The NBA and NHL Playoffs

    This year's NBA and NHL playoffs have been loaded with excitement. In the NHL, the Stanley Cup Finals are set with Chicago vs. Philadelphia. Philadelphia had a tough and historic time of making it to the Finals. The Flyers were down in their series against Boston 3-0, but came back. This feat has only been accomplished 3 times previous, the most recent being the Boston Red Sox vs. the New York Yankees. The Stanley Cup Finals are going to be full of excitement and suspense, because both of these teams are very good.

    The NBA playoffs have been exciting, although most of the series have been sweeps. In the East, Boston and Orlando have actually made a series of what was a 3-0 series lead for Boston. Orlando has won 2 strong games in a row. The series returns to Boston for a pivotal game 6. If Orlando wins these next 2 games, they become the fifth team in history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit. Switching leagues, in the West, LA and Phoenix are locked in a 2-2 battle. This series is shaping up to be very thrilling, because Phoenix, which was down 2-0 in the series, has battled back by winning a couple of high scoring affairs.

    My playoff predictions are as follows...


NHL - Chicago over Philadelphia

            Boston over Orlando
NBA -                                             -----   Los Angeles over Boston
            Los Angeles over Phoenix

Surprises In Motown

  The Detroit Tigers are playing some good baseball right now. They just recently finished a 7 game stretch against the Yankees and Red Sox. Detroit won 5 of those games. Hopefully, this great play against two great teams will be a continuing trend in the 2010 season. One main reason the Tigers have performed so well is their bullpen pitching and their rookies. 

     I'll start with the bullpen. Detroit leads the AL in bullpen era, (2.17), while the Minnesota Twins hold the next best mark at 2.86. Tiger's closer Jose Valverde has allowed only one run in 15 2/3 innings. On Monday, he became the fifth pitcher since 1969 to protect a one-run lead against the Yankees in the ninth inning by striking out the side. I thought that was a really cool stat. In the off season, Detroit picked up some new names such as... Phil Coke, in his last game, he threw 96! Brad Thomas, who has been invaluable because of the spot starts he has had to make. He performed fairly well in those also. Jose Valverde, The Big Potato, Papa Grande, what else can you say about this guy other than, WOW! He leads the AL in saves, and, as I stated earlier, never gives up runs. Those three off season pick ups are really paying dividends now.

     To the rookies. I was always aware of the fact that Detroit had good pitchers in its farm system. Now, the hitters are coming up. At the start of the year, Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore were the big stories in Detroit. Jackson replaced Curtis Granderson splendidly, and Scott Sizemore did fine, until a week ago. The game just got a little fast. Last night in Oakland, the Tiger's starting lineup contained 4 rookies. Even with Sizemore in AAA. Austin Jackson, I mentioned, Casper Wells, he had 2 RBI's in the game, Brennan Boesch, I don't think anything else can be said about this guy(!), and Danny Worth, he's only going to be here until Carlos Guillen returns from his injury, but he seems like a very good hitter. All of those rookies have helped the Tigers win a game this year. Another rookie is Alex Avila. If he can start hitting, he should become the everyday catcher. That's because Gerald Laird, the out of two legs, can't hit very well. AT ALL! 

     Either way, it's shaping up to be a very entertaining summer!

GO TIGERS

Ernie Harwell Classic Calls

The Detroit Red Wings

The NHL playoffs have already started, and the first round is complete. The Red Wings had all of us scared for a little while Sunday, when Detroit was crushed in their Game 6 against the Cyote's. The Red Wings are the Red Wings though, and they had their own rout in Game 7. A 6-1 victory. This performance was a great way to make it into the next round because it will give Detroit some momentum. Their next series is on the West coast again vs. San Jose. The past couple of years have been a joke for San Jose. They get the #1 seed, and blow it in the first or second round. Hopefully, the San Jose Sharks will choke against the Red Wings, the team that nobody wants to play.

     Jimmy Howard had a very mixed up series. That series was his first playoff series ever, and at least he won it. Some of the games were horrible, some were not. He will need to step it up in the second round and on because the competition only gets tougher. I know he is only a rookie, but he plays for the Red Wings!

Joel Zumaya

Joel Zumaya has started off the 2010 season great. I'm really happy for him because the past couple of years, he has been injured over and over again. This year, he looks like the Joel Zumaya of the 2006 dream season. The back of the Tigers bullpen is very strong and very fast. Almost all of them throw in the upper nineties. This will probably be one of the strong points for the Tigers this season. Joel Zumaya, Ryan Perry, and Jose Valverde will lead the way for a very strong bullpen this season. Hopefully, the starting rotation will catch up because they are doing horribly. Although Jeremy Bonderman had a good start in last night's 8-6 Tigers victory.

