Out of the woodwork

DNP-CD
On Monday, I wrote, "Fans around here tend to love the very good and the very bad." Apparently, I was right.

After a summer of ultimate fan apathy, the Pistons were the hot topic yesterday on the web and radio. Prior to the season, there was zero interest in this team. Traditional fans were trying to avert their eyes from the impending disaster of a season, and the casual fans moved on to MSU football and the Wings. Yet, when the Pistons lose to the worst team in the league by squandering a 7pt lead in the final 1:44, the fans come out of the woodwork.

Ironically, the loss was probably a good thing! The Pistons' Q Score is through the roof. Everybody now knows of their painful performance and that prize rookie Greg Monroe never left the bench. Fans were livid. After a 50% free throw shooting night, Pistonpowered even chastised Big Ben for his repeated failure at the charity stripe. What is this... 2004? Had the Pistons actually pulled out the win, I have no doubt there would've been a collective yawn in this area. Ho-hum. Yet, with the spectacular loss, fans suddenly care again. It's theoretically possible that the Pistons may actually be the worst team in the NBA.

From a talent perspective, that's somewhat hard to believe. Not many teams boast three All-stars - two of which still play close to that All-star level. The roster was built around good characters guys, and they have a decent injection of youth with Austin Daye, Greg Monroe, and the now-injured Jerebko. The team should not be so dreadful. But they are. Part of the problem is that many of the players (I'm looking at you, Hamilton) are only "good character guys" when the team is winning. When the losses pile up, the grumbles become more audible. This is the NBA, don't forget. And, as we've discussed here ad nauseum, Dumars populated the team with too many friggin' guards. The players don't know their roles. Is it any surprise that the one player with a defined role - Big Ben - is the best, most consistent player every night?

The problem is that Dumars and Kuester are in denial. Both are still operating as if this is a championship team. Why else would they bring in a stop-gap like McGrady? He's just taking minutes from Austin Daye. McGrady should be a complimentary player on a playoff team. Why is Maxiell taking minutes from Greg Monroe? We've seen Maxiell for five years. We know what he can do. If the Pistons want to rebuild - which they oh-so-clearly need to do - they've got to find out if Monroe can actually play. Wouldn't it be nice to have a legit power forward? A guy who can rip down boards and pass the rock like a young C-Webb? They might just have that in Monroe. But we'll never know if he doesn't see the friggin' floor.

As for Daye, he forced Kuester's hand with stellar play at the Summer League and preseason. So Kuester found him a spot in the starting lineup - at power forward. Daye may be the lightest (200lb) power forward in the history of the game. Most PFs weigh between 240-260lbs. That's a ton of size to give up. What's the role of the coach again? All together now... to put a player in a position to succeed. How is Daye supposed to succeed when he's consistently yielding 50lbs to his opponent? Kuester be real. The kid's a 3. Or maybe a 2, but for God's sake he's not a 4.

You see? It's these dreadful losses that bring out the passion in the fans. I haven't been this worked up about the Pistons in months!

Ug-Ly

Is it too early to amend my prediction? Two days ago, I said the Pistons would win a grand total of 25 games this season. I figured I was being conservative, bordering on pessimistic. After hearing they lost last night to the New Jersey Nets - a team that won just 12 games last season - I now fear the Pistons might have a hard time winning 15 games.

It's possible my fears are unwarranted. The fact is I didn't get to watch the game. I just saw the result and perused the box score. I'm a Dish Network subscriber, and Fox Sports Detroit pulled their channel from my lineup. I'm stuck without the Pistons OR Wings. Without watching the games, my opinion loses some credibility. So, I'll try not to overreact. Perhaps the Pistons aren't that bad. Perhaps New Jersey, who signed 11 new players this season, is better than an expansion team. Perhaps Charlie Villanueva should be exclusively a three-point shooter (9 attempts versus 1 attempt at a 2-pointer). Perhaps lauded sophomore and preseason leading scorer Austin Daye should log just 21 minutes. Perhaps lauded rookie Greg Monroe shouldn't play at all. Perhaps losing a 7pt lead in the final 1:44 ain't that bad.

Or perhaps they just suck.

When Jerebko went down with the season-ending injury, I wasn't quite sure how much that would affect the team. From a rebounding perspective, they definitely miss him. Jersey is not a rebounding powerhouse. Again - just 12 wins all last season. Yet, they outrebounded the Pistons 44-37. I have no doubt Jerebko could've snuck in a few more boards for the Stones. Maybe it's the lack of size that forced Kuester to continue trying new lineup combinations. Nine different players logged 19 or more minutes. Despite the rebounding disparity, Kuester couldn't find any minutes for the Pistons prized rookie big man? Very curious.

This experimenting is supposed to be limited to the preseason. Please tell me this is not the rotation that Kuester settled on.

