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1 Sports September 30, 2003 fZ, Page 5 Notre Dame: Irish Mystique Fading COREYDALESKI Sports Editor I come here today to give all Irish fans a heavy dose of reality - including myself. But, after all, the truth can sometimes be a tough pill to swallow. Throughout the past century, Notre Dame football has transcended the boundaries of its sport. It has risen to unparalleled heights. Notre Dame oozes mystique and tradition. Her glamorous records speak for themselves: Eleven times the Irish have won the crown given to the national champions; seven of its players have been awarded the coveted Reisman Trophy; thirty of its players have been named first-teamAll-Americans; and Notre Dame's all-time winning percentage of . 7 49 is the highest of all Division One programs. It was legendary Irish coach Knute Rockne in the 1920s who single-handedly propelled Notre Dame to national prominence. Notre Dame was America's first legitimate sports dynasty. Long before the Dallas Cowboys proclaimed themselves "America's Team," Notre Dame could honorably claim that distinction. Notre Dame's fame through the years has grown to unprecedented stature .. Alpena Outdoors with Chris Engle . LakeEsau: Located at the northeast : : . end of Grand Lake, this small . : , · body of water has been '. · · ' producing a great deal of quality perch. Using a simple hook and minnow rig, perch up to 10 (and possibly 12) inches can be caught in 18- 25 feet of water. If you have a fish finder,. look for bottom weeds or light structure. Chances are, your fish fmder will detect thick schools of perch above them. 9th Street Dam: Get out the waders all you salmon heads! The annual salmon run has begun. Use a three-way rig with a stick sinker ( choose sinker weight according to the speed of qment) with a fly or rubber eggs. Also, be sure to change y"t>ur old line. Any crack in Y9ur line may keep you from landing that big one. 10-12 pound test works well for landing fish and also breaks easier in a stubborn snag. Small game season: Michigan's small game season kicked of September third. If you are looking for squirrels, hunt in areas with a lot of oak trees. Acorns are a main food source for squirrels. Signs to look for include nests (balls ofleaves in tree branches), and cuttings, which are small oak branches th~t have been cut off the trees by sharp squirrel teeth in order to retrieve the acorns on the ground. If partridge are your bag, work the edges of the wood~ near com fields. Any small game will be found at or near their food source. Good luck to all you outdoor enthusiasts! A Plea for Intramural Sports DOMINICK MILLER Sports Editor I have heard different reports about intramural sports. Some people say that there will be no intramurals, while others say that there is going to be. In a recent Lumberjack survey, 16% of respondents said they would enjoy some sort of recreational sporting activity. 1 "We need to do more to keep young people here," said one respondent. The same respondent also indicated that a recreational eague would be a good start. I have found times that I do not have much to do here at ACC, after classes and whatnot. Intramural sports would be a great outside activity to break away from the rigors of going to school everyday. It would provide something · fun to do, while at the same time providing a physical activity. I am not good enough to play college athletics. That is not a sudden realization. I have known for a long time that I'm not good enough (in fact, I didn't even play the offered sports at ACC while in high school). Having a chance to play intramural sports would be a nice outlet for students who enjoy playing sports but are not good enough to play at this level. With the problems that happened last year, I understand some students may be apprehensive about playing this year. It's up to the kids who play. If you want to play, play respectful. A couple of nights a week would be great. Maybe a girls and a boys division, and a few different teams. I know I would enjoy playing, and, while I'm not trying to speak for everybody, I think that a lot of people would get involved with it. Photo By irisheyes.com Irish Coach Tyrone Willingham The Irish are the only team - college or pro - to possess its own T.V. contract. But today, Notre Dame's remarkable past seems like a distant memory. It is incomprehensible to think that the Irish have not won a national championship since 1988. In 2002, Notre Dame hired former Stanford coach Tyrone Willingharll. Willingham's objective? T-0 wash away the gloom that w as created by his predecessor, Bob Davie. And to a degree, he did just that - winning 10 games during his inaugural season. This season there was reasonable hope that the Irish would contend for a national championship. But with decisive losses to archrivals Michigan and Michigan State, the Irish championship aspirations are officially over. Willingham's honeymoon at Notre Dame has