It's Crunch Time For The Red Wings!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
SUNRISE, FL


When we saw the Detroit Red Wings defeat the Florida Panthers on March 19, 2016, 5-3, it appeared that a win in South Florida could be a sign that they would be on their way to a 25th straight playoff appearance.

On this night, the Red Wings would overcome a 3-1 deficit and defeat Panthers star goaltender Roberto Luongo. He was out dueled by Red Wings netminder, Jimmy Howard, who won his second straight game.

The atmosphere at the BB&T Center was Electric as a Panthers Record 20,817 fans showed up against a team which does pack this arena.

There was a Red Wings flavor before the game as an Octopus hit the ice in Sunrise, FL.

Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwell returned to the Red Wings line-up. Red Wings Announcer Paul Woods mentioned to me before the game that Detroit was 6-7-1 without Kronwell in the line-up.

The Panthers fans got their first look at Red Wings rookie right wing Anthony Mantha (6-5, 214), age 21 1/2 years old. He was playing his third NHL Game.

The Red Wings had their fair share of challenges during the game as Florida was 33-5-6 when scoring the first goal of the game. Tack on another loss for the Panthers.

Florida was 15-6-4 when tied after the first period. Once again, add another loss for the Panthers.

The Panthers were 15-6-1 against the Atlantic Division, and the Red Wings defeat gave Florida a seventh loss.

This win earned the Red Wings a day off to spend time on the Fort Lauderdale beaches as it had time to get ready for a huge showdown with the Tampa Bay Lightning three nights later.

Red Wings Head Coach Jeff Blashill came away pleased with the offensive effort by his team.

"I thought we did a good job for the 60 minutes," Blashill said. "That was our biggest focus; we've talked about it a lot. Making sure we play 60 minutes and making sure we're resilient. And when you get scored on, just keep going.

"The one thing with the offense was we got to the net and we're going to continue to get to the net to be successful here. That's the only way you're going to score in this league over, and over and over again and we found a way to do it."

The BB&T Center may not be Joe Louis Arena, but it had a Red and White Flavor to it.

Blashill described the atmosphere as, "When we play here, there's a lot of fans who spend winters here. When we come, there's always a good crowd here; a good mix of both fans."

I've covered a lot of games between these two squads and I would estimate that at least 45% are Detroit fans and they're quite vocal.

Since the Red Wings important win versus Florida, Detroit has gone 2-3 in that stretch. Tampa Bay blew out Detroit 6-2. In these five games, Detroit has allowed 22 goals. This isn't the time for the goaltending to go South for the Spring and to end their long playoff streak.

The Philadelphia Flyers (38-25-13, 89 points) hold the Final Wild Card Spot. They have a game in hand over Detroit having played 76. In 77 games, Detroit is 38-28-11 with 87 points.

Even if the Red Wings were to overtake the Flyers, I can't imagine Detroit winning s series against the Washington Capitals, who are 54-16-6 with a 114 points.

Detroit's best chance of making the playoffs may actually be overtaking the Boston Bruins, who have also played 77 games. The Bruins are 40-29-8 with 88 points in the Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division.

If Detroit surpasses Boston, there potential match ups could include Tampa Bay or Florida. I can only imagine what the crowds will be at the BB&T Center if this occurs.

Detroit does face the Philadelphia Flyers in one of its remaining five games.

For whatever it's worth, if the Red Wings were in the Western Conference, 87 points gets them into the playoffs. The first team out as of this post is the Colorado Avalanche with 82 points in 77 games.

But GM Ken Holland would have to log some extra miles in the Western Conference. But we'll never know now.

So it will be interesting to see if this playoff streak is extended. Expect the next five games to be the most intense hockey that Red Wings fans will watch in a long time.

The Red Wings host the Minnesota Wild on Friday at the Joe Louis Arena. Then, three of the final four games are on the road. They'll face former Head Coach Mike Babcock in Toronto, Philadelphia at home then wrap-up the season on the road against Boston and the New York Rangers Finale on April 9th.

It doesn't get any tougher than this!

Nothing like controlling their own destiny and pile up as many points as possible. No need to scoreboard watch or no motivational speeches needed!

We'll see if Detroit enters it's Final Season in Joe Louis Arena with 25 consecutive post-season appearances.

