Beyond Boxscores

It's All Over

2007-09-19T20:20:00.001-04:00

Hockey season unofficially began in Detroit today.

The baseball season has, for all intents and purposes, ended with the Cleveland Indians three game sweep of the Tigers. Yes, there is still a possibility the Tigers could make it to the playoffs. There is also a possibility I could win the lottery. Alas, those odds are roughly the same.

The Tigers will now play out the string and we can begin the hot stove league in earnest. Dave Dombrowski will have no shortage of concerns that will need to be addressed this winter. Here are some that immediately come to mind.

Do the Tigers give Pudge Rodriguez $3 million and say "Goodbye" or do they pay him $13 million to play another season in Detroit?

If Pudge is let go, then who is the everyday catcher?

Do they re-sign Kenny Rogers? Injured and over forty, can the Tigers really count on Rogers playing a full season next year?

We know that Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman and Nate Robertson appear to be in the 2008 rotation. Who gets the other two spots?

Should Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller begin next year wearing the Olde English D or in Toledo?

Does Carlos Guillen move to firstbase? If so, who becomes the shortstop?

Do they re-sign Todd Jones?

If not, is Joel Zumaya ready to be the closer?

Yes, there's plenty of fodder for the old hot stove this winter. It's probably a good thing, though. Winter has arrived a bit earlier than anticipated this year.

Week Two Lions Prediction

2007-09-15T21:44:00.001-04:00

Detroit Lions 24 Minnesota Vikings 21

The key to tomorrow's game for Detroit? Stopping Adrian Peterson. I expect the Vikings offensive game plan to consist of A.P. running right, center and left. And, on occasion, they will throw to their prized rookie coming out of the backfield. That's it. Well, I suppose if Peterson can throw, we may see a halfback option pass, too.

I have to believe that Peterson, behind a pretty good O-line, will get his yards. However, containing him will be the key. Keep the Oklahoma product out of the endzone and I like Detroit's chances.

Jon Kitna will throw a pick or two, but if the Lions can keep the Vikings from taking the INT to the house, perhaps, they can weather the storm. Even with the turnovers, I think the Lions offense is good enough to score a few times.

Minnesota has always been a thorn in the Lions' side. If Rod Marinelli expects me or anybody else to start believing in this team, his charges had best dispatch of the Vikings on home soil.

Bonderman Out?

2007-09-09T18:26:00.000-04:00

In his post-game press conference, Jim Leyland said that he may put Jeremy Bonderman on the shelf for the remainder of the season. The doctors say Bonderman's elbow is fine, but Leyland thought today's horrific outing suggested the contrary.

I know Bonderman has pitched lousy for weeks, but if he sits the rest of September, the Tigers chances to make the post-season wouldn't appear to be better.

Franchitti Jumps To NASCAR?

2007-09-08T23:36:00.000-04:00

Et tu, Dario?

ESPN.com is reporting that Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti will leave Indy Car for NASCAR in 2008. Franchitti, who is leading the Indy Car season series point chase heading into tomorrow's final race, is said to be joining Chip Ganassi's NASCAR team in the number 40 car.

At first glance, this annoys me. Why? Because I like open wheel racing. I grew up in Indy's heyday. Andretti. Mears. Unsers -- Bobby and Al. Foyt. While many of those guys could drive anything -- Big Wheels to pick-up trucks to F1 cars -- and did, the pinnacle of racing was the Indianapolis 500. That perception will never change for me, so when I hear of another blow to open wheel racing, I get ticked off.

(Truth be told, I've softened some on NASCAR in recent years. I find it tolerable. I guess I'm just not as impressed with Chevys, Fords and Toyotas going 100 mph when I see that on my drive five days a week.)

If Franchitti makes the jump he will be following in the footsteps of Juan Pablo Montoya, another open wheel racing star who was lured by the big money and enormous popularity of stock car racing. Montoya has spent 2007 in NASCAR getting tons of media attention, winning a race and angering the sport's traditional fans and fellow drivers alike. (Seems Juan is just a bit too aggressive for some.)

In addition to Franchitti and Montoya, Sam Hornish, Jr. is already running in some Busch Series races and may make the move to NASCAR full-time next year. Hornish was the Indy 500 and IRL series champion a year ago. If Franchitti and Hornish both jump at season's end, it will cap one of the biggest falls in the long decline of open wheel racing in North America.

Champ Car is not only losing it's biggest name, Sebastian Bourdais, to F1, but the series continues to cancel races. The IRL shut down the long-running race at Michigan International Speedway this year and could lose the last two Indy 500 winners to NASCAR. Yet, in spite of cancelled events, mediocre attendance and driver departures, neither side of open wheel racing's split can set aside their egos long enough to put the health of the sport first. It's not difficult to understand why drivers would opt for the financial security and stability NASCAR has to offer.

Good luck, Dario. I hate to see you go, but who knows? I may even watch a few more minutes of NASCAR next year.

First Lions Prediction

2007-09-08T09:48:00.000-04:00

Oakland Raiders 17 Detroit Lions 14

Oh, how I hope I'm wrong. I also hope that this isn't the Lions first game in the Brian Brohm Bowl Championship Series. Although, come to think of it, Brohm has looked pretty good. Seriously, the difference between the Raiders and Middle Tennessee State isn't all that....ok, forget that.

As for the game itself, I tend to believe the Lions can pass the ball effectively, but can't run the rock. On the opposite side, Oakland's D is their strength. That match-up is a wash.

The game then comes down to the Lions defense versus the Raiders O. I believe the Lions can stuff the run (to an extent) and the Black and Silver can run the ball (to an extent). That sounds like another push to me. That only leaves the Lions secondary against the Raiders passing game. I've got little hope for the Detroiters pass defense. Of course, I'm not sure any of the Raiders passers can live up to that moniker.

That means the game is close, probably comes down to special teams, mistakes or intangibles. The latter is the reason for my three point spread favoring Oakland.

The Raiders starting quarterback will either be ex-Lions signal caller Josh McCown or the free agent QB some in town wanted the Lions to sign as insurance for Jon Kitna, Dante Culepepper. Wouldn't it be just typical if the Honolulu Blue and Silver fell to last season's worst team with either a free agent QB they let go, or a free agent QB they never even considered, leading the way?

Tigers' closer Todd Jones is going to hate me, but I'm taking the Raiders and hoping I'm very wrong.

Belated Detroit Grand Prix Pics

2007-09-07T19:03:00.001-04:00

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves in Turn # 6. Castroneves captured the pole at the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, but crashed during the race. Both of Grand Prix promoter Roger Penske's cars are having tough seasons. I think it's safe to say that both Castroneves and Hornish are having disappointing seasons. (I fully expect Hornish to make the NASCAR jump in 2008. Who that leaves to drive Penske's #6 Indy Car becomes the question.)

An aside, I wish there was some seating along the back stretch. One of the appeals of Indy Car racing is the speed these cars can obtain. When I went to Michigan International Speedway a couple of years ago, the average speed was over 200 mph. While the road course does bring the speeds down, I'd still love to be able to watch the straight away portion.

Belated Detroit Grand Prix Pics

2007-09-07T18:45:00.000-04:00

Here's Indy Car's biggest star, Danica Patrick, in Turn # 6. Remember, I'm a blogger, not a photographer. Also, keep in mind, that while this was a practice session, it's not like these cars stopped to give me a good photo op.

I admit that I've grown to like Danica. I'm nowhere near her biggest fan, however, I've grown to respect her performance. She's not the best driver in the circuit, but she can certainly hold her own in this series. I think she will win more than enough to placate the doubters.

As for Danica-mania? Well, it does bring people to the race and does give Indy Car some extra media attention. Although, I can't help but feel bad for the other drivers. Guys like Sam Hornish and Dan Wheldon have won the season series in Indy Car and the Indianapolis 500, but can't get 1/100th the amount of media attention. It just seems Danica gets a disproportionate amount of attention considering where Indy Car ranks in the American sports fan's priority list.

Basically, I wonder how can Danica be a big deal if Indy Car, isn't? And if Indy Car is a big deal, why can't guys who have won the season series or, more importantly, the sport's biggest race, get some love?

Belated Detroit Grand Prix Pics

2007-09-07T18:37:00.003-04:00

A look at the flags in Grandstand # 2. While I consider myself an open wheel race fan, I came away from the Grand Prix with a great appreciation for the American Le Mans Series. While there were different classes of racing going on all at once, a factor I think hurts the series with non-race fans, I found the varying styles of cars to be a plus.

You had Corvettes and Audis on the track at the same time as Porsches and Acuras. I still couldn't tell you which car is in what class, but I thought the Belle Isle course might be even better suited for the ALMS field than the Indy Cars. (A more knowledgeable racing fan can correct me, if that's way off base.)

Belated Detroit Grand Prix Pics

2007-09-07T18:02:00.001-04:00

Even though these are a week late, I did want to share some of the pictures I took from the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. Keep in mind that I am not a photographer. This one is of pit lane.

Voting For Bonderman

2007-07-01T22:57:00.000-04:00

When the "Who's Your Tiger?" is posed, I give Curtis Granderson serious consideration. I've always been a Sean Casey fan, too. How can you not love Justin Verlander? However, the answer to that thought provoking query for me is Jeremy Bonderman.

As such, when I learned that Bonderman was overlooked for the American League All-Star Team, I was disappointed. Not shocked, as a number of A.L. starters are having big seasons, but still disappointed for the guy.

When I found out that Bonderman could still land in San Francisco, via MLB's wonderfully contrived The Final Vote, I headed straight to the ballot box. Now, I will follow the Tigers lead and encourage you to send Jeremy Bonderman to S.F. Get out and vote for My Tiger.

Draft Day Just Got More Interesting

2007-03-01T21:13:00.000-05:00

Dre' Bly got his wish. He's out of the Honolulu Blue and Silver. Detroit's Pro Bowl cornerback will now apply his craft for the Denver Broncos. In return for shipping the disgruntled Bly to the Rocky Mountains, the Lions received RB Tatum Bell, OL George Foster and a fifth round draft pick. Which, in all honesty, is about two players greater than what I thought Bly would command in the trade market.

Now, I have concerns about Bell. He might be a product of that Denver running scheme which might make me a 1,000 yard rusher. And, if I recall correctly, Bell has a fumbling issue. Not exactly what you want from a guy you hand the rock to. As for Foster, I know only two things. 1) The standard information about his background that all of you have read today. 2) He's got to be better than the offensive linemen the Lions employed a season ago. Then again, had the Lions acquired a 300 lb. block of swiss cheese, I might be tempted to say the same thing. The fifth rounder, that's just a bonus.

While this trade appears to fill two voids on the Lions roster, the truly interesting part of this deal is how it may alter the Lions draft strategy. (Insert joke about using the terms Lions and draft strategy here.) Before the deal, it seemed like Detroit was destined to take OT Joe Thomas. Now, having obtained a tackle via Denver, drafting Thomas seems less likely. Bell's arrival diminishes the chances of the Lions contemplating the selection of Adrian Peterson. Who does that leave?

Well, boys and girls, that's the fun part. The Lions would appear to be more likely to select a quarterback, LSU's JeMarcus Russell, or wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Yes, another wideout. This deal just made the improbable become possible. Only the Lions.

There are rumors about that the Lions may ship out the freshly acquired Bell and Foster to purchase more draft choices. That would seem kind of odd as both players fill pressing voids that the Lions would need to address in the draft anyway. However, we are talking about the Lions here so everything is in play.

The scenario that makes the most sense is keeping both ex-Broncos and drafting the fill other spots. That's where drafting a quarterback, a year after signing both Josh McCown and Jon Kitna to big deals and only a few weeks after claiming they didn't need a quarterback, comes into light. I'm not sure the Lions have the courage to use their top pick in the draft to select a QB only to have him hold the clipboard for a season. When you need lots of immediate help, it's going to be difficult to select a player for the future with your top draft choice. Which brings us to Mr. Johnson.

The Georgia Tech standout not only had a fine college career, but just dazzled scouts at the cattle call that is the NFL Combine. If he wasn't before, Johnson is now at the top of many team's draft boards. His size, speed and overall skills have nearly all the football geeks in an uproar. He's simply the best player in the draft. Only one problem, though. Matt Millen hasn't had much success in taking wide receivers high in the draft. And, oh, has he had experience with that.

This is where Millen's shoddy draft record really comes back to bite him and the organization. If he had chosen anyone other than Charles Rogers, Roy Williams or Mike Williams in any of those drafts, we wouldn't have an ounce of controversy surrounding the possibility of landing Johnson in the draft. But, instead, three first round wideouts later -- one unemployed, another soon to be -- the Lions might be faced with having to take yet another pass catcher with their top pick. You have to love this team. They can't even take the best player in the draft because they've screwed up so many past drafts.

There is even one more plot I haven't discussed. Regardless of whomever the Raiders select with the top choice, the Lions opt against Thomas (we have OT's), Johnson (not going the WR route, again), Russell (can't afford to draft a player to sit) and Peterson (we have our RB's, thank you). They go completely off the top four playmakers and pick someone I'm not discussing. Oh, what fun talk radio will be the Monday after that.

I have no idea if today's trade makes the Lions a better football team in 2007, but I do know that it has opened some doors I thought were closed -- drafting either a QB or WR -- and, thus, makes their draft even a bit more compelling than it already was.

You Should Be Reading

2007-03-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

If you aren't already, you should be reading the Detroit Free Press' Carlos Monarrez' weekly golf column. Not only is his regular golf piece funny, insightful and often thought provoking, it's anything but your standard golf fare. His Quick 9 segment is one of the best list features in all of sports. Even if you don't follow the PGA Tour, I think you'd enjoy the quality of work Monarrez provides each week.

I know as a blogger there is an unwritten rule against praising traditional media guys, especially sports writers. Yet, I have to go against the grain on this one. While reading his column today, I was reminded just what a quality writer Monarrez is and that we should enjoy his work while it's right here in our own backyard.

Redding Move Seems Short Sighted

2007-02-25T15:04:00.000-05:00

I don't like the Detroit Lions using the franchise player tag on Cory Redding. I understand he's starting to look like a better than average player. Yet, I still can't justify the Detroit Lions giving him the franchise tag. To be more specific, I can't see giving him franchise tag player money. He's not an elite D-lineman. Could he be? Someday, I suppose. Could he also be a player who plays well when his contract expires? Yep.

To commit to Redding seems like another short-sighted move on the Lions part. They would argue to the contrary and I've read the thoughts of some who like the move, but the Lions have now tied up elite lineman money on a guy with one good season under his belt. It's the Jeff Backus move, Part II.

Giving Backus top dollar because he was the best of a sorry lot is about to backfire. The Lions with the second overall pick in the draft appear unlikely to draft a quarterback, although we all know they need one, and can't possibly draft WR Calvin Johnson no matter how tremendous he will be because Matt Millen has already wasted three first round picks on wideouts. So, that leaves tackle Joe Thomas as Detroit's most likely choice.

We all agree the Lions need O-lineman. That's not the issue. The problem is that Thomas is a left tackle -- the highest paid position on the offensive line. If they grab Thomas, the Lions will have to pay him top dollar. Then, they will have to move either Backus or Thomas to right tackle. In which case, the Lions will be paying LT money to two guys instead of one. In a salary cap league, on a team in need of help at so many spots, how can they justify paying two left tackles?

Giving Redding top dollar, even if it's only for one season, inhibits the Lions ability to not only spend on other positions, but limits their choices. They might have to opt for the fourth best linebacker on the free agent market instead of the top two because they can't afford the elite level player. Maybe they can't afford a free agent running back at all because they've got too much money tied up in left tackles and defensive linemen.

I realize the Lions are desperate to keep anyone that resembles a NFL quality player. I'm desperate for them to play like a NFL quality team. Yet, it seems unlikely for them to make much progress on that front when they continue to throw good money after bad.

OU Prevails

2007-02-24T22:55:00.000-05:00

Oakland University beat Oral Roberts 85-84 in OT tonight. Forgive my partisan view, but it's a huge win for the Golden Grizzlies. ORU is the dominant power in the conference and Oakland has struggled to hang with them. To pull off a win, even a tight, perhaps controversial, home win is a step in the right direction.

Now, it's onto the Mid-Con tourney where the Golden Grizzlies will be the second seed. (Oh, those last two road losses hurt now.)

We Have A Race

2007-02-02T18:42:00.000-05:00

Since the announcement was made that the Detroit Grand Prix was returning, I've been waiting for a website to pop-up. Earlier this week, I finally found it. Detroit GP.com lives. It's offers your standard options -- race map, ticket information, sponsorship opportunities, etc...

Now, the question becomes do I volunteer to work this event or pay the money and attend? Obviously, I want the race to succeed, but is lending a helping hand the best way to do that? Or is providing the IRL and the City of Detroit with ticket money the better option?

Why I Love The Internet

2007-01-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

Here is today's reason to love the internet. (You may have to hit the "play" button.)

Chicago State?

2007-01-07T12:06:00.000-05:00

(Editor's Note: I realize that most of you care as much about Oakland University basketball as you do soccer and curling. However, as I write about the other two, allow me this moment to type briefly about my school's basketball team.)

Let me see if I have this correct. Oakland is up 17, on their home floor and lose? To mighty Chicago State no less? That, boys and girls, is one stinking bad loss. One so bad that I had to express my disappointment.

Thank you for your patience. I now return you to your regularly scheduled, non-Golden Grizzlies related, three times a month posts.

Harbaugh On The Farm

2006-12-18T21:01:00.000-05:00

I just read that former Michigan star and ex-NFL QB Jim Harbaugh is going to be named Stanford's head coach tomorrow. I think selecting Harbaugh is an excellent move on the part of The Cardinal administration. Harbaugh is a younger coach with a solid background and ties to the program. I'm not a fan, in general, of hiring retreads and handing Harbaugh the keys is definitely a bold decision.

The former Wolverine will have his hands full on The Farm, though. Stanford football has been mediocre historically and below that since Ty Willingham took the Notre Dame job.

One does wonder if Harbaugh has success at Stanford, if his next head coaching gig might be in Ann Arbor?

Part Of My Detroit Lions Makeover Plan

2006-12-13T21:19:00.000-05:00

Just in case someone from the Ford Family stops by, I want them to know that if I was named as Matt Millen's replacement with the Detroit Lions, I do have a plan heading into the 2007 season. For the sake of this discussion, I'll limit my thoughts to player acquistion via the draft. However, don't think for a moment that the coaching staff would automatically be safe. They wouldn't. (More on that later.)

However, as we all know the Lions need better players and more of them. To that end, here's what I would look to do heading into the 2007 NFL Draft.

Attempt to trade Shaun Rogers for a first round draft choice. Yes, Rogers is the Lions best defensive player. The problem is, of course, that's only on the days Mr. Rogers wishes to be a dominant interior lineman. Alas, that's not every Sunday. Rogers has also been around the losing for too long and a change of scenery would appear appropriate. If I can get a first rounder for him, even a low first rounder, he's bye-bye.

Then, I peddle Dre Bly. Again, a decent defensive player, but not as good as many think. Nor am I too impressed with his willingness to point fingers and toss teammates under busses. He's another guy I want gone just to clear the air in the lockeroom. If another NFL team wants to give me a second round pick, Bly would be an ex-Lion, as well. I might be willing to settle for a third rounder, too.

If the Lions land the first pick overall, as it appears they will, I'm looking to move down and trade the rights to Brady Quinn. I want a couple of first rounders, minimum. I'm not expecting a Herschel Walker deal, just one that gives me as many high draft picks as possible.

Let's assume, I'm able to pull all this off. Presuming Millen hasn't already traded away some early Lions picks in 2007, Detroit should have, at minimum, three first round picks in this draft. The Lions should also have two seconds. Or a second and two third round picks. That's the kind of immediate overhaul that needs to take place on this roster.

With those picks, and those that follow, I select only offensive lineman and defensive players. Nothing else. Not to the point of stupidity, of course. If there's a quality WR available in the third round and he grades out higher than any lineman, we take the WR. I just want to focus our attention on building the defense and a new offensive line. This strategy will hold true for the 2008 draft, as well.

If Artose Pinner's three TD, 100 yard afternoon revealed nothing else, it showed that nearly anyone can look good behind solid offensive line. The Lions OL has to improve significantly. Detroit almost needs five entirely new lineman, but one step at a time. Let's see how many we can get in the '07 draft.

You might say, "Brian, why trade away two of your better defensive guys and then draft all kinds of D?". Well, boys and girls, I still believe you win games on defense, even in this offensive-freindly league. Like everyone else, I'm underwhelmed with the Lions D. It's needs even more work than the less-than-impressive offense does. I also want players who haven't been around this debacle for years. The Lions need to bring in some desire and speed on the defensive side of the ball. I'm willing to trade off one or two good pieces for the opportunity to acquire several new faces and revamp the defense and the organziation in the process.

"What if you can't unload Rogers, Bly and trade down?" A good question, Mr. Ford. Then, after a long discussion with the football people I bring in, I defer to their opinion. However, I'm not opposed to going against my overall draft strategy for one pick and selecting young Mr. Quinn with the first overall choice. (Again, my focus is the D and OL, it's not a blind committment.)

At some point, the Lions need to stop this merry-go-round with their signal callers. I don't buy for one moment that Jon Kitna's the end-all, be-all. I don't care what Rod Marinelli or Mike Martz tell me about Kitna. Four turnovers a game from a thirty-something QB whose been mostly a back-up or temporary fill-in throughout his career, isn't going to be a consistent player. The mere fact both the head coach and the o-coordinator sing the praises of Kitna only makes me wonder about their collective sanity.

Yet, once Mr. Quinn is in the fold, it's back to nothing but O-lineman and defensive guys, even if Rogers and Bly stay put. Barring an injury, Quinn sits the bench in '07 and Kitna does what he has always done -- hold down the fort until the kid is ready to play. Then, we try to find young men who will block and tackle with passion. It's the essence of the game and we all know the Lions fail on the most basic aspects of this game routinely.

Mr. Ford, also be aware that I'm probably going to cut a few guys, as well. Josh McCown is one of them. If our back-up QB can't beat out our starter when the first team guy is coming off back-to-back four turnover games amidst a two win season, he's never going to play. With drafting Quinn a possibility and McCown seeing more time at wideout than QB, it's time to go.

This is only a brief glimpse into my plan to re-vitalize the team. I'd probably change any number of things, from the kind of hotdogs sold to the scheme on the ticket design. Mr. Ford, if you are still reading this, I'd probably dismiss some people who have been with the Lions for years. That probably won't sit well with you, but maintaining the status quo is no longer an option. This organization needs to act like a classic, professional football team even when the results on the field don't reflect that.

Tigers Need To Sign Bonderman Now

2006-12-05T20:36:00.000-05:00

Don't the Detroit Tigers need to sign Jeremy Bonderman, pronto? After seeing the Texas Rangers shell out $33 million over three years to Vincente Padilla and amid rumors that Ted Lilly could command ten million a season, I believe the Tigers can't get Bonderman to sign an extension quickly enough.

I can't see allowing Bonderman to go either the arbitration or free agency route. Even with whatever perceived shortcomings he has, Bonderman has four big league seasons under his belt (45 career wins), a 1-0 record in the post-season, a ton of talent and hasn't reached his twenty-fifth birthday. If Padilla, who is 29 and has 66 career wins in eight years, can get $11 million on season on the open market, what is Bonderman worth? $12 million a season? $14 million? More?

