The thing that makes this Country so great is that we can openly talk about how to make it better.

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Great DetNews Article By Terry Foster

Schwartz didn’t end minicamp this week with a morning practice session. He continued it by taking rookies Matthew Stafford, Louis Delmas and Brandon Pettigrew inside the Dearborn Truck Assembly Plant, where they sat for two hours and signed autographs, took photos and passed out Lions gear to surprised workers. He wanted this to be part of his players’ education on the NFL and the city of Detroit…

Stafford signed the richest rookie contract in NFL history. Delmas and Pettigrew have not signed contracts, but it is safe to say they will make more than any of the 500 people who carted off Lions hats, coffee mugs, photos and autographs.

“We wanted them to know who they were playing for,” Schwartz said. “We wanted them to meet the people who were paying their paychecks.”

Rob Webber, plant manager for the Dearborn Truck Assembly plant, said workers were surprised by the visit and that it boosted morale.

“I am sure it did,” he said. “They were very excited about that. But I think it did as much for the players, too. They seemed excited about meeting everybody also.”

Schwartz recognizes professional athletes often get lost in their own world.

Jim Schwartz gets it. He understands this town. We don’t know what his record is yet, we don’t know how all of this is going to play out on the field, but this guy is making me feel good about the hire.

As mini-camps come to a close for the week, Schwartz wants the rookies to understand where they are. To understand the beating heart of this city. Detroiters are tough, resilient people. Yeah, it’s hard right now, but Metro Detroit will persevere.

Yes it’s good PR. Yes the team is owned by the family of an american car manufacturing company. Yes it doesn’t really fix anything, but for those workers, the *people*, the blue collar work force that this city was built upon it made their day. That’s a pretty cool story to tell for years to come and there are going to be some very happy children that got a signed Lions hat this week. They love this sport. WE love this sport. That’s why we read about it and talk about it and watch it and play it on the xbox. Coach Schwartz did a good thing and brought the players to the people. I also think that this is a great step in establishing some roots. The most beloved coaches and athletes are out there in the community.

Of course, the very heart of being beloved by the people in professional sports is to win. Please do that too, coach.

In the 2008 season he surely proved himself.

He caught 78 passes for 1,331 yards, and was tied for first with 12 NFL grabs.

These stats led to a season of being an elite receiver in the National Football League, he will only wish to go up.

Is it possible for him to improve on this season? Sure it is possible. Johnson did achieve these numbers with a team that went win less, had woes on the offensive line, and couldn’t stop anyone on defense.

In the off season, the Lions changed the coaching staff, hopefully bringing a new fire to the clubhouse. Besides drafting Matthew Stafford, they also selected Brandon Pettigrew, the tight end from Oklahoma St.

Pettigrew could potentially be a deep threat down the field and relieve pressure off Johnson. However, he is also going to be used as a pass-blocker as well a good portion of the games, and will give Culpepper more time to find Calvin down the field.

Full Article by Matt Miselis is HERE on BleacherReport.com

Matt makes a good point. Pettigrew really frees up the Lions in the way of short yardage passes. I hated that my team is tight end shopping in the first round, but now what is done is done and let’s hope Pettigrew can get something done here in the D.

Linehan will undoubtedly use Pettigrew to generate long yardage gains via Calvin Johnson. Kevin Smith gets his legs churning, all of a sudden we’re a threat on the ground, you best double cover Calvin to stop a huge gain and Cullpepper/Stafford dumps it off to Pettigrew for an easy 8 yards. Your CB misses one step on our man Calvin?

*Boom*

The bomb goes off.

Stafford can hit the long ball. We’ve seen him do it. He’s accurate. It’s going to come down to protection. That is my fear. If the line collapses and he’s on his feet to avoid the sack, the best you can hope for is no turnover when he’s throwing it off the wrong foot.

I’m just hoping we can remain competitive in these games. Stats get padded by junk yardage in the late minutes of an unwinnable game.

From DetNews.com

Former Lions president Matt Millen said he remains a big fan of the Detroit Lions and the Ford family, but the team will not get preferential treatment if he’s called upon to broadcast a game on the NFL Network.

Millen spoke Monday after he was named analyst for the NFL Network’s “Thursday Night Football” telecast. He will broadcast with play-by-play man Bob Papa. Their first game is Nov. 12, when Chicago plays at San Francisco.

