Bleacher Report - Detroit

Curtis Granderson Trade Makes Detroit Tigers Younger, Cheaper, Less Popular

Zac Snyder — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:49:00 -0500

No one ever said doing the right thing would always be the most popular thing.

Let's just hope Dave Dombrowski is right, because today's trade of Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and Edwin Jackson to the Diamondbacks sure won't be popular.

The silver lining is that the Tigers will receive a collection of young talent in return. RHP Max Scherzer and LHP Daniel Schlereth will be coming over from Arizona, while the Yankees send back OF Austin Jackson and LHP Phil Coke.

Max Scherzer is a 25-year-old right-hander coming off a 30-start season in which he posted a 4.12 ERA while striking out 174. Scherzer was the 11th overall pick in the 2006 draft and was rated by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in the Diamondbacks' organization in 2008.

While he has great potential, Scherzer has just one season of major league experience, which means he will have to wait two more years before reaching arbitration eligibility. In other words, the Tigers will get a great talent at a great price.

Left-handed pitcher Daniel Schlereth was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the first round of the 2008 draft out of the University of Arizona. He quickly reached the majors and appeared in 21 games for the Diamondbacks in 2009. He has shown the ability to strike out better than a batter per inning through the minors and into the majors. Schlereth began 2009 as the Diamondbacks' third best prospect.

Austin Jackson was ranked 36th on Baseball America's list of the top 100 prospects in 2009, one spot ahead of 2009 AL Rookie of the Year runner-up Elvis Andrus. For comparison's sake, Rick Porcello checked in at No. 21.

In addition to being the Yankees' top prospect, Jackson was also the prospect noted as being the best athlete and best defensive outfielder. Reviews of Jackson's game will remind Tigers fans a lot of Curtis Granderson circa 2005.

The Yankees' eighth-rated prospect in 2009 was Phil Coke. He shed the prospect moniker with his solid performances out of the bullpen, including six postseason appearances.

The move has its merits, as the Tigers took a toll financially in 2009 and have one more year to suffer through the bad contracts to Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, and Jeremy Bonderman. With a pile of money already committed to players currently on the roster, the Tigers were forced to make cost-cutting trades.

However popular the names leaving Detroit, Dombrowski deserves some credit for what is coming in return. Given the way Edwin Jackson's second half of 2009 went, Scherzer may be a near equal replacement. Coke and Schlereth have a chance to land roles in the 2010 bullpen, and Austin Jackson gives the Tigers the kind of position player prospect the organization hasn't seen since Granderson.

The effects of a Granderson-less Comerica Park outfield may hurt next season, but Jackson appears to a perfect younger replacement.

All four players acquired today could make significant contributions in 2010 and into the future. Whether or not the trade ultimately helps or hurts the Detroit Tigers organization will be for history to decide.

I can only say this with certainty: It had to be done, it won't be popular, and it might work out.

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Osgood's Situation: Can a Playoff Goalie Win During the Season?

Eric LaForge — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:09:59 -0500

Chris Osgood has admitted that he hasn't played his best hockey this year. In fact, there was an article in SI that talked about this being the worst year of his career.

Needless to say, Red Wings fans have started to question our goalie, and have started to put games in the hands of Jimmy Howard. That hasn't been working out either.

Most people would agree that goaltending is the reason the Detroit Red Wings are having such a bad year. Part of the reason is consistency, we'll see them let in only one goal one night, and then two nights later see a ton of pucks go past them.

It's frustrating as a fan to see both Howard and Osgood let in soft goals and lose the game. It's also frustrating when the offense is fighting to stay in the game and the puck keeps getting in our net.

Let's face it, Osgood is a goalie that thrives in the play-offs. His run for the last two years supports that.

However, that's not enough for Wings' fans this year. We need a solid goalie right now. We can't wait until the end of the season, we need one right now.

It's not just the fans that understand that, it's Osgood too. In fact, the phrase "solid goalie right now" is pretty much what Osgood used to describe the situation to NHL.com. He understands that he has to play like he did in the play-offs last year for this team to finish well.

In a more positive turn of events, Osgood is beginning to expect more of himself. We're starting to see his competitive fire flare up again. If there's any time Osgood performs well, it's in a high pressure situation.

Like the rest of us, Osgood understands that he has to play well. He doesn't have a choice. I can't back this up, but I think that Ozzie would agree with us when we complain about the Wings' goaltending. He expects better of himself, and we expect better of him.

Especially with as many injuries as we've had to face this season. Can we really win without solid goaltending?

So, can Osgood bring his play-off game into the regular season? I don't know, but I can tell you that Osgood expects more out of himself. Whether or not that will end up meaning anything, we have yet to find out, but we had better hope so.

See Osgood at his best from last year's playoffs.

Originally Posted at Tips for Hockey

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Detroit Tigers Make Smart Move, Sign Everett: Why It Makes Sense

Dave Hampton — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 20:00:10 -0500

Shortstop Adam Everett was signed Monday to a one-year contract for the 2010 season by the Detroit Tigers, who were able to cross an item off their shopping list.

The signing of Everett does not come as much of a surprise for a franchise that is short of cash but flush with needs. The financial reality of the Tigers does not allow them much leeway in offseason spending.

The free agent market was thin on talent at shortstop to begin with. Alex Gonzalez signed with Toronto and Marco Scutaro signed with Boston, leaving behind some guys who are probably destined to be utility players in the very near future, except for the likes of Miguel Tejada.

Everett is a cheap one-year stop-gap for the 2010 season. Undoubtedly, Everett's contract cannot be for much more than $1.2 million.

Doubtless, many of the Detroit faithful are groaning over the idea of another year of a shortstop who can barely hit his weight, and is more often a hole in the lineup.

Despite that, signing Everett makes the most sense for many reasons.

Of course, foremost among those reasons is money. The Tigers still have needs this offseason, and the front office is going to have to get creative on how to fill some of them.

The second reason is talent. As I said the shortstop market it fairly deprived of it. Most of the players in this market fit the same bill as Everett, namely good glove, no bat. If that is the case, why not keep the guy you had last year?

The third reason this signing makes so much sense is defense. Everett might not hit, but he is one of the best glove-men around. This is exactly the guy the pitching staff needs behind them to suck up ground balls and make outs.

The defense is where Everett edged out Bobby Crosby, (formerly of Oakland) who was another player on the Detroit radar. Crosby has not developed into a good hitter since breaking into the league in 2004. In fact, his career numbers are very comparable to Everett's. That being the case, why not go for the superior defender?

Besides, there is more at stake for the infield defense this upcoming season than just shortstop. Across the other side of second base will be a fresh face in Detroit, straight from the green pastures of the farm in Toledo.

I'm quite certain Scott Sizemore, the heir apparent to second base, will have a new best friend in the smooth fielding Everett. I am anxious to see what Everett can do for him in the fielding department.

In the end, keeping Everett for another year stabilizes the middle infield, and perhaps decreases the brunt of the blow felt by the departure of Placido Polanco.

At the end of the day, I have to say that the front office picked the right guy.

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Michigan State-Texas Tech Alamo Bowl Preview: Can Spartans Upset Red Raiders?

Nick Mordowanec — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:58:47 -0500

As all the NCAA’s bowl matchups have been announced, there were certain bowls and teams many fans searched for immediately.

You have your usual suspects like Florida and Texas, along with underrated programs like TCU and Boise State.

BCS bowls are of the utmost performance, but the smaller, “lesser” bowls still mean a heck of a lot to other schools’ fans.

One such bowl is the Alamo Bowl, being played this season on Jan. 2. This year’s game will pit the Michigan State Spartans against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Although the teams are not as evenly matched on paper as some would like to believe, other elements will have an impact on the outcome of the game.

The elements I am speaking of do include the weather conditions. I’m talking specifically about outside circumstances that occurred far away from the football field—several Michigan State suspensions, to be more precise.

As I have written about, the Spartans are currently in the midst of a big PR incident. With eight players suspended from the team, including some starters, the Spartans will be heavily undermanned against an explosive Texas Tech team—not to mention the psyche of the team will be put into question for the next three weeks.

Texas Tech (8-4, 5-3) had a good season in a rather tough conference, especially considering that Tech had to play a Texas team that is now set to play for a national championship.

While the team does not have studs like Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree playing pitch-and-catch anymore, they can still put up points in bunches. Quarterback Taylor Potts is just another player in a line of Texas Tech quarterbacks who can hurl the pigskin down the field.

Looking at Michigan State (6-6, 4-4), the Spartans will have to play nearly perfect on both sides of the ball to snatch victory.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins had a very solid season in his first year under center, filling in admirably for former starter Brian Hoyer. Receiver Blair White was among the best in the entire Big Ten, scoring eight touchdowns and making big plays at crucial times.

However, the running game has been less than stellar. It is hard to blame Larry Caper and Edwin Baker for lack of production, as both players are freshmen. If the Red Raiders focus on Cousins and the passing game, it could spell trouble for Michigan State.

Then there are the defenses.

Texas Tech is nationally known for its offense, but its defensive unit isn’t chopped liver either. The defense can make plays when need be.

Michigan State, on the other hand, has had many trials and tribulations. The defense gave up points in bunches, had trouble stopping the pass, and allowed 29 touchdown passes. Losing their best corner—Chris L. Rucker—will not help out a reeling defense either. If the Spartans get down by a couple scores, it could be long day for the boys in green and white.

Aside from Michigan State’s legal complications, there is one other little side note about the game: It’s played in Texas! The Red Raiders have an extreme home-field advantage in the first-ever meeting between these two programs. While Spartans from near and far will make the trip to San Antonio, fans will mostly be donned in red and black.

With plenty of time remaining between now and the game, the pressure is definitely on Michigan State to devise a game plan sufficient to contain the pass and put some big points on the board.

Odds makers will be heavily favoring Texas Tech, but sometimes bowl games are about more than just statistics on a piece of paper.

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A Starter is Born: Red Wings' Goalie Jimmy Howard is Winning the Net

Matt Hutter — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:06:32 -0500

There are a few truly unique positions in professional sports.

These are positions that carry with them equal amounts of unbridled glory and merciless scrutiny.

Win, and you're the city's messiah.

Lose, and you're derided as the anti-Christ.

Namely, these positions include the manager of the New York Yankees, the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, and the goalie for the Detroit Red Wings.

Ask Chris Osgood about this.

After becoming the franchise playoff wins leader, backstopping two Stanley Cup championships, and now sitting five wins away from 400, he's still considered by many Red Wing fans to be the worst goalie to ever win a championship.

Well, that is, until he does, then he's just fine.

Strange.

However, for the uninitiated, Detroit is an equal-opportunity goalie basher.

Along with Osgood, Mike Vernon, Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph, and Manny Legace have all, at some point, been the bane of a fan's existence.

Oh, and let's not forget Tim Cheveldae, who opted for a much less stressful job as a firefighter upon his retirement.

Such perils accompany the position itself, not necessarily the man who occupies it.

The residents change, but the neighborhood remains as it always has been—rough.

To this point in the season, it appears as if rookie Jimmy Howard is earning the opportunity to be awarded the dubious honor of being the starting goalie for the Detroit Red Wings.

If this turns out to be the case, Jimmy Howard will be the first Detroit draft pick to become their starting goalie since 1993-94 when one Chris Osgood first assumed regular starting duties.