As for New Jersey, I predict they'll lose their next ten games. Yes, they're that bad.

Winter's a comin'

In a handful of months, baseball's big GMs will gather for the Winter Meetings. This is where the major trades and free agent signings begin in earnest. The Tigers, with $55M coming off the books, figure to be big players.

While it would be absolutely sweet for the Tigers to make a splash signing Carl Crawford, I have a strange feeling that they should focus more of their energy internally. Admittedly, The Tigers of '06 proved that free agents and trades can lead a team to greatness. The Gambler, Maggs, Polanco, Todd Jones, Guillen, and Pudge were the cornerstones that season, and they were all acquired via trade or free agency.

Yet, the Tigers quickly fizzled out. In the five years since, they've yet to reach the playoffs, let alone make another World Series. Looking at the teams with consistent success - Yankees, Red Sox, Twins, Phillies - they've built their core from the draft and later added complimentary pieces through free agency/trades. The Yankees are the best example. While they're known as free-wheeling big-spenders, the true backbone of their team for the past 16 seasons (in which they've made the playoffs an astounding 15 times) was Jeter, Posada, Pettitte, Rivera, and, most recently, Cano. All those players were drafted and developed by the Yanks. They've had a handful of free agent sluggers rotate into the lineup, with varying results (Giambi, Matsui, Williams, etc), but the clutch performers more often than not were the Yankee draft picks. The teams' Achilles heel during his run is starting pitching. They've thrown big money at an army of players who typically come up short. Carl Pavano, Mike Mussina, Randy Johnson, and even Jeff Weaver all seemed primed for greatness in pinstripes, but they underperformed.

The Yankee fans would be the first to say that free agency is a gamble. The reliable players - the players that make a team great - are the draft picks. And, for the record, I realize that most Latin players are technically signed as free agents. Since they're not eligible for the draft, teams sign them at 17 and 18 years of age. They've got to be developed under the farm system, so I lump them in with the draft picks.

This brings me back to the Tigers. They had a chance this season to get a look at most of their top farm prospects. The results were better than I would've expected. They've got an excellent-fielding shortstop in Danny Worth. Will Rhymes showed a penchant for Polanco-like skill with both the bat and glove. And Casper Wells and Brennen Boesch displayed absurd power during stretches of the season. As a result, I find Wells and Boesch the most intriguing.

The Tigers need one of them to make the leap to the next level. It's not out of the realm of possibility for Wells or Boesch to hit 20HR and 90RBI next season. A player with those numbers could command $10M on the free agent market. Yet, Wells and Boesch still make under $1M. That, folks, is value and would free up cash for other glaring needs. The Tigers have many. The Tigers' management should do all they can to get those two players ready for the bigs in 2011. Boesch, who spent the entire second half in a slump, is the trickier proposition. He hit an All-Star pace for two months. Then he seemingly lost his confidence or perhaps opposing pitchers figured him out. Either way, I begged for the Tigers to send him down to Toledo - just to get him out of the spotlight. He stayed up with the big club and struggled to the very end. An article on MLive yesterday described Boesch's offseason regimen. Boesch said he'd "leave no stone unturned." This is exactly the type of overthinking that I was worried about. I'd vastly prefer Boesch to spend a month in Ibiza, forgetting about baseball. I suppose we'll see if his strategy works next April.

Predictions

The Pistons open the regular season on Wednesday. What can we expect from the men in Red, White, and Blue? Was last year an aberration or a sign of things to come?

Judging by the expert opinions, last year was not an aberration. Most predictions have the Pistons winning roughly 30 games. Kelly Dwyer of Yahoo Sports puts the win total at just 19. If that were to happen, the Pistons might actually regain a popular foothold once again. Fans around here tend to love the very good and the very bad. It's those middling teams that have trouble attracting interest. Besides, with just 19 wins, they'd surely get a top 3 pick, and we know how much Detroiters love a good draft.

What's my take?

The Pistons were a tough sell last season. Not only were they coming off the worst season in a decade, they blew their cap space on two players who failed to excite the fan base. I was a big Ben Gordon fan and figured he'd continue on his 20ppg pace. I also didn't mind the Charlie V signing, as I remember him as a versatile big man who could put up points in a variety of ways. As a Piston, Charlie V showed off his offensive skills every 8th night or so. In between, he'd float in and out of the lineup with little fanfare. Ben Gordon started the season in fine form and then hit a wall. Whether it was nagging injuries, lack of chemistry with new team, or a private personal matter, BG sorta sucked. Through nine games, BG averaged a sterling 24.3 ppg. That tenth game - against Dallas - BG shot an unconscionable 1-16. That night stuck with him the entire season. He reached that 24 point plateau just four times the rest of the season. In fact, he only topped 30 points once - the 4th-to-last game against a Miami team resting their starters. What the heck happened?

