The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - December 6, 2004 - 3B Say it ain't so Barry Plea se. GENNARO FICE The SportsMonday Column I f you look closely at my photo directly above, you can see that my hat features the silhou- etted batter representative of major league baseball. On the other side of that cap - my daily headwear of choice for the past three years - lies an orange, intertwined "SF" representative of my favorite profes- sional sports team. Ever since the summer of 2000 - when I had season tickets in the right field "Splash Landing" bleach- ers of brand-new Pac Bell Park (these were the good old days, when this San Francisco ballfield's name just rolled off your tongue) - the Giants have held a place in my heart that I thought was reserved for only NHL '94 (the Genesis classic) or a fresh pepperoni-and-black-olive pizza. So after the San Francisco Chroni- cle broke the story that claimed Barry Bonds admitted to a grand jury that he unknowingly took steroids, my friends were convinced that I would have to be under suicide watch for a few weeks. But, I quickly convinced them that they didn't have to seize my belt and shoelaces. While the Chron- icle's scoop created a national media frenzy (something so big, it managed to finally bring an end to TV's over- cooked "basketbrawl" coverage), I knew that this breaking story hadn't really changed anything, for Bonds or for myself. Barry, I'm sticking with you. This admission of steroid use has ;many folks discussing the long-term implications for Bonds. One of the ,big questions that talking heads continue to debate is whether this confession will cause Bonds's name to feature an asterisk in the record books. But in my judgment, the name ;already held an asterisk mystique long before this story. Although Bonds is innocent of intentional steroid usage by court- toom standards, he's been guilty in the court of public opinion for many years. Like his bulk, Bonds's steroid tumors have increased every year since he joined the Giants in 1993. Abram, Nrown out INJURIES Pontinued from page 1B for Graham at this time," Amaker said. Although Brown's time off the pourt is temporary, it comes at a telatively critical time for the Wol- Verines. He will miss several non- conference matchups at home and could potentially sit out of Michi- gan's Big Ten opener against Iowa. Brown has averaged 5.1 points and 4.1 rebounds during his career at Michigan. This team has not had to exten- sively deal with injuries in the past few years, with the exception of junior Chris Hunter's lingering, but not debilitating, knee trouble. Hunter missed three games last season after re-twisting his knee in a regular-season game against Penn State last season. CLUBSPORTsWEEKLY Netters build skills, friendships By Stella Binkevich and Alyssa Trotsky For the Daily For the 42 girls on the Michigan women's club tennis team, itsis the friendships and unity formed off the tennis court that has allowed their program to excel. Most teams hire coaches to take on the responsibility of teaching teamwork and technical skills. But lacking a coach, the team has successfully managed to take on the position as a collective unit. Weeks before the beginning of school, the seniors wrote e-mails to re-energize the team for the upcoming year. During the season, the team organized numerous events to create tight bonds. The squad played its annual game of whirly ball, attended concerts and a Tigers game and played intramural football as a team. So far this season, the social aspects of the team have had a positive influence. The team is ranked No. 1 in its league, and the girls have aspirations of maintaining that position. For many of the incoming freshman, these activities have been a great opportunity to meet new people. "Not knowing many people at first, the club tennis team has helped broaden my horizon and form a strong group of friends," freshman Jenna Mattefs said. As a result of all the social events, the eagerness to par- ticipate in matches has steadily increased. "Since matches are optional, no one is required to play every match," Julie Van Helden said. "As soon as we start- ed these social events, the team has been more eager to participate in matches. Last year, we had to beg people to play. But this year, we have to turn people away because we are too full." Team unity is also stressed through the structure of practices. Instead of playing singles matches, the team has started to center around doubles. "Doubles allow the team to have more fun and not be in such an intense atmosphere," senior Courtney Istre said. "It focuses more on communication and.team work, which helps bring the team closer. Also, doubles allow players not to be so uptight and play for the love of the sport." In order to continue the success of the team, fund- raising is essential. Istre, the head of fundraising, has planned many profitable events. During welcome week, the team was paid to