The Unemployment Bowl?

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

There are no shortage of memories when I cover a Lions vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers road game.

Whether the venue is the demolished Tampa Stadium or Raymond James Stadium, there have been some nice story lines.

On Sunday, October 12, 1997, I remember wishing Lions Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders luck at the team hotel in the morning where we were staying. Barry in his polite way, said thanks and shook my hand with a smile.

That day, he wasn't shaking any Tampa Bay Bucs players hands, just having their defenders shake their heads as he became the first player in NFL History to record two 80-yard TD runs in the same game. He broke off an 80-yard scoring play late in the first quarter and added an 82-yard touchdown romp in the third quarter, finishing the day with 215 yards.

The Lions won the game 27-9 in Tampa Stadium and even though there is no cheering allowed in the press box, it was hard to confiscate media credentials during such an incredible and memorable performance when we all cheered.

At the time, My longtime friend Chip Namias was the Director of Media Relations of the Buccaneers, and I told him after the game that it was neat to be a part of this type of history.

Chip smiled and agreed that it was an unbelievable day.

I have made other appearances in Raymond James Stadium including covering a Super Bowl featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers vs the Arizona Cardinals.

But one regular season game that stood out occurred on December 19, 2010 as Detroit ended a 26-game road losing streak when they claimed a 23-20 overtime win at Tampa Bay.

The Lions would proceed to win another road game in Florida as they defeated the Miami Dolphins on December 26, 2010, 34-27.

Detroit was 2-0 in The Sunshine State in 2010.

Here on December 10, 2017, the Detroit Lions had another important contest as they attempted to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Coming off a pair of losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens the past couple weeks, there were no shortage of story lines.

There is always speculation of Coach Jim Caldwell's job status, and this week, QB Matthew Stafford has been battling a hand injury.

Detroit entered the game with a 6-6 mark while Tampa Bay was 4-8.

The Lions came away with a 24-21 win as Matt Prater booted a 46-yard field goal with 20 seconds left to play as Detroit improved to 7-6.

The Lions got an early Christmas gift as Tampa Bay committed five turnovers. Detroit also benefited from two successful replay challenges.

Stafford was 36-44 for 381 yards and a touchdown.

He knew that Detroit better not look past the Buccaneers or any chances of getting into the playoffs wouldn't occur.

"Yeah, you throw the tape on these guys and they're talented, they're extremely talented," Stafford said. "They got a lot of guys at every level on the defense, 93 (Gerald McCoy), 54 (Lavonte David), 24 (Brent Grimes)--they got guys that can wreck the game, and really make big plays, and they did some today.

"And then our defense having to defend that offense, I mean, Jameis (Winston) is as talented as anybody in the league and they've got some big-time receivers and tight-ends, have a good running game. This is the NFL; we know every time we show up on a Sunday it is going to be a big one."

When asked about the Lions being able to make plays in the last minutes of games, Stafford added, "I just think we have a lot of confidence. I think guys that have been around here have understood that's kind of sometimes the way the game boils down and we go out there and make plays and when you have success, it breeds confidence.

"Frankly, there's been times this year where we haven't been successful in those situations, some close calls in some other games. It feels good to get back out there and have a two-minute drive, go out there and win the game."

Caldwell deflected any talk about his job security as he has so many times during his tenure with the Lions especially when a report surfaced that his contract was guaranteed through the end of the 2018 season.

"We never, never ever, ever been in the practice of talking about contracts and anything of that nature, and we're certainly not going to start today," Caldwell said. "There's no (security) it's coaching. That's the way it is."

Caldwell praised Stafford and was relieved to get an important win.

"Yeah, tough guy. Tough guy who heals real quickly," Caldwell said. "Really, it's always been that way. He's a great leader and did a tremendous job out there for us under some tough circumstances, I should say.

"You know, it was a key win for us. It was key for us to play a team that is very hard to beat in this stadium with Jameis back there playing. They've got weapons. They've got people that can run. Overall, it's a talented team. If you can get one on the road in this league, it's a good thing."

There has been no shortage of close games in Caldwell's coaching stint in Detroit and this was no exception.

"It's been a hallmark of ours," he said. "We've been able to battle at the end. Our guys show great resiliance, and they don't get nervous in tough situations at the end of games. They find a way to win it. It might not always be pretty---we'd always been like that---but we lost a few this year just the opposite the side of that.

"Atlanta, Carolina, and a couple others that were close right there at the end. We weren't able to finish them, so we have been uncharacteristic in the middle portion of the season. So hopefully we can see if we can continue to do that and be a little better this next week."

The one thing which has always been consistent when I attend a Lions game in this area is there is no shortage of Detroit colors on display. Sunday was no exception. There are a lot of transplants from Michigan that live in the Tampa Bay Area and the Tigers train 45 minutes away in Lakeland.

