Maybe it's just me, but summer never seems to come until I make my first baseball game. Technically speaking, I know that I have a while until summer. Heck, I still have around two weeks until Memorial Day, which marks the unofficial start to summer around here. Getting to a game just seems like such a natural part of things and I think I'm getting a little antsy.

Baseball is still a great game for the radio. Summer nights passed with a six pack, a game on the radio and maybe a nice bonfire going are probably some of the best. Not to mention they beat the hell out of having to pay for parking, tickets, and $9 for a beer. (I can't even find the guys selling peanuts like I used to be able to. At Tigers Stadium, you could find guys outside of the park selling home made boiled, salted, or even cajun peanuts. I wonder if the city cracked down on that?) 

Of course, I have Rod Allen to make things interesting on Fox Sports Detroit. He's one of those local guys that you just can't help but find yourself picking up some of his sayings. He's gotten big enough to spawn his own drinking game, which was a huge hit at my fraternity. 

Still, the game just takes on a whole new meaning in person. It involves so much more of you. The true fans have a lot more aspects of the game to see and can watch what they want to watch. You can spy on the bullpen or watch the outfielders prep for a lazy fly. Folks who are less inclined can always people watch. Heck, I've even noticed the wave making a comeback.

Of course, there are draw backs. Ticket prices have become ridiculous in a lot of areas. For a non-premium here in Detroit, you've got about 6 spots where you can sit for under $20. Still, that number is going to inflate if you have kids. They'll want souvenirs and food. A lot of parks also put in rides or other attractions for kids, which are rarely free. The best thing I've noticed is if you have anyone with a military ID, Comerica will give you some seats at half price. It's always something to consider asking about.

What I have never understood about a lot of ball parks is why they've become so strict about seating. I remember the old unwritten rule being that if the game had gone into the third inning and you could find better seats, then you could move down. I've followed that rule. A lot. I always sneak down as close as I can. Lately, though, it's been getting harder. These parks post ushers at every gate. I really don't know what gives. I get that you want to protect revenue, but if you have someone who isn't coming (and if they aren't there by the third, they're not coming) you might as well try to fill the lower seats to put on a better show for the cameras. With nearly every game televised now, do you really want your park looking like the Trop in Tampa? 

I've also never tried standing room only. I don't think I've ever wanted to see a game that bad. If I know downtown is going to be a zoo, I'm just as happy saving myself time and money by watching or listening to the game at home. Admission should cover a seat and I imagine any game offering standing room only spots is going to have tight security and few empty seats. Do any of you think you'd ever pay for standing room spots?

Sticking with baseball, the MLB has decided to give restless fans and hitters a reprieve. Next season, faking to third and throwing to first, a staple pick off move for many pitchers, will be considered a balk. It's no secret that the move is unpopular with fans. Most of the time a pitcher gets booed, it's for trying just that pick-off. Of course, the move has always been impossible for leftys, so no left handers have opposed the rule. 

Still, this just seems like another try at generating more offense. I don't know if it will really. I wonder if it will cause catchers to have to attempt more snap throws. I love watching a good play at second, but I'm not sure if I like taking a move away from JV or any other righty on staff.

I have to wonder, what is going on in Ohio? Beeze, clue me in. How bored are people in Ohio? They have two baseball teams that are doing well. Joey Votto himself has been terrorizing NL pitchers as of late. Still, a guy near Akron, OH was bored enough to try for the world record in consecutive hours spent fist pumping. Inspired by the generation-decemating fad from Jersey Shore, this 34-year-old man pump for 17 hours straight. I know it's a slow news day in Detroit if I see this on the news, but I was a bit more depressed to see it online. I'm glad the tourism commercials make Ohio seem so appealing, only to foster stories like this from locals.

Well, that's it for me this week. Thanks for stopping in to read what I have to offer and thanks for any comments you leave. I'm looking forward to a warm weekend and hoping to get to The Avengers this weekend. The last Marvel movie I got to see was the new Ghost Rider (at the cheap shows for $2) and I gotta say Nick Cage can act crazy with the best of them. Unfortunately, it just made those scenes more laughable than anything. I've neevr seen The Wickerman, but the following clip really makes me want to see it. I leave you with some Cage movie madness and your word of the week.

yellow carded, verb

This might be Lara's problem.

