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Michigan Featured articles

Why aren’t the Detroit Tigers better than they are?

June 13, 2013
A lot of Detroit Tigers fans keep scratching their heads wondering how...
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Former 76er Maurice Cheeks Named New Pistons Head Coach

June 11, 2013
After coaching stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail B...
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Brady Hoke: Notre Dame is ‘Chickening Out’ of Series with Michigan

May 15, 2013
University of Michigan head coach Brady Hoke has done a great job of r...
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Tigers Broken Hearted Outfielder Quintin Berry, Still a Class Act

April 13, 2013
On March 26 Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland cut speedy outfielder Q...
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The Phils win their final Grapefruit League road game for 2013 as they defeat the Tigers, 4-1.

March 27, 2013
Behind good pitching from Cole Hamels and the bullpen, the Phils win t...
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Why aren’t the Detroit Tigers better than they are?

Posted on by in Detroit Tigers, Local, Michigan, MLB, Sports  |  No comments
detroit-tigers-logo
A lot of Detroit Tigers fans keep scratching their heads wondering how this team can be dominating in so many statistical categories yet not thoroughly crushing the competition as a whole. It’s a fair point. The Tigers are 36-27, which is good enough to place them 5.5 games atop the spotty AL Central. 36-27 isn’t exactly a record that makes you want to hide your eyes. After all, if the Tigers continue to win 57% of their games they’ll finish the season at 92-70, which will be more than enough to send them to their 3rd straight playoff appearance.

Whatcha got Miguel?

However, drop the Tigers as they sit today in the AL East and they’re a 4th place team. The same applies in an NL Central comparison. They’d be 3rd in the AL West. In fact, the only other division they’d be leading besides their own is the NL West as they have the...
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Former 76er Maurice Cheeks Named New Pistons Head Coach

Posted on by in Denver Nuggets, Local, Michigan, NBA, New Jersey, Philly, Sports  |  No comments
Maurice Cheeks
After coaching stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers, Maurice Cheeks is getting a third shot as an NBA head coach. For the past four seasons, he was an assistant in Oklahoma City. The team announced Monday that Cheeks has agreed to take over the responsibilities of Lawrence Frank. “After spending some time with Maurice, I was very impressed not only with his basketball knowledge but his communication and leadership skills,” Pistons owner Tom Gores said in a statement. “We are very excited to have someone of his experience and talent help take this franchise into the future.” Cheeks has a career coaching record of 284-286, consisting of three first-round playoff exits in his six seasons as head coach. Hawks coach Larry Drew, former Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, former Suns interim coach Lindsey Hunter, Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer and Knicks assistant Darrell Walker are others that were interviewed for...
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Brady Hoke: Notre Dame is ‘Chickening Out’ of Series with Michigan

Posted on by in Big 10, College, IA Independents, Indianapolis, Local, Michigan, Michigan, Notre Dame, Sports  |  6 comments
MICHIGAN LOGO
University of Michigan head coach Brady Hoke has done a great job of reviving the Wolverine football program that had come into hard times during the previous years prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor. A Michigan man to the fullest, Hoke is all about the tradition of the program and its legacy. Part of the tradition for Michigan is their annual match-up with Notre Dame. A rivalry that has produced some of the most memorable games in college football history, is actually scheduled to conclude after the 2014 college football season. Hoke was asked about the ending of this special rivalry at the Michigan Sports Commission Annual Luncheon, and didn’t hold anything back about his thoughts on the matter.
Per Mlive: “The Notre Dame game, that rivalry, which they’re chickening out of. They’re still gonna play Michigan State, they’re gonna play Purdue, but they don’t want to play Michigan. I don’t know how they made that decision...
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Tigers Broken Hearted Outfielder Quintin Berry, Still a Class Act

