Forecast: A Lonely Winter

Before I start, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the live blog from Rob. Thanks to him and his Sixers, Kyle Korver got to show why he was one of the most underrated players in the league due to a trade for which the Sixers got... nobody, just a pick. Can't wait to see which athletic player with no jump shot (see Iguodala, Thad Young, Sam Dalembert) they draft next.

(Sorry, Rob. That was for the DET shots in the live blog. By the way, I'm holding you to the Dalembert Hawk thing if the Phils win the Series. No exceptions.)


OK, time to transition now from the pro game to the college game. According to a report off Rivals.com, University of Detroit Mercy landed another transfer played to their roster. The Titans have reportedly recruited Jason Bennett, a 7'3 center out of Tallahassee Community College. Bennett played at Kansas State for one season before transferring to TCC. Played in 27 games at KSU and averaged 2 points, 2 boards and 3 blocks a game. Bennett will join transfer Eli Holman, 6'11 forward from IU who was recently denied reinstatement to IU's basketball program by incoming coach Tom Crean, as part of new coach Ray McCallum's first recruiting class. U of D's front line next year will be 3 players with heights of 6'9, 7'3, and 6'11. And for a mid major, that's plain nasty.


WAIT! Don't stop reading yet....I would not waste 2 minutes of your life on U of D Mercy Athletics for no good reason. I'm just not that cruel. This story has meaning for two reasons: The first was that coming out of high school, Rivals had Michigan listed as Bennett's second choice in 2006. This means that although there was a vested interest in the University, Coach Beilein decided not to go after him because he appears to have a lot of vested confidence in Ben Cronin, the 7'1 incoming freshman. Let's hope this Cronin kid turns into the next Joe Alexander (and not the second coming of Zach Gibson) or else passing on a chance to get a 7'3 Center with Michigan ties could be costly .

The other (and more important) reason this move is terrible for Michigan is that it now could potentially mean that the state of Michigan could send four teams to the NCAA tournament next year, NONE of which would be the Wolverines. U of D now becomes a huge contender in the Horizon League (with Butler being the only big opponent), Oakland University will dress an experienced team that will be the favorite for the Summit League crown (and almost beat MSU and Michigan last year), and Western Michigan (who faltered in the MAC tourney last year) will be the favorite to get the automatic bid from their conference. And, of course, MSU will be among the top teams in the Big Ten despite losing Drew Nietizel. Kalin Lucas went under the radar for most of the year but had a huge NCAA tourney and will continue his progress. Lucas would've started at the point guard spot last year, had Neitzel not lost his mind and forgot how to shoot a basketball at the end of last year.


Having 4 solid programs in the State of Michigan will do great things for the game itself in the State, but it will also magnify Michigan's disappearance as a once proud basketball power. These schools will also be competitive, making it hard for Beilein to recruit big in-state talent (Two of the Top 3 players in Michigan will be headed to Oakland next year). This could make the rebuilding process far longer than anyone could have guessed.

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up? (Continued)

LIVE BLOG: Jazz @ Lakers Game 5- 2nd Half

12:13am: O, Kyle. Interesting pic, to say the least.

12:15am: Quick start to 2nd half for Utah. 4 straight points.

12:16am: Harlan: "Going back to the 2nd quarter, Utah is on a 19-12 run." Not sure that counts.

12:17am: Kirilenko with a nice reverse layup... Utah within 1.

12:18am: I was watching Jack Hanna on Letterman at the half. Good stuff.

12:19am: Nice move by Odom. Remember back to that Heat-Pistons playoff series from a few years ago. Wade was a rookie and Odom was a star. He looks so much more comfortable as the 3rd option for the Lakers.

12:20am: Speaking of Odom, he was hit on the chin and heads to the bench.

12:21am: Don't you like how once a quarter the announcers provide the TV viewer with the national TV schedule?

12:22am: Deron Williams makes 2 free throws to bring the Jazz back within 1.

12:24am: Harlan on a game-tying three by Williams, "Bulls-eye."

12:25am: Kobe posts up and takes Deron Williams to the basket... LA by 2.

12:26am: Great pass, Kobe to Odom, Lakers back up by 4.

12:26am: Ronnie Brewer has been awesome. He elevates high above the rim for the offensive rebound and put back.

12:27am: Timeout inside of 5 minutes in the 3rd quarter. Very good game so far, Lakers 73-Jazz 71.

12:29am: I mentioned about how much I liked the WNBA commercials. Well, I like the NBA playoff commercials with the split faces talking at the same time nearly as much. Having said that, I'm not sure that Derek Fisher should represent the Lakers in it.

12:31am: Kobe has to start to take over more offensively. We'll see if his back holds up. Harlan discussing how he seems to be laboring a bit.

12:33am: Tied at 73 at the 3:21 mark of the 3rd quarter.

12:35am: Turnovers on both ends. Going to commercial on a Dodge Journey ad, Harlan talking about Collins, says: "he drives as fast as a bullet... he drives with one hand... he gets a pizza... he loves Beverly Hills... and he loves a Dodge Journey.

12:39am: An easy dunk for Brewer, who now has 16 pts. LA is now in a 4 minute scoring drought, as the Jazz get within 1.

12:41am: And-1 drive for Kobe, who now has 22 pts and a free throw coming.

12:44am: Kobe draws a charge from Millsap. 2 point Lakers lead in the final minute of the quarter.

12:45am: Price with a layup at the 8 second mark to tie the game. Farmer misses a 3 at the buzzer. After 3, Utah 81-LA Lakers 81. We are instore for quite a 4th quarter.

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12:47am: Before the drama of the 4th quarter begins, I digress with a picture of the now former couple of Romo and Jessica. Too bad, I thought it could have worked out for them. O well.
12:50am: Big 3 by Radmonovic to start the 4th quarter.
12:51am: Korver hits a rare 2, Utah within 1.
12:52am: The Lakers are bailed out by a Matt Harpring foul against Luke Walton attempting a fade away jumper as the shot clock wound down.
12:54am: Remarkably, the Jazz have never led.
12:55am: Nice pick-and-roll by LA and an excellent finish by Gasol. Deron Williams responds on the other end.
12:56am: Farmar will go to the line to complete the 3 point play...LA leads by 3.
12:57am: Shane Battier just announced that he will no longer be a candidate for the US Olympic team this summer. How was he a candidate to begin with?
12:59am: Kobe has been on the bench for the entire 4th quarter thus far. Lakers up by 2.
1:00am: We're now passed the 5 hour mark of live blogging. My fingers are beginning to tire some. Only 8 minutes left... in regulation.
1:01am: Nice slam by Odom off a feed by Kobe, who just checked back into the game.
1:02am: Terrible foul call by Tommy Washington on Kirilenko against a falling Sasha. Jazz are now into the penalty at the 6:53 mark of the 4th.
1:04am: Gasol reminds me of Chris Webber as a passer. Great feed to Lamar who slams it home and is fouled. Odom makes the foul shot and the Lakers lead by 6.
1:05am: The Jazz committ their postseason high 19th turnover. Timeout on the floor with 6:01 to play in the 4th... 97-91 LA.
1:08am: Upcoming NBA Playoffs schedule- Hornets @ Spurs Game 6 is tomorrow night at 9pm on ESPN. Game 6's of Boston-Cleveland and LA-Utah are Friday night at 8:00 and 10:30, respectively, on ESPN.
1:09am: Jazz now down by 4 after 2 free throws by Okur.
1:11am: Both teams now into the penalty. Boozer to shoot two at the line. He misses the first, makes the second... 3 point game.
1:12am: A lot of fouls in the 4th quarter... Harlan and Collins discussing the importance of free throws down the stretch.
1:13am: Neither team has scored in the last minute. Fisher and Sasha missed 3's for the Lakers and Kirilenko missed a 3 for the Jazz. Timeout on the Floor... 5 point LA lead.
1:17am: Collins on what the Jazz should do: "put the ball in the hands of Deron Williams."
1:18am: Boozer scores off a pass from Williams, 3 point game with 2:43 left.
1:19am: Silly foul by the Jazz on Fisher far away from the basket. Fisher makes both FT's.
1:19am: Sasha picks up a terrible technical foul for yapping with Korver. Collins describes Sasha as "when you're the self-proclaimed machine, you better to come through here."
1:20am: Huge 3 by Deron Williams, just a 1 point game.
1:20am: Dunk by Odom, who now has 22 and 10. LA by 3 with 90 seconds left.
1:21am: Okur with an offensive rebound off of a Deron Williams missed 2, back to a 1 point game.
1:21am: Pau scores down low on the other end... back and forth we go.
1:22am: Quick shot by the Jazz and a missed 3 by Okur.
1:22am: Missed 3 by Sasha, but an offensive rebound and slam by PAU!!! Lakers up by 5, with just 20 seconds left.
1:24am: Matt: "no comments from ssreporters? guess 4 hours of straight hours of following our blog was his limit." I guess so, though he easily broke the comments record for our site tonight.
1:25am: Jazz miss a shot and Fisher is fouled. Derek makes 1 of 2 and the Lakers lead by 6 with 15.5 seconds left.
1:26am: It is certainly looking like no road team will have stood up by night's end. Road teams will fall to 1-19 in the 2nd round. Unbelievable.
1:27am: Boozer hits a baseline jumper to bring the Jazz within 4.
1:28am: Just 3 seconds left, the Lakers lead by 6 and Kobe is fouled.
1:29am: Final score: LA 111-Utah 104. The Lakers now lead the series 3 games to 2. Game 6 will be at 10:30pm on ESPN Friday night.
1:30am: Ok, time to go to sleep. I enjoyed the marathon blogging tonight. I probably will blog the much briefer NBA Draft Lottery next Tuesday night at 8:00. Programming note: You can listen to our coverage of Michigan baseball over the next four days against Northwestern. Rushi Vyas, Andrew Seid, and Rob Salaman will have the call of game one of the series tomorrow night starting at 6:30pm. Talk to you then. Good night!

