Men's Gymnastics Big Ten Championships Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. Crisler Arena SPORTS Women's Softball ' vs. Ohio State Tomorrow, 3 p.m. Varsity Softball Diamond The Michigan Daily Thursday, April 2, 1987 Page 9 Tan irk By KENNETH B. GOLDBERG Step aside Sunbelt, here swim the Wolverines. Michigan's men swimmers have shaved off their body hair and psyched themselves up for the NCAA championships, today through aflhay in Austin, Texas. Last season Michigan managed just 23 points and.a 25th place finish at nationals, but garnered honorable mention All-American status for two individual performances and one relay. Michigan, which will send six swimmers who competed in last year's championship and five first-time competitors, hopes to crack the top ten, a feat altnost unheard of for a school from the midwest. "Traditionally, the schools from the PAC-1O and Southwestern conferences dominate at ationals;" said Michigan head coach Jon Urbanchek. "But we have the talent, depth, and experience this year to compete with Stanford, USC, UCLA, Arizona, Texas and the other perennial powers." SENIOR freestylers Dave Kerska and Joe Parker, honorable mention All-Americans last travel to Texas for NCAAs year, are the leaders of what may be the strongest Michigan squad ever. At the Big Ten Championships last month, Kerska was named Co-Big Ten Swimmer of the Year. "I just can't say enough about Dave (Kerska) and Joe (Parker)," said Urbanchek. "They not only are awesome swimmers, but super human beings. Both are hard-working, very coachable,. and great leaders on our squad. We'll miss their abilities and enthusiasm very much next year." In addition to Kerska and Parker, the Wolverines sport a bevy of talented swimmers and divers capable of earning points at the championships. Eight other Wolverines will compete in individual events: Brent Lang (200 Individual Medley, 200 freestyle, and 100 backstroke), Jan- Erick Olsen (100 and 200 breaststroke), Marty Moran (100 and 200 butterfly), Mike Creaser (100 and 200 backstroke), Mats Nygren (1650 freestyle), Lee Michaud (diving), and Bill Hayes (diving). MICHIGAN also sends three relays teams, each of which is seeded number one in its event - the 400 medley (Lang, Olsen, Moran, and Kerska), 400 freestyle (Parker, Lang, Creaser, and Kerska), and 800 freestyle (Parker, Lang, Bjoern Warland, and Kerska). "Our relays have done an excellent job all year," said Urbanchek. "This is a chance for them to showcase their talents against the best of the rest - Florida, Texas, California-Berkley, and Stanford." Michigan's tremendous improvement is largely due to a dedicated and qualified coaching staff. Since coming to Michigan in 1982, Urbanchek, a Michigan graduate and former All- American, has succeeded in winning the first Big Ten swimming championships (1986 and 1987) for Michigan since 1960. He was named this season's Big Ten Coach of the Year. Diving coach Dick Kimball has spent 28 years at Michigan and was honored as the Big Ten and NCAA Coach of the Year in 1984. Parker and Kerska . 'awesome swimmers' Goroden seeks help fo substance abuse THE SPORTING VIEWS Mets classier than rest ... .. the real race is for last By ADAM SCHEFTER The Mets are to baseball what the smurfs are to Gargainel. You can hate the Letsgometropolitans for their players, their antics on and off the o field, their videos, or even their fans. Like. Houston Astro relief pitcher Charlie Kerfeld once said about the Mets fans, "people in New York have black teeth, and their breath smells of beer. And the mien are even worse!" But whether your looking at it through Kerfeld's perspective or the eyes of any other baseball afficionado, the Mets are 'the beast 1of the East.' They'll win the division hands down. The real battle in this division is for last place. The race is on and it should be a dogfight to the bitter end between the Expos, Pirates, and Cubs. Here are my picks: New York - The Mets are like Bubble Yum. They have a new and improved flavor. Kevin 1McReynolds was a great acquistion. H Jte'll be such a hit in New York That he should be doing Lite Beer commercials by the middle of June. The other player they came away with in the deal with San Diego, Gene Walter, is a lefthander who Will add depth and stability to the bullpen. There just doesn't seem to be a true weakness on the ballclub. Even their minor league teams are stacked with talent. Despite the fact Dwight Gooden has entered rehabilitation, the slack will be taken up by Sid Fernandez, Bob Ojeda, Ron Darling, Rick Aguilera and the likes. I'll go out on a limb and say that Rafael Santana will hit for a higher average than Buddy Biancalana. St. Louis - Whitey Herzog is Gargamel with white hair, dressed in a number 24 uniform. There would be nothing that he would like better than to see his team swallow the Mets. In order to do this, his big guns are going to have to revert back to the form that made them divisional champs in 1985. Last year Willie McGee's batting average dropped 97 points, Jack Clark's 44 points, and Vince Coleman's 35. This just won't cut it trying to chase a team of the Mets caliber. The pitching will provide nourishment for Herzog and his crew. The staff, one of the best around, includes John Tudor (13-7, 2.92 ERA), Danny Cox (12-13, 2.90), and Greg Mathews (11-8, 3.65). Backing them up in the pen is Todd Worrell and his league- leading 36 saves. St. Louis will be a threat, especially with the addition of Tony Pena, but it just doesn't look like it's in the Cards. Philadelphia- The Phillies were the only team to have a winning record against the Mets last year and with