sport: July 2009

John Smoltz A Diamond Classic Chad Pipkens A Will And A Weigh Mary Fossum Watched Golf Grow

Total Control Cha-Cha Tucker: Moves & Maturity

July 2009 $3.00 U.S.

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SPORT CONTENTS

18 never out of the game Only The Size Of The Ball Changes For John Smoltz COVER Photography J. ROBIN SUMBLER

BY andy flanagan

24 hooked bad Chad Pipkens Chases His Dream BY ted kluck

30 a day in the life The Sports Biz: Not All Fun And Games BY brendan dwyer

12

It’s Charles In Charge Cha-Cha Tucker Calls The Shots, Makes Them, Too

BY JACK EBLING

06

EB-SERVATION

08

FITNESS

The Fastest Growing Sport

09

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Healthiness Is Bliss Lifestyle Change Helps Fuel New Confidence

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Tri, Tri Again

BY JENNIFER ORLANDO

QUICK HIT

T-Time For Age 3?

Okemos Introduces Baseball To Tots

Contribute To SPORT Magazine

Send us your News + Notes, story ideas and Last Shot photographs. www.SportLansing.com

By RITA wieber

10

SPORT COMMUNITY

34

FINISH LINE

Hole Lot Of Fun

Golf Was Always A Family Affair

By MARY FOSSUM

By SHANNON SHELTON

JULY 2009 3

Assists

SPORT CONTRIBUTING WRITERS J. Robin Sumbler Growing up in East Lansing, three blocks from MSU, Rob had a camera in his hands since he was big enough to raise it to his eye.

After graduating from East Lansing High, Rob started shooting TV news for WLNS. Thirteen years and several broadcasting awards later, Rob can still be found behind the camera, shooting for Detroit’s WDIV and SPORT magazine.

Andy Flanagan Andy has written about high school teams and athletes in MidMichigan for more than a quarter-century, starting with the Lansing State Journal in 1982. The Everett High and MSU grad helped cover Spartan football from 1987-89. An avid homebrewer, Andy works in corporate communications for Auto-Owners Insurance Company. He and his wife, Jamie, have two children.

Ted Kluck A modern-day George Plimpton, Ted has written for ESPN the Magazine and ESPN.com Page 2. His books include Facing Tyson and Paper Tiger. He has coached prep football, trained as a pro wrestler and served as a missionary. Three of his books will be released this fall, including a behind-the-scenes look at pro wrestling. Ted lives in Grand Ledge with wife, Kristin, and son, Tristan.

Jennifer Orlando A Michigan State senior, Jennifer is excited to be a journalist in the ever-changing world of media. She served on the MSU yearbook and newspaper staffs and currently works for University Relations and with “Ebling and You” on 1320 WILS. Jen is a member of the Student Alumni Foundation and the Italian American Club. She is a Spartan through and through. Naturally, she bleeds green.

SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine is published monthly by NBB Publishing with offices at 1223 Turner St., Suite 300, Lansing, MI 48906. Postage is paid under USPS Permit #979.

Subscriptions: One copy of SPORT, The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine, is mailed complimentary to qualified business addresses in the Greater Lansing metropolitan area.

Residential, household, promotional, out-of-area and additional subscriptions are available for $18 per year, half of the shelf price of $3 per issue. Subscribe at: www.SportLansing.com Postmaster: Address changes should be sent to: SPORT Magazine, 1223 Turner St., Suite 300, Lansing, Michigan 48906.

4 JULY 2009

The Greater Lansing Sports Magazine

Volume #1 • Issue #10 JULY 2009

Publisher NBB Publishing Editor Jack Ebling Assistant EditorS Andy Flanagan Doug Warren Contributing Writers Brendan Dwyer Jack Ebling Andy Flanagan Mary Fossum Ted Kluck Jennifer Orlando Shannon Shelton Rita Weiber PhotographY Keith Allison Al Goldis Greater Lansing Sports Authority MSU Athletic Communications Chad Pipkens Terri Shaver Special Olympics Michigan - Area 8 RedGroove Photography J. Robin Sumbler Waverly High School Rita Wieber MAGAZINE Design & LAYOUT Vision Creative Printing Millbrook Printing, Co. Mailer Aldinger’s, Inc. Editorial Office 1223 Turner St., Suite 300 Lansing, Michigan 48906 (517) 455-7810 www.SportLansing.com Copyright © 2009 NBB Publishing.

All rights reserved.

SPORT EB-SERVATION

A Mid-Michigan Mindset Wherever We Go, This Area Goes With Us

BY JACK EBLING

I never knew I had much in common with John Smoltz.

Apparently, I do.

After reading Andy Flanagan’s definitive profile of Smoltz in this issue of SPORT and returning from a 16-day trip to East Central Africa, we share more than sweet memories of Municipal Park.

More than a major interest in Michigan State sports and a love of golf.

And more than some missing hair.

OK, a lot of it.

But if Smoltz talks about Lansing coursing through his veins, he’s not alone. I’ve felt that bloodflow, too.

Chances are, so have many of you.

When No. 3 at Waverly High became No. 29 with the Atlanta Braves, it was easy to forget how he got to the bigs. He started with a big heart, then got big help from people he has never forgotten.

People like former Warriors basketball and baseball coach Phil Odlum and ex-MSU baseball coach Tom Smith.

If not for Odlum’s support and guidance, Smoltz may never have reached his potential. He certainly wouldn’t be planning to coach high school basketball and play championship golf when the strikeouts stop.

And if not for Smith, who put his interests aside to look out for Smoltz’s, the Spartans would’ve had a pitcher and a point guard for at least three seasons. Instead, Major League Baseball got a Hall of Famer – as a player and a person.

The last time I talked with Smoltz, he was still with the Braves, not with the Boston

Red Sox. In a lot of ways, he wasn’t much different than the kid whose drive down the left-field line won the 1985 Diamond Classic.

Smoltz had returned for a ceremony that named Waverly’s gym in Odlum’s honor.

Honestly, both men were honored to be there. And when everyone else was ready to leave, Smoltz took another 10 minutes to tell me how much a coach and a community had influenced him.

I didn’t mention Smoltz’s name last month at the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School in rural Southwest Uganda. On second thought, maybe I should have.

Some amazing students and astounding teachers asked where I lived and why I was there, accompanied by sixth-grade teacher Heather Simon from Hope Middle School in Holt.

Primitive sketches of the U.S. didn’t help. And when I held up my palm to represent the Lower Peninsula, the kids were more interested in seeing a very large, very white hand than hearing about the beauty of the Great Lakes.

It was hard to imagine that no one knew the name Magic Johnson – the first time I’d ever encountered that. They’d never heard of an Oldsmobile. And they couldn’t believe that a guy named Sparty could be that much taller than I was.

We made a little progress there by the time we headed back to Kampala. Kids and teachers mastered the high-five. They understood the importance of rebounds.

And when asked what car they wanted to drive, one said, “The best in America, the Graff Chevrolet.”

I knew I wore that windshirt for a reason. The winds of change are beginning to blow. In less than two weeks, the youth of Uganda had gained new respect for the United States. It’s amazing what a couple of soccer wins will do.

That was another problem. We all loved football. But my sport of choice required a helmet that cost more than their houses.

They played their version with a bananahusk ball and without shoes.

It was great to see those faces each morning and impossible to forget them at night.

When we left the school the final time – for now – a lot of people knew we cared. And they all wanted to come visit.

I told them I lived in a terrific state, not just a good one. I told them a lot of people wished they could come with us. But it was up to us to represent.

It’s hard to carry the love from MidMichigan in the world’s biggest suitcase.

This community has answered the bell every time it has been asked. And it has permeated the spirits of so many who have lived there.

It had a profound affect on Smoltz. He started a school in Georgia, just as native son Jackson Kaguri did in Nyakagyezi, an ocean and a continent away.

There’s no right place or wrong place to live, no right way or wrong way to love.

It’s just a little easier to do when you’ve been impacted by the values in Mid-Michigan, even if you weren’t born there.

