Looking for Daily Arts? *ell whatever your name is, get ready for the big surprise. Daily Arts is contained in this sec- tion, beginning on page 7B. So flip over there and check us out, or if you need more motiva- tion, go to the opposite corner of the page. michigandaily.com /arts bZ Lrbigan &tilg TUESDAY APRIL 17, 2001 lB ust around the corner CHRIS DUPREY Baseball and football MARJORIE MARSHALL/Daily Sophomore quarterback John Navarre hopes that the Michigan football squad will become his team to guide come September. Long-awaited returns expected for Varsity firsts One Novemb was six yea home from prise" in his briefca two tickets to the u Michigan football nesota and asked if I had never been dium before - I cc you whether Ann A away from our Nov but I knew the ticks An afternoon with could have him allI brother, then a two- demanded quite a b this would be just u Game day came, was close to zero d the way. Quickly th into a survival miss day of relaxation. Breaks between4 were spent underne the concession stan chocolate, not to dr our hands. Dad talk long as possible be heading to the car. But I didn't want Sure, the game was wasn't the real reas Going to the car be over meant a return return to routine, th short. I wanted it to sible, just me and n With some coaxi the finish. A determ led the Gophers do and Chip Lohmille mid-range field goa time wound down.' and filed out, depre thankful for salvati Twelve years lat 1985 Michigan-Mi one my father and] Wolverines a shot a pionship. We had b the time. I had never know of my first Michiga until I arrived on ca because I wasn't th that day; I was ther my dad. He wouldn heading home mid ond half, but I thin] importance of the a stayed all 60 minut Perhaps a year la were out in the yari courtesy of Dad er evening when I for my first season of Little League. rs old, my dad came We were tossing a tennis ball back and work with "a sur- forth, dad providing occasional instruc- ase. He pulled out tion on what to do. pcoming Saturday's I was doing just fine catching the game against Min- low ball, where I could cup my mitt I'd like to go. and bring it in basket-style. When the to a game at the sta- ball was thrown higher, I was baffled. ouldn't have told Instincts kept telling me to continue krbor was 30 miles catching it the way I had been before, i home or 100 - lifting my wrist up to my eyes to catch ets meant one thing: the ball underhanded. It felt extremely my father, where I awkward, but I knew no other way. to myself My "No, Chris, my dad said gently yet -year old toddler, with a purpose, demonstrating. bit of attention and "You've got to get your glove up, or is. you're going to get hurt." ,and the weather He threw another one shoulder-high, egrees, miserable all and one after that. I was still improvis- ie afternoon turned ing, trying to catch it underhanded. sion, rather than a Again, I was told that I wasn't using the right technique. I could get hurt. quarters and halves The next throw came up high, and I eath the shelter of was too late with the glove. The tennis ids. We bought hot ball struck me square in the nose, and I ink, but to warm dropped to the ground having never felt ked of lasting as more pamn. fore giving up and I took my glove inside, crying, and blubbered to my mom that Dad had hit tthe day to end. me right in the nose. Mom began to sclose, but that address my wound, and when my father on I was there. opened the screen door to come inside, fore the game was the day's game of catch obviously fin- sto the house, a ished, she gave him a lecture. ie afternoon cut Dad was unfazed by Mom's protec- last as long as pos- tiveness, having known before he threw ny father. the ball that she wouldn't understand ing, we stayed for why he had to do it. "Chris,"he monot- pined Rickey Foggie oned, "You have to learn to get your wn that frozen field glove up, or that is going to continue to r lined up for the happen. And next time it won't be a al that beat us as tennis ball." The crowd groaned Half an hour later, the pain was ssed at the outcome, gone, the memory was not, and the les- on from the cold. son had been learned. From then on, I er, I learned that the got my glove up. To his credit, dad had nnesota game, the made a perfect throw exactly when he I attended, cost the needed to prove his point -right on at the national chain- the nose. een ranked No. 1 at These two stories paint my father: Always sacrificing himself for the fam- vn the significance ily, always teaching his sons the right n football game way to do things. His lessons extend ampus. That's far beyond the construct of sports. ere for the football Those are just the ones that resonate e to spend time with with me the most, a testament to a n't have minded father that has never stopped doing his way through the sec- job. k he sensed the Thanks, Dad. By Jeff Phillips Daily Sports Writer After waiting for over a year, safety Cato June finally got back on the field this past weekend at the annual spring game. June saw some action at free safety in the scrimmage. "It feels great (to be back)," June said. "A year is a long time, but it went by fast." June tore his anterior cruciate ligament in July of last year and missed the entire 2000 season. He was expected to start at either strong safety or free safety last year after start- ing the final four games of the 1999 campaign. June hopes to regain that position in the upcoming season. "When the year starts, I think I will be back to where I was when I left - at starting free safety," June said. June's excitement to be back on the field was obvious, and the feeling from the fans was reci- procal. When a fan said to June after the game: "We've been missing you," June replied, "Yeah, I've been missing you too." Also making his first appearance of the sea- son after missing last year is Markus Curry, brother of junior strong safety Julius Curry. Markus didn't see quite as much time as Julius - who had two interceptions in Saturday's game - but saw time at cornerback and return- ing punts. Markus will likely be a backup defensive back next season. INJURY UPDATES: Fifth-year seniors Jake Frysinger and Shawn Thompson, both of whom missed the 2000 campaign with injuries, were at the spring game but did not play due to injuries. Both expect to be ready for