My Sports Recap and Thoughts from the "D" and Beyond..

My weekly review post of Sports and My Thoughts as they pertain to the "D" and Beyond for the week ending Thursday 7.11.19 .  This was a week filled with all sorts of drama and ups and downs. In the "D":    
Lions: Detroit opens up training camp in just 2 weeks on Thursday, July 25, 2019 and the season opener is in 59 days. This will be the second full season for head coach Matt Patricia. The Lions have a brutal September schedule and many questions still loom around the team after a very disappointing 2018 football season. The offense has a new OC in Bevell who is a run firs pass second guy and the team needs to once again be able to score TD's within the red zone and the defense to get off the field on 3rd downs.  Another slow and disastrous start will have fans screaming for someones head.
Red Wings:  The Red Wings summer started out with many draft choices and once again Detroit kept everyone off balance with their selections. Detroit left top scoring players available to load up on defense first in a move that may keep the rebuilding process going another year or two down the road. In free agency the team made some minor moves at best. It could be another long long yea for Red Wing fans. 
Pistons:   The Pistons draft and splash in free agency made many scratch their heads in disbelief. Looks like another possible 7th or 8th seed and an early exit from the playoffs again. 
Tigers:  The Tigers are currently 28-57 and are tied for the 2nd worst record in all of baseball. Injuries to the pitching staff have been on going but it seems all teams go thru this during the season. The Tigers can't seem to hit themselves out of a paper bag and with the trade deadline in less than 3 weeks, look for teams to pursue Boyd, Castellanos, and Greene. Teams will try and fleece Detroit of these players for paltry draft picks.
Spartans: Michigan State football opener is just 50 days away. This is a year that the team can crush all expectations as most have the Spartans going 6-6. the offense which has ranked near the bottom of the league the past few seasons will once again have to rely on a Top 10 defense to win games. The basketball team once again will have Final Four expectations and will rank in the top 3 heading into the season. the Spartans basketball team will be in the Maui Invitational this year to open the season.
Wolverines:  Michigan football opens the season in 51 days and expectations once again are high for HC Harbaugh and the Wolverines.  It is to be seen if the team can rebound from 2 embarrassing blowout losses to end last season.  The Men's Basketball team which lost HC Beilein to the NBA once again will be in the top 5 in the Big Ten this upcoming season.

Sports beyond the "D":
NFL:  The NFL season is just 56 days away. Once again the NFL refused the do the right thing in disciplining players because of who they are and their value to NFL Teams. The NFL and the NFLPA have started talks on a new collective bargaining agreement.

MLB Baseball:  The MLB All star game is over and teams will begin the dog days of summer. the trading deadline is less than 3 weeks away as teams will be buyers and others will be sellers. The league is on pace to smash the all time season home run record by 400 run runs. MLB finally acknowledge that there is something different about the baseballs used this year but say they have nothing to do with it. That is such a stupid answer from MLB that it is laughable. If I am the one purchasing these baseballs I am going to be asking many questions as to why, why, why, why, why!!!

NCAA:  The scandals mill continues to swirl around the NCAA as the fallout from the cheating admissions scandal and alleged claims of impropriety by Nike and Adidas play out in Federal Court, yet the NCAA sits on its thumbs and does nothing as usual.........

NBA and NHL: 
        The NBA has fast become the Players league as it is no longer a team decides where a player will go but the players tell the NBA where they are going. Anthony Davis and Khawi Leonard but dictated to what teams they would play for and which teams they would not.. The Draft was laughable as so many trades took place that the NBA couldn't keep up with who made trades and for whom? Unless the NBA does something different the NBA will soon be a league with a handful of stacked teams and little else.. Thursday was just another example of teams ready to gut their rosters and say they are in an indefinite rebuild as the OKC Thunder traded Russell Westbrook to the Rockets for long term draft picks...
        In the NHL, the draft is over and teams have been trading players to free up cap space and acquire more draft picks... The cap for the upcoming season was lower than projected causing teams lots of tough decisions on average players.
     
PGA:  Matthew Wolff wins the inaugural 3M classic in Minneapolis.

Nascar:  Justin Haley wins Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona Speedway.

Soccer:  The USA Women's soccer team won its 2nd straight Worlds Cup in France


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