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The Wayne Fontes Experience
The Wayne Fontes Experience is a weblog featuring my uninformed, snarky, and completely biased blathering on Detroit sports. You may see the occasional pop culture rant and some lame attempts at humor, but mostly sports. I do ask readers to remember one thing..."In Detroit, you're with us, or we hate you."
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A quick posting update
2008-07-05 15:00:00
Due to my being a total dumb ass, and running some bad software, I had a MASSIVE computer crash this morning. By massive, I'm talking about FUBARing my brand spanking new, one week old PC so badly, I was unable to boot into Windows. I ended up having to wipe the hard drive, and do a fresh install of Vista.
Talk about your worst nightmare. Way to go, Big Al!
The situation was exacerbated by my internet being down till 3pm (I'm paying those robber barons at Charter entirely too much money for the service they give), which left me unable to do any kind of Windows update, re-downloading software/extensions/bookmarks, re-setting up my network and file sharing...Well, you know the drill.
At least most of my stuff was backed up and/or still installed on my older PC. So I didn't lose all that much in info, just my time. But it's been a pain in the proverbial ass fixing my mess.
Anyway, long story short, in getting my PC back to where is was as of last night (running fine and d ...
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Happy Independence Day, everyone!
2008-07-04 17:19:00
In honor of July 4th, here's the best rendition of the Star Spangled Banner I've ever heard. Marvin Gaye's bringing down the house at the 1983 NBA All-Star game.
RIP Marvin...
Enjoy the holiday, folks.
...
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Answering the Detroit Tigers burning questions: I hate the Baggiedome edition
2008-07-02 19:50:00
It's burning questions time, kids! Let's roll tape...or something lile that...
So the Tigers lost 2 of 3 to the Minnesota Twins, falling to 42-42 for the season. A sign of trouble, or a momentary speed bump?
Not that I normally answer a question with another question, but after winning 6 consecutive series, don't you think the Tigers were due for a bump in the road? They weren't going to continue playing .800 ball, it's an impossibility. (Though the Red Wings might challenge that thought thanks to their recent signings...HOSSA! WOOOO! Dude, get back to the subject at hand, huh? You have plenty of time to talk Wings.)
Compound the Tigers being due for a fall with the fact they rarely play well, let alone win, in that farce of a stadium called the Baggie/Hefty/Homer/Horrodome, I expected them to lose. The Tigers did manage to win a game in Minnesota, always a tough place to play, and that's fine by me. I've seen far too many weird and awful things happen to the Tigers in Minnesota t ...
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That sound you just heard?
2008-07-02 12:22:00
It was from jaws hitting the floor all across NHL-land (including mine) when the news broke that the Red Wings signed Marian Hossa to a 1 year (!), $7.4 million deal. So much for waiting too see what 2nd-3rd line forwards would be left after the early free agent rush.
All I can say is...WOW! I thought the Wings would get a forward, but the 5 time All Star Hossa? Not in my wildest dreams did I expect such an impact signing. Even better, the Hossa deal being for such a short term, it should still allow the Wings to sign Z and The Mule to long-term extensions. They get the best of both worlds, signing an All Star quality forward without having to lose their homegrown stars. It's a neat trick, when you can pull it off. In other words, Ken Holland pwns even Harry Houdini.
Damn, they have to be crushed in Pittsburgh. First the Wings sign Penguins back up goalie Ty Conklin (a very nice signing, by the way), now Hossa? I think we can add the Pengiuns fanbase to the ever growing list (l ...
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RIP "Michigan Replay." You will not be missed
2008-07-01 13:57:00
Word came today that Rich Rodriguez was changing another long standing Michigan tradition. That being the elimination of the 33 year old Sunday coaches show, "Michigan Replay." Rather than a weekend review show, RichRod will have some sort of mid-week preview show.
All I can can say is...it's about God damn time.
