16A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday,
September 16, 1999
=-The Daily Grind-
Fan votig
unnecessary
as century
nears end
E xtra, extra, read all about it! Vote
for the Jos Keinbaum Story of
he Century.
I've been writing for The Michigan
Daily for just over three years, but that
doesn't mean
there hasn't been josh
a century full of K . a
excitement! And Klembaum
now you, gentle
reader, get a
chance to vote or
your favorite.
Here are the.
candidates:
1.) The never-
published Holy ApOCALYPtSE
War Story, in Now
which I argued
that, by pulling out of its exhibition
basketball game against the Wolverines
last year, the Israeli National Team
ruined Michigan's two-part Holy War
(Michigan's next game was against
Athletes in Action, a Christian team).
The story was pulled by the editor at
the last minute - something about
political correctness.
2.) Any story that upset women's
basketball coach Sue Guevara (see the
entire 1997-98 season), who was trying
to fill the stands while I was trying to
do my job.
3.) Headline: "Women's swimming
on verge of collapse."
4.) Story after wrestling coach Dale
Bahr announced he was resigning,
complete with the quote, "I am not
resigning."
5.)This column.
Why, you ask, am I special enough
to have my own Story of the Century
vote? Simple - I can. That's the
approach everyone else is taking in
this, the last year of the 20th Century.
Major League Baseball has its team
of the century, even though most living
fans have seen about 20 percent of the
candidates. WDIV is running a whole
series of 'Best of the Century' contests
on the oh-so-exciting city of Detroit'
including Best Decade. How many vot-
ers were alive for the oughts, the twen-
tiesand the thirties? (I'm giving my
vote to the 60s.)
And most recently, the Michigan
Athletic Department is holding a vote
for Michigan's football team of the cen-
tury, even though to most Michigan
fans, Oosterbaan is just the name of a
fieldhouse between Yost and Crisler.
The Michigan football team has a
history as storied as any in the country.
The importance of history, and the
impact it has on the game, the fans and
the traditional is part of what makes
sports special. I wholeheartedly
endorse honoring that history by nam-
ing an all-century team.
But by putting the vote in the hands
of that fans, the athletic department is
sacrificing the integrity of the team.
Fans will vote for players they have
seen - not exclusively, but excessively.
It's not their fault, it's just difficult to
evaluate athletes that you've never seen
play.
Instead, historians should determine
who is on the team. The best 'century'
list put out by anyone, on anything, was
a list of the 100 best baseball players of
the century compiled by the Society of
American Baseball Researchers.
Historians were doing the job that
should be reserved for historians. While
there were debatable rankings, overall,
it made more sense than any other such
list.
I've been writing for the Michigan
Daily for a little more than three years.
But some Michigan football fans have
been watching the Wolverines for even
less time than that. They should not be
the ones determining the team of the
century.
- Josh Kleinbaum is anxiously await-
ing your votes in his Story of the
Century contest. To vote, follow the
instructions below If you just want to
chat, you can e-mail him at
jkbaum@umich.edu.
Official Ballot
Josh Kleinbaum
Story of the Century
Rules: Circle one of the follow-
ing five choices and bring the bal-
lot to the Student Publications
Building, 420 Maynard Street, and
drop it off at the sports desk, or e-
mail your choice to j
Wolverines entenng uncharted terntory
1,.
By Raphael Goodsten
Daily Sports Writer
It was supposed to-happenjust
not this quickly.
The Michigan volleyball team fin-
ished in tenth place last year and the
young team was predicted to finish
there again this year - at least that's
what the other Big Ten coaches pre-
dicted in the annual pre-season poll.
But while everybody seemed to be
telling the Wolverines how bad they
would be, Michigan focused. on
shocking everyone.
Last week, the Wolverines (5-1)
garnered their first USA
Today/AVCA top 25 ranking in their
16-year history, cracking the poll at.
No. 25.
The Wolverines continued their
success by beating No. 16 Arkansas
- their third win over a ranked team
- and now find themselves ranked
21st in the country.
If that is not enough uncharted
territory for the Wolverines to han-
dIe, they will travel to South
Carolina, where they will play in the
four team-Carolina Classic, the final
tournament before the Big Ten sea-
son. Michigan is the field's sole
ranked team.
"This early in the year, we're
looking to grow and get better,;
Michigan coach Mark Rosen said.
"We just got their film Monday, but
South Carolina looks very good, and
Virginia is 7-0."
Michigan will also face
Connecticut this weekend.
The Wolverines know that to
reach their goal of a NCAA birth
they will need to tally as many non-
conference wins as possible. The
Big Ten has the highest RPlof any
conference and features five other
ranked teams.
"I don't think that we've really set
a goal for the Big Ten season,"
junior outside hitter Alija Pittenger
said. "We've really just been con-
centrating on the non-conference
tournaments. There are a lot of real-
ly good teams in the Big Ten and
we're just trying to compete with
them."
After last season, sophomore
Shannon Melka would like
Michigan to qualify for its second
NCAA Tournament and show that
last year's poor showing was an
aberration.