Howard's numbers through 15 games played are decent, but not great, 8-5-1 with a .910 save percentage and a 2.55 GAA.

But numbers can only tell part of the story.

Howard has turned in some stellar performances this season, most recently a shootout win against St. Louis and a win Sunday over his hometown New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

In both of these instances (as well as a few others), Howard has kept his team in the game, despite the sloppy play in front of him.

Both of these games were come from behind wins.

In the St. Louis game, Howard played well enough to get his team into overtime where he made several key saves, including a point-blank try by Paul Kariya.

Once in the shootout, Howard allowed only one goal in four tries, setting the stage for Todd Bertuzzi's winner in the fourth round.

Sunday's win was certainly a team effort, but Howard played spectacularly, allowing only one goal (and that on a quick deflection) and almost single-handedly killing off the second of three Rangers' power-plays.

Oh, he also stopped a penalty shot.

Ranger's forward Ryan Callahan was hooked on a break-away by Detroit defenseman Jonathan Ericsson and awarded a penalty shot.

Callahan executed a beautiful fake and then deked to his right, only to have his attempt thwarted at the goal-line by Howard's left pad.

Taken at face value, solid as they were, these are just two wins by a rookie goaltender.

However, Jimmy Howard's performance as a whole this season reveals a player that is confident, cool under pressure, and aggressively competing on a nightly basis.

Have there been some bad goals?

Absolutely.

Howard has looked every bit the shaky rookie and has let in some real stinkers here and there.

But, such is the case with any goaltender in the league.

The trick to winning in that position is making sure that the bad goals don't outnumber the great stops.

Howard has done a good job of pulling this off so far.

Regardless of his play, Chris Osgood is 37 and staring down the barrel of retirement.

Few goalies not named Roy, Brodeur, or Hasek can realistically expect to be a No. 1 net-minder past 35.

Facing serious cap issues and limited options via the trade route, the time could not be better for Detroit to once again see a homegrown talent become a permanent resident between the pipes.

Howard should be aware, however, that it's a mighty rough neighborhood he's moving to.

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Red Wings Hope Youth Can Provide a Spark

Jim Balint — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:27:43 -0500

With the rash of departures and injuries piling up, the Red Wings need their “kids” to step in and play bigger roles on the team.

The team is hovering around the .500 mark, and inconsistent play is starting to frustrate the fanbase.

Because the team’s depth isn’t what it was last season, it is finally starting to embrace a youth movement and the growing pains inherent to developing that talent at an NHL level.

Today, I’ll take a look at the forwards the Wings have brought up from the minors to fill the voids left by free agency and injury.

Justin Abdelkader was called up last season for the playoff run. Replacing Tomas Kopecky in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals, he picked up his first NHL point, an assist on Johan Franzen’s goal. In the Stanley Cup Finals, he scored two goals in consecutive games, becoming the first rookie to do so since Dino Ciccarelli in 1981.

Abdelkader’s drive and physical play are what drew the attention of coach Mike Babcock. Babcock inserted him in the playoff lineup “because he’ll run over people. We expect him to play hard like Darren Helm. He’s on the forecheck and he’s a physical guy.”

Abdelkader gives the Wings power forward-like play, something that has been missing since Brendan Shanahan left.

His three goals and two assists aren’t completely indicative of his play this season. The Wings as a whole are struggling to put pucks in the net, and a lot of Abdelkader’s game involves doing the little things that don’t show up on a score sheet. He forechecks relentlessly and is willing to grind along the boards and fight for loose pucks.

The Wings have always taken pride in the ability to roll four quality lines and wear an opponent down. Abdelkader makes the most of his ice time, and even if he isn’t generating scoring chances, he is wearing down the opposition’s players. He won’t lead the team in scoring or minutes played by season’s end, but he will be integral to the Wings' success.

Darren Helm was also a playoff revelation. He was first brought up as a playoff addition in the 2007-08 run that saw him score two goals and add two assists en route to a Stanley Cup win.

The following season, he was sent back down to Grand Rapids. However, the Wings thought enough of his previous performance to give him another shot in last year's playoff appearance. Helm netted four goals last postseason, including a series-clinching goal against Chicago to send the Wings to the Finals.

This year is Helm’s first extended stay in the big leagues. The challenge will be to try to replicate his production from the playoffs and maintain that throughout a full NHL season. While he has been giving a sustained effort, spending lots of time on the forecheck and penalty kill, the points just haven’t been there. The goals should come though.

With opponents’ top defensemen having to watch Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, Helm’s speed can put tremendous pressure on the other defensemen, causing turnovers and creating havoc. He’s one that Detroit needs to step up and assume a bigger role in the scoring department if the team is to make any progress toward the playoffs.

Expectations have been high for Ville Leino since his signing. His last season in the Finnish Elite League he won MVP honors, scoring 77 points in 55 games. In his first NHL game, he scored a highlight reel goal against Washington.

This past July, he signed a one-way contract extension, ensuring his chance to showcase his talent at the highest level. Early on, he has shown ability on par with Datsyuk and Zetterberg. He needs to get acclimated to the NHL game and become more comfortable and consistent with his play.

Five points in 25 games isn’t terrible for a rookie, but the Wings had higher expectations for Leino. He’ll live up to them; the team just needs to be patient.

Michigan State’s own Drew Miller will have his work cut out for him. He was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning in early November, as the team needed someone to fill in for the injured Valtteri Filppula.

Working primarily on the third and fourth lines, he has made an impact. He scored a gritty goal against Nashville, picking the puck up from the half-boards and driving it to the net, beating goalie Pekka Rinne low on the short side. It provided the team with a much-needed spark but proved to be Detroit’s only goal as they lost 3-1.

He will have to step his game up if he hopes to continue playing with the team. Filppula will return from the IR later this month, and Miller is the likely candidate to be sent back down to Grand Rapids.

All in all, the team’s young forwards have played well, but they will need a much better effort to get back into playoff contention. With Jason Williams expected to be out until January and Johan Franzen out until at least mid-February, they have a lot of time to assume larger roles on the team and prove they can play at an elite NHL level.

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Matthew Stafford: He's Proven His Toughness, Now Get Him Out of There!

Greg Eno — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 10:46:35 -0500

OK, I get it—this kid, Matthew Stafford, is tough. So I wish the Lions would quit forcing him to prove it every week.

Actually, it’s the Lions’ offensive line—feel free to put the accent on the second syllable—that’s putting QB Stafford in peril every Sunday. Just as I feared, way back in training camp.

Stafford winced and grimaced and grunted and groaned his way through another football game yesterday, picking himself off the turf in Cincinnati slower than molasses running uphill at times.

It’s his non-throwing shoulder that is a mess, with the emphasis being on “non-throwing.” In football, if what’s hurting you isn’t threatening your life—or keeping you from throwing the ball— you’re expected to be out there.

But Stafford has proven himself. Now it’s time to think about getting him out of there before he gets waylaid and we see his helmet rolling away—not empty.

Stafford was 11-for-26 with a touchdown and two interceptions in the Lions’ 23-13 loss to the Bengals. That’s two awful games in a row following his storybook win over the Browns. Two awful games since his left shoulder got jackhammered into the faux turf at Ford Field against Cleveland.

Stafford is playing behind a line made of balsa wood. He has a pocket as claustrophobic as a phone booth. Unlike the other team’s quarterback, who, with the Lions’ pass rush, has time to not only read defenses but War and Peace , Stafford must make decisions in the blink of an eye, if not sooner.

That might be a cause for the low completion percentages. And for needing an ambulance on the sidelines, the engine running.

But not only is Stafford a work in progress, so is the entire team. The kid QB’s maturation is whipped into the Lions’ makeup like cake batter. You can’t separate it from the other ingredients, no matter how distasteful they may be.

Should Stafford be out there now, working with one good shoulder? How much longer before he’s operating on one good leg? No good heads?

We’ve seen how tough he is. I’m convinced. The Lions are 2-10. They’re going nowhere. But they’ll be going worse than nowhere without the franchise quarterback on board. Is it mathematically or physically possible to go nowhere to the minus nth degree?

I’m afraid we’re going to find out, the longer an injured Stafford plays behind this house of cards of an offensive line.

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Detroit Lions: Commitment To Winning Starts at the Top

Seattle Lion Fan — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:52:46 -0500

Take a good look at the photograph of Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford Sr.

He is the main reason why the Lions haven't won a championship since 1957.

So here are the Lions in familiar territory once again. With a month left in the season and no hope of getting into the playoffs, Lions fans once again can only look to the draft and hope the management team William Clay Ford Sr. has in place will draft wisely and smartly.

There are so many areas the Lions need to address and have needed to address that it's almost laughable...almost.

I agree that the defense needs to be addressed...and I wouldn't want that area to be ignored. However, I do feel strongly the offensive line, an area that has been weak for at least a decade, is the top priority.

However, I don't want to get into that discussion in this article. There have already been several articles and some great debates among the great football minds in this forum as to what the Lions need to do.

And I am fairly certain this year's draft will be the focus of many articles from now until April.

Nope, I want to talk about just how serious William Clay Ford Sr. is about actually putting a winning team together.

Can anyone imagine him coming into the Lions locker room after a great win? Can anyone see him breaking down like Tennessee's owner Bud Adams did after the Titans last-second win over the Arizona Cardinals?

There are many conspiracy theories out there that Ford never really did want the Lions to ever win.

That he is using the Lions as a tax haven and only as a way to line his pockets instead of being committed to the City of Detroit to build a winning team. Heck, I'm pretty sure that I started some of those rumors myself!

There are also rumors floating out there the Lions will be sold and moved to Los Angeles. I find this highly improbable, as William Clay Ford could have sold this team at any time over the last decade and he chose not to.

As much as many Detroit Lions fans would love to see William Clay Ford out of the picture, I'm sure they wouldn't want it to be at the cost of losing an NFL franchise.

There would be no guarantee the NFL would bring another team to Detroit anytime soon. The NFL is already over-saturated with 32 teams.

Detroit is the 11th-ranked television market and I don't think the NFL wants to have a three-team division for any period of time.

General Manager Martin Mayhew has shown some promise in so much as the number of draft picks the Lions gained last year. Despite the current 2-10 record, many fans are relatively optimistic in regard to the future.

Matthew Stafford has proven that he is one tough hombre, has a very good arm as well as leadership skills. Once he matures, cuts down on his interception rate and takes care of the football, he has the potential to be an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Brandon Pettigrew, the surprise pick in last year's draft, shows a lot of promise. It appeared, before his season-ending injury, that he was really starting to understand the NFL game. He can be as big a threat as Vernon Davis, Dallas Clark, or Chris Cooley.

Louis Delmas has brought an aura of toughness in the secondary that has been missing since the days of Bennie Blades.

The upcoming 2010 draft will be the most important of Mayhew's brief career. Last year, there was no way to go but up.

This year, they still have many needs to address. How he and Jim Schwartz strategize will be key to a successful draft.

Schwartz has stuck with his plan. I know he has to be frustrated with the team's results and he, along with the rest of us, are sick of "moral" victories and signs of improvement.

He's got the Lions playing tough and he's got the Lions playing hard. But bonehead mistakes on the field have got to be driving him nuts.

