Best Sports Week Ever!

I have to say, that this week is any sports fans dream come true - we have football, hockey, basketball and baseball all in one week. I don't think it gets any better! Well, it could be better if we had a winning football team, but that's a whole other story...

Tonight kicks off the Pistons season with their home opener. Contrary to the statements made by Mr. Dumars after a disappointing end to last season ("there are no sacred cows"), the Pistons have not made any major moves in the off-season. They have a new coach this year, but that's about it. Is a new coach enough to bring the spark back to this team? The Pistons are a great regular season team that falters in the playoffs...can Coach Curry mold this talented team into playoff contenders?

My predictions for the Pistons season:

1st in the division
54 wins
facing Boston in the Conference Finals

Can they beat Boston? I think they can, but only if they get back to the tough defense that Detroit has been known for in the past...we'll see how the season unfolds.

I am officially retiring...

I should just give up...I can't make football picks to save my life. The Patriot/Rams game missed the over by 3.5 points. The Bills really let me down against Miami. UofM blew it in the second half. Favre barely squeeked by with a win over the terrible Chiefs, but failed to cover the spread. The only team that pulled through for me this week was the Tennessee Titans. With this weeks record at 1-4, that gives me a 2 week record of 3-7...OUCH! Next week, I'm going to make my picks for 5 games and then do the exact opposite of what I think is gonna happen - maybe then I'll have a winning record!!

On the brightside though, the Indy/Titans game was a great game for my fantasy team - both Dallas Clark and Chris Johnson scored a bunch of points for me this week giving me the victory.

Marinelli...should he stay or should he go now...

...if he stays there will be trouble!

A tough question was asked of me this weekend after another disappointing performance by the Lions - Do you think they should fire Marinelli now? I answered simply yes and no.

The YES...

Marinelli's coaching philosophy sounds great...fundamentals, hard work, blah blah blah blah blah. If you have listened to any one of his press conferences, you have heard him say it over and over. However, somewhere along the line his "fundamentals and hard work" have failed to work. The Lions can barely tackle! And I don't know about you, but I think making a tackle is pretty fundamental! Every week Marinelli takes responsibility and valiantly proclaims, "It's on me, it's on me". Yes, Rod, it IS on you. Your ideas sound great, but the bottom line is they are not working. The sign of a great coach is one who can adapt to his players and figure out what makes them tick, what makes those players into great players, what makes the individual players play as a team. Unfortunately, rather than adapting and changing his style, Marinelli insists on beating a dead horse and sticking to his "fundamentals and hard work". He says they look great in practice...well no shit - in practice you're playing against the Lions! Every team looks good playing against the Lions!

Let's take a look at this Sunday's game. In a way, the Lions are so very close to being a decent team, but small breakdowns in "fundamentals" cause them to be devastatingly terrible. There were two major plays that had the Lions executed their "fundamentals", the whole game could have changed and dare I say it, the Lions may have actually won the game. First, Campbell's TD pass to Moss. The Lions blitzed and Robertson was given a one on one chance to sack Campbell. Instead of staying on his feet and focusing on making the tackle, he leaves his feet, misses and Campbell only had to simply side step him and then threw to Moss for a TD - 7 points that shouldn't have happened. Second, the punt return to the house by Moss. There were at least 3 guys that had a one on one matchup with Moss during that return. MAKE A FREAKIN' TACKLE!!! Grab his legs, grab his ankle...heck, just trip him up so someone else can have a shot at tackling him! Another 7 points that shouldn't have happened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzIyzIo1-DI&fmt=18 The Lions had the lead and looked pretty good. But then something happened and they crumbled. Something needs to change.

I have to confess something...I was a big Marinelli supporter. I was excited about his back to basics approach. Basically, I was a sucker and thought it would actually work for my beloved Detroit Lions. But as a Lions fan, one tends to grasp at any little glimmer of hope that possibly points to a successful season....fundamentals and hard work sure sounded good to me! Unfortunately the fundamentals and hard work are not showing up on Sunday. So yes, we need a new coach. We need someone to come in and turn this team upside down. But, I don't think it should be done until the end of the season.

The NO...

