Let's not get into the gory details as to why a recent Mayor of Detroit is serving a 30 year prison sentence for corruption. (And many of his cronies are doing time as well).
And we won't dwell on the fact that Detroit recently went bankrupt -- SURPRISE!!!
Or make too big of a deal over their ongoing blight problem, gangs, drugs, car-jackings, murders, garbage piling up, and just about everything else that could possibly go wrong with a once thriving metropolis.
No, for the purposes of this post, let's look at the professional sports scene in Detroit.
It also is a sorry sight to behold indeed.
Once upon a time, the powers-that-be in Detroit decided to name a brand new venue Joe Louis Arena.
Never mind that Joe Louis, a boxer, was an Alabama native. To boot, he was totally illiterate and, while a great heavyweight champ way back in his day, wound up a penniless and broken down stumble bum. Like so many others, old Joe hung around too long and wound up getting what little brains he ever had beat out in the ring.
So why, somebody tell me WHY, would any town name a hockey -- that's right -- HOCKEY arena after him? Only in Detroit could they come up with such "wisdom". They considered him some sort of hero? REALLY? Oh my.
But the Joe's replacement, one Little Caesar's Arena, has been hailed with great fanfare. True to form, the already beleaguered taxpayers got socked again into paying for most of it. (And a few more booted out of their homes/businesses due the ever dreaded "eminent domain" thing.)
Who will be the primary tenants? That's where it gets even worse.
The Detroit Pistons are projected to be an average team at best in the near future, maybe or maybe not making the playoffs as a lower seed, but even if so will no doubt get blasted in the first round of the playoffs by a vastly superior team. Owner Tom Gores left a world-class facility (the Palace of Auburn Hills), totally paid for by his predecessor, and had even sunk 10-15 million bucks of his own money into upgrades. Then he turns around and moves him team from a fan friendly, virtually crime-free neighborhood back into the dregs of Detroit? Where he has to pay rent?
How colossally bone-headed was that?
The Red Wings themselves, though they'd never admit it, are going through a "rebuilding" phase. Things will get worse, likely much worse, before they get better.
So all hail Little Caesar's Arena. May it's glitter, luxury boxes, and ridiculous seat prices live long and prosper.
Pity they have two such terrible teams to feature. Am I the only one that sees something seriously wrong with this picture?
The Detroit Tigers have, mercifully, finally waved the white flag. They were a team of grossly overpaid and under-performing players before the 2017 season even started. Though the outcome to date has been even worse than yours truly suspected, no way were they going to be contenders. Too many liabilities and not nearly enough assets.
Trading off J. D. Martinez, Justin Upton, and Justin Verlander, arguably their three best players, for "prospects", amounts to little more than a salary dump and signals their own long overdue rebuilding process has finally come about as well. As with the Wings, this could get ugly for a few years.
And that leaves, yep, the Detroit Lions. Given their sad-sack history over the last 60 years or so, you know your sports town is in deep trouble when a team such as the Lions represents your best chance at success in the near future.
But that gets worse as well. In it's most recent issue, the, ahem, genius prognosticators of Sports Illustrated have laid out their predictions for the upcoming NFL season.
Cutting to the final outcome, they predict the New England Patriots will narrowly defeat the Green Bay Packers in the 2018 Super Bowl. Could be. Barring serious injuries to key players, few would doubt both remain elite teams.
Alas, they have the Lions finishing dead last in their own division, the NFC North. That's right, even behind Da Bears. They foresee the puddy-tats winding up with a 5-11 regular season record. Far out of any playoff scenario -- just another year of futility. Hey, what's one more?
But in the end, add it all up and what do you have?
Arguably, the losingest major city in the entire country.
On just about every front any objective person would consider.
Such is the sorry state of Detroit.
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