Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association Blog » Uncategorized

Super Bowl Prediction (Bill Axtell Blog)

George Eichorn — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:03:53 +0000

By Bill Axtell of the DSBA

It would not surprise me if New England wins Super Bowl XLVI. The biggest crock in all of pro sports is how awful the Patriots’ defense is. Their record, counting play-off games, is 15-3. I don’t care how many points they allowed, nor how much yardage they gave up. Their defense was good enough to win all but three games.

The Patriots have a lot of good players. They are superbly coached by Bill Belichik, well-disciplined and have as good a field general in Tom Brady as anyone could ask for. (It does not help that tight end Rob Gronkowski will be less than 100%. He has been scary good — the highest praise I can muster for any athlete.)

Why I am taking the Giants, in spite of the aforementioned…

While the Patriots’ regular-season record was better than New York’s (with six games on the schedule vs. Buffalo, Miami and the New York Jets), the Giants have come on strong in recent weeks, and beat much better competition en route to the Super Bowl. They topped a good Atlanta team in the first round of the play-offs, 24-2. They drubbed the defending Super Bowl champs, the Green Bay Packers, handily on the frozen tundra. (Only a pair of questionable calls by officials made the final score look respectable.) In the NFC Championship game, they outdueled a spirited San Francisco 49ers team laden with defense stalwarts on the 49ers’ home turf.

The Giants had to win some big games just to qualify for the post-season.

Eli Manning is unflappable. He’s younger than his New England counterpart. Manning has a troika of dangerous wide receivers – Hakeem Nicks, Mario Manningham and Victor Cruz. (Cruz also qualifies as scary good.) The Giants have a punishing ground game good enough to help New York in terms of time of possession. While New England’s defense is under-rated, New York’s is championship-caliber, led by Jean-Pierre Paul and Osi Umenyiora.

Finally, I hearken back to a comment I heard a while back from former Giants coach — and former Patriots coach — Bill Parcells. According to Parcells, the most overrated factor in pro football is game plan. And the most underrrated factor is execution.

I am sure the Pats will have an excellent game plan (they thoroughly flummoxed the Denver Broncos in the post-season with ingenious offensive schemes) but they’re not going up against Tim Tebow or Joe Flacco this week. I think the Tom Coughlin-coached Giants will out-execute ‘em. New York 27-New England 20.

Fielder like a Big Teddy Bear (George Eichorn Blog)

George Eichorn — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:26:17 +0000

By George Eichorn

To quote former major league announcer Mel Allen: "How about that!" The Detroit Tigers signing of first baseman Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers (and his 230 career home runs) is as stunning as headlines come in the world of sports.

The slugger’s nine-year $214 million contract costs owner Mike Ilitch dearly yet the payoff could be a trip to the World Series and a home gate of more than 3 million at Comerica Park in 2012.

Crain’s Detroit Business reports the Tigers can afford the slugger. They stated the team is actually saving the $23 million Fielder will cost this season by not re-signing right-fielder Magglio Ordoneza and second-baseman/designated hitter Carlos Guillen. A boost in season-ticket sales, suite sales, new corporate sponsorships, merchandise and others revenue generators, Crain’s says, will also benefit Ilitch. Look for the Tigers to raise ticket prices in time for the 2013 season especially if they happen to win the Fall Classic.

Fans are giddy about the prospects of Fielder replacing the injured Victor Martinez in manager Jim Leyland’s lineup. A powerhouse 1-2 punch of Fielder and Miguel Cabrera has pitchers around the major leagues shuddering this winter. Add in the bats of catcher Alex Avila, shortstop Jhonny Peralta, right fielder Brennan Boesch and left fielder/DH Delmon Young, and you have Detroit’s version of the famed New York Yankees’ "Murderer’s Row."

Fielder is coming home. Most of us remember his father, Cecil Fielder, and his 1990-1996 run with the Tigers. His 245 home runs here included 51 in 1990, the most in one year for a Tiger since Hank Greenberg’s 58 home runs in 1938.

Cecil Fielder brought his robust son Prince to many games at old Tiger Stadium and the youngster even clubbed a home run at age 12 at Michigan and Trumbull. Ah, shades of Willie Horton hitting one out of that same park as a teenage hitting sensation for Detroit Northwestern High School in the early 1960′s.

The fact that Ilitch opened up his wallet and president/general manager Dave Dombrowski was able to sign a free agent of this magnitude demonstrates how hungry the two are for the taste of champagne in a world champion’s locker room. The Tigers got to the World Series in 2006 but lost in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals. This past season, it was a trip to the American League Championship Series (ALCS) only to lose in six games to the Texas Rangers.

Now, the table is set for the Tigers to make it back to the Series and to finish the job and bring home a championship flag.

