Same Old Lions... Again...

Aaaaahhhhhh They did it to us again.  From the jaws of victory, the Lions snatch away defeat.

Now they no longer control their playoff destinies.

Lions Football Baby.

The Lions lost on Monday Night football in the most important game of the season 18-16 after Justin Tucker nailed his sixth field goal of the game from 61 yards that barely made it in the bottom right corner.

The defense played more than good enough to secure the win, only allowing field goals, but after am opening-drive touchdown, the offense stalled the rest of the way.

It was until they fell down 15-10 that they made back into the end zone to take a 16-15 lead.

But it wasn't meant to be.  In typical Lions fashion, they lose on a 61 yard field goal.

Matthew Stafford the fearless leader then threw a pick on the first throw with 30 seconds left.  We had all three timeouts, so the situation should have called for complete any pass to get us going. Instead, Stafford over threw Burlesson and it was intercepted by Elam.

Staff threw 3 second half picks, including a pick on 3rd and 2 in the fourth quarter in their own territory that luckily only yielded a field goal that could have put the game out of reach had Baltimore got a touchdown.

The Lions were in the driver's seat.  Cutler was hurt, Rodgers was hurt, and we had the easiest schedule remaining in the league.  I warned everyone in my sports writing class not to get too excited.  They said I was "too cynical" and that these weren't the "same old Lions."

Sometimes I hate being right...

Catch Up on Things I Care About

Sorry for the delay bearded followers, but I've been out of commission for a bit, got run over by a car.
That's not a joke, I did.  Only fractured a rib so it's all good.  Just sore.

Anyways, I've missed a few things whilst I was gone, so here's a few short comments about stuff you already know about.

• Famous Jameis WInston won the Heisman in a landslide.  No surprise there.  However, 13% of voters completely left him off their ballot.  I guess they weren't satisfied with the legal system giving him the all clear.
• Michigan led almost the entire game at home against the number one team in the country, but found a way to squander an 11 point second half lead, and an eight point lead with 5 minutes left.  Yes, plenty of time, but they should have found a way.  GRIII disappeared down the stretch, but he looked amazing in the first half.  Can't wait for him to play a full 40 with that effort.
• Navy beat Army for the 12th straight time, winning this bout 34-7.  An absolute route.  It's a shame because I look forward to that game every year.  It's my absolute favorite game to watch.  No rivalry will ever match it because it isn't about pure hatred.  It's about respect... and a little bit of hate.  If you've never watched an Army Navy game you must.  The Bearded One commands it!
• Tottenham suffered their worst home loss in like forever, losing 5-0 to Liverpool. I haven't heard any official announcement, but word on the street is this loss has cost Andre Villas-Boas his job.  Good.  His tactics have been extremely frustrating for all the Spurs fans out there.  His insistence on inverted wingers and only one forward have hampered Tottenham's ability to produce goals.  They're the only team who hasn't score more than twice in a game.

The Lions take on the Ravens tomorrow in a mucho important game because the Bears won today.  I expect the Lions to lose.  Because their the Lions.  No other reason is really needed.

Oh and I guess I can officially announce this now.  

Your's truly, has earned an internship position with MLive covering high school basketball starting in January.  This is a great opportunity, and I am super stoked.  I'll be sure to link you guys my articles.

Take it easy y'all, enjoy your Sunday

Same Old Lions: The Snow Bowl Edition

And from the jaws of victory, the Detroit Lions miraculously find snatch away a defeat from the Philadelphia Eagles in a snowy mess of a football game.

In typical Lions fashion, the fourth quarter came and suddenly professional football players forgot how to play...
(And officials forgot the rules a bit too)

But do not blame this on the referees.  Yes, the Eagles had a touchdown because of a highly highly highly highly questionable roughing the passer call.
But Jeremy Ross didn't care.

Instead blame the Lions inability to figure out that McCoy got his footing back and was burning them on the same cutback draw play after play after play.
Blame Dominic Raiola for confusing a motion sign for a snap it sign.  Then Stafford for not just diving on the ball.
Blame the Lions for managing zero rushing yards in the fourth quarter in conditions that dictated an importance of running the ball.
Philly figured that out.  Detroit did not.

This was a game we've seen a thousand times in Detroit.  Just with the added bonus of snow.
Every time this team appears to turn a corner, the Same Old Lions creep their heads around the corner and go "pssstt I got somethin for ya buddy."

Next thing you know you wake up in a field in Nebraska without your phone, wallet or pants.

Luckily for the Lions we still have the important edge over the Bears.  But it would be nice to be able to control our own destiny and actually take control of it.

But hey... at least we're not the Vikings.

Roses are Green, Ohio is Blue

Michigan State takes down Ohio State 24-24 and claims the Big Ten title and it's first trip to the Rose Bowl since the `87 season.

And exciting game from start to finish, Michigan State was able to grind out a victory on the ground led by tailback Jeremy Langford, who became the first back to run for over 100 yards against Ohio State this year.
He finished with 128 yards and his 26 yard touchdown run with just over two minutes left sealed the upset win for the Spartans.

Defense still wins championships.  After the offensive shootout of the SEC championship, it was refreshing to see a key defensive stand set up the game sealing touchdown.
It's refreshing to see defense at all in this day and age of college football lets be real here.

The game was ridiculously back and forth.  Why ridiculously?
MSU scored the first 17
OSU the next 24
MSU the final 17.
How silly is that?

Conor Cook was named the game's MVP throwing 3 touchdowns, a pick, and 304 yards, leading his victory to the Rose Bowl.

Pound Green, Pound.  Michigan State pounded the rock and beat OSU by playing their game.  A championship well deserved.

Didn't I tell you guys that MSU would win?  Cuz I picked Ohio.

You're welcome East Lansing, now Sparty on to Pasadena.

Big Ten Title: OSU vs MSU

One team everyone expected.  The other, only the diehard fans expected.

Michigan State and Ohio State square off tomorrow for the rights to a trip to Pasadena.
Same destination, but two different goals.

The undefeated and second ranked Buckeyes look to represent the Big Ten in the National Championship against (most likely Florida State.

Whilst Michigan State looks to earn its first trip back to the Rose Bowl since 1987.

Two teams enter!  Both will leave! But only one can win! (EPIC VOICE OVER)

WHO WILL IT BE?!?!

The opposite of whatever I pick...
So I should pick... Ohio State then right?

Okay for seriousness though, I'm taking the Buckeyes, but in a close one.

Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde are a two man wrecking crew.  It's hard to keep them both in check, especially Miller who has become a legit passing threat under Urban Meyer.
The defense isn't spectacular, I mean Michigan put 41 points up on them, but it should be good enough to stop MSU's offense, which is ten times better than it was at the beginning of the season.

If any team (in the Big Ten) is gonna beat Ohio State, it's gonna be MSU.
Michigan State defends better than anyone in the conference and it's not even a debate.  MSU has the top ranked rush defense and are fully capable of neutralizing Ohio State's rushing attack.

A low-scoring affair favors the Spartans.
But if it turns into a shootout, the Buckeyes will take it.

I'm going 31-24, Ohio State wins and stays undefeated.

But I desperately hope I'm wrong.

Thoughts?  Comments, questions, concerns?

Unluck of the Draw: US Gets Group of Death

The World Cup groups are now official and it's confirmed:  The United States of America are in the "Group of Death."

The US, which were the highest ranked team (17) in pot C for the draw, are now the third best ranked team in their group, which consists of Germany (4) Portugal (16) and Ghana (23.)

Things could not have gone much worse for the Americans.

The Yanks have come along way in soccer, and have a chance at advancing, but unfortunately for the US their trip to Brazil just got a little more unpleasant.


As it stands right now, I don't see the US getting more than three points, four points at best if they draw Portugal.  But they could get less than that very easily as well.

But they could get more.

Germany will run the table of this group.  They are a powerhouse and a World Cup favorite.  "But Dave, didn't we beat Germany?"  Yes we did... their B and C team.  Germany is my early World Cup pick, I see them cruising through the group.

Ghana worries me.  Not only because they've knocked us out of the past two World Cup teams but they have strong center backs and fast, youthful forwards that could wreak havoc on our slow, inexperienced back line.

And Portugal has Cristiano Ronaldo, who's probably ecstatic at the though of playing against the aforementioned back line.  But Portugal is beatable... Their keeper is questionable and so is their team speed outside of CRon.

