Wednesday
March 30, 2005
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able ArttianEail
PORTrS
8
Butler
wins
award
again
By Pete Sneider
Daily Sports Writer
Listed charitably at 5-foot-6,
senior co-captain Matt Butler of the
Michigan baseball team is doing
some big things.
Butler was named Big Ten Player
of the Week on Monday after going
1l-for-16 with five RBI, two walks
and zero strikeouts in this weekend's
home-opening series against Oakland
University.
It was the second time this season
Butler received the weekly honor -
the first came on March 7.
Even though Butler didn't produce
any go-ahead runs this weekend, if
Michigan (15-3 overall) was threaten-
ing to score, he was involved. Whether
it was a bloop single or an opposite-
field base hit, Butler constantly found
ways to keep an inning alive.
"When there are runners on base
in a tight situation, I tell myself the
pitcher needs to come in the zone
- he can't afford to walk me," Butler
said. "There's also going to be more
holes because infielders are holding
guys on."
The Lombard, Ill. native is post-
ing some serious numbers this sea-
son. Butler has managed to fill up
just about every offensive category
on the stat sheet, batting .436 while
Excuse me, but
don't call me lady*
FILE PHOTO
Senior Matt Butler has helped spark Michigan to 15-3 record. He leads the conference In hits, doubles and total bases.
RICHARD SPELLS RELIEF: Throwing
mid-90 MPH fastballs is like riding a
bike - you never forget how.
In Friday's home opener, Michigan
sophomore Clayton Richard pitched
three scoreless innings of relief,
allowing zero hits and fanning three.
Last season's backup quarterback for
the football
leading the conference in
hits (34), doubles (10) and
total bases (57) - he also
ranks among the top five
in runs scored (22) and
RBI (21).
One stat eluding the
leadoff man is stolen
bases. In fact, Butler has
more home runs (3) than
stolen bases (2).
"That is pretty strange,"
Butler said. "But I think
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C team was pretty much
unhittable in his fourth
appearance of the sea-
son.
Richard, who hadn't
thrown a fastball since
his senior year of high
school, is making a
smooth adjustment to
a new role in an old
sport.
"It's a little bit of an
adjustment (coming
bullpen)," Richard said.
"It feels great to be out (on the
baseball field)," Richard said. "I'm
finally getting back to strength, and
the coaches have done a lot of work
to help. I'm feeling really comfortable
with everything right now."
Richard has surrendered just one hit
in seven innings of work this season.
SONIC BOHM: It took him eight at
bats to figure it out, but when he did,
oh boy, it was big. With two outs, two
aboard and a 3-2 count, Michigan
senior Kyle Bohm drilled a two-run
double to even the game at four runs
apiece.
A passed ball and wild pitch later,
Bohm crossed the plate for the game-
winning run.
Bohm's big knock came in the sec-
ond game of the home-opening series
against Oakland University - a game
the Wolverines won 5-4.
"(Oakland pitcher Paul Phillips)
had struck me out earlier, so I was
looking for the ball to come up and
away," Bohm said. "I got a pretty good
piece of it."
The senior co-captain also came up
big in Game two of Saturday's dou-
bleheader. In the third inning, Bohm
roped a two-run, two-out single to left
field, tying the game at two runs. The
Wolverines went on to win that game,
8-2.
After starting the weekend 0-for-7,
Bohm ended the series batting 4-for-8
with six RBI and two doubles.
"I wasn't feeling all that great the
first two games - they made some
good pitches at me," Bohm said. "I
just didn't have it."
It was the second weekend in a row
that Bohm opened the series 0-for-5.
The Stevens Point, Wisc. native was
looking to remedy his chronic slow
starts before the Big Ten season get
under way.
"I'm just going to try to be a little
more aggressive and not fall behind
on the counts," Bohm said. "When
you get going early, it makes things
easier."
Despite his streakiness, Bohm is
batting .386 with a team-best 27 RBI
through the first 18 games.
CLOUD NINE: Michigan has won nine
straight, marking the longest winning
streak since 1997 when the Wolverines
captured the Big Ten Championship.
This weekend's sweep was the sec-
ond straight of the year. The last time
Michigan served up two straight was
in 1988.
Its 15-3 start is the best since the
1985 team, which included Barry Lar-
kin and Hal Morris.
MEGAN KOLODGY
My Way .
et me preface this by saying
that, normally, I am not an angry
person. I am a self-proclaimed
pacifist, and it is rare that I get too riled up
about anything.
That being said, I, like everyone else,
have my pet peeves, and one of them
- the use of the word "lady" in reference
to women's sports teams - has been
seriously exacerbated by the onset of the
NCAA women's basketball tournament
Baylor has the Lady Bears, Tennessee
boasts the Lady Vols and LSU claims the
Lady Tigers - and those are just among
the Elite Eight teams. Although this par-
ticular usage is far more prevalent south of
the Mason-Dixon Line (I will not bother
to hypothesize as to the reasons behind
this phenomenon), the impression that I
have is that most people are not bothered
by the word when it is used in this context,
and most people do not really know why it
might be offensive.