It was a season-long slump. The Pistons must hope it's not a season-ending slump. BG needs to regain that scoring touch, and, if he does, Joe D needs to trade him. I'm increasingly buying into the belief that Rip will stay a Piston. NBA trades are all about contracts, and Rip's got too many years remaining. BG has an even longer contract, but he's significantly younger. That may make his salary more palatable, and it's possible his stellar playoff performance in 2009 is still fresh in other GM's minds. Not likely, but possible.

Trading Gordon will free up minutes for Stuckey at the 2. The Pistons can focus on a three-guard rotation of Bynum, Stuckey, and Hamilton, and hopefully free up cap-space with no Gordon contract.

With or without Gordon, though, this team is in trouble for the 2010-11 season. They're unbalanced both offensively and defensively. They've got no center, and only two true power forwards. It's no wonder they had chemistry problems last year. I expect that to continue to the tune of 25 wins and 57 losses.

With ownership in flux, a sagging Michigan economy, fan apathy, and no Tom Wilson, it's gonna be a long year. Perhaps it's a good thing Fox took the games off my Dish? For Patrick Hayes' excellent take on why we should watch the Stones, click here.

Tiger for Life

Strikeout King returns!

The Tigers announced that they agreed to a 2-year extension for Mr. Brandon Inge, aka Strikeout King, Inge=HOF. According to the mLive article, the K King now lives in my neck of the woods, so it's possible I may run into him at Meijer. Should I tell him to choke up?

To be fair, we don't know the dollar figure, and, as discussed previously, Inge is one of the better options available at third base this year. At 2-years, the Tigers aren't committed long-term to El Rey de K.

Inge will suffice, provided the Tigers do upgrade in other areas. Yesterday, mLive reported that the Tigers will be among the teams pursuing free agent catcher Victor Martinez. As a 4-time All-star, Martinez should command somewhere in the $10M-$12M range. Perhaps higher if it's a one year deal. My guess is that he'll return to Boston, but expect Dombrowski to make a push. This is a bit strange considering Martinez never hit well in Comerica, and he's a poor defensive catcher. Should the Tigers, so prone to costly errors, downgrade yet another position? Martinez would be a massive, massive upgrade offensively from Laird and Avila, but at what price?

My hope is they pursue a cheaper, more balanced catcher like John Buck. Buck hit .281, with 20 HR and 66 RBI. He also made his first All-star team this year, so he's entering free agency at just the right time. Yet, he's a career .240 hitter, with not a ton of power lifetime. I'd be wary of over-committing to him, but he might be worth a big payday (in the $7M range) for one or two years. With a stronger glove, he's a better fit for the Tigers.

I hold out hope, though, that the Tigers focus their attention more on corner outfielders. There are some real free agent gems for that position. Or, as Grand Slam posted a while back, why not throw ridiculous money at a Hall of Famer like Cliff Lee? With a staff made up of Lee, Verlander, Scherzer, and Porcello, the Tigers could potentially mow teams down. In 2006, the Tigers won with defense and pitching. Sure, the 2011 Tigers may be tough to watch at the plate, but they need to play to their strengths. Comerica Park caters to speed and pitching. Build the team around that.

Daye at PF

The Pistons starting Power Forward
Austin Daye started again at the PF spot last night in the Pistons' win against the Wizards. Daye didn't have a particularly great game (10pts, 4reb), but it's clear he's Kuester's first choice.

The only question now is whether Kuester will get cold feet and start a more traditional PF in the season opener, like, say, Jason Maxiell. Of course, Maxiell is dreadfully undersized, but the other option, Charlie V, is neither physical nor a post-presence. I suppose the best option, at least on paper, would be Greg Monroe. With a scant 3 pts, 2 reb, and 3 fouls last night, Monroe is not quite ready. He'll be eased into the NBA.

So it's looking like Daye. And this is good news from a fan perspective. The fans are dying to see what the Pistons have for the future. Daye possesses that super-smooth release and can create his own shot - two qualities that make him unique on this roster. Last year, I compared his game to Danny Granger, and I hold tight to that comparison. If Daye gets meaningful, consistent minutes, he may just live up to that comparison. If he languishes on the bench, we'll never know.

Also of note from yesterday's game is Rodney Stuckey and his 34 points. He took over the game and missed just 5 shots. It's just a preseason game, but he was matched up against two decent guards - Kirk Hinrich and John Wall. Stuckey showed he can indeed elevate his game. He showed flashes of brilliance two years ago, but last year was a massive disappointment. The dude just couldn't finish, and that's why his 13-18 shooting last night is heartening. If he could keep up a 45-50% shooting percentage, he'd average 18+ per night. Maybe over 20 if he got to the line more often. And, if the Pistons hope to have any success going forward, Stuckey is the key. They put all their eggs in the Stuckey basket when they traded Billups. So far, he's disappointed... but there's still time.

