The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 23, 2001- 11
Surprise? Yanks clinch Series berth
GAME 1
SATURDAY, OcT. 27, 7:30 P..
NEW YORK (AP) - The New York
Yankees made a liar out of Lou Piniella.
The American League Champi-
onship Series never made it back to
Seattle, as the Mariners manager prom-
ised, thanks to a 12-3 victory in Game
5 last night that gave the Yankees a
chance to win their fourth straight
World Series.
"I have never been prouder of a.
group of men in my life," manager Joe
Torre told his team. "Whatever moti-
vates us, I know the NY on your cap
had a lot to do with it. This ballclub
will be remembered by me forever."
Most Valuable Player Andy Pettitte
took a shutout into the seventh inning,
Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill
homered and the Yankees put the bum-
bling Mariners away early.
Next up for New York is Game lof
the World Series against aces Curt
Schilling, Randy Johnson and the Ari-
zona Diamondbacks at Bank One Ball-
park on Saturday night.
The Yankees jumped out to a 4-0
lead in the third inning - thanks to
third baseman David Bell's error and
Williams' third homer in as many days.
The rest was just a formality as the
Yankees brought a swift ending to Seat-
tle's record-tying 116-win season and
won their 38th pennant.
"You need a different hero every
night," Derek Jeter said. "Fortunately
we have 25 heroes."
A team that looked old and tired in
'the first two games in the opening
round against Oakland staged an
improbable rally. One homerun swing
away from being swept, the Yankees
showed a resiliency that endeared them
more than ever to their fans in this
shaken city.
"Down 2-0 to one of the best clubs
in baseball, you never, never, never
doubted yourselves," Torre said in
toasting his team. "This city needed
something like this. We needed some-
thing like this."
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani was among
the 56,370 fans cheering Torre's Yan-
kees so loudly the stadium shook. The
celebration was a wonderful distraction
from the heartache and devastation
endured by this city following the Sept.
11 terrorist attacks.
"I think it's as emotional as I've ever
heard it at Yankee Stadium," Giuliani
said. "This year I have to say the emo-
tion adds something extra to it."
The Yankees of Derek Jeter,
Williams and Pettitte became the first
team since their predecessors in 1960-
64 - led by Mickey Mantle, Roger
Maris and Whitey Ford - to win four
straight pennants.
There was no more tough talk to
come from Piniella on this night. All he
could do was stare at the field and pop
his chewing gum while the Yankees
romped around the bases.
AP PHOTO
Bernie Williams' third-inning homerun helped propel the Yankees into the World
Series for the fourth straight year. The series starts in Arizona on Saturday.
Blue expects defensive improvement
Taylor will
lead young
Spartans
SPARTANS
Continued from Page 10
pressure will be on his talented back-
court duo of sophonre Marcus Taylor
and freshman phenom Kelvin Torbert.
Izzo said they need to lead the way in
terms of scoring, and on defense by
guarding the top players in the confer-
ence.
Taylor's "got to have a Magic John-
son, super sophomore year," Izzo said.
"I think he's improved defensively, and
his workouts are so much different that
it's scary."
Izzo said Taylor has stood out more
than anyone in practice thus far and is
the "best conditioned guy on the team"
Such stamina will be needed, as Taylor
is expected to do everything, including
rebound, where Michigan State has
been at its best the past two seasons.
Another battle will be keeping junior
forward Aloysius Anagonye on the floor
and out of foul trouble.
Foul trouble "is a worry - that and
injuries," Izzo said. "If we get a couple
guys with the flu, we're going to have to
cancel practice and come in at night and
practice."
The youthful Spartans- have a chal-
lenging nonconference schedule that
sends them to tough venues such as
Florida and Stanford, along with home
contests against Arizona and Seton Hall.
"It's going to be tough," Izzo said.
"Our team will develop on how we'han-
dle the first part of the schedule. "We'll
have some bumps in the road early -
just as we did in 1997 - but our job is
to get more ready for Big Ten and to be
best team we.can be at end of year."
Critics may not see the Spartans win-
ning another conference title, but Izzo
doesn't seem that worried, and his con-
fidence has spread throughout the team.
"You've got to love that he's standing
behind us with so much confidence, not
making excuses about who's here and
who's not," junior forward Adam
Ballinger said. "It means a lot to us and
hopefully we can prove it on the court."
DEFENSEMEN
Continued from Page 10
warrior on defense. He was the strongest
player on the weekend. I thought he played
tremendously."
With the Wolverines down 2-1 at the end
of the second period, the Broncos held a
man-advantage by virtue of a boarding
penalty on Michigan junior John
Shouneyia. Michigan needed a spark, and
Vancik was forthcoming.
Western Michigan's Mike Bishai, who
assisted on all three of the Broncos' goals
Friday night, had control of the puck on the
powerplay until Vancik rode him down to
the ice. On Vancik's hit, the puck squirted
right out onto the stick of Michigan junior
Mike Cammalleri who was awarded a cru-
cial breakaway opportunity on Bronco
goalie Mike Mantua.
Cammalleri was unable to convert on the
breakaway, but without Vancik's strong
defense on Bishai, the opportunity would
not have presented itself in the first place.
"My role as a defensive defenseman is to
play a physical game," Vancik said. "It
translates into offense sometimes when you
make a big hit."B
Vancik's style is much different than that
of his former partner, Werner. While Van-
cik likes to hang back and provide security
for Blackburn, Werner is often found
sneaking into the play in the opposing
team's zone, trying to provide an offensive
spark.
"He brings a dimension to our team that
we don't have," Pearson said. "He's offen-
sive minded. He likes to get up into the
offensive rush, and you need that from your
defense"
"He's been doing a good job so far of
picking his opportunities to get up in the
offensive play," Vancik said. "We're just
trying to work with each other out there.
When he's going, I'm staying back, and if
I'm going, he's staying back."
Werner, one of the Wolverines' four
freshman defensemen, is the smallest in
stature on the ice, but that doesn't measure
his tenacity and desire.
"He's a warrior," Berenson said. "He bat-
ties. He has good offensive instincts. (Fri-
day night) he was a man in the corners,
playing against players who probably out-
weigh him by 40 or 50 pounds. He gives
our team a lot for a freshman defenseman
on the small side."
USCHO Poll
Team Record
1. Michi'gan State (31) 3-0-1
2. Minnesota (7) 3-0-0
3. St. Cloud (1) 4-0-0
4. North Dakota 3-2-0
.5. Colorado College 2-2-0
6. Michigan 2-2-1
7. Maine 2-2-0
8. Denver 2-0-0
9. Boston University 2-0-0
10. New Hampshire 2-1-0
11. Harvard 0-0-0
12. Nebraska-Omaha 3-1-0
13. UMass-Lowell 3-0-0
14. Providence 1-2-0
15. Rensselaer 1-1-0
Junior defenseman Mike Roemensky,
one of Michigan's four experienced bluelin-
ers, injured his fibula in Saturday's 5-3 vic-
tory over Western Michigan. The
Wolverines will need more quality shifts
from Vancik and Werner in order to make
up for the loss.
"(Roemensky) is a great defenseman,"
Vancik said. " He's a solid player back
there. He makes good plays with the puck
and he's solid defensively. As a whole,
everyone's just going to have to pick up the
slack and raise our game."
BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
Freshman Eric Werner began the season paired with senior Jay
Vancik, but is now playing alongside sophomore Andy Burnes.
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