4 8A - Wednesday, April 8, 2009 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Young QBs improve off field 0 Flag football roster, additional spring game promotions announced yesterday By COURTNEY RATKOWIAK Daily Sports Editor One of Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez's favorite ways to describe early enrollee quarter- back Tate Forcier is as a "gym rat". But Forcier said last week that he is just now beginning to notice his improved strength. Before com- ing to Ann Arbor, NOTEBOOK he said his father advised him not to lift weights on his own in order to avoid improper training. Under Director of Strength and Conditioning Mike Barwis, that's no longer an issue. "Coming here, you're lifting a 45-plate on each side - it's kind of pathetic," Forcier said last week. "(Barwis has) gotten me a lot stron- ger. You can just tell when you're running a 40 and everything - you feel different." Forcier's work ethic has extend- ed to his attitude toward the spring game. Rodriguez said yesterday the quarterback has "been beggingto be a live jersey," meaning he can be hit duringthe scrimmage. Fans are unlikely to see Forcier without the red numbers on his jersey on Saturday, though. The Wolverines have just two healthy quarterbacks on the spring roster after redshirt junior Nick Sheri- dan's recent leg injury, and they can't afford to lose another. Rodriguez said Sheridan is expected to be healthy by the start of summer workouts. Sheridan's return will coincide with incoming freshman quarter- back Denard Robinson's practice debut. Rodriguez said quarterbacks coach Rod Smith has talked with Robinson a couple of times per week during the spring,, though teaching the offense has been "hard to do over the phone." As Forcier has been making news for his progress and Sheridan for his injury, Robinson has been grabbing headlines in a different state and sport. On Apr. 1, the Florida native ran the fastest high school time in the countryinthe100-meter dash (10.28 seconds), according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He shattered What's behind Blue's struggles? the previous fastest high school time this season (10.39 seconds). Robinson's remarks to the Miami Herald following a race less than a week before he set the record reflect exactly what Rodriguez and the coaching staff should want to hear from a future Michigan quarterback - a relentless desire to improve. "I was kind of disappointed in myself to run a 10.44, but I will accept that," Robinson told the Her- ald on Mar. 29, when he set the sec- ond-fastest time in the nation at the time. "I was trying to run a 10.3, but there was strong wind. I'm working harder on it and expect to hit a 10.3 by states." He achieved his goal faster than expected, and Rodriguez's words were consistent with Robinson's accomplishments when the coach said yesterday that Robinson is a "sharp guy" who learns fast. "Some guys are track guys and some are football guys, but you want the guys that can translate that speed and he's fast on the field - that's why we signed him," Rodriguez said. THE MARKETING BLITZ CONTINUES: With the 38-member alumni flag football game ros- ter tentatively set yesterday, the Michigan Athletic Department also announced three new additions to the spring game festivities in an attempt to attract 40,000 fans to Saturday's game. Two Michigan studentswill have the opportunity to kick field goals for prizes, and 40 students will hold the "Go Blue - M Club Supports You" banner before the start of the game. In addition, a pregame cer- emony will honor alums who played in last year's Super Bowl between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. The flag football game roster, which includes 14 former NFL play- ers, features Markus Curry (2002- 04), Scott Dreisbach (1995-98), Rick Leach (1975-78), Aaron Shea (1996- 99) and Anthony Thomas (1997- 2000). Former wide receiver Ron Bel- lamy (1999-2002), who will be par- ticipating in the alumni game, said at yesterday's practice that the buzz surroundingthis year's spring game is already different from when he was a Wolverine. "I like the marketing idea, help- ing get the fans involved in the game, let them see what the players go through," Bellamy said. "Every fan is interested in that, and I think that's important to keep the inter- est in the game. Michigan football Freshman Tate Forcier has been called a "gym rat" frequently by the coaching staff. is going to sell itself, but I think it's special that you're allowingthe fans to be a big part of it." STAND IN LINE: Yesterday was the first of the