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Detroit Tigers, "Defense just ain't our bag baby"

2012-02-27T05:21:00.004-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 1.27.2012

Perhaps the Tigers need to hire Austin Powers as a spokesman to say, “defense just ain’t our bag baby”. Maybe such a statement coming from the international man of mystery, would add a little levity to distressed Tiger’s fans tripping-out about potential Tiger’s defensive deficiencies.

As I wrote in my article, “Tigers spotted best hitter and pitcher in baseball”(click here for article), the Tigers had a couple of glaring weaknesses, and hello, third base was one of them! I asked Tiger’s brass to please, finally fill in the blanks at either, second or third, if not both. In short order, after I finished that article, they very much effectively and brilliantly filled the blank at third, yet Tiger’s fans seem alarmed and dismissive of Miguel Cabrera as their new third baseman? Has this town lost its collective mind?

This cause for concern has to be connected to the affinity this town has for Brandon Inge, right? This has to be another chapter in the romance novel, “Brandon and Detroit, Love At First Sight.” I suppose one could also credit this reaction to the fact that for at least the last 30 or 40 years, the Tigers have consistently had weak hitting third baseman, with decent to great gloves. Tom Brookens was a decent glove, but didn’t have much of a stick. Before him was Aurelio Rodriguez, who had a tremendous glove, but was not much of a hitter.

The last couple of seasons though, Inge has made Brookens and A-Rod look like Lou Gehrig at the plate. You want to talk about an automatic out? Brandon, who has failed to hit above .205 in two of the last four seasons, is your man. As for his glove work, BI is pretty good down at the hot corner, but he’s not the second coming of Brooks Robinson for God’s sake. How many times have I seen him over throw first base the last few years? I mean, if you are going to hit like Mario Mendoza, I expect a gold glove, and last time I checked, BI doesn’t have any of those sitting on his mantle.

I’ve been amazed at how well Miguel has played first base the last couple seasons. Rarely, do I see him mishandle plays, and his throws from first to second, get where they are going in a hurry, and have been consistently accurate. I expect him to be “ok” defensively at third. What Tiger’s fans need to realize is, whatever is lost defensively, is more than made up for, offensively.

Prince Fielder doesn’t have a lot of value if Miguel stays at first. You did not fill a hole if Miguel stays at first, you created a log-jam of first baseman. Using Fielder or Miguel as DH, does nothing to solve the third base dilemma, and creates a log-jam at designated hitter as soon as V-Mar returns. I have this hunch V-Mar will be back before the 2012 season ends, but assuredly he’ll be back no later than next season, and is under contract for another season on top of that.

If you are an astute Tiger’s fan, you want to look forward to the day the lineup features, Martinez, Cabrera, and Fielder! It’s all good Tiger’s fans, don’t fret. The signing of Fielder and subsequent demotion or elimination of Brandon is probably the best thing to happen to Tiger’s baseball in several decades. Be happy, and recognize, defense just aint the Tiger’s bag…… but mashing is!

#14 Tony Stewart's resume absent a Daytona 500 win

2012-02-27T05:20:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.25.2012

Nascar fans tend to be very passionate about both the drivers they love, and those they don't particularly care for. Fans that love Tony Stewart, such as myself, refer to him admiringly as, "Smoke". Anthony Wayne "Tony" Stewart has done it all behind the wheel of a race car. Save for a winning the Daytona 500, there isn't much he hasn't accomplished. He's won titles in both stock cars and Indy cars, as well as sprint, midget, and USAC Silver Crown cars.

Stewart has won 3 Nascar Sprint Cup Championships and of course is the defending champion and the first owner/driver to win the championship since Alan Kulwicki in 1992. As if all of that success is not enough, the hottest rookie driver (in more ways than one) in Nascar history, Danica Patrick, has joined Smoke's team. Yes, it's good, very good, to be Tony Stewart, but there's something missing.

Winning the Daytona 500 has so far eluded the 40 year old Stewart. This is certainly a crown jewel Smoke is determined to add, but this is a race that requires cooperation, and a little luck. Smoke has come close, and won other races on this track, but not the 500.

Some have called Tony the best driver in the world today, some even suggest Smoke is one of the best ever, and he has the credentials to back those assertions. Even if he, ultimately, never wins the 500, Smoke's legacy is secure. Yet, winning America's Race certainly would be a nice addition to the resume, and make millions of Tony Stewart fans ecstatic!

Random thoughts and questions

2012-02-26T06:56:00.007-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.26.2012
We've posted several items regarding Peyton Manning and his football future, or lack thereof. Most of the attention is given to potential team destinations for him. I'm just wondering how many of you clones feel as I do. I have this uneasy feeling about Peyton returning given his recent injuries. I see him at an age where his skills are likely in decline by virtue of his birth certificate, making him even more vulnerable to future injuries. He's accomplished so much and he's nothing left to prove, and should be set for life financially. My suggestion to Peyton is to call it day in regard to playing. Start your next career Peyton and spend more time with your family. It was fun while it lasted, thanks for the memories, but all good things must come to an end. Read the writing on the wall Peyton.

I'm wondering about a few things and thought I'd share. I'm wondering how Miguel will do down at the hot corner. I'm wondering if Justin Verlander will repeat his Cy Young award winning performance. I'm definitely wondering if Brandon Inge is ever going away, and I'm wondering why Tiger's brass loves him so much, and if there's anything to the suggestion of a "race element's" involvement.

I can't help but wonder if Joe Dumars eventually succeeds or fails in rebuilding the Pistons. I can't help but wonder about next season's edition of the Detroit Lions; 14-2, 15-1, undefeated? I can't help but wonder if Khloe Kardashian will ever get pregnant, or Kim happily married, but that's a discussion for another time and place. I'm out!

Pistons struggle mightily in first half of abbreviated season

2012-02-26T05:36:00.008-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.26.2012
It's All Star weekend for the NBA and that means a break for teams like the Detroit Pistons, and bloggers such as myself that blog about them. I can't honestly tell you that I'm not enjoying this break. After all, the last two losses before the break (dropping a 17 pt lead to the Cavs and losing at Toronto) were perhaps the low-lights of a low-light filled first half of the season.

My official preseason prediction was a playoff birth for Lawrence Frank's group, and I've since written more about the opportunities in the 2012 NBA draft and the benefits of tanking. You don't have to be all that good to make the post season in the NBA, problem is, the Pistons aren't all that good.

On paper, they don't look that bad, but the proverbial devil is in the details. The details tell you that the best guard on the team, Rodney Stuckey, took the first half of the first half, off, and slowed by injury, was just awful. His start was so dreadful that even now after playing well for two or three weeks, his season field goal percentage is only 41.9%, and that's not an adequate number for an NBA guard. On paper, Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva looked like they might contribute and make Joe Dumar's free agent acquisitions look a little more respectable, not the case however. Charlie V, as a matter of tanking convenience and/or injury, has not played, while BG has simply not played well. I've grown accustomed to Connecticut alum Ben Gordon not playing well, as his performance has been reminiscent of the "teal era" Pistons that always broke your heart.

On paper, Jonas Jerebko was supposed to make a run at an All Star appearance, what happened? The soon to be 25 year old Swede is only scoring 9.5 per game. Is it lack of talent around him that has stopped his progress in its tracks, or was his rookie season an illusion, not to be improved upon? The rest of the roster is underwhelming, save for Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight, both of whom look like keepers. Take Tayshaun, Maxiell, and Austin Daye, all Joe Dumars draft picks, mix em up in a pot, and what have you got? Not much!

Joe's made a lot of mistakes in building a team that is at the bottom of the NBA standings. One can make a great argument, as I've done, that it might be time for Joe to go. (see post) With few exceptions, this team has been difficult to watch and Palace attendance bears this out. Tom Gores is probably the only man connected to the Pistons that has more of a quandary to deal with than Joe Dumars. Dumars has the quandary of trying to figure out how to take this team from pathetic (current state) to the playoffs. Gores, meanwhile, has to figure out if Joe is figuring out what he has to figure out.

If it sounds like a mess, it is. Where have you gone Isiah Thomas, Detroit turns its lonely eyes to you? (Thomas who in 1981, as a 20 year old rookie, transformed this organization from perennial loser, to a team with a bright future.) Brandon Knight has looked good, he's not in Zeke's league, but as I wrote earlier, he's a keeper, as is Greg Monroe. Two keepers on a team several years into a rebuild makes me think Joe D has been taking notes from Michael Jordon in regard to building an NBA team. MJ, generally considered the gold standard as a player, retains his job as an NBA executive because of his playing credentials and subsequent cache, not because of his record in the front office. Don't leave it all on the floor Joe, or back in 2004, do something for us lately, before Tom Gores says, it's too late.

Detroit Tigers: Andy Dirks or Clete Thomas in left?

2012-02-26T04:44:00.003-05:00

(Contributer)
On the day of the Prince Fielder press conference, Detroit Tigers’ Manager Jim Leyland hinted at a left field position battle between Andy Dirks, Clete Thomas, and Don Kelly, with the winner batting 8th in the lineup. The difference for Dirks and Thomas as compared to Kelly is this: Kelly is on the team either way, the other 2 likely will have to win the gig to land on the roster.

Andy Dirks

Don Kelly is going to remain in his super utility role barring something unforeseen. The Brandon Inge-to-2nd base rumors definitely cloud the left field picture. Should Inge, with his new Mike Barwis-reinforced body, earn the everyday job at 2B, then that pushes Ryan Raburn into more of a left field role.
Regardless, that would likely be little more than a platoon with Dirks or Thomas due to Raburn’s iron clad track record of disappointing 1st half hitting, so the roster spot remains there for the taking.
The good news is whether it is Dirks or Thomas, both players would be a solid upgrade defensively from Delmon Young, who is now slated to DH. While the infield defense will remain a train wreck, having one of these 2 in left, Austin Jackson in center, and Brennan Boesch in right is a speedy, athletic outfield that should represent itself well.
Dirks or Thomas
In 2008 and 2009, Clete Thomas appeared to be on the fast track to having a regular role on the major league club. He hit .284 in 2008, showing good extra-base pop and tremendous defense. In 2009, he hit just .240 in 102 games, battling a long swing. Back then, Jim Leyland projected him to be an everyday player in the big leagues, once he shortened up his swing.
Thomas battled injury much of the 2010 season as he only appeared in 21 games at AAA Toledo. It took him a while to get on track last year, but he finally did with a big 2nd half.
Clete put himself back on the map by hitting .309 in 37 post-All-Star break games. The bugaboo with Thomas is that he strikes out a lot. He K’d 130 times in just 367 at-bats in Toledo last year. He did show off his all-around game though with 20 steals, 12 homers, and 15 doubles.
While both players are strong defensively, Thomas is superior in that department. He has a laser-guided right arm and patrols the outfield extremely well. The bad news for Thomas is that the Tigers clearly haven’t put a premium on defense this offseason.
Meanwhile, Andy Dirks had himself one heck of a 2011 and carried it right through to winter ball. Dirks tore the Eastern League apart while in Toledo by hitting .325, literally doing it all and forcing his way into a call-up.
He had a very strong rookie season. Dirks hit .251 with 7 homers, 28 RBI’s, 13 doubles, and 5 steals in sporadic playing time. His playing style reminded me of Lenny Dykstra. He seems to have the passion, a lot of skill, and plenty of intangibles.
Dirks parlayed his strong Major League season into a legendary Dominican winter league campaign. As is described in this article on Yahoo Sports: In the course of five days, Dirks had the winning hits in Game 9 – yes, Game 9 – of the league finals and in a Caribbean Series game against Venezuela. The Dominicans won the series with ease. He is now known throughout the Dominican as Andy King according to Ramon Santiago and Ondy-Der, the rough translation of his name.
Dirks popped 14 homers between AAA and the majors last year in just 391 at-bats. He also swiped a combined 17 bases. He has the tools to become a 15 homer – 15 steal guy in the majors, something the Tigers haven’t seen since Curtis Granderson left town.
In stark contrast to his counterpart Thomas, Dirks only fanned 64 times on the year in 24 more at-bats. At 26 years old, Dirks is more than 2 full years younger than Thomas as well.
The stars seem to be aligning for Dirks to be the frontrunner for the left field job but don’t count out Clete Thomas. He offers the same alluring combination of speed and power to go along with lock-down defense that has the Tigers looking stronger than usual with their outfield depth.
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Danica Patrick Massive Crash 2012 NASCAR Gatorade Duels at Daytona

2012-02-25T09:30:00.002-05:00

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50 CENT ft. Justin Timberlake - Ayo Technology [HQ]

2012-02-25T06:21:00.000-05:00

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The Detroit Lions and Cliff Avril

2012-02-25T06:14:00.004-05:00

Joshua Lobdell, truthatarian.com 2.21.2012
This situation seems a little odd. The Detroit Lions want Cliff Avril back, and by his many comments it looks like Avril wants to stay here in Detroit. However, the NFL is a business and Avril wants to get paid fair market value for his services. Unfortunately for the Lions fair market value for Avril may not be in the budget.

Avril is coming off a one year contract, and had a career year. Chris McCosky of the Detroit Newspoints out that Avril's 11 sacks last season should put him in line for a deal similar to Kansas City Chiefs LB Tomba Hall's five year 60 million dollar deal. That deal came with a 35 million dollar signing bonus.

Salary cap limitations aside, paying Avril anywhere near that amount of money would throw the Lion's pay structure out of whack. McCosky points out that in 2010 the Lions signed DE Kyle Vanden Bosch to a front loaded four year 26 million dollar deal. He made ten million dollars in year one, eight million dollars in year two, and he will make five million dollars in each of the next two seasons.

Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press points out that Avril does not want to get the franchise tag. Beyond the money he wants a long term commitment from the team, and did play 2011 on a one year 2.6 million dollar deal. Phillip Zaroo of Mlive.com reports that a franchise tag for Avril would bump his 2012 salary to around 10.6 million. It seems unlikely the team would pay Avril double what they are for Vanden Bosch.

Avril has made comments recently that he would hold out, or not attend pre season activities if the Lions place the franchise tag on him. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press Avril said: "There's a lot of different possibilities, and that's one of the possibilities -- not showing up, but we don't know. That's not the plan, obviously. But there's a lot of different possibilities, and that's definitely one of them".

The real problem here is the Lions will likely have to work out a new deal with WR Calvin Johnson (to significantly reduce his cap number) before they can work on a new deal for Avril. Hopefully, they can get that done before Avril hits the open market and his price escalates significantly.

Trent Richardson, best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson?

2012-02-25T04:13:00.000-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.25.2012
Some respected football analysts (including Mike Mayock) have gone on record suggesting that Trent Richardson, from the University of Alabama, is the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson. We decided to pull some tape and find out.

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The Detroit Lions look scary good.. Super Bowl favorites

2012-02-24T10:21:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.24.2012

Imagine a young team that is getting better with each game simply by virtue of their very young roster gaining experience. Then imagine a 24 year old quarterback that has already become one of only 4 qb's in the history of the NFL to throw for over 5,000 yards in a season.

Then throw in, arguably, the best wide receiver in the game, and one of the best receiving tight ends in the game. Sounds like an extremely awesome mix, one that with the correct tweaks, is a legitimate Super Bowl threat. The defense has to be addressed, and whether it be free agency, or with the draft, I'm confident Jim Schwartz and company will plug several vital holes.

Above and beyond the draft and free agency, the Lions "should" have a huge influx of talent added to their 10-6 team, simply by virtue of the loads of injured talent regaining their health and joining this team on field next season. Nick Fairley, a healthy Nick Fairley, is going to make an immediate impact for the defensive unit. His upside is immeasurable, and he and Suh should compliment one another better than peanut butter and jelly. If the Lions went 10-6 without a healthy Fairley...... well it's scary.

The offensive juggernaut that already is the Detroit Lions could/should enjoy the addition of not one, but two amazing running backs, in Jahvid Best and Mikel Leshoure. Call em thunder and lightning or whatever you prefer, but having these guys healthy and on the field, makes the Detroit Lions my team to beat in 2012 and beyond.

Every prediction in football has to be made with the caveat of, "if healthy". You have to have good fortune in the way of good health to reach your full potential in any given season, but it's always nice to have more potential than anyone else. The Lions plain and simply are the most stacked team in the NFL, and do have as much or more potential than anyone.

Forgive me for not hedging my bets, but I call em as I see em, and this is an easy call for me. If this team stays healthy, the Detroit Lions should win the Super Bowl in February of 2013.

Nascar: Dale Jr and the Daytona 500

2012-02-24T10:20:00.011-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.24.2012
During an interview with Dan Patrick, Nascar great, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said he expected Hendrick and Roush to finish at the top of the Daytona 500. The former includes himself, Tony Stewart, and Danica Patrick among others. Junior also said that the 500 is all about, "staying out of trouble". Roush, of course, includes the man I call, the "new intimidater", Carl Edwards. Watch the way Carl drives, he'll climb the side of a wall and/or go air-born if he thinks he has a chance to beat you.

America's race should be a great race, and I'll be cheering for Stewart/Haas to take the checker.

Michael McDowell, Robby Gordon, Joe Nemechek and Dave Blaney all raced their way into Sunday’s 500 courtesy of their finishing spots in today’s Duels.