Well Gabbers, I made a few realizations today. 1) I'm getting a bit too old for my liking, but I still try to lift weights like a kid. As I may not have shared yet, I've been accepted to student teach this fall. I've also gotten a hold of the football program at the school and have been given a position with the team. We started having work-outs for the guys. From what I've seen of them, they're nice kids. A few even remember that I've subbed a class they've had. 

Still, I've been trying to go to as many of the workouts as I can. Today was a lower body day. I was too late to lift with the guys yesterday, but I got into it today. I started doing squats. I didn't even put much weight up, but I did a set of ten and could really feel it. At this point, I may need to tell you that I haven't worked out regularly in a few years. Of course, I didn't stop. I continued and even showed some of the o-lineman and a middle linebacker how to do a lower squat. (You start in a squatted position, go farther down and only come up to the squatted position.) So, I can already feel it in my legs and it's only been 5 hours. This is not a good personal sign.

2) I have taken B-Dub's advice and have decided to name my one playoff team that I will be rooting for. As much as I know it might make Beeze happy to hear me say the New York Rangers, I've decided to go with the Phoenix Coyotes. The Coyotes beat the Predators on Monday 4-1 in their series. These guys play tough. They don't really have any names on the roster that jump out at me other than Shane Doan and he's like 35. They do have a good amount of Checks on their team, so it represents my heritage well. Also, our good friend Harvey is really pulling for them to win it while he wonders how much longer they'll be in town.

Most importantly, I can feel for a team and a city that are facing an uncertain future. I'm from a family that suffered watching the Art Modell pack up the Browns and move to Baltimore in the night. The players hadn't even had a chance to recover from any champagne hangovers when the NHL announced that the league had reached a tentative deal to sell the team on Monday and the story began to circulate Tuesday. 

The group in talks to acquire the team is lead by former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison. The plus side here is that Jamison was in charge of an out of place hockey team. That team now averages roughly 5,000 more fans a night than the Coyotes. If Jamison can make a deal with the city of Glendale, it appears he'd like to keep the team in Arizona. So, Jamison gets a team that reached the Western Conference finals. Glendale gets to keep its team; a team the city has invested roughly $25 mil the last few season to keep afloat. Harvey gets to keep his team. That said, true to B-Dub's rules, I will be rooting for the Wings to kick the crap out of the Coyotes each and every time they meet next season.

So, I missed the Kentucky Derby this year. It really slipped my mind. This year had great things. An unlikely winner with a fun name, tradition, granduer...murder? A 48-year-old Guatemalan stable worker was found dead after the race. Oddly enough, his body was found a few stables from I'll Have Another. All signs point to foul play. Few leads have been found, but i know what these guys need...

I'm not a Yankee fan. I will admit that I was for one season, 1996, when they won their first title in some time and Cecil Fielder belted a crucial RBI to help get them there. What followed sickened me to my core and I am now among the ranks of Yankee Haters. Still, everyone can see that Mariano Rivera transcended the Yankees. He's an all-time great. That said, it'd be an awful shame for him to miss out on what was rumored to be his last season due to a freak accident while catching some shagged balls. Here's hoping he can come back next season and retire on his own terms.

Another guy who could be an all-time great has just managed to hit his first home run. Albert Pujols hit his first HR since heading west and ended one of the worst starts of his career. The odd thing to me is how many slow starts Albert has been having lately. I'm willing to chaulk some up to the uncertainties he's been facing in his contracts and pushing himself too hard to prove his worth. Still, Albert is not a young guy and I do hope this doesn't become a trend.

Well, that's it for this week. I need some icy-hot or something. Thanks for stopping by and reading. I leave you as always with your word of the week.

Kentucky Derby, noun

So, I got kicked off while writing, so this is my second run. 

I dedicate this opening to BOB and hope it sums things up for him nicely. I like the fact that the second video features a Canadian ranting about soccer. Good to see them breaking away from Britain a bit.

I, like many of you, played soccer as a kid. I was a defenseman. I played during recess. Then, as I grew, I was taken to other sports. Being a 6'5", 300 poundish guy, I was more gifted for football. There not many folks my size on the pitch. Unfortunately, my girlfriend is down in Brazil and has taken a liking to soccer. Luckily, she's also starting to like baseball more too, so I just have to hope to steer her to the Tigers.

