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SPORTSMONDAY

Monday
October 28, 2002

SECTION B

a I ---------- -- I I I I a Im mum

Game seven
is heaven for

MICHIGAN 9
Homewrecking
Blue embarrassed by Hawkeyes

Cinderella

I

story Halos
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - This is defi-
nitely movie material - and the stars are the
never-say-die Anaheim Angels.
They came out of nowhere to reach their
first World Series, rallying past every team
in their way.
Their rookie pitcher wins Game 7.
And the best hitter
in the world watches ,
from the losers' )t =kat
dugout, knowing he
was once just six,
outs away from win-
ning the only title he
has ever wanted.
John Lackey, Gar-
ret Anderson and the
Angels made it all GAME 7 -ANAHJEIM4,
come true, beating SAN FRANCISCO 1
Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants 4-
1 last night for the franchise's first champi-
onship in 42 years.
Plus the most amazing thing - the Angels
didn't even need to rely on their Rally Mon-
key. Anaheim third baseman Troy Glaus was
voted MVP after hitting .385 with three
home runs and eight RBIs.
"I can't believe it, man," Anderson said.
"It's been a long year - a testament tothe
guys who never gave up.
Still, the highest-scoring Series in history
came down to pitching, as it always seems to
do in October. Behind Lackey and the
bullpen, Anaheim had too much to win base-
ball's first all wild-card matchup.
The Angels became the eighth straight
home team to win Game 7 of the World
Series. History was on their side from the
start and so was an omen - a skywriting
plane put a gigantic halo over Edison Field
before the first pitch.
A day after it blew a 5-0 lead in the sev-
enth inning, San Francisco never got close to
winning its first title. Bonds went 1-for-3
with a walk to close out one of the most
dominant Series performances ever, yet it
wasn't enough.
When it ended, Bonds walked down the
dugout and picked up his glove. He walked
back, tapped his son on the back and walked
down the runway as the Angels celebrated on
the field.
Lackey.wasn't even with the Angels, stuck
in Triple-A, when they went 6-14 for the
worst start in team history. But with both
staffs worn down, the 24-year-old righty gave
Anaheim exactly what it needed with five
innings of one-run ball.
Anderson, finally due to get the recogni-
tion he's always deserved, hit a three-run
double off Livan Hernandez in the third for a
4-1 lead.
The monkey mascot made a brief, early
appearance on the video board to celebrate
the moment, then sat back and let the sellout
crowd of 44,598 bang their ThunderStix like
crazy.
"Unbelievable for us, for our fans,"
Angels' closer Troy Percival said. "This team
has worked as hard as any team ever. We
deserve it."
Before this year, the Angels were known
mostly for heartbreak.
But somehow, the Angels pulled it togeth-
er. They led the majors in hitting, over-
whelmed the New York Yankees and
Minnesota in the AL playoffs and then
knocked out Bonds and Co. to complete a
storybook season.

By J. Brady McCollough
Daily Sports Writer

With representatives from the Capital One Bowl,
formerly the Florida Citrus Bowl, in attendance Satur-
day at the Big House, the Michigan football team put
together quite an application for a chance to three-peat
as the Big Ten's representative in Orlando.
Iowa bullied the Wolverines, 34-9, handing Michi-
gan its worst home loss since 1967.
"We are not going back to Florida," said Michigan
senior safety Charles Drake of the Wolverines' post-
season aspirations. "I don't want to hear about Florida
right now. We've got a lot of seniors on this team who
don't want to go back there."
But barring a miracle collapse by the Hawkeyes
(5-0 Big Ten, 8-1 overall), the Wolverines may soon
be booking their plane tickets for a third-straight
bowl trip to Central Florida. Iowa, which plays at
home against Wisconsin and Northwestern and on
the road at Minnesota, would have to lose two of its
final three games to give the Wolverines hope.
Michigan (3-1, 6-2) would also have to win the rest
of its games - a feat that would include a win at
No. 4 Ohio State - in order to make its first trip to
the Rose Bowl since 1997.
"I'm smelling the roses," Iowa wide receiver C. J.
Jones said.
Jones also smelled the end zone twice Saturday, the