One last note... Ben Gordon. He was 1-5 last night. I totally respect the dude's skills, but I still don't think Kuester's found a role for him. Dumars created this problem by signing too many guards. I'd give Gordon a few games to settle in, and, if he's still struggling, he's got to go. There has to be a team out there looking for his talent. Based on the outrageous salaries offered FAs last summer, Gordon's salary ain't that bad. I'm convinced Joe D could find a taker.

Sucker

I'm a sucker. I admit it.

Like most of the other slappies in Detroit, I watched the Lions yesterday. Even after my earnest pleas for fans to give them the proverbial finger, I couldn't follow my own advice.

Yesterday afternoon, I indeed saw the Lions tie their own record - their 24th consecutive road loss. The previous record, set during the Morningweg/Mariucci regime, coupled with the current streak, gives the Lions a two wonderful stretches of football futility. Together, that's 48 road losses - an equivalent of 3 entire NFL seasons. Wow.

Okay, the mockery is over. I do want to maintain some level of objectivity. Despite the team's 1-5 record, they're improved. They're no doubt a better football team. They actually had multiple chances to win that game yesterday. The problem is that - every time Good Fortune smiled on the Lions - they found a way to negate it with a penalty.

• With the Lions driving at the end of the first half, Kevin Smith burst up the middle for ten yards to the NYG 30 yard line. Oops... Stephen Peterman decided to get one more hit in after the play. Personal Foul. 15 yards. Instead of driving for a touchdown, the Lions were lucky to get back into field goal range.
• On their first possession of the 2nd half, the Lions looked great driving down to Giants' territory. On a key 3rd and 3, Stanton hit Burleson for a whopping 28 yard gain! Oops... Gosder Cherilus lined up incorrectly. Illegal formation. On the next play, Stanton fumbled, and the Giants' seized momentum once again. (This call, by the way, was a bit harsh. This is one of those cases that the refs seem to be nitpicking on the Lions, while they let other, more successful teams slide.)
• Now the kicker... on the ensuing possession, the Lions' defense stood tall on a 3rd and goal from the 3. They forced an incomplete pass, and seemingly forced a field goal attempt. Wait, not so fast. Apparently, Cliff Avril lost his cool on the play and was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct. It's impossible to tell actually what happened or what was said, but this is another one of those bizarre - only the Lions - type penalties. The penalty gave the Giants four more attempts from the 1 yard line!

Petty refs or not, the Lions need to find a way to avoid these mistakes. They've shot themselves in the foot for decades now. Will it ever end?

This is what I was afraid of

We're only four games into the season, and already four Wings injured themselves:

• Brian Rafalski - Out a month after knee surgery
• Jonathan Ericsson - Out since Game 1 with back injury. Listed as day-to-day.
• Kris Draper - Has not played yet this season. Out indefinitely with groin injury.
• The Mule - Concussion in Game 4. Out indefinitely. Likely to miss at least 3-4 games.

The big loss is Rafalski. The Wings are not deep on defense. With Rafalski in the lineup, the Wings beat both the Ducks and the Blackhawks. They lost the next two without him. He's obviously a key component.

For a puck possession team, the Wings consistently fall prey to the one they should avoid - turnovers. They had 15 in the loss to the Avs, which cost the Wings the win. Last season, opposing teams regularly beat the Wings with an aggressive forecheck. The Wings had difficulty passing the puck deep in their own zone due to the forecheck. This led to turnovers, goals-against, and, ultimately, losses.

Word spread quickly. Pressure the puck all game, and the Wings will turn it over. That was the key to beating them. And it worked almost the entire season. The new faces that took the spots of the injured Wings last year just couldn't consistently work the puck control. And it's no different this year. Ericsson was one of the main culprits for turnovers last year, but even he is a step up from his replacement - Doug Janik. The other new face, Jakub Kindl, also fails to grasp the Red Wing passing game. Perhaps they'll improve with time, but it will just get harder if more Wing regulars go down. The team is not deep.

It's not just the new face, though. Datsyuk, Homer, and Stuart were all a shocking -3 last night. Nick and Z were a -2. Yes, they'll have difficult games over the course of the year, but my worry is that many of last year's problems are not resolved. Would I prefer the Wings to abandon their puck control culture? No. But they need to find the right personnel to make it work.

In praise of Schwartz & Mayhew

My Lions posts are few and far between. In fact, when I post about the Lions, it tends to be a plea for fans to not watch. The franchise has been a black-eye on Detroit for decades, especially recently during the Millen Regime.

Yet, I did watch a few of the games this season. During a brief chat with my Dad on Saturday, we both agreed that this incarnation was significantly improved. And, lo and behold, they go out and absolutely demolish the Rams the next day. It was a dominant, impressive victory. Of course, the Rams are not top-tier competition. In fact, just last year, they were a dreadful 1-15. But we all know wins are hard to come by in the NFL, especially for the Lions. They showed on Sunday that they had the ability to pummel an opponent - an all-too-rare occurrence around these parts.

