McShan8150's Blog

There is no denying Michael Phillips’s tremendous performance at the 29th Olympiad, shattering seven world records and collecting an astonishing eight gold metals along the way.  Truly remarkably and before I get braded with the emails scolding me for my lack of perspective on such a tremendous feat I want to make something abundantly clear.  I respect all athletes and the enormous amount of blood, sweat and tears along with the tremendous amount of energy, effort and dedication they must exert in order to perfect their craft believe I do.  What the 23 year old Baltimore native has done is truly astonishing and extraordinary and his accomplishments should be recognized as such.  However, there is talk from differing media outlets that Phillips if managed correctly could potentially earn up to as much as $40 million dollars in endorsement deals and or commercials.  There has even been talk over the last couple of days since Phillips’s remarkable run at the 2008 games that he could potentially become the next version of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan someone the general public could latch onto and gravitate towards and identify with, as a the latest “everyday guy ” who has experienced superstardom.  As a result Michael Phillips has a countless number of major marketing firms and substantially large companies attempting to sign him to major deals, in an attempt to secure the latest hot shot athlete who is connected to the latest trend or fad that the public has become armoured with. Now by no means am I suggested that people shouldn’t enjoy such a incredibly remarkable performance and the extremely charismatic individual who accompanies such great success in fact I would encourage it, especially considering the fact there seems to be such an incredible noninterest in the Olympic Games this year myself included.  However, I pose the question to you the reader can one person’s outstanding individual performance  in a sport that would otherwise go completely unnoticed by a large majority of people aside from once every four years when people demonstrate a mild level of interest really make a noticeable difference  in the popularity of the sport?  Can Michael Phillips truly change the face of swimming as we know it today?  Could he make it relevant again?  But then again I can’t say it was all that relevant to begin with.  Swimming as a sport doesn’t captivate the imagination of the general public as the four major sports do and I think even the most popular of athletes in a sport that doesn’t mean much to the general public won’t make a real impactful difference. As great as the performance from Michael Phillips was and it was certainly memorable and should be celebrated as a great individual feat and nothing more, to expect Phillips to solely carry a sport that has grained little to virtually no interest over the years is unrealistic swimming isn’t that enticing of a sport and no matter how feverishly the media attempts to parlay Michael Phillips’s amazing run in Beijing in an effort to increase the popularity of the sport it isn’t going to work and that’s plain and simple.  Sorry to burst your bubble but the facts are the facts; people only care about swimming once every four years it is what it is. 

As Rod Marinelli is enters  his third season as Lions head coach the 1st in which we can truly conclude that these are his players on the field and not a collection of holdovers from previous administrations I can only  help but wonder shouldn’t Marinelli be held to a higher standard?  Yes I’m well aware that this debacle of franchise was in complete shambles when Rod Marinelli got the job three years ago and I realize that the Lions long list of problems won’t be corrected overnight it will take time I’m not blindsided to that. However, at the same time it is now unacceptable from my vantage point to simply say give Marinelli a free pass as we’ve done with a countless number of Lions coaches simply because the quality of the team has been so poor.  In Marinelli’s case this year is different mainly because he’s spent the better part of his tenure here eliminating those who didn’t toe the company line players and coaches included.  Now with all the disinterested and unfocused parties gone from this team and with “Marinelli guys” who will bring their lunch pal to work and do things the “Marinelli way” there should be more pressure placed on the shoulders of Marinelli.  After the influx of all of Marinelli’s former Tampa 2 players Dwight Smith, Brian Kelly, and Chuck Darby along with the addition of CB Leigh Bodden through a trade with Cleveland in an attempt to improve the Lions 32nd ranked defense 31st against the pass.  With all the changes to the  defense along with the change in offensive philosophy Marinelli finally seems to have his team in place doing things his way will that translate into more wins than losses?  I have my doubts I still view this team as a 5-7 win team in 2008 however, entering Marinelli’s 3rd season for the 1st time in quite some time this team finally seems to have some semblance of direction.  Now by no means am I suggesting that Rod Marinelli is the next coming of Vince Lombardi or Bill Belichick because believe me the jury is still out on Marinelli but at least Detroit seems to be on the right track.  The operative word here is seems because as we all know when it comes to the Lions nothing is ever a certainty.  However, with Marinelli entering his third season it will go a long way in determining whether Marinelli is the real deal or simply a house of cards.

