Monday Wrap on Tuesday
Pistons-Celtics: There's No Such Thing As Momentum
People always talk about which team has the momentum in the NBA playoffs. It doesn't matter. At all. The Pistons were supposed to have it after ending Boston's unbeaten record at home in Game 2, and Boston won Game 3. That meant the Celtics had it, since they had gotten the road-game gorilla off their backs, but then they lost Game 4.
So I suppose now the Pistons have it, right?
Three things matter in the NBA postseason - home court, energy and shooting. Yesterday, the Pistons were at home, played hard - especially Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell - and made shots. That's why they won the game.
Speaking of McDyess, it is great to see him playing so well. He's a good guy, and he's come back from horrific injuries to both knees. This was someone that was one of the 10 best players in the NBA, and he basically lost three seasons to knee injuries, and has worked incredibly hard to get back to where he is now. Unlike the rest of the Pistons core, he doesn't have a ring, and he desperately wants one.
Red Wings-Penguins: Shoot The Puck!
In the hockey playoffs, there is a type of momentum that matters - the hot (or cold) goalie. Right now, the Penguins don't look like they could score on Chris Osgood if the NHL let them have three pucks. Actually, if the Pens did get three pucks, they would just immediately turn all of them over to the nearest player in a red jersey, so I guess it wouldn't matter.
Marc-Andre Fleury is looking a bit rattled in the other net, but can you blame him? At this point, he knows that his only chance of winning to keep the game 0-0 until the ancient Red Wings like Nick Lidstrom and Chris Chelios have to go to bed.
Tigers: Consistently Inconsistent
Speaking of endless 0-0 games, the Tigers lost 1-0 in 13 innings to the Anaheim California Angels of Los Angeles last night, meaning they've now scored one run in 24 innings. The Tigers are averaging a decent 4.9 runs in their last 14 games, but 49 of those came in the three wins against Seattle and the 19-3 blowout of the Twins.
Ron Gardenhire said last week that the Tigers remind him of "piranhas", but I think he had the wrong animal. They are more like pythons. They can devour massive amounts in one gulp, but they are only hungry once a week.
Horse Racing: Daytona Is In California?
There were three major races on Memorial Day - the Gamely and the Shoemaker at Hollywood Park, and the legendary Met Mile at Belmont.
The Shoemaker was supposed to decide the West Coast's best turf horse, and Daytona made a pretty good argument for himself. He sat behind Ever A Friend for most of the race, then kicked by him in a tough stretch duel.
Daytona won the Hollywood Derby in November, but people were impressed by Ever A Friend's win in March's Frank Kilroe Mile, so this was supposed to the championship match. If it was, Daytona won a unanimous decision, and now he appears headed for a showdown with Kip DeVille in October's Breeders Cup Mile.
Diamond Diva tried to steal the Gamely by jumping out to a big early lead, but Precious Kitten ran her down in the stretch. Diamond Diva did finish second, which is a nice finish given the presence of major-winner Ruthierenne.
In the Met Mile, Commentator got into a speed duel with First Defence, and Divine Park took advantage by blowing by both of them in the stretch. Commentator is unbeatable when he gets a comfortable early lead, but at 7, he can't handle sustained pressure duels.
Cricket: Aussies Hang On
The Australians won the First Test against West Indies on Monday when they bowled them out for 191 to win by 95 runs.
Why is this important? Because I had told Justine Larbalestier that watching the Test would be something fun and relaxing, because there was no way her beloved Aussies could lose. I looked like an idiot when they were at 18-for-5 in their second innings, but they recovered to 167 and bowled out the Windies with time to spare.
When you are trying to impress famous authors with your witty cricket comments, it helps if they don't blow up in your face, so well done, Australia.
Perspective
The Red Wings are hosting Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Saturday. At the same time, the Pistons will be hosting Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Tigers are playing a home game against the Twins. It's already being called "Super Saturday" - the biggest day in Detroit sports history.
But here's a different way of looking at it. If all three games sell out, which they probably will, the combined crowd will still be more than 20,000 fans smaller than Michigan draws for every home football game.
Monday Wrap: Goldfinger
You probably had no idea that Auric Goldfinger won the first Buick Open, did you?
Actually, that's Hall of Famer Billy Casper, who was in town Monday to help kick off the Buick Open's 50th anniversary celebration. The guy on the right is the legendary Brian Bateman, who won last year's tournament - a bit of a letdown after the tournament had gone Jim Furyk, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Vijay Singh, Tiger Woods in the previous five years. When was the last time the PGA had five winners that good in a row?
Tiger is going to be back this year - he missed last year after the birth of his daughter - so there should be massive crowds in Grand Blanc next month. He's also holding a clinic at Comerica Park, which might allow us to answer the question "Could a pro golfer hit a ball over the massive scoreboard in left field?"