Wolverines' six open spring practices held indoors. But the flurries, biting wind and mid- 30 degree temperatures didn't stop the offensive and defensive linemen from running position drills outside on the turf. And though the linemen were the only ones working on the snowy field, the offensive line was looking pretty cramped for space. This year's line provides plenty more options than last, and Michi- gan coach Rich Rodriguez has consistently said the team could potentially boast 10 solid offensive linemen this season. Redshirt fresh- men Ricky Barnum, Rocko Khoury and Patrick Omameh traveled with the Wolverines last year, and all three were almost ready to play as true freshmen. Rodriguez said on Mar. 15 that redshirt junior Steve Schilling has been one of the best performers during spring ball, an accomplishment that isn't surpris- ing considering his role as the leader oflastyear's offensive line. Going into the end of the spring, Michigan realistically has five potential redshirt freshman offen- sive linemen in addition to eight returning offensive linemen who played inat least one game last year. But yesterday, Rodriguez praised one player who doesn't fit into either of those categories - redshirt soph- omore Mark Huyge, who has yet to see game action as a Wolverine. "He's the guy that's played guard, he's played on leftside and right side, and he's practicing like he wants to take that job," Rodriguez said. "So it's going to be wide open." NOTES: Saturday's spring game won't be the Wolverines' last prac- tice - their 15th and final spring workout will be next Tuesday, where Rodriguez said the team will learn strength drillsto do during the summer, practice special teams and start looking at the first few oppo- nents of the season. ... A number of notable players were in green jer- seys at yesterday's practice, which symbolizes limited action, including junior wide receiver Greg Mathews, junior cornerback Donovan Warren and senior running back Brandon Minor. Rodriguez said Minor and Warren's green jerseys were "more precautionary than anything else." Sophomore nose tackle Mike Mar- tin, who Rodriguez said has been "banged up" lately, also sported a green jersey during practice. Michigan baseball coach Rich Maloney called his team's pitiful 3-1 loss to Eastern Michigan a "turn- ing point" of the season. The Wolverines were still 14-6, almost exactly where RYAN they were at this KARTJE point last year. He echoed On baseball similar senti- ments a week later when Bowl- ing Green, another sub-.500 Mid-American Conference team, stunned his team. The next day, the Wolverines rallied to beat Oakland 14-13 in a marathon ballgame. Junior first baseman Mike Dufek claimed that this was a "turning point" in the team's season. After all, they were only a few days behind last year's team in getting to 17 wins. But when the Wolverines lost two of three to Penn State last weekend - including a 16-5 shellacking Sunday afternoon - senior captain Tim Kalczynski put the icing on the cake with his "turning point" declaration: "It could go one of two ways," he said. "It could go uphill really fast or downhill really fast. It's just a matter of how men- tally tough we are and how we respond." What Kalczynski doesn't real- ize is that his team has "turned" so many times that it's back where it started. Last season, Michigan had 14 total losses, two at the hands of then-No. 1 Arizona State. And the Wolverines had lost just once to a MAC team, Central Michi- gan, who they play in Ann Arbor tonight. After losing two of its most efficient batters in first baseman Nate Recknagel and third base- man Adam Abraham, Maloney knew that, in terms of hittingthe long ball, this team would be a shell of its former self. Both Abra- ham and Recknagel had batting averages over .350, and Recknagel was named Big Ten Player of the Year after breaking the Michigan record for most home runs in a season (23). "With all the new faces and the inexperience, we're like a lot of teams in the Big Ten," Maloney said at Meet the Wolverines Night in February. "A lot of these guys we're riding on the coattails of older guys.... Who's going to rise up?" If you let the statistics speak for themselves, this team is nearly the same as last year. Dufekand sophomore outfield- er Ryan LaMarre both have risen up in a big way, accounting for the same amount of home runs as the trio of Recknagel, Abraham and slugger Zach Putnam, who also left last season, in as many games. Their performances have helped to elevate the team's batting aver- age .003 higher than it was at this point