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

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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

Visited states

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Oddest thing

Last night I saw the oddest thing I'd ever seen at a high school basketball game. At Lenawee Christian for the national anthem they decided to try something different. they had all the ladies pray silently while the guys sang the national anthem led by the boys basketball team. Kind of a different thing and I doubt I'll ever see that again.

The game was a blowout - LCS won 77-34 and hit 11 3-pointers in the process. they scored almost as many points off 3-pointers as the other team scored in the whole game. and their bench scored 32 points - just shy of Emmanuel Baptist's point production.

Also before the game LCS donated $500 to Emmanuel Baptist, which is in Toledo. I guess the school suffered some fire damage so Lenawee Christian wanted to help out - a very kind act

Yesterday I picked up the new MVP NCAA 06 College Baseball game made by EA Sports. Its pretty cool and has tight graphics and is powered by ESPN. Since EA Sports isnt making a major league baseball game this year (boo that) I had to get some kind of satisfaction. It sucks that EMU isnt in the game, but I just play with UofM and created myself as the leadoff hitter and center fielder.

Other than that also these things:
- When I arrived at LCS yesterday some guy came up to grabbed me by the neck. I was like what the heck. But he came up to tell me he liked how I formed my story about the wild game I saw a couple weeks ago when LCS defeated Allen Park Inter-City Baptist in a battle of two of the top-10 teams in Class D at that time. In that game Inter-City Baptist was within 4 but got like 3 technicals in the fourth quarter - way to lose their composure. After the game the coach wouldn't even talk to me.
- I got some fan mail from a high schooler at work: Recently I wrote a feature story on this kid from Clinton who only played in three games this season because of injury, but yet he still makes an impact. This week I checked my mail at work and I had a letter in it. I hesitated to open it b/c usually people only contact journalists to bitch about something, but this wasnt the case. this girl happens to go to high school with the kid and said she liked the story and how it impressed her. She said the kid deserved a nice article. I didn't think it was that great of a story myself - but I'm glad someone enjoyed it
- I finally paid my debt back to Sean this week. After he won the Bowl pool I told him I'd take him out to lunch and did so this week. I guess there is a College Basketball pool at work - if only I could win that!

Super Bowl

Looking at the Super Bowl matchup for this year I'm not sure who I even want to root for. Good thing the game isn't for another week.

Theres Pittsburgh which has Ben Roethlisberger and then the feel good story of the century in Jerome Bettis. Bettis is from Detroit and could be playing his final game ever in the Super Bowl which is in his hometown. Its so ironic that his fumble at the goal line against the Colts didn't come back to haunt him or the Steelers. Its like they were a team destined to reach Ford Field.

On the other hand Roethlisberger is the man - He went to a MAC school (Miami-OH) and I always like to root for those from MAC schools considering I went to one. Besides that he has had immediate success in the NFL and made me want to purchase a terrible towel when I went through Pittsburgh last February on my way to Washington D.C. He has a great track record as a starter and he gets the job done. And you have to like a team that wins on the road like the Steelers have done - they've made history as the first No. 6 seed to reach the Super Bowl.

On the other hand, the Seahawks sport the MVP Shaun Alexander. I'm a big fan of running backs who are effective and he definitely fits the mold. This is the first season I've really tracked him immensely and that is because he helped me finish runner-up in my fantasy football league. Regardless the guy has talent.

Besides him Seattle has a talented quarterback in Matt Hasselback and they are from the NFC - the same conference my favorite team resides in. They also are in their first Super Bowl and you would like to see them get the win. Pittsburgh has been in the big game several times but at the same time you'd like to see Bettis go out on top in his hometown.

