By George B. Eichorn of the Detroit Monitor

Owning the number one overall pick in last Saturday’s NFL Draft came with a lot of attention for the Detroit Lions. Top pick Matthew Stafford was everywhere it seemed.

He was at the New York Stock Exchange last Friday to help ring the bell. He was at the NFL official events like the fan fest and the draft party at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday. After a brief trip to Detroit for a visit with the Detroit media last Sunday, it was back to New York on Monday for an appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS.

Stafford read Letterman’s popular Top Ten list. The quarterback, who starred for three years at the University of Georgia, is aiming to help the Lions overcome the first 0-16 season in NFL history. He inked a lucrative six-year deal on the eve of the draft.

"If the Lions win one game this year, I’m a hero," Stafford joked on the show.

The Lions were obviously sold on Stafford, from owner William Clay Ford to the assistant coaches, Detroit brass knew they desperately needed a quarterback. They must turn around the fortunes quickly of a franchise that has sunk to its worst eight-year stretch in the league since World War II. The Lions have not won an NFL championship since 1957 and only one playoff game in those 32 seasons.Taking Stafford no. 1 and paying him $40 million was worth it to Ford, general manager Martin Mayhew and coach Jim Schwartz.

"I famously stood here a few months ago and said, ‘It’s time to find a replacement for Bobby Layne,’ " said Schwartz. "I talked about how the quarterback is the most important position on the field. That being said, we didn’t go into the process looking and saying, ‘We’re drafting a quarterback no. 1.’ There were a lot of steps along that road; the area scout evaluation, Matthew declaring for the draft, watching him on film. We actually had high school film on Matthew Stafford; we talked to his high school coach.

"We did an extensive background on him and his production in the past. We have every throw that’s he’s made for the last two years on our video screen; we broke it down to different routes, the times he had taken sacks, the times he had thrown interceptions and did an exhaustive search there. Then the next step was going to the combine and meeting him and seeing him in social situations; bringing him up here; taking our show on the road down to Athens (Ga.) and getting him on the board and then actually seeing him throw.

"(And) each step along the way, he jumped through whatever hoop we put up in front of him. Like I said, at that point, it became clear that he was going to be our guy."

The underclassman may compete with veteran Daunte Culpepper for the starting position at QB. But let’s not rush this kid to the starting block. He has time, and should be given time to develop into a solid NFL signal-caller.

On a personal note: I got to hand it to my brother Martin who on New Year’s Day was watching the Capitol One Bowl with me. Upon seeing Stafford pick apart the Michigan State defense in the second half of Georgia’s win over the Spartans, he commented, "This could be the Lions guy. Have you driven a Ford lately? A Staf-ford, that is."

There it is; makes perfect sense to me. Mr. Ford takes a guy with his last name and the namesake of his beloved Ford Motor Company. Bet you we see the kid quarterback making commercials — at least locally — for the troubled automaker. The strong-armed passer has the potential to be an attention-grabber on the local and perhaps national sports scene. Stafford had some interesting things to say to the press in his appearance at Lions headquarters April 26 in Allen Park.

On how it’s he’s prepared to take on the role of the Lions quarterback: "I’m just going to go out there and work hard, that’s the no. 1 thing I can do and these involve here at this place and with this football team as possibly can be and let my play do the talking. That’s the way I handle that and I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to be the quarterback for the Lions at some point hopefully and I’m going to do everything it takes to get there."

On how he said he’d love to go to the winless Lions because of the challenge: "I’m a competitive guy. I’ve said it all along and it’s something that excites me. I think it does scare some people and it might have deterred some people from wanting to come here, but all along it’s something that I’ve wanted to do and I’m excited to finally be here and take that challenge on."

On what separates him from the other quarterbacks that were in the draft: "I have a lot of experience. I played in a bunch of games at Georgia (and) in a really tough conference. All of the other quarterbacks in this draft are great players too; don’t get me wrong, Mark Sanchez is a heck of a guy and the Jets got a great pick in him and Tampa Bay got a heck of guy in Josh Freeman as well. The draft is kind of over with for me, this whole process is over with. It’s time to play some football again and that’s really what I’m worried about."

On what he’s most looking forward to in regards to going pro: "Just getting into the locker room and being with the guys again. It’s going to be fun because I’m going to be meeting people that I’ve watched on TV for a long time and it’s going to be exciting to meet new teammates, but I’m just ready to get back to playing football. The combine and pre-draft stuff is so much non-football stuff and I just can’t wait to get back there on the field."

