Just got an email from the Insider and he has some questions I hope I can find answers too…

When does the tournament start? Also, did you know that Tom Crean and Tom Izzo are friends?

Anyone that can help us out, please post a comment!

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!

This looks pretty cool, plus they have Bob Probert! Need I say more? Okay, I will. Michigan In Play! Magazine and president Jack Rosenberg have put together what appears to be a talented staff of writers and photographers to bring all kinds of Michigan sports coverage to you! It looks like there isn’t anything they won’t tackle! I’ll let them explain it to you…

Our Secret Weapon Is Our Content…Once You Read An Issue, You’ll Be Hooked!

Feature stories - each issue explores sporting and leisure activities (the list of possibilities is endless) in great detail… it may be Lions, Wings, Tigers, Pistons, boating or dog sledding in the U.P. We strive to bring you the very best Michigan has to offer.

It’s available at over 365 locations around SE Michigan, and best of all, it’s FREE!

So there you have it, just go to www.michiganinplay.com and check it out for yourself!

Record Eagle sportswriter Mark Urban takes a look at the big rivalry game between Michigan State and Michigan and how it could play a very big part in either team making the NCAA Tournament. My guess is that neither are going to make the “Big Dance” and both will be playing in the NIT regardless of the outcome Tuesday.

Read Tuesday’s loser will miss the NCAAs in the Record Eagle

Also, here’s another article from the Record Eagle about the annual winter sports card and memorabilia at the Civic Center.

I love Yahoo! Sports. I can find all of my breaking news and up to the minute scores in just seconds. I love the photo galleries of annoucements, events, signings, etc.

I did start laughing out loud when I saw they had 7 pictures from the Seattle Mariner’s press conference announcing the signing of former Tigers pitcher Jeff Weaver to a 1-year contract.

7 pictures? For a average starting pitcher who signed just a 1-year deal? 8.325 million for Weaver?

Here’s his stats from last year…

Weaver was 3-10 with a 6.29 ERA with the Angels before being traded to the Cardinals. He finished the season with an 8-14 record with a 5.76 ERA

I know he did have a great playoff and World Series, but still…

7 pictures!

View Jeff Weaver Photos at Yahoo! Sports

Coast to Coast Tickets

Your ticket marketplace for entertainment tickets. We offer tickets to concerts, sports, theater, comedy, family events and more!

See us for Lions tickets, Pistons seats, Tigers game tickets and Detroit Red Wings tickets. We have Detroit entertainment tickets including concert tickets and theater tickets such as Billy Joel tickets, Coldplay tickets, Rolling Stones tickets and Queen tickets. We have NCAA Football tickets, Michigan Wolverines tickets, Michigan State Spartans tickets, Super Bowl tickets, NFL tickets, NASCAR tickets, NHL tickets, MLB tickets and all your Michigan event tickets.

CoasttoCoastTickets.com

I haven’t been there in a couple of years, but Nothing But Sports in Traverse City is a sports card collectors dream. Lots of packs and boxes to be found. Check out Rich Bannatyne’s shop in the Record Eagle article below…

Read Store for the ultimate sports fan in the Record Eagle

My View: I always love sports card shops. I worked at Cardboard Heroes in Dayton, Ohio, for a couple of years and loved it. I still get very excited on the occasion of opening a pack of baseball cards, just that part of me that hasn’t grown up yet!

Some links and thoughts on some recent Michigan/Detroit sports news…

Frankfort’s Banktson named Miss Basketball
I love it when an athlete from a Class D school gets recognized, especially when they are from northern Michigan!

Read Brenna Banktson: 2006 Miss Basketball at Absolute Michigan

Dantonio to take over reins in East Lansing
I love this hire! He’s a no-nonsense coach, exactly what the Spartans need. He’s got a great coaching pedigree and should be able to recruit some better talent then MSU has signed the last couple of seasons. It might take him 2-3 years, but I have no doubt he is the right man for this job!

Read MSU hires Mark Dantonio as new football coach at Absolute Michigan

Lions will always stink
I don’t have TV, so I usually am disappointed by the Lions listening on the radio, but with Thanksgiving Football a big part of holiday tradition, I got to see some of the game at the mother-in-law’s house. Let’s just say it’s what I expected to happen. I did think Joey would have a great game, and I thought the Lions would get beat pretty bad, especially without Kevin Jones, but come on already! Do we have to endure this every year? When I looked at the 2006 schedule I didn’t think they would only have 2 wins at this point that’s for sure. Although I don’t remember how many I predicted, but I am sure my final record guess was 8-8.