The season is starting to wear on Schwartz. His comment last night when questioned if he saw progress shows that.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz, on whether he saw progress: "No. We lost. Progress is winning games. It's not doing anything else. We need to win. We need to win on the road. It's been way too long since we've won the road. We need to find a way to get that done."

Some feel the only way the Lions will ever get to the Super Bowl is without William Clay Ford Sr. at the helm. I tend to agree with that assessment. However, since there is no way, other than by illegal means, to remove him from office, we are stuck with him.

We can only keep pounding away in the media, in forums and on sports talk radio to implore him to commit, really commit to bringing home a Vince Lombardi trophy.

It has been a long battle and the war isn't over yet. I plan on sticking around as long as I can to see the Lions win a Super Bowl.

How about you?

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Would Juan Pierre Be a Fit with the Detroit Tigers?

Blake VandeBunte — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:55:14 -0500

Full disclosure: I have always loved Juan Pierre. I always traded for him on video games. I always try to get him in fantasy leagues.

There is a small rumor out there that the Dodgers are shopping Pierre and his awful contract (two years/ $18M). They are said to be willing to accept a bad contract starter in return.

Well, guess what team is just full of bad contract starting pitchers? That’s right—the Detroit Tigers.

Would you be happy taking on Pierre and parting with Dontrelle Willis, Nate Robertson, or Jeremy Bonderman?

Pierre is a terrific speed guy and plays a pretty good left field. With Marcus Thames now gone and Curtis Granderson looking more like a middle-bottom of the order type of guy, Pierre could really fit in in Detroit.

The bummers about Pierre:

* Not much pop in that bat. He has 13 career home runs in 5,533 at-bats.

* 2009 was his best season in five years. He had a .374 OBP in 2004, and his numbers since then have been in the .326-.331 range up until 2009. If the .326 Juan Pierre came to Detroit, that would be bad news.

* He steals a lot, but he’s also caught a lot. Pierre has led the NL in times being caught five times.

That being said, I’d be happy to have Pierre in Detroit.

The other bummer here is that the starters mentioned going to the Dodgers are all in the last year of their deals, and it sure would be nice to get all of that money off the books for good.

Would Juan Pierre be a good fit for the Tigers?

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Michigan Struggles to Find Its Rhythm; Is It Time to Panic Yet?

Justin Potts — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 01:52:16 -0500

After two straight losses in the Old Spice Classic and a four-point loss to Boston College in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, is it time for Michigan fans to recalibrate their expectations for this season?

Michigan entered the season ranked 15th in the nation, fresh off its first trip to the NCAA tournament in 10 years, and looking to make a run at the Big Ten title.

Seven games later, Michigan is out of the Top 25 and needed a good second half on Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to move its record back above .500.

Is it too early to write off the season? Absolutely not. John Beilein is a great coach who can turn things around.

But, although these early-season struggles raise some concerns, they aren’t as surprising as they seem.

This is still a very young team. Yes, it’s led by senior DeShawn Sims and junior Manny Harris, but 75 percent of the team is underclassmen.

Aside from Sims and Harris, only redshirt senior Zack Gibson and redshirt junior Anthony Wright have more than a year of playing experience, and the two combine for just 20 minutes of playing time per game.

So it should come as no surprise that the team’s main problem is its shooting so far this season. Michigan seems to be struggling with its confidence.

Through seven games, Michigan is shooting just 29 percent from three-point range, though even that number is inflated from the first three games against weak competition.

Against Northern Michigan, Houston Baptist, and Creighton, Michigan shot 36.2 percent from long range.

In the three subsequent losses, Michigan shot just 21.8 percent from downtown, including a miserable 3-for-20 outing against Marquette and 9-for-34 against Boston College.

Talk about living and dying by the three.

No one has looked comfortable shooting the ball the past four games (including Saturday’s 67-53 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff).

Michigan’s best three-point shooter so far this season (percentage-wise) is true freshman Matt Vogrich, though he is just 6-for-11.

Sharp-shooting sophomores Zach Novak and Stu Douglass are just 31 and 22.6 percent, respectively, while Harris has made just 7-of-33 attempts from long range.

For a team that relies heavily on guard play and three-point shooting, that’s certainly not a recipe for success.

But that’s also why I’m hopeful that the season is not lost. Surely the team will gain its confidence and the shooting will improve.

Douglass, Novak and Harris each shot about 34 percent last season from three-point range and will eventually find their shot this year. And when that happens, Michigan will be a dangerous team capable of beating anybody.

So far, Harris has been every bit of the pre-season co-Big Ten player of the year, averaging 21.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, despite his poor shooting.

He had just the second triple-double in school history in Michigan’s season-opening win over Northern Michigan, and was a rebound away from another against Creighton.

Sims has also played well, averaging 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and had his best game of the season on Saturday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

He scored 15 points in the first half on his way to a 19-point, 10-rebound performance.

The surrounding cast hasn’t given Harris and Sims much help and Michigan needs a third scoring threat to emerge in order to live up to the preseason expectations.

It makes me wonder if the losses of guards David Merritt and C.J. Lee to graduation really did affect this team more than I thought it would.

Merritt and Lee averaged just 4.7 points per game combined, but they were the leaders. They played tough defense, dove for loose balls, and held the team together.

Early this season, Michigan has lacked those qualities. Novak vowed to fill that role, but hasn’t been a consistent scoring option so far.

True freshman Darius Morris took over the point guard duties, but has just as many turnovers as assists and doesn’t look to shoot enough.

Douglass is a defensive liability when he’s on the court, which is acceptable when he’s hitting threes, but he hasn’t found his shot yet this year.

As the season progresses, Michigan will grow to fill that void, but it’s running out of time.

With non-conference games at Utah and Kansas remaining, as well as a January match-up with Connecticut, Michigan probably has to win two of those three to have a shot at postseason play.

Utah certainly looks beatable, having losses to Idaho, Seattle, and Weber State on its resume, but it did beat Illinois, and the game is in Salt Lake, so it’s not a given.

Michigan ended its three-game losing streak by beating Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday and seemed to find its rhythm in the second half.

If it can carry over that confidence into Wednesday’s game at Utah, Michigan will be on track to enter the Big Ten schedule.

It’s not time to panic yet, but Utah could be the game that makes or breaks the season. A loss will probably mean Michigan needs to beat Kansas and UConn or fare far better in the Big Ten than expected.

I expect the shooting will turn around, but it better do so on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.

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Sending the Right Message: Michigan State Should Play in a Bowl Game

Nick Mordowanec — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:31:16 -0500

In light of the transgressions committed by more than a handful of Michigan State football players, the program has instantly gone awry and the future is completely indefinite.

The situation is so drastic not only because these players represent the university, but some of them—Mark Dell, Chris L. Rucker, B.J. Cunningham—have been consistent starters. Then there’s the whole wait-and-see period taking place right now as more players involved in the incident are still attempting to be identified by local police.

Has the situation been a black mark on the program and the university? Yes, of course it has. However, I still believe the team should accept and play in the bowl game for which they are eligible.

It’s not about increasing coach Mark Dantonio’s bowl streak as the Spartans’ head coach, nor is it about making money for the university. It’s about the players.

More specifically, it’s about the good guys.

It’s about the players who kept their cool and were smart enough not to get involved in a situation that will lead to precarious results and legal action. These players deserve the opportunity to play in a bowl game because they focused on football rather than instigating pointless disputes.

Think about hard workers like Blair White or Kirk Cousins. These players were as quiet off the field as they were loud on it. They went to practice, followed team rules, and played for their teammates.

The players involved in the on-campus incident apparently only thought of themselves.

Listen, I don’t condone players acting like egotistical knuckleheads on or off the field, and it’s even worse when players take advantage of the gifts that were given to them. It’s an area of college football that has grown to become as prevalent as that in the NFL.

Some players have no boundaries.

But at the same time, some players do. These are the players who don’t take things for granted and realize it was a long journey to reach the point of playing Division-I football in the NCAA.

They endured the blowout wins and the painful losses, so why should they be subjugated to the indiscretions committed by their teammates?

Players play together, learn together, and support each other. How does reprimanding players who follow rules send a good message?

I understand the NCAA is full of politicking and looking out for the sake of its product, but most of these Michigan State players don’t deserve to be sitting at home when they could take part in a bowl game.

Each bowl game is an once-in-a-lifetime experience, and going to bowl games may not be something players experience every season.

The NCAA needs to come out and stand up for the players who play for the good of the game, and going in the other direction would only prove that bad deeds have more of an impact in the grand scheme of things.

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Is Firing Mike Babcock an Option for the Detroit Red Wings?

Matt Hutter — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 11:34:12 -0500

I can think of few jobs in the world that are truly, undeniably, unequivocally safe.

At even the highest levels of power, one's position is seldom immune from removal or termination.

World history and the recent economic crisis has show us that, be you a king or a CEO of a Fortune 500 company, if you screw up bad enough, you may literally or figuratively lose your head.

Coaching changes in the NHL have become anything but rare.

In fact, they've become a popular last ditch panacea for curing the ills of a team.

Over the past 10 years, no team has been more successful than the Detroit Red Wings and no coach more capable of taking his team to a championship than Mike Babcock.

As we begin to close the book on that decade, it looks as if these twin stories of unbridled excellence may too, be coming to an end.

The Red Wings have not missed the playoffs in 18 years.

If they continue at their current pace, they'll finish somewhere between ninth and 12th in the West.

Since coming to Detroit, Mike Babcock has never finished with less than 50 wins.

This season, cracking the 40 win mark is far from certain.

Look, firing a coach in-season hasn't been done in Detroit in decades.

This just isn't how this organization operates.

However, consistently losing isn't something this team is accustomed to either.

Many teams fire their coach for the wrong reasons. Were they able, they'd rather fire the team and start over. But since this isn't an option, axing the bench boss is at least an attempt at change.

For example, last year, Tampa Bay fired head coach Barry Melrose (a curious choice to begin with) after just 15 games.

The thinking there was that he just wasn't getting through to the team and, by bringing in new coach Rick Tocchet, they'd turn their season around and make a run in the playoffs.

They didn't.

Tampa Bay's problems may have been somewhat compounded by a coach 16 years removed from his last coaching gig. But, bad goal-tending, inconsistent offense and the loss of players like Dan Boyle is what doomed their season, not Barry Melrose.

On the other hand, the Pittsburgh Penguins fired head coach Michel Therrien last year after an abysmal start that saw them go from Stanley Cup finalists to 10th place bust-out in a matter of months.

They replaced him with rookie head coach Dan Bylsma and the team never looked back, making it all the way back to the Stanley Cup finals before winning in seven games against the Red Wings.

Clearly, there are times when changing your head coach is just what the team needs.

It's hard to know if this applies at all in Detroit.

Mike Babcock's record speaks for itself. However, he's hardly known as a "player's coach."

Much like former Detroit coach Scotty Bowman, Babcock makes no apologies for the way he runs his team.

Babcock will do whatever he sees fit in order to win, be it benching talent, scratching veterans, or publicly criticizing his players.

Former Red Wings such as Robert Lang, Mark Mowers, and even Brendan Shanahan have expressed their, shall we say, "lack of appreciation" for Babcock's style.

Even Steve Yzerman, who ended his playing career under Babcock's watch, has acknowledged that Babcock isn't exactly endearing as a coach.

Yet, his success is undeniable. Until now.

True, Detroit's multitude of injuries cannot be ignored when considering their record.

