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Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive, merely charting the course for the next power play. And the next one after that. If the NCAA doesn't realize that now, it will in the coming days when the governing body's board of directors vote on a proposal that effectively separates the five most powerful conferences from their fiscally smaller Division I conference brethren.
The buzz still lingers four days later, the remnants of what basically amounted to a baseball B12 injection.
Dirks is a classic grinder. It has helped him fight through the frustrations of injury rehab setbacks. He's confident that he can still stamp his name on this season one that the Tigers hope proves indelible.
Baseball's two extra wild card teams have dramatically tipped the trading deadline scales in favor of the seller. It's basic economics the price of premium assets predicated along the whims of supply and demand.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
The truth is the Lions are much closer to another massive rebuilding project than anybody in Allen Park would dare admit openly. It's why the Lions feverishly hope that whatever time wasted over the past four months pretending that Suh and the team could reach a favorable accord won't become a distraction.
San Diego third baseman/outfielder Chase Headley would be a reasonable option, considering he's making $10.5 million in his last year under team control. Hs career .357 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching could prove critical especially in late-inning situations where the Tigers have had difficulty producing runs the last two seasons.
Nobody would blame Texas Rangers' general manager Jon Daniels if every time his cell phone rings and he sees Dave Dombrowski's caller ID on it, his colon constricts a little tighter.
It's the Tigers' health everybody talked about as the second half began. Who thought their sudden inability to survive the seventh inning potentially would become one of those health concerns?
They know they need upgrades. They can't count on outfielder Andy Dirks and reliever Joel Hanrahan contributing as they might have hoped a month ago. But, usually, the bigger long-range issues are those not immediately noticeable. The Tigers need another productive left-handed bat that can better balance a predominantly right-handed batting order.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
This was Dollar Day shopping. While they overpaid for Meeks (three years at just under $20 million), the Pistons brought in venerable small forward Caron Butler and globetrotting point guard DJ Augustin (he is now on his sixth NBA team) for the NBA salary-cap equivalent of a bag of returnable soda cans.
The money is there. The willingness might not be there, though.
Monroe is a popular player. He consistently puts up respectable numbers. He doesn't visibly complain, although he occasionally moped during games last season when he didn't see the ball enough. But it's crazy thinking he's a star simply because he provides strong character to a team apparently lacking internal leadership.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
'We're back to hitting the right groove right now, firing on all cylinders. If that means I have to split time in the field if that's in the best interest to help us win then I'm fine with that. When you get to this point in your career, it becomes a lot easier figuring out what's most important to you. I want to win.'
It was here when the slump, funk, slide, foul stench whatever you wish to call it first took root one month ago. The Tigers lost three straight to Cleveland, the initial stumbles in a 9-20 stretch that not only momentarily knocked the Tigers out of first place but off their physical and psychological stride.
Welcome back, Mr. Verlander. Where were you hiding the past month? The snap was back with his curve. His change-up left Cleveland hitters uncertain and uneasy at the plate.
There's still plenty of time for a recovery. But the Tigers must first accept the honest truth about their current state. If a skunk meandered into their clubhouse right now, he'd run screaming into the night because the smell is that bad.
It was a failed strategy because it focused primarily on saving a big-time football recruit rather than saving a 17-year-old with apparent anger management issues and little respect for authority.
Perhaps the apt parallel for the Tigers' bullpen strategy is the classic proverb of throwing (ahem) against the wall with the promise something inevitably must stick.
It's always easier to feel better about what you see when there are no pads and no hitting.
They insist the talent is there. They've got no choice. They're betting their organizational future that Jim Caldwell's calming, more reassuring approach will accomplish what Schwartz's high-pitched, tightly-wound disposition couldn't.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
When Gores tabbed Van Gundy as his man, he spoke of how he desired a stronger communicative bond between the floor and the front office. But this arrangement can only work if Gores becomes a more silent contributor and not constantly hovering over Van Gundy's shoulder as he did with Dumars.
It's a balancing act, no doubt frustrating to those adamant that winning now supersedes all else. But the Tigers must juggle the necessities of today with the responsibilities of tomorrow.
