Tuesday
April 6, 2004
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SPORTS

10


Tognetti adjusts to
life in middle relief

Fantasy
Baseball
keeps fans
in game

By Gab. Edelson
Daily Sports Writer
Middle relief pitchers don't usually
get much attention. After all, it is the
starter who picks up the win or loss
and the closer who gets the save.
But, while it's easy to recognize
starters for their heavy workloads and
endurance or closers for their ability to
keep a team alive in the waning
moments, the middle reliever - the
pitcher who bridges the gap between
the two - is just as instrumental to a
team's success.
"Having somebody in the middle to
hold down the fort is huge," Maloney
said. "We've got some outstanding
relief pitching."
Michigan's middle relief is all the
more critical because of its ability to
help the team come from behind. After
falling behind 5-0 to Minnesota in the
first inning on Sunday, the Wolverines
cobbled together 11 runs in the middle
three innings, taking the lead in the
sixth inning of their 12-10 victory.
Strong pitching in the intermediate
innings was essential. Michigan batters
needed the comfort of knowing that
the deficit would not balloon to an
insurmountable level.
Enter Phil Tognetti, who leads
Michigan in game appearances with
11. The junior, who owns the team's

fifth-best ERA at 4.82, has been reli-
able out of the bullpen.
"Phil's the kind of guy who doesn't
say a whole lot," Maloney said. "He
just gets the job done. He works
extremely hard and is very focused on
what his duty is."
Tognetti's philosophy is simple: He
leads by example.
"You can't really say a- whole lot
unless you do a whole lot," Tognetti
said. "It's not about talking. It's about
showing what you've got."
Tognetti was not always a reliever.
The Newhall, Ca., native - who made
10 starts last season and had a rotation-
low 3.76 ERA - has selflessly wel-
comed his change in responsibility this
season.
"(Maloney) puts me in a role," he
said. "I just try and get us back in the
dugout so we can hit. I try and do
whatever coach asks me to do. I've
adapted really well to (the move). As
long as we keep winning, I'm com-
pletely satisfied."
After two years of coaching
Tognetti, Maloney knows exactly what
to expect when he calls on No. 21 to
begin warming up.
"He's going to throw strikes," Mal-
oney said. "He throws three or four
pitches for strikes. He doesn't throw
very hard, but he's very effective."
Tognetti acknowledges he has room

NAWEED SIKORA
Blowin' Smoke

DANNY MOLOSHOK/Daily
Phil Tognetti not only changed his position on the pitching staff, the junior also changed his number. Tognetti now wears
No. 21 when he takes the mound in middle relief.

for improvement. Specifically, he
hopes to decrease his walks and
improve his ability to paint the corners
of the strike zone with his fastball and
his off-speed repertoire.
"That's how I'm going to be effec-
tive," Tognetti said.
In the meantime, Maloney appreci-

ates the intangible benefits a seasoned
veteran like Tognetti brings to the
team. The coach values the "calming
influence" the reliever has on his
younger teammates, and Tognetti
knows it is important to set a precedent
for the more inexperienced players.
"I think we've got a great group of

younger guys," Tognetti said. "We just
have to show them how it's done the
Michigan way. It's blue-collar, like
coach (Maloney) says all the time. We
just have to go out there and work."
If Tognetti's peers follow his lead,
putting in the work will not be a
problem.

Ti 0 1 11,SS
obstacles for Olds
By Anne Ulble
Daily Sports Writer
Every athlete knows about obstacles ranging from team
issues to time management. But few must deal with an
obstacle that affects their health on a daily basis. Senior
first baseman Jennifer Olds does.
Olds has worked her way up the ranks of the Michigan
softball team in the face of adversity and disease to lead
the team in batting average (.338). After transferring to
Michigan from a junior college last year, Olds has made a
name for herself in the maize and blue tradition.
Although Olds lived and attended high school in North
Palm Beach, Fla., she is originally from Lansing, where
most of her extended family still likes. Starting at the age
of 15, Olds annually made the trek "up north" to play
softball for the Lansing Crown Club while staying with
her relatives. After three years of playing on the team,
Olds formed a solid relationship with coach Bob Every,
who also headed up the Lansing Community College
softball team. Between her junior and senior years of
high school, Every offered Olds a scholarship for the
two-year institution.
"I was being recruited by top Division I schools," Olds
said. "But I didn't know what I wanted to do, so (Lansing)
was the best choice at the time. I wanted to get away from
home, but I still wanted to be able to be around family. I
knew I would be happy there, so it was a great decision."
Olds's career at Lansing was paved with impressive
accomplishments, including being named the Division II
NJCAA World Series MVP when she was a sophomore,
after leading her team to the Division II national title. Olds
also led the nation with 30 home runs while compiling a
.513 batting average, 85 RBI and 16 doubles in 56 games.
Although Olds achieved greatness within the Lansing pro-
gram, it didn't have the intensity of the Division I team.
"We didn't do any conditioning or weight training," Olds
said. "It sort of had the feeling of a summer league team,
but just with more competition."
Michigan coach Carol Hutchins received news from her
father, who lives in Lansing and attends all of the school's
softball games, of Olds's abilities.
"He asked me if I had seen this girl from Lansing play,"
Hutchins said. "He told me that she was an incredible
player, so I went to watch her play."
Hutchins was impressed by what she saw and offered
Olds a position on the Michigan squad for her final two
years of eligibility. When Olds joined the team she had a
tough time adjusting to the demands and conditioning regi-
men of the program. She also was in an unusual position
of joining the team as a junior. While she wasn't technical-
ly a freshman, she was often grouped together with the
first-year players because she was new to the team.
"I had to prove myself all over again," Olds said. "It was
hard to adjust because I was confused why I was being
treated like a freshman. I had been on my own for two

