Getting some things off my mind…
You have to hand it to former Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford. He was cursed by Detroit fans for his 0-3 playoffs record. Voila! He gets traded to the Los Angeles Rams and suddenly wins two straight post-season games and jettisons the Rams into the NFC Championship Game on January 30 at SoFi Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers. Stafford had a great target in Detroit with Hall of Fame wide receiver Calvin Johnson but he has even better personnel on his side with the Rams. WR Cooper Kupp has come out of nowhere to become Stafford’s go-to guy. The combination may well lead the Rams into Super Bowl LVI on their home turf.
Don’t look now but the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Pistons are long overdue to host their league’s respective All-Star Games at the still-new Little Caesars Arena. Typically when a new stadium or arena is close to being built or completed, the league will dangle the All-Star Game or the Draft Day as a reward. This is not so in Detroit and it’s not fair!! Ford Field got its Super Bowl and the LCA needs to get its just reward. Come on Mr. Silver and Mr. Bettman…step up to the plate…award Detroit a future All-Star Game or Draft Day!
The Pistons seem to be playing better than at the start of the 2021-22 NBA season. Coach Dwane Casey has a tall task facing him: try and teach the young talent assembled by General Manager Troy Weaver while staying competitive and winning some games. Attendance is up at LCA due in large part to the exciting play of guard Cade Cunningham, the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cunningham has shown more streaks of brilliance in this short season than Pistons fans have seen in a long while. There’s progress in Detroit’s rebuilding effort.
Red Wings General Manager Steve Yzerman likewise is in a rebuilding mode. While his team is within 10 points of the final wild-card NHL playoff berth in the Eastern Conference there is a still a ways to go until the Wings seriously contend. The key will be this off season. Yzerman has cap space available to enhance the roster. He can use another defenseman or two plus a scorer up front. Like with the Tigers, owner Chris Ilitch is probably willing to spend on free agents if Yzerman says it’s time to do so.
The Tigers are sitting idle as are the remaining MLB clubs. What a shame. No Tigerfest this January at Comerica Park. No outstate and local media tours to trumpet the team’s progress. No sound bites for the sports radio and television reporters. And on and on. I would predict season ticket sales are also lagging. Let’s hope this labor situation is resolved quickly and fairly so the fans can again get excited for spring training and the Tigers’ camp in Lakeland.
The Winter Olympic Games are right around the corner. Happy to see University of Michigan represented on the USA’s men’s hockey team with sophomore forwards Marty Beniers and Brendan Brisson getting the call. While their absence will potentially hurt U-M’s Big Ten title hopes, it’s a great opportunity for the guys to excel on the international stage in Beijing, China. Beniers, the 2021 No. 2 overall pick by the Seattle Kraken, and Brisson, the No. 29 overall selection by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2020, lead No. 3 Michigan (18-6-1) in scoring and are tied for No. 6 nationally with 30 points each.
