The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 25, 1984 - Page 1 Earl bird Bo snatched Brooks first * OSU coach Bruce came too late 1 t By PAUL HELGREN As recruiting stories go, this one will always be remem- b tered as a classic. It's 1980. Young Kevin Brooks, a star linebacker for Detroit MacKenzie High, is sought after by two arch-rivals, Michigan and Ohio State. It's 8:30 a.m. on the first day when prep stars may sign national letters of intent. Earle Bruce, head coach of Ohio State, pulls up to the Brooks' home and -wings frantically to the door. He has come early, figuring he ' can wrestle Brooks from under Bo Schembechler's nose if he ' gets to the kid first. s THE DOOR OPENS. Brooks is home. I've got him, thinks Bruce. I'm sorry, says Brooks. You see, coach Schem- ,bechler was here about a half hour ago and.. . 4 That was four years ago. A lot has happened since then, but Kevin Brooks still shakes his head and smiles when he recounts that particular story. "If Bruce would've got there 30 minutes before Bo did, I .>would've went to Ohio State," Brooks said matter-of-factly. A STATEMENT like that could be grounds for execution in 'these parts. To think that Michigan's strongest candidate for All-America in 1984 turned down the Buckeyes simply because Bruce forgot to tell the cabbie, 'If Bruce W "Step on it, buddy,"-why, the very there 30 mi idea borders on treason.thr 30m . But that's Kevin Brooks, a lineman Bo did, I WO who likes to lay it on the line. Forget to Ohio Stat( the standard sports cliches. That's not Brooks' style. Ask him a question and - K he will give you a thoughtful and truth- ful answer, like it or not. Brooks' candor is refreshing, but it has also been the source of some friction for him. It's no secret that Brooks and Schembechler haven't always seen eye-to-eye but on the whole they've got along just fine. Ex- perience has taught Brooks to be a little more philosophical about disagreements. "EVERYBODY'S HUMAN," Brooks explained. "Everybody sees different situations in different ways. They (coaches) might not see it my way or I might not see it their way. I might disagree on that point or they might disagree on this point. It's not anything major. I get along pretty well with all the Michigan coaches." That wasn't always the case in high school, however. At Mackenzie a disagreement with the basketball coach caused Brooks to give up the sport and concentrate solely on football. The problem, Brooks said, was mainly a failure to com- municate. "I couldn't understand some of the diagrams the coach was drawing up," he said, "so I would ask, 'Why don't you do it this way?' But I guess he couldn't understand me. It wasn't like I was trying to be sarcastic or intimidating. I was just h, trying to find out what was going on." .n of ULTIMATELY, the move worked out for the better. Brooks' future would be on the gridiron, not the hardwood. As a 6-6 linebacker with crushing strength and gliding speed (4.7 in the 40) he was hot property. Schembechler won the race to sign the Detroit phenom, and Brooks brought his talents 40 miles west to Ann Arbor. Brooks began as a linebacker but was switched to the line at: the end of his freshman season. He enjoyed excellent sophomore and junior campaigns, collecting 92 tackles, 14 of those behind the line of scrimmage. Last year he made All- Big Ten. But the best was still to come. Brooks has been the standout on Michigan's gritty defense this season, despite being hobbled by a bum knee for a few games. He is singled out by opposing coaches for praise, and by opposing lines for double-teams. His numbers-50 tackles, 10 for a loss of yardage-are superb for a lineman. Brooks could well be on his way to a second- or third-team All-America selection. It is turning out to be the perfect final season for Brooks-except for one small detail. THE WOLVERINES are suffering through their worst season in memory. It's frustrating for everybody, but especially so for the defensive players ould've got like Brooks who have done such a tutes before commendable job holding down the op- uld'Ve went Position.dBut that's just part of the game, said Brooks. .' "You take the lumps as well as the eVin BrookS glory," he said. "I've had my share of glory. I've been to a Rose Bowl game. I'm one of the fortunate few. I just feel sorry for the freshman class that came in. With the way we're going we might not get a chance to attend a bowl game. We just have to pick ourselves up and keep going." Brooks himself isn't sure where he is going after this season. BECAUSE OF the NCAA's new "retroactive redshirt" rule, Brooks could declare himself eligible for a fifth season as a Wolverine, instead of heading for the pros. He confessed he is still vascillating. "For me to come back here. . . getting my degree, that's the main point," said Brooks. Brooks holds a 2.8 GPA in telecommunications and could graduate in the