12 -The Michigan Daily - Friday, September 22, 1995
Soccer shoots for
first home victory
SPORTING VIEWS:
Don't move my Tigers
By Marc Ughtdale -
Daily Sports Writer
After settling for a tie in the home
opener against Buffalo, the Michigan
Women's Soccer Team (0-1 Big Ten,
1-4-1 overall) will attempt to pick up its
first home victory of the season against
Texas (3-3-0) Friday afternoon.
The teams will lock horns at 4 p.m. in
the second battle waged at the newly
constructed Michigan Soccer Field.
When the Wolverines tangle with
the Lady Longhorns, Michigan will
face a Texas squad that, like the Wol-
verines, is in its second year with
varsity status.
The players are looking forward to
the opportunity to halt their early-sea-
son losing streak.
"We're hoping that it's going to stop.
We do not want it to snowball," fresh-
than Jessica Limauro said. "We'll be
ready for Texas, and I think we can
definitely beat them."
Both teams feature an impact fresh-
man. Lady Longhorn freshman forward
Valerie Page is tied for the team lead in
scoring with 10 points, while
Michigan's lethal weapon comes in the
form of Limauro, a forward.
Limauro attempted 10 shots in the
Buffalo contest, setting a team record
for the most shots ever attempted in a
game.
If soccer games were decided by
which team had more shots, the Wol-
verines wouldhave dominated the Roy-
als. Michigan outshot Buffalo, 38 to
seven.
However, the Wolverines' inability
to convert scoring opportunities has
plagued the team the entire season.
Against Texas, Michigan challenges a
team that plays a zone defense, which
means that the Lady Longhorns play
flat in the backfield with four defend-
ers.
Wolverine Coach Debbie Belkin said
that there are some unique difficulties
in playing against a zone defense.
"It's hard to get behind them," Belkin
said "We have to find ways to get be-
hind their defense. We have faced that
before against Dartmouth."
At the beginning of the week, the
Wolverines readied themselves for the
challenge.
"We're going to have a hard week of
practice, something to build up our con-
fidence a little more," freshman goal-
keeper Jessica Jones said.
After the matchup with the Lady
Longhorns, the Wolverines will ven-
ture to Minneapolis to take on Minne-
sota (1-0, 5-1-1). The Golden Go-
phers won their first five games of
this season before tying George Wash-
ington.
By Jonathan Berndt
Daily News Editor
What if they tried to move Wrigley
Field? Or tear down the Green Monster -
at Fenway Park? Or ifthe Tigers tried to
move from The Corner - Michigan
and Trumbull?
Oh, wait. The Tigers are trying to
move. And they've been at their present
site the longest of any team in profes-
sional sports.
Yes, longer than the Cubs have been
at Wrigley and longer than New En-
glanders have been packing Fenway to
watch their beloved Red Sox.
They've been playing baseball at The
Comer since 1896. That's three years
before the Motor City got its first auto
factory and seven years before the first
World Series was played.
The Tigers have a deal with the state
to help build a new stadium. The state
kicks in $55 million out of the Strategic
Fund, an economic development tool
mostly financed by taxes on Native
American casinos.
The new stadium would be publicly
owned, and the plan calls for the Tigers
to sign a 15-year lease to use it.
Not that that would mean anything.
The lease on Tiger Stadium doesn't run
out until 2008.
For those espousing the economic ben-
efits of a new stadium, there is one num-
ber that must be considered above all
others: 81. Out ofthe 365 days each year,
a baseball stadium is used only 81, tops,
assuming no doubleheaders or rain-outs.
All those jobs "created" would only
be needed 81 nights each year. The
stadium would only be a draw for those
surrounding businesses that are sup-
posed to be helped by the spin-offeffect
81 times each year.
A study commissioned by the team
saidthe new stadium will generate about
$275 million in tax revenues over 20
years. It would also bring an additional
$12 billion in economic activity.
Of course, this study is based on
drawing almost 3 million people annu-
ally. The Tigers haven't broken 2 mil-
lion in a while.
In order to draw 3 million fans, the
team would have to average 37, 038
fans each game - about 16,000 higher
than the average that came down to The
Corner in 1994.
Only two American League teams
drew more than 3 million people in
1993, the last full season of baseball
- Baltimore, which was still break-
ing in the new Camden Yards, and
Toronto.
The next closest team was the White
Sox, with 2.5 million walking through
New Comiskey's gates.
With a dubious economic effect and
considering all the history that would
be lost - no longer would it be the
same outfield Al Kaline patrolled or the
same infield Alan Trammell and Lou
Whitaker held together for all those
years - building a new stadium just
doesn't make sense for Detroit.
And above all, it wouldn't be the
same stadium I first went to when I was
eight years old.
MARK FRIEDMAN/Daily
Michigan challenges Texas Friday looking for its first home win of the season.
PiTTS
continued from page Ui
There certainly weren't any heroics
from the players honored on this day.
Whitaker went' 0-for-3 and Trammell
0-for-4. They didn't get to execute one
of their trademark double plays.
The bottom of the ninth led off with
both Whitakerand Trammell loosening
up in the on deck circle. Whitaker
groundedto third and Trammell to short
in their final at bats while wearing the
old English 'D.'
Anderson has platooned Whitaker
and Trammell the majority of this sea-
son but started them yesterday andplans
to play them the final game of the sea-
son Oct. 1 in Baltimore.
With the potential end of their ca-
reers comes a finale to the baseball I've
known all my life.
As a youngster, my mom and dad
would take me down to the ballpark.
Whitaker and Trammell, of course, were
fixtures, coming to Tigers from Triple-
A Montgomery in 1977. They were the
cornerstone of the '84 championship
team, batting No. 1 and2 to set the table
for sluggers Kirk Gibson, Lance Parrish
and Darrell Evans.
As others came and left, Whitaker
and Trammell remained for 19 seasons.
They are part of a disappearing breed
in baseball - players who stick with
one team. That may be one thing, among
others, that has brought the game down.
These days if you blink you miss 10
roster changes.
It used to be fun to go with your
family and see a game. Some of the
fondest memories I have of my father
are the times we went to the ballpark.
Opening Days, the playoffs, the World
Series and everything in between all
included Whitaker and Trammell.
Year after year, we'd go and every
time we'd see the fixtures of Motown,
Lou and Tram.
An era has ended not only just in
Detroit but in the entire game of base-
ball itself. Last week, Whitaker and
Trammell surpassed the American
League record of George Brett and
Frank White for most games played by
two teammates.
Whitaker and Trammell have been
on the field together for 1,917 games.
"They'll never see anything like them
again," Anderson said. "They were the
greatest players that ever played to-
gether at the same time in Detroit."
You have to wonder in the age of
arbitration and labor disputes if any
teammates will even be together for
five years.
Whitaker and Trammell surely were
one of a kind.
They'll certainly be missed.
Scott Darren Antoine Ryan
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