If the Red Wings playoff streak comes to an end, it won't be the only steak that ends.

There will be no Canadian based teams in this year's tournament. It will be be the first time since 1970, a span of 46 years that this didn't happen.

So now, "It's Crunch Time For The Red Wings!"

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.

Tale Of Two Games Versus Florida Panthers

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

SUNRISE, FL

What a difference a few days makes.

Going into the Detroit Red Wings game against the Florida Panthers at the BB&T Center on Thursday February 4, I expected a playoff type atmosphere. 

For the most part it was. There were 16, 991 fans and no shortage of Red Wings jerseys as you can see here in the pre-game skate from My Vantage Point in the Press Box. There were many "Let's Go Red Wings Chants" throughout the contest to go along with an octopus thrown onto the ice at the end of the game.

However, at the end of the game, the Florida Panthers cruised to a 6-3 win and the rubber rats also got thrown onto the ice. 

This was Florida's third straight win over Detroit dating back to March 19, 2015 here in Sunrise, a 3-1 margin.

Florida won the first meeting of the season with an overtime 2-1 triumph at The Joe Louis Arena on November 29, 2015.

There was a 2:36 minute stretch in this contest for the Panthers who scored three goals to take a 3-0 lead midway through the first period.

Rookie sensation Dylan Larkin scored a power play goal with seven seconds left in the first period off the face off to make it 3-1

In his South Florida debut, Larkin would score two goals against Panthers Goaltender Roberto Luongo,  who stopped 36 shots for his ninth straight win at home and moved past Tony Esposito into seventh on the NHL's career wins list with 424.

Another milestone came from the ageless 43-year old wonder Jaromir Jagr got his 1,100th career assist and joined five other players in NHL History: Wayne Gretzky, Ron Francis, Mark Messier, Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey.

Jagr also had a goal in the game which was his 738th, putting him three behind Brett Hull for third on the NHL list. The game was Jagr's 1,800th game which includes playoff appearances.

Jagr's big night occurred against Red Wings backup goaltender Jimmy Howard, who made 27 saves, but was saddled with his seventh consecutive loss. Howard's last win was on December 3, 2015 at home against the Arizona Coyotes.

But to Howard's credit, he was facing a red hot Florida Panthers squad. After the Red Wings game, Florida's winning streak reached five, all of them by at least three goals. 

The Panthers have scored at least five goals in each of their last four games; the first time this has happened in franchise history.

Florida improved to 16-0-1 when scoring at least four goals.

To explain the type of season Florida has had, on February 2, 2016, the Panthers appeared on National Television for the first time in 2 years on the NBC Sports Network as they won an impressive 5-2 contest on the road against the Washington Capitals.

I saw a first in this game. Red Wings Coach Jeff Blashill pulled Howard with 8:34 left in the third period while Detroit was on the power play which resulted in a Mike Green Goal. 

Former Red Wing and Panthers coach Gerard Gallant had a hard time explaining how the team has scored five goals in four straight games.

"I don't know, you know," Gallant said. "Teams go on streaks. But we're putting pucks in the net and guys are confident. It's about putting pucks in the net, skating and being confident."

While most people come to Florida for Spring Break, the Red Wings came to Florida after the All-Star Break. The night before in Tampa, Detroit dropped a 3-1 decision to the surging Tampa Bay Lightning (29-20-4) with Petr Mrazek between the pipes.

Detroit left the Sunshine State going 0-2. 

Nevertheless, Red Wings Coach Jeff Blashill Didn't Leave Sunrise, FL., with a bad taste in his mouth despite his team being down 3-0 early in the game acknowledging that this lead was too much to overcome.

"Yeah but to be honest, I thought we came out and played really well," Blashill said. I thought we played well early. I thought our battle level and compete level were really good. I thought our execution level was good for the most part.

"In the end, I was really happy with the way our guys continued to battle back and I was real happy with the effort. I was real happy with their character."

Blashill also added, " It was one of those nights from a process point I was happy with a lot of areas. That might sound funny to fans when you lose 6-3, but again anybody can come and watch the tape, and see a lot of the good things we did, and the execution was pretty good to be honest with you."

On Saturday, February 6, the Red Wings would bounce back from this loss by hammering the New York Islanders 5-1 at the Joe Louis Arena. 

