Heartbreaking

There are heartbreaking losses, then there are HEARTBREAKING losses. My Golden Grizzlies fell the other night to a good, experienced NDSU team. We basically had the game won, literally. We were playing good defense, we were scoring, we were up 12 with ten minutes left. Then it happened. NDSU went off for a 16-4 run to win the game. Woodside hit a jumper with 3.3 seconds left, Jones had a chance to win it with an NBA 3, but just barely missed. It took me a couple days to write about this loss, because frankly it still hurts. We had the game! We just gave it away. Thats twice in 3 years that we had the Championship locked, a trip to the NCAA's and lost it. If only Oakland would of kept feeding the ball to Benson and Hudson we would be conference Champs. Only if they didn't let tevidt hit a wide open 3 to take the lead would we be champs. UGH! The loss is still painful. I already can't wait till next year. We are going to be even better next with when Derek Nelson coming back. Transfer Larry Wright should fill in nicely in Kangas departure. Only 8 more months till the season starts....

ONE MORE GAME!!!!!

That is it. One more win, and Oakland is in! Tomorrow night 8 Eastern. Oakland will play North Dakota State for the Summit Conference tournament Championship, and a automatic bid to the NCAA tournament!!!! So far Oakland has cruised to its 2 victories, winning by double digits both games. Kangas hurt is ankle yesterday against IPFW, but posted 21 points tonight. Tomorrow should be a hard fought game going to the wire. I am excited, and can't wait to watch this game!! GO GRIZZLIES!!!!!!!

Lions Improving??? And Oakland's chance for the Big Dance.

As the days go by, I'm slowly getting more confidence in Martin Mayhew's ability to turn the Lions around. The Lions are not players for the "big time" free agents, but they are quietly signing good, quality NFL players. Something Mr. Millen could never do at a consistent bases. With that being said, lets take a look at the players that the Lions have Signed.

Grady Jackson. He is a bit old for my liking (37) but he is still a solid NFL player, and an instant upgrade at the DT position. Jackson comes in at 6-2, 345, is a very strong player. He signed a 3 year deal, which I believe is around $8 million. Jackson is not as dominate as a player as he used to, but I have total faith that he will definitely help stop the running, which the Lions could not do last year. Plus, he came from a playoff team last year (Atlanta) and started in 15 games. Instant Upgrade!!

Philip Buchanon. Lions signed him for a two year deal. At 5-11, 186 he comes from, (Hold your breath Lions fans!) Tampa Bay. However, I don't know much about him, but I do know he started in all 16 games last year. He should be an upgrade from the Lions horrible Secondary. I expect him to compete and start when the season starts.

Bryant Johnson. The Lions signed him from San Francisco. He had a lot of potential when drafted in the first round with AZ in 2003. (He was actually drafted before Boldin) However, Johnson has never lived up to his true potential as an NFL wide receiver. He had an OK year with the 49ers last year. Hopefully a change in scenery will do him good in Detroit. He should be a good complimentary receiver for Calvin Johnson. I see him being a number 3 receiver with the potential to be a number 2.

Other notable signings for the Lions are, Eric King, and Maurice Morris. Morris is a good solid back that is a good change of pace back for the Lions, and will be the backup to Kevin Smith.

The Lions traded Jon Kitna to Dallas, for corner Anthony Henry. Getting rid of Kitna was a good thing. He was a pick waiting to happen, and put up good numbers on bad teams, that only wanted to throw the ball.

Mayhew this off-season has brought in 3 DB's. Hopefully these 3 players will help make our secondary much much better, but only time will tell....

Oakland Basketball

This is part of the season that Oakland practices and lives for! The Summit Conference Tournament will start on Saturday. As NDSU will face Centenary, and ORU will face SDSU. Oh, that is my upset special!!! SDSU will knock off ORU, the 3 time defending champion in the first round.

