The Detroit Insider says…

4:28 PM
Freep confirms it

12:32 PM
“Jason Woolley signs with Flint.”

10:41 AM
“Flint Generals of the UHL to announce the signing of at least 1 Red Wing. More to follow…”

My view: For someone who says they don’t really care about the hockey season being cancelled, I sure do post stuff about it.

Here’s an article talking about health being a key for the Tigers. Don’t expect much from Carlos Guillen or Magglio Ordonez in spring training. Even if both were 100% you would see them just getting enough time to get ready. Manager Alan Trammell’s goal is to have them ready for Opening Day.

Tigers Must Stay Healthy To Compete

The Ledger article by Pat Zier

Lakeland — The Detroit Tigers begin their 69th spring training at Tigertown here today, and third-year manager Alan Trammell has two primary objectives as pitchers and catchers take the field.

How successful Trammell is at achieving goal No. 1 will have a major impact on goal No. 2.

Read the entire article at theledger.com

Tigers top 10 Fantasy picks for ‘05
MLB.com article

If you’re looking to load up on Tigers at your Fantasy draft this spring, and you want to make a serious run at a Fantasy title this fall, here are 10 players you should be targeting. While you probably won’t be able to land everyone on this list, those of you who just can’t live if your roster isn’t full of Tigers should keep these guys in mind:

1. Magglio Ordonez
2. Ivan Rodriguez
3. Alex Sanchez
3(t). Troy Percival
5. Carlos Guillen
6. Dmitri Young
7. Jeremy Bonderman
8. Carlos Pena
9. Ugueth Urbina
10. Omar Infante

Read the entire article featuring stat predictions and more!

My view: I don’t know if I would have Sanchez so high, but those stolen bases can be helpful in certain leagues. I like Guillen to have another strong season, he (along with Pudge and Bonderman) was one of the reasons I had a strong team last season. Those were the three Tigers I carried consistently throughout the year. I had Urbina for a while and Young also, both can help your team as well.

I would tend to side with the not to Brees, simply because we would now have to give up 2 first round picks to get him. Read it and decide for yourself.

Writer Duel: To Brees, or not to Brees?
LionsFans.com article by Mike Fowler & Doug Warren

If Chargers’ quarterback Drew Brees could be acquired, should he be? LionsFans.com columnist Doug Warren thinks so, to the dismay of insider Mike Fowler, who believes Joey Harrington warrants another shot. The two writers state their case…

Read the complete article.

Article courtesy of Skip Traynor, Alma College PR Office

Alma College seniors Kelly O’Connor of Suttons Bay and Scott Barriger of Prescott have been named finalists for an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. The College has had 11 NCAA Postgraduate Scholars since 1967.

The NCAA awards up to 174 postgraduate scholarships annually, 87 for men and 87 for women. The scholarships are awarded to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and who are in their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. The one-time scholarships of $7,500 each are awarded for fall sports, winter sports and spring sports at the end of each season.

The final selections for the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship will be made in late February and announced after that date.

Read the Full Story

Here’s some articles from the Record Eagle talking about the lockout and now cancellation of the 2004-05 season. I just hope they get something worked out so 2005-06 starts on time, but I’m not going to count on it.

NHL season iced; Dallas Drake: This falls entirely on owners - Record Eagle article by Dennis Chase

Owners reject final proposal; Bettman cancels season - Record Eagle article from the Associated Press

Red Wings, Hockeytown fans lament loss of 2004-05 campaign - Record Eagle article from the Associated Press

Fans are ‘upset, hurt’ by news - Record Eagle article from the Associated Press

My view: I still blame everyone involved, but the players could have ended it by accepting a fair $42.5 million cap. That’s just my opinion. The NHL won’t be the same when it does start again, my guess is there will be fewer teams and a cap lower than the one the players turned down. I am sure the players who will be out of jobs because of fewer roster spots will be very happy with the union.

The contest ended up being teams from the NFL, NBA and MLB (no NHL because, well, you all know why). The Detroit teams were: Pistons (#1), Tigers (#53) and Lions (#72) and were awarded a ranking based on different categories.

Check it out!

My view: Love those Pistons! And even the Tigers got some love.

Here’s some articles from my local paper talking about the lockout and now cancellation of the 2004-05 season. I just hope they get something worked out so 2005-06 starts on time, but I’m not going to count on it.

NHL season iced; Dallas Drake: This falls entirely on owners - Record Eagle article by Dennis Chase

Owners reject final proposal; Bettman cancels season - Record Eagle article from the Associated Press

Red Wings, Hockeytown fans lament loss of 2004-05 campaign - Record Eagle article from the Associated Press

Fans are ‘upset, hurt’ by news - Record Eagle article from the Associated Press

My view: I still blame everyone involved, but the players could have ended it by accepting a fair $42.5 million cap. That’s just my opinion. The NHL won’t be the same when it does start again, my guess is there will be fewer teams and a cap lower than the one the players turned down. I am sure the players who will be out of jobs because of fewer roster spots will be very happy with the union.

Let’s get right to it…

Pistons continue solid play, winning streak
The Pistons slowed Allen Iverson and held him to 23 points as they rolled to a 93-75 win and their 9th out of their last 10. Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton led the way with 20 points each. The Pistons enter the All-Star Break in a tie with Miami as the NBA’s hottest team. I am sure most of the Pistons would love to keep playing and not have a break right now, but the break will let some guys rest and get healthy. The current streak has them looking alot like they did last year. Solid defense, balanced scoring and dominating the boards. Look out Eastern Conference, the defending NBA champs aren’t going down without a fight. Read a Free Press article by Perry A. Farrell.

