Baseball's Hall

If you read my last post, you know I warned you about photos from my vacation. If you didn't read my previous post, shame on you.

Here is the primary entrance to one of my favorite places on Earth, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Much has changed at the Hall since my first visit almost thirty years ago. However, it remains a special place for many of the same reasons it captured my imagination in the Seventies.

It is, perhaps, the only place on Earth where the game's stature hasn't been diminished by time. The labor discord, the big money deals and all of the game's ills are on display, but they are pushed aside under the weight of over one hundred years of history. The game is, as it once was, the center of the sports world.

At the Hall, Babe Ruth is still larger than life. Jackie Robinson is still stealing home. Willie, Mickey and The Duke still roam centerfield in NYC. The Dead Ball Era lives on.

Ty Cobb is as surly and proficient as ever. Roberto Clemente is making basket catches. Bud is still trying to explain to Lou that "Who is on first".

In the Cooperstown shrine the echoes of Bobby Thompson's homer and Lou Gehrig's farewell speech can still be heard. Ebbets Field is alive and well.

Fans huddle around radios and televisions following every play of every game. Ernie Harwell, Curt Gowdy and Harry Caray are still behind the mike. Boxscores remain mandatory reading.

Kids in the country are playing the game in an open field, while kids in the city are playing stickball in a crowded street.

The Hall of Fame is a living, breathing timeline of the game. It provides both a history of baseball and of our nation. It exposes it's own shortcomings, but overwhelmes them in a celebration of the game.

I could go on for quite a while in this Bart Giamatti-esque rambling about the Hall. I won't as a courtesy to you, but I could.

While I don't approach the place with quite the same awe as a young boy, I do cherish the Hall because it not only maintains the essence of what baseball should be, but still, on occasion, gives me the same feeling about the game as I had so long ago. I consider that to be worthy of a sappy paragraph or two.

Note: I promise future posts concerning my Hall of Fame vacation will not be as sentimental.

Back Home

Hi, boys and girls. You may have been wondering where I have been. (Honestly, I suspect you are thinking "What a terrible blog", but that's not as self-serving. Nor does it make for as good a segue.) Well, I went on a little road trip. Where did I go? In order, I visited the Hockey Hall of Fame, Baseball Hall of Fame and Soccer Hall of Fame. Six days. Two countries. Three Halls. 1,400 miles (approximately).

I will discuss the road trip at greater length in my next post, unless something bigger happens between now and then. For now, though, I want to review some topics I may have addressed had I been sitting where I am now and not in Ontario or New York.

* First, Jim Leyland's hiring. It's hard not to like Leyland. He's seems like an honest guy. Although, I remain fearful of him bolting a sinking ship as he did Colorado. It's even harder to argue with his credentials. He is precisely what Alan Trammell was not-experienced. Success in two cities, Miami and Pittsburgh, should give him far more respect in the clubhouse. In theory, anyway.

What's not difficult to argue is the short-sighted way Dave Dombrowski approached the matter. I don't care if Bruce Fields and Juan Samuel were willing participants in the minority interview charade that took place, it's still wrong. It's also wrong not to interview, in no particular order, Jim Tracy, Ken Macha, Don Baylor, Cito Gaston (whose inability to land another job gives me great pause) and any number of other credible candidates.

At the press conference where Leyland was announced as manager, Dombrowski first said that many of those men became available "after" Leyland was hired. Well, if you would have waited say, oh-I-don't-know, maybe an hour after the season ended, perhaps, a larger base of candidates would have emerged. Wasn't every media source speculating that both Tracy and Macha were about to get the boot?

When pressed on the issue, Dombrowski claimed to "like" all the names brought to his attention, but liked Leyland better. Fair enough, but I have to think Dombrowski has put all his eggs in Leyland's basket. If Leyland fails for any reason, he will probably be the last Tigers manager Dombrowski names.

* For those fans who were always uncomfortable with a coaching staff that resembled a 1984 Tigers reunion tour, how do you feel about a Pittsburgh Pirates reunion tour at Comerica Park in 2006? Leyland, Gene Lamont (he's an ex-Tiger, too), Lloyd McClendon, Andy Van Slyke, Rafael Belliard and Don Slaught are on the Tigers coaching staff and are all ex-Bucs. Three ex-managers on staff does give this group tons of experience, but we will see if the results improve with all the ex-Pirates in charge of the ship.

* The Lions won. I didn't see or hear a minute of it. Nor have I read a thing about it, either. Anyone care to enlighten me on this one?

* I also know that Michigan lost to Minnesota. That's 3-3 on the year for Michigan. The Motor City Bowl gets closer and closer.

* Hockey is back. I was in Toronto for the Maple Leafs opener (no, I didn't go) and was impressed with the zeal the town had for their team. Why? Because I wonder if any other city, with any other sport would have been as keyed up as TO was after losing an entire season due to a labor/management dispute?

There are a number of people who still hate other sports, most notably baseball, for their lockouts/strikes. The majority of hockey fans in Toronto, at least from the impression I got, weren't anything other than happy to have their sport back. That's a limited perspective, I admit, but it was interesting to note the difference in tenor.

Finally, I'm happy to be back home. I'll bore you with a vacation slide show later. Bring lots of coffee.

Observations On Trammell's Departure

To the surprise of no one and the disappointment of many, Alan Trammell was fired as Tigers manager. Here are some random observations I have about Tram's dismissal and what Dave Dombrowski and some of the fans have said since.

Should Tram Have Gotten The Boot?
I have no idea if Trammell should have been let go or not. Was he learning on the job? Without question. Did he make some bad decisions? Yes, but even Joe Torre and Bobby Cox make decisions that could be second guessed. Can they find a better manager? Yes, but that doesn't guarantee the team will perform any better. Did he lose control of the clubhouse? Sure sounds like it. Was Trammell even 25% of the Tigers problems? No way.

You can make a case to keep Tram and one to fire him. In the end, I think Dombrowski felt like Trammell was runover by his players and was just too nice to enforce the law. Thirty or forty years ago a guy with Trammell's history might have been given five years to work things out. Today, with the size of payrolls and the increased pressure fueled by more media coverage than ever, patience with a new manager is in short supply.

Low Key Press Conference
I'm sure some will wail about the Tigers' non-press conference press conference in regards to Trammell's firing. Some will state that the Tigers should have made it a traditional press conference, not an informal meeting with Dombrowski. Honestly, I was surprised, but maybe we shouldn't be.

I doubt a single Tigers employee wants to over-promote Trammell's departure. I'm sure management, out of respect for Trammell, tried to make a low key announcement. It did seem odd, but I think it may have best represented the uncomfortable feeling we all have about the situation.

Of course, I could just be a Tigers slappy. (We all know how much I praise the organization.)

Leyland's Arrival
Is there much question that Jim Leyland will be the next Tigers' skipper? The guy is interviewing, perhaps, right at this moment. Did Tram have time to clean out his stuff before the interviewing began?

Dombrowski had already interviewed Juan Samuel this morning and was going to interview Bruce Fields this afternoon. Both appear to be little more than token minority interviews. I have to admit I find it more than a tad shameful at the apparent speed at which this process is moving. Both because it looks like Tram's successor was picked long ago and because the Tigers don't appear to be interested in really interviewing a broad field.

The Tigers owe it to the players and to those of us who pay to sit in Comerica Park to find the right guy. They should wait to see who else becomes available. I know they want a guy with experience, however, what's wrong with interviewing more than three guys?

The way the Tigers are going about this makes it look like they are thinking "Let's hurry up and interview an African-American and an Hispanic so we can hire Leyland and keep Bud Selig from fining us". That may be totally unfair, but that's the way it's going to look if Leyland is named manager. Especially if it occurs before noon tomorrow, as some have suggested it might.

Not only is it going to look like the Tigers are just providing token interviews to minorities, which in light of the last twelve years of failure is even more pathetic, but it's going make the Tigers look like a second rate organization. Pretend like you are searching for the best guy, even if you really want Leyland to start tomorrow. It's good P.R. and you might just find a better candidate.

If we have a Jim Leyland presser before the playoffs start, with the Tigers interviewing only two other candidates, the hiring will be a poor decision on Dombrowski's part. One worse than firing a Tiger legend.

Help? What Help?
A number of those in Tigertown, including some in the media, are discussing what the Tigers should do this off-season. One of my favorite suggestions is "They need to get a frontline starting pitcher". No, really? I have a question for those who want the Tigers to acquire said "frontline" pitcher: Where the @#$% are they going to get this mythical pitcher from?

Seriously, where is this mystery hurler coming from? There aren't any quality starters available via free agency this winter. Unless, you have a crush on A.J. Burnett. Burnett can barely stay above .500 or healthy or out of trouble with a good team in Florida. Why on Earth would the Tigers sign Burnett to a small fortune with that background?

If you are thinking trade market, then maybe you can get someone, but who would the Tigers surrender to get top flight pitching? Craig Monroe ain't going to bring you Johan Santana in return. Pitching is a limited, pricey commodity. Not many teams are willing to part with good pitching.

The Tigers might acquire a decent starter, either via free agency or trade, but they would probably have to settle for a number two or three-type guy. Sure, that player could pull a Willie Hernandez and have a miraculous season in Motown and capture a Cy Young Award, but that would be more by luck than design.

Saying the Tigers should get quality starters and actually getting them are nearly like planning a trip to Mars. It's fun to think about, but getting there is far more complicated.

The Most Important Tigers
We can talk all we want about the next Tigers manager. We can debate how much time Dombrowski has left in Tigertown, too. However, we fans probably need to concentrate on the most important Tigers. Those would be Jeremy Bonderman, Chris Shelton, Joel Zumaya, Justin Verlander, Curtis Granderson and Cameron Maybin.

