The Michigan Daily - Thursday, April 16, 1992- Page 9
'Neon
Peion'
lights up
Braves
CINCINNATI (AP) - The
Atlanta Falcons' brash cornerback
s become the National League's
ding hitter. Deion Sanders took a
.441 average. and league-high 15
hits and four triples into the Atlanta
Braves' game Wednesday against
the Cincinnati Reds.
In his first at-bat, Sanders lined
his first homer over the right-field
wall. He went 2-for-4 in the Braves'
3-1 loss, adding an eighth-inning
triple.
Going deep was the only thing he
adn't accomplished in his sizzling
start. He's hit for average, stretched
doubles into triples, stolen bases and
dazzled everyone.
"The guy's exciting to watch, is-
n't he?" Braves manager Bobby
Cox said.
"I wish Deion Sanders would go
back to playing football," said Reds
pitcher Tim Belcher, who gave up a
*gle, double and two triples to him
Monday night. "He's turned himself
into a pretty good hitter for a part-
time baseball player. He ought to
consider it full-time, before a 6-foot-
5, 290-pound lineman breaks his
legs."
After going 2-for-4 Tuesday
night in a 5-4 loss to the Reds,
Sanders said he wants to spend the
hole season with the Braves. No
ore flying back and forth between
football practice and baseball games
late in the season.
Sanders has one year left on his
contract with the Falcons, which
took precedence over baseball last
year.
"I'm comfortable with the
Braves," he told The Atlanta Jour-
nal-Constitution. "I'm a full-time
all player. This is what is best
rDeion."
"I don't walk to talk about foot-
ball, period," he said.
Thinking about just one sport is
agreeable to his batting average.
Sanders hit just .191 in 54 games for
the Braves last year, going 21-for-
110 with one double, two triples and
four homers.
Sanders is 17 for 38 with three
*ubles, five triples and eight runs
scored.
"He's hitting everything right
now, no matter what they throw,"
Cox said.
"I think I'm more focused and
dedicated as a player," Sanders said
Wednesday. "I'm totally focused.
That's something I've learned to do.
I'm just into the game, ready to play.
can't wait to play the next day."
"I don't go out there to show
anybody up," Sanders said. "I play
hard and with a lot of intensity. I get
excited. When I hit a triple and I
throw my hand up, it's not because
I'm trying to make them look bad."
His sensational start was pre-
cisely what the defending NL cham-
pions needed. Leadoff man Otis
Nixon is serving the rest of his 60-
. me suspension for a drug relapse
and can't return until April 26.
"Everything always works out,"
Cox said.
'M' netters lose to Irish, 5-2
Brakus and Wager only victors in Wolverines' loss
by Todd Schoenhaus
Daily Sports Writer
Before yesterday's match,
Michigan men's tennis coach Brian
Eisner said that Notre Dame is a
"veteran team, solid throughout the
entire lineup." The Fighting Irish
proved Eisner right, showing why
they are deserving of their No. 9 na-
tional ranking.
Notre Dame took four of the six
singles matches before clinching the
5-2 victory at second doubles.
However, the Wolverines (4-4 Big
Ten, 4-13 overall) did score a pair of
impressive victories.
Wolverine Dan Brakus won a
tight three-setter from No. 65 Andy
Zurcher, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6. Brakus
avenged a close loss to Zurcher last
November in the qualifier for the
Rolex National Indoor Tournament,
one leg of the College Grand Slam.
"Danny got focused towards the
end," assistant coach Tim Madden
said. "He came up with some great
volleys. He plays the best when he's
at the net."
Frosh Adam Wager posted the
other Wolverine victory. At fifth
singles he defeated Ron Rosas, 6-4,
4-6, 6-4. Wager jumped out to a four
game lead to start the final set.
"I was aggressive in the third set
and really controlled play," Wager
said. "He seemed tired so I took it to
him. But then I got tired and strug-
gled the rest of the way."
Wager's teammates tried unsuc-
cessfully to follow suit. First singles
pitted two of the nation's premier
players, No. 16 David Kass and
third-ranked David DiLucia. Kass
was ahead 5-4 in the first, but
DiLucia stormed back to take nine
straight games, winning 7-5, 6-0.
Notre Dame triumphed in both
third and fourth singles by the score
of 6-4, 6-2. Mitch Rubenstein lost to
Chuck Coleman while Terry London
fell to No. 94 Will Forsythe. At sixth
singles, Scooter Place filled in for
the injured John Lingon (knee ten-
dinitis). Tommy North dominated
the match, dropping Place in straight
sets, 6-2, 6-1.
"North came out and played real
well," Madden said. "Scooter got
frustrated and couldn't get back in
the match."
Place also lost at second doubles
when he teamed up with Greg Artz
to challenge Zurcher and Forsythe.
The Irish tandem triumphed, 7-5, 6-
0, to clinch the victory. Both first
and third doubles matches were
stopped in the middle because Notre
Dame had already won the best-of-
nine competition.
"I was very pleased with the way
we competed," Eisner said. "All the
guys had real good attitudes and
were particularly focused for this
match."
