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! IN ASSOCIATION WITH UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF RECREATIONAL SPORTS SPORT OR ACTIVITY: DIVISION(S): SIGN-UP DATE(S): TIME: PLACE: MEET DATE: SPORT OR ACTIVITY: DIVISION(S): SIGN-UP DATE(S): TIME: PLACE: TOURNAMENT DATES: SPORT OR ACTIVITY: DIVISION(S): SIGN-UP DATE(S): TIME: PLACE: MEET DATE: SPORT OR ACTIVITY: DIVISION(S): SIGN-UP DATE(S): TIME: PLACE: TOURNAMENT DATE: 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 Fraternity, AlCampus-Men, Women 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.