SP
ORT"
c_
The Michigan Daily - Monday, July 24, 2006 - 15
NOTES Landis takes home the
Avant signs contract with Eagles; will wear No. 81*
Former Michigan wide receiver Jason Avant has some big shoes to fill. The fourth- e llo w e r s e to n
round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles signed a four-year deal with the team last
week, where it was also determined that he would wear the No. 81 jersey for the team that
has made three NFC Championship Game appearances in the past four years. PARIS (AP) - The craziest Tour de France in mem- human courage in the span of 24 hours.
The number formerly belonged to All-Pro wide receiver Terrell Owens, whose contro- ory ended Sunday the same way the last seven had: with The 30 seconds put Landis, who hails from eastern
versial antics caused him to be suspended and released from the team last season. an American wearing the yellow jersey, this time with a Pennsylvania's Dutch country, in position to win by out-
Terms of Avant's contract were not disclosed. Landis instead of a Lance. pacing Pereiro in the final time trial Saturday.
The former captain ranks third on the all-time receptions (169) list at Michigan, trailing After stunning feats of willpower and woeful cracks And by the time he was done, the race was reborn
only Braylon Edwards and Marquise Walker. of concentration, Floyd Landis's arthritic hip held up and - injected with the drama and swashbuckling flavor of
he held on forthe ceremonial ride over the cobblestones years past, something that was lacking for nearly all of
Showcase to feature '96 national champion team of the Champs-Elysees. Armstrong's seven victories.
"I kept fighting, never stopped believing," Landis said Not that the two men won't be inextricably linked.
Ten years ago, the Michigan hockey team won its first national championship under the after leaving the winner's podium with his daughter, A former mountain biker, Landis toiled for three years
tenure of coach Red Berenson. Now the former champs will have another opportunity to play Ryan. as a U.S. Postal Service team support rider for Arm-
together as a team at Yost Ice Arena. But plenty of race fans surely had their doubts, espe- strong - then broke out on his own to lead the Swiss
On August fourth, the Summer Hockey Showcase will honor the 10th anniversary of the cially after his wild ride in the Alps last week. Phonak squad.
*Wolverines' eighth national championship by featuring the 1996 alumni in a game against Landis had tried to apply Armstrong's meticulous Now, Armstrong wants him back with the Discovery'
other recent graduates and former players under 35. strategy for winning, but that went awry when he flat Channel team, of which he is part owner.
Twenty-one players from the 1996 team are confirmed to appear, including NHL goalie out cracked in the final climb of Stage 16 on Wednesday, "We've always been interested in Floyd, he's a damn
Marty Turco and 1997 Hobey Baker Award winner Brendan Morrison - who will not be able giving up a lead and falling 8 minutes, 8 seconds behind good rider," Armstrong said. "We would take Floyd
to compete, but will act as the team's coach alongside former '96 teammate Jason Botterill. Spain's Oscar Pereiro. back. We have pursued him for some time now."
Among the confirmed players to play against the 1996 team will be Mike Cammalleri, All but written off, he managed a stunning rebound Landis's loyalties may be elsewhere: He dedicated the
Andy Hilbert, Josh Langfeld and Jed Ortmeyer. The entire graduating classes of 2005 and the very next day in the last mountain stage, pedaling victory to Andy Rihs, the owner of the Swiss Phonak
2006 will also be on hand for the event. like a madman and closing the gap to 30 seconds. team.
The festivities begin at 4:30 pm. with the 35-50-year-old alumni game and will be followed So astounding was the turnaround that race director As things stand now, he hopes to ride again. It all
by the 50-plus/celebrity game at 5:30 pm. The 1996 reunion game is at 7 p.m. Jean-Marie Leblanc, who has overseen this event 18 depends on how he fares after hip replacement surgery
A host of other Michigan hockey alumni will participate in the other two games, including years, called it "the best performance in the modern his- this fall to ease pain in the arthritic joint still aching
Wolverine coaches Berenson and Billy Powers. tory of the Tour." from a 2003 crash during a training ride.
Tickets will be available at the Yost Ice Arena box office beginning at 3:30 p.m. The comeback was read by many as a master stroke, "I'm proud and happy for Floyd," said Armstrong,
on the fourth, when the doors open. Tickets for adults are $5 and children 12 years instantly enshrining Landis in cycling's pantheon along- who watched the finish on TV from a hotel room near
of age or younger can get in for $3. All the money goes toward the Michigan Hockey side greats like five-time Tour champion Eddy Merckx
Scholarship Endowment Fund. of Belgium for his show of both human frailty and super- See LANDIS, Page 16
-
Re Wr T +
Sr o
" 1,2,3, and 4 Bedroom Apartments
- Fully Furnished
- Full size washer and dryer
- Free High Speed Internet and Cable
- Individual Leases
- Dishwasher & Microwave Oven
- Private Bathrooms
- Panic Alarms in Every Bedroom
- On-Site Parking
- Fitness Center
- Recreation Room with Pool Tables
- Computer Lab
- Roommate Matching Service
- Theatre
Ask About Our .rpI