Damn Delfino

Freakin Carlos Delfino had to ruin it for the Pistons last night. I was at the edge of my seat in the final seconds at the game is Chauncey Billups hit a big shot to make the game close. The Pistons ended up tying in the game and the contest was poised to go into overtime when Delfino fouled Darrell Armstong with less than three seconds left in the game. Armstrong missed the first free throw but made the second as the Pacers got the win.

That was probably the first time I've been to the Palace when the Pistons have lost. It was still a great game though and the Pistons should have won - they were up by 15 in the first half but let things slip away. Besides the Pistons losing the other bad thing about the game was that Billups was hurt and looks like he could miss some time

Before the game my sister danced on the court with her dance troupe so i got to see that. I also had a good time at the game with Sarah, Nat, my sister's boyfriend and her brother. It was kinda hard b/c my sister's man is a Pacers fan but it was all good.

At the game I did get a Nazr Mohammed bobblehead which was the giveaway that night. I also got a Pistons fleece blanket.

A trip to the zoo

Pics from a trip to Toledo to see the lights before Christmas

new game

Other than today being a typical Tuesday meaning that i want to Frickers for 25 cent wings with sarah and sean, i also hooped at Siena for a couple of hours and purchased a new video game that should keep me occupied throughout the winter months

i got the new College Hoops 2k7 and so far it seems pretty cool. It is the first game that I've ever purchased that actually has Eastern Michigan's real fight song in it. The game seems to have pinned their talent level well as i can't make a basket for the life of me. Tonight i started to update some of the rosters with the actual name of players and then began a dynasty which i will play with Michigan and EMU.

For anyone looking for a college hoops game I definitely recommend it.

gobble, gobble

last night i bowled my first turkey in eons and was one pin away from getting a fourth straight strike. regardless it was a pretty decent way to end the night bowling and helped me beat lance and JJ. I bowled a strike in the ninth and w/ my first two roles in the 10th and then finished the game by hitting nine pins. the night started out shitty as i rolled 100 my first two games before getting a 120 in the third game.

After bowling with the fellas I played a few games of euchre w/ sarah, tina and nat before calling it a night.

yesterday afternoon i also went to the siena hoops game to see lieto aka baby iverson play.

not too much happened the rest of the weekend. I did pages on Saturday and friday morning and covered a hoops game on Friday night.

my day

Today ive just been enjoying a day off. I played a little bit of basketball at Siena with a few people from work and a couple of Sarah's teammates. After that I took csre of some bills and did a little grocery shopping. Nothing too thrilling.

Other than that I surfed the net and saw that a former EMU baseball player (Ryan Goleski) was the top pick in the MLB Rule 5 draft. And the other thing I saw EMU related was that ESPN.com had their football team rated as the sixth-worst in the nation in their bottom 10. Way to go Eagles! but i guess thats what a 1-11 season does to you.

my fantasy football week begins this week because of the Cleveland-Pittsburgh game starts Week 14 of NFL action. The week beginning means the playoffs start in my two ESPN leagues. In the telegram league i finished 7-5-1 and had the No. 4 seed for the playoffs and play Sean who is the top seed. In my other league I went 12-1 and have the top seed.


In other things:
- I got two Christmas cards in the mail yesterday. makes me realize Christmas is closer than I think it is.
- The Adrian-Siena game went down to the wire with Siena winning the cross-town battle by three in last night's game.

My bowl picks

Tuesday, Dec. 19
Poinsetta Bowl
TCU (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (7-5) - NIU

Thursday, Dec. 21
Las Vegas Bowl
BYU (10-2) vs. Oregon (7-5) - Oregon

Friday, Dec. 22
New Orleans Bowl
Troy (7-5) vs. Rice (7-5) - Rice

Saturday, Dec. 23
PapaJohn's Bowl
South Florida (8-4) vs. East Carolina (7-5) - South Florida

New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico (6-6) vs. San Jose State (8-4) - San Jose State

Armed Forces Bowl
Tulsa (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5), 8 p.m. - Utah

Sunday, Dec. 24
Hawaii Bowl
Arizona State (7-5) vs. Hawaii (10-3) - Hawaii

Tuesday, Dec. 26
Motor City Bowl
Central Michigan (9-4) vs. Middle Tennessee (7-5) - Central Michigan


Wednesday, Dec. 27
Emerald Bowl
Florida State (6-6) vs. UCLA (7-5) - UCLA

Thursday, Dec. 28
Independence Bowl
Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Alabama (6-6) - Alabama

Holiday Bowl
California (9-3) vs. Texas A&M (9-3) - California


Texas Bowl
Rutgers (10-2) vs. Kansas State (7-5) - Rutgers


Friday, Dec. 29
Music City Bowl
Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5) - Clemson


Sun Bowl
Missouri (8-4) vs. Oregon State (9-4) - Oregon State

Liberty Bowl
South Carolina (7-5) vs. Houston (10-3) - South Carolina

Insight Bowl
Minnesota (6-6) vs. Texas Tech (7-5) - Minnesota

Champs Sports Bowl
Maryland (8-4) vs. Purdue (8-5) - Purdue

Saturday, Dec. 30
Meineke Bowl
Navy (9-3) vs. Boston College (9-3) - Navy

Alamo Bowl
Iowa (6-6) vs. Texas (9-3) - Texas

Chick-fil-A Bowl
Virginia Tech (10-2) vs. Georgia (8-4) - Virginia Tech


Sunday, Dec. 31
MPC Computers Bowl
Nevada (8-4) vs. Miami (6-6) - Nevada

Monday, Jan. 1
Outback Bowl
Penn State (8-4) vs. Tennessee (9-3) - Penn State

Cotton Bowl
Auburn (10-2) vs. Nebraska (9-4) - Auburn

Capital One Bowl
Wisconsin (11-1) vs. Arkansas (10-3) - Wisconsin

Gator Bowl
Georgia Tech (9-4) vs. West Virginia - West Virginia

Rose Bowl
Southern Cal (10-2) vs. Michigan (11-1) - Michigan

Fiesta Bowl
Boise State (12-0) vs. Oklahoma (11-2) - Oklahoma


Tuesday, Jan. 2
Orange Bowl
Wake Forest (11-2) vs. Louisville (11-1)- Louisville

Wednesday, Jan. 3
Sugar Bowl
LSU (10-2) vs. Notre Dame (10-2) - Notre Dame

Saturday, Jan. 6
International Bowl
Cincinnati (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (8-4) - Cincinnati

Sunday, Jan. 7
GMAC Bowl
Southern Miss (8-5) vs. Ohio (9-4) - Ohio

Monday, Jan. 8
BCS National Championship
Ohio State (12-0) vs. Florida (12-1) - Ohio State

an update

Yesterday was the opening night of the high school boys basketball season for most teams and two of the games we ended up covering were drastic blow outs decided by 40 points or more including the game I covered. looks like it could be a long season for some teams in the county.

other than that not much is going on. tonight is the big Adrian College-Siena Heights men's hoops game in the battle for the milk jug. Three of the last four meetings have been decided by three points or less so that should be interesting.



Went bowling on Sunday and had a decent night rolling a 154, 122 and 146. Didn't lose a game at all to anyone I bowled against. Been balling a lot the last week and actually getting in some kind of shape which has been good for me. Hopefully I'll return to the court tomorrow and rediscover my jump shot so i don't have to constantly drive to the basket. although i couldn't have shot worst than what the University of Michigan men's hoop team did when they lost to NC State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge last week. It seemed like they couldn't hit any kind of jump shot whatsoever.

Anyways thats all I've got for now

Snubbed

I was hoping Michigan would get a rematch with Ohio State after USC's loss but after Florida defeated Arkansas in the SEC championship game I figured they were screwed and I was correct. But it was unfortunate because I would have liked to see how that game would have been played on a neutral setting.

ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski had a good column in support of Michigan. His column was trying to figure out how the Wolverines got snubbed.

Here are some points from the column:
• It didn't win its conference.

