We have the Red Wings, with the best regular-season record in hockey, dropping like a wet sack of dung in the first round of playoffs.
We have the Pistons, with the best regular-season record in basketball, about to be dropped like a wet sack of dung in the second round of playoffs.
Ugh.
But hold on! What have we here? The Tigers? The DETROIT Tigers with the best record in baseball? Are we sure these aren’t the Clemson Tigers? No? They’re not?
So these are the Old-English-D-wearing fools who in 2002 only won 55 games, and in 2003 only won 43 games? And they are currently 27-13, in possession of the best road record in the majors, sitting atop the AL Central with who? The World Champion Chicago White Sox?
And these guys currently have a rookie pitcher with an ERA of 3.18 and five wins already under his belt? And did these guys just win their seventh straight game? Which means they just finished up back-to-back sweeps?
I’m just asking for clairification; I still expect them to be mathimatically eliminated from the pennant chase by next Wednesday. Oh, they can do it.
Shut up! Don’t you dare jinx the Motor City Kitties!!!
Now, the Pistons will be fine. They NEED this crap every postseason. If there were a team to finish this job, I’d pick the Pistons. I DO like having the up-and-coming superstar’s team as another one of our new mortal enemies (added to the list of the Nets, Pacers, Heat, Celtics, and Bulls…okay, not so much the Bulls and Celtics these days, but history guides those).
I have faith in the Pistons, dammit.
The Wings will get a new goalie. That’s about as forgone a conclusion as ANY.
My dad and I were extolling the virtues of the Tigers last year. They lost SO many one run games, it wasn’t even funny. Many insiders said the Tigers had as potent an offense as anyone in the AL last year, but because of injuries, it wasn’t as good.
You are talking to the guy that drafted Chris Shelton in ALL four of his leagues in the last round. Yeah, I had a good start. Thanks for noticing.
The Lions. Um. Yeah. God, I wish they’d win. A lot of people are saying they love the new coaching staff, and from what I’ve heard and gathered, I’m digging it much as well. I expect good things out of the Lions the year after this. Mark this on your calendar, people! This is HUGE money at Vegas I’m just giving away to you people for free!!
(if they drop their 7 game streak, I’m coming for your blood)
My first whole intelligible sentence was “The Tigers are winning.” (Or so I’m told.) Don’t follow baseball much any more, but they still have a special place in my heart. Yay!
Bad news for you. The Lions filed a grievance with the union because the new coach was making them work too hard in practice. The coach has lost the players and the players have lost the coach and the season hasn’t even started yet. Least we won’t go into the season with any hope at all.
In the wings defense, it’s been rough going for the top seeds this season. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of teams going for losing streaks at the end of next season. There’s also the issue of goaltending. IMHO, Legace is going Tommy Salo. He’s lost that feeling of infallibility. He’ll get one or two seasons in the NHL before fading out.
The Pistons? I’m not writing them off unless they lose the next game. They’re still more than talented enough to come back and they’ve lost the last two by a mere two points.
To be honest, I hadn’t realized how good the tigers were doing until yesterday. I knew that they were winning, but tops in the league? Damn. I’m not going to take it for granted though. It’s a long season and I’ll be happy with a better record than last season. Anything else is a bonus.
As a Minnesota sports fan, I can explain the Pistons. Flip Saunders sucks. It’s no surprise to anyone who followed his entire tenure with the Timberwolves that he’s going belly up in the playoffs. That’s what he does.
Something wierd is going on in Motown, that’s for sure. How is it possible that the Tigers are kicking ass all over the league while the Wings lose in the first round? Is this a sign of the End Times? Is Rod Serling going to walk into my room and announce that I’ve logged onto the Twilight Zone? Does this mean that there’s hope for the Lions this year?
I always doubted Legace’s viable as a starting goalie, but he did a damn good job during the regular season this year. The Wings first round demise was not to blame on goaltending, however. That was a complete team collaspe, beat by a very good and highly underrated Edmonton team. Regardless, I would not dismiss Legace so quickly; unless Toronto signs him.
I’m not saying that there weren’t more problems with the team, and certainly Edmonton played perfectly. Legace just didn’t make the good saves. He also sounded scared in the press, and it showed in his performance. He was not regular season Manny Legace. His timing was off. He was never really in position. He made simple but glaring mistakes: not bringing his leg in and under when he moved across or not keeping his stick on the ice to help plug the five hole, not getting tight against the post. He just looked bad. To put it flatly, the pressure got to him and I wonder if he can shake this. I can see bringing him back to share the load, but he wants the lions share and that won’t happen in Detroit.
Least Original User Name Ever, I’ve been where you are. I know that feeling of false hope. “The Lions have made changes. Surely they’ll improve.” You’re better off going into the season expecting the usual: winning just enough games to screw themselves out of a great (or at least an obvious) draft pick. The only change that could improve the Lions would be Ford selling the team.
Yeah, I know. I place all the blame squarely on my dad’s shoulders for making me a Lions fan.
I know the feeling of hope…only to have it shat upon twice, boiled in acid, left out in the sun to ferment, then loaded in a catapult and slung on some unsuspecting bystanders.
They can’t suck forever. In this day and age of parity in the NFL, they simply CAN’T suck every year from now to eternity.
I think I’d second getting red of the Fords. Dammit, in my Perfect World, I’m the GM of the Lions. Now I’ve just got to find a way to weasel in there and work my way up.
How about we limit discussion to just the Tigers? At least that’s happy and optimistic (and actually happening right now).
Lol. Some teams just have a talent of turning good players into average ones. Like the Stars with Bill Guerin - anywhere else he scores 40, in Dallas he is lucky to get 20. That said, I’m glad the Wings are done - How about them Oilers?
Do not hope. Detroit did it by spending a little money along with good drafting.
Detroit stopped making really bad trades and signing after the Juan Gone Debacle. The started retaining all those top draft picks they acquired by being bad for so long. The picked up some key free agents to solidify the battery. Maglio, Pudge and Rogers are a huge veteran presence.
Other than Rogers, the team is young. Pudge is the oldest positional player. They have a very solid middle infield with Polanco and Guillen.
If the young pitching can hold up, they are a legit threat for the wild card and at very least a very respectable season.
KC is owned by somebody who is happy to pocket the league money and does not appear to care about winning. The player development has also gone south; my WAG is they have cut corners on the scouting department also.
My knee jerk reaction is “1984”, but I’ll bet it was a lot closer to “1991”.
Fun Fact: Placido Polanco had the fewest strikeouts of any regular positional player last season.