0
Men's basketball
vs. Indiana
Thursday, 8 p.m.
Crisler Arena
The MichiganDaily
SPORTS
Tuesday, January 22, 1991
Blue gymnasts
show progress
by Jeff Cameron
and R.C. Heaton
Daily Sports Writers "
Jeff
Sheran
Finishing third out of four teams is not always
something to cheer about, but the Michigan women's .
gymnastics team was pleased after returning from a q. f
weekend in Columbia, Missouri. J
"There was a lot of improvement shown in the
meet," Michigan assistant coach Jack Evanoff said. ; 4 J'
"We were very, very encouraged with the perfor-
mances. We should set some records this year. There is
still room for improvement, but we were pleased."
The Wolverines finished third with a score of
184.75, a tenth off the school record set last year. Mis-
souri won the competition, followed by Utah State,
Michigan, and Iowa. HF
"We went out to get a good score, and we did,"
Michigan coach Beverly Fry said. "It was a much,
much better overall meet than the first weekend. The
girls performed better, they were much more
confident."
Frosh standout Wendy Wilkinson finished fourth
overall with a score of 37.6 in the all-around
competition. Sophomores Ali Winski and Debbie
Geiger also turned in strong performances with scores
of 37.35 and 36.6, respectively.
All three gymnasts performed well on the floor
exercise. Wilkinson threw two double backs for a scoref
of 9.25, and Geiger set a career personal best of 9.45.
"We were extremely pleased with most everyone's
performances," Fry said. "Wendy Wilkinson had a
tremendous competition." Kim Crocker practices on the beam
marked the return of Kim and debut
Men fall short in Windy
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue presides over
the country's largest pro sports league. But he
recognizes that presiding over a football league and
a nation at war bear markedly different degrees of
importance.
Tagliabue exhibited a sensitivity to the world
around him and his league that is often rare in sports,
and addressed the Persian Gulf War with im-
measurable tact. He asserted the truth many people
fail to acknowledge: that football, like all sports, is
just a game.
When war erupted last Wednesday, Tagliabue
considered postponing the conference championship
games scheduled for the coming Sunday. The mere
fact that he entertained this idea deserves
commendation.
But what deserves further commendation is his
decision to allow the games to proceed as scheduled.
"We have tremendous respect for the bravery and
achievements of the nation's military forces in the
Middle East," Tagliabue explained in a press release
Thursday. "We recognize that the American people
will not be paralyzed by the events in the Middle
East or allow the fabric of daily life to be destroyed.
"We thus expect to play Sunday's conference
championship games and the Super Bowl as
scheduled," he continued. "We will obviously
continue to follow events in the Middle East and
take those into account as we, approach kickoff."
That's the reasoning Tagliabue gave for his course
of action. But consider the other ramifications of his
decision.
By allowing the games to be played, and
encouraging the interruption of the telecasts with
breaking news, Tagliabue is showcasing the sharp
contrast between the popular life-and-death issue of
football, and the real one. All too often the media
inflates the hackneyed comparison between football
and war, and if the two events are broadcast
Women's basketball
vs. Ohio State
Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Crisler Arena
Page 8
Credit Tagliabue
for right decision
concurrently, fans might finally adopt some proper
perspective on the game.
And had Tagliabue postponed the contests, he
would have sent a message of self-aggrandizement t
the rest of the world, something like: 'You guys have
your war, we'll wait. We're not gonna play football
until we have your undivided attention.' His decision
proves he has a grasp on the importance of the
situation.
The nation underwent a crisis of a different nature
a little over a year ago. A major earthquake de-
vastated the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Area during
the 1989 World Series, and created as much of a
crisis locally as the war has internationally. But afte
a brief hiatus, Major League Baseball Commissioner
Fay Vincent issued the 'Play Ball' command.
Bay Area natives later acknowledged that base-
ball provided an immeasurable lift to restoring
people's daily routines and, more importantly, their
morale. It's not certain whether the troops in Saudi
Arabia can actually enjoy the games, but footbalf
can only help their morale.
And if soldiers catch wind of the news that
Tagliabue even considered suspending play, they
will surely appreciate his acknowledgement of th@
gravity of their mission.
Vincent possessed a powerful means of al-
leviating the tragedy, and he used it. Tagliabue has
that same means. Football, while certainly no step
toward a resolution of the military conflict, can help
reweave that "fabric of daily life" to which Tag-
liabue referred.
A personal note: Sunday I watched the Giants, my
childhood favorite, advance to the Super Bowl by
kicking a last-second field goal that beat perennial
nemesis San Francisco. It was one of football's gre4
moments.
But it didn't seem to matter all that much.
SPORTS INFORMATION
. Last weekend
t of sister Tami.
Ci~ty
by Caryn Seidman
Daily Sports Writer
Bitten by the inconsistency bug
once again, the Michigan men's
gymnastics team finished ninth out
of twelve at the Windy City Invita-
tional last weekend.
