Let's start with the Detroit Tigers. The good news is they're off to a terrific 5-0 start, having so far out-scored their opponents by a whopping 28 runs.
The bad news is -- the Kansas City Royals in the same division are also 5-0. Remember last year? Pundits said the Tigers had the "best starting rotation in baseball", sluggers galore, and were a shoo-in to reach the post season. Indeed they did, only to be broomed out of the playoffs by Baltimore. In the end, guess who wound up going to the World Series? Yep, the very same KC.
The moral of the story? Wake me up in October and we'll all see who's who.
The Detroit Red Wings have reached the post-season for a record 24th straight year. Impressive? Sure. Any record is noteworthy. But making the playoffs in the NHL is a watered down stat. Fully half the teams in the league qualify for the post-season every year. A squad has to be pretty bad NOT to make it.
The good news is -- when it comes to the annual chase for Lord Stanley's cup, anything can happen. Top seeds can, and have been bounced early. Lesser teams like the Wings can get hot and roll to the Cup. The NHL playoffs are a total crapshoot, so Detroit has as good a chance as anybody else.
The bad news? The Wings can't seem to figure out who their goalie is. Everybody they throw in can be brilliant one day and get lit up like a pinball machine the next. Few would doubt that brilliant goaltending is a must to get far in the NHL playoffs. They will be tested -- severely. We'll see.....
When it comes to the Detroit Pistons, good news is tough to come by. It appears they're going to finish about 30 games behind in the Eastern Conference (it would be 35 in the West) and any delusions about making the playoffs have long since been quashed.
The really bad news? The few players they have with any talent are nearing the ends of their contracts. Given the first opportunity, chances are these guys will look to go somewhere else to play for a contender. The Pistons and their hype machine can spin things all they want, but if you think they're bad now, wait a couple years. It's likely going to get even worse.
For what it's worth, the good news is -- the season is almost mercifully over for the woeful Pistons.
Idle thought: Given an 82 game regular season, you have to be bad -- REALLY bad -- to finish 30 games behind.
Last but not least are the Detroit Lions. The good news is -- like the Red Wings -- the Lions have a 24 year playoff streak of their own that remains intact.
The bad news is -- that's how long it's been since they last won a playoff game.
Good news. The Lions de-thugged themselves somewhat when Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley left town to play elsewhere.
More good news. The NFL draft is approaching and we all know the Lions "braintrust" will select either "can't miss" players, or "diamonds in the rough", that somehow all the other teams overlooked. How will we know this? Because the club and its ever-faithful local media will tell us so. It happens every year.
The really good news? Spring has sprung and the next thing you know, Honolulu blue and silver koolaid stands will start popping up everywhere in southeastern Michigan. Powerful stuff, that brew. Some have been addicted to it for over 50 years. They have to have their fix. Sadly, few ever find their way out of the madness that goes along with thinking every year is going to be THE year. The dream of the Lions getting to the Super Bowl, much less winning it, is kind of like thinking the Loch Ness monster will be reeled in by a fisherman any day now. Or Bigfoot will parachute into Washington DC and announce he's running for President next year. Now THAT would be an interesting development. Given the current field of wannabes -- he might not be a bad choice -- but I digress.
Nevertheless, when it comes to the Lions, there's always bad news. Good grief, over a half century and counting of futility and bumbling is ample evidence that only the hardest of hard core Hono BS koolaiders could ignore. Then again, it's their time, money and fantasies. If they want to keep chasing rainbows looking for a pot of gold at the end -- more power to them. The world is a big place and it needs all kinds. After all, who would doubt successful people would be much less so if their legions of loyal, brainwashed droids ever became self-aware and realized they'd been conned all along?
In sum, depending on how one wishes to look at it -- perhaps there is good news for the Lions. The hopelessly addicted koolaiders will no doubt line up for their fixes once again this fall.
But the bad news can also be summed up in six scant words.
It's still the Lions.
Remember?
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