Ask yourself these questions: Who would you rather have in 2007, Padilla or Bonderman? How about in 2010? Or 2012? I'd take Bonderman. If my guess is right, so would every single general manager in Major League Baseball. That would make Bonderman very, very popular on the open market. The Tigers shouldn't even contemplate that thought long. They should sign the Bonderman as soon as is possible.

Here's another way of looking at it. If Bonderman were on another team, wouldn't you want him on the Tigers? Wouldn't he be the kind of young, yet big league tested, power arm the Tigers and every other team are in constant search of?

Certainly, a big money, long term deal is a risk. Any number of things can derail a pitcher's career. However, in light of the market on pitchers, signing Bonderman long term is a risk well worth taking.

Head(band) Case?

2006-11-28T19:30:00.000-05:00

Let's see, Ben Wallace's minutes are declining, as is his performance, he and his coach can't agree on headwear and the Bulls, once thought to be one of the up-and-comers in the NBA, are heading straight downward. While Wallace's former employer, the Detroit Pistons, look utterly beatable every night and might not be able to stop me from driving the middle. Yeah, that decision seems to be working out well.

It's hard to view this one as anything but greed over intelligence. Wallace could have stayed here, playing primarily defense and rebounding, boosting his Hall of Fame status and keeping the Pistons closer to the NBA elite. Of course, he would have had to settle for millions of dollars over millions and millions of dollars. Instead, Wallace opted for Chicago's ridiculous cash offer and has been a complete disaster thus far. Combined with his last few seasons in Auburn Hills, where he feuded with Larry Brown and Flip Saunders, Wallace is quickly painting himself as a coach hating headcase whose career is in rapid decline. So much for that "Goin' To Work", team-first attitude Wallace became so closely attached with.

Do I think the entire headband-gate thing is stupid? Yeah, it is. I don't see what Skiles gains from such a policy. In a league where they worry about players showing up every night (and taking firearms on the road), should coaches really concern themselves over headbands? Probably not. However, is it asking Wallace, or anyone else, too much to give up the headband? Does it help him play better? (I thought we were told that it was the shoes?) In giving Wallace fourteen million this year, perhaps his employer has a right to enforce a dress code. It's not like it's breaking a constitutional amendment or anything. Just don't wear the thing. Consider it a professional courtesy.

In watching the Pistons this year, I keep thinking, "If Ben were here that guy would not be getting a lay-up right now". I also think "Maybe the Pistons wouldn't look so average, had Wallace stayed". Then, I see what is going on in Chicago and think that Joe Dumars made the right decision regardless of what happens down the road. Wallace's pouting appears to be more consistent than his play and that's just not worth the headache. Or the money.

Full Disclosure: DIBS Award

2006-11-28T18:52:00.000-05:00

I'm going to come clean about my voting in the annual DIBS Tigers Awards. I know all of you were waiting for this revelation. My Tiger of the Year was Carlos Guillen. Second place went to Justin Verlander, third was Magglio Ordonez. Guillen won the DIBS Award.

My Tiger Pitcher of the Year went to Verlander. Kenny Rogers was second and third place went to Jeremy Bonderman (which I attributed to Bonderman being my current answer to the "Who's Your Tiger?" question) . I debated swapping Rogers and Verlander, as I could have for the Tiger of the Year. Both were terrific and if you feel Rogers was more deserving than Verlander, I wouldn't argue. Obviously, my DIBS-mates thought Rogers was the choice, as he claimed the most votes.

My breakout player? I'm thinking you've followed my train of logic here and guessed correctly that I picked Verlander. Joel Zumaya came in third and Marcus Thames was my third place choice. I never imagined Thames jacking out over 20 HRs. Verlander won the DIBS award.

Now, my Playoff Performers would have been, in order, Rogers, Sean Casey and Craig Monroe. Unfortunately, I failed to read the part of the email that said to vote for the Playoff Performer. Geez, I'm just clueless. Anyway, Rogers won the award, so my vote would not have swayed a thing.

It's Time

2006-11-24T22:07:00.000-05:00

Fire Millen.

It's been a chant. A desperate plea. A rallying cry. It's even become a bit of a cultural phenomenon -- having arisen at sporting events not only in Detroit, but throughout the country.

Now, it's taken the next step. It's the only logical course of action.

I cannot give you a single reason to retain Matt Millen in the Detroit Lions front office. I don't think you can, either. My guess is that even Mr. Millen himself would struggle to find a solid reason for him to remain in his current position. Conversely, the list of reasons for the Lions and Millen to part ways is longer than the one Santa Claus finds himself faced with this time of the year.

You don't need me to rehash history here. You know what the Lions record is since Millen took charge. You all know about Millen's failings in personnel decisions -- both in terms of players and coaches. You are well versed in the off-field issues, ranging from players with substance abuse problems to coaches with DUIs. It's time the Ford Family stopped ignoring the obvious. It's impossible to categorize the Millen regime as anything other than a failure.

The Lions will head into 2007, the 50th anniversary of their last NFL Championship, with yet another high draft pick. Quite possibly, the first pick overall. With history as our guide, I can't expect Matt Millen to make the right decision with that choice. Of course, with history as our guide, I can't expect the Ford Family to make the right decision regarding Mr. Millen, either.

Update: The local media have joined the parade. Terry Foster is saying Millen has to go, but suggests the Lions GM might not be the only one shown the door. Long-time Detroit News scribe Jerry Green thinks the writing is on the wall, too.

If, as Foster suggests, the entire Lions front office is sacked, could anyone blame the Ford's for making such a radical move?

Bring On Round Two

2006-11-21T21:43:00.000-05:00

I understand that when presented with the possibility of an Ohio State versus Michigan rematch in the national championship game, Florida head coach Urban Meyer suggested that if such a game took place the NCAA should immediately institute a playoff format for this year. I hate to rain on Meyer's pity parade, but does he really think a playoff system is going to eliminate rematches? I've got some bad news Coach, a playoff format will only increase the odds of second encounters.

To provide an example, let's Meyer's idea into action. We will assemble the top ten teams in the land for a playoff. For the sake of this discussion, I'll use the Associated Press poll, but use any poll that makes you feel better. You've got OSU, Michigan, USC, Florida, Arkansas, Notre Dame, West Virginia, Louisville, LSU and Wisconsin. Now, we know the Buckeyes and Wolverines have seen each other once. Michigan has also played the Irish and Badgers. Notre Dame is about to face USC and the Trojans beat up Arkansas months ago. The Razorbacks are going to run into Meyer's Gators in two weeks. The Gators and LSU have already met and WVU and Louisville butted heads weeks ago.

Do you see a (very literal) repeating theme here? There are eight potential rematches in this proposed playoff system. It doesn't help if you include a few more teams, either. If you sneak down the polls a bit further, you also open the door for schools like Auburn (who has seen Florida, Arkansas and LSU in person), Oklahoma and Texas (who play in a pretty big game annually themselves). A playoff format doesn't diminish the odds of a Round Two. In fact, it would seem to increase the odds of second chance encounters all over the place -- including, by default, the title game.

In addition to Coach Meyer, I'm surprised so many in the media are against this possible rematch in the championship game. If this were college basketball's greatest rivalry going to a second meeting, would anyone really be complaining? Again, just for the sake of my post, let's say Duke/North Carolina is the hoops version of Ohio State/Michigan. The Blue Devils and Tar Heels collide twice a year in the regular season, right? That's no problem. They often meet in the ACC Tournament. If they were the top two ranked teams in the land and played Volume III in the conference tournament final, would anyone be lamenting it?

Then, just to finish the thought, if Duke and UNC advanced to the National Championship Game, having gone through the regular season ranked 1-2 and having faced each other three times, would anyone mind seeing a fourth encounter? Okay, the folks at NC State, maybe not so much, but wouldn't the mainstream media be cranking the hype machine up full blast for Round Four of Duke and UNC?

The media big boys love the Yankees and Red Sox match-ups, no matter how often they run into one another. Same with the NFL. Teams like the Patriots and Colts can run head long into one another two or three times a year, sometimes for several years in a row, and it's the story of the weekend, but Michigan and Ohio State twice in the same year? Oh, no, can't have that.

In the end, I suspect neither the wide spread complaining or my confusion over their objections will be worthy the energy. USC will probably drop Notre Dame and UCLA and surge past Michigan in the BCS standings giving them the opportunity to play the Buckeyes for the national championship. Hey, wait a minute. Hasn't USC played in the championship game the last three years in a row? Didn't they lose to Texas last year? Do we really want to see them, again? Why should they get four shots at the title?

The Sheff Deal

2006-11-11T20:04:00.000-05:00

It's hard not to like the Detroit Tigers acquisition of Gary Sheffield. While, Sheffield has never been one of my favorites, he's a great hitter. Not a good hitter. A great hitter. When your career average is .298 and you are only forty-five homers short of 500, you qualify as a Hall of Fame caliber slugger. Yes, the Tigers did relinquish three prospects. However, let's consider two things.

First, how often can you get a middle of the lineup hitter with Sheffield's numbers? Teams that have them are usually not willing to give them up. The second thing to remember is that the Tigers made this deal and their starting rotation hasn't been altered. Do you think the Tigers could have landed a Manny Ramirez or even Mark Teixeira without sending Jeremy Bonderman or Nate Robertson the other way? The first thing I thought when I heard Sheffield was a Tiger? "Who's gone? Bonderman or Robertson?" Much to my continuing happiness, the answer was neither.

Now, the Tigers new clean-up hitter does come with baggage. His ego will arrive in Lakeland a full week ahead of his body. We all have reasons to be wary of Sheffield's ongoing unhappiness. However, I often believe these things get blown out of proportion. Let me give you an in-house example.

Last year, Pudge Rodriguez and Dmitri Young tossed Alan Trammell and, in turn, their teammates under the bus. They were clubhouse problems all season long and it probably cost Tram his job. This year, Jim Leyland arrives and keeps Pudge happy. Young runs into problems off-the-field and the Tigers finally see enough and ship him out. The two problem children of 2005 are no longer an issue in '06.

Want another Detroit example? Need I point out our very own, Rasheed Wallace? Arguably the NBA's poster child for bad behavior prior to his Detroit trade, Wallace has become a fan favorite here and his image has improved during his tenure in Auburn Hills. While his technical fouls continue at an astronomical pace, he's hardly the league's most hated player anymore. He isn't loved around the league, but his once famous antics haven't really materialized here.

Now, this isn't to say that Sheffield won't whine. The odds are overwhelming that he will. It's just that some of Sheff's attitude could be minimized in the right situation. Perhaps, reuniting with Leyland and Dave Dombrowski will help that. Perhaps, getting out of the Big Apple will diminish the amount of time Sheffield spends talking to the media, thus decreasing the odds of him saying something publicly the Tigers will cringe at. Maybe, just maybe, Sheffield can pull a Rasheed Wallace and find Detroit to his liking.

Let's also keep in mind the great panacea for all clubhouse problems -- winning. If the Tigers can continue to contend, Pudge, Sheffield and everyone else will find a way to make nice. That or we will downplay Sheffield's tantrums (think of Boston's "Manny being Manny" mantra) as long as the wins keep piling up. If Sheff is hitting .295 with 35 homers and 110 RBI on a Tigers team that is in first place, it's going to be hard to criticize the trade even if the three prospects are doing well.

And what of those three prospects, you might ask? What if one of them is the next John Smoltz? Well, let me start with some advice. STOP WORRYING ABOUT THE NEXT JOHN SMOLTZ. Geez, must we dwell on that one move forever? Do you want to trade in the 1987 A.L. East title? It's not like Doyle Alexander came to town and stunk the place up.

Just remember that everyone was worried about the Juan Gonzalez trade, too. The Tigers gave up too much. Justin Thompson could be great. Oh, Francisco Cordero is a star in the making. Frank Catalanotto can really hit. Thompson's arm blew out, Cordero had a few nice seasons in Texas but didn't tear up the league and Cat can still hit, but he's not a difference maker. (A side note. I wouldn't be overly surprised if Cat returned here this winter. Sheff's arrival might diminish the odds of Cat's second tour of Detroit, but for the right money, his lefty bat could help.)

I remember when Jeff Weaver got shipped out, too. Oh, the cries from Tigertown. While Weaver got his revenge on Dombrowski and company in Game Five, his career hasn't exactly lived up to our expectations. He's on team number five, at least. The Cardinals grabbed him this summer after the Angels decided it was back to the minors for the former Tigers pitcher of the future. I'll take Jeremy Bonderman, thank you. (And this if from a guy who's Tiger was Weaver, back in the day.)

For every one John Smoltz prospect there are countless hundreds of prospects that don't amount to more than a line in the Baseball Encyclopedia. The honest to goodness truth about prospects, from the uber-variety to the bargain bin models, is that they rarely pan out. Most never even make The Show. Sure the really hyped ones, especially those making good coin, do usually appear, but success is far from assured. Any number of factors -- injuries, roster logjams, not learning another pitch or inability to hit off-speed stuff, reaching the ceiling of their potential before reaching the majors -- can deter a player's career permanently.

The Tigers sent the Yankees a pitcher with a spotty minor league record prior to 2006 with a history of injuries. They also sent two Class A pitchers. The distance between Class A and Major League Baseball is quite a bit longer than the drive from Lakeland to Detroit. While the three prospects the Tigers sent to NY all have potential, you do have to give up something to make a trade. Yet, the success of all three young players is far from guaranteed. Their big league careers are hope. Conversely, Sheffield's is fact.

Without harming a World Series roster or giving up your number one prospect (Andrew Miller) the Tigers obtained a player who instantly becomes their most dangerous offensive threat. I may not be a Sheffield fan, but even I can appreciate how fortunate the Tigers are to pull of such a deal -- attitudes, risks and all.

Rose Rises In Phoenix

2006-11-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

Jalen Rose has spurned offers from Detroit and Miami to play in Phoenix. Per usual, I have questions. When did Phoenix get involved in the Rose Sweepstakes? I had only heard the Heat and Pistons mentioned. Why do the Suns need Rose? How long can the Rose hang with the run and gun and run some more Suns? Isn't he going to get worn down by the pace Phoenix plays its best basketball at?

Captain Azinger

2006-11-03T14:19:00.000-05:00

Paul Azinger, one of my favorite all-time golfers, is going to be named captain of the 2008 U.S. Ryder Cup team. It's a great gig. It's also a no-win situation. Kind of like being manager of the New York Yankees or a goalie for the Detroit Red Wings. Win? Well, that's expected. Lose and your an idiot.

Azinger will have one thing in his favor, it's not like any of the other recent captains have fared very well. Lose and he will just be following suit. Oh, he will get hammered, but not as much if it was the first U.S. loss in years. If he wins, however, he will come off looking like a genius.

I should also mention that I think Larry Nelson was wronged by the PGA. Nelson, a Golf Hall of Fame member, three time major champion and the only American ever to go 5-0 in a Ryder Cup, deserved the captaincy (at some point) and it now appears his window for that chance has closed. I'm happy for 'Zinger, but disappointed Nelson may never get the opportunity.

Hockey: One Month In

2006-11-03T12:50:00.000-05:00

I know this surprises the majority of inhabitants of Hockeytown, but the NHL season is underway. I kid you not. The NHL has been playing games for weeks. Who knew, right? Well, I have to admit that I have been paying a bit of attention.

I'm sure my interest in pucks is directly related to the fantasy hockey league I was asked to participate in. Although, we all know this isn't exactly my first fantasy hockey league team. I also suspect my NHL viewing habit is about to be overtaken by a basketball habit. (I'm more gym rat than rink rat.) In light of this expected transition, allow me to make a hockey related post. Who knows when the next one might occur?

It's difficult to have any NHL discussion right now without starting in Buffalo. The Sabres are smokin'. They are 11-0-1. Boston had them down last night, but the Sabres came from three behind in the third and beat the B's. According to all the experts I hear and read, this Buffalo team is perfectly suited for "The New NHL". They are the favorites to win the East and have certainly looked the part since opening night.

Speaking of how the Sabres look, the boys in Buffalo have a new uniform. I'm not sure I like it. I'm not sure I don't. I do like the nod back to the team's original color scheme, but that stylized Buffalo noggin? I've heard plenty of negativity about the new logo -- some have wondered aloud when Buffalo became the squirrels-- but, the new design is leading the league in sales. And wins. I do think it's better than its red-eyed predecessor.

I guess Brendan Shanahan was right about moving on. Shanny is third in the NHL in points with 18, twelve of which are goals. That mark leads the NHL.

I've seen the Detroit Red Wings a few times and I can definitely say these are not the Red Wings most fans have grown accustom to. Some of the usual suspects remain in place, but I think the average Wings fan is going to wonder who many of these guys are.

What on Earth has gotten into the New York Islanders? After the Isles front office follies and 15 year contract to keeper Rick DiPietro this off-season, most hockey fans (on Long Island and elsewhere) wrote off yet another season before it began. Surprisingly, the Islanders have winning record and are 6-2-2 in their last ten games.

Even more of a shock, Alexi Yashin is just piling on the points. Three assists in last night's 5-2 win over New Jersey. If Ted Nolan gets effort out of Yashin, he should be coach of the year regardless of where the Isles finish in the standings.

I think it's safe to say that the Sedin Twins have arrived. Vancouver's twins, Henrik and Daniel, are amongst the league's top 25 in points and are making Taylor Pyatt look like an all-star. This comes one season after making Anson Carter a thirty goal scorer and land him a big free agent contract. Yes, the Sedin boys are good.

Another line making waves is Toronto's top unit. Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker and Kyle Wellwood are off to a terrific start. Sundin and Tucker each have fifteen points and are amongst the league leaders in that category. It might be quality television to turn into Hockey Night in Canada tomorrow as the Leafs host the Sabres.

You cannot listen to any hockey related banter for more than about ten minutes without the speaker referring to "The New NHL". I'm not sure if I've actually heard a definition, but it has to do with eliminating obstruction and less fighting. Or, at least, that's what the talking heads have me believing.

There are plenty o' whistles under the new rules. I've seen a few games where even the thought of tripping lands you in the box. And actually using your stick to impede a player? Just tap the guy and head off, because that ain't allowed.

You remember Pittsburgh's championship years. The teams that featured a cast of stars including Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, Paul Coffey and Jaromir Jagr. Well, here come the Penguins, again. The next wave of superstar talent has arrived in the Steel City. Sidney Crosby leads the charge, but he's getting plenty of help from Marc Andre Fluery, Evgeni Malkin, Ryan Whitney and Jordan Staal. I wonder if the franchise will stay in Pittsburgh or if another North American town is going to enjoy watching this team grow up and win? (Of course, they are winning now. They sit atop the Atlantic.)

That's all the hockey for now. Perhaps, a second hockey post might emerge before the holiday season concludes. Or not.

A Note From The Desk Of Beyond Boxscores

2006-10-28T23:44:00.000-04:00

To: Rod Marinelli, Head Coach
Detroit Lions

Mike Babock, Head Coach
Detroit Red Wings

Flip Saunders, Head Coach
Detroit Pistons

From: Brian, Beyond Boxcores

Gentlemen,

I have some good news and some bad news. First, the good news. Now that the Detroit Tigers incredible season has concluded, the sports fans of Detroit will now focus their attention on your teams. The bad news? Now that the Detroit Tigers incredible season has concluded, the sports fans of Detroit will now focus their attention on your teams.

Good luck.

Brian

Closing The Book On The 2006 Tigers

2006-10-28T00:16:00.000-04:00

Disappointing. That seems to be the best word to describe the feelings of those around Tigertown. It's disappointing to see the Tigers lose the World Series. It's disappointing to see them play so poorly on the sport's biggest stage. It's disappointing to see this incredible, wondrous season of Detroit baseball come to a close.

There is simply no denying what a great season the Detroit Tigers had. 95 wins. A playoff berth. The dismissal of the New York Yankees in the ALDS. The sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the ALCS. The American League Championship and their first World Series appearance since 1984.

For the first time in a forever, it seems, the Tigers had nearly everything go right in 2006. Their veteran leaders -- Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen -- all had good, if not great, years. Their two big free agent signings, Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones, both did exactly what was expected, if not a bit more. The Tigers young players, guys like Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Curtis Granderson and Fernando Rodney, all made strides to reaching their potential. They also got huge contributions from rookies, specifically Justin Verlander and Joel Zuyama. It's the sort of combination we've seen other teams have for years and a recipe that eluded the Tigers since their last World Series.

We can't leave out Jim Leyland and his coaching staff. Many wondered if Leyland was really ready to get back into managing when he took the Tigers job almost one year ago. No one wonders now. Leyland (and his staff) did precisely what one would expect a veteran, winning manager to do -- he helped his players take the next step in their progress both individually and collectively.

The Tigers on-field success -- so sudden, so unimaginable, so dominant at times -- thrilled Detroit's long suffering baseball fandom, awakened emotion from those fans who had turned their backs on the Olde English D and, one hopes, built an entirely new generation of Tiger fans. Is it any wonder why this year will be so hard to let go of?

Certainly each of us will carry memories of this season. Four moments immediately spring to my mind. There will be Craig Monroe's homer at Yankee Stadium. I was on the phone with Ian. As the ball leaves Monroe's bat, both of us go into audible disbelief. It will be the day I got free tickets to watch the Tigers take on Cleveland only to see Pudge hit a walk-off homer before yet another sell-out crowd at Comerica Park. It will be the celebration after beating the Yankees. Over-the-top for a ALDS triumph? Probably, but it just seemed so spontaneous. It was like the players and fans had shared in a winning lottery ticket.

Finally, there is the one we probably will all share together -- Ordonez' shot to win the American League. As that ball soared into the night, it took the years of frustration with it. The jokes about the Tigers had finally ended. The guys and gals that sat in their empty corner of the ballpark game after game, year after year, with no one but their very own hotdog vendor to share the game with were rewarded for their patience. That 119 loss season finally had a counter balance. Ordonez' homer was a unique, emotional moment shared by anyone and everyone that cares about baseball in Detroit.

The baseball surprise party that began with Chris Shelton's redhot April and peaked with Ordonez' winning the American League pennant for the Tigers is unfortunately over. It's disappointing to have to let it go. We may not see another quite so remarkable again.

Before Game Four

2006-10-26T20:06:00.000-04:00

When we saw Jeremy Bonderman display flashes of potential in his rookie year, isn't tonight's contest the kind of game we all envisioned him pitching in someday? We probably all dreamed about a day when the hard throwing Bonderman would take the hill with a World Series in the balance. I doubt any of us thought this day would arrive so suddenly.

In our silly dreams of just a few years ago, Bonderman would have been the Tigers number one starter in a World Series. However, Bonderman's role on this Tigers squad isn't what we would have guessed. A combination of Bonderman's second half struggles, the emergence of Justin Verlander and the arrival (and success) of veteran Kenny Rogers have pushed Bonderman further down the pecking order. Nate Robertson's bulldog approach and lefthanded slants allow him to take his turn on the bump in this post-season before Bonderman does, as well. Bonderman a number four starter? I don't think many of us dreamed that scenario.

Yet, that's where the still young righthander finds himself this evening -- a number four starter. Sure, some of that is match-up driven, but the Tigers had a week off before the World Series and Jim Leyland opted to leave Bonderman the fourth starter. There is a reason for that decision. Much of it comes from Bonderman's post-July fade. 2006 isn't exactly the first time August and September have been unkind to the Tigers hurler. While his overall numbers continue to improve each season -- a great trend -- his inability to find a consistent third pitch and trouble holding big leads in the closing months have raised a few questions about his ceiling. It's even led to what was unimaginable as recently as the beginning of this year -- trade rumors.