Hard pressed to find an explana-
tion for the team's performance,
Coach Bob Darden said his team
needs to show more confidence and
has to become more consistent.
"The other coaches and I have
great expectations for these guys
and I don't think they have realized
it yet," Darden said.
It would appear that the new
members of the team have begun to
realize these expectations before the
others. Rookie Jorge Camacho
placed second overall in floor exer-
cises with a 9.50.
"Our freshmen h
through for us," Dar
made an outstandir
into the finals."
Frosh Ben Vera
well in floor exer
fourth place for the'
The men felt th
when NCAA quali
placed third on the
After training for or
was Hill's first mee
"He was No.1 in
ies with a 9.65, an
son's best, and his
nals was better the
Darden said. "The
pick up on the di
moves and so his
mildly disheartening
The Wolverines missed as many
ave really come points in the last four events as
den said, "Jorge they did in the entire meet against
ng effort to get Minnesota last week.
"The guys were obviously disap-
ill also finished pointed in themselves because
vises, grabbing things got awful quiet," Darden
Wolverines. said. "I think they were taking an
ey were robbed introspective look into them-
fier, Glen Hill, selves."
pommel horse. Finishing with a 265.55, up
ly a week, this eight-tenths of a point from their
t this season. meet against Minnesota, Michigan
the preliminar- fell two places behind the Univer-
individual sea- sity of Illinois, who finished with a
effort in the fi- 267.1. It was a dog fight against
n the prelims," the Fighting Illini, a fight which
judges did not will be continued this Sunday when
fficulty of his the Wolverines again compete
placement was against Illinois this Sunday here at
." home.
Women take third place at Missouri Invite
by Becky Weiss
Daily Sports Writer
Experienced distance runners
Molly McClimon, Megan Nortz,
and Amy Bannister led the Wolver-
ine women's track team to a third-
place finish in last weekend's Mis-
souri Invitational.
Because of its impressive sprint
team, Big Ten rival Ohio State won
the meet with 144 points, followed
by Arkansas (121) and Michigan
(99).
The one-two finish by Nortz and
frosh Jessica Kluge in the half-mile
was one of the highlights for the
Wolverines. Nortz edged Kluge by
one-tenth of a second with a winning
time of 2.18.31.
"Megan (Nortz) went at a good,
steady pace and Jessica (Kluge) fol-
lowed her," distance coach Sue Fos-
ter said.
Foster had expected Bannister to
have tough competition from Mis-
souri runner Val Sauer in the 1000
meters. "We told Amy to hang on
to Val, but she (Bannister) was not
challenged at all. In her last lap she
blew everyone else away."
McClimon's victory in the mile
was less of a surprise. "We knew
there wasn't much competition for
her," said Foster. "She's been both-
ered by a knee injury, so we wanted
her to go out at an even pace which
would help the other runners."
"I just ran it easy and did what I
could to win," said McClimon. Her
performance guided teammate Nortz
to second and Kluge to fourth.
On her last throw in the finals
of the shot put competition, sopho-
more Julie Victor hrew 46'6" earn-
ing her first place as well as a new
personal best. "I'm so happy (it
happened) so early in the season,'
she said.
I
!
:1
It's Time
U R AL
To
Play!
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Swimming and Diving Meet
Fraternity; All Cam pus-Men, Women
Entries Due-Mon day, January 28, 1991
By 4:30 pm
Intramural Sports Building
Wednesday, anuary30, 1991, 6:45 pm
Don Canham Natatorium
Team Racquetball
Fraternity; All Cam pus-Men, Women
Entries Due-Monday, January 28, 1991
By 4:30 pm
Intramural Sports Building
Friday, February 1-Sunday, February 3,1991
Foul Shooting
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Entries Due-Friday, February 1, 1991
By 4:30 pm
Intramural Sports Building
Wednesday, February 6, 1991
3 on 3 Basketball
All Cam pus-Men, Women
Entries due-Monday, February 4, 1991
By 4:30 pm
Intramural Sports Building
Saturday, February 9, 1991
The University of Michigan's
impact on Ann Arbor area residents
and local communities will be the
subject of a special, investigative
report published by The Ann Arbor
News on Sunday, January 27.
The comprehensive project will
include in-depth stories on how the
university impacts numerous areas
including the area's quality of life,
high tax rates, housing costs and
local services such as parking and
roads. It also will document the
university's role in the region's
-. economy as well as the growth of
high-technology companies.
The report will include results from
a county-wide poll that explored
attitudes of local residents about
the university. Are relations with
the city improving? Does the
university pay its fair share for city
services? Should the city adopt an
Visit your Intramural or Recreational Sports
Department and sign up today!
General Motors is proud to be associated with your campus intramural recreational sports and activities.