You have heard it for years.  The Cowboys are America's team.  You may have even heard the Yankees were America's team in baseball.  I wanted to find out what America thinks about this.  One factor I used to determine this is that the team could qualify in its particular sport if they have an equal or greater approval rating than the President of the United States.  According to Pollreporting.com the president's approval rating is right around 30%.

One thing needed to determine this was a lot of input from fans all across America.  I was able to gather over 700 responses to put this list together.  Most sports actually have what would be considered America's team.  Some sports were close but didn't have enough support.  Whether you like it or not America has spoken and here are their teams.

NFL-  Lets start with the most talked about and most obvious team.  In the NFL the Dallas Cowboys wear the crown of being America's team.  It has been said for years but with a 30% vote for, it was confirmed.  Only one other team even registered a number higher than 3% and that was the New England Patriots with 17%. 

MLB-  Here is another team that really was no surprise.  In MLB the New York Yankees were anointed America's team with 33% of the vote.  I thought maybe the Chicago Cubs might have a shot in this category but this one wasn't even close.  The Yankees winning ways have given so many fans a reason to keep watching.  They are a franchise that has been capable of putting together back-to-back Championships in almost every era.

The Yankees like the Cowboys have a love hate relationship with America.  Fans either love them or hate them.  There is always one or the other with these two storied franchises.

Now when you think of other sports they may not be as obvious but they are completely legitimate.  Who do you think of as America's teams in College football and basketball?  What about NHL and NBA?  Upon further review it is the usual suspects.  The teams we always see on nationally televised games because they get the best ratings.

NHL-  Currently the NHL has fallen almost completely off the sports map in most cities.  The NHL has its team though.  That team is none other than the Detroit Red Wings.  The Red Wings received the highest percentage of any team throughout the entire poll.  The Wings garnered 37% of the vote to be crowed America's hockey team.  The Wings were the team of the 90's and were able to put together Three Stanley Cups under "the Captain" Steve Yzerman.  They also play in "HockeyTown" which may help too.

NBA- well in the NBA this was a little bit of a surprise.  It was a huge 50% vote in this lopsided win that there is actually NO America's team in the NBA.  The only team that even registered a double digit number was the Los Angeles Lakers with 27% of the vote.  The Pistons were the only other team to get mentioned with 9% of the vote.  So in the NBA there is actually no team but we know who gets the most ratings when they are on TV.  That is why the NBA needs a Laker/Piston finals in 2008!

College sports the BIG 2-

College Football-   You know America's college football team isn't going to be a team from the Big Ten or the SEC.  You also know it isn't a team from the Pac 10 or the Big 12 right?  It is the team with its own network.  This was a no brainer.  Notre Dame is America's college football team with 37% of the vote.  This wasn't close at all with no other team getting more than Michigan's 9% total.  Notre Dame has every game as a Nationally televised game.  NBC is called the Notre Dame Network, if the games aren't on NBC they are on ABC.

College Basketball- This was somewhat of a surprise to me because I thought this team would be most hated.  That is also why so many of the other America's teams are thought of this way.  Duke Basketball is America's team in a landslide.  No other team even registered more than 5% of the vote.

If you didn't know, now yo know.  America claims a team for almost every sport.  It isn't just the Cowboys either.  Now when you see these teams on TV next time you will know why they are on, because they are America's Teams, Like it or Not!

So I had to take a break from all the places I write because it has been a busy year already.  I have some NBA stuff I need to get off my chest.  I need to smack some dime droppers and draft action as well.  First lets get to a few free-agents.

First off it bothers me that it is so acceptable, almost like no big deal (pun intended) when an above average players gets $60 million to play basketball for a few years.  This is also the cause to my problem of only getting to one game a year now because of ticket prices.  Really does a hot dog of that quality really justify $5 and beers for $9?

1. Rashard Lewis- Will he stay or will he go?  I think he goes.  He may not want to sign on as the lone gun on a team in rebuilding mode. The Sonics just drafted Kevin Durant who plays the same position.  Lewis may get short term max money such as the new common 4 years $60 million deal, but he could get that in a sign and trade almost anywhere.  Which teams could make the move?  Portland, Miami, and Orlando are the commons teams you here on him.  What about Boston?  They just got Ray Allen from Seattle why not Lewis also?