In just a few minutes, if the rain allows, Jeremy Bonderman will indeed pitch in the World Series for the Detroit Tigers. I don't want to over-hype or be terribly melodramatic about this thought, but this start could not only alter the direction of the World Series, but may decide Bonderman's future in the Olde English D.

If Bonderman comes out an dominates the Cardinals and ties the Series at 2-2, one could argue that Bonderman can indeed pitch in clutch situations and his previous issues were just part of the maturation process. His supporters will point to better numbers each season and a strong World Series performance as reasons to continue to have faith in him.

A Cardinals win, particularly a decisive one, might lead some to wonder if Bonderman has reached his limit and, with other prospects waiting in the wings, if he's an expendable piece of the puzzle. The critics will point to a series of second half disappointments and an uneven, at best, performance in big game situations as reasons to wonder if Bonderman will be any better than he is today.

Yeah, it's a big game. Both for the Detroit Tigers and for Jeremy Bonderman, as well. Here's hoping for a Bonderman win and a long, successful stay in Detroit.

The Dirt

2006-10-23T22:11:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I think it was pine tar. Do I think it was an accident? Of course, not. Do I think it was an attempt to cheat? Yep. Here's the rub, though, what can be done about it?

The umpires didn't catch Kenny Rogers in the act. Neither did the St. Louis Cardinals. By the time either party investigated, Rogers had removed the substance. In a technical sense, we have evidence, but we can't prove a crime was committed.

I have to believe this is the reason Tony LaRussa didn't complain. What can he complain about? He heard Rogers had something on his hand an inning ago? Why bother arguing a point when you can't prove anything? I feel LaRussa opted for common sense over an emotional response that wouldn't have yielded any better result.

To the St. Louis faithful, let me assure you of two things. First, this situation doesn't make anyone in Detroit feel good. We want our team to win fair and square and the last thing we need is to have even a single World Series victory tainted. It's been a long dry spell for baseball in Detroit and we would rather enjoy our first World Series since 1984 then spend our time defending Rogers or feeling cheated in victory.

Second, if Rogers is on the hill in Game Six (assuming it goes that far), you can rest comfortably in the knowledge that Rogers will be checked like a potential drug smuggler at a border crossing come Saturday night. No pine tar, mud or chocolate cake will be found. The perceived substance abuse stopped after the first inning last night.

Like his run-in with a cameraman a year ago, this is going to follow Rogers around the rest of his life. I just hope that the rest of the series can rise above one inning of perceived pine tar aided pitching.

World Series Bound

2006-10-15T13:06:00.000-04:00

Everybody's crying. Jim Leyland. Andy Van Slyke. Dave Dombrowski. Mike Ilitch. Billfer and his son. Me. Everybody. Why have we all gone off the emotional deep end? Because not a single one of us, no, not even you, thought that we would see the Detroit Tigers advance to the 2006 World Series.

For the Tigers to merely be in the post-season constitutes a surprise. After thirteen straight losing seasons, the worst spell in the 105 year history of the franchise, to suddenly appear in the playoffs is quite unexpected. To see them emerge from the depths of this despair to appear in their first World Series since 1984 -- after having spent more time, money, energy and emotion than any of us would care to consider -- is bound to make even the most hardened Tigers fan (or Tigers executive) shed a tear. Or two.

While none of us could have anticipated their regular season performance, their post-season ride as been nothing less than unbelievable. Leyland's gut decisions paying off: Alexis Gomez' homer and four RBI game. Jason Grilli and Wilfredo Ledezma in relief in the late innings of a pennant clinching game. Moving ALCS MVP Placido Polanco into the three hole after Sean Casey was injured. His handling of the starting rotation.

That's to take nothing away from Kenny Rogers' dominance. Polanco's redhot bat. Curtis Granderson's ability to ignite the offense and, of course, there's Magglio Ordonez' walk-off, pennant winning homer which will now live along side Kirk Gibson's homer in Tiger lore. Amazing, amazing stuff.

If the Tigers can win four more games and make the turnaround complete, I suspect that more than a few of us will be looking for Kleenex, again.

We Don't Care About No Stinkin' Rainout

2006-10-05T21:09:00.000-04:00

By the time I joined the ALDS Game Two broadcast, Detroit Tigers radio broadcasters Dan Dickerson and Jim Price were explaining the many reasons why the playoff contest could not be rained out. Or trying to convince themselves it wouldn't. The players (and broadcasters) were packed -- ready to return to Detroit. They had no hotel reservations. They had no extra clothes for another night's stay in New York. They were scheduled to get on a plane that night. In short, they couldn't call the game because no one was prepared to spend another night in NYC. Of course, the game got called without a single pitch getting thrown.

I didn't hear much of the conspiracy theories on how the Yankees forced MLB to cancel the game this morning, either. As the story goes, NY didn't want to waste Mike Mussina by starting him in the game, only to have him sit through various rain delays. That would cut short is outing and force the Yankees perceived "only" weakness to get exposed -- their bullpen (sans Mariano Rivera). As the paranoid speculation suggests, the Yankees told MLB cancel the game and we'll force these young, inexperienced Tigers to spend an extra night awaiting their fate in the Big Apple while the Yanks get a full game out of their number two starter.

Interesting concept. Perhaps, even plausible, as screwed up as the world is. However, the thought I had was the opposite. Let the Tigers worry about where they are going to stay, what they are going to wear, what they are going to eat, when the plane is going to leave on Friday. I figured let them think about anything, but the big, bad Yankees.

I expect the media to fawn all over the Yankees. What I didn't expect was the absolute deference this team was given by everyone. When Jim Leyland tells the media prior to Game One that he's going to have to do some aggressive managing just to keep the Tigers in the game, I was a bit taken aback. When Leyland called for the hit and run with Pudge "I Swing And Miss A Lot" Rodriguez at the plate and Magglio "I Had To Go To Austria To Get Some Kind Of Experimental Surgery On My Knee" Ordonez heading for thirdbase, I was completely frustrated.

Look, Leyland knows more about baseball than I know about darn near anything, but since when can a 95 win team not compete with the Bronx Bombers? I'm sorry, but did Joe Torre's squad win all 162? Did the Tigers lose all 162? Did they even lose 100? I realize they have a dynamic lineup, but Babe Ruth and Lou Gerhig are long since gone. These Yankees are good, but they ain't all that good.

I felt by his "aggressive" maneuvering, Leyland capitulated. He fed the notion the Yankees could not be beat by normal means -- like pitching and hitting better than they do. Nope, these meek Tigers were going to have to "steal" games, no chance they can just compete.

That's why I embraced the rain out and all the problems that ensued. I figured it might get the Tigers mind off the six hundred pound gorilla in the room. Give these playoff newbies a night to get over the Game One jitters and think about something other than the incredible, unbeatable opposition.

I'm not saying that my notion was proven correct nor am I saying that it even played a tiny part in today's 4-3 victory, but I do find it interesting (and a bit humorous) that the Tigers just played a bit better than the Yankees today. Somehow, in spite of the conspiracy, all the problems the rain out caused and the guys in the pinstripes, the Tigers did exactly what they had done all year long this afternoon. They got a balanced offensive attack, solid pitching and lo and behold, they got themselves a win. And, yes, the Yankees did show up. They just lost. Like the 65 times they did during the regular season.

I think the Tigers proved something to themselves today. They proved they can, indeed, hang with the big boys. Hopefully, this means the Tigers have gotten past their nervous, past their fears and realize they can beat the team in the other dugout. The Tigers might not have the Yankees mystique, tradition, experience or lineup, but they do have one thing the New Yorkers have -- one win.

The Missing Posts

2006-10-03T19:08:00.000-04:00

I'm a moron. I say this quite often, mostly because I prove that statement to be accurate. Here's the most recent exhibit of that. Yesterday, I added two new posts here. In the first, I suggested that Michigan State's loss to Illinois all but seals John "Lansing" Smith's fate. He's toast. Yes, he can beat Michigan Saturday and keep those who want him fired at bay, but it's only going to delay the inevitable.

The Illini loss on the heels of the collapse against Notre Dame would have been enough. To add gasoline to the fire by admitting he didn't have the kids ready to play gives the Fire Smith crowd more than just emotion to stake their claim on. Smith's tenure ends when the season does assuming a monumental rebound isn't in the offing.

In post number two, I went all Drew Sharp on the Detroit Tigers. I was plenty annoyed with our baseball club yesterday and said as much. I cranked out a handful of paragraphs detailing the Tigers disgusting weekend play and hit the old "publish" button. Only one thing wrong. I posted both at my college baseball blog. See, it's the latest example of why I'm a moron.

Anyway, today is a new today, and I'm ready for the Tigers vs. Yankees. Yes, I'm plenty sick of the NY hype already. Normally, it doesn't bother me much. It's the media capital of the world. Everything that happens there is inflated from housing costs to lunch to the coverage of their sports teams--good or bad. So, tons o' media? No problem.

Except, right now, I'm thinking the spanking the Tigers took against KC has me a little more sensitive. Look, the Tigers may have indeed choked away the American League Central crown the last five days of the regular season, but this ain't the regular season anymore. However, it should be noted that the Tigers did finish with a rather large number of wins during that regular season. Better than all but three teams in the A.L. They deserve to be in the post-season, with or without that depressing KC series.

I want so much for the Tigers to prove that to a nation ready for Subway Series II (or XXVIXLMK, if we include the Willie, Mickey and Duke era) that the guys from Detroit can play a bit of baseball, as well. A trip to the ALCS would really help take away the sting suffered by Tigertown last week.

Go get 'em, Tigers. (Hopefully, I'm posting at the right place this time.)

A Thank You Note

2006-09-27T21:05:00.000-04:00

To Rich Aurilia and Adrian Beltre,

I want to take this time to thank the both of you for your dismissal of the Detroit Tigers when you were free agents. I know the Tigers offered you good money to play at Comerica Park, but you opted for greener fields elsewhere. Sure, many around town were disappointed that you turned up your nose at our baseball team, but clearly things have worked out fine.

Instead of burdening either of you with wearing the Olde English D, the Tigers were forced to acquire Carlos Guillen and ended up finding Brandon Inge a home at thirdbase. Neither move takes place if either of you signed here.

As we in Detroit enjoy this time leading up to our first baseball post-season in nineteen years, many kudos are being tossed about. I want to assure the both of you that your contribution to the 2006 Detroit Tigers has not gone unnoticed. Without your decision to play anywhere but Detroit, it's doubtful the Tigers would be in the playoffs.

Gentlemen, on behalf of a grateful baseball fandom, I thank you.

Brian

P.S.- If you run into Juan Gonzalez, thank him for us, too.

Initial Thoughts On The Lions Opener

2006-09-10T16:38:00.000-04:00

It wasn't as bad as I expected. That's probably the most accurate way to describe my feelings after the Detroit Lions 9-6 defeat to Seattle.

Did I hope for more? Well, more offense, yes. No, not vintage Greatest Show on Turf offense, but a touchdown, perhaps. Did I hope for more defense? I don't know about you, but I was pleasantly surprised by the Honolulu Blue D today. They kept Shaun Alexander in check and kept the defending NFC champs out of the end zone. Could I really expect more? No way.

Did I expect a win? No, of course not. But, I think we all have to admit the Lions let one get away here. I don't care who the opponent was, the Lions D gave them a chance to win this game and they missed a great opportunity. At home, to boot.

Here are some other random thoughts on today's Lions game remembering I did not watch every second. (I cut my grass at halftime and went to Wendy's to get my wife a Frosty and I had the Big Bacon Classic--no pickle, no onion--around the middle of the first quarter.)

* I liked that Kevin Jones got into the passing game as much as he did

* Why did Ernie "I've Taken More Blows To The Head Than The Three Stooges" Sims hit Matt Hasselbeck in the noggin with his own cranium? Not only was it stupid for him to hit a sliding QB (and draw a flag), but when you've taken that many shots to the brain yourself, you are endangering your career with such a move.

* I'm not a football genius by any stretch, but didn't Dre Bly helped set up the winning Seattle field goal by playing so far off the Seahawks wideout that the kid had about ten yards of open space to run his route in? For a supposed "shut down corner", Bly gave the Seahawks rookie wide receiver way too much respect. I can't even recall the young man's name, but Bly gives him a cushion that large when field position is so vital at that stage? It makes no sense.

That or the Lions defensive coaches went to a zone and basically handed Seattle about seven-to-ten yards as a gift. Which, as Seattle was looking to get into field goal range, seems equally perplexing. Why is this Pro Bowl corner so far removed from a first year wide receiver with the game on the line?

* I'm still not sold on Jon Kitna as a starting NFL QB.

* You have to love the Lions defensive line play today. If Shaun Rogers played close to that each week he would be a Hall of Fame player. Cory Redding played far better than I expected, as well.

* Black Jerseys? I'd prefer they go away.

* If I'm a Seahawks fan, I really miss Steve Hutchinson. If I'm Shaun Alexander, I miss him more than the fans do.

* Is it just me or did NFL defenses seem to be far ahead of the league's offenses this week?

Bye-Bye, DY

2006-09-06T21:24:00.000-04:00

Dmitri Young got the boot, huh? I'm sure there won't be any wild speculation about the timing of that move.

Soggy Bloggers, Fading Tigers

2006-09-06T19:49:00.000-04:00

I realize there are any number of things you really don't want to see here. Slides of the family vacation would be one. The pictures of my last endoscopy are probabaly another. Tonight's WNBA Finals contest might make your list as well. A post about the Blogger Night at Comerica Park is most likely high on your list of "Please Don't", too. Lucky for you, I'm going to spare you of three of the four.

To prove that we all have a life, and to squash rumors of us living in our parent's basement, a handful of Detroit's sports bloggers got together at last night's Tigers-Mariners game. As is usually the case when the blogging gang assembles, it's was an entertaining evening. I can also say with complete sincerity that the folks I sat in the same row with last night are a talented lot.

Not only do each of them have multiple blogs, but honest-to-goodness jobs (or double majors in progress at Michigan, in Sam's case). Yes, shocking as it may be, it seems most bloggers are actually reasonably normal people with social skills. Yet, they each find time to crank out post after post after post. Their effort is laudable and darn difficult to keep up with, frankly. At least as the oldest, I can use age as an excuse. Really, I should be in bed at this hour.

Having mentioned all of these exceptional blogging efforts, let me shamelessly point out two new efforts. Rob, of Bleacher Guy fame, has begun posting Green and White observations at his latest creation, Spartanblog.net. Obviously, I encourage you to visit his newly claimed piece of cyber-space even though he doesn't even link my Big Ten baseball blog at his site.

Motor City Sports Magazine helps the Metro Detroit area by keeping Greg and Ian off the streets. The mag has re-launched its website this week and, again, I would advise you to stop in and see what is going on.

I suspect Billfer might have added another to his cadre of blogs by now, but having to follow a baseball team that is in first place has cost him some free time this summer.

(Let's see, did anyone else slide me any cash in return for a mention? No? Then, the plugs are done.)

Another thing about the Detroit sports blogging contingent, they are a hearty lot. Umbrella? We don't need no stinkin' umbrella. Well, fine, an umbrella might have come in handy during an hour and a half rain delay. After allowing more than a tad of rain to fall on our collective noggins, we did finally seek shelter. Like there is actual shelter from the elements at Comerica Park.

Alas, while the soggy bloggers did manage to show up for a full nine innings, our ballclub went nighty-night a few innings earlier. As you probably know, after posting an uplifiting three run first inning, the Tiger bats fell silent and the M's caught and eventually passed the Tigers last night. Outside of Andrew Miller's first home appearance (nice call, Ian), it wasn't a terribly memorable game.

Now, combine last night's defeat with today's rain filled loss (three hour delay!?!?!) and allowing Anaheim/Los Angeles/California to take two of three and the Tigers have lost four of six to teams they were beating in July. Now, comes a four game set in Minnesota against a Twins team that may only be three games back before tomorrow morning. Yikes. This race is getting way too tight for my comfort.

Yeah, yeah, I know the stats still favor the Tigers making the post-season. I also know the Chicago isn't exactly tearing up the American League, either. However, would it be too much to ask to win the division by more than three or four games? Would a five game lead really be so bad?

A Note To Fellow Blogger Users

2006-08-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

Even if prompted, don't change to the new Beta Blogger. Let's just say they haven't quite worked out all the bugs yet. Trust me on this one. Take a pass on Beta Blogger, at least for now.

Grand Prix '07?

2006-08-22T21:19:00.000-04:00

Freep auto racing writer Mark Brundell reports that the IRL and Roger Penske may be aiming for Labor Day weekend 2007 for a return of the Detroit Grand Prix.

No Tigers Panic Here. Yet.

2006-08-13T23:40:00.000-04:00

It's here somewhere.

Not in the desk. Not under the bed. Not in the kitchen.

Did I put it in the basement? No, it has to be up here somewhere.

Where did I put the stinkin' thing?

Oh, hello. Sorry, about that, but I didn't see you there. I've been spending that last several hours looking for my Detroit Tigers panic button. Now, Big Al, don't get upset, pal. I'm not pushing it yet.

No, even with the Chicago White Sox dispatching our hometown nine seemingly with great ease, Chicago's American League entry is still looking up at the Tigers. A sweep and the southsiders are still five and half games back of the Tigers. Now, I'm not happy about the Tigers performance and the World Champions looked like World Champions this weekend, which doesn't give me the warm fuzzies, either. Yet, digging out the panic button and actually using the thing are two entirely different propositions.

Sure, it's easy to push the ol' panic button right about now. Pitching--which as been the Tigers biggest asset in 2006--is starting to look a bit shaky. Justin Verlander's Windy City outing, coming off an injury rest, could lead one to worry. As could Kenny Rogers pre-programmed second half swoon. Jeremy Bonderman hasn't exactly been a great second half hurler, either. Todd Jones still scares us all to the point of smoking more than Jim Leyland. Then there's that terrible reliance on the homerun.

Combine all that with Chicago's experience, their record against the Tigers and their just completed sweep of Detroit and you've got, well, you've got what every single one of us would have wished for on Opening Day--an honest to goodness pennant race with the Tigers right smack in the heart of it.

Yes, there is reason for concern. The pitching, especially the starters, need to rebound if the Tigers playoff hopes are going to become something more than hopes. Yet, let's not get too carried away. Slumps in a season of 162 games are inevitable. The Tigers are in one. This is their longest of the season and where are they? In first place with the best record in baseball. That's right, boys and girls, in the midst of their worst skid of '06 and the Tigers are still atop all of MLB.

This race for the American League Central crown could get tighter. In fact, I suspect it will get much, much tighter. I'm confident that the White Sox are going to make us all even more uncomfortable between now and the end of the regular season. However, if at all possible, try to embrace the tension of actually having playoff dreams. Remember, if this were April 1st and I told you the Tigers were only five and half game behind the White Sox for first place and were in the thick of wild card chase come August, you would have been thrilled.

Don't push the panic button, yet, Tigertown. Things, in the big picture, are going well above our expectations. However, if you have some nervous energy to burn off, you can help me look for my panic button. Just in case.

If I Had A Ringtone....

2006-08-08T20:22:00.000-04:00

For us older guys, and baseball geeks, this has to be the ringtone to have.

Tigers Do It, Again

2006-08-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

At this pace, even the thesaurus is going to run out of new words to describe the 2006 Detroit Tigers. Remarkable. Incredible. Unbelievable. Fantastic. Amazing. Astounding. The list goes on, but let's be honest, we've just about used them all up.

I went to last night's affair and I'm still kind of in shock. By now, you all know the story. Kenny Rogers spots Cleveland three early runs, settles down, gets two innings of relief help from Joel Zumaya and the Tigers get within a run heading into the bottom of the ninth. The Tigers then win the game with a two out, two run jack from Pudge Rodriguez. Pudge, his teammates and roughly 43,000 of Rodriguez' new best friends go bananas.

After the initial euphoria over Pudge's dinger faded, I sat back in my seat, basically, awestruck. I pondered at what point does this season make the transition from being very good to special? You could make the case that the last two games are a big step in that direction.

It's the next day and I'm still speechless. If you were not on the bandwagon prior to the Cleveland series, and by the amount of ticket sales and general buzz about this team most of you are clearly aboard, you have to be now, don't you? How much more do you need?

Thanks to Debbie and Paul for my free tickets to last night's game. Due to the Lions free practice, a concert downtown and commitments far north of Detroit during the day, I missed the first few innings--if you call watching Rogers scare the you-know-what out of Tigertown missing something. It also meant I got to park somewhere closer to Windsor than Comerica Park. However, Pudge and the boys made it an enjoyable night.

My Baseball Deja Vu

2006-08-04T20:54:00.000-04:00

I was just outside the backdoor to the office, tossing an empty box into a dumpster, when it hit me. It was the smell of the freshly cut lawn combined with a subtle summer breeze against the backdrop of a picture perfect August morning--warm and clear with the exception of the occasional fluffy white cloud dotting the blue sky. For just a moment or two, all of these sensations transported me back in time.

In that oh-so-sweet fleeting pause from reality, I was a kid again. In that instant, it was a Saturday morning in the mid to late 1970's. It was summer and we were out of school. My father had just cut the grass and my brother and I passed him, either on our bikes or as we hopped over the backyard fence, as we headed off to the schoolyard to play baseball.

We would play baseball from morning until darkness fell. Usually three games a day. The one before lunch. The one between lunch and dinner and the nightcap of our daily triple header, the game between dinner and sunset. It was just about the game. No organized league. No umpires. No coaches. No parents. It was just the kids around the neighborhood getting together to play baseball. And we played all summer long for several years in a row.

In that brief moment this morning, I could feel every moment of those baseball filled summers of the past. It was more than just our daily triple-header, too. It was whiffle ball and strike-out. It was playing pick-off with our cousins. It was the memory of our first game at Tiger Stadium, our first trip to the Hall of Fame, NBC's Game of the Week, Mel Allen and This Week In Baseball and Ernie and Paul doing the Tigers radio broadcast on WJR.

It was a time when summer equaled baseball. It was the game. Oh, we played football and basketball, too. Street hockey came on board, as well. Yet, we all preferred our national pastime. In part, I'm sure, because summer meant no school. However, in those years before high school, baseball was a 365 day priority.

We attempted to play in the snow, ice and cold of spring, especially if a new glove or bat had arrived courtesy of Santa, but those efforts just didn't last long. We most certainly played when Autumn arrived, but as we were back in school and to complete dinner and homework, those midweek games were much harder to sneak in before nightfall. That's probably why those summer memories are so special and so strong. Nearly perpetual baseball for days on end left an impression.

When the breeze died down, and I found myself back in 2006 as an adult with all the responsibility that comes with, I was left with the usual bittersweet moment. One where I wish I could return to that time and place--where the only thing that mattered was playing the game--for a longer stay. Alas, I knew my visits there are limited to these passing moments where my senses return me to that time.

Yet, I was warmed by the notion that I have these kinds of memories to look back upon. The games played in sweltering Michigan humidity. That morning we played through the fog and drizzle. The games won in the dusk when few could even see the ball. I am blessed to have such fond memories and blessed to have parents that didn't discourage my passion.

