Detroit Lions Second Half Prediction

If the playoffs started today, the Lions would be on the road in New Orleans and 3 NFC North teams would be in the playoffs. Say what you want about the Lions not playing anybody good, but having 3 teams from your division in the playoffs means something. The Lions are 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the NFC and undefeated in the NFC North but haven't played the Packers yet. Personally, the game on Thanksgiving will show me how far these Lions will go in the playoffs, assuming they qualify for them.

They are 2nd in the league in point differential, outscoring their opponents by 92 with only Green Bay having a bigger difference of 96. That's an impressive stat to me because it shows they have been consistently good for the majority of the year. Their losses have been close and winnable which is reflected by the point differential. 

Lets take a look at the remaining games on their schedule...

The National Spotlight Is On Detroit Today

Detroit sports fans have waited an eternity for this day. These two nationally televised games will show why Detroit truly is the BEST sports city in America. The Lions are on ESPN Monday Night Football, and the Tigers are on FOX.  This city has put up with a lot of grief in its recent sports history, but this Monday has Detroit sports fans feeling ecstatic. 

The Lions haven't been on MNF since 2001, every other team in the NFL has made at least one appearance since 2007. The Lions have certainly earned it this year after starting 4-0. They match up against Da Bears who have to be shaking in their boots looking at this Detroit D-Line which I predict will sack Cutler at least 4 times tonight. I think the Lions will manhandle Chicago with all the energy buzzing in Detroit right now. 

PREDICTION: Lions 31, Bears 13. FINAL: Lions 24, Bears 13 - I was close!

I am feeling 100% more confident in the Tigers ability to advance to the World Series after hearing they activated Delmon Young today. He gets the start in left field and takes the roster spot of Magglio Ordonez. While Maggs was having a great postseason, his fractured ankle was re-injured forcing him to miss the remainder of the playoffs. Having D.Y. Jr. (my nickname for Delmon) back is HUGE. He was the MVP of the ALDS and gives the Tigers another right handed power bat against this lefty-heavy pitching of the Rangers. I honestly really like the Tigers odds to make some noise in Arlington today and win game 2 of this rain-delayed series. 

PREDICTION: Tigers 6, Rangers 3. FINAL: Rangers 7, Tigers 3

There will certainly be some trending topics about Detroit sports tonight on Twitter, and the bandwagon will be full very soon. The loyalty of Detroit fans will pay off today because we can say we were fans BEFORE our teams were good.

With that, I'm going to have my eyes glued to my TV for the next 6 hours starting promptly at 4:19 EST.

GO TIGERS

GO LIONS

ALDS Game 3 Preview

Who could ask for a better pitching match-up in October? Verlander and Sabathia toe the slab tonight in Detroit as the Tigers look to go up 2-1 in this pivotal game three against the Yanks. 

While rain put a damper on the Friday match-up between these two, they look to prove they are their club's aces by pitching on two days rest. The Tigers will start Santiago for Raburn at 2nd Base (thank god) and slide him into the 2-hole. Inge will get the start at 3rd because he hits better against lefties.

I'm going to make a bold prediction and say the Tigers win easy tonight. In his last four starts at Comerica, CC has been LIT UP, 0-4 with a hefty 7.56 ERA. Although the Tigers haven't won a game against the Yankees this year when Verlander starts, I like their odds tonight. Comerica Park is NOT Yankee Stadium which doesn't bode well for the home run happy Yankees. 

Look for the Tigers to go up 2-1 and put all the pressure on the Yankees in game four. 

GO TIGERS

Call Me Crazy, But I Like The Tigers Odds

First off, congratulations to the Detroit Tigers on clinching the 3rd seed in the ALDS! They will play their first game Friday night in New York at 8:37 EST. Although they squandered an opportunity to host the first round of the playoffs (Texas won tonight making them the 2nd seed), I am very pleased with playing the "Bronx Bombers."