No, it didn't. But did you see who did? Team by the name of Ohio State. Maybe you've heard of the Buckeyes? Undefeated. Ranked first in the country. Beat Michigan in Columbus by the grand total of three whole points.

And feel free to show me in the BCS handbook where it says you've got to win your conference to play in the championship game.

• Nobody wants to see a rematch.

Just asking, but how did Ali-Frazier II and III work out? Or that Georgetown-Villanova Final Four?

I know Florida's Urban Meyer doesn't want to see a rematch, but he's not exactly an impartial observer, is he? And if Meyer were in Carr's Nikes, I guarantee you his objections to a second Ohio State-Michigan game would have disappeared.

A rematch, this time on a neutral field, would have been a game for the ages. And if you threatened to take away his precious sweater-vest if he didn't tell the truth, I bet you Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel would rather play Florida than have to face the Wolverines again (Tressel declined to vote in the final coaches' poll).

• Florida played a tougher schedule.

Agreed. But strength of schedule is part of the equation, nothing more. Tuberville's 2004 team had the strongest strength of schedule, but didn't make it.

You want to give the Gators the edge based on scheduling? Fair enough, though you could argue that Florida didn't exactly beat vintage Alabama, Georgia and Florida State teams this year, and Central Florida and Division I-AA Western Carolina were dreadful.

And look at the one loss each suffered by Florida and Michigan on their schedules. You tell me which defeat was more impressive: the Gators' 10-point road loss to an Auburn team that finished the season No. 9 in the BCS standings? Or the Wolverines' three-point road loss to an Ohio State team now favored to win the national championship?


• The BCS system rewarded Florida for finishing its season with wins at FSU and against Arkansas at the SEC championship in Atlanta.

And the BCS penalized Michigan twice for being on the wrong end of the calendar: once when USC moved to No. 2 after beating Notre Dame (even though Michigan beat the Irish worse), and now, when Florida overtook the Wolverines (even though U of M's season ended two weeks ago).

How can you call this a "system" when Florida belongs to a league that plays a conference championship, and Michigan doesn't? How can you call it a quasi-playoff when Michigan drops twice in the standings without losing a game?

• Florida has earned the right to play Ohio State.

Absolutely true. But so has Michigan.

Ask the coaches at Vanderbilt (the Commodores played both Michigan and Florida this season) who is the better team, and the consensus pick -- privately, of course -- is the Wolverines. Florida has more speed and a handful of players to die for, they say, but Michigan is more physical, would control both sides of the line of scrimmage, has wonderful wide receivers, and is led by a quarterback who doesn't make many mistakes.

Ask them who would give Ohio State the better game, and you'll get the same answer.

Tuberville voted Ohio State, Florida and then Michigan on his final ballot.

"But I watched Michigan this year," he said. "Heck, I think they could beat anybody. But that's the way the system is. It's a screwed-up system."

But none of that matters now. Instead, Carr is taking his Wolverines to the Rose Bowl presented by Citi to face a USC team that had one loss on Saturday -- and controlled its own BCS destiny -- but two losses by Saturday night.

Michigan never had that chance. It was 11-1 on Nov. 18. It was 11-1 on Dec. 3. But between then and now, the Wolverines apparently became the cellulite queens and somehow lost the swimsuit portion of this ridiculous BCS beauty pageant.

Strahan's rant

man Michael Strahan needs to keep his mouth shut considering he said these comments on his own radio show

Good for Joey and my poor car

This Lions team is clearly not the ones of old that were led by Wayne Fontes. I remember them always having a losing record heading into November but getting hot and finding some way to make the playoffs. Now a days there seems to be no hope especially after yet another loss on Thanksgiving to the Dolphins.

I was glad to see Joey Harrington do so well against his former team. I actually liked Harrington and purchased his jersey during his rookie year. I thought he was wronged in Detroit and the evidence has shown up in the standing.Harrington is on a four-game win streak with the Dolphins while the Lions only have two wins.

Other than my rant about the Lions a few other things over the past few days
- I was home for Thanksgiving which wasnt bad. Arrived home on Wednesday and got to eat some chinese and chill at home with my grandpa, sister and mom. Seemed my grandpa spent most the time taking cat naps during his visit over the few days
- My car got hit on Wednesday as i was leaving the gas station. I pulled up waiting my turn to pull out of Speedway when a guy driving a van with Ohio plates backed into my car and put a dent into my fender. Argh!

Crossing enemy lines

Besides The Ohio State University, there is no school I like to hate more than Notre Dame - although I was hoping Notre Dame would come back to beat Michigan State earlier this season which they did.

But thats beside the point, because this weekend I will be rooting for the Fighting Irish when they take on USC. Why? A win makes a rematch with Ohio State more likely for the maize and blue. And I would love to see Michigan get another chance to knock off the Buckeyes and shut their fans up. More so, I would just like to see who would win that game on a neutral setting since this weekend's game was so entertaining and lived up to the hype.

Other than disappointed about another Michigan loss to Ohio State, I've been doing pretty good lately.
Last week I was out in Jonesville twice covering the opening round and semifinals of a Class C girls basketball district. Also did a reaction piece for the paper on
Bo Schembechler's death since a few local residents actually played for him.

Today as I was going into work to do pages I was playing with my phone and hit the web button on it and a screen popped up where I could get ringtones and stuff for my phone. It was weird that happened since my mom and i were just talking about internet for our cells. Anyways I decided to purchase a ring tone since I lost all my ring tones when I got a new phone last month.

Also I've had two fantasy basketball drafts recently. When the season began I had no intent of playing fantasy hoops but now I'm fully involved in it. Now I have a lot of lineups to change, especially on the weekends now since I have four fantasy football teams.

Fantasy football seems to be going all right as of now. In two of my leagues I entered this past weekends games in first place. In one of my ESPN leagues I had a 9-1 record and in one of my yahoo leagues I am first with a 6-3 record. In the league I'm in with people from work I'm 4th out of eight teams with a record of 5-4-1

a trip north

After lunch with Sean I decided to make a trip to the Ann Arbor area to pick up my mom's birthday present. Her birthday is today so I'm a little late - oops.
But before heading back to Adrian to do a few things for work, I decided to check out the new student center at Eastern, which had its grand opening today.

After checking it out, it made me wish I was still in college. Casey met me at the student center and gave me a tour of the facility which is a heck of a lot nicer than McKenny Union ever was. the new student center has a gaming room with several xboxes, dance dance revolution and several other video games available for students to use. when i walked in there several peeps were playing halo. i can already see people skipping class to play video games

besides that, theres a 24 hour computer lab (a first for EMU), new restaurants like KFC, subway and starbucks, a way better bookstore and a lot of nice meeting rooms. The student center is way closer to the residence halls and has windows overlooking the park. neeedless to say i was pretty impressed. i could probably rant more about the student center but ill choose not to. but one of the opening events for the center is a night with Joe Dumars next Monday that is free to the public. So that will definitely be pretty cool

while at EMU i picked up the echo and saw a story in the paper pretty much saying the football coaches honeymoon should be over and that he shouldnt have his contract rolled over. thought it was an interesting story that brought up several good points.
http://www.easternecho.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?21502

anyways im off to watch the pistons

bowling

Last night was a busy night of bowling. Sarah and I met Nat, Lance and Tina to take advantage of the $1 games night at Ten Pin and ended up bowling five games. Kinda in competition style Lance and Nat bowled against me and Sarah and Tina just watched. while me and sarah lost each of the games - it was still pretty fun. nat beat lance in at least one of the games and sarah bowled the game of her life and beat me once and beat me another time when i had an off performance.

other than that yesterday I took care of a lot of phone calls as i talked to my aunt, mom and grandma and watched the lions keep mike vick in check and beat the falcons

Ballin on the football field

so far this season, this has become a trademark around the league and especially with the New York Giants. Most people tend to hate it but I think its pretty cool. Sad thing is its only a matter of time before the league will probably crack down on this

the weekend

With the weekend off from work, I decided to venture to EMU for homecoming on Saturday. I really wasn't expecting to see too many people there but to my surprise I ran into a lot of people I knew in the student tailgate areas. Saw several people that I came in with my freshman year and a lot that I hadn't seen since graduation in April of 05.