One puzzling inactive was Detroit running back Ameer Abdullah.

Once again, Caldwell wouldn't get into too elaborate of an answer when it came to why he sat him and what the future holds into using him as a feature back.

"We don't go into details about everything, but obviously he's still nursing an injury," Caldwell said. "He's coming a long. I think he'll be ready to go here shortly. We don't talk about number ones, number twos. That's you guys business. We have a three man rotation. With the three guys that we have up, all three guys play."

With Abdullah inactive, the Lions rushing attack mustered up only 53 yards, led by Theo Riddick, who amassed 29 yards and two touchdowns.

There is no doubt there will be continued talk about Caldwell's employment status and he is focusing on the Lions next opponent, Chicago.

Stafford was having no part of this conversation after the contest.

"Listen man, we go out and play and he goes and coaches," Stafford said. "He understands part of the business, we understand, who knows. I'm not on social media so I don't give a crap but we just go play, man. We go play, he goes and coaches, our job is to win football games. That's what we're trying to do."

There is no shortage of drama in the Tampa Bay locker room as a report surfaced that Winston's relationship with Coach Dirk Koetter is deteriorating.

The Bucs 4-9 record is going to do nothing to quiet that talk regardless of what Winston said.

The loss to Detroit eliminated Tampa Bay from the playoffs.

My sources say that Koetter will be terminated at the end of the season.

On Monday, December 18, former Coach Jon Gruden will be inducted into the teams Ring of Honor as he coached the team from 2002-2008, compiled a 57-55 record and led the franchise to it's only Super Bowl Title.

One person who should be in The Bucs Ring of Honor is Tony Dungy.

He led Tampa to a 54-42 mark and his squads made the playoffs in four of his six seasons at the helm. Dungy is Tampa's all-time winning coach with a .556 percentage.

You can rest assure, there will be a lot of talk about bringing Gruden back to roam the sidelines at Raymond James Stadium. I've always thought highly of Gruden as a head coach, but in reality, he won it with the talent Dungy molded together.

If Tampa Bay was smart, they should try to get Dungy to leave his cozy seat at NBC and return to coaching.

Tampa Bay QB Winston threw for 285 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

But on this day, Winston refused to speculate on Koetter's job status.

"I don't control that. That's not my place. I play quarterback for this organization, that's all I play," Winston said. "When you lose, everything gets blamed on one guy: the head coach and quarterback and I'm ok with that. I'm pretty sure Coach Koetter is ok with that. We don't care about that stuff. All we care about is each other, our family and trying to win.

"I've been with Coach Koetter since I've got in this league and he has not wronged me since I stepped foot in those doors. We have a great relationship first and foremost.

"I believe in what we have in what we have as an organization. We've got talent. Some unfortunate things happened. That's life. That's football. Some people can blame it on this, some people can blame it on that. But at the end of the day, we've got to win. As long as we are winning, no one is sitting here asking me questions about me and my head coach. No one."

Koetter also addressed the reports about him and his quarterback and said, "It's obviously news to me. I think Jameis and I have had an extremely consistent relationship for the last three years. I don't think anything is different about it, but it's just my opinion.

"What concerns me is that we aren't winning enough games. That's my biggest concern. I mean, I know about our relationship, but my biggest concern is our football team."

On January 1, 2018, the Michigan Wolverines face the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in the Outback Bowl in this very stadium.

The question remains which one of these coaches will be employed by either of these organizations.

But to Caldwell's credit, he's been facing job uncertainty for quite some time and always finds a way to keep winning to quiet that talk.

He follows like Morris The Cat and has Nine Lives.

At least Stafford always has his back and this gunslinger will continue to battle through what he calls "Crap" as this duo works towards its goal of reaching the postseason.

To be frankly honest with you, I'm sick and tired of writing about Caldwell losing his job because as I've mentioned before, he's one of the best coaches Detroit has had in years.

If Detroit does terminate him, unless General Manager Bob Quinn were to hire Josh McDaniels away from his former club the New England Patriots, and that's no sure bet it would work out, who would the Lions bring in to get better?

It will be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out.

But all the Lions have to do is simply win games and there next three opponents are the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers.

The Bears and Packers are at home but unfortunately for Detroit, Aaron Rodgers could
very well be back in the lineup. But as the old adage says, it's important to take these games one at a time.

But as I take a moment to reflect on this game, the Lions did get another three point win that nearly went to overtime and it was an exciting finish.

For myself, it was great seeing my old Tampa Tribune colleagues Roy Cummings and Joey Johnston again.

We worked together from 1984-86, but it seems like yesterday that we were all covering High School Sports.

