P Men's Tennis vs. Northwestern Saturday, 1:00 p.m. Track and Tennis Building the Michigan Daily SPORTS Women's Tennis vs. Wisconsin Saturday, 11:00 a.m. Track and Tennis Building Wednesday, April 4, 1990 Michigan bids for World Cup by Matt Rennie Daily Sports Writer Officials from the world's most popular sport paid a visit to Ann Arbor yesterday. The U.S. Soccer Federation sent four representatives to the university to assess Michigan Stadium as a potential site for the 1994 World Cup, soccer's main event. Ann Arbor is the 16th. stop on the tour of the 26 cities being con- sidered by the USSF's World Cup '94 Organizing Committee. Eight to twelve cities will be selected by the committee to host a portion of the 52 games which make up the final stage of the global tournament. Each of the venues selected will host a minimum of three preliminary-round games. The major obstacle standing in the way of the Michigan bid is the requirements of the playing field. World Cup regulations demand that the tournament games be played only on grass fields, and Michigan Stadium currently has an artificial turf surface. In addition, the playing area would have to widened in order to meet the size specifications. . The university can alleviate this problem by raising the playing field over the brick wall which surrounds the field and planting sod on the platform. Walt Harrison, executive director of university relations, made it clear that there are no plans to change the structure of the stadium permanently. "Our feeling is that it would only be a temporary situation," Harrison said. "We wouldn't want to knock out the wall. We want to keep the stadium the way it is." Speculation as to the cost of these arrangements ranges from $300,000 to $1 million. The finan- cial burden for such a project will not fall on the University, but will likely fall on the Michigan Bid Committee. Michael Malley, co-director of the MBC, is confident that a revised Michigan Stadium could give the Detroit/Ann Arbor venue an edge over its competitors. "These four people (the Organiz- ing committee) were drooling as they looked around that stadium to- day," Malley said. "It's made for a soccer stadium. It could be the num- ber one soccer facility in the World Cup." The committee sees more in the Detroit/Ann Arbor site than just a big building to house fans. "There are a number of things that each community has going for it," Ross Berlin, the vice-president in charge of venues, said. "In De- troit, the proximity to Canada and its level of potential corporate spon- sors are a big plus. There's a very nice tradition of soccer represented here, too." Economically, the tournament could be very beneficial to the Ann Arbor community. The U.S. De- partment of Commerce has estimated that 1.5 million foreigners will come to the United States during the games, generating up to $1.5 bil- lion. Richard Cecil, a consultant on the Organizing Committee, said that hosting three preliminary round games is the economic equivalent for a community to hosting a Super Bowl. The tournament, hosted every four years, is the most-widely watched event in the all of sports. The 1986 finals, held in Mexico City, attracted a television audience of 12.8 billion people. The final game alone drew more than 655 mil- lion fans to their sets. Prior to this visit from the com- mittee, the university has been criti- cized publicly for displaying a lack of interest in hosting any games. Malley is counting on the authentic- ity of the University's interest. "It better be a genuine effort. I can't consider anything less," he said. "Without the University of Michigan, we don't have a bid." os/FMxboo. M . ~~ib U ritfS lf r~rM Las ~ ~ ~ . .:v.:::> Los " '.~Psaea~C Page 8 Golfers' woes lead o lineup changes by Andrew Brown Daily Sports Writer After finishing 16th in an 18 team field two weeks ago in the South Florida Invitational, the Michigan men's golf team looked to improve upon some inconsistent play in the Johnny Owens Kentucky Invitational last weekend. What was scheduled to be a 54-hole tournament at the new Kearny Hills Golf Course was shortened to 36 due to the inclement weather. Torrential rainfall shortened Friday's round to 14 holes and the remaining 24 holes were played on Saturday. The tournament included a strong field with 25 teams, including 5 from the Big Ten. Michigan placed ninth with a total score of 623. Kent State came in first with a combined score of 595 for the two rounds, followed by Kentucky (602), the host team, and Wisconsin (608), who Michigan coach Jim Carras perceives as a contender for the Big Ten title. 6 The top golfer was Keith Moreland of Kent State who shot two rounds of 71 for a total for 142. Chris Pond (77-73) and Anthony Dietz (75-75) led the way for the Wolverines with a combined total of 150 for both. These in- dividual scores tied them for fifth. First-year golfer James Carson finished with rounds of 83 and 78 for a total of 161. Pat Moore and Tom Paton closed out the field of Michigan golfers with scores of 162 and 166 respectively. "We played much better this time. We showed more pluses and we are definitely improving," Carras said. While expressing optimism about the performance, Carras feels the team needs a shake-up. "The starting lineup next week will definitely change," he said. "We can't have guys shooting in the 80s and expect co be competitive. We are looking for the right five that will keep the rounds under 80. "For one thing, we need a complete effort from everyone. We have to keep the ball in play and improve our putting," he said. Fifth-year senior Pond sees positive signs developing but at the same time agrees with Carras. "I feel very good about my game right now. I an) hitting the ball well. Anthony (Dietz) is also doing pretty good for a young kid. He's as fierce a competitor I've seen in our program since I've been here. "However, the other guys have to get their scores out of the 80s. Once we find the right chemistry of guys, I look for good things to come," he said. The team moves on to West Lafayette, Indiana, this weekend for the Pur- due Invitational on April 7th and 8th. ~fl %~CtY l$t~y Area~~CA 'T BAR Summer is just around the corner and HOT times on The Rooftop are near... Be a part of it! Now Interviewing For " PREP COOKS " CASHIERS o LINE COOKS " DOOR PERSONNEL * PORTER/DISHWASHER " DAY/NIGHT WAITSTAFF " BUS PEOPLE " SUPERVISORS Stop by... 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday thru Saturday 347 South Main, Downtown Ann Arbor EOE no phone calls please Raindrops I by Jeff Sheran Daily Baseball Writer It was fitting that the Michigan baseball team's opponent bore the same name as one of the Great Lakes, because yesterday's double- header with Eastern Michigan was cancelled on account of a wet field. Michigan considered the possibil- ity of moving the site of its contests keep falling with the Hurons to their stadium in Ypsilanti, but the field there was also unplayable. The Wolverines (12-11) travel to Mount Pleasant today for a game against Central Michigan (9-6). The Chippewas feature a fearsome team batting average of .304. Outfielder Dan Bergman has notched a .556 to- tal this season, while teammate on Blue Denny McNamara is batting .490. Eight other Chippewa batters field averages above .300, a statistic which no doubt has caught the attend tion of Michigan pitchers. Central Michigan arms have allowed an av- erage of 4.63 runs per seven innings, while the Wolverines post a .284 batting mark. Ramos' car hit an icy patch of road Dec. 15 and flipped several times. The rookie forward, who starredl@ at Seton Hall University in New Jer sey, suffered severe head injuries. "He is still in a state between k coma and full consciousness," said Chuck Williams, communications director for Good Samaritan Hospi- tal. The University has increased its efforts over the last two weeks, after apparently being unaware of the pos- sibility of being a host. The primary competition in the area, according to Malley, may come from a traditional Michigan rival. "Columbus, Ohio, has recently put together a very strong bid," Mal- ley said. "They're the thorn in my side now. If we lose, they'll get (the bid)." Cosby honors Ramos on show V _ MM~ I GM PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Bill Cosby wears Ramon Ramos' jersey on this week's episode of "The Cosby Show" as a tribute to the Portland Trail Blazers basketball player who was critically injured in an automobile accident. Cosby requested the jersey from the Trail Blazers' office and wore it while Thursday's episode was being taped. +q / { .5'!...... d,