Pistons, U-M, and an update

Two great games on last night

A - Pistons improve to 35-5, match the start of the 1984 Detroit Tigers - who went on to later win the World Series. Win number 35 didnt come easy against a a pesky, young, talented Milwaukee team but the Pistons have the playmakers who come up big when it matters most - Mr. Big Shot and Rip Hamilton

The argument is out there bout which start is more impressive - the Pistons or the Tigers but based on everything I've read and what I know about both starts I'd have to say one isn't clear cut more remarkable than the other. In the NBA travel is more strenous and basketball is a more strenous sport. On the other hand baseball players play every day with very few days off. So I'd say they are about a equal

B - Michigan 72, MSU 67: I was worried with the Wolverines being down 13 in the first half but they showed they got game and should receive some national attention now - finally beating a ranked team after falling earlier this season to UCLA, Indiana and Illinois - granted all were close losses. This time tehy finally got over the hump. A win versus Wisconsin Saturday put U-M in the top 25 for the first time since 1999 i believe

Outside of sports, not too much poppin out here in A-town. Just been working - this week in particular I've done a lot of page design. Had early mornings on Monday, yesterday and today designing pages and have to do it again Saturday. The highlight of this week - covering Lenawee Christian play Emmanuel Baptist in hoops on Friday.

Speaking of Lenawee Christian, I was there this past weekend covering a volleyball tournament and actually got to see some pretty good volleyball with defending Class C state champs Blissfield and perennial Class D power LCS. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in their respective Class and then Auburn Hills Oakland Christian was also there.

first post of '06

its obviously been a long time since I last posted so here is what is poppin

New Years: This went pretty well. After having pretty much no clue what I was going to do for the longest time, all that ended when Eddie decided him and Jenny El were going to come down for the night and they ended hanging out with Crystal and myself. We went bowling and got home in time for the 10 minute countdown before 2006 approached.

I made breakfast the next morning for Jen and Eddie and then we all went out to dinner with a gift certificate I got from work when Crystal got off work.

The days after New Years work started to pick up again with many high school teams returning to action on Tuesday. that was a relief because I was getting a little bored for awhile because I really didnt cover many events for a small stretch there

Since that time I've covered a couple of basketball games at Clinton, a wrestling invitational and a volleyball meet between Adrian and Tecumseh. Yesterday was probably the best assignment as I got to cover a basketball game between two of the top-10 ranked teams in Class C (No. 4 Lenawee Christian vs. No. 7 Allen Park Inter-City Baptist). Lenawee Christian won

Besides that I just turned 23 this past Wednesday (Jan. 11). I had the day off work so it was a relaxing birthday, which I didn't mind at all. I got a spaghetti dinner from Crystal and also ended up getting a new shirt and a Pistons hoodie I had been wanting for a long time. Thanks to all the people that called, left me messages or sent me emails. That was probably the most I'd been on the phone during one single day in awhile but I appreciated all the love.

alamo bowl

So i think the Alamo Bowl was the worst officiated game I've ever seen - really horrible especially for a bowl game. I think the Sun Belt officiating crew was struggling for sure

I'm not going to try to make excuses why Michigan lost (since Casey Copeman thinks all of us M fans tend to always have an excuse)
The fact is Michigan was in control of the game when they were winning 28-17 and had plenty of chances.

Things that are pathetic though are the fact that Michigan had to use a timeout on two occassions in order to get the official to review a controversial play. Like the announcers were saying, you have the tool so if you are in doubt play it safe and check the replay. And what was up when like nebraska had stormed the field while the final play of the game was going on. yes some Michigan players did cross the field but while there prolly should have been a penalty the officiating crew was nowhere in sight. How pathetic

It was cool watching the game with Jenny El and Eddie who came down to my crib. We chatted, ate pizza and took in the game. It sucked because I didnt hit the bed til real late and i had to be in to do page design at 4 am this morning. But it was well worth it

Eddie and Jen crashed at my place and then Eddie took off in the morning after me and him played College Hoops 2k6 after i got home from work. Then Jen and I bonded and ran a few errands and got some lunch at Arbys and talked quite a bit for a vast majority of the day.

Crystal got back to Michigan and we chilled with her for a bit before she went to work. Then Jen and I talked some more before I met up with Eddie in Dundee to return her to her boyfriend. Now hopefully I'll get to see the Pistons aim for 24-3 when they take on the Heat shortly!

