NHLPA Charity Event

OMG! Gary Bettman and Don Fehr made a peanut butter sandwich! Gary Bettman bought a Red Bull this morning at the local 7-11. WHO CARES! The NHL lockout continues on into what seems like an endless amount of time and negotiations, and let me tell you something, life goes on. In my own opinion, the media has taken a lot of the aspects of the NHL lockout too far. They do not need to write about the same thing over and over because let's face it, it gets old. You do not need to update us on the lockout when there has been absolutely no REAL changes to move forward. The only thing that you as a NHL hockey fan need to know is that there is now a mediator involved in the negotiations, which will hopefully move the process along. No more bickering back and forth and Fehr and Bettman trying to make each other look weak. I challenge you to search for any article on the internet right now that does not talk about hockey and how Bettman is ruining the sport or how we are losing fans. I am not disagreeing with that what so ever. My point is, if nothing spectacular or game changing is stemming from the discussions or " informal lunch meetings" that are taking place, you don't need to cover the story. " Oh we met up with Gary Bettman and he said nothing is new". Oh okay, thanks for the update?

On another note, for you true hockey fans who want to see your favorite NHL players skate even though there is a lockout, you may want to head to Windsor, ON on Dec. 8th. Not only are some of your favorite Red Wings players participating, but even some big names from around the league. Stars like  Jonathan Toews, James Neal, Steve Ott and many more will be playing in the event. According to an article by freep.com, Crosby was asked to play but his insurance is too much money, so he is a no go. The game starts at 6:30PM and is sure to turn some heads. Tickets are as low as $45, and will surely sell fast.

If you would like to attend this game or want more information, click on the following link: NHLPA Charity Game



Sources: Picture- Zimbio.com

Lions Titus Young Disciplined

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

First off, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving today and enjoys their time with their families as you should.

On another note, Thanksgiving and the Lions game go hand in hand if you are a Detroit sports fan and is often a game that many look forward to every year. Today's game is against the Texans who are 9-1 and currently tied for first place. Among the players who are listed as inactive is WR Titus Young, who will not be playing today, due to disciplinary action taken against him by Jim Schwartz in the loss against Green Bay on Sunday. It was termed "unacceptable behavior" by Schwartz. Here is what else he had to say on the matter:

"When you play a team sport, you need to put team before yourself," Schwartz said. "There's no room for selfish behavior."

For more on this topic check, check out this video and article 

Breakin' It Down

Instead of focusing on just one sport or one topic today, I figured I would switch it up and give an overall breakdown on our Lions, Tigers and, oh my, the Red Wings.

After a devastating Lions loss to the Minnesota Vikings, who do you blame? Calvin was back in the game and had 207 yards on 12 catches, a TD, and a fumble as well. The yardage put up by Calvin wasn't enough however, because the Vikings Adrian Peterson tore up the field for 171 yards rushing on 27 carries and holding onto his lead for the most rushing yards this season. The Lions fell to the Vikings by a final score of 34-24, taking their record to 4-5. (NFL.com)

The Tigers have been looking to pursue a few new players here in the off-season including Jeremy Bonderman, whom has already been offered a contract. He isn't the only one the Tigers are trying to snag. Another one of them is Torii Hunter from the Angels. According to freep.com, "ESPN's Jim Bowden cited an unnamed source as saying the Tigers are the front-runner to acquire the free agent outfielder". This could be great news for us because Hunter was always bad news when he played against us. Let's face it, he could be a great add on even at $10 mil a year. Ordonez, Martinez, Fielder, Hunter.. Sounds like a pretty strong team and lineup. Maybe I shouldn't say anything about him though. Last time any of us had expectations of Fielder, look what happened.

As far as the Detroit Red Wings, there is nothing really happening besides the CBA negotiations underway still. No real big changes have taken place between Bettman and Fehr either. I personally do not see a shortened season taking place. Both the owners and the NHLPA are to stingy to submit to each other because when Bettman and Fehr are in the room together, it's like smashing heads. So who do you really think is to blame for the lockout? Fehr or Bettman?

