PORTS michigandaily.com/sports THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2001 5a Underrated rivahy returns to Big House By Jon Schwartz Daily Sports Editor When one looks at Michigan's schedule, a few games pop off the page. There's Michigan State, always a huge in-state rivalry. There's Penn State, a matchup between two legendary college football pro- grams, even if one has recently fallen on hard times. And there's Ohio State, year-in, year-out the most 1 anticipated matchup in the; Big Ten. Of course, all of Michigan's games are special. On the schedules of its Big Ten opponents, the Michigan date is often circled as a defining game of the season. Still, generally speaking, the Illinois game rarely stands in the same light as those marquee games listed above. But for a few Wolverines, facing the Illini can be the bread and butter of the season. "The last few seasons have made for a great rival- ry," senior cornerback Todd Howard said. Howard, a native of Bolingbrook, Ill. is one of four Michigan regulars that hail from the Prairie State. Two of the others, center Kurt Anderson and offen- sive lineman Tony Pape, also spoke of the excitement that comes with playing against their home-state school. "It's our Michigan State game and it's really big for me," Anderson said. His brother, Erick, was an All- America linebacker for the Wolverines in 1991. "Growing up before Erick came here, the Michigan game was always a big game. It was evident because I had one neighbor that played at Michigan and one at Illinois so it was a big week." Part of what makes the game so big for the Illinois natives is the fact that they chose to leave the state, rather than play in Champaign. "When decision time came, Illinois was a school that I thought about," said Pape, a Clarendon Hills native. "Michigan just had more to offer me and it JOE SMITH Jordan must overcome age, his legacy and the Wizards If Michigan wants to beat Illinois for the second straight year, it will need to keep Kurt Kittner (15) on his back. was the same distance from home. 1 had too many friends going to Illinois so I wanted to go somewhere new and meet new people and find a new experi- ence." Anderson spoke of a similar rationale. "Obviously," he said, "Erick came here and his advice was to go where you felt the most comfortable with the coaching staff and I felt Michigan was the place for me. Nothing against Illinois, but Michigan was where my heart was." The last two times that Michigan faced the Illini were epic battles. In 1999, Michigan blew a 27-7 lead late in the third quarter and lost 35-29. Last year, Illi- nois was controlling the game until quarterback Drew Henson entered the game - his first appearance of the season, already three games old - and rallied the Wolverines to a 35-31 win. So for seniors Anderson and Howard, the game has added importance. This is the third time they'll face Illinois - the teams didn't meet in 1998 - and with their record against the Illini standing at 1-1, the two players are hoping to prove that they made the right choice. "Every game as a big game in the Big Ten," Ander- son said, "but there is something special about Illinois. Being from Illinois, it's always going to be a big game for me." As with almost every team in the Big Ten, Illinois fans have an ingrained hatred for the Wolverines, a point that makes winning even more important for the players from Illinois. "All the Illinois people I know like me," Howard joked, but added, "I know we have some Illinois peo- ple on our side. You go there and they yell out 'You should have come here.' It makes for a great rivalry and it makes it fun to play." Crunch time it's official. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player to grace the courts of the NBA, will make a return from retirement. Again. Predicting that his "Aimess" would not have the gall to make his third cur- tain call at age 38 - I was wrong. But that doesn't mean that Jordan's decision is necessarily a good one. He will be in for a rude awakening when he laces up his Nikes again as the only proven player on the lowly Washington Wizards. Don't get me wrong. The man has proved to be superhuman on the floor countless times during his illustrious career. He's a smart player, and many say that he wouldn't come back if he felt he'd embarrass himself. But the truth of the matter is that he's just a man - and an old one at that. Jor- dan will turn 40 by the time his two-year contract is over, if he can make it that far. Jordan battled the injury bug several times in his "summer workouts." His Aimess suffered from tendonitis and two cracked ribs - and don't think that he will be immune from injury during an exhausting 82-game grind. Playoff contention? Don't start buying your postseason tickets yet, Wizard fans. A team that won only 19 games last season has a couple'veterans on their last-leg, several unproven young players and Jordan. Picture the starting lineup if Jordan would have remained in the owner's box: Kwame Brown (No. 1 draft pick out of high school), Courtney Alexander (good, but unproven), Christian Laettner (free-agent flop from Pistons), Richard Hamilton (last big shot was at Connecti- cut) and Chris Whitney (who?) at the point. Oh yeah. Don't forget the deep bench that includes spark plugs such as Bren- dan Haywood, Tyronn Lue, Loy Vaught, Etan Thomas, and Tyrone Davis. Looks like Jordan has his work cut out for him - and a lot of "teaching" to do. Plus, if he's been known to blow up in his executive offices after losses last season, how will he react on the floor when his team (players and coaches that he drafted, signed and hired) can't live up to his standards? It won't be pretty, that's for sure. Why ask why? "I am returning as a player to the game I love," Jordan said. It'd be hard for everyone not to take Jordan for his word - for why else would he risk so much? It's not about money. Jordan has enough money to live a million life- times, and is even donating his entire salary ($1 million) for the upcoming season to relief agencies working with the victims of the terrorist attacks on Washington and New York. It's not about unfinished business. He already came back once for that. Win- ning six NBA titles in his final six full seasons and winning 10 scoring titles leaves nothing for Jordan to prove. Sink- ing his last shot in the last seconds of his last