8A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, A pril 1, 1999 Perftction' ollowing the Michigan hockey team's loss to New Hampshire last Saturday, patrons filed out of Scorekeeper's bar on Maynard Street with their heads down after the Wolverines were eliminated by the dreaded overtime goal. On the way home, a concerned senior voiced his displeasure. "Can you believe our defense?" he asked, fully confident in the answer he wanted. "I mean, without Blackburn in goal, we would have gotten killed!" This one-way banter continued for most of the walk, with him offering sug- gestions on how to remedy the failing basketball and hockey programs and me nodding along, or off depending on the comment, as we neared our respective homes. But his final comment struck a chord. As he entered his house, he reminded me, "our Michigan sports career is over." It was so routine, just like he was a player on the teams he cheered for, expelling generous portions of his soul - Daily columnist recalls five greatest 'M' memories MARK SNYDER Mark My Words from four years of fandom. Though the career isn't entirely over - the baseball and softball teams have two months to play - his moment of reflection stirred me to deep thought about the most memorable Michigan sports moments of my four years on (and off) this campus. Drum roll, please. 5. THE 1997 NCAA ICE HocKEY SEMIFINAL GAME (BRADLEY CENTER) -- BOSTON UNIVERSITY 3, MICHIGAN 2 The sting of the hit may be a moment no one in attendance will ever forget. Skating down the ice in his sterling maize jersey, Brendan Morrison provid- ed as smooth a sight as Michigan fans had ever known. He was polite, courte- ous and the best college hockey player in the nation. But after BU's Chris Drury leveled him midway through the first period, Morrison was licking the ice. As the brutish power of BU pum- meled every one of the Wolverines' offensive stars, the magic of the perfect team disappeared. The days of question- ing the score and not the outcome van- ished and the contemplation of heart- break revisited the defending champion. Now, that team is remembered for what it didn't do - win the NCAA championship - instead of what it did. It wasa group of smooth upperclass- men poised for their destiny. They had won the title a year earlier, before it was their turn, all in preparation for their senior year. They could toy with a defense and nearly score at will. Posting eight-goal games was as routine as lac- ing up their skates. Watching John Madden break away for a shorthanded tally or Jason Botterill punch yet another rebound goal past a helpless netminder became the norm. But that all ended in a half-empty arena on a cold Milwaukee March day. The best sports team in my four years at Michigan was the one that didn't win. 4. THE 1996 NCAA REGIONAL SOFT- BALL FINAL (ALUMNI FIELD) - MICHIGAN 10, SOUTH CAROLINA 1 Under a sky that bore no clouds but brought down searing heat, Michigan Michigan Paseball Home Opener 3:09 p.m. 0 vs. Central Michi gan Michigan vs. Illinois sophomore pitcher Sara Griffin tossed a gem. Her fearless motion, hard and deliberate, had the Gamecocks wishing and hoping for a chance. Griffin never gave it to them. Just one day after outdueling All- America hurler Trinity Johnson, 1-0, in the first round of the regionals, the two met again and this time, Griffin had the bats behind her to match. Johnson's arm fell flat early in the game and the Wolverines capitalized, thrusting them- selves into their second consecutive berth in the Women's College World Series and certifying their status as an elite program, capable of beating the nation's best team consistently. While the hundreds who packed the Alumni Field stands and lined the chain-link fences will remember first baseman Traci Conrad's leap of joy after she made the final putout, I'll recall Michigan coach Carol Hutchins soaking in the greatest victory of her career, wit- nessing her own toughness in her play- er. 3.1998 BIG TEN MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT FINAL (UNITED CENTER) - MICHIGAN 76, PURDUE 67 It remains one of the most touching and frightening moments of my 22 years. Minutes after dominating the glass, the paint and gumpy Purdue cen- ter Brad Miller to live up to the billing he received before his freshman season, Michigan behemoth, er, center, Robert Traylor wanted to share the first-ever Big Ten tournament title with his grand- mother, Jessie Mae Carter. So Traylor led what was believed to be the first off-court celebration of a tournament title. The only problem was, he had to get off the court. Instead of choosing the path most traveled, the 6- foot-8, 310-pound MVP chose the path of least resistance - over press row and my fragile-as-a-twig body. As I assumed a crash position, he shook the table and hurdled over me to reach his destina- tion. Thankfully, there were no casualties, his teammates joined him in the stands with their families - "We'll follow him anywhere" one remarked - and Traylor once again proved that in big-as-they- come contests, no one played bigger. 2. 