Suttons Bay advanced behind two goals by junior Jesse Wright and one by Alex Dingrando to capture the Division 4 district title over Northport. Suttons Bay is looking for their first ever regional soccer win as they take on Cooks-Big Bay de Noc, Tuesday at 3:00 PM. The regional is at Suttons Bay. The other half features Big Rapids-Crossroads Academy vs. Harbor Light Christian at 3:00 PM on Wednesday. The regional final is slated for Friday, November 4 at 3:00 PM.

Read Suttons Bay captures district in the Record Eagle
View Suttons Bay vs Northport (10-28-05) Photo Gallery in the Record Eagle

Kingsley dominated offensively and defensively to eliminate Suttons Bay from the Division 6 playoffs with a 38-8 victory. Suttons Bay finished with a 6-4 record. Kingsley now travels to Boyne City for the district final on Friday.

Read Kingsley wins showdown; Stags shut down Suttons Bay in 38-8 victory in the Record Eagle

Detroit, Mich. — The Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes proudly announced Sunday (Oct. 30) Placido Polanco, Jeremy Bonderman and Chris Shelton as its 2005 year-end award winners. Polanco took home top honors as the DIBS Player of the Year. Bonderman was named pitcher of the year with Shelton pegged for his breakout season.

Acquired from Philadelphia in June, Polanco finished the season in fourth-place among American League hitters in batting average. He was an immediate hit when he arrived in Detroit, pounding out 25 hits in his first 18 games in Motown. He finished out the season hitting .338 with 36 driven in.

Despite a slow finish to the season, Bonderman came into his own as the leader of the Tigers staff. An 11-5 clip prior to the All-Star break led many in Detroit to believe the young ace was destined for spot on the American League squad. Following the All-Star snub, Bonderman stumbled to a 14-13 record with a 4.57 ERA. His strike outs-per-nine innings was almost a point-and-a-half better than the second highest Tiger starter’s.

Shelton, a rule 5 pick in 2004, was called up from Toledo on May 31 and proceeded to take over the first baseman duties. Hitting .299 with 18 home runs and 59 RBI, Shelton became a mainstay in the heart of the Detroit line-up. His production only improved with runners on base, slugging .518 with men aboard.

Staff from 11 sites participated including, Tigerblog.net, TigersCentral.com, DetroitTigersWeblog.com, RoaroftheTigers.com, motownsportsrevival.blogspot.com, bleacherguy.com, beyondboxscores.blogspot.com, gregeno.blogspot.com, sportspig.com, blessyouboys.com and detroitfab4.blogspot.com. Votes were tabulated and then ranked based on a points system.

Established in 2005, DIBS (Detroit Independent Baseball Scribes) are a collection of independent websites that cover the Detroit Tigers. Formed by Brian Borawski, Bill Ferris and Ryan Sosin with the idea of uniting a community of fans and writers, DIBS is focused on improving and promoting the quality sports coverage taking place on the internet.

Player of the Year (First Place votes)
1. Placido Polanco (5)
2. Chris Shelton (2)
3. Craig Monroe (3) - My vote!

Pitcher of the Year (FP votes)
1. Jeremy Bonderman (6.5) - My vote!
2. Kyle Farnsworth (3.5)
3. Mike Maroth

Breakout Player (FP votes)
1. Chris Shelton (11) - My vote!
2. Curtis Granderson
3. Fernando Rodney

In what is looking like a special year for CMU football, the Chippewas held on for a 21-17 win over Toledo, and in the process move into a first place tie in the MAC West. It was the Chippewas fourth straight win, the first time they have done that since 1994. Senior quarterback Kent Smith led the way with 278 yards of total offense, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another. But it was the defense who helped preserved the win with a pair of goal-line stands in the fourth quarter and holding the high-powered Toledo offense in check.

Read CMU Moves to First Place in MAC West with 21-17 Win Over Toledo at CMUChippewas.com

“Mr. October” usuallly describes World Series hero Reggie Jackson, but in this case it should be the nickname for Red Wings goalie Manny Legace. Legace set an NHL goalie record with 10 wins in the month of October. He had 21 saves to help the Wings defeat the Blackhawks 5-2. This game also marked the return of Steve Yzerman after missing 4 games with a groin injury. He assisted on Kris Draper’s first goal of the year. Mathieu Schneider scored twice, Henrik Zetterberg and Brendan Shanahan added the others as the Wings continued their hot start.

Read Wings 5, Blackhawks 2 Game Recap at Yahoo! Sports

A nice article about Jeff Garcia, his family, and how he got his toughness. This is the story of how a guy who isn’t the biggest, strongest or fastest, worked hard and never quit. He played five years in the CFL before getting a shot with the 49ers and he has played the same way for every team and every coach.

Read Grit, hardships mold Garcia in the Free Press

Suttons Bay and Northport will play for a third time this season after both advanced in their Division IV soccer district semifinal matches. Both were very different games, with Northport cruising to a 4-0 win over Glen Lake, and Suttons Bay needing double overtime to get by Traverse City Christian 3-2. The Norsemen and Wildcats split their regular season meetings with each winning one goal games. The district final is Friday at 4 PM at the Keystone Fields in Traverse City.