Read Have the Lions hit rock bottom? at The Wayne Fontes Experience

If one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL has something to say, it might be worth reading. In this case it definitely is. Former Cleveland Browns star Jim Brown shares his opinions on the current state of the NFL and some of his ideas for making it better.

Read Q&A with Jim Brown at Yahoo! Sports

Despite everything else Brown is known for, I will always remember him as “Fireball” in The Running Man!

When you have nothing to say, just post links to others who do…

Verlander wins AL Rookie of the Year
Not a big shocker here. He earned it and deserved it. I can’t wait for spring training to start after the successful season the Tigers had. Adding Sheffield makes it even harder to wait. It’s World Series or bust for Motown in 2007!

Read Tigers’ Verlander, Marlins’ Ramirez are top rookies at ESPN.com

Gerry Ahern states his case for a UM/OSU rematch in January
I have to say, I agree with him on all of it except the outcome of the big game! Seriously I think Michigan is going to win!

Read The Point After: Let’s play two at Yahoo! Sports

Here’s a neat bracket to determine the best Wolverine/Buckeye team of All-Time (My pick: 1968 Buckeyes)

Lions lose to 49ers
Is this some kind of sick joke? Nope, it’s just our beloved Lions giving away another game.

Read Lions drop back down to earth after last week’s win at the Freep

The Rest
I’ll be honest, I haven’t paid any attention to the Pistons yet, some to the Wings, and too much to the Spartans.

No, no, I don’t have any tickets, and I know everyone and their brother is looking for tickets, so I figured I would post some links to some of my site sponsors and tickets they have available. Be warned they aren’t cheap.

Coast to Coast Tickets
OnlineSeats.com
TickCo Premium Seating
BuySellTix
GoTickets
BarrysTickets
JustGreatTickets.com

You can also try to find tickets at Tigers Ticket Exchange or DetroitTigers.com (tickets may become available, keep clicking!).

Or you can Buy 20 Red Wings Tickets and Qualify to Buy 2 World Series Tickets!

Just remember if a deal seems to good to be true, it probably is, be careful!

Sorry for the lack of posts, alot of the Detroit Sports Blogs I visit seem to have hit the same wall, namely postseason baseball! The Tigers have taken up lots of my spare time and along with the regular everyday busy life the blog has suffered. Nevertheless, here’s my thoughts on the current state of Detroit Sports!

Detroit Tigers - WOW! and WOW! Everyone in northern Michigan seems to be buzzing with World Series fever as the Tigers get set to face the Cardinals/Mets winner. I am pulling for the Cards because their offense doesn’t seem as scary. I know, I know, what about Pujols? He is scary, but I think top to bottom the Mets lineup is stronger. Plus I would love to see a Leyland vs. LaRussa World Series. I know, they don’t actually play, but seeing them match wits head to head would be alot of fun.

I will be travelling down to the Motor City this weekend, no tickets unfortunately, but will probably try to cruise down and check out the craziness that will be at Comerica Park. I can’t wait to see it!

Check out lots of Detroit Tigers Info at Absolute Michigan

Detroit Lions - Lost in World Series fever is the fact that our beloved Lions won their first game of the season. Coach Rod Marinelli was awarded the game ball and he deserves it. I know it doesn’t show up in the overall record, but I am seeing some good things out of our Detroit Lions. They have been competitive in every game but one, and could easily be .500 with a break here or there. I think Marinelli will get this turned around, despite Millen’s goofs and I expect a playoff team possibly next season, but for sure in Marinelli Season 3.

Detroit Pistons - I have seen lots of positive press about Jason Maxiell and I have to say I am excited about the upcoming Pistons season. They will miss Big Ben, but this team will score more and be much better offensively, which might be necessary as the “D” might be down from what Pistons fans have seen the last few seasons. Either way, the Pistons will contend for the Eastern crown.

Detroit Red Wings - I will admit, haven’t really given much attention to the Wings yet, but once the World Series is over, they will be back on my radar.

Detroit Shock - Their second WNBA Title came without much of a word from me, so for that I must apologize. Congrats! I keep wondering why no NBA team has made Bill Laimbeer an NBA coach!