After spending a good amount of time catching up with people, I headed over to the game with my good pal Casey and her roomie Bryan who is better known as B-Way. We were over in the student section and I chilled with them until halftime before taking off to run a few more errands around Ann Arbor/Ypsi. Eastern was winning 9-0 at half and ended up gettin a 17-13 victory to get their first win of the season.

While up in Ann Arbor I also went to the mall and checked out the massive World Series gear they had at Champs and ended up picking up a shirt for myself. I headed home at a reasonable time so I could beat the traffic from the Michigan game and ended up hanging out with Sarah after she got off work and watched Game 1 of the World Series. The Tigers scored first, but the Cardinals ended up winning 7-2.

Yesterday I didn't do too much exciting other than go bowling with Sarah and some of her teammates and their boys. I bowled much better than I did a couple weeks ago when we all bowled at ten pin. while bowling we caught the final five innings of the tigers game and watched todd jones almost give the game away in the ninth. fortunately for us tigs fans it was a typical rollercoaster inning that jones somehow found a way out of and the tigs won 3-1 to tie the series at 1.

Dennis Green Goes Nuts

this possibly has to be the funniest coach rant ever

World Series!!

Man was I excited as ever to see Magglio's walk off homer in the ninth inning send the Tigers to the World Series. Who would have thought this was been the year? We had the game on at work watching at and I remember as soon as the ball left his bat me, Sarah and Marc and a few others in the newsroom being excited about what we just witnessed. The Tigers clinching the AL pennant with a 6-3 win over the Oakland A's and a 4-0 series sweep in the ALCS.

its a small world after all

Saturday I was out talking to fans at Adrian College trying to get quotes for a reaction piece about the new Performance Enhancement Stadium on the colleges campus. It was the first football game in the stadium that night and there was a big crowd. While interviewing a man from Toledo, I noticed this guy by me had stopped and was kinda listening in so I approached him after I got done and before I started to ask him questions, he was like hey your Brian, right.

Yes I replied and right then and there I realized that it was my high school history/economics teacher Mark Morris. Very stunned to see him there, he then told me he was at the game because he is an Adrian College alum and former football player. Apparently he was the team captain his senior season and a running back who earned MVP honors. I was pretty impressed to find that out and still couldnt believe that I ran into someone from Coloma out in Adrian.

By the way, the stadium was very nice as was the press box. Very similar to one Ive been into at Western Michigan's Waldo Stadium.

As for the game, Adrian lost 10-0 to Defiance. There actually were two soccer games at the field prior to the football game and Adrian lost both of those as well. So in essence they opened their new field with an 0-3 record - kinda sucky. If it was me, I'd be scheduling some teams I know I would definitely beat to open a new stadium in - but oh well.

Prior to working Saturday I got to see a good portion of the EMU-Michigan State game, and flipped between the Game 5 of the WNBA finals in the second half to only see the Shock clinch the title.
But anyways as far as the football game was concerned, I was glad to see Eastern put up a fight and I actually had hope for them the way they started the second half. Its too bad they couldnt tie the game at 24 after recovering a fumble on the second half kickoff. Oh well, but I think they have a decent shot at beating Northwestern on Saturday.

strike

So its the third day of classes at EMU and there is faculty that is still striking. Man i'm jealous. How come this didn't happen my senior year when the faculty was very close to striking before an agreement was reached the night before classes

Link to story from the student newspaper: http://easternecho.com/cgi-bin/story.cgi?11411

but i'm 17

as i was gettin ready to go to hudson to cover a game i decided to go get some gas at the BP by my house and then run back to my apartment for a little bit before i leave. well my trip to the gas station started out normal - i was filling up my car and whatever until a car pulled up next to me and asked me for a favor. me thinking they were going to ask for directions or something approached the car and was like yeah whats up. then the girl asks if i will buy her some cigarettes, to which I reply im only 17. her and her friend look at me and im like for real im 17 - she immediately is like bull fucking shit - and im like i am - and shes like bull fucking shit and speeds off.

like i would seriously buy her some damn cigarettes with the attendant from inside looking out the window. and besides i dont even smoke

streak

I keep on ending up at Tigers games that end up having a streaker run across the field. Last August I went to a game against the Red Sox where a couple of naked guys jumped on to the field from the first base line and one of them made it all the way across to the third base side before gettin caught.

Saturday in the game against the Angels a guy jumped out from the third base line and ran across the field. As he was running he fell on the center field grass quite a bit in front of Tigers centerfielder Curtis Granderson. He then was eventually caught in the rightfield corner.

The game was pretty tight. Sarah and I got to see Verlander pitch and had some decent seats that were 20 rows behind the Tigers dugout. After trailing 1-0, Detroit scored two runs in the eighth thanks to a clutch hit by Marcus Thames to go up 2-1. It appeared it would be another W but shaky defense in the ninth helped Los Angeles tie the game. They eventually scored 5 runs in the 10th with a triple by Chone Figgins keying the surge. They won the game 7-2 which was a crappy ending. Hopefully this loss won't come back to hurt them late in the month when the Tigs try to claim the Central Division title and reach the playoffs
Regardless it was still fun, and I was glad to finally see Verlander pitch in person.
It looked like the game might get cancelled because of rain but the game just started 15 minutes later.

the photos above are from the Associated Press

baseball games

Recently had one of my ultimate stretch of days that included two trips to the ballpark to see the Tigers. Sunday I went to catch the game against the Indians with my dad - a 1-0 victory for the Tigers

A pretty good game and it was fun chillin w/ the pops and keeping score and stuff like that. Despite Verlander not pitching, Ledezma put on a show and performed well. Every time I've seen him pitch in person (also saw him during the 04 season at U.S. Cellular) he's done well.

After the game we went to a nursing home/rehabilation center to see a relative, and to visit both my dad's parents and then met some relative I'd never even met before. The dude, who is my grandpas brother, had like a car shop in his back yard and it included a 1953 chevy that is one of them cars that u see at the Dream Cruise. It looked very good.

Also went to see my other grandma that day so needless to say it was a loong day that didnt end til i rolled back into Adrian at 9.

Yesterday's game was fun even tho the Tigers lost to the Twins. ended up going with Jess and Scott. We had fifth row seats that were outfield box along the first base line. Were pretty close to the action. Robertson aka Gum Time pitched decent but made a few too many mistakes.
Scott and I both ended up getting Tigers jersey shirts - he got Verlander and I got Granderson. Not too much else to add right now

Boo to that

I was all excited and very much looking forward to going to Sunday's Tigers game with my Dad, especially knowing that I'd finally get to see Justin Verlander pitch in person. That excitement just faded a few minutes ago when I was looking on the AP wire and saw that Verlander would miss a start due to a fatigue in his arm.

Sucks for me but a good decision for the stretch run. It should still be fun anyways

Michigan nips Penn State

A classic video

One of the most classic press conferences of all time

what will they create next..

In light of the World Cup and the infamous head butt by France's Zidane, I recently found this on one of my friends blogs

http://addictinggames.com/zidaneheadbuttgame.html

A great first half

I'll be the first to tell you that I'm definitely satisfied with the way the first half of the season turned out for my beloved Tigers. No way did I expect them to have a 59-29 record and have the best record in all of baseball and have a two game lead over the White Sox for the lead in the AL Central.

Heres to hoping they can keep up the pace in the second half and be in the playoffs for the first time since 1987. Hopefully the pitching holds up and the young players like Granderson, Zumaya, and Verlander don't get too fatigued down the stretch. I would hate to do what the Cleveland Indians did down the stretch last year and then have to recall the vivid image of Chicago White Sox coach Ozzie Guillen giving the choke sign (see image)
Also here is hoping that the players (i.e Carlos Guillen, Pudge, Maggs) stay healthy during the stretch run.