The Fords fired Matt Millen two years ago, so blaming him for the problems in 2010 seems a bit absurd. But the fact is that he is still responsible. The draft picks during his eight year reign should be the backbone of this team. From 2002-2006, not a single Lions draft pick remains. This is why people call the Lions an expansion team. GM Martin Mayhew and Jim Schwartz had to build the team from scratch. Yet, expansion teams at least get the expansion draft when they get to pilfer players from the other teams. The Lions had no such luxury.

So, the fact that Mayhew & Schwartz took a worse-than-expansion-team and turned them into a 2-game winner last year is notable. If they could win six games this year, Ford should give them new cars.

Let's look at the key plays from the St. Louis game:

- Opening kickoff - St. Louis tries to surprise the Lions with an onside kick. Amari Spievey is not fooled and calmly cradles the bouncing ball. Spievey was a 2010 draft pick.

- On an early drive, St. Louis threaten until Corey Williams forces a St. Louis fumble. The Lions' Alphonso Smith recovers the ball. Williams was a 2010 Mayhew free agent signing, and Smith was 2nd round pick of the Broncos in 2009. Mayhew acquired him in a trade this offseason in exchange for a 7th round pick.

- After St. Louis ties the score at 3, the Lions' Stefan Logan returns the kickoff 105 yards for a TD. The Lions never look back. Logan was claimed off waivers by Mayhew on September 7th.

- On the Lions next possession, Jahvid Best converts a 3rd and 8 into a 22 yard gain. Then Shaun Hill hits Calvin Johnson for a TD. Best was a 1st round Mayhew pick. Hill was a Mayhew free agent pickup, and Calvin was actually selected by Matt Millen.

- Next possession, the Lions score again on a Hill pass to Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew was a 1st round pick by Mayhew in '09.

- In the 2nd half, the Lions need just four plays to score yet again on a Shaun Hill pass to Nate Burleson. Mayhew picked up Burleson as a free agent this offseason.

- Early in the 4th, Jason Hanson nails a 48 yarder. Hanson was a 2nd round pick in 1992 by Chuck Schmidt (that one was just for fun).

- A few minutes later, Ndamukong Suh makes his first career interception. Suh, of course, was the #2 overall pick this year by Mayhew.

- On the Rams next possession, Alphonso Smith comes up big again, intercepting a pass, returning it to the house, and does his "Carlton (of Fresh Prince fame) Dance":

Other than Calvin Johnson, every single big play of the game was made by a Mayhew/Schwartz player acquired within the last two years. Even for a negative nellie like me, I've got to admit that's impressive.

Woe is Bradley

The US Nats came out of mothballs this week to take on Poland and Colombia in two friendly matches. These were the first games since Bob Bradley was retained as coach.

If you read this blog regularly, you know I'm not a big fan of this decision. In the weeks since Bradley's official rehire, Jürgen Klinsmann chatted with the media about why he didn't take the job. He didn't get too specific, other than to say he wanted 100% control over the team. Apparently, Klinsmann's definition of 100% control differs from the USSF. What exactly caused the impasse? Neither Klinsmann nor the USSF offered any particulars, so we're left to speculate. Perhaps the USSF wants total control over the scheduling of matches? Perhaps the USSF wants to protect MLS players from too much national team duty? It's impossible to know for sure.

What we do know for sure is that the USSF President Sunil Gulati was very interested in Klinsmann. When the Klinsmann talks broke down, Bradley was the consolation prize.

Stone-faced Bradley was never a national team darling. He was installed as interim coach after the USSF fired Bruce Arena. He won a handful of games in what would become his trademark ugly style, and, apparently, Sunil Gulati could not ignore the results. Gulati hired him for the 4-year cycle.

While the team often employed negative tactics - crowding the midfield, zero possession, no flow - the US somehow managed to finish first not just in CONCACAF but also in their World Cup group. What's most surprising is that, despite the negative tactics, the US defense was shockingly porous. Yet, the team was resilient and showed no fear in frequently overcoming early deficits. The Bradley teams relied on set pieces, energy, and sheer force. It didn't look pretty, but, in the end, they got results.

It was a good four years for US soccer. Not great, but good. Bradley helped develop a few players - his son, Michael, Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, Benny Feilhaber, and Stuart Holden. The problem is that it's hard to imagine Bradley leading the team to heights greater than he's already achieved. Not only is the team somewhat stagnant in its current form, but the key components (Dempsey and Donovan) may be past their prime by 2014. Bradley's not known as a master tactician nor a savvy uncoverer of talent. He's a hard worker. His teams reflect that. I just don't know if hard work is enough.

