Canton Observer for July 16, 1992 - Canton Public Library

DAN O'MKARA, EDITOR
953-2141
THURSDAY, JULY 16,1992
CANTON
CDADTC
•J • v m v
SCENE
Wheeler wins gold medal
Tony Wheeler, a senior-to-be at Pljhnouth Salem,
won a gold medal as a member of an American 1,600meter
relay team July 5 in Innabruck. Austria.
f
Wheeler was among teen
athletes from 25 states who
were invited to represent the
United States in the Europe
an Junior Championships.
World Sports Exchange of
Hillsdale sponsored the
Hi
Tonya Wheeler
American team on the eightday
trip during which team
members were able to visit
Italy. Germany and Switzer-
; land.
^ Individuals had to raise
$2,000 to pay their own way,
which Wheeler did by selling
candy, participating in a jogathon and receiving support
from her church and friends.
Wheeler also won the 400 meter dash champion
ship with a 59.1 time at the state Class A track finals
in June, adding to her 600-meter victory in the Michigan
indoor meet last March.
Two qualify for TAC finals
Plymouth Salem and Spitfires runners Stacy
Witthoff and Emily Farrell qualifed for The Athletic
Congress national championships in the 1.500-meter
run Saturday at the TAC regional in Dayton. Ohio.
Witthoff finished second in the youth division
(girls born in 1973-74) with a 5:16 time, and Farrell
was third in the intermediate (1976-77) competition
at 5:29. The Spitfires are amateur track team.
"Both turned in great performances on a difficult
day." Spitfires coach Mike Krafchak said. •"It was
humid and the air was quite stale, so they kind of
surprised themselves.
*Tm proud of them and so are their moms and
dads. Not too many get to go to the nationals, so this
ia a great accomplishment."
The TAC finals will be July 31 Aug. 3 in Walnut,
Calif. Anyone wishing to make a donation to help
cover the cost of the trip should call Krafchak at 425-
2212.
Belding bash
Canton (Dbseruer
SPORTS
Baseball round-up
Bill Brkslek/Stait Photographer
Running the bases: T.C. Raptis takes third base for Hines
Park Lincoln-Mercury in a recent collegiate baseball game.
See Page 2B for a report on the latest LCBL results.
Macker puts game in perspective
STEVE
KOWALSKI
I didn't need to
get wet Sunday
afternoon to feel
all washed-up ap
a basketball player.
Long before the
rain started to fall
on last weekend's
Gus Macker 3-on-
3 basketball tournament
in Belding.
I knew my
role.
Our team was
called the "Slow-Motion All-Stars,"
and while I did a great job moving
in slow motion (especially on the '
fain soaked asphalt late Sunday >,!
waa no all-star.
Normally I play in the media division
where it's eaay to look good
rather than play them.
But last weekend's competition
was like none I've ever played
against. Our team was in an advanced
diviaion which included several
players with college experience.
The eventual champion. Carlson
t 3, came from Hope Colege and
waa led by 1991 Diviaion III college
All-American Eric Elliott, a guard
who has signed a professional contract
to play in Sweden. (Rick Laven.
a 1990 Livonia Stevenson grad
uate now playing at Grand Rapida
Baptist College, alao had a team in
the our diviaion.)
When a buddy from college. Mike
DeVilling. aaKtfl law month If I
wanted to play in the Belding tour
nament — the granddaddy of all
Mackers - I jumped (probably not
too high) at the chance.
DeVilling aaid his frienda. Ken
Geor* and Jerry Royce. also
on the team.
"Ken Georfe — warn," 1
"Count me in."
George, a 1988 Farmington Hills
Harrison graduate, scored more
than 1,100 points while starting
lour yean at guard lor Albion Col-
from 20 feet.
DeVilling. meanwhile, is pretty
modest about his game "I was
sixth man on my intramural team
at Central (Michigan)." he quipped.
But DeVilling also played at
Athens with Royce. His other claim
to fame is once traveling to
Milwaukee, Wise, to compete in a
Pepai Hot-Shot Contest along with
John Mclntyre. former all-stater at
Redford Catholic Central now playing
professionally in Israel.
That leaves roe, whose role waa to
rebound, _ _ _
defense — and look good in warm
ups.
A bad start
When our first game began at
8:30 am. Saturday 1 was driving on
1-96 somewhere between Detroit
and Lansing. By blowing off my
alarm clock I alao blew a chance to
play againat a team that we dominated.
20-6.
"We must have won in 12 minutes
— record time," DeVilling
said.
"Just my luck." I thought.
I arrived in Belding around 10:30
am. in plenty of time for our next
game which started at 6 p.m.
While I spent the afternoon
checking out the sight* at Macker
ville (it seemed like half the girls in
western Michigan showed up to
watch or play). DeVilling spent
t« his In law neai GianH Hap
Ida, Georfe waa at a friend's house
and Royce did hia beat Michael Jordan
impreeaion — golfing nine
holes before a game
"1 shot a 39," Royce aaid.
