2B - The Michigan Daily - SportsMonday - October 10, 2005
CLUBSPORTSWEEKLY
Frisbee: the ultimate obsession
By Robert Kaitz
For the Daily
Last weekend, the football team wasn't the only Michigan squad that
took care of business. The men's ultimate Frisbee club team hosted the
Best of the Midwest Tournament on Oct. 1 and 2 and dominated the 12-
team field. With the team split into three different squads, two made it to
the finals.
Ricky Eikstadt has coached the team since 1998, and he said he is
amazed with the progress the squad has made since it started.
"We have a lot more ability to recruit, with much more athleticism to
choose from," Eikstadt said.
The coach credits the University's support as one of the reasons ulti-
mate is such a hot sport, singling out Jan Wells of the Rec Department for
her backing. Given three fields with lights and the use of Oosterbaan Field
House during the winter, the team has greatly expanded in recent years.
The players' enthusiasm reflects that of the coaching staff.
"I'm too ridiculously addicted to the sport," first-year assistant coach
Jason Barnes said. "I just can't stay away from it for very long."
Seniors Colin McIntyre and Ryan Purcell similarly praise the game.
"Ultimate attracts top-level athletes from many different backgrounds
with its blend of talent, skill and finesse," Purcell said.
McIntyre, a high school tennis star who only started playing ultimate as
a freshman, notes that "everyone comes in on an even basis."
The support and optimism that the upperclassmen present plays a huge
role in the immediate attraction that younger players have to the sport.
Sophomore Pat Senatore fell in love with ultimate when he tried out last
year.
"The team is just full of nice guys who would do anything for anybody
else," Senatore said.
This distinct pride and affection sold Senatore's friend and housemate,
Matt Raubinger, on trying out for the team this year. After casually toss-
ing around the frisbee with Senatore, Raubinger decided to try out. Raub-
inger is extremely appreciative of the support he receives from returning
players.
"The older guys are great at explaining rules and strategies," Raubinger
said.
Despite losing a strong class of graduating seniors from last year, hopes
are very high for this season. Younger contributors like Senatore hope
they can step up and take a greater role on the field. There is even more
excitement because the team knows it should be competitive nationally.
The camaraderie surrounding the team is apparent, but it also extends
to players on the other teams, as well. During every tournament, the play-
ers from the home school host a massive party for all the other teams.
Forgetting any squabbles that might have occurred over the course of the
day, the teams get together for a night of fun.
The players are looking forward to taking trips across the country. They will
travel to tournaments in North Carolina, Georgia and Oregon.
With over 200 students trying out for the team, it is clear that the sport
is quickly catching on in Ann Arbor. It's hard to walk around campus
without seeing a group of students tossing around a disc. With such opti-
mism surrounding the season, the players would love to have even more
support from the student body. They are always ready to have a great time,
both on the field and off it.
ae Wtrtfhgan 19adu
Athlete of the Week
Name: Melissa Dobbyn Team: Women's Soccer
Hometown: Livonia Class: Sophomore
Why: The forward led Michigan to a 3-2 victory over Big Ten-
foe Northwestern at home on Friday. She scored once and dished
two assists, including one to Judy Coffman for the game-winner
with just minutes left.
'M' SCHEDULE
S
Date Event
10/10-11 M Golf
at Alister MacKenzie Invita'
10/12 M Soccer vs. Western Michigan
tic
n
10/14
10/14
10/14
10/15
10/15
10/15
10/15
10/16
10/16
10/16
10/16
10/16-18
Volleyball.at Penn State
Ice Hockey vs. Boston College
W Soccer at Illinois
M Cross Country at Pre-Nationals ]
W Cross Country at Pre-Nationals I
Football vs. Penn State
Volleyball at Ohio State
M Soccer at Michigan State
W Soccer at Iowa
Field Hockey at Northwestern
Ice Hockey vs. Merrimack
W Golf F
at Lady Razorback Invitational
Location
Fairfax, Calif.
nal
Kalamazoo
State College
Ann Arbor
Champaign
Terre-Haute, Ind.
Terre-Haute, Ind.
Ann Arbor
Columbus
East Lansing
Iowa City
Evanston
Ann Arbor
Fayetteville, Ark.
Time
TBA
4 p.m.
7 p.m.
7:35 p.m.
8 p.m.
noon
1:20 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
7 p.m.
1 p.m.
2 p.m.
2 p.m.
3 p.m.
TBA
Intrasquad
prepares
freshmen
By Max Kardon
Daily Sports Writer
A little intrasquad rivalry is harmless.
Saturday morning, women's swimming coach
Jim Richardson orchestrated the mayhem of a team
divided, enlisting his captains to draft allies for the
annual Maize and Blue scrimmage.
The intrasquad scrimmage exposed the talented
freshman class to the format of a collegiate dual-meet,
with slight modifications. The races were conducted at
accelerated intervals, and the atmosphere surrounding
the pool was distinctive from standard competition.