If they did fire Marinelli right now, who would step up and take the head coach position? Jim Colletto? Joe Barry, the son-in-law? Kippy Brown? We don't have someone like Singletary who will step up and shake up this team. Singletary is demanding champions out of his players. He kicked a player out of the game for getting a personal foul. In his press conference, he went on a rampage about wanting winners on his team. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB5-yJM3vJc&feature=related Instead we get a calm, "It's on me". Get mad Marinelli, show some emotion, show us that you really want to win! Personally, I don't think Colletto, Barry or Brown would be able to step up and do what Singletary is doing with the 49ers. Barry would probably leave if Marinelli got fired anyways. However, one has to ask, could it possibly get any worse with Marinelli gone? At this point, they really don't have anything to lose. The morale of this team is so low...they are possibly more depressed than the fans. Take for example Kevin Smith - a bright, talented rookie runningback. Prior to the start of the season, he was fired up and talking about getting this team to the Super Bowl in three years. After last weeks game, he sounded like he had a death in the family. You could tell by the tone in his voice and his words that he was beaten down mentally, and at a loss for what to do about this team. Good job Lions...it only took 6 weeks to totally demoralize a talented kid.

Bottom Line...Marinelli needs to go, but not right now. If he leaves now, the team won't get any better under Colletto, Barry or Brown. Marinelli definitely needs to change his style though if he wants any possible chance to keep his job at the end of the year.

Week 8 - Picks & Preview

It's that time of the week again...time for me to put forth my best psychic abilities and try to predict the outcomes of 5 of the games this weekend...

After last weeks dismal showing (2-3), I need to redeem myself. I have done a little research, thought long and hard, flipped a few coins, and here is what I've come up with...

(1) St. Louis at New England - in the past two weeks, those pesky Rams have been made a mockery of two teams that were supposed to be a part of the upper echelon of the NFL. Not only did they cover substantial spreads, but they beat both Washington and Dallas outright. Dallas allowed Steve Jackson to run all over the place for a total of 160 yards last Sunday. Will the Pats be able to stop Jackson? He's listed as questionable for this weekend, but usually "questionable" means he's gonna play on Sunday! Is it a fluke that the Rams have gone on a 2 game winning streak after an 0-4 start? Is New England going to be able to come up with another win like they did against Denver last week? Who knows?? The spread is +7.5 for the Rams. It depends on which team shows up on either side. Will the shaky Brady-less Pats show up? Or will the dominant Pats team that "has so many weapons it doesn't matter that they don't have Brady team" show up? Will the 0-4 Rams show up? Or will the Rams that beat the Skins and the Boys show up? No matter who shows up for either team, I think this is going to be a high scoring game. With the over/under at 42.5, I pick the over.

(2) Bills at Miami - Last week I picked against the Bills for the first time this year, and this week I'm crawling back to them. The Bills are -2 going into Miami this week after soundly defeating the Bolts last Sunday. On paper the Fish and the Bills look pretty even - the Fish are averaging 26.3 yards more on total offense than the Bills, but the Bills are averaging 39.8 fewer total yards allowed on defense than the Fish. I'm going to pick the Bills swarming defense in this match up and go with the fact that the Bills are on fire this year. If they win this week, this will be the first time that they have started a season 6-1 since 1993 - which coincidentally is when the Bills made their last of four straight trips to the Super Bowl. My pick is the Bills.

(3) MSU at UofM - How could I possibly do the picks and preview this week without mentioning this game! Last week, prior to their blowout loss to OSU, I would have told you that State was going to win this game hands down. Are we beginning to see signs of a "typical" MSU season - great start, not so great finish? As to the Maize and Blue...if there were only 2 quarters in a football game, I'd say this was a pretty great team. Will UofM find a way to put 4 quarters of solid football together? This game is one of the biggest rivalries in college ball and when these teams meet, this game is rarely a blowout. In fact, the only twice in the past 10 years that this match up has been decided by more than 2 scores - in 2006 UofM won 31-13 and in 2002 when UofM crushed State 49-3. Other than that, the score has been within around 7 points or less. No matter how good or bad either team is, this game seems to come down to the last few minutes or even a little OT. Both teams are going to bring their best efforts this Saturday and since Michigan is getting 3.5 points, I'm going with the points and the advantage of being in the Big House. My pick is UofM.

