They did their jobs

The Tigers have so many injuries and are basically putting out a triple A team with Manny Jr and Damon right now, and are quickly falling out of the race. I really wish they could make a run, but they just can't do it this year, too many injuries and they have too much ground to make up now. But I am happy, because they did what they need to do. I never watched baseball growing up, I hated it, and though I have gotten in to it now and I do like it, lets be honest, baseball has one job in today's sports world, to get us from the end of basketball to the start of football. That's all. Baseball is not the national pastime, it's the national rest time, the national bridge of sports time. Don't get me wrong, it is still fun to go to a baseball game and have a few cold ones and a couple hot dogs and enjoy yourself. But who has time to watch 4hrs worth of baseball ever night for 162 games? I will tell you who, retired people and me during the summer of 2006, when I graduated college and had no wife/girlfriend no kids and not a real job. I like the Tigers a lot and I wish they would win the division this year, but they just can't. I hope they can next year. But this year was not a waste, they did what they had to do. They kept in it long enough for football training camps to start. So thank you Tigers.

So now the only reason I have to follow baseball is for my fantasy league, which is a good enough reason anyway. I'm right, you're wrong.

A up and down week

What a week! On Monday me and my much better half found out that the baby in her belly is a boy! Which makes me very very happy. Growing up I always wanted two kids, one of each, and come November 29th, if not before, I will have just that. Now it's just time to think of a good name. I am just so lucky that I am going to have a little boy, I'm so pumped, someone to carry on the name, as well as someone to teach sports to, not that I will not teach my daughter sports cause I will, but you know, it's different with a boy. I mean my daughter isn't even 3 yet and already likes to wear dresses all the time, and put on, as she says, make-up, and paint her nails and toes. So I am very happy about having a boy to all set that, you can only go to so many tea parties before you want to throw the ball around.

On Wednesday I left for Ft Wayne, IN for AYBT Nationals. My team has had a tough time at AAU tournaments since they are young and not use to the pressure and speed of the game, but I was hoping that this AYBT tournament would be different, sadly, it wasn't. The first two days we were 0-4 and lost those games by a combined 95 points. The 3rd day was better as we lost by 3, in a game that we should have won, and as I coach I could have done some things differently, but the players still didn't execute when the game was on the line, and then in the next game down 47-27 with just over 6 minutes left, in a game where the clock only stops the last two minutes my team went on a 21-5 run to lose by 4. 52-48. I was so proud of the way they fought hard and kept playing. That is the reason why you coach, to see your team get better, to see them learn something about themselves, to take something away for the rest of their life. It is all about pride and effort. I just wish we could have won a game, because those kids deserved it, and only winning two games all year it tough for 14-15 year old boys.

Meanwhile the Tigers have been though a lot. First they lose their first 6 after the all star break, then they start to play better, then Inge, Mags and Carlos all get hurt and are out for sometime, 6-8 weeks for Inge and Mags, Carlos at least a few weeks. The Tigers now field a lineup that wouldn't make most double A pitchers nervous, besides Manny Jr, but why pitch to him.. though I hope teams still do. In saying all of this they are still only two games back, so they still have a chance, it just isn't very big. They start a series with the Rays tonight, so we shall see where they stand. It would be great if they can make a move before the trade "deadline" but it isn't worth giving up on the future for a run this year, that still may not lead to the playoffs. They actually have a good young team, and some nice pieces where I think they will at least be contenders in the division for the next 5 years at least.

NFL season is coming soon, Dez Bryant needs to get over himself and carry a bag. Man I hate the cowboys.

College football is coming soon as well, I am very excited for that. There is really nothing like College football when it comes to fans, tradition, bans, tailgating, alumni, rivals, it just is great. My alma mater, CMU, is rebuilding a bit with a new coach, new qb, and their best two WR, among others, gone, but they still have some talent, and I like Coach Enos and think they can still have a good season, and get to another bowl game, and contend for the MAC title.

Construction is also coming along on our new events center for our inside sports, among other things. It will open December 1st against Temple, which should be a fun game. There is a lot of great things happening around CMU right now, and it is a great time to be a Chippewa.

I'm right, you're wrong
contact me at: schwa1sa@cmich.edu or sman1720@yahoo.com- any questions will be answered in a mail bag.. which I love to do, so send those questions.

