Rank these teams in order of how important a championship run would be to you:
MSU Hockey
MSU Basketball
MSU Football
Detroit Lions
Detroit Redwings
Detroit Tigers
Detroit Pistons
The lack of the football championships in our lifetimes probably make them more meaningful. Here's my list:
1. MSU Football - College Football is my favorite sport and I am convinced this is the only one I will not see in my lifetime. Yes, that means I think the Lions are closer to winning the Super Bowl than the Spartans are to that ugly crystal football. I think college football lacks parity and offers a distinct advantage to about 15 prestigious programs. We are in that group of the other 100.
2. Detroit Lions - Again, this is artificially inflated because we're so far from it. I do believe that the roster moves in the past few years are leading us in the right direction. Then again, I remember how excited I was for "Harrington to Rogers" to light up our offense that I made it my fantasy team name one year.
3. Michigan State Basketball - I am excited for this one because I think it can, and probably should, happen next year. Yes, I am "one of those" people that are putting high expectations on them. We are returning 3 core people who have been in the Final Four the past two years, so I think it is fair to say they should win it.
4. Detroit Red Wings - Even though this is the most successful team of the group, winning the Stanley Cup doesn't ever get old to me. I have watched the entirety of almost every game (except for the one that wasn't on TV outside Detroit). I love hockey and we should win it every year.
5. Detroit Tigers - I will always contend that the baseball season is too long, but I can always get up for the Fall Classic. The lack of playoff teams in baseball makes winning the Division or Wild Card even more special. Unless you are the 90s Braves.
6. Michigan State Hockey - Hockey is my second favorite sport, but the NCAA hockey playoffs lack excitement. It doesn't get a lot of publicity, so I don't know much about the teams outside the CCHA. I was really excited when we won the championship, but it lacks the "remember when" factor in hindsight. For example, I can recall the Game 7 the Wings played against the Avs when they destroyed them (like 7-1) and Roy let in an "own goal" when he tried holding a gloved puck up high in the air. I remember the crazy goal that McCarty had while falling down against the Flyers in 97. I can't tell you who MSU played that year except for BC in the finals.
7. Detroit Pistons - I can remember sitting together leaned in close to the TV for every game when we were good. We yelled at every foul or missed free throw and celebrated every basket. I think LeBron killed my NBA spirit in 2007 with his ridiculous 4th quarter performance in the final game of the Eastern Conference Finals.
My fairweathered interest in the Pistons sparked an idea to create a quiz to see how much you really know about the team anymore. The questions are things I think you should know about "your team". My guesses and answers are in the comments. I fully anticipate that I will fail.
1. Who is the current coach of the Pistons?
2. Who lead the team in scoring?
3. Who lead the team in rebounding?
4. Where did they finish in the Division?
5. What draft pick do they have coming up in the NBA draft?
6. What is their starting 5?
7. Name the last player that they traded for.
14 comments:
1. Michael Curry?
2. Ben Gordon
3. Tayshaun Prince
4. 4th
5. Number 4
6. Rip, Tay, Ben Gordon, the ugly bald guy who played for UConn, Amir Johnson
7. Ben Wallace?
Correct Answers:
1. John Kuester (I can't even believe I remembered Michael Curry's name)
2. Rip Hamilton (my original answer before I changed it)
3. Ben Wallace (this is the reason why we were so bad!)
4. Fifth
5. ? (oh yeah, stupid lottery)
6. Going by # of games started, it appears Jonas Jerebko (Really?!), Rodney Stuckey, Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Richard Hamilton.
I think I was pretty dead on with my description of Villanueva. I love that I named a player that isn't on our team anymore.
7. Aaron Afflalo was technically the last person who was traded, but Wallace was the last addition to the team, so I'll count it.
My rankings:
1.Detroit Lions
2.MSU Basketball
3.MSU Football
4.Detroit Red Wings
5.Detroit Tigers
5.Detroit Pistons
5.MSU Hockey
Three-way tie for 5th, but if I had to choose, they would be in that order.
