Stafford wins a ring.

 The erstwhile Lions quarterback led a comeback to defeat the Bengals, 23-20 in the Superb Owl.

It was a very Stafford performance, 3 TDs, 2 INTs, but he came through when it mattered most on the biggest possible stage. 

Good for him. He now has as many SB wins as Aaron Rodgers, which is baffling to contemplate. 

Now he can rest on his laurels so next year's pick from the Rams won't be a glorified second rounder.

My sympathies to the Bengals, who have now lost three Super Bowls on clutch 4th quarter drives by their opponents.

I know there are staffing shortages...but this is ridiculous.

Tonight's Homecoming game for Mount Clemens High was cancelled because there are no refs.

And apparently the school has been scrambling to find the minimum four referees for weeks.

For some context, Mt. Clemens is central Macomb suburb with a Division 5 (out of 8, with higher numbers meaning smaller schools) program, which means enrollment toward the smaller end. But it's also easily accessible travel wise.

Don't get me wrong: ref work can be grim, especially at the HS level. 

And yet, nobody can be found to fill out the roster? Heartbreaking for the young men and their families.

 

Megatron Gets His Due.

Calvin Johnson was inducted into Canton yesterday.

“Lions fans and city of Detroit, when we were 0-16 you never stopped showing up," Johnson said. "You were disappointed, but you never stopped showing up. Every week, you showed up. And this motivated me to do the same thing for you. You loved me and my family unconditionally over these 15 years. I want you to know Michigan is our home, Detroit is our city and Lions fans are our pride."

A warrior who played through injuries repeatedly, he earned this moment. 

He deserved a shot at a ring, but playing your career with the Lions rules that out. 

Anyway, good to see.

I have to imagine the only thing more depressing than watching the Lions would be playing for them.

But more seriously, former Lions quarterback Joey Harrington opens up about his battle with depression that occurred when he was anointed the latest Chosen One of America's worst professional football team. The coaching carousel and offensive systems change certainly didn't help, but he always seemed like a decent guy. Still does. 

He seems at peace now, back home in Oregon and working with homeschoolers and his own foundation for high schoolers. Good for him.

No sports for Dale.

Thanks to coronavirus, Wisconsin's college football season is on the brink.

At this point, I think I would prefer the season to be cancelled. 

It would keep Jim Harbaugh from dashing my fragile hopes for at least one year.

Translation: except for swimming, no high school team sports for fall.

Executive Order No. 180 came down from on high yesterday.

And it functionally bans football, volleyball, and soccer.

Because now masks are required for all players.

It has been many a moon since I played football, but the thought of trying to play the sport while wearing a mask over my mouth and nose defies description.

The boys will be dropping like flies during the two-a-days. I can't imagine it will be much more fun for the other athletes, either.

So, they will quickly close up shop after a couple of weeks of struggling to comply--and literally struggling to catch their collective breath.

But the pros are excepted, because of course they are. So, those of you inclined to watch our tragicomic professional franchise can do so knowing they won't have to struggle extra-hard to breathe.

Awaiting the additional inevitable college football cancellations.

There were news reports that the Big 10 had voted 12-2 to postpone at least the fall football season. That was walked back, but there is definitely some kind of formal vote happening today involving conference bigwigs.

My prognostication bona fides remain intact, as I incorrectly said that baseball was done a little over a week ago. While it's still dicey, with the Cards the latest to have coronavirus problems, it's still going. I still strongly doubt that MLB will finish even this super-abbreviated season, but "Play Ball!" is still ringing out in empty stadiums.

And while Michigan athletics has done a bang-up job of keeping the virus at bay, the reality is that football is the most likely to see an outbreak, and has the most fragile schedule if it does. The Mid-American Conference, featuring three of Michigan's four directional schools, saw the writing the wall and cancelled on Saturday.

There's just no way you can create bubble conditions for college athletes. And while the revenue hit will be catastrophic, there is just no way around it. Spring ball would be weird, but maybe we will have a real vaccine by then.

