2007 Best Sports City

The Sporting News has completed its annual Best Sports City evaluation and Detroit has come out on top for the 2nd time in the last decade.

Ironically, ESPN's Colin Cowerd was discussing yesterday on his show that LA is a better overall sports town than New York. What he forgot to do before starting his debate is to actually look-up some data - LA is nowhere near the #1 spot, or #2 for that matter. Of course, these rankings are subjective in nature when choosing the objective measures to rank the cities, but at least the Sporting News has a method behind their madness rather than just putting forth a blind opinion, which is what Cowerd does often.

Over the last 4 years, Detroit & Boston are tied for the top spot and there appears to be no let off in sight for either city.

Link to rankings:
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=248801

DP

(click to enlarge)

Scheduling a Check-Up

Admittedly, I sometimes drop in at ND Nation to take in the talking points. Most of the time I chuckle at the arrogance of posters that undoubtedly assist in making Notre Dame the most hated school in college football, although Domers will proclaim it is the most loved. I guess it is if you count followers who couldn't decipher illegal motion from offsides. Back to point. Lately, besides the constant bashing of Kevin White and how he had his lunch handed to him by Michigan AD, Bill Martin, who went into contract negotiations with Addias against the 'supposed' most prestigious football program in the Nation, but came out with a deal that will force Notre Dame to, once again, stand behind the Leaders and Best, I noticed the topic of scheduling.

Most of the scheduling bickering from Domers relates to the new strategy Kevin White will implement for Notre Dame moving forward. However, lost in the usual whining sessions is the constant delusion that ND is somehow without equal when it comes to strength of schedule. The slanted reality of that board is as if there is everyone else just galloping through its annual cakewalk of opponents and then there is the mighty Notre Dame.

So I decided to look up some actual data, which is commonly over looked at ND Nation.

Now, my goal was obviously not to show that ND has a weak schedule, rather, it was to compare top teams across the Nation and their superb results against ND's mediocre results since the BCS was institued. I figured the data would ultimately knock me in the head with the fact that ND has suffered in mediocrity solely because its schedule is so difficult and that other programs have lathered in success simply because their schedule is weak.

Well, the results were mixed.

First, I included in my sample the Top 12 teams post BCS in win %. None of these teams were Notre Dame (#28). I also excluded the likes of Boise State, Louisville, and TCU, due to their conference affiliations. The data I used for my annual strength of schedule rankings is Sagarin, mainly because of his widely acceptable data methods.

The results show Notre Dame ranks very high against the most successful schools of the past nine years; however, this was expected, but I wasn't even close to being blown away by the results.

Top strength of schedule post BCS you ask? Florida State, with an average annual rank of 15. Notre Dame, meanwhile, came in 2nd place, just 1 spot ahead of USC and 4 ahead of Michigan. So here's how the breakdown looks:

Florida St - 15
Notre Dame - 16
USC - 17
Michigan - 20
Ohio State - 24
Florida - 26
Tennessee - 29
Oklahoma - 31
Geordia - 34
Texas - 36
Miami - 37
Wisconsin - 41
Va Tech - 50

Now, it's clear from this data the ND loyalists can rag on certain teams. I make my cut off as a Top 25 schedule. But, to suggest ND's scheduling is in a class in itself, is comical at best. Also keep in mind that this data only highlights the Top 12 most successful programs since 1998, it doesn't account for numerous other schools, many of which that would mirror ND's scheduling difficulty. But that is for a later study as my intuition, and point, was satisfied with this data sample.

What is also humorous is Domers constant bashing of Ohio State's weak scheduling, yet to my utter surprise, OSU has produced a Top 25 schedule over the past decade.

I understand that ND's 16 rank is higher than all the schools on this list, save Florida State, but you don't go around thumping your chest when 4 or 5 of the most successful programs are within shouting distance of ND's ranking. A quiet pat on the back would suffice.

Being proud of strict standards of scheduling is one thing, but filling up thread after thread with the delirious notion that everyone should strive for ND's scheduling standards should make even Rockne chuckle.