(My #1 championship wish would be to see the US win a World Cup though...)
My Pistons answers:
1. Curry
2. Rip Hamilton
3. Ben Wallace
4. Last
5. 3rd
6. Stuckey, Hamilton, Villanueva, Tayshaun, Wallace.
7. ?
I have never even heard the name John Kuester before, I forgot that we had Ben Gordon on our team, and I didn't know we got rid of Villanueva.
DE-TROIT BASKET-BALL!
1. Curry- boy, that Kuester hire went unnoticed!
2. Hamilton.
3. Wallace. (I almost went with Villanueva...then I realized he's a colossal disappointment)
4. Last place baby!
5. I guessed 5th, but yeah, the lottery.
6. I said Stuckey, Hamilton, Prince, Jerebko, and Wallace. I wasn't sure about Wallace, though (he should NOT be starting in this league anymore...)
7. No clue!
I wish we hadn't tied our hands with the Gordon and Villanueva contracts...oye...
1. MSU Basketball
2. Detroit Tigers
3. Detroit Lions
4. Detroit Pistons
5. Detroit Red Wings
6. MSU Football
7. MSU Hockey
Surprise! My number 1 is MSU bball!
Weird hypothetical: Let's say the Red Wings took the places of the Tiger's players (Franzen at 1st, Datysuk at 2nd, etc.) and won a championship....Would that be two championships in one?
We could say the Tigers won the World Series...and the Red Wings won a championship.
No, that would still only count as a Tigers championship.
It would count as a championship for the individual Red Wing players, but not for the Red Wing organization as a whole.
The only way the Red Wings can win a championship is by winning the Stanley Cup.
What if the entire organization took over the Tigers? The Wings GM became the Tigers GM all the way down the line.
Would that count?
No, it will still be a Tigers championship only. As long as the Red Wing players (and trainers, coaches, GM's etc.) are playing for the Tigers organization, it's a Tigers victory only.
If they completely replaced all of the Tigers personnel with Red Wing personnel, changed the club name to Red Wings, and wore Red Wing jerseys on the diamond, then yes that would count as Red Wings championship.
But it would no longer count as a Tigers championship.
What if the only thing that was different was the name.
They were Wings jerseys on the field.
They play their games at the Joe.
They use their sticks instead of bats.
Come On...(another Guster song!)
I'm confused.
Are you trying to say that if the Red Wings players played baseball on ice in Joe Louis Arena using hockey sticks instead of bats, but kept the Tigers name, that it would count as a world series victory for the Tigers and the Red Wings if they won?
A championship like that wouldn't count for either team. It would count for a new orgainzation, coincidentally named the Tigers, that plays the new sport of iceball.
Haha, no no.
There is a baseball field in the Joe. They play the same schedule as the Tigers.
The players play with all their equipment, but play under the same rules as baseball. (I don't think skates or hockey sticks have been outlawed, but I could be wrong.)
But back to Adam's question: Which team would you like to see make a championship run?
Under the MLB umbrella, the Tigers would be World Series champs. But to me, the Wings would have made a championship run, it's just not under their name. But they did make the run, right??? And so did the Tigers, because, well, their name is on the trophy!
As to Adam's question, I already answered it. I would rather see the Red Wings make a run than the Tigers, if I could only choose 1.
I don't think a baseball diamond would fit in Joe Louis, and I'm sure it would be illegal to swing a hockey stick instead of baseball bat.
But regardless, my opinion is the same. If the players are playing under the Tigers name, than any championship they win goes to the Tigers organization alone.
If the Wings won a championship under the Tiger's name playing baseball...
Would every single current Red Wing be considered a champion?
Yes. They won the World Series.
Would the Tiger's be considered the champions of baseball?
Yes. In the record books it would say: 20?? Champions: Detroit Tigers.
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