Leelanau Sports Guy at sportspig.com

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!

Lake Leelanau St. Mary will join Traverse City St. Francis, Mt. Pleasant Sacred Heart and Gaylord St. Mary in the inaugural Beach Bums Division 3 & 4 Invitational Tournament. The tournament is set for Saturday, April 28th, 2007 at Wuerfel Park. Game 1 will feature the Eagles and Glads at 10 am, followed by Game 2 between Sacred Heart and Gaylord St. Mary at noon. A consolation game will be played at 2 pm and the championship at 4 pm.

Tickets will cost $5 per person for the entire day and a portion of the ticket proceeds going to each of the participating schools. You can purchase tickets from any of the schools or at the Beach Bums box office at (231) 943-0100.

My View: I was waiting for the Beach Bums to start hosting these kind of events. It’s a beautiful ballpark and it will be a thrill for the players and coaches to play on it. A few years ago I was coaching when St. Mary traveled down to the Sacred Heart Tournament and we played one of our games at Central Michigan University’s Theunissen Stadium. It was a great experience and a whole lot of fun.

The Beach Bums have alot to offer area baseball fans and players, and there will be lots of winners, regardless of the scores, at Wuerfel Park!

The Traverse City Beach Bums Baseball Academy is set to host two Northern Michigan Baseball Showcases at Wuerfel Park on Friday, June 22nd, 2007 and Saturday, June 23rd, 2007.

Here’s what the showcases are all about…

The Showcases will be an opportunity for the best high school baseball players in all of Northern Michigan to get in front of college coaches and professional scouts, who will be invited to the event from throughout the Midwest.

For more information Academy or Showcases, contact Director Jason Wuerfel at jason@tcbeachbums.com.

Read Northern Michigan Showcases Announced at the Beach Bums Academy’s Official Website

Sorry, a little late with this…

St. Mary’s senior Krystal Lingaur was named to the first team Division IV All-State girls softball team. Lingaur plays first base. She also was selected to participate in the annual girls high school All-Star softball game July 22 at Michigan State University.

Glen Lake’s Lauryn Pleva was named honorable mention.

View the entire team at MHSSCA.com

In boys baseball, Glen Lake’s Wes Buchan was named to the Division IV All-State second team.

View the entire team at MHSBCA.org

The Record Eagle has the lowdown on the upcoming area softball/baseball regionals, plus an article about Lake Leelanau St. Mary capturing the Cherryland Softball Crown.

Area Softball Regional Preview
Lake Leelanau St. Mary squares off against Frankfort in the opening game of the Division 4 regional at Frankfort…

Area Baseball Regional Preview
Glen Lake goes up against Frankfort in the second game of the Division 4 regional at Frankfort…

Girls Soccer: Lady Norsemen blank opponents to capture own tourney
3-0 over Ludington. 2-0 over Lansing Christian. 4-0 over Elk Rapids. Suttons Bay played great defense and got timely offense to capture the Suttons Bay Invitational on Saturday. Holly Orban scored four goals on the day and Kelsey Wick earned the wins in goal. It was the first start for Wick in goal.

Read Suttons Bay shuts down, shuts out foes in the Record Eagle

Boys Baseball: Buchan’s bat helps Lakers to tourney title
Glen Lake improved to 16-9 on the season as they captured their own tourney with a 7-1 win over Central Lake. That win followed a 4-3 win over T.C. St. Francis.

Read Glen Lake wins own tourney with 2-0 mark in the Record Eagle [you have to scroll down]

Girls Softball: Lakers go 1-1 at own tourney
Allen Park Cabrini was too much for the Lakers in the opening game of the tourney as they defeated Glen Lake 10-0, but the Lady Lakers came back to defeat T.C. West 2-0 in the consolation game.

Read Allen Park Cabrini wins Glen Lake Invitational in the Record Eagle [you have to scroll down]

Northport has announced that it will not field a baseball or softball team this spring, but will offer a co-ed tennis team. The Cherryland Conference is now left with just three teams – Leland, Lake Leelanau St. Mary, and Traverse City Christian.

Read Ball teams are shut out in the Enterprise