Week six on the Macomb Area Conference football slate is a pretty good one, with games like 4-1 Macomb Dakota traveling to 5-0 Grosse Pointe North; Warren Cousino getting reacquainted with former MAC White rival and current MAC Red leader Romeo High; and the MAC's surprise team of the season, Warren Mott, at Clinton Township Chippewa Valley's homecoming.
Week six has rivalries like Madison Heights Lamphere taking on Madison Heights Madison and St. Clair Shores Lake Shore facing St. Clair Shores South Lake. The only people who could complain are sports reporters who have to pick just one game to be at (I chose the North/Dakota showdown).
What's the cause of this excitement — crossovers.
With the MAC switching from a five-division league to six in 2008, it created four weeks for crossover games.
It's not just week six, either. With all six league titles decided heading into the final week of the regular season, week nine could make week six look boring.
In week nine, Utica Stevenson travels to Mott in a possible postseason preview. Chippewa Valley hosts Cousino — one or both teams could be fighting for a playoff berth. Roseville and Eastpointe East Detroit end their year with one of the Eastside's most underrated rivalries. Center Line High hosts Warren Lincoln, and former Macomb Oakland Athletic Conference and Oakland Activities Association foes Madison High and Clawson High meet for the first time since 2003.
Speaking of the OAA, why would a league want to miss out on all this crossover fun?
With the OAA's current format of two eight-team divisions and one nine-team division, the teams lucky enough to be in the OAA Red and White get two crossovers, and those in the Blue have their league schedule account for eight of nine regular-season games.
To say nothing of fan interest, these schedules have teams starting their league play in week one, giving them no time to get rosters in order or account for any of the many inevitable early season roadblocks before competing for a league title.
I propose the OAA follow the MAC's lead (they've already switched from numbered divisions to colors) and move to five, five-team divisions. With five crossovers, the OAA could open it's league slate in week three, have an open date in the middle of the season for rivalries or other crossovers, and still have their final two weeks open for rivalries — games with champions playing other champs in a format like the Catholic League's Prep Bowl. Maybe they could go completely outside the league and play against corresponding champs from a rival league that may or may not have most of its constituency east of Dequindre.
Also, aligning a five-of-five format could take into account any number of factors, be they competitive balance or geography.
Here are two of a great many possibilities that might be fun. The first is the "geographic alignment."
OAA White: Rochester Adams, Rochester High, Rochester Stoney Creek, Troy High and Troy Athens.
OAA Red: Lake Orion High, Clarkston High, Farmington Hills Harrison, Farmington High and North Farmington.
OAA Blue: Bloomfield Hills Lahser, Bloomfield Hills Andover, Southfield High, Southfield-Lathrup and West Bloomfield High.
OAA Gold: Royal Oak High, Ferndale High, Berkly High, Birmingham Seaholm and Birmingham Groves.
OAA Silver: Auburn Hills Avondale, Pontiac Northern, Pontiac Central, Hazel Park and Oak Park
Now comes the fun one, the "competitive alignment."
OAA White: Adams, Lake Orion, Clarkston, Harrison and Lathrup.
OAA Red: Lahser, Southfield, Groves, Rochester and Stoney Creek.
OAA Blue: Troy, Athens, West Bloomfield, Seaholm and Oak Park.
OAA Gold: Ferndale, Berkley, Farmington, Pontiac Northern and Royal Oak.
OAA Silver: Pontiac Central, Andover, North Farmington, Hazel Park and Avondale.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The Pointe of rivalries
I covered my first Grosse Pointe North/Grosse Pointe South football game Sept. 5 at North.
I've been to Brother Rice/Catholic Central games, once in Pontiac and once in Hamtramck. Both of those trips were amazing exploits in preps athletics and seemed more like a Big 10 rivalry than a prep showdown.
I've also covered Macomb Dakota and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs, and I could not get over how large of an event these games were. There were more people at those games than many of the Central Michigan University games I went to in college.
This weekend, though, I experienced something a little different from all the other rivalries I've seen, all the North and South fans were literally sitting next to each other.