last season. On the mound, senior Chris Fetter has an ERA .22 points lower than his mark from a year ago. But his record is 4-1, com- pared to 6-0 last season. Even the team's ERA isn't significantly up from this point lastyear. So what makes this team look so different? Maloney talked all year about giving up what he calls "freebies" and cashing in on opportunities to manufacture runs. But the Wol- verines just aren't executing on a consistent basis. The truth is, this team's role players aren't filling the void left by last year's seniors - Jason Christian, Derek VanBuskirk and Leif Mahler, among others. Against Penn State on Sunday, Michigan allowed the Nittany Lions to catch fire and score 12 unanswered runs in the fifth through eighth innings after keeping the game close. In their narrow win against Oakland, the Wolverines sur- rendered eight total runs in the second and third innings - a gargantuan sum that they barely eclipsed. And when a team as young as Michigan faces deficits like that on a weekly basis, it's bound to get discouraged. From the plate, that has translated into troubles see- ing the ball, especially for players who aren't named LaMarre or Dufek. The Wolverines have struck out 65 more times than they had at this point last season. Senior second baseman and tri- captain Kevin Cislo said it best: "It's about inconsistency,' he said. "Our pitchers will do well and our hitters won't or vice- versa. This is our firstyear with a lot of guys together, so it's going to take some time. "But there's no question, we've got to come out and play with more consistency." After Penn State dominated last year's Wolverines by nine runs, Michigan won 12 straight games, including a decisive four- game sweep of this year's current Big Ten leader, Illinois. Yes, this year's team has two more losses. But the BigTen is wide open with Michigan just one game out of first place. The Fighting Illini await the Wolverines this weekend - and the talk about "turning points" could finally end with a series win. 4 4 After three years of coming up just short, Catrambone finally a Bid Ten Champion 4 By COLT ROSENSWEIG Daily Sports Writer When senior Joe Catrambone stuck his triple backflip dismount off the high bar at Saturday night's Big Ten Championships, Michigan coach Kurt Golder leapt up and down likea kid on Christmas morn- ing. The alumni of the 1999 National Championship team, gathered in Ann Arbor to watch Michigan host Big Tens, stood for Catrambone's routine - the only time they rose from their seats all night b Michigan~s fan section and bench went crazy. And in a house in Dept- ford, N. J., Catrambone's family joy- fully screamed at the television. Normally, when the senior com- pletes a successful routine, his cel- ebration resembles an angry man trying to start a balky lawnmower. He scowls intensely, pumping his fists as though he might dislocate a shoulder. On Saturday night, Catrambone just raised his arms in the air and smiled. Written on his face was pure relief. After three years of postseason frustration, Catrambone won the Big Ten high bar title, part of Michi- gan's one-two-three sweep of the event awards. It was a moment he'd waited for his entire career. "I think the biggest thing that surprised me was Kurt," Catram- bone said. "Him giving me a hug at the end and saying that I'm finally on the Wall (of Fame in the gym) kind of got me. That, and watching the video again. ... I've never, ever seen Kurt jump in the four years that I've been here." But as he jogged toward the awards stand at the end of the night, Catrambone wasn't thinking of what he'd just done. In his mind's eye, he saw the past three seasons of missed opportuni- ties at Big Ten Championships. He saw himself slipping off the bar in Iowa as a freshman. He saw the fall on his full Tak skill two years ago in Minnesota. He saw himself last season in State College, falling off on his full Tak and his jam. He remembered watching Big Ten event finals from the stands, never capitalizing on the chance M' battles inclement weather for fourth place By NICK SPAR a tie for third after the next 18, Daily Sports Writer improving their first-round score by 29 strokes and posting a tourna- Michigan junior Ashley Bauer ment-low round of 303. had never seen anything like it on Bauer finished tied for sixth a golf course before. and led the second-round surge, As the Michigan women's golf recording'a one-under 71, the low- team competed .in the second est individual score all tourna- round of the Indiana Invitational in ment. Freshman Milena Savich Columbus, Ind., a