BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
As I write this column at 1:42 AM ET, on 2/25/25, there are some things that I’ve decided I want to get off of my chest.
1. On a recent edition of 108 Stitches, Baseball Talk, my crew and I talked about the Boston Red Sox heavily overpaying for Alex Bregman. Who in there right mind would pay a guy in his early 30’s salary of $40 Million per-season. You guessed it, the Boston Red Sox. Despite having two opt outs, there is no way that Bregman will use them with his recent injury history. The Tigers made him the highest offer of $171.5 Million for six years and he turned it down with a chance to reunite with former Manager AJ. Hinch. I give the Tigers credit for attempting to open up the checkbook under Owner Chris Illitch.
2. What a difference a coach makes. The Detroit Red Wings ousted Derek Lalonde and hired Todd McClellan during Christmas. The results have paid off as the new pilot has a 16-5-2 record. If the playoffs started tomorrow, the Red Wings would snap an eight-year playoff drought. I expect them to be buyers at the trade deadline.
3. It was great having Dr. Michael Hutchinson on No Limits last night with Candy Ebling. We met Dr. Hutchinson at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans. He has created NeuroGuard + and it serves so many purposes in lower jaw alignment during sports, concussion mitigation, helps breathing, banging teeth together, etc… Dr. Hutchinson lives in Traverse City, MI and we both talked about our struggles playing “The Bear” a Jack Nicklaus designed golf course which is known for devouring golf balls. Years ago, while staying at the Grand Traverse Resort, My brother Lonny and some friends played “The Bear” and by the fifth hole, as we started losing golf balls, wound up lining up in teams and played best ball to get through the 18 holes. A great story as I look back, but it was a humbling experience when it took place.
4. The Detroit Pistons defeated the LA Clippers 106-97 at Little Caesars Arena in front of a crowd of 18,989 fans. Cade Cunningham led the team with 32 points, and nine rebounds, Jalen Duran added 12 points and 19 rebounds to win their seventh straight game. Tobias Harris added 20 points for the Pistons, who broke a 10-game losing streak to the Clippers. Detroit (32-26) hadn’t won seven straight since December 26, 2014, to January 7, 2015. The Pistons have their best 58-game record since they were 42-16 in 2007-08—the last year they won a playoff game. The worst kept secret on the planet is former Coach Monty Williams finished 14-68 last season. As I mentioned with the Red Wings, coaching changes can make a difference as JB Bickerstaff and his coaches have done an outstanding job with this group of players. Detroit Owner Tom Gores hired Trajan Langdon from the New Orleans Pelicans and the Duke graduate has done a remarkable job incorporating veterans to blend well with the younger players.
5. I see a lot of myself in Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell. When I sense changes have to be made on my broadcasting network, I seek to find replacements. I’ll even make sure my guys and gals can appear on multiple shows. In Campbell’s case, he saw the writing on the wall in 2023 when there were rumors that his offensive and defensive coordinator were hot head coaching prospects. The Lions managed to keep Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn through the 2024 season. As a result, Detroit finished with a 15-2 record. As soon as the Lions were eliminated by the Washington Commanders, Johnson and Glenn were hired by the Chicago Bears and New York Jets respectively. Campbell knew this was coming and proceeded to fill these positions.
6. It was great covering Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans for a couple of reasons. First of all, this was my fifth and Candy Ebling was working her first. In addition to coming to the Big Easy for the first time, Ebling was a recording machine. We amassed over 30 interviews which will be on the South Florida Tribune YouTube Channel. Please subscribe to the channel. Second, one of the classiest Communications Executives I’ve ever dealt with is Brad Gee, the Vice President of Football Communications for the Kansas City Chiefs. When I needed to get a question at the Media Availablities, Brad came through in the clutch. I hope our paths cross again.
7. On Monday, February 17, 2025, it was great having Facebook Friend Cliff Neill on the Motor City Mad Mouth Show talking about NHL Expansion. You never know where your next guest will come from.
8. On Wednesday, February 19, 2025, the gunslinger came out of my and this sports guy proved that he’s not a one trick pony and left his sports comfort zone to interview actress, writer and on air personality Rachel Galvin. We talked about her beginnings in Los Angeles, CA and her road to South Florida. We worked together at the Deerfield Beach Observer and I’m looking forward to her assistance in Lessons From The Microphone, Part Two.
9. It was a privilege to work with former FAU Basketball Coach Dusty May for a few years in Boca Raton. The man who led the Owls to the 2023 Final Four, has a chance to do it again with the University of Michigan Wolverines. Only two players remain from last year’s Michigan squad that was 8-24 under former Coach Juwan Howard. May has worked the transfer portal and made use of U-M’s NIL funds to turn around this Blue Blood Program.
10. Speaking of the transfer portal, May brought in former Owls Center Vlad Golden and this move has paid big dividends. The Wolverines are second in the Big Ten with a 21-6 record. Following a 75-62 loss to rival Michigan State in Ann Arbor, Goldin proposed to his girlfriend Camryn Volger at Center Court at the Crisler Center. After the NCAA Tournament, Goldin’s next stop will be the NBA.
That’s it for this column. I’m going to try to get a couple hours of sleep before I take a blood test at 6:40 AM.
But this was fun so get used to more “Motor City Mad Mouth Insights” once a month.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at [email protected] and you can find him on Twitter @TribuneSouth. To see his broadcasts, check out his YouTube Channel (South Florida Tribune) then press the subscribe button.
