18-1

It's a good thing I haven't switched allegiances in moving to the Twin Cities or the 18-1 shellacking of the Twins by the Tigers would really hurt. This was the most runs scored by the Tigers since Aug. 8, 2001. The last time they won by 17 was April 17, 1993. ESPN has more stats here.

NFL Draft Observations

-Is there a more annoying commentator than Michael Irvin? Seriously, the guy makes all sorts of big statements, but couldn't defend an argument to save his life.

-If Leinart falls to #9, would the Lions take him? I'm not sure how I'd feel about that.

-In 10 years Leinart will be thought of as a better QB than Vince Young. Unless he goes to the Lions, in which case all bets are off.

UPDATE 1: I'm glad Matt Leinart wasn't selected by the Lions. I think he's going to be a great player, but I'm sure the Lions would've ruined him.

-I think I would have preferred Chad Greenway to Ernie Sims, but what do I know?

-If I was an owner of a team, I wouldn't want my players on ESPN speculating about who the team should pick. It just seems like a way to cause trouble later.

UPDATE 2: I didn't think the Lions needed another RB, but I'm kind of excited about Brian Calhoun. The first thing I think of when I hear his name is that he scored 5 TDs in one game for Wisconsin. Some compare him to Warrick Dunn. If Kevin Jones can can get it going this year and he has a guy like Calhoun to spell him, maybe the Lions can develop a real running game.

With the first pick...

The Texans have defied the conventional wisdome surrounding this draft and selected DE Mario Williams with the first pick. Len Pasquarelli thinks it's a stupid decision. Williams is being compared to Julius Peppers and even Lawrence Taylor, but he wasn't dominating in college. As Pasquarelli notes, "He had sacks in just 16 of his 36 appearances for the Wolfpack." In the economy of today's NFL a star DE is probably worth more than a star RB, and harder to replace, but the fact that we're talking about potential vs. amazing skills means Mario Williams might become the most harshly criticized draft pick since Darko if he can't perform.

Wii?

Apparently Nintendo officially announced the name of their next generation console yesterday. It had been going by the code name "Revolution", which sounded pretty cool. Not short, but it held the promise of Nintendo making progress at getting away from its kiddie image. But Revolution has been scrapped for, wait for it... Wii. Sounds like "we". Or maybe wee. Sigh. Nintendo never ceases to amaze with their marketing skills, or their uncanny knack for making bad choices.

Mountain Dew

I don't have anything interesting to post today, but I felt the need to mention Mountain Dew. Did you know MD was originally marketed as "zero proof moonshine." Or that the Dew sold in Canada and Australia is caffeine-free (What's the point, really!?!) More Dew facts at Wikipedia.

Draft Profiles

With the NFL Draft only a week away the buzz is starting to intensify. While that can become pretty annoying, there are some good articles out there about the soon-to-be NFL stars. Here's one from Len Pasquarelli about RB DeAngelo Williams, and another from John Clayton about TE Vernon Davis. Take note of both, you'll surely hear much more about them next season.

Wallpaper 4-22-06

The Grid from Digital Blasphemy.

"I don't have the money WITH me."

I'll admit that I'm a bit of a geek. Maybe more than a bit, especially when it comes to Star Wars. But, I usually don't go for high-end collectibles. They look cool, but it's pretty hard to justify dropping $100+ on a decoration. But these bookends from Gentle Giant might be able to change that. Solo even looks like Harrison Ford, which doesn't happen in most Han Solo collectibles. At least it doesn't come out until October, so I'll have plenty of time to set aside some cash.

Wings Win!

The Red Wings just won their opening playoff game 3-2 in double OT on Kirk Maltby's second goal. Detroit outshot Edmonton 57 to 25, but Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson kept them in the game with 54 saves. Robert Lang had the other goal for the Wings.

Can they do it?

Could the Pistons and Red Wings pull off an unprecedented feat by winning both the NBA Championship and the Stanley Cup? Both teams aren't just good, they're the top seeds in their respective playoffs, which is unprecedented in itself. Read the article for a far better set up than I can provide.

Secret Passageways

This settles it: I need to build a house. Found at the Corner.

Re: A First Place Moment

Not only did Detroit have 3 professional teams in First place yesterday until 3 pm, but when the Tigers were 5-0, Detroit had 3 professional teams not just in first place, but with the best record in their sport or tied for best record. Can a brother get a Boo-yah?

Drunken Lemurs

"Today I learned that people don't like drunken lemur analogies."

A First Place Moment

Some things are just too good to last. From approximately 10:30 pm ET last night until the end of the Tigers game this afternoon the Pistons, Red Wings, and Tigers were all in 1st place in their divisions. Of course the Tigers ruined this by getting walloped by the Wahoos. Sigh. Nothing gold can stay.

Old School

Check this out. You're sure to love it, especially if you're Haag.

Spring Scrimmage

The Spartans have completed their spring scrimmage and the defense is looking much improved. The kicking game is looking better as well as walk-on sophomore Todd Boleski was able to complete FGs from 40, 47, and 55 yards. This news is especially encouraging as these two areas have been a major part of the Spartans' struggles in the last half of the last two seasons.

