tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64594112024-03-13T08:01:27.114-04:00Detroit SportsMy latest rants about Detroit Sports and the Michigan Wolverines.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.comBlogger405125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1140671827241813172006-02-22T23:51:00.000-05:002006-02-23T00:43:40.386-05:00Pistons Trade DarkoThe Detroit Pistons have announced that they have traded <strong>Darko Milicic</strong> and <strong>Carlos Arroyo</strong> to the Orlando Magic for center <strong>Kelvin Cato</strong>. This trade does not come at a total shock, but it was somewhat suprising that the Pistons gave up their former number two draft pick. By trading away Darko, it will free up some cap space for the Pistons as they try to keep their core nucleus of players together.<br /><br />Three years ago when the Detroit Pistons drafted <strong>Darko Milicic</strong> with the number 2 draft pick overall, most thought that <strong>Joe Dumars</strong> had made a mistake. Dumars passed up <strong>Chris Bosh</strong>, <strong>Dwyane Wade</strong>, and <strong>Carmello Anthony</strong> and selected Milicic. Darko barely played his rookie season and his development, or lack thereof, was over-shadowed by the Pistons winning the championship. In his sophomore season he still did not play much and his numbers were barely any higher. He was over-shadowed again by the Pistons almost winning the championship. This season has just been a microcosm of his entire professional career with the same lack of minutes in his first two seasons.<br /><br />I think a big reason Darko never played for the Pistons was because of how good the Pistons actually are. They have the best starting five in the league and they never had the time to let him get minutes. They never needed him to develop into a starter, so they did not rush his development. He never played, so he was never able to show what he could or could not do. He will probably be a decent NBA player elsewhere but clearly he could not do it with the Pistons.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1140479282792500782006-02-20T18:35:00.000-05:002006-02-20T18:48:02.853-05:00All-Star Game ReviewNormally I would not post about the NBA All-Star game but last night's game was a perfect example of how good the Detroit Pistons are. The East was down by 21 points at half time and it looked as if the West was going to win big. However, late in the third quarter, all four Pistons reserve All-Stars checked into the game for the East. The Pistons brought back the East into the game on the way to a 122-120 win. Yes, it was the All-Star game where neither team plays much defense; but it was still impressive to watch the Pistons bring back the East against the best players in the league. This game proved that they can play against anybody. Again, it was just the All-Star game, but it was still fun to watch.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1140326998530186312006-02-19T00:24:00.000-05:002006-02-19T00:31:49.276-05:00R-E-S-P-E-C-TThe Detroit Pistons finally got some much deserved respect for their amazing start to this season. Four of their five starters were selected to the NBA All-Star game (which will be on later today). The only starting Piston who did not make the team was <strong>Tayshaun Prince</strong>. The Pistons have been shafted in previous years for All-Star selections and it was nice to finally see them get some attention. The Pistons' goal this season was to have homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs and they should be able to achieve that goal. They have the best record in the league and they show no signs of slowing down.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1139513024354999762006-02-09T14:16:00.000-05:002006-02-09T14:39:24.000-05:00Lions Sign MartzThe Detroit Lions have signed former St. Louis Rams head coach <strong>Mike Martz</strong> to be their new offensive coordinator. Martz and the Lions had been trying to work a deal for a while, and on Wednesday they were finally able to get a deal done. Terms of the deal are not official yet but it should be around $3 million for 3 years.<br /><br />This was a wonderful signing for the Lions. Martz has been known to be an offensive mastermind. He was part of the "greatest show on turf" when he coached the Rams. He even lead them to a Super Bowl in a losing effort to the Patriots. The Lions' offense has been horrible since the Millen era(and even before then really). Martz should be able to make their offense a lot better with his coaching ability. The one big question for Martz and new coach <strong>Rod Marinelli</strong> will be whether they should keep quarterback <strong>Joey Harrington</strong>. As we all know, Harrington has not lived anywhere near his high first round expectations. Some believe that Harrington is not suited well for a west coast offense. Maybe Martz will tailor the offense to Harrington's skills so he can succeed for once. All I know is that Martz will make the Lions' offense better, but how much better will he make them is the key point. The Lions need vast improvement and Martz should hopefully be up to this difficult task.<br /><br />I leave you with this brief overview of Martz's coaching career taken from Len Pasquarelli of <a href="http://espn.com">http://espn.com</a>.