1998 NCAA ICE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME (FLEETCENTER) - MICHIGAN 3, BOSTON COLLEGE 2 (OT) The Boston experience provided Michigan hockey fans with an unusual paradox. In a city filled with some of the nation's greatest history, the Puritan town slept easily, believing the home- town Boston College Eagles would coast to the championship against a lucky-to-be-alive Michigan squad. In town famous for the RED Sox and its RED Boston University team, the Bostonians forgot to recall the refrain. They remembered on Saturday night, when Michigan freshman Josh Langfeld scored the championship-winning goal in overtime to certify Michigan's RED Berenson as the toast of the town. He took a severely depleted team to a an unimaginable level, reaching a peak completely opposite the valley he sat in 12 months before. There's an unwritten rule that sports- writers aren't supposed to bias them- selves for or against either side when covering a game. But on that night, when Langfeld's biscuit tagged the back of the title basket, it was high fives all around and cheap hotel wine to cele- brate the underdogs. 1. 1997 OHIO STATE GAME (MICHIGAN STADIUM) - MICHIGAN 21, OHIO STATE 14 /1998 ROSE BOW: (ROSE BowL) - MICHIGAN 20, WASHINGTON STATE 16 (TIE) In a season that everyone ever associ- ated with the University will recall for eternity, two sterling moments remain crystal clear. Against Ohio State it was the mad rush to the field following the game as the masses embraced every player on the Michigan squad, cheering them on and joining in a celebration that was years overdue. The usually quiet-as-a-@ feather Stadium echoed on nearly every possession as the energy of hope and heroics merged into a 100,000 fan force of support. Though the Rose Bowl took place thousands of miles from the Michigan campus, fans around the word knew the importance of the game and remained riveted to its every moment. From Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson's cradling of Washington State's dream in the first quarter to Brian Griese's gritty first-down scram- ble in the fourth, this was a moment for Wolverines everywhere. January 1, 1998 will be remembered as the day Michigan and its fans achieved the sta- tus they'd always claimed as a birthright. Perfection. - Mark Snyder can be reached via e- mail at msnyder@unmich.ed. Friday, April 2nd Saturday, April 3rd (DH) Sunday, April 4th 3:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. I~it41t U-M Students, Faculty and Staff are admitted free of charge! "Autograph Day" Saturday, April 3rd. Free schedule posters. Play "Baseball Bingo" for prizes Sunday, April 4th. Register to win great prizes at all Michigan home games! Men's Tennis vs. Ohio State Saturday, April 3rd / vs. Penn State Sunday, April 4th Toth matches begin at 1:00 p.m at the Varsity Tennis Center Free Admission. For additional U-M Athletics info. visit mgoblue.com b^ .-Ul Chec g B _ _ W I k out Oakland University and t ahead of the game next fall. Need a general education course? A course in your major? At Oakland University you can choose from. more than 1,000 spring or summer classes offered at our beautiful, conve- POULU Continued fromPage 5A the case, Russell doesn't see club sta- tus as necessarily a bad thing. "We've actually had some advan- tages being a club sport," Russell Isaid. "One of the advantages is that we don't have to follow NCAA rules to the letter. If we want to start train- ing a little early, for example in September, we are free to do so." But Russell said the varsity teams do have some distinct advantages. "One of the big drawbacks is that we don't have any trainers," Russell said. "Water polo is a physical sport, but when we have injuries, we're on our own. Another thing is that varsity teams can fly all over the country to com- pete, while we may have to pack 15 kids in a van and drive to Madison for a match. "However, we look at these things as challenges, not obstacles. When we go in against top programs, we'# still going to give it a good fight." The next home match for Michigan will be May 7-9, when it hosts the NCAA Midwest Regional. The top two teams will qualify for the nation- al championships, to be held at the University of California-Davis. CHRIS CAMPERNEL/Daily Katy Armstrong and the Michigan water polo team have been paying their dues - and all will see the program elevated to varsity status come 2001. A A A nient campus. And many are scheduled for evenings or Saturdays, so you'll have plenty of time for working a summer job, soaking up the sun or having fun with hometown friends. You can transfer the credits back to your home institution in the fall, so Get Smart and Jump to the Head of Your Class. For a complete schedule of classes, call (248) 370-2281. To contact the Office of Admissions, call (800) OAK-UNIV or by fax: (248) 370-4462. E-mail: ouinfo@oakland.edu 1 r e to apply for spring classes is April 23. Last date to apply for summer classes is June 1. Think Success. Think Oakland University. 1999 spring session: May 3 - June 26 " 1999 summer session: June 29 - August 21 In-person registration: for spring, April 29 * for summer, June 28 9 VISA/MasterCard accepted STOP GAMBLING AND START INVESTING 888-(686-8257) CALL FOR FRE6 TRIAL OFFER I1DON11 WIN ION'?PA .......... ...*..e ee...O*@..O.st ost Sst s....@*t w esa @ S s 5000**s rr ees#sa 6ssua* a........s . S S*Sr~eeSSOs Ss** SsS Se*ssSsSS@S**SSSSSS@SS***SSS Ye S. Iam interested in finding out more about Oakland University's soring and summer session classes. Name Consider living in the most beautiful women's residence on campus. Applications being accepted for Fall 1999. Cn11aecipAddcress