My weekly review post of Sports and My Thoughts as they pertain to the "D" and Beyond for the week ending Monday 03.14.16 . This was a week filled with all sorts of drama and ups and downs. In the "D":
Lions:
The Lions received word on Tuesday , that Calvin Johnson is retiring. In his 9 years as a Lion, we were truly Blessed to see one of the greats at his position but even more so all that He did in the Community as well. Calvin, You will be truly missed as a Detroit Lion but more so as a Man with integrity and great character!
Lions make big move in Free Agency by signing ex Bengals WR Marvin Jones to replace Johnson as the #1 receiver. The Lions have already raised ticket prices for the 2016 season which
has many Lions fans already seething mad at the team for raising prices.
The Lions also start cleaning house and clearing up cap space with the
releasing of Tulloch, Bell, and Ihedigbo and the retirement of Matthews. The NFL Combine is over and teams have cut some big names players, time to see if the Lions get better for the 2016 football season.
Red Wings:
The Red Wings continue to play good hockey but still are giving up late
third period goals and the lack of scoring punch is evident almost
every night. The Wings still have a hard time scoring goals and when they let up 3 or more goals it usually means a loss for them. The RedWings are currently in the 2nd Wild Card position with 15 games left in the season. Also in the coming weeks, we
should find out the new name of the Red Wings arena which is scheduled
to open for the 2017/2018 season.
Pistons: The
Pistons are 32-31 and currently in 9th place in the weak Eastern
Conference and just a game out of the last playoff spot. This team still have found itself yet, they play good for 2 or 3 game sin a row before losing 2 or 3 that they could have won. Defense has been a huge issue for
the Pistons all season long, they just do not play it. Since Stan
VanGundy took over last season, his teams can score but playing defense
is not at the top of their list. Currently they live and die by the 3
ball and running an up tempo offense but when the game is on the line
they can't stop their opponents. If they played any semblance of defense
so far this year, they would easily have won 10 more games.
Tigers:
Spring training has started and there is allot of optimism as there is
every year a month before the Season starts. After a few exhibition games early on, the Tigers seem to be adjusting very well to the new additions to the team and hopefully be ready for the season in just under a month from now. The Tigers who were a huge
disappointment last year have retooled their offense and pitching and
look to be ready to contend again. The AL Central is arguably the
toughest division in all of baseball so winning 88 games will be a
challenge this year for the Tigers. It is also equally important that
the Tigers stay healthy this season and that the pitching and bullpen
can hold up, something that hasn't happened the past couple of seasons.
Spartans: The
Spartan basketball team is currently ranked #2 in the Country. MSU
easily beat Rutgers and OSU this past week and are 26-5 for the season. They have won 6 straight and 10 of their last 11 and are primed for another Coach Izzo run during March Madness. Right now I have them as a #1 seed in the South. Congrats to Coach Tom Izzo as a finalist for the Naismith
Hall of Fame for College Basketball. Also congrats to Denzel Valentine, USA Today's College Basketball Player of the Year! The Spartans football team is
readying itself for the 2016
season and signing day was last week. The Spartans had another great
recruiting class finishing 3rd in the B1G and #12th Nationally. The
Spartans relish being the underdog and this year in the early preseason
polls are ranked anywhere from #15 to #10.
Wolverines:
Michigan's basketball team has lost their last 2 games and 6 of their last 10 including huge blowouts at home to MSU and Indiana , they need a good
showing in the B1G tourney to have a
chance at getting into the NCAA Tournament. They are currently 20-11and
haven't been playing good basketball the month of February . The
Wolverines are looking at a possible NCAA
berth to the Big Dance as long as they have a good run in the B1G tournament. Harbaugh and the
Football team are getting ready for next season and are had the #3
ranked recruiting class in the Country. Harbaugh currently took his show on the road to Florida for Spring Practice with raised the ire of many collegiate coaches. It looks like Uof M has given him full reigns to spends whatever money he chooses and has now placed athletics over education. While it looks like Harbaugh is
turning around the football program, he is raising many eyebrows with
the way he is doing so, including sleeping over 5 recruits homes to get
them to sign with his team and also had a Signing Day event that many,
including myself thought was more for His huge Ego than for the school
or the recruits. To me this is absurd and I question this tactic, but
this is what recruiting and having to win at all costs now does to
football coaches.
Sports beyond the "D":
NFL:
The NFL will say goodbye to one of the greatest ever to play the game today as Peyton Manning officials calls it quits and is retiring. NFL Free Agency starts and it is a players market this year with teams paying a premium for talented players. The NFL continues to suspend those who fail drug testing but they still
have a long ways to go when it comes to both the NFL and NFLPA coming
together for the good of the game when a player is involved or does
something illegal. There needs to be exact language and procedures in
place in regards to detailed disciplines for bad behavior going forward.
It will be interesting to see what the NFL does in regards to Manziel
and McCoy and their legal issues and also as to the NFL's investigation
into Peyton Manning as well. Kind of funny that the NFL always waits
until after the Super Bowl to announce or do anything when they have a
potential issue with one of their star players.
MLB Baseball: Spring
training is underway and with the season just over a month away all
teams are getting a look at just how good they may or may not be this
season. MLB
decided to uphold the lifetime ban of the greatest hitter of all time,
Pete Rose in a decision that is both idiotic and dumbfounding to Me. No
one questions what He did but the lifetime ban is just wrong in so many
ways. He has been punished long enough and it is an abuse of power by
the MLB Commish to take this stance. I know many of you will disagree
with Me on this, but I do not care if you do or not. I feel very
strongly on this issue!! Barry Bonds is getting support from some ex
players saying He should be in the HOF, but I think there are still many
questions about his alleged steroid use that will need to be answered
before he can even be considered for the HOF. Based on voting the past 4
years for the HOF those voters seem to be thinking as I am, and it
reflects in his still not getting in at this time.The off season started
off with a bang as the
biggest contracts ever in free agency being given out. The Owners seem
to think they are playing with Monopoly money in signing these free
agents but once again it will be the fans who will pay the price for
this outlandish and foolish spending in increased ticket prices, parking
prices, concession and team apparel. When will it ever stop?Also teams
seem to only care about what a player can do on the field to help them
win and not what kind of person the player is off the field. Example;
the Yankees trading for Chapman from the Reds even after knowing about
his off field incident but not caring at all.
NCAA: The NCAA Basketball Tournament is just around the corner with most Conference Championships being played this week and the teams and Brackets will be announced on Sunday, March 13, 2016. The
NCAA which over the past few years has become powerless against the
bigger schools when it comes to levying sanctions and penalties for
violations seems to have their hands full right now. Southern Miss and
Ole Miss were hit with numerous serious violations by the NCAA and as
all Colleges do, they deny any wrong doing even though they know they
have committed violations. The University of Tennessee was the latest to
be charged but besides serious alleged violations within their
football program they were also charged with and also sued for a Hostile
Sexual Environment and Sexual harassment. Again, they have denied any
wrongdoing but as it was with the University of Oregon, we are seeing a
pattern of Colleges brushing these incidents and violations and sexual
harassment under the rug and also going after the victims and not those
who were responsible in the first place! Even more absurd is the
announcement by the University of Louisville announcing they are giving
themselves a self imposed post season ban for the pay for sex with
escorts relating to their basketball program. The Head Coach, Rick
Pitino still denies any wrong doing even though the University who just
months ago said the allegations were made up, now think imposing a slap
on their own wrists will be enough, should be looking over their
shoulder as the NCAA should do what is right and give the school a 3
year ban, lose of scholarships, at least a year long suspension to
Pitino and more.The NCAA also has to take a hard look at how a Coach
lures recruits to a school and the promises they make just to get a kid
to sign a letter of intent. Too many kids decommit after committing and
that is a problem. Also Coaches sleeping over recruits houses is just
plain wrong!!!
NBA and NHL:
The NBA has had a great start with the defending Champions, the Golden
State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers having the
best records in the NBA
right now. The Cavaliers fired their Head Coach, whose team was in first
place and had a 31-11 record. The Cavaliers front office wanted
everyone to believe that they made the choice to fire David Blatt and
that LeBron James wasn't aware of their decision. They must have thought
we were all stupid when they said this. Everyone knows that James calls
all the shots with the Cavaliers just as He did when He went to the
Miami Heat.We are halfway thru the season and the LA Lakers and
Philadelphia Sixers are by far the 2 worst teams in the NBA. .And Kobe
Bryant announces his retirement at the
end of this Season. In the
NHL, the Washington Capitals and the Chicago
Blackhawks are the 2 best teams so far, each leading their Conferences
in
points and the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Toronto Maple Leafs and
Edmonton Oilers and Calgary
Flames have the worst records in the NHL..
Miscellaneous; Brad Keselowski wins the Kobalt 400. Adam Scott wins the WGC-Cadillac
See My MLB and NFL Draft updates and upcoming CBB Top 25 at www.cupofjoeinthed.blogspot.com @cupofjoeinthed
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