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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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No Kitna, still O'Sullivan - Detroit Lions 3rd quarter thoughts
2007-09-17 00:25:00
Lions with the ball to start the 2nd half. O'Sullivan gets off to an inauspicious start, by hitting a Viking linebacker right in the hands with his 1st pass. Good thing it was a linebacker, as he dropped a sure pick.On 3rd and long, O'Sullivan throws a home run ball deep down the middle for Calvin Johnson, and it's picked by Sharper! O'Sullivan is no Kitna, to say the very least. Well, it worked like a decent punt...And Jackson gives it right back, a floater down the middle of the field is picked by the rookie defensive back, Gerald Alexander! He takes it into Vikings territory! Credit that pick to Dewayne White, thanks to HEAVY pressure he put on Jackson.But after a run for no gain, and a sack, it's 3rd and long for the Lions... O'Sullivan throws it deep downfield! To no one... Shit! Whoa.. Not so fast! Roughing the passer on the Vikings, the Lions get ANOTHER break!Now the Lions have another 3rd and long. Bell breaks an ankle tackle on a swing pass, and converts a 1st down! Nice play ...
Detroit
Detroit Lions
Lions
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Kitna's hurt, it's JT What's-His-Name's team now - Detroit Lions 2nd quarter thoughts
2007-09-16 23:43:00
To open the 2nd quarter, Jackson throws a moonball down the sideline, and it's a Keith Smith pick! Just an awful pass by Jackson. Actually, it was a very bad pass, but it was quite a nice punt. Small favors if you are a Vikings fan.After the pick, you can add Calvin Johnson to the receiving parade, then Brian Calhoun, as Kitna is 2-2 in the 2nd quarter. Kitna is well on his way to another 300+ yard passing game.Super genius Mike Martz is pulling out all the stops, calling a Williams end around that goes for a 1st down. Detroit is moving the ball at will, between the 20's, anyway.The Lions are in the red zone again, let's see if they can put points on the board. Whoa! Kitna absolutely threads the needle between 2 Vikings, and Roy Williams hangs on for the 9 yard TD pass! I thought it was broken up, and so did FOX's Matt Vasagerian. Williams fooled us all...With the kick by the Lions offensive MVP Jason Hanson, it's 7-0 good guys.But the Vikings' Troy Williamson takes the kickoff, and r ...
Detroit
Detroit Lions
Lions
Team
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Stupid QB play will drive you crazy - Detroit Lions 1st quarter thoughts
2007-09-16 22:42:00
To open the game, the Vikings efficiently drove down the field, in much the same way the Raiders did last Sunday, with a mixture of Adrian Peterson runs and short passes. But with 3rd and short inside Detroit's 25, Tarvaris Jackson tries to force a silly pass into a crowd of Lions, and Shaun Cody executes the tip drill to perfection, picking off the deflected pass at the 20.That turnover was ALL on Jackson. It was almost Kitna-esque.The Lions have abandoned the running game altogether to start the game. Kitna throwing all over the field, leading the Lions into the red zone.But once again, same as last week, Kitna throws an ugly end zone pick on the opening drive. With all kinds of time, Kitna throws towards a totally covered Roy Williams. The Vikes Darren Sharper walks the tight rope, making a nice play for the pick.Truly a Kitna-esque play...Sgt. Marinelli then compounds the stupidity by challenging the play, though the 1st replay FOX runs shows Sharper getting both feet in bounds. Ca ...
Detroit
Detroit Lions
Drive
Lions
Stupid
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Answering the Detroit Lions "Burning questions" - Weekend edition
2007-09-16 07:45:00
Theres a new fishwrap columnist joining us for our Detroit Lions burning questions exercise this weekend, the Detroit News' Terry Foster. I guess Mike O'Hara had better things to do, like actually cover the team.Nevertheless, Foster brings the fiery third degree, covering such issues as Bill Belichick, the Lions struggling to sell out, why the Vikings have dominated the Lions over the years, Kevin Jones and his gimpy foot.Let's copy and paste, then answer some red hot questions!Burning questions as the Lions prepare to open the home season Sunday against the Vikings Q: What did you think of the NFL punishment levied toward the New England Patriots for spying and video taping the New York Jets coaching staff? Foster: Let me first say that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is carrying an iron stick and busting everybody upside the head. However, this time he looks more like the keystone cops than using sound judgment. The Patriots should be punished for breaking rules. However, Goodell we ...