Missing five regulars for extended periods of time and several others for short stints makes winning games consistently a tough task.

But, watching the games Detroit has played and lost, one could hardly say they played their best, but just couldn't overcome their lack of talent.

Detroit isn't losing games because Johan Franzen or Valtteri Filppula aren't on the ice.

They're losing games because they come out flat, continue unfocused and finish uninspired.

This is a trend that is often attributed to a lack of effectiveness behind the bench. Could it be that Babcock's style has simply worn too thin to be effective?

Understand, I am not advocating for Babcock's removal and don't think he's the problem in Detroit.

However, Detroit is well into uncharted territory this season, closing in on Christmas with a playoff position not only uncertain, but unlikely.

Firing their head coach mid-season would be extremely out of character for the Red Wings organization.

Then again, so is losing.

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Team 77: The 1905 Tigers

Blake VandeBunte — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:58:09 -0500

Year: 1905

Record: 79-74

Win %: .516

Win % Change: 108

Run Differential: -90

Pythagorean Record: 65-88

AL Finish: 3rd of 8

Manager: Bill Armour

Best Transaction

Purchased Ty Cobb. Do I really need to explain this one? Cobb was signed at a teenager by the Tigers in August and would go on to become, without debate, one of the ten greatest players of all-time.

Worst Transaction

Nig Clarke on loan. This one isn’t really a bad transaction, it’s just kind of funny. The Tigers received Clarke on August 1st from Cleveland and the transaction is listed as a “loan”.

Later, on the 11th of August, Clarke was simply returned to Cleveland. Can you imagine that today? “Uh, yeah, Gerald Laird is out for ten days and we don’t have a back up catcher. You’ve got an extra catcher, would you please just let us borrow Brad Ausmus for a week or so and we’ll return him as good as new?” This would never happen. Gotta love early 20th century baseball.

Upper

Ty Cobb comes to Detroit. Cobb blew through lower professional baseball in the South, but loved the South. His move to the North was not easy, but even in the early 1900s there were big-time prospects and Cobb certainly qualified.

His arrival in Detroit was a big deal and it only took a few months for them to get a serious return on their investment. Even if that investment was a bit crazy. Cobb got into only 41 games in 1905 and hit just .240, it would be the only time he hit below .300 in a season.

Downer

This was just a bad team that was disguised by a decent record.

They did exceptionally well in close games but were pounded for the bulk of the season. The offense sputtered aside from the legendary Sam Crawford. T

he pitching staff was roughly league average and maybe a bit below. They were led by George Mullin, Ed Killian and Wild Bill Donovan. However, they finished in the middle of the pack in ERA and no team in the American League walked more batters.

The Tigers offense ranked second to last in the AL in runs and home runs and ranked last in stolen bases. Cobb would eventually solve most of those issues.

Summary

This was a very unique season. While they finished above .500, they had the run differential of a team 20 games below that break-even mark. The Tigers were 32-16 in one-run games which is almost impossible to pull off and speaks to clutch performances and luck (my votes goes to luck).

In addition to a great season from Crawford, the Tigers got a decent performance from his outfield mate, Marty McIntyre. Aside from those two players, the offense really struggled in 1905. The Tigers would turn things around quickly with Cobb and Crawford and would eventually make three consecutive World Series later in the decade.

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Looking Ahead to the NFL 2010

Joseph Underhill — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:32:20 -0500

Draft class 2010, Top four picks

Admit I’m a draft junkie. I truly enjoy the challenge of trying to evaluate college kids coming into the pros. As the college season comes to a close, there is a great opportunity to evaluate players who will be attempting to go pro, play in some big games, against quality opponents.

Pro football is also entering its home stretch and the hopes and dreams of fans whose team as struggled this year often rest with the NFL draft. As a diehard Lions fan, I look at April as a chance to hopefully, maybe, get out of the NFL basement.

It’s pretty clear who the bottom four teams in the NFL will be at this point: St. Louis, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Detroit. At this point there are five teams who have 3 wins, so positions 5-9 is up in the air. In this article I want to look at the bottom four teams and look at how the top of the draft may look. (I realize trades are possible, but I am going to assume the team is unable to trade the pick).

St. Louis:

St. Louis has holes everywhere, as would be expected from a team that has only one win (against the Lions). When healthy the Rams have a pro bowl quarter back (Bulger) RB (Jackson), and FS (Atogwe). The Rams also, have a young offensive line, which will improve with time. I think with the Rams selecting in the top three they will most likely target one of the talented QB’s who will be coming out this year. If the Rams have the No. 1 pick they have three options.

Option one: Select a quarterback. Jake Locker, Sam Bradford, and Jimmy Clausen are all possibilities. I think Bradford would be the pick. Regardless of which quarterback the Rams choose, they would have the luxury of bringing them along slowly behind Bulger (assuming Bulger is healthy).

Option two: Select one of the two dominant DT’s: Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh. Either DT would bring an immediate impact and be a great selection. Both McCoy and Suh routinely beat double teams, and make plays in both the passing game and the run game.

Option three: Defensive backfield. Eric Berry has been compared to Ed Reed, and currently sits atop Todd McShay’s big board. He’s a very solid against both the run and the pass and will be a pro bowl caliber player. The other choice is DB Joe Haden. Haden is eligible to return to FL for one more year, but I think he will declare for the draft.

Summary: St. Louis has many holes on their roster; however they do have pieces to build around. I think St. Louis would love to get a playmaker at WR but there isn’t a player at that position worthy of being a top 3 pick. I think in the end the Rams decide to draft a QB to replace the oft injured Bulger.

Cleveland:

Cleveland has struggled mightily this year. They absolutely must resolve the issue at quarterback between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. Both QB’s have had years to forget, and the Browns have invested heavily in both. The Browns have needs at WR, OL, DL, LB’s, and DB. Three options the Browns will consider at the top of the draft.

The Browns would most likely love to trade this pick to get more draft picks. Cleveland is ranked at the bottom of all major offensive categories. Unfortunately for the Browns, outside of quarterback, there aren’t offensive players really worthy of being a top 3 pick.

Option one: Select a QB. If the Browns decide neither Quinn nor Anderson is the long term answer at QB they will most likely draft one of top three young QB’s coming out this year. Because Quinn or Anderson will be on the team in 2010, the Browns could target a QB who needs some seasoning. If I were the Browns, I would target Jimmy Clausen* or Sam Bradford. Bradford or Clausen would be able to challenge immediately for playing time.

Option two: Eric Berry or Joe Haden*. The Browns secondary could use a complete overall and either Berry or Haden would be a great start in that direction.

Option three: DE Derrick Morgan or Carlos Dunlap. Dunlap has big game experience and is a big time pass rusher. Morgan also, has tremendous upside, and could provide a legitimate threat alongside NT Shaun Rogers.

Option four: The Browns could “reach” for a skill player like Dez Bryant or CJ Spiller, but I think that is unlikely.

Summary: The Browns offense is horrible. Contrary to my opinion I think they will go after an offensive playmaker, a QB, WR, or RB.

Tampa Bay: This has been a season Tampa fans would love to forget. There is good news for Bucs fans, Bryant (WR) and Williams (RB) will be back next year and Freeman will have a year under his belt. The defense in Tampa is also a plus for the future. I think the Bucs will focus on strengthening their offensive and defensive lines early in the draft this year.

Option one: I think there is a good chance the Bucs will take OT Russell Okung. Josh Freeman is the QB of the present and future in Tampa and they need to protect him. Okung is rated as the top offensive lineman in the draft and would most likely be able to start from day one and anchor the O-line for years to come.

Option two: They draft a stud defensive lineman. They could go with McCoy, Suh, Dunlap or Morgan and have the position locked down for 10 years. Tampa’s best years were built around a tough defense, so I think it would make sense to draft a player like Suh who will command double teams and create havoc along the line in a similar fashion to Warren Sapp.

Option three: Safety Eric Berry. Barry has been compared favorably to Ed Reed, and for a team known for defense, that will be hard to pass up.

Summary: I think it makes the most sense for Tampa to draft an OT with their first pick. They need to protect Freeman and give him the time to develop. There is always a possibility they will draft on the defensive side of the ball, with a player like Suh, McCoy or Berry.

Detroit:

The only positions Detroit doesn’t need to drastic improvement is QB (first round pick Matt Stafford), TE (first round pick Brandon Pettigrew), FS (second round pick Louis Delmas) and the line backing core. Every other position in Detroit needs improvement. One area the Lions will look to improve in the draft is their pass rush which ranks last in the league. If the season ended today Detroit would be picking 4^th I’m sure the Lions would love to trade down, but I doubt they will have that option.

Option one: Draft McCoy or Suh. I highly doubt both McCoy and Suh will drop out of the top 3, so Detroit most likely won’t be picking between them. The Lions would love to inject some talent and youth at the DT position, so drafting either of these players make sense.

Option two: Berry or Haden. The Lions could use a hard hitting strong safety which Barry brings, but the Lions could also use a shut down corner which Haden brings. The Lions secondary is by far the worst in the league, so drafting either of these players would help to bring some respectability to the position.

Option three: Okung. Okung is the top offensive lineman in the draft and the Lions offensive line has been in shambles all season. The Lions really need help at the guard positions, and drafting Okung can help there as Jeff Backus (current LT) could be shifted inside to guard. Okung should be able to start immediately and improve the pass protection and running game.

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High School All-American Games: Which Future Wolverines Are Playing?

Timothy Saunders — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 14:26:40 -0500

The season may be over for the current Michigan Wolverines, but that doesn't mean that Wolverines fans can't still enjoy watching their team play... well part of their 2010 team anyway. Once again Michigan has a very talented class of recruits coming in, and some of them will be playing in High School All-American Games.

U.S. Army All-American Bowl: Arguably the most-watched of the two major All-American Games, the U.S. Army All-American Game has seen such Wolverines as; William Campbell, Boubacar Cissoko, Sam McGuffie, Donovan Warren, Stevie Brown, Brandon Graham, Zoltan Mesko, Adrian Arrington, Chad Henne, Shawn Crable, Leon Hall, Jason Avant, Marlin Jackson, Pierre Woods, and many more.

Future Wolverines in the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl

CB- Cullen Christian
K - Will Hagerup

Under Armour H.S. All-American Game: The Under Armour All American Game is only a few years old but is growing fast in popularity and in the number of good recruits it's featured. Last years game featured four current Wolverines: Taylor Lewan, Quinton Washington, Isaiah Bell, and of course Craig Roh.

The 2008 Under Armour H.S. All-American Game saw such Wolverines as Ricky Barnum and Darryl Stonum. However this year's game is the one I will be more intent upon watching, as it will feature the Nation's best Dual-Threat QB, and Michigan commit Devin Gardner.

Future Wolverines in the 2010 Under Armour H.S. All-American Game

QB - Devin Gardner

Not a whole lot of future Michigan players in these games, but even so they should be good games. It will be nice to get a glimpse of the future of Michigan Football, This being Rich Rodriguez's third class in the top 15 (as of now) and first Michigan class not in the top 10, the future looks bright in Ann Arbor.

You can find the full U.S. Army All-American Bowl roster here

and the full Under Armour H.S. All-American Game roster here

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Detroit Tigers Let Placido Polanco Go, But It Makes Good Business Sense

Greg Eno — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:52:36 -0500

Four-plus years ago, Placido Polanco got run out of Philadelphia—they do that a lot in that town—because the Phanatics wanted to see Chase Utley, and pronto, play second base. So quick to rid themselves of Polanco were the Phillies that they accepted a soon-to-be felon from the Tigers, pitcher Ugie Urbina, in a straight up heist.

It wasn't quite Lou Brock-for-Ernie Broglio but it wasn't Rocky Colavito-for-Harvey Kuenn, either. At least the Phillies had Utley as their ace in the hole.

Polanco is back in Philly, again nudged out of a job by a youngster who plays second base.

This time it's Scott Sizemore who has forced Polanco out, as the Tigers made their decision known loud and clear when they didn't offer Polanco salary arbitration by this week's deadline: We want Scott!

Scott's cheaper, you see. By far.

Polanco is back in Philly, and that's odd, because the only thing worse than playing in Philadelphia is playing there TWICE.

But it won't be at second base; the Phillies want Polanco to play third base. And they're going to pay him about $18 million over the next three years to do so. That was too rich for the Tigers' thinning blood.

It was a wise move for the Tigers. Polanco is 34 and Sizemore is going to be 25 next month and he'll work for peanuts compared to what the Tigers would have had to cough up for Poly's services.

Sizemore is rehabbing a snapped ankle but all indications are that he'll be good to go by the time spring training rolls around.

Does Polanco have the arm strength needed to be an everyday third sacker? The Phillies have 18 million George Washingtons that say yes, apparently.

Polanco was a good soldier in Detroit. Shortly after arriving in the summer of 2005, he signed a contract extension to remain a Tiger through the 2009 season. He wasn't a bandwagon guy. The Tigers weren't very good when he made the decision to sign on long-term. He put his faith—and the prime of his career—into the belief that the Tigers were on the road to contention. Or was it the Road to Redemption?

It worked. Polanco rolled a lucky seven. The Tigers made it to the World Series the next year (he was the MVP of the ALCS, too) and were strong contenders in 2007 until Gary Sheffield hurt his shoulder in July and the team went sideways.

Get ready for some errors at second base, folks. That's not a knock on Sizemore, it's a knock at a lack of perfection. While Polanco patrolled second in Detroit, E-4 was something you called out while playing "Battleship."

The Tigers need offense, and so letting Polanco and his career .300-plus batting average go away might seem self-defeating. But the Tigers need a more powerful, more intimidating brand of offense than what Poly provided. They need a thumper, not a pattycake hitter.

I wish Polanco well—and lotsa luck. They didn't even care much for Mike Schmidt at times at third base in Philadelphia. But to each his own.

This is one of those times when we're reminded harshly that it's business, it's not personal. In fact, often times it's damn impersonal. Placido Polanco is a Phillie not because the Tigers didn't want him—they just couldn't justify paying for him. It's a fine line, but a distinct one all the same.

There's always the memories. Those are free, and priceless at the same time. Remember Polanco, ski cap and all, jumping around wildly as he rounded the bases after Magglio Ordonez's pennant-clinching home run? He looked like Billy Barty trying to reach some cookies on the kitchen counter. But it was an indelible moment.

Polanco might go down as one of the most reliable players to ever jitterbug around a baseball diamond wearing the Old English D. He rolled out of bed every winter, put in his time at spring training, then hit his .300 and played flawless second base and struck out once a week, just about.

But it's not $6 million-per-year stuff anymore, at ages 35 thru 37. Again, business.

Poly's a small guy, but he wore big shoes. Now we'll see if this kid Sizemore is up to filling them.

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Ericsson Gets Injury Bug; Winged Wheels Fall On Home Ice Against Oilers

Isaac Smith — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 23:35:57 -0500

As a Red Wings fan and a writer, I am having some difficulty understanding why this Wings squad constantly "forgets" to show up to games that seem to be easy victories. Yes, yes I am aware that no games are easy in the new NHL. Nevertheless, one would assume that teams should not "s*!t the bed" against the lowly Edmonton Oilers.

Some fans will blame the injuries, the losses to free agency, or the team getting old. But this just should not be the case. There are other things to blame as well. Most of these things are easily identifiable, but slightly harder to fix.

First of all, it is very hard to have a consistent winning record on the road in the NHL. This being the case, it would only make sense to try and push extra hard to have an exceptional record at home.

The Red Wings have had fabulous records over the past few seasons, but this season, they seem to have been having troubles scoring goals as of late in home games.

Some suggestions for how the Red Wings can ameliorate their current state:

1. Man up and play some hockey.

If San Jose Sharks' defense man, Dan Boyle can play the entire first two months of the hockey season with a broken thumb, Rafalski and Eaves should be able to man up and play hockey with their minor injuries.

Every game, more Red Wings seem to get injured and tonight was no exception. Detroit defense man Johnathan Ericsson was injured and had to be helped off the ice. Listed day-to-day with an unnamed injury, Ericsson is just the latest of a slew of Red Wings to get the injury bug.

2. Come to play in the FIRST period!

When the Wings score first, they are 6-2-2. When they let the opposing team score first, they are only 7-8-2. They have only scored 22 first period goals all year, and allowed 23. That negative scoring ratio can only mean one thing: Losses.

Solution? Push hard to score the first goal. Go out of the way to put the pressure on the other team's defense men by keeping the puck in their zone. Even without Kronwall and now Ericsson, the Red Wings have the ability to hold the puck in the other team's zone for as long as they want.

3. Help out on Defense!

How do you explain the Red Wings defense. With two of the best defense men in the League in Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski, one would think that the Wings would not be ranked 15th in most goals against.

Unfortunately this is the case, and since neither Red Wings goalie seems to be able to stay hot for more than two games at a time, the Red Wings must learn the basics of playing defense.

4. Two words: SPECIAL TEAMS

Penalty kill: 26th in the League. Absolutely unacceptable—76.9 percent

That is somewhere between one-for-four and one-for-five on the kill. Giving opponents goals on the power play like that is just giving games away in general. Tonight was a rare exception. 0-1. Hopefully you can kill off one penalty.

Power play: 12th in the League. 21.1 percent.

Decent to say the least. Still, how do you explain a drop from first to 12th. The lack of Hossa and Hudler hurts. But despite that fact, last year it was 25.5 percent for the year. This drop in production has definitely hurt Detroit in situations where it is in place to put a game away with a power play goal.

5. Stop the revolving door of goaltenders.

2007-08. Hasek/Osgood. Hasek pulled in first round of playoffs, Osgood backstops team to Cup.

2008-09 Osgood/Conklin. Osgood takes load for almost the entire playoffs but ultimately ends up losing games six and seven due to lack of offensive production.

2009-10 Osgood/Howard...How will this goal-tending "controversy" end? Well let's find out.

Howard is 7-5-1 with a 90.6 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA.

Osgood...just looking at his stats makes one wince. He is 6-5-3 with a 89.7 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA.

6. Wrap up.

But hey you say, 2.67, and 2.77 aren't that bad for goals against average. That would mean that the Red Wings only need to score an average of three goals a game to win most affairs right?

Check again. This Red Wings squad has been devastated by the salary cap free agency last year and by injuries this year.

I now ask you this: Sitting at 11th in the Western Conference, 4-5-1 in their last 10 games, are these Red Wings CAPABLE of scoring three goals a game? Because as of date, their 2.85 Goals per Game are not getting the job done.

Thoughts, suggestions, are appreciated...

Sincerely,

A bewildered writer and fan.

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Detroit Tigers' Hot Stove: Shopping for a Shortstop

Dave Hampton — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 20:57:59 -0500

The Winter Meetings are about to start and snow is flying in the Midwest. While some of the Tigers are home in the tropics or enjoying 18 holes in Florida, The Hammer Toss will keep you warm with the hot stove!

The middle infield for the Detroit Tigers is in for a significant overhaul this offseason.

The Tigers firmly committed to a new second baseman by declining to offer salary arbitration to Placido Polanco and allowing him to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.

Likewise, the Tigers declined salary arbitration on shortstop Adam Everett, and therefore have another glaring hole in the middle infield to fill this offseason.

Of course, General Manager David Dombrowski is in a bit of a budget pickle now after years of doling out overloaded contracts. Without much money to spend, the Tigers will be staying clear of premier free agents this winter.

Then again, there is not much talent in the free agent shortstop pool as it is. As always, however, The Hammer Toss has solutions! Here are five guys the Tigers might consider for 2010. The big caveat is: if the price is right.

Ramon Santiago

Ok, so I started the list with someone who is not actually a free agent, bear with me. Santiago would be the leading in-house candidate to play everyday if no one else is signed, which could be a reality.

Let us not forget that Santiago was once a moderately touted prospect in the Tigers' system before floundering that status away playing for the 2003 team of failure.

He came back to Detroit as a free agent in 2006 after being sent to Seattle in the Carlos Guillen trade before the 2004 season.

Santiago started 56 games at short and 17 at second base, his most starts in a season since 2003.

He acquitted himself well with his glove, playing praise-worthy defense, but that is about all he has going for him, besides being cheap. However, with the budget pinch the Tigers find themselves in, that might be enough to hand him the job for 2010.

Jerry Hairston Jr.

The once-upon-a-time everyday second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles has floated around as a journeyman utility player the past few years.

However, he acquitted himself quite well in Cincinnati the past two years before being sent to the Yankees at the trade deadline. Included in that was some good play at shortstop.

As a bonus, Hairston Jr. still has the speed to steal 15-20 bases and could profile as a leadoff hitter for a team willing to play him everyday.

The downside is that he will most likely be highly coveted by contending teams to be a utility player. Thus he would earn a better paycheck and have a chance at another World Series ring, which he might opt to do, unless Dombrowski can win him over.

Jamey Carroll

Carroll is another utility player who carries a tremendous glove. While he has never truly been an everyday player, he has averaged 300 at-bats per season since his first full season in 2003.

The at-bats come from the fact that this is a guy you want to get into your lineup. On top of his good fielding, he is also a competent hitter who will draw walks, come up with timely hits, and score some runs.

Again, however, his skills will be highly coveted by contending teams. Still, if the price is right he could be had by the Tigers to start 110-plus games at shortstop and possibly hit second in the batting order. His ability to get on base definitely warrants it.

Craig Counsell

Forget about the fact that Counsell is 39 and will be 40 by the end of the season. You can also forget most of the statistics, as well.

Here is what you need to know: He's another player from the David Dombrowski era in Florida, and that of course makes him attractive.

Ok, I will bring in some statistics here to complete the picture about why we should not groan about this guy.

For one, Counsell won a ring in Florida in '97 and again in Arizona in 2001. He's another guy with a great glove, and he hit .285 this year in 404 at-bats in Milwaukee. The first half he filled in at second for the injured Rickie Weeks, and the second half he played short and third to cover the inconsistencies of the starters there.

This is another guy who could hit second in the order or at the bottom. Despite his age, this guy still has it. His offensive performance from 2009 was among the best of his career.

Adam Everett

Finally, 2009 at shortstop could be rehashed again. I will admit to being very excited when Everett first signed to play in Detroit. The guy had built a reputation of being a groundball vacuum cleaner out in Houston.

To that end, it was hard to be disappointed in what we got out of him in 2009. He played great defense, as he always does, and had some timely hits.