2.  Chauncey Billups - He is unrestricted but the chances of him leaving Detroit are restricted.  Orlando's name again pops up on this one.  The Pistons can offer more money to stay and the Magic would have to do a sign and trade.  These teams did it once before with Grant Hill.  I thought there was no way Grant would leave Detroit but a sign and trade deal that sent Hill to the Magic the Pistons got Ben Wallace and Chucky Adkins.  Maybe in this sign and trade deal the Magic would send Grant Hill and Darko Milicic back to Detroit.  All three players are free agents currently, Darko is restricted.

3.  Kurt Hinrich's mama is ugly.  He isn't a free agent but I had to say that.

4.  Gerald Wallace - he is probably going to remain a Bobcat.  He may get a little over rated by some because he carried the Bobcats most of the year.  Someone had to do it!  Although if he does stay and they solidify the roster around him they may make a playoff run.  He may still be a player on the rise.

Cleveland - take this time as a chance to get better.  Dont overpay for your own mediocre not supporting players you have as free and restricted agents.  Take this chance to get Lebron two guys that are going to step up and take the pressure off of Lebron.  They went all the way to the finals but got slammed by a team like San Antonio who plays 9 deep and as a unit.  The Cavs still stand around watching Lebron hoping he may kick it out to them at some point.


Greg Oden will be a solid player?  He looks like he has all the tools to be a two way player in the NBA.  Well actually he looks like "Grandpa Lebron" in the Nike commercials but that was another blog down the line.  I wish he could have played two more years in college to refine his game.  This may have been his fathers decision to come out early and go pro.

Kevin Durant is another player that two more years of college basketball would have helped immensly.  He has the shot and skills but doesn't have the "NBA body" that he needs to play with men instead of kids on the court.  Like they say on Wall Street though is "sell high" and their stock has never been higher and was at its ceiling.

UPDATES:

Rip Hamilton to Seattle?  Frank Hughes, Sonics Insider for The News Tribune, quoting a source from local radio station WXYT, says the Pistons are considering shipping Richard Hamilton to Seattle, for Lewis?

Gerald Wallace, one of the hottest names in free agency, has drawn interest from the Pistons.  According to the AP- The Charlotte Bobcats face heavy competition in their effort to re-sign leading scorer Gerald Wallace.   The Bobcats were one of eight teams that contacted Wallace when the NBA's free agency period began at midnight Saturday. Dallas, Orlando, Milwaukee, Detroit, Miami, Portland and Golden State all made inquiries, a person close to Wallace said Sunday.

All Star games are terrible.  They have become a popularity contest and have been for some time now.  Current proof, Steve Nash, may be on his way to his 3rd straight MVP award, is not even in the starting line up for the Western Conference at this point!  Maybe it is because he has such bad haircuts sometimes, I don't know.  Dominik Hasek who had the best GAA in the Western Conference for the Detroit Red Wings was 24-7-3 with six shut outs wasn't even on the All Star team!  Every year in all of the sports we hear about and see players getting "snubbed" based on numbers.  Would it be better if it wasn't voted on by fans?  I think so.  Besides the only All Star game that is watchable in the MLB All Star game, unless they tie.  The NFL has thiers after the season is over.  This may be the worst of all.  How about sports change to just an All Star list?  Just name the All Stars with out even having a game.  What could happen as well is they could use the best players based on stats.  Now there is a concept.

The Phoenix Suns are doing it all this year with two tremendous winning streaks.  There are truly firing on all cylinders right now with Amare Stoudemire.  They are currently on a 17 game winning streak.  Amare may be the missing piece they were lacking last year when they just couldn't get past the Mavs.  They all look fresh and energetic and they need to be to carry on through the playoffs.  The Pistons were tearing up the league like this last year and got burnt out in the playoffs by the Heat last year.  The Pistons after the last playoff game last season had played 82 playoff games in three years.  That was equivalent of an entire extra season, like playing four seasons in three years.

