Another Celebrity Dies
We've lost a sex symbol, the King of Pop and the King of sales all in a matter of days. What is going on in the world?
It's gotten so bad that I don't even want to get on the Internet any more. You never know who is going down next. The crazy thing is Farrah Fawcett's death only got six hours of notice before we heard the shocking news that Michael Jackson died of a heart attack. Then over the weekend we heard about super pitchman with the super beard Billy Mays dying after being hit in the head by an object on a flight.
We do not know these people but at the same time we grow attached to them and believe we know everything about them.
Fawcett was my first Hollywood crush as a boy. Jackson dominated my small world on Detroit's west side with his music for many years. Just about every boy had a copy of the Fawcett poster. She had a pretty red bathing suit, pretty face, pretty hair and even pretty teeth. Now that is a serious bathing beauty.
The sad thing about Jackson's death is I've heard from people who celebrate his death. They did not like some of the accusations about him. I understand that but we should not celebrate his death. He was a great entertainer and that is the way I chose to remember him.
If you disagree with his life style, then I am with you. I don't like some of the things he was accused of and I do not praise him for that. I simply chose not to dance on his grave.
They always say celebrity deaths come in threes. Hopefully, that is the case.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.Tuesday Book Signing
I will have a book signing Tuesday June 30 (7 pm) at Clancy's Irish Pub in Clinton Township. The address is 42012 Hayes Road. The book is 100 Things Tiger Fans should Know and Do Before They Die.
Matt Millen takes cheap shots at Detroit
It was a low blow. A dirty, rotten low blow.
It was delivered by former Lions president Matt Millen, who continues his national media tour promoting his new job as football analyst for the NFL Network. During an interview with SI.com, here is what Millen said about his failed eight-year stay with the Lions:
"I don't go backwards. I just don't think like that. There's nothing I can do about (Detroit). I understand. In Detroit, they need a bad guy. I was a bad guy. I was to blame for the fall of the auto industry and the housing market. Somehow, I had something to do with Kwame Kilpatrick, although I'm not sure what. But that's what happens when you lose in this game. You give everyone a cheap and easy story to jump on.''
It was not a cheap and easy story. It was an expensive and painful story. Thousands of loyal Lions fans paid thousands of dollars for an inferior product. They put their trust in Millen, and even when they saw that Millen didn't know what he was doing, they continued to turn out, hoping for a miracle.
And then they put bags over their heads, held marches and screamed, "Fire Millen!" The franchise became a running joke.
Forgive the fans for being so passionate about the Lions and the NFL. Forgive us for demanding that this team do better.
So what does this guy do? He is fired, runs out of town and hides, and now throws a bunch of unnecessary shots that we do not deserve. And I stand by a statement I made months ago: If Millen had ruined any of the teams in New York, Chicago or Washington, there is no way he would have been hired as a national TV analyst.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.First-place Tigers on shaky ground
The Tigers are in first place, but they are also in a tailspin. They lost again Wednesday night to the St. Louis Cardinals and the rest of the American League Central Division continues to stumble but get closer.
All seemed right with the Tigers’ world a few days ago. Jim Leyland explosions were down and folks believed this team was headed in the right direction.
But this team stands on a shaky foundation. It is going to be very difficult for them to hang onto this lead, even in a bad division. My choice to win the division is the second-place Minnesota Twins, who always seem to hover and then pounce at season’s end.
The monster of doom is hanging around the corner at Comerica Park, ready to sink his claws into this team. Carlos Guillen (shoulder) could be out the remainder of the season, Magglio Ordonez’s power has left the building and now the Tigers are struggling to score.
But that is not the main problem here. The Tiger pitching staff is melting down. Despite a rough start in St. Louis, Justin Verlander and Edwin Jackson are the only starters you can count on down the stretch of a pennant run. Rookie Rick Porcello (7-4, 3.71 ERA) probably won't pitch many innings beyond 150 this season, and he is already at 68.
Dontrelle Willis can't get the ball over the plate. Jeremy Bonderman is out and Armando Galarraga (3-7, 5.56) is regressing every start. The blemishes are beginning to come out, and unless the Tigers can secure a starting pitcher and a productive hitter, this ship will sink by August.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.Penguins deserve Stanley Cup
In the wake of the Red Wings’ loss to Pittsburgh in the Stanley Cup Finals, there is no need to tear the team down or criticize coach Mike Babcock. The Wings had plenty of opportunities to win the series and it just didn't happen. Instead they hit posts and missed the net and turned the puck over at bad times. They did not appear to be the same team late in the series that they were at the beginning.
I'm not buying the injury excuse. That is playoff hockey. The Wings were banged up. I’m willing to bet the Penguins were banged up also. I’m not going to say the better team won, but the more hungry and more deserving team won. If that translates into the better team in your mind, then so be it.
This was no fluke. The Penguins deserve to stand on top of the hockey world.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.On the big stage
Don’t worry -- I will not be telling jokes. However, I have been invited to participate in a comedy show Sunday at the Go Comedy! Improv Theater Street in Ferndale.
