Women's Basketball vs. Illinois Thursday, 7:30 PM Crisler Arena SPORTS Men's Basketball vs. Illinois Tonight, 7 PM FSPN The Michigan Daily Wednesday, March 9, 1988 Page7 I i K' No tears shed as Gibson THE SPORTING VIEWS packs his bags for L.A. BY TAYLOR LINCOLN Kirk Gibson endured considerable booing and ridicule during his eight years as a Tiger. His love-hate relationship with the Detroit fans and. media resembled a stock market curve. There were times when he was infallible and times when he could do no right. Incredible highs, in- credible lows. Ever since he signed to pack his bags for Los Angeles, though, Gibson's fan club has come out of the closet - scorning the Tigers' man- agement for letting their hero slip away. Well, the Tigers may not win the East again this year, but if they fail to repeat, it won't be because of Gibson's absence. He won't be so sorely missed. SURE, GIBBY had his moments. Perhaps as many as any Tiger in the '80's. His star shone brightly on many occasions with the Tigers. His speed, hustle, and dangerous power made him explosive - a threat to break any game open. But he also had a long and compensating list of liabilities. His baseball career started late, when he decided to shed his shoulder pads one spring and.experiment with this "second sport." This coming during his days as a football star at Michigan State. And his late start hindered him greatly. Not only did it prevent him from becoming "the next Mickey Mantle" as Sparky Anderson once prophesized for the young Gibson, but it also kept him from ever becoming a complete player. Gibson lacks the skills, both with his glove and his bat, that separate the great players from the rest. Though his fielding improved in recent years, he still displayed a knack for playing deep fly- balls into doubles off the wall, while his throw- ing arm depreciated. Last year, it seemed as if all the players in the American League figured out that they could score from second base on a sin- gle to left. GIBSON also lacked the offensive fundamentals that the great hitters have. He was poor at sacrificing to move runners over, and he could never be counted on to produce a fly ball to bring the tying or go-ahead run in from third. This leads to Gibson's Achilles heel -incon- sistency. He was as notorious for his prolonged slumps as he was revered for his hot streaks - which is why his career batting average of .274, while respectable, is distinctly unspectacular. Similarly his inability to ever hit over 30 home runs or knock in 100 runs reflects the in- consistency which has plagued his career. Throughout his stay with the Tigers, Gibson billed himself as Mr. Clutch. And many times, such as the '84 playoffs and World Series, he lived up to his self-appointed title. BUT IT WASN'T always the case. In early August of 1986, for example, Detroit ral- lied from a low point of 14 games back to pull within 4 games of the Red Sox. next ten games were against the Sox. Seven of the front running. Gibson responded by becoming mired in a seven-for-39 drought, and striking out 15 times, as Detroit dropped five of seven to Boston, fading: out of the picture in '86. Gibson's inconsistency was not limited to his productivity on the field, however. His demeanor off the field was always a point of contention, as he was frequently criticized for his abrasive man- ner. Even in his brightest moments, Gibson's personality threatened to turn sour. America found this out within an hour after watching Gibson's second home run in the fifth and final game of the 1984 World Series. During the ensuing victory celebration the same viewership had an opportunity to watch Gibson shove a fan to the floor of the Tigers' dugout. Granted, the person had no business in the dugout. But being a slightly overzealous fan is hardly grounds for being spiked to the pavement by a 220 pound athlete. "Personality doesn't matter in professional sports," you say? Well, maybe, but Gibson had enough liabilities on the field to make his less than joyous countenance much easier to part company with. So long, Kirk. Daily Photo by KAREN HANDELMAN Stacy Berg backhands a shot in her singles victory against the University of Toledo yesterday. Women netters romp By LORY KNAPP Refusing to give up even one set, the women's tennis team trounced