first time coming with 10:37 left in the first quarter.
Jones victimized the Michigan defense with the first
of several wide receiver screens for a 39-yard touch-
down pass from quarterback Brad Banks. Michigan
linebacker Victor Hobson was in position to make a
play on the pass but didn't see that the ball was being
thrown. With the Hawkeye offensive line in front of
him, Jones ran practically untouched to the end zone
to give his team a 7-0 lead.
"The first touchdown they got should have been a
tackle for a loss," Michigan cornerback Marlin Jack-
son said. "We missed the tackle. After that, I don't
know."
While the Iowa offense kept the Michigan defense
looking for answers in the first quarter - as the
Hawkeyes took a 10-0 lead by putting up 170 yards of
total offense - the Michigan offense continued its
early-game struggles. The Wolverines' play calling
didn't give running back Chris Perry a chance to
establish himself on the ground in the first quarter, as
12-of-14 offensive plays were passes.
"I think we should have run the ball more, but I'm
not the offensive coordinator," Michigan receiver Ron
Bellamy said.
The passes that Michigan did throw against the
Iowa defense, which came into the game second-to-
last in the nation in pass defense, were well-defended.
And the Hawkeyes kept the pressure on quarterback
See HAWKEYES, Page 4B

DAVID KAZ/Daily
Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr and defensive line coach Brady Hoke cannot help but
look dejected during the fourth quarter of the Wolverines' 34-9 loss to Iowa.

Only a valiant
end to season
can salvage loss
W atching Iowa's third-string tailback, Jer-
melle Lewis, continuously run over Michi-
gan linebackers and safeties embarrassed
the Wolverines; they knew an imposing running
game was coming, but seemed as helpless as a one-
legged man in an ass-kicking
contest in trying to stop it.
Feeling the ball slip through th ir
hands in crucial situations frustrated
Michigan wide receivers and tail-
backs.
And listening to Iowa fans drown
out the Michigan faithful with
chants, screams and songs of cele-
bration at the end of Saturday's JOE
game made the final minutes seem SHI
like decades for anyone involved in
the Michigan program. The one
If it didn't, it should have. After and only
all, it seemed Michigan had waved
the white flag long before Nate Kaeding drilled a 22-yard
field goal with three minutes left to put the finishing
touches on what turned out to be the most lopsided loss at
See SMITH, Page 4B

DAVID KATZ/Daily
After replacing Fred Russell, Iowa's Jermelle Lewis pounded the Michigan defense for 109 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Blanchard inures ankle, will be back 'very soon'

By Naweed Sikora
Daily Sports Editor
The Michigan basketball team was without the services of cap-
tain LaVell Blanchard for Saturday night's Maize and Blue
scrimmage. Blanchard, the only starter named by coach Tommy
Amaker thus, far, injured his right ankle at Thursday's practice,
but is not expected to miss much time.
"I just landed on somebody's foot coming down," Blanchard
said.
The senior, who has had recurrent ankle problems, said he
hopes to be playing again "very soon."
Michigan freshman center Chris Hunter, who had been both-
ered by minor leg injuries for the past two weeks, seemed to be in
good health, as he played for the majority of the game and was
able to run the floor, and post-up well. Hunter's inability to prac-
tice consistently had made it difficult for Amaker to effectively
assess the competition for the starting center position, but his
return should help that process.
That position is one of four still up for grabs at this point.

