Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 43

WEDNESDAY March 13, RED WINGS I COLLECTOR CARDS COMING Check out Thursday's paper for the first Wings card, featuring Steve Yzerman, Chris Chelios, Brett Hull and Brendan Shanahan. 2002 Iditarod 2 Scoreboard 4 Preps 7 NBA 7,8 ON TMC WEB www.freep.com phone 313-222-6660 Section )NCAA TOURNAMENT ook who ritlln ni'irtrm-iMH iiwiMrinfiiMipiini rn I mi 1 With new team, Wisher returns to NCAA and to U-M's esteem By MICHAEL ROSENBERG FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER fcHIC SEAISDdtral Freo Pres Assistant equipment managers Tim O'Neill, left, and John Brown help the Lions move into their new practice facility. Huge move a huge job for Lions staff Despite new digs, 'Movingis moving XtTf that he thinks the Fab Five "left a wonderful legacy" at Michigan. That's a contrast to most comments that came out of the athletic department after Fisher was fired. "No.

1, they really set a standard for performance for Michigan," Martin said. "They brought tremendous excitement to it. Kids still know about the Fab Five that were probably too young to go to the games. "I think they have left a wonderful legacy here. I'm pleased to see how over time they are reac-quainting themselves with our team.

I see nothing but the positives about that for the program." Fisher was fired in October 1997, in the wake of accusations that several players, including Chris Webber, Robert Traylor and Maurice Taylor, had received large sums of money and gifts from Ed Martin, who has been charged with running an illegal By CURT SYLVESTER FREE PRtSS SPORTS RITER Steve Fisher has finally, definitively, put Michigan behind him. To the coach's admirers, that's not a surprise. But U-M's athletic department apparently has changed its views on Fisher. To the coach's admirers and detractors, that is a surprise. In just three seasons, Fisher has taken San Diego State from a 5-23 record to this month's NCAA basketball tournament.

His team will play Illinois in the first round Friday at Chicago. Ten years after he first took the Fab Five to the tournament and nearly five years after Michigan fired him under a cloud of a scandal, Fisher has succeeded without the school that shunned him. But Michigan is not shunning him anymore, athletic director Bill Martin said. Martin made it clear Tuesday v. Please see FISHER, Page 6E The last load of equipment footballs, shoulder pads, helmets, shoes and what-all arrived at the new practice facility Monday.

Everything athletic trainer Al Bellamy needs from taping tables to the underwater television cameras in the hydrotherapy room was delivered by last Friday. Strength and conditioning coach Jason Ara-poff already has a few thousand pounds of free weights lined up in the weight room and expects the rest of the resistance training equipment in a few days. Welcome to moving week as the Lions leave the Silverdome for their new practice headquarters on the Allen Park-Dearborn border. And if you can imagine the problems of a family move and then multiply it by 100 or maybe 1,000 you have the degree of difficulty involved in moving an entire NFL operation a few miles down the road. What makes it worthwhile is the state-of-the-art facility.

"This is the NFL, but this isn't the standard," Arapoff said Tuesday, looking around the spa- FISHER'S MARK Steve Fisher's record at Michigan and San Diego State: Michigan Years Overall Conference 1989-97 PCT PCT Totals 184 82 .692 88 56 .611 NCAA tournament PCT 20 6 .769 San Diego State Overall Please see LIONS, Page 8E 5 14 21 PCT 23 .179 14 .500 11 .656 Conference PCT 0 14 .000 4 10 .286 7 7 .500 11 31 .262 99 87 .532 Years 2000 2001 2002 Totals DAVID P. GILKfcYDetrait Free Press THEN: Fisher delivers his farewell speech in Ann Arbor after Michigan fired him as coach in October 1997. 40 48.455 Career 224 130 .633 Rivera catches more attention Bat, arm, advice impressive vs. Braves The seasons of Torbert and Hill: A hard lesson in Freshmen 101 A DREW SHARP By JOHN LOWE FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER LAUHA HAUOH Associated Press NOW: Steve Fisher shouts instructions to his San Diego State team during last week's Mountain West Conference tournament. The Aztecs won, earning an NCAA berth.

EAST LANSING He can soar. He can excite. He just can't play basketball. At least not in the rudimentary sense. MORE MARCH MADNESS: FROM DAYTON TO D.C.

LAKELAND, Fla. Tigers right-hander Bill Simas couldn't believe what rookie catcher Mike Rivera did Tuesday, the day Rivera strengthened his bid to win the catching job. Rivera doubled twice in two at-bats against four-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux. Rivera didn't flinch when he took a pitch up-and-in from the Atlanta Braves' right-hander. And on a steal attempt, Rivera nailed Rafael i 1 1 1 Kelvin Torbert is a one-man highlight show just waiting for his 15 seconds of "SportsCenter" fame.