Alamo Bowl ending

Deeeeeeeetroit basketball

Today I got to head up to the Palace to go to the Pistons game against the Raptors. My uncle and I had courtside seats thanks to my kick ass aunts connection. I had sat in the same seats when I caught a game last January.



The game was good. Before the game my sister's dance troupe from her school danced which was cool. My parents made the hike to see it and I got to talk to them for a bit too.
And the Pistons won the game just as I figured since they were playing the lowly Toronto Raptors, who are one of the worst teams in the NBA right now



Maurice Evans and McDyess had good games off the bench and Rip, Chauncey and Sheed paced the starters. It was a pretty fun game to see. I switched off with my sister and let her have the court side seats for a bit and she enjoyed them as did my Dad when he caught some of the game from the lower level too.

home for Christmas

It was good to be home for a little bit of time.

I went home Saturday morning and did a lot while I was on the west side of the state for the holiday. It was cool to be with the family for a little bit and catch up with quite a few friends.

While at home I
- stopped and saw Renae and her husband Joel at their house in hartford. Seems like married life is treating them well and they have two greyhound dogs (former race dogs to keep them company)
- had lunch with a whole bunch of people from high school. that was pretty cool and there was a decent group of us. people there were Ashley Kolenko, my boy Jon, Amy K, Rick Matheny, A.J., Jamaal, and Brandon Briggs. Plus there Amy brought her older brotehr Erich (graduated the year before us) and her boyfriend. It turns out her boyfriend went to school with my friend Audrey from EMU and is good friends with her - small world.
Lunch was at pizza hut and it was pretty cool just to get updates about how some people are doing that you havent heard from/seen since high school
- Did some last minute shopping at the shitty Orchard mall
- Karaoke with the family on Saturday night after eating dinner
- Opened presents of course - I got some cologne, a stereo and some accessories for my Ipod which dont work. Plus i got a Rip Hamilton red pistons jersey
- Went to church Sunday morning and then had dinner with the family and our close family friend Ron
- Visited my frined Amy Wood for a bit on Sunday night
- Went to go pick up some meats this morning with my dad

oh and i cant forget my mom and sis made Christmas cookies so i definitely pigged out on those and got to take a batch home with me which was cool.

so all in all a nice trip home. only bad thing was that my parents found out about the ticket i got a little over a month ago - man they find out everything. oh well though - they werent too mad or anything and made light of it.

Besides being home other cool stuff going on:
- i'm perfect in both my college football pools so far - 7-0 through the first seven bowl games. off to a hot start i guess.. still 21 more to go so i cant get too carried away
- and I'm in the championship game in one of my fantasy football leagues on eSPn and it appears im headed to the championship game in my yahoo league. Thank you Shaun Alexander!!!

thats all i got for now. Hope everyone had a good Christmas

nite w/ the fellas

So I decided to make the hike up to Ypsi to catch a women's basketball game last night with some of my peeps from the Echo and it was a pretty good time.

Ended up going over to Larry's apartment and Nate met up with us over there and then we checked out the women's team take on Utah, which was ranked No. 22/21 in the country. The game was actually a pretty good one and EMU held tight for the longest before the Utes finally held them off to get the win.

It was also cool being there because Creighton, another former Echo sports writer was tehre cheering on the team. and Jason was on press row so it was like an Echo day. I ended up talking to Streeter (sports information guy) for a few minutes and said hi to the coach Ramsey (men's coach) and prof. Bunsis

Other than that I stopped and said hi to Rachel real quick and headed home to relax. Definitely not a bad night and it was pretty cool to see some people

Quite funny

A new billboard will be posted in Detroit this weekend dissing on Matt Millen

Heres what it says

Not this MILLENium
Rebuilding since 1957

And what is even funnier is that WDFN is having a million fan march as a peaceful protest prior to Sundays home finale against the Bengals

And on another note im wondering whos on Chad Johnson's list this week

A looooooooooong update

A lot to write about in this one - but i think I'll start with stuff relating to work

So last Thursday I was covering the Adrian College-Siena Heights mens basketball game with Sean. Adrian-Siena is a huge rivalry with both schools located in Adrian about three miles away frn each other so needless to say its a big deal in these parts and despite the massive snow we were gettin that night, it didnt stop people from coming out to the contest.