Red Wings Announcer Mickey Redmond admitted during the telecast that he wasn't looking forward to Detroit facing the Panthers Monday Night.

By the end of Monday Night, Pavel Datsyuk and Mrazek allowed Redmond and Red Wings Nation to breathe easy as Detroit defeated Florida 3-0. This was a much needed win for Detroit as it seeks it's 25th straight playoff appearance.

The only numbers that mattered on Monday was Jagr reached another milestone just by stepping on the ice. The Panthers forward appeared in his 1,600th career regular season game.

Jagr was already 10th all-time in games played, but he's now 12 games behind Ray Bourque for ninth.

Red Wings legend Gordie Howe holds the all-time record with 1,767.

The other number was simply the Red Wings 3-0 shutout over Florida and Mrazek has a career-high four shutouts this season. He out played Panthers backup goaltender Al Montoya, who finished with 28 saves.

On Wednesday Night against the Ottawa Senators, Mrazek turned in another stellar performance in a 3-1 victory. The Senators lone goal occurred with 2:24 left in the third period. 

Mrazek, who turns 24, on February 14, had a shutout streak snapped at 133:29 and improved his record to 21-10-4. Going into the Ottawa game, he had a 1.97 GAA. 

This is a guy who was the 141st overall draft pick by the Red Wings in the 2010 draft.

The Red Wings return to Florida on March 19 at 7 PM and I can only imagine how intense the contest will be with playoff berths on the line.

I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this game.

As of this post, the Red Wings have a 28-18-8 record for 64 points and are in second place in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. 

Meanwhile Florida is leading the Atlantic Division with a 32-16-6 mark with 70 points. .

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

Pistons Points

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

Nearly two months ago, I made my first trip to The Palace Of Auburn Hills in five years, while my Photographer Candice made her debut in this arena.

I give Owner Tom Gores and the rest of his administration credit for making improvements to this venue. I was touched by The Matt Dobek Media Room since he was a great friend and was very helpful in allowing me to do my job.

When the Pistons defeated the Houston Rockets 116-105, I got a glimpse as to how good this team could be as Detroit improved to 9-9 on November 30, 2015. The attendance was 14,818.

Detroit had six players that scored in double figures. Marcus Morris had 12, Ersan Ilyasova  had 13, Andre Drummond had 24 with 13 rebounds, Reggie Jackson had a game high 31 points, Aron Baynes had 11 and Stanley Johnson had 19 points and 10 rebounds.

As I look at the Pistons in general, there are several things which standout.

A year ago Pistons Nation wondered what life would be without Greg Monroe, who signed as a free agent with the Milwaukee Bucks who had a 41-41 mark last year.

The Pistons are currently 24-21 as of this post and the lowly Philadelphia 76'ers come into town tomorrow night; this win total could be 25. Last season, the Pistons had a 32-50 mark and Monroe thought he could win elsewhere.

How did that decision workout out for Monroe? The Bucks currently have a 19-27 mark and during the off season, Ilyasova  was acquired from Milwaukee to replace Monroe in the front court.

After the Houston win, the Pistons would win three more home games and had a four-game winning streak.

After the Rockets game, Coach Stan Van Gundy had high praise about rookie Stanley Johnson (3).

"He played well offensively tonight," Van Gundy said. "Defensively, he wasn't very good, but offensively on the boards, he was very good. It seemed like they scored every point on him in the fourth quarter. No matter who he switched on to, they scored. But offensively and on the boards, he was very,very good."

Great players take over games. And that's what Jackson (1) did and relished the opportunity to put away the Rockets.

"I was trying to be aggressive and find an easy shot," Jackson said. "I was able to get to the line a few times, and the ball finally went into the basket for us and kind of took the lid off. I started relaxing I think for the most part I think we went into panic mode, so we need to learn and relax and be above what's going on the court, and find a way to unite and play together."

Let's turn the clock forward to the present as the All-Star Break is upon us.

How do you spell respect?

A 113-95 hammering on January 16, 2016 over the World Champion Golden State Warriors (41-4) will do it. On a night where Ben Wallace's No.3 jersey was retired, a sellout crowd was able to enjoy the past and appreciate the future.

Will the Pistons have another triumphant night on February 10, 2016 against the Denver Nuggets when Chauncey Billups has his No.1 jersey retired? We shall see.