My question entering spring training will be the Tigers defense. By moving Cabrera to third base and plunking Fielder at first base, the Tigers have two less-than-desirable gloves out there. Add in the short-range of Peralta at short and middle-of-the-road defense of Ryan Raburn at second and you have the making of a potential shaky infield defense.

In the outfield, you have a so-so fielder in Young (left) and getting-better Boesch in right. Only Austin Jackson has Gold Glove potential in center field. Avila is above average behind the plate. Tiger pitchers like Rick Porcello and Doug Fister, who rely on ground outs, had better be ready to expect a few more base-runners in 2012 as the result of Cabrera at third and the other fielders we mentioned.

One solution would be rotating Fielder and Cabrera between first base and DH, leaving Young in left full-time (instead of DH) and platooning Brandon Inge and Don Kelly at third base. Leyland has plenty of options even though Cabrera says he is ready to go at it full time at third base.

Prince’s wife Chanel, at the introductory press conference last week at Comerica Park, summed up her husband this way: "He’s a big teddy bear. You want that fire on the field."

And fiery is what Prince Fielder is – and will be – as a Detroit Tiger. It’s a move with plenty of risks for Ilitch and Dombrowski yet it’s a wildly aggressive move that stoked the flames of the Winter Stove League in baseball. Detroit, as a team and a city, should be better off because of this special homecoming. Prince is back home – where he belongs.

Buy George Eichorn’s book, "Detroit Sports Broadcasters On the Air" at amazon.com and reach him at geichorn@yahoo.com.

Dennis Vs. The Touchdown (Dennis Davidson Blog)

George Eichorn — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:30:50 +0000

DSBA BLOG

By Dennis Davidson color:#333333">

Mr. Davidson is a 34 year member of the DSBA. He has covered the Detroit area sports scene for over forty years as a radio announcer and stringer. His reports have been used by AP, UPI, CBS, WJR, WLLZ Associated Newspapers and Sports Net. He was a part of the Red Wings Game Night Staff for 26 seasons and served as the press box announcer. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#333333">

The views expressed in this blog are Mr. Davidson’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DSBA. "Times New Roman";color:#333333">

DENNIS VS. THE TOUCHDOWN mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:
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Can someone please tell me what a touchdown is anymore? The NFL says that they are using replays to get it right and then they put in rules, evidently to keep the game going, like if it’s a ruled a touchdown on the field then replay will verify it or not. If it’s not ruled a TD on the field, even though TV replays show that it is, then the only way it’s reviewed is if the coach throws the red flag. The coach gets two of these a game whether he’s right or wrong, the Titus Young catch is a good example of what happens when the coach is out of challenges. Then, of course, there’s the Calvin Johnson TD in Chicago a year ago when he didn’t complete the play, whatever that meant. Even Chicago fans were left scratching their heads on that one. And now the NCAA comes along with their rules, the Sugar Bowl U of M Virginia Tech game is a good example. VT’s Danny Coale catches the ball in the end zone, has possession and when he hits the ground the nose of the ball is sticking out below his arm and touches the ground but does not move in his grasp. The “get it right” people in the replay booth said no because the nose of the ball touched the ground. If that’s the college rule then it’s a bad one. I don’t know if Coale , a Senior, is good enough to turn Pro, if not then the NCAA took away a special moment in this young man’s career. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

PREDICTION mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:
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By the time the All Star break comes along Prince Fielder, who isn’t much of a fielder, will be the DH and Miggy will be back at first. It might even happen before the Opener. Play-by-play people keep saying that with Brandon Inge’s range at third Jhonny Peralta can shade more toward second therefore tighting up the left side of the infield, Cabrerra doesn’t have that range. I don’t think for a minute that Leyland and Dombrowski feel that the two of them in the field at the same time will work. What do you think Verlander and the rest of the crew are going to say when the bunts and bleeders become singles and eventually runs. And why they haven’t said who the DH is going to be, Young? Well then, who’s in left? A long time ago a friend and I used to have an argument and what type of team you would like nine Harmon Killebrews or nine Eddie Brinkman’s. He always took the Killebrews because offense wins games and I always said that defense saves games and even Eddie could get a hit now and then. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

NHL mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:
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This is being written at All Star break. If the Western Conference ends up the way it is now, four teams out of the Central Division will get in the play-offs, which are Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago and Nashville, and even though all have as many points or more than Vancouver and San Jose who are tops in their division. All but the leader which are the Wings, will be seeded below the Sharks and Canucks. The Bettman Hockey League figures that what would be the use of finishing first in your division and end up being a fifth seed? And that is the only reason and is why some are calling for a reseed after the first round. If it ends like it is today, Detroit would play Colorado which is the way it should be. But for the other three it’s a little bit different. Vancouver who is first in the Northeast but is fourth overall will play seventh LA. San Jose who is first in the Pacific and is fifth overall will play fourth place Chicago or Nashville but they get home ice advantage. St. Louis who is 2^nd overall and should get to play the 7^th seed gets either Chicago or Nashville. Sound fair? If you know any Blues fans ask them. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

