Leelanau Sports Guy’s World at sportspig.com

The Jack Nicklaus designed golf course The Bear will celebrate it’s 25th year of challenging golfers this summer on June 17, 2010. The Grand Traverse Resort has invited the public to participate by sharing photos and stories and offering special prizes and savings during the upcoming golf season.

The Bear was the first Nicklaus designed course in Michigan and helped pave the way for modern designed golf courses in northern Michigan.

The Golf Association of Michigan’s most recent review of The Bear measured it at 7,078 yards, and gave it a rating of 76.3 and slope of 148. In spite of its difficulty, it is fair. Landing areas are generous and it rewards good shots. And good golfers can score on it, as the Resort’s Head Golf Professional, Scott Hebert, who won six Michigan Open championships on The Bear, will attest.

“The Bear is the best golf course I’ve ever played and after 25 years it has not lost any of its bite! Every hole is different, which makes it unique, and to play it well, your game should be sharp,” stated Hebert.

Perhaps the best-known golfer to play The Bear was the winner of the 1990 Ameritech Senior Open, Chi Chi Rodriguez, who said, “(The Bear) is one of the great golf courses we play. The thing that makes this course so great is that it can be set up as tough as you want. This course challenges you on every shot. This is the way golf courses should be designed.”

For more information and details visit www.grandtraverseresort.com.

Photo of The Bear courtesy of Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

Pete Carroll tries to head to Seattle but is delayed by a USC superfan.

A list of the top 10 players in the NHL from the 2000s written by Yahoo! Sports Greg Wyshynski. Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom tops the list edging out New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur. Here’s a quick peek at what he said about Lidstrom…

Simply put, he was the total package. An offensive player who tallied 574 points, his four best point-scoring seasons all coming in the 2000s. A defensive player who was a plus-232 for the decade, frequently logging more than 28 minutes a night for the Wings. A leader who won the Conn Smythe for the Wings’ 2001-02 Stanley Cup champions, and who then captained a second Detroit team to the Cup in 2007-08. And he made it look frequently effortless.

I can’t argue with that!

Read The 10 best NHL players of the last decade at Yahoo! Sports

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Tom Izzo was the latest coach to visit Suttons Bay basketball star Dwaun Anderson this fall. Anderson, just a junior, is receiving plenty of attention after his breakout sophomore season.

“It went pretty good,” Anderson said. “He told me he was impressed and that he would like to see me work out some more.”

Anderson has scholarship offers from Central Michigan and Utah on the table. Several other schools are showing interest. A University of Dayton coach watched Anderson during an open gym on Sunday.

“September is the month when (college) coaching staffs are on the road trying to see guys play,” Hursey said. “My phone’s been ringing off the hook. Coaches are trying to find time to come up and watch him play — Michigan, Michigan State, Dayton, Oakland, Detroit. Eastern Michigan just called (Monday). Butler called today.”

I’m already planning some games to go watch this year. Some words I’ve heard describe him are: talented, unselfish, explosive, quick, and strong. Can’t wait!

Read Izzo keeps eye on Suttons Bay’s Anderson in the Record Eagle

Updated! – Another article and a video of Anderson dunking at Gang Green Blog.

This picture is a very accurate portrayal of the Detroit Tigers offense. This was the final out in the 11-1 loss against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. Maybe the homestand will get them going again. Regardless, the Detroit Tigers have to start hitting or they can kiss first-place good-bye!

Photo by the Associated Press

Most Lions fans I now are pretty excited about the changes taking place in the post-Millen era, and count me in as well. I’ve liked the hiring of Jim Schwartz since day one. He’s a real professional, organized, and comes from a winning franchise. DetroitLions.com takes a look inside the minds of head coach Schwartz and his assistants as we gear up for Detroit Lions Football 2009!

Read What to Expect? at DetroitLions.com

If any player deserved to be an All-Star this year, that player was Brandon Inge. He’s clutch for the Tigers this season and along with Miguel Cabrera has led the Tigers offense. He leads the Tigers in homeruns and RBIs all while playing on a sore knee. His defense at third base has been as great as always. I made sure to cast a few votes his direction…

“We’re thrilled Brandon has been voted to join his teammates to represent the Detroit Tigers at the All-Star Game,” said Detroit Tigers President, CEO and General Manager David Dombrowski. “It’s a tremendous honor to have such an opportunity. We especially want to thank all Tigers fans for their passionate support in the voting process.”

Here’s to a healthy knee and a solid second half for Brandon Inge and the Tigers!

Read Brandon Inge: Winner of Final Vote, Winner of Life! at Bless You Boys

The Detroit Tigers announced today that they have extended manager Jim Leyland’s contract 2-years to 2011. With the start they have had to 2009 it was only a matter of time before this was going to be done. I’m amazed more every day when I look at the production from the offense and the bottom half of the rotation that they are still in first place, and the manager deserves some credit. Now if he can only figure out how to get Maggs going and find a starting pitcher (maybe Miner?) to replace Dontrelle “Ball 4″ Willis, then I’ll be feeling alot better.

Read Tigers give Leyland two-year extension at MLB.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.

I know Darren Helm had the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals to help the Detroit Red Wings to a 2-1 OT win and a 4 games to 1 series win over the Chicago Blackhawks. But after reading about this play, I had to see it for myself and it was a very impressive shift for Helm.

Helm is a perfect example of why the Red Wings are the class of the NHL. Young guys who know their roles and are taught how to play the right way. Now let’s bring that Cup back to Hockeytown!

Meant to post this a few days ago…

Daniel Skibbe, owner of the Traverse City Wolves NAFL football team, announced a revision to the team’s official 2009 season schedule today. The Wolves will open their home schedule against the Chicago Chippewas on July 25th. “We are happy with the final schedule and are excited to open our inaugural season,” stated Mr. Skibbe.

The complete schedule:

18-July @ Ypsilanti
25-July vs. Chicago
1-Aug vs. Tri-City (ONT)
8-Aug@ Tri-City (ONT)
15-Aug vs. Genesee
22-Aug Open
29-Aug @ Chicago
5-Sept @ London (ONT)
12-Sept London (ONT)
19-Sept Ypsilanti
26-Sept@ Genesee

The Traverse City Wolves are part of the North American Football league (NAFL) that includes more than 140 teams in 24 divisions throughout the United States and Canada. The regular season is followed by a 32-team playoff to determine the NAFL champion.

I can’t wait to check this out. You can follow all the latest news from the Wolves at TCWolves.com.

Saw this over on MLive.com and Lions GM Martin Mayhew definitely knows how to play poker!

Read Martin Mayhew says Lions ‘have a pretty good idea’ of who they’re taking No. 1 at MLive.com

Just got a heads up about a new commercial that will air one-time only during the Final Four on Saturday. Here’s the details and a sneek peak at the commercial featuring former Detroit Pistons Rick Mahorn and Kelly Tripucka, and former tennis great John McEnroe.

The Final Four on CBS this Saturday will be interrupted by John McEnroe.  The three-time Wimbledon and four-time US Open Champion, who recently turned 50, will be serving up a bit of humor for the 50 year-olds watching the Final Four on CBS this Saturday. Mac, alongside 50 year-old hoopsters Kelly Tripucka and Rick Mahorn, will appear in a vignette that will ONLY air one-time encouraging men to visit www.50over50challenge.com and get serious about their prostate health (specifically enlarging prostate).

Check it out!

Surfing the web at lunch, I stumbled upon an article by josh q. public titled Grant Hill: Iron Man?. It was Grant Hill’s 75th game of the season last night and it means he has played in all of the Phoenix Suns games this season. But here’s what struck me the most…

He was NBA Rookie the Year.  He made All-Star team after All Star team.  All-NBA first team.  Led the NBA in triple-doubles.  Twice.  Get the papers, get the papers.  First player since Larry Legend to average 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in a season.  Nobody’s done it since.  Nobody.  Joined the Stilt and Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history to lead their teams in scoring, rebounding and assists more than once.

I had forgotten how dominant a player Grant Hill was in the beginning of his career with the Detroit Pistons, luckily this video helped me remember!

I remember some of those plays, wow!

Michigan State fans will hopefully have alot to cheer about this weekend as the men’s and women’s basketball teams play in Sweet 16 matchups. The men tip-off tonight (about 9:40pm) in a rematch with Kansas, while the women play Iowa State on Saturday.

Read MSU Men & Women in Sweet Sixteen at Absolute Michigan