The starting lineup for Sunday’s race:

1. Carl Edwards, Roush Fenway Racing No. 99 Ford

2. Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing No. 16 Ford

3. Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 14 Chevrolet

4. Matt Kenseth, Roush Fenway Racing No. 17 Ford

5. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hendrick Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet

6. Regan Smith, Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Chevrolet

7. Marcos Ambrose, Richard Petty Motorsports No. 9 Ford

8. Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports No. 48 Chevrolet

9. Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing No. 31 Chevrolet

10. Elliott Sadler, Richard Childress Racing No. 33 Chevrolet

11. Michael McDowell, Phil Parsons Racing No. 98 Ford

12. Joey Logano, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 20 Toyota

13. Kevin Harvick, Richard Childress Racing No. 29 Chevrolet

14. Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota

15. A.J. Allmendinger, Penske Racing No. 22 Dodge

16. Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports No. 24 Chevrolet

17. Robby Gordon, Robby Gordon Motorsports No. 7 Dodge

18. Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 39 Chevrolet

19. Jamie McMurray, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing No. 1 Chevrolet

20. Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevrolet

21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 Ford

22. Mark Martin, Michael Waltrip Racing No. 55 Toyota

23. Brad Keselowski, Penske Racing No. 2 Dodge

24. Dave Blaney, Tommy Baldwin Racing No. 36 Chevrolet

25. David Ragan, Front Row Motorsports No. 34 Ford

26. Martin Truex Jr., Michael Waltrip Racing No. 56 Toyota

27. Aric Almirola, Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43 Ford

28. Kurt Busch, Phoenix Racing No. 51 Chevrolet

29. Danica Patrick, Stewart-Haas Racing No. 10 Chevrolet

30. Clint Bowyer, Michael Waltrip Racing No. 15 Toyota

31. Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 Toyota

32. Bobby Labonte, JTG Daugherty Racing No. 47 Toyota

33. David Gilliland, Front Row Motorsports No. 38 Ford

34. Joe Nemechek, Nemco Motorsports No. 87 Toyota

35. Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet

36. Casey Mears, Germain Racing No. 13 Ford

37. Paul Menard, Richard Childress Racing No. 27 Chevrolet

38. David Reutimann, BK Racing No. 93 Toyota

39. Landon Cassill, BK Racing No. 83 Toyota

40. Trevor Bayne, Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford

41. Tony Raines, Front Row Motorsports No. 26 Ford

42. David Stremme, Inception Motorsports No. 30 Toyota

43. Terry Labonte, FAS Lane Racing No. 32 Ford

Failed to qualify: Michael Waltrip, Robert Richardson Jr., Bill Elliott, Mike Wallace, Kenny Wallace, J.J. Yeley

Manning To Miami

2012-02-24T10:00:00.002-05:00

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Rick Porcello, not cutting the proverbial mustard

2012-02-24T07:26:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.18.2012
How can I have a negative perspective on a 23 year old pitcher that has already won 38 games as a starter? I find myself asking myself that very question. To make this oddity seem even odder, it was not very long ago that I was a Porcello apologist and supporter.

The thing is, evaluating pitching is so far from an exact science, and for every evaluation rule, there seems an exception. Some pitchers get out of the gate fast, like gangbusters, I give you Dwight Gooden and Fernando Valenzuela. Some pitchers are late bloomers or completely change their pitching styles later in their careers, I give you Randy Johnson and Frank Tanana. Johnson did not make his major league debut unitl he was 25, and did not see super stardom until he was 30. Tanana, came up as a fire-baller and changed to a successful, finesse pitcher later in his career after arm injuries. Some pitchers burn out prematurely, and some pitch into their mid and late forties.... go figure.

Getting back to my about-face concerning Rick Porcello, my perspective changed with his less than stellar performance in the 2011 post season, combined with a negative review of Porcello from fellow Truthatarian writer, W. R. Lawrence. Porcello's playoff stats could be worse; 4 appearances, 2 starts, 0-1 record, 4.80 era. While not incredibly bad statistically, a 4.80 era in the most important games of the season is not conducive to success, and the Tigers did not win any of Porcello's post season starts. I felt in my gut the Tigers were likely to lose Porcello's post season starts, and they did. Stated bluntly, Rick Porcello's post season performance played a significant role in the Tiger's failure to advance to the World Series.

As fourth or fifth starters go, Porcello probably looks pretty good comparatively across the league, and I'll give you that. Also, at 23 years of age, their is a lot of history yet to be written regarding RP. Nonetheless, my non scientific analysis suggests that Jacob Turner retains more upside than Porcello, and I would really like to see Turner win the fourth spot in the rotation and to see Porcello slotted fifth or traded.

Given that he is only 23, and has won 38 games in the bigs, I have to believe his trade value is substantial, and the Tigers have several holes to fill., second base, second base, second base! Rather than giving Porcello another chance to let this team down in the post season, and in so doing reduce his trade value, investigate the trade options now. If I'm running the Tigers, I work the phones and find out, how much second baseman Rick Porcello buys me. The Tigers might be surprised how much they can actually solidify the position. I propose this plan as an alternative to the second-base derby currently underway that includes, none other, than, venerable Brandon Inge. Plans that include eliminating the .197 guy from your plans, are usually good plans.

The challenge only gets tougher for GM Martin Mayhew and the Detroit Lions

2012-02-23T15:38:00.004-05:00

Joshua Lobdell, truthatarian.com 2.23.2012

Detroit Lions General Manager Martin Mayhew has not exactly had an easy road. He took over the team after several years of mismanagement by Matt Millen, and a team that was the first to go winless over a full season. Luckily he has had several top ten draft picks to help him rebuild this club. He has done a great job choosing those, but now he has to figure out how to keep the team he has assembled together, and hit the right prospect with the 23rd pick in the NFL draft to help the Lions take the next step in their rebuilding.

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press points out the challenges that await Mayhew and his team. The first and foremost being not so much about amassing more talent but finding out what their talent's replaceable value is. Sharp argues that the Lions are coming to a point where they will not able to afford both WR Calvin Johnson and DE Cliff Avril.

Sharp goes on to ague that a 26year DE who can get to the QB may be more valuable than a WR who is likely going to command a contract with 50 million dollars guaranteed. Of course keeping your franchise QB happy plays a factor in here somewhere.

Since both Johnson and Avril are set to make big money in 2012 (Johnson’s cap number for 2012 being around 21 million and Avril set to get over 10 million if he gets the franchise tag) the possibility of signing both players to new deals and then trading one of them away for draft picks (or other players) remains a real possibility.

Whichever the case Mayhew and the Lions’ front office have a significant challenge ahead of them. They must resign their talented players, work out a new deal with Johnson to reduce his cap number significantly, and make a great choice at 23 in the first round of the NFL draft. Sharp argues that doing so is far less certain than making a great pick with a higher draft pick.

Pistons lose at Toronto, 103-93

2012-02-23T06:13:00.000-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.23.2012
A night after blowing a seventeen point lead to a less than stellar Cleveland club, the Pistons are served by the Raptors, 103-93. If you sense the disgust in my writing, you are definitely catching my drift. Our LawnMowingKing.com scrub of the game is Ben Gordon who only scored 6 points (not bad for a player that plays no defense, sarcasm), and had the worst +/ in the game at -17.

Box Score Standings

Aikman says concussions, saturation could be NFL’s downfall

2012-02-23T06:03:00.003-05:00

(By Joel Auerbach, US PRESSWIRE)
(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — To most people it would seem the NFL sits safely atop the American sports pyramid, but former quarterback Troy Aikman says the league could be in for a fall.
Aikman, who is in the college football and Pro Football Halls of Fame and is now an analyst for Fox, was participating last week on a panel examining whether Los Angeles is ready for an NFL team when he expressed concern about the direction of the league, specifically the NFL’s attempts to reign in the rate at which players are sustaining concussions.
“The long-term viability, to me anyway, is somewhat in question as far as what this game is going to look like 20 years from now,” Aikman said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Aikman’s 12-year career was cut short as a result concussions. He doesn’t have a son but said if he did he would have second thoughts about sending him into a career as a football player. “I wouldn’t tell him he couldn’t play football,” he said. “If he wanted to, I would say ‘OK, great.’ But I don’t know if I would be encouraging him to play. Whereas, with the other sports, you want your kids to be active and doing those types of things.”
Aikman, 45, also said the NFL may be making other strategics mistakes that will set itself up for a fall, including televising too many games. He said the fact L.A. has been without a team since 1994, and doesn’t seem to miss it, is evidence that the NFL isn’t a must in people’s lives.
“At one time, watching football was an event,” Aikman said. “Monday Night Football was a big event. Now you get football Sunday, you get it Monday, you get it Thursday and, late in the year, you get it on Saturday.
“People in Los Angeles realized, ‘You know what, life’s OK without the NFL.’ If I’m an owner, I don’t want any fan thinking that.”
The NFL continued to draw strong TV ratings last season, including a record 111.3 million viewers for the the Super Bowl earlier this month. Aikman acknowledges there’s not much to support his point of view but says wait and see.
“I believe, and this is my opinion, that at some point football is not going to be the No. 1 sport. You talk about the ebbs and flows of what’s popular and what’s not. At some point, the TV ratings are not going to be there,” he said. “I can’t justify that because the numbers say otherwise, but I guess time will tell.”
Aikman says concussions, saturation could be NFL’s downfall is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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NFL: Broncos’ Quinn apologizes for Tebow comments

2012-02-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

(Contributer)
DENVER (AP) — Brady Quinn is apologizing to Tim Tebow for unflattering comments Quinn made about the Denver Broncos’ starting quarterback in a GQ article.
The article on Tebowmania was written by Michael Silver and titled “The year of Magical Stinking: An Oral History of Tebow Time.”
In it, Quinn was quoted as saying, “We’ve had a lot of, I guess, luck, to put it simply.” He also said he felt the fans were the reason Tebow leapfrogged him on the depth chart when supplanting Kyle Orton as the starter after a 1-4 start.
“I felt like the fans had a lot to do with that,” Quinn said in the article. “Just `cause they were chanting his name. There was a big calling for him. No, I don’t have any billboards. That would have been nice.”
Quinn also said in the article that the way Tebow expresses his faith doesn’t “seem very humble to me.” Both men are Christians.
Quinn took to Twitter after the article’s release Tuesday, saying the comments attributed to him did not reflect his opinion of Tebow.
Tebow “deserves a lot of credit for our success and I’m happy for him and what he accomplished. Most importantly, he is a great teammate,” Quinn wrote.
Quinn said he’s reached out to Tebow directly “to clear this up,” adding, “I apologize to anyone who feels I was trying to take anything away from our team’s or Tim’s success this season.”
Quinn is an unrestricted free agent whom the Broncos are considering bringing back to Denver.
He was Orton’s primary backup when the season started but when Orton struggled, the Broncos’ brain trust wanted to see what they had in Tebow, a 2010 first-round draft pick who made more than $7 million last season, including a big bonus that was paid before the season.
Tebow won seven of his first eight starts and produced a series of stirring fourth-quarter comebacks that made up for his poor passing and messy mechanics.
With Tebow at quarterback, the Broncos reached the playoffs for the first time since 2005, and they won their first game, against Pittsburgh, when Tebow connected with Demaryius Thomas on an electrifying 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime.
After the Broncos lost at New England in the divisional round, football chief John Elway declared Tebow the starter heading into training camp this summer but stopped short of saying the third-year pro had won the job for opening day next season.
The Broncos haven’t ruled out bringing back Quinn, who didn’t take a single snap in his two seasons in Denver after being acquired from Cleveland in the trade for Peyton Hillis in 2010.
Besides Tebow, the only other quarterback under contract for next season is Adam Weber, who spent last season on the Broncos’ practice squad.
The Broncos will try to add a couple of quarterbacks through free agency and the draft.
Elway, a two-time Super Bowl winner and Hall of Famer who rejoined the franchise last year, has said Tebow must morph into more of a pocket passer to succeed long-term in the NFL.
Coach John Fox reintroduced the option offense to the league last year and Tebow piled up yards on the ground, but he completed less than half his passes in both the regular season and the playoffs.
Tebow has already spent time working on his throwing motion and mechanics with UCLA offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone in Los Angeles this month. Mazzone also helped him work on his fundamentals coming out of Florida, where he was a three-time All-America, a two-time national champion and a Heisman Trophy winner.
NFL: Broncos’ Quinn apologizes for Tebow comments is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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This one hurts, Pistons leading by 11 through 3 quarters, lose to Cleveland.

2012-02-22T13:53:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.22.2012
I have to remind myself this Piston's team is still very young and has miles to go, and efforts, such as last night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, certainly fortify this notion. Leading by seventeen at one point and by eleven through three quarters, the Pistons were outscored by twelve in the fourth, for a final score of 101-100.

If losses such as this stick in my craw, I can only imagine that coach Lawrence Frank was more than a little displeased. Brandon Knight had a great performance, shooting 8-12 for 24 points, to go along with 3 dimes and 5 boards. Greg Monroe added 19 points on 8-16, to go along with 7 dimes and 11 boards.
Our LawnMowingKing.com scrub of the game, however, was "the defense" that allowed the Cavaliers 35 fourth quarter points. Once again, the Pistons looked more like a lottery team than a playoff team. We can only hope for a better effort tonight at the Toronto Raptors.

Box Score Standings

Phil Mickelson's putt causes rolling, green-side celebration.

2012-02-22T13:51:00.004-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.22.2012
Phil Mickelson's putt was epic in its own right. It was around a 27 footer and Lefty needed the birdie in order to tie things up and move to sudden death at the Northern Trust @ Riviera. Incredibly, with so much on the line, Mickelson drains the putt and one fan's reaction (guy in the white shirt and black pants) was classic.

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Coldplay Ft. Rihanna, Princess of China

2012-02-22T06:55:00.000-05:00

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Golfers, 2 of top 5 earners in sports

2012-02-21T16:01:00.001-05:00

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Vontaze Burflict is perfect for Lions 2012 first round selection.

2012-02-21T08:04:00.009-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.21.2012
Most mock drafts have the Lions selecting an offensive lineman with their first round selection at # 23. I, however, am lobbying for them to upgrade defensively at any cost and would prefer they opt for one of Boodie Grey's top prospects, Vontaze Burflict, ILB from Arizona State.

Check out this video.

Piston's playoff drive: 5 games back of Celtics and Knicks

2012-02-21T07:40:00.012-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.21.2012
The Detroit Pistons, winners of three consecutive, and seven of their last nine, are chasing New York and Boston for the final playoff spots. This playoff drive is looking very hopeful, not only because the Pistons are surging, but because New York and Boston have mega issues.

New York was playing well and had won eight of their last nine, lead by Lin-Sanity, point guard Jeremy Lin. This hot streak occurred while the Association's most over rated player, Carmello Anthony was out of the lineup courtesy of an injury. Last night, upon Carmello's return, the Knicks promptly lost to the lowly New Jersey Nets. Right on que, Anthony shot a horrid 36% from the floor and added 6 turnovers. Expect the Kicks to struggle now that Mello is back.

The Celtics are struggling mightily as well and have lost four consecutive. Their best player, point guard Rajon Rondo, has just been suspended for two games thanks to throwing a ball at an official. Both New York and Boston can be had, but the Pistons only need to pass one of them in the standings in order to make the post season.

Standings

Detroit Tigers: the Brandon Inge effect

2012-02-21T06:22:00.003-05:00

(Contributer)
The Detroit Tigers are going to give Brandon Inge a shot to earn the full-time 2nd base gig during spring training. Don’t be surprised, he deserves the chance. What will be surprising is if he actually wins the job. Placing Inge at 2nd base in a full-time capacity will trigger a domino-effect throughout the Tigers’ roster.
The key question, and an obvious one at that is: does plugging Inge in at 2nd base make the Tigers an overall better team?
Forecasting production from Brandon Inge shouldn’t be that difficult at this point. The best he’s ever hit in a season was .287, all the way back in 2004. As it turned out, that season was a major outlier in an otherwise disappointing career trend.
Inge’s lifetime batting average is just .235. Had he not figured out alternative methods to win over his manager and the fans of Detroit, he likely would have been ushered out of town years ago. Since 2006, Inge has hit .236, .205, .230, .247, and .197. Ouch.
Supporters of the soon-to-be 35-year old 3rd baseman (former?) come in all shapes and sizes. In general, his hustle, positive attitude, occasional defensive brilliance, and ability to play while hurt have won the hearts and minds of a swarm of Tiger fans. That will never go away, even long after he retires.
No player on the roster has been lacing up the cleats and sporting the “D” longer than Inge. For that, he deserves a shot to play, but certainly not a free pass.

Perhaps the original domino was Victor Martinez and his torn ACL. When Victor went down, the Tigers huddled up and decided to go all-in on Prince Fielder. At the same time an offensive juggernaut was assured, so was a defensive conundrum.
The baseball world was gasping for air when the Tigers came out publicly and said that Miguel Cabrera would be the everyday 3rd baseman. Included in the disturbed masses was none other than Inge, a man suddenly without a position.
Out of sheer respect, Jim Leyland offered up the opportunity for Inge to supplant the anticipated platoon of Ramon Santiago and Ryan Raburn at 2nd base. The only positions up for grabs this spring are 2nd base and left field.
13 position players will make the roster. In for sure are Alex Avila, Gerald Laird, Prince Fielder, Ramon Santiago, Jhonny Peralta, Miguel Cabrera, Brennan Boesch, Austin Jackson, Don Kelly, Ryan Raburn, and Delmon Young. That’s 11. Presumably Brandon Inge is the 12th. The expected competition for the 13th spot is between Andy Dirks, Danny Worth, and Clete Thomas.
If Inge wins the 2nd base job, Worth is out of luck. After all, how many utility guys can the Tigers possibly hold on the roster? Between Santiago, Raburn, Kelly, and Inge, the flexibility is in place. Adding a 5th utility player doesn’t make a ton of sense.
If Inge cannot win the job, is he out?
Don Kelly would make a perfectly fine backup 3rd baseman to Cabrera, just as he was for Inge a season ago. Offensively, I think we can all agree that Kelly adds a little more value than Inge.
As the roster and position battles currently stand, I see 2 options that are most likely:

Inge doesn’t win the job at 2nd. Santiago and Raburn platoon at 2nd base. Dirks and Thomas battle it out for the starting left field job. Detroit has to make a decision about keeping Inge and his $5.5M final year around. In this scenario, if they can move him they should. Worth is a better defender and squares the ball up well enough on offense to be passable.
Inge does win the 2nd base job. Raburn gets bumped into a lefty-righty platoon with Dirks in left field. Santiago backs up Inge and 2nd. Kelly’s playing time goes way down as the outfield is more crowded. Worth is out.

