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www.michigandaily co n = . Ann Arbor, 11Michi an
g ,::.. Thursday, September- 6, 2001

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DAVID HORN/Daily
Rich Hill led the Wolverines in strikeouts last season with 72. The sophomore left-
hander was 3-5 with a 3.84 ERA.
Hi1l tyn to agree
to terms with Angels

By Benjamin Singer
Daily Sports Editor

While most Michigan students made
their ways to their first classes yesterday,
junior Rich Hill skipped his SMC 435
class.
The Michigan baseball team's south-
paw wasn't merely playing hooky, but
waiting to see if he might be a minor-
league rookie.
At press time, Hill's status as a Michi-
gan student was still unclear.
In professional baseball, a team loses
its rights to a drafted college player
before graduation as soon as the player
attends a class. Hill was drafted by Ana-
heim in the 7th round (210th overall
pick) in June's Major League Baseball
draft. Yesterday he delayed his schooling
1 just in case the Angels would make one
last pitch for him that would be too
good to let go by.
Some players in the past have gone
days without going to class, while con-
tinuing contract negotiations.

, "I want to sign, I'd like to sign," Hill
said as he waited at home, expecting to
talk with the Angels last night.
"There have been some good talks
and some not as good," Hill said of the
summer negotiations. But as he awaited
the last-minute talk with the Angels, He
acknowledged the sides were not as
close to terms as he would like, and
declined to reveal the figures discussed
in negotiations.
As a sophomore last season, Hill
went 3-5 with a 3.84 ERA in 10 starts
for the Wolverines. He also recorded 72
strikeouts in just 43 innings pitched, but
gave up 53 walks.
His father, Lloyd Hill, would like to
see him sign, and the lanky lefthander
said his pitching coach at Michigan,
Steve Foster, was anxious to see him
start his professional career as well. But
father and son agree on what has held
up the deal - the money.
"We want him to get his degree, but
we also want him to play pr9fessional
See HILL, Page 48

The
Huskies and 'M'
once shared a
legitimate rivalry
By Raphael Goodstein
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan entered the 1992 Rose Bowl ranked No. 4
in the country and playing against No. 1 Washington
with national title dreams. A win and a Miami loss in
the Orange Bowl would've catapulted Michigan to its
first national title since 1948.
The season had already taken a magical turn -
Desmond Howard won only the second Heisman Tro-
phy in school history a few weeks before the l(owl
game.
But it was not meant to be - The Huskies won 34-
14.
The lasting image of the game was Washington
receiver Mario Bailey repeatedly striking the Heisman
pose - mocking Howard, who struck a similar pose
after a touchdown aga'inst Ohio State - and later say-
ing, "he can have his award, I've got my (national
championship) ring."
With their tail between their legs, the Wolverines got
their chance for redemption exactly one year later in
the '93 Rose Bowl.
The day before the game, Michigan running back
coach Fred Jackson pulled star tailback Tyrone Wheat-
ley aside and noted that the last running back to win
the Rose Bowl MVP award was Leroy Hoard, in 1989.
Then before the game, coach Gary Moeller told
Wheatley that he would need to run for 200 yards if
Michigan stood a chance.
Wheatley did that and more, setting a Michigan
bowl record with 235 yards and three touchdowns. The
third score, an 88-yard scamper right up the middle,
set the Rose Bowl record for longest run from scrim-
mage.
What made the game more remarkable was that
Wheatley suffered leg cramps from the second quarter
on, after a Washington player hit him on the calf.
When asked about the game, Wheatley referred to a
sign in the Michigan lockerroom which reads "Those
who stay will be Champions," a quote from former
coach Bo Schembechler. "I just wanted to be a cham-
pion," Wheatley said.
Saturday will be the first time these two rivals have
met in nearly a decade, surprising considering how
dominant the two teams were in the early 90s, when
the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions were guaranteed to
face each other in the Rose Bowl. Although times and
coaches have changed, the current coaches know about
the history of the game. They know about the Mario
Baileys and the Tyrone Wheatleys.
"This should be a great test for us," Michigan
coach Lloyd Carr said. "I know our players are really
looking forward to it."

real

thing

DAVID
ROCHKI ND/Daily

Field hockey wary of
'Heels' corner attacks

While B.J.
Askew's
Wolverine's
(above)Mich
igan have
had game
action, Cody
P'ckett
(left) and
his Huskies
have only
gotten to hit
each other
in practice.
Saturday's
game is
their season
debut.
AP PHOTO