They are both the present and core of the future of our local baseball team. All are at different points in their careers, but all need to continue to make progress. All need to be here after Pudge Rodriguez and Magglio Ordonez are gone. All need to be with the Tigers as a unit by Opening Day 2008.

Some might think that's rushing Maybin. It is. The Tigers, however, desperately need to develop their own superstar and Maybin looks like their best bet right now. Trammell always said "The good ones come fast". The Tigers need Maybin to develop fast.

Are They Contenders In '06?
Dombrowski is implying that, perhaps, they are. However, D.D. is also saying that he doesn't think major roster changes are necessary. I disagree. They need a lefthanded power hitter. I think they need an everyday thirdbaseman. They may need a shortstop if Guillen cannot play full time. I wouldn't mind a new outfielder, but that's just me. Of course, they need pitching-both starters and relievers.

Maybe in Dombrowski's mind, that's tinkering, not a major overall. It sure seems like a minor overall, at best.

For a change, the Tigers do have some tradeable players. Whether or not Dombrowski can acquire what he needs with the cards he has dealt himself is another question.

I think the Tigers can make 2006 interesting, but many things have to fall their way. When was the last time that happened?

McGwire Opts For Silent Treatment

Mark McGwire, you remember him, showed up in St. Louis and refused to answer any steroid questions. In fact, McGwire now states he will never speak on the subject. Period. I'm sorry, but did we miss when he first spoke about the matter?

The man who originally eclipsed Roger Maris' single season homerun mark, now says he has nothing to add to his testimony before Congress. Did he actually say anything during his remarks? Sure, we all implied he was using the juice, but he didn't actually say that, did he?

Apparently, McGwire is taking a page out of the book of Pete Rose. McGwire, like Rose, never denies anything. Nor does he admit to anything. It's a state of limbo where these beloved athletes wait in a self-imposed purgatory counting on their adoring public to sway opinion in their favor. This technique also buys them their most valuable commodity-time.

In this form of spin, McGwire is figuring time will heal all wounds. He suspects that the general sports fan will simply grow weary of watching him get pounded with steroid questions year after year. He figures even the most ardent critic will eventually fade while his supporters will gain momentum from the lack of resistance they encounter. In the long run, McGwire is hoping, or his legal counsel is, that he will become a sympathetic figure in the eyes of many.

The campaign is well underway. In addition to refusing to speak on steroids ever again, McGwire has already deftly deflected questions by making the media the problem, painting them as too negative and living in the past. That's quality public relations advice in action.

What McGwire doesn't understand is that this tactic won't help his cause. Unless, of course, McGwire chooses a Bill Buckner-esque method. If McGwire moves to some remote area and avoids baseball, especially all MLB games, and refuses all interview requests, he can stay in a denial mode and it may work. Maybe.

However, if McGwire hopes his no comment stance will give him a free pass so he can attend MLB functions without scrutiny, he's kidding himself. In fact, quite will contrary occur. Instead of facing the heat for a single prolonged period, which would occur if McGwire would come clean, he is going to drag his reputation and the game through the mud on a regular basis, perhaps for years.

A generation of players took steroids with no concern for their personal well being or any respect to those who played before them. They have created a situtation where all the statistics from their playing days will be called into question. McGwire and his baseball brethren may hope that silence will make the matter disappear, but unfortunately, it won't. Their collective silence will only be seen as a tacit admission of guilt. The repercussions of their actions will last forever. Even if they never utter another word.

I'm Really Annoyed

Pick a word. Angry. Disappointed. Disgusted. Hostile. The list could go on for days. Any and all of them describe my feelings about the Detroit Tigers right this moment. It seems like there is a new rumor every day, each making me more frustrated than the last.

For those of you who visit here (thanks to both of you, by the way) and don't follow the Detroit Tigers, let me try and catch you up on the gossip.

Pudge Rodriguez seems to be leading an open revolt in the Tigers clubhouse. This group, which apparently contains Dmitri Young and Magglio Ordonez, wants Alan Trammell fired. They also intensely dislike Tram's coaching staff. This group doesn't think much of Dave Dombrowski, either.

This group is such a cancer that they have apparently already had talks about rumored manager-to-be Jim Leyland. Seems this group of happy campers wearing the Olde English D doesn't like Leyland, either. They think Dombrowski bought the Marlins title he and Leyland won and that neither deserves credit for the championship. This rebellious lot also thinks Leyland is too old.

In the meantime, some believe Young is faking an injury. Both D.Y. and Pudge have refused to pinch hit recently. Pudge has called out his teammates while being the underperfomer of the year.

If you believe the rumors, the front office refuses to discipline Pudge because he is the face of the team and sells tickets, jerseys and other product used to offset his salary. They would rather have him continue his undercutting of management and teammates than ship him out. Pathetic. (See, the negative words get easier and easier to come by.)

The rumor mill also has Magglio trying to convince anyone and everyone he can play, so he can get traded, while Carlos Guillen is hurt worse than is being let on. Seems he may never be an everyday shortstop again. The rumors also have some in the organization already planning on a losing season in 2006. Uplifting stuff, isn't it?

Increasingly the fanbase wants Trammell removed. Did I mention the Tigers are coming off a 6-24 skid? It's about 60-40 against retaining Trammell, but only his status as a Tiger legend keeps that number from being much larger. The heat on Dombrowski has been much less, but it does seem to be growing.

I am so aggravated with this baseball team right now, I don't know what I want them to do. Firing Trammell alone won't make the Tigers winners. It just won't. I think they can hire a guy who would be a better manager right now, but how much is that going to help this situation?

Firing Dombrowski, as some would have Mike Ilitch do, seems even more problematic to me. Sure, they can give him the boot, but how does that appear in baseball circles? If the remove him, who is next in line to get the job? Who would want it?

Between the baseball management careers of Trammell, Dombrowski and Ilitch, who can say he has won in his current role? Only Dombrowski. He is the only one of the group with a proven track record, wasn't he behind Montreal's success and rebuilt the Marlins, too? Dombrowski could land a job pretty quickly if not retained. That shoud say something about his perceived value beyond Comerica Park no matter what the team thinks.

Then there is the team. I am so stinking ticked off that if the Tigers announced that Pudge, DY and Maggs were on the next bus out of town and they were turning to the kids, yes, again, I might approve of the plan even if another 119 loss season ensued.

What the heck right does Pudge or any of these guys have to complain? Yeah, yeah, yeah. They can cry all they want about future Cy Young winner Kyle Farnsworth, but they failed to compete, so the Tigers made a pro-active decision. Did they get quality in return for Farns? Did they trade quality away may be the better question.

Complaining on this level when you are the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox might be tolerated. Winning championships and competing for post-season berths is different than trailing the division leaders by twenty plus games and finishing below .500.

Pudge may not like losing, but he signed with a team that had just lost 119 games. Pudgy, buddy, wake up and smell the coffee. This team was years away. You opted for the payday. Now, you get to cash enormous checks that no one else in the game was willing to give you. That alone should merit the Tigers front office some good will.

Now, common sense tells me that things are never quite as good or bad as they may seem. Winning more games probably quiets this clubhouse dissension down. Yet, that doesn't change the way I feel this moment.

Right now, I feel this franchise is doomed. What on Earth can be done? It's unlikely Pudge or Magglio could be dealt because of their contracts. Even if they could be moved, something that I would love in my current mood, would it yield more wins? If it didn't, wouldn't an increasingly casual fanbase turn their backs on the team again? Can the Tigers afford lower attendance in '06?

The Tigers cannot turn to their farm system, either, as there aren't any everyday players ready to fill in. They can jump into free agency again this winter, but by all accounts it's not a good group to chose from much like last year. Bringing in another would-be cancer like A.J. Burnett seems crazy at this time.

That brings me full circle. The Tigers can't maintain the status quo. Nor can they opt to turn to the farm system. Nor does free agency seem likely to help much. Firing the manager won't make unhappy players happy and firing the general manager would only be telling the fans that the Tigers are rebuilding. Again. It's a horribly frustrating picture. A picture I just don't see improving anytime soon.

My Fantasy Hockey League Team

Yes, I know you don't care, as indicated by your lack of response to my plea for assistance, but I'm sharing anyway. Consider it punishment for not helping out a blogger in need.

My Yahoo! fantasy hockey league draft was held earlier this week. It was the autopick variety, but I did pre-rank my selections. For the fantasy geeks in the audience, here is more specific info. It's an eight team, head-to-head league. We have a starting lineup consisting of two centers, two leftwingers, two rightwingers, four defensemen, two goalies and two utility players. (Yes, in this supposed new era of offensive hockey, we are using two "designated hitters".) We have three bench players.

The stats for the league are goals, assists, power play points and plus/minus for the non-netminders. For the 'keepers, it's wins, save percentage, shutouts and goals against average.

Here is how many squad turned out. Oh, they are called the Scooby Doos, by the way.

C- Joe Thornton, Boston
C- Jason Spezza, Ottawa
C- Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
C- Daymond Langkow, Calgary
LW- Rick Nash, Columbus
LW- Alex Tanguay, Colorado
LW- Sergei Samsonov, Boston
LW- Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit
RW- Nikolai Zherdev, Columbus
RW- Danny Heatley, Ottawa
D- Ed Jovanoski, Vancouver
D- Sergei Zubov, Dallas
D- Jordan Leopold, Calgary
D- Wade Redden, Ottawa
C- Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
C- Daymond Langkow, Calgary
G-Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary
G- Andrew Raycroft, Boston
G- Jose Theodore, Montreal

Now, I can see problems, especially in the area of plus/minus. Zherdev and Nash could really bite me in this category. I'm hoping they will offset this by piling up points, particularly on the powerplay.