As fun as this argument is, the crux of the decision really boils down to whether Brandon Inge can hit in 2012. He will have about a month’s worth of spring training games to prove that he can. Detroit’s front office clearly doesn’t care about defense, so his difficult transition from 3rd to 2nd won’t be the deciding factor.
If he hits well in camp but loses the job anyhow and the team comes out and says it was because he struggled defensively, well then we know they just didn’t want him around.
If Inge wins the job and hits .220’ish over 120 games or so, the decision to move him to 2nd will have been a poor one.
For a player who has undeniably meant a lot to this franchise, let’s hope he really is 100% healthy and can muster up an unlikely renaissance in the batter’s box. If not, the Tigers might be better off swallowing most of his contract and shipping him out of dodge.
If Mike Ilitch is willing to pony up $214M for Fielder, then chewing up $5.5M more on Inge is an easy decision if it gets the Tigers that much closer to a World Series title.
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Top 5 NFL free agents

2012-02-21T06:14:00.002-05:00

Written by: Matthew Blunk

NFL free agency is nearly upon us, and there are plenty of talented players available. And if you want to get technical, Drew Brees and Ray Rice are eligible to be among those free agents. And Peyton Manning could soon lead the pack if when the Indianapolis Colts release him.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves, for Manning and Jim Irsay are still negotiating. Or not.

Whatever the case, here lie the top five NFL free agents heading into the 2012 offseason:

5) Carlos Rogers, San Francisco 49ers

Rogers finally developed some hands, it seems, and it paid off in 2011 as he finished with a career high six interceptions. He was an integral part of the dominant, opportunistic San Francisco defense. The Niners would love to hang on to Rogers, but he could in line for a payday GM Trent Baalke may want no part of.

4) Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee Titans

Finnegan had a rebound year in 2011, reaffirming his spot among the elite cornerbacks in football. Finnegan doesn't seem to think the Titans are in any particular hurry to bring him back. The Detroit Lions could have the inside track, as they have a need in the secondary and are coached by Finnegan's ex-defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz. Though new St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher might have something to say about that.

3) Dwayne Bowe, Kansas City Chiefs

Good all-around receivers don't come around unrestricted free agency too often. Chiefs czar Scott Pioli could franchise Bowe but Brandon Carr's situation must be addressed as well. Bowe can be the top option for an offense, but ideally he'd complement either an elite running game or another no. 1 wideout.

2) Carl Nicks, New Orleans Saints

Nicks is a force on the interior offensive line, and is going to be rather financially stable come March. His run blocking is as good as anyone's right now. Any team in the league could use a guard like Nicks, it's just a matter of who is willing to pay the man. Chances are it won't be New Orleans.

1) Mario Williams, Houston Texans

As one of the NFL's most feared pass rushers, Williams will be a hot commodity in free agency. The Texans may not be able to manage re-signing both Williams and running back Arian Foster, so it's not completely illogical to believe that Williams could hit the open market. If Houston can work out a long-term deal with Foster, they can put their franchise tag on big no. 90. If not, a ferocious, versatile defensive playmaker with scheme diversity will be an unrestricted free agent. And he might cost a pretty penny.

Honorable mentions: Robert Mathis, Indianapolis Colts; Ben Grubbs, Baltimore Ravens; Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals; Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers.

And Randy Moss.

Be sure to check out other great articles at FreeTheSportsman.

2012 NFL Mock Draft: Round #1

2012-02-20T11:30:00.004-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.20.2012
#1 Andrew Luck, QB Stanford (Indianapolis Colts) (Colts certainly are blessed in regard to qb's)
#2 Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma (St. Louis Rams) (More help for Sam Bradford)
#3 Matt Kalil, OT, USC (Minnesota Vikings) (Position of need)
#4 Robert Griffin III, QB Baylor (Cleveland Browns) (Someone may leap the Browns for Griffin III)
#5 Trent Richardson, RB Alabama (Tampa Bay Bucs) (Would be a great pic for TB)
#6 Morris Claiborne, CB LSU (Washington Redskins) (Position of need)
#7 Quinton Coples, DE NC (Jacksonville Jags) (Position of need)
#8 Riley Reiff, OT Iowa (Miami Dolphins) (Position of need)
#9 Michael Brockers, DT LSU (Carolina Panthers) (Position of need)
#10 Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB (Buffalo Bills) (Position of need)
#11 Jonathon Martin, OT Stanford (Kansas City Chiefs) (Position of need)
#12 Ryan Tannehill, QB Texas A&M (Seattle SeaHawks) (Seattle needs a qb, but which one?)
#13 David DeCastro, G Stanford (Arizona Cardinals) (Position of need)
#14 Janoris Jenkins, CB N. Alabama (Dallas Cowboys) (Position of need)
#15 Luke Kuechly, LB Boston College (Philadelphia Eagles) (Position of need)
#16 Michael Floyd, WR Notre Dame (New York Jets) (Mark Sanchez needs him)
#17 Dre Kilpatrick, CB, Alabama (Cincinnati Bengals) (Position of need)
#18 Andre Branch, DE Clemson (San Diego Chargers) (Position of need)
#19 Kendall Wright, WR Baylor (Chicago Bears) (Position of need)
#20 Cordy Glenn, OG Georgia (Tennessee Titans) (Position of need)
#21 Lamar Miller, RB Miami (Cincinnati Bengals) (Adding depth)
#22 Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB (Cleveland Browns) (Position of need)
#23 Mike Adams, OT OSU (Detroit Lions) (Position of need)
#24 Devon Still, DT Penn State (Pittsburgh Steelers) (Postion of need)
#25 Dontari Poe, DT/NT Memphis (Denver Broncos) (Adding depth)
#26 Fletcher Cox, DE/DT Miss St (Houston Texans) (Adding Depth)
#27 Nick Perry, DE/OLB USC (NE Patriots) (Position of need)
#28 Mark Barron, S Alabama (Green Bay Packers) (Position of need)
#29 Vontaze Burfict, ILB Arizona St. (Baltimore Ravens) (Heir apparent to Ray Lewis)
#30 Alshon Jeffrey, WR South Carolina (49ers) (Position of need)
#31 Jerel Worthy, DT MSU (NE Patriots) (Adding depth)
#32 Donta Hightower, ILB Alabama (NY Giants) (Great addition)

Pistons defeat Celtics again, 7-2 in last nine

2012-02-20T08:52:00.005-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
Don't look now but the Detroit Pistons are starting to look like the playoff team I predicted they'd be at the start of the season. The final two playoff spots in the East are occupied by the Knicks and Celtics, the same Celtics the Pistons have defeated twice this week. Detroit is now 5 1/2 games out of a playoff spot, and gaining.

Last night's game at the Palace was a rather one-sided affair, final score 96-81. Jason Maxiell played his typical unsung hero role, playing excellent defense and grabbing ten boards. Rodney Stuckey had 4 steals to go with his 16 points. Our DanGoodPizza.com star of the game is Greg Monroe who scored 17 on 8-19, to go along with his 10 rebounds, 6 of which were on the offensive glass.

The Piston's next two games are on the road and against teams that are between themselves and the Knicks and Celtics in the standings. Tuesday night they tangle with the Cavaliers in Cleveland and Wednesday night they play at Toronto.

Box Score Standings

Detroit Red Wings still streaking

2012-02-20T08:52:00.000-05:00

(Contributer)
After a six game home stand that included plenty of drama as well as some late-game heroics, the Detroit Red Wings still have their NHL-record home winning streak alive. The streak is now 23 straight at Joe Louis Arena after the Red Wings topped the San Jose Sharks 3-2 today.
The streak has had remarkable moments, and none more so than Friday night’s game between Detroit and the Nashville Predators. The game was a defensive slugfest, and was tied 1-1 with just seconds left in the third. With overtime seemingly inevitable, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom corralled the loose puck near his own blue line, backhanded it off the boards to Henrik Zetterberg, who then fired a beauty of a no-look pass right on the tape of Pavel Datsyuk. From there, Datsyuk baffled Predators defenseman Ryan Suter and launched a top-shelf laser over the blocker of goalie Pekka Rinne with just five seconds remaining.
Bedlam naturally ensued at The Joe, as over 20,000 saluted the Wings’ 22^nd straight at home.
The key for Detroit during this amazing 23 game streak has been the outstanding play of their stars, especially Datsyuk, as well as above-average play from the third and fourth lines. Helm has been one of the reasons for the third line's solid play. Datsyuk has been nothing short of brilliant this year, showing off his dazzling puck handling skills and sneaky goal scoring ability. He has been a major reason for Detroit’s success, and leads the team with 59 points.

While Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, and the rest of the Wings’ stars have been outstanding, it has been the play of their third and fourth lines that has solidified them among the league’s elite. Today’s win over San Jose is a classic example of the later lines winning a game. Today’s third line of Drew Miller, Justin Abdelkader, and Derren Helm tallied two goals and four points. Miller lit the lamp in the second to put the Wings up 2-0, then Helm extended the lead to 3-1 in the third.
The fourth line, which has included players such as veteran Tomas Holmstrom as well as rookies Cory Emmerton (played 2 games with the Wings last year, so not technically a rookie) and Jan Mursak, has been effective as well. Holmstrom, who just played his 1,000^th game as a Red Wing, is nearing the end of his career but still wreaks havoc in front of opposing goaltenders as well as anyone. Emmerton has scored six goals this year and Mursak has blinding speed.

The emergence of these young players has been key for the Wings this year. Throw out Holmstrom and the average age of the third and fourth lines is under 25. If these young players can continue to improve, the Red Wings will be dangerous for years to come.
Another major factor for the Red Wings this year has been the play of their netminders. Jimmy Howard has 32 wins thus far this year and made his first career All-Star appearance in January. Then, he went down with a broken finger. Enter Joey MacDonald. The 31 year old stepped out of relative obscurity and has led his team to the last six home wins. With today’s win, the Wings have allowed two goals or fewer in 21 of 23 during the streak, a testament to their great defense and goaltending.
What to watch for
Jimmy Howard will make his return from a broken finger on Tuesday at Chicago
Upcoming schedule
Tuesday @ Chicago (8:00pm, NBCSP, FSD)
Thursday vs Vancouver (7:30pm, FSD, NHLN)
Saturday vs Colorado (7:00pm, FSD)

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2012-02-19T11:04:00.003-05:00

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2012-02-19T08:25:00.007-05:00

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Getting to know DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings

2012-02-19T06:24:00.013-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.19.2012
I've consistently supported DeMarcus Cousins despite substantial media criticism. If you've ever said a negative word about him, please read and enjoy the Sporting News article below.
“DeMarcus was handling the ball in practice, doing some things I hadn’t seen a big dude do,” said Strickland, a 17-year NBA veteran. “He was doing some guard stuff with the ball. I told him, ‘You’ve got some boogie with you, huh?’ And I just kept calling him Boogie. He’s a unique big dude that has a chance to redefine that center and power forward position. He can do some things that people haven’t seen him do yet.”

Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2012-02-17/demarcus-cousins-peeling-back-the-layers-kings-big-man-is-laid-back-and-loveable#ixzz1mpKbvxLt

Michigan Basketball: Wolverines upend #6 ranked Buckeyes 56-51

2012-02-19T05:24:00.001-05:00

(Contributer)
In a wild atmosphere at the Crisler Center, the Michigan Wolverines (20-7, 10-4) knocked off the #6 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes (22-5, 10-4) by a final score of 56-51.

The Michigan basketball team and its fans were able to bask in the limelight all day on Saturday and shake the notion that this is a football school, and little more. With ESPN’s College Gameday working the Wolverine fans into a day-long frenzy, the team responded with a cover-to-cover win over the team from Ohio.

Trey Burke and Stu Douglass

When Michigan and Ohio State meet on the gridiron, it’s known as The Game, and the best rivalry in all of sports. That reputation has been earned over decades of ferocious battles with Big 10 titles on the line. Today’s basketball game had a similar feel, and make no mistake, Michigan basketball is back on the map.
The win draws the Wolverines even in the standings with the Buckeyes as both teams are just a half game back of the Michigan State Spartans for the conference lead. A Big 10 title is within sight.
Trey Burke was introduced before the game as “the pride of Columbus, Ohio”, and boy did he deliver against his hometown school. The freshman took over down the stretch and made sure that the Buckeyes wouldn’t be able to steal one from the Wolverines.
Michigan improved their home record to a sterling 15-0 with the win.
Two late buckets in traffic by Burke kept the Buckeyes at bay and added to the legacy that Burke is already carving out in Ann Arbor. He finished the game with 17 points and 5 assists, outplaying OSU’s Aaron Craft who managed just 4 points and 3 assists.
Jordan Morgan turned in his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Lost in the stats was the effort he put in on the defensive side of the ball against Jared Sullinger. Morgan was drawing charges, bodying up, and quite simply making the big fella uncomfortable. Sullinger shot 6 of 14 from the field on his way to 14 hard-earned points.
Morgan energized the Crisler Center crowd with 2 thunderous dunks in the 2nd half, including his first left-handed slam as a Wolverine. J-Mo added 2 steals to his impressive stat line.
Morgan wasn’t the only Wolverine playing his heart out though. Michigan frustrated Ohio State’s bigger lineup into a 19-49 performance (39%) from the field. Michigan shot 22-47 on the night (47%).
The Wolverines won the turnover battle by an 8 to 13 margin.
In the postgame presser, Coach John Beilein was speaking of how fortunate he and his coaching staff are to be working with this particular group of kids. Beilein stole a page from Coach Norman Dale’s (Hoosiers) playbook by saying, “These guys all buy into a selfless attitude. The team. The team. The team.”
More than any Michigan squad in memory, this version has bought in. Every player is drawing charges, scrapping for loose balls, and playing for his brother in Maize and Blue.
Tim Hardaway, Jr. had one of his better and more selfless offensive games of the season – and he only shot the ball 5 times, making good on 4 of them on his way to 13 points.
Deshaun Thomas carried the Buckeyes, single-handedly keeping them within striking distance. Thomas had 25 points and 13 rebounds but his career-night was not enough on this day. The rest of his teammates managed just 26 points.
Michigan flipped the script on Lenzelle Smith, Jr. He was a menace when Michigan was taken down in Columbus as he had 17 points and 12 rebounds. In 28 minutes tonight, he had just 2 points and 1 board.
Michigan is set to hit the road as they head to Northwestern on Tuesday night for an 8 p.m.. eastern tipoff. The Wolverines will be riding high heading into the Wildcats’ gym as they look for their 3rd true road win of the season.
3 of Michigan’s last 4 games are away from home. After Northwestern, they host Purdue and then close out the season with road games at Illinois and Penn State.

You can follow us on Twitter @isportsJoe and @isportsRob

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Rodney Stuckey scores 36, Pistons beat Kings to go 6-2 in last 8.

2012-02-18T06:40:00.007-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
Despite 26 points and 15 rebounds (6 offensive) from DeMarcus Cousins, the Pistons defeated the Kings last night at the Palace, 114-108. Tayshaun Prince scored 22 and grabbed 10 boards, while Brandon Knight added 23 points and 10 assists, as both enjoyed double/doubles. Rodney Stuckey, however, is our LouisPizza.net star of the game, for the second consecutive game, as he put up 36 points on 12-20 from the floor and 11-12 from the charity stripe. The Pistons host revenge minded Boston, Sunday 6pm.

Box Score Standings

Red Wings extend home winning streak to 22

2012-02-18T06:31:00.002-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
Pavel Datsyuk scored his 16th goal of the season with five seconds left to extend the Detroit Red Wings record home winning streak to 22 games. The 2-1 victory over Nashville was also the Red Wings 5th consecutive victory overall. Detroit will try to extend both streaks with a matinee affair versus the Sharks, Sunday @ 12:30 et.

We'll miss you Gary Carter, as we do Walter Payton

2012-02-17T19:26:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.17.201
Gary Carter was one of the best all around catchers I've ever seen play. People that new him personally said he was one of the best all around people they had ever known. Carter enjoyed a brilliant career with the Expos and Mets, and won a World Series with the latter in 86. Gary Carter left us way too early, dying this week at the age of 57, from brain cancer.
You will be missed "Kid".

On the subject of premature sports icon deaths, Walter Payton left us almost 13 years ago, and I still haven't gotten over it. He was only 45 years old and his passing just blew me away. Sweetness was probably the best all around running back I've ever seen, and I'm a running back connoisseur. He seemed indestructible and often those trying to tackle him paid a price for doing so. Then, just a few years after he retired, in February 1999, Payton announced that he had a rare autoimmune liver disease known as primary sclerosing cholangitis, which may have led to his cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Walter Payton was gone at 45.
Click here for a video of Sweetness. Enjoy the passes Walter threw too.

Note* Walter Payton and Gary Carter were both born in 1954.

Detroit Tigers' issues heading into Spring Training

2012-02-17T18:46:00.006-05:00

Joshua Lobdell, truthatarian.com 2.17.2012
It is that time of the year, time for major league baseball teams to begin the annual spring training camps. The Detroit Tigers look to be very good on paper, and their batting lineup looks to be a new murders row, however, issues remain. So let's take a quick look at the biggest issues for the Tigers as spring training is set to begin.

Tom Gage of the Detroit News has put together a pretty good list. He lists five issues in no particular order of importance. So let us use his five and put them in some order of importance. It seems that the fifth starter of the pitching rotation is among the most important. Justin Verlander had a phenomenal year last year. Last August SB nation put together his stats on the days he pitched after a Tigers loss. At that time he was 14-3 starting games after a loss, and for the most part, Brad Penny was the pitcher starting those games lost. If the Tigers can find a starter in that spot who can be a bit more productive, they could greatly increase their win totals. That will go a long way towards securing a second straight AL central crown and help with their playoff seeding.

It would also seem that the next largest issue is Austin Jackson and the leadoff spot in the batting order. For this offense to be successful, the Tigers are going to need Jackson and whoever bats second (most likely Brennan Boesch) to be productive and get on base. Gage makes the point that two years ago Jackson was very productive in the leadoff spot. Last year he batted just .249 and his on base percentage was .317. Both of those numbers need to increase.

After that, the DH spot in this lineup seems to be of particular concern. That seems a little silly to say on a team that has Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Delmon Young, and other on the roster, but no one seems to want this job. That means Manager Jim Leyland will have to be creative in how he uses the DH spot.

To be fair, Gage also lists third base and overall team defense as big concerns, but we have seen worse defensive teams beat the Tigers with offense in recent years.

Draymond Green would look good in a Piston's uniform.

2012-02-17T05:07:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.17.201
Phil Hubbard, John Long, Terry Tyler, Geg Kelser, Mateen Cleaves. Generally speaking, the Detroit Pistons have not been especially successful when selecting in-state talent in the NBA draft. However, as I was watching the Michigan State "Super" Spartans defeat Wisconsin last night, 69-55, I could not help imagining Draymon Green in the Pistons red, white, and blue.

