Is it really 2005?

Last night I left for dinner at 5:30 PM. By 8:30 we were heading to a friend’s house where we watched TV for a while, and talked about the old times.

At 11:58 PM, we turned on Dick Clark’s Rockin’ Eve. Clark was in the hospital, so Regis filled in. Regis – obviously nervous and had no idea what he was doing – started the ball countdown, and as the clock struck midnight, he had only counted down to two.

And that’s where this all begins.

I find myself sitting in front my PC waiting for the New Year. All indications show 2005 is here. My Dilbert calendar is flipped to January 1. The Sci-fi Channel is showing their new year’s Twilight Zone marathon. My ATM receipt even says January 1, 2005 on it.

So why is it that I feel no difference in the atmosphere? The traffic was light, but it’s Saturday, so that’s normal. Little Caesar’s was open and I was able to get a pizza. Heck, my wife even went to work this morning.

To be honest, the only way I’m going to feel like 2005 is here is when the Rose Bowl starts. To most of us College Football fans, we view the January 1 as Rose Bowl day. Like many of you, my relatives were informed that we’d only come over if they had the Rose Bowl on for me to watch.

Michigan gets Texas this year in the Rose Bowl. A match-up that scares me. Not that I think Michigan can’t win, it’s just that I know that Texas can.

I wonder if anyone remembers what a running QB did against Michigan this year? Notre Dame’s won, MSU’s would have won, and Ohio State’s won.

Guess what Texas has?

That’s right.

They have a running QB.

They also have a running back that put up near 1800 yards, and fell just short of 20 touchdowns.

But enough of the same old “stop the running game” talk. Let’s get back to the point of all this. New Years. Rose Bowl.

Let’s petition the world’s leaders to change New Years to 5 PM on January 1. Then make December 31 a party day, and add a December 32nd. Would that make any sense? Maybe, maybe not.

Maybe it’s time we – as true sports fans – drew up, and abided by, our own calendar. We could declare new holidays, and still keep the old ones.

The only problem with all this is what do you do about December 31st celebrations? Do we observe that as we do now, or do we simply use it as an excuse to go out and have a good time?

Heck, I don’t know. I think for now I’m going to go ponder my thoughts, watch a couple more episodes of The Twilight Zone, and then ring in my New Year with the Rose Bowl at 5 PM.

Pistons Fall To The Heat

When Shaquille O’Neal first came to Miami, he said that Miami was Dwayne Wade’s team. Tonight Wade reminded us why Shaq is right.

Wade scored 31 points with 10 assists and 10 rebounds – his first career triple double – to lead the Heat to an 89-78 win over the Detroit Pistons.

The Pistons started off the game playing well. Up 20-17 after the first, Detroit went into half-time with a 47-41 lead. The shooting was good, the ball movement was good, they were transitioning well, and they were converting second chances into points. It appeared the Pistons were about to play four quarters of quality basketball.

Earlier this month, Greg Popovich spoke of remembering what kind of team you are.

So let’s think about that a bit.

If you are a defensive minded team, you must keep your defensive game in tact, and use it to create leads, and hold opponents low enough for you to win. If you’re a team fueled by fast breaks, you must run the ball as much as possible to create more scoring opportunities. If you’re a team fueled by the three point shot, you have to find a way to clear the perimeter of defenders, and get your hot hand the ball.

The Pistons must have amnesia, because when they hit the fourth quarter, they didn’t seem to know anything about their team.

The Pistons came out of the third, and into the fourth shooting poorly. There was one point where they spent five minutes with only a couple free throws. It appeared the Pistons would have to rely on their defense to get a win.

The problem with all of this is that defense can only help so much, especially when you’re facing a team that also knows how to shut down a team in the final minutes of a game.

Miami proceeded to take off on a 12-2 run. They finished the fourth quarter out-scoring the Pistons 22-9. Had the Pistons not fallen into a scoring drought (again), they might have had a better chance to win this game.

Same old story, different night for the Pistons. Even in their last win they had to come back from a 19 point deficit.

Let’s not panic, all is not lost for the Pistons. They still have McDyess coming strong off the bench. Lindsey Hunter, although not a scoring threat, came off the bench and created some plays. Hunter logged 18 minutes scoring three points – a three pointer – and three assists. Smush Parker put in five minutes of work, and hit his only shot attempt.

The plain and simple truth is that the Pistons ran out of gas. Without a deep bench, the starters were forced to play an average of 38.4 minutes per game. There is no backup for Tayshaun Prince, and there is no true PG backup for Chauncey Billups.

I believe in the coming weeks that we’ll either see a trade, or the bench players starting to contribute more. Joe Dumars will not sit idle and watch his team fall away from contending their title, and Larry Brown won’t stand for the lack of help from the bench. For now we must learn the ways of a Jedi.

Use the force? Maybe.

