Detroit Sports Thread

[POJO_Risin]

Two Flips in Detroit?

My NBA familyis telling me that the Pistons have set their sights on free-agent shooting guard Ronald "Flip" Murray .

You might remember Murray from the Pistons' playoff series with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pistons are in search of a backup guard to replace free agent Tony Delk . Delk, 32, averaged 7.6 points in 24 games with the Hawks and Pistons last season.

Murray, 26, averaged 11.2 points in 76 games with the Sonics and Cavaliers. Many in Cleveland liked the way Murray filled in for Larry Hughes when he was injured. Murray can create his own shot and hit key outside jumpers.

That's something the Pistons want from Rip Hamilton 's backup.

Lindsey Hunter is the backup point guard. He agreed to a two-year contract this week.

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by Switch84
:confused: Damn, should we get excited about this, Wingnuts? If we're picking up 41 yr.olds, Stevie should've stayed suited up, lol!

He's cheap and has won a Cup.

Would give us two goalies with that stature.

Legace is sitting home even after the big regular season he had. The phone ain't ringing.

[Matt White]

Updated: July 9, 2006, 10:03 AM ET
Report: Shanahan agrees to deal with RangersESPN.com news services


Brendan Shanahan
Left Wing
Detroit Red Wings

Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM G A PTS +/- PIM
82 40 41 81 29 105


Brendan Shanahan has accepted a one-year, $4 million contract offer with the New York Rangers, The New York Post reported Sunday.

The newspaper reported Shanahan, a three-time Stanley Cup winner in Detroit, spurned richer offers from the Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens. The signing was expected to be formally announced on Sunday, the Post reported.

Shanahan, 37, scored 40 goals for the Red Wings last season. He has 598 goals, 634 assists and 2,378 penalty minutes in 17 NHL seasons with the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues and Hartford Whalers.

The Post said according to sources, Shanahan sought out an offer from the Rangers after receiving offers from several teams including the Red Wings and Canadiens.

Shanahan would be the second high-profile veteran Detroit player to leave the team in a week. On Monday, longtime Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman announced his retirement.


GRATE

Good move Shanny....kick us in the nuts....why don't ya?!?

[Romeo Delight]

I don't understand.

Why leave Detroit?

What a bargain at $4 million!

[ALinChainz]

He had a 2 year offer from the Wings for the same $4 million.

Must not think the Wings have a shot.

We weren't a tough or big team before, now we are even smaller.

Its all going to Hell in Detroit.

The Tigers are the bright spot? Who would ever thunk it.

LETS GO LIONS!

If it all goes with the Pistons and Wings being great and the Tigers and Lions sucking, maybe the reverse will happen.

[ALinChainz]

EVER WONDER ...: ... what's up with the Cajun Cannon?

July 9, 2006


Twenty-three summers ago, quarterback Bobby Hebert led the Michigan Panthers to the inaugural United States Football League championship.

Hebert hooked up with former Michigan great Anthony Carter on a 48-yard touchdown pass with 3:01 left, and the Panthers went on to beat the Philadelphia Stars, 24-22, in the title game at Denver on July 17, 1983.

A state that had been starving for a pro football winner since 1957 feasted on the exploits of a group of recent college stars, no-name players and former NFL players.

The USFL folded after the 1985 season. Hebert went on to have an 11-year career in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. He now handles the pregame and postgame analysis of Saints radio broadcasts.

Hebert spoke to Free Press sports writer George Sipple about his days with the Panthers, his current job and the state of pro football in Michigan today.

On playing for the Panthers: Michigan's always been a special place because that's where everything started. I remember the next year the Tigers won in '84. We were more popular than the Lions. I couldn't have been at a better place at a better time. You have a group of guys that worked together to win a championship. That's a great feeling. Michigan was a foundation for me to play, get experience, mature so when I got to the NFL, it's not like a rookie.

On what he thinks about Lions president Matt Millen: I know him from when he was doing TV and (he's) one of the best linebackers ever, but being a GM? The joke's out. Does he have pictures of the Ford family?

On today's pro football players: I'm kind of old school. From all the years I played, about 15-20% of players are self-motivated. The other 80%, you have to crack the whip.

On playing in an unproven league instead of going straight to the NFL: They guaranteed me $250,000. I said, 'I don't know how many Cajuns they have in Michigan, but ... we're going to Michigan.'

On the loyalty of USFL fans: I probably get one or two (autograph) requests a week. Whether it's me on the cover of the Sporting News or an old football card. I'll sign anything.

On coming back to Michigan: The last time I went back, besides playing against the Lions, I showed my daughters where we lived in the Pontiac area. And I went back to the 10-year reunion. About three-quarters of the team came back for that. What was crazy, I had to negotiate with Novo (Bojovic) for my helmet. I think I bought it from him for $800. We had the coolest uniforms -- plum and champagne. That was kind of unique, with that baby blue stripe and the cat on the helmet.