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up? (CONTINUED)

LIVE BLOG: Jazz @ Lakers Game 5- 1st Half

10:50pm: 8-4 Lakers lead just over 3 minutes into the game.
10:52pm: A nice picture of Phil Jackson and Jeannie Buss.
10:53pm: Brewer with 3 dunks already, 11-8 LA.
10:54pm: Harlan and Collins on the call for TNT. Hopefully, Harlan has another great call like he had for Lebron's dunk in Game 4.
10:55pm: Vladamir hits a shot for the Lakers... 15-8 LA as we head to commercials. Collins lets us know that the Jazz already have 5 turnovers.
10:57pm: Again, I have to reiterate just how great those WNBA commercials are. What a great idea to call out the problems in your own league.
11:00pm: Interesting, I read today that the Jazz were worried about their attendance at Game 4 on Sunday. With the practices of the Mormon faith and their large presence in Salt Lake, Utah thought the might not fill half the arena. Luckily, they were wrong.
11:02pm: Ronnie Brewer with a game high 10 points. Yet, the Lakers lead 19-12.
11:03pm: Kirilenko hits a jumper. Utah within 3.
11:04pm: Quick response by LA with a Radmanovic 3.
11:05pm: Another Vladamir three pointer. Lakers up by 9.
11:06pm: Timeout taken by LA. Great start for the Lakers, as they lead by 7 with 2:52 to play in the 1st quarter.
11:08pm: If you're into the hockey, Dallas avoided the sweep tonight. They beat Detroit 3-1. I'm hoping Game 5 on NBC Saturday goes into overtime, so all the hockey purists can complain about the game shifting to Versus to give way to the Preakness. To me, it's a simple decision for NBC: air a hockey game that barely records a 1.0 rating or the pre-race festivities of the Triple Crown Race that will do more than a 7.0 rating.
11:10pm: I still maintain that when Kyle Korver is on the floor it's a negative for your team. Good job by Eddie Stefanski trading him away from the Sixers.
11:12pm: Korver hits a big 3 to silence me... Jazz down 27-23.
11:13pm: Boozer has only taken 2 shots so far. Wake up, Carlos.
11:14pm: Sloppy 1st quarter, 12 combined turnovers.
11:15pm: Boozer fouled on the way up right at the end of the 1st quarter.
11:17pm: After 1, 29-26 LA. Nice comeback by the Jazz. I got a feeling that this game will go down to the last few minutes of the 4th quarter.
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11:19pm: Picture of the Mormon fans at the Delta... no the Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake. Creative
11:21pm: Hey, ssreporters is sticking with us, stating "gosh this PA announcer for the Lakers is soooooooo boring." I haven't noticed, to be perfectly honest.
11:22pm: Aldridge and Jerry Sloan. Can I get that minute of my life back?
11:23pm: Too many turnovers for Utah... they already have 9 tonight.
11:24pm: Collins going crazy, "uh oh" over one made Farmar three pointer.
11:25pm: Man, how good would the Lakers be if Bynum were healthy?
11:26pm: Deron Williams hits a jumper. Utah is hanging around, only down by 3.
11:27pm: Millsap just picked up his third foul. 36-33 Lakers, inside 9 minutes 2nd quarter.
11:29pm: How much do you think Jacksonville State is paying Ryan Perrilloux to play quarterback? More than USC paid OJ Mayo?
11:30pm: It turns out the last foul was on Korver, not Millsap... Paul still with 2 fouls.
11:33pm: Collins make a good point on where the Jazz are starting their offense from, extremely far away from the basket.
11:34pm: Sasha hits a triple and the Lakers lead by 10. Make it 8 after a Boozer layup.
11:36pm: 45-35 LA, Collins: "The Lakers are getting into the lane at will." I agree... this is looking like a blowout, come the second half.
11:40pm: Harlan and Collins discussing the 'throttle' nickname they have given to Deron Williams.
11:41pm: That Kobe and Pau pick-and-roll is so tough to stop.
11:42pm: My friend that was studying in Barcelona last semester said that on the local newscast, Lakers highlights are usually shown in the first ten minutes. 95% of the highlights are Pau-related.
11:44pm: Okur hits a difficult 3. Wouldn't the Pistons like to have him back?
11:45pm: Miles with an awesome dunk for the Jazz. Nice call by Harlan, saying that Miles "drops the sledgehammer."
11:48pm: I just found the American Idol results. Syesha Mercado voted off and next week it'll be a David Cook-David Archuleta finale.
11:49pm: Utah creeping closer, down by 5 with the ball.
11:50pm: What a feed from Bryant to Gasol running the floor. 55-50 Lakers lead with a minute left in the half.
11:52pm: Kobe with 13 pts now after a steal and layup on the other end.
11:53pm: Harlan says The Closer is the #1 cable series of all time and that "it is not very funny."
11:54pm: Entertaining 1st half. LA 61- Utah 54. Pau and Kobe combined for 28 pts. Back with the second half in a new blog at 12:10am.

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up? (Continued)

LIVE BLOG: Cavs @ Celtics Game 5- 2nd Half

Ok, a fresh blog for the second half. Over/under 40 for Lebron. I'm taking the over.

9:26pm: Didn't learn much from halftime. Avery didn't add much insight into where he'll be coaching next year. The Bulls seem likea pretty good fit to me.

9:27pm: Wow, Big Brown is a 1-2 favorite at the Preakness. He's not even worth betting on. Alright, back to basketball.

9:28pm: A nice picture of Doc Rivers. I wonder what he said at the half. Bill Simmons has an idea...http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080514 Hopefully, Simmons leaves ESPN.com soon. It'd be nice to see him rip on his fellow employess.

9:29pm: O, TNT had a camera inside the Celtics locker room. Doc told his team to "make the extra pass every time down."

9:30pm: Quick start for Boston with a Ray Allen bucket. Just a 1 point game.

9:31pm: Another basket by the C's and then a turnover by Cleveland. Boston leads.

9:32pm: Rondo looks terrific to start the second half. Cassell should really never come off the bench.

9:33pm: Man, Fratello is older than I thought. Doc Rivers played 7 years for him.

9:34pm: Great defensive play by Rondo to strip Delonte West. TNT is stuggling with their scoreboard. It just changed from 50-48 Boston to 49-49. I guess we're tied.

9:35pm: Fratello discussing the hand signals of Mike Brown. Stockton took a shot at Spygate.

9:36pm: Tied at 53. Garnett and Z exchange baskets.

9:37pm: Ben Wallace is playing like it is 2004.

9:39pm: The last few minutes have been played at a very high level. 60-57 Boston.

9:40pm: Largest lead of the game for the C's at 5. Mike Brown takes a TO as Dick Stockton says, "we're cruising through the streets of Boston."

9:42pm: ssreporters: "It may already be over. Why they are letting LeBron not handle the ball is beyond me, and Boston won't miss because Cleveland's big men are probably the most unathletic of all time." I'm not sure that it's over yet, but Lebron has to get the ball more.

9:43pm: Wow, how great are those WNBA commercials. I may actually watch.

9:44pm: Why is Joe Smith drving to the basket? Cavs are in real trouble.

9:45pm: Hey, Ryan Howard homered... Phils down by 3.

9:47pm: Stockton on Perkin's defense of Lebron, "he squeezed him."

9:50pm: ssreporters: "I'm convinced Boston will win by 20 now...Plus the NBA is fixing this so that the favorites make their way in like Detroit, Boston, LA...maybe San Antonio." I don't believe in NBA conspiracies... why did Oden and Durant go to Portland and Seattle, respectively? However, assigning Joey Crawford to that Spurs game last night certainly leads you to believe the NBA would like to oust the Spurs from the playoffs.

