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8A - Tuesday, April 21, 2009

The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com


5-

Seniors reflect on
unlikely NCAA run

After illustrious and inspiring
career, Abbott's No. 31 retired

From eighth place in
2006 to second this
year, seniors turned
program around
By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
It was an April night in
Oklahoma.
That was in 2006, and the
Michigan men's gymnastics team
had just hit rock-bottom, finish-
ing out of the NCAA team finals
for the first time since 1998.
The Wolverines never forgot
the terrible feeling of sitting in
their chairs and staring at the
scoreboard, knowing their season
was over.
But it was that moment that
laid the foundation for Michi-
gan's return to greatness. This
season, for the first time in years,
the Wolverines set goals and met
them - to win the Big Ten Cham-
pionships and finish in the top
three at NCAA Championships.
"We would never want anyone
to feel that way, not making Super
Six, ending the season the way we
did," senior Joe Catrambone said.
"The fact that all the guys caught
on to that and really pushed them-
selves ... and made sure that each
year we stepped it up a notch, was
really impressive."
This year, the season seemed
to be going as so many others had
- a promising start and a rough
middle, culminating in a disap-
pointing fourth-place finish at the
Pacific Coast Classic and a Senior
Night loss to Illinois.
Then came the final regular-
season meet against Ohio State
meet on March 21. The Wolver-

ines pr
to a h
in Co
clicked
ing fun
Led
Thoma
and Be
as thes
gan tie
onship
"I th
that w
the exr
oursely
said. "T
kind of
St
St
Mc
really s
Any
worldn
gan's cc
by thet
NCAAi
came ii
Ten tea
For t
way to(
"It w
fun exp
this tea
said of:
we mad
had lo
excited
won, it
our abs
And

actically danced their way learn to live without their team
uge win over their rivals and without their sport.
lumbus, and something "We don't 'know what the
. They'd learned that hav- world does between 3:00 and
led to success. 6:00 (p.m.)," fifth-year senior
by star sophomores like Paul Woodward said. "We never
s Kelley, Chris Cameron have known, our entire lives....
n Baldus-Strauss, as well No matter what's going on in that
strong senior class, Michi- week or what's going on with
d for the Big Ten Champi- our lives, you know you're going
with Illinois. to the gym. You know you have
ink this was the first year three hours where nothing else
e met our expectations, matters."
pectations that we set for Gymnastics is often be an
'es," senior Kent Caldwell extremely individual sport. But in
7o actually fulfill them was college, as it is nowhere else, the
unexpected in a way, and team is paramount.
"When you come here, the
team becomes a lot more impor-
tant," senior Jamie Thompson
'Our class said. "You want to do well for the
tean. I think most people would
:arted from agree with me that you would
, probably rather see the team
quare one, succeed than any individual per-
son."
--Carthy said. And this season, the Wol-
verines saw their team dreams
become reality.
For the seniors, the success was
atisfying." especially sweet because of the
doubts the gymnastics road they'd taken to get there.
may have had about Michi- "Our class started from square
onference title were erased one," senior Ryan McCarthy said.
team's performance at the "We were a rebuilding class. ... I
Championships. Michigan think our class has really helped
n second - the only Big to turn this team around through
m on the podium. our leadership to where it's got-
he seniors, it was the best ten today."
end their careers. Now, they'll leave the team
'as, start to finish, the most they helped to build, knowing
erience I've ever had with that it has a bright future.
im," senior Scott Bregman "I'll miss walking into that
NCAA team finals. "I think gym and right away seeing that
le Stanford think that they big block M on the wall and mak-
st, because we were so ing the left turn into the locker
.... It wasn't that we had room," senior Ralph Rosso said.
was just that we had done "I think just walking in and see-
olute best." ing the block M, that's pretty spe-
now, the seniors have to cial."

By RYAN KARTJE
Daily Sports Writer
it was the third inning of the
1986 BigTen Championship against
Minnesota, and Michigan coach
Bud Middaugh knew senior pitcher
Dan Disher was running out of gas.
Middaugh decided to replace
Disher with freshman Jim Abbott.
Abbott, who was born without
a right hand, took to the mound at
Siebert Field in Minneapolis with
his glove resting on his right fore-
arm, the ball in his left hand and
cameras flashing. Abbott hoped to
break into the Wolverines' expe-
rienced pitching rotation, and he
knew the importance of the game.
In 6.2 innings of work, the Flint
native put together an extraordi-
nary performance, allowing just
three hits and striking out 10 bat-
ters.
"He just shut them down," Mid-
daugh said Friday, the day before
Michigan retired Abbott's No. 31
jersey. "No one was going to stop us
from there."
Abbott's win propelled the Wol-
verines to a Big Ten Championship
and jumpstarted an illustrious
career.
"It seemed like a turn," Abbott
said. "I was competing on the team
for a spot. ... And after that game, I
felt like, maybe there was a chance
for me to progress in the college
ranks."
Abbott helped the Wolverines
to another Big Ten Championship
in 1987 as the newly anointed staff
ace. That same year, Abbottbecame
the lone Wolverine in program his-
tory to win the prestigious Golden
Spikes Award, given to the best col-
legiate baseball player in America.
He took his success overseas to
pitch for the United States Olympic
team inthe1988Summer Olympics,
where he pitched in the champion-
ship game against Japan and led
the United States to a gold medal.
"I never looked at him having a

handicap," Middaugh said." Some
did, but I didn't. He was the first
one I wanted to sign. ... You knew
he was a heck of a competitor to
overcome everything."
Abbott quickly made his pres-
ence felt in Major League Baseball
after the California Angels selected
him with the eighth overall pick in
the 1988 amateur draft.
He finished fifth in American
League Rookie of the Year voting in
1989. Two seasons later, Abbott fin-
ishedthird fortheAmericanLeague
Cy Young Award, the award for the
league's top pitcher, after finish-
ing 18-11 with a 2.89 ERA. Over the
course of his 10-year professional
career, he compiled a 87-108 record
and a 4.25 career ERA.
Abbott found himself on the
mound again Saturday against
Michigan State. But this time, his
first pitch was ceremonial.
His number was retired in front
of a crowd of fans and former play-
ers at Ray Fisher Stadium, many of
whom donned Abbott's No. 31 in
honor of the legendary southpaw.
Abbott's jersey became just the
fifth to be retired at Michigan,
joining the company of former
Wolverine greats Ray Fisher, Moby

Benedict, Don Lund and Bill Free-
han.
"The program is over 100 years
old, and we only have five num-
bers up in the outfield," senior
tri-captain Kevin Cislo said. "So
obviously, it's a great honor. What
he brought to Michigan, what he
did after Michigan, it represents a
great showing to his importance to
this program."
In a season full of adversity,
Abbott's presence was an inspira-
tion to a team that Michigan coach
Rich Maloney has referred to as "in
a rut".
"(Abbott) battled through adver-
sity his whole life and overcame it,"
junior outfielder and pitcher Alan
Oaks said. "He's a Hall-of-Famer. If
we canbattle through our adversity
and make it to the postseason, we
know we can overcome."
For Abbott, it wasn't about the
accolades or the adversities - it was
about being able to continue thetra-
dition of baseball at Michigan.
"I just remember the fall practice
my freshman year," Abbott said.
"Being here and looking at that
Michigan jersey, I was just think-
ing, 'Wow, this is what I'd really,
really hoped for."

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