I 12A - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom CATFCHINA.-G (ON Nearly deaf walk-on goes from team manager to team player By Dan Feldman -Daily Sports Editor The day was taking too long to end. The Michigan softball team opened play at Alumni Field last year with a doubleheader against Western Michigan. The first game was an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller. Lori- lyn Wilson came within one out of throwing a no-hitter, and then-freshman Angela Findlay hit a walk-off grand slam. The second was mundanely one-sided. After a rain delay stretched the break between the games, the Wolverines led the Broncos 7-0 going into the bottom of the sixth inning of game two. A few more outs, and everyone could go home. Michigan coach Carol Hutchins decid- ed to let some bench players pinch hit, giving a bit of life to the dragging eve- ning. "I try not to forget how important that is to akid," Hutchins said. With one on and one out, Hutchins called on Rachael Herrmann to step up to the plate. Herrmann was surprised. A team manager the past two years, the walk- on didn't expect to do anything other than catch in the bullpen and cheer on her teammates. This time, the roles were reversed. "I was so excited," sophomore pitcher Nikki Nemitz said. "I was up on the fence just cheering for her, wanting her to hit that ball so hard." But Herrmann, who grounded into a fielder's choice, didn't hear her team- mates' encouragement. AT A LOSS Last year in the Donald R. Shepherd Softball Building, Hutchins was asked whether anything surprised her about Herrmann since she joined the team. "She still can't hear a word I say," Hutchins said. "She has one good ear and one bad ear." And then, a voice came from around the corner: "I heard that!" Herrmann is nearly deaf. The Owens- ville, Ohio native has no hearing in her left ear and 20-to-40 percent loss in her right. One night when she was a year old, Her- rmann fell ill. Her parents thought she had the flu because she was "very stiff, very pale," her father Scott Herrmann See HERRMANN, Page 13A I Taking on campus, one more time Allow me to preface this column with a few statements: I love the University of Michigan. I wouldn't trade my four years here for anything. Ann Arbor has become one of my best friends, and Iwill keep visiting her no matter where life takes me. That said, there are so many maddening things about this school, this town and the people here that I just can't stay quiet any lon- tAMRKl over the past four years. Or maybe it's because I've been bugging them about giving me back my column since they decided to cancel it. I'm hoping this breakdown of what really grinds my gears on this campus will make some- one buy me a beer the next time they see me at the bar. More than likely, though, most will want to hunt me down and drive a knife into my back. Either way, at least I'll know you read the col- umn. So enough with the introduction - this is what's been on my mind recently. " I realize helping out sick children is the worthiest of worthy causes, but has anyone else noticed that C.S. Mott Children's Hospital has a monopoly on charitable donations in this town? Everywhere I look on campus, I see a new fund- raiser and then the disclaimer, "benefiting C.S. Mott's." I'm not mad about it, because that's just evil. I'm more frustrated than anything. Don't get me wrong, I'm not calling for the end of donations to Mott's, but I think we can all get a little more creative here. There needs to be some sort of donation sharing (like rev- enue sharing in baseball) where every charity - whether it's for kids, the homeless, veterans, etc. - gets a decent amount of the bounty. Plus, Mott's already has the financial backing of the University, the state and the rest of the country because of its esteemed reputation. And it's not like patients there are just getting treatment for free. And where is all this money going to anyway? There's still no cure for cancer and many other terrible diseases. And yet, Mott's is currently building a state-of-the-art hospital complete with crucial medical innovations like a workout facility, several courtyards and scenic views of the Huron River. On the other hand, there are places for the homeless like soup kitchens or shelters that barely receive enough public funding to stay open and could really use the private donations. " Ever since I set foot on campus, a debate has raged among my friends, and I don't think there has ever been a concrete answer. What is the better burrito, Panchero's or BTB? Most people have told me BTB is head and shoulders better than anything Panchero's could ever concoct. Unfortunately, most of you are wrong and don't deserve to enjoy any sort of burrito at all. See GIANNOTTO, Page 14A ger. -- I'm not sure if anyone GIANNOTTO remembers, but I had a col- -.-- umn in The Statement two What Grinds years ago, where I detailed My Gears some of these peculiarities and nuances that drove me particularly insane. Well, after raising some controversial points of view, the powers-that-be at the Daily stopped lettingme write the column after a single semes- ter. Two years later, they are allowing me one last hurrah. I guess it's a reward for allimy hard work By JASON KOHLER Daily Sports Writer Three years ago, outfielder Kenny Fellows wasn't donning a Michigan baseball cap or lacing up his spikes. Instead, he was in a suit and tie, manning a clipboard, behind former Michigan basketball coach Tommy Amaker's bench. Fellows had put baseball behind him.After all, hewasn'tgood enough to play for Michigan. He discovered that when he tried to walk on in the fall of his freshman year -he wasn't even the best player at the tryout. "In the tryouts, you got to do something to really impress them," Fellows said. "There was only one spot open when I tried out my fresh- manyear, andunfortunately, I wasn't Fellows rediscovers passion for baseball the guy they were looking for." Fellows wanted to stay involved in athletics, but didn't know how until a flyer in the CCRB caught his eye. The women's basketball team was looking for student managers, so Fellows decided to give it a shot. "They gave me an interview, and they must have really been looking for managers, because they a job right on the spot," he said. After receiving the position so easily, Fellows decided to try for a spot as a manager of the men's bas- ketball team. The team had already filled all its positions, but Fellows got lucky when one manager quit. He was hired a week after his inter- view. See FEL LOWS, Page 14A 4 4 Y ANDOYPH COURTAPARTMENTS FRESHMAN, Ttne Lie tnee uiie tAA TM N SOPHOMORES, Raii arden ~ x6 2 Bedroom Apartment Homes ~ AND JUNIORS... 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