The Super Bowl does not seem to have the hype in it this year than it has in the past.  I have heard WAY too much about the Patriots getting screwed by the refs in the AFC Championship.  Patriot fan is definitely crying.  Patriots fan Shut up about the refs.  This is what happens.  Try being a Lions fan and seeing how many times a year this happens.  I wrote about the NFL ref staying out of my life back in August.  How about you think about Raiders fan as well when you got the benefit of the biggest scam call I have ever seen with the "tuck rule" garbage they pulled out which led to Vinateri's field goal and later getting you into the Super Bowl in which you won.  What goes around comes around so get ready for the balance to tip the scale back the other way a little.

Chris Webber has decided that when he clears waivers Tuesday, he will sign with the Detroit Pistons.  Detroit is where he is from and will return to friends and family.  This is where it all started for Webber and may end for him as well. 

He was part of the Fab Five at Michigan and starred at Detroit's Country Day High School.  When he left here, it was all a mess.  He had to deal with the Ed Martin Scandal which has pretty much taken Michigan right off the radar in basketball since.  He has also taken a lot of heat for calling the time out in the National Championship game against North Carolina.  Although if you ever saw a different angle of that game you would see Eric Talley and an assistant coach on the bench yelling and motioning for Webber to take that time out.

  He had his problems with media in Sacremento when he was supposedly dating Tyra Banks.  Although I don't see the problem there.  I would want it printed, if it were true, that I was takin it to the hole with Tyra Banks, but that is just me though.

 When he went to Philly, he was supposed to be the question to the "Answer" Allen Iverson.  That question would be, Chris Webber will win the NBA Championship with which NBA superstar? 

Chris now gets what most people want in life, a second chance.  He comes back home after rejecting the hometown Pistons twice in free-agency.  He gets a second chance to make all that has been wrong between Detroit and Chris Webber.  Webber is supposed to be at the Minnesota/Detroit game today (Monday MLK day) for the afternoon game.  He comes here in hopes of winning the elusive championship he has just never been able to get.  He has been close a few times in college and pro.  He was the number one pick in 1993.  Webber will play center/power forward with Rasheed Wallace which should sit ####r Mohammad down more (whew).  Webber's quote in the associated press report was "I look forward to joining a roster of talented athletes and working towards a fourth NBA title for the Pistons and the great city of Detroit." 

I picked the Pistons to win the East based on experience, they still have 4 of the 5 starters from the last two years, and the good teams in the Eastern Conference didn't really upgrade much.  Now that they add Webber and actually have some time to get some chemistry started before the playoffs.  Webber has career averages of 21.4 points and 10 rebounds.  We will see how the last chapters of Chris Webber's career come together and see if he can right ther wrongs and get closure on his life and career.  I can see it now......Coming soon to a theatre near you.....Shawshank Redemption 2, the Chris Webber story!

All in all I am very excited to see him come back here.  I have always been a fan of his no matter what.  He is a very good player, he is from around here, he played for Michigan and I always wanted him to play for the Pistons.  I hope he wins a Championship here.  Even if he doesn't hopefully he can have a great time being home and playing for the Pistons.

  So Miami got their NBA rings on opening night and the preceeded to get POUNDED by the new look Chicago Bulls 108-66.  Something other teams will witness this season.  The Bulls are much improved this year.  The other suprise will be the Detroit Pistons returning to the NBA finals.  They lost Ben Wallace and that will make them better.  Washington Wizards will try to make a move this year in the right direction, but they still don't have it yet.  Lets breakdown some teams and make some predictions.


NBA Eastern Conferance playoff teams for 2007

1. Detroit Pistons
2. Washington Wizards
3. New Jersey Nets
4. Chicago Bulls
5. Cleveland Cavaliers
6. Miami Heat
7. Philadelphia 76ers
8. Boston Celtics


Those are my predictions for the playoff brackets.  Teams 1, 2, and 3 are the division winners.  Boston will sneak back in this year, so will Philly.

Detroit will suprise people by not taking a step back from losing Ben Wallace.  He was the heart and soul for a few years but could never seem to get any better on offense.  Wallace is only a 41% free throw shooter for his career.  Wallace likened air balling to free throws to Paris Hilton say "thats hot!"  Enter Jason Maxiel for the Pistons.  He is a defensive player who actually can shoot.  They still have four of the same starting five they have had all along and also are looking to bring in Jalen Rose this week.  And they also have the X factor as well, ME, you can clearly tell by my picture that I play for them.

