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The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, September 18, 1995 - 38
SWhite on Target
The Boston Garden closes and
so does a chapter on tradition
BOSTON - Nine inches. It doesn't seem like much, does it?
If you're in Boston, however, it is the difference between a storied
sports past and a corporate future.
It is the space between the historic Boston Garden and a brand-new arena
which Fleet Bank paid $36 million to put its name on - the Fleet Center.
The new went up just nine inches from the old.
I've never been one to get in the way of progress, but this is sad.
The Boston Garden is the last of a rare breed. It is the last classic arena in
.his country, and when it closes on Sept. 30, so will a long chapter in the
'istory of American sports.
Step inside the Garden and you can feel and see the history everywhere.
There are the Stanley Cup banners of the Boston Bruins. They've won five.
The retired numbers of greats like Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.
Then you glance to the other end of the arena, to where the banners celebrat-
ing the Boston Celtics' past hang.
Unlike the Bruins, who have also hung banners for conference and division
titles, the Celtics only raise their world championships to the ceiling, all 16 of
them. They've also hoisted to the rafters 20 numbers that won't be worn again.
The banners will all move over to the new building; so will the Garden's
famed parquet floor. But it won't be the same. It never is.
Ask Chicago. Last year the Bulls and the Blackhawks moved from Chicago
Stadium to the United Center. Michael Jordan doesn't like the new place and
many say that it just doesn't have the feel of the Stadium.
The new arenas are state-of-the-art. They're built for comfort, with no obstructed
views and more luxury suites. They're everything a fan could want, right?
Wrong. They lack the atmosphere, the tradition and the stories that made
their predecessors so special.
As a hockey rink, the Garden was too short and too narrow, but that just
added to the mystique.
Maybe these new arenas will grow in stature over time, but it won't be the same.
Part of that, however, is the changing nature of sports. Players don't stay
with one team long enough to build loyalties to fans and cities.
And arenas aren't named the Boston Garden, they're called the Fleet Center
or the United Center or any other company name that will help pay the bills.
It's tough to tell these days if you're going to a hockey game or to the bank.
It's all in the name of money now - forget about tradition. Everything's for
sale.
You will be able to buy seats from the Boston Garden for $500, but you have
to buy three. If you're looking for something cheaper, three dollars will get you
some parquet shavings.
It's not just professional sports either. You have to look no further than this
campus, and the Nike swooshes everywhere, to see how major corporations are
making their mark on the American sports scene.
It has been pretty much accepted that it's going to happen and there isn't
anything anyone can do about it.
That still doesn't make it right.
I, for one, won't ever be able to call Candlestick Park by its new name (3Com
Park), and I'm always going to like the swooshless Michigan jersey over the new
swooshed one.
I'm upset that I'm never going to be able to see a game in a place like the
Boston Garden: a place where no matter where your seat was, you were on top
if the play.
There is one last game scheduled for the Garden. The Bruins will play an
exhibition Sept. 26 against the Montreal Canadians. The first game the Bruins
ever played in the Garden was against the Canadians 67 years ago in 1928.
That's a lot of hockey and basketball in between.
The new Fleet Center may be a scant nine inches away from the Boston Garden.
It seems to me that the two are a lot farther anart than that.
Spikers victoious at
eastern tournament
By Monica Polakov Ruschiensky contributed 17 ki 1
Daily Sports Writer Mendoza added 41 assists and two dcs
The Michigan volleyball team came and co-captain Suzy O'Donnell had
back from this weekend's Massachu- eight kills and six blocks (two of which
setts Invitational in Amherst, Mass., in were solo).
high spirits. The Wolverines emerged However, inconsistency plagued the
as the Invitational winners with arecord Wolverines and the match ended 1v2a
of2-1. Michigan won itsmatches against loss, 15-1, 6-15, 15-9, 8-15, 13-15.
Massachusetts and Brown but was de- "We had a great start to the matrh,
feated by Syracuse. then played an extremely inconsistent
The Wolverines' first match was game after that," Giovanazzi said. "We
against the team they most feared-the outhit Syracuse (.211-.200), but still
host Minutemen. Michigan won all three couldn't put them away."
sets (15-12, 15-11, 17-15) with a ter- O'Donnell agreed.
rific effort by all the players. "We crushed them in the first game
Kristen Ruschiensky led the Wolver- so I think we kind of let up on them in
ines with 20 kills. Linnea Mendoza the next games," she said.
helped the team with 63 assists and 3 Michigan regained its composure in
service aces. Sarah Jackson tallied 5 time to beat Brown, 15-8; 15-7, 15-9,
blocks and 12 kills and Jeanine later that same day.