I wonder if children today will have those kind of memories? Will their memories be of PS2 or GameCube MLB simulations? Will they remember the day they beat some kid in Tokyo online in the bottom of the ninth while with Big Papi at the plate? Thirty years from now will a summer breeze remind them of their days of baseball video games with friends? Or will their baseball memories be of organized leagues, overbearing coaches and the pressure to perform in front of their parents?

I feel sorry for the youth of today, as I believe they are missing out. They get to play, but do they get the joy of playing? Do they get the camaraderie? Maybe I'm the one missing out. Maybe it's better to bat for Magglio Ordonez in EA Sports latest game than it is to pretend to be your childhood hero and hit an actual baseball to win a game with your friends. Maybe it's better to be in an structured environment instead of unsupervised play. Maybe the tradition of playing in open fields, crowded streets and schoolyards is more romantic hogwash than fact. Perhaps, but I doubt that today's kids love this game or any game, more than we loved baseball.

Thankfully, I get these rekindled memories from time-to-time. They can come on summer mornings like today. The right temperature with just the right breeze and precisely the right moment and I'm overrun with emotions of days thirty years in my rearview mirror--the carefree summers spent playing baseball.

This feeling can come while I'm watching a game, as well. If the conditions are just right, I can watch a game and get the same feelings as I did when I watched a game when I was thirteen. It's hard to translate exactly how that feels, and it rarely lasts more than a minute or two, but it's magical.

Noted baseball philosopher, Yogi Berra, may have best described my feelings when he said "it's deja vu, all over again". Each short trip back down memory lane is special, but so was living it out in the first place. I'm grateful for both.

The Firestone 400 And Other Racing Thoughts

2006-08-02T19:31:00.000-04:00

As the only person I know that actually watches the Indy Racing League, I figure I have some responsibility to share my views from time-to-time. There is no better time than now, as this past weekend Michigan International Speedway hosted its annual venture with open wheel racing, the Firestone 400.

I wouldn't call the Firestone 400 a complete disaster. It wasn't. From all accounts the race was very good. It featured cars traveling near 200mph going three and four wide at times. There was a little paint being exchanged--something even the good ol' boys can appreciate. Unfortunately, no one outside of MIS saw the race.

It was scheduled for ABC, but a late afternoon thunderstorm soaked MIS and forced the start of the race back to a time when the race should have been concluded. This meant the time window ABC set aside for the IRL event was over before the race even began. Not only did ABC not show the race, but neither did it's partners at ESPN. Or ESPN2. Or ESPN Classic. Nope, the Firestone 400 got a tape delay broadcast at midnight and another the next day at 2pm on ESPN2. Basically, that meant a majority of IRL's small fanbase didn't see one bit of racing.

I wouldn't call this the IRL's Heidi game, but the comparison did cross my mind. Of course, no one saw an ounce of racing, so that's a major difference. People care about football, too. That's kind of a big difference, as well. But folks at the network and the league have heard the uproar. A number of IRL fans are irate and have contacted ABC, their local affiliate and the IRL. This has been met with a collective shrug and the standard "We did all we could".

No, all you could do was put the stinking race on ESPN Classic. One thing I can almost guarantee--they were running a repeat of something. (Which begs the question "Can you really preempt something that's already been broadcast?") In all likelihood, it was a World Series of Poker event or college football. I'm 100% certain that both would get better ratings than a live IRL race, but don't you have some kind of commitment to show the race? Apparently, no.

Anyway, beyond Helio Castroneves' win and regaining the IRL points led by claiming his fourth win of the year, there was other news out of MIS in regards to open wheel racing. Alas, not all of it good. Jim Hawkins of The Oakland Press reported that at the practice/qualifying session on Saturday some counted the number of people in the stands. It was almost 100. Which, not coincidentally, was close to the temperature. (I encouarge you to read Hawkins column. He has solid views on the IRL and his piece also reveals, in part, why I like Castroneves--the two-time Indy 500 champ likes his sport and tries to promote it.)

I guess had I known that the IRL's Saturday show was going to be so poorly attended, I would have just headed out there. (I originally had a commitment elsewhere, but the heat canned my plan and my schedule was unexpectedly open. I'm kicking myself for not heading to the Irish Hills.) Of course, that would only bring the crowd up to 99, which is still an awful total. While the race itself, prior to the thunder and lightning, is still reasonably well attended, the future of the IRL at MIS, and the sport in general, gets called into question with such astronomically tiny numbers.

The IRL/Champ Car split is still ridiculous. How either side maintains its position is beyond common sense. Of course, it always was, so neither part may care. Even with the rumored re-unification, this sport needs some help and soon. Like yesterday. A circuit with the combined events, combined fields and combined fanbase would be a good start. A start that cannot happen quickly enough.

As for open wheel racing's future in Michigan, Roger Penske is kicking around the idea of bringing back the Detroit Grand Prix on Belle Isle. Mr. Penske appears to have a plan. One that includes the IRL and building an solid race track, with other necessary amenities and infrastructure. He's also thinking about getting on the 2007 racing schedule.

I'm going to defer to Mr. Penske here. The Super Bowl he just produced in Detroit was a success. If Penske can make Detroit's image, in mid-winter no less, better than it was before, I'm going to assume that he can build a solid race on Belle Isle. Of course, that's assuming he is given the same level of cooperation. That last part will be the biggest hurdle, but if Penske thinks it can be done, who am I to doubt him?

I would encourage Mr. Penske to jump into the IRL/Champ Car reunification process, as well. Combine a new Detroit Grand Prix, Danica Patrick's popularity and a reunified open wheel racing circuit and you've got something to market and build upon. If Penske plans on two Detroit area races in 2007, and hopes either or both can sustain long-term success, it would help if they had fields comprised of all of the sports biggest names.

Organizing a Super Bowl and lifting Detroit's image was a challenge, but unifying open wheel racing, re-igniting the Detroit Grand Prix and getting two open wheel races in Michigan in '07 might be a bigger mountain to climb. Here's hoping he finds a way.

Casey Arrives

2006-07-31T21:34:00.000-04:00

I'm fine with the Detroit Tigers acquisition of Sean Casey. (I know Dave Dombrowski will sleep well knowing his trade deadline deal meets with my approval.) I think Casey, a guy who often hits close to .300, still has some hits left in him. He's the left handed stick some have been longing for. Casey's arrival didn't force the Tigers to sell off their farm system, either. Nor are they tied to him beyond this season. Besides, I've always liked Casey and it sounds like he's excited about getting into a pennant chase. What's not to embrace about this deal?

Well, there's the opposite side of the coin. I'm not as happy about seeing Chris Shelton get demoted. The book on Shelton was always "he can't run, can't field, can't throw, but he can hit". After years of pounding the baseball in the minors, to see Shelton's bat fail him after probably his greatest April ever is disappointing. It's must be difficult for Shelton to head back to AAA when his teammates are all in the middle of the best Tigers regular season in over twenty years.

In spite of feeling bad for Shelton, this trade does make me believe the Tigers are thinking about only one thing--winning. They decided to let Shelton work out of his funk at Toledo, figuring Casey's bat will return to it's usual pace, instead of letting Red Pop struggle with a team looking for a division title. You either perform or go. For now, Casey gets a chance to produce and Shelton has to earn his way back to Comerica Park. Hopefully, he makes it back for good next time.

The Starting QB (For Now)

2006-07-29T20:21:00.000-04:00

Naming a starting quarterback in July is a bit like being engaged--you've agreed to make a commitment at a later date. That's why we call it a proposal. It's an offer to make a commitment down the road, nothing more. Usually, there is a great deal of time between the proposal and the big day. That means there is a whole bunch of time for something to go horribly wrong. Or go just wrong enough that the commitment doesn't seem like such a good idea after all.

When Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli tabbed Jon Kitna as his starter this week, it meant that if everything goes the way it's going now, Kitna will be behind center on the Lions first drive on 2006. However, there is a full slate of pre-season tilts on the board. There is also the entire training camp ahead. I know Greg Eno wants Marinelli to stand firm and fend off the potential quarterback controversy, but Marinelli really hasn't committed to anything other than saying he really, really likes Kitna and hopes to stick with him forever. Unless, of course, he finds Kitna's performance incompatible with his long-term future.

The announcement was also done as a way to help placate Kitna's emotions. He's already gone on record saying he really doesn't like being in a battle for the top spot. Ok, Jon. If you prefer some sign of commitment, Coach Marinelli has offered up the ring, I mean, starter's job. If you don't let him down between now and September, you get the gig.

If, however, you start to play a bit irrationally, if your on-field performance becomes erratic or worse and you start to make Josh McNown look good, the commitment Coach Marinelli made to you in the summer will go bye-bye before autumn.

Greg brings up several legitimate points about sticking with Kitna. However, I just can't see what Kitna has done that guarantees him of anything more than exactly what Marinelli has really offered--the opportunity to lose the job. Sure, Kitna's done slightly more than McNown historically, so he gets the number one seed in the quarterback tournament. However, if he fails, there is simply no reason to stand by him.

We aren't talking Untias, Marino or Elway here. We're talking about a decent NFL signal caller with a history of getting beat out by the new kid on the block. That's not to say Kitna's pro career couldn't explode at Ford Field and he emerges as a Pro Bowl QB under the supervision of Marinelli and Mike Martz. Maybe he can, let's hope so, but history doesn't lead us to that conclusion.

Marinelli has handed him the ball first during the pre-season, but Kitna's got to keep the job on his own. (Well, I guess McNown could be so awful that Kitna could maintain the spot by default, but let's be optimistic. It's July, after all.) If Kitna had a pedigree of sustained success, I'd spot him a crummy pre-season. Unfortunately, I don't think Kitna's career warrants that kind of blank check. It's quite the contrary.

Kitna's got to be at least as good as his counter-parts between now and the first regular season game. If he's better, no problem. If he's a tad worse, well, it's a problem, but not necessarily a big one. If he's clearly the worst QB in the exhibition schedule, I suspect the courtship will end abruptly. After all, Marnelli only proposed the stater's job to Kitna, he isn't married to the idea.

Out Of Town And Country Stuff

2006-07-24T20:56:00.000-04:00

* The New York Islanders pull their general manager for their back-up goalie? That has to be a first. What has happened to this once proud franchise borders on criminal. Come to think of it, isn't one of their past looney, cheap owners still in the pen?

* You've probably heard the Allen Iverson to Boston trade rumors. Some argue that if Antoine Walker and Paul Pierce worked, why couldn't Iverson and Pierce work? Well, I guess that depends on your version of "working". If a single 49 win season and a runner-up Eastern Conference run in five years is considered working, then, maybe, an AI and Pierce combo would work. If winning a championship is the goal, well.......

* I kind of smirked when reading Bill Simmons, The Sports Guy, discussing his search for a team in the English Premier League--Decision 2006. I went through the same thing a couple of years ago. (It was a topic here as early as July '04.) Simmons implies he will stick with the club of choice for a season and see how it goes. Two full EPL seasons later, I'd still call myself an Everton supporter. I suppose that could change, but when I saw how early Simmons dismissed the Toffees from his search, I was annoyed. That's got to mean you're a fan, doesn't it?

* I still like Nottingham Forest, as well. The lads, however, are two levels below the EPL and, thus, two years removed (at minimum) from rejoining England's top flight football clubs. I think I can safely root for both. Although, I'm sure the diehards of both sides would disagree--vehemently.

* Seems Simmons and I aren't the only one considering EPL teams. Browns owner Randy Lerner is rumored to be interested in Aston Villa. I wonder if Mr. Lerner would be anymore warmly embraced than Malcom Glazer was when he gobbled up Manchester United?

* Yes, I'm having Tour de France withdrawal. No, you still don't care.

* While I'm apparently on a Euro-centric theme, you know that Tiger Woods triumph at the British Open and Floyd Landis' win at Le Tour must have made a number of Euros just thrilled.

* In local news, ok, it's not news, I went to the Ann Arbor Art Fair Friday. Lots of fun. Lots of walking. Spent some money. Hey, artists need money, right? They are starving as I recall.

* I really do need to start getting some of my other sports photos on the wall. Next stop--frame shop.

* I still haven't purchased a NFL preview mag. I may not be able to say that after this coming weekend, but so far, so good. Of course, I'll be looking at an EPL preview publication, too. Their season begins in mid-August. The two will probably set me back $15-$20.

* There is a chance I might have to play host to a couple from Germany who are making their first trip State-side. The reason I get to play host for a day? They want to see their first baseball game and their father, now a U.S. resident, doesn't know or care about our grand old game. That's where I come in. Any advice on what to share? (Other than encouraging Tigertown to be a suburb of Bavaria?)

The Soriano Rumors

2006-07-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if I want the Detroit Tigers to add Alfonso Soriano or not. One thing I am absolutely certain of, however, is that I do not want him on the Chicago White Sox. The rumor du jour is that Washington will gladly take Brandon McCarthy off the Sox hands in return for Soriano. I'm sure the White Sox will have to pony up more than the just the righthander to land the All-Star slugger, but they can probably afford to part with one of their prized arms in order to make another title run.

This rumor does make me wonder why so many are balking at the notion of sending Humberto Sanchez to the Nats as part of a Soriano deal. If the White Sox are willing to part with a top prospect for Soriano, why shouldn't the Tigs? Yes, the John Smoltz trade of 1987 still rubs folks the wrong way, but is anyone missing Justin Thompson? Francisco Cordero had a couple of solid years for Texas, but would he have made a big impact here?

Prospects are prospects until proven otherwise. Tigers fans, perhaps, more than anyone else, should be aware of this. Has anyone seen as many non-prospect prospects as we have?

Now, I'm not about to send Washington the entire Detroit farm system for Soriano, who most likely will end up a rental, but as the old saying goes "you have to give up something to get something". The Tigers do have a number of young quality arms in the system--Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, Joel Zumaya, Nate Robertson and, hopefully, Andrew Miller--so it's not like Sanchez is the be-all, end-all. Besides, whose to say that the Tigers couldn't make a play for Soriano beyond '06?

If the Tigers were to make some post-season noise, Soriano got to see this town at it's baseball crazy best, the Tigers clear some more salaries off the books (as more contracts expire) and Mr. Ilitch actually makes some money this year, whose to say the Tigers couldn't sway Soriano to stay in the Olde English D?

Even if Soriano jumped shipped on Detroit, wouldn't the Tigers be in line for some compensatory draft picks for losing a top tier free agent? Two more picks in the top 40 or so prospects is also a way to ensure another wave of strong arms fills the Tigers' system

Having said all this, do I want Soriano in Detroit? Maybe. For the right price. One thing I do know, is that no one in Tigertown can feel very good about the notion of Alfonso Soriano joining the already impressive lineup in Chicago.

Landis Is Back?!?!?!

2006-07-20T19:20:00.000-04:00

A day after everyone in the cycling community wrote off Floyd Landis, he's back. Landis entered yesterday's daunting climb through the Alps as the favorite to win the Tour de France. He was already wearing the yellow jersey and had just finished strongly at L'Alpe d'Huez, the event's most storied mountain climb. Then came the Wednesday's stage.

By nearly all accounts, Landis hit the proverbial wall yesterday. That or the wall hit him. Either way, the result wasn't pretty. Landis found himself not only out of the yellow jersey, but a shocking eight minutes behind the race leader. That's a significant chunk of time late in the race. If Landis was out of gas after Wednesday's trek upward, it didn't seem likely he could gain back much time in today's final jaunt through the mountains.

So what did the Team Phonak rider do? Landis came back to win today's stage. The American cyclist is now in third place only thirty seconds behind the race leader. If Landis can stay on his bike tomorrow and can duplicate his earlier time trial performance Saturday, a discipline neither of his competitors is quite as good at, Landis could actually win this race.

Now, for my one reader who is still here after three paragraphs of Tour de France talk, let me add why this is noteworthy beyond the race's own prestige. Landis is scheduled for hip replacement. Not just ordinary hip surgery, as if that wouldn't be bad enough. No, Landis is looking at a new hip after the race. We talk about an athlete's courage, but Landis' performance today may have re-defined gut check.

I know what you are thinking. Brian, buddy, it's bicycling. Yeah, well, I get winded thinking about pedaling up the 7-11 to grab a Slurpee and this guy is win racing through the Alps? I doubt too many of us could even manage to climb up the Alps on a bike and a guy whose about to get a new hip wins a race through the mountains? Come on. That's plain embarrassing. Fine, it's embarrassing, for me. You, I'm sure, could navigate such terrain easily.

None of you are going to watch the Tour. And fewer even care. I realize that. It's not everyone's cup of tea. But, Floyd Landis exhibited all the things we admire about athletes and sports today--courage, determination and effort. He also won, something else we all prefer. His ride today deserves some attention. Mine, anyway.

Feeling Better?

2006-07-19T22:21:00.000-04:00

Well, that sure feels better, doesn't it? Finally, the Tigers get a rather decisive win against the Chicago White Sox. Tonight's 5-2 victory should temporarily ease some of our collective paranoia about the defending World Champions. The Tigers can, indeed, prevail over Chicago's South Side ballclub.

I, for one, feel a bit better about the Tigers at this moment. Why? In large part, because Jeremy Bonderman, perhaps my answer to "Who's Your Tiger?", did what top flight starters are supposed to do--stop losing streaks and beat upper echelon teams. He had exactly the kind of performance--two runs in seven innings on four hits with six K's vs. the World Champs--that we've all hoped Bonderman would produce someday.

I'm also feeling better because, honestly, I just don't much care for the White Sox. I just don't. Oh, they were ok when Harold Baines was in rightfield and Chet Lemon manned center. Was that Claudell Washington in left or Ralph Garr? Can't remember. Anyway, I think I became turned off when as a Tigers season ticket holder (96-98), it seemed I saw the White Sox every week. Like eating the same thing everyday, I got real tired of Chicago's A.L. entry, real fast.

So, this current run of ChiSox dominance over the Tigers hasn't made me very happy. Conversely, beating the Sox makes me very pleased. Another reason for optimism this evening.

Finally, I'm hoping the Tigers are starting to believe they can hang around with the baseball big boys. Wins like tonight's can only help their confidence. I don't care how many times the Tigs thump Tampa or Kansas City, they will eventually need to beat baseball's elite. May as well start today.

Now, one game does not a season make, but we can all feel a bit better about tonight's triumph. Well, at least, I do.

Tiger Fever...Catch It

2006-07-17T19:02:00.000-04:00

Tiger Fever, once thought to be completely eliminated, has reappeared in Detroit. The last reported case was documented in the late 1980's. Although some claim their may have been a few infected as late as the early 1990's, but there is no solid evidence of that. However, I am here to report that the rumors are indeed true. Tiger Fever is back in Detroit and is spreading at an alarming, if not unprecedented, rate.

Ok, so it's not exactly breaking news that Detroit has rediscovered the Tigers, but I got a first hand glimpse of the revival Saturday. I was at the ~~old yard~~ new yard Saturday night. Sure, the 40,000 in attendance were a big stinkin' clue that the Tigers might not just be the summer punchline around the Motor City anymore. However, it wasn't just the sellout that was evidence of the latest Tigers craze. The thing that caught my attention was the amount of Tigers apparel both being worn and purchased during the 6-0 pasting of the poor Kansas City Royals.

I was caught off-guard by the amount of Tigers merchandise being adorned by the local and suddenly faithful. It wasn't just your traditional Olde English D stuff, either. Although, there was plenty of that, too. I saw jerseys and t-shirts with the names and numbers of Rodriguez, Ordonez, Granderson, Verlander, Zumaya, Shelton, Robertson and Inge, to name a few. Tigertown has not only warmed up to their baseball team's success, but have apparently embraced their marketing campaign, as well. A large number of fans made it quite obvious just "Who's Your Tiger?".

For a team that's success has been all of three and a half months, I was completely surprised to see so many plunk down so much money on an still relatively unknown product. Honestly, how many of these friends of ours really knew who Curtis Granderson or Joel Zumaya were 365 days ago? Can you name how many of your buddies were debating that Brandon Inge authentic jersey? Sure, after years of sustained success--including championships--Red Wings and now Pistons jerseys dot the Detroit landscape. Yet, with only a winning record in mid-July to their credit, the ballpark was filled with fans proudly wearing their Tiger's name and number.

If the quantity of baseball apparel on display Saturday night is any indication, Tigers merchandise has to be the hot item in The D. I couldn't have counted the bags filled with Tigers related products if I had tried. With the profit from merchandise, frozen daiquiri and eight dollar beer sales on Saturday night alone, the Tigers ought to be able to land Alfonso Soriano and sign him long term. It's fairly obvious that this city has bought into the Tigers--literally.

You know the Tigers must be moving product as both newspapers now promote their Tiger coverage. Local radio is pumping up the Motor City Kitties, too. The Tigers flagship station, WXYT 1270AM (I have no idea what their moniker du jour is), talks about how much they talk about the Tigers when the Tigers aren't playing. Having a total grasp of the obvious, the local media have jumped upon the Tigers bandwagon, as well. No reason to let this unexpected opportunity slide past. (Think TV20, who just happened to sign on for a few games this year, is happy about this?)

In my own place of work, I've seen people come down with Tiger Fever right in front of me. People who have never been to Comerica Park have just gone or are about to make their initial visit. Even those co-workers who could name every Red Wing and admit to not being baseball fans are talking about heading down to the CoPa. People who know I'm kind of a baseball geek are asking me semi-serious baseball questions. This thing is spreading fast.

More wins. More ticket sales. More sellouts. More merchandise sales. More media coverage. More Tiger talk around the old water cooler. Yes, friends, Tiger Fever is back and just about everyone has come down with it.

Painting By Numbers

2006-07-10T19:59:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I'm playing with the color scheme around here. Be patient. HTML color coding is like painting by the numbers, but with tons of alpha-numeric options. However, I feel the place needs a new coat of paint, so you may see some stranger than normal color patterns. Of course, I may just leave it as is for a while.

Feel free to criticize at will.

Today At The World Cup

2006-07-01T20:37:00.000-04:00

You just kind of knew England was in trouble when Wayne Rooney got that red card. Down a man, with David Beckham already subbed out due to an injury, it just didn't look good. I'm just your basic casual footie fan, but, geez, that seemed like stupid move on Rooney's part.

As for France's latest triumph over Brazil, I thought the defending champs were almost too respectful of Zidane. Oh, the guy is an all-time great, but I haven't seen the French midfielder look quite that good in the year or so I've been watching his club team (technically his ex-club team due to retirement), Real Madrid.

Playing Catch-Up

2006-06-29T20:05:00.000-04:00

Since my blogging has been lacking as of late and I cannot decide what to write about first, how about I do what I usually do--take it all on at once. In small doses, of course.

* Larry Brown is filing a grievance? Are you kidding me? Shouldn't Knicks fans be the ones filing a grievance against Brown? Or Isiah Thomas? Or both? It's fairly clear that neither Brown or his agent have a shred of dignity.

* Greg Eno is all behind Danica Patrick. Me? I can't decide. I don't root against her. I don't root for her, either. She's great for the IRL and open wheel racing, as she brings in new fans and increases interest, but I think it's the media overkill that stops me from embracing her. It's just too much and also makes very good drivers--Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, Sam Hornish, Sebastian Bourdais, to name just four--seem insignificant.

While, as Greg points out, Patrick appears to merit her ride, I do wonder what affect the possible IRL/Champ Car merger might mean to her chances of success? Simple math says if the boys from Champ Car are added into the mix, the field of quality race car drivers increases, thus Patrick's chances of winning decrease. Will America continue to support a middle of the road open wheel racing queen?

