:2OA - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, March 9, 2000
Acapulco
fun can be
Bpiled
he dark-skinned Mexican sat
at a round table, face covered
, witha mask of intensity, head
slightly tilted to the left, ears perked,
jiand tightly
gnpping a light
b1ue'pen. }
This man is
not your typical
athlete. His arms
are a little too'
flabby; his spare
tire, hidden
underneath the JOSH
table, a bit too KLEINBAUM
large. But he has Apocalypse
one characters- Now
tic that is all too
common in today's athletes - com-
plete and total disdain for those who
don't understand and respect his sport
(not to mention his considerable
,skill).
I discovered this as I sat at the
table next to him, trying to play his
game. I called on a friend for help -
whenever a number was recited in
Spanish, my friend would translate it
into English for me, so I could con-
centrate on my card. But the Mexican
Pele sitting next to us didn't take
kindly to our chatter - apparently it
interrupted his concentration, and,
like Albert Belle snapping at a fan
asking for an autograph, he let us
know it.
Guessed the game yet? Old
Mconald had a dog, and Bingo was
his name-oh. That's right, we were
playing Bingo.
The Acapulco locals spend their
free time pla ing Bingo.
This isn't yu'r grandma's church-
basement Bingo, either. No, this is
sophisticated, high-tech, intense
Bingo. The B g Board shows all the
numbers that lave already been
called, and highlights the three most
recent, in case you've fallen behind.
Television scrcens scatter the room to
display numbers as they're called.
Security guards watch the doors,
making sure nobody enters the room
mid-game.
The game ispretty simple. For 10.
pesos -just over an American dollar
- you get a card with three rows of
five numbers. Underneath the Big
Board at the front of the room, num-
bers are called out rapid-fire -
there's no dillv-dallying in this game,
no TV time-oLts. If you slack for just
two seconds, you're likely to tumble
hopelessly out of contention. Two
games are played at once: First, the
race to fill a single row (linea), sec-
ond, the race to fill.the entire card
(BINGO).
Linea, we discovered when fellow
sportswriterT J. Berka won, pays just
over 60 pesos. BINGO? You're guess
is as good as mine.
We stumbled over this hidden gem
of Acapulco nightlife while attempt-
ing to watch another high-stakes
sports phenomenon, Jai Lai. In this
beauty of a sport, individuals hurl
tennis-sized balls at a wall from
inside curved baskets at speeds
approaching 100 miles per hour, hop-
ing that their opponent can't catch the
ball in their bsket. Meanwhile,
drunken college spring breakers fill
the stands, losing their tuition betting
on the outcome of the game.
We arrived at Jai Lai just in time to
see the start of a doubles match. The
Blue team had a five-three lead on
the Red team in the race to 30. After
watching a few points to get a feel for
the game, I looked for the cashier so
I could place a wager. Imagine my
surprise when I found out the game
was an exhibition, amateurs in the
30-and-under age group, so wagers
could not be placed.
As my wafet issued a sigh of
relief, my heart tore.
Jai Lai max be a lot of fun when
ou've got money on the line, but
straight up, it's pretty damn boring.
So I starter wandering the build-
ing. Downsta rs, a sportsbook invited
me to place a wager on the Michigan-
Michigan Stwe basketball game, but
since I'd be leaving the country by
the time the game was played, and
unable to collect my winnings, 1 did-
;'t put any money on the Spartans.
The sportsbook was pretty neat.
Televisions showed games-in-
progress. Big electronic boards
showed odds an everything from Jai
Lai (in other cities) to basketball to
COMEBACK KID
By Michael Kern - Daily Sports Writer
.
With the clock winding down
at the end of the first half
in the Wolverines' semi-
final loss to Purdue, Michigan for-
ward Raina Goodlow pulled an errant
shot off the rim and went back up,
drawing a foul and sinking the shot
as the halftime buzzer sounded.
The basket may have counted for
just two points, but it gave the
Wolverines a glimmer of hope, cut-
ting the Boilermakers' lead back to
single digits.
On a team dominated by the
perimeter play of Stacey Thomas,
Anne Thorius and Alayne Ingram,
Goodlow has been Michigan's most
valuable player in the post this sea-
son, averaging 9.7 points and 4.7
rebounds per game.
Considering the adversity
Goodlow has had to face the last
three years of her basketball career,
it's a wonder she has been so suc-
cessful this season.
