"Shocked by trade" Cliff Lee

Poor Cliff Lee, he just got shafted. The Phillies traded him to Seattle in a three team deal that landed them Roy Halladay. Big deal. But I think I woulda kept those top notch prospects (as much as I hate prospects) and kept Cliff Lee, who dominated in a Philli uniform. But you can never complain when getting the best pitcher in the majors, yes I truly believe Roy is the best pitcher in the majors. But that's not what caught my eye, believe it or not, in this huge, blockbuster deal. What did was an interview with Cliff Lee that I saw last night on baseball tonight. Cliff's reaction to the trade, one you hope you never hear out of a super star and a class act like him. He was shocked, blindsided, and upset that he was traded away. He was told by his agent (who was told by the Phillies) to not believe the rumors. Next day, gone. Both times he got calls from his agent he was on his way to a nice relaxing day of deer hunting, then that bombshell was dropped. Just imagine your employer or whatever saying to you, sorry, but we're shipping you across the country. It would suck right? Cliff honestly believed that after the trade from Cleveland and the run to the world series with Phili that this was the last stop on the journey of Cliff Lee. He wanted to sign a long-term deal. But the Phillies said that Lee was unwilling to ink a long-term deal. That question was brought up to him in the interview. And Lee responded with an appalled tone that was the farthest thing from the truth. It really disheartens me to hear this kinda thing. Cliff deserved better than to be unexpectedly traded for false reasons. He was told not to believe the rumors, and then the organization said it was because they believed they wouldn't have been able to ink a deal. Sure as hell sounded to me like Cliff would have negotiated a contract that would have worked for both sides. But who do you believe? I tend to believe the athlete in situations like this. The organization usually just tries to justify and cover their ass after trades like this, or when disgruntled athletes come out and speak their mind. It's all about damage control.
Shifting over to hockey, the Red Wings won 3-0 over the Tampa Bay Lightning. I know it's Tampa, but I can't help but get excited. Four in a row now, hitting the groove, and so many key players are still out. Zetterberg left the game and never game back after getting absolutely crushed by Matias Ohlund. Skate with your heads up boys. But my point is this: We've won four in a row, we have so many missing pieces, are you "fans" still wanting to jump into the Detroit River? I cannot tell you how many times I heard people telling me, "Oh this is the year" "I have no faith in this squad" "We have no chance at the cup." We are the Detroit Red Wings, the greatest franchise in the NHL, no in all of sports, we always have a cup chance on sheer name alone. I've been saying this all year long, and I will not back down from my opinion. 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red WIngs. I never back down from a prediction until I am wrong. I made this the day after we lost to Pitt, and I'm sticking to it. HERE WE GO RED WINGS, HERE WE GO! ALL THE WAY TO THE STANLEY CUP!

On a side note, I would like to take this chance to thank someone who has been very kind to me and has really helped me make important strives toward my future goal of being a sports broadcaster. This person is Professor Michael Stamm. He's the one that pushed me to do this blog, showed me a good place to set it up, and pushed me into just doing things to get my name out there. It's been an absolute pleasure, nay, a privilege to have him for class. We talked every class day, just about whatever in the world of sports, or whatever was bugging us that morning. Today I just took the final, so had my last class with him, for the year at the very least. If you are a student at MSU, or incoming freshman reading this, I highly recommend Intro to Mass media with him, great class, fun class. Only downside was the 9 am time slot, but what are ya gonna do? So once again, Thanks for everything Professor.


Link to CLiff Lee interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qVYyqFgYF8

I wish I was a spoiled fan...

Why am I blogging again about baseball? Because my Tigers aren't doing anything. Oh and also I have a Boston fan complaining about their early offseason moves, signing John Lackey, it's not like he's good or anything. I just wish my team was at that point... where I can find a way to complain when my team signs the best pitcher on the market. He's also a Celtic fan, and a Patriot fan... I don't care about NBA and I'm a Lion fan. He told me this year 10-6 is not good enough... 10-6?????? If the Lions go 10-6 I think I may have a heart attack. I do have my Red Wings, who have made the playoffs every year in my life, but other than that... Detroit sports can be very upsetting. But I just want to know what it's like to have all good professional teams. He has the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox. They're all good, and always at the top (now anyways.) But not for us, we have the Tigers trade away talent, the Pistons do the same, the Lions... need i say more. But thank God for the Red Wings. I think if they ever missed the playoffs I would bust out in tears. I live for that team, and it's my only release from stress. They're struggling, but I believe in them. They've won three in a row, and are getting it together. I hope to God they keep it up, which I think they will. I have discussed before the importance of sports in society, so it should be obvious why it is important to me that my Wings succeed, which they will. In the Winged-Wheel I trust. Let's bring home the cup boys.