Washington will onlystep up to the second spot in the bracket because they will suprise everyone and win their division over Miami.  Washington has been on the rise for a few years now but still may not be ready to move deeper into the playoffs.  Only time will tell.  New Jersey is still the best in the Atlantic Division but that isn't saying too much, although I do have three teams from that division making the playoffs.

Chicago has been on the rise the last two years and may have added the one piece they were missing all along.  A player who will play like he has a pair and he will actually use them if neccesary.  Ben Wallace will be the heart and soul on defense with his great defensive ability, they just better not pass him the ball when it is time to shoot.  Alley oops only for Ben.  But when you need to get a stop on defense or get a huge blocked shot into transition he is your man.

Miami will take a step back with an aging roster that was old last year, but won the NBA title.  Shaq may have lost some weight but they will be beat by their own injury bug again but it may be worse this year.

Cleveland is blowing it.  They made a push last year giving Detroit all they could handle but fell short.  They bring in David Wesley who will just be version two of Damon Jones a player they already have at the same position.  They needed a big man, a dominant one.  They have Larry Hughes coming back but he has to get reaquainted with LeBron.  They may work out well for them once they make the playoffs.

Philly and Boston will both also be back to the playoffs but only for a few minutes once they get waxed in the first round.  Indiana has so many team issues on and off the court they won't be beating too many teams this year.  They may end the season with more players in jail than in the All-Star game.

 

This year in Detroit all four major sports teams have new coaches.  Three of them have already coached and the results have been outstanding.  The Red Wings won the presidents trophy with Mike Babcock at the helm, even though they were knocked off in the first round by Edmonton they had the leagues best overall record.  They also set records for road wins and consecutive road wins.  The Pistons with Flip Saunders got off to their best start in team history and ended up with the NBA's best record.  Currently the Tigers have the best record in all of baseball with new skipper Jim Leyland calling the shots.  You may need to read the previous sentence again, it isn't a misprint.

Now it is up to new Lions coach Rod Marinelli to prove his worth with the Lions.  Can the rookie head coach have the Lions in first place in the NFC north or even best record in the NFL.  It may be highly unlikely he will move them into first place or even make the playoffs but, he has put himself into a good position to make a run at it.  They added new offensive and defensive coordinators and moved Joey Harrington to Miami so they don't have that drama to deal with.  You may not think the Lions will do much this season but don't discount the mojo the city of Detroit has right now.   Rod Marinelli understands that winning teams do all the little things and get every extra inch possible here and there to get most possible out of his players.  The division this team has had in the locker room is almost as strong as Lions fans opinions.  I read on a Lions forum that one fans doesn't care if the Lions go 1-15 as long as they beat Miami because Joey Harrington is their quarterback now.   Some fans think that the Lions will or need to move one of their three first round draft pick wide receivers.  Almost laughable when you look at 95% of all WRs in NFL history and what they were able to do in their first few seasons.  There is power in numbers and they have plenty of numbers, but do they have any power?  They like many other positions need time to develop.  The problem is that Lions fans have been patient for long enough.  It is time for the fans to be reimbursed for all the money spent, Sundays lost, emotions released, and support for a team that has only won one playoff game since 1957.  The future is in good hands with Mike Martz coaching the offense.  Can Mike Martz put together the pieces to a puzzle that has never been put together?It is now the Lions turn to do something for a city who has supported them for so long, with nothing in return but Barry Sanders memories and great sound bites from the coaches who have come and gone.

NFL news
 The New England Patriots had Ty Law the 32-year-old, five-time Pro Bowl cornerback in for a physical last Friday as part of a free agent visit.   Pats coach Bill Belichick has kept in touch with Law this offseason through a series of private phone conversations.  Law had 10 interceptions, a career best, last season.  Ty also only spent one season with the Jets and played the rest of his career with the Patriots.

