Monday, May 14, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

Monday, May 14, 2012
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com

15

-. Michigan avoids sweep, Big Ten crown goes to Purdue

PA U L S H E R M A N . V E W P O IN T
Renew our future

By LIZ NAGLE you dream about," said Michigan
Daily Sports Writer coach Rich Maloney. "When I took
the Michigan job, I used to run in
WEST LAFAYETTE - The the natatorium, looking over our
announcer's voice anticipated the field and I would dream of some-
last play of Saturday's game on day having our team do a dog pile
Lambert Field. on the field.
With two outs in the top of "And fortunately for us, we've
the ninth inning, sophomore had it happen a few different
first baseman Brett Winger hits times. I wanted them to see that
a "ground ball at Perkins. ... His because for as much as we didn't
throw to first is in time, and the want them to do it against us,
Purdue Boilermakers are the Big obviously, there's some learning to
Ten Champions in 2012!" be had there because that's what
The Michigan baseball team you want as a team - you want to
watched its opponents celebrate, experience that moment."
rushing the field and dog piling The two-game skid started
over its first conference title in with senior right-hander Brandon
over a century. Sinnery's Friday-night start. He
It seemed like yesterday when posted promising numbers, giv-
the Wolverines (7-14 Big Ten, ing up just four earned runs in a
21-31 overall) claimed their third- complete game, but Purdue swung
straight crown in 2008. But they a hot bat like it has all season, with
felt bitter watching No. 15 Purdue seven players in the lineup batting
(16-5, 39-10) hold the trophy in above .300.
one hand and point an index fin- While Sinnery - who notched
ger toward the sky with the other, 54 strikeouts this season - retired
boasting its number-one spot atop just one Boilermaker on Friday, he
the conference. walked just two batters and took
Though the outcome could've command of the strike zone, giv-
A*Aw been predicted, Michigan ing the Wolverines strong backup.
remained confident coming off a But Michigan's hit production was
win against a great Coastal Caro- minimal.
lina program last Wednesday. But Purdue right-hander Joe Haase
after dropping the first two games hurled the shutout, capping the
of the series - 4-0 and 14-3 - program's record 38th win and
with almost a third of the Boiler- leaving the Wolverines with just
makers' hits, the Wolverines left four hits.
dispirited. On Saturday, Michigan only
"I wanted the guys to stay sank deeper in discouragement
around and see that - as hard while the Boilermakers piled on
as it was - because that's what the runs, and Purdue defeated the

Wolverines with ease.
"We had a tough time as a team
keeping our hands back," said
junior center-fielder Patrick Bion-
di. "We were a little bit impatient
all weekend. ... We didn't hit at all
and we understand that we didn't
play a good game of baseball in
any part of the game."
Posting 14 runs on 17 hits
against Michigan's four-man
bullpen effort, the Boilermakers
rewrote history books with their
first title since 1909.
The Wolverines fell apart on
the mound after the first score-
less inning gave a glimpse of hope.
Through the next seven frames,
Purdue did damage at the plate
and took advantage of11 walks.
The hurlers - sophomore right-
hander Alex Lakatos, freshman
left-hander Trent Szkutnik, senior
right-hander Kevin Vangheluwe
and freshman right-hander James
Bourque - gave up runs early and
often, making it impossible for
Michigan to bounce back.
Boilermaker right-hander
Lance Breedlove pitched seven
innings, allowing only one hit and
leaving the Wolverines with zeros
across the board. But with enough
insurance, Purdue sent the inex-
perienced right-hander Andrew
Quinnette into relief.
Quinnette, with a 9.00 ERA in
just three innings of work this
season, gave Michigan its three
runs. Winger opened up the
eighth on a single up the middle
and advanced to second on a wild

Senior Ben Ballantine earned the lone win of the weekend against Purdue.

pitch, and senior catcher Coley
Crank smacked one into the left-
field net, driving in the first two
runs.
But that was not nearly enough
to stymie the Boilermakers before
they claimed the crown.
"It sucked," said junior right-
hander Ben Ballantine. "That's
what we dream - that's why we
all came to Michigan. ... That's
where we aspire to be. Next year,
without a doubt, that's what we're
coming for."
On Sunday, a different color
flooded the field at the end of the
narrow 4-3 matchup.
After Purdue scored the first
run in the second frame, the Wol-
verines logged its first lead of the
weekend on Biondi's solo home
run and Crank's RBI single.
Michigan tacked on another
pair of runs in the fourth inning,

which was just enough for Ballan-
tine to work with from the mound.
On a solid defensive delivery
from Ballantine and redshirt
junior left-hander Bobby Brosna-
han, the Boilermakers suffered a
close loss, 4-3, and the Wolverines
avoided the sweep. With the win,
Michigan prevented Purdue from
taking sole possession of the Big
Ten title. The Boilermakers cur-
rently hold a three-game lead over
Penn State and will have to win at
least one game next weekend to
be the lone winners of the title, on
the caveat that the Nittany Lions
win all three games.
"It was a big win - the kids bat-
tled back," Maloney said. "I don't
think it's ever easy when you see
someone getting what you want.
On the flip side of it is you gotta
win with class, you gotta lose with
class."

