Tribute To The Greatest Of All-Time

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

On Friday June 10, 2016, Muhammad Ali was laid to rest in his hometown of Louisville, KY at The Cave Hill Cemetery.

The "Greatest of All Time" will Rest In Peace with Kentucky Fried Chicken Founder Colonel Harland Sanders.

On Saturday June 4, 2016, the day after Ali died, I posted My Memorable 1982 photo with The Champ on Facebook.

I was touched, overwhelmed, and appreciative to My 90 Plus Facebook Friends with their acknowledgement of this incredible memory with Ali.

I feel extremely lucky to have spent two days with Ali as he trained for a charity fight at the Allen Park Gym in North Miami Beach, FL., in 1982. My Editor Dan Bluesten of The Hallandale Digest came up with a neat headline for my story "Is Ali On The Comeback Trail."

I had some great assignments with the Digest, but my time with Ali was No. 1.

I took this photo with him and also took My Aunt Pearl Cullen to visit "The Champ." Ali gave her a hug she'd never forget.

On June 4, 2016, My Cousin and Pearl's daughter Cindy Cullen Spyke called me to see if I was doing ok following Ali's death. She knew that Ali meant a lot to me.

As I look back at my time with Ali, when we talked, he began to develop slurred speech as Parkinson's Disease symptoms began to appear. Although Ali didn't have as many words, this photo was worth a 1000 words.

But to me, just being with "The Champ" overshadowed any speech issues.

However, when I asked Muhammad about his win over Heavyweight Champion George Foreman on October 30, 1974, he didn't mince words about what transpired of what happened in "The Rumble In The Jungle" when he described his famous "Rope A Dope" Strategy.

"I new George Foreman never went deep into fights so I just wanted him to punch himself out," Ali said. "There was no filler station for him to gas up."

Indeed, there wasn't and there would never be a rematch. Ali sent Foreman to a depressed state where George had a taste of humble pie.

The person behind my meeting Ali was his Trainer Angelo Dundee pictured with Ali below.

I used to cover a lot of boxing for The Digest. The events were held at the Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida and The War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale.

I became great friends with Dundee as well as his brother Chris Dundee and boxing historian Hank Kaplan.

Dundee contacted me when Sugar Ray Leonard came to town and I wrote a story on him as well.

To even have the platform to be able to talk about Ali is incredible!

I have no desire to ever get into any political discussions about his viewpoints.

Ali was a True World Champion because he fought in London, England, The Philippines, and South Africa.

He never avoided a top opponent because everyone deserved a shot at the title.

I truly respect his decision to not want to fight in The Vietnam War because this conflict should have never happened in the first place.

I often wonder what the pay-per-view costs would be with his three fights with Joe Frazier and George Foreman.

If Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Floyd Mayweather would get $50 for a fight, Ali's events could be worth up to $100.

Ali was an Albert Einstein in the ring because he out classed and out smarted his opponents. Boxing was a Chess Match for Ali because he could mix knockouts with going the distance if he had to. Before the Foreman fight, Angelo Dundee never knew about his "Rope A Dope" Strategy, as he had the ropes loosened before the fight. It's hard to not respect a person like this.

Leonard used to do the same and that's why he won World Championships.

When I hear stories that Ali never refused autographs to fans, and always took pictures when he could, this was incredible!

Ali was a great promoter of his fights and his Actions Spoke Louder Than His Words. He actually could be considered an inventor of "Trash Talking" because of his ability to play mind games with his opponents.

While it's sad to see Ali is no longer with us, at least he can now rest in peace. In recent years, Ali experienced numerous health issues. Now there is no more suffering.

Back in 2002, I did have a chance to see Ali again after a Phoenix Suns contest versus the Detroit Pistons at the America West Arena in Arizona.

I walked up to Ali, he smiled and shook my hand. There would be no photo opportunities in the Suns locker room to avoid a potential violation of Media Rules listed on the back of our credentials.

Nonetheless, it was still an incredible feeling because the first time I met him, I was just 2 1/2 years into My Media Career and was 19-years old.

During our second meeting in Phoenix, I was in my 23rd year in The Media, more filled out at the age of 39. By this time, Ali's speech was much worse and he was trembling. But I didn't care because it was great seeing him again.

During the past 10 days on Facebook, I was pleased to be able to see some of My Friends share their photos and stories with "The Greatest."

It was the thrill of a lifetime to have met such an iconic person.

My mother posted a touching comment on Facebook telling me how proud she was of me as a Sports Writer, and she has My Ali photo at her home.

But for all of the World Championships he won, in addition to the 1960 Olympic Gold Medal, seeing Ali light the 1996 Olympic Torch in Atlanta was truly breath taking.

Ali's legacy and passing should be viewed as a Celebration that should bring young and old generations together. With Google and You-Tube, we're always a click away from learning about a person or watching their great accomplishments.

