Brent's Sports Blog

This coming Thursday, Fox 17 will make an in-road on the West Michigan TV landscape. We'll begin airing the "Blitz Pregame Show". It'll be a full hour, from 5-6pm, dedicated exclusively to high school football. The majority of the show will be broadcast from our Game of the Week site, while Tara Miller and I anchor the coverage back at the station. Tim Doty and Bret Bakita will be live in the field.

The entire hour is geared toward the high school football fans who are getting ready to head out to their respective games that night. Our coverage will not only focus on the Game of the Week, but also on some of the other big matchups around West Michigan.

The rematch of East Grand Rapids versus Orchard Lake St. Mary is our game of the week for week 1. How can you go wrong with that, since these two schools hooked up last November at Ford Field in what was arguably the greatest football game in MHSAA history.

We did a rehearsal for the show this past week and let me tell you it's gonna be great! Compelling feature stories, mixed in with previews of all the big games, plus all the excitement that builds at the games two hours before kickoff.

If you plan to attend the EGR/OLSM game Thursday, get out there early and be a part of our broadcast! If you're going to a different game that night, then be sure to check out the broadcast. It'll have everything you need to know before heading out to that game nearest to you.

A year ago right now, UM football fans were scanning the 2007 schedule. They saw Appalachian State at the Big House week 1 and thought, "easy pickins." We all know what happened in that game. College football's biggest upset ever unfolded, ending Michigan's shot at a national championship in what ended up being Lloyd Carr's final season.

Moral of the story, nothing is "easy pickens" in sports.

Turn the page to 2008. New head coach Rich Rodriguez is set to unveil the spread offense in Ann Arbor, though he's remained pretty mum about how it will all work. Keep in mind, aside from his recruiting class he just brought in, the majority of the '08 Wolverines he inherited from the Carr regime, which didn't exactly focus on spread-offense-type talent. So, how does Rodriguez take a whole bunch of guys who aren't his type of players and make them into his type of players? That's the million dollar question.

Offensively, this team could struggle mightily in '08, to the likes UM football fans haven't seen in decades. Though Rodriguez has yet to officially name a starting QB, it's assumed that Georgia Tech transfer, Steven Threet will be the man under center to an offense that's only returning three starters: Tackle Stephen Schilling and part-time regulars Carson Butler at TE and fullback Mark Moundros.

Chad Henne and all his school records is gone. Tackle Jake Long, the top pick in this past April's NFL Draft, is no longer available to protect the QB and create holes for a running game. Mike Hart is also gone, taking with him UM's all-time records in carries and rushing yards.

For the first time since the early 1980's, UM football fans will head into a season with guarded optimism. If the majority of this team struggles to adapt to Rich Rodriguez's style, 2008 could be the first year in almost three decades the Wolverines football program doesn't appear in a post-season bowl game.

How weird will that be?

I had a feeling the Tigers would trade Pudge Rodriguez before Thursday's deadline. Rumors began swirling ten days ago that the Marlins were interested in him. The Tigers weren't going to re-sign him this off season anyways, and because he's in the option year of the 5-year, 50-million dollar contract he signed back in 2004, unloading him makes sense.

So the .220 hitting Brandon Inge will become the Tigers' every-day catcher for the rest of the season.

Detroit gets Kyle Farnsworth who pitched for the Tigers back in 2005. He'll help the Tigers bullpen, probably assume the 7th inning role and be used in some long-relief situations.

Tigers now need a backup catcher. Here's what I think will happen. Detroit will recall Dane Sardinha from Toledo and to make room on the 25-man roster they will give Todd Jones his outright release. With Farnsworth now in the equation, Jones is no longer needed. Rodney has been named the closer and Zumaya is the 8th inning guy, for now.

Sardinha is the only option as the backup at this point unless the Tigers plan to trade for a backup before tomorrow's 4pm deadline.

This is just my hunch. Jones won't admit it when the TV cameras are on but he's not happy with his demotion.