But I will say that I expected the Detroit Tigers to have retired the No.1 and No.3 jersey's, which belonged to Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell before the Pistons retired respective jersey's for Wallace and Billups. Hopefully, Mike Illitch will get this done relatively soon. If you're proud of your tradition, then show it.

The Pistons 95-92 win over Utah last night was the first time Detroit swept the Jazz since the 2002-03 season.

This could be a great omen for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2009.

As I mentioned earlier, the Pistons won only 32 games last season. It's safe to say they'll surpass that and get into the playoffs.

Another sign of respect will occur when the Pistons host the New York Knicks at 7 pm, on February 4, 2016 as this game will be televised on TNT.

There is plenty of season left and there could be more National Appearances thus fans won't have to go to the NBA League Pass to find these contests.

There are three areas of intrigue for me as the NBA heads down the stretch.

First, will Van Gundy and his staff be active at the trading deadline as they were a year ago by landing Jackson?

Second, how much better will the bench get and what type of role will Brandon Jennings play?

Third, what type of contribution will Jodie Meeks make when he returns from injuries?

The NBA regular season is long with 82 games, but there are stories inside of stories and while the Pistons are a work in progress as well as far from the finished product, at least under Van Gundy's leadership, they're headed in the right direction.

They don't need a move to downtown Detroit to sellout. Winning basketball has always produced capacity crowds, and frankly, I hope they never leave The Palace!!!

It's a beautiful building that Gores owns and why be a tenant if you don't need to be. Plus, there would be no scheduling conflicts.

I wouldn't have a problem with two exhibition games or 2 regular season games with the Toronto Raptors or Cleveland Cavaliers. But that would be as far as I would go.

But I'll be curious to see how this season plays out, trade deadline movement if any and what the roster turnover will be after the season. One thing seems certain is that Drummond (0) will get a maximum contract.

But at least for now, things are gradually getting better as we're getting a glimpse of the future.

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

Citrus Bowl Reflections, Michigan vs Florida

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING
ORLANDO, FL

Prior to covering the 2016 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on January 1, 2016, it was interesting to listen to Florida Gators alumnus that were skeptical about how this game would turn out against the Michigan Wolverines. The ones I spoke to didn't like the Gators chances in this contest.

I can appreciate what Gators fans were saying. They ended the season with a two-game regular season losing streak.  These two contests were over 14 points.

The downward spiral began on November 28, 2015 as in-state rival Florida State trounced the Gators 27-2. On December 5, 2015, the Gators lost the SEC Championship 29-15 to the eventual National Champions the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The Gators losing streak reached three as Michigan crushed Florida 41-7.

To make matters worse for Florida, the FAU Owls came into their November 21 game as heavy underdogs, but didn't leave that way, as the Gators survived a scare winning 20-14 in overtime in Gainesville. It's safe to say, this wasn't a good five weeks of football for the Gators.

The only good thing that came out of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl for the Gators was the payout of this game was $4.25 Million Per-Team. For the Gators, their travel expenses were not high since campus is approximately two hours away at the most.

The Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl Payout is the largest of all the College Football Non Playoff Bowls.

Michigan won it's first Bowl Game since 2012.

In this game, The Wolverines had three touchdown drives of at least 70 yards and finished with 503 yards of offense against a Florida defense that entered the game ranked sixth nationally.

The Wolverines offense was ranked 17th going into the game.

Michigan played without safety Jabrill Peppers, who sat out with an undisclosed injury.

The Wolverines didn't miss him, holding the Gators (10-4) to 28 total yards in the second half. In the third quarter, Michigan (10-3) out gained Florida 160-2.

How much did Michigan dominate Florida?

The Wolverines scored on seven of their first eight possessions, while piling up more points and more yards (503) than the Gators had allowed in a game all-season.

Michigan's 41 points were the most Florida has allowed since LSU defeated the Gators on October 17, 2015, 35-28 in Baton Rouge, LA.

The Wolverine's 41-7 victory was the largest in a Michigan Bowl Game since the 1948 Rose Bowl 49-0 over USC.

While Orlando, FL is the home of Disney World "Where Dreams Come True," it's been a good place for Michigan. The Wolverines are 4-1 in the Citrus Bowl and improved to 3-0 against the Gators all-time.

The Wolverines are 8-5 against SEC teams in Bowl Games.