Michigan was especially eager to
play this match. Not only is the Big
Ten Tournament quickly approach-
ing, but Notre Dame has crushed the
Wolverines in the recent past. They
blanked Michigan 9-0 in 1990 and
swept the six singles matches last
year.
"Even in losing, this was a very
positive thing for us," Eisner said.
"We pulled out two victories, had
some other chances, and played
without two of our starters. It is ex-
tremely tough to beat any of their
singles players - we did everything
possible to be successful."
The Wolverines won't have
much time to rest. They host Mich-
igan State tomorrow and Penn State
on Saturday, the last two dual
matches of the season before the Big
Tens, May 1-3.
"Michigan State's program has
turned around this year with a new
coach," Eisner said. "The Spartan s
are usually in the conference base-
ment but this year they are danger-
ous and competitive. And with Penn
State just joining the Big Ten, they
are sort of an unknown. I've heard
that they are an excellent team
though."
For the Wolverines, this weekend
is far from meaningless. A team's
record in the conference determines
its seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
The schools that finish in the last
four spots have to play a preliminary
match to qualify for the main eight
team draw. But if Michigan wins
both matches, this should be of no
concern. It will end the season at 6-4
in conference play, most likely solid-
ifying a four, five, or six seed.
"Aside from influencing our
placement, it will affect our confi-
dence," Eisner said. "It is important
that we play well and feel prepared
heading into the tournament. I would
like to think that if we play as we're
capable, we should be victorious."
i
p-
WHAT'S
HAPPENING
KNISTOR GILLE T T
Terry London serves for Michigan at fourth singles against Notre Dame
yesterday. The Wolverines lost the match 5-2.
Marinovich denie
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Through his agent, Todd;
Marinovich just says no. Because of policy, the NFL1
just says nothing. And the Los Angeles Raiders aren't
talking, either.
That's where things stood Wednesday concerning an
ESPN report a day earlier that Marinovich flunked an+
NFL drug test after the Raiders lost to Kansas City in
last year's AFC wild-card game.
Citing sources within the NFL, ESPN reported that
the league-conducted test that came back positive was
taken after the Chiefs beat the Raiders, 10-6, on Dec.
28. The sports network did not say what substance was
involved.
"I spoke with ESPN and then I spoke with both
Todd and the Raiders," Tom Condon, Marinovich's
agent and a former NFL player, said from his Kansas
City office on Wednesday. "The Raiders, of course,
their knowledge is limited to what their team doctor
gets from the NFL physician.
"Todd told me he hasn't tested positive for anything
and that he hadn't been to any rehabilitation program.
The NFL can't comment one way or another, and they
won't. I've spoken with the league office."
Under the NFL drug policy, the first time a player
tests positive for a banned substance, the matter is kept
confidential.
"He would be a first-time offender," Condon said.
"Of course, there's a distinction between the recre-
ational drug and the performance-enhancing drugs.
Marijuana, cocaine and alcohol would be recreational
drugs and first-time offenses."
A second positive test results in a mandatory 30-day
suspension and a third positive test is followed by a
minimum one-year suspension.
"It's just a difficult situation all around," Condon
said. "Todd's working out every day with the Raiders.
"He feels great, ready to go. He's been continuing to
s failing drug test
go to counseling to make sure he controls the problems
he had when he entered the league.
"I just think it's one of those things where there's a
report that's taken on a life of it's own. He was having
such a good off-season. He was obviously quite upset
(with the ESPN report). He wishes they would leave it
alone."
When asked where the report might have originated,
Condon said, "There's no point in me really speculat-
ing."
Perhaps coincidentally, ESPN made its report just as
Marinovich, 22, is about to complete a drug diversion
program stemming from his arrest Jan. 20, 1991 on
charges of cocaine and marijuana possession in nearby
Newport Beach.
Earlier that month, Marinovich was suspended indef-
initely from the Southern Cal football team for missing
a meeting and failing to register for classes.
He later passed up his final two years of college eli-
gibility for the NFL draft and was taken last April by
the Raiders as the 24th selection of the first round.
Harbor Court Municipal Judge Susanne Shaw said
last April that drug possession charges would be dis-
missed against Marinovich if he successfully completed
a drug diversion program.
Shaw appeared satisfied with Marinovich's progress
during review of a status report last Oct. 24, a clerk
said. Another hearing is scheduled for April 23.
"Todd would be tested randomly because he's a
reasonable cause guy as defined by the league drug pol-
icy," Condon said. "He had the well-publicized prob-
lems at USC. He's the quarterback for the Silver and
Black, he's in a major market, certainly the most glitzy
market.
"When you've had the kind of history, some of
that's going to come with the territory. It's unfortunate,
but that comes with the territory."
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I
SWIMWEAR
You just want the
right one.
" - Do You?
First Walgreen Lecture
Roy Rappaport
Professor of Anthropology and
Mary Ann and Charles R. Walgreen Jr.
Professor for the Study of
Human Understanding
Misunder-
standing,
Meaning,
and the
Brealdng of
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