Five games into her freshman
campaign, Goodlow dislocated her
patella forcing her out of the
Wolverines' next four games.
"It was really devastating when she
hurt her leg last year because we
needed her," Ingram said. "She was
out of the. starting lineup for a while,
and it was obvious that we were hurt-
ing."
The injury was equally difficult for
Goodlow forcing her to spend
extra minutes on the bench.
"When I first came in, I was young
and didn't know what to expect,"
Goodlow said. "I even started the
first few games of my career, but
then I had that knee injury and
missed about four games. After that
it was such a slow progress, someone
else had taken my spot in the starting
lineup and it was hard to get it back.
"Coming from high school where I
had played every minute of every
game it was hard to sit.on the bench."
But as the season progressed,
Goodlow began to make bigger and
bigger contributions until she finally
broke back into the starting lineup in
Michigan's first round game of the
WNIT. In the Wolverines' final game
of the season, Goodlow matched her
career high of 18 points.
"One day in practice, I decided I
didn't want to sit on the bench any-
more," Goodlow said. "I wanted to
contribute more, so I just really start-
Blue's ace
By Dena Beth Krischer
Daily Sports Writer
On Tuesday Michigan announced
that junior Bryce Ralston,
Michigan's top pitcher, would miss
the entire 2000 season, but would
return for 2001.
"He'll be back next year at a 100
percent, no question about it,"
ed focusing on the things I needed to girls loved D
work on. I just tried to practice hard realized they
to show the coaches that I wanted to The other par
play and I was ready to play. Ever let this happe
since then, I've tried to keep that The new
same focus." agreed to run
While it may have taken a tremen- enrollmentc
dous amount of hard work and perse- expected tha
verance for a freshman to comeback what they did
from an injury in such impressive "We starte
fashion, it paled in comparison to coverage," Br
what Goodlow and her mother man- contact comp
aged to overcome her senior year of donated, prom
high school. "The sch
TAKING CHARGE receives abou
Located on Whittier two blocks off they brought
of I-94 on Detroit's east side, also got a nu
Dominican High School has the communi
remained the last all-girls high endowment ft
school in the city for years. The parents
Three years ago, that ceased to school. Raina
become the case. Dominican f
In the waning days of Goodlow's basketball aloe
junior year, the school's administra- That seaso
tion announced it was closing due to ' No. 1 player
drops in funds and enrollment. Detroit Free
Goodlow would have to transfer to fourth in the
another school for her senior year. ing, averagin
"It was my senior year, and no one rebounds per
transfers for their senior year, so itI
was a really big deal," Goodlow said. Just minut
"They had their hearts set on closing first exhibiti
the school, and I was really upset Goodlow cras
because I didn't want to go anywhere ing her kne
else. silent, leaving
"As far as basketball, our team had screams of pa
just started to gel together. We had Michigan(
our nucleus and I really didn't want thoughts imm
to go anywhere else to play." previous seas
When Goodlow brought the "Please Go
announcement home to her mother, said later in t
she was shocked. Brenda Goodlow initial reactio
and the other parents took immediate She worked h
action, organizing a meeting at the mer and cam
school. Oh God, wec
"Initially when we started, we prayed like th
weren't getting anywhere," Brenda ACL."
said. "But by the afternoon, the audi- For the sec
torium was filled with parents and seasons, Good
the administration agreed to get us a the lineup wit
meeting with the Dominican sisters for Guevaraa
because they are the ones who own was not an AC
the school." sprain. Good
In partnership with the school, exhibition gai
Goodlow's mother and the other par- up for Michi
ents formed a new parents' associa- son matchup
tion that would have more control Colorado Stat
over its daily activities. And mom The recove
was elected the association's first ten minutes
president. there. But the
"It was a hard year, but it was well tating the pr
worth it," Brenda said. "I knew the easier for Go
.o have Tommy
Dominican, but I never
were that committed.
rents and I just couldn't
n to our daughters."
parents commission
its own fundraisers and
drives. But no one
t they would achieve
1.
d to get a lot of news
enda said. "We began to
panies, get equipment
aises of money.
ool itself regularly
t $70,000, but that year,
in over $700,000. We
umber of businesses in
ity to put together an
und of $3,000,000."
s association saved the
was able to return to
or her senior and play
angside her friends.
n she was named the
r in Michigan by the
Press and finished
Miss Michigan ballot-
g 17.2 points and 9.1
game.