Posted on by in Cleveland, Detroit Tigers, Michigan, Oakland, Sports  |  9 comments
On March 26 Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland cut speedy outfielder Quintin Berry. According to Jason Beck of mlb.com, Leyland described the decision as the best fit for the Tigers, at this particular time. Berry who was called up early last season, sparked the Tigers offense with his base stealing ability. He played a total of 94 games for the Tigers and stole 21 bases out of 21 attempts. Don Kelly, invited to camp on a minor league contract, played his way onto the roster, taking what would have been Berry's spot. He hit .298 with four homeruns and an impressive 1.091 ops. According to Beck, Kelly’s versatility was the deciding factor. Beck noted that Kelly can play both third and first in addition to the outfield. This decision has some Tiger fans wondering if Leyland just did not want to give up another super utility player. Early last season the Tigers gave up on third...
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The Phils win their final Grapefruit League road game for 2013 as they defeat the Tigers, 4-1.

Posted on by in Detroit Tigers, Local, Michigan, Philadelphia Phillies, Philly, Sports  |  25 comments
Cole Hamels
Cole HamelsBehind good pitching from Cole Hamels and the bullpen, the Phils win their last spring training game on the road, as they defeat the Tigers, 4-1. The Phils took the lead in the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Michael Young hits a sacrifice fly, knocking in Ben Revere, who started the game off with a single, moved up to second base on Justin Verlander’s throwing error on a pick-off attempt, then stopped at third base on Kevin Frandsen’s ground out, three-unassisted, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils increased their lead in the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Ender Inciarte hits an RBI single, scoring Carlos Ruiz, who had started the inning off with a single, then moved up to second base on John Mayberry, Jr’s walk, giving the Phils a 2-0...
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Bucky Harris and the significance of his 8 stints as MLB manager

Posted on by in Bases Empty Blog, Boston, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Local, Michigan, MLB, New York, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Philly, Sports, Washington DC, Washington Senators  |  12 comments
Bucky_Harris
Bucky_Harris\ Bucky Harris was an underrated MLB manager because of the fact that he finished his career with a losing record and was the manager of several of the Washington Senators teams that were not very good. His career spanned 29 years out of 33 from 1929 to 1956. He was a player manager for 7 of his first 8 seasons, winning a World Series title and then an AL Pennant in his second season behind the bench. Despite his lack of success afterwards, for the most part, he finished his career 7th All Time when it comes to wins as a manager. Only Connie Mack, John McGraw, Tony LaRussa and Bobby Cox have managed more games in the big leagues. None of the before mentioned managed five different teams, something contemporaries such as Billy Martin and Lou Piniella have done. Harris managed the...
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MLB Complete 2013 Team Previews

Posted on by in Anaheim Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore, Baltimore Orioles, Boston, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston, Houston Astros, Kansas City, Kansas City Royals, LA Angels, LA Dodgers, Local, Los Angeles, Miami, Miami Marlins, Michigan, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, MLB, New Jersey, New York, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Philly, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego, San Diego Padres, San Francisco, San Francisco Giants, Seattle, Sports, St Louis, St Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington DC, Washington Nationals  |  Comments are closed
slider use only mlb
At long last, we have completed our team previews. Well, we did the best we could with player movement, but obviously guys like Michael Bourn and Kyle Lohse won’t be seen here. As we said at the beginning of these, the numbers you saw throughout these are the projections of the individual writer and not necessarily what you’ll see in our Draft Kit, which comes out on February 18. We’re thankful to you readers who continued to read our previews and offer your feedback. In case you missed any teams, here’s all of Major League Baseball.
AL East AL Central AL West NL East NL Central NL West
Toronto Blue Jays Detroit Tigers Los Angeles Angels Washington Nationals St. Louis Cardinals San Francisco Giants 
Tampa Bay Rays Kansas City Royals Oakland A’s Atlanta Braves Cincinnati Reds Los Angeles Dodgers 
Baltimore Orioles Chicago White Sox Texas... Read more