Oakland has the number 3 seed. Oakland finished off the season as the hottest team in the conference. Winning 7 straight, not losing in February, and getting 20 wins for the first time in D-1 history. Nobody wants to play Oakland right now, their defense has improved a lot, and their freshman have really stepped it up. (Maynard and Cushingberry)

Sunday, Oakland will face off IPFW. Oakland beat them twice this year, but this game really, REALLY scares the crap out of me. David Carson is a senior for IPFW. Don't know who he is? Well, he was a freshman on Oakland's squad that went to the NCAA tournament in 2005. He transferred two years later to IPFW. (He couldn't handle being Vova's backup) Anyway Carson is the reason why this game scares me to death. David is a flat out player, and when he plays against Oakland he always puts up monster numbers. IPFW also has a pair of guards that can really shot the 3 ball. If Oakland can contain Carson, and limit his points we should win the game. However if Carson has a monster game, I will expect IPFW to pull off the upset. If Oakland forgets about IPFW's sharpshooters, that can also come back to haunt us. Jones is one of the better defensive players in the league, and he should shut done one of their guards.

In the end I expect Oakland to pull off the victory, but it wont be easy. Actually I am predicting by Tuesday night Oakland will be dancing again!!!!!

Here are my predictions.

First Round

(1) NDSU def. (8)Centenary
(7) SDSU def. (2) ORU
(3) Oakland def. (6) IPFW
(4) IUPUI def. (5) Southern Utah

Second Round

(1) NDSU def. (4) IUPUI
(3) Oakland def. (7) SDSU

Championship Game

(3) Oakland def. (1) NDSU

Tournament MVP-Erik Kangas. He will get his revenge for missing that 3 pointer two years ago that might of put Oakland in the NCAA. The best shooter in the Summit, and one of the best in the nation. Kangas will have a dominate tournament, and will carry Oakland on his back. This is his last rodeo, and he won't let his teammates down!

Congrats to Guards Erik Kangas and Johnathon Jones who were named to All-Summit first team. While Keith Benson was named to All-Summit second team. For more information go to www.ougrizzlies.com

Its Senior Night!

Its the last home game for my fellow seniors at Oakland University. The 3 seniors are Erik Kangas, Dan Waterstradt, and former walk-on Ricky Bieszki. Ricky will be making his first, and last career start tonight. Ricky has not played much in his Oakland Career but I've heard from multiple sources that he is a great teammate and a great practice player. This is rare in today's society. I'm sure he is more important to the team than we think. I really hope these seniors are going to graduate and do great things in their life. I fully expect Kangas to end up playing overseas for a few years. Who knows maybe the NBA one day?

Oakland is not going to Win the regular season crown, in fact they locked up the number 3 seed going into the conference tournament. However, they still have a lot to play for in this last regular season game. Currently Oakland has 19 wins, tied for most in D1 history, if they win today they will get win number 20, first time ever in D1 history. And maybe just maybe a lock to get into a postseason tournament if we fail to make the NCAA. Oakland has yet to lose at home this season. If they win tonight, it will be the first time Oakland has ever in its history finish undefeated at home. So yeah, Oakland has something to play for tonight. Not to mention they have won 6 straight games, and is undefeated in the month of February. We are the hottest team in the Summit League, and peaking at the right time. We are a very dangerous team, and I expect us to make it to the NCAA tournament again. So everyone come out and support our Golden Grizzlies! Today 6 PM at the O'rena!

QUICK THOUGHTS

The Pistons finally won a game! I am still in shock that they managed to beat Orlando. However, I still think it wont be enough, and Pistons will be on the outside looking in, once the playoffs start. Oh, if I were Joe D, I'd cut Rasheed Wallace. He is nothing but a cancer and has no value to the team now.

Dontrelle Willis made is spring debut yesterday against the Blue Jays. The results? Not pretty, the same old Willis as last year. However is defense did make an error behind him so only 2 out of the 4 runs were earned. I wont take to much stock into this game, but I expected better things out of Willis this year, hopefully he can become the pitcher he once was.

Oakland playing good basketball at the right time...

