It’s been a rough season for Lions fans, and you deserve a gift. So here it is, the video conclusion to, arguably, the most memorable Lions game in your lifetime. It was Dec. 21, 1997, the season finale in the Silverdome, and the Lions pulled out a 13-10 victory against the Jets to reach the … Continue Reading →
I’m sure Jim Leyland loves managing Justin Verlander. Who wouldn’t? He’s the best pitcher in baseball, equal parts supreme talent and dogged workhorse. But I’m also sure, at times, Leyland really, really frets while managing Verlander. Who wouldn’t? You want to use every ounce of his dominance, but not over-use it. You want to give … Continue Reading →
First of all, I don’t really believe in curses. You probably shouldn’t either, at least when it comes to sports. But the Lions are building yet another curiously compelling case. The purported Curse of Bobby Layne — the last great Lions quarterback — finally was shooed by Matthew Stafford, who threw for more than 5,000 … Continue Reading →
This is unorthodox, and probably a bit dumb. But I’m doing it anyway. I’m going to tie together the two biggest sports stories in America, if “America” is loosely defined as “New York and Detroit.” Tim Tebow arrived in New York as the Jets’ new backup quarterback with much fanfare and much skepticism. Brandon Inge … Continue Reading →
This already is a special NCAA Tournament, with two 15 seeds winning and then Lehigh nearly winning again. Yes, it’s smudged by the presence of four teams from the Buckeye state in the Sweet 16 — Ohio, Ohio, the other Ohio and the Ohio that starts with X. But no one has made a bigger … Continue Reading →
Time to stow the stopwatches and memorize the measurements. The NFL combine is wrapping up, which means the NFL draft talk is ramping up, which means it’s almost time to give the Lions free advice. Everyone knows they need a cornerback (or two) and a safety. Everyone knows they need an offensive linemen (or two) … Continue Reading →
So now Brandon Inge wants to take a shot at second base, and everyone wants to take a shot at Brandon Inge. Fair enough. But I’m here to tell you, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The Tigers’ erstwhile third baseman-catcher-second-baseman-utility guy was mostly horrible last season. He’s 34 and in the last year of … Continue Reading →
Everyone likes the Giants in the Super Bowl. And by “everyone,” I mean, “just about everyone.” They’re hot. Their defensive line is ferocious. Jason Pierre-Paul has 17 sacks. Eli Manning has become one of the great clutch quarterbacks in the NFL. Tom Coughlin has become one of the great resilient rosy-cheeked coaches in the NFL. … Continue Reading →
Sports are all about debates. Well, they’re also about money and muscles and skill and competition. But for our purposes, they’re mostly about debates. For the next several years in Detroit, we’ll have a great one. I can’t remember the last time the Motor City has been home to so many bonafide megastars, and frankly, … Continue Reading →
The Tigers dropped into Detroit a month ahead of spring training and answered a few questions. Now that they’re gone, I have a few more I’ll answer myself. Q: What do you think of Brandon Inge saying there’s “no more Mr. Nice Guy,” and he doesn’t want to platoon with Don Kelly and plans to … Continue Reading →