I know this blog is weak, not my best effort, but nothing out there catches my interest, and I don't wanna keep you guys hanging, so along with a fancy picture, I'll give you guys a video, enjoy

Why Tigers why?

I don't want to blog about baseball in December... but I have to... Why did my beloved Tigers trade away a beloved player? Fan favorite Curtis Granderson has been traded to the Yankees, and we all know how I feel about the Yankees. This trade makes 0 sense. I see trading Jackson, we owed him a lot of money, but Granderson is a fan favorite who deserves a long term deal. You sign those fan loved players, not trade them. Trading those guys is how you get your fans to stop attending games! And what did we get... PROSPECTS. I hate trading for prospects because is means you're giving up. That's right, the Tigers are giving up on the season begins. Good-bye Polanco, Granderson, Jackson, and playoffs. Wow thank you Dave Dembrowski. I cannot express in words or writing how truly mad I am by this trade. I just want to scream my heart out. Granderson wasn't my favorite, but I saw the incredible upside, and now he's gone... It's just not fair...
Peace out people, just had to vent via blog really quick.

BSC: Bull Crap System

Well it's that time again, let's start the controversy. Playoff or Bowl system? Which one to do... well I personally like the bowl system, I just think the BCS is flawed. I do believe that the computer system is a joke, and that it can be wrong. I also believe that in this case it got the national title game right. The other bowls, the TCU and Boise State one in particular, are a little questionable, but that's not decided by the computers. Alabama and Texas are clearly the best two unbeaten teams left, and some people will argue for Cinci, TCU, and Boise, especially if they win, but the best two teams right now are Texas Bama. But should college football ultimately switch to a playoff? I'm a little sketchy but I say yes. I am not going to listen to playoff arguments that use undefeated teams like Boise and TCU has reason for a playoff. If they played in a BCS conference, they wouldn't run the table, so I don't want to hear it. Mark May makes a good point here, he says "if we have a year of two undefeated teams, then no one cries playoffs. Every game is a playoff, every game means something." I love the bowl games, and in reality, I don't think the current system gets it wrong. It was bad when it first came in, but I think it gets it right now. People love to go the the Auburn team that ran the table with USC and Oklahoma. Well that Auburn team played a weak schedule, and that's why they were ranked number 3 when it mattered. I personally prefer the bowl system over a playoff, it gives more meaning to the regular season and adds to why college football is the best sport. Although mostly everyone will disagree with me, but that's okay, I know the BCS is flawed, but I think the bowl games are the best way to do it.

I do not care about Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods. Greatest golfer ever, greatest in the game today. Absolutely dominate. The King of Majors. But it's not golf season, so why am I hearing about him... because he got in a one-car accident and apparently cheated on his wife. But seriously, I don't care, and as sports fans, I am sure you guys don't either. This is celebrity gossip. TMZ, have fun with this, but Sportscenter please just stop talking about the affair, and the fine, and anything else. You can mention that he's not gonna play in his next tournament, but don't tell me what TMZ is reporting. I'll watch them for that. But everyone just needs to relax, so what he cheated on his super model wife, I don't care. Tons of people are cheaters, doesn't make it right, but it makes me not care if Tiger Woods does it. I am not advocating his actions. I am advocating however giving the man his privacy. Celebrity or not he deserves some privacy. But that's just my take on this as a sports fan and blogger here in Michigan.
But anyways what else is going on in the sports world, well Oregon State and Oregon are playing for a birth in the Rose Bowl, probably the first time ever in the history of the "Civil War." But isn't it just great that USC will not be in the Rose Bowl? I love that fact. Get the men of Troy out of here. I am tired of seeing them kill the Big Ten. Well and victory is the Oregon Ducks, the segway is caused by me starting this before the game, and finishing it the day after. I was pulling for the upset, but it was obvious who this game was gonna go to. Although the beavers put up a fight, but the Ducks pulled ahead and won. Oh well.
Well now I am going to make a prediction here. It's conference championship week, and dem Gators and playing Bama for the right to the National Championship. #1 vs #2, epic battle. My pic? I'm going with the Gators here. I predicted beginning of the season Gators vs Longhorns national title, and I'm not changing now. Time for the Gator Chomp, Conference Title edition. Oh and by the way, I have Texas winning it all, Hook 'em Horns!