Postseason Lull
The Red Wings are about to start Game 6 against Dallas - they need to end this nonsense and blow the Stars out. Letting them win Game 4 was nice, but losing Game 5 was a bit silly. They don't want them to get to Game 7 on a three-game winning streak - it would be rather humiliating to be the first franchise to blow two 3-0 leads.
Meanwhile, the Pistons will end their week-long holiday when they play Boston in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday. A month ago, I would have predicted the Celtics would rout Detroit, but now I think the Pistons will win the series in six games. Maybe all those first-round losses for Minnesota had more to do with Kevin Garnett than with Flip Saunders.
Tigers in Freefall
(That headline makes me want to see a tiger wearing a parachute.)
Three weeks ago, I said I thought the Tigers were in "decent shape". Since then, they've gone 5-12, which doesn't exactly make me look like a genius.
Thus far in May, they've gone 2-1 against the Yankees and 2-11 against the rest of baseball. The worst part is that they've been this bad while getting good pitching - the offense has gone back into the tank. You know things are rough when Matt Joyce has almost as many homers in the month as the rest of the team combined.
Oh, and if Brandon Inge wants to be an everyday player, he might want to score more runs for the month than Armando Galarraga. Right now, it's 1-0 in favor of Galarraga.
Shock Lose - Laimbeer Fails Again To Go 34-0
The Shock are 1-1 - they blew out Houston on Saturday and lost to Minnesota on Sunday. They aren't as good as they looked against the Comets, and they aren't as bad as they looked against the Lynx. They are a high-end team that has had about a week of practice and whose top two players - Cheryl Ford and Deanna Nolan - are playing hurt. Given the Olympic break, nothing is going to matter in this league until September anyway.
Monday Wrap: Fulhamerica Stays Up
Fulham Football Club has been trying an odd experiment as they struggle to stay in the English Premier League - load the roster with Americans. Brian McBride is the team captain, Kasey Keller is the starting goalkeeper, Clint Dempsey is the leading scorer, plus Eddie Johnson and Carlos Bocanegra.
Until the last month, it wasn't working too well. Midway through the 38-game season, they slid into 19th place and stayed there for weeks. The bottom three teams out of 20 are relegated to the English Championship, and at one point, British bookies were giving 50-1 odds on them avoiding relegation.
On April 12, though, they won 1-0 at Reading. Not only was that just their fifth win in 34 games, it was their first victory away from Craven Cottage all season. A week later, they lost 2-0 to Liverpool, meaning that
to have any chance of staying in the first tier of English soccer, they'd have to win their last three games.
The "Great Escape" really started April 26 in Manchester. Playing at Manchester City, a team that had beaten Manchester United twice this season, Fulham fell behind 2-0 in the first 21 minutes. On the BBC, the announcers said they were now dead and relegated.
It was still 2-0 at halftime. After an hour. Then, after 70 minutes, Diomansy Kamara scored to make it 2-1. Nine minutes later, Danny Murphy tied the game at 2, and in the dying moments, Kamara scored again to win the game. A stunning road win against a very good team, but they still needed two more.
May 3 - home against Birmingham, one of the teams they were trying to send down to the Championship. Captain America (McBride) scored, Kasey Keller picked up a 2-0 shutout and Fulham were up to safety in 17th place for the first time in months. But it still wasn't over - they needed a third road victory on the last day of the season to stay up.
May 11 - at Portsmouth. Fulham had to be hoping that Pompey was focusing more on next Saturday's FA Cup Final than on this game.
Fulham: Day of Destiny (YouTube)
Keller played well in goal, but it was 0-0 with 15 minutes left and results elsewhere meant that Fulham knew they needed a win.
Jimmy Bullard swung in a free kick, Danny Murphy headed it home, and Fulhamerica will be staying with the big boys for another year.
On the other end of the table, the incredible Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 41st goal of the season to help Manchester United win the championship with a 2-0 win over Wigan. In an emotional moment, 119-year-old Ryan Giggs scored the clinching goal on the day that he tied Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 758 games for United.
So United finish two points ahead of Chelsea, but the Blues can get their revenge next week in the Champions League final in Moscow.
Pistons, Red Wings Rolling
Does anyone even want to bother with the rest of the Red Wings-Stars and Penguins-Flyers series? Let's just get to the Wings-Pens final, and see Chris Chelios playing the kid who could be his grandson, Sidney Crosby. Luckily for the Wings, they won't need Johan Franzen to beat Dallas, so he can rest his strange concussion syndrome and get ready for the finals.
As for the Pistons, losing Game 3 was no big deal. They always lose Game 3, and usually get blown out. You can't really expect this team to stay focused for three straight games, can you? Chauncey Billups getting hurt was a problem, of course, but Rodney Stuckey and Lindsey Hunter were more ready to step in than people realized. It also helps that Orlando isn't actually good.