The biggest knock against Everett is that he does not have many timely hits, for he can barely hit his weight, and at times was a major hole in the lineup.

Still, if the price is right, he could be back to tandem with Santiago again in 2010. As choices go, he might not be the best one, but he is still not a bad one.

Conclusion

Are there other guys on the market who could play shortstop for Detroit in 2010? Absolutely, but write them all off. Marco Scutaro is a type-A free agent who is too likely to regress, and other teams will be willing to pay decently for Juan Uribe's power.

Of course, there is always room for a trade, but we will get to that one at a later date.

If the price is right, will the 2010 Tigers' shortstop come on down?

This and many other burning topics are going to warm up your world as the hot stove lights on fire! Stay tuned to The Hammer Toss.

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Team 79: The 1970 Tigers

Blake VandeBunte — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:29:16 -0500

Year: 1970

Record: 79-83

Win Percentage: .488

Win Percentage Change: -68

Run Differential: -65

Pythagorean Record: 74-88

AL Finish: 7th of 12

Manager: Mayo Smith

Best Transaction: Traded Denny McLain, Elliott Maddox, Norm McRae and Don Wert to San Diego for Aurelio Rodriguez, Ed Brinkman, Joe Coleman, and Jim Hannan. This was a blockbuster that sent some long time Tigers out of town. McLain and Wert spent a lot of time in Detroit, but didn’t have a lot left in their tanks. Brinkman was older, but he had a couple of really good seasons with the Tigers, while Coleman topped the 20-win mark twice with the Tigers. Auerelio Rodriguez was young, but he blossomed into one of the better defensive third basemen in the game.

Worst Transaction: Releasing Earl Wilson. Wilson was done as far as being a decent pitcher, but I like Wilson and am bummed he ever left Detroit.

Upper: A young Gene Lamont (pictured above) hit .295 with a home run in limited duty. Seriously though, Willie Horton was probably the Tigers top bat in 1970, but he missed 60 games due to injuries. An aging Al Kaline had an OPS+ of 125 at the age of 35 and was third on the club in home runs. Jim Northrup also had a decent season, leading the club with 24 homers.

Downer: This was a pretty bad season for a team two years removed from being the best team in all of baseball. The offense featured several of weak bats, but it was the starting pitching that was primarily to blame for the teams many losses. No member of the starting rotation had an ERA+ north of the 100 mark and Mickey Lolich lost 19 games. Of the 12 teams in the American League, the Tigers pitching staff ranked 10th in ERA and 11th in hits allowed.

Summary: This club actually got off to a great start, going 12-6 in April, highlighted by an eight-game winning streak. The Tigers were actually the definition of an up-and-down team in 1970, check out their monthly records, starting with April (12-6, 9-17, 17-10, 19-12, 12-18, 10-20). Talk about weird. I think you’d be hard pressed to find a Tigers team that was that up and down. This was also the last season in which Mayo Smith was the Tigers skipper, he would be replaced by Billy Martin for the 1971 season.

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Rather Hall Incident Embarrasses MSU Students, Alumni, Fans, Everyone

Kyle Feldscher — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:49:55 -0500

One of my favorite columnists, Bill Simmons of ESPN.com, has a rule where he won’t allow himself to write about a particularly painful loss or sports issue until all the emotion has worn off.

I attempted to do the same about the recent news of eight MSU football players being suspended for beating down some frat boys at a residence hall. But the anger and embarrassment over this are not going away anytime soon.

Eight players, three of them starters, suspended and two more kicked off the team altogether. Just one question remains after all this carnage.

What the hell were they thinking?

And the worst part? There’s no answer.

Glenn Winston, the now-infamous running back who spent four months in jail for an off-campus fight during the 2008 season, may be the most disappointing story to come out of this entire ordeal. Head coach Mark Dantonio stuck his neck out for Winston—bringing him back on to the team after he had served his jail sentence—and was rewarded with yet another embarrassment.

News came out today that Alamo Bowl officials are keeping an eye on the situation, most likely because the Spartans will offer little to no resistance to their opponent in a bowl game missing many of these players. Not being offered a bowl bid based on these suspensions would be one of the biggest setbacks the program has suffered in recent memory.

The feeling of shock, embarrassment, and outright disgust has rippled through MSU’s campus all week. The front page of The State News was simple on Wednesday morning: the eight players’ pictures and a black background. How appropriate, a black background for one of the blackest moments in Dantonio’s tenure here.

Failing on the field is one thing. Disappointing losses, blown coverages, missed blocks, and dropped passes fade away. Failing off the field, especially in such a public and egregious way, is a different story.

This was not a normal fight between college students. It was a choreographed attack on a bunch of frat boys—frat boys who are nonetheless in no way the innocent angels their lawyers or statements would have you believe. There’s more to the story there than what has been made public.

It’s sickening. It’s disgusting. It’s insulting. And it may have just cost this program its last chance at winning a bowl game this decade.

Great work.

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Surgeon General Warning: Being a Detroit Lion May Be Hazardous to Health

Dean Holden — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:04:19 -0500

Next year, any players drafted by the Detroit Lions might do well to take out a hefty insurance policy.

The 14 players on the Lions’ injured reserve probably wish they had.

First-round pick Brandon Pettigrew is the latest to hit IR, and he represents only the latest in a sordid history of unfortunate injuries for the Lions.

Though the relationship between the two is arguable, an annual laundry list of injuries is as much a part of the Lions’ identity today as losing is, and this season has proven no different.

The injury list started early when veteran defensive end Jared DeVries went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon in training camp. From there, they started to compile injuries, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

Daniel Bullocks was an early scratch, and he would later be joined by Marquand Manuel, Eric King, DeMarcus Faggins, Chris Roberson, Ko Simpson, and Jack Williams.

And that’s just the secondary.

Ultimately, many of the Lions’ most influential injuries have not been season-ending.

Matthew Stafford has missed time already this season, and may again if he continues to get his bell rung like he has.

Calvin Johnson has missed games, as has Sammie Hill, Cliff Avril, Ernie Sims, and Grady Jackson.

The defense is so depleted, the Lions are having to scour practice squads for talent everywhere and sign anybody who looks halfway capable. And more often than not, those players end up on IR as well.

And it’s not just this season, either. The Lions have a history of frustrating injuries to key players.

Last year, the reason the Lions had five quarterbacks on their roster is because none of them could stay healthy for more than about three games at a time.

The year before that, Calvin Johnson spent most of his rookie year hobbled with a back injury.

Though he turned out to be a bust, wideout Charles Rogers spent the majority of his first two professional seasons on IR after breaking his collarbone early in the season. In both seasons.

Roy Williams was limited in his rookie season with an ankle injury, before having a breakout season in 2006, then hitting IR late in the 2007 season.

A flurry of promising defensive draft picks from earlier this decade—Barrett Green, Boss Bailey, and Teddy Lehman among them—suffered injuries early in their careers. All showed great promise with their play before injury. None were able to regain that form upon their return.

Of course, in some circumstances, injuries to a rebuilding team are not the worst thing in the world. Injuries force a team to explore more of its roster and possibly find a starting-quality talent where there was once a third-stringer.

This is not so when it comes to young players. As Lions fans have seen far too many times, injuries to young players can derail an otherwise-promising career.

When they don’t derail a career, they certainly set them back. Rookies need as much developmental time as they can get, and time spent away from the field while rehabbing an injury is time they’re not getting any better.

So Brandon Pettigrew will join a slew of players spending the rest of the season in the doctor’s office, and his progression will have to wait until next season.

So 2010 draft picks and free agents beware. If the Detroit Lions come calling, then answer the call…but maybe wear some extra padding.

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Detroit Lions Biggest Need This Offseason Is Obvious

David McClure — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:50:14 -0500

It's December and that means that draft fever is in full swing, at least in Detroit.

Philip Zaroo had an interesting article on MLive.com today that discussed a question many Lion's fans seem to have. What is the biggest need for this team?

The Lions have numerous holes that are well documented and easy to see. It doesn't take a football expert to realize they are near the bottom of the league at scoring points, stopping the run, stopping the pass, field position, and the list goes on.

For years now, Jeff Backus has been the focal point of Lions fan hatred. Jeff "Sackus" he is affectionately referred to, and rightly so. He is not an elite left tackle, he's not as awful as he's made out to be either. It seems that either you have an elite left tackle, or you want one. Point being, Backus is "service-able". That's code for, we would love to upgrade him, but unfortunately, we have bigger fish to fry.

The defense has been the true achilles heel for this team for some time. They rank near the bottom in every statistical category. They do generate a modest amount of turn-overs and sacks, but they give up so many yards and points that it's irrelevant.

You can blame the poor scoring defense on field position and claim the offense needs fewer three-and-outs, but that doesn't excuse the fact the Lions give up ridiculous amounts of yards and can't get off the field on third down. Is that because of the offense? Not likely, although Stephen Petermen could be blamed for a touchdown run, right?

The truth is that the defense has major issues in the front four and the back four.

If you haven't read the article above, I would suggest doing so. It describes the debate about whether a corner back or defensive end would help more, Reggie White or Deion Sanders are the examples.

The answer to the question, and to the question of what the biggest need is, is obvious to me.

Defensive End.

The linebacker core is pretty good with this team, but they are the only unit that is solid. Because of this, the Lions are forced to blitz the backers to get pressure on the opposing team. When the Lions blitz players, this creates a hot read. An NFL quarterback will instantly throw to his read if needed.

Cornerbacks are not responsible for hot read routes the vast majority of the time. Why do you think opposing tight ends have career days against the Lions? Hot reads are routes that go directly to the void that is left by a blitzing player. Crossing routes over the middle, running backs out of the backfield, tight ends over the middle, these are the type of routes that are usually considered hot reads.

Bringing in the best corner back in league history wouldn't change much; it would take away one player.

The Lions defense is bad at defending the rush and the pass. It struggles to get pressure with only four men.

A defensive end can solve both problems. A good defensive end will have an impact on the entire defense. They have the ability to get a timely sack, apply consistent pressure, and get a tackle for loss. They also reduce the need for blitzes.

This allows linebackers to drop into the underneath zone and read plays. Being able to drop more men into coverage helps the pass defense, last I checked.

Ask yourself this question: Who scares you the most on the opposing defense? Jared Allen, Demarcus Ware, Julius Peppers, and Mario Williams come to mind for me. Along with Ray Lewis and Ed Reed. Either way, a corner never scares anyone.

Another great way to look at things, what one thing do the Lions struggle with on offense? They allow too much pressure from a four- or three-man rush. We never are concerned with which corner is guarding Calvin Johnson; we worry about the big stud at defensive end that is going to wreak havoc on our offense.

The Lions need a player(s) that can effect the run and pass defense.

The question: What is the biggest need?

The answer: A stud defensive end.

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Michigan Basketball: Their Rise and Fall in One Week, Plus Recruiting News

Big House Bob — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:13:00 -0500

So that was fun while it lasted. Michigan had just come off their first NCAA tournament bid since the Tractor Traylor days, and even won a game in the tournament. They had their top two stars returning, a good recruiting class, and one of the best coaches in the country. Some basketball analysts had Michigan in their preseason top 10.

With the Michigan Football team forgetting to win in October and November, most Michigan fans turned their excitement to the No. 15 ranked basketball team. Michigan started the season 2-0 by playing two cupcakes in two weeks.

