Inside Jim Leyland's brain: At least I have Neifi

I need a smoke. Damn, I need a butt. Bad.

Christ almighty. I'm on the road, and I'm out of smokes again? Fuck me. Where'd all the reds go?

Oh, yeah. Thanks to our damn bullpen, I'm up to 3 packs a day. Wife's gonna kill me if she finds out. Hell, I'm spendin' more time hidin' in the tunnel from those damn dugout cams, than on the bench. Can't a man enjoy a cigarette without feeling the wrath of smokin' nazis? Bunch of damn nanny state lovin' liberals, that's what they are...

Nothin' better than a cold Bud, and pack of Marboro reds after a win. Damn straight. Those anti-smokin' nazis will never understand. But I still need a smoke.

It's just not the damn pen that's givin' me chest pains. That Inge, who's drivin' me nuts at the plate as it is, breaks his toe? As we are goin' into Cleveland? Fuck me.

Then I find out my made of crystal shortstop pulling his gonad muscle? Fuck me twice. His groin is worse than that nutty damn goalie, what's his name? The snow angel makin' crazy ass that gives Babcock angina? Whatever. I need a smoke.

So we're goin' into the meat grinder that is Cleveland, and I now have to play Neifi and Infante as the left side of my infield? Shit.

I love that Neifi to death, fans will never understand why. Kid's a warrior, that Neifi. Give me 9 Neifi's, and I'll win the damn division! But warrior or not, we're still screwed. And I still need a smoke.

Who's pitchin' for the Indians tonight? We'te openin' against that fat-ass Sabathia?! I have to play Neifi, Infante, and the Mayor in the infield? At the same damn time?! Wonder-fucking-ful. Jesus H. Christ, Toledo has a better infield than I do. The kid's little league team has more power. Shit!

OK, OK, Calm yourself down. Never let 'em see you sweat or smoke, that's what I always say.

Short of breath or not, I GOTTA have a smoke. Where's the clubhouse boy? I know, I'll send Infante out to get me a carton. He ain't good for anything else...

Well, I can't let on to the guys in the room, let alone the piss ants in the media, that I think we're up shit crick without a paddle this weekend. With that infield, they'll probably figure it out for themselves anyway.

The media couldn't be that clueless, could they? Nah. Except that little shit know-it-all from the Freep, what's his name? Wrote that book, what was it? "The Four Dickweeds You Meet in Houston," something like that? Oh yeah, that guy with the ears. Albom. Ahhh, He's nohtin' to worry about, probably watchin' the Pistons anyway.

Thank Phillip Morris I don't have it nearly as bad as Flip. His locker room is a damn insane asylum. Ridin' herd over Pudge is a piece of cake compared to Flip havin' to handle that 'Sheed character. That kid is nuts. Small favors, I guess.

Small damn favors or not, I still need a smoke. Now where's that Infante kid with my reds?!

LeBron will get all the credit, and it's undeserved

You'll hear the MSM rave how LeBron James took over, and won tonight's game for the Cavs. Don't believe it. James played well, but he's not the reason Cleveland won.

The Cavs won because the Pistons made stupid decisions with the ball. Yet Detroit still nearly won the game anyway, which makes it all the more infuriating.

I give up, I can't figure the Detroit Pistons out. I don't know what team is going to show up on game night. I sure as Hell wouldn't want to be in Flip Saunders' shoes, as this team is a fucking mystery. I doubt he can figure them out either.

What I saw was the same shit, different night. The Pistons didn't show up at all in the 1st half, as usual. They did play an excellent 3rd, as usual, but decided to throw the ball all over Ohio in the 4th quarter.

What I saw was the Pistons pissing another playoff game away. It's frustrating as Hell watching the more talented team make silly, stupid, and asinine decisions with and without the ball.

What I saw was a point guard having another bad game. What was Chauncey Billups thinking late in the game? Wait, he wasn't thinking at all, if you go his strange decision making in the final 1:30. He started the stretch with an awful turnover, then piled on that mistake with a stupid foul even though there was 1 minute plus on the clock, then jacked up an ill-advised 3 ball that misfired, then ballhanding rather than shooting as the final seconds were ticking off.

Where's the real Chauncey Billups? I have to ask, as the guy on the court is not the Billups we've seen during his entire Detroit career.

Two stats says it all about the Pistons' starting point guard. 2 assists, 5 turnovers. That's going to be your max contract player?

I saw a power forward on the verge of going off the charts insane. Does anyone think that Rasheed Wallace will make it through the entire playoffs without being suspended? I really don't know if it's possible at this point, now that he has 5 T's.

I've given 'Sheed the benefit of the doubt since he arrived in the D, but getting T'ed up in a game like tonight's is outright stupid. Blame the refs all you want, but he had a T, and probably more, coming. And don't get me going on how he let James go to the hole, and rather than take him down or chance getting posterized again, just stepped back and let James thunder through. Bill Laimbeer would never have let that happen. Hell, Jason Maxiell wouldn't have let that happen.

I saw a center that is out of gas, and has nothing left to give. Chris Webber has maybe 10 effective minutes a game left in him. After that, he's just taking up space. If I'm Saunders, I'm giving the majority, if not all, his minutes to Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell.

Worst of all, I saw a Pistons team that lacked any sense of urgency, and full of hubris. Then again, I've seen their "We can turn it on at will" and "It's how we roll" attitude series after series after series. Why should I be surprised?

This series is going 7 games. The Pistons have given me no reason to believe otherwise. Christ, we see another performance like this, the series is ending in 6, and the Pistons are going home to face a very questionable future.

You want a max deal, Chauncey? Then it's time to step up

If Chauncey Billups fancies himself a max contract player, tonight's the night to step up and prove it true. The last 3 playoff games have me, and I'm sure others, wondering in the back recesses of our minds if Billups is actually worth a Steve Nash type deal.

Up to this point, I've been all for giving Billups what he wants. The Pistons don't have a backup plan if Billups bolts, let alone a decent backup point guard, period.

It's been a great 5 year run for this Billups led group, but how long can it realistically continue? I'd love to see him retire a Piston, with his number in the Palace rafters. But is that a practical scenario? The question is going to be asked. How long do you ride a Billups led Pistons team?

Just watching him struggle with a trap that most JV point guards know how to break has been painful. Billups has be slow to adjust, slow to find his shot, and slow to make decisions. His off kilter game has the Pistons' offense looking as ugly as it did during the Larry Brown years. Detroit shouldn't be struggling to score 75 points.

Saying that it has me concerned is an understatement.

Let's get all hypothetical, and just say that Billups continues to stink out the joint, and to be blunt, that's exactly what he been doing during the ECF. Here we go with the "What if's."

What if his struggles are the main reason the Pistons end up going 7, or for that matter, losing, to what is basically a 1 man team, the Cleveland LeBron's? What if the Pistons have reached the limits of their ability? Being over the age of 30, when point guards normally begin to lose a step, what if Billups' skills deteriorate faster than anticipated?

Joe Dumars and the Pistons will have some tough decisions to make.

Do you keep the Pistons as they are? Meaning you give Billiups a shitload of cash, and run with pretty much with the same cast of characters that has carried you over the past 5 seasons. Joe Dumars would be saying that the core team we now see is the same core we'll see for at least the next 3 years.

Joe D would be rolling the dice, in hope that he can restock this team on the fly, without much in cap room. That is possible, if he can hit Tayshaun Prince-like (Or even Jason Maxiell-like) gold with their 2 upcoming first round picks, along with the hoped for development of Carlos Delfino, Amir Johnson and Maxiell.

He would also be betting against the core group of Pistons (Billups, Hamilton, Prince, 'Sheed, McDyess) growing old and/or stale together, as the Bad Boys group did in the early 90's. That lead to some ugly mid-90's seasons, with the Pistons becoming a NBA afterthought. Remember the days of Ron Rothstein, Don Chaney, and 20 win seasons? I try not to...

The next few games playoff games will tell us plenty. It will go a long way in determining if the Pistons, as they are now put together, are a team that will continue to be a NBA title threat for the next few seasons.

It's funny how watching a soon to be free agent point guard play well below his capabilities can suddenly give thought to so many different questions. But if Chauncey Billups and the Pistons handle the LeBron's as they should, and quickly end this series, most of the above questions go away. Continue to struggle, as Bullups and the Pistons have, and the questions get louder.

No pressure, Chauncey...

I have only one word to say about the Detroit Tigers

That word is, "Patience." As to why, read on...

We have our first mini-crisis of the Detroit Tigers 2007 season. A 4 game losing streak, the 4th loss being a awful giveaway of a loss to Tampa, has fans on edge.

A handful of issues, some out of the Tigers' hands, but others not, have shown their ugly head during this streak.

Most notably, and by far the biggest concern, is the bullpen. To say the pen scuffling is being generous to scufflers. The Tigers currently has the worst bullpen ERA in baseball.

In other obvious news, 1st base has become a black hole, power-wise, in the offense.

3rd base production is not much better, let's call it a gray hole in the offense.

What we have to realize is that there really isn't much that can be done for any of the issues that vex we fans at this point, other than giving Jim Leyland and the Tigers time. Time for injuries to heal, time to determine what needs to be done at the trade deadline, time to see if there is any major league ready help in the minors, and time for players who have a history of producing to elevate their game to a serviceable level.

In other words, "Patience" is needed. That's something that fans don't normally have much of, as they expect instant solutions.

Let's start with the bullpen. The Tigers' bullpen is broken. Two prime time set up men are on the DL, the closer is a 38 year old who gets by on guile, while using the risky tactic of pitching to contact, and the rest of the pen is made up of neverweres, used-to-bes, mightbes, and wannabes.

The bullpen has been so bad recently, Tigers fans want blood. They want the bullpen purged, starting with Jason Grilli and/or Joe Table being waived. With prejudice, and malice aforethought. They want bullpen arms served bloody on a platter.

Cutting them is all well and good, but I then have to ask, "With who do you plan on replacing them?"

At this point, there isn't much the Tigers can reasonably do. Anyone they bring up from Toledo is going to have the same issues as the current bullpen residents, that being they are marginal MLB pitchers. They are in AAA Toledo for a reason. For that matter, anyone they bring up from AA Erie is going to be raw and untested. It would big a big leap of faith, and a big time risk, to go the Erie route.

Do you really want to shake up the bullpen by shuffling around arms, with no guarantee of improvement?

As noted by Kurt at Mack Avenue Tigers and Scott at Quo Vadimus, there is another tempting option. The most reasonable bullpen patch job is the Andrew Miller solution. The Tigers could use Miller out of the pen, even though he has monster upside as a starter. Or the more likely move, insert Miller in the rotation, and shift the more and more reliable Chad Durbin to the pen.

There's also the news of Troy Percival's comeback, and the Tigers are definitely interested. It's a longshot, but the Tigers may bite. The plus to such a move is that it would only cost money. The minus would be that odds are he's no longer any good.

How effective could Percival actually be? He hasn't pitched in 2 years! The belief that Percival could come back to baseball with his once lights out closer stuff is nothing more than pie in the sky thinking.

Of all the temporary bullpen fixes, I'd prefer the Andrew Miller starting/Chad Durbin relieving scenario, but only as a last resort. To be honest, I really don't think the Tigers' brass would go for such a knee-jerk solution.

I know that fans don't want to hear this, but the bullpen may not right itself until both Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya become healthy. But that requires that little thing I mentioned called "Patience." I have a feeling that we aren't going to see the bullpen we'd like till the All-Star break at the earliest, and the trade deadline at the latest.

For the time being, I'm guessing the Tigers try to ride out the rapids with the arms on hand, and hope to tread water till the set-up men are fully healthy. It's a scary thought, but anyone have a better solution?

Then we have the power outage at 1st base. Sean Casey, whom I thought would be an acceptable 1 season stop gap, has been just a gap in the offense. He is finally starting to hit the occasional single, as his average is up to .266. But Casey has shown as much power as an out of warranty Ipod battery. His stats would be acceptable if the Tigers were still playing in the dead ball era.

Unfortunately, the juiced ball era Tigers have a banjo hitter at a position that requires, well, a Hell of a lot more than a banjo hitter. Again, there is no obvious solution in the system.

Last season's flash in the pan, Chris Shelton, has shown absolutely nothing at Toledo. Marcus Thames has tons of power, but has not been consistent in actually using that power. Just note his .200 average.

Leyland seems to have a shine for Casey, and he'll continue to get the majority of the AB's, no matter how much fans bitch and moan about his edge of the infield power and his Andre the Giant-esque foot speed.

Personally, I'd love to see them play Thames. He may only hit .200, but he'll go deep 25 times by accident, at the very least. What would you prefer? Thames, who is a modern day Rob Deer, or Casey, who's a much lighter hitting version of Wally Joyner. Give me the power guy every time.

Odds are the Tigers 1st base solution isn't coming till this off season. Be it via trade or free agency, the Tigers will get that big time, left handed, 1st base playing, bat. They can no longer afford to have such a vital power position manned by an eternal question mark (Shelton), an all or nothing reincarnation of Dave Kingman (Thames), or the 2nd coming of Don Wert (Casey).

Till that time, grit your teeth and bear it, folks. I know it's going to hurt to hear this, but there is no quick fix for 1st base. It's going to be Sean Casey or bust. My money is on bust...

Then we have the eternal struggle of 3rd baseman Brandon Inge vs. his bat. Unfortunately, neither is winning, as his .215 average shows. Inge is hitting like the Mendoza line flirting 2003 version of himself, not the 2006 Inge, who was the most powerful number 9 bat in all of MLB.

As Rod and Mario mentioned during the Tampa broadcast, they can't remember seeing someone take so many checked swing strikes. Inge looks lost at the plate, utterly afraid to commit. Not exactly what you want to see from a player on the first year of a 4 year deal.

And as that noted sports fan Hamlet liked to say, "Aye, there's the rub."

Inge is on a new, long term contract, so he's here for the duration. Inge IS the Tigers once and future 3rd baseman, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Once again, the only option at 3rd is that pesky thing called "Patience."

It's a long season, and seeing the Tigers unexpectedly struggle is disturbing. They are going to have tough times, all teams do at some point. For all the screaming from the Chicken Littles that changes are needed, they don't have any idea how to make those changes.

At this point of the season, especially with position players, the roster you see, is the roster you get. It's simple, people. Any Tigers roster tweaking done from now till the All Star break is going to be with end of the bullpen bench pitchers.

Can you seriously expect to see a major league team make any roster moves that could make a huge impact? There are no players in the Tigers' system who could make a season changing impact, save for Andrew Miller joining the rotation. That's it.

I'm sure the Marlboro Man and Dave Dombrowski are fully aware of the issues at hand, and will make the appropriate moves when the time is right. Making knee-jerk roster moves during a 4 game swoon is not the time. If changes are to be made, it's going to be at the trade deadline. That's 2 months away.

In other words, the Tigers' brass will show some patience. They will not panic. It remains to be seen if the fanbase can do the same.

TWFE predicts the Stanley Cup finals

With the NHL Stanley Cup finals starting tonight, I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in.

So, I predict..

That I'm not going to watch.

Why? You would think that as a Red Wings fan, and that someone geeky enough to write a sports blog would want to watch and write about the NHL's penultimate series. Well, I have a few reasons for not watching...

1. Hockey shouldn't be played in JUNE!

Admit it, hockey geeks. You know it, and I know it. The season is too damn long, and there is no good reason on God's green earth that the Cup finals should start on F'n Memorial Day. The baseball season is 1/4 over, and hockey is still going on? Makes no sense whatsoever for a winter game to be played past the day that is considered the start of summer.

2. I'm more of a Detroit Red Wings fan than a hockey fan.

In fact, that statement is probably true for the majority of Wings fans. I'm being honest when I say that I love the Red Wings, but I'm no hockey expert. I never played the game at any level. I do know the rules, in that I can explain icing, offsides, and so on. I can say that I know hockey, but I don't KNOW hockey, if you get my drift. I can break down strategy in other sports enough to be dangerous, but not the one played on ice. If the Wings were in the Cup finals, I'm watching. Otherwise, I might catch some of the games here or there, but my priorities are elsewhere. That being the Tigers and Pistons.

3. What network is showing the game? What channel is it on? The Hell if I know.

I'm not going say the CBC, because as a native Michigander, that's obvious, and only works in border cities like Detroit and Buffalo. The CBC is only an option if you can tolerate the CBC's blatant Ottawa homerism, and Don Cherry's xenophobia. When you have to research what network is carrying a specific Cup game, you aren't going to have anyone but the hardest core of the hardcore hockey fan watching. The NHL's TV contract becomes more and more asinine in hindsight.

4. I'm not going to get much, if any, coverage from the local or national MSM.

The city that is known as "Hockeytown" has 2 large, nationally respected newspapers. Neither one is sending a writer to cover the Stanley Cup, they'll depend on wire copy instead. We all know how marginalized the NHL is on the worldwide leader. I rag on the MSM quite often, but I can see where they are coming from on this issue. The majority of Americans that do watch hockey are just fans of their respective team. As for the rest of America? They just don't care at all. So why waste the resources?

5. I can't get fired up about a series that has a team whose own home market doesn't give a crap.

How many people in SoCal even know that there is a hockey team in Anaheim, let alone one that is in the finals? The Ducks are another in a long line of NHL teams placed markets that could not care any less about hockey in general, let alone the NHL. Just look at the issues going on in Nashville, where a top tier team has been sold, and on the verge of moving to the great white north. The Predators aren't being supported, and the team has lost money hand over fist. Why is it even a surprise to Gary Bettman that a team in Tennessee can't draw flies? Sure, every city that has a NHL franchise does have fans, even rabid ones. But having 15,000 hardcore fans who actually show up for games does not a well supported franchise make.

I can say without question that the Stanley Cup is the best trophy in sports. It's unfortunate that the league that awards the Stanley Cup is the worst run in all of sport.

Foul? What foul? There was no foul.

The Pistons 79-76 victory over the Cavaliers LeBron's came down to 2 possessions.

Rasheed Wallace didn't commit an offensive foul on his game winning shot. When 'Sheed made his move towards the baseline, Anderson Varejao Sideshow Bob went flying as if shot out of a cannon. In other words, he flopped like a fish out of water. Soccer players would have been proud of Bob's flop. It was a bigger flop than "Basic Instinct 2." Floppers won't get calls, so when you live by the flop, you die by the flop.

Sideshow Bob died by the flop.

Despite Bob's theatrics, Wallace had to still hit the shot. And that was one Hell of a difficult shot 'Sheed drained. Falling away, behind the backboard, yet he hit nothing but the bottom of the net. A great shot by a great (when he wants to be) player. 'Sheed's overall play in the 4th quarter was THE difference tonight.

AUBURN HILLS,MI - MAY 24: Rasheed Wallace is caught listening to his Rosetta Stone CD, "How to speak 'Sheedish to the media"

As for Cleveland's controversial final possession, as LeBron James tried driving the lane on Rip Hamilton, I swear I could hear the screams of "FOUL" from that state to the south. Just as loud were the screams of "NO FOUL" in the great state of Michigan.

What did I see on that play?

LeBron forced the contact, and Hamilton gave him plenty of body. It could have gone either way, so a no-call was the correct call. It was the only call the refs could make. If anything King James held the ball too long, losing any chance of another possession.

More upsetting to this Pistons fan was seeing Larry Hughes finding LeBron's miss landing smack dab in his hands, and having a short, uncontested jumper. Hughes short armed his follow up, barely getting any rim. He missed as badly as Donyell Marshall did on his attempt at the end of game 1.

That's the difference between the 2 teams. The Pistons don't miss that shot. The Pistons convert at crunch time, and so far in this series, LeBron and his caddies haven't come close.

The Pistons are now up 2-0, and to be quite honest, they are lucky to have control of the series. I'm still waiting for a few Pistons to show up.

Chauncey Billups had another ugly, turnover filled game. He picked up his game considerably, as Billups almost always does, in the 4th, but he has to play better for the Pistons to win in Cleveland.

Tayshaun Prince had his worst ever postseason game. 1 point? He was invisible most of the night. Chris Webber wasn't much better, it was obvious he was forcing the action. Antonio McDyess still can't by a hoop.

Just as Rip Hamilton carried the Pistons early in game 1, the baby eating Jason Maxiell, of all people, carried the Pistons in the 1st half. I did not see that coming. Maxiell brought an energy that both the Pistons, and the Palace crowd, were sorely lacking to that point.

Even though the Pistons are winning these tight games, it would be nice to see them play a full 48 minutes. They changed things up in game 2, and only took the 2nd quarter off, leaving them to stage another 2nd half comeback. Sooner or later, this living dangerously is going to catch up with them, and the comeback won't happen.

I fully anticipate King James to get the benefit of the doubt from the officials on his home court. So if we see the same sort of on/off/on performance in Cleveland from the Pistons, they will be coming back to the Palace tied 2-2.

There are two things that I can guarantee will come from another of the Pistons' low scoring wins. Expect the next 3 days to be filled up all sort of hairbrained NBA anti-LeBron conspiracy theories, and for the MSM to continue bitching about the "Boring" Eastern conference style of basketball.

It's all about the Rust Belt

The time has come.

This weekend, it's a battle royal for bragging rights...

DETROIT

VS

CLEVELAND

The Tigers take on the Indians for the top of the American League central division, and the Pistons are up against the Cavaliers in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.

May the best pair of teams win.

These are two old school, rust belt, mostly ignored, thought to be downtrodden cities. Both areas are considered bad jokes by the rest of a very smug nation. They are continually described as the worst of large US cities. In the rest of the country, the only Midwest city that exists their minds is Chicago.

As someone who lived quite safely for several years in Detroit, and also spent quite a bit of enjoyable time in Cleveland, the rest of the nation doesn't know what they are missing.

You hear the same old cliches. Detroit is the "Murder Capital of the World." Cleveland is "The Mistake on the Lake." Neither is true, not that the rest of the country cares. Because (Sarcasm on) there is nothing at all wrong, bad, silly, old, awful, funny, strange or scary with other areas of our country. (Sarcasm off)

It's much easier to just keep Detroit and Cleveland as the butt of jokes.

For the next few days, Detroit and Cleveland are the epicenter of the sporting universe. But will the media treat it as such? Probably not.

What is going on between these two forgotten cities should be treated with the reverence that the worldwide leader in sports did the recent Red Sox - Yankees series, which was not nearly as compelling. The Yankees are 9.5 games out, for chrissakes! That series didn't mean much of anything in the big scheme of things, other than to rile up the constantly on the verge of hysterics, always wanting the center of attention, Red Sox Nation. Because, as you know, (Sarcasm on) Boston fans are the best in all sports. (Sarcasm off) They'll even tell you as much!

The big story in sports is what will be going on at Comerica Park starting tomorrow, and continuing at Jacobs Field next weekend. That battle will be going along with the high stakes action at the Palace tonight, and the Quicken Loans arena Sunday. (I do have to say that "Quicken Loans arena" doesn't roll off the tongue nearly as well as "The Gund.")

It doesn't get better than that, especially for two similarly thought of rust belt cities. Not that the MSM cares.

In hoops, the story won't be about Detroit vs. Cleveland. The story the MSM will prefer to push is LeBron James vs. the world. "OH MY GOD, WHAT WILL LEBRON DO?! Will he pass or shoot? He'll pass! No, King James will shoot!"

Christ almighty, it's more about the Pistons forcing LeBron into making those decisions, and what the Cavs will do to counter. But that's not nearly as compelling in their small MSM minds. The NBA is about stars, and how boring eastern conference basketball is when compared to the west. (Even though those high flying west teams never win in the playoffs. Look at the recent NBA title winners. The Spurs, who play in more of an east style, and 2 eastern teams, the Pistons and Heat. But that's another post...)

As for baseball, next weekend the Yankees will once again find themselves being pounded by the Red Sox on the same weekend the Tigers visit the Indians. Which series do you think will be the better story? On the field, it's easily the Tigers and Indians, but in the MSM? It's all about their east coast bias, so screw the flyover cities. You know all media eyes will be on Fenway.

That's a damn shame, as the more compelling season long race will be in the Central, not the East. Just as the more compelling NBA playoff series is in the east, especially when compared to the Spurs methodological destruction of the Jazz.

But it's the Western conference, just as it's the Eastern division, so they must be more entertaining, right?

Even if the rest of the country has no clue, the next two weeks should be a first class, white knuckle, E-ticket ride for both Detroit and Cleveland.

Mack Avenue Tigers roundtable discussion alert

Kurt, the author of the must read Detroit Tigers site, Mack Avenue Tigers, wanted to talk Tigers with a few Detroit-centric, but not just Tiger-centric, bloggers.

He has posted a Detroit Tigers first quarter report roundtable discussion between himself, Scott of Mlive's "The Cutoff Man" and his personal sports and pop culture blog, "Quo Vadimus," Matt from "Detroit Bad Boys" and also the "AOL Fanhouse" and yours truly.

We answered 3 queries from Kurt:

Now that we’ve passed the quarter-way mark on the season, what are your expectations for the Tigers? How have they changed?

What or who has been the biggest surprise for you?

Fill in the blank: For the Tigers to continue to be contenders, ____ must ____.

Head over to Mack Avenue Tigers to see what resulted.

The Red Wings might be down, but they are far from out

The Red Wings season is over, and I'm not all that upset. Once you get past the disappointment of a tough loss, you have to admit that the Red Wings had a very good season.

The Red Wings exceeded my expectations all season. If you had told me in October that the 2006-07 Red Wings would end up winning their division, earn the 2nd highest points total in the league, have the number 1 playoff seed, and advance through 2 playoff rounds despite several injuries to vital players, I would have been damn happy with that result.

Losing in the conference finals to a very good Ducks team is nothing to be ashamed of.

If this was the pre lockout era, I think I'd be more torn up about the loss. When your team has one of the highest, if not the highest, payroll, your expectations are that much higher. But in the Gary Bettman-ized NHL, where teams all have the same salary restrictions, we should get used to seeing different teams in the Stanley Cup finals most every season.

In the “New and improved” NHL, it only takes a playoff berth and a hot goalie to make a long playoff run.

A cup finals appearance is not a Red Wings fans unalienable right. They should no longer be considered the Yankees of the NHL. I always thought the “Red Wings = Yankees” comparison was a mistaken assumption made by jealous small market hockey fans. Detroit just used their available funds much better than most teams. And for the most part, they still do. The Red Wings of the past 15 or so years have been a smartly run team.

The Red Wings brain trust is why I have the utmost confidence that in the future, early playoff KO's that were the bane of a Red Wings fan existence, are going to be the exception, rather than the rule.

I'm not saying that the Red Wings will be in the cup finals every other year. That's being delusional. But they will be a threat to go that far every season. The team is too well run to think otherwise.

Next season, the road to the Stanley Cup will still run through Detroit.

The NBA draft lottery is FAN-TASTIC!

When your team isn't involved, the NBA draft lottery is big time entertainment. Not for the boring ass presentation, which the worldwide leader has to strrrretch into 25 minutes of nothing, and 5 thrilling minutes of envelopes being opened, but from what results. That being the hopes and dreams of NBA fanbases being crushed...

From a Detroit Pistons perspective, the lottery couldn't have turned out any better. The Pistons championship window may have just been extended an extra season or two. My biggest fear didn't happen. Chicago did not end up in a position to get either Oden or Durant, so they are stuck shopping for low post scoring help. In fact, no one in the east will get a shot at the crown jewels of the draft.

The Pistons remain the best team in the Eastern conference going into next season. That's like being the best speller in special ed, but it's something...

With Atlanta getting shut out of the top 2 picks, you may just as well close up shop on the Hawks franchise. Are there any of that rare breed called a Hawks fan left in this world? If by chance there were a few diehards remaining, tonight would have been the final straw.

It was heartening to see some teams that outright tanked their seasons not get rewarded. CoughBostonCelticsCoughMilwaukeeBucksCough. In fact, when the Celtics got the number 5 pick, rather than the expected 1 or 2, I laughed. Quite heartily. It was even sweeter justice after reading Bill Simmons' column today...

Name me a young team that makes a leap more quickly than the Celtics with a Pierce-Jefferson-Oden/Durant nucleus. Compared to the other perennial screw-ups and basketball coldbeds on this list, how could you argue against the Celtics' karmic rights for a top-two pick? We're due, aren't we? Please tell me we're due. For the love of God, TELL ME WE'RE DUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We found out that karma isn't just a running joke on "My Name is Earl." Where does tonight's lottery comeuppance of the Celtics rank on his unintentional comedy scale? If you ask me, it pegs the scale.

You can expect Simmons' 10,000 word diatribe on the trials and tribulations of being a Celtics fan posted on the WWLiS dot com by noon tomorrow.

I had Robert Horry flashbacks

First off, it's doesn't get much uglier than 79-76.

I'm sure we'll hear nothing but bitching and moaning from the MSM and bloggers over how they would much rather being watching Phoenix or Golden State score 120 points each, than a defensive walk-the-ball-up, eastern conference slugfest.

I couldn't care less about the media bitching.

The only thing that counts is Detroit taking a 1-0 lead over the Cavaliers LeBron's in the ECF. A win is a win is a win for the Pistons.

Considering LeBron James' bad game (even if he had a near triple double, James was held in check), it would have been a shame to lose a game where James is shut down so effectively. Any game where Anderson Varejao Sideshow Bob arguably has a bigger impact than King James, that's a game the Pistons have to win.

The Pistons dodged a bullet. A huge bullet. A snub nosed, hollow point, .357 caliber bullet. The LeBron's were one missed Donyell Marshall trey from stealing home court in game 1 of the ECF.

The question Cleveland fans have to be asking is why didn't King James take the final shot? He was in the lane. If he doesn't make it, he''s probably fouled on the play. Yet he dishes to someone who's not half the player he is. Admittedly, Marshall was wide open, but also 23 feet away from the hoop, compared to LeBron's 5.

I have to admit that when I saw Rasheed Wallace leaving Marshall, hustling down into the paint to help on a driving James, and then looking back to see Marshall standing all by himself in the corner, I had Robert Horry flashbacks. Bad Robert Horry flashbacks.

For 'Sheed's, and the Pistons' sake, unlike Horry's shot, the 3 ball caught all iron. You don't get a more wide open shot than Marshall's opportunity. Then again, who would you prefer with the ball when the game in the line? James? Or Marhsall? I'll take Donyell Marshall 100 times out of 100. I want the ball out of James' hands.

Props go out to Rip Hamilton, who was the Pistons' only consistent offensive option. Rip's big game makes the Cleveland Plain Dealer's position matchup series preview even more laughable. The LeBron's beat writer called the shooting guard matchup...even?

Let's look at the SG stat lines...

Rip Hamilton: FG- 11-21, 3pt- 2-3, Rb- 3, Ast- 7, Stl- 2, Pts- 24

Sasha Pavlovic: FG- 4-14, 3pt- 1-3, Rb- 0, Ast- 0, Stl- 0, Pts- 9

That sure is one even matchup. I'd like to try the drugs the Cleveland beat writers are taking, it must be fun in their world...

Dale Davis saw the floor, but not in garbage time. He entered in the 1st half, with Chris Webber in foul trouble, and was damn effective in his limited playing time, coming up with a couple of big hoops in the paint.

Chris Webber actually made an in game appearance, after being all but invisible for the last 3 games of the Chicago series. C-Webb was nowhere to be seen in the 1st half, had a great 3rd quarter, and then just as suddenly disappeared back into witness protection.

'Sheed was 'Sheed. He was everywhere on defense in the 4th quarter, and hit some big time shots down the stretch. Though I'm still recovering from a near heart attack caused by his leaving Marshall all by his lonesome...

Chauncey Billups, to put it bluntly, had an awful game. You aren't going to win many games when your point guard has more turnovers than assists. Billups' performance, or lack thereof, is another reason I feel the Pistons' win tonight was huge. They won with their best player having his worst game of the playoffs.

Tayshaun Prince wasn't much better, going 1-11 from the floor. But Prince was effective in other ways, with 6 boards, a team leading 9 assists, and his normal rock solid defense on that guy Cleveland is all a witness for, or whatever is this post seasons' marketing gimmick...

I wouldn't expect LeBron James to continue to put up Larry Hughes-like numbers, so I doubt the Pistons could get away with this sort of game thievery again.

It can't be said enough, the Detroit Pistons dodged a bullet, stole a game, used up one of their 9 lives. Any metaphor you can think of for winning a game they easily could have lost fits this awful performance.

I'd break down the Detroit Pistons - Cleveland LeBron's series, but it's a waste of time

A waste of time? Why would I say that?

It's not due to my thinking that the Pistons will win the series. It's not because the Pistons have better personnel at 4 starting positions, and a deeper bench. It's also not because the Pistons won their regular season matchup 3 games to 1. It's also not due to the fact that when it comes down to 5 against 1, you always take the 5.

It's obvious that the Pistons are better and deeper team. That doesn't guarantee anything, as we've seen in other playoff series. This series comes down to 2 things, and 2 things only.

1. Can the Pistons stop LeBron James?

2. Will the Pistons stay interested?

If the Pistons can keep James somewhat under control, don't allow a superhuman effort, they'll win. Just refer back to the game the LeBron's won against the Pistons this season. James scored 41, and the LeBron's won in OT. In the other 3 games, the Pistons held James to 26, 21 and 20 respectively, all Pistons' victories.

As for staying focused, you would think that wouldn't be an issue for the Pistons. But somehow, it almost always is one. The LeBron's will be in this series as long as the Pistons will allow. When the Pistons decide to impose their will upon a game and/or series, not many, if any, teams are capable of stopping them.

I would not be surprised in the least if we saw this series turn out much as Pistons - Bulls. The Pistons will be the far better team, take a sizable series lead, then take a 2 or 3 game mental vacation. It's their M.O. It's in their DNA.

As a Pistons fan, their having to keep their backs against the wall is frustrating as all Hell, but it's almost expected at this point. We've seen their disappearing act all too often. The biggest fear is that they wait too long to wake up. It very nearly happened last season against the LeBron's.

If the Pistons manage to keep their motivation, and not buy into their own hype, it'll be their series to win.

So that's the breakdown.

Stop LeBron.

Stay interested.

It's that simple.

The NHL is on NBC...Unless it's a tie game

Turd Ferguson: Give me "Sports on TV" for $200, Alex.

Alex Trebek: The question is, "What is the lowest rated, and worst treated, sport in TV broadcast history?"

Sean Connery: What is, "Me plowing your mom?" Suck it, Trebek!

Turd Ferguson: What is, "The NHL on NBC?"

How far has the NHL fallen? When the NHL has fallen to the point where I can make a really bad "Celebrity Jeopardy" joke, I don't think it could fall any farther.

The NHL playoff game between Buffalo and Ottawa is dropped after regulation time by NBC in order to cover a horse race. I never thought I'd write that about ANY legitimate sport. What's even stranger is that the NHL has their own version of the Heidi game, and save for a few hockey hotbeds, no one really cared.

I guess it's kismet that NBC was the culprit in both cases.

The whole situation between the NHL and NBC is almost pitiful. The NHL is acting like a high school kid desperate to keep their hot girlfriend. They are so desperate, they'll agree to anything in order to continue the relationship, even if that relationship is self destructive.

Gary Bettman is sacrificing an already shaky future in order to say that his sport is carried on a major network. Even if NBC is the lowest rated of the Big 4 networks, and is behaving as if they are doing the NHL a huge favor by even allowing such a low rated sport on their precious airwaves. Other niche sports are treated better by their networks than the NHL is treated by NBC.

The following list is what I'm guessing are NBC Sports' priorities, in order of importance, when it comes to the sports properties on which they hold the broadcast rights.

1. NFL - The king of all sports, whatever they say, goes. The NBC Sunday night football pregame show has a higher on screen population than most small towns.

2. Notre Dame football - The crown prince to the NFL kingdom, NBC isn't called the Notre Dame Broadcasting Company for nothing. When Charlie Weis eats, expect NBC to be there with exclusive coverage.

3. Olympics - In actual Olympic years, move it to number 2. If the summer games are held in the USA, all bets are off, the sky is the limit.

4. PGA golf- Has a small, but high income, demographic. Plus, Tiger Woods = Ratings.

5. Poker - On Saturday, 3 hours of network airtime was devoted to their "Heads-Up Poker Championship." 'Nuff said. When network TV devotes an inordinate amount of time to something as faddish as tournament poker, you know it's reached the saturation point. Saturated market or not, NBC still runs the tape to its conclusion.

6. Figure skating - Notice how skating is always shown as alternative counter programming when a huge sporting event is on another network? Plus NBC has to push to get a few prepubescent skaters known in preparation for their Olympics coverage.

7. Horse racing - An entire afternoon is devoted to the Breeders Cup. And we all saw what happened on Saturday for the Preakness coverage.

8. Tennis - NBC carries the French Open and Wimbledon. Americans only remotely care about 2 tennis tournaments, NBC has one of them in Wimbledon.

9. Dew Action Tour - I have no idea what this is, but NBC sure shows plenty of it.

10. Pro rodeo bull riding - Somebody must watch this, as NBC seems to use it as filler.

11. NHL - Has any of the above sports and activities been treated as shabbily as the NHL?

If the NHL and NBC believe ratings are bad now, just wait. As someone who enjoys hockey, I hate to say this, but if the Stanley Cup finals turns out to be Anaheim vs. Ottawa, which even as a Red Wings fan I have to say is very likely, no one the USA but a handful of fans in SoCal will watch.

We could see national ratings in the negative numbers, if such a thing is possible. Despite the record low ratings, bad publicity, lack of respect and horrible treatment, at least the NHL is on an American broadcast network, right?

The Pistons move on, the Bulls go home & fans ask, "Why did it take 6 games?"

Thursday night's 95-85 win was another shining example as to why the Detroit Pistons are such an infuriating team to their fans.

I'm innocent, I tell you! I'm a victim of circumstance!

This series should have been over in 5 games, max. But the Pistons pulled their frustrating "We're too cool for school" act, basically taking 3 games off. That being the 1st half of game 3, and the 10 quarters following their explosive, game saving, 2nd half.

When the Pistons finally decided to stop dicking around, and impose their will upon the Bulls, it was obvious they were the better team. It took them till the 2nd half tip before they decided to, once again, flip the "Let's play to win" switch.

Once they went on their 12-4 run at the beginning of the 2nd half, the Pistons took the lead and never relinquished it. When the lead made it into the 6-8 point range, the Pistons kept it there for the the vast majority of the game. You could sense that the game was theirs, if the Pistons wanted to keep it. (You can never be too sure.) But from the sound of the Chi-town crowd, they sensed it as well.

When it became a free throw shooting contest with 2 minutes left, the game, and series, was finally over.

About damn time...

Not that there weren't several times throughout the game when you just wanted to throw your hands up, and say, "What the fuck?"

The PJ Brown show during the 1st half. When did he become an offensive force? Or was the defense that lax? Brown somehow canned 20 points tonight, almost all in his insane 1st half. He shouldn't score 20 points in 3 games combined...

Why is Lindsey Hunter allowed to shoot? I love his defense and energy, but he's as effective as Ben Wallace on offense.

The 5 second call against Tayshaun Prince late in the game. To paraphrase Biff Tannen, "Think Prince, think!" I'll give Prince this, he was the Pistons' most consistent performer. The Bulls had no answer when Prince would post up.

Rasheed Wallace being unstoppable down low, leaving you thinking, "Why did he wait 2 games to re-manifest his considerable talent?" In other words, "Where you been, 'Sheed?"

No, I didn't! Honest... I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. IT WASN'T MY FAULT, I SWEAR TO GOD.

The questionable, at best, foul calls on Wallace on consecutive possessions, costing the Pistons 4 points. To be honest, 2 positives did come from that sequence. Rasheed somehow didn't get T'ed up, despite his histrionics, and the calls lit his "I'm taking over" fuse. A pissed off 'Sheed is a force of nature.

Add it all up though, and it equals a win. The Chicago Bulls season is over, thanks to the Pistons. That's all that counts, as (Thankfully) the NBA doesn't issue style points. It's win, and move on.

Detroit moves on, as expected, to their 5th consecutive eastern conference final.

This series win leaves me asking 1 more question. The Pistons were heavily favored to make the east finals. In fact, it was considered inevitable. So why do the Pistons have to be make the inevitable so God damn dramatic?

Bandwagon fans are the lowest of the low

I'll be catching up on on my blog and message board reading (By the way, Google Reader is the absolute shiznit), and I'll read someone's post talking about the teams they follow. If they're from Philly, I'd expect them to religiously follow the the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, and Sixers. The same goes if you are from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, where ever.


You root for the teams that you grow up with, through good times and bad times. If you leave your hometown area, I'd expect you to continue to root for "Your" teams. I can understand learning about and following the teams in your new city. If you are an expatriate, I would still expect that the teams who remain first in your heart, the teams you will live and die with, will be "Your" teams.

That's called being a fan.

But there are times when I'll catch a post or comment from someone who roots, for example, the Dallas Cowboys, Miami Hurricanes, and Los Angeles Lakers.

Teams in 3 different geographic areas of the country. Far from where the poster lives.

A bandwagon fan.

I'd guess your typical bandwagon fan is younger, someone whose formative years were in the era when the team who's bandwagon they jumped on were uber-successful. It's easy to become a "Fan" of during the glory years for those teams, when their games were always nationally broadcast.

When I was young, that team was "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys of the 70's. Personally, I hated that nickname, and I despised the Cowboys. I still do. Even though the Lions were perennially mediocre (Now I'd kill for the Lions to be mediocre), I still rooted for them. They were, and still are, for rarely better and mostly worse, my team.

Yet I knew people who were fickle enough to ditch the Lions, and root for the Cowboys or Steelers. Damn bandwagoners...

I see the same bandwagon phenomena in Michiganders whom were fans of the Chicago Bulls. They may have been too young to have lived through the Bad Boy Pistons era. Instead, they bought into the media and Nike hype, and cheered for the Michael Jordan led, 6 NBA title winning, Bulls. You might as well just say you were a Michael Jordan fan, rather than a fan of the Bulls.

As a Detroiter, they should DESPISE Jordan for his very vocal disrespecting of both the championship winning Pistons, and their physical style of basketball. I love the fact that Detroit was one of the few fanbases that continually jeered and booed Jordan.

As for those bandwagon Bulls fans, they probably moved on to cheering for the Shaq and Kobe led Lakers.

It's one thing to become a fan of a team when they are winning. That's easy to do. Just go buy an easy to find jersey or cap, and turn on the TV. It's altogether another to love teams who were, or gradually become, God awful. You have to work to find paraphernalia, god forbid find a t-shirt or jersey. They are never nationally televised, and ignored by the public at large. Yet you still stand by your team.

That's a true fan.

As you've probably guessed, if you've read TWFE over any length of time, that my sporting loves were developed in the 70's. Not exactly glory days in Detroit sports. Those were dark, dark days for fans of Detroit teams, folks.

I loved the Pistons when they were the dregs of the NBA, and the organization as a whole was rightfully considered a bad joke. The Red Wings were in even worse shape, known as "The Dead Things" and "Darkness with Harkness." Yet, they were still my team. I died a little inside every time the Lions blew a game, yet I was there behind them the next week. The Tigers were good, then quickly grew old, and began to set records in futility. I lived through the 19 game losing streak. Despite their record, I still desperately wanted the Tigers to win.

They were MY teams.

And you know what? You would never have seen me rooting for the dominant teams of that era, the Steelers, Cowboys, Reds, Orioles, Canadians, and Lakers. I stood by my teams, through tough times, and worse times. I lived and died, mostly died, with them.

Am I saying that being there through the bad times makes me a better fan?

I guess I am...

We are now seeing that same bandwagon effect with today's Detroit teams. EVERYONE claims to be a fan of the Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings. Sure you are...

Where were all of the bandwagoners in 2003? 2001? 1989? I sure as Hell didn't see them in the half empty stands. They wouldn't know who Alex Sanchez, Mikki Moore, or Rick Zombo were because they didn't give those teams a second thought. Grant Hill? Some guy selling Sprite. Gerard Gallant? Isn't he the kid in those "Goofus and Gallant" stories in "Highlights" magazine? Nate Cornejo? Beavis' TP seeking alter ego? They have no idea.

One of the most thrilling things for a fan to live through is being witness to your team progressing from also ran, to contender, to champion. I've seen it with the 80's and 00's Pistons, the 90's Wings, and most shockingly (And maybe the most satisfying of all), the 2006 Tigers. Even the Lions have had a couple of extremely entertaining turnarounds (Led by the drafting of Billy Sims and Barry Sanders) to become at least respectable.

Being a fan through the awful times made the good times that much sweeter. It's a feeling younger Tigers fans now have, and will always remember. It's a feeling bandwagon fans will never know.

It's their loss.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it

The one word (Other than several that are profane) that comes to mind when thinking about the Detroit Pistons is "Hubris."

Hubris: hu·bris(hyōō'brĭs) n. Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance: "There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris" (McGeorge Bundy).

I'd have to say that the Pistons are hubris defined.

For more fun with the English language, here are some synonyms for "Hubris."

airs, assumption, big-headedness, cockiness, conceit, condescension, contumely, disdain, disdainfulness, egoism, egotism, haughtiness, hauteur, hubris, huff, immodesty, insolence, loftiness, morgue, overconfidence, patronage, pragmatism, presumption, pretension, pretentiousness, proud flesh, self-exaltation, self-importance, self-love, smugness, snobbery, superbity, superciliousness, swagger, swelled head*, vainglory, vanity

I could use any of those words to describe the Pistons' personality. They are a team whose attitude is often been reflected in their on-court play. Their demeanor the past 3 games with the Chicago Bulls has been "Hubris" personified.

The Pistons may just be the most frustrating and confounding team to root for in all of sports. They can look like both the best, and worst, team in the NBA during a 7 game series. Actually, they can pull their good/bad act in the same game. Just go back to game 3...

The Detroit Pistons are the "Sybil" of the NBA.

Their attitude is a big reason why most opposing fanbases despise the Pistons. (Well, that and the constant referee baiting and whining, of which Pistons fans are sick of tired of seeing) Much like deposed royalty living in exile, royalty who believes they still have the same station in life, the Pistons all too often carry themselves as if they are the defending NBA champions. Considering their NBA title was 3 seasons ago, they don't deserve that kind of respect. 3 seasons is eons in NBA years.

It's one thing for yokels such as myself to declare that a series is all but over. It's another thing altogether for the Pistons to feel that way.

Much as the shoe was on the other foot way back in 2003, when the Orlando Magic had the Pistons on the verge of elimination. Remember Tracy McGrady's infamous statement after game 4? T-Mac was thrilled to "finally be in the second round (of the playoffs)," despite still having to win one more game.

We all know how many games the Magic won after T-Mac looked in his crystal ball...

You'd think a Pistons team that barely survived the same playoff scenario in round 2 last season would have realized that you can't just show up at the arena and expect the opposition to roll over. Instead, to quote noted scholar Yogi Berra, "This is like deja vu all over again."

Do I think that the Pistons will still win this series? Sure do. Am I confident with that prediction? Not nearly as much as I was a few days ago. Matt at Detroit Bad Boys put it much more succinctly.

I still think that the third time trying to close out the series will be the charm in Game 6 on Thursday in Chicago, but I no longer know if my confidence is fueled by optimism, logic or denial.

At this point, I'm now expecting this series to go 7 games. The Pistons have not shown me that they can get themselves fired up unless their backs are against the proverbial wall.

What was once a farce of a series has turned into a legitimate one.

Burning questions from a crazy Detroit sports weekend

It's being called "Black Sunday," as all 3 of Detroit's teams lost.

But the only loss that really meant anything was the Red Wings', as that made their series with the Ducks 1-1. The Pistons losing to the Bulls is just delaying the inevitable, the of type emotionless performance that we were all expecting them to have sometime during their playoff run. It just happened to be yesterday. As for the Tigers, they just had one of those crazy Baggiedome games where nothing goes right, the sort you just forget about right after the final out.

After a weekend of Detroit sports craziness, some questions were left unanswered. Till now...

Will will we ever see Virgil Vasquez in a Tiger uniform again?

The Twins shelled poor Virgil for 9 hits and 6 runs less than 3 innings. Not an auspicious major league debut. So it might be quite a while before we see Vasquez again. But one game does not a career make. Let's hope Vasquez learns from his cup of coffee in the bigs, and makes it back to Detroit.

After seeing Vasquez struggle mightily in his first ever start, the best news Tigers fans could have heard was that phenom Andrew Miller's first double A start was a rousing success. The one question none of us can answer is, "When will Miller be called up?" I'm guessing it's going to be sooner than later.

How badly did the Tigers embarrass themselves on the worldwide leader's airwaves last night?

Less than Joe Morgan manages to every Sunday night. Even though the Tigers were given a thorough whipping, it was just 1 game in a 162 game season, folks. Games like these happen to even the best teams during a long season. Even Jim Leyland knew it was going to just one of those games, and threw in the towel early, if you go by his wholesale substituting.

To be honest, I'm thrilled beyond belief that the Tigers took 2 of 3 from the Twins, especially in that house of horrors known as the Baggiedome. Any trip to Minnesota where you win the series is a successful one.

What happened to all the Tigers' supposed pitching depth?

Some of it was traded to the Yankees for Gary Sheffield. The rest still isn't quite ready. But to say the Tigers don't have depth is unfair. Think about it, how many teams could bounce back from such a tough 1-2 injury punch as the Tigers have this season? Most teams would be happy to just tread water. The Tigers, on the other hand, have gone on a winning streak!

To still lead the Central division after arguably losing both your best starting and relief pitcher says volumes about the Tigers' talent and fortitude. Having The Gambler and Joel Zumaya return mid season will be a huge boost to the Tigers morale, and even more importantly, talent level.

Why are the Pistons so God damned confounding?

If I could figure out in advance what nights the Pistons would decide to take off, I'd make a killing in Vegas. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, it's just how they roll. The Pistons have rarely taken the easier road. Personally, I'd bet the farm that the Pistons close out the series on Tuesday. They normally bounce back quite well after one of their frustratingly blasé performances.

Is Flip Murray still rising after posterizing a helpless Kirk Hinrich?

Holy shit, who knew Flip had such mad hops? It was one of the few emotional moments in a game which the Pistons showed little. Too bad the only defense Hinrich had was to give Murray a shot in the nether regions. Just look at the screen grab that was posted at The Fanhouse.


Hinrich successfully went for the proverbial cock punch. He must cribbing cheap shot notes from Bruce Bowen. Seeing that now puts Murray's glaring reaction at Hinrich, which pissed off Bulls fans, in context.

What were the NHL replay judges looking at on the 3rd period goal that tied Red Wings - Ducks at 3-3?

Considering the time of night of Travis Moen's third-period goal, probably "The Family Guy." They sure as Hell weren't watching the instant replay. Dominik Hasek made the stop, then was shoved / pitchforked / bulldozed into the goal. Everyone but the replay judges saw it that way. I hope they enjoyed the wacky antics of Peter Griffin.

Are the Anaheim Ducks the better team?

Going from what my eyes are telling me, yes. When play is 5 on 5, the Ducks have dominated the Wings for long stretches. The Red Wings have been making hay with their special teams, and they will have to continue to cash in on the power play and stifle the Ducks while on the penalty kill, in order to win this series.

I'm not saying that the Red Wings won't win this series, even if they aren't the better team. If there is one thing we've learned from watching the NHL playoffs over the past few years, it's that the better team doesn't always win. The more opportunistic team wins. More than a little luck helps too. The Red Wings of 2003, 2004, and 2006 would concur. This series is far from over, and it will go 7 games.

What about the Lions?

What about them? They still blow.

Wanna make 50 dollars the hard way?

Al Czervik says to visit Tigerblog to find out how...

The Pistons took game 4 off, thinking the Bulls would lie down and be swept. Ready for game 5?

Did anyone else get the feeling that the Pistons purposely decided to lay low for 3 quarters in their game 4 with the Chicago Bulls today? Why else would they wait until the 4th quarter before turning up their intensity?

DAMN! So much for our Tuesday night clubbing...

The game within a game they were playing was "How long can we just go through the motions before deciding to make an effort?"

Just as the Pistons waited till the 2nd half tip before turning up the wick in game 3, they decided to make things more interesting in game 4. How? By waiting for the 4th quarter before trying the same sort of comeback. Their little game backfired this time...

I admit I'm being somewhat facetious. But when you consider the Pistons found themselves down 21 after 3, it's the only thing that makes sense.

You have to give the Bulls some credit, as they just could have laid down and let their season come to an end. But I think the Pistons deserve most of the credit for the Bulls extending the series. Who were the biggest culprits in Game 4? It was an ugly game for the Detroit big men.

Rasheed Wallace fell back into his lazy habit of lingering around the 3 point line. I can somewhat live with that when he's hitting those long jumpers. But when you shoot 2-12(!) from 3 point land, and 2-4 inside, you'd think that one would tend to work the paint just a little more? 2 for 12? Jesus.

Chris Webber has been all but invisible the last 2 games. On second thought, C-Webb has been totally invisible. In games 3 and 4, Webber was a combined 0-8 in 30 total minutes. Webber was damn successful if he trying to go incognito. Someone has to clue Webber in that the feds aren't after him anymore, he doesn't have to attempt to hide in plain sight.

Antonio McDyess hasn't been much better than Webber, with his 3-11 from the floor over the 2 games. His normally on the money jumper has gone AWOL.

I'm not going to get to uptight over the Pistons first loss in a 7 game series. It's their first playoff loss, period. Even the best teams will lose playoff games. The Pistons weren't going to go through the playoffs as Moses Malone once predicted for his 76'ers, "Fo, fo, fo."

I fully anticipate that the Pistons will wake from their partial game stupor upon coming home for game 5. If they show even a little interest from the start, the Pistons should blow away the Bulls Tuesday night, and finally end this farce of a series.

Still, I'd feel a little better about losses like today's if the Pistons would at least make an attempt to look like they give a shit.

That. Was. Embarrassing.

After a very ugly 24 minutes, I thought the above, or something similar, would be the headline of my next post. That post was going to be about the Pistons deciding to take the night off against the Bulls.

A 28 point 1st half? What. The. Fuck?

I was going to write that what we witnessed was a typical Detroit Pistons game 3 playoff effort, an effort we've seen before in previous series. 2006's examples being awful game 3's against the Bucks and the LeBron's.

I would have also delved into the thought being that Pistons don't seem (or want) to play their best until their backs are against the wall. If we saw the same sort of effort in game 4, that would lead to another one of those 6 or 7 games series that the Pistons would invariably win, but never should have gone that far to do so.

I even thought of getting a head start, and posting some quick thoughts royally ripping the Pistons royally their lack of both effort and killer instinct against an inferior opponent.

Then the 2nd half started, and I figured it would be best to wait. The Pistons could at least make a game out of it. I was hoping they would make a run, get the game somewhat close, and not give the Bulls much momentum going into what I thought would be a more interesting that it should of been game 4.

I'm glad I held off...

In a short 12 minute span, the Bulls' 19 point lead, my building bile, and my blog post, all went right out the window.

The game finished 81-74 Pistons, but it wasn't even that close by the end.

What we witnessed in the 2nd half Thursday night was a textbook example of a young team undergoing a total meltdown. A nuclear meltdown. A China Syndrome meltdown. I don't think I'd call it a choke job, as the Pistons had much to do with Chicago's mental mistakes and horrible decision making. I think we can all agree that it was definitely an embarrassing 2nd half performance, or lack thereof, by the Bulls.

After the 2nd half tip, the Pistons executed their offense to perfection, and the shots finally started to fall. Defensively, the Pistons didn't let the Bulls have a single easy shot. And as we saw, hardly any found net, with the Bulls only scoring 30 points. The Bulls couldn't execute. It was asking to much for them to make a pass, a shot, or a anything resembling a good decision in the 2nd half.

Chicago had absolutely no answer for Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, and someone who's going to be a very, very rich man after the playoffs, Chauncey Billups. Grizzled playoff veterans were taking visibly nervous playoff neophytes to school, and giving them an ass kicking.

'Sheed ended the 3rd with a dagger of a 3, to bring the Pistons to within 1 of the Bulls. The game was over then and there. At that point, it was just going to be a matter of what the Pistons' final margin of victory was going to be.

Gordon, Deng, Nocioni, Brown. Hell, just name a Bull, they were visibly shaken once the Pistons made their move. They couldn't hold on to passes, bricked free throws, and couldn't hit even uncontested shots.

And just where was Ben Wallace in the 2nd half? On the bench, thanks to his non-existent offensive game, and if you ask me, emotion. When he was a Piston, Ben Wallace was a huge, intimidating presence. He could control a game with his defense, rebounding, and will. But with the Bulls? That's not the same Ben Wallace I saw as a Piston. He's just another guy now.

If I'm a Bulls fan, I'm thinking differently about him after this series. They paid Wallace 60 MILLION DOLLARS, and they get absolutely no veteran leadership. Wallace showed up late for the game, 'nuff said. Late for a must win playoff game? Your prize free agent? The face of the franchise? Make you wonder where Wallace's head was at, as it sure isn't in this series.

When it was all said and done, the Pistons had crushed any and all hope the city of Chicago may have had in the Bulls, let alone the Bulls themselves.

This series is over. Bring on the LeBron's.

TWFE owes Magglio Ordonez an apology

Remember when I wrote the following?

Magglio Ordonez is pretty good. Unfortunately, he's being paid to be great. It's looking more and more as if we'll never again see the elite level Ordonez that played for the White Sox.

I wrote that on April 19, 2007. Ordonez was hitting .255, with 1 HR, 9 RBI. He looked to all the world to be just scuffling along, and far from being an elite level hitter. $16 million a season for basically another Craig Monroe?

But since then? Maggs has hit .415, with 5 HR, 21 RBI. Ordonez is now in the AL top 5 in OPS, SLG, RBI, 2B & Runs. He's top 10 in AVG, OBP & Hits.

In your face, Big Al!

Magglio is hitting everyone hard, and doing so with power to all fields. In fact, he has put the Tigers offense on his shoulders these past 3 weeks. Ordonez is doing everything that is expected out of a cleanup man, and as a corner outfielder if you go by his spectacular game ending catch against Seattle Tuesday night.

Back in the very early days of TWFE, some 15 months ago, I wrote that for the Tigers to succeed they needed Ordonez to be a huge threat in the middle of the order.

What does an actual, true to life cleanup hitter look like wearing a Detroit uniform? It's been so long, I don't remember. I'm not talking about a Dean Palmer type, who would have been much more effective at 5 or 6 in the order, but a bad ass, clear the bases weapon.

For the past 3 weeks, and to be honest, for the first time as a Tiger, Ordonez has been that sort of bat. The bat he once was before his catastrophic knee injury.

Will Ordonez continue his torrid place? It's quite possible, as Ordonez's legs finally appear to be fully healthy. He is also surrounded in the batting order with All-Star level talent in Gary Sheffield hitting in front of him, and Carlos Guillen following. He's going to get good pitches to hit.

So we just may see the same Magglio Ordonez that White Sox fans had to privilege to watch from 1999 to 2003. And I'll more than happy to continue eating crow...

The Chicago Bulls are 1 player away from beating the Pistons. Unfortunately, he's 43 years old and owns the Bobcats

The Chicago Bulls have a roster issue. That being they don't have a circa 1991 Michael Jordan on their playoff roster. It has become obvious that having a young, title hungry Jordan on the Bulls would be the only chance they have of taking out the 2007 Detroit Pistons. As far as I know, Mr. Peabody hasn't yet invented the Wayback Machine, so the Pistons need not worry about a time traveling Jordan.

Sherman & Mr. Peabody are the Chicago Bulls only hope

The Detroit Pistons have made this round of the NBA playoffs boring. By sprinting out to double digits leads right after the opening tip, the Pistons have been doing Detroit sports fans a huge favor. Their blowing the Bulls right out of the Palace have allowed us to tune in the Red Wings, whose games with the now vanquished San Jose Sharks have been nail-biters in comparison.

The Pistons haven't looked this focused since their 2004 title run. While watching the game (Flipping between 24, the Pistons, and the Red Wings caused a great deal of painful thumb strain. But in the playoffs, you have to watch hurt...) I expected the Pistons to let off the throttle, allowing the Bulls back in the game, much as they did against the LeBron's last season. I was thrilled to see that they kept their foot on the Bulls throat, and pretty much choked out their playoff hopes in the process.

What is even more encouraging is that despite their focus, the Pistons aren't yet playing their absolute best. There were too many turnovers last night, 21 to the Bulls' 13, and even more glaring, the Pistons were well out shot from the charity stripe. I don't think I've ever seen a team shoot 29 (!) more free throws, as did the Bulls, and yet get blown out of the arena so decisively.

Back in the 80's, the Pistons had "The Jordan Rules." Imaginary rules or not, the Bad Boy Pistons were unquestionably in the Bulls' collective heads for several years. I think we are seeing history repeat itself.

The Bulls guards are shooting blanks, and are being grossly outplayed. Their forwards aren't faring any better, the Pistons front line are mentally and physically dominating play. Ben Wallace is no longer a superhuman force of nature, he's just a good rebounder and defender who is non-existent on offense.

The Pistons' domination of the Bulls was so total, Bulls coach Scott Skiles never changed his facial expression through the the last 3 quarters of game 2. It was the look of a shellshocked man who's resigned to his fate. He doesn't have a solution, any answers, or even a prayer. How do you tell a team that they are still in this series, despite being out played and out talented? I don't even think the Zen Master himself could make that sound plausible.

The Bulls may end up winning a game or 2. That's just how the Pistons roll. But to think that the Bulls can win 4 of 5 from the Pistons? After consecutive 20+ point losses? While enduring such utter and total domination? Not even bringing back the Zen Master, Jordan circa 1991, and Jordan's caddie in Mr. Peabody's Wayback Machine could pull this series out of the ashes.

TWFE Detroit Tigers 30 game review: Pitching

Jeremy Bonderman: Bondo finally got a win, after 5 no-decisions. Bonderman has had the same issue every season, 2007 is no different. For whatever reason, in most of his starts, he digs himself a 1st inning hole. It's as if the light doesn't turn on till he flips a switch in the 2nd inning. He then pitches well, if not dominates. By the time Bonderman straightens himself out, the Tigers are down a run or more. To emphasize that point, in his 5 no-decisions, the Tigers were 1-4. Bonderman is going to have a good season. It won't be great if he is unable curb his 1st inning, for lack of a better word, jitters.

Chad Durbin: I put Durbin on double secret probation after starting the season with 3 awful starts. In his 3 starts since probation, Durbin is 2-0, with 2 quality starts. The Tigers won all 3. The question we all had before the season was, "Is Durbin a major league pitcher?" He's shown that he's at least a 5th starter. do I want Durbin in the rotation? No, but until the Tigers decide they have a better option in the minors, (You all know who are the usual suspects) Durbin is the number 5 starter. Just be prepared for a white knuckle ride in his starts.

Jason Grilli: Grilli is a favorite punching bag for the Tigers fans who know how to use the internet. What do I think? Look at Grilli's stats. One awful appearance (The April 4th game against Toronto that was played in gale force winds, and Grilli was the victim of several fluky plays) skewed Grilli's stats. Grilli is just fine as a middle relief guy. Does he inspire complete confidence? No, but how many middle relief pitchers do? I'll just put it this way. If the Tigers waived Grilli, another team would snatch him up immediately.

Todd Jones: The Grand Poobah of the white knuckle parade. I think Jones revels in scaring the living shit out of Tigers fans, then pitching out of his self made jams. I don't know how he does it, but somehow the Rollercoaster continues to pile up the saves. I know saves are an overrated stat, but the Rollercoaster does what he is paid to do. He leads the AL in saves. Jones is proof positive of how successful a pitcher can be if he throws strikes. Considering what we learned about Joel Zumaya's finger today, Jones is, for better or worse, the Tigers closer for the foreseeable future. It may be past this season. Think about it, Zumaya's future is at worst, uncertain. In fact, he could still end up in the rotation. We all have seen how Rodney can struggle to find the strike zone. Who knows how long we'll have to lick the Rollercoaster around? It may be longer than we'd care to think...

Wilfredo Ledezma: Ledezma is criminally underrated. On most teams, he's starting every 5th day. With the pitching loaded Tigers, Ledezma is a glorified LOOGY. Out of all the Tigers in the pen, now that Zumaya is hurt, Ledezma is the pitcher I'd trust most to get the big out with runners on base.

Aquilino López: When I first read López's name, I almost did a double take, thinking it was the same name as the late, great "Señor Smoke." I'm not sure what to make of López yet, with 1 solid outing and 3 that were not at all impressive. With Zumaya out (Notice how often he's been mentioned?) I'm sure López will get more opportunities to impress. But so far, he hasn't.

Mike Maroth: Supposedly recovered from last season's elbow surgery, Maroth hasn't pitched nearly as well as he did in 2006. Despite that, Maroth is 2-0, and the Tigers have won all 6 of his starts. I'm not sure if that actually means anything, but it is worth mentioning. So far, Maroth has been nothing more than a 5 inning pitcher. He's kept the Tigers in games, but puts a strain on the bullpen. I expected more from Maroth, and I suspect the Tigers did as well.

José Mesa: Brought in during the off season to bolster bullpen depth, Joe Table has just come back from a stint on the DL, and will be expected to pick up much of the late inning slack during Zumaya's absence. From what I've seen so far, I hope that's not asking too much. Before going on the DL, he was throwing the equivalent of batting practice. In his first appearance after being activated, I have to admit that Mesa did pitch well. It was only one batter, but it was with men on base, and he got the out needed to get out of the jam. Let's hope that's the Joe Table we see from here on out.

Nate Robertson: I said that this was going to be Robertson's break out season. A 3-1 record with a 2.48 ERA (4th in the AL) has me thinking that, for once, I may be right. With the Gambler on the DL, Robertson has stepped up his game, pitching like the staff ace. He's on track for a career year, and with some of the staff's injury issues, Mr. Gum Time couldn't have picked a better season to do so.

Fernando Rodney: Rodney's start to the season was awful. Then it got worse. He couldn't find the strike zone with a GPS unit. When you read of the the Tigers' bullpen collapsing, Rodney's thinking the strike zone was just a rumor was the big reason why. He was the bullpen cornerstone that suddenly couldn't hold his weight. After pitching coach Chuck Hernandez corrected a mechanical flaw, Rodney suddenly became lights out again. Once he became reacquainted with the strike zone, the bullpen suddenly looked much better. With Zumaya out, (There's his name again) Rodney has become the primary set-up man. I'd suggest keeping some Dramamine handy, as it may be a bumpy ride if Rodney goes into another funk.

Bobby Seay: Up to this point, Seay has been the biggest surprise of the season. He has cushioned the loss of Jamie Walker considerably, sliding into the LOOGY role without incident. Seay has proved effective against right handers as well in longer stints on the mound. Seay is another whose role will become even more important with the loss of Zumaya. For someone who won a roster spot in spring training, he has managed to become a quite important piece in the Tigers bullpen.

Justin Verlander: What sophomore slump? Verlander has been just dandy. His 2-1 record and 2.75 ERA confirms that Verlander is a top of the rotation pitcher. Unfortunately, he seems to have been designated as the pitcher who will get little run support, much to Nate Robertson's relief. Verlander has shown no ill effects from the innings thrown in his 1st big league season, much to the Tigers, and the fans, relief. Still, innings pitched is something that bears watching as the season moves forward.

Joel Zumaya: Well, the bad news we were all expecting came today. Zumaya is having surgery. He's out for 12 weeks with a ruptured tendon. It's been a whirlwind season for Zumaya. We had all the "Guitar Hero" crap in in the off season. Once the season started, he pitched well up to the point where he had an all around meltdown, losing both his control and composure in Chicago. That lead into a very rough patch of Zumaya channeling his inner Fernando Rodney when it came to throwing strikes. It looked as if Zumaya had found his control again, when he damaged his middle finger. It's a blow to the bullpen, but far from a death knell. Even without Zumaya, the Tigers have a good bullpen. On the bright side, it's not an arm or elbow issue, so he should come back with the same nasty stuff when healthy. Knock on wood...

TWFE Detroit Tigers 30 game review: Position players

After 23 mostly frustrating games, the Detroit Tigers finally began to put it all together. The Tigers we've seen over the past week is the team we expected to see in 2007. They are playing damn good baseball, as their current 7 game winning streak would attest.

Since we have reached the 30 game point of the season, and a well earned day off, it seemed like a good time to take another look at the 2007 Tigers. I'll start with the position players.

Sean Casey: This says it all about Casey's season to this point. During the Tigers recent hot streak, "The Mayor" has tripled his RBI output...To a total of 3. Unless Casey can start to, at the very least, hit for average, the Tigers will need to do something drastic about the lack of production at a position that requires lots of it.

Curtis Granderson: Granderson is smooth as silk in center. On offense, he has developed even more power, but is still somewhat inconsistent. He has improved his strike out rate to the point where he's only 4th in AL K's, rather than leading the league. Baby steps, people.

Carlos Guillén: Still the Tigers most consistent offensive threat, leading all AL shortstops in OPS. Yes, Guillén is even better than God's gift to all of mankind, Derek Jeter. Guillén has also has continued to make the same sort of inexplicable errors in the field that cropped up in 2006. Fortunately, Guillén's better than God's gift to mankind bat makes taking the occasional sting of his fielding tolerable.

Omar Infante: Still seems to be somewhat out of the Marlboro Man's favor, but he is the first infielder off the bench. Being that Infante's competition for playing time is the Black Hole of Suck, it's not saying much. Infante doesn't hurt the team when he plays, and for a backup infielder, that is saying a lot.

Brandon Inge: As always, Inge is just fine in the field. At the plate, things are looking up, and not only his Granderson-esque K rate. He's almost hitting his weight. Let's hope he's not on a Mendoza line diet...

Craig Monroe: Fortunately, Monroe looks to have found his power stroke during the current win streak, raising his average 49 points. Unfortunately, is K rate is Granderson-esque and Inge-like. Fortunately, Monroe hasn't appeared to lose his tendency for clutchiness at the plate. Unfortunately, his OBP is still MIA. That's Monroe in a nutshell, you have to take the occasional bad with the occasional good.

The Black Hole of Suck: Somehow the Baseball Gods got their wires crossed, and gave the BHoS a thunderous bat Sunday, allowing the BHoS to raise his average 81 points. Despite his Roy Hobbsian bat, I'm more comfortable with the BHoS using his skills in other areas, such as keeping the bench warm...In Toledo

Magglio Ordóñez: Who is this guy with the slightly shorter hair? And what has happened to the real Magglio Ordóñez? This impostor Magglio is channeling the elite level Maggs circa 1999-2003 by hitting to all fields, with considerable power. Faux-Maggs is all over the AL leaderboards. 3rd in RBI, 5th in slugging, 4th in OPS, 1st in doubles. Pseudo Maggs has put the team's offense on his shoulders.

Gary Sheffield: Sheff has shown how you can still be effective while not hitting your own weight. Even when Sheff couldn't hit a slow moving beach ball hard, he was still getting on base at a .380 clip. His bat is catching up with his patience, hitting .342 over his past 10 games. Now that he has found his stroke, and is swinging with considerable, as Rod Allen likes to say, "Anger," we are seeing what a stud hitter Sheffield can be. Tigers fans should thank the O's Daniel Cabrera for waking Sheffield out of his early season stupor.

Plácido Polanco: He's hitting .361, and playing excellent defense. Polanco is having an All-Star caliber season, and is a legitimate threat to win the AL batting title. If you don't make any Great Gazoo jokes, what more is there to say about him? Polly is the epitome of a number 2 hitter.

Mike Rabelo: To be blunt, Rabelo's bat is Neifi-riffic. In other words, it's so bad he should be DH'ed for in the lineup. Rabelo is a poor man's Vance Wilson, who can't return to backup Pudge soon enough. Thankfully, Rabello is not on the roster for his bat. He has been just fine during his infrequent appearances behind the plate.

Iván Rodríguez: God forbid something happens to Pudge. Knock on wood. As long as Pudge isn't batting 3rd, and not a total black hole offensively, he's just fine. I wouldn't be surprised to see Pudge play as long and as effectively as Carlton Fisk. As barren as the Tigers system is at the catcher position, (As driven home by the lack of offense from Mike Rabelo. He's the best the Tigers have?) I wouldn't be surprised to see Pudge the Tigers' catcher for the next several seasons.

Marcus Thames: He's seeing more and more time at 1st base, thanks to Casey's struggles. Thames hasn't taken total advantage of the opportunity, as he's only hitting .211. But his power dwarfs Casey's, which is reason alone to make sure Thames gets his AB's. I could care less about Thames BA. With him, it's all about the power. Considering the Tigers win with 3 run homers, rather than with small ball, the case can be made that Thames should be the full time 1st baseman.

Up next: "TWFE Detroit Tigers 30 game review: Pitching"