9:51pm: Joe Smith to the line to shoot 2 as Perkins picks up his 4th foul. Boston leads by 8.

9:53pm: Fratello saying the Celtics listened to their head coach. Now, that's a first.

9:54pm: Boston up double digits. Lebron still has not scored this quarter. I guess I lost that over/under bet.

9:56pm: Lebron finally hits his first field goal of the second half. 71-61 Celtics with less than a minute left in the 3rd.

9:58pm: Boston up by 9 after outscoring the Cavs 29-17 the 3rd quarter, alone.

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9:59pm: ssreporters: "You believe me now Rob S.? Cleveland Centers = Series Loss." Yeah, starting too. That was an ugly quarter for them. Lebron needs a huge 4th or this series is over. I don't see Cleveland winning a Game 7 in Boston.

10:03pm: Nice glasses I found on Big Ben.

10:05pm: Gibson to the locker room with an apparent injury. Too many missed free throws for the Cavs.

10:07pm: Game being called very closely to start the 4th quarter. TNT doesn't want the Lakers game to start until 10:50.

10:08pm: Joe Smith with a nice basket, as the Cavs get back within 8.

10:09pm: Garnett now 10 for 15. Lebron scores on the on the other end. He now has 27 pts.

10:10pm: Big Baby Davis with an awkard foul on Wally. 80-70 Boston leads as we get a TO nearly halfway through the 4th quarter.

10:11pm: By the way, Phils lost 8-6 to the Braves. Rubber game of the series is tomorrow.

10:14pm: TNT with their Yellowbook Future Faces feature of David West out of the commercial.

10:15pm: I like the Spurs to come back and win in 7.

10:16pm: Booby Gibson with a shoulder contusion injury. Not good news for the Cavs down the stretch.

10:17pm: Rondo with a runner in the lane, C's up by 12. Amazing how different of a team they are at home.

10:19pm: It looks like home teams will go to 18-1 in the 2nd round of the playoffs. That 8.5 point spread is still in play.

10:21pm: Those NBA Cares features are a little much. Maybe I spoke to soon as West drives to the basket for 2.

10:22pm: Offensive foul on LeBron. Boston has really ramped up the D in the second half.

10:24pm: West is the best player on the floor right now... Cavs down by 8 with 4 minutes left. Cleveland has missed 10 free throws.

10:26pm: Stockton: "Rondo is the player of the game, has turned it over only once."

10:29pm: Fratello discussing the size of the trophy given to Danny Ainge for being named Executive of the Year.

10:31pm: Celtics closing in on a 3-2 series lead. I still have a feeling that we will back in Boston for a Game 7 on Sunday afternoon.

10:32pm: Hold on, West with a steal. Now, its just a 6 point game.

10:33pm: Wally misses a big 3 with 90 seconds left.

10:34pm: Pierce makes 1 of 2 from the line. Boston up 7. LeBron to the basket to make it 89-84 C's.

10:36pm: Pierce back to the foul line and makes both.

10:37pm: LeBron fould en route to the basket. He should have been more aggressive earlier this quarter.

10:38pm: Stockton: "This is playoff basketball, so hard fouls are the rule."

10:38pm: West with a steal and hits both free throws to bring the Cavs within 4.

10:39pm: Stockton lets us know that when we return it will be time for the Charles Schwab Time to Talk. I can't wait.

10:40pm: Boston milks the clock and gets the rebound off of a Garnett miss. The Cavs are forced to foul Pierce with 15.6 seconds left.

10:41pm: Pierce makes both free throws. Bos 93-Cle 87. Stockton: "3 pointers have to be the order of the day for the Cavaliers."

10:43pm: ssreporters: "Some of the most careless mistakes ever by Boston. Cleveland should be dead by now." I agree, at least it looks like I'll win against the spread.

10:44pm: West is fouled with 12.2 seconds left. Two foul shots down by 6.

10:45pm: Delonte makes both. Cleveland immediately fouls both. Game status: 93-89 Boston, 11.6 secs left.

10:46pm: Jazz-Lakers started on TBS. They couldn't have waited two more minutes. Pierce makes both... timeout Cavs.

10:47pm: 5 second violation for the Cavs. That should do it.

10:49pm: EJ lets us know it's 3-0 Lakers. The Celtics survive a late scare and win Game Five 96-89. The dominance of home teams continues. The live-blogging continues with a fresh blog for the Jazz-Lakers Game 5.

Pistons: Sixth Straight Conference Finals-Schizophrenic or Not, the Pistons are for Real Now...I think

As a huge Pistons' fan, the last few years have taught me not to put trust in the team and get my hopes up. After multiple years of the team deciding not to try their hardest and overly relying on their "we've been here before attitude" I was learning that this group of guys might not ever win it all again. But even with that attitude, they, without fail, continued to reach the eastern conference finals simply due to the talent Joe Dumars assembled. But they would still lose early, either to the Heat or the Cavs' the last two years since they decided they were too good to try.
That looked to be the same in the first round against the 76'ers when the Pistons allowed themselve to get down 2-1 with a twenty point drubbing by the 6'ers. I thought it was the same disappointing team I'd watched for the past two playoffs. With no sense of urgency, the Pistons let themselves go down 2-1 by going into game 3 with the attitude that it was not indeed a must win situation. Chauncey Billups, the team leader, was the one proclaiming that sentiment. I honestly thought the Pistons' attitude was going to be their downfall again and I thought they would somehow get through the 6'ers series, but then fall to Orlando without much of a fight. They had taught me not to believe and I started to worry about what Joe Dumars might do in the offseasonBut, perhaps the troubles against the 6'ers finally turned the team's attitude around. As if exits to the Heat, and even more troubling, the Cavs' last year (after a 2-0 lead) weren't enough, it seems the Pistons needed the challenge of the Sixers to finally smack them awake. After tying the first round series at 2 a piece, the Pistons closed out the series with a couple of decisive wins and I was thinking "maybe they get it." But then again, I would tell myself, don't get your hopes up, let's wait and see if they decide to play against Orlando. Well, they did. Starting the series with a blowout and then another big win at home, the Pistons looked like they finally understood they needed to play like everyone else. Game 3's big loss can be explained by losing Chauncey Billups during the course of the game. The loss of Billups now seemed like the perfect excuse for the Pistons not to show up.
Detroit always has claimed to play better in the face of adversity (even after losing in the face of it the last two postseasons), this would be a perfect chance to prove they could still do it. They did, coming back from a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit to win in a nailbiter, without Chauncey, and then closing out the series at home, without Chauncey. The reason the Pistons were able to win without Billups is because they all actually played with a sense of urgency throughout the game. There was great defensive effort on nearly each possession which is something that was obviously lacking against the Cavs' and Heat. Maybe having a rookie point guard on the floor made the other starters avoid playing with a "sense of entitlement" and actually give a full effort (wow what a great idea). Now the Pistons get to nurse Chauncey back to health, for probably a week, while Cleveland and Boston duke it out. If they are able to maintain that sense of urgency when the laid back Billups returns, the Pistons might be unbeatable. Even though I might be biased as a fan, the lineup the Pistons have had since the year after they won the championship, is in my opinion the best lineup, on paper, in the NBA. Their only fierce rival is themselves. Maybe they have finally beaten that alter ego. I will say it, I think they have.
The Pistons are the team to beat, not only in the East, but in the NBA since they seem to have figured out how to play hard every game of a series. They cannot slip back into the attitude that "if we lose a game, we're fine." That is the only thing that can stop this team from getting a second ring. McDyess wants his first, the bench is finally young (always playing hard), and the four mainstays of Billups, Prince, Wallace, and Hamilton finally have enough critics to prove wrong. The Pistons play best in the face of adversity. The last two seasons they had been the favorites, not many doubters. Therefore, they had to beat themselves to the point that the doubters would appear. They are here, and with Billups back in the lineup, they either have to play the team that knocked them out last year, or the team that has stolen all the awards this season. The Pistons are a lock for the NBA finals, at least while their alter ego is banished.

Did you know that: Six straight Conference Finals appearances is something that is extremely rare. While a number of teams have reached five in a row, Detroit is only the 2nd team in NBA history to reach the conference finals 6 straight times since the NBA has had "conferences" instead of only "divisions" (1971-72). The only other team is the L.A. Lakers who reached 8 in a row from the 1981-82 season through the 88-89 season.

Game 5's: Will A Road Team Please Stand Up?

I enjoyed live blogging Game 6 of the Pistons-Sixers series last week. So, I'll be back at it tonight with two pivotal Game 5's, Celtics-Cavs at 8pm and Lakers-Jazz at 10:30pm. Just a hunch, but I think Lebron may have a Game 5 performance like last year up his sleeve tonight. Also, Avery Johnson will be a guest in the TNT studio. The 5+ hour live blogging marathon begins at 8:00. Talk to you then.

