Octopussy Octopuses are flying off fish-~arket shelves and soon will be flying at Joe Louis Arena. Most Detroit Red Wings fans are familiar with the tradition b now. It dates back to 1952, when the first of the eight-armed creatures was tossed at defunct Olympia Stadium - each arm representing the number of victories needed to win the Stanley Cup. That now requires 16 wins, the first of which the Red Wings will seek Wednesday night in the opener of their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets. w- -w NCAA forces Spartans to forfeit football wins The Associated Press EAST LANSING-Michigan State will forfeit all five of its 199- Football victories because an ineligible player wasusedPresidentM. Peter McPherson announced yesterday. . McPherson said NCAA regulations *ere violated by an academic adviser in order to keep a player eligible and thata technical violation occurred when N a Florida man gave gifts to recruits. But McPherson said other allegations contained in a NCAA letter of inquiry were unfounded, including that the uni- versity had demonstrated a lack of in- stitutional control and monitoring be- ,tween the 1989-90 school year and the ,994-95 school year. McPherson said he hoped the university's decision to forfeit the 1994 victories will head off stiffer sanctions when the NCAA infractions committee meets June 1-3. "There is a presumption of a bowl game when there is a major violation," he said, adding athletic scholarships also could be cut. The investigation into Michigan State's football program was launched in 1994 based on allegations by former football player Roosevelt Wagner. The university had refused to release an NCAA letter spelling out the allega- tions. But Ingham County Circuit Judge Lawrence Glazer on Tuesday ordered it to do so after the Lansing State Journal, WILX-TV and WLNS-TV sued to gain access to it. The university already had imposed some sanctions on itself for rules viola- tions regarding the football program, including cutting two scholarships. All of the alleged violations occurred before Nick Saban succeeded George Perles as head coach after the 1994 season. M' takes 2 from Purdue y Mark Snyder :aily Sports Writer The Michigan softball team cleaned up everything but the infield dirt en route to a two-game sweep of Purdue yesterday afternoon. The Wolverines, who had commit- ted seven errors in their past seven games, played flawless softball. Defen- sively, they were on their game in the two victories. The Boilermakers, however, were not as perfect. In the first inning of the opening game, Michigan's Traci Conrad singled to start a rally, and took an extra base on left fielder Jody Meister's er- ror. Purdue pitcher Jenny Deno threw two wild pitches in the frame, and the Wol- verines capitalized on each one. The first advanced Conrad to third, and the second put Cathy Davie in scoring po- ition. Meister's miscue started off the mis- takes, and the problems spread like a virus. Still in the first, catcher Susan Denny's attempt to throw Tracy Carr out on a steal failed. The ball rolled into center field, setting up a run. Although Purdue finally closed Michigan out ofthe inning, the Wolver- ines were up 2-0 with their leading winner on the mound. Sara Griffin set the tone for the game as she retired the first 11 hitters in succession. Her dominant outing was just the opposite of the situation Deno faced. After walking Jessica Lang to open the second inning, Purdue coach Carol Bruggeman replaced Deno with Sheryl Scheve. Deno's day was over but not before she was charged with another run as Kellyn Tate knocked in Lang. Although Scheve went the rest of the way without allowing a run, two wild pitches of her own seemed to show a lack of control on the Boilermaker mound. Without any more activity, both pitch- ers set down the opposition, with the game ending in a 3-0 Wolverine win. Griffin got the victory to improve her See PURDUE, Page 13A y Thursday April18, 1996 Central walksin victory By Jim Rose Daily Sports Writer Just a walk in the park. Two of them, actually. Two walks were the difference yes- terday, as the Michigan baseball team received a gift-wrapped, 3-2 win from Central Michigan at Fisher Stadium. With the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Chippewa pitcher Phil Rob- erts walked in the tying and winning runs for the Wolverines. Michigan entered the bottom half of the last frame trailing 2-1. With one out, Jason Alcaraz and Kelly Dransfeldt each singled to start things for the Wolverines. Derek Besco loaded the bases when his shallow fly ball to right-center was dropped by Central Michigan rightfielder Brett Haring. The error apparently shook up the Chippewas' Roberts, who proceeded to walk the other half of the Besco connection - Bryan - on four straight pitches to tie the game. Then Michigan junior catcher Mick Kalahar stepped to the plate. Roberts was a lost cause by then --he walked Kalahar on five pitches, forcing in the winning run for the Wolverines and ending the game. Of all