.6j 2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - November 11, 2002 CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY Volleyball perseveres without two top players Smile! AeL OFkbigaTWailE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 6 Who: April Fronzoni Hometown: Larksville, Pa. Position: Forward Sport: Field hockey Year: Junior By Waldemar Centeno Daily Spozrts Writer , Michigan's women's club volley- ball team entered its first tourna- ment in Ann Arbor in pain. Two of the team's key players, Katie Gorman and Meredith Hasse, were unable to play in the Michi- gan Tournament, which was held in the Intramural building. Gorman suffered an ankle injury during the beginning of the tourna- ment and Hasse, who normally starts in the middle, was out due to illness. "One of our best players got hurt and the other one was sick," club member Mary Altman said. "But that did not effect us that much. Both of the two teams did really well in their first tournament of the year." Michigan dressed two squads for the tournament, the Maize team and the Blue team. Adding to the teams' difficulties, both Michigan teams had to play without their coach, Scott Mattson, at times because it was difficult for him to be there for both the Maize and Blue teams. Despite being short-handed, the two teams persevered and advanced far in the tournament that began at 9 a.m. Saturday. Michigan's Blue team faired well during pool play. It entered the tournament unsure of what kind of success they could achieve and exited with some knowledge of what kind of team they have. The Blue team qualified for the quarterfinals. Although the team lost that match to Grand Valley State - which later won the tour- nament against James Madison - it was happy with its performance. The Maize team also had a solid performance. The Maize team advanced part the uarterfinals with a tightly bat- tled game against Michigan State. It lost its match with James Madi- son in the semifinals, but played well throughout the tournament.. "There were a lot of competitive teams at the tournament," Altman said. "I believe that the teams did really well." Altman and the rest of the vol- leyball club will head to Indiana on Dec. 7 for its next tournament action. Why: The Wolverines' forward is the first Michigan field hockey player ever to be named Big Ten Conference Field Hockey Athlete of the Year. She is also the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, ranking eigth in the nation among all goal scorers with her conference-leading 17 goals this season. Fronzoni SCHEDULE Thursday, Nov.14 M Soccer at Big Ten Tournament First Round (State College), TBA Friday, Nov.15 Volleyball vs. Minnesota, 7 p.m. M Basketball vs. Nike Elite, 7 p.m. (exhibition) Ice Hockey vs. Lake Superior State, 7:35 p.m. M Soccer at Big Ten Tournament Semifinals (State College) W Soccer at NCAA Tournament First Round (Campus Sitesi Saturday, Nov.16 W Cross Country at NCAA Great Lakes Regional (West Lafayette) 11 a.m. M Cross Country at NCAA Great Lakes Regional (West Lafayette), 11 a.m. Football vs. Wisconsin, 12:05 p.m. Volleyball vs. Iowa, 7 p.m. W Basketball vs. Dominican Republic, 7 p.m. (exhibition) Ice Hockey vs. Lake Superior State, 7:35 p.m. Field Hockey at NCAA Regional (Campus Sites) M Tennis at Big Ten Singles Championships (Minneapolis) Sunday, Nov. 17 Wrestling in Maize & Blue Intraquad, Noon/6 p.m. Field Hockey at NCAA Regional (Campus Sites) M Soccer at Big Ten Tournmanet Championship Game (State College) W Soccer at NCAA Tournament Second Round (Campus Sites) M Tennis at Big Ten Singles Championships (Minneapolis) SPOiRS BRIEFS 6 6 AP PHOTO Ichiro Suzuki fans snap photos of their hero at the first game of a seven-game All Star exhibition series between the MLB and Japan. Ichiro went 0-for-4 on the night. I Dream' announces retirement 1n Houston 0 HOUSTON (AP) - Hakeem Olajuwon relived a moment from his past, hearing the Houston Rockets' fans chanting "MVP, MVP," just as they did when he won the honor in 1994. Then, Olajuwon departed to begin his new life away from basketball. And he promised not to look back. Olajuwon formally