<br /><br /><em>"In each of his full seasons in St. Louis, the Martz-designed offense ranked among the top 10 in the NFL and twice rated No. 1 overall."</em><br /><br /><em>"Not counting the 11 games he missed last season, during which Joe Vitt served as interim head coach, Martz compiled a 56-36 record with the Rams. He led St. Louis to four playoff appearances, two division titles and a Super Bowl XXXVI berth. In his five full seasons in St. Louis, the Martz-designed offense statistically ranked in the top 10 every year, and was No. 1 in 2000 and 2001."</em>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1139116507313187192006-02-05T00:03:00.000-05:002006-02-05T00:15:07.360-05:00Super Bowl XLIt is hard to believe that the 40th Super Bowl will be hosted in Detroit today. The Lions will be at the Super Bowl this year but just not <strong>in</strong> the Super Bowl. It is exciting that the biggest sporting event in history will be within one hour of my house. It will be fun seeing "The Bus" coming back to his hometown to play in his most likely last game. I think the Steelers will win in a close game, but we will see what happens. With the Lions obviously being out of the Super Bowl again; it will be just another Super Bowl to sit and watch two great teams play while wishing we were cheering for out lovable Lions.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1138557012687152222006-01-29T12:40:00.000-05:002006-01-29T13:15:02.526-05:00Is this our year?Michigan won their second straight game over a ranked opponent by <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=260280130">beating 21st ranked Wisconsin 85-76</a> at home. The win gave Michigan their first back to back wins against a ranked opponent since 1994. The win puts Michigan in a tie with Illinois and Iowa for the Big Ten lead. All three teams sit at 5-2 in Big Ten play but Illinois holds the tie-breaker because they beat Michigan earlier in the season. Michigan's overall record is 15-3 which is their best start since the 1992-1993 season.<br /><br />Michigan is a having an amazing season. Michigan basketball fans are not used to seeing them do this well. Through self imposed sanctions and injuries to key players, Michigan has not had a good season in a long time. This season, Michigan fans are asking themselves-is this our year? Is this the year we finally make the tournament and make it to at least the sweet 16 or beyond? I think this season is Michigan's year. I don't think they will win the Big Ten title because the Big Ten is very strong this season. However, I do think they will make it to the big dance and win a few games. They have a strong starting five and a good bench players. They play a good zone defense and they have guys who can score big baskets like <strong>Daniel Horton</strong> and <strong>Dion Harris</strong>. They will be even better when starting forward <strong>Lester Abram</strong> comes back from his ankle injury.<br /><br />Michigan has nine games left in conference play. I think they need to win a big road game in order to fully establish themselves as a true Big Ten title contender. Both their wins against ranked opponents were at home and they need to win a big road game to legitamize themselves. When the new rankings come out, Michigan should be ranked for the first time since 1998.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1138423692481227272006-01-27T23:31:00.000-05:002006-01-28T00:11:34.833-05:00The Biggest WinI have decided to start posting again. I wanted to come back when something big happened in the Detroit Sports realm. I think Michigan beating 12th ranked Michigan State in college basketball is a good way to start....<br /><br />This past Wednesday, the <strong>Michigan Wolverines</strong> beat the 12th ranked <strong>Michigan State</strong> Spartans 72-67. The win put Michigan near the top of the Big Ten standings. Michigan was one of the highest team receiving votes outside of the top 25. With the win against State, Michigan should be ranked in the top 25 for the first time since 1998.<br /><br />Michigan has showed that this season is different from previous seasons. They are 14-3 with a 4-2 record in Big Ten play. They just fell shy of beating 6th ranked Illinois on the road earlier in the season. They also played UCLA tough but lost again against a ranked opponent. Although Michigan played good against UCLA and Illinois, the bottom line was that they still lost. That is why the win against State was so huge. They were down in the first half by 13 but they came back strong and took the lead. They not only took the lead, they <strong>held</strong> the lead. Michigan played a great zone defense to shut down State in the second half. State fans may say Michigan won because of the calls, but Michigan deserved to win.<br /><br />Senior point guard <strong>Daniel Horton</strong> continued his great season leading the Wolverines with 23 points. He brought Michigan back in the first half by scoring 13 points, then in the second half he scored 10 points to help pad the lead. <br /><br />Daniel Horton won Big Ten freshman of the year in 2002, but his game seemed to decline during his sophomore and junior season. Many people were wondering if he was the real deal or not. This season he has proved that he is the real deal with career highs in points, assists, steals, and all field goal percentages.