100%

Scanned image of the page. Keyboard directions: use + to zoom in, - to zoom out, arrow keys to pan inside the viewer.

Page Options

Download this Issue

Share

Something wrong?

Something wrong with this page? Report problem.

Rights / Permissions

This collection, digitized in collaboration with the Michigan Daily and the Board for Student Publications, contains materials that are protected by copyright law. Access to these materials is provided for non-profit educational and research purposes. If you use an item from this collection, it is your responsibility to consider the work's copyright status and obtain any required permission.

April 17, 2006 - Image 13

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 2006-04-17

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

WOMEN'S TENNIS:
The Wolverines thrash Ohio State
in Columbus, 6-1, for their third
straight Big Ten victory.
PAGE 2B

THE SPORTSMONDAY COLUMN:
Sharad Mattu looks back on some
rough years for Michigan athletics
and hopes for better things to come.
PAGE 3B

FOOTBALL:
Check out the football team's
projected two-deep depth chart.
PAGE 6B

SPcRTS

April 17, 2006

lB

ilhe fErwigan Bade

MICHIGAN 5,

S
M'-Nine
* triumphs
"
n stelar
weekend
By David Murray
Daily Sports Writer

r

s

eep
Leads
give Blue
room to
breathe
By Chris Herring
Daily Sports Writer

They won early. They won late. They
won in dramatic fashion. They won by
the smallest of deficits.
The box score doesn't record adjec-
tives or adverbs. But, it does record
wins and losses, and that's the only
statistic that matters to the Michigan
baseball team.
Four wins in a four-game series
against its most hated rival, Ohio
State, are impressive enough. But
when those four wins come with the
Buckeyes atop the Big Ten, and when
the Wolverines haven't swept Ohio
State in a four-game series in almost
20 years, "Hail to the Victors" is sung
with much more enthusiasm.
"This gives us a huge lift and puts
us right in the thick of things," Michi-
gan coach Rich Maloney said. "It cer-
tainly sends a message throughout the
rest of the league that we are a team to
contend with."
The Wolverines (8-4, 20-12) didn't
show any signs of overconfidence in
the fourth game after defeating the
Buckeyes (6-6, 20-11) in the first three
contests of the weekend. Michigan put
three runs on the board in the bottom of
the first inning and added two insurance
runs in the eighth frame to fend off an
Ohio State two-run charge in the ninth
and secure the 5-4 win.
"We grew up a lot this week," redshirt
freshman pitcher Ben Jenzen said. "We
just came out here and kicked the tar out
of Ohio State, and that is always fun."
Junior right-hander Andrew Hess
was shaky out of the gate, allowing a
run and loading the bases with just one
out in the first. Then, Hess handcuffed
the next two Buckeye batters, forcing
both to pop up.
The Wolverines' hitters carried
their pitcher's momentum into the bot-
tom of the inning. The first five bat-
ters reached base and contributed to a
three-run frame that gave Michigan a
lead it never relinquished.
See BUCKEYES, page 5B

"Take the Lead" is a new movie that
is still playing in theaters, and it seems
like many Michigan players have not
only seen it, but have tried their hardest
to heed the film title's command.
In Michigan's last five losses, it was
painfully apparent that the Wolverines
had problems trying to come from
behind. Out of the 47 innings played
in those losses, Michigan trailed in 35
of them.
The team ended up playing from
behind in those games largely due to the
poor defensive play, especially against
Northwestern.
Michigan coach Rich Maloney
was surprised at the team's lackluster
effort in the field following the North-
western series.
"I just don't understand how we could
play so poorly, after having so many
weeks and so many games of playing so
well defensively," Maloney said follow-
ing the 3-1 series loss to the Wildcats.
The pitching also struggled a few
weeks ago. The team couldn't escape
the first inning of games without
allowing a run. At one point, Maloney
even started freshman Adam Abraham
- the team's closer at the time - in
an attempt to prevent opponents from
having big first innings.
But instead of allowing the Buckeyes
to pull ahead and continue the trend, the
Wolverines decided to take the driver's
seat this weekend. Michigan drew first
blood in three of the four games against
the Buckeyes, and never trailed for more
than half an inning. The Wolverines led
for a total of 26 of 33 total innings in
the series.
The pitchers didn't seem to mind hav-
ing leads to work with.
"It's much easier pitching ahead,"
senior Paul Hammond said. "Early on
in the season, when we scored, it came
late. To come out like we have, especial-
ly this series, and establish our offense
right away, that helps the pitching staff
See LEADS, page 5B