Against Poland, Bradley called in most of his regulars from the 2010 World Cup. He did "experiment" by starting Jermaine Jones - a naturalized midfielder from FC Schalke - next to his son Michael. Jones' impressed immediately. He lobbed a perfect ball over the defense to a streaking Jozy Altidore who calmly buried it for a 1-0 lead. But the US was exposed shortly after. Poland seized control of the match, dominating possession and chances. If not for some heroic saves by Tim Howard, Poland could've gone into halftime with a 3-1 lead. Instead, Poland had to settle for just one. The second half was no different. Poland dominated the flow of the game with their superior skill and tactics. The US spent much of the match defending and chasing, though, in typical Bradley-team fashion, they wisely took advantage of a restart. Off a corner kick, Onyewu buried a cross for a brief 2-1 lead. Poland again equalized, and the game ended 2-2.

Overall, the US suffered from relatively poor midfield play. Dempsey was the main distributor of the ball, but I'm not convinced that's his best role. Stuart Holden and Dempsey managed to stay dangerous most of the match, but the US definitely missed the flair and speed of Landon Donovan. Without Donovan, opposing defenses can push farther into the attack. The threat of a counter is minimal.

Bob Bradley's lack of tactics was even more apparent last night in a listless 0-0 draw to Colombia. Bradley did install new faces into the lineup - midfielder Brek Shea, Jermain Jones (again), and defender Eric Lichaz, but his formation was a total clusterf*ck. US fans used to cringe every time Bruce Arena would field two defensive midfielders. They knew that Arena was - in essence - throwing the white flag. The move said to the other team, "We know you're more skilled than us so we're going to clog the midfield and tackle and pester our way to a draw." Bradley, like Arena, had no fears of the two man midfield and used that formation the entirety of his first 4-year cycle. As US fans, we're now used to it. The one silver lining of Bradley's "empty bucket" (as fans dubbed the formation) is that the d-mids do at least have a passing interest in offense. Michael Bradley, in particular, has a nose for the goal. So, we tolerate the empty bucket.

But last night was just a joke. Bradley opted for not 2 but 3 defensive midfielders. He had the gall to call his lineup a 4-3-3, meaning he was starting three "strikers." Unfortunately, only of the strikers is actually a striker. The lineup quickly morphed into a 4-6-0. Stuart Holden and Brek Shea (both playing out of position at striker) spent the entire game following their midfield tendencies. The three d-mids, Edu, Jones, and Bradley, couldn't string two passes together and regularly turned it over. And the lone striker - Jozy Altidore - received such little service that he drifted back into the midfield too, just to get a better look at the action.

In all my life I've never seen a 4-3-3 lineup not register at least a shot on goal. The problem is that Bradley fell prey to the biggest coaching mistake. As I've said repeatedly on this blog, the coach's main job is to put his players in a position to succeed. Inserting Holden and Shea as strikers is no way to accomplish that. It was Shea's first game as a US Nat, fer chrissakes. Play him in his natural position. Utilize his skill-set. Don't put the square peg in the round hole. But it didn't stop there. Michael Bradley, Maurice Edu, and Jermaine Jones were all playing the same role. They've got similar skill sets and, to the surprise of no one, spent much of the game running into each other. As trained d-mids, they've got the same instincts, tendencies, so of course their going to want to do the same things.

Bob Bradley can pat himself on the back for experimenting, but, dude, what a waste. He should be experimenting with players, tactics, and lineups that might help push the team forward. That 4-3-3 (aka 4-6-0) lineup was doomed to fail. Jim Rome, who's never watched a soccer game in his life, could've told him that. You don't run an offense with 3 Quarterbacks. *Sigh*

To Bob's credit, he did fix the formation dilemma at half time. He brought in Dempsey and Eddie Johnson. So, at least he could run a standard 4-4-2. The US had a little more flair and did at least manage a few shots on goal. They didn't score, but I chalk that more up to lack of skill. Dempsey, Altidore, and Bradley are good players, but they were simply off.

So with these two friendlies behind us, the US heads into the winter months with a losing record for 2010. The US hasn't had a losing record for a calendar year since 1997. Part of that is, of course, the stiffer competition, but the past three friendly matches were on home soil. Most countries win those matches. If the US hopes to progress to a world power, they should too.

The fight with Fox

The Wings open their season tonight against the Ducks. The game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit, but I won't be able to see it. Why? Because I subscribe to Dish Network.

On October 1st, Fox blocked Dish Network from its programming due to (what Dish calls) "an unprecedented rate increase of more than 50%." This is not the first time Dish sparred with a big affiliate. In its first season carrying the NHL, Dish faced a similar battle with Versus. Apparently, Versus felt it could command more money as an NHL broadcaster. Eventually, Dish and Versus settled, but it took months.

