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Sports

SPORTS

Spartans have depth, uncertainties

Andrew Kolly
August 25, 2004

The MSU football team has an offense filled with uncertainties this upcoming season. With the losses of key players, such as quarterback Jeff Smoker and three starting offensive linemen, the offense will have battles for many starting positions. Amid the uncertainty of the swirling quarterback controversy, senior Damon Dowdell, sophomore Drew Stanton and redshirt freshman Stephen Reaves all seem confident about their upcoming role for the Spartans this year. "(The quarterback uncertainty) isn't much of a strain," Dowdell said.

SPORTS

'U' to face tough schedule

Andrew Kolly
August 25, 2004

Despite losing in round one of the Big Ten Tournament last season and graduating some key senior players, the MSU men's soccer team is planning to make a run at a conference title and an NCAA Tournament appearance. "We had a very solid season last year - we were on the bubble for an NCAA bid," head coach Joe Baum said. Baum is hoping the Spartans won't miss a beat as the season gets underway Sept.

SPORTS

Lugnuts shut out by Yankees, 2-0

Kelly Thesier
August 16, 2004

Lansing - With a chance to go 14 games over .500 for the first time in franchise history, the Lansing Lugnuts instead chose to swing for the fences in a 2-0 loss to the Battle Creek Yankees on Sunday afternoon. The Lugnuts (28-22) were 8-2 in their last 10 games, heading into Sunday's matinee, and despite good pitching from starter Carlos Marmol, the bats could not get going. "Carlos did a nice job from the time he was in," Lansing manager Julio Garcia said.

BASEBALL

Dopirak breaking records, making a name for himself

Kelly Thesier
August 3, 2004

As many record-breaking home runs that Lansing Lugnuts first baseman Brian Dopirak has hit this season, it's his first home run that will always stand out in his memory. That first home run at 12 years old was what made Brian Dopirak decide that a Major League Baseball career would be in his plans. "When we had to do little career things in school, I always put down baseball player," Dopirak said.

SPORTS

Pierce finishes 41st at Western Amateur

After making the 50-player cut at the 102nd Western Amateur Championship in Benton Harbor on Thursday, MSU sophomore Mitch Pierce did not advance Friday after shooting a 7-over 287 through 72 holes. Pierce came into Friday's tournament play in a four-way tie for fifth place, but finished the tournament tied for 41st. Pierce made the 50-player cut by shooting 1-under 69 and finished the first two rounds with a 3-under 137 strokes. Three Spartans missed Thursday's 50-player cut: sophomore Matt Harmon tied for 78th with a 147, senior Andrew Ruthkoski tied for 98th with a 149 and sophomore Zac Zedrick tied for 133rd with 155. This elite tournament, founded in 1899 at the Glen View Club in Golf, Ill., has had famous winners in the past at the Benton Harbor course, such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Hal Sutton.

SPORTS

Smith back from Africa

Kelly Thesier
August 2, 2004

For weeks leading up to his Africa trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, John L. Smith was asked many times about his sanity for climbing a mountain in his off-season to which he responded, "Oh, it's a Gucci climb." Now back from his six-day climb to the top of the largest freestanding mountain in the world, the words out of Smith's mouth are not quite so calm. "I joked about the ease of the climb ahead of time, but the truth is - it's not all that Gucci," said Smith with a chuckle. "When this group got done with the climb, they said it's the hardest thing they've ever had to do." For a man who has sky-dived out of a plane, barrell-rolled in a fighter jet, ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain and starred in his own rap video, that is no small statement. Smith and 10 other climbers made the journey to climb to the top of the 19,340-feet Uruhu Peak in Tanzania and reaching the summit on July 21.

SPORTS

Court rules against MHSAA again

Kelly Thesier
July 29, 2004

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the current schedule of Michigan sports discriminates against female athletes. The ruling made by a three-judge panel said that the Michigan High School Athletic Association, based in East Lansing, violated the equal protection clause of the U.S.

SPORTS

Smoker signs 3-year deal

Kelly Thesier
July 29, 2004

Former MSU quarterback Jeff Smoker signed a three-year contract with the St. Louis Rams Tuesday, the day before the Rams' training camp was set to begin. The terms of the contract were not disclosed but Smoker said that he was happy with the deal and glad to be finished with negotiations. "It's kind of a relief to have the contract aspect finally complete," Smoker said.

SPORTS

Rowley picked for Big Ten team

Kelly Thesier
July 27, 2004

MSU sophomore forward Delco Rowley will get a chance to showcase his skills this summer after being selected to play on the Big Ten Men's Basketball Foreign Tour Team. The Big Ten men's tour takes place Aug.

SPORTS

Rowley picked for Big Ten team

Kelly Thesier
July 27, 2004

MSU sophomore forward Delco Rowley will get a chance to showcase his skills this summer after being selected to play on the Big Ten Men's Basketball Foreign Tour Team. The Big Ten men's tour takes place Aug.

SPORTS

Trophy circuit stops at Rotunda

Lansing - Fans decked out in Detroit basketball memorabilia lined up at about 9 a.m. on Thursday to catch a glimpse of not one, but two prestigious men's and women's professional basketball trophies at Lansing's Capitol Rotunda. In the middle of its trophy tours, the Detroit Pistons' Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy and the Detroit Shock's WNBA Championship Trophy were on display at the state Capitol last week.

SPORTS

WEB ONLY: Dragons dominate Lugnuts in 8-4 win

Kelly Thesier
July 26, 2004

Lansing - Eleven strike-outs against the Midwest League's leading strike-out team, the Dayton Dragons, and a solid start by its own batters had the Lansing Lugnuts staring at their fourth straight win on Sunday afternoon. However, strike-outs don't mean too much when the other team starts getting hits as Dayton did in a 8-4 win Sunday afternoon over the Lugnuts. "That's the way it goes with stats, you know they are struggling but there are two or three guys in their lineup who can hit and turn the score around at any time," Lansing manager Julio Garcia said.

SPORTS

Lugnuts lose slugfest, 15-10

Kelly Thesier
July 22, 2004

Lansing - With temperatures in the upper 80s and the wind blowing toward the outfield, hitters for the Lansing Lugnuts took advantage of an ideal day for swinging the bats. Unfortunately the Lansing (12-14) pitching staff suffered as a result of the conditions, losing 15-10 to the South Bend Silver Hawks. "It's one of those hard days with the wind blowing out, any ball that was up in the air had a chance to go out," Lansing manager Julio Garcia said.

SPORTS

Radunske leaving, Lerg coming to 'U'

Kelly Thesier
July 22, 2004

The MSU hockey team lost one of its forwards to the NHL this week but added another player to the 2004 recruiting class. In the same week that forward Brock Radunske signed a three-year deal with the Edmonton Oilers to forego his senior season, the Spartans signed forward Bryan Lerg to a National Letter of Intent. Lerg, 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, spent the past two years in Ann Arbor as part of the U.S.

SPORTS

Brown's USA dreams alive and well in N.J.

Megan Homanick
July 22, 2004

MSU sophomore guard Shannon Brown is one of 13 finalists for the 12-man roster of the 2004 USA Basketball World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team. The players will continue to practice at the New Jersey Nets facility in East Rutherford, N.J., until Friday, when the team will be finalized by cutting one player. "I think we'll have a pretty good team," USA and Oklahoma head coach Kelvin Sampson said in a written statement.