M WOMEN'S GOLF
Freshman duo fills vital
role in starting lineup

By Seth Gordon
Daily Sports Writer

Jennifer Olds has adjusted well coming to Michigan from
Lansing Community College after her sophomore year.
years already, and I had had more experience than all
them."
Hutchins recognized the adversity that Olds was going
through and was impressed with her composure.
"Olds was one of the best players in the country at her
level," Hutchins said. "But here she had no status. She had
to make her mark in a new system. I am so proud of the
way she handled herself."
On top of managing the adversity within the program
and the toughness of the training, Olds also deals with the
difficulty of being a diabetic. Checking her blood sugar
levels during practice and games has become a constant
battle.
"I try my best not to let it interfere with my playing, but
sometimes I just have to sit out for a while," Olds said.
"More exercise lowers my blood sugar, so I have to always
have candy and insulin nearby."
Hutchins has never had a diabetic player on her squad,
so over the course of these two years, she has become very
educated on the disease.
"She is incredibly responsible about her situation,"
Hutchins said. "Most competitive athletes aren't willing to
come out of games or practice when they are obviously
hurting themselves. She knows what she needs."
While Olds is the only Michigan softball player with
diabetes, there are a few other Michigan athletes that deal
with the disease. On a monthly basis, she and the other
athletes meet and discuss their situations with one another.
"It's nice having a support group," Olds said. "It's a seri-
ous disease that many people don't know much about."
With graduation on the horizon and the thought of her
final softball season becoming a reality with each passing
game, Olds is bittersweet about leaving Michigan.
"This year, it feels like I've been here for four years,"
Olds said. "I've learned that tradition is the most important
aspect of the team and school. I'll be sad to leave, but I'll
be ready. I know I have a future in front of me and I'm
ready for the next step of my life."

The Michigan women's golf team is
in the midst of a youth movement.
Following the highly successful
2001-2002 season - which saw five
graduating seniors guide the Wolver-
ines to a school-record six tourna-
ment titles - coach Kathy Teichert
has looked to incoming freshmen to
fill the void. Last year, freshmen
Amy Schmucker, Brandi Zielinski
and Kelly Easton stepped in. This
year true freshmen Brianna Broder-
ick and Ali Stinson have been key
contributors.
Entering this season, the lineup was
led by junior captain Laura Olin - the
only freshman to contribute to the sen-
ior-dominated team that entered 2001
with a cumulative total of 23 varsity
letters, 16 more than this year's team
- along with last year's trio of fresh-
men. There were two remaining spots
for Broderick and Stinson.
Coming to Michigan, these two
freshmen knew they had the opportuni-
ty to compete for spots in the lineup
and contribute immediately.
"Coach (Teichert) expected us to
have a big impact because we did lose
a lot of seniors a couple of years ago,"
Stinson said.
But how big of an impact could two
freshmen have?
"We were recruited by coach
Teichert because we could play," Brod-
erick said. "But, we have been told
before that we weren't expected to
come out and shoot lights out."
Despite high expectations coming in
from their coach, both of these young
golfers have expectations of their own,

and how they approach their first year
of college golf has set them apart.
Broderick is motivated by a clear set of
goals, and one of those goals is to fin-
ish the year with a scoring average
below 80. With two tournaments left in
the season, her current average of
79.69 puts her goal within reach.
On the other hand, Stinson is less
concerned about her numbers and
more about improving her game in
general.
"I want to see myself improve
throughout the year," she said. "I know
that my scores have improved from the
fall to the spring."
Despite a difference in attitude, the
results have been similar. Stinson is
set to enter the Michigan record
books, right behind Broderick, as the
fourth and fifth freshman to average
less than 80. Stinson's season average
is slightly behind her teammate's at
79.76.
As a team, Michigan is sitting on the
bubble for an invitation to the Central
Regional of the NCAA Tournament. The
Wolverines have just two tournaments
left in which to impress the NCAA
selection committee. The Central
Regional committee will take 22 teams.
Teichert will need bigger contributions
from her freshmen in order to improve
and secure a bid to the NCAAs.
"Bri has picked it up this spring,"
Teichert said. "Ali has been very con-
sistent, but for us to be successful, they
both need to step it up another notch."
Broderick and Stinson will spend
every day of the next two weeks
practicing in preparation for their
next event, the Lady Boilermaker
Invitational, played on April 17 and
18th.

