Even good coaches must rebuild

January 9, 2019

The late Ed Helakoski is still regarded as one of the very best basketball coaches the Upper Peninsula has ever produced. But I can recall a comment the former Chassell High School legend once made after being asked by a reporter what his secret was to winning (three state titles and a 65-game win streak). “I've been lucky to have had good players,” Helakoski said. “Without the horses, you won't win the race.” That is still the case. Take Julie Filpus at Houghton High. One of the most successful coaches in Michigan girls basketball history with a 84 percent win-loss ...

Long term contracts don’t work

January 2, 2019

One would think that owners of professional sports franchises would learn that handing out long-term contracts to players seldom works out. Take the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Tigers as good examples of money thrown away. The Vikings, with hopes of getting to the Super Bowl they missed out on last season, threw big bucks away to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins away from the Washington Redskins. It turned out that Cousins was little better than the guy they had last year. In fact, Case Keenum, now with Denver, may have been the superior of the two players. The Vikings, who have a ...

Resolutions needed in Detroit

December 27, 2018

With a new year approaching, it's time for everyone to come up with resolutions for 2019. The same is true in Detroit, where all four of the city's pro franchises are more or less muddling around. Red Wings: The Red Wings, tabbed by most experts  to be in the basement this season, are holding up well after a miserable start. Coach Jeff Blashill has the team playing consistent ---if not spectacular --- hockey. Indeed, the team is hovering around .500 so far and could qualify for the playoffs this spring. There are solid veterans like Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader around. ...

Why all the fuss about playoffs?

December 19, 2018

Whenever you pick up a newspaper or listen to a sports report, all the talk is about playoffs. It is the college football playoffs or the National Football League playoffs that dominate the headlines. But when you really think about it, why all the fuss about making the playoffs? Take the Detroit Lions, if you will. When the team was 5-8 this season, there was some inane talk about them making the playoffs by running the table. Remember, this was a team that had already lost to the New York Jets and San Francisco this season, and those two are two or the very worst squads ...

Tigers GM presiding over disaster

December 12, 2018

Even in the worst days of Jim Campbell, the front office bungling going on in with the Detroit Tigers was not this bad. Al Avila, the man who helped the Boston Red Sox land J.D. Martinez for its success this past season, is currently the general manager of the Tigers. I use the term general manager lightly, because all Avila has done is create a disaster down in Motown since he took over the job a few seasons ago. And if the Tigers ownership had any clue on what was going on, they would remove him immediately. Now, I know the late Mike Illitch is no longer with us. And that his ...

McLouth Steel and UM basketball

December 5, 2018

Watching this year's University of Michigan basketball team brings back a lot of memories for me. The year was 1965 and I was working downstate at McLouth Steel in Trenton, just a rock's throw from the murky Detroit River. It was a great time to be a sports fan in Detroit. The Tigers were a competitive team, just three years away from the glory of 1968 and ace pitcher Denny McLain. The Red Wings, who played their games at musty, but historic, Olympia Stadium, featured Gordie Howe and Terrry Sawchuk. Watching those two Hall of Fame players was worth the price of admission ...