summer or come back for a final semester next fall. "I probably won't make my decision until the last possible moment. I have to talk to my family and some close friends." If history is any indication, Brooks will keep his word and wait till the last minute to choose. To help him decide, a crush of pro scouts and team representatives might come knocking on his door to convince him to make the jump. If they're smart, they'll get there early. Daily roto by DAN HABIB Senior defensive lineman Kevin Brooks, second on the team with 50 tackles, has one more year of eligibility, but is un- decided if he will return for a final season at Michigan. Aikido students can plead self-defense Iuick on the Draw Rek, , , ,, n,, First down keys offense .. . c ;vrrnc .tir<< By SUSIE WARNER If only President Reagan knew what defense is all about; if only he knew about aikido. One of the forms of the Japanese martial arts, aikido is a system of pure self-defense. It comes from the traditional weaponless fighting techniques based on the ancient Samauri movement. The sole purpose of this art is to redirect the attackers momentum and strength so that he r works against himself. SO WHAT does this have to do with sports? Aikido is one of Michigan's club sports. Participants meet in a class twice a week. One such paticipant, Debbie Webb, decided to take up the sport after seeing a demonstration. She said the club looked interesting, and it has proved to be "very good exercise." Since two people cannot practice defensive techniques against each other, aikido does not lend itself to competition. One person takes the of- fensive role, throwing strikes or holds, and the other partner deflects these using various aikido moves. BECAUSE OF this sharing of roles, Webb said, "There is a cooperative spirit in the class: everyone helps each r ; other. "We make harmony with each .other." The techniques of aikido stress joint : manipulation to defend against armed or unarmed attackers. The aikido student usually holds back his opponent by manipulating the aggressor's wrists, :elbows, and shoulders. By meeting, rather than blocking a strike, he or she can redirect the flow of the opponent's "ki," that is, his positive energy force. Webb stated that this energy can be redirected "at different angles to bring them (the opponent) down to the mat." Although, the Michigan Aikido club i does not actually compete with other clubs, it does train with different people i and put on demonstrations. Their latest demonstration took place at Huron High last Saturday. SINCE THE 1960's aikido has rapidly gained in popularity throughout Japan and in other countries around the world, including the United States. And because it is a self-defense system and does not require great physical strength, it has attracted many women and elderly people. One of these people is Pauline Nagara. Nagara has been practicing aikido for two-and-a-half-years. Nagara originally began aikido for the exercise and to learn self-defense. She continued aikido for other reasons. "It helps me to develop self control and focus," Nagara said. "I like this training becaue it's not based on power and aggressions, it's based on self- discipline, offensive strategy and trying to develop harmonious relation- ships with others." If aikido is "making harmony with each other," and not building up power or developing first strike potential, perhaps President Reagan does have something to learn. WELL, WE ALL have two more days to be optimistic. Right now Michigan can still go to a decent bowl game and have a respectable season, but that can all end with a loss to Illinois Saturday. The Illini are 0-3 on the road this season, but their season pretty much ends after this week's visit to Ann Arbor. Minnesota, Indiana and eight more months on probaton are what await Mike White's team after this week's game. So they ought to be fired up for this contest - which is quickly becoming one of the most bitter rivalries in the Big Ten. But Illinois can be beat and so can Purdue, and Minnesota is a given, so if things go well, the Wolverines can vault towards Columbus with a chance at an 8-3 season and a big upset on national TV that would knock the Buckeyes out of the Rose Bowl and propel Michigan into a bowl game that won't be played where it's snowing. Hey, it could happen. There's one major flaw in the team, though, that Bo Schembechler needs to correct and that's the play calling - especially on first down. All throughout Schembechler's seasons at Michigan, he ran a predictable, run-oriented of- fense. And it worked great. The problem is that offense is still being used and now it's not working. Schembechler needs to develop an offensive plan around this year's not- as-talented-as-previous-years team before any more 26-0 embarrassments occur. The Iowa game provided a good showcase for Michigan's lack of creativity. The Wolverines had 14 first-and-10 