Here are Joel Zumaya's great stats so far in this season.


record - 2-0
era - 1.42 (all last night)
games - 9
innings pitched - 12.2
runs - 3
earned runs - 2
home runs - 0
walks - 0
strikeouts - 14
average against - .240
whip - 0.95


GO TIGERS!!!!

Baseball

     Well, baseball season is under way, and I can't wait for a whole summer of it! The Tigers have started the season with their best start since 1985. Miguel Cabrera and Magglio Ordonez are tearing the cover off of the ball, and the two rookies are doing very well. Austin Jackson has been showing all the Tigers fans why the Tigers traded him for Curtis Granderson. Justin Verlander started off this year slow, although that is what he did last year, and look how he ended up. Hopefully, he will start pitching like the ace he is.

     Also, the Whitecaps have started their season. They have not started as well as some people might have hoped. 1-4, but Jacob Turner, the Tiger's first draft pick last year, had a great start the other day. He struck out 8 in five innings, and only let 3 men reach base. Turner could make the Tiger's team late this year or next year. It will be very interesting to watch him progress in his career.

Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers are looking good this spring. Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore have already done better than anyone could have expected. Dontrelle Willis looks like he's back to his old form. Brandon Inge has come back from his knee surgeries in a big way, and so many more things. This year, the Tigers will have a great shot at winning the AL Central because their division foe, Minnesota, lost their clutch closer Joe Nathan. Nathan, in his career against the Tigers, is 30 for 30 in saves opportunities. It's a good thing for the Tigers that he is out for an entire season. Although I do give Nathan my best wishes for a "save" recovery. If the Tigers can still beat the Twins, the Central is theirs. There is not really a chance for the other teams. Cleveland is rebuilding, the White Sox lost a lot of players, and the Royals are just... the Royals. With Justin Verlander, Rick Porcello, Max Scherzer, Jeremy Bonderman, and Dontrelle Willis in the starting rotation, and a very strong bullpen, the Tigers look to be in a great position heading into the 2010 season. Plus, they have great hitters with power and speed. Miguel Cabrera thinks he will win the MVP, and I wouldn't be surprised if that happened.


6 DAYS, 1 HOUR, 21 MINUTES
until opening day!

Michigan State Spartans

What... a... game! Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 in a wild game vs. Maryland by winning on a last second shot 85-83. MSU basically had the game won until the very end, when Maryland came back to take the lead. The Spartans were leading this game at one point by 15 points, but then, something horrible happened. Kalin Lucas, the Spartans best player, ruptured his achilles tendon. He will be out for 4-6 months and the Spartans will have to play in the tournament without him. This is a big blow to Michigan State, but if Korie Lucious plays every game like he played this one, it won't be so bad! Lucious called for the ball with 2 seconds left, a let the ball fly. SWISH!!! The Spartans are headed to St. Louis to play Northern Iowa, who beat Kansas in a great game. It will be a tough game for the Spartans, and without Lucas, who knows. Hopefully, Sparty can go on a run this year like they did last year. Hopefully... there are a lot of hopes for the Spartans, and hopefully they will fulfill them.

The Detroit Lions

     The Detroit Lions didn't wait long to add some talent to their roster. Coach Jim Schwartz was at Kyle Vanden Bosch's house 15 minutes before free agency opened, and he was ready. The Lions signed Vanden Bosch, a Michigan native, to a four year deal. They also signed DE Corey Williams, WR Nate Burleson, and CB Chris Houston. Hopefully, the Lions are taking steps toward having a good team. As we all know, they don't.

     I just wrote about the Lions and the draft, but now it seems likely that the Rams will pick Sam Bradford.    Not Gerald McCoy. It looks like the Lions will get Suh or McCoy. They have also expressed interest in picking a running back early on. Not number 2, but somewhere else in the first or second round.

Detroit Red Wings

     The Detroit Red Wings are not usually in this position this late in the season. That is, contending for a playoff spot. For most of the season, Detroit has had its share of injuries. Johan Franzen, one of their best players last season, was out for over two months. But now... the stars have aligned... just kidding! Although they are completely healthy now. This will be extremely helpful, considering that they just moved into the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

     After such a long Olympic break, the Red Wings looked pretty good against Colorado, beating them 3 - 2. Coach Mike Babcock was disapointed with his team though. He thought they looked a little sluggish and didn't crash the boards well. Just remember, they haven't played for two weeks! Well, hopefully the Red Wings pull it together and clinch a higher playoff spot. That would help because then they won't have to play the best team first.

                                                                                                          Good Luck Red Wings!!!

The Detroit Lions

     The lions have so many holes to patch up. Their second draft pick overall will patch one of them. There are two choices, and the St. Louis Rams will most likely pick one of them. Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy. They are both defensive linemen and the best in their class. Personally, I think that the Lions would rather have Suh over McCoy, but they will have to take whoever is left. They are different players, but McCoy had more of a national spotlight because he played for Oklahoma, a team that was in the NCAA Football Championship Game last year. Suh, on the other hand, played for Nebraska, a team overshadowed by the great Texas Longhorns. Experts believe that McCoy will go first, but both teams will have their first close look at them this week, when the scouting combine begins. Either way, the Lions will get a great player.

