I I-". 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. l 18 7-. S~ipp PanuJ u LZ% o/ e M~ I fLK (ALLoN) 1l l}2O FcKrich: lix er), 9 .fcQp ; I 59 14 Ro2 FO SUAGe k 1Lo I k )P1 ),-,- / Q~~I~ 2'Top )RK 5AU 5& L W K I mm" NI-S, t,"onmnj . YES, I am interested in sending a Valentine's Day Message through the DAILY Classifieds. I GUADALAJARA SUMMER SCHOOL University of Arizona offers more than 40 courses; anthro- pology, art, bilingual educa- tion, folk music and folk dance, history, political sci- ence, sociology, Spanish lan- guage and literature and in- tensive Spanish. Six-week session. June 28-August 6, 1982. Fully accredited grad- uate and undergraduate pro- gram. Tuition $360. Room ALL ADS MUST BE PREPAID 2.00 for the first 3,lines .50 for each additional line DEADLINE: 5 PM Friday Feb. 12s, 1982 * 4. .vI ". -'- - . ". _- -r .- - - *4 44.fl c .A 4eld t ifr" : U mlmmmw VALENTINE MESSGE: 2 3 4 Name __ 6 , I i , I