I'm a bit leery of my defensemen. Not that they aren't a nice foursome, but I'm not sure if they will score quite enough. Oleg Tverdosky is a free agent and I might pursue him. Both of Florida's potential scoring blueliners, Mike Van Ryn and Jay Bouwmeester, are available, too. As is Niklas Kronwall of the Wings, who I liked as a sleeper. Although, I just read where he is out for six weeks.

Overall, I like the team. They are a bit young and I'm taking some chances on guys like Zherdev, Heatley and Crosby (someone always grabs the hyped rookie too early, but I didn't think it would be me). However, I don't think you win too often without taking some chances on draft day.

Again, none of you give a rat's you-know-what about this, but I could say that about the entire blog. Obviously, it has yet to discourage me.

Friday Night Moanin'

I've been taking an intentional break from the blogsphere for a few days, but that doesn't mean I've completely ignored what's been going on. Unfortunately for you, I have returned to my PC (although my stinkin' monitor went belly-up this afternoon) and have a number of items to address.

* A long time ago, like when I was a kid, you would sneak a radio into school to listen to a ballgame. Sometimes you would sneak a radio into bed so you could listen to a game past your bedtime. When you became an adult, you might sneak out of work to attend a game. You might even call in sick and go to a game instead. Well, some nice folks from Gambia have taken the concept one giant step forward.

See, they chartered a jet and lied to Peruvian officials about having to make an emergency landing because the plane was low on fuel. Guess what? They had plenty of petrol. However, they wanted to watch their nation compete in FIFA's U-17 soccer tournament in Peru.

Calling in sick to work just doesn't look so bad now, does it?

* Pavel Datsyuk returns. Talk about the long and winding road. How many teams in Russia was Pavel committed to?

* I would like to think the new rules would help a player of Datsyuk's ability more than most. His progress may well determine the Red Wings fate. Of course, getting some good goaltending wouldn't hurt, either.

* Michigan State coach John L. Smith thinks his team planting the MSU flag on Notre Dame's field was just a "kids having fun" sort of thing. John Lansing seems to think the politically correct police are making too big a deal about this matter.

I feel about this the way I feel about endzone celebrations. As long as you are comfortable with whatever counteractions result from your step into sportsmanship's gray area, then do what you will.

Rub your backside on a goal post, but don't start whining if an opponent clocks you. Plant your flag at mid-field this year, but if they do the same in your building next season, or take it a step further, be sure to keep quiet.

* Last Sunday, I was in a store and Christmas Trees were out. I kid you not. Up and decorated in late September.

* Speaking of signs of the holidays, I got my card in the mail to pick-up the JCPenney Christmas catalog last week. When I was given a copy, I had to do a double-take. The thing is slightly larger than a comic book. Okay, they aren't quite that thin, but they pale in comparison to the Christmas catalogs when I was young.

I'm guessing Christmas catalogs are soon to be obsolete. I'm sure internet shopping and the cost of production are making them into dinosaurs.

* Is anyone else as tired of Steve Mariucci's press conferences as I am?

* I cannot see this happening.

* In two games, Kansas City's Derrick Johnson has fifteen solo tackles, two assists, one sack and a forced fumble. Conversely, the Lions' Mike Williams has one catch for a touchdown. It covered three yards.

* Did you hear Brandon Inge on the radio say the Tigers had "no leaders"? Inge went on to blast teammates who put on public displays of "leadership". He basically implied such actions were just for public consumption and meant nothing inside the clubhouse. Sounds like a happy group to me.

* I think it's safe to say that the '05 Tigers stopped caring about a month ago. What I find so darn troubling is that all the things we are hearing and seeing from Comerica Park are the same things we've witnessed in years past.

There almost seems to be a perpetual lack of leadership and respect amongst the players and coaching staff in Detroit. Remember how Juan Gonzalez turned off a number of his teammates with his pouting and requests for special treatment? Sounds like the same thing Pudge Rodriguez is going through right now.

Previous teams in the Old English D turned their backs on Larry Parrish and Luis Pujols. Now, Alan Trammell is getting the same treatment, but from an entirely different cast of characters than those that got Parrish and Pujols canned. Although, I suspect the results will be identical.

It's easy to blame Trammell and Dave Dombrowski for the current problems, but who do we blame when these things appear to have been a problem before either arrived on the scene?

* I can sleep easy now. Oprah's chosen a book for us to read.

* After all the hoopla over the Palace Brawl, what do we get? A bunch of players put on probation. Shocking.

* Does Ms. Burk have nothing else to do? Seems Ms. Burk is all in a furor over the sexual nature of the new NHL campaign. She has seen every single ad for beer and shaving products, hasn't she? Forget that, has she seen the television ads for tires? I can't recall if it's Bridgestone or Firestone, but I do remember getting carded before being able to watch.

That's all for tonight, kids. I've got email to read after several days away from cyberspace. That and I've got to cram for my NHL fantasy league draft. Enjoy the weekend.

Amazing Loss

I'm amazed. No, not at the fact the Detroit Lions lost to the Chicago Bears. What amazes me is that I remain amazed at the pathetic depths our local NFL franchise can fall to.

When I flipped on the radio in my truck this afternoon, I had no idea what the score was. I had been at a function without access to scoring updates. One person did see the Lions cap atop my noggin and said "Harrington threw another interception". I wrote it off as just another anti-Harrington comment. Even if the thing went back for a touchdown, how bad could the Lions really be down? It still had to be very early in the contest. It was only around 1:30 p.m.

I headed for home around 3:00 p.m. Once my radio was on, I could immediately tell the Lions were on the short end of the stick. Dan Miller and Jim Brandstatter made it clear by their tone alone that the Lions were down. Nothing unusual about that, right? What I didn't know was by how much. I drove on waiting for the score.

When Miller revealed the Lions were losing 31-6, he endangered everyone on the road near me. I was totally amazed at the clobbering the Bears were inflicting upon Detroit. Now, I can't say a Bears win surprises me. Losing to a team everyone in town thinks they should beat is oh-so-typical. What caught me off-guard was the point spread. 31-6? 31-6?

Something else caught me off-guard, too. I was amazed at being amazed at a twenty-five point deficit. I was stupefied over the degree of the beating. Six hours and one more Bears touchdown later and I'm still just, well, amazed at the score and my reaction to it.

No one should be amazed at anything the Lions do. Less than a week ago, I wrote as much. We have seen the Lions routinely render a big win insignificant by losing to a team that has no right beating them. This pattern often happens in back-to-back weeks. Yet, in spite of this history, I was stunned when I heard the score for the first time today.

How on Earth can I be shocked? A Lions season, any Lions season, is much like the movie Groundhog Day. We just keep living the same thing over and over and over again.

Knowing this, why am I caught off guard by the latest pathetic performance? Thirty plus years of living down to our expectations and every once the Lions can still utterly amaze me with their incompetence. That may be more amazing than the loss itself.

Maggs And Pudge Want Out?

Terry Foster is saying that both Magglio Ordonez and Pudge Rodriguez want out of Detroit pronto. Foster appears to have been accurately portraying Rodriguez' role with the team for weeks, long before anyone else, so let's assume he's right on this. What does it say if Maggs and Pudge both ask to be traded this off-season?

I'm not sure I even want to ponder that question. The mere thought that the Tigers two highest paid players, both nailing down ten million or more a year, neither having spent more than two seasons here, are no longer able to stomach the baseball in Motown makes me a bit queasy, too.

Trammell On Hot Seat?

Ken Rosenthal of The Sporting News and Fox Sports.com suggests Alan Trammell may be on his way out as Detroit's manager. Rosenthal thinks that Jim Leyland might be Tram's replacement.

I've been saying this for days, but I think Jim Leyland would be a good choice to manage the Tigers. I'm not so much in favor of canning Trammell, no one in Tigertown really is, but I am very much in favor of the Tigers adding Leyland.

Leyland wouldn't solve all the Tigers problems, but he would bring far more managerial experience including a championship under Dave Dombrowski in Florida. Between his run of success in Pittsburgh and the title with the Marlins, Leyland's credentials would put him amongst the elite skippers in the game.

The Tigers need to continue to upgrade the team and Leyland might be a part of that make-over.

Looking For Inside Information

Hey, you.

Yeah, you. Come here. Anybody follow you here?

No? Good. Do you know anything about hockey?

Ssshh. Type more quietly. See, I need a little inside information about the NHL.

No, I'm not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize. I'm trying to win my fantasy league.

Can you win a Pulitzer with a blog entry? Really, can you?

Ooops. Sorry, I strayed there for a minute. Look, I've never done real well in my fantasy hockey leagues. I want that to change. So, I need you to give me some advice on who to draft.

Now, I know Joe Thornton and Martin St. Louis. The big guns are not an issue. What I am looking for is someone who can tell me what second and third year guys are about to explode onto the scene. Or even the rookie that's going to go crazy in his inaugural campaign.

As none of you are in my league, I can trust you. So, if you have any insight on which players may become household names, even if it's only in my house, I'd appreciate the help. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments section. Or email me.

Thanks for the assistance. Let's keep this conversation between us, o.k.? Oh, one more thing before you go. You know anything about international soccer? See, I can sign up for this UEFA fantasy league.

More Lions

Yesterday's win was just a win. No more. No less. Even if it becomes a turning point, an indicator of future success, a harbinger of things to come, we won't know that for weeks or months. However, based on Lions' history we can only take one thing from the victory-the Lions won the game.