Imagine that you're sitting at
home and your children are thirsty.
You go to get a glass of water for
them, but realize you can't because
the water from the faucet has been
heavily polluted with high levels
of nitrates due to increased use of
fertilizers and hydraulic fracking.
This scenario could become a real-
ity in the near future.
Perhaps you've seen videos on
YouTube in which people are able
to light their tap water on fire. It's
difficult to imagine that these prob-
lems could be happening in the U.S,
but water is becoming more pollut-
ed with each passing day.
Water containing high levels of
nitrates has led to an increase in
Blue baby syndrome. When infants
drink this polluted water, they
experience shortness of breath and
their skin turns blue as the nitrates
in the water deprive the baby's
blood of oxygen.
Blue baby syndrome has
occurred in cities throughout the
U.S., notably in Iowa. Despite the
fact that there have been mod-
est improvements in our infra-
structure and the Environmental
Protection Agency's standards,
Blue baby syndrome continues
to haunt many American fami-
lies. Such health-related problems
have occurred for the past sev-
eral decades, but we still have not
found a way to resolve these issues.
In fact, as recently as 2011, Iowa's
Department of Natural Resources
reported high levels of nitrates
in tap water, according to the Des
Moines Register.
Even more disturbing, though
therenhaverbeen improvements
in environmental standards and
infrastructure, the quality of that
infrastructure has not improved.
According to the American Society
of Civil Engineers, the U.S. earned
a "D" grade for its water quality
in 2009. Each year, America faces
an annual shortfall of at least $20
billion to maintain its water infra-
structure. This number has been
increasing for the past several

years, and if we are not careful, it
will continue to rise with time.
Water quality is only the tip of
the iceberg for our country's crum-
bling infrastructure. Due to the
lack of global competition, Ameri-
cans have fallen into a state of
complacency, thinking that repair-
ing water systems and bridges
isn't important because the U.S. is
already successful and influential.
Moreover, many Americans have
simply accepted the fact that our
infrastructure is falling apart. As
a result, the costs of our crumbling
infrastructure has been increas-
ing. The American Society of Civil
Engineers reported in 2009 that a
$2.2 trillion investment over five
years needed tobe made to improve
American infrastructure, which
was an increase from $1.6 trillion
in 2005. If we wait any longer,
those costs will continue to rise.
Action won't be taken unless
our governmentplaces value on
water or any other area of infra-
structure, for that matter. Our gov-
ernment hasn't paid attention to
water because it has been viewed
as a renewable resource. But water
is a limited resource that must
be looked after carefully. Many
Americans have sat by idly while
our water supply has become pol-
luted. Waiting around is no longer
an option, as the amount of avail-
able fresh water is running out.
We must take care of this resource
before it's too late.
If we don't act now America will
likely suffer greatly in the future.
We can no longer afford to rely on
future generations to fix our infra-
structure. It is time that we spend
the appropriate amount of money
to resolve these deficiencies. If
we continue to do nothing, future
generations may be susceptible to
Blue baby syndrome, just a small
example of the many problems
that will likely arise from crum-
bling infrastructure.
Paul Sherman is a
LSA sophomore.

Same-sex marriage and wom-
en's rights are two social issues
that seem to
be popping up
in the media
everywhere
these days.
Whether it's
Obama's pub-
lic support of
same-sex mar-
riage or Rush SARAH
Limbaugh's SKALUBA
absurd "slut"
comment,
the constant
attention these issues are given
shows just how important they are
to the American people.
The social issues prevalent in
our country elicit strong individ-
ual opinions, which in turn widen
the gap between Democrats and
Republicans. As Democrats reach
out to earn the support of same-
sex couples and young voters, it
seems Republicans are silently
sitting aside and not attempting
to go after these demographics.
The individual comments made
by extreme conservatives aren't
representative of the entire party
as a whole, but instead the ideas
of a small, ultra-conservative
minority.
As University of Michigan stu-
dents living in one of the more
liberal cities in America, we find
ourselves in a diverse commu-
nity that encourages individual-
ity and independence. So it should
come as no surprise to us that
the majority of college students
are becoming increasingly lib-
eral, especially when it comes to
social issues like same-sex mar-
riage. But as society progresses,
the Republican Party has fallen
victim to the ever-growing num-
ber of outrageous claims made
by conservative radio show hosts