With Groups like C and H existing, the US definitely got the short end of the stick, and now face the very likely scenario of an early Brazil exit.

Let's hope I'm wrong.

Here are the group drawings

Jurgen Klinsmann's thoughts

Fister Traded, Nathan Added

Well this has been a busy two days for Los Tigres.

Yesterday, we were shocked with the Doug Fister trade to the Nationals for utility man Steve Lombardozzi, Robbie Ray and Ian Krol.

Not exactly the return Tiger fans wished for when the news broke Fister was traded.
Quite frankly, I don't blame them.  We got a switch hitting Don Kelly, (wannabe cuz no one can be Don Kelly,) a minor league starter and a bullpen guy.

Ian Krol will probably have the most immediate impact player.  Lombardozzi will make the team, but probably as a Ramon Santiago replacement.  Or even, as inconceivable as this may seem, replace Don Kelly, who just signed a 1-yr $1 mil deal hours before the trade.

Robbie Ray isn't there yet, so he'll probably have a year starting in Toledo.

The arms are solid arms with potential, both Ray and Krol are 22 years-old.

But as Dombrowski said after the trade, "we're not done."

Today it was announced the Tigers have agreed in principal to a deal with free agent closer Joe Nathan.
The deal is reportedly worth $20 million over two years.
Nathan, 39, posted 43 saves in 46 opportunities, a solid era of 1.39 ERA and a .90 WHIP

I don't need to tell you guys that Nathan has been a Tiger killer throughout his big league career, but I will anyways... Because I care.

Nathan is a perfect 36-for-36 in save opportunities against Detroit with an ERA of 1.44 and 10 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
So if ya can't beat em, get him to join your team.

In other baseball news, my coveted free agent Carlos Beltran is reportedly close to signing with KC, so once again I hope the plan isn't for Detroit to sign Shin-Soo Choo.
And no, I don't want him because of that reason that is in your head.  I don't want him because he hits about as well as I do against lefties, with just as many strikeouts.  He's going to cost too much money for a guy that is so easy to get out in the playoffs.
I say playoffs because that's when managers carry an extra pitcher.  He would never face a righty in a late-game situation in the postseason.

But I digress.  Yes, I understand the hate towards the Fister trade.  In fact I'm on your side.  A guy with as much on-paper value as Fister, the return should have been much higher.  Teams have gotten more for rent-a-players than we got for giving up a guy that has two-years of club control left.

But, keep the faith in Dombrowsi.  Remember the Granderson deal?  Looked bad to us fans then, maybe he struck gold again.

Brady Hoke Gutsy Decision, Right or Wrong?

Michigan lost to Ohio State as many of us predicted... But they lost by a single point, and not by like 20... which is what I thought.

Michigan rallied from down 14 in the fourth quarter to tie it, gave up the lead, marched down the field and scored to tie it again...

So we all thought.

Brady Hoke, with one timeout and 35 seconds (give or take) left elected to go for the win right then and there.

A stone-cold cohonas kinda move...

Unfortunately, like everything else this season... It did not go according to plan.
Gardner threw into coverage and was picked off trying to throw to Dileo... To Little Drew Dileo.

I believe it was the right decision but the wrong play call.
Michigan literally had nothing left to play for except this game.  OSU is undefeated and has aspirations of being in the National Title.
Why not try to ruin your arch rivals hopes and dreams on one play?

I am okay with the triple stack formation, but the play should have been Funchess post/fade to the corner and throw a jump ball.  The move would have (most likely) isolated him on an undersized corner or safety.  Plus he used his height and athleticism to score on the previous play.

Regardless, Michigan failed.  Came up short.  Once again.

This season goes down as an utter failure.  A win against Ohio State would have just made it taste worse.  Like adding salt to really dry and bland potatoes.  It's still terrible, but hey, at least it tastes less like cardboard.

Lions Dominate; End 0-9 Thanksgiving Drought

Who woulda thunk it?  The Lions absolutely man-handled the Packers 40-10 to get themselves back in the drivers seat for the Division title.
After two really bad losses, this win is mucho importante.  (awwwyeah fake Spanish.)

The Lions put up 600 yards of offense.  AND turned the ball over four times.  It was nice to see the Lions not let setbacks kill them like they did the past two weeks.

Imagine if they had taken care of business against Pittsburgh and Tampa?

The Army of Cheeseheads will of course point to the fact hat Rodgers did not play.  But let's face the facts children.  Flynn was sacked seven times.  Rodgers would have been pretty much just as ineffective if the Packers blocked the same way.

This game was won on the because the Lions dominated the trenches.  Green Bay could not run nor could they stop the run.  And when you can't stop the Lions from running, Matthew Stafford is going to have a very good day, and he did, minus his interceptions.

This was the best the Lions looked pretty much all season.

But if they want to be a real playoff threat, they have got to cut down the turnovers.

Four turnovers in a playoff game won't end this well.

It's just nice to see the Lions overcome the typical Lions mistakes.

Enjoy this win Lions fans, and of course,  Happy Thanksgiving.

The Prince has Left the Building

In huge major news, that I saw no rumors of beforehand...

The Tigers have traded Prince Fielder to the Texas Rangers for Ian Kinsler.  Straight up.

Dave Dombrowski just proves to us all once again that he is the mad wizard of trading.  This is an unbelievably amazing trade for both teams, but especially our Tigers.

This has huge implications beyond picking up a stud second baseman with a legitimate bat.  This deal opens the gateway for more moves, and and and I can't control my excitement!

First of all, Miggy will probably be moving back to first base.  He will happily do it.  He wants to win.  He moved to 1st, back to 3rd, I don't see why he wouldn't do it again.

But why would he move to first? You so thoughtlessly wonder...  Cuz Nick Castellanos is moving back to his natural position of third base.  He had been in left field for 17 months just because we needed to find him a spot.  Well now he's playing third and we'll see if those years of holding on to him were worth it.  I am convinced he's going to be a stud.

Kinsler provides a consistent top of the order bat who can hit leadoff or second.  Might be Jackson, Kinsler, Hunter, Miggy, V-Mart for the 1-5 next season.  Get excited about that people.

On the other side of this, this will be good for Texas and Prince.  Arlington has a "jet stream" for left handed hitters that make it very easy for hitters like Prince to hit 40+ bombs.  It's a very friendly home run park, and as we learned these past two years, if Prince isn't hitting bombs, he's hitting pop ups or grounders to the second baseman.

But remember this, while both have big contracts, nothing quite compares to the contract we were stuck with when it comes to Prince Fielder.  Ideally, he would have been an anchor for... nine years (still can't say it without laughing.)  But bottom line is he had $168 million of guaranteed money left.  Kinsler has around $62 million left.  That's $100 million saved. ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

Dr. Evil would be proud.

Here's the deal.  That money can go to Mad Maxwell and Miggy because they'll be due a lot of money soon.  Also frees up money to reshape that bullpen, and hopefully bring in Joe Nathan.  Veteran closer, wants to win, still has great stuff, mutual interest, perfect fit.

Also, expect a Porcello deal to bring in a possible new left fielder and bullpen.

Get excited people.

Brother Rice Tops Archrival Catholic Central on Late Touchdown

Two legendary high school coaches squared off for what could be the final time Saturday night as Brother Rice and Catholic Central renewed their rivalry.

And in his swan song season, it was Brother Rice’s Al Fracassa that bested Catholic Central’s Tom Mach 28-21 on a touchdown drive in the final minute of the game.

Brother Rice quarterback Alex Malzone led the Warriors down the field on an 83-yard drive capped off by a 35-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Sparks.  Sparks bobbled the ball, but regained possession and dove for the pylon.

“Pat (Sparks) made a great play for me,” Malzone said of the game-winning touchdown grab.

Malzone finished the day with two touchdowns, one interception and 174 yards passing on 12-of-18 passing. 

In the loss, CC quarterback Sean Birney threw for a touchdown and ran for another one.  He also had a 78-yard run to set up CC’s third touchdown, a four-yard score by CC running back Connor Holton.

The Shamrocks drop their first game of the season, falling to 4-1 (1-1) on the season.  Losing to the Brother Rice is never easy to take for anyone who identifies as a Shamrock, current or alumnus.

“I hate Brother Rice,” said CC alum Michael Bennett, in attendance at Saturday night’s showdown, “Great game, but hate losing to them.”

