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Show /port/ MONDAY • APRIL 2 • 2007 Sports briefs Baseball UVSC catcher Derrick (5-for-12) with a grand Thomas was named the Di- slam, seven runs batted in vision I Independent Player and a stolen base as UVSC of the Week after leading the won the first two games Wolverines to a series win at against the Bulldogs. In Gonzaga over the weekend. a come-from-behind 9-8 It's the first time a UVSC win, Thomas was 4-for-5 baseball player has won an with six RBI and helped the independent weekly award Wolverines recover from this season and the first time a 6-0 deficit. He hit what Thomas has been honored turned out to be the gamein his time as a Wolverine. winning grand slam in the In the series against eighth inning with two Gonzaga, Thomas hit .417 outs, putting UVSC up 9-7. Soccer UVSC soccer Coach (Sky View High School), Brent Anderson has an- Lauren Bluth (Hillcrest nounced his recruiting High School), Taryn Smith class for the upcoming (Bountiful High School), McQuarrie 2007 season. Anderson Madeline has received letters of in- (Woods Cross High School), tents from nine players. Katey Turner (Weber High Of the nine players, School), Sara Walker (Catathree are state champi- lina Foothills High School, ons for their respective Tucson, AZ) and Andi Baghigh schools and seven dan (Crater High School, are from the state of Utah. Central Point, OR). Walker, Joining the Wolverine Smith and McQuarrie all soccer program next year is won high school state chamHailey Brown (Lone Peak pionships while Brown and High School), Danielle Anderson played in the Anderson (Sky View High state championship game. School), Nicole Archibald Blaze bury Rampage Matt Beaudin Sports Writer Utah Blaze quarterback Joe Germaine threw for 268 yards and eight touchdowns Friday night, but stingy defense is what propelled the Blaze to their easiest win of the year, an 83-42 purnmeling of Grand Rapids. Through the first three games of the season, the Blaze had given up over 300 yards and 67 points a game to their opponents, putting them dead last in the league defensively. Fortunately for the Blaze, a strong offense had them atop the Western Division with a 2-1 record going into Friday night's game with the Rampage. Orshawante Bryant led the way for the Blaze on the defensive side of the ball as the undersized defensive back collected three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown, and a violent pass break up that would make Bill Romanowski cringe. "Bryant was amazing, he finds a way to contribute," said Head Coach Danny White. In a game that featured two of the worst defenses in the league an offensive Shootout was ex- Wrestling The Western Wres- ton Wolf and Marc Fenwick. tling Conference has an- The Commissioner's Honor nounced its inaugural Roll recognizes student-athAll-Academic Team and letes who have maintained Commissioner's Honor a 3.0 grade point average. Roll for the 2006-07 season. This year's CommisTo qualify for the sioner's Honor Roll will All-Academic team, stu- honor 23 WWC studentdent-athletes had to se- athletes. The Wolverines cure a minimum 3.20 named to the Commissiongrade point average, be a er's Honor Roll included Eric McAlstarter or key reserve and freshmen be a sophomore or high- lister and Justin Morrill. er in academic standing. The Western Wrestling This year's WWC All- Conference is comprised Academic squad is com- of seven schools includprisedof 11 student-athletes. ing the Air Force Academy, UVSC tied for the most to North Dakota State, Northqualify for the All-Academ- ern Colorado, Northern ic team. The Wolverines tied Iowa, South Dakota State, South Dakota State with Utah Valley State College three named to the team. and Wyoming. The conferAmong UVSC's honor- ence formed in April 2006. ees are Justin Rawle, Clay- Hope for the hateful From WISDOM-B6 a San Francisco grand jury isn't certain but the possibility is there. If Bonds is indicted no asterisk will be needed next to his homerun number although people still believe there should be one already. Bonds will become the biggest name among the 20 athletes already indicted for steroids if charges are brought against him. While Bonds stands firm in insisting that he never knowingly took anabolic steroids or using any banned substances the jury in the public mind is out. Bonds lovers and haters will