BY SCOTT MORGANROTH of the Detroit Monitor

 

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BY SCOTT MORGANROTH of the Observer Newspaper

LEXINGTON, KY—As I watch FAU basketball media relations director Nick Mirkovich look at the numerous banners and listen to the passionate crowd of 24,018 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY, during FAU’s Dec 27 meeting against the Kentucky Wildcats, it was easy to tell by his body language that he was in awe about what he was experiencing.

After the game UK media relations Director DeWayne Peevy had a packed house in the media center with press conferences from FAU’s Mike Jarvis and Kentucky’s Billy Gillispie along with several players.

What Mirkovich would find out was “Kentucky Basketball” is more than a sporting event, it’s a way of life. In 104 seasons, UK’s record going into this year was 1,966 – 621 – 1. 

When I asked Mirkovich if he had ever heard of former Wildcats coach Joe B. Hall, he politely said no. Hall was the coach who followed Adolph Rupp. Rupp coached the Wildcats from 1931-1972 and in 42 seasons compiled an 876-190 record for an .822 winning percentage and four national championships.

Instead of being overwhelmed following a legend, Hall embraced the challenge and adding a legacy of his own. Hall guided the Wildcats from 1973-85 and compiled a 297-100 mark, 748 winning percentage and one national title. A few of the players on his championship team include Jack Givens, Kyle Macy, and Rick Robey. Florida State University head basketball coach Leonard Hamilton was an assistant coach for the Wildcats. Kentucky was 30-2 during the 1977-78 season and broke a 20-year championship drought.

Hall’s name hangs in the rafters at Rupp Arena and he is a beloved figure as fans take photos with him. He is very accessible to all media especially out of town writers because he relishes the opportunity to promote UK’s program nationally.

During half-time of Kentucky’s 76-69 win over FAU, Hall took the time in this Observer interview to explain what it’s like to be a part of college basketball’s all-time winningest program which has won seven national titles.

Q: How do you describe Kentucky basketball?

A: It’s a long history of love for the game that started in the mountains of Kentucky. A team from Ashland won the 1928 national tournament and that sparked a great interest in basketball and then Coach Rupp came to Kentucky in 1930, won some conference championships, then took New York by storm winning three national championships in a four-year span. It took a very early place in the fans of Kentucky and a source of pride for the excellence that their players performed at and it grew into being a passion for the sport of the Bluegrass. It has continued to grow with success and the fans are constant as you can tell. What is a Saturday night during Christmas and New Years, the fans are packed and that’s with the students gone? That means a lot of non ticket holders have an opportunity to buy tickets. It’s a great thing and something the people of Kentucky can point at with pride. It’s a sustaining type of experience for those residents of the state.

Q: What’s it like to lead your basketball team in front of 24,000 coaches in the stands watching every move you make?

A: For one thing, they insist on perfection. They want a winner and they’re going to support you winner or not but they’re going to express their disdain if you’re not producing the way Kentucky should produce. That’s good. Their expectations are very high and that carries over to the coaches and players. There aren’t many programs that can say they have four different coaches that have won national championships. Rick (Pitino) and Tubby (Smith) did when they followed me and that speaks well of the fans here and the support that the program gets.

Q: What was it like for you to follow Rupp?

A: It’s inexpressible! I don’t think I can describe it in words as to what it was like to inherit this program that was at such a peak. The good part about it was Coach Rupp built the foundation on solid stone. He left a tradition wasn’t that difficult to continue. I appreciated the opportunity I had to be in his footsteps and take advantage of all that support here at Kentucky. Being the winningest program in college basketball means something, is a tradition we have to uphold and the fans are going to insist that it continues.

Reach Scott Morganroth at scottbullm33@comcast.net

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Point-Counterpoint

By George Eichorn and Scott Morganroth of the Detroit Monitor

 

 

George Eichorn:  So, I am supposed to believe that THIS Detroit Lions coach, Jim Schwartz, is supposed to be the right man at the right time. I think I will pass on any judgment on this man from Tennessee (Titans) until I see the coaching staff Schwartz names and the players that he helps the team draft and trade for. Oh yes, show me some regular season victories Mr. Schwartz also!

 

Scott Morganroth: I definitely believe the Lions got it right this time with Schwartz. The man has learned under Bill Belichick and Jeff Fisher plus his expertise as an excellent defensive coordinator will only improve Detroit’s woeful defense. Coming from a successful system with the Titans can only benefit the Lions because they’ve been proven winners the past several years. I hope one thing Schwartz does, is implement the same type of running attack has with LenDale White and Chris Johnson in addition to the same scenario the Carolina Panthers used with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. There has to be a runner in this draft that could work well with Kevin Smith.