Brother Rice remains undefeated at 5-0 (2-0) and look like a strong candidate to win the Catholic League regular season title after defeating their undefeated rival.

A rematch at the end of the season is possible, so the two long-term coaches could meet for one final time at Ford Field with the Catholic League Title on the line.

Coach Mach leads the all-time series 24-20.

Tottenham Dominate Dinamo Tbilisi 5-0

Thursday saw Tottenham Hotspurs get their Europa competition begin as they traveled to the Republic of Georgia to take on the countries top club, Dinamo Tbilisi. Your guess is as good as mine in how to say it.

It was competition number two without Gareth Bale as he nurses his foot injury, which we all know means as he sits on his ass thinking about what he's gonna do with his big new Real Madrid contract.  And once again, no Bale, no problem.

The Spurs trounced Dinamo 5-0 in the home leg of the Europa qualifier playoff.

Andros Townsend, getting the start for Aaron Lennon who did not make the trip with the team, started off the scoring on a counter attack off a Dinamo corner.  He was all alone on the attack, so he had one option and he buried.

Paulinho then scored his first Spurs goal, finishing a header from point blank on a ball from Townsend.

Next goal went to Soldado, who had an easy tap in goal from inside the 6 yard box.  He would later put in the 5th goal for Spurs.

The fourth goal went to left back Danny Rose, who put in a beautiful shot from outside the box upper 90 far post.  IT was a Bale-esc Strike.

Andy Townsend's play today should light a fire under Aaron Lennon, showing that perhaps his spot in the starting 11 isn't safe.  And two goals from the Spurs new striker Roberto Soldado shows that he is worth the club-record transfer

Match Day One Thoughts

Match Day one in the Barclay's premier league has come and gone, and here's some quick thoughts from the bearded one:

• Not Missing a Beat: Top Three teams all win impressively with new managers
• Manchester City, Manchester United, and Chelsea all came into this season with new managers, and all three teams impressed in their debuts.  Man City arguably looked the strongest, but all three teams are poised to fight for the top spot in the league.
• No Bale? No Problem
• Tottenham actually won a game without Gareth Bale.  Granted it was 1-0 verse one of the premier league new boys.  However, they showed signs of a promising offesne even without the Welsh Wizard.
• I might be wrong about Everton...
• Everton did not look strong in a 2-2 draw against Norwich City.  But credit the Canaries for tying the game back up after losing the lead in the second half.  Draws are acceptable on the road, but if I'm gonna be right about Everton, they gotta steal some road wins.
• Arsenal and Arsene are in trouble
• Arsenal did not look strong at all, losing 3-1 at the Emirates to Aston Villa.  It's one game, but if Wegner doesn't open up the books, the fans will mutiny and I suspect some of the players will question the direction of the club.  Their matches against Fenerbache and Fulham are going to be very important as the transfer deadline looms closer.
• Speaking of transfer windows...
• They need to close the window before the season starts.  Managers are calling for it and it's not fair to players.  Players whose futures are in doubt are "injured" or not featured because they are "unsettled" by looming moves.  Who cares if they sit for preseason but managers shouldn't be forced to sit key players in important league games because the window doesn't close for two weeks.

Check in every week for my match day reviews!  I love that America gets full coverage now, I'm all in for premier league!

Spurs Win Season Opener 1-0

Match day one was finally here for Tottenham and we traveled to one of the premier league new boys, Crystal Palace.  While I won't complain about three points, I do wish we would have buried a couple more of our chances.

Spurs looked the better side for most of the game, dominating possession and opportunities.
A victory is a victory that's what's important here.  Going on the road in the premier league is always tough.

The new arrivals looked very strong for Spurs in their debut.  Paulinho looks like a very comfortable playmaking central midfielder, while Nacer Chadli showed great speed along the wings and wasn't afraid to cut in and create his own shot.  Coupe, another big guy brought in, looked very strong in the defensive midfield.

I was most impressed with Roberto Soldado.  The 26 million pound man from Valencia looks to be worth every bit of it.  His first touches were on point all game; he showed great ability at corralling long balls with a soft first touch.  He also demonstrated great ability passing the ball and he seemed very instinctual  in the box, knowing when and where to make the run.  Plus he also scored the game winning goal in his debut from the penalty spot.

But for me, Man of the Match honors have to go to Hugo Lloris.  He stood on his head late in the game to preserve a 1-0 lead.  He made plenty of good saves throughout the game to secure his clean sheet.  He even got his FIFA on, coming out of his box and making a successful slide tackle on a man who had gotten behind the back line.

Moving forward this Spurs team has some work to do, but once they start to click as a unit, talent wise this team is top four.

Premier League Predictions... Yupp I love Soccer, what of it?

*Note:  I wrote this Friday night before the season started and it's been sitting in my queue. Whoops.

Premier League is just around the corner, and as someone who admittedly has not been following the league full-heartedly for very long, I am very excited for NBC's coverage of every game.  In recent past, I had been forced to follow by keep track of scores aaaaand by playing FIFA.
 (That's how I came to like Tottenham few years back.  The Dempsey signing made them my full-fledged team over Fulham aaaand now he's gone... But hey, I'm hooked now, Come on You Spurs!)

Yeah sure I haven't been a "Spurs fan" for long, I've always liked the team, especially when they had Robbie Keane.  This is neither here nor there, the point is I've been following long enough to blog a predictions blog and now I'm all in because of NBC.

So here we go! Barclay's Premier League Predictions from your beloved Bearded Blogger

I'll start in reverse order for the Europe spots:
5th place: Everton.
Going with a surpriser, but this is 100% contingent that they maintain Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines.  If they lose either, that's enough to drop them.  The Toffees finished 6th last season, but with a new manager will they be able to get that Europa spot?  I'm going bold and saying yes.  Tim Howard is a stalwart between the pipes and will lead them to European Competition.

4th place: Tottenham Hotspurs.
Tottenham finished 4th two years ago but missed out on champions cup because Chelsea won the whole tournament.  Last year the team set a record for points, but finished 1 point behind arch rival Arsenal and missed champions cup again.  This season, Andre Villas-Boas and the Spurs are poised to qualify for Champions Cup.  Spurs have opened up the checkbooks to make this possible (and to try to keep superstar Gareth Bale at White Heart Lane.)  The biggest is the 26 million pound striker Roberto Soldado from Valencia.  Spurs needed desperately a true striker to score with Bale last year, now they have it.  The other additions make this a Champions Cup squad and will qualify this season.

3rd Place: Manchester City.
New management for Man City this year, but it won't cause them to drop much this year with the talent this team has.  After struggling for years, the big-spending policy of late has finally paid off for Man City and they now have a cohesive squad that's even won a premier league title.  The addition of Negredo gives Man City another scoring option and the new management should mean a fresh start for striker Edin Dzeko, who fell out of favor under Roberto Mancini.  Dzeko is a stud and should be their number one scoring option.  Expect big things.

2nd Place: Manchester United.
The other Manchester club... Actually that's Man City.  The main Manchester club is coming off another premier league title.  Number 10000 it seems like.  They had the leagues golden boot winner in Robin Van Persie and the whole squad is back.  But is Rooney going to stick around?  I think he will, but it won't be enough to repeat.  Why?  Well... becaaaauuusee...

1st Place: Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho is back at Stamford Bridge, the last manager to actually last more than a season since the new ownership took over ten years ago.  He enjoyed much success his first stint and is poised to continue where he left off.  Lampard appeared out the door until Mourinho was announced.  The players love him and he is a brilliant manager.  Juan Matta and Eden Hazard are two of the best midfielders in the premiership and new additions like Kevin De Bruyne make Chelsea my prediction for the title.  Mostly the return of Mourino though...

You may have noticed... No Liverpool, No Arsenal...
I predict these two major clubs will miss European play, unless one of them wins the domestic cup.  Liverpool because I think their garbage and Suarez is a cancer, although at least they try to improve their team...
Unlike Arsenal.  I have Arsenal in 6th.  Why? They have the same team that finished 4th...
They'll drop because Tottenham is better this season and because I think more and more people involved with the team are becoming disgruntled with the nonspending philosophy of Wegner and the ownership group... Wegner's time is up at Arsenal.  He's losing his grip on the team and the fan base.

I encourage you all to enjoy some of the "beautiful game" on NBC this year!  You'll get hooked... or some good sleep.  Both are good though...



Gareth Bale please stay I need you in my life..........