<br /><br />Michigan plays 23rd ranked Wisconsin this Saturday. The winner will sit on top of the strong Big Ten conference.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1136945639232012082006-01-10T21:04:00.000-05:002006-01-10T21:13:59.246-05:00I'm coming backI have decided to start posting again on my website in the near future. I am still going to cover primarily Detroit Sports but I am going to change the way I cover them. Instead of covering game recaps, where you could get anywhere, I am going to analyze what happens in the Detroit Sports world. I also might eliminate some of the teams that I cover but I do not know yet. I should be up and running again this weekend.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1130042537884214762005-10-23T00:34:00.000-04:002006-01-05T19:46:17.023-05:00An ExplanationSorry for not updating in the last few months. I have decided to shut down this site. I might come back in a few months but probably not. I am just too busy with high school and work to post a few times a week. Thanks for anyone who has ever read my horrible posts! Please email me to tell me what you thought of my site, good or bad.....Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1126663679114287612005-09-13T21:59:00.000-04:002005-09-13T22:29:53.126-04:009/13 NotesSorry for the lack of updates lately. In the last two weeks or so a lot has happened in Detroit Sports. Most of the news has been bad so I will start with pretty much the only good news in Detroit.<br /><br />The <strong>Detroit Lions</strong> opened the season on a good note <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=250911008">beating the Packers 17-3</a>. The Lions have won the opening game in the last three straight seasons.<br /><br /><strong>Joey Harrington</strong> looked good throwing for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns. He again did not throw an interception. New Lion <strong>Marcus Pollard</strong> had 5 catches including a touchdown pass from Harrington.<br /><br />The Lions looked good in this game. Their defense was especially good holding Green Bay to just three points, the lowest ever scored by <strong>Brett Farve</strong>. The main thing the Lions have to work on is their offensive sceme. They have been calling some awful plays for Harrington to run. Another thing they need to do is block better for Harrington. Harrington does not play half bad when he has some time in the pocket.<br /><br />The <strong>Detroit Red Wings</strong> lost <a href="http://onthewings.blogspot.com/2005/09/more-on-pavel.html">Pavel Datsyuk to a Russian team</a>. The Wings apparently could not give him enough money for him to want to come back. It is very hard to see Datsyuk go. I thought he was the most exciting player in the NHL to watch. He was just hitting his prime, and I just don't think the Wings will be the same without him. I will most remember Pavel for that awesome goal he scored on Marty Turco a few years ago.<br /><br />Although the Wings lost Datsyuk, they were able to <a href="http://onthewings.blogspot.com/2005/09/wings-re-sign-zetterberg.html">resign Henrik Zetterberg</a>. Zetterberg is a young superstar in the making. He has been with the Wings for a number of years now and it was nice to see one of their young stars come back.<br /><br />The formly third rank team in the nation were beaten by their rival Notre Dame on Saturday. Of course I am talking about Michigan's 17-10 loss to the Irish. Michigan's defense played decent but their offense was horrible. <strong>Mike Hart</strong> was out of the game early due to an injury but that is no excuse. Michigan was on the one yard line twice but they turned the ball over both times. Michigan should have won this game but again they choked. They always seem to lose a game before starting the Big Ten schedule, which almost always knocks them out of the championship picture from the start.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1125608503820566232005-09-01T16:53:00.000-04:002005-09-01T17:03:29.123-04:009/1 NotesI will be gone this weekend for Labor Day. Once I get back I will post on what happened over the weekend in Detroit Sports.<br /><br />Over the weekend the 4th ranked Michigan Wolverines will play unranked Northern Illinois to start the season. Michigan is heavily favored and they should be able to win.<br /><br />The Lions will have one more chance to get ready for the regular season by playing in their final preseason game. They have lost every game thus far in the preseason and it would be nice if they could get a victory.<br /><br />I recently re-did the sidebar. I now have a lot less links in my sidebar. I went to almost every link I had on my site and I found out that a lot of the sports blogs have stopped posting. Maybe I am wrong but it seems like running sports blogs is getting less popular.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1125423281475209542005-08-30T13:25:00.000-04:002005-08-30T13:52:06.636-04:00DisgustingThat is the first word that came to my mind after I watched the Lions play the Rams last night on Monday Night Football. Sure it was only preseason, but the Lions got rocked 37-13.<br /><br />The Rams scored on their first three drives as they took the early lead. This game was never close as the Rams held on to the lead for the entire game.