Rob Parker, Pistons apologist

The Pistons often looked bored early on in the regular season, only playing their best when an opponent intrigued them. To their credit, they did turn on the jets, going 15-3 from mid November through Christmas.

Since that streak ended, the Detroit Pistons are once again stumbling along, admittedly much in thanks to Chauncey Billups' calf injury. Unfortunately, they do seem to be coasting. They are 1-4 in their last 5 games, while looking totally disinterested.

What hasn't helped is that Flip Murray has been a disaster as Billups' back up, and is rumored to be on the trading block. The other healthy point guard, Will Blaylock, is playing like one would expect the last player picked in the 2006 draft. He's
occasionally decent, but looks overwhelmed the majority of the time. The 85 year old Lindsey Hunter is once again injured, and will be kept on ice, much like last season, till the playoffs near.

For the most part, the Pistons have been what we expected, no more, and no less. A good team that is in the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.

Seems like a strange time for a gushing column to appear in the Detroit News, one highly praising head coach Flip Saunders. All becomes clear when you see that it's a "Column" from Joe Dumars' lapdog, Wobb Parker.

The headline alone raises an eyebrow. "Saunders' efforts move the Pistons above expectations."

I'm aware that the columnist don't write the headlines, but it does fit the tone of the column. But come on! "Above expectations?" 4th in the East, 2nd in the Central is above expectations? That seems to be meeting expectations, and that's being generous at best.

Wobb does his normal shill job when it comes to anything Pistons related. This column comes off as a paid advertisement selling the sometimes dubious virtues of Flip Saunders.

"Flip Saunders has held it together. Somehow, someway, the Pistons aren't the total mess they could be at this point."

Total mess? Saunders still has 4/5 of what was considered the best starting lineup in the NBA. It'd be damn hard to screw that up.

"Saunders has a chance to turn in the best coaching performance of his career. With the loss of Ben Wallace to free agency, he had to make changes and they have worked -- without any fall-off on defense or rebounding."

The only change is that Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince are each averaging close to 2 boards more a game when compared to last season. Add that with Wallace's replacement Nazr Mohammed's 5.8 per, and you have essentially replaced what Wallace brought to the boards. It appears more to me that 'Sheed and Prince stepped up their game, knowing that Ben Wallace was no longer around to cover their asses. I honestly don't know how much of that is Saunders, and how much the players. But considering the NBA is a players league, I hesitate to give Flip a ton of credit.

"The bottom line remains the Pistons, as much as any team, have a chance to get to the NBA Finals for the third time in four years."

That is exactly what fans and experts expected, even with the loss of Ben Wallace, that the Pistons would be in the mix for the Eastern Conference title. What exactly is so special about Flip having the Pistons exactly positioned where EVERYONE expected?

But don't feel sorry for Saunders. He knew what he signed up for when he came here after being fired by the Timberwolves. He could easily have taken a less-pressure-no-expectation team gig. Instead, he took the challenge of taking over a team that went to the NBA Finals two years in a row and probably could only go down.

With all that has happened, that's where they should be. But, Saunders has them still up near the top.

I doubt ANYONE feels sorry for someone making millions on a guaranteed contract. And why would any coach worth his salt choose a NBA bottom feeder over a playoff tested contender like the Pistons? That would be outright stupid.

The last 2 sentences utterly confuse me. The Pistons are where they should be, in contention. Yet Saunders has them where they are supposed to be, in contention? What? I have no idea what Parker is trying to say, and from the confused wording, Parker doesn't either. Must have been s misprint in Dumars' latest memo...

What's interesting after reading the Dumars bought and paid for Parker column, the the News' Pistons beat writer is not quite so optimistic. Today's Chris McCoskey article is not written using the red, white, and blue colored glasses that Wobb wears when writing about the Pistons.

"Bored or not, injured or not, the Pistons have to start getting serious about securing their foothold in this raggedy Eastern Conference playoff race."

"The Pistons are squandering way too many games in this, the easy part of their schedule. And those are games that are going to be difficult to retrieve later in the season."

In my mind, McCoskey accurately describes the Pistons team that we have seen through the first months of the season. Bored, inconsistent, and making things more difficult for themselves. Why Parker hasn't seen that is a mystery...

One thing has become clear, as was noted in a post today by the go to blog for all things Pistons, Detroit Bad Boys. The Pistons don't have a chance in Hell unless Chauncey Billups is on the floor.

It's interesting to note that it took an injury to Billups to reinforce the idea that the Pistons have to sign him long-term in the coming off season. Without Billups, the Pistons just might as well go into rebuilding mode. Pistons apologist Parker would likely blow sunshine up our asses, and claim that the Pistons don't rebuild under Dumars, they just reload.

Either way, we'd all feel a little better about the Pistons if they at least looked interested as the season slooooowly moves toward the playoffs.

As quoted in McCoskey's article, 'Sheed is thinking the same thing.

"No doubt," Rasheed Wallace said. "We've got to put it in second gear right now. It's the second half of the season right now, even before the All-Star break. We have to start locking in."

I hope you take your own advice, and don't believe Parker's apologist "All is well" mantra, 'Sheed...

Want to lose IQ points? Listen to Detroit sports talk radio

Art Regner got the ziggy from WXYT in what was called a "Cost-cutting" move. As bad as it is to see ANYONE lose their job before the holidays, the move was a positive one for 1270. As you might remember, I had Art high on my list of Detroit media hacks. Regner's blind love of all things Wolverine and Red Wing caused him to come off as nothing more than a sycophant. Neither team could do no wrong in his maize, blue, and red tinted world. Regner was nothing more than a glorified fluffer when it came to those organizations, I guess WXYT tired of paying for handi-wipes and knee pads.

With the loss of Regner, WXYT has improved themselves. 1270 may not be listenable, as pseudo tough guy Mike Valenti and Michigan mouthpiece Doug Karsh are still on the air, but improved all the same. Faint praise, but it's progress.

The highest ranking member of my media hack list, self designated baseball "Expert" Wobb Parker, along with his long suffering partner, Mark Wilson, was given his walking papers from 97.1 FM. The cancellation of Parker and the Man was greeted with a shrug by me, as I never listened to them. Personally, I find Parker to be absolutely insufferable. I avoid his columns at all cost, so why on earth would I want to listen to his drivel as well? If only the Detroit News would take heed, and shitcan the worst columnist of any major market newspaper.

But there was even better news than no longer having to hear Parker's tripe. The reason given for Parker's removal was that both the Red Wings and Tigers were going to have their night games simulcast on WKRK along with WXYT. That may have been the best news for Tigers fans since Joel Zumaya gave up playing "Guitar Hero." 1270's weak signal was long been a sore spot with the Tigers fanbase. Since leaving WJR, you couldn't hear the Tigers over the air at night, unless you were living within plain sight of 1270's transmitter. Considering WXYT's transmitter is powered by 2 asthmatic hamsters during the day, and 1 at night, the Tigers moving to FM was loooong overdue.

For those pining for the days of the Tigers being heard on the WJR's blowtorch of a signal, as compared to WXYT's Bic lighter of one, those days are long gone. WJR makes more money going with a schedule full of syndicated programming, which is a damn shame. 760 is a shadow of its own self, anyway. Today's WJR is an utter waste of a clear channel signal. Local programming is an afterthought, as they would rather poison the airwaves with agenda pushing blowhards like Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura. If only JP McCarthy knew what has happened to his once great station, which is no longer the "Voice of the Great Lakes." The Tigers and Wings are better off being on stations with more sports-centric focus, rather than the rhetoric-spewing voice of far right wing conservatism.

WDFN is dead to me at this point. The station has become so full of inside jokes, callers who fancy themselves as bad comedy writers, run into the ground cliches, and hosts that encourage such behavior, that 1130 has become unlistenable to anyone with even a modicum of intelligence. Tuning into Stoney and Wojo yesterday afternoon (For the first time in months, actually) pretty much confirmed that I wouldn't be listening to 1130 again anytime soon, as I'm trying to preserve what brain matter I have left.

I don't mind guy talk at all, but S and W have turned into an audio version of the lowest common denominator lad mags, Maxim and Stuff. Sports are an afterthought, talked about in between "Wacky" news stories and rote, by the numbers caller contests. They have dumbed themselves down to the point where they have become frustratingly unlistenable.

For example, yesterday's big topics were sexual fetishes, and another one of their once funny, now lame, 64 team tournaments. What was even worse hearing Mike Stone and Bob Wojonowski going through the motions was their outright asinine callers. They feel the need to do awful bits that even Jay Leno would find unfunny, state the blatantly obvious, and encourage Wojo's stupidity, which is an act that has worn awfully thin. If I ever hear "HAPPY NEW YEAR" over the airwaves ever again, I'm going postal.

After listening to out 2 local sports talk outlets, one thing has become clear. Between Detroit sports talk radio, or getting a lobotomy, local sports talk kills more brain cells.

Happy anniversary!

Today is the 1 year anniversary of "The Wayne Fontes Experience." I published my first of 373 good, bad, and ugly posts on January 3, 2006. At the time, I wasn't sure what direction this blog was going. Honestly, sometimes I'm still not sure where this is all going. But it's been, and has remained, fun all the same.

Thanks for reading TWFE. Now, a little ditty from the "Happy Anniversary Quartet!"