Why Gareth Bale Transfer would be BAD for Everyone

Gareth Bale. He's young, he's talented, he's Welsh.

 Bale is the man at Tottenham, winning premier league player of the year last year and netting 23 goals for Spurs.  After the season he had, suitors would be calling for sure.  But he (initially) pledged his commitment to fulfilling out his contract extension he signed just one summer ago.

Oh what a difference a few months make...

A day hasn't gone by since the July transfer window opened that Bale's name hasn't come up.  And it's all rumored with Real Madrid.

As a Spurs and Bale fan, I selfishly don't want him to leave... But after I actually took the time to look at everything as a neutral member of the "media," I think it would be in everyone's best interest if Bale stays at White Hart Lane.

Let's start with the obvious.  It's in Spurs' best interest to keep Bale because he's so damn good, the best player on the team, the face of the club, the revenue generator, and he pretty much was the entire team last season, scoring one third of the teams goals.

They need him.  The times Bale didn't play, Spurs looked lost and unable to generate anything.  Now the team has improved with the additions of Soldado, Paulinho, and Chadli, but that's not enough.  They need Bale.

But what about Real Madrid, Dave?  You said it would be in everyone's best interest if he stayed, how would it be in theirs to not get such a talented player?

Good question, I'm glad you asked.

First of all, they want Bale because they want to flex their muscle.  Tottenham isn't a brand like ManU or Chelsea or Barca.  Players can and have been lured away from there.  So just like Luka Modric, Real want to force Tottenham into selling one of their best.

No, they don't just want to flex muscle Dave, teams don't do that.

Real Madrid does.  Real has been about acquiring the best talent regardless of fit or team chemistry for years now.  While Barca develop moreso and bring in guys that fit perfectly, Real will just throw money at individual talent like an ADD kid playing FIFA.

You sign Bale, where does he play?  He plays the same position and style as Christiano Ronaldo, so do you move CRon?  Do you move Bale?  How can CRon and Bale gel?  What about Ozil, Benzema, amongst many others?

The pricetag is so enormous on Bale right now only a team with the priorities of Real Madrid would be dumb enough to pay it.  I love Bale, but he's not worth what Real will have to pay.  But all Real want to do is spend huge, absurd dollars, euros, pounds, whatever, to prove that they are a powerhouse.  They still won't beat Barca.

Why should Bale stay?  For the same reasons Tottenham need him and why Real shouldn't buy him.  

White Hart lane is perfect for him.  He's beloved, he's the star, he's turning into a brand.  At Real I have no doubt that he will struggle to catch fire.

The enormous price tag will come with enormous expectations and enormous pressure.  Bale is only 23 and probably not ready for it.  Real will give up more for Bale than they did to get CRon.  

He has a perfect situation with Tottenham.  Yes, they're not as alluring as Real or Barca, but he is the face of a team on the rise, that can and would pay him a HEAFTY amount to stay.  If he wants to continue to brand himself like he has lately, he'll stay at White Hart Lane

(at least for one more year)

Dombrowski Owns Deadline Day

He did it again.  Dave Dombrowski has once again gone out and made a good team better before that trade deadline hit.  He may not draft that well, but Dombrowski can sure wheel n deal with the best of em.

It started with the acquisition of Jose Veras from the Astros for outfield prospect Danry Vasquez.  Danry has potential and he's only 19, but outfield prospects seem to be a dime a dozen, especially in our system.  So ignore the fact he's ranked 4th in our system, it's worth parting ways.

In return, the Tigers get a veteran righty who will help solidify the back end of the pen.  He closed all year with Houston, so we know that if Benoit is unavailable, Veras can step in no problem.

But the big deal came around midnight.  In what is technically, two separate, two-team trades, the Detroit Tigers received young shortstop prospect Jose Iglesias from the Red Sox for the "two-pitch wonder" Brayan Villareal and little Miggy Avisail Garcia.  The Sox then shipped Garcia and a handful of prospects to the White Sox for Jake Peavy.

Technically not a three team trade, so DD technically did not send Garcia to a team in the division... buuuuut He probably knew all the pieces of this deal. And it's not a three-team trade because the ChiSox gave nothing to the Tigers, in case you're wondering why I'm being a stickler.

But back to the main point, Iglesias is such a snag by DD.  This kid can straight up play the position.  Oh and he can play third and second too.  The kid flashes leather like a drunk chick at Mardi Gras.

The bat isn't there, it won't ever be there.  He's hitting .330 by the sheer grace of God.  With development, he could be a .260-270 hitter.  But his defense will more than make up for his ineptitude at the plate.

Peralta will get suspended.  Everyone in the league knew we needed a SS and yet DD got us a pretty damn good one who's locked up for five years.

Bravo, Mr. Dombrowski.

Red Wings Make Big Splash as NHL Summer Begins

It's Free Agent Frenzy day in the NHL, and as the dust begins to settle on the 50 signings made around the league, or beloved Red Wings got busy early.

It started with a shocker before the 12 o'clock shotgun start, as it was announced that Mr. Senator Daniel Alfredsson would leave his home of 18 years and sign with the Detroit Red Wings.

Ummm wow?

But the Wings weren't done yet, signing their top need and target Stephen Weiss, centerman from the Florida Panters.  That deal was 5 years, $4.9ish million, much better than the advertised $6 mill initial price tag.

These two moves, coupled with the youth movement and the pieces already in place, make this team a dangerous team coming to the East.  I eagerly await to see these two new pieces on the ice.

Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Alferdsson is going to be a sexy line.

Alfredsson, despite being 40, is still a good player.  In Ottawa, he had to do everything, in Detroit, all he'll have to do is score, and he will.  Plus being a right-hander on this roster will open things up for him to score.

Weiss provides much needed insurance for Babcock at center.  The problem with Filppula is he never could stabilize the second line center spot, and hence Pav and Z would have to get split up.
That won't happen with Weiss.  He's a better playmaker and a solid two-way guy.  5 years is a long time, but the Wings won't regret this move.

The Red Wings aren't done.  Expect players to be moved, possibly for picks, or even a handful of forwards for a defenseman.  That would be ideal but highly unlikely.  Pieces like Samuelson, Tootoo, Emmerton could be shipped for picks.  A guy like Tatar could be moved in a deal for a big named defenseman, (he was offered along with Brendon Smith for Edler before Edler's no-trade clause kicked in)

So far so good on the Red Wings front.  Fans should feel good right now, especially because Alfie's decision to leave Ottawa to come here is a ringing endorsement that we are, in the eyes of players, the eyes that matter, once again... Cup Contenders.

Happy Free Agent Day y'all

The Arrogance of Aaron Hernandez

Today at 8:45 a.m.  Aaron Hernandez, the now former New England Patriot tight end was arrested, charged with murder in the first degree.

We all know the story by now, Odin Lloyd, a friend of Hernandez, was found shot and killed in an industrial park 10 days ago on June 17th.  In the days the follow, Hernandez was linked to the victim, his house searched, a warrant allegedly prepared for his arrest, but on obstruction of justice charge.

Murder suspicion was never officially released to the public.  But it doesn't take a genius to piece the clues that were public together.  The police just took as much time as they needed gathering evidence.

And in the arraignment today, the prosecutor talked for over 20 minutes, detailing evidence they did have and piecing together the crime.

This wasn't a crime of passion, Lloyd was not having some kind of affair or did anything really wrong to Hernandez.  This wasn't self-defense, heat of the moment, or even an accidental shooting.

It was a *alleged* plot by Mr. Aaron Hernandez to kill Lloyd in cold blood.

But why would someone with an NFL career, new $41.1million contract, a fiance, and a newborn baby want to kill someone for, must have been pretty serious?

Well Lloyd made the mistake of talking to people that Hernandez didn't like.  "You can't trust anyone anymore."  The state supposedly has that quote from Hernandez on his own surveillance type, hour before the body was found.

Hernandez *allegedly* killed a man, because he wasn't rolling with the right crew 24/7.

The arrogance around Hernandez is appalling.

Did he really think that he wouldn't get caught?  Who cares, it was important for he and his wanna-be-gangsters sent a message.  Talk to those guys and we'll kill you.

From the state's mountain of evidence, it seems that his crew and himself are ridiculously sloppy, so they didn't plan it very well.  But guessing by the way Hernandez carries himself, he thought he was untouchable.

Talented, new family, 23, and he threw his life away.

