11 - Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom

Key injured starters to return to practice

By DANIEL BROMWICH
Daily Sports Editor
Michigan coach Lloyd Carr
and many of his players blamed
injuries for the inconsistent exe-
cution during N
Saturday's game. NOTEBOOK
Carr said
quarterback Chad Henne faced
increased pressure because the
offensive line had to be shuffled.
Running back Mike Hart said
new players are apt to make mis-
takes.
But the excuses might have to
stop, because some of the starters
that missed Saturday's game will
return to practice this week.
Carr confirmed starting line-
backers John Thompson and
Chris Graham will practice, as
will defensive tackle Will John-
son and right guard Tim McAvoy.
Offensive linemen Jeremy Ciulla
and Perry Dorrestein should also
return to practice today.
Planning to participate in
practice does not guarantee
that the players will see the field
against Purdue, though.
"They may feel better, they
may look better, but it's really
how they can handle getting
into practice," Carr said. "It's a
very, very unusual circumstance
where a guy can learn the game
plan and play efficiently with-
out practicing. We'll just have to
see."
Some speculated the coaching
staffheld players with minor inju-
ries out of the Eastern Michigan
game for precautionary reasons,
so they would be well rested for
the remaining Big Ten schedule.
But Carr denied that was the case
at Monday's press conference.
Wide receiver Mario Man-
ningham aid backup running
back Brandon Minor will also
return to action after each sat out

last week.
UPSETS DON'T UPSET CARR:
With Southern Cal dropping
a home game to Stanford this
weekend, Oklahoma losing on
the road to Colorado the week
before and Appalachian State
stunning Michigan to start the
year, reporters asked Michigan
players and Carr yesterday what
they thought of the nationwide
and season-long string of major
upsets.
"It happens every year," Carr
said. "Maybe there's more (this
year). But, the one thing you
know, there are 119 schools, and
every week 59 are going to win,
59 are going to lose."
While Carr's math may have
forgot about bye weeks, he did
come up with a plausible expla-
nation for the recent wild ride in
college football.
"This time of year is when a
lot of them happen," Carr said.
"Right now, across the country,
a lot of kids are taking midterm
exams, -staying up late, not get-
ting the rest they need. They are
getting fatigued because they
were in training camp for four
weeks. It's two and a half months
they've been competing."
LONG IS WRONG: Senior Jake
Long swore the Eagles were off-
sides on the blocked extra point
returned for a two-point conver-
sion Saturday. After the game,
Carr said he trusted his captain
because Long had never allowed
a blocked kick in four years at the
spot.
But after reviewing the game
tape, Carr changed his mind.
"Their guy did a great job,"
Carr said. "He moved almost the
exact second that the ball moved.
He made a great move and he
made a great block, just as Ter-
rance Taylor did when he blocked
their extra point."

JEREMY CHO/Daily

Junior linebacker John Thompson returns to practice this week after suffering an injury in the week leading up tothe Northwestern game.

New position alters hockey captain's role

By MICHAEL EISENSTEIN
Daily Sports Writer
Senior Kevin Porter has been
playing teacher the past few
weeks.
He's scribbled on the dry
erase boards, taught the drills
and helped 12 freshmen get up to
speed with the material in prac-
tices.
But that's all been expected.
Porter was appointed captain of
the Michigan hockey team by
coach Red Berenson six months
ago, and because of a new com-
mon-start-date rule, the North-
ville native assumed those
responsibilities. Before Saturday,
coaches weren't allowed on the
ice for more than two hours a
week.
What's surprising is that he's
not the teacher anymore - he's
the student, at least when it comes
to playing his new position at cen-
ter.
Last season, Porter was on the
wing of the spotlight line. Por-
ter played alongside the nation's
points leader, then-senior T.J.
INS/DaalyHensick, a two-time Hobey Baker
Memorial Award finalist.