Detroit
Detroit Lions
Lions
Questions
Weekend
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Beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish like a red-headed step kid is nothing to brag about
2007-09-16 01:30:00
I took quite a bit of glee is watching Michigan destroy Notre Dame last season. Then again, beating Notre Dame anytime before this season could be considered an accomplishment. Unfortunately, beating them in in 2007 is nothing to crow about, as the Fighting Irish look totally inept.This is no "Cripple fight," as the Wolverines are delivering an ass kicking.As I watch the Wolverines systematically dismantle the Golden Domers, I'm not taking a Hell of a lot of joy from what is going to be a big Michigan win. This game hasn't been all that much fun to watch. It's sad to see a team with just as much history as Michigan look so...so...Indiana-like. It's sad, even when it's a team you love to hate, as I do the Irish.This year's Wolverines are not that good of a team, at least by Michigan standards, and possibly by any standard. Coming into this game, the Wolverines were a team back on it's heels, reeling from 2 embarrassing losses. They are being lead by a first year freshman QB, Ryan Ma ...
Fighting
Notre Dame
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Feeling a little burned out...
2007-09-14 02:13:00
...So I'm taking the day away from the blog. You can expect some new content tomorrow afternoon.As always, thanks for reading!
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Answering the Detroit Lions' week 1 "Burning questions"
2007-09-12 23:40:00
I've been answering Detroit News columnist Lynn Henning's burning questions regarding the Detroit Tigers for the past few months, and have received good response. Thus, I'm going to do the same with the Detroit News' Detroit Lions beat writer Mike O'Hara's "Burning questions" as well.It's a win/win/win, as I enjoying writing these opinion pieces, it guarantees some new material for you faithful readers (New being relative, as long as O'Hara doesn't continually rehash the same subject, as Henning is wont to do. Henning has yet to find a dead horse that he can't beat, and beat endlessly) and saves me the work of coming up with the questions myself, allowing your friendly blogger to save what few functioning brain cells I have left. As I said, It's a win/win/win!And speaking of winning, the Lions won in surprising fashion Sunday. O'Hara fires off some fiery inquiries regarding what he believes their stunning victory means to their overall chances this season. And awaaaay we go...Burning q ...
Detroit
Detroit Lions
Lions
Questions
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Detroit Tigers - Texas Rangers kinda sorta live blog, game 2
2007-09-12 04:00:00
I'm back for game 2 (Game 1 snarkage is here) for the Detroit - Texas doubleheader, and it's getting to be desperate times for the Tigers. Even the normally stalwart Mario Impemba just admitted as much, as Rod Allen's sidekick just said the Tigers need a win to stay in the wild card hunt.Before we begin, the Tigers ask for a moment of silence in honor of the victims of 9/11.A Miss Amber Grand sings the national anthem, and let's just say she has nice "Pipes."Amber has nice "Pipes!" She can sing, too...The Tigers are taking their good old time getting the game started, the 1st pitch is still 5 minutes out, as of 7:10, according to Rod and Mario. Hey, just more time for the Detroit blogging elite to get their swerve on tonight. I'd love to be there, made it last year, but here I am... So be it.Jiar Jurrjens is on the mound, and a former Tiger, the Cat, leads off for the bad guys... Catalanatto with a flare to left that drops in front of TEE-MO!!! Off to a wonderful start, I see. I blame ...