Is Tommy
Amaker
really the
right guy?
st a few weeks ago, Seton Hall fired coach
Louis Orr, who replaced Tommy Amaker
when he left for Michigan.
In the five years since Amaker changed schools,
the two coaches produced very similar records.
Orr: 80-69.
Amaker: 86-71.
But another statistic
reveals a clear - and
important - contrast.
Amaker has yet to take
Michigan to an NCAA
Tournament, even though
he just saw his first
recruiting class graduate.
Orr's teams have danced
two of the past three years. JACK
It's nice to know that HERMAN
a 9,700 student, privateOT
Catholic university in New
Jersey expects more out of its basketball program
than a 39,000 student public school like Michigan.
But let's just say you, like Bill Martin, can look
past Amaker's poor coaching (see the Indiana
game), poor teaching (see Courtney Sims) and
poor recruiting (see the past two years). You'll be
left with the one thing Amaker (purportedly) does
well: presenting a clean face for the program.
But is Amaker really the patron saint of basket-
ball people typically make him out to be?
Take a look at Amaker's team - or as I like to
call it, P.T. Amaker's circus - before a game.
You might notice a number of different things,
including, but not limited to:
" His players wearing differently styled
warm-ups.
" Some of the most disorganized lay-up
lines around.
- Brent Petway, who will be a captain next year,
stretching apart from the rest of the team.
These things may not seem important. But
when you think of the troubles Amaker-coached
teams have had down the stretch (of a game, of a
season, etc.), it makes sense to believe that a little
extra discipline could go a long way. I definitely
can't imagine something like this happening on
Bobby Knight's watch.
Let's move to the big things, starting
with academics.
Whereas Orr took a proactive approach - he
once suspended a player seven games for academic
reasons - Amaker has played the waiting game.
Petway missed the first half of the season after
being ruled academically ineligible. Amaker needs
to make sure things like this don't happen.
Look at the NIT Championship game in Madi-
son Square Garden. The Wolverines embarrassed
themselves at least twice. On national TV, no less.
Amaker raved like a lunatic after a goaltending
no-call. Petway committed a hard intentional foul,
one that many coaches would have justified as a
See HERMAN, page 2B

ALEX DZIADOSZ/Daily
Mike Schmidt (24) and A.J. Scheldt (35) celebrate during Michigan's sweep of Ohio State this weekend.

N FOOTBALL
Fans get early look at
' M in spring practice

By Matt Singer
Daily Sports Editor
On a picture-perfect Saturday afternoon,
15,000 or so Michigan fans poured into the few
sections of the Big House that aren't under con-
struction to watch the Wolverines' final spring
practice. But if they expected to see their favorite
Michigan stars in action, they left disappointed.
Starters like Chad Henne, Steve Breaston, Mike
Hart and Leon Hall participated in drills, but
sat out the 15-minute, full-contact scrimmage
that concluded practice.
Still, the backups provided some drama to
finish off the event. Quarterback Jason Forci-
er marched the Wolverines down the field in
the final two minutes to set up running back
Alijah Bradley's one-yard touchdown plunge.
The offense tried a two-point conversion, but
defensive back Chris Richards stepped up to
deflect a pass intended for Carl Tabb in the
end zone, setting off a celebration among his
defensive mates.

many new coaching faces making their debuts
in spring practice, players have had to adjust to
new schemes and new personalities.
"Everybody's getting used to everybody,"
defensive lineman Alan Branch said. "We've
had a lot of new coaches come in. It took me
a while to actually learn all their names. I
finally found out Szabo's name after the third,
fourth practice. (The new coaches are) getting
to know our character, we're getting to know
their character."
The coaches weren't the only newcomers to
take center stage for the Wolverines. Incoming
freshman running back Carlos Brown - who
graduated high school early to practice with the
Wolverines in the spring - had one of the few
notable individual performances of the after-
noon. In a full-squad, non-contact drill, Brown
took off on a draw and raced 60 yards untouched
for a crowd-pleasing touchdown.
Later on, with regulars Hart and Kevin Grady
sitting out of full-contact drills, Brown's strong
running continued to raise eyebrows. Brown

Hitting woes continue in split
By Daniel Levy
Daily Sports Writer
MADISON - Top of the seventh inning.
A scoreless tie.
Iowa shortstop Stacy May dug her spikes
into the batter's box to take her hacks at Michi-
gan ace Jennie Ritter. -
Ping.
Home run.
That one swing was all it took for Iowa to
upset No. 12 Michigan (6-2 Big Ten, 27-11
overall) on Saturday. Hawkeye hurler Brit-
tany Weil allowed just one hit and struck out
six to shut out the Wolverines at Pearl Field.
Yesterday, Michigan's scheduled doublehead-
er against Wisconsin was cancelled less than
three innings into the first game due to inclem-
ent weather.
"(Weil) really did pitch well," Michigan
coach Carol Hutchins said. "We didn't do a
good enough job of making her pitch to us. We
hit her pitches."
Michigan had a chance to extend the game
- or possibly win it - in the bottom of the
seventh. First baseman Samantha Findlay
reached first base after being hit by a pitch, and
catcher Becky Marx's sacrifice advanced Find-
lay to second. M

I

Back to Top

© 2025 Regents of the University of Michigan