The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Thursday, October 26, 2006 - 9A Unlikely duo teams up to pen inspiring book ZACH MEISNER/Daily Jack Johnson moved up to forward in the third period of last Friday's 4-1 loss to Miami. The sophomore scored Michigan's only goal of the game as a forward on the power play. Senior Tim Cook (not pictured) has also moved from defenseman to forward for the Wolverines this season. Wealth of defensemen lets Berenson shift players up By AMBER COLVIN Daily Sports Writer When Michigan dropped a 4-1 loss to Miami (Ohio) last Friday, the back of the net was hard to find. But one thing the sixth-ranked Wolverines never have to search for is a quality defenseman. They have seven, possibly eight players ready to step in at any moment and defend Michigan's zone. So late in the third period, with typically prolific Wolverine scor- ers like T.J. Hensick and Chad Kolarik struggling to light the red lamp, Michigan coach Red Beren- son dipped into his deep defense corps. He sent Jack Johnson to the forward position, hoping for an offensive spark. The sophomore blue liner is known for his menacing hits and slick defensive moves. But John- son's offensive numbers showhe's capable of flourishing at forward, too. "Everyone knows the ability Jack has to make big plays and cre- ate stuff on his own," said senior captain Matt Hunwick, who often skates with Johnson on the top defensive pairing. "Being up front, it kind of gives him more freedom to join the rush every time. He gets the puck in his hands a little bit more often, and that puts him in a position to score." That's exactly what Johnson did on Friday, notching Mich- igan's only tally of the game, a power-play score with less than two minutes to go in the third. The hard wrister from the left faceoff circle zoomed past Red- Hawk goalie Jeff Zatkoff to spoil his shutout. Last year in his freshman sea- son, Johnson ruined many oppos- ing netminders' nights by racking up 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists), the most ever for a freshmen defensemen at Michigan. And with so many defensemen able to roam the blue line, Beren- son and his assistant coaches have talked about putting Johnson up front since practices started this season. "Jack is a special player," Berenson said. "He definitely could be a power forward. I think he could be an effective forward. Right now, he's been playing a lot of defense. He sees himself as a defenseman ... but he has the skills to be a forward." Still, defense is Johnson's bread and butter. His ability to patrol the zone and make smart plays - with and without the puck - make him highly valuable to the Michigan blue line. Johnson doesn't seem to have any strong emotions when it comes to playing forward, saying he is first and foremost a defenseman. "I thought it was a fun expe- rience," Johnson said. "I wasn't really sure exactly what to do at all times, but I just figured we needed a goal so I was looking to create some offense." Johnson wasn't the only back liner playing out of position on Friday. Senior Tim Cook has checked in as a forward three games this season. Up to his elbows in defense- men, Berenson has had to decide what to do with everybody. The longtime Michigan coach, always an advocate of player develop- ment, has opted to give freshmen Chris Summers and Steve Kamp- fer quality ice time. This doesn't leave much room for Cook on the blue line, but Berenson likes having the veteran as a forward because of the intan- gibles he brings. "Cookiegivesus somethingthat the average player can't," Beren- son said. "He's a team player, he's enthusiastic. He'll do whatever it takes to help the team. He's grow- ing with that position, too - he never played forward before. But you can see he knows how to play the game." In the long hockey season, it's hard to know how much time Cook and Johnson will see as forwards. There's no telling what injuries or other roster changes could happen. But if Berenson needs two defensemen to jump up to forward, he won't have to search to find them. By KEVIN WRIGHT Daily Sports Editor It was a chance meeting. AnnArborNewsreporter Stephen Rom, a fresh graduate of the Uni- versity, went to the Marie Hartwig Building to talk to Jamie Morris, then director of sports marketing. Rod Payne, a former Michi- gan center and 1996 team MVP, had come back to his old stomping grounds after retiring from the NFL following a Super Bowl champion- ship with the Baltimore Ravens. The two, who appeared to be polar opposites, started talking and kept talking in the ensuing weeks. Even though the first meeting lasted just a few minutes, Payne and Rom's friendship blossomed through good times and hardship. They recently co-authored a book, "Centered by a Miracle," detailing the lessons