As a University of South Florida graduate, it was nice to be back in my old stomping grounds doing what I enjoy doing and that's covering Pro Football.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Florida Spring Training Travels 2016

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

Although Spring Training is over, it's always great to see different or return to ballparks every year.

This year our Florida Travels took us to Kissimmee, Lakeland, Bradenton and Fort Myers.

On Friday, March 11, the Detroit Tigers faced the Houston Astros. Last month, I wrote a story on The Memories of Osceola County Stadium so I won't get into much detail in this post.

To re-summarize the experience, My first visit to this facility was in 1985 for the Florida State League (FSL) All-Star Weekend. This was the first year this venue was open.

The bugs weren't worked out as I had difficulty transmitting the two stories to the Tampa Tribune, thus, I wound up dictating them to My Desk Editor Rick Nelson. Thankfully, that bit of distress became an incredible learning experience for years to come.

My return on this day was much easier and there would be no technical problems and the Astros had a newer clubhouse compared to the one they used in 1985.

Next year, they're supposed to relocate to a new stadium with the Washington Nationals in West Palm Beach, FL.

On Saturday, March 12, I enjoyed taking an annual trip to Lakeland to see the Tigers versus their inter-league rivals the Pittsburgh Pirates.

I had the opportunity to see old friends like Tom Gage, Ron Myers, who runs the Lakeland Operation for Detroit and oversees the Advanced Class-A Flying Tigers, and interviewed prospect Wynton Bernard. There will be a future story on Bernard in the coming weeks as he continues his quest to make Comerica Park his future home.

What was interesting about this trip to Joker Marchant Stadium is this was the last time I'd see the venue in its' current state as you can tell by the construction in right field.

In October 2014, the Lakeland City Commission announced that as part of a new agreement with the Detroit Tigers, a $41 Million Renovation and upgrade of the 50-year-old stadium has started.

Funding will be provided in part by the Detroit Tigers, The City of Lakeland and Polk County.

The Lakeland Flying Tigers of the FSL are playing at Historic Henley Field, which is located 1 1/2 miles from Marchant Stadium for the 2016 Season.

On Sunday, March 13, we went from I-4 West to I-75 South and followed the Tigers to see the Pirates at McKechnie Field in Bradenton.

I caught up with Tigers Trainer and long-time Friend Kevin Rand, and spoke with Tigers General Manager Al Avila before the game. I was surprised at the amount of South Florida baseball connections that Avila and I had.

McKechnie Field is a very unique facility.

When the Pirates play their Regular Season Games at PNC Park, home runs that leave the park wind up landing in the Allegheny River, as boats scoop the balls up.

Here in Bradenton, it's a much different situation as foul balls fly outside the park and onto the street with on-coming traffic.

I wouldn't dare to take a guess how many foul balls lead to broken windshields or dents which damage automobiles. But you can rest assure that those who go to Bradenton are accustomed to this because in addition to Spring Training, the Pirates have an FSL team play during the summer.

But overall, this is a nice building that been renovated through the years, and the Pittsburgh Pirates staff treated us great. There were lots of palm trees in the outfield.

A few miles down the road, Pittsburgh's Main Headquarters is Pirates City and the entire complex is completely first class.

Finally, the Best Spring Training Ballpark I've ever seen to date is in Fort Myers!

On Easter Sunday March 27, we took the trip on I-75 North/Alligator Alley, and saw the Boston Red Sox face the Philadelphia Phillies at JetBlue Park at Fenway South.

Ground was broken on March 4, 2011 and it opened on March 3, 2012. The capacity is 10,823 and the Field Size is the same as Fenway Park. It's amazing that this venue has a replica of the famed "Green Monster."

When I was speaking to the Red Sox PR Department and New England Media, I told them this park should be renamed Jet Jewel Park, because that's how amazing this place is.

Due to a non-compete clause with The City of Fort Myers and Minnesota Twins, who play at nearby Hammond Stadium, Boston can't field an FSL team.

Instead, the Rookie Short Season Gulf Coast League Red Sox play during the summer months.

There were many things which stood out about our experience.

First, this was the second to last game for Red Sox Legend David Ortiz in Fort Myers. The slugger is retiring at the end of the 2016 season.

Second, I had the opportunity to see an old friend of mind from our days with the Fort Lauderdale Yankees in the early 1980's. I rarely hug athletes, but Red Sox Coach Brian Butterfield was the exception to the rule.

In the coming weeks, there will be a Question & Answer Story with Butterfield so stay tuned.

The cost to build JetBlue Park was $77.9 Million, but this is a "Complete Masterpiece."

The Detroit Tigers have trained in Lakeland for 80 years which is incredible.