For the first time, Brad Ausmus resembled a quintessential battle-weary Lions coach Thursday.
Nathan smartly took the bullet for the loss, although the bigger culprit was an offense that needed 18 innings to score its first runs of June. If the Tigers don't address the lack of run production from the No. 5 and No. 6 spots in the order, it won't make one bit of difference about the back end of the bullpen.
This was a personal victory on dual fronts for the iconic racing figure. Not long after accepting congratulations Saturday for his first IndyCar victory in Detroit in more than a decade, Penske hopped into a golf cart and drove around the Belle Isle track compound.
An individual driver is still a teammate.
The can of Dr Pepper on the table absorbed the brunt of A.J. Foyt's frustration.
Lurking deep within the recesses of my chronic indifference for the Lions' franchise, there's a tiny speck of sympathy toward them as the Ndamukong Suh contractual extension melodrama continues. They deserve better. Just a little.
It seems like eons ago, doesn't it? The Tigers finished off a three-game sweep at Boston on national television May 18, pushing their consecutive road winning streak to 11 games and solidifying their hold as the majors best team eight weeks into the regular season.
A strange week for the Tigers turned even more peculiar as their unexpected starting pitching struggles created a rare air of confidence that Rick Porcello could halt the slump, if necessary.
It's not even close now who 'won' the big trade of bad contracts between the Tigers and the Rangers. It should be reward enough that Ian Kinsler is among the league leaders in batting average and runs scored, bringing a tenacity on the base paths severely lacking on preceding Tigers teams.
The Lions arent doing their franchise quarterback any favors with their when in doubt, give him even more developmental approach. They have become the parent so desperate for keeping their teenage kid happy, they buy him a sports car because the sedan somehow wasnt good enough for getting around town.
Gores has run out of scapegoats. If this move doesn't work, the disaster that's been his ownership up to this point would fall squarely on him.
The potential problem with this newest Pistons marriage is that Van Gundy's much surer afoot as a coach. But Van Gundy also is notorious within league executive circles for possessing a grating fingernails-on-a-chalkboard managing style that eventually beats down his players after constant exposure.
Nobody disputes that he knows his basketball. But if this was the best chief executive that the headhunting firm Gores commissioned to engage in a far-reaching personnel search could come up with, it's yet another example of the Pistons being more interested to engage in what's expeditious rather than what's the correct path for a franchise desperately seeking a complete rebuild.
Put him in the bullpen once Anibal Sanchez returns from the disabled list. Although a sound argument can be made for getting Ray as many regular innings as possible in the minor leagues, the Tigers need to surround themselves with as many valuable arms as possible, in whatever capacity.
This is how the Lions roll. Every attempt at convincing everyone that they got it right in the draft is met with historical evidence that they likely failed, once again offering that tug-of-war between hope and truth. They traded up in the second round Friday, landing Brigham Young outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy. He might be a good player. Who knows?
Logic suggests considering the overall depth of the wide receiving talent available in this draft that anything the Lions get from Ebron in the next couple seasons won't be better than any No. 3 receiver they could have selected in the second or third round.
Drew Sharp gives his thoughts on what to watch for before the Lions are on the clock in the 2014 NFL draft.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this afternoon.
A good start never guarantees a good career, but Ray rightfully earned himself a further look. Once Anibal Sanchez returns from the disabled list with his swollen finger, perhaps Ray could even replace the erratic Phil Coke as the second left-handed bullpen option. He gives the Tigers more options, which is all anyone can ask as the season progresses.
They're suckers if they buy into the overall national narrative that the NBA's decisive stance against Sterling was instantly one of those watershed moments that could forever change the landscape of professional sports.
Signing still-recuperating free-agent reliever Joel Hanrahan makes good sense even though the Tigers might need a minimum six weeks before getting their first major league look at their newest late-inning investment.
But Babcock would be crazy to sign a new deal with the Red Wings now because, like everybody else, he can't be sure what direction the Wings are headed following another abbreviated playoff spring. It's basically a message to general manager Ken Holland: Show me what you've got this summer.