help with freshman convocation. It holds ongoing bottle drives and, during the football sea- son, asks for donations before games. Each player also pays $30 monthly dues. Bonds's 2003 grand jury testimony was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle last week. Lions spoil Navarre 's opener But the grumblings vastly increased at the end of the 2001 season. At the age of 36, Bonds - who had never hit more than 49 home runs - belted a record-setting 73 four-baggers. While Mark McGwire's home run chase in 1998 was one of the most celebrated runs in sports history, Bonds received exponentially less attention when he set the mark three years later. And much of the minimal attention Bonds gathered was laced with a steroid buzz. Then, in Sep- tember 2003, federal investigators searched the home of Greg Anderson - Bonds's personal trainer - and raided BALCO Laboratories, taking financial and medical records. At this point in time, Bonds became guilty by association. The national public, which definitely had never embraced Bonds because of his arrogant antics, rallied around these accusations with an "I-told- you-so" mentality. The uproar caused by these federal inquiries was enough to mar Bonds's unbelievable career. Whether a star-shaped figure joins Bonds in the record book or not, one of the games greatest play- ers of all time contracted a lifelong stigma from the national standpoint after this September raid. Last week's story didn't have much affect on No. 25; nationally, Bonds was looked upon with a dis- graceful eye and pinned as a steroid user long before. I've supported Bonds the entire way. Dismiss me as a mindless homer if you'd like. But first, put yourself in my shoes. I'm a diehard Giants fan. So for me, every lazy summer day is defined by how the boys in black and orange fare. And if you haven't noticed in the last four years (during which Barry has won four of his record seven MVP awards), Bonds is the Giants. These eyes have never seen a player dominate a baseball game like Bonds. I've argued many times that Barry Bonds is the most dominant athlete of my era. (Yes, my era includes Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky.) So, if I were going to dismiss Bonds as a steroid user, and therefore root against him, I'd be rooting for my Giants to lose at least 120 games. And, while Bonds doesn't top my list of favorite athletes, I look back upon the time I've spent watching him with unparalleled joy. So, even with these new develop- ments, I'll continue to take the same approach toward Bonds that I've taken since the steroid rumors first surfaced. I must believe. I must believe that Barry wouldn't knowingly disgrace one of baseball's most prominent families. (His father, Bobby, was a three-time All-Star, and his godfather, Willie Mays, is argu- ably the greatest center fielder ever.) I must believe that, like he said in front of a grand jury in 2003 according to the Chronicle, Barry unknowingly took steroids for a short amount of time, and they didn't have an effect on him. I must believe that the player who I have always believed to be superhuman is not artificially ... well ... superhuman. I must believe that all of the Giants' accomplishments since 2000 (when I really began living and dying with the team's exploits) are completely pure. And this is nothing new to me. For Barry and me, last week's headlines didn't alter our livelihood too much. We've been dealing with this steroids issue for much longer than five days. So we'll both continue to deny his known steroid use, and I'll keep my belt and shoelaces. Gennaro Filice can be reached at gfilice@umich.edu. DETROIT (AP) - The Arizona Cardinals (4-8) lost their third straight game yesterday with their third quar- terback in four weeks. Rookie John Navarre, who hadn't taken a snap in the regular season, threw four interceptions and was 18-of-40 for 168 yards with a touchdown. Navarre, who jammed the ring finger on his throwing hand on Arizona's sec- ond series, said he tried to force plays that weren't there. "I've got to learn from it, take this film, study it and correct my mistakes and not repeat them," said Navarre, the seventh former Michigan cuarterback to start an NFL game over the past two decades. Navarre's bid for a win in his first career start was thwarted by another rookie. Detroit running back Kevin Jones ran for 196 yards and a touch- down to lead Detroit over Arizona 26-12 yesterday, ending the Lions' five- game losing streak and keeping their playoff hopes alive in the muddled and mediocre NFC. "We needed this real bad," Jones said. "If we lost, we had no chance for the playoffs." Jones fell one yard short of Mel Farr's rookie rushing record for the Lions - set in 1967 - but surpassed Sanders' best day as a rookie in 1989 by 12 yards. "I'm just trying to get 1,000 yards and get us in the playoffs," said Jones, who has 703 yards rushing this season. Jason Hanson was 4-for-4 on field goals