Sorry for my absence

I have been in bed all week with strep throat. I had been planning to finish the Pillaging series this week, and start a similar project next week, but everything is pushed back for awhile.

Merry Christmas

I got one thing I asked for, a Michigan kicker commitment. Rich Rod pulled out the "snake oil" and stole K Matt Goudis from Boise State. Take that, smurf turfers.

As for my readers, I leave you with this classic video of Tigers announcer, Rod Allen from his playing days abroad. Be safe and have fun this weekend!

If I am dreaming, don't wake me up

Sometimes you wake up, and the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and you find a $20 dollar bill in your pocket that you don't remember acquiring. As a sports blogger, today was one of those days. The sun had yet to rise, the smart birds have all flown south, and all I found in my pockets was a gum wrapper, and a scribbled on napkin containing my foolproof plans to take over the world. But I always have sports. Sports and schadenfreude.

The first thing I see on Mike and Mike is a story about New York Jets coach Rex Ryan and his wife starring in a foot fetish video. Baahahaha.  Ryan is as animated a character as there is in NFL coaching. Before he faced the Browns, who employ his twin brother as their defensive coordinator, he dressed up in a wig to mimic the long locks adorning his brother's head. Ok, good natured ribbing. He has also got into a war of words with Dolphins LB Channing Crowder. Maybe he was just trying to fire up his team. The real head-scratcher was when he compared himself to Tom Brady due to their "super model" wives. As I'm sure you all know, Brady is married to Gisele Bundchen, a super model. Rex Ryan's wife Michelle was featured in an NFL ad hawking clothes for women. I have a call in to Victoria's Secret to find out if Michelle Ryan was considered for the catalog. Gisele Bundchen has undoubtedly been the fantasy of men all over the world. Michelle Ryan has been the fantasy of men who have a foot fetish. Brady-1, Ryan-0.

So that's cool. I had some funny ideas not involving the terms "agony of defeat", "4th and a foot", or quoting the classic Necessary Roughness, "welcome to foot.....balls"
 
I had a roundtable idea with Ryan, the butler from Mr. Deeds, Najeh Davenport, Osi Umenyiora, etc... I was going pretend to interview Michelle Ryan's feet, and talk to other parts of her body jealous of them. I think I could have pulled them off, but then the OSU news broke...

If you haven't heard by now, Terrelle Pryor, Boom Herron, Devier Posey, and two more Buckeyes have been suspended for the first five games of 2011. They sold awards and traded their autographs for tattoos. Seriously.

Add to that my 3/5 start to picking Bowl games(thanks Fresno State and Southern Miss), Michigan State losing to Texas, and the holidays, and I'm one happy camper. So take a little time out today to appreciate the little things, and the joy they bring. Sing, bling, ring, king. Rhyming, FTW. In these tough times, days like today are few and far between.

My SEMS Holiday Wish List

No matter your beliefs, most people celebrate a holiday where you receive gifts around this time of year. I fall into that category as well. I am going to try to not get stuck with socks again by making my wishes known.

I want the whole RichRod situation resolved. I am firmly in the keep him camp, but am smart enough to realize that I am in the minority. So whatever Dave Brandon decides, just be 100% committed to it. The worst thing that could happen is some wishy-washy press conference pledging allegiance "for now" or "for the immediate future". Either fire him, or give him 2 more years (minimum), but make it concrete.

I want the Lions to win out. I realize that means Drew Stanton plays well, and Patrick Peterson will most likely be gone by the time they draft, but I want to see Detroit be more than an off season afterthought for the top free agents. Too many times, the Lions had to overpay to bring in marginal talent. This offseason is going to be crazy, (barring a miracle), and I want to see top players make this their first visit for a change. KVB signed here, but he's old a veteran, and had a long standing relationship with Jim Schwartz.

I want the Pistons to blow it up. All of it. Trade everyone you can. Rip? Gone. Tay? So long. CV and BG? Hasta and La Vista. Keep Greg Monroe, Stuckey, and maybe Jonas Jerebko. Get young players with upside and draft picks. The Iverson trade was supposed to open up money for Bosh/Wade/David Lee/et al. Instead they signed two guys who have started 5 games combined this year. I love Joe Dumars for the early 90's, and 2006, but yikes.

I want the Red Wings to keep doing what they do. I don't know enough about hockey to feel I can make the right changes.

I want the Spartans to remember one thing.


I want the Tigers to make a big trade. Not Aubrey Huff or Jarrod Washburn big. I mean Miggy/Dontrelle big. The Tigers have a few very desirable prospects in Turner, Oliver, Castellanos, Crosby, and Fields. Use them. I remember being livid after I heard they gave up both Andrew Miller and Cam Maybin to acquire Cabrera and Willis. They haven't necessarily panned out, so my position on baseball prospects has softened when it comes to the Tigers. Acquire an impact starter or corner outfielder. I am sick and tired of seeing the Twins make the postseason.

For NCAA football, I want to see Auburn beat Oregon........then get the title stripped in May when the real Cam Newton story breaks. Something has to happen to start cleaning up the game, and Reggie Bush giving back his Heisman isn't enough.

For Ndamukong Suh and Calvin Johnson, I want Pro Bowl starting spots. Suh came into the year with huge expectations, and has lived up to the hype so far. Calvin amazes me week to week, and despite the record, makes the Lions worth watching nationally.

For Jahvid Best, Brandon Graham, Matt Stafford, Troy Woolfolk, and Darryl Stonum, I want speedy recoveries.

That's about it. I don't want to seem greedy...

This Week in Great College Basketball Names

Christian Standhardinger

Christian Standhardinger is not the villian from Die Hard. That was Hans Gruber. Standhardinger is not the name of the new Wocka Flocka Flame single either. He is was a sophomore forward for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He averaged 8.1 ppg as a freshman, and until his departure last week, was averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. He recently left the team to pursue other basketball endeavors. Think of it as a Big German Fish in a small Nebraska pond. The dining commons refused to serve spatzle or schnitzel, and continually mocked his Leiderhosen. Poor guy had enough, so he said "Ich bin von hier. Sie essen die Leute viel zu viel Mais."

It would have been awesome to see him in the Big Ten nest season, going against the Brusewitzes, Borovnjaks, Marcotullios,Sarikopolouses, and Smotryczes of the world. Oh well. There's always Bobby Copobianco at Indiana.

Lions win again....No, seriously

The 26 game road losing streak is over. Past tense. In the rear-view mirror. The Lions have been putting the Elias Sports Bureau through hell recently. After beating Green Bay last week, the Lions beat Tampa Bay in overtime 23-20 in overtime.

If you would have told me 3 weeks ago that the Lions would beat the 8-4 at the time Packers, and the then 8-5 Buccaneers after losing 5 in a row, I would have called you a liar (among other, NSFW things) and dismissed your foolish ramblings as poppycock. If you would have told me that the last touchdown was Stanton handing it off to Morris for 6, and Rayner kicking the extra point, I would have assumed zero chance of winning. I constantly bad-mouth Stanton, but as many have pointed out, he's 2-2 as a starter. That's the highest winning percentage of any Detroit quarterback since Millen was hired. I still don't think he would make most NFL rosters as anything other than a #3, but due to injuries to Stafford and Hill, here we are.

Winning two in a row is nice. Nice enough to overlook all the negatives for now. Here's the Rayner game winner.


I rarely do this, but there were some amazing moments in other games today. Here's Saints WR Lance Moore with an amazing TD catch...



And here's Philly WR DeSean Jackson with a walk-off punt return TD. It couldn't happen to a nicer fanbase.



Giants punter Matt Dodge got reamed by Tom Coughlin for not kicking it out of bounds. Way to take the blame, coach. I am ok with it though, since Matt Dodge started his college career at Appalachian State, and....well....you know. (even though he didn't play, it's shit list by association)

Tigers sign Magglio Ordonez

I know I'm a few days late, but I wanted to be sure I gave this signing its due. Magglio Ordonez resigned for 1year at 10 million. This is one of those deals that will look really good in September, or really bad in May. I have stated my opinion about Magglio, but I have to admit I have had a change of heart. I think it was the 2 years that worried me more than the money. When you can lock up a 3-4-5 of Maggs, Miguel, and Martinez, its been a good offseason. Seeing what others are going for, cough cough Werth cough, it makes it even better. I would still venture to guess that there will be 1 more "significant" move left, probably for another starter.

I can't have a post about Magglio without this, so I will end with it...

This Week in Great College Basketball Names

Robo Kreps

In a dystopic & crime ridden Detroit, a terminally wounded cop returns to the force as a powerful cyborg with submerged memories haunting him. Wait....

Robo Kreps is a senior guard at the University of Illinois-Chicago. He is currently the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.5 ppg. He has improved his game tremendously from last year when he averaged 15.2 ppg. 

He is more than a sweet shooter and cyborg, he is a blogger, and that gets a thumbs up in this guy's book.

The Big Ten Stays Behind the Times

Really? I mean seriously? Sigh.....Well maybe in conjunction with good divisional names. How about Bo and Woody? Too snooty. How about East and West? Too geographical. Herp and Derp? Right, right, too intelligent sounding. Leaders and Legends? Perfect.

I really hoped the Big Ten would come out of this looking cool or maybe even hip. Nossir. We get the most generic/unimaginative/alliterative names possible, and a logo that looks like clip art. Well played sirs, well played.

Pillaging Your Peers-NL West

After a few days off, I will continue the PYP project.

Arizona Diamondbacks- Assuming they don't trade him, my choice for the short term is OF Justin Upton. He's only 23, and is one of the most promising young regulars in MLB. I thought about Dan Haren, but his historically bad second half performances scared me off. As far as prospects go, Jarrod Parker is my pick. He recently had Tommy John surgery, but his potential is off the charts.If Upton is traded, expect another top 10 prospect to land in Arizona.

Colorado Rockies- This one is tough. Tough like a $5 steak. They have three of the top players in baseball right now. SS Troy Tulowitzki, OF Carlos Gonzalez, and SP Ubaldo Jimenez. All young, all talented. Luckily they don't have any slam dunk prospects, so I only have to leave out one of the three. Short term, I will take Jimenez. Dominant starters don't grow on trees, and he's an ace.  Keeper-wise, I will take Tulo. Positional scarcity, and what not. I really hate leaving CarGo behind, but them's the breaks.

Los Angeles Dodgers- Kemp or Ethier, Ethier or Kemp? Power or speed? Speed. OF Matt Kemp is one of my personal favorites, so I gotta go with him. The Dodgers have some nice young pitchers, but no one who blows me over. Chris Withrow has a 9.3 K/9 rate in the minors, and is only 21. Done and done.

San Diego Padres- This was easy a week ago. Adrian Gonzalez was the overwhelming choice. He's now a Red Sock. Red Sox? Anywho, I will now go with....Kyle Blanks? Young power hitter,plays good defen....he has awesome hair.

The biggest piece the Fathers got in return for Gonzalez is Casey Kelly. He is one of the top prospects in the game, and is close to MLB ready.

San Francisco Giants-By far the easiest team in the division to select from. Tim Lincecum may be a pothead, but he also has two Cy Young awards in 3 and a half seasons. C Buster Posey just won the NL ROY, and plays a premium position. Considering they just won the World Series, they are very top heavy.

So that finishes the National League. As always, criticism is expected/appreciated.

Previous- NL Central, NL East

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Lions beat Green Bay 7-3

That is all.

The Lions beat a divisional opponent for the first time since 2007. They beat the Packers for the first time since September 11, 2005. Will Heller scored a TD. Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, and Aaron Rodgers combined for 0. 

My dreams of Patrick Peterson may have taken a hit, but I love playing the spoiler. With New England giving Chicago a Kobe Bryant Colorado Special and Minnesota hosting the Giants in Detroit, the Lions could have the longest active winning streak in the NFC North after tomorrow. 

Half-Time Reaction-Detroit vs Green Bay

If you predicted a 0-0 ball game at the half, raise your hand.

Put your hands down, you mother scrumpling liars. As hard as Drew Stanton is trying, the Lions might win this thing. The Lions have 3 sacks, none of which came from Avril or Suh. They have held the Packers to 68 total yards of offense. 68! They knocked Aaron Rodgers out of the game on a clean hit that should cost Landon Johnson 25K. It actually looks promising as of now, which means they Matt Flynn will throw for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns in the second half. Here's the Rodgers hit...