I may be in the minority here, but I've never once had a problem with Dish. They've provided fine customer service for my entire five years of subscription. They claim they want to keep costs down, and the truth is that they do. They're significantly cheaper than DirecTV and Comcast. And when I upgraded to HD this past winter, Dish supplied with me with a $200 receiver and a ton of HD channels for just $10. This deal was a reward for customer loyalty.

No company has ever granted me a tangible reward like that before. It was incredible. So do what you gotta do, Dish. Fight with Fox. I'm not going anywhere.

Pistons

Piston fans are somewhat split on how to react to the Jerebko injury. Some feel it's a massive loss since Jerebko is one of the few exciting players on the roster. He embodies the tenacity, hustle, and passion that Joe D wants to bring back to the team. Others, however, think the injury is no big deal. The team is going nowhere anyway, so who cares? One thing is for sure - the injury will definitely hinder Jerebko's development.

Nobody quite knows what to make of his potential. He can clearly become a Joakim Noah-type hustle player. But his 25 ppg for the Swedish team this summer showed he may have untapped offensive talent. His jumpshot is a bit clunky, and he's no gazelle when attacking the hoop. The closest comparison, and I still stand by this, is Rodman. They got freakish athleticism, tenacity, and nose for the ball. You'll never hear that comparison on TV or radio because people tend to compare white dudes only to other white dudes. Last year, David Lee was the most common Jerebko comparison. Other than the color of their skin, they don't really have a lot in common. Lee has much more finesse to his game. He's an excellent passer with a high basketball IQ. He and Jerebko do tend to get a lot of offensive rebounds, but Jerebko relies on athleticism. Lee on instinct. Lee won't outjump anybody. He'll just sneak around and back-door you to death. But I suppose these comparisons are all for naught. Jerebko is gone and may never recover from the achilles injury. It's a huge blow to the Pistons.

It does, of course, open the door for Greg Monroe. As I posted earlier in the week, I'd vastly prefer to see Monroe get the starting nod than Villanueva. My guess is that Kuester will try to get Monroe to provide Jerebko's tenacious defense. That's just not going to happen. From just the four games I watched in the rookie league, I can tell Monroe is not that type of player. He just doesn't have the footspeed or active hands. Like David Lee, Monroe is more a finesse player with high basketball IQ. A more accurate comparison for Monroe would be Rasheed. If he could study Rasheed's defensive technique, Monroe may be able to partner successfully with Big Ben.

And on the offensive end, Monroe has a fairly polished game already. Once he gets used to NBA speed, he'll be fine.

No Maxiell viking hats this year

Ouch

That didn't take long. In just one exhibition game, the Pistons lost two players to injury - Jonas Jerebko and Terrico White.

White didn't figure to gain much burn this season anyway, but Jerebko was a starter. He suffered a torn achilles tendon and will miss six months. This is a big blow to both the Pistons and Jerebko. Even if Jerebko returns this season, will he be the same player or will Jerebko become the next Elton Brand?

Jerebko's injury does open the door for either Charlie Villanueva or Greg Monroe. One of those two power forwards will likely start in Jerebko's absence. My hope is that the Pistons - who are going nowhere anyway - use this season to see what they've got in their youngsters. The Pistons rarely operate that way, though, and will more likely plop a veteran into that spot. It would behoove the team, in the long run, to develop Greg Monroe. What better way to learn than to get some meaningful minutes as a rookie?

The same is true for Austin Daye. The kid obviously worked on his game in the offseason because he came into the rookie summer league with all guns blazing. He was - far and away - the Pistons' best player. He even fared well last night against the Heat. So the kid is producing. But the problem is that he's got Tayshaun Prince and now Tracy McGrady ahead of him in the pecking order. Why did Joe D sign McGrady again? Daye needs minutes. Perhaps Joe is just biding his time before McGrady injures himself again.

Wings Decline

Not this year
Pat Caputo was on Fox2's Sportsworks two weeks ago, and he said that he believed the Wings would win the Cup this season. (For more rah-rah propaganda, click here.)

I found that pretty shocking. While I do believe the Wings will make the playoffs, I see a major talent disparity between the Wings and the rest of the contenders. It's true that they *almost* won the Cup a mere 16 months ago, but a lot has happened in that time. Most importantly, the young stars on Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver improved. The Wings, if anything, got worse.

Last season, the Wings struggled with injuries and found themselves out of the playoff hunt for much of the season. It was a bizarre few months where the GMs around the NHL breathed a collective sigh of relief -- "the Wings are human." The big question entering this season is whether last season was an aberration or a sign of things to come.

I'm not going to proclaim doom-and-gloom. The Wings do have a ton of talent on their roster. But I'm also not going to drink the Caputo Kool-aid. Last season signaled the beginning of the decline. For the first time in decades, the Red Wings do not have an infusion of young talent to replace the aging superstars. We all hoped that Kronwall and Ericsson would assume the All-star skates of Nick Lidstrom. Kronwall has proven to be a solid NHL defenseman, but Ericsson may struggle to make the game day roster. After such a promising run in the '09 playoffs, Ericsson's form dipped dramatically last year, and, if this preseason is any indication, his problem with costly turnovers remains (a dreadful -6 plus/minus in just six games).