Yes, it was a semi-big game because it was Green Bay, a division rival, the season opener, the home opener and the rest of the division lost. To assume it means more is premature. It may even qualify as laughable if you've followed this franchise for more than a decade. If there is one constant about Lions football it's that they always find a way to bungle things.

Start red-hot? Finish ice cold. Start 0 for September? Finish with a tremendous run at a wild card berth. Win this week, lose the next. The opposition really never matters. The Lions have always found a way to tempt us into belief only to end up in their usual state of mediocrity.

The Bears are next. Regardless of the result, I'll hold true to the same mantra. The win is only a win. Two in a row. Three in a row. Four in a row. Yeah, I'll be getting more excited, but to sound like every football coach at every level in America, they only count for one win each.

It's a sixteen game schedule. The Lions could go 8-0, I would be thrilled, but waiting for the inevitable collapse. Sorry, I've been there. Done that. I'll believe the Lions are a ten win team when they win ten games. I'll believe they are a playoff team when they secure a playoff spot. I'll believe they are Super Bowl contenders when they win a playoff game. (Yeah, it may only take one of those.)

Hey, I'm still watching and still rooting. I can't imagine giving that up. I've just learned to follow the coach-speak. I'm taking them one game at a time.

A Little Separation

Jake over at Motown Sports Revival has decided it's time to separate his happiness from his addiction to Michigan football. Amongst other points he makes, Jake has come to the conclusion that Michigan's football objectives are not the same as the other elite programs in the nation. I tend to concur.

A Little Weekend Recap

I've got to move on to other things, I need more than two day weekends, but I did want to review some of this weekend's action. To begin with, our beloved Detroit Lions beat Green Bay, 17-3. It was not a game that will ever appear on ESPN Classic, but a win is a win. Hey, the first team offense even scored two touchdowns. How can you not be excited about that?

The Pack looked bad. Real bad. They screwed up a field goal. They turned over the ball. The committed penalties in bunches. Basically, they played like the Lions usually do. If I'm a Green Bay fan, I'm nervous about '05.

As for the penalties, did anyone else noticed how often Packer DBs went to the face of Lions' WRs? It got called a couple of times, but it happened quite a bit more than that. I wonder if that's the tactic teams will employ to slow down the Lions WR corps?

I was very happy to see linebackers making plays this afternoon. I saw Earl Holmes post-game interview on FSN-Detroit. I know he's about fifty years old, but I like Holmes. Just seems like a good guy. He's got a bit of game left, too.

Joey Harrington looked like a decent quarterback today. He did a solid job. Not that Steve Mariucci will acknowledge that. Harrington isn't Canton-bound, but the guy did his job.

The Lions are your division leaders, as Minnesota and Chicago ended up on the losing end as the Packers did today. Another division games awaits as the Lions are off to Chicago for Week Two. I'll just enjoy today's win for another 24 hours before debating the Bears, thank you.

Around the NFL, Pittsburgh looked very good. I know he hasn't won the Super Bowl, but Bill Cowher still has to be one of the top five coaches in the league. If your third team runningback goes off for over 100 yards rushing, it could be the system.

Tampa Bay played a nice road game vs. the Vikes. I never thought Cadillac Williams would be that productive this early.

Miami won?!?!?! San Francisco, too?!?!?!

Over to the college kids. I didn't get to see much of Michigan's loss at the hands of Notre Dame. I was in a restaurant during ND's opening march down the field, though. It was plain ugly if you root for the maize and blue. I didn't see enough to make too many blanket statements, but I do wonder if this is a one or two loss squad or something worse.

If Charlie Weis keeps winning, will he stay at ND or look at the NFL the way Nick Saban did?

Michigan State rolled Hawaii as they should. Nice solid win. Drew Stanton looks like the All-Big Ten first team quarterback right now with Chad Henne's off day vs. the Irish and Drew Tate getting knocked out of Iowa's loss to Iowa State.

I loved the Texas at Ohio State game. I'm not crazy about either program, but I loved the match-up. The first meeting between traditional college football superpowers. Tons of future NFL players on the field. #2 vs. #4 in the land. It had a playoff-type atmosphere. College football is about these type of games.

Yes, Vince Young is your Heisman leader at this second. Of course, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush did have the week off. A.J. Hawk is your defensive player of year after two weeks.

The Tigers took two of three from Kansas City. Were any of them televised? Neither today's afternoon tilt or Saturday night's affair were. That's nearly as shameful as the Tigers record. I guess it doesn't matter as with pigskins in the air, no one cares.

Oh, by the way, Chris Shelton can still hit.

As for other things no one cares about, Roger Federer won the U.S. Open. He's going to be one of the great tennis players of all-time and no one in the U.S. will notice. I'm as guilty as anyone. I really had planned on watching more of the Open, but it just didn't fit into my schedule very well. Even when it did, I didn't find the match-ups compelling. Maybe it was just me.

The United States won the Solheim Cup. If you have to ask what the Solheim Cup is, you probably don't care. I was happy to see our ladies re-capture the Cup, though. Paula Creamer continues to play the part of phenom.

Dan Wheldon won the IRL race in Chicagoland. Wheldon all but won the season's championship with the victory. It was a pretty close finish with Wheldon holding off Helio Castroneves. Truth be told, I was rooting for Castroneves. Although, I have no problem with Wheldon.

As for my other "football" boys, Everton lost to Portsmouth, 1-0. I'm totally offended. The Toffees do have ten players, including most of their newly acquired transfers, out with injuries. I suspect Everton will continue to have problems until the Holidays. That's just a guess from a newbie soccer guy, though.

Reading tied, 1-1. Reading? What now? Brian's following yet another Euro team? Yes, I am as Bobby Convey, one of my favorite U.S. players, is at Reading now. Convey was their player of the month. You don't care, but this isn't your blog, now is it? Remember a few paragraphs ago, when I pointed out this would be about things you didn't care about. I did warn you.

Until my next post that you don't care about, I bid you a good evening.

I Am Not Alone

Apparently, I wasn't the only one upset after Thursday afternoon's horrible loss to Cleveland. A couple of players were quoted in today's newspapers as not really pleased with the Tigers current state of affairs. The guys wearing the Old English D are basically calling for change as I did about twenty-four hours ago.

Looking at Crystal Evola's article in today's Oakland Press we find back-up catcher Vance Wilson sharing his concern. Wilson said that "we should be a little embarrassed about the overall season". The veteran backstop suggested everyone in the organization can take a share of the blame for the dismal campaign.

Wilson's most painful statement came when asked about the team's repeated mistakes.

"To me, that's the players' lack of preparation", Wilson said. "We can continue to roll in it or get positive and fix it. Hopefully, that's what we're doing and working toward."

Wilson wasn't alone in his less than complimentary analysis. Magglio Ordonez had some interesting things to say to the Detroit Free Press' John Lowe. Ordonez flatly announced "I think we stink". Things didn't get better from there. These two sentences from Lowe's piece speak volumes.

"You have to get used to winning," Ordonez said. "Winning is a habit. Losing is a habit."

"We need to change our attitude," Ordonez said. "We should be over .500."

It sounds to me like their is an attitude problem in the Tigers' clubhouse. Maggs (Mags?) and Wilson were appear to say what I did yesterday-change does appear to be in order at Comerica Park.

If you are Alan Trammell neither player did much to help your cause here. A lack of preparation? That sounds like a manager's job to me. So, too, does changing the attitude of the ballclub.

If there is indeed a losing mentality around the Tigers dugout, I would expect Dave Dombrowski to find it and flush it out as he did with the ballclub when he first arrived. A number of players who were more concerned about things other than winning found themselves in another city as soon as it was possible, no matter what us in Tigertown felt about the guys being sent away.

I would hope Dombrowski would do the same, again. If Pudge Rodriguez is part of the problem and not part of the solution, he must go. As much as it pains me to say it, if Trammell must go, then he, too, must be shown the door.

I'd prefer a promotion for a Tiger legend, but if Tram can't muster enough respect to get the players to prepare and there is a losing attitude around the team, Trammell has to be held accountable. That goes with the job.

It's becoming more and more clear that there may need to be some substantial changes in this team before Opening Day 2006. I may not be the only one who thinks so.

Time To Think About Changes

The Detroit Tigers need to make some changes this off-season. As the Tigers have made a large financial commitment to veterans in recent years-Pudge Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez, Placido Polanco, Troy Percival-I don't think they can go the youth route. Changing directions now and going to a youth movement would only alienate their core group. Besides, I don't think they have enough quality prospects to make that happen anyway.

So, the Tigers will probably need to continue to make moves with an eye towards contending-either for the wild card or A.L. Central crown. (Can Chicago play this well two years in a row?)It's too early to get into specifics, but I have a general idea of what I would like to see the Tigers accomplish after the season concludes.

• Sign a free agent pitcher.
• Trade Pudge Rodriguez, as that seems to be his current desire.
• Acquire a new catcher.
• Decide if Carlos Guillen should play short or third.
• If he stays at short, acquire a new 3B. If he moves to third, get a new SS.
• Make Brandon Inge a super-utility player like Tony Phillips was.
• Let Carlos Pena go.
• Call Jim Leyland.

I don't want to overreact, but this continuing cycle of waiting for player development and inability to play above .500 baseball is wearing on me. We are hearing all the same excuses about the Tigers today as we did about Detroit's baseball team when Tony Clark, Bobby Higginson and Justin Thompson were the supposed future.

Today's pathetic loss to Cleveland, losing 4-2 after Nate Robertson goes five innings without yielding a hit while his teammates strand eight runners on base in the first four innings, really has me steamed. This is the sort of incomplete baseball the Tigers have played, well, forever it seems.