Blog
Detroit
Detroit Tigers
Game
Kinda
Texas
Tigers
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Detroit Tigers - Texas Rangers kinda sorta live blog, game 1
2007-09-11 22:10:00
As the doofs on WXYT's Big Show, Doug Karsh and Scott "Gator" "I fancy myself an impressionist" Anderson, were calling today the most important regular season day since the final days of the 1987 season, and despite the hyperbole, they had a point, so I'm going to kinda sorta live blog today.Add in the fact that my plans for the day fell through, I have some time on my hands, I'm missing out on Billfer's blogging get together at Comerica tonight (Damn!), and the last time I did this (My Rod Allen running diary), the Tigers won, and won big. So I figured, "Why not?"The Cat, former Tiger and someone that would like just dandy as part of a Detroit outfield platoon leads off with a lazy fly ball to left. And we're off!Kinsler singles of off of Durbin. If I was on a message board, now is when I would chime in with, "Fuck, the season is over! Fire Lelyand!"Shit, another single, this time from Young! Damn, the season really is over!Marvin Hudson, 3rd base ump, blows out a wheel. Game is delay ...
Blog
Detroit
Detroit Tigers
Game
Kinda
Texas
Tigers
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The Tigers had 1 foot in the grave tonight
2007-09-11 05:16:00
In fact, they were as close as a team can be to asking for last rites, being dead and buried, and calling for an autopsy. Yet somehow, someway, and much in thanks to the arguable AL MVP Magglio Ordonez, the Tigers dodged baseball's Grim Reaper once again with a miraculous 5-4 win.Talk about whistling though the graveyard...You have to agree that it was looking damn grim going into the bottom of the 9th. Pudge Rodriguez had left the game earlier with dizziness, Joel Zumaya hurt another finger (Thank God it was only a torn fingernail, and not a tendon), and the Blue Jays looked to have put the game on ice in the 8th with 2 insurance runs.After TEE-MO Perez had grounded into his 2nd double play of the game in the bottom of the 9th, the game was over. Seriously, it was over. I thought it was over. You thought it was over. Everyone at Comerica thought it was over, including the Blue Jays.I mean, come on. It was time break out the old "Game over man, game over!" quote.I wasn't as freaked out ...
Tigers
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Answering the Detroit Tigers' "Burning questions," volume 9
2007-09-10 22:29:00
The Tigers are quickly running out of time in their attempt to repeat as AL champions. Their postseason hopes took a massive hit yesterday, the biggest hit of a long, injury filled, frustrating season. Jeremy Bonderman didn't realize the difference between pitching hurt, and pitching injured, thus getting knocked off the mound by the Mariners in the 2nd inning in a 14-7 loss.With his achy elbow, Bonderman looks done for 2007. The Tigers may not be far behind.With the Indians and Yankess both extending their leads for the central and wild card leads, respectively, their only opportunity left to realistically get back in the playoff race is to sweep the Tribe when they meet in Cleveland next week.Even a sweep of the Indians won't make any difference if the Tigers are unable to make hay against the 3 out of contention teams they face this coming week, the Blue Jays, Rangers, and the always scary Twins. The Twins series is in that house of horrors known as the Baggie/Hefty/Homer/Metro/dom ...
Detroit
Detroit Tigers
Questions
Tigers
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Big Baby to the rescue!
2007-09-10 01:20:00
A big time sack of Josh McCown by Shaun Rogers leads to a fumble recovery by DeWayne White deep in Raiders territory. Rogers just crushed McCown...Game over.Tatum Bell runs it in for the easy insurance TD, and the Black Hole totally loses it. 36-21 Detroit, with a under a minute left.The game ends with the Lions' pass rush causing another McCown fumble.And that's it, the Lions start the season with a 36-21 win. Holy shit, the Lions are 1-0...
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Baby
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The team that scores last wins this game
2007-09-10 00:57:00
Kitna hits Shawn McDonald for a 32 yard TD pass. Great protection from the line, as Kitna was able to set up shop in the pocket. Unfortunately, a procedure call on Damion Woody moves the Lions back on the 2 point try, leading to a incomplete pass on the conversion.26-21 Lions. Goodness, quite a game.Oh my God, a Millen free agent signing pays immediate dividends, DeWayne White with a HUGE interception, and return to the Raiders 10 yard line. Lions need a TD to ice this game. I'm not confident that they can pound it in, though. It isn't helped by another procedure call, the 3rd of the day on George Foster. Wonder why the Broncos were so eager to unload him now?Hanson with the FG, 29-21 Lions, under 2 minutes left...
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Game
Scores
Team
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The implosion continues...
2007-09-10 00:44:00
The Raiders use the running and pass catching skills of Lamont Jordan and Justin Fargas to set up another McCown short TD pass. The Lions are now down 21-20.If the Lions can't stop those 2 average (At best) backs, how on earth will they stop the Vikings' Adrian Peterson next week? Let alone win this game?
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At the end of 3, it's 17-14, and we have a ballgame
2007-09-10 00:25:00
First, the Lions' defense gives up a long pass to Ronald Curry, setting up a Raiders TD pass. Then Roy Williams develops a case of the dropsies, giving Oakland an easy (And Jon Kitna an undeserved) pick, along with excellent field position. Lamont Jordan then bulls his way into the end zone, and we now have a game on our hands.Could this be the 1st signs of the Lions imploding? Jesus.The Lions blowing games late was their MO in 2006, let's see if 2007 will be any different.
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I didn't expect this...
2007-09-09 23:55:00
A Travis Fisher pick, a Jon Kitna to Calvin Johnson red zone TD pass on 3rd and 4, and the Lions are now up 17-0? 17-0?!Who is this team wearing Honolulu blue and silver in Oakland, and what have they done with our Detroit Lions?Edit: Someone wearing Kalima Edward's number gets a sack? Now I'm positive this is another team impersonating the Detroit Lions...
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What? The Lions are...winning?
2007-09-09 23:35:00
We've seen a better 2nd quarter from Jon Kitna, and the Lions as a whole, for that matter, as they are up 10-0 at the half.Detroit has also been helped by Shawn Rogers' knack for blocking kicks, and the scattershot leg of Sebastian Janikowski, which has conspired to keep the Raiders off the board. 0-3 from your fat, dumb, and Polish kicker is no way to win a game.Kitna may have gotten away with one on the TD pass to Roy Williams, as it's never advisable to throw back towards the middle while rolling out. But Williams was so wide open, I can't blame him for making, let alone completing, the throw. I'm not going to complain about a 16-21-164-1-1 1st half, though Kitna's end zone pick was ugly.Mike Martz looks to have given up on the running game just 1 half into the season, with only 6 rushing attempts (The other is a Kitna kneel down). But we pretty much knew that was going to be the Lions MO going into the season. If you are going to throw the ball 70+% of the time, you need to k ...
Lions
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And the Lions season begins...
2007-09-09 22:45:00
As expected, we already have seen a prime example of the Detroit Lions red zone issues. 1st and goal at the Raiders 4, and the Lions manage to blow a primo scoring chance.1st down - Incomplete pass2nd down - Run, 1 yard loss3rd down - Raiders INTSo in other words, nothing has changed with Jon Kitna,. Great stats, as he was 8-11-95 in the 1st quarter, but with a huge turnover to kill a scoring opportunity.As for the Lions, 9 yards rushing on 5 attempts says it all.
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Lions
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To all the Atlanta Falcons fans...
2007-09-09 22:25:00
...Who 1 month ago ripped me, and defended Joey Harrington, will be singing a different tune. In fact, they now have to be grieving, as they have to come to grips with the realization that their season is going nowhere with Joey Blue Skies at the helm.For the record, Harrington's stats against the Vikings today were as follows: 23-32-199-2, 6 sacks. Both picks were returned for TD's. Seems Joey took the "Wet toast" offense with him to Atlanta.I know it's only one game, and it's a very long season, but Falcons fans...I TOLD YOU SO!By the way, the Falcons message board that linked to my diatribe is down as of 4:15 today. I'm guessing their servers have been overwhelmed by Atlanta fans heading to the internet to bitch about Joey Blue Skies.Atlanta, welcome to Joey's world.
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Fans
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They ain't happy at The Big House...
2007-09-09 00:45:00
I think this sign shown during ABC's broadcast accurately reflects the mood of the Michigan fanbase after a second straight debacle of a loss.It's not just the losing, but losing in embarrassing fashion. The Detroit Lions look better prepared and more motivated than the Wolverines.
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House
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The Wolverines' defense is an abomination!
2007-09-08 23:20:00
Oregon hangs 390+ yards and 31 points on Michigan in less than a half? This isn't funny anymore... This is just as embarrassing as the Appy State game.Michigan could still make a game of it, but this is the 4th game in a row where the opposition has pretty much done whatever they've wanted to on offense.Not that Michigan's offense has been any great shakes. Watching Chad Henne miss receivers long, short, left and right has me pining for the days of the utterly average John Navarre. It was a 1st half full of turnovers, penalties, blown assignments, missed tackles, bad schemes, and outright bad football.Mike Hart is the only Wolverine that's impressed.Just an awful, awful, 1st half.Yep, Lloyd Carr sure has the Wolverines prepared. As prepared as he had his team for Appalachian State...
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Defense
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Being a Wolverines fan is just as painful as being a Lions fan
2007-09-07 22:00:00
This weekend is the true start of football season for me, as I'll be able to watch the 2 teams I've rooted hard for since I was a wee child, the Michigan Wolverines and the Detroit Lions.As I thought about my life-long fandom of 2 teams, that for the most part, are on opposite sides of the spectrum, record-wise, I realized something. Both teams have brought an extraordinary amount of pain into my sporting life. It's a surprising thought, but when you really think about it, it's quite true.The Lions dishing out the pain is a given. Considering the following, a great deal of suffering is the only option: Decades of do-nothing ownership in the Fords, a pair of historically lousy general managers in Russ Thomas and Matt Millen, a string of moronic/inexperienced/overrated head coaches whom are given several years too many to fully show off their ineptitude, 50 years of bad QB's, and 1 playoff win in my lifetime.That's painful to just read, let alone live through.So how can the Mighty ...
Lions
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EVERYBODY PANIC!!! - I was damn close to saying the season is over edition
2007-09-07 01:06:00
2 walk off wins? In a row? By the Tigers? Against the ChiSox? A team that OWNS them?I didn't see that coming. I doubt any of us did.I have to say, I had a feeling while watching today's game. It was a feeling eerily similar to the feeling I had a little over 12 months ago during the forever etched in our memories "Craig Monroe beating the Yankees" game.So what was that feeling? After Fernando Rodney gave up the lead in the top of the 8th on a Paul Kornerko double, I had the same feeling of dread today that I had in the 8th inning of that Yankees game a year ago.All sort of ugly thoughts were running through my head as watched Konerko's liner go past Magglio Ordonez..."Fuck me. God damn it, Rodney! That's it! This ends the Tigers' playoff chances! No way they can make a wild card run if they lose 2 of 3 to a last place White Sox team! I hate the fucking White Sox! Bunch of asshats! That fucking Konerko double was the end of the fucking season! Jesus Christ on a God damn hockey st ...
Panic
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Answering the Detroit Tigers' "Burning questions," volume 8
2007-09-06 07:37:00
Timo Perez came through with a game winning hit tonight, allowing the Tigers beat the evil ChiSox, 2-1, in 11 looong innings. Despite tonight's heroics, and his currently hot bat, I still don't want TEE-MO (As Rod Allen likes to call him) on the 2008 Detroit Tigers.Mentioning TEE-MO Perez's future is my way of segueing into the latest round of Lynn Henning's "Burning questions." Today, we tackle the 2008 version of the Detroit Tigers.Let's get out our crystal ball, and answer some smoking hot queries.Burning questions as the Tigers try to whack the White Sox and at least eke out a wild-card playoff spot...Q . Jump ahead, for a moment, to 2008. What is the Tigers' rotation next Opening Day?Henning: Justin Verlander, Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Andrew Miller and Kenny Rogers.Big Al: As things stand now, I concur. Veralander and Bonderman are no-brainers. They are going nowhere, save to the mound every 5th day for the next several years.Robertson is what he is, a 5th starter w ...
Detroit
Detroit Tigers
Questions
Tigers
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TWFE Detroit Lions season preview: 5 reasons why the Lions will lose 10+ games
2007-09-05 23:00:00
This being the eve of one of the best dates on the sports calender, the opening night of the NFL season, I thought I should write a Detroit Lions preview. I then drifted off into a happy haze...Once the mood-altering drugs wore off, and I became somewhat lucid, I thought, "What's the point? "I think we can all agree that the Lions will have an under .500 record. The only question is how many games under .500 will they finish? Most predictions I've seen have the Lions finishing somewhere between 4-12 and 7-9, with a consensus being another double digit loss season. Sounds about right to me...Why am I so confident that the Detroit Lions will have another ugly, painful, and ultimately, a waste of a season?1. The defensive backfield is the worst in pro football. It'd be the worst in any NCAA or NAIA division. It would only be mid pack of the damn Huron League. Yes, it's that bad.The D-backfield wasn't all that good to begin with, then factor in that they traded their best cornerback ...
Detroit
Detroit Lions
Games
Lions
Preview
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What's the matter with Michigan football? The program is run by a ghost
2007-09-04 21:30:00
The long shadow of the late Bo Schembechler hovers over the Michigan Wolverines, even in death. But for the program to move forward, Michigan needs to stop looking back. It's not 1977, and the football philosophy that worked during Bo's heyday haven't translated well into the new century. It's been close to 4 decades of Bo, and his lineage, running the Michigan football program.It's time for the in-breeding and nepotism at Michigan to come to an end.For a program as storied as Michigan to lose to Appalachian St. is unthinkable, inexcusable, flabbergasting, frustrating, and any other word with ending with -ting or -able. I never thought that Michigan would become the butt of jokes, a national laughingstock.The college game is passing the Michigan Wolverines by. The Maize and Blue have been embarrassingly out coached, out prepared, and out played all too often. Players don't measurably improve over their4 year careers. Their offensive and defensive schemes are woefully out of dat ...
Football
Ghost
Michigan
Program
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Answering the Detroit Tigers' "Burning questions," volume 7
2007-09-04 08:08:00
As I'm still somewhat in shock over the Michigan Wolverines choking away their season in the first game of the season, I'm still trying to put my thoughts into words.On top of that clusterfuck of a debacle, I'm also somewhat in shock over the Tigers losing 2 of 3 to the A's, especially Sunday's painful beyond words loss. In losing 8-7, while giving away a 7-0 lead, that was a nut punch that may have killed the Tigers' chances of repeating as AL champs.I figured I tackle the Tigers first, as the Detroit News' Lynn Henning gave us the "Gift" of another of his "Burning questions" columns Monday. so let's take a look at the Tigers' vital signs, shall we?Burning questions as the Tigers try to pull a mini-Appalachian State and overtake the Cleveland Indians in the regular season's final month: Q: How could the Tigers have allowed Sunday's catastrophe at Oakland to occur -- blowing a 7-0 lead and losing 8-7?Henning: The Tigers lost Sunday the way they have lost at least a dozen ti ...
Detroit
Detroit Tigers
Questions
Tigers
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I should be happy I don't have the Big 10 Network
2007-09-01 21:56:00
I have things to do today, and I'm going to need a day or 2 to formulate my thoughts, but I need to touch base on the Michigan loss.Michigan lost to Appalachian State? APPALACHIAN STATE? AT HOME? Utterly and totally inexcusable. There is no other way to spin it. None.Lloyd Carr should resign out of sheer embarrassment.
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