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Monday July 16 2007
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

sports@michigandaily.com
734-764-8585

'M' alum thriving in Seattle

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AP PHlOT
J.J. Putz, who
pitched for
Michigan from
1996-99, was
a first-time A -
Star this year.

By COLT ROSENSWEIG
Daily Sports Writer
Call Seattle Mariners closer J.J. Putz,
and you'll have all the proof you need that
he stillbleeds Maize and Blue.
You won't hear a regular phone ring. All
you'll hear is The Victors.
And for Putz, Ann Arbor has an alternate
name besides the usual A2: "paradise."
"I miss the football Saturdays, the tail-
gates," said Putz, who returns each year
for a football game. "I just miss the whole
atmosphere there. It was the greatest
four years of my life, for sure. I met my
wife there, so everything revolves around
that place."
In his first year as the Mariners clos-

Mariner closer J.J.
Putz is tied for the
American League
lead in saves,
but still keeps
Michigan near and
dear to his heart
er, Putz, who pitched for the Wolverines
from 1996-99, notched another first when
he was selected to the 2007 All-Star team.
For such a happy announcement, however,
Putz didn't have much time to celebrate.
Mere minutes after learning of his selec-
tion, along with teammate Ichiro Suzuki,
Putz and the rest of his teammates found
out that their manager, Mike Hargrove,
would be resigning after that day's game.
"It was a little bittersweet," Putz said.
"They told us we were going to be on the
All-Star team, and about two minutes later
our manager told us he was resigning. It
was a little strange. This bomb kind of got
dropped on us."
The experience itself, however, was
See PUTZ, Page 12

All-Star Game caps an
enchanting weekend

By COLT ROSENSWEIG
On Baseball
SAN FRANCISCO - This All-
Star Game was worth the 23-year
wait.
For much of the day, it felt like
the much-hyped yet relaxed event it
usually is. But in the ninth inning, it
suddenly became agame.
After eight seasons as a partial
Giants season ticket holder, I know
what it feels like when the entire
park gets on edge, sensing either a
comeback or a disastrous blowup.
And last Tuesday night, the packed
house reached the same manic pitch
as it does in the regular season.

National League fans of all stripes batters.
banded together, screaming for Even though the "hometown"
American League blood as the Cubs' National Leaguers eventually fell
Alfonso Soriano blasted a pitch from (with Albert Pujols and Ryan How-
Michigan alum and Seattle closer ard still riding the pine), the jolt that
J.J. Putz into the jammed right-field had gripped San Francisco for a
promenade. Junior circuit aficiona- week remained.
dos - including the largest contin- It had been clear in the smiles all
gent of Tigers fans outside of Detroit around FanFest - really, who can
I' ever seen - abruptly realized help smiling when she's watching
their league's longtime domination Billy and Cal Ripken needle each
was in serious jeopardy. other mercilessly like two 9-year-
"I wonder what those crazy olds? Outside the ballpark, people
people who left early are thinking grabbed wandering mascots in
now!" yelled Andre Lopez, a fellow enthusiastic hugs and yelled greet-
Giants regular, an unmistakable ings to strangers wearing the same
note of glee undercutting his ago- team colors.
nized shouts to the National League Inside, Pudge Rodriguez's son,

Willie Mays throwing baseballs to the fans in San Francisco was one of the many
memorable moments of the Midsummer Classic.

Dereck, melted the hearts of the
early-arriving crowd as he babysat
Victor Martinez's tiny son.
Barry Bonds basked in the kind
of sustained, loving ovation he can
enjoy nowhere else in the country.
And Giants hero Willie Mays was
honored in a touching ceremony.

A huge green sheet fell away from
a gigantic blowup in center field
of Mays making "The Catch" at
the Polo Ground as Mays entered
through a double row of All-Stars.
His godson, Bonds, helped him into
a 1958 Cadillac, and he circled the
See ALL-STAR GAME, Page 12