Mmm-mmm! That cornbread is smelling good!

Detroit is dominating the NFL pre-season so far, which means that it’s time to fire up that oven for some good ol’ Lions cornbread!

This is my favorite part of the season, when everybody is tied for first. We ALWAYS believe that THIS is the year, that the Lions will finally turn it around. We never give up hope. We love the Lions unconditionally, almost as much as we love the back-up quarterback - and this year it looks like it will be hometown star Drew Stanton.

Just read what Mike O’Hara from detnews.com wrote about the Lions - predicting they will win 9 games this year easily, and that Calvin Johnson is one of the top ten players in the NFL, even better than Adrian Peterson.

I love it!

Olympics is Sports Heaven

Totally don’t care about the Tigers right now, the Lions pre-season, or the stagnant Pistons, because the Olympics are on.

It really doesn’t get any better than this. The personalities of the athletes, the small stories the press digs up, the competition, the glory, the pressure, the patriotism, the world unity, the spirit of this historic event - man, it just doesn’t get any better.

It seems as if the athletes are always evolving, it’s 2008 and everybody’s faster, stronger, more amazing.

Every night, just turn on the TV and watch any event - it really doesn’t matter. My Lazy Boy rocker recliner and my flat screen are two of the geatest purchases I’ve ever made.

The Olympics - there’s nothing like it.

Why the hell don’t the Lions go after Brett Farve?

What would it hurt to get Brett Farve? Reports say that the Jet’s are willing to trade a 4th round pick for the HOF’er. Just a fourth rounder?

Why don’t the Lions take a stab at it? Offer a 3rd rounder, or hey, even their number one pick for him. Farve would sell tickets for the Fords and we’d all love him like Barry. Millen would blow the pick anyway.

Pistons possible starting lineups

Writing my posts tonight from the blackberry, in the lazy boy, watching the Tigers down in the basement. Sweet!

Possible Pistons starting lineups? You know Michael Curry’s going with a new starting lineup right? You know Joe D is the head assistant coach this year, right? I’m telling you there will be a new starting lineup this year.

I’ve been making lineups in my head lately - here are some I’ve come up with:

1 - Stuckey
2 - Billups
3 - Hamilton
4 - Prince
5 - Wallace

1 - Stuckey
2 - Billups
3 - Hamilton
4 - Maxiell
5 - Brown
(Prince 6th man)

1 - Billups
2 - Afflalo
3 - Prince
4 - Maxiell
5 - Wallace
(Stuckey/Hamilton super backcourt subs)

I’ll add more later, you make up your own!

RIP 2008 Tigers

You know, it’s alright! I can now watch the games for fun, without stressing over the playoffs. You know, like what we’re all used to, like the good old days of sucking every year.

Still love you Tigers! At least put on a great home run fireworks show for the end of the summer. Powertrain, you got it in you for another hot streak?

Pudge Traded For Farnsworth? Are You F-ing Kidding Me?

I just can’t believe this trade.  I’m so pissed right now.  Pudge was having an awesome year, batting .295 and catching a great game as usual. He’s a hall-of-famer still  in the back-end of his prime. And to trade him for Kyle Farnsworth? Dombroski said that Inge is the new #1 everyday catcher and will be next year. Why? An absolutely horrible, stupid move that seriously pisses me off.

Pistons Offering Billups/Prince Package

Joe D. is bound and determined to make a move this summer via trade.  After word got out that the Denver Nuggets rejected Detroit’s offer of Billups and Prince for Carmello Anthony, it leaked that Joe was shopping these two player as a package around the league.

This tells me two things.  One, that the Pistons seem intent on keeping Rasheed.  Maybe they think that Wallace is worth having as a veteran big man, or maybe they want his expiring contract to go after Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, or LeBron James next year in the free agent market.