The game was a good close battle the entire night but Siena ended up winning at the end because Adrian missed a bit too many free throws (more on this later). So yea it was a good game, but I even found more entertainment and watching a co-worker of mine who was in attendance at the gaame. This individual happened to go to Adrian College and was doing everything he could do to try to help his alma mater win. he had several signs at the game which were quite interesting

His signs read these things
- Thou shall miss
- Trust Jesus
- Fred Smith, I am your father (in reference to Siena's coach)
- Fire Millen
and my personal favorite
- Brian Calloway is a stud

Sean joked that since he didnt have a sign for him that the Trust Jesus one was referring to him
Craziness. But everytime Siena shot a free throw in the second half he ran under the basket twirlign the thou shall miss sign, thinking that his little sign actually had an effect on the shooters
But it was quite interesting seeing him in his Adrian College gear

Anyways back to free throws - it seems like shooting them is a lost art these days. Adrian College's mens team seems to be horrible at them. During last Thursday's game they shot 37 percent from the line and during the next game they played they shot 40 percent. Definitely not a way to win games. I went to a high school game on Friday (Adrian-Dexter) and Adrian didnt fair too much better either - they were 9-23

This weekend wasn't too bad. Covered a basketball game on Friday even though there was no school for about every school district in Lenawee County because of all the snow that fell from 6 pm til about 1 am on Thursday night/Friday morning.
Also covered a game on Saturday and chilled with Crystal's brother playing video games.

On to other things

- High School boys basketball has started: One of my co-workers said finally real basketball and he couldn't be more right. I dont know why girls dont, but guys have more of a sense of urgency in basketball games and are more aware of game situations. girls just arent for some reason. Not to knock girls basketball because in some cases they are more fundamentally sound than guys and can probably shoot free throws better. but its nice to see dunks, like i saw last week at Sand Creek.

- Fantasy Football: I made the playoffs in two of my three ESPN leagues aand was the second seed in both. One league i finished the regular season with a 9-4 record, the other a 10-3 record. I'm currently still in the regular season of my yahoo league but should be in second place out of 12 teams when the week is over with a 9-5 record. What is ever better is I have won 6 of my last 7 games after starting the season 3-4. This definitely has been a good year of fantasy football for me.

- Ron Artest wants a trade from the Pacers: I welcome this

- Tigers sign Kenny Rogers and Todd Jones: Hopefully these older pitchers can stay healthy and be beneficial to us unlike Troy Percival

- Michigan hoops: Nice to see the Wolverines at 7-0. they actually look real good but UCLA should provide a good test this weekend

- Pistons: Can't say enough about them - hopefully I'll get to catch a game this month

- Lions lose again: I'm not surprised and I think Jeff Garcia has no business starting, but hey who am I. And i thought it was hilarious in last weekends game against Minnesota that fans were screaming for Harrington to be put in b/c Garcia was so horrible

- Fire Millen: Its obvious the man needs to go but with him gettin a five year extention it seems the city of Detroit and Lions fans are out of luck. Its sad that at a red wings game people are dissin on Millen.

Bye bye Mooch

With today's firing of Lions coach Steve Mariucci, every coach of one of Detroit's major sports teams has fired/relieved a coach of their duties within the calendar year or even more specifically within the last six months

Red Wings - After the lockout got rid of Dave Lewis / hired former Anaheim coach Mike Babcock
Pistons - Parted ways with Larry Brown after 2 straight NBA finals appearances / hired former Minnesota coach Flip Saunders

Tigers - Fired Alan Trammell after three lousy years and a crappy August / Hired former Pittsburgh manager Jim Leyland

Lions - Fired Mariucci after three dismal seasons / Defensive coordinator Dick Jauron (a former head coach of Chicago) is the interim

But with the Mooch firing I think something had to be done and hopefully the team plays better over the last five games. I don't think the West Coast offense was the right fit for this team with its current personnel and whoever has this team next should adapt to the talents of those on the roster. And hopefully Kevin Jones will be better utilized

I'm just wondering who the hell is a likely candidate for a long term replacement - this whole process should be interesting to see

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving - mine wasn't too bad.