We learned from Jedi Master Yoda that patience is something that we all need more focus on. As fans, we often lose focus, and want results and winning to come now. We overlook the small things -- such as losing depth from a bench that just added a player such as McDyess – and are quick to point out all the bad.

We must be patient while Larry Brown tunes his offense to mix with his defense.

We must be patient with the front office to find the right mix of players to defend the championship title.

We must be patient while the players learn where they all fit in, and how they can help the team win.

So please, let’s try and get past the 15-13 record. Let’s take a step back, and try to be patient.

Oh, wait, another lesson from Yoda comes to mind.

“Not try. Do or do not, there is no try.”

ESPN.com: NBA - Recap - Heat at Pistons

The Joey Relief Fund

Joey Harrington has made something clear. "Without a doubt, this is where I want to be," Harrington said. "I love this organization. I love the coaches, the players. This is a classy organization and a great place to be."

Harrington has proposed restructuring his contract to give salary relief to the Lions, and remain the starting QB for a while. Harrington has already had preliminary talks with Matt Millen, and will continue to work it out during the off-season.

Harrington has been the subject of poor throwing, and inability to win this season more-so than previous seasons. His honeymoon is over, and the fans want results.

There is no guaranty that -- even with a new contract -- he will remain the starting QB next year.

San Diego has expressed interest in keeping Drew Brees, but has a lot of money tied up in Phillip Rivers. Kurt Warner has mentioned Cincinnati, which would put Jon Kitna on the market.

Millen, take the discount. Let him cut his pay, and let you use the money to improve the team. If you have to betray him and bring in a veteran, then please do so. If nothing else, it would motivate him to improve, or cause a winning QB to get the job.

I'd take Brees, then Kitna, what would you do?

DetNews.com: Joey - Let's make a deal

Big Unit to the Big Apple

Bud Selig is one signature away from approving a deal that would send Randy Johnson to the Yankees. In exchange, the Diamondbacks would get Dioneer Navarro, a prospect, $8 million, and Javier Vazquez.

The Diamondbacks do not have immediate plans to trade Vazquez; however they will continue to talk to interested teams. Among those teams is the Tigers.

Vazquez makes $9 million per year. He was 14-10 with a 4.91 ERA last season. He is 28 years old, and has a lifetime ERA of 4.26. His previous two seasons were 3.91 and 3.24.

I would do it. $9 million is a lot, but what choices are there left? He's proven he can pitch, and could be coming off of "one of those years".

Would you?

ESPN.com: MLB - Sources: D-Backs, Yanks agree on Big Unit deal

Pistons May Not Acquire Williams

A deal that would have sent Smush Parker and Horace Jenkins to Chicago for Frank Williams appears to be dead. Dumars had mentioned Chicago might pull out of the deal, and they were not happy when the media got wind of the trade deal.

The Pistons are on the hunt for a good backup point guard for Chauncey Billups. Lindsey Hunter has been disappointing this season, and the bench needs something.

Trades could be tough to find for the defending champs. Who would really want to help make Detroit -- a team coming off a championship -- better? It will be hard to find an eastern conference team to trade with, and the western conference teams might not be so quick to help the Pistons meet them in the finals.

Dumars has done a good job with acquisitions since he took over as President of Basketball Operations. Last season he traded for Rasheed Wallace and Mike James at the trade deadline. This trade solved every problem the Pistons had, and pushed them into the finals, where they took care of the Lakers in five games.

All is not hopeless. Dumars is a smart architect, and will find the right supplier to complete his team.

Freep.com: Trade for Williams appears to be dead

A Look Back at 2004

The year 2004 was a memorable year for sports fans. Many new records were born, curses were lifted, and we had surprise teams win championships.

Here’s a look back on some of those events.

Superbowl 38, New England Patriots taking on the Jacksonville Panthers. For the second time in two years, Adam Vinatieri kicked a game-winning field goal. New England won 32-29.

Superbowl.com: Deja two: Vinatieri, Patriots do it again

March madness came, and MSU went out early. Michigan wasn’t even invited, instead accepting an NIT invitation. Michigan, who had played very well against non-conference teams, decided to take the opportunity to get as many games in as they could. Michigan went all the way, defeating Rutgers 62-55 in the championship game.

CollegeHoopsNet.com: MICHIGAN NIT WRAP-UP

Remember that league called “NHL”? There was once a team called the Tampa Bay Lightning. They won the last Stanley Cup against a Calgary team that knocked off all the big dogs in the west, including the Detroit Red Wings. Tampa Bay took the series in seven games to claim their first crown.

USAToday.com: Tampa Bay fends off Calgary, wins first Stanley Cup

The NBA finals came, and the favorites to be in the finals were the Spurs and the Pacers. Unfortunately, they ran into the Lakers and the Pistons, who went on to play for the title. Detroit dominated games one, three, four, and five to win their first title since the Bad Boys era. Not only was the nation shocked, the Lakers fired their coach, and four starters left town.