Well, here's the breakdown:
First of all, just look at the dictionary
definition of "lady" - which I think is
lame but critical in understanding this con-
cept. According to merriamwebster.com,
"lady" means "a woman of refinement and
gentle manners."
Whether or not these terms accurately
describe the athletes on women's teams,
these are not adjectives that, as an athlete,
you really want associated with your
game. I mean, according to this definition,
these women should excel at balancing
books on their heads and selecting the
appropriate fork for a given course - not
hitting treys or breaking down defenses
and driving to the hole.
Again, I want to stress the point that
being a "lady" and being an athlete are
not mutually exclusive endeavors. Of
course these players can be polite and
courteous before and after the buzzer
sounds. There's nothing wrong with that.
But during the game, it's a different story.
The connotation brings to mind images
of relative helplessness and social, not
athletic, superiority. It conjures up pictures
of women being rescued from dragons,
or, at the very least, women who wouldn't
care to defy their traditional place in soci-
ety. At its most negative, the word could
lead both spectators and commentators to
take these women less seriously than their
male counterparts.
When one witnesses the accomplish-
ments and behavior of women on the
floor, most would agree that they are
appropriately unladylike. Consider
Minnesota's Janel McCarville, the Golden
Gophers' star forward who was a first-
team All-America pick last year. Before
her Sweet 16 game against Baylor, McCa-
rville stared down the Lady Bears' (aaah-
hhh) entire starting lineup, and, by the end
of the game, she played a role in a small
altercation on the court.
Well-mannered? Not that day. Effective?
You bet. McCarville averaged 16 points
and 10.6 rebounds per game this season.
Which brings me to my next
point - the word "lady" suggests a
secondary status for women's teams
at schools that use the term. The
men's teams are simply the Vols or
the Tigers. No modifier needed.
While Title IX has helped NCAA
teams make great strides in helping facili-
tate equality between men's and women's
programs, I would argue that "lady" sets
the programs that use the word back
about 30 years.
It seems particularly inappropriate
that so many elite women's hoops squads
are still known as the "lady" version
of the school's team. I didn't see the
men's teams from Baylor or Tennessee
anywhere when I filled out my tourna-
ment bracket, yet no one goes around
gentrifying them. I have yet to hear them
be called the "gentlemen" Vols or Bears.
Seems counterintuitive to me.
Mercifully, Michigan and most of the
Big Ten has managed to keep up with the
times and has avoided using this term,
opting instead for the more equal and
fitting men's and women's modifiers.
I am personally grateful. The Big Ten
exception is, of course, Penn State, whose
Lady Lions made it into the NCAA
tournament. The Nittany Lions, however,
finished last in the conference.
But even when schools specifically
avoid "lady," it is not uncommon for
announcers, particularly those who are
men, to still throw the word around and
not think twice about it.
I know that I cannot convince anyone
else to go crazy every time they hear
"lady" or any of the other inherently
sexist terms that are used to describe
women athletes. But, seriously, just lis-
ten carefully to exactly how pervasive
this terminology is and think about the
way that it affects the overall portrayal
of women in sports.
And if you do decide to get mad about
this anti-feminist word, don't be scared to
be "unladylike" about it.
0
it's mostly
out of the
circumstantial. We've gotten out to a
lot of big leads, so I'm less likely to
steal then."
Michigan coach Rich Maloney
couldn't be any more pleased with
Butler's recent play.
"Matty is just an ultimate gamer,"
Maloney said. "The kid gets more out
of his ability than anybody I know.
Who doesn't love guys like that - he's
the heart and soul of our club."
"But it's something that doesn't take
too long to get used to. With Malo-
ney and our other assistant coaches,
it's been real easy to make the adjust-
ment."
Most people remember Richard as
an Elite-ll, blue-chip gunslinger who
committed to the Michigan football
program. But Richard was also a two-
time all-state pitcher and was named
Indiana's "Mr. Baseball" in 2003.
Megan Kolodgy can reached at
megkolo@umich.edu.
Blue will not look past any opponent
By Scott Bell
Daily Sports Writer
only 49 runs in their 24 games this season.
Bowling Green's weakness seems to play right into
Michigan's strength. After allowing seven runs in their
opening game loss to Baylor, the Wolverines have
allowed just 22 runs in the past 31 games.
But despite the apparent mismatch between the two
With a long string of games before the beginning of
conference play, it's possible to lose focus for a game
or two. But if there is one thing that Michigan softball
coach Carol Hutchins emphasizes over
anything else, it is focus.
"We're looking to do the same thing
we always do, just play good softball,"
Hutchins said. "That's all we're looking
to do."
Whether it's playing a top-tier opponent
or playing a team with a less than flatter-
ing record, No. 1 Michigan (31-1) remains
focused on the game ahead.