What else stood out about this game?

We'll start with Michigan QB Jake Rudock. All he did was throw for 278 yards and three TD's as he was the Citrus Bowl's MVP. Rudock had 20 TD's and nine interceptions for Michigan during the regular season.

I have a feeling that under Jim Harbaugh's direction, the Wolverines will be a QB Factory, which can only bolster recruiting at that position.

Rudock's career totals including his tenure with Iowa are 7,836 yards, 54 TD's and 27 interceptions.

The 6-3, 208 pound, 23-year-old Miami native is No.2 on the Wolverines single season list with 3,017 passing yards. Only John Navarre had more with 3,331 yards as a senior in 2003.

The attendance was 63,113 and the Citrus Bowl looked like the "Little Big House." It looked like there were at least 25,000 Michigan Fans inside the Citrus Bowl Stadium as you can see in these photos on the left, of fans wearing yellow to see a Michigan team which was favored by 3.5 points where the over/under was 40.

What also stood out was when we were at the Wisconsin vs South Carolina game two years ago, there were steel bench seats. Now the seats are Dark Blue chairs on the lower levels and the scoreboards are brand new. The stadium was renovated in 2014 and the Michigan vs Florida attendance of 63,113 was the highest since the remodel.

The only way you couldn't see the Buffalo Wild Wings Advertising all over the stadium is if you were blind. The Citrus Bowl was blanketed with the Black and Yellow all over the field and signs everywhere.

Other offensive players which made solid contributions included running backs De'Veon Smith 25-109 yards (No. 4 Photo) and Drake Johnson 6-58 and one TD. Rudock's primary targets included Jehu Chesson 5-118, one touchdown and Grant Perry who caught five passes for 51 yards and a TD.

Last year Michigan was 5-7 under Brady Hoke.

What a difference a year makes.

Here is what the coaches had to say after the contest.

Frank Shaw of Sports Talk Florida asked Harbaugh if this was his funnest year in Football and a little bit of a reflection post game?

"We coached a great group of guys. Really enjoyed to coach. The coaching staff was so good," Harbaugh said. "And I give them the credit in terms of coaching, but the way the staff came together, the trust that everybody had, we were real allies for each other. And everything, my family, my wife, Sarah, the way they have treated this past year and the kids and--I could go on and on."

Corey Coblit, WEYI in Flint, Michigan asked, "Would you say that after dominating Florida the way you did, this is the most complete team your football team has played this year?"

"Yes. I would--I'd say this was the best game we played all year. It was a great team win," Harbaugh added. "Like I said I don't think I've ever seen our offense play better. And our defense was magnificent.

"Credit to their Defensive Coach Greg Mattison, you know, world class football coach. And the three and outs, the stops, the play on third down, everybody playing great team defense, it was-- it was really good. And the special teams as well.

"I mean, we were darned nervous about the Florida return game. And they were good at it. And we covered the kicks. I think we only had one punt, but the kickoff covers was outstanding. We made all the kicks. We executed in every phase on the special teams and was really pleased. It was a great team win."

Florida Coach Jim McElwain took the loss in stride.

"I've got to tell you, I'm proud of that football team in the locker room,"McElwain said. "Obviously we didn't play well today, and I've got to give Michigan all the credit in the world. They took it to us, beat us up front, did a great job in the red area, kept us off balance, and I think more than everything, played with a pad level."

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I have to admit that I was amazed at the amount of Wolverines fans that made the trip. It reminded me of a Detroit Red Wings vs Florida Panthers Game at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL.  Fans from Southeastern Michigan travel well.

What did the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl do for both Michigan and Florida in the final polls?

Michigan finished 12th in the AP Top 25, and 11th in the Coaches Poll.

Meanwhile, Florida was 25th in both Polls.

It was recently announced that former Michigan Coach Lloyd Carr will be on next years College Football Playoff Panel.
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One of the things I really enjoyed during the game was seeing three past colleagues again.

My former boss Joey Johnston and colleague Chris Harry were working the game. Johnston still works for the Tampa Tribune, while Harry is working for the Gators.

Finally, my former colleague with the Detroit Lions James Petrylka Sr. was working as a spotter with the Michigan Radio Broadcasting team.
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All in all, it was a bright sunny day in Orlando and the Michigan Wolverines domination of Florida will send a message to the rest of the college football world and that a "Sleeping Giant Has Awaken." I expect Michigan to be a major recruiting presence in The Sunshine State.

