Sports have given me some of the most exciting moments of my life. Here is a list of ten of my favorite moments by the teams in the city of Detroit. Even though some of them happened when I was young, I can still remember watching them and I know how excited they made me.
10.Sergei Federov scores all five goals for the Detroit Red Wings to beat the Washington Capitals 5-4.
9.Austin Jackson makes a catch in left center field to preserve what was at the time Armando Galaraga's perfect game.
8.Calvin Johnson scores touchdown in week 1 of the 2010 season to beat the Chicago Bears (despite what the NFL rule book says).
7.Richard "Rip" Hamilton scores 31 points in game 3 of 2004 NBA finals against Los Angeles Lakers.
6.Pavel Datsyuk scores unbelievable goal against the Minnesota Wild in a shootout.
5.J.D. Martinez hits go ahead home run in first at bat after returning from broken elbow. (Video courtesy of MLB.com: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/70087564/v1005872483)
4.Detroit Pistons win the 2004 NBA Championship over the Los Angeles Lakers.
3.Detroit Red Wings win 1997 Stanley Cup.
2.Magglio Ordonez hits walk-off home run to send the Detroit Tigers to the World Series.
1.Steve Yzerman double overtime goal in game 7 against the St. Louis Blues.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Red Wings 25 Year Postseason Streak in Doubt
The Detroit Red Wings have made the postseason every year since the 1989-90 season. This is undoubtedly an incredible streak; but it will most likely be ending shortly. I'm sure this is not the way ownership wanted to see the franchises' time at Joe Louis Arena end.
But maybe that's exactly what the franchise needs. A fresh start. A chance to start a new streak at their new home, Little Caesers Arena (which some fans have already dubbed the dough Joe in homage to Joe Louis Arena). Clever, right? Maybe Wings fans are just laughing to keep themselves from crying at the thought that this impressive streak may be no more than just a fond memory.
It could be argued that the franchise is a victim of its own success. The fact that they have made the playoffs all these years that they get a lower draft pick during the next draft. This is why some teams (not pointing any fingers) have resorted to tanking, or putting less talented players on the ice in order to ensure that they lose as many games as possible to improve their draft position. This goes against everything that sports is supposed to be about.
One thing that has not helped the team is that the general manager, Ken Holland, likes to keep younger players in the minor league system until they are "overripe." This does not make sense to me because if a player is talented enough for them to be drafted, they should be playing as soon as they are ready. On the other hand, some players need to be rushed up to the NHL because of a lack of success at the position (detractors will point to this gif as evidence that Jared Coreau is not the Red Wings' goalie of the future).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">oh nooooo Jared Coreau 😵 <a href="https://t.co/Itnvh53b5J">pic.twitter.com/Itnvh53b5J</a></p>— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLonNBCSports/status/830904749624946688">February 12, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This season has been tough but that is only because the Red Wings have spoiled their fans by making it to the playoffs every year and winning 4 Stanley Cups in the last 11 years. Thank you to the late Mike Ilitch for making it possible and for believing in the city of Detroit.
But maybe that's exactly what the franchise needs. A fresh start. A chance to start a new streak at their new home, Little Caesers Arena (which some fans have already dubbed the dough Joe in homage to Joe Louis Arena). Clever, right? Maybe Wings fans are just laughing to keep themselves from crying at the thought that this impressive streak may be no more than just a fond memory.
It could be argued that the franchise is a victim of its own success. The fact that they have made the playoffs all these years that they get a lower draft pick during the next draft. This is why some teams (not pointing any fingers) have resorted to tanking, or putting less talented players on the ice in order to ensure that they lose as many games as possible to improve their draft position. This goes against everything that sports is supposed to be about.
One thing that has not helped the team is that the general manager, Ken Holland, likes to keep younger players in the minor league system until they are "overripe." This does not make sense to me because if a player is talented enough for them to be drafted, they should be playing as soon as they are ready. On the other hand, some players need to be rushed up to the NHL because of a lack of success at the position (detractors will point to this gif as evidence that Jared Coreau is not the Red Wings' goalie of the future).