I don't know if anyone in the Tigers front office has noticed, but Cleveland is better than Detroit. Again. Not all that long ago, the Indians dominated the Tigers. Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel (who killed the Tigers), Roberto Alomar, Albert Belle and company just ran over the Tigers for about a decade. Then they were the model the Tigers of Randy Smith were trying to become.

Well, Smith's vision failed, the Indians eventually faded, were pretty lousy for a while, but have suddenly shot right past Detroit again. This time with a new corps of young players led by Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore. No honking big contracts in Cleveland, just another group of kids that appear headed to beat the stuffing out of our bengals once again.

If Cleveland isn't enough, and it is, let's peek in at Oakland. Resident genius Billy Beane has lost Miguel Tejada, Jason Giambi, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder in the last several years only to see his A's continue to contend with a team that I suspect over half of Motown cannot name. They obviously had players of value to trade this off-season, but they have also filled in holes from within their own organization.

It was bad enough that the budget strapped Athletics developed Tejada, Giambi, Hudson and Mulder (who went to MSU, for crying out loud) in the first place, but to lose them and toss in Nick Swisher, Dan Johnson and Bobby Crosby in the lineup and still be playoff contenders speaks to the quality of their front office's draft day decisions. Sabermetrics or not, the A's are doing something right on a budget smaller than the Tigers.

What really scares me now is Milwaukee. Yes, Milwaukee. The Brewers, who haven't been terribly good since Robin Yount and Paul Molitor moved on, are staring to look like a baseball team. They traded for Carlos Lee last year. They have put prospects Rickie Weeks, J.J. Hardy and Prince Fielder into the fray. Lyle Overbay is a decent looking hitter and Brady Clark is amongst the National League leaders in batting average last I looked.

The Brew Crew also have Ben Sheets and Chris Capuano to lead their starting pitching. The Brewers are young, talented and could be good for years. If pressed, and I was forced to pick between the Tigers roster and the Brewers roster, which would I take? Well, neither of us even wants to think about that.

Therein lies my frustration tonight. The Tigers (63 wins) are getting lapped by small markets Oakland (77) and Milwaukee (69), while Cleveland's (79) about to pass Detroit by for the second time around. It's unbelievable.

I'm not sure I'm going to be all that pleased if the Tigers trot out the same group, or something very close to it, in April '06. How much improvement can we really expect from this group? Yes, Mags has shown me that he can still be productive, but the Tigers still go into long droughts even with Ordonez healthy. Yes, Guillen's return to health would be significant, but wasn't he healthy all last year?

Pudge, whose whining is leading me to believe he should be dealt even if the Tigers have to eat half his salary, is going to be another year older. Will he be better than he was in '04? Doubtful.

I keep waiting for Jeremy Bonderman. I still think he can become a star, but his lack of progress does worry me. Outside of him, does anyone else in the rotation look like a guy you want in Game Two of a playoff series? Not to me.

Maybe Joel Zumaya or Justin Verlander can hold down that role, but what is their learning curve going to be? We are still waiting on Bonderman who is now in year three in The Show. In three years, the veteran nucleus of this team will be very old. Most will be gone. Then a new youth movement will be underway.

I'm not that patient tonight. Right now, I want a free agent arm to occupy the number two spot. A number one would be even better, but that's more wishful thinking than solid thought. I want Pudge dealt, so the Tigers can fill spots elsewhere. I'm a big Carlos Pena fan, but I don't want Tony Clark, Part II.

I want Brandon Inge on the bench or rotating positions daily. He's a tough minded player, but his bat just doesn't warrant a starter's role. I want a new thirdbaseman. Whether that means Guillen slides over or the Tigers acquire a new one. I'd be willing to trade Rodriguez, Maroth and/or Craig Monroe, to name just three, to accomplish my September 8th goals.

I want someone to call Jim Leyland, not because I desire to have Alan Trammell canned, but I don't desire to keep the same patterns of mediocrity alive. I'm on the Leyland bandwagon, but I understand if you don't want to join me.

Tonight it appears to me that this current group of players in the Olde English D are headed in the same direction as all the Detroit baseball teams of the last fifteen years. A team just good enough to tempt you into believing next year will be better. I'm not believing that theory tonight.

No, tonight I want changes. My changes sound huge, and to a degree, I guess some are. But I just want some tinkering to get this team above .500 for a full season. Is that asking too much?

Guillen's Return?

There has been some talk that the Detroit Tigers may try to get Carlos Guillen back in the lineup before the season ends. My question is "Why?". It's seems to me like Guillen's biggest problem is that he hasn't rested enough this year. (I know that's hard to believe with as much as Alan Trammell gets criticized for resting his players.)

Every time he returns, he's forced out of the lineup, again. Most everyone thought his injury was serious enough that it would be over a year to heal. It's probably just this side of amazing that Guillen gave the Tigers anything at all in '05.

I think the team should let him rest, continue a light workout schedule, and come back strong for next year. Maybe I'm wrong. We all know it wouldn't be the first time.

College Hoops Previews

Attention, college basketball fans. Collegehoopsnet.com is previewing the 2005-06 season with a look at 144 Teams in 144 Days. It will give you something to ponder between now and Midnight Madness.

U.S. Grabs World Cup Berth

Tonight, the U.S. Men's National Team qualified for Germany 2006 with a 2-0 triumph over Mexico. I know what you are thinking. "Brian, only you would post something about soccer on the first Saturday of the college football season. What is worse, is that only you care." Both sentiments may, indeed, be accurate. Regardless of how nutty you presume me to be, let me assure you of two things: 1) Qualifying for Germany 2006 is a big deal. 2) Lots of people care.

Every other nation on the globe wants in the World Cup. You've heard this before, but it's is true. The World Cup is the championship sporting event on the Earth. Every nation wants in and failure to succeed in that endeavor leaves lots people unemployed. It tarnishes the careers of many great players.

In addition, every other nation doesn't want the United States in the W.C. They love to see our team get kicked to the curb. That includes tonight's rival, Mexico. Yet, despite the rest of the world looking down on U.S. Soccer and the vast majority of our own sports fans not caring, the U.S. has become, to use a college basketball term, a mid-major.

The U.S. soccer program is clearly behind Germany, Brazil, Italy, Argentina and other traditional powers. However, inside their region, or conference to keep the college hoops analogy going, the U.S. has become a power. They now are qualifying for soccer's big international dance somewhat routinely. (I hesitate to say "routinely", but it is becoming pattern.) The boys wearing the red, white and blue might not be amongst the favorites to win, but they are becoming a thorn in lots of people's sides.

This is actually rather impressive considering the state of soccer in this nation. Most of you have stopped reading this, or never started, simply because you found out I was talking soccer (again). Some people aren't just indifferent to soccer like they are towards the Outdoor Games or water polo, no they despise the world's version of football. They refuse to even consider embracing the sport.

It is with this as a backdrop that U.S. Soccer has elevated itself. Again, the U.S. may only be a mid-major, but imagine if even one quarter of our sports fans chose to care? How many more kids would aspire to become professionals if their parents loved the game? Or if enough Americans cared about the sport that the MLS became a viable option? Or the games overseas were more popular in non-World Cup seasons?

Tonight's game is one that I feel more sports fans would like if they could get past whatever negative stereotypes they hold about the game. First, I think most could find a rooting interest. It wasn't a Real Salt Lake versus F.C. Dallas match-up. It was the good old U.S. of A. in action. Second, the boys representing us did have something to play for. A World Cup bid was at stake. Again, think making the Big Dance.

Third, and finally, U.S. Soccer took on Mexico, their biggest rival. The match-up between the U.S. and Mexico is like many border rivalries. The teams are in the same region. They are vying not only for the same goal, World Cup qualification, but they are also looking to be the big dog in their corner of the planet.

They face each other often enough that they aren't real friendly. The games tend to get chippy. The fans of both teams are very passionate. Translated that means road games are tough. Very tough.

In the end, the U.S. won on goals by Steve Rolston and Demarcus Beasley, avenging a loss in Mexico City earlier in the qualifying round and advancing to Germany 2006. That seems like the recipe for compelling sport, but I know lots of you, or both of you still reading this, still don't care. It's too bad because I think you are missing out.

On the very first Saturday of the college football season, not only did I take time to write an extended post about soccer, but a sellout crowd in college football crazed Columbus, Ohio filled the stadium to watch the match. Maybe you can love college football and soccer, too.

Garcia Breaks Leg

So much for that veteran back-up quarterback to push Joey Harrington. Jeff Garcia broke his fibula in the first quarter of tonight's game against Buffalo. I'm sure we will be hearing plenty about this over the next day or two.

Link-O-Rama

I've read some things I think you might be interested in, so let me share.

Michael Rosenberg, of the Detroit Free Press, reviews Lloyd Carr's tenure at the helm of Michigan football program. Rosenberg also gives us his take on the Tigers negotiation with first round choice Cameron Maybin.

Those of us living in the Great Lakes State guessed this to be true. The Freep confirms it.

Neon Deion makes an interesting plea.

Scoop Jackson of ESPN.com gives a different look at the Jeff Kent/Milton Bradley flare-up in L.A. I think I might agree with Scoop.

Here is OLN TV's broadcast schedule for the NHL.

The AP, courtesy of Fox Sports.com, previews the Mexico-United States World Cup qualifier.

That's all for this edition of Link-O-Rama. I hope you can find something in the mix you enjoy.

