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POTS
9
TUESDAY
APRIL 10, 2001
Blue
a row"
By Benjamin Singer
DailySports Writer
streak: Six in
for 'M' Nine
CHRIS
DUPREY
In, Sunday's 10-inning, 3-2 win
,ver Indiana, the Michigan baseball
team showed it could come up with
&tch hits in late innings. Now the
Wolverines would like to get back to
their ways of the first three games of
the series, where they could hit any
10 wins in a row - we'll be right
(where we want to be)," freshman
Jake Fox said. We need to "make
sure we keep playing the way we're
playing."
The first chance for Michigan to
flex its muscle this week comes this
afternoon at 3 p.m. as Michigan
hosts Eastern Michigan. Michigan
travels to Western Michigan for
time in any inning.
"'We're always trying
to prove something with
our bats because obvi-
ously our pitching staff
is unbelievable," out-
Older Brandon Roberts
said. "Everybody is
going to say pitching is
the real strength on (our)
KlAY VISHERtk ST1ADIUM
Who: Michigan (1612)vs.
EasternMichigan (10-20)
When: 3 p.m.
Latest: Michigan is current-
ly riding a sixgame win-
ning streak.
another 3 p.m. game
tomorrow.
The players admit that
it's much easier to get
excited for the Big Ten
games rather than the
midweek contests. But
with "Michigan" in
every school's name on
this week's schedule, the
team. So the bats are always going to Wolverines have extra incentive for
have to be proving themselves to their MAC competition.>
catch up with the pitching." "You want. to focus on every
As the hitting improves and the game, but of course you're going to
pitching keeps on rolling, the be more pumped up for the Big Ten
Wolverines find themselves in the games," Roberts said. "Of course, Freshman catcher Jake FaeI
midst of a six-game winning streak Eastern and Western are both big has carried them to their se
*their first since 1998. games because you want to win innings and gave up just
"You start to believe that there's (against) your in-state rivals." Michigan went on to win
no way you're going to lose," Michi- Michigan's first meeting with ti, 4-0. The performanc
gan coach Geoff Zahn said of the Eastern a week ago was a classic Zahn enough to put Hill
streak. example of pitching overshadowing Ten rotation, as he star
"If we can just keep this momen- the Wolverines' hitting. Sophomore Sunday's win. Despit
tu rngoing - get four, five, seven, Rich Hill threw for five scoreless down Eastern, Michigan
Knaeble perform brilliantly
It Naweed Sikora ning the all-around competition and tying her career-
Daily Sports Witer high with a 39.525.
S-."I'm always prepared to go into the lineup when
In women's gymnastics, it's always important to be needed," Knaeble said. "We all practice every event so
prepared, we're always ready.
Saturday night at the NCAA Regionals, Michigan "We had three strong events and I felt confident
women's gymnastics coach Bev Plocki had senior about what we could do on the beam. But not being in
Bridget Knaeble replace longtime regular Karina the beam lineup that often, I was pretty nervous."
Senior on the balance beam. Knaeble had competed on the beam just four times
"I had been giving it some consideration for a this season before the regionals. She opened the season
chile," Plocki said. "Bridget's workouts had been competing in all four events, but after two poor perfor-
ing very well at practice, and I made the decision to mances, she was replaced in favor of Karina Senior,
put her in." who had been performing well at the time. Knaeble
Fortunately for Plocki and the rest of the Wolver- returned to the lineup later on in the season for two
ines, Knaeble was more than prepared. meets while Senior was under the weather but was not
With Michigan freshman Calli Ryals having already given the spot permanently.
suffered a fall on the beam, the final four Michigan With Senior suffering falls on the beam against West
competitors knew another fall would prove costly. But Virginia and at the Big Ten Championships - the two
Knaeble seemed to be unaffected by the pressure, scor- meets prior to regionals.- Knaeble began to emerge as
ing an impressive 9.875 on the event en route to win- Michigan's most consistent performer week-by-week.
hopes the Wolverines can maint aln the momentum that
ason-high six-game winning strei ik.
it's the second week of the base-
ball season, meaning it's time to
take a look at the Tigers and rue
our fortunes for another year. But
wait. Detroit is 3-3 so far. Guess the
negativity will have to wait another
few days.
Since the weather was so splendid
last week, I took the opportunity to
do nothing except stay inside and
watch baseball on TV.
Lo and behokl, some of our former
Tiger friends are having great suc-
cess so far in 2001 - namely Hideo
Nomo.