ESPN.com: Motown is Titletown

Remember when the Tigers signed Pudge? What a great day that was. Pudge was awarded a four year, $40 million contract by the Detroit Tigers, and brought in as the cornerstone of a new winning era in Detroit. We’re still waiting for that era to get going, but they are on their way. Pudge hit .334, and the Tigers won 72 games – 29 more than the previous year.

MSNBC.com: Tigers sign Pudge for 4 years, $40 million

Speaking of the Tigers, another certain short stop that was traded for had a break out year. Carlos Guillen came in, hit .318, and drove in 97 runs. I remember watching the sports news just before midnight on December 31, 2003, and the rumors were the Tigers were going to trade for him. I was very excited about Guillen. I now see why. We should also keep Rich Aurilia in our memories. If it wasn’t for him snubbing the Tigers, we would have a bum instead of a player.

HollandSentinel.com: Tigers acquire ex-Seattle shortstop

And while we’re on the topic of baseball, how about the Boston Red Sox? Boston got themselves down 3-0 in the ALCS against the Yankees, and never lost a game after that. They took care of the Yankees in seven, and then went on the break the curse with a 4-0 sweep of the St Louis Cardinals.

Boston.com: YES!!!

Lance Armstrong, who was named 2004 A.P. Sportsman of the year, wrapped up his sixth win in a row at the Tour de France. Armstrong beat cancer just a few years ago, and will make a decision in 2005 if he will go for seven wins.

SI.com: Lance wins No. 6 in swirl of red, white, blue

Other notable memories are Michigan going to the Rose Bowl – and losing --, Jeff Smoker coming back from drug rehab, Steve Yzerman being helped off the ice in what could be his final NHL game, and the Lions drafting Kevin Jones and Roy Williams.

There are a lot more memories than just the ones I’ve listed. Unfortunately, I’d have to find a publisher and author a book to list them all. 2004 was a great year for sports, and 2005 should be equally as good, or better.

What are some of your favorite memories?

Tigers After Millwood

As the cold stove warms back up, Kevin Millwood's name has emerged from the trenches of the Detroit Tigers' war room. Millwood was reportedly working on a deal with the Cleveland Indians, but is now holding out for a $7 million one year deal. Millwood, once an all-star, has been on the backside of his career for the last few seasons.

I'd sign him to a $7 million contract for one year, and no more. After that you're entering the range of a Carl Pavano, and Millwood's days are about over. He could be a 15 game winner for the Tigers, and could also add leadership while teaching the youngsters how to win.

What you would do?

Rose Bowl Preview - Michigan (12) vs Texas (5)

As a long time Michigan fan, it is often hard for me to pick against the Wolverines, or even think about the fact that they might lose their bowl game. Michigan has not been a strong bowl team in the last 50 years, but in recent years has won five of seven bowl game appearances.

This year the Wolverines will take on Texas in the Rose Bowl. Texas comes into the match 10-1, and the Wolverines come in 9-2. Both teams are first in their conference, and both hungry for a win. For Texas this will be their first shot at the Rose Bowl. For Michigan this will be their second shot in a row.

Texas is a very good offensive team. Four of their games were by 40 or more points, with two of them over 50, and one over 60. They have a strong running game in Cedric Benson, who ran for 1764 yards, with 19 touchdowns – and incidentally had my vote for the Heisman trophy.

So how will Michigan combat this?

Michigan has two freshmen to lead their team. Running Back surprise Michael Hart, and Quarterback Chad Henne. Hart ran for 1372 yards, with only nine games starting, and scored nine touchdowns. Henne threw for 2516 yards, and 21 touchdowns.

How does Michigan win?

This is the magic question I’ve been mulling over for two weeks, and – after clearing my mind of all complexity – have determined it might be rather simple.

Stop Cedric Benson.

Obviously the most potent part of their offense, Benson is rushing an average of 5.8 yards per carry, and put 150 yards on the board all but three games. Two of those he hit 140.

Michigan must force this team to go to the air. This is a place Texas has not been strong, with QB Vince Young only throwing 132-222, and 11 touchdowns.

Stop Benson, stop the scoring. How much simpler can it be? Maybe not as simple as talking about it, but I think it’s reasonable to assume.

Is that all there is too it?

No way. The offensive line must continue to open holes for Michael Hart. With Avant out, Braylon Edwards and Steve Breaston are going to have to step up more, and Edwards will have to eliminate the usual drop balls that he shows us every week. An early catch could mean a lot to the offense, and avoid a repeat of last year’s 28-14 embarrassment.

I have no predictions for this game. I plan to go into this game knowing that Michigan can win, but also stand a good chance of losing.

Yes, I’m riding the fence.

Predictions? Comments? Smart remarks?

ESPN.com - NCF - Rose Bowl Preview - Michigan vs Texas

Pistons Shaping Up

I took some time out of my holiday lounging to write about the Pistons' recent tuning of their offense, and transition game. You can read it here:

DetroitSports.blogspot.com