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Brand new ballpark can't tame rivalry

LANSING -- Yesterday's baseball game between Michigan and Michigan State did not count toward the Big Ten standings.

It was the grand opening of Lansing's Oldsmobile Park -- the brand new home of the minor league Lansing Lugnuts -- and the park's owners thought a game between the state rivals would be a fun way to kick off the spring.

In fact, the original plan was for the Spartans to host Grand Valley State in yesterday's game. But then it was decided that the Wolverines would spur a little more interest, draw a few more fans.

So you see, the game wasn't really supposed to be all that important. It was supposed to be a fun day for the fans -- almost like an exhibition.

Try telling that to Michigan coach Geoff Zahn.

"Oh, it's a great ballpark, absolutely," Zahn said. "But you don't play Michigan State just to play."

The game started out harmlessly enough. Former Tiger and Michigan State alum Kirk Gibson -- who served as honorary coach of the Spartans -- waved to the fans, and the over-capacity crowd of 6,267 actually sang "Happy Birthday" to Lansing Mayor David Hollister after he threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

But then the game began.

It was clear from the start that both of these teams showed up at Oldsmobile Park to do one thing -- win. All politeness aside, they didn't seem to be interested in any of this "happy to be here" stuff.

That's not to say the players weren't having a great time -- because they were. But as the game wore on, the intensity picked up, and no one seemed to remember -- or care -- that this game didn't count in the conference standings.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Wolverines held a 3-2 lead. Then Michigan State came alive.

A pair of hits by the Spartans tied the score, bringing the suddenly-fired-up home team out of its dugout. Then Michigan pitcher Pete Martay got Michigan State's leadoff hitter to ground into a double play, and the Wolverines roared in approval. But Spartan shortstop Tom Grigg roused the Michigan State faithful seconds later, rocketing a solo homer to left field to give the Spartans a 4-3 lead.

"I wasn't really looking to go deep," said the 5-foot-9 Grigg, who went 3-for-4 on the day. "I just get a power surge every couple of months."

Eventually, the Wolverines tied the score and sent the game into extra innings.

And when Michigan's Mike Cervenak scored the go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, the Spartan-partisan crowd was silenced. By the time Wolverine closer John Arvai finally got the last out, he was mobbed by his teammates on the field.

Michigan right fielder Derek Besco, who homered and reached base three other times, credited the park for much of the excitement.

"When a game gets close like that, the intensity always picks up," Besco said. "But this park just adds to it. The atmosphere, everything -- this is just a great ballpark."

True, the players were taken by the park. And why not? It is a beautiful park, not to mention that it was only last week when both of these teams were snowed out on their home fields. Still, the view wasn't quite as rosy from the Michigan State dugout after the disappointing loss.

"Yeah, it's a great park," Spartan catcher Carlos Fernandez said. "But man, we should've won that game."

By the end of the day, there were two unanimous decisions. The first was that the fans got a great show in a great ballpark. The second was that the players, although impressed by the stadium, were much more concerned with winning the game, whether it counted in the standings or not.

Somehow, you get the feeling that even if the game was in a sandlot somewhere, they would have cared just as much.