So, I've seen many of you moaning about the draft. Like I said last week, it can be a time of hope. Of course, that hope is dashed pretty quick when your team takes a punter in the third or yet another WR. Still, what gets me most are the experts. Each year, ESPN brings out MeL Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay and they preach the gospil to a world wide audience. What you don't hear are how often these guys get it wrong. 

A quick Google search didn't turn up too much, aside from a hilarious article on The Wayne Fontes Experience. Al Beaton basically rants about how terrible Kiper has been about suggesting picks for the Lions in the past. Some of the gems Beaton brings up are Kiper's love for Andre Ware and Mike Williams, but he also brings up the fact that Kiper hated the Lions picking up Chris Spielman. According to Kiper, the Lions reached on the guy. The Lions got Spielman number 29 overall, while Kiper had him going in the 4-5th round. Ten years and 4 Pro-Bowls later, we all know who was right there.

Still, the lack of knowledge of Kiper's real ability is surprising. I'd like to find a mathematician and have him run the numbers to find a suitable equation to show how off Kiper usually is. Short of that, I thought I'd look at the 2008 draft. Why 2008? Simply put, it's the last draft I sat through in its entirety. It's also far enough away that we can really see how bad or good the picks were. Here are the first 10 picks according to Kiper:

1 ) Miami Dolphins - Chris Long, DE, Virginia
Actual Pick (AP): Jake Long

2 ) St. Louis Rams - Jake Long, OT, Michigan

AP: Chris Long
3 ) Atlanta Falcons - Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College

AP: Matt Ryan
4 ) Oakland Raiders - Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas
AP: Darren McFadden

5 ) Kansas City Chiefs - Ryan Clady, OT, Boise State
AP: Glenn Dorsey

6 ) New York Jets - Vernon Gholston, DE/OLB, Ohio State

AP: Vernon Gholston
7 ) New England Patriots (via SF) - Leodis McKelvin, CB, Troy

AP: made by NO Sedrick Ellis
8 ) Baltimore Ravens - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU

AP: made by Jacksonville Derrick Harvey (sorry to make you re-live that Scotty)
9 ) Cincinnati Bengals - Sedrick Ellis, DT, USC
AP: Keith Rivers

10 ) New Orleans Saints - Mike Jenkins, DB/CB, South Florida

AP: made by NE Jerod Mayo

So, looking at this sampling, we can see that Kiper got 3 out of 10 picks right. He's batting .300. I can give him a pass because no one can see the trades coming, but there's not as much accuracy as educated guessing at work. You could probably get better results from the octopus that picked world cup winners or that girl who wins the NCAA bracket challenge by picking the team with the best uniforms. Kiper gets paid to do this. He's ESPN's weatherman.

 Unfortunately, some teams believe in what he says and draft accordingly. I was shocked to see him call for the Browns to take a QB with the second first round pick. I was even more shocked when the Browns did it. I agree with Beaton on the matter, the only time you should trust Kiper is when you need hair styling tips. 

Back on the subject, I think what weirded me out most was the fact that no team took Kellen Moore. Now, I've found out that the Lions have signed Moore as a free agent. I think this will be good for him. He can learn behind Shaun Hill and Mathew Stafford. He'll be nice trade bait in a few years. Still, the kid deserved a shot to compete for a starting position in my eyes. 

His numbers are too good not to warrant him a look from a team seeking a qb. In four years at Boise State, Moore threw for 14,667 yards with 142 TDs (43 coming this season) and only 38 INTs. Those are some solid stats. A lot of people will diminish them by pointing out that he played in the Mountain West Conference against inferior competition. Really? So Andrew Luck played against superior defenses night in and night out in the Pac-12? Luck had cupcakes. So did RG3. It still takes a special player to get those kinds of numbers.

Next they'll say he's too small. Drew Brees was too small. Not many people think that about him now. They're roughly the same size, being listed at around six feet tall. 

What sucks even more is that the following applies to Moore. You know every little soundbite ESPN uses to defend Tebow? All he does is win? All that crap that flew out of Bayliss's mouth? You can insert Moore's name in for Tebow and make it work. Problem is Moore never had equal footing. The NCAA bent over backwards to keep Moore and the Broncos out of championship contention. 