the begin- ning of the season. "The trainers are very optimistic. Shawn is making really good progress and Jake's foot is good," Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr said. Frysinger broke his foot and Thompson blew out his knee against Bowling Green in the first game of the season. Both had surgery on their injuries over the past year. "I just started running about two weeks ago," Thompson said. "Our goal is to get it back for two-a-days." Thompson is continuing his rehabilitation and is anxious to get back out on to the field. "I can't tell you how much I've missed being out there with my buddies," Thompson said. "Especially during spring ball - that is the toughest time." Thompson initially had a quick recovery, but an infection in his foot prevented the tight end from continuing his rehab. Frysinger had a similar slow recovery from his injury. After his foot failed to heal, the doc- tors opted to have surgery on Jan. 19. "We were just kind of playing the waiting game, and it never healed up all the way, so they figured instead of waiting around for something to happen, they went the aggressive route and had the surgery," Frysinger said. "I feel good, but it is hard to sit out for so long. I was getting antsy watching all these guys roll around." KICKIN' IT: At halftime of the spring game Michigan brought out four kickers to .attempt kicks at distances up to 45 yards. In addition to the pressure of kicking in front of a crowd, the kickers also had to deal with a large horseshoe of players surrounding the kickers as they attempted the kicks. "That's something we did late in the spring and the players really got into it," Carr said. "I think it is a way of putting real pressure on a kicker. I thought that would be a good thing to do (at halftime). There was no sense going off and taking a halftime break." The players standing behind disrupted the kickers' rhythm. Hayden Epstein struggled under the pressure and perhaps showed the rust of offseason a bit during this exercise as he missed a kick of 41 yards. afternoon to me. We es. ter, the two of us d, getting me ready This is Chris Duprey'sfinal columnfor The Michigan Daily. He can be reached at cduprey@umich.edu. M' gymnasts get another crack at title HawaW Sikora Daily Sports Writer It's that time of year again in women's college gymnastics. The time when the cream of the crop from around the nation will gather to decide which one is supreme. The time when just .025 of a point can mean the difference between glory and defeat. Not surprisingly, Michigan once again finds itself as part of the elite dozen which will compete for the crown. And, not surprisingly, it will be fac- g the usual contenders from the past few years. e only apparent difference from last season is that Michigan will not be carrying the burden of a No. 1 ranking, which now belongs to UCLA. Without this added pressure - which seemingly hurt Michigan's chances of winning last year - the Wolverines are looking to surprise the nation and bring home their first national championship. This year will be Michigan's ninth-consecutive national championship appearance and 10th over- ll. Although they have never won, the Wolverines Onushed as runner-up twice - in 1995 at Georgia and in 1999 at Utah. Last season they entered nationals ranked first in the nation, but could man- age just a sixth-place finish. Talent has never been a problem for the Wolver- ines. In the past decade, some of the finest college gymnasts in the nation have passed through the Michigan program under the Michigan coach Bev /Daily team tie. Premium draft Former Michigan football players are expected to have a major presence in the 2001 NFL Draft. David Terrell Caught 63 passes for 994 yards and scored 13 touch- downs during his senior year at Michigan. A With size (6-3, 213 pounds) and quickness, he has the ability to break games wide open and become an NFL superstar. ® Not shy about wanting the ball in key situations and has the ability to make the great FILE PHOTO catch. Other possible high picks Players cite coach as reason * * for quitting By Benjamin Singer Daily Sports Writer When freshman Christie Schumacher quit the Michi- gan women's basketball team in mid-February, it marked the third player in three seasons that quit the team. Then freshman Michaela Leary and sophomore Infini Robinson upped the tally to five when they told Michi- gan coach Sue Guevara soon after the team's season ended that they wished to pursue basketball careers elsewhere. Meanwhile, Schumacher is going to stay at Michigan as a regular student. Ruth Kipping quit last year and Mandy Stowe left Michigan the season before. While Leary maintains that she merely wants to go closer to home in New Hampshire and is leaving the program on good terms, Schumacher and Robinson both place blame on Guevara as their reasons for quit- ting. Both are critical of her coaching tactics and inter- action with the players on a personal level. "This is about playing time, let's get real," Guevara said. "Does it look bad, five kids in four years? Of course it does. What's going on? Kids want to play." Schumacher said more than just a lack of playing time factored into her decision to quit. She became dis- enchanted with the program and did not have any fun as a member of the team. Janessa Grieco and the Michigan gymnastics will travel to Georgia in search of a national th Anthony Thomas with the pressure of a big meet in order to come out on top. "All we can do as a team is do exactly what we've been doing," Plocki said. "Even though this is the championship, we cannot treat it any differently than a regular meet. We have to be able to focus, relax and just give it everything we've got." Maintaining focus will certainly be difficult considering the setting of this year's national championship. The meet will be held at Stege- Carried 287 times for over 1,500 yards and scored 16 rushing touchdowns during his senior season at Michigan. Although he does not possess incredible speed, he is considered to be a durable back who can catch, block and pick up the blitz. The thick Blue line Three members of Michigan's 2000 offensive line have an excellent chance of going high in the draft: Jeff Backus - First-team All-Big Ten in 1999 and 2000. He is See SCHUMACHER page 28 I i f I