So the Pistons are up 3-1, and Billups will have had almost a week to rest by the time Game 5 finally rolls around on Tuesday. They might not even want to play him - save him for a Game 6 or for Boston.
Yankees-Tigers Rained Out: Millions Cheer
No one actually wanted to watch that game yesterday, did they? Derek Jeter hitting cleanup with a pink bat might have been entertaining, but the first two games of the series were atrocious. Neither team can field, but they make up for it by not being able to pitch, either. These teams are spending a combined $330 million on their rosters, and they might be able to put together one decent pitching staff between them. Wang's fine, and maybe Verlander, Rasner and Bonderman will come around by the time Pettitte, Rogers and Mussina run out of Geritol. The bullpen would be all New York, unless you wanted Todd Jones to pitch mop-up innings. He's certainly not getting any crucial time ahead of Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain and, as much as it pains me to say it, Kyle Farnsworth.
Big Brown Has A New Supporting Cast
For the first time since Citation in 1948 - Chris Chelios and Gary Sheffield's rookie seasons - the Kentucky Derby winner has scared all of his opponents off the Triple Crown trail. Big Brown is the only Derby horse headed to the Preakness. Recapturetheglory was the only other one under consideration, and he got sick.
This makes sense. After all, with the death of Eight Belles, there's not a single horse left that could come within 10 lengths of Big Brown, so why not find an easier spot than the Preakness. If you really believe your horse can still challenge him - Colonel John and/or Pyro come to mind - give him a breather and bring him back for the Belmont.
Of the new challengers in the Preakness, the one that stands out is Behindatthebar. He ran a nice race in the Lexington, and looks like he can make the adjustment from poly to dirt. I haven't run all the numbers, but at this point, he appears to be the only one that I can see challenging Big Brown.
A Thrilling and Boring Night
On paper, last night had to be something close to perfection for a Detroit sports fan. The Red Wings clinched a playoff series, the Pistons clinched a playoff series, and the Tigers finished off a sweep of the Yankees. Even the Lions appear to have gone 24 hours without making any major mistakes.
(When will people stop saying "on paper", and start saying "on electronic screens"?)
Really, though, how exciting was it? The Pistons were up 16-2 before Doug Collins could even take credit for building the team, the Red Wings were leading 7-1 in the second period, and I'm not sure who has noticed, but the Yankees stink. They may go out and buy a bunch of guys and sneak into the postseason, but at the moment, this is the worst Yankees team in more than a decade.
The Avalanche, 76ers and Yankees put up about as much fight as Caveman Lee did against Marvin Hagler. And, for the 99% of you that aren't familiar with early-80s boxing, that isn't much. The fight lasted 62 seconds.
Maybe Detroiters are getting jaded, but that was a very dull night of excitement.
State of the Sports City
Detroit Tigers: (12-15, 3 games behind Chicago)
When the Tigers started 0-6, everyone started talking about 2003 - including me, but that was because AP paid me to do it - but this team isn't nearly that bad.
In 2003, there wasn't any talent. In 2008, there was a lot of injured and slumping talent. There's a big difference. Talented players get healthy and break out of slumps. Bad players just stay bad.
The injuries are getting better - after 25 games of patchwork lineups, they finally got the first-choice nine on the field together Sunday. Of course, The Great Nine promptly lost 6-2, only getting five hits off Jered Weaver, but they did beat the Yankees Tuesday in their second game together.
That said, having everyone on the field doesn't mean everyone is healthy. Gary Sheffield's shoulders are being held together with string, chewing gum and cortisone injections, and Placido Polanco's back isn't much better. Polanco went 4-for-5 Tuesday, boosting his batting average to a whopping .216, while Sheffield's homer helped him get all the way up to .164. There's no reason to think either player is going to get healthy without surgery - they are both going to be resting a lot and playing through a lot of pain. A lot of the season is going to depend on how well that goes.
Jacque Jones is hitting .185, but everyone knew he was going to be streaky. He looked like he had a hot stretch going last week, but his violent collision with the left-field wall seemed to kill that before it got rolling.
Ivan Rodriguez has to be a concern. There haven't been many catchers who have lasted 18 seasons - the position takes a huge toll on your back and knees - and he's been a below-average offensive player for a couple years now. He never walks, and most of his power is gone, so he's got to hit over .300 to be productive, and I'm not sure he can do that any more. This isn't the guy who hit .500 for a month in 2004 - the aging process has made sure of that.
The rest of the offense is fine. Curtis Granderson has been outstanding in his first week back from a broken hand, Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen are hitting .300 with walks and power, and Miguel Cabrera hasn't been far behind them. Edgar Renteria is like Rodriguez in that he doesn't give you much more than his batting average, but he's hitting .311, so that's fine. Brandon Inge might not be happy as a utility player, especially after the disaster of playing Cabrera at third, but he's among the team leaders in walks, and he's hitting the ball hard. When he can do that, given his ability to play centerfield, third base and catcher, he's valuable.