Still, Boise State did better than anyone would have guessed at the draft. They had two men drafted in the first round. They had six guys called altogether. That's only 1 less than Georgia and 2 less than Bama. Still, Moore should have been given a shot to compete for a starting job. I'm happy Detroit was smart enough to sign him, but he deserves a better shot. The fact that he didn't is only proof of a bias against Boise State in my opinion. 

Finally, my bro (IHM) must be psychic. I talked last week about Albion CB Chris Greenwood entering the draft. My bro said he hoped the Lions took him. At pick 148, the Lions did just that. I knew Greenwood would go on Saturday, but I didn't expect him to go til the 6-7th round. Congrats to that young man and I hope to see him on the field on Sundays.

Sorry if this post seems shorter. My first one got burned up in the blogosphere somewhere. Thanks as always for reading. Feel free to leave me any gripes you had about your draft or any of your thoughts on what I've had to say. I leave you as always with your word of the week.

drafternoon, noun

There are quite a few things I was never sure I'd live to see. I missed seeing the Tigers win a world series by almost two years, since I was born in December 1985. I think they're on a nice pace, but don't want to jinx things. I doubt I'll see another time without some type of war being fought. Not that I'm a fan, but I doubt I'll see the Cubs winning it in October. I doubt I'll see the Browns win anything which sucks even more considering my dad probably won't either and he's been a fan for since he was a kid.

I generally believe I won't get to see a playoff system in the Bowl divisions. There's way too much money involved. I'm sure you all know what I mean and can chime in. Still, there's a slight glimmer of hope on the horizon. The commissioners of the major bowl divisions, and Notre Dame's athletic director, are meeting in Hollywood, Fla with other BCS executives and TV network execs to discuss the possibility of a four team playoff to determine the National Championship. While it's not the playoffs we might want, it could be a start if they actually reach an agreement.

The changes, when and if they can be agreed upon, wouldn't be put into effect until 2014. The original plans of having the two highest seeded teams host the semifinals is all but dead. The new plan calls for the semifinals to be hosted at current BCS sites or be open for bidding. Sources say the National Championship game will be opened up for bidding. Sources have also stated that a previous idea that only conference champions could participate was also struck down. This, of course, opens the door to similar LSU-Alabama type games. 

While this plan is a start, it's far from perfect. There is no established format for choosing the four teams to participate. I imagine it will be done in the traditional fashion, no mid-majors or little guys allowed. It will still come down to money. I don't think i want to know how much the winning bids will be, not to mention what ticket prices will be set at. Tickets for regular season games are becoming ridiculous as it is. Single game tickets to see a game at the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI were around $70 last season. Big Ten or rivalry games sold for $85. Ticket prices are expected to rise again for 2012. Like most sports organizations, the NCAA doesn't get it and almost look like they're trying to price fans out. 

Still, part of me hopes that there is a positive. We could have a playoff, a limited playoff, but still a playoff. Maybe I will live to see it. I can only hope it could lead to the real thing.

As we all know by now, the NFL draft will begin this Thursday. Hope renews. Well, except for B.O.B.'s Miami Dolphins maybe. Still, this is the biggest draft in sports and one of the few that I can think of that draws people inside to watch what is an otherwise tedious and boring affair.

I know exactly who I'm rooting for too. I'm happy to say that Albion College, where I took my undergrad classes, will have a player in the draft. Division 3 All-American CB Chris Greenwood participated in the UofM's pro day and impressed a number of scouts. He ran a 4.34 40, jumped 43 inches in the vertical and 11'2" in the standing long jump. Both the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys brought him in for private workouts. Since March, Greenwood has also visited the Jaguars, Lions, Titans, Cardinals, and Giants. Junior Clinton Orr, who is now Albion's official career rushing leader, is looking to enter the draft next season. I wish Chris Greenwood the best of luck and hope to see him come off the boards, though I imagine it may not be until Saturday. 

I've also found out Albion has installed stadium lights. Hopefully that means I might be able to get my ol man and IHM out to see a night game this season.

Eli Manning has joked that he's the third most talked about QB in New York. I wish he wasn't right, but he's got a point. Eli throws circles around both of the Jets QBs and doesn't always get a lot of respect. It's a good sign that ELi is putting himself out there. Besides, anything is better than this.

I already shared this on Facebook, but here's a little something for any Tigers fans that are tired of Brandon Inge. 

I have to admit that even though his bat is gone and his glove is fading, I still liked the majority of the years Inge gave us. He does great things in the community too. He strikes me as a rare kinda guy who fought and clawed his way into a starting spot. He changed positions and did everything the Tigers asked him. Still, i have to admit that I am a bit puzzled that Leyland believes in him so much now.

One final thought that I'm sure my partner in blogging Jeff will also touch on, I'd like to thank Ivan Pudge Rodriguez for all the years I was able to watch him, wherever he might've been. Pudge was a huge shot in the arm for the Tigers. Inge was gracious enough to step out from behind the plate for Pudge and the tigers were far better off for it. Pudge was the first big free agent we could sign here. Thanks for all the good times and helping restore the roar.

Thanks as always for reading. Feel free to comment and let me know what you hope your team will do tomorrow. I'll leave you with your word of the week.

drafterglow, noun

There are moments that I really hate our 24/7 information age. 

Maybe not moments, so much as reasons. My biggest current reason is the rise of stories that aren't stories, or at least that weren't stories years back. Not only were things like player-manager spats and clubhouse comments not stories, they weren't heard. Maybe, years later, a big star might include stories about getting dressed down from a manager in a book. I can tell you from experience that Ernie Harwell's books were chalk full of stories like that. 

David Halberstam's The Teammates was full of interesting stories that you never knew about some of baseballs all time greats. Usually, these stories weren't irritating little facts blown up to something bigger, but little know things that made you appreciate the player even more. Did you know that Ted Williams was extremely supportive of the African American players who were breaking into the league? He was more than willing to give anyone pointers and even helped African American teammates get hotel rooms.

Unfortunately, we now need to fill 24 hours of sports programing and while re-airing SportsCenter or games can account for a good number of hours some new stuff needs to be found. Lately, that new stuff has been in two forms: junk that should've stayed in the locker room and reporters v athletes. 

This week the four letter network's biggest story seems to be new Red Sox's manager Bobby Valentine's criticisms of Kevin Youkilis. Valentine has famously called Youk out for not being emotionally or physically into the game. To me, this is standard manager talk. This happened all the time. It's a part of the game. Managers try to motivate guys by calling them out. It's hard not to see why Valentine felt Youk needed some motivation. Youk's hitting .188 with no homers and 3 RBIs. That's a bit of a slow start.

On the other hand, Youk is a proven leader on the team. While he may be the chief "knucklehead" of the group, he's on of the vets and has paid his dues to the team. Still, even a vet needs some motivation. In the past, these conversations have gone on in countless club houses. Usually the manager and players sort it out privately. That is hard to do with cameras and microphones constantly in your locker room.

I'd be curious to see how any of the Sox players would have felt if the story hadn't blown up as it did. I guarantee that Pedroia and others would have been equally upset at the allegations, but not many people benefit from knowing about it. It only serves to make the Red Sox look weak. It's a spark to the other team. It's a black cloud over Fenway's clubhouse.

Following people's recent blogs about Jalen Rose v Skip Bayliss, I made the mistake of flipping to ESPN 2 to catch First Take on Friday. I expected to hear a bit of a recap about how things went, but not a whole show. These guys spent the whole show whining about athletes v. reporters. Two simple ideas can break that down a lot quicker. 1) Athletes are paid to play and so they shouldn't be upset when people criticize their game. 2) While reporters may have played and studied a certain sport, they will never really know what it's like to be out there. They also shouldn't care. Just tell me what happened, not your opinion. Side topic, these commentators like Skip Bayliss just seem to further dumb/water down sports journalism. 

After seeing Beeze's recent article concerning Jackie Robinson, i found just the book for him. Read this to the little Beeze.

I had a great weekend, interesting but in a good way. I went up to a card show. They get smaller each time. I was able to find a box of 1990 Score NFL cards for $5. i split them with IHM and we got some pretty sweat stuff. Hope everyone else had a good one and continues having a great one. Thanks as always for reading.

longversation, noun