Dolphins to sign Marcus Vick?  According to league sources when they had him in for the teams mini-camp they saw enough in him to think he may be able to land a roster spot.  The team recently traded for starting quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington so it is unlikely he would make the team as a quarterback. There are said to be several CFL teams interested as well.  They have also not had Joey play for them yet either.  Miami fans may be excited to have traded for two starting quarterbacks, but there is a reason they were available as well.

Lions fans say goodbye to Joey Harrington and hello to two back up quarterbacks.  Jon Kitna is the likely starter and it is up to Josh McCown and Dan Orlovsky to battle for the 2nd quarterback position, although the best move is the addition of offensive coordinator Mike Martz.  Best subtraction, Joey Harrington.  It is rumored that Martz had a qb school in the off season where he gave the participants IQ tests.  Harrington's came back negative (insert rim shot here), also see his exit interview with Mitch Albom, that will explain a lot.


MLB news

Soriano headed to New York?  According to several sources the Yankees and Mets both have interest in acquiring the outfielding second baseman.  Both teams will inquire about him closer to the trade deadline so look for scouts from Washington in New York for the next month.  Another possibility for both New York teams is Detroits Dmitri Young.  He plays outfield, third base, and first base but mostly is a DH.  Neither team would have to give up much to get him as the Tigers are 1/2 game behind the White Sox and have the second best record in baseball without Young.

San Fransisco - look for the Giants to make one final run with the current team and then try to rebuild the organization through younger players.  The giants have a large number of aging veterans and it has been rumored that Bonds may move to the American league to DH and the Giants may not bring back their ace Jason Schmidt.  Bonds is one of nine Giants veterans in the final year of their contracts, along with Jason Schmidt, Moises Alou, Ray Durham, Pedro Feliz, Steve Kline, Todd Greene, Jose Vizcaino and Jamey Wright.  They count for more than $50 million of the Giants' $90-million-plus payroll, with Bonds' $18 million and Schmidt's $10.5 million the largest hits.

NBA news

Ben Wallace has hired an agent.  Wallace will become a free agent this summer and will likely land the biggest contract of his entire career.  Wallace is in his prime and is a four time NBA defensive player of the year.  He is looking to remain in Detroit and hopes to complete a deal after the season. 

In case you have not opened your eyes and had your ears plugged for the last 48 hours, the New York Knicks may be ready to part ways with Larry Brown.  The Knicks may be the model for how not to run a franchise.  Would the Knicks actually pay $40 million to get rid of Brown?  After setting records for payroll and paying members not even on the team or in the league, can they really afford to pay Brown and a new coach?  With Larry Brown they need to have one thing they have never had, patience.  The coach is a proven winner, and then he leaves.  Isiah, you have to let him do the winning first.  Brown may now be the biggest coaching distraction in all of sports for the past to off-seasons.

Lebron James has drawn comparisons and played  a parallel career thus far in his NBA career to Michael Jordan.  He even has to go through the same team the Detroit Pistons to get to the promise land.  The biggest difference is that Lebron is in his third season as Michael was only a rookie at this point due to James playing in the NBA straight out of high school.  This off season look for the cavs to add veteran depth and specialty players to the roster much as the way the Pistons have done.  New Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has modeled everything after the Pistons, a team he sponsors, while owning the Cavs.  Gilbert owns the Cavaliers and named the arena Quicken Loans arena and sponsors the Pistons with Rock Financial, the same company marketed with a different name in Michigan.  He also hired a like announcer to the Pistons that gets the crowd pumped up and making plenty of noise. 

  

   This past weekend the football world was entralled in the NFL draft.  Chat rooms and forums were lit up in anticipation of each teams picks and what Detroit was going to do with theirs.  The Detroit Lions have always been the biggest "hot button" in Detroit.  They have only won one playoff game since the 1957 NFL Championship.

     The Detroit Red Wings played game five in their best of seven series against the Edmonton Oilers.  They lost game five and head back to Edmonton facing elimination.  Detroit won the Presidents trophy this season for the best overall record.  However they are in danger of doing it all for not.  Have we seen Steve Yzerman play his last game?  Game six in Tonight in Edmonton at 8pm.

     The Detroit Pistons also had the best record in their respective league.  The also lost on Saturday to the Milwaukee Bucks.  Michael Redd scored 40 in a 20 point win at home against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Pistons.  Game four will be played tonight in Milwaukee at 8:30 pm.

