Webber's Comments Ignite Controversy

Chris Webber was on TNT Sunday night and had some not so kind things to say about Flip Saunders, and the Detroit Pistons.

April 28, Detroit Free Press: When asked about the the feeling in the locker room during halftime: "No disrespect to Flip (Saunders), but it doesn't matter what Flip says," Webber said....

The Pistons "are really nonchalant and that's why I felt we lost last year (in the Eastern Conference Finals)," Webber said.

"It sounds crazy, but they could care less. That locker room is crazy, disciplined and unruly. Disciplined because they police themselves, they are all veterans, they know they've got to be in bed, they know they've got to work hard, I'm not talking about on the court. They come from a coach like Larry Brown, they look at him like the epitome of basketball, and they feel they can wait until the last game or the championship and they won't lose. I'm not saying it's right, but that's how it is."

Listening to local sports talk radio today, Detroiters seemed to be really p.o.'ed about Webber's comments. But I am confused as to why? Webber has no reason to lie about his opinions and I myself believe they are true.

The Pistons lack of respect for Flip Saunders is especially evident during timeouts. It's not uncommon to see Rasheed not even in the huddle, Chauncey staring off in the distance and Rip fiddling with his mask. These guys are veteran players who police themselves and could care less what Flip has to say. These guys are going to do what they want to do and its unfortunate because if the Pistons fail to win the Eastern Conference this year there are rumors of Flip's job being on the line. Which is totally ridiculous!

How many times are we going to flip coaches (no pun intended) until these players decide they like the coach and want to listen to what he has to say? And to all of you who want Flip gone, who are the Pistons going to bring in?? We've already been through some of the top coaches in the league in Rick Carlisle and Larry Brown. Short of bringing back Chuck Daly, these Pistons starters are just arrogant enough to think that there isn't any coach they can bring in that could possibly add any value to their game.

The Lions know Talent

Another draft, another set of players who will fall drastically short of expectations. For just that split second though, the Lions looked like they were about to make a shrewd and calculated move. They traded down two spots and got another pick out of it.

Then came the pick at 17. Keep in mind, in the NFL draft, when you're picking in the top 20, you always pick the best available player. So it seemed like the Lions had a no brainer pick with Rashard Mendenhall still on the board, since many experts believed him to be a top 10 player, talent-wise. They could have also gone with Aquib Talib, the CB out of Kansas. It wouldn't have been horrible since we've been filling out our secondary with former Bucs.

BUT, instead, Millen selected Gozar the Gozarian, who I believe, was a character in Ghostbusters. Some O-lineman from BC that most experts had going early in the second round. Millen's respose and rationale for the selection is drafting out of need. Yes, the Lions have needs. They have a TON of needs. Start addressing the needs in the second round, AFTER you select a potential game breaker or at the very least, a special player who will make a difference.

They followed the Gozdar, or whatever, pick with an undersized linebacker in the second round. This marks the second straight year the Lions have passed on a proven Penn St. Linebacker.

Then, the Lions actually drafted a FULLBACK in the 5th round. Next to Punter, Fullback is the position that you never draft for. And to waist a fifth round pick on one. Simply amazing!

That's it. I'm done. I can't continue to discuss the Lions inept drafts year after year. In fact, hey Millen, you know what buddy? Great job. Well done. Can't wait for camp. Go Lions.

Lions 2008 Draft

Here are are the evaluations of the 2008 Detroit Lions draft picks as written by Tom Kowalski. All in all I think the Lions did a good job of drafting players to fill needs. They didn't select any big name players, but they most likely got two guys in Cherilus and Dizon who will be starters by the time the season begins.

First round (17th overall)

Gosder Cherilus
• Position: Offensive tackle
• College: Boston College
• Height/Weight: 6-6, 319
• Scouting report: He started 51 straight games in college, the first 37 at right tackle and the final 14 at left tackle. He's expected to move into the starting right tackle job for the Lions by the start of the regular season. Cherilus is a better run blocker than pass protector, but still has the skill to handle the left side in the pros -- although he's not expected to challenge Jeff Backus for that spot.

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Second round (45th overall)

Jordon Dizon
• Position: Linebacker
• College: Colorado
• Height/Weight: 6-0, 229
• Scouting report: During his career, Dizon had a total of 463 tackles, the eighth-best total in NCAA history. Dizon doesn't have great size, but he's expected to move into the starting middle linebacker spot as soon as he gets comfortable with the Tampa Two defense. The Lions will keep Paris Lenon as the starter going into camp, but Lenon will move to the strong side as soon as Dizon is ready to take over.

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Third round (64th overall)

Kevin Smith
• Position: Running back
• College: Central Florida
• Height/Weight: 6-1, 217
• Scouting report: The Lions can only hope Smith comes as close to Barry Sanders as he did in college. In the final game of his collegiate career, Smith needed 181 yards to pass Sanders' single-season rushing total of 2,628 yards. Smith fell 62 yards short, but established himself as a durable and productive player. The one record Smith did set was for most carries in a season with 450 -- topping the old record of 405 by USC's Marcus Allen in 1981. The Lions traded their sixth-round draft pick to move up two spots in the third round to get Smith.

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Third round (87th overall)

Andre Fluellen
• Position: Defensive tackle
• College: Florida State
• Height/Weight: 6-2, 296
• Scouting report: A left elbow injury limited his playing time last year as he started only five games but Lions defensive coordinator Joe Barry said he has a clean bill of health now. Fluellen will come in and provide depth at the tackle position and will play both the under and nose tackle spots. It's unlikely that Fluellen will win a starting job but he's expected to get a lot of playing time in the rotation.

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Third round (92nd overall)

Cliff Avril
• Position: Defensive end
• College: Purdue
• Height/Weight: 6-3, 252
• Scouting report: Some teams had Avril scouted as a strong side linebacker but the Lions will use him as a defensive end, almost exclusively in pass-rushing situations. Avril could see some playing time early because he's accustomed to rushing the quarterback off the left side, the area where the Lions are going to need more pressure (veteran Dwayne White will be playing right defensive end this season).

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Fifth round (136th overall)

Kenneth Moore
• Position: Wide receiver
• College: Wake Forest
• Height/Weight: 5-11, 195
• Scouting report: Moore was drafted more for his punt return skills than his ability as a receiver and the former running back could add more versatility to the offense. Moore will compete for the No. 5 receiver position and will have to win it on special teams, not just as a returner, but in covering kicks as well.

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Fifth round (146th overall)

Jerome Felton
• Position: Fullback
• College: Furman University
• Height/Weight: 6-0, 246
• Scouting report: The Lions aren't only looking at him as a blocking fullback, but -- with the free agent loss of T.J. Duckett -- as a short yardage and goal-line running specialist. Because of his dual role, Felton might not have to knock Jon Bradley out of a job to win a roster spot.

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Seventh round (216th overall)

Landon Cohen
• Position: Defensive tackle
• College: Ohio
• Height/Weight: 6-3, 274
• Scouting report: Cohen doesn't have great size, but he's quick off the ball and the kind of aggressive player the Lions are looking for in the Tampa Two scheme. Because of the four veterans -- and the rookie third-round pick -- who are ahead of him, Cohen will be a longshot to make the roster.

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Seventh round (218th overall)

Caleb Campbell
• Position: Safety
• College: Army
• Height/Weight: 6-2, 229
• Scouting report: He played safety in college but because of his size, the Lions will try him at strongside linebacker to begin with. He might also get some work at nickelback. To make the roster, Campbell likely will have to make a huge impression on special teams.

Another Great Signing for the Lions

Newly signed Detroit Lions safety Kalvin Pearson was arrested early Saturday morning on charges of domestic violence, the Detroit Free Press reported.

According to the newspaper, Pearson was being held without bond after being charged with two felonies - aggravated battery on a pregnant female and domestic battery by strangulation.

The Free Press reported that Pearson was arrested at 5:45 a.m. and also charged with a misdemeanor of obstructing an officer without violence.

Wow! What a class act this guy is, assaulting a pregnant woman. Is this the type of "character guys" you are trying to bring in Marinelli?

Steroid Pic of the Day

This is definately a case of starting on steroids young. Jason Kidd has a 7 year old son with a head the size of a basketball and is challenging me for who has more facial hair. He was recently seen at one of his fathers playoff games and he already has a freaking 5 o'clock shadow. Next season he will be sporting the Magnum PI mustache. Come on J-Kidd, cut the kid some slack, he is already getting laughed at in school cause his dad is getting torched by Chris Paul in the playoffs. Don't add the torment of him being the hairest big headed kid in the history of 3rd grade.

Win or Lose, Changes Are Needed

After the 2008 NBA season has concluded Detroit Pistons President Joe Dumars needs to take a close look at his roster and realize changes need to be made.
This current enstallment of Pistons no longer has the drive or determination to put out everynight in order to claim another championship.
Next season should be a team in which Tayshaun Prince is no longer a part of, while Richard Hamilton should be shopped around for interest. Neither of these individuals are the same player they showed to be in the championship run of 2004.
Hamiltons numbers are down from almost 21 points a game to 17. He is also becoming more and more vocal with the referees and has become as much of a technical foul threat as Rasheed Wallace. His defense has steadily fallen from serviceable to just clinging on to his opponent to try to keep him close.
Prince on the other hand has become one of the biggest prima donnas in Detroit. He has forgotten what got him into the Pistons line up in the first place....defense and hustle plays. Now Prince has the notion that he is an NBA star who deserves to be able to slack off on both ends of the floor. I have news for you Mr. Prince, you are averaging 13 points and 4 rebounds a game, you have never come close to being an All Star, and you will always be no better than the fourth option on the floor. Now he is getting torched by the likes of Andre Iguodala in the playoffs....a far cry from the lockdown defender who harrassed both Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant in 2004.
So Joe, if you are listening, please bring in an infusion of players who once again are hungry and determined to play with passion on a consistant basis. Everyone thought you were crazy when you sent Jerry Stackhouse packing for a younger, hungier player in Richard Hamilton. Now it may be time to do it again.

Congrats to Wolverine Jake Long

University of Michigan offensive tackle, Jake Long has officially become the top pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Long will be heading down to Miami where he will try to help build a winning franchise for the Miami Dolphins.

Long's quick feet and ability to finish a block will allow him to be successful in the NFL. He is also a tremendous run blocker which fits in nicely with the run heavy offense Bill Parcels wants to implement.

MMA vs Boxing

The UFC, is the leading power in the fastest growing sport in America, Mixed Martial Arts.

The UFC seems to be making many in the boxing world feel a little defensive about the integrity of their long and storied sport. Boxers like Floyd Mayweather Jr. have felt the need to jump to the defense of an aging sport that seems to have lost its punch.

Mayweather has called the UFC a piece of human excrement and has said he would give Chuck Liddell, the once reigning UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, a million bucks out of his own pocket if Liddell fought against, and beat, a similarly weighted pure boxer. Of course, he would only agree to promote the fight and guarantee the purse if Liddell agreed to do it under the banner of Mayweather Promotions.

UFC President Dana White has offered to have Mayweather fight UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk, who weighs in at 155 pounds. Regarding Mayweather’s comments about UFC, White had this to say, “"I used to talk like Floyd Mayweather when I was involved in boxing. I talked just like him, until I educated myself about this sport. These guys are amazing athletes, Floyd Mayweather is one of the best boxers ever, (and) Sean Sherk will whoop his ass in under two minutes."

Agree or disagree?

I tend to agree, these guys in MMA have too many tools in their fighting arsenal to be beaten by a guy who can only do one form of attack, throwing punches.

Pistons Shart Themselves Yet Again

Well, in typical fashion, the Pistons didn't take their competition seriously yesterday.  They overmatched Sixers took advantage of the older, cockier Pistons team.

When are the Pistons going to realize that they can't come from behind to win every game?  Yes, they are good, probably top 3-5 team in the NBA.  But, they only start playing hard at the end of a game, not the whole way through.  This would be fine if they were winning at the end of the game, but yesterday they were not.

I'm getting sick of the same old excuses.  Just play like you're the #2 seed in the East, and stop complaining.  Please.

They made me think that playoff hockey is more exciting than playoff basketball.   Yikes.

The NHL Hates Fun and Home Ice Advantage

So much for the home ice advantage. In it's latest attempt to purge the fun from a traditional hockey city and organization, the NHL has decided it will impose its might by fining the Red Wings $10,000 the next time JLA Building Manager, Al Sobotka, twirls the octopus over his head before a playoff game (reason #53 the NHL office hates the Red Wings). Not only that, but he is not to go out and pick the creature up. That duty will now fall to the officials.

Are you kidding me? A fine...for that? Their reasoning: the twirling of the eight-legged creature creates a distribution of 'material' which lands on the ice and creates a danger to the players and officials. So Octopus juice is now what concerns the NHL office. Wow.

Sobotka, who keeps the second best ice in the league (Edmonton is first), said himself that if there was a risk of damage to the ice surface, there is no way he would do it. As I believe Mickey Redmond said yesterday, "in 80 years of Red Wing hockey, I've never seen anyone hurt by an octopus."

In all seriousness though, the NHL has far bigger fish to fry (no pun intended). How about looking at the unbalanced schedule and fixing it once and for all. It might be nice to see the Wings host and play in Toronto or Montreal more than once every Presidential administration. Or, maybe, just maybe, the league should spend its spare time addressing chronic offenders of the rules. Perhaps some more time dedicated to guys like Chris Simon or Chris Pronger would benefit the game. That way, opposing players wouldn't have to worry about being stepped on and cut, or run from behind causing a concussion, or swinging sticks to the face.

We'll have to wait and see if Gary Bettman and Colin Campbell are in attendance later to preside and enforce for the start of the second round. I sure hope Al is on his best behavior.

Jim Leyland To Tigers: 'Do I Have To Get Naked And Yell Some Sense Into You?'

Jake Long to Dolphins with 1st Pick?

The Miami Dolphins have formally begun contract negotiations with agent Tom Condon about the prospect of selecting former Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long as the first overall selection in this year's draft.

The Dolphins would like to have a contract in place with their first pick before the draft on April 26, which would allow them to avoid a potentially ugly holdout like the one that took place in Oakland last year upon the Raiders' selection of quarterback JaMarcus Russell.

Miami is still intrigued by Virginia defensive end Chris Long, but no in-person talks between Chris Long's agent and Miami are believed to have taken place to date. However, the Dolphins are believed to be happy with quarterback John Beck, and they are not considering Ryan as an option with the first pick.

The latest meeting between Condon and the team doesn't necessarily mean the Dolphins have made their final decision to select Jake Long over Chris Long, but it is certainly a major step in that direction.

UDM hires McCallum to lead Titan Basketball

Former Indiana University basketball assistant Ray McCallum returned to the head coaching ranks Friday as the Skipper of the University of Detroit Mercy Titans. McCallum, 47, spent the past two years as an assistant at IU after two as an assistant at Oklahoma.

McCallum coached Ball State from 1993-2000, leading the Cardinals to two NCAA Tournaments. He was also the coach at Houston from 2000-04.

Ray McCallum takes over the program from Perry Watson who retired last season. The Titans finished dead last in the Horizon League last year with a 3-15 in conference record (7-23 overall).

It's Go Time

2-10. Not quite the start the Tiger brass, fans or baseball experts alike envisioned. Now before you Tiger fanatics start to panic and predict a 119 loss season to match that of Tram's team, let's step back and look at the big picture. We're exactly 12 games into the season. Yes, the Tigers are 10 games under .500. But, we're also only 1/14 of the way through the regular season (162 game season - that's a whole other story), and the Tigers are only 5.5 games back in the Central.

Speaking of the Central. It is a very good, much improved division (just look at KC's start). But it's also a division where teams are going to beat each other up all year long. That's why the Tigs are only 5.5 out right now. And yes, it's been a tough start: being swept by the Royals at home, and losing two series to the White Sox already. I just don't think this is going to continue. It can't.

Injuries are certainly a factor, but they are with any team. Sheffield is banged up, Guillen is hurting. But Granderson is on his way back. And, hey, the weather can only get better (for those who blame the cold weather for the bad start). I sure hope it isn't the weather, because April isn't the only month where the elements make it difficult to play. October into November tends to be pretty miserable as well.

Looking ahead. Leyland gave his team a closed door "talking to" yesterday after their embarrassing, grand slam-filled game in the windy city. It remains to be seen if that has the same effect of his famous speech of 2006. The Tigers have two very important games this week (I think) beginning tonight, home against MInnesota. They play two against the Twins before playing two in Cleveland. This would be an ideal time to show what they're made of while playing a couple of division rivals, not to mention making up a few games in the Central.

The Mets got Rick Rolled

The NY Mets fans got Rick Rolled and they were not happy about it! Listen for the fans booing as they were awaiting 8th inning sing along favorite "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond.



And for a bonus here are the Muppets Rick Rolling....

Tees Would be Cheaper

The Tigers fell to 0-7 on the season today with a 5-0 loss to the Red Sox. I think it's officially time to set up tees for the opposing teams to hit off of and just let the Tiger pitchers sit in the bullpen until they can figure out how to hold a team under 3 runs.

Kenny Rogers got the start on the hill today for the Tigers, he threw 107 pitches and couldn't manage to get out of the fifth inning. Nice work Gambler!

Following up Rogers' performance, reliever Jason "Rally Starter" Grilli was bad once again. He allowed two runs, the second one on a bases-loaded walk. Really Grilli? REALLY??? A bases loaded walk?!?!

FYI:
No team in Major League history has ever started the season 0-7 and made the playoffs.

Oh, and one more thing. No team since the 1983 Houston Astros has recovered from an 0-7 start to finish the season with a winning record.

The Reason I Love Kansas Basketball

It was the summer of 1996, and I was on a vacation in Las Vegas with my good friend Matt and his family.  I was 14 years old, so in retrospect, it was probably dumb of me to pay for a trip to Las Vegas to play video games and eat a bunch of food.

We drove around shopping and came across a store called 'Just For Feet'.  It was a shoe store the size of a K-Mart.  Well, in this shoe store, they had an entire wall full of fitted hats.  Me being 14 years old, and how cool fitted hats were then, I had to buy one.  So, I looked for the coolest looking one on the wall and came across a Kansas Jayhawks hat.  I asked my friend if it looked good on me, and he said, "yeah sure".  

I thought to myself, they've got a great basketball team right?  I guess I can wear this hat and nobody will say anything bad about it.

Done.  Bought it.  The rest is history.

I started following the KU basketball team the same way I follow Michigan Football and Tigers Baseball.  I would watch every game I could possibly watch, and learned more about their unrivaled basketball history, their recruits, their coaches, fans, etc.  I was basically hooked.

Not many people realize that the inventor of the game of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, was the first coach at Kansas.  He coached Phog Allen, who coached Dean Smith (father of UNC basketball) and also Adolph Rupp (father of Kentucky basketball).  Not to mention, the last time the Jayhawks won the National Championship, Larry Brown was the coach.  The list goes on.

No other programs in the history of college basketball can boast about this family tree of coaching.

Then you look at the players they've had.  Wilt Chamberlain, Clyde Lovelette, Jo Jo White, Danny Manning, Paul Pierce, and many many more.

The fact that I was 6 years old the last time they won the Championship, and wasn't yet a fan, makes last night's game the first time I've seen them win the big one.  I couldn't be happier, and I'm glad that Bill Self finally did what Roy Williams couldn't do at KU, win the National Championship.

Don't get me wrong, I still love old Roy, but he never could seal the deal with KU.  Bill Self made all those years of loving the Jayhawks finally make me proud to be a fan of this great program.

Thank you Mario Chalmers.  You made my century.

So Close....to the Pool Money

Alright, if you're looking for a story about how great the National Championship game was last night then you're reading the wrong blog. It was awful! This is about how yours truly was within one missed free throw of 'earning' hundreds of dollars.

How many years have you been entering these March Madness pools and actually end up with a chance to win it? For me, I usually have a good run, but don't really come close at the end. This year was different. This was going to be my year. And it was....right up until the last 90 seconds of regulation. That's when Memphis and their talented squad of 'athletes' decided to miss a string of money in the bank free throws. How does a team of excellent outside pure shooters continue to miss free throws? This was a problem of theirs all year and it ended up biting them, and me, in the ass, right when it counted the most.

Now, for the record, I'm not a Memphis slappy. I didn't even have them going to the big game. I don't like their style of play, I don't like that they don't have an inside game or the guys to work the boards. I just needed Kansas NOT to win. And after what Memphis did to teams like MSU and Texas, that seemed like that wouldn't be a problem, even after Kansas spanked UNC on Saturday.

I already had the money spent. I was going to donate $25 to Davidson University in the form of buying one of their t-shirts since they were the reason I was even in a position to win. Sweet 16 baby! (Also, a small thanks to Western Kentucky for helping me out. Sorry, no t-shirt though) A DVD Recorder was on the agenda, most likely a Sony. And the rest was earmarked for a weekend away in May.

Free throws. The most basic part of the game. The closest thing to a gimmee in all of sports. These guys just couldn't hit them when it mattered the most. Yep, I'm bitter. What am I going to do about it? I am billing the University of Memphis for my entry fee in the pool. I am preparing an invoice right now for $10, care of Coach Calipari.

Davidson in '09!

Motor City Disaster

This season just keeps getting more and more disappointing by the game. They can't pitch, they can't hit, they can't field....what went wrong here? This is the most disappointed I've ever been in a Detroit Tigers team in my life and it is only the first week of the season.

I am really starting to get a bad feeling about this season fast because the Tigers are starting to remind me of the White Sox of a few years ago. First the Sox won the World Series, the following year they barely missed the playoffs and then the following year they bombed into a horrible record under .500.

A few years ago the Tigers made the World Series, then barely missed out on the playoffs and now they are bombing out!!!

Now it is still early and things can turn around but it better happen fast or else they will need a winning streak like no other to get out of this hole. And Jim Leyland needs to really take a look at himself in the mirror and realize he did not have this team ready to start the season.

MHSAA loses lawsuit

A small group of Grand Rapids-area women filed a lawsuit nearly 10 years ago claiming their athlete daughters were being discriminated against. What discrimination you ask? In Michigan, the high school girls basketball and volleyball seasons were played opposite that of colleges and most other states' high school seasons. Not sure why that is considered discrimination?

A federal judge has ordered the Michigan High School Athletic Association to pay millions in legal bills, plus interest, after its scheduling system was found to have discriminated against some female student-athletes. The girls have also now started playing their basketball / volleyball games the same time of year as the boys. This now creates a scheduling conflict for many area high schools as most only have 1 gym to practice and play games in. As a result many teams are now practicing in cafeterias, later at night or for the lucky few, in an auxiliary gym.

I'm still not quite sure why this has been deemed discrimination and is unfair to the female athletes of Michigan. To me, it seems like it would be beneficial to the girls since they would be playing at a time opposite the collegiate teams, thus making it easier for college coaches / recruiters to see them play. What college coach has time to go recruit and scout during their current collegiate season?

The women who filed the lawsuit did not receive any monetary reward from the verdict. The winnings paid for the Virginia based lawyer who worked on behalf of the women.