A neat concept…

Super team gets superpowers

Free Press article by John Monaghan

Up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … Chauncey Billups?

As if it wasn’t enough that your world champion Detroit Pistons dominate the basketball court; starting this weekend, they’ll be cast as superheroes in short cartoons broadcast both on television and during Pistons games.

“Interplanetary Pistons” shorts are 90-second animated adventures that depict the Pistons’ starters with X-Men-style super powers. Ben Wallace’s hair, Rasheed Wallace’s wrist bands and Rip Hamilton’s face mask all play prominent roles. Nine cartoons are in the works.

The cartoon caricatures were designed by the Minneapolis-based Olson and Co. advertising agency, while the actual animation is being done at Jamination Productions in Columbus, Ohio.

Read the entire article.

Former Traverse City standout Suzy Merchant has her Eastern Michigan Women’s Basketball team poised for another outstanding season, check out the article below.

Merchant raises bar for Eagles - Former TC star returns home
Record-Eagle article by Dennis Chase
Traverse City - Suzy Merchant is setting the bar higher this season for her Eastern Michigan University women’s basketball team. Merchant guided the Eagles to their first Mid-American Conference (MAC) title in school history last season. Eastern Michigan then nearly upset No. 3 seed Boston College in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament. With a returning cast that includes two of the MAC’s top players, Merchant’s ready to build on that success. Read the entire article.

I am not a Red Sox fan at all. I used to like watching Wade Boggs hit and Yaz is one of my all-time favorites, but I never really cared for the Sox. I did enjoy watching them beat the Yankees though, and I would have enjoyed the World Series more, but they just dominated it. There wasn’t any sense that they might lose or that the “curse” would continue.

So anyway, congrats Red Sox Nation, you deserved it. It’s quite a year when many people pick you in spring training to have the best team and you show everyone that those people were right.

Here’s a couple of articles from Yahoo! Sports.

A catch, a celebration, a dynasty of disappointment is over

Boston 3, St. Louis 0

In keeping with the theme of the city, here’s what the NFL has come up with for the Super Bowl at Ford Field in 2006.

Read the Free Press article.

With MSU vs. Michigan dominating the headlines, Central vs. Western has taken a back seat. Both teams are struggling this season, but this is one of the great rivalries in college football. I got to experience it a couple of times and it’s a day (and night) full of fun. If you’ve never experienced it, check it out sometime.

Free Press article: CMU, WMU ready for showdown

Being the lone Spartan fan in a large extended family of Wolverine fans is tough. It’s never tougher than that one fall afternoon day. Oh some years it’s great, like when Jeff Smoker connected with T.J. Duckett with no time on the clock. It doesn’t get any better than that. Other years it’s rough, like the 49-3 blowout in 2002.

Whoever you cheer for, it’s sure to be fun and I think the Spartans can make a game of it. Here’s three reasons why it could happen:

1. Drew Stanton. Ever since he was healthy enough to be the undisputed #1 the Spartans have looked solid on offense. They are very balanced and will need to be to have any chance to beat the Wolverines. If this turns one dimensional they are in trouble.

2. Improving MSU Defense. They are showing quickness and improved tackling. They will have to contain Hart and the Michigan wideouts. Not an easy task.

3. John L. Smith. He will have something up his sleeve.

Here’s some articles from the Detroit Free Press about the big game.

MSU: Coach admits, ‘This is the biggest game’

U-M: Bragging rights at stake versus Spartans

Go Spartans!

Some MLive Forum users have gotten together for a little fun during the upcoming Michigan High School Football playoffs. No prizes or anything, just a fun competition

Use the link below to play and see where you stack up against other MLive users. Please create an account using your MLive user name if possible.

Click here to make your MHSAA Football Playoffs 2004 Bracket Picks

An interview with Red Wings forward Darren McCarty who was in town to perform with his band Grinder and to host a youth hockey camp.

Red Wings’ McCarty critical of NHL owners

Record Eagle article by Jeff Peek.

Traverse City - The only competitive hockey Darren McCarty plays these days is the video-game variety - ESPN’s NHL2K5, to be exact. And the Detroit Red Wings forward, out of action during the NHL lockout, plays the game with practically the same skill and enthusiasm as he does the real thing. “Pretty realistic, eh?” McCarty says with toothless grin after his image pummels a member of the Colorado Avalanche on the television screen. Read the entire article.

I never would have predicted the Lions to start 3-0 on the road this season. After going winless on the road the last three years, they are off to a great start. Even though we can’t figure out why, here’s some articles talking about it.

