LittleJudy.com

Spartans Win Brings A Little Sunshine To Motor City

Detroit is a sports town and the fans there don't just follow the pro teams, they follow the college teams, too -- even if they don't have a friend or relative at that school. It's so exciting that Detroiters get to watch their MSU Spartans play for the championship Monday night and it couldn't have come at a better time, not just for Detroit but for the entire state. The city gets an influx of money from the tourists and corporate sponsors and people around the state can take their mind off of the economy for a few days.

Here's what Steve Keating of Reuters had to say:

Detroit put aside its dread over a crippled auto industry on Saturday, savoring a day in the sun and the national spotlight as the NCAA basketball tournament delivered a moment of relief for the beleaguered Motor City.

Downtrodden Detroit revels in Spartans' success | Motoring | Reuters.

Ford: Lewand, Mayhew will stay with Lions????

And now, from the "What The Hell Is This Man Thinking?" department. Lions owner William Clay Ford said today that he doesn't plan to make any major management changes to the team that is now the first in the NFL to lose the first 15 games of the season.

Enough is enough. I've never abandoned my hometown teams, but this is pushing me to the edge.

Can he be forced to sell the team? Can it get taken away from him for gross negligence? Is there an equivalent to Child Protective Services for football teams? Help!

DETROIT -- Despite the possibility that his team could finish 0-16 this season, Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford made it clear that there will not be a complete house-cleaning in the offseason. Prior to Sunday's Lions-Saints game, Ford said that he will hire another person to join the team's football operations but that person might not fill the typical general manager role. Ford said the new hire might not have total control over all personnel matters and that those decisions could be done by committee.

More: Ford: Lewand, Mayhew will stay with Lions - Detroit Lions: News, Blogs, Photos, Audio, Schedule & Stats - MLive.com.

Anthrax Found At Ford Field

This was out a couple of weeks ago, but it's still relevant -- perhaps more relevant than ever. 0-16 here we come!!!!

Mitch Albom Says It Best

Mitch Albom's take on the Lion's going 0-13:

The bleak goes on. The stench is getting worse. The corpse of this season is rotting in ways unimagined even a month ago. The Lions’ last best chance at winning a single game may have come and gone Sunday afternoon, a day when they left more points unscored than a father who lets his 6-year-old beat him at basketball.

More: Lions make bad history, and they’re not done yet | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

Lions On Their Way To The NFL Record Books!!!!

...as the Worst. Football team. Ever.

According to the Detroit Free Press:

The Lions led through most of the game against the Minnesota Vikings. But, Tarvaris Jackson threw a go-ahead touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Vikings held on for a 20-16 victory over the winless Lions on Sunday.

At this point, Detroit is expected to finish the season as the first 0-16 team in league history, with games remaining at Indianapolis, against New Orleans and at Green Bay.

The Lions are the fourth team to start 0-13 or worse since 1976, when Tampa Bay infamously finished 0-14 as an expansion team.

However, the 2007 Dolphins (0-13), 1986 Colts (0-13) and 1980 Saints (0-14) avoided the dubious distinction of being the first team to finish winless since the league lengthened the regular season in 1978.

More: Lions lose lead late, 13th of season | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

I haven't had much to root for as a Lions fan over the years, other than Barry Sanders and Billy Sims. Now I can get excited about them going 0-16!

The Other Detroit Bailout

Looks like there's yet another reason that the Big 3 auto companies (well, one of them at least) need a bailout quickly. Ford might need the money to keep the Detroit Lions playing their traditional Thanksgiving Day game. The blogger below theorizes that Ford can throw advertising dollars around to keep the annual game in Motown, but the NFL will want to have a say in the team's management.

Sounds familiar, huh? If the Big 3 get their bailout, Washington is definitely going to want to straighten out how the car companies are managed, too.

From The Wayne Fontes Experience:

Will the NFL go to William Clay Ford with an offer he can't refuse? According to PFT, the No Fun League may not be above a little pursuasion blackmail in asking forcing the Lions to accept help from the suits in New York in straightening out the woebegone franchise. NFL.com's Adam Schefter is reporting the the league will, once again, look into moving the Thanksgiving Day game out of Detroit. In the words of an unnamed NFL official, the issue "will be reviewed at the March League meetings."

Read more: The Wayne Fontes Experience | a Detroit Lions blog.

Who Is Lin Hao?

I've been trying to find out more about Lin Hao, the 9-year-old boy who walked with Chinese team flag-bearer Yao Ming at the Olympic opening ceremonies today.

There's not much out there yet about his appearance today, other than an article in China Daily. He's a primary school student from the quake-affected zone of southwest China's Sichuan Province and is one of only 10 students out of 30 in his class who survived the May earthquake. Apparently, he managed to climb out of the rubble of his collapsed school building and then pulled out two of his classmates. Here's more on that from the BBC.

According to a commentator during today's ceremony, when the little hero was asked how he had the courage to go back and try to save others after rescuing himself he said that he was a hall monitor at his school and it was his responsibility to help people.

Maybe China's leaders will take a tip from him and do the right thing in Tibet and Darfur.

Going to the dogs...

I had a BLAST at the Westminster Dog Show this week!

Here is one of my videos that's currently up on YouTube:

Bo Schembechler

I really was bummed out yesterday to hear about Bo Schembechler's passing.  I feel like a part of my childhood is gone.

I remember watching Wolverine games on TV with my dad when I was a kid. Michiganders follow the college teams much more consistently than they do here in New York.

Probably because the Lions suck.

Anyway, Dad would sit on the couch reading the paper and watching the game and playing "Hail To The Victors" every time the maize and blue scored.

My dad could sure multi-task!

Coach Bo was always a larger-than-life character to me. It was always fun to watch his passion for the game, especially when he had a "discussion" with one of the refs. 

In fact, there was a point, when I was teaching aerobics, that I went out to Ann Arbor and talked to some folks in the Kinesiology division about enrolling in their athletic training education program.

Technical consulting won out, but it would have been cool to study there when Bo was head of the athletic department.

Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press wrote a great tribute to Bo Schembechler that was the best I've seen so far (there will be more, I'm sure).

Goodbye, Bo. 

I know your boys didn't win today, but I'm sure they still made you proud.

A Deserving Dumars Inducted Into Hall Of Fame

The word "role model" gets thrown around a lot, but in Joe Dumars' case the term truly applies. You don't have to be a basketball fan or even a sports fan to appreciate his character, integrity, and quiet dignity. As a player and more recently as an executive, Joe D is always a winner.

Congratulations to Joe Dumars on his well-deserved entry into the  Basketball Hall of Fame Friday.

Check out Krista Jahnke's seven-part interview with Dumars in this week's Detroit Free Press. Again, even if you wouldn't be caught dead watching ESPN, you'll find his story and his words very inspiring. Don't miss it!