By Albert Kim
Daily Sports Writer

Stopping the corner has been the
battle cry for the Michigan field
hockey team this week. The Wolver-
ines are traveling to the Temple Invi-
tational in Philadelphia, where they
will face North Carolina tomorrow.
The Tar Heels are considered by
some to be the best team in the
country and their corner game has
been on Michigan coach Marcia
Pankratz's mind.
"North Carolina has a really
strong corner attack, and that's their
set scoring piece," Pankratz said.
"We've emphasized defending that,
and limiting as many corners as they
can get."
The Wolverines are riding on the
:crest of a three-game winning
streak, in which they beat defending
national champion Old Dominion,
and received 210 scoreless minutes
and three-straight shutouts from
senior goalkeeper Maureen Tasch.
But her value goes beyond just
shutouts.
"Shots and saves don't necessarily
speak to how valuable Mo is back
there," sophomore defender
Stephanie Johnson said. "A lot of
being a goalkeeper is coming up
with the clutch saves, but also, the
communication and organization she
provides on the defensive end that
amounts to the shutouts."
Michigan (3-1) now looks to its
first road matches of the year at the
invitational, where it will not only
face North Carolina, and also either
Maine or Temple on Saturday. It will
be another tough test for this team,
but being away from home may have
its advantages.,
"When you're on the road, you're
together as a team, you're unified,
there's no distractions from family
and school and we do play well on
the road," Pankratz said.
It will be a homecoming of sorts
for Ali Balmer, April Fronzoni,
Krista Meckley and Jessica Rose

Who has the edge? It's anybody's guess

By Arun Gopal
Daily Sports Writer
As No. 11 Michigan heads to Seattle this
weekend for a much-hyped game against No. 15
-Washington, many observers are wondering
which team will have the upper hand.
Usually, it's fairly easy to tell who has the
advantage. Since Washington gets to host this
game at raucous Husky Stadium, the initial
impression might be that the Huskies have a
clear edge.
But that conclusion fails to take into account
several factors. For starters, although Washing-
ton went 11-1 last season, won the Rose Bowl
and finished No. 3 in the country, the Huskies
have a lot of holes to fill. Last year's game-
breaking quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo is
gone, and defensive stalwarts Hakim Akbar and

Jeremiah Pharms went with him, along with.
four starters on the offensive line.
With so many question marks on both sides of
the ball, it seems logical that a school would
like to have a game under its belt against an
inferior opponent before it plays a nationally-
ranked team.
This is where Michigan has the distinct'
advantage - the Wolverines tuned up for Wash-
ington by dispatching Miami (Ohio) last Satur-
day. And the Huskies? They haven't played a
game yet - Saturday's tilt is their season open-
er.
So, who has the advantage? Good question.
Unfortunately, the answer isn't very clear.
"There are two schools of thought on this,"
Washington coach Rick Neuheisel said. "Num-
ber one is that the biggest improvement a foot-
ball team can make is between game one and

game two. The other school of thought is that if
we look down the road five weeks, normally
people believe that the team that has the bye in
preparation for the game has the advantage over
the team who has to prepare for another oppo-
nent."
Michigan fans have to hope that the first
school of thought is the one that will prevail.
The Wolverines didn't look terribly impressive
in knocking off the RedHawks, but at least the
contest gives Michigan a chance to analyze
itself in a game situation and diagnose any glar-
ing errors.
"Now, we know what we need to work on,"
Michigan defensive lineman Dan Rumishek
said. "We have done things at game speed. You
have that fear and you get the jitters out of your
system."
See EDGE, Page 5B

JESSICA JOHNSON/Daily
The women's field hockey team
heads to a "corner battle" with North
Carolina, with many experiencing a
homecoming to Pennsylvania.
Tracey Fuchs is the sister of Temple
head coach Lauren Fuchs.
"It'll be exciting, we have a lot of
players from Pennsylvania, it will be
nice for them to play in front of
their hightschools, friends and fami-
ly," Pankratz said.
Defense, goalkeeping and just
enough offense have been the win-
ning combination thus far.
The Wolverines hope nothing will
change - corners notwithstanding.
JOHNSON AWARDED CONFERENCE
HONOR: This week, Stephanie John-
son became the first Wolverine to
be bestowed with Big Ten honors
this year, netting the Big Ten defen-
sive player of the week award. Her
play to bat a sure goal out of the air
late in the Virginia game shut the
door on any possible Virginia come-
back.
"As an athlete you kind of hope
for those situations, where you know
it's coming, and you hope that you


Take the UItimate Daily Roadtrip
You've seen the Wolverines take on Miami (Ohio). Now find out what
the Daily thinks you should know about the rest of Michigan's 2001
campaign.
Read ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit's analysis on the
upcoming season.
See how the Daily football writers think the Big Ten will stack up.
Scout Michigan's team position by position.
Find out whether Drew Henson's departure is cause for distress
among Michigan's forces. Is John Navarre ready ... or not?
That and more awaits you in Kickoff 2001. So pack your bags and get
ready to board the big yellow schoolbus for the Ultimate Daily
Roadtrip.

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