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Haaappy Anniversary

We now state emphatically
its happy anniversary
Not another day could be
a happy anniversary

Ooooo Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy Anniversary
Happy
Happy
Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy
Anniversary!!!

Benjamin Franklin was a Detroit Lions fan

Why would I say such a blasphemous thing? Because Ben Franklin once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." Obviously, he was talking about the Detroit Lions.

The Lions blow the number 1 draft pick with a surprising win against playoff bound Dallas. Now guaranteed the number 2 overall draft pick, no one is sure what Matt Millen is going to do. Other than blow it, that is. About the only thing we are sure of is that a wide receiver won't be taken with that pick. Then again, this is Millen we are talking about.

Millen is given carte blanche to continue running the Lions into the ground, with the announcement that the incompetent boob will not be given the ziggy. Millen's vow to the beat writers, "I'll never quit," sent shivers through each and every Lions fan. Those that they have left, anyway...

Head coach Rod Marinelli, just as the namesake of this blog would do on a yearly basis, scapegoated a pair of coaches. Defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson and O-line coach Larry Beightol were given their walking papers. Oddly, the twice suspended, drunk, naked, fast food loving D-line coach, Joe Mullen, is still gainfully employed.

By the way, just who is the new defensive coordinator? Marinelli's son-in-law. Now that is just asking for trouble. Whispers of "Nepotism" are already being heard.

What's funny, is that some are still optimistic about the Lions. Read a message board or the beat writers, and you'll find plenty who still think Marinelli is the answer. Too many fans are looking at the so-called intangibles, not results. Because Marinelli talks a good game, looks like a football coach, has a military background, and there is the undeniable fact that he has an blithering idiot for a boss, most are giving Marinelli a free pass on this season.

That's amazing, as in my mind, we've seen no progress on the field. Marinelli needs to be held responsible. If anything, the Lions regressed badly this season. 2 other rookie head coaches, the Saints' Sean Payton and the Jets' Eric Mangini, took teams that were well under .500 in 2005 to the 2006 playoffs. I could give Marinelli the benefit if the doubt and say that he didn't have as good of personnel as those 2 teams. But you cannot deny the Lions were worse this season than last. Much worse. Finishing 3-13 is unacceptable, no matter the circumstances.

Marinelli claims that he's "Stirring the cement" and "Building a foundation." Then just why is it taking Marinelli so long, when Payton and Mangini were able to do so in less than 1 season? If you hired a contractor that took this long to build a "Foundation," you'd be asking for a refund and calling the Better Business Bureau.

So Marinelli got his free pass. That gives us a Catch 22. You give Marinelli the benefit of the doubt because he has a buffoon for a boss. But who hired Marinelli? That same buffoon.

If William Clay Ford had fired Millen, supposedly that would be unfair to Marinelli, as that would leave him a lame duck. So the Lions keep Millen, just to give Marinelli another year, and we continue with the 3-13 status quo? That makes absolutely no sense. What do you see in Millen's track record that would allow us to think that year 2 of Rod Marinelli will be any better than the regimes of Morhinwheg and Mariucci? I sure haven't seen it.

Marinelli continues to say that he wants his "Type" of player. But you have an incompetent boob in charge of getting those players. What do you see in Millen's track record that would allow us to think that year 7 of his player acquisition would be any better than the 6 years previous?

Millen needs to go, but he's not going anywhere. Any other GM would have been fired long, long ago. This is what I wrote on the Motownsports.com message board in a thread asking the question, who was a worse GM, the Tigers Randy Smith, or Matt Millen?

Randy Smith was run of the mill bad.

But Matt Millen? Millen is historically bad. Legendarily bad. The sort of bad that will be talked about for generations. When you look up bad in the encyclopedia, you'll see Millen's picture. Millen will be the comparison used when talking about how low a GM can take a franchise. Millen is so bad, that no other GM will ever be allowed to surpass Millen's ineptness, as they would have been canned long before they could do Millen-esque damage to a franchise.

So if we know the above is true, why on Earth would anyone think that the Lions won't have another double digit loss season, no matter how much Marinelli "Coaches 'em up?"

Post holiday housecleaning

Things will be back to normal here at TWFE tomorrow. I expect my posting to be back on schedule, that being damn near every day at whatever time I feel like.

I do have a couple of quick thoughts in regard to the last few days....

The more I think about Michigan's performance, or more correctly the lack thereof, in the Rose Bowl, the more pissed I become, and the more I believe I let Lloyd Carr and the Wolverines coaching staff off much too easy yesterday. The Wolverines embarrassed themselves, pure and simple.

The hugely entertaining Fiesta Bowl more than made up for the Rose Bowl debacle, I think we can all agree. We can only hope that Carr and Mike DeBord were watching and learning. Boise State was as unpredictable and fun of a team to watch as I've ever seen. When BSU's late game playcalling has you literally jumping out of your La-Z-Boy yelling "GODDAMN! HOLY SHIT! THE STATUE OF LIBERTY? I DON'T BELIEVE IT!", yet Michigan's you can accurately predict 90% of the time, nothing more needs to be said as to who you'd rather have on your sidelines.

Say what you will about the Worldwide Leader (They are evil incarnate), they do a damn fine job covering college football. FOX's presentation was as bad as bad gets. Chris Rose? Barry Switzer? Please...

Alabama is backing up the Brinks truck for Nick Saban. The Dolphins are doing their damnedest to keep him from leaving, and will most likely back up their own Brinks truck. That leads me to this question. Can anyone explain to me again how Michigan State didn't know what they had in Saban, and let him leave East Lansing uncontested? But I'm sure MSU's latest Conference USA reject, Mark Dantonio, is a much better solution...

So Matt Millen is coming back for a 7th season? We all knew it was going to happen, but Christ Almighty, that blows. On the bright side, at least I'll have at least 1 more season's worth of material. I'll have plenty more to say about the Lions tomorrow...

Lloyd, I was so believing in you. Then the Rose Bowl happened...

I have a few quick thoughts on tonight's Michigan Wolverine debacle. And there's no debating it, the loss to USC was a debacle.

1. We are going to hear "Fire Lloyd" til the start of the 2007 season. You aren't going to hear it from me, as it's a waste of breath, and not yet deserved. For that matter, we all know Carr won't be given the ziggy, anyway. But after ending yet another season on a 0-2 downslide, Lloyd REALLY needs to beat tOSU next season. A bowl win would be nice, but Carr HAS to beat tOSU.

2. I have to admit, I didn't know that my little blog had so much influence. According to ABC's the Worldwide Leader's Herbstreit, Musburger, and Davie, the evil bloggers don't like Lloyd, and have plenty of say in the future direction of the Michigan program. If I had only known I had such clout, I'd have gotten Tommy Amaker's ass canned last year. I will say this, I promise to use my power wisely, and only for good.

3. Dwayne Jarrett is damn good. Jarrett is also an A number 1 first class asshole.

4. I've been trying not to say what we all have been thinking, and I didn't want to, but as the game went on, all that was running through my head was,"Lloyd is getting outcoached again." We saw the difference in coaching philosophies after USC went up 2 scores. If Carr had been in the Trojans' coach, I'll bet you dollars to donuts that Carr sits on that lead, plays conservatively, and ends up punting. The opposition would still have a sense of being in the game. Pete Carroll, on the other hand, went for the jugular. 4 passes later, the game, for all intents, was over. That drive KILLED Michigan. Dead.

5. The Wolverines finished 11-2. That is still one Hell of a season. So why am I feeling so damn disappointed?

More holiday housecleaning

2007 will be rung in away from home. I'm leaving for TWFE west side auxiliary HQ shortly, and will be hanging out there till after the new year. So posting may be on the light side till the 2nd or 3rd, when life returns to normal.

I'm hoping to get 1 more post up before the 31st, but in case I don't...

I'd like to wish you and yours one damn happy new year!

Thanks for reading!

Big Al

Who should the Lions hire once Matt Millen gets the ziggy?

Bill Cowher, that's who.

Just read on, and you'll see my logic.

The longer that William Clay Ford remains silent, the more it appears that we Lions fans will have to put up with at least one more ugly year with that incompetent porn 'stached boob, Matt Millen, and his hand-picked failure of a head coach, Rod Marinelli.

The MSM is assuming that Millen surviving past this horrific season is close to a done deal. The reason being floated out of Allen Park is that firing Millen would leave Marinelli a lame duck coach, and that just wouldn't be fair to the Sarge. There is a caveat, though. That being that the Lions will have to show a vast improvement in 2007, or else. The "Or else" will mean that there will be a total housecleaning in Allen Park, from the incompetent boob on down.

Since the odds of the Lions being anything more than 4 or 5 win team in 2007 are short, I think iit's safe to say that the Lions will finally be rid of the buffoon and his 3 ring circus in January 2008.

In Pittsburgh, the rumors are rampant as to the future of Steelers head coach, the Super Bowl winning Bill Cowher. Yesterday, Cowher spoke to the press, and announced that he'll give a statement in regard to his future as soon as next week.

With a statement like that, it sure sounds like Cowher has already made a decision, and is just waiting for the end of the season to announce that he is leaving the Steelers. As Dan Shanoff said this morning...

My bet is on retirement, temporarily. TV cred in '07 and a big raise with another team in '08 is his future.

Why would Cowher spend a year in the broadcast booth? The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article has the answer...