In this case, it would've been helpful for him to explain to Malia and Sasha that
while her friends' parents are no doubt lovely people, that's not a reason to
change thousands of years of thinking about marriage:'
- Daughter of former Alaskan governor, Bristol Palm, writing about President Obama's policy change in
her official blog.
Conservative quandry

and certain Republican leaders.
It's this small group of super-
conservative individuals that
damages the Republican Party's
reputation. As more and more
Americans are accepting the
ideas of same-sex marriage and
women's right to contraception,
conservatives are isolating certain
groups and losing support.
This past February conserva-
tive talk show host Rush Lim-
baugh verbally attacked Sandra
Fluke, a third-year law student at
Georgetown University, after the
testimony she gave about mandat-
ing contraceptive insurance at her
school. On his show Limbaugh
said, "It makes her a slut, right? It
makes her a prostitute. She wants
to be paid to have sex. She's hav-
ing so much sex she can't afford
the contraception." And yes, this
is indeed a real talk show that has
aired on more than 600 stations
across the nation and boasts "mil-
lions" of listeners every day.
Limbaugh's remarks were not
only extremely offensive and irra-
tional, but also serve as a prime
example as to why the Republican
Party is losing support. I'm not an
expert, but I can't imagine how
calling a young, educated woman a
prostitute and slut for standing up
for her liberties is a reliable or pos-
itive tactic, especially in the eyes
of women. When such prominent
individuals like Limbaugh make
these outrageous public claims,
it's hard not to assume that the
entire Republican Party is a bunch
of crazy, conservative lunatics.
Sadly, the absurd remarks made
by a few people do have the abil-
ity to taint an entire group's image
and create a nasty stigma for
everyone involved. Former GOP
candidate Rick Santorum only
strengthened this stigma after
saying that he opposes abortionin

all situations during a CNN inter-
view. According to Santorum, "we
must make the best of a bad situ-
ation," even if that involves rape.
His conservative stance on abor-
tion is a reflection of his Catholic
faith and not that of the entire
Republican Party. All too often,
however, these individual opin-
ions become representative of the
party as a whole when they are
actually just the sole attitude of
one person.
Republicans
must review
their attitudes
As our country evolves and
moves forward, it's important for
Republican leaders to realize the
huge significance that social issues
play in our daily lives. American
support for same-sex marriage is
now at a record high of 50 percent,
and polls show this number will
only grow in the future. We learn
at such a young age that individual
liberty and justice is what built our
country, so why shouldn't same-
sex couples have the same liberties
as everyone else?
It's time for Republicans to face
the changing attitudes of the 21st
century and realize that unless
they re-evaluate their attitudes
and work to become more accept-
ing, they will not have the support
necessary to be a strong contender
in today's political scene.
Sarah Skaluba can be reached
at sskaluba@umich.edu and
on Twitter at @SSkaluba

MEN'S BA:SKE TBALL W
'M' adds fifth recruit to 2012 class Wolverines take two races, win Big Ten Title

By COLLEEN THOMAS tweet on Friday night: "Just offi-
Daily Sports Editor cially committed to the University
of Michigan! #blessed #goblue"
The Michigan men's basketball He visited Ann Arbor last week
team is adding one more to its and was offered a scholarship -
already stellar 2012 class. one that opened up due to three
Pickerington (Ohio) Central transfers earlier this year. LeVert
vwm High School shooting guard Caris is listed at 6-foot-5 and is a three-
LeVert originally signed with star recruit according to Rivals.
Ohio University in the fall, but com. He led Pickerington Central
when then-head coach John Groce to an Ohio state championship and
left for Illinois, LeVert was given averaged 18.4 points per game as a
his release and was able to pursue senior.
other schools. LeVert joins Glenn Robinson
LeVert chose Michigan over III, Mitch McGary, Nik Stauskas
Xavier, Dayton and Purdue, and and Spike Albrecht in Michigan's
made his decision public in a incoming class.

By COLLEEN THOMAS
Daily Sports Editor
For the first time since 2004,
the No.5 Michigan rowingteam is
on top of the Big Ten.
After four of the six races on
Sunday in Indianapolis were com-
pleted, the Wolverines sat in third
place, needing victories in the first
and second-varsity eight races.
Michigan was down by 13 points
to first-place Ohio State heading
into the final two events.
The Wolverines inched closer
to the top when its second-varsity
eight boat cruised to a victory in

its race. They never trailed, jump-
ing out to a lead from the begin-
ning of the race and won by eight
seconds. The win narrowed the
gap to seven points behind the
Buckeyes.
And in the final race of the day,
the first-varsity eight clinched the
title for Michigan, beating Ohio
State by more than five seconds.
The Wolverines finished with
147 points, just two more than the
Buckeyes and 15 more than third-
place Wisconsin.
The championship is the fifth in
program history.
Earlier in the day, the Wolver-

ines took third place in the first
and second-novice eight races,
and the first-varsity four in addi-
tion to a second-place finish in the
second-varsity four race.
Three Michigan rowers earned
first-team All-Big Ten honors:
seniors Julia Darnton, Emily
Eiffert and Felice Mueller.
The title all but ensures a bid
to the NCAA Championships, and
Michigan will find out its fate in
the Women's Rowing Selection
Show on Tuesday.
The NCAA Rowing Champion-
ships will take place May 25-27 in
West Windsor, N.J.

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