Knickers In A Knot

Know Thy Enemy...and then draft them!
The Eagles Coach Kelly drafted two former Pac 12 foes in the recent NFL draft.   Zach (you were too, out of bounds) Ertz and Matt (thought you could beat the Ducks if you came back) Barkley.   Much as I hate to do it, now I have to pull for these guys success.



Bookings Before Books
The recent furloughs of air traffic controllers caused some inconvenience for travelers over the past few days.   But the knight in shining armor, our federal government, came riding to the rescue.   Legislation has been passed to move $253 million to the FAA to keep the controllers on the job.   Can't find money to help fund our schools, but we can keep those planes in the air.  Wouldn't want our congressmen and senators left without air travel as they start their vacations (grinding my teeth here).

Not The Ansah
What did the Lions do with their first draft pick?   They selected Ziggy Ansah, a D lineman.   Ziggy started playing football just 3 years ago, but Coach Jim Schwartz emphatically insists he is not a project.   OK.....   My previous rants about the Lions lack of run game and pass defenders seemed to fall on deaf ears.   Sure, they drafted Darius Slay at corner, but there are concerns about a knee.   They picked up free agent Reggie Bush, but they had a chance at some quality young runners in the draft that could provide back up to the injury prone Bush.   Will 2013-2014 be another coulda, woulda, shoulda year for the Lions?  Kinda think so.

A Boy Named Anabal

Tiger pitcher Anabal Sanchez set a new team record with 17 strikeouts against the heavy hitting Atlanta Braves.   Looks like the $80 million contract the Tigers signed him to is paying off.  Didja notice this is the one non-rantable section - I needed one to keep me grounded! 

Question: whose record did he break?
Answer:  Portland, Oregon native Mickey Lolich, hero of the 1968 World Series, had 16 strike outs in a game twice!





Kicking A Dying Cat
Sorry, harkening back to the Lions' lack of leadership, let's do a comparison of other Detroit teams (note no mention here of the Detroit Pisstons).   The Tigers are currently among the baseball elite, predicted by many to return to the World Series this fall.   The Red Wings, although rebuilding after losing legends to retirement, show promise with their latest additions, specifically Danny DeKeyser and Damien Brunner.   They've also signed all-star goalie Jimmy Howard to a long term contract.   Once more, we see what great leadership can do for these franchises under their owner, Mike Ilitch.  The Lion's Ford family, on the other hand, just keep producing more Edsels.