Szczesniak had 13 kills for a team-high Once again, Ruschiensky led the Wol-
.462. verines in kills with her match-high of
Michigan volleyball coach Greg 14. Shareen Luze, co-captain Shanrfon
Giovanazzi was very happy with the Brownlee and Linsey Ebert contributed
win. to the Michigan win with 10 kills ach.
"UMass was a feisty team, playing us Luze came back from an injury to hit a
to long games," Giovanazzi said. "It team-best .429, five digs and three
was good to get back into the winning blocks. In addition, Erin McGovern
column. The match was well-played, a added 50 assists.
steady three games." "(This was) a much better match for
Michigan's second match was Satur- us, a good way to close the weekend
day morning against Syracuse, a team and head into our final Big Ten tune-up
the Wolverines have consistently beat. match Tuesday at Eastern Michigan,"
Michigan played well at times - Giovanazzi said.
TONYA BROAD/Daily
The Michigan volleyball team won its first tournament title since 1988.
Wolverine voileyball almost
sweeps opposition over weekend
at Massachusetts Invitational
By Chris Murphy
Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women's volleyball
team won two out of three to take the
Massachusetts Invitational this week-
end in Amherst, Mass.
The Wolverines had little trouble dis-
mantling their eastern foes. They won
the tournament by posting straight-game
victories over Massachusetts and
Brown.
Michigan beat the Minutemen Friday
night, 15-12, 15-11, 17-15. Then on Sat-
urday, the Wolverines beat the Bears in
three straight, 15-8, 15-7, 15-9.
Michigan's only loss was to Syra-
cuse. The Wolverines took the
Orangemen to five games before fall-
ing, 15-1, 6-15, 15-9, 8-15, 13-15.
ABOUT FACE: After last weeks struggle
in the Kaepa Challenge (Michigan lost
to both UCLA and California), this
weekend's tournament victory repre-
sents a huge turnaround for the team.
The Wolverines went into this weekend
had a losing record (3-4).
"I thought itwas areally positive week-
end," Michigan coach Greg Giovanazzi
said. "There was some great play."
Despite the positive sentiment, the
team was disappointed it didn't come
away with a sweep.
"We were disappointed to drop the
Syracuse match," Giovanazzi said.
"That was a match that I think all (of)
the team members and staff all believe
we should've won."
SURPRISE,SURPRISE: The Wolverines'
difficulties in dispatching the
Orangemen could possibly be the result
of their surprising three-game victory
over Massachusetts.
Micfiigan was expecting the Minute-
men to be its toughest competition of
the tournament.
"I think we focused so much on the
first match that it was hard to come back
the next morning,"
Giovanazzi said.
Despite the let-
down, the Wolver-
ines were able to
bounce right back, Notebook
taking out their frus-
trations on Brown.
The tournament
title is Michigan's
first of the season and
the program's first since 1988 when it
took both the Indiana State and Ball
State Invitationals.
IMPROVING: While the team's current
record of 5-4 is an obvious improve-
ment over the team's pre-tournament
record of 3-4, the Wolverines were able
to upgrade some of the more subtle
aspects of their game.
Before this weekend Giovanazzi had
cited problems with the team's blocking
and point scoring. In addition, the team
had suffered from a lack of consistency.
"I think as far as putting together a
whole weekend, there was great im-
provement," Giovanazzi said. "Last
week we put together one great match
and a lousy second match. This week-
end, we only lost three games in three
matches."
HONOR ROLL: Three Michigan play-
ers were named to the all-tournament
team.
Junior outside hitter Kristen
Rushciensky, sophomore setter Linnea
Mendoza and senior middle-blocker
and co-captain Suzy O'Donnel were
all honored.
Ruschiensky who had 20 kills six
digs in the Massachusetts game was
named tournament MVP. She had 51
kills and 23 digs overall.
"(Kristen's) been just playing at a
really high level," Giovanazzi said.
"And I've been really pleased with how
Linnea's been setting and she's done a
really nice job."
Giovanazzi reserved some special
praise for O'Donnel.
"Suzy's just playing like a senior.
She's just doing a really heady job.
She's always calling out there.
"Other than her, the team's pretty
young," Giovanazzi said.
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Shavings of the parquet floor soon will be all that remains of Boston Garden.
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