Volleyball
vs. Illinois
Tomorrow, 7 p.m.
IM Building
SPsORTS
Thursday, September 25, 1986
Exhibition Hockey
Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs
Sunday, 7:30 p.m. $4
Yost Arena
Page 9
The Michigan Daily
Former Michigan wrestler
joins pros
By SCOTT SHAFFER
...And in this corner,
weighing in at 225 pounds, the
World Wrestling Association's
heavyweight champion of. the
world, Scott Rexsteiner!"
When you're an All-American
athlete in college, usually the next
step is to try to become a
professional. If you happen to be
an All-American wrestler,
however, turning pro isn't as
automatic as it is for football or
basketball.
BUT WHEN Scott Rexsteiner
finished his career as a
Wolverine by placing sixth in the
NCAA championships, he decided
to try to make a name for himself
in a sport where knocking out the
referee and hitting opponents with
chairs are commonplace.
If early success is any
indication, Rexsteiner appears to
have made the correct decision.
* With little more than a month of
professional experience,
Rexsteiner defeated The Great
Wojo in Dearborn for the
championship of the WWA.
"It (turning pro) wasn't a tough
decision," said Rexsteiner, "I just
look at it as getting paid for doing
something I like."
IN ADDITION, he also had the
* example of his older brother, Rob,
to follow. Rob also wrestled for
Michigan before going on to the
pro circuit. He now wrestles
under the name Rick Steiner.
Rexsteiner, who changed the
spelling of his name from Rech
steiner to its present form when he
turned pro, came to the University
lexsteiner: Matster
of WWA universe
of Michgan in 1981 from Bay
City, where he was an All-Valley
wrestler as well as being an All-'
State football player.
His collegiate career spanned
five seasons (he was red-shirted
midway through his third year).
He compiled a 125-51-2 record that
included three second-place
finishes in the Big Ten.
'date
"SCOTT WON a lot of
matches," remembers Bahr. "He
was a very physical wrestler who
spent a lot of time in the weight
room and tried to win every
match on pure strength."
He began wrestling the WWA
circuit in July after going through
a two-month long training camp
in Louisiana. Soon after he
claimed his title on that. fateful
night in Dearborn.
"Wojo had me in the
backbreaker but I broke the hold,
something that hadn't been done
in two years , and went on to pin
him," Rexsteiner said. "I think
he was taking me lightly because
of my inexperience."
Rexsteiner now defends his
belt two or three times a week
throughout WWA territory,
mostly in Michigan, Ohio,
Indiana and Ontario. "It's agreat
thrill wrestling in front of two or
three thousand people after
wrestling in Crisler for so long,"
he said. "That place was always
empty for our matches." On
October 5, Rexsteiner will face
The Great Wojo in a rematch in
Toledo.
Rexsteiner has not let his
championship status change his
life. After all, the WWA is pretty
small compared to some of the
bigger outfits such as the AWA or
the WWF.
He still lives in the same
house in Ann Arbor with many of
his ex-teammates, still is
working for his teaching
certificate, and still lifts weights
under the training of Michigan's
football strength coach Mike
Gittleson.
As for the long term future,
Rexsteiner says, "I don't plan on
doing this forever. I don't want to
spin my wheels. I'll keep going
only as long as I keep moving
up."
One-time Michigan wrestler Scott Rexsteiner, formerly Scott Rechsteiner, chose to pin down wrestling as a
career. The pro matsman graduated from Michigan last spring.
Tip of the Kap
By Rick Kaplan
1111i
Closing Day...
*true fan's favorite)
i i i _
It's Closing Day at Tiger Stadium. This is the
best day of the year for true baseball fans.
Closing Day separates the true baseball fans
from the fair-weather fans - in both senses of the
word. The early autumn breeze whips through the
ball park as the teams play out the string.
Baseball fever: bundle up and hope youdon't
catch it.
The standings don't matter. The pennant
races are over. But somehow this game matters.
The last home run of the season, the final
strikeout.A baseball nut wants to be there when
Skip Lockwood fans Shooty Babbitt for the last out
of the year.
Closing Day is similar to Opening Day,
without the crowds. On Opening Day, even the
Cleveland fans think they have a chance at the
pennant. By Closing Day, the Indians have long
since travelled south of first place for the winter.
The mayor, throwing out Opening Day's first
ball, gets booed in his last appearance at the ball
park that year. The bum second baseman,
throwing away the last ball, gets booed in his last
appearance in the ball park ever.
In April, hope "springs" eternal.In September,
hope "falls" on its face.
The hope for the future is there on Closing Day,
but the unmistakeable imprint of the past cannot
be ignored. It's hard to be optimistic when you're
46 games out, your ERA looks like a zip code, and
your third baseman's batting average is
approaching his IQ.
The IQ of management comes into question on
Closing Day, as second guessing is raised to an
art form. A "can-you-top-that" game goes on in
the stands, as fans try to name the games and
transactions that cost the team a chance at the
flag.