hailstorm pelted also finished tied for sixth and the course for about 20 minutes. sophomore Min Yean Tan finished The putting green was com- tied for 18th. pletely white. "I felt really great about how we 4 The Wolverines played through came back in the second round," rain, sleet, snow, strong winds and Teichert said. "I thought that was hail in their final regular-season exceptional." event before the Big Ten Champi- Michigan finished ahead of onships on Apr. 24. They finished Wisconsin, tournament-host Indi- fourth out of 14 at the two-day, ana, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois, 54-hole tournament. Michigan which should help build the team's finished ahead of all five other Big confidence in the coming weeks. Ten teams in the field, and No. 31 "Going into the Big Tens, this UNLV won the event. was really key," Bauer said. "Most The night before the first two other teams have another tourna- rounds, Michigan coach Kathy ment before the Big Tens and we Teichert said she wasn't sure if don't, so this was a good time to go the course conditions would be out there and get some experience playable. Temperatures remained under our belt, especially in these in the mid-to-high 30s through types of conditions." all three rounds, and severe wind Michigan has 17 days to regroup made the conditions even worse. and sharpen its game before the Despite the cold weather that lin- Big Ten Championships in West gered in the final round, Teichert Lafayette. Teichert said she will said she was still unsatisfied with assess the progress of her team, the scores her players recorded. decide who will compete and work "Any time the temperature is with each of her golfers inthe com- under 45, (the weather) is going to ing weeks. be a factor," Teichert said. "But we "The main thing that we're missed the putts that we needed to goingto be focusing in on would be make. The three-footers, getting individual work with these play- 4 up-and-down-we just didn't capi- ers," Teichert said. "We got to have talize on those types of things." them realize that every round and The Wolverines struggled in every stroke and every shot that the tough weather during the first is hit is as important as the next. round and were tied for 11th after A drive is just as important as a 18 holes. But they battled back to putt." ARIEL BOND/Daily Senior Joe Catrambone celebrates his dismount on the high bar after his Big Ten Championship-winning routine Saturday. to prove he was good enough to be competing in them. Saturday was completely differ- ent. Though he had to spend over two hours waiting to perform one rou- tine, Catrambone was careful not to tense up. Before saluting the judges, Catrambone visibly suppressed a grin - definitely not business as usual for the intense gymnast. Just as he'd started to get ner- vous, the high-bar judges provided some amusement when he went to chalk up. "I was chalking up and there was no chalk in our box," Catrambone said. "So I went to the ring one, and I guess the fan was blowing it in the judges' faces. Three of them were coughing. They had chalk all on their jackets. I was trying not to laugh.... That kind of relaxed me." Catrambone has dealt with inju- ries to his wrist and ankle this year, both of which threatened to derail his senior season and often forced him to water down his routines. On Saturday, none of that was evident. Catrambone even added an extra skill, a full spin, to his set to boost his start value by two tenths of a point. When the routine was over, his teammates' delight was evident. Senior Ralph Rosso, who has known Catrambonenearlyhisentirecareer, wrapped his friend in a wordless hug. After concluding the night as the last high-bar competitor and runner-up, sophomore Thomas Kel- ley got in on the congratulations, too. "I was rooting for everybody in high-bar lineup, but maybe a little bit more for (Catrambone)," Michi- gan assistant coach Scott Vetere said. "I'm his group coach and I've seen him go through quite a lot in the last couple of years, as far as being able to hit in big meets and him having problems. ... I'm really proud of him and I hope he contin- ues it at NCAAs. He can definitely be NCAA high-bar champion, no doubt about it. It's just about him believing." Catrambone was one of the lastto step offthepodium after Michigan's team title on Friday, trying to stretch the moment as long as possible. He was among the last competitors to leave Crisler Saturday night, too. "I'll never forget it," Catrambone said. "I'll never forget (Friday) night or (Saturday) for the rest of my life."