The first half of the season was also a great one for two of my three fantasy baseball teams (yeah im a fantasy sports dork). In the random yahoo public league i joined i'm in first place with a game lead over the rest of the competition. I'm boasting a 59-41-10 record and have won seven of my last eight weekly matchups after opening the season by losing the first three weeks.

In the league I care about most (league im in with people from work) I'm a 0.5 game behind Scott for first place with a 118-85-44 record. In that league i've won five straight weekly matchups and seven of my last eight.
Then theres the league I'm doing shitty in.. the league im in with EMU people. I'm 12th out of 14 teams and 39 games behind the league leader.

my wish list

As the second half of the baseball season will begin soon, I decided to make a wish list of players I hope the Tigers acquire for the stetch run.

1. Carl Crawford

Probably not likely because the Tigers would have to give the Devil Rays too much. But Crawford is a young, talented left-handed outfielder with great speed - something that is missing from this year's team.


Stats - .319 average, 12 doubles, 8 triples, 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, 32 stolen bases


2. Alfonso Soriano

A second baseman who has been transformed into a left fielder for my second favorite team - the Nationals. His defense can be suspect at times, but for what he can do with the bat he is well worth it. Not a lefty, which is what the Tigs need, but if they could acquire him it would be a big lift.


Stats - .272 batting average, 20 doubles, 27 home runs, 56 RBIs, 20 stolen bases, 63 runs

3. Dontrelle Willis
Has arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball the past month. Seems unlikely the Marlins will trade him now that they are playing respectable baseball. The price might be too high for the Tigers. The Tigers seem to have enough reliable pitching but you can never have too much.

Stats - 6-7 record, 3.94 ERA, 123.1 innings, 3 complete games, 76 strikeouts


4. Bobby Abreu
Seems to be the most likely of this group. A left-handed bat who gets on base. Has a big salary but seems as things will be worked out in order to reach a deal if one is reached. Likely would lose Craig Monroe or Marcus Thames and possibly a minor league pitcher

Stats - .293 batting average, 22 doubles, 8 home runs, 59 RBIs, 83 walks, 18 stolen bases, .447 on base percentage

*Stats are through the first half of this season

what a coincidence

Just saw that NASCAR driver Matt Kenseth was rear-ended for the second straight day. Seems he must have a target on him.

Kenseth’s rental car bumped at stoplight

One day after a bump from Jeff Gordon sent him spinning out of the lead in the Nextel Cup race at Chicagoland Speedway, Matt Kenseth felt another nudge as he was stopped at a light in his rental car.

He thought it might have been a tap from Roush Racing teammate Greg Biffle, who was following Kenseth from the airport to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for testing.

“He always runs into me, so I thought it was him joking,” Kenseth was quoted as saying Monday in a NASCAR news release. “It wasn’t. It was a student driver and instructor; just pile drove into the back of me. That was exciting.”

Goodbye Ben, hello Nazr

In a couple of days Ben Wallace will be a Chicago Bull. Like many Pistons fans I was disappointed that he decided to leave Detroit when it seemed like the starting five could at least have a couple more long playoff runs to see if they can deliver another title. I also didn't think he'd actually leave, but things happen and change.

At the same time, I understood the business aspect of things and realized that the Pistons couldn't offer him 60 million for four years. Many are skeptical of the signing of Nazr Mohammed as the new center but I'm taking the optimistic approach and thinking we might have something better than people think we have.

When Ben Wallace was traded to Detroit in the summer of 2000 along with Chucky Atkins for Grant Hill, he wasn't exactly an All-Star caliber player. In his last season in Orlando here are his numbers

Ben Wallace (1999-2000 season)
Games- 81 (81 starts)
Minutes /gm - 24.2
Pts/gm - 4.8
Reb/gm - 8.2 (2.6 offensive reb/gm)
Blk/gm - 1.6
FG % - 50.4
FT % - 47.4

Here are Mohammed's numbers from last season with San Antonio
Games - 80 (30 starts)
Min/gm - 17.4
Pts/gm - 6.2
Reb/gm - 5.2 (2.0 offensive reb/gm)
Blk/gm - .61
FG % - 50.4
FT % - 76.5

Their numbers are fairly comparable
Mohammed might not be the defensive presence that Wallace was, but he is an upgrade on the offensive end. While it sucks to lose the face of the franchise this might pay off in the long run

Now I understand

As if I didnt understand before, I got another reminder on how big this area is on there NASCAR.

I was in Meijer picking up some grease for my hair tonight and I overheard a couple of ladies talking in the next aisle over. There discussion began about their day and one mentioned she had watched the race. The discussion took off there as they talked about the end of the race in which Jeff Gordon won by spinning out Matt Kenseth in the final laps.

When the lady who didnt watch the race heard Gordon one she was rather disappointed because she doesn't like him but said she preferred him over Kenseth. The other lady replied I really can't stand both of them and they continued their discussion about their favorite drivers.

After picking up what I needed I took a quick glance over at the next aisle and saw that these ladies just appeared to be your average females.

a trip to the southWEST side

Went home for a little bit yesterday to enjoy the holiday and catch up with some pals. Its amazing all the people I saw while being home for a little bit more than 24 hours. I rolled until town about 3 p.m. yesterday and stopped to get some ice cream and saw a few people I knew working at Dairy Queen.

I went home and chilled there for most of the evening and met my sister's boyfriend Rodney for the first time. Of course I was the last to meet him because I'm never around that way. But from what I hear hes a regular at my house. I ended up heading down to the beach for the fireworks display over Lake Michigan that night and caught up with people I hadn't seen in eons. Ran into one of my classmates and a few of my sister's classmates and then also my friend Erika and one of her pals.

After the fireworks I ventured out to Benton Harbor to meet a few of my close pals at Steak and Shake for a late night snack. Steak and Shake was surprisingly packed with so many people there from the fireworks .. so it took awhile to get food. but that was cool because it just gave me the chance to catch up with Amy, Katie, Kristy and Lynz. Aside from seeing Amy at the end of May, I hsdn't seen the others in quite sometime.

Regardless yesterday was a long day considering I was up at 5 to do pages. and i didn't get much sleep because I was hanging out at a co-workers cookout on Sunday.

Today I stopped at my friend Renae and her husband's house and got a tour. When I get married I'd want to have a house like theirs. It was a decent size and a pretty nice place. Then I ran a few errands and before you knew it it was time to eat. Renae and her husband came over as was my uncle Ron. My sisters boyfriend and his mom and nephew also came but they didnt arrive until after most everyone had already eaten dinner.

while at home it was pretty cool to see the new additions around town, and I was surprised to see that there is a Steve and Berry's in Benton Harbor. I definitely want to hit that up when I return that way

rocket man

Last night I got a chance to see the winningest pitcher in baseball for the first time. That pitching being none other than future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens, who was making his second start of the season with the Astros. I saw Clemens pitch 2+ innings (i'll explain later) and he held true to form.

And once again he was plagued by the low scoring Astros' offense as he ended up getting no run support thanks to a solid pitching effort by Nate Robertson. The Tigers ended up winning the game 4-0 and did their damage once Clemens left the game in the 7th.

All in all a nice victory to see for the Tigers who are continuing to play solid basbeall. They just swept the Cardinals and took the first two games of their series with the defending National League champs.

As to why I only saw Clemens pitch for 2+ innings.

I arrived to the stadium at 6:20 ish and headed toward the will call line with the people I was with. We were in line by 6:25 and didnt get in the ball park until close to 8:00. By that time the bottom of the fourth inning was one out away from being over. The delay? A long will call line. I could have never imagined having to deal with something like that and I feel sorry for people who were way behind us. I'd be surprised if they got into the stadium before the seventh inning.

It didnt make sense that the Tigers didnt have all the ticket offices outside the stadium serve will call needs since the game was pratically sold out -- which doesnt often happen for a night game in the middle of the week. But oh well I guess. I wrote a letter to the Tigers to speak my mind on the matter and hopefully they get back to me about it.