He's the McDonald's high school All-America that big-time colleges covet. But fellow Michigan State freshman Chris Hill reminds us that he's the slip-through-the-cracks recruit the big-time schools still need. They're polar opposites in more ways than one. Torbert is immensely athletic. His over-the-rim elevation is well known in his hometown of Flint.

Hill moves as though he's wearing concrete-laced Nikes, and his rather refined game is more learned than instinctive. Apparently nobody bothered teaching Torbert the fundamentals, like the proper release point on his jump shot or filling the lane on the fast break. Michigan State coaches have had to break him down in order to build him up again, perhaps explaining his difficulties this season. There's a lesson through all this that's too easily forgotten in the recruiting ware. You need the Torberts, who can hang in midair, but you had better have enough of the Hills, whose abil- Furcal, an above-average base-stealer, at second base.

But none of that accounted for the smile Simas had when he discussed Rivera after the game. The reliever was most impressed after he yielded a leadoff home run in the sixth to MSU freshman Chris Hill THE TITANS Matchup: Detroit Mercy (18-12) vs. Dayton (20-10) in opening round of men's NIT. When: 7:30 tonight. Where: Dayton Arena, Dayton, Ohio.

TVradio: No TV; WXDX-AM (1 310). Line: Dayton by 11. WOMEN'S NIT Michigan (17-12) vs. Valparaiso (24-6), 7 tonight, Crlsler Arena, Ann Arbor. Michigan State (16-12) vs.

DePaul (15-13), 7 p.m. Thursday, Breslin Center, East Lansing. THE SPARTANS Matchup: No. 10 seed Michigan State (19-1 1) vs. No.

7 seed North Carolina State (22-10) In NCAA East Regional. When: 12:15 p.m. Friday. Where: MCI Center, Washington. TVradio: CBS (Channel 62); WWJ-AM (950).

Line: N.C. State by 1'2. Tickets: Sold out. THURSDAY'S TV GAMES ON CBS (CHANNEL 62 IN DETROIT) 12:25: Kentucky vs. Valparaiso.

3:10: Ohio State vs. Davidson. 7:40: Notre Dame vs. Charlotte. 10:20: Indiana vs.

Utah. FRIDAY'S TV GAMES ON CBS (CHANNEL 62 IN DETROIT) 12:15: Michigan State vs. N.C. State. 3.00: Illinois vs.

San Diego State 7:40: Wisconsin vs. St. John's. 10:05: UCLA vs. Mississippi.

-J mound and told Simas, "You Catcher Mike Rivera threw the wrong pitch." "I think it's impressive for a guy who hasn't caught a lot to tell me that," Simas said. "It's awesome that he's not intimidated." Rivera told Simas he should have stayed with his fastball because Surhoff hadn't hit it. Instead, Simas threw a slider and yielded the homer. Simas laughed in appreciation when Rivera told him he made the wrong pitch. Please see SHARP, Page 6E Fox Sports Net comers market on Wings games after next season Please see TIGERS, Page 2E Channel 50's out; cable channel will own the rights Bv MIKE BRUDENELL fRU PK1SS SPORTS WRITER CATCHER'S INTERFERENCE Since Mickey Tettleton caught four straight Tigers openers in 1991-94, no one has caught more than two straight.

The Opening Day catchers since then: rights to all Red Wings games." This season and next, Fox Sports Net has rights to 44 Red Wings telecasts 42 regular-season games and two exhibitions. Channel 50 has rights to 32 regular-season games and the first two rounds of the playoffs. The other eight games local outlet, it will be the first time one of the major pro teams the Wings, Tigers, Pistons or Lions are shown exclusively on cable in the Detroit area. Financial terms were not disclosed. Bryant said Fox Sports Net would be "directing the advertising sains and game allocation for local Red Wings telecasts" starting in 2003-04.

In other words, he said, "we will own telecast Channel 50 will continue to show the Wings next season. Tim Bryant, a Fox Sports Net spokesman, wouldn't say Tuesday whether the cable channel would show all local Wings games or sell part of the rights to a station other than Channel 50. If Fox Sports Net becomes the sole Fox Sports Net has acquired all local television rights for Red Wings games starting with the 2003-04 season, which will end Channel 50's king history of televising the hockey team. Catcher Brad Ausmus Brad Ausmus Brandon Inge Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 Year 1995 1996 1997 1998 Catcher John Flaherty John Flaherty Brian Johnson Joe Oliver Please see WINGS, Page 2E -Tf 1.