ftAkht9mjDwv Scorts e CS MAJOR LEAGUE St. Louis at BASEBALL BUFFALO, inc. CLEVELAND 10, MONTREAL 3, Florida 3 Florida 0 Series tied 2-2 Chicago 1 PRO HOCKEY Detroit at ANAHEIM, inc. N.Y. RANGERS 0 Ottawa . TORONTO 2 Washington at COLORADO, inc. BUFFALO 4, Calgary 1 Pittsburgh at SAN JOSE, inc. NBA PRESEASON DETROIT 104 Sacramento 84 CHARLOTTE 109 Utah 99 Philadelphia 95 CHICAGO 87 Cleveland 95 MINNFSOTA 89 SAN ANTONIO 112 Dallas 69 SEATTLE 122 Golden State 87 Thursday October 23, 1997 14A , No doubt fy Alan Goldenbach Edily Sports Editor Despite growing up in Detroit, Clarence Williams did not take sides in the state's greatest rivalry. "Actually, growing up I wasn't a Michigan or Michigan State fan," the Michigan junior tailback said. "I was a University of Miami fan." Even if he lived in an igloo in the North Pole, you would figure that Williams, in particular, would have had a little parental influence in setting his head in a particular direction at a young age. "I never wanted to go to Michigan State," Williams said. "My dad is actual- ly a graduate of Michigan State and he persuaded me to go to Michigan. I don't know what his reasoning was, but I was never a Spartans fan. "And I won't be on Saturday." The week leading up to the biggest about players' loyalties today sporting event in the state always evokes childhood memories for the participants - especially those native to Michigan - of when they choose either the Blue or the Green side of the intrastate fence. "I was kind of neutral growing up in Alabama,' said junior linebacker Sam Sword, who subsequently moved to Saginaw. "Until I moved to Michigan, I was kind of half-and-half. But once I signed on the dotted line with Michigan, there was no regret about not going to Michigan State." What makes the decision to sway to one team or the other is complicated for the young football player in this state with aspirations of playing collegiately. Many of the players on both sides were recruited by both Michigan and Michigan State. So throwing one's heart to one school as a youngster could result in mixed emo- tions come time to sign a letter of intent. "I took one of my five (recruiting) vis- its (to Michigan State)," said junior line- backer Clint Copenhaver, a Brighton native. "I know their coaching staff pret- ty well, I know a few of their players pret- ty well, so that may make it a little bit more interesting for me." But apparently, the trip to East Lansing was a mere formality. "I grew up 20 minutes from Ann Arbor," Copenhaver said. "My whole life growing up, I was really in love with Michigan. Michigan State was always a smaller interest of mine until I took that avenue to see what it was like. "But my whole life, my love was with Michigan, so it was the obvious choice." For some, though, the choice is not so clear. In fact, a recruit's decision can sometimes be swayed by the game's out- come. "Your natural reaction (of school choice) is to go with the team that is the winner," Williams said. "In my particular situation, I wasn't basing it on who won. I just chose Michigan. "But I'm sure kids take that into con- sideration because that's very important." And then there are those whose dislike for one team came from recruiting. Or in Marcus Ray's case, the lack thereof. "They didn't recruit me," said the senior safety from Columbus, who has just a bit of interest in Michigan's other major rivalry. "I think they were the only team in the Big Ten that didn't recruit me. I was wondering why they thought I was- n't good enough to play there" But before we get the idea that the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is as much a part of every football players' family as the white picket fence in front See RIVALRY, Page 17A SARA STLu.MAN/Daily Anthony Thomas will likely have a memory of his own after he and the rest of the Wolverines try to run past Michigan State this weekend in East Lansing. THE STATE NEWS SAYS: Michigan has a hivtory offal/ig flat i games The leaves have changed colors and are falling off the trees all around us. The air has turned colder and there are hints of snow in the forecast. And for football fans that can mean only one thing - it's time for Michigan State and Michigan to meet on the grid- iron. It's time for blood and guts to be spilled onto the Spartan Stadium astro- turf. And it's also time for something else unbridled hatred of the other school. Normally, the rivalry between MARC Spartans and Wolverines everywhere is VIEAU considered to be a slow boil. But this week, it's a nuclear meltdown. The State And to help me with this veritable News cornucopia of Ann Arbor angst, I've brought in former Michigan hoops coach Steve Fisher. After all, he's got n bat, of spare time on his hands these days. Yet, I am in a bit of a quandary of where to start picking on you Wolverines clones. There are the inevitable drunken sprees that Michigan athletic coaches seem to go on, including: former football coach Gary Moeller's display of what alcohol can to do a body in a Southfield restaurant. Hockey coach Red Bernson relieving himself on an Ann Arbor library. It's one thiii to take care of nature after you've had one too many, lut to do it in front of a man of the law? Come on, Red! And hey, while we're on a roll, how is senior quarterback Brian Griese's hand doing after he smashed a window with See STATE NEWS, Page 18A WARREN ZINN/Daily Michigan tight end Jerame Tuman, who scored two touchdowns last weekend against Iowa, has been one of Brian Griese's favorite targets all season. THE DAILY SAYS: Fast-food workers are abuzz with tal of their alma-mater Baby talk is buzzing throughout the fast-food business these days. Everyone who operates a drive-thru window in this state, or slops together a Big Mac or a Whopper, wants to know how their alma mater, Michigan State, will do this weekend. "Uhhhh," said one Michigan State grad, who could not provide the spelling of his name. "We do good. We only losed this many games." The guy was holding up two fin- gers, but I'm guessing he meant one: that debacle last week in Evanston. Hey, let's face it. Choking is a Michigan tradition, but those Spartans NICHOLAS J. had to go and try it themselves, thor- COTSONIKA oughly ruining what could have bees The Greek match of near equals this Saturday. Speaks So we're left with the same old Speaks __ story: Michigan State hoping to make its whole season by beating Michigan. How sad. The Wolverines have more rivals than a Spartan can count -- such as Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State (that's three) - all of which are teams that play for titles. The Spartans have the Wolverines, an inferiority complex and a future in french fries. Of course, there's no question Michigan State has played pretty well this year. Coach Nick Saban has done an, admirable job, and his psychological techniques have beei near genius. Look what he did with that offensive line: "Now, guys, this is just like class" Saban told them "You know when the guy up in the front of the class -.you know, the farmer - looks the other way, and you fool around? Blocking is just like that. Just pretend you'reow- tipping." "So," one Spartan said, "if blocking is like cow-tipping, is scoring like what we do with the sheep?" "No," Saban said. "We can't have everything." Those are just the athletes. It gets worse. Take, for exam ple, a study recently completed by the Michigan Alumni * Association. In it, the association asked Michigan alums to See COTSONIKA, Page 18A Fisher says ninles no to South Alabama Associated Press Fired Michigan basketball coach Steve Fisher said Wednesday he has turned down an offer to become coach at South Alabama. South Alabama pursued Fisher aggressively. Fisher and his wife, Angie, flew to the school Sunday on the school's private jet for an inter- view. Fisher was impressed when he left the school, but said he needed time to CeS think over his decision, The Detroit News reported yesterday. Fisher said he called the school Tuesday night to reject the offer, but school officials maintained they never had made an official offer to Fisher. "He was asked, as were all th other candidates, whether he wouUi take the job if it were offered to him," Ron Rosenberger, assistant to school president Frederick Whiddon, said. "He responded that he wasn't'" Fisher's decision left a list of six candidates, including former Memphis coach Larry Finch. an,,}halC1 hnn1 nffiial caul thv' nlane T ip97 will be here soon.