Just to show how polarized our country has become, Boston net minder Tim Thomas, a Davison, MI native, skipped the annual Stanley Cup winner’s visit to the White House because he doesn’t care for the current occupant. I agree with Free Press columnist Drew Sharp who says that even though Thomas has the right to disrespect his President but isn’t he also disrespecting the Office Of The President which no American should disrespect. I wonder if the Wing’s should win this year what would Jimmy Howard do? I think we all know the answer to that one. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

ANOTHER OLD TIMER LEAVES US mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:
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I was a bit saddened by the passing of former Pro Bowling legend Don Carter. He was on TV a lot during the old 3 channel days. We used to turn the channel selector and hang on to the “rabbit ears” in order to tune in sports, and any sport would do. Carter was very different in his style, instead of throwing with a straight arm he would bend his elbow and sort of push the ball. He also used to curl his little finger in, he said it cushioned his delivery. It never worked for me or anyone else I know of except for one. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

We had the pleasure of sitting with Eddie Lubanski and his wife at the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame banquet in June of 2010. What a please it was to talk to him, especially about those old TV days. He had 11 sanctioned 300 games including two back-to-back on live TV. Remember in those days the alleys were made of wood and 300 games, especially in recreation leagues, were rare. The house that I bowl in didn’t have a 300 game for over 40 years until they switched to synthetic. Eddie left us this past year. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

They only Pro Bowler I ever knew was Bob Strampe who was the PBA “Rookie of the Year” in the early sixties and was the only other bowler who tucked his little finger in. Bob used to run a bar in Mt. Clemens on Cass Ave. called the York Bar. Don’t ask me how I knew that. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

Another demise was that of former Red Wing Johnny Wilson. His legend is chronicled in former DSBA President Rich Kincaide’s fine book “The Gods of Olympia Stadium”. He played for the “Winged Wheelers” twice 1950-55 and 57-59. He coached the Wings from 71 thru 73. He was the “Iron Man” of the day playing in 560 straight games. His record came to a halt while playing for Toronto, not due to injury but to a training camp contract dispute with the Leafs Punch Imlach. I remember sitting with Johnny a couple of times hanging on to his vivid stories about the NHL in the 50’s. The last time was at Ginopolis’ after a DSBA Christmas party. Especially interesting were stories about those train rides back to Detroit from Montreal. In those days hockey couldn’t be played on Sunday’s in Canada and there were a lot of back-to-back games against Montreal and Toronto. There was a lot of bad blood between the Wings and the Canadiens and players didn’t fraternize back then even during the off season. They would travel on the same train and depending on how the cars were hooked up, one team would have to walk through the other teams’ car to get to the Club Car. They would wait until the train made a stop and then walk on the platform to the Club Car and then wait for another stop to walk back. I thought it was odd when they wrote about Johnny’s death in the Toronto papers, saying he was the uncle of the Leafs coach Ron Wilson but didn’t mention that Ron was the son of Larry Wilson who also played for and coached the Wings. "Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">

I can be contacted at dennisd227@comcast.net. If you’re wondering what the 227 means, it’s my birthday in case you want to send me something. mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:
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UFC and Boxing (Scott Morganroth Blog)

George Eichorn — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:59:31 +0000

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On Saturday Night, I was channel surfing and stumbled onto FOX’s presentation of the UFC.

There was a familiar voice from the past as former Detroit Red Wings Play-By-Play Announcer Mike Goldberg was calling the action. Up to this point, my only familiarity with the UFC was meeting legendary fighter Chuck Liddell at the Super Bowl in Miami a few years ago. Otherwise, I knew nothing about this sport.

After watching three matches Saturday Night, I probably still know very little but came away totally impressed with these athletes. To get kicked in the head, choked, head butted and punched in the face, I can understand why the fights were limited from 3-5 rounds and last five minutes.

The punishment these fighters take is amazing. After what I saw Saturday Night, if a boxer were to enter the octagon, I wouldn’t give them much of a chance because of the quicker pace and additional skill level of mixed martial arts, boxing and wrestling all rolled into one.

But as impressed as I am about the sport, which is here to stay, the only thing the UFC does lack is the History Of Boxing.

The UFC realizes that as it lacks the tradition and name recognition that boxing has.

Fighters like Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Joe Frazier, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Robinson, Mike Tyson, Roberto Duran, Sonny Liston, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, etc… gave the ring plenty of proud moments. I remember when boxing matches lasted 15 rounds before they changed to 12 because of the brain injuries.

