Sports - How to fix the Lions

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. How to fix the Lions.

1. Replace the entire scouting department with proven successful NFL experience.
2. Replace the entire training and medical staff. A team with this many injuries year after year is clearly not doing something right.
3. Eliminate the current uniforms, especially the lame black one. Use the the throwback jerseys which are clearly the best in pro sports and would be a huge hit. These uniforms would also lend itself to the tradition and the history of the team when they were actually good and respectable. i.e. Red Wings and Tigers have a brand identity. The current Lions identity is losing.
4. NFL Cheerleaders. They don't have to dress provocatively, they can be classy and sophisticated.
5. Get rid of Gridiron. Nice guy, good spirit...still identifiable with losing seasons.
6. Stop proclaiming how great it is to get a first down over the PA system. No one cares.
7. Open training camp up again to the public. I'm sorry but losing season after losing season the fans are locked out from these top secret camps because of why? Oh it must be those new run twice, pass, and punt plays that no one knows about.
8. Cut Jason Hanson. His time is done, he did a good job. Let's get a guy that can routinely hit 50, and give us touch backs on every play.
9. If you have a fullback on your team, why do you not use him? We love Corey, but he's never used.
10. No more flag guys running out on the field. If you keep them, supply fans with bb guns.
11. Increase aggressiveness in signing proven free agents during the off season.
12. Bring in a new special teams coach. This years special teams schemes were the worst ever.
13. Trade down in the draft and acquire more picks, it will increase the odds of at least one person making a difference.
14. Actually try to trade for players. It's hard for NFL teams to do so, but a smart creative GM would at least make some moves.
15. Illitch, Davidson, Gilbert, and Karmanos...please buy the team! We are begging you.

Sports: Walk Out in Review

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Walk out in review

Did 40,000 people walk out? Heck no. Mostly because 30,000 of the fan base there were Bear
fans. So why would they walk out?

It was a success, because as I looked at the 8:57 mark...I saw alot of people leaving. Not
thousands. Then I headed to the atrium and there were a sea of Detroit cops getting
paid overtime and holiday time to dispell any possible security threat. But we also
saw many nice people leaving. Our estimate from 2 of the entrances were about
700 to 1000 people or so. More left at halftime.

But you know what, again all we cared about was our group making a statement. A symbolic
gesture. Win or lose for the Lions or Bears...it was a meaningless game.

Forward down the field!

Lions vs. Bears

Lions vs. Bears
When the clock reads 8:00 in the second quarter, get up and walk out of the stadium and head home.

A protest by the fans won’t improve our economy, bring peace to the Middle East, or feed the hungry, but it may bring each of us a sense of calm knowing that in our own individual way we have taken a stand. Ultimately, the gesture will have little effect on the improvement of the Lions, but it will be a time for me personally to reflect on my emotional and financial commitment to this team. It may be time for me to let go and give up on a lost cause.
I am tired and numbed. In the case of the Detroit Lions they have broken my human capacity to feel hope. There is no hope. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. I have come to understand that as a football fan I was born into a hostage situation…it’s time to walk away. Any fan who does not walk out on the Lions on Christmas Eve is a willing hostage.

PS to the media…if this walkout is going to get noticed we need the collective cooperation of the media. This event isn’t sponsored by WDFN, WXYT, The Free Press, The News, or any of the TV stations. This is a grass roots effort by the people who buy the tickets! We need all the media outlets to help us get the word out. We will do our best with blogging, word of mouth, call-ins, etc., but ultimately we need help.

Sports: Local Media Clueless

Local Media Clueless. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

ATTENTION: Pat Caputo, Drew Sharp, Eric Pate (who cares), and any other moron who doesn't get it.

I AM PISSED OFF at the way the local media is dismissing the fans and the walkout. They accuse the Fords of being elitists, but they are just as bad. They act as if they have the market cornered on rational behavior.

We are not dumb enough to think that the walkout will have any effect on the Lions. That's not the point...if the media would bother to look into our motives they would understand that the walkout is meant to symbolize to the National sports scene that we aren't a bunch of idiot sheep who accept whatever the Ford family slops onto a football field. For many of us it will be our farewell, and a substantial walkout would be a collective mooning of William Clay Ford. Also, by going home early we are realizing that it is much more important to be with our families than to watch the pathetic Lions play a meaningless football game. Given the product on the field it is obscene that Lions fans end up in the stands on Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.

And let's get another thing straight, we didn't specifically buy the tickets so that we could walk out in the middle of a football game...we made our mistake back in May when we paid the invoice for season tickets. Many of us won't make that mistake again.

The Detroit Lions are owned by an incompetent individual who has been incompetent his whole life. He wasn’t trusted to participate in the operation of Ford Motor Company, so the rest of the Ford family gave him the Lions to occupy his time. For four decades the incompetent old man has stubbornly made a joke of Detroit’s professional football franchise. He has all the answers and refuses to consult anyone of substance on how to build a successful professional franchise. So where does that leave Detroit’s NFL football fans? It leaves us as the butt of every joke about our team. Don’t listen to the arrogant media! Take a stand on a personal level. Even if you feel like you’re the only one walking out on Sunday you can leave with the knowledge that you know what’s right…and what Ford has done to our football franchise sure ain’t righ

Sports: Internet Support for the Walk Out

Internet Support for the Walk Out

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2003492807_oneil24.html

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/10591727/detail.html

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2706094

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/scorecard/12/18/truth.rumors.nfl/index.html

http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061218/SPORTS08/612180373/1004/SPORTS