Lions vs Jaguars Postgame Thoughts

On Sunday the 4th of November, the Lions came out looking to show why the Jaguars were 1-6 at the time and they did just that. With a huge surge from the Lions offense and a well disciplined Lions defense, they easily won the game with a final score of 31-14. They looked like a team that was confident and determined to win. By halftime, the Lions were leading 21-0 in a game that looked more like a practice. Calvin looked strong and Stafford looked comfortable in the pocket. After the offensive outburst they had in this game, the Lions now sit first overall in the NFL in total passing yards. Who would have thought the Lions would be in this position after looking at their start this season. I am not saying they have a terrible record by any means but if you look at the other teams that are close in passing yardage, they have pretty damn good records. Detroit is also tied for second with the most first downs in the league. Pretty impressive statistics for a team that seems to be struggling with injuries huh? Let's just hope the Lions are able to overcome the injuries and play like they did this week against the Vikings next week. This upcoming game could make or break the team for a playoff spot. What are your thoughts on next week's game? Any predictions? Will the Lions have a playoff run?

 If you want more game coverage, statistics, and highlights from this game, check out the video below.

Source for statistics and rankings:  ESPN.com

Zetterberg Paired Up With Brunner In Swiss Hockey League

 

Since the NHL is more than likely not going to have a season, Detroit Red Wing Henrik Zetterberg has been playing overseas for a team called Zug in Switzerland. Over the summer, the Red Wings signed a player named Damien Brunner, with the intention of playing him alongside good old Hank. Recently, Zetterberg called Brunner from Switzerland and asked him to come play for Zug during the lockout, and Brunner went. "Detroit said they were going to put (Brunner) on a line with Zetterberg, so I got to do it first," Zug coach Doug Shedden said Wednesday in an interview. "I texted (Red Wings GM) Kenny Holland and said: 'It works."'

Clearly it has been working for the Swiss team because Zetterberg is putting up crazy numbers. He has seven goals and eleven points in just five games, and is currently sitting three points back from first place in points. Ahead of him are second place Evgeni Malkin with 12 points and first place Alex Radulov with 14 points.

 "A number of NHL teams showed interest in the 26-year-old Brunner over the summer after he was named Swiss league MVP last season. Highly skilled and lightning fast — "He ends up getting a lot of breakaways," said Shedden — he signed with the Red Wings on July 1 and stayed at Zetterberg's house when he visited Detroit"(Johnston, 2012)

Hopefully we will get the chance to see them play together here in Detroit soon enough. The lockout needs to end and we need to see some Datsyukian deaks and people being Kronwalled. The re-runs on FSN are getting old now. Until then, best of luck to Z and Brunner while playing overseas.

(Sources and photos: Chris Johnston, Montreal Gazette)

Tigers Lose World Series In 4 Straight

Your Detroit Tigers were out and about on Sunday for what was game 4 of the World Series. This was probably the best game that they had out of the 4 they played against the Giants. Now listen up. I am not one for bashing any hometown heroes, but I am going to bring it up because you probably were thinking it last night and throughout the entire World Series. Where was Prince Fielder? Last time I checked, he doesn't get paid by the strikeout. The guy is one of the highest paid players in the MLB and you, me, and the rest of the Tigers players and staff, had to be thinking the same thing. He just didn't show up at all in the games. As a matter of fact, check out his stats as provided by ESPN.com below. STATS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB AVG Game 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 Last seven days 14 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .071 October 52 2 9 0 0 1 3 3 .173   As always you are going to have someone who points the finger at another player and goes to blame the loss on them instead. As this may be the case, Fielder seemed to stand out the most as the one to put the majority of the blame on. If you are still undecided at this point, you can form your own opinions on who is to blame by clicking on that link.   On a more positive note, I would like to thank the Detroit Tigers for a great season overall. They made a hell of a run to even make the playoffs, let alone make it to the World Series. Sweeping the Yankees is no easy task, regardless of how A-Rod and Granderson were playing and the injury that Jeter suffered as well was just icing on the cake. So raise your glass and tip your hats to your Detroit Tigers on a well-played season! Bless you boys.

Buh Bye Burleson

What are your Detroit Lions going to do without Nate Burleson out there on offense? That's right, as you may already know, he was injured in the previous game against the Chicago Bears, in which he suffered a broken leg. Burleson will be out for the remainder of the season and as of now,  Titus Young and Ryan Broyles will step up as temporary replacements. However, the Lions are looking to sign a replacement for Burleson as soon as today. According to freep.com, they are looking at three possible options which include "Legedu Naanee, who was released by the Miami Dolphins earlier this month, former Ohio State standout Brian Robiskie, and Deon Butler, who spent the last three years with Sunday's opponent, the Seattle Seahawks..."Fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter who they sign, they still need to step up their game a bit. Yes, the injuries they are facing could be troublesome, but if they play like we know they can, playoffs should still be within reach.

Lions wide receiver Nate Burleson suffered a broken leg while making this catch  Monday night in Chicago. / Dennis Wierzbicki/U.S. PRESSWIRE (taken from freep.com)