Free Press // Trailblazers - Well-traveled Lions are 3-0 on the road

Free Press // Road, sweet road? Even Lions can’t explain it

Regardless of the reasons, I hope they can keep it going. A road game against a very beatable Dallas team next week could continue the streak!

I have a few teams (yes I am a fanatic), and it seems like they all ran into Priest Holmes this week. There is nothing worse than that. My teams had solid weeks but Holmes blows up and I lose. I guess that’s what makes Fantasy Football fun. Although it would be more fun if I had Holmes on one of my teams.

Two other players that I have on a couple of my teams are in my doghouse.

Matt Hasselback - 4 picks against the Cardinals. He is now officially on my bench.

Reggie Wayne - Fighting with Manning will either hurt or help. My guess is hurt.

Any of you guys have some fun fantasy football stories, post them here.

We could really use you. I know Boston didn’t want you, but you showed professionalism and helped them advance to the World Series. I would love for you to do that for the Tigers.

Here’s five good reasons:

• You would be the ace of the staff and could help the younger pitchers keep improving.

• Being from Dearborn, you could pitch in front of family and friends.

• Remember before it was Hockeytown it was Tigertown.

• You would be pitching to a future Hall-of-Famer.

• The infield’s defense is improving, and being a ground ball pitcher that’s a good thing.

That’s it for now, come on Derek, come back to Michigan!

Here’s my email and Ted Kulfan’s reply from the October 19th, 2004 Detroit News.

“I keep reading about how the players will never accept a salary cap, end of story. This makes them seem like spoiled millionaires. I love hockey, have been a Wings fan my whole life, but this is putting a sour taste in my mouth. I have two kids and a family to worry about and make very little money compared to the average NHL player. Why should I care about them at this point?”

Your opinion is shared by most fans.

Public opinion on this lockout seems to favor NHL ownership, which isn’t surprising. Fans read about the millions players make and can’t understand how they can be unhappy.

The players understood from the start they were likely going to be viewed as the bad guys in this dispute.

But consider this: NHL players are the best at what they do in the entire world. They have unique skills.

Sports has become big business, another form of entertainment. Big-name entertainers make huge sums of cash, so why shouldn’t the players make that same kind of money?

Ted Kulfan

A neat article about the job Matt Millen is doing on building the Detroit Lions organization.

Millen putting pieces in place for his eventual departure

Written by Tom Kowalski, MLive

Allen Park — Matt Millen is on his way out.

No, not tomorrow and not next week and maybe not even after this season, but he’s already planning for his departure.

The clearest sign that Millen has numbered his own days came last week when the Detroit Lions announced that Martin Mayhew had been promoted to assistant general manager.

That was the giveaway right there. The Lions don’t even have a general manager.

But it makes perfect sense when you realize that the next obvious step in the promotion ladder for Mayhew is to become the general manager.

Read the entire article.

Didn’t get a chance to watch too many games this weekend (Toys-R-Us trip to see a Care Bear on Saturday, and family dinner on Sunday), but some good results for our Detroit and Michigan teams.

Michigan State: Impressive win over Minnesota and all of a sudden their bowl hopes go from slim to a little bit better than slim. It’s too bad that Stanton wasn’t healthy to start the year, the Spartans could be sitting at 6-1 or better right now. Defense looked impressive now a week off to prepare for Michigan.

Michigan: They will never admit it, but maybe some looking ahead to Purdue next week. The freshmen are looking good and the defense gets big stops when needed.

Ohio State: I hate Ohio State and love where they are in the Big Ten right now!

Lions: Ouch! No Roy equals 2003 offense, and we know how bad that was.

Arnie Kander is one of the best in the business. This article talks about some of his techniques and the job he does keeping players healthy.

Where Pistons get strength - Kander corrects flaws in techniques

Free Press article by Helene St. James

In Arnie Kander’s ideal world, everyone would skip to work and spend lunch hours running the way children do, with arms swinging and legs pumping. Kander, the Pistons’ strength and conditioning coach, especially reveres skipping. It loosens up the legs without punishing the knees, and as far as Kander is concerned, it is a great shame in this world that people stop skipping. The Pistons, of course, skip. Kander makes sure of that, just like he makes sure they play the right way. Sure, that’s a phrase most often associated with coach Larry Brown, but Brown’s got nothing on Kander. Brown cares whether his players play inside-out, box out and take care of the ball. Kander cares how they do this. Is Antonio McDyess locking his knees again? Is Darko Milicic wasting an ungodly amount of energy trying to balance his 7-foot body? This is Kander’s passion. Read the entire article.