Page 4 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, September 8, 1988 SPRING Blue batters * Big Ten in m elodram a BY MICHAEL SALINSKY The 1989 Michigan baseball team should put on quite a show for the Ann Arbor faithful. If 1987 was a "rebuilding" year and 1988 was a year of "growth," then 1989 may be a year of "fulfillment" for many of the young Wolverines. In 1987, the Wolverines were the surprise hit of the season. Head coach Bud Middaugh captured his sixth Big Ten title in eight years de- spite his major reconstruction of the team. In that season, first year players Phil Price, Rich Samplinski, Chris Gagin, and Greg McMurtry all logged 100 or more at-bats for a Michigan team that batted .315 for the season. THE 1988 TEAM was like a drama in four acts. In act one, Michigan - ranked as high as number two in the preseason - dropped five of its first six, finishing the year-opening spring trip to Texas at a disappointing 5-5. In act two, the Wolverines won 30 of 32, including 13 of 14 against Big Ten foes. The potent Michigan offense scored in double digits 11 times. In one stretch, super sophomore Price homered in five consecu- tive doubleheaders. The top two starters on the staff, Jim Abbott and Mike Ignasiak, both went 6-0 over the 32-game stretch in which Michigan took control of the Big Ten race. BUT IN ACT THREE, the story. line changed dramatically. The seemingly invincible Wolverines became vincible - hit heavy by in- juries to Price, catcher Darrin Campbell and infielder Jim Durham, who was slow to regain form after hamstring problems. The villains in act three were Wisconsin, which split four games with Michigan in Ann Arbor, and Ohio State, which came in the fol- lowing weekend and took three of four from the Wolverines. Those series and a twin-bill split with arch-rival Michigan State made the Big Ten race a scramble, with Ohio State and Wisconsin only two games back with four games remaining. AT PRESS TIME, act four hadn't been written, but all the ele- ments were in place for a suspenseful finish. Heading into four games at Indiana, the Wolverines needed one win to assure themselves a spot in the four-team Big Ten playoffs, and three wins to win the regular season race and host those playoffs. Whatever the results in 1988, next year's cast of characters provide an optimisticoutlook for the upcoming season. IAREA'S HOTTEST SAILBOARD SHOP! JOHN MUNSON/Doi ,s Shortstop Bill St. Peter celebrates a home run against Minnesota. St. Peter is one Michigan athlete who balances a home life - a wife and child - with school and sports. Washington chops down stereotypes, opp onents BY MIKE GILL Changing times with old values. Malivai Washington stole the show last year. He was the rookie phenomenon of the men's tennis team. Before coming to Michigan, Washington had a list of accom- plishments that would stretch a country mile: quarterfinals of the Junior Wimbledon Championships; finals of the National Indoor Tour- nament; the U.S. Open singles round of sixteen; U.S. Open doubles semifinals; and member of the 1987 U.S. Davis Cup team. MANY accomplishments, many awards. What makes a person so young so good? Tennis coaches with European accents? Gadgets with electronic control panels resembling the space shuttle's? How about dad? "He's everything in the world," Washington said. "My dad's the one who taught me everything I know about tennis. "My father is the only one who's coached me from when I started (age 5) 'til when I was 16 years old. He still has an influence. I still g o home and work with him." Washington, who hails from Swartz Creek, claims his father is a "self-taught tennis player who just got me started." START HE DID. Washington played in his first tournament at age seven and won his first competition at the tender age of eight. Now he's moved to college competition after spending a term at a Florida tennis academy and working last year in Grand Rapids with former Michigan star netter Victor Amaya. "He's just a tremendous athlete," coach Brian Eisner said. "What we're trying to do is come up with a style of game in which we feel he can at- tain his maximum effectiveness. I want to build his game around his power base." Power base, indeed. Detroit Edi- son should check into this one. Washington's power in his serve and baseline work is - for a lack of a WAS H TE NAW w4/ s4 d Boards Featured " MISTRAL " OBRIEN Sails * HI FLY " HI-TECH " SEATREND « GAASTRA " NEIL PRYDE * WINDSURF HAWAII " NORTH better word - overpowering. Eisner wants to leash Washington's strength into what he calls "control power." "THERE'S A fine line between power and trying to do too much," Eisner said. "At this level, what is ultimately going to happen is you're going to pay the piper and lose the match when you let your power get out of control. Situations he used to get out of, he won't now." Washington had several reasons to attend Michigan. One was a chance for a national championship. Another was proximity to home - "It's about 45 minutes from home so it's easy to see my parents." Fi- nally, it's loyalty - "Michigan is my home state," he said. Old values. But in changing times. Malivai Washington is Black. Being a Black tennis player is as common as Middle East peace - it happens, but not very often. Wash- ington is entering uncharted waters. "THAT'S TRUE," Wash- ington said. "I don't feel un- comfortable with it. I guess I feel kind of privileged." "I feel fortunate because not too many Blacks either have a chance to get into tennis or they just don't get into it, period." Washington's heroes are not only Arthur Ashe and Chip Hooper, two Black players who made it to the top, but other great players such as Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors as well. "In a way they were role mod- els because someday you'd like to be as good as them," Washington said. In his first year, Washington was the number three singles player, be- hind only Ed Nagel and Dan Gold- berg. The sky is his only limit. And higher he climbs. "I don't feel uncomfortable with it." Changing times. "The main thing is, tennis is a whole lot of fun." Old values. Clothing " QUICKSILVER .T&L Ladies " CRUZ " LEILANI " BILLABONG INSTINCT " GORDON & SMITH " SPLASH " JONES COME LEARN THE SPORT OF WINDSURFING Student Specials: 2 for 1 Monday - Friday Call For More Information 9815 MAIN ST. 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