learned through their life experiences. Rom originally thought to use the friendly conversation as an opportunity to write an article about a former Super Bowl champ back in town. But as Payne con- tinued to spend time with Rom, a relationship formed. Little did Rom know how much that meeting and budding friend- ship would end up influencing his life when six months later, devas- tating news arrived. At the UCLA Medical Center the day after Christmas, Rom received a startling report from doctors. He had leukemia. The Los Angeles native, who had already survived a year-and- half battle with cancer when he was 9, went to the hospital with what he thought were common flu-like symptoms. "I had thought I was finally get- ting somewhere in life," said Rom, who will be at Barnes & Nobles for a book signing this Thursday. "I just was lost. ... What's the point of even trying (if) whenever you get somewhere, you get the carpet pulled out from under you." From his 10th-floor room, Rom knew what had been scheduled as a 10-day vacation would now be prolonged. So he decided to call Payne, who was supposed to pick him up from the airport on his return trip to Ann Arbor. He never expected what would happen next. Two days later, Payne walked into Rom's hospital room, dropped his Ravens duffle bag on the ground and set up camp. He had come to help his teammate in life. "He came over to my bed and he leaned over - it was the weakest I've ever been - and he gave me this bear hug that just squeezed life back into me," Rom said. "And those clouds that were filled in my head just disappeared. There was suddenly a fight. I was a com- petitor now, and I had a champion beside me." And the friendship, which Rom never expected to amountto much, blossomed through the 10-month ordeal. A journalist bent solely on personal success learned the valu- able lesson of teamwork from the ultimate teammate. After a Michigan career in which he played the second half of Rom and Rod Who: Steve Rom When: Thursday at 7:30 p.m, Where: Barnes & Noble Booksellers Address: 3235 Washt- enaw Ave., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104 Who: Rom and Rod Payne When: Sunday at 1 p.m. Where: Borders Books & Music Address: 34300 Wood- ward Ave., Birmingham, Ml 48009 a Michigan State game with a bro- ken hand, Payne spent four injury- plagued years in the NFL. In his short time as a professional foot- ball player, the All-American went under the knife a dozen times. The worst was a double-knee surgery performed so he could rehab in time for the 2000 season. The Super Bowl champion used his knowledge of pain to continu- ally encourage Rom when the chemotherapy or numerous blood transfusions seemed too much for the journalist to bear. "When your best friend's down like that, you just respond and give your friend all the love and sup- port that they need," Payne said. "You don't ever really think about what you'll do. You just do what's on your heart." Then, the good news came - something Rom never doubted from the moment Payne's 6-foot-4 frame graced his bleached white hospital room's doorway. The doctors had found a blood donor in the form a woman living in Germany. And after10 months ofwhathe describes as living hell, Rom left the hospital 100-percent free of leukemia. But where most heartfelt sto- ries end, Rom and Payne's had just begun. Rom, armed with a new lease on life, looked at his battle with leuke- mia as a blessing in disguise. All his life, he never felt as alone as he did the moment the doctor informed him of the news of his illness. But he came to discover - with Payne's help - that he had been sitting on the sidelines of life. Rom no longer wanted to just report other's mis- fortunes. He, along with Payne, wanted to inspire. The former Michigan Daily writer and the former Michigan football player had already dis- cussed writing a book about the relationship between athletes and journalists. They decided to take a new angle on the tale. "(We hope people) understand how to be the best friend that you can be to someone," Payne said. "Especially when circumstances like gender or race, when all those things seem to matter most, the real meat of any relationship is just the care of one person for another." Sticking together, seniors reminisce By COLT ROSENSWEIG Daily Sports Writer Four years ago, all four of the seniors on this year's Michigan field hockey team attended one of the biggest field hockey recruiting events in the country. "All our families got together with the coaches out in Califor- nia, and had a 'beginning' dinner," senior Jill Civic said. "Ironically, our families are trying to have another one of those to try and bring it to a close. We came in as a special group, and we plan on leav- ing just as tight." No one can help smiling, though, when