This marked the first time ever that I wasn't with my immediate family for Thanksgiving. Kind of interesting but at least I still was with some sort of family. I spent the holiday up in Ypsilanti with my moms side of the family. I was at my grandmas house with a few of my mom's siblings (my Aunt Brenda and her husband Terry, my Aunt Ramona, and Uncle Errol) As always with my mom's family there is nothing short of a humorous expierience.

Whether it was my uncle being lazy and wanting Brenda to pratically wait on him or everyone scoring on how my grandma's tv completely sucked at reception it was rather a hilarious day. As far as the TV was concerned my aunt joked it was so fuzzy that we couldnt tell how little clothes Mariah Carey had on during the halftime show of the Lions game.

Speaking of the Lions what a sloppy performance for the second consecutive year on Thanksgiving. At least it wasnt as bad as gettin whipped by the Colts big time last year but still. Mariucci should be fired and I was hoping that Friday would have been his day like all of the Detroit media was predicting. But instead Detroit is stuck with him longer. It seems like national spotlight doesnt bode well for the Lions - i remember them getting spanked in that preseason game on Monday Night Football by the Rams - granted it was preseason but still. And why couldnt the Lions wear the traditional throwback uniforms - instead they wore the black ones.

I also hit the mall briefly this weekend but didnt do much shopping - more of so to check out what the crowds were like. I purchased a few things from JCpenneys but that was the extent of my shopping on Black Friday.

Talked to my sister the other day and she agreed to get me a red pistons jersey for Christmas - thats pretty exciting. Hard to believe I haven't seen her since May. Pure craziness.

Thats all I've got for the time being

damn the popo

So is driving back from Homer on Friday after covering a playoff game and was heading back to the office to type up my column on deadline. I'm back in Adrian and less than three miles from the office when I get pulled over by the damn police. I'm like damn - its almost midnight and I still have a story to type and im like 3 minutes away from the office.

He asks if i knew why he pulled me over - i reply no - he tells me i didnt come to a proper or complete stop at a stop sign further back. And this guy didnt pull me over until i was about a mile from that spot. I'm like yeah whatever and just keep quiet b/c you shouldnt talk back to the police especialyl being a young black male - (i heard about what happened to rodney king) anyways a few minutes later the guy comes back and issues me a ticket. He couldnt tell me how much it would cost so I had to call a number on Monday.

I call the number only to find out that the ticket was 110 bucks! im like damn. I'd almost be better off being caught speeding. so now i have like five days left to pay it and im thinking about challenging it - but who knows.

anyways that is my exciting news. other than that it has been a busy time for me of late and i like it that way
Heres what ive been doing

Last Saturday - cover Adrian College football game at 1 p.m. - start working on layout for Mondays paper

Monday - did page design at 5 am, covered two playoff basketball games at Manchester High School that night

Tuesday- Went to work to finish up the All-County football capsules. Added some things to a feature story and took care of a few more little things. made a few phone calls

TODAY - cover two district playoff games at Adrian High

Tomorrow- Do an interview out at Sand Creek for a feature that is running on Saturday before their state semi-final playoff game

Friday - to be determined but either hoops or page design

Saturday - State semifinal game at White Lake between Sand Creek and Unionville Sebawaing (USA)

I've been doin a lot of features later which is pretty exciting because it is something different from writing game stories - they kind of get boring after a while.

Jill Pfund feature
DJ Howard feature

Other than that the Pistons are still perfect and thats been awesome - Flip Saunders looks like a genius right now . but there is still 75 more regular season games so you cant get too carried away yet.

And I have to say I'm looking forward to the big game this weekend even tho I'm going to miss it - but lets go Blue!!

compelling items

Two things have compelled me to make my latest post to this blog - cheerleaders and T.O.