come to an abrupt end. The Irish have shown no signs of recovering since the debacle at Michigan; they were embarrassed and humiliated in a 38-0 drubbing, on national television. Above: Coach Bill Matzke discusses strategy with his team during a break in the action. Below: The volleyball team in a huddle. Photo Courtesy of Jay Walterreit Daleski: Kobe Bryant Saga Frompage4 everybody when I say that. As it is currently, we don't know what exactly happened in that infamous hotel room, except that something did. We can just hope that the truth comes out, and justice is served. In the weeks to come; there will be countless stories written about how detrimental this will be to the NBA's image - and it probably will. This is much more serious than basketball. This is about two families: the Bryant's, and this young Colorado woman and her family. That is who it is detrimental for. Miller: No Pity For Detroit Frompage4 Lions played like they have the last three years: lousy. The Vikings beat the Lions with Gus Frerotte, for crying out loud. When D aunte Culpepper went down with injury, I thought that the Lions might have a chance to win that ga'me. Nope . They crumbled, like they always do. The Pistons were good last year, but what was the first thing that happened after their season was over? They fired their coach. I'm going to laugh when Rick Carlisle leads the Pacers past the Pistons this year. The Red Wings are, I think, the only sport left in Detroit that fans can care about. They have an interesting dilemma, as they have two number one goalies. I suspect that even the mighty Wings are on the down swing, though. They lost to Anaheim in the first round of the playoffs, and they lost Sergei Federov to them as well. Notre Dame fans have grown increasingly impatient with Irish quarterback Carlyle Holiday's inability to move the offense. During the September 20th game vs . Michigan State, the Irish defense forced two turnovers deep in Spartan territory. But rather than scoring two touchdowns, the Irish were forced to kick field goals, because of the offense's ineffectiveness. I like Tyrone Willingham. I think he is the right man for the job. But it's tough to dismiss Notre Dame ' s performance this season. At the University of Notre Dame, expectations are high - sometimes unrealistically so. Notre Dame fans expect the Irish to challenge for national championships, year in and year out. But the sobering reality is this: Notre Dame is no longer the crowning jewel of college football. They are no longer a perennial powerhouse. What they are, currently, is a team desperately trying to recapture its image. A few weeks ago, it looked as though the Irish were ready to take a step forward and rejoin the elite of the nation. But with an unimpressive victory in the season opener, and back-to-back dismal performances against Michigan and Michigan State, the Irish have taken a giant step back into mediocrity. Bill Matzke takes .reigns of ACC Volleyball Program COREYDALESKI Sports Editor BillMatzkeiscw:rently enduring the painful process of trying to resurrect the girls volleyball program. As rough as the start may be, coach Matzke realized quickly this will take time. "Weare a young team. Weare right where I expected us to be, at this point of the season," Matzke said. Matzke took over for Dana LaBar, whom Matzke was assistantunderfortwo years. Change is already evident, as th~ girls have already beaten Macomb Community College, a team that was a surprise contender in the Eastern Conference of the Michigan Community College Athletic League. Although wins <\fe important, Matzke believes it's more significant that the team builds confidence with themselves. "Success of the season won't be measured on winsandlosses. It will be measured on us growing as a team," Matzke said The team has had a big turnover from last season, and features seven new players. The team will have it's work cutoutforthem. Powerhouses St. Clair CC and Schoolcraft College are right around the comer. Photo Courtesy Jay Walterreit The Lady Jacks volleyball team celebrates a point during a home match against Macomb CC earlier in the year. ACC Volleyball Frompage4 Every play we're on our toes in anticipation. On September 12th and 13th, the ladies traveled to Mott to participate in a six- team tournament, featuring Genessee, Macomb, Mott, Delta and Henry Ford Community Colleges. Beating Genessee, who have been the champions with in the Eastern Michigan Community College Athleticconference(EMCCA) for the past five years, was a great experience for the team. The Lumberjacks also beat Macomb, the team they lost to in the season opener, in the tourney. 'Thefirstnightwedidn'tdo ve1y well, but the second day we pulled together and played like we know how," team member Stephanie Stanley remarked. Getting along on the court should mean a good season for the team, but getting along off the court may mean something more valuable for the Alpena Community College volleyball team.