So far in the month of February, Oakland Men's basketball team is undefeated. This past week they had two road games. Lately the guys have been struggling on the road, losing 4 straight on the road. However, Thursday my boys dominated Western Illinois University, then yesterday they had to travel to a small but hostel environment at IUPUI. Again, the guys pulled off the victory, after almost blowing the lead late in the game.

Oakland has been on a roll thanks to our bench. Earlier in the year, our bench was a non factor, especially on the road. However things are starting to change. Freshman Blake Cushingberry came off the bench to score a career high 24 points and hitting 4 threes. Blake has become a more consistent score for Oakland in the month of February. The best part about him, is that he plays solid defense, and he is only a freshman.

Drew Maynard is another freshman that is starting to pick up is pace again. Earlier in the year Maynard was playing very solid, averaging around 8 points a game. However in the month of January, it seemed like Maynard hit a brick wall and you could tell he lost his confidence. He started to pass up open shots, and when he would shoot, it seemed like it didn't really want too. However that changed against IPFW last week. He knocked down 3 threes, and played a very productive game. After that game Drew seems to have is swagger back, and its back to the Drew of old. Drew has not been lighting the world on fire, but he is being productive. If he can average around 7-11 points per game in the tournament, we will be tough to beat.

Over the past couple of years I have been very critical of Dan "the man" Waterstradt. Dan did get hurt against ORU the first go around. The injury seemed to be effecting him the next few games, he was very unproductive, and he couldn't do anything right. Now Dan seems like he is 100% and is playing much better basketball. I have to give Dan is credit. He is playing like he wants an NCAA Bid. He is playing much better defense, and is getting boards when earlier in the year he wouldn't be. He is also starting to produce on the offensive end. Thursday against WIU he scored 10 points. Dan is not much of a scorer, but if he cant get us around 5-6 points a game during the tournament, and play good defense, it will be a bonus.

I believe these 3 guys hold the keys for us in the NCAA tournament. If they can be productive in the conference tournament, and supplement Kangas, Jones, and Benson we wont be stopped. Likewise if these guys fail to show up, we wont make it far in the tournament. Oakland's faith lies with these guys.

Its spring training!!!

Holy cow, spring training has already arrived! Its an exciting time of the year, and the Tigers enter camp with a ton of question marks. I fully expect Verlander to return to form. I think Bonderman will have a break out year. Before you start laughing at me, remember he had a blood clot in his pitching arm. Now that its gone, his arm is going to feel like a million bucks! Break out year!!! I expect 14-17 wins from Edwin Jackson. Miggy is well Miggy. Ordonez is steady as a rock. Curtis Granderson is our spark plus and is only going to get better.

What really worries me is the bullpen. However, I think Dave did a good job in adding pieces to the pen. He didn't go after any big names, but he brought it solid major league pitchers. My surprise pick is going to be Ryan Perry. The Tigers first round draft pick of last year. This guy has a cannon, throws 100 MPH, and is just a stud. I expect him to make the club, and be an impact like Joel Zumaya was in 2006. As for Zumaya, if he can return to form like he did in 2006, and the beginning of 2007, look out!! Seriously if Zumaya, and Perry can produce right away the tigers will be a contender this coming up season. Now, if our new pitching coach can fix Rodney's mental problems, then well, we will win the division.

Speaking of which, the new Tigers pitching coach is Rick Knapp. Never heard of him before? Your not alone. He never has been a pitching coach for a major league team before. However, he was the head pitching coordinator the the Twins Minor league system. Rick knows the ins and outs of pitching like the best of them. He helped bring up all those stud pitchers from Minnesota. Knapp has already found delivery flaws in Verlander, Robertson, and Willis! Rick is going to be a great pitching coach for us, and he is a 100 times better than his predecessor.


Quick Thoughts.

Pistons suck. They have no chemistry, and Joe Dumars is going to do nothing before the trade deadline tomorrow. Big shocker, attendance is crashing worse than the price of gas, and Joe is sitting around doing nothing. If you ask me Joe D is overrated as a GM. I said it before and I'll say it again, don't be shocked if they miss the playoffs.