Do IT AGAIN
es into the Wolverines
on game this season,
hed to the floor, clutch-
e. Crisler Arena fell
g only the sophomore's
in.
coach Sue Guevara's
iediately turned to the
on.
od not again," Guevara
he season, recalling her
n. "We can't lose her.
er tail off over the sum-
e back in great shape.
can't lose her again. I
e devil that it wasn't an
cond time in as many
flow was forced out of
h a knee injury. Luckily
and the Wolverines, it
L but just a slight knee
low sat out the next
me but was able to suit
gan's first regular-sea-
on the road against
e.
ry was a slow one -
here, twelve minutes
experience of rehabili-
evious season made it
odlow to swallow.
DANA LINNANE/Daily'
Despite suffering through two knee injuries the past two seasons, Michigan coach
Sue Guevara calls Raina Goodlow: "Our most improved player."
"It was difficult, but it was the
same thing as last year;" Goodlow
said. "This time I think I was more
mature in the fact that even if I just
had three minutes or six minutes, I
just need to go in and give it my all.
"Every time I would go in I would
just try hard and try to make some-
thing happen. I knew I wasn't going
to get a lot of minutes because of my
knee."
Goodlow finally returned to the
starting lineup at home against
Vanderbilt but struggled against the
Commodores' strong post players.
It wasn't until that weekend when
the Wolverines headed south to take
on Louisiana State and Louisiana
Tech that Goodlow showed what she
was capable of. The sophomore aver-
aged 15 points and six rebounds for
the weekend while showing off her
versatility sinking two-of-two from
t
John surgery, out I
beyond the arc.
Goodlow carried that play o0r
into the conference schedule averag
ing 10.6 points and 5.3 rebounds,-as,
Michigan's most consistent post
player for most of the Big Ten sched-
ule.
"I think she is our most improvedt
player," Guevara said. "She brings a
good vision of the court. She can
pass the ball. She can shoot the three.
She is one of our best three-p
shooters, and if anything, she hash
gotten more aggressive rebounding
the ball."
Considering all that Goodlow has,
been through, one might not expect
her career to have been as successful
as it has been. But the hard work and
perseverance she learned from her
mother have made her key to the sui
cess of the best team in Michigaj
women's basketball history.
for season
the team's 1999 Most Valuable;
Pitcher.
After not starting a game in his-
first two seasons at Michigan"
Ralston started 13 out of his 14
appearances last year.
In his career, he's pitched 103.0
innings, given up 121 hits, 36 earned
runs, 22 walks and has struck out 59
batters.
Ralston will be greatly missd,
and it will be up to the Wolverines
to fill the void that he now leaves.
behind.
"From Bryce's standpoint, he's, a
leader, he was our best pitcher last
year and that's tough to fil,"
Michigan coach Geoff Zahn s
"He was someone we counted on o
give us a lot of innings and give us
some wins. It just means that the
other guys are going to have to step
it up and take his place."
Michigan trainer Joel Pickerman
said.
In 1999, the Michigan baseball
pitching staff combined an ERA of
5.92.
When the season was over, two of
the three best starters - J.J. Putz
and Luke Bonner - graduated.
But with four new pitching
recruits and the 10 returning hurlers,
there wasn't much cause for con-
cern.
At least until now.
The loss of Ralston, who led
Michigan with his 3.54 ERA and 8-
I record, is a huge blow to Michigan
- even more than its 3-6 start in
Florida.
Ralston, who joined seniors Rob
Bobeda and Kevin Quinn as the
team's tri-captains, did not play in
the 3-6 start in Florida.
Ralston will not play in South
Carolina this upcoming weekend,
nor will he celebrate St. Patrick's
day in Miami with the Wolverines
next weekend.
For Ralston, his biggest matchup
is today, when he has Tommy John
surgery to repair his damaged ulnar
collateral ligament. Damage to the
UCL is the primary constraint to
elbow instability.
That's going to leave a mark -
both on his arm and on his team.
"We've known for a while that he
wasn't going to start out with us,"
junior infielder Bill LaRossa said.
"It just hasn't really set in that he's
not going to be here for the rest of
the year."
Michigan will not only be losing
eight wins - it will also be losing
I
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