Official Press Release: http://www.lions-fans.com/index.php?s=8cc2a947ec2015063b05f4b5330af041&showtopic=440

http://www.purplepride.org/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=150&?topic=29684.msg507173;topicseen

http://sportsunleashed.wordpress.com/2006/12/10/walk-out-announced-for-detroit-lions-game/

http://www.aolsportsblog.com/2006/12/06/lions-fans-are-mobilizing-their-hatred-of-matt-millen/

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061203/SPORTS08/612030337/1126/rss14

http://forums.packersnews.com/viewtopic.php?p=45166&sid=869acda8816a2665a4f681bde5d37dcf

http://www.prosportsdaily.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68553

http://lions.aolsportsblog.com/2006/12/06/lions-fans-are-mobilizing-their-hatred-of-matt-millen/

http://www.myspace.com/firemillen

http://www.footballsfuture.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=1495610

http://www.thelionsfanatics.com/tlfforum/lofiversion/index.php/t23836.html

http://www.firemillen.com/?page_id=70

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Millen

http://www.motownsports.com/forums/showthread.php?p=979889

http://forums.chargers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=142&page=2&order=desc
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061203/SPORTS08/612030337/1004/SPORTS&template=printart

Truth: Losing a best friend

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.I remember when Caeser was really young, he was into mischief and fun.  The things he got into, the trouble he found.  Well there was no end to it in site. You name it, he got into it.  There was always something broken or lost, and he was usually to blame.  He had a knack for that, perhaps not unlike others of his youth.  He had a certian look about him even then, that he was destined for greatness.   Thus the name always seemed to fit, that he was above and beyond the rest, on a pedestal.  He didnt ask to be there, but he had that walk.  He commanded respect, and had the swagger of a quarterback.

Then of course things would come down to earth as he got older with his sickness. His constant battle with epilepsy and seizures was so painful to watch.   Yet he would always bounce back with running or hunting.   He pretty much though was a loner who loved the outdoors that's for sure.  Steffi always wanted to hang around him, but he pushed her away.  He just needed to do his won thing.  His space was his domain, and he didnt really want anyone in it.  He wasnt mean about it, just firm and strong.

As the years went he started to lose weight rapidly.  Ceaser had cancer you see.  Cancer in the hips...which spread to his lungs.  He couldnt take long walks anymore, and definitely not run.  Breathing was becoming more difficult for him.  And recently, he had he hardest time trying to sit down.  He couldnt bend down to pick up things or really take care of himself.

Yesterday was his last day on earth.  I'm honored and privelaged to have known him.  He touched me and taught me things that I'll never forget.  In retrospect, I wonder if there are things I regret not doing, or not saying to him. I probably could have been nicer, maybe said more affectionate things to him over time.  I didnt take him for granted, but I know he knew how I felt.  Our bond was pretty strong, and now that he is gone that bond is still there, yet there is a huge void in my life.

Caeser died in my arms...he was 13.  He wasnt just a dog, or my pet.  He was a best friend.  I love you Caeser...you are the best! 

Sports: Letter from the BCS

Letter from the BCS!

I sent the BCS the college playoff solution. They responded:

Dear Hockeydino,

Thank you for getting in touch. You bring up some very good suggestions
about a college football playoff. We receive numerous proposals ever week.
I'll try to explain the reason there is not a playoff.

In order for an NCAA Division I-A Football Championship to be established,
the NCAA Division I membership must consider such a proposal through its
normal legislative process. As of this date, legislation to establish a I-A
championship has not been considered by the membership.

Through the years there have been several efforts through NCAA channels to
address the subject. In 1976, a proposal to establish a Division I-A
football championship was introduced on the recommendation of a special
committee that had studied the feasibility of a playoff. This proposal,
however, was withdrawn and there was no discussion on the Convention floor.
A resolution was presented during the 1988 Convention that stated the
Division I-A membership did not support the creation of a national
championship in the sport of football, which passed by a vote of 98 in
favor, 13 opposed and one abstention.

In 1994, a blue-ribbon panel was formed to gather information regarding the
viability of establishing a Division I-A football championship. The panel
forwarded a report to the NCAA Presidents Commission; however, it was
decided that the NCAA would not pursue a Division I-A championship.

When Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive was asked about a
playoff, his response was as follows: "There really is no interest exhibited
presently by our presidents or chancellors or many others in having a
playoff. "

As for your other concerns, the BCS has been honed over the years, and while
we certainly realize no system will ever be viewed as perfect by everyone,
we feel it is fair.

And we certainly appreciate your opinion and respect your right to express
it.

We hope this helps.

Sincerely,

BCS

Weekend musings and highway robbery

Michigan got robbed there's not way around it. Vegas had Michigan a 3 point underdog to OSU,
and Florida is a 7 point underdog. Hello? How does that make any sense? Easy...the BCS is a
a JOKE. Always has been, always will be. Implement a playoff system ( http://detroitsportssnobs.blogspot.com/2006/12/college-football-solution-debate.html). Any of you
voters out there that voted for Florida, you need to get a clue. There was no good reason or real
reason for you to choose Florida. Essentially, you suck. I dont even see that team scoring against OSU. Ever wonder why the majority of people in OHIO voted for Florida? Figures.

Packers smoked at home again, gotta love it. Favrrre hang it up already.
Corey Dillon is underrated.
It really bugs me where there is laughing after the game betwee the opposing player.
No suit for Del Rio, so much for old school.
Way to go UCLA.
I like the Titans and Bills.
Saban has Joey throwing 40 times a game.
Wake Forest vs. Rutgers in the BCS game...wow.
Tony Romo is Joe Namath so it seems.