Millen served as the Lions’ team president for eight seasons, during which the team went 31-97. He praised the organization — from the drafting of quarterback Matthew Stafford to the hiring of coach Jim Schwartz.

“I’ll handle the Lions like I do any other football team. I’ll just look at them and break them down and see where they’re at,” Millen said.

“And here’s the thing with Detroit. I love Detroit. I’m a huge fan of Martin Mayhew. I’m a huge fan of Jim Schwartz; I think that’s an excellent hire. I think Jim did a good job of putting his staff together, but there is no bigger fan anywhere of Mr. Ford than me. And I would love to see him holding the (Lombardi) trophy. That would be great for him, but, more importantly, it’d be great for the fans of Detroit because the fans of Detroit, they deserve big.”

Millen addressed losing with the Lions:

“You’re only judged on wins and losses and so my tenure was not good. It was very poor. So instead, you learn a lot from failures, and I’ve learned a ton. So I can bring that to the table. I think I can view my experience with Detroit as a positive just in terms of not winning or losing, obviously, but having gone through it and having been exposed to every level of the National Football League. Yeah, I think that’s something that can help in the telecast.”

Millen would not discuss the issue of a Lions’ contract buyout, saying it was “ongoing right now.”

That’s good to know!

I know that makes me feel great.

Ol’ Matty Matt will give you the straight bull on your team and why they suck

But will he explain WHY they suck?

Will he talk about how he couldn’t draft? Will he talk about how like 80% of the guys he drafted aren’t even playing in the league? Will he talk about what the hell he was thinking when he took the useless Mike Williams in the top ten, a guy that hadn’t even taken a snap on the field of play in over a year?!?!?

TELL ME MATT… WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!?!!? eh?

The biggest thing that pisses me off about it all is that he’s actually pretty good on TV. When my rage quelled after seeing HIS ****ing FACE, he had some pretty good input and outshined the other broadcasters on NBC.

it’s so like/hate….

LOL, none of the front page stories this week are actually about the Lions. It’s that slow.

*sigh*

I’m tired of beating the draft to death… I suppose there’s always some Brett Favre drama. He should patent his ability to get himself in the news… maybe write a book about it or something?

Apparently he was given a deadline by the Vikes to come off the fence and play or actually retire by the end of the week. No doubt Favre is no longer what he was, but neither was Elway when he won his Championships (although, better than Favre methinks). Still, Minnesota doesn’t need a play maker QB on that squad with AP and the new edition of Percy Harvin. If he can take care of the ball and be accurate within the pocket, he’s not going to have to do anything extraordinary to make the playoffs. That team is well set up.

So get off the fence Brett!

Do or Do Not. There is no try.

Detnews.com called my attention to this…

With an NFL off-season of transactions nearly in the books, Fox Sports has identified its winners and losers. Alex Marvez, senior NFL writer for FoxSports.com, says the Lions had the best draft.

He writes: “Because he was the top overall pick, the success of quarterback Matthew Stafford is how Detroit’s 2009 draft will ultimately be judged. But some other selections should also play a key role in getting this franchise back on its feet. Second-round pick Louis Delmas could become an immediate starter at safety. DeAndre Levy (third round) will likely be groomed at middle linebacker behind free-agent pickup Larry Foote. And Brandon Pettigrew, Detroit’s other first-round choice, is the team’s best tight end prospect since Hall of Fame selection Charlie Sanders in the 1970s.”

Other winners and losers by Marvez:

Worst draft: Cleveland.

Best free-agent signing: Buffalo getting receiver Terrell Owens for one year and $6 million.

Worst free-agent signing: St. Louis giving ex-Baltimore center Jason Brown $37.5 million, with $20 million guaranteed, over five years.

Best trade: Kansas City getting quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel from New England for a second-round draft pick.

Worst trade: Denver dealing QB Jay Cutler to Chicago for two first-round picks, a third-round pick and QB Kyle Orton.

We had quite a little thing going when I dropped my Lions draft grade. I say D- . I stand by that. Why? Because I want to win Now. Not 3 seasons from now. I want results NOW. I’m sick of sucking. I’m sick of following a Loser team and I’m sick of the constant disappointment. I’m not going to let them sell me hope, sunshine and rainbows like they did with Roy Williams/Kevin Jones or Mooch or Marinelli and Martz. Produce. 