I’m amazed how the UFC generates large audiences for their pay-per-view events. Boxing can thank Tyson for his pay-per-view revenues. After watching the excitement Saturday Night in front of a packed United Center in Chicago, I can see how they generate the revenue through pay-per-view.

I would never order a pay-per-view UFC event because I would rather use the $50 for gas to take a trip to Clearwater Beach, Key West, Sarasota, Orlando and Daytona, Florida.

But this weekend, the UFC did earn my respect as a fan and thanks to their relationship with FOX, a free event gave them much needed exposure.

Boxing built it’s audience this way for years with ABC, NBC and CBS broadcasting weekly fights on the weekend.

The reason for boxing’s demise is there are too many champions in too many weight divisions. Fighters are not as hungry as they used to be because of the large payouts and rarely fight. There aren’t many good American fighters for the public to follow. There are not enough major fights to keep the sport in the news plus, the public is looking for the next heavyweight which it would recognize and dominate.

The UFC expects its best fighters to perform regularly and is taking advantage of boxing’s decline. More power to the UFC.

Boxing’s promoter’s let politics and money get in the way of creating the mega fights the public wants to see. That’s why the UFC is knocking out boxing and will continue to in the future unless things drastically change.

However, my heart still belongs to boxing since that’s what I grew up following my whole life.

My photo portfolio includes Ali, Leonard, James Toney and legendary trainer Angelo Dundee. There are a lot of championships with this group.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

HOCKEY, CORPORATE DOLLARS AND TOO MUCH OFFENSIVE HYPE (Ron Angel Blog)

George Eichorn — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:05:08 +0000

By Ron Angel

Humor me; I’ve got one LARGE problem and some thoughts about the state of favorites in the world of sports, in my humble opinion. Let’s take on the subject that does not impact me or the economic input of Detroit directly.

We’ve just come off a two-week blitz of NFL post-season games with some interesting outcomes. Granted, the Lions made their first trip to the playoffs since 1999 and as was projected, the Saints had home field and used that and an array of weapons to send Detroit home after round one. That was hardly a surprise.

Three high octane offenses took to the grass or turf and one emerged victorious in a 14 day span that left more than one fan bewildered. The Saints, winner of 13 games with their record setting offense went into the bay (well not literally) and left with wounded egos and watched the 49ers move on to the NFC title game.

Ditto the Packers, out to defend their Super Bowl tile, ran into the G-men and looked, well, pedestrian for a team that went 15-1 in the regular season. Meanwhile Team Brady steamrolled Tebowmania and waits for the Ravens to come to chowder country. At this point, New England vs. NYG or SF will be okay…As long as the Patriots get there! But hey, that’s just me!

Now, on to this mind numbing plan unfolding in HOCKEYTOWN! Here’s the deal…The NHL is planning yet another winter classic, in Detroit or so we thought. The most recent “news” is that the original six match-up between the Maple Leafs and Red Wings MAY be held at the Big House in Ann Arbor with its 100,000 plus seating capacity. My thought, so what! Fans in stands does not mean more viewers. In fact it’s a given that those watching would do so in greater numbers if you used the local teams stadium other than a college venue, otherwise, why have all the previous outdoor classics been in the home venues of the baseball or football teams facility?

Here are the real issues; the closeness of our Canadian neighbors in Windsor and the surrounding area, the need for financial help in the “D” and the opportunity to turn a game into a weekend of activity exists in Detroit! Not 50 miles away in Ann Arbor!! Mr. Illitch, it is your team and you have done so much for this city, please, do not let the NHL or TV networks dictate where this classic game should be played…You know…I know…The answer is Comerica Park. There I’ve said it and several local media members agree.

Thanks, as always

Ron Angel
UDetroit.com

586-491-7857-MOBILE

Final Thoughts (Will Tieman Blog)

George Eichorn — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 00:55:08 +0000

BY WILL TIEMAN
If you like movies you may have come across one from the early 70’s entitled “The Candidate”. In that movie Robert Redford ran for a Senate Seat in California and he had no shot at winning. Then on Election Day when it became apparent that he was going to win, he said to his campaign manager, “now what do we do”.

Well after scoring an upset victory over “other” two years ago that was me: “now what do we do”.

Well – what I wound up doing during the first year as your President was listening a lot. I learned how to put on my name tag on correctly, and really began to understand some of the challenges facing the DSBA.

In a nut shell it seemed like the DSBA needed a face lift. It needed to become more relevant and involved in the city it serves.

So as we headed into year two, the board began to work towards that face lift while still protecting and honoring the great history of the DSBA.

Outreach programs to help the youth of Detroit were accelerated, the annual golf outing hit record revenue numbers, the new monthly DSBA “Sports Exchange” on WDFN Radio was lanched to add additional revenue and also gives our group some needed public exposure.