Smoltz would tell you all about that. The

Jack Ebling SPORT EDITOR

Jack has covered sports and much more as a writer and broadcaster in Mid-Michigan since 1978. A three-time Michigan Sportswriter of the Year, he was a 2006 inductee into the Greater Lansing Area Sports Hall of Fame. He has written five books – four on Michigan State and one on the Detroit Tigers – and has contributed more than 125 pieces for national publications. The former English teacher and coach spent nearly a quarter-century as a beat writer and columnist for the Lansing State Journal and won 21 major writing awards. He became a sports radio host in 2002 and branched into news talk in 2006. Currently, he hosts “Ebling and You” weekday afternoons and co-hosts “The Jack and Tom Show” Saturdays on 1320 WILS in Lansing. A two-time graduate of MSU, he has lived in the area for 36 years and has helped to raise two remarkable young adults.

6 JULY 2009

faces in Nyaka would show you.

SPORT FITNESS

The Fastest Growing Sport If At First You Don’t Succeed, Tri, Tri Again

By RITA wieber

With four months of training under her belt and her 37-year-old Schwinn Varsity 10-speed bike in tow, 50-year-old Peg Largo was ready for her new challenge. She stood in the 50-degree chill early that May morning, eager to begin the Hawk Island Triathlon.

Triathlon Basics

The triathlon’s three events include swimming, biking and running. The well-known Ironman Triathlon refers to a 2.4-mile open-water swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon. This distance is most appropriate for the elite athlete, many of whom train several hours a day.

More popular for the recreational athlete is the “sprint distance.” The Hawk Island Triathlon includes a 500-meter swim, a 12.2-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run. The Olympic distance is also popular for community events and consists of a 1-mile swim, a 25-mile ride and a 10K run.

Training for a Triathlon

Largo created her own training plan that included a variety of resources – swimming lessons, cycling classes at the YMCA and open-water swimming with a group of fellow triathletes. For others, the preparation 8 JULY 2009

may seem daunting. Working on three different sports simultaneously is time consuming and can be intimidating.

Hundreds of triathlon organizations provide ample advice on training basics, available on the web, in magazines, and books.

Last year, locally owned Playmakers created a triathlon training group that meets from April through mid-August for group swims, rides and runs.

“In our second year of this training program we are much more organized,” said Steve Santer, Playmakers triathlon team coach. “There are 75 participants currently in our training program. The focus is now on completing the Lansing Legislator triathlon in August.”

The key to training for Largo in her most challenging area, the swim, was to practice open-water swims.

“Open-water swims are so different than swimming in a pool where there are marked lanes and you can touch the bottom if you get tired,” she said.

Having access to open water for swimming in a safe setting is crucial. Never swim alone, and preferably have someone “sag” along with a boat for emergency purposes.

The Reward

The greatest reward for most first-time triathletes is the accomplishment of completing a challenge.

“I really tried to mentally slow down and take in the experience,” said Lisa Rober, a 35-year-old, first-time triathlete from DeWitt. “The entire day was very energizing and uplifting. It felt so good to accomplish something that I worked so hard at.”

Rober thought that Jeff Mallett, cartoonist and creator of “Frazz,” the official race mascot, said it best: “What do they call the dude who finishes last? A triathlete.”

Printed on the event swim caps at the Hawk Island event, the phrase emphasizes

All-Around Performer Peg Largo has to swim, bike and run to win triathlons.

the importance of relishing in the accomplishment of completing a triathlon. This, it seems, is what has created the new triathlon buzz, especially for long-time road racers who are looking for a new adventure.

The Next Event

Next on tap for the Lansing area is the Lansing Legislator triathlon at Sleepy Hollow State Park on August 9, 2009. This event features two triathlon distances, the Sprint triathlon and the Olympic triathlon.

Additionally, for those who have yet to tackle the swimming, a duathlon is offered which includes a 5K run, followed by a 20K run, then another 5K run.

More information can be found at 3disciplines.com or playmakers.com.

Photography COURTESY OF RITA WIEBER

Since being added to the Olympics in 2000, triathlons have become the fastest-growing sport in the country. Participation has grown 456 percent since 1995 with over 250,000 newcomers trying the sport each year.

Not to be left out of the trend, the Lansing area hosts two triathlons among the growing calendar of Michigan’s indoor and outdoor triathlons. Lansing’s third-annual Hawk Island Triathlon on May 31 grew by 40 percent since last year’s event, reaching its 700-participant cap.

Although Largo had enjoyed fitness regularly since she was in her 20s, she didn’t begin running until age 41 and began swimming lessons in the spring to prepare for her first triathlon.

“Taking on the swimming portion of the tri was probably my biggest challenge,” said Largo, a master gardener from DeWitt. “First, I needed to swim efficiently so I wouldn’t wear myself out for the rest of the race.”

SPORT SPECIAL OLYMPIC SALUTE

Healthiness Is Bliss Lifestyle Change Helps Fuel New Confidence

BY JENNIFER ORLANDO

Photography SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF MICHIGAN - AREA 8

The first time Ethel Bliss saw her daughter, Amy, compete at the Special Olympics Michigan Summer Games, she also saw her win a statewide award.

Amy is the 2009 recipient of the Spartan Stores Healthy Athlete Award. She was recognized at Central Michigan University, where the games took place May 28-30. Bliss is a Holt resident and represents Area 8, which includes Ingham and Eaton counties.

“I was pretty proud,” Ethel said. “She always told me what went on, but it’s a little bit more.”

Chosen among nominees from all 32 Special Olympics Michigan programs, Bliss was honored as the athlete who best showed the benefits of a balanced diet and exercise. Bliss, who has Down’s syndrome, has begun her new role as a spokesperson for a healthy lifestyle.

“Spartan Stores is especially pleased that we had a number of very motivated athletes,” said Jeanne Norcross, vice president of corporate affairs. “They are all standouts. And we are excited for Amy that she was selected to represent all the athletes this year.”

Kathlynn Doran, an adapted physical education instructor with Ingham Intermediate School District, nominated Bliss for the award. They knew each other from their time at Heartwood School in Mason, a special education center that services most districts in Ingham County. Doran says from the moment they met, she saw the “exuberance” in Bliss.

“She got my vote because as a woman who is recovering from 30 years with an eating disorder and being naturally round myself in a skinny-obsessed world, I know all too well some of the challenges she faces,” Doran says. “And she does it with such excitement and determination. She is an inspiration.”

Bliss’s road to healthy living began when her heart doctor told her she needed to lose weight. She cut her caloric intake in half and started taking classes at Curves three days a week. She has lost 37 pounds. But her mom says to get to her goal weight of 145,

Bliss has about 20 pounds to go.

“We watched her a little over a year now go down steadily – mostly two pounds a month,” Ethel says. “We’re proud of her.

She’s sure proud of it.”

While many people dread the process of trying to lose weight, Bliss said it’s easy – she just watches what she eats. She still enjoys her favorite foods, like soft-shell tacos, but in moderation.

Even though Bliss clearly indicates to her mom the interview is about her and her alone, she doesn’t let success get to her head. In fact, she wasn’t exactly happy to receive the award at first – not with more than 2,000 people watching.

“I felt upset,” she said. “I was nervous.

Bliss went on to say that she’s “fine with it” now and is proud of her accomplishment.

She keeps the award on top of the dresser in her room. With her success off the field, she also did will in the state games. Her bocce ball team took second place.

“I had a good time, but then we lost,” Bliss said of her experience, without the slightest hint of defeat.

That outward confidence wasn’t always noticeable. But something changed.

“Between Special Olympics and this program, she has become more outgoing,” Ethel said. “She has improved her outlook a lot.”

Getting a son or daughter involved in activities is something Ethel recommends for all parents with special-needs children.

“I would tell them not to keep them home,” she said. “Make sure they’re involved with kids the same as them.”

Bliss has never been one to sit back and relax. From 4-H to Girl Scouts and now most recently to her job at Mason Satellite, she keeps busy. She never forgets to enjoy herself, though. A little “Rock-a-Hula Baby”

by Elvis or some “Grease” always makes her happy – just talking about them she can’t

help but smile.