If Cowher steps down, he could not coach elsewhere in 2007 unless the Steelers granted permission, which is unlikely. He would be free to coach elsewhere in 2008.

So, if the Lions keep their current course, Millen and Marinelli will be toast after the 2007 season. On the other hand, Bill Cowher will be out from under his Steelers contract after the 2007 season, and become available to take over another NFL organization.

The Lions will have a huge front office and coaching void to fill. The biggest coaching free agent in the 2007 off season will be Bill Cowher. Seems like a match to me...

In yesterday's post, I quoted Terry Foster. As you remember, Foster believes the Lions fanbase is unwilling to make a sacrifice, one big enough one to force a regime change. Well, here's the chance to prove Foster wrong, and where fan sacrifice and pain comes into play.

The sacrifice being we'll have to suffer through one more awful season of Millen. That year will allow him to fully hang himself, and give WCF more than enough reason to can Millen's sorry ass.

After the inviteable 10+ loss season, Mllen, the drunk naked fast food loving line coach, crazy ass offensive coordinator, the "Coach 'em up" head man, the entire coaching staff and front office, they all will get the ziggy. The Lions will then be in the market for a "Football" man. Say, for example, a Bill Cowher?

You might think that the Lions getting someone as capable as Cowher at the helm is a pipe dream. But the Fords, amazingly enough, have a good reputation in NFL circles. Just why is that? WCF is known as being a hands-off owner, will sign off on generous long term contracts, and give his people more than enough time to prove, or hang, themselves. The Millen era is proof positive of that...

That's why the Lions, even though they will have been bottom dwellers for close to a decade by the close of the '07 season, will have a shot of getting Bill Cowher.

Offer him complete control over personnel and a big money 5+ year deal, and Cowher may just bite.

Cowher has the winning pedigree of a quality organization, obviously has the talent, and the force of will that the Lions organization desperately needs.

Bill Cowher, Detroit Lions head coach and GM. Sounds good to this long suffering fan.

Will it happen? Could it happen? Stranger things have...

The MSM does the math: The Lions continue to lose + I'm still a fan = The losing is all my fault

I watched the Detroit Lions - Chicago Bears game on Christmas Eve, for several reasons. I was curious to see how successful the fan walkout would be, and if the NFL's mouthpiece, FOX, would mention anything about the fan backlash here in Detroit. The GF was preparing for later in the day, when we would be heading to her parents for dinner, and I needed to stay out of her way. I had a third place game in the blogger league against Twins15, the man in charge of "Thank You Brian Sabean," and "Complete Sports," and I had both Roy Williams and Mike Furrey in my starting lineup.

But what was the main reason for me to watch a meaningless game? Despite the Lions current state of suckitude, I'm still a fan. Through very little thick and way too much thin, I'm a fan of the worst run franchise in sports.

That's the great thing about fandom of any kind, that there isn't much logic to it. The Lions have, for lack of a better term, shit all over us for decades. For most of my life, the Lions have done nothing but heap disappointment upon disappointment. Yet I remain a fan of the Honolulu blue and silver. I'm not going to be "Lions free," as some sports rant radio hosts encourage.

That doesn't mean that I'm happy with how the Lions have been, and currently are being, run. In fact, like most of you, I'm furious! I'm vocal in my frustrations. That's why Terry Foster's Detroit News blog post after Sunday's game made me absolutely incensed.

Foster says that the Lions current state of awfulness is the fault of the Lions fanbase. He claims that we, the fans, won't make the sacrifices needed that would encourage William Clay Ford to make a change.

The sad thing is more bad days are coming and you will be partly to blame because you are not willing to sacrifice. Fans won't give up their season tickets. They won't give up a Sunday afternoon and they won't even leave a meaningless game early to send a message to the Lions and Ford family.

What a load of bullshit. Total and utter bullshit.

First off, reports from people who were there, and judging from the FOX camera shots, Ford Field was full of Bears fans. Those were seats that, for the most part, were bought from Lions fans who decided they had better things to do. My Lions season ticket holding brother in law, who drops a good sized wad of cash for 4 seats, was one.

He attended all of 2 games this season. The rest of his tickets, he sold off. He is not at all happy with the Lions current direction. So he doesn't go to many games. But in Foster's mind, he's an enabler, he's a fault. Weird logic, if you ask me.

Here's a line from Foster that really bothers me.

The fans anger hit a boil when rumors began to circulate that the Lions plan on bringing Millen back.

"Hit a boil?" The anger has long boiled over, and has since boiled away. Where was Foster 12 months ago? Last season's protests, the "Millen Man March" and the "Orange-out," were the high point of fan frustration. The walkout protest, while a worthwhile endeavor and generating national attention, was flawed from the start.

Between the stadium being full of Bears faithful, the difficultly in having fans who paid their hard earned dollars for tickets to just up and leave, and the general lethargy of much of the Lions fanbase who think that nothing they do will make a difference to the Fords, led to a walkout that the media said didn't live up to the (media generated) hype.

Reports varied in the size of the protest, from 100 to 500. Thus, Foster says the walkout "Failed."

Foster's throwaway comments was more knee-jerk media bullshit. So thousands didn't up and walk out. That's not the point. The walkout generated tons of local and national MSM attention, made the AP wire before and after the game, and was a topic of conversation for weeks. To me, that's a resounding success for a grass roots, internet based, loosely organized, protest.

Foster goes on to say the following...

You are all talk and no action. So you get what you deserve. When the Lions are struggling through more 5 and six-win seasons you are partly to blame. You keep waiting for the Calvary to come in and save the day. Folks I got news for you. They ain't coming. You will have a losing season next year too. The Lions are going to break this thing up again before they become a playoff contender.

So to say I deserve this, that I'm to blame for the ills of the Lions? That pisses me off to no end.

First off, only the most blindly faithful and deluded would believe that the Lions are close to having a winning record. Second, to call out Lions fans by calling us "All talk and no action" is totally unfair.

Just read the blogs and message boards, listen to the radio. No one is supporting the Lions and Millen at this point. No one. Take away the Bears fans, and you have a half empty stadium. Factor in the protests of the past 2 seasons, and I think that is a fairly proactive fanbase, one that is more than "Just talk."

I think what raised my ire the most in Foster's post was that it was coming from someone who doesn't have to pay his way into a game. Games that we fans pay a high price, figuratively and literally, to attend. Foster chides us for being fans, the same fans that allow him to make a very good living writing and talking about something we obviously care about dearly.

Foster is clearly ripping us for caring about the Lions. Yet he'll spent 4 hours a day, 6 days a week, whipping us into a frenzy, talking about those same Lions on WXYT. Seems to me that is someone who is talking out of both sides of his mouth.

Thing is, I can't just shut off my Lions fandom. I'm sorry, but it doesn't work that way. Just as I couldn't stop being a Tigers fan despite their 2 decades of mediocrity, or stop rooting for the Wings during the "Dead Things" era.

Like any true Pistons fan, I despised Micheal Jordan, his caddy Pippen, and the Chicago Bulls, while the Pistons were having some lean years. Root for Jordan? After he rudely dissed the Bad Boys Pistons? Never.

I grew up during the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty, and the years where the Dallas Cowboys were considered "America's Team." But I wasn't ever a bandwagon fan, cheering for the "It" team of the moment. I remained, steadfastly, for rarely better and often worse, a fan of the Lions. I'm not, nor will I ever be, "Lions free."

Bandwagon fans, those that can switch allegiances at will, are in my mind, the lowest of the low.

So when it comes to the Lions, I'm pissed at what's happened to them. But to rip me for remaining a fan, for continuing to watch a team I've rooted for since childhood? That's just thoughtless bullshit from someone who just doesn't get it.

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to you and yours. I also want to extend my sincere thanks to all of you who read "The Wanye Fontes Experience" on a regular basis.

So in the spirit of the holiday, here's a greased up David Hasselhoff wishing you all a Xmas to remember.


I'll be back tomorrow with my thoughts on another Lions loss, the walkout, Terry Foster's asinine blog post about the Lions fanbase, and other general foolishness.

Have a wonderful holiday!

I was a Red Wings fan before it was cool

I've seen the Detroit Red Wings numerous times over the years, more than I'd care to count. My Red Wings fandom goes far back, before all the Hockeytown hype, before Joe Louis Arena, before Ted Lindsay and his "Aggressive hockey's back in town" mantra, which was sadly misleading.

My fandom goes all the way back to the very late 60's and the old barn on Grand River, The Olympia. My dad would take me 4-5 games a season, and I have vauge memories of watching Alex Delvecchio, Nick Libett, Roger Crozier, Garry Unger, and of course, Gordie Howe. But I wouldn't call them players of my era, so to speak. That would be the next generation of Red Wings.

Unfortunately, I have much clearer memories of that generation of Red Wings players, which we all know, not so fondly, as the "Darkness with Harkness" and "Dead Things" years.

The Wings that I grew up watching, the teams of the mid to late 70's, were horrid beyond belief. My best memory, and pretty much the only pleasant one, being Bill Lochead's one moment in the spotlight, his highlight reel goal that beat the Atlanta Flames in the first round of the 77-78 playoffs. For a fan who knew nothing more than Detroit sports despair, that was a glorious goal. To the Red Wings fans that grew up in the 70's, that was, sad to say, in our young minds, the greatest moment in Red Wings history.