It's a whole different story now.
Though Porter has settled com-
fortably into his leadership role,
he's still adjusting to the respon-
sibilities of changing positions.
"He's got so much more ice
now," Berenson said. "He's not as
limited to playing off of T.J. and
playing the wing. He's the guy.
He's coming back picking up the
puck in our zone, he's lugging it
out."
Following the game, Porter
sounded like he was adjusting
well, albeit with some inevitable
early-season errors.
"It was all right," Porter said.
"I guess a few times I caught
myself trying to come up on the
back check as a winger where you
can kind of stop up high. But then
I clicked in after a second that I
had to get down low and cover-my
man down low.
"I, think that veas the toughest
part and other than that, I think
it went pretty well for the first
game."
So if Porter is comfortable
on defense and produces ample
scoring opportunities for his line
mates, what does he sill have to
learn?

Faceoffs. And he knows it.
The pre-season All-CCHA first-
team member has been working
with teammates, such as fresh-
man Matt Rust, on one of hockey's
most important plays.
Although it didn't show in Sat-
urday's Blue-White scrimmage
(he went 3-for-10 on faceoffs),
Porter's practice paid off against
Western Ontario the following
day. He secured 11-of-16 faceoffs
- the same numbers Hensick
posted against Waterloo in last
year's opening exhibition.
"I know (Saturday) I didn't
do so well (on faceoffs)," Porter
said. "But I think (Sunday) I did a
lot better. I won the first four or
five and then lost a couple here
or there, but I think I did pretty
well."
And just as Berenson was con-
fident in Porter's ability to teach
Michigan's youngest team in a
while, he doesn't hesitate when
asked about his faceoff skills.
"He'll have to continue to work
on face-offs," Berenson said. "But
he's such a good two-way player.
He's going to make some adjust-
ments. Overall, he's going to be
fine."

-Max CC
Senior Kevin Porter takes a faceoff in his first game playing at center.
Yankees suffer

NEW YORK (AP) - Once Grady
Sizemore hit a leadoff home run,
the Cleveland Indians were head-
ed to the AL championship series
while the New York Yankees were
braced for a showdown with their
boss.
Paul Byrd and the Indians bull-
pen closed out New York 6-4 in
Game 4 last night, completing the
third straight first-round debacle
for the Yankees, one that might
cost manager Joe Torre his job.
"It's tough. It's exciting," Size-
more said. "We fought hard and
got it done here."
The Yankees came in streak-
ing, overcoming a 21-29 start to
win the AL wild card. But they
were done in by poor pitching,
an insect invasion and the latest
October vanishing act by Alex
Rodriguez, whose bat was quiet
until a solo home run in the sev-
enth inning.
The pesky Indians, who wasted
a three-run lead in Game 3, chased
Chien-Ming Wang in the second
and burst ahead 4-0. Byrd kept
wiggling out of trouble, and Victor
Martinez's two-run single made it
6-1 in the fourth against reliever
Mike Mussina.
A day after averting a sweep,
New York put runners on in every
inningexceptthe eighth. But when
it counted, its high-octane offense
fell flat once again, with late hom-
ers by Rodriguez and Bobby Abreu
not enough.
"I got some big outs with guys
on base," said Byrd, who stranded
two runners in the first and three
in the second.
Cleveland moves on to its first

