Leelanau Sports Guy’s World at sportspig.com

One of my favorite fantasy football sites is DraftSharks and they have some interesting news about Lions WR Calvin Johnson and RB Kevin Smith. It’s never too early for fantasy football!

Lions WR Calvin Johnson may only have scratched the surface of his ability last season. The Detroit Free Press reports that Megatron had some nice things to say about the team’s new rookie QB. “Offense is looking good,” the young stud said. “[QB Matthew] Stafford’s doing a good job early… He throws a nice, tight spiral. Throws a hard ball. He has a big arm, so it’s nice to see that.” After seeing 5 different QBs in ’08, Calvin will look forward to some consistency at QB. He scored in 7 straight games with Dan Olrovsky at QB. Imagine what he’ll do with a better QB.

Lions RB Kevin Smith will have plenty of opportunity to have a big year. Mlive.com is reporting that the Lions have installed more power running plays for Smith under new OC Scott Linehan. The Lion offense was an inconsistent mess last year. Having a plan for Smith is a step in the right direction. A few of our writers are very high on this kid.

I for one am very excited about Kevin Smith in 2009, and it’s not just because my team is named “Kevin Smith Fan Club”. I think in a real offensive system, he can be a dominant back and really help take the pressure off whoever the starting quarterback is.

A look at the Detroit Lions and their upcoming fantasy football rankings. I think the only guy I would even think about taking is Calvin Johnson. When healthy he’s going to produce and folks, he’s healthy!

Read Juggernaut Index No. 19: Well, at least the Ford family’s other business is thriving at Yahoo! Sports

In what would be an amazing recovery from Lisfranc surgery, Lions running back Kevin Jones is looking great in practice and might be ready for a few carries in Week 3. As always Killer Kowalski is all over it…

Read Kevin Jones expected to play next week vs. Philly at MLive

My View: Great news for the Lions and my fantasy team in the Leelanau League!

It’s been a few years since I did this, but just got an email asking, so it’s back! This is your personal invite to join me and other Leelanau sports fans as we see who can pick the best bracket during the 2007 March Madness NCAA Tournament.

Traditionally I don’t fair very well, as I am a homer (pick MSU every year) or just plain stupid (pick Kansas to the Final Four every year), but it’s still fun and I look forward to beating all of you.

In order to join the group, just follow this link.

You will need a Yahoo! account to enter, and that should do it. Any questions or problems leelanausportsguy@sportspig.com.

Note: If you have a Yahoo! Account you can follow (and hopefully join) the action at http://tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com/men/group/60656!

Fantasy Football Champs is starting to release 2006-07 fantasy football info and have this little nugget about new Lions quarterback Jon Kitna…

QB Jon Kitna, Lions – The Joey Harrington experiment has ended after 4 seasons, and now the Lions offense will be put in the hands of solid veteran Jon Kitna. He has been a backup in Cincinnati for the last 2 seasons, but notably threw 26 TD passes and racked up 3500+ yards with the team in 2003 when Carson Palmer was a rookie. He is a solid leader and throws a good deep ball even though he lacks a strong arm. He is also good at reading the defense before the snap and knows how to spread the ball around to the right receivers. He should build a fine chemistry with rising star Roy Williams, and the pair should excel while under the direction of new offensive coordinator Mike Martz. Kitna should bring stability and consistency to the position that was gravely lacking with Harrington at the controls, and the Lions young offense should finally start playing up to its potential. Kitna could easily throw 25 TD’s and be a top 10 QB.

I am sure most Lions fans would love 25 touchdowns as long as the INTs are under 10 or so. Kitna could be a good fit with the Martz system, but part of me wants to see what Josh McCown could do as well. Either way I think the Lions are better off without Joey and I look for Roy Williams and Kevin Jones to have better seasons because of consistent quarterback play.

For great fantasy info visit Fantasy Football Champs

Yahoo! Sports Fantasy guru Brandon Funston breaks down a very early season look at fantasy football and the quarterback position. He likes the possiblity of either Jon Kitna or Josh McCown in a Mike Martz offense being a solid choice as a No. 2 quarterback on your fantasy roster.