If the Red Sox are at JetBlue Park another 80 years, I'll be age 153 buried someplace.

Fenway Park in Boston is on My Bucket List before I die, but at least on this Easter Sunday, we both got a taste of it, thus wetting our appetite for a future trip to Massachusetts.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a Member of The Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Memories at Osceola County Stadium

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
KISSIMMEE, FL

On March 23, 2016, the Houston Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 in what appeared to be their last game at Osceola County Stadium. If everything goes according to plan, Houston and the Washington Nationals will move into a new ballpark in West Palm Beach, FL in 2017.

On March 11, 2016, the Detroit Tigers faced the Astros and this stadium brought back some nostalgic memories as I returned here for the first time since 1985.

Back then, I was a Sports Writer for the Tampa Tribune.

I was covering the Florida State League (FSL) All-Star Weekend during the stadium's first year of operation. That weekend, I had the good fortune to meet Hall of Fame Pitcher Sandy Koufax.

This was the first year of Spring Training for the Houston Astros and their Class A Advanced Team the Osceola Astros.

What stood out about this game wasn't the score of the Old-Timers Game or The All-Star Game.

Instead, it's what happened in the Press Box.

For the weekend, I used a Tampa Tribune Computer which had "Rotary Phone Cuffs" where you stick the phone in and transmit the story through the land line. Ah yes, the technology of "Yesteryear."

After the game, I had both my stories done and attempted to send two articles. I repeat, I attempted to send two articles.

Needless to say, after six attempts, I was unable to get them to the Tampa Tribune.

Luckily, My Desk Editor Rick Nelson was able to extend my deadline to 12:30 AM with the cooperation of production.

I dictated the two stories to Rick for 25 minutes and when I saw it in print, Nelson did an outstanding job when I returned to Tampa and saw it in the paper. These stories are framed in My Office at home.

As I reminisced with my longtime friend Lynn Henning (in the photo) of the Detroit News, he said, "that had to be traumatic for you."

I told him I was the oldest 22-year old that night in a building which was working out the bugs after being open for just four months. There wasn't any gray hair and I was MUCH THINNER back then, weighing in at a whopping 135 pounds.

Before and during the game, I was sharing this experience with Astros PR Guy Chris Peixoto (25) as well as the Tigers PR tandem of Aileen Villarreal and Michele Wysocki. Like Peixoto, Wysocki wasn't even born. Villarreal, Wysocki and Peixoto actually gleamed as I was talking about this experience.

Their version of technology is far different than what many of us "old school" media types had to work with.

During my years of covering Spring Training, I've rarely attended a game with a clear cut story idea. But as we drove 2 1/2 hours North up the Florida Turnpike, and weeks leading up to this, this was an obvious story idea.

Besides, on the road, you never know what players will travel with the club and will be available.

On this day, the Detroit Tigers sent familiar names to Osceola County Stadium.

Alan Trammell was throwing batting practice, GM Al Avila was around, in addition to Miguel Cabrera, Jose Iglesias, Ian Kinsler, Anthony Gose, JD Martinez, Victor Martinez, Bruce Rondon along with top prospects JaCoby Jones and Steven Moya.

Prior to the game, I had a chance to ask Tigers Manager Brad Ausmus about his thoughts and memories at Osceola County Stadium.

Ausmus, 46, is seven years younger than I am. He played for Houston from 1997-98, and again from 2001-2008.

"I had a lot of memories having been here 10 years," Ausmus said. "There were some good restaurants. There were some good and tough times."

"One thing that stood out was moving into a new facility after it was renovated. We really had a small and old major league clubhouse. When it was renovated, we really had a small and old major league clubhouse. When it was renovated, and we moved into this new building, it was a major upgrade."

On Monday, March 7, 2016, The Tampa Tribune printed out it's last paper in it's downtown 202 S. Parker Street facility off The Riverfront. The Tribune will be joining forces with the Tampa Bay Times with the production operation being relocated to St.Petersburg, FL. The editorial staff moves out in May into another Tampa Office.

My old stomping grounds will be torn down for a new apartment complex.

I worked at The Tampa Tribune  from 1984-1986. I had the pleasure of working with some of the best colleagues during my development as a Sports Writer.

My All-Star line-up includes late Sports Editor Tom McEwen, Joey Johnston, Chris Harry, Mike O'Keefe, Jim Henry, Herb Branham, Nick Pugliese, Roy Cummings, Executive Sports Editor Joe DiSalvo and Nelson.

Johnston gave me a strong recommendation to get the FSL beat, and DiSalvo gave me the free reign to do whatever I wanted to keep it interesting.

Nelson helped me get a free lance writing job with RedsVue Magazine in Cincinnati. He edited my stories for both the Tribune and RedsVue as I covered the Reds Class A Advanced League FSL Tampa Tarpons, plus all the Reds Fantasy and Spring Training assignments.