Obviously, the Wings gradually got better, as do my memories. The 2nd date with my now ex-wife was Red Wings opening night in 1984. I was actually able to buy tickets to the game that same day, and only be halfway up the lower bowl. Things sure have changed...

I would occasionally get SRO tix, and bond with drunk Canucks. I had SRO tix the night me and ny 2 best buds saw Lee Norwood tangle with Tiger Williams. Norwood won the fight with a memorable, and bloody as Hell, head butt. (Amazingly enough, a quick Google search led me to dropyourgloves.com, which confirmed that Norwood took on Williams on 3/25/87. Obsessive hockey fight fans are a wonderful bunch.)

One of my best memories was of being in a suite the night Bob Probert took on Troy Crowder in 1991. Earlier that season, Crowder had beat Probie, and this was one of the most hyped rematches ever. The local papers even ran a "Tale of the Tape," and it was a given that they were going to go a couple of times. Dropyourgloves.com confirms what I remember, as my friends and I had their 2 brawls scored a draw. Probie winning the first fight, and Crowder taking the second. The Wings lost big to the Devils that night, and to be honest, no one cared. It was all about Probert vs. Crowder. And Don Cherry making an appearance. Lord, I miss hockey fights...

I guess the previous paragraphs are my drawn out way of saying that I'm a long time Red Wings fan who's let himself fall out of the hockey loop over the past few years.

As I told you on Thursday, I was going to be attending Friday's Red Wings - Minnesota Wild game. Last night was the first Red Wings game I've seen in person since before the lockout. So we are talking at least 3 years since I'd last been to Joe Louis.

I'm used to sitting in the top couple of rows of the upper bowl, with the hard core hockey riff-raff. Last night though, we had great seats, mid ice, top row of the lower bowl. It's been quite a while since I've had the opportunity to sit relatively close to the action, with Detroit's hoi polloi.

Without question, the night confirmed one thing for me. I'd forgotten just how wonderful hockey is to watch live. God damn, it's a great game in person!

I took some lame photos and video, and I doubt you want to see them. But as it's my blog, I can post whatever the Hell I want. So you get to see the results of my lack of any photography skill.


This is the GF and I during the game. She pulled up her hoodie in hopes of keeping her identity secret. Sorry, Kiddo.


This is an incredibly lame picture taken with my Sprint bribe phone's camera. If you squint your eyes, you can see that it was very early in the first period whem I took this pic.


I'm doing my Popeye imitiation while drinking my Festivus gift, an $8.50 Miller Genuine Draft. Festivus for the rest of us! I'm quite obviously ready to pin the head of the household at this point of the night.

And here is TWFE first official You Tube video. Grainy, no discernable action, and me talking incoherently. I'm so proud...



What I'm trying to say with this post is just one thing. Despite what many outside of the Original 6 cities might think, hockey still matters. This blogger just needed to be reminded of it.

Holiday housecleaning

Just a quick note to let you all know that I won't be taking the next week off from TWFE, but you can expect my posting to be somewhat sporadic over the holidays.

I'll be away from the PC for the next couple of days. Hopefully I'll have some awful pictures and entertaining anecdotes from Friday night's Red Wings game to post on Saturday. Yes, I'll be in the lower bowl at the Joe on Friday night, with the GF and her parents. Even riff-raff as myself sometimes score, and get to sit with Detroit's hoi polloi. I'll be easy to find, too. I'll be the guy in the away Brendan Shanahan jersey, or more correctly, sweater, to be all hockey specific...

Since I'll be with the GF's parents, I promise that I'll be on my best behavior, and limit my beer consumption to 1 large Canadian beer per period.

Those of you read from the job, please feel free to stop by over the holidays. If you can't, have a great Christmas, and an even better New Years. We'll see you in 2007. For the rest of you layabouts, I'll see you all in the next couple of days.

Thanks for reading, and "Fire Millen!"

Big Al

An open letter to Detroit Lions fans, from William Clay Ford

From: The Throne of William Clay Ford
To: The Lions ticket holding communist rabble
Re: A word of warning

Let's get one thing perfectly clear. I could care less about you, and you despise me. But I'm richer than God, so what you think, to be blunt, means dick. But that's neither here nor there.

I'm hearing from my moles that some of you lower class, blue collar, union sympathizing socialists are planning an attempt to embarrass me and my football team with a so-called "Protest." I'm told some sort of walkout is scheduled for this Sunday, in hopes of sullying my good name.

You aren't the first to take on we Fords, you know. We had plenty of experience handling walkouts by the likes of you back in those glorious union busting 1930's. Have a look, and take heed, you socialist heathens...






To be honest, I wish my footballers hit as hard as Ford's union busting goon squads. But never you mind. Just remember, when you dare to take a stand against a Ford, or my Detroit Lions, you are asking for trouble. I can dish it out, believe you me.

Plan on displaying a "Fire Millen" sign? Wearing a bag over your head? Leading anti-Lions chants? Organizing the crowd in protest? All in a stadium with MY NAME above the entrance?

Not on my watch!

I'm not some doddering, clueless, alcoholic, senile old fool, as some dumb ass blogger might have you believe. You do not want to piss me off. If you do, expect to be greeted as warmly as those unamerican, communist UAW organizers were in those wonderful pictures above.

You know, we don't have to be enemies. Please, quietly enjoy your time at Sunday's game. Root for the Lions, buy lots of trinkets, drink plenty of beer. That makes me happy. But don't you poor son of a bitches dare take me on with a walkout. You'll live to regret it...

Buy American! Go Lions!

William Clay Ford

PS: You want me to fire Matt Millen? Over my DEAD BODY! Now go die in a fire.

Bonderman inks extension, Tiger fans rejoyce

Jeremy Bonderman signed a 4 year, $38 million dollar extension yesterday. This news is the best Christmas gift the Tigers could give their fans. The Dave Dombrowski and the Tigers again show that they are one smart organization, one to be reckoned with for the rest of this decade, at the very least.

If there is such a thing as a fair contract for both sides, this is it. The Tigers buy off 2 arbitration and 2 free agent years. Bonderman gets security and fair market value. Especially with the contract being back loaded at 12.5 million, which is currently the going rate for good starters, in '09 and '10.

In a world where the utterly average Gil Meche is worth $55 million, where bad contracts have become the norm, this is a win/win deal for both sides. If you think that Bonderman is selling himself short, think again. With his being only 27 at the end of this deal, he's still going to get his crazy money contract the next time around. If he continues at his current rate of improvement, getting better every year, Bonderman will get a long term, 9 figure contract after the 2010 season.

Until that time, Bonderman is secure in the fact that, even if he's (God forbid) injured, he has set up his family for life. On the other hand, the Tigers have locked up an elite arm for the rest of the decade. Let alone there is the fact that if the Tigers ever do decide to trade Bonderman, he'll have a contract that wouldn't hold up a deal.

Is there any way Matt Millen could work as an intern with the Tigers? The incompetent boob could learn how a true professional franchise is run.

A walkout in protest of Matt Millen? Good luck, as you are going to need it

The annual fan protest against Matt Millen and the Detroit Lions will be this coming Sunday, on Christmas Eve. A fan walkout is scheduled at the 8 minute mark of the 2nd quarter. Head over to Detroit Sports Snobs and Fire Millen for the details.

More power to them, as I've been quite vocal in my disgust with Millen as well. (Just look at my sidebar) Unfortunately, the walkout is nothing more than an exercise in futility, ultimately destined to fail, probably miserably.

Using a walkout as the method of protest leaves me wondering, as the Lions still get your money. It's not hitting William Clay Ford in the pocketbook, which would be the only thing he would notice. If the game is close, which is a distinct possibility considering the protest is to happen so early in the game, and the Bears have absolutely nothing to play for, I doubt many fans are going to just up and leave Ford Field.

If they do leave en mass, that's great. I just don't see people pissing away their hard earned money by walking out of a game that is a little more than a quarter over. To be brutally honest, I know I wouldn't.

Another factor working against this year's protest is that I don't see the same righteous outrage this season. The emotions that boiled over in the last few games of the 2005 season just isn't there anymore. Lions fans have been so furious, for so long, that they have nothing left.

Last year was the flash point. We had the rallying cry of the original "Fire Millen" protester being chased throughout Ford Field, then tackled by security, during the Vikings game last December. The iconic images were broadcast worldwide, "Fire Millen" became an national phenomenon, and lit a fire locally that finally cumulated with the "Millen Man March" and the "Orange out" during the last home game of '05.


But when all was said and done, what did the "Millen Man March" actually accomplish? Not much of anything, as the Fords did nothing, the Lions are even worse off, and the incompetent boob is still in charge. If anything, the fan revolt caused the Fords to dig in their heels, and become more resolute in their unwavering support of Matt Millen.

So this year, I get a totally different vibe from the Lions' fanbase. Not one of acceptance, or even indignation, but of inevitability. There a sense of hopelessness surrounding the Lions, that nothing we fans do will make a lick of difference to the blue blood that is William Clay Ford. He's a modern day Marie Antoinette. Ford will tell the Lions' blue collar fans to eat their proverbial cake, and like it.

Many of us, myself included, have moved on from being angry, and are now apathetic. The last few games have shown us as much. The crowds at Ford Field are beginning to thin, there is no energy or life in the building at all. Even the players have noticed. You can't even get a hearty "Fire Millen" chant going anymore. And that may be what finally brings down the Millen regime. Not protests, or walkouts, but fan apathy.

Apathetic fans don't spend money, and they don't show up for games. It's happened here before. For those too young to remember, the Lions of the mid-late 80's, the Darryl Rogers era Lions, were almost as bad as the Millen led Lions. It was one of the lower ebbs in Lions history. What finally caused Ford to change directions wasn't the constant losing, but an empty Silverdome. There were games towards the end of the Rogers debacle when the Silverdome was less than half full. 35,000 attendance in an 80,000 seat stadium got the attention of WCF damn quick. It ushered in the Wayne Fontes era, but that's another post...

That's why I don't see another protest accomplishing much of anything. A walkout of a few hundred on Sunday won't cause Ford to even blink. I honestly believe that he couldn't even pretend to give a shit about the fans, even if his life depended upon it. As for the incompetent boob, Millen wouldn't resign when the fans were in open revolt last season, so I seriously doubt another protest will make him change his mind.

Like the protesters, I hope to God that Millen gets the ziggy at the end of the season. If he does, it won't be thanks to fan protests. It'll be due to the fact that Ford will finally get it through his thick upper crust skull that Millen is a moron when it comes to running a football team. Or if Ford Jr. stages a coup d'état. I doubt either happens after this season.

To those that plan to protest though, I do wish you good luck. Keep tilting at those windmills. As Robert Browning wrote, "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?”

Coaching term or masturbation euphemism?

What can you say about yesterday's Lions' loss that hasn't already been said before? Not just this season, or the Millen era, but for decades upon decades. For that matter, we've seen this same type of loss over and over and over, a Lions fan version of Groundhog Day.

From the awful clock management, strange play calling, bad penalties, refusal to even consider a QB change, to the lack of any sign of improvement, can it be any more obvious that Sgt. Marinelli is in over his head? If anything, the Lions have regressed over the last several games.

At least the Sarge has given us a new quote to hang our hats on.

Just as Bobby Ross spewed "I don't coach that stuff," signifying the beginning of his breakdown, and Marty Mornhinweg could never live down his moronic "The bar is high," the Sarge came up with his own platitude in today's presser that just may come back to haunt him.

"I'm stirring the cement."

He claims to be building a foundation, thus the cement analogy. Unless my mind is in the gutter, it sure sounds more like a euphemism for masturbation to me. As does "Building a foundation," for that matter.

Now whenever Sgt. Marinelli may say that he's "Slapping the helmet," "Tackling the dummy," "Going for it on 4th down," "Giving hands-on-training," "Ironing out the wrinkles," "Practicing for the big game," or "Pushing Shaun Rogers," we'll know that the Sarge is obviously "Master of his Domain."

That's all well and good, but I'm just not so sure Marinelli has mastered the art of head coaching.

The NFL is full of feel-good stories...

Unfortunately, the Lions are normally on the wrong end of those stories.

For example...

Jeff Garcia, when he QB'ed the Lions last season, looked old and broken down. He was washed up. Stick a fork in him, he's done. This season, after stepping in for an injured Donovan McNabb, Garcia has led the once stumbling Eagles on a 3 game winning streak. They are now on the verge of a wild card playoff berth. Garcia just may have saved the Eagles' season.

Dick Jauron, the Lions interim head coach after Steve Mariucci got canned, was run out of town on a rail. He was never considered for the Lions gig. This season, Jauron had led the Bills out of the AFC East cellar, has them at 7-7 in the tough as nails AFC, has turned around the career of JP Losman, and is 5-2 in their last 7 games.

Joey Harrington...Well I don't need to describe his travails as a Lion. This season, after replacing the injured Dante' Culepepper in Miami, Harrington is 5-5 as the Fish's starter, and spanked Detroit hard on Thanksgiving.

The Lions needed a QB after it was decided that Harrington was never going to make it in Detroit. Drew Brees was available, but never seriously considered. The Lions went in another direction, signing both Jon Kitna and Josh McCown, and between the two, felt they felt they had stabilized the QB position. On the other hand, the lowly Saints broke the bank for Brees with even blinking. This season, Brees leads the NFL in passing yards, having thrown for over 4200, and has led the Saints to that promised land called the playoffs. Brees is also one of the top candidates for league MVP, deservedly so. Kitna leads the league in turnovers, and excuses. McCown has played, but only as an emergency receiver.

Notice how the Lions are never on the other end of these kind of stories? When the Lions sign players, rather than step up their game, they rest on their laurels and collect very large paychecks. Shaun Rogers, Damien Woody, Rick DeMulling, Fernando Bryant, and Kalimba Edwards come to mind, to name a few that are still on the Lions roster.

I think we can describe the Lions thusly...

The Detroit Lions, driving their fans crazy, yet making the rest of the league feel good, for over 50 years.

The dog days of blogging have arrived

Is there such a thing as the dog days of blogging? If so, these just may be them...

How many ways can you say the Lions suck, blow, and are lower than pond scum? Because I'm running out of 'em. Every week you think the Lions have reached rock bottom. The very next week they somehow reach down deep, and fall even farther into a black hole of suckage. Writing about the Matt Millen's Honolulu blue, silver, and a touch of black is comparable to shooting fish in a barrel. Save that the fish are smarter and have a plan.

The Tigers made their big moves close to a month ago, before the MLB owners took loss of their senses. There has been nothing all that exciting since, unless you are a fan of Brandon Inge, Guitar Hero, Rule 5 pickups, or trade rumors. In their case, no news is good news.

No insane contracts being thrown like so much confetti in the wind is even better news. Then again, if the Tigers are talking extensions (as rumored) with Jeremy Bonderman and Carlos Guillen, we may be stunned by the amount of money they will be demanding. If the likes of Gil Meche is worth $55 million, then Bonderman is going to be pulling in close to 9 figures.

As for the Red Wings and Pistons, there really isn't much going on with them either. They both have winning records, have been frustratingly streaky, and they aren't involved in any trade rumors. In the big scheme of things, both franchises are biding time till the playoffs.

Even talking about the Pistons getting involved in the Allen Iverson sweepstakes is wasting bandwith. Never going to happen. For that matter, the Pistons only seem to play hard when interested by an opponent, then coast the other 2/3 of the time. Why should we be interested, when the Pistons themselves seem bored?

It was interesting when the Wings got to play the Maple Leafs last weekend, for the first time in what seems like decades. Unfortunately, the Wings then went back to playing Nashville and Columbus (seemingly) 30 times a year. In other words, YAWN. The NHL has huge issues, and their strange schedule, trying to create rivalries where none exist, is problem number one. It could be easily fixed, but the NHL continues to ignore what their longtime hardcore fanbase really wants.

When it comes to the Wolverines, I'm suffering from BCS fatigue. I think most of us are at this point. Everyone within shouting distance of a microphone is yammering on about whom they think is more worthy of facing the bucknuts, and to be honest, I'm tired of the din. Enough already, and give the masses a playoff. Yeah, right. Pipe down, and don't bug me till late December, as there won't be any interesting bowl match ups till then.

I'm finding it hard to get fired up about college hoop. Sparty and the Wolverines haven't played anyone of consequence, save for the Worldwide Leader's meaningless time filler known as the "ACC-Big 10 Challenge." At least MSU has played a few tough games, but I find myself pining for the days when Tom Izzo had a gauntlet of an early schedule. Even if they lost their share, it made for some great match ups.

Michigan's out of conference games have been, to put it mildly, severely lacking. Come on, Wofford? U of M's schedule of creampuffs, cupcakes, and directional schools would be shameful for a high school team. No, let me take that back. It would be shameful for a junior high team. All I can say is that Tommy Amaker best be looking for new employment if the Wolverines can't make the NCAA's with their basically being spotted 12 games. The new year, and the Big 10 regular season, cannot get here soon enough.

Here's hoping things pickup on the Detroit sports landscape. Soon!

William Clay Ford and Matt Millen: A meeting of the feeble minds

We have not heard from either William Clay Ford or Matt Millen in months. Is Millen on thin ice? Will WCF make a change? No one seems to have an answer.

Something is finally happening, though. Word is leaking out, via the NFL Network's Adam Schefter, that there have been "High level evaluation meetings" between the two, in regard to the future of both Millen and the Detroit Lions.

TWFE just happens to have a transcript of one such meeting...

William Clay Ford: //zzzzZZZZzzzz//

Matt Millen: Sir? Mr. Ford? Sir?

WCF: //WHEEZE//

MM: Uh, Mr. Ford? You awake?

WCF: //drool//

MM: Jesus H Christ, he's been into the Chivas again. I didn't want to have to do this...

WCF: //HACK//

MM: I just gave Marinelli and Martz 5 year extensions.

WCF: //WHISTLE//

MM: Guaranteed.

WCF: WHAT THE BLAZES?! JEEVES! Where in the GOD DAMN HELL is my scotch?! Now what's this about extensions?! To a communist?!

MM: That's Martz, not Marx, sir. Ahh, you're awake now sir. I need to talk to you.

WCF: Is that you Russ? Now what? Is that ass Karras giving you a hard time? Is he wrestling again? Or is he in deep with the bookies? How much is it going to cost me to bail his Greek ass out of trouble this time? Get Rozelle on the horn!

MM: Rozelle? But..

WCF: Ever since "Paper Lion," Karras has been an arrogant asshole, gone all Hollywood. Letting that socialist pinko Plimpton into training camp was the dumbest thing I ever did. Well, save for the Edsel. Why did I think that strange ass looking car would sell? Hank the Deuce, that fucking prick, has been rubbing my face in it ever since. Did I, or did I not, ask FOR MY SCOTCH?! Fucking help isn't worth a damn anymore, Russ.

MM: Yes, the help sucks, sir. But..It's me sir. Not Russ Thomas, may he rest in peace. It's Matty Millen. You know, the guy with square head and the 'stache? The GM of your Lions?

WCF: Didn't I have this discussion with some small time bogger already? I had him shot, you know. And no one manages my loins!

MM: LIONS! DETROIT LIONS!

WCF: Well why didn't you say so, Russ? Damn, I need a drink. Fuck, I'm out of Chivas. JEEEVES!

MM: Um...Yeah. Anyway sir, I wanted to talk to you about your football team. It's been a rough season, and I wanted to explain why we lost to the Vikings on Sunday, and why the Lions are 2-11.

WCF: My footballers lost to the Vikings again? What's the big deal, we've never been able to beat them damn Nordic sumbitches. I think that damn Bud Grant feeds them Lutefisk, Russ. Nasty stuff. Screw the Vikings. I thought you had something important to talk about. I'm not worried, though.

MM: Not worried?

WCF: Not at all, Russ. I have good feelings about our hiring Joe Schmidt as the head coach of my footballers. He says to expect big things from some kid named Landry, that's he's the next coming of that drunk hick, Bobby Layne. And he likes that darkie, the running back who always bugging me about a car dealership, what's his name? Barr? Farr? Carr? I gave him a dealership franchise just to shut his ass up. Wait till he finds out its on the bad side of 8 Mile! HAR!

MM: Sure, Mr. Ford. Anyway, we've had a ton of injuries. The head coach, Marinelli, has been making some rookie mistakes. We've had some bad breaks. From the outside, things look bleak. But coach Marinelli says we're "THIS CLOSE" to turning the ship around, and winning some games, sir.

WCF: Close to Marinelli? Close to a wop?! So Karras has mob ties, eh? Roselle is going to be PISSED! HAR!

MM: MARINELLI! MARINELLI!

WCF: Stop yelling Russ! I'm not deaf, you know. Don't worry, I'll order you some marinara sauce with lunch. JEEVES! If that damn scotch isn't here soon, I'm going to call J. Edgar! He owes me a favor, Russ. He likes the fellas, you know. Damn fairy. HAR!

MM: Uh, right. Anyway, the media is asking for you to make a decision as to my future with the Lions. They want you to hold me accountable for my 23-70 record.

WCF: The media wants me to talk? Balderdash! Fuck them media liberals! I can have Cronkite taken out with one phone call, Russ. One. Nobody tells a Ford what to do! NOBODY! Especially Liberals! JFK tried, look what happened to him. Get it, Russ? HAR!

MM: Got it, sir. So my job is safe? You aren't going to ask for my resignation?

WCF: You'll have a job as long as I'm around, Russ. And I don't plan on going anywhere other than to the bank. And the whorehouse! HAR! So don't worry about anything Russ, you have a job for life. Just let the footballers take care of themselves, the Lions are a license to print money. And don't ever shave the 'stache.

MM: Never, sir.

WCF: JEEVES! Scotch me, post haste! Russ, my bunions are acting up. I need a foot massage. No one gave them as well as the Fred Flintstone looking character that used to hang around here. Fontez, or some such. You'll have to do.

MM: Yes sir. I love my job, I love my job.

WCF: Not bad, Russ, not bad. Jeeves! Scot...//ZZZZ//SNORT//

Technorati Tags: Detroit Detroit+Lions Matt+Millen Ford NFL football

Turns out that Rod Marinelli is as clueless as every other Lions head coach

For those of you who thought that Rod Marinelli deserves another year to prove himself, due to his having an anchor named Matt Millen around his neck, what do you say after yesterday's debacle?

Sunday's game was exhibit A, proving that Marinelli is in over his head.

When the Sarge passed up a sure field goal late in the game, when you were going to need one to tie the game anyway, is now being called, rightfully so, his "Marty moment."

It's a no-brainer. You kick, because if you don't get the TD on 4th down, the game is, for all intents and purposes, over. Come on, it's "Football 101." You need 10 points to tie. It's 4th and goal, and you have a gimme FG. Common sense, let alone conventional football strategy, says that you kick the FG. You take the 3 points, and let me do the math....Well what do you know? You are only down 1 score!

The way that Minny's offense was sitting on their lead, and factoring in that the Lions D was playing fairly well at that point, Detroit was going to get the ball back with plenty of time to drive for the tying TD.

As it turned out, the Lions last possession started with 1:50 left in the game. That's more than enough time, even if you are out of time outs, to get yourself a tying TD. It's not much time when you still need 2 scores, thanks to very questionable play calling.

Not kicking the FG was as dumb as Mornhinweg taking the wind to start OT, and Ross going for 2 when down 4. OK, maybe not as dumb as taking the wind...

It was just another bad decision by an inexperienced head coach. A head coach, we should remember, who has not even been a coordinator. At any level. And it shows.

He's a head coach that probably isn't worth saving, no matter what happens to Millen. But to keep Millen, if only to give an obviously struggling Marinelli another year? That would be a dumber decision than any Mornhinweg ever made.

Marinelli continues to confound everyone. For example, he has been preaching accountability all season. So why do we see none in the case of Jon Kitna? He has become a turnover machine, with 4 more yesterday, yet the Sarge steadfastly stands by Kitna. His reasoning being that it's not all Kitna's fault. From what I can see, a 34 year old journeyman who has thrown picks in 11 consecutive games is far from being fault free.

Marinelli also continues to preach that we don't see how close the Lions are to winning. That they are "THIS" close. The only thing the Lions are close to winning is the number 1 overall draft pick. This a team in a death spiral, with a roster counting the days till they can empty their lockers and get the Hell out of the D.

For all of Marinelli's bluster over teaching and coaching, from going by his 2-11 record, he has been about as effective a teacher as a student teacher would be on the last day of school. In other words, not effective at all. Despite all the supposed teaching and coaching, we still see bad penalties, blown assignments, clock mismanagement, the all around bad football that our Lions have become known for over the decades.

Marinelli now has the same look that everyone of his predecessors had. It's the look that we Lions fans have had for decades. Just what look is that?

The look of hopelessness.

Technorati Tags: Detroit Detroit+Lions Rod+Marinelli Matt+Millen NFL football

We now have concrete proof that Mike Martz is outright insane

Mike Martz has a reputation of bing a slightly crazy, hard to work with offensive genius. Today we found out that Martz is not slightly crazy. Tuns out he's in fact batshit loony. Martz is certifiably insane.

Why would I say that ? Look at the following quotes in today's Free Press.

In regard to the rash of turnovers committed by the QB, how much is the fault of Jon Kitna?

Martz: "About 95% of it isn't Jon."

How good is Kitna when compared to his 2 star pupils, Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger?

Martz: "I think Jon's on par with any quarterback that I've ever coached. He's as good as anybody I've ever been around at that position. He really, truly is. I believe in him. He's a great player."

Huh? Kitna is comparable to a Super Bowl winning, 2 time NFL MVP? Kitna is not to blame for the vast majority of game changing turnovers? Is Martz just seeing what he wants to see? Am I not watching the same games as crazy ass Martz?

I read the praise as just hyperbole, and pure hubris, from Martz, who thinks his system can turn any old stiff off the street into a pro bowler. Sure, Martz's offense has been putting up great passing stats, 6th overall in the NFL. But when it comes to the stat that counts, points on the scoreboard? The Lions are only 21st.

For that matter, Kitna has some of the most empty stats in football. 3rd overall in passing yards is wonderful. But..Kitna is also 18th in QB rating, 17th in TD's, and 4th in interceptions. Then there's the fact that the Lions are 31st in rushing offense. It shows that the Lions offense is horribly skewed in one direction, to the team's detriment. The Lions aren't accomplishing much of anything, other than getting their share of yards between the 20's, when they throw the ball.

For Martz to praise Kitna to high heaven is disconcerting at best, and unhinged at worst. Then again, what else would we expect Martz to say? This is a man who told us that Kevin Kaspar/DeVale Ellis/Az Akim/This weeks waiver wire pickup was the solution to the 3rd wide receiver problem.

I'm not saying that Kitna is the whole problem, just one of many. The O-line is in shambles, causing Kitna to run for his life when he drops back. The running game is a non entity. There are only 2 dependable receivers, Roy Williams and Mike Furrey. There has been so much turnover amongst the rest of the receiving corps, that it's no wonder that the receivers are often, as Martz contends, in the wrong spots.

I was in favor of the Lions giving Martz the reigns to the offense. Unfortunately, so far it looks as if Sgt. Marinelli can't control Martz's pass happy, roster churning, turnover risking, urges. Actually, the Sarge is just encouraging his nutso offensive coordinator all the more when he tells the press that Kitna is the unquestioned starter for this, and next season.

Kitna is an average, at best, QB, but Martz is asking him to play like a star. This season has shown that Kitna hasn't mastered Martz's complicated schemes. I'm not sure he ever will.

Despite what Martz's bluster might lead us to think, you need talented players to successfully run his complex offense. He had them in St. Louis. Martz doesn't in Detroit. And we all know who's to blame for that...


Technorati Tags: Detroit Detroit+Lions Mike+Martz NFL Football

Tigers extend Inge, Dombrowski continues to outsmart the competition

The Tigers and Dave Dombrowski continue to impress with their smart spending. I have absolutely no problem with the Tigers extending Brandon Inge with a 4 year/24 million dollar contract. In fact, it looks like a bargain after seeing what average players are getting on the free agent market. Come on, the Royals, of all teams, paying 55 MILLION for the utterly average Gil Meche? That's an insane amount of money. That contract alone is proof positive that MLB owners are making stupid amounts of money.

I know they all play different positions, and are joining different teams with differing needs, but we've seen ludicrous contract signings this off season. When you see the deals Meche, Julio Lugo, Gary Matthews Jr, Jamie Walker and Juan Pierre were lavished with, to name just a few, then 6 million a year for an athletic 3rd baseman with 25 HR power and great range is a relative steal. Especially for a player that should be in his prime for the majority of his contract.

It's also nice to see a player who has spent his entire career with the Tigers get rewarded. Considering his humble (To but it nicely) beginnings, it's hard to believe that Inge is the senior man on Tigers in terms of service time. Inge's growth from a light hitting catcher to a power hitting 3rd baseman was something that none of us could have foreseen. You can put me in the corner of those who thought Inge would never amount to much of anything, other than being a career backup catcher who would have trouble maintaining his BA above the Mendoza Line. I had him pegged as a lighter hitting Brad Ausmus, which shows what I know...

Now if the Tigers could get to work on extending Carlos Guillen and Jeremy Bonderman, and start working Marcus Thames at 1st base, all of which have been rumored in the papers over the last couple of days, I'll be a happy Tigers fan.

Technorati Tags: Detroit Detroit+Tigers MLB baseball Brandon+Inge

The Detroit Pistons: Good, bad, or somewhere in between?

If you can figure out the Pistons, and their chances for this season, you'll get my kudos, because I sure as Hell can't.

The Pistons are still undeniably a talented team, and in the watered down Eastern Conference, a threat to reach the NBA finals. They are also a highly flawed group, a team that may have seen their championship window close.

From what we've seen so far from the Pistons, despite their recent 9 game winning streak, is a team that has raised more questions than give us answers.

They still have little depth, despite their attempts to shore up the bench. Jason Maxiel was in the rotation, now he's out, and only plays in garbage time. Carlos Delfino was in the rotation, then out, now he's back in. For how long is anyone's guess. Flip Murray has been Flip Murray, in other words, "Meh." Antonio McDyess has been solid, as always, but his scoring is down. Lindsey Hunter is constantly nursing injuries (Currently his achilles), and considering he's about 95 years old in basketball years, it was to be expected.

With that lack of depth, be it due to Flip Saunders not developing the bench, or their not being as talented as we were lead to believe, he is still playing the the big 4 starters extended minutes. Sheed, Hamilton, Billups, and Prince are all averaging over 35 minutes a game, just like last season. We all saw how gassed the Pistons looked in the playoffs. Didn't Flip learn from history? If he didn't, he's due to repeat it.

'Sheed is still 'Sheed, dominating at times, disappearing at others, always frustrating, thanks to not always using his awesome skills, and still their best low post presence. He's much like the Tigers' Curtis Granderson, in that he's their catalyst. When 'Sheed plays well, the Pistons win. When he's in one of his funks, the Pistons struggle. It's as simple as that.

Nazr Mohahmmed, given a big 5 year contract, has been disappointing. 30 million for 20 minutes, 6 points and 5 rebounds per game is not exactly free agent money well spent. I'm guessing the Spurs knew something after all, considering you don't normally let talented big men walk.

Chauncey Billups has played well, but not quite as well as last season. He's still one of the top 5 point guards in the league. With all that in mind, is Billups really worth a max contract? Personally, I'm torn. I don't think he is, mostly due to his age. Despite that, if I was in Joe Dumars' shoes, I think would give him the money. You can't let Billups pull a Ben Wallace, and take a Brink's truck worth of cash from another team. And you know some GM out there will give Billups that max contract.

Joe Dumars has a tough decision, one that I wouldn't want to make. If you sign Billups to a MONSTER contract, you are now pinning all of your title hopes on an aging point guard. You keep him, and then pray that he staves off declining, a la Steve Nash. On the other hand, does Dumars trade Billups, if he knows he won't be offering him a max deal? If he's not going to be able to keep Billups, you might as well blow things up, and start building for the future.

Dumats could do nothing more than cross his fingers, and hope that Billups gives the Pistons a home team discount. Any way it all plays out, it's a scary scenario. The Pistons could very easily lose 2 all-star caliber starters in consecutive off seasons, and get absolutely nothing in return. That would kill the franchise.

Supposedly the upcoming draft is loaded. Unfortunately, the pick that the Pistons got in return for Darko is looking more and more like it will not be very high at all. Orlando has the best record in the east. The Darko pick is going to haunt this franchise for a decade. when it is all said and done, the Pistons will have parlayed the 2nd overall pick in the draft into nothing more than a late first round pick. Ouch. The Darko pick will haunt the Pistons for a very long time.

I was optimistic about the Pistons chances before the season started. I'm not quite so optimistic now. I still think they will win 50 games, if only due to the fact that majority of the teams in the East outright suck. I was hoping that the Pistons would be more than that, instead of being just a team that might be the best of a bad bunch.

The Pistons may be more than that, and the big 4 starters could carry them quite far. But just like 'Sheed, the Pistons are consistent in their inconsistency. And that is what continually tempers my optimism.

Technorati Tags: Detroit Detroit+Pistons NBA basketball

Inside Millen's brain: Checking the email

What's in my inbox today? I hope it's not another "Win or else" memo from Junior. I just delete those without even reading them. Come on, what's the point? Let's see... Ooooo, what's this? A questionnaire? I LOVE questionnaires! Let's get started...

1. FIRST NAME? Fire

2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? A documentary about people who sell paper products, "The Office." I try to base my management style on what I've learned from watching Michael Scott. He's BRILLIANT!

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? When I said goodbye to my pal Joey. He was like a stepson to me.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I like my chicken scratch. It's taken years to perfect a style of signing X's.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Anything with "Loaf" in it. Meat Loaf, Olive Loaf, Loaf Loaf.

6. KIDS? I don't own any billy goats.

7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I'm my own best friend, and I have an extra special relationship with my right hand...

8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? No, I don't subscribe to the Wall Street Journal. There's not enough pictures, and no comics! But I do read those things called bloggers. A dirty shameful habit, I know.

9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Sarcasm? Is that an ointment? If so, I use it in my jock quite a bit, stops the itching.

10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS: All 3 of them.

11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No, but I'll jump to conclusions. Why else would I have signed Bill Schroeder?

12. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I love Tony the Tiger, so I'll say Fruit Loops.

13. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I never learned how. It's my cross to bear. Velcro is my best friend.

14. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Strong smelling, maybe.

15. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Brown. But sometimes I like pink and white with it. It's called "Napoleon."

16. SHOE SIZE? That's kind of personal, don't you think?!

17. RED OR PINK? Pink's a pretty good singer, but isn't she really a blonde? I don't understand. Anyway, I never liked Simply Red. But Red Ryder was pretty good. Country singer Red Sovine was sappy, though. I mean, "Teddy Bear?" Sappy. OK, Pink.

18. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My wide receiver fetish. I need a 12 step program.

19. WHAT IS THE MOST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? There's much too many to say accurately, but I'll say my modesty.

20. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? I was soooo sad to hear that Joe Paterno passed away on the night before the Michigan-tOSU game. I flew into Happy Valley for the memorial, and there was no one there, though. Go figure.

21. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Only if they send money with it. In unmarked bills. Serial numbers must be non-sequential. 10's and 20's only. Leave it behind the dumpster at the Allen Park facility. Please label it "BIG BAG FULL OF MONEY!" so I'll know which one it is.

22. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? I can't find my pants. Shoes? I'm wearing Charles Rogers' cleats, as they were never used. They're all white, but there's a whole bunch of black on them, so I can only see small white stripes.

23. LAST THING YOU ATE? An entire box of Crayolas. Thought it was candy. My bad.

24. IF YOU WERE A CAR, WHAT KIND WOULD YOU BE? Well, since I work for the Fords, I'd have to say a I'd be a Fiso. You know what I'm talking about, those trucks with "F150" on the fender? that's spells "Fiso," right?

25. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My next head coach, John L. Smith. That's just between you and me, got it?

26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? If they are wearing pants. John L's were quite nice.

27. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO U? I thought this was from that nice Nigerian dude who said was going to make me rich. Damn. $100K of William Clay's cash down the drain. But I think I can get the money back without him finding out, as someone just sent me an email saying I won the UK National Lottery! I really am lucky!

28. FAVORITE DRINK? I love "The Pina Colada Song!" Remember it? "I like Pina Coladas, and getting caught in the rain, I'm not much into health food, but I'm into champagne." So I'd have to say my favorite drink is Margaritas.

29. FAVORITE SPORT? Prank calling Mooch.

30. EYE COLOR? Twinklely.

31. FAVORITE FRUIT? Johnny Morton.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? Olive loaf.

33. SCARY MOVIE OR HAPPY ENDING MOVIE? Happy ending! Whee! Wait, we are talking about massages, right?

34. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED AT THE MOVIE THEATER? A documentary about a prison football team, "The Longest Yard." It was really good. You have the phone number for the Mean Machine QB? He showed he was pretty damn talented in that documentary, and between you and me, the Lions need a little help.

35. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? I can't find my shirt. I think they are with my pants. Where are my pants?!

36. SUMMER OR WINTER? Both are lousy names for a chick. I like Beulah.

37. HUGS OR KISSES? JoePa kissed me once. ONCE.

38. FAVORITE DESSERT? The Sahara.

39. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? My buddy Marty Morhinwheg. He's funny. I gave him his start, you know...

40. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I think Junior bugged my phone, and has people observing me from black stealth Fiso's. But I'm wearing my tin foil hat, so they may not be able to read my mind. So I'll say Steve Mariucci.

41. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Do coloring books count? They do! Then, a coloring book with some connect the dots thrown in. It's so hard to stay between the lines, and the dots do confuse me...But I do my best. I really like to make clouds.

42. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? My mouse. Duh.

43. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? That's a stupid question. I sat on the couch, not on the TV!

44. FAVORITE SOUNDS? "With the first overall pick of the NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions take..." I've been longing to hear that for 6 years! I think I'm going to actually be able to hear it in 2007!

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Happy Valley. It's a scary and strange place.

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Evaluating the talent of football players. I can find the worst ones better than anybody in the NFL!

Famous last words from Rod Marinelli: "Kitna's the starter next year"

I just don't get the Sarge. Either he's clueless, stubborn, hard-headed, insane, loyal to a fault, or a combination thererof. There's is no other explanation for his blind devotion to Jon Kitna as the Lions' starting QB. Such loyalty would normally be commendable, if it wasn't so self-destructive to the Lions chances.

Doesn't he see the interceptions? The fumbles? The bad reads? THE 10 LOSSES?

I'm not going to say that Kitna is the sole reason for the 10 losses. In fact, Kitna has played well, quite well, at times. Those times being in the 1st thru 3rd quarters. But in too many games he has become a 4th quarter turnover machine, Sunday's Patriots loss being the latest example.

Kitna would be a nice QB on a team that can surround him with good talent. On the free of talent Lions though, Kitna is rapidly becoming a liability. At least 2 losses can be directly attributed to his poor late game play. Kitna, and his 4 th quarter collapses in Minnesota and New England, was the main culprit in both those losses.

In 8 of the Lions' 10 games, Kitna has had 2 or more turnovers. In 7 games, Kitna has more turnovers than TD passes.

That's not a recipe for winning football. But it is Lions football as we've come to know and despise.

The Sarge has put all his eggs in Kitna's basket. When your 2nd string QB is getting on the field only as the number 3 receiver, which is laughable in itself, it's blatantly obvious that Marinelli wants Kitna under center, come Hell, high water, blitzing linebackers, or pissed off Millen haters.

It's that kind of strange decision making that makes me wonder if the Sarge is the Lions long term coaching solution.

The Lions have been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs after Sunday's loss. We all know that the season was over long before then. So why not see what you have in Josh McCown or Dan Orlovsky? They couldn't be any worse than Kitna, right? I'm sorry, I lost my head for a sec. We are talking the Lions, they could definitely be worse.

Even if he benches Kitna, and either Orlovsky or McCown play badly, it's not as if Marinelli's job is in jeopardy. If Millen is retained as GM, God forbid, it's a foregone conclusion that the Sarge will be back in 2007. If Millen gets the ziggy, then it doesn't make much difference what happens on the field, as Millen's replacement (Please God, let it happen) will want his own man on the sidelines.

Despite that, the Sarge has dug in his heels, and will go down with the Kitna led ship.

The beat writers say that the players like Kitna because of his toughness, that's he's a "Gamer," the antithesis of Joey Blue Skies. You'd think they'd rather have a QB that didn't fold like a cheap card table late in games.

As the losses continue to add up, it seems like the Lions have become good at least one thing. Taking blame for defeats.

Marinelli continually says that he's to blame, that it's all on him. Kitna said that Sunday's loss was all his fault. That's all well and good, but it doesn't change the fact that the Lions are sinking fast, and are on the fast track to the NFL's number 1 overall draft pick.

Upon which the Lions will draft Brady Quinn, and then convert him to WR. Because Jon Kitna, is entrenched as the starter.

The BCS breaks hearts every year. Unfortunately, this season it's the Wolverines turn

As an unabashed fan of the Michigan Wolverines, for reasons we are all aware of, "cough BCS cough," I'm not happy today. I will say that I'm not upset with the Florida Gators, or their fans, as I'm sure they would have the same exact feelings as Wolverine fans do today. The BCS was going to ream somebody, it was the Wolverines' turn this season. Michigan joins USC, Auburn, and Oregon, as schools that were left standing at the championship game altar by the BCS.

But there are others that truly deserve our scorn.

Gary Danielson: When did he become a paid shill for Florida and the SEC? His performance during the SEC Championship made the best carnival sideshow barker jealous with his Gator hyperbole. He came off more slanted and biased than Beano Cook was when talking about Ron Powlus' 3 Heisman trophies or the greatness of JoePa. On Saturday night, the SEC had, for all intents and purposes, a paid advertisement on CBS for 3 + hours, with Danielson channeling Ron Popiel...

"It slices, it dices, it wins fluky games! Order now, and we'll throw in a BCS Championship game at no extra cost! Your ballots are standing by, VOTE NOW!"

Danielson did his damnedest to pimp the Gators to the BCS voters. As it turned out, it was one HELL of a sales job. I'm sure he'll get a nice bonus from the SEC.

Urban Meyer: The Gators' coach is damn near as slick as Cheatypants McSweaterVest. As good as a football coach Meyer might be, he makes an even better lobbyist. The running of his mouth continiously for the last 2 weeks, saying that a Michigan - tOSU rematch would be a farce, and that his team was more deserving, paid off in spades. I think Florida was made # 2 by the voters just to shut his whiny ass up. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let up with the"Woe is us" attitude till next September.

The Big Ten: If there ever was an event that should drive the staid Big 10 into making significant scheduling changes, and possibly changing it's makeup, the shuffling of Michigan out of the BCS #2 spot could be the straw that breaks the camels back. Florida had 3 extra weeks to impress the voters, let alone being able to play in a title game. Move the schedule to where U of M meets tOSU after Thanksgiving. Play the extra out of conference game after the tOSU game. Add a 12th team, go to a 2 division setup, and have a championship game. Anything to keep Big 10 teams in the eye of the pollsters. One thing is certain, Michigan not playing, while USC and Florida had the national stage unopposed, gives much credence to Kirk Herbstreit endorsed "Out of sight, out of mind" theory. It's time the Big Tenleven to enter the 21st century.

Harris poll voters: A motley crew of loons, used-to-bes, never-weres, and no-nothings with an agenda, pure and simple. Their vote for Florida was more of a vote against a UM - tOSU rematch, than a vote for the Gators. I thought the BCS was supposed to allow the #1 and #2 teams to meet, not what teams the voters think is "More deserving." If you'd watched either team at all, you'd see that Michigan has played better, more consistent, higher quality ball than Florida. Unfortunately, the moldy Harris voters have been watching "Matlock" reruns instead.

Division 1 college presidents: D1 football is the only college sport without a playoff. The schools are sitting on such a HUGE cash cow. A D1 football playoff would make the NCAA basketball tournament look like the NIT. The networks would back up to NCAA HQ with Brinks trucks full of cash. But no, the school presidents would rather stay with a convoluted, arcane, outmoded, and outright silly way of selecting the top 2 teams in the country. You'd think the heads of these schools of supposed higher learning would know better. Goes to prove that being book smart doesn't make you street smart.

FOX: Their BCS selection show was just plain awful, with a decided slant against the Rose Bowl. As soon as I saw that they had cameras in Gainesville, I knew that Michigan would be left out in the cold. And what's with those poor, clueless souls in Boise? Fill an arena to hear that BSU would play the Sooners? Must have been a damn slow night in Idaho. FOX may not be quite so happy to have the BCS rights when they saw the matchups. The most entertaining game will be the Michigan-USC Runner-up Bowl, which will be televised by ABC, thank God. Never thought I'd say that about the Rose Bowl, but that's what FOX's money has brought upon us.

One thing to keep in mind. Next season, it may be the team that you root for that gets shafted by the BCS. What it all comes down to is that a D1 football playoff makes too much sense for it to ever happen.

A You Tube find: A delusinal Lions fan take on Patriots vs. Lions

You Tube is a wonderful place. Just search any combination of Scrubs + Turk + Poison for an example of its greatness. But...You Tube can also be a very scary and dark place. The following video is an example of such.

TWFE presnts a You Tube find, produced by what has to be the biggest Detroit Lions fan on the planet, a character named Kitna2Furrey. The name alone scares me. What's even scarier is his prediction for this weekends Lions - Pats game. Mr. Kitna2Furrey predicts a shutout. Not for the Patriots, but the for the Lions?

You have been warned, watch at you own risk...

First, before you press play, I have to give one disclaimer. THIS IS NOT ME!