They then headed down to Orlando for the Old Spice Classic and beat Creighton in OT. Then they lost to both Marquette and Alabama. Not good for the team favored to win the tournament and the only "ranked" team in the field.

Then they came back home last night and played Boston College. They will be mad and ready to play, right? They will rebound with a big win, right? They will get rebounds, right? Nope.

It was the same old story from the Old Spice. Michigan didn't play defense, couldn't hit enough three's, played lazy, and waited around for Manny to score. Manny did his best on a bad hamstring, but he still can't hit a three-pointer to save his life.

So this team is 3-3 with trips to Kansas and Utah still left on the calendar. They also play UConn at Crisler. If things don't change those are three more losses and no NCAA tournament, unless they win the Big Ten Tournament. This has been one difficult week for John Beilien and program.

Maybe we all should become Butch Jones and Central Michigan fans? Go Chips! They seem to be the only program (college or pro) in the state that is playing well.

That is why I like to focus on recruiting. For all the good news!

Tom VH recruiting insider from Mgoblog says Derrick Bryant might still be in the fold for Michigan

Derrick is a three-star DE from Columbus, OH who has committed to UCLA. He visited Michigan for the Ohio State game and came away very impressed. Here is his quote from TomVH's discussion, "You never know what could happen. Two months is a long time. Michigan is a 9.9999999 out of 10 in second place." Coach Tall is planning an in-home visit to Derrick soon.

Update from DetNews and Sam Webb on Jonathan Hankins

In JH's words here is what happened regarding his Michigan offer, " As soon as I got back from my visit to Florida I talked to (Michigan assistant) Coach (Tony) Dews and he told me that I had a scholarship," Hankins said.

"The whole (Michigan) defensive staff came to the school (Monday). They said it was a long process for them to offer me because they had to see what they had and who was coming back. I'm in (demand) because of the position I play."

Right now Florida is No. 1 on his list, but he is planning visits to Ann Arbor this weekend and Ohio State next. He hopes to make a decision before Christmas.

Michigan's Annual Football Bust is tonight. No Pun intended.

Sources are saying that Florida's DC Charlie Strong is Louisville's top candidate

I 100 percent applaud Louisville if they hire Charlie. Getting a head coaching job is way over due for this talented coordinator. Many have wondered if Charlie's interracial marriage was causing teams not to hire him. Which I believe is ridiculous, I hope Louisville hires him right after the game on Saturday. Well done, Cardinals!

Visitors to A2 this weekend include ND Commit Spencer Boyd (three star CB from Florida) and WVU commit Richard Ash. Richard just committed to WVU yesterday and is a four star DT from Pahokee, FL home of current Wolverines Martavious Odoms, Vincent Smith, and Brandin Hawthorne.

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Imagine If the Detroit Pistons Had Decided to Draft Carmelo Anthony

Mike B. — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:20:01 -0500

Each and every morning, Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars probably wakes up and bangs his head against the wall a couple of times.

He then stares at a giant portrait of Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony hanging over his fireplace and asks himself, "Why did I ever draft Darko Milicic?"

Okay, I'm sure that doesn't happen, but you never know. I've seen stranger things in my day.

The decision to use the second overall pick of the 2003 NBA Draft on Milicic, the mysterious seven-foot Serbian instead of Anthony, the freshman who led Syracuse to a national championship, was perhaps the worst move of Dumars' executive career.

Darko turned out to be a major bust while Anthony quickly blossomed into one of the league's brightest stars after he was selected by the Nuggets with the third overall pick.

But who could blame Dumars, though. Milicic was widely considered the best big man prospect in the entire draft and was said to possess the skills to score inside and out which was just what the Pistons needed.

So what if Dumars and co. had selected Anthony instead of Milicic?

Sure, the Pistons won a championship in 2004 over the highly favored Lakers with Milicic on the bench, but just imagine how many rings they may have won with 'Melo in the lineup.

With a ridiculous starting lineup of Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Rip Hamilton, the Pistons could've beaten San Antonio in the 2005 finals and Dallas in 2006. Yes, they could've become a dynasty.

But then on the other hand, Anthony could've totally ruined the team's chemistry since he wasn't exactly known for his defense like everyone else on the squad. Head coach Larry Brown could've helped him, though, with that aspect of his game.

It's uncertain what would've happened with Tayshaun Prince. He wouldn't have ever cracked the starting five with Anthony around so he likely would've become the sixth man or been traded for frontcourt help to back up the Wallaces.

Oh well, no one will ever know exactly what may have happened if Carmelo ended up in Detroit. We'll just have to wonder, "what could have been," just like Joe D does everyday, right before he looks at his other portraits of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Just kidding, Joe.

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Team 80: The 1954 Tigers

Blake VandeBunte — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:32:36 -0500

Year: 1954

Record: 68-86

Win Percentage: .442

Win Percentage Change: .052

Run Differential: -80

Pythagorean Record: 68-86

AL Finish: Fifth of eight

Manager: Fred Hutchinson

Best Transaction

Nothing to speak of.

Worst Transaction

Again, nothing. I’m not kidding. I’ve never seen a collection of trades, free agent signings, and draft picks that resulted in almost no consequences either way. Check it out for yourself.

Upper

Ray Boone’s play at third base. Boone, in his prime at the age of 30, put together one of his finer seasons in 1954. The Tigers offense struggled this season, but Boone did more than his part to shoulder the load. Boone led the team with an OPS+ of 132 and led the Tigers in home runs, RBI, and finished second in batting average (Harvey Kuenn).

Boone was named to the All-Star team and went on to lead the AL in RBI the following season.

Downer

The Tigers bullpen was a mess. The starting rotation was about average in 1954; most of their major trouble was found in the bullpen.

Ray Herbert and Dick Marlowe were the primary arms out of the Tigers pen and posted ERA+ numbers of 63 and 89 respectively. I know that bullpens were used differently in 1954, but these two did not do their part to help the Tigers succeed in 1954. The starting rotation had five pitchers lose at least 10 games.

Summary

This was a fun team in retrospect. It featured a 23-year-old Harvey Kuenn, who led the team in batting this season. In right field, Tigers fans got a look at a 19-year-old Al Kaline. The teenager got 504 at-bats in his first full season, good enough to finish third in the Rookie of the Year voting and even earn a few MVP votes.

Frank Bolling was another good young player on this club that would eventually blossom into an All-Star infielder.

This club made a step forward in 1954, winning more games than they did the previous season. While they were still rough around the edges, this was a club full of talent and just a few years away from great success.

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For Detroit Red Wings, December Games Could Put Season on the Line

Matt Hutter — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:41:02 -0500

So, it's around this time every year that people start looking forward to the holidays, spending time with friends and family, and winding down the year that was.

Work slows down, holiday parties and Secret Santa gifts begin popping up, and diets and spending budgets start getting tossed out the window.

In short, we start slacking off.

Here's hoping the Detroit Red Wings don't start taking the same attitude towards work in December that most of us do.

Detroit's December games, which begin in earnest on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers, may very well dictate the Wings' chances for doing well the rest of the season.

With key players like Nicklas Kronwall, Valtteri Filppula, and Jason Williams out until the end of the month (at the earliest), winning games in December will not be easy.

Added to the difficulty is the mixed bag of opponents Detroit will face in the final month of 2009.

Tilts against Edmonton, New Jersey, New York (Rangers), St. Louis, Anaheim, Nashville, Phoenix, Columbus (twice), Chicago (twice), Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Colorado aren't exactly easy to handicap.

Since starting off as the two hottest teams in the Western Conference, Colorado and Phoenix have started to run hot and cold, but which teams will the Wings end up facing?

Nashville has been the hottest team in the NHL of late, but will they be cooled off again when they meet the Wings in a few weeks?

Most teams wet the bed when they see Chicago on the schedule, but Detroit's beaten them in the only meeting so far this season. Does this bode well for their chances against them in December?

Eastern Conference teams are always a bit of a mystery, so there's really no way to predict how those three games will go.

Facing this much ambiguity in the schedule, the key for the Red Wings' success (if they are indeed determined to have it) will be consistency.

Through 26 games so far this season, the Red Wings have largely been inconsistent in their effort and execution.

However, when Detroit plays as a five-man unit and executes on playing a patient, up-tempo game, they've shown that, regardless of who's in the lineup, they're as good as any team in the league.

Starting now, Detroit must recognize this pattern and look to apply it game in and game out.

Unlike years past, Detroit simply can't recover from an off night.

Their decrease in depth, made even more shallow by injuries, means that if they start off on the wrong foot, next to nothing is going to stop them from falling flat on their face.

The Red Wings have 14 games on the schedule for December. If they can win nine of them, they'd likely put themselves in good position in the ultra-competitive, yet still close, Central Division.

Speaking of divisional play, Detroit will face all of their divisional rivals at least once this month.

One can bet that, regardless of the opponent, Detroit will be facing a determined and tenacious team aiming to beat two points out of them.

The Red Wings must consistently match this ferocity if they have any chance of doing the same to the other team.

This focus will go a long way towards not only improving their position in the standings, but also ensuring that the return of Kronwall, Filppula, Williams, and eventually Franzen, is but more fuel to their fire rather than the spark they hope will ignite it.

Again, now's the time to lock into a mode of playing a consistent team game. But, that being said, December would also be a great time for some players to step up and contribute.

The first of these players is forward Ville Leino.

Leino was signed to a two-year deal in the offseason and was, at the time, considered to be a steal given his performance with limited action last season (9 pts, +5 in 13 games).

Leino's first NHL goal seemed to suggest that, like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg before him, he was yet another diamond plucked from the proverbial rough by GM Ken Holland.

However, to this point, Leino has been an absolute bust.

He's on pace for 16 points this season, has already been benched once, and looks, at times, utterly lost on the ice.

Additionally, Leino consistently elects not to shoot when given the option.

His 38 shots on net is dead last among Detroit players who've played in 25 games or more this season.

Leino's limited physical upside has also proved problematic, as he's been absolutely plastered several times by opponents.

Ville Leino was signed for one purpose: offense.

With Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula out of the lineup, Leino must immediately start to pick up his game if he has any hope of remaining a regular roster player upon their return.

There is another Red Wing that could really use a shot in the arm: Nicklas Lidstrom.

While it is difficult to criticize one of the all-time greatest players in NHL history, one does have to look at Lidstrom's projected season point total of 25 as nothing less than alarming.

Lidstrom has two assists and a minus-six rating over his past 10 games.

Granted, not many Wings were scoring with any consistency during this time, however, when your team captain and No. 1 defenseman is playing like this, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence amongst the rest of the team.

Some would point to Lidstrom's age as a contributing factor, and, while he's definitely lost a step, he still appears more than capable of keeping up with the speed of the game.

Lidstrom's problem, like the team he captains, is a lack of sustained, offensive consistency.

One has to believe that if he can start to play with the same skill, drive, and effectiveness that has defined his career, the rest of the team will follow suit.

So, with many of us glazing over at the thought of gift-giving, vacation time, and all the welcome distractions that accompany the holidays, the Detroit Red Wings need to apply a laser focus to the work ahead of them in December.

If they continue to limp along through December with inconsistent play and unfocused execution, they might very well have ample time to enjoy the company of friends and family come April.

For, like us, they too will be watching Game One of the 2009-10 playoffs from the comfort of their homes.