Really Tigers?

It's been a while since I posted, but there was an All Star game where the NL finally won and the Tigers got swept in a 4 game series against the Tribe, yeah the Tribe, a team that is bad, really bad. These are the things that can't happen, and these are the things that is going to make this a frustrating season. A team with enough talent to get it down, and good enough to be in the race for the entire season, but not good enough to win the Central, and thus watching the playoffs from home again. Come on Tigers, lets pick this us. The good news they have been playing very well at home lately and are heading back home. But they can't get swept by anyone, let alone the Tribe.

Other then that, I had a busy week checking out AAU tournaments and you can check out chippewacountry.com for articles I do on that, and I leave for Ft. Wayne, IN on Wednesday to coach my team in the AYBT Nationals. But I will try to update more for anyone who happens to read this. I'm right, you're wrong.

Baseball picks at the AS break

In the AL I picked the White Sox, leading their division, the Yanks, Leading their division and the Angles who are 4.5 back of the surprising Rangers. I had the Red Sox has the wild card, and they are 5 games back, with the Rays at 3 games back, so they have some work to do. I will stick with the Angles to make a run and win the west, I still think the White Sox will win the central, though I hope I am wrong, and my Tigers, only a half game back will win it, and the Yanks will hold on to the east. I think the Red Sox will run out of gas and the Rays will win the wild card

Should be a good race down to the wire for the AL central and who wins the wild card, also I think the Rangers will come back to earth to make it a good race in the AL west.

In the NL I picked the Phils, 4.5 back, the Cards, 1 back and the Dodgers, 2 back. I will stick will all of them to win their divisions. The wild card I pick my Cubs, who are 9.5 back in the division, so basically another bad year for them. Oh well


Should be a good race down to the wire for the NL west, NL Central, and I think the NL east too. I'm right, you're wrong.

Watch out for the Bulls

The Heat have gotten all the hype but the Bulls have the better team right now. First they got Boozer who I feel is a great inside force for them who has nice range to 18-20 feet, and will be great in the pick n roll with Rose. Then they add a shooter like Korver who will be a great weapon for them to have on the wing, and now they have a deal with JJ Reddick as well, thought the Magic can match it. If they don't the Bulls will have a very nice team that they are putting together without a lot of hype. If the Magic do match the offer they will continue to have a very strong team as well, and should no matter what. Bulls, Celtics, Magic, Heat, Hawks, Bucks, Knicks, and Bobcats are my early playoff picks from the east. As much as I want to put my Pistons in the playoffs they still have a lot of work to do, they need to find something to do with RIP and/or Prince. I did like that Austin Daye had a great game in summer league as a point forward, scoring and leading the offense from the top, he has also put on 10lbs or so, so that is good. But I am not ready to be that much of a homer and put them in the playoffs yet.

Tigers are down 4-2 right now to the Twins in the last of their 3 game set, but did win the first two. Even if they lose a 7-2 home stand is good. The White Sox are on fire though, and will be in first place if they hold on to their lead, up 8-1 right now at home vs KC, and the Tigers don't come back. Either way it should be a fun second half race between the White Sox, Tigers, and the Twins will not go away either.

World cup final going on right now, I like the Dutch to win 2-1. I'm right, you're wrong.

Can we play basketball now?

Now that the soap opera is over, or is it just beginning can we move on to playing basketball and talking basketball again and not what guys in their mid 20's are going to do. I am just so glad all the hype is over, about where Lebron will play, now we just have to listen to all the hype about how great the heat will be. Well guess what, they have 7 guys on their team right now, including 3 2nd round rookies, they have a long way to go. Of course they have two of the top 5 players in the NBA, and then a top 5 post player in Bosh, but you need more then that. I already have a bet with someone that anyone but the Heat will win the title, and I feel good about it. The Lakers, Celtics, Magic, and maybe even the Bulls are still a better TEAM and depending on what the spurs and mavs do, they could be good to. Lebron could very well run the point and just get d wade and bosh the ball and lead the league in ast, but I really think Wade is better with the ball in his hands. He is great at attacking the basket, he isn't really a catch and shoot player, or runs off screens. So time will tell how this works out, I don't think it is just in the bag that they will win the next few titles. Right now with who is on their team, they will not win any, but I am sure they are not done.