And what crazy activity does John L. have planned for the summer? He's staying home with his wife as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer. I wonder if the TV announcers will tell us about that every game, or if they'll keep talking about Kilimanjaro? With that and the pressure of two consecutive poor seasons, there's plenty of pressure on Smith. But, in typical John L. fashion: "Who really cares? What you care about is those kids and what we're doing now. Hell, if I get fired, who cares? So just try to take care of today."

The Easter Bunny...

...Hates You!

Lions News

Mike Martz has made a big impression on the players after the Lions' three-day minicamp that ended on Thursday. Also, the Lions have re-signed safety Terrence Holt.

And now, deep thoughts with Jack Handy

Remember when the Tigers were 5-0?

Busch Stadium III

If you're like me, you knew the Cardinals were getting a new ballpark in St. Louis, but you didn't know it was opening now. You can see some pretty good pics of the new stadium here.

Power Up

This is the best prank ever. You make Mario-style question blocks out of cardboard and shiny paper, fill them with power-ups, then hang them out in public spaces. It funny and cool, unless people freak out. Which is, of course, what happened in the town in the story. Apparently they thought it was likely that Osama Bin Laden is into video game culture and would use question blocks as a cover for bombs, when obviously he would choose to use POW! blocks instead. You can see the site that inspired the prank here, which also provides materials so you can do it yourself. Not that I'm recommending that. Okay, I am. Go now.

Gotta wait another year

The NFL released the 2006 schedules today. You can check them out here...if I actually felt like adding a link to my post. But, good news for Adam. The NFL must have assumed you were getting a job transfer to Michigan, because that is the only way you'll see a Lion game on TV as MNF has once again given the Lions the shaft.

I'm So Sick

I recently bought the debut album of a band called Flyleaf. I had purchased their EP previously and was glad to discover that the band was able to fill a whole CD with good songs. Anyway, rather than tell you more about them, you can look and listen for yourself:

The Natural

There's an interesting article on ESPN.com by Len Pasquarelli about Reggie Bush. Matt Leinart also features, but it's mostly dealing with Bush. Apparently he's engaging in a way few players are, and he seems to have his head on straight. Recommended reading if you want to know more about the future 1st pick in the draft.

What if there was a draft and no one came?

That question was answered last night in the fantasy baseball league. Luckily, I think everyone ended up with pretty decent teams, though Joe is a little Tiger-heavy, which is quite the gamble. Go to the league home page to check it out.

Exploding Hamsters

I read this last night on NRO:

BY THE WAY... [Jonah Goldberg]
If you subscribed to NR digital not only would you gain the power to telekinetically explode hamsters at distances up to 100 yards*, you could also read my mag piece on isolationism.

* Note: no refunds will be offered in the unlikely circumstance you are unable to explode hamsters after the start of your subscription.

Now, I'm a subscriber, and I haven't been able to telekinetically explode hamsters. Well, come to think of it, I've been around guinea pigs and mice since I subscribed, but not hamsters. Hmm. I think I'm going to the pet store...

Hall of Fame Material

That's what Joe Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-mars is, according to a report from the AP. The official announcement will be Monday. Dumars was an all-star 6 times, a Finals MVP once, and he won the first NBA sportsmanship award, which now carries his name. He also won 2 championships as a player, and a third as the president of basketball operations with the Pistons. Congratulations Joe.

Wallpaper 4-1-06

Here it is:

Thoughts from the Week

There's been a couple things I wanted to comment on this week, but didn't take the time. Here they are now:

- Something awful happened this week; I agreed with the hatable Dan LeBatard. He made the comment "I like women, I like sports, but I don't like women's sports." Wilbon ripped him for it. I wholeheartedly agree. I'm glad there are women's sports, but I'm not interested. I also find it really frustrating when people try to guilt you into watching, or call you sexist if you don't. I skip the WNBA for the same reason I skip MLS: I just don't care. End of story.

- Jim Boeheim thinks the NCAA tourney field should be expanded. Boeheim's a great coach, but this is a stupid idea. Really. Obviously there would be huge logistical concerns. And there would still be teams left out, let's not kid ourselves about that. But those are side issues. Boeheim's main argument is that the success of mid-majors this year shows there are many teams out there who could win games in the tournament. He also noted on PTI that it's been a long time since teams have been added. Well, it hasn't been that long since an extra team has been added, but whatever. Time isn't much of an argument, so let's throw that out. So let's hit the main point, which revolves around George Mason's success, and a lack of understanding of how tournaments work. Was George Mason a Final 4 team most of the season? No, they really weren't that great. But they got real hot at the right time. Which demonstrates the primary characteristic of a tournament: it's not the best team that wins. This is especially true in basketball where the 3-pt shot is such an equalizer and one bad shooting night means doom. The Spartans should have beat George Mason in the first round, but they have one of the most lifeless and uninspired performances ever. Do you really think GM is better than Duke? We've decided a tournament is a fair way to determine the champion, but all it really determines is the survivor. Finally, do you really wanted to fill out more blanks in your bracket?

- I'm watching the 1988 #1 Notre Dame vs. #2 USC game on ESPN Classic. This is the kind of thing ESPN Classic should exist for, not all their stupid filler shows. It's refreshing to hear Griese and Jackson together, and not to hear from sideline reporters every 2 minutes. I'm convinced whoever sets up a system to allow complete college football games on-demand will make a mint, but apparently entertainment companies don't agree with me.