We can take this data even one step further and switch our source to the college football data warehouse to find the most recent quarter century SOS rankings (1975-1999) that has ND ranked #4 behind USC, Michigan, and Ohio State.

To carry this down, yet another path, is the repeated slandering from ND fans of the Big Ten's willingness to play MAC schools and how sacred ND could never stoop so low. Well, since 1990, the Service Academies, which annually find a place on Notre Dame's schedule, have posted a whopping 16-12 record again MAC schools. What this convinced me of was not that MAC schools are a challenge for Big Ten teams, rather ND plays MAC schools each year and disguises them with the Service Academy pedigree.

To end, we simply learn that many top programs in the Nation can easily stack its schedule next to ND's. Furthermore, with ND taking the approach of lining up San Diego State, Duke, and Baylor on future schedules, I will go out on a limb and suggest the scheduling gap will close even more in the upcoming years.

So, be proud ND fans and alum for a respectable scheduling strategy, but try not to be so smug about it because you don't stand alone on the top of this mountain.

DP

Dan Patrick leaving ESPN......how sad

So I turn on my radio today and flip through my USA Today to hear and see, almost everywhere, that Dan Patrick is leaving ESPN. I'm under the sneaky impression that this qualifies for National news? Are you serious? A former Sports Center and radio talk show host decides to leave the company he works for and its all over the National headlines? I'm not sure I've seen anything so foolish in my life.

Let's get one thing straight, Dan Patrick, in my eyes, is one of the most overrated sports personalities in my lifetime. You make a big deal out of the retirement of great, historically sport announcers, like Ernie Harwell and Jack Buck, to name a couple. But for a man that provides daily sports news and hosts a radio talk show, a quiet pat on the back and company farewell party will do. And save me the Sports Center is part of America nostalgia. At best, Patrick delivered us daily sports news with a slang based presentation. Sure, it was creative, far from professional, and after a few years, quite annoying.

His radio show was decent in the first couple of years when the likes of Sean Salisbury and Rob Dibble were co-hosts. But like many media heads, the room began to get to small for Dan until it was just him hosting the show. There is nothing worse in sports radio than a host talking with himself. Most of the time it just does not lend to great discussion nor debate.

So, my wish is that ESPN sends Dan off with a great farewell; however, I certainly hope I don't have to hear about his exit for the next month leading up to it. Dan Patrick is undoubtedly not worth the attention of the media. He may have made it cool to wake-up in college dorms across the country in the 90's and catch-up on the daily sports scene, but beyond that his legacy, in this man's eyes, is nothing more than the musical chair strategy used in sports media to drum up some ratings.

DP

Superstitious

It's been a long, but enjoyable, past 9 months from many perspectives of life. Financially, my wife and I were finally able to rid of a left over property that caused us nothing but headaches since we were relocated nearly 4 years ago. Talk about a relief to finally see an extra $1,700 per month flow back into one's life. Family wise, it's been a real treat to watch my 17 month old son grow up. And boy does the growing go fast, real fast. And then comes the part around the house where my wife and I decided to put a boulder of pressure on our shoulders in trying to convert a den into a play room, finish our basement, and decorate a nursery for our soon to be daughter in a mere 7 month time period. All this while trying not to miss out on our son's milestones, as he seems to reach one on a daily basis (I especially like the ones where he responds ecstatically to Let's Go Blue/Tigers/Red Wings/Pistons).

Mixed into all this jumble has been one heck of a stretch for my teams, but with heartbreaking endings. The Tigers went to the World Series, Michigan football was one game from the National Championship Game, and the Red Wings & Pistons were both two games from Stanley Cup Finals and NBA Finals. So much success and so close, yet all missed out on the big prize. Anyone who is close to me knows how big of a sports fan I am and how seriously I take this stuff. Needless to say, I've spent a number of nights in the last 9 months wondering what might have been. I had one ticket to Game 6 of World Series and I dreamt for two weeks of the Tigers winning it on that night and what I would do drenched in the middle of such jubilation. Game 6 was never even played.

What exactly is the point in all this? Well, just when you think you've packed up your sports following for a few months to give yourself a much needed mental and stress break, you accidentally step into something that pulls you right back in. Last night, with my basement now finished and in the middle stages of being re-organized, I decided to tune into the Tigers game on my XM Radio for the 1st time this year. What a surprise I was in for.

It's been nearly 23 years since I sat with my late Grandpa in St. Clair Shores, MI, at the ripe age of 8 and watched Jack Morris pitch a complete gem against the Chicago White Sox to register the last Detroit Tiger no hitter. I still remember the joy on my Grandpa's face as he shouted out loud when it was over and then watching Morris and Parrish hug in jubilation on the field. And then last night, 23 years later, alone in my basement with my son sleeping soundly upstairs, the unlikely happens again as Justin Verlander does it. There is just something about magical about a no hitter. Even more magical is that in 1984 and in 2007 I was able to watch or listen to both.

I must be lucky? Maybe it will help make-up for the tough endings my teams have recently faced? However, I think it has made me superstitious. The last Tigers no hitter was in 1984. We all know how that year ended. I had a mysterious feeling last night, call it a prognosis, if you will, that this Tiger season will end just like the infamous moment in 1984, when Larry Herndon pulled in the fly ball down the left field line to give the Tigers their last World Series.

I'm saying it now, the stars are aligning for the Tigers this year, if only in my head. We are on our way to a joyous celebration come October, when us Detroit fans can rejoice an ending that doesn't come up short. Maybe I'm just convincing myself to get lured back into the sports scene that has exhausted me, lately. Either way, the memory and emotion of last night has garnered my full attention to witness a Tiger season, which just might end as magical as that October night way back in 1984.

Go Tigers!

DP

Day of Reckoning

So here we stand, two of the most crucial games of the year for Detroit sports, not too mention a fairly important 'statement' series double header in Beantown. Yes, all converging on this otherwise normal Thursday in mid-May is an elimination game for the Pistons, a death grip on the series game for the Wings, and two, who's king of the AL, games for the Tigers.

Just another day.

For the Pistons the game plan is simple. Show up with some energy and avoid falling into that manhole they've so desperately have been trying to climb out of in the 2nd half of Game's 3-5. Get Sheed involved early down low. Play the two man game with C-Webb and RIP early and often to: establish motion in the offense, get both players on track, and most importantly, make the Bulls work on defense. It's time to move the ball, again, and force the Bulls to exert some energy. On defense, keep them guessing with a steady combination and trapping, zone, and man to man. These Bulls will gladly turn the ball over if you force them to make quick decisions.

Tonight, for the Pistons, the series and a trip to the ECF is there for the taking. The United Center, nor its fair weather crowd, will not bother them as the road appears to be their home away from home. Lest I remind you of:

Game 6 vs. New Jersey in 2004
Game 5 vs. Indiana in 2004
Game 7 vs. Miami in 2005
Game 6 vs. San Antonio in 2005
Game 6 vs. Cleveland in 2006

With the exception of the Indiana game, the rest were all close out games for the opposition and all were played on the road. Hopefully, that makes some of you hold down food a little easier today.

The Red Wings have a golden opportunity tonight with the Ducks best player, Chris Pronger, out of the line-up serving a one game suspension for his cowardly hit on Tomas Holmstrom. With this HUGE void in the Ducks defense, Babock needs to employ the strategy that was so successful in Game 3, separate Zetteburg and Datsyuk while keeping those lines changing. Put the Ducks on their heels and inhibit their ability to match lines with the Wings. With Pronger out of the line-up and Babock's line moving success in Game 3, it could prove to be a deadly combination for the Wings to put a stranglehold on this series heading back to Motown.

Oh, and let's not forget that we still have that 42 year old wall in the net who is undoubtedly in the Ducks head right about now.

And for the Tigers, not much can be made of baseball games in May. But wouldn't it be something to at least split the double header and the series today with the Red Sox and complete a brutal 7 game road trip with a 4-3 record while remaining on top of the AL Central? And all this without Rogers, as well as Zumuya and Bonderman for the past couple of weeks!

When all is said and done, this is undoubtedly and statement day for Detroit sports. Maybe the biggest the city has ever experienced on a single day......well, at least until next week.

Deeetroit Everything

In the spirit of Detroit Piston PA announcer, Mason, who coined the phrase,
Dee-troit Bask-et-ball - let's switch that phrase for a day to Dee-troit Every-thing.

On this joyous 2007 Mother's Day, is there any other city in the country who is dominating the sports scene like Detroit? In the last 23 games played by the Tigers (12), Pistons (7), and Wings (4), only the Tigers have lost a game, once.

Today, Detroit will dominate the national airwaves as the Pistons, Red Wings, and Tigers will all be on National Television. In a region that is most certainly suffering from an employment standpoint, it is good to see the blow somewhat diverged with the success of the local teams.

Like soap, if you are a fan of Detroit its best to take this moment and work up a good, thick lather, and enjoy this synergy of dominance.

For the last couple of years there has been anticipation of the Pistons and Red Wings both taking the Titles in the same season. Finally, when least expected, there is a solid chance that this will come to fruition with both teams potentially battling for it all in June.

Of course, there is always a possibility that the road ends up short for both the Wings and Pistons, but us Detroiters relish the opportunity, as opposed to watching from the sidelines like Miami and Dallas fans.

Would it be something to host a World Series, NBA Finals, and Stanley Cup all within an eight month period? At this point, we are on course to be the only city to swim in such success.

So, give mom a hug and take her to brunch, then enjoy the day of our teams being jammed down America's throat.

DP

Facilitate This

At first glance, maybe I'm too old school. But that can't be it since I'm only 31. How old school can I possibly be at this age?

I was raised just a few miles north of Detroit in the proud city of Warren. Growing up, basketball was my livelihood. It was so simple back then, grab a ball, find a court, and play until the sun went down. Crap, at times, some of the best ball was being played on courts with no nets or slightly bent hoops. No matter, we played until the day gave way to the night.

In the summer, our hard headed high school basketball coach would take us to the city to play in summer leagues against PSL's schools in an old dingy gym in Hamtramack.

The good old days, when all you needed to play some competitive hoops was a ball, a jersey, and a rim.

Obviously those days are gone as college institutions now need multi million dollar venues in order to produce a good basketball program. After all, good arena lighting and new seats will undoubtedly get recruits to play with some heart and fire. In fact, it may even get a couple of players to dive on the ground for a loose ball. A new practice facility will surely help clear the mind of the head coach so he can install an offense that actually attacks the basket. It should also help with his ability to get off his butt during games and show some fire.

This is the sad state of college athletics. Gone are the days when you used to put on your jersey and play with passion no matter where the hoop stood, inside or out. Now we need shiny floors, bright lights, and state of the art PA systems in order to produce a winning team.

But something tells me deep down I'm misguided by this new train of thought. In my belly I feel the competitive drive and success of a team has little to do with facilities and more to do with the coach and his ability to produce a well prepared team that develops its players. Realistically, most of these kids come from nothing and are just ecstatic to where a college uniform.

At first, it might be difficult to sway in the big guns who opt for high profile schools with fancy, shiny hardwood. However, bringing in a coach who can take mid-level talent and make it gel will slowly get some lookers. Eventually, it is the leader who will turn this thing around. The talent will come because they want to play for this coach, not because the arena is nice looking. They will run through a wall for this leader and its effect will be shown by the play on the court.

In the end, its the General that attracts his men and leads them to victory, not the surrounding battlefield conditions.

We now have the opportunity to find that General and finally get it right, at last.

After all, the place where they play is just window dressing, its what's going on inside that produces success.