A source telling Dave Birkett said the Lions have talked to Jeff Backus, about the prospect of moving to guard. He said he was open to the idea. About time I thought. I have been telling myself this a couple years now. At best he is an average left tackle. Being an average tackle in the NFL wont cut it, especially if your covering your quarterback's blind side! Hopefully this means they will go over a tackle in the draft. (Andre Smith!)

Tomorrow night, Oakland University is traveling to Western Illinois for a conference clash. Last time these two teams met, Oakland spanked them by 40! Oakland will look for win number 17, and if they win out they will have 20 wins, the first time in Division 1 history. Oakland Men's and Women's swimming and Diving teams are hosting the conference tournament this Thursday through Saturday. They are a power house, and both teams have beaten Michigan State this year. I believe tickets are free, and if you want to see some great swimming, I recommend going!

Recap on Michigan's recruiting class

Signing day as come and passed. After going 3-9 last year many expected Michigan to have a below average recruiting class coming in, however that is farther from the truth. Depending on the website Michigan ranks from 7th to 15th in this years recruiting class. Even though the recruiting for this year is not over, Michigan is not expected to sign anyone else. However with recruiting, one never knows till its official. Michigan landed some big time prospects that can make significant contributions next year.

Tate Forcier: He may and probably will be the starting the starting Quarterback next year for Michigan. He is the typical duel threat QB that is required to run the spread. He can run the ball, and has some good elusiveness. The best part about Tate is, he can throw, and he is very accurate for a freshman coming in. He wont be some project like Pat White was for West Virginia. Tate is already an established passer as well as a runner. He also enrolled early, so he will get that much needed experience running the offense.

William Campbell: This guy is a BEAST! Will comes in at 6-5 and weighing 317. This guy will be a beast on the D-line. He will probably get major playing time next year, being that the Defensive line is already thin. He can also play on the Offensive line, but right now, he is needed most playing defense. I will be enjoying watching in progress in the next 4 years.

Justin Turner: One of the best players to come from the state of Ohio, in fact he is one of the best safety's in the nation. Turner is very versatile, he can play safety and corner. He can not only play both positions, but he can be a lock down defender playing both! I hope Rich Rod plays him at safety next year. We already have a lousy secondary, and he will only help it. I believe he has a excellent chance of starting. If Justin doesn't start, he will get significant playing time. This kid can be the next great defensive player to come out of Michigan.

Fitzgerald Toussaint: He is a fantastic duel threat running back, a prototype spread back. He is fast, and he is a good pass catcher. He probably will not be in the running for a starting job, since the running back position for Michigan is pretty deep with Brandon Minor, Carlos Brown, and Michael Shaw. I do believe he will get to see the field during the year, most likely playing as a slot receiver. This kid has great potential. I expect him to have a solid career at Michigan, and not be a one and done kid like Sam.

The only thing that Michigan never truly addressed during this recruiting class was the linebacker position. We did land one, but we were not able to land one of the high school elites. Next year I expect Rich Rod to land a couple of stud Linebackers.

Quick Note

I am not surprised about A-rod being busted for steroids. However, how was he the only one singled out, out of over 100 players?! That doesn't make any sense. I think they should release all those names. Plus this was back in 2001-2003, who was not on the roids back then?! I also heard that Bud selig might, MIGHT suspend him for a couple of games?! Seriously Bud, your thinking about suspending A-rod for what he did 6 years ago?! When it was not against the rules to take steroids?! Give me a break, if he ends up getting suspended they need to suspend EVERYONE that got busted in 2003!

One Hell of a week...

Sorry guys for the absence, I've been stressing out over school, test, projects, etc. I'll never take 5 classes again in a semester.

Yesterday Oakland hosted their biggest rival at the moment of Oral Roberts. Oakland had lost it previous two games out in the Dakota's road trip. They could of gone 2-0, for sure 1-1 but they blew the game against South Dakota State. It was huge to see my boys come out with a 81-69 victory over 2nd place Oral Roberts. This shows that Oakland is still alive, and they still have a lot to play for. Hopefully our team will start to click now, since the conference tournament is right down the road. Johnathon Jones might of played his best game ever as a golden grizzlies. He had 17 points, 13 assist and only 2 turnovers. Jones now lead the NCAA in total assist with 171. Kangas, was well Kangas, hitting 5 three's and leading the team with 21 points.