I know for me it’s never too early to start thinking fantasy football and I am a sucker for my hometown players! I am sure I will have either Kitna or McCown on at least one of my teams!

Here’s what he had to say…

Detroit: The thought of Mike Martz at the helm of the Lions offense has substantially increased the early draft values of Detroit’s skill position players, with the exception of the QB position, where Jon Kitna and Josh McCown are set to battle it out for top gun honors. Drafts held before August may not offer the benefit of clarity to how this situation is going to play out. Once a winner is determined, that player stands to become an enticing No. 2 fantasy option given Martz’s system. As of now, though, it’s guesswork as to who that player will be, although Kitna has been working with the top unit and claims that he is the starter. I think McCown, with his running skills, might have a little higher upside, but I’d be very comfortable with Kitna as a backup if I knew he was clearly the Lions No. 1.

Read At a Glance: Quarterbacks at Yahoo! Sports

I hadn’t looked at the Freep this morning, but they have a nice article on Martz and some of his early thoughts on the Lions…

Read Lions’ Martz: Players grossly out of shape in the Freep

Magglio Ordonez’ first season in Detroit didn’t go the way he wanted. His bad knee was fine, but Ordonez got hit with a hernia and missed the first three months. Then to top it off, his former team won the World Series.

This season in Detroit he is looking at contributing in a big way. All reports say he is 100% healthy and ready to go. He is going to participate in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, but his main focus remains the Tigers.

His health alone would make the Tigers better than last season, especially if he can recapture his averages in Chicago. The fate of the 2006 Tigers rests on Maggs and Carlos Guillen. Both must be healthy and playing at a high level for the Tigers to reach .500 and have any chance at a Wild Card.

Read Ordonez more at home in second year with Tigers at MLive
Read Only pain Ordonez has is Chicago blues in the Freep
Read Magglio Ordonez: Fully Recovered at RotoWire.com

Here’s a nice article talking about some other Tigers to watch this spring…

Read Nine Tigers stories to follow in the Detroit News

Here’s a look at the top 10 preseason fantasy baseball rankings for our Detroit Tigers. Some surprises for sure, I also think that Carlos Guillen will do better than they predict. Granderson could be a real good sleeper, especially in a league without alot of other Tiger fans.

Read Top 10 Tigers fantasy players at DetroitTigers.com

Spartans lose.

Lions lose.

My fantasy teams lose.

Now I have to fly the block “M” logo the rest of the college football season.

I just want to grab Dave Baldwin (Spartan Offensive Coordinator) and shake some sense into him…

Here’s something I just stumbled across on Google…

Distribution Set for October Launch, Ad Sales Under Way

Golden, Colo., (PRIMEZONE) — HumWare Media Corporation (Pink Sheets:HMWM) today announced its wholly owned subsidiary HumWare Media Franchise Corporation is launching its Fantasy Sports Reporter Magazine in Michigan. The Company also announced that the magazine would be ready to publish and distribute in October.

Published bi-monthly, Fantasy Sports Reporter magazine is comprised of both a national and local section that is distributed through a controlled circulation method. The local franchisee or “Associate Publisher” secures the exclusive rights to publish, market and sell advertising within the local section of the magazine. Franchisees are also given rights to market HumWare’s portfolio of private labeled fantasy games and promotional software.

More info: www.fantasysportsreporter.com

My View: You can never get enough fantasy sports in my opinion! It looks like they are publishing it in all the major cities. I love fantasy sports, and play in about 8 football leagues every year, but there are so many sources for information, it’s hard to say if this is going to payoff. Time will tell. They do feature the FSR Knockout Girls, so you know that will only help. It’s amazing how many sports sites (especially fantasy sports sites) that feature girls or girls of the month. I shouldn’t be surprised though, with how many cheerleader shots you see during games and even video games these days.

I pulled this blurb about Curtis Granderson from a Yahoo! Sports article by Matt Ronig. You can find the entire article here.

Whether you call it a “Grand” entrance or a “Grand” opening, or whichever play on words you prefer, Curtis Granderson’s 2005 debut was something to remember. He singled Friday in his first at-bat of the season and hit a game-winning homer Saturday in the opener of a double-header – but both hits were merely a prelude to his breakout performance Sunday. After misplaying a fly ball into a three-base hit early in the game, Granderson hit a two-run triple off the wall in the fifth and blasted a 426-foot homer two innings later to lead the Tigers past Minnesota. The rookie is batting .429 in four games since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

So who is this guy? He was a stranger to most before the weekend, but Baseball America did name him the top prospect in the Detroit organization – ranking the outfielder higher than heralded pitcher Justin Verlander. Through 94 games at the Triple-A level this season, Granderson was batting .297 with 13 homers and 17 stolen bases. According to the Oakland Press, he was brought up to form a center-field platoon with the struggling Nook Logan. That, of course, was before he played an integral role in taking three of four from the Twins. Scouts say the left-handed hitter has the perfect hitting style for Comerica Park and its cavernous outfield gaps. He clearly has more power than Logan and should stick in the lineup if he can top Nook’s .319 on-base percentage. At the very least, AL-only managers should be getting to know this 24-year-old real soon.

My View: It’s nice to see Tiger prospects have impact and none has had a bigger impact lately than Granderson. The guy is a player and I for one am excited about his potential in centerfield at Comerica Park. He has enough offense to be a very capable major league hitter, is solid defensively and dangerous on the basepaths. Look for big things from in the second half as he carries it into a starting spot next season.

I created a group at tournament.fantasysports.yahoo.com.

If you want to go up against the Detroit Sports bloggers and show us what you have, please signup.

It’s group name: Detroit Sports Group (id# 20569)
and password: detroit1

Let’s see who’s the best in this year’s March Madness!

Grand Prize: A congratulatory email from Dan Joseph.
Runner-up: The satisfaction of being 2nd best and not having to read an email from Dan Joseph.

Tigers pitcher Jeremy Bonderman pitched to teammates on Saturday and earned strong praise. If you just chopped his head off,” Dmitri Young told the Detroit News, “you could have replaced it with Curt Schilling’s or Roger Clemens’. Same kind of body structure, same demeanor on the mound. I feel sorry for all our opponents. His stuff today was absolutely filthy.” Catcher Vance Wilson added, “He had awesome stuff. You don’t see many guys that young (22) with a bulldog, not-afraid-of-anything attitude. He obviously has what it takes to be an ace, for sure.”

FANBALL’S VIEW

We’re just one of many web sites and publications that believes Bonderman is on the brink of greatness, possibly in the manner of Ben Sheets, Oliver Perez, and Jake Peavy. This news only helps generate more excitement about the youngster, and fantasy owners better know his name coming into their drafts and auctions.

SWEET!

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 play alot of fantasy baseball, so I am always reading Fanball.com. Here’s an article about the Tigers signing of rightfielder Magglio Ordonez and the impact he will have on the lineup and the entire team.

Maggs Moving to Motown
Fanball.com article by Ted Carlson

The Tigers made a 29-game leap in 2004, improving from 43-119 to 72-90, and now the club has their eyes on the AL Central crown. On Saturday, the team agreed to a five-year, $75 million deal with free agent outfielder Magglio Ordonez. According to the Associated Press, the contract could be worth up to $105 million over seven years.

The deal could be officially announced as soon as Monday, but neither Tiger officials nor Ordonez’s people have confirmed the deal.

Ordonez, 31, carries a big bat and big injury concerns to Motown. He injured his left knee and calf in a collision with Willie Harris on May 19. He eventually underwent surgery in early June to repair torn cartilage in the knee. After rehab, Ordonez returned to action on July 9, but he developed bone marrow edema and appeared in only 10 more games.

Read the entire article