After a long week of practice, the Wolverines were
ready to let loose before a well-deserved rest.
Intimate knowledge of their opponents equipped
the swimmers with devastating ammunition for a war
of words as the team was pitted against each other.
With lines drawn and colors assigned, courtesy took
a backseat to team spirit.
The competitors' chorus of taunting cheers disrupt-
ed and disoriented the enemy swimmers - creating
a buffer zone for the real battle in the pool. Insightful
taunting left no competitor's ego unbruised.
A confidence-shaking rhyme initiated by senior
Elsa Larson was a favorite weapon for the Blue team.
"U-G-L-Y, you ain't got no alibi! You're ugly!
You're ugly! You're ugly!"
These venomous words are only a selection from
the volley ofverbal sparring that characterized the
dialogue across the pool.
The choice language that laced the chants was
subdued for the family audience that populated the
stands at Canham Natatorium. This consideration
forced the players to conduct an age-appropriate ver-
bal battle, punctuated by peels of laughter.
"The Blue team was very animated," Richardson
said. "Larson put together a squad of high energy,
vocal competitors, but the Maize swimmers let their
performance in the pool speak for them."
The Maize team, led and selected by senior cap-
tain Lindsey Smith, was by no means a pacifist
group. Their 99-87 victory was a reflection of an
unrestrained will to win.
2005 DIVISION SERIES
American League
New York Yankees (2) vs. Los Angeles Angels (2)
Game: Date: Results/Time:
Gm1 NYY @ LAA Oct. 4 NYY 4 LAA 2
Gm 2 NYY @ LAA Oct. 5 LAA 5 NYY 5
Gm 3 LAA @ NYY Oct. 7 LAA 11 NYY 7
Gm 4 LAA @ NYY Oct. 9 NYY 3 LAA 2
Gm 5 NYY @ LAA Oct. 10 8 p.m.
Boston Red Sox (0)
vs. Chicago White Sox (3)
Game:
Gm 1
Gm 2
Gm 3
BOS @ CWS
BOS @ CWS
CWS @ BOS
Date:
Oct. 4
Oct. 5
Oct. 7
Results:
CWS 14
CWS 5
CWS 5
BOS 2
BOS 4
BOS 3
American League Championship Series starting Oct 11
New York Yankees or
Los Angeles Angels
pending game 5 results at hicago White Sox
National League
San Diego Padres (0)
vs. St. Louis CardinalsI
Elsa Larson led the Blue team in theintrasquad swimming meet on Saturday.
(3)
"Lindsey may not seem aggressive," Richard-
son continued. "She's quiet and reserved, but she
swims very loud. We've got an interesting mix of
personalities on the team. Everybody brings a dif-
ferent approach to the competition but they blend
together well.".
That blend was disrupted for a brief and entertain-
ing time as the Maize and Blue camps each laid claim
to aquatic superiority.
Junior Kaitlyn Brady may have been the Blue
team's greatest casualty, suffering the wrath of a
Maize operative in retribution for her merciless
taunting. The ambush punctuated the Maize victory,
an event Brady was hard-pressed to forget.
"I can't believe they threw me in the pool with all
my clothes on!" Brady said.
"The Blue team knew that there were certain lines
that could not be crossed, but Maize took it way too
far. I want a recount."
Senior Maize spokeswoman Abby Seskevics dis-
missed Brady's claims, underplaying the severity of
the amphibious assault.
"Brady's always trying to add fuel to the fire," Ses-
kevics said. "Pure propaganda. She was only wearing
her swimsuit and a towel, so it's clearly a huge exag-
geration. I think the chlorine went to her head."
Seskevics and Brady became comrades once more
when the smoke had cleared. Peacefully reunited,
the Wolverines feel prepared to combat the threat of
the Golden Bears of California when they begin the
intercollegiate season on Oct. 27th.
Positioned above the fray, Richardson was pleased
by what he saw.
"I think we're going to have great year," Rich-
ardson said. "We got a chance to have some fun
today, and gave the freshman their first taste of the
dual-meet format and team cheers. I like the way
the freshmen are coming along, but we're probably
going to have to wait until winter to witness our
team's true capability."
Game:
Gm 1
Gm 2
Gm 3
SD @ STL
SD @ STL
STL @ SD
Houston Astros (3)
Date:
Oct. 4
Oct. 6
Oct. 8
vs.
Date:
Oct. 5
Oct. 6
Oct. 8
Oct. 9
Results:
STL 8
STL 6
STL 7
SD 5
SD 2
SD 4
Atlanta Braves (1)
Game:
Gm 1
Gm 2
Gm 3
Gm 4
HOU @ ATL
HOU @ ATL
ATL @ HOU
ATL @ HOU
Results:
HOUl10
ATL 7
HOU 7
HOU 7
ATL 5
HOU 1
ATL 3
ATL 6
National League Championship Series starting Oct. 12
Houston at St. Louis Cardinals
0
Burke hits walk off home run in 18th inning to oust Braves
HOUSTON (AP) - Roger Clemens and
the Houston Astros gave a whole new mean-
ing to the word "longevity."