Spartans top Gophers as Davis joins 1,000 point club
Shannon Brown had 18 points and Maurice Ager 16 to lead the 11th-ranked Spartans past Minnesota 81-62. Paul Davis joined the 1,000 career point club as MSU continued to play solid approaching the end of the season and the start of the Big Ten Tourney. “You have to hand it to our seniors,” said Davis, a junior, who scored 14 points and matched a career high with 12 rebounds. “A lot of people just look at championships, and that is on our mind, but those three guys have done a lot for this program and need to be recognized more.” Read a Free Press article by George Sipple.

Wolverines lost 9th straight
Courtney Sims led Michigan with 16 points and Dion Harris added 15, but it wasn’t enough as the Wolverines losing streak continued. “At the early stages of the game we really struggled to put the ball in the basket,” coach Tommy Amaker said. “We missed close-in shots and dunk opportunities. I thought they got out of the box early, shooting the 3 ball. They really put us on our heels and it really just went downhill from there.” Read a Free Press article by John Eligon.

Guillen recovering, expects to be healthy for start of season
Shortstop Carlos Guillen has been at the Tigers’ spring base for a few weeks. He reported early to continue rehabilitating from surgery on his right knee. Sitting at his clubhouse locker Wednesday, he gave an answer that the Tigers hope doesn’t change. Guillen said he believed he would be 100-percent healthy for the start of the regular season in 1 1/2 months. Read a Free Press article by John Lowe.

and, oh yeah…

NHL/NHLPA pull latest offers off the table
The NHL sunk to a historic low Wednesday, becoming the first North American major professional sports league to cancel an entire season because of a labor dispute. “We are truly sorry,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said as he announced the cancellation at a news conference. “This is a sad, regrettable day that all of us wish could have been avoided.” Read a Free Press article by Nicholas J. Cotsonika.

Curry says NBA in good shape as current CBA nears end
There was some good news for Pistons fans amid the wreckage of the NHL season. The president of the NBA Players’ Association, former Piston and current Pacer Michael Curry, indicated no such devastation would beset the basketball world this summer when its collective bargaining agreement expired. “We’ve been working toward seeing what adjustments we want to make to our deal,” Curry said Wednesday. “We’ve had some very productive meetings. I’m optimistic we will get a deal before July 1. We just have to keep meeting and plugging at it, and come to some compromises. I’m optimistic it will happen.” Read a Free Press article by Helene St. James.

Article by Ira Podell, AP Sports Writer

New York (AP) — The NHL canceled what little was left of the season Wednesday after a series of last-minute offers were rejected on the final day of negotiations.

That still wasn’t enough to end the lockout that started on Sept. 16 and ultimately wiped out the entire 1,230-game schedule and the playoffs.

My view: I am glad they ended up going this route and trying to get a plan together for a PERMANENT solution rather than just another stopgap for this season and the next couple. Plus I wasn’t a big fan of awarding a Stanley Cup to a winner after a 28 game regular season and playoffs. This will ultimately be the best move they can do, provided they can get on the same page for the normal start of the 2005-06 season.

After reporting yesterday that hockey was done for the season, the NHL Owners and the NHLPA have been proposing and countering the last 24 hours. Now it all comes down to Wednesday when the commish will announce the decision. The players have now accepted a salary cap but are still fighting with the owners about the amount.

Players’ association rejects NHL’s “final offer” and offers counterproposal - Yahoo! Sports article by Pierre Lebrun

My view: Alot of players are saying a shorter season is better than none, but not to me. I don’t want to see a 28 game season and playoffs and have a champion named. If the players were going to eventually accept a cap after saying they never would, why did it take until now. Obviously they weren’t as strong as they thought. There is plenty of blame to go around, but instead of takings weeks off in December and January without talking, why didn’t this get done then. That really bothers me and makes me not even excited about the possible short season. This lockout has left a bad taste in my mouth (or it could be the lasagna) and I am in no hurry to watch hockey. I love the Red Wings as much as anyone, but don’t really care at this point. I will probably tune back in for 2005-06, but to me, they might as well just cancel this season.

Spring Training is here, along with a nice article by Gene Guidi in today’s Free Press. It’s a good preview of the Tigers upcoming season and why we can have some hope.

Some questions remain for Tigers, but there’s reason for optimism - Free Press article by Gene Guidi

View upcoming schedules including Tigers Exhibition

My view: The Tigers will be better than last season and will contend for the Central. If all goes well, they might even win the division. Once you make the playoffs anything can happen, and that would be fun to watch! Here’s hoping Bonderman can continue to improve and that Maggs can stay healthy. If those two things happen, watch out American League, this team will be for real!

This is great, definitely check it out and vote! I know my team will have Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker for sure…

Fans to pick all-time Tigers team

MLB.com article by Jason Beck

Before fans vote for the All-Stars who’ll come to Detroit in July, they’ll have a chance to vote for the best players ever to call Detroit home.

MLB.com and the Tigers have teamed up to offer the All-Time Tiger Ballot, an opportunity to vote for the best Tigers ever at each major position. Balloting begins on Monday and continues into April, ending just before balloting begins for Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game.

Read the entire article and vote!

Here’s the latest…

Source tells Canadian Press that Bettman will cancel hockey season at press conference Tuesday - Article by Ira Podell, Associated Press

My view: No surprise here. The writing has been on the wall for months.

A busy weekend around the world of Detroit sports. Here’s some of the top headlines…

(I’d write more, but I didn’t watch any sports all weekend. I was too busy playing with my new digital camera, can’t wait to go to some sporting events now!)

Dumars has good resume for Hall - Free Press article by Perry A. Farrell

Tigers managed to keep their nucleus together - Detroit News article by Tom Gage

Pistons’ passing leads to lopsided wins - MLive article by A. Sherrod Blakely

MSU shuts down U-M’s low post game; Horton remains on suspension - MLive article by Steve Grinczel and Nathan Fenno