Comerica Park Gets Low Grade

In a poll at SI.com, Comerica Park ranked 28th in Major League Baseball for overall experience. In something Sports Illustrated dubbed the Fan Value Index, MLB parks were rated in a number of categories ranging from the ticket prices to the neighborhood. Only the Florida Marlins (Dolphins Stadium) and the New York Mets (Shea Stadium) got worse grades than the Tigers' home.

Comerica Park really got nailed in three categories. The yard received only a three out of ten mark in accessibility and neighborhood, while getting only four points for the average cost of concessions/souvenirs. Ouch. I'll let you review the rankings in their entirety.

Now, if you are looking for a reason to discredit the survey, not that I am, one could point to the marks given Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. Probably the two most loved baseball parks on the planet came in eleventh and thirteenth, respectively. There is simply no way, under any circumstance, either is not in the top ten.

The winners? Miller Park in Milwaukee came in first. Second went to Pittsburgh's PNC Park. I have heard nothing but good things about both, so I wouldn't quibble. However, from a Detroit perspective, it sure appears all that love from the All-Star Game is long gone.

Katrina Relief

Today is the day the blogging community set aside for pleas for donations to Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. I encourage everyone to make some level of financial support to whatever organization they feel is best. I'm starting with a contribution to the Humane Society.

I've linked some organizations in the right sidebar and Google, Yahoo and Amazon, amongst others, all have links to various charitiable organizations working in region. You can also check out my previous post to find more links to charities.

My thoughts and prayers are with those Katrina has affected and with those who now try to help the recovery efforts.

Special thanks to John Fontana of Boltsmag and Eric McErlain of Off Wing Opinion for making the special New Orleans Donate jpeg image available.

In Katrina's Wake

Friends, let's be honest. It's easy to feel badly for those stuck in Katrina's path. We can all feel the heartbreak of those who have lost loved ones. It's easy to be overwhelmed at the video coming from the area. It's almost beyond comprehension. It's even easier to head off to work and complain about ridiculously high gas prices while feeling guilty about our fellow citizens who are without homes, jobs, electricity or food. What is difficult is writing a check to help the relief efforts.

Believe me, I'm as guilty as the next guy. I've learned to tune out the pitch for money. Even worthy organizations get lost in the near constant refrain for money. I get cynical about these non-profit CEO's who are living better than Fortune 500 executives. I cringe when I see charities mismanage money. However, Katrina has me pondering that wisdom.

This isn't your usual disaster, if there is such a thing. This was a category five hurricane that swallowed everything in it's way. It may be weeks before people can return to the area their homes once stood. It may be months before electricity is up again. It may be winter before children can return to school. And the economy of the area? Who knows when or even if that will rebound to pre-Katrina levels.

This hurricane has simply destroyed a part of my nation. Our nation, for most of you. Many of these people were poor long before Katrina took what little they had. These fellow Americans need our help. They need my help, but what can I do?

Let's face it, it's not like I can go down and lend a hand. First, I have some responsibility here. Second, I haven't got lots of cash myself and who is going to bankroll this plan? Third, I have limited skills. Typing a lousy sports blog isn't the kind of help these folks need.

So, that leaves me with making a donation to a relief organization. Yeah, I'm a bit leery, but I'm far more afraid for my countrymen in the south. They need to get the water pumped out. They need to have their communities secure. They need food, clothing and shelter. Eventually, they will need to rebuild. Everything. With such a daunting task at hand, the least I can do is send whatever money I can afford.

However, as I have rather limited means, I feel like I should do more. Again, what can I actually do to help? Well, I'm happy to say that some in the blogging community have chosen tomorrow as a cyber-fundraising day. The idea started by Hugh Hewitt has taken flight. All day tomorrow, September 1st, bloggers are going to be writing about Katrina and relief charities they will promote.

The Truth Laid Bear.com has assembled the list of bloggers involved and is maintaining a list of charities, as is Instapundit. As I may not post tomorrow, I've jumped the gun and have added links to some relief organizations in my sidebar tonight. Many are taking donations online right now.

If you don't feel right about donating online or may never get around to putting a check in the mail, there are other options. For my local sports minded visitors, I know that AM1270-The Sports Station in Detroit, is attempting to get people out to Lucky's in Novi tomorrow to collect monetary gifts for the relief effort. The Sports Inferno guys got this going and I tip my cap to them.

I'm confident others in the Metro area are organizing collections and I encourage you to add the names of those organizations or events in the comments section of this post.

The bottom line is that the area needs everything and we have to try and provide those attempting to fill the voids with enough resources to meet the unbelievable demand. This need isn't going to go away tomorrow, or next month or even by the year's end.

If I can get one of you to donate one dollar, I'll have accomplished far more than I would have thought. I sincerely thank anyone who makes a donation of any size.

Black Monday

It was only one pre-season game.

It was only one stinking, putrid, horrific, awful, embarrassing pre-season game broadcast to a national television audience.

In case you missed it, and I'm hoping most of you did, the Detroit Lions got hammered last night by the St. Louis Rams, 37-13. It wasn't as close as the score might indicate. To put into words, let alone complete sentences, my disgust with last night's performance is challenging. Please forgive me if my writing is even worse than normal. Much like the Lions, that may be difficult to comprehend, but it is possible.

I must admit that I cashed out when the score was 21-6, Rams. There was no need to continue to waste time in that fashion. After all, the Tigers were busy coughing up a 5-0 first inning lead on FSN-Detroit. By all accounts, nothing improved at Ford Field after I moved onto less frustrating ventures.

As a form of release, allow me to review some of my observations for this debacle. That's what blogs are for, right?

Everything combined-the expectations, the new uniforms, the Monday Night Football broadcast, their performance or lack thereof-may have made last night's game the worst exhibition loss in Lions' history. It was very deflating.

The Lions first teamers didn't score for the third straight game. I wish that was our biggest problem. No, fans of the Black and Silver (and some Honolulu Blue), the biggest problem our offense seems to have is that the line has a difficult time blocking. Anybody.

For a pleasant change, Joey Harrington got left off the hook because his line was so terrible at every phase of the game that Harrington had no time to do much of anything. The Rams blitzed repeatedly and nailed Harrington for a loss nearly every time. Matt Millen had best be checking the waiver wire for O-Lineman today. This group is not getting the job done. Which leads us to our next two problems.

This offensive scheme, I use that word with hesitance, is not only dull, but horribly ineffective. The lack of touchdowns is one reflection of that. So, too, is their inability to adapt to defensive changes. Guys, if the QB is getting mashed like Thanksgiving Day potatoes, maybe we need to look at something else.

I have to assume they, in fact, did make some changes. I believe the Lions attempted to run multiple receiver formations forcing the Rams into playing more dime packages. It just didn't help the team improve. Of course, in the coaches defense, it's hard to make a good change when your quarterback is on the turf most of the night.

Oh, and why can't this team throw the ball down the field? Ever. I'm sure one reason Steve Mariucci, and, yeah, I'll be getting back to him shortly, doesn't like Joey is that Harrington wants to fling the ball downfield. You remember downfield, right? Where the endzone is. The place touchdowns are scored. No, the Lions prefer tossing out patterns. And more out patterns.

This team has three number one picks, three former All-Americans, at wideout and the most effective way to take advantage of their abilities is to limit their patterns? I just don't get it.

Why don't the Lions run three and four receiver sets all the time? Roy Williams, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams should be a load to handle, I don't care how young they are. Toss in Kevin Johnson and Marcus Pollard and Mariucci could play to Harrington's strength. Nope. Short, conservative passes are the rule around Ford Field. So, too, is losing.

As for Mike Williams, doesn't a number one choice for a fourth string receiver seem a bit much? I like the guy. He could be good. Very good, in fact. However, he's the fourth receiver on a team that seems to have flaws all over the place. Couldn't the tenth overall pick have gone to an area of more need? Like, let's say, a playmaking linebacker? (I wonder how Derrick Johnson is doing this pre-season?)

As bad as the offense was, the defense was worse. I am under the impression after last night's game, that the Lions have either A) opted not to have linebackers on the payroll or B) have chosen to play a defensive scheme that doesn't employ LBs.

Did a linebacker get close to making a play last night? Not the back-ups, I'm talking about the starters, if there are any. Teddy Lehman gets a pass as he didn't suit up, but for all of Lehman's speed, he can't even secure a starting role, so how good is he? (This is coming from someone who might list Lehman as his favorite Lion.) Boss Bailey was invisible. Earl Holmes didn't make a play. James Davis? No sign of him, either.

The D-Line was manhandled as badly as the O-Line. Shaun Rogers was out and it showed. The Rams' Steven Jackson is still running. He could have gotten 200 yards, if it were a regular season game. The defense has been bad since game one and it's not improving. Here's where we get back to Mooch.

This team is not improving on either side of the ball. The talent on paper sure seems better, but the product is still the same. Yes, it was only a pre-season game. Is it asking too much, though, to expect to see signs of progress?

I'm not talking Super Bowl champion dominance, just an effective use of what weapons you have and some steady improvement. Does anyone in Detroit think we've seen any of that thus far this pre-season? How about during Mooch's reign?

I'm not in the camp that wants Mariucci on the next plane out of Metro Airport, but I am in the group that's thinking about calling my travel agent to check on prices.

Oh, and before I forget, to all those fans who loved the new black (Raiders) jerseys the Lions donned last night- Where was all that manhood the new look was supposed to inspire? I thought it was psychological. The Honolulu Blue just wasn't tough enough. Well, the boys in black and silver got pushed around like the JV squad Monday night. The new duds were duds, indeed.

Okay, I'm a little mad. Maybe, I'm over-reacting. Maybe the Lions will be just fine come the season opener versus Green Bay. However, after the lack of effort displayed last evening, the Lions have forced many of us to re-consider our aspirations for 2005.