Zetterberg and Datsyuk are thankfully still in their prime. Their talent alone should carry the Wings to a playoff berth. Yet, their supporting cast is less-than-stellar. The Wings did bring back Jiri Hudler. He may add some scoring punch. But the team has waited two years for Filppula to warrant his $3.5M/year salary hit. His 11 goals last year aint gonna cut it.

General Manager Ken Holland cobbled together a decent enough roster to keep the Red Wings competitive. Aging Mike Modano may not have wheels like he used to, but he should definitely improve the power play. The Wings searched all season for someone to replace Mikael Samuelsson on the point. Modano should fill that void. Bertuzzi still has some gas, and Homer actually is improving with age. Yet, I just don't see how this roster can beat the other contenders in a seven game series.

Holland did not have cap flexibility this offseason to make any drastic moves. Next offseason, only 13 players are on the books - accounting for $43million. It's all the core players you hope will stick around (Datsyuk, Z, Kronwall, Rafalski), with the exception of no Nick Lidstrom. If Nick retires - and I think he will - Holland will have $6million to play with. Even with the extra cash, I doubt the Wings will be able to improve themselves significantly through free agency. They seem to have much better success drafting and developing talent. Unfortunately, other teams have caught up to the Wings in terms of scouting hidden European gems.

Yet, Ken Holland always seems to have an ace up his sleeve. My guess is that he'll keep the Red Wings relevant for as long as he's GM. I just don't know if they're championship-caliber. We may have to wait for the next Yzerman, Fedorov, or Zetterberg... and that may take a while.

... And just to end this on a positive note, here's one of my favorite goals by the Wings most underrated player...

More of the same

No, the title is not in reference to the Lions' 20th consecutive loss at Lambeau Field. It's actually in reference to Dombrowski offering Strikeout King a multi-year contract. According to the article, Inge is "ecstatic". He should be. I doubt any other team will pony up as much cash as the Tigers.

As much as I poke fun at Strikeout King, I don't hate this move. It's a weak year for free agent 3rd basemen. Inge might be top 3 among that group. Furthermore, the team definitely missed Inge when he was out with an injury. The dude and his alarming strikeout rate were still superior to his Triple-A replacement (Scott Sizemore). The article also stated that Dombrowski would like Peralta back, though not necessarily at the $7.25M club option. When Peralta signed that contract with Cleveland, the economics of baseball were much different. The going rate for Peralta (.249BA, 15HR, 81RBI) would likely be in the $6M range.

So what about Inge? How much should he be worth? This past season, Inge hit .247 with 13 HR and 70 RBI. Those numbers are somewhat comparable to Peralta's with the exception that Inge struck out significantly more often (23% of his at-bats vs 17% for Peralta). Peralta's also hit 80+ RBIs the past three seasons and is only 28 years old. Inge surpassed the 80 RBI plateau once and is 33. Inge may have better defensive range than Peralta, but he also plays an easier position.

How does Inge compare to other 3rd basemen? Seattle's Jose Lopez hit .239, 10 HR, and 58 RBI, all numbers are close to Inge's (albeit not as good). Lopez is significantly younger than Inge, but - like Inge - is a one-time All-star. Lopez will make $4.5M if the Mariners pick up his option for 2011. Oakland's Kevin Kouzmanoff matched Inge's offensive output almost exactly, hitting .247, 16 HR, and 71 RBI (and struck out 40 fewer times despite more at-bats). Kouzmanoff earned $3.1M in 2010. The Dodgers' Casey Blake signed as a free agent this year for $6.25M. He finished the year hitting .248, with 17 HR, 64 RBI, and more strikeouts than Inge. Blake is scheduled to make $5.25M in 2011. I'd say Blake is overpaid.

Part of the reason for Blake's inflated salary is age. As a 36 year old, he's entitled to more cash. As a 33 year old, Inge will also demand more cash than Lopez and Kouzmanoff. My guess is that Dombrowski will shoot for a contract between Lopez's $4.5M and Blake's $5.25M. Inge-haters in Detroit will still think he'd be overpaid at, say, $5M/year, but that would be the going rate.

Heck, Johnny Damon made $8M this season, and only hit 8 HR and 51 RBI (he was also a dreadful .209 with RISP). Damon will not be back next season. No doubt signing players 35+ is a crap-shoot. So, assuming Inge and Peralta return to round-out the infield, with Guillen at 2B and Cabrera at 1st, Dombrowski should still have some cash to throw at the deep outfield free agent pool. My guess is that Dombrowski will at least make an offer to Maggs (again, more of the same), but he should also get in the hunt for Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth.