The Detroit Lions currently hold the number one pick in this years NFL Draft. If you look at many of the mock drafts put out this year after the Lions drafting Stafford number one it is up in the air after that. The Lions like many teams at the top of the draft would like to trade out of the top of the draft because of the contract to player drafted ratio is unbalanced. Stafford may be looking for a contract in the neighborhood of $74 million over 5 years with $34 million guaranteed.

 That is a lot of money for a kid right out of college who has never thrown an NFL pass. That is a lot of money for a player who has thrown an NFL pass and is already a good QB. The NFL has really blown it by handcuffing bad teams with even worse contracts. The last thing and 0-16 team needs is to give a minimum guaranteed $34 million to a player who may become the next Peyton Manning or the next Tim Couch. Although it may be hard to tell since the only thing the Lions can do is get better, right?

 It was written earlier this week that the Lions could simply pass on the first pick and jump in when they are ready. It is ok according to NFL draft rules. The Minnesota Vikings did this in 2003 with the 7th overall pick. They had a deal with Baltimore at pick 10 but the deal was reported too late so The Cowboys and Jaguars jumped in at seven and eight. The Vikings still got their player at number nine DT Kevin Williams.

 The deal the Lions should try to sell to trade that number one pick would have to go down like this. First they need to find a team of coarse. Second is they have to get a first round pick plus another high draft pick (possibly another 1st round or 2nd round pick) in return. Third is they have to sell a team on getting the pick and then passing on it.

 What a team could do if they trade into number one is sit on the clock until a team they think may take their player and then jump in and draft him. For example: The Raiders could trade up into number one, and then sit on the clock until right before the Browns pick at number at number five. They would get the player they wanted for the value he has. They may even want to trade up for Michael Crabtree. Al Davis has actually taken more defensive ends (10) in round one and two than any other position by far. Besides if you were to sell this idea to a team it would be the Raiders.

 Denver and Philadelphia would both be excellent candidates for this move as well. Philadelphia doesn't pick until 21and 28. The Broncos also have two picks in the first round at number 12 and 18. Philadelphia could trade all the way up and pass on the pick until they draft Michael Crabtree. These are just examples of what teams could do.

 It is possible for the Lions to trade that number one pick. They likely wouldn't be given any stellar offers because a team could make this same deal anywhere in the draft if they wanted to draft ahead of a certain team or division rival. Although anything that will involve the Lions likely won't turn out good for them anyway. That is why they have the number one pick in the first place. Drafting four WRs in the top 10 doesn't help either when they only have one still on the roster and two of the four out of the league all together.

 

 

  Detroit Lions team president said today on ESPN radio with Tirico and VanPelt that the Lions are looking to replace former Lion legend Bobby Layne.  It is about time. It has only been 51 years.  

  Lewand said he could not comment on Jay Cutler but obviously they are interested in any moves that will make their team better.  When asked which of the top picks the Lions have is a more valuable pick, he said the one that gets us the best player.  He probably didn't realize they talking about which pick they could trade to Denver for Jay Cutler.  Tom isn't the sharpest knife in the block.

  Lions GM Martin Mayhew was off to see Mark Sanchez' pro-day.  Apparently and for some reason Lewand said he and Mayhew are routinily up talking on the phone in the wee hours of the night.  Too much information Tom.

The Lions will either draft Stafford who went to Bobby Laynes high school or trade for Broncos QB Jay Cutler.  Either way they will have their man.


photo from  Detnews.com

  The American League Central division should be a tight race in 2009. All five teams could be in contention at the All-Star break. Looking into what made these five teams finish where they did we may be able to figure out where they will finish this year.

  However that isn't the case. Every year is different. Some teams can have injuries one year and not the other. One year they may hit well and pitch terrible or pitch great and not hit a lick. Maybe a team pitches and hits great but the bullpen is a mess.

  It all has to come together for a long period of time. Look at last years Tampa Bay Rays. They made it all the way to the World Series after a last place finish the year before. Just years before in 2003 the Detroit Tigers were 43-119 and by 2006 they were in the World Series.

Last seasons results

Chicago White Sox                89-74

Minnesota Twins                    88-75

Cleveland Indians                   81-81

Kansas City Royals                 75-87

Detroit Tigers                           74-88

 Chicago White Sox were the division winners last season. They relied on young guns John Danks and Gavin Floyd who tallied 29 wins as a pair in 2008. If they can come close to that with Mark Buehrle getting quality starts the only questions about pitching would be the number 4 and 5 pitchers. Those two spots have come down to former Michigan QB and baseball player Clayton Richard, Jose Contreras, and veteran Bartolo Colon. The Sox have a strong line-up as well led by sluggers Jim Thome, Carlos Quenton, and Jermaine Dye. The three combined for 104 Hrs in 2008. The weakness for the Sox is the defense. They really don't have anyone who will contend for a gold glove and may have a few that look like they field with one.

Minnesota Twins have won 4 of the last 7 division title. What the Twins lack on offense is what their strength is in pitching. They gain Fransisco Liriano back to a staff that did not have one starter with a record below .500 in 2008. Five of the six starters had 10 or more wins. Liriano was the only starter with less than 10 wins because he only started 14 games but went 6-4 with a 3.91 ERA. The Twins keep churning out pitchers and they again will be strong one through five and in the bullpen. The offense after Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer is up in the air. They only had two players (Morneau and Kubel) hit 20 or more Hrs. They again will be looking for the bulk of the scoring to come from timely hitting and pitching. They will be in it to the end and may win the division once again.

Cleveland Indians  finished last season the way all nonplayoff teams would have wanted to finish. They finished strong and ended up an even 81-81. The line-up only gets better with new 3rd baseman Mark DeRosa. If Matt LaPorta makes the big squad anytime soon Cleveland fans will forget all about C.C.Sabathia. That is until the Indians pitchers start pitching. Cliff Lee is the ace and Kerry Wood is the closer. Other than that you can pencil in question marks. Fausto Carmona has flip flopped bad season to good season to bad season the last three years. After Carmona long time injury reserve veteran Carl Pavano will try to toe the slab. This lokks like a down year for Cleveland unless they can win games 8-7 everyday.

Kansas City is 2nd in MLB in hitting average in spring so far. As a team the Royals hit a whopping .312. The problem for the Royals is hitting for power. They haven't had a 30 homer-run hitter since 2000 when Jermaine Dye did it. The Royals are still pretty young overall. This could mean a breakout season or a step back year. They added Coco Crisp in centerfield and slugger Mike Jacobs who had 32 taters for the Marlins last year.. I predict they will return to the AL Central cellar Unless their pitching staff can all step up. Greinke must emerge as the teams best pitcher and Gil Meche needs to have another solid season. Kyle Farnsworth could be the weak link in the bullpen if the team doesn't play well. 

Detroit Tigers  have the best line-up in baseball one through six. Starting with Granderson, Polanco, Cabreara, Ordonez, Guillen, and Sheffield. They have the most power in the middle of their line-up in the entire American League. Last year the entire team had a down after a horrendous start in April going winless through 7 and 3-11 after 14 games which included sweeps by Kansas City and Chicago. The Tigers only had one pitcher with a winning record and that was rookie Armando Galarraga. Jeremy Bonderman missed almost the entire season with a blood clot in his arm and Dontrelle Willis was missing the strike zone by feet and not inches. This year the Tigers may be one of the best defensive teams in MLB. They added SS Adam Everett, put Brandon Inge back at 3rd base, and Polanco should return to form at 2nd base after an 8 error 2008 season. Cabrera is back at 1st base and Guillen will now be in left. Granderson will be covering a lot of ground in center and he will need to sandwiched between Guillen and Ordonez. They will need to be very good defensively because the pitching is so bad they will get plenty of chances to track down balls.

This seasons predictions 

Minnesota Twins* Division winner

Chicago White Sox

Cleveland Indians

Detroit Tigers

Kansas City Royals**

*only the division winner will make the playoffs with the strength of the AL East.

**All five teams may finish within 10 games of each other.

  As you may have heard, MLB Hall of Fame player George Kell died this week.   He played for the A's when they were still in Philadelphia. He played 15 seasons most with Detroit.  He was a legend in Detroit.  After his career was over he later teamed up with another Detroit Hall of Famer Al Kaline to be the broadcast of Tigers games.  The two got better with age and turned out to be a great broadcast team.

Looking through the stats of this legend some remarkable stats pop up.  Through his 15 year career he only struck out 287 times.  Last season Oakland's Jack Cust struck out 197 times to lead the American League.

George Kell had a career .306 average.  The most outstanding stat of all is that he had almost 100 more doubles in his career than strikeouts!  You may need to read that statement again.  Kell had 385 doubles and only struck out 287 for his entire career.

George Kell died this week in Arkansas.  For all his stats and his Hall of Fame career he is widely known as one of the finest human beings to ever walk this earth.  Rest in peace Mr. Kell.

  You may not know this as a fan of a winning NFL team but the Detroit Lions have a very passionate fan base. They have a large fan base and they have a generational fan base. These fans can't catch a break. Although, the Lions have been so bad for so long that they haven't had a chance to have their hearts broken. The don't have a "wide right" or a "fumble" and no one has ever had "the Drive" against them.

 The Lions misery goes back so much further that Matt Millen. Matt Millen was just the icing on the cake. He took being a horrible GM to an entirely new level. I should have known he was going to be terrible in the first year. First he cut Herman Moore the Lions best WR. Then he showed up at the Lions first training camp in shorts and ran drills with the LBs. His tenure as GM spawned a new level of ridiculous. His tenure was "ridiculii". Which means everything he did as a whole to an organization was so ridiculous on such a high level it was ridiculii!

  In Detroit a lot fans hate to love the Lions. The Lions are like that woman that you really loved but she kept lying to you, taking your money and giving you nothing in return, and is so stupid that it drives you insane. But you still love her. What have the Lions done to show their appreciation for all of our dedication? Even Barry Sanders walked out on them.

  Barry retired in a odd way. He added to that kicked-in-the-gut feeling that Lions fans have 4 months a year. He left with so much football left in him. Barry played for 10 years in Detroit. How many people stay at any company for 10 years these days? He went through ups and downs and saw many of his fellow teammates, many of which were friends, cut or traded. I don't think Barry liked the business side of the NFL. It burned him out.

  The Lions came to Detroit in 1934 from Portsmouth. They have had 10 or more wins only 7 times in almost 75 years of football! They have only had 10 or more wins three times since 1970 and haven't done it since 1995! All this capped off with the Millen era which started with a 2 win season and ended with the first ever 0-16 season. This is ridiculii!

  Now the Lions start over yet again. This time they have a new coach, GM, and have the #1 overall pick in April's draft. Millen was famous for his drafting of Wrs which were referred to as more weapons for Joey (Harrington). The drafting problems of the Lions goes way back before Millen got there. You can say what you want about Millen's drafts but the Lions have never drafted well. If they had they would have been a better team. At least the Packers drafted Tony Mandarich ahead of the Lions so they could take Barry Sanders with the #3 pick.

  After all this The Lions have fans? They sure do. They have a lot of fans. They have great fans. Fans who don't give up. Fans who spend their hard earned money and waste a lot of Sunday afternoons on this team. Fans who love the team but hate that they do. They hate to love them. It is time the Lions started to give back.....in a big way.

  It is amazing all the stuff I had to leave out. That is why I will be contiuing this subject over the next few months.