As I mentioned earlier, Stanton is proving that last week was a fluke, and he is not an NFL QB. Too many times he just throws the ball up for grabs like he's playing 500. He takes 19 yard sacks. On a positive note, he runs a mean option.

The best moment was watching Greg Jennings go DERP and Spievey being there to make the pick. It was made epic by the referee saying there were 3 possible penalties on the play. I will leave you with that, since the second half will be starting soon, and is sure to disappoint...

Catching up with the Tigers' Offseason

A few minor roster moves:

The Tigers signed 33 year old Australian pitcher, Chris Oxspring. I approve.

They also signed C Omir Santos. He last played with the Mets in 2009, and is just organizational depth.

They also signed former Hiroshima Toyo Carp LHP John Bale. Their last foray into Japan resulted in Brad Thomas, who wasn't horrible last season.

Did I mention they signed someone named Chris Oxspring?

That's it for additions since I last updated. They missed on several assumed targets, but considering what they got paid...coughcoughJasonWerthcoughcough...its not all bad.

Jason Werth signed with the Washington Nationals for $126 Million Dollars for 7 years. Which, good luck with that in 2015.

Adam Dunn signed with the White Sox for $56 Million dollars for 4 years. Kinda pricey, but he should rake in that lineup.

Carl Crawford will only make $16 Million less than Jason Werth, and gets to play for Boston. The Sawx also acquired Adrian Gonzalez, so they are back which makes winning the Wild Card that much harder.

Magglio Ordonez is seeking 2 years at $10M per. I love Maggs as much as the next guy, but C'mon Man.

That's about it. I doubt Paul Konerko or Carlos Pena were ever serious about Detroit or vice versa. Cliff Lee is still out there, but the Yankees have to sign him on the heels of Boston's recent activity. I will visit this again as more chips fall into place.

Pillaging Your Peers-NL Central

Continuing my little project, I will move westward and cover the NL Central.

Chicago Cubs- Yikes. I'm not stoked on any of their players for a short term investment. Alfonso Soriano is at least 56 years old, and rapidly declining. Aramis Ramirez can't stay healthy. Their starting pitchers are crazy (Carlos Zambrano), or mediocre (Ryan Dempster.) That leaves me with two viable options: Closer Carlos Marmol, or OF Tyler Colvin. I will take Colvin. He had a great rookie year, and still has room to improve.  My keeper is SS Starlin Castro. He can do a little bit of everything, and is only 20 years old. He entered last season as one of the top prospects in the game, and did fairly well at the Major League level, despite being so young.

Cincinnati Reds- Easiest team in the division. Joey Votto was the NL MVP this year. He's the real deal. Aroldis Chapman. AKA The Cuban Missile, is probably the top pitching prospect in the game. He did this...


So yeah. The only argument to be made is Devin Mesoraco, a power hitting catcher from Punxsutawney, PA. Chapman would probably be the top pick if there were a prospect draft, and I can't pass up 105.

Houston Astros-After trading Berkman and Oswalt this year, there aren't many players who jump out at you. Carlos Lee and Hunter Pence are unspectacular outfielders. Wandy Rodriguez is a high strikeout pitcher. I would take Pence, mainly due to Lee's past injury history and advanced age. Prospect wise it comes down to two players: 1B Brett Wallace and  C Jason Castro. I would lean toward Castro since he catches, but Wallace should be a good player.

Milwaukee Brewers- It starts and ends with Ryan Braun. The Hebrew Hammer is one of the best players in baseball, and with Prince Fielder's tough year, it's not really a contest. One other option is Yovani Gallardo, a young fireballer. I will take the hitter here, but after looking at Gallardo's stats, it was closer than I thought.  They just traded top prospect Brett Lawrie, so he's out. That leaves a bunch of prospects with question marks. I will go out on a limb and take Gallardo long term. He's stll only 24, and has proven MLB success. Their prospects after trading Lawrie just don't impress me much.

Pittsburgh Pirates-I will start with the keeper. Pedro Alvarez is their top prospect. He hit .239 with 10 homers on the ML level this year, but he should improve on that in the future. As for present help, I really like Andrew McCutchen. He has some pop, steals bases, and plays a great CF. Another easy team to pillage.


St. Louis Cardinals- Another easy one. Albert Pujols is a future Hall of Famer. He plays defense, and has stolen 30 bases the last two years combined. On a team with pitchers like Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, it shows you how great a player Pujols is. Their farm system is decent, but Shelby Miller is a stud. Rated the #3 pitching prospect by project prospect (say that 3 times fast), he has a great fastball, along with plus pitches in his curve ball and change up.


Overall, an easy division to select from. There are some guys that I really like that didn't make the cut, like Mesoraco and Wallace, but that's how it goes in these types of things. As always, if I made any egregious oversights, call me on it.


Previous- NL East

Pillaging Your Peers-NL East

Imagine yourself as the GM of an expansion baseball franchise. Bud Selig has given you the power to select two players from an established MLB team. One player is for the short term, and you can only keep him for 3 years. The second player is yours as long as you want him. The only drawback is you have to submit your choices before you know how many or which teams you will receive players from. So you are choosing under the assumption that you may only get the players from one team. I normally do this around the trade deadline, thinking like the Tigers, so I figured I would put it in writing, and see how much my preferences have changed. I will start in the NL East, since my early research has shown it to be rather difficult.

Atlanta Braves- This was one of the more difficult decisions. The two players I would covet most are very young, and would be excellent choices as my long term preference. The two players are Jason Heyward and Julio Teheran. Jason Heyward just turned 21, and finished second in the NL Rookie of the Year race. Teheran is  19 and considered one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. So therein lies the problem. They both are destined for greatness, but which one do you want long term? Do you take a player like Brian McCann for three years, and take Heyward long term, since Teheran isn't too close to being Major League ready, and may not reach his potential? Do you take three years of Heyward and gamble on a potential ace in Teheran?  If I were in this position, I gamble on Teheran. I take Heyward short term, and Teheran long term. Pitching wins in most cases like this in my opinion.

Florida Marlins- Another difficult one, but easier than Atlanta. The long term option is Mike Stanton. Amazing power hittter. 22 homers in 100 major league games this year, and he's only 21. The short term players in contention are Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson. Hanley Ramirez is arguably the best all around SS in baseball, and Johnson is a dominating pitcher. They are only a year apart in age, so that doesn't help. I think I would actually go with HanRam. Josh Johnson had Tommy John Surgery in August of 07, and although he has been great since, I am using it as justification to take Ramirez. I can't go wrong with either, but Ramirez is one of my favorite players.