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">oh nooooo Jared Coreau 😵 <a href="https://t.co/Itnvh53b5J">pic.twitter.com/Itnvh53b5J</a></p>— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLonNBCSports/status/830904749624946688">February 12, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This season has been tough but that is only because the Red Wings have spoiled their fans by making it to the playoffs every year and winning 4 Stanley Cups in the last 11 years. Thank you to the late Mike Ilitch for making it possible and for believing in the city of Detroit.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
NFL Skills Showdown Recap
Ten Pro Bowlers from the AFC and NFC competed in a skills challenge in advance of the Pro Bowl on Saturday in Orlando, Florida at ESPN's Wide World of Sports. The event pitted the players in five different games; the best hands challenge, the power relay, the wide receiver drone drop, the precision passing challenge, and the highlight of the event, a dodge ball game.
The best hands challenge and precision passing challenge were pretty basic and uneventful. The drone drop was a very inventive idea introducing new technology into the game of football. Odell Beckham Jr., one of the NFL's most popular players among its younger audience won the event catching a football dropped from a drone from an astonishing height of 125 feet! His performance just proves what amazing things you can do when you are not preoccupied with kicking nets.
Everyone that was going to watch the Pro Bowl was interested in one event especially, the dodge ball game. Just think what it would be like watching your favorite NFL players playing the game that you used to in elementary school!
One humorous part of the dodge ball game was when Alex Smith, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, went to throw a ball at the NFC team. It did not go well, as you can see in the YouTube clip above. Thinking that Smith was an NFL quarterback, the NFC team all stepped back in anticipation of the throw, only to see it land harmlessly in front of them. The internet, as it is wont to do, proceeded to mercilessly make fun of Smith.
The good news for Smith is that he is under contract for the Chiefs for 2017, a contract that will cost the team $16.9 million! It's a good thing that he signed this contract years before his pitiful dodge ball performance.
The best hands challenge and precision passing challenge were pretty basic and uneventful. The drone drop was a very inventive idea introducing new technology into the game of football. Odell Beckham Jr., one of the NFL's most popular players among its younger audience won the event catching a football dropped from a drone from an astonishing height of 125 feet! His performance just proves what amazing things you can do when you are not preoccupied with kicking nets.
Everyone that was going to watch the Pro Bowl was interested in one event especially, the dodge ball game. Just think what it would be like watching your favorite NFL players playing the game that you used to in elementary school!
The good news for Smith is that he is under contract for the Chiefs for 2017, a contract that will cost the team $16.9 million! It's a good thing that he signed this contract years before his pitiful dodge ball performance.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Recap: AFC and NFC Championship Games
Both the AFC and NFC Championship games turned out to be blowouts for the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. Atlanta beat the Green Bay Packers by a score of 44-21. The 23 point loss was nothing compared to the hit that Falcons rookie cornerback Brian Poole put on him (video courtesy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCojyGFb8W2xxSsJ5c_XburQ). The Green Bay defense had no answer for the tandem of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones.
The Packers were supposed to be the hottest team in the NFL coming in to the game but they had various injuries on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Most notable of these injuries was their wide receiver Jordy Nelson, who suffered multiple broken ribs and a punctured lung in the Packers' previous playoff game against the New York Giants.
The AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers was not any closer. Tom Brady will play in his record-setting seventh Super Bowl in two weeks in Houston Texas. This is a great accomplishment for a sixth round draft pick out of the University of Michigan. No one could have predicted this when Brady was the backup quarterback for Drew Bledsoe at the beginning of his career. However, some will continue to point out that he was suspended for the first four games of this season because of his supposed role in the deflategate saga. I do not feel that the air pressure of footballs played any role in him making it to seven Super Bowls.
Hopefully the fact that both the Patriots and the Falcons won in such a convincing fashion means that the Super Bowl will be a good game. Both quarterbacks are playing at a high level with entirely different personnel. The Patriots' defense has been ranked at the top of the league for almost the entire season. It would be disappointing if the only reason people are watching the Super Bowl in the second half is for the commercials.
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