The latest news from the Motor City.
On Tuesday, Detroit Pistons center Ben Wallace will step on the court court for the 1,055th time in his illustrious career. And when he does, the longtime defensive stopper will officially etch his name in the NBA record book as the single most experienced undrafted player in league history.
Wallace tied Avery Johnson's mark of 1,054 games in Detroit's lopsided loss to Washington yesterday, and now has a chance to put a little bit of distance between himself the former point guard, who currently roams the sideline as coach of the New Jersey Nets, over the remainder of the season.
It's a testament to Wallace's work ethic and determination that he's been able to stay healthy and playing at such a high level for so long, and further demonstrates how a player of this caliber can sometimes slip through the cracks on draft night. With so many Pistons fans already looking to the 2012 NBA Draft to take their minds off the current squad, Wallace's achievement is a clear-cut reminder that supremely-talented players are still available outside of the top 60 if you look hard enough.
Detroit fans know him as a promising youngster with an abnormally-large neck, but Detroit outfielder Andy Dirks is currently viewed through a vastly different lens by baseball fans in the Dominican Republic. After collecting a pair of game-winning hits during his Leones del Escogido team's eventual path to the Caribbean Series Championship earlier this week, Dirks' transition to "Ondy-der", a clutch-hitting, fun-loving speedster, became complete.
Mobbed by fans for autographs and pictures like you'd expect to see with a famous pop star, Dirks has quite literally become a cult hero in a country where baseball players are often seen as larger than life individuals. Despite the language barrier, his humble nature and obvious team attitude has endeared him to locals.
"Andy Dirks could run for president right now," said Gary Ruby, pitching coach for Leones del Escogido.
By the time Dirks is back in a Tigers' uniform, he will not only be fresh from having a bevy of winter baseball under his belt, but he'll have more confidence and more fan support than he ever could have imagined.
New York Giants linebacker Greg Jones, who played college football at Michigan State, had quite the Super Bowl Sunday. His Giants beat the New England Patriots 21-17 to win Super Bowl 46, and after the game Jones proposed to his girlfriend, former Michigan State basketball player Mandy Piechowski. She said yes in a very emotional and surprising moment.
"We had talked about wanting to get married next year possibly but in terms of this happening last night, no not at all. I didn't know he had a ring."
Jones got down on one knee on the field and said, "Amanda Piechowski, will you spend the rest of your life with me?"
Jones had teammate Christian Hopkins, a member of the Giants practice squad, hang on to the ring during the game. After it was over, Jones got the ring and got down on one knee to propose on a confetti-filled field. It sounds like it was a perfect moment, especially because Jones will be getting a ring of his own for winning the Super Bowl.
In 2011, the general consensus was that Chrysler had the best Super Bowl commercial. It didn't feature animals, jokes or explosions, but that was the point. The commercial, which featured Eminem, highlighted the resilience of Detroit. It took on a very serious tone and introduced the phrase "Imported From Detroit" into popular culture.
This year, Chrysler followed up that commercial with another one that had a powerful message. This year's Chrysler Super Bowl commercial featured Clint Eastwood and discussed how "it's halftime in America" and it's time to fight back. In the ad, Eastwood talked about how Detroit knows "a little something about this" and how Detroit is "showing us it can be done."
For the second year in a row, Detroit received a pretty heavy spot amongst the Super Bowl commercials courtesy of Chrysler. After Michigan-born Madonna put on a pretty remarkable show (for a 53-year-old), Clint Eastwood emerged from the shadows talking about how "halftime in America" parallels with halftime in Detroit and that the second half for both are about to begin.
Check it out:
If you're from Detroit and that didn't cause horripilation, like last year's, I don't know what will ... Okay, maybe the Detroit Lions actually being in the Super Bowl.
Now, get off my lawn.
The Red Wings are having a 24-hour hockey marathon at the Joe starting just after midnight on February 18. Half way through the day, the Red Wings will be hosting an outdoor practice at Clark Park in Detroit.
The Detroit Free Press has the details:
Special observation areas will be installed for 2,000 fans at Clark Park in downtown Detroit. The practice will begin at noon.
Fans will be required to make one of three charitable donations upon entering the facility:
1.) Canned goods to benefit Gleaners Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan OR
2) At least $2 cash per person in support of the Clark Park Coalition OR
3) Pre-owned hockey equipment to be used by Clark Park & the Detroit Hockey Association
Check out more details here. If you're in the area, you should definitely check it out, even if it is just glancing the blow that will be the official announcement of the 2013 Winter Classic being in Ann Arbor and not Detroit.
The Detroit Lions had a pretty solid season this past year, advancing to the NFL Playoffs while putting on quite a few solid offensive performances through their 17 games played. Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford will probably continue hooking up over the course of the next few years, too ... but it'll come with a caveat to the Lions season ticket holders.
Considering the team is improving and getting more exciting, the business office has decided to raise ticket prices. It's the first time in five seasons, however, and the average price remains below the majority of NFL teams so it isn't all bad.
Last week when the Miami Heat came to town to take on the Detroit Pistons, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson and Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford were in attendance. During one of the commercial breaks, Robinson and Stafford actually got involved with the fans by throwing a football around the Palace. The Pistons have posted a video of the passes, and you can check it out below.
This week in Indianapolis, Stafford wasn't throwing passes, but he did try his hand at kicking. Surprisingly, it went quite well. Look out, Jason Hanson!
Ndamukong Suh was named to the Pro Bowl this season, but the Detroit Lions defensive tackle still has his fair share of detractors. The newest detractor is none other than Warren Sapp, the outspoken lineman who is expected to eventually be a Hall of Famer.
Sapp went on record Wednesday to talk about Suh, saying the Lions' injuries during and following his rookie year have ultimately hampered his development and allowed quite a few holes to be found in his game.
When Indiana native Mitch McGary officially chose Ann Arbor as his destination for the 2012-13 season, the 6'10" forward was widely viewed as a top five player in the class. Scout.com, the preeminant high school recruiting entity on the web, listed McGary as its No. 2 player. For the first time in years, it appeared the Wolverines had actually signed one of the best players in a recruiting class.
But after Scout.com's latest round of reshuffling today, it doesn't appear the future Michigan big man is viewed in quite the same light. Without question, the biggest loser in the rankings was McGary, as he fell from No. 2 all the way down to No. 20. Even though he still retains that coveted five-star label, it's clear that the kid is starting to fall out of favor with scouts as they continue to nitpick at his game, and that's probably not something Michigan fans want to hear.
Here's what recruiting analyst Brian Snow had to say about the move:
Quite simply in multiple viewings the future Michigan Wolverine didn’t look like the same player as he was in the summer. Still an elite rebounder and a guy who finds a way to produce, McGary is a five-star talent, but no longer is being looked at as someone who is a top five player due to his lack of ability to score on the blow block.
An 18-spot drop seems a tad severe for a guy who everyone was so enamored with, but the 20th best player in the country is nothing to scoff at either. Even so, this definitely takes some of the luster off John Beilein's incoming class.
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Scoreboard data copyright © 2012 by STATS LLC. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC is strictly prohibited.
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