New York Mets- Before I actually looked at this, I thought it would be fairly easy. Then I realized how bare their Minor League system compared to the rest of their division. Most of their top prospects have huge question marks. For three years, there are 3 legit options: David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Johan Santana. Two years ago, they were three of the best players in baseball, but Wright had a horrible(by his standards) 2009, Reyes can't get/stay healthy, and Johan just isn't the same player he was in Minnesota. I would go Wright, who bounced back in 2010, and distanced himself from the other two. As far as prospects, I will trust  the experts and go with Wilmer Flores. John Sickels feels he's the Mets' top prospect, and he plays SS, so positional scarcity plays a factor as well. The future is bleak for the Mets.

Philadelphia Phillies- Roy Halladay. Nuff said. As far as prospects go, there isn't much left. The Halladay and Oswalt trades have helped empty the cupboard, as they say, and they are left with Domonic Brown, and a few marginal pitchers, so Brown it is. Big, fast, outfielder who Athlon compares to Darryl Strawberry (in ability, not recreational activities, I assume.) The easiest by far in the NL East, and probably top five easiest in MLB.

Washington Nationals- Another Braves situation, with the added headache of having a very good player at the Major League level. Stephen Strasburg is the most hyped pitching prospect probably ever. Bryce Harper graduated from high school a year early to go to community college so he could get drafted earlier. He is also...well see for yourself...

Both were selected number one overall. Both are among the top 3 prospects in baseball. Then you have Ryan Zimmerman. A young All-Star 3B who isn't close to being selected. In this context, I would have to take Strasburg for three years, and Harper for keeps since Harper isn't close to reaching the majors. I am this close to going Zimmerman for 3 and Strasburg forever. Flip a coin on this one. This will be the one to watch from this division.

This was tougher than I expected. When I looked at this from Detroit's perspective, it was fairly easy. With Cabrera at first that position is blocked, so a slightly less player at a position of need was always selected. Same with outfielders, With Austin Jackson in center and leading off, I looked at power over speed in outfielders. All in all this was fun. I look forward to doing the other divisions, and I will see if I could cover every position without trying. Feel free to leave any comments if you feel I overlooked someone.

Michigan to The Gator Bowl???

According to The Florida Times-Union, Michigan will meet Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. It isn't official yet, but these things normally end up being credible. So it goes to show again that I know nothing. I do know that they take their footbaw serious down there, and their promotions team is top notch...

I am obviously surprised with a Jan 1st Bowl, and like the recruiting exposure in Florida. I also like the matchup, as Mississippi State ranked 91st in passing offense. More on this as it becomes official.

Lions-Bears Knee Jerk Reaction

It wasn't as bad as I expected, but sucks just the same. Bad penalties, bad play calling, bad pass defense. Stanton wasn't that bad, but you can't allow your two safeties to be the leading tacklers, and expect to win many ball games. Stanton taught us how NOT to Dougie.

But there were some positives. The Calvin TD.

Cliff Avril jail-sexxed the Bears' offensive line. Suh(minus the penalty) was his normal beastly self. No turnovers. 5.0 yards per carry. Nobody spontaneously combusted, which is a plus.

The song remains the same. Close, but couldn't close. We're used to it. We haven't beaten Chicago, Green Bay, or Minnesota since the George W. Bush administration. In October 2007, we were all Crankin Dat Soulja Boy, and watching Dirty Sexy Money.

I don't know what to say anymore. I don't get upset anymore. I don't yell. I don't curse at referees. I just watch. It's like watching television in a doctor's office. You can't pay attention, because there's that creepy guy two aisles over that refuses to cover his mouth when he coughs, and keeps trying to strike up conversations with people. You are aware what's on, but you can't get too invested. I....shit. Now I can't get the creepy guy image out of my mind. Better quit while I'm ahead.

This Week in Great College Basketball Names

Drake U'u

Drake U'u is a red shirt sophomore guard for the Cal Poly Mustangs. He started his college career at Hartford, averaging 2.9 points, and 1.7 rebounds in 18 games (5 starts) as a true freshman. He had to sit out last year due to NCAA transfer rules. This remarkably consistent player is averaging 2.9 ppg, and 1.4 rebounds through 7 games this season. 

I'm not sure I've seen a name containing two vowels and an apostrophe before. Short and sweet like Seth Green.

Lions-Bears Quickie Preview

The surprisingly good Bears are in Detroit to play the Lions today. The first game was close, ending with the Calvin Johnson Controversy.  A refresher...



That Lions team had Matt Stafford. Jahvid Best had 10 good toes. Detroit had yet to lose to the Bills. Hell, that team still had Shaun Hill. That team had Jason Hanson.

This team has Drew Stanton. This team has a gimpy Jahvid Best. This team lost to the Bills. Did I mention that this team has Drew Stanton? They also have Zac Robinson. Who? A 7th round rookie out of Oklahoma State. This team has Dave Rayner. Awesome.

Three keys to success:

1. Beer.
2. Calvin Johnson proving that he is the best WR in the NFL, by making Drew Stanton look like an NFL QB.
3. Did I mention beer?

Prediction:

45-14, Chicago. It won't be pretty. Jay Cutler may be the first QB in history to have 5 TDs and 5 INTs in one game. Maybe this will make you feel better...

In other words, if the Lions win I will eat my hat. But to be fair, I am wearing a nacho hat

The Curse is Real

A month ago today, I crowned Jason Hanson as The best Lions draft pick since Barry Sanders. Well, today the Lions placed him on IR, ending his 2010 season, and keeping former Spartan Dave Rayner employed for the rest of the year.

The only bright side to this injury is it will not allow him to add to his already NFL record of being on the losing team 190 times. No word yet on his status for next season, but I would venture to guess he will be back.  To fill his spot on the roster, the Lions signed former 1st round draft pick, CB Tye Hill.

This proves again, that the SEMS curse is real. I spotlight Jonas Jerebko, and BOOM!!!!1! In other site news, I am now planning posts on the following:

1. Terrelle Pryor
2. Sidney Crosby
3. The Miami Heat
4. Phil Mickelson (that smug, left-handed bastard)

Here's to feeling better, Jason.