The Catholic Church of Professional Sports?

I prefer to get my sports news from the CBS site, but kudos to ESPN for reporting about widespread abuse of youths at the NBA's "training academies" in China.

[By the way: I have had repeated difficulty posting the ESPN link as part of the story. So I had to just post it as text right below.]

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29553829/espn-investigation-finds-coaches-nba-china-academies-complained-player-abuse-lack-schooling

And the story is not perfect: it treads the line of cultural relativism, walking close to making excuses. But fortunately, it walks away from that.

What ESPN found was ugly, and known at very high levels:

The program, launched in 2016, is part of the NBA's strategy to develop local players in a basketball-obsessed market that has made NBA China a $5 billion enterprise. Most of the former employees spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared damaging their chances for future employment. NBA officials asked current and former employees not to speak with ESPN for this story. In an email to one former coach, a public relations official added: "Please don't mention that you have been advised by the NBA not to respond."

One American coach who worked for the NBA in China described the project as "a sweat camp for athletes."

At least two coaches left their positions in response to what they believed was mistreatment of young players.

One requested and received a transfer after watching Chinese coaches strike teenage players, three sources told ESPN. Another American coach left before the end of his contract because he found the lack of education in the academies unconscionable: "I couldn't continue to show up every day, looking at these kids and knowing they would end up being taxi drivers," he said.

Not long after the academies opened, multiple coaches complained about the physical abuse and lack of schooling to Greg Stolt, the league's vice president for international operations for NBA China, and to other league officials in China, the sources said. It was unclear whether the information was passed on to NBA officials in New York, they said. The NBA declined to make Stolt available for comment.

Two of the former NBA employees separately told ESPN that coaches at the academies regularly speculated about whether Silver had been informed about the problems. "I said, 'If [Silver] shows up, we're all fired immediately,'" one of the coaches said.

Tatum said the NBA received "a handful" of complaints that Chinese coaches had mistreated young players and immediately informed local authorities that the league had "zero tolerance" for behavior that was "antithetical to our values." Tatum said the incidents were not reported at the time to league officials in New York, including himself or Silver.

"I will tell you that the health and wellness of academy athletes and everyone who participates in our program is of the utmost priority," Tatum said.

Tatum identified four separate incidents, though he said only one was formally reported in writing by an NBA employee. On three of the occasions, the coaches reported witnessing or hearing about physical abuse. The fourth incident involved a player who suffered from heat exhaustion.

"We did everything that we could, given the limited oversight we had," Tatum said.

Three sources who worked for the NBA in China told ESPN the physical abuse by Chinese coaches was much more prevalent than the incidents Tatum identified.

The refusal of the NBA to let the coaches speak tells you all you need to know. And it also tells us that the odds NBA HQ in New York knew nothing about this are too low to be meaningfully calculated.

But by all means--please lecture the rest of us about justice when you operated child-abusing basketball factories. It's worked really well for the imploding ecclesiastical institution I am counted as a member of.

And just maybe we can start hoping for better things in Detroit sports.

Especially after the NHL's joke of a lottery screwed the Red Wings YET AGAIN.

At a minimum, it's nice to get a stellar talent who seems genuinely happy to be here.

Here's hoping he knocks the cover off the ball in the bigs, too.

Prediction: There won't be any sports this year.

Coronavirus hits the Detroit Tigers.

Granted, athletes tend to be younger and fitter, and from what we have seen thus far, shake this off with comparatively small difficulty. 

Plus, it's baseball, which has built-in distancing and limited contact between players.

All that said:  

Between the schedule ramdown and the apparent spread among athletes across the sporting world, I just don't see any sports returning to action this year. 

You have to admire the writer who can find a Stalingrad metaphor for college football coaching decisions.