announced his retirement before an adoring audience Saturday night, during a ceremo- ny at halftime of the Rockets' game against the Gold- en State Warriors. The home team retired his No. 34 jersey and hoisted it to the rafters of Compaq Center, where Olajuwon played 17 of his 18 seasons and led Houston to consecutive NBA titles in 1994 and '95. "It's a wonderful feeling, just to see that you're still so welcome and still so well-received," Olajuwon said. "That was something that was personally satisfying, and I'm very grateful for that." Olajuwon was an All-Star 12 times, holds the all- time record for career blocked shots and was named one of the NBA's 50 greatest players when the league celebrated its first half-century in business in 1996. "I don't look at this as the end; it is the beginning of the next phase of my life," Olajuwon said. "You know what you accomplished over the years, and now it is time to sit and watch." Olajuwon appeared most moved when owner Les Alexander told the fans that a life-sized statue of Ola- juwon would be placed at the Rockets' new downtown arena, which opens next season. "My image at the new stadium - I think that is the ultimate," Olajuwon said. "That is something you can't express your appreciation for, and your grati- tude." The Rockets won their first NBA title in Alexan- der's first season as Rockets owner. "I had the greatest player in the universe on my team; you can't get any better than that," Alexander said. "Without Hakeem, that (title) would have been impossible. Without him, there would be no Clutch City." Houston was denigrated as "Choke City" when they fell behind Phoenix in the Western Conference semifinals in 1994. They made a dramatic rally to win that series, and went on to beat the New York Knicks in a seven-game Finals. "He's the greatest player in Houston history," Alexander said. "If you had Hakeem on your team, you knew that you were going to win. He's the best all-around center to play the game." Olajuwon averaged 21.8 points and 11.1 rebounds during his career, but he decided to retire after a disap- pointing final season with Toronto, in which his pro- duction slipped to 7.1 points and six rebounds. One of Olajuwon's finest moments came during the 1995 Western Conference finals against the San Anto- nio Spurs and their center, David Robinson. It's still a painful memory for Robinson. "I was in my prime defensively, and I felt I could do a good job, but I really didn't," Robinson said. "I did- n't stop him very well, and that was really disappoint- ing for me. I remember sitting there in Game 6 and being really disappointed that I wasn't able to stop him. He just controlled the series." AP PHOTO Hakeem Olajuwon waved goodbye to Houston Rockets fans Saturday night as he officially announced his retirement. Houston's new center, 7-foot-6 Yao Ming, was a quiet observer of Olajuwon's retirement celebration. He's known of Olajuwon since he was a teenager in China. The two players met briefly in the hallway at halftime. "I've seen him for a long time, and I've learned a lot of things from watching him," Yao said. "I knew this day would come, and I'm sorry that it has. I hope he can come to Houston and become a coach and teach me more." Olajuwon, 39, has real estate interests in Houston. He said he'd be occasionally visiting the Rockets t see how his old teammates were getting along. . Williams picks up first triple-double CHICAGO (AP) - An hour before Saturday night's game, Chicago Bulls coach Bill Cartwright called Jay Williams into his office and shut the door. His rookie point guard had been struggling the last few games, worry- ing so much about creating shots for, everyone else that he was forgetting the game that got him here. "He said, 'I just want you to play,"' Williams said. He definitely got the message. In his best NBA game yet, the No. 2 pick of the draft had a triple-double and made a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left to seal the Chicago Bulls' 100-93 victory over the New Jersey Nets. "Lately it was hard. I was trying to be the team orchestrator," said Williams, who got the game ball. "(The talk) kind of took a big burden off my chest. I just went out and played." He finished with 26 points, 13 assists and 14 rebounds, Chicago's first triple-double since Michael Jordan had one in April 1997. Jalen Rose also had 26 for the Bulls, who snapped a four- game losing streak. Beane denies GM position for Red Sox OAKLAND (AP) - Boston will not be Beanetown. Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane with- drew from consideration for the same job with the Red Sox yesterday night, ending a whirlwind weekend in which he was widely expected to leave. O'Neal likely to miss scheduled return EL SEGUNDO, Calif. - All indi- cations are that Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal will not return to action tomorrow night. O'Neal has been on the injured list all season recovering from right toe surgery. The Lakers had pinpointed yes- terday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center as the game O'Neal would play. But after practic- ing yesterday at the O'Neal Lakers' Health South practice facili- ty, it didn't sound as if O'Neal would be able to suit up. "Right now, I don't think that he's in a position where he feels comfort- able enough to play," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. O'Neal and his doctors said he might be able to play eight weeks after the surgery nine weeks ago on Sept. 11. Jackson said O'Neal still is feeling pain in the bottom of the right foot. "I still think he has some ques- tions about dealing with that," Jack- son said. O'Neal didn't talk after practice yesterday. But he did work out with his teammates until Jackson pulled him out. Jackson said he didn't want to push O'Neal in practice. When O'Neal does return to play, he will play just 30 minutes per game until he gets into shape, Jackson said. "I think it's a matter of testing out what he can possibly do," he said. "It's just getting comfortable and starting to feel like he can start to move with that freedom that he wants to be able to move with." O'Neal's teammates don't want to rush him back. "We have an understanding that it's up to Shaquille to determine when he's ready," said Rick Fox, who played in his first game of the sea- son Friday night after missing the first six serving a suspension for fighting. "So we have to prepare ourselves like we've prepared ourselves for the last seven games, which was go on without him," said Fox. "If he wants to put on a uniform, it would be a pleasant surprise. But right now, more importantly, we can't think of him as being here because we've heard nothing along the lines as a return." When the Lakers lost their first two games of the season, O'Neal asked Jackson if he wanted him to come back earlier. Jackson.told him not to rush to return to the game. The Lakers just finished an 0-3 road trip, losing to Cleveland, Boston and Washington. "Basically my message to Shaquille has been, don't come back just because we're 2-5," said Jack- son. "That's not reason enough to come back. When you get back, come back when you think you're going to be healthy. We want you back entirely when you come back. It's not going to do us any good to have him for two games, or some- thing, and then he's going to have to go back and regroup again to get himself ready. So when he's ready to come back, he'll tell us then." "He left a very attractive offer on the table," A's spokesman Jim Young said. "He felt he belonged in Oakland and obviously we couldn't be happier." The A's scheduled a news confer- ence for Monday morning to discuss Beane's reasoning for remaining with the small-market team he has built into a perennial playoff contender. Earlier yesterday, a baseball source had told The Associated Press the deal was all but done, saying Beane had agreed to become Boston's GM pro- vided the teams could settle on com- pensation. Beane received a three-year contract extension with the A's earlier this year that takes him through 2008, and Oak- land would have expected extensive compensation for releasing him from the deal. The AL West champion A's already let manager Art Howe leave for the New York Mets without compensation this offseason. Howe