By Scott Morganroth

     When my good friend Dan Parsont came by to visit me Sunday, this native New Yorker knew that he would get an earful of stories from me because of the tremendous amount of memories that I’ve had attending three races, several practices and qualifying runs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS).

     Even though New York City doesn’t have a race, the Big Apple is host to the annual NASCAR awards banquet.

     I told Parsont that I’ve attended two Indy 500’s and one Brickyard 400. I’ll never forget the first time I went to the track in 1994. I maximized that experience as I drove six hours each way from Detroit to Indianapolis and spent an entire day walking the track and watching practice in preparation for the 75th running of the Memorial Day Weekend race.

     The following two weeks, I went down for qualifying as Al Unser Jr. took the poll and on race weekend, my best friend George Eichorn and I saw Unser finish what he started by winning the race. Eichorn and I stayed about an hour away from the track because hotels were booked for the race. We had a chance to spend time downtown and watched the parade and saw an Indiana Pacers basketball game both on that Saturday.

     Aside from Unser’s success at Indy, I came away impressed with a Canadian rookie driver named Jacques Villeneuve, who finished second. The Brickyard is usually tough on young drivers but not this one.

     In 1995, I spent four more weekends at Indy and on race weekend, my college buddy Stuart Bloom drove down from Minnesota for the race. We did find a place to stay near the race track and had a blast. In all my years of watching motor sports, I’ve never seen a driver have two years like Villeneuve. How do you top a second place finish the year before? You win the race and that’s what he did.

     My final race at Indy was when my ex-wife Susan and I went to see the Brickyard 400 in 1996. This was the third running of the event. Dale Jarrett won the race but the moment I remember the most was when Kyle Petty crashed into turn four, the ambulance attendants tripped on his pony tail and dropped him then had to put him back on the stretcher into the vehicle.

     There will never be a shortage of stories at IMS. Then again, when a track has been open for 100 years, would there be?

     I don’t care what NASCAR fans will say about the tradition of racing in Daytona Beach.

     There have been seven champions crowned after they won the Brickyard 400.

     I’ve always found it interesting when Tony Stewart, John Andretti and Robby Gordon have made attempts to run the Indy 500 and the Coca Cola 600 in Charlotte on the same day.

     This years Brickyard 400 saw plenty of former Indy 500 participants.

     On Saturday, Max Papis failed to qualify for the race. But on Sunday, Tony Stewart finished third and has won this race twice. Juan Pablo Montoya led 116 laps but due to a speeding violation on pit road ended up losing the race to three time winner Jimmy Johnson. Robby Gordon finished 28th, John Andretti 32nd, and Sam Hornish Jr. finished 37th.

     When Montoya was knocked out of contention to win this race and finished 11th, 19 year-old rookie Joey Logano, who replaced Stewart in the No. 20 car for Joe Gibbs finished 12th. I thought for sure Logano was going to get humbled by this 2.5 mile monster but he impressed me and proved me wrong.

     As I watched this race, I was hoping that Jeff Gordon would win his fifth Brickyard 400 and if he didn’t triumph that his teammate Mark Martin, who became the oldest pole winner for the event at 50, would prevail. Instead, he finished second.

     But as I sat next to Parsont and asked him how many race tracks would be part of a golf course and have a couple holes, he just nodded his head and he seemed amazed at the venue.

     Yet, Parsont and I talked about what event would be better to attend, an Indy 500 or a Kentucky Derby? We both agreed the Indy 500 because who would want to attend an event that lasts two minutes? I do hope that I can still see a Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs because it’s still a great tradition but I’ll always be partial towards the venue located at the corner of 16th and Georgetown.

     While we’ll never know whether the Indy Racing League will ever race at Daytona, I am confident that one day Danica Patrick will get her shot at the Brickyard 400. I’ve always admired Patrick’s competitive spirit and she has engaged in a few shoving matches in her IRL career. But I do know one thing, Danica won’t be shoving any of the NASCAR guys around and she does know that she’ll be facing the best competition she’s ever faced having to control a much heavier vehicle that she’s not accustomed to handling.

