The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, November 20, 1996 - 11 AIA coach compliments Taylor; Baston remains injured By John Leroi Daily Sports Editor Maurice Taylor's extended NBA audition con- tinues. And Phoenix Suns coach Danny Ainge might be drooling. Taylor, who scored 29 points against a profes- 0 sional team from Australia - a team that could give the 0-9 Suns a run for their money - poured in 40 points in 36 minutes on 16-of-21 shooting against Athletes in Action on Monday. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward also hit eight of his 11 free-throw attempts and pulled down eight rebounds. His bid to score half of the Wolverines' points went unfulfilled, however, when Athletes in Action players decided to guard him. "Taylor is probably the best player we've seen nriside," AIA coach Chuck Badger said. "Taylor played better against us than (Cincinnati forward Danny) Fortson did. "They'll both be good in the NBA." In comparing Taylor to Fortson, a preseason All-America selection, Badger gave Taylor the starting nod on his own All-America team. , ' ' i Ever humble for a man who just outscored Michigan's four other starters combined, Taylor didn't quite agree. "Me and Danny Fortson?" Taylor asked when told of the comparison. "I don't think so." Regardless of how he stacks up against the nation's Other Wolverines to accomplish the feat include Chris Webber, Glen Rice, Roy Tarpley, Phil Hubbard, C.J. Kupec and Rudy Tomjanovich. All but Kupec were NBA first-round draft picks. ACHING ACHILLES: Michigan coach Steve Fisher won't be getting forward Maceo Baston back on the court quite as early as he thought. Baston, who sprained the Achilles tendon in his left foot two weeks ago, original- ly thought he'd be back for Baston Monday's 104-96 loss to Athletes in Action. That scenario was thrown out the window when his heel swelled and became tender after a day of running. Now, the Wolverines are planning to go with- out Baston when they tip off the regular season Nov. 26 against Ball State. Both Fisher and Baston were also guarded about the junior return- ing for a Nov 30 date with Cleveland State. "I probably can't practice for another week, week-and-a-half, or so," Baston said. "I'll miss Ball State but hope to be back for Cleveland State." ACCESS DENIED: While Athletes in Action gave the Wolverines all they could handle, it wanted to give a little more. AIA is a touring Christian amateur team which plays exhibition games against Division I teams, then speaks at either halftime or after the game about their reason for playing - their devotion to Jesus Christ. For whatever reason, Michigan officials balked at the idea. "I really want to thank coach Fisher for having us in," Badger said. "Usually at our games we get to speak at halftime or after the game. "It's a little frustrating for us to come to Michigan - in the United States of America -- and not even be able to share the simple message of salvation. Freedom of speech is valued so greatly (in Ann Arbor). "I guess we took our frustration out on the net:' AIA did hit 41 of its 60 attempts from the field. It's no secret whose side God was on. CAREER NIGHTS: While Taylor easily eclipsed his previous career high of 23 points against AIA, a few other Wolverines came pretty close. Jerod Ward scored 16, one of his best collegiate efforts. "He was our most aggressive player down the stretch," Fisher said. Center Robert Traylor was just two buckets away from equaling his career high of 16 points. Freshman Peter Vignier scored four points, one better than his highest output. best power forwards, Taylor certainly has found a niche in Ann Arbor. Taylor is just the seventh player in school history to return as Michigan's leader in both scoring and rebounds. Michigan-Ohio State rivalry chock full of history, speeding tickets By Ryan White Daily Sports Writer Legendary Michigan football announcer Bob Ufer used to refer to it as the Snake Pit and talk about Woody Hayes' "scarlet and gray stormtroopers" pacing the sideline. Others have more commonly called it the Horseshoe. Michigan center Rod Payne has another idea of what Ohio Stadium in Columbus is like. "Man, that's hell," Payne said. "They say hell is red, and there's a lot of red in that stadium." Michigan holds 52-34-4 lead all- Wtime against Ohio State but has only a two-game advantage in Ohio Stadium. And while the rivalry is heated for Michigan fans, it means all-out war for Ohio State's followers. In fact, Payne referred to Michigan being a special forces unit dropped behind enemy lines. He may be right on. Two years ago, Michigan had five helmets, belonging to Tyrone Wheatley, Todd Collins, Jay Riemersma, Amani Toomer and Scott Dreisbach, stolen from its locker room the night before the game. On the way to that game, the buses carrying the Michigan Marching Band were pulled over, by the notori- ous Ohio State Police, for speeding. "The minute you cross that Ohio State-Michigan line, you're definite- ly in enemy territory," Payne said. Aside from an uncountable number of highway citations, Michigan at Ohio State has produced its share of memorable games. The most famous may be the 1950 "Snow Bowl" between the two teams. Michigan's Cuck Ortmann set a conference record, punting the ball 24 times in that game. Ohio State didn't kick the ball as well, and Michigan took advantage of miscues to score all of its points in a 9-3 win. The Wolverines didn't manage a first down the entire game. In 1970, Schembechler '72 and '74 Bo took undefeated Michigan teams to Columbus, and three times he came away with a loss. Schembechler, who took over in Ann Arbor in 1969, didn't record his first victory in Columbus until 1976, when the Wolverines beat the Buckeyes, 22-0. What is it that makes playing in the 89,841 seat stadium so tough? "It's loud, I know that," Michigan guard Damon Denson said. "It's very loud." Or, as nose tackle William Carr put it: "It's loud, extremely loud. They have one of the loudest stadiums in the country." Which can cause problems if you only play in front of one or two noisy crowds a season. At least it helps that the best crowds are on the road. Chances are the Ohio State fans will be even more rabid this weekend due to the fact that the Buckeyes are searching for the national champi- onship and, well, Michigan embar- rassed them last season in Ann Arbor. And while Saturday's game won't decide who goes to the Rose Bowl, as it has many times in the past, Michigan may want to look to former quarterback Jim Harbaugh for some inspiration. In 1986, Harbaugh's senior season, Michigan saw its national champi- onship hopes destroyed when it lost to Minnesota the week before travel- ing to Columbus. On the Monday after the loss to the Golden Gophers, a defeat marked by turnovers, Harbaugh guaranteed a Michigan victory over the Buckeyes. "I can just tell you we're gonna win, and we're gonna go to the Rose Bowl," Harbaugh said. "When the odds are against us, that's gonna pro- duce our greatest victory." Michigan won, 26-24, and went on to Pasadena. Ohio State already has the Rose Bowl locked up, but a win would def- initely be Michigan's greatest in a long time. I V U University of Michigan School of Dentistry New Patients Welcome Need a dentist while you're away from home? 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