<br /><br />The Lions again could not get into the endzone with their starting offense. The Lions drove down the field a few times with their starting unit but they could only muster 2 field goals. The only touchdown the Lions scored was late in the game by their third string quarterback.<br /><br /><strong>Joey Harrington</strong> went 9-18 for 106 yards. Although Harrington did not play that great, I don't think it was all his fault. The Lions' offensive line did not give him any time to throw the ball. Harrington was constantly under pressure and he was forced to get rid of the ball early and often. When the line did give him some time, Harrington played alright.<br /><br /><strong>Jeff Garcia</strong> continued his bad preseason by going just 2-9 passing along with a fumble. He was supposed to be pushing Harrington for the number one spot but Garcia has failed to accomplish that.<br /><br />So far this preseason the Lions have looked bad. They have lost every game and their starting offense together has failed to score a single touchdown. The Lions have just one more preseason game to get ready for the regular season. They probably won't play many of their starters to prevent injuries. The only thing good that has come of this preseason is that they have not had any major injuries.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1124994871507881332005-08-25T14:30:00.000-04:002005-08-26T21:54:07.480-04:00Are the Tigers having a good season?The Detroit Tigers sit at 61-64, three games below 500. They have played decent of late but they are pretty much out of the wild card race.<br /><br />When the season started for the Tigers, expectations were high. The Tigers had signed a big name player in the offseason, <strong>Magglio Ordonez</strong>, to a huge contract. The Tigers also had made their bullpen much stronger by adding <strong>Troy Percival</strong> and <strong>Kyle Farnsworth</strong>. The Tigers also had two all-stars returning to the team, <strong>Ivan Rodriguez</strong> and <strong>Carlos Guillen</strong> to help lead the team. Their pitching staff was also a year older.<br /><br />Once the season started things started to go down hill quickly for the Tigers. Very early in the season they lost Ordonez to an injury. Ordonez did not come back till almost mid-way through the season. Later in the season the Tigers lost Troy Percival to a season ending injury. The Tigers then traded away <strong>Ugueth Urbina</strong> for <strong>Placido Palonco.</strong> A few weeks ago the Tigers traded Kyle Farnsworth for a few minor leaguers. With the injuries and trades the Tigers have a very thin bullpen. Their bullpen has lost a lot of close games and that has hurt the Tigers greatly.<br /><br />Along with the Tigers bullpen being weak, some of their better players are not having a good season. Pudge, who was so good last year, is having a rough season. <strong>Carlos Pena</strong>, who lead the team with 27 homers last year, was sent down to the minors for almost the entire season due to his horrible play. Even all-star Carlos Guillen's numbers are way down from last season.<br /><br />All in all I think the Tigers are doing about as good as we can expect out of them. Sure they could be a lot better but they are still around 500. They are on pace to win more games then they did last season. Their pitching staff has done well overall and their hitting has been decent. Who knows what might have happened this year if they had not been plagued with injuries to some of their best players.<br /><br />This season is pretty much over for the Tigers. They are not going to make the playoffs but they can still try to finish above 500. A Tigers team has not finished about 500 for the regular season in over a decade. I think a season above 500 will greatly help the Tigers build for next season.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1123971138164959392005-08-13T17:47:00.000-04:002005-08-13T18:12:20.976-04:00Preseason ReportThe Lions played their first preseason game on Friday night. They <a href="http://www.detroitlions.com/document_display.cfm?document_id=430169">lost to the Jets 10-3</a>.<br /><br />I think the most important stat to this game was 9 for 9. That is what <strong>Joey Harrington</strong> went on the night. He was 9-9 for 100 yards passing. It was nice to see Harrington get off to a nice start.<br /><br />The worst thing during last night's game for the Lions was the loss of fullback <strong>Cory Schlesinger</strong>. Schlesinger suffered a leg injury and will be out 6-8 weeks. At least his injury came early in the preseason so he has time to recover before the majority of the regular season is over.<br /><br />Although the Lions lost, it was still nice to see them play a good first preseason game. They will have 3 more preseason games before the real season starts.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1123605420018061412005-08-09T12:29:00.000-04:002005-08-09T12:52:45.406-04:00Osgood back in Detroit?The Detroit Red Wings <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2129009">have signed Chris Osgood</a> to a one year deal worth $900,000. <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?statsId=724">Osgood</a> helped the Wings win the Stanley Cup back in 1998 as their starting goaltender.