Green is a soon to be 21 year old, 6'7, senior, forward that has enjoyed two triple doubles this season. Draymond is a multi-talent that does it all. Personally, I love a kid that is not all about the offensive end, and that plays defense and works the boards. He's averaging 15 pts, 10.5 boards, 3.6 assists, just shy of 1 block a game, and 1.4 steals per game.

The Piston's second round selection looks like it will be close to where Draymond is drafted. If the Piston's were willing to trade up, Green could be a Piston.

Austin Jackson, the Tiger's new lightning rod!

2012-02-16T07:19:00.009-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.16.2012
With the move of Miguel Cabrera to third, I’m going to put the “Brandon Inge Experience”, to bed, and hope Leyland and Dombrowski follow suit. With Brandon out of the picture, it’s possible that Austin Jackson will assume the mantle of most polarizing Detroit Tiger.

It’s perfectly understandable that many Tiger fans have lost faith in AJ. A .249 batting average and a lot of strikeouts will tend to diminish your standing as an ideal leadoff man. However, as I look upon Austin’s body of work in its entirety, last season looks like growth pains that are not likely repeated. I want to remind you that Austin’s first season in Detroit was very successful, with AJ posting an impressive .293 batting average. Prior to that, AJ hit .300 or better every season that he was in the minors. 2011 looks like the exception for Austin, not the rule.

Still only 25 years old, Jackson is still quite young in baseball terms, and 2-4 years away from his prime. I’m not suggesting there may not yet be a few hiccups along the way, but my overall chart indicates AJ trending up nicely for a young, excellent defensive outfielder. Regarding whether he should lead-off for the Tiger’s, absolutely. Austin has stolen 49 bases in 60 attempts since joining Detroit. Those are very impressive stolen base numbers, and no one else on the Tiger’s roster has it like that.

Austin posted OBP (on base percentage) of .345 in 2010, and .317 in 2011. In order to meet my expectations for 2012, I would like to see that number at .350 or better. Jackson will have to hit .280 or better and take more walks in order for this to happen, and I see no reason why it won’t. AJ’s reemergence and a healthy Brennan Boesch should give Cabrera, Fielder, and Delmon Young ample rbi opportunities. AJ posting a .350 or better on base percentage would open the proverbial flood gates and place the Tiger’s in position to lead the league in scoring.

Austin remains, for now, a lightning rod. Whether you believe in him or not, his importance to this team can not be overstated. I’m confident that he will win his skeptics over in 2012, and that the Curtis Granderson trade will not look so lopsided moving forward.

Didn't see this coming, Pistons win at Boston Celtics

2012-02-16T05:47:00.005-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.16.2012
If Danny Ainge and Boston's front office needs a a warning signal to blow up their aging team, that is not coming out of the East, losing to the Detroit Pistons at home qualifies. Granted Kevin Garnett did not play, yet despite that fact, losing at home to the Pistons should sound alarms. This is a Pistons team that two games earlier was blown out at the Palace by the Wizards. Mark my words, Boston needs to take proactive measures to rebuild this team while their veterans retain trade value, or they'll soon suffer the same lottery ball fate that has befallen the Pistons.

The Piston's perspective is very much the opposite of the Celtics. Detroit is already in year 4 of a rebuild, and going into TD Garden and beating a veteran team that is supposed to contend, can build a lot of positive momentum for this young group. Several Pistons played well, including Ben Gordon (22 points on 8-15) and Greg Monroe (22 points on 11-14). The LouisPizza.net star of the game goes to Rodney Stuckey who scored 25 on 7-16, to go a long with 4 assists and 3 rebounds.

Box Score Standings

NFL Offseason Needs: Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions

2012-02-16T05:03:00.001-05:00

by John Huffstetler

Green Bay Packers
Key Free Agents: QB Matt Flynn, RB Ryan Grant, TE Jermichael Finley, LB Erik Walden, CB Jarrett Bush

Needs
Defensive End

Their defensive line doesn't necessarily need to generate a pass rush, but sack totals for the Packers d-line last season were anemic. Beyond only producing 6 sacks as a unit, the defense as a whole earned only 29 sacks as a team (27th in the league), meaning the d-line didn't absorb enough attention from opposing offensive lines to free up their talented linebackers. The entire 3-4 defense hinges on the ability of the defensive line to draw attention, and, other than Raji, their line failed to do so. This is the one true weakness on this entire squad and they need to address this position through the draft and free agency.

Running Back

Ryan Grant (pictured to the right) could leave via free agency, and even if he returns, Green Bay could use a better option at running back. Grant and Starks are both serviceable receivers and average rushers, but there are several players in the draft in the first 4 rounds with the potential to immediately upgrade the position. Mid-round talents like LaMichael James, Isiah Pead, Ronnie Hillman, and Cyrus Gray would all be strong fits for the Packers pass-first system. They would also add a big play element to the running back position that doesn't exist in Green Bay at this time.

Continue to Stock-Pile Talent

At most positions, the Packers are both deep and talented. As a 15-1 squad, other teams will look to poach their talent over the next few years at exorbitant salaries. BJ Raji, Clay Matthews, Greg Jennings, Nick Collins, and Sam Shields will all become free agents during the 2013 and 2014 off-seasons, and all of these players should demand large contracts in free agency. In order to stay dominant, the Packers need to continue to develop talent at every position. The defensive backfield in particular would become vulnerable in a few seasons with Charles Woodson's inevitable retirement and the potential loss of Collins and Shields. Good teams fill their needs; great teams fill their needs a few years in advance.

Detroit Lions
Key Free Agents: WR/KR/PR Stefan Logan, K Jason Hanson, OT Jeff Backus, OT Corey Hilliard (Restricted), DE Cliff Avril, LB Bobby Carpenter, LB DeAndre Levy (Restricted), LB Stephen Tulloch, CB Eric Wright, S Chris Harris

Needs
Upgrade the speed at the LB position

3 key contributors at LB are free agents this off-season and the Lions could stand to lose two of them. While the defensive line play was outstanding last year at pressuring the QB, the LB corps repeatedly failed in coverage, contributing to the Lions 22nd ranked pass defense. Since the Lions have an impressive d-line, they should look to acquire more speed at the LB position and obtain players that can play side-to-side and cover slot receivers at times. Tulloch (shown to the right) and Carpenter are good players, but they are more run-stopping LB's, which Detroit doesn't exactly need. The Lions should resign DeAndre Levy and look to add a few faster options to compliment him and Justin Durant.

Solid Cover Corner to Start Opposite Chris Houston

Chris Houston is a solid NFL CB, but he's a gambler. During the course of the season, he will make terrific plays and he will get burned badly when he incorrectly attempts to read a pattern. Because of his gambling philosophy, he would be better suited as a #2 corner. Drafting a corner who is more solid in his cover skills to eventually fill the role of top corner would dramatically help the Lions inconsistent pass defense. Starting CB Eric Wright did not have a great season, and he is also a free agent this off-season. Whether he leaves or returns, the position needs to be stronger.

Offensive Tackle

The O-line performed well this past season. The Lions passing game racked up significant yardage, and despite losing their top two RB's to injury, the team still managed to average a respectable 4.3 yards/carry. The interior line is clearly set with Raiola, Peterman, and Sims returning as starters; however, the tackle positions both remain a question mark. Jeff Backus (Pictured right) is 34 years old and currently an unrestricted free agent, and primary backup Corey Hilliard is a restricted free agent as well. Although immensely talented, Gosder Cherilus has failed to reach his expected potential since his selection in the 2008 draft. Even if Backus returns, the Lions could use a tackle to groom to replace him in a year or two. With the addition of a strong tackle and the return of Best and Leshoure from injury at RB, the Lions offense would improve dramatically.

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Detroit Red Wings set NHL Record for Consecutive Home wins

2012-02-16T04:59:00.003-05:00

(Contributer)
The NHL’s Detroit Red Wings are definitely king of the castle when it comes to their home rink of Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings set a brand new league record by winning for the 21st consecutive time at home on Feb. 14 with a 3-1 victory against the Dallas Stars.
The old mark was set by the Boston Bruins in the 1929/30 season and then equalled by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1975/76 when both clubs won 20 straight in their home rinks. The last time Detroit lost at home was back on November 3 when the Calgary Flames topped them 4-1.
Journeyman goaltender Joey MacDonald helped the team set the record after watching the first 17 games of the streak from his couch at home. MacDonald was playing for the Red Wings American Hockey League (AHL) farm team in Grand Rapids, Michigan when he was called up by the NHL team after regular goaltender Jimmy Howard broke a finger.
Howard had been in net for all 17 wins until MacDonald took over. MacDonald said he never dreamed he’d be a part of the record since the Red Wings backup goaltender is Ty Conklin. However, Red Wings brass felt Conklin was playing was inconsistently and gave the 31-year-old MacDonald a chance to shine. MacDonald made 20 saves against the Stars and lost his shutout bid with just 33 seconds remaining in the game. After the game Red Wings fans remained in the arena and chanted “Joey, Joey.”
Detroit coach Mike Babcock said the team never talked about the record before the game as the club was just concentrating on getting two points to stay on top of the NHL standings. However, he did say the organization is thrilled with the new record as everybody from ownership down worked hard to set it.
It may have set the mark for excellence in the NHL, but compared to the other three major North American sports 21 straight home wins is the lowest on the totem pole. The Pittsburgh Pirates MLB team won 24 in a row at home in 1978 and the Boston Red Sox matched it 10 years later. In the NFL, the Miami Dolphins hold the record with 27 consecutive home victories which they compiled between 1971 and 1974 and the NBA’s 1995/96 edition of the Chicago Bulls hold the record in basketball with 37.
The Red Wings have the opportunity to match or break these marks if they can keep their streak alive. Ironically, the club also holds the NHL record for most consecutive road wins with 12. During the 21-game home streak Detroit has outscored the opposition 84-31. Three of the games were won in penalty shootouts and one was won in overtime. The Bruins won two games in overtime when they set the previous record, while Philadelphia won all 20 of their contests in regulation time.

ESPN drops Ron Jaworski from Monday Night Football

2012-02-16T04:53:00.004-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.16.2012
ESPN is planning a two man crew next NFL season with only Mike Tirico and Jon Gruden handling the broadcasts. Ron Jaworski was unceremoniously dropped from the booth lineup. This is probably a good move as more of Jon Gruden is usually a good thing. Many football fans, including myself, consider Gruden the best of the best when it comes to NFL color commentators.

It will be interesting to see where Jaws end up. Jaworski is fundamentally sound behind the mic, but lacks the flamboyance necessary for MNF color.

Browns should jump up to number 2, take RG3

2012-02-16T04:43:00.000-05:00

(Contributer)
Cleveland Browns fans might be torn on Colt McCoy but Mike Mayock of the NFL Network isn’t. He believes the Browns should do everything they can do to land Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. “As much as I like Colt McCoy, I still think they have to look to upgrade that position and I think they have to do whatever it takes to get there,” said Mayock of grabbing Griffin. “If it’s me, yeah, I’m looking at that real hard. I want to go get RG3.” Mayock also said they should consider Green Bay’s Matt Flynn, but he would focus on moving up to No. 2 by giving the St. Louis Rams the No. 4 and No. 22 overall picks. “If you’re talking purely draft, I’m looking to move up to No. 2 as opposed to No. 3, because if I move to three what if the Redskins come up to two? Obviously I’d like to give less — I’d rather not give up No. 22 also — but I think that’s shortsighted when you’re talking about trying to secure your future at the most important position in all of sports.”

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Golf: Tiger Woods goes from inevitable to unpredictable

2012-02-15T14:00:00.006-05:00

(Contributer)

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Phil Mickelson has beaten Tiger Woods the last five times they have played together in the final round. But never like this. This was a pounding at Pebble Beach. Mickelson shot a 64 on a day when no one else could do better than 67. Woods had a 75 on a day when only four players — none of whom were in contention — shot worse.

One guy left with the trophy, the other guy left with a lot to think about. The relevance of Sunday is still to be determined. The real measure of Woods most likely won’t happen until the Masters, which is just two months away. There is no doubt Woods is more capable now than he has been since he was derailed from the fast track by chaos in his personal life and leg injuries. He has contended on Sunday in his last four tournaments, and that’s not an accident.
It’s the final rounds that are troubling. In the middle of his last swing change in 2004, Woods had the 36-hole lead in consecutive weeks at Quail Hollow and the Byron Nelson Championship, stumbled badly Saturday and then came up one shot short of a playoff Sunday.
The last two tournaments, however, he hasn’t even been close.

In his 2012 debut at the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, he was tied with Robert Rock of England going into the final round and couldn’t break par. Two weeks later at Pebble Beach, where he started the last day four shots behind Charlie Wi, he was one shot out of the lead while standing in the fairway on the par-5 sixth hole. Woods wound up nine shots out of the lead in a tie for 15th. The guy dressed in red suddenly has a case of the Sunday blues.

He attributed his play in Abu Dhabi to not giving himself enough good looks at birdie. He attributed his downfall at Pebble Beach to not being able to make anything. Woods missed five putts in the 5-foot range. Such performances used to be an exception, not a trend.
In those five tournaments where Mickelson has beaten Woods while paired with him in the final round, Lefty has won three times. So maybe there’s some truth to the notion Woods brings out the best in Mickelson, or Mickelson brings out the worst in Woods. Rivalries are made out of moments like this.

In Woods’ benchmark season of 2000, Mickelson stopped his six-tournament winning streak at Torrey Pines and denied Woods a 10-win season on the PGA Tour by rallying to beat him at the Tour Championship. The last time they played together on a Sunday when both had a chance to win was in Shanghai in 2009 for the HSBC Champions. Mickelson had a two-shot lead over Woods going into the final round, and Woods had to birdie the ninth hole to avoid shooting 40 on the front nine. He was never a factor. And that’s when Woods was at the top of his game.

As much as Mickelson enjoyed this latest snapshot, he was quick to observe the big picture.
“Although I feel like he brings out the best in me, it’s only been the past five years,” Mickelson said. “Before, I got spanked pretty good. Let’s not forget the big picture here. I’ve been beat up.”
Mickelson won for the 40th time in his career, only the ninth player to do that in PGA Tour history. Woods has 71 wins. Mickelson is a four-time major champion. Woods has been stuck on 14 since 2008.
But an 11-shot difference between them on a Sunday? That’s an attention-grabber, especially considering Woods’ performance indicated he was getting close, and Mickelson’s recent record caused him to start doubting himself.
Woods drives so much interest in golf that no one is a great victim of a rush to judgment. Remember, it was in 2001 when a golf magazine printed the headline, “What’s Wrong With Tiger?” on its cover after he failed to win the first five tournaments he played. Woods won the next three, including the Masters, which made him the only player to hold all four professional majors at the same time.
Even so, there is something that gives one pause about Pebble Beach.
Woods sounded indignant when someone brought up the fact his last PGA Tour victory was in September 2009, and his last win against a full field was two months after that in the Australian Masters, right before the Thanksgiving night fiasco that shattered his image and moved golf from sports pages to gossip magazines.
“People think it’s a couple of years, but I just won a couple months ago,” he said of the Chevron World Challenge, where he birdied his last two holes for a one-shot win over Zach Johnson against an 18-man field. “I look at that as a win. And I’m just kind of off to my first start of the year here in the States, and I made some good improvement this week.”
Then again, that win at Sherwood was inches away from being different. Woods had control of the final round early, let it get away, and could only watch as Johnson had an 18-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole that looked all the way until it wasn’t. That would have given him a two-shot lead. Instead, Woods knocked in his 15-footer to tie, then won with a 6-foot putt on the end.
If Johnson’s putt goes in, the hole undoubtedly shrinks for Woods’ birdie attempt.
That’s how it looked for him Sunday at Pebble Beach during the opening seven-hole stretch, fertile ground for comebacks. His 5-foot birdie on the second hole missed the cup by 2 inches, which, on the PGA Tour level, is close to a mile. He was grinding to match Mickelson’s birdie on the fifth, and he three-putted from 18 feet on the seventh, missing his par putt from inside 3 feet.
Woods near the lead on Sunday used to bring a sense of inevitability.

Now he is about unpredictability. He has said he is at peace with himself, and he looks calm and confident while working his way into contention. Sunday is hard work. There is a feeling watching him that Woods is trying too hard, that every putt means too much. Perhaps that will change.
It used to be that each win gave him even more confidence. Now, one has to wonder if each Sunday brings more doubt.

Golf: Tiger Woods goes from inevitable to unpredictable is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Pistons bow to Spurs @ Palace 99-95

2012-02-15T05:10:00.007-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
Seven years ago the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs were playing one another in the NBA Finals. Since those 2005 finals, these teams have gone in different directions. The Spurs have the second best record in the West this season, while the Pistons have only the Wizards and Bobcats looking up at them in the East.
Although the final score was closer than I thought it would be, the Pistons trailed the entire game and entered the fourth quarter down by twelve, before cutting the deficit to only a four point loss. Greg Monroe must have been in awe of "Timmy" (Spurs hall of fame center to be, Tim Duncan), because he forgot to bring his game. Monroe is our, "LawnMowingKing.com Scrub Of The Game", scoring 4 points in 21 minutes on 2-11 from the field. How do you go 2-11 when you are 6'11? Must be taking pointers from The Austin Daye Project.

Pistons at Boston Celtics tonight.