What also makes her smile is the thought of her newest and most challenging goal.

“I want to move out on my own. When I move out, there will be peace and quiet,” the 30-year-old said, joking that she’s “over the hill”.

As always, her mom is confident she will accomplish this goal.

“When they’re first born, you think how far they will go,” Ethel said. “But she has been quite a goal-getter.”

Fit For Life Amy Bliss is recognized for her committment to a healthy lifestyle.

JULY 2009 9

SPORT QUICK HIT

T-Time For Age 3?

Okemos Introduces Baseball To Tots

The first few times a player in the T-Tots program hit the ball off the batting tee, the other participants weren’t sure what to do.

Everyone on the field ran in the direction of the ball, including the batters.

In the mind of a 3- or 4-year old, it made

perfect sense.

Those fledgling efforts were some of the fondest memories for the parents of

50 toddlers in an innovative T-ball league this summer at Chippewa Middle School in Okemos.

After offering T-ball programs for 4- to 7-year olds, Okemos Community Education added another division this year to engage the youngest budding athletes in team sports. The idea began with a request

by Brent Caughey, now 3½, to his mother Marcie Robinson-Caughey that he wanted to “play baseball with the big guys.”

Robinson-Caughey was in a position to make that happen. As the Community Services Coordinator for Okemos Community Education, she was involved in planning and organizing programs for local children.

When she began researching similar efforts for kids 3-4, T-Tots was born.

The program proved so popular that all available slots for the 2009 program were taken. Children had to be turned away, she said. About 200 children are involved in all of Okemos’ T-ball programs, which include the Lil’ Sluggers league for ages 4-5 and Jammin’ Sluggers for ages 6-7.

Jennifer Middlin enrolled her daughter Norah, 3, in the program to provide a fun activity in the summer and a chance to meet other children her age.

“It’s difficult to find activities like this for her age range,” Middlin said. “We wanted to get our daughter exposed to people she’d be seeing every day at school, have her participate in a team sport and learn about teamwork.”

While Norah has accomplished all those objectives, the reasons she likes playing T-ball are a bit more simple.

“I like hitting and running the bases,” she said.

Yes, those bases. Eventually, the children learned that once a ball was hit off the tee, the hitter ran to first base. As the children

Tot Power Neil Patel, age 3 1/2, shows exceptional balance with the swing that will soon produce a lot of base hits.

10 JULY 2009

Photography AL GOLDIS

By SHANNON SHELTON

©2007 A l zhei mer’ s A s s oc i at i on. A ll ri g ht s res er ved.

became more familiar with the rules, the parents introduced other elements to the game.

Initially, the kids just ran to first base.

Now, they’re encouraged to move around the bases after each hit. Parents can come onto the field to help their kids run the bases and field balls. The only defensive play allowed is a throw to first base.

The games are also modified to keep them fun for the children, so they don’t become bored or frustrated. Games take place on Monday and Wednesday nights, with no practices during the week. The season began on June 15 and ended the week of July 20.

No games last longer than an hour. And coaches determine how many innings will be played, depending on the weather. A cooler night might mean a five-inning game, while a hot evening might limit the action. All children have at least one at-bat.

When a train rolls by a few blocks away, the game stops so the kids can watch.

Water breaks are mandated after every inning to teach the importance of proper hydration. Parents distribute snacks after the game, an activity the kids might enjoy most of all.

No scores are kept in any of the three leagues for children 7–or-younger. And at the end of the season, all players get t-shirts and certificates. The 50 players were divided among six teams.

“It’s just about having fun and learning to play the game,” Robinson-Caughey said.

A few kids in the outfield might play in the dirt or pick flowers. Like the image of the children running toward a ball that has been hit, the way they pass time is just as amusing to the parents.

“It has been really funny to watch,” Middlin said.

There are other sights that any parent would find portrait-worthy. Even the smallest baseball glove dwarfs the children’s tiny hands. And some of the kids don oversized t-shirts that touch their knees.

It’s quite appealing to Middlin’s son Wesley, 2, who enjoys watching his sister play.

Next year, his mother tells him.

And maybe he’ll remember that he has to run to first base.

IF YOU’RE THE KIND OF PERSON WHO’S NOT GOING TO SIT ON THE SIDELINES WHEN THERE’S A CHANCE TO CHANGE THE FUTURE, YOU’RE THE PERSON WE NEED. JOIN US FOR MEMORY WALK. AND WALK WITH A PURPOSE TO END ALZHEIMER’S.

STA RT A TEAM - www.alz.org/mglc

Registration for next year will begin in March or April and run through May 31. Okemos Community Education also offers a soccer program for ages 3-4.

2009 Greater Lansing Memory Walk - Sunday, September 20 MSU Auditorium Field - Registration: 12:00 PM - Walk: 1:00 PM

JULY 2009 11

It’s Charles In Charge Cha-Cha Tucker Calls The Shots, Makes Them, Too

BY JACK EBLING

He’s 14, going on 24. That’s the only explanation.

No one his age should be able to handle a basketball – or two or three at once – that well. And no one should be able to handle himself in grown-up situations that easily.

No one should be able to drive at will before he’s allowed to take driver’s ed. And no one should be able to hit 10 straight free throws, then tell his dad, “You have to make 11 out of 10.”

No one with such a wrinkle-free face should react with so much poise and grace. And no one should have to wrestle with his toughest decision: “Which friends do I disappoint when I say where I’m going to high school?”

12 JULY 2009

JULY 2009 13

It’s Charles In Charge let Cha-Cha score a few times, then realized he couldn’t stop him. When asked, “Why did you let him win?” Smith said, “I didn’t!”

This summer in a rematch, Smith got so physical he nearly had Cha-Cha in tears.

Later that day, Cha-Cha called Smith and thanked him.

Cleaves has been every bit as tough a tutor on the basketball court. But no one has been more demanding than Cha-Cha’s dad, captain of the runawayego police. That constant feedback and disciplined parenting has produced a unique young man.

“I’ve known Cha-Cha since he was a baby,” Cleaves said. “He was always around camp, dribbling two balls at a very early age. Tuck and Cha-Cha’s mom have done a great job of raising him.

He has been around so many people, not just Steve and me, that success is nothing new to him. I expect him to do great things.”

With two doctoral degrees in psychology, Tucker has been placing Cha-Cha in challenging situations from the time he could stand. How many 7-year-olds could teach ballhandling to hundreds of campers, then demonstrate something more important – how to treat people Nothing Is Given Former pro and demanding dad, with respect.

Charles Tucker would never let Cha-Cha win.

In a recent Saturday morning chat, Cha-Cha asked about my radio show, With those connections, insane specu- recent issues of this magazine and how my lation has started about Cha-Cha’s college son, Zach, was doing in China. No, he wasn’t decision – months before his first day in prompted to do that. It was all part of being ninth grade. Where will he go? Wherever he a sponge.

“It isn’t drilled into him to do that,” Smith wants. But if he isn’t at Court One, he is often at Michigan State, playing in open- said. “It’s just natural. I’ve been around Chagym games, or spending time with “uncles” Cha since Day 1. He’s a phenomenal player but a better person. I give Tuck and JeanSteve Smith and Mateen Cleaves.

A year ago, just messing around, Smith nette a lot of credit. But the kid can handle to be good for the team to offer to move at least one practice to Toledo. And Main Street, the Chicago-based program run by ex-Michigan football great Tai Streets, has pursued him hard, doing things the right way.

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Photography J. Robin sumbler

Charles Chavis “Cha-Cha” Tucker will have to make that choice any day now. One morning, he’s an Eastern Quaker, running the show for Rod Watts’ program and playing with pal LaDontae Henton. The next afternoon, he’s a Sexton Big Red, making Carlton Valentine’s day each day of the year.

“It’s the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said before a workout with former Lansing Catholic star Austin Nichols and other skilled players at Court One North. “I really like both coaches. And I have a lot of friends at both schools. But there’s only one of me.”

Coming from almost anyone else, that last sentence could be misconstrued. It doesn’t foreshadow an “All Eyez On Me” tattoo. It’s a simple statement that he’s torn between two programs, with no cloning process available.