I sat in the crowd between North and South fans, and I didn't even get a whiff of animosity.
I know there are probably stories of crowds getting out of hand in the past, all schools have a troublemaker or dark day in their history, but this experience was as much fun as I can ever remember seeing such a large group of rival fans have together.
With both sides sharing the same set of bleachers at North, there wasn't even a whisper of foul tempers in a game that was closely contested for over three quarters before the veteran Norsemen wore down a young Blue Devils squad.
Just as was the case with the vast majority of people at the Rice/CC and Chippewa/Dakota games, the GPN and GPS teams acted with as much class on the field as the fans did off it.
In today's age, where we are led to believe community camaraderie and goodwill toward our neighbors have eroded, it's nice to see parents and youths in a community prove all that wrong for a night and actually enjoy something as simple as a high school football game.
I've been to Brother Rice/Catholic Central games, once in Pontiac and once in Hamtramck. Both of those trips were amazing exploits in preps athletics and seemed more like a Big 10 rivalry than a prep showdown.
I've also covered Macomb Dakota and Clinton Township Chippewa Valley, once in the regular season and once in the playoffs, and I could not get over how large of an event these games were. There were more people at those games than many of the Central Michigan University games I went to in college.
This weekend, though, I experienced something a little different from all the other rivalries I've seen, all the North and South fans were literally sitting next to each other.
I sat in the crowd between North and South fans, and I didn't even get a whiff of animosity.
I know there are probably stories of crowds getting out of hand in the past, all schools have a troublemaker or dark day in their history, but this experience was as much fun as I can ever remember seeing such a large group of rival fans have together.
With both sides sharing the same set of bleachers at North, there wasn't even a whisper of foul tempers in a game that was closely contested for over three quarters before the veteran Norsemen wore down a young Blue Devils squad.
Just as was the case with the vast majority of people at the Rice/CC and Chippewa/Dakota games, the GPN and GPS teams acted with as much class on the field as the fans did off it.
In today's age, where we are led to believe community camaraderie and goodwill toward our neighbors have eroded, it's nice to see parents and youths in a community prove all that wrong for a night and actually enjoy something as simple as a high school football game.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Down at 'The Corner'
The seemingly endless "efforts" to save Tiger Stadium have seemingly ended.
Barring a multi-million-dollar miracle before the end of July, Detroit will be a lesser city with the total destruction of the old ball park.
With that in mind, a handful of friends and I went down to The Corner July 14 to soak in the nostalgia.
I snapped some pictures and marvelled at how well-kept the field seemed to be from behind the security fencing. But the best part was being there with my high school friends Doug Belles, Mike Weathers and Dave Luedtke.
They are just a few of the friends who shuffled down to Tiger Stadium in the lean years, when we were in high school and college.
From when we got our driver's licenses in 1995 to the parks closing in 1999, we went to what at the time seemed like too many games and now feels like not enough.
Those years, while we complained about the team, were amazing. It sounds sappy, but I fell in love with baseball in those four years.
I had played Little League, but growing up the Lions and Pistons were my teams. I cared little for the Dead Wings of my youth, and beyond 1987 never really paid much attention to the Tigers.
From seeing the Tigers take on the NL East in the first years of inter-league play with (hot dog) vendors selling fresh, hot "Bobby Bonilla's" as the Tigers played the would-be World Series champion Florida Marlins, I found an experience at the ball park rivaled by few things in the world and grew to appreciate seeing a home-team win.
Those years of 'Fan Stand' tickets and 'Dollar Day' smorgasbords made experiences like seeing Magglio Ordonez's pennant-winning home run all the more exciting. Knowing I was one of the fans who had truly been there when it was the worst made the best times amazing.
Even beyond that, though, the memories I have with friends — like Andy Melitz, who I will forever be grateful to for getting me a ticket to the final game at the Corner — are of the most value.
Whether it was sitting in the bleachers as Mark McGwire shelled the left-field roof in batting practice, or sitting in the right- field overhang to see the eternally-expansion Tampa Bay Devil Rays, those memories are where Tiger Stadium will always stand, and there's nothing the Detroit City Council can do about it.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Don't miss the boat
Every summer I hang up my prep sports pass and head to the lakes and rivers. After the baseball and softball state champs are crowned, writing stories on the Bayview Mackinac and the Gold Cup races are a nice summer home away from home in regards to my high school sports beats.
