With an unfortunate lull in the sports world - when my mind is forced to turn to tennis and international soccer tournaments to get me through the summer - thought it might be a good time to do state of my thinking assessment of the Wings, Pistons, Tigers and Lions.
We'll start with the Pistons who fired their coach today. This was a necessary move as I was never going to take the Pistons seriously with Michael Curry as their coach. I'll admit much if my information on his ineptitude was second hand but it was pretty damning and the Pistons tumbled pretty far after making it to the conference championship six years in a row. I'm not sure if there is a plan in place with the Pistons - they seem be doing a lot of things as it comes, but a new coach, draft picks and some free agents re-ignite some excitement. But still I would prefer to blow it up and start over, now that may happen anyway.
The Red Wings, after their heartbreaking game 7 loss, are in good shape. The only issues are will they have enough money to sign Marian Hossa or not and if they do who will they need to get rid of. Really, the most interesting thing about the Red Wings is they just opted out of their lease on Joe Louis Arena and could be playing in a new arena or the Palace in the next few years.
The Tigers are on a roll. Too bad I can't stand baseball. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. I was such a baseball fan back in the day. But I'll get on this bandwagon soon enough, as it appears the tigers are for real with the season half over and they are still in first place.
Lastly, the Lions. Things are going to better this year, of course not saying much. I love the summer but can't wait to get to the fall and the football season. Get my bets on again.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Tonight They Play for Everything!
So it all comes down to game 7 for the Red Wings and though this will be a big one, I'm already starting to feel the long summer before football season starts. Because baseball hasn't done it for me since I graduated little league. I will admit that baseball does get good when the playoffs start, but by then we already have football back on the field so it doesn't deliver for those long summer months. This must be why summer reading is a big deal.
I am pretty much a homer so even though I may love the team (the Red Wings) i do hate the league. The NHL is run by a moron and it's just been a series of bad decisions for the last 15 years or so. I've written about this before but because the Wings are in the Western Conference and the NHL's scheduling is so messed up they play in the New York area once a year even though there are three teams here, it makes no sense. And last I checked Detroit was in the Eastern time zone. And it just goes on from there. Like this franchise the league wants to keep in Phoenix instead of moving to Canada where people are ready to love the team even though the bankruptcy proceedings have made public that the team has lost $300 millon in their few miserable years in the desert.
Anyway, I digress. The game 7 tonight will be a tense one and I'm feeling a bit strange being so confident that the Wings will prevail. They have two huge things on their side: the way they have dominated at home this playoffs, losing only one game and history. A home team has not last a Game 7 since something like 1971 and that was the Canadians beating the Black Hawks. The most successful and legendary franchise in NHL history beating the most unsuccessful and unlegendary franchise. But when it all comes down to one game, it all comes down to one game. Anything can happen.
So whatever happens, happens. Of course I will be ecstatic with a victory. Let's parade the Stanley Cup around the ice (which, by the way, I just found it yesterday was a tradition created by former Red Wings #7 Ted Lindsay.) Then have a real parade through the streets of Detroit. Can't wait to watch the live webstream of that moment.
And then it's the long hot summer. I guess it will be spent jonesy and hoarding any bit of information I can get about the pathetic Lions.
And then maybe the Pistons will do something to create excitement. Because after last season, and what they will be losing in terms of Rasheed and Iverson (good riddens) being free agents and gone, and how there young players took a step back this past season, and how I am not sold on the new coach, the lights could be dim there for a while. And this NBA playoffs, it hasn't done much, the Lakers not really playing well, and yet winning, and tragic the Magic - that series is over.
A rambling Friday...Tonight will be awesome....the Lord Stanley stays in Detroit!
I am pretty much a homer so even though I may love the team (the Red Wings) i do hate the league. The NHL is run by a moron and it's just been a series of bad decisions for the last 15 years or so. I've written about this before but because the Wings are in the Western Conference and the NHL's scheduling is so messed up they play in the New York area once a year even though there are three teams here, it makes no sense. And last I checked Detroit was in the Eastern time zone. And it just goes on from there. Like this franchise the league wants to keep in Phoenix instead of moving to Canada where people are ready to love the team even though the bankruptcy proceedings have made public that the team has lost $300 millon in their few miserable years in the desert.