“Cha-Cha has to choose, not me,” said his father, Charles Tucker, a psychologist, agent and ex-ABA point guard.

“Both coaches understand the situation.

They’re not talking to him every day.

They’re leaving him alone. He’ll have to flip a coin.”

An excellent student, Cha-Cha could have picked Okemos or Oak Hill Academy and fit in perfectly. He has drawn interest from schools as far away as Georgia.

And the battle for his services on the AAU circuit would be sad if it weren’t so comical.

Cha-Cha could play with hundreds of AAU teams and attract other standouts. Instead, he has chosen to stand back and stay home for weeks at a time, focusing on individual workouts while attending bible school at Friendship Baptist Church in Lansing.

He helped All Ohio Red rule in a major event in Cincinnati this summer. Cha-Cha had

anything you give him. He’s an old soul. He just gets it.”

He gets more questions about his future than Brett Favre. And that reference won’t be lost on someone who reads the paper each morning – not just the sports page.

They both know how hard it is give up a game they love.

“Yes, sir,” Cha-Cha said when asked if he still wants to play football. “I’ve always played quarterback and middle linebacker.

Maybe I’ll play a different position. But that’s not as important as doing well in school and treating people the right way.”

Part of that is an appreciation of history.

Cha-Cha thinks about why things happen while many people wonder, “What happened?” That depth of analysis was clear when he was asked to name his favorite player… Sorry, Magic.

“A current player or anyone who has played?” he asked. “Of all-time? No. 1 would have to be Wilt Chamberlain. I was talking to Oscar Robertson about him. Mr. Robertson said Wilt had the greatest impact on the game. It isn’t about statistics. But if they’d kept track of blocked shots his whole career, he’d have that record, too, instead of Hakeem Olajuwan.”

Keep telling yourself one thing as you read this. Cha-Cha was born on April 20, 1995. I have socks older than that.

“I’m happy the way he’s developing, and I don’t mean in basketball,” Tucker said of a Pied Piper for young people and a reminder of how to behave for the rest of us. “I tell him, ‘You’re one step away from losing it all. Nothing is given to you. Take time to understand that. And don’t be selfish.’ He’s way ahead of where I was that way.”

On the court, Cha-Cha is ahead of players with much more facial hair. Comparisons with Mid-Michigan’s past greats are irrelevant, if not counterproductive. In fact, this story wouldn’t have been written about anyone else his age. But after one conversation, you see the baby-faced maturity of Benjamin Button.

Maybe that comes from reading scriptures. Maybe it’s from his dad’s demands or his mom’s insistence that education comes first. But when coaches all over the country say, “That kid is the real deal!” and Tucker

Flying High Cha-Cha Tucker makes the game and growing up look easy.

JULY 2009 15

It’s Charles In Charge answers, “He played OK,” there’s no opportunity for Cha-Cha’s hat size to grow like his reputation.

“Push the ball!” Tucker often hollers, just as Izzo does with star Kalin Lucas. “Faster!… Go at him!”

The difference during our photo shoot was that Cha-Cha was facing an imaginary defender. And when he tried to get fancy for the camera, he could see his father’s scowl and hear his piercing voice, “Don’t start it!”

Style is fine. Substance is better. Cha-Cha has a chance to have both. If everything progresses as it could, he’ll be a blur on the break and a coach on the floor. He’ll be a role model for kids and adults. Just as importantly, he’ll have big fun.

“I don’t think he’ll ever quit working,” Cleaves said. “He hasn’t been raised that way. But I don’t want him to get down on himself.

I don’t want him to lose the joy.”

It won’t be a joy to try to stop him. But there’s one sure way to do it. Coaches all over the state, pay attention! Here’s the secret: Steal his breakfast.

“I have to have that or everything is different,” Cha-Cha said.

“That’s my favorite meal of the day. But even if I miss a meal at night, I’ll wake my dad up and say, ‘Can we get something to eat?’”

With a steady diet of expectations, dating back to his “Baby Tuck” days, Cha-Cha has grown accustomed to pressure. In many ways, he has thrived on it.

It’s strange to think that Tucker’s handle is gradually changing, too. At a camp with Morris Peterson in Flint, he was known this month as “Cha-Cha’s dad.” When “Mo Pete” asked the campers, “Do you know who Dr. Tucker has worked with?” the answer came from both sides of the gym: “Cha-Cha!… He worked with Cha-Cha!” So did Smith. And one of the classiest athletes Mid-Michigan has known sees an unlimited future for Cha-Cha, whatever he chooses to do.

“Tuck doesn’t want to hear this,” Smith said. “But Cha-Cha’s an unreal football player, too. You could have him play golf, soccer, baseball, whatever, and in a matter of time he’d be one of the best.

When you consider the kind of student he is, he has every base covered. I can’t find a flaw.”

That’s Tucker’s job. And when they compete, the dad tries every trick. The son’s explanation? “He cheats.”

Cheating doesn’t always work. You can’t cheat life-and-death, we’ve learned. We were reminded of that this summer when ChaCha’s close friend, Dorian Dawkins, an exceptional talent and a terrific young man, passed away after collapsing at Izzo’s team camp.

There were guards near Dorian’s door at Sparrow Hospital that night. But Lou Dawkins, the Saginaw High coach and an amazing leader, motioned for one person to come into the room. If Dorian had opened his eyes, the idea was for him to see Cha-Cha. Instead, Cha-Cha sees him every day. He’s playing for another freshman this season – for Dorian, a Spartan for life.

MSU coaching legend Jud Heathcote often said, “It’s not how good you are. It’s how good you play.” And from a basketball standpoint, that makes a lot of sense.

Cha-Cha is turning that saying on its ear: “It’s not how well you play. It’s how good a person you are.”… Early in the first half, he holds a commanding lead.

Never Out Of The Game Only The Size Of The Ball Changes For John Smoltz

BY ANDY FLANAGAN

Major awards? Oh, yeah, he has those, too.

They don’t get any more prestigious than the Cy Young Award, which he claimed in 1996.

He’s the winningest postseason pitcher of all-time, one of 16 members of the 3,000-strikeout club and the only pitcher ever to record 200 wins and 150 saves. So John Smoltz has fame – and probably a ticket to baseball’s Hall of Fame – locked up.

As for fortune, well, he has made over $130 million in his 21-year career and is slated to pull down at least $5.5 million this season, with a chance to earn another $5 million in incentives.

He hangs out with comedian Jeff Foxworthy and plays golf with a guy named Tiger. His post-baseball career is mapped out, too: He’ll coach high school basketball at the school he began a few years ago in Alpharetta, Ga., then attempt to join the golf’s senior tour (now known as the Champions Tour).

Yes, Smoltz has enjoyed many rich experiences since signing his first professional baseball contract in 1985, following his graduation from Waverly High. Growing up in Lansing would seem to be a distant memory.

It isn’t.

Ask him about the 1985 Diamond Classic, when his walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh gave the Warriors the championship over Sexton, and he explains why he still considers that game his most memorable moment in sports.

Yes, the memories come flooding back… but none more vivid than Waverly’s game against Okemos just prior to the Diamond Classic that year.

“That was the year we got totally hosed in the districts by a horrible ruling!” Smoltz said of 1985.

That district game was a nightmare and 18 JULY 2009

made the Diamond Classic win even sweeter.

The home-plate umpire had never called balls and strikes. And after the Warriors rallied in the top of the sixth to take the lead, the gloom from an approaching storm made visibility dicey.

“They claimed they couldn’t see the ball,” Smoltz said in a tone that told you he didn’t think Okemos was being 100-percent honest.

Both teams agreed they would return the next day and finish the game. The next day, Okemos’ athletic director called Waverly’s AD and said the game was official because it went the required five innings. The score reverted to the end of the fifth, and the Chieftains were declared the winners.

“That was my senior year,” Smoltz said with a trace of disappointment. “Folks wanted to fight it, but our AD chose not to. Paul Quantrill, who was on that Okemos team and played a lot of years in the majors, always said, ‘Get over it, Smoltz.’”