Good Night, Sweet Prince!

Big Ten Bowl Predictions

With all but one Big Ten game played, now seems as good a time as any to predict which Big Ten team goes where for December/January.

(A quick note, the SEC is hard to predict. If Auburn beats the GameCocks next week, they will play for the BCS National Championship. If they lose? All hell breaks loose with the Cocks going to the Sugar Bowl, and Auburn taking up an at large birth. So these will most likely be totally wrong in regards to SEC opponents. I also added this preface to work "Cocks" in the post to help with google hits.....and to make me giggle. Heh heh, cocks. I am also using Wikipedia for bowl tie-ins, so shoot them if the projection order is wrong)

Wisconsin- Rose Bowl. Your 2010 Big Ten Champion. They started the week with the highest BCS average, and did nothing to lose ground to Ohio State or Michigan State. They still have an outside shot at the BCS National Championship game, but it would take some absolute craziness to happen.

Ohio State- At large BCS bid. They are a team that travels well, and has one loss. They remain in second place in the Big Ten after beating Michigan 37-7. Which game will depend on factors I won't pretend to understand. I do know that it won't be the Fiesta since they are stuck with the Big East winner this year. So the Orange Bowl against Virginia Tech/Florida State, or the Sugar Bowl against Auburn/Lsu/Arkansas/South Carolina.

Michigan State- Capitol One Bowl. A great season for the Spartans ends with them playing in Orlando on New Years Day. Their opponent will be chosen from Alabama/Arkansas/LSU.

Here, again, things get muddled as Iowa, Illinois, and Penn State all 4-4 in conference, and assuming an Illini win at Fresno, 7-5 overall records. I will just base it on my perceived power rankings

Iowa-Outback Bowl. Yeah, they just lost to Minnesota. They were a top 25 team most of the season, and has a better recent track record than PSU and Illinois. They will be matching up against another SEC team, so who ever trickles down this far. I would guess Arkansas or South Carolina.

Penn State-Gator Bowl. This seems logical. I can't see a committee selecting Ron Zook over Joe Paterno. Paterno says he will return, but the dude is 83. The SEC opponent this time will be Florida or Mississippi State.

Illinois-Insight Bowl. They are the first Big Ten team not in a BCS bowl to not face an SEC team. They will take on the fourth pick from the Big 12, so Missouri/Texas A&M/Oklahoma State are possible foes.

Michigan-Texas Bowl. I am picking Michigan over Northwestern for a plethora of reasons.

1. This is Michigan's first bowl game since 2007.
2. Northwestern is without their starting QB.
3. The RichRod saga will bring extra attention. For this reason, I could see a bowl passing over Illinois/Iowa to take Michigan.

The Texas Bowl opponent for the Big Ten is the 6th pick from the Big 12. Think Baylor.

Northwestern-TicketCity Bowl. The what? Yep, it exists. Any who, they will face another team from the Big 12. Texas Tech or Kansas State are all that's left.

So there you have it. Depending on your travel agent's refund/cancellation policy, order your tickets now.

This Week in Great College Basketball Names

Bak Bak

Bak Bak is a 6'9'' 225lb sophomore forward for the Cal Bears. He had a trying freshman campaign averaging only 1.3 points and 2 rebounds in 5.4 minutes per game through 8 games. He was forced to sit out the second semester of the season due to poor academics. If I had to guess, his papers were disregarded when the professors saw the name Bak Bak, and disregarded them since chickens are not permitted on campus in Berkeley.

I knew of this young man, and had been planning on featuring him in the first basketball segment of This Week in Great College ________ Names, but I caught a few minutes of the Notre Dame/Cal game on Friday, the game where Cal scored 5 points in the first half, and his name was brought to the forefront.  So, coach Montgomery, I implore you to give Bak some playing time. Your team scored 5 points in the first half of a game. What's the worst that can happen? You could be this guy...

Tigers sign Victor Martinez (Updated 11-24)

The Tigers signed catcher/1B/DH Victor Martinez to a 4 year deal today. Martinez is a switch hitting catcher who has widely been considered one of the best offensive catchers in baseball over the last few years. I covered him briefly in my offseason wish list, and while I wasn't technically pulling for him, I am certainly not against the signing. He provides a left-handed bat (against righties) and is capable of making teams pitch to Cabrera. I will withhold total judgement until I see what other moves the Tigers make. 4 years/50 million is a fairly good deal, so long as there are no repeats of 2008.

UPDATE-The deal is now "official" per ESPN. I forget these things are always "pending him passing a physical" when they are initially announced. (How the hell did Carlos Guillen get paid with this system?)

Thank God for the Carolina Panthers

Without them, the Lions would be the unquestioned laughing stock of the NFL (again). The Lions once again decided that winning is for losers, and lost to the Cowboys 35-19. After taking a 12-7 lead following Ndamukong Suh getting molested by Leonard Davis in the endzone, the Lions gave up scores on the following plays

A 97 yard punt return after John Swendling tried to down it inside the 5 yard line.


They also gave up a 29 yard TD run to Jon Kitna. Yep, Jon "Vick-lite" Kitna...
(Stupid NFL.com won't let me embed the video, but c'mon, its Jon Kitna running)

There was also this penalty for a horse collar. I will let you be the judge...


What a......Dreadful........call.

I just don't get it.  Two weeks ago, they had their cleats to the throats of the 8-2 Jets. They go on to lose to the 2-8 Bills (winless at the time) and the 3-7 Cowboys who are being coached by an interim Jason Garret. If the Lions are nothing else, they are consistent. Consistent in pissing me off. Consistent in picking in the top 5 of the draft every April. There comes a point when the comedy of errors is no longer funny (I'm looking at you Two and a half Men). It just gets depressing. Not depressing as in "Oh, I'm a Lions fan. I have only seen one playoff victory in my life. Even the Raiders are 5-5 this year" type of way. That's been fine for the last few decades years. This year is approaching epic proportions. We weathered the Millen regime, to move into the future with the promise of the Schwartz. So far, he and Mayhew have proven to be able to bring in talent, but the on the field results just aren't there.

In selfish news, my dream of Patrick Peterson is alive and well. The only other player I would be happy with at this point would be Da'Quan Bowers. It must be fall, I'm already looking forward to the draft. Thanks, Lions!

