DAILY SPORTS BREAKS DOWN THE WEEKEND THAT WAS
2B - Monday, January 22, 2007

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

'M' SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY -1.24
M Basketballat Wisconsin, 9p.m.
THURSDAY -1.25
WBasketball at Wisconsin, 8p.m.
FRIDAY -1.26
M Track/Field atlIndiana Gladstein Invita-
tional,12 pie.
M Swimmig/Diving at OhioState and
Northwestem, 6 p.m.
W GYMNASTICS VS. DENVER, 7:30 P.M.
Wrestling at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
ICE HOCKEY VS. FERRIS STATE, 8:05 P.M.
SATURDAY-1.27
W TENNIS VS. VANDERBILT12 P.M.

SAID AND HEARD
"We just got fed up with being a .500
team, winning a game and then losing the
next night, or vice versa. That's not the
way Michigan hockey is supposed to be."
- Michigan defenseman JASON DEST
Is it OK to root again

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M TENN
W SWIN
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ICE HOC
WATER I
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WATER F
A.M,
WATER I
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Wrestlie
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tball at Indiana;12 p.m. an you ever root against your favorite
IS VS. TEXAS, 6 P.M. team?
AMING/DIVING VS. ABC INVITA- It's a question I've been wrestling
with for a few weeks, ever since I went to see
12:30 P.M. the New York Giants, my
NASTICS VS.OKLAHOMA, 7 P.M. football favorite team,
POLO VS. INDIANA,7:30 P.M. playthe New Orleans
KEY VS. FERRIS STATE, 7:35 P.M. Saints when I was home
POLO VS. INDIANA,7:30 P.M. for winter break.
Y -1.28 Driving into Giants
POLO VS. COLORADO STATE, 11 Stadium's parking lot
on Christmas Eve, I
assumed the worst part
POLO VS. CALIFORNIA-SANTA of my day - shelling out
P.M. $15 for parking - was <
gvs. MichiganState,1 p.m. over.J
ETBALL VS. INDIANA, 2 P.M. I had the company of JACK
some of my best friends. HERMAN
I had my three favorite
home games in all caps newspapers to read. I
all times EST had food. And I had my first NFL football
game since high school just hours away.
As we marched toward the stadium with
(TON FINALLY the rousing calls of "Let's Go Giants" in the
background, taking in the excitement of fans
D of a possibly playoff-bound football team
D iT, AND SO whose star player, runningback Tiki Barber,
was likely playing his last home football
CAN YOU. game, I thought to myself that life couldn't
really get much better.
ULY SPORTS. Then the Giants took the field.
And then I wished they hadn't.

After an opening-drive touchdown bomb
to Plaxico Burress, the Giants put on a per-
formance that probably made New Orleans
fans recall the days when they wore bags
over their heads at so-called "Aints" games.
Except this time, it wasn't the Saints that
were losing.
The Giants didn't snap the ball past the 50-
yard line and never scored again. They failed
to get Barber in on the game plan, and he
rushed the ball just 16 times. On top of that,
they couldn't even lose with grace. Defensive
tackle Bob Whitfield, a 15-year veteran, was
whistled twice for a personal foul.
And as we marched toward the parking
lot with the dejected calls of "Fire Coughlin"
in the background, taking in the disappoint-
ment of fans of a possibly not-playoff-bound
team whose star player player just lost 30-7
in his final home game, I thought to myself, I
have a big decision to make:
Do I root for the Giants next week?
If the Giants beat the Redskins, they were
in the playoffs (and out the next week) and
Coughlin was likely to stay. If they lost, they
probably weren't (yes, even at 7-9 the Giants
would have a chance in the NFC) and hope-
fully, he'd be gone.
I respect Coughlin's coaching perfor-
mance with the expansion Jaguars, but it's
clear he isn't the right fit with the Giants.
His players have openly criticized him in

the past, and a
the team. The
through thein
were not very
Assuming C
be better than
investment to
forgo small ga
future. But is]
enough reason
a sports unive
irrational?
We exagger
and the conse
dream up ever
put our teams
playoffs. We s(
paint our face:
our lucky pair
about everyth
ing that we wi
come of the ga
In return, v
they can to wi
prices for tick:
money for the
sometimes we
two asnour tea
does it followt
do all it can to
Certainly, L
Most of them1