"Michigan Replay" was, much like the football program itself, an anachronism. A product of another time and place that has long passed by. When fans were lucky to see Michigan 2-3 times on TV a season, and Bo Schembechler ruled Wolverines football with an iron fist, the existence of "Michigan Replay" made perfect sense. But in the 21st century, with highlights, commentary and news available 7/24/365, it made no sense.Coaches shows are a waste of time for both the coaches and the fans, a Mickey Mouse Sunday morning highlights/review show even more so.
The vast majority of coaches shows usually have lower production qualities than cable public access. The coaches NEVER say an ...
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Brad Stuart remains a Red Wing, the rest of the NHL slaps themselves in the forehead, says "D'oh!"
2008-07-01 12:04:00
The Red Wings continue to make all the right moves, do all the right things, sign all the right players. The latest example of their efficiency is the just announced signing of Brad Stuart to a 4 year deal @ $3.75 million a season. Considering Stuart was likely to be offered $4 million plus on the open market, locking him up for 4 seasons, getting a hometown discount in the process, is quite the coup. Actually, it'd be a coup for most frnachises. For the Wings? It's just standard operating procedure.
4 more seasons of Stuart? I can live with it...
Losing Stuart would have left a huge hole to fill on the blue line, as he was damned impressive as part of the second pairing during the playoffs. His laying out the NHL's Golden Child in the cup clincher, causing Sidney Crosby to see little winged wheels and cookoo birds circling his head, was one of the more memorable playoff highlights. That's not even bringing up some of the big time goals Stuart scored against the Pengiuns.In o ...
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We bid adieu to small ball, double switches, and sure wins. Say goodbye to the National League for another year
2008-06-30 15:48:00
It's been a damn successful few weeks for the Tigers, to say the very least. They finished their run 'round the National League with a 13-5 record, their season record over .500 and find themselves back in the AL Central race. Not bad, huh?
As the Tigers won't face MLB's JV squads for another year, it's worth looking back and asking, "what have we learned?"
1. The Tigers are actually a pretty good baseball team. Too bad it took half a season for them to realize it.
2. They could/should be even better than they are, save for injury. Ordonez, Willis, Bonderman, Rodney, Zumaya, Sheffield, Inge, Granderson, they have all missed/are missing significant amounts of playing time thanks to extended stints on the DL. Any team in baseball would have trouble winning conisitently with that amount of walking wounded.
3. Detroit's farm system wasn't quite as barren as we originally believed. Armando Galarraga, Eddie Bonine, Clete Thomas, Fredie Dolsi, Matt Joyce, Casey Fossum, Dane Sardin ...
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Why did the Pistons even bother show up for the draft?
2008-06-26 22:49:00
Walter Sharpe and Trent Plaisted? Who? What? Huh?
So the Pistons traded out of the 1st round, and drafted a narcoleptic who bounced around the NCAA and a Mormon. You can call me underwhelmed. You can call me Ishmael. You can call me a cab. You can call me anything but impressed. Tonight was a total waste of time for Pistons fans.
With the 29th pick overall, I honestly wasn't expecting much from this draft. But I was expecting something. But a reach and a stiff? That's nothing.
Other than saving themselves from having to shell out a 3 year guaranteed contract (Which never hurts), the Pistons got absolutely no help for the '08-'09 season from this draft. In fact, I believe it's safe to say they got no help for the '09-'10 season as well.
Plaisted is whiter than I am, and I'm as white bread as can be.
He's BLINDINGLY white...
Sharpe's college days...
The Pistons ended up getting a couple of D-leaguers who have absolutely no chance in Heaven or Hell of contributin ...
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Gary Sheffield has something in common with Mark Twain
2008-06-26 20:40:00
That being the reports of Sheffield's demise, just as Samuel Clemens', were greatly exaggerated.
Since his return from the DL, Sheff has been an offensive force of nature, a masher of prodigious proportions, and the reason the Tigers took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals.