During this past year there have been discussions about broaden the membership base. With so many crossing over between traditional broadcast, print and the web, etc. it just make sense to welcome all into the DSBA.

My biggest surprise had to be the work of the board. I had no idea how many volunteer hours were put in by these individuals. Folks it’s a special group!

So as I soon head towards that list of former Presidents my final request of the membership is to get more involved. We have a great deal of star power that can be turned into charitable good. If we all took just a little time when asked to help, it would be amazing what might be accomplished.

It was a great two years. Thanks!

First Bowl Game (Dennis Davidson Blog)

George Eichorn — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:37:08 +0000

DSBA BLOG

By Dennis Davidson

Mr. Davidson is a 34 year member of the DSBA. He has covered the Detroit area sports scene for over forty years as a radio announcer and stringer. His reports have been used by AP, UPI, CBS, WJR, WLLZ and Sports Net. He was a part of the Red Wings Game Night Staff for 26 seasons and served as the press box announcer.

The views expressed in this blog are Mr. Davidson’s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DSBA.

MY FIRST BOWL GAME

Over the years I’ve had the privilege to attend many sporting events in this city, including of course, during my time with the Wings, a few Stanley Cups and the 1980 NHL All Star Game when PA Announcer John Bell said “And now representing all of Hockey Number 9,” and that started that long Standing “O” for Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe. What a moment.

One event that I have never attended was the Motor City Bowl now known as the Little Caesar’s Pizza Bowl, in fact I have not even witnessed an event at Ford Field. Not that I’m complaining, but the press parking was at the west end of the stadium and the press entrance was I think was somewhere on the east end at gate G which I never found but went in an entrance that other people wearing credentials were going in. I was directed to the elevator which dropped me of on the 7^th floor. Once I found my seat I looked out on the field and immediately wished I had brought binoculars. As I was to discover later that the 7^th floor was 7 stories above street level, the field is 2 stories below that.

The press box it’s self is three tiered with a spacious area behind for dining or just sitting before and after the game. I found it very comparable to the press facilities of the Silver Dome which was very comfortable. Comerica Park also has an excellent press facility, while Joe Louis Area has an afterthought that came after the arena was built and they had to take out the last three rows in order to

make up a very cramped space. I have personal knowledge of how that came about and remind me to relate that story at a later date.

PURDUE VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

It was a very pleasant start as a group of young singers from the Detroit Public Schools performed the National Anthem.

WMU got on the board first when Jordan White took in a Alex Carder pass for a 49 yd. TD, they went for two and got it. Purdue dominated the rest of the 1^st everywhere but on the scoreboard, scoring at the end of the quarter and had a time of procession of 12:47 to WMU’s 2:13 but trailed 8-7.

The big play and as far as I was concerned, and probably was the play of the game, was Raheem Mostert of the Boilermakers returning a kickoff 99 yards, a bowl record. The replays showed that maybe only two fingers touched him all of the way. It resulted in Purdue’s first lead of the game 17-15. They scored 10 more unanswered points before the end of the half to lead 27-15.

In the 2^nd half both teams racked up points with Western scoring with 4:28 remaining to bring it to within 5 but couldn’t pull it off in the end losing 37-32. The MVP was Junior running back from Purdue, Akeem Shavers, who racked up 106 yards on 13 carries for a pretty decent 8.2 average. My vote went for Westerns Jordan white who broke the bowl receiving record. The Senior out of Cleveland caught 8 passes for 161 yards and a TD.

The game drew a good crowd of 46,117 which I’m sure was mostly alumni from both schools, considering the driving distances; it was the fifth largest in the bowls history.

Kudos to Ken Hoffman who has stuck this event out ever since it was the Cherry Bowl at the Silver Dome, he looked the most relaxed I’ve seen him in years. And to Tim Moore, thank you for the opportunity to write this.

IMPRESSIONS OF FORD FIELD

Thank you Mr. Ford, for bringing the stadium downtown.

Although I’ve been to the stadium many times, this was, as I said my first sporting event there. The 65,000 seats seemed to have good sight lines and compared to the 80,000 seat Silver Dome. It is easier to sell out under the NFL’s dumb black out rules. If you are going to have a league sell out rule shouldn’t it be a league average stadium size instead of the Lions having 80,000 in Pontiac, Pittsburgh only had to sell 64,000. I guess we shouldn’t feel bad Dallas has to do over 90,000, poor Jerry Jones.

The inner sanctum of the stadium is scary; there is a labyrinth of hallways and tunnels. The press conference was held in the visitors interview room and then I almost had to guess my way to the field, I should have brought breadcrumbs because getting back to the elevator no mean feat.

I don’t know how far it is from the locker rooms to the field but it’s quite a trek. Both teams come out of the same tunnel, even though the walk way is big, you get over a hundred players, coaches and staff in there it could lead to a big donnybrook. We all saw Dominic Raiola go after an Oakland Raider before the start of their game.

