YHS has area's leading rusher

The Ypsilanti High School Braves Phoenix Braves are the home of the area's leading rusher. It's always good to see the alma mater doing well. Congrats Austin, and keep up the good work.

Remember Me? Robert Fick

Robert Fick was a C/1B/OF/DH for the Tigers from 1998-2002. He is known for a few notable accomplishments:

• Had the last ever hit at Tiger Stadium, a grand slam that reached the roof.
• In the 2,987,551st case of changing the rule that every MLB team be represented at the All-Star team, Fick was named to the team as a reserve OF in 2002, a.k.a. the infamous tie game. He did, however, manage to go 1-2 with a run scored. He scored the game tying run.
• Spent many of his formative years hob-nobbing with celebrity types, stealing every scene he was in as a guest (super)star on Cheers, Who's the Boss, and Webster. I'm guessing this is where Alyssa Milano's stalking of attraction to baseball players started.

 Fick was last seen playing in the Golden Baseball League, but his current whereabouts are unknown. I'm guessing he's schooling fools in beer league softball tournaments, but none of my phone calls have been returned.

MSU Basketball Players accused of sexual assault

Story here...

I love to make fun of Michigan State whenever possible, but this is by no means the time for that.

Fixing the Tigers

Many people had World Series aspirations when the 2010 season began. This is my way to keep that hope alive for next spring.

Catcher- Let Laird go. Pay him to go. Pay someone to make him go. Anything.

                Keep Avila. Hope he earns the starting gig. Let him catch 75-80 percent of the games.         

                Sign this guy

               He's great with young pitchers, and still has pretty decent power.

First Base- Miguel Cabrera. No explanation needed.

Second Base- Let Rhymes and Sizemore battle it out in Lakeland.

                        

Third Base- So long Inge. You were a gamer in every sense of the word, but the production just isn't there.

                     Forget Adrian Beltre. He only plays well in his contract year. Do.Not.Want.

                     Sign this guy...

                      His markedly improved his defense after a talk with Jake Taylor would alleviate some concern  

                      over losing Inge. Could help the new guys invest their money.

Shortstop-Trade for Hanley Ramirez or Jose Reyes. They will be expensive. We have the prospects to get a 

                  deal done. Turner, Crosby, whoever. Get one of these guys.

                  Sign this guy....

                  Tanner Muh-F%^in Boyle. Great teammate. Tenacious. Sleeper potential at the plate.

Outfield- Austin Jackson is entrenched in CF. Platoon Boesch and Wells in RF and play the hot hand

                Sign this guy for LF...

                Provides some protection for Cabrera. Gives Leyland a smoking partner.

DH-Have to once again look outside the organization...

                 What a ballplayer....

Starting Pitching-Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello are locks.

                              Sign this guy....

                             And this guy....

                        That has the makings of a dominating rotation. Henry will answer to any name, and who can 

                         hit the float-pitch? Steve Nebraska has Verlander stuff and a Dontrelle head.

Bullpen-     Sign these guys to go along with Valverde, Perry, Schlereth, and Coke...

              That bullpen should hold any lead the starters get.

I don't think any of these are out of the realm of possibility.  This team should be good for 130-135 wins and a World Series sweep, though I may be selling them short.  C'mon Dombrowski, get to work.

Remember Me? Bill Curley

Boston Bill Curley. Although he only played in Auburn Hills Detroit for one season, he had a profound effect on the basketball culture at 2 Championship Drive. His per game averages in 1994-1995 were 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds. Not Jordanesque by any means, but solid contributions in only 11.2 minutes per game. But his biggest contributions can never be found searching through old box scores. Nope, you have to see who he paved the way for in the years to come.

Without Bill Curley, Pistons' fans would never have experienced the following...

Scot Pollard         Mehmet Okur
Eric Montross      Darko
Jud Buechler        Primoz Brezec
Brian Cardinal      Walter Herrmann
Kornel David       Jonas Jerebko
Ratko Varda       Zeljko Rebraca

Thank you? Bill Curley currently runs the Bill Curly Basketball Clinic (I know, right?).

For your contribution on and especially off the court, Bill Curley, Thank You. You may have never played in Portland, but you truly are and were a Trailblazer.

Remember Me? Scott Mitchell

Scott Mitchell assuming the position

Ahh yes. Scott Mitchell. I bought in. I had the jersey. I thought that after 241 pass attempts in 3 years with the Dolphins that the Lions had found their savior. Mitchell's best season was 1995 when he threw for 4338 yards with a 32-12 TD/INT ratio. He still owns Lions single season records for passing yardage and TD passes.  He went downhill in a hurry, and starting playing 500. He would eventually lose his starting gig to Charlie Batch.  He sucked played for the Bengals and Ravens for parts of three seasons, amassing a 4-15 TD/INT ratio. I still <3 you, though!

Mitchell is currently the head coach of his alma mater, Springville High School in Utah.

Remember Me? Milt Cuyler

Milt Cuyler was an outfielder for the Tigers from 1990-1995. His best year was his rookie year of 1991 when he finished 3rd in Rookie of the Year balloting to Chuck Knoblauch and Juan Guzman. (Pudge Rodriguez finished 4th). His 41 stolen bases were good for fifth in the AL that year. He finished his playing career with brief stints in Boston and Texas.

Cuyler is currently serving as the hitting coach for the Minnesota Twins' Rookie League team.

Its officially football season

With a seemingly innocuous throw to first, the last reason to watch the Tigers this year was helped off the field. When George Luke Carlin attempted to pick Cabrera off in the 7th inning last night, it marked the end of baseball for me this year.  Sure, I will watch a few playoff games, and the World Series is an annual tradition, but having been eliminated from every fantasy baseball league I am in, and Cabrera's jheri-curl being shelved, I.....I just can't bring myself to care about baseball anymore.  I hope Austin Jackson wins ROY.  I hope Scherzer keeps up his outstanding second half.  I still have an outstanding bet that Bonderman and Inge bonk their heads together "Stooges" style and join Miggy on the bench. But the annual post all-star break free fall eliminated any post season hopes by mid- August as it is, so this is the final straw.

So on to football. The Lions are....the Lions.  Is it bad that I am already getting excited about the possibility of LSU's Patrick Peterson donning the Honolulu Blue and Silver? Or how about A.J. Green reuniting with Glass Shoulder Matthew Stafford.  I know, I know.  Another 1st round WR, but honestly why not? When Derrick Williams and Bryant Johnson actually see the field, WR depth is not a team strength.  There are no OT prospects proving themselves worthy of top-5 consideration. The DL is one of the few areas that can be considered league average or better. There has to be a Penn St. LB available in the second round to lead the team in tackles next year (seriously, do they grow them on trees over there?). I digress....Like a battered wife, I love you Lions.  I should run away from you and never look back, but I keep buying the "I've changed" routine, and you keep buying me shiny gifts to distract me from your ineptitude (Suh, Best, Megatron, and the little blue Tiffany box of purchased affection.....

If Tim Toone gets stashed on the practice squad all year, I swear to Chet Lemon (my Detroit sports deity) that I'm done.

In the "It's only a matter of time department", no Spartan football players have been arrested recently. Bravo.

I kid. Get better, coach D.

And finally, my beloved Wolverines. For all the love, locally and nationally, that Denard Robinson is receiving (its well deserved, but c'mon. If I hear Woody Paige make one more "Shoelace" joke, I may go all Michael Douglas in "Falling Down") the defence (shout out to Canada. Free health care, fries with gravy, and cooler looking spellings of everyday words.) needs to be addressed. I was always told that "if I didn't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all".....