This year, I got to write a feature on the Simon family and their connection to the Gold Cup races on the Detroit River. It all started with George Simon Sr. racing his boat, the Miss U.S. in 1953. As President and founder of U.S. Equipment, Simon was a quintessential American industrialist.
Fresh out of service in WWII, Simon started a business buying and selling machinery. He started buying the equipment from his mother's home and storing it under the bleachers at the old De La Salle High in Detroit. He and his brother made a name for their company throwing live turkey's into purchasers homes for Thanksgiving and buzzing an office full of buyers with a plane at Willow Run.
After all that established his business, Simon took up racing boats — powered by airplane engines situated mere inches from the driver's seat — at speeds approaching 200 mph.
Needless to say, George Simon was an interesting person. For his full story, check out the history of U.S. Equipment on its Web site at:
http://www.usequipment.com/story.htm
That's what makes these stories about boats, whether powered by sail or airplane engine, so interesting - the people. The nautical types are always willing to talk with you and always have interesting stories to tell. Go down and check out Gold Cup races on the Detroit River July 11-13 and the Bayview Mackinac Race when the yachts leave Port Huron July 12. Get there early and you might even hear a boat story of your own.
This year, I got to write a feature on the Simon family and their connection to the Gold Cup races on the Detroit River. It all started with George Simon Sr. racing his boat, the Miss U.S. in 1953. As President and founder of U.S. Equipment, Simon was a quintessential American industrialist.
Fresh out of service in WWII, Simon started a business buying and selling machinery. He started buying the equipment from his mother's home and storing it under the bleachers at the old De La Salle High in Detroit. He and his brother made a name for their company throwing live turkey's into purchasers homes for Thanksgiving and buzzing an office full of buyers with a plane at Willow Run.
After all that established his business, Simon took up racing boats — powered by airplane engines situated mere inches from the driver's seat — at speeds approaching 200 mph.
Needless to say, George Simon was an interesting person. For his full story, check out the history of U.S. Equipment on its Web site at:
http://www.usequipment.com/story.htm
That's what makes these stories about boats, whether powered by sail or airplane engine, so interesting - the people. The nautical types are always willing to talk with you and always have interesting stories to tell. Go down and check out Gold Cup races on the Detroit River July 11-13 and the Bayview Mackinac Race when the yachts leave Port Huron July 12. Get there early and you might even hear a boat story of your own.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Feed the need
They say youth is wasted on the young.
Whether it's because kids don't know how good they have "it" or don't appreciate how fleeting "it" might be, the young don't always take full advantage of the opportunities afforded them as much as those who have come before them.
That's what makes "recreational" adult sports leagues so intriguing. If its a midnight drop-in hockey session or a group of past-their-prime hard ballers behind an elementary school, what drives these athletes is something equal parts pure and fanatical. That's why my summer series will focus on local teams and athletes who can't say enough is enough. They're the ones you see risking torn knees and wrenched backs for nothing more than competition. So if you play on or know of a team that exemplifies these qualities let me know.
You can reach me at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.
Whether it's because kids don't know how good they have "it" or don't appreciate how fleeting "it" might be, the young don't always take full advantage of the opportunities afforded them as much as those who have come before them.
That's what makes "recreational" adult sports leagues so intriguing. If its a midnight drop-in hockey session or a group of past-their-prime hard ballers behind an elementary school, what drives these athletes is something equal parts pure and fanatical. That's why my summer series will focus on local teams and athletes who can't say enough is enough. They're the ones you see risking torn knees and wrenched backs for nothing more than competition. So if you play on or know of a team that exemplifies these qualities let me know.
You can reach me at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Local Lions
Bob Lantzy, Mike Giannone, Mike Carr and Rick Bye can fix the Detroit Lions.