Box Score Standings

The Lin-Sanity Continues

2012-02-15T04:45:00.001-05:00

(Contributer)
A week ago I put together a ranking of my top five point guards and top five up-and-comers. At that time one of the fastest rising up-and-comers in the NBA wasn’t even sure if he would be kept on the roster, so understandably I left him off my list. Now, Jeremy Lin the Harvard graduate and current New York Knicks point guard is the biggest sports phenomenon not named Tim Tebow.
Even though we still don’t know much about Lin it is hard not to like and root for him. It is rare to see an Asian-American make it in the NBA, and even more unlikely to find a player coming out of Harvard.
Over his last five games, the five games he has started, he is averaging 26.8 points while shooting 52% from the field. Lin is also averaging 8 assists and 4.2 rebounds a game and looks good doing it. He has been efficient since coming in as the starter which has allowed him to demand the respect of his teammates and the media circus now surrounding him.
Before Lin came in, the Knicks were a team on the brink. Their two stars, Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire, were injured and struggling when healthy. They found themselves at 8-15 and pondering moving one of them before the trade deadline.
Anthony and Stoudemire haven’t looked good together this year because they both play similar styles and look for their own shots. Lin has led them on a five game win streak which includes wins over the Lakers and the Timberwolves. I don’t think Lin will fix New York’s problems long-term because when Anthony and Stoudmire come back they will still have the same problems they did before. Lin may or may not stay with the Knicks beyond this year, but either Anthony or Stoudemire should be moved because it has become evident they can’t coincide with one another.
Lin looks like he will be a good player in this league for a while. How long he will last is a question no one has an answer for, but he has the overall skills and intangibles to be a solid point guard in the NBA. A lot of people are comparing him to Steve Nash, but I think he is more reminiscent of Jason Kidd.
Lin is a pass first point guard, who can also hit the three. His point totals have been high during this five game win streak, but once he gets some more established scorers around him his point totals will go down.
There have been a lot of flash players in sports that leave the big stage just as soon as they entered it, but Lin has the intelligence and the game to be more than that.

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truthatarian teasers

2012-02-14T12:47:00.012-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.14.2012
** We all like to compare stars of today to stars of yesteryear, or are reminded of the latter by the former. Prince Fielder subtly reminds me of Reggie Jackson, and let me tell you, that’s a huge compliment. ** Have I mentioned Tayshaun should be traded? ** How much patience does Tom Gores have, how much is he going to need? ** I still love DeMarcus Cousins. ** War to Tony Stewart repeating as Nascar Sprint Cup Champion and Danica Patrick joining Stewart-Haas Racing. ** War to Phil Mickelson’s play at Pebble Beach. ** How good a coach is Tom Izzo? Seems these guys put on the green and white and become a greater team than the sum of its parts. ** Who will advance farther in the tournament, MSU or U of M, and will either make the Final Four? I keep warning the Celtics to blow it up or risk being at the bottom of the association in no more than 24 months. ** How do the Spurs keep it going year after year even after David Robinson and now Tim Duncan are older? If the Pistons can avoid being blown out by them tonight at home, it would constitute a moral victory.

MLB: The Top Remaining Free Agents

2012-02-14T10:20:00.002-05:00

(Contributer)
(PhatzRadio / SI) — On Thursday, the Nationals agreed to a one-year deal with starting pitcher Edwin Jackson that is reportedly worth between $8 million and $12 million. It also means that each of baseball’s top 20 domestic free agents, as ranked by SI.com at the off-season’s beginning, now has an employer. Still, of the top 50 available players, eight remain available, with every club’s pitchers and catchers due to report to spring training in fewer than three weeks.
As you scan the list of those who remain on the market, one theme will emerge, and it helps to explain why players of their caliber remain jobless: In a game that values youth more than ever before, they are old. None of the eight is younger than thirty, and they have an average age of 35.
Even so, while none of them can likely carry a team any longer, each still has the potential to be a valuable role player — and even a key contributor on a championship-caliber club, as the Cardinals found out after they signed 35-year-old Lance Berkman before last season, and the Rangers discovered after signing then 35-year-old Vladimir Guerrero two off-seasons ago.
Here, then, is the list of those eight players, with the destination that might make the most sense for them, as well as two additional player who did not make SI.com’s original list but are both available and intriguing.
Note: Original Reiter 50 rank in parentheses where applicable.
1
Roy Oswalt (22)
Age: 34
Position: SP
2011 Stats: 9-10, 3.69 ERA, 1.338 WHIP, 6.0 K/9
2011 TEAM: PHILLIES
OLD BEST FIT: RANGERS
NEW BEST FIT: RANGERS
After making $16 million in 2011 to be one of the Phillies’ “four aces” — and then only throwing 139 innings due to injury — Oswalt is reportedly holding out for a one-year, $10 million dollar deal. He might get it, as he is easily the most talented free agent remaining. While the Red Sox have a chance, his favored suitors appear to be last year’s World Series participants, the Cardinals — where he’d rejoin Berkman, his old Astros teammate — and the Rangers. Even though it seems to have a fully stocked rotation (Colby Lewis, Derek Holland, Yu Darvish, Matt Harrison and Neftali Feliz), Texas might make the most sense, as Oswalt would provide excellent depth should Feliz struggle in his transition from the bullpen, or Darvish in his from Japan.
2
Johnny Damon (25)
Age: 37
Position: OF/DH
2011 Stats: .261/.326/.418, 16 HRs, 73 RBIs, 19 SBs
2011 TEAM: RAYS
OLD BEST FIT: DIAMONDBACKS
NEW BEST FIT: METS
Damon had to wait before finding one-year deals the past two off-seasons — in 2010 he didn’t become a Tiger until Feb. 22 — and this year will be no different. It’s partially a result of the fact that Damon’s significant defensive shortcomings have come to severely limit the number of clubs with a spot for him. But the Mets should have one, for a number reasons. One, he can still provide offense, as his numbers from last year demonstrate, to a club that will likely be starved for the stuff. And two, his consistently sunny demeanor and range of experience would be valuable in a young clubhouse in which things might, this season, be consistently bleak.
3
Derrek Lee (26)
Age: 36
Position: 1B
2011 Stats: .267/.325/.446, 19 HRs, 59 RBIs, 2 SBs
2011 TEAM: PIRATES
OLD BEST FIT: TWINS
NEW BEST FIT: CUBS
Lee has a leg up on some of the other aging hitters on this list in that he is not yet a liability in the field. In fact, his Ultimate Zone Rating of 16 ranked him 11th among all first basemen last season, according to the website fangraphs.com. The Twins signed Ryan Doumit and Josh Willingham and no longer seem a fit for him, but the Cubs, for whom Lee starred from 2004-10 and who currently have 29-year-old career minor leaguer Bryan LaHair penciled in at first base, do. Lee could ably hold down the position until 22-year-old top prospect Anthony Rizzo, recently acquired from the Padres, is ready.
4
Javier Vazquez (27)
Age: 35
Position: SP
2011 Stats: 13-11, 3.69 ERA, 1.183 WHIP, 7.6 K/9
2011 TEAM: MARLINS
OLD BEST FIT: REDS
NEW BEST FIT: REDS
Vazquez seems likely to retire, and the Marlins have no room in their rotation after signing Mark Buehrle away from the White Sox and trading for the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano. Still, Vazquez was in many ways the Marlins’ best pitcher last year, particularly in the second half, and he might be lured back to the majors with a deal that looks something like last season’s one-year, $7 million contract — preferably dangled by a team that plays in the N.L. (where he has a career ERA of 3.99) and not the A.L. (4.65). The Reds, for instance, seem like a playoff contender but could use some shoring up at the bottom of their rotation, as No. 5 starter Bronson Arroyo allowed a league-high 112 earned runs last season.
5
Vladimir Guerrero (32)
Age: 37
Position: RP
2011 Stats: .290/.317/.416, 13 HRs, 63 RBIs, 2 SB
2011 TEAM: ORIOLES
OLD BEST FIT: ATHLETICS
NEW BEST FIT: ATHLETICS
Little has changed concerning Guerrero’s situation since the start of the winter. He still hopes to find a team who will allow him to demonstrate that he has one more season in him like he had in 2010, in which he hit 29 homers drove in 115 runs for the Rangers. The A’s, who are now rebuilding even more than usual, have only one player who has hit as many as 21 home runs in a season (Jonny Gomes), and GM Billy Beane has in the past shown a willingness to add aging sluggers, like Frank Thomas and Hideki Matsui, on short term deals, with fairly good results.
6
Raul Ibanez (35)
Age: 40
Position: OF
2011 Stats: .245/.289/.419, 20 HRs, 84 RBIs, 2 SBs
2011 TEAM: PHILLIES
OLD BEST FIT: RAYS
NEW BEST FIT: YANKEES
The Rays gave themselves a reasonably cheap power boost by signing first baseman Carlos Pena and designated hitter Luke Scott to one-year deals worth a combined $13.25 million. They no longer have a need for Ibanez. The Yankees, after trading C/DH Jesus Montero to the Mariners for starting pitcher Michael Pineda, could use him. Even at his advanced age, Ibanez hit 16 homers and drove in 60 runs against righthanded pitchers last season, and he could combine with Andruw Jones (who had an OPS of .923 against southpaws) to form an effective DH platoon.
7
Rich Harden (36)
Age: 30
Position: SP
2011 Stats: 4-4, 5.12 ERA, 1.427 WHIP, 9.9 K/9
2011 TEAM: ATHLETICS
OLD BEST FIT: PIRATES
NEW BEST FIT: RED SOX
The Pirates filled their quota for veteran, injury-prone strikeout artists by signing Erik Bedard, so Harden is now likely to end up somewhere else. An intriguing option is the Red Sox, who have in Ben Cherington’s first off-season as GM doled out just $10.35 million to five free agents. Though they appear likely to head to arbitration with David Ortiz, they should still have some money to spend, and some pitching holes to fill. They could try Harden in the rotation, in the hope that he will maintain his stellar strikeout rate while significantly cutting down on his home runs allowed (17 in just 82 2/3 innings last season), but he might be even more effective (and might stay consistently healthier) in a bullpen role. Harden is younger than anyone else on this list, and there remains a chance that his best days might not yet be behind him.
8
Jon Garland (49)
Age: 32
Position: SP
2011 Stats: 1-5, 4.33 ERA, 1.389 WHIP, 4.7 K/9
2011 TEAM: DODGERS
OLD BEST FIT: PADRES
NEW BEST FIT: BLUE JAYS
Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has rebuilt his bullpen by acquiring closer Sergio Santos and setup men Francisco Cordero and Darren Oliver. But he has so far not added a single starting pitcher to a rotation that ranked 25th in the majors last year with a combined ERA of 4.55. While Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow and Henderson Alvarez should give the rotation a solid base, Anthopoulos could spend a little to bring in the formerly steady Garland — who didn’t pitch after June due to a shoulder injury — to compete with Brett Cecil, Kyle Drabek and Dustin McGowan, among others, for one of the other two spots.
9
Manny Ramirez (not ranked)
Age: 39
Position: OF/DH
2011 Stats: .059/.059/.118, 0 HRs, 1 RBIs 0 SBs
2011 TEAM: RAYS
BEST FIT: ORIOLES
The Rays made a memorably heroic run to the playoffs last fall, but one has to wonder if they might have done even better had Ramirez not abruptly retired a week into a season in which he was to earn $2 million, after testing positive for a banned performance enhancing drug. Ramirez, though, had an OPS of .870 in 90 games with the Dodgers and the White Sox in 2010, and now hopes to return to show he has something left. Any team that signs him would have to be willing to do without him for the season’s first 50 games, as he serves his PED suspension, but that will only lower his price tag. While the Rays won’t take a second chance on him, Ramirez represents a worthy gamble for a team like the Orioles, who currently plan to start Endy Chavez in leftfield and Wilson Betemit at DH, and who don’t seem to have much to lose.
10
Mike Gonzalez (not ranked)
Age: 31
Position: RP
2011 Stats: 2-2, 4.39 ERA, 1.350 WHIP, 8.6 K/9, 1 SV
2011 TEAM: RANGERS
BEST FIT: YANKEES
Quality middle relievers, particularly of the lefthanded variety, were scarce this off-season, which helps to explain how Darren Oliver got $4.5 million to pitch for the Blue Jays at age 41, and why the Giants committed a combined $13.5 million to lock up their own potential free agent southpaws, Jeremy Affeldt and Javier Lopez. Gonzalez struggled a bit after the Orioles traded him to the Rangers — he allowed four earned runs in seven regular season innings for them, and served up one of the three homers Albert Pujols crushed off Texas relievers in Game 3 of the World Series. Overwhelming that, though, will be the fact that Gonzalez is relatively young, has struck out more than 10 batters per nine innings in his career, and held lefthanded batters to a .574 OPS last season. The Yankees have long coveted a second lefty to pair with Boone Logan — injuries have destroyed Damaso Marte and Pedro Feliciano’s recent tenures in the Bronx — and have so far spent just $16 million on three free agents. Gonzalez could make it four, and without being very costly.
Other Notable Remaining Free Agents
OF Rick Ankiel; OF Yoenis Cespedes; 3B/DH Eric Chavez; OF J.D. Drew; OF Kosuke Fukudome; IF/OF Bill Hall; RP Jason Isringhausen; 1B/OF Conor Jackson; RP Hong-Chih Kuo; RP Scott Linebrink; DH Hideki Matsui; 2B/3B Aaron Miles; 1B/OF Xavier Nady; SP Ross Ohlendorf; OF Magglio Ordonez; RP Arthur Rhodes; C Ivan Rodriguez; 3B Mark Teahen; SS/3B Miguel Tejada; C Jason Varitek; SP Chris Young
MLB: The Top Remaining Free Agents is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Is it time for Joe to go? (Dumars-Pistons)

2012-02-14T03:24:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 1.21.2012

Joe Dumars is, and always will be, Piston’s royalty; having played with two, and built another, Piston’s world championship team. It’s difficult to overstate the affection and admiration Piston’s fans have for Joe, and I personally feel a great deal of both.

I’m reminded of another Piston’s legend to whom I bestow much love and admiration, Isiah Thomas. Yet, despite my man love for Zeke, it’s painfully obvious that his great skill as a player did not translate into great skill as an NBA executive. Now, after many years of giving Joe Dumars my unwavering support as the man to run the Pistons, I’ve come to question whether it’s time for Joe to go.

Unlike Isiah, Joe D has enjoyed success in the front office. Joe constructed a championship team that endured long enough to reach 6 conference finals, two NBA finals, and one world championship. In constructing that team, Joe made a couple of good trades, had a quality free agent signing, and fell into a good trade. The first of his two good trades was bringing in Rip Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse. This was plain and simply one of the NBA’s great heists, and a tremendous trade! The second excellent trade was acquiring Rasheed Wallace for essentially two first rounders that turned out to be Josh Smith and Tony Allen. Sheed was at the end of his contract and wanted to go to a contender, and the Blazers wanted to get something for him rather than having him walk away for nothing. Although circumstances were right for this deal, Joe should still receive a great deal of credit.

The quality free agent signing was that of Chauncey Billups. Joe needed a point guard, and Chauncey, was a free agent. This was something of a no-brainer, but an excellent signing nonetheless.
The trade Joe fell into was the Ben Wallace acquisition. If Joe had his way back in 2000, he’d have resigned Grant Hill. However, Grant wanted out, and the sign and trade deal that sent him to Orlando, brought Big Ben and, eventually, a world championship to Detroit. In hindsight, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Joe was blessed with more than a little good fortune where the Grant Hill situation was concerned, and, subsequently, in building what would become the 2004 championship team.

Let’s flash forward to the bottom of the league standings, 2011/ 2012, edition of the Pistons, and analyze how we got here. When considering the couple of good trades mentioned previously, there is a conspicuous absence of quality trades in the 8 years since. Hurry, name me some of the blockbusters. I can’t think of very many. I suppose I could sight the Darko trade to Orlando for a first round pick that turned out to be Rodney Stuckey, but any mention of Darko brings to mind Joe’s drafting inefficiencies. Joe’s drafting blunders are legion; from Rodney White to Mateen Cleaves, to drafting Austin Daye instead of point guards Ty Lawson or Jrue Hoilday, when all Joe had running the show was Rodney Stuckey playing out of position. Even selecting Greg Monroe might not have happened if Joe had his druthers. If published reports are correct, Joe drafted Monroe by default, because Joe’s preferred big men, Cousins and Favors, were already selected and the Pistons were not able to move up.

Where free agency is concerned, the Chauncey free agent signing has been followed with very few, if any, of comparable quality, save for Antonio McDyess. The more recent signings of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva have left fans scratching their heads, and bloggers like me struggling to spell Charlie’s last name.

All this brings me to the harsh realization that the 2004 team was, perhaps, an aberration, rather than a reflection, of Joe’s skills as team president. It’s been a long, long time since Joe did anything to earn the benefit of the doubt, and his substantial goodwill from 2004 is beginning to expire.
We still love you Joe, and always will, but team comes first, and we want the Pistons to win, and sooner rather than later! This is a “what have you done for me lately”, business. With that in mind, I have to question, whether it may be time for Joe to go.

Detoit Pistons Joe Dumars

Pebble Beach: Tiger falters, Lefty prevails

2012-02-13T12:45:00.003-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.13.2012

Played along side the Pacific Ocean on the Monterey Peninsula, Pebble Beach certainly is a beautiful place to enjoy epic, golf drama. With Clint Eastwood watching on, Phil Mickelson posted a blistering 64 on Sunday, to erase the 6 stroke defect he found himself in heading into the final round. Mickelson's final tally was -17 in winning this event a fourth time and posting the 40th victory of his illustrious career.

Charlie Wi the leader after 3 rounds shot a final round 72 to finish two strokes behind Mickelson at -15. Tiger Woods, who entered Sunday 4 shots off the lead, found many a bunker and lost his putting composure, missing several short puts to finish -8 for the tournament, good for a 15th place finish and 9 strokes off winner Mickelson.

Mickelson, was all smiles, as was his wife Amy, which tends to happen when you start making a habit of sinking 30 foot puts when they really matter. If Pebble Beach is any indication, we are in for a exhilarating year of Golf in 2012!

Very nice picture of Beyonce

2012-02-13T12:44:00.004-05:00

Click here for Beyonce picture

Tayshaun Prince to the Clippers?

2012-02-13T06:45:00.004-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.13.2012
I'm no capologist, but if the numbers can be worked out, a trade sending Tayshaun Prince to the Clippers seems a win/win for both sides of a potential deal. The Clippers lack depth and Los Angeles native Prince would add versatility and playoff experience to the playoff bound Clippers. The Pistons are fighting for lottery balls and building for the future, and moving Prince could help in both regards if, perhaps, a late first round pick could be involved in the deal?

I've little doubt Tay would be on board with the trade and happy to be back on a contending team, something that formerly was the norm for him. Joe needs to makes this move now before 31 year old Prince (turns 32 later this month) get any older and loses trade value. Joe Dumars needs to bring in some kind of youth in exchange for Prince, and if not the Clippers, he needs to find another trade partner prior to the NBA trade deadline of March 15th.

Pistons embarrassed at home by Wizards

2012-02-13T06:01:00.007-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
Embarrassing, humiliating, and pathetic are but a few words that come to mind when describing last night's performance by the Detroit Pistons. How do you lose at home to the Washington Wizards by 21 points? This is a Wizard's team that is second to only Charlotte for worst record in the East, and that has already cost former coach Flip Saunders his job.

With fewer and fewer fans bothering to show up at the Palace, last night's effort is not going to do anything to make Tom Gores feel better about his multi-hundred million dollar investment. Having won four consecutive (albeit over bad teams such as the Nets), the Piston's had a chance to extend the streak to five and send their fans home happy, but it was not to be. Instead, fans like me, are, and should be,.... let's just call us, "disgruntled".

I've lots of options in choosing my "LawnMowingKing.com scrub of the game". Rodney Stuckey shot 2-9 as did Ben Gordon. (I never, and I mean never, saw Dumars and Thomas lay bricks like that.) 2 for 9 seemed to be a magic number because the "Austin Daye Project" also tallied 2-9 from the field. Walker Russell Jr. was 1-7. Brandon Knight, however, edged all the aforementioned by posting 1-9 from the field, and that performance earns him scrub of the game honors.

The Piston's next games are Tuesday hosting the Spurs and the following night at the Celtics - mark both down as losses. Friday night Demarcus Cousins and the Sac-town Kings roll in. I'm very excited to see DMC play and the Pistons will be hard pressed to pull out a victory in that one as well. I'll be seeing lottery balls in my sleep.

Box Score Standings

Mikel Leshoure - Detroit Lions

2012-02-12T10:14:00.014-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.12.2012

Click Here For Video

This video is ten minutes long but well worth it to really get a feel for Mikel. He's awfully elusive for a back of his size and power. Note the juke moves, ala Barry. Not saying he jukes like Barry, but he does juke well for a very big back, much bigger than Barry. He runs between the tackles. He also breaks it to the outside and makes the corner, and he leaps over players when he smells pay dirt. He's also very sure handed as a receiver, just ask the Wolverines. Look for the Lions to lead the league in offense even if they don't have a healthy Jahvid Best. If Best does contribute, that's gravy.

The Lions also need to re-sign unrestricted free agent Kevin Smith who has proven himself a valuable commodity. Kevin does not want to leave, and I have every confidence Lion's brass will get a deal done.

Miggy drops 25 pounds

2012-02-12T09:51:00.007-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.11.2012

Miguel Cabrera is listed at 240 lbs, but it's a pretty safe guess he's been playing a tad above that number the last few seasons. Word from Detroit Tiger's catcher Alex Avila, who works out with Miggy, is that the big guy has dropped 20-25 lbs or so.
Miguel gave his blessing to the move to third base before the Prince Fielder signing ever took place, and has been very excited about the added punch a lineup that includes him at third (rather than Brandon Inge or Don Kelly) and Fielder at first, possess. Cabrera is all about winning and the Tiger's are poised to do a lot of that in 2012.
War to the Tiger's winning their first world series in 28 years. War to the Tigers' lineup putting the fear of God in opposition pitching staffs. This should be the most entertaining Tiger's team since 1984, and that season turned out pretty good!

Whitney Houston - I Look To You

2012-02-12T06:08:00.004-05:00

Click Here For Video

New sheriffs in Los Angeles, the Clippers!

2012-02-11T14:46:00.003-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.11.2012

When the NBA regular season ends and it’s playoff time, things will come down to: Bulls v Heat in the East, and Clippers v Lakers in the West. I know OKC Thunder fans are screaming, but I’m just sayin‘….
I’m especially excited about the Clippers V Lakers, and see this match-up evolving into the association’s most prolific and exciting rivalry. Sure, right now the Lakers are saying this is no rivalry, at least not yet. They point to the banners hanging in the rafters and Pau Gasol taps, little brother, Chris Paul’s head after the Lakers beat the Clippers recently at the Staples Center, as if to say, “keep trying little guy, keep trying.”

Whether the Lakers want to admit it, or are ready for it, this is already a rivalry, and already the association’s best rivalry. Breaking down the teams, I see Kobe and CP3 canceling one another out. I also see Andrew Bynum and Paul Gasol canceling out Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan and vice versa. It really would be a matter of opinion as to who’s big three is better than the others. One thing is certain though, the Clippers’ big three is considerably younger, and constantly gaining ground as a result. Therefore, it stands to reason that the monkey is really on the Lakers’ back to maintain dominance, or go after someone like Dwight Howard to help thwart this balance of power shift to the younger Clippers.

Looking at the two supporting casts beyond each teams respective big threes, I have to give the Clip-Joint the edge. Mo Williams, Randy Foye, and Caron Butler should get the better of Metta World Peace (used to Ron Artest but he went soft), Matt Barnes, and past his prime, Derek Fisher.

This is going to be epic. You have two fascinating teams in the same city. The Lakers are the perennial prima donnas that have always reveled in the Clipper’s misery. The Clippers are the young upstarts that want to totally upset the professional basketball apple cart on the West Coast.

After a million year’s of Laker’s dominance, we are entering a new age, and there finally appears to be a new sheriff in Los Angeles!

Piston's winning streak at 4 with another win over Nets

2012-02-11T13:09:00.002-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
The Piston's roll continued last night at the Palace, as Detroit defeated the Nets 109-92. Seemed everyone but Austin Daye (1-7 from the field) contributed. Jason Maxiell had 4 blocked shots. Rodney Stuckey (7-10), Ben Gordon (6-10), and Brandon Knight (4-7) all shot better than 50%. Jonas Jerebko scored 20 on 7-13. Our LouisPizza.net star of the game was Greg Monroe, who enjoyed a double/double scoring 18 and grabbing 11 boards.
Lawrence Frank's team will go for five in a row, at home, 6pm Sunday, versus Wizards.

Box Score Standings

Alice Cooper - Clones

2012-02-11T13:08:00.005-05:00

Click Here For Video

Peyton Manning Logos

2012-02-11T07:11:00.003-05:00

(Contributer)
No one is sure which team Peyton Manning will end up playing for next season, so an artist named Dave put Manning's face into every NFL teams logo. Here's a few of them: For all the logo's click here
Also checkoutManningFaces.com Be sure to check out other great articles at Sports-Glory.

Is anyone geeked about the Pistons?

2012-02-10T14:06:00.006-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.10.2012
The Pistons have a chance to extend their winning streak to four games tonight when they host the hapless New Jersey Nets. Is anyone other than me, geeked? Don't forget, before this abbreviated season began, I called our Motor City Ballas a playoff team. The Milwaukee Bucs currently hold the final playoff spot, and believe me, any team with Carlos Delfino can be had. (usually when Joe let's you go, you are at the end of your career or, urrrr -you're not that good)
The Pistons simply have to keep winning. War to the Pistons making the playoffs. War to Jonas Jerebko taking his game to a higher level. War to Brandon Knight getting used to that mask. I am out!

Hawks looking to beef up frontcourt

2012-02-10T13:29:00.001-05:00

(Contributer)
The Hawks have felt the sting of the injury bug, especially in the frontcourt with both Al Horford and Jason Collins being injured. Despite that, Atlanta has managed to stay afloat and then some, but it’s only a matter of time before their lack of frontcourt depth becomes a problem.
Hawks management seems to agree and Atlanta is looking to bring in another big man very soon.
“We have a list of guys and we are tossing names around,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said. “We’ll probably make a decision on some guys within the next few days. Ideally, if there is a guy who can play both five and four that would be my number one choice. But if it’s just strictly a five I would embrace that as well.”
Drew added that he also has a preference for someone with a big body that can score.
NBA commissioner David Stern happened to be on hand before Wednesday night’s to give his thoughts on the Hawks ownership and he seems to think Atlanta is in good hands.
“They’ve committed to pay the luxury tax, which not many teams in our league do these days,” Stern said. “They are committed to hire personnel to demonstrate to the fans that this is a franchise worth supporting. I think they are committed to Atlanta and I’m committed to them.
With the talk of Atlanta planning to add a center who is a force on defense, coupled with Stern’s comments on the Hawks ownership’s willingness to go over the salary cap, some experts are speculating a trade could be in the cards for the Hawks. To add fuel to the fire, Orlando Magic owner Richard Devos chose last night to express that he wants Dwight Howard to stay in Orlando. Unfortunately, with Howard still seemingly frustrated and the trade deadline fast approaching, Devos might have no choice but to move the superstar center. Perhaps Howard could be making a return to his hometown.
All wild speculation aside, the Hawks seem dedicated to bolster their aching frontcourt. Atlanta fans can expect a transaction sooner than later.

Rihanna Ft. Drake, Take Care

2012-02-10T13:19:00.003-05:00

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11 Greatest Quarterbacks of All Time

2012-02-10T05:36:00.001-05:00

(Contributer)
In the wake of Super Bowl XLVI, everyone seems to be focused on how the game has affected the legacies of the two quarterbacks. This prompted me to consider my list of the greatest to ever play, and also the guys who don't yet have the resume to be on here, but who I think one day just might.

Players Who Might One Day Be On This List

Aaron Rodgers - Rodgers is 28 and already has a Super Bowl and an MVP award under his belt (or should I say his Discount Double-Check). The Packers are not only one of the best teams in the league, but they are also one of the youngest, and should be contenders for years to come.

Drew Brees - If the 33 year old Brees can play at the level he did this year for the next three years, it's not at all out of the question for him to crack the Top 11. Another Super Bowl would do his legacy wonders, and I'm sure Brees is still torn up over the loss in San Fransisco, because the title was wide open for the taking this year. I still don't think anyone would've beaten the Saints on turf.

Ben Roethelisberger - He doesn't have the best statistics, but he's only 29 and has two Super Bowl titles. Many people will point out that he's had the luxury of a top 5 defense for most of his career, but his game winning drive in Super Bowl XLIII was as clutch a drive as there's been in NFL history. Another Super Bowl victory and he has to at least be in this conversation.

Eli Manning - Little brother took a big step forward yesterday by putting himself in the slim category of multiple championship winners. He was lucky at times in his first Super Bowl victory, but yesterday he out-dueled one of the best to ever play. At 29 years old, there's no reason to think he can't one day be considered an all time great.

Cam Newton - He broke all of Peyton Manning's rookie records (spoiler alert - Peyton Manning will be on this list), and there's just no reason to think he'll slow down moving forward. What really gives me confidence to mention him as a potential all-time great is his character and his attitude. I think that the scandal that casted a shadow over his championship season at Auburn left people with the impression that Cam was a raw talent with character issues who would probably have an up and down rookie season. Instead he blew us away with his jaw dropping playmaking, his surprising accuracy, and his great leadership. Cam is on a mission to be great and when you combine that approach with arguably the best skill set we've ever seen from the quarterback position, the sky is the limit.

Andrew Luck - I'm sure I'll get a lot of criticism for this one, but I am in the front row of the Andrew Luck bandwagon and I'm not moving an inch. There literally isn't anything that Luck doesn't do extremely well. He's got the size, the arm, the accuracy, the mind, the intangibles, and he can run like Tim Tebow. Putting him in here is obviously a bold prediction as he hasn't played an NFL down, but if there's any real argument I can give, it's that the last two QBs who were touted this highly (Manning and John Elway) are both on this list.

And now for the list itself, here are the eleven greatest quarterbacks to ever strap on a helmet.

11. Roger Staubach - Tom Landry described Staubach as "possibly the best combination of a passer, an athlete, and a leader to ever play in the NFL." That's high praise from the legendary coach, but it was well warranted as Roger led the Cowboys to two Super Bowls while making six Pro Bowl appearances.

10. Sid Luckman - Fifty-one years before I was born (1940), Sid Luckman led the Chicago Bears to their first NFL title. He would win five in his career, along with making five all-pro teams, and along with setting the record for most touchdown passes in a game with seven. With a resume like that, it will be hard for one of today's QBs to knock Sid the Kid off this list.

9. Dan Marino - It's unfortunate that Marino will forever be remembered as "the greatest to never win a championship," because he was truly one of the most gifted passers of all time. Considering we've been living in this pass happy era for over a decade, it's pretty amazing that Marino's single season passing record was just finally broken this year considering that it was set back in 1984. He never won the big won, but was selected to nine pro bowl teams and won the MVP award in his 84' season.

8. Otto Graham - Otto Graham was Tom Brady before we had Tom Brady. He was just a winner and a clutch performer. He played 10 seasons, and took the Browns to 10 championship games, winning seven, making him the closest thing the NFL has had to Bill Russell

7. Brett Favre - Favre's legacy took a hit with his refusal to retire and the scandal last season, but he was still one of the most dominant players in NFL history. He only won one Super Bowl championship, but he is one of only four players to win the MVP award three times, is the holder of the career passing record, and provided countless clutch performances throughout his career. He's not the most popular guy right now, but is still one of the best of all time.

6. John Elway - This might seem little bit low for one of the most talented athletes of all time, but Elway was just barely edged out by the guy in front of him. To me, the first four are obvious, and then you have to split hairs between the next four. Elway saved his legacy by winning two Super Bowl titles to end his career, and appeared in five overall. He also won the MVP in 1987. He's also led more 4th quarter/OT comeback victories than anyone else in NFL history.

5. Sammy Baugh - No matter how impressive the passing in the NFL becomes, no one will ever be able to question that Baugh deserves a spot on any of these lists, because the NFL might not be what it is today without "Slingin Sammy." When Baugh entered the league in 1937, the forward pass was used only in desperate situations when teams needed to score quickly. Baugh was the first player to start beating teams with his arm, and the league was never the same. He was also the best punter in the league while he played, and one of the best cornerbacks. In one game he threw for four touchdowns and intercepted four passes. He's a legend and nothing short of one of the very best to ever play football.

4. Peyton Manning - Does anyone really think there's a chance that Peyton retires? He'll be 36 by next season, but football and more specifically his legacy mean everything in the world to this guy. I'm as big of an Andrew Luck fan as you'll find, but I really hope Peyton stomps on the Colts in another uniform next year just to shove his greatness in Irsay's face. I'd personally like to see Peyton go to the 49ers, but apparently they're not interested, and of the teams that reportedly are I think the Jets make the most sense. Manning may only have three years left at the most, but he still has time to make a case for himself as the best of all time. He's considered by many to be the most skilled passer of all time, but he just doesn't have multiple championships. I'd love to see him end his career the way that Elway did.

3. Johnny Unitas - Sammy Baugh changed the forward pass, and then Johnny U took it to the next level, shredding teams like no one had ever seen before. He threw a touchdown pass in 47 consecutive games, a record which still hasn't been broken, was a 3 time MVP, and a 3 time NFL champion. Like Baugh, Unitas has to be a staple on these lists throughout history. But another title or MVP year from Manning, and he'd drop back to number four for me.

2. Tom Brady - If it weren't for a David Tyree helmet catch/Asante Samuel dropped interception and a Wes Welker dropped pass, Tom Brady would have five Super Bowls, a perfect season, the single season touchdown record, and two MVPs on his resume, and would unquestionably be the best of all time. Brady will be 35 by next season, and will have three or four years to win that fourth title, and if he doesn't, I just don't see how he'll ever be remembered as the greatest. On the bright side, however, I felt like the Pats were the best team in a weak AFC this year. They beat people without any sort of deep threat on offense and a porous defense, all thanks to Brady's pinpoint precision and Gronkowski's emergence. I think that the Patriots should do everything in their power to land DeSean Jackson in the offseason, because someone like him would make them unstoppable.

1. Joe Montana - Until we see another championship from Brady or Manning, or two or three more from the guys I listed as potential greats, Joe Montana is the best quarterback of all time. Four Super Bowl titles in four appearances, two MVPs, and countless game winning drives and come from behind victories. He didn't have the biggest arm, and wasn't the greatest athlete, but he ran the West Coast Offense to perfection and is the best big game quarterback in history. He's got great players chasing him every year in the pass happy NFL he helped create, but for now Joe Montana is the best to ever play the game.

Be sure to check out other great articles at 11on11 Sports.

Mike Brown: Kobe Bryant rises above LeBron James, others

2012-02-10T05:29:00.000-05:00

(Contributer)
Kobe Bryant's legacy as one of the game's greatest players is secure, according to Lakers coach Mike Brown. Bryant passed Shaquille O'Neal and moved into fifth place on the NBA's all-time scoring list Monday, sparking a flurry of questions about Bryant's place in history. Brown said Bryant rises above many of the game's newest crop of superstars because he's played for five NBA championship teams with the Lakers.
Brown gave a nuanced answer when asked if Bryant had won a battle to be the best in his day, topping LeBron James and Dwyane Wade and others of the younger generation.
"When you look at championship rings, the guys who have multiple rings are the ones who should be mentioned when you're talking about people's legacies. They should be mentioned first because there are a lot of great players out there that I believe can put up great numbers and do great things, especially on a team when you don't win, it's a different type of pressure you go through.

"When you have five of them and have the possibility of getting more, or six or seven or eight, it's like, 'Whoa.' That right there separates you or puts you in a different category. If you're talking about pure talent alone, yeah, there are other guys out there who have a high talent level. But are they to the level of Kobe's? In different aspects of the game.
"You talk about who's a more talented passer between LeBron and Kobe, well, LeBron is. Who's a more talented mid-range scorer, well, Kobe is. Who's a better attacker, Dwyane Wade is. So they all do different things different than each other, but at the end of the day, when it comes to combining talent and skill with the most important thing, which is winning, I don't know how you don't give him the edge."

The Detroit Lions and the salary cap

2012-02-09T17:09:00.004-05:00

Joshua Lobdell, truthatarian.com 2.9.2012
Now that the Super Bowl is over football talk will shift first to NFL free agency and eventually the NFL draft. This of course means we need to look at where teams stand in terms of the NFL salary cap. The bad news here is the Detroit Lions, before free agency or the NFL draft even begin, find themselves up against the salary cap. This of course means resigning their own players will be difficult, and we should not expect any big free agency signings. Of course salaries can be purged and lot of thing can happen, but as it stands right now the Lions have some big cap issues to work around.

The Sun Sentinel is reporting that the Lions current cap number is just over 122 million dollars. They say the 2012 cap will be right around 125 million dollars, and of course under the new CBA teams can borrow money against future caps. However as it stands the Lions have 25 free agents (and we haven't factored in the money it will take to sign this year's slew of draft picks), and they need to lock up star receiver Calvin Johnson long term before he enters free agency next year. For 2012 the most important resigning is probably DE Cliff Avril.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Pres put it this way:

The Lions won’t have much salary-cap room to work with when free agency opens next month, and with four starters to re-sign -- Cliff Avril, Jeff Backus, Stephen Tulloch and Eric Wright -- the team could try to renegotiate several deals or be forced to cut a veteran player.
There are always options in today's NFL. The team could move on from Backus, or they could cut RT Gosder Cherilus who has hit an escalator in the last year of his deal and search for their replacements via the draft. With Offensive Line one of the areas of most concern to this team those are two viable options.
Whatever moves end up being made Lions President Tom Lewand and General Manger Martin Mayhew are going to have to get creative to keep the team they have built together and still have room to add the pieces they need to take the next step in their development.

How Far Can the Clippers Go Without Billups?

2012-02-09T14:50:00.003-05:00

(Contributer)
When Chauncey Billups went down with an achillies injury that will ultimately keep him out for the rest of the season it immediately raised the question on how it will impact the Clippers. It is hard to say exactly what Billups meant to this team considering the fact they have so much guard depth, but having a veteran in the locking room, even an aging one, is vital to a deep run in the playoffs.
Chauncey’s injury, in all likelihood, won’t slow them down during the regular season. Mo Williams and Randy Foye will be able to give the same production Billups did on the court, but it’s the presence he brings to the locker room that will be missed. Having been in deep playoff runs before Billups could have been huge come playoff time to get the young players ready for a playoff atmosphere they haven’t yet experienced.
Now, even more pressure will be placed on Chris Paul to lead the Clippers to the Finals. They will be getting Kenyon Martin, recently signed from his stint in China, but he is not the locker room presence Billups is. Martin is experienced and has been in the playoffs several times, but he has a more volatile personality, which often times results in him lashing out at the media.
One thing the Clippers do have going for them is the timing of Billups’s injury. They will have enough time to play together and work with each other before the playoffs start so there won’t be such a large adjustment going into the postseason. If Billups would have gotten injured in April it would have affected their cohesiveness more than it will now.
Chris Paul is having an MVP caliber season, and now more than ever he will have to keep that up, and even improve if he wants to win a championship. He is now the unquestioned leader on the court and in the locker room, which means there is a lot riding on him, but he is good enough to handle it.
The Clippers might also look into trading for a veteran who could provide the same leadership and court production Billups did-say Paul Pierce or Ray Allen. I don’t think that will be a necessary move considering the Clippers have Chris Paul, and you don’t want to add a piece and have it turn out they didn’t fit in, so for now the Clippers will continue to win in the regular season and hope they can get it done I the playoffs without their veteran leader.

Be sure to check out other great articles at isportsweb.

Michael Vick Named America’s Most Disliked Athlete By Forbes Magazine

2012-02-09T14:37:00.004-05:00

(Contributer)
(PhatzRadio / SN) — America can be forgiving for many things, but animal cruelty apparently isn’t one of them. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick remains the most hated athlete in America, according to an annual poll released yesterday by Forbes magazine.
Vick clocked in with an usually high awareness rate of 42 percent, meaning he’s well-known in America even among non-NFL fans.
“His awareness is up there with Peyton Manning, but a lot of it is people knowing him for the wrong reasons,” said Stephen Master, VP of Sports for Nielsen.
Other notable names toward the top of the most-disliked list included Kris Humphries, Tiger Woods, Alex Rodriguez and Kurt Busch. Mark McGwire, Randy Moss, Manny Ramirez and Ben Roethlisberger fell out of the dubious top 10.
One shocking 180 was that of the Detroit Lions’ Ndamukong Suh, who went from one of the NFL’s best-liked players to one of its worse in a matter of months. Suh’s reputation took a beating after a highly publicized stomping of a Green Bay Packer on national TV on Thankgiving.
Michael Vick Named America’s Most Disliked Athlete By Forbes Magazine is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

Golf: Tiger Woods is main attraction this week at Pebble Beach Pro-Am

2012-02-09T14:33:00.003-05:00

(Contributer)
(PhatzRadio / Golf.com) — PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — As always, it’s all about Tiger.
This week the enigmatic Mr. Woods returns to the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for the first time in a decade, giving us a chance to take stock on where he’s been and where he’s headed.
Pebble Beach was Woods’s private playpen around the turn of the century. His thrilling back-nine comeback at the 2000 Pro-Am foreshadowed his record-smashing U.S. Open victory there four months later, which may be the most perfect golf ever played.
Woods’s self-imposed exile from Pebble Beach was mostly about whopping appearance fee money from Dubai, which had a conflicting date on the calendar. He did return for the 2010 U.S. Open, just a couple months removed from re-entering public life after his sex scandal. During an otherwise ho-hum performance, he summoned an electric back-nine 31 on Saturday, stirring old ghosts.
That kind of tantalizing tease is all Woods has given us over the last two years, during which he’s failed to win a meaningful tournament. The trend continued in his first and only start of the 2012 season, in Abu Dhabi, where he led going into the final round but shot a scratchy 72 to let another one get away.
On Tuesday in Pebble Beach, the man who used to be the most ruthless closer in sports history tried to put a positive spin on that disappointing finish, saying, “Even though I lost, I was pleased with the way that was my bad day of ball-striking. If I can have that as my bad ball-striking day, we’re looking pretty good.”
Woods also noted his improved course management and made the point that after a series of serious injuries and related setbacks, he’s finally able to work on his body and swing without limitations. It all sounds encouraging, but for a guy whose mantra used to be “second place sucks,” the endless optimism will continue to ring hollow until he wins.

Pistons win third in a row, @ Nets, 99-92

2012-02-09T04:39:00.009-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
Don't look now but the Detroit Pistons are winners of three in a row, courtesy of their 99-92 victory last night at New Jersey. Several players contributed including Ben Gordon, just back from in injury stint, who went 6-7 from the field. Jonas Jerebko had 7 boards (4 offensive) and 16 points on 5-12 from the floor. Our "LouisPizza.net", star of the game was Greg Monroe who enjoyed a double/double with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The Pistons have a good chance to make it four in a row when they host the Nets at the Palace Friday night.

Box Score Standings

I’m Matthew Stafford’s biggest fan! (The State of the Stafford)

2012-02-08T17:24:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.7.2012

(The State of The Stafford is presented each year on February 7th.)

Matthew Stafford is one of only four quarterbacks to throw for over 5.000 yards in a season. The others being: Dan Marino, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady. That’s some pretty heady stuff and good company for a 24 year old. I say "24" because today, February 7th, is his birthday, it’s also my birthday. Huge “truth karma” goes out to Matthew and the Lions!

In my post, "Stafford’s Biggest Fan, Stan" (click here), I lamented that Stafford fans need not be apologetic for embracing Matthew only after his first healthy and successful season. Simple fact is that not a lot of Michiganders were privy to loads of Matthew at the U of G, and certainly didn’t see much of him while he was on injured reserve for what seemed an eternity.

Oh how things have changed. Matthew put on a full season (plus a post season contest), display in 2011. Spectacular, doesn’t due his performance justice. Matthew’s season was one for the ages and unparalleled in Lion’s history of at least the last 40 years. His performance was so good, that by comparison, the fan’s reaction to it can almost be described as muted. I actually contend that very few fans have jumped on the real Matthew Stafford bandwagon, the bandwagon that includes people like me that think Matthew is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Birthday bias aside, I am Matthew’s biggest fan. I can’t get enough Stafford posters or jerseys. I am 100% convinced that Matthew Stafford is one of the great ones. How many super bowl wins will he win? How many records will he break? I’m not especially concerned with the answers to those questions, as I’ve already seen enough to know those issues will take care of themselves, because this kid’s got it!

Matthew Stafford will be Governor of Michigan one day if he so chooses. He will be the biggest of big Detroit sports stars. I understand, to some extent, why Lion’s fans still do not love Matthew as much as I do. A brilliant Lion’s quarterback is not an idea Lion’s fans can easily grasp, it’s a totally foreign concept to them. Hall of Fame QB’s are something other teams have, not the Lions.

I’ve got great news for you Detroiters, Stafford is your football dreams come true. He’s everything you could want in a mega-star QB, plus he’s an Aquarian, and he will deliver Super Bowl victories. Like Pizza Hut, Stafford delivers. Get behind him 100%, because his first delivery might be sooner than you think…….

War to Matthew Stafford’s birthday… war to me sharing it with him. War to the Lion’s winning the 2013 Super Bowl in New Orleans. The Lion's time to dominate has finally arrived. The savior is here. Happy birthday Matthew!

Update: Just found out my birthday falls on Super Bowl Sunday of 2016. That means Matthew's falls on that day also. I'm just sayin...

‘Everyone in NFL’ thinks Skins sign Manning

2012-02-08T14:09:00.004-05:00

(Contributer)
Last season, the Redskins chose to pass on a quarterback, skipping over a signal-caller both in free agency and the draft.
The questionable decision left them with Rex Grossman, whose dismal play eventually led him to the bench, and John Beck, who didn’t exactly master coach Mike Shanahan’s complex offense.
This year, Washington isn’t likely to repeat their mistake, and may opt to corral arguably the highest profile free agent in NFL history.
“Everyone” CBSSports’ Mike Freeman spoke to in the NFL believes the Skins will sign Peyton Manning if/when the future Hall of Famer hits free agency.
“And I mean just about everyone,” Freeman affirmed.
Freeman also notes that Manning and owner Jim Irsay, both of whom aren’t on the best of terms lately, plan to meet “within the next 48 hours,” as Peyton first wants his brother, Eli, to hold the limelight for a bit after winning the Super Bowl.
This report just confirms speculation that the Redskins are among the front-runners for Manning’s services, along with the Dolphins and possibly the Cardinals.
Surprisingly enough, the ‘Skins have a ton of cap room to work with, and need a QB to compete in the NFC East; Shanahan’s job may depend on it.
However, is the interest from Peyton mutual, knowing he’d play outdoors, in a different conference, and against three defenses that specialize in rushing the passer?
That’ll be the $28 million question for Manning, which we should know the answer to in the coming weeks.

Be sure to check out other great articles at Helmet2Helmet.net.

Golf: Woods no fan of long, belly putters

2012-02-08T13:40:00.004-05:00

(Contributer)
(PhatzRadio / Golf.com) — PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Tiger Woods said Tuesday anchoring belly or broomstick putters to the body should be banned. If Woods had his druthers, he added, a putter would be equal to, in length, or shorter than the shortest club in the bag.
“I’ve never been a fan of (anchoring),” Woods said at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, where he makes his 2012 PGA Tour debut Thursday alongside amateur partner Tony Romo. “I believe it’s the art of controlling the body and club and swinging the pendulum motion. I believe that’s how it should be played.
“I’m a traditionalist when it comes to that.”
The governing bodies of the sport — the R&A and the United States Golf Association— are revisiting the issue. Many object to the practice of anchoring the butt end of the putter to a part of the body, be it the belly or chest, to provide a steadying force.
Last year Ernie Els said anchoring alleviates the skill and nerves needed to make a solid putting stroke. Before the year was over, however, Els gave the long putter a try.
“As long as it’s legal, I’ll keep cheating like the rest of them,” Els laughed.
The non-traditional putter has gained favor among professionals and amateurs alike. Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, FedExCup champion Bill Haas and reigning PGA Championship winner and 2011 rookie of the year Keegan Bradley were part of a growing number of professional golfers successfully using the longer putters last year.
Woods, however, said he has talked for years with R&A chief executive Peter Dawson on the issue of putter length and anchoring.
“My idea was to have (the wording of the rule) so that the putter would be equal to or less than the shortest club in your bag. And I think with that we’d be able to get away from any type of belly anchoring,” Woods said. “You can still anchor the putter like Bernhard Langer did against the forearm. But that’s still the art of swinging the club, too, at the same time.”
Chip-ins: Americans (Steve Stricker, Johnson Wagner, Mark Wilson, Brandt Snedeker and Kyle Stanley) won the first five PGA Tour events. The last time that happened? Go back to 2001, when Americans swept the first eight.
Golf: Woods no fan of long, belly putters is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

Be sure to check out other great articles at PhatzRadio - A New Voice In Sports Talk Radio With Rock, Jazz, Soul, R.

Piston's drought, 4 years and counting

2012-02-08T06:38:00.012-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.8.2012
The Detroit Pistons have not won a playoff games since they lost the 2008 Eastern Conference Championship to the Celtics, who by the way went onto to a World Championship that season. The 4 year playoff win absence is now coming precariously close to matching the six consecutive conference finals appearances the Pistons enjoyed immediately preceding the playoff drought. It's only fair that if we credit that incredible six year run, we seriously consider the depths of despair the current and more recent versions of the Pistons are experiencing.

What is an acceptable time period for rebuilding, and how bad should things get when they do go bad? Certainly, the answers to those questions will vary depending whom you ask. I'd like some of you clones to chime in and tell me how many years of losing is acceptable for a rebuild? The current Pistons have been making a run at scoring very highly in the NBA draft lottery, which means they are in the conversation as the NBA's worst team. Oh how the mighty have fallen! When are they going to get back up?

Personally, I think the Pistons have fallen a little more than they needed to or should have. Joe sat on his contending team for far too long, and with the lone exception of Chauncey Billups, got nothing in return for the aging roster. When Joe Dumars did get something for Chauncey, that something turned out to be cap space created by Alan Iverson's expiring contract, which turned out to be Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. In light of how little those two have contributed, you could say Joe once again got nothing.

Warning to the current Boston Celtics, this is what happens when you let a good team get too old. Old players stop playing at high levels, retire, or lose the trade value they once possessed. All of a sudden you find your team fighting for lottery balls and needing five hour energy in order to recall that last time a Piston's team won a playoff game.

When does the drought end? I hate to set the standard at winning a playoff game, because you can come in as a seventh seed, and steal one victory before being bounced. Let's officially define the end of the drought as winning a playoff series. When will the Detroit Pistons next win a playoff series, and how long is acceptable in terms of retaining Joe Dumars? Is the "drought" going to exceed the "run" of 6 consecutive conference finals? If it does, do they cancel one another out?

Mock draft has Bengals trading up to select Trent Richardson

2012-02-08T05:57:00.002-05:00

(Contributer)
The end of the NFL season brings sadness to many fans of the game, but it can also bring happiness. Part of the happiness that I speak of is the NFL draft. The draft should bring even more excitement than usual to Bengals fans this year, thanks to the Carson Palmer trade, Cincinnati has two first round picks at number 17 and number 21. Some have suggested that the Bengals should take advantage of the extra picks and move up in the draft. The folks at Mocking the Draft, an SB Nation site, have the Bengals doing just that.
The first round mock at MTD has the Bengals trading up to the Dolphins spot at number eight and selecting Alabama running back Trent Richardson. The Bengals would trade their number 17 pick and their second round pick in order to move to number eight. With the Bengals pick at number 21, MTD has the team selecting Wisconsin offensive lineman Peter Konz. Konz played center at Wisconsin, but many expect him to move to guard in the NFL.

8. The Cincinnati Bengals select: Trent Richardson, Running Back, Alabama.
The Dolphins were hoping that Couples would have fallen to them to help the transition back to the 4-3. But with him gone, the Dolphins take a slight loss in trade value to drop back. The Bengals take opportunity of a pretty good deal on their half to move up to 8 and fill a huge need for them. With Cedric Benson a free agent, the Bengals need a running back. Trent Richardson has some scouts saying he's better than Adrian Peterson was when he came out. I'm not sold on that, but Richardson is very good in his own right. He can run with power, but also has that elusiveness that makes him incredibly hard to bring down. Add him to the Bengals running attack and he takes a load off of Andy Dalton's shoulders.

The Bengals seem to have the luxury of deciding if trading up to get a Trent Richardson or a David DeCastro is worth it. Is trading a second round pick to move up going to hurt depth? Some will say that a running back isn't worth trading up to get, even for a back with the capability of Richardson. Others will say that sacrificing a second round pick is well worth it if Richardson is as good as advertised. No matter what you think about the picks, MTD certainly addressed the Bengals mediocre running game and attempted to improve the offensive line.
Konz could be a good fit in Cincinnati because of his versatility that the Bengals coaches seem to covet out of their big boys up front. As for Konz, MTD writes:

21. The Cincinnati Bengals select: Peter Konz, Center/Guard, Wisconson.
Having already traded up for Richardson, the Bengals use their second 1st round pick on an offensive lineman to help block for him. Konz was one of the best centers in college football last year, but might be a little tall for the center position in the NFL so could be moved to Guard. Either way he provides versatility and should be a solid starter day one.

The excitement is quickly building for the NFL draft. The combine in Indianapolis is just over two weeks away, while the start of free agency is just over a month away. The NFL season has ended, but another season has just begun.

The Philadelphia 76ers are BACK, really.

2012-02-08T05:48:00.002-05:00

(Contributer)
As Lou Williams’ floater in the lane made its way into the hoop, time stood still for Sixers fans in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center.
Take a look around the arena, fans are standing and cheering in the aisles. There is a buzz in the arena that hasn’t been there in years. There was noise, not arena-made noise, but real, actual fan volume. Fans weren’t concerned about getting a free Big-Mac, they didn’t care that hometown boy Kobe Bryant was in town; they wanted a W.
Then the ball hit nylon. The Wells Fargo crowd erupted. I erupted with a fist-pump (well, a couple actually). Then the reality hit with the serenading of the Los Angeles Lakers, once one of the Sixers’ biggest rivals.
“BEAT LA, BEAT LA, BEAT LA.”
While “BEAT LA” was the chant, there was a much easier message to make out that the Sixers had just displayed on the court in their 95-90 victory over those Lakers: We’re Back.
As I watched Lou Williams torch the Lakers in the fourth quarter on Monday night I couldn’t help but be captivated by this team as I watched them on television. I watched when Allen Iverson crossed-up Tyronn Lue and then stepped over him. Last night was the first time since that Iverson-led Finals squad that I was on the edge of my seat.

Lou Williams' big fourth quarter helped seal a victory over Kobe Bryant's Lakers.

When Williams’ three-pointer with the game tied at 88-88 with 2:07 left went down I went from fan watching to psycho roommate running around the apartment screaming “Louuuuuuuu,” as most of Sixers Nation was at the same time.
It’s one thing to get excited about wins over the Pistons, Wizards and Hornets, but when you beat teams that will make the playoffs like the Hawks, Lakers and Magic, now that’s something to believe in.
The Sixers are now 18-7, good for third in the East and fourth overall in the NBA. They’re the league’s best defensive team allowing just 86 points per game. They play team defense and share the ball as the fourth best assist team in the league at more than 22 per game. Not to mention they only have one player in the top 50 in the league in scoring (Williams, 15.5 ppg).

Too often in today’s NBA with superstars demanding trades and forcing their way out-of-town, we forget about the team aspect of the game. The Sixers don’t rely on any player on any given night. That’s what makes them such a special and unique team. If Andre Iguodala can’t hit water if he fell out of a boat, he makes plays for other guys, like Jodie Meeks, Williams and Thaddeus Young. When Elton Brand misses a game here and there, rookie Lavoy Allen, a local product of Temple and Pennsbury H.S., comes in and contributes. With Spencer Hawes missing extended time due to various ailments early on, veteran Tony Battie and rookie Nik Vucevic have stepped in and played tough minutes against the likes of the Dwight Howard’s in the league.
Next man up. Know your role, do your job, win as part of a team. Doug Collins, the man at the helm of the NBA’s most resurgent team, knows this all too well.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,” wrote Collins on a whiteboard during halftime of a Sixers game earlier this season.
The difference with the 2011-2012 edition of the Philadelphia 76ers, they know how to win and move on to the next game. They beat the teams they’re supposed to beat, going 13-3 against teams without winning records so far this season. They also grew up on the court, where they feature a 20-year-old point guard in Jrue Holiday, where they had a season-low four turnovers Monday against the Lakers. They average only 10 turnovers a game, best in the league by almost four full turnovers. Those create extra possessions for a middle-of-the-pack offense that averages just a shade over 96 points per game.
Collins is the 60-year-old coach who has the keys to one of the youngest teams in the league, one that is figuring out how to win quicker than anyone thought, even himself.
“Last year, I’d be concerned about a hangover after a win like this,” Collins said following a win against Atlanta earlier in the year, “But not this year, I don’t.”
He’s right, because the Sixers are back….finally.

Be sure to check out other great articles at isportsweb.

Eli Manning - You Da Man!

2012-02-06T15:07:00.003-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.6.2012
Eli Manning, you just won the Super Bowl. Are you going to Loui’s Pizza on John R in Hazel Park?

He is the star quarterback on the best football team in world and he owns Tom Brady, how great is that? Eli joined a club (multi-super bowl wins) that, including him, has only 11 members. Eli Manning and ten other quarterbackss have won more than one super bowl. The list of single super bowl winning qb’s is lengthy and includes some very generic names such as Brad Johnson, Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien. Eli has now separated himself from the single-win pack that includes his brother Peyton.

The multiple super bowl winning qb list is as follows: Terry Bradshaw (4), Joe Montana (4), Troy Aikman (3), Tom Brady (3), John Elway (3), Ben Rothlisberger (2), Bob Griese (2), Jim Plunkett (2), Roger Staubach (2), and Bart Starr (2). The only three on this list not in the hall of fame are, Plunkett, Rothlisberger, and Eli.
If I’m doing the voting, Plunkett gets in. Big Ben is a work in progress, as is Eli. Could we possibly have a case where Peyton is in the Hall of Fame with one ring, and little brother Eli is not with two?

Giants earn fourth Super Bowl with 21-17 win over Patriots

2012-02-06T15:00:00.004-05:00

(Contributer)
Eli Manning led the New York Giants to a last-minute 21-17 win over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in Indianapolis on Feb. 5. Manning said a couple of months ago that he felt he was just as good as Patriots’ QB Tom Brady and then went out and proved it. It’s the second time Manning has guided his New York teammates to a Super Bowl win over New England as he also did it back in 2008.
The Giants marched 88 yards down the field and scored the winning touchdown with just 57 seconds left to play when Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball in the end zone from just six yards out. Ironically, he tried not to score when he realized the Patriots were giving him the touchdown.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick figured it’d be better to let the Giants score a touchdown so they could get the ball back for a chance to come back and win the game. He reasoned that the Giants would just run down the clock and attempt a short field goal if he didn’t allow the touchdown. The tactic made sense, but needless to say it failed.
Along with the two Super Bowl rings, Manning also has won the MVP award for both of the wins. However, the win wasn’t sealed until the last play was completed. Brady’s last-second hail-Mary pass dropped to the turf in the end zone as the game ended. Manning got off to a Super Bowl record start by completing his first nine passes. Brady then completed 16 in a row during the second and third quarters, which broke the previous mark of 13 set by Joe Montana.
Manning completed 30 out of 40 passes overall for a total of 296 yards with a touchdown. Brady completed 27 out of for 41, gaining 276 yards. He threw for two touchdown passes and an interception. Scoring late in a game is nothing new for manning since he led the giants to six comeback wins during the season and threw 15 touchdown passes in the last quarter of games for a new league record.
Manning said when he realized the Patriots were allowing them to score a touchdown he yelled at Bradshaw to tell him not to score. Bradshaw then appeared to try and stop, but tumbled into the New England end zone. The Patriots came close to pulling off a thrilling comeback, but tight end Rob Gronkowski couldn’t hang onto the final desperation pass from Brady. That meant Brady still needs one more Super Bowl win to tie Joe Montana’s and Terry Bradshaw’s record of four quarterback wins.
Brady did tie the record for Super Bowl appearances though along with Belichick since it was their fifth trip to the NFL’s championship game. However, they found themselves down 9-0 before pulling out into a third-quarter 17-9 lead. Scotsman Lawrence Tynes then kicked two field goals for the Giants to close the gap to 17-15, setting the stage for the final touchdown.
Sixty-five-year-old Giants’ head coach Tom Coughlin became the oldest coach to win the Super Bowl while the giants became the first team with a 9-7 record to win the trophy. It’s the fourth Super Bowl win for the Giants, who now trail Pittsburgh (6), Dallas and San Francisco (5) for the most wins.

Report: Suns Willing To Consider Trading Steve Nash

2012-02-06T14:59:00.004-05:00

(PhatzRadio / SN) — The Phoenix Suns are lagging at 9-14, once again on the outside of the Western Conference playoff picture looking in from 12th place. Steve Nash has nevertheless maintained that he’s not seeking a trade — but according to Ken Berger of CBS, the Suns would pursue a deal if Nash wanted it.
“It’s really on him in terms of what he wants to do or not do,” a source told Berger.
Nash said a month ago that he wasn’t interested in a trade, insisting “it’s not my style” when asked. But as the Suns head toward the draft lottery again and Nash inches toward the end of his two-year, $22 million contract in Phoenix, the trade rumors have begun swirling once again.
Nash turns 38 on Tuesday. He’s averaging 14.5 points and 9.9 assists per game for the Suns this season.
Report: Suns Willing To Consider Trading Steve Nash is a post from: PhatzRadio.com

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Michigan Basketball: Wolverines rolled by Draymond Green and Michigan State

2012-02-06T14:52:00.005-05:00

(Contributer)
The Michigan Wolverines (17-7, 7-4) dropped a big rivalry game in lackluster fashion to the Michigan State Spartans (18-5, 7-3) by a final count of 64-54. Draymond Green circled the calendar after losing to Michigan a few weeks ago and delivered with an impressive performance.
Green’s monster double-double of 14 points and 16 rebounds paved the way for the Spartans. Michigan State was able to frustrate the Wolverines into a poor shooting and choppy performance that they simply couldn’t overcome.

Evan Smotrycz

The athletically superior squad from East Lansing crushed Michigan on the glass, out-rebounding John Beilein’s team 39-16. Yep, that’s right, Green corralled as many boards as the entire Michigan roster on this day.
In the 1st half, the Spartans manhandled Michigan and the Wolverines were fortunate to walk away down only 8 points. Zack Novak kept UofM in the game and a long three at the buzzer by Trey Burke kept the heartbeat pumping as the team rolled into the locker room to regroup.
Tim Hardaway, Jr. had 0 points in the opening frame on 0-2 shooting and was basically nowhere to be found on the court. For a player of his caliber, the continued extended periods of inactivity are becoming far too common.
Another concern is the ever decreasing production from Michigan’s bench. With Evan Smotrycz struggling and Matt Vogrich adding very little productivity, Michigan has had to work their starting 5 very hard of late. The bench failed to score in the 1st half.
The 2nd half was a lesson in the Spartans keeping Michigan at bay, never letting them get closer than 8 points.
Some of Michigan’s inefficiencies were exposed in this game.
When you combine the concerning slump of Evan Smotrycz with the ineffectiveness of Matt Vogrich, Michigan basically has no bench to speak of. Today, Michigan’s bench contributed just 9 points; all coming well after the outcome was already decided. Vogrich came into Michigan touted as an electric shooter, which has been far from the case this season. He is shooting just 21% from long range on the year and is 1 for 10 since the calendar flipped to 2012.
Tim Hardaway, Jr. was 1 of 10 against Michigan State with 4 points and has become almost invisible on the court for large portions of games. His shooting has been woeful of late, and when he isn’t scoring, his ball-handling and defensive issues really take center stage. For Michigan to be competitive against elite teams, Hardaway has to be a big part of it. Novak, Burke, Stu Douglass, and Jordan Morgan can only do so much. Hardaway must step up and be consistent for 40 minutes.
Trey Burke has now struggled in recent games against two elite defenders in Keith Appling and Aaron Craft. The freshman will have to find ways to run the team with efficiency despite his opponent. Burke was held to 11 points on 4 for 11 shooting and committed 4 turnovers.
Michigan got off to poor starts in both halves. They didn’t score their first points of the game until 5 minutes and 12 seconds had elapsed. It took 4:03 for them to find the net in the 2nd half. Michigan shot 39% for the game while the Spartans connected at a 52% clip.
Appling and Branden Dawson chipped in 10 points for the Spartans. Novak topped Michigan’s scoring list with 14 points. Jordan Morgan added 11.
Michigan’s next game is on the road at Nebraska on Wednesday night at 8:30 eastern. Michigan is just 1-6 in true road games this year and will have to bring precision and focus to the floor in order to pull out a win.

Follow us on Twitter. I’m @isportsJoe and Rob is @isportsRob

Be sure to check out other great articles at isportsweb.

Self-gloss warning; 8-3 on NFL playoff predictions!

2012-02-06T07:48:00.004-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.6.2012

After correctly calling the Giants win in the Super Bowl, my final 2011/2012 NFL playoff prediction mark was 8-3. I'd call that on fire!

Poop Scoop Queen.com Metro Detroit, Michigan dog waste removal

2012-02-06T07:12:00.007-05:00

GP 2.6.2012, truthatarian.com promotions
If you own a dog in Michigan and the snow melts, you'll look in your yard and see thousands of land-mines. It can be very intimidating. Someone has to clean the dog feces, but it doesn't have to be you. Poop Scoop Queen cleans up Fido's calling cards in yards all over Metro Detroit with their dog-pet waste-removal/cleanup service.
You can schedule a one-time spring clean, or have them come out every week, whatever works for you. Visit the website and signup online, it doesn't get any easier. Help is just a few clicks away.
(Click on logo to go to PoopScoopQueen.com)

Evie's Tamales, 3454 Bagley Street, Detroit, MI 48216

2012-02-05T11:46:00.002-05:00

GP 2.5.2012, truthatarian.com promotions
If you enjoy Mexican fare and have yet to visit Evie's, you have been missing out, but have something special to look forward to. I'm not sure what is better, the prices or the food..... has to be the food! The food is gourmet, but not priced like it.
I make the trip all the way from Chesterfield Township to Evie's whenever I can. The drive is almost entirely freeway and we get there fairly quickly. The Mexican town area parking around Evie's is adequate and safe. The Evie's structure is nothing to look at and not the slightest bit pretentious, but the food is amazing.

Do yourself a favor and pay them a visit, and don't forget to tell them truthatarian sent you.

Help me out clones

2012-02-05T07:48:00.009-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.5.2012
There used to be a nationwide syndicated sports talk show that occupied many of the radio slots currently filled by Romie. This radio show featured a woman, I want to say she was called "sportsbabe", or something similar. I haven't heard or thought of her in years and I'm curious as to how she could fall off so completely. If any of you clones can provide a link to where she is now, I'd appreciate it very much. out!

Update: Click Here, and here, and here, for some answers.

truthatarian teasers (NBA)

2012-02-05T07:03:00.002-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.4.2012
** While David Stern may want a winner in New York, he's not much closer to it than he was when Isiah Thomas operated the Knickabockers. New York dropped to 8-15 last night and got fleeced in the Carmello Anthony deal. The Knicks got the large contract, losses and over rated superstar, while Denver (15-8) got younger, reduced pay roll, and improved their team. It wasn't that long ago the Nuggets were clearing out Alan Iverson and then Chauncey Billups. Now they are young and competitive in the West. ** Just when you think Boston is too old, they turn it up a notch and are on a 3 game roll. Is Aigne going to blow it up? ** Truth karma goes out to Amir Johnson who had 13 rebounds and 18 points in Toronto's win last night over Wizards. ** Larry Bird has rebuilt that thing in Indy. Pacers are tied for fewest losses in the East.
** Ricky Rubio continues to amaze! This cat can ball fer real ** OKC turns it over too often to come out of the West. I see a more disciplined, higher percentage team such as Denver, The Clippers, or Lakers coming out of the West. ** T-Wolves have a lot of upside and bountiful, young talent that may or may not pan out. Wes Johnson, Michael Beasley, and Derrick Williams are all very high draft picks that have yet to establish themselves as stars. Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love are hoping the aforementioned mature into much better players than Darko Milicic who is disappointing the TWolves just as he has every other organization he's played with.

Pistons win again, down Hornets @ the Palace, 89-87

2012-02-05T06:41:00.005-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
The unstoppable force known at the Detroit Pistons continued it's rampage through the association, winning its second consecutive game last night at the Palace, 89-87 over the hapless New Orleans Hornets, losers of five in a row. Our "LouisPizza.net Star Of The Game" is Greg Monroe who poured in 24 points on 10-17, along with sixteen boards, six of which were on the offensive glass. Pistons next hit the hardwoods Wednesday at New Jersey and Kris Kardasian Humphries.

The Pistons won? (happy days are here again!)

2012-02-04T13:17:00.006-05:00

truthatarian.com beat writer
I'm having trouble typing this, but the Pistons actually won last night at the Palace, 88-80 over the Milwaukee Bucs. I'm having trouble writing this because my hands are so accustomed to typing in "loss", it's almost the default auto-finish on Piston's recaps. Brandon Knight is our "LouisPizza.net Star Of The Game", scoring 26 points, and dishing 7 dimes with no turns! Excellent performance Brandon. At least one Brandon in this town has game. Honorable mention goes to Jason Maxiell, 12 rebounds and 4-9 from the field, and Greg Monroe 11 boards 7-14 from the field.

Pistons next go at it tonight, hosting New Orleans, (Saturday) plenty of good seats remain. Hold onto your hats, but the Pistons should have a two game winning streak after tonight. Happy days are here again - check video.

Note* The truthatarian "star of the game promotion" is available to select Detroit Metro merchants at a very attractive monthly rate. The name of your business is featured with every win by the Pistons, Lions, or Tigers. Your business is also be featured in the blue display, top right, where Loui's Pizza currently resides. Please e-mail smartgene@aol.com for more info.

Note* What has happended to Jonas Jerebko this season? Is his less than stellar performance all part of "the tank"?'

Warning, self gloss: truthatarian, new Detroit sports-page.

2012-02-04T09:04:00.000-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.4.2012
(third person warning) Truthatarian is the new sports-page in Detroit. We offer news feeds near the bottom right of this page that feature, round the clock Piston's, Tiger's, and Lion's headlines... Simply click on the heading of your choice, it doesn't get any easier. "Truth" is literally a one-stop, concise, Detroit sports-page whereby you literally will not miss a beat on anything "Detroit sports". Make us a daily internet stop, or even better, sign up to receive our daily email updates via the form on bottom right of this page.

Will the real Ndamukong Suh please stand up?

2012-02-04T06:51:00.003-05:00

Gene Pritchard, truthatarian.com 2.2.2012

Ndamukong Suh came into the league arguably the most highly regarded defensive tackle coming out of college in the last twenty years. Visions of him slinging opponents around at Nebraska ring clearly in my mind. The phrases, “all world” and “special talent”, where the type bandied about regarding Suh at the time the Lions made him the #2 pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. Suh possessed all the tools, strength, speed, and perhaps most importantly, tenacity. He played tenaciously and had the physical attributes to make him a lethal threat to opposing offenses.

Suh’s rookie season did not disappoint. No, far from it, Ndamukong dazed and amazed; racking up 66 tackles and 14 sacks. He was on top of the football world and it looked certain the Lions had at least one side of the ball (the defensive side) taken care of for years to come, with Suh as the anchor. Problem is, in 2011, something bad happened to Suh and the Lion’s defense en route to becoming the reincarnation of the “silver rush”.

As I wrote in my article, “Lions desperately seeking defense”, the Lion’s defense fall apart, particularly in the second half of the 2011 season, and Suh’s presence was barely noticeable.. imagine that. Suh only amassed thirty six tackles and four sacks for the season, and teams were scoring on the Lions at will.

Now comes word from Warren Sapp that Suh had off season shoulder surgery. Sapp also criticizes Gunther Cunningham for not moving Suh around more, and I agree with Warren 100%.. (How could this Lion’s defense have under performed any more than it did, yet Gunther is retained?) It was a nightmare season for Suh in many respects, and I’ve not mentioned the off-field incident, or the on-field “incidents”, and subsequent suspension. I’m not even going to go there.

Suffice to say the 2012 season will be a huge one for Ndamukong Suh. He needs to reestablish his identity as the best and most feared d-lineman in the league. Once the Lions can get stellar seasons out of Stafford and Suh in the same season, they should be golden!