 

Eichorn: Let’s face it, the Lions could not attract a tier one guy like Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher to this franchise, not with the fact that they would not give a guy with a big name the autonomy which he would want on personnel moves. The Lions say they are still searching for personnel guy but who would want to come here under the present management and ownership?

 

Morganroth: With a record of 31-97 the past eight seasons, another record of 24-straight road losses plus this 0-16 season, you can’t! The only way to regain any type of trust is to find an experience football person to work with Martin Mayhew. The best choice is former Titans general manager Floyd Peters, who led Tennessee to it’s lone Super Bowl appearance.

 

Eichorn:  My sources tell me that the Lions are so worried about a huge fallout in season tickets and individual salea that they are going to extraordinary measures to woo loyal fans, including a sit down with execs Tom Lewand and Mayhew at Ford Field. They better be scared as fans are fed up with this lousy team. Two Losers Way is back in force with the last-place Lions and last-place Tigers sharing the same cross street at Ford Field and Comerica Park, respectively.

 

Morganroth: I don’t think it will be as tough to sell tickets as you do. Detroit is a sleeping giant and if the Lions put an entertaining product that leads to a winner, there will be sellouts and not blackouts. Ford Field seats 65,000. The Silverdome’s capacity was 80,000. The fans are sick and tired of not just losing but getting embarrassed. These people are rightfully upset because their hard earned money is being wasted on an indigent product.

 

Eichorn:  As far as the quarterback to lead the team in 2009, I would stay the course and stick with defense in the first few draft choices. Give Daunte Culpepper, Dan Orlovsky and Drew Staton one more year, let the fight it out in the off-season and in training camp, and then pick your number one guy. The Lions could take a sleeper in the draft at quarterback yet all the guy would do is ride the bench like Orlovsky has the last several seasons — until this season when he finally got a chance to play. I wonder if Mr. Ford has driven a Ford lately? Perhaps senior has his sights on Matthew Stafford of Georgia…after all, the kid does carry the family’s nameplate!

 

Morganroth: When your new coach makes reference to Bobby Layne, conventional wisdom tells you he’s looking for another quarterback not on this roster. I’d listen to offers and possibly trade the pick if I could still be in the top five selections and add a few more draft choices. The question is, are there any Troy Aikman’s, Eli and Peyton Manning’s that were drafted first overall which won a Super Bowl in this draft? I doubt it. The offensive line needs to be addressed and so does the defense. Glad I don’t have to make this decision. The Lions staff should go to church and get help from the man upstairs.Does it matter offense or defense? If it’s offense, the only way that I would draft a quarterback in the first round is to do what the Atlanta Falcons did and that’s play him. Matt Ryan did a great job leading the Falcons to the playoffs under a rookie head coach in Mike Smith. Ryan did a great job making Falcons fans?forget about Michael Vick and

 restored hope for this franchise that was a mess a year ago.

 

The only quarterback on the Lions roster that I would keep is Orlovsky. If he has the right players around him, he’ll be fine and he will be a good signal caller in the NFL. Stanton is injury prone and Daunte

Culpepper is washed up. Matt Stafford appears to be the top quarterback in this draft but if the Lions traded the top pick, went down a few spots and selected USC’s Mark Sanchez, got draft choices, then this could be a good move.

 

Eichorn:  Will anything at all wake up the Fords? This season was a complete disaster yet senior did not even clean house totally. Lewand and Mayhew got promoted and team executives appear to all be headed back to their jobs in Allen Park. Fans are very irate about this and they have a right.  Everyone needs to be held accountable for the 0-16 joke of a season.

 

Morganroth: Maybe it took an 0-16 season to wake-up the Fords. Now the Lions have hit rock bottom and there is only one way to go and that’s up. Last year the Miami Dolphins had a 1-15 record, added 45 new players on the 81-man roster that began in training camp, added free agents and draft choices and they finished 11-5. Having Bill Parcells didn’t hurt but the bottom line is the NFL is a league where teams can turn their fortunes around quickly unless you have a Matt Millen, who has no experience at his front office profession, botches up drafts, alienates talented players that want to leave, hires bad coaches, chased away Steve Mariucci and turns the Lions into the NFL’s version of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers.

Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com & Scott Morganroth at scottbullm33@comcast.net.

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By George B. Eichorn of the Detroit Monitor

 

   The show must go on – even in the toughest of economic times in Detroit and Michigan. For the 21st consecutive year, the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at Cobo Center in downtown Detroit is still taking its rightful place as a premier international showcase of man and his auto.

   “The NAIAS is among the most prestigious auto shows in the world, providing unparalleled access to the automotive products, people and ideas that matter most – up close and in one place,” said Rod Alberts, executive director of the NAIAS.

   Despite terrible recent auto sales and the big loan required for GM and Chrysler from the U.S. government, the Detroit Auto Show is still one of the largest media events in North America. In fact, the NAIAS is the only auto show in the USA to earn an annual distinguished sanction of the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d’Automobiles, the Paris-based alliance of automotive trade associations and manufacturers from around the world.

   Action started at Cobo last Sunday, January 11, with the first of three days of press previews. Then came the annual industry preview days on January 14-15. The big NAIAS Charity Preview is Friday, January 16, starting at 5:30 p.m. and the doors open for the 2009 public show starting Saturday, January 17. The show ends January 25.

   Auto manufacturers with scheduled press conferences at Cobo included Audi, Bentley, BMW, Brilliance, BYD of China, Chrysler, Fisker, Ford, General Motors, Jaguar, Kia, Lamborghini, Lincoln-Mercury, Maserati, MINI, Saturn, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota , Volkswagen and Volvo.

  Other companies with press briefings included Alpha Romeo, Alpine, Denso, Johnson Controls, Michelin, Revenge Designs.

  There are plenty of international and North American debuts at Cobo. General Motors and Smart will use the NAIAS 2009 stage for the North American debut of a number of new production models that made their world premiere at the 2008 Paris show.

   GM will show the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, Chevrolet Cruze small car and the Chevrolet Orlando concept. Smart will display the electric ForTwo. GM unveiled the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon and the Chevrolet Cruze small car in Paris because they will soon go on sale in Europe.

  A station wagon version of the Cadillac CTS goes on sale in Europe and the U.S. in the spring. It features the same styling as the CTS and shares its underpinnings but features 25 cubic feet of space behind the rear doors. Engine choices are a base 263-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 and an optional 304-horsepower direct-injection version of the same engine.

   The Chevrolet Cruze will be built and sold in more than 100 countries worldwide. The five-passenger subcompact — smaller than the Cobalt — first goes on sale in Europe in March. The U.S. version, to be built in Lordstown, Ohio, follows later as a replacement for the Chevrolet Cobalt.

   GM also unveiled the Chevrolet Orlando people-mover concept shown in Paris. The small, seven-passenger multipurpose vehicle could eventually be added to Chevrolet’s line.

   Smart division displays its electric-powered ForTwo it is working on and showed in Paris. Smart plans to equip the electric ForTwo with advanced lithium-ion batteries.

   Chevrolet and Kia are two other automakers revealing global debuts for NAIAS 2009. Chevrolet will premiere the 2010 Equinox and Kia will take the wraps off a new concept. The new Equinox is a compact crossover that GM boasts likely will deliver best-in-class fuel economy when it goes on sale in mid-2009.

   Completely redesigned inside and out, the Equinox also can be loaded with all kinds of technological features.

   Kia kept secret until its NAIAS 2009 press conference the name and details of its concept yet sketches indicate the concept is intended to demonstrate the flexibility of the newly introduced 2010 Kia Soul, originally shown in concept form at NAIAS 2006.

   Another press preview days highlight is the 2009 North American Car and Truck of the Year honors. “Vehicles are honored for setting new standards and new benchmarks in their class,” said Alberts. “Top criteria in the competition are value for the dollar and affordability. Vehicles also are judged on general design, safety, fuel economy, handling and general road worthiness, performance, comfort, assembly quality, functionality, technical innovation, driver satisfaction and price.”

   Finalists for Car of the Year award were the Ford Flex, Hyundai Genesis and Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Finalists for the Truck of the Year award were the Dodge Ram, Ford F-150 and the Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC. Some 50 journalists served as jurors and voted, ranking the finalists. Winners were announced at the show’s first press conference January 11 and they are the Car of the Year Genesis and Truck of the Year F-150.

  WDIV, Local 4, will increase its live coverage of the North American International Auto Show 2009. Specials and live news broadcast reports dominate Local 4 day and night as anchors Carmen Harlan, Devin Scillian, Rhonda Walker and Guy Gordon report along with numerous reporters such as auto beat reporter Rod Meloni.

  Local 4 was live during press days as they will be for the Charity Preview in one of Detroit’s most anticipated nights. The Friday TV special airs at 7 p.m., taking viewers inside with a two-hour primetime special, “4 From The Floor: The 2009 NAIAS Charity Preview.” The special is hosted by the aforementioned anchors plus Chuck Gaidica and Karen Drew.

  Watch for special appearances by Jeff Daniels, a Michigan native, “Ross The Intern” from “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” and “Late Night” host Conan O’Brien in segments taped from his visit to the Auto Show floor.

  The telecast also includes interviews with top auto industry executives, a look at some of this year’s most impressive vehicles, and the ultimate buyer’s guide to purchasing a new car in these tough economic times.

  On Local 4 this Saturday, January 17, 7 p.m., “Auto Show All Access: Weekend Opener” offers tips to prepare for their trip down to the Auto Show. WDIV promises an “inside scoop” on the must-see vehicles and displays, event tickets and parking, and interviews. Coverage can also be found on Local 4′s website, ClickOnDetroit.com.

   Local radio stations such as WJR-AM 760 and WWJ-AM 950 will broadcast shows live from the show floor during portions of the NAIAS. Check your local listings. Show trivia: Ron Cameron’s “Sportstalk” on then-WXYZ-AM and Frank Beckmann’s “SportsWrap” on WJR were the first two live sports call-in shows from the Auto Show in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

   Ticket information can be obtained at naias.com or just pay at the door at Cobo. The fees are adult $12, seniors (65 and older) $6 and children 7-12 $6. Children 6 and under are free when accompanied by their parent or guardian. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (no admittance after 9 p.m.) on January 17-24 and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (no admittance after 6 p.m.) on January 25.

   Detroit Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson will be appearing in the State Farm Insurance Booth located in the Cobo Center Concourse on Sunday, January 18, 2009 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 p.m.

   Martin George contributed to this story. Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com.

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BY SCOTT MORGANROTH of the DSBA

This was the first time I’ve ever attended a Detroit sporting event as a member of the visiting media.

Leading up to the game, Owls QB Rusty Smith and many of his teammates never saw snow. They’ve never gone sledding, had a snow ball fight or built a snowman.

Four and a half hours before kickoff, I went to Clover Hill Park Cemetery in Royal Oak, MI., to visit my great grandparents, both sets of grandparents along with my close cousin Terry Kroll who died at the age of 32.

Terry’s grave along with my mother’s parents had snow up to my knees. I found myself digging to find their foot stones and got snow inside my shoes, on my socks and pants.

I told all seven people that the Motor City Bowl would be like no other event that I’ve ever covered in 29 years in the media. Ironically, on December 26, 1982, my Great Grandfather Morris Kroll (88) died and this was his 26^th anniversary.

In the pre-game press conferences leading up to the game, Smith was elated to spend a White Christmas in Detroit because he had never seen snow. On this day, I could have used Smith to help me find the foot stones. Instead of throwing snowballs, Smith threw for 307 yards including two-second half touchdowns to lead the Owls to a 24-21 win over Central Michigan University (CMU) in front of 41,399 fans, a huge home field advantage for the Chippewas. Smith went on to win the Motor City Bowl MVP Award and enabled his Coach Howard Schnellenberger improve to 6-0 in Bowl Games.

FAU finished the season 7-6 and 2-0 when I wear my Orange long sleeve polo shirt, Green jeans and Beige shoes. This was the same outfit that I wore when the Owls defeated FIU 57-50 at Dolphin Stadium in November which made them bowl eligible.

At the post-game press conference, my Detroit colleague George Eichorn had a chance to meet Schnellenberger, Smith, Frantz Joseph, who was named the games most valuable lineman and running back Charles Pierre. Pierre became the first Owl to eclipse the 1,000 yard rushing mark.

Eichorn saw four players who should play in the NFL someday and could help the host Detroit Lions, who made league history with their imperfect 0-16 season. The last game the Lions won was a game I covered on Dec 23, 2007, when they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 25-20.

But my FAU two sports in two night adventure was just beginning as the basketball team was set to play the Kentucky Wildcats 5:46 hours & 349.07 miles away in Lexington at Rupp Arena at 3 PM Saturday on Dec 27^th. I was hoping for a split and that became a reality.

The football team had to wait a day later to leave Detroit because of intense fog at Metro Airport. The extra night cost the Owls $18,000 but their win over CMU was priceless exposure.

As for myself, I had tremendous challenges on I-75 because of the fog. It was so bad that I was forced to stop at a Monroe, MI rest area for a couple hours. The fog was so bad that I found myself going five miles per-hour in the fast lane and had to crawl three lanes over then finally finding the rest area exit hoping that I wouldn’t get into a rear-end collision. I stopped at 2:30 am and returned to the road at 4:30 am.

This was the last thing that I needed 48 hours before my 46^th birthday on December 29, realizing I wanted to see my Baseball Hall of Fame friend Ernie Harwell.

Rupp Arena was everything I was hoping it would be. FAU was playing the all-time winningest basketball program and is the Mt Everest of college basketball. Seven national championships and an abundance names hanging from the rafters.

A loud and passionate crowd of 24,018 watched the Wildcats defeat FAU 76-69. Even though the UCLA Bruins may have more championships than U-K, have legendary Coach John Wooden, the Wildcats atmosphere still surpasses Pauley Pavilion (12,829).

But the weekend was truly unforgettable!

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