One of the bloggers at the indispensable Every Day Should Be Saturday site did so with respect to some unfortunate speculative commentary by former Michigan coach Brady Hoke regarding the end-of-game stunner vs. the Spartans.

It starts here, and only gets better:

In the winter of 1942, the German Sixth Army faced a small problem entitled "perhaps invading Russia in late summer was a poor idea." After seizing 90 percent of the city of Stalingrad (which Hitler wanted mostly because it was named after Stalin, with whom Hitler was NOT THRILLED), the German army was completely surrounded by Russian troops and lacked basic supplies and ammunition.

Hitler had a decision to make: either Von Paulus' troops could attempt to break out of the encirclement, or they could be left to hold out - and maintain control of the city - until relief could arrive. While making this decision, Hitler was with Hermann Goering, head of the German Air Force and noted weirdo. And Goering had an idea, which was a bad one: supply the Sixth Army through the air with an "air bridge."

This was an outstandingly bad idea that required the German Air Force (already stretched to capacity) to fly over Soviet troops and drop supplies. This would have been a bad idea, even if they had been dropping supplies and not, say, condoms. Or pepper. Or summer clothing. Or wine. It was a bad idea, everyone knew it was a bad idea, and yet the one person in charge - one Adolf Hitler - was like, "well, sure" because Adolf Hitler was, in many respects, a doofus.

And, yes, thankfully Hitler was a doofus who was, in terms of tactical and strategic thinking, right only accidentally.

Well worth a read, if one is a history and college football fan. 

One slight dissent: I think Hoke could work his way back up to a Power 5 conference job. The tragedy of this good man was that his dream job was far too big for him.


 

Keeping your expectations in check.

I've mentioned it before, but for those of you who have missed it, I have been a fan of Michigan Wolverines football since I was six years old. It has been a bittersweet journey, to put it mildly. Some staggering highs, some calamitous lows.

But I think it's safe to say that the past decade has been mostly the latter: a series of body blows and a long descent into near-irrelevance as a national program. Oh, sure--there have been moments: beating the Gators in Lloyd Carr's last game, improbably winning the Sugar Bowl in 2011, and a variety of Denard Robinson highlight reel moments that will be shown for as long as there is Michigan football.

Still, the trajectory is obvious: from losing to Appalachian State, to Rich Rodriguez's amazing offenses and non-existent defenses (the GERG! era, we call it) to Brady Hoke's false spring in 2011 followed by the bottom dropping out...it's been ugly. 

I think the ugliest moment occurred last year, when QB Shane Morris was left in a game after taking a hit that left him disoriented and barely functional. And then-AD David Brandon tried to spin away what millions of eyes had already seen to be the obvious truth--that Morris had suffered a head injury.

In the meantime, the program in East Lansing has become a consistent contender, fueled by superb recruiting and even more superb coaching. Mark Dantonio is a brilliant, brilliant coach. Sure, he conveys the impression of a man who starts out every morning being served an unvarying diet of All Bran garnished with Realemon...and rage. 

But it's working--and on all cylinders. Sure, the Spartans have looked sloppy this year, but they're winning games they used to gag away. The pollsters might sniff, but undefeated is undefeated. It works.

And the Buckeyes? They just reload, year after year. Coaches and players.

So, here we are, left in second place in our home state, and drifting into permanent mediocrity.

Until the brain [sic] trust running the San Francisco 49ers decided that Jim Harbaugh, their intense but very successful young head coach had worn out his welcome.

The NFL reporting circle smirked at the idea of an interim AD (Brandon being rightfully fired after last season) luring a proven NFL coach back to college ball. 

Sure--whatever. Chuckle chuckle, head pat. The Dolphins will land him, or the Raiders. He's not going back to Michigan, even though, yes, he was the starting QB there and literally grew up around Bo Schembechler. Dream your little dreams, M fans.

Well, we dreamt them--and for once, they came true. And we weren't completely psycho about it, or anything.

Things began to change pretty quickly.