* I realize that as a member of the vaunted Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes, I've been strangely silent on our remarkably successful baseball club. What can I say about the Tigers that hasn't already be said? Remember I was the one who had some optimism about the Motor City Kitties in March?

At this point, my pre-season thoughts are almost scary in how close they are to being dead on. Although, I never could have envisioned the overwhelming success the Tigers have enjoyed thus far. Regardless of how the remainder of the season plays out, the first three months of this baseball season have been nothing short of spectacular.

* Who is your Tiger All-Star? That's the question I've been pondering for a couple of days. Kenny Rogers might make the team. Justin Verlander and Jeremy Bonderman (especially if Bonderman can get to win number ten next time out) also deserve serious consideration in a crowded field.

Curtis Granderson's numbers probably aren't quite good enough, although I doubt any Tiger fan would argue that he's been their best everyday player. Magglio Ordonez has the numbers to get his name into the OF logjam, but I think Ozzie Guillen might still hold a grudge no matter what he says in public.

Carlos Guillen would have to be shortstop number three behind traditional stars Miguel Tejada and Derek Jeter, both of whom I just assume play in Pittsburgh this year. Pudge Rodriguez has a similar dilemma as Jason Varitek will probably win the vote and Joe Mauer would be the likely number two catcher on the junior circuit roster.

I would like to think at least two guys with Olde English D's on their caps play in the Steel City come July 11. My guess is that it's Rogers and Guillen.

* I couldn't help myself, but I had to skim through SI.com's Michael Silver's ratings of NFL owners. If you want to know where Mr. Ford ranks, as if you couldn't guess accurately, head towards page three of his article.

* I've yet to purchase a single NFL or NCAA Football preview magazine. I wouldn't quite equate this feat to someone laying off cigarettes, but it's a difficult habit for me to break. Normally, I would have, at least, one of each lying around the house by now. Yet, last year, I promised no football magazines would be obtained prior to MLB's All-Star Game.

Why am I setting such clearly ridiculous standards? Because in recent years, I've become overdosed on pigskin long before season's end. I love football, but our national obsession has become too obsessive for even me. I need the off-season to be an off-season a little while longer. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

So far, I've been able to maintain last year's objective. No magazines have made it into the house or even into the checkout lane. Oh, I've looked, but have not purchased. I've even refrained from joining the one fantasy football league I've been invited to join. Football must wait. (One caveat-These rules do not apply to the CFL that is already underway. I have watched a portion of a CFL game.)

* I'm not sure what it says when I am more familiar with the names of the players taken in the first round of the MLB Draft than the names of those taken in the same round of the NBA Draft?

UPDATE: So, I'm a moron. I could have sworn Bonderman had nine wins heading into the weekend, not seven. Wishful thinking? Perhaps, either way, it's incorrect information and seven (or even eight) wins will keep Boderman from making his first all-star appearance this year. Hey, it's a blog, isn't passing along wrong information standard operating procedure?

U.S. Stumbles Out Of World Cup

2006-06-22T21:39:00.000-04:00

It's difficult to be anything less than very disappointed with the United States Men's National Soccer Team's performance. In fact, I'm struggling to be anything less than angry. No wins. One tie. Two losses. And an early exit from the 2006 World Cup. It's unacceptable.

Plenty are going to call for Bruce Arena's job and I suspect Arena might oblige them tomorrow. There is simply no question this wasn't Arena's finest hour. The team appeared to lack chemistry. They lacked fight. They lacked many things that lay at the feet of their head coach. Thus, Arena will probably step aside.

However, Arena is far from the only culprit of this debacle. The players are as much to blame as their coach. In particular, Claudio Reyna, Landon Donovan and DeMarcus Beasley seemed to collectively slip between invisible, barely visible and visible, but making us wish they were invisible.

Some have suggested the PK before the half did the U.S. in today. If it did, then shame on both Arena and his captain, Reyna, for not getting the team's mind back into a WC match they trailed by only a single marker with a half to go. That's why we pay a coach, that's why a guy gets to wear the armband.

As for Donovan and Beasley, they were simply dreadful. One of them really needed to become the offensive centerpiece and neither was up to the challenge. Of course, Arena could easily be blamed for putting both players in positions that made it difficult for them to succeed. And I do. However, in futbol, like any other sport, your stars have to play like stars in order for you to win. For the USMNT, their stars failed to do so. That's why they are done in World Cup '06.

Great Sports Weekend

2006-06-10T12:27:00.000-04:00

I love this time of the year. We've got Major League Baseball in full flight. College baseball's super regionals are televised all weekend long. World Cup soccer is going to be part of my steady diet for the next several weeks. There's IRL racing tonight, I'm guessing the NASCAR boys go at it tomorrow, too. Although, I must admit to not being sure about that.

The Stanley Cup is up for grabs (but does anyone still believe Edmonton has a chance?) and, of course, The Finals of the NBA are underway. Golf is certainly in swing and tennis only gives us a major--The French Open. Outside of, perhaps, October, this is probably the best time of the year for sports fans.

I could sit in front of the old television all day long. Yet, responsibility calls. Guess I can't sit in front of the PC any longer, either. Enjoy the weekend.

The New Drug Frontier

2006-06-09T21:37:00.000-04:00

I have to clear something up. Sports are never going to be clean again. Ever.

This is something that we as fans need to understand. Yes, it's depressing. It makes you wonder what is really and what is fake. It makes sports' records even harder to compare. It makes us worry if every youngster is going to have to inject chemicals into his/her system to compete at the highest level. There is nothing about the current drug climate that make any of us feel real good about where sports have gone. Yet, that is where we are at.

We also need to understand that a whole bunch of handwringers want us to believe, or make believe, that more staunch testing will alleviate the problem. (Insert the Napoleonic Dick Pound, head of the World Anti Doping Agency, and a whole bunch of sportswriters here.) This group is about to launch it's usual assault on Major League Baseball for it's lackluster drug testing policy without providing all of the details. (Thank you, Jason Grimsley.)

What none of these folks is willing to confront is that performance enhancing drugs, and the chemicals used to conceal them from detection, are far superior to the tests we now have. That doesn't mean we should stop testing. It just means that Mr. Pound, the International Olympic Committee, the United States Congress, and anyone else that is trying to "clean up" sports is selling us a bill of goods.

Sports will never be clean again. They can legislate to their hearts desire. They can pass more strict penalties. They can even start using blood tests, too. And while some will get caught, some will not and we will not know the difference.

Those who feel compelled to take the issue of performance enhancers head on are leading people to believe that other sports are somehow "clean" in comparison to baseball. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone from NFL lineman to Tour de France cyclists to Olympic swimmers are taking something illegal. Does that mean all of them are? Of course, not. Yet, I cannot tell the difference and, if they are on the right designer drug, neither will any test we mandate they take.

I am completely in favor of testing for steroids, human growth hormone or whatever other drug comes along to make athletes abnormally bigger, faster and stronger. I support strong penalties for those caught using any or all the above. I encourage both notions as I'm actually concerned about the long-term health affects of these drugs. I'm also enough of a romantic to think that hard work and talent should prevail over laboratory created cocktails.

However, neither you or I should be naive about where we are at. We need to comprehend that no matter how many more tests are instituted or how much tougher the penalties get, sport will never be clean of chemically enhanced performances again. Ever.

Tigers Draft Day

2006-06-06T21:36:00.000-04:00

I'll be to the point. I love the Detroit Tigers draft thus far. Now, I caution both my readers. I have an affinity for college baseball and the Tigers have gone heavy towards the college players so far, so that alone would please me. However, I do have a somewhat more rational reason for liking the college kids--they tend to get to The Show quicker.

This group also has something the Tigers might be lacking on the farm--quality hitters. Not that the Tigers' minors are void of such players, but they could stand to use a few more. Couldn't everybody?

In spite of the hitters, let me start with Andrew Miller. I was listening to the draft on the radio and when the Tigers selected Miller, I just about cheered. This guy was thought to be the first pick overall. If not, he was certainly not going to fall to number six. Yet, there he was.

Yes, Miller wants too much money. Yes, he needs a change-up. However, the lefty from North Carolina also has allowed all of one homer at a level where everyone is using a metal bats. He's got a 2. something ERA. He's 12-2. Miller has done this all in one of the better baseball conferences in the land--the ACC.

Oh, by the way, Miller can throw a 92 mph fastball with accuracy and one 95 mph, only he's not as sure where that one might land. He's also got a nasty slider according to those who have gotten a good look at it.

Of course, he could fail. Most prospects never live up to the hype, but the Tigers probably selected the most polished pitcher in the draft. (I haven't exactly seen all the others, so I'll take the "experts" word on that.) Regardless of how this plays out, in terms of his success and his contract demands, I think the Tigers did the right thing in taking the player with the best combination of ability, production and playing at the highest possible level.

For comparison, think of this as the Lions unexpectedly landing the quarterback with the most pro-ready game, with lots of upside, who has won a ton of games playing in one of the top flight football conferences in the country. Imagine how most fans in Detroit would act right now. That's about how I felt when I heard "Detroit selects Andrew Miller, pitcher, University of North Carolina".

On to a few other names that caught my attention. First, Ronnie Bourquin from Ohio State. As you may have heard, I do a bit of blogging about Big Ten baseball and I've seen Bourquin in person about five times this year. He's only looked dominant once, but there is simply no arguing his numbers.

As has been pointed out everywhere else, Bourquin paced the Big Ten in batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage to name just three things. (A fact you would all know if you visited my other site. Sure, it's a shameless plug.) I also concur with those who question whether Bourquin will remain at third. His defense isn't what I'd like at the hot corner, so I do envision a move elsewhere.

The easy comparison is to ex-Buckeye Nick Swisher. I'm not sure Bourquin's quite as good as Swisher. It seems to me that Swisher exhibited more power. Bourquin might make a bit more contact, but that's just an impression off the top of my head, I haven't gone back to compare numbers.

I don't know that much about Brennan Boesch and I have not seen him play. I like the thought of drafting a centerfielder, though. Not that I don't like Curtis Granderson, I do. I also like the thought of a pure CF roaming Comerica Park's spacious outfield. I'm going to have to do some research on Mr. Boesch.

Conversely, I have seen Ryan Strieby. I'll say this about the Wildcats 1B, he can flat rake. He's a JUCO transfer to Kentucky who walked into the powerful SEC and grabbed Player of the Year honors. Strieby's coach at UK believes in plate discipline. If you are on the OBP bandwagon, both Bourquin and Strieby should appeal to you.

This is another random observation, but Strieby seems like a more dynamic force that Bourquin. Now, any number of reasons could account for that including I may have seen Strieby on his good days and Bourquin on his off nights.

I'm not sure if he will stay at first, my inclination is that he will, but I still think drafting as many top flight college hitters as you come across is a good thing no matter what position they play.

Yeah, yeah, aluminum bats. I know. The guy could be a product of the bat. He could also be an all-star caliber slugger. The draft is a crap shoot and you try to play the odds. I figure if Strieby can pound SEC hurlers the odds of him hitting at the pro level have to be reasonably good.

Like the Scott Sizemore pick, too. Yes, he's had a down year, but he's a secondbaseman with power who hit in the Cape Cod League where they use wood bats. Again, I embrace selecting middle infielders who can hit with some pop.

The Tigers have selected a few more college players that intrigue me, but I've got to move on to the next task. Like checking the Tigers/Sox score. Bottom line is that if this were the Lions draft people would be very excited. For now, I will be excited for everyone else.

Yes, I'm Still Here And What About The Pistons?

2006-05-31T21:22:00.000-04:00

Hi. You remember me, right? I'm the guy that used to post here. As Ian graciously observes, I've been blogging, but just not at Beyond Boxscores. I hope to be back on a more regular basis soon, but I've got some unfinished work do to at the other place, so posting should increase here, but in rather sporadic fashion.

Let me take a moment to thank the both of you who continue to stop by here, either lost or patiently hoping for me to regain my senses and leave college baseball behind to post something of note at BB. I have to admit that I am surprised and a bit humbled that some of you persist in coming here even when I don't. Thank you.

I make only one apology--to those who have so kindly linked here. A number of bloggers have listed BB in their link section and to them, I am sorry for not maintaining my end of the bargain. I hate dead links and blogs that don't try to keep pace. BB has become one of those over the last thirty days and I apologize to you for providing your readers with, well, nothing.

I can't say that I'm sure what direction either blog will take, but I do want keep you informed. Please consider yourself informed, but enough about me. What have you guys been doing to the Pistons, while I've been gone?

I'll cut to the chase on this one. I think the Pistons have fallen prey to their own egos. I hate to even type that sentence, but I think it's true. This team believes it's better than it is. It believes it can win without it's "A" game. It believes it knows more than its coaches, past and present. I believe they are willing to blame anyone and everyone for their shortcomings but themselves.

This team may prevail this evening and give us hope, but all I see now is whining, finger-pointing and poor basketball with an unhealthy dose of self-confidence tossed in. It's not exactly the recipe for success.

Lions Draft Recap, 2.0

2006-04-29T23:00:00.000-04:00

I just erased about eight paragraphs giving a blow-by-blow recount of my perspective on the Detroit Lions draft. I got into paragragh nine when I realized I was spending far too much time talking about our Lions. We've seen all this Lions silliness before, so why ramble on? Here's my bottom line. The Lions draft, thus far, is mediocre. I expect the "experts" to give them a "C" grade.

My single biggest problem is first round choice Ernie Sims. Why did they take a linebacker with a history of concussions? This wasn't a value pick. It was the ninth pick in the entire draft. You want to shop for value? Please wait until round three. In the first round, especially in the top ten picks, I prefer healthy, productive players. Call me nuts, but I think it's a problem to have a guy with a history of brain trauma playing a position where his job is to run into people--often head-on.

As I stated at the start, I could go on for days. I won't. I will refer you to this fine post at Lionbacker.com. I'm not Matt Leinart crazy, but the overall point isn't lost on me. Trading down was clearly the best option, taking a d-lineman was the second best option, painfully enough, taking one of two uber-QB prospect was the third best option when the Lions were on the clock. Instead, the Lions chose: D) none of the above.

There's A New Team In Town

2006-04-21T18:04:00.000-04:00

The anti-soccer readers amongst you (that would be most of you, as you've told me) won't be happy, but I'm here to report that Detroit has a new soccer entity. The Detroit Ignition have joined the Major Indoor Soccer League. While we all know I enjoy soccer and follow far too many "B" list (and several "C" and "D" list) sports in America, I've met this announcement with mixed emotions.

I wish the Ignition all kinds of success, and I like their logo, but I don't consider the indoor version of the world's most popular sport actually soccer. Maybe I'm ill-informed about the indoor game. It's usually a pretty good bet that I don't know what I'm talking about. However, it just doesn't strike me that the indoor and outdoor games are remotely similar.

Boards? Boards in soccer? Don't they have penalty boxes, too? In soccer? Penalty boxes in soccer? It just isn't right. And don't even get me started on artificial surfaces. Comparing the two versions of soccer is like comparing Arena Football to the NFL. They just aren't close. They are so diverse that I must admit, I just can't embrace the indoor game (in either sport).

Now, veteran readers here can protest as I love the Canadian Football League. It's not the NFL, either, but I enjoy it for what it is. What's up with that? A solid point. One I can't argue. Maybe I'm just a soccer snob?

No, that can't be it, either. Because if I was a true soccer snob, I'd stick the leagues overseas that play at a much higher level than Major League Soccer. While I do watch the Premiership and other Euro leagues, I enjoy MLS (DC United fan here). As unlikely as it now appears, I would love to see Detroit get a MLS franchise. I'd even debate season tickets, if such an event occurred (and I had the cash). So, if I was a true soccer snob, would I embrace a Detroit MLS team? Probably not. I'd just hope for more EPL matches on television.

This is why I remain conflicted about the Ignition's arrival. I'd like to see Detroit become a bigger player in the pro soccer, but I'm just not crazy about the indoor version. I want to promote soccer on this blog (just as I do college baseball, curling, open wheel racing, etc....), but I'm not sure I'm going to watch the MISL with any regularity even with a Detroit team.

This said, how about we make a deal with our new team? We'll watch. Once. Ok, maybe twice, but only for as long as we can stand it. We aren't going to give up the Tigers, Pistons, Wings, Lions, Wolverines or Spartans to watch, but we'll find a time when we can sit through a game. Then, if we don't find it interesting, we'll politely move on.

If we like it, great. The team will have a new fan or two. I'll take credit for expanding your sports horizons. Maybe one of us can start an Ignition blog. (Stop pointing your finger at me. I'm one over my limit at two, thank you.)

With The Ninth Pick In The NFL Draft The Detroit Lions Take....

2006-04-20T14:01:00.000-04:00

If you are a Detroit Lions fan, don't you have one huge fear for NFL Draft Day 2006? The fear is that when the Lions are on the clock, one of the big three quarterback prospects remains available. If eight picks roll past, and I use the term "roll" very loosely as their is nothing about the NFL Draft that moves quickly (Mel Kiper's mouth being a notable exception), and the Lions find that Matt Leinhart, Vince Young and/or Jay Cutler have slipped down to them, aren't we all going to hold our collective breath?

A week from Saturday, when Commissioner Paul Taglibue steps away from the podium after announcing the Lions' fifteen minutes is underway and Leinhart, Young or Cutler is still around, aren't we all going to have the same set of notions? "They can't take a QB, can they?" "Millen can't take a QB. He can't." "Oh, they'll go in a different direction. They can't invest more money into the quarterback position. It makes no sense." "If they take a QB, I'm not rooting for them anymore." "Holy crap."

For roughly fifteen minutes, as few teams seem to take less than the maximum time allowed, every single Lions fan listening or watching is going to be nervous. Very nervous. No, it doesn't make any salary cap sense to take another signal caller. Yes, the Lions need help all over. Yet, if any of the three big name college QB's are still on the board, we are all going fear that when Taglibue comes back to the microphone he announces that with the ninth pick in the NFL Draft the Detroit Lions have selected..........a quarterback.

After drafting wide receivers in the first round for three straight seasons, would anyone really be shocked that Matt Millen opts to take a college quarterback even though he just signed two veteran free agents to replace the soon-to-be-Dolphin Joey Harrington? As soon as my laughter subsided, probably sometime in the midst of the first game of the year, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

Does anyone have great confidence in Josh McCown or Jon Kitna? The term retread would seem to apply to both. Kitna never took hold of the Seattle job and got bumped, rightly so, by Carson Palmer in Cincinnati. McCown, who to me appears to have more potential, for both success and failure, couldn't keep the signal caller duties in Arizona. Arizona. What does it say for the Lions' plight when they are taking on the Cardinals' failed projects?

Yes, Mike Martz could wave his magic wand and turn either or both into Pro Bowl caliber quarterbacks. (Again, McCown would seem more probable to me.) Couldn't the same be said of Leinhart, Young or Cutler? All of whom, at least so far, haven't failed as NFL throwers elsewhere. All of whom are younger. Any of whom could lead this franchise for a decade something I'm not sure we can say about any of the incoming veteran QB's.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not at all promoting this concept. I'd feel much better if the Lions traded down and got two later first round picks. I totally embrace the idea of trading up and taking a D'Brickshaw Ferguson or A.J. Hawk. I'm fairly comfortable with them staying put at nine and taking someone not a quarterback, as well. Although, if the draft plays out as some have predicted, I'm not overly excited about the Lions' potential choices at that spot.

It just happens that I think the scenario where one of these three elite quarterbacks falls into the Lions lap is possible. I also think it's plain frightening, in a football sense. The Lions can't intelligently justify selecting a quarterback, yet after spending fifty years searching for Bobby Layne's heir, can they be blamed for considering a highly touted college arm no matter who is on the roster currently? Every ounce of common sense tells you there is no reason for the Lions to draft a QB in the first round. Yet, what if a future Hall of Fame signal caller is staring at them when they are on the clock?

If the guy who slips down to the Lions choice turns into the next Dan Marino or Ben Roethlisberger and the Lions go elsewhere, Millen will get blasted for not making a good decision. Take the QB who slides to nine and get hammered for committing too much money in one position, for creating a three-headed QB controversy and, if the QB fails, for revealing your perceived lack of football smarts. Basically, take him and you're an idiot. Don't take him and you're, well, an idiot. Sounds like the proto-typical Lions scenario to me.

Now, all of this can be alleviated if Leinhart, Young and Cutler have found homes before the ninth pick. Then, we can just focus on the players at positions the Lions don't have millions tied into free agents. (That would be all the other positions, but that's a different post entirely.) Our worry can then be limited to the upside of whatever newcomer is chosen, instead of trying to figure out which QB camp we want to be in--Kitna's, McCown's or First Round QB's.

In light of his recent draft day decisions, I have serious doubts that Matt Millen would have the courage to take Leinart, Young or Cutler. For all the reasons I've previously mentioned, I believe Millen has to go in a different direction even if one of the top QB's is available when the Lions pick arises. He has to, right? Of course, isn't that what we thought a year ago when there was no way Millen would draft a wideout three years in a row?

Just Release Him, Already

2006-04-20T13:41:00.000-04:00

I have some unsolicited advice for Matt Millen. Look, Matt, Joey Harrington is going to be a member of the Miami Dolphins. It's just a matter of when, not if. So, do us all a favor and just release the guy.

Oh, sure. You can try to make a trade, but you have zero leverage. You aren't going to get a first rounder (what Harrington was). You aren't going to get a second rounder. Third and fourth rounders seem pretty unlikely, too. To save face, you might plead with Miami and land a seventh round choice, but who are we kidding? That's window dressing, not a trade.

The problem is the Dolphins, and everyone else in the world, knows what's going on here. Harrington doesn't want to be here. Your new coaching staff doesn't want him here, either. You've already moved on by acquiring not one, but two guys to replace him. You also don't want to pay him his big bonus that comes due before camp opens.

Knowing this, as everyone in the world does, why on Earth would the Dolphins send you anything in return? They can just sit back and wait. Eventually, with your shiny new replacement quarterbacks already signed on the dotted line, you are going to have to cut Harrington to avoid paying out that bonus money. Then, the Dolphins can get their new back-up QB for nothing. No bonus. No old contract. No traded draft picks.

Stop the dog and pony show, Mr. Millen. Let Harrington walk. Don't drag it out just to land a draft pick that probably won't even play in the CFL, let alone the NFL. Try to do something with a degree of class and just release him. Cut your losses. Cut his losses. Start anew.

TV Guide

2006-04-15T13:59:00.000-04:00

Pro Beach Volleyball. That's what is on Fox Sports Detroit this moment. Pro Beach Volleyball. Did I mention the Tigers are playing the Indians right now? So, instead of seeing our local baseball team, the one with 100 years of history behind it and, oh by the way, has a winning record currently, our Fox Sports affiliate is broadcasting volleyball.

Of course, the game is being broadcast in Cleveland, so Indians fans can watch. It's also on the MLB Extra Innings package, so the rest of the U.S. can see it. And it's on MLB.tv, so the rest of the world can see it. Tigers fans actually in Detroit, however, cannot see it without a ticket. Does this make any sense?

Opening Day Blogging

2006-04-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

Having not subjected you to a post here in over a week, I've got a number of thoughts to pass along. However, it's Opening Day. Does anything else really matter? Oh, some might think so, but they would be horribly misguided.