What sport can't thia guy play?
We won our 6 p m game 2018 on
a dutch two-point shot (behind the
take-back line) by George after an
intentional foul
With our next game scheduled for
11 am. the next morning against
one of the diviaion favorites, it waa
to follow a disciplined training
Royce
id Moat Valuable regime
Player of Troy Athens 1984 basket Unfortunately. DeVilling and I
ball team and ha aCUl haa an incred accidentally walked paet my car af
ibiy accurate turnaround jump ahot ter the tournament and ended up
walking another three miles before
finding it.
I don't know how much good that
did us.
Our first gamt Sunday was
played up to 15 by one and we nar
rowly won again, 16-13, over the
eventual division runner-up Blacktop
Players. Again, George buried a
two to win the game but the most
important shot might have been a
two-pointer by DeVilling with a
man in hia face to put ua up 14-13.
DeVilling also made a key coach
a defensive replacement at crunch
time.
I can't ever remember being used
as a defensive specialist.
After a long rain delay, we lost
our laat two games to be eliminated
but I left at least with the aatiafaction
of finally scoring a couple of
point*. We alao gained a third place
trophy, which went home with De-
Villing.
"If you want to look at it come by
the apartment," DeVilling aaid.
Camaraderie 2nd to none
Belding haa hosted the Gua
Macker aince 1987 when some folks
in Lowell, the original site, wanted
it out of town because of all the people
the tournament drew.
Bad move, Lowell.
Thia year's tourney attracted
more than 5,000 teams and about
350,000 puipl* pwtpfr tame nine out wit w tu wauh
Imagine how much money tbey all
spent in town
Moat of the Belding atroete are
lined with backboarda and for one
weekend the townies don't mind ua
ing their front yarda aa cheering
sections
The beet part about thia tourna
ment might be running into old
frienda.
While walking around Mackerville
on Saturday I heard a voice
from a diatance call out an old nickname
of mine.
"Caveman," the voice bellowed
4B
INSIDE:
Entertainment, Page 5B
. Business. Page 10B
B
r-- - •
Team Canada beats
collegiate all-stars
By Brad Emons
Staff Writer
Team Canada had too much power Sunday and easily
prevailed over an all-star team from the Livonia Collegiate
Baseball League, 12-2.
The Livonia Collegiate Baseball
League All-Stars couldn't raise their
game up a notch Saturday against
Team Canada in an exhibition game at
Ford Field.
The visitors from north of the border
may not be going to the Olympics after
failing to qualify in last summer's Pan
American Games (2-6 record), but the
Canadians proved to be more than a
formidable opponent. < ,
A local team of 20-and-under
sandlotters learned a valuable lesson in
international play after being drubbed,
12-2.
"It was a good experience for the kids
to play kids of that caliber." said LCBL
manager Mike Keller (Walter's Appliance).
"They swing the bat well.
"We hope to do something with Team
Canada on a yearly basis. Maybe sometime
we'll get back to Tige#- Stadium
(where the old Adray All-Star games
were played)."
Team Canada must have felt it was
at Tiger Stadium, pounding out 14 hits
and a pair of homers against the LCBL.
In the opening inning, Derek Gauthier.
a Toronto native who plays at
Northeastern University (Mass.). belted
a two-run homer over the rii
fence off LCBL starter Mike Coleman.
Ryan Ferby, who collected three hita
for Team Canada, rapped a two-run
single off Wendy's Rob Hartman in the
fourth inning to make it 4-P-
The LCBL got a run back in the
fourth on an RBI sacrifice fly by ex-
Plymouth Salem standout and University
of Michigan catcher Scott Niemiec
(Hines Park Lincoln/MercuryI.
Team Canada, featuring players on
its roster from Wichita State and Texas
A&M. added another run in the fifth
and two more in the sixth to make it 6-
1. The Canadians blew it open against
Dave Wood (Walter's Appliance! in the
seventh with five runs, capped by
Curtis Green's solo homer.
"We had three different chances for a
double play with Wood out there . . .
we could have been out of that inning
earlier," Keller said. -We made some
errors (five on the day)."
Rob Barber, Chris UnraL Keith Fluet
and Rob Tanaka each added two hits
for the winners, who moved on to plav
the U.S. Olympic Team in a four-game
series this week in Louisville. Milling
ton, Tenn., and Philadelphia.
"We're going right up the ladder,"
said Team Canada coach John Upham.
a Windsor native. "This is a good expe
rience for the kids. Well find out where
we stand against the U.S. This is a totally
revamped team from last year
(only two holdovers remain)."
Upham was impressed with LCBL
hitters Mike Giacomantonio iLittie
Caesars', who collected a pair of saf
Walter's Kevin Young
(single).
Jerry Shippe (Walter's K Noah Breman
(Delwal), Joe Brusseau (Walters).
Joe Kaley (Wendy's). Mike
Schwartzenberger (Delwal) and Billy
Hardy (Delwal) contributed the other
LCBL hita.
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