was replaced by former bench coach Ken Macha, who was pleased to hear Beane will still be his boss. "He's a very hot commodity and very well respected," Macha said yes- terday night from his Pittsburgh-area home. "He does a great job as general manager and I think as long as he's at peace with what he's doing, it's good for the Oakland A's. "The things he's done out in Oak- land have drawn attention to him. He deserves a lot of the credit for every- thing that happens there. I look for- ward to working with him." Tax troubles plaguing ex-Giants manager SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Former San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker owes more than $1 million in back taxes and penalties due to sbme bad investments he made in the early 1980s. Baker's Oakland-based tax attorney, Karen Hawkins, told The Associated Press on Friday night that Baker invested in four tax shelters on the advice of his brother. The tax writeoffs he received from the shelters were disallowed in 1981 and 1982. The tax liabilities are under $400,000, but with interest over the years what he owes has reached more than $1 million, she said without giv- ing an exact figure. Hawkins said the situation with the Internal Revenue Service would be resolved by the end of this year. ESPN first reported Baker's tax problems on Friday. 6M(NOTES U.S. Rowing honors Michigan graduate Michigan graduate Kate MacKenzie was named US. Rowing's 2002 Female Athlte of the Year. Mackenzie helped the vomen's eight win the gold medal at the 2002 FISA World Rowing Cham- pionships in Seville, Spain, in Septem- ber. Mackenzie earned her first varsity letter for Michigan back in 1997 when she raced inMichinan's first arsitv boat DAMY SCOREBOARD NBA STANDINGS EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division NHL STANDINGS Orlando New Jersey Philadelphia Boston Washington Miami New York W 5 5 4 4 4 1 1 Pct .833 .714 .667 .667 .571 .200 .167 Pct .833 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division GB W L Philadelphia 9 3 5 Pittsburgh 7 4 . New Jersey 8 4 N.Y. Rangers 6 9 1 N.Y.Islanders 4 9 1.5 NFL STANDINGS AMERICAN CONFERENCE East W L Miami 5 3 Buffalo 5 4 New England 4 4 N.Y. Jets 3 5 3.5 Northeast Division 4 W Boston 8 Montreal 6 Ottawa 5 GB Toronto 4 - Buffalo 3 Central Division Indiana New Orleans Detroit Milwuakee Atlanta Chicago Toronto Cleveland WESTERN CONFERENCE MidwestDivision Dallas San Antonio Houston Minnesota Denver Utah Memphis Pacific Division Seattle Sacramento Phoenix Portland L.A. Lakers L.A. Clippers Golden State .800 .5 .714 .5 .500 2 .500 2 .429 2.5 .333 3 .286 3.5 Pct GB 1.000- .667 2 .600 2.5 .571 2.5 .333 4 .333 4 .000 6.5 Southeast Division W Tampa Bay 8 Carolina 7 Washington 8 Florida 6 Atlanta 2 L 2 4 6 9 8 L 4 4 6 6 9 South Indianapolis Tennessee Jacksonville Houston North Pittsburgh Cleveland Baltimore Cincinnati West Denver San Diego KansasCity Oakland W 4 4 3 2 W 5 4 3 1 W 6 6 4 4 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division W L St. Louis 10 2 Chicago 8 5 Detroit 7 5 Columbus 7 5 Nashville 1 6 NATIONAL CONFERENCE East PF 200 248 206 160 PF 160 183 164 107 PF 192 205 139 113 PF 207 186 259 226 PF 221 113 155 115 PF 203 256 187 111 PF 227 158 152 186 PF 203 150 166 145 PA 167 269 165 206 PA 167 212 157 214 PA 160 195 162 214 PA 170 163 240 188 PA 118 132 191, 155 PA 109 209 136 117 PA 164 220 199 230 PA 164 158 172 180 Northwest Division W Minnesota 10 Vancouver 6 Calgary 5 Colorado 4 Edmonton 4 L 3 5 4 3 6 Pct .714 .571 .500 .429 .286 .200 .143 GB 1 1.5 2 3 3 6 Pacific Division W L Dallas 8 3 Los Angeles 7 5 Phoenix 6 8 Anaheim 5 6 San Jose 5 7 NHL GAMES Philadelphia N.Y. Giants Washington Dallas South Tampa Bay New Orleans Atlanta Carolina North Green Bay Detroit Chicago Minnesota West San Francisco Arizona St. Louis Seattle W L T 7 2 0 6 2 0 5 3 0 3 5 0 W L T 7 1 0 3 5 0 2 6 0 2 6 0 W 6 4 4 3 NBA GAMES Yesterday's games New Orleans 97, New York 91 Sacramento 105, Atlanta 97 Yesterday's games NY Islanders 3, Dallas 2 Minnesota 1, Anaheim 0 Nashville 4, Colorado 3 W 6 4 3 2 L 2 4 5 6 T 0 0 0 0 I I >r: ACaDUlIiC0...-..f IV F :t:~ i rl