The Detroit Lions have been taking some heat for their draft. Local commentators don’t like their choices because many of them don’t fill immediate needs.
Much of the criticism stems from the choice of MSU quarterback Drew Stanton instead of a linebacker like David Harris of Michigan early in the second round.
I agree to an extent, but I think Stanton has a chance to be a good NFL quarterback.
What do you think?
Wide receiver was not the No. 1 priority of the Detroit Lions in the NFL draft. They have a host of other holes that are much bigger.
Having said that, I believe they made an excellent choice when they took Calvin Johnson with the No. 2 pick.
Most analysts had him rated as the No. 1 player in the draft. You can’t pass up a talent like that to pick for need. I bet a lot of the teams drafting behind the Lions were betting that Detroit would blink and leave Johnson available.
I still am not completely convinced that Johnson will stay with the Lions. Tampa Bay took Gaines Adams at No. 4. He is a player the Lions liked and the Buccanneers coveted Johnson. A deal still might be made.
Detroit pitcher Joel Zumaya is going through a rough time, but it may be good for him in the long run.
By his own admission, Zumaya had been getting “real big headed.” You can understand why. He throws the ball harder than anyone in baseball. Music blares and fans scream when he enters the game. He had become a baseball rock star.
A dose of humility never hurt anyone. Even Zumaya realizes that.
The young pitcher acted foolishly after a bad outing against Chicago on Wednesday, yelling obscenities and showing up the home plate umpire.
But give Zumaya credit for owning up to his mistakes. He apologized the next day saying, “I was just being a jackass.”
Good for you Joel. It’s hard to apologize for your mistakes, but it was the right thing to do.
I keep getting this sick feeling that the Lions are going to take Brady Quinn with the second pick in the NFL Draft Saturday.
He would be the worst pick of the five considered to be the best players in the draft.
Quinn broke nearly every Notre Dame passing record, but that is more indicative of the offensive scheme of Charlie Weis than Quinn’s talents. Quinn never measured up in the big games.
Hopefully, the Lions are just using Quinn as a smokescreen and plan to select someone else or trade down in the first round.
Even though the Lions don’t have a great track record of taking receivers early in the first round. I wouldn’t mind seeing them take Calvin Johnson (if the Raiders don’t take him). But all accounts, he is the closest this draft comes to a sure thing.
Who would you like to see the Lions grab?
Detroit Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe must have a hole in his bat.
I don’t know what else could explain striking out 24 times in his first 70 plate appearances.
If he keeps this pace up, he’ll break the season record for strikeouts, held by Adam Dunn (195) of the Cincinnati Reds.
Monroe currently is hitting .172 with one homer and 11 RBI. At least that’s not as bad as teammates Gary Sheffield (.149, 1 HR, 6 RBI) or Brandon Inge (.111, 3 HR, 6 RBI).
The Tigers need better production from all three of these players to contend in the American League Central.
The Detroit Tigers’ loss to the Los Angeles Angels Tuesday was frustrating, but there were a couple of positive developments.
First of all, you have to admire the Tigers for the way they fought back from a 7-0 deficit to force extra innings against one of the best bullpens in baseball. Then, there were some encouraging signs from the hitters, most notably Magglio Ordonez who ripped the ball three times.
But the most important thing that happened may have been a solid effort by Fernando Rodney. The Tigers need him to return to form if they hope to match last season’s success.
The Detroit Pistons seem to be toying with Orlando.
The final score of both games appeared relatively close, but neither was ever in serious doubt. The job the Pistons have done on defending Magic star Dwight Howard has been phenomenal.
I need some help here. Not being a naturally superstitious sort, I don’t know how to handle this situation.
I bought a Detroit Red Wings shirt the other day and wore it for the first time during Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Calgary. I wore it again during Sunday’s 2-1 double-overtime win to finish off the Flames.
I think I am now required to wear it for every game until they lose.
My question is this: Am I allowed to wash it or would that remove all of the good luck?
Give me your playoff advice. And please share your sports superstitions. Do you have to sit in a certain seat, where a particular outfit, eat a special meal before a game?
Evening News sports editor Ron Montri gave some interesting early observations on the Detroit Tigers in his column Sunday. Here are some highlights (for the full column see Sunday’s Monroe Evening News).
* Joel Zumaya looks like the closer of the future, but here’s a bold prediction. In five years, his major league career will be over because of arm trouble.
* Brandon Inge takes too many strikes. Once he’s behind in the count, he’s in trouble. He seldom gets a two-strike hit.
* Maybe Gary Sheffield isn’t suited to being a full-time designated hitter. He started his career as a shortstop. It wouldn’t hurt to give him a few starts in the outfield. It wouldn’t harm the defense. Craig Monroe isn’t exactly a gold glove performer in left. Same with Magglio Ordonez in right.
* Major League Baseball ordered Carlos Guillen to stop wearing his uniform with the back pockets turned out. Why doesn’t MLB make a fuss over the length of Ordonez’s hair? It looks worse than Guillen with his pockets inside out.
* Pudge Rodriguez is on his way to the Hall of Fame. He ranks with the greatest catchers when you consider his hitting and his percentage of throwing out base runners. He should do a better job of getting down to block bad pitches.
* Why has Curtis Granderson attempted only one stolen base this season? He’s the leadoff man. He should be running more, especially with Placido Polanco batting second. Polanco is a great contact hitter and an expert at hitting behind the runner.
* Polanco never seems to be in a hole, even when the count is 0-2. He has to be one of the toughest outs in baseball. He never complains, he just goes out and plays the game the way it was meant to be played. He’s a joy to watch.
* Kenny Rogers is 42, starting his 19th season in the league and is a major influence with the young pitchers. But he is watching from home while he’s on the disabled list. He should be around the ballpark more often to give advice.
* Baseball is in love with statistics. Why doesn’t it have a stat for saves by the first baseman? Sean Casey probably has saved 10 errors by digging up bad throws at first.
What a great day for sports in Detroit!
The Tigers taking on Central Division foe Chicago at 1 p.m., then a playoff doubleheader with the Red Wings at 3 p.m. and the Pistons at 7. And all three are at home. Detroit (and Auburn Hills) will be jumping.
I’ve got to make sure I have fresh batteries in my TV remote.