"Petry's irxJury did not hurt the Tigers as much
as Gibson's "
"Too bad Sparky didn't get injured, maybe
with a serious case of lockjaw."
' Trade rumors fly through the stands.
"The White Sox are going to get Rickey
Henderson, and they will only have to give up
Jerry Hairston," says a man in the beer lines.
"It's got to be true, I heard it from George
Steinbrenner's plumber."
Trying to plug the leaks for next season, the
teams call up their minor-league talent for an
early look. Each rookie appears to be next year's
superstar on Closing Day. "This kid Distefano is
gonna be a good one, I can tell. Anyone with a
name that sounds like a laxative must have some
potential."
A diving stop by a young shortstop makes him
the next Ozzie Smith. A 1-2-3 inning by a pitcher
and he's the next Dwight Gooden. A rookie
outfielder who drops a pop up is the future Gorman
Thomas.
Another name that always pops up on Closing
Day is Billy Martin. If Billy is employed, the
question is, "Will Billy be fired?" If Billy is
unemployed, it's "yill Billy be hired?" For the
sake of anyone Who heard Billy butcher the
English language on Yankee cable telecasts this
summer, let's hope some team sacrifices its
pitching staff and gives Billy a job.
Sacrificing better judgment, the diehards will
head to Tiger Stadium tonight. The playoffs are
around the corner, the season is in the past.
Closing Day is the bottom of the ninth, two outs,
and the bases loaded. But the score is 11-3. It
doesn't determine the outcome, but it's a whole lot
of fun.
I
Jays .Vt
By RICK KAPLAN
Special to the Daily
DETROIT - It's official.-
The Detroit Tigers have been
eliminated from the1986 pennant
race after losing to Toronto, 8-2,
last night at Tiger Stadium.
BLUE JAY pitcher Dave Stieb
(7-11) hurled one of his best
outings of an otherwise
disappointing season, getting the
win. Stieb went seven innings,
allowing just seven hits and
striking out five. Jeff
Musselman and Bill Caudill
eached pitched an inning in
relief.
Toronto unloaded on Tiger
starter Dan Petry (5-9) in the top of
the first. Lead-off man Tony
Fernandez clubbed Petry's third
pitch into the lower deck in right
field for his ninth home run.
Garth Iorg singled to center off
Pat Sheridan's glove, the first of
three consecutive fielding
miscues by Detroit.
Tiger left fielder Bruce Fields
booted Rance Mulliniks' fly,
putting runners at second and
third. George Bell drove in Iorg
with a groundball to short, but the
Blue Jay left fielder was safe at
first when Alan Trammell's
throw was low.
JESSE Barfield walked to load
the bases. After Ernie Whitt
popped out, former Michigan
quarterback Rick Leach knocked
a sacrifice fly to deep left plating
Mulliniks. Cecil Fielder then
crushed Petry's final offering into
the upper deck in left for a three-
run home
Randy
effective
Detroit, a
six and t
Slaton mo
frames.
The Ti
the sixth
er.
y O' Neal pitched
ly in long relief for
allowing just two runs in
wo-thirds innings. Jim
opped up in the final two
gers only got to Stieb in
inninr. A Dou BRaker
Tigers, 8-2
UAI- 0A401 111111 . XLurt >UU1 game.
..g
.... ........ .......... . . .:... ....
The Center for Japanese Studies
Presents:
TRAINING OF A
PURELAND NUN
A Brown-Bag Lecture by
AILEEN GATTEN
specialist on Japanese religion
Ms. Gatten will lecture on her personal experiences
in a Pureland (Buddhist) training nunnery -
an experience rarely permitted to Westerners.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
12 noon
LANE HALL IN THE COMMONS ROOM
Call 764-6307
for further
information.
......
single and a Darrell Evans
double put men at second and
third with two outs. Third
baseman Darnell Coles singled
up the middle scoring both Tiger
runs.
Detroit also loaded the bases in
the ninth with two outs, but slugger,
Kirk Gibson struck out to end the
owl
i
/10-
. '
What's Happening
Recreational Sports
BIOLOGY and
CHEMISTRY MAJORS
Vital, Tough Issues at
Fully Competitive Salaries!
Find out the scope of career possibilities by attending lectures
dealing with the current scientific and ethical issues facing
p.rofessionals in occupational/environmental health fields.
The Department of Environmental and Industrial Health is
sponsoring five seminars which will cover such topics as:
TOUCH FOOTBALL OFFICIALS
NEEDED
WE TRAIN - WE PAY
"
"
Water Contamination
Hazardous Waste
Occupational and Environmental Cancers
Environmental Stress
Hazardous Chemicals Identification
Join us for the third lecture this Friday at 2 p.m. in 3056 Natural
Science Bldg.
Issue: Hazardous Chemical Identification - Rules for
- I