Meanwhile, the Gators are in good hands with McElwain, and he's been a winner at every coaching stop. There will be no shortage of talent in a state which is rich on prospects.

As for Rudock, look to see him in the NFL next season.

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

One More Memory At The Joe

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

In the past two years, the date of December 1, has provided events to remember.

On December 1, 2014, My Cat Maverick Morganroth passed away because of liver and kidney failure. I had Maverick for 13.5 years and he's the best pet I've ever owned! When I pass away, his Box of Ashes will go with me to My Final Resting Place.

A year later on December 1, 2015, I returned to Joe Louis Arena (JLA) with My Photographer Candice Ebling. This was Ebling's first and only trip to JLA.

Before the game, we drove by the construction site of the Red Wings new arena. She also saw downtown Detroit at night, and didn't realize how close the United States and Canada were as she looked across the Detroit River.

It was neat returning to JLA seeing the Red Wings after a five year hiatus. Seeing Karen Newman sing the National Anthem and eating Little Ceasars Pizza in the Press Room made me feel at home.

As for the game itself, Detroit defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-4 in a shootout. This was my first time seeing the 3-3 overtime in person and it was exciting to watch.

Kudos to Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland for being the driving force by implementing this rule change during the off-season.

Petr Mrazek looked excellent in the shootout to earn the win.

Justin Abdelkader scored two goals in regulation time while Brad Richards netted the game winner in a 1-0 shootout.

This was my first opportunity to see rookie Dylan Larkin in person and this kid will be an All-Star Stud. I can actually see him becoming a captain within 2-3 years and he'll be the new face of the franchise.

If there is one advantage to being high in the Press Box, it's the ability to see all Championship Banners and Retired Jerseys.

The next time I see those banners will be at the new arena, unless by chance, I'm in Detroit for the playoffs during the Spring of 2017.

There was one person missing in The Press Box.

Former Red Wings Public Address Announcer Budd Lynch died on October 9, 2012 at the age of 95.

He was the PA Announcer at JLA from 1985-2012. We would talk a lot during pre-game meals, intermissions and at DSBA functions.

Lynch began his career in 1949 as the Red Wings Radio Play-By-Play Announcer. Lynch was the longest tenured employee in Red Wings history at 63 years.

I will say that when Olympia Stadium closed in 1978, I missed that building because the 16,000 seat Red Barn venue had very few bad seats.

JLA has it's own character. Being on the Detroit River across from Windsor, Canada was great in it's own right. I saw a lot of great hockey in this building.

But on December 1, 2015, it was a night to reflect on the memories of an Original Six team that I enjoy covering. It's always great seeing my friends and colleagues.

I'm very fortunate that the Red Wings play the Florida Panthers twice a year at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, FL now that they're in the same division in the Eastern Conference.

Red Wings fans always travel well especially in Florida where there are numerous transplants. The Red and White Jerseys are more noticeable at Panthers games because Florida draws smaller crowds than the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Holland and I have spoken numerous times about what a future stadium would look like.

He always told me that he was impressed with the Panthers Stadium. Nothing better than a glimpse of the future.

Yet, it was very neat to see a building of 20,000 fans at JLA wearing Red and White.

But as I explained to Ebling, once you've seen a game in "Hockeytown," it will be much different than when we're working Road Games.

With a 5-4 victory over the Sabres, it was great to see one more win at JLA.

I saw one All-Star Game and enjoyed covering games on New Year's Eve.

When I told Ebling that the Red Wings won four Stanley Cups in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008, she marveled at this stadium's tradition.

If indeed this was my last time at JLA, it certainly turned out to be an evening to remember.

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

Lions Make It Interesting Nationally

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Whether the Detroit Lions win or lose when they're on National Television, they generally make things very exciting.

It remains to be seen if they'll get any National TV Appearances in 2016 beyond their annual Thanksgiving Game.

In last years playoffs on the road against the Dallas Cowboys, while the Lions were leading 20-17 in the fourth quarter, a pass interference call that gave Detroit a first down well into Dallas territory was picked up without explanation by referee Pete Morelli.

