pistons on a role

The Pistons have won 11 of their last 12, there finally getting back to that championchp team. The pistons look like there ready for the repeat everyone on the team is gelling and playing great as a team. Which one them the championchip last year. The pistons are the hottest team right now and I think not making any deals at the trade deadline was a smart move. New Orealeans is giving there team away for more cap room so they can make offseason moves. You should expect a star player or a couple of good players to lead there team next year, and they are going to get a great draft pick. They have there eye on hakim warrick of syracuse who is a great player. The pistons have competition in the east this year with miami, clevland and now the sixers aquiring chris webber and jamal mashburn, but I think the Pistons will take the #2 seed and will face shaq and d wade in the conference finals and stop shaq again by taking the eastern cofference title and going into the finals the west is unknown with great teams like the spurs, suns, mavs, and even ther kings. It's going to be an exciting playoff run and the pistons need to play the way there playing now and they'l be fine.

IU gets back on track

After getting blown out last week by #1 ranked Illinois, IU had another tough task yesterday against Minnessota, learning before the game, star guard Bracey Wright couldn't play on his ankle. The home crowd proppelled IU's offense, and their defense was solid as usual. The offense never cooled off, and the Hoosiers won 71-56. led by Pat Ewing J.r, and A.J Ratliff both with 15 points. The win against Minnessota puts the Hoosiers in 4th place in the Big ten. This win is huge for IU's chances of making the NCAA tourney, a loss would've ment possibly having to win out.
The Hoosiers next task is at Ohio state on Tuesday.

Ordonez to the Tigers

After losing out on almost every free agent they pursued ,they finally signed one. Magglio Ordonez is set to sign a 5 year 75 million dollar deal. Thats a lot for a 31 year old with bad knees, but there should be some sort of injury clause. According to Tigers Central.com, Tigers officials should announce this on Monday, or Tuesday. Also according to Tigers Central, the Tigers have to make room on there 40 man roster, so you could see either Thames or Logan sent to Toledo. This deal will make the Tigers an instant contender in the weak AL central.

Pistons go for Repeat

The Detroit Pistons are looking for a good bench by getting Carlos Arroyo, a guard acquired from the Utah Jazz for Elden Campbell and a first round draft pick. Arroyo made his debut against Chicago last Saturday. playing 17 minutes, Arroyo had 5 point and 5 assists including a beautiful no look feed to Mcdyess. however Lindsey hunter took a big hit in playing time playing only 7 minutes. Darko Milicic is wanting a trade out of Detroit where he thinks he'll get more playing time. news flash darko YOU SUCK you wouldn't get much playing time anywhere, and complaining is just going to make you have less in Detroit. Darko got mad after the Arroyo trade because he thought it would minimize his playing time. Elden Campbell's gone after the trade a couple weeks after dropping Derrick Coleman. does he not realize he might get a decent amount because of the trade. The pistons trade to get arroyo was a smart trade because he can play, and he proved that in the Olympics by almost single handedly beating USA, with all the great players on the USA team, arroyo by far the best on Puerto Rico beats USA obviously he can play ball. the pistons trade to get Arroyo is what a championship team would do, i think there ready for a repeat.

Sports Chat

Alex and Tamaz discuss sports news

Tamazzi: First topic, where is the Pistons bench?
Tamazzi: they lost Smush and Coleman
Alexscharg: Yeah Dropping Smush was a mistake but dropping Coleman was a good move. I have a source that told me that Pistons were trying to make a deal trading Smush for Frank Williams which would've been a good deal but it didn't work out.
Alexscharg: As for Derrick Coleman, I think this was a good deal due to the fact that Coleman hasn't been playing because of recent injuries. I would've liked to see the pistons trade him but this also was a good move.
Tamazzi: Frank Williamsis versatile except he cannot hit a jump shot.
Alexscharg: What about the NHL lockout?
Tamazzi: both sides, the owners and players are being way to stubborn.The players are sending fans the wrong message by not accepting a deas which would resume the season.
Tamazzi: On the other hand if the cap is made teams like the Red Wings won't be as good
Tamazzi: someone get it done
Alexscharg: I agree with you totally. I don't think the players should be keeping this away. WOuld you rather play hockey? Or argue and try to get more money and not play hockey.

Pistons starting lineup mid-season grades

Last year, the pistons won the NBA championship. This year they aren't doing so well as they did last year, probaly because they don't have the same momentum and they think since they are champs and all, They don't have to wory about going to work every night.