The 43-year-old Rocket came out of the
bullpen to rescue the Astros and Chris Burke
ended the longest postseason game in base-
ball history with a home run in the 18th
inning, lifting Houston over the Atlanta
Braves 7-6 yesterday and into the NL cham-
pionship series.
The Braves took a five-run lead into the
eighth, and were poised to send this first-
round series back to Atlanta for a decisive
Game 5 tonight. Instead; Lance Berkman
hit a grand slam in the eighth and Brad Aus-
mus tied Game 4 with a two-out homer in
the ninth barely beyond Gold Glove center
fielder Andruw Jones' outstretched glove.
Then, at 6-6, the Braves and Astros began
the real endurance test that wound up last-
ing 5 hours, 50 minutes. The previous longest
postseason game also occurred in Houston -
the New York Mets clinched the 1986 NLCS
with a 16-inning win at the Astrodome.
With Clemens pitching three innings in his
first relief appearance since 1984 - and this
time atoning for a poor start in Game 2 - the
Astros advanced to play the St. Louis Cardi-
nals in the NLCS starting Wednesday night
at Busch Stadium.
It will be the first NLCS rematch since
Pittsburgh and Atlanta played in 1991-92.
Last October, the Cardinals beat Clemens in
Game 7, denying the Astros their first World
Series appearance.
And it was another early October exit for
the Braves, who have won an unprecedented
14 straight division titles but have just one
World Series crown to show for it. The Astros
eliminated Atlanta last year.
The Braves wasted an early grand slam
by Adam LaRoche. Berkman's shot made
this the first postseason game ever with two
slams.
Burke entered the game in the 10th inning
as a pinch-runner. He came up with one out
in the 18th against rookie Joey Devine, and
launched a drive over the left-field wall.
Burke was mobbed by his teammates at
the plate after only the sixth series-ending
home run in history, and the first since Aaron
Boone sent the Yankees over Boston in the
11th inning of Game 7 in the 2003 ALCS.
Batting just before Burke, Clemens took
a mighty swing and missed against Devine
before striking out. Clemens has never hit a
home run in the majors.
Clemens first entered the game as a pinch-
hitter in the bottom of the 15th, and had a
sacrifice bunt after a leadoff walk by Craig
Biggio. But after another walk, Morgan Ens-
berg grounded into an inning-ending double
play.
"I'm sure proud of the guys," Clemens
said. "It's been a lot of work for us. How
'bout the kid?"
"I'm just glad I could do my part," Burke
said. "It was draining, mentally draining."
"It was kind of a microcosm of our sea-
son," Burke said. "Started out slow, finished
strong."
The Astros started off 15-30 before rally-
ing to claim the wild-card spot, though they
finished 11 games behind St. Louis in the NL
Central.
About three hours before the game final-
ly ended, Ausmus hit his unlikely homer off
Kyle Farnsworth. In the eighth, Farnsworth
- the latest in a long line of Atlanta reliev-
ers to fail in the postseason - gave up the
grand slam to Berkman after replacing Tim
Hudson.
Ausmus, with just three homers in 134 reg-
ular-season games, hit a ball that ricocheted
off a column in left-center field - just above
the yellow line signifying a home run. Had
it hit about a foot more to the left, the ball
would have still been in play and Ausmus
held to a double.
The Astros thought they had another
homer to win it in the 10th, but Luke Scott's
drive down the leftfield line curled just left of
the pole. The crowd was already in a frenzy
before realizing the ball had been called foul
- TV replays confirmed that it was. Scott
grounded out on the next pitch.
Atlanta led 6-1 when Hudson, the Game 1
loser pitching on three days' rest, allowed the
first two hitters to reach in the eighth and was
pulled. Biggio reached on a fielder's choice
grounder, and Scott walked before Berk-
man's grand slam, an opposite-field shot into
the seats in left.
Farnsworth managed to preserve the lead
then, getting Morgan Ensberg on a called third
strike before Mike Lamb's flyball that right
fielder Jeff Francoeur caught on the warning
track. He didn't have the same success against
No. 8 hitter Ausmus an inning later.
LaRoche hit a grand slam in the third off
Astros starter Brandon Backe, who loaded
the bases after walking two batters and hit-
ting another. Jones added a sacrifice fly to put
the Braves up 5-0 in the fifth.
Brian McCann, the rookie catcher whose
three-run homer off Clemens was the big
blow in Game 2, put the Braves up 6-1 when
he led off the eighth with a homer. McCann
grounded out leading off the 17th in a rematch
against the future Hall of Famer.
*1
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