Category Archives: Sports

TIGERS TWO-STEP

Anyone in Metro Detroit is familiar with the motto “April in the D.”  It’s become not only a slogan, but an anthem in recent years.  April in the D is an awesome time because April brings the start to our Tigers, and typically the start of playoffs for our Red Wings and Pistons.  This year, as with last year, April is the end to Pistons misery, but for the 21^st consecutive year, it’s the start of a Red Wings playoff run.

April, with warmth, sunshine, and flurries, has been only hot for our Tigers.  Most people in baseball predicted the Tigers to win the Central Division and be a competing force for a championship.  So, their start hasn’t been too shocking.  But, nonetheless, the way they have ripped off such a start has been outstanding.  The punch of Cabby and Fielder looks to be a double barreled force that could beam the baseball world for years to come.

That combination, coupled with hot starts of players like Austin Jackson and Alex Avila, has made the Tigers line-up steaming hot.  Justin Verlander, as expected, came out throwing needled darts on Opening Day.  The pitching has yet to round into form, with a potentially brutal blow of losing Doug Fister for a stint, Max Scherzer bringing his Bad Max impression to his first start, and Jose Valverde blowing his first save since 2010.

Even with a hurt Fister, a bad Max, and a blown potato cake, the Tigers started the season 4-0, until finally losing their first game today (they now sit at 4-1).    Action Jackson is taking walks, and Cabby is more than holding his own at 3^rd.  And fans have yet to curse the name Gene Lamont.  Not too shabby.  Keep it up, April!

RED WINGS

Even though the Red Wings skated through the meat of their season hotter than a steak on the grill, their last couple of months have included little sizzle.  With a rash of injuries, and lately, a scoring drought of Global Warming proportions, the playoff run starts without much fanfare.

I will be honest in saying that this is probably the first time in over 20 years when I will sit and watch my Red Wings  begin the postseason , and I won’t possess that annoying Hockeytown swagger.  My confidence is shaken.

I’m not sure if the recent cold streak has left me frigid or frail.  If their inability to score, like a hooker at morgue, has me frustrated or concerned.  Or if the special teams discrepancy between Detroit and Nashville has me rattled like a Cowboy on Rodeo Drive.

I just don’t know what to expect.

I sadly say I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Red Wings lose this first round series.  But on the flip side, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win the series, either.

That’s the funny thing with confidence; it takes awhile to build, and can often be quickly shaken.  That’s the situation for me, as a fan.  But I suspect that confidence, in reality, may be what the Red Wings actually have on their side.  They are confident, even if I am not.

They have a dressing room full of experienced and calm players, and I have to suspect they feel they can win the series.  And, with any sports, that is half the battle.

Normally I like to predict a series, but in this case, I’ll honestly say I can’t get a read.  At times, in my gut, I fear that my feeling says “this isn’t the year for our Red Wings.”  But, in another moment, I remember their resiliency, skill, and experience, and I say to myself “stop your fear based whining and just wait and see.”  So, that is what I will do.

I’ll sit quietly next to my shaken confidence, and hope my Red Wings use their own confidence to light the lamp and heat things up!

PLAY BALL….

And, here we are.  The day when hope springs eternal, and dreams of walk-offs at the ball park are so close we can hear the crack of the bat.

It’s Opening Day time.

Ours is a Detroit Tigers house.  It’s also a Los Angeles Dodgers house.  That’s what happens when you inter-marry.  But, that’s OK, my wife and I both have enough cheer and vigor to go around.  And, if we have to root for two teams, none better.

The Detroit Tigers; a team steeped in Old English D tradition.  There are few things that bring tears to my eyes like a clip from a past Tigers broadcast.  Whether it’s one of many Ernie Harwell hum dingers, or recent magical moments, I hear the music and remember the moment and I’m transported.  It’s Disneyland for my soul.

As a kid I was all about Alan Trammel, and still relive the moment when Darrell Evans and Larry Herdon hit back to back homers at Tigers Stadium in 1984.  As an adult, nothing beats the first time I took Sam to a Tigers game, which happened to be game 4 of the 2006 ALCS.  Maggliio Ordonez hit a 3-run walk off homer to send us to the series.  Not a bad first game for my wife.  She’s been a good luck Tigers charm ever since.  The Tigers, and in particular Opening Day, is a holiday unlike any other in Metro Detroit.  And I’m thrilled that the party is nearly begun again.

Every time I sit in my seat at a game at Comerica Park I feel the same way; in awe.  I’ve attended tons of games.  Still feel in awe.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a team rich with MLB history.  From east coast to west coast prominence, the Dodgers bridge the history of Brooklyn with the golden shiny new of Los Angeles.  It is a cool combination for my wife, who’s family is from Brooklyn and who herself grew up in Los Angeles.  I don’t have the childhood memories of the Dodgers, so I can’t wax poetic like she can.  But, with one of the oldest ball parks in baseball, and a slew of Pennant and World Series rings, the Dodgers have stature.  Any team that has a name derived from a link to trolleys is a team with some gosh darn history.

Like I mentioned, I don’t have the youth or family history with the Dodgers, and it’s been years since I attended a game at Dodger stadium.  However, having lived in California for many years in the 90’s, I was lucky enough to sit in the seats at Dodger stadium.  And, I must say, few places rival that Dodger scenery.  How can any place effectively compete with the topography that is Southern California?  If ever you are interested in a dazzling view for a game or a concert, go sit awhile in Dodger Stadium, or at the Santa Barbara Bowl in Santa Barbara.  Both are spectacular, but only one is home to Dodger Blue.

And, let’s not forget that the Tigers and Dodgers share Kirk Gibson, a Michigan kid filled with piss and vinegar, who will return home in a few years to lead his old team, the Tigers.  He’s the same Michigan kid who has one of the most memorable of all baseball moments while in a Dodgers uniform.  Ah, the poetry of it all.

Normally, my pre-season blogs are filled with predictions and the reading of some tea leaves.  Not this year.  Predictions are out the window and I’m more fascinated with watching it all unfold.  Even though I’m a rabid football fan, and football brings out the extra crazy in me; there is something special about baseball.  I’m sure I said it last year, and I’ll say it again; baseball is magical.  It makes a kid out of all of us, and it takes fans on a long and curvy six month journey.  It’s a day in and day out grind, for players and fans alike.  It takes patience.  It takes fortitude.  It takes character.

Steroids, addiction, and obscene money aside, baseball is one of the best things going.  It’s my power food!  It’s an obsession for many.  And, it’s still a beautiful national pastime.

The baseball song to end all baseball songs plays throughout my mind from April to October; “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play.”  And I am.  Hope you are, too!  Go Tigers, Go Dodgers, and go whatever team you are pulling for (unless they are playing the Tigers or Dodgers)

Calm yourself, Red Wings fans.  Wipe away the tears.  And by God, get a hold of yourselves.

I’ve made mention to it before, and I really hate to rag on my own fan base, but let’s keep things in perspective.  One of my coworkers, and a good friend and sports buddy, echoed to me this morning common panic in Hockeytown sentiments that I hear after most losses.  “It’s not that the streak ended, but how it ended.”  “They can’t lose to Chicago and Vancouver.”  “This could be the end of things.”

Oh, my, word….

Yes, the Red Wings home winning streak ended.  It ended after an improbable 23 straight home victories.  Yes, I understand some included overtime wins, and a few of those were in shoot outs.  I also understand that hockey competition may be stronger than years when the previous records were set, and the Wings certainly play in a tough division, in a tough conference, and with a tough traveling schedule.  So, all things being equal, the record stands and is way fucking deserved.  So, cool your jets east coast or Canadian media biased bashers.

Anyhow, I digress….

Back to panic in Hockeytown.  Yes, the home streak has ended.  And yes, the Wings have unfortunately lost 2 games in a row with the return of Howard, who has done everything but melt the ice to try and get the victories.

But, there is no reason to panic.  It was just days ago that Chicago was on a very long losing streak.  Teams have highs and lows.  Seasons ebb and flow.  It’s not always who is hot early, but who is consistent long enough to be in a position come playoff time, and who then is able to ignite the flame when the proverbial playoff puck drops.

The Red Wings will lose more games, Wings fans.  They will lose some on the road and they will lose some at home.  They may have a fluky loss or two, and they may get out played in some games.  That is hockey.  That is the NHL.  That is sports.  Heck, that’s life.

It’s too much to expect the Red Wings to win and outperform every team, every night.  It’s not too much to want, though, let’s be honest.  But, the Red Wings aren’t the only good team out there, so, as much as fans fret with a loss, maybe a tip of the cap is needed towards the other teams that just might have more on a given night.  That more could be energy, or skill, or even luck.

So, not that my consoling might help anyhow, but I beg of you Hockeytown, put away the pampered spoiled frat boy panic, and sit back with some patience and enjoy the ride.  I can’t promise you the Wings will win the cup, or they won’t, but as they do season after grinding season, they will give us something to cheer for, and they will make the ride worth taking.

I can’t wait for the next puck drop.  So, “Hey Hey, Hockeytown,”… chill!!!!   And Go Red Wings  :)

An old adage in football, one that I shared with Sam when first bringing her into the football fold, is that you win by having success in 3 categories: run the ball, stop the run, and win the turnover battle.   For the majority of my life that adage rang true.  Most of the time, if a team won the battle in all three, or heck 2 of the 3, categories, they likely won the football game.

In recent years, there are indications that football has leaned away from that old adage, as the league has become a passing league, with high flying passing numbers.  Rules have been implemented that seem to favor offense, and the Quarterback position has evolved into a new and necessary beast.

The upcoming Super Bowl may well be an East Coast rematch in the Hoosier state.  But, more than anything, the Super Bowl shows us that you can “get there” many ways.  The upcoming Super Bowl is the ultimate example of a shifting and diverse blueprint in constructing a successful NFL team.

A team may not need to have a strong running attack to be successful in the NFL.  A team may not need to have a top level defense to be successful in the NFL.  I still maintain, however, that winning the turnover battle is a key to NFL success, so at least one part of the adage may hold true.  We saw turnovers play a huge role in determining which teams won the conference championships.

In terms of defense, the New York Giants and the New England Patriots ranked 27 and 31^st respectively.   Certainly those rankings lead one to believe in the falsehood of a popular saying “defense wins championship.”  What’s happened to that stout NFL blueprint?

I’ve always been pretty skeptical of that defensive rating, however, as it’s based on total yards.  I’m less concerned with the yards that a team renders, and more concerned with points given up and how many turn overs a defense forces.  After all, an offense can move the ball 80 yards, but if they gain no points or few points, then it’s a “no harm, no foul proposition.”  The Giants, for instance, ranked 6^th in the NFL in the Give/Take statistic, and several of the other top teams in this category made the playoffs (San Francisco, Green Bay, Detroit, and Atlanta).

It is true that a team wants to stop the other team from scoring, but at the end of the day, you only need one more point than your opponent.  So, your defense can give up only 14 points, but if you have an offense that can’t score 15, than you are out of luck.

The New England Patriots gave up an average of 21.4 points per game; however, they scored an average of 32.1 points per game, which is a difference of approximately 11 points per game.  A team should win most games scoring 11 points more than their opponent

The interesting twist to the cool information above is that the Patriots Super Bowl competitor, the NY Giants, gave up and scored about the same number of points per game; they averaged giving up 25 points per game, while scoring 24.6.  Apparently they may play up or down to their competition, and perhaps had hot and cold spells (and got hot at the right time).  Keep in mind, however, as noted above:  The Giants rated very high in that all important Give/Take stat and managed to turn the ball over less than their opponents.  The Give/Take stat could be a key differential which helped them ride into the Super Bowl.

An interesting view of 2011 NFL stats shows that less low-rated offensive teams made the playoffs than low-rated defensive teams, and less top-rated rushing teams made the playoffs than top-rated passing teams.  Don’t get me wrong, top rated offensive and defensive teams made the playoffs.  And, top rated rushing and passing offenses made the playoffs.  What we are seeing now, is a mish mash of NFL teams that are all taking diverse paths towards NFL success.

There appears to be no one clear road towards redemption.  This may throw old adages on their heads, and frustrate traditionalist who scurry at change.  But what it really means is that winning is possible in many ways, and hopefully that means any team can make it happen.

I think it matters less which approach a GM takes, and more that a determined approach is embraced within an organization, throughout the organization.  Being a lifelong Lions fan, I lived through a decade of ineptitude where at the center was a GM that appeared to be working from NO BLUEPRINT.  It’s impossible to construct anything that leads to success, if there is no foundation determined and implemented that builds towards a successful crescendo.  For all I know, Matt Millen could have been throwing  darts at his draft boards, and picking names out of hates when he made calls to free agents.  There was no rhyme and no reason, and the result was years of torture put upon a helpless fan base.

You can’t wing it!  You can’t guess as you go.  Like most successes in life, a successful NFL team comes with great planning, and a great team of people that purposefully execute a workable plan.  That may not sound flashy and it may not sound “throw back cool,” but I believe it to be true.

If a NFL team wants to build a high flying offense around a stud QB, go for it.  If a NFL team wants to build a stout defense that eats Quarterbacks for breakfast, by all means, go for it.  In all honestly, I sort of enjoy this new mish mash of successful NFL teams with various flavors.

Going into the Super Bowl, it should be fun to watch a rematch between a 1 seed and a 5 seed.  We will watch a team that was consistently strong most of the year, and another that limped towards the end of the year, and turned on the heater at the perfect time (recall the GB Packers of last year).

The old road map towards the Super Bowl may no longer be clear as day to read, but it seems that the road has never been more interesting and ever-changing for teams (and fans) to travel.