However, the main reason we won the game is due to our bench. The bench came alive tonight thanks to Blake Cushingberry and Dan "the Man" Waterstradt. Blake hit two clutch back to back three's late in the 2nd half when the game was still not decided. This is a huge confidence booster for Blake who has been struggling all year with his shot.

I have been very critical of Dan all year, in fact his whole Oakland career, but I have to give him is due today. He played great all around basketball last night. Hit a couple of three's, played tough hard nose defense, and came up with a couple of big blocks. He was a huge spark for the team last night off the bench. He might of played his best game ever. I really hope Dan can keep this up. If Dan can, we will be a very dangerous team come down the stretch.

Tomorrow Oakland Host Centenery College. This will be Oakland's first ever homecoming event. The game is at 6 PM. Hope you guys will be able to attend. ITS PAY BACK TIME!!

Quick thoughts

Pistons really need to get it together, REAL SOON. If they don't they will be risking a chance of missing the post-season. I don't think they will miss the post season, but with the way the Pistons are playing, I would not be surprised.

Is there a chance the Tigers will land Manny Ramirez? I've heard a couple times that Manny was actually in Detroit meeting with the Tigers. I do not know if this is true or not, but I would love to see Manny in Detroit. The guy can flat out hit. Bring him in, cut ties with Sheffield, that way Carlos Guillen can DH instead of playing out in left. I know Manny is a bad outfielder, but he is better than people think, he has a great arm and is very, very accurate. He would be better than Carlos Guillen.

Where art tho Pistons?

What has happened to our beloved Detroit Pistons. Once one of the more prominent teams in the NBA, now their are fighting to keep a playoff spot. Trading for Allen Iverson was suppose to make us a better team, but obviously that has not worked out. I can't Blame Joe D for pulling that move, because with the team we had going into the regular season, nothing was going to be accomplished. However there is a few things that catch my eye when I watch the Pistons.

We have no low post presence, do not say Rasheed Wallace, because we all know that he lives by the 3 point line, if he would make his presence felt down low, we will be a much better team. I am not asking for him to do it all the time, but do it in spurts! Show me something Sheed, SHOW ME SOMETHING!!!! (The trade rumor, sheed for Elton Brand would be a good deal for the Pistons.)

AI and Rip Hamilton do NOT get along. It is obvious when you see them play together, they have no chemistry whatsoever, and when AI is on the line, RIP never acknowledge his presence. I can't say I blame Rip, he lost is starting job to AI, and his numbers are down, but its no excuse, they are two great players, and they should make each other better, and they are not!

Michael Curry is a horrible head coach. How can he keep a superstar like Iverson on the bench the whole 4th quarter in a game that was close?!?! I can't remember the game but it was last week, yes we lost that game too. Anyway, Curry is way to inconsistent, and he needs to stop changing the starting lineup every other game. Let the players get some chemistry together, and then hopefully results will start to show.

Either way the Pistons are in a lot of trouble. To me this season is a lost cause. Hopefully they will draft a legit big man, and/or get a good player off free agency.

Oakland loses a tough one.

Well my boys lost their first ever game to North Dakota State University, by the score 81-71. I really didn't expect Oakland to win, but when they were up at the half 44-40, I thought they had a real good chance of pulling off the upset. Now we have 4 losses in the Conference, so we can kiss the regular season title goodbye. Oakland can thank themselves for that, losing to teams like Southern Utah, and Centenary, when they have no business of losing too.

Oakland loss is simple, they didn't make shots down the stretch. Kangas hit a 3 to tie the game at 64, with a little over 6 minutes left, but NDSU went on a 13-0 run to seal the victory. Our boys need to regroup and think about tomorrows game at South Dakota State, because they really need that win to maintain their 3rd position in the standings.