Here's why:

1. The Tigers won the regular season series 4-3. I'm going to argue that if these two teams played in the second half, the Tigers would have made it a different story. Detroit was horribly inconsistent in the first half of the season when these teams met, however they still managed to take the season series from New York. After being outscored 16-9 in their first two losses to the Yankees (the FIRST TWO games of the SEASON), Detroit outscored New York 27-17 in the final five games, including a 4-0 shutout on May 4. While New York hadn't hit its offensive stride either, it speaks volumes that the Tigers CAN shutout this "feared" New York offense.

2. My favorite stat, runners in scoring position (RISP). A batter's avg with RISP is one of the most underrated statistics in baseball. It proves that a player is able to get a hit when a player is in scoring position, which is clutch. Of the Yankees everyday starters, they only have TWO players (Cano and A-Rod) batting above .300 with RISP. And Cano is the best with .320 RISP. Pshhh...the Tigers? Yeah, we have FIVE. Count 'em FIVE everyday players (Cabrera, V-Mart, Peralta, Young, Betemit) including the top two in ALL of baseball with Miggy (.393 RISP) and Victor (.390 RISP). I would rather have a high batting average with RISP then a team that can only hit home runs.

3. PAPA GRANDE. Valverde has been clutch and did not blow a save all season after getting his 49th save tonight. Post All-Star break, Papa Grande has the following line: 1.72 ERA, .173 AVG against, 19 K's in 31 1/3 IP. I do not want to face this guy in the playoffs when the game is close. The Yankees career statistics against Jose? The Yankees team is batting a combined .196 against Valverde for their career. I'm satisfied with that. 

4. The Ace, Justin Verlander. Alright, so he got a little roughed up in his last start against the Orioles, so what? The main point is even though the Tigers eventually lost both games Verlander started against the Yankees this year, he had 6 IP and only gave up 3 ER in both of his starts. I'm also going to argue that JV was not at his best in the first month of the year because he had 4 BB in each of those starts too. 

I don't see the Tigers having any major trouble against the Yanks. One area to focus on is the starting pitchers besides Verlander for Detroit. The rotation has yet to be released, but I see it going something like this: Verlander - GM 1/4, Fister - GM 2/5, Scherzer - GM 3. If Scherzer can win his game and given the offense stays consistent, I think the Tigers win the series. Fister has been a STUD since arriving in Detroit, and I'm not too concerned about him. No need to worry Tigers fans, that 12 game win streak was not a fluke, and the Yankees will see why.

GO TIGERS!

UPDATE: How bad did the Red Sox and Braves choke by not making the playoffs? Unbelievable.

The New Era Of Lions Football

Many of us saw a brand of Lions football we have not been accustomed to in the past decade. They came back to beat the Vikings 26-23 in Minnesota, ending a losing streak of 13 games in the Twin Cities. This is the first 3-0 start for the Lions since 1980. The Lions outscored the Vikings 26-3 after the first half, and the credit goes to Stafford, Megatron and the D.

People have been crediting Stafford for how good he is when he stays healthy, and he proved it again today. His game line reads as follows: 32-46 for 378 yards and 2 TDs with 0 picks. On the season he has 977 yards and 9 TDs to go with only 2 INTs. The best stat that proves his efficiency is the blistering 66.7% completion rate he's displaying. The maturity of this kid after making only 16 NFL starts is mind-blowing. The future is very very bright for #9. 

Megatron is just a freak athlete. The catch he had in overtime was unbelievable to go with his 108 yards and 2 TDs. According to ESPN, Calvin has 2 TDs in each of his team's first three games to start the year which is a FIRST IN NFL HISTORY. Pretty cool that not only are the Lions good, they are setting records too. I still am waiting for someone to match up physically with him on the field, I don't see it happening anytime soon. 

The D was the weak point in the first half but righted the ship at halftime. God knows what Schwartz said to them at the break, but it worked. Awesome job shutting down Peterson in the second half for only five yards. It goes to show how shutting down the run is the first and foremost task of a defense in order to be consistently good. 

While the 1980 team only finished 9-7 after starting 4-0, I think this Lions team proves they have what it takes to win 10 games and make the playoffs three years removed from having the worst season in NFL history. This era of Lions football is restoring the roar in the Motor City.