Before the game, I expected something like 10-6, maybe 9-7. A playoff berth was mandatory. Now, I am expecting them the struggle to get to 8-8. It's hard to envision this collection of players making a huge improvement during the regular season.

Armstrong Rumors Arise, Again

I hate to complain for the second straight post, but do the French have nothing else to do? It's seems the Tour de France folks still have their collective shorts in a knot about Lance Armstrong's reign as king of their event. Today, the director of Le Tour is claiming that a urine sample from six years ago proves conclusively that Armstrong used performance enhancing substances. Yeah, and my daddy is bigger than your daddy, pal.

Let's get some things cleared up first. The French hate Armstrong. Not because he won all the dang time. No, because he was an American that won all the dang time. Don't cloud the issue. They hate Armstrong because he's an American. Period. If this were some guy from Amsterdam, Munich or Paris, this issue would be brushed aside.

The French have been on a witch hunt to nail Armstrong since 1999. They have failed miserably. (Insert stereotypical anti-French joke here.) Even with Armstrong now into retirement, they push on. The media, and you think ours is bad, continues to dig for every piece of evidence that Lance did something, anything remotely illegal to gain his success. An American just couldn't win their event cleanly. Obviously, ignoring Greg LeMond's efforts.

Here's the problem I have with the entire matter. Let's assume, for the sake of French sports fans everywhere, that Armstrong is on every illegal substance known to mankind. He cheated his way to the top. You know what? Who cares? Not because I think the Tour isn't great, because I enjoy it. We shouldn't care because I challenge anyone else facing what Armstrong has to duplicate what he has accomplished.

Armstrong had one foot in the grave. His body was filled with cancer. If he took a whole bunch of banned substances to stay alive, who could blame him? Who would even suspect that they would not only help him fight off the cancer, but return to a regular life? Become the greatest cyclist in Tour history? Preposterous.

Does Armstrong's death defying return make him above the rules? No, but they never really caught him breaking the rules, did they? And even if they did, how many athletes faced with death would be able to take steroids, growth hormone or whatever else and not just win, but dominate the field of competition? How many healthy riders get bounced from the Tour for taking performance enhancing drugs and never get remotely close to a yellow jersey?

I'll admit there is plenty of smoke around Armstrong. His success is so amazing, his return to cycling so mind-boggling that you do have to wonder how it happened. Perhaps, Armstrong is just a phenomenon, chemically aided or not. Even his greatest skeptics would have to concede that Armstrong's return, however fueled, is miraculous. Unfortunately, that sentiment will never ease the French.

Sunday Night Moanin'

I'm hoping this post won't be entirely ranting on my part, but I've got to get a few things off my chest.

* I have to start with my annual complaint about ESPN's coverage of the Little League World Series. I'm sorry, but it's wrong for these games to be on television. I'll retreat from that statement just a bit. I guess it would be alright for them to be on some cable access channel with video courtesy of some parent's video recorder. It should not, however, be on the world's primary sports station and it most certainly should not be on in primetime.

There are a number of reasons that ESPN's expanded coverage of this and the girls LLWS is wrong, but my primary concern is that it simply puts too much pressure on these kids. These kids just don't need to have these contests made more important than what they are. Everytime we increase the coverage of these events, we increase their perceived place in sports' hierarchy.

Everyday we hear about parents, and children, who have gone off the deep end because of their involvement in amateur sports. These people tend to lose sight of the fact that these games, while important to the very young participants, is not all that significant in the big picture. However, that's a much tougher sell when ESPN and their primary baseball announce teams show up at your regional LLWS venue.

This expanded coverage should stop yesterday, but it won't. Neither will my complaining about it.

* What does it say when ESPN is willing to broadcast LLWS regional games in primetime, but simply refused to broadcast the NHL?

* By the way, I like the NHL/OLN TV deal. I think the network will throw all their attention on hockey, something no other network probably would. As for those concerned about not seeing the games on OLN, because the network is in fewer households than ESPN, let's keep something in mind--No one was watching before.

The NHL is a regional sport, for the most part. People here, for example, really only watch the Red Wings. Sure, they might catch some Hockey Night in Canada, but they can still do that. The odds of them watching an Atlanta-Calgary or Minnesota-Columbus game on Tuesday night are pretty small regardless of what network is showing them.

* An interesting note from the NHL/OLN deal, the commitment to Monday Night Hockey. Now, unless I've gone plain crazy, wouldn't that mean we would get a Monday Night NFL game on ABC and a Monday Night NHL game on OLN from October through December? I wonder how they picked Monday night over the other days of the week? I wonder what the ratings will be?

* It pains me to see the Kansas City Royals this horrible. Growing up in the Seventies, the Royals were the model franchise. A consistent contender playing in a great ballpark with some great players. I know they are in the Tigers division, have beaten our guys far too often and have had some altercations with the Tigs, but the Royals shouldn't be this bad.

* Who died and made Kyle Farnsworth the second coming of Dennis Eckersely? Look, Farns was having a great season here, I'm with you on that. However, let's get some perspective. His career has been up-and-down at best. The way fans in Tigertown talk about Farnsworth you would think the team parted with Rollie Fingers. He might be a late bloomer, but let's ease up on the Farnsworth hype.

* I was at the old ballpark this past Monday night. I ventured over to the Little Caesar's stand to find that the $5 pizza was something closer to $10 inside the yard. I think it was $12.50. That's criminal. Or, at least, it should be.

* I went to the dentist this week. Three days later, my mouth is still occasionally swollen, my teeth hurt worse than when I first arrived there and I'm on about 2,000mg of antibiotics a day. I had a filling done. I just love dentists.

* Hey, has anyone heard anything from Terrell Owens? Seems mighty quiet, doesn't he?

* I tried to sit through the Lions pre-season tilt with Cleveland. I made it until the second quarter. I flipped the channel for good when Jeff Garcia launched that deep pass, that looked more a like a punt, into nowhere-in-particular. Well, that's not right, either. Specifically, the ball fell right into a Browns' DB's hands. Not a Honolulu Blue shirt around. No, kids, Garcia ain't the answer.

* Just wondering, but is it too early to be officially worried about the Lions defense?

* Is there anyone more frustrating than Carlos Pena? Two games played since his return from Toledo and the guy cranks out three homers. Carlos, Carlos, Carlos. If you want to be a star, that's fine. Just play like one from April through September. Not just August and September.

Pena falls into the "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" category. I don't care if Pena hits fifteen homers between now and the end of the campaign, the Tigers cannot count on him in 2006. If that means letting him go, that's fine. And this is coming from a fan that likes the guy.

* Have you ever had a surprise job interview? I'm serious. I had a surprise interview. I applied for a job with my current employer and found out about five hours before that I was going to be interviewed that day. I've been to surprise birthday, anniversary and retirement parites, but this was the first surprise interview I've been invited to.

* I was watching the CBC coverage of the Edmonton vs. Toronto CFL game last night. I noticed the network went without announcers for the game. The little bit of halftime I saw was even without the traditional studio show. I remember one U.S. network doing that years ago, NBC, I believe. It was fine, but I feared the CBC may have axed their CFL crew in a cost-cutting move. (Eskimos played lousy and ended up losing, by the way. Stinking Argos.)

Thanks for joining me in my latest little rant. I've got to go now. I have to take my next round of medication.

Danica Mania In Overdrive

An ABC reporter asked Dan Wheldon, prior to last week's IRL event in Kentucky, how he intended to hold off Danica Patrick? Are they kidding, I thought? Shouldn't they have been asking Patrick how she intended to hold Wheldon, the current Indy 500 champion and IRL points leader, at bay? The question was just an example of the extreme silliness the Danica-crazed press has gotten.

Before the race, I saw a replay of the lap at Indy where Wheldon passed Patrick for the final time. The view was courtesy of an in-car camera on Patrick's vehicle. Wheldon passed, then disappeared so far down the track that the person I was watching with asked me if Patrick's car was still moving at the time? (That was from someone who knows less about racing than I do, noting that I know next to nothing.) Yet, if you knew nothing about racing, and watched only the pre-Kentucky race interviews, you would suspect it was Patrick who was the points leader and Indy champ not Wheldon.

A few races back, members of the Andretti Green Racing boycotted an autograph session after seeing the seating arrangement. There was one section for Patrick, another for all the other drivers. I think the sign actually said "other drivers", as if Wheldon and Helio Castroneves were toss away figures in the sport.

At the time, I just figured it was your typical jealousy amongst drivers and teams. It probably was, in part, but after seeing the media drool all over Patrick this past Sunday, I can see how some of the top drivers are put off by the Danica steamroller.

If Danica wins at Pikes Peak this week, it will be hailed as one the greatest sports achievements of all-time. If Wheldon or Dario Franchitti have the audacity to win, no one will notice. If the race means anything, then isn't it fair to assume that whomever wins the race matters, as well?

If Patrick captures the checkered flag, but is triumphant over a field of talentless nobodies, as the IRL and mainstream media media would have you believe, then what is the significance of her potential victory?

I'm not rooting against Patrick, but it's just plain media overkill at this point. Haven't Sara Fisher and Janet Guthrie traveled this path long before Patrick? I guess I'm just too much of a newbie to understand, but what has Patrick done that the women before her haven't?

Patrick may one day emerge as the greatest female driver in history. She may just vie for the greatest open wheel driver of all-time. I seriously doubt it, but I guess it's possible. However, before we proclaim her as the savior of open wheel racing in America, let's remember something. She hasn't won anything, yet.