Two things really bothered me about the loss, and they are strongly correlated. Lately our starters have been producing all the scoring. We really need our bench to step up and score some more points. If they can't score we wont go far in the Conference Tournament. So Dan "the man" needs to step up as well and Blake Cushingberry. Coach Kampe really needs to play more than 7 people in a game! What is up with that?! Why is Matt Samuels not playing?! Coach needs to give his start players some rest, and stop playing them 38-40 minutes a game! Again if that keeps up, we wont go far. I realize our injury situation, but still 7 players cannot cut it, Samuels needs to play at least 10 minutes in a game.

Alright, I am done complaining about our bench. However tomorrow is a much needed win for our boys! SDSU is a very streaky team, so hopefully we get them on an off night, and not take them lightly.

Lions trying to change their Image.

I would want to too, after going 0-16 and 50 years of futility. I personality, thinks its a good idea. They need to do anything that they can to change their image, and separate the new regime from Matt Millen. Hell, the Lions even hosted a town hall meeting! When did that ever happen? The Lions organization actually wants to listen to their season ticket holders?!?! I almost had a heart attack! The best news about that is that they might change the logo. My first reaction, ABOUT TIME! I believe they should go back to old school uniforms. However, I like the actions of the front staff so far. At first I was pissed when they hired Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand, but when I have time to think about it, and see what they are doing, they might be a good hire, MIGHT. I also liked the fact that Mayhew called out Cory Redding, and telling him he needs to start earning his paycheck, best thing I've heard a Lions GM say in a very long time! I believe this group of guys are committed to the organization, and will actually turn this team around. However, it will probably take them 3 years with the disaster Matt Millen left us.

Can Kangas be stopped?!

Holy Cow, seriously! 8-8-7, those are how many three's Kangas has hit in 3 straight games! Not only is Kangas shooting lights out, he is leading his team to victory! Oakland won all those games, including yesterday at the O'rena with a little over 3,000 people in attendance. Not only did the fans witness a blow out victory (86-46) but they saw Erik Kangas make history, he became the all-time leader in 3 pointers made in Oakland history. Erik you have had one hell of a career at Oakland, but your not finished, I want to see you lead our school into another NCAA tournament birth! With the way Kangas is playing, he seems bound and determined to carry his team to the big dance!

As a team Oakland seems to have finally gelled. They are finally playing good solid defense, and Benson and Hudson have really come on as of late. I love the starting line up of, Kangas, Jones, Benson, Maynard, and Hudson. They are the best players on the team by far, and as a unit they are playing great. As a team they will have a huge test against them this week as they go against both Dakota's schools. I will be happy with a victory, but if we were to pull off both, look out, we will be going dancing!!

Well, the Tigers finally found their closer. Detroit recently sign free agent Brandon Lyon to a one year contract, which is worth $4.25 million. I think this is a really good sign for the Tigers. Seriously, who wants Fernando Rodney closing for us?! I sure as hell don't. We will have a guy that is in his prime of his career, that has experience closing. I will admit he is not the best, and he needs to cut down on hits per innings pitched, but he has the potential to be a really good closer for us. It also helps that he plays in a really good pitchers park. The tigers also signed veteran lefty Scott Williamson. I know the Tigers have very low expectations going into this year, but I believe they will have a great year coming up!

Kangas Bomb!!!!!

Who is Erik Kangas? Well he just might be the best shooter in the nation that no one knows about! Tonight against IUPUI, Kangas helped lead Oakland University to a much need victory. He only shot 8-11 from behind the arc, finishing with 33 points. His last time out Kangas scored 39 points while going 8-13 from behind the arc. I still wonder how a player like Kangas ended up at a Mid-major school, and not playing for the big boys. If Kangas can keep up this hot shooting I expect Oakland to be dancing.

Freshman Drew Maynard had 15 points for OU. Keith Benson had 9 points, 10 boards, and 4 blocks, while Johnathon Jones had 7 points and dished out 10 assists. OU's next game is at home against Western Illinois University, 6 PM at the O'rena. Hopefully you guys will make the trip!

State lost to WHO?!?!