After the game we ended hoping on the people mover to get to Greektown where we ate at Pizza Papalis before heading back home. Not a bad night, minus the long will call line.

catchin up

Nice to catch up with some friends that I hadnt seen since last summer last night
I journeyed up to Ypsi for Pat and Anna's birthday party at Frenchies in Depot Town.

Not a bad time. Ended up driving over to my buddy Scott's apartment on Summit to watch the end of the Tigers game (another great, magical win for the Tigs) and then making the 15 minute walk to Depot Town. That was prolly the first time I had walked to Depot Town from the main campus area since I went to Summer Insitute in the summer of 2000 (i was getting ready to enter my senior yr of HS then).

When we almost were at Frenchies I saw Glenna Frank Miller chilling outside a restaurant and she recognized me and said hello. and then once we got there I ran into a lot of the peeps I used to chill with from time to time like Steve, Ken, Carrie and Trisha along with Pat and Anna. Also ran into some people I knew from my days on OTEAM as well.

All in all a pretty fun night and it waw great to catch up with some people I rarely see

im still here...

im still alive to whoever reads this

been busy of late... a few things ive done recently

- covered the East-West All Star game at Comerica Park Tuesday.. an interesting experience. I found out that one of our local coaches actually knows Jim Leyland. I heard him talkin to another guy talkin bout how he tried giving Kate Leyland (Jim's wife) a call and was shocked that he knew him. I guess tehy used to do camps together in the Toledo area which makes perfect sense since leyland is from that area.

- spent this whole past weekend at MIS covering NASCAR stuff and my cousin Bill Lester (just a joke there). For those who don't know Bill Lester is an African American driver and he was racing in his second race in the Nextel Cup Series. He races in the craftsman truck series as well but is tryin to break through in the major series. Seemed like a cool guy from what i saw of him interacting with people

Adam Sandler was the grand marshal of Sunday's race and said Gentleman start your engines in his happy gilmore voice.. quite entertaining. Walked right past Dale Earnhardt Jr on Sunday. I was standing with Deloris at the time and joked she should have reached out to touch him since that is her favorite driver.

-- oh and yesterday there was that storm that hit Adrian. My power went out at 6 pm yesterday and didnt come on until 11 am. Talk about sucking especially since I had to get up early for pages. Thank God for cell phones

Another random thing... last week Sean and I were playing tennis at Adrian High at night. It was starting to get pretty dark.... so dark we could barely see the ball so we decided to leave. As we were walking to our cars a security guard emerged from the school asking us if those were our cars and telling us to move them because they were closed. Closed??? how were they closed? there were no signs posted. That was pretty much just wack....

i think that is enough rambling for now. hopefully ill write more soon

in trouble again

Once again the Pistons have gone about things the hard way as they now have their backs against the wall and face elimination. With tonight's loss to Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat. the Pistons trail 3-1 in their best-of-seven series and face win or go fishing predicament.

Coming behind in series seems to be no problems for the Pistons. In their last series against LeBron James and the Cavs, Detroit overcame a 3-2 deficit to get the win. And this was after having won the first two games convincingly and then losing three straight before rebounding to win the final two.

In the past the Pistons have overcame a 3-1 deficit with the most notable series being the first round playoff series against Orlando in 2003.

While they have overcame these deficits in the past, this Heat team looks to be a little different from those teams in that they are a lot tougher. If the Pistons can't slow down Wade, who is hitting close to 70 percent of his shots through the first four games of the series, they are in trouble. If Shaq keeps playing like he is 10 years younger the Pistons are once again gong to be in trouble. This Heat team also has role players who arfe stepping up that the Pistns will need to contain. And if the Miami continues to get a favorable whistle (the Heat shot 43 free throws in Game 4) Detroit is also doomed.

Here is hoping that the Pistons make the necsessary adjusments and come out in a big way in Friday. They've come back from these deficits before, and here is to hoping they overcome this once again.

Memorial Day weekend

Memorial Day weekend was a pretty decent one as I got to do a variety of things and see a variety of people. A breakdown of the weekend

Friday
After doing pages Friday morning I came home and took a nap and then headed up toward Ann Arbor to meet up with my friend Amy from high school. She happened to be in Novi so we met up for some ice cream before she hit the road to head back to C-town. I hadn't seen her since Christmas so it was nice to catch up with her. After that I met up with Nate and we headed to Comerica Park to catch the Tigers-Indians game.

We made it down to the ballpark for batting practice and I came close to snaggin a ball but let the little kid around me go get the ball. oh well. the game was great ... the tigers won 8-3 behind Curtis Granderson who had five RBIs.

The game was alsom Polish American night at the ballpark so there was a ceremony before the game. And Friday was also the Friday night firework promotion and as usual they were pretty decent. A random thing bout the night was when me and Nate were sitting in our seats prior to the first pitch, I see a guy walkin up to sit in the seats next to us that looked very familiar. turns out it was Tim, who used to work at the Echo with Nate and I. He graduated a couple years before me and was also on OTEAM and stuff so it was nice seeing him and chatting Tigers talk with him. He was also with another former OTEAMER and his wife who is related to one of the photographers at the Telegram.

Saturday
On Sat I chilled for the most part of the day and then covered a baseball game. After gettin off work I caught the tailend of the Pistons game only to see them lose and go down 2-1 in their series with the Heat

Sunday
Ended up spending most of the day with family as my parents were up in Ypsi after spending Friday and Saturday at weddings. It was always an eventful time especially being at my grandmas house. We ended up cooking out and my two cousins were there as well as several aunts and uncles. it was an entertaining day to say the least. And I ended up coming home with pots and pans from my grandma as well as other kitchen accesories.

first place!

Don't look now, but with last night's come from behind 7-4 victory over the Twins, the Detroit Tigers now are in a tie for first place with the Chicago White Sox. (Thank you Devil Rays for beating the Chi Sox)

Its been a long time since the Tigers were in this position a month and a half in the season. The last time the Tigs were in first past mid-April came in 1993 - quite a bit ago. At that time I was measely 10 year old in middle school and remember goin to games at Tiger Stadium with my dad and grandpa. Quite awhile ago.

Besides sharing the lead atop the AL Central, the Tigers also share the best record in baseball with the White Sox. (The Sox did sweep Detroit during its opening series at home so they do hold the tiebreaker) A look at the best teams as of today.

Detroit - 25-13
White Sox - 25-13
NY Mets - 24-14
Boston - 23-14
St. Louis - 24-15
Cincinnati - 23-16

It would be nice to see the Tigers keep this up. A lot of their good start has been pushed aside because of the Pistons run for a title, but they are quietly making some noise around baseball and have been featured in the top-10 of espn.com and sportsline.com's power rankings

This year's team is doing things they haven't done in ages, like sweeping the Indians in Jacob field, had four win streaks of five games or more just to name a few. Here is hoping they can sustain this play throughout the season.

thanks amanda

apparently i was mentioned on the EMU writing prorgram alumni website. I would have never known this if my friend Amanda wasn't googling my name so i've got to thank her for finding it

here is the link - http://writing.emich.edu/?p=14 or http://writing.emich.edu/

if that doesnt work i've copy and pasted what it says

---------------------------
Alumni News: Recent Journalism Alumni win Michigan AP awards
April 19th, 2006

Two of our Journalism Program alumni won first place awards in the Michigan Associated Press Awards.

Brian Calloway, who was our Journalism Student of the Year last year at this time, won first place in the Sports Enterprise category for his story “Too much camping?” for the Adrian Telegram (small newspaper division). Brian was sports editor for The Echo and a devoted student of our Art Brooks. He is sports editor in Adrian.

Amalie Nash won first place in the Feature Writing category for her story, “Different sides of theft in our community,” in the Ann Arbor News. Amalie won the big newspaper division, with the Detroit News and Free Press taking second and third place to her, respectively. Amalie is an alum who now teaches feature writing for us part-time. She is the chief police reporter for the Ann Arbor News.

--------------------

Too bad they didn't get my title correct in the release.