But on this 1985 FSL All-Star Game, it was A Night to Forget and a Night to Remember.

I got an on the job training lesson that you won't get majoring in a Mass Communications Curriculum in college. Boy did I ever!

Yet, when I think about the advances in technology, the words internet, wireless, net books, laptop computers, tablets and smart phones have turned technology upside down.

It's great to tell stories about the Wonderful World of Yesteryear and for the Tigers vs Astros contest, I even had the opportunity to sit in My Old Seat in the Press Box at Osceola County Stadium with the only difference being that I weighed 260 pounds, sporting gray hair and facial hair.

To this day, the best job I had in college was working at The Tampa Tribune.

On March 11, 2016, it seemed like June of 1985 all over again, only without the deadline pressure, but the technology was working as I prepared this story.

Nelson taught me to be composed under pressure and I've used that into my adult years in every situation imaginable for the most part. We all have our moments of extreme frustration, but mine are much less as they were before. Yet, once again, I'm very proud of what Nelson and I accomplished in June of 1985.

As for the Tigers vs Astros game, Cabrera hit the most exciting fly ball to not leave the stadium in front of 4,237 fans. Meanwhile, Moya hit his third home run of the spring.

When we saw the Astros last spring on Sunday March 8, 2015 at Lakeland's Joker Marchant Stadium, Houston hammered Detroit 14-9. The Astros would reach the playoffs and defeated the New York Yankees in the first round.

With the Tigers numerous off-season moves, it will be interesting to see how this season plays out.

But as I look at Osceola County Stadium 31 years later, it's a beautiful ballpark and it's cozy 5,300 capacity is the smallest in Spring Training.

Yet, The City of Kissimmee, FL has done an outstanding job taking care of this venue.

It looked even better on this 81 degree sunny afternoon in Central Florida, watching the "Boys of Summer" reminiscing about "Memory Lane" for those that wanted to hear me at the FSL All-Star Weekend that I can now laugh about.

The Tigers lost to the Astros on this day 10-4, but that was a mere after thought.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com and is a member of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.

Michigan Amateur Sports Shorts

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When I wrote a story on the Michigan Football Coaching Search a few months ago, I really never thought the Wolverines would be able to land Jim Harbaugh.

But I give Athletic Director Jim Hackett a lot of credit. Please spare me if they needed a search firm to find the right candidate. I'm not buying this nonsense! This was a smokescreen.

I really thought Harbaugh was going to take another NFL Job. The money is more than what he would have earned in college.

However, I admire the persistence of Hackett. He flew to Northern California and waited for the San Francisco 49'ers season to end and made a huge push. Hackett and Company were resilient and landed their big fish.

Who knows what record the Wolverines will have in 2015?

What my gut feeling tells me is this team will be well coached, plays hard and be very competitive.

What I do know is Harbaugh has been recruiting a lot of quarterbacks. Name me a youngster with NFL aspirations that wouldn't want to be mentored by a former NFL QB.

All Harbaugh has to do is walk into a recruit's home and show the youngster and his parents a photo of Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowl QB Andrew Luck. Enough said!

You can't close a deal better than that!

Once upon a time, Michigan used to produce QB's and one has four Super Bowl Titles? Have you ever heard of Tom Brady?

If you add Harbaugh, Drew Henson and many others, U-M can reclaim itself as Quarterback U.

Name me a kid that wouldn't want to play in front of 100,000 plus at the All-Time Winningest Program in Division 1 Football. If the student is convinced he can be developed, then landing the prospect will be much easier.

I expect future U-M recruiting classes to be better as Harbaugh approaches his second year.

Once Harbaugh compiles a winning season or two into his rebuilding plan then everybody will see what we're accustomed to seeing and that's the program returning as a national power.

Once Michigan notches victories over its biggest rivals Michigan State and Ohio State, then amasses enough wins to earn a Big Ten Title, we'll see if they're in the National Championship hunt in a few years.

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Speaking of the Michigan State Spartans, I was impressed that they are the first school in NCAA History to win four-consecutive bowl games and reach the Sweet 16 in basketball four straight years. This team faces Duke in the Final Four Saturday Night.

Last year, I picked the Spartans to reach the Final Four and they failed to do so. This year, I had them in the Elite Eight and they made it to the Final Four.

What impresses me about the Spartans is throughout the years, the basketball program led by Magic Johnson, and Greg Kelser put MSU on the Map winning the 1979 National Title under Coach Jud Heathcote against Larry Bird's Indiana State squad.