Predictions: Cleveland (+8) and LA Lakers (-8.5).

LIVE BLOG: Cavs @ Celtics Game 5- 1ST HALF

8:00pm: Ok, top of the hour and ready to go. I'm very much looking forward to these two games. Two big news items prior to tipoff: 1-Kobe is expected to play despite the back injury and 2-Edwards endorsed Obama...finally. Alright, time for basketball.

8:01pm: Excellent intro video tease by Ernie Johnson of TNT.

8:02pm: Dick Stockton and Mike Fratello on hand at the Garden for the call on TNT. I can't help to think back when a much younger Stockton, alongside Hubie Brown, called the Celtics-Lakers NBA Finals games of the 1980s at the old Boston Garden for CBS.

8:03pm: Celtics win the opening tip. Shot clock violation for the C's right out of the gate.

8:04pm: I happen to disagree with Rushi's statement on the Pistons in the above post that they "are the team to beat, not only in the east." I'd take the Lakers and Spurs against them in the Finals.

8:05pm: What a start. The Cavs out-do the Celtics with a missed technical free throw for a defensive 3 and then a shot clock violation.

8:06pm: Lebron makes his 1st shot. I'm telling you...he's due for a huge game.

8:09pm: Wally nails a 3 pointer. Great start for the Cavs, they lead 7-2.

8:10pm: Rondo shoots too much...turnover by the Cavs, now 4 and a half minutes into the game.

8:12pm: Good end-to-end action. Pierce hits a 3 for Boston and then Lebron gets a steal and gets a conventional three point play.

8:13pm: Ray Allen with 2 fouls at the 6:17 mark of the 1st quarter.

8:15pm: 1st TV timeout of the game. Excellent start for Cleveland... leading by 3. Lebron with 7 points early.

8:17pm: I have a free minute to talk about the lack of success of road teams in these playoffs. 1-17 this round. I'm not sure if I've heard a great reason why. At least, no one can argue next year that the NBA regular season doesn't matter.

8:20pm: Fratello: "2 parts to the shot, one is getting there and the other is finishing the shot."

8:21pm: So far, Skip Bayless is right... Kevin Garnett is really Kevin 'Gar-not'.

8:22pm: Lebron is driving it to the basket at ease. James with 11 early as the Cavs lead 16-9.

8:26pm: ssreporters: "Sasha Varejao...er...Pavlovic." Stockton is up there in years. I remember when he called the Eagles-Falcons playoff game a few years ago and called the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers.

8:28pm: Terrible pass by Lebron, easily stolen by Rando. Nice run by Boston to get within 3.

8:29pm: Good call on the block against Varejao, Pierce at the line to complete the 3 point play.

8:30pm: Huge 1st quarter for Wally, now with 8 pts.

8:31pm: Cle 23-Bos 18 after 1. Stockton: "It looks like King James has emerged as a scoring threat." You think.

************************************************************************************

8:32pm: ssreporters: "Me thinks Cleveland's 50 turnovers in a quarter will bite them in the 4th....again." Wouldn't suprise me. I got a funny feeling though Lebron will pull it out in the 4th.

8:35pm: As usual, I learned nothing from the Cheryl Miller interview with Doc Rivers.

8:36pm: Sam Cassell in the game. Fratello might put Eddie House in the game for Cassell. Wow, maybe Sam really should retire.

8:37pm: Good point by the Czar on Lebron guarding Cassell.

8:38pm: O, what a move by Lebron. Then, he forces a turnover on the other end. 27-20 Cavs...Lebron has 15.

8:39pm: Stockton: "Sam Cassell is 0-12 in the last 3 games."

8:40pm: Joe Smith with a bucket, Cavs up by 9. Remember when Smith was the #1 pick from Maryland. Man, that's a long time ago.

8:41pm: Stockton going into the commercial: "Where did Lebron James go? He left the court." Huh?

8:43pm: ssreporters, you may set the comments record for our site. I agree, it's only a matter of time before Stockton says, "And James goes in for the touchdown!"

8:44pm: Dick and the Czar talking about the Cavs past uniforms and stadium seat colors. Good times.

8:45pm: Boston does realize it can't win on the road. Their now down double digits.

8:47pm: I would start booing. This is getting ugly.

8:49pm: Ray Allen hits a 3... the Garden crowd into the game for the first time tonight. 8 point game as the Cavs call time.

8:53pm: A nice pic of Sam Cassell.

8:54pm: Garnett gets the bounce off the rim, now a 6 point game.

8:55pm: Make it 8 after Lebron drives to the bucket for 2.

8:56pm: Fratello on James: "the best open field runner in Cleveland since Jim Brown."

8:59pm: Rando hits two 3's in a row. Boston within 6.

9:02pm: Quick check of the Phils, down 8-4 to the Braves after 6. What happened to Brett Myers?

9:04pm: Game status-Lebron has 23 pts, 43-39 Cavs with 1:33 left in the half.

9:05pm: Huge 3 from Delonte West. Garnett hits a shot on the other end for Boston.

9:06pm: Doc calls a 20 second TO. I'm sure he'll draw up a great play.

9:08pm: Well, I was wrong on that one. Nice shot by Pierce. C's have to feel pretty happy to only be down 46-43 at the half. Boston ended the half on 14-3 run.

9:09pm: Lebron with 23 pts in the 1st two quarters. Enjoy Avery Johnson at the half. I'll be back with a fresh blog in 15 for the second half.

Baseball/Softball This Week

Here's the Michigan baseball and softball schedule for the week ahead. The Michigan baseball team has already wrapped up the Big Ten regular season championship. Meanwhile, the softball team is the #4 national seed and hosts a regional to start the NCAA tournament. I'm still not entirely sure what our broadcast schedule will be. We will certainly broadcast the Michigan-Northwestern baseball game on Thursday night. Coverage on the WCBN Sports Stream begins at 6:30pm on Thursday.

THURSDAY
Baseball: 6:35pm Northwestern @ Michigan

FRIDAY
Baseball (DH): 4:05pm Northwestern @ Michigan
Softball: 7:00pm Wright State @ Michigan
Baseball (DH): 7:05pm Northwestern @ Michigan

SATURDAY
Softball: 12:00pm or 2:30pm Notre Dame/Kent State @ Michigan
Baseball: 1:05pm Northwestern @ Michigan

SUNDAY
Softball: 1:00pm TBD

Laval Lucas-Perry Wins NCAA Appeal

The NCAA ruled yesterday that Laval Lucas-Perry will have three years of eligibility left after the conclusion of the 2008-09 season. Perry still is not eligible to play until the conclusion of the fall semester in December, but this is a favorable ruling for the Wolverines. Perry played five games for Arizona last fall, averaging 4.0 points per game before deciding to transfer closer to home.

Perry scored 27 ppg as a junior and 20 ppg as a senior at Flint Powers High School. He also followed in the Courtney Sims model of success as he was named all conference as part of the #1 varsity doubles team.

Bitter Braylon

The Michigan Football program came under fire once again Tuesday, this time from its most prestigious alum in recent history. In an interview with ESPN's Mike Tirico on ESPN Radio Tuesday, Braylon Edwards expressed his displeasure towards Coach Rich Rodriguez's decision to assign the "No.1 Jersey" to incoming freshman J.T. Floyd, a defensive back. Tirico (a frequent visitor to the Ann Arbor area and Michigan sporting events) asked Edwards if he had any comment on the new regime in Ann Arbor, and Edwards took the opportunity in stride. Edwards said he had no problem with Rich Rod as a coach, but was noticeably upset that Rodriguez had disrupted the tradition of the No.1 Jersey being worn by the team's best wideout. This tradition had dated back to the Anthony Carter days, and has been passed on through the years to the likes of David Terrell and Barylon Edwards most recently. Edwards also recently endowed the jersey with a 500,000 dollar scholarship fund, which provides scholarship money to the player currently sporting Braylon's old uniform. Edwards' generosity is the largest scholarship donation made by any former player in program history.

I haven't always been a huge Braylon Edwards fan, but I have to side with him on this one. If I just put down half a million bucks for a rookie to wear the jersey I had to wait two years to wear, I'd be a little steamed, too. The thing that really gets me is the fact that no one said anything to Coach Rod when this happened. Umm Coach? Number 1 is sort of a big deal around here. That was in the first chapter of the assigned reading about Michigan Tradition. Oh, and there is 500 grand attached to it by an All-Pro alum. Just a heads up. I understand he's new, but come on! There had to be SOMEBODY who said something to the guy. All in all, it was not a good week for Coach Rod (Earlier in the week, Charlie "I only recruit trust fund babies" Weiss called out him and the University in anticipation for making excuses for a potentially sub par 2008 season).