So Waverly moved on to the Diamond Classic, and Smoltz carried the Warriors on his back. He pitched complete, seven-inning games on Friday and Monday to put Waverly in the championship game. Then, he came on in relief in Wednesday’s title game in the fourth inning.

“The idea was, ‘Let me get out of this jam,’” he said. “If I didn’t, we were going to lose.”

He got out of it and pitched three more innings. Then, he hit the biggest clutch homer in Diamond Classic history.

“The biggest thing that people have to realize, the opportunity to compete to win is my greatest desire,” Smoltz said. “When I hit the home run, it was the culmination of three years of frustration in winning the Diamond Classic, a magical moment that I’ll never forget.”

So yeah, Smoltz still remembers his high school days – vividly, in some cases.

Fast forward to spring 2009. Smoltz is again

facing a frustrating period in his life. After 21 seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz signed a one-year contract with the Boston Red Sox in January. He became a free agent after having shoulder surgery in June 2008.

Thus, he didn’t pitch enough innings to guarantee his 2009 contract with the Braves.

Because the surgery is considered major for a pitcher – especially one who is 42 years old – some have suggested it may be time for Smoltz to call it a career. Stand back if you ask him about it, though, because you’ll get an earful.

“In sports, why is it that a bunch of people outside the game can determine when a career should be over? If you love what you’re doing and somebody tells you it’s time to stop, how much are you going to listen to them? I never figured that out,” said Smoltz, 1-2 at the All-Star break after joining the rotation on June 25.

But wait. There’s more. He’s just getting started.

“These hurdles are no different than before, because I’m internally motivated,” Smoltz said. “I’ll use negative energy to get over the top. I’m overwhelmingly amazed at how people can determine your fate. If I listened to those people, there is no chance I could come back.

“How is it that Randy Johnson is not old (at 45), yet I’m the old guy, the guy who’s going to break down? Last year I pitched in four games, only gave up two runs and was 3-1. It’s all relative what camp you’re coming from and what you believe. I’m a glass-half-full guy. The upside is still there.

Boston views it that way. And that’s what I’ll be able to bring.”

Smoltz grew up in Lansing but wasn’t born here. He was born in Warren, a suburb north of Detroit, on May 15, 1967. His family of five moved to Lansing when John was about 10, in a house on Maycroft Street in Delta Township, just around the corner from St. Gerard Catholic Church.

Photography Keith Allison

Big games? Yeah, he has pitched in big games. They don’t get any bigger than Game 7 of the World Series, his stage in 1991.

JULY 2009 19

Never Out Of The Game John’s father loved to play the accordion and wanted John to play it, too. But he preferred sports. While attending St. Gerard School, he found the perfect sport: basketball.

“Basketball was my first love,” Smoltz said. “Baseball is what I got to do a little longer.”

Success in sports didn’t come instantly.

“It seemed to be a lot of heartache and tough losses,” Smoltz recalled of his youth.

“But I loved to compete.”

5627/4-09/78149

20 JULY 2009

Retired Before He Is John Smoltz’s #3 baseball uniform hangs at Waverly High School while he continues to pitch in the Major Leagues.

When I was not allowed to hit as a sophomore, and there was no basketball playing time, I thought, this is not going to work for me.”

Smoltz almost finished his high school career in Florida. His father was trying to move the family there, in part due to a business opportunity and also to help Smoltz’s baseball career.

“I told him I was glad it didn’t happen,” Smoltz said. “The house didn’t sell. I felt

like it wasn’t something I needed.”

Instead he transferred to Waverly High, which Smoltz says was “the greatest move in my life. I learned a lot and flourished in basketball. It was a great change.”

His arrival initially didn’t mean much to Phil Odlum, Waverly’s long-time basketball coach who had just added baseball. When Waverly’s athletic director said he wanted to introduce him to Smoltz, Odlum replied:

Photography REDGROOVE PHOTOGRAPHY

Smoltz began his high school career at Lansing Catholic. It proved to be one of the most frustrating periods of his life. The guy who lived to compete suddenly wasn’t allowed to do so in basketball or baseball.

“At Lansing Catholic Central, the opportunity to play basketball all of a sudden vanished for some reason,” Smoltz says. “In baseball, they wouldn’t let me hit, either.

It was kind of a philosophy … if you were a football player, you could pretty much do what you wanted at Lansing Catholic. I could never understand that.

“I pitched as a freshman on the varsity.

“Who’s John Smoltz?”

Odlum soon discovered that. Smoltz had to sit out the first semester his junior year because of the transfer. No matter. He still made the all-state basketball team that year.

“The irony is, my junior year I made allstate in basketball and baseball and hit .500.

Kind of interesting how that played out,” Smoltz said, not able to hide his sarcasm.

For Odlum, Smoltz was a once-in-a-lifetime player in both sports.

“I was very fortunate to coach Marcus Taylor,” Odlum said of the All-America guard who led the Warriors to the 2000 Class A state title. “But John was right up there with the best point guards I ever coached.

“John is very confident, an unbelievable competitor. He was amazing how he studied the game and knew about the game. There was nothing selfish about him. He would do whatever it took to win.”

On the diamond for Odlum’s Warriors, Smoltz played shortstop when he didn’t pitch. When he did pitch, Odlum had to remind Smoltz to stick with his fastball.

“He could throw so hard that once a week he would come up with a new pitch and was so good he could get away with it,” Odlum recalled. “I said, ‘Just throw the ball across

the plate, because they can’t hit you.’”

It was Smoltz’s unyielding work ethic at Waverly that impressed people the most.

“He was never concerned about dating or being cool,” Odlum said. “After a basketball game, he would get a friend, and they’d be throwing baseballs in the gym until midnight. He was one of those kids who believed in it and knew where he wanted to go.

“People ask me what made him special.

God gave him a great arm. But what separates him, what sticks out in my mind, is (great athletes) are just fierce, fierce competitors.”

Smoltz had already accepted a full-ride baseball scholarship to Michigan State University before graduating from Waverly. But the major-league scouts were relentless, charting his every pitch during the spring of 1985.

“Every Sunday night my wife and I would get anywhere from 10-15 calls from pro scouts asking when he was going to pitch that week,” Odlum said. “There must have been 10 (radar) guns behind the backstop every time he pitched.”

The Detroit Tigers, the team Smoltz adored, drafted him in the 22nd round, the

574th player overall. That was because of his commitment to MSU, which led to a summer of mixed feelings.

“They drafted me so late, it looked like it was never going to work out,” he said. “It was kind of bittersweet. I wasn’t sure how I was going to get there, what was going to happen.”

Smoltz spent the summer playing in various events, such as the Junior Olympics in Albany, N.Y, and the Stan Musial World Series in Battle Creek.

What eventually tipped the scales toward the Tigers, ironically, was advice from Tom Smith, then MSU’s baseball coach. Smoltz calls Smith an “unsung hero” in signing his first professional contract.

“In the midst of all I was going through, he helped me decide what was best for my future by telling me what I should do, instead of telling me what was best for him,” Smoltz said. “He said, ‘As much as I’d like you to come to Michigan State, you’re getting a great opportunity.’”

Smoltz finally signed with the Tigers, hours before he was to begin classes at MSU. Had he gone to his first class, he would not have been eligible to be drafted again until after his junior season. He also credits his

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Never Out Of The Game dad for negotiating a $60,500 signing bonus.

“He’s a pretty good salesman by trade,” Smoltz said. “He did a bang-up job for me.”

Life was looking great for Smoltz. He was playing for the organization that he grew up admiring. Tiger roots run deep in the Smoltz family. His grandfather, John Frank Smoltz, worked on the grounds crew at Tiger Stadium. Nicknamed “Father John,” he was so recognizable at the old ballpark that longtime Tigers broadcaster Ernie Harwell was the first person to arrive at his funeral wake.

Smoltz’s father, John Adam Smoltz, played his accordion behind the bar at the venerable Lindell A.C., a well-known watering hole for Detroit athletes, while the Tigers celebrated their 1968 American League pennant. He also helped on the grounds crew and was an usher at the 1984 World Series.