The big question is does the Pudge trade mean the Tigers are giving up on this season or is there a method to their madness? Will they pull the trigger on any more deals tomorrow?

I guess we all have to stay tuned.

Hi everybody,

Several local teams are still alive in the Little League/Big League baseball and softball. Most of these teams are playing in Cheboygan, Bay City, Jackson, Tecumseh, etc... Others have advanced to playing in other states. Consequently, I can't get cameras out to cover them like I could the past few weeks when all the games were unfolding within a 60 mile radius of Grand Rapids.

The best I can do is get the scores on my ticker each night. This is where I need your help. If you are following your teams, please call our score phone each night with final scores. I will retrieve those scores and make sure they appear on our ticker each night.

Believe me, if these games were still being played here in West Michigan I'd be covering as many of them as I could, but it's just not possible for me to send cameramen 3-5 hours away and get those highlights back in time to put on TV.

The response I have received for our little league coverage this summer has been positive and I can assure you that Fox 17 will expand our Little League coverage next year.

Regards,

Brent

Just wanted to remind my viewers that I will have two little league games each night this week (Monday-Thursday). I will have one baseball and one softball game each night to help balance my coverage.

I will only be covering the 9&10 year old baseball & softball, but I welcome everybody to call us with final scores from any games involving any age bracket around West Michigan.

Our score phone number is: 616-447-5148

Just leave your score and we'll retrieve it later in the evening. Please make sure to specify the teams properly. If you just say, "Georgetown beat Lowell, 8-2", but it was actually Georgetown Nationals beating Lowell #2, we may confuse viewers.

We will attempt to get all final scores called in on our ticker.

Right now I'm only covering District 9. I realize that there are several other little league all-star teams around West Michigan playing in similar tournaments from other districts. This is where I need your help. If you live in the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area or along the lakeshore (Muskegon/Grand Haven/Holland) please call in your scores as well. If you have a website (like the District 9 site we have linked to the WXMI page) please post that link in "comments". I can get the Fox 17 'IT' guy to link your site to ours and people can follow all the little league tournaments around the viewing area.

This is the first year I've attempted to cover this tournament so in order to make it the best it can be I need your help.

Thanks, and keep watching!

Brent

Okay, I admit it. I've been slacking a bit. I haven't done a blog entry in almost a month. Once the Red Wings and Pistons seasons ended, I must've ran out of gas. I know, I know the Tigers have somehow climbed back to respectability. I believe when I made my last entry they were 12 games under .500 and something like 10 games out of first place. Now they're back in it, sort of. So yes, I could've talked about them. But from June 18th to June 29th I was on vacation. Didn't go anywhere. Just stayed here in good 'ole Grand Rapids and hung out. No stress. Made a few trips to Muskegon to visit family and friends. That was about it.

I returned from vacation on June 30th, began looking at my July calendar and started to wonder what am I going to do for the next four weeks to fill my sportscasts? July is typically the slowest month of the entire year for local sports, especially here in West Michigan. The Rampage are playing well so that helps. The Griffins will probably call a news conference at some point this month to introduce their new head coach. That will fill :40 in a weekday show at some point.

But late last week I spent the 4th of July with some good friends. My buddy Mark began telling me about the District 9 baseball and softball tournaments that are happening all over West Michigan several nights each week. He went on to say that the 9 & 10 year old boys little league all-star games often draw hundreds of fans and it has a cult following.

My sports director antenna went up. I thought, hmmm, maybe I can start showing some highlights of these games to help flesh out my sportscasts.

So far I've only shown games from the 9 & 10 boys baseball, but that's not the only age bracket competing right now. There are several different ages going at it, all the way up to kids in their late teens. And it's not just baseball, girls are involved in the same age levels in softball.

I thought, this is huge!

So far, so good with our coverage. We'll get better as it goes. I'm waiting to get some feedback from the viewing public. Are these moms and dads racing home from these games, flipping on Fox 17 to hopefully catch a glimpse of their son or daughter? Hopefully that's what's happening.