On who will have a better season, the Saints, the Falcons or the Lions: I would have to say the Falcons, with what they did on defense. The Lions and the Saints? That's a toss-up.

The Detroit Free Press

[Matt White]

GOOD TIMES


That's gonna be the ONLY football championship I see in my lifetime..................

[POJO_Risin]

No dude...Martz is the savior...

that guy will leave Detroit if he SMELLS a head job...

unless Detroit hardlines him...

[Figs]

Kenny Rogers is the AL All-Star starter....

What do you think of him? I think he's a pitcher with a lot of talent who cannot get it done once the spotlight is on, post-season especially. He wears out his welcome on one team, goes to a non-contender, pithces well, and eventually chokes. I remember him kicking ass on the A's, then they traded him right before they started contending - brilliant move!

Looks like he'll get a chance again this year.

[ALinChainz]

So far all I care about is 11-3 for the first place Tigers.

All I can hope for is it continues into the second half and hopefully, the playoffs.

[Switch84]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
He had a 2 year offer from the Wings for the same $4 million.

Must not think the Wings have a shot.

We weren't a tough or big team before, now we are even smaller.

Its all going to Hell in Detroit.

The Tigers are the bright spot? Who would ever thunk it.

LETS GO LIONS!

If it all goes with the Pistons and Wings being great and the Tigers and Lions sucking, maybe the reverse will happen.

:p The rats are jumping a ship that's still afloat...FUCK YOU, SHANNY!!! Go ahead and shit on the city that gave you love and a team that helped you get 3 Stanley Cups, ya rat BASTARD!!! As I'm wiping the tears from my eyes, my anger turns to laughter at Al's "LET'S GO LIONS" rah rah!

Al Baby, you KNOW the 'Cowardly Lions' aren't going to do shit but fight the Fudge Packers for the NFC North's basement. The top dog in this race (and will be Superbowl worthy) is DA BEARS!!!

[ALinChainz]

Let a dude dream ... huh Switchy?

[DrMaddVibe]

NEW YORK -- Brendan Shanahan became the second big-time forward to say goodbye to the Detroit Red Wings this offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $4 million with the New York Rangers on Sunday.


Joel Auerbach/US Presswire
Shanahan scored 40 goals for the Red Wings last season, his 18th in the NHL.


The 37-year-old forward joined longtime Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman as players who won't be returning to Hockeytown. Yzerman announced his retirement last week after 22 years in Detroit.



Now the Red Wings have more than just goaltending issues to deal with after posting the NHL's best record last season. In the span of seven days, they lost their biggest leader in Yzerman and their top goal scorer in Shanahan, who netted 40 last season in his ninth year with the Wings and 18th in the league.



"It really came down to an instinct I had," Shanahan said. "Detroit has a great past and a great future ahead of them as well, but I guess I just felt that maybe I was identified with the past a little bit more than the future."



The Rangers, notorious for overspending on top-name players often past their prime, had been relatively quiet in the first week of free agency. They added forward Matt Cullen and defenseman Aaron Ward from the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes while other clubs quickly filled up space on the $44 million salary cap by handing out big-ticket deals.



With room to spend, the Rangers targeted Shanahan, who has 598 goals -- 15th on the NHL career list -- and 634 assists with New Jersey, St. Louis, Hartford, and Detroit. He turned down equal or higher-valued deals from the Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens.



Both Rangers general manager Glen Sather and Shanahan sought to complete a one-year contract. Each cited the pressure to perform and extra motivation as factors in making a short-term commitment.



"To take on a new challenge was a little scary and exciting at the same time," Shanahan said. "I like the feeling of having to go out and proving your worth every year."



Shanahan said he received offers for multiple years for several teams, but decided to join the Rangers after taking a tour this week of the team's practice facility in Westchester County, viewing residential areas, and spending time in Manhattan.


Brendan Shanahan
Left Wing
Detroit Red Wings

Profile
2006 SEASON STATISTICS
GM G A PTS +/- PIM
82 40 41 81 29 105




He isn't sure how long he wants to play, but if the fit is right Shanahan wouldn't mind spending a few years in the Big Apple.



And Sather was plenty glad to have him, a player he said the Rangers had at the top of their free-agent wish list. The original thought was that Shanahan was likely to remain with the Red Wings, but once it became known that New York was an option, Sather moved quickly to get a deal done.



"I said to Glen that I wasn't trying to bust the door to get out of Detroit," Shanahan said.



