14 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 29, 1999 LATACK Continued from Page 11 Sugar Bowls dancing in its head right now. But in order to get to the national championship game on January 4, the Boilers have quite a task ahead of them. In the next four weeks, Purdue plays at No.4 Michigan and No. 12 Ohio State, and hosts No. 14 Michigan State and No. 2 Penn State. The chances that Purdue will win two of those games are slim. And even if the Boilermakers should survive the hell- ish stretch without a loss, thereby crushing all the other heavyweights' hopes in the process, they still have possible slip-ups Minnesota and Wisconsin remaining on the sched- ule. The most difficult part of the conference slate is that there are hardly any off-weeks. In addition to almost half of the conference teams currently in the Top 25, usual conference doormats - such as Minnesota (3-0) and Illinois (3-1) - are also making some noise. So it's very possible that no team will end up perfect in the Big Ten this season. Michigan, Penn State, Ohio State and Purdue could all beat each other. And while strength of schedule is accounted for in the BCS, Big Ten teams saddled with losses clears the way for the teams like the Seminoles and Cornhuskers -. pseudo-undefeateds that have survived their annual tough game per season. Meanwhile, going unde- feated in the country's best conference is about as difficult as figuring out the BCS to begin with. "Sometimes somebody gets hot and can run the table," said Michigan State coach Nick Saban, whose team faces the Wolverines, Boilermakers, Badgers and Buckeyes during a make-or-break, four-game stretch. "But, man, it seems like there's a lot of good teams to play." And because there's so many good teams to play in October and November, it could mean that the best teams won't be playing each other on Jan. 4. -Andy Latack can be reached via e-mail at latack(4umich.edu. For $160 a sea- son, students can see Mike Comrie and his team- mates in nearly all of their home games. Games played during University break periods are not included in full- seasonRpackages. DAVID ROCHKIND/Daily -W r .M1 ',' m SALES Continued from Page 11 Non-student tickets range from $12, $15, or $17 dollars a piece - a figure Bodnar says is very reason- able when compared to other pro- grams. "I can say that our prices are'very competitive," Bodnar said. "When you look at other quality programs, our prices look good. Consider a school like Minnesota where they just raised prices from $19.50 to $21.00 a ticket. We feel we're very competitive." And apparently so do the non-stu- dents that have packed the waiting list with the hope of one day being among those packing the 6,343-seat arena. "We have about 500 people on a waiting list right now," Bodnar said. "Now we were able to move some people off of it this season, but a large waiting list does still exist." But while all existing season tickets have been sold, Bodnar says there will still be a chance for those currently without season tickets to see Michigan in action this season. Individual game tickets for several games not included in the season ticket package will be available and go on sale October 4. "We will have some tickets for games that will be played over breaks when school is not in session," Bodnar said. "Tickets for some of these games were not included in the ticket pack- ages. Also available for purchase are tick- ets to Friday's Blue-White scrimmage. Tickets for the 26th annual intrasquad event are on sale now at Yost Ice Arena, and are $4 for adults and $1 for children fifteen and under. But Bodnar did say that he expects every regular season game to eventual- ly sell out as Yost Arena continues to build a reputation on providing Michigan with unparalleled fan sup- port. And that support, hockey coach Red Berenson said, is a large factor in how his team is able to perform each night when playing at home. "Our crowd has been a big part of our success," Berenson said. "Our crowd, our band, the students, the population that supports out team, they are huge. It not only helps our team, but it can be an intimidating fac- tor for opposing teams." Student hockey ticket * sales climb 10 percent d '. m The Easiest You'll Ever Exam Have American reaction emotional, but inappropriate to golf eno books *no notes *no prerequisites call Dr. Juan F. Johnson at 213-0700 for a free dental exam and consultation thru 10/28/99 By David Horn For the Daily As the American Ryder Cup team neared completion of the greatest single- day comeback in the event's history last Sunday in Brookline, Mass., the players made a mistake that has unfortunate future implications. It was not the Europeans, who