Proof that Millen in fact HAS had some sort of NFL success.

MyOffseason Wish List

Signing Benoit and Alburquerque was a nice start to the offseason, but the team still has a few glaring needs. While I would personally commit to eating 2 Hot N Readys if they went out and signed Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee, Jason Werth, Victor Martinez, Adam Dunn, and Jorge De La Rosa, I'm fairly certain we won't get them all, so here is my wish list weighted towards reality...

1. Sign Adam Dunn. I quickly covered this before, but a big left handed hitter to protect Cabrera is a dream signing. I realize that he is a Type A Free Agent, meaning that the Tigers will lose a draft pick to Washington if they sign him, but all the big names are.
2. Acquire an offensive minded catcher. Avila and Laird were great behind the plate, and Max St. Pierre had a Disney movie storyline, but the offensive production was lacking to put it politely. Victor Martinez is the most obvious option, but his horrendous 2008 is worrisome. The options aren't very exciting, so maybe a trade for someone like Miguel Montero or Ryan Doumit might be a better option.
3. Some sort of corner outfielder. There are names out there like Crawford, Werth, and even Justin Upton. I would love to get Upton, but I don't think the Tigers have the prospets to get a deal done. I wouldn't mind seeing Maggs come back at a lower salary, and wouldn't sign Manny Ramirez for all the camels in Antarctica. I'm thinking it's Werth ahead of the pack in regards to Dave Dombrowski's wish list. Jeff Francouer and Brad Hawpe are a couple personal favorites or mine that won't cost anything close to Werth.
4. The bullpen is pretty much set. I would like to see Zumaya come back with an incentive laden deal (and a bubblewrap coating) if only for sentiments sake. I will never forget the excitement he brought when he hit 103 on the radar. Another option is J.J. Putz who is from Trenton.
5. Get 1-2 more starters. Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello are set. We have nice prospects in Jacob Turner, Casey Crosby, and Andy Oliver. Not much in between. Cliff Lee is great, and that means he will be a Yankee. I am a big fan of De La Rosa, but am not sold on him. There are high risk-high reward options like Rich Harden, Erik Bedard, and Justin Duchscherer. I am hoping for De La Rosa and Aaron Harang.

That's about it. Inge and Peralta will be the 3B/SS for a while, and the kids at second deserve another shot.  I would venture to guess that Dombrowski is working on a blockbuster trade that makes this whole excercise irrelevant.  It should be announced about 10 minutes after I hit publish.

Tiger sign Al Alburquerque(!!!) to a major league deal

The Detroit Tigers made the headline move off the offseason so far, signing relief pitcher Alberto Alburquerque. Details on contract length and cost are not yet announced, but his name alone warrants somewhere in the 5 year/145 million dollar range.  The opportunity for "left turn at Alburquerque" jokes alone make Dunn/Crawford/Werth/VMart talk seem secondary. Here's his baseball reference page, as if it matters....
Al Alburquerque.

If you are wondering, and I know you are, by the fifth spelling, I got his name right without looking.

Congrats, and welcome to Detroit, Al.

Tigers sign Benoit, in "serious talks" with Dunn (Updated)

The Detroit Tigers have reached a 3 year deal with relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit, formerly of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He pitched very well last year "as he posted a 1.34 ERA, 11.2 K/9, 1.6 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, and 38.9% groundball rate in 60 1/3 innings." I like it, but was hoping to hear news on a bat to protect Miggy Cabrera. I was intrigued by Dan Uggla, but he was traded to Atlanta for a package including former Tiger, Omar Infante. 


As for bats, according to MLB Trade Rumors, they are in "serious talks" with Adam Dunn. Does he fit what Detroit needs? Let's see...

1. Left handed? check
2. Power hitter? check
3. Has a pulse? check

I don't want to get ahead of myself, since these rumors pop up all the time, but he has been linked to the Tigers for a while now. More on this as/if it develops.


UPDATE- Just ran across this list of the Top 50 Free Agents from MLB Trade Rumors, and they have Benoit rated 37th and Dunn rated 5th, ahead of guys like Victor Martinez and Derek Jeter.  

3 God Damned Points? or Half-time reactions (updated)

Where to even begin? A list seems helpful...

1. Why are you paying Drew Stanton? Seriously. You keep him on the roster for 4 years. You acquire Shaun Hill, Matt Stafford, Daunte Culpepper, Patrick Ramsey, J. T. O'Sullivan, Zac Robinson, and others whose name escapes me at the moment since you draft him in the second round. You obviously have zero faith in his abilities, so why keep him around? Shaun Hill has a broken arm. I'm sorry, let me rephrase that.....ahem.....HE HAS A BROKEN ARM. And you start him over Stanton?!?!? Awesome.
2. 8 penalties for 45 yards. Against the Bills. The Buffalo Bills. Do you really feel the need to cheat to beat these guys? They have yet to win a game this season. You should have beat the Jets last week, and as I type this the Bills score again, and you are getting Kobe'd by the Bills.
3. And finally, 3 GOD DAMNED POINTS?(see how I bring it around full circle?) The Bills came into the game giving up an average of 178.3 ypg rushing, and first round pick Jahvid Best has 11 carries for 27 yards. This is a team that has given up 29.1 ppg. A team that will 99% be picking first in April, and you manage 3 points. You were shut out for 29:57.
4. There is no clear cut positional need for the draft anymore. I looooooove Patrick Peterson, and you gotta take him if he's there, but after him where do you look? The weakest OT draft in forever means Cherilous and Backus are safe for now.  You can't go after a QB no matter how many times Stafford gets hurt. WR is deep this year, but Calvin and Burleson aren't the problem. Just go back to the eeny meeny miney mo method, I guess.
5. Play Tim Toone, plz. I have no idea if he knows the playbook, or if he could block worth a damn. Those aren't the important aspects when considering a 4th or 5th WR/PR....He's a white guy with dreadlocks. That is worth at least 10 points in intimidation alone. What has Derrick Williams done that Toone can't? Exact, wait for it, ly.

In closing, I would like to take a moment to recognize My Lions for a long overdue award. I would like to present you with this...

I hate love hate love hate love hate love you guys!

A special shout out to Shaun Hill....

