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A collection of 11 Detroit sports-related nuggets on this 11th day of the 11th month of the year...
11) At what point does the Big Ten officially change its name? When the conference added Penn State around 1990, making 11 teams, it was still understandable to keep the Big Ten name. Then Nebraska was added a few years ago and the title started to sound funny. Well, after this most recent inclusion of Maryland and Rutgers, it’s just downright silly. There are 14 schools in the “Big 10.” I’m not entirely sure what the replacement conference name should be, but I know the current one is no longer applicable.
10) Former Spartan hooper Gary Harris is off to an uneventful start in his NBA career. Surprisingly, through six games for the awful Denver Nuggets (1-5), Harris is not only yet to play, but yet to be included on the night’s active roster. Most NBA teams carry 14-15 guys, but suit up just 12. Generally speaking, a team’s first-round selection would be in uniform right out of the gate, but Harris has proved to be the exception to the rule. With the Nuggets on a five-game skid, many coming by double digits, it’s time to let Harris shed his warmups and get his feet wet. Or just let him come back to East Lansing in time for the upcoming season. I know Tom Izzo wouldn’t mind.
9) It’s taken several years, but the much buzzed-about Detroit Lions defensive line has finally come into its own. For a long time now, this group has been labeled one of the team’s strengths without necessarily earning the praise on the field. Now that has changed. Ziggy Ansah is becoming a true force in the Jevon Kearse mold. Ndamukong Suh is terrorizing opponents and managing to do so without many fines, suspensions, or yellow flags along the way. Even lesser known figures like Darryl Tapp seem to find a way to get at the quarterback once or twice a game. If Nick Fairley can return from a knee injury before season’s end, the unit becomes that much more menacing.
8) Let the “Baron Davis” watch commence with Josh Smith. A number of years ago, Davis earned some unwanted national attention when he played 60+ games in a row without ever shooting better than 50% from the field. Well, J-Smoove is on his way. Through seven Piston contests, Smith is yet to register more makes than misses on any night. He came close against the Knicks last week, but came in just a hair under 50%, attempting 17 shots and connecting on two. In true Josh form, he’s also launched 11 from downtown on the year, making just one. Hey, thanks for inking this guy to a four-year deal, Mr. Dumars...much appreciated!!
7) After seeing the wake of destruction left by Ohio State in East Lansing, it’s scary to think of what Michigan’s fate might be for their season-ending trip to Columbus. The Buckeyes crushed the Spartans, and the Spartans crushed the Wolverines. Such a pattern would lead you to believe that Urban Meyer and Co. will lower the boom in a major way come November 29.
6) A pretty good way to sum up the mostly hard-to-watch senior season from Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner. In the nine games he has acted as the team’s primary quarterback, he’s amassed more than 200 yards just once. Keep in mind, 200 yards in today’s pass-happy football world is nothing. Schools like Baylor and Oregon rack up five to six hundred yards every Saturday. For Gardner’s output to eclipse 200 just once in 2014 is frankly, shocking. His in-state counterpart Connor Cook routinely goes over two bills, and thrice this year has tossed for over 300 yards. It’s not just an indictment on Gardner, though. Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier shares much of the blame, as does the headset-less horseman, Brady Hoke.
5) The Red Wings are off to a respectable start in 2014, but they cannot seem to conquer the pesky game-ending shootout. Through 15 games, the Wings have lost only three times in regulation, but have amassed five overtime defeats, including an 0-3 mark in shootouts. Mike Babcock has sent eight shooters out to center ice to take on the goalie, mano a mano, and only once has the end result been a puck in the back of the net (Gustav Nyquist @ Buffalo). Remember, the main reason the Wings had to fight and claw to even make last year’s postseason was because of a poor 5-9 record in shootouts. The problem is yet to be fixed.
4) Mark Dantonio’s Spartans will be near two touchdown favorites this weekend against Maryland, but they must be careful not to take the Terps lightly. In their maiden Big 14 season, Maryland has won three of five conference games, including a last-minute comeback victory last weekend on the road at Penn State. They boast a senior dual-threat quarterback in C.J. Brown, and very recent history would suggest the Spartans do not enjoy defending against such players. With the game slated for an 8:00 pm start in what is sure to be an intense atmosphere in College Park, the Spartans must be ready for a fight. They are clearly the superior team, and Maryland has gotten steamrolled in games against Wisconsin and OSU. But it will be a challenge, and Dantonio must be sure there is no emotional letdown after the team’s playoff hopes were sent up in smoke on Saturday.
3) The Lions are set to take on the Cardinals in what will be their biggest regular season game in years, and to come away with a win, they’ll have to take down one of their state’s own. Under center for Arizona will be former Harrison Hawk, Drew Stanton, one of Michigan’s best high school quarterbacks of all-time. I had the good fortune of broadcasting many of Stanton’s games at that time, and he had all the makings of a future NFL quarterback even then. He’d pick apart other teams from the pocket, he’d break contain for big plays on the ground, and he was a pretty good safety in the defensive backfield, to boot. Stanton played his junior-senior campaigns at Harrison, won a state title both years, and never lost a game. Hard to get much better.
2) The season is just a couple weeks old, but it’s almost panic time for Stan Van Gundy and friends. The Pistons are 2-5, with a trio of tricky road games upcoming. Dates in D.C. and Memphis are almost guaranteed losses, with the most winnable of the three coming Friday night in Oklahoma City against the depleted Thunder. While understanding that it’s a marathon season and 70+ games remain, we’ve seen what a miserable start can do to a team’s psyche. You lose 10 of your first 15, or something in that neighborhood, heads start dropping and confidence dwindles. The one-point home loss to the Jazz over the weekend, in which the Pistons held a nine-point lead with under ten minutes to play, was a soul-crusher.
1) It’s been 8,711 days since the Detroit Lions last won a playoff game. Without putting the cart before the horse too much, that number is in serious jeopardy of getting slashed to a big, fat, zero in the next two months. And wouldn’t it be appropriate if the team the Lions eliminated to end this almost nine thousand day streak of futility were the Dallas Cowboys, the same squad Erik Kramer shredded for 341 yards on that glorious January 1992 afternoon. Glancing at the NFC standings, that matchup could very well be a reality two months from now. We’re not asking for a Super Bowl appearance quite yet -- just a playoff win. It’s been a very, very long time.