Tom Izzo has done a masterful job keeping MSU at Elite Status. He's led the Spartans to Seven Final Fours, 13 Sweet 16's and 18 NCAA Tournament Bids to go along with his One National Title in 2000.

This season, Izzo took a 23-11 regular season squad which was under-seeded at No.7 and managed to get it to play excellent basketball in March. Izzo is earning the nickname Mr. March.

He continues to do an excellent job having the Spartans alumni connecting with his players through the years. Magic Johnson doesn't seem to miss any tournament games.

In the past, George Perles and Nick Saban did a decent job with the Football Program, but Mark Dantonio has elevated it to Elite Status.

The support between Izzo and Dantonio should be a good example to other major universities that they can feed off each other.

There is nothing better than to see both high profile sports not only great Inside The Lines, but Extremely Profitable. Plus the exposure is priceless and enrollment figures to rise.

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The most interesting hire this year comes from the Central Michigan University Chippewas Football Program.

CMU hired Detroit Lions (2013-2014) Special Teams Coordinator John Bonamego as the 28th football head coach in the school's history.

He is the first alum to serve as Central Michigan's head coach since Bill Kelly from 1951-1966. This is Bonamego's first head coaching position. It's his first college coaching position since he served as an assistant for Army from 1993-1998.

Bonamego signed a five-year contract worth $350,000 annually with an additional $125,000 for Radio and Television Appearances.

Bonamego has been an assistant coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins as well as the Lions.

The 51-year old inherits a program that has an All-Time Record of 590-388-37 (.600). CMU's post-season bowl record is 3-4 (.429).

He replaced Dan Enos who bolted Mt. Pleasant to take the Offensive Coordinator position at Arkansas.

In five years at CMU, Enos was 26-36, reaching bowl games in two of the past three seasons.

Enos replaced Jim Chaney, who left Arkansas to become the Offensive Coordinator for former MSU Coach Pat Narduzzi now the head coach at the University of Pittsburgh.

It's amazing how all these coaching moves come full circle as a Domino Effect.

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Finally, My late Grandmother Sophie Morganroth always taught me that there is a time and a place to do things.

She would be proud in Heaven that her youngest Great Grandson Brock Morganroth, 15, is having some success in amateur hockey. He currently competes for Compuware Bantam Major AAA and is regarded as a strong prospect according to the website "Elite Hockey Prospects."

Brock recently won a Bronze Medal at the USA, AAA Nationals. This is a tournament which took place in Amherst, NY., from March 26-30, Tier I-14,16,18 & Under.

Meanwhile, Grandma Sophie would be ecstatic that her youngest Great Grand Daughter Bria Morganroth, 13, is having success in gymnastics.

Bria currently competes at the Hartland Gymnastics Academy. She's been competing at the academy since 12-11-2009 with her first event being the Michigan Academy Christmas Classic.

Her latest event was the 2015 Michigan Level 7-10 Girls State Meet on March 27th.

She currently competes at Level 8 in the Vault, Bars, Beam, Floor and AA (All-Around) Events.

What Bria is doing in gymnastics at a young age brings back incredible memories of a young legend at the 1984 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles named Mary Lou Retton, who won five medals. I attended these Olympics but couldn't get into the sold out gymnastics competition. But it was a blast watching them at local bars in the LA Suburb of Westwood, CA near the UCLA Campus.

Retton won a Gold, Two Silver and Two Bronze Medals.

Is Bria Olympic Bound? That's way too early to tell, but she's definitely on the right track.

Meanwhile, My oldest Nephew Branden Morganroth, 24, played hockey for many years but recently changed career paths to get into Restaurant Ownership.

The biggest thing these youngsters have going for them is that their parents provided the financial resources which allowed them to have the best coaching that enabled them to travel to play at the highest levels of competition.

I rarely have the opportunity to write about the accomplishments of immediate family members. But the most recent accomplishments of Brock and Bria certainly deserve the publicity. Branden was a good role model for Brock.

Whether Brock plays professionally remains to be seen. There could be a scholarship waiting down the road and he could play NCAA Hockey.

It would be unbelievable if Bria ever made it to the Olympics.

But with the hard work these two are putting in, they have a punchers chance to take it to higher levels.

There have never been any professional athletes in our family, but there is always a first. Time will tell whether any of this comes to fruition, but I'll be monitoring this situation very closely!

The last time I wrote about an amateur athlete under 18 was when I was a Sports Writer for the Tampa Tribune from 1984-1986. This is when I was covering High School Sports.

I used to write features stories on Roller Skaters and Gymnasts.

When I monitored the Roller Skaters and Gymnasts progress, I found many of them got big egos after we publicized them, thus I haven't done this in 30-years.

This situation is My exception to the rule because I have a feeling there are more chapters to be written about Brock and Bria.