That may be a tall order for the football coaches at the Macomb Area Conference Red Division's four premiere programs, but after speaking with Buffalo Bills linebacker John DiGiorgio April 18 at St. Mary’s School in Mount Clemens, maybe these four can help the much-maligned Leos.
Accounting for 13 trips to state title games in the past 10 years, these four coaches know what makes a good football player great, and they know how to get the most out of marginal players.
Getting marginal players to play above their talent level is key to the success of high school program, and from the Lions' recent run, that could be an invaluable skill for them as well.
Not to say DiGiorgio was a marginal talent under Lantzy at Utica Eisenhower, but for him to climb his way to start 13 games and record 137 tackles in 2007-08, he had to overcome several roadblocks — starting with a broken leg in the final game of his high school career, the 1999 Class A state title game.
With resilience like that, you would think DiGiorgio grew up watching players like Chris Spielman and Stephen Boyd play linebacker.
That’s the other way local prep and college products can help the Lions.
We have heard all too often how Lions coach Rod Marinelli wants to build an atmosphere of pride, so why not start with players who already have pride in playing for the Lions.
DiGiorgio said he would have loved to play in front of a Detroit crowd while speaking to the student body at St. Mary’s, and given the Lions woes at the linebacker position, I’m sure they would’ve loved it too.
So let’s look at how the 2008 draft’s metro Detroit talent can help the Lions.
Granted with the No. 15 pick in the first round, the Lions won’t have a shot at top prospects like Jake Long of Lapeer and Vernon Gholston of Detroit, but that’s not to say there aren’t prospects to be had.
With the departure of former second-round pick Kalimba Edwards, the Lions again have a hole at defensive end — there lies Eastern Michigan University’s Jason Jones of Southfield.
The Former Southfield-Lathrup Charger posted 174 tackles in his three years on the Eastern Michigan defensive line. He recorded 70 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing at defensive tackle as a 6-5, 237-pound senior despite giving up plenty of weight to larger interior offensive linemen.
Jones could provide versatility across the Lions defensive front at tackle, end or even linebacker. That’s versatility that gurus like Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry should covet.
Next on the Lions "need" list is linebacker, where they’ve parted with former second-round picks Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman, who combined for roughly half as many tackles as DiGiorgio last year.
The current field of middle linebackers is thin, so a first-round pick of someone like Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo would be understandable, but why not take a late flyer on Central Michigan University’s Red Keith.
Keith may be from Georgia, but he has excelled on the Ford Field surface. In two Motor City Bowls, two Mid-American Conference championship games and one regular-season contest, Keith recorded 48 of his 455 career tackles.
NFLDraftCountdown.com’s scouting report says Keith doesn’t have the ideal size or speed for the next level, but he excels in intangibles as a team leader.
He also sported a 3.24 GPA with a major in Math, but who wants a middle linebacker with leadership, smarts and a nose for the ball in big games.
Also a constant on the Lions’ need list is offensive-line depth — a position that could be helped late in the draft with the acquisition of Western Michigan University offensive tackle James Blair.
At 6 feet 5 inches, Blair played tackle for three years with the Broncos, but he could move to guard, both positions of need for the Lions since Blair was in grade school before starring at Detroit Pershing.
That may be a tall order for the football coaches at the Macomb Area Conference Red Division's four premiere programs, but after speaking with Buffalo Bills linebacker John DiGiorgio April 18 at St. Mary’s School in Mount Clemens, maybe these four can help the much-maligned Leos.
Accounting for 13 trips to state title games in the past 10 years, these four coaches know what makes a good football player great, and they know how to get the most out of marginal players.
Getting marginal players to play above their talent level is key to the success of high school program, and from the Lions' recent run, that could be an invaluable skill for them as well.
Not to say DiGiorgio was a marginal talent under Lantzy at Utica Eisenhower, but for him to climb his way to start 13 games and record 137 tackles in 2007-08, he had to overcome several roadblocks — starting with a broken leg in the final game of his high school career, the 1999 Class A state title game.
With resilience like that, you would think DiGiorgio grew up watching players like Chris Spielman and Stephen Boyd play linebacker.
That’s the other way local prep and college products can help the Lions.