No, there was no boasting nor were there any guarantees. Just the promise of lots of hard work. The change was in the focus and individual accountability. Being Michigan had no magic--at least not any more. Earn. It.

Still, we cautioned ourselves not to expect too much right away, despite the fact he managed to salvage a respectable recruiting class on the fly. Hoke had recruited well himself, but the players never developed as well as hoped.

Ultimately, the pieces didn't seem to be there. The defense was less than, and the offense barely functioned, despite the heroic (and criminally-underappreciated) efforts of Devin Gardner. 


Harbaugh is a great coach, but let's be reasonable.

7-5 sounds right--a return to a late December bowl game would be a good start. 

And things started off about as expected: Utah is a solid team and we have a new QB who at his best earns the accolade "efficient." And so, Michigan went on the road and lost, 24-17. Competitive to the end, but what can you expect?

Well, then the wins started piling up.

At first, it was whoop-de-do: the usual early season cupcakes. The Beavers at Corvallis were short a few thousand pikemen, and UNLV isn't even good at basketball these days. But BYU? Sure, they'd won squeakers at the end, but they were beating good teams.

Welcome to your curbstomping, Cougars. At that point, we did a collective double-take: 31-0?

Whoa. Was not expecting that. Maybe we have a feisty defense this year--that would be nice. And then the Terrapins of Maryland: goose egg No. 2, 28-0. That defense is looking pretty sharp! But here come the Wildcats, a well-coached crew who are undefeated and have an even better defense statistically.

The goose eggs became an omelette: 38-0. Michigan fandom arose as one and shouted:

5-1, six games in. And the Utah loss looks more and more respectable every week as the Utes have soared into the top 10. 

But...

This is UM-MSU Week. Dantonio is probably adding past-date headcheese to his morning bowl of antagonism. 

This will require all of Harbaugh's coaching alchemy to keep his team from reading the paper, getting swelled heads and thinking We Have Arrived. The Spartans will be more than ready. The Wolverines better be. Veterans of the game say it is the hardest hitting--even, yes, dirtiest--one of the year. Both teams have something to prove--and in Michigan's case, avenge.

So, no predictions. But I'll close with this indisputable point: the game Has Implications this year, beyond the usual Bruising Rights. Implications of a wider scope. 

And I haven't been able to say that in a while. 

Game on.

Yogi Berra, Rest in Peace.

My favorite New York Yankee and source of koan wisdom has died at 90.

I'm convinced that when God broke Lawrence Peter Berra's mold, He felt more than a twinge of sadness. 

My two favorite Yogisms:

"If people don't want to come to the ballpark, how are you going to stop them?"

and

"The future ain't what it used to be."

And in news--Sport!

The NFL season kicks off at a disorienting time for us Lions fans--on a Monday Night. 

Against the Vile Steve Skojec's Giants, no less.

I have no clear sense of how the Lions are going to surprise and break my scarred heart this year, but they'll no doubt find a way.

I think Jim Caldwell is a decent coach, and probably a sensible change to a steadier hand after the manic Jim Schwartz, who really couldn't find a stable mood for the team. 

This is a *good* thing, and will be better for the team overall. I like the fact he sounds like "Spock on Football." 

They're going to need it, I'm afraid--because I can't see this team doing better than 9-7, with a lot of ups-and-downs. The defense has too many question marks and I'm not sure how Stafford is going to do after last year's miserable passing record down the stretch. Also, I'm worried about Megatron's mileage. He's an Olympian god among men, but he has taken a beating.

So, put me down for somewhere in the 7-9 to 9-7 range. Next year will be Caldwell's first on the hot seat.

Curse of the Mandatum.

Notre Dame hasn't won a national championship since Ex Corde Ecclesiae was issued.

Hmmm....

Neat baseball story.

Washington Nationals fan Bertram R. Abramson recalls--in detail--the last Washington baseball title.

In 1924.

