By George B. Eichorn (Published in Feb. 26, 2008 edition of Detroit Monitor)
Henrik Zetterberg is one talented and very rich man. The Detroit Red Wings recently signed their Swedish star to a new 12-year, $73 million contract that should keep the forward a Red Wing the remainder of his NHL career.
Although he’s not even the top scorer on the club, Zetterberg is one of the key ingredients to the success of the defending Stanley Cup champions. Management needed to keep him locked up as they did last season with center Pavel Datsyuk and still hope to do so with Marian Hossa. Here is an interview with Zetterberg.
Q. Obviously you play in an organization that’s no stranger to winning Cups. Last season was the first one you won personally. Have you found anything tough about defending the Cup, anything you didn’t expect?
Zetterberg: “I think just that you played so long last year. With the short summer, you’re right back in it again. I think for us it’s been tough in the beginning. A few games, it’s been tough to find the momentum from the beginning. A few games we’ve been down a few goals right away, and it’s tough to win games that way.
“I think that’s the biggest issue we had this year, you know, just to be ready from the start. But lately I think we’ve been playing better, playing better for 60 minutes.”
Q. Does the term “playoff experience” get tossed around too much, turning it on when it really matters, because there is so much playoff experience in that room?
Zetterberg: “For sure it’s nice to have all the players that been around for a long, long time. They’ve been winning Cups, they’ve been going deep in the playoffs.
“For us younger players, who hasn’t been there for many years, it’s been real nice to have them to kind of lean back to. If you have any questions or any concerns, you just go with them and follow them.
Q. Do you think a team can just turn it on, even a team like you? Can you turn it on from March 15 to April 1 and be ready for a playoff, or does it have to start at this point, where we are now?
Zetterberg: “You can’t just turn it on. You have to prepare yourself. I think you do that in the games before the playoffs start. It gets tighter and tighter in the standings. Games get kind of more and more intense. So I think you automatically prepare yourself for the playoffs because the games are more like playoff games.”
Q. You signed the huge contract. Do you feel any extra weight with the burden of a 12?year contract?
Zetterberg: “Not really. (I) kind of have the same role I had a week ago or two weeks ago. You play a lot. Of course, it’s a lot of pressure. Playing in Detroit, the bar is real high. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Expectations are high. Expectations are real high inside the locker room, too. We like it that way. If we lose a game, we get real pissed off. You just want to get back and win the next one.”
Q. Do you have any concerns with the Wings this year or are you pretty happy right now?
Zetterberg: “We’re second in the West. I think we’ve been playing okay. A few games maybe we could play a little bit better. But we have a few things that we, for sure, can do better. We’re working on it. (It’s) thirty some games before the playoffs start. We’re just going to get ourselves ready for a good run again.”
Q. Tell me what Marian Hossa has been like as a teammate.
Zetterberg: “He’s been a tremendous addition for us. He’s one of those guys that really can turn nothing into a goal. He’s a really strong skater, really fast, has a great shot. He’s a great guy, too. He’s been a great fit for us. Hopefully we can find a way to keep him a little bit longer.”
Q. Regarding goaltenders that you’ve faced this year, who has been the toughest and why?
Zetterberg: “Well, the toughest goaltender we faced this year? You know what, I will say Columbus (Steve Mason). Yes. He’s been playing very well against us. We have them a few more times here, and I think that will be the toughest goaltender so far.”
Q. The Red Wings played the Pittsburgh Penguins in last year’s Cup Finals yet they are struggling to even make the playoffs. Does that surprise you at all?
Zetterberg: “Well, you know, they have a good team. When they’re playing good, they should be higher than they are in the standings. But still it’s real tight, so I’m pretty confident after 82 games they will be in a playoff spot. When you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen.”
Buy George Eichorn’s book, “Detroit Sports Broadcasters On the Air” at www.barnesandnoble.com. Reach him at geichorn@yahoo.com.
Posted in Uncategorized -- No Comments
By George Eichorn (First published Feb. 19, 2009 in The Detroit Monitor)
Don’t look now but the Detroit Pistons are in danger of missing the NBA playoffs. Should they continue to play as bad as they have of late coach Michael Curry and his club could slip from among the eight Eastern Conference teams that enter post-season play in April. Do I think this will happen? No. It’s high time for the veterans on this team – Rip Hamilton, Allen Iverson, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, etc., — to kick up their game a notch and deliver more victories.
The Red Wings it appears are letting goaltenders Chris Osgood and Ty Conklin duel it out to see which one is better prepared to start in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Every time I think Ozzie is ready to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the nets, he seems to fail. Now, I’d put my money on Conklin to get the call come post-season. He seems more poised and with six shutouts already this season, has a way to slam the door on the opposition when he wants to. You need that type of goalie in the playoffs.