Does Braylon have a point? Or should Coach Rod give Bo's Lasting Lessons another read-through?

Latest Acedemic Progress Reports Released

Tuesday the NCAA released its annual Academic Progress Report (APR). The APR is the NCAA's new way to gage a school's academic progress on a sport by sport basis. The scoring system is a bit complicated, so instead of trying to confuse you by trying to explain it, I'll let a professional journalist do it.

From the St.Louis Post-Dispatch:

The scores are calculated by giving teams one point for each athlete that stays in school and another for each athlete that remains academically eligible. The point totals are then divided by the team’s maximum points possible to derive a score equivalent to a percentage.

Per NCAA guidelines, teams that score below 925 and have a student leave school academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships. Known as immediate penalties, these scholarships can be lost each year and not awarded until the following year.

Starting next year, teams that receive three straight years of historical penalties (below 900 APR) face the potential of restrictions on postseason competition for the team, in addition to scholarship and practice restrictions.

Over 700 Division I teams had APR scores below the required 925, however only 218 were punished, ranging from warnings to scholarship restrictions. Among BCS schools, eighteen schools were penalized, eight each in men's and women's basketball and two in football. Around the Big Ten, the most notable punishment was Purdue losing one scholarship for men's basketball.

On the bright side, the NCAA also released a list of schools receiving Public Recognition Awards, given out to a team finishing in the top 10 percent of the APR in their sport. Michigan received four such awards, for baseball, men's and women's golf, and women's tennis, with both golf teams and the women's tennis teams receiving perfect scores. The only Michigan team to come close to missing the APR guidelines was the men's basketball team, with a score of 927. You can get a complete breakdown of every Michigan sport here. Every Big Ten team received at least one award, and Northwestern led the conference with 8 awards. Some other notes from across the country, Duke had the most awards of any BCS school with 12 awards, and Yale led all schools with 28 awards (note that there are only 29 possible sports in which to win awards). As should be expected, each team in the Ivy League received awards, with Colombia taking home the fewest, 9, although only 5 other non-Ivy teams had higher totals (behind the US Naval Academy, Duke, Georgetown, Boston College, and Stanford).

The new NCAA policies seem to be working, as over the last four years scores have increased in 26 of the 29 sports covered by the APR (men's ice hockey, men's swimming, and men's water polo decreased). Overall women's teams had an average score of 969, while men's teams had an average of 951.

Construction in Ann Arbor? You don't say...

On the heels of the Udoh announcement that he is leaving town for greener pastures, Michigan AD Bill Martin has announced that plans have begun to start construction on a new basketball practice facility. The BTN interviewed Martin, in which he said architects have been hired and plans were in motion to put the new facility on the East side of the stadium (this is where the bus stop is currently located at the foot of the Crisler Arena hill). No timetable has been set for the project.

While this is good news, there are still a few red flags that are raised from these comments. The biggest of these is timing. Although Martin did not specify when it was supposed to be finished by, I can't imagine it will be anytime soon. With the football stadium not supposed to be totally completed until after '10, the football practice facility still being redone, and new soccer field being built behind the Varsity Tennis Center, this puts "Basketball Practice facility" way down the "To-Do List." For a basketball program that has players jumping from it like rats on a sinking ship, this is not good news. Michigan cannot compete with the MSUs or the Illinois type programs without a practice facility to show recruits. This is something that Martin is going to need to bring some luster back to a once storied program. Although Martin has given fans a light at the end of the tunnel, no one has any idea just how long that tunnel is going to be.

Sidenote: With the aforementioned Udoh gone, Michigan boasts a front line of Shepard, Sims, and Gibson. Backing up Gibson is Puls and Cronin, and neither one of them has played in a college game. Somewhere, a season ticket holder weeps into his Jalen Rose Day t-shirt. If this doesn't motivate the Athletic Department to sell Maize Rage tickets for 25 dollars for the whole season, I don't know what would. Women's season tickets go for that much, and they are at least an NIT team!

The last red flag is Martin's refusal to be interviewed by the local press about the announcement. Free Press writer Mark Snyder's Tuesday article included Martin declining to be interviewed on the matter. Why the hell would Martin go on national television to talk about breaking ground on a new building, but not do it locally and alienate the local fan base/media even further? Now, I'm not saying Martin isn't true to his word, but this does show me that it's possible even he does not know when visual progress can be seen by fans when they drive down to Crisler Arena.

Dodd's Preseason Football Rankings

Dennis Dodd, a CBSSports.com Senior Writer, has released his preseason college football rankings. Here are some relevant highlights:

1. Ohio St: "Thirteen juniors explored the draft, only one declared -- Vernon Gholston. That should tell you that the Bucks are absolutely loaded. Mix in the roll of baby-soft Charmin known as the Big Ten schedule and this is the team to beat."

9. West Virginia: "Is there a more elusive quarterback than Patrick White? Is there a faster breakaway runner than Noel Devine? The Mountaineers remain the class of the Big East in Bill Stewart's first season."

12. Illinois: "Heart-and-soul guys J Leman and Rashard Mendenhall are gone. Few in Champaign are sweating, though. The Illini will know where they're heading by early October. By then they will have played Missouri and taken trips to Penn State and Michigan."

15. Wisconsin: "Spring ended with the quarterback situation unsettled. But who needs a rocket arm with the Badgers' running game and tight end Travis Beckum?"

16. LSU: "Perrilloux leaving will cost Les Miles the SEC West. A schedule that includes eight home games will soften the blow. The season opener against Appalachian State just became huge with an inexperienced quarterback playing against the defending I-AA champions. Don't laugh. Ask Michigan."

23. Michigan St.: "The Spartans seem to be everyone's sleeper for '08. This is a program ready to turn the corner. All six of Michigan State's losses were by a touchdown or less. Tailback Javon Ringer was held out of the spring because of shoulder surgery."

Don't read too much into this... it's Dennis Dodd's preseason rankings. But still, this hurts. Not only has Michigan dropped out of the Big Ten, but they are apparently ranked well below Illinois, as well as below Michigan St. and possibly Penn St. Again, this is according to Dennis Dodd. But the team that Rich Rod leaves is ranked in the top 10, Michigan is viewed as a team which won't finish in the top four/five (depending on where you have Penn St. ranked... I personally have Michigan ranked as the #4 team in the conference behind Ohio St., Wisconsin, and Illinois in that order), and Appalachian St. jabs are gonna keep coming.

I'm mostly just curious what everyone else thinks of these rankings... is Dodd crazy? Is Michigan St. a legitimate threat in the Big Ten? Is Michigan going to surprise everyone and ride a weak schedule to a two-loss season? Who knows? But we might as well rant and rave as if we do.

Ekpe Udoh Decides to Transfer

Ekpe Udoh is the latest basketball player to leave the team as he announced his plans to transfer today. Udoh had been contemplating leaving the program since the end of the season and while he did not name potential new schools, he did have this to say about the Michigan Program:

"This was a very difficult decision for me, I just feel I need to explore other options right now. I had a wonderful experience at Michigan and I want to thank everyone for helping me the last two years. I wish them nothing but success in the future."

Well that opens up another scholarship...wonder when they're having open tryouts?

Michigan Rowing takes 5th @ Big 10 Championships

On Sunday, the #11 ranked Michigan Women's Rowing team placed 5th at the 2008 Big 10 Rowing Championships in Belleville, Michigan. Michigan State sailed to an easy win, outscoring 2nd place Wisconsin by 36 points. Sailed...that was a boating joke...

Anyways, normally rowing would probably not earn a post on the WCBN Blog, but since I attended the tournament, I felt inclined to write about it. My friend Kyle Wolfe and I have been on this quest to see each and every Michigan varsity athletic team in action. We knew rowing would be a tough one to get to since A)they don't have many home meets and B)The home meets are in Belleville, about 15 miles east down I-94.

When we saw that Michigan would be hosting the 2008 Big 10 Championships, we knew that we better seize the opportunity and go watch especially since it's summer now and neither one of us has much to do during the days anyways. To pass the time and stay in shape we've been biking around Ann Arbor, going on trips that have been around 10 miles, just to explore and see what's around past the U of M campus area.

I mapquested the trip to Belleville and saw that it was about 17 miles each way. I figured neither one of us had anything else to do on Saturday, why not try to bike it? Kyle was up for the challenge so at 9:15 we left Ann Arbor on bicycle heading down Washtenaw. Here's the route we ended up taking:

Start: State Street & Packard
1) Packard to E. Stadium
2) E. Stadium to Washtenaw
3) Washtenaw to Carpenter
4) Carpenter to Textile Rd
5) Textile Rd to Rawsonville Rd

The ride there took about 1:45 and was fairly uneventful. We were disappointed to learn that the bulk of the trip did not have sidewalks for us, but since it was pretty early on a Saturday morning, traffic was fairly light.