Thanksgiving football

Sorry all, I've been under the weather and out of town for the past week, sorry to keep my fans waiting, but the bearded fellow has made his triumphant return.
Thanksgiving and football go together like John Madden and Turduckin. Sit down around the table and watch grown men throw the pigskin around, or toss it around yourself with your family. I love Thanksgiving, it combines my two favorite things: Family and Football. Well I'm not here to recap the action, if you haven't noticed I don't do that on my blogs. You all saw the games, most likely, so I don't need to tell you what you saw. Instead I want to touch a sensitive point to us Detroit Lion fans...
Thanksgiving football is ours Detroit, and people around the nation and the league want to take that away from us. That is a bunch of crap my friends. Does anyone know why there is football on Thanksgiving? Well it wasn't the pilgrims, but try the Detroit Lions. Sure go ahead, talk about taking our game away because we suck, but we started this great tradition. We played the first Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears in 1934. We have this great time-honored tradition due to the lowly Lions, so show some respect. It is great for the NFL, and it's some exposure for the Lions, which is something we never get. If you don't like the football we bring to the table, well then save your turkey for the Dallas game. But you can't strip away the Lions game just because we aren't good anymore, and haven't been good since the 50's. But we deserve our Thanksgiving game, it's all we have left, don't take it away from us.
So please, Mr. Goodell, don't steal from the poor by taking our one prized possession... Thank you, and good day.

Our Rally cry

Time to give this sport some love

Futbol, or as we know it, Soccer. Great sport, underrated here in the US, but a great sport indeed. I want to share with you all my thoughts on soccer. World Cup qualifiers are in playoffs, and unfortunately the Irish lost the first leg :( but have a chance to make up for it with a road win. But I want to just talk about why no one cares about soccer here in America...
Well first off, the MLS sucks. It's bad soccer. It's not highly publicized and the talent is, shall we say... non-existent. If it ever gets talent, the talents washed up (David Beckham) Sadly it won't be possible for the US to get a talented league, but it wouldn't kill the MLS to expand or get their product out there. Detroit had been attempting to get a team, and still want one. But so far no team. With the state of the economy in Michigan, the timing is wrong, but a soccer team in Michigan would thrive. The indoor soccer team, yes indoor soccer team, enjoys success and pretty solid turnouts. They play at Compuware on Beck Road by 5 mile. Check them out, you'll enjoy it.
But another reason why soccer isn't liked is because the all-mighty ESPN doesn't tell us to watch it. ESPN will pick up the occassional game, but on Sportscenter, they spend 1-2 minutes on soccer, which isn't enough. And they never give you Euro scores, which is where the good soccer is played. I think soccer is one of the best sports to watch, not just because it has no commercials, but because it is such a majestic game. Slow and mythatical, it is all about the build up. When that goal comes, it's usually a thing of beauty.
So today I salute you, Mr. European Soccer Player, without you, flopping like a fish wouldn't be part of a game. You're ability to use your feet is heroic, and we all know how much fun it is to just kick something. Although they call you a foot fairy, you are anything but that. So crack open a nice cold Bud Lite you wizard of the pitch, because if there's anyone that deserves a cold one after that goal, it's you. "Mr. European Soccer Player" And yes that was a play on the old Real Men of Genius commercials.

Just my thoughts...

Well there really isn't anything in particular that I want to blog about, so I'm just gonna tell you my thoughts on whatever I feel like...
Look at the post below this... College Football... it's so great, except when your team keeps losing, thanks Rich (at least my other team got bowl eligible Go Green), but it's still amazing. Stanford in my blog AGAIN for beating USC at USC. The Men of Troy are 47-2 at home since '05(year may be wrong) but those two losses are from the Stanford Cardinal. Pretty impressive. And my second most hated team lost, that's right Lou Hotlz, the national title bound Fighting Irish lost, again. Oh man is college football great. Ohio State (Numero Uno on my hate list) clinched the Big Ten Title, which means they receive the automatic bid to the Rose Bowl, and they get to be pounded by Stanford (hopefully) or Oregon (probably) And to those who want a playoff, I say no. I love the bowl games, don't take those away form me or else I will be sad.
How many of you out there do fantasy football? I know I do, and I love/hate it, I always lose easy games. I am in the playoff hunt, but a championship is out of the question. But I am going to be honest here, without fantasy football, I would not care about NFL football. It's kinda boring at times and there is no intensity. Not like at the college level. But fantasy football is what keeps me interested in football, because let's face it, the Lions suck. I am forced to watch them every week, I say forced because I am a true fan, I think I discussed this before, yes?. I watch their games, and start anyone who plays against them. Fantasy Football, it's such a craze, and it's so awesome. I bet there are many out there that watch NFL football only because of Fantasy Football, you know who you are.
And finally, I would like to talk about hockey, the greatest sport ever. More specifically the greatest team ever, the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings are starting to hit their groove, and they've got half their team hurt. Everyone who panicked at the beginning of the year and is still panicking, just needs to relax. We are the Detroit Red Wings. We will win the 2010 Stanley Cup and Lord Stanley will be home again. That's a bearded fellow "Chalk it up my friends."

Enjoy your lives, sorry for the length between posts, nothing really inspired me to blog

College Football: The greatest Sport out there

Oh boy do I love college football! Sure my favorite teams are going to struggle to make a bowl, that''s Michigan and Michigan State for those of you that don't know, but it still is such a spectacle. The reason why it's so great is because anything can happen. Upsets happen every weak. Every game has so much riding on it. And the atmosphere for college football is just amazing. Enter the Big House, "Death Valley" in LSU, The Swamp down in Florida, you can't find atmospheres like that anywhere else.
This past Saturday had two major upsets that inspired me to talk about this. Navy beat the all-mighty Notre Dame. And the hottest team in the country, Oregon Ducks, lost to the Stanford Cardinal. What huge games, only in college football my friends. Upsets happen every week, it's why college football is so amazing. Think back at all the upsets and all the great moments in college football, Appalachian State beating Michigan :'( Stanford beating USC at USC the same year. Stanford-Cal and the band, Doug Flutie, Iowa's hail mary against LSU. The list goes on and on. Sure the NFL has it's fair share of great moments, but they don't mean as much when it's just a bunch of college kids. COllege Football, the greatest sport in the world. I love college football, you should too.

Pictured is the game-winning catch in the Stanford-USC game referred to.

I did this last week...

Yeah it's late, but I thought this would be a good time to put it up, seeing how i just remembered it's not yet.

Enjoy

Go to on demand. Current Programing. Sports Round table Oct. 30th. It's near the bottom

Yankees win, but do we care?

Well baseball is over, in November (disgusting) but it's finally over. My Tigers choked so the playoffs were bitter for me, but nonetheless I have something I need to say. It's about the Evil Empire, the New York Yankees. Yes they had been on a World Series drought, but that still doesn't change who they are, the Evil Empire. I mean the Yankees have 27 World Series wins, 27?!?! that is just a little absurd. Now this brings up a question... Does baseball need a salary cap?
I remember when hockey put a slary cap in, I was furious. Mostly because I believed it was used to bring down the Red Wings, which I still believe it was. But here's the misconception about the Wings... they didn't need to buy their players. It became a luxury after years of success. The salary cap was put in, and the Red Wings lost the super stars but brought in their home grown talent like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. They continued their dominance, and won a cup, almost two, in the salary cap era. But what would happen if the salary cap was put in in baseball? What would happen to the Yankees? Well they would not be the Red Wings, that's for sure. The Yankees farm system is dry. I believe a salary cap in baseball would kill the Yankees, which is why I say go for it. Well not really but I do believe it does need a salary cap. The Yankees bought that championship, They paid their players as much as an Obama bailout package. That is just ridiculous. Baseball has so many problems with it, and it has the wrong man at the helm in Bud Selig, but baseball needs a change, unfortunately I don't see it in the future.
But I do tip my hat off to the Yankees, because it takes more than just money to win. It takes execution, and they excuted perfectly.

Stay true to your colors.

What makes sports great? Is it the athletes, the competition, the thrill? Or is it the fans, the ones that follow the game with a passion, watch every game and cheer for that team as if they're lives depended on the outcome of that particular game. That's what I love about sports: being a fan. The feeling of investing in something larger than myself is something that gives me a sense of being apart of something bigger. Sure I'm just a guy screaming at the team, but I support that team. When a team loses support, the team goes. Fans are crucial. True fandom is tested in times of adversity. When your team sucks, are you gonna still root for them? When you move, are you still gonna watch them? True fans stay with their team no matter what. I am doing that now. I am a Michigan fan, it's in my blood, it's how I was raised. I currently go to MSU. I root for MSU, but I didn't just drop my allegiance to Michigan because I'm a Spartan now, even though everyone would understand if I did. In fact they expect it. But I think it is important to stay true to your team, no matter what. It's why I'm a.... oh jeeze... Lions fan. Stay with your team, don't become a fan of a team because your team sucks and that other team is good.
But on a different note on fans and sports. Sports are crucial to the fans. They are an escape. Whether your escaping from a bad day of school or work by watching your teams on Saturday and Sunday, or something much larger. Look at the way the people of New Orleans rallied behind the Saints. It was incredible, and it was a great story. Sports rally people together in tough times. When 9-11 happened, Everyone in the sports world rallied behind the city of New York. Also using this state as an example, when 9-11 happened, the Red Wings we're opening training camp. I remember they sold out the practice arena in Traverse City. Each and every Wing was blown away. People rally behind sports, and sports are the perfect escape.
Just take a second and think about it... what is an easy way to just get away for a few hours? Watching sports. I know I do it, and I bet you do it too. And for those of you that say "it's just a game," you are completely and utterly wrong. It is much more than that, and I think I've made that clear.

What happened to Hockey?

Remember the good ol days of hockey? Red Wings Avalanche, always a guaranteed fight. What happened to those days? Gary Bettman happened. Who in their right mind would want to take fighting and hitting out of hockey? My favorite players as a kid were Joey Kocur and Vladimir Konstantinov, two players who wouldn't exist or be totally different in today's NHL. I think it's a damn shame. There are no rivalries. Oh sure the media loves Crosby verse Ovechkin, but until there are bench clearing brawls, it's not a true hockey rivalry. They NHL was at its prime when it was on ESPN done by Bill Clement and Gary Thorne. They were the voices of hockey. And now you ask? It's done by Doc Emrick and Eddie Olcyzk on Versus. Who even gets Verses Mr. Bettman? Not many do. He botched the ESPN deal and the new NHL is a far cry from what it was when it was popular. The media looks down upon the Sean Avery's, Darren McCarty's, and other tough guys of the NHL, but those are the guys that can bring it back to glory, more than these pretty boys that do all the dangles and score all the goals. People love fights, that's the bottom line.

I leave you with a nice youtube clip of one of my favorite fights of all time... Enjoy

A Bear at Spartan Stadium?!?!?!

So how many of you out there watched the Iowa State game last Saturday? Epic game wasn't it? Iowa yet further proved my belief that they are the most overrated team in the nation. They should have lost to State, Michigan, and Northern Iowa (that's 1aa school.) But that's not what I'm blogging about.

While at Spartan Stadium, I saw this guy in a bear suit doing the pregame ring toss for pizza. Amazingly, he went five for five, throwing the hoola hoop perfectly everytime to his partner on the field. But why was in he a bear suit? It wasn't Halloween, State's not the bruins... so I did a little investigating. And here's what I found out.

In 1909 Michigan State, coached by Coach Chester Brewer, had a live brown bear named Monty, or Brewer's Bruin, as it's mascot. For those of you that missed it, 1909 was exactly 100 years ago. So these gentlemen at the stadium had a purpose for the bear suit. The man in the suit was none other than Brewer's Bruin.

The Bear sat front row by the band, and got some attention. The bear got his airtime while Iowa was driving to win the game. But for those of you that saw him, it wasn't just a drunk fan in a bear suit, they had a reason. They brought back Brewer's Bruin.