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.