Starting with the cheerleaders - This weekend two Carolina Panthers cheerleaders were arrested for having sex in a bathroom at some club/bar in Florida. People complained about a long line waiting to use the restroom only to find out that the cheerleaders were getting it on.

Here is the article

After talking with two of my buddies I've gathered these responses:

"If i was at that club and i saw that i'd probably just walk into traffic immediately, i dont see my life getting much better than that"

"i wouldnt have called the cops, the show must go on!"

I must say I'd have to agree.


Second item : T.O. is all but done in Philly as the Eagles have decided he will miss the rest of the season following his four game suspension. To which I say it sux for fantasy owners who have him on their team - I'm glad I don't have him

At the same time in reality I wouldnt mind if the Lions became in the running for him. So T.O. doesnt like Garcia - thats fine. If Harrington is throwing to him he definitely can take criticism from T.O. after all he has faced in his career and his teammates this season. Plus he is demanding of the ball and makes plays - more than the Lions can say for any of their wide receivers with the exception of Scottie Vines.

The only problem is his price tag but what do the Lions have to lose - they arent doing anything with the offense they have - why not add a REAL playmaker.
But having a legit threat like T.O. might not matter if the offensive line cant block.

interesting quotes

Lately I've been reading stories or other things and have come across a lot of interesting quotes. Here are a few of them:

“From what I’ve seen on tape the last couple of days, the guy can do it all.... Two things are going to happen. The bad thing is, you have to cover me. The good thing is you can switch your insurance to GEICO and save 10 percent.”

- Cincinnati Bengal's wide receiver Chad Johnson speaking of his matchup with Green Bay cornerback Al Harris

“We'll see those bandwagon ass cats come May and June, that's when they'll predict the Pistons will win it. For now, it's good. We like being swept under the carpet because the dirt comes out in the end.”

- Detroit Piston's forward Rasheed Wallace on the Pistons not gettin much love from those predicting how the NBA will shape up this season

"The black athlete has made a big difference. They've changed the whole tempo of the game. Black athletes have done a great job as athletes and as people in turning the game around. Say what anybody wants to say about it, it's a different game because of them."

- Legendary Penn State coachJoe Paterno on how blacks have helped revolutionize college football

a weekend off

Definitely was a nice little weekend for me

Covered a football game on Friday between two longtime rivals that hadnt played in 18 years and then had the rest of the weekend off which I enjoyed.
Saturday I did a little shopping up in Ypsi-Ann Arbor and caught up with a few of my buddys. Cynthia went to the mall and ran all over Ann Arbor and Arborland with me and then i got to see my peeps Rach, Andrea and her boyfriend David and their roomie. On my way out of town I stopped at the football game for a few and hung out with Casey. Also got to holla at Eddie and saw Chuck, Lou, Bobby and the rest of them usual front row crowd at EMU sporting events. I even got a free t-shirt advertising the GMAC bowl - definitely can't beat getting free stuff even when your not in college.

As far as being back at Rynearson Stadium not too much has changed other than the turf and the product on the field. The Eagles look a lot more competitive and have a good defense but they still can't pick up a big win yet as they lost 24-23 because of a missed extra point in the final 30 seconds of the game. Tyler Jones looked solid at quarterback in his first start - have to like his speed.
One thing that definitely hasnt changed though is the attendance, as Saturday reminded me of a typical EMU crowd that I remember looking at from the press box in years past.

Today was a laid back day for the most part. Other than cooking i just watched tv. Jeff Garcia looked a lot better than Joey Harrington has looked at quarterback for the Lions and it was nice to see them beat the Browns to stay at the top of the NFC North with Chicago. Then the MHSAA state playoff selection show was on and five of the teams my paper covers qualified for the playoffs with four of them hosting games.

The matchups (teams my paper covers is in bold):
Southgate Anderson at Adrian
Onsted at Hillsdale
Napoleon at Addison
Madison Heights at Blissfield
Whitmore Lake at Sand Creek

Hopefully a few of the teams make long playoff runs

In the EMU news

wow i'm still finding my name mentioned in EMU related things even tho I've been graduated for about six monthe now.