the walking going on in the ninth inning, the toughest walk had to be the one by Roberts - off the field and into the Central Michigan dug- out. For Kalahar, it was the easiest game winning RBI he'll ever pick up. "I was pretty lucky," Kalahar said of his late-inning heroics. "He pretty much gave it to me. I had to take a strike, and then when he finally threw me a strike, I had the hit sign. (Wit- the count) at 3-1, all I was looking for was a fastball, but he threw me a curveball - I don't know why, but he did, and it was ball four." The victory puts Michigan's over- all record on the high side of the .500: mark for the first time this season: The Wolverines are 12-4 in the Big- Ten, 18-17 overall. The loss drops th Chippewas to 21-11 overall for the season. The win was a particularly swee one for Michigan because the maize and-blue offense managed just fiv hits all afternoon. It didn't produc much - but it did produce when i had to. "We weren't swinging the bats rea well, but Central's a good program,', Michigan coach Geoff Zahn said "We're just happy to get a win." Kalahar, whose 1-3 showing at the plate kept his season average at .333 agreed with his coach. "It was kind of a slow day at the plate, but we hung in there," Kalaha said. "Our pitchers kept us (in the game), gave us a chance to put some pressure on (Roberts), and he cracker for us." Although some of the credit for thic Wolverines' win certainly goes tc Central Michigan's pitching, ever more goes to Michigan's four hurlers who combined to surrenderjust sevet See CHIPPEWAS, Page 13A rii 21, 1996 5K Run 4x 1 Mile Relay 2 Mile Walk ,nsors: n of Kinesiology and iic Scholarship Fund and JOSH BIGGS/Daily Sophomore Derek Besco's triple was Michigan's only extra-base hit yesterday against Central Michigan. Wolverines'leadoff men struggling By Will McCahill Daily Sports Writer "Just get on base." Something that one hears from many corners of a baseball park. The fans yell it at the players, the coaches yell it at the players, the play- ers yell it at each other. So it should come as no surprise to even the most casual observer that the player most likely to receive strong verbal encouragement to put himself on the basepaths is the leadoff hitter. Although the Michigan baseball team has won 17 of its last 21 games, getting its first batter of the game to first base has often been a problem. First-year skipper GeoffZahnjuggled the spot earlier in the season as the Wolverines plummeted to a 1-13 record. Center fielder Chuck Winters didn't cut the mustard. Right fielder Brian Bush fared little better. Putting freshman Bobby Scales in the leadoff spot as designated hitter didn't procure the needed results, nor did sophomore in- fielder Brian Kalczynski fill the bill. Now, however, Zahn may have stumbled onto something. Last Thurs- day against Detroit Mercy, he inserted third baseman Mike Cervenak into the leadoff spot. Cervenak was com- ing of a blockbuster series against Minnesota: four hits in a dozen trips to the plate - including two home runs in one game - and five runs batted in. At Detroit, Cervenak collected two hits and a walk while driving in three runs. At last, the leadoff spot was contributing to the Wolverines' win- ning ways. The redshirt freshman did little to make the team regret Zahn's decision last weekend against Northwestern, as he batted an even .500 for the series (7-for-14), batting in three runs and scoring four while walking three times. Cervenak is no stranger to batting at the top of the order. "Senior year in high school I hit leadoff," he said. "I enjoy it." Despite the team's early problems, he said he believes that whoever bats first is a moot point, given the squad's current success. "I don't think it really matters who we put in leadoff because a lot of guys are hitting the ball well," he said. Whatever the case, Zahn said he is pleased with Cervenak's performance and plans to keep him where he is, for the foreseeable future. "I think he'll stay there," Zahn said. Cervenak's former spot lower in the lineup - either the fourth or fifth slot - is as productive now as it was before, as other players' bats have come alive. "With (Derek) Besco hitting the way he is (at the No. 5 spot), and Bryan (Besco) starting to hit, (the fourth, fifth and sixth) spots are pretty well set," Zahn said. "We'll play it by ear," Cervenak said of the top spot. "It all depends on what (Zahn) thinks, how he feels." Replacing the question mark at lead- off with an exclamation point cer- tainly takes a lot off Zahn's mind. With a little less to ponder, he and the team can now concentrate on staying atop the Big Ten. With third-place Penn State in town this weekend, look for Cervenak to be in the thick of the action. WARREN ZINN/Daily 8ly Holmes and the Wolverines threw down Purdue twice yesterday. WHO WANTS A REALLY COOL JOB? "I1 do.'" . a "Eat and Meet" Alumni Day for Seniors What it is: Part of Senior Days '96 Network with Atumni from around the country Discuss career (ocations Career advice Frm frrnA