Detroit Tigers

     12 days, 2 hours, 33 minutes until the first Spring Training game!!! (courtesy of the detroit tigers official web site)

      Well, I don't know how many of you are excited for the Tiger's new season, but I sure am. They have so many new players that could really perform well in 2010 that I believe they could win the Central Division. Their new closer has led the league in saves two of the past three years, and Granderson, Polanco, and Jackson have all been lost to other teams. The Tigers have two rookie players in Austin Jackson and Scott Sizemore, who will try to patch to holes left by Granderson and Polanco. They added many new pitchers and two new catchers. Overall, I believe that the Tigers took a huge step in the direction of this phrase being said before their name. Central Division Champions!!!


The pitchers and catchers reported to Lakeland for workouts on Thursday, and the rest of the players will be there as soon as Monday. Remember, their first spring training game on TV is the 15th at 1:05 against Toronto!

Detroit Pistons

     The Detroit Pistons came back from the All-Star break in a big way. They crushed the Timberwolves 108 - 85. They were led by Jonas Jerebko with 21 points, the only Pistons player to make the trip to Dallas. He participated in the Rookie - Sophomore game. Will Bynum was the "disher" with 14 assists. That was a career high. Over the All-Star break, Pistons coach John Kuester expressed his desire for more assists. The Pistons answered that in a big way with 37 assists on 47 baskets. This was a big win for the struggling Pistons. They have been playing well in February though.


     Also, the NBA trading deadline is Thursday afternoon and the Pistons need to make a move. There have been rumors involving Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince. Those are two players who have been underachieving this season, although they were injured for the beginning of it. Coach Kuester has said that he has complete trust in Joe Dumars and the decisions that he makes. We will just have to wait and see.

Today is Michael Jordan's birthday, so if you see him... remember that!!! Watch out for him purchasing the Charlotte Bobcats. He has shown great interest in that.

     
        

Michigan State vs. Michigan

     I know I just wrote about Michigan's victory over UCONN, but how do you not write about the great rivalry? Michigan State came into Ann Arbor with a 7 - 0 record in the Big Ten. They left with an 8 - 0 record. The game was back and forth for much of the game until late, when MSU started pulling away. Michigan came back to take a 56-55 lead until MSU's Kalin Lucas hit a jumper with 3.5 seconds left. That shot put them ahead for good. It was a 57-56 victory for the Spartans. Raymar Morgan led the way with 20 points.

     Michigan State has been playing extremely well this year, with the exception of 3 losses to some of the best teams in college. Michigan on the other hand, has not. They are in danger of not making the NCAA Tournament. They have been a huge letdown this year after starting in the top 20. If they can put a run together though, they have a chance.

The Wolverines Get Much Needed Signature Win

     The Wolverines were the underdog, big time. They overcame that though and earned a big time 63-58 win over 15 ranked Connecticut. Manny Harris scored 18 with 8 rebounds while Stu Douglass scored 13. Michigan came into the game wit ha 9-7 record. Way below expectations at the beginning of the year (started season 15th ranked). This win could show a glimmer of hope for the Wolverine faithful, but they have 3 very difficult games coming up. At Wisconsin, at Purdue, and home against Michigan State. Not a lot of hope there. If they win two of those games, they would have a good chance at the tournament.

Detroit Tigers

     The Detroit Tigers are really changing their team around this offseason. Their big trade was a 3 team deal that included trading Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson. They did receive the players Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, and Phil Coke. These players will become very effective in a few years, just not this season as much because some of them have never set foot in a major league game. 


     The Tigers just recently signed Jose Valverde, one of the better closers in the league, to a 2 year contract. He should provide a little more stability in the back of the bullpen. At least, more than 2 hits an inning Fernando Rodney! I do give Rodney some credit though. He only blew one save all of last year.


     If the Tigers are going to make one more adjustment to their team, it will probably be an outfielder with some power or a lot of speed. They lost Granderson, who had both of those skills. Magglio Ordonez's production dropped drastically last year. Plus, they do not have a true left fielder, even though Ryan Raburn can play it well. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Welcome To My Blog!

Thanks to everyone who is reading this right now. I am just starting Michigan Sports Derby, so this is what it will be about. During the week, I will highlight a team from Michigan, such as the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, and the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday. (These teams will not go in any order so check in often!) On the weekends, there will be a general topic of sports around the country. Special thanks to my mom, who helped me set this up. Her website is www.thebeadgirl.etsy.com Go check it out!

Tomorrow I will write an entry about the Detroit Tigers!