Two - trading Billups is no surprise given they have Rodney Stuckey as their point guard of the future, but including Prince seems to me as if they are going after a scorer at the small forward position.  I can definitely see getting Carmello to take Tay’s spot, but after that, who out there is worth giving up Prince for?  No way do you trade Billups and Prince for someone like Josh Howard.  Maybe getting Tracey McGrady would be worth it, but his health is always an issue. 

I’m just confused on this one.  If the Pistons really want Anthony, I don’t know who else they could include.  I’m sure Denver is playing their cards on Dumars being desperate to make a move, but Joe D. is too cool for that.  The Nuggets may have asked Detroit to include Rip or Stuckey in addition to the other two, but that’s out of the question.  Another hang up is that Anthony met with management and expressed a desire to remain in Denver. 

We’ll see what the Pistons end up getting if they really want to package Billups and Prince, but it better be something good.

Nuggets Reject Anthony To Pistons Trade

It’s been reported that that the Denver Nuggets have rejected a trade that would have sent Billups and Prince to Denver for Carmello Anthony.  The Nuggets countered with a Marcus Camby/Allen Iverson deal but, as I told you before, the Pistons were only interested in Anthony.

My reaction to this story is that it sucks.  It would have been exciting to get Anthony, and to me, that was the best available player out there.  This story is just now breaking, so I wouldn’t say that it’s completely dead just yet.  Stay tuned.

Thames Homers In 5th Straight Game To Tie Tigers Record, Now He Needs A Nickname

Unbelievable.  Marcus Thames homered in his 5th straight game last night, to tie a Tigers record shared with Rudy York (’37), Hank Greenberg (’40), Vic Wertz (’50), and Willie Horton (’69).  Thames hit this one onto the concession stands way beyond the center field fence in San Francisco. 

Long time Giants beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle told Thames after the game that of all the countless games he’s watched over the years, the only player he’s seen hit one on the top of those concession stands was Barry Bonds.  Wow!

This is clear: Thames is the man right now in Detroit.  He has almost single handedly (along with the pitching staff) carried the Tigers back into respectablity and given us hope this summer.  So the least we can do is give the man a nickname.

Marcus Thames needs a proper, badass nickname.  If you google “marcus thames nickname”, the only thing tht comes up is “slick”, as a result of getting his hair cut too short when he was 4. 

Sorry, Marcus, that needs to go.  You need a nickname as a result of this awesome display of power, as a result of being the reason to drop everything and watch when you take the plate. 

I’m going to suggest Powertrain.  It fits with the Motor City, and it fits Thames.  His power has been the train that the Tigers have been riding to get out of their funk and start whupping ass again.  How about that?  Marcus “Powertrain” Thames.  Better tell those outfielders to back up - here comes Powertrain!

Carmello To Pistons A Done Deal?

This may be a stretch, but here’s why I think the Nuggets-Pistons trade involving Carmello Anthony, Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince is already in the works.

Chauncey just withdrew his name from the Olympics, citing a need to put his family first.  He was quoted as saying that he was confident he had made the team, but didn’t want to take a spot if he couldn’t fully commit.  Billups told ESPN that he was worried his “family situation” might distract him from the team.

I haven’t seen anyone else spin it this way, but to me, this signals that Billups being shipped to Denver along with Prince for Anthony has already been agreed upon behind closed doors.  Because Billups and Anthony are base year contract players, they can’t be traded until July 1st, when they lose that designation.  So until then, it’s just a waiting game for something to officially go through and be announced.  But that doesn’t mean that Joe D hasn’t already been working this deal and told Chauncey that it is probable to go through.

A “family situation” could certainly mean that Billups has to look for a new house in Denver for his family in time for his three daughters to go to school in the fall.  A move from Detroit to Denver definitely warrants a “family situation” that would distract Chauncey if he was overseas playing on the Olympic team.  After another long grind in the playoffs, and a new environment on the horizon, it’s no wonder Billups would want to stay home with his family and sort all of this out.

Now, with all due respect to Chauncey, we’re dealing with a family issue here, and it could be something quite different.  If that is the case, I hope he is able to work through it and everything is OK.