Michigan hadn't done very well in the preliminaries but the way the rowing championships are formatted, there are are three levels that compete. Novice (which one of the championship personnel explained to us are the freshman who are recruited for Title IX proportionality purposes), Varsity II (JV), and Varsity I. Michigan only managed to get one of their varsity I boats in the grand final. The Varsity I eight boat (there are eight-person boats and four-person boats that compete) took second to OSU in the grand varsity eight final. Michigan's Varsity II four also advanced to the grand final, but took fourth place.

The rowing was actually pretty interesting to watch, mainly because we snuck into the "credentialed officials only" area so we could figure out what exactly was going on. There was a man doing play-by-play of all the races who was out in the water on a bat that kept pace with the rowers. He was pretty entertaining and even controversial when he drew some criticism for announcing that Ohio State's coxswain lost the race for her team with poor steering. The Indiana and Iowa State coaches that were standing next to us weren't too happy with him for saying that.

We stayed and watched for about four hours with our eyes to the sky hoping that the forcasted storms would hold off. Well, they did hold off for the rowing, but as most people climbed into the shelter of their cars, we set out on bike in a downpour. The route back included about a mile to get out of the park and back onto the street so sure enough, the dirt paths mixed with heavy rains resulted in a very muddy Stu and Kyle.

As soon as we got out to the road, the rain let up and other than some scattered drops the rest of the trip the weather wasn't a major obstacle. The wind did make some of the biking pretty difficult but the biggest problem we faced was construction on Carpenter Road that made for two very narrow lanes. As we were about halfway through the .5 mile stretch of construction, a True Green Lawn Care Truck decided to pass me and in the process clipped my elbow sending me into the raised curb. While I didn't actually fall, that was definitely the worst part of the ride.

In total, it ended up being about a 35 mile bike ride that took us roughly 3:30 roundtrip. Upon getting back home we decided to go watch Michigan Baseball as they wrapped up a doubleheader versus Ohio State. We got to Ray Fisher Stadium in time to watch the final few innings of Michigan's 3-2 loss to OSU.

It was a good day as we crossed another sport off the list. Last Saturday we took a trip to East Lansing to watch Michigan Men's Golf play in the Big Ten Championships at MSU. We watched golf for about an hour, went and called the Michigan vs Michigan State Softball game over at Old College Park. Then we went back to watch the last few holes of Bill Rankin's day as he was tied for the lead before we started watching but ended up finishing third.






Despite the sale, we didn't quite have enough cash on us to take home a puppy. Plus, how would we have carried it?

Michigan Softball Wins Share of Big 10 Title

With a 3-0 win over Penn State in State College, PA today #6 ranked Michigan improves to 48-5 and will be the co-Big 10 Champions along with Northwestern. The #11 ranked Wildcats defeated Michigan State 6-1 and because they won a coin flip last week, the Wildcats will host the Big 10 Tournament May 8-10th in Evanston, IL.

Dorian Shaw and Sam Findlay homered for Michigan as all of their runs scored in the series against Penn State were via the home run. Findlay's homer was her 21st of the season which ties her own single season record that she set her freshman year in 2005 when they won the national title. Not that I'm suggesting anything....



Michigan will be in action Tuesday at 7pm when team USA comes to town led by Jennie Finch and Cat Osterman. Be sure to head down to Alumni Field to check it out in person or listen live on the WCBN Sports Stream.

Not His Best Stuff

I'm sitting here watching ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, and I am stunned at some of the statements made by color commentator Joe Morgan. Normally Joe does a decent job in these games (he has won an Emmy for his work), but he is off his game today. Since I have nothing better to do I have decided to list them. I will probably be updating these throughout the game.

As ESPN shows Todd Wellemeyer's stats, which include 36 k in 37 IP
"He [Wellemeyer] doesn't strike out a lot of hitters"

Right after Wellemeyer throws a 94 mph fastball and before he throws a 96 mph fastball
"He's not a hard thrower"

After Jason Marquis throws an 83 mph slider
"It didn't look like his fastball"

Michigan 2 Penn State 0 (10 Innings)

Michigan played their longest game of the year last night, taking a full 10 innings to defeat Penn State in State College, PA. With the game still scoreless in the top of the 10th inning, Sophomore Angela Findlay homered to right to give the Wolverines all the runs they would need. Next up was Sam Findlay who gave Michigan some insurance as she stepped up to the plate and drove the ball deep over the left field fence giving Michigan the 2-0 lead. Jordan Taylor picked up her 26th win of the year as she came on to work the final 3.1 innings in relief of starting pitcher, Nikki Nemitz.

With Northwestern defeating Michigan State 6-3 in East Lansing to keep pace with Michigan atop the Big 10 Standings. Should both teams win (or lose) today, a coin flip becomes the tiebreaker to determine who hosts the Big 10 Tournament. The coin flip has already been conducted at the league offices with Northwestern winning.

Big 10 Softball Tiebreakers
1) Head-to-head record: Michigan and Northwestern split their two-game series last Sunday
2) Record against common opponents: Michigan and Northwestern each lost one game to Iowa
3) Coin flip: Northwestern has won this tiebreaker and will host the Big 10 Tournament should the teams remain tied at the end of the season.

Here are some highlights from last night's 2-0 win in 10 innings over Penn State:


And here are some highlights of the split versus Northwestern last Sunday as well as interviews with Sam Findlay, Allie Giampaolo, and Coach Hutchins:

John Belien extends Bob Huggins by 11 years

So one of Michigan's former West Virginia University coaches decided to pay his buyout and WVU sure didn't sit on it for long:
It was announced today that WVU has extended the contract of basketball coach, Bob Huggins for 11 more years at $1.5 million per year. I'm sure this check from Beilein helped with that financing. Beilein decided to pay the first installment of his $1.5 million buyout "under protest." Gotta love that the check is written from a Bank of Ann Arbor account...Any guesses as to who owns the Bank of Ann Arbor? If you answered U of M Athletic Director, Bill Martin then you'd be correct!

Live Game Blog: Michigan v Ohio State Baseball

Top 9th
And if you had taken the 20-1 odds that Mike Tobin offered against Putnam coming back out for the ninth, you could be fairly well off. Burgoon is ready and wam out in left field as he's just watching Putnam work. Lead off single for Zach Hurley and let's see how long Maloney stays with his starter. Big break for Michigan as Brian Delucia hits a sharp liner that Abraham fields on one hop, goes to second for one and the turn is in time for a double play! OSU down to their last out...and there it is, 4-3 ground out does it for Michigan as Zach Putnam turns in a complete game gem. Michigan a winner over Ohio State 4-1!

Bottom 8th
Cavs are about eight minutes from the second round as their lead is out to twenty. Lebron James has his triple double with 20 pts, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. It'll be Ryan LaMarre, Chris Berset, and Kevin Cislo to bat for Michigan in the eighth. Tyler Burgoon continues to warm up out in the Michigan bullpen and with Putnam at 120 pitches, it is highly unlikely that he comes back out for a ninth inning of work. Leadoff walk for LaMarre who is promptly picked off when Berset missed a sacrifice bunt attempt. Cislo is now issued a walk so Michigan has a two-out baserunner for Jason Christian. It's De-ja-vu for Michigan as now Cislo gets caught in a pickle and is tagged out as he was caught leaning towards second. Michigan 4 Ohio State 1 after 8.

Top 8th
Putnam back out there in his 8th inning of work despite topping the 100 pitch mark. Putnam gets the first two buckeyes out quickly on groundouts but here comes J.B. Shuck who is 3-3 on the day with three singles. He's been the only Buckeye to figure Putnam out as they've only managed five hits as a team. Wow, make that six hits as a team and a 4-4 day for Shuck. Shuck normally wears number four, but today his uniform has the number seven on it. Lucky number seven I guess, maybe he'll stick with this one from now on. Putnam strikes out Justin Miller on his 120th pitch of the game to end the inning as it's now 4-1 Michigan.

Bottom 7th
Cislo grounds out to 2nd for the first out of the 7th. Jason Christian stays red hot with a single through the right side. Leif Mahler reaches on a bunt single. 2 on for Michigan now with just 1 out. RBI single by Nate Recknagel, runners still on 1st and 2nd with 1 out. The lead is now 3-1 for the Wolverines. Make it 4-1 Michigan after a RBI single from Zach Putnam. Jake Hale is done... he leaves as the losing pitcher of record. RHP Alex Wimmers is the new Ohio State pitcher. Abraham strikes out looking for the 2nd out. Both runners advance on a wild pitch by Wimmers. The inning comes to a close as VanBuskirk strikes out swinging. However, Michigan gets 2 important insurance runs and now has a 3 run lead.