Yeah, I had to do a double take also. I did not watch the game, mainly because of my night class, with a professor that I can barely understand trying to teach us Economics...But Michigan State lost to Northwestern!!!!! Out of all the schools in the Big 10, losing to Northwestern is uncalled for! Northwestern has never made it to the NCAA tournament, EVER! Just when I start to think that the mighty Spartans might make a deep run in this years NCAA tournament, they pull this stunt. Now I have no idea what to think, I suppose it depends on what team shows up for the Spartans. They have a team that can make a serious run for a final 4 bid, or they just might get upset in the first round. Hopefully this was a wake up call for State, and they will play the way they are capable of. I'm still in shock that they lost to Northwestern!!!!! Come on, State won 15 straight conference home games, to have it snapped my Northwestern!! Wow...

The Defensive Coordinators are set.

Both Michigan and the Detroit Lions have hired their new Defensive Coordinators. Michigan hired Greg Robinson, while the Lions hired Gunther Cunningham. Right now I have mixed emotions about both coaches. Both have a lot of history on the defensive side of the ball, but recently both coaches struggled. Robinson was formally the head man at Syracuse, before getting canned this off season. Cunningham had the 2nd worse defense this year, only ahead of Joe Berry and the Lions.

The thing that bothers me most about Cunningham, is that he is old, he has 40 years of coaching experience, and I am hoping that he didn't let the game get ahead of him just yet. However before last year he did have the 13 best defense in the league, its not great, but he was making strides every year prior to this year. Cunningham also had to deal with a bunch of nobody's on the defensive side this year. Hopefully with some talent he will be able to turn the Lions defense around. Did I just say talent?!?! Well, we all know the Lions lack talent on the defensive end, well maybe a TON of talent, but hopefully with the draft we can get some stud players. That is a big hope though. I really wanted a young guy that has fire, passion, and creativity, but maybe next time. Only time will tell if this was a good hire.

Now with Robinson. We all realize that he was a horrible head coach, actually he was brutal, he couldn't so squat with Syracuse, and he is not a very good recruiter. However I am hoping he is the 2nd coming of Dick LeBeau. Robinson has success being a defensive coordinator, winning 2 super bowls with the Denver Broncos. He was also the defensive coordinator at Texas, helping them to a rose bowl win in 2004. (I do not need to say who they beat either). I suppose Robinson cannot get any worse than Michigan's last defensive coordinator, but being mediocre will not cut it at Michigan. Michigan has a ton of talent coming in this year in their recruiting class, including the best recruit out of Michigan, Will Campbell. By far the talent at Michigan will be much better than he had at Syracuse, however he will have to produce, and actually stop teams this year. Or his tenure at Michigan will be short lived, they cannot afford another 3-9 season.

SIDE NOTES

The Detroit Tigers have signed Juan Rincon to a minor league deal, inviting him to spring training. I think this is a great sign for the Tigers. Last year Rincon struggled pitching for the Indians, but Rincon will be reunited with Tigers new pitching coach Rick Knapp. Rincon is only 29 and is still in the prime of his career. During his tenure at Minnesota he was one of the better set-up man for the Twins. However Rincon is not a closer, and the Tigers will not use him as one. Hopefully Juan can have a bounce back season and pitch like he used to for Minnesota.

Oakland University Men's basketball has a home game tomorrow against in conference rival IUPUI. The game will be on FSN Detroit. I recommend that people try to make the trip to Rochester, (only $5 for a ticket) or watch the game on TV. I know many people for Southeast Michigan doesn't know much about OU basketball, but they have a good team, and a program on the rise. Oakland is led by Junior point Guard Johnathon Jones and Senior Guard Erik Kangas. JJ is second on the team in scoring, averaging 14.3 PPG while also posting 6.1 APG. While Kangas leads the team in scoring with 17.8 PPG, and sporting a 39.5% from 3 range. Kangas is a deadly shooter, last time out against IPFW he scored 39 points while hitting 8-13 from behind the arc. Hopefully my boys will pull off another victory!

