SPORTS
Page9
The Michigan Daily
Wednesday, October 12, 1983
Good/bad times for Sincich
By RON POLLACK
Wolverine junior middle guard Al
Sincich has experienced both good
times and bad since coming to
Michigan.
The bad times came recently.
THE DATE WAS January 4, 1983 and
Sincich was still smarting along with
the rest of the Michigan squad from a
24-14 Rose Bowl loss to UCLA. But from
that day on, this defeat would be pain-
fully insignificant for Sincich.
His parents were driving to
Milwaukee, Wis. that day and his father
fell asleep at the wheel of the car. In the
crash that followed, Sincich's mother
was killed.
"It was a real catashtophe,"
Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler
said.
THE TRAGEDY, SINCICH said, has
served as a motivating force for him as
a football player.
"I think after she passed away, I
tried to play better," Sincich said. "I
tried to make my father proud of me.
Ever since my freshman year he's been
proud of me and I just like to do my best
for him."
Ever since Sincich's freshman year
in 1981, his father has had good reason
to be proud of him. The younger Sincich
started his first year at Michigan as the
team's sixth-string middle guard, but
took over the starting duties against
Northwestern in the seventh game of
the season and has been a fixture there
ever since. On the playing field, at
least, Sincich has experienced good
times.
"I REALLY HAD doubts when I was
sixth string," Sincich said. "But I just
went in with the attitude that I wanted
to play. I gave it everything I had on the
demo squad and it paid off."
The hustling, scrapping style of play
that vaulted Sincich into the starting
lineup has continued to be a trademark
of his. Schembechler said that Sincich
is no prima donna who has been spoiled
by the success of being a starter.
"He's a competitor," Schembechler
said. "He comes off the field exhausted
because he's been fighting so hard. It's
not that he's out of shape."
IT WASN'T ALWAYS so, however.
"When I first came here I was really
out of shape," Sincich said. "I never
ran in high school. I learned quickly
that at Michigan you run a lot. Now I'm
in the best shape ever. At middle guard
you have to go all out."
It is through this all-out, battle-until-
you-drop philosophy that Sincich tries
to make up for his physical drawbacks.
At 6-1, 222 pounds he is no gridiron
behemoth.
"IT WOULD BE nice to weigh more
so I wouldn't be tossed around," Sincich
said.
Tossed around isn't even the word for
it. Because of the demands of his
position, there are times where Sincich
finds opposing players lining up to try
to pound him into submission.
"In high school I played tackle and
only one guy would touch you," Sincich
said. "Now at middle guard you have
one guy come at you, then another, then
another. It's like they're after you."
BUT DOES Sincich complain? Does
he moan about the fact that he
sacrifices his body in order to free
linebackers, allowing them to roam,
make the majority of the team's tackles
and steal his thunder?
No and no.
In fact, he wouldn't have it any other
way.
"I THINK I get enough glory," Sin-
cich said. "My glory is just playing,
especially at my size. It's good enough
for me.
"I'm surprised right now I'm in the
situation I'm in. I look around and see
bigger and stronger guys. I feel for-
tunate to even be playing."
Yes indeed, Sincich may have suf-
fered through a horrible tragedy, but
he's know his share of good times as
well.
Sincich
..overcomes odds
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kSpikers
topple'
Eastern
in three
By< STEVE WISE
and BARB McQUADE
Even though the Michigan volleyball team came out on top
in its second match of the season against Eastern Michigan
University last night in Ypsilanti, Wolvering senior Sue
Rogers didn't think she and her teammates actually won the
contest.
"I don't think we did anything extraordinary," said
Rogers. "I think they beat themselves."
IT ONLY TOOK Eastern about an hour to lose, 15-9, 15-7,
15-11, and to raise Michigan's overall record to 13-7.
Although the non-conference match might seem to serve as
a good tune-up for the rest of the Big Ten season, Michigan
head coach Sandy Vong says he doesn't think it will.
"We treat matches like this as separate (from conference
play), Vong said, "because most Big Ten teams use a dif-
ferent attack."
Despite running up a 6-2 leading game on, the Wolverines
looked slow. Michigan's poor concentration and Eastern's
dumps (dinks on the second hit) gave the Hurons their first
lead at 9-8. Michigan's play was sloppy with players ap-
parently not talking and getting in each other's way.
Communicating, however, was not the problem according
to senior Barb Bensing.
"THE COMMUNICATION was there," said Bensing. "The
intensity wasn't there."
But Michigan soon found its intensity in the form of seven-.
straight Rogers serves to finish off the game.
Michigan again found intensity in the second game as
sophomore Jennifer Hickman took charge, leading Michigan
out of a 3-3 tie by serving five-straight points.
Game three saw Eastern dink, dump, and drive its way to a
9-2 lead and also saw Michigan return to'itslethargic ways.
The Wolverines got a shot in the arm from sophomore Kim.
Edwards when she came in off the bench to serve three
consecutive points. Michigan proceeded to tie the game at 9-
9. The momentum stayed on Michigan's side as it went on to
win the game, giving up only two more points the rest of the
way.
"In game three, when they started serving tough, we had
trouble," said Vong. "We were tough, though. We put on a
spurt at the right time.,,
Vong said the Wolverines had trouble adapting to the
Huron's fieldhouse, in which accoustics, lighting, and flight
of the ball were different from most smaller gyms. Vong said
the biggest problem in Michigan's defense, or lack of it, was
against the dump.