Unfortunately, while the offense is coming around, the pitching staff is still terrible. I'm fairly certain that it isn't a good thing that Armando Galarraga has been the unquestioned ace through the first month of the season. Great guy, and he might help the team out, but you can't count on him to pitch like Greg Maddux all season.
Kenny Rogers is 106 years old, and he was hurt all of last season, so it isn't a surprise that he's struggling. He looked better Tuesday against the Yankees - his first quality start since April 2 - but he still walked four guys in six innings.
I don't know what's going on with Justin Verlander. He's not throwing strikes - 18 walks and six hit batsmen in 36 innings - but he struggled with his control a bit at the beginning of last year too, walking 15 in his first 36 innings. This year, the control is worse, the strikeouts are down, and the hits are up. That turns a 2.79 ERA into 6.50 - a change from outstanding and terrible.
Jeremy Bonderman is the only starter with an ERA under 6, but that's mainly because he's given up a lot of unearned runs. I don't think he's ever going to be better than average - he just doesn't have the ability to harness all of his talent. Nate Robertson isn't walking people, but only because he's throwing batting practice, so no one wants to miss the chance to crush one of his pitches.
The bullpen? Todd Jones and Denny Bautista are a fairly decent late-inning combination, but the rest of the pen is terrible. It will help a lot if Fernando Rodney and/or Joel Zumaya come back at anything close to 100 percent, but I doubt that's going to happen this season.
So, a month into the season, what is the outlook for the Tigers? Despite the panic, I think they are in decent shape. The division is terrible, and the Indians are at least as messed up as Detroit. This team can still win 90 games, and 90 games will win the Central.
Detroit Pistons: (3-2 in first round of playoffs)
Welcome to Detroit Pistons basketball. With the exception of the strange shooting funk at the end of Game 1, this is what this team does. They play in second gear until they get in trouble, and then they "flip the switch" and try to save themselves with their superior talent.
That usually works against teams like the 76ers, but it gets them in trouble when they do it against teams like the 2005 Spurs, 2006 Heat or 2007 LeBrons.
Is it going to matter in this series? Nope. Young teams can steal games early in a series, before they realize what the pressure means (see also: HAWKS, ATLANTA), but Philly's last chance at actually winning died when they collapsed in the third quarter of Game 4. The Pistons will win Game 6 by 20.
Detroit Red Wings: (3-0 in second round of playoffs)
Your 2008 Stanley Cup champions.
Seriously, who is going to beat them? Colorado is down 0-3 and out of bodies. Dallas? Marty Turco has beaten the Red Wings twice in 17 games. Pittsburgh? Maybe, but Chris Chelios is older than the entire Penguins roster combined. They don't exactly have a lot of big-game experience.
Besides, it's over for another reason. Joel Quenneville has coached against the Red Wings in four playoff series - 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008. For those of you playing at home:
- 1997 - Quenneville's team knocked out by Red Wings, who went on to win Stanley Cup
- 1998 - Quenneville's team knocked out by Red Wings, who went on to win Stanley Cup
- 2002 - Quenneville's team knocked out by Red Wings, who went on to win Stanley Cup
- 2008 - Quenneville's team down 0-3 to Red Wings, who went on ...
That note courtesy of Bob Duff of The Windsor Star, who also points out that in 1997, 1998 and 2002, there was also a horse that won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, but not the Belmont. So, when Big Brown (not my official pick - that will come Friday) wins the Derby Saturday, you should bet the house on him in the Preakness, then bet on someone else in the Belmont.
Detroit Lions: (offseason)
The Lions haven't lost a game in months. They drafted players from Haiti, Hawaii, Germany and West Point.
I'll get back to you in August.
Detroit Shock: (training camp)
If Pee Wee Johnson hits the shot at the end of Game 4 of the Finals, or if Bill Laimbeer lets Swin Cash onto the floor, the Shock would be coming into the season looking for a three-peat and a fourth championship since 2003.
Instead, the season came to an ugly finish with the blowout loss in Game 5 and the inevitable end of the Laimbeer-Cash relationship. Cash is now in Seattle, along with Sue Bird, Lauren Jackson and Sheryl Swoopes, which will make the Storm the most recognizable team in league history, even if they might not actually be all that good.
The Shock should make a run at the title again this year, because they aren't going to be dealing with Olympic hangovers for their top players. Katie Smith might go to Beijing, but it doesn't appear that Cheryl Ford or Kara Braxton are in the picture, and Deanna Nolan's odd Russian flirtation seems to have knocked her out of the American system.