This is going to be my first attempt at live blogging. O.k., semi-live blogging, but you get the idea. (Think NBC Olympic coverage.)

12:59 pm- The hot dogs are cooking and the Washington vs. New York Mets game is first up. I've got MLB Extra Innings again this year, so I'll be flipping channels. Hope that doesn't bother you.

1:01 pm- Do I have any Mets or Nats on my fantasy league teams? I'm in four fantasy leagues this year. One doesn't really require much brain power from me, as I'm running the Arizona Diamondbacks. I have all their players and I cannot acquire anyone not in purple and teal.

1:06 pm- Mets are starting Tom Glavine. I've always been a Glavine fan, he's one of my all-time favorite pitchers, but if he's the Mets second best starter, they might be in trouble. Glavine isn't exactly close to his peak. Which feed do I watch: Mets coverage with Keith Hernandez (another of my all-time favorite players) with some guy I don't know or the ESPN feed with Chris "Back, Back, Back" Berman and Jeff Brantley? Hmmm.

1:12- I've got Gary Majewski and Jose Guillen on different fantasy teams.

1:15- Glavine K's Jose Vidro.

1:17- Glavine gets Guillen to fly out. A flip of the channel reveals that we have three two o'clock starts--Red Sox @ Rangers, Pirates @ Brewers and Cubs @ Reds.

1:22- First hot dog of the season. Mustard only, thank you.

1:25- Second time I've seen the Lou Diamond Phillips PSA. Lou is wondering if we know what our children learned in math class. Nice of Mr. Phillips to care.

1:27- Mets 2B Anderson Hernandez makes a sparkling backhanded play.

1:28- I love those Washington road uniforms. Caps are even better.

1:30- Alfonso Soriano steals second proving I should have drafted him. Mets catcher Paul LoDuca drops his glove and the ball attempting to throw out Soriano. Strange.

1:33- Did Jeff Brantley just use the term "hisself" instead of "himself" about three consecutive times or is my hearing getting worse?

1:45- Flip on light in kitchen, blow fuse. It happens to be the same fuse the television is on. Uh oh.

1:50- All is fine. TV is working, light bulb in kitchen is replaced.

1:58- It looks like Glavine's batting helmet is two tone. The helmet appears to be primarly black with a large blue portion in front where the NY sits. The blue portion flares out towards the back and fades into the black. It almost looks like a Marvel superhero mask design. (I'm more a DC Comics man, myself.) Oh, Glavine singles.

2:00- Flip to Red Sox @ Rangers. No satellite feed as of yet.

2:01- Paul LoDuca singles in Xavier Nady. We have scoring! Soriano misses catching the ball on the hop as he tries, unsuccessfully, to grab the ball with his bare hand. No damage done as his centerfield is behind him. I think we can assume Soriano will commit nearly as many errors in the outfield as he did in the infield.

2:02-Back to Sox @ Rangers. MLB Extra Innings is having technical trouble with the feed. Pirates at Brewers is up and running as is Cubs @ Reds.

2:05- President Bush is in the Reds dugout. He's wearing a Reds jacket. His ceremonial toss is high and outside.

2:08- Sox @ Rangers is on ESPN2. Steve Stone is doing the game, which I consider to be a bonus. Finally, a game in bright sunshine! I'm probably all but done with Nationals at Mets.

2:15- David Ortiz flys out, channel flip follows. Carlos Lee misplays a flyball that nearly plunks him on the melon. Another channel flip. Todd Walker drives in Juan Pierre, Cubs, 1-0. I have to stay with Cubs/Reds game as Derek Lee is coming up. Yeah, I've got Lee on one of my fantasy teams. Hey, it's a sixteen team league. Lee is vital to my success. Anyway, his at bat is uneventful.

2:26- Back to Texas. Manny Ramirez is a blonde today. Seems appropriate.

2:30- A Roger Clemens sighting. The Rocket is in Arlington taking in the game between two of his rumored suitors.

2:32- Prince Fielder fans on three pitches. Did I mention I flipped over to the Bucs/Brew Crew game? No? Sorry.

2:40- Debating second hot dog.

3:00- Second hot dog? Long gone. Tampa @ Baltimore joins the fun.

3:05- Jason Varitek doubles in two Red Sox runs.

3:07- Pondering when to don my Tigers road jersey.

3:15- Tigers road jersey is on.

3:30- Flipping through Detroit Free Press Tigers Preview. There seems to be three repeating themes. Verlander, Zumaya and Leyland. Big Papi goes deep-Red Sox, 5-0. Schilling has looked good.

3:34- Channel flipping finds Johnny Gomes homering for Tampa. It's the D-Rays, 2-0.

3:45- Over to Tigers pre-game. The Detroit lineup is being introduced to the K.C. faithful. Pudge looks like he has lost more weight.

3:50- I wonder if I'll get the LA feed of the Dodgers vs. Atlanta game? I'd like to hear Vin Scully on Opening Day.

4:05- Tigers game heads to commercial break before first pitch. I may be gone for a while.

Ok, it's now 5:57 pm. The Tigers are up 2-1 behind two Chris Shelton homeruns. The Tigs have just chased Scott Elarton from the hill. Kenny Rogers has looked pretty good today. By the way, I still want to visit Kauffman Stadium someday.

In other things that happened while I was gone, I received an MLB.com catalog in the mail today. Nice timing on their part. I flipped through all the other games and found most to favor the hitters today. I did indeed get the L.A. feed, so I heard Vin Scully for the first time in '06. Red Sox won. Derek Lee has driven in two for the Cubbies. Did I mention I've got Shelton in a 12 team fantasy league I'm in?

I think I'm going to stop my plausibly live blogging here. I hope to stick with the Tigers game until the end and I've got about three other things I need to do today, so that will be it for this post. Thanks for reading.

Tiger Optimism

2006-03-25T19:03:00.000-05:00

I think I've mentioned this before, but I have a general rule about the Detroit Tigers. On January 1 of each year I attempt to let last year go and focus in on reasons to look forward to the upcoming baseball season. (Beyond better weather, hot dogs, sausages and my life long love of the game, of course.) I try to find reasons, no matter how difficult they may be to uncover, to be optimistic about our local baseball club. This attempt to rejuvenate my Tiger interest almost never fails. Somehow, though, this year the positive vibes took much longer to arrive.

Truth be told, I became optimistic about the 2006 Tigers sometime in the middle of this past week. I can't say there was a specific moment when my '05 negativity relinquished it's control, but I have unquestionable made the transition from the disappointing end of last year to being upbeat about the '06 season. Four months tardy, I admit. But, hey, I made it, right?

Now, I could continue to opt for the traditional sky is falling routine. You know the bit. It goes like this: Dave Dombrowski is a moron, the Tigers farm system still stinks, the big league club is filled with overpaid, injury prone veterans and Jim Leyland isn't going to help. That's an easy and, perhaps, accurate assessment. However, from now through Opening Day, I'm going to take the opposite approach.

Even if Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez and Dmitri Young don't produce up to their full potential, couldn't they still contribute significant numbers? If Carlos Guillen and Placido Polanco produce close to their potential, wouldn't the Tigers offense be rather formidable? What of Chris Shelton and Curtis Granderson? Couldn't full seasons from them be better than what the Tigers got out of their firstbase and centerfield spots a year ago? The potential for a strong offense is there and I'm not even tossing in Craig Monroe who had his best season ever in '05. (I honestly just take any offense Brandon Inge provides as a bonus. I like the guy, but an offensive force, he's not.)

Then comes the wildcard in all of this--pitching. No, I'm not crazy about Kenny Rogers. However, he does seem to win games. Sometimes lots of them. No, Jeremy Bonderman hasn't lived up to the hype yet, but how many other big leaguers have his stuff at his age? It's a very short list. Mike Maroth is steady, if unspectacular and Nate Robertson isn't horrible, either. In fact, I'm not quite sure what Robertson's upside is. Let's just assume that Rogers gives Detroit 15 or more wins and the younger arms make normal progress, is it that hard to figure the staff could be very much improved?

Then toss in the just promoted Justin Verlander. You've read the articles. You've heard the Tigers' brass fawn all over him. You know the guy's got (if I may borrow Sam's terminology) wicked stuff. Sure, Verlander could have a typical up and down rookie season. Or he could be in the running for Rookie of the Year. If it's the latter, just how much improved would the staff seem then?

This rotation has three lefties. Two of them--Maroth and Rogers--are the soft tossing variety. Robertson has more velocity and then there's the righties. Bonderman and Verlander just throw nasty hard stuff. Come on, admit it. They might not end up as terrible as we think.

The bullpen is a tad scary. Todd Jones is your basic "Smoke three packs of cigarettes per batter" type of reliever. Calling Jones a reliever is a misnomer. He doesn't provide much relief at all. In fact, Jones creates far more anxiety than relief. He also saves quite a few games, which is his job.

The bullpen guys we know for sure are coming north are Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker and the other pitching phenom, Joel Zumaya. While all three are question marks in my mind--Rodney still recovering his surgery of two years ago, Walker because he make me as nervous Jones, and Zumaya because he's a rook--they have all shown enough to make me believe they can, if properly used, be an effective lot.

The primary reason for my optimism on the bullpen is Zumaya. Again, here's another youngster we've heard tons about. The organization and scouts rave about just how hard he throws. If Zumaya's electric stuff can stun batters for an inning or two prior to Jones' arrival, then maybe Jones stuff will look that much more confounding to the opposing batters.

Even with all of my bubbling optimism, I'm not calling for a World Series, division title or even a wild card run. Nope, I just have the hope that the 2006 Detroit Tigers can be a fun baseball team. Maybe even a winning one. Crazy talk? Yep, but what's wrong with some high hopes a week before the opener? We'll have the rest of the season to think otherwise.

Fantasy Baseball And A Request For Advice

2006-03-23T21:17:00.000-05:00

I run two fantasy baseball leagues--the Harry Heilmann League and the Gehringer-Greenberg League. This year, I've had some difficulties filling both leagues. Honestly, I'm having some off the blog field issues. My life for the last month or so probably qualifies as a country music song. The hot water tank leaked, the furnace broke, the last wind storm we had pulled a storm door almost complete off my house and, finally, my pick-up truck wouldn't start. Now, if that ain't sounding like country music hit, I don't know what is.

In addition to these messes, my employer sent about 200 people home for good about a month ago, I've been visiting my doctor semi-regularly, I'm apparently attempting to hold up the entire economy on my mediocre salary and I've got the usual assortment of adult responsibilities that are keeping me from important things like blogging and organizing my fantasy baseball leagues.

However, I would like to get both leagues off the ground. (Things are so backwards right now, that even the email I composed to about every blogger I know making this offer disappeared. Thought I had it in my drafts. However, it's nowhere to be found.) Now, as the season begins a week from Monday, time is an issue. I would post the specific details here, however, I want to know that you are truly interested in participating in one of these leagues. So I ask that you please email me if you are interested.

The Heilmann League is pretty straight forward and is a Yahoo! online draft. The G-Men League Draft has always been old school--we get as many participants as we can together in one room to hold the draft. Antiquated notion, I admit, but there's still something unique about a face-to-face draft. That may not be an option this season, but some traditions die hard with me.

In the end, neither league may take flight in 2006, but I had to attempt to get one of them kick started. I thank you for considering it.

Finally, I have a request for help. I received an email asking me if I would be interested in writing a weekly college baseball column. The question I pose to you is "Would that be a good idea?". You are probably thinking, "Why shouldn't you, Brian?". Have you seen my posting around here as of late? Not exactly consistent. It's even worse at my college baseball blog. I missed all of this past week.

Can I really take on two blogs, plus a weekly column? Seems like I might be biting off a bit more than I can chew. Sure, I like the idea, but there are clearly obstacles. And, no, I do not believe compensation is being offered. So, what do I do? Bill? Greg? Ian? Anyone?

Run. Run, Now. It's A Soccer Post.

2006-03-17T15:22:00.000-05:00

If there is one thing you've come to expect around here it's me providing insights on things you just don't care about. This post will live up to all your expectations--I'm going to talk soccer. Originally, I was just going to mention a topic or two, but the soccer theme just kept repeating, so it gets its own post.

As a courtesy to all, I've combined all my soccer thoughts into a single post so the majority of you can skip reading this altogether. (You are welcome.) For my soccer brethren, here is a post all to yourselves. (Yourself?) Anyway, it's all soccer and you've been warned.

* Did you know Detroit was granted an expansion franchise in the Major Indoor Soccer League? Now, if someone was going to know this piece of information, wouldn't you bet it would be me? Which other Detroit sports blogger would even bother to mention it? Yet, somehow this snuck past me until just this past week. No name for Detroit's latest entry into indoor soccer, but I guess it's going to be announced next month.

* In other expansion news, I contacted the local group attempting to bring an MLS franchise to Metro Detroit. Seems they are stuck in neutral attempting to find an ownership group. Not terribly surprising in light of the area's dreadful economy. However, I am disappointed to hear that more progress isn't being made.

In theory, I truly believe Detroit could and would support a MLS franchise. I also think it makes Detroit look like a big time city to the world if it has a legit first division soccer team regardless of what level of play Major League Soccer is perceived to be at.

* MLS has a couple of newly named franchises. First, is the Houston Dynamo. I'm not crazy about this new moniker. I'm with MLS FanGirl (who is getting added to the blogroll) on this one, it just doesn't sound right. Eric hits the nail on the head when he suggests it sounds too much like a Cold War Eastern European name.

The team's original name was Houston 1836. However, as Houston was "acquired" from Mexico in a less than friendly fashion, many in the local community frowned on naming the club after the year of the city's birth. A tad too PC for me, but fair enough. MLS and Houston ownership group doesn't want to offend what might be the largest portion of their fanbase and I can understand that.

However, as Eric astutely points out that, perhaps, some should research Sam Houston, for whom the town was named, before complaining about the 1836 tag. However, if that occurred, it would only start up a political correctness parade which would lead to no name whatsoever. Maybe Dynamo isn't so bad, after all.

Houston wasn't alone in the name change game. Red Bull, yes, those behind the energy drink, bought the New York/New Jersey Metrostars. Right on cue, the parent company changed the team's name to New York Red Bulls. I've also heard it referred to as Red Bull New York. Obviously, this name changed has gotten some folks more wound up then they would be after a six pack of Red Bull.

First, the N.J. supporters feels left out in the cold. After all, the team does play in N.J. Then there are the Metrostars fans, many of whom own Metrostars (now retro) apparel, who just aren't embracing the new title. There are those who frown upon the corporate tackiness of the name, as well. Honestly, I kind of like Red Bull New York, but I also thought the team should have been named Cosmos after the NASL powerhouse right from the beginning, so what do I know?

* Let's see, any other football related topics I'd like to address? Everton have been redhot since January 1. Hmmm. Who thought they would struggle until after the holidays? Blind squirrel theory in action there. Nonetheless, I am quite pleased with the turnaround.

I'm still rooting for the Toffees and Nottingham Forest. I still support Reading, as well, but that's mostly because of Bobby Convey. For some unknown reason, I just like Everton and Forest. I know, I'm nuts for caring about English football.

* Finally, yes, I debated joining a MLS fantasy league. I haven't done so as of yet mostly because I am a casual fan and feel my knowledge of the league overall is woefully inadequate for the task. Of course, I'm in way over my head with the English Premier League fantasy league team I've got, so maybe I should give the domestic league a try.

Edwards? Drummond? Kitna?

2006-03-14T22:29:00.000-05:00

I wish I could clearly articulate just how perplexed I am with the Detroit Lions foray into free agency as of this moment. Yet, as a lowly, simple minded blogger, I am unable to find the words to suffice. I do take some solace in knowing that there are still some productive free agents remaining and the draft cometh. However, right this moment, I am left utterly amazed at the futility that is our football club.

That Can't Be Right

2006-03-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

I see where the Detroit Free Press sports section was named one of the ten best in the country. Is anyone else wondering just how bad the other nine have to be? The Freep sports section has been on a steady decline for years. I regularly find it laughably underwhelming. There are days I pick up the entire section and can see through it. Not just light, but actually objects on the other side. How is that one of the top sports sections in the land?

Tommy Amaker's Reign

2006-03-11T15:06:00.000-05:00

In the interest of complete disclosure, I should preface my post with the following: I'm a Tommy Amaker fan. I remember him from his playing days at Duke. He was a tough defensive player on a winning team. As such, I wanted Amaker as Michigan's coach. Even when Brian Ellerbe got the gig, I thought Amaker should have. I want Amaker to stay as Michigan coach. However, I cannot come up with a single reason that he should.

Yes, Amaker's stabilized the program. With all due respect to Amaker, couldn't Michigan have found about 100 guys to do that? I mean they were a step above the old UNLV program when Amaker arrived. Michigan's administration almost could have chosen anyone with an ounce of credibility and stopped the bleeding. However, wouldn't some of them posted better records? The problem for Amaker is that his record is only part of the dilemma.

I don't believe that very many of his upper classmen are much better basketball players then when they arrived. His recruiting has been good, not great. His team's play appears unorganized and his decision making can be questioned. Finally, and this may be my biggest issue with the guy I wanted, Amaker refuses to sell his program. He just won't get in front of cameras and microphones and promote the university's program--his program.

This closed door approach might work for coaches with Final Fours under their belt. Coach K, Roy Williams, Bobby Knight, Jim Calhoun can basically do whatever they want. Closed practices, open practices, talk to everyone, talk to no one. It's their choice. Their record, their program's history speaks for itself. Michigan and Coach Amaker cannot afford that. Michigan is not a basketball school and it's head basketball coach needs to sell the program to the alumni and fans here as much as he needs to promote it to potential recruits. Yet, Coach Amaker is oddly absent from the public's eye (and ear).

Michigan needs to get itself onto the college basketball map. There are two ways to accomplish that- sell the program relentlessly to all that will hear and win games. I don't think Amaker has done either. While I don't think that Michigan's administration has any idea about firing him, I'm his fan and even I find myself asking why he should stay.

More Team, Less Dream

2006-03-01T20:13:00.000-05:00

The invitees to USA Basketball's Olympic team tryouts have been leaked out. Thankfully, it seems that the powers-that-be have opted for a more balanced approach to roster building than just tossing whichever All-Star Game participants are willing to show up together and assuming victory will follow. (Just ask Larry Brown how well that went.) No, the team that dons the red, white and blue in Beijing in 2008 may actually be a team.

Sure, the usual assortment of highlight reel members are going to be in USA Basketball's Olympic camp. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce, and Dwayne Wade are present and accounted for. However, role players like Bruce Bowen, Brad Miller and Shane Battier are vying for roster spots, too. It appears that USA Basketball has finally learned a lesson--a team is more than just guys all wearing the same jersey. It's something their hockey brethren to the north have understood for quite a while.

As long as I can recall, when Hockey Canada assembled a national team, they have always included role players. Yes, the big scorers get the media attention, but the Canada squad has always had defensive defensemen, shorthanded specialists and a checking line. A darn impressive checking line, mind you, but a checking line nonetheless.

This more "team" centered approach, while leaving some stars at home, is how guys like the Red Wings Kris Draper gets to wear the maple leaf in the Olympics. Wayne Gretzky knows hockey is about scoring, but it's also about killing penalties, winning faceoffs and beating your opponent to lose pucks. It's the reason that Canada generally does rather well even when suiting up NHL players. They don't forget to take guys along to do the dirty work and who aren't going to whine about sitting too much.

(A side note: I discount this year's Olympic result for Canada. They are in transition. Guys like Joe Thornton, Rick Nash and others are dynamic players, but have never had the pressure of being "The Man" in a big situation. Few situations are bigger for Canadian players than putting on that sweater and some of them just weren't ready. They will be next time. Sorry, for the unrelated tangent, but I had to get that in.)

Ironically, this is the same approach to assembling a team that USA Basketball used of years when the college kids represented the country. They gathered a wide group of players, held real tryouts and selected the best unit. That sometimes meant some big names didn't make it. More often than not, you had some lesser known players on the roster selected to play specific roles. This method yielded decades of success. Perhaps, now that the rest of the world has caught up to the US in basketball success, the NBA driven squad will follow the old formula of putting together a team.

Now, picking which 12 players go to China will be a challenge. To see for yourself, go to this ESPN.com poll and pick your twelve. While we don't agree on every single slot, Bill Simmons has chosen a team that basically I would have. We also agree on a number of very specific items in regards to the roster.

We both think Kobe Bryant will make the team even if it's not the best thing for the team. We both think Chauncey Billups should start. We both believe Chris Paul needs to be on this team. Neither one of us, nor any reasonable person, can figure how Luke Ridnour got the nod over Kirk Hinrich? It makes no sense. (No offense, Luke, Kirk's just better. That doesn't mean you aren't good, though.)

In addition to the points Mr. Simmons and I concurred on, I also thought that Tayshaun Prince could have been a valuable guy for the USA (he can play D, multiple positions and hit a three), but I realize there are only so many invitations going out. I also am a bit disappointed that Alan Iverson didn't get a call. I'm not an Iverson guy, per se, but whenever USA Basketball went looking for volunteers, A.I. was the first to raise his hand. That's more than I can say for Shaq, Kobe and a number of other NBA stars. For that, I thought The Answer earned an invitation at minimum.

Now, all this said, Jerry Colangelo and the honchos over at USA Basketball, in cooperation with the NBA, of course, could still opt to make this Dream Team XVIIXL or whatever number we are on now. (Note: There was only one Dream Team regardless of what anyone, anywhere tells you.) They could take the traveling circus that would be Kobe vs. Shaq to China. They could opt for Amare Stoudemire's unproven, as of yet, knee over a healthier Chris Bosh. They could opt to leave the role players at training camp. However, I am hopeful with the announcement (ok, leak) of this list of players that USA Basketball has it's priorities in order. Build a team first, worry about marketing opportunities later.

It's Not A Classic. Yet.

2006-02-24T11:12:00.000-05:00

The World Baseball Classic is set to begin in less than a week. However, without a single pitch being thrown the international tournament is being met with yawns and complaints. I completely understand where the negativity is coming from, a large portion of the concern is justified, but I just can't by into it.

On the heels of the Winter Olympics, I understand that the average American sports fan probably isn't going to be in the mood for another international event. I can even comprehend why the average baseball fan isn't embracing the WBC. Baseball just doesn't have much international history to build on. (We all have fond memories of Ben Sheets stirring Olympic performance, don't we?) What little it does have is confined to amateur baseball which few people watch. In light of that, the collective apathy on display here in the United States is perfectly understandable.

The doomsayers, and there are plenty, have points of merit, as well. Could a player be seriously injured? Of course. Could losing a star cost a team it's chance at a World Series? Yes. Do all the players really want to play? Do they even want participate that much in a normal Spring Training environment? Of course, not. Is the event diminished because pitchers will be on pitch counts? Yes, it does.

Could the event be held at a better time of the year? Absolutely. I think between Thanksgiving and Christmas would be my first choice--marketing opportunities abound between the holidays (sell those Netherlands jerseys) and with college football winding down there is television time available. Are the rules regarding eligibility fuzzy to the point of being absurd? Yeah, probably, but does anyone think those Olympic downhill skiers from tropical locales are really living on an island most of the year?

Could Major League Baseball's initial foray into international competition been better constructed? Certainly, but to paraphrase a famous sailorman, the WBC is what it is. It's the inaugural event. It's a trial run. It's, hopefully, a warm-up for a bigger, better event down the road. It is, as many have accurately pointed out, much closer to an exhibition series. Again, the WBC is what it is--a Spring Training game.

