EVERYBODY PANIC!!! - No one said it was going to be easy edition

Our Detroit Tigers haven't even started the season, yet they suddenly find themselves short handed. Yes, it's what we all feared...Vance Wilson is on the DL. What are the Tigers going to do?!

Sure, losing Vance Wilson is a small blow, but a backup catcher is a backup catcher. He plays once a week, at best. I'm sure Mike Rabello will be fine in the short term.

In other news, some old guy went under the knife today. What's the big deal? That old guy is Kenny Rogers.

Tigers fans aren't sure what to make of the news in regard to the Gambler. Kenny Rogers had a blood clot removed from his shoulder today, and won't be back till July. That's best case. Worst case is that his career is over. OVER?!

"EVERYBODY PAN..."

Nope, I won't do it! Panic? Not in March, for chrissakes. Let's look at this logically...

First, I want to say that I'm thrilled that the Gambler is going to be OK, considering how life threatening a blood clot can be. Some people, as they say, will aways have Paris. Tigers fans will aways have the 2006 playoffs. No matter what happens from here on out, the Gambler will always be thought of fondly in the D. He bonded with Tigers fans, never more so than during the playoffs. In fact, Rogers never seemed happier as a ballplayer.


If the lasting memory we have of the Gambler is his walking off the field in triumph with 40,000 plus fans chanting "KENNY, KENNY" after each of his career defining 3 playoff and World Series victories, well, you can't ask for more than that...

But that's taking the worst case scenario. Rogers is a top flite athlete, and was in excellent health. If there is one veteran that can bounce back from something as this, it's Kenny Rogers.

Rogers will have plenty of time to regain his form, and be given every opportunity to take his spot in the rotation. He's earned that with his 2006 performance. On the plus side, He should come back in full heath, and well rested. It would almost be the equivalent to adding someone at the trade deadline. That's if the Tigers can, at the very least, tread water till the all star break.

For all the talk of the Tigers pitching depth, now is the time for them to prove that talk is more than just hyperbole. The list of candidates to step up is relatively long, and we've heard all the names. Chad Durbin, Wil Ledezma, Zach Miner, Jordan Tata, Jair Jurrjens, Kyle Sleeth, and Andrew Miller. Some are closer to being ready than others, but all undeniably have talent.

We already know that the Tigers are giving Durbin the first shot at stepping into the rotation. Honestly though, Miller is the closest there is to a sure thing. If Miller pitches well in the minors, I would not be surprised to see him brought up to Detroit by June. Especially if Durbin, Miner, et al, don't pitch well enough to keep a rotation spot.

So I'm not going to panic. It's much too early to get upset. Those young pitchers may just step up, and make the decision to put the Gambler back in the rotation a very tough one. For that matter, it's not as if the rest of the Tigers starting rotation is exactly chopped liver.

It was soothing to Tigers fans somewhat rattled nerves to see Justin Verlander's last spring training start to be his best so far. 5 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, and 6 K's. I think he's ready.

If the Tigers staff is as good as it's supposed to be, the loss of Kenny Rogers will be more of a speedbump, rather than a roadblock, on the way to another AL pennant.

EVERYBODY PANIC!!! - Spring training edition

We Tigers fans had a big, heaping dose of reality today.

Kenny Rogers went on the 15 day DL for "Arm fatigue." Seems like something that one would get from playing too much "Guitar Hero," but we're talking about the Gambler, who doesn't appear to be the PS2 type.


Thing is, no one can say just what is "Arm fatigue?" Soreness? Sharp pain? General old man achy-ness? Is it in his shoulder? Elbow? Forearm? The Tigers aren't talking yet.

Even more interesting was the decision to move Chad Durbin into the rotation, rather than calling up Zach Miner. Miner performed admirably when stepping in for Mike Maroth in 2006. Has Durbin passed Miner over in the minds of the Tigers brass? My not so magic 8-ball says, "All signs point to yes!" At least the Tigers added another lefty to the pen, in Bobby Seay.

By the way, no one will say if Lynn Henning was consulted in regard to Durbin becoming a starter. Henning has been singing the praises of Durbin since the middle of last season. We can only hope, that for once, a columnist is right. There's always a first time.

I've been impressed by the fan reaction so far. The expected cries of "EVERYBODY PANIC" have been few and far between. The Tigers fanbase seem to be keeping a stiff upper lip. They'll be holding their collective breath about the whole "Arm fatigue" thing, preferring to not panic till more details are known.

There's no reason to blow one's panic wad before the season begins. Fans are pacing themselves, saving their angst for the first time the Tigers lose 2 consecutive games.

Rogers being sat, even if it ends up that it was only precautionary, is a painful reminder that the biggest factor in regard to the Tigers pennant chances may be their overall health. With the Tigers being a relatively veteran team, we shouldn't be surprised that injuries may be a bigger issue than we care to admit.

Their supposed pitching depth is going to be tested right off the bat. So will the nerves of Tigers fans.

The Detroit Tigers, contenders or pretenders? Part 3 - DH and outfield

What follows are my thoughts on Detroit's 2 HUGE money players, along with a young stud, a man with no position, and another who's a sabre's nightmare, but a fan favorite. In other words, it's part 3 of TWFE Detroit Tigers season preview.

Designated Hitter

Gary Sheffield: Sheffield was THE off season acquisition for the Tigers. They have had a need for an intimidating, middle of the order bat for years. If that bat happened to be a patient, high OBP one as well, all the better. If that bat was also known to be loud, controversial, spotlight seeking, and a possible clubhouse distraction, the Tigers were willing to take that chance. If the cost of that bat was not going to affect the current MLB roster, that made it a done deal. Tigers fans, meet Gary Sheffield. Gary Sheffield, meet a fanbase that could not care less about your past, doesn't care if you play defense, they just want you to hit the crap out of the ball. Up to this point, Sheffield has been Sheffield, with his pontificating about anything and everything. Topics covered have included his Yankees experience (Good and bad), how Boston was his first choice as a trade destination (Huh?), his man crush on Jim Leyland (Obvious), steroids (Who? Me? I'm an innocent man), his upcoming tell all book (Look out Yankees), and talking to pretty much anyone with a microphone. All Tigers fans ask is that his bat back up his mouth. If his absolutely crushed HR against the Dodgers today is any indication, that won't be a problem. Sheffield looks totally recovered from his wrist injury, and is swinging the bat, as Rod Allen said with considerable awe, "Angry!" Will hitting in Comerica Park hurt his power stats some? How could it not? But if Sheffield is still the Sheffield of the past several years, the Tigers have added a huge, game changing weapon to the middle of the order. If he isn't as advertised? Well, I don't want to go there, because we'll have 2 more years of it.

Outfielders

Curtis Granderson: Granderson is the one position player that looks as if he could have a true breakout season, his spring performance has been that good. His first full season in the bigs was bi-polar. Defense was never an issue, he's the best CF we've seen in ye olde English D since Gary Pettis. But at the plate? Impressive first half, bad second half, then finished fast with a great post season. Granderson's ups and downs made one thing painfully clear. He plays well, the Tigers win, and win a lot. Granderson doesn't...We all saw how the team struggled in August and September. The big sweeping hole in Granderson game was his propensity for K's. LOTS of K's. Whenever I felt a stiff breeze, I didn't blame the weather, it was just Granderson swinging...And missing. If what we've seen this spring is an indication of what we'll see in the regular season, we can safely say that Granderson won't lead the league in strike outs again. Granderson is only going to get better, and thinking about a Tigers outfield anchored by Granderson and top prospect Cameron Maybin has me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside...

Craig Monroe: I've made no bones about it. I loves me some Craig Monroe, the clutchiest clutch that ever clutched. I know, I know, the sabres say that there is no such thing as being clutch. You either produce, or you don't, no matter the situation. But the 2 biggest hits of the Tigers 2006 season came off the bat of Mr. Clutch, Craig Monroe. The first was the July grand slam that beat the ChiSox, which allowed the Tigers to win what was at that time considered the biggest series the Tigers had played in 2 decades. The other being the late August, 2 out, 9th inning dinger that beat the Yankees, avoiding a doubleheader sweep, giving a staggering Tigers team a huge boost, to the immense relief of an already skittish fanbase that was 1 out away from full blown panic. And we can't forget the 5 HR post season from Monroe, the man whose picture is under the word "Clutch" in the dictionary. OK, I'm aware that I'm taking the clutch thing a bit far. Monroe has obvious weak points. In the field, he's an average outfielder at best, one that's not particularly well suited to covering the vast wasteland that is Comerca's power alleys. Monroe has boom or bust tendencies at the plate, along with a low OBP. Best case scenario, Craig Monroe is an average ball player. To be honest, he's just holding down the position till Maybin is ready. Still, I have an irrational love for Craig Monroe, otherwise known as His Clutchiness. David Ortiz wishes he was as clutch as Craig Monroe. OK, I'll stop now.

Magglio Ordonez: The man whose ALCS winning HR made grown men cry, and whose hair makes me cry. But thinking about Ordonez's monstrous contract gets Tigers fans emotional as well. You can rightly say that the moment he hit that October blast, sending the Tigers to the World Series, he earned every bit of that deal. Unfortunately, we've seen the first signs that his contract has hamstrung the Tigers. Sheffield will DH the next 3 seasons, taking what would have been the natural landing place for Maggs. With that albatross of a contract, for better or worse, on the decline or not, creaky knee and all, Ordonez will be the Tigers RF for the foreseeable future. What if Maybin is ready in 2008? Granderson will move over, and say goodbye to Craig Monroe, even if he's a better defensive OF than Maggs. I'm not saying that Ordonez is an anchor, just his contract. He can still play well for the Tigers, but we won't see the pre knee injury version of Ordonez. He's no longer a 35/120/.320 hitter, but a 25/100/.290 type. In other words, a little better, but much higher paid, Craig Monroe.