But Smoltz’s career with the Tigers ended unexpectedly on Aug. 12, 1987, when he was traded to the Atlanta Braves. The Tigers were in the hunt for the American League East Division crown and needed another pitcher. So they acquired 36-year-old Doyle Alexander from the Braves.

The Tigers went on to edge Toronto by two games for the AL East title, thanks in large part to Alexander. He went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA down the stretch for the Tigers.

Smoltz, on the other hand, was devastated.

“It was about as bad as it got for me personally,” he said, still sounding like someone just punched him in the gut. “I never saw it coming. I was their top prospect,

depending on what you read. You never think about being traded.

“That one came out of left field.”

Depression over the trade didn’t last long.

“The transition was pretty quick. Once I saw the opportunities before me, I was fired up,” Smoltz said. “It was definitely the best thing that could have happened to me.”

History has proven him correct. Beginning in 1991, the Braves won 14 straight division titles. Despite that run, Smoltz feels more frustration than satisfaction with the Braves’ success.

“One championship,” he said of 1995 with more than a hint of disbelief in his voice.

“It’s still hard for me to imagine that we could only win one championship.”

That made it difficult to enjoy the 10 years that he, Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine were arguably the greatest starting rotation in history.

“It was constantly proving people wrong, and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have or should have,” Smoltz said. “It’s easy to rest on your laurels. But we were hunted every single time. It was 10 years of something special, but not to the degree most people think.”

Smoltz called the Braves’ 1995 World Series championship over Cleveland his best moment in the majors, despite the fact his only appearance in that series was a 7-6 loss.

“It was 29 degrees in Cleveland. I had no chance to be successful in that game,”

Treasured Trophy A plaque honoring the 1985 Diamond Classic championship shows the joy that John

Smoltz recalled. “Yet, given the opportunity to win Game 7 (Atlanta won the series in six), I would have done what I’ve always done and won that game.

“It goes along with some of my greatest games, kind of an empty feeling. The thing that blows me away, I pitched in three Game 7s (1991 NLCS, 1991 World Series, 1992 NLCS). In two I went 9 innings, one 7 1/3.

Both runs were in one game (1992 NLCS).

To win only one, that just doesn’t add up.”

Despite his on-the-field frustrations in Atlanta, nothing grates on Smoltz more than how the Braves treated him this past offseason. It was the fourth time in his career he was a free agent. This time, he felt the Braves pushed him too far.

“I got tired of hearing the same old clichés, ‘He’ll never leave; he’s a Brave for life,’” Smoltz said. “It’s weird. You think you feel some different things, but the communication was horrible. When you’re a free agent, they’ve got to treat you like one. Instead, it was like I had this long leash and was never going to leave. That’s a horrible feeling.”

Smoltz also discounts the Braves’ explanation that their offer was for the same amount of money – roughly $10 million – that he could earn with the Red Sox. “It’s just a corporate line, a way they can save face,” he said. “From A to Z it was a different contract. It wasn’t even close.

“It was a pretty easy decision. For 22 years, I made a choice to stay there. I didn’t make a choice to take the most money. My point is, why now? That has really been the whole issue the whole time.”

Whenever Smoltz’s illustrious career ends, his stats (210-147, 154 saves, 3.26 ERA) scream “Hall of Fame.” Influential statistician/baseball historian Bill James, who has designed a point system to determine if players are qualified to enter the Hall, considers Smoltz a “virtual cinch” to be inducted.

Smoltz’s take? He doesn’t care.

“I don’t think about it at all. You can get pretty selfish in this game and accomplish records that don’t mean a whole lot if you’re just in it for yourself,” he said. “It’s never been a reason why I’ve played the game.”

“It’s not something that’s going to change my life.”

Charitable works have been a hallmark of 22 JULY 2009

Photography REDGROOVE PHOTOGRAPHY

Smoltz feels 25 years after his dramatic home run defeated Sexton.

Smoltz’s career, and he plans on making them a key part of his legacy. One of his first big acts was to contribute $60,000 over a decade ago for the construction of two baseball fields and a softball diamond at St. Gerard Church.

Now, he has the John Smoltz Foundation, which has contributed about $6 million to various causes in the Atlanta area.

“I’ve had many blessings,” Smoltz said.

“I’m a big believer in doing some big project in a community. I like the idea of multiple people getting involved in something we believe in. If the good Lord impresses upon your heart to do something, then follow it.

“Life would be a whole lot easier if you just worried about yourself, but it wouldn’t necessarily be better.”

As for how much longer he’ll play, Smoltz says he has no idea. But if last year’s surgery didn’t fix his shoulder, that’s it.

“I’m not going to go through another surgery to play,” he said.

Even if he’s healthy this season, one thing that could cause him to call it quits after 2009 is his family. For the first time ever, he will be away from his four children during the season. Smoltz’s children – John Jr., 17; Rachel, 15; Carly, 11, and Kelly, 9 – live with his ex-wife, Dyan, in Atlanta.

“That’s going to be difficult,” he said of the separation. “That’s going to determine a lot of what the future holds for me.”

Smoltz has his retirement mapped out.

He’s going to coach the basketball team at King’s Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, Ga. Smoltz was a driving force in the creation of the school and serves as chairman of the board.

“I’m going to enjoy the heck out of it,” he said of his retirement. “I’m going to coach basketball, play golf and enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

Golf was a sport that Smoltz didn’t embrace until he was older. Odlum and former Waverly High athletic director Rick Schmidt took Smoltz to Waverly Hills Golf Course for his first round. But he didn’t take

the sport seriously until nine years ago.

“I made a pretty drastic jump in my handicap, got stuck like everyone does for a while, then broke through,” he said of his game, which includes a career-best 63 at The Floridian Golf Course in Palm City, Fla. Now, he’s so good that Tiger Woods, a friend and former golfing partner during spring training, calls Smoltz the best nonpro he has played with.

“The guy can flat-out play,” Woods told ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning last fall. “It wouldn’t surprise me when his career is all said and done that he makes it on the senior tour.”

Smoltz laughed when he heard that comment.

“That’s good and bad,” he said. “I don’t know how many non-pros he has played with.

“But that’s what I’d like to do. I’d just like to pursue it and see how far I can get, and where my nerves take me.”

He’s already the greatest baseball player to hail from Lansing. Wouldn’t it be something if he ends up being the greatest golfer, too?

JULY 2009 23

Hooked Bad Chad Pipkens Chases His Dream

BY TED KLUCK

According to some professional fishing websites, you can play “fantasy” fishing – similar to fantasy football, except that instead of drafting LaDainian Tomlinson, you’re drafting Chad Pipkens from Holt, Michigan.

24 JULY 2009

If it seems like a philosophical leap to make a fantasy league out of what already amounts to, for many, a leisure activity, that’s part of the dilemma that is pro fishing.

If Pipkens, a pro fisherman, is to be believed, there’s nothing leisurely about fishing for a living.

“I’ve missed two of my best friends’ weddings for this, and my sister had to reschedule her wedding,” he said. “I’ve slept in my

And he isn’t dealing with the fame-related obstacles presented to his brethren in the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball.

“I’ve been on FoxSports Net a few times and had a couple of people in fishing circles recognize me, but for the most part it’s a pretty unknown thing,” he said. “I hope that will change.”

Pipkens decided to dip his lure into professional waters last year and said the pro-

“People generally shake their heads and say ‘Really?’ when I tell them I’m a professional fisherman.”

- Chad Pipkens Professional Fisherman

car after 12-hour drives to tournaments after work.

“People think when they come with me on trips it’s going to be kicking back around campfires, but it’s not like that. I’m fishing from dark to dark. And when I get in, I eat and sleep. If it’s light for 16 hours, I’m fishing for 16 hours.”

Pipkens is a 2007 graduate of Central Michigan University, with a degree in mathematics and secondary education. He looks not unlike most post-college kids, with spiky hair, jeans and a button-down shirt, though his semi-gnarled hands can’t hide the fact that he spends most of his waking hours dealing with boats, lures, hooks, water and heavy fish.