Sizzlin' 6

This is the first installment of the "Sizzlin' 6"^© where I list my favorite songs that I listened to during the day, new or old. Good lyrics will be posted as well if I feel the need to. Links won't be provided because chances are you already have the song or it's posted on the website somewhere.

Sizzlin' 6

1. "Club Paradise" by Drake
2. "They Call Me" by Bei Maejor (feat. Mike Posner)
3. "Paradise" by Coldplay
4. "Bad Girls Club" by Wale (feat. J. Cole)
5. "Anything" by Example ------>Fresh Hip-Hop artist from the UK
6. "You Could Be My Girl" by Shwayze & Cisco

Sizzlin' Lyrics

"Tell me, who did I leave behind? You think it got to me, I can just read your mind
You think I'm so caught up in where I am right now, Uh, but believe I remember it all"

"Club Paradise" by Drake

House Music

I got two house songs for you guys today. The first is "Eyes" by Kaskade which his among his new singles. It's just a dirty house song that is chill and has a great chorus. The next was brought to my attention by none other than the kid from the 313, Grim. "Set Fire to the Rain" is a remix done by Thomas Gold to the popular Adele song. Both these songs will get your study game going this weekend.

SIZZLE SCORE = 9

Kaskade - "Eyes"

SIZZLE SCORE = 8

Adele - "Set Fire to the Rain (Thomas Gold Remix)"

B.o.B (feat. Playboy Tre and Meek Mill) "Epic"

Just got back from the library (my brain is fried) and listened to "Epic" by B.o.B. Really fast dope beat and the lyrics flow really well too. I am a big fan of Mr. Bobby Ray since I heard him in concert with Kid Cudi and Asher Roth three years ago when nobody had ever heard of him. I'm sure this song will grow on me after multiple listens.

SIZZLE SCORE = 8

Coldplay "Paradise"

For some reason I am now just hearing this song. GREAT new Coldplay single called "Paradise" off their upcoming album "Mylo Xyloto" which comes out October 24th. This song has an awesome upbeat chorus and a relaxed feel through the rest of it. 

I am trying something new with the download link so you can play the song before you download it from an external site.  

SIZZLE SCORE = 9

 

Detroit Tigers Look to Lock Down the Central Tonight!

The team I am most passionate about is the Detroit Tigers. Baseball is my first love, and I would love for the Tigers to clinch the Central Division tonight if they beat Oakland and the Indians lose (again). This could be their first Division Title since 1987 when they took the AL East. Their win streak of 12 games is on the line as well. For once in my life I am not worried about the future of Detroit sports (except the Pistons). So let's all hope Scherzer can dominate the hill tonight and get his 15th win of the season and for Peralta to improve on his 1-18 against Athletics starter Brandon McCarthy. The smell of October is in the air! Ahhhhhh

GO TIGERS

Luke Bryan "Tailgates and Tanlines" Album Review

"Tailgates and Tanlines"

TOP SONGS ON THE ALBUM

1. Drunk on You
2. Muckalee Creek Water
3. Country Girl (Shake it for Me)
4. I Don't Want this Night to End
5. You Don't Know Jack
6. Tailgate Blues

TOP LYRICS ON THE ALBUM

"Girl you make my speakers go "BOOM BOOM"
Dancin' on the tailgate in a full moon
That kinda thing makes a man go mhmm mhmm
You're lookin' so good in what's left of those blue jeans
Drip of honey on the money maker gotta bee
The best buzz I'm ever gonna find..
I'm a little drunk on you, and high on summertime"

-Drunk on You

"But you don’t know Jack
Double shoot
80 proof
On the rocks
until you’ve lost it all
And you can't go back
To your life
And your kids
And your ex-wife
With just a telephone call
If you think is just a bottle
In an old brown paper sack
Then you don’t know Jack"

-You Don't Know Jack

First off I wanna say this is the best country album between Jake Owen's "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" and Eric Church's "Chief." That right there says a lot because those are two well respected country artists as well as their new albums. However, Luke Bryan adds something different to his songs. They are easily recognizable and fun to sing along to as well as reminisce. Any contemporary country fan will love this album as much as I do. Download link is below as usual.

SIZZLE SCORE = 9

Tailgates and Tanlines