Stay tuned.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at www.scottsports33.com.

Bizarre Night At BB&T Center

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

I've seen a lot of Crazy Circumstances in My Media Days, but 4.5 hours before I'd turn 51 on December 29, 2013, there was a first.

I've never had a problem logging onto a computer at a Sports Event until the Detroit Red Wings (19-15-10) faced the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, FL., on December 28, 2013 at the BB&T Center.

From the outset, it seemed simple to use the login name and password provided. As simple as they were, they didn't work.

But I just couldn't get My Acer Net Book connected after struggling all first period as the Red Wings took a 2-0 lead.

During the first intermission, the Panthers Public Relations Guy tried but was unsuccessful. He proceeded to call his I.T. Technician, who wasn't able to log on. They were both nice and worked very diligently. The I.T Guy was unable to connect in the second period.

By the start of the third period, the score was tied 2-2.

They initially thought the Wireless Adapter would have to be updated or uploaded again.

Meanwhile, I finally gave up, put the Acer back into the Computer Case and I went back to old pen and paper.

Just in time to see the Red Wings score two quick goals, and hold on to a 4-3 regulation win in a contest where they were out shot 33-31.

In the past, I've had other difficult situations.

In 1982, My Tape Recorder broke in the middle of an interview with Fort Lauderdale Yankees Manager Stump Merrill. Luckily, My Photographer Ken Rotberg, who had a tape recorder to mention players, numbers and key plays, let me use his.

Merrill was great and we did the entire interview over.

In fact, afterwards, Merrill and I shared a few laughs. He said "I manage young ballplayers and you're a young reporter."

It's safe to say that Stump didn't lack patience.

Another situation took place at the 1985 Florida State League All Star Game in Kissimmee.

The Houston Astros just moved into Osceola County Stadium (5,300) and it still houses their Class A team and Spring Training.

I was using an old computer the Tampa Tribune provided reporters where the old rotary phones had to be put in old suction cups.

I had my feature and game stories written, but because of phone line issues, I couldn't send them.

The deadline was midnight and I couldn't meet it.

However, I convinced My Editor Rick Nelson to get it extended by 45 minutes to the production people.

I dictated both stories to Rick and got this done in 30 minutes.

Rick did a sensational job and the stories actually turned out well considering the circumstances.

But on this Bizarre Night At The BB&T Center, there were some other firsts.
 * This was the first time the Red Wings defeated the Panthers this season.
* After missing 11 games, Red Wings Captain Henrik Zetterberg scored a goal in the first period to spark Detroit. He had one goal (photographed) in 21:43 minutes of ice time.
* This was My first time seeing the Red Wings play the Panthers in their long overdue move to the Eastern Conference. But certainly, the beginning of more games in this beautiful stadium.
* This was My Photographer Candice Ebling's first photo assignment for hockey and she admitted , it was quite challenging. But she did a great job especially with her action photos.

Yet, when the game was over, the Red Wings came away with a win. At the time, it was their third in four games.

Despite all of their injury problems, Coach Mike Babcock is doing a masterful job keeping them in the playoff hunt.

He should get consideration for Coach Of The Year honors with all his challenges.

I did manage to talk to him after the game and we spoke about the adversity he's faced.

"What I would say is the year you're in is the most challenging," Babcock said. "Every year you grind. That's the way it is. It doesn't matter how good or average your team is, it's always tough. The NHL is tight. Especially now. So injuries affect you.

"Our guys have tried hard. They've been positive about what they're doing so we have to keep getting better and I know we will."

The Panthers benefited at the gate. The
BB&T Center was 98.3% full as a crowd of 18,932 watched a hard fought contest.

I saw a fan wear an old No.24 White Red Wings Bob Probert Jersey. Indeed a die hard traditional hockey fan.

Zetterberg was named the No.2 Star of the Game.

As I left the arena, there were a lot of Red Wings fans wearing their jerseys trying to get autographs as the team was headed towards its bus area not far from the visiting locker room.

Then we went to a nearby McDonald's on Sunrise Boulevard to see if the WI-FI was working.

I was able to connect and just one hour before My Birthday, I didn't hit 52 before I hit 51.

There were more Red Wings fans taking a late night snack at McDonald's.

Before My technical problems, there were issues with My Windows 7, but I knew the computer didn't crash otherwise, I wouldn't see My Desktop Icons.

Nonetheless, the Red Wings came away with a win in the warm weather of South Florida.

For me, getting through the night was about winning ugly instead of losing pretty.

But I expect to be back at the BB&T Center for the Red Wings third and final game in South Florida on February 6, 2014.

By then, I have a feeling Detroit will be much healthier and playoff ready.

This meeting with the Panthers comes before the Olympic Break so by the time the Detroit returns to action on February 26 at Montreal, they'll be healthier and more rested. At least most of them
should.


Ten players will be on Olympic Rosters.

I give the Red Wings credit for hanging in as long as they finish this marathon strong, knowing all year their roster has resembled a MASH UNIT.

This won't be good news for the rest of their Eastern Conference opponents.

My next visit to BB&T Center is expected to be a much less stressful situation.


Whether you have internet or basic phone problems, it does get difficult with technical issues.

By the time I write on the Red Wings again, the focus will be on the playoffs, in addition to Detroit's adjustment to playing in the Eastern Conference.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.

My Media Family

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Over the years, I've been very fortunate & proud to have worked with some Excellent Media Organizations.

The Detroit Monitor, Tampa Tribune, Hallandale Digest (South Florida), KCTK Radio (Phoenix, AZ), WXYZ Radio (Detroit), the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association (DSBA), WKMT (Kings Mountain, NC) and RedsVue Magazine (Cincinnati, Ohio) standout.

I began My Association with the Deerfield Beach Observer in South Florida in 2007.

Former Editor Ric Green hired me to cover Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Sports focusing on Owls Football. This gave me the opportunity to reunite with My Good Friend Howard Schnellenberger.

Green and I were able to turn this seasonal relationship into a permanent one. When Green took a position to run the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce, FAU alumnus David Volz kept the beat going.

I am currently working with Diane Emeott-Korzen. (Pictured Right)

While the economy has cut back on the FAU stories due to reduced advertising, I'm very thankful Diane has continued her commitment  to covering the Owls. My stories are also seen on the Observer Online Website.

On December 21, 2012, the Deerfield Beach Observer had a Christmas Party Celebrating 50-years of Publication. It began in 1962.

What's amazing about the Observer's age is I will be celebrating My 50th Birthday on December 29, 2012. This is real neat that both of us turned 50 the same year.

Diane and Vice President Jim Lusk let everyone at the Christmas Party know of My Birthday Announcing it during the Gift Ceremony. They gave me a signed card by the office staff.

What made this more meaningful was The Party was the first one where My New Girlfriend Candy Ebling was in attendance. After hearing my name over the microphone, Candy's beautiful smile and brown eyes were indescribable.

It was neat to have a 50th Birthday Party with Candy alongside of me. You could say it was her coming out party.

Candy and I have proven that the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers can Co-Exist.

In this economy, the Deerfield Beach Observer has done an outstanding job working through their financial challenges to stay in business. Many daily and weekly newspapers have closed down.

Due to the leadership of Publisher David Eller, Lusk and Emeott-Korzen, along with the rest of the staff, they've done an incredible job!

These are the same people that sent me cards and made phone calls when I had major back surgery in June of 2009. Green was always in communication with me then and we remain close friends now.

Nowadays, Deerfield Beach sports are known for the accomplishments of Denard Robinson, the electrifying QB of the Michigan Wolverines. There is no question that Deerfield Beach High School can be proud of his collegiate and accomplishments.

Just like I can say that thanks to the Observer, I've been proud to have covered The New Orleans Bowl, Motor City Bowl, went to Gator Nation and watch FAU face Florida in Gainesville, had one more game at the Orange Bowl, covered an FAU Basketball Game against the University of Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, in addition to the Orange Bowl Basketball Classic. Also, the opening of the New On-Campus FAU Football Stadium was memorable.

As time and circumstances change, I will continue writing for the Observer as long as I can and they want me.

Diane and I are both from Michigan therefore, we both have that Special Connection and Bond.

Every year she wants her Super Bowl Story in February and I'm glad to give it to her even if she has to extend the deadline by 24 hours.

But on this night as I sat at a table with Candy, Assistant Editor Rachel Galvin, who is an MVP Behind The Scenes, and Movie Writer Dave Montalbano, who is a great friend, this night was indeed a celebration.

What's made my relationship so special with the Observer is not only do they care about me as a person, but do an excellent job editing my copy. Even thought Rachel said there isn't much editing, it's still nice to have that spare set of eyes, even though I read it several times before submitting it.

In general, the editing is fantastic for this newspaper and the entire production staff does an outstanding job every week.

While I hope I can write additional stories again in the future if advertising increases, I'm quite satisfied with the role that I have and being a part of the Deerfield Beach Observer.

Even though the faces change at the Christmas Party every year, this event is a great way to positively wrap up the calender.

Although the Observer is a weekly that is available to 30,000 readers in homes and businesses throughout Northeast Broward and Southern Palm Beach Counties, they could easily be viewed as a daily with their tremendous effort and professionalism.

I'm extremely proud to be the same age "50" and am pleased to be working with a Class Organization "My Media Family."

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com.