After spending four paragraphs reviewing a partial list of objections, and agreeing with them, why do I still like this event? I like baseball. That's fairly well document around here. I like international events, too. Canada Cup hockey. World Cup soccer. Olympics--summer and winter. I watch them all. Put baseball and international competition together? What's not to like?

Oh, I admit there is a less positive side, but some of it's overblown. Players can get hurt, but they get hurt all the time. Some are injured falling down stairs or fishing. Would I like to see the eligibility rules more clearly defined? I guess so, but Steve Yzerman could have played for Canada in the Olympics if he chose to. Mr. Yzerman is now a United States citizen. Yet, I would not have lost sleep over Stevie Y. playing with a Maple Leaf on his jersey anymore than I am offended at Mike Piazza donning an Italy cap.

There are problems without a doubt. Yet, I think we are getting the cart before the horse. This isn't on the level of World Cup soccer by any means. Yeah, MLB's marketing arm is trying to shove it down our throats to a point, but let's keep this first one in perspective. Let's see what happens, both good and bad, and then draw some conclusions. I have limited expectations from this years WBC, but from my vantage point, I still see this tournament becoming significant.

All this event needs is history behind it. Rivalries need to be formed. Games need to be won in miraculous fashion and painful, perhaps, controversial losses need to occur. What the WBC needs most is passion. Right now, fans in the States just don't have an emotional investment. That kind of intensity, one which fuels debate over team selection and drives up television ratings, can only be built over time. This first WBC is just the platform on which that emotion will be built.

Now, you are probably still not willing to jump on board. That's fine. I expect to take this voyage alone. Baseball fans have over one hundred years of club baseball in their bloodstream. I don't expect you to suddenly toss your baseball priorities to your favorite MLB team to the curb, grab the old Stars and Stripes and embrace something that's in it's infancy. Of course, there are some folks who are more than warming up to WBC I.

Other nations, perhaps, all other nations in this tournament are geeked up about this. No, I don't mean their players. (Although, I suspect some of the players are, too.) I mean their fans. I've read where a number of foreign players are being pressured into playing. Fans in those countries embrace baseball, international competition and a chance at knocking off the U.S.A. at its own game. They expect their biggest stars to play. While they can continue to back-out, that strategy will only help them if their countrymen succeed. Fail, and those that took a pass might be under a bit more pressure next time around.

If you can't get behind some simple patriotism/jingoism (your choice), then, perhaps, I can get you to root for the success of the WBC for another reason. For all the things Bud Selig has done to annoy even the most casual baseball observer, in starting the WBC, he's done the right thing. Why? Because baseball really is an international sport. I've grown weary of hearing that it's not.

Just because Europeans are quite at the same level as Latin or Asian countries doesn't mean the Euros don't play or the sport isn't global. This isn't 1940. Participants are no longer limited to people living east of the Mississippi River and west of the Atlantic Ocean. I find this downplaying of baseball global appeal just a bit condescending. It's not global if the Europeans aren't good at it? No, it isn't as widely played as soccer, but baseball has reached beyond the U.S. Far beyond.

Another good reason to get behind this idea is that it takes money out of the pockets of the International Olympic Committee. It also annoys them (which delights me). The IOC wants baseball, but only if MLB stops it's regular season and plays during the Summer Games. They've been trying to blackmail Selig and USA Baseball for years--no MLB players, no baseball in the Olympics.

Sure enough, when a comprise wasn't reached, and the WBC appeared to be a reality, the IOC kicked baseball aside. To make matters worse, the IOC got so mad at MLB for denying the Olympic's superiority that they tossed out softball from the games, too. Why hurt the women because MLB players won't go? Because they are a spiteful, greedy lot. That's why.

So, while you might not like the timing of the WBC, remember it could be mid-July in China. The IOC could be making the money, too. Thanks to Selig's refusal to backdown from the IOC, we get the WBC. That alone should make everyone wish for the event to prosper.

All I ask is that you enter this event with an open mind. Don't raise your expectations beyond a reasonable level. Yes, pitchers will be on short leash. Yes, somebody may get injured. However, we might get some fairly entertaining baseball and the beginnings of something much better. It may not deserve the Classic tag, yet, but let's give it time.

Curling Crazy

2006-02-21T17:54:00.000-05:00

I began curling this past November. I started because I needed some exercise and wanted to find a winter sport that wouldn't be too demanding, as I am terribly out of shape, but still had some degree of competitiveness. So, curling it was. I've had fun learning the sport, but what has caught me by surprise is curling's popularity.

Nearly everywhere I go now, I find someone talking about curling. I went to the hospital to have a test and what does the technician tell me? Her nephew curls at Bowling Green University. When I tell a long time friend of mine that I started curling what does he tell me? He watches curling all the time. He and his wife were debating going to Canada to catch a bonspeil in Ontario. Fellow blogger and DIBS member, Billfer claims to curl once a year.

It's even invaded my wife's place of work. Seems one of her co-workers and a husband of another co-worker watch curling on the CBC, as well. They watch for hours. I don't believe either have ever tossed a stone, but they are glued to their televisions listening to skips yell "Hard!". (Insert Brokeback Mountain joke here.)

When I heard at the Curling Club that the second most watched Winter Olympic event four years ago was curling, I just kind of wrote it off as stuff people who love their sport are apt to say. It had to be some sort of fuzzy math that came up with that stat. I never knew of anyone that really watched curling. That's before I mentioned to people that I was curling.

Now, curling fans seem to be coming at me from all directions. I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised to learn that there are lots of closet curling fans. After all, I never knew a single person that said they watched NASCAR, either. Now, stockcar fans are swarming us like locusts. (Sorry, for that analogy, Al.) Apparently, they were all in the closet, too. (Another Brokeback Mountain joke opportunity. I'll leave it to your discretion.)

The "outting" of curling fans is now in full flight as the Olympics have given the sport airtime on world wide television. The sport is buzzing with all kinds of attention. The question, as it was posed to us by another blogging friend, Iain, is why?

Honestly, I'm not quite sure. I laughed off curling in years past, too, so it's seemingly robust following has caught me off guard. Let's see if I can guess why people watch. First, and, perhaps, most importantly, curling is often associated with beer. Beer is popular, thus curling is popular. That explains some of the participants, but it doesn't explain those watching, does it? (Even if they are tipping a Molson's while watching.)

It's a simple game requiring some complex thought. (Wow, do I sound like Crash Davis there.) Skips, like baseball managers, are expected to think two and three steps ahead of where the game is now. If we do this, they will do this. Like bowling or billiards, you have to recognize angles. Shots often have to be hit at precise angles to create specific results. This type of thinking tends to attract certain kinds of people. There appears to be a number of engineers at the club where I curl. However, it takes more than a few engineers who like beer to prop up curling's television ratings.

In the end, I suspect curling's mass appeal comes from it's simplicity. Not much equipment--rocks, brooms, ice. Pretty simple to figure out where the target is. It's plenty big, too. It's pace of play is steady, but nowhere near fast. (Plenty of time to grab a snack or Labatt's between shots.) Young and old, men and women can play. Much like another game it's compared to, bowling, I think curling's ability to attract that broad audience lends itself to wider appeal. Only curling has a bit of je ne sais quoi.

Whatever it is, curling's become the flavor of the day. (Google's actually got their Olympic figure curling today. Two stones comprise the O's.) Who knew I was on the cutting edge of a new trend?

The Zoo Debacle

2006-02-21T16:54:00.000-05:00

* Warning: This post is not about sports. Repeat. This post is not about sports. You have been warned. *

When we wonder why Detroit cannot seem to have a true, long term revitalization we need to look no further than the current controversy over The Detroit Zoo. The impasse over the Zoo's future is stuck exactly where the city as found itself for years--tangled in political in-fighting.

Everyone with a stake in the city's future, from public officials to private business, seem to be more worried about who gets the credit for a would-be Detroit revival, and lining up to cash in on it, that the city's progress comes in painfully slow baby steps. If it comes at all.

The battleground for Detroit's future is littered with disputes and distrust between the Mayor's office and city council, public and private organizations and the perpetual battle between the city and the region. Lying beneath the surface of all these economic and political conflicts is the ever-present racial undertones that paralyze the city, the region and the state's ability to move it's largest metropolis forward.

As I don't expect this political merry-go-round to stop anytime soon, I remain dubious of the city's latest renaissance. Like so many, I want to believe that Detroit can finally rebound from decades of loss, but the Zoo's plight only highlight problems that seem to have no answers. At a time when Detroit appeared to be on the doorstep of progress it appears that greed and political grandstanding remain the city's highest priority.

You Say Tomato, I Say Torino

2006-02-11T13:06:00.000-05:00

The Winter Olympics are only about twenty-four hours in and there's already plenty to comment on. I was going to start with the Opening Ceremonies, but Big Al at The Wayne Fontes Experience has done such a complete job summarizing the event, that I'll just provide you with a link to his post. Apparently, Big Al and I are in desperate need of more culture. Or not.

* One thing I do enjoy about the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, in particular, is the parade of nations. (Fine, it's the only thing I really enjoy.) I shake my head seeing the athletes from nations that have absolutely zero, or next to zero, shot at snow. Here comes Bermuda's sole athlete out of the tunnel. Kenya? Kenya has a winter Olympic team? Does Kenya have winter? I mean they may call in winter, but that just means it's hot not boiling, right?

You know these folks representing countries that really don't have winter training facilities are living in other nations year round or hold dual citizenship. I find it mildly amusing to see such tropical and desert environments participating in the Winter Olympics.

* Just for the record, I can't stand the International Olympic Committee. I may have stated that on this blog before, but it bears repeating. I can't stand the IOC. They are, without question, the most insidious, duplicitous and corrupt body in sport and, perhaps, on Earth.

* I awake this morning to learn that Michelle Kwan may be forced out of the Games. It's too bad, but I'm left wondering if the U.S. skating officials that gave her an injury exemption made a solid decision? She's been such a force in her sport, I can see why they might give her a pass even if she really wasn't fit. However, when the Olympics only come around once every four years, it might be best to send those fully able to compete. Some will never get another shot at it.

* Then there is good old NBC. And CNBC. And MSNBC. And USA, too. Four networks, still mediocre coverage. Why in the world can the CBC show events live, but NBC gives us tape delay? I'm kind of a television geek, so I can navigate multiple channels rather well, but the problem is with numerous events and four networks in action, where on Earth am I supposed to begin my search? Even when I'm searching, I find events I'm not interested in or no Olympic coverage at all.

With all the cash NBC pays to cover the Games, they should just bite the bullet and give up their regular broadcast schedule and televise the Olympics full-time for two weeks. You can still do a condensed replay model each night, but let's see the games as they happen. Pretend it's as important as your own marketing would have us believe it is.

* As far as my viewing habits are concerned, I do like most of the skiing events. Speed skating is fine, too. Hockey, obviously, is on the watch list. As is curling, bobsledding and luge. Maybe skelton, too. If I can note a pattern, none of the sports decided by judges rank too high on my interest radar.

* On the heels of hosting several successful big time sporting events, some in Detroit may be pondering a Detroit Olympic bid. I love the idea, but can't get my brain to buy the concept. The Olympics simply require too many structures to be built. An Olympic stadium alone would be a fortune and what in the world would we do with it afterwards? Same for any number of other venues required to host either Summer or Winter Games. In spite of the fact I love the idea of a Detroit PSL bobsledding title, I don't find the concept of hosting an Olympics to be a sound one financially.

Thanks For Nothing, Rick

2006-02-08T19:48:00.000-05:00

Rick Tocchet is about to raise my blood pressure. Not because he's allegedly involved in a big time gambling operation that involves organized crime, but because his possible indiscretion is going to bring the whole gambling on sports issue back to the forefront. Honestly, that's something I just don't need.

As a sports fan since the mid-Seventies, I've had to accept a number of things. Expansion. Contraction. Teams changing cities. Big, big money contracts. Free agency. Salary caps. Players demanding to renegotiate contracts. Lockouts. Strikes. Lost seasons. Cheaters. The perpetual arrests. I've learned to deal with most of these things in a very constructive, patient and philosophical manner. Gambling on sports, however, I will never come to grips with.

I have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to gambling on sports. If I were commissioner, I'd enact league bylaws to prohibit all the players from any form of wagering. Old fashioned? Yes. Unconstitutional? Perhaps, but gambling is still illegal in many states, so maybe not. Stubborn? Ridiculous? Overreaching? Absolutely.

Why do I hold such an anti-gambling stance? I guess it's because I don't want there to be any indication that the sports we watch are contrived. I don't even want to consider the possibility that the miracles of sports history were, perhaps, not quite so miraculous. I don't want anyone to think that the player on their team that made a huge mistake or played poorly in the big game did so because he might owe his bookie money. When it comes to gambling, opening the door even a little bit is opening Pandora's Box.

This is why I am so angry at Tocchet. The charges about to be brought against him are only going to stir sports talk radio debate about gambling. They are going to be the subject of endless columns. They are going to bring Pete Rose back to the forefront. I can do without all three, the latter, in particular. (I'll save my complete thoughts on Rose's situation for another post, as it's a big subject, but let's just say I'm not in favor of his inclusion in the Hall of Fame.)

Already, Frank Deford is wondering what all the fuss about gambling is for? (First two words in his piece? Pete Rose. Told you so.) After all, don't foreign lands use soccer results to determine lottery winnings? Yes, they do, Mr. Deford. The leagues openly condone and promote gambling on their sport as well. Did you also know that Germany just went through a huge scandal where referees were caught fixing soccer matches?

Do you know that a great many people think some foreign leagues, including some prominent ones, are fixed? That players don't always play quite as hard, especially late in the year? Do you know that most of the world still believes that when the U.S. team advanced in the last World Cup, the fix was in? Yeah, that open minded view of gambling has worked out real well.

Deford argues that other off-field problems should be a bigger concern. Sure, I'd love to see pro sports leagues go after players that beat their spouses, drive drunk or assault someone, but isn't that what our judicial system is supposed to do? The punishment for those missteps are not the league's jurisdiction, but few fans would argue if teams started to crack down on those players involved in such activity. Although, I suspect the ACLU might come knocking on their door.

When it comes to gambling, the general premise of the game is at stake. It's the league's primary job to keep their game away from such implications. If we took Deford's advice, don't you think most NFL fans would suspect the fix was in during the Super Bowl? I was rooting for the Steelers, but if I thought the league condoned gambling, even I might be tempted to think the refs might have money on the guys from Pittsburgh. Is that the kind of environment you desire?

Do we really want our pro leagues to start embracing gambling? Do we want to end up like international soccer fans, wondering if every blown call or bad play was unfortunate or predetermined? Do we want to wonder if every guy that misses a game is sitting out due to injury or is just doing someone a "favor"? Do we really want to even debate the legitimacy of gambling by our pro athletes? Thanks to Tocchet, we'll get no choice. The debate is on.

It's Martz. Again. (We Think.)

2006-02-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

If we are to believe the breaking news, Mike Martz has agreed to become the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator. Again. Of course, the national media boys aren't reporting this as a done deal, but I can't say that I blame them.

Regardless, we know what the deal is with Mr. Martz, don't we? Martz' arrival in Motown is one of high risk versus high reward. Few doubt Martz can develop quarterbacks. Many think Martz is the brightest offensive mind in the league. Much to my surprise, I understand Martz is quite the disciplinarian, as well. All pretty good things.

Conversely, we all realize that Martz brings baggage. He was serious ill most of this past off-season. We know he really covets the title of head coach, not offensive coordinator. Like most supposed geniuses, Martz lets his concepts get in the way of common sense from time to time. Martz' quirkiness (is that a word?) was revealed to all during this on again, off again negotiation process. These are all things that make you wonder why the Lions pursued Martz so hard.

However, I think I'm going to follow the notion provided by new Lions head coach, Rod Marinelli. At his introductory press conference, Marinelli made it clear to all that he prefers action over words. He said that there was often "too much talk" in football. He wanted to be judged by what we see on the field. Well, Coach, I'm on board.

I'm not going to worry about the Lions rookie leader, the new offensive coordinator, their relationship or much else about the make-up of Marinelli's new staff. No, what I am going to do is wait and see. I'm going to heed Marinelli's suggestion and have him prove to me that this new version of the Lions is different. Until I see the film, as the new guy likes to say, I'm reserving judgment. I'll probably stay a bit more stable this way.

SBXL: The Good, The Bad And The Ugly

2006-02-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

As Super Bowl XL is still a topic of conversation in many places and as I haven't shared any of my thoughts on the event yet, I figure I'll get them all off my chest now. I've organized these concepts into three categories we are all familiar with. I'll start with the positives.

The Good
Hines Ward- The guy was XL's MVP, so he clearly did something right. The bottom line is that Ward is not only a Pro Bowl receiver, but one of the best players in the game regardless of position. He can catch, block, run and even throw. Just a great football player. Period.

Bill Cowher- Monkey, removed from back. Probably secured a Hall of Fame spot with the win. A great coach finally gets his due.

Jerome Bettis- I was a bit surprised at the depth of the Bettis Lovefest, but he has been a great guy and an equally good player. Enjoy retirement and the ring, Bus.

Pittsburgh Steelers- Again, this is obvious. No, they didn't play well, they just won. Five Super Bowl Championships ties them with Dallas and San Francisco for the most titles.

Matt Hasselbeck- I may be in the minority here, but I thought he played pretty well. I thought the pressure might get him, and maybe it did on the interception, but I was impressed with his performance.

Ray Lewis' and his suit- I'm not a Ray Lewis fan, but he was on the NFL Network's pre and post-game shows and was as well dressed as anyone. Very sharp suit. I don't know who picked out his wardrobe, but they get a thumbs up from me. Lewis also was exceptionally kind to Cowher in the post-game interview. A show of class for the coach of a hated rival. Very nice, Ray.

Detroit- Yes, we are still in self congratulatory mode here. If there was ever a shock and awe campaign, last week in The D was it. Most of the events went off very well. The city looked as good as it has in decades. Detroit deserves another Super Bowl, if it wants it.

The XL Volunteers- They were ever-present. Helpful. Polite. Probably frozen by Saturday night. A tip of the cap to all who helped out.

Roger Penske- The SBXL Organizing Committee chairman gets credit for running the ship. Everyone from the NFL to the city government to the feds deserve praise for pulling off a solid event, but Penske was the guy calling the shots. Well done.

The Bad
Officiating- You knew this was coming. The refs threw flags when they should not have. They missed calls. I thought they even made some stuff up. It was not a good night for the league's officials.

The Rules- Say what you want to about the guys in the stripes, but some of today's rules are crazy. The push off Darrell Jackson used in the end zone was a penalty. A ticky-tack penalty, but still a penalty. Like the Steelers' DB had any chance at making that play. Hasselbeck's non-fumble because of "contact" by a Steelers linebacker was called correctly, too. By rule, it's not a fumble. It's just a laughable rule. Don't even get me started on holding penalties.

Grey's Anatomy- Did you know that was coming up next?

Ben Roethlisberger- Big Ben was flat awful. The Steelers won in spite of him. Maybe he was hurt or something, but he just didn't look good at all. Of course, it doesn't say "Played Poorly" on his Super Bowl ring.

Jerramy Stevens- One TD catch, lots of drops. Most of the misses seemed liked they would have been deep in Pittsburgh territory. All of them hurt.

Grey's Anatomy- Did you know that was coming up next?

The Week Off- I hate the open week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. It just overhypes the game. In general, I believe its a major reason so many Super Bowls have been rather pedestrian events. The teams are either out of rhythm or completed overwhelmed come two weeks later.

Steve Maruicci- Did anyone else hear him say on the NFL Network's pre-game show "That a young quarterback's best friends are his running game and a good defense"? Did anyone hear me scream back "Then why did you only give Kevin Jones the ball ten times a game?!?!?!"?

Grey's Anatomy- Did you know that was coming up next? "Yes, I did. Did you know that of the millions of potential viewers watching the Super Bowl only about one percent give a rat's behind about what comes on after the game?"

Commercials- As overhyped as the game and just as bad.

Halftime- This is a bit unfair, as I can't tell you what happened at the half. I changed channels. It's nothing against the Rolling Stones, per se, I'm just a hater when it comes to halftime entertainment.

The Ugly
The Game- Let's be honest. Super Bowl XL was a pretty lousy game. Outside of Seattle's first quarter success on offense, both teams looked bad on both sides of the ball all night long. It was another anti-climatic Super Bowl.

Steelers Offensive Game Plan- Ken Whisenhunt may have cost himself a head coaching job with that game plan. He does deserve credit for the reverse pass play call. Other than that, I'm struggling to find much I liked about his decisions.

The Seattle Whining- Enough already. Yeah, the officials didn't help. They botched some stuff that hurt you. They didn't make Stevens drop almost everything thrown his way. They didn't miss two field goals. They didn't blow coverage on the reverse pass play. They didn't allow the longest run is Super Bowl history. They didn't mismanage the clock at the end of both halves. They did, however, miss a Stevens fumble. The refs hurt, but didn't cost the Seahawks the game on their own.

Yes, the crowd was pro-Steelers. Pittsburgh and Detroit are only about five hours apart. Of course, their fans made the trip. The cities are very similar (built on manufacturing) and Jerome Bettis and Larry Foote are Detroit natives. I'm not surprised Detroit adopted the Steelers. Finally, the Steelers are a national favorite like Dallas, Miami, Oakland and a few other NFL teams. Winning four Super Bowls and having been a solid franchise for the better part of thirty seasons give you a national following. If the Lions played the Dolphins in Atlanta, I would expect it to be a pro-Dolphins crowd. (We can only hope.) It's not a conspiracy, its the residue of prolonged success.

The Weather- Rain moved in Thursday, followed by wet snow by midday Saturday. Ugly as it was, it was better weather than the last time the Super Bowl was in Michigan.

The Hype- I'm an old school guy. I'm never going to be comfortable with the fact the Super Bowl has gone from the championship of pro football to a pigskin Mardi Gras. The event is now bigger than the game. Call me nuts, I still prefer it the other way around.

Martz Rumors Live On

2006-02-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

Oh, no. Not, again. Yes, friends, the on again, off again, on again, off for good Mike Martz to Detroit rumor is back on. Well, it's still alive as I type anyway. The Detroit Free Press reported this morning that the Lions might still be working on a deal to lure the ex-St. Louis head coach to town. Apparently, the Lions front office refuses to take "No" as an answer. (Didn't he admit he already said "Yes" once, too?)

We know I have reservations about bringing Martz in to run Detroit offense. This Fox Sports.com story does nothing to diminish my fears. If they can't even get the guy to cooperate long enough to sign a contract, why do they think he's going to be easy to work with if he takes the job?

Winter Blast Photos

2006-02-02T23:49:00.000-05:00

We did make it down for the Motown Winter Blast this evening. It was busy, as expected, and in spite of the rain, things were going rather smoothly as far as I could tell.

As suggested previously, Mrs. B.B. took photos. The first is a look at the RenCen. The organizers did a tremendous job lighting the downtown area. The building in the foreground to the right had Super Bowl themed photos projected onto it. Very cool.

Unfortunately, the pictures didn't capture the projected images very well, so I'm not posting any here. I'm also wondering if the scene will lose something during daylight? You can't get images like this at noon.