Chauncey Billups: Chauncey is a very good player but it's about time that Larry Brown should realize that the pistons win more games when Chauncey Billups shoots more. He shouldn't be running the point guard, he should be playing shooting guard. Larry Brown doesn't want him shooting that much which is bad because I don't think Larry should try making Chauncey into something that he is not. For this year at least, Chauncey has been distributing the ball well. He has been finding the open man and taking clutch shots when he has to. However, when the pistons are loosing big and they are under pressure, Chauncey Billups takes shots that he shouldn't be taking. Overall grade:B+

Richard Hamilton: Rip is having an amazing year so far. His shot has improved ever since he had the nose surgery. I think Richard Hamilton should dish it off to Chauncey a little bit more but I still think that it is ok for Richard Hamilton to keep shooting, even when he is cold. Rip has been finding the wallaces in the post this year and the wallaces combine for over 20 points a game when the guards get assists to the post. Rip is coming to be a dangerous threat in the NBA because of the screens that he gets and he shoots the jumper. I think if Rip still has his shot in the future, he might go to the all-star game for once. Overall grade:A

Tayshaun Prince: Tayshaun Prince is a player who can dunk very well. (which he does alot!) However, I would like to see Tayshaun take some more shots here and there because the way I'm seing it, he is a good shooter who can make his shots. I know I havn't been to any practices, but he has been making his shots when I see him shoot. He is 41.3% from beyond the arc this year, which is nearly 15% better than last year. Mabye I'm wrong for some reason and Tayshaun gets lucky when he shoots but to me, he is a good, confident, shooter. Tayshaun should shoot more instead of dishing it off and being quiet. If Tayshaun takes the jays more, he might be a piston threat. Overall grade:A-

Rasheed Wallace: Sheed might be a good defensive player but no offense, I have never seen someone who misses so many shots in my life. I know he hits the clutch shots but the regular shots when he is open that are in the paint or a short jumper, the ball can't fall for him. If I were the manager right now, I would see if Rasheed plays well in the next year or two. If he doesn't play good, I would like to see them trade Sheed for a good, decent player that is Rasheeds level like Pau Gassol, or Amare Staudomire. If we can't get a good trade or we can't work something out with Sheed, I say we let him go. I'd even put McDyess in for Sheed right now the way he's playing. When McDyess comes off the bench, he averages 8.4 points a game but when he starts, he averages 15.6 points per game. Rasheed better step up in the second half of the season if Detroit even has a chance of making it to the Finals. Overall grade:C+

Ben Wallace: Ben Wallace is improving year by year. He is becoming an offensive player along with a defensive player which helps the pistons due to the fact that they can't get the offensive post game flowing. Ben Wallace hasn't shown as much defensivley as he did last year, but he sure does hustle to get back the court and make a defensive stop. However, Ben Wallace should get a little bit more practice untill he shoots to many shots. He is taking way to many shots than he shoulds be taking. I think Ben could help the pistons in long run this year going into the playoffs and he deserves some credit. Overall grade:B+

The pistons need to start winning some games or do something. Mabye they some new strategy's such as double teaming the big men down low such as a powerful man like Shaq. The pistons need their big men to step up offensivley along with big plays defensivley and their guards need to keep playing the way they are playing now if the pistons have a chance of going to the finals.

Lions Leave 2004 with Losing

To Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher, giving his battered defense a chance to clinch the Titans' victory was only fair.

He declined a holding penalty that forced Detroit to fourth-and-3, and safety Donnie Nickey knocked down a pass intended for Roy Williams to preserve the Titans' 24-19 victory over the Lions on Sunday. Tennessee snapped its five-game losing streak.

The Lions trailed 24-13 after a 40-yard field goal by Gary Anderson, but nearly rallied after Detroit end James Hall knocked Billy Volek out of the game with a separated right shoulder.

Detroit pulled to 24-19 following a 17-yard TD pass from Joey Harrington to Williams with 4:06 left. Tennessee challenged the call, but the referee upheld the score, saying the ball came out after Williams crossed the goal line.

The Lions got the ball back and drove to the Tennessee 16. But Nickey broke up a pass intended for Williams with 45 seconds left to preserve the victory and improve the Titans to 2-6 at home.

Jason Hanson had a chance to redeem a missed field goal on fourth-and-3 when Titans lineman Kevin Carter was flagged for being offside. Hanson then converted a 26-yarder four plays later, making it 7-3. Harrington put Detroit up 10-7 with a 21-yard touchdown toss to Cory Schlesinger at the end of a 75-play drive in the second.

Final Score of the game-Titans 24, Lions 19

The Lions are not going to the Super Bowl this time because of their final record, 6 -10. The Lions have the tenth pick in this year's draft.

