Baseball vs. Minnesota (DH) Saturday and Sunday, 1 p.m. Ray Fisher Stadium The Michigan Daily SPORTS Men's Tennis vs. Purdue Saturday Track and Tennis Building Thursday, April 7, 1988 T THE SPORTING VIEWS Athletes showed their nasty sides during month of March ; .. x r , Page 9 'M' downs Titans, 11-4 By MICHAEL SALINSKY Bud Middaugh couldn't have asked for better luck. Strapped for pitchers after six games in three days, the Michigan coach got a little help from the elements yesterday. The second game of the Wolverines' doubleheader with the University of Detroit Titans was rained out after an 11-4 Michigan victory in the opener. The win in the first game went to starter Ross Powell. The lefty gave up four hits and struck out four in five innings of work. Sparking the Wolverines (20-6) was Steve Finken, who reached base all five times he came to the plate. Finken had a double, three walks and was hit by a pitch, scoring three runs. Phil Price, supplied the power for the victors. Price had five RBIs on four-for-five hitting. Chris Czarnik was the starter and loser for the Titans. Czarnik, whose record falls to 3-2, was down only 2-1 to the powerful Wolver- ines going into the fourth. But in the fourth, after the first two men were retired, the Wolver- ines struck for four runs. Finken and Gagin reached base to set up Price and Greg Haeger who lashed back-to back doubles. Bill St. Peter added an RBI to finish up the inning's scoring. By ADAM BENSON March, because of its nasty weather, is said to come in like a lion. This March, the lion roared its way into the world of sports and de- cided to act nasty for the entire month. In almost every level of competi- tion - amateur, collegiate, or pro- fessional - the month's premier sporting events were dimmed by poor on-court behavior. For every slam dunk, home run, and Hamill camel, there was a bench-clearing brawl, disagreement with a coach, or lack of tact. The media spotlight is rightly fo- cused on college basketball during the stretch run and the beginning of the NCAA tournament. March Mad- ness is, for many sports fans, the best time of the year. This season, however, the race for conference titles was marred by some of the ugliest fights in the basketball history. In the Southeastern Confer- ence tournament semifinal, Georgia and Florida had a fight that forced Florida coach Norm Sloan to suspend a player for the first round of the NCAA tournament. FLORIDA met St. John's, an- other brawling team, in the first round. In the Redmen's fight with Providence, players and coaches be- came involved, and one St.John's player was arrested. Coach Lou Car- neseca chose not to suspend his player for the NCAA matchup with the Gators. It seems only fitting the Florida wound up winning the game. Kudos should go to Sloan, one of the few sports figures to put ethics ahead of winning games. Baseball's spring training wasn't without its own March Madness this year, either. One of the most noted events took place in the camp of the Toronto Blue Jays, where George Bell refused to move to the desig- nated hitter spot in the lineup. The Blue Jays are an enigma to most baseball fans. They have one of the most impressive batting orders in baseball, yet last season the team's offensive load had to be carried by Bell, who hit 47 homers on his way to MVP honors. MANAGER Jimy Williams hoped to move one of several outstanding outfield prospects into the lineup and help bolster the offense. While Bell is the best hitting outfielder the Blue Jays have, he is the weakest on defense. So it only made sense to move Bell to the DH spot to clear a space for a new outfielder, right? WRONG. Bell took offense to being moved. Instead of trying to see what was best for the team, he couldn't see past his hurt feelings. Maybe this lack of team spirit can help explain how the Blue Jays out- choked the Tigers in the American League East race last year. Bell is an outstanding talent, but the Blue Jays have had tons of talent for many years, and they still have not won a World Series. If this club could set aside its egos and follow the examples of clubs like the 1985 Royals, or last year's champs, the Minnesota Twins, it could fulfill many of their fans' ex- pectations. For now, Blue Jays fans will have to settle for the soap opera in the 'dugout to find any real competition or concern. WHILE GEORGE BELL is a repeat offender, U.S. figure skater