A .462 BA, 2 home runs, game winning and tying hits the last 2 days shows he is once again healthy. Small sample size, I know. But this is the weapon I expected to see this season, much in the way Sheffield's bat carried the Tigers from May through July in '07.
Sheffield to Cardinals pitching:
"See those left field seats? I'm taking your poor ass shit deep!"
Seeing a pain free Sheffield rake has you wondering why the Tigers waited so long before placing him on the DL. Before he FINALLY went on the disabled list in late May, it had gotten to the point you could predict Sheffield's at bats. A 10 hopper to the left side of the infield had become his M.O. When the Tigers needed a big hit, Sheff would hit into a big double pl ...
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Answering the Detroit Tigers burning questions: The Tigers should join the NL edition
2008-06-24 15:45:00
After a successful 4-2 west coast swing (one that could have been 6-0, save for a pair of Fernando Rodney 8th inning implosions), the Tigers are back home to finish off interleague play against St Louis and Colorado.In winning 8 of their last 10, and 12 of their last 15, the Tigers find themselves only 3 games under .500, a mere 5 games back in the Central, and for all intents and purposes, back in the division race. My saying the season was over 2 weeks ago sure looks silly now, huh?Let's answer some burning questions before the fire goes out, shall we?Gary Sheffield is being recalled from his minor league rehab, even though he only went 2-13 during his minor league stint. Are you good, bad, or indifferent about Sheffield's return?I'm good with this, with one large caveat. Sheffield's shoulder best be totally and unquestionably healthy. Otherwise it'll be just more of the same. I've seen enough of those weak ground balls to the left side of the infield.When healthy, Sheffield is, by f ...
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Talking Tigers: 5th starters, position changes and The Hammer
2008-06-18 22:14:00
As the Detroit News' baseball columnist, Lynn Henning, no longer does his burning questions bit, he left me in the lurch! But that hasn't stopped him from doing a similar style column today, done in a long form format. He's left an opening for a rebuttal! Let's see how far I can "rebut," shall we?What to do about a fifth starter...The Tigers' front office made the anti-climatic announcement today, Jeremy Bonderman is out for the season. Thus, the Tigers are officially looking for a 5th starter.Henning, as he is often wont to do, picks a bullpen pitcher to champion. In this case, it's Chad Durbin Casey Fossum. It's almost as if Henning has dug up one his "Bench Kenny Rogers and make Chad Durbin the 5th starter" columns, and just replaced the particulars.I'm still not sure why left-hander Casey Fossum isn't getting a look. He is 30 years old with seven big league seasons in his rearview mirror. He is a left-hander. He pitched -- and started -- during a splendid spring at Triple-A Toledo. ...
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Answering the Detroit Tigers burning questions: NL baseball is a soul sucking endeavour edition
2008-06-17 20:34:00
As it's been a couple of weeks since the last round of burning questions, and the Tigers are showing signs of life, and could be turning their season around...Let's light this candle...When it was announced Jeremy Bonderman was out for the season, you said the Tigers' "season was over." They then went out and won 6 straight games, looking to all the world like the team we thought they were the darlings of the off season. Have you changed your mind about writing off the Tigers, Mr. Chicken Little?Honestly, I never should have said it to begin with, as saying something so absolute goes against my normal "Let's not panic" attitude.When the Tigers opened the season so horribly, and damn near every Tigers fan was wanting to break up the team and fire Jim Leyland, pronto, I tried to not go off the deep end. Here's what I said about the Tigers on April 9th.If they are struggling by the time the All-Star game rolls around, double digits back of 1st place, I'd feel safe in writing them off. But ...
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I apolgize...