Here is the latest:
(can be read online at http://www.emich.edu/focus_emu/101105/peoplecolumn.html)

* The Eastern Echo recently took first place in the "classified section" category and second place for "general excellence" among college Division I newspapers in the Michigan Collegiate Press Association competition.

"The big news is the second place for General Excellence in Division I," said Kevin Devine, manager of student media. "That speaks to the contributions of the entire team — writers, photographers, editors, designers, sales reps, classified staff, office assistants and even delivery staff."

The Echo also had a number of individual award winners. Nathan Bomey, managing editor, and Brian Calloway, who graduated in May 2005, won first place in the deadline story category with their article, "Frat Member Dead." Bomey also garnered a second in the non-deadline story category with his story, "We're the Ones That Wanted to Go" and in the investigative reporting category with his article, "Attendance Figure Scandal." Kurt Hunt took third in the non-deadline story category with his article, "No One Wanted to Be Near Me."

In addition, Drew Dorian grabbed first place in the "reviews" category with "A Saab Story: One Sweet Swede" while Jason Idalski walked off with top honors in the "columns" category with his column, "Kerry Supporters Not Welcome at Bush Rally."

Bomey won an honorable mention Michigan Press Association award for a series of light-hearted debate articles that appeared in The Saline Reporter. The honorable mention was in the "lifestyle reporting" category in the weekly Class C division. The Saline Reporter while Craig Watson, the Echo's photo editor, took second place in the weekly Class C division with a sports photo in the Chelsea Standard.

ramblings

Different questions I have posed to myself of late


Can the Detroit Lions win a game without the benefit of flags?
In both their wins (home games against Green Bay and Baltimore) their opponent commited a lot of costly penalties, most recently the Ravens having 21 infractions and completely losing their cool this past Sunday in their 35-17 loss to the Lions. Are the Lions paying officials to call insane amount of penalties on the other team. Because certainly their offense isnt gettin the job done without some help. But hey at least they are sitting in first place.



Charles Rogers?
The guy seems to definitely be in need of an attitude adjustment and needs to grow up. His four game suspension for violating the leagues drug policy is ridiculous. Perhaps he should quit worrying about catching dime bags and focus on catching the pigskin when it is thrown to him and actually run his routes.
And with Charles Rogers out other receivers need to be steppin up, but we have Roy Williams injured and Mike Williams sore - it seems like the injury bug always strikes the Lions key players, hindering them that much more (like they needed anything else to hinder their abilities)

Defense
The defensive unit seems to be the key for every successful team that boasts underachieving offense. The defense for the Lions came up huge with Dre Bly having two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last week against the Ravens. And the Lions usually get their points off turnovers. Even at the high school level I've seen the same parallel with the Adrian High School football team when their offense doesnt meet up to expectations and commits costly turnovers. Their defense bailed them out with a goal line stand at the end of last weeks contest against Saline, helping them clinch a spot in the state playoffs.



the craziness of fantasy football
Roy Williams going out of the game early killed me in my yahoo league this past week as I lost a game by 1.5 points, putting me at 2-3. Damnit! With him being the main receiver i'm sure he would have pushed me over the hump - but oh well.
In my ESPN leagues I have a team that is 4-1 and my two other teams are 3-2. Definitely not bad starts through the first five games of the season.
Another thing that made me mad this week was Tatum Bell's huge day - I have him on three of my four teams but havent started him b/c Mike Shanahan is so damn shady on which running back he is going to start from week to week - might be some prime trade material.

Recent stories/work stuff
While at work today, I saw a fax come in about the Adrian College women's soccer teams latest game. The fax was its box score from its contest with Calvin College. When looking at the box I saw that Adrian lost 10-0 --- definitely not a surprise. They recently lost a game 12-1 and the one goal they scored - they actually didnt score because it was an own goal by the other team. That is pretty much the kind of team they are and earlier this season they broke a 20 some game losing streak. Anyways when I examined the box I saw that the team got outshot 55-0 for the game. They must have counted everything under the sun as a shot but I doubt that it was a stretch because when I saw them play, they didnt look to good.