Because his arrogance told him he was an untouchable star.

*All the allegations against him are alleged until he has his day in court.  Innocent until proven guilty.

For extra reading, check out this article from Yahoo!

Jozy's June: USA Earns 9 Points in June WC Qualifiers

The good ol boys of the US of A were faced with three important games this June in their hopes of qualifying for World Cup 2014 in Brazil.
They came out of June with three victories, and nine huge points.  And they did this riding the red hot resurgence of striker Jozy Altidore.

Altidore has been the target of much criticism for lack of offensive production in his time representing the stars in stripes.  The striker position as a whole has been a weak point, but much was expected from Jozy after his coming out party against Spain in the confederations cup in 2009 (on my birthday too)

But after going 11 games with scoring, Jozy Altidore joins elite US company as one of the few players to have scored in 4 consecutive games.  All in June.

It started when Jozy scored in a 4-3 friendly victory against Germany.  Followed that up with a goal in a crucial 2-1 road win against the Reggae Boys in Kingston.  Last week, he scored in the 2-0 home victory against Panama.

And tonight, Jozy scored twice, although one was an offsides play, in a 1-0 victory against Honduras, avenging the USA's lone WC qualifying loss.

Tonights victory was a sluggish match.  Both teams looked very sloppy, but the US had the majority of possession and chances.  It wasn't pretty, but it was a victory.
A victory that all but assures a trip to Brazil for the Red, White, n' Blue

U.S Earn Crucial Road Points

Today the United States soccer team went down to Jamaica in their fourth game of the hexagonal World Cup qualifiers and stole 3 points from the Reggae Boyz on their home turf in a dramatic 2-1 victory.

Getting it started for the Americans was Jozy Altidore, who knocked in an easy header from inside the six yard box off the beautiful cross from Graham Zusi in the 30th minute.


That lead would hold for most of the match, as the United States did a terrific job of keeping the pressure on the Jamaicans and holding onto the majority of possession.
But as the lead stayed at 1 and the Reggae Boyz began to press, an opportunity arose in the 89th minute after a Zusi foul led to a Jamaican free kick.  A long ball was sent into the box and was headed home by Beckford.

But the resilient Americans did not let up.  After surviving another Jamaican scoring chance, the US led a counter attack which yielded a corner.  The corner was quickly taken short, and when Bradley got the ball back, he found Brad Evans for the quick turn and perfectly placed finish to the US the lead back in stoppage time.


This was a huge win on the road for the Americans, giving them 7 points in the hex and firmly placing them in second place.  If they can take care of business on their home turf, there will be no doubt about the US's qualification to Brazil.

Red Wings Season Recap: Youth Movement has Arrived

David Guralnick/Detroit News

Last Wednesday our beloved Red Wings fell in a heartbreaking overtime game seven against Original Six rival Chicago Blackhawks.  Heartbreaking because the Wings had a 3-1 series lead, but we should not be angry at the collapse.

Normally, if the Wings blew a lead like that, I'd be furious, but considering the youth of our squad, what we lost and were missing, and how young and inexperienced our squad is, that series and this postseason are going to be a great learning experience for our youths.

And seriously folks, when was the last time the Wings were "young."

No fan should be disappointed by this season.  A team plagued by injury all season, and also lost two key defensemen, including Captain Nick, not only made the postseason, against many expectations, but  eliminated the two seeded Anaheim Ducks and took the top seeded Blackhawks to game seven.

The emergence of Jimmy Howard should give every Red Wings fan faith that next year won't be as rough a regular season.  Howard proved that he can win playoff and big games.  He carried this team.  Carried them into the playoffs, the second round, and all the way to game seven against the top seed.

The offseason should be very interesting.  Ian White will be gone, and Valteri Filppula will likely follow him out the door.  Val wants $5 million contract and hasn't wavered on that stance.  He will probably get that, just not from Detroit.  Not enough production to warrant that deal.

The Red Wings will have cap space aplenty, and if a top line goal scoring hits the market, I fully expect the Wings to be bidders.

With Pavel Datsyuk announcing his desire to sign a contract extension, Wings fans should expect (hope) that the front office will go out and find him a true goal scoring winger to pair him with.  Nathan Horton is a potential name that intrigues, would be a great fit.

Damien Brunner, Drew Miller, and Daniel Cleary will, in all early indications, be brought back, Brunner being the top priority.  A right-handed shooting goal scorer is too precious a resource for the Wings to let him walk away.  And he will probably cost less than Filppula.

This season should give everyone out there confidence and hope going forward.  Joakim Anderson, Gustav Nyquist, Brendan Smith, Jakub Kindl, and Brunner are all some of the young faces that emerged this season for the Wings.  Their development is key to the Wings making it 23 straight postseason appearances next season.

Which, by the way, I will already predict that they will indeed make it 23 straight.

Don't doubt the Beard, and never bet against the Wings.

Red Wings Advance in 7 as the 7 (told you so again)

Photo Credit John Gross

I'ma little late, but I'm taking a break from my vacation to bring you my thoughts that I know you all can't live without.

But our resilient Red Wings took out the Not-Mighty-Anymore Ducks of Anaheim, in 7 games, giving all us Wings lovers another third period scare in the process, but hung on to win 3-2 in the decisive game 7.

This seven game series was without a doubt one of the most fun playoff series I've ever had the pleasure of viewing (most of it.)  Two evenly matched teams battling it out night in and night out, only one game was a bad game.  4 of the 7 games went to overtime on top of that.

But our beloved Red Wings found a way to make past the second-seeded Ducks and now have a date with Chicago.

But how could the Red Wings, who just a matter of weeks ago were out of the playoffs, fund themselves still playing hockey?  Allow me to give you a rundown of some key points...

Bearded Style.

1. Playoff mentality
• When the Wings were always finishing as one of the top teams in the conference, there was one thing that always worried me about our first round matchup: The playoff mentality.  The Wings, and other low-seed teams, have been fighting for their playoff lives for weeks all the way up until the final game of the season.  They've been in playoff mode for weeks and this sometimes gives them a huge leg up on the opponents.
• Wings were 9th and had to win the last 4 games to get the 7 seed.  Minnesota finished 8, but had that spot kind of locked up for awhile, they fell into 8th but still had leeway over Columbus.
2. Perfect Matchup
• The Red Wings matched up beautifully with the Ducks, and even took the season series against them.  Yes, regular season doesn't matter in the post season, but you had to imagine there was a sense of confidence playing the Ducks as opposed to starting with Chicago.  Players claim not to think about this, but they do.
3. Youth Development
• Folks, this is the most important one here, the young folks of the Wings became men.  Babcock said it himself, without the development of the Anderson-Nyquist-Brunner line this team doesn't get past the Ducks and it's true.  That line gave Babcock good shift after good shift and scored two key overtime goals.
• But let's not forget the contributions of the other youngsters, Emmerton, Lashoff, Dekeyser, Smith, and Kindl.  While only the later of the two played every game of the series, these guys all got valuable experience this series/season, they all show a promising future for the Red Wings.
4. Beard Support

• Yupp, I predicted them to win, check the Twitter.  I may be wrong about most things, I was right about them making the playoffs, the seed they'd get(both preseason predictions, Ryan can back me up,) and them getting past the first round.

Next up we got Chicago, and unfortunately, the Wings looked outmatched.  Then again, everyone is outmatched against Chicago.  What gives me hope is that 3 out of 4 of the regular season matchups too OT or shootout, so it's been close.  And the Wings are hot and healthy for the first time.

Unfortunately, this pains me to do, but I'm going Hawks in 6.

This is your bearded blogger, keeping it real in Hawaii

Aloha y'all

The Beard Goes All Mel Kiper Jr

I'd been mulling over the Lions draft since it concluded yesterday around 7.  They filled most of their needs, so at least they did that.  But I can't help but think they're draft could have been better.

With the 5th pick the Detroit Lions took Ziggy Ansah, defensive end from BYU.  Fills a huge need, losing Cliff Avril, the Lions desperately needed a top end pass rusher.  But did they get it when they took Ziggy?  He has 4.5 sacks in his career.  4.5 sacks and only one year of significant playing time.  Oh and he never played football before college.

He is so raw that Gordan Ramsey would throw the Lions out of the kitchen in a glorious display of Scottish accent and cursing.