Thanks again tho amanda

playoffs intense

Its only the first round, but many playoff series have been intense and very competitive. Yesterday there were several good games on, but the highlight had to be the Lakers rallying back to defeat the Suns. All of the sudden L.A. has a 3-1 lead over the Suns and just needs one win to head into the second round.

What is going on with these Lakers. The other night Kobe only scored 17 and it was enough for L.A. to beat Phoenix. Yesterday people like former Pistons Smush Parker were stepping up and making big plays for the Lakers. Parker hit a big 3-pointer late to tie the game and then helped to force a steal on Steve Nash to set up a shot by Kobe that forced overtime. And then the Lakers have other people stepping up like Devean George - who had his best game on Sunday. And Luke Walton who helped to force the held ball on Nash in the final seconds. That play led to a jump ball between him and Nash which Walton won and found Kobe who hit the game-winner.

It hasnt been just the LA-Phoenix series as both Chicago and Sacramento have rallied to even their series at 2 with Miami and San Antonio respectively. It looks like every game of this years playoffs are going to be exciting to watch.

The NHL playoffs have been tough to watch especially with the Oilers takings a 3-2 lead on the Red Wings, who seem to be playing unaspiring hockey. And Manng Legace has been sucking it up in goal - which has put the team on the brink of elimination and poised for an early exit from the playoffs once again. The NHL playoffs are so unpredictable though, as No. 2 seed Dallas was ousted from the playoffs by No. 7 seed Colorado last night. Winning the presidents trophy guarantees no playoff success

puzzled once again

Today was one of those unique days for Detroit sports where every team was in action of sorts. The Tigers pummeled the Twins 18-1, while the Pistons and Red Wings both lost playoff games. And then theres the Lions who were drafting players in hopes for a better future.

But yet once again, it seems that GM Matt Millen made a mistake in his first round pick. With Matt Leinart having slipped to the spot where the Lions were picking (Detroit had the ninth pick) Millen decided to pass on the proven winner and select Florida State outside linebacker Ernie Sims. Wow Sims has been compared to Derrick Brooks as a player it seems like he is yet another risky selection.

According to various scouting reports on Sims, it is noted that he likes to play wild and with havoc - something that could lead to some dumb penalties. But it looks like he could also put a hurting on the opposition. Also I've read that Sims has been injured quite a bit - something definitely not helpful - especially with the Lions always having someone on their defense hurt (i.e Teddy Lehman, Boss Bailey). Lastly I read on a website that Sims has been charged with domestic battery and resisting arrest. Before the draft Lions coach Marinelli stressed he wanted someone with good character.

Hopefully this pick pans and out and improves the Lions defense but I still think going with Leinart would have been the best case.
Despite the Lions having signed 8 bajillion quarterbacks in the offseason, Leinart is a proven winner and comes from a successful program at USC. He only lost twice as a starter after taking over for Carson Palmer (who was drafted by the Bengals)
Second, Leinart could have sat behind Jon Kitna - just like Palmer did while he was at Cincy. Look at what Palmer has done to help ressurrect the Bengals. He made them a playoff team that coulda done damage had he not got hurt in their playoff game against the Steelers.

I was also surprised to see the Lions pass on USC tailback LenDale White, who was around for their pick in the second round. I however was happy with the selection of Wisconsin tailback Brian Calhoun and it seems like he will fit in well with Mike Martz's offense.

Below is the story the associated press ran when Sims declared for the draft early
Seminole linebacker entering NFL draft early

By BRENT KALLESTAD, Associated Press Writer
January 9, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Worried about a career-ending injury, Florida State linebacker Ernie Sims will give up his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft.

Sims became the second Florida State defensive player in two weeks to say he is leaving school early for a shot at the pros. He joins cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who missed the 2005 season with a knee injury.

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"It's been my dream since I've been a little kid," Sims said. "Not a lot of people get a chance to play in the NFL."

Sims, accompanied to Monday's news conference by his parents and agent Todd France, said the NFL has projected him as an early second-round pick.

A speedy, undersized junior, he's listed at 6-foot and 220 pounds. Sims made 198 tackles in his three seasons, two as a starter. He finished fourth on the team with 70 stops this year, including four in Florida State's 26-23 Orange Bowl loss last week to Penn State.

Sims' production fell off last season from a sparkling sophomore year. Many opponents, however, designed their offenses to avoid him, said FSU linebacker coach Kevin Steele, a one-time NFL assistant.

Sims left Monday for Arizona to begin training for next month's combine in Indianapolis, where NFL scouts measure, time and test prospects. He hopes to add 5 or 6 pounds before the combine.

Sims has been troubled by nagging injuries as well as concussions, missing a game at Duke in October.

"If I did come back, I would risk not being able to play again," he said. "I might get injured."

Steele believes Sims' worries about concussions won't affect his draft standing.

"It's not off the chart where it's going to be in that category," Steele said.

Sims was an honorable mention Atlantic Coast Conference pick this year. He acknowledged that his college career wasn't what he had hoped.

"I didn't leave a statement like I really wanted to," he said.

He is 40 hours short of earning a degree, but said he will finish school during the offseasons.

its playoff time

Right now is definitely one of the best times of year in Detroit with the Pistons and Red Wings both making a run at titles. And luckily enough, I got to see the Pistons begin the playoffs on a positive note last night when they knocked off the Bucks 92-74.

The game was definitely a good time. Ended up going with Casey as well as Waz and Abby (two other former co-workers from my days employed in the Admission Visit Programs at EMU). It was pretty good to see the two of them - i hadnt seen them since probably last April.

It seems like Rock Financial likes to slap their name on everything you get at the Palace though. All fans got Pistons playoff hats last night and sure enough Rock financial had its name plastered on the back of it. Same thing with the thundersticks that all fans had on their seats - definitely crazy. I'm tired of D. Hall being everywhere.

Anyways the game was tight. Other than a slow start by the Pistons they took care of business. there was a scary moment when Rip Hamilton went down in the fourth with some kind of ankle injury - but from reading stuff it seems hes all right. The playoff atmosphere definitely beats the regular season and the introductions were pretty sweet with the fire lighting up behind the two baskets. and before the game the Pistons drumline was out in the hall areas entertaining fans - definitely sweet and a fun day at the Palace.

crazy game

The other day I was covering a softball game and it appeared to be a normal prep doubleheader until the last 30 minutes of the game when things got crazy and the coaches got into a heated argument on whether a game should continue due to darkness approaching.

One coach tried to stall to make sure darkness would come so his team wouldn't lose. The other coach, whose team went up 11-8 in the top half of the first extra inning, had his players swing at every pitch to try to get the game over before darkness. it was rather interesting.

I actualyl ran into a few players from one of the teams while covering an Adrian High baseball game and they asked me what I thought of the game. I told them it was crazy and they went on and on telling me waht their coach thought of it and everything. theres too much about the game to explain so i will just copy and paste my write up
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CLINTON - A rivalry that is continuing to grow just got more heated Tuesday.

The Blissfield High School softball team defeated Clinton 9-2 in the opening game of a doubleheader before they played to an 8-8 tie in the second game, which was called by darkness in extra innings.

The Royals (4-4-1, 3-0-1 Lenawee County Athletic Association) were close to sweeping the Redskins as they had an 8-3 lead entering the top of the seventh inning. However, the Clinton offense had different things in mind as they came through in the clutch.

Marissa Sevenish led off the inning with a single and Sadie Brown followed with double, putting runners on second and third. After Blissfield starter Callie Slomski struck out Colleen Zimmerman, Laura Heinz and Rachel Martiny followed with back-to-back RBI singles. Brittni Keith kept the rally going with a triple that drove in two and scored the game-tying run on Allison Tansel's single.

“They showed me they had heart. We had a lot of enthusiasm,” Clinton coach Al Roberts said. “We finally put a couple of hits together.”

Tansel, who relieved Kristen Kimble in the third, helped Clinton (4-2, 2-1-1 LCAA) keep its momentum as she retired the Royals quickly in the seventh, forcing extra innings.