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Michigan State Football Suspends Eight Players; More Than Bowl Game at Stake

Nick Mordowanec — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:08:55 -0500

Michigan State’s football program endured a tumultuous season full of disappointments and shortcomings. Now, the team is facing bigger issues off the field.

Michigan State has suspended eight players following a widely publicized altercation at a campus residence hall. The events stem from a Nov. 22 incident with a fraternity, as well as a fight at a local nightclub a night earlier.

Last week, coach Mark Dantonio dismissed sophomore running back Glenn Winston from the team, along with junior safety Roderick Jenrette—two players present at the residence hall incident.

Other players suspended are wide receiver Mark Dell, wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, wide receiver Fred Smith, running back Ashton Leggett, cornerback Chris L. Rucker, linebacker Brynden Trawick, nose tackle Ishmyl Johnson, and defensive end Jamiihr Williams. Five more players may also be suspended when identified by police.

The incident is a PR nightmare for the Spartans, becoming a national story and putting a big black eye on the program and its players. Although not all players were involved, it included many big-name players who have started games, such as Rucker, Dell, Cunningham, and Leggett.

This is not what the team and the university should be talking about a few short weeks before a bowl game is played, which will be Dantonio’s third bowl game appearance in his three seasons at the helm at Michigan State. Whether it will be playing in the Alamo Bowl or the Insight Bowl, the Spartans will be heavily undermanned.

Look, I have defended Dantonio time and time again. I defended his decision to go with a dual-quarterback system, I supported him after the team’s porous 1-3 start, and I have said that he will one day get to the ultimate point of being at the top of the Big Ten.

But when it comes to the suspensions of key players and dismissing other guys off the team for good, it’s just gone too far. Dantonio’s goal as the head honcho of the program is to make sure incidents like these don’t happen, and establishing precedent is something most Spartan fans thought he had done in his first couple years here.

Dantonio has been mum on the incident, as has athletic director Mark Hollis. It is a situation which must be handled with care, but these players have made their coach and their university look like thug central.

The one player I look at most obtusely is Glenn Winston.

Winston is no longer a member of the football team, but before he was officially dismissed he had received a second chance.

Winston was convicted of assault and battery after being front and center in an altercation with the Spartans’ hockey team, receiving a 180-day jail sentence. When he was released, Dantonio gave him another chance, another opportunity to redeem himself on and off the field.

It looked as if Winston had learned his lesson. He was running hard, following team rules, and acting as the team’s workhorse tailback prior to getting injured. Nobody could have said anything bad about Winston—until now.

He was one of the first two names to be announced, and many more have come out of the woodwork since then.

Dantonio needs to address the media soon and make a strong statement regarding the state of the program, although I don’t think his job is in jeopardy. He can only control so much, and what his players do on their own time reflects on him but more so on themselves.

Winning a bowl game has just become increasingly more difficult, but the state of the program and how these issues will be resolved is what is more important in the long run.

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Resurgent Tomas Holmstrom Key to Detroit Red Wings' Staying Above Water

Greg Eno — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:30:30 -0500

For 13 years, Tomas Holmstrom has been the NHL's Redwood. He's been chopped and hacked, and if they could have taken a chainsaw to him, they would have done that too.

In last spring's playoffs, it looked as if the lumberjacks in the NHL masquerading as defensemen were finally about to be able to cry "Timber!"

Holmstrom, the league's premier disruptor of enemy goal creases and netminders' vision, shrunk last season. He scored a mere 14 goals.

That's OK, the optimists said. Holmstrom is a playoff guy. A player who rises to the occasion at a time where goals are uglier than Keith Richards. A time where you don't need skates, you need work boots. When there are more scrums in the crease than in a rugby match.

You don't score goals in the playoffs, you will them in. And Tomas Holmstrom was the unmovable pillar, the giant Redwood in front of the opposing goal. He took more whacks than the losing family in a Mafia war.

But it all seemed to finally be catching up to him last spring. The deeper the Red Wings burrowed into the playoffs, the less visible Holmstrom was. He was the Incredible Shrinking Hockey Player.

His age---he'll be 37 in January---and his lack of production caused know-it-all bloggers and bottom-feeding sports writers to fear that Holmstrom was at the end of the line.

Yes, I'm confessing. I was among those who whispered that maybe it was Olly Olly Oxen Free for Holmstrom's NHL career.

Who could have blamed him had he retired, anyway? It's no fun being a human pinata for 13 years.

But look who is among the Red Wings' scoring leaders as the first third of the season is nearing its close.

Tomas Holmstrom, with 10 goals.

Holmstrom looks to be no more finished than a playing of "Hey Jude" on the radio.

He's on pace to deflect, nudge, carom, knee, head-butt---whatever it takes---30 pucks across enemy goal lines this season. He's only done that once---when he tallied 30 goals in 2006-07.

Holmstrom has picked a wonderful time to regain his mojo.

The Red Wings have been so decimated by injuries and free agent losses that they barely resemble, today, the team that took the ice against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. And that wasn't even six months ago.

So what better time for an oldie-but-goodie like Holmstrom to rediscover himself and put all thoughts of retirement and accusations of being washed up to rest?

You think Holmstrom's goals are just ugly and nothing else? The Red Wings are 7-2 when Holmstrom scores.

Though he's on a bit of a cold streak now---just one goal in his past nine games---Holmstrom is nonetheless having a surprisingly good season, doing his part to somewhat neutralize the team's losses up front.

And yes, he's still in front of the goal crease, setting up camp and making life miserable for opposing netminders, flashing his big No. 96 square in their peepers. Still taking hacks and chops.

The NHL's almost-37-year-old Redwood is still standing, after all.

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Michigan State Exposed in Loss To North Carolina...Again

Daniel Muth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:27:12 -0500

Clang.

If the sound was a musical note, then the Michigan State Spartans where writing somewhat of a symphony in their 89-82 loss to the young North Carolina Tar Heels in the marquee matchup of the Big 10/ACC Challenge.

Chris Allen led the band with a 0-6 night from beyond the arc, while first chairs Kalin Lucas and Korie Lucious added 0-3 and 0-5 performances to complete the brick-fest sonata.

All told, the Spartans went 2-20 from beyond the arc, a measly 10 percent, with the two makes belonging to Durrell Summers, who showed some spirit in the second half to bring the Spartans back within striking distance despite their dismal night shooting.

Carolina started the game hot behind the inside presence of Deon Thompson, Ed Davis, and a litany of other big bodies, exposing Michigan State's inability to guard the interior that also plagued them in their close affair with Gonzaga.

More and more it appears that the loss of Goran Suton from last year's Final Four squad is something they are ill-prepared to handle, particularly on the defensive end, where the Spartans were simply unable to contest shots and unable to win the battle of the boards.

Though few teams in the nation can boast the type of size and skill that Carolina can, coach Tom Izzo is going to have to find a way to shut down the interior play of the longer teams in the league if these Spartans are going to make any noise in the NCAA tournament this year.

Though he's a coach that prides himself on tough man-to-man defense, this particular Spartan team will almost certainly have to play some zone, as the Tar Heels shot an impressive 58 percent, largely on the strength of their interior game.

Carolina forward Ed Davis went 8-10 from the field for 22 points, and his counterpart Deon Thompson added 14. They also caused enough havoc inside to foul out both Delvon Roe and Draymond Green, which left MSU's short-handed front line even shorter.

Though North Carolina only marginally won the rebounding battle 36-34, they seemed to out-compete the Spartans on the boards at key moments, particularly late in the game after missed free-throws and errant shots. It often fell to guard Durrell Summers to try to box out players over half of a foot taller.

Surprisingly, though this was touted as a matchup of MSU's great backcourt vs. UNC's great frontcourt, the best guard on the floor was clearly Carolina's Larry Drew Jr., who scored 18 points on excellent 6-7 shooting while handing out six assists.

Michigan State's Kalin Lucas finished with a 6-17 night with four assists, scoring most of his points late when Carolina was guarding the three and allowing penetration. During the first half and early second, Lucas found dribble penetration against the tough Carolina defense to be slow-going, and was challenged by their length when he actually made it to the basket.

All this said, Michigan State had their chances in this game.

After an initial shooting clinic put on by the Tar Heels that allowed them to enter halftime with a 16-point lead, Carolina cooled off from the field and started turning the ball over.

As far down as 19 and facing a hostile crowd, the Spartans chipped away at the lead, getting their fast break offense in gear and scoring some easy layups as a result.

Unfortunately, when left in their half-court sets they were startlingly inept.

They played with little urgency, often using the entire shot clock just to get a poor shot, passing up open looks for contested ones, and more or less seeming confused about were to go with the basketball at times.

Credit North Carolina's defense for much of this, as their length on the exterior also caused troubles for the Spartans who appeared to doubt their ability to get off a shot.

Typical of a Tom Izzo-coached team, the Spartans never gave up, and it's a testament to their resilience that they lost by only single digits in a game that they were mostly dominated. If a couple of the wide-open threes had gone down late, they may have actually stolen this one.

In that sense this can be a valuable loss for the Spartans if they take some positives away from it and learn how they need to play.

They are not going to win many games against good teams with the type of shooting performance that they put up tonight, and we can only hope that this trend gets righted over the course of the season.

So far, shooting has been their Achilles heal.

The one bright spot against North Carolina was Raymar Morgan, who shot 7-10 from the field for a solid 18 points.

Still, they need to see a vast improvement in their interior defense.

Delvon Roe needs to improve his positioning and not go for every head fake, 6'10" freshman Garrick Sherman needs to improve his footwork and stay between his man and the basket, and Draymond Green needs to keep up his great body position without slapping down at the ball.

He and Roe both picked up some cheap fouls in this game.

So the Spartans are a work in progress, which to me is not particularly surprising as, unlike many Sparty fans, I thought they were ranked a little high and wondered how they were going to replace Suton in the middle.

Honestly, their shooting should improve, and their interior defense will undoubtedly get better.

Carolina is a very good team stacked with a lot of young talent that made for a great early season test for the Spartans.

Only time will tell if they learned their lesson, but hopefully they are quick studies.

Because if they sing that "chorus of clang" as a Christmas carol against No. 2 Texas later in the month, they'll probably be given the hook.

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I Still Like Michigan State Over North Carolina

Paul Swaney — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:50:33 -0500

After watching tonight's Michigan State/North Carolina clash, it may be easy to jump to the conclusion that the Tar Heels have once again demonstrated their superiority over Tom Izzo's squad. Yet, I am still left with the feeling that Michigan State would win a best-of-seven series.

In a performance that conjured images of Villanova's miracle 1985 championship shooting clip of 78.6 percent, North Carolina came out hitting on all cylinders. Led by Larry Drew, Carolina shot nearly 70 percent from the field in the first half, taking a 16-point lead into the locker room.

Michigan State shot 10 percent from three-point range, a performance that is unlikely to be duplicated for the entire remainder of its season. Additionally, Kalin Lucas had a miserable game on the offensive end, scoring a quiet 15 points on 6-17 shooting.

But this is less about re-capping the game, and more about the potential seen out of this athletic Michigan State team. What this team lacks in size, it more than compensates for with its athleticism, shooting, and depth.

Look for Michigan State to trounce a decent Wofford team this Friday, and if there is another re-match against Carolina in March or April, I like the Spartans chances to prevail.

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