A competition junkie, Pipkens played soccer, ice hockey and football his entire life. But his passion has been competitive fishing since age 16, when he entered his first tournament on Lake Lansing.

“I was hooked, bad,” he said, pun intended.

Pipkens won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament in June on Burt and Mullett lakes with a fivebass catch weighing 27 pounds, 13 ounces.

The victory earned Pipkens $3,671 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for another tournament in Iowa later in the summer, where he could win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Needless to say, Pipkens isn’t getting rich trolling Michigan lakes on the weekends, though he made $35,000 in prize money last year paying his own way to tournaments.

cess of going pro in fishing is “a little less black and white” than it is in other sports.

“Basically you can enter pro tournaments if you can pay the entry fees,” he said.

The fees can be substantial. For Pipkens’ current tour (Walmart League, Michigan Division), the entry fee for every tournament is $825.

“That’s all out-of-pocket,” Pipkens said.

“Fees are between $4,000 and $5,000 per tournament. A fisherman can fish three or four good tournaments and be out $30-$40,000.

Pipkens won enough last year, finishing 7th on his tour in points, to qualify for these high-risk, high reward tournaments, but couldn’t in good conscience take the leap.

“I didn’t have the financial pieces in place to risk it,” he said.

The rewards are much higher there. Pro tournaments typically pay $10,000 and compensate the 50th- place finisher. But finish out of the top 50 and you’re out the entry fee, travel costs for you and your entourage, plus your equipment.

The sponsor-laden shirts that professional fishermen wear in tournaments look strangely NASCAR-ish and provide an odd sort of confluence between big business and big leisure. The kind of fishing that one associates with coolers of cold beverages and lazy days on the lake, this is not.

“It’s all about sponsorship,” said Pipkens, who started his own fishing team, Silver Strike, to solicit sponsorships with four other anglers.

JULY 2009 25

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26 JULY 2009

Photography courtesy of CHAD PIPkens

Hooked Bad The team concept is unique and experimental to bass fishing. But Pipkens hopes that by branding his team, he’ll build greater recognition for the individuals and sponsors involved in the venture.

The team’s website (www.teamsilverstrike.com) explains, “The guys of Team Silver Strike are a mix between a garage band, a professional sports team, and your high school chess club.” A garage band for the passion, a pro sports team for the talent and drive necessary and a high school chess club for single-minded focus. Pipkens, who is described as the frat-boyish one on the team’s site, can point out the difference between jig fishing and bed fishing and very much enjoy doing so.

In many ways, Team Silver Strike defies convention and stereotype.

The group includes a stay-at-home dad (also a Desert Storm vet), a UPS guy, a mechanical engineer, a bit of a party animal (Pipkens) and two born-again Christians. All Admiring The Catch Chad Pipkens shows what hard work and teamwork can do in professional fishing. are united by their common love of bass fishing and are, for now, modestly sponsored by a variety of They’re all chasing the dream of big the lake in man-vs.-nature competition. bait-related businesses, a personal injury sponsorship dollars and big tournaments “It’s not really like you’re competing against law firm and a car dealership. by doing what fishermen do to get better: the other fishermen. Fishermen are a good,

Team Silver Strike It takes more than a fisherman to succeed in the pressurized world of pro fishing.

spending a lot of time on the water.

“I practice four or five days a week,” Pipkens said.

“Typically, getting in the 16- to 17-pound neighborhood will get you close to winning a tournament.”

Pipkens juggles his time between refereeing hockey games, substitute teaching and running his own painting business. He’s practicing so his five fish will be heavier than those turned in by his opponents. Pro anglers are judged by the weight of their take.

“There’s no real disappointment in losing,” he said of spending a day on

close group of people who would all give you the shirt off their back. But they also keep pretty tight-lipped as far as sharing information. When you help someone else, in fishing, you’re hurting yourself.”

Pipkens seems most comfortable chasing his dream and appears to be exactly where he wants to be – always moving toward the next body of water, the next bass and the ever-elusive “next level,” a term he uses constantly.

Still, he moves through the professional sports world relatively unnoticed and misunderstood.

“People generally shake their heads and say ‘Really?’ when I tell them I’m a professional fisherman,” he said. “They have no idea.”

www.SportLansing.com JULY 2009 27

GREATER LANSING SPORTS AUTHORITY

A Day In The Life The Sports Biz: Not All Fun And Games

By BrEndAn Dwyer

How hard can it be? Our community has sports venues. It has hotels.

And groups all want to have sports tournaments. Thus, selling Greater Lansing as a host city for should be as easy as selling ice cream in 100degree heat.

8:00 A.M.

Run And Gun It’s early, but we’re off and running. Mike and John both check e-mail and voice messages on hand-helds en route to a meeting for The Capital City River Run and Healthy & Fit Expo, already in its third year. The event won’t happen for another four months, but planning is going at warp speed. Immediately afterward, John goes to check on the Baseball Players Association Youth Tournament.

Mike and I head to the office, where he shows me four different bid packets from tournaments looking for a host city. One is for a lacrosse event to be held in 2010.

Another is for a soccer tournament in 2014.

“2014?” I said. “That’s some long sales cycle!”

“People are always surprised when they hear how early we are in talks with these groups,” Mike said. “There is so much to be decided that these events are scheduled way in advance. As a person selling a particular destination, it is a real balancing act to keep that pipeline full. So that you have events going on all the time, both 28 JULY 2009

in the active stage and the early planning phases.”

A peek at the bid packet raises a few more questions like, “Where does event business even come from?”

“We’re as focused on growing local tournaments as we are drawing in big national events,” Mike said. “By leveraging our award-winning website, attending trade shows, working closely with local event organizers and having our reputation for service spread through the sports community via word of mouth, we’re constantly opening doors for events in Greater Lansing.”

My chance to ask another quesGetting It Together John Young gathers tournament tion is cut short. Mike wheels and community information for a visiting sports group. around to grab his phone, which is buzzing like some kind of robotic insect. Turns out it’s John saying that before course. But there is some truth in it. he comes into the office, he’s going to stop “John and I have to keep a pretty tight at Bennigan’s in Delta Township. He needs lid on the packages we put together,” Mike to remind the manager of a big sports group said. “Competition for these groups is crazy. that is headed into town, then has to pick up And we need to protect any and all competisome coupons for visitor bags. tive advantages. If another city hears what Area restaurants play a big part in mak- we are offering a given group, they may ing a good experience for groups in town. A crunch the numbers to do it one better, and partnership with the GLSA is a good thing we’ve possibly lost that business.” for their books as well.

Now, I’m getting kind of a cool “Mission: Impossible” vibe. Exciting stuff.

10:00 A.M.

Mission: Impossible Just as I’m getting my head around the event-services side of the GLSA, I’m pulled back into Mike’s world – the calculated planning and forecasting sales side. Mike is putting the finishing touches on bid proposals for two different groups. This is the GLSA’s

12:00 NOON

Lunch Anyone? Anyone?

The work room of the GLSA is a world of boxes, stacked papers, restaurant coupons, maps, visitor guides and more. John is assembling team packets for a visiting group. They will include reference material

Photography BRENDAN DWYER

That’s how it appears. In reality, the competition is fierce and growing. Developing local events can be grueling. And servicing groups that are already booked brings a never-ending to-do list.

To prove that, let’s spend a day in the life of the Greater Lansing Sports Authority.

Let’s be flies on the wall with two of the busiest guys in the community; Mike Price and John Young of the GLSA. Where do we start? Where each day begins for these guys – with the Smartphone, the multi-tasker’s best friend.

formal answer to the sports group saying, “Yes, we can host you, and here’s how.”

I ask what events he’s pursuing, and he gives me that “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you” look. He’s kidding, of

on the tournament and the community, with dining options, a movie guide and where to go if you hurt your ankle.

The morning has flown by. It’s getting close to lunch, but I’m the only one who’s thinking about it. John has everything set for the team packets and will turn the project over to a GLSA intern. John grabs his keys and gives me a nod. It’s time for a mini-road trip.

I squeeze into John’s car, and I mean that literally. The car is filled with about 25 basketballs the GLSA is donating to Lansing Parks & Recreation Youth Summer Programs.