Blissfield coach Chris Bates approached the umpires about calling the game because of darkness. His attempt failed and the game proceeded with the eighth inning.

“I thought for sure that we shouldn't start the inning,” Bates said. “With us being the home team I knew we would have to finish the whole inning for it to be considered a game. I didn't want it to start, but the umpires and Al decided to play.”

The Redskins continued to hit well in extra innings. After Brown grounded out, Zimmerman drew a walk. Heinz followed with an RBI double that gave Clinton its first lead of the game. The Redskins added two more runs in the inning before Roberts had his players swing at every pitch Slomski threw to intentionally record strikes and try to finish the game before it was stopped due to darkness. The move came in response to a few visits to the field by Bates during the inning.

In the bottom half of the inning, Erin DeCatur reached base on an error by Heinz. With Lauren Jones at the plate, Clinton tried to pick off DeCatur on Martiny's quick throw to first after the pitch. The ball got past Heinz and the outfielders backing her up, which allowed DeCatur to reach third. Following the play, the umpires ended the game.

With the game being stopped before the eighth inning was completed, the game reverts back to the last full inning played leaving, Clinton and Blissfield to settle for an 8-8 tie. It also eliminated Heinz's hit that put her team in front.

“It was a heartbreaker,” Heinz said. “I don't know if I will be able to do that again. I don't know what is going to happen the next time we play them.”

Clinton and Blissfield are not scheduled to meet again in the regular season, but could face each other in the postseason.

Roberts thought the way the game ended was unfortunate.

“It turned out to be an ugly game and that is unfortunate because it could have been a nice game,” Roberts said. “It's unfortunate the game got to the point it did. We made a nice comeback.”

Roberts said the LCAA doesn't have a set time where the umpires can't start an inning after, and added that the problem usually doesn't exist in softball.

Blissfield won the opener 9-2 as Lesley Bates went the complete game and struck out 12. After trailing 2-1, the Royals added three runs in the fourth as Kristen Gniewkowski had an RBI triple and Lesley Bates and Jones each drove in runs. Blissfield scored five more runs in the sixth. Jessica Domschot delivered the big hit when she drove in two with an RBI double.

“I was surprised we won the first game the way we did and were up in the second game as much as we were,” Bates said. “We're young and inexperienced ourselves.”

Tansel went 5 1/3 innings and gave up seven runs to take the loss for the Redskins.

Both teams will return to action Saturday. Clinton will compete at its own tournament, while the Royals will travel to the Portland Invitational

Easter Sunday

This year Easter wasn't too eventful, as it was probably the first one where I didn't see anybody that I'm related too, but I did talk to my sister, mom and aunt during the day. The past few years while at college I always went to church or out to eat with my grandma and aunts and the rest of the family on my moms side. This year that didn't happen.

But ... I did get to go to the Pistons game which was pretty cool in itself. I got to see the Pistons set a franchise mark with their 64th win - which they got by blowing out the New York Knicks - who were minus their coach Larry Brown and Steve Francis and Stephon Marbury. The final score was 103-97, which was very misleading since the Pistons were leading by 20-some points at one time and had a lot of their reserves playing since the starters are resting up for the playoffs.

After the game, crystal and I stopped in Ann Arbor at Chilis to eat and Casey ended up meeting up with us there and chilled with us for a bit before we headed back home.

my personality

You Have A Type B+ Personality

B+ You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

the best game ever

As a sports writer I see a lot of games, byt yesterday I attended the Michigan-Notre Dame basketball game and it was probably one of the best games I've ever been to. Granted it was the NIT and not the NCAA tournament, it was still a great game.

In this game Michigan trailed a majority of the first half and was down by eight at half time. In the second half they gradually chipped away at the lead and finally closed to within one in the final two minutes of regulation. My favorite UM player, Daniel Horton hit a few shots down the stretch and UM took a lead with 13 seconds left to play. ND tied it thanks to their pesky guard Chris Quinn to force OT

Horton was clutch again in the second OT hitting a shot to tie the game in the final minute. Neither team could break the tie in the final 30 seconds forcing another OT. and that is when the heroics took place. With the game tied at 84, Dion Harris made a 3-pointed as time expired to end the game and give the Wolverines an 87-84 win. Man was that great.. as a basketball fan or even as a player those seconds are what you live for. To see ur team make a shot to win right at the buzzer. Thats what March Madness is all about.. even if it was just the NIT

OTher games that Ive seen in person that would probably rank up there as some of the best games I've seen in person is:

Nov. 6, 2004 - the Collegiate Clash game at Ford Field between EMU and CMU my senior year of college. Four overtimes, Eastern wins 61-58

Oct. 2005 - Adrian College's homecoming football game this past year that they won in OT. They overcame a kicker missing an xtra point after an OT score to still win

Feb. 2005 - EMU vs Toledo basketball game in teh regular season finale at Savage Hall. another overtime thriller.

And for a game i wasnt at that i vividly remember... UM's triple OT win over MSU in 2004. Heck yea for Braylon Edwards

im sure theres other but those came to mind

interesting....

So I'm scrolling through myspace bulletin thing when i see a bulletin titled white people - already having some sort of idea that it would be race related, i clicked on it to see what it was all about.

As posted by the user, here is waht the bulletin displayed:

------------------------------------------
I guess i'm Racist (White Pride)
You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.

You call me "Cracker", "Honkey", "Whitey" and you think it's OK.

But when I call you, nigger, Kike, Towelhead, Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, or Beaner, you call me a racist.

You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live

You have the United Negro College Fund.
You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.
You have Yom Hashoah
You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.

If we had WET(white entertainment television) we'd be racists

If we had a White Pride Day you would call us racists.

If we had white history month, we'd be racists.

If we had an organization for only whites to "advance" our lives, we'd be racists.

If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships, you know we'd be racists.

In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.

You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us.
But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.

I am white.
I am proud.

But, you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be racists?

Repost if you agree

*Now watch, I'll be a racist for posting this*
------------------------------------------

After lookin at this I thought, hmm rather interesting. I'm glad that I can be attributed to the stereotypes that you have about those of a different background - more specifically african american

obviously i dont really care who you are, but if you want to be proud of your background go right ahead and do it. you will have no objections from me whatsoever. Anyone who knows me would know that I'm one of the least racist people out there - i grew up in a predominately white community, my high school was one of the more diverse ones in my county and a good portion of my friends are of different backgrounds than myself. But I just felt the need to voice my thoughts on the situation

Attacking things like BET, NAACP, Martin Luther King Day or the United Negro College Fund is ridiculous in my mind.

Last time I checked, black people weren't the only ones who watch BET. Last time I checked, Martin Luther King wasn't just for uplifting black people but he worked for equality for all, which is why we celebrate his birthday as a national holiday. He wanted to make the world a better place for everyone, not just his own people. Maybe the NAACP and the United Negro College Fund are exclusive to those of color, but there are solid reasons for those organizations being in place. The fact is simple that if you look at most of the rich people in our country they are who - white males. As a whole, I'd say the white race hasn't experienced the hardships of African Americans (and thats not to say taht there aren't whites who are struggling because that totally isn't the case)

And its not all peple of color who commit crimes and complain about the justice system. Most people who get caught in acts, regardless of color, complain about those things. The race card might come up and in some cases it has been accurate. But I truly don't have a problem with an officer doing his job and keeping the evil off the streets.

So its not true that whites are just racists, its equally spread among everyone. Everyone has some extent of racist bias but I think various racial acts/stereotypes tend to effect people of color more than whites.

more pics from the Chicago auto show

Chicago

Last Sunday, i went to one of my favorite cities and had a pretty good time even though it was only for a few hours.

My dad called me last minute saturday night asking if i wanted to go to the auto show. i wasnt up to much besides watchin the all star game so I decided to make the 2+ hour trip home and my dad drove the 99 miles from our house to chicago.

The auto show was pretty cool. It was at McCormick place which is right next to Soldier Field, so it was right in the heart of the city. After leaving the show, my dad and I rolled around Michigan Ave (the Magnificent Mile) just to check it out because we both love Chicago.

There were a lot of cool cars at the show tho, such as the hummer above. They also had some sweet cobalts (my next car), tons of sweet solstices as well as hummers and jeeps. They were even giving jeep rides and had a test course where people could test drive a car. Definitely a solid show to say the least.

Before coming back to Adrian that night I got my laptop from home. Its pretty sweet and has plenty of space on it. My mom also sent me back with some ground round, roast and brownies - you gotta love getting food from the crib.

By the time I got back to A-town I was able to catch a majority of the second half of the all star game and see the four Pistons spark the East to victory. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

In Joe D I trust

When it comes to making personnel moves and building a basketball team, all I have to say is in Joe I trust - that is Joe Dumars

The decision to deal Darko to Orlando I think was a great decision. I was mad at first, especialyl after I heard the Pistons got someone (Kelvin Cato) who was barely going to play if at all and would more than likely get waved. But then after thinking about it, I see why it is potentially a great decision, like because:

A - Darkowasn't contributing much anyways and there was no way he would crack the Pistons lineup with Ben, Sheed, and McDyess all playing in the front court
B - if the starting five stays intact there is no guaranteed chance he would have even played next year
C - plus the Pistons get a first round pick either in 2o07 or 08 out of it
D - also it can help the Pistons lock up Ben and Chauncey to keep the starting five intact

As for right now, I think it was the right thing to do - the Pistons are on a team trying to win championships now - while their window of opportunity is still open and they are one of the top teams in the league. In essence they really won't be hurt this year by the loss of Darko. In the future he might come back to haunt them with some big nights and that is fine. Look at what Mehmet Okur is doing out in Utah.

The only bad thing about this trade was losing a backup point guard in Carlos Arroyo. He was one of those high energy guys and was always up on the bench cheering on his teammates even though he wanted badly to be in all the time. But in essence there is really no need to worry about Arroyo being gone as long as Dumars can find a back-up guard to play 10 to 15 minutes a night before the trading deadline on Feb. 23.

There are several guards i would love to see in a Pistons uniform, including

Speedy Claxton, New Orleans: his name has come up a lot and he was a part of the Spurs when they won the title in 2003. Hes averaging 12 points per game off the bench for the Hornets this year

Mike James, Toronto: He came to the Pistons in 2004 in the deal when they got Sheed and was a key component off the bench of the championship team

Chucky Atkins, Memphis: highly unlikely since he recently joined the Grizzlies but it would be awesome to have his scoring off the bench

Mainly I hope Dumars can acquire a backup guard of some type because I dont think Hunter can hold up for a long time, especially if Chauncey Billups was to get hurt. And also Alex Acker is a rookie and probably not ready to make a big impact on a championship caliber team.

But in essence, I think Dumars has a good mind and will do what is necessary for the Pistons so they can remain in position to win. I might not have liked him picking Darko over Carmelo back in that 2003 draft, or when he traded away Grant Hill or Jerry Stackhouse but hes taken risks and has assembled the best team in the league. So its hard to fault the decisions he makes

While I'm talking about the Pistons, it will be nice to see four Pistons in the All-Star game on Sunday and will be great to see them enter the game at the same time. I'm definitely looking forward to the All Star game this year for sure. And its also cool that Billups is in the 3-point contest

the past two weeks

For the most part, I havent really been up to much at all the past few weeks
- Just a brief recap

Last week was a busy week as covering things. I covered basketball games on Tuesday and Friday and on Saturday I covered the county volleyball tournament.

Tuesday I saw LCS beat Madison - I like going there to cover basketball games - the coach is a pretty cool guy and I love programs that have success and do it the right way and watching teams that are fundamentally sound.

Friday I saw Onsted play Hudson in a game that was a blow out - it was also their winter homecoming that night and I swear I felt like I was at a damn prom show. They had girls and guys that were on the court decked out in nice dresses and suits and shit. When I was in high school it wasn't anything too formal like that - but whatever. And the music playing just made it feel like it was a prom - they had the lights in the gym dimmed and the song "Give me one moment in time" was playing. Quite cheesy if you ask me.

The county volleyball tournament was decent too and there were quite a few different matchups.

Didn't really do much else exciting during that week other than make a visit up to EMU on Thursday to visit some pals. I had to visit my little adopted freshman friends (they are juniors now) so whenever I come up they always want to go to Steak and Shake - which is exactly what we did. Its always cool catchin up with Andrea, Rachel, Cynthia and Jennifer considering I hung out with them quite a bit my last two years of college. I also got a chance to visit my buddy Casey for a bit and met some of her roommates.

And this week was also Valentines day - ended up taking the girlfriend out for dinnerat Applebees and getting her a few things. She ended up gettin me tickets to the Pistons game on April 16. They play the New York Knicks - should be a blowout - hopefully everyone will be healthy for that game.

Anyways there was also a lot of interesting news like Darko getting traded, the Olympics sucking and the coolest show ever in American Idol but i'll save those for a later time

Steelers it is

I've finally made up my mind - I'm going with Pittsburgh

No its not because they are favored and that they have received so much attention this week - its just that i simply think they will get it done.

Why?? - mainly its because i think that Ben Roethlisberger will excel while Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselback will struggle. Just my take on things - but I also ran a simulation that further proves my point. Playing Madden 06 with both teams it seems like Roethlisberger will fare better against the Seahawks defense than Hasselback will fare against the Steelers d

It seems like Roethlisberger can do more damage and he isnt afraid to pull the ball down and make something happen. Plus it will be nice to see the Steelers win since it is more than likely Jerome Bettis' final game. Yes it is hard to get to the Super Bowl, but I'm sure Seattle will be back again sometime soon - barring they resign some of their key components like Shaun Alexander and Mike Holmgren.

I just think today's game will be a script that Hollywood writers would love and it will end with Bettis holding up the Lombardi trophy in his final game in the city where his career began - Detroit.

Bull in the stands

This right here is plain crazy - imagine a 1,000 pound bull jumping into the stands

MEXICO CITY - A half-ton bull named Pajarito, or "Little Birdy," jumped into the stands during a bullfight, injuring several spectators before it was killed.
Officials said Monday they planned to reinforce Mexico City's most famous bullring after the bull leaped into the stands on Sunday, landing on spectators who tried to scatter as the animal ran through the aisles.
The bull easily cleared the wall around the bullring and a second, higher fence as it crashed into the stands.
Eventually one of the bullfight participants crawled up into the stands and stabbed the animal to death.
At least two people were hospitalized.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11107702/from/RSS/

Bu, Bu, Bu, Billups

Another game, another win for the Detroit Pistons. This time they defeated Kobe Bryant and the Lakers to improve to 37-5 and theres no reason that they shouldnt have two or more all stars. There also is no reason why Chauncey Billups shouldn't be the NBA's most valuable player since he has been such a big reason for Detroit's start - which is one of the best starts in NBA history.

Billups has flourished under new coach Flip Saunders and has helped the Pistons update their offensive production from previous years and he is making great decisions with the ball. This season he ranks second in the league in assist per turnover at 3.85. he is dishing out a career-high 8.6 assists per game (previous best was 5.8 helpers per game last season and for his career he averages 4.9 assists)

As effective as he has been passing the ball, Billups (the Pistons second leading scorer at 19.5 ppg) has picked his spots and also has burned opponents from 3-point range as he has made 95 3-pointers through the first 41 games (fifthin the league) and is shooting 43.8 percent from being the arc. He has came up big in the stretch during several games and his all around versatility (decision making, scoring ability, clutch play, defense, free throw shooting) is helping the Pistons continue their torrid season.

Arguments can be made for Kobe Bryant, who means a liot to the Lakers and is having a great season as he leads the league in scoring. But the thing that is different is that Bryant is a one man show and he is not helping his team to the tremendous start that the Pistons have had. Plus its not every year that a team goes halfway through the season with just five losses. 81 points is remarkable and Kobe is a great player but the MVP should be Billups in my mind