Marcus Thames: Every season, Thames is the man without a position. Let's say we find him one... He can be the full time DH, right? No, noted author and bon vivant Gary Sheffield was given 40 million plus dollars to DH. OK then, play him in the outfield. As bad as Ordonez and as average as Monroe are in the field, Thames is far worse. He has nowhere near the range needed to play a corner outfield position full time at Comerica. No problem, just hide him at 1st base. Thames will see some time there, but the Tigers are overloaded with RH bats, so the Tigers signed LH Sean Casey to play 1st. How do you not find a position for a player who in 2006 had a near Ruthian HR to AB ratio, and led the team in slugging percentage? The Tigers somehow found a way. Thing is, you'd think Thames would be excellent trade bait, especially as part of a package with a prospect, as he'd hit 35-40 HR's if given 500 AB's. But you can't get max value for him, as Thames can't get those 500 AB's to prove he can hit those 35-40 HR's. Talk about a Catch-22. He's worth more to the Tigers as a 4th outfielder/DH/1B than what they would get in return in trade. So Thames will continue to be caught up in a numbers game, get 300 AB's in sporadic duty, and hit with amazing power. Thames can't win for losing...

When you look at the Tigers outfield, it's solid at the plate, average in the field. You see a future gold glover and all star in Curtis Granderson, a place holder in His Clutchiness, and an albatross who should be a DH, but is blocked by an author who's also a borderline HOF'er. It was an outfield that was good enough to win a pennant in 2006. In 2008, it's an outfield that may have the next MLB superstar, Cameron Maybin. In 2007, it's a question mark. A highly paid question mark.

The Detroit Tigers, contenders or pretenders? Part 2 - Catching and infield

Before I give my somewhat snarky, totally biased and off the cuff thoughts on the Tigers catching and infield, let me say a couple of things. I believe much of what sabremetrics can tell you about a player. But I also trust my eyes just as much. So you won't see me use VORP, PECOTA, win shares, OPS+, and the like when talking about players.

On with the preview...

Catchers

Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez: It's going to be an interesting season for the the best catcher ever nicknamed Pudge. He shows no signs of slowing down. Behind the plate, that is... Pudge is still an elite defensive backstop, without question. Teams run on the Tigers at their own risk. At the plate however, we'll never again see the 30 home run, middle of the order hitting Pudge of the 90's. The Pudge of the double aught's is a...Leadoff man? Next thing you'll be telling me is that Marcus Thames plays 1st base. According to Jim Leyland, against left handers, Pudge hits leadoff. Seriously. Against right handers, expect to see him quite low in the order. If any of the lineup tinkering tones down Pudge's free swinging ways, and increases his OBP, then that'll be another feather in Leyland's already feathery genius cap.

Vance Wilson: Was quite awful in 2005. Was quite good in 2006. 2007? Armed with a contract extension, Wilson should be...Hell, he's a good backup catcher, but if Wilson is getting lots of playing time, the Tigers have major issues.

Infielders

Sean Casey: More contentious message board threads have started over the relative merits of Sean Casey than any other Tiger in recent memory. Talking about Casey will cause sabre-minded anti Casey fans to butt heads with the traditionalist pro Casey fans...

Anti Casey: Casey can't hit for power, can't run, and is a below average 1st baseman.
Pro Casey: Don't you remember what he did in the World Series? Plus he's a career .300 hitter.
AC: He's always injured!
PC: Everyone likes him! He's called "The Mayor" for a reason you know.
AC: He hasn't had a good season in 3 years. If he's not hitting for a high BA, he has little value.
PC: Every team team needs role players. Casey is a chemistry guy! Did I mention he's a career .300 hitter? I like him!
AC: The Casey you like is the Casey of 5 years ago! He's no longer that player.
PC: He's not very expensive, and it's only a 1 year contract!
AC: That contract is keeping Chris Shelton in Toledo. Didn't you see that Shelton was raking this spring?
PC: Shelton was awful from May on, you can't base what Shelton can do by 30 spring training AB's! Casey wouldn't have been signed if the Tigers thought Shelton was the answer.
AC: Tigers management can make mistakes, you know.
PC: You blow!
AC: You suck!

Believe me, it just goes downhill from there... Personally, I'm torn. I like Casey as a 1 year stopgap, and without question, he's a good clubhouse guy. You can't help but like him, as he seems genuinely thrilled to be in Detroit. That alone will make him a fan favorite. But he doesn't hit with the power you need from an infield corner position, 99% of beer leaguers can outrun him, and he walks a razor's edge when it comes to injury. I best stop here, or I'll start arguing with myself...

Carlos Guillen: Guillen was voted Tigers player of the year by "DIBS," and deservedly so. The Tigers best all around player, one of the nicest things resulting from the Tigers playoff success was the exposure the criminally underrated Guillen received on the national stage. It's was as if the Derek Jeter loving media said, "What's this? When you look at the stats, Guillen is just as good of a shortstop, if not better, than Jeter. That can't be right, can it?" Yes, it is. Guillen is that good. I'll add 1 disclaimer, he's that good when healthy. Guillen's health is always a huge concern. If he gets hurt, and misses a significant amount of time, the Tigers' playoff chances decrease exponentially. A very interesting note is that Guillen may be hitting some cleanup. The last time the Tigers had a shortstop hitting cleanup, Alan Trammell won was jobbed out of 1987 MVP. Could Guillen have a similar impact season?

Omar Infante: Most Tigers fans really like Infante. Tigers brass, Jim Leyland specifically, seem down on Infante. Who's right? On the plus side, Infante is still young at 25, has shown flashes of big time power (16 HR's in '04), can play 3rd, SS, 2nd, and OF, and best of all, he isn't Neifi Perez. On the minus side, Infante has had arm problems in the past, leading the Tigers to question his ability to play SS, and despite the potential he's shown at the plate, Infante has an awful career OBP of only .295. Considering the excellent middle infield combo of Guillen and Placido Polanco is blocking Infante, he seems destined to be a career backup if he remains a Tiger. The Tigers could do much worse for an infield backup. In fact, that much worse player is already on the roster...

Brandon Inge: Binge was rewarded with a nice 4 year deal in the off season, locking him in as the Tigers 3rd baseman. It still boggles the mind to think that Inge once looked Neifi-like at the plate. Honestly, he looked worse than Neifi, if such a thing is possible. Just reaching the Mendoza line seemed insurmountable. Now Inge just may be the most dangerous number 9 hitter in the majors. He's definitely the most powerful. Defensively, Inge has amazing range (Almost used the term "Range factor" there) and a rifle arm, which allows him to make plays and throws that would make Brooks Robinson jealous. Unfortunately, that freakish fielding ability causes Inge to attempt plays and throws that Brooks Robinson knew enough not to try. Considering the Tigers' history of having 3rd basemen who were either good field-no hit (Don Wert, Aurelio Rodriguez, Tom Brookens, Jose Macias, Chris Truby), or DH's in disguise (Eric Munson , Dmitri Young), with only 1 true all-star caliber 3rd sacker (Travis Fryman) in my lifetime, the Tigers are perfectly fine with Brandon Inge handling 3rd for the foreseeable future.

Neifi Perez: Sucks.

Placido Polanco: The MVP of the ALCS, Polanco is another example of the sort of player that traditionalists love, yet the sabres question his true value. You can take much of the above message board pissing match over Casey, and just change the name to Polanco. For example, traditionalists said Polanco's shoulder injury was the catalyst for the Tigers August '06 swoon. As soon as he went out of the lineup, the Tigers slumped badly. Polanco came back for the playoffs, and the Tigers stormed through the Yankees and A's. Sabres will come back saying that it was only a coincidence, 1 player should not make that much of a difference. The entire team slumped to end the season, and they found their swings again at playoff time, thanks to some favorable matchups. Both sides make sense, to be honest... Defensively, Polanco's very good. No arguments there. Offensively, Polanco is the prototype number 2 hitter. He's nearly impossible to strike out, but also nearly impossible to walk. If you need the bat on the ball, the Placidome is who you want at the plate. He's a career .300 hitter, but with his relatively low OBP, Polanco has to hit for a high average, as he lacks power and speed. But both traditionalists and sabres can agree on this...Dave Dombrowski's swindling of Polanco from the Phillies is 2nd only to the outright theft of Guillen from Mariners.

Overall, you have to like the Tigers around the diamond. A HOF catcher, a MVP caliber SS, a freakishly athletic 3rd baseman, and a slick fielding 2nd baseman who always makes contact. On the down side, age and health is a concern, the bench is weak, and Sean Casey's best case scenario is that he'll be a below average 1st baseman. (But I like him. I'm confused about it, too...)

Is it enough to win the division? I think so...

The Detroit Tigers, contenders or pretenders? Part 1 - Pitching staff

We're less than a week away from the start of the Tigers season. Expectations are just a little higher now, when compared to last year. Actually, I had no expectations last season. All I wanted was for the Tigers to not suck. Nothing more. Just don't suck. That's what 2 decades of lousy baseball had done to me.

95 wins, and an American League pennant later, we fast forward to 2007.

Tigers fans actually have expectations this season, and they are quite high. In win the World Series high. The Tigers are considered one of the best teams in all of baseball. They play in what is without question the toughest division to win, with 3 other legitimate title contenders. The division is so loaded, the Tigers could replicate their 95 win 2006 season, and not make the playoffs.

Last year my Tigers preview was titled, "Wild card contenders, or the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked?" This season, I think we can be sure that the Tigers won't suck, But just how good will they be? Damn good. But good enough to win it all?

Let's start with the pitching...

Starting pitchers

Jeremy Bonderman: I've been saying for 2 years now that Bonderman was going to take the next step, and become a 20 win top of the rotation stopper, a Jack Morris for the new millennium. This season is no different. THIS is the year that Bonderman becomes that 20 win top of the rotation stopper, a Jack Morris for the new millennium. Lather, rinse, repeat. We're hearing that Bonderman may have found the off speed pitch that's been missing from his repertoire. If true, the American League best lookout.

Mike Maroth: I've said in the past that Mike Maroth's fastball couldn't break cracked glass. This season is no different. Maroth is still a soft tossing finesse lefty whose fastball couldn't break cracked glass, but now he has had elbow surgery to boot. Reportedly, Maroth was feeling the elbow pain from spring training on, yet he was still on track to have his best ever season. So now that Maroth is fully healthy, I think he'll pick up where he left off, and be one of the best 5th starters in baseball. Maroth will eat innings, keep you in games, all while winning more than he loses. You can't ask for more from your 5th starter. Most teams don't have a 3rd starter that capable.

Nate Robertson: The unluckiest pitcher in baseball, and in my mind, possibly one of the most underrated as well. Robertson's ERA has improved every season, and could be a pitcher that is on the verge of figuring it all out. He deserved better in 2006, yet to his credit, never bitched about it. If Robertson gets any run support at all, he'll have a breakout season. No pitcher can be that unlucky 2 seasons in a row. A bigger challenge for Robertson is if he can come up with this year's version of "Gum time."

Kenny Rogers: Detroit fans haven't seen such a dominating postseason by a Tigers pitcher since...Well, we've never seen that dominating a performance from a Tigers pitcher. I may go to my grave not seeing another game as well pitched as the Gambler's performance against the Yankees in the playoffs. That effort was rightly called a "Masterpiece." Obviously, the Gambler won't pitch like the next coming of Christy Mathewson, Cy Young, and Jesus combined over an entire season. I see no reason why Rogers couldn't have a 2007 regular season much like his excellent 2006. All I ask is that he hides the pine tar a tad better. I'm sure if the Gambler asks, Gaylord Perry would be more than happy to suggest a few hiding places...

Justin Verlander: Here's the big question mark in the rotation. Will Verlander's throwing more innings in one season than he had in his previous 2 seasons combined take a huge toll on his 2007? Yes and no. I'm not expecting Verlander to be as effective as he was in the first 2/3 of 2006. Actually, not many pitchers are that effective, ever. But I'm not expecting him to be the Verlander we saw after it hit the August rookie wall, either. Verlander will have a solid season, but not a dominating one. Those seasons are to come. If he can win 14-15 games, and have an ERA around 4, Tigers brass and fans will be more than happy. Just thinking about a 1-2-3 punch of Bonderman, Verlander, and ace in waiting Andrew Miller gets me feeling all tingly...

Relievers

Chad Durbin: The favorite son of the Detroit News columnist Lynn Henning. When it was announced Monday that Durbin won the final spot on the Tigers staff, the biggest cheers weren't from Durbin, but from Henning. Durbin pitched very well for Toledo last season, and would have been snapped up by another team if the Tigers had attempted to send him back to Triple A. He'll be long relief, and a spot starter, for the Tigers. I do guarantee one thing. Whenever a starting pitcher goes into a slump, expect a column from Lynn Henning demanding that Durbin be inserted into the rotation. It'll happen, trust me...

Jason Grilli: Grilli has become the favorite whipping boy on Tigers message boards. Grilli's blowing up in the 8th inning of game 4 of the ALCS was just more fuel for the message board fire. Personally, I thought the umpire was squeezing the strike zone on him. Despite the gnashing of teeth by Tigers fans, Grilli is one of Jim Leyland's favorites. Even though he had a below average spring, no matter what happened, Grilli was going north with the Tigers as middle relief. So expect another year of Jason Grilli pitching decently, while being grilled on message boards 'round the web.

Todd Jones: The pitcher with the most apt nickname in baseball, the Rollercoaster is still the closer, but is also the place holder for Joel Zumaya. If all goes to plan, Zoom Zoom will be the closer in 2008 and beyond. So we'll have only one more year to survive Jones' heart attack inducing, crap your pants style of closing out games. Despite having a fastball that even Timmy Lupus could turn on, and allowing more baserunners than Ricky Vaughn without glasses, Jones still somehow manages to pile up saves. If Jim Leyland learned anything from last season, it's to never pitch Jones more than one inning, and never bring him in with runners already on base. NEVER. Keeping that in mind will allow Tigers fans to not have to invest in home defibrillators.

Wilfredo Ledezma: Ledezma is the pitcher who bailed out Grilli in the playoffs, and the only lefty in the Tigers bullpen. Ledezma may be the most versatile pitcher on the Tigers staff. Last season Ledezma was effective wherever the Tigers used him, and Leyland used him everywhere. As a LOOGY, long relief, set up, and as a spot starter. This season he's the obvious replacement for Jamie Walker as the LOOGY, but Ledezma also has the ability to stay in and be effective against right handed hitting. I would not be surprised if Ledezma leads the team in appearances this season.

Jose Mesa: "Joe Table" was signed in the off season, adding even more depth to an already very good bullpen. Mesa has been a starter, a shutdown closer, a set up man, he's pretty much held every role that a pitcher can fill on a staff. During his closer days with the Indians, Mesa led the league in saves. Unfortunately, Mesa's biggest claim to fame was blowing the lead in the 9th inning of game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Despite that, Mesa has been a solid pitcher for a very long time. Anyone who can put up respectable stats in the pitchers Hell that is Coors Field, must have something left in the tank.

Fernando Rodney: He of the funny name, off kilter cap, and the OMFG change up. When he's on, Rodney is unhittable. When he's off, Rodney puts more men on base than Todd Jones, giving fans conniption fits. His blowup in the 2006 regular season finale being a prime example. Despite his occasional propensity for wildness, Rodney has closer stuff, and would be closing on another team. With the Tigers, Rodney is the 8th inning set up man. That's a deep bullpen...

Joel Zumaya: The flamethrowing, tatooed, bloodshot eyed Tigers closer in waiting is still pegged as a set up man by Jim Leyland. Currently, I have no issue with that, as I have much more faith in Zumaya stopping a rally in the middle innings than any other pitcher on the staff. Who would you rather come in with men on base? Zumaya with his 103 MPH heat, let alone his ability to freeze hitters with his curve, or the puff ball throwing Todd Jones? That's why Jones is still the closer, and why Zumaya is pitching in the often more difficult set up role.

When you look a the Tigers pitching, you don't see many weaknesses. The most glaring being the fact there is only one lefty reliever, Ledezma. But with the talent on hand, does it really make that much difference? Given the choice of bringing an average lefty out of the pen, or either the right handed Zumaya or Rodney, who would you rather see on the mound?

On paper, that's a damned good pitching staff. Is it the best in baseball? You could argue the rotation is the best, and probably win that argument. But any staff that has the Rollercoaster as the closer? We'll have to talk...

Overall, the Tigers have, at the very least, a top 5 pitching staff. Lets hope they live up to the hype.

Revenge was a dish best served by Darren McCarty

I think every Red Wings fan knows where they were om March 26, 1997. Me? I was in a bar, watching the game, as my friends and I knew, along with every hockey fan in North America, that Hell was going to break loose that night against Colorado. We weren't disappointed.

We all remember the fight like it was yesterday. Darren McCarty sucker punching Claude Lemieux (Yes, I'll admit it was a sucker punch, but since it was Lemieux...) , then continuing to pummel the turtling evil Lemieux, Brendan Shanahan flying through the air, Mike Vernon leaving Patrick Roy's face a bloody mess, those are iconic images that will forever live on in Red Wings history.

When the Wings won the game 6-5 in OT, I think the fans, and the Red Wings themselves, knew that this was the year that they would finally win the Stanley Cup.

In honor of the 10 year anniversary of one of the greatest nights in Red Wing history, let's watch the highlights!



And here's the fight in it's awesome entirety. Enjoy...

Saturday night ramblings...

I've been a little under the weather the last few days, which has led to me not feeling like posting all that much. It has also led me to watching too much TV and aimlessly surfing the web. The GF says I need to get out of the house more, to blow out the cobwebs, so to speak. I'll try to do so, as I want to stay on her good side. In the meantime, to blow out the mental cobwebs. here's some rambling thoughts...

James Brown may be the best in-studio host around. As for play-by-play? JB is on the sweet side of awful. Gus Johnson was sorely missed Friday night, and will be again Sunday. The nation, if not the entire world. needs more Gus Johnson...

Why doesn't Greg Oden touch the ball on EVERY possession? For the most part, I like Thad Motta as a couch, but the way Oden disappears on offense for minutes at a time is unfathomable to me.

The more I watch the college basketball the last few weeks, the more I want Joe Dumars to hang on to both of the Pistons' first round draft picks. Someone damn good is going to be available in the middle of the round, which is where the Magic's pick is going to be. Could Acie Law drop that far? I'm pipe dreaming, I know. Still, this is Dumars' chance to redeem his drafting rep. One suggestion for you Joe, don't listen to Chad Ford when he goes off praising the next 7 foot tall Euro teenager. OK?

So the Pistons lost both games in Texas. Big f'n deal. It's just 2 of 82. They are still in good shape, and I like their chances of having a long playoff run. I mean, it's the Eastern Conference! 2 losses aren't going to change their chances one bit.

What about 'Sheed earning another game off, thanks to "T" number 18? At this point, I find it hilarious. With the baby eating Jason Maxiel around, I don't worry all that much about 'Sheed missing a game. Considering that once the playoffs start, 'Sheed has a 7 technical cushion, I'm not going to get all uptight about the incompetent NBA referees, and their targeting of 'Sheed. Nothing is going to be done, so consider it the cost of having Rasheed Wallace on your team. He brings plenty enough to the party to offset the technical fouls.

Sitting in my new (to me) apartment today, I couldn't help but notice one of my neighbors in the parking lot spending his afternoon installing an alarm on a couple year old Ford Focus 4-door. All I could think of was, "Why?" I'm guessing it's to wake my ass up at 3:30 in the morning. Does anyone even pay attention to car alarms anymore? Well, other than to say, "Boy, that's damn annoying..."

It warms my cockles to hear Bill Rafterty during the NCAA's. You can tell he loves what he's doing. "ONIONS!" On the other hand, doesn't Billy Packer come off as not really liking the game? Packer is curmudgeonly to a fault. It's honestly become a chore to listen to Jim Nantz and Packer do a game.

I'd like to see more Tracy Morgan as "Righteous Boy."

Now that I'm back living on my own, I'm finally in a position to be able to do a little more with my PC. All I can say is that I love bit torrent. I REALLY love bit torrent. I need a bigger hard drive, stat!

As a Michigan fan, is it all that bad rooting for tOSU in the tournament? Cause I am. I always root for the Big 10 teams. Always.

I absolutely blows having a plugged up ear. God damn cold is driving me batty.

Rafferty just a second ago... "OOOOOOO WOW! FROM DEEEEP!" He just has to do a game with Gus Johnson. I'd be a broadcast for the ages. Please, CBS?

For what it's worth, the Red Wings got absolutely jobbed during their OT shootout this afternoon. The puck went 5-hole, is caught deep between the pads, near the the ankles of Blues goalie Jason Bacashihua (What? Babaganoush maybe?), and he then slid all the way into the net. It was obvious on the replay. Come on, if Mickey Redmond thought it was a goal...It's a goal. Christ, the ref's made the exact opposite call on Dominik Hasek the play previous, giving the Blues a goal. That's the NHL for you... When the Wings go into OT anymore, I just chalk it up as only 1 point.

Does anyone know who Michigan is targeting to be their next coach? Anyone? It's been quiet in Ann Arbor. Maybe too quiet? Considering Kentucky is going to hire a high profile coach from a big time program, and THAT big time program is going to be looking for a high profile guy, and THAT program...Well, I think you can see where I'm going. Michigan just got knocked from being the most desirable job, to several down on the totem pole. Especially if they don't move decisively. Bill Martin best target his top candidate damn quick. Lon Kruger and UNLV got knocked out of the NCAA's last night. I hope to Hell that Martin was on the phone arraigning to talk to Kruger the minute their game ended.

I agree with those who have been saying that Tom Izzo isn't going anywhere. He'd be insane not to talk to Kentucky, if they come calling. I think we can all agree that Kentucky is the best...No, maybe not the best currently, but it is the highest profile job in college hoop. Any coach would be flattered to be considered. But MSU is already compensating Izzo like one of the best coaches in the biz, which he is, unquestionably. He doesn't need the grief that he would from Kentucky's Michigan football like fan base. Sweet sixteens and getting to the occasional Final Four isn't enough at KU, just as 10 win seasons, and winning a New Year's Day game isn't enough at U of M.

Tubby Smith to Minnesota?

What? Minnesota? Christ, Smith was their 2nd choice after Flip flippin' Saunders! Talk about making a splash.

You have to give the Gophers a ton of credit. They saw that they would be swimming with Michigan in the same coaching pool, so they moved damn swiftly and got themselves a "Name" coach from right under the Wolverines' nose.

If this isn't a sign that the Michigan athletic department was asleep at the wheel, Minny pulling in such a big name to run their hoops program is sure as Hell a blinking neon billboard of one...

This hire puts Wolverine AD Bill Martin under the gun. Big time.

With Kentucky obviously now being the top job available, Michigan may be picking through Wildcats leftovers. Considering Steve Alford took a step down by leaving Iowa for New Mexico, who's to say that the Hawkeyes won't quickly hire someone that Michigan has their eyes upon? It's not as if Iowa is a piss ant job, it's a damn good one with considerable history.

I said earlier that Michigan would probably go the mid-major route, and hope to hire the next up and coming coach. But the boldness of the Minnesota move, in my mind, changes things.

Look at the quality of coaches in the Big 10. Izzo, Smith, Ryan, Matta, Weber. That's some big time firepower to compete with on the recruiting trail. I'm not sure hiring this weeks mid major flavor of the NCAA tournament is a risk that Michigan should take.

If Martin can't come up with, at the very least, a Lon Kruger or someone of his caliber, there may be Hell to pay from the Michigan fanbase. Honestly, there should be.

Minnesota can introduce Tubby Smith, making them a player again, how is Michigan going to counter? What if Michigan holds a press conference introducing, lets say, the head coach of Winthrop as the new face of Wolverines program?

It'll show that Michigan basketball is being run on the cheap, implicitly saying that basketball is a 2nd class citizen in Ann Arbor, and 2nd division in the Big 10

Ramon Santiago or The Black Hole of Suck, TWFE makes the call

Another of the roster battles that has the Detroit Tigers fanbase on edge is the competition for the last position player spot on the bench. Just who will be the 25th man?

Their responsibilities aren't exactly overwhelming. This is a player who will rarely see the field, save for late inning garbage time, pinch running, a pinch hitter of last resort, or (God forbid) injury.

Lets take a closer look at that the position battle that is...

Ramon Santiago

vs.

He who will not be named, aka The Black Hole of Suck

Santiago: Can play 3rd, short, and 2nd, all fairly well.
TBHoS: Sucks at all 3.
Winner: Santiago, as his suckitude is only at the plate, not on the field.

Santiago: Good bat control, making him a skilled bunter, but only hit .225.
TBHoS: Sucks so hard, TBHoS is the basis for a stat indexing ballplayers by how much better off a team is when they are not on the field, the "Neifi Index."
Winner: Considering that both will flirt all season with the "Mendoza Line," there are no winners here, but the Tigers do lose.

Santiago: Happy to just be on a major league roster, won't bitch about a lack of playing time.
TBHoS: Sucks so badly, he should be nowhere near a major league roster.
Winner: Tigers again lose, fans hope that the closest TBHoS is to Detroit is Toledo.

Santiago: Was traded by the Tigers, along with the other Juan Gonzalez, to Seattle for Carlos Guillen, in one of the most lopsided deals in MLB history. The Tigers then reacquired Santiago once Seattle cut him.
TBHoS: Sucks so badly, that the fanbase of every team TBHoS has played for in the past have heartily celebrated his moving on.
Winner: Santiago, as he was essentially traded for himself. If TBHoS was traded for himself, would the immense of amount of suckage cause the world to collapse inside a back hole of pure suck? We should all pray that we never find out.

Santiago: Hits for a low average, with no power.
TBHoS: Sucks to the point that he doesn't hit, period.
Winner: Tigers lose, fans pray to the Baseball Gods that Carlos Guillen's knee, Placido Polanco's shoulder, and Omar Infante's elbow stay healthy.

Santiago: Only 27 years old, young enough to think that there is still some upside.
TBHoS: An old 33, so he will continue to suck, and odds are TBHoS will suck even worse as he ages.
Winner: Santiago in a landslide, as youth trumps suck.

Santiago: Makes an affordable $500K this season.
TBHoS: The Cubbies signed TBHoS to an awful contract worth an unfathomable 2.5 million per year. Guaranteed. The last year of which the Tigers are now stuck for, which sucks, HARD.
Winner: Santiago, as 500K is a drop in the payroll bucket. That 2.5 million may be just enough to keep TBHoS on the opening day roster. Tigers fan lose. And weep...

The final tally: Does it really make a difference?

Thus, by using my own eyes, my biases, and a very unscientific method, TWFE shakily endorses anyone but The Black Hole of Suck to be the 25th man on the Detroit Tigers opening day roster. If that means Ramon Santiago, I can live with it...

Marcus Thames or Chris Shelton, TWFE makes the call

There has been very little in the way of roster battles this spring with the Tigers. But there are a few worth watching, such as who will back up Sean Casey at 1st base?

Lets take a closer look at that the position battle that is...

Marcus Thames

vs.

Chris Shelton

Thames: Can play multiple positions, both corner outfield spots and 1st base, but none particularly well.
Shelton: Average defensively at 1st base. Was once a catcher in the Pirates organization, and we all know how well the Pirates do at making personnel decisions.
Winner: Shelton, as Thames plays defense at a Dr. Strangeglove level of awfulness.

Thames: Had a bad 2nd half of the 2006 season.
Shelton: Had a horrific last 3/4 of the 2006 season.
Winner: Thames. Even though his production declined, Thames still contributed in the post season. After his monster April, Shelton turned into Dr. Strangebat, known as a rally killer, and a double play waiting to happen.

Thames: Has prodigious amount of power.
Shelton: Has a prodigious amount of red hair.
Winner: Thames, who had a Ruthian AB/HR ratio in 2006. Still, red hair is a plus...

Thames: Hits for power, with a low average.
Shelton: Hits for average, with less power.
Winner: Thames, as Shelton hit for low average and no power after his insane April.

Thames: Named after a river.
Shelton: Has been compared to both E.T. and Sloth from "The Goonies."
Winner: Shelton, because everyone liked E.T. and Sloth.

Thames: 30 years old, may have maxed out his potential.
Shelton: 26 years old, has yet to reach his potential.
Winner: This season Thames, but the future could belong to the younger Shelton. Let's call it a draw.

Thames: Out of options, he cannot be sent down without being exposed to waivers, in which case Thames is sure to be picked up by another team.
Shelton: Still has a minor league option left.
Winner: The Tigers, as Shelton can be stashed in Toledo for another year.

Thames: Has an athletic build.
Shelton: Has the build of a ballplayer. That ballplayer being John Kruk.
Winner: Shelton, as John Kruk wasn't a half bad ballplayer. Even with an athletic build, Thames still can't play defense.

Thames: Traded by the Yankees to the Rangers for a washed up Ruben Sierra, who then released him. Was signed by the Tigers as a free agent.
Shelton: Left unprotected by the Pittsburgh Pirates, was then selected in the Rule V draft by the Tigers.
Winner: Thames, as it's always a good thing to stick it to the Yankees, even if it's once removed. Everyone just feels sorry for the Pirates, and giving up on Shelton was just one of numerous personnel gaffs made by Pittsburgh.

Thames: Has the potential to hit 35-40 home runs, if given 500 AB's.
Shelton: Has the potential to hit .300 with 100 RBI's, if given 500 AB's.
Winner: Let's call it a draw, as the perfect 1st baseman would be a mixture of the 2 players. Say Mark Teixeira of Texas?

The final tally:
Thames - 4
Shelton - 3
Draw - 2
Mark Teixeira - 1
Detroit Tigers - 1

Thus, by using my own unscientific method, TWFE endorses Marcus Thames to be the backup at 1st base for the Detroit Tigers.

Coming soon, TWFE answers the question that has all Tigers fans concerned. Who will be the 25th man on the roster? Ramon Santiago or he who will not be named, The Black Hole of Suck.

If it's Monday, it must be a catch all post...

It was a busy weekend, to say the very least.

1. The Wolverines gave Tommy Amaker the ziggy. About a year too late, in my mind. Amaker was a very nice guy, was the right person at the time to help remove the stench of the Ed Martin scandal, but the Wolverines need a coach that can take them to the next level. I'm not going to speculate who that might be, as plenty of others are already. We are hearing the names of damn near every successful mid major coach, let alone some well known power conference coaches.

"What more do you want? So I wasn't the next Coach K. At least I wasn't the next Brian Ellerbee!"

Basketball has become an afterthought overshadowed by the juggernaut that is Michigan football. Is the Michigan hoops job a top 20 gig? No. It could be, and it once was, but a near decade of neglect leaves Michigan in a weird place. They play in a power conference, but have acted like a mid major.

Michigan has decaying facilities, a gun shy administration, and the big dollar alumni donors are still embarrassed by the aftereffects of the Fab Five, the sketchy Tractor Traylor years, and the in over his head at a community college Brian Ellerbee era. Even more embarrassing is that Michigan has been left recruiting the leftovers of Tom Izzo, let alone having to choose from what is left after other big time conferences have picked the state clean.

One would think you were talking about Oakland University or Detroit Mercy, rather than the University of Michigan. The administration and alumni should be ashamed to allow that to happen to a once proud program.

All things considered, I'm guessing Michigan goes after a younger, less expensive, mid major hot shot. Brian at the MGoBlog rounds up the usual suspects, both mid major and power conference.

2. The overachieving Spartans finally ran out of gas in the last 5 minutes of their 2nd round NCAA tournament loss. We all saw the end coming on selection Sunday, when the Spartans got a 9 seed. An opening round win meant facing a loaded North Carolina 1 seed, a virtual home game for the 'heels, in the round of 32.

The Spartans had been playing on borrowed time since the last couple of weeks of the Big 10 season. In those final few minutes of what was a close North Carolina game, that borrowed time caught up with the Spartans, in running out of both healthy bodies and gas.

The 2006-07 Spartans are one team that has nothing to be ashamed of. A rebuilding team that was pegged for the NIT as their best case scenario, they maxed out every bit of their potential, and then some. Tom Izzo coached his ass off, and with Drew Neitzel and crew coming back, they are set up to have an absolute monster of a team next season.

I can't think of another coach I'd want leading my program. If Tom Izzo isn't the best college coach out there, he'd be included in the very small group of coaches you'd be picking from.

3. The Pistons play the Mavericks without Chauncey Billups, and despite a close loss, come out looking like a title contender. Personally, I find it hard to take much from regular season games. That's why I wasn't all fired up about the admittedly great Mavs - Suns game that was the buzz of the internets last week. No matter how good the regular season game, it's still just one of 82.

It's not just about who's the better team, intangibles play a big part as to who wins and loses in the NBA. Those intangibles were working against the Pistons on Sunday. That being the Billups injury, and a short turnaround coming off of a successful, but very long, west coast trip.

The tired and shorthanded Pistons did go toe to toe with the best of the west. You would hope that bodes well for their playoff run, in that it shows the Pistons are a deeper team than last year.

Say what you will about Flip Murray, as badly as he played earlier this season, he has exceeded our admittedly low expectations in place of Billups. Carlos Delfino is finally a fixture in the rotation, and Jason Maxiel shows he belongs in the NBA. If there is a bright spot in Lindsey Hunter's suspension, it's that those 10 games off will leave him that much fresher for the postseason.

We'll just have to wait and see if that deeper bench makes a difference once the playoffs start.

4. The Red Wings were thumped by the Canucks, while continuing to wait for the force of nature that is Todd Bertuzzi to lace 'em up. That wait may be just about over. For the Wings, it is all about the postseason. I could care less about where they finish in the regular season. As nice as winning the central division, and having a top seed in the playoffs would be, as we have seen in the past, it doesn't mean jack shit in the NHL playoffs.

Considering they will be the playoffs, going into them, all I want is the Wings to be healthy. That's it. I don't care about anything other than being at full strength.

Currently, that's not the case, with the Wings locker room looking more like a MASH unit as of late. That's slowly changing, with Bertuzzi on track to return to the ice during the coming home stand. Henrik Zetterburg on the other hand.. In Hank's case, lets just say that no news is good news in that no news means no bad news. And God forbid if something happens to Dominic Hasek...

5. The Tigers continue to have a very uneventful spring, with the only bad news being their Rule V pickup, Edwardo Campusano, tweaking his elbow. Hearing that, pitchers on the roster bubble, Zach Minor and Chad Durbin, rejoice. Nothing much of note happened in Tigertown, save for the news about one of the candidates to be this season's LOOGY, Campusano, feeling something wrong in his elbow. Save for that setback, it's been business as usual for the Tigers.

The Tigers have a winning spring record, the pitching looks damn good, Magglio Ordonez's hair is still something out of the 60's, Gary Sheffield can't keep himself from talking about everything and anything, and Jim Leyland has already set the starting rotation. Like I said, business as usual...

The only been one truly bad thing in camp. He who will not be named, otherwise known as The Black Hole of Suck, is still in the hunt to be the 25th man on the roster. If that's the worst of the Tigers' problems, it should be a damn good year.

CBS = The tool of the advertising devil

As much as I enjoy the NCAA tournament, and with Duke and Notre Dame being knocked out, the Big 10 doing well (Save for Wisconsin at the moment), Gus Johnson (tWWLiS's Bill Simmons, an unabashed Johnson fan himself, called Gus "A smoldering volcano!" Damn straight!) getting to call a close game, and Michigan State winning easily, I'm enjoying March Madness immensely, these is an aspect of the CBS broadcasts drive me big time batshit crazy.

That aspect being the unrelenting commercials. What doesn't help is that many of us are sitting through both the afternoon and night sessions, exposing us to the same damn ads over and over and over. I'm seeing Turtle from "Entourage" in my dreams. For example...

The number of CBS promos thrown at we viewers is overwhelming. On CBS Action Thursday! "How does a live man end up on Duckies autopsy table?" "NCIS?" Who watches that show? The average viewer demographic of "NCIS" is older than "Matlock's " It's "CSI" for the Abe Simpson set.

Turtle pimping DirecTV. It's run at least five times a half. In EVERY game! I'll admit that the ads for DirecTV that morph from actual movie/TV footage to one of the characters breaking the 4th wall and speaking to the audience are well done. But don't you think that struggling actor Johnny Drama would have been the obvious choice? He'd do any commercial in a heartbeat. Turtle is too busy getting stoned and playing video games. As Drama would say, "VICTORY!"

The ads from esurance, which star the cartoon chick. I see her more than Turtle. Enough! Sorry, Andrew...

Some of the greatest rock bands in history are selling out their back catalogs to the highest commercial bidder. I'm looking at you, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltry. Isn't it bad enough that you allowed the "CSI" franchise to butcher the Who's music, but "Baba O'Reily"used in a cisco ad? That's outright criminal. I can't explain...

"Mr. Faaaanncy Paaaannnts!" "What's next, an amp? AAAAHHH!" and the rest of those strange ads asking you to go Pontiac.com. Their reverse psychology isn't working. Those ads sure as Hell don't make me want to buy a convertible. They just get me annoyed with Pontiac.

The Michelin tire dude is outright creepy looking. If I see a giant French bloated blob made out of white rubber coming at me, I'm headed in the opposite direction.

"Vonage saves me about 100 bucks a month." "I save 60 dollars." Jesus H. Christ, how much do these people use their land lines that would allow them to save so much coin using Vonage? Stop living on the damn phone, folks. There's also the fact that when you hear The 5,6,7,8's "Woo Hoo" nearly as much as you see Turtle, the damn song is stuck in your mind for the rest of the tournament.

I so want to stay in the "Final Four" suite. Get me the reservation desk, pronto! But what in the living Hell does it have to do with State Farm Insurance? On the other hand, I'd buy insurance from Pedro Cerrano and Allstate. Come on, it's David Palmer, just the best president ever! If you can't trust him, who can you trust?

What in the living Hell is TIAA CREF? Can anyone tell me what on earth they do? Anyone? Bueller?

Lowes comes off über cheap in their ads. They sponsor the NCAA's, which I'm sure cost big money, yet don't shell out the few extra bucks for the license that would allow them to use actual universities? It makes the commercial cheesy as Hell. I see the schools named "T," "State," "A," "W University," and "Tech." Personally, I root for "Whatsamatta U."

Memo to CBS

To: The Columbia Broadcasting System
From: The Wayne Fontes Experience
Re: Dislocations

To whom it may concern:

The next time a player horribly dislocates his elbow, as in the case of the Spartans' Ibong Ibok during the Michigan State - Marquette game, please don't give the viewing public an up close and personal view of said elbow. The zoomed in shot of Ibok's torn up elbow as we could hear him screaming in pain wasn't the most pleasant thing that I've ever seen, or would care to see again. If you could keep my suggestion in mind, it would be much appreciated.

Just one more thing, between you and me. If you could schedule a couple of buzzer beaters tonight, it would be just dandy. Make a couple of calls, pay off a couple of refs if need be, but do something to make the night games a bit more entertaining than the snoozers we saw this afternoon. Cool?

Thank you,

The Wayne Fontes Experience

PS: Then you have to go and show it again to start the second half? Dudes, come on!

Why I love, and hate, the NCAA tournament

Today is the day. It's finally here... March Madness. The NCAA tournament. 3 of the best weeks in all of sports.

I love the NCAA's as much as anyone, but as great as tournament time is, it isn't all long treys and close finishes. It's also Billy Packer and 1 vs. 16 blowouts.

When you break down the NCAA's by pros and cons, you'll see exactly what I mean.

Pro: The first weekend of the NCAA tournament is Christmas in March for sports fans, giving us uninterrupted college basketball for 4 straight days.
Con: Ass sores.

Pro: One of the schools that you root for gets in the NCAA's. Go Sparty, beat Marquette!
Con: The other school that you root for has Tommy Amaker as their coach.

Pro: The DirecTV March Madness package, which allows you to watch every game shown over the first 2 weekends.
Con: I have cable...

Pro: The free March Madness web broadcasts. If you register ahead of time, you're granted "VIP" access.
Con: There's 28,745 ahead of you in the "VIP" line to get on the server. And when you finally do get in, it slows your older, pokey ass PC to a crawl.

Pro: Close games, upsets galore, fantastic finishes and a level of excitement most sports can't match due to the NCAA's one and done format.
Con: When you see the score of that huge upset in the making on screen, but CBS refuses to switch your station over, in favor of staying with the local team/Humongous State U/Duke game. Even if said local team/Humongous State U/Duke is getting spanked big time.

Pro: Gus Johnson calling early round games. Gus could make a 1 vs. 16 game sound like 1992 Duke/Kentucky.
Con: Gus isn't working the later rounds. God damn you, CBS!

Pro: You get to see very talented and experienced mid major and small conference teams that get next to no TV exposure during the regular season.
Con: Rather than showcase some of those talented mid major teams, CBS shoves the beatified Coach Krztjedsn56%d@8ski and Duke down our throats at every damn opportunity.

Pro: The Worldwide Leader in Sports doesn't broadcast any of the NCAA games.
Con: That doesn't stop the WWLiS from talking yelling about it incessantly, allowing Dukie Vitale and Digger Phelps to unleash their reign of terror upon our nation. BABY!

Pro: You can fill out your own bracket almost anywhere, be it on the web, in your office, at the bar. Everyone plays, and most anyone, with a little luck, can win.
Con: Everyone feels the need to talk about their brackets! EVERYONE! And who always wins the bracket pool? Someone who has nary a clue about college hoop, and made their picks based on who has the cutest uniforms, or some other ass backward reason.

Pro: 2 weeks of Bill Rafferty, the best, and most entertaining, college color man around. "Onions!" "The kiss!" "They come out in a...MANTOMAN!!!"
Con: 3 weeks of Billy Packer, an unfunny, curmudgeonly, ACC biased, anal blowhard know-it-all of a color analyst who pisses off the entire populace, and hasn't been even remotely tolerable since his days with Al McGuire and Dick Enberg. In other words, Billy Packer is evil.

Pro: People live to see the "One Shining Moment" montage at the end of the tournament.
Con: I might be in the minority, but sure as Hell, I'm not one of them. I'm not a fan of manufactured sap made into a music video. Plus it's an absolutely crappy song!

In this man's opinion, get rid of Billy Packer and "One Shining Moment," and the NCAA's would be damn near perfect. You listening, CBS?

"The Worst Columnist in America" continues to live up to his title...

As much as I try to avoid reading anything associated with "Rob Parker, Sooper Geenus," I just had to read his last two Detroit News columns about Michigan Wolverines basketball. They were jaw droppingly inane, and written with an obvious agenda. They also left me with a question for the consensus "Worst columnist in America."

Why the sudden outpouring of love for Tommy Amaker and the University of Michigan basketball program?

It's a misunderstood love for an underachieving program, one that is nothing more than mediocre. It's a program that become totally irrelevant to the media, the student body and Michigan fans in general. It's impossible to defend Amaker's results as a head coach, but Lord, does Parker try...

Monday, Wobb openly campaigned for Amaker to keep his job at Michigan. In fact, he claims that Michigan would have reached the NCAA's a couple of times by now, if not for one thing. What is that one thing? All of you who answered with either "Tommy Amaker" or "Late season collapses" are correct, but not according to Wobb...

Over the last few years, it appeared as if Michigan was headed for the primetime postseason play a couple of times.

But major injuries derailed everything and set the program back again.

INJURIES? In fact, he actually has the nerve to use that excuse several times in his column ode to Amaker.

Amaker, who took Seton Hall to the NCAA Tournament in 2000, probably would have made the tournament twice by now if injuries didn't undo his team two years in a row.

Don't insult the intelligence of the few readers you have left. Could you ever see Tom Izzo using injuries as an excuse? Or Amaker's compatriot at Michigan, Lloyd Carr? It's a lame excuse, considering that all teams have to deal with injuries.

There's plenty of reasons the Wolverines have never made the NCAA's during the Amaker era. To blame injuries is to ignore what every basketball fan on the planet can see. That Michigan isn't all that good, and is exposed for what they are when they actually have to play legitimate D-1 teams.

Come on now, Wobb. That's not only redundant, lazy writing, but also ignoring what is obvious to the naked eye. That Michigan's 16-3 start to the '05-'06 season was fraudulent, thanks to scheduling practices that would embarrass a community college.

Last season, Michigan's senior-laden team failed to qualify for the NCAA Tournament despite starting the season 16-3. Just like the previous season, injuries derailed everything.

Bringing up Michigan's out of conference scheduling practice of playing small time directional schools, community colleges, and intramural squads would derail his "Keep Amaker" directive. So Wobb just ignores it. Notice he used "Injuries" a third time, just in case we missed the previous two?

Wobb also brings up that hoary old chestnut, Amaker's supposed recruiting acumen.

The best thing about Amaker is that he's a heck of a recruiter, landing the likes of Daniel Horton and DeShawn Sims. "

That's almost as clueless a statement as George Bush saying "You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie." Amaker's recruiting classes have never ever lived up to the hype. He's a middle of the road recruiter, at best.

For that matter, the kids he does get, don't improve during their careers. Good Lord, Daniel Horton is example #1 for those that say players don't live up to their potential under Amaker. Sims was a heralded recruit who hasn't yet lived up to his accolades. The results speak for themselves...

You would think that one column ode to Amaker would be enough. You thought wrong... Wobb returned today with yet another fluff job about Amaker and Wolverines hoop.

But Michigan did what it needed to -- it won, 68-58. If Michigan (22-12) had done that against Iowa and Ohio State in Ann Arbor, it would be seen as a program on the rise instead of off the college basketball map.

There's all kinds of disinformation in that paragraph. It's just one big "What if." When it comes to Amaker, Wobb believes in the old adage, "If if's and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas."

It's silly to even bring up those painful losses to Iowa and tOSU. They both were textbook examples Wolverines basketball, a true microcosm of the Amaker era. Play well at the beginning, fade badly at the end, then be at a loss as to why it happened...

Michigan would have been a program on the rise? Get real. This was a senior lead team, a team that had been building up to this season. This was the year for their big run at the NCAA's. Next season's Michigan team is guaranteed to be a rebuilding one, and will take several steps back. That would have been true even if they made the big boy's tournament.

The NIT game played at Crisler had a little over 3K in attendance. That's if you include media, the players, and concession workers. It should embarrass the Michigan powers that be to have a nationally televised home game that couldn't draw flies, let alone fans.

It's not a good sign when a revenue producing sport isn't bringing in any revenue. Parker twisted the low attendance into a compliment of sorts, calling the crowd, "rather small, but loud." You might just as well say that, as a coach, Tommy Amaker is "rather awful, but dresses nice." Makes just as much sense.

As much sense as the following...

Winning is never a bad thing -- even if it's just the NIT. Michigan won the NIT in 2004 and made the final last season.

I agree in that winning the '04 NIT was a good for a struggling program, and a then young team. But when it's become the one and only highlight of the Amaker era, bringing up your accomplishments in the Not Invited Tournament just throw more light on not playing in the only tournament players and fans alike care about. A 3 seed in the NIT is a hollow accomplishment for a senior dominated team.

I'm not sure why Parker has taken the point position in defending Amaker. I could guess, but I do NOT want to go there. I'll just take these columns odes to Amaker with a grain of salt, and write them off as the rantings of a functionally retarded contrarian.

How do you know you have a good baseball team?

When spring training is boring.

Has there been anything at all exciting, controversial, or unexpected during the first weeks of the Detroit Tigers spring training? Think about it. What have been the biggest spring stories up to this point?

Magglio's lovely long locks has Jim Campbell spinning in his grave...

Magglio Ordonez's hair.

Gary Sheffield's interviews with the national, New York and Boston press.

Andrew Miller being sent down.

Marcus Thames learning to play first base.

Boston pitching beans 3 Tigers, pissing off the Marlboro Man.

Who will be the back up infielder, Ramon Santiago, or the Black Hole of Suck?

Who wins the one position open in the bullpen?

That's been about it. For the most part, there hasn't been all that much to talk about when it comes to the Tigers. There is very little competition for roster spots, as the lineup was set last winter once Sean Casey signed and Sheffield was obtained. The same goes for the pitching staff, once Jose Mesa was picked up.

Remember the bad old days? It wasn't long ago that spring training was the highlight of the Tigers season. Damn near every position on the team was up for grabs. Competition was fierce between the wannabe's, never-were's and used-to-be's for roster spots. Who would be this year's AA ball spring phenom to make the trip north to learn at the big league level? How many "Rule V" pickups would remain on the roster? Which non-roster invitees would play their way on to the big club? There were all kind of plot lines to follow...

It made for some fascinating March stories, but God awful Tigers teams.

This spring, for the first time in well over a decade, is nothing like we used to witness. The players are going about their business preparing for the season. Jim Leyland has been experimenting with different batting orders, but he knows who will be going north, and what they are capable of accomplishing.

There's an aura of confidence around the Tigers. They now have the swagger that contending teams have, the same swagger that the Marlboro Man said was missing from the Tigers last spring.

Just a year ago, I was concerned that the Tigers would still be what they were for damn near 2 decades. the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked. I was hoping against hope that they would take a baby step and play .500 ball.

Just 1 year later, the Tigers are one of the favorites to win the American League again, and have a championship team's swagger. It's amazing how quickly things have changed for the better.

Ben Franklin doesn't know 'Sheed

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." Truer words have never been spoken. But that's neither here nor there, as I just love the quote...

But something happened with the Pistons Friday that reminded me of another of Benjamin Franklin's well known quotes.


"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes."

We can now add to that quote.

"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes and Rasheed Wallace being suspended for his technical fouls."

"Ball don't lie!" translated from Sheedish: Dear sir, I beg to differ with your interpretation of the events that just transpired!

With the new rules put in place this season, we all knew the NBA had placed a bullseye on 'Sheed's back, and it was just a matter of time before he reached the magic number of 16 technicals. Number 16 was called on Wallace for saying, of all things, at no one in particular after a missed free throw, "Ball don't lie!"

Definitely "T" worthy, huh?

Rasheed sitting didn't hurt the Pistons...this time. Jason Maxiel more than held his own in a victory against the Clippers Sunday night. Unfortunately, 'Sheed's "Enthusiasm" will probably cause the NBA's most prominent target to sit another game or 2 before the end of the season.

Losing 'Sheed could end up costing the Pistons dearly when it comes to playoff seeding. Because, as we all know, as goes 'Sheed, so goes the Pistons.

Personally, 'Sheed's blow ups doesn't bother me much, as he needs to play that way to be at his most effective. What his suspension does bring light upon is the unmitigated bias of NBA refs.

Refereeing in the NBA is uniformly awful, and has been for years. If anything, it's getting worse. The phantom foul calls, the favoritism shown to certain "cough" Dwayne Wade "cough" players, refs deciding the outcome of games rather than the teams on the court, when looked at in it's totality, brings the NBA's integrity down to the level of a farcical Harlem Globetrotters - Washington Generals exhibition.

There is a blatant bias shown towards certain players by the NBA's refereeing crews. The fans know it, the media knows it, players know it, and I'm sure the NBA knows it by their refusal to even acknowledge it.

Is Rasheed Wallace an angel? Not by any means. He brought much of this upon himself. But you could easily make a case that at least half of the T's called on Wallace were undeserved. Wallace is being targeted more so for his previous actions as a Trailblazer, than as a Piston.

The NBA refs have used the new rule as a weapon. What once would have brought a warning, or even shrugged off as the emotional ravings of the slightly deranged, now brought an immediate technical foul from combative refs. It was as if NBA officials were just waiting for the first outburst, and rather than let it roll off their backs, they came back firing T's indiscriminately, left and right, fairness be damned.

NBA officiating, pure and simple, is a joke. A heavily biased joke. I hate to paint 'Sheed as a victim, as he is not exactly innocent. But in this case, the NBA referee's actions have been louder than 'Sheeds words.

Liveblog: Michigan vs. tOSU, Big 10 quaterfinal, 2nd half

The 2nd half starts with Greg Oden assuming control. A quick hoop, and 3 blocked shots in the 1st 1:30. He's a a man amongst boys, which makes you wonder why he doesn't take control more often.

17:34 left, tOSU up 6. Erin reports Michigan needs Courtney Sims more involved. I guess Michigan wants even more turnovers. Just sayin'...

Oden hits a pretty banked in hook, Lavin does his Bill Rafterty impression! "The KISS!" Not bad...

tOSU with another hoop. Just like that, Michigan is down 10. A TV TO allows Amaker to save one of their own. 42-32 with just under 16:00 to go. Damn. Damn. Damn.

Oden back on the bench, has 10 and 4.

Michigan has missed their last 6 shots, so Sims takes it to the hole, and gets fouled. Splits them, now down 9.

Bucks hit a trey. Lavin says it's just a matter of time... But Abram replies in kind, O'Brian states the obvious that it was really needed. No kidding...

Lavin compares Conley the senior to Chicago gangsters. Ok, sure...

Michigan with a trey, the bucknuts counter with 1 from the line after a Michigan foul. Buckeyes up 7.

Oden causes a miss at the Wolverine end, but the Buckeyes throw it away, Wolverines back with another 2. Lead is down to 5! Sims gets an Oden elbow to the neck, has to take a seat to recover. 46-41, 11:30 to go, TV TO.

Amazingly, Michigan is still in the game, thanks to tOSU NOT playing like a 1 seed. I'll admit that Michigan is playing more like a NCAA team today, which is encouraging after yesterday's debacle. Then we see why Michigan is still in the game, the WWLiS tells us that the maize and blue have a +20 rebounding margin. No, that's not a mistake, Michigan is dominating the boards.

tOSU gets 4 straight VERY easy points. back up by 9. A good call by Amaker in asking for a TO immediately. 11:00 to go.

Sims tries a spin move, Oden doesn't even leave his feet, sticks one huge hand on the ball, and get the held ball call. Wow...

Jerret Smith gets Conley on the offensive foul to stop a fast break. Can Michigan get back in it? Smith with the trey! 6 point game. Nice sequence for Smith.

Another rebound for Michigan, and Matta gets T'ed up! He's not too happy, if you read his lips... After Harris with the 2 freebies, it's 4 point game with 9:00 left!

Oden causes Sims to get his 4th personal. Why tOSU doesn't get him the ball every possession...

Speaking of which, Oden with the and one. Now 52-46 tOSU. But Abram responds with a 3! O'Brian is impressed with the Wolverines. So am I...

Lavin uses this years buzz word, "Signature win," saying Michigan needs one. No shit, Sherlock...

Just then Oden gets another hoop, and converts the 3 point play. O'Brian states the blatantly obvious, "They can't control him!" Why Oden isn't getting 20 shots a game is a mystery. 55-49, 7:00 left.

Michigan is dominating the boards, but are only shooting 36%.

Oden gets another hoop, and the board on the other end. He's imposing his will on the game. The bucknuts are getting him the ball every time down the floor. Silly strategy, getting your best player the ball...

10 point game, and Oden goes to the bench. There's under 6 minutes left in Michigan's season.

tOSU's Hunter with the big alley oop slam! Michigan's down 11. It's not looking good, as Michigan turns over the ball once again. tOSU only has 4 turnovers, Michigan is in double digits. That's the story of the game right there...

O'Brian clues us in to the fact that most people in Michigan's basketball program felt that they needed to win the Big 10 tournament, as that was the only way they could get in the NCAA's. They best start praying to the basketball Gods, otherwise known as the NCAA selection committee.

tOSU turnover! Harris is going in for the easy, easy lay in hoop...And loses the ball out of bounds. AAARRRGH.

3:19 left, 10 point game, is this season over?

Woo! Petway with the big slam over Oden! 8 point game, 2:22 left. Michigan is hanging around.. But a quick foul, Conley coverts 2. back to a 10 point game. woo...

Dion Harris missed a 3 ball, he's now 1-12 from the floor. Oden get the board while Sims gets his 6th personal. Sims finishes 2-9 from the field. A combined 3-21 from 2 of your best players?

A minute left, tOSU up 11. This game, and season, is officially over.

Michigan, rather than delay the inevitable, just lets tOSU run clock. 72-62 tOSU is your final score. The buckeyes move on to the semis.

The Wolverines go home to wait for their now annual NIT invite.

Liveblog: Michigan vs. tOSU, Big 10 quarterfinal

We're back in Chicago, at a still somewhat empty United Center, with Dave O'Brian, Steve Lavin, and the lovely Erin Andrews. No Brent Mussberger!? Dave says Brent is in Vegas for the weekends NASCAR festivities. I am NOT happy about this, as Brent Mussberger IS the voice of the Big 10 on the WWLiS.. At least we won't hear Brent's constant football analogies.

tOSU is in their strange new Nike uniforms. A tight spandex top, with what looks like coolots/kilt/bloomers/capris/skirt instead of shorts. Nike is a scourge upon the sports landscape. Save your uniform blight for the Oregon Ducks...

18:00 left, 4-2 Michigan. But Greg Oden gets an easy hoop to tie. That kid, who looks like a 35 year old, is a monster. tOSU stays with what works, dumps it into Oden, guarded by a totally overwhelmed Courtney Sims, and get the foul. He makes the 2 freebies with his getting healthier by the day right hand.

Michigan has its first turn over, a steal by Mike Conley, whom Lavin compares to both Batman and the Trix rabbit. Batman?

8-6 tOSU with 16:00 left. tOSU with the trey, 11-6. And we have our first TV TO. I have a feeling that this is going to be a long afternoon for the maize and blue.

Oden is on the bench. Let's see if Amaker can take advantage. Yeah, right... So what does Michigan do? Take a long 3 pointer, which misses badly. Smart basketball and Michigan, never the twain shall meet.

7-0 run for the bucknuts. Michigan misses another trey, badly. Get the board, but turn it over. Christ almighty.

Brent Petway using his only offensive move, slams home the fast break hoop, and stops the bucknut run. Ron Coleman tried to enter the game for Michigan. Oops, he still has his warmup pants on. The entire arena chuckles...

Michigan's offense looks totally out of sync, even with Oden on the pine. Wait, my bad, that is how Michigan always runs their offense. Thankfully, we have another TV TO. 13-8 tOSU with 11:00 left in the 1st.

Michigan misses another 3, get the board, take another jumper, an AIR BALL that tOSU kicks out of bounds. tOSU is trying to play down to Michigan's level.

tOSU on a 5+ minute long scoring drought. Oden is back in the game, by the way. Why he doesn't touch the ball every time down is an absolute mystery to me.

Look, there's a gold medal winner in the stands! Mike Conley Sr. Junior plays for tOSU. Conley won the gold in one of those bizarre events that we only see every 4 years, the triple jump.

Michigan with their 7th turnover! Yep, that's the Amaker coached team we know and question.

Oden with the follow, 18-12 tOSU. He's at 6 points, 2 boards. We have another turnover by Michigan, fast break layup at the other end for tOSU.

Michigan with the followup hoop, and one! O'Brian tells us that was a BIG hoop for the Wolverines.

One thing I've noticed about the game so far, O'Brian and Lavin have cut the small talk to an absolute minimum. Not nearly as entertaining as Brent Mussberger's off the cuff musings about anything and everything. It's been a very straightforward broadcast.

We see Michigan's iffy resume! Lavin talks about the lousy out of conference schedule, just as yesterday. O'Brian says, for the 10th time, Michigan needs this game to be considered by the NCAA selection committee. We know, we know...

22-17 bucknuts, 7:00 left in the half. Oden is on the bench. Lewis with the jumper for tOSU, Abram counters with a trey for Michigan. 4 point game!

Nice alley oop to Petway! 2 point game! tOSU with the miss, Michigan on a 10-4 run! But Sheppard gets a questionable offensive foul, at least according to Lavin, and the Wolverines turn the ball over. Again.

Oden misses a baby hook! Still a 4 point tOSU lead. Dion Harris buries the 3! Michigan is suddenly playing well. Can it last?

Courtney Sims misses the bunny, with turned into more of a fadeaway hook thanks to Oden's monster presence, which leads to a tOSU layup at the other end. And we have a TV TO.

Michigan is hanging in with the buckeyes, and I'm not sure how.

31-25 tOSU, 2:00 to go. Woah, Sims with a jumper at the end of the shot clock, back to a 4 point game. Oden gets fouled, O'Brian starts with the Superman analogies. Then says the same thing about Mike Conley Jr. So far we've heard mention of 2 members of the Justice League...

Harris takes it to the hoop. runs into the brick wall that is Oden, but gets the call, 2 free throws. Oden to the bench, and after the feebies, it's 32-29 tOSU.

tOSU misses the jumper, and also gets called for what we used to call a player control foul. Michigan back at the line for the 1 and 1, DeShawn Sims misses the front end. Figures.

Mike Conely hits a floater at the buzzer. Damn. 34-29 tOSU.

Hey, it's Erin! She's talking to tOSU's Thad Matta, whom she asked about the huge rebounding edge for the Wolverines. Matta gives her a minute of mumbo-jumbo coachspeak, There's nothing worse than those end of the half interviews, as nothing much of value is ever said. Unless it's Lloyd Carr getting pissy with a sideline reporter, of course...

Michigan has played much better than yesterday, while tOSU has looked a tad out of sorts. Yet Michigan is still down 5. It doesn't bode well for their chances in the 2nd half.

Even with a win, Michigan continues to lose...

...Lose things like respect, fans, tournament bids, and recruits. Today's lackluster victory over the Minnesota Gophers was just another blemish on the Tommy Amaker era.

I wasn't able to watch the Michigan St. game near as closely as I did the Michigan game, as I had a few real life things to accomplish. But I definitely picked to wrong game to liveblog. MSU beat Northwestern in a game that was close, decently played, and was relatively entertaining.

I can't say any of that about Michigan.

The anchors at the Worldwide Leader have been making numerous snarky comments about the pain that came from watching that awful Michigan - Minnesota Big 10 tournament game. As a fan of the Wolverines, about all I can say is that the truth hurts.

It was an awful exhibition of basketball. Actually, I wouldn't even call it basketball. It was 10 guys running up and down a hardwood floor, working up a sweat, while not accomplishing much of anything.

It was that bad. It sure as Hell wasn't Big 10 basketball.

If any of Tommy Amaker's recruits were watching, they had to be having second thoughts about committing. Michigan played a boring, turnover filled, and just plain dumb brand of basketball. Yet Michigan AD Bill Martin, if you believe the rumors, plans on bringing back Amaker for another craptacular season.

After watching that debacle of a victory, I have no idea how Martin can think that the Wolverines basketball program is in capable hands.

This was supposed to be the season that the Wolverines broke through. This senior lead team, 4 of them starters, was going to lead Michigan to what once was commonplace, a NCAA tournament bid. Instead, they are on the bubble of being on the bubble. Hell, as I said in my liveblog, even the NIT has to be having second thoughts about inviting Michigan.

Amaker's players do their best, and play hard, but that will take you only so far at the D-1 level. No one on the roster has improved in the way you see players in other programs. For example, just look up the road at Michigan State, with Drew Neitzel being proof positive that players improve under Tom Izzo's tutelage.

You don't see players take that next step at Michigan, as Neitzel did in his vast improvement from being a role player as a frosh to where he is now, 1st team all Big 10. That's a shame, as you can see the upside in many of the Wolverines. But Amaker is unable to get his recruits to play to their potential.

At this point, with season after season of the same lack of results, I don't see that ever changing.

Liveblog: Michigan vs. Minnesota, Big 10 tournament 1st round

We're in Chicago, at a mostly empty United Center, for Minnesota vs. Michigan with Brent Mussburger, Steve Lavin, and (w00t!) Erin Andrews.

Brent says the Wolverines need a couple of victories. No kidding...

Minny shoots! And sticks the ball between the hoop and backboard... Lavin thinks it's a bad omen.

We now have a closeup of Brent Petway's absolutely marvelous Wolverine helmet inspired winged hair-do. Do the kids still call them hair-do's?

Lavin says it's cold outside. Good to know, as it is Chicago in March...

3 minutes in, 3-zip good guys in the lead.

Right now, Minny can't buy a hoop. Not that Michigan is playing much better. Brent says this game is not destined for the basketball time capsule. I doubt any Tommy Amaker coached game is going to end up memorialized in anything other than a trash can.

A TV time out, Michigan still up 3-0. Brent goes for the obvious Little Brown Jug reference.

Back from the break, and Brent sticks with the football analogy, saying the Wolverines are up thanks to a Garret Rivas field goal. Enough already!

Lavin says it's cold in the building too! It guess those years out West cheating for UCLA thinned his blood...

A shot of Amaker looking pensive, thinking about what to say on his resume, I'm guessing.

6 minutes in, 7-4 Michigan. So far, it's been an ugly, ugly game.

Courtney Sims on the bench with 2 personals. I'm not sure if that's good or bad for the Wolverines.

Brent and Lavin are talking about everything but the game at this point. I don't blame them, as most anything (Lavin's hair, the weather, what they did last night) is more interesting than what's currently happening on the court.

Now Petway sits with 2 personals... Minny up 9-7 with 12:00 left in the 1st.

A Flip Saunders going to the Gophers rumor is being discussed. All I can say is Minnesota best be careful of what they wish for, they just might get it. Ask any Pistons fan.

TV TO. Michigan is 3-13 from the floor, yet still in the game down 9-7. This game is exhibit 1 to the NCAA selection committee as to how awful much of the Big 10 is this season. It's not a ringing endorsement for the Wolverines NCAA hopes. The NIT, on the other hand...

Minny's Williams with the HUGE rejection, swats Abram's shot 10 rows deep into the stands.

Brent blames Michigan's awfulness on having a hangover from the close tOSU loss. Personally, I think it's due to the fact that Michigan just isn't all that good.

Both teams shooting 29% from the floor, 12-11 Minny with 7:39 left, we have a TV TO. I have to ask, why am I doing this?

Lavin calls Duke coach Mike Kzcjestyidfski (Boy, that's an easy joke) the "Mariano Rivera" of coaching. The way Coach Kzeritvmndjtgski whines, Rivera should consider that an insult.

Under 6 minutes to go, 12-12, both teams have to be shooting under 25%. Minny's on a 5 minute long scoring drought.

Woo, they go to Erin! Damn, it's just her voice...

Dion Harris with 4 straight points! 16-12 Michigan, as we go into commercial with just over 4 minutes left. Thank God, as I need a break from the outright suckitude on display.

Minny with 4 straight, ties the game, Amaker calls for a TO!

Brent chimes in with the illuminating stat, no Big 10 team with a winning conference record and 20 wins overall have ever missed the NCAA's. He then lists the handful of Big 10 teams that meet the criteria this year. I don't think that going to be true after this season, Brent.

Back to the action, 3:25 left, 17-16, maize and blue. I've seen better shooting in most high school games.

Brent says Lavin was into the red wine last night. Figures. We all know Brent's a beer guy...

Brent with more football analogies. He's loves his Big 10 football, obviously.

Abram with the offensive foul. It's the most offense I've seen from him all game.

Harris with the trey! Brent says what we all are thinking, "Finally!"

Minny with the last shot, after getting their own board on a missed one and one. Minny does what they have done all game, miss that final shot. Michigan up 20-16 at the half.

Jesus Christ, that was a horrible display of what's supposed to be big time college basketball.For a bubble team that has to impress the NCAA selection committee, this isn't what Michigan needs them to see. Hell, the NIT has to be having 2nd thoughts of inviting Michigan...

And we're back... Minny and Michigan on the floor for another exercise in futility.

And I'm back again after a browser crash! 23-21 Michigan! 16:50 left. Gophers continue to miss shots. A nice graphic was shown, both teams had 3 scoring droughts of more than 3 minutes each. Wonderful display of hoop today for any Big 10 wanna-be recruits...

Minny's coach Jim Molinari gets T'ed up! Even he's getting fed up with the back and forth awfulness on the court. As the Gophers are now down 8, and shooting blanks, he's already in desperation mode. The Wolverines convert both freebies, 31-21 Michigan with 15:40 left.

Petway with the drive, score! Michigan with the steal, foul on the Gophers. Michigan is starting to pull away. Brent says it's a 10-0 run for the good guys. 35-21 Michigan.

Brent is already talking about a Michigan vs. tOSU game in the 2nd round. ESPN whips out the Wolverines resume, Lavin brings up the atrocity that was Michigan's out of conference schedule, which is the main reason they are such longshots for the NCAA's. Double Duh.

Petway drives, fouled, makes 2. Minny is getting in deep foul trouble, and down 14. What a game...

Dion Harris with the pretty drive! And he misses the layup... That is this game in a nutshell.

Lavin brings out the "Playing in a foreign arena is causing the bad shooting" platitude. That's one that we hear during every badly played tournament game. Please, don't try to make excuses for such awful play. The actual reason the shooting is so poor is due to the fact that both Michigan and Minnesota just aren't that good.

12 minutes left, Michigan up 15. Yawn.

Michigan misses 2 shots, Minny gets the board, comes down, and misses. Lord help me, this is nit a good game. (NIT? Is that misspelling a Freudian slip?)

Erin's back, pimps the upcoming Sparty-Northwestern game. That matchup can't come soon enough... 10 to go, Michigan still up 15. Once again, Lavin and Brent talking about everything but the game at this point.

Brent can't wait to see Drew Neitzel! Basically says if he can't shoot, maybe Lavin's on to something.

Minny with the 3 ball! Brent wakes up, says Minny has a "Glimmer!" Petway with the hoop in response, Brent back to sounding bored.

Lavin brings up Flip Saunders again, and talks about Minnesota's coaching woes. Pimps the interim coach, Molinari. This game isn't exactly a resume builder, Steve...

Michigan with the turnover. TV TO, 7:54 left. Minny is only down 10. If Michigan blows this game, after the choke job in last years tournament... Well, it's going to be ugly in A2. No way Amaker can come back. Can he?

Brent is confused. Ends up saying, "Whatever, Michigan by 10!" Both teams are shooting under 30% from the floor. No wonder Brent is so testy...

Minny with the nice pass and the hoop. Gophers down 8... Michigan turns it over! Hoop for Minny, 11-3 run, only down 6!

Amaker has to be nervous... Ron Coleman with the Michigan 3 ball. Amaker feels a tad better. Minny with a 3! Lavin is in shock! "2 3 pointers?!"

Payton fouls out for Minny with 0 points. 4 minutes left, 43-37 Michigan. Harris on the line, makes both. Amaker has to be sweating bullets... No he's not, I forgot that Lavin said it was cold in the building... Brrrr.

Inside 4 minutes, Michigan running some clock, Lavin likes the strategy. Again, duh.

Michigan continues to run some clock, but misses the shot. Coleman goes up for the board, gets accidentally low bridged, comes down HARD on his hip/wrist! That's gonna leave a mark. And another TV TO...

We finally get a good replay, that fall looked as if it was damn painful, Coleman's wrist took the brunt of it... Not looking good for his return.

Minny down 7, we see a full court press. All the while, Brent is talking up MSU, and their need to not be upset by the Wildcats. Lavin says "Put everyone's on the bubble in the Big 10!" Damn straight.

1:39 left, Michigan up 7. Abram commits a silly personal, and fouls out in the process. Wonderful.

Minny mises both freebies. Amazing... Michigan is giving them every opportunity to get back in the game, and the Gophers say, "No thanks!"

Michigan is fouled, make 1 of 2. 1:20 left, up 8. Minny misses from the floor, Michigan gets the board and is fouled. Brent pretty much declares the game over. Watch it Brent, we're talking an Amaker coached team here...

Brent pimps Lavin for the open Minnesota job. Now he's just being silly...

Brent and Steve also start pimping tomorrow's Wolverines-Buckeyes matchup. This one's all but over...

The Gophers get a final garbage time hoop, and the torture is finally over. 49-41, the Amaker led juggernaut that is Michigan moves on to the next round. Unfortunately, I don't think tOSU is all that worried...