On how many times he’s pictured himself throwing wide receiver Calvin Johnson the ball: "A bunch, he’s a heck of a player. I got a chance to play against him in college. My freshman year was his last year at Georgia Tech. He looks the part and plays the part really well. Everybody on this team has their own role and he’s definitely got a big one."

On whether he’s talked to Johnson yet: "I’ve texted Calvin a little bit here and there throughout this whole process really, but nothing too serious. He wanted to let me have my space I’m sure and there’s going to be plenty of time to spend with these guys and meet them."

On whether he’d be comfortable sitting or if he wants to compete right away: "I want to play as soon as I’m ready. If that’s game one, that’s great, if that’s game eight or game four, or whenever that is…I just want to be ready. When I step in there I want to contribute and make plays and help this team win. That’s what I’m going to be working for."

On adjusting coming into the NFL: "I think no. 1 for a rookie quarterback has got to be the playbook. That’s a huge thing and just the verbiage in the NFL is a little bit different than it is in college, but that’s something that you can practice and you can work on. With hard work it can be mastered and obviously the longer you play this game for a single system you’re going to know it that much better; but I’m going to go in to year one and try to know as much as I possibly can."

Buy George Eichorn’s book, "Detroit Sports Broadcasters On The Air," for $19.99 at www.amazon.com. Reach him at geichorn@yahoo.com.

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BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As a youngster growing up in Detroit, former Red Wing and Hall of Famer Gordie Howe was my favorite player therefore my lucky number was nine. If that number was taken, Plan B was number 11 because former Detroit Tigers Catchers Bill Freehan and Bruce Kimm wore it proudly and I played baseball, basketball and hockey growing up as a kid.
 

But now I have another number that has taken over. When I saw 33 straight Detroit Lions games home and away during Hall of Fame Running Back Barry Sanders illustrious career, plus covered my first Super Bowl which was Super Bowl 33 in Miami where another Hall of Famer John Elway retired with a win over the Atlanta Falcons, this number stuck. Ironically, Sanders and Elway were inducted into the Hall of Fame together in 2004. In Fort Lauderdale, my favorite restaurants are off Exit 33 which is Cypress Creek Road.
 

In sports, No 33 has a great significance to it. Here are some of the most interesting No. 33’s and I encourage you readers to come up with other suggestions.
 

* Magic Johnson wore this number when he led the Michigan State Spartans to the 1979 National Championship over Larry Bird’s Indiana State Sycamores in Salt Lake City.
 

* Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Johnson’s NBA teammate wore it with the Los Angeles Lakers.
 

* The Lakers won an NBA record 33 straight games.
 

* Larry Bird wore No. 33 for Indiana State in 1979 and also in his NBA career with the Boston Celtics.
 

* Michael Jordan holds the NBA post-season record with a career mark of 33.5 points-per-game.
 

* Lou Saban was a head coach for 33 years with 25 teams.
 

* Former Miami Heat Center Alonzo Mourning is the only player in franchise history to have his number retired.
 

* Tiger Woods will be 33 by the end of 2009.
 

* Grant Hill won a national championship with Duke and has worn the number for the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns.
 

* Kris Draper has worn No. 33 with the Detroit Red Wings since 1993 and has four Stanley Cup Championships playing in Hockeytown.
 

* Patrick Roy, Draper’s rival with the Colorado Avalanche, is the sixth player in NHL history to have his number retired by two different organizations. Roy has won four Stanley Cup Titles, two a piece with Colorado and the Montreal Canadiens, and was selected to the NHL Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2006.
 

* Can you believe that it’s been 33 years since the late Detroit Tigers Pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, who became famous for talking to the baseball and his antics on the mound became an American Folk Hero, posted a 19-9 record during the Bicentennial year of 1976 and appeared in the All-Star Game in Philadelphia?
 

* Nick Swisher wears No. 33 for the storied New York Yankees, one of the few numbers that isn’t retired.
 

* Marcus Thames wears No. 33 for my hometown Detroit Tigers another tradition rich franchise.
 

* The Michigan Wolverines bowl streak ended at 33 games.
 

*The 2008 NFL Draft marked the 33rd year of Mr Irrelevant which is the last player selected in the draft. That dubious honor went to St. Louis Rams Linebacker David Vobora. He was the 252 player chosen, has a jersey with the No. 252, received many other gifts, uses the Mr Irrelevant honor to gain endorsement deals and has a permanent spot in the Rams media guide.
 

