10A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, January 13, 2000 --The Daily Grind--sm Let Sanders Mvien s gymniiasts run away from Lions was sitting in the Pontiac Silverdome, but if I closed my eyes, I could've sworn it was the Jim Beam distillery. Every time the man next to me slurred his encouragement for the Lions, the liquor on his breath could have killed a small child. Not wanting to tax his numbed brain any more than he had to, his monosyllabic cheer was a simple "Yeeeaaahhhhh"- possibly because he had forgotten who he had come to root for. As far as venues go, the home of the Detroit Lions is not one of the greatest places to watch a football game. The ugly structure doesn't have A much character, and there's also Latack the fact that once you're inside, you're watching football being played on carpet. The Silverdome is little more than a blip on the NFL radar when com- ATAC pared with some of the more tradi- tion-rich stadiums. But going to the dome brings you in touch with people from all reaches of society, most of whom were there for one reason. And it wasn't the chance to see grown men wearing manes. Fans from Livonia, Lansing and Ludington all came to the Silverdome last season because of one thing - Barry Sanders. For as maddening as the Lions were, No. 20 forced people to flock to Pontiac, which is quite a feat. But this isn't going to be a sappy memoir about the diminutive running back with the big heart. Barry Sanders was a fantastic player, but what he did to the Lions - and all those preposter- ously intoxicated faithful who fill the Silverdome and wear replicas of his jer- sey - was inexcusable. When Barry abruptly retired shortly after the beginning of training camp this season, he hung the Lions out to dry. They were forced to scout waiver wires, backup running backs and UPS drivers to fill the gaping hole that now existed in the backfield. So as the Lions stumbled to their improbable playoff berth, I hoped Barry was watching. As the headlines screamed 'Barry Who?' after the Lions won their season-opener, I hoped Barry was reading. After what seemed like an unfath- omably inconsiderate and arrogant move, I wanted him to see that the Lions could win without him and his -2 yards and a cloud of astroturf' style. But my anti-Barry sentiments have cooled of late. Sure, I was happy when the Lions refused to trade him midway through the season, when it became apparent that his retirement was just a ploy to escape the doldrums of being a Lion for life. Now there are recent rumblings that he wants to play again, and would even consider playing for the Lions under certain conditions. Like if an offensive line that could actually block should materialize out of nowhere. But more appealing - and better - teams have also surfaced in the race for Barry's services, such as the Miami Dolphins. Let's be realistic. Barry's days wear- ing the silver and blue are finished. And as much as a rusher with 15,269 yards to his credit would be one heck of an offseason addition, it's for the best that the two parties go their separate ways now. Things have simply gotten too ugly inthe exchanges between Barry and the Lions' brass. While fans would probably welcome Sanders with open arms, the original rift between Barry and the front office is now a canyon. Currently, Lions, executives and Sanders are meeting at arbitration hear- ings in San Francisco. The Lions have brought him there to attempt to recover the portion of his signing bonus that he received before retiring with four years remaining on the contract he signed in 1997. It's tough to imagine a working relationship between two parties that are currently squaring off in court over millions of dollars. That's why Detroit should submit to Sanders' wishes and trade him, no mat- ter how the proceedings turn out. He obviously refuses to play in Detroit under the Lions' current system, seeing as he chose to leave the game he loved -just 1,500 yards shy of eclipsing Walter Payton as the game's alltime leading rusher -rather than continue playing for the Lions. And Lions fans will overcome their bitterness toward Barry and realize that champs no longer By Rohit Bhave Daily Sports Writer A sign posted outside Michigan coach Kurt Golder's office reminds those who would dwell on last year's glories. It reads, "We Used To Be National Champions." The No. 1 Michigan men's gymnas- tics team begins its defense of the national champi- THIS W onship at the Windy City --.-----.-.