I know it has been popular to say the Lions are partying like it's 1999 since they have made the playoffs for the first time since that seminal^ Bobby Ross led team^^, but I'd much prefer a 1991 remix.
^ Definition #1, not #2
^^ Who can forget that team, the most successful in the lifetime of new Lions fans? Well, me, for one. Here is a reminder. With the likes of Gus Frerrote under center and Greg Hill filling in for Barry Sanders^^^, the Lions squeaked into the playoffs with four straight losses then lost 27-13 to the Brad Johnson/Stephen Davis era Redskins. Yikes.
^^^ I did an exhaustive (> 5 minutes) internet search, but I can't find the play by play for Barry Sanders's last game as a Lion, but I have this distinct memory of him having more than 1500 yards (that would have made five straight seasons), but then having a negative run or two to bring him back to 1491, and the Lions, typically, didn't get the ball back. That would be the perfect end to Barry's career on many levels - a negative-yard run, a pathetic loss ending a pathetic season (5-11), and the franchise not caring/noticing a milestone for their greatest player.
In 1991, the Lions won the good-old Black and Blue Division, then beat up on the not-yet-Super Bowl-winning Cowboys 38-6 before losing to the eventual champion Redskins. This year, there is a real chance at winning a playoff game, which would be a great springboard to sustained success. If the Packers rest their stars, as expected, a win would have to be expected - and a win would give the Lions a game at the NFC East winners, either the Giants or the Cowboys. Neither team is that strong, and the Giants would be an especially great match up.
I haven't come to expect greatness every week, but I have come to expect respectability, and I have been pleasantly surprised with this late-season run. The Lions are hitting their stride and there's a lot to look forward to in the future. This team has pulled pieces off the street (Kevin Smith) to patch together a run game, so imagine what things will look like with Mikel Leshoure and Jahvid Best - or anyone else who could manage 200 carries a year. The future is bright...but the present isn't too dim either.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Amswer: 4 to 1
Question: What was the Wings-Penguins score from Tuesday?
Alternatively -
Question: How many fingers am I holding up, Sidney Crosby?
The Wings won, with the usual suspects (Datsyuk, Howard) leading the way.^ But the bigger story is Sidney Crosby missing another game with post-concussion symptoms. Crosby is the latest in the Next Gretzky lineup of players the NHL has desperately wanted - but unlike his predecessors, Crosby has been the real deal.
^ Howard has quietly solidified the Wings perennial goaltender question. Seems like he's come out of nowhere, and with the young core of players, the Wings have a solid foundation for years to come. Gone are the days of revolving re-treads (Hasek, CuJo) or reaching for the next big thing (Vernon, Essensa).
Just 24, Crosby has already led his Penguins to two Cup Finals, winning one. He also is partly responsible for the Penguins even being in Pittsburgh at this point. But he has also missed the better part of a season after suffering concussions, and now he's out again.
The speed and violence of hockey and football are what draw people to watch. That such huge athletes can make so many amazing things happen never ceases to amaze me. But I am even more amazed that there are not career threatening injuries every single game, let alone every single play. I don't know the solution - some say tighter helmet straps could help - but these guys are putting their lives on the line every time they go out on the court/field. I am not calling them heroes, but they are doing things that could result in a drastic change in their lifestyle at any moment. So when everyone cries about overpaid athletes, keep that in mind.^
^ Granted, people like teachers, firefighters, policemen, armed service members, and probably countless I am not thinking of, should all be paid more, and athletes paid less - but athletes put more on the line than we sometimes give them credit for.
Alternatively -
Question: How many fingers am I holding up, Sidney Crosby?
The Wings won, with the usual suspects (Datsyuk, Howard) leading the way.^ But the bigger story is Sidney Crosby missing another game with post-concussion symptoms. Crosby is the latest in the Next Gretzky lineup of players the NHL has desperately wanted - but unlike his predecessors, Crosby has been the real deal.
^ Howard has quietly solidified the Wings perennial goaltender question. Seems like he's come out of nowhere, and with the young core of players, the Wings have a solid foundation for years to come. Gone are the days of revolving re-treads (Hasek, CuJo) or reaching for the next big thing (Vernon, Essensa).
Just 24, Crosby has already led his Penguins to two Cup Finals, winning one. He also is partly responsible for the Penguins even being in Pittsburgh at this point. But he has also missed the better part of a season after suffering concussions, and now he's out again.
