Wednesday September 8, 2004 sports. michigandaily. com sports@michigandaily.com SPe £&i y r a i PORTS 15 . . . . . .... .............................. . . . . . . . . . .. . . ....... . .. ........................ ..... . . . . ....... . .... ......................... . . . ................... . ................. . .... .. --- . . . . . ....... . ...................... -- - . Blue refuses to take Notre D49 Dame lightly By Sharad Mattu Daily Sports Editor Even though Michigan avenged its 2002 loss to the Fighting Irish last season, the memory of the 25-23 heart-breaker at Notre Dame Stadium still stands out in Braylon Edwards' mind. "It's one thing to hear about tradition on TV, but it's another thing to be a part of it," Edwards said. "It hurt me that we lost, but going into the locker room and seeing grown men crying - it touches you and forces you to believe that this rivalry is something special. "You will win games against Notre Dame, Ohio State or Michigan State, but the games you lose you will never forget. Even though we won last year, that game two years ago is still in my mind." Last season, Michigan used a pair of losses from the previous year - to bitter rivals Notre Dame and Ohio State - for extra motivation. The Wol- verines got their revenge on both teams, and now are out to make sure those two teams don't return the favor. That's why, even though Notre Dame struggled mightily in a loss at BYU last Saturday, the Wol- verines maintain that the Irish are still a team to fear, particularly on the road in South Bend. "We were mad (two years ago), just like Notre Dame is going to be when we go down there," Michigan receiver Jason Avant said. "We felt like we threw the game away. They played a good game, but we were pumped up and thought about it the whole summer after. We came out and performed last season, and I'm sure Notre Dame is going to do the same this upcoming week." Avant even called it "an honor" to play Notre Dame, and his teammates agreed. "It's a special feeling, because this is such a great game between the two teams," offensive lineman Poker and Pistons top my list ofpet peeves HYAN WEINER/ Daily Senior Braylon Edwards is confident that freshman quarterback Chad Henne will be able to handle the road. David Baas said. "It's overwhelming almost. You have to be calm and level-headed when you go in there in order to not get over-excited." Composure will be especially important consid- ering the likelihood that true freshman Chad Henne - who is suddenly Michigan's most experienced quarterback and has been moved up to No. 1 on the depth chart - will start again on Saturday. Michigan coach Lloyd Carr did not know Gutier- rez's status on Monday morning, but seemed to hint that the job is now Henne's. "You're always competing," Carr said. "As an injured player, you face the challenge that when you're not there, somebody is practicing and play- ing in your stead. And so, you know, you have to make determinations as a coach." Edwards and Carr both praised Henne for his presence in the huddle and quick mastery of the playbook, and both believe that the raucous atmo- sphere won't rattle him like it would most freshman quarterbacks. "It's going to be a change to go on the road and play in their stadium, with the tradition and the atmosphere," Edwards said. "Playing here, it's kind of the same situation - the only difference is that he's going to have 90,000 or 100,000 people chant- ing the other direction. "Once he gets a series under his belt and gets a chance to play in that atmosphere for a couple plays, I believe he'll be OK." DANIEL BREMMER Garden State of Mind s Mase put it best (over and over again) at last weekend's MTV Video Music Awards, "Wel- come Back." Being back on campus is a nice change for me, especially following one of the longest sports-related summers of recent memory. I'm still a little bitter, so you'll have to bear with me. It began in May, with the highs and lows of the NBA playoffs - my beloved New Jersey Nets against the overwhelm- ingly boring Detroit Pistons. The Nets go down 0-2. It's a low point, but I've still got faith. The Nets reel off three straight, capped off by a 127-120 overtime-thrill- er at the Palace. I'm higher than Ricky Williams at a Snoop concert. Next, the Nets go back home and lose the potential series-clinching Game 6. Back down to where I started, and los- ing faith. To end it all, the Nets pull a disap- pearing act in Game 7 that would make David Copperfield proud, and play themselves out of the playoffs. Coinci- dentally, the same night that the Pistons knocked the Nets out happened to be the same night that a dozen or so of my friends from school (Pistons fans) decided to call me after the game, just to say hello. Go figure. A few weeks later I find out that Ken- yon Martin has been traded and is head- ing west to join the Denver Nuggets. Words can't describe my anger. So for me, as far as sports are con- cerned, it hasn't been a good summer. I've tried my best to keep my head up while watching the Nets crash