That turned into a huge benefit for the Cowboys, as the Lions shanked a punt on the next play and the Cowboys took advantage of their good field position to march down the field and score the go-ahead touchdown to take a 24-20 lead.

In week four of the 2015 season, Detroit was featured on Monday Night Football hitting the road to face the Seattle Seahawks.

On October 5, the Lions lost 13-10 as Kam Chancellor forced a fumble punching the ball out of Calvin Johnson's hands. The ball went into the end zone and K.J. Wright guided the ball over the back line for a touchback. The Lions 91-yard drive with the go ahead touchdown was not meant to be and Seattle took the ball at the 20-yard line.

The NFL admitted that Wright should have been called for an illegal bat for hitting the ball out of the end zone, NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino told the NFL Network. The penalty would have given the ball back to Detroit at the Seattle 1-yard line.

The Seahawks got an early season gift.

The Lions bad luck continued on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at Ford Field.

Once again, the officials played a big role in deciding the outcome of this contest.

With six seconds left to go in the fourth quarter, Devin Taylor committed a costly face mask penalty that gave Aaron Rodgers one last shot as his team trailed 23-21. Taylor barely touched Rodgers and it didn't appear to be a face mask from the numerous replays I saw.

Nonetheless, this set Green Bay with an un-timed down and Rodgers connected with Richard Rodgers for a 61-yard touchdown which gave the Packers a 27-23 win.

What a climactic ending to a good football game.

Now did the Lions lose solely on this play?

No.

Green Bay scored on their final two possessions erasing a 23-14 deficit.  The Packers outscored
Detroit 13-3 in the fourth quarter. Rogers ran for a 17-yard touchdown, in addition to the Hail Mary Pass otherwise known as "The Motor City Miracle."

At the 5:44 mark in the third quarter, Matthew Stafford was at the Detroit 12-yard line, lost a fumble and it was recovered by Packers Jake Ryan at the 12. Three plays later, Rodgers connected with Davante Adams for an 8-yard touchdown.

A Lions 20-0 halftime lead was reduced to 20-14 in the third quarter.

As my colleague George Eichorn and I stood in the photo room after the controversial face mask penalty occurred, I told him that I had a feeling the Detroit Lions were in trouble. I've covered lots of football games at the Pro, Collegiate and High School Levels and have seen a lot of crazy things transpire especially late in games.

For 60 minutes, Detroit didn't trail in this contest. But when a future Hall of Fame QB gets a chance to beat you, that's a sign of trouble.

Eichorn gave me a strange look as I walked across the room with bad vibes. Then Rodgers went to work to hit Richard Rodgers thus ending Detroit's hope of sweeping the Packers in a season series since 1991.

By dropping to 4-8, Detroit's slim playoff hopes took a hit while Green Bay (8-4) is in first place in the NFC North/Norris Division.

There is no question that Coach Jim Caldwell wasn't looking forward to this post-game press conference. He would get second guessed until he was blue in the face.

Lions VP of Communications Bill Keenist and Media Relations Director Matt Barnhardt did their best to minimize the damage as they have all-year in a tough season which had high hopes.

In the short time I've known Caldwell, he seems like a real nice guy. The Lions were 1-7 but haven't quit on him.

But Caldwell isn't stupid and knows he's coaching in an organization which hasn't won an NFL Championship since December 29, 1957. There are four teams that have never appeared in a Super Bowl and Detroit is one of them and has only one playoff win in that time period, ironically against the Dallas Cowboys at the Pontiac Silverdome.

On this night, I was battling a cold and decided to take a low-keyed approach.

I had only one question, but another media member asked it.

ESPN Analyst Ron Jaworski wondered about the same thing on Wednesday, December 10, 2015 appearing on Pardon The Interruption.

Why wasn't Calvin Johnson in the end zone to guard against the Hail Mary?

"Because in that situation, we have a couple different things we can do," Caldwell said. "That was one where you're kind of looking for more of that pass back and forth kind of thing because of the range. He ran around there so long, moved up, gave himself a chance to get into the end zone. We had plenty of guys back there, we had plenty of guys. We just didn't make the play, they did."

Caldwell was asked the question, what was it like to go from a certain victory to a tough loss?

"There's no certain victory," he said. "Until that clock ticks zero, there's no such thing as a certain victory. I never feel that way. When it's over with, it's over, that's why I never smile during the course of games for the most part until it's over, and that's a perfect example."