These are just various things I've gotten to write about lately - all were pretty good contests with the exception of the tecumseh-lincoln football game.

One of the things I've written about in the past 2 and a half weeks was a basketball game in which I saw a whole bunch of girls sobbing after a regular season loss. Definitely crazy but the Sand Creek-Clinton girls hoops game lived up to its billing. Sand Creek led most the way but Clinton hit some foul shots within the final 30 seconds to take the lead. Sand Creek had a few chances to tie them but their player who had been on all night missed shots when they mattered most. As a journalist, close games like that are definitely what I love to see

Clinton-Lenawee Christian hoops

Tecumseh-Ypsilanti Lincoln football

Hudson-Blissfield hoops

Hudson-Clinton football

time to panic? i say no

I havent written in this thing for about two weeks now so a brief update on whats been going on - --- A whole lot of nothing. Been covering games, doing page design and watching the baseball playoffs (I'm glad the Yankees are out!) and football.

And speaking of football that is what a majority of this entry will be about it - so with that being said is it time to panic for UM fans like myself. I say definitely not. Michigan has three early losses this year, for the first time that I can even remember. People in Ann Arbor definitely aren't used to a .500 team at the midpoint of the season, and appropriately so. Expectations are high at UM year in and year out because of the great tradition of the program and the talented players that don the maize and blue each year.



Unfortunately that is just not enough to get over the hump and win football games. In years past Michigan tends to eke out victories in close football games like their latest loss to Minnesota (23-20) this weekend and their loss to Wisconsin on Sept. 24, but it just hasn't been so this year. They aren't catching breaks and opponents arent bowing down and rolling over for them.

There has definitely been a lot of firsts this season - like the first time in a long time that Michigan has fallen out of the Associated Press poll in addition to the .500 mark midway into the season and Minnesota has possession of the little Brown Jug for the first time since the 1980's (I thought the oldest trophy in college football had a permanent Ann Arbor address). But can Michigan overcome this? Most definitely.



Going back into history- well last year - I recall another team being 3-3 through six games. That being a bitter rival of the Wolverines - the Ohio State Buckeyes. Here is comparing their first six games with Michigan's first six.

2004 Ohio State
- Sept. 4 Ohio St. 27, Cincinnati 6
- Sept. 11 Ohio St. 21, Marshall 21
- Sept. 18 Ohio St. 22, NC State 14
- Oct. 2 Northwestern 33, Ohio St. 27
- Oct. 9 (No. 16) Wisconsin 24, Ohio St. 13
- Oct. 16 Iowa 33, Ohio St. 7

2005 Michigan
- Sept. 3 Michigan 33, Northern Illinois 17
- Sept. 10 (No. 20) Notre Dame 17, Michigan 10
- Sept. 17 Michigan 55, Eastern Michigan 0
- Sept. 24 Wisconsin 23, Michigan 20
- Oct. 1 Michigan 34, (No. 11) Michigan State 31
- Oct. 8 Minnesota 23, Michigan 20

The lone difference is that Michigan had a chance to win each of their contest in the final quarter while obviously Ohio State was blown out against Iowa. Also Michigan didn't get off to an 0-3 start in Big Ten play but1-2 isn't much better off. The Buckeyes overcame their problems and salvaged their season to finish 7-4, their lone setback coming to Purdue 24-17 a week before their matchup with Michigan. They ended their season with a victory over the Wolverines and then a 33-7 victory over Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.

While Michigan is definitely not having a Wolverine type year and another share of the Big Ten title appears out of reach (although the Nittany Lions are the lone unbeaten team in league play), they too can still make a solid season and it starts with topping a surprising Penn State team that is ranked eighth in the nation and has a talented freshman class of receivers and a very mobile quarterback in Michael Robinson. And they definitely are coming to Ann Arbor with a steam of confidence after upsetting Ohio State in Happy Valley last weekend.

But to my surprise Michigan is favored in this game - I woulda never known had a I not read Rosenberg's column in the Free Press today. So I guess this will be a good tell tale sign of how the rest of the season will go for the Wolverines.