and burn, but it hasn't been easy. Maybe that's why my view of other sporting headlines of the past several weeks is a little tainted. But nonetheless, here are a collection of my thoughts - some recent, and some not-so-recent: The World Series of Poker officially takes over ESPN primetime. I hate this thing more than staying in class the entire time on the first day of school. I don't know what's worse - watching the World Series itself, or watching that damn countdown-to-the- "main-event" timer that has nested its way onto the bottom line on ESPN. I'll admit it - I liked watching the World Series last year, when it made its debut. ESPN aired the whole tournament in a quick seven episodes. But this year, I had to suffer through weeks of ridicu- lous tune-up Hold 'Em tournaments, just to get to the first round of the "Main Event." And just when I thought this couldn't get any worse, I turn on the TV to see other variations like stud poker and Omaha. What's Next? Go Fish? Another thing: Why the hell does ESPN air this thing three months after it is played in Vegas? Are they hoping that you'll watch MSNBC or flip through News- week one day in the meantime and have the winner spoiled for you? What's next? ABC airs the Super Bowl in April and expects you not to figure out the winner in the meantime? And just for the record, when did poker even become a sport? Dikembe Mutombo was traded to the Houston Rockets. Most shocking part of this news? Not that the Bulls center and giant string- bean was traded, but more so that he's still in the NBA at all. Have you seen Mutombo lately? This guy looks like he can barely stand up on his own, let alone run down the court. He's skinnier than an Olsen twin, old enough to apply for an AARP card and his shot-blocking ability is going downhill faster than a J. Lo wedding. One bright note comes from this trade: Mutombo can now serve as a mentor to Houston big man Yao Ming. Can you imagine a conversation between these two? Hopefully Yao's translator can convert deep-voiced, bro- ken English into Chinese. (Insert hid- eous Mutombo impression here). Michigan starts true-freshman Chad Henne at quarterback and knocks off Miami (Ohio). Henne looked good, especially considering the circumstances, and will most likely start again at Notre Dame on Saturday. If Henne continues playing well, he could conceivably be a four-year starter at quarterback, especially if Matt Gutierrez's arm doesn't get well soon. The best part about Henne is where he's from - Wyomissing, Pa. After plucking Marlin Jackson, Steve Breaston and now Henne from the great land of the Nittany Lions, it's safe to say Lloyd owns JoePa for at least a few years now. Make sure you tell your friends from Penn State. Tiger Woods loses his No. 1 rank- ing to Vijay Singh after finishing second at the Deutsche Bank Cham- pionship this weekend. First of all, how on earth was Tiger still number one after a year and a half of not playing well? Sure, he's played better recently - finishing in the top 10 in eight of his last 10 outings. But before that, the guy only finished in the top 10 twice in his last two years of majors, and he consistently struggled for multiple stretches over that time period. The only thing Tiger deserved to be No. 1 in is needless SportsCenter coverage (a category also dominated by the Lakers, Yankees, Cowboys, and even ESPN itself - have you seen this 25'h anniversary crap?). Whatever. Now that Tiger has dropped into No. 2, everyone can continue not to care about professional golf. That's all I've got for now. Have fun watching the World Series of Poker. - Daniel Bremmer can be reached at bremmerd@umich.edu. If you are a Pistons fan, don't even bother. Walter continues to strive for success By Katie Niemeyer Daily Sports Writer Armed with the memory of victory and the desire to win, 2003 Big Ten champion junior Rebecca Walter hopes to lead the Michigan women's cross country team to a repeat of last year's Big Ten title and a top-three finish nationally. The new Wolverine captain is no stranger to leading the way for her teammates. "Rebecca has been the stalwart in our lineup for two years," Michigan coach Mike McGuire said. "She was the top runner in the champion- ship part of the season her freshman year and her entire sophomore year. She's where we get things started," Walter has already made some lofty achieve- ments. She has been named to the All-Big Ten First Team two years running and was an NCAA All-American as a sophomore. Even after win- ning the Big Ten individual title with a time of 20:40.5, almost nine seconds ahead of the next competitor, Walter has continued to push herself. "I'm competitive by nature," Walter said. "I don't like to see a task unfinished. I'm driven by the result of doing well at something. Any runner can understand and even people that don't run can understand, that when you are successful at something, it's rewarding." McGuire believes that Walter will transition well into her new role as captain. Not only is she a tremendous competitor who