and Dre' Bly had two intercep- tions for the Lions (5-7), who took com- mand of the game in the third quarter and coasted in the fourth. With a blend of speed, power and crafty moves, Jones gave Detroit some- thing it has been searching for since Sanders abruptly retired five years ago. The Lions traded up into the first round to draft the former Virginia Tech star 30th overall. Since Detroit decided to get Jones the ball more - after having him share car- ries with two others - he has provided a desperately needed running threat. In the last four games, Jones has 476 yards rushing on 76 carries after getting no more than 15 carries or 65 yards in any of the first eight games. "He's showing why we drafted him and moved up to get him," Lions coach Steve Mariucci said. Jones, who had a season-high 26 car- ries, put together Detroit's best game on the ground since Sanders' 216-yard rushing game in 1997. His highlight against Arizona was a 74-yard run, a record for a Detroit rookie and the team's longest since Sanders had an 80- yard run in 1997. "They are giving me the ball, and I'm getting better," Jones said. "It builds up my confidence that the coaches feel I can get the job done and keep feeding me the ball." A rookie also started at running back for the Cardinals. Larry Croom played for Emmitt Smith, who was out with a toe injury after starting every other game this season. Croom ran for 49 yards on 18 carries. "If you don't stop the run, you have a hard time winning," Arizona coach Den- nis Green said. "If you can't run the ball yourself, you have a hard time winning." Green chose to play Navarre instead of healthy quarterbacks Josh McCown and Shaun King and despite his rough outing, he's sticking with him. "I imagine John will start next week against San Francisco," Green said. Navarre helped the Cardinals take a 3-0 lead on their first possession, but they lost the lead late in the first quar- ter for good and Navarre was unable to avoid mistakes. Detroit's Joey Harrington was 15-of- 27 for 196 yards with one touchdown and one interception and Roy Williams caught four passes for 76 yards. Jones gave the Lions a 14-6 lead mid- way through the second quarter on a 2-yard run, two plays after they might have turned the ball over. Green wanted to review Williams' 45-yard catch because it appeared that he fumbled before his knee was down,, but the officials told Green he couldn't' challenge it because the play was ruled down by contact. "We got a break there I thought," Mariucci said. MLB won't penalize admitted steroid users NEW YORK (AP) - For all the fuss over reported admissions of steroid use by Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, major league baseball probably won't discipline them. Instead of addressing the past, baseball commissioner Bud Selig is more con- cerned with pressuring players to agree to more frequent testing before the current labor contract expires in December 2006. Already convicted in the court of public opinion, the players who testified before a federal grand jury are protected from discipline because steroids weren't banned by major league baseball until Sept. 30, 2002, previously undetectable THG wasn't prohibited until last March, and human growth hormone still isn't blacklisted. And while baseball's labor contract calls for penalties for positive tests and criminal convictions, there's no discipline specified for fessing up to past use. "These articles say baseball is reeling from these allegations," New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine, a players' associa- tion leader, said yesterday. "To me, there is nothing new. People have been talking about the steroid issue for several years now. What's coming out of the grand jury testimony, I don't think there's any- thing surprising. Yes, it's a big story. It absolutely needs to be addressed. But it shouldn't be surprising or earth-shattering to anybody." Dozens of major leaguers gather this week for the union's annual exec- utive board meeting, which starts today in Phoenix. "Obviously, the steroids issue is some- thing that was going to come up in our board meeting," union head Donald Fehr said. "That would have been the case quite apart from this." ME TO ROSE BOWL IN SUNNY PASADENA. TAKE ME TO THE HILTON. Nortk Ca5pIS/st 3715 Plymouth/Ni: OPEN LATE! Un~til 3 AX Bask now and get a special 169 Rase Bowl rate at s San Gabriels ine miles south of Pasadena's Rose B both Mandarin aid Westem kitchens and chefs, heatI ftethan fars in the San Gabriel iarsom or o recepti call1-HI041 :TONS, the hotel at 626-2710-700 or vis 22' RH lto n 4 .onors' c,,n'a ,S' outnem nCltomiare s east Hions ny accessible from me- wsy,liton t. With ?22 uxrisus accommodations, the ht s .featurs Trinty Rntasiurasnwini ad pool & Avbirlpool, fitness center and complete spa, Plan aipartyi ov s Fa. n on the rooftop Garden Ienac with dramatic mountain views. 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