plays during the first three quarters when the game was still within reach. They ran the ball all 14 times and gained an average of 1.79 yards a pop. Part of this can be attributed to the strong Hawkeye defense. Michigan luckily won't face any more defenses of such caliber this season. But if you're not moving the ball, it's time to try something else. You don't necessarily have to throw the ball all the time, but now and then on first down would help to throw off the opponents. In the loss to Michigan State, the Wolverines stayed on the ground 16 of 19 times on first down before the game got out of hand. This was fine when Michigan's offensive line could dominate op- ponents but needless to say, this year's line isn't doing so. One particular drive midway thorugh the third quarter last Saturday provided a good example of how fresh plays can help move the ball. First-and-10 from the 30: Michigan lines with only one runner in the backfield and Rick Rogers on the wing. Quarterback Russell Rein starts running right then gives the ball to Eddie Garrett, who cuts the opposite way for a gain of five yards. Good. Different formation. Change of Direction. Decent gain. t imefor Bo to vary First-and-10 from the 47 one play later: I for- mation, give to Rogers over left guard. Loss of one. Michigan ran the tailback between the tackles about 20 times in Kinnick Stadium. Sometimes for a decent gain, but in key situations the Hawkeye defense was waiting for it. Another case in point. First-and-goal at the five, Trailing 12-0. Give to Rogers over right tackle for a loss of one. The eventual result was an intercep- tion on third-and-goal from the 14. True, interceptions by the inexperienced quar- terbacks have hurt. But both of Rein's pickoffs last week came on third down, a time when the Hawks knew a pass was coming. Maybe a pass on first down, when the defenses are expecting Rogers up the middle would gain some yards. It wouldn't have to be a high risk pass . downfield, a screen or flare to a running back is usually good for five or six yards. An occasional pass, or even a different running play such as the one to Garrett on first down would improve the effectiveness of the Michigan offense because the opposition wouldn''t know what to ex- pect, so ball movement wouldn't rely solely on the offensive line blowing people away. It's not to late for 1984 to become a successful Wolverine football season, but we've got to start moving the ball. A second straight loss to the Illini is about as low as the program could possibly stoop. Sandberg, Gwynn lead NL All-Star list NEW YORK (UPI) -Second baseman Ryne Sandberg and outfielder Tony Gwynn, who led the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres to the Eastern and Western Division titles, were the unanimous choices yesterday on the 1984 UPI team. Joining Sandberg in the infield, were catcher Gary Carter of the Montreal Expos, first baseman Keith Hernandez of the New York Mets, shortstop Ozzie Smith and third baseman Mike Schmidt of the Philadelphia Phillies. Along with Gwynn in the outfield were Jose Cruz of the Houston Astros and Dale Murphy of the Atlanta Braves. Rick Sutcliffe of the Chicago Cubs, the NL's Cy Young Award winner, and Dwight Gooden of the New York Mets, the league's rookie strikeout king, were the starting pitchers, Bruce Sutter of the Cardinals was the relief pitcher. The Cubs, Mets and Cardinals were the only teams with two players on the squad. The team is made up of eight players from the Eastern Division and three from the Western. Sandberg, the leading candidate for the Most Valuable Player Award, led the Cubs to their first title of any kind sin- ce 1945 with a .314 average, 19 homers and 84 RBI. Gwynn was the league's batting champion with a .351 average while driving in 71 runs. Hernandez, expected to receive strong support in MVP voting, received 25 of a possible 26 votes from the panel of UPI baseball reporters which participated in the balloting. Leon Durham of the Cubs received the other vote for first base. Sutcliffe, acquired from the Cleveland Indians in June, posted a 16-1 record for the Cubs. Gooden, 19, had a 17-9 mark and led the league with a rookie-record 276 strikeouts. Sutter, who had a 5-7 record and 1.54 ERA, tied the major- league record with 45 saves. N!!!!!!!!!!!! !!Nl NN !!!!!!!!!!!NN!! "-- " " " " 0 .. " " " 0 ' 0 ENDS TONIGHT . "PRIVATES ON PARADE" at 1:00, 7:10, 9:10 STARTS FRI.! IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT .. .._.. '- ' :WHEN THERE'S NO ONE ELSE .. . " " " " " " " Thriller Costume Ball Genevieve R d Id Keith :arradiin Lesley Ann Warren SONGS BY TEDDY PENDERGRASS AS U )U IU IlU FRI. 1:00, 7:20, 9:30, 11:30 p.m. UIIIG WATCH FOR THE MICHIGAN DAILY'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH *"CHOOSE ME'S" DIRECTOR ALAN RUDOLPH 0 " " " " " " ENDS TONIGHT! "ERENDIRA" at 1:00, 7:30, 9:30 0 I V STARTS FRI.! s 1