I don’t disagree that the Lions picked the best players available at each position in the Draft. Delmas, great. Even Pettigrew… Great Tight End. I don’t think we’re in the position to be tight end shopping, but okay. And Stafford? Prove it. Hope he works out, but it’s a first overall QB pick. Prove it Alex Smith. Prove it. 

In theory they’ve attoned for some of their sins via free agency, again I say prove it because those doing always work out either. Larry Foote: Will he be a Deion Sanders-like signing, a guy that swings in for a year and puts up numbers or will he be an Ahman Green? Does the name Scott Mitchell ring a bell? He was coveted. The Lions get him. He managed to look flaky and unreliable with Barry Sanders, Herman Moore and Brett Perriman on his squad. That’s like a skill at sucking. 

I think I got away with being critical last season because the team was terrible. The worst ever in fact.

Hope springs eternal in the D. I admire the optimism, but I just don’t see it that way. Am I supposed to mix up the kool-aid and start swigging away because there’s a new sheriff and deputy in town? NO! 

I don’t trust them. 

I don’t trust them because they pick QB’s over dominant Tackles and Linebackers. 

If they step out onto that field and look like a real football team, we’ll start talking about redemption and hope.

If the Dolphins can lose 15 and make the playoffs the next season, why the hell can’t we? Is our division tougher? Is our conference tougher? THEY’RE ALL TOUGH. It’s Pro Football and is occupied by the best of the best. They can all play. You need to get talent on board and get ready for game day! 

I gave a lot of love and I’ve had nothing but “L”’s in return. Put up a few “W”’s and then daddy can’t wait to give back some love. Gushing, overwhelming love! 

Until then I’m filing it all under “Same Old Lions”.

Read “Tailgaters Beware” here

It makes sense on the surface.  The United States already taxes the hell out of cigarrettes, beer, wine, and just about everything else so raising the taxes on alcohol really makes sense.  Especially when you figure in the money dolled out to save GM…snicker…and of course bail out the credit card companies that just tried to raise my interest rates.  Oh wait, I don’t like talking about politics…let me step down off this soapbox.

Where was I?  Ah yes, beer prices.  It has become a staple for sports enthusiasts.  Beer and liquor at tailgate parties, beer and liquor at home parties, beer and liquor at bars.  Not just on NFL Sundays but NBA finals, MLB games, college football games, NASCAR, Hockey…oh who the hell am I kidding…wherever there is a get together you can normally find beer.

According to the article, the Government is looking to find a way to increase their funding to pay for healthcare in the States, specifically those that can’t afford healthcare…like say illegal immigrants and such.  Damn soap box…climb back down.

Now for my real job, I sell booze. Good booze. 

I’m actually in the Guild of Sommeliers (that’s fancy talk for wine people); I love wine and there is so much to learn about with it, there is so much history and texture of the land that is imprinted into every bottle of that essential red drink. It also kept people from dying of Cholera. 

And this is why I don’t like my Government. They don’t respect us. They don’t value hard working people. Why don’t your Senators and Rep’s Value hard work? Because they don’t know what it is. They’ve never done it. The whole system exists because they say so.  It’s a hustle, a glorious one at that. Look at the City of Detroit! It is because it is. So what do they attack?  

Us. 

They’ve made a pretty messed up, impersonal machine. They call it government. Max Weber called it the ‘Iron Cage of Rationality’; As the system grows more and more impersonal, more focused on pointless codes and regulations, not RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE AND GENERATING A MUTUAL SENSE OF COMMUNITY (like it should be), we will lose our humanity in the eyes of the system and will end up being just a number; Almost like an inmate. 

So the bureucrats come after you and me. The normal guy that works hard all week (I hope you *get the priviledge of work*, I understand times are tough in Michigan and a lot of my readers may have lost their job to outsourcing or flat out bankruptcy of the company); All you want to do is catch a game. Have a beer. Not think about how tough and unfair the economic situation is right now… a whole metro-detroit area filled with skilled workers that have nothing to manufacture. So they come after you. They want to sap up that one little simple joy. 