DENNIS VS. THE “GATOR”

Between the Holidays I was listening to what I call “Negative Talk Radio” because that’s the attitude the personalities and especially the callers seem to have. Does “Verlander is over rated” seem familiar? As Doug Karsch on 97.1 once said “if everyone was doing good we wouldn’t have anything to talk about.”

His partner Scott “The Gator” Anderson was hosting the show and started in about how he knows the caller is over 55 because he says his age within 20 seconds. Excuse me? If the caller says his age and it’s over 55 then you know he’s over 55, DUH!!!

Because I don’t know how to do the ticket text and don’t care to learn I decided to email the good Gator. He doesn’t have an email on their web site but his producer or screener or whatever Evan Jankins does so here it is.

From: Dennis Davidson [mailto:dennisd227@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, December 30, 2011 11:55 AM
To: ‘evan.jankens@cbsradio.com’
Subject: OLD FARTS

Hi Evan, I guess you’re the one to talk to because I couldn’t find Gator’s email and I won’t waste time nor money trying to text. Pass this along to Gator if you would please.

Dear Gator,

I was totally appalled at the way you and Doug totally disrespected the 61 year old caller on your show yesterday. I know it was a clip from earlier this year but I didn’t hear it then. You said that the over 55 age callers usually say their age within 20 seconds, this guy took longer and only when he mentioned “Mean Joe Green” and you and Doug yelled “how old is Joe Green? 71?” And then made fun of the caller when he said he was 61. I’m 69, there I said it, 69. You point was anyone over 55 will tell you their age immediately. How many times have we heard someone call and say something like “I’m 25 and I remember Barry Sanders growing up.”

Now because I’m over 55 you will probably upon reading this hit delete. I know that the older listener is not in your stations demographics. Madison Ave. has ignored older American’s because all we buy is Viagra and Depends. I will admit that even with my full head of hair, all though be it white, I will not have it cut by someone who yells “WICKED AWESOME”. Just so you know and probably don’t care, I fortunately do not have a need of Viagra or Depends. I have in my carport a new ‘11’ Ford Escape for which I purchase gas. I shop at Meijer and my 67 year old significant other goes Krogering with her 92 year old mother.

I was in the Press Box for the Little Caesar’s Bowl and I noticed photo’s past Lions and got a kick out of seeing my boyhood hero #22 Bobby Layne and other former Lions. I’m sure you see these pictures you probably wonder why they are there, who under 55 would want to see them. Tell the Lions to take them down, or maybe tell it to Charlie Sanders face. Nooo, I don’t think you’re thirty some young testicles can do it.

You and your listeners don’t want to hear about the exploits “Mean” Joe Green, Bobby Layne, or hear about Tigers named Harvey or Al. How about Wings with names of Gordie, Alex, Terry and Ted. Did you even mention the passing of Johnny Wilson?

Here is a sad fact of life, if you’re lucky you will advance to the age of 55 and older, and if they still have sports talk radio then, someone will call in and talk about remembering players of the past named Suh or Matt or Justin. Will your hands be clenched in fists of rage when the hosts start dissing the old guy.

Maybe, if you ever have grandchildren, you’ll be able to tell them about all the famous athletes you have interviewed.

I was in your profession once upon a time and can tell my grandchildren about interviewing The Beatles, The Kinks and others even though they sometimes say “who?”

I covered Detroit sports in the early 70’s and was part of the Wings PR Department’s press box staff for 26 seasons. I stood on the ice alongside that Gordie guy I mentioned in 1997 while a few feet away Stevie Y handed The cup to Mr. I. Oh by the way I was 55 then. I worked with guys named Emanuel and Tommy.

Your station gets some sort of great delight of “here we go again some old dude calling in” even though Terry is closing in on 55 and Pat may already be there.

Your show is they only one I listened to before because I thought you and Doug were fair and didn’t think we were all “idiots” like Mike thinks we are, but you lost me the other day. Sorry.

Dennis Davidson

Still waiting for Scotty to “beam me up”, if he even knows what that means. I’ll keep you posted. See you in a couple weeks with the latest adventures of “Old Fart”

You can contact me at dennisd227@comcast.net

Holiday Sports Traditions (Scott Morganroth Blog)

George Eichorn — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:16:12 +0000

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

We are just a few days into a new year.

So what better time to break down the Top Holiday Sports Traditions than now.

Which sports own what particular holidays?

1) New Years Eve in Detroit is big for Red Wings fans that began at the Old Olympia Stadium and carried over to the Joe Louis Arena. When I’m back in Detroit, I make it a point to cover the New Years Eve event but when I’m not at home, then I usually stay inside to avoid the crazy drunk drivers.