     No matter what event you attend at IMS, which includes Formula One, anytime I see an overhead view of the facility, I do get chills down my spine and on this day, Parsont found that out. This is a spine that faced major back surgery on June 24 and figures to take as long as a year to fully heal.

     Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottsports33@aol.com

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 By Scott Morganroth 

      As I watched the Detroit Tigers lose 2-1 to the New York Yankees Sunday on TBS and noticed the amount of retired numbers the Bronx Bombers had, it made me think that with the Tigers and Pistons, there is a huge void in these franchises traditions at Comerica Park and the Palace of Auburn Hills.
     I don’t know what the criteria are for the Tigers to have a number retired, but I’m disappointed that Alan Trammell’s No. 3 and Lou Whitaker’s No.1 are not with the rest of the great players that proudly wore the old English D. Even though Gary Sheffield asked Trammell if he would mind wearing the number and Alan politely had no problem with it, this should never have occurred.
    Nowadays, how many players play their entire careers with one organization with free agency and major trades for contenders in the heat of a pennant race? How weird would it be if Al Kaline, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr, Don Mattingly, Tony Gwynn, Derek Jeter along with many others ever played for teams than their original employers?
     It’s hard to fathom all of the talk surrounding Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay playing South of the Border when he’s been a mainstay in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Yet, the headlines are centered around the hurler’s next destination and the impact that he could take his next team to a World Series Championship.
    But back to the Tigers. If the criteria is to retire a number once the player is in the Hall of Fame, then Willie Horton’s No. 23 shouldn’t be on the wall. Today’s Tigers fans will remember Kirk Gibson’s 1984 World Series homer that led the Motor City Kitties to a championship against the San Diego Padres. By no means am I disrespecting Horton because he was a major contributor on the 1968 World Series team and is a Detroiter, though Gibson is also a local product.
     Trammell and Whitaker were one of the best double play combinations in baseball history and today’s fans should see that 81 times a year plus the postseason. What’s the delay? Lets get these numbers with the rest of the Tigers legends!
     I don’t care about Trammell’s record as a Tigers manager because he had lousy players. 
    Trammell is the modern day version of Rodney Dangerfield because he hasn’t been given much respect in the eyes of the Hall of Fame voters.
    Perhaps if there is one good thing about the steroid era is all of these guilty users will take longer to get inducted into the Hall of Fame and there will be room for Trammell in Cooperstown, NY. Even though the low-keyed Whitaker is a long shot to get to Cooperstown, he should get consideration.
     Despite the recent shake-up of the Detroit Pistons, there is room in the rafters for a few retired numbers from the 2004 championship team.
     I highly doubt that Ben Wallace’s No. 3 will get retired because of his take the money and run approach to play for division rival Chicago Bulls.
     But Chauncey Billups No. 1, Richard Hamilton’s No. 32 and Tayshaun Prince’s No. 22 would be the right numbers to honor. After the disastrous Allen Iverson trade to Denver, Detroiters know that Billups was the glue that kept the Pistons together and led them to a championship, another finals appearance plus six conference finals.
     Joe Dumars will probably never hear the end of this mistake but to Dumars credit, he signed Billups as a free agent when many other teams including the Nuggets gave up on him. Hamilton still has a chance to work with some of the Pistons newer free agents as the team retools.
     Meanwhile, Prince, is still with the organization which drafted him and barring any trades could finish his career with one team. Prince’s No. 22 was also worn by John Salley of the Bad Boys era so it would be fitting that this number is connected to all three of the team’s championships.
     My advice to the Tigers and Pistons front offices: Let’s set a few days aside in the future to honor players that have enhanced your team’s traditions and give them the proper respect they rightfully deserve. It will also be another way to connect the past generations to the current and future generations.
    Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com 

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 By George B. Eichorn of the Detroit Monitor

Are you ready, baseball fans? The pennant race heats up this weekend as the first-place Detroit Tigers host the second-place Chicago White Sox in the first of many showdown series between these American League Central Division rivals.