The Tigers Three Ring Circus

I guess it's time to comment on the three ring circus that the Detroit Tigers have become. In the first ring we have Pudge Rodriguez, the Tigers Hall of Fame bound catcher. Pudge, who as Greg Eno pointed out months ago, has not been the same player in his second year in Detroit as he was his first. Something has been wrong with him since Day One of Spring Training. However, Pudge turned particularly surly after the Tigers shipped Kyle Farnsworth to Atlanta.

Pudge's attitude became the story in town when he went to Colombia during his suspension. When Rodriguez was due back in Kansas City, the disgruntled backstop missed his flight. That didn't sit well with Tigers management. The whole story blew-up when Terry Foster reported that Pudge actually got permission to skip town originally from owner Mike Ilitch, after Dave Dombrowski and Alan Trammell said no.

Since returning to the ballclub, Pudge has spent far more time not playing than helping his team on-the-field. Some are wondering if Pudge is hurting or pouting? The speculation increases daily and the stories have taken on a life of their own. They beg the question, should Pudge be traded this off-season?

Then, there is Ring # 2. Here we have Tigers' manager Alan Trammell. Tram is under daily fire, especially from the residents of Tigertown. Trammell's managerial competence is questioned by at least half the folks in town and I'm not counting the media. Regular Tigers fans, even those who adored Trammell as a player, are becoming increasingly angry about Trammell's decision making.

Trammell's supporters often point to the clubhouse decorum he has been able to maintain. Of course, in light of the Pudge stories, his critics now claim he can't control the Tigers' biggest player. There are also rumors that the team likes Tram, but doesn't respect his managerial acumen. The cries for Trammell's removal grow daily.

That brings us to our third and, for now, final ring. In Ring Three, we have Tigers' President and General Manager Dave Dombrowski. There is still a percentage of fans that disapprove of the deal for Farnsworth. They feel like Dombrowski tossed away the year. Unfortunately, that same sentiment appears to be shared by some of the guys wearing the Old English D. (Not surprisingly, Rodriguez leads that rebellious group of players that are ticked off at the Tigers' head hancho.) There is a group of fans, and apparently players, who feel like it's Dombrowski who should get the boot.

Dombrowski, too, maybe having his own issues. If, in fact, Pudge did go over Dombrowski's head and ask Ilitch for time away, only to have Ilitch grant it, Dombrowski may wonder what control he truly has? Toss in the rumor that Ilitch supposedly will not allow Dombrowski to fire Alan Trammell, even if the Tigers' G.M. thought it necessary and you could easily have Dombrowski wondering about his own status. The Tigers' boss has only one year left on his contract and I haven't even heard a rumor about an extension.

Here's what I think. I think if the Tigers trade Pudge, that's fine. There are ways, even if forced to eat a portion of his salary, that the team could improve without their most visible player.

I think if Trammell gets fired, I'd feel bad, but I'd get over it. There are other managers, with varying degrees of experience, available. His loss wouldn't be insurmountable.

I think I don't like the thought of losing Dombrowski. Can he be replaced? Of course, but of the three, he would be the most difficult. Dombrowski is a good general manager, like him or not. He has rebuilt this team and made more good moves than bad ones.

There are darn, darn few general managers with his record of success. Dombrowski could be with the Tigers for the next fifteen years, if Ilitch doesn't screw this up. Yet, the Tigers' owner, if we are to believe the word on the street, is doing everything he can to give Dombrowski reason to seek work in another city.

I think that's not a very good move.

I think the off-season, that began in earnest at the trade deadline, just got far more complicated. Instead of wondering which players should stay and which should go, citizens of Tigertown and, perhaps, Mr. Ilitch may have to ponder who is going to replace the G.M., the manager and/or a Hall of Fame catcher, as well.

Fantasy Fishing

No, I'm not joking. There really are fantasy fishing leagues. Yes, there is more than just the ESPN version. FLW Outdoors offers this one. Think this is being played by just twenty or thirty good ol' boys? Here Deborah Weisberg, in a special to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reports on the game's growing popularity.

Rooney Tallies, Toffees Fall

While I remain a fan of Wayne Rooney, as I continue to support his former side and not his current one, today's tally didn't warm my heart. I won't bore you with more discussion about the Premiership opener. At least, not now.

Joey Perfect

Joey Harrington went 9 for 9 in yesterday's pre-season opener against the New York Jets. The score? Well, that doesn't really matter, but if you must know, it was 10-3 Jets. A thriller by all accounts. However, we are allowing ourselves to be diverted from the big story.

Joey was perfect. 9 for 9. No touchdowns, but no interceptions, either. No drops. No overthrows. No passes that reach receivers on the third hop. Harrington's perfect completion percentage accounted for 100 passing yards.

Little else in this pre-season will matter, injuries being the only other major issue, than Harrington's play. If it's good, Lions fans will harbor playoff aspirations. If it's bad, or even mediocre, the Honolulu Blue faithful will be demanding a Jeff Garcia stint as starter.

So, while I hesitate to put much credence into last night's performance, Harrington's perfect game was the story as it will be every single week of the season, exhibition or regular. Number Three got the job done yesterday and even the boo birds are forced to keep quiet for about six days.

There was some bad news. Fullback Cory Schlesinger is out for about the next two months with a broken fibula. That's not going to help. Let's hope the Lions FB makes it back ASAP.

For those of you who are interested, here is more coverage of the Lions/Jets tilt:

Detroit News game recap by Mike O'Hara.

Steve Pate of the Oakland Press checks in with this.

This recap from the Lions official site.

Here is Tom Kowalski's view of the opener.

One Day Left

The Detroit Lions kickoff their 2005 season in about twenty-four hours. The Lions open the pre-season against the New York Jets. I'll be the first to admit that unless you are a real diehard NFL fan, pre-season football can be some of the worst stuff on Earth. That said, is anyone in town not excited with the fact the Lions are taking the field tomorrow night?

It may only be worth watching for a quarter, and that might be too long, but our hopes begin anew Friday night.

Time For A New Approach

The Philadelphia Eagles asked Terrell Owens to leave training camp today. Owens, who is looking for a new contract, got into a disagreement with head coach Andy Reid. Owens apparently used some profanity with Reid and that got him the boot.

Rumor has it the dispute arose when Owens refused to participate in a team required autograph session. Owens said he couldn't join the autograph session as he is recovering from a groin injury. That's hysterical. I broke my arm in fourth grade and still had to do my homework. I had to write with my other hand.

Yet, Owens, who even at his current paltry salary will probably make more than almost 99% of the people on Earth, cannot risk aggravating his groin injury by signing some autographs? Now, I'm no doctor, but I have yet to hear of anyone ever injuring his groin, or aggravating a current groin injury, by signing an autograph. Of course, signing the autographs wasn't the issue.

Owens has two problems. First, and most importantly, he's angry at the Eagles for not giving him more money. He will now take whatever action he chooses to display his displeasure. Team mandated autograph session? Not without a new deal in place.

Second, Owens has the attitude far too many of our athletes have. An attitude that says "All I'm here to do is play the game, everything else is optional". Alan Iverson's "Practice?" line is another perfect example of this attitude. This idea that the team should expect nothing other than a gameday performance is a cute idea, if the players were making $30,000 a year.

However, when your employer pays you lottery winning money, is it asking too much to scribble your name and participate in practice? Some intelligent, level headed folks would say yes. I would disagree, but I have a solution. (Yes, that's a first.) It's time for the leagues and owners to have players sign personal services contracts.

If today's athletes want to make millions and millions of dollars, they should have to sign a contract complete with personal service requirements. Things like practice, team meetings and autograph sessions would be a mandatory. Failure to comply is a breach of the contract and the deal is void instantly.

I usually side with the players in most labor-management confrontations. I've never begrudged them the big money, as teams must be making enough to cover their costs, but this time I'm clearly on management's side.

Maybe I'm just plain tired of T.O. Who am I kidding? Of course, I'm tired of T.O. He's a great football player, one who puts out every Sunday, put who just can't seem to find any happiness. More money. New team. Super Bowl appearance. Doesn't matter, T.O. always seems to need something more.

The Eagles should stop the madness and terminate their relationship with Owens. They won't, of course, because T.O. is so darn good. Maybe the Eagles owner should just refuse to sign anymore checks for Owens? He could always claim he has groin injury.

Drew Sharp Won't Like This

Seems some folks over at ESPN.com think the Big Ten is a pretty good football conference. Pat Forde gives the Big Ten love here and both Forde and Ivan Maisel rank the Big Ten as the nation's top conference. Did I mention The Sporting News also ranks the Big Ten first overall?

I suspect Drew Sharp, of the Detroit Free Press and noted Big Ten hater, is working on his rebuttal right now.

Rogers Reinstated

Kenny Rogers was reinstated today by an arbitrator. I couldn't be more annoyed. An arbitrator thinks assaulting two cameramen doesn't merit at least twenty games off? What is this arbitrator thinking? It's only a twenty game suspension if Rogers used a weapon? I can't believe that anyone with an ounce of common sense thinks Rogers deserves to have his suspension curtailed.

Bud Selig may be the worst commissioner of all-time, but the guy can't even level a suspension without someone outside the game revoking his decision. How can he effectively perform his job, if every decision he makes needs to be approved by Donald Fehr, the U.S. Congress and some random arbitrator?

Harrington Assault Begins

SI.com files this report from the Detroit Lions public scrimmage. Joey doesn't even get a break in practice.

While on the radio this morning, they were running a contest to see what Harrington's nickname should be. Apparently, while at Oregon, someone dubbed the Lions QB "Princess". Ouch. The leader amongst listener responses (before I left my vehicle)? "Joey Checkdown".

Yes, boys and girls, Lions' season is definitely underway.