Baseball is back! Glad to hear the glowing weather and workout reports from sunny Lakeland, Florida, as the Tigers prepare for the grueling 162-game season by warming up down south. The team, under manager Jim Leyland, is getting positive reports thus far on injured players from 2008 such as pitchers Jeremy Bonderman and Joel Zumaya. It’s very early and the Grapefruit League exhibition season has yet to begin so let’s be cautious about getting too hyped about the Tigers’ chances.
The Lions continue to be coy about their draft plans in April – that’s okay by me. You really do not need the NFL world to find out what you’re going to do with the overall No. 1 selection. Keep everyone guessing is my mantra. The upcoming combines in Indianapolis could go a long way to helping general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz decide whether to take a quarterback, defensive lineman or to trade the top pick for more value. Play it safe, Lions brass, and listen to all offers you get. Then weigh all your options please.
Glad to see that the Michigan State Spartans are “rewarding” their fans by raising their ticket prices. Okay, I will be kinder. It is unreasonable to raise ticket prices during an economy as depressed as the one in Michigan. Yet MSU officials hiked football ducats by three dollars the other day to counter rising athletic department operating costs. With sellout crowds week after week at Spartan Stadium expect little or no drop-off in ticket sales to students and alumni. Credit back-to-back bowl appearances by coach Mark Dantonio and a run in 2008 for the Big Ten title for MSU football enthusiasm.
The Pistons announced their sell-out streak at the Palace was ended. Big news? Hardly, in my book. Every time I went out to Auburn Hills lately, members of the media would chat about the banks of empty seats even though public address announcer Mason would tell the audience that it was another Palace sell-out crowd. It appeared to us reporters that there were unsold tickets long before the official word that the streak was over. We’ll never be able to prove it.
It’s sad to see the cancellation of the Detroit Grand Prix on Labor Day weekend on Belle Isle. Again, the area’s sour economy played a huge role in Roger Penske’s decision to call off the big event for 2009. He hopes to get “back on track” in 2010 should things turn around. With no Indy Car race on Belle Isle or at Michigan International Speedway, you need to travel to Ohio or Toronto, Ontario, to get a glimpse of Helio Castroneves and Danica Patrick in ’09.
The Daytona 500 is history and hardly one for the record books. Weather forced NASCAR officials at the speedway to halt the race with Matt Kenseth declared the winner. I noticed that neither the Detroit Free Press nor Detroit News bothered to send a reporter to one of the greatest races in the world. One guess why — money. Yet they have plenty of dough to send three or four reporters and photographers to nearby Lakeland to see the Tigers run sprints. Come on, racing is very big in Michigan and to readers of the two major dailies here.
Was I surprised that A-Rod, Alex Rodriguez, admitted to using steroids when he was a member of the Texas Rangers? No. His credibility is obviously now shot and perhaps too his chance to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. What a sad commentary when many of the greats of the game in this era may now be shut out of entering the Hall – A-Rod, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa.
Paul Woods of the Red Wings Radio Network (WXYT-FM) did a solid job in filling in recently for the ailing Ken Kal on the team’s recent broadcasts. Kal is stricken almost every season in seems by a case of laryngitis, as was the case last season during the deciding Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Wings and Penguins in Pittsburgh. On that occasion it was television announcer Ken Daniels who filled in for Kal. Recall that Daniels than gave the microphone back to Kal to call the deciding last few seconds of the Red Wings’ 11th Stanley Cup championship. Classy act by Daniels.
Sorry to hear the news from Englewood, Florida that legendary horse racing announcer Jack Riggs had passed away. Jack was an honorary lifetime member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association and called races masterfully throughout the United States and Canada, notably at Northville Downs and Hazel Park Raceway. His wife Shirley is suggesting donations in Jack’s memory to the DSBA scholarship (grant) fund at DSBA, P.O. Box 1222, Warren, MI 48090-1222.
On a personal note, longtime City of Detroit employee and this reporter’s father-in-law, Richard Seguin, has passed away at 78. I will miss talking sports and watching games with my “Dad”…he loved his Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, Pistons, Wolverines and all the weekend golf tournaments too. Oh yes, he allowed me to marry a very special daughter of his also. We’ll miss you, Dad. Hit them long and straight on that manicured course in heaven!
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com or write to him at 33490 Groesbeck, Fraser, MI 48026. Buy his book, “Detroit Sports Broadcasters On the Air” for $19.99 at www.barnesandnoble.com.