Nomo, who could never get out of
the sixth inning with Detroit last
year, is now apparently able to
escape the se~vnth, eighth and ninth
innings this year. He threw a no-hit-
ter with the Boston Red Sox last
week.
This is not xmpletely the fault of
the Tigers front office. Players just
seem to have great years once they
leave town. It's a mystifying phe-
nomenon.
Nevertheless, it got me to think-
ing: What if tle Tigers could dump
their current rater and construct
their team with active players that
once made thet home in Detroit?
We could field quite a ballclub,
maybe one that could compete for
the division tile.
The lineup could go something
like this:
1. Luis Godzalez, outfielder. Cur-
rently with Asizona.
After leavirt Detroit following the
1998 season, Gonzalez has hit over
.300 each of tie past two seasons
and drove in rmore than 110 runs.
01
:T "imecto "
vtthe Tiger
2. Phil Nevin, designated hitter.
Currently with San Diego.
His 2000 season consisted of bat.
ting .303 with 31 homeruns and 107
runs batted in. He's cheap, too - a
seemingly perfect choice for Tigers
management.
3. Gabe Kapler, outfielder. Cur-
rently with Texas. as
How wise of Randy Smith to
include Kapler in the Juan Gonzalez
deal. This team needed a solid cen-
terfielder. Oh, and Kapier hit .302
with just 57 strikeouts in 444 at-bats
last season. And he's getting better.
4. Juan Gonzalez, outfielder. Cur-
rently with Cleveland.
Possibly the shortest end of any
stick the Detroit baseball club has
ever received. He has three homers-
in five games this year, after hitting
22 all of last season with Detroit.
5. Joe Randa, third baseman. Cure-
rently with Kansas City.
He has hit over .300 in four of the
past five seasons. The only year in
which he didn't? 1998, his solitary'
season with the Tigers. Of course.
6. Travis Fryman, shortstop. Cur-
rently with Cleveland.
Yes, Fryman is now a third-sacker,
but he first played shortstop when he
came up through the Tigers organi-
zation. So as the manager of this
team, I'm moving him to short. Fry-
man hit .321 last season and drove in
106 runs.
7. Rico Brogna, first baseman.
Currently with Atlanta.
Brogna had the unfortunate cir-
cumstance of playing in Toledo
when Cecil Fielder and Tony Clark
See DUPREY, Page 10
; one hit as
in Ypsilan-
e impressed
in the Big
rted in last
e shutting
see a group of 4 onfident Eagles.
"I think they're going to come out
firing," Robeii ts said. "They think
they can beat it s. We only beat them
4-0 the other -day. It was a pretty
close game. W1're going to have to
n
expects to be fired up and ready to go."
in the cl1tc h
For Plocki, the change was .a difficult decision to
make, but one that worked out iil the end.
"We really have eight great p ieopie who can do the
job," Plocki said. "We can only 4 choose six. It was real-
ly between Karina, Bridget, a nd Cami (Singer). I
talked to them and I told Them iit was a difficult deci-
sion to make, but I am sure that A.-cy understand."
With the. NCAA Champions ips rapidly approach-
ing, Plocki now has yet anotfo er tough decision to
make: Who will round out the bca m lineup in Georgia?
Knaeble proved her ability to perform under pres-
sue this past weekend, but with more appearances on
the beam this season, Senior'migl it be a safer choice.
"I am going to see how practi ces go this week and
make my decision based on thatE," Plocki said. "I will
make a decision prior to our depauture though."
Knaeble, as usual, is ready for snything.
"k's up to Bev (Plocki) and ho w everything goes at
practice," Knaeble said. "It's kin d of a toss up every
week, so I just have to wait and sa a how things go."
I I
I
-U- S
Responsible, work-study student wanted for general
lab duties, including care of mice, in medical school
basic science research lab. Good exposure to molec
-
i i
ular biology research techniques.
Contact Sarah at stupica@umich.edu
$8/hr for 20 hours.
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life sciences inst tute
kickoff celebrat',ion
Wednesday, April II,
;? O0
Horace H. Rackham
School of Graduate Studies
915 East Washington
Ann Arbor
lOam Ceremony
Auditorium
Reception immediately following
East Study Lounge
Speakers,
Paradise Now: Pict4 ring
#he Genetic Revolul on
IUeiversity of Michigan Museurrtq of Art
5$ Sarth State Street
AMp Arbor
41D pm refreshments
5:08-.7:00 pm panel discussion
odyraled by Lee . Bhnger. 1 4 ,sdert,
I i