game to win the championship would have been an impeccable legacy. Jordan doesn't necessarily want that. He wants to play. But does he want to or need to? Jordan needs the game. It's an addic- tion that he couldn't get over by merely being the President of an NBA team. He needs to be in the spotlight - show that he can still hang with the big boys. But they'll be waiting for him, and this time - they'll be ready. Changes When Jordan comes back, he will have to utilize his knowledge of the game to succeed in a league filled with rule changes and electrifying young tal- ent. After all, there won't be many high- lights of him gliding from the free-throw line or hanging in the air between two Laker defenders - while simultaneous- ly deciding what move to make. Jordan added new dimensions to his game when he returned to the NBA last time in 1998. His patented fade-away jumper became nearly impossible to stop, but will coaches around the league today just let him do that? One of the rules changes involves the elimination of "illegal defense." Unfor- tunately for Jordan, this means teams can take him out of the game by shad- owing him on the floor with a "Box- and-One" defense. They'll let Chris Whitney or Laettner beat them, not a 38- year old Jordan. Not only that, but rising stars such as Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady and Ray Allen's mouths must be watering at the chance to take it to a living legend. Jordan had problems four years ago guarding Iverson's killer cross-over. What makes you think he'll have the quickness to keep up now? Jordan won't be the same player he was at age 24. He won't even be the same player he was three years ago. He will be an impact player, scoring about 20 points per game while probably only playing in two-thirds of the Wizards' games. With him, the Wizards will definitely be a better team. They'll win more games, have people actually watch their games, and make more money. But the playoffs are a far reach. More importantly, Jordan won't be the best, and that will be a lot for his fans and his ego to take. Everyone wants to see their heroes in their "greatness." They don't want to see Willie Mays stumbling over himself in center field, Joe Namath in a Chargers' uniform or Magic Johnson hosting a sub-par televi- sion show. They want to see Jordan slashing through defenses, sinking last-second shots and winning championships. The sad thing is, their last memory of Jordan may be him leaving the game, on terms other than his own - in the form of a serious injury or in a shocking realiza- tion that he can't hang. And that's what they'll see - unless Jordan proves me wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. ' eyes crucial weekend By Jim Weber Daily Sports Writer a free kick from 30 feet away as time expired.The No. 23 Badgers (3-3 overall, 0- 2 Big Ten), on the other hand, started flat by losing 3-0 to Purdue and 1-0 to Indiana. The Wolverines still feel that the Badgers are the After starting the Big Ten season 1-1 last weekend, the Michigan women's soccer team (3-4 overall) will host Northwestern and Wisconsin this weekend in what the team views as pivotal games in its season. "You lose a game now with one loss in the conference, you take yourself out of the confer- ence championship picture," assistant coach Scott Forrester said. Northwestern (1-0-1 Big Ten, ANN ARBOR Who: Michigan (3-4) vs. Northwestern (2-3.1) and Wisconsin (3-31) When: 4p.m. tomorrow, 1 p.m. Sunday Latest: Michigan looks to improve on its 1-1 Big Ten record and continue its dominance at home. stronger of the two teams they will be facing this weekend. "Wisconsin is more of a bal- anced team that can take on any defender. I think they're more balanced and stronger overall than Northwestern." Captain Carly Williamson noted that Wisconsin is tradition- ally a very physical team with speed. They are also known for their strong strikers in years past. DANNY MOLOHOK/Daily Michigan sophomore Stephanie Chavez and the rest of the Wolver- ines search for some offensive punch in two home Big Ten games. 2-3-1 overall) is coming off of a 'strong opening weekend. After tying Indiana last Friday, Northwestern beat Purdue 2-1 in dramatic fashion as Kase McCoy scored on Fortunately, the Wolverines won't have to face Allison Wagner who graduated and now plays for the Boston Breakers of the WUSA. See WILDCATS, Page 8A Flyers provide By Rohit Bhave Daily Sports Writer As the Michigan men's soccer team (1-1 Big Ten, 5-1 overall) marches towards important games against Indiana and Ohio State, it needs to prove itself against quality teams. In Steve Burns' eyes, tomorrow's 7 p.m. game against defending Atlantic-10 champion Dayton (3-3-1 overall) will provide an indication of the Wolverines' progress. The Flyers "are capable of scoring a lot of goals," Burns said. "It is a defining moment in our season." 'defining moment of season' The Flyers employ a 4-3-3 look, incorporating three forwards on the attack. Dayton's outside defenders can join the attack as outside mid- fielders, and their forwards contin- ually pressure defenders by playing the game on the flank. This forma- tion is seen by many as an evolu- tion in college soccer. Michigan marking backs Joe Iding and Dave George will have their hands full containing Day- ANN ARBOR Who: Michigan (5-1) vs. Dayton (3-3-1) and Western Michigan (1-3) When: 7 p.m. tomorrow, 3:30 p.m. Sunday Latest: The Wolverines look to stay hot in the early sea- son as a date with power- house Indiana approaches. communication. For their offense, much of the Wolverines' focus in practice this week has been on coordinating the movement of the two forwards and three attacking midfielders. Sniper Robert Turpin should benefit - last weekend he was constantly mugged. With better spacing, Turpin should have some room to turn his skills loose. the heavyweights of the schedule com- See FLYERS, Page 8A - Joe Smith can be reached at josephms@umich.edu ton's forwards. At the same time, Sweeper Kevin Taylor must effectively oversee the defense's With LL Are you thinking about law school? Do you want to collect tips from admissions deans? Plan to attend ... Law Day Meet with over 90 law schools plus local test preparation services " Collect application information and explore law education options OIP Study Abroad Fair Wednesday, October 3, 2001 Michigan Union Ballroom 4to6pm lU