The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, September 13, 1993 - 9
9 -
SPORTING VIEWS
By PAUL BARGER
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
With approximately three weeks left
in the baseball season, it is time to think
about who the major award winners
will be in each league. In the National
League there are two locks: BarryBonds
forMVPand Mike Piazza for Rookie of
the Year.
The Giants' Bonds is on track to bat
.340 with 45 to 50 home runs and 125
RBIs. These statistics put him in con-
tention to win the triple crown. This will
be the third time that Bonds has won the
MVP and it is time to start talking about
Cooperstown.
The Dodgers' Piazza made the all-
star game as acatcher in his first season.
Piazzais hitting over.300 with 28 home
runs and 88 RBIs. Seldom has a rookie
catcher made an impact of this magni-
tude.
The ten-and-a-half-game comeback
that the Braves completed this past
weekend was keyed by their incredible
pitching staff. This year's ace, Steve
Avery, is the pick to win the NL Cy
Young award. Averyboastsa 16-4record
with a 2.82 ERA. His teammates may
be the best bets as runners-up. Tom
Glavine is 18-5 with a 3.22 ERA and
Greg Maddux 18-9 with a 2.48 ERA.
In the American League, the only
real guarantee is that the California
Angels' Tun Salmon will be named
Rookie of the Year. Salmon already has
30 home runs and more than 90 RBIs.
Frank Thomas ofthe Chicago White
Sox is looking more and more like the
American League MVP each day. Tho-
mas' run-producing ability has kept the
Sox in first place in the AL West for
most of the season. The "Big Hurt" has
a chance to hit 50 home runs and drive
in 140 runs before the end of the season.
Earlier this season Thomas broke
Dick Allen's White Sox team record
when he knocked his 37th out of the
park. Allen accomplished that feat in
1972 when he won the award that Tho-
mas now seeks.
The Cy Young race seemed to be in
the hands of Thomas' teammate, Jack
McDowell, until he got pounded by
Detroit yesterday. McDowell recorded
only one out and surrendered six runs to
the Tiger attack. Before the game
McDowell was 21-8 with a 3.31 ERA.
Theothercontenders are Mark Langston
with a 15-7 record and 2.78 ERA, the
Royals' Kevin Appier witha 15-6record
and 2.83 ERA and the Yankees' Jimmy
Key with a 16-5 record and 2.98 ERA.
"Black" Jack has given up more
runs and hits per inning than the other
top contenders, but he finds a way to.
win. That is the main criteria for the
voters. McDowell will win the Cy.
Young, but he wouldn't get my vote. I
tend to think that Appier deserves it
because of the lack of run support he
receives. The Royals have scored 582
runs to the White Sox 690.
Now for my playoff predictions.
Almost every team in the American
League East has seen the top at some
point this year. Boston and Detroit have
both been up and down, but now seem
Blue Jays, Braves to
fight for Senes crown
The Blue Jays and White Sox have the potential to
wage a seven-game war that will feature scoring
explosions from each club. Toronto's experience and
pure talent will overcome its suspect pitching staff to
defeat Chicago and make it back to the fall classic. But
the third time will be a charm for the Braves as they
will finally break through and capture the trophy.
to have played their way out of it. There
are only three teams left with real seri-
ous aspirations. The Yankees and Ori-
oles have surprised many and have kept
the race interesting, but Torontojust has
too much talent.
Over an entire season it is tough to
ask a ball club to stay with a team that
features the likes of John Olerud (.373),
Joe Carter (29 home runs), Paul Molitor
(.336) and Roberto Alomar (.318).
Throw in the speed of Devon White and
Rickey Henderson and you have cre-
ated a lineup that is as good as any that
has been assembled in a rather long
time. Cito Gaston has been rendered
unnecessary as a manager as this is an
offense that manages itself.
The White Sox, leaders in the AL
West, can start thinking about the post-
season now. There is a lot of young
talent on that team and they could be a
force to reckon with for years to come.
Thomas teams with Lance Johnson,
Robin Ventura and comeback player of
the year Ellis Burks to give fans the
most potent offense the South Side of
Chicago has seen in over a decade. The
pitching is very good as well, with
McDowell, Alex Fernandez and Wil-
son Alvarez.
The Phillies, sparked by Len
Dykstra's 130 runs, will be the National
League East's representative in the 1993
National League Championship Series.
There is good news and bad news in that
statement for Philadelphia fans. The
good news is quite obvious: the Phillies
will play at least four more games this
year. The bad news is that they will
probably only get a chance to play five.
The slumping Philsdon'tstandachance
against the streaking Braves.
The Blue Jays and White Sox have
the potential to wage a seven-game war
that will feature scoring explosions from
each club. Toronto's experience and
pure talent will overcome its suspect
pitching staff to defeat Chicago and
make it back to the fall classic.
The third time will be acharm for the
Braves as they will finally break through
and capture the trophy. The pitching
staff is unarguably one of the best in
history. Dave Justice, Ron Gant and
Fred McGriff provide more than enough
firepower at the plate. Get out the
brooms.'This one will be a sweep.
EVNI PMIE/Ddiy
Shannon Brownlee blocks a return in a game earlier this season. Michigan lost two
of three this weekend in North Carolina, dropping its record to .500, 3-3. "
VOLLEYBALL
Continued from page 1
achieve such a feat.
The school record is held, coinci-
dentally, by Davidson's older sister,
Marie Ann, who finished her Michi-
gan career in 1988 with 239 aces.
Next on the itinerary for Michigan
will be the Colorado Conference Chal-
lenge, where the Wolverines open tour-
ney action against Iowa State Friday,
Sept. 17 and Colorado Saturday, Sept.
18.
Michigan opens the 1993 Big Ten
'we're just not playing
well right now. No one is
really stepping forward to
help us solidify a regular
rotation.'
- Greg Giovanzzi
Michigan Volleyball Coach
Conference ason battles Sept. 22 at 7
p.m., hosting cross-state rival Michi-
gan State in the first of the season's
"State Pride" matches. Michigan has
prevailed the last three years, retain-
ing possession of the prized flag.
-U
BLOWOUT
Continued from page 1
the times of the top five runners count in
cross country.
We have nine athletes, and I want
any of the other five to be capable of
being thenumber fiverunner,"McGuire
said. "I don't want anyone to think, I'm
the number nine runner."'
CROSS COUNTRY TOP 10
1993 College Sports
Preseason Women's Poll
1. Arkansas
2. Georgetown
3. MICHIGAN
4. Providence
5. Villanova
6. Penn State
8. Cornell
9. Wisconsin
10.. Bringham Young
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.
Department of Recreational
Sports
INTRAMURAL
SPORTS PROGRAM
Men's cross-country makes it
look easy at Lehigh Invitational
SLOW PITCH SOFTBALL
Entry Deadline: Tuesday 9/14
4:30p.m.
IMSB Main Office
Play Begins: Friday 9/17
By TOM BAUSANO
DAILY SPORTS WRITER
The Lehigh Invitational marked the
beginning of the men's cross country
season as well as the debut of freshman
sensation Kevin Sullivan.
The Wolverines breezed past the
competition on their way to the title.
Michigan scored 32 points, followed by
Lehigh (47), Fairleigh Dickinson (68)
and Colgate (95).
Sullivan was the firstMichigan run-
ner to cross the finish line, placing third
* overall in 25 minutes and 17.64 sec-
onds. Sullivan brings an impressiverun-
ning resume to Michigan. Sullivan is a
five-timeCanadiancrosscountrycham-
pion, as well as being only the fifth
North American high schooler to break
the four-minute mile. Earlier this sum-
mer he made the semifinals of the 1500
meters at the World Track and Field
0 Championships.
"It was a nice warmup," Sullivan
said. "I don't think anyone took it as a
serious race."
Sophomore Theo Molla (25:17.97)
was hot on the heels of Sullivan placing
fourth, seniorMatiSchroeder (25:25.22)
camne in sixth, sophomore All-Ameri-
can Scott MacDonald (25:29.62) fin-
ished seventh, and junior Shawn
MacKay (25:56.37) took twelfth.
There was only a 41-second differ-
ence between the first and fifth Michi-
gan runners, aremarkably small gap for
so early in the season.
"It is important for the team to run
together, especially in the big meets,"
Molla said.
MacDonald picked up where he left
off last year. MacDonald notonly earned
All-American honors, he was also
named Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
"There was only a 12-second differ-
ence between our first four runners,"
MacDonald said. "The main reason we
went there was to see the course. No one
ran their best, but we got the race in."
The course used this weekend is the
same course that willbe used for nation-
als later this year, except that the na-
tional course will be 2000 meters longer.
"Its a deceiving course," Sullivan
said. "When you first look at it, it ap-
pears flat, but it has a lot of rolling hills
which makes it tough."
Although the team ran together, no
one ran an extremely fast time. The
Wolverines have two weeks before their
next competition, which gives them the
opportunity to train harder.
"I felt like I had a lot left after the
race," MacDonald said. "I know I can
go faster, but I still have work to do. I
had to rest more this summer to let my
knees recover from last track season, so
I haven't done as much hard training."
"It was a tough race," Sullivan said.
"In the next couple weeks I will step up
the intensity in workouts and get my
total mileage up as well. The race was a
good indicator of how much work I
have ahead of me."
The Wolverines will face much
tougher competition when they travel
to Missoula, Montana Sept.25 to run in
the Mountain Classic West.
Read
DAILY SPORT
For Additional Information Contact IMSB 763-3562
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