Suddenly, I know how it feels to be inside a gumball machine.

After some talk about sports in general (John is great for this, as a college baseball standout and former minor-leaguer), I learn that John has been spending his “free time” earning a certification in professional sports event management. I’m thinking, “Does this guy ever take a break?”

I think that I’m getting my answer as John pulls into a McDonald’s. I think, “Let’s pause a bit and recap the morning.” Wrong.

The McDonald’s is right near the parks & rec office. Without more than a minute to pay and grab the food, we’re off again. Magically, “lunch hour” has lasted all of six minutes.

2:00 P.M.

Real Teamwork Work After making the equipment donation, John gets a call from Mike. A local event

organizer needs help getting additional hotel rooms. The phone conversation turns into a tag-team move as the guys seamlessly switch tasks.

Now, John is going to help the guy get more hotel rooms for his group, and Mike is going to stop in at the National Racquetball Tournament at the Michigan Athletic Club.

I’ve been around these guys for just over half a day, and I’m already seeing a seamless kind of teamwork that brings consistent productivity. Think of Montana-to-Rice for a game-winning touchdown or Magic lobbing an alley-oop pass for an easy basket.

5:00 P.M.

Quittin’ Time? Not So Fast As 5 p.m. approaches, John is leaving his Hoopfest planning meeting, and I’m hoping to catch him for a closing remark on the end of a busy day for the GLSA. John turns and gives me the same glance he shot me when I mentioned lunch.

3:00 P.M.

Typical Meeting Or Launch Pad For Community Involvement?

John and I get back to the GLSA office just as Mike returns from the MAC. It was smooth sailing at the USA Racquetball Junior Olympic Championships. Mike also squeezed in an impromptu interview with Channel 6 about the event.

What’s next on the whirlwind agenda?

John is headed to a meeting about the next March Madness Hoopfest event. There’s that long pipeline again. But John tells me now is the time to meet about potential sponsors, new activities and streamlined volunteer roles and responsibilities.

Mike is headed into a meeting, too. Right after my joke that most meetings are huge time-wasters, Mike shares that he is on the board for the CASE Cares Foundation, a local non-profit organization helping children with physical and mental handicaps.

Specific agenda items for the meeting today include updates on an all-inclusive playground at Potter Park in Lansing and a Miracle League baseball field with a special rubberized turf at Valley Farms Park in DeWitt Charter Township. Safe play areas for children of all ability levels – now there’s a meeting with some merit.

As I slowly take my foot out of my mouth, I’m reminded of the two-tiered benefits of the GLSA. As much as it does for the local economy, it does just as much or more for local quality of life.

Major League Promotion Mike and John promote the GLSA at the Tiger Caravan event at the Breslin Center and pose with Detroit Tiger Carlos Guillen.

(L to R) John Young, Carlos Guillen, Mike Price.

Of course, I forgot. Time is a relative thing in the world of the GLSA. John’s day is far from over. He’s hoping to wrap up the shuttle-service schedule for one group over the phone as he drives to help the National Softball Association Girls Fast Pitch State Championships, a 130-team softball tournament in town. He helps close that event and still has plenty of time to get to the ball field in Holt to coach his daughter’s softball team.

“I guess to say we eat, sleep and breathe sports is an understatement,” John said.

“But it’s something we love doing because we have a passion for it. When we can see our passion for sports turning into great local events and creating bright spots within the local community, it makes it all worthwhile. The pace we maintain is nuts sometimes. But that’s what is necessary to keep the sports experience in Greater Lansing great. It’s just a part of the game.”

Film At Eleven Mike Price helps get media attention for groups like the USA Racquetball Junior Olympic Championships.

To learn more about the GLSA call (517) 377-1411 or visit www.lansingsports.org.

JULY 2009 29

SPORT LAST SHOT

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Sticking To It michigan state Vs. Michigan Lacrosse EAST LANSING, MI SPRING 2008 PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANE ROBISON

JULY 2009 31

SPORT FINISH LINE

Hole Lot Of Fun Golf Was Always A Family Affair

It started by following my dad around in Wisconsin. Then, I married Bruce, one of the best coaches you’ll ever find. That family atmosphere was reflected in our golf programs at Michigan State. Today, you see a lot of that in the great job Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll has done.

Along the way, we’ve had lots of laughs and Then, in 1972, Biggie came to Bruce and created so many friendships. And the stories asked if he’d heard of Title IX. They had to add go all the way back to Ben and Babe. some women’s programs. And Biggie wanted I was 12 years old when Ben Hogan came golf to be one of them. He also wanted Bruce to Oneida Golf and Country Club in Green to see if I would coach the team.

Bay for an exhibition. We had lunch together. And Ben picked up a butter knife and said, “Let’s see your grip… That looks very good. When I leave, come out to the car. I want to give you a couple of golf balls.”

I thought I had a friendship for life. I was so disappointed when I ran into him six or seven years later and he didn’t remember me. He was always my hero. I think he should’ve remembered me.

I never thought that Ben was scary, just focused. But I was a little afraid of Babe Didrikson. Babe was such a great athlete and so strong.

She’d wear long-sleeved shirts to hide all her muscles.

When we played in 1946, in the Women’s Western Amateur semifinals, she bombed it past me on every hole. The problem was, she was all over the course. I didn’t hit the ball very far. But I was a pretty good putter and made enough to beat her 2-and-1.

She wasn’t particularly friendly.

But a few years, later, we were playing in a tournament in Orlando, and she asked me to do her fingernails. I’d More Than A Coach Mary Fossum (Left) built a family never done anyone’s nails, not even my own. I just didn’t want to have to atmosphere at Michigan State. play her again.

When we came to Michigan State, Bruce was an assistant basketball coach I had no idea of how to recruit or where to under Forddy Anderson. Then, in 1965, Big- go when we got to tournaments. But I said gie Munn asked him to be the golf coach. to Bruce, “I’ll take the job if you’ll help me.”

Bruce had a great background in golf and When I met with Biggie and accepted the could teach anyone the game. I know how job, Bruce wondered what the salary was. I much he helped me. had no idea. I never asked.

32 JULY 2009

We’d had some tremendous players at Michigan State before that, competing as individuals. Joyce Kazmierski won the Women’s Collegiate Golf Tournament in 1966.

And Bonnie Lauer was outstanding before we got a team her senior year.

Bonnie used to get a few dollars from Biggie for expenses, but not that much. Central Michigan had a team before we did. And Bonnie would go on trips with them.

In 1973 I’d already made plans to be with the guys at their tournament at Oklahoma State. So Bonnie went with the girls from Central to Mount Holyoke in Massachusetts. They’d call every night, kidding around, saying Bonnie was dancing on the tables again.

The guys said, “Why don’t you take a flight out to see her?” I said, “She’s doing so well without me, I better stay where I am!” And wouldn’t you know it? She won it all and became the AIAW champion.

We traveled to meets in a station wagon.

Two of our players, Manono Beamer and Carol Peterson, learned from Bruce how to tie the golf clubs on top of the wagon. When we graduated to a van, that was a big deal.

We did a lot of driving. We stayed in cheaper hotels and didn’t eat that well.

But the kids were happy. I finally got some money to help the players – $500 for the whole team. Joan Garrity was the first one to get money. But we never recruited anyone with scholarships.

We had a lot of great players and great people in the program. Barb Mucha was very successful. She’s a great gal. And when she won the Oldsmobile Classic as an LPGA player at Walnut Hills, that was so exciting.

Lisa Marino was a very good player, too.

But no one has done more for the program than Stacy. She was my assistant coach from 1995-97 and has been head coach the past 12 seasons. I love her like another daughter.

Mary Fossum coached the Spartans for 25 seasons and was inducted into the National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame. With her husband, Bruce, another legend, they became known as the first family of the collegiate game.

Photography MSU ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

By MARY FOSSUM

Go Green!

Michigan State University Basketball.

Coaches. Athletes. Fans. Spartans.

Join us as we celebrate the success of one of our great community assets.

Thank you, Spartan Basketball, for an inspirational season!

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