Top 7th
Base hit right back up the middle by Cory Rupert. Rupert gets a great jump and steals second on the first pitch to Dew. Dew grounds out Recknagel at first. Rupert now at 3rd, representing the tying run, with only 1 out. Maloney out to visit with Putnam... No action in the Michigan bullpen. Burkhart hits a flyball to VanBuskirk to left. It's too shallow too score Rupert, who has to stay put at 3rd base. Putnam retires Engle to end the inning. 7th inning stretch time at the Fish, Michigan still up 2-1.

Bottom 6th
VanBuskirk grounds out to Tyler Engle on a nice play for the 1st out of the inning. Hey, Pedro Feliz homered... Phillies now lead the Giants 4-1. Now 2 away as Oaks strikes out looking. Hale strikes out Berset for a 1-2-3 inning. This is an old-fashioned pitcher's duel, 2-1 Michigan leads.

Top 6th
J.B. Shuck with a 1 out single. Shuck now has 3 singles in the game. Shuck with a stolen base and advances to 2nd with 1 out. Excellent defensive play by both Abraham and Recknagel to retire Justin Miller for the 2nd out of the inning. Hurley grounds out to Recknagel to end the inning. 2-1 Michigan after 5 and a half.

Bottom 5th
It'll be Recknagel, Putnam, and Abraham due up for Michigan as Lebron gets T'd up as time expires in the first half. Daniel Gibson got his arms taken out on a three pointer at the end of the half and somehow nobody called a foul. Lebron was less than pleased with the no-call and let the official know it. Putnam walks to give Michigan a baserunner with one out. That didn't last long as Abraham grounds into a 1-6-3 double play. After 5, Michigan 2 Ohio State 1.

Top 5th
Lebron James is working on a triple double as he has 10 points, 7 assists, and 6 boards through one half. Putnam cruising from the mound as he sets down the Buckeyes in order. Heading to the bottom of the 5th, Michigan 2 Ohio State 1.

Bottom 4th
VanBuskirk singles through the left side of the infield for a lead-off base hit. Another base hit, this time by Oaks. Michigan seems to have figured out Jake Hale. 2 on and nobody out for the Wolverines in the 4th. Sacrifice bunt by Berset, runners advance to 2nd and 3rd with 1 out. Hale losing his control as he hits Cislo. The bases are loaded for the Wolverine lead-off hitter, Christian. Christian gives Michigan the lead for the first time with a sac fly to deep left field. Mahler grounds out back to Hale to end the inning. Michigan takes the lead 2-1 after 4.

Top 4th
Putnam retires the first two batters of the inning. Cory Rupert drew a walk on 5 pitches. Dew grounds out to Mahler to end the inning. 1-1 as we make our way to the last of the 4th.

Bottom 3rd
The Wizards are leading the Cavs early in the second quarter as Lebron has found himself on his back a few times already. Deshawn Stevenson threw up a running three-pointer that barely found glass. Who's overrated? Michigan goes 1-2-3, 1-1 after 3.

Top 3rd
Went to get food. Long line. Don't know what happened, but we're still tied 1-1.

Bottom 2nd
Still 1-0 Ohio State as VanBuskirk bats to lead off the 2nd. Vanbuskirk flies out to Dew in right, 1 away. Full count to Alan Oaks. The next pitches misses down low and Oaks draws a 1 out walk. Hale's throw to first is wild and Oaks advances to second. RBI single by Chris Berset into right field. Oaks just beats the throw from the Buckeye right fielder, now tied 1-1. Cislo hits into a fielder's choice and now is at 1st base with 2 outs. Christian works the count and draws a 6 pitch walk. Michigan now with runners on 1st and 2nd with 2 outs for Mahler. Leif fouls out to the shortstop to end the inning. 1-1 after 2.

Top 2nd
Putnam retires Ryan Dew on a nice play by second baseman Leif Mahler. Another ground out for Putnam. This time to Abraham, now 2 outs in the inning. A ground ball to shortstop makes it a 1-2-3 inning.

Bottom 1st
Who needs statracker when you've got us? Leadoff walk for Jason Christian is followed by a beautiful sac bunt that Leif Mahler almost beat out for a hit. Christian scampers over to third on a wild pitch. Nate Recknagel is battling at the plate and has worked his way to a 3-2 count with plenty of foul balls along the way. Recknagel strikes out, so now two down for Putnam to try to help his own cause. Putnam is plunked! Runners on the corners now for Adam Abraham who grounds out to end the inning

Top 1st
With one out, Putnam hit Cory Kovanda and then allowed a single to J.B. Shuck. The next batter Justin Miller drilled a single back up the middle to load the bases. After he gave up that second hit, his girlfriend (who is the only fan in attendance wearing a T-Shirt with "Putnam's Girl" written across the back along with a big #3) got up and moved from her seat in the front row to another about halfway up the stands behind home plate. Zach Hurley gets the lone Buckeye run home as he grounds out to Recknagel at first.

Pre-Game
This game is on the Big 10 Network meaning a crowded press box. Thanks to Gene for finding us a phone line at the last minute to get us on the air. We have that on the TV here in the booth, but will be switching over to the Cavs/Wizards game 6 and when that happens this blog may well be the first ever NBA playoff basketball/Big 10 baseball live-game blog

Today we come from the newly renovated Ray Fisher Stadium at the Wilpon Baseball and Softball Complex. Michigan looks to extend its lead in the Big Ten and hand the Ohio State Buckeyes a loss. Zach Putnam, Michigan's All-American takes the mound for the wolverines in game one of this Big Ten series. The weather may be a bit gloomy, but the crowd is filling in and the alumni band is out in force. you can listen live to the game on the WCBN Sports Stream. Stu Zaas, Rob Salaman, and Mike Tobin will be alternating blogging/announcing duties.

Ryan Mallet Denied Waiver by NCAA

The NCAA today rejected Ryan Mallet's request that he be allowed to play this season after transferring to Arkansas from Michigan. Mallet had tried to claim that because new head coach, Rich Rodriguez's spread-style offense did not fit his abilities, he had no choice but to transfer and therefore should not have to sit out a season. Mallet will still have three years of eligibility left after he sits out this season.

Sixers-Pistons Game 6 2ND HALF

A fresh blog for the 2nd half. Here's a picture of Dwayne and Star. Nice looking couple. Dwayne said they were "good friends, that's all." Chuck with the best line of the half, saying there was now a new meaning to 'Big Brown' (Kentucky Derby favorite and Star). Ok, back to basketball.

9:29- Matt: "If the Phillies win the Series this year, can we get you to sport the Dalembert 'hawk, and have "RS" on one/both sides of the head?" Yes, I'm in. I'll tell you what, if the Sixers come back and win this series I'll get the mohawk Sunday.

9:31- Evans starting. Flip at the half with tough words "we are going back to Detroit and they are not invited." Wow.

9:34- Uninspiring start to the 2nd half. Largest lead of the game at 23.

9:35- Good news: Ryan Howard homered, 3-2 Phils in the 8th.

9:38- Why does Iguodala only start to take over a game when his team is down 21? Missed another free throw... I think Memphis would win a free throw shooting contest.

9:43- 64-43 Pistons. Looks like I can get ready for the Draft.

9:45- Kentucky Derby predictions: Win-Pyro, Place-Big Brown, Show-Smooth Air

9:47- McDyess forgot his mask on the bench. Not the brightest guy.

9:49- Phillies win. Thank god.

9:50- Wesley Snipes, mohawk and Samuel Dalembert references. Harlan and Collins running out of things to talk about. 4th quarter should be fun.

9:53- McDyess continuing to struggle with his mask. It falls off and he throws it to the bench. Pistons up 24.

9:55- Check out the video of Mike Golic eating wings this morning. He actually put up a good fight.

9:58- Doug Collins drafted Theo Ratliff. That's why he is now calling games.

10:00- Head for the parking lot. 79-51 Pistons lead after 3.

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10:05- Ok, I've gone to get heavenly help.

10:07- 31 point lead.

10:10- Harlan thinks Cavs-Wizards are Game 7 bound. I disagree.

10:11- Harlan: "Kevin Ollie is the model of perseverance."

10:15- Collins reminiscing about coming to the Sixers after a 9-73 season. I guess it could be worse.

10:17- Over/under 30 point win. It's at 32 now. I'm taking the over.

10:19- Harlan: "You've got to be a die hard to be in here now."

10:20- 94-65 Pistons, less than 6 minutes.

10:23- NBA predictions: Cavs, Jazz, and Celtics win in 6. Hopefully, the second round is better. Cavs-Celtics, Pistons-Magic, Lakers-Jazz, and Spurs-Hornets.

10:27- Kevin Ollie scored. Down 25.

10:29- Fun two and a half hours. Good season guys.

10:30- Pistons advance 4-2. Final score 100-77.