Hammering Sterling only becomes a real victory if this results in a concerted effort to racially diversify the ownership ranks. Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Bobcats is the only African-American majority owner in the NBA today. If the league really is ticked off, channel that outrage into specifically stating that the league's top priority from this day forward is selling the next available NBA franchise to an ownership group with significant black financial investment.
But even though the Mule has turned goat in many eyes, dumping Johan Franzen would create more questions than answers for the Red Wings.
The margin for error tightened as time worked against the Wings Saturday.
It's time for a dose of reality. By all means, congratulate the Wings for doing just enough to extend the longest current consecutive playoff streak in professional sports. But the days of thinking that the Wings should be a guaranteed Cup contender strictly based on their history are done.
The Michigan center knew the rules. He willingly broke them when he admittedly smoked marijuana following the Wolverines' regular season. Those hellbent on fervently swinging a stick at the NCAA's inconsistencies and hypocrisies will anoint McGary's circumstance as yet another reason for gutting the NCAA model in favor something in touch with reality. But that's giving McGary a free pass.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
Try as they could in diminishing the residual effects of Suh blowing off the opening day of the voluntary three-day minicamp Tuesday, it was inescapable that Suh is making the organization look foolish with his blatant lack of regard of a new coach attempting again to instill a new, winning culture.
'You can't blame anybody for not being happy with how we played,' said Niklas Kronwall. 'We're not happy ourselves with how we started the game. They have an expectation for us. And we have an expectation for ourselves. They deserved better. They definitely deserved better from me.'
The Wings must remember that playoff toughness as much a measure of mental strength as muscular force. the young Wings must appreciate that the best retaliation against a bully isn't beating them at what they do best.
My first Free Press beat was covering the Bad Boys during their first NBA championship season in 1989.
A young season often hides blemishes. Concealment attracts contentment. If you can't see it, why worry about it? And you fool yourself into believing that a problem doesn't exist. That's why the Tigers are fortunate that they've only scored a total of six runs in their five losses.
As divorces go, this is the equivalent of a father getting visitation rights but having no direct input in his children's lives.
They're the Lions. Nothing else needs to be said, does it? It's exhausting that this remains the standard response after lo these many years.
Give 18-year-olds freshly removed from high school the opportunity to earn a professional salary for a year in either the NBA Developmental League or in one of the European professional leagues before they're eligible for the draft. But if they sign a collegiate letter of intent, they aren't eligible for early departure until the completion of their sophomore season.
Welcome to today's live chat with longtime Free Press sports columnist Drew Sharp. The Great Boodini will answer your questions beginning at 11 a.m.
Replay is intended as a corrective measure, an immediate remedy. But it will become part of managerial strategy, which was never its intent. And the bigger game decisions could come from Martin, somebody that nobody sees.
The excuses are tiring, but they've become standard operating procedure at Michigan. Brady Hoke is starting his fourth year, yet he's still complaining that too many of his players require training wheels.
Can Wisconsin spare the Big Ten additional national embarrassment?
There was a problem with his release point. Scherzer wasn't comfortable wearing shirtsleeves under his jersey. His mind wandered. He was too relaxed. 'It wasn't a mechanical problem,' Scherzer said. 'It was all between my ears.'
Gonzalez's value to any potential championship effort this season is strictly as another veteran that can stabilize the clubhouse and make incremental contributions on the field. The Tigers should stop fooling around and ink Drew to a one-year contract, likely worth a minimum of $14 million even if that means capitulating once again to uber-agent Scott Boras.
Denzel Valentine thought 'bizarre' aptly described the end to Michigan State's run to a seventh Final Four in the last 17 years. The Spartans couldn't execute the basics. There's no avoiding the truth. MSU bungled this one away.
The easy decision would have been finding the nearest exit.
Coaches are like parents in many respects. They assure their kids that through their nurturing travails and tears, there is a virtuous long range plan if they're only patient and trust in such resilience.
Exhaustion matched excitement. As ecstatic as Keith Appling was surviving to see another game in the NCAA tournament, the senior Michigan State point guard was even happier taking a seat in the locker room, grabbing a cold bottle of water and taking a thankful sigh of relief.
Instead of worrying whether Michigan State coach Tom Izzo could be lured to the pros, perhaps it's time the discussion shifts as to why college basketball's current climate could push Izzo closer to the NBA if the circumstances were right.
Although there's no tangible value to it, Detroit got a nice spiritual victory with Cabrera's extension. Let those elsewhere cry and whine about how irresponsible the Tigers were in establishing a new salary benchmark for the game's very best. But I'm sure they would've happily culled together a similar deal for Cabrera, if that opportunity were available.
'He really wants us to have the control and the responsibility and we wind up demanding more accountability from each other,' sophomore Denzel Valentine said. 'The best huddles during time-outs are when the guys are calling out each other and Coach is just sitting there not saying a word.'
There are no big stars on the Cavaliers. They just play hard and work well together, adopting a personality that befits a team that doesn't get the proper respect it's rightfully earned despite an ACC regular-season and tournament championship. They enjoy the role of underdog. Love that chip on the shoulder.
The pedestrian masses hail the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions as heroes because both franchises appealed to the lowest common denominator in sports. They wrongly portrayed Max Scherzer and Nick Fairley, respectively, as the villains.
There's a common pose for Michigan State players lately, reminiscent of that classic Sports Illustrated cover with an incredulous Pistons Bad Boy Bill Laimbeer facially contorting 'What? Me? Foul?'
Benched with his fourth foul, Keith Appling was powerless as Harvard inched closer to making this March even more maddening. 'At first, I got scared,' said the Michigan State senior. 'I only have one foul left and they've got the momentum. It makes you start thinking that it could be all over.' But then Appling realized that fear is the enemy of execution.
It is only through darkness that restorative light emerges.
And this is why they call it Madness.
There's no room for the timid or tepid when the consequences for defeat turn dire. That's particularly true when some project you at the top of the NCAA tournament food chain.
Vice President Joe Biden attended Delaware, but his boss, the commander-in-chief, selected Michigan State as his choice for national champion. The Blue Hens and Spartans tangle Thursday.
Michigan State's Adreian Payne never climbed higher or stood taller than when he raised the hopes and spirits of a little girl relentlessly battling a disease relentless in its physical destruction.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this afternoon.
The seed of this rebirth was planted in the aftermath of the Spartans' crushing first loss to Michigan at the Breslin Center this season. Just three days earlier, they lost Branden Dawson to a broken hand and were still without Adreian Payne due to a foot injury. But Izzo saw something positive in defeat that he professed would help the Spartans later. But few bothered to listen.
'I guess you could use the word 'payback' because I think we wanted to prove something to them,' said Appling. 'It sounded like we were making excuses talking about the injuries we had all through the year with different guys going down. But we still believed that we could be a very good team especially when we got him back.'
'I'm a better player now because of everything that I went through,' Dawson said following the Spartans' thorough annihilation of top-seeded Michigan in the tournament championship game. 'But more important, I know I'm already a better person.'
But Sunday is nonetheless a celebratory occasion for basketball in this state. Two passionate fan bases that often can't agree on anything can't help but concur that both the Spartans and Wolverines are playing their best basketball at the best time possible.
'This definitely had more of a NCAA tournament feel to it than some of the other games because it did get very physical,' said senior center Jordan Morgan. 'We had to fight hard for it. For the second straight game, we lost a big lead. But this is what the tournament's going to be like so we had better get used to games like these.'
It's taken 17 years, but Michigan State and Michigan will finally face each other in the Big Ten tournament. They'll play for the tournament championship. There will be the customary pride and bragging rights. But the top-seeded Wolverines are also playing for an outside chance at getting a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed. The Spartans are playing for restoration.
'It's only when you're at your lowest that you learn what it takes to try and take your game to a higher level,' said Dawson in the aftermath of probably his finest game in three years at Michigan State. If he plays aggressively on both ends of the floor, the Spartans become a dangerous team.
When the Wolverines struggle from the perimeter (10 of 30 from three-point land), they're in trouble because of their woeful interior defense. If a bad team such as Illinois can so freely expose the Wolverines' interior defense, what happens when Michigan actually faces good teams with more physical big men in the NCAA tournament?
Big Ten basketball reminds me of the Tigers. There's plenty of pomp with three straight divisional championships and three straight American League Championship Series appearances. But you can only live so long on hype and potential. You must get it done and win it all or write a legacy of chronic pretending.
It's the son's show now. Bill Ford Jr. might not have the formal title of Lions owner, but he will have the responsibility of building the winning franchise that his father so desperately wanted the last half-century.
Might there be room for another retired number in the rafters in another month? How about No. 22? The Wings have the fifth-longest consecutive Stanley Cup playoff streak in NHL history with 22 straight appearances, a roll that started the season before Lidstrom's rookie year. But as Detroit officially and fondly said farewell and thanks to Lidstrom, it wasn't without a touch of melancholy
If Gores is interested in making a change at the top, he's better served casting a wide net that includes many assistant general managers whom the general public has probably never heard of but might possess the right plan for taking the Pistons down the right path.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
That rustling emanating from Auburn Hills as Thursday's 3 p.m. trading deadline passed was the flapping of the proverbial lame duck.
It's outrageous that the NHL is entertaining not participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Bettman addressed the issue Tuesday in Sochi, saying that he expects a final decision within the next six months. But why is there any debate?
The Lions blew it last summer, unnecessarily gambling and extending Stafford's contract when they should have waited another year. Make him keep proving himself. Keep that carrot on the stick ahead of him. The Lions have made popularity the end game. Not winning.
Neither Michigan State nor Michigan awakened from an early slumber, opting to hit snooze, roll over and go back asleep. When both finally open their eyes, they will realize that all the hysteria and hyperbole over the state hosting the Big Ten's two best teams this Sunday is nothing more than a mirage.
It's not the 17-year-olds I worry about. It's the 47-year-olds and the 57-year-olds. It's the alleged adults entrusted with the mature, reasoned deliberation afforded through time and trial that have greatly contributed to sports' ills.
Dombrowski's legacy as Tigers president and general manager is much more than three American League Championship Series appearances in the past three years and squeezing a big market payroll out of middle-market revenues. He successfully has cultivated a negotiation environment that empowers the team and the player.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
If Gores remains generally pleased with the talent Dumars assembled, he made it virtually impossible to make any meaningful deals before the Feb. 20 deadline. And if Gores wasn't pleased with the personnel, he should have severed ties with Dumars along with Cheeks. But that would have served as a self-indictment, since Dumars merely executed the mandate from ownership to spend the money needed to get the team back to the playoffs.
Joe Dumars helped create this poisonous culture. Instead of elevating assistant coach John Loyer to interim head coach, owner Tom Gores should have put Dumars on the bench for the remainder of the season.
There was no definitive time frame in Joe Lombardi's early childhood when he first realized the profound impact his grandfather had on professional football.
Now is when college basketball gets a little more interesting. It's a little clearer seeing March when you've approached the midway marker of the conference season. It's a little easier for coaches to determine whom they can most trust when the stakes and consequences elevate in equal proportion. Michigan State remains the most dangerous team in the country if it can keep everybody healthy.
'Everyone's got an opinion,' Hoke said. 'Whether you're here or not, you're going to write what you think. It doesn't matter. My point is that stuff doesn't matter. If you're going to worry about that then you're going to do a poor job coaching a football team.'
The Lions are the antithesis of the Seahawks. They're fiscal slaves to their few stars, still paying for their competitive sins when they had top two overall picks in three out of four drafts. They rely far too much on free agency defensively because of their inability in identifying and developing middle- and low-round draft picks.
Michigan's hiding behind a federal shield law that arguably wasn't intended to protect students who are expelled because of allegations of sexual misconduct. It's hiding behind a misguided perception that there is no distinction between constitutional rights and personal privileges. It's hiding behind an apparent head-scratching diversion attempt by the head coach that's quickly crumbling as more facts materialize. It begs the question. What are you hiding, Michigan? It's time for answers.
There's nothing wrong with members of the Northwestern football program seeking union certification. But don't insult those who truly understand what actual exploitation is.
It's not surprising the Pistons are again a dysfunctional mess with disjointed pieces that can't properly mesh until other roster moves are made. There's no shortage of blame for yet another season falling into irrelevance. And Tom Gores shouldn't escape criticism.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
It's not too crazy that the Spartans and Wolverines could make the Final Four this spring if the final six weeks of the regular season validates them as the premier teams in the Big Ten, arguably the deepest basketball conference in the land again.
Rarely is there value without victory, but Tom Izzo was surprisingly upbeat following a loss he described as 'crushing.' He found solace in the unearthing of some toughness in certain players he previously openly wondered existed. He was very emotional in the locker room afterward, dueling between anger over losing his in-state rival and pride at how his players nearly overcame their personnel disadvantages.
It's too early for panic with the Wings currently fighting for one of the two conference wild-card playoff berths in the new league realignment. But it isn't too soon for genuine concern because their absurd rash of injuries doesn't fully explain the unevenness of effort and execution.
Appling knows now that there's no sin in being a senior. He'll be a second-round pick. But Appling will be better prepared for the even more important second NBA contract because of the peaks and valleys he fought through in four years under the demanding Izzo.
The ugliness unleashed at the Palace on Friday night no doubt will serve as Exhibit A or maybe even B or C as to the Burkeophiles as to why Joe Dumars should have drafted Michigan star Trey Burke last summer.
The Ford Motor Company CEO who successfully navigated the automaker out of the fiscal abyss was the last successful big-time hire the family endorsed. If you listen exclusively to the agonized wails of Lions fans everywhere, it might be the family's only successful hire.
Nobody's asking for much. Just win a playoff game for only the second time in the last 57 years. Just develop a Pro Bowl quarterback. Just make everyone in this football-crazed, championship-starved city think that the Lions might finally have stumbled upon the correct head coaching mix of discipline, design and demeanor. Caldwell gets two years to get it done.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
It's yet another slap at the Lions' organization that despite the enticing lure of the best wide receiver in the game and a rocket-armed yet mechanically flawed young quarterback, Whisenhunt sought coaching comfort elsewhere with a far less talented team.
Michigan has become college football's Dallas Cowboys, competitively dominant only in fond memory but nonetheless one of the strongest marketing brands ever created in sports. And Dave Brandon has become Jerry Jones, the shrewd businessman with the impeccable timing, unafraid of reminding everyone about who's running the show and unwilling to walk away from the bright glare of the spotlight.
This dog-and-pony show was all about Michigan football generating any buzz possible, a feeble attempt at diverting fascination away from Michigan State football which has consumed much of the oxygen in this state with its steady progression over the last five years and accomplishing something in 2013 that Michigan never had a 13-win season.
And there are occasions when adversity only creates more adversity. Keith Appling and Adreian Payne had no choice but to fight through the physical discomfort because Brandon Dawson and Denzel Valentine threw away a great opportunity to step up and star on the national stage.
I still can't understand why the 1984 Tigers remain the most disrespected World Series champion among the Hall of Fame electorate. Jack Morris doesn't possess the bevy of individual accolades that dazzle the statistically inclined. But the man wanted the ball in the big games and never gave it back.
The Spartans look ready for the radical changes awaiting college football this year. The computers are gone, replaced by a selection committee that makes the process even more political and perception-driven. Mark Dantonio has successfully cultivated a new image nobody's little sibling any longer with a program prepared to take its destiny by force, if necessary.
Shaw is credited for developing quarterback Andrew Luck as the Cardinal's offensive coordinator for Luck's first three years there. Many NFL personnel executives believed that Luck was the most technically proficient college quarterback to enter the draft in recent memory when Indianapolis selected him No. 1 overall in 2012.
The motto for Michigan State following its first Rose Bowl in a generation is 'What's Next?' It's the about the next challenge, the next test. How much further can they go
They're not in anybody's shadow any longer after winning the Rose Bowl. Their 24-20 victory over fifth-ranked Stanford not only gave the fourth-ranked Spartans a 10-game winning streak, but it gave them 13 victories overall. They could finish as highly ranked as second in the final national polls.
Beneath the self-assured exterior remains a glint of disbelief. Connor Cook sounds shocked that he's in this position. 'I honestly didn't see this coming,' the Michigan State quarterback said. Nobody did.
Michigan State's a good team, the best of a wretchedly bad conference. But Stanford's the best team not playing for the national championship.
Hey, fans! Sports columnist Drew Sharp was here at 11 a.m. to answer your questions on all things Detroit/Michigan sports.
The Lions' opening should be the most attractive one available. They've got a fundamentally flawed, yet still extraordinarily talented quarterback. They've got the best wide receiver in the game. They've got a search-and-destroy defensive tackle tandem requiring more discipline. They've never had a better opportunity for getting it right finally.
He will survive the anticipated coaching purge even though his dreadful performance over the last seven games steadily inched Jim Schwartz down the plank. That survival comes because of fiscal necessity the Lions signed him to a $76.5-million extension last summer but also the belief that his still impressively raw talent can be refined into a top-10 NFL quarterback.
Lions coach Jim Schwartz tried making an argument for a sixth year following a 14-13 loss to Minnesota, but he sounded like the chicken thief protesting his innocence while brushing away feathers.
The old goalie was in a defensive crouch, but this time Ken Holland wasn't fighting off pucks fired from the perimeter. Rather, it was queries about the current state of the Wings. It's not often that Holland must defend his decisions. But as the Wings struggle to stay healthy and gain some traction, every move made merits deeper cross-examination.
Mediocrity is rewarded more in Detroit than in any other NFL city. Just enough usually is good enough, the gray present still brighter than the dark, desolate past.
Drew answered your questions about all things Detroit sports for an hour this morning.
The Lions have lost eight straight games in December and January. The heat will certainly fall on head coach Jim Schwartz. But Matthew Stafford shouldn't be absolved from accountability.
NFL law demands that somebody claim this year's NFC North championship, although it's too bad commissioner Roger Goodell couldn't place the title in escrow.
It's Jim Schwartz and Schwartz alone feverishly bailing water, desperately keeping afloat a playoff destiny that should have already been assured by now. The Lions' problem isn't a lack of talent, but rather a lack of direction.
There are fewer home runs in the Detroit Tigers regular lineup as it looks right now, forcing them to find other run-scoring alternatives. But GM Dave Dombrowski isnt fully abandoning the long ball. But if the Tigers become as much of a doubles team through the moves already made and potentially still to come as they are a home run team, it makes them a more dangerous playoff team.
The moment that was initially a dream for Mark Dantonio and then a painstaking seven-year process became a reality Sunday night.
I only bumped the Big Ten champs up to No. 9 on my recent Associated Press ballot because the Big Ten title game confirmed the season-long doubts I had about both the Spartans and Ohio State. Both are good, solid teams. But their respective strengths only looked dominant relative to the overall weakness of their conference mates.
The Michigan State Spartans' players and coaches danced once more following a victory 34-24 over second-ranked and unbeaten Ohio State. But this time, they also danced for those denied the glory of a Rose Bowl the last 25 seasons.
Ohio State is the only Big Ten program that even remotely qualifies as nationally elite. But Michigan State's pushing itself into the discussion regarding the conference's second tier with Wisconsin. Three 11-win seasons in four years, the possibility of a top-10 finish in the final polls as well as a 2014 pre-season top 10 ranking are all telling indicators of a program gaining momentum.
The SEC remains the strongest football conference in the country. It remains the most challenging test of a good team's resolve and resiliency over a grueling three-month stretch. It's why a one-loss SEC champion especially if it's Auburn should jump an unbeaten Ohio State and play for the conference's eighth consecutive BCS championship.
Contact Free Press sports columnist Drew Sharp at 313-223-4055 or dsharp@freepress.com.Dearborn Homecoming 2014
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