fi"c Daiy forum. Si.oy excited for tomorrow's spring football game' Ar xu disappointed by your favorite team's coverage.' J t plin bored? SC,,p ' flhng from the sidelines. Speak your mind at lniitIiihandauiv. omlfln-um. We'll see you there. michigandaily.com /sports PORTS FRIDAY APRIL 13, 2001 8 Amaker addresses plans and hopes for Blue's program Five things I hate about 'U' JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily Michigan QB John Navarre Spring fling The Michigan Athletic Department's ,annual "Springfest" takes place tomorrow. Set your alarms and throw on some grubs for the following: * 9 a.m. - 5K Fun Run/Walk at N ighigan Stadium * 9 a.m. - men's and women's track hosts Central Michigan and Michigan State at Ferry Field 9a.m. - hockey equipment sale 'at Yost Ice Arena Ye40 a.m. - "Garage Sale" at Cliff ,Keen Arena 4 1,p.m. - Spring Football Game at ,the, "Big House" After the pep rally in his honor yesterday, the new Michigan basketball coach, Tommy Amaker, agreed to sit down with The Michigan Daily. The following are excerpts from the conversation. The Michigan Daily: What do you, as a coach, have to do to get.fans back in here? Tommy Amaker: I think as a coach, we need to provide a team that the students can identify with. By that I mean the way in which we're going to play - we're going to do those five things: We're going to be passionate, we're going to be prepared, we're going to be honest, we're going to have fun and we're going to be Michigan. And I think our students can identify with that because those are the things I'm hoping we all are going to learn from and get better from and I think we can do other things. We're going to be able to do things in the com- munity, we're going to go around to some of the dorms in the fall and try to talk to some of the stu- dents and bring some of the players and see if that's a way we can drum up some support. TMD: In New Jersey, the newspapers haven't exactly been kind to you. What hurts you more, seeing people criticize the season you had at Setonf Hall and your coaching ability or when they criti- E. cize your character and say that you're a liar? Amaker: It's never fun or exciting when people say things about you that are negative. But I think . we've all come to know what to expect in ther world of college athletics or sports in general. Everyone's not always going to be satisfied in the {.. things that maybe they want and they see. I thinkx the thing that holds me together about any of those _ things is the fact that you always want to be true to yourself and you always want to try to do what .; you feel is right. It's not always going to be right, but you're always going to try to do what is right. Do b t y a l h b r B TMD: Does it bother you at all that befire Bill Martin went to you, he actively pursued Rick Pitino? Amaker: (laughing) If I were an athletic direc- tor at a university that was trying to fill a basket- ball coaching position and Rick Pitino was available, he'd be my first choice. I'm flattered ' that I had a chance to come here to be a represen- tative of our school. That's Rick Pitino. He's one of the best that's RACHEL FEIERMAN/Daily ever walked the sidelines and I'm sure that if I had Tommy Amaker (left) speaks with Director of Ticket Opera- See AMAKER, Page 9 tions Marty Bodnar at yesterday's "team meeting." Pitching will strive to avenge Gopher sweep By Steve Jackson Daily Sports Writer It's the middle of the 2001 cam- paign and Michigan is in the middle of the conference standings. This weekend's pivotal four-game set against Minnesota could land the Wolverines in the Big Ten pent- house - or the outhouse. "This is the season basically," junior firstbaseman Nate Wright said. 'Either we are going to be on top or we'll be on the bottom." Michigan has won its last four conference battles - all against Indiana - to bring its fifth-place MIN N EAPOLIS Who: Michigan (5-3 Big Ten, 16-12 overall) vs. Minnesota (8-3, 20-13) When: 3 p.m. today, 3 p.m. tomorrow, I p.m. Sunday Latest: Minnesota was 2000's champion in the regular season. The competition is Michigan's most important thus far. record up to 5-3. A sweep in Minneapolis would solidify the Wolverines as con- tenders to the crown. "The rankings will change a lot with four games, hopefully we will just keep moving up," sophomore pitcher Brad McCloskey said. See GOPHERS, Page 9 Wen I first joined the Daily I wasn't sure which section of the paper I wanted to write' for. I narrowed my decision down to writing sports or movie reviews for the arts section. The movies editor wanted me to write a few sample reviews and told me he may or may not be hiring ' new reviewers that semester. So here I am. Don't get me wrong. I am a huge sports fan and grateful for all of the opportunities that writing for the spo section has offered me. But after three years of it, I've had enough. I'm just tired of writing about Drew Henson or Brian Ellerbe. So with my final column, I thought I'd do something a little bit different. Everyone writes about how wonder- ful their experience has been at the Daily or how col- lege has been the best four years ofry',YI their life. MICHAEL College has been KERN a great time for me, Finish and I couldn't have Ln picked a better Le place to do it than here in Ann Arbor. But over these last few years here, there are a few things' about this town that have really gotten under my skin. So without further ado, here's a list- of my top five least favorite things' about Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan. 5. I can't get a decent slice of pizza anywhere in this town.Y', There must be 20 different places t& buy a slice of pizza here, and for one' reason or another, they all suck. EitX* the slices are too small (Backroom a't Bell's). It's really shitty pizza (Diag Party Store). Or it costs way more than anyone should charge for a slice of' pizza with some noodles on it (NYPD). 4. MSA I'm sure I'll get a few responses for this one, but so what. The Michigan Student Assembly is full of a bunch of pretentious resume builders who do lit- tle if anything to actually improve stur- dent life. In my four years at this University, I can't tell you one thing that MSA has done that has affected'my life in any possible way. So screw 3. Off-campus student housing' Everyone has their horror stories; aid to this point, I've never met a student. who said that he/she had a truly wn -, derful experience and got the full value of what they spent for their living spac* Currently, my roommate and I are dealing with a sliding glass door that' won't fully shut and lock. To keep out unwanted guests, we have to jimmy the door shut with a metal bar. To name just a few of the 500 other problems,- the front hall of our building smells like stale cigarettes and our front porch i"' littered with broken beer bottles on a daily basis. And I'd say our apartment* is nicer than at least half of those on campus. On that note, I'd like to send some special thanks to Juan the maintenance man for keeping our humble abode in such excellent condition. It truly is worth every penny of the $900 we spend each month. 2. Ann Arbor is a hopelessly mediocre bar town. I've traveled all over the Big Ten a, the eastern part of the United States covering sports for the Daily, and while Ann Arbor isn't the worst bar town I have ever been to - Evanston wins that in a landslide - it certainly is nowhere near the best. The drinks are weak, especially if' they are part of any kind of deal. Aside from Dominick's, none of the campus bars have any kind of originality. Ande except for the occasional garage band at Touchdowns, live music is rarely seen this side of Main Street. 1. Cell phones * I hate cell-phones and the people that use them. Cell phones have gotten to the point in this town where they are , Sun Shines at the University of Michigan SunDay kicks off Sun Microsystems' 2001 Matching Grant promotion l0un representatives will be on hand Tuesday, April 17th In the Media Union, first floor hallway 10:00 am - 4:00 pm