continues to improve, but she also has the interest of her team at heart. "She's an elite-level athlete, but she can relate to people moving up through the ranks," McGuire said. "She's good with the freshmen, looking out for them, and (because of her) the returning athletes aspire to higher levels. Their best measuring stick is Rebecca because she has reached such a high level." Walter is serious about being one of the team's captains. She believes that her new responsibilities this season include more than just running her own race. "Katie Irvine and I want to lead by example by how we do in races," Walter said. "And we want to keep the team close together. We want a positive attitude this season." McGuire, who shows only praise for Walter, is more than happy with the example Walter sets for the younger athletes. "She's extremely coachable, motivated, goal- oriented," McGuire said. "She has the interest of the team at heart, and she's a tremendous competitor. She's got the whole package. She made a good transition between high school and college. She was good in high school, but even better in college, and she continues to get better." With the loss of only two seniors from last year's squad, both McGuire and Walter expect the team to do well this season, and Walter will play an instrumental role in any team success this year. ASHLEY HARPER/Daily Rebecca Walter has excelled as Michigan's captain. 0 WOMEN'S SOCCER Wolverines find defense leads to offense By Qabriela D'Jaen Daily Sports Writer When modest and reserved freshman Melissa Dobbyn steps onto the field, her demeanor changes drastically. Scoring the first goal of the season for the Michigan women's soccer team, Dobbyn has displayed exceptional offensive ability. Junior Therese Hea- ton and Dobbyn have scored three goals each this season, but with an additional assist, Dobbyn leads the team in overall points. Even though she has a lot to brag about, the freshman is not focused on statistics and believes she can improve her game significantly. "Scoring always helps," Dobbyn said. "But what is important is not los- ing the ball, helping your teammates out and making sure you are playing good balls." In the Wolverines' recent matchup against Kentucky, Dobbyn scored the game-winning header during overtime. Michigan coach Debbie Rademacher is quick to praise Dobbyn and her apti- tude for scoring. "I knew she was going to be a big tal- ent," Rademacher said. "She has a knack for scoring. She's dangerous anytime she gets around the goal." As the season progresses, Rademach- er knows that opponents will take notice of Dobbyn, especially those in the Big Ten. Rademacher believes Dobbyn will find herself marked up quite heavily and will have to work on honing her defen- sive skills. "The coach and I talk about my defensive shape as a forward a lot," Dob- byn said. "It was hard in the beginning because everything is a much faster pace, but I'm starting to get used to it, and I feel like I click now." Rademacher explained that the for- wards are expected to help with defense. This often proves to be an obstacle for the new members on the team, since most forwards are usually focused solely on the attacking aspect of the game. This "all-for-the-team" attitude extends beyond defensive tactics. Rademacher chooses not to focus in on the freshman, but rather view all the players together as a team. "Whoever is going to help us win games is all that matters," Rademacher said. "Whether they are a freshman or a senior, either way - it's great." The Wolverines will have two oppor- tunities this weekend to demonstrate their success as a team. They will be hosting the Michigan Classic at the Var- sity Soccer Field from Friday through Sunday, where they will face Syracuse and Boston University. Although Michigan has not played either team, Rademacher anticipates two tough games based on the strength of the Big East Conference. "It should be a totally new experience, but we are at home and are looking to come out with two wins at the end of the weekend," Rademacher said. With injuries sidelining sophomore defenders Lindsey Cottrell and Katelin Spencer, the team will lose two impor- tant starters. Dobbyn and the rest of the team will have the opportunity to follow Rademacher's mantra - team defense begins with the forwards and does not rest on the shoulders of the defenders. Tiger Woods, left, lost his No. 1 world ranking to Vijay Singh on Sunday. New Laser Research For The Treatment of Acne r If you have moderate to severe acne you may qualify for a research study involving new laser technology at the University of Michigan Department of Dermatology. ,.- You may also receive up to $340 for your participation. The Michigan HeadoPain & Neurological Institute is seeking individuals 18 years of age and older to participate in a research trial evaluating an investigational medication for early treatment of migraine. If you (or someone you know) experience an average of 1 to 4 headaches per month and are in good physical health, you may qualify.