Bowling Green stands as the game
at hand for the Wolverines today. The
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teams, Michigan's concentration remains
on Bowling Green and not on the loom-
ing Big Ten season.
"We're not in Big Ten play (today),"
Hutchins said. "We'll be in Bowling
Green, and they're in a different confer-
ence. We scheduled the game because
nonconference games are important to
play and to win. If we stay focused on
playing good softball then our outcome
looks positive."
Because there are so many games
"Obviously, the biggest thing with only playing one
game is what we do with our pitching," she said. "We
lean toward just giving them all a couple of innings
because we want them all to have two or three sharp
innings."
One of those pitchers is senior Nicole Motycka, who
understands the importance of using nonconference
games as an opportunity to improve on her own game.
"If I have a chance to pitch (today), I definitely have
a lot of work to do in that area," Motycka said. "I need
to work on my rise ball and changeup, which need to
become more consistent. With my hitting, I just need to
become more relaxed. I was pretty tense in Louisville."
As the Wolverines take the field today, they will be
looking to make adjustments for the good of the team.
But don't expect them to compromise a win in exchange
for improvement.
"We need to play every game like we're playing the
No. 1 team," freshman first baseman Samantha Findlay
said. "We just need to go out there and play our game
and know that anybody can win on any given day. If we
play our best defense, then we'll be all right."
Falcons (8-16) are the defending MAC Tourna-
ment champions but have yet to find their grove
this season. Bowling Green's lack of offense has
been the main culprit - the Falcons have scored
in a season, picking up the win can't be the lone goal.
Hutchins stresses the importance of getting all of her
pitchers some playing time, especially in the scenario
they face tomorrow.
TONY DING/Daily
Nicole Motycka has compiled a 0.98 ERA while winning five games.
WOMEWS TRACK & HELD
Adjustments are nothing new for former two-sport athlete
By Chastity L. Rolling
Daily Sports Writer
Having actress Fay Hauser for a mother and
recording artist Louie Price for a father may
seem like a big deal, but for California native
Sierra Hauser-Price, "It's the norm."
"It's funny," Hauser-Price said. "After com-
ing here, I see that's a big deal to everybody,
but back home, it's the norm. In my high school,
it was like, 'Oh, your dad's a Temptation; my
dad sings too.' So I think it's just the context of
where you are."
Hauser-Price said that she is grateful for her
parents' individual professions.
"It was exciting because I used to actually go
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and basketball."
Coming into Michigan, Hauser-Price knew
she had the potential to start on Michigan's
basketball team. She fulfilled her potential,
playing in 17 of 30 games and starting six as
a freshman.
For her first three years at Michigan, she
played basketball until the season was over in
February or March and concluded her semester
with the outdoor track season. While basketball
was her first love as a freshman, track has now
become her top priority.
"(Track is) something I enjoy doing now,"
Hauser-Price said. "But if you would've asked
me three years ago to pick one, I would have
chosen basketball."
NiacrPrier. hc AeonediA nto one of the
accepted the challenge like any good athlete.
"I knew coming into the indoor season that
I was going to be in the DMR, so I had it in
my head that I was going to have to run the
400 meters for the relay," Hauser-Price said.
"(Michigan coach James) Henry helped me a
lot with that in practice and training for it. Most
importantly, I felt ready when I got there."
Practice for Hauser-Price consisted in part of
running 600-meter, but mostly of running three
sets of 300-meter runs only five minutes apart.
Henry acknowledged that Hauser-Price is not
a 400-meter runner, but, at the same time, he
knew she had unlimited potential.
"(Hauser-Price) is very focused and driven,"
Henry said. "Because she never ran indoors, I
wantedt cn ros train her n he dnn't burn
I said this is what I'm going to do, but, some-
times, it doesn't always work out that way. I
think the biggest thing I've learned is to be able
to adjust."
Just as it was when she was adapting from
Michigan to California, adjusting from the
security of basketball to the uncertainty of track
was another hard endeavor for Hauser-Price.
She loved basketball.
"Basketball is exciting because it is ever-
changing," Hauser-Price said. "You could run
up and down the court five times in a row, get a
steal, then get a turnover. So it's so much more
unpredictable than track."
Leaving the comfort zone of a team sport
like basketball, Hauser-Price was not confident
in her track ahilities She knew that with track.
me. But after you make such a big decision, you
have to go with it and never look back. And I
haven't."
Running indoors was not an easy task for
Hauser-Price, and the hardest aspect was
the sharper turns. Indoor tracks are often
half the length of outdoor tracks, just 200
meters rather than 400.. As a result, indoor
tracks have sharper curves, and it can be
hard to adjust for a runner who is used to
running outdoors.
"Since this was my first season running
indoors, I had to deal with these tight turns,"
Hauser-Price said. "Running indoors was defi-
nitely harder on me because most runners ran
indoor all four seasons, and I've never run
indoor - not even in high school. So I had to
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