they think of how different the seniors are from each other. Tri-captain Mary Fox is the fiercely competitive forward. Fel- low tri-captain Kara Lentz is the consummate defender, hitting the long ball with accuracy. Versatile Jill Civic, who plays mostly defense but is effective at any position, is a relaxed balance to the fire of Fox and Lentz. And in goal is Beth Riley, the team's rock. "Personality-wise, Kara and Foxy are larger than life," Michi- gan coach Nancy Cox said. "Beth Riley and Jill Civic are true (laid- back) people. They come to work, they get their work done and they do it very silently, but with incred- ible emotion and incredible convic- tion." These past four years have never had a dull moment thanks to this class, according to Cox. Riley can attest to that. One of her favor- ite field hockey stories occurred because she was trying to get onto the field faster. "My freshman year, I would try really, really hard to put on my stuff really quickly, because (for- mer head coach) Marcia (Pankratz) kind of scared me," Riley said. "I wanted to be out on the field for practice as quick as I could. Molly Maloney, the other goalie, would always beat me out to the field, soI would get in trouble because I was always the last one out there. Mar- cia would be like, 'Why aren't you out here on time? Molly can do it! You can do it!' "So the one time I get out there maybe half a second earlier than Molly, I'm racing out the door try- ing to get there fast - and there's this nice little net around the field. I was running, I had all my stuff in myhands,andItrippedandfellover the net onto the field. Face-planted on the field. The whole team's run- ning their lap for warmup, and I face-planted." This Sunday will mark the foursome's final regular-season appearance at Ocker Field. Luck- ily for them, it won't be their last time competing at Michigan - the Big Ten Tournament will be held in Ann Arbor the following weekend. Nonetheless, it will be a poi- gnant day for everyone. All four seniors will be honored on the field with their parents before the game. After the ceremony, all the Wol- verines will put emotions aside in order to focus on their final regu- lar-season Big Ten contest, against Northwestern. Over the years, Michigan has beaten numerous opposing teams that let the tremendous sentiment of Senior Day overwhelm them. These Wolverine seniors are deter- mined notto let their big dayendon a bad note. "Last year we experienced, for the first time since we got here, seeing our seniors and our team losing on Senior Day," Civic said. "We lost to Louisville last year, and that was probably one of the worst See SENIORS, Page 11A Friday, October 27,4:00 - 6:00 pm Iy Northwestern? ssionate About Your Future Natural Health Care! This fall, the Ford School moved into its newly-con- structed home on the corner of State and Hill Streets. The 80,000 square foot Joan and Sanford Weill Hall was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects in the tradition of the Michigan Union and Michigan League. Features include a 200-seat auditorium, a 2-story read- ing room, stone terrace and courtyard, sophisticated educational technology, and custom woodwork. With its new space, the Ford School is adding an under- graduate major, growing its faculty, and expanding the scope of its educational programming. Brief program at 5pm on the architecture and interior design of Weill Hall with remarks from Rebecca Blank, Dean of the Ford School, and Sue Gott, University Planner. Available for questions will be three key staff members from the U-M's Architecture, Engineer- ing, and Construction Division: Doug Koepsell, Assistant University Architect. Janet M. Sawyer, Senior Project Manager, University of Michigan Construction Management. Renee Cruse, Senior Interior Designer, University of Michigan Interior Design Services. Light refreshments served. Student tour guides stationed around the building. Free and open to the public. "Northwestern Health Sciences University is committed to being the nation's university of choice in natural health care education. Northwestern features an exceptional curriculum, outstanding faculty, groundbreaking research, and a wealth of clinical training opportunities for our students' - Mark Zeigler, DC, President NORTHWESTERN HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY 2501 West 84th Street, Bloomington, MN 55431 (9521800) 888-4777, ext. 409 - www.nwhealth.edu Northwestern Health Sciences University offers exceptional programs in CHIROPRACTIC, ACUPUNCTURE, ORIENTAL MEDICINE, MASSAGE THERAPY, and INTEGRATIVE HEALTH AND WELLNESS. Joan and Sanford Weill Hall 735 S. State Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109-3091 734-764-3490 (p) Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN < <_.