non-Conference opponent, Univer- sity of Toledo, 9-0 at home yester- day. Because they expected to beat the. Rockets, Michigan shuffled the lineup to give confidence and prac- tice to the rookies for their upcom- ing Big Ten competition. Stacy Berg, playing No. 1 singles for the first time, displayed that confidence and soundly beat her op- ponent 6-1, 6-3. Berg also com- bined with All-Big-Ten senior, Tina Basle, to win the No. 1 doubles match 6-0, 6-3. "I wasn't that nervous because you have to play whoever they put against you anyway," said Berg. First-year players Kristin Ashare and Anna Schork also crushed their opponents. Ashare won 6-2, 6-1 in No. 3 singles and, Schork, playing in her first match, won 6-0, 6-1. Other singles winners were Leslie Mackey, No. 2, (6-0, 6-2), an d Cathy Schmidt, No. 4, (6-4, 6-4). The rookie combination of Wendy Stross and Kriste Miner won their No. 2 doubles 6-3, 6-3 and Schmidt teamed up with senior Susie Patlovich to win the No. 3 doubles 6-1, 6-1. "Sometimes when you are not pushed its easy to lose concentra- tion," said coach Bitsy Ritt. "(But) everybody did a good job." CLASSIFIED ADS TICKETS MUSICAL !!HELP. I need 2 INXS tiks march 16. Please. Call Jeff 769-1892 Top Dollar!! DEPERATELY NEED 3 TIX FOR Ohio St. B-ball game pref. in blue. Bob 996-1428. ELECTRIC GUITAR AND MINI AMP., good cond., excellent case/$150. Call 994- 5831. I I RABBI ALLAN D. KENSKY PASSOVER SEDER WORKSHOP THURSDAY, MARCH 10 AND 24, 7-9PM WELKER ROOM, MICHIGAN UNION Two intensive sessions designed to prepare you to celebrate the Passover of your life. Learn about the symbols of the holiday, discover beautiful Passover melodies, and learn how to lead a Seder. PASSOVER WORKSHOP WHAT HAVE YOU GOT TO LOSE? HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO GET IN SHAPE, LOSE WEIGHT AND LOOK GREAT FOR SPRING AND SUMMER? THE EXERCISE, NUTRITION & WEIGHT CONTROL CLINIC OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IS CURRENTLY TAKING REGISTRATION FOR NEW CLASSES FORMING MARCH 14. FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 764-1342 OR COME BY ROOM 3050 CCRB BODY FAT TESTING-EXERCISE .BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION- DIETING EXERCISE, NUTRITION & WEIGHT CONTROL CLINIC LIFESTYLE CHANGES *CHOLESTEROL TESTING* METABOLIC ASSESSMENT c+6re Mug Club e Guinness " Bass " Watneys Rent a Car from Econo-Car OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK WE RENT TO 19 YR. OLD STUDENTS! . Choose from small economical cars to fine luxury cars. " Special weekend rates " Pick-up services upon request. " We accept cash deposits. ECONO-CAR 438 W. Huron 761-8845 ANN ARBOR Buy an Ashley mug filled with one of our English Draughts Keep the mug and get a card for 5 refills for $1 per refill in the mug 338 S. State St. " 996-9191 I I II CLASSIFIED ADSI Call 764-0557 III The University of Michigan SCHOOL OF MUSIC Thurs.-Sun., Right You Are IffYou Think You Are, Mar. 10-13 by Pirandello Presented by University Players Tickets $9, $6, $4 (students), call 764-0450 Mendelssohn Theatre, 8:00 p.m. (Th-Sat), 2:00 p.m. (Sun) Fri., Faculty Carillon Recital Mar. 11 Margo Halsted, University Carillonneur Music for carillon by contemporary Dutch composers Burton Memorial Tower, 7:00 p.m. FREE. Fri., Symphony Band/University Choir Mar. 11 H. Robert Reynolds/Theodore Morrison, conductors Russell Woolen: Mass for Choir, Brass & Winds Hindesmith: Symphony in B-flat Ticheli: Music for Brass & Winds Hill Auditorium, 8:00 p.m. FREE. Sat., Japanese Music Study Group Mar.12 William Malm, Faculty Adviser "Japanese Concert and Festival Music" Rackham, 8:00 p.m. FREE. Sun.. Piano Recital by Stephen Rush WEDNESDA Y, March 9 9:30 p.m. Battle of the Bands U-Club, Michigan Union $1.00 THURSDA Y, March 10 9:30 p.m. Battle of the Bands U-Club, Michigan Union $1.00 FR/DA Y, March 11 9:00 p.m. Jazz Cafe U-Club, Michigan Union $3.00 SA TURDAY, March 12 8:00 p.m. Arcade Battle of the Bands Finals Carnival of Shows Casino SPONSORED BY: THE ADVANCED FITNESS TRAINING CENTER ADULT LIFESTYLE PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF KINESIOLOGY THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN I 1 Bu USM into Summer Plans' ild your St Geo Mn. immer Field Camps logy Field Camp Archeology Field Camp q 1-T.1., 1 1 Q NvM 9a'.IillV 1 1 S S