*The Detroit Lions used their 2009 second round selection, 33rd overall, to select Western Michigan University Broncos Safety Louis Delmas.
 

*There are 33 drivers for the Indianapolis 500.
 

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottsports33@aol.com 
View his Web site at: http://www.scottsports33.com

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BY SCOTT MORGANROTH  Over the next eight weeks, NBA fans are going to get bombarded with endless of hours triple headers and doubleheaders on ABC, ESPN and TNT. Back in the 1970’s, the NBA Finals were broadcast on tape delay before the presence of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird changed that in the 1980’s. But I have a question for all of you long time NBA fans? During CBS first year of broadcasting pro hoops in 1974, do you remember the announcers? The answer to this question is Pat Summerall, Rick Barry and current Utah Jazz Announcer Hot Rod Hundley. The Boston Celtics defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 as this series featured Hall of Famers John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Oscar Robertson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. While there have been many great match-ups over the years in the finals, it might be hard to find a foursome of players better than this. In 1996, Barry was named to the NBA 50Th Anniversary All-Time Team. How many fans remember Barry as a player? For that matter, how many remember him as an announcer? In 2004, Hundley was inducted into the Utah Broadcast Hall of Fame and the performances of John Stockton and Karl Malone made his job easier with the Jazz success on the basketball court. The wild card here is Summerall, whom all fans know as the voice behind the microphone covering the NFL, Tennis and Golf. Here is a list of whom I consider the best announcers in the NBA through the years. The best Play-By-Play include: 1. Dick Stockton (CBS) 2. Brent Musberger (CBS) 3. Johnny Most (Boston Celtics) 4. Marv Albert (NBC & TNT Sports) 5. Gary Bender (CBS) 6. Jim Durham (ESPN, TNT & TBS) 7. Mike Breen (NBC, ABC & ESPN) 8. Chick Hearn (LA Lakers) 9. Bob Costas (NBC) 10. Al Michaels (ABC) The best Color Commentators through the years include: 1. Hubie Brown (CBS, ABC and ESPN) 2. Doug Collins (NBC, TNT) 3. Mike Fratello (NBC, TNT) 4. Hot Rod Hundley (CBS) 5. Rick Barry (CBS) 6. Keith Erickson (CBS) 7. Billy Cunningham (CBS) 8. Dr. Jack Ramsey (ESPN) 9. Johnny "Red" Kerr (Chicago Bulls) 10. Matt Guokas Jr. (NBC) As the NBA continues to grow over the years, it will be interesting to see how many people I’ll add to this list in the future. My early reviews on Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are good. Jackson’s knowledge of the game tends to make me think that he’ll be a good coaching prospect in the future. Meanwhile, Van Gundy, who has been known to take criticism from NBA Commissioner David Stern about his comments from time to time about the officiating, should stay in the media. He is colorful and is really entertaining. Watching tape of his on the court incidents with players being in the middle of fights are worth laughing at. He’s a little man with little hair and a lot of spunk. The best body guard from Stern is Breen, who is a seasoned pro and when I met him in Miami covering the Detroit Pistons versus Heat in the playoffs, he’s a class individual.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottsports33@aol.com 
View his Web site at: http://www.scottsports33.com

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BY SCOTT MORGANROTH   The NHL may have a great history on the ice but it’s national television exposure has been as complicated over the years as the Rubik’s Cube. From 1956-60, CBS was the first network to televise the NHL during the regular season by airing games on Saturday afternoons. Bud Palmer did the play-by-play while Fred Cusick did the color commentary. Cusick would later move over to play-by-play and Brian McFarlane did color and the intermissions. When I first saw the NHL on network television, the first game I remember was the 1971 Stanley Cup Finals when CBS aired Game 7 between the Chicago Black Hawks and Montreal Canadiens. The announcers for this game were the best legends that nobody knew about. They were Dan Kelly (St. Louis Blues) and Jim Gordon ( New York Rangers). As I read through the history of the NHL on network television, I never realized that NBC has the best track record for televising the sport. In 1966, NBC was the first US Network to televise the NHL playoffs. On April 10 and 17, NBC aired two semi-final playoff games between the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. This was a series that featured the battle of a pair of No. 9’s with Gordie Howe taking on Bobby Hull. On April 24 and May 1, NBC televised Games 1 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. Forty Three years later, NBC turned back the page and put the Red Wings versus Blackhawks in the public eye by broadcasting the Winter Classic from historic Wrigley Field on January 1 then wrapping up the season on April 12 at the United Center. While baseball, football and basketball have had legendary announcers over a sustained period of time that fans can relate to, what’s interesting about the NHL are the names that have had token appearances broadcasting hockey to the USA fan base. Here are some of the names which stand out over the years. In 1966, Win Elliott worked play-by-play and Bill Mazer did the color commentary for NBC. In the 1968-69 season, CBS broadcast 13 regular season and five playoff games with Kelly doing the play-by play and Mazer serving as the color analyst and intermission host. In 1971 and 1972, CBS also employed Phil Esposito and Harry Howell for Stanley Cup Finals coverage during these years. I’ve always thought that Dick Stockton has been the best all-around broadcaster over the years but this piece of trivia validates that fact. In January 23, 1972, Stockton filled in for Jim Gordon to work with Kelly at the Boston Garden in a contest featuring the Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. From 1972-75, the NHL was on NBC again and the announcers included Tim Ryan, play-by-play and Detroit Red Wings Hall of Famer Ted Lindsay. McFarlane hosted the intermission while animated character Peter Puck created his own following. These were the voices that today’s baby boomers would have no knowledge about. Some of my favorite announcers over the years include: Play-By-Play: 1. Dan Kelly (CBS, USA Cable Network) 2. Mike "Doc" Emerick (Fox, NBC) 3. Foster Hewitt (Hockey Night in Canada) 4. Danny Gallivan (Hockey Night in Canada, Montreal Canadiens) 5. Dick Irvin (Hockey Night in Canada, Montreal Canadiens) 6. Bruce Martyn (Detroit Red Wings) 7. Gary Thorne (ESPN, ABC) 8. Marv Albert (NBC) Color Commentators: 1. John Davidson (Fox, NBC) 2. Ed Olczyck (NBC, Versus) 3. Stu Nahan (CBS) 4. Don Cherry (Hockey Night in Canada, ESPN) 5. Mickey Redmond (Hockey Night in Canada, Detroit Red Wings) 6. Bill Clement (ESPN, NBC) 7. Lou Nanne (NBC) 8. Gary Green (USA Cable Network) Others include: 1. Dave Hodge (Hockey Night in Canada) 2. Tom Mees (ESPN) 3. Ron MacLean (Hockey Night in Canada, NBC) 4. Al Trautwig (USA Cable Network, Versus) 5. Barry Melrose (ESPN) 6. Brian Englom (ESPN, Versus) 7. Bill Patrick (NBC, Versus) 8. Brett Hull (NBC) 9. Ray Ferraro (NBC) 10. Pierre McGuirre (NBC) 11. Mike Milbury (NBC) 12. Steve Levy (ESPN) When I think of this list, I’m amazed to think that Cherry is Hockey’s version of College Basketball’s Dick Vitale. Stockton’s career can be defined as a man who has televised all four major league sports on national television. Kelly and Emerick are the true voices of USA Hockey. To this day, NBC is doing a much better job televising the NHL but ESPN should be the primary cable network with Versus having a supplementary role. If ESPN isn’t available, TBS would be a viable alternative. There is no reason that the top stars in the league shouldn’t have better visibility. One thing is certain, the Detroit Red Wings were a huge part of NHL’s national coverage back in the 1960’s, and NBC knows, they’d be in trouble these days without Hockeytown and their four championships in 11 years. Yet, when it’s all said and done, what USA fans won’t care about are goal cams, Peter Puck, the glowing puck so fans can track it better, sideline game interviews with coaches and players with microphones so fans will hear the sounds of the game. The only thing that will matter to the American Sports fan is what occurred in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, NY when the real voices of USA Hockey Al Michaels and Ken Dryden called the "Miracle on Ice" by winning the gold medal.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottsports33@aol.com 
View his Web site at: http://www.scottsports33.com

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7) Jerry Coleman (San Diego Padres) was a man that I had the good fortune of interviewing in 2002 in Tempe, Arizona., before an Anaheim Angels game. He was another great story teller. Coleman is alive and well at 84. Bob Uecker (Milwaukee Brewers) was one of the original announcers on ABC’s Monday Night Baseball and his comical approach towards his career .200 batting average in six seasons provided enough entertainment that he would utilize this to get involved in acting along with doing his famous Lite Beer Commercials.

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