I'm glad Lebron raised money for a boys and girls club and I'm glad that guys actually care about winning and take less money to play with guys that are friends, and who they think will help them win, but I really believe they knew what they were doing the entire time, and could have told us all of this at 12:01am on July 1st. They knew what they were doing, they have this documentary coming out of their free agent experience or whatever and it was all for that. I just can't wait for the season to start.

I will say the way Dan Gilbert riped Lebron is very unprofessional for someone in his position to do, funny, but unprofessional. Also all the people in Ohio burning their Lebron jerseys is really funny. Those people do know that they were nothing before he came right, and he at least brought them some success, basically by himself. I would be thankful for the time he gave, and mad at your management for never giving him the right pieces.. at least they tried though. It's funny the Lakers will now be loved more, and the Heat will be the new heels of the NBA. I'm right, you're wrong.

Starting to get that feeling

The Tigers had a great come from behind win last night against the O's down 5-3 in the 9th Cabera had a two run home run to tie the game, and then Damon hit a two run walk off HR to win 7-5 in the 11th. Taking the first two games of the series puts them in a great spot going in to the last game tonight with Max S pitching, were he has pitched well as of late, especially at home. The Tigers are playing very well at home, but I still wonder if their bull pen will hold up, especially with Zumaya hurt and Perry having some issues. I still think the Tigers will be there until the end, and I still think it will be very hard for them to win, and stay ahead of both the Twins and the White Sox, but I am starting, just starting, to get that feeling that this year is going to be special. This team has the right mix of young players and vets, and they are going to be able to win their first AL Central crown ever.

Tomorrow at 9pm on ESPN Lebron will make his choice and a lot of this talk can end. It appears Bosh and Wade are going to the Heat, and Boozer is going to Chicago and Amare is going to New York, so what will Lebron do. I can't wait to see him sitting at the table with all the hats on it, like a high school sr and pick which hat he is going to. If I had to pick I say he is staying in Cleveland, in fact, maybe he even signs a 3-4 year deal, and we could do this all again in a few years. This way he could see what the team is doing, see if they can win, and if not then go somewhere just to win. I'm right, you're wrong.

July 4th weekend 2010- two lakes two 2year olds and 16 stitches

Good to see the Tigers playing well, taking two out of 3 from SEA, and the first game from the O's, with game two tonight, on to a quick recap of the weekend


Saturday July 3rd:

10:35am- Head to my wife's grandparents house to play with our niece Ella, and see her brother Carter.

11am-Off to Higgins Lake

11:40am-Stop at BK for lunch

12:50pm-Arrive at Higgins

1pm-In the Lake

1:10-8pm-Playing in the water, having fun with my daughter and niece, they got along great, most of the time, enjoying a great day, had a nice dinner.

8pm-Start trying to get Hailey to bed

10pm-she is still awake and the fire works start

11:05pm- the fire works are done and she finally starts to rest, and falls a sleep

Sunday July 4th:

4:20am- she wakes up to join us in bed

8am-she wakes up, a lay in bed for a bit

8:15am-I take my mourning dip in the lake, my bath

8:30am-watching kid shows with the girls

9am- I call over to my friends at Wixom lake to see if they are up yet, they are not, and I wake up Shell's mom

9:45am-They call me back and let me know enough people are staying and they are going out on the boat at 11am

10am- I leave Higgins to head to Wixom to see some of my friends

11:10am- I get to Wixom lake

noon- We finally get the boat loaded up and head out to the sand bar

noon 20-6pm-Nice time out on the water, had a few daddy pops, and just relaxed and had fun with my friends

6:20pm- Head back to Higgins lake

7:30pm- Get back to Higgins lake

7:45pm- go out swimming in the lake with my girls

8:30pm-Play a game of euchre and win

10pm-Fire works start again

10:40pm-The dog is not liking them, keeping up the girls, steph yells at him, he bits her hand, she takes him outside, he gets off his collar, she tries to put it back on him, and he bits her nose, she is bleeding, a lot. We got to the ER in Grayland

11pm-We get to the ER, Steph makes me go back to the cottage to check on Hailey and pick up her book and a sweatshirt

11:40pm-Hailey is sleeping, I pick up what I needed, and got back to the ER

midnight- The chairs in the kids waiting room is really really comfy, we are watching behind the music J lo, waiting

1am-still waiting

2am-Are now back in a room, chairs not as nice, but still waiting

3am-still waiting

4am-still waiting

4:15am- The dr comes in, and looks at steph's nose, she needs stitches

4:45pm- 16 stiches later we are ready to go

5:10am-Back at the cottage time for some sleep

7:20am-Hailey wakes up, Steph gets up first

8:30am- I get up

8:45am-Steph goes back to sleep I watch Hailey

9:10am-We go swimming

10:10amish- Steph wakes up and takes over as I go back to sleep

noon 20ish- I get up and have lunch, happy I was able to get a few hrs of sleep

1pm-Back out on the water for a little bit

1:30pm-We leave Higgins to head back home to Alma

2:03pm-Were making good time until the traffic started getting bad. Sitting in a traffic jam, raining on and off, Hailey is sleeping in the back, and Steph is sad that she is going to have to give up Austin, the dog.

2:45pmish-Stop to get some food

3:10pmish- Get back home to Alma.

Rest of the day: I watched the rest of the Tigers game, got unpacked, got some things cleaned up, we had dinner, Hailey took a bath, I got her to bed a little before 8pm, we watched part of a movie, Steph feel asleep, Hailey woke up for a few minutes, I rocked her back to sleep around 10:30pmish, and I went to bed, and sleep till 8am or so when she woke up.

It was a long weekend, and a hard weekend. Giving up the dog will be tough because my wife and daughter love him very much. I came around a little, after not liking him at all at first, one he didn't like me, and always tried to step on my balls, which I didn't care for, and two he wasn't my dog, he was my wife's from her first marriage so I never really felt like he was mine. But he did become a part of the family, and I will miss him, I think. We just can't risk him doing it again, and worse to Hailey, or the kid we have on the way, November 29th, he really is a great dog most of the time, I just hope we find a place for him so we don't have to put him down, our first choice is Steph's ex taking him back, we shall see. Hopefully my wife's nose will heel but she is beautiful anyway. Another July 4th done.. back to sports on my next post. I'm right, you're wrong.

USA, Tigers, and the NBA draft/Free agents

Was out of town last weekend, then worked a basketball camp and now about to leave again, but I need to do a quick write up.

US Soccer let a big chance slip away in loosing to Ghana. I don't know what Coach Bradley was thinking, but why take out players who were playing well. It's a elimination game, start your best 11. The team played hard the entire tournament and can be proud of that, but I think a quarter final, if not semi final run, and with Brazil loosing today, maybe longer, should have happened. I do like some of the young players on the team though. They make the games fun that is for sure.

The Tigers were in first place for a day, winning the first of three with the Twins before loosing the next two. The White Sox also have gotten hot and are now right there in the mix as well. They have too much talent not to be, so those 3 teams will be there till the end. I give the edge to the White Sox right now, actually, who I picked to win the Central at the start of the year. My boy Zumaya being hurt really hurts, for one thing another injury for him is just bad luck and is going to be tough to keep coming back from, maybe he shouldn't throw every pitch over 100mph, and two, it really will hurt the Tigers not having a guy like that to come out of the bullpen in the 6th, 7th and 8th innings during the late summer division race.

NBA free agent circus is under way. So far no big names have been signed, except it was reported Paul P is staying in Boston. Other then that it has just been guys like Amir Johnson, Drew Gooden and yes, Darko getting big money contracts for basically doing nothing to deserve them. The NBA, where over paying anyone over 6'10 happens. I really don't care about who meets with who, and all this crap, I just want to know where people are going to sign, all the other stuff is just to fill time, and air space. Joe Johnson getting basically 20 mil a year from the Hawks is a steal, how do you not take that deal, he almost shouldn't just because he knows he doesn't deserve it, go somewhere else for half that, and even then you are getting paid well. He is a good scorer, but if he is your best player you are a lottery to first round sweep playoff team at best.

The NBA draft was ok, with a few surprises. Ken had 5 guys go in the first round, yet couldn't make it to the final four. Calaperi is not high on my list of people in this world. I am happy with the Pistons getting Monroe I didn't think he would be there at 7, so I was happy about that. Their second pick, Terrico White does nothing for me at all. Have a fun and safe July 4th weekend. I'm right, you're wrong.