Debi Thomas is a newcomer to the poor-sport club. But no one can say she showed any more tact or grace than her baseball counterpart. When Thomas lost to Katarina Witt at the 1988 Calgary Olympics, she earned the sympathy of millions of Americans. There was no question that she choked, but fans felt for her anyway. XX Ilr rrr.,.::_ , :J 1- -Associated Press George Bell, shown here in an angry moment, was upset all spring training over the Blue Jays' decision to make him a DH. Yet Debi Thomas found a way to lose sympathy as well. During March's World Figure Skating Championships, CBS interviewed Thomas, who reduced her bronze- winning effort to nothing. Thomas said that after her Olympic performance that she felt like turning to the crowd and asking if "anybody wanted to trade an ABC sports pin for a bronze medal?" WHILE THOMAS may have felt disappointed that she did not capture the gold or silver, how many skaters would have traded places with her? How many fans would love to have competed in the Olympics at all? Thomas lacks not only the gold medal, but also lacks the charm and the charisma to share the public eye with a skater like Witt, or past champions like Peggy Fleming and Dorothy Hamill. Well, at least Thomas has her Stanford education to carry her through life. At the end of last year, Sports Il- lustrated bucked tradition. Instead of giving its Sportsperson of the Year honor to an athlete for an on-the-field performance, they awarded a group of athletes for their contributions to so- ciety. At the time, this award seemed disappointing. Now it seems quite appropriate. While George Bell and Debi Thomas are away from the cameras, they can do whatever they choose. But fans don't want to hear their whining or complaining - they'd rather watch the Liz Manleys or the Alan Trammells find the joy of win- ning. There's more to glory than getting there, but also knowing how to act when you don't. Special Student and Youth Fares to EUROPE from New York on Scheduled Airlines! DESTINATIONS OW RT LONDON $175 $350 PARIS 206 412 FRANKFURT 220 440 ROMEMILAN 238 476 VIENNA 245 490 ZURICH/GENEVA 225 450 COPENHAGEN 255 475 OSLO 225 450 STOCKHOLM 230 460 HELSINKI 238 476 Above fares also apply from Washington, D.C. to London, Paris and Frankfurt on non-stop service. Add-on fares from Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and many other U.S. cities are also available. CALL OR WRITE FOR OUR SPECIAL FARES TO THE SO. PACIFIC, AUSTRALIA, SO. AMERICA Applications available for Eurail Youth Pass and International Student I.D. Card. For Reservations and Information Call: WHOLE WORLD TRAVEL Part of the worldwide STA Travel Network 17 E. 45th St., Suite 805, New York, NY 10017 (212) 986-9470 Sloan .-. a good guy I One Month's Free Rent Albert Terrace 1506 Geddes 1700 Geddes I VETERINARY MEDICINE: AN OPTION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS giimmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmqlg * Deli and Grocery Store i028 E. University _ 662-0202 I * Sandwiches I " Beer and U Imported Wines I 0 e 9977 Large Sub Special I Turkey or I I Ham & Cheese I * Deluxe Sub I I N.Y. Style Breakfast on a Roll I * (2 eggs, bacon and cheese $1.75) I U U========== SCIENCE * MEDICINE e ANIMALS 'h. CF f Y Z '~ GB. EtRtN vy L24 Heat & Water Included *9 . 4q1 A veterinarian can combine these interests to tailor a career selected from a wide range of opportunities that include biomedical research, private practice (including specialties), wildlife and zoo medicine, and more. TO LEARN MORE, MEET A REPRESENTATIVE FROM MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY'S COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE Thursday, April 7 --2-4 p.m. CAREER PLANNING AND PLACEMENT Preprofessional Division 3200 Student Activities Building Spacious 2 Bedroom Bi-Levels Large 2 Bedroom Apartments Furnished Air conditioned Laundry Facilities Parking for Tenants 543 Church Street (313) 761-1523 We also have other great properties! which are centrally located to campus i Yes we're open Saturdays L UNMI R*TO JAPAN DISCOUNT FARE FROM DETROIT (WEEKDAY DEPARTURE) ALL NIPPON AIR NORTHWEST UNITED AIR JAPAN AIR $750.00 $735.00 $795.00 $850.00 President and Mrs. Robben Fleming cordially invite all students to an Open House HOTEL PACKAGE - TOKYO HOTEL SUNSHINE CITY PRINCE 2 NIGHTS $160.00 (Single) OSAKA HOTEL NEW OTANI 2 NIGHTS $170.00 (Single) p, r V ye t' j