No TV station in Grand Rapids has ever started covering these little league tournaments this early in the summer. We've always started covering them in mid August when the games really start to matter.

Well, I've found out that the games matter right now. Pool play matters so teams can advance to August. Teams need to be successful in these round-robin pool formats or their seasons will end.

If you've seen our coverage, please drop me a line and tell me what you think.

I've learned in my 18 years in this business that whenever you put people's kids on TV, the viewership goes up. I'm hoping that's happening with my early coverage of the little league tournaments.

Again, this week we're covering the 9 & 10 boys baseball but next week I may venture into one of the girls softball tournaments. We'll have to wait and see.

Meantime, you can follow the entire tournament on our website: www.wxmi.com

Just click on the "Fox 17 Sports" icon on the left side of the main page. You should see two little league logos within the "Blogs" section.

Please check it out and keep watchin'

Brent

Last night was a big night in the life and career of Dontrelle Willis. It was his chance to prove he had sorted through his issues and was ready to re-enter the Tigers' starting rotation.

The Tigers need him now more than ever, especially when you consider Jeremy Bonderman is lost for the rest of the season. Armando Galarraga replaces Bonderman in the rotation, meaning Dontrelle had his chance to grab the last remaining spot.

But instead, disaster!

Dontrelle lasted 1.1 innings, allowing 8 earned runs on just 3 hits. He walked 5 and struck out only 2 hitters. Basically, his he had no control, and had no idea where home plate was located. For normal pitchers home plate is 60 feet 6 inches away. Dontrelle was was no where close to that last night.

What hurts even more is that the Tigers can't just give up on Dontrelle. They're committed to him, to the tune of 29 million bucks over the nest three seasons. They just should've never given him a long-term deal before they knew he'd got it right. The Tigers gambled and lost, which seems to be the running theme for Dave Dombrowski and Jim Leyland these days.

They need to fix him. Problem is, that's clearly easier said than done.

So, what do the Tigers do with him. Keeping him in the rotation isn't an option. Do they send him back to the bullpen? That's probably the best bet right now. Bring him in to face lefties along with Bobby Seay.

Dontrelle Willis is going to have to start over from scratch and re-invent himself as a pitcher. Hopefully Tigers' pitching coach Chuck Hernandez has what it takes to make that happen. If not, it's a 29 million dollar investment wasted.

Tigers traded away all their good minor league pitchers last fall and winter. Boy would Jair Jurjjens be a life saver right now, and I haven't heard of any starters in Toledo who are ready to jump up to the bigs and hold down a spot in the rotation. Do the Tigers try to convert a Denny Bautista or an Aquilino Lopez into being starters? I'm not sure that's the best course of action either. Then there's Zach Miner, who enjoyed some spot starts a few years ago. Miner has had very few good outings this season so what's to say making him a starter will make him better?

I think the Tigers will be making a trade soon. They need to find a proven starting pitcher who can win games for them right now. Who do they give up? Probably more young guys like Clete Thomas, Matt Joyce, Brent Clevlen, etc... Nobody's gonna want Edgar Renteria or Gary Sheffield or any of the older guys. In fact, I would argue that most of the Tigers' everyday players don't have much trade value these days because of the season they've had thus far.

Dontrelle Willis' poor outing last night means the panic button is now being pressed by the Tigers' brass. They now know they can't run that guy out there every 5 days. They need to start trolling for a trade to find somebody who can win games now.

Don't be surprised if Dontrelle Willis goes on the DL again soon with a "tired arm" or "tendinitis" or some other phantom injury or ailment that baseball managers use to make roster moves.

When do the Red Wings and Pistons start playing again?

Game 6 was de ja vu all over again - just like how the triple OT game 5 ended. The Pens pulled Marc-Andre Fleury to allow the extra attacker. Less than a minute in regulation. The score was 3-2 Red Wings.

See where the de ja vu comes in?