One New Years Eve I’ll never forget was on December 31, 1990. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the USC Trojans 17-16 and I really enjoyed covering this game. I was in the midst of a cross country drive and it worked out where I could fit this in on the schedule. The Sun Bowl in El Paso Texas has been a New Year’s Eve tradition on CBS for many years.

2) When there is no conflict with the NFL on Sunday, New Years Day or January 1 has always been a day to watch College Bowl Games. There used to be several bowl games played including the major ones, The Rose, Orange, Sugar, Fiesta and Cotton, in addition to the Outback, Gator and Capital One. This year the Rose Bowl and Fiesta are on the same night while the Sugar, Orange and Cotton will be played in prime time on other evenings. Nevertheless, if you’re a college football junkie, this is a great day to stay home and have multiple TV’s running.

I’ve had the good fortune to cover a Rose, Capital One and Orange Bowl. I enjoyed covering the Rose Bowl Parade and Game in one day. It was a long day but a lot of fun.

3) A new tradition that is on NBC is the NHL Winter Classic on January 1 or 2 depending on the NFL schedule. These outdoor contests, which features snow falling on the players thus forcing them to make adjustments in their games, are played in baseball or football stadiums. I’m looking forward to the day that the Detroit Red Wings get to host one and hopefully they’ll play the game at Michigan Stadium (The Big House) before 100,000 fans to set new attendance records.

4) Christmas Day belongs to the NBA and this year there were five games played on three networks. If a new labor agreement wasn’t reached and the Christmas games were canceled then there would have been no regular season because of the amount of money and exposure lost.

5) The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys own Thanksgiving Day. I am glad that the NFL added a prime-time contest to complete the holiday.

6) Sunday, Memorial Day Eve, goes to Auto Racing as fans can enjoy the Indianapolis 500 followed by NASCAR’s Coca Cola 600, the longest race of the season. If there is a rain out then the races are run on Memorial Day.

7) Memorial Day Weekend also features the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Finals match-ups, Pro Basketball’s version of the Final Four.

NASCAR usually has a race at the Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI., in the Beautiful Irish Hills on Fathers Day. There are also a full slate of Major League Baseball Action.

9) July 4 belongs to Major League Baseball as fireworks shows follow after games. Tennis and Wimbledon usually play around this time, in addition to the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in New York.

10) Labor Day is predominantly for Major League Baseball as the pennant races begin to reach their final stages. Fans also turn their attention to the start of the NFL Season with fall just weeks ahead.

I want to wish all of My Readers and Followers a Happy and Healthy New Year. Enjoy your sports and may all of your dreams come true.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can also be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

U-M vs. MSU (Scott Morganroth Blog)

George Eichorn — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:42:08 +0000

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

In The Wonderful World Of Normalcy, the Michigan State Spartans should still be playing in a BCS Bowl Game despite losing to the Wisconsin Badgers 42-39 on Saturday, December 3 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

But this is NCAA Football where a computer ranking decides which two teams play for a National Championship.

In my home state, the sides are divided as to which team deserved a BCS Bowl Game.

Even though the Michigan State Spartans (10-3) defeated the Michigan Wolverines (10-2) during the regular season, MSU is going to face the Georgia Bulldogs (10-3) in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida on January 2.

My friends Gus Pantelides and Mike Pantel of Clearwater, Florida, have to be elated they’ll see MSU in their backyard.

But Spartans Head Coach Mark Dantonio, who has compiled a 43-22 record in five seasons, wishes his team was playing in New Orleans, Louisiana.

That’s where Michigan is set to face Virginia Tech (10-2) in the Sugar Bowl.

According to the BCS Standings, Michigan was ranked 13 while Michigan State dropped to 17.

But lets face the reality. When Michigan is winning, they’re a hot property.

A win by Virginia Tech over Michigan will do wonders for the Hokies football program.

Sorry Michigan State. That’s the way it works out.

Here is the Tale Of The Tape between these two in-state rivals.

Michigan State:

1) All-Time Record–633-427-44.
2) National Championships–Six, the last one in 1966.
3) Post-Season Bowl Record–7-14.
4) Conference Titles–Seven
5) Heisman Trophy Winners–Zero.