10:30- Enjoyed the blogging. Programming reminder: listen to our coverage of the Michigan-Ohio State baseball game at 6:30 tomorrow night on the WCBN sports stream. Talk to you then.

Sixers-Pistons Game 6 LIVE BLOG

I don't really have anything to do tonight and I always wanted to live-blog a game, so I'll give it a shot. Coverage will begin around 8pm. LETS GO SIXERS!!!

8:02- I'll be watching TNT's coverage of the game. No offense to Blaha, but I prefer Harlan
and Collins. EJ, Kenny, Chuck, and special guest Dwayne Wade on right now. Wade doesn't deny his relationship with Star Jones.
8:06- Everyone in the studio picks the Pistons. Off to the Wachovia Center. It looks like a late arriving crowd. My white "Run with Us" T-shirt is on. Let's go.
8:09- Well, that was quick. Turnover... Rip Hamilton and 1, 3-0. Another Sixers turnover. Make it 5-0.
8:11- 7-0 Pistons, just 2 and a half minutes in. Timeout. Let's look at Sammy's hair.
8:15- At least the Sixers scored...14-2. Another TO.
8:16- It would be a shame if Kenny Smith becomes GM of the Knicks. I'm not sure the TNT studio would be the same.
8:19- Sixers still have not made a field goal.
8:20- Maybe Philly is trying to score less than Michigan and Iowa in the Big 10 tourney game, 16-3.
8:23- Iggy made a shot, finally. Reggie into the game... good move Mo.
8:25- 20-5 Pistons... this is going to be a long night.
8:28- About as bad of a start as I could have imagined. Check that, this is actually worse. Timeout inside of 3 minutes 1st quarter, 24-9 Pistons.
8:29- I have tickets to Game 7, so much for that. Hopefully, they refund me.
8:33- Iggy to the foul line. Come on, make 1 for double digits.
8:34- 1 of 2, 10 pts...yes!!!
8:35- I know the starters aren't playing well. But why is Kevin Ollie playing?
8:35- And shooting?
8:36- Let's try to forget that ever happened. After 1, Rip Hamilton 13-Sixers 12.
*******************************************************************
8:39- Just was texted "Sorry Rob, we finally woke up." Couldn't they have waited until after Game 4?
8:40- Flip interview. I'm sure Rasheed listens to him.
8:43- Here we come, 4 pts in a row. Only down 16.
8:47- Nice pic I found of Rasheed and Chris Bosh.
8:49- Make it an 8-0 run. Nice play Lou Williams.
8:50- Harlan to Collins: "I'd like to see you in a mohawk." Now, that would be interesting.
8:51- Stuckey gets away with 8 steps. Hits a 3. Pistons back up by 19.
8:55- IM'ed by my dad, "we have 'em right where want 'em". Not sure I agree.
8:58- Collins said his son went to Seton Hall at the same time as Dalembert. I wonder who the big man on campus was. Holding at 19.
9:00- Man, how good is Thaddeus Young going to be.
9:04- Collins: "The Pistons are a very long team."
9:05- Harlan: "Dalambert signed a gigantic contract." That's for sure. I'll never let Billy King get away with that one.
9:06- 100 seconds left in the half. Miller can't make anything... still at 16.
9:08- Iguadola misses so many free throws. He is not a max contract player.
9:09- Billups makes a 30 footer, lead to 18... make it 16 after a Willie "how am I starting" Green basket.
9:10- Collins getting emotional over Mo Cheeks helping out the girl in Portland with the national anthem.
9:10- Billups makes a buzzer beater. Why not? 51-33 at the half.
9:11- Enjoy more Dwayne Wade/Star Jones talk at halftime. Be back in 15 for the second half comeback.

HBO’s Costas Now: Sports Media Thoughts (CONTINUED)

***This is the second part of a recap of last night’s HBO show looking at how Americans consume their sports in our present media landscape.

Segment #3: Sports and TV, panelists- Joe Buck, Mike Tirico, Dan Patrick
Sports on television have changed greatly over the years, starting with the presence of Wide World of Sports on ABC to SportsCenter on ESPN. We have seen the adoption of color television, high-definition, and the movement from sports being carried on the three major networks (CBS, ABC & NBC) to multiple cable outlets (ESPN, TNT & VS.). The breadth of sports programming has seen TV ratings for sports plummet, with more playoff games being aired on cable, such as the NBA and NHL conference finals and one of the two LCS’s in baseball. “Costas Now” had a fascinating discussion on the ‘ESPN-ization’ of TV. With more highlights and homeruns being shown, the romanticism of sports is fading away. For instance, the appetite today is just for the highlight, not to appreciate the entire 3 hour baseball game. Costas mentioned how the famous Carlton Fisk homerun in the World Series seemed as if the TV viewer was eavesdropping on something that would happen even if they weren’t there. Yet, today, athletes acknowledge the presence of cameras by posing for the highlight after hitting a homerun or slamming home a dunk. While ESPN may be problematic (Kirk Herbstreit anyone?), it should be noted that it is the most profitable network in the history of entertainment. Some shows on TV are purposely confrontational, such as PTI, to help bridge the gap between sports and entertainment. Al Michaels described the participants on these shows as “gasbags on parade.” For instance, Monday Night Football has hired analysts, like Howard Cosell, Dennis Miller, and Tony Kornheiser, trying to draw younger and non-sports fans to the game, acknowledging that core fans will watch no matter what. Mike Tirico, an ESPN employee, put it best, calling the incredible amount of games and information on TV “excess” and “just too much.”

Segment #4: Media and Athletes, panelists- Selena Roberts (SI), Tiki Barber, John McEnroe
This was the least entertaining 15 minutes of the show. Frankly, it kind of dragged and I was flipping back and forth between this and the Mo Cheeks postgame press conference. The main point brought up was the growing disconnect that has emerged between the player and reporter. This “climate of confrontation” is mostly due to the increased salaries for athletes. Some reporters feel jealous and resentful that they are making a small percentage of what athletes receive financially, despite going to college and grad school. In the past, a generally friendship relationship existed between reporters and the athletes. Journalists were cheerleaders and had an intimate relationship with the team. For example, despite traveling on the train with Babe Ruth in the 1920s, little to nothing was written about the off-field escapades of the Great Bambino. When did the change in the relationship between reporter and athlete occur? Who knows? There is nothing more for me to say here. As I first said, if you only have 75 minutes, these would be the 15 minutes to skip.

Segment #5: Sports and Race, panelists- Michael Wilbon, Jason Whitlock, Cris Carter
The final topic of race was described rightly in the pre-taped video as “one of the most provocative topics in sports and beyond.” The subject of race in sports is often a rather uncomfortable conversation. Frequent examples of controversial racial issues being brought to the forefront include the likes of Don Imus, Kelly Tilghman, and Lebron’s appearance on the cover of Vogue. In 1988, CBS NFL Today analyst Jimmy ‘the Greek’ was fired for racially insensitive comments, centering around “slave owners breed[ing] his black…” Donovan McNabb got in trouble a few years back for stating that black quarterbacks are held to a higher standard in the NFL than whites. While this statement is likely true, McNabb got in trouble for simply discussing the subject. Presently, McNabb no longer comments on racial issues publicly. In addition, Carter said that “people don’t want to talk about race.” The HBO piece found that most people in a newsroom are white. In addition, the belief arose that reporters cannot win when discussing race. On the one hand, they will be ripped if they write a racial article. Yet, the reporter will be dissected if he or she does not write the article, with the belief that the topic is too uneasy of a topic to talk about. This could get me in trouble, but who is reading this anyway. I do not understand the general statement regarding NBA prospects that white players tend to be not athletic compared with African Americans draft prospects. For the sake of this discussion, let’s imagine that Michael Beasley is white and Tyler Hansbrough is black. Would Beasley still be the guaranteed #1 or #2 pick in the NBA draft? Wouldn’t Hansbrough have left early by now, knowing that he would be taken somewhere in the top 5? How is the hard-working 6’10” Hansbrough that can dunk not athletic? Some have made the argument that the last great white American player was Chris Mullin, twenty years ago. Yet, then nationality comes into the equation, as there have been many great white Europeans, like Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol. So, what matters more, nationality or race? I could keep going… but Cindy McCain is on Leno (must-watch).

***In the end, the show was probably more interesting to people in the media than the public as a whole. After all, it was simply the media talking about, well, the media. Nevertheless, I thought it was a fascinating discussion that kept my attention for nearly the full 90 minutes. In my opinion, despite the negativity surrounding sports increasing recently, sports is healthier now than it has ever been before. People cannot get enough of ESPN specialty channels, whether that is ESPN Classic or ESPNEWS. Revenues in sports are rising and attendance records are being shattered. While the methods through which we consume sports now and in the future are and will be different, sports as an entity has never been better off than it is today.