Michigan chokes in Rose Bowl

Vince Young, Vince Young, and more Vince Young. The wolverines had a dissapointing loss to Texas in the Rose Bowl game. The wolverines offense played very well. Michigans defense however was dominated by Vince Young, Vince Young, and of course Vince Young. Vince is a overated quaterback who just has plenty of speed. The reason Michigan could not stop him is because of the bad tackling especially by the defensive line. I know that a lot of defense and offensive guys didn't play but that is no excuse for bad tackling. In 3 of Vince Young's touchdown runs, the Wolverines layed a hand on Vince Young 2 times or more on each of his touchdown runs. I really don't understand why Michigan could contain Cedric Benson. For michigan's offense, the wolverines did a good job containing the strong texas defense of line with the exception of 3 of their offensive linemen including one of their best blockers Adam Stenavich. Next year, the Michigan wolverines still might be a threat with their offense guns and their good secondary and linebackers. Most of the defense isn't going to the draft so Michigan's defense could improve.

IU ends losing streak!

After losing on a half court buzzer beater shot, the Indiana Hoosiers needed a win, and they got one against in state rival Ball State. IU's style of play changed from forcing three's, too driving toward the basket and either making a lay up, or going to the line. Bracey Wright led the way with 29 points.

If IU wins there next three games, they will be an even 6-6 heading into the big ten season.

Tigers, an unlucky off season

The Tigers came into this off-season in the hunt for almost all of the big name free agents, Pavano, Rentiera etc. After the first Tiger signee Troy Percival, everything looked promising. Until the winter meetings, when the "big market" teams got involved [yankees, Red sox]. The Yankees stole Pavano, and the Red Sox stole Rentiera. Another rumored player to come to Detroit was Adrian Beltre. Beltre chose Seatle over Detroit, and afterwards dave Dombrowski denied offering him a contract. Basically every big time player has signed, or agreed.

Not every big name free agent has agreed to a deal, however. If the Tigers want a succesful off-season they would need to sign J.D drew, and Derek Lowe. Those two moves would not be hard to make. Illitch, Dombrowski send fans a holiday gift.

Lions Lose Another!

There are still two sure things in Green Bay: Ryan Longwell inside 40 yards and Brett Favre beating the Detroit Lions at home.

The Packers only led for 2 seconds Sunday, but that was enough to keep their stranglehold over the Lions, who haven't won in Wisconsin since 1991, the year before Favre's arrival. The Lions made us to think they were going to pull this game off and hit us with a win, only to lose at the end.

The Packers had a terrible first half. Favre entered the game needing 28 yards to tie Dan Marino's NFL record of 13 consecutive 3,000-yard seasons, and he had exactly that amount at halftime.

Hanson added a 36-yard field goal into the wind for a 13-0 halftime lead. Favre then drove the Packers downfield against the wind, capping the drive with a 23-yard touchdown toss to Donald Driver that made it 13-10 late in the third quarter.

Detroit plays Minnesota on Sunday.

Winter Meetings

The Tigers came into the 2004 Winter Meetings in Anaheim, California targeting Carl Pavano, and just days before the meetings the Tigers were aggresively pursuing Troy Glaus, and Jeff Kent. Today, the Tigers find themselves losing out on all three of the players I just mentioned, I expected us to sign Glaus becuase Percival and Glaus were teamates and great freinds in Anaheim for years. Now, the Tigers focus in on three new players. Derek Lowe, Corey Koskie and J.D Drew. Reportedly the Tigers offered Drew 4 year 38 million dollar deal. Coskie was offered a three year deal but money is uncertain and Derek Lowe was offered a 3 year deal with, but money per year was un determined. Another possible aquisition is Adrian Beltre, hot off of a 48 homerun season last year with the Dodgers.

Indiana lost its 4th game in a row last afternoon against arch rival Kentucky. Bracey Wright led all scoring with 31 points, but not one other player for IU got into double digits. They have 8 days off until they battle Missouri.

Lions Finally WIN!

Kevin Jones did not smile when told he accomplished something Barry Sanders didn't as a Detroit Lions rookie.

Jones ran for 196 yards and a touchdown to lead Detroit over the Arizona Cardinals 26-12 Sunday, ending the Lions' five-game losing streak and keeping their playoff hopes alive in the NFC.

Jones fell 1 yard short of Mel Farr's rookie rushing record for the Lions - set in 1967 - but surpassed Sanders' best day as a rookie in 1989 by 12 yards.

Jones, who had a season-high 26 carries, put together Detroit's best game on the ground since Sanders' 216-yard rushing game in 1997. His highlight against Arizona was a 74-yard run, a record for a Detroit rookie and the team's longest since Sanders had an 80-yard run in 1997.

Lions go on to win!! Lions 26, Cardinals 12

Indiana loses two tough games

There were questions about how good IU was before playing UNC last wednesday, well everybody should know how good they are now. IU stayed close with UNC the whole game, most people said IU would get blown out, well they were wrong. Indiana's intensity beat North Carolina but UNC's talent pushed them for the win.

yesterday IU took on Uconn. This game was supposed to be like the UNC game, a blow out. Again most people were wrong, and IU actually had a 13 point lead at one point. But IU started playing sloppy, and turning the ball over. The youthness of IU put them away, Uconn won by 5. One bright spot about the Uconn game is Bracey Wright scored 28 points.

Lions Turn Into Turkeys

Peyton Manning barks and gestures at the line of scrimmage, adjusting to defenses and changing play calls.

It might seem like chaos, but he's in complete control. Blitzing linebackers or disguised coverages don't faze him. Manning truly seems flustered only when he's far from the field, standing in a locker room to talk about his remarkable performances.

In his latest brilliant display, Manning threw for six touchdowns in less than three quarters and raised his season total to 41 TD passes, leading the Indianapolis Colts past the Detroit Lions 41-9 Thursday.

He set an NFL record with at least four TD passes in a fifth straight game - and he did it by halftime. Dan Marino had a four-game streak with at least four TDs in 1984, when he also set a league mark with 48 TD passes in a season.

The Lions tried that at times, but they were no match for Manning's quick release and sound decision-making.

Kevin Jones ran for 99 yards on 12 carries for the Lions, who fell to 33-30-2 in their traditional Thanksgiving Day home games. The Colts handed Detroit its most lopsided loss on the holiday.

Indiana basketball underway

The season opener against Indiana State was alot closer then expected. Indiana state has been alot tougher to beat over the last couple of years, this annual game was suppose to be a blow out in favor of IU. With a great recruiting class coming in this year, IU was bound for 20 point win at home against Indiana state. But with about 2 minutes left the game was tied. Lucky for IU Marshall Strickland found a way to score and give Indiana the lead. They would hold on and win 56-52.

Bracey wright gets player of the game with 20 points and nice shooting. Errek Suhr also played a great game.

Tigers sign Troy Percival!

Yesterday the Detroit Tigers finalized a two year, 12 million dollar deal with relief pitcher Troy Percival. I thought it was still kind of early for a big signing like this, but I guess Troy saw something he really liked in Detroit.

Troy Percival is good friends with Troy Glaus, they played together on the Angels for some years. This means more then just getting Percival, it hopefully means more signings to come.

Lions Lose At Home

Clinton Portis has run for more than 100 yards three times this season. Those are the only games Washington has won.

Portis ran for 147 yards on 34 carries and threw a tiebreaking touchdown pass to lead the Redskins to a 17-10 victory over the Lions on Sunday.

Detroit rallied late, but its hopes for a tying drive ended at the Washington 20 as time expired.

With back-to-back 21-yard gains to open the second half, Portis became the first player to run for 100 yards against Detroit this season. Those powerful runs with sharp cutbacks set up his 15-yard pass to Laveranues Coles that gave Washington a 10-3 lead.

Harrington was 26-of-52 for 269 yards with a TD and an interception. Az-Zahir Hakim caught seven passes for 120 yards.

With two of the worst offenses in the NFL and two solid defenses, the first quarter was so lackluster the punters provided highlights. Nick Harris pinned the Redskins to their 8 and 3, and Tupa had a 54-yard punt land at the 1. The second quarter was not much more entertaining, but at least each team made a field goal.

Detroit Trio emailed Lynn Henning, Det News tigers columnist questions on the future, here they are.

DetroitTrio: will the Tigers be buyers or sellers in this off season? LH: the Tigers will be buyers, hoping to trade a few expendable parts. They are concerned about the bullpen, centerfield, right field, third base, and starting pitching. DT:What position will they go after? DT: predict an opening day lineup. LH: Any attempts at listing an opening-day lineup would be premature. You might as well use the end of last season's lineup until probable trades and acquisitions are being made. DT: When do you see Verlander coming up to the big leagues? LH: Verlander will probably be up late in 2006. No sooner, perhaps later. DT: Do you think the Tigers will be in position to make a realistic playoff run next season? LH: The Tigers aren't likely to be a playoff team for the next few seasons, although changes in their lineup could make them a surprise player in 2005. But that's being optimistic.

Michigan edges up Michigan State

The Michigan Wolverines just beat Michigan State in tripple overtime. The Michigan squad has been showing that they have been making progress and having what it takes to go to the Rose Bowl. Braylon and Chad Henne are begining to know each other better and know the roots. Freshman Michael Hart is great and shows progress along with Avant and Breaston in the feauture. Imagine what these players can do when they are seniors. The Michigan wolverines need Wisconsin to loose one game to go the the Rose Bowl which could happen on the improved Iowa Hawkyes. More to come later