I was heading out to the set to do my sportscast as the game ended, though I stopped quick to check out one of the monitors. The final :10 was rediculous. Pens get a shot in on Osgood. He couldn't glove it cleanly. Ozzie then sprawled in gthe crease while the Pens Marian Hossa cut in front and managed to poke the puck over Ozzie. The Puck slithered across the crease, three inches from going in. The horn sounded and the game ended.

The Red Wings were Stanley Cup champs for the 4th time in 11 years.

I had to go out to do my sportscast after watching that unbelievable ending. I discovered later that time had expired on the clock as the puck was sliding through the crease, meaning had the puck gone in it wouldn't have counted.

But still.

What a way to out to do a sportscast. Fox 17's Executive Producer, Chris Pantaleo had to run out to the studio to tell me that Henrik Zetterberg had won the Conn Smyth Trophy. By the time I was done with News at Ten, most of the celebration had ended. Fortunately I DVRd the game at home and was able to watch all the celebration.

How 'bout all the story lines that come with this championship. Chris Osgood taking over for Dominik Hasek in the first round and led this team to the title. How 'bout all the former Grand Rapids Griffins on this Wings' team. Guys like Darren Helm and Valtteri Filppula, who started the 2007-08 hockey season in Grand Rapids and finished it hoisting hockey's holy grail.

Personally, the best story is Darren McCarty. Folks, five months ago this guy wasn't even playing hockey. Because of his friendship with Kris Draper, McCarty was signed by the Flint Generals of the IHL back in January of this year. McCarty spent a month with Flint, bussing around the midwest to cities like Port Huron, Muskegon and Fort Wayne. February arrived and the Red Wings signed him and sent him to the Griffins, where McCarty was great. The Wings then called him up in late March and the rest is history.

McCarty experienced everything the game of hockey has to offer in five short months.
From bussing with wannabe 19 year olds in January to hoisting the Stanley Cup in June.
Not too shabby.

I wish that had wrapped it up Monday in game 5 because I was there and wanted to see it. I have seen a lot in my 18 years in the sports broadcasting business but I've never been present to see a Detroit team win any kind of championship.

The only consolation I can take is that it didn't go to a game 7. I would've had to go to the Joe to cover that and, knowing my track record, the Red Wings would've lost.

Wings proved how good they were by winning the Cup in game 6. Until the Wings won game 4 last Saturday the Pens hadn't lost a game at the Igloo since February 24th. It took this Wings team to end that streak and win the final two games of the season there to clinch the cup.

A great night, indeed.
I will show a bunch of highlights and postgame reaction tonight on Fox 17 News at Ten.

Make sure you check it out.

Brent

I was all set to see the Red Wings hoist Lord Stanley's Cup at the Joe Monday night. And it looked like it was going to happen. Brian Rafalski scored a goal midway through the 3rd period to give the Wings a 3-2 lead. The Joe was a buzz.

Little over a minute to go in regulation. Penguins yanked goalie Marc-Andre Fleury in favor of the extra attacker. With 34.3 seconds to go, Maxime Talbot managed to sweep a rebound past Chris Osgood to tie the game at 3.

34.3 seconds away from winning the Cup. 34.3 seconds! In a matter of seconds, the Joe went from being electric to feeling like a morgue. Who would have thought there would be nearly three more periods of hockey.

The Red Wings locker room was empty. Derek Aupperlee & James Baetens (the two Fox 17 photojournalists who went with me) joined me in the locker room afterwards to get some postgame interviews. All three Detroit TV stations were doing postgame shows, but very few Red Wings players came out to meet the media. Rafalski, Nick Lidstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall were the only players who made themselves available.

Most of the media was huddled around Chris Osgood's locker waiting for him to come out of the showers and talk about what it was like to be 34.3 seconds away and allow the goal at the end of regulation, then discuss Petr Sykora's power play game winner midway through the 3rd OT. But, Osgood never came out. We stayed in the Wings' locker room until 1:40am before we gave up.