argue over that for eternity whether or not Bonds sees charges filled. If Bonds isn't put behind bars hope still exists that he won't break the record. Another glimmer of hope that Bonds may never break 755 is that he could suffer another injury. Bonds hit 26 homeruns in 2006 and he passed Babe Ruth on the home-run list but it took him 130 games to get 26 homeruns.. If Bonds misses more than 50 games this year he might not even see 740. Bonds may comeback in 2008 to chase Aaron but at least he won't have done it this year. Bonds only played in 14 games and hit five homeruns in 2005. With age comes body breakdowns and Bonds won't have his entourage of trainers in the clubhouse this year to keep him whole. He could go down before the record does. For the Bonds lovers out there-assuming there are few of you-the day Bonds passes the record will be a blissful one. Those on the other side of the fence will still be able to celebrate one day and that day could be a bigger and better celebration. New York Yankee third baseman Alex Rodriguez, at age 31 and 13 seasons into his career, has hit 464 he could have a chance to break the record in five or so years. Bonds hit 411 after 13 years so Rodriguez is on track if he doesn't have too many emotional breakdowns. If you hate Bonds it might be best to hope ARod gets traded to the Cubs where he can continue playing at a high level for his beloved manager Lou Piniella. Rodriguez might breakdown emotionally before eclipsing Bonds but still hold onto hope. Cardinals' slugger Albert Pujols gives you ray of sunshine as well. Entering just his seventh season Pujols is 27 and has hit 250 homeruns. Pujols could play 12 or more years and pass the record sometime in 2019. It's a while away but it's a possibility. Don't go crazy and swear off baseball when Bonds breaks the record because there's hope for the hateful. B5 pected. Timon Marshall, the speedy kick returner for the Rampage, took the opening kickoff 58 yards for a touchdown to start the offensive chess match. The two teams swapped touchdowns through the first quarter ending in a 14-14 tie. In the second quarter, the Blaze began to pull away as their special teams was able to pin the Rampage deep in their own territory, taking pressure off the defense. Defensive lineman Steve Konopka had two sacks and a forced fumble for the Blaze providing his team with a much-needed defensive presence. "Pass rush dominated the game," said White of his teams ability to put pressure on the quarterback. Superb play from wide receiver Siaha Burley paced the Blaze offensively as he pulled down 10 receptions for 134 yards and four touchdowns. Late in the second quarter Joe Germaine found wide receiver Aaron Boone wide open in the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown pass giving the Blaze a 41-21 lead. The Rampage still had some fight left as Timon Marshall took another kickoff to the house for his second Mark Johnston/The College Times Utah Blaze quarterback Joe Germaine threw eight touchdown passes against Grand Rapids. touchdown return of the game. However, on Utah's next drive Burley would score on an eight-yard pass from Germaine to push the lead to 55-28. In the end Utah's defense and pass attack were too much for the Rampage as they cruised to the 83-42 win. With the win the Blaze move into a tie with the Chicago Rush for the best record in the American Conference at 3-1. After losing in the first round of the playoffs last year to the Arizona Rattlers, the Blaze are looking to compete for the AFL crown in just their second year of existence. Buy me some peanuts... Jack Jared Waters Sports Writer As winter fades and spring slowly creeps in, the baseball season comes in providing the perfect relaxation. Major League Baseball seems to have quite a season approaching. Here are a few of the major stories developing as the season starts. Are young players dominating the game? Younger players have stepped up to plate-figuratively and literally. As a rookie, starter Justin Verlander won 17 games, while also leading the Tigers to the World Series. Jonathan Papelbon posted an ERA that was below 1.00 as a rookie for the Red Sox. In fact, an entire team of "rookies," the Florida Marlins, were very close to leading a beleaguered franchise into the playoffs. It appears that younger players are becoming the integral solution to a team's