<br /><br />Osgood left the team in 2001 when the Wings signed Dominik Hasek. Osgood then signed with the Islanders before being traded to the Blues in 2003. Last season Osgood put up good numbers with a 31-25-8 record as the Blues top netminder.<br /><br />Throughout his career, Osgood has put up good numbers. He has a 305-177-66 career record with a 2.40 goals-against-average. Osgood also has 41 career shutouts. With the Wings he went 221-110-46 in the regular season and 38-25 in the playoffs.<br /><br />With this signing the Wings now have a solid goaltending core. Osgood will battle against <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/players/profile?statsId=1241">Manny Legace</a> for the top spot at goaltender. Legace went 23-10-5 in 41 games last season with the Wings. Legace has a 77-35-18 career record. Legace's career G.A.A. is a slim 2.22.<br /><br />This was a good signing for the Wings. They strengthened their defense as they added this veteran goalie to the lineup. Osgood should fit right in with the rest of the team as they welcome him back to Detroit.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1123021578143466912005-08-02T18:13:00.000-04:002005-08-02T18:40:59.010-04:008/2 NotesI am finally back from vacation. While I was gone a lot happened in the Detroit Sports scene.<br /><br />I will first start out with the <strong>Red Wings</strong>. With the NHL finally ending the lockout, the Red Wings now have to get their team together with a salary cap. They will be losing a number of players. Long time Red Wing <strong>Darren McCarty</strong> has already left the team. <strong>Mathieu Dandenault</strong> is also expected to leave. <strong>Derian Hatcher</strong> left as well, signing with the Flyers.<br /><br />Although the Wings are losing a number of players, they did not lose their long time captain <strong>Steve Yzerman</strong>. Yzerman signed a one year deal to stay with the Wings for another season.<br /><br />I have been out of hockey for so long that I barely know what is going on anymore. For awesome Wings' coverage, head over to <a href="http://onthewings.blogspot.com">On the Wings</a>.<br /><br />The <strong>Detroit Tigers</strong> have pretty much given up on trying to make the playoffs. They proved that by trading one of their best relievers, Kyle Farnsworth, for two prospects. The Tigers now have a very weak bullpen after trading Farnsworth. The Tigers sit about 5 games under 500, and about 8 games out of the wild card spot.<br /><br />Even though the Tigers have given up on their season, I think they made a smart move by signing <strong>Placido Polanco</strong> to a four year deal. They traded for Polanco earlier in the season, and he has done a good job for the Tigers since they picked him up.<br /><br />The <strong>Detroit Lions</strong> signed their first round draft pick <strong>Mike Williams</strong> to a five year deal. Williams should fit in nicely with <strong>Roy Williams</strong> and <strong>Charles Rogers</strong>.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1122263483394196412005-07-24T23:49:00.000-04:002005-07-24T23:51:23.410-04:00Gone AgainSorry for the serious lack of updates recently. I have been busy, and there has not been a lot of news in Detroit other than Brown leaving the Pistons. I will be gone again for the next week. Expect a lot more updates in August.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1121793753784924852005-07-19T13:07:00.000-04:002005-07-19T13:35:48.916-04:007/19 NotesI was gone again most of the past week so I was unable to post anything new.<br /><br />The biggest story in Detroit during this past week was the <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2111105">departure of Larry Brown</a>. Although it is not official yet, the Pistons and Brown are working on a buyout that will allow Brown to leave Detroit after just two seasons of being the Pistons head coach.<br /><br />Larry Brown had said all along that he wanted to coach in Detroit <strong>if</strong> he was healthy enough too. He apparently could not guarantee the Pistons a full season because of his health issues.<br /><br />All of this seems so strange, how can Larry Brown be leaving? He came within one win of winning two straight NBA Championships. The Pistons and he seemed so close to one another at the end of this past season. The Pistons played so good under Brown, they consistently came back in playoff series when they were down. I still can not believe Brown would want to leave Detroit for something else (if his health has nothing to do with him wanting to leave).<br /><br />Even though it is a huge disappointment that Brown is leaving, it was a great two years with him in Detroit. They Pistons won the NBA Title the very first season he coached them. They were huge under-dogs against the Lakers in the Finals, but the Pistons destroyed the Lakers in just five games. This season, in the playoffs, the Pistons came within one quarter of beating the eventually NBA Champions Spurs.<br /><br />In other news in Detroit, the Red Wings <a href="http://onthewings.blogspot.com/2005/07/welcome-aboard.html">signed Mike Babcock</a>, as expected, to be their new head coach. Babcock comes from the Ducks, where he came within one game of winning the Stanley Cup two seasons ago. I still am not sure about this signing, but we will just have to see what happens.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1121121947859517412005-07-11T18:21:00.000-04:002005-07-11T19:57:11.856-04:00All-Star WeekThe MLB All-Star game is in Detroit this year. The Tigers are represented by their catcher <strong>Ivan Rodriguez</strong>. Tonight is the Home Run Derby and the actual game is on Tuesday.<br /><br />It is exciting to have an All-Star game in Detroit. The Tigers have been doing decent this year, and it will be interesting to see how they respond after the All-Star break. The Tigers record sits at 42-44, 15 games back of the division leading White Sox. They sit 6 games back of the Wild Card spot.<br /><br />The Tigers strength throughout the year has been their pitching. Their team ERA is an amazing 3.88 on the season. Four of their starting pitchers have an ERA below 4.19. Last season the Tigers team ERA was 4.93, over one more earned run per-game than this season. With the Tigers pitching much better this season over last season, one has to wonder if the Tigers hitting has to do with their below 500 record. Here are the Tigers offensive numbers from this season compared to last season.<br /><br /><strong>This Season</strong><br />Batting Average: .268<br />On Base Percentage: .322<br />Slugging Percentage: .418<br />Walks: 218<br />Hits: 798<br />Home Runs: 77<br />Runs Batted In: 362<br /><br /><strong>Last Season</strong><br />Batting Average: .272<br />On Base Percentage: .337<br />Slugging Percentage: .449<br />Walks: 518<br />Hits: 1531<br />Home Runs: 201<br />Runs Batted In: 800<br /><br />As you can see, the Tigers offensive numbers are down from last season. However, now that <strong>Magglio Ordonez</strong> is healthy, the Tigers offensive should get better. They need to start hitting better to keep their record around 500. I do not expect them to finish much higher than 500 even though I think they are capable of finishing above 500.<br /><br />The Tigers have won five of their last six games after they lost 10 of 12. Their bats have been lighting it up and their pitching has been very solid. They have outscored their opponents 36-21 in the last 6 games. Who knows, maybe they will be able to play this well for the rest of the season.<br /><br />With the season now halfway over, the Tigers can start to think about finishing the season on a strong note. They probably won't make the playoffs but they can finish the season on a solid note. If the Tigers finish this season around 500, it will be the second straight season they have finished around 500, something good to build on for next season.<br /><br /><strong>Another Note</strong>: Here are some good articles about the All-Star Game.<br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=whitlock/050711">There's no place like Detroit</a><br /><a href="http://www.freep.com/sports/tigers/mitch11e_20050711.htm">Meet the real Detroit</a>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1121050206750321402005-07-10T22:37:00.000-04:002005-07-10T23:16:20.753-04:00Wings Drop LewisWith the NHL Lockout coming to an end, the Detroit Red Wings have decided not to<br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2103510">renew Dave Lewis' contract</a> after just two seasons of being the Red Wings head coach. With Lewis out, the Red Wings are seriously <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2102609">going after</a> <strong>Mike Babcock</strong>. Babcock has been the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' head coach for the past two seasons.<br /><br />I fully understand why the Red Wings are not going to resign Lewis. In his first year as the Wings coach the Wings could not even get past the first round of the playoffs (they lost to Babcock's Ducks). In his second year with the Wings they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the <strong>Calgary Flames</strong>. The Red Wings are like the Yankees of hockey, anything less than a championship every year is unacceptable. When Lewis was handed the reigns, he inherited a team that was ready to compete for the Stanley Cup. He did not have to build up the team because the pieces were already in place. His failure to get the Wings deep into the playoffs is what cost him his job. He has been coaching, as a head or assistant coach, in Detroit since 1987.<br /><br />Although I agree with Lewis not being resigned, I am not sure if I exactly agree with the Wings going after Babcock. I know he came within one game of the Stanley Cup a few years back, but what else has he really done? Last season the Ducks did not even make the playoffs and they have a below 500 record (in the regular season) with Babcock as their head coach. He coming to Detroit might be a big risk, but we just have to wait and see. I am not the biggest hockey fan in the world so maybe I am completely wrong. Hopefully it will work out if they sign him (which appears as if they will sign him). <br /><br />The only way we can tell if his signing was a good one, is how well the Wings perform under his coaching.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1120755331388242712005-07-07T12:46:00.000-04:002005-07-07T13:06:27.880-04:00Around the HornThere has been a lot of news in the Detroit Sports scene lately. I have been on vacation and since I have not been able to see any of the stories unfold, I am just going to put up links to articles about the news going on.<br /><br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2101915">Brown insists nothing's changed with Pistons</a><br /><br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2101524">The Pressure on Harrington</a><br /><br /><a href="http://onthewings.blogspot.com/2005/07/lewis-out-babcock-in.html">Lewis out, Babcock in?</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tigerblog.net/a/2005/07/06-box_scores_cannot.php">Box Scores, Old News and Birthday Presents</a><br /><br /><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250706105">Detroit's Bonderman matches career high in wins</a>Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1120244661236068452005-07-01T14:49:00.000-04:002005-07-01T15:24:05.963-04:00Tigers Get SweptRight after I <a href="http://detroitsports.blogspot.com/2005/06/tigers-preparing-to-make-run.html">posted</a> about the Tigers potentially being able to make a run at the wild card, they got swept by the White Sox in three games. The Tigers record now sits at 36-39. Detroit opens a home series tonight against the struggling Yankees.<br /><br />The Tigers <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250628106">lost game one</a> of the White Sox series 2-1. <strong>Nate Robertson</strong> pitched a gem, but the Tigers could not give him enough run support. The Tigers left runners stranded a few times and that really hurt them in this loss.<br /><br />In game two the Tigers <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250629106">lost again</a> by one run, this time losing 4-3 in 13 innings. <strong>Frank Thomas</strong> of the White Sox hit the game winning homerun in the 13th inning. <strong>Jason Johnson</strong> pitched a great game for the Tigers, but yet again, another good pitching game went down the tube for Detroit.<br /><br />In game three of this series the Tigers <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250630106">got destroyed 6-1</a>. <strong>Freddy Garcia</strong> of the White Sox pitched a complete game five hitter to get his 8th win of the season. <strong>Mike Maroth</strong> picked up the loss for Detroit. Maroth has lost 7 out of his last 8 and his record now sits at 5-9.<br /><br />The Tigers problem throughout this series was their hitting. They managed just 5 runs in three games against the White Sox. They must start to support their pitchers and get some runs. The Tigers played weak against an obviously better team. If the Tigers can't compete against baseball's best, then they have no right to have a shot at the playoffs.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1120105009144319612005-06-30T00:04:00.000-04:002005-06-30T00:42:52.156-04:00Brief Draft RecapThe Detroit Pistons had the 26th pick in the NBA Draft and they selected <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/d05/tracker/player?playerId=18791&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fdraft%2fd05%2ftracker%2fplayer%3fplayerId%3d18791">Jason Maxiell</a> from the University of Cincinnati. Maxiell is a 6'7, 250 pound power foward. In his senior year he averaged 15.7 points a game, 2.7 blocks a game, and 7.7 rebounds a game. He works hard and some people have even compared him to a mini <strong>Ben Wallace</strong>. Maxiell should hopefully be able to help out the Pistons thin bench this upcoming season.<br /><br />Although I think Maxiell potentially could be a good player in the NBA, I think the Pistons should have went after a shooter. They have a lot of good big men already and they need a three point shooter. Maybe the Pistons should have went after a big time three point shooter like <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/d05/tracker/player?playerId=18780">Salim Stoudamire</a>. Remember, the Pistons could not hit any three pointers during the Finals and that might have cost them the championship.<br /><br />The Pistons also selected power foward <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/d05/tracker/player?playerId=18786">Amir Johnson</a> with their second pick. The Pistons final pick was <a href="http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft/d05/tracker/player?playerId=18812">Alex Acker</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://aol.nba.com/pistons/news/pressquotes_050629.html">Click here</a> to get thoughts from the Pistons on these draft picks.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1119904814493754902005-06-27T16:27:00.000-04:002005-06-27T17:35:14.686-04:00Tigers preparing to make a run?The Detroit Tigers record sits at 36-36, exactly 500. They have not been 500 this late in the season for a long time. The Tigers are seventh in the AL Wild Card Standings but they are just 4.5 games behind the Wild Card leading Baltimore Orioles.<br /><br />The Tigers could be preparing to make a run at that Wild Card spot. The Tigers open series against the division leading White Sox and Yankees this week. If the Tigers could both of those series, it would give Detroit even more confidence as the All-Star break comes closer. The Tigers have kept in the Wild Card race this long with a lot of injuries to some of their best players. However, the injury bug appears to be leaving them as they might get <strong>Carlos Guillen</strong> back into the lineup soon. The Tigers also should be getting <strong>Magglio Ordonez</strong> back into the lineup sometime soon. Ordonez has been injured for almost the entire season with a hernia. The Tigers paid big money for Ordonez and it will nice to finally see his bat in the lineup.