the addition of Met-killer Mike Easler (.316, 11 HR, 39 RBI's lifetime against the Mets) and that catcher from Detroit with the bad back, the Phillies won't be hardpressed to duplicate that feat. If only they could play as well against the rest of the league. One reason for these inconsistent results is the starting pitching. Pitchers like Shane Rawley, Don Carman and Steve Bedrosian are like cheap toys off the K-Mart shelf that always seem to break. Third baseman/outfielder Chris James, brother of Craig James, the former SMU running back now with the Patriots, is a blue-chipper waiting in the wings for Mike Schmidt's position. In the meantime he may as well go on football recruiting trips for his brother's alma mater, because Schmidt is showing no effects of his old age, playing like a 25 year old in his prime. Chicago- Getting Andre Dawson for $600,000 a year and giving up nothing in return is like your friend giving you a two-for- one Big Mac coupon for free. What a find! He should fit in well with Gary Matthews, Keith Moreland, and Rafael Palmeiro, the other power hitters in the lineup. Dawson's golden arm will help to compensate for their iron gloves. The Cubs starters remain the key. They need Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Trout, Dennis Eckersley, and Scott Sanderson to have big years if they harbor any thoughts of contending. Getting Harray Caray back in the booth as soon as poosible would be a big boost. Pittsburgh- The Pirates are a young and inexperienced club who will improve under the tutelage and guidance of manager Jimmy Leyland. They should improve just enough to avoid the cellar. First basemn Sid Bream (16 home runs, 77 RBI's), second sacker Johnny Ray (.301, 78 RBI's), and outfielder Mike Diaz (12 HR's in 209 at bats) provide a good nucleus. Besides, any team that gets rid of Sixto Lezcano, Steve Kemp, and Lee Mazzilli is bound to improve a little. Montreal- In letting Andre Dawson and possibly Tim Raines slip away, they have been those benevolent friends to give away those Big Mac coupons. You just don't do that sort of thing. Jeff Reardon's loss will hurt them in tight games. Managements penny-pinching attitude is going to cause a lot of famine among some good players (Hubie Brooks, Andres Galarraga, and Floyd Youmans) who are going to be starving for some wins as the season progresses. Imagine summer '87 by our pool! University Towers can give you a place in the sun next to our heated swimming pool Live close to campus in one of our newly refurnished apartments with cool air- conditioning, TV lounge, ping-pong, pool table, game room and laundry facilities. Why settle for less? Best yet. our summer rates are very reasonable: UIVERSITYTOWER 586 S. Forest (corner of S. Forest & S. University) Visit our model apartments today! Phone: (313) 761-2680 ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Dwight Gooden, the talented but troubled New York Mets pitcher, agreed yesterday to undergo treatment for a "drug use problem" rather than be suspended by Commisioner Peter Ueberroth. The 1985 National League Cy Young award winner probably would have started on Tuesday when the World Series champions opened the season against Pittsburgh. Mets General Manager Frank Cashen said Gooden voluntarily took a drug test earlier this week and it gave "some indication of past usage, but the extent is uncertain." Edwin Durso, baseball's secretary-treasurer and executive vice president, said Cashen called Ueberroth on Monday and told him "there was a clear indication of a drug problem." "The commissioner made it perfectly clear to the Mets that, consistent with past policy, he was prepared to take severe disciplinary action against Dwight Gooden if the player did not seek an appropriate remedy," Durso said. Ueberroth, in a statement from Chandler, Ariz., said: "Our policy is simple. If a player is willing to help himself, he gets one chance. If he is unwilling to cooperate or a problem occurs a second time, then we will take the penalty route." Gooden agreed to treatment following a 1 1/2-hour meeteing yesterday morning with Cashen and Joe McIlvaine, the club vice president of baseball operations. Cards acquire Pena ST. LOUIS (AP) - The St. Louis Cardinals yesterday traded outfielder Andy Van Slyke and catcher Mike Lavalliere to the Pittsburgh Pirates for catcher Tony Pena. The Cardinals also gave up minor league pitcher Mike Dunne in the deal. Pena, a four-time All-Star, batted .288 with 10 home runs and 52 runs batted in last season. In 801 major league games, Pena, 29, has a lifetime .286 batting average with 63 home runs and 340 RBI. Van Slyke, 26, had his finest major league season with the Cardinals in 1986 when he hit .270 with 13 homers. Attention All Subscribers out-of-towners U of M departments A2 residents In town..........$5,00 Out-of-town..... $7.00 13 issues (excluding June 26th & July 3rd) Fridays only Write TODAY to renrew your subscription: Include your name address & payment Send to The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard, AnnArborMI 48109 Associated Press Keith Hernandez will try to help the New York Mets win back-to-back National League East titles. The School of Education of The University of Michigan will recognize the 1987 Annual Awards Winners for excellence and academic achievement and will honor There is life after college .. . And, your student work performance is important in determining the quality of that life. Come to THE MICHIGAN LEAGUE and we will help train you in: Better work habits Working under pressure Working with people Organizing your skills Tt wll I nnk rlirfnnd n vo ur resume !!