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Sports questions being asked

During the course of the last week or so, there’s been a few questions posed by sports fans in our area.

Oh, there’s the usual ones at this time of the year. Like how do you think the Michigan Tech hockey team will do this season without an experienced goaltender?

Or does the Calumet High football team have enough to make a deep run in the playoffs? Are the Michigan Wolverines good enough to qualify for the national football crown?

But the major questions I’ve heard have to do with the fortunes of the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Lions.

I’m not surprised about the interest in the Tigers, who always create a lot of interest. And their stirring, if unsuccessful, run for a playoff spot this season had fans buzzing.

But to hear questions about the Lions, who have long been a standing joke, was somewhat surprising.

I didn’t know there were enough Lions fans up here in the middle of Green Bay Packers country to even pose the question.

But the main topic has to do with whether the Tigers and Lions should keep their respective manager and coach.

The answer to both questions is a definite no.

Brad Ausmus simply didn’t have his team ready to play ball after spring training. Ditto for Jim Caldwell, whose team is still making elementary mistakes a month into the season.

In just about any sport, it’s all about executing the simple plays.

Look at the New England Patriots. They seldom, if ever, are called for lining offside or offensive holding – all things common to the Lions. They win consistently because of their execution.

If you want to win titles, you must execute the fundamentals. New England, Denver, Seattle and Green Bay do that and their record shows it.

In baseball, you have to be able to move runners up late in a tie game. The Tigers were unable to do that most of the season.

In the crucial season-ending series against the lowly Atlanta Braves, the Tigers came up short in the fundamentals department. They ended up losing two games that sent them to the golf course for the season.

Ausmus may be a bright guy, but he has zero motivational skills. The same holds true for Caldwell, who appears to have that deer-in-the headlights look about him all the time.

As for the other questions being posed: I believe MTU will settle on a goalie and have a good season; Calumet does have the experience and talent to go deep into the playoffs if it can get by rugged Negaunee.

And, yes, Michigan is talented enough, if they can find a way to beat a very good Ohio State team.

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