(4) KC Chiefs at New York Jets - I thought it would be fun to pick this game given the controversial circumstances surrounding the "beloved" Brett Favre. Apparently Brett has reverted to the maturity level of a pissed off junior high girl...you know, the one that was like totally popular last week, but ever since that Becky girl started that rumor about her, everyone totally hates her and her life is ruined! I used to LOVE watching Favre play. In my opinion he was one of the most entertaining players of all time because, not only is he a phenomonal quarterback, he looks like he was having so much fun doing it. When a guy in his 30s can remind you of how much fun a little kid has playing football, I think that's awesome. But ever since he started his drama-queen act - I'm retired, no I'm not, I'm retired, no I'm not. I'm a Packer, no I'm not, I'm a Packer, no I'm not. I told the Lions secrets about Green Bay, No I didn't, I'm just friends with Matt Millen and we just so happened to talk on the phone the week the Lions were going to play Green Bay...you get the point. Anyways, back to the game at hand. The Chiefs are getting 14 points in this game, but they are absolutely terrible. Jet Favre is at home and he needs to step up his game this week after a very disappointing OT loss to the Raiders last week. I think the Jets will cover...my pick is the Jets.

(5) Colts at Tennessee - Peyton tricked me last week. I've been a fan of his for quite some time now, and it's possible I got a little over excited after seeing what he did to Baltimore. Manning is a phenomonal quarterback, but perhaps the off-season knee surgery has messed with his head more than I originally thought. The Titans have proven themselves to be a very tough opponent - perhaps to tough for Manning and the Colts to overcome. The Titans have averaged almost 85 yards more per game in their passing offense. The Colts have a better average running game, but last week Chris Johnson and LenDale White seemed unstoppable - 317 combined rushing yards and 4 TDs! Will the Colts be able to stop them? I don't think so. At -4.5, I pick the Titans.

Ref tackles QB!!

hilarious...check out this article. Very similar to a Bud Light commercial....hmmm...

http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8700852?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002

The links to the videos are in the "stuff to make you laugh" section.

This is why I don't bet on football...

Well, another weekend of football action full of upsets and let downs. My record for picks this weekend is 2-3...I was only right about Penn State and the Giants. My gut was right about State shitting the bed, Peyton is definitely not back to his old self (picked off twice) - last week was just a trick, and I should have known better than to pick against my sleeper team of the year, the Buffalo Bills. You can take everything you know about football - injuries, trades, weather conditions, who's on a roll - and throw it right out the window when it comes to making picks. None of it matters because whatever you think is going to happen...doesn't! For example, St. Louis - where did they come from? Last week they made fools out of a hot Washington Redskins team. This week, they came out of nowhere and taunted Dallas on their way to a 34-14 victory.

On to the Lions. As I suspected, the Lions managed to defy my rollercoaster theory and have continued their losing streak. They are now the proud owners of an 0-6 record - for the 5th time in their franchise history. However, in spite of their best efforts to be the worst team in NFL history, they have been out done by the Cincinnati Bengals (currently 0-7) who have started a season at 0-6 for the 8th time in their franchise history. Don't worry Lions, keep up the good work and in 3 more years you could take a stab at the Bengals record!

Being a Detroit sports fan is often very depressing. The Tigers were a huge disappointment this year, the Lions are consistently disappointing and the Pistons have crushed all hope by not living up to their regular season greatness in the post-season for the past several years. However, there is hope for the Detroit sports fan. Let's take a look at the best thing we have going...The Detroit Red Wings. They had an exciting OT win against the Rangers in which Marian Hossa scored his first goal as a Red Wing. The Wings have had some trouble with turnovers early on, but at a 3-1 start, the Wings have nothing to worry about. Once this team works out the kinks and gets their chemistry down...watch out! I don't think anyone will be able to stop them.

Week 7 Picks & Preview

(1) UofM @ Penn State - This week, the beloved - although struggling - UofM football team is the underdog by 24 points. Coming off the horrific loss to Toledo (who is Nick Moore?), UofM really needs to turn things around. Are they going to win it...absolutely not! Are they going to cover the spread...possible, but not probable. Penn State has been blowing teams out left and right...it's a big spread, but they'll cover. Penn State is my pick.