third-straight ALDS ousting
- ."This has been a great 12 years,
whatever the hell happens from
here on out," Torre said after the
loss. "The 12 years just felt like
r they were 10 minutes long, to be
honest with you."
Fans chanted Torre's name
when he made two trips to the
mound in the eighth inning, hand-
ing the ball to Mariano Rivera for
perhaps the final time in an era
that brought the Yankees success
they had not enjoyed since the
" 1950s.
"You can feel their heartbeat,"
Torre said of the fans.
A disappointed crowd of 56,315
also might have seen Rodriguez
in pinstripes for the final time.
A likely MVP during the regular
season, A-Rod was largely AWOL
in the postseason for the third
straight year, striking out with
two on in the first and again lead-
ing off the third.
Rodriguez, who can opt of his
record $252 million, 10-year con-
tract next month, did hit a solo
homer off Rafael Perez in the
- M seventh - ending a streak of 57
AP PHTO consecutive postseason at-bats
dy Sizemore slides in last night's 6-4 win over the New York Yankees. without an RBI since 2004. He
finished 4-for-15 in the series.
g Friday yet another offseason of turmoil, other a step below. Rodriguez is not the only one
ans were another October over nearly as Torre managed the Yankees to who may depart. Rivera, Jorge
Sox this soon as it began. All eyes will be four World Series titles in his first Posada, Andy Pettitte and Roger
ces C.C. on owner George Steinbrenner, five years and reached the playoffs Clemens also aren't assured of
Carmona who said over the weekend that in all 12 of his seasons. Yet that coming back, although the Yan-
he didn't think he'd keep Torre as might not be enough for Stein- kees probably will try to keep
ng their manager if New York bowed with brenner, impatient his team of some, if not all.
ice 1948. another early exit. While the Indi- multimillionaires has gone seven Derek Jeter will be back, of
a series ans celebrated in the infield, A- years in a row with no title. If course. But the hero of postsea-
th Colo- Rod stood alongside teammates, Torre does depart, Don Mattingly sons past had just one RBI in the
one leg on the top step of the dug- and Joe Girardi are the leading series and bounced into three
k opens out on the top deck of the deck, the candidates to replace him. double plays.

Michigan
collapses
in final
round
By MATT JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan men's golf team
is close to becoming a consis-
tently good team this season. It
just hasn't quite gotten to that
level.
The Wolverines tied for fifth
place (out of 13 teams) at the
Windon Memorial Classic host-
ed by Northwestern yesterday.
But once again, they left a tour-
nament wanting more.
Two weeks ago, Michigan
couldn't hold onto a final-round
lead at the Wolf Run Intercolle-
giate and finished second. At the
Windon, it got off to a good start
on Sunday, sitting in third place
after 36 holes. But a 10-over-par
team effort yesterday dropped
the Maize and Blue to fifth.
"Unfortunately, we didn't play
well in the final round," Michi-
gan coach Andrew Sapp said.
"A couple of guys got off to bad
starts, and we had some bad fin-
ishes. It's disappointing. We just
weren't consistent across the
board."
Even worse, Big Ten rivals
Indiana and Minnesota passed
Michigan on the final day. Both
are at the edge of Golfweek's top-
40 rankings. Michigan entered
the tournament ranked 46th.
"It would've been nice to keep
Minnesota and Indiana from
passing us," Sapp said. "But we
didn't play well enough to do
that, unfortunately."
Sapp added that bad putting,
such numerous three putts yes-
terday, doomed the Wolverines.
Michigan's entire lineup fin-
ished in the middle of the pack.
Freshmen Lion Kim and Alex-
ander Sitompul tied for 22nd to
lead the Wolverines. Junior Bill
Rankin tied for 31st and shot
even-par the final two rounds
to recover from a 6-over-par
start. Fellow junior Nick Pum-
ford came out strong and was
just 1-over par after the first two
rounds. But he shot 7-over par in
the final round and tied for 38th.
Even with the disappoint-
ing finish, Sapp says he feels his
team is close to taking it to the
next level. The Wolverines just
need to capitalize on their leads
and close tournaments.
"We haven't had our breakout
round or tournament yet this
year," Sapp said. "We've played
solid golf, but we haven't put four
great scores together yet. We also
haven't played well throughout
an entire tournament yet. But
I think we're close to breaking
through and having some special
rounds of golf."

Cleveland centerfielder Grad
ALCS since 1998, openin
night at Boston. The Indi
only 2-5 against the Red
season, but will have a
Sabathia and Fausto t
rested for Fenway Park.
The Indians are seeki
first World Series title sin
The NL championship
starts Thursday night wi
rado at Arizona.
Bewildered New Yor