It’s a shame. It’s so frustrating. 

I’ll take a tax on beer, wine and liquor if 100% of it goes to one thing:  A light train going up Woodward. Then Gratiot. Then others. 

Detroit is actually the perfect city for decent public transportation. It’s shaped like a hub cap. It all goes to the center… If you’re in Birmingham, you can get on Woodward and go straight to downtown. Gratiot does the same. You have a highly skilled labor force of engineers and manufacturers and talented industrial geniuses that made America run for decades, they need something to do and we need to save our city. 

If people can get some work for a few years, if my friends and I can do a little grilling at my house, hop on the train and catch a Lions/Tigers/Wings game and enjoy a few brews with out having to worry about driving or how we’re going to get home, tax my beer. Cool. 

But they won’t. They’re greedy. The Government officials will take your money and float it to their buddies in local industry; they’ll use your money to make themselves and their friends rich. Cei La Vie. 

Love your Country. Fear your government. 

Leave hate mail in comments please. 

PS- Let’s Go Red Wings Let’s Go! 

Cindy Crosby will be dominated and let’s throw Ozzie some respect! Excellent performance this playoff series.

My Great Uncle Georgie didn’t make it back… My Grandfather received a Purple Heart. 

For or Against war, it doesn’t matter. On this day think of the loved ones that are out there in harms way. May they make it home to see their families! 

 

Memorial Day

 is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 25 in 2009). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honorUnion soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.

Memorial Day Order

I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but Posts and comrades will, in their own way, arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.

We are organized, Comrades, as our regulations tell us, for the purpose among other things, “of preserving and strengthening those kind and fraternal feelings which have bound together the soldiers sailors and Marines, who united to suppress the late rebellion.” What can aid more to assure this result than by cherishing tenderly the memory of our heroic dead? We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security, is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.

If other eyes grow dull and other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain in us.

Let us, then, at the time appointed, gather around their sacred remains, and garland the passionless mounds above them with choicest flowers of springtime; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledge to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon the Nation’s gratitude—the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.

II. It is the purpose of the Commander in Chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades. He earnestly desires the public press to call attention to this Order, and lend its friendly aid in bringing it to the notice of comrades in all parts of the country in time for simultaneous compliance therewith.

III. Department commanders will use every effort to make this Order effective.

—General Orders No. 11, Grand Army of the Republic Headquarters^[1].

Traditional observance

Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each gravesite at National Cemeteries.

Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars take donations^[2] for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day; the poppy’s significance to Memorial Day is the result of theJohn McCrae poem “In Flanders Fields.”

In addition to remembrance, Memorial Day is also used as a time for picnics, barbecues, family gatherings, and sporting events. One of the longest-standing traditions is the running of the Indianapolis 500, which has been held in conjunction with Memorial Day since 1911.

The National Memorial Day Concert takes place on the west lawn of the United States Capitol. The concert is broadcast on PBS and NPR. Music is performed, and respect is paid to the men and women who gave their lives for their country.

Some Americans view Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day as the unofficial end of the season.

  

Flags flying at Fort Logan National Cemetery during Memorial Day 2006.

Memorial Day formerly was observed on May 30. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War(SUVCW) advocate returning to this fixed date, although the significance of the date is tenuous. The VFW stated in a 2002 Memorial Day Address:

“

Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed a lot to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.[3]

”

Since 1987, Hawaii’s Senator Daniel Inouye, a World War II veteran, has repeatedly introduced measures to return Memorial Day to its traditional date.

Community observance

In addition to national observances, many individual communities hold memorial observance for fallen soldiers who were from that town by having a ceremony in a church or town memorial park. It is common for fire and police departments to remember and honor members lost in the line of duty. Towns often hold a Memorial Day parade in honor of such residents. Participation in such a parade is by community organizations such as members of the local emergency services and their vehicles, Rotary Clubs, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, and bands from the local high school or church groups.

History

Following the end of the Civil War, many communities set aside a day to mark the end of the war or as a memorial to those who had died. Some of the places creating an early memorial day include Sharpsburg, Maryland, located near Antietam Battlefield; Charleston, South Carolina; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia; Carbondale, Illinois; Columbus, Mississippi; many communities in Vermont; and some two dozen other cities and towns. These observances coalesced around Decoration Day, honoring the Union dead, and the several Confederate Memorial Days.