The speed and violence of hockey and football are what draw people to watch. That such huge athletes can make so many amazing things happen never ceases to amaze me. But I am even more amazed that there are not career threatening injuries every single game, let alone every single play. I don't know the solution - some say tighter helmet straps could help - but these guys are putting their lives on the line every time they go out on the court/field. I am not calling them heroes, but they are doing things that could result in a drastic change in their lifestyle at any moment. So when everyone cries about overpaid athletes, keep that in mind.^
^ Granted, people like teachers, firefighters, policemen, armed service members, and probably countless I am not thinking of, should all be paid more, and athletes paid less - but athletes put more on the line than we sometimes give them credit for.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Shadow Sports
I was reading Joe Posnanski's latest article (which is good, as always) and something struck me. Ever since he came out with his Jerry Sandusky initial reaction and Joe Paterno commentary I've felt different about Joe Pos. His Paterno take was completely sensical - Paterno led a complete life, this one incident is one thing among many, don't rush to judgment, etc. - but it left me dissatisfied. And everything I have read from him since then has been a shadow of his former work. Not that the quality is diminished - but its effect on me certainly has. I am reading his words through the shadow that has been cast by his opinions about the Penn State saga.
And that helped me realize my problem with hockey. I have always been a Red Wings fan. While the Tigers were struggling, Detroit became Hockey Town. My room was plastered with Wings posters, replicas of the Detroit News and Free Press front page spreads showing Steve Yzerman hoisting the Stanley Cup. I can still his his toothless grin, the embodiment of joy and accomplishment...but since the 2004-05 season was lost to the lockout, nothing has been the same. The Wings have won the Stanley Cup since then, and have always been at or near the top the league - so it isn't from lack of success. I did move across country, so that surely has something to do with it, but more to the point - the sport as a whole is a shadow of its former self. Losing an entire season^ made it like a whole new sport once it returned. The players changed, the economics changed, everything changed. And there just wasn't any room for a whole new NHL.
^ And what about the THREE seasons lost due to the Rich Rod experiment in Ann Arbor? I was not a faithful UM follower toward the end of the RR era, and I am just now starting to get back on board. And I did not miss a game for close to a decade, either sitting in the student section or watching as each game was televised nationally every week.
This shadow-NHL is changing again, drastically realigning the divisions. I hope they bring back the old-school division names^ - Norris, Adams, Patrick, Smythe - but that would just be a novelty to me. I don't know when the shadow will lift, but for now, it has me viewing hockey from afar.
^ Anything but Leaders and Legends. Please.
I see that same shadow falling on the NBA now. The Pistons are making moves, the league landscape is changing, and when basketball starts again, it will be hard to remember last season. Sports are a welcome distraction from the daily grind and common bond between fellow fans throughout the world - but when the shifting sports landscape is distracting in itself, and the common bond is broken because the team you once knew is unrecognizable...that is when the shadow has fallen, and that sport threatens to fade into obscurity.
And that helped me realize my problem with hockey. I have always been a Red Wings fan. While the Tigers were struggling, Detroit became Hockey Town. My room was plastered with Wings posters, replicas of the Detroit News and Free Press front page spreads showing Steve Yzerman hoisting the Stanley Cup. I can still his his toothless grin, the embodiment of joy and accomplishment...but since the 2004-05 season was lost to the lockout, nothing has been the same. The Wings have won the Stanley Cup since then, and have always been at or near the top the league - so it isn't from lack of success. I did move across country, so that surely has something to do with it, but more to the point - the sport as a whole is a shadow of its former self. Losing an entire season^ made it like a whole new sport once it returned. The players changed, the economics changed, everything changed. And there just wasn't any room for a whole new NHL.
^ And what about the THREE seasons lost due to the Rich Rod experiment in Ann Arbor? I was not a faithful UM follower toward the end of the RR era, and I am just now starting to get back on board. And I did not miss a game for close to a decade, either sitting in the student section or watching as each game was televised nationally every week.
This shadow-NHL is changing again, drastically realigning the divisions. I hope they bring back the old-school division names^ - Norris, Adams, Patrick, Smythe - but that would just be a novelty to me. I don't know when the shadow will lift, but for now, it has me viewing hockey from afar.
^ Anything but Leaders and Legends. Please.
I see that same shadow falling on the NBA now. The Pistons are making moves, the league landscape is changing, and when basketball starts again, it will be hard to remember last season. Sports are a welcome distraction from the daily grind and common bond between fellow fans throughout the world - but when the shifting sports landscape is distracting in itself, and the common bond is broken because the team you once knew is unrecognizable...that is when the shadow has fallen, and that sport threatens to fade into obscurity.
Lions-Vikings postmortem
Well that was exciting. Joe Webb, best known for his unique Fantasy Football position eligibility, decided to teach the lackadaisical Lions defense a lesson. And who knows -in a league where Tyler Palko, T.J. Yates, and Matt Moore are all starting, Joe Webb might have a future as a backup or slash-guy, ala Antwaan Randle El or Brad Smith. But he is not someone who should be torching the Lions to the tune of 12/23 for 84 yards and a TD passing (that sounds very Joe Webb-like) and 109 rushing yards on SEVEN carries for a TD (that sounds very Adrian Peterson-like). The Lions were missing several people from the defense, but there are no excuses for this performance. More duds like this against a sneaky Oakland team and a surging Chargers team will lead to an 8-8 season and missing the playoffs - and more choruses of "Same old Lions."
On the bright side, there were no stupid penalties and the offense started strong. The D did have a couple touchdowns, so it might seem overly critical to blame the defense, but in reality, Minnesota should have won the game at the end. Let's all just hope this is the start of some new luck and there is enough momentum to carry into the playoffs...
On the bright side, there were no stupid penalties and the offense started strong. The D did have a couple touchdowns, so it might seem overly critical to blame the defense, but in reality, Minnesota should have won the game at the end. Let's all just hope this is the start of some new luck and there is enough momentum to carry into the playoffs...
Friday, December 9, 2011
Hamburgler Sighted in Kansas, and David Stern flinches
Today was slow on the Detroit sports front. The Tigers swapped out one youngish right-handed reliever for another. Can you believe that a couple years after being part of a Roy Halladay trade that never happened, Ryan Perry is only good enough to get an out-of-options middle reliever? Hindsight being what it is, it seems pretty clear that a Porcello-Perry-Casey Crosby package for Roy Halladay would have been a steal for Detroit. Ugh.
In news local to me, I tuned into what passes for comedy radio on the way home tonight - the Charlie Weis introductory press conference at Kansas!^ At least they can break out their old t-shirts from the Mark Mangino era. But really, this is probably a good move for everyone involved. Best case scenario for everyone - Weis is really successful and that catapults him to a better job. If he falls on his face and KU performs like KU, he'll be gone soon anyway. My prediction - he'll bring KU back to respectability and will land an NFL gig in three or four years.
^Not quitting my day job...or my night job...
In NBA news, the Hornets, Lakers, and Rockets swung a trade that would have landed Chris Paul in L.A. Problem is, Commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal. The deal might be back on but the fact that the veto happened at all is troubling. The NBA itself owns the Hornets, so that is how the commissioner had any say in the trade. Having a team owned by, essentially, each of the other teams in the league leads to conflicts of interest such as this. Dan Gilbert, fresh off of his LeBron Comic Sans screed, kept the hits coming with a few choice words about the Chris Paul trade^.
^No word on the font used in the email. Vegas has Calibri as an early favorite at 1 to 2, but Comic Sans is worth a flier at 4 to 1.
I doubt he would have been voicing any concerns if Paul ended up on the Cavs, or even if the Cavs facilitated the Paul trade.^ But since someone else profited, he stomped his feet and got Daddy to take away his brother's toy. What a joke. Once again, the conflict of interest when a league owns one of its teams is unavoidable. The MLB did the same thing when they jerked around the Expos for a couple years.
^Not that anyone would want the pu pu platter the Cavs would have to offer up in a trade.
The best thing that could happen to the Hornets is a sale so someone with the team's best interests in mind can start making decisions. And with a Paul trade, all accounts are that the team itself would be improved, and a better team is always a better asset.^
^Unless you're the Clippers.
Now that David Stern has allowed the teams to try the trade again, it will be interesting to see what a new deal looks like. If the same deal goes through, the NBA will be admitting they were wrong to veto the trade in the first place. I am guessing there is some nominal change - the Lakers giving up a second round pick or something - just so David Stern can save face.
In news local to me, I tuned into what passes for comedy radio on the way home tonight - the Charlie Weis introductory press conference at Kansas!^ At least they can break out their old t-shirts from the Mark Mangino era. But really, this is probably a good move for everyone involved. Best case scenario for everyone - Weis is really successful and that catapults him to a better job. If he falls on his face and KU performs like KU, he'll be gone soon anyway. My prediction - he'll bring KU back to respectability and will land an NFL gig in three or four years.
^Not quitting my day job...or my night job...
In NBA news, the Hornets, Lakers, and Rockets swung a trade that would have landed Chris Paul in L.A. Problem is, Commissioner David Stern vetoed the deal. The deal might be back on but the fact that the veto happened at all is troubling. The NBA itself owns the Hornets, so that is how the commissioner had any say in the trade. Having a team owned by, essentially, each of the other teams in the league leads to conflicts of interest such as this. Dan Gilbert, fresh off of his LeBron Comic Sans screed, kept the hits coming with a few choice words about the Chris Paul trade^.
^No word on the font used in the email. Vegas has Calibri as an early favorite at 1 to 2, but Comic Sans is worth a flier at 4 to 1.
I doubt he would have been voicing any concerns if Paul ended up on the Cavs, or even if the Cavs facilitated the Paul trade.^ But since someone else profited, he stomped his feet and got Daddy to take away his brother's toy. What a joke. Once again, the conflict of interest when a league owns one of its teams is unavoidable. The MLB did the same thing when they jerked around the Expos for a couple years.
^Not that anyone would want the pu pu platter the Cavs would have to offer up in a trade.
The best thing that could happen to the Hornets is a sale so someone with the team's best interests in mind can start making decisions. And with a Paul trade, all accounts are that the team itself would be improved, and a better team is always a better asset.^
^Unless you're the Clippers.
Now that David Stern has allowed the teams to try the trade again, it will be interesting to see what a new deal looks like. If the same deal goes through, the NBA will be admitting they were wrong to veto the trade in the first place. I am guessing there is some nominal change - the Lakers giving up a second round pick or something - just so David Stern can save face.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Today in Detroit Sports - 12/8/11
I'm going to try to sum up the Detroit-centric sports landscape every day. Let's see how it goes...
- Wings - game tonight, 7:30 vs Phoenix. This starts the home stand that has been marketed as "The once and future Jets" series^, with the Old Jets playing tonight and the New Jets coming to The Joe on Saturday. The Wings are an up and down team, streaking to several wins in a row, then a few losses. Wash, rinse, repeat. Following two losses, this feels like a W to me.
- Tigers - the huge news out of the Baseball Winter Meetings today was the Tigers signing of Octavio Dotel! That immediately makes them the favorite in the AL and it would be a huge upset for anyone else to reach the world series from the Junior Circuit. Of course, the Angels made a couple of smaller moves, signing a fourth starter and adding depth at first base. Coupled with the move of the Astros to the AL West, the Angels and Rangers will be near locks for 90 wins a year for the next few years. With an extra wild card team, though, the Tigers situation is still the same - win the AL Central if you want to make the playoffs. I still see the Tigers making another move or two this winter, maybe the Cuban Centipede or a 2B.
- Pistons - welcome back, Tayshaun Prince! 4 years, $30M or so. In other words, business as usual. I will admit, the Pistons have been on the far back burner for me the last few years, and this doesn't help. Brandon Knight should be an exciting rookie, but this move will only weigh down the team and inhibit their future moves. How can the owners blame their losses on anyone but themselves?!
- Lions - Suh is out, Jared Allen rips the city, two Lions have torn ligaments...thankfully this is a bye week. Oh sure, some people in Vikings uniforms will be running around Ford Field on Sunday, but I think it's just a scrimmage.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tigers Hot Stove - 12/7 Update
No news is...no news. There are some fires in the iron though:
- Yoenis Cespedes - whose name is a little too close to Yunieski Betancourt for my tastes - is on the Tiger's radar. Dombrowski visited with him in the Dominican Republic^. All I know is that I won't learn to spell his name unless he signs with us. Till then, Cespedes is Spanish for Copy/Paste.
^ When reached for comment, Jim Price said, "Nice area."
- Gio Gonzalez's name has been thrown around. He would be a huge addition. The way I see it, if Jacob Turner turns out to be a stud, Gonzalez is basically Turner in two years (plus left-handed). Those two years would be the cheapest in Turner's career, but with the new super-two rules, he is more likely to be a super-two, which means, more expensive. If Turner is in line for Gonzalez's arbitration pay schedule in two years, that would be the best case scenario. So making the trade for Gio is like fast-forwarding Turner's development two years. Sounds like a good deal to me. Of course, the A's are asking for more (reportedly Nick Castellanos, Brennan Boesch, Gene Lamont, 2 packs a day from Leyland, and that singing hot dog vendor dude). I wouldn't want to trade Boesch, especially if the plan is to flip Delmon Young for anything (hopefully Martin Prado from the Braves), but I'd drop Castellanos and some other middling prospect with Turner to get Gonzalez. Making that move would put us even further ahead in the division race. If Gonzalez goes elsewhere outside of the division, no biggie - but if the Royals manage to trade for him (and they have a much better stable of prospects than the Tigers), the gap between Us and Them in the division gets a lot smaller, and the reliance on Turner or Oliver or anyone else to step up as a fifth starter becomes that much more important.
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