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