Pistons Head Man

Good Ole Michael Curry. He did exactly what Flip Saunders did, but faster, he lost the team. The Detroit Pistons lost 5 in a row, before their victory to a bad Memphis team, which was not an easy win for them either. You guys can complain about Allen Iverson, and how you wish we didn't make this trade, but it comes down to coaching. Curry can't cut it. He was a solid NBA player, and a good Assistant coach, to whom players could run to him for comfort. However, for being a head coach, he is lousy. I would take Flip back any day!

Curry is scared to step up to the big boys, and tell them they are coming off the bench. I bet Curry wish he could take back that statement when he said Rip Hamilton or AI is coming off the bench when Rip gets healthy. Well both of them said they were not coming off the bench, and instead of Curry stepping up like a head coach is suppose to be, he backed down like a coward. Now the players will do whatever they want whenever they want, just like the Saunders era.

I am sick of the pistons horrible play, and Curry needs to step up if this team is going anywhere. If I were him I'd make Rip come off the bench, because AI and Rodney Stuckey have good chemistry playing together. Then I'd tell Sheed to stop shooting all these 3's and play down in the post like a good big man is suppose to. However, I realize that this will never happen, and I will predict that the Pistons will be knocked out early in the post-season. Oh well I can dream like my fellow Piston fans. Good night Detroit.

The Super Bowl is set!

How about those Cards! I'd be the first to admit that I didn't give them a chance to go to the super bowl, and some how they have done it. Plan and simple, Warner is playing great and Larry Fitzgerald is hands down THE BEST RECEIVER IN THE NFL!!!! They showed a ton of heart after blowing that huge lead to come back and take the lead late in the game. I'll be rooting for those red birds, now its only the Lions and Cleveland Browns to never make the Super Bowl. Good luck Cards.

And now for Pittsburgh. They have one hell of a defense. I was hoping the Ravens could come back and win it, but Flacco made a rookie mistake and threw a pick 6. Overall it was a great game, but seriously these refs need to wake up. They made some horrible calls, I mean horrible!!! How can you call a guy for a roughing the kicker when the kicker landed on him!!!! TOTAL BS!!! Good thing it didn't cost the Ravens any points.

And for big Ben, he is just an average QB, I am sick of all the talk of how good he is, seriously people WAKE UP!!! Jim Natz telling us how great of a pass he made, throwing of his back foot for a TD, made me want to vomit. MEMO to Jim, he threw a pass that was across his body, and across the field (AKA throwing a duck), he was sooooo lucky he didn't get picked off, the only reason why he didn't, becuase the defensive player slipped and overran the ball!! Alright I am doing venting. PEACE!

First Post!

Well, here it is my first post ever. The main reason why I started this blog is to meet people that love their Detroit Sports as much as I do. I mean I love my Detroit pro teams. At this moment I am watching the Pitt, Ravens game, and I keep dreaming about the Lions. One day, I promise all of you one day it will happen.

Anyway before I get anymore off topic let me tell you some stuff about me. Right now I will be my name anonymous, just cause I think it will be interesting. Anyway I am a senior at Oakland University. I am a huge OU basketball supporter and I try to go to all their home games if work and school allows it. You guys should really watch their games, its great basketball, we have a good team, the cheapest seat is $5, and there is not a bad seat in the house!

Baseball is my number 1 sport. I played it my whole life, and in the summer and fall I play in softball leagues. I also enjoy football and basketball. I am not a huge hockey fan, but I do follow it, and when the postseason comes around I will start to follow the Wings.

I should warn you guys right now, that I speak the truth, or the way I see it. If I'm mad about something I will call it like I see it. If someone needs to get cut, or get fired I will say it. I will not try to offend any of you guys, just remember it is my opionion, and I dont have ties to anyone.

Plain and simple I love sports, and I Truely believe that us, Detroit has the best fans in the word. I hope you guys will follow along with my post and enjoy the read. Also feel free to comment, I do enjoy the feedback.

PS. I will not strictly talk about Detroit sports, and our local Universities, but of course I will have input of big games around the US.