Page 12-The Michigan Daily-Friday, July 14,1989
Fans selections...
... not true All-Stars
BY MIKE HEAD
The 60th annual mid-summer classic, also known
as the major league baseball All-Star game, provided
some interesting opportunities for comments about
America's pastime.
This year, for the umpteenth consecutive time, the
fans voted for the starters and displayed their ignorance
of the game and its players.
Mike Schmidt, perhaps the greatest third baseman
to play the game, was elected to start even though he
retired in May. Last year, in what some people felt
would be his final season, he was bypassed for the
starting position.
If the fans were bestowing some final honor upon
the former Philadelphia Phillies' great, then they did
so in a way which disallowed a similar honor to a
deserving player.
Maybe the vote was intended to be a response to
Schmidt's glory years. But if that's the case, waiting
until after Schmidt retired certainly does not
accomplish that feat.
Tom Lasorda, the manager of the National League
All-Stars, selected New York Mets third baseman
Howard Johnson to start in Schmidt's place.
Another error of the fans was the election of Jose
Canseco, the Oakland Athletics' star, to a starting
position in the outfield. This guy had not played in a
game all year due to various injuries, and then had the
audacity to say he intended to play in the annual affair.
Judged on past performances, Canseco should have
been elected. But this year, definitely not. Luckily the
A's and the American league had enough common
sense so as to not let him play.
The All-Star game is an annual affair, and the
players elected to start should receive this privilege in
recognition of their performance on the field during the
current season. If the game occurred every five years,
then it would be appropriate for the players to be
elected on overall excellence during the span between
games.
Once again, though, the fans were saved by the
managers. Tony LaRussa, manager of the American
League All-Stars, chose Ruben Sierra of the Texas
Rangers to replace Canseco.
Both Johnson and Sierra are having great years and
truly were deserving of starting roles in the All-Star
game. However, the managers had to correct the fans
and their ignorance.
Perhaps there is a ray of hope in this voting
procedure.
If the fans vote for who they really want to see play
instead of voting for the players having the best season
at the time, then the managers will eventually end up
selecting the starters anyway.
Hypothetically, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Babe
Ruth, and other greats of the past could be elected to
the All-Star game. And since these players would
probably have prior commitments (like being dead or
out-of-shape), the managers would ha.ve to select
replacement starters, deserving ones like Johnson and
Sierra.
Maybe electing some of these former stars is what
it would take before baseball gives up and just lets the
managers select the whole All-Star team.
They can't do any worse than the fans.
The honors keep rolling in for Michigan senior Glen Rice. The All-
American recently was awarded the "Jesse Owens Big Ten Athlete
of the Year Award." Rice finished his career as the Big Ten's all-
time leading scorer.
Rice named Big Ten
athlete-of-the-year
BY STEVE BLONDER
Michigan continued its dominance of the "Jesse Owens-Big Ten
Men's Athlete of the Year" award as Glen Rice easily outdistanced the
competition to win the award.
The senior forward from Flint, who led the Wolverine basketball
team to their first-ever NCAA championship, follows Michigan pitcher
Jim Abbott, also from Flint, who won the award in 1988.
Indiana tailback Anthony Thompson finished with 13 points, far
short of Rice's 26. Ohio State long jumper Joe Greene nosed out Illinois
gymnast David Zeddies for third place.
In addition to finishing his career as the Big Ten's all-time leading
scorer, Rice was named Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA
Tournament's Southeast Regional and the Final Four. Rice averaged
over 30 points per game during the tourney's six games, en route to
setting a new record for most points scored during the tournament (183).
Rice led the Big Ten in scoring each of his last two seasons. As a
senior, he averaged 25.6 points and 6.3 rebounds. he was named Most
Valuable player in the Big ten by UPI and won the Chicago Tribune's
Silver Basketball Award as the Big Ten's MVP.
Last month, Rice was selected by the Miami Heat as the number four
pck overallle NBA draft.
Wisconsin's Suzy Favor, a five-time NCAA champion in track and
field, was selected as the Big Ten's Woman Athlete of the Year. Favor,
who won the award in 1988, is the first two-time winner.
Favor earned all-America honors in cross country and indoor and
outdoor track, in addition to becomin~g the first athlete to win three
NCAA outdoor 1,500-meter titles. Favor is undefeated in her Conference
championship middle distance career.
MICHIGAN ROUND-UP
Netter earns wild-card berth
BY STEVE BLONDER Kempthorn resigned earlier this
Michigan tennis player Malivai , summer to pursue other interests.
Washington accepted a wild-card This year's team finished at the
entry into this week's Hall of Fame bottom of the Big Ten (7th) for the
Championships. The junior recently second consecutive year. During
won the singles title at the United Kempthorn's five years at the helm,
States Tennis Association Satellite the Wolverines have never finished
Circuit. higher than fourth in the conference.
Washington, who held the No. 1
singles ranking in the nation from FIELD HOCKEY
January until June, finished this
season with a 25-6 record inaddition " Michigan has joined five other
to winning national singles titles in midwestern universities in forming
the Collegiate Championships last the Midwest Collegiate Field
fall, and the Indoor Championships. Hockey Conference.
In May, Washington was named to The University of Iowa,
the United States' National Team. Michigan State, Northern Illinois
University, Northwestern, Ohio
State are the other teams in the
GYMNAST ICS newly formed conference.
" Michigan Athletic Department Plats to ,reate the new
officials have spent the week conference began when Purdue
interviewing women's gymnastics
coaches. The Wolverines have had a
vacancy since head coach Dana &,
dropped the sport in 1988, an act
which left the Big Ten Conference
with only five schools offering field
hockey. Big Ten rules require six
conference:majors participate in a
varsity sport in order to award a
conference championship. Field
hockey was granted a one-year
waiver of this rule, while plans were
developed to form a new conference.
Big Ten administrator Mary
Masters, who graduated from
Michigan in addition to working for
Michigan Sports Information, has
been hired as commissioner for the
new conference.
Last year, Iowa advanced to the
NCAA championship finals, while
Northwestern and Northern Illinois
were ranked third and 19th@
respectively at the season's end.
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Michigan Daily
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