(2) Colts @ Green Bay - Last week Peyton finally showed up against Baltimore. I think the Colts are officially back. And although Rodgers showed some guts playing through the pain and leading the Packers to a victory over the Squawks, I think Manning is going to pick apart GB's beat up defense and easily cover the 2 point spread. My pick is the Colts



(3) Chargers @ Buffalo - Ever since week one, I've been picking Buffalo and they've only let me down twice in 6 games...not bad for my sleeper team of the year! However, this week I'm going to have to go with the Bolt Boys. At only -1, I can't imagine that the Bolts won't cover that! I think Buffalo will keep it a close game, but the Chargers will come out on top. However, I will put out a disclaimer - this pick could be overshadowed by a selfish motive...both LT & Rivers are on my fantasy team, so I'm always rooting for the Bolts to play well! My pick is San Diego






(4) 49ers @ G-men - The 49ers are favored by 10.5 points, but that's not going to matter to Eli and the Giants. After a disappointing performance in the Dog Pound, the Giants are going to come out swinging. San Fran may have looked impressive against the Lions, but that's not saying much. The reigning champs are going to have a field day at home against the 49ers. My pick is the Giants.





(5) Buckeyes @ Spartans - This is a tough pick for me. I think it's possible that the Spartans will win outright, and they're getting 3 points. They're at home, they're looking good - although we all know that the Spartans have been known to get your hopes up at the beginning of a season and then shit the bed. Aside from that, I'm partially banking this pick on the fact that it's going to be tough for Ohio to come into the Spartan's house and walk away with a victory. My pick is Sparty.




Monday morning I'll review the weekend and see what my record is...football season is such a great time of year!

The Amazing Detroit Lions...

I have serious issues, and I need to go to rehab...

Hi, my name is Debbie and I am addicted to the train wreck that is the one and only, Detroit Lions. Was I shocked last year when the Lions were a shoe-in for the Super Bowl with their 6-2 record and they managed to methodically smash all my hopes and dreams one game at a time on their way to a final record of 7-9?? I emphatically answer that question with a big fat "NO". Why was I not shocked, you ask...well, as many of you probably know, the Lions have been quite terrible for quite a long time. As quickly as they give you any glimmer of hope, they just as quickly swipe it away with a series of disatrous draft picks, horrifying plays, and promising players that continually fail to live up to expectations. Is a .500 season to much to ask? We, the fan base of the Detroit Lions, will be easy to please...after a continual stream of disappointments, even a mediocre season will seem like a miracle!

For those of you not familiar with the roller coaster of emotions that is is to be a fan of the Lions, let me use this week as an example...

To set the scene - It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon...a game against the Vikings in Minnesota. The Lions were a 13.5 point underdog (which probably has something to do with the fact that in the previous 4 games, the opponents were able to score a total of 87 points before the Lions were able to score). With a spread like that, all logic indicates that the Lions are about to get smoked by the Vikings....I am demoralized.

(1) The Lions show a spark on defense - finally, it looks like we've learned how to tackle! Could this be the turning point of the season?!?!? My hopes are high...there's a smile on my face!

(2) Orlovsky...hmmm...you know the white lines around the edge of the field, I'm sure you've seen them once or twice. Well the purpose of these amazing white lines is to create a border, within which you must remain while playing the game. The Lions broke an NFL record on Sunday by becoming the first team in NFL history to get an unforced safety. Way to go Lions! I am again demoralized.

(3) The Lions come back in the 2nd quarter and score a field goal! GO LIONS! Truly amazing...their first lead of the season. I am over-joyed!

(4) The Lions manage to lose the game 12-10...by 2 points. How many points do you get for a safety...oh yeah, it's 2. So demoralized....although trying to keep a positive outlook, I focus on the fact that they didn't get blown out.

(5) The trade deadline. Could there be a glimmer of hope in the management of the Lions? I think there is! Somehow the Lions managed to squeeze not one, not two, but THREE draft picks out of the Dallas Cowboys for Roy Williams. And on top of that, it's a combo of a 1st, 3rd and 6th round picks....personally I would have been happy with only a 3rd round pick for Roy, so naturally I am once again a happy camper.

(6) Unbelievable....I didn't think my next disappointment with the Lions would come until Sunday, but it looks as though I am not so lucky. The Lions have announced that they are starting Foster over Cherilus...REALLY!?!?! Why?? Are you really trying to salvage an 0-5 season? Wouldn't the smart coaching decision be to let the rookie get some experience?? LIONS...at this point, you should be coaching for next year. This year is a bust...the least you can do is try to make yourselves better for next year!

I am at a loss for words...we have Houston this Sunday. Is it possible that the Lions can squeeze out a win against the Texans this week? According to the roller-coaster theory, I'm due for an upswing! Keep your fingers crossed......or just start drinking heavily and maybe you won't remember the game.