pening Day. It is truly a day of
eternal hope. This is by far my
favorite part of the baseball
season because no matter how bad
your team is now, or how bad it will
turn out to be, each team is even at
this point. Everyone has an equal shot
based on record, and that means every
fan has something to get excited
about. It is a great feeling.
Unfortunately for most of us, this
feeling of hope won't last long.
Before we know it, our teams (mine
being the Dodgers) will have stum-
bled out of the gate and will be head-
ed for another season of October-less
baseball - another reason why I love
the spring part of the season so much.
But there is one way to maintain
interest in the sport even if your team
throws in the towel by the All-Star
game: Fantasy Baseball.
For those of you who refuse to pay
attention to anything other than your
real-life favorite squad, you might as
well stop reading because playing in a
fantasy league is about more than just
your hometown favorites. Here are
five reasons Fantasy Baseball is one
of the best things about watching the
boys of summer.
1. It gives you a reason to flip on
ESPN's Baseball Tonight even if your
team's season is effectively over. By
picking players from several teams, it
doesn't matter how well your team is
doing - you'll be cheering for spe-
cific players whom you never thought
you would care about. I never thought
I would be so excited when Boston's
Johnny Damon picked up an RBI on
a ground out late in Sunday night's
loss to Baltimore, but he's on my
team, and it could make a big differ-
ence for me.
2. You get a chance to play man-
ager. If you're like me, I feel bad for
you because your favorite team must
be pretty bad. But you probably
spend hours thinking about why
your team decided to acquire Mr. X,
when it could have had Mr. Y -
especially if your team makes a lot
of bad decisions. But with fantasy,
you're in charge. You decide who is
on your team, and you decide how
long to keep him. It's actually a very
satisfying feeling to make a trade
and see it pan out for the better. I
haven't experienced this feeling yet,
but I hope to soon.
3. It gives you a chance to get
excited over meaningless games at
meaningless points of the season. The
only people who cared about the Col-
orado Rockies 115 games into the
2003 season were the diehard Rock-
ies fans, teams that wanted to beat
them to make it to the playoffs and
the fantasy baseball managers who
had Todd Helton on their squad. Even
though his home runs didn't mean
much in real life for the tear, they
meant a lot to a fantasy own who
was trying to win his or her league.
4. Strong internal conflict. There's
nothing more agonizing then a situa-
tion where a pitcher on your team has
to pitch against a hitter on your team.
Obviously, they both can't succeed in
that situation, so it leaves fantasy
owners pondering about what sce-
nario would hurt them the least over-
all. Unlike good trades, this is
something that I have had a lot of
experience with.
5. It gives you the chance to keep
in touch with those good old college
buddies. This especially goes for you
seniors out there. I'm moving home
after college, back to watch my pre-
cious Dodgers try to somehow put
runs on the board. Not many of my
friends are moving out there with me,
but I know that since we're in the
same league, we'll always have some-
thing to cheer. argue or bargain about.

0

40

a

UConn takes title in
lackluster final game

The Michigandaily. com/Papa John's Bracket Challenge

The Michigan Daily congratulates
Dan Longpre, winner of the 2004
Michigandaily.com/Papa John's Brack-
et Challenge. An industrial engineer-
ing junior from Canton, Long pre
1y1e _- - - - - - -

Better Ingredients.
Better Pizza.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) - The Con-
necticut Huskies really do have it all:
the All-America center, the flashy
guards, the coach who gets everything
right, and now a national title, which
they won with ease.
Led by 24 points from Emeka Okafor
and 21 from Ben Gordon, the Huskies
outclassed Georgia Tech 82-73 last
night to win the championship many
predicted they'd get from the very start
of the season.
They looked like champions from
beginning to end, running when they
wanted, controlling the middle at other
times, grabbing just about every loose
hall andmainga theYelloiJ Tackets loo

Knight as the only active coaches with
multiple titles.
Today, tiny Storrs, Conn. - the
home of the Huskies - could become
the undisputed capital of the basketball
universe. The women's team takes on
Tennessee in the title game in New
Orleans, and with a win, Connecticut
would become the first school to sweep
both championships.
Some say the Huskies' success starts
with Okafor, the All-American, who
recorded his 24th double-double of the
season and overcame injuries that both-
ered him all year. Prowling the lane on
both ends, using his lanky 6-foot-10
frame to alter dozens of shots he domi-