The NFL Draft - I am in a NFL Draft contest again this year (last year I got 1 right) and I have absolutely no idea who is going where. The Lions have many options and they have to wait to see what the Raiders are going to do before they can get really serious about the draft. I like the Lions to trade down to #4 and then get Gaines Adams. It’s the position they need the most and Adams appears to be an impact player. Read Dan Wetzel’s column The misadventures of Millen if you want to laugh and be scared at the same time!

Maggs - Is it me, or is Magglio Ordonez quietly having a great start to 2007. He’s first on the Tigers in RBI’s, 2B’s, Runs, OBP, SLG & OPS, and he’s second in HR’s and BA, but no one’s talking about him. This is the Maggs that people weren’t sure we would ever see again, but he appears to be healthy and back to normal. I now it’s early, but Maggs playing like this is huge as Sheffield and the bottom of the order struggle.

Wings vs. Sharks - The Wings are in for a tough series, that should go seven games, and I like there chances with home-ice. They struggled against the Sharks during the regular season, losing 3 of 4, but they played two very solid games to finish off Calgary and will hopefully carry that momentum into tonight’s game. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lost tonight either. It’s just going to be that kind of series.

Pistons vs. Magic - If Detroit is going to lose one, tonight’s the night. I just don’t see it happening. I think they will sweep the Magic and get some rest for the Bulls. Chicago is going to be the toughest team (and series) in the Eastern Conference.

High School Baseball - If you aren’t busy on Saturday, head over to Wuerfel Park to watch Lake Leelanau St. Mary take part in the inaugural Beach Bums Division 3 & 4 Invitational Tournament. The Eagles face Traverse City St. Francis at 10 AM, followed by Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart and Gaylord St. Mary’s at noon. A consolation and championship game will follow. Tickets are $5 for the entire day, and let me tell you Wuerfel Park is not a bad place to watch a game!

Random Stuff - Could less people be excited that Barry Bonds is now at 741 home runs? Seriously, no one cares outside of San Francisco. There’s not much better than Fantasy Baseball. Winning or losing, it’s just fun! I can’t wait for the Beach Bums season to start, it was exciting (and well played) baseball to watch last summer, and I look for more of the same as the Bums have added some good talent along with their “new” coach! Lots of people have Drew Stanton going very high in the draft, and I think be a good pick and could be a legitimate starter in the NFL!

Opinions on five current Leelanau and Northern Michigan sports topics from yours truly…

1. Leelanau Enterprise Sports - The Leelanau Enterprise has revamped their website and now will be posting more stories online, including sports! Check out their sports department! I of course will be linking to them often as they provide another way to follow our favorite Leelanau teams.

2. Leelanau Classic - I only wish this event would have been around when I was coaching! Lake Leelanau St. Mary defeated Suttons Bay 4-1 to capture the baseball title and Glen Lake cruised to the softball title with a 17-0 win over Suttons Bay in the championship game.

Read Korson sparks Eagles to title in the Record Eagle

3. Beach Bums ready for 2007 - Opening Day for the Beach Bums is one month from today (at Kalamazoo Kings on May 23rd) and plenty of new things are on tap as they start their second summer in Traverse City. Lots of new faces, including a new manager, should make for another exciting season in the Frontier League. See what the Beach Bums have in store for 2007!

4. NHL & NBA Playoffs - It’s never hard to get a prediction in Leelanau County for the Pistons and Red Wings. The Pistons are a popular choice to be crowned NBA Champions this summer, and the Wings well who knows. The Wings did get out of the first round, and did play pretty well, in 4 out of the 6 games. If the Dominator can hold up, they have an excellent chance in my opinion. Whatever happens Hockey Town North is buzzing with playoff excitement right now!

5. The Season Switch - Nick Edson of the Leelanau Enterprise reported last week that longtime volleyball coach Laurie Glass will be stepping down, at least for the time being, as she can’t coach and follow her daughter Alisha at Penn State because of the girls volleyball season being moved. My opinion is that it’s a shame that a few people can ruin a good thing for many. The seasons seemed to be working just fine for 99.9% of the athletes, but a couple of parents couldn’t handle their kid’s not getting scholarships.

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!

A look at some of the great, and not-so-great drafts by NFL teams. Of course our beloved Lions have lots to choose from in the worst draft pick department, Andre Ware comes to mind, but the author went with a more recent pick than that…

Read Best and worst draft picks: NFC at Fox Sports

Found these videos over at HockFan’s site NHLHockeyBlog.com. There’s nothing better in hockey than watching someone score an amazing goal, plus Wings fans will love #20 in the second link!

View Top 10 NHL playoff goals of all time at NHLHockeyBlog.com
View The Best 20 Goals at NHLHockeyBlog.com

At this point I have no idea who the Lions are going to take with the #2 pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. There is still the possibility of trading down and getting more picks too, but I believe they are going to keep the pick. I haven’t been able to decide between tackle Joe Thomas, wide receiver Calvin Johnson, one of the quarterbacks or a defensive player. But the Lions Insider Killer Kowalski thinks they should address their #1 need and that’s defensive end, so that means Gaines Adams. It’s not a popular pick by many, but it might be the right pick.

Read With the No. 2 selection, I would take … at the MLive.com Lions Insider Blog

Photo from Scout.com

On Sunday, countless Major League Baseball Players will be honoring Jackie Robinson by wearing his #42 on the field. The Detroit Tigers taking part are Gary Sheffield, Curtis Granderson, Marcus Thames, Craig Monroe and hitting coach Lloyd McClendon.

Read Many to take part in honoring Robinson in at MLB.com

Also, many players are doing their best to acknowledge what Larry Doby went through as he followed in Robinson’s footsteps…

Read Doby No. 2 behind the famous No. 42 at MLB.com

If the greatest player in the history of your franchise says “You always have to shore up your line of scrimmage” then I would listen. Sure Barry Sanders was a running back so the offensive line is important to him, but he’s right. Super Bowl teams have solid offensive lines that protect their quarterback and allow you to run the bowl effectively. Come on Millen get it right this year!

Read Barry Sanders: Start building up front in the Detroit News

ESPN: The Magazine’s latest sports city power rankings are out in the latest issue and the Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers all make Detroit proud, while the “you-know-whos”, well, they don’t. Check it out!

Read Detroit is top-rated sports city … mostly at Absolute Michigan

On a unrelated note, I found this great quote about the cancellation of the Tigers game on Thursday due to snow and wind.

“I think if we were playing, Al Gore should have been there to throw out the first pitch,” first-base coach Andy Van Slyke quipped.

Van Slyke has always been a favorite of mine due to his all-out play, but when you factor in his antics and quotes he might be #1!

Brian Wittkop Sr. loves electric football, so much that he wants to start a league in Northern Michigan. Wittkop has 25 game boards and teams from the NFL and college, many he painted himself.

Electric football pits two players head-to-head using plastic players with bases (some can be adjusted) that will move them in a desired direction. Little foam footballs can be thrown or carried by the players and field goals can be kicked. I had better settle down, or I won’t be able to work this afternoon.

“There’s a quaintness to this and it’s social,” said Wittkop, 48, who belonged to a league when he lived in Monroe.

Wittkop is among tens of thousands of people who now play it, said Ira H. Silverman, a spokesman for Miggle Toys Inc. of Highland Park, Ill., which sells the sets and accessories online and elsewhere.

“When the Internet came around, guys in Florida, Texas or Michigan started talking to each other about it,” Wittkop said. “I keep in touch with guys all over the country. I have an e-mail list of about 200.”

I have many fond memories of playing electric football and I still have my field in the basement, the 1985 Super Bowl Bears vs. Patriots edition. I might just have to set it up soon and play a game. Maybe even practice up enough to join the NMEFL (Northern Michigan Electric Football League).

Read Good vibrations on the gridiron in the Record Eagle
Purchase Electric Football Sets/Equipment at Miggle Toys
Visit Brian Wittkop Sr.’s Electric Football Web site

You can even watch video of Electric Football action…

A group called Beyond the Scoreboard is putting on a workshop for parents and coaches on April 14th at Harbor Springs Middle School to talk about sportsmanship and character involved with playing, coaching and watching sports.

At the morning workshop, parents will share their ideas about what they want their children to get out of youth sports and learn how they can help. Parents will also gain insight into the training some area coaches are receiving to become “double-goal coaches” — coaches who want to win and also develop the character of their players.

The “double-goal coaches” philosophy will be the topic of conversation in the afternoon workshop. Presenters will talk about striving to win and preparing your team to play at its highest level while at the same time teaching life lessons (teamwork, dedication, bouncing back from mistakes, etc.).

For more information contact Jack Taylor (231-548-2424) or Scott Cochran (231-526-4820).

Read Group promotes character and sportsmanship in the Record Eagle

Seriously, I do. Greg’s post at Out of Bounds called 95 Reasons will show you why!

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

1. Opening Day - What a day, Ian calls it The Best Sports Day of the Year!, and that’s hard to argue, especially this year. The Tigers were raising a 2006 AL Pennant and Mitch Albom says fans are expecting more this season. The crowd was pumped and ready to roll, but then the first inning happened. Jeremy Bonderman struggled giving up 3 early runs and it proved to be too much for the Tigers to overcome as they fell 5-3 in 10 innings to the Toronto Blue Jays. It should be a fun season for Tiger fans, but there will be games like this, especially when you play 162 of them. I was just thinking how nice it’s going to be June or July when Kenny Rogers comes back for the 2nd half of the season. That could be just as nice as making a trade, provided the Tigers can stay in it with the steady veteran.

2. Wolverines hire Beilein - It hasn’t been officially confirmed by U of M yet, just by everyone else. It’s a move that makes sense, but I think the Wolverines settled a bit and could have tried to go after a bigger name. John Beilein is coming off an NIT Championship with West Virginia and the Wolverines do frequent the NIT so that could be good combo.

3. Girls High School Season Change - My opinion is right on with Mick McCabe’s so you might as well just read this to see how I feel as well. It’s going to be a tough adjustment, ultimately it will work out, but short-term there just won’t be enough good officials and coaches.

4. Pistons/Wings Ready for Playoffs - Both teams are getting healthy and readying for the stretch run as they battle for the top seeds in the playoffs. I like the chances of both as they are playing at a high level and winning playoff style games.

5. Florida Repeats! - I lost $5 on the championship game, as I took Ohio State for some crazy reason. Well, it’s not that crazy, I cheer for the Big Ten, if MSU or Michigan is out, but still Florida is just awesome! Now we just wait and see how big of a check Billy Donovan is going to cash.

With April Fool’s Day falling on the weekend, I just completely forgot about it. Luckily some others didn’t.

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!