success. Even the Yankees have followed suit-pitcher Chien-Ming Wang turned heads, acting as the staff ace. Young Robinson Cano may win a batting title some day. Did the Cubs spend their way out of the cellar? The Windy City was rustling in the off season, as GM Jim Hendry of the Cubs went on an ambitious spending spree, signing top-tier free agent Alfonso Soriano, while also retaining third baseman Aramis Ramirez. Feisty Lou Piniella was added to the mix, looking to manage the perennially cellar dwellers into the postseason. A slew of new pitchers look to lighten the load of Carlos Zambrano's dependable arm. Mark Prior and Kerry Wood may finally be healthy this year, but their production may be under radar. With Soriano leading off, and Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez as middle-of-the-order slug- gers, "Sweet Lou" Piniella may not have to argue his way out of the cellar. prospects, and hope to see results on the field as they battle in the tough AL East. Japanese players? Barry Bonds The "Land of the Rising Sun" may well be renamed the "Land of the Rising Talent," as Japan has shown that its players have performed well in the MLB. Hideo Nomo and Ichiro Suzuki were both named Rookie of the Year (1995, 2001 respectively). Nomo nearly won two Cy Young Awards in the 1990s. Suzuki won an AL MVP trophy in 2001. In the off season, a migration of talent signed contracts with MLB teams. In fact, three division rivals in the AL East signed high-profile Japanese free agents. Daisuke Matsuzaka signed with the Red Sox, Kei Igawa signed with the Yankees, and Akinori Iwamura signed with the Devil Rays. The Red Sox also signed lefty reliever Hideki Okajima. The Red Sox and Yankees paid heavily for their The name alone brings sneers and cheers. Either way, fans will certainly pay attention to him this season, as he beginshis monumental climb toward the biggest record in baseball, the all-time homerun record. Hammerin' Hank Aaron sits atop this lofty group of the elite with 755 bombs. Bonds eyes the prize in second place with 734 homers. As columnist Jim Caple wrote, "Are you going to root for Barry or root against him this year? You have 21 home runs to make up your mind." No one can argue that Bonds ranks among the all-time greats. Grab some peanuts and Cracker Jacks, head to the ballpark, and soak in the boys of the summer. 2007 will turn heads, set records, and remain in the minds of many for years to come. The Jazz finally back in the playoffs From JAZZ • B6 to his capabilities the Jazz win and when he does not the Jazz lose. It's as simple as that. The "money-man", and all-star, Mehmet Okur has stepped up this season and has become one of the best outside shooting big men in the game today. Jazz commentator Craig Bolerjack coined the phrase moneyman, for Memo as he has made critical 3-pointers for the Jazz all season long. Struggling Jazz-star, Andrei Kirilenko is the highest paid player on the team and perhaps one of the more disappointing. Kirilenko has had a hard time shooting the ball all season long. But when it comes down to it, Kirilenko is not a scorer; he's a defender and shot-blocker. Kirilenko troubles this year can't be overlooked as he continues to struggle with his role on this team. Although players have changed, and new faces have come through the Energy Solutions Arena, one thing has remained constant during their past 19 seasons - Coach Sloan. Sloan has the longest tenure of any coach in professional sports with the same franchise. Although Sloan took his team to the NBA Finals, two seasons in a row, in the late 1990s, this season may very well be his greatest coaching job. "Anytime you're a champion, it still represents a lot of the same things. It represents consistency, it represents commitment, and it represents discipline. So although wining a division championship is not the ultimate goal of the season, it definitely means you are headed in the right direction," said the former three-time NBA champion, Fisher. Mark Johnston/The College Times Jazz rookie Paul Millsap puts in a reverse lay up. For now the Jazz have locked up at least the fourth seed in the playoffs by winning the division but the surging Houston Rockets are right behind. Playoff tickets go on sale today Apr. 2, at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster locations and at the Utah Jazz ticket office. |