Here's how it works. I will tell three stories on stage. The improv troop will then act out my stories and hopefully you will laugh.
The show begins at 8 p.m. The establishment is at 261 E. 9 Mile in Ferndale. Hope to see you there.
Wings caught in Penguin storm
What does it feel like to be inside a tornado? That's what the Wings must have experienced during those 5 1/2 minutes in the second period Thursday night.
They were turned around, thrown into the air and had the life sucked out of them as the Penguins scored three goals to erase a 2-1 deficit. Red Wing fans so badly want to blame officials and NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for every loss. You can’t do that for Game 4.
The Penguins got the ball rolling while short-handed. They punched the Wings in the face with more aggressive play, crisp passes and high energy. The Wings actually looked tired in long stretches. I am beginning to wonder if playing back-to-back games last weekend has caught up with the Wings.
They looked sluggish and made more physical and mental errors than we are accustomed to. In fact, they looked like a team with no clue and no playoff experience in the second period.
They can get all of that energy back in the next two games. Maybe. We shall see. That is the one thing I will be looking at as this series boils down to its conclusion. Do the Wings have the jump to stay out of the tornado? There is doubt for the first time in this series. Are you nervous yet? You should be.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.
NBA teams like Tayshaun Prince
I hope Joe Dumars forgives me. But I traded Tayshaun Prince to Portland for point guard Rudy Fernandez, forward Travis Outlaw and Portland's 23rd pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
I don't know if it fits under the cap. I don’t care about that. But I do know that the Blazers covet Prince. They believe he will add a veteran presence to help guide a young team.
I have been on a Portland radio station twice in the past month. They always bring up Prince, and so I asked for LaMarcus Aldridge, Fernandez and a pick. They considered it, but the compromise was Outlaw instead of Aldridge. I went for it.Fernandez is a point guard the Pistons can use to help give up the notion that Rodney Stuckey is a point guard. He is not a down and dirty point guard, although he is a fine player. Fernandez is young and gifted and is going to develop into a fine lead guard. Outlaw is a role player but he can provide depth, and Dumars has done a good job of finding diamonds late in the draft.
Many in Detroit are finished with Prince, but he is highly valued in other markets. They remember him being on the U.S. Olympic team, and they remember that block against Reggie Miller. Many Piston fans view him as an overrated defender who won't go to the rack.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.Lions will make Stafford earn job
Let me first admit that I really do not know Lions coach Jim Schwartz. That takes time.
But he seems to be a guy of sound judgment. So far I trust him to make the right decision regarding Matthew Stafford. There has been some speculation from national writers that Stafford could be the starting quarterback for opening day. He has a long way to go for that to happen.
Here’s what Schwartz said about the quarterback competition this week:
"When he's the best quarterback and he's ready, (Stafford) is going to start. He needs to pass both of those. It doesn't matter if he's ready -- if he's not the best. And it doesn't matter if he's the best if he's not ready."
You can read into that any way you want. I read into it that Daunte Culpepper is the starting quarterback until further notice. Stafford is not the best quarterback in Lions camp right now. He is not ready. But that could change before training camp is done. It will be an open competition and the better man will start the season.
The Lions don't need to rush Stafford. I don't even need to see him this season, but I understand the pressures of playing such a high-profile pick. I just would not do it at the beginning of the season unless he is clearly the best man for the job.
So far I see a good man. But I do not see a best man. Stafford makes some amazing throws and he follows that up with some clunkers. That is what rookies do.
"Let's not judge too quickly," Schwartz said. "But at some point we're going to have to really turn the microscope on and start evaluating every little thing."
It should be an interesting training camp for the quarterbacks. My guess is Culpepper will win the job over Stafford and Drew Stanton will finish third or be replaced by a veteran.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.
No stars? No problem for Wings
Detroit had another feel good night Wednesday as the Wings slipped past the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 in overtime and slid into the Stanley Cup Finals for the second year in a row. They face the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 1 Saturday, and there will be plenty of noise about Marian Hossa facing his old team.
Let's save that for later. This is about us. This is about now.
The Wings got more of a test than we expected, but they showed how skilled they are. They played without Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk. For most teams that would have been too much loss of talent to overcome. For the Wings it was simply an inconvenience. So they beat the Blackhawks a few minutes into overtime rather than regulation.
They shook off the loss of two of their stars and sent out guys like Darren Helm, who scored the winner, and they dusted off Chris Chelios, who took a sip from the fountain of youth.
I got to see it all up close with seats on the glass behind the goal crease.
So now the Wings are in the Stanley Cup Finals. You’d think they need to be completely healthy to get past the Penguins. But the Wings roll with what they've got, and they usually win. The Penguins are a better playoff team than last season, even without Hossa. So I expect this to be a tough series that probably will go seven games.
But bottom line is the Wings roll deep and they roll as a team. They will win.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.