With his freakish athleticism, he could be the stud the Lions need.  But at number 5, I don't want a could be, I want a for certain.  What would I have done?  Try to trade down, assuming I couldn't... I'd probably take... Milliner?  Probably Milliner.

Second round though is where I have my biggest beef.  With other corners of perhaps more refined skill, the Lions make a pick at corner that would make Al Davis proud.  Darius Slay, the cornerback out of Mississippi State wasn't (arguably) the best cover corner on his team, let alone available at that pick.
The Lions became enamored with his 4.35 40 time.  So much so that we ignored knee problems.  Second round pick of a guy coming off a knee injury, stop me if you've heard this before.
What would I have done?  Trade down.  There were plenty of need/skill guys to make a move.  There would have been a suitor for a trade I have no doubt.  But the Lions were hell bent on getting Slay, but hey, what do I know?  I'm just a guy with a keyboard.

Third round the Lions finally make a pick I'm okay with, taking the big guard from Kentucky Larry Warford.  He will be starting and he will be a solid guard for years to come.  YaaaaaY Lions!

The fourth round pick end Devin Taylor from South Carolina next.  He's got freakish size, so no complaints here.  4th round pick guys need to make an impact in a couple years tops, this is the part of the draft the Lions haven't hit since.....................  I actually have no idea.

5th round pick... WE TOOK A PUNTER!!!!!!!!!!!!  A punter who didn't even lead his sub-D1 league in yards average.  In fact, he was third.
"But Dave, we need a punter!"  Hush child.  Take one in the 7th if you're so determined to take one.  Bring in 8 punters for a try out.  They're punters, there's like 50 looking for work.  Pick one.

6th round we get a wide receiver! Yay!  Tall guy that can run but can't run routes.  Exactly what I want in a wide receiver.  Al Davis would be proud.  But 6th rounders are projects.
199th pick, the Tom Brady pick.  The Lions take a Notre Dame man in Theo Riddick.  Puuuuuuuke. Lions are taking him for kick returning I presume.  Sooo there's that.  But I don't like him.  Yes it's because his school, deal with it.

7th round here we go!  Lions take Mike Williams.  Tight End from Alabama.  Hopefully this goes better than our first Mike Williams.  But he went to Bama, and all they do is produce pros so hey I like it.
Last pick, the Lions FINALLY take a linebacker.  I've wanted one since round 2.  So we take one.  But he won't be anything but a special teamer.  Let's be real here.  Brandon "Don't Call Me Audrey" Hepburn from Florida A&M, King Kwame's old stomping ground.  He's a biochemistry major... So I guess that's cool...

On a side note, the Lions told Denard if he fell to them in the 5th, they were taking him... This makes me sad.  I wanted him.  Just because I know he'll never play QB, and when you know that, you want Robinson.

Overal, they addressed the many needs they had, so I can't complain too much.  But I'm not blown away.  I'll give them a B that could easily become an A or a D.  I do have a hunch that this was the last draft for Mayhew and Schwartz... But that's another blog for another time.

Remember folks, I know more than Mel Kiper Jr so read this, not his articles.

Red Wing Playoff streak at 22... I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!

I have friends and people that like to talk sports with me.  I did not write an official prediction blog, but people can attest that I have been very adamant all season long and even before the year that your beloved Detroit Red Wings would be amongst the eight teams in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League to compete for a chance to become the Stanley Cup Champions in the 2013 postseason.

I was told, "No, you're dumb"  "They have no chance"  "Too old"  I was even laughed at when I said I thought they were a playoff team.  Not a Cup contender, just one of the top 8 in the Western Conference.  I was laughed at.

I never wained, and now after Detroit's 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars, I can proudly write this blog and say what I've been waiting to say even before this season began...

I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!

I said they've been "too old" since 2001.  I said they've been written off year after year.  Everything I had been told this year that I "wasn't seeing" is the same rap I've heard year after year.  And all I said was this, 21 years ain't no fluke, they always find a way.

And found a way they did, getting hot at the right time to take themselves from a 9 seed on the outside looking in to the 7th seed getting a more favorable matchup and a trip to Disney Land.

Now a full playoff preview will come at a later time, but real quick I will say this:  Anaheim a much better matchup than Chicago and the Wings are hot at the right time.  Look out.

There's a lesson to be learned hear ladies and gentlemen:

Do not doubt the Beard.

Happy playoffs everyone!

Get Ziggy With It (puns are funny)

With the 5th pick in the 2013 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select... Ziggy Ansah, defensive end, BYU.

I can't rationally hate this pick.  No KVB, no Avril, a pass rusher was clearly our biggest need.  But why am I still not happy?

I'm still nto happy because Ziggy can't speak English.  That's because he's only been in America in 2009.  Okay, I don't have him for his broken English, but it's a part of my beef with him.

He has hardly played any football in his life.

This is a risk.  And when you're picking at number five, you can't afford to take risks.  Unfortunately for the Lions, the three tackles went in the top four, but Dee Milliner was still on the board.

In an ideal Dave Cobb world, the Lions would have traded down picked up some extra picks and still pick up a guy like Milliner, Chance Warmack, Jarvis Jones, the list of guys I like goes on.

But instead, the Lions took the one guy I had on my "Don't you dare even thing about it board."

But what else is new?  The Lions never make me happy.  Ever.

But he does have tremendous upside.  He has great size and is a tremendous athlete.  He could be the next Jason Pierre-Paul, but unfortunately for him he was drafted by the Lions.  This fills our biggest need so it can't possibly be a bad pick... right?

Bottom line, he has tremendous upside, but can he provide the immediate impact the Lions need from a #5 pick?

We'll see how this pick works out, and I won't be proven right (or wrong I guess) until he takes the field.

Let's hope this one pans out...

Full Beard of Sports: Sorry for being lazy.

I am way behind on things I want/need to talk about, so I'm forced to do a quick wham bam post for you all, more substantial stuff is on the way!

Here's some quick headlines and comments for ya:

The Red Wings are in 9th place, in danger of missing the playoffs for the first time in my lifetime.  I will not pick against them until they are eliminated.  Dallas lost, which helps.  Columbus is the 8th but The Red Wings have the tie breaker and two games at hand on the Blue Jackets.

Although, if Detroit is eliminated from the playoffs, Columbus better be the team that does it.  In a perfect world, Detroit will win out, Minnesota will lose out, and the Wings and Jackets will be dancing in the playoffs cuz the Jackets are the team of destiny, right Tommy?

...

Decisions decisions.

Backus, Hanson retired from the Lions.  Burke and Hardaway Jr are going pro, Pistons fired Lawrence Frank, there's a lot of moving and shaking going on lately.  I'll go into more details about the Michigan decisions when I write my post mortem, but real quick on the Pistons:
They're a joke.  Three straight coaches fired before their third year.  And Joe D is on board to hire his EIGHTH coach.  There should have only been two options this offseason: Joe D and Frank get one more shot, or clean house.

It's time to clean house.

...

The Boston Marathon tragedy... I'm glad the ordeal is finally over.  Those two punks are scumbags and they picked the wrong city to f**k with.  My prayers are with the victims of the actions of these two cowards.
I am no longer surprised by the depth of evil humanity is capable of, but it's always great to see the resolve of a community to unite and overcome attacks like this.  BostonStrong.

...

The Tigers are playing baseball.   That's about it.  Got smacked by the Angels again.  The bullpen is horrendous.  It needed some tweaks in the offseason but Double D didn't do a thing.  And now it's clear to the world it's our weakness.

The Fat Potato is pitching well against high schoolers and 30+ year olds who never gave up on their dream.  But he's not an answer to any problem we're having.  Sept that closer one I guess.  I welcome the Potato back, if he's pitching well enough.  Give him a shot, why not? No one else is doing any good.

Rondon is lookin solid in Toledo.  If Villareal doesn't get his ERA below 30 soon then I think it's time to pull a swap.  Villareal is a two-pitch pitcher, so I welcome literally any other pitcher in our system over him.

They'll win the central though.  They'll find some arms to settle down and the bats will find consistency.  I'm not panicking, just blogging.

This is has been your Bearded Sports Wrap up... I'm Dave and this has been one man's uninformed, unqualified opinion.

enjoy your Saturday y'all

Red Wings; Howard Agree on 6-year extension.

Today it was announced that the Detroit Red Wings have reached an agreement with goaltender Jimmy Howard on a six year extension.

Because I love Twitter and value every fans two-bit opinion (because  I don't.  And yes, my opinion is a two-bit opinion as well... I just blog it so it's... more words.) I did a little social media scouring to see what the overal feeling about the signing was...

And it seems the only people in love with the signing are the females that find him "dead sexy."

The rest... Most seem to hate it.  But a variation of these particular words keep coming up, and this is what I'm blogging for...

The Wings won't win a cup for the next six years... Even further than that though, they say they are "committed to not winning the cup."

Now if you remember I was harsh on Howard and was torn apart by all you lovely people back in 2010.  And now, I am taking the role of the voice of reason and there is something seriously wrong with this.

Now I don't think the Wings are winning the cup this year, but anything can happen if you get in so who knows.  I'm usually wrong about everything, but that's different story.

In Detroit over the years, myself included here, the fans here have been known to be extra harsh on three people in particular: The Detroit Lions quarterback, The Detroit Tigers closer, and The Detroit Red Wings goalie.

It's a fact.  If you don't believe me, look at Charlie Batch's first couple season stats in Detroit, or the stats of Todd Jones or best example, Curtis Joseph's playoff stats.  So many insist he's the reason for our too early exit, but he was stellar.

Jimmy Howard isn't perfect.  He's not elite.  He probably won't win a Vezna (see line "I'm always wrong") But here's one thing  I do think:  Jimmy Howard is good enough to win a Stanley Cup.

Key word here is enough.

He's not going to be the goalie that steals series after series as we run to the cup, but he can and has stolen games.  He can do that.  He is a reliable number one goaltender and is a respectable starting tender.

Now if the Wings don't win a Cup in the next six years it won't be because of the man between the pipes.  It will be because young Grand Rapids kids don't pan out and we fail to properly replace Datsyuk and any other veteran who retires.

Goalie used to be a position in Detroit where it didn't matter how good they were, they just needed to not be bad.  Which lead to the blame being on their shoulders when the star-studded teams failed to reach expectations.

But now those times are gone.  It's time to realize the talent is there between the pipes and it's lacking elsewhere on the ice.  If the Wings were even remotely as loaded as they once were, a goalie of Howard's talent would lead to a Cup.  I have no doubts about that.

Glad to have ya for years to come Jimmithy.  Here's to hoping a Cup is in our future... Cuz Damnit I will not accept a losing Wings team.

Team of Destiny? Wolverines Run Still Going

I haven't blogged enough about this tournament run.  I didn't write up about Kansas or Florida.  My fault folks.  But the excitement and disbelief of this run has overwhelmed me to be completely honest.  But it's time to do my "job."

Michigan's win over Kansas was one for the ages.  Down 14 in the second half, down 10 with just over two minutes left, the team did not quit.  Trey Burke hit the most absurd shot I have ever seen.  Ever.  From way down town to tie the game late.  Stone cold.

The game against Florida was a bit shocking.  I had a feeling Michigan would win; Florida hadn't played a non-double-digit seed the tournament.  But I did not expect Michigan to come out and punch them in the mouth like that and then keep at it.  Florida was never in the game, besides when it was 0-0.

Now that brings us to last night.  Syracuse had shut down teams, averaging a tournament low 49.5 ppg against.  The 2-3 zone of Boeheim and the Orange was well-talked about.  The length of the players, how would Burke fair penetrating?  How would the Michigan shooters handle the close-out length and speed of the Syracuse defenders?

Well in a way, the answer to the first question was "not well."  Burke struggled offensively, hitting only one shot from the field (a really deep three.)  But Burke did make some, not all, his free throws late.  Michigan still did it's best from the line to keep Syracuse in it, missing nine all together.

The three point shooters did get the job done.  They shot 33% (8-24) which doesn't sound all that pretty, but eight three pointers made is what's key.  24 points from beyond the arc will go a long way in helping any team win a ball game, and it sure helped Michigan over come the 2-3 zone.

Give John Beilein credit, who gets his first win over Boeheim in his 10th try.  Beilein had that team ready to play against that zone.  Given a week to prepare, he made sure the players were ready to shoot over close outs and lengthy arms, doing drills where players held what looked to me like a pad on a stick, to simulate the close out.

But the key to this game, in my eyes, was the play of Mitch McGary.  Coach Beilein said all week they had Mitch running passing and shooting drills from the elbow, the ideal place to have the ball to beat a two three zone.  And his stat line (10 points, 12 boards, and 6 assists) showed that all that extra work really payed off.

Next up for the Wolverines, a date with Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals, the number one overal seed of the tournament.  Louisville loves to full court pressure and force turnovers.  This game should be an up and down game.

And here's why, I'm taking... MICHIGAN.  Louisville relies on turnovers and pressure.  Michigan has the guards to break pressure in Burke, Hardaway, Albrecht, and Stauskus.  Michigan doesn't turn the ball over, having one of the lowest turnover margins in the country.

The up-tempo game that Louisville wants to play is also the pace Michigan wants to play.  And I believe the key to this game will be guard play.  Siva and Smith are the second best backcourt in the country... Behind Burke and Hardway.  I'm taking the Wolverines in this one 77-72 in what should be an up and down thriller.

GO BLUE!

Full-Bearded Sports: "Clever Wrap-Up Title"

Happy Friday people!  A lot has happened this week so far, and some big things have gone down today.  So let me stop with the pleasantries and get right into the good stuff.

Let's start of with the big news of this Good Friday.  My fellow Tiger fans...
We can breathe again.  No need to fret, Justin Verlander is a Tiger for life.  Today, Verlander and the Detroit Tigers reached an agreement that keeps Verlander in Detroit through potentially 2020.  The deal is worth $180 million through 2019, with a $22 million vesting option that kicks in 2020 if he finishes in the top 5 Cy Young voting in 2019.

Bottom line, the Tigers did what they had to do.  They gave Verlander whatever his heart desired and now we have the best pitcher in baseball locked up.  Now bring on the World Series.

...

Other big news of the day, the Red Wings signed undrafted free agent defenseman Danny Dekeyser from Western Michigan.  Dekeyser is a local product from Warren De La Salle.  Along with the Wings, six other teams were interested in the 23 year-old defenseman.

This is key for the Wings.  Dekeyser has the skill to play right away and with the injuries the Red Wings have, he could see top four minutes right away.

...

Real quick cuz the Michigan game is on now,

The US drew against Mexico to get a key point on the road in World Cup Qualifying.  The defense, filled with inexperienced internationals, looked stellar once again. And Brad Guzan in two starts for the injured Tim Howard, picked up his second clean sheet.

...

Go Blue Beat Kansas!

Full-Beard of Sports: Busy Day in Sports World

This is the first edition of what I'm temporarily calling the "Full-Beard of Sports," which I intend to do once a week, as part of a weekly wrap-up.

But today was a BUSY day of sports, so the "weekly" wrap-up is pretty much one day.

The sports news story that had my eye tonight was the USA vs Costa Rica World Cup Qualifier match in Denver tonight.  After losing a game at Honduras, a game they should have managed at least a point, the US needed a victory in the worst way to keep WC hopes alive.

And the United States took care of business, beating Costa Rica 1-0 on a Clint Dempsey goal in the 16th minute.  The US survived the snow storm and a late push by Costa Rica to get those three crucial points.

The US were without keeper and leader Tim Howard, who's out with two broken bones in his back.  They were also missing a handful of players on the backline due to injury, such as Steve Cherundolo and Timmothy Chandler.  There were many questions going into the game as to who would be in net, who would be on that back line, and could a group of defenders who have such few caps together, stay organized and hold off Costa Rica.

Brad Guzan was stellar in net with only one mistake that did not yield a goal.  A clean sheet in heavy snow has got to be a huge confidence boost.  And Omar Gonzales, Clarence Goodson, Geoff Cameron, and Demarcus Beasley had a solid match on the back line.  There were no major break downs in communication like we're used to seeing.  Costa Rica did score, but it was waved off on the offside flag.  The back line was well positioned and no straggler kept the offender onside.

This win is huge for the morale of the squad.  Earlier this week, stories broke out of anonymous players, calling out teammates and manager Jurgen Klinsman.  And with so many question marks and harsh weather conditions, it took a head-down and grind-it-out approach to win this game.

This win should build momentum heading into Tuesday's match with Mexico.  Steal a draw there, and the US will be on the inside track to qualifying for the World Cup, and at the same time, put the pressure on Mexico who blew a 2-0 lead today and drew with Honduras and have only 2 points.

Then there's also this thing called March Madness.  three 12 seeds won, (although are Oregon, Cal, and Ole Miss really 12 seeds?)  Florida Gulf Coast beat Georgetown, a 15 over a 2, and a plethora of other upsets have left no perfect brackets left in the millions of submissions on ESPN.
What has impressed (but not shocked) me the most is how competitive this field is.  There are no dominant teams, and the lower seed teams are a lot closer in talent to the big boys.  Two 16 seeds took #1 seeds to the wire.  I foresee a 16 seed getting that first win against a #1 in the near future.

Just another opening round of March Madness.

The Red Wings got an important win against the red-hot Ducks.  The Red Wings scored five on the road to get the first win of back-to-back games against the Ducks in a 5-1 victory.  Also of note, Justin Abdelkader got his first career hat-trick.  This coming a game after I spent a good five minutes ranting to a friend of mine about how I couldn't wait for him to get off of Pavel's line.

My negativity continues to be the good-luck charm of any Detroit based team or athlete.  Your welcome, Abdelkader.

Goodnight everybody, more madness tomorrow as MSU and Michigan play at the Palace tomorrow.  Michigan plays VCU at 12:15 and MSU takes on Memphis after that.

SHOUT OUT TO ME!!!! 200 posts!  Woo!

Bearded Bracketology: Predictions

Well the brackets are in, and we are on the eve of the beginning of one the most exciting months in all of sports.  It's March Madness, BABY, BEST TIME OF THE YEAR, IT'S AWESOME!!!! (Dickie V voice)

What makes March Madness so great is the unpredictability of it all.  But why the hell should that stop us from trying to predict the out come???  SO without further delay, here are some of the predictions made in Bearded Bracketology!

Me:
Final Four: Indiana, Florida, Ohio State, Duke.
National Championship:  Indiana over Duke.

• Indiana was my preseason pick, and winning the regular season title in the tough Big Ten can only help prepare a team for a tournament run.  I think they are well-balanced and can beat any team in a variety of ways.  But the difference for me is their ability to run the court.  Any missed shot suddenly becomes a fast break opportunity for the Hoosiers.  They can run any team up and down the court.  

Ryan Theisen:

Final Four:  Duke, OSU, Michigan, Miami.

National Championship: Duke over Miami.

• Duke has unreal three-point shooting.  I believe Steph Curry is the best shooter in the country.  Ryan Kelly's versatility causes matchup nightmares for opponents, and Mason Plumlee on the block is hard to keep off the boards.  They have too many weapons to matchup with.

Sully:

Final Four:  Wisconsin, St. Louis, Miami, Georgetown

National Championship: Miami over Wisconsin.

• Miami is experienced and clicking right now.  They have an easy road to the finals, as long as they get past Indiana.  St. Louis is hot and underrated, they will make a run.  Georgetown is a rising team in a region of falling teams.  And Wisconsin's defense allows them to be in games, even if they're not shooting well
• Potential Upsets: Minnesota, Davidson, St. Mary's, Belmont, Colorado.

E.J: 

Final Four: Louisville, Ohio State, Indiana, Georgetown

National Championship:  Indiana over Louisville

• Indiana because of their quickness, experience, shooting, and their inside game. As an all-around team, I don't think anyone is on their level.  
• Don't be surprised to see Wisconsin make a run potentially to the Final Four.  Their D is lockdown.  I have them taking out Gonzaga in the Sweet 16
• Florida, Gonzaga, Miami, and Michigan are the most overrated going into the tournament.
• UPSET:  Butler will take out Miami in the Sweet 16

Bryan Berend:

Final Four: Michigan, Louisville, Indiana, Ohio State

National Champion: Michigan

• Michigan because I think they have all the elements of a championship team if they can work together and not have Burke do all the work

Mike "Stank" Hoban also wanted to note an upset he's calling.

• Pitt over the zags in the second round, kelly olyenik doesn't play many other seven footers and I think he will struggle

Thanks to those sharing their predictions, if you would like yours included, try to get a hold of me before tomorrow morning and I will try to accommodate you.  Or just leave it in the comment section... I read those... I will be enjoying four games of college basketball LIVE from the Palace of Auburn Hills.  It's about time some good basketball was played there.

But thank you all who joined the Bearded Bracketology, all 11 of you.  There's still one of you who hasn't identified yourself, CaptainSquirt10... I thought that name was fake til I saw you've been a member at ESPN since 2010 and actually filled out your favorite teams.  Identify yourself, or I may kick you out of the group cuz I am a giant tool...

(I probably won't, but I would like to know who you are, obviously you at least read my blog.)

Anywho, Goodnight, Good luck, and Enjoy the Madness people.

Bearded Bracketology: Let the Madness Begin

Selection Sunday.  It's that day that every team works for, whether it's the midmajor teams hoping for a chance or the top teams battle for the top seed and a beneficial regional placement.

It's like that first day of spring.  The grind of the season is over and college basketball starts a new.

This year should shape up to be a dandy of a tournament, with no real top team and a lot of good solid teams in the field.  Anything can happen. (Well, except maybe a 16 seed winning a game. Some day...)

Although most sports bloggers will probably tell you their final four, upsets and list off reasons why they're right.  Truth is, they don't know jack... and guess what? Neither do I.  The tournament is a crap shoot and that's what makes it great.

So in my expert opinion, here's some things to watch for in the 2013 rendition of the NCAA tournament:

• Watch the games.  They're gonna be good.  Even the low seeds will give the higher seeds trouble this year.  Minnesota an 11, Oregon's a 12, South Dakota State has one of the best players in college basketball, and you've probably never heard of him. (Nate Wolters)
• 1 seeds on upset alert.  The top seeds of this tournament aren't ever Final Four locks, this year especially.  Gonzaga hasn't been tested, Indiana went through the grind of B1G ball, Louisville struggled mightily for a stretch and Kansas could face matchups that will give them fits.
• The Big Ten.  The Big Ten has been hailed as the best conference in basketball this season, will it translate to their first national champion since Michigan State in 2000?

In terms of our two local schools, Michigan State got a draw that really could favor them.  They should handle Valpo no problem, but Memphis will be a challenge.  The 30 win team from Conference USA has no shortage of athleticism, but I don't expect this Izzo team to fall flat early.  The Spartans then could potentially face Duke, and Coach K will not want to see this Izzo team in March.  MSU would be a matchup nightmare for the Blue Devils and could definitely get to the Elite 8 over the 2 seeded Duke boys.  

Ultimately, I expect MSU to make to the Sweet 16.  I haven't decided who I am going to officially take in the Duke/MSU matchup, but just for S's and G's, I'm going Sparty.  But Elite 8 is as far as I'll take them.  But I'm usually wrong.

Now Michigan on the other hand, has themselves a tougher draw, but one that could work in their favor.  Should be a fun matchup against the South Dakota State Jackrabbits.  Two of the best point guards in the country with Trey Burke and Nate Wolters.  Michigan has the better team so should win... SHOULD.  After that they'll probably have a date with VCU.  That will be a great game to watch; two teams that match up well with each other.  I will take Michigan in that one, but it could go either way.

Michigan to the Sweet 16.  With the high expectations going into the season and the high ranking maintained most of the year, if that's the round the run stopped many fans would see it as a failure.  And the angry, critical part of me wants to agree, but I think we saw how good this Michigan team really is as the season unfolded.  Talented, but not all there and missing that killer instinct.  Michigan has that potential to upset Kansas, but I'll take the Jayhwaks in that matchup and a Sweet 16 exit for the Wolverines.

But the thing that I care most about, is WHERE ARE MY HAWKEYES???? COME ON HAWKEYE NATION GOT JOBBED!!!! HAWKEYE UP HAWKEYE UP!

***** 

I'M NOT DONE YET!

I am hosting an online bracket through ESPN, so if you would like to join in the Bearded Bracketology, let me know and I will hook you up with an invite and the secret password.  It'd be greatly appreciated if you joined in, and plus it's free.  You know you're going to do at least ONE bracket, why not make it a Bearded one?

Also, I would like to do a post about my predictions and the others in this pool.  If you would like to do a quick, one-two paragraph blurb about your final four/winner and local school prediction and have it featured in my blog, let me know and send me a write up.  I think it'd be a cool feature, and you get to show off how much smarter you are than me.