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 ft ,t s {: . r; . . 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 WORK SMARTER. NOT HARDER. U1 STs ISgrng IS pMaJR of cryoS,pher/C rti twvill nt-otFit aOnyavp F A Co 0llege /rt9* Engineering student? Smart. Math or science major? Also smart. On tests, you probably run equations over again to make sure they're right. So you're working harder. You don't have to do that anymore. 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