Let's take a hard, objective look at how the 4 major professional sports teams in Detroit stack up right about now.
The Red Wings, perennial contenders, were the first team eliminated in this year's Stanley Cup playoffs. Many are concerned whether 42 year old future Hall of Famer Nick Lidstrom will return for yet another season. It doesn't matter. Despite their success over the last couple decades, the Wings' style of play is getting rather stale, they don't seem to have any up and coming impact players from the "farm", and I suspect things will only get worse in the next few years, as other teams continue to pass them by.
The Detroit Tigers started out the season with a bang, but are now in a slump. It's a long season, and nobody knows how it will all play out. Objectively, it could be said they have one dominating pitcher, two fearsome sluggers, and the rest is a crap shoot. Maybe other pitchers and players shine on any given day -- and maybe they don't. The Tigers won the AL central division by a wide margin last year and are expected to do the same this year, but unless they're successful in October, and march on to win the World Series, how much does all the other hype during the regular season really matter anyway? Likely even the staunchest Tiger fans couldn't care less right now as to what happened last season. Hope springs eternal, and if certain things fall their way -- they have a shot at pulling it off this year. No more, and no less. There's several other pretty good teams out there too. We'll see.
The Detroit Pistons started the season horrendously, but have rebounded, no pun intended, to be almost, but not quite, respectable. Sometimes they play well. Other times they stink up the gym. They have a new coach in Lawrence Frank, and maybe it will take him a year or two to get everybody on the same page, so to speak. Regardless, they have a major problem that coaching can't solve. While they have an abundance of young, hot-shot guards, they lack a "front court" presence, as in big guys, that can dominate the "paint". Until they get that -- they're going nowhere. The best thing that could happen to the Pistons would be if an NBA draft lottery ball popped up and gave them Anthony Davis, out of Kentucky. They wouldn't become an elite team overnight, far from it, but it would be a step in the right direction. At best, the Pistons would appear to be at least a few years away from being championship contenders.
The Detroit Lions just drafted an offensive tackle from Iowa with their first NFL pick. Assuming Riley Reiff turns out better than Tony Mandarich did, perhaps that will work out in the long run. Having another quality offensive tackle in the "pipeline" to replace ageing veterans might be a good idea. Yet one could make the point that the Lions have much more pressing needs elsewhere. After all, QB Matthew Stafford threw for over 5000 yards last year, one of a select few to ever do so. Yes, the NFL is getting pass-happier as every year goes by, but Stafford, Megatron to throw to or not, doesn't put up that stat unless his existing linemen were protecting him fairly well. Again, take an objective look at the Lions, and what do you see? Besides a really good QB, a freak wide receiver, an over-hyped safety that might or might not start for any other NFL team, and an abundance of brutes at defensive tackle, what do they have? Needs at almost every position. Sure, the Lions went a respectable 10-6 last year, but they were nowhere near Super Bowl caliber. The eternal optimists say they're returning 21 of 22 starters from last year, with only cornerback Eric Wright having bailed for big money with the Tampa Bay Bucs. That's the classic glass half full/half empty routine. Half full means continuity. Half empty means they won't be good enough this year either. Hopefully, the Lions will draft other players in the later rounds that will make an impact on their team. But an offensive tackle in the first round is hardly a game changer and/or difference maker when it comes to the pursuit of the Lombardi trophy.
To sum it all up -- pro sports don't look so hot in Detroit right about now. Then again, it could be a lot worse. Like in Kansas City, or Oakland, or Cleveland.
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