Recapping a strange weekend in the Big Ten

I didn't have high hopes for the slate of games on the Big Ten schedule this weekend. The only game I thought might be interesting was the Iowa-Northwestern game, and at least that didn't disappoint. Let's take a look at the games, shall we?

Indiana at Wisconsin-The Badgers put up 83 points against Indiana. 83. Quick sidenote-Wisconsin is the third Big Ten school this season whose football team may score more points than their basketball team. The list:

1. Wisconsin- They make the list twice with outbursts of 83 and 70 points. The Badgers are always a good basketball team, but are not known for their offense.In fact, they ony scored 83 or more 3 times last season, and lost their starting guards from last year.
2. Michigan-It could be a long year at Crisler this year, and may need triple overtime to reach 67 points just like their gridiron counterparts. Without Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims, they are going to rely heavily on Tim Hardaway Jr.
3. Iowa-On September 25, Iowa scored 45 points against Ball State. It may be a calendar year until a scoreboard in Iowa City has to reach that high again. If there is a team that is searching for offense harder than Michigan, it will be Iowa. I am only half joking on this one.

 Anyway, most points since 1915, running up the score, yada yada yada. The defense has the responsibility to stop the other team, and cheers, Indiana,

Minnesota at Illinois-The Gophers won. Told you it was a strange weekend.

Michigan at Purdue- The only thing that happened more frequently than turnovers in this game were Ro-Tel/Buffalo Wild Wings commercials on the Big Ten Network, and the announcers fellating Cam Newton in the Auburn/Georgia game. Ten turnovers. How many?

Ten costly turnovers, ah ah ah

Stranger yet, the Michigan defense didn't allow a TD. Granted Purdue:Offense::Ke$ha:Talented, but still, they only gave up 3 FGs and a Pick 6. I take nothing away from that, but it is nice to type.

Penn State at Ohio State- It was a tale of two halves in Columbus as The Nittany Lions took a 14-3 lead into halftime. The second half, not so much. 35 unanswered points sealed the deal, and will remain in the top ten. After the game, I caught up with Joe Paterno and asked about his teams performance. His response was 

"I really like banana pudding, but they only had tapioca. I can't digest tapioca, so I changed sweaters. When the cat meows, I go for a walk to clear my garage. I only wish Bruce Willis would make another Die Hard movie. I really liked My Two Sons, but the Cadillac Eldorado had a large backseat. We are going to the zoo, but are bringing our own garbage bags."

Iowa at Northwestern-The biggest "upset" of the weekend as Iowa was ranked 13th, and 64% of the country realized that Northwestern had a football team. This game had it all,including  Ricky Stanzi, American, but the story was NW QB Dan Persa. He led a comeback drive, and ruptures his Achilles Tendon on the game winning TD pass. Tough break for arguably the best QB in the Big Ten this season. Just when Northwestern was, Oh, Wisconsin just scored again, looking like a threat to play spoiler at Wisconsin, their season essentially ends.

Michigan State had a bye week, and will host Purdue next Saturday. Expect the Boilermakers to score -13 points against the Spartans. As far as I know, no MSU players were arrested either, a situation Mark Dantonio calls "Encouraging."

So that's it. Michigan got some good news Friday as  Dallas Crawford, a CB from Florida, committed to the Wolverines. This is great news on its own since I am currently third on the Michigan depth chart at the SS position, but he is also teammates and friends with WR Sammy Watkins who is pretty much down to Clemson and Michigan.

The early question heading into next weekend is how many points will Wisconsin and Michigan score? I tried downloading a Math program to calculate the final score and got this...

There's the Lions I know and love

About the only thing that could have gone worse is if Schwartz would have won the toss and taken the wind......in Ford Field. But we learned a few things today:

1. Stafford is as fragile as a 13 year old girl's ego.
2. The Lions remain the most undisciplined football team this side of the Mean Machine.
3. Alphonso Smith is in full on Beast Mode.
4. My Patrick Peterson drive is not completely dead.
5. Ndamukong Suh is the back up kicker.

A win is a win, is a win

I have held off writing game recaps for a few weeks since I didn't have the mental strength to come up with ways to describe the Wolverine defense. I had a few ideas, mostly involving Nathan Scheelhaase voodoo dolls and incriminating pictures of Joe Paterno. The subsequent retinal bleaching would have made that post seem counter productive, so I just let it all slide. Being ranked 106th in the NCAA in total defense? Hey check out these monkeys riding bikes! Another starter in the secondary is out for the year? Randy Moss, Randy Moss, Randy Moss! It was like my refusal to acknowledge it in words made it nonexistent. For better or worse, I simply watched the games, shook my head, wished I could just hold Greg Robinson close while we assured one another that it will get better, and moved on.

Moving on. Its an interesting concept when it comes to sports. The celebratory dance that I would have unleashed on the world if the final score yesterday would have been 67-13 would have rivaled Ms. Benes....

Would I have considered the defensive struggles to be over? Not at all, but I would have enjoyed entertaining the thought. There are some people who like to romanticize the game of football and liken it to a game a=of chess. Two masterminds staring each other down, each move by each piece being able to win or lose the game. I am not one of those people. I still call the Knights "horsies". The Bishops are "The pointy guys", and my true freshman defensive back, who was all but guaranteed to redshirt this season but is now forced into playing 85% of the snaps is "Go Courtney Avery/Terrance Talbott/Cullen Christian/Ray Vinopal/Carvin Johnson". 67-65 does not lend itself to chess comparisons. It's a frightening cocktail of 

One part 

Two parts

Floated with a little 

So where do I go from here? Let me beat you to it, Spartan fans, "The Little Caesars Bowl."  I am in the camp that Rodriguez gets one more year. Greg Robinson should be staging his home as we speak. Coming into the season, I had modest goals that I let get out of hand after the first few games, but at least I wasn't the only one...

Its just that after the last two seasons, Michigan fans had to grasp onto something, and we collectively made that something the dreadlocks of a true sophomore quarterback. That decision may have been a bit hasty, because he had no way of living up to the ridiculously high standards he set for himself. I'm hoping I learn my lesson before next season, but am already prepping myself for a long ride on the "Roy Roundtree for Biletnikoff Award" bandwagon next September.

Sparky Anderson placed in hospice care

Former Tiger manager Sparky Anderson has been placed in hospice care due to complications from his battle with dementia. I'm sure every Detroit baseball fan has a favorite Sparky moment, as he was instrumental in bringing the Tigers a World Series championship in 1984. Thoughts and best wishes to his family!