--- Invitational on Saturday. WhO Michig Illinois-Chicago will host Wid C every Big Ten school When: Satur except for No. 4 Penn State. Latest: The The meet will showcase gymnastics te six of the top 20 teams in national cham the nation. defense again Michigan will be led into Ten teams exc the event by captains Justin Toman and Scott Vetere. Both Wolverines experienced some top inter- national competition in the offseason. Toman trained in the offseason with the U.S. National Team in Colorado, while Vetere spring-boarded himself with a terrific performance at the Chunichi Cup in Nagoya, Japan. With the exception of Daniel Diaz- Luong (shoulder), the majority of the team is fresh and healthy for the outset of a a dA M a p s ct the season. Golder has shifted practice emphasis from skill training to more specific, routine-oriented work in the past few weeks to ready the team for the meet. Toman, the returning Michigan male athlete of the year, appears confident that the 2000 season returns an even stronger team than last E E KE N D year's squad. He cites a .....----superb mental focus in in at the practice. rtatonal "This year's team uses go the 1999 team as the igan men's standard for excellence," Em begins its said Toman. "Since we )ionship are essentially the same I aD the Big team, (last year's) team is ept Penn State. our best competition. "Seventy-five percent of us remained on campus to train in the off-season," Toman said. "The results really show." The Windy City Invitational should provide breakout opportunities for two gymnasts who have vastly improved in the offseason. Junior Kevin Roulston produced the team's highest score in the intrasquad scrimmage on Dec. 3. After an injury-filled sophomore year, Roulston took the first step in re-captur- -xChamps Key Tumblers in Michigan's title defense N Justin Toman: National Team member four time All-American last year. 6 Scott Vetere: Tremendous showing in the Chunichi Cup in Japan. A returning All-American. * Daniel Diaz-Luong: The nation's top rated all-rounder last year until injuries slowed him down. N Kevin Roulston: The 1998 Big Ten Freshman of the Year won the intrasquad meet. * Jose "Lao" Haro: 1998 Al- American, he is also the top gym- nast on the Mexican National Team. Ong his 1998 Big Ten freshman of year form following an injury-filled sopho- more year. Toman said junior Tim Dehr has impressed the team in the pommel horse, largely due to his excellent off-season training. Michigan plans to use this meet to test new routines as well as try different gymnasts on events. The purpose of this strategy is to pre- pare down the road for the Big Ten Championships, and NCAAs. "I'm excited to see the new routines in our first meet," Toman said. "It's going to be an overwhelming experience for the freshmen in Chicago." DANA UNNANE/a ily Dual meets at Minnesota have not been kind to the Wolverines of late, Favore women seek revenge at Minnesoti Tracksters face first test of season By David Mosse Daily Sports Writer An offseason filled with optimism and unbridled enthusiasm has led to heightened expectations for the Michigan men's track and field team. Saturday in Bloomington, the Wolverines face their first major test as they take part in the Indiana Quadrangular. The dual meet marks the first scor- ing competition of the season and should provide some answers for new coach Ron Warhurst and his talented squad. "It's still pretty early in the season," Warhurst said. "But it's a nice opportu- nity to judge where we are." Last week Michigan tuned up for this meet by hosting the Jack Harvey Invitational. The non scoring meet served as an opportunity to shake off the rust. Yet, several Wolverines appeared to be in mid-season form. Sophomore Ike Okenwa captured the 60-meter run, while fellow sophomore Mike Wisniewski achieved victory in the 3,000. The results pleased Warhurst, who is optimistic about the future. "When you don't see these guys for a couple of weeks, you're not sure what to expect," Warhurst said. "But they all came back in great shape and we look ready." The Wolverines will bring a full 28- man squad down to Bloomington, including Justin Fargas. Fargas, a former California state champion in the 100-meter, has not seen action in an athletic competition since Nov. 13, 1998, when he injured his leg playing for the Michigan foot- ball team. Fargas has looked strong in practice but the coaching staff is still apprehensive. " I'm just hoping he gets to the fin- ish line without pulling anything," Warhurst said. Still teammates who have practiced with Fargas in recent weeks are extremely excited to see him in action. "Justin is a talent," sophomore Mark Pilja said. "He looks great and I can't wait to see him take off." Fargas and Okenwa will need to be at their best to make up for the absence of fellow sprinter Steve Jenkins, who has fallen victim to the flu