With the Lions coming off their 7th straight losing season and fans desperately searching for any glimmer of hope and optimism to grasp onto this training camp season, they may have found their answer in rookie running back Kevin Smith.  Smith has entered the league surrounded by much fanfare and anticipation with fans foaming at the mouth and gravitating towards every word he utters.  With the Lions embarked on a training camp where the biggest headline seems to be centered on the development of a consistent running attack and with Smith smack dab in the middle of a fierce competition for the starting job with incumbent starter Tatum Bell it makes for an intriguing storyline.  Smith also possesses an exuberant personality with an unbridled sense of child like enthusiasm which fans can gravitate towards and identify with.  Not to mention Smith’s overwhelming sense of confidence and belief in the quality of his own abilities as a player, and if those abilities translate to the field of play fans will flock to Smith’s corner at a rapid pace.  However, as we all know Smith ultimate success lies in the fate of the development of the Lions porous offensive line, if they can’t open holes and be physical at the point of attack Smith’s potential has no chance to shine through.  Never the les you have admire the manner in which this Lions rookie goes about his business.  Is he the fastest? Does he have great long distance speed?  Would he out run you in a 100 meter dash?  The answer to those questions is no but what Smith seems to have is vision and smarts two very critical complements to having a long and successful career in the NFL.  Sometimes in this league it’s not always about who can run the fastest often times those speed burners are situational type players who are one dimensional and can only be used in certain situations.  Being a running back today in the NFL requires that a runner be able to incorporate all facets of the game from running, to pass catching, and of course pass blocking.   Now by no means am I suggesting that Kevin Smith is going to come in here and be the Lions saving grace, all I am simply saying is that with Smith in the fold the Lions have a compelling storyline to follow in a camp otherwise dormant of any other newsworthy headlines.  Say what you will in regards to Kevin Smith but no one will really know anything until he’s placed into the line of fire, but by all accounts from coaches, to players and the people who follow this team on a daily basis so far so good. Now I wouldn’t dare venture into making any bold pronouncements as to the type of year Smith is bound to have because lord knows the offensive line needs a lot of fine tuning before we can truly judge the impact Smith will have on the ultimate success of this team.  However, we finally have someone with a pulse and a once of swagger and arrogance which on this team is certainly refreshing to see.  

My friends the 2008 Tigers season began with such great hope, optimism, and anticipation with many fans hoping that the flurry of  high risk high reward offseason moves were going to put the Tigers back at the top of the baseball mountaintop.  Well as we all know by now those hopes and aspirations have not translated into the production many were expecting and hoping for and as a result this franchise is at a crossroads.  Now for the purposes of this discussion I want to focus on scruffy stickler of a manager Jim Leyland.  My friends it’s no secret that Leyland have pressed every button, rearranged the line-up and implemented every tactic possible to get this underachieving and disappointing collection of superstars to perform at the level we all know there capable of.   However, the old adage states that a coach is only as good as his players, and right now this group of players look like a bunch of crazed dogs without direction.  They have no leadership inside their clubhouse nothing by way of a veteran taking control of a group that is both underperforming and uninterested in terms of turning the fortunes of this team around.  One can only wonder if a veteran manger like Leyland is burnt out spent and searching for answers he obviously doesn’t have.  There is something fundamentally flawed with the structure of this team, they haven’t meshed as many were expecting and as a result their effort is at best subpar.  The Tigers took a major risk committing to a large collective of veteran big named major leaguers based purely on potential and past results rather than what have you done for me lately.  It didn’t work and now Jim Leyland is left trying to selvedge a season that has gone horribly wrong.  Now I do want to make this abundantly clear by no means am I accusing the job that Leyland has done, because it’s painfully obvious that the magic of the 2006 season has fallen by the waste side. Leyland certainly deserves to be put under a microscope for some his rather peculiar and head scratching decisions that have cost the Tigers a countless number of vitally important contests.  Everyone is at fault here there is no denying that, but it’s clear to me that the players are resting on there laurels accepting the faith they’ve been given and willing to endure the consequences that accompany the quality of their play.  Jim Leyland and the Tigers may only be a handful of games out of the division lead 6½ at last check but you mustn’t be fooled all you have to do is examine Detroit’s body of work and it’s clear that the Tigers have no interest in competing which is for my money a crying shame.