<br /><br />Besides the Tigers injuries leaving them, I think they have a shot at the Wild Card spot because of their pitching staff. Their pitching staff has been solid this year. <strong>Jason Johnson</strong>, <strong>Mike Maroth</strong>, <strong>Jeremy Bonderman</strong>, and <strong>Nate Robertson</strong>, four of their starters, all have an ERA below 4.30. Their bull-pen is now stronger as well because <strong>Troy Percival</strong> finally appears to be healthy. He has a 3.98 ERA along with 16 stikeouts in just 20 innings of work. He only has seven saves on the season but he will get more saves as the season progresses. The Tigers staff really needs to keep up their solid play if the Tigers want a shot at the Wild Card.<br /><br />The Tigers recently made a trade that has made them better. The Tigers traded reliever <strong>Ugueth Urbina</strong> for infielder <strong>Placido Polanco</strong>. Since coming to Detroit, Polanco has been hitting .383 with 9 RBIs in just 15 games with Detroit. His awesome play has really helped out the Tigers.<br /><br />Now that the Pistons season is over, the Tigers are the central focus in Detroit Sports. The All-Star game is in Detroit this year and that should put even more attention on the Tigers play. It would very exciting if the Tigers could make a run for the Wild Card. They have not even been close to the playoffs in such a long time, and the city of Detroit is just crazing for their baseball team to be good once again. The Tigers should be fun to watch for the rest of the season as they try to make a run at the playoffs.<br /><br /><strong>Another note</strong>: My site was in the Detroit Free Press. <a href="http://www.freep.com/sports/pistons/fan24e_20050624.htm">Click here</a> to read the short article.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6459411.post-1119587005630703072005-06-24T00:00:00.000-04:002005-06-24T01:02:29.120-04:00That's It and That's AllThe Detroit Pistons are no longer the Champions of the NBA as the San Antonio Spurs <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=250623024">beat Detroit in game seven 81-74</a>. <strong>Tim Duncan </strong>finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds and was named the MVP of the series.<br /><br />You could analyze this game over and over but it really came down to the fourth quarter. The game was tied 57-57 going into the fourth quarter when the Pistons fell apart. <strong>Rasheed Wallace</strong> was pretty much the Pistons only source of offense down the stretch. The Pistons just simply did not show up in the fourth quarter like they should have. Throughout these playoffs they have played their best when their backs were against the wall but they could just not get it done tonight.<br /><br />Although it was very disappointing to watch the Pistons lose; we still have to give a lot of credit to the Spurs. The Spurs played great when it ultimately mattered the most. San Antonio turned up their defense and shutdown Detroit. The Spurs played together as a team and did not play like individuals like the Pistons did tonight.<br /><br />The Pistons now have to look to next season. The biggest question this off-season will be if whether <strong>Larry Brown</strong> will return to coach the Pistons. He has not yet said yet if he will return to Detroit or not. Something else to the Pistons have to address is their bench. They have an awesome starting five but their bench is too thin. <strong>Antonio McDyess</strong> was the one bench player on the Pistons who played good in almost every game during the playoffs and that is just not good enough.<br /><br />Even though it ended on a very disappointing note, the Pistons still had a great 2004-2005 season. They won 54 games in the regular season to finish with the second seed in the Eastern Conference. They played the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers in the first round of the playoffs and beat them in 5 games. They then played their rivals the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the playoffs. The Pistons beat the Pacers in 6 games after being down 2-1 in the series. After beating the Pacers the Pistons went on to play the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pistons had to battle Shaq and a very good Dwyane Wade. After being down 3-2 the Pistons won game six at home to tie the series at 3-3. The Pistons went on the road in game seven and beat the Heat to clinch the conference title. After beating the Heat they played the series that they just lost in. They played the Spurs in the NBA Finals but fell short of a second straight championship losing in game seven.<br /><br />I think the Pistons season will be remembered for a long time. It will be remembered for the good and the bad. It will be remembered for the <a href="http://detroitsports.blogspot.com/2004/11/dark-day-in-detroit.html">horrible brawl</a> earlier in the regular season but this season will also be remembered for a team that played great most of the time and came just one good quarter shy of a second straight NBA Championship.Danhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14761602610139961371noreply@blogger.com0