The Rangers have shifted course in recent years in an attempt to rebuild the team with youth. New York snapped a seven-season playoff drought this year but were swept in the first round by New Jersey. Shanahan won three Stanley Cup titles with the Red Wings.



"I saw them as a team that made tremendous strides last year," he said. "I was really impressed with their desire to improve on that."



Shanahan earned $2.28 million in Detroit last season when, while working on a one-year deal, he recorded the sixth 40-goal season of his career and first since the 1999-2000 campaign.



One of the last true power forwards in the game, the seven-time All-Star will be a good complement to Jaromir Jagr -- who will not have to bear the full offensive burden next season.



"We were really looking for someone that could share a leadership role on our team," Sather said. "Someone that could play on the power play, someone who was going to be able to move people around in front of the net and someone with a great shot. And Brendan certainly has all of those."



Shanahan, the strongest advocate for rules changes during the NHL lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season, took advantage once the game returned with less clutching, grabbing and mauling in front of the net. That is where the 6-foot-3, 220-pound left winger is most effective, especially with the man advantage.



He scored 14 goals on the power play, a unit in New York that should be even more potent than last season when Jagr netted 24 of his club-record 54.



"He's big and he's strong and he's a great team guy," Sather said. "As we got closer to the end of the season, we found that maybe we needed a little some more size up front, and his experience in the playoffs would be a huge help for us."






It was 4 mil for 1 year...not 2 like Detroit was willing to pay. The "kick in the nuts" remark made me smile. Thanks for making me laugh!

[ALinChainz]

Tigers begin talks with Miller

No. 1 pick could cast an eye to the Royals and their negotiations with right-hander Hochevar.

Lynn Henning / The Detroit News

DETROIT -- The Tigers and 2006 first-round draft pick Andrew Miller remain in the early -- very early -- stages of contract talks as the two sides discuss the big-league future for college baseball's 2006 pitcher of the year.

Miller, a 6-foot-6 left-hander who this week received the Roger Clemens Award as NCAA pitcher of the year, helped North Carolina reach the College World Series final only days after he had been chosen by the Tigers as the sixth overall selection in June's amateur draft.

Only two of the draft's first 10 picks are unsigned. Not coincidentally, the two are Miller and right-hander Luke Hochevar, who was taken by Kansas City with the draft's first pick.

Negotiations could hinge on which side moves first. Miller was forecasted to be the draft's first pick, but his rumored asking price scared away Kansas City, if not all of the five teams that picked ahead of Detroit.

Ironically, the Royals exchanged their fear of Miller for a pitcher represented by the notoriously hard-bargaining agent, Scott Boras, who had already spurned the Los Angeles Dodgers and returned his client to this year's draft rather than sign with the Dodgers after they had made Hochevar a first-round pick in 2005.

The Royals, somewhat surprisingly, had no preliminary contract agreement with Boras and Hochevar before they confidently grabbed him with the 2006 draft's first selection.

Miller's slip to No. 6 was dramatic. It was also a gift the Tigers were happy to receive. Miller is considered a potential top-of-the-rotation starter who could ascend to the big leagues as rapidly as 2004 first-round pick Justin Verlander did.

So far, the two sides have at least talked cordially.

"We've had discussions, although I can't tell you how substantive they've been," said John Westhoff, the Tigers vice president and legal counsel, who generally negotiates contracts.

Miller's agent is Mark Rodgers of Palm City, Fla., who "respectfully" declined comment when reached Friday. Rodgers' conversations with the Tigers to date have been with Dave Dombrowski, the Tigers president and general manager, who has known Rodgers for decades.

It is believed that Hochevar and Boras are waiting to see what kind of money will be settled on between the Tigers and Miller, although it is just as likely the Tigers -- and commissioner Bud Selig's office -- are interested in the Hochevar-Kansas City benchmark.

The Tigers and Selig's office are interested in keeping draft salaries within a neighborhood they view as reasonable. They would also appreciate being able to leverage salaries along a descending, "slotted" step-ladder framework that does not appeal to Boras, nor, in the case of Miller, is it likely to sway Rodgers, who believes he represents the best player drafted in 2006.

Miller pitched 110 innings for North Carolina and will not suffer from a summer layoff. The Tigers, however, would like to get him into their system as quickly as possible and place him on a path to further toughen one of the best young pitching staffs in baseball.



The Detroit News

[ALinChainz]

Ronald Murray: Signs with Pistons

RotoWire.com Staff - http://www.rotowire.com

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Update: The Pistons signed Murray to a contract and will introduce him next week at a press conference, according to a source within Detroit's organization, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Recommendation: Murray can play both guard spots, but is more suited for shooting guard. He averaged 13.5 points and 2.8 assists per game for Cleveland last season and started 25 games in place of the injured Larry Hughes.