"Even though we haven't talked
about our Big Ten goals, there's no
doubt that our team 's goal is to get
to the NCAA's and do really well
Team
1. Pacific (55)
2. Penn St. (1)
3. Hawaii (3)
4. Long Beach St.(1)
5. Nebraska
6. Florida
7. Stanford
8. Texas
9. Cal-San. Barb.
10. Pepperdine
11. UCLA
12.BYU
13.Wisconsin
14. Arizona
15. Clemson
16.Texas A&M
17.Colorado St.
18. Ohio St.
19.Southern Cal.
20. Arkansas
21 . Michigan
22. Colorado
23.Illinois
24. Kansas St.
pts.
1,494
1,.404
1,392
1,306
1,261
1,201
1, 108
1,093
1,034
940
938
823
651
644
618
610
537
430
389
330
315
210
191
142
prv.
1
20
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
15
18
17
19
14
20
16
25
22
24
NR
USA Today/AVCA top 25
Number one votes in parentheses
25.Loyola Marymount 132
I, ,,'.
_.
* .. ,,~, ,,
there, not just make it." Melka said.
Though the Wolverines never for-
mally sat down and set a record they
would like to have heading into the
Big Ten season, Rosen admits th t
he would have taken 7-2 before t*
season started.
"We didn't set any long-term
goals at the start of the season, we
set a series of block-goals. So we'll
set goals one step-at-a-time," Melka
said. "7-2 is where I wanted us to be,
but you're never satisfied. You're
always trying to get better."
Now that 7-2 is well within reach,
the Wolverines are hoping to mainm
tain the success.
Pittenger is as big a reason as any
for that success.
"Alija was a setter and is getting
more confident every match out-
side," Rosen said. "She was a huge
spark for the team and she's just get-
ting better as she plays more and
gets more confident outside."
The move upgraded two positions,
Pittenger is third on the team with
64 kills and Melka, her replacemen
is the team leader is assists.
"Shannon has done a really good
job setting," Pittenger said.
DAVID RQCHKINO/Daily
The Michigan volleyball team earned its first top-25 ranking last week. The Wolverines wi travel to South Carolina to com-
pete in the Carolina Classic this weekend.
MWC pushes two
teams into Top 25
PROVO, Utah (AP) - Mountain
West commissioner Craig Thompson is
ecstatic, and with a pair of nationally-
ranked teams from his new conference
playing, who could blame him?
The new league, formed when eight
Western Athletic Conference members
bolted to renew old rivalries, opens
Thursday night as No. 23 Colorado
State (2-0) visits No. 25 Brigham
Young (1-0).
"We've had opportunities to set the
stage over the last nine months, but
until teams win some games and make
it significant, i.e., two Top 25 teams,
things don't fall into place, Thompson
said.
"I think it's doubly thrilling to have a
game of this magnitude in what is only
our third week of existence," he said.
So does Brigham Young coach
LaVell Edwards, who hasn't held back
on pregame hype.
"I told the players the other day
there's no question this will be one of
the biggest games of the year for us,"
Edwards said. "We will have no prob-
lem with our players understanding
Colorado State is a very good football
team."
The eight Mountain West schools --
Air Force, BYU, Colorado State, New
Mexico, UNLV, San Diego State, Utah
and Wyoming - announced plans to
leave the WAC in June 1998.
The move stemmed from convo-
luted scheduling when the WAC
grew to 16 teams, diminishing tradi-
tional rivalries. Many MWC schools
were charter members of the WAC
and its predecessor, the Skyline
Conference.
In its first event, the Mountain West
is restoring the old order with a meet-
ing of league heavyweights.
"We're thrilled, but we didn't plan it
that way" Thompson said.
BYU and Colorado State haven't
played since 1995 because of the divi-
sional system in the 16-member WAC.
But before that, the winner of the last
three games in the BYU-CSU series
won the league title.
"It's going to be a heck of a ball
game,' Edwards said. "I love to see
Colorado State coming to town, play-
ing well and playing hard like they
always do."
Rams coach Sonny Lubick
expressed concern about traveling for a
Thursday game. Colorado State had a
short week to prepare after Saturday's
38-33 victory over Nevada.
Then there's running back Kevin
McDougal, who had 190 yards and two
touchdowns in Colorado State's 41-14
win over Colorado. After gaining 147
yards against Nevada, he strained a leg
muscle in the fourth quarter.
"It's going to be a tough decision on
his part and the doctor's part," Lubick
said. "We've got to make sure he's
healthy so we don't lose him for a
longer time. We're not going to know
until game time."
That could leave the rushing to
freshman Rahsaan Sanders. On
defense, linebacker Ula Tuitele is out.
with torn knee cartilage. In his place
the Rams will shuttle freshmen David
Vickers and Josh Steward.
They'll face BYU senior quarter-
back Kevin Feterik and a passing
attack that racked up 501 yards in the
Cougars' 35-28 come-from-behind
victory over Washington last week.
Feterik threw for three touchdowns,
including the game-winner on a 38-
yard pass to freshman Chris Hale with
1:16 remaining.
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