Posted in Uncategorized -- No Comments
By George Eichorn of the Detroit Monitor
Thirty-one-year-old Brandon Inge is glad this off-season is unlike the one a year ago. The Detroit Tigers third baseman knows he will not be asked to catch — except in the case of emergency — as his club heads to Lakeland, Florida, to open spring training drills. Inge is entrenched at third base now that the Tigers picked up two new catchers in the off-season. We caught up with the eight-year veteran recently at Comerica Park for this Monitor interview.
Q. How much better was it attending TigerFest this year after missing it in 2008 due to the uncertainty of where you would play?
Inge: “It was a little better feeling coming here this year. Last year I was advised not to come (Tiger Fest). This year was a different situation. I always liked TigerFest. It’s good to be back, talk to the fans and see you guys (media). I’m excited about it. I cannot wait for the season this year.”
Q. How do you feel about the left side of the infield now with you at third and Adam Everett at shortstop?
Inge: “Well, Adam is incredible. I’ve known him for a long time — coming up through the minor leagues. He’s just a class act and on top of that, he’s one of the best shortstops I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s going to be great. He can cover a lot of range. It’s going to make a whole new dynamic for this infield. We can shift around a little bit more, cover a lot more balls and — I think — it should make the pitchers a little bit more comfortable.”
Q. How does this Tigers team get over the disaster of 2008 when you were favored to contend for the World Series yet finished last in your division?
Inge: “Last year there was a lot of expectation (and) I lot of hype. It seemed to be that maybe the focus got off a little bit of (just) playing baseball. People are wondering if we’re going to be all right, well, I can guarantee it’s going to be great. And the additions we made may not have been big blockbuster moves like they have in the past where it seems like we get a big name for top dollar but the guys we got are clubhouse guys. They are guys who are going to contribute a lot, for instance Gerald Laird and Matt Treanor, the two guys on the catching staff. (They) are great for running a pitching staff, that’s huge for us, they’re great defensively, and are just all around good ballplayers. And with Adam Everett we did a lot to solidify our defense now. Those are the areas we struggled at last year.”
Q. What about the Tigers offense in 2009?
Inge: “Our offense is going to be there of course — you have (Miguel) Cabrera and (Magglio) Ordonez. Look at our lineup. As long as we stay healthy, we’re going to be fine — and without the expectations we can just go out there and play baseball.”
Q. You upgraded the starting pitching staff it would appear by obtaining Edwin Jackson form American League champion Tampa Bay.
Inge: “Obviously he is one of the guys I don’t want to face (as a hitter). I’m glad he’s on our team. He’s a great pitcher. He’s just one addition. There are so many little ones that people don’t understand that are actually big but because of last year and we made all kinds of blockbuster moves last year, and it didn’t work out so now everyone kinds of just puts them off. From a player’s perspective we’ve done a lot and right where we want to be going into spring training. Like I said, I can’t wait to get down there.”
Q. What you think of the new bullpen stopper, right-hander Brandon Lyon of Arizona?
Inge: “It’s a good one (move). A very good one. He’s a great pitcher and is going to bring a huge addition to our bullpen. He’s pretty dominant. I remember he just throws strikes, he’s going to go out there and get you out … from what I have heard, and I don’t know him personally, he’s a competitor, that’s half of it there. If he goes out and is going to throw a good game then, that’s something we need in the bullpen especially.”
Q. You remain pretty upbeat about this Tigers team heading into training camp, why so?
Inge: “There’s not a place on this team that I would look at (and say) we’d be dead weak at. I’m excited about it. Honestly, I think we have to get back to the 2006 form where it was one game at a time. We concentrated on one win and the next day we went for another one. Before you knew it, we have a great record and we were in the World Series. We have to get back to that form.”
Q. What do you make of the large number of unsigned veteran players including former Tigers catcher Pudge Rodriguez?
Inge: “I cannot believe all the unsigned guys out there. I don’t know what it’s due to, maybe the economy, maybe everything trying to transition a little bit but, yeah, some of the those guys are pretty big names. I don’t think they’re going to get the money they want to sign for. It depends if they’re going to hold off or not.”
Buy George Eichorn’s book, “Detroit Sports Broadcasters On the Air,” for $19.99 at barnesandnoble.com. Reach him at geichorn@yahoo.com or (586) 296-6007.
Posted in Uncategorized -- No Comments
BY SCOTT MORGANROTH, of the Detroit Monitor
TAMPA–If general manager Martin Mayhew and head coach Jim Schwartz need a blueprint how to turn the Detroit Lions around they should have watched the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame announcement last Saturday on the NFL Network. Fifty percent or three of the six newcomers played defense while one player was an offensive lineman.
As the Lions try to decide what to do with the top pick — trading it or selecting Georgia quarterback Matt Stafford or someone else — the message on Saturday is defense leads to championships.
In 1985, the Buffalo Bills selected Bruce Smith as the top selection from Virginia Tech University. Smith recorded 200 sacks and led the Bills to four Super Bowls. He played in 19 seasons and 279 games concluding his career with the Washington Redskins.
The Kansas City Chiefs selected the late Derrick Thomas as the fourth overall pick in the 1989 season out of Alabama and 126.5 sacks later were thrilled with the 11-year career he had before a fatal auto accident ended his life on February 8, 2000. Thomas holds the NFL record for seven sacks in a game.
In 1987, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Rod Woodson 10th overall and he played 17 seasons and 238 games with four teams. Woodson would play in 11 Pro Bowls, three Super Bowls and won his lone title with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. He finished his career with 71 interceptions.
Offensive lineman Randall McDaniel was the Minnesota Vikings top pick (19th overall) and played in 12 straight Pro Bowls. If Lions running back Kevin Smith hopes to have any success, he along with a new quarterback will need to bolster the offensive line.
In the past four years, two teams have reached the Super Bowl for the first time and both have faced the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in Super Bowl XL in Detroit. Last Sunday, Pittsburgh won a thrilling 27-23 contest over the Arizona Cardinals. In 1979, Pittsburgh defeated another first timer, the Los Angeles Rams, 31-19. Like the Cardinals, they too entered the game with a 9-7 regular season record.
If the Lions use their picks wisely, there is no reason why they can’t be the next one taken off the short list of five that haven’t made it to the big show. The other four are the New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Super Bowl XLIII was a dandy. The Steelers became the first franchise to claim a sixth Super Bowl title. They had been tied with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys with five each. Pittsburgh is now 6-1 in Super Bowl action, losing only to the Cowboys in SB 30 in Tempe, Arizona. Of their six championships, this is the third won in Florida with the other pair in Miami. At age 36 and 323 days, Mike Tomlin is the youngest coach to win a Super Bowl. He joins Tony Dungy as the second African-American to win a title and is now the 27th different coach to win a Super Bowl.
James Harrison’s 100-yard interception was the longest play in Super Bowl history. His touchdown gave the Steelers a 17-7 lead at halftime and would turn out to be the difference in the game. The previous long was 99-yards on a kickoff return by Desmond Howard of Green Bay (and U-M) in Super Bowl 31.Did you know teams that have scored on an interception return are now 9-0 in the Super Bowl.
Ben Roethlisberger is now the 10th quarterback to start and win multiple Super Bowls. Roethlisberger more than doubled his yards passing total from his first Super Bowl victory, passing for 256 yards, He had 123 in Pittsburgh’s victory over Seattle.
The Steelers have had only three coaches and all have Super Bowl titles. In addition to Tomlin, Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher guided the Black & Gold to championships. It’s only fitting that the Rooney Rule which was orchestrated by the Steelers owner Dan Rooney and requires teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching positions, have benefited with Tomlin’s success.
The Cardinals (9-7 regular season) failed to duplicate what the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals (83-78) did and pull off a huge upset and win a championship against a heavily favored opponent.
Recall the Detroit Tigers (95-67) would like to forget their World Series loss to the baseball Cards. It’s hard to believe that back in the 1980s both Cardinals teams played in the since-demolished Busch Stadium. Time does fly.
In 1984, the Arizona Wranglers were coached by Hall of Famer George Allen and lost to the Philadelphia Stars 23-3 in the USFL Championship Game at the old Tampa Stadium. This was the only time that an Arizona professional football team played for a title and the quarterback was former Lion Greg Landry. It’s ironic that the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25 for the right to play in the Super Bowl.
Steelers Hall of Fame defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene was an assistant coach for former Cardinals Coach Dave McGinnis (2000-2003). Greene won four championships with the Steelers in the 1970’s.
Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner was only the second signal-caller to start for two teams. The other was Craig Morton who piloted the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.
The Tampa Bay area hosted its fourth Super Bowl. The first was on Jan 22, 1984, when the LA Raiders waxed the Washington Redskins 38-9. The capacity for Raymond James Stadium is 70,500 and the stadium was built on the site where the Cincinnati Reds used to play at Al Lopez Field during spring training.
The Cardinals were in their first Super Bowl but hosted two including last year’s New York Giants 17-14 win over the New England Patriots.
Miami/ South Florida will be hosting the Super Bowl for the 10th time on Feb 7, 2010. The Pro Bowl will be moved from Aloha Stadium in Hawaii to Dolphin Stadium and played (minus players from the two finals teams) one week before the Super Bowl.
Reach Scott Morganroth at scottbullm33@comcast.net.
Posted in Uncategorized -- No Comments