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. 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