Michigan:

1) All-Time Record–894-310-36 which is No.1 All-Time in NCAA Division I, FBS.
2) National Championships–11, the last one in 1997.
3) Post-Season Bowl Record–19-21.
4) Conference Titles–42
5) Heisman Trophy Winners–three.
6) Highest All-Time Winning Percentage in College Football–.735%.
7) Most Winning Seasons–113.
Most Undefeated Seasons in Division I/FBS (23).
9) One of only three schools with a winning record against every Division I A/ FBS Conference.
10) Longest Current Streak Not Shutout Division I/FBS (348), last time was October 20, 1984 by the Iowa Hawkeyes.
11) Largest Crowd to ever attend an NCAA Football Game was 114,804 on Sept 10, 2011 at Michigan Stadium VS Notre Dame.
12) Longest streak in Home Attendance of over 100,000 (239 games) dating back to November 8, 1975 VS the Purdue Boilermakers.
13) The Most Televised School in College Football History–431 televised games.
14) On December 21, 1984, BYU (12-0) defeated U-M (6-6) by a 24-17 margin to win the Holiday Bowl in front of 61,248 a record at that time at Jack Murphy Stadium, to win the National Championship. It’s hard to believe the National Championship was decided before New Years Day.
15) Before missing a bowl game in 2008, Michigan had made a bowl game 33-years in a row and had a winning season for 40 straight years.

Sorry Spartan Nation, it’s hard to compete against these numbers.

But heck, who can complain about a trip to the Tampa Bay Area where you’ll have plenty of transplanted alumni wearing green & white singing your fight songs. This consolation prize isn’t all that bad.

But do the Big Ten and your fans a favor. Don’t get blown out by another SEC team and duplicate a 49-7 loss to former Coach Nick Saban’s Alabama team on January 1, 2011 in the Capital One Bowl two hours away across I-4 in Orlando.

MSU is 0-2 against Georgia in Bowl Games. The Spartans dropped a 34-27 decision in the 1989 Gator Bowl in Jacksonville. Twenty years later at the Capital One Bowl, the Bulldogs bit MSU 24-12 in 2009.

Will MSU’s third meeting against Georgia at a different venue be the charm? We’ll find out in the coming days.

As for Michigan, I’m looking forward to see how the Wolverines fare against ACC powerhouse Virginia Tech and legendary Coach Frank Beamer in their 432 televised game.

The Sugar Bowl ratings figure to get a boost with U-M electrifying QB Denard Robinson, a Deerfield Beach, Florida, native. Robinson has thrown for 2056 yards and 18 touchdowns. He has rushed for 1163 yards and 16 touchdowns.

This will be fun to watch and hopefully MSU and Michigan will put on good shows in 2012. A win over Virginia Tech would be a great ending by the Maize and Blue for first year Head Coach Brady Hoke.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Boilermakers Spoil Broncos Homecoming

George Eichorn — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 18:30:13 +0000

By Steve Hagar

The Purdue Boilermakers spoiled the party for the 46,177 mostly Western Michigan fans that showed up for the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl played December 27 at Ford Field before 46,177. Thanks to seven Bronco turnovers and two recovered on-side kicks, Purdue outlasted Western Michigan 37-32, in a wild, thoroughly entertaining game.

The Boilermakers (7-6) almost didn’t win despite having a double-digit lead for two-plus quarters. Raheem Mostert returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, third-string running back Reggie Pegram scored the first two TDs of his career and Carson Wiggs made two field goals to give Purdue a 27-15 lead at halftime. Purdue had another 12-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Big Ten team had to hold on for the win against the Mid-American Conference program.

The Broncos (7-6) got the ball with a chance to go ahead, but their comeback hopes ended when junior quarterback Alex Carder fumbled for his fifth turnover with just under 2 minutes left. Ryan Russell forced the final fumble and Bruce Gaston recovered to seal the win.

Purdue quarterback Caleb TerBush took the final snap, sprinted to the sideline and handed the football to coach Danny Hope. "It’s a moment that we’ve been waiting for the last three years," Hope said. "It was nerve-racking," Purdue linebacker and defensive standout Joe Holland said. "But as a defender, you want the game to come to you."

WMU quarterback Alex Carder was 31 of 57 for 413 yards with three TDs. But the junior matched a career high with four interceptions. Carder received a great compliment from Joe Holland when Holland was asked to compare Carda to other Big Ten type quarterbacks he has faced over his career, Holland replied, “I’d put Carder right up there with the best of them, including Wisconsin’s Russell Wilson.”

Western Michigan’s All-American star receiver, senior Jordan White, who drew multiple NFL scouts to the game, caught 13 passes — including a one-handed grab — for 249 yards and a score. He was given a sixth season of eligibility this year because of injuries. That amazing one-handed grab was named the ESPN top play of the day.

Purdue’s Akeem Shavers ran for a career-high 148 yards on 22 carries, filling in for the injured Ralph Bolden, and was named the game’s MVP.

“It’s very emotional for me and my kids, especially the seniors,” Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said. "I thought we’d win and walk out of here happy," Cubit said.

With the return of Alex Carder at quarterback, Cubit has a great chance to take his Broncos back to another bowl game in 2012. Meanwhile, the Purdue contingent will go back across the border to Indiana happy, especially school officials who added two years to Hope’s deal last week to keep him under contract through 2016.