came out on the short end of a 14 1/2-13 1/2 defeat, who real- I Want A Challenge? ly lost. It was professional golf, and pro- fessional sports. On the 17th hole, American Justin Leonard faced Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal in the second to last singles match of the day. It would prove to beG the last hole of con- GOLF sequence played in Commentary the 1999 Ryder ----------------- Cup. Having battled back from four holes down Leonard, who had putted poorly all weekend, was in position to cap off an extraordinary and improbable United States comeback with a 45-foot birdie putt. Make it, and Olazabal would need to equal the accomplishment with an almost equally difficult putt to extend the match, and the Cup, to the 18th hole. Miss it, and Leonard would jeopardize the American team's chances of winning back the Cup for the first time since 1993. Leonard made his putt. After the young American's heroics, the rest of the American team, save for Payne Stewart (who was battling European team mem- ber Colin Montgomerie a hole behind in the final match)ran out onto the green in celebration. Olazabal had yet to putt. The American team's premature cele- bration, while painfully human, signi- fied the crossing of the last line of pro- fessionalism and sportsmanship golfers had yet to cross. Golf, compared to other contemporary sports, has always been held to a higher standard in regard to its ethics and its code of conduct. That may be an unfair standard, but nevertheless, it exists. It was acceptable, if inexcusable, for fans to heckle European team mem- bers in between holes. The key word in the term 'home-field advantage' is advantage. It was appropriate for the Americans who had completed their matches to come watch Leonard - and even to celebrate the victory in any way they see fit. After the win. What was inappropri- ate was the display of enthusiasm the Americans showed on the green, before the match was assured. Was an apology in order? Would it have been appropriate for Leonard to concede the putt to his opponent and to trust his own ability to win on 18? I think that had Leonard conceded the putt it would have been one of the finest moments in golf's history. It would be among the finest in sports history. What a role model! His teammates behave disrespectfully; he essentially forfeits a stroke, and then earns back the win on 18 to complete the greatest comeback in Ryder Cup history. Is Justin Leonard conceding the putt a fantasy? Is it out of the question? It is not. Ryder Cup play encourages players to afford their opponents "gimmies" as a sign of respect. It is not done when the putt is more than a few feet (such as Olazabal's 25 foot attempt) but no rule prohibiting such judgment exists. From the perspective of Jose Maria Olazabal, it is difficult enough to attempt a 25-foot birdie putt to extend Ryder Cup play against the Americans in America without the American team running across your line. Leonard is not at fault for not conceding the putt. Indeed the idea is outrageous, and he at least had the sense to realize that the match was not over, and took the initia- tive to quiet down his countrymen and usher them off the green and back to the gallery. Although my vision of Leonard chivalrously and honorably deciding that the only way to win the Ryder Cup legit- imately after the celebratory fiasco would be to do so on 18 is, to say the very least, optimistic, I cannot think of a better way for professional sports t begin the 21st century. Indeed Sunday's events makes those who are generally thought of as the gen- tlemen of golf today-Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara, David Duval, etc.-look no more gentlemanly than athletes of any other sport. Golf lost something in the triumphant display on 17 at Brookline. Sports lost on Sunday. What happened spoiled an otherwise brilliant day of golf, and tainted a well-deserved U.S victory. The Europeans, for the most part, were gentlemanly enough not to point fingers and further spoil the American win, and something can be gained from observing that demonstra- tion of gracious losing. The American team won eight and a half of the 12 points available on Sunday. It performed astonishingly well, and as athletes it seems they deserve nothing but accolades. But they neglected part of their responsibility as professional athO letes, and that was to act professionally. I am fearful of the implications their behavior has on sports and on golf, and hope that they see in hindsight what mis- takes were made. I hope the first Ryder Cup of the 21st century ends on a more positive note than the last of the 20th. 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