The ten best Lion’s draft picks since Barry Sanders

 

About a week ago, a friend brought up an interesting question, who is the best Detroit Lions' draft pick since Barry Sanders in 1989? I decided to delve into it a little deeper and attempt to answer the question myself. I started by looking at every draft pick since Barry Sanders that the Lions have made. I skimmed through and made a preliminary list of the players who would make the initial list. Then I determined the criteria to establish a pick's value. I used the following:

1. Contributions to the Lions
2. Contributions to other NFL teams
3. Relative value in regards to spot selected
4. Other players available within ten picks at the player's position (The Charles Rogers exclusionary rule)
5. I mostly left out a player’s off the field issues (unless it suited me)

My initial list consisted of 24 players...

Year	Name	Round	Overall	College	Position
1989	Ray Crockett	4	86	Baylor	DB
1989	Rodney Peete	6	141	USC	QB
1991	Herman Moore	1	10	Virginia	WR
1992	Robert Porcher	1	26	South Carolina St	DE
1992	Jason Hanson	2	56	Washington St	K
1994	Johnnie Morton	1	21	USC	WR
1995	David Sloan	3	70	New Mexico	TE
1995	Steven Boyd	5	141	Boston College	LB
1995	Cory Schlesinger	6	192	Nebraska	FB
1998	Charlie Batch	2	60	EMU	QB
1999	Jared DeVries	3	70	Iowa	DE
2001	Jeff Backus	1	18	Michigan	OT
2001	Dom Raiola	2	50	Nebraska	C
2001	Shaun Rogers	2	61	Texas	DT
2002	Andre Goodman	3	68	South Carolina	CB
2003	Cory Redding	3	66	Texas	DE
2004	Roy Williams	1	7	Texas	WR
2007	Calvin Johnson	1	2	Georgia Tech	WR
2008	Cliff Avril	3	92	Purdue	DE
2009	Matthew Stafford	1	1	Georgia	QB
2009	Brandon Pettigrew	2	20	Oklahoma State	TE
2009	Louis Delmas	2	33	Western Michigan	S
2010	Ndamukong Suh	1	2	Nebraska	DT
2010	Jahvid Best	1	30	Cal	RB

 

Among the first to be cut were Johnnie Morton, Jared DeVries, Cory Redding, Matt Stafford, Louis Delmas, Brandon Pettigrew, and Jahvid Best. In the cases of DeVries, Pettigrew, and Best, it was a case of injuries/lack of playing time. Stafford, Delmas, Pettigrew and Best have the ability to be something special, but they are fairly young. DeVries was marginal at best to get this far anyways, and his recent injury history was the final nail in his coffin.

Redding is interesting because of his inconsistency. He was a best for a few years after he moved to DT,  but seems to be a contract year fluke based on his performance since 2006.

Morton’s exclusion is two-fold: His MMA career, and the fact that Isaac Bruce went 12 picks later.

The next round of cuts was the elimination of the guys that were solid/unspectacular contributors or sentimental favorites that are probably remembered more fondly than they should be.

Player	Reasons for exclusion
Rodney Peete	Never that good. Facilitated Andre Ware pick. Annoying Wife.
Robert Porcher	Within 13 picks were Levon Kirkland and Darren Woodson.
David Sloan	Only had one dominant season.
Stephen Boyd	Injuries cut his career short. Very tough to eliminate.
Charlie Batch	Brian Griese was selected 31 picks later. Never made Pro Bowl.
Domonic Raiola	No Pro Bowls. Flipped off fans in 2008.
Cliff Avril	Good, not great. Situational pass-rusher at best.

That leaves my top ten. The order is fairly interchangeable and cases could be made for the inclusion of many others over the last few I included. With my bets sufficiently hedged, my top ten…

10) Andre Goodman. I mostly forgot about his time as a Lion until this project. He has become one of the best corners in the NFL since his departure following the 2005 season. This is largely due to him being a 3rd rounder, and the huge hole the Lions have had in the secondary for years.

9) Ray Crockett. The guy was a beast. He won two Super Bowl rings. Very underrated, having never been to the Pro Bowl. He was a 4th round pick in the same draft as Barry.

8) Roy Williams. Ultra-talented. Having a great year with Dallas. His trade brought Brandon Pettigrew. He is this low because he seemed to give up at times, and for that stupid first down signal he made in games the Lions were losing by 28 points.

7) Ndamukong Suh. Can easily be number one on this list in the future. I am tempering my expectations by starting him here, but he is clearly one of the best young players in the NFL already. The alternative to Suh was trading for Haynesworth, so bonus points.

6) Herman Moore. Just look over the 1991 NFL Draft. Wow it could have been bad. Herman Moore owns nearly every Lion receiving record (until Megatron breaks them all anyway). Not bad for a guy drafted after Stanley Richard.

5) Shaun Rogers. I know, I know. But Rogers was the only bright spot on the defense for a long time. His dominance can never be measured because he has played for Detroit and Cleveland. As a late second round pick, many teams have probably kicked themselves over whiffing on Big Baby.

4) Cory Schlesinger. A fullback? Yep. How many 6th rounders solidify a position on a team for 12 years, earning All-Pro, All-Madden, and Pro Bowl honors? Exactly.

3) Calvin Johnson. Megatron is simply the most physically gifted player I have ever seen. He’s tall, thick, fast, quick, has great hands, hasn’t gotten into trouble. You really can’t name a weakness in his game.

2) Jeff Backus. Here’s my controversial pick. For all the grief he gets, he has been an above average LT for almost a decade, and has played well enough to allow Detroit to take guys like Suh and CJ. If he was a top 5 pick, he wouldn’t be here, but at number 18 overall. I could easily see him off this list in 3 years however.

1) Jason Hanson. Ladies and Gentlemen, your Detroit Lions. A kicker has been the best draft choice in 22 years. But look at the facts. Second round pick in 1992. Longest tenured Lion. Still a weapon in 2010. One of the greatest kickers in NFL history. I easily see Suh and CJ ahead of him soon, and Best and Stafford wouldn’t shock me.

Thoughts? Blatant omissions? Wanna know where I get the crack I have been smoking? Feel free to comment.