epidemic that hit Ann Arbor this week. One area of little concern to Michigan is distance running. The Wolverines' 'fearsome foursome' will be on full display this weekend as the talented quartet of Jay Cantin, John Mortimer, Steve Lawrence, and Wisniewski will all be in action. "We're running all the big guns," Warhurst said. "There is no sense in resting this early in the season." The last time Michigan ran up against Big Ten competition was at the conference championships last February. The Wolverines placed ninth but the circumstances are much differ- ent this time around. This season, Michigan is one oflthe favorites to win the Big Ten crown and the team has a newfound confidence. In Bloomington, the Wolverines look to take the first step in fulfilling all their promise. By Sarah Ensor Daily Sports Writer Going into this weekend's meet at Minnesota, one thing the No. 4 Michigan women's gymnastics team need not worry about is complacency. Although the 14th-ranked Golden Gophers do not rank among the nation's gymnastics powerhouses, Michigan is on guard. The Wolverines have not won a dual meet at Minnesota since 1992, and have lost three of the last four matchups. In 1999, Minnesota handed the Michigan gymnasts an upset loss in their home opener, a meet that is still fresh on the Wolverines' minds. "We typically go in thinking 'Minnesota - it's just Minnesota,"' junior captain Bridget Knaeble said. "But Minnesota has beaten us plenty of times lately. THIS W "It's definitely in the .--.-. back of our minds that for Who: Midgi the past two years we go Minnesota into our meet against when: SMinn Minnesota and practically atest ce hand it to them, and we has consistenO really shouldn't" the strongest I Even Michigan coach land, yet theyI Bev Plocki recognizes the cuty against ti rivalry. "I'm sure that there is a little bit," of a revenge factor, Plocki said. "In the past, some of the Minnesota teams that have beaten us have not been that strong, and we have just managed to find a way to roll over and hand them some competi- tions on a silver platter. "Our upperclassmen are very aware of that, and I think under some other circum- stances our kids might be tempted to go into this meet and take it for granted. But I guarantee no one is going to take it for granted largely due to some other factors." Michigan is coming off of a strong performance last weekend, in which it finished third out of six teams at the Super Six Challenge in Georgia with a score of 194.25. Only No. 1 Georgia and No. 2 Alabama topped the Wolverines, who proved their merit and staying power despite an inexperienced roster. "Our freshmen and sophomores, for the first meet of the season, that level of nt's competition, that level of pressure, coy- peted above my expectation level, whi* I was thrilled with," Plocki said. "I thin we've got a group of aggressive compf- tors here, and that makes all the diffa- ence in the world. Knaeble concurred that the meet was great for a season opener. "We had a good first meet last week end for a good way to start the se son,"Knaeble said. "Our freshmen an sophomores who competed for the first time did great. I think it was really great for them to go into their first meet and d a good job and get some confidence. Hopefully they'll be more comfortable competing and will keep that up." t Minnesota likewise had a strong open- ing weekend, defeating No. 24 Aubtia 194.800-192.450. The 194.800 set a school record for higheO EKEN D season-opening score, and demonstrates the strength at and depth of the Gophers' aporis roster. y 7 pm Minnesota has been led yMiigan thus far by sophomore been one of Megan Beuckens, whose ims in the 39.075 against Auburn was ave had diffi- the second-best all-around Gophers. score in team history. Other key competito include freshman Leigh Dixon, sopho mores Catie Christensen and MaryAnne Kelley, and seniors Judy Cavazos and Melissa Chang. "Minnesota's going to be a strong Big Ten team this year," Plocki said. The Golden Gophers "are going to have a very good team, everything that I've heard about them so far has been that they look very good. It's going to be a good meet." As the Wolverines march into the Twin Cities, they will be looking to both avenge the losses of the past few years and build on the strong opening perfor- mance of last weekend. If all goes as planne the team will return to Ann Arbor with a victory that is more impor- tant than meets the eye. "I'm looking forward to (the meet)," Plocki said. "I think it's going to give us one pretty good indicator of how good. we have the potential to be this season THIS WEEK IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS 0 Presented by: