Catching up with Detroit Sports

As a native of Metropolitan Detroit, MI, I am a huge fan of all that area's pro sports teams, as well as a Meeeechigan Wolverine fan. The region used to have a pro Football team, err, player actually, but the organization has disappeared in recent years...Wow, what a year in sports Detroiters have had. The Pistons went 6 games with eventual NBA title holders' the Celtic's and now the Championship core seems on the verge of being blown apart; the Wings...Well, what can you say? They are the Red Wings baby!; the Tigers appear to have gotten off the schnide and are over .500 for the first time all year; and I can't forget that supposed pro football team-the Li-downs. It was revealed in recent weeks that their first 2 draft picks this year have 'issues with the law'...DETRRROIIIITTTT BASKETBALL!...The Pistons. I had so much hope for them this year. I really did, especially after the way their bench developed throughout the year. Stuckey was brilliant when he replaced Billups for 2 games in the series against the Magic, Maxielle was just a stud coming off the bench and Hunter is a freaking energizer bunny who still plays kick ass on-the-ball defense. I just figured with so much energy coming off the bench and none of the starters averaging over 35 mins a game during the season the Pistons were a lock for the Finals. Alas, I was wrong. After obviously quitting in the Eastern Conference Finals 'Sheed' will be gone soon. I was a fan of his until I witnessed his ECF performance this year. He was pathetic and disappointing. All that talent wasted for no reason at all. At least he brought us one title though. I'm not surprised that Billups is suddenly expendable. A lot of people were probably a little shocked to hear his name tossed around as trade bait. It didn't surprise me at all, however. The immergence of Rodney Stuckey made that obvious to me, I was also aware that Chaunce becomes an unrestricted free agent after next season-just like 'Sheed. Whatever happens, it's obvious that the team we have known for the last 5 seasons will be no more and I completely trust Joe Dumars to make the moves that will keep The Pistons one of the teams to beat in the Eastern Conference. Draft day was loads of fun because there were a ton of rumors floating around about trades-most of which involving the Pistons. In the end, Joe Dumars pulled a deal that looks good in my opinion. Dumars knows exactly what he is doing. He has never given us a reason to doubt his moves. The Pistons may not make the conference Finals again next year, but the fall off wont be very far. Detroit should still make the playoffs next year, but in a couple of years, the Pistons will be an elite Eastern Conference team again...GO WINGS!!!! Enough said. 4 cups in 11 seasons. 5 appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals since 1995-more than any other team during that stretch by-the-way. Why no one wants to talk about the Sports Dynasty that Steve Yzerman and Nicholas Lidstrom have going with the Wings I just cant figure out. Maybe it's because outsiders have forgotten that Stevey 'Y' is still a part of the organization and was the captain of 4 of those aforementioned teams. Or maybe it's because many sports fans don't feel Hockey deserves much conversation these days. Either way, the current Detroit Red Wings team and organization deserves to be considered a Sports Dynasty. It's not as if every pro sports organization can claim such dominance is it? And does anyone not see them in the Western Conference Finals next year?...As my family knows, I was a huge Tigers fan when I kid. But 2 strikes in 10 years ruined the sport for me. I just cant get over the 'whiny-rich-kid' show the players put on during both of their strikes and it didnt help that the Tigers sucked until 2 years ago when they surprised everyone and went to the World Series for the first time in over 20 years. Now that the Tigers are good, though, I do pay a little more attention to Baseball (the new playoff system is excellent too). Baseball is still a long ass season and I find it hard to pay day to day attention to it, but I hope Tiger fans every where can see there was never a real worry. There was way to much talent on the Tigers for them to continue such horrid play. I do find it as a funny conincidence that as soon Dontrelle was shipped to single A to fix his mechanics the Team took an immediate u-turn. Maybe it was more than just Willis' poor outings that were his problem, maybe he was a cancer in the locker room? Whatever the reasons, the Tigers are playing as they should be and should be in the Division hunt come late August...It's a good thing Detroit has 3 other pro sports teams, because so long as Ford Sr. owns them, the Lions will never be anything more than a one and done playoff team. If there is anyone that should pay attention to his peers, its Ford. Look around you Mr. Ford, do you not see what the other owners of pro sports teams in your town are accomplishing? You're supposedly smart enough to help run a mutli-billion dollar company, but seeing as how Ford stocks are down and the company appears on the verge of collapse (because the company refuses to grasp the future of transportation) it should be no surprise to us long time Lions fans that they never win anything. I don't blame Matt Millen for most the problems with the Lions. He has made his share of mistakes, but he is shackled by Ford's unwillingness to spend on players who dominate where the game of Football is won-in the trenches. And to think that Millen doesnt know where the game is won after winning 4 titles himself is just ludricris to me. Millen isn't perfect, but he is not as bad as most of his position-in my opinion. It's just too bad that Millen chose his first GM job to be for a guy who won't spend the money the right way to make the team a winner. Millen does seem to have effed up recently though. It was revealed within the last couple of weeks that both of their 1st and 2nd round draft picks from this year have legal issues. Fortunately for both of them the troubles began before they were drafted, so they, and the organization, wont be penalized by the NFL. I just question how Coach Marinelli-who is tough on decipline-signed off on 2 rookies who were already in trouble with the law?!...(sigh) I digress. The Li-Downs always piss me off...When it comes to Football, I root for the Patriots now adays anyways lol.