            Manager Jim Leyland has his Tigers club in contention just past the mid-point of the season. That bodes well for the turnstiles at Comerica Park. Despite an economic recession and high level of unemployment, attendance is expected to get a boast when the Tigers and Sox play four games over the weekend. Action starts at 1:05 p.m. Friday, July 24, with a makeup game from an April rainout.

            Other games in the series are Friday at 7:05 p.m., Saturday, July 25, at 4:05 p.m. and Sunday at 8:05 p.m. The Saturday game (Fox) and Sunday game (ESPN) are nationally televised so, yes, this series is getting noticed!

            The Tigers and Sox are joined in the pennant race by the always-hungry Minnesota Twins. These three teams could go all the way to the wire (October 4) to decide which team represents the division in the opening round of the playoffs starting October 6 or 7.

            Of the three, the Twins have the easiest second-half schedule, based on the combined .483 Pythagorean winning percentage of its remaining opponents. This is a formula founded by baseball stat man Bill James and shows what a team’s record should be based on how many runs it scores and allows. Experts say this is a truer barometer of a club’s strength than the actual won-loss record.

            Minnesota has no games left with tough A.L. East foes Boston, New York and TampaBay. The Tigers, by contrast, have 11 games left with those clubs. Yet the Tigers’ second-half Pythagorean index is just slightly higher than the Twins, at .500.

            Statistics and averages aside, the Tigers need to improve in several areas in order to contend for the division crown. First, they must play better ball on the road where they only own a 21-29 record. The Sox are a division-best 23-22 away from home while the Twins 19-25. Next, the Tigers need to improve their hitting and run production. In the three-game sweep by the Yankees last weekend, Tiger hitters were a paltry 1-for-26 with runners in scoring position. This is totally unacceptable for an offense at any stage of baseball – especially in the big leagues.

            Unless Tiger hitters such as Curtis Granderson, Placido Polanco, Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordonez (being platooned) hit the way they are supposed to, average wide, the Tigers are cooked. You cannot rely on Miguel Cabrera’s bat nor Granderson and Inge to hit home runs to carry you game in and game out. The Tigers needs clutch  hits – singles and doubles – with runners on the base paths. Period.

            As for pitching, the Tigers are fortunate to be getting solid seasons from their top two starters – Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson – and a mixed bag  from the other three starters. Rookie Rick Porcello had a solid first few months, going 8-6 with a 4.14 earned run average. But can he survive a tough second-half? Leyland shut down the rookie hurler just before the all-star break to give him a couple weeks away from the grind of the majors.

            Armando Galarraga (5-8, 5.09 ERA) has been on a roller-coaster ride. The Tigers need him to stay consistent and win at least six or seven games in order to contend. The fifth starter is rookie Luke French and anything positive Detroit gets from him is a bonus. Should the Tigers get five quality innings from French, they will be happy.

            The bullpen is again a question mark. Fernando Rodney is up and down when he comes into a game yet has recorded 20 saves in 20 save opportunities at press time in 2009. Set-up man Joel Zumaya is out with yet another injury and who knows if he will come back and in what condition. Brandon Lyon will be called upon to set-up Rodney and that could prove risky although Lyon has pitched better of late.

            The makeup of the pen includes lefties Bobby Seay and Fu-Te Ni, right-hander Freddy Dolsi and recently recalled rookie righty Ryan Perry whose control problems have haunted him this season. And the Tigers have Zach Miner (5-1) as a solid middle reliever.

            Look for Tigers president/GM Dave Dombrowski to make a move or two before the trading deadline. Although attendance is down some 22 percent this year (translating into an estimate $8.9 million in lost revenue), the Tigers know they have a chance to win their division and make some noise in the post-season. Owner Mike Ilitch is not getting any younger and to “win it now” is more likely the mantra at ComericaPark these days than “wait until next year.”

            Dombrowski has so many large contracts on his hands that Ilitch cannot be happy with anything less than a division flag. Besides Ordonez and Cabrera, injured pitchers Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson and Dontrelle Willis, plus infielder Carlos Guillen, are making mega-bucks and not contributing to the team (except for Cabrera). Have a large-market payroll with a midsize market attendance does not compute. Adding to the gate challenge, season ticket sales dropped to 15,000 this season from 27,000 a year ago.