Michigan Wolverines - #3 in the BCS and could be setting things up for a #1 vs. #2 matchup when they travel to Ohio State. That’s something I have been predicting all along and now it’s beginning to look like I may have finally been right about something.

Michigan State Spartans - After the Illinois loss, I have been down on my Spartans. Now 3-4 and clinging to a possible bowl bid, they are through the worst of the schedule. I don’t know if there’s enough left in the tank, but John L. will give it his best shot.

That’s a quick look into the mind, not much going on as you can tell, but I will try to post more frequently and will try to snag some photos from my Detroit trip.

Go Tigers!*

*From what I can tell this is the new way to say Good-bye in northern Michigan!

Was reading the Detroit News about the Tigers season-ending slide that is sending them to New York, and stumbled upon this article. When I read the following, I started laughing…

Longtime fan Mike Pierce raised his hands in disbelief when he witnessed the fall.

Calling the loss an “epic collapse,” the 23-year-old carpet cleaner from Dearborn hung his head as he exited the stadium. “The Tigers getting swept is an absolute absurdity,” he said. “I’m absolutely astonished. It blew my mind. This should have never happened.”

What’s the definition of longtime fan? I don’t know if you can be 23 and considered a longtime fan, can you? It means he was probably in diapers when the Tigers won the 1984 World Series and spent his childhood cheering the Tigers teams of the 90’s. That doesn’t seem like “longtime fan” to me.

When I picture some who has been a longtime fan, I think of parents and grandparents, not someone who is barely old enough to drink!

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

1. Tigers - Clinging to a one game lead in the Central and alot of Tiger fans are feeling very nervous. Don’t be. The Tigers have the easiest schedule of the three remaining contenders and will start it off with a sweep of the Orioles. How do I know this? Because they are going to score some runs tonight!

The Tigers, though, may have a good opportunity to break out against Baltimore’s Hayden Penn (0-2, 36.82).

The 21-year-old right-hander lasted only three innings and was pounded for seven runs and nine hits, including three homers, in a 9-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Sunday. Penn actually reduced his ERA from 108.00.

2. Lions - I listened to the first game off and on Sunday and came away like everyone else, impressed with the defense, and puzzled by the offense. Of course sure enough on the final game-winning Seahawk drive our “D” goes soft and gives up a couple of big plays in a row to give up the easy field goal. I can’t really blame them though, they single-handedly kept the Lions in the game. I think Kitna is a “huge” improvement over Joey and he will be able to direct the Lions to some wins. Sorry Roy, just not this week.

3. Red Wings - The Wings are in TC, and the town is buzzing with excitement. I was thinking about trying to score some tickets, for the games next week. I did go to training camp a few years ago and really enjoyed it. You get to be real close to the action and interact with the players in a casual atmosphere. If you are a big Wings fan, I would definitely check it out one of these years, there are some tickets still available this year as well!

4. Wolverines Football - The biggest game of the weekend as the Wolverines travel down to Notre Dame. I might have to just breakdown and call up the biggest Wolverine fan I know (the father-in-law) and see if I can come watch the game on his new HD TV. I have this funny feeling Michigan is going to pull off the upset, behind the running of Michael Hart. Before the season started I thought Michigan might be able to contend for the title, and I still see a battle of unbeatens when they meet Ohio State at the end!

5. Spartans Football - Not really sure what to expect out of Sparty. MSU has looked very good one moment and very bad the next. That won’t cut it against a quality opponent. If MSU can pull this one out, then I look for Notre Dame to be 2-2 after next weekend!

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!

Lots of fun was had at the last Traverse City Beach Bums game of the season as the Bums scored six runs in the first inning and held off the Windy City Thunderbolts 8-4. In the process the Beach Bums set a first-year record for victories with 57 and passed the 200,000 mark for attendance, finishing with 203,574. Another great fireworks display was put on after the game as well!

“Actually, it was pretty emotional out there tonight,” said Bums infielder Nick Batkoski, who had two hits. “From the very first day, Ice (manager Jeff Isom) set the tone and said we’re going to be one of the best teams in the league. We didn’t make the playoffs, but we certainly were one of the best teams.

“To break the record for the most wins by a first-year franchise and be able to play in front of these fans — breaking 200,000 — what more can you say?”

The Beach Bums also were named East Division Organization of the year and Tony Casoli was named Pitcher of the Year.

Thanks for a wonderful (and fun) season!

Read A banner year for Bums in the Record Eagle