The Pressbox

Memorial day almost became very memorable for Detroit sports fans.

The Red Wings took a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup finals, the Pistons beat Boston to even the Eastern Conference finals at 2-2 and the Tigers were locked up in a great pitchers’ duel with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Tigers lost 1-0 on a bases-loaded walk in the 12th inning. It was a shame to waste a great pitching performance by Kenny Rogers.

You have to question manager’s Jim Leyland decision to intentionally walk a batter to load the bases in the 12th. The bullpen has struggled to throw strikes all season.

Is Chris Osgood playing himself into the Hall of Fame?

There was some sports radio talk in recent weeks whether or not Chris Osgood deserved Hall of Fame consideration.

My immediate reaction was no, but he does have some pretty impressive career numbers and back-to-back shutouts in the Stanley Cup finals against a potent Pittsburgh team certainly adds to his credentials.

Osgood has been spectacular in the first two games, but also has been getting plenty of help from his defense. The heralded Sidney Crosby has looked pretty ordinary in the first two games.

What a night it will be for Detroit sports Saturday!

The Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers all will be playing at home on the same night. I am certain that all three will draw good crowds. Parking will be at a premium in downtown Detroit and the sports bars will be packed.

But it is a shame that all three are playing at basically the same time. At least they could have staggered the starting times a little bit.

It is a good problem to have. No other city can boast the kind of basketball and hockey success that Detroit is enjoying.

Personally, I will stay home an soak it all in on TV. I’m lucky enough to have the night off. My TV clicker will get a workout.

Jim Leyland finally blew up at the Tigers on Tuesday and since then they have won three straight and scored 30 runs in those games.

Seems like his explosion was long overdue. Something needed to be done to light a fire under this team.

Granted, the 30 runs came against a Seattle pitching staff that is struggling, but it should restore some confidence in the hitters.

Leyland has to accept a good share of the blame for the Tigers’ awful start. I wrote about Leyland and Flip Saunders of the Detroit Pistons in my column this week. Here is a link:

http://www.monroenews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080522/KRUGERSPTSCOL/350875574/-1/COLUMNISTS

The Detroit Red Wings are making the Stanley Cup Playoffs look easy. They never looked seriously challenged during Thursday night’s 4-1 win over Dallas in the opener of the Western Conference finals.

Since Chris Osgood replaced Dominik Hasek in goal, they have looked unbeatable. Osgood has been a calming influence for the team. He doesn’t take as many chances as Hasek, so the defenders know where he will be at all times. They can play with more confidence and force the play a little more. Detroit is 7-0 since he took over as the starter in net.

And offensively, the emergence of Johan Franzen as a goal-scoring machine, makes it harder for the opposition to focus on Pavel Datysuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

The Wings are flying high.

Thank you, Placido Polanco.

Polanco’s bloop single in the ninth inning - his fifth hit of the game - saved the Detroit Tigers from one of their most frustrating losses of the season Wednesday night.

The Tigers had a four-run lead several times during the game, but their bullpen kept giving it back. When Boston took a 9-8 lead in the top of the ninth and had closer Jonathan Paplebon coming to the mound, it looked like the Tigers were destined for another loss.

Sure, Detroit got a couple of breaks with a fluke infield hit and an error to start the ninth, but Ivan Rodriguez executed a perfect sacrifice bunt, Curtis Granderson hit the ball to the right side to get the tying run home, then Polanco delivered.

The game quickly went from a devastating loss to the kind of win that can spark a team. The Tigers certainly need some sort of spark.

It wasn’t easy, but the Detroit Pistons survived a tough battle with Orlando last night and now holds a 2-0 series lead.

The Magic put up a good fight, but the Pistons were simply more poised down the stretch. Their many years of playoff experience paid off.

The win puts the Pistons in great position. All they need to do is win one of the next two games in Orlando and they will have a stranglehold on the series. But let’s hope no one tells them that. The Pistons seem to get themselves in trouble when they think things are going well.