It’s Super Bowl Sunday and I am …

Posted on by in Arizona, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore, Baltimore Ravens, Boston, Buffalo, Buffalo Bills, Carolina, Carolina Panthers, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Dallas Cowboys, Entertainment, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City, Local, Los Angeles, Miami, Miami Dolphins, Michigan, Minnesota, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL, Oakland, Ottawa, Philadelphia Eagles, Philly, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego, San Francisco, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle, Sports, St Louis, Tampa, Television, Tennessee, Washington DC, Washington Redskins, Wisconsin  |  Comments are closed
super-bowl 49ers ravens
JACKED UP!!!! EVEN THOUGH MY TEAM IS NOT PLAYING IN THIS YEAR'S SUPER BOWL (and probably not any SB soon) I AM STILL JACKED UP.  THIS IS WHAT EVEN WAS TALKING ABOUT ON THAT OPENING THURSDAY NIGHT OF FOOTBALL BACK IN SEPTEMBER. SO ENJOY THE SHOW! EAT TOO MUCH AND CALL OUT OF WORK TOMORROW. IF YOUR FAVORITE TEAM WINS GOOD FOR YOU IF YOUR TEAM IS ONE OF THE 32 TEAMS THAT DID NOT WIN THE SUPER BOWL BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR OR SHOULD  I SAY SEE YOU IN AUGUST.  ONLY ABOUT 5 MONTHS UNTIL TRAINING CAMP. CHECK OUT MTR FOR COMPLETE DRAFT COVERAGE AND FREE AGENT FOLLOWINGS WHEN THE SEASON IS FINALLY OVER WITH. ENJOY THE DAY AND THE COMMERCIALS AND THE GAME!!!! I LOVE NEW ORLEANS AND WISH I WAS THERE....
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Ranking the current MLB manager 1-30: 2013

Posted on by in Arizona, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore, Baltimore Orioles, Bases Empty Blog, Boston, Boston Red Sox, Chicago, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland, Cleveland Indians, Colorado, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston, Houston Astros, Kansas City, Kansas City Royals, LA Angels, LA Dodgers, Local, Los Angeles, Miami, Miami Marlins, Michigan, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota, Minnesota Twins, MLB, New York, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego, San Diego Padres, San Francisco, San Francisco Giants, Seattle, Seattle Mariners, Sports, St Louis, St Louis Cardinals, Tampa, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Toronto, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington DC, Washington Nationals, Wisconsin  |  Comments are closed
http://www.johnpielli.com/1/post/2012/02/ranking-the-current-mlb-managers-1-30-best-to-worst.html Last year, I put together a list of what I thought were the best to worst MLB managers. Things obviously change year to year based on teams performances and the direction the manager has his team going in. The manager's track record also has to be taken into consideration, which makes this a very interesting discussion. While the talent on the team is a consideration as well, this is not simply a ranking of the 30 best teams. The great thing about this is similar to ranking the best and worst teams coming into the season: opinions on this list will vary to the reader. Just like the list I did last year, I have to rank the managers who have no MLB managerial experience at the bottom of the list, as nothing can be said about judging their performance. So, like last year, let the discussion begin. 1....
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Vince Coleman or Roger Cedeno? Or could Michael Bourn be different?

Posted on by in Atlanta, Atlanta Braves, Bases Empty Blog, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City, Kansas City Royals, Local, Michigan, MLB, New York, New York Mets, Sports, St Louis, St Louis Cardinals  |  3 comments
vince coleman
vince coleman The Mets may or may not be interested in free agent OF Michael Bourn. It is safe to say the amount of interest has to do with how much of a chance the Mets have of having their first round draft pick in this year's draft (11th overall). While Bourn would give the Mets a major league outfielder they do not have, there may be some questions about how a player who relies solely on his legs after the age of 30. It is easy to look at the positives; Bourn plays a very good defensive centerfield and will steal several bases. Bourn has won two Gold Gloves and led the NL in stolen bases from 2009 through 2011. He also nearly doubled his career high with 9 HR playing his home games in Atlanta. He also drew a career...
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