Anyway, I digress. The game 7 tonight will be a tense one and I'm feeling a bit strange being so confident that the Wings will prevail. They have two huge things on their side: the way they have dominated at home this playoffs, losing only one game and history. A home team has not last a Game 7 since something like 1971 and that was the Canadians beating the Black Hawks. The most successful and legendary franchise in NHL history beating the most unsuccessful and unlegendary franchise. But when it all comes down to one game, it all comes down to one game. Anything can happen.
So whatever happens, happens. Of course I will be ecstatic with a victory. Let's parade the Stanley Cup around the ice (which, by the way, I just found it yesterday was a tradition created by former Red Wings #7 Ted Lindsay.) Then have a real parade through the streets of Detroit. Can't wait to watch the live webstream of that moment.
And then it's the long hot summer. I guess it will be spent jonesy and hoarding any bit of information I can get about the pathetic Lions.
And then maybe the Pistons will do something to create excitement. Because after last season, and what they will be losing in terms of Rasheed and Iverson (good riddens) being free agents and gone, and how there young players took a step back this past season, and how I am not sold on the new coach, the lights could be dim there for a while. And this NBA playoffs, it hasn't done much, the Lakers not really playing well, and yet winning, and tragic the Magic - that series is over.
A rambling Friday...Tonight will be awesome....the Lord Stanley stays in Detroit!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Wings go for 12
Ok, time to do a stanley cup finals preview, especially after the wings took game one from the penguins and miss cindy last night. I'll fully admit I was a bit concerned going into this game. The wings have injuries and the short rest and the three games in four days that raised the possibility of things getting out of hand in a hurry. And I'll also admit the victory was pretty ugly, a couple of strange bounces led to Wings goals and the insurance goal came from our fourth line guy who scored his first NHL goal an awesome play where he grabbed his own rebound and sent it flying past the Pen goalie Flurry. It was a gritty win. I love what a gritty team the Wings have become. And winning game 1 is huge. As I learned last night, 78% of the teams that win game one go on to win the Finals...Not much of a preview but there it is.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
My Obsessive Lions Thoughts Part 1
I have this awful habit of obsessively reading the comments on the Mlive Lions stories. There lives an opinionated and misguided bunch of Lions fans who are severely damaged by following such a lousy team. This is my response to a lot of what they've written about the Lions recent new general manager and head coach and the draft and everything else.
Let's start with the fired Matt Millen. Even back in 2001, William Clay Ford Sr. was at the back end of the days in pro sports when the charming but over-matched ex-jock is put in charge. While teams like the Oakland A's and Boston Red Sox in baseball were hiring super smart people to create new systems and statistical models to sees things objectively and win with less or spend a lot smarter, the Lions left it up to the wisdom of Millen's mustache and gut. Millen lurched from one cascading poor decision to the next, making mistakes from the get go like firing the experienced coach he inherited and then hiring the first hugeley under-qualified coach he interviewed. He never really ever put a plan or system into place, drafted horrifically and then insisted that his coaches play those players (most famously QB Joey Harrington). After the disaster of the west coast system, they brought in the tampa two but both these systems - practiced by the respective coaches in their purest form were already passe in NFL circles. Needless to say, after Millen was fired, and the team went 0-16, we have hit a monumentally low point. Maybe the lowest point ever.
Of course they should blow it up, fire everybody, yada yada yada. But the Lions kept the promotions in-house and so far I have to say Martin Mayhew, Millen's GM replacement, is doing a good job. First this guy does not appear to have the ego of a Matt Millen. He is not putting this thing on him. He is instilling a system and a philosophy and understands this is going to be a long term rebuild. He has already swung three pretty good trades (which are rare in the NFL) kick starting the rebuilding process with a 1st and 3rd round pick from the Cowboys for Roy Williams, shipping off had it with Motown QB Jon Kitna for secondary help and trading under-performing and overpaid Cory Reding for a much needed all pro linebacker (and former Spartan!) Julian Peterson. I get the feeling that if he makes a decision or is wrong about the player, he will cut his losses and move on. I don't think Millen had this in him.
His coaching hire was top notch and not many fans have complained about Jim Schwartz. He has a bit of a southern everyman charm but I think this guy will always be thinking 3 or 4 steps ahead. Perhaps the most controversial decision was drafting Matthew Stafford #1, the potential franchise QB out of Georgia. To say Lions fans were not happy would be a bit of understatement. We've seen this movie before. (Great, we go from Joey to Matthew) But given that we are starting fresh with a new head coach and offensive coordinator, we can now build our team and system around a guy who did pretty well as a SEC quarterback. I think this has a good chance of working out. Not sure why everybody wants to call him a bust before he starts his first training camp.
We have to draft defense! That's what the angry masses post. And this is true, our defense was monumentally and historically bad last year. We started the season with three straight games of being down 21-0. In the last two years, we've given up 50 points on multiple occasions. That's Oklahoma vs. Slippery Rock stuff. So we are looking at a long term rebuild. It's like a horrible financial position, we need to let this unwind before rebuilding. We need veterans (which they have signed) to fill the immediate holes and we need to have our new coaching staff figure out if some of these young guys who did not play so well did so because they suck or poor coaching.
Rebuild the O-line I was a bit confused by the Lions 2nd selection when it happened. A tight end? I know that position has been a disastor forever for the Lions, but we have such larger needs. But we did get a "stud" here and when you think about it a tight end is an offensive lineman/receiver hybrid. So this guy can help out the line and also help out our new quarterback. Our offensive line - like our defense - is a long term rebuild. I watched some lowlights of the Lions on the NFL network and it was amazing how out of position our offensive line was to make plays. I know we know what we have with Jeff Backus and Domenic Raoila - they will need to be upgraded in the future - but for now they will have to do. Hopefully our first rounder from last year Gosder will put it together and Daniel Loper, the free agent from the Titans who followed Coach Schwartz here, will contribute in a big way. All we got was projects on the offensive line, so that's what it will be, a huge project.
Drafting Another Safety in the Second Round This was the third out the last four years in the draft that the Lions drafted a safety. We already spent high picks on a safety, why do it again? Although, again, the Lions have a lot of needs I like they are building on a strength here. The Lions drafted two young safeties who appear to be working out and now we have third. Let's build on a relative position of strength. Plus, we got the top safety in the draft and one pick after ours New England took a safety. Maybe we do know something now.
Let's start with the fired Matt Millen. Even back in 2001, William Clay Ford Sr. was at the back end of the days in pro sports when the charming but over-matched ex-jock is put in charge. While teams like the Oakland A's and Boston Red Sox in baseball were hiring super smart people to create new systems and statistical models to sees things objectively and win with less or spend a lot smarter, the Lions left it up to the wisdom of Millen's mustache and gut. Millen lurched from one cascading poor decision to the next, making mistakes from the get go like firing the experienced coach he inherited and then hiring the first hugeley under-qualified coach he interviewed. He never really ever put a plan or system into place, drafted horrifically and then insisted that his coaches play those players (most famously QB Joey Harrington). After the disaster of the west coast system, they brought in the tampa two but both these systems - practiced by the respective coaches in their purest form were already passe in NFL circles. Needless to say, after Millen was fired, and the team went 0-16, we have hit a monumentally low point. Maybe the lowest point ever.
Of course they should blow it up, fire everybody, yada yada yada. But the Lions kept the promotions in-house and so far I have to say Martin Mayhew, Millen's GM replacement, is doing a good job. First this guy does not appear to have the ego of a Matt Millen. He is not putting this thing on him. He is instilling a system and a philosophy and understands this is going to be a long term rebuild. He has already swung three pretty good trades (which are rare in the NFL) kick starting the rebuilding process with a 1st and 3rd round pick from the Cowboys for Roy Williams, shipping off had it with Motown QB Jon Kitna for secondary help and trading under-performing and overpaid Cory Reding for a much needed all pro linebacker (and former Spartan!) Julian Peterson. I get the feeling that if he makes a decision or is wrong about the player, he will cut his losses and move on. I don't think Millen had this in him.
His coaching hire was top notch and not many fans have complained about Jim Schwartz. He has a bit of a southern everyman charm but I think this guy will always be thinking 3 or 4 steps ahead. Perhaps the most controversial decision was drafting Matthew Stafford #1, the potential franchise QB out of Georgia. To say Lions fans were not happy would be a bit of understatement. We've seen this movie before. (Great, we go from Joey to Matthew) But given that we are starting fresh with a new head coach and offensive coordinator, we can now build our team and system around a guy who did pretty well as a SEC quarterback. I think this has a good chance of working out. Not sure why everybody wants to call him a bust before he starts his first training camp.
We have to draft defense! That's what the angry masses post. And this is true, our defense was monumentally and historically bad last year. We started the season with three straight games of being down 21-0. In the last two years, we've given up 50 points on multiple occasions. That's Oklahoma vs. Slippery Rock stuff. So we are looking at a long term rebuild. It's like a horrible financial position, we need to let this unwind before rebuilding. We need veterans (which they have signed) to fill the immediate holes and we need to have our new coaching staff figure out if some of these young guys who did not play so well did so because they suck or poor coaching.
Rebuild the O-line I was a bit confused by the Lions 2nd selection when it happened. A tight end? I know that position has been a disastor forever for the Lions, but we have such larger needs. But we did get a "stud" here and when you think about it a tight end is an offensive lineman/receiver hybrid. So this guy can help out the line and also help out our new quarterback. Our offensive line - like our defense - is a long term rebuild. I watched some lowlights of the Lions on the NFL network and it was amazing how out of position our offensive line was to make plays. I know we know what we have with Jeff Backus and Domenic Raoila - they will need to be upgraded in the future - but for now they will have to do. Hopefully our first rounder from last year Gosder will put it together and Daniel Loper, the free agent from the Titans who followed Coach Schwartz here, will contribute in a big way. All we got was projects on the offensive line, so that's what it will be, a huge project.
Drafting Another Safety in the Second Round This was the third out the last four years in the draft that the Lions drafted a safety. We already spent high picks on a safety, why do it again? Although, again, the Lions have a lot of needs I like they are building on a strength here. The Lions drafted two young safeties who appear to be working out and now we have third. Let's build on a relative position of strength. Plus, we got the top safety in the draft and one pick after ours New England took a safety. Maybe we do know something now.
Monday, May 18, 2009
The Red Wings Flag Flies in the Desert
This is why hockey won't work in Phoenix, or Southern California or most points South. Because anybody who is a hockey fan and lives in Phoenix, most likely grew up somewhere else and likes the team he followed as a kid. And chances are if they did grow up in Arizona, they are not hockey fans and are not likely to follow a perennial loser like the Coyotes.
Gretzky lives in the swank Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale. A sports bar not far from his house flies several sports flags from its awning.
But the Phoenix Coyotes flag is nowhere to be seen. In its place ruffles the flag of the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
Nobody's Taking that Stanley Cup from the Red Wings
It just feels damn good to be a Red Wings fan right now. The team is playing well and finding ways to win and getting goals from their role players. The Stanley Cup is still out there a ways in the distance but it's becoming clearer, just seven wins to keep that thing in Detroit for another season. Two consecutive decades where we've won the cup back to back. That just rocks.
This playoffs has seen the next generation of Wings players assert themselves. Hard to believe, Kirk Maltby and Chris Chelios are healthy scratches (maybe not so much for Capitain America, the dude is just old) and Kris Draper needs to be put out to pasture. Sorry, Drapes. But that is the truth. ("You see this quarter, it used to be a nickel.") They've got all these young dudes who fly. All with much more complex and foreign names to learn and pronounce (ok, Cleary and Franzen not so hard) but as long as they wear the wing wheeled of the Red Wings, it's all good.
Even though the NHL is run by a bunch of dudes who could not sell water in the desert (or at least hockey), they got themselves lucky with the original six match-up this round, the Red Wings vs. the Blackhawks. The seasoned veterans vs. the young kids from Chicago. This is storied, I heard this it was the 704th game the teams played on Sunday. A re-match of New Year's Day Winter Classic.
No predictions from me, except that the Red Wings will win. I'm pretty sure the Blackhawks are pretty happy they got as far as they have. They were not even in the playoffs for the past few seasons (maybe longer - too lazy to do research) And I don't know how you can possibly predict how many games a hockey series will go. I just hope the Red Wings don't make it close, give em' any hope.
This playoffs has seen the next generation of Wings players assert themselves. Hard to believe, Kirk Maltby and Chris Chelios are healthy scratches (maybe not so much for Capitain America, the dude is just old) and Kris Draper needs to be put out to pasture. Sorry, Drapes. But that is the truth. ("You see this quarter, it used to be a nickel.") They've got all these young dudes who fly. All with much more complex and foreign names to learn and pronounce (ok, Cleary and Franzen not so hard) but as long as they wear the wing wheeled of the Red Wings, it's all good.
Even though the NHL is run by a bunch of dudes who could not sell water in the desert (or at least hockey), they got themselves lucky with the original six match-up this round, the Red Wings vs. the Blackhawks. The seasoned veterans vs. the young kids from Chicago. This is storied, I heard this it was the 704th game the teams played on Sunday. A re-match of New Year's Day Winter Classic.
No predictions from me, except that the Red Wings will win. I'm pretty sure the Blackhawks are pretty happy they got as far as they have. They were not even in the playoffs for the past few seasons (maybe longer - too lazy to do research) And I don't know how you can possibly predict how many games a hockey series will go. I just hope the Red Wings don't make it close, give em' any hope.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Acceptance...It's Going to be a Long Road to Mediocrity
I took a look back at the Lions schedule and realized I witnessed their last win (at home vs. Kansas City December 23, 2007 - a real uninspiring victory) and their last win on the road (against the Bears at Soldier Field on October 28, 2007.)
That's right. It is very possible, and probable, that the Lions could go two years without a victory on the road. Which, by the way, is not even close to their record. Remember they went 2001, 2002 and 2003 without wins on the road. Three seasons!
Before they lost seven of their last eight in 2007, the Lions actually won two road games. Which, if you are aware of the recent history of the Lions, is a monumental achievement. Let's take a spin in the recent way back machine.
2008 - Didn't win nothing nowhere.
2007 - 7 wins two on the road (Oakland, Chicago)
2006 - 3 Wins for the season and somehow beat Dallas on the Road
2005 - 5 wins and two road victories at Cleveland and New Orleans
2004 - 6 Wins. A Golden age for the 00s Lions on the road with wins at Chicago, Atlanta and NY Giants.
2003 - 5 wins. Lost all 8 road games
2002 - 3 Wins. Lost all 8 Road Games
2001- 2 wins. Lost all 8 Road Games.
So our road record for the past 8 seasons is 8-56. That makes the 31-97 overall record over that same span look downright respectable.
Unfortunately I have become addicted to the Mlive Lions forum and it is insane how some of these people think the Lions are going to win 6 or 8 games. Make the playoffs, etc,
Think about this. We average less than four wins per season and one win on the road in the last eight years. I know past failures don't necessarily mean we can possibly suck this bad in the future...but let's get real...we got to crawl before we can walk.
We no doubt will be improved with competent coaching and new players but we have a long ways to go. To paraphrase former Lions coach Marty Morningwhig (5-27 record over the 2001-2002 seasons) the bar is low. Let's take the wind.
Four wins would be incredible. Seriously. Expectations could not be lower.
That's right. It is very possible, and probable, that the Lions could go two years without a victory on the road. Which, by the way, is not even close to their record. Remember they went 2001, 2002 and 2003 without wins on the road. Three seasons!
Before they lost seven of their last eight in 2007, the Lions actually won two road games. Which, if you are aware of the recent history of the Lions, is a monumental achievement. Let's take a spin in the recent way back machine.
2008 - Didn't win nothing nowhere.
2007 - 7 wins two on the road (Oakland, Chicago)
2006 - 3 Wins for the season and somehow beat Dallas on the Road
2005 - 5 wins and two road victories at Cleveland and New Orleans
2004 - 6 Wins. A Golden age for the 00s Lions on the road with wins at Chicago, Atlanta and NY Giants.
2003 - 5 wins. Lost all 8 road games
2002 - 3 Wins. Lost all 8 Road Games
2001- 2 wins. Lost all 8 Road Games.
So our road record for the past 8 seasons is 8-56. That makes the 31-97 overall record over that same span look downright respectable.
Unfortunately I have become addicted to the Mlive Lions forum and it is insane how some of these people think the Lions are going to win 6 or 8 games. Make the playoffs, etc,
Think about this. We average less than four wins per season and one win on the road in the last eight years. I know past failures don't necessarily mean we can possibly suck this bad in the future...but let's get real...we got to crawl before we can walk.
We no doubt will be improved with competent coaching and new players but we have a long ways to go. To paraphrase former Lions coach Marty Morningwhig (5-27 record over the 2001-2002 seasons) the bar is low. Let's take the wind.
Four wins would be incredible. Seriously. Expectations could not be lower.
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