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
ANDREW ELKIND
MEN'S GYMNASTICS
The senior co-captain posted a 9.8 score on y
the parallel bars on Saturday night, setting a
new team record and winning the Newt Loken
Award for best performance of the meet.
styour team?
it some point, he lost control of futile "Fire Millen" movement, but for two
players jabbed at each other straight years, the Lions have lost draft posi-
edia, and on the field, they tion because of wins in meaningless games.
impressive. During the 2005 season, the Lions beat the
-oughlin's successor would Saints, 13-12, for their fifth win of the season
he was, it would be a good with one game left. If only they lost, they
lose, since the team would would have had the No. 2 draft pick and a
ins now for bigger ones in the chance to select Reggie Bush or Vince Young.
rational business sense a good This season, the Lions topped the Cow-
ito cheer against your team in boys, 39-31, in the last game of the year
rse where fans can be so, well, for win number three. Bye, bye No.1 pick.
(Although that might actually save the team
ate the benefits of our wins from an expensive mistake with Millen at the
quences of our losses. We helm).
y possible scenario that could In the end, I decided to root for the Giants
- and keep them out - of the against Washington, and they won, setting
cream, shout, makes signs, up a first-round playoff matchup with the
s, don our team's jersey, wear Philadelphia Eagles.
of mismatched socks and do But seeing as how the team nearly col-
ing else you can think of, hop- lapsed again in the victory, I changed my
ll somehow influence the out- decision the next week, hoping even a first-
ime. round playoff loss wouldn't be good enough
ve expect our teams to do all for Coughlin to hold onto his job.
n. We're willing to pay high The Giants lost, and Coughlin stayed,
ets so that they can spend handing me the worst of both worlds.
right personnel. We know that There's only about one good thing that
must suffer a losing season or came out of it: a ruling from the sports gods.
m rebuilds for the future. So The verdict: Don't cheer against your team
that we could want our team to - ever.
lose to win.
,ions fans know the feeling. - Herman can be reached at
have probably abandoned the jaherman@umich.edu.

Hard work helps spikers

Youth prevails in win

ByADAM WOOD therefore nearly non-existent.
For the Daily "Rivalries really don't develop
because there are no high school
Michigan and Michigan State teams in Michigan," team presi-
don't get along very well on football dent Wyman Khuu said. "Some of
Saturdays. our guys just come in and pick it up
But the Michigan men's volleyball here."
club team and the Spartans have But the cooperation between
found a way to work together. squads doesn't mean Michigan is
Opening its season in the annual taking its upcoming tournament
Michigan Classic later this month, lightly.
the Wolverines will try to avenge Not only is the Michigan Classic
last year's tournament where the an annual tradition for the Wolver-
Wolverines went winless and the ines, but it's also the season opener.
Spartans emerged undefeated. "We're excited," Khuu said.
But the competitors are trying to "Hosting our own tourney is the
achieve a goal that reaches farther best. We roll out of bed and play our
than a tournament victory. games in front of our friends and
"The tournaments are very fans."
important to us," said Michigan Added freshman Mike Everts-
coach Ryan Casey, who is friends berg: "It's a cool feeling. It will defi-
with Michigan State's coach. "But nitely be a huge event, and hopefully
the camaraderie within the sport we will get a lot of people out for it."
is very good. We are all really try- The home crowd gives the team
ing to expand men's volleyball in the both a sense of comfort and the
state of Michigan." determination to give a strong per-
The need to gain more exposure formance.
for the sport arises because men's "Our players are pure student-
volleyball is not a recognized var- athletes who must dedicate their
sity sport at the high school level time and work extremely hard,"
in Michigan. In-state rivalries are Casey said. "They are very dedi-

cated to the team, and hopefully we
make that dedication pay off."
Said Khuu: "We practice three
days a week, but we also work out on
our own doing some lifting or run-
ning, - doing it our way."
Hard work will be extremely
important when the Wolverines
meet the three-time defending
"State of Michigan" champions,
Michigan State. The Spartans also
won the Midwest Intercollegiate
Volleyball Association's champion-
ship last season. The rivals' mutual
goals will go out the window when
the Michigan Classic kicks off on
Jan. 20.
"My individual goal is just to get
better," Khuu said. "But we want
to do well as a team in the upcom-
ing tournaments and eventually the
Nationals in April."
Even with Michigan State's suc-
cessful past, Michigan isn't intimi-
dated by the tournament.
"We may not have the most skill,"
Evertsberg said. "But with hard
work, we will definitely keep up
with the best of them."
And after the games this week-
end, the two rivals will promote
their mutual goal of exposing the
sport of men's volleyball to the
masses.

By ASHLEY BILKIE
For the Daily
After losing senior captain and
two-time All American Lindsay
Bruck to a season-ending injury
last week, the No. 10 Michigan
women's gymnastics team need-
ed someone to fill the void.
And for the time being, it
appears the younger Wolverines
are more than capable of answer-
ing the call.
Michigan used the stellar
performances of their under-
classmen to record a dominating
victory over No. 19 Southern Utah
194.775 to 188.625 at Crisler Arena
on Friday night.
The Wolverines extended their
win-streak in home openers to 17-
0, a record that dates back to 1990,
when Michigan coach Bev Plocki
took the reigns of the program.
Before the meet began, it was
questionable whether the Wol-
verines could overcome the inju-
ries. .
Sophomore Huneth Lor, com-
peting for the first time in the
collegiate all-around, earned the
vault title with a score of 9.725
on her way to an overall second
place-finish and a combined score

of 38.400.
"Tonight was another step for
me," Lor said. "It was the first
time I've ever competed in the all-
around, and it was great because
my teammates were there the
whole time to support me."
Sophomore Becky Bernard
claimed three individual titles in
uneven bars, balance beam and
floor routine, the first Wolverine
to accomplish such a feat since
Lindsay Bruck won the same
three titles on Feb. 17, 2006. The
bars title was Bernard's second in
as many meets, and in the process
tied her career best on the balance
beam with a score of 9.825.
Last year's Big Ten Freshman
of the Year, Tatjana Thuener-
Rego, won a share of the uneven
bars title with Bernard, post-
ing a career high score of 9.875.
Thuener-Rego also competed for
the first time this season in the
beam (third place) and floor (fifth
place.
"This was my first time com-
peting on the floor and beam this
season," Thuener-Rego said. "I
had a new beam dismount which
I had been working on this week
and I was able to hit it. Last year
I was the most confident on the

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beam, but this year I am more
confident on the floor."
MichigandominatedtheThun-
derbirds from the opening vault
exercises to the final floor rou-
tines, with many athletes despite
many gymnasts participating in
their first meets.
Seniors Carol McNamara and
Clare Flannery were two gym-
nasts who made their debut this
season on the vault and the bal-
ance beam, respectively. Flannery
set a career high 9.700, especially
important after a fall by a team-
mate in the previous balance
beam routine.
"We had a lot of new faces in
the lineup tonight," Plocki said.
"Clare (Flannery) came through
for us on beam, and that's what
we expect from a senior."
Junior Nellie Kippley also had
a big night for the Wolverines,
winning a share of the floor title
with a score of 9.825 and placing
second on the balance beam.
The Wolverines showed great
depth and poise, along with an
ability to overcome situational
circumstances over which they
couldn't control.
"It was tough with Lindsey
getting hurt last week," Lor said.
"But we have a whole season
ahead of us and we allhad to step
up and make up the difference."
Even with another win and
solid overall performances,
Plocki expects the Wolverines
to tighten up their routines this
week in practice. When asked
about the career highs posted by
Bernard, Flannery and Thuener-
ego,=locki said she looks more
at the quality of the routine than
the numbers.
"We competed better on floor
than the score reflected," said
Plocki through the Athletic
Department, "I thought the vault
scores were a little tight, but
those are things we can't con-
trol. We started a bit flat, and we
weren't as sharp as I would have
liked us to be on vault, but we
picked up the momentum."
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