Stafford would put up solid numbers by going 23-35, 220 yards and two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He rushed for 22 yards and was sacked three times.

Johnson had three receptions for 44 yards, one touchdown (17-yards) and was targeted eight times.

Johnson now has 15 career touchdown receptions against the Packers, which are the most by any player against Green Bay. He surpassed the previous high of 14 set by WR Randy Moss. He has played the Packers 16 times in his career, and has caught 90 passes for 1,409 yards (88.1 yds/g) with 15 touchdowns.

Stafford was asked about the catch Richard Rodgers made.

"It was a great play, you know, a tough way to lose one," he said. "The team played really tough, played really hard. Our defense played really good most of the game, so it's the NFL. Plays happen like that. It's not an easy pill to swallow."

Stafford was asked if he watched the final play?

"No I tried not to. I kind of peaked and saw the Jumbotron, and it looked like he was in pretty good position to make a catch, so I saw it at the very end."

During the course of the week, I've noticed Caldwell and his defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have shunned questions about Calvin Johnson/Hail Mary Pass. I don't blame them at this point as they prepare for the St. Louis Rams on Sunday in Missouri.

But it didn't take long for another face mask penalty to come into question in Arizona's 23-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings Thursday Night in Arizona.

There was no face mask penalty called as Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater was grabbed.

NFL Network Announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms indicated that this was more deliberate than what happened to Aaron Rodgers. This non-call could cost Minnesota a division title.

As I breakdown some of the junk posted on social media I gag when I hear for the Lions to ever get rid of Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson; that would be completely absurd!!!

Stafford, 27, is the franchises all-time leader with 24,878 yards with 153 touchdowns and 97 interceptions.

Who would the Lions get to replace him? If you draft a young signal caller, there is still a major learning curve.

Unfortunately, Detroit has had three offensive coordinators in almost three years in Scott Linehan, Joe Lombardi and Jim Bob Cooter. There needs to be some stability in this area or this is a recipe for disaster.

Anybody thinking of firing Jim Caldwell right now needs to have a brain transplant.

He deserves to finish out the season and it appears that Martha Ford Firestone is smart enough to understand that. She realizes that it's best for the new general manager to decide if he continues.

It's not like Caldwell took a "Dumb Pill" after leading the Lions to an 11-5 mark last year and into the playoffs.

President Tom Lewand mishandled the salary cap with Ndamukung Suh while GM Martin Mayhew let Nick Fairley leave for nothing. Now Fairley is contributing for the St. Louis Rams.

This doesn't fall on the coaches shoulders. You coach the players you're dealt.

I admired her bold move by terminating Lewand and Mayhew on November 5. Shortly thereafter, Caldwell dismissed three coaches to shake things up.

I will be curious to see how the rest of the season plays out, but Mrs. Ford has earned my respect because her style is much different than her late husband William Clay Ford.

At 90-years old, she doesn't have a passive bone in her body.

If the Lions have to make major upgrades during the off-season, they have to draft a top-flight running back out of college. The 2016 Draft has lots of good prospects in this class.

They need to balance the offense because the running game has been a major problem all year.

It wouldn't hurt to have a couple impact defensive players.

But what a bizarre week in Detroit.

On Wednesday, the Pistons lost to the Memphis Grizzlies as Matt Barnes knocked down a half court shot with 1.1 seconds to play as Detroit lost 93-92, 30 miles north on I-75 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. A victory over Memphis would have been Detroit's sixth straight at the friendly confines. That streak ended at five.

Fortunately for the Pistons, they play 82 games where the Lions play 16.

Regardless, Pistons Coach Stan Van Gundy and Lions Coach Jim Caldwell probably have the late Yankees Hall of Fame Catcher Yogi Berra on their minds.

Berra's famous one-liner is "It's not over until it's over." This has to be engraved in both coaches' heads.

There is lots of intrigue for both teams. We'll just see which teams rebounds the best after these crushing and heart-breaking defeats.

I'll also be curious to see what happens the next time the Lions appear on National Television.

You can rest assure that while the Lions were losers against Dallas, Seattle and Green Bay, each network that they were on, had to do well with the ratings with all three games decided late in the fourth quarter.

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