Hunter's main competition is fellow freshman Graham Brown,
who also played well at the scrimmage despite racking up sev-
eral fouls. Point guards Avery Queen and Daniel Horton both
ran the offense well for their respective sides, and freshman
wing Lester Abram was impressive on the defensive end.
Senior Gavin Groninger and sophomore Dommanic Ingerson
seemed to struggle with their shots, but remained aggressive on the
offensive end, creating opportunities for their teammates. Amaker
was particularly pleased with Bernard Robinson's unselfish play,
which set the tone for a strong overall performance by the junior.
"I think we're closer to those combinations now," Amaker said.
"I wish we had LaVell because it's a given that he'll be on the floor,
but we're starting to see some limitations and what people can do,
so we're pleased."
Amaker, who watched the scrimmage as an observer while his
assistants coached the two teams, was happy with the level of
intensity out on the floor. He said the players' transition from
practice to a game setting - which included everything from
fans to referees - impressed him.
"We wanted to have a carryover from the practices to the

game, and I think the players did a good job with that," Amaker
said. "I thought our guys tried to play the game the right way. It
was not sloppy, it was crisp, well-played and we were able to
accomplish a few things we talked about earlier like competing,
executing and having fun."
The transition game was a primary focus for the players, as
running the floor after a rebound and playing pressure defense
seemed almost like a natural tendency. The effort was also at a
high level right from the start, when freshman point guard
Daniel Horton dove headfirst near the sideline trying to save the
ball from going out. The physical play also led to many fouls,
which Amaker said his team must do a better job of avoiding.
"There were a lot of silly fouls committed with the officials out
here that you don't worry about in practice," Amaker said. "We
have to do a better job of getting into position."
SURGERY FOR RAMSEY: Michigan assistant coach Charles Ram-
sey had knee surgery last Tuesday for the injury he suffered during
Michigan's open practice on Oct. 18. While he should return to
practice soon to support the team and help coach, it should be a
while before he is able to participate on the floor.

Gutsy performance by captain Ortmeyer powers 'M'

By Dan Rosen
Daily Sports Writer
Michigan captain Jed Ortmeyer could hard-
ly stand up at the end of the game.
The senior forward blocked a shot on a
Michigan powerplay
16 minutes into the ALASKA-FAIRBANKS 2
first period of Satur-
day's 6-2 win over MICHIGAN 6
Alaska-Fairbanks
and limped to the bench favoring his left knee.
But the Omaha native didn't miss many
shifts.
TT_1-- I-A 4L«...1- . 4.0.- - - - -,nr J rA ~ n

Forward Michael Woodford started the play
with his aggressive defense on the penalty kill.
The sophomore stole the puck from an Alaska-
Fairbanks defender at the blue line and broke in
uncontested on Nanooks' goalkeeper Preston
McKay. Woodford's initial shot went wide
right, but he followed the rebound around to
the left corner and fired a pass across the
crease to Ortmeyer.
"I never even saw it, it just kind of hit my
stick and went in," Ortmeyer said of the pass
from the corner. "It was a good play on his
part. I just kind of had my stick in the right
place and he found it."

second.
Freshman Jeff Tambellini opened the
assault with a scrappy goal just 3:43 into the
period. He poked a loose puck out from
under McKay's glove and into the back of
the net for his sixth tally in as many games.
Ortmeyer's goal just over two minutes later
gave Michigan a lead that it would never
relinquish.
"In the first period we weren't moving the
puck, we weren't really creating many shots,"
center David Moss said. "In the second peri-
od, we came in and said, 'We've got to stick to
what works and what Michigan hockey's all
not- crttinpr the nuckL to the net. taking

effort. He added two goals to keep the contest
out of Alaska-Fairbanks' reach.
The Nanooks made things interesting with a
powerplay goal early in the third period. For-
ward Russell Spence fired a shot from the left
face-off circle past goalie Al Montoya and
into the top of the goal to cut the lead to 3-2.
Just two minutes later Moss and freshman
Brandon Kaleniecki took advantage of a two-
on-one break. Kaleniecki, nicknamed "the pit-
bull" by his linemates for his play in front of
the net, passed around a defender to the wide-
open Moss. The sophomore then slid a back-
hand pass softly through McKay's legs and
into the net.

. .