"We never really defended that particularly well," said the
Wolverine mentor. "A coach has got to be concerned about
that.''
"Almost every time they dinked, it was a point for them."
Defense will probably be the focal point of this week's prac-
tice sessions as the spikers gear up for the Texas Classic this
weekend in Austin, Texas.
By RON POLLACK
Michigan outside linebacker Tom
Hassel has been named Midwest
Defensive Player of the Week by the
United Press International.
The award was unexpected by Hassel
who was only credited with three
tackles against Michigan State this past
Saturday.
"I'M PRETTY happy with this
season, but I was surprised I was elec-
Pidlies edge
Orioles, 2-1
BALTIMORE (AP) - Garry Maddox
led off the Philadelphia eighth inning.
with a home run to break up a World
Series pitching duel between John Den-
ny and Baltimore's Scott McGregor and
give the Phillies a 2-1 victory over the
Orioles in Game One last night.
The game was attended by 52,204 in-
cluding President Reagan and played
at times in a light drizzle. It matched
two of the finest pitchers in baseball but
it was decided in a battle of home runs.
Baltimore's Jim Dwyer, one of the
Orioles' platoon players, belted a first
inning homer and oldtimer Joe Morgan
tied ifin the sixth for the Phillies.
ted UPI Player of the Week," Hasse
said.
Hassel was named the Wolverines'
Defensive Champion of the Week the
first two weeks of the season, but says
he has plenty of room for improvement.
"Right now the teams we've been
playing have been passing a lot,"
Hassel said. "They haven't been run-
ning as much as I'd like them to
because I think I can improve more on
the running game than I have a chance
to on the passing because I'm not on the
pass defense that much."
ANN A RBOR'
INDIVIbUAL THEATRES
5th Ave at liberty 761-97OO
$2.00 WED. SAT. SUN. SHOWS BEFORE 6 PM
EXCEPT "NEVER" $3,00
SEAN
CONNERY
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AA~DJ~STERO
OUUAttltR~w caaTHURS. 7:40, 10:00
WED.12:40,3:00,5:20,7:20,10:00
" HURRY! ENDS THURS.
JC UE (:AT JND
CHRISTIE i
A UNIVERSAlCLASSIC )JS ' j
THURS. 7:15. 9:30
WED. 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30
Junior Al Sincinch, starting middle guard for the Wolverines, jars the ball
loose from a Washington State player, during this year's season opener.
UPI honors Hassel
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Michigan's Board of Intercollegiate
Athletics has voted to support a
proposal in which freshman athletes
PAUL FLEURANGES,
Residential College senior
I think it's a good rule because you get a lot
of freshman athletes who come to a big
school and want to play. They put more em-
phasis on their playing than their
schooling....Give them a chance to get
acquainted with school. Digger Phelps does
that at Notre Dame. He doesn't let his
basketball players play their first semester.
They'll have four years of eligibility. There's
no big rush.
CHRIS KOLB,
Alumnus ('83)
It's not a great rule. If you're going to
work, practice, take all the time away from
studying, you might as well play on Saturday.
would be banned from varsity com- rule is supposedly an effort to improve
petition, even though they could con- academics among student-athletes. Do
tinue to practice with their team. The you think the proposal is a good idea?
IZZY RASKIN,
Residential College seniorv
I think it's a bad rule because first of all
college players have only four years to play.
If they're practicing, but not getting any in-
put into the game...they're not getting any
experience of actually playing under pressure
in the game.... I think it's really unfair to the
players. The pressure's not really off because
they have to be at the practice, have to be at
the game, have to be at the meetings. I think:
it's really ridiculous.
VAL HARRIS,
LSA Senior
I suppose that's fair. It's so rare that a
really good freshman comes along in the first
place. The ones that have been on the team
the sophomores and juniors - should have
more of a chance above the freshmen.
GRIDDE PICKS
U U
It looks like Thomas Monaghan,
Domino's Pizza tycoon, has given up
his fight to buy out Pizza Bob's.
Monaghan wanted to buy out Pizza
Bob's thinking he could get free inside
tips on Griddes picks from the Daily. It
seems that Monaghan is tired of eating
his own Domino's Pizza and wanted
desperately to get a chance to eat a free
pizza from Pizza Bob's.
Monaghan swore revenge, however,
upon hearing that the Daily does not
divulge its football expertise (yes, there
is some football expertise at the Daily.
If you-look very, very, very hard at the
coverage of our football beat you'll find
the slightest trace of expertise. It can
be hard to find, but it's there).
HELL-BENT ON carrying out this
vendetta, he bought the Detroit Tigers
claiming to the many fa'*hful (lord
minor leaguer to be named later
(Editor's note: don't go to so much
trouble, Tom. Just keep the team in-
tact, put Kirk Gibson in the outfield and
you'll never win a pennant).
Here at the Daily, we refuse to
knuckle under to this pressure. If
Monaghan wants to win Griddes, he has
to send his picks, sans the expertise of
our staff, to either the Daily office on
Maynard St. or the two Pizza Bob's
stores in town. Deadline is midnight
Friday.
1. Northwestern at MICHIGAN
2. Ohio State at Illinois
3. Michigan State at Indiana
4. Purdue at Iowa
5. Wisconsin at Minnesota
6. Tennessee at Alabama
7 Arznn anta eat nthern Cal
Ze Seateu A
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