According to Professor David Blight of the Yale University History Department, the first memorial day was observed on May 1, 1865 by liberated slaves at the Washington Race Course (today the location of Hampton Park) in Charleston, South Carolina. The site had been used as a temporary Confederate prison camp as well as a mass grave for Union soldiers who died in captivity. The freed slaves disinterred the dead Union soldiers from the mass grave to be inhumed properly reposed with individual graves, built a fence around the graveyard with an entry arch, declaring it a Union graveyard. On May 30, 1868, the freed slaves returned to the graveyard with flowers they had picked from the countryside and decorated the individual gravesites, thereby creating the first Decoration Day. Thousands of freed blacks and Union soldiers paraded from the area, followed by much patriotic singing and a picnic.^[4]

The official birthplace of Memorial Day is Waterloo, New York. The village was credited with being the place of origin because it observed the day on May 5, 1866, and each year thereafter. The friendship between General John Murray, a distinguished citizen of Waterloo, and General John A. Logan, who helped bring attention to the event nationwide, likely was a factor in the holiday’s growth.

Logan had been the principal speaker in a citywide memorial observation on April 29, 1866, at a cemetery in Carbondale, Illinois, an event that likely gave him the idea to make it a national holiday. On May 5, 1868, in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization, Logan issued a proclamation that “Decoration Day” be observed nationwide^[5]. It was observed for the first time on May 30 of the same year; the date was chosen because it was not the anniversary of a battle. The tombs of fallen Union soldiers were decorated in remembrance.

Many of the states of the U.S. South refused to celebrate Decoration Day, due to lingering hostility towards the Union Army and also because there were relatively few veterans of the Union Army who were buried in the South. A notable exception was Columbus, Mississippi, which on April 25, 1866 at its Decoration Day commemorated both the Union and Confederate casualties buried in its cemetery.^[6]

   

Troops at theWashington, D.C. Memorial Day parade, 1942.

The alternative name of “Memorial Day” was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967. On June 28, 1968, the United States Congress passed the Uniform Holidays Bill, which moved three holidays from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. The holidays included Washington’s Birthday, now celebrated as Presidents’ Day; Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.

After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all fifty states adopted the measure within a few years. Veterans Day was eventually changed back to its traditional date. Ironically, most corporate businesses no longer close on Veterans Day, Columbus Day, or President’s Day, with the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and/or New Year’s Eve often substituted as more convenient “holidays” for their employees. Memorial Day endures as a holiday which most businesses observe because it marks the beginning of the “summer vacation season.” This role is filled in neighboring Canada by Victoria Day, which occurs either on May 24 or the last Monday before that date, placing it exactly one week before Memorial Day.

Waterloo’s designation as the birthplace took place just in time for the village’s centennial observance. The U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 587 on May 17 and May 19, 1966 respectively, which reads in part as follows: “Resolved that the Congress of the United States, in recognition of the patriotic tradition set in motion one hundred years ago in the Village of Waterloo, NY, does hereby officially recognize Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of Memorial Day…”

On May 26, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a Presidential Proclamation recognizing Waterloo, New York as the Birthplace of Memorial Day.

 

I’m currently getting awful close to drinking the Kool-Aid; I’m still feeling a little burnt as a season ticket holder last year, but this season they are off to a very strong and somewhat unexpected start and credit should go to those it is due.

Oh and Joe Dexter has posted here too, he handles the Mock Draft stuff and he was tirelessly filling us in here at sidelionreport.com so show him some love and go visit! 

http://motorcitybengals.com/

I keep toying with the idea of splurging on a 10 game pack… I bought the 27 game pack last year and its really exciting for the first 4 or 5 weeks, but 27 games is a *lot* of games and it starts feeling like a part time job. I will say though, bang for your buck-wise, the tickets were a great deal. it was like $1500 bucks for an entire summer of baseball fun and my seats were nice baseball seats, in between 3rd base and the foul pole. 

Oh, INB4 HEY JACKASS THIS ISN’T ABOUT THE LIONS I’M NEVER READING UR CRAPPY BLOG AGAIN YOU SUCK ETC ETC ETC