Read Northport, Norse meet for Division 4 district crown in the Record Eagle

Suttons Bay (6-3) and Kingsley (8-1) will square off for the third consecutive year in the high school football playoffs. Kingsley won in 2003, while Suttons Bay knocked off Kingsley last season on their way to the title game. Kingsley also won this season’s regular season meeting 33-28. Kickoff is Friday at 7 PM in Kingsley. The winner will advance to take on the winner of another rematch game between Charlevoix (6-3) and Boyne City (8-1). Good luck Norsemen.

Read A look at area playoff matchups in the Record Eagle
Read 4 rematches slated for opening round in the Record Eagle
View the Complete Brackets/Scores at MHSAA

The Pistons appear to be about five millions dollars apart in their efforts to sign Tayshaun Prince to a long-term deal. The deadline isn’t a huge deal, he would still be a restricted free agent next year, but the negative is that Ben Wallace is an unrestricted free agent next year and will certainly draw interest and dollars from other teams. A. Sherrod Blakely examines, in his article below, what could be in store for the Pistons over the next couple of seasons.

Read Contract demands will catch up to Pistons at MLive

Northport knocked off Leland 1-0 to advance i Division IV soccer districts. The Wildcats now play Glen Lake in one half of the district semis and Suttons Bay plays Traverse City Christian in the other. The district final is Friday at 4 PM at the TBAYS complex in Traverse City.

Read Northport upends Leland in soccer districts in the Record Eagle

Joey Harrington’s Lions quarterback career is likely over after this season, barring anything catastrophic to Jeff Garcia, which given Garcia’s past isn’t impossible.

Which brings me to my questions…

What should Joey do next?
What will he end up doing?
Will he be a starting quarterback again?

My opinion is that he will wind up somewhere else and turn into a star. Maybe not a Pro Bowl every year type of quarterback, but a guy who makes one occasionally and throws 20-25 touchdowns with about 10-15 picks per year. Maybe I just hope something good happens to the guy after his rough stretch here. Maybe I am just too darn positive, either way, it’s fun to try to guess.

Opinions on five current Detroit & national sports topics from yours truly…

1. Jeff Garcia - The toast of the town, at least for today. His legs give him the ability to makes plays out of nothing, like on the 4th and 1. He is a better fit for this system, which you can’t blame Joey for.

2. Mooch - A little pressure is off heading into a battle for first with the Bears at Ford Field. Mooch needs to pull out all of the stops and come out with a win!

3. Wolverines - Another nailbiter, as this team continues to get stronger. Henne is looking better and the defense is making plays.

4. Spartans - Heading in the opposite direction as the Wolverines. Are now holding on for dear life just to make a bowl and looking at their remaining schedule I am not too confident.

5. Chicago White Sox - I know alot of people who cheer for their favorite team’s rivals if their own team doesn’t advance. I have a hard time doing that in this case, because I truly believe the Tigers have more talent. Hopefully Leyland can bring out the best for next season.

If you want to let the me know what you think, you can always send me an email at leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com or post a comment!

This just in from the Mr. Obvious Department. It’s always fun to check out lists of overpaid athletes to see if any of your favorite teams players make the list. Luckily for me, I am a Lions fan and we have Charles Rogers. Rogers came in at #4 and was labeled as “a draft bust and grossly overpaid”. Not two adjectives you want describing yourself if you are trying to win over fans and teammates. It also makes you realize that Harrington isn’t the only problem with this team. I had high hopes for Rogers coming out of MSU, I thought he was going to be a very solid NFL receiver and quickly. Unfortunately that hasn’t been the case.

Read The NFL’s most overpaid players at FOXSports.com

Some great football, although the results weren’t all great…

Ohio State over Michigan State - The bungled field goal attempt was when it all came crashing down. This was a game ripe for the Spartans taking and they gave it away. I didn’t think this team would be haunted by the ghosts of Spartans past. I was wrong.

Michigan over Penn State - Was listening on the radio, and just knew Michigan was going to win. I don’t know why, I could just tell. This should quiet the Lloyd Carr haters for a few minutes…

USC over Notre Dame - I don’t like either team, but WOW, what a game! I didn’t really think that the Irish would keep it this close, but Charlie Weis is proving he is a football mastermind. The Irish will win a national title within the next three years.

Carolina over Detroit - I wanted to cry. But I didn’t because I knew it was going to happen. Disgusting simply sums it up. What the Lions should do now is their best Houston Texans impression and go for that #1 pick. Leinart would look great throwing to Roy Williams & Mike Williams next year. Then again, I have gotten to the point where I think Jeff Garcia would look great throwing to W & W, and I never thought I would say that…

The Suttons Bay Norsemen played physical and cut down or penaltis and turnovers to defeat Beal City 14-6 and clinch a playoff berth. It was the first loss for Beal City at their new stadium since they opened it three years ago.

Read Norsemen back in playoffs in the Record Eagle
Read Beal’s streak snapped in the Morning Sun