            The Tigers will pick up more fans by staying in contention yet the Tiger players have to do their fair share to get fans back for a repeat visit or two. The Tigers must win – and the time is now.

 Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com. Buy his book, “Detroit Sports Broadcasters On the Air” at www.amazon.com.

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By Rich Kincaide

This is truly a time of mixed emotions. On the one hand, due to the efforts of our Golf Committee and thanks to the support of Farm Bureau Insurance, we are about to have the most successful DSBA Charity Golf Scramble ever. They have created what will be the largest single fund-raiser in the more than 60-year history of our organization. As all of you should be, I’m very excited about this. The DSBA owes a debt of gratitude to Active Member Will Tieman and to our Golf Committee chairman Dennis Davidson. DSBA Vice President Jim Rein has, again, done an unbelievable job in getting people to support the event. We are either sold out or so close to it that you might miss out if you don’t act soon. Like, today. Additionally, we cannot and we will not overlook the efforts of the other members of the Golf Committee and of the many volunteers who have worked as hard as they have to make this the biggest event in DSBA history. I’ve mentioned before that my favorite Executive Committee meeting of the year is the one at which we decide which students are going to receive DSBA scholarships and which schools are going to receive grants to use for upgrades and for new equipment.

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By Scott Morganroth

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers/Orlando Magic mismatch is over, it’s time to reflect on what would have been.

The ultimate choke artists are the Cleveland Cavaliers! This is a team which had a chance to put itself in the record books with the Boston Celtics if they had won its last home game with a 41-1 record but decided to rest its players and settled for 39-2 by losing to the Philadelphia 76′ers 111-110 on April 15TH.

I’ll bet that 41-1 record would have been a nice consolation prize for not winning a championship or at least have the right to face Kobe Bryant and compete for one.

Before the final home game, Lebron James took the microphone and told the Cleveland fans that he was looking forward to snapping the city’s half century championship drought.

The Cavaliers had a false sense of security just by thinking a 66-16 record could coast to the NBA Finals.

Sweeping the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks meant nothing when the Orlando Magic took advantage of their overconfidence. Undoubtedly, home court advantage throughout the playoffs meant nothing since they didn’t make it all the way through to the finals.

When James decided not to show sportsmanship by not shaking the Magic’s players hands after the series was over then refused to speak to the media, this was classless. I’m sure he’s been criticized plenty but I hope he learns from his infamous hat trick of overconfidence, sportsmanship and bad public relations.

I do believe that Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert is the one person who could deliver Cleveland a title. But Gilbert, who is from Farmington Hills, MI and used to advertise with the Pistons and did watch the perfect business model by the late William Davidson, won’t do it with Ben Wallace.

Wallace isn’t the same player former Pistons TV Play-By-Play Announcer Fred McLeod used to broadcast on the 2004 championship team. Wallace’s defensive abilities never took his next two stops the Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers to the promised land. He is on the downside of his career.

I’m sure Coach of the Year Mike Brown knows it. But if one Wallace doesn’t work, Rasheed Wallace is an unrestricted free agent and might come at a reasonable price. Another chance to land a former Piston for Gilbert could be quite tempting. Desperation can do many things especially with a long championship drought.

I’ll bet Brown will attempt to protect Wallace like former Pistons Coach Larry Brown did and channel that intensity. If Rasheed can play some defense and hit few timely three pointers, he might actually get Cleveland fans to like him since he’s had unpleasant things to say about them in the past.

But I guess for the time being, the only way we’ll see a Bryant versus James match up is on video games until we them play on the court next season. We’ll have a year to see if this mega ratings match up ever materializes.
Perhaps then, I’ll watch more than 15 minutes of a finals series. But I’m probably not alone and if James is smart, he’ll take the microphone and speak to the Cleveland fans in June and not April learning from his overconfidence experience.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com

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