Winter Blast Photo

2006-02-02T23:43:00.000-05:00

A portion of Woodward Avenue aglow. The city was as clean and as vibrant as I have ever seen it. It was simply amazing. Photos alone don't tell the story.

Now, our shuttle bus ride back wasn't anything to be impressed with, but it was a minor problem in the big scope of things.

Winter Blast Photo

2006-02-02T23:39:00.000-05:00

This one is self explanatory. You knew I had to get some baseball related photo even during the Super Bowl hype.

Winter Blast Photo

2006-02-02T23:35:00.000-05:00

This shot is straight down Woodward looking north towards the Fox Theatre. You might be able to see the Fox's sign in the background.

The streets were loaded with people, as you might be able to tell if you look to the bottom right, and there were a number of parties underway.

Overall, we had a good time in the city Thursday night. The organizing committee, volunteers, sponsors and security force, especially Detroit's finest, deserve praise for their efforts.

Martz Mania

2006-01-28T23:07:00.000-05:00

ESPN.com is reporting that Mike Martz is contemplating joining the Detroit Lions as offensive coordinator. My reaction? Fear. Surprise. Hope. Mostly fear, though.

Martz is by most accounts an offensive genius. However, like many with the "genius" label, Martz is also considered a mad genius. He falls in love with his own offensive schemes no matter how wild they may be. (Double reverse on the goal line? No problem for Martz. Sure, it has almost no chance of working, but it was a surprising call.)

Now, before I get too whacky thinking about why Martz is running a four receiver set on fourth and goal on the one, I'm going to take a deep breath and wonder if Martz is really coming. This guy was just a head coach. Does he really want to play second fiddle to a rookie head coach? Even though the talk radio would be outstanding and the press would be able to mail in the '06 season if Martz arrived, the stories would write themselves, does an offensive genius really want to take direction from a man that's never even be a head coach before?

On the positive side, you do have to wonder what Martz could to with Joey Harrington and the cadre of receiving potential now on the Lions payroll. Could Detroit become The Greatest Show on Turf, Part II? Look at the numbers Martz' offense compiled in St. Louis. If he was given a Buddy Ryan-like pass by Marinelli (you do your thing, I'll do mine), could Martz actually make the Lions offense entertaining? Dare I say "Productive"?

This whole idea frightens me. It could be an absolute disaster. Typical Lions. Or it could be a stroke of genius. Mad genius.

XL Photo Blogging

2006-01-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

I ventured downtown this afternoon to get a look at the Super Bowl set-up. Things appear to be going well. There is certainly plenty of construction, renovation and demolition going on.

As I have yet to master the art of inserting multiple photos in one post and wrapping the text around the pictures, I'm going to have to just post one at a time. Annoying? Yes, but I think we will both be fine.

Me and Mrs. B.B., the official photographer of this blog, had a nice time strolling around town. We may head back for Winter Blast at the end of next week. If so, there may be more photos. Please don't let the anticipation keep you from sleeping, working, eating and the like.

XL Photo Blogging

2006-01-28T22:34:00.000-05:00

I found this to be interesting. Amongst all the set-up vehicles what do I find? These two trailers with the logo of the Baltimore Ravens on them? I have no idea what they house or why on Earth they both featured the Ravens logo, but there they were.

XL Photo Blogging

2006-01-28T22:16:00.000-05:00

Yes, it's your intrepid blogger. This rather pro-Pittsburgh sign was affixed at the end of a long sting of barricades in the Comerica Park parking lot between the stadium and Woodward. I'm guessing the rental company is from Pittsburgh. Anyway, as I'm rooting for the Steelers on this one, this shot seemed appropriate. (And, yes, that's a Steelers logo on my cap. Sorry, Sam. Hey, I love the Sox, spot me that.)

The bag? Yes, I spurred the local economy a bit. A Super Bowl XL cap and t-shirt have found their way to my house. A word of advice, as well.

My intial stop was at the Comerica Park retail shop which is one of the official sites for SBXL merchandise. I spotted a cap I liked, but it was $36. It was a basic adjustable cap with the official logo on it plus a Detroit February 5, 2006 tag line. That seemed a bit pricey. Sure enough, a walk about a block south of the park yielded the identical cap for $22. Everything in the store had much lower prices than the Comerica Park stop. Not surprising, but the price difference was rather significant. It was literally worth the block or two walk.

XL Photo Blogging

2006-01-28T22:09:00.000-05:00

Obviously, a pair of street signs for the game. The corporate logos on the bottom vary from sign to sign. These featured a product very popular in the B.B. household.

I was somewhat surprised to see that some All-Star Game signs remained. I suspect the city wants to remind tourists that lots of things have been happening in The D.

XL Photo Blogging

2006-01-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

Here is a shot of the RenCen complete with the Super Bowl XL logo and a Cadillac logo, of course. Hey, General Motors owns the place, I'll spot them their self-indulgence on this one.

Is The Turnaround Underway?

2006-01-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

I have been leery to get all warm and fuzzy about Michigan basketball. During Tommy Amaker's tenure in Ann Arbor, every time it appears the program is about to turn the corner, it doesn't. So, when everyone starts to jump upon the Michigan basketball bandwagon, I wait to see if it's even moving. However, today's triumph over Wisconsin is noteworthy. Dropping the Badgers means the Wolverines have now defeated two ranked programs in a week. According to the university's game report, it's the first time in twelve seasons that Michigan has been able to accomplish that.

The victory over Wisconsin, fresh on the heels of beating Michigan State, will certainly have Michigan ranked in the Top 25. It's not a Big Ten title, regular season or tournament variety, nor does it measure up to winning games in the NCAA Tournament, but it does give Amaker's squad something to build upon. It gives them some credibility. It should give them a degree of confidence. Most importantly, it gives them a better chance of skipping the annual NIT invite and playing with the big boys come March.

Progress under Amaker's watch has been slow for Michigan basketball. Painfully slow at times. Yet, perhaps, today's win will finally signal the beginning of a change of fortune in Ann Arbor. Only will time will tell if the back-to-back wins over ranked opponents can translate into the foundation of the turnaround or be just another false start.

Opposite Ends Of The Spectrum

2006-01-26T20:16:00.000-05:00

Here are two polar opposite columns. Gene Wojciechowski pleads for quieter, better behaved fans. Conversely, Andrea Canales is hoping for more noise from America's soccer supporters. I'm not sure what this means other than I found the difference interesting.

Numbers Game

2006-01-24T19:31:00.000-05:00

Since I last typed, a couple of numbers in the sports world caught my attention. The first is 81. By now, everyone that probably cares, and a large percentage of folks that don't, have heard that Kobe Bryant went nuts on the Toronto Raptors. Even though I'm late to the party, as I've been away from the PC for a couple of days, I wanted to toss in my two cents.

My blogging brethren have shared their thoughts on Bryant's prodigious output. Most aren't warming up to Bryant's performance. I think it's easy to pile on Kobe for one simple reason. He's made it easy. Kobe's been portrayed selfish. If we are to believe the rumors, he's the primary reason the Lakers' most recent dynasty crumbled. Bryant wanted to be king of Los Angeles and couldn't assume that position until the guy with the crown--Shaquille O'Neal--was out of town. As the owner likes Kobe, the Big Guy now works in Florida.

In addition, Bryant has always been perceived as an old school ball hog. His critics suggest Bryant takes far too many shots and passes far too little. A night when you drop 81 on somebody ain't going to make that perception go away.

His legal issues, which taint his PR stature, also fuel the critics fire and cloud the judgment of many. However, let's forget about everything that Kobe is or isn't for a minute. He scored 81 points in a NBA game. I'm sorry, but that still leaves me shaking my head.

It's three days later and I still find myself mumbling "81?!?! 81 points? 81 stinking points? Are you kidding me?" The critics point out the fact Bryant torched the hapless Raptors. They say it's only a regular season game. Well, that's all fine and good, but in the history of this league how many guys playing against crappy teams have canned 81 or more? Hint: It's a small list. Real small.

I've been watching the NBA since the mid-1970's and I've seen a number of big-time scorers apply their trade. Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Dominique Wilkins, George Gervin, David Thompson, Rick Barry, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Bernard King, Moses Malone, the list goes on and on, but not one has nailed 81 in a game. They all got to face some terrible competition at one point or another, but only Thompson's 73 came close to Bryant's Sunday night explosion.

In the interest of full disclosure, I think Bryant is everything people claim he is--selfish, a ball hog, intent on being the center of attention, a wondrous talent, perhaps, the finest player in the league. My perceptions aside, Bryant's 81 points are remarkable. The critics will still claim he took to many shots, didn't involve his teammates enough and was plain selfish. Probably so, but how many other selfish players in this league's history didn't pass to teammates and hoisted up tons of shots without coming remotely close to 81? That list is considerably longer than the list of guys with 81 or more points in a game.

Mammas Let Your Kids Grow Up To Be Golfers
$250,000. That's the second number that gave me pause while reading my Monday sports section. Any idea where that number came from? Kobe's per point salary? Nope. Amount each NFL player got for winning a conference title? Guess again. Amount of money I would need to watch Skating with the Stars? Sorry, incorrect. (Although, if you are offering, you know where to email me, right?)

No, the $250,000 was the amount of money won by Loren Roberts. Don't recognize Mr. Roberts' name? That's ok. That's what I'm here for. Loren Roberts is a professional golfer. A good one. He's won some on the PGA Tour and played in the Ryder Cup. Roberts is regarded as one of the better putters on tour in recent years. Why did his weekend earnings merit my attention? Because Roberts won it on the Seniors Tour.

The Senior Tour? Oops. Sorry, Mr. Finchem, Roberts won the initial foray in '06 on The Champions Tour. Whatever they call it, it's the golf tour exclusively for the over fifty crowd. Now, think about that amount, again. $250,000. Am I way off base or doesn't that seem like a darn large chunk of change for winning a senior golf event?

A career of hitting a little white ball all over lush green fields while following the warm weather wherever it goes and cashing checks is followed by a retirement of the same? Forget annuities and Roth IRA's, somebody hand me a driver.

There are two lessons here, I think. First, teach your children golf. It's a great game. Even if your wonderkid doesn't become Tiger Woods, you can make a great living and a spectacular retirement without winning ($250,000 was only good enough for fourth place on the regular tour event). Second, I need to head to the driving range. I'm nine years from my potential Champions Tour debut.

Out Of Town Football News

2006-01-21T15:05:00.000-05:00

As per usual in mid-January, football action does occur, it's just far beyond metro Detroit. Starting on the other side of the pond, Everton beat Arsenal, 1-0. I'm sort of surprised. Ok, I'm thrilled to see the Toffees upend the Gunners. Didn't Arsenal just win a match 7-1 not long ago? Have Everton even scored seven goals since the new year began? Regardless, Everton is sneaking up the Premiership. I'd discuss Nottingham Forest's disappointing draw, but frankly you didn't care about the Everton match, so.....

Onto football you probably do care about. I rarely make picks around here, but I'm feeling adventurous so here is my take on the conference championship games. If you ask anyone who knows me reasonably well they will tell you I support two NFL teams--Detroit and Pittsburgh. While this means I clearly want the Steelers to triumph tomorrow, I'm getting the feeling Denver is going to emerge victorious. Why? Well, even though the Broncos are the betting favorite and they are at home, the Steelers are getting all the love.

If you've watched the coverage of the AFC title game, you'd get the feeling Pittsburgh was the favorite. Knocking off Indianapolis, everyone's Super Bowl favorite, coupled with two road playoff wins has made the Steelers the trendy pick. However, the Broncos have quietly dispatched nearly everyone this year including sending the champion Patriots home early. I'm going to hope the Steelers get the job done, but if I am going to guess a winner, I'm guessing Denver. (Please, please, Steelers, get two more wins. Please and thank you.)

In the NFC, I've got no gut feeling. Seattle would seem like the team to beat. However, a part of me just can't get past the fact they are still the Seahawks. The Panthers have a bit more post-season success, including a Super Bowl appearance. (I still can't get over the Panthers have been in a Super Bowl and the Lions haven't.) I like Jake Delhomme just a bit better than Matt Hasselbeck. So, I'll take Carolina in a close game.

Color Me Gray

2006-01-19T13:10:00.000-05:00

It's been said you are one of two types of people. You are either the type that believes the proverbial glass is half full or you're the kind of person that sees the glass as half empty. When it comes to being a fan of the Detroit Lions, I think it's safe to say that many occupy the latter segment. Nearly fifty years of futility doesn't engender positive thought. Yet, when it comes to our beloved Honolulu Blue and Silver, I no longer see the glass as half empty or half full. It's just the same old stinking glass I've been staring at forever.

I want to be optimistic about Rod Marinelli as Detroit Lions coach. I, obviously, want him to lead the Lions to the success they haven't had since 1957. I want to be all fired up about the 2006 season. I want to be ready for training camp today. I'm not. I'm not even close.

It's not Marinelli's fault. I have no idea if he's the right guy or not. I admit that I tend to doubt he's the long term solution, but as I wish to be positive, I'll give the new guy a chance. It's just haven't we all been here, done that, before?

Marinelli's a tough guy. A military guy. A no nonsense guy. A guy the polar opposite of former coach Steve Mariucci. That's just the thing the Lions need, right? Well, maybe. Wasn't Bobby Ross a tough guy? Wasn't he a task master? How did that work out? Unlike Marinelli, Ross was not only a head coach before arriving in the Motor City, but he led San Diego to the Super Bowl. However, Ross failed here just like all the others since '57. So forgive me if Marinelli's direct, stern approach doesn't have me doing cartwheels.

I've sat through offensive gurus, defense first guys, college coaches, first time coaches, re-treads, old guys, young guys, soft guys, tough guys and everything in between. All have crashed and burned attempting to right the ship that is the Detroit Lions Football Club. Maybe Marinelli changes that pattern. Maybe he doesn't. Regardless, I just can't get myself excited about his arrival.

I'm sure Marinelli's age doesn't help. The fact he's never been a head coach anywhere bothers me as does the fact he's never been elevated to a coordinator's role. I'm sure my desire to see Tim Lewis get the job colors my opinion, too. And realizing Marinelli sounded quite a bit like Matt Millen did on his first day (lots of football rhetoric, not much idea what he was getting into) doesn't make me feel very good. Yet, with all that said, could Marinelli turn this team into a playoff team next season? Yes, I think he can.

Marinelli's enthusiasm and desire to teach are evident. If Matt Millen can help his new hire by filling a few roster holes and Marinelli's motivation can stir some of his players out of their malaise, then the playoff are possible in short order. However, an occasional playoff appearance isn't what I am hoping for. If Marinelli comes in and goes 8-8, their will be a party in his honor next year. 9-7 and people will be talking about Canton. I'll still be waiting for more substantial results.

What I wanted out of this hire, and what Marinelli may yet provide, is a long term answer to the Lions problems. I'd like to see the losing mentality around this franchise disappear. I'd like to see the Lions have a streak of four or five consecutive years in the playoffs. I'd like to see the Lions not only make the playoffs consistently, but advance deep into them. I'd like fans in other cities to think that for their team to win the Super Bowl, they've got to worry about beating Detroit. I want the Lions to win the Super Bowl not just host it.

Is Rod Marinelli the type of coach to guide the Lions to that kind of success? I honestly don't know. My heart hopes so, my mind has doubts. Thus, I'm left where I always am as a Lions fan--looking at the same philosophic half glass of water.

Breaking News: It's Marinelli

2006-01-18T19:09:00.000-05:00

ESPNEWS and the Detroit Free Press are reporting the Detroit Lions are going to name Rod Marinelli as head coach. Check out this post from Ian at Sweaty Men Endeavors for some outside perspective on Marinelli.

Update: Fox Sports' Jay Glazer is reporting that Marinelli didn't make his flight out of Metro tonight. Isn't that how the Lions landed Marty Morninweg?

It's got to be a done deal. SI.com via the Associated Press is reporting this, too. Looks like we have a new sheriff in town.

That's One Down, But Who Is Left?

2006-01-17T19:31:00.000-05:00

For those of you playing along at home, scratch Mike Singletary off your list of potential Detroit Lions head coaches. ESPN.com is reporting that Singletary has been told he's been voted off Lions' Island.

I hate to say this, but with Singletary out and Maurice Carthon and Tim Lewis getting zero buzz around town, I'm beginning to wonder about "token interviews". To date, there's not been a single sign indicating any man of color was (or is) seriously in the running for the Lions gig. Now, there could be very legitimate reasons for that, but you have to wonder what the Lions' brass is looking for?

Do they want a guy with credentials? Lewis is a coordinator, not a position coach. He's coached solid units under Bill Cowher and Tom Coughlin. He's been to the playoffs. How much more experience do you need to have? Yet, in spite of this, Lewis has gotten almost no play around town. Either he's not in the running at all or Matt Millen has done a masterful job decoying every writer in the land.

I'll give the Lions and Millen the benefit of the doubt that they haven't earned. I'll just assume Lewis just isn't their cup of tea. Fine. Then why are the white position coaches still in the running, but Singletary is bounced at the first opportunity?

Russ Grimm and Rod Marinelli are far more suited to run the Lions than Singletary? Forgive me, but I'll take Singletary over both. Maybe that's just my remembering his playing career so fondly, but I just envision Singletary as an organized workaholic. If Singletary is a reach because this is so early in his coaching career then should I assume he never had a chance at the job anyway? Wouldn't that define "token interview"?

Each day that passes, this process just gets uglier and uglier. There are rumors that Jim Haslett will be the Lions new coach by tomorrow. It's about the third such rumor in the last ten days. Each time, however, a different coach was named. I'm hoping this is just smoke being blown about and that Lewis, my favorite from the outset, is still a viable candidate. Somehow, though, I just don't get the feeling that's very likely.

That's Why We Watch

2006-01-16T13:08:00.000-05:00

I'm not a reality TV fan. Reality TV is an oxymoron if there ever was one. Like jumbo shrimp or MTV News. I also don't know why anyone needs scripted reality when the actual stuff is far more interesting. The entire spectrum--from the mundane to the amazing to the absurd in life--plays itself out in non-fiction form on a regular basis. That's, in part, why I think I still find sports so compelling. Just about anything imaginable can happen and eventually will. We need look no further than the last six minutes of yesterday's NFL Playoff tilt between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis to see that in vivid color.

Most of you know the backdrop of the game. The Colts were the number one seed in the conference and the Steelers barely made the playoffs. Uber-QB Peyton Manning and company were penciled into Super Bowl XL by many pundits and fans alike. The Steelers were already after thoughts.

When the run-happy Steelers used their aerial attack to jump out to a 14-0 lead over the pass-happy Colts, the drama had begun. However, neither a half or three-quarters do a game make. It's what happened in the last half dozen minutes that reminds us why we watch sports to begin with.

When the game clock dropped below six minutes left, the contest's momentum took the first of many dramatic turns. Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu intercepted a Manning pass. Up 21-10, it appeared the Steelers were in control of the game. Sure, there was a review underway to confirm that the Steelers safety had made the pick, but everyone could see that Polamalu had intercepted the pass. You knew it. I knew it. The announcers (eventually) knew it. The Colts knew it. Their fans most certainly knew it. Anyone who had seen any amount of football in their lives could make this call. Except one guy wearing a striped shirt.

The official decided it was an incomplete pass due to something he referred to as a failure to complete "a football act". What?!?!? A football act? Who has ever heard of such a thing? Suddenly the NFL's interception rule was turned into interpretative dance. Did the Russian judge nail Pittsburgh? Apparently, catching the ball and rolling over a couple of times, with possession, does not constitute a catch in the mind of this whistle-blower. After several minutes of reviewing replay angles, the guy still managed to botch the call. It was unbelievable. Instead of wondering if the Steelers were going to run out the clock, the Colts were given another chance. They didn't fail.

Manning promptly marched Indianapolis down the field. The Colts scored a touchdown and made a two point conversion. The game that just a few minutes prior seemed to be over was now anything but complete. The fans were re-ignited. Momentum, if you believe in such things, was clearly the Colts' ally. Indy now only needed a field goal to tie. A touchdown on their home turf would probably secure a victory. With that high octane offense and the emotional boost, surely Indianapolis would score again, right?

Conversely, the Steelers and most football observers were debating the merits of replay and wondering if an official's call would shake Pittsburgh's upset chance? What's the point of stalling the game for another five or ten minutes so an official can make such a glaring error? Wasn't replay designed to eliminate just this type of thing?

Yet, the Colts never mustered much offense the rest of the way. The Steelers defense, which was the story of the game, did not yield. In fact, on a fourth down and long play with 1:20 to go, Manning got sacked by linebacker Joey Porter and the Steelers had the ball on the doorstep of the Colts endzone.

Finally, the Steelers triumph had been secured. At worst, the Steelers would take a knee four times and force the Colts to march the length of the field with little time left. They could also kick a field goad and eat up most of the time remaining in the process. The best case scenario for Pittsburgh would be to score another touchdown and seal an impressive road victory. Any of those three options would advance the Steelers to the AFC Championship Game. None of them occurred.

On the very next play, Jerome Bettis fumbled the ball. Bettis, who hadn't fumbled in a forever, coughed up the rock. You could feel the game hang in the balance as the ball floated away from The Bus. The Steelers remarkable day was about to be ruined by a fumble from a future Hall of Famer on the brink of retirement. It couldn't happen this way, Bettis' last play being a game changing fumble, but it was going to be.

Colts DB Nick Harper scooped the ball and began downfield. The game was over. It had to be. A defensive back was racing towards the opponents goal line with only the Steelers quarterback between him and playoff immortality. Harper even had a couple of teammates around to help lead the way. With each yard Harper gained, the Colts moved closer to a date with Denver. Indianapolis was about to stage the most improbable comeback in the most dramatic fashion in recent memory. Or not.

Somehow, Ben Roethlisberger tackled Harper by his shoe. While the Steelers were still alive, things didn't look good. The last time old Mr. Momentum tapped the Colts on the shoulder, Manning marched Indy into the endzone. This time, even a field goal would keep the Colts Super Bowl dreams alive. You had to think the Colts were going to get at least three points. The game was either going to be headed for overtime or Indy would pull of this miraculous comeback in regulation. They did neither.

Indianapolis moved the ball from their 42 yard line to Pittsburgh's 27. That left Mike Vanderjagt to kick a game tying field goal. Vanderjagt rarely misses. Ever. He was at home. On turf. Indoors. This game was destined for overtime. How much more could either team have left emotionally to play OT? Could there be even more of this stuff? How could Pittsburgh lose this game sitting on Indy's two yard line up three with about one minute left? They didn't.

Vanderjagt's attempt to send this game into another stanza went wide right. Way wide. It was never close. It would be amazing if you hadn't watched the previous six minutes. It was a fitting end to this bizzaro game. You had running team passing to gain a lead. You had the high powered offense fizzle. You had an official redefine an interception. The road team jumped to an early lead, the home team mounted a comeback. You had the guy who never fumbles, fumble. You had the guy who doesn't tackle, make a game saving tackle. You had the kicker who doesn't miss, miss.

Let's face it, if you wrote a screenplay with this stuff it would be so unbelievable I doubt anyone would buy the idea. It's just too implausible to happen let alone occur in a six minute span. Yet, it's why we watch sports. The gigantic emotional swings. Seeing the unimaginable become reality. Knowing that underdogs can triumph. You keep can keep your reality TV, I'll stick to mine.