2008-06-16 21:08:00
Well, I'm back!I was only going to take a day or two away from blogging, and it turned into a week.First off, I wanted to thank those who touched base with me over the past few days, concerned over my disappearing from the web without much of a trace. It's noce to know you're missed... I also want to apologize to you readers, who come by every day, Hell or high water. I should have let you know I was not going to be writing for a week. You deserve better, and I'm sorry.As for why I dropped out of the loop, and took some time away from the blog? There were a couple of reasons.One, I felt a little burned out on blogging, and to an extent, sports. I wasn't enjoying writing, which is really saying something. Add that to my belief that some of my recent posts weren't as good as they should, or could, be, it was apparent I needed to step away from the PC. So I did, post haste. I didn't stop watching sports, as I've been glued to the Tigers' recent surge, kept one eye on the NBA Finals and w ...
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Answering the Detroit Tigers burning questions: Steve Blass Disease edition
2008-06-10 00:00:00
As Dontrelle Willis went down in spectacular flames in his latest start, not getting out of the 2nd inning, I felt the need to do a quick round of burning questions. Shoot, we all have them after the D-Train was D-Railed, D-Stroyed and D-Feated.Dontrelle Willis' pitching line against the Indians:1.1 IP, 3 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 5 BB, 2 HR, 2 SO, Pitches-Strikes 64-27.After this latest debacle, Willis has pitched 11.1 innings this season, and has walked 22 batters. 2 an inning? What the Hell?What the Hell, indeed. Willis' outing against the Tribe was one of the ugliest you'll ever see from a starting pitcher. Willis couldn't find the plate with...Screw it, I'm out of comparisons. Willis couldn't find the plate, period. When he did somehow get a ball near the strike zone, it was a grooved meatball over the heart of the plate the Indians crushed.If it wasn't so sad, it would be...No, it's just sad.To watch such a nice guy, a pitcher who is a credit to the game of baseball, lose the ability to thro ...
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Answering the Detroit Tigers burning questions: The Tigers are at a crossroads edition
2008-06-09 16:06:00
With the first place Chicago White Sox coming to town for 3 games, and my saying this season is toast over the weekend, it's a good time for another round of burning questions...Al, last Saturday you went all dramatic, full of doom and gloom, and claimed the season was over, then the Tigers end up taking 2 of 3 from the Tribe this weekend. Still feel the same way?As of today, Monday, June 9th, 2008, I sure do. (Of course, as your typical knee-jerk, reactionary blogger, I do reserve the right to change my mind.)Sure, the 2 wins, one in the Tigers last at-bat, and the other a possible coming out party for Freddie Dolsi, were nice, and desperately needed. But the Tigers still have to leapfrog 3 teams in the Central, are still 10 games back of the White Sox, have a .419 winning percentage, and are 10 games under .500. The Tigers have a long way to go before I can buy into the idea they can salvage their season.Think about it. General consensus is the Tigers need to win at least 90 games t ...
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The season is over...But I'm not talking about the Red Wings
2008-06-07 13:30:00
I'm here not to praise the Detroit Tigers, but to bury their sorry asses.Be honest, you know it's true...I was going to wait for the end of this 10 game homestand before I made any decision about the Tigers' chances for salvaging something, anything, from the 2008 season. It's entirely possible they could run off a long winning streak. Anything's possible, right?Even after last night, another game where the Tigers' offense was M.I.A., giving Justin Verlander no support in losing to the Tribe, dropping to 10 gamers back in the division, and 12 games under .500, I was going to withhold judgment for at least another week. Despite how bad they may be playing, there's no sense of being overly rash on June 7th, 2008. I wasn't going to write the Tigers off with 4 months left in the season.Then I saw the following headline from Billfer pop up in my Twitter feed...Jeremy Bonderman out for seasonJeremy Bonderman is officially out for the season due to circulatory problems in his shoulder.Bonderm ...
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Z, Ozzie, Babcock's hair and other post Stanley Cup thoughts
2008-06-05 15:18:00
1. Last night cemented in my mind, once and for all, who's the best player in the NHL. Henrik Zetterberg is the best human hockey player in the world, Savior Sid be damned. (Excluding Nick Lidstrom, of course. He's scarily inhuman in his effectiveness.) Hockey is a two way game, and Sidney Crosby is still a one way player. You can never say that about Zetterberg. (Or most any Red Wing forward, for that matter.)When the Wings needed to kill a 5 on 3, Z was the one Wings forward on the ice. Whenever the Penguins were on the penalty kill, any kill, Crosby was comfortably ensconced on the bench. I think that says it all.When a game/series/title is on the line, your best players have to be on the ice as much as possible. Zetterberg, and this goes for Pavel Datsuyk as well, can be used on the ice at any time, in any situation. Even the great Steve Yzerman had to learn to be a two way player, as did the Wings' wonder twins. Once Crosby learns that, the NHL best look out...2. I've read that so ...
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Thank you Red Wings
2008-06-04 23:20:00
You embody everything that's good about Detroit. The Stanley Cup is back home. Way to go, gentlemen. Way to go.
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Go Wings!
2008-06-04 16:37:00
Don't expect much in the way of posting today.I'd like to get my thoughts out there on the Wings (Go Wings!), Tigers (What the HELL?) and Pistons (What to do?), but I'm too God damn exhausted. I had to drag my gimpy ass all around SE Michigan getting my groceries, shopping and errands done for the month today, then put it all away. When you have arthritis, believe me, it's a freaking chore! Now I have to make dinner, and to be honest, I don't feel like it. I don't feel like doing much of anything. Anyway, enough bitching and moaning from the gimp...So I'm going to chill for a few hours till game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals starts. So if I do end up posting, it'll most likely pretty late, once the cup has been won...I hope.
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Another Pistons coach gets the ziggy: The Flip Saunders era is over
2008-06-03 10:17:00
Mlive has a short paragraph up from A. Sherrod Blakely stating Flip was considered a flop. He's out. According to a breaking news email from WDFN, a presser is scheduled for 2PM. But the more stunning news is who will be his replacement...It's official now.The Pistons have fired Flip Saunders after three seasons in which he led the team to the Eastern Conference finals.No replacement has been named, but a press conference announcing Michael Curry as the new coach is expected sometime this week. (Big Al: bold is my emphasis)Michael Curry? The former Piston who has played with many of the core? The same Curry WHO HAS NO HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE?I've rarely questioned anything Joe Dumars has done, especially when it comes to coaches. But hiring Curry, who has next to no coaching experience (1 year as a Pistons assistant), let alone head coaching experience, seems like a massive leap of faith on Dumars' part. Massive.I'm not surprised, or even close to upset, Saunders is gone. I'm fine wi ...
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34.7 damn seconds...
2008-06-03 00:33:00
Detroit was only 34.7 God damn seconds away from winning the Stanley Cup. 34.7! Now there's a game 6 back in Pittsburgh. Unbelievable.This was your typical Red Wings playoff loss. Out shoot, out hit and out play the opposition, dominate in almost every damn phase of the game, save for one. On the scoreboard. Oh yeah, some acrobat named Fleury should get some credit as well. Hell, give Fleury all the credit. Without him in net, the Wings are drinking from the Stanley Cup 2 hours ago.The players were getting sloppier and the ice was getting worse by the OT, so you knew a game going this long would end on someone's mistake. I was just hoping the killer mistake wouldn't be made by someone on the Red Wings.Unfortunately it was, one Jiri Hudler.His silly, accidental double minor high stick early in the 3rd OT was the game right there. No way could you expect the Wings to kill 4 minutes... Hell, they could only kill a few seconds.Kudos to the Penguins for their herculean effort. They live ...
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Do this long-time Red Wings fan a favor - Do NOT take this team for granted!
2008-06-02 19:07:00
I've been trying do come up with a post about the Red Wings chances of taking the Stanley Cup tonight. I don't want to come off as this game being fait accompli, as I'm sure the Penguins would have something to say about it. God forbid I jinx the the Wings.So rather than talk about the game, I'm just going to say something to Wings fans. Enjoy this run of sustained excellence. Do NOT take this team for granted, as we often have a tendency to do.I know many fans tend to believe the Red Wings' being one of the best teams in the NHL is a God given right. Many of you younger fans have never known the Red Wings to be anything other than a class organization where nothing short of the Stanley Cup is a serious disappointment.I want to remind you it wasn't always that way.As someone who's been around long enough to remember the "Darkness with Harkness" years of the 70's and the "The Dead Things" era which lasted well into the 80's, there was a time where even the thought of the Wings being con ...
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I don't care, and you can't make me!
2008-06-02 15:50:00
There's a few things in sports that seem to be hot ass topics, but I couldn't give 2 shits about. You realize that means I have to give my opinion on said topics, right?Mixed martial arts on CBS: Hard to believe CBS, a network whose demo is even older than me, was the broadcast outlet for something that skews so damn young. I didn't see the Elite XC show because I was at a benefit Saturday, and the only TV there was tuned to, obviously, the Red Wings.(Note from Big Al: Not that I was able to watch much of the Wings game either, as the alcohol was flowing and the bullshit was being slung as I was talking to friends I hadn't seen in quite some time. I finally got to see "The Kill" or "The Shift" //I've seen both used in regard to Hank Zetterburg's Conn Smythe worthy 5 on 3 penalty kill// Sunday morning. All I can say is...WOW! But I digress...)To be honest, I had totally forgotten MMA was making it's mainstream TV debut this past weekend. But from reading the blogosphere the last few day ...
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Is Nate Robertson soon to be on the block?
2008-05-30 16:28:00
Jayson Stark claims in his latest "Rumblings and grumblings" column the Tigers are telling teams "they might have a left-hander available in a few weeks." As Stark notes, the available left hander sure wouldn't be Kenny Rogers or Dontrelle Willis. The Gambler won't be traded for obvious reasons (age, only on a 1 year deal, would likely retire if dealt), and the D-Train's control issues, let alone his expensive multi-year contract, make him essentially untradable.Thus, if you do the math, Nate Robertson is the unnamed left hander on the trading block. Why would the Tigers think about trading someone they signed to a multi-year contract just this past off season? There could be a few reasons...1. The Tigers believe Armando Galarraga is the real deal. To me me, this seems like a big jump to make, as Galarraga has never been this good. Do you believe the small sample size of 8 2008 starts, or his past track record of mediocrity? To trade one of your starters because Galarraga is on a hot s ...
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Pens win, Wings regroup, a loss is not a big deal
2008-05-28 22:40:00
If there was a game the Wings were going to lose, the 1st game back in Pittsburgh was it. Crosby had a great game, his best of the series so far, and led his team to a win, 3-2. The Pens were a DESPERATE team playing a must win game, and played like it. Kudos to them. All I can say about the Red Wings loss is it took the Penguins best performance to beat a Wings team that didn't play anywhere near it's best. Especially in the 1st, and for much of the 2nd, periods. The Red Wings dominated the 3rd, and made one Hell of a game out of it. It was a marvelous to watch 3rd period, so at least NBC, the CBC, and the rest of North America will be happy.On he plus side, a loss will give Mike Babcock a chance to shake up the lineup a little. I'm NOT comfortable with Lilja in the lineup. Never have been, never will be. I want to see Chelios play Saturday night.The bigger concern than the loss is the health of Holmstrom. Jesus, Homer takes abuse in front of the net. His helmet was off half the time ...
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Answering the Detroit Tigers burning questions: Panic in Detroit edition
2008-05-28 15:00:00
The Tigers are another losing streak, have just lost a pair of gut punch games and are still in last place. Sounds like a good time for a round of burning questions...We've been witness to 2 consecutive walk off losses for the Tigers, dropping them to 10 games under .500. The last few nights sure sucked, haven't they? It's the worst I've felt about the Tigers since their pitchers were throwing the ball all over the good earth in the 2006 World Series. But at least that implosion was happening in the WORLD SERIES. Those heady days sure feel as if it's been longer than only a season and a half ago.I know I've asked this before, but it's worth asking again. Is there anything the Tigers can do?Not a damn thing. This is our Detroit Tigers, an older team saddled with mostly untradable long-term contracts, for better or for worse. We've seen little in the way of better, and as bad as the season has gone, I doubt we've seen the worst.Worse than this?Let's not forget the Tigers are on the firs ...
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Denial is a river running through Pittsburgh
2008-05-27 14:11:00
In some sadly deluded circles, a goalie diving (Yes, Osgood did embellish being hit. In fact, Pens fans seem to be forgetting ALL goalies flop like dying fish) is much more despicable act than sucker punching a player recovering from a concussion in the head...twice.I'm guessing Pens fans would also believe the following...Sidney Crosby saying the Penguins had more quality scoring chances than the Wings.This was NOT a quality scoring opportunity in Crosby's world...It's Crosby's God given right to win the Stanley Cup, as Bettman deems it in the NHL's best interest.That Bettman actually has a clue.Michel Therrien claiming the biggest reason his team isn't scoring is due to the Wings getting away with obstruction.The east plays a better brand of hockey than the west.Don Cherry is to be taken seriously, and he's not a clueless xenophobe who would rather brown nose Crosby than ever deign to praise one of the Wings' Europeans.Cheap shot goonery is an appropriate response to being dominated ...
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3 quick thoughts on the Pistsons
2008-05-23 15:58:00
1. When the Pistons beat the Celtics, a team I despise as much, if not more so, as the University of Ohio State (God, I love Terrelle Pryor for that) and the Colorado Avalanche, all is right in the world. When the Pistons beat the Celtics in the playoffs, in whatever they call the new Boston Gah-den, all is even better in the world.You have to admit, last night's Pistons win was once of their more entertaining playoff games in ages, especially for an Eastern conference matchup. Even as Pistons fans, we've suffered through some extremely painful to watch playoff games. You know, the sort that turned the rest of NBA fandom against the Pistons and Spurs, those first team to 70 wins defensive slugfests.For the Pistons to win in the playoffs scoring more than 100 points, and Boston scoring more than 95, yet it still be considered a good defensive performance...well, when was the last time that happened?I think we're in for some very entertaining hoops this holiday weekend...2. I blasted th ...
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Answering Jayson Stark's Detroit Tigers rumblings & grumblings: 4 questions that won't go away edition
2008-05-22 21:40:00
Mike pointed me towards Jayson Stark's latest "Rumblings & Grumblings" column at the 4 letter, as he talks Tigers within. Stark brings up 4 questions that not only we Tigers fans have been asking, but those around the nation as well. I can't say much for his answers, as they are on the flippant side, so I'll give it a shot...Q: Why aren't they playing Brandon Inge at third, considering what a massive defensive upgrade he is over either Carlos Guillen or Miguel Cabrera?Stark: Sheffield's presence in the DH hole makes that impossible.Big Al: Short answer? Inge is hitting all of .233. (Thanks to 3 hits over the past 2 games, raising his average from .221) That's why.Long answer? This is a bigger issue than Sheffield's presence blocking the Tigers' maneuverability. Though it hasn't helped...I'm fine with Inge playing 3rd as a late inning replacement, or to rest Carlos Guillen. But Inge is also a career .240 hitter whose power stats have been steadily tracking down since his big 2006 se ...
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Tigers batting stances through history: The best thing you'll see all day!
2008-05-22 12:10:00
Meet You Tube's Batting Stance Guy. His channel is nothing but batting stances. Seriously.Here's his take on Detroit Tigers past and present...He does damn well, I have to admit I giggled through the whole thing. Batting Stance Guy has it all down, from Placido Ploanco's flipping the bat back and forth to Sweet Lou Whitaker's flexing his back before stepping into the box. I have only one issue. Johnny B. Wockenfuss' stance was not nearly closed enough!Just another reason why the internet is a wonderful thing...
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