Nobody wanted to talk about it and, quite frankly, who could blame them. They were 34 seconds from nervana. They were 34 seconds away from an amazing comeback win and dominating this series. Instead, the Penguins have life and are headed back for game six at Mellon Arena, where they've only lost one game since February 24th.

Even though the Wings lost, and we were only able to interview four players afterwards, it still was amazing to be present for some hockey history. That hockey game allowed you to experience just about every emotion there is.

Getting home at 4:30am wasn't too much fun. Oh well, I guess it was a good thing that I don't have the traditional 9-5 job.

Detroit has to seal the deal tonight because anything can happen in a game 7.

For the third straight year the Pistons bow out in the Eastern Conference Finals. Detroit blew a 10 point 4th quarter lead and lost Game Six, 89-81. Pistons have reached the Conference Finals six straight seasons and have two Finals appearances and one championship to show for it.

It's time for heads to roll starting with Flip Saunders. Once again he got out coached in the 4th quarter of a big game. He had no answer for Paul Pierce down the stretch in Game Six. Saunders failed to get the Pistons back to the Finals each of the past three seasons. Is assistant coach, Michael Curry ready to take over as head coach? Hey, Isiah Thomas is available! Maybe Joe can woo Gregg Poppavich out of San Antonio?

Botttom line, this team is aging, and it needs new leadership. Rip, Chauncey, Sheed, McDyess are all in their early 30s now. Realistically, they can't continue to maintain this run they've enjoyed especially when you consider other teams in the East have improved. You know the Cavaliers will add another player or two this off season to help get LeBron a title. The Orlando Magic aren't too far away from being a contender and, heck, the Sixers gave us fits in the first round. Philly is only a player or two from getting better.

Joe Dumars has shyed away from signing big-name free agents in recent years because he believed in winning with a bunch of players with no egos. Well Joe, maybe it's time for you to put your ego in your back pocket and take a page out of the Boston Celtics' book. The Celtics won 24 games in 2007. That's right, 24 games! One year later, GM Danny Ainge decided to make some bigtime trades and sign some free agents. They turned 24 wins into 66 wins and an Eastern Conference Championship.

I remember a year or so ago Dumars had a chance to trade for Kevin Garnett. If I recall, a deal was on the table and Dumars withdrew. Now I wonder if he wishes he had reuinted Garnett with Saunders in Detroit. That move might have brought the Pistons back over the hump. Instead, it's the Celtics who go from the NBA's outhouse to the penthouse in 12 short months. And it's the Pistons who hit the glass ceiling again.

I have the utmost respect for Joe Dumars. I grew up in the 80s and watched him help the Pistons win back-to-back titles in 1989-90. But you need star players to win in the NBA these days. Adding Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett turned the Celtics from a laughing stock into a champion. This is two straight years a Flip Saunders Pistons team has been eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by a new kid on the block. Last year the Cavs upset us. The Pistons are quickly getting a reputation for being an easy team to beat in a seven-game series.

It's time for Joe-D to start rebuilding this team. In my opinion, the only untouchable players are Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey and Jason Maxiell. Everybody else is expendable, including Richard Hamilton. I wouldn't be surprised if Rip gets dealt this off-season, perhaps to get a higher draft pick. Stuckey has proven he's a deadly shooter who can be trusted at any point during games. I also think Rasheed Wallace needs to go. His act has grown tiresome.

The two teams in the NBA Finals each have star players. The Lakers have Kobe and the Celtics have Garnett. Both teams are built around their star players. The Pistons have no star players. In fact, nobody on this Pistons team will ever make it to the Hall of Fame. Sure they've won but the rest of the East is catching up, and the Pistons are close to becoming a punch-line.

We can't live in 2004 & 2005 forever, and Larry Brown is now in Charlotte. The Pistons, in their current form, are not good enough anymore. I certainly hope Joe Dumars realizes that after missing out on their goal.... again!!