And he has good news for fellow Nationals faithful:

“I expect good things out of this team,” says Abramson, who watches almost every game at home. “Washington has never had a team like this.”

Not even in 1924, when the roster was loaded with future Hall of Famers and won it all? “Not even in ‘24,” the semi-retired accountant says.

The proposed "compromise" deserves the Cleveland Browns Reply.

A compromise has been offered in the Kulturkampf. It convinces only those who want to be convinced, and has the delighted imprimatur of Planned Parenthood, demonstrating how much of a "compromise" it is.

I have a recommendation for the bishops. In 1974, the General Counsel of the Cleveland Browns was sent a litigation threat by a local attorney regarding the danger of paper airplanes being thrown during football games. The Browns' attorney sent the following response:

Attached is a letter we received on November 19, 1974. I feel that you should be aware that some asshole is signing your name to stupid letters.

Very truly yours,

CLEVELAND STADIUM CORP.

James N. Bailey
General Counsel

I confess it will need some tweaking, but it's a thought.

For those of you looking for something more highbrow, Michael Sean Winters has a perfectly excellent  response. Fair warning--you will encounter the herdmind of Thinking [sic] Catholicism in the comments, so you might want to avoid that.

Pretty decent Super Bowl.

The game was better than the commercials, which is the highest praise I can muster.
You're welcome, Giants fans, for Mr. Manningham (another Michigan Man). Keep the catch in mind when he invariably drops a ball that Stephen Hawking could have snagged. Mario's just that way.

The most disappointing thing about the game--I was bummed that the Lions weren't there. After last season, that's not as insane an emotion as it would have been following last year's Bowl.

And I was pleasantly surprised by the halftime show. Granted, my expectations were nil, but that was a very solid performance. Having Cee Lo as your wingman never hurts.

The last days of Nick Charles.

If you aren't into sports, or weren't in the 1990s, you probably don't remember Nick Charles. Along with Fred Hickman, Charles was the anchor of CNN's Sports Tonight broadcast at 11pm. It was must-watch. Knowledgable, witty and with a great chemistry between the anchors, it beat the snot out of ESPN's 11pm broadcast in both quality and ratings. Alas, CNN jettisoned sports coverage in 2001 and Charles moved on to boxing, which I've never followed.

It was a shock to learn Charles is dying of bladder cancer. But he's going out with strength, dignity and Christian hope. And an honest account of his failings.

Read it all. He has a list of people he'd like to meet after death. For my part, I hope to meet Charles on the other side.

Of solid rock.

One thing that can't be said of Matthew Stafford: the rookie from Georgia lacks guts.

The man gets his shoulder separated and still comes back in on the next play to throw the winning touchdown (thanks, Eric Mangini!).

The latest in a line of would-be franchise saviors, Stafford is faced with the unenviable task of cleaning up after the Millen-ium, eight years of Peter Principle-confirming horror which culminated in numbers which need no further explanation: 0-16.

He looks like he's game to try.

Yeah, I know it was against the Browns, a strikingly awful team in its own right. I mean, who the hell blows a three touchdown lead against the Lions?

But it's much easier being a Lions fan than a Dawg-Pounder this week. I'll take it.

I'd also take the chance to actually see them in a game they could theoretically win, if it's not too much trouble in a farging economy featuring 30% unemployment downtown and 18% in the metro area. Big Al Beaton, the dean of Lions blogging, was rather more direct in his critique of the blackout rules, culminating in the memorable "Die in a fire, [Roger] Goodell!" A more restrained approach can be seen at his new gig here.

Is Sunday's win a turning point? Nah, probably not--turning points involve beating good teams, rivals. And we've seen plenty of fool's gold draft choices with flashy games, then nothing, over the past decade. But now, at least, there's some evidence that both the coaching staff and front office are capable of processing clues. That's a start.

[Eventually, I'll get around to my Michigan Wolverines post-mortem. It will involve repeated uses of the word "purgatorial."]