We have heard all too often how Lions coach Rod Marinelli wants to build an atmosphere of pride, so why not start with players who already have pride in playing for the Lions.
DiGiorgio said he would have loved to play in front of a Detroit crowd while speaking to the student body at St. Mary’s, and given the Lions woes at the linebacker position, I’m sure they would’ve loved it too.
So let’s look at how the 2008 draft’s metro Detroit talent can help the Lions.
Granted with the No. 15 pick in the first round, the Lions won’t have a shot at top prospects like Jake Long of Lapeer and Vernon Gholston of Detroit, but that’s not to say there aren’t prospects to be had.
With the departure of former second-round pick Kalimba Edwards, the Lions again have a hole at defensive end — there lies Eastern Michigan University’s Jason Jones of Southfield.
The Former Southfield-Lathrup Charger posted 174 tackles in his three years on the Eastern Michigan defensive line. He recorded 70 tackles and 3.5 sacks playing at defensive tackle as a 6-5, 237-pound senior despite giving up plenty of weight to larger interior offensive linemen.
Jones could provide versatility across the Lions defensive front at tackle, end or even linebacker. That’s versatility that gurus like Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry should covet.
Next on the Lions "need" list is linebacker, where they’ve parted with former second-round picks Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman, who combined for roughly half as many tackles as DiGiorgio last year.
The current field of middle linebackers is thin, so a first-round pick of someone like Tennessee’s Jerod Mayo would be understandable, but why not take a late flyer on Central Michigan University’s Red Keith.
Keith may be from Georgia, but he has excelled on the Ford Field surface. In two Motor City Bowls, two Mid-American Conference championship games and one regular-season contest, Keith recorded 48 of his 455 career tackles.
NFLDraftCountdown.com’s scouting report says Keith doesn’t have the ideal size or speed for the next level, but he excels in intangibles as a team leader.
He also sported a 3.24 GPA with a major in Math, but who wants a middle linebacker with leadership, smarts and a nose for the ball in big games.
Also a constant on the Lions’ need list is offensive-line depth — a position that could be helped late in the draft with the acquisition of Western Michigan University offensive tackle James Blair.
At 6 feet 5 inches, Blair played tackle for three years with the Broncos, but he could move to guard, both positions of need for the Lions since Blair was in grade school before starring at Detroit Pershing.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Early bird gets the ice time
While most hockey fans are still dreaming of owning their very own Don Cherry suit, the Utica High boys squad is lacing up its skates for another of coach Kevin Nye's 5:20 a.m. practices.
In the wee hours of the morning Jan. 17, I pulled into Macomb Suburban Ice Arena for interviews with the Chieftains' players and coaches. As I entered the building at 6 a.m., they were already well into their practice — with smiles on the coaches' faces and no sign of the hour in the players' strides — in a session Nye described as being, "... nice to get out there and skate a little."
I am always impressed by the early morning habits of high school coaches and athletes. Whether it's swimmers, hockey players or any of the athletes who forgo extra hours of sleep for time in the weight room or on the ice, it's just one more sacrifice they make for a game.
I know its cliché to knock the "spoiled" professional athlete, but next time you here millionaires griping about whether or not they're being respected, remember the Chieftains and the countless other local athletes who roll out of bed at 4 a.m. to practice and are just happy to get the ice time.
In the wee hours of the morning Jan. 17, I pulled into Macomb Suburban Ice Arena for interviews with the Chieftains' players and coaches. As I entered the building at 6 a.m., they were already well into their practice — with smiles on the coaches' faces and no sign of the hour in the players' strides — in a session Nye described as being, "... nice to get out there and skate a little."
I am always impressed by the early morning habits of high school coaches and athletes. Whether it's swimmers, hockey players or any of the athletes who forgo extra hours of sleep for time in the weight room or on the ice, it's just one more sacrifice they make for a game.
I know its cliché to knock the "spoiled" professional athlete, but next time you here millionaires griping about whether or not they're being respected, remember the Chieftains and the countless other local athletes who roll out of bed at 4 a.m. to practice and are just happy to get the ice time.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
