us
aot he'd been trying to get me for a
while, and he went out of his way to
make us feel good about the trade."
Seghi acquired Sorensen to
strengthen the Indians' pitching corps,
with the belief that the former
Michigan star could fill out Cleveland's
rotation and help make it a contender.
"WE JUST ACQUIRED Lary
because he's a good pitcher and we
think he'll win for us," Seghi said. "I
think his greatest strength is his con-
trol, and I wouldn't say if he has any
weaknesses. We just think that when
you combine him with (Bert) Blyleven,
(Rick) Waits, Len Barker, and Ed
Whitson, that we'll have a solid rotation
of proven winners."
Sorensen is happy with the trade, not
just because he's joining a solid staff,
but also because he's returning to the
American League, where he was an All-
Star in 1978.
"I think I'm going to feel a little bet-
ter playing 81 home games on natural
grass," the 6-2, 205-pound righthander
said. "I think I'll be able to pitch better
because I'm a ground-ball pitcher, and
natural grass makes it easier. I
didn't hurt my pitching style, but it just
seemed like there were a ways men on
base."
SORENSEN'S STYLE of control pit-
ching was developed during his three
seasons at Michigan. Sorensen left the
Wolverines to join the Brewers' Class A
farm team after his junior year.
"I always had planned to go to
college," the Mount Clemens, Mi.
native said. "I had a sister at Michigan,
and that was really why I wanted to go,
so when they offered me a scholarship,
that was where I was going. My only
regret is that I haven't been able to
finish my degree yet."
But it was Sorensen's improvement
in college that has been a key factor to
his success as a pro.
"I THINK THAT Lary matured and
developed as a pitcher while he was
here," said former Michigan baseball
coach and current Assistant Intramural
Director Moby Benedict. "He always
was a good competitor. He gained con-
fidence in his ability to play, he gained
control, and he started to believe that
he could beat you.
"He doesn't fool a lot of people,"
Benedict continued, "but that rascal
comes at you and that takes you a long
way. He says 'Here I am, and this is
what I'm going to throw at you, so come
and get it.' "
Sorensen's straightforward style of
pitching mirrors the style of his per-
sonal life. He is open and honest about
baseball and his future.
"I'D LIKE TO go into broadcasting
when my career is over," said Soren-
sen, who worked for two years as a TV
announcer in Milwaukee. "I know that
is what every athlete says, but my first
two years at Michigan weren't too spec-
tacular, so I really was preparing for a
career in broadcasting before I went in-
to baseball."
But a broadcasting career is still a
long way off for the ex-Wolverine, who
hopes to play 10 more years in the big
leagues, assuming that he doesn't ex-
perience arm trouble.
"I shouldn't have any arm problems,
because I never have in the past, and
I'm not really an overpowering
thrower," Sorensen said. "I'm only 26,
and I've played five years already, so I
think 15 years would be a real nice
number."
SORENSEN STRESSED, however,
that he plans to take this year one step
at a time, perhaps because he isn't
quite sure whose uniform he'll be
wearing at the end of theyeason.
"You never know what can happen,
and after this past season, I'm not plan-
ning anything," Sorensen said. "We've
rented a house in Cleveland, but we
made sure to get a clause so that we can
back out of the lease.
"Right now, all I want to do is pitch
well, make the play-offs, and keep
feeding my wife," he continued.
"That's what I'd like to do now."
A lot of people would like Lary Soren-
sen a little more if he can make those
plans come true.
Sports Information Photo
FORMER MICHIGAN PITCHER Lary Sorenson exhibits his form in one of
his appearances five years ago. Since then he has been a member of the
Milwaukee Brewers, the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Cleveland Indians.
Though he starts his first year with the Indians this spring, he is still unsure
of his future.
Creativity'
Personal expression is key to O'Brien's style
.+
AP Photo
RALPH SAMPSON, WHOSE decision to turn pro is still up in the air, is
shown here limbering up before last season's*4CAA semi-final against North
Carolina. Fortunately for Sampson and his Cavalier teammates, last night's
result was different-a 74-58 victory over their ACC rivals.
Sampson, Cavs cut,
down Heels, 74-58
CHARLOTTESVILLE (AP)--Othell Wilson and Ralph Sampson led Virginia
to a 17-point lead early in the second half last night and the third-ranked Cavaliers
beat back two North Carolina rallies for a 74-58 Atlantic Coast Conference victory
over the second-ranked Tar Heels.
Wilson ; a 6-0 sophomore guard, scored 20 points and Sampson, the 7-4 All-
American center, added 18 as the Cavaliers, 21-1, took over the ACC lead at 7-1 and
avenged their only defeat in 22 games..
IT WAS ONLY the second loss* in 18 starts for North Carolina, which had
beaten Virginia 65-60 less than a month ago at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels fell to 7-2
in the conference.
Junior Graig Robinson added 14 points for Virginia, including six in a row after
the Tar Heels pulled to within 63-62 with 4:09 left in the game.
North Carolina Was 'led by freshman Michael Jordan with 17 points. Samt
Perkins had 16 and James Worthy, limited to four points in the first half, finished
with 12.
VIRGINIA SCORED the first fpur points on a jumper by Wilson with the game
only five seconds old and another by senior Jeff Jones with 1:10 gone, and North
Carolina never got even.
The-closest the Tar Heels came was 12-11 with 13:55 left in the first half on a
turnaround jumper by Perkins.
With the score 16-13,the Cavaliers ran off nine straight points over a three-
minute span. It started with a stuff by Sampson and ended with a three-point play
by Ricky Stokes.
THE TAR HEELS got it back to eight points one time before Virginia bolted to
a 39-24 margin at intermission.
By MATT HENEHAN
Compared to many collegiate sports,
synchronized swimming measures suc-
cess by a different set of standar-
ds-creativity and beauty of motion are
key judging factors. For junior stan-
dout Cathy O'Brien, the persbnal ex-
pression involved in performing these
skills is the sports's major attraction.
O'Brien said that when she began
synchronized swimming, it was not as
certain or rewarding as it is now.
It was her mother's idea. She urged
the then eight year-old Tonawanda,NY
native to join the local team, after
seeing them work with O'Brien's
brother in a handicapped swimming
program.
"IN THE BEGINNING it was really
bad," said O'Brien. "I hated it for about
the first year. I wanted to quit every
week."
But, after that first year, something
happened: she started winning. Sud-
denly synchronized swimming was fun
and O'Brien didn't need any prompting
from her mother to get her to practice
every day.
O'Brien's interest and talent in syn-
chronized swimming grew throughout
junior and senior hi gh school years,
where she also competed in regular
swimming events.
OHIO STATE, ARIZONA, AND
Michigan were the only schools offering
synchronized swimming scholarships
when O'Brien began looking at Univer-
sities. She said it was mainly the ex-
cellent reputation of Wolverine coach
Joyce Lindeman that made her decide
to come to Michigan.
It turned out to be a wise choice for
both parties in volved. The Wolverines
have profitted from the extra points
O'Brien's creative talents have earned
and O'Brien received All-American
honors, as did duet partner Betsy
Neira, both their , freshmen and
sophomore years. Roommates Neira
and O'Brien were both members of the
1981 midwest synchronized swimming
team and placed eighth as a duet in the
National team competition this
November in Colorado Springs.
As a junior on a team with'a total of 10
underclassmen, O'Brien assumes a
leadership role. She is quick to explain,
however, that there are no clear cut
leaders on the team this year.
"IT'S HARD TO say how our leader-
ship is" saidO'Brien. "I would say-if the
freshmen weren't hard workers we
would need to be more like true leaders,
but they're excellent. We're a young
team, everyone' works .hard and we
work together."
IN ADDITION TO the duet com-
petition, O'Brien swims in trio and team
events as well. All three categories
require team-prepared routines and
musical accompaniment. The swim-
mers try to construct routines that will
impress the judges and allow for as
much personal expression as possible.
There are limitations.
"You can't pick anything real modern
or anything overused, said O'Brien,-'I
like to swim to classical music. A lot of
the new music is repetetive and you
can't be creative at the same time it's
going boom boom and you're going
boom boom in the water. It just doesn't
look too good."
THE CREATAIVE LICENSE
allowed in preparing a personal routine
is what truly attracts O'Brien to the
sport: "That's the best part about it,"
she said. "You get to write your own
routing, and write it to the music you
like. If all we did out here was figures
.the spectators would be out the door in
five minutes."
After graduation, O'Brien plans to
pursue a coaching career in syn-
chronized swimming. "I would like to
coach here for a couple of years under
Joyce," she explained. "I couldn't get
any better experience. If not at
Michigan, : possibly a small club
somewhere. I could start small and
work my way up."
A more immediate goal is polishing
up her duet and trio routines and
helping teammates smooth out the
edges on the team routine in prhparation
--
- CORN P>
FOR TrHS vvEKS 5P CIA LS
for next week's US-Canadian in-
vitational meet at Ohio State.
In the squad's first meet last week in .
Columbus, the Wolverines finished
third behind Ohio State and Arizona,the>
.top two teams in the nation. O'Brien.
and Neira finished a respectable fourthe
in duet form.
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