     Last but not least the Detroit Tigers swept the suddenly inept Twins out of town yesterday with a 6-0 shutout and outscored the Twins 33-1.  The Tigers had their best April since 1993 which just happens to be the last season that the Tigers had a winning record.  The Pitching has been outstanding and the hitting has been timely.  Both add up to wins and are only 1 1/2 games out of first behind the World Champion White Sox.

     Having said all of that what does the Detroit Sports report decide to run?  You guessed it a Ron Mason spotlight.  Makes sense right?  Have all this action people care about and run a half hour spotlight on Ron Mason, the athletic director for Michigan State University. What a joke.

     This is a long line of blunders they have made at this station.  In an attempt to help them out I have put a short list of things to do to get better ratings and fan support.

1. Check all name pronunciations (before the show)
2. Broadcast from Detroit more than once or twice a year.
3. Here is a an idea, show all of the highlights from the games.  you have a half hour to kill, show me all the Tigers runs, Red Wings goals, and every draft choice.
4. Listen to the fans, like this blog and all who comment on this.  Most fans in Detroit follow all four pro sports, and are very passionate about them.
5. No more spotlights on anyone, I never watch them and have never heard anyone talk about them.

 

      Things you see and thoughts you have are based on what type of perspective you have on life.  It is easy to pick apart people for slipping in the slightest way on a daily basis.  It can be seen any where at almost anytime of the day.  We all complain and over react.  But a simple apology can make the difference for being to harsh on someone, or being to hasty toward some ones opinion.  It isn't about being right, it is about getting it right.

     In sports, sometimes what one general manager see in his players or future players can be much different from what other GM's and fans may think.  The one factor is that it is their decision to make.  It is so easy to sit back and criticize each team or GM for draft picks this weekend or trades made in baseball this summer.  There are so many factors into what makes great players great anyway. 

     The fact is, millions of fans play fantasy sports every year.  If you are a fantasy manager of any of the sports leagues out there, how many have you ever won.  I follow every sport I can digest in a day and I have never won any league.  I always think it is funny to see how quick people can throw out hate but are absent when they stand corrected.  Ghandi once said "you must be the change you want to see in the world".   why is it everyone so afraid to show some love to people for the great things they have accomplished, big or small, even if they don't like them as a person. 

      Barry Bonds has had a syringe thrown at him, he is booed every at bat on the road, and fans yell at him every chance they get.  The thing that bothers me most about this is that Bonds has never tested positive for anything.  Steroids weren't even illegal in MLB at the time and I have seen multiple men use steroids in my life that don't even play sports!  People have even said that the stats he has should have asterisks next to them.  Isn't this America?  We have found him guilty without even testing him positive?  Raphael Palmero tested positive after testifying to congress and pointing at them while he said he never took steroids. 

     What about all the current players that have tested positive, including pitchers?  No one really ever talks about it.  The U.S. Government launched an investigation into Bonds and steroids in baseball.  This is actually being lead by Senator George Mitchell.  I have an idea, how about we launch an investigation into why gas is almost $3.00 a gallon now.  How about why we are still in Iraq.  I would like to see money they spend on this investigation (which could be hundreds of thousands) put into our school systems!  How about an investigation into why we have cut backs in education year after year or why so many jobs keep going over seas day after day with out any hope that will change.  "Nothing is more important to me than the integrity of the game of baseball," said Selig, commenting on the investigation after the publication Game of Shadows, a book written by two San Francisco Chronicle reporters that details alleged steroid use by Bonds and others.

     Matt Millen in Detroit has been highly criticized for the down fall of the Detroit Lions for the past five seasons.  The fans had a fire Millen rally before the last home game last year.  In his defense most fans agreed with all his top draft picks and locally the Lions receive high grades for their drafts (we call it cornbread).  The thing is the Lions have never really been a great drafting team anyway.  For every Barry Sanders they drafted, they have an Andre Ware and Chuck Long draft pick to match it.  If they had been a good drafting team over the years, they would have had more than one playoff win since the 1957 NFL championship.  Best advice on all of this, never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes.