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September 12, 2002
michigandaily.com
sportsdesk@umich.edu
PORTSichigan Haag
12A
4
Irish ties run deep
for Blue's Rumishek
JOE
SMITH
By Joe Smith
Daily Sports Editor
Not many teenagers growing up
loathed Michigan more than Dan
Rumishek.
The fifth-year senior defensive
lineman is an old-fashioned Irish
Catholic from the Chicago suburbs,
and is from a large family of Notre
Dame supporters.
"I grew up as the biggest Notre
Dame fan in the world," Rumishek
said. "I hated Michigan.
"It's a love-hate war. If you love
Michigan, you hate Notre Dame
and if you love Notre Dame, then
you hate Michigan. That's just how'
it was."
But Michigan offered the 6-foot-4,
273-pound lineman a scholarship.
The Fighting Irish didn't. And
besides the fact Rumishek loved the
Ann Arbor city life and the Michigan
coaching staff, the scholarship sealed
his early commitment to Michigan.
And it's a key reason he'll be wearing
a winged helmet instead of a gold
one in this Saturday's much-anticipat-
ed matchup against Notre Dame.
His Michigan allegiance didn't
stop everyone in Rumishek's extend-
ed family from calling him on Sun-
day. He said he received nearly 30
phone calls, and had to turn most of
them away by saying, "Sorry, I can't
talk right now. Let me get back to
you in a week."
Rumishek already had plenty on
his mind. He'd circled Saturday's
game in South Bend, Ind. for a while,
calling it "the most special game I'll
probably ever play in." He'll do battle
against the same team he adored as a
kid, on the same field he frequented
as a teenager for Irish's spring games.
And he'll be playing in front of his
biggest fan, his uncle Richard Shep-
herd, who also claims to be Notre
Dame's biggest fan.
And he has battle wounds to
prove it.
Shepherd inscribed the infamous
Fighting Irish leprechaun into his
ts about time Webber tells
Struth and faces the music
BRENDAN O'DONNELL/Daily
Michigan defensive lineman Dan Rumishek has had Saturday's Notre Dame game
marked on his calendar for years. He grew up as a die-hard fan of the Irish.
flesh - in the form of a tattoo on his
shoulder. But Rumishek said he's got
plans to fix that.
"My other uncles are working on
their magic markers," Rumishek said.
"So they're going to try to tackle him
before the game and do some fixing."
See RUMISHEK, Page 13A
Stickers host Big East pair in early season 'Challenge'
By Brian Schick
Daily Sports Writer
This weekend's action at Ocker Field features a
rematch of two games that were never played.
Last year, the Michigan field hockey
team was gearing up for the Big
East/Big Ten challenge featuring match- OCKER
es against Boston College and Con- Wh: No.3 M
necticut. But the attacks on Sept. 11 vs. No. 14Bos
forced the games to be canceled, and (3-0) and Conr
since they were nonconference matches, when:1 p.m.
they were not rescheduled. 1 p.m. Sunday
This season's schedule features the Latest: Six te
same two opponents in the Big East/Big competing att
Ten challenge. Boston College will starting Satur
come to town on Saturday and Con- Ten/Big EastC
necticut takes the field Sunday. This event wa
"I can't believe it's been a year," last season.
Michigan coach Marcia Pankratz said. "Everyone's
world changed, and we tried really hard to stick
together as a team in the days afterwards. To stay
connected with people they considered to be their
family was important."
A year later, the Wolverines (3-1) look to keep
rolling after a dominating performance this past
weekend. Two MAC schools - Ball State and
Central Michigan - proved to be no match for
the defending national champions. Michigan
scored five goals in each game and allowed just
one - against Ball State.
R FIELD
Aichigan (3-1)
ston College
necticut (1-2)
Saturday,
3y
ams will be
Ocker Field
rday in the Big
Challenge.
s canceled
Junior forward April Fronzoni led the
weekend charge with a hat trick against
the Chippewas and added two goals and
an assist against the Cardinals to earn the
Big Ten offensive player of the week
award.
Not to be outdone, junior defender
Stephanie Johnson won the Big Ten
defensive player of the week award.
Johnson was an integral part of the
Michigan defense, which allowed just 12
shots all weekend.
"April is playing great hockey right
goals-against average of 2.75 and 0.35, respectively.
Pankratz is looking to build on the successes from
last weekend while experimenting on how to make
her team that much better.
"I think we're trying to find and improve our fun-
damentals and try to find some consistency,"
Pankratz said. "We have a great opportunity to work
on some new things."
Developing consistency against ranked opponents
has been an area to work on in the early stages of the
season.
So far, the Wolverines are 1-1 against ranked oppo-
nents, defeating No. 6 North Carolina 2-0, but drop-
ping a 1-0 contest to No. 7 Wake Forest. This year's
schedule contains nine more matches against oppo-
nents ranked in the top 20, including the 14th-ranked
Eagles this weekend.
Pankratz likes the format of this tournament,
which allows the Wolverines to play teams they
wouldn't normally face. Typically teams in the
Big East are some of the more dominant ones in
the nation.
"It's important for us to play out of region,"
Pankratz said. "For us to go out of conference and
battle teams out east, we need to go out and play
our best."
've now heard a few different
versions on who banned
"booster" Eddie Martin really
was. He was a warm and generous man
who was a father to many inner city kids
who maybe never had such a figure in
their life. He put "clothes on your back
and shoes on your feet." Sounds like a
modern-day Robin Hood?
At least until you hear the other side.
"Uncle" Eddie was also a sleezy,
sneaky creature who "befriended"
unassuming high school kids, promised
them the world and showered them
with small gifts from time to time. He
was a predator who "preyed" on such
kids' naivete.
The problem with these two ver-
sions? Both are public statements
from the same man, former Michigan
"Fab Five" superstar Chris Webber,
over the past year.
Ridiculous? Such contradictory
comments symbolize the lies and
-obscure cloud of smoke Webber is
blowing in front of everyone's face. As
late as yesterday, Webber pleaded inno-
cent to perjury and obstruction of jus-
tice charges. He said he'll fight until
he's "vindicated."
It's about time Webber grows up, tells
the truth about the relationship with
Eddie and faces the music - which in
the $123 million man's case most likely
is a slap on the wrist, a fine and proba-
tion. It's in the best interest for himself,
his family and the University.
The latest indictment says Webber
lied to the grand jury, to Michigan
investigators, to everyone. Eddie's
admission in court that he did in fact
loan Webber and other former Michi-
gan players more than $600,000 in a
money laundering scheme also points
to Webber lying.
The bottom line is that Martin said he
gave $280,000 of that cash to Webber in
the form of rent, hotel rooms and food.
That's the problem with Webber - it's
usually take, take, take.
How much time has Webber spent
returning to Michigan, to give back to
the school he "loves" and help in the
recruiting and rebuilding efforts?
I'd ask him, but he'd probably lie.
Webber's strategy? Deny, deny, deny.
He even protected Eddie, the same guy
who "preyed" on him, by denying he
ever took money Anything he could do
to shift the blame and hope it goes away.
Well, Webber's legal problems aren't
going away soon, especially since his
plea of innocence yesterday.
The black cloud cast over the
Michigan basketball program surely
isn't going away soon either, as the
NCAA probably will wait until Web-
ber's case is done before laying the
hammer on Michigan - which has
been suffering from de facto proba-
tion ever since the whole ordeal
started nearly a decade ago.
And the charges against his father,
Mayce Webber, and his aunt aren't going
awhy either. According to the indictment,
they lied to investigators as well, hoping
to help Webber weasel his way out of a
mess he helped start a while back.
"I didn't get cars; I didn't get noth-
ing," Webber told The New York Times
Monday night. "I got $20 here and there,
a lot of times. I'll be honest, it happened
a lot."
Maybe Webber mowed Eddie's lawn
14,000 times at $20 a pop. Maybe Eddie
paid Webber 28 installments of $10,000
to wash his car. Either way, the truth
needs to come out. Louis Bullock,
Robert Traylor and Jalen Rose all admit-
ted to taking money from Martin.
All Michigan, the NCAA, and the FBI
want is for Webber to take responsibility.
Is that too much to ask from a "Michi-
gan man?"
Joe Smith can be reached at
josephms@umich.edu.
'now and I consider her the best player in
the country," Pankratz said. "Stephanie is the founda-
tion of our defense, and was critical to our shutout."
Fronzoni and Johnson will be called upon again to
lead the Wolverines this weekend against No. 14
Boston College (3-0) and Connecticut (1-3). Both
teams boast stingy goalies: Connecticut's Maureen
Butler and Boston College's Lauren Hill have a
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