I must have watched the Ali-Foreman fight a few times the day after he died.

All I can say is I'm thankful that I had the chance to see him on two occasions.

Being in Sports Media for 37-years, has allowed me to meet tons of incredible people.

I often wonder how many other photos I'd have if I had a camera phone early in my career.

Thankfully, I still have great photos that I'm thankful for, in addition to many great interviews on tape for those that are interested.

I may not be a wealthy man financially, but I'm rich in memories and experiences with plenty of stories.

There is no question that Ali is at the top of My List of people I've ever met.

All I can say Muhammad is that I Love You Very Much and Thanks for All The Memories We Spent Together.

Rest In Peace Champ Because You are The Greatest of All Time!!

When I come to Louisville, KY., I will be visiting You at The Cave Hill Cemetery!!

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

Tigers Real MVP, Kevin Rand

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
PHOTOS BY CANDICE EBLING

In all sports, there is an award for Coach or Manager of The Year.

There are MVP and other individual awards as well as accolades for executives.

But there is one position which tends to get overlooked or is considered unheralded in the public's eyes.

Being a trainer may not involve throwing, hitting, etc... however, these individuals are the Hidden Gems of a team's success.

Former Pistons Trainer Mike Abdenour was an intricate part to Detroit's three championships.

The man in charge of keeping the Detroit Tigers healthy is a person that I've known since 1982 when he worked with the Florida State League's Fort Lauderdale Yankees.

His name is Kevin Rand.

Rand began as a minor league trainer for the New York Yankees from 1982-1992.

He's in his 35th season in Professional Baseball, 24th at the MLB Level and is in his 14th year with the Tigers.

His year round residence is Lakeland FL. He is married and has four sons.

During his tenure with Detroit, he's witnessed the highs and the lows. His efforts have been instrumental in two Tigers World Series Appearances.

During Spring Training at McKechnie Field in Bradenton, FL, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates, I had the opportunity to interview My Long Time Buddy as we discussed many topics.

Q: What was the 2015 Season like for you?

A: Last year was a real weird year. It seemed as though we had a tag team of injuries. We would get one guy back, then lose another. We lost Justin Verlander early in the year, then Alex Avila, lost Victor Martinez early, then Miguel Cabrera got hurt. We lost a couple of starting pitchers. Overall, it was just a strange year in that way.

Q: Was this one of the most difficult years you've ever had to deal with through the years as a trainer?

A: Yes, absolutely! We take pride in ourselves. We actually had the lowest number of man games lost the past five years, but last season we lost a lot of quality players that were getting hurt, and didn't have enough depth to cover that.

Q: One area that got saddled last year was your pitching. It started off badly at the beginning with Verlander going down at the end of Spring Training, and the list goes on and on. What was that like for your staff?

A: You're not going to replace Justin Verlander, who got hurt early that easily. We had difficulty there. Once we got him back later in the season, we lost Anibal Sanchez and Daniel Norris. They were two guys out of our rotation later in the year. It was definitely a challenging year for us in that regard.

Q: How tough is it for a trainer where you have players in and out of the room all the time?

A: Our job is to get everybody out each and every day. Unfortunately, last year that didn't work that well for us as it had in previous years for us. Every team is going to have their injuries, but at the end of the day, the team that's more successful is the team that has the depth to handle the injuries they have. Last year, we weren't that club.

Injuries to our pitching staff meant that we didn't have enough depth to cover those losses. We had injuries to Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera, and you're not going to replace those players easily. They're above and beyond some of the other players. It was a tough year.

Q: We talk a lot about depth. Do you like a lot of the moves that were made in the off-season?

A: Yes, absolutely! I think Al (Avila, General Manager) and Brad (Ausmus) did a tremendous job addressing the needs of our club. We've improved in starting pitching with Jordan Zimmermann. The trades that were made at the end of last summer, we brought in some good young arms with Matt Boyd, Daniel Norris, and Michael Fullmer. We have depth there now.

We improved our offense with Justin Upton. Most importantly, we improved our bullpen which was a tough spot for us last year with Francisco Rodriguez, Mark Lowe, Justin Wilson working the back end of the bullpen. I think we're going to be a solid club.

Our problem last year is we had guys that were put in situations that they weren't accustomed and capable to being in because of injuries. That's where you run into issues.

Q: It seemed like a lot of your pitchers weren't ready to play in the major leagues in 2015. Do you agree that because of circumstances and lack of depth, that they were thrown into the fire?

A: That's definitely accurate because of our depth. This year if one of our starters goes down, we have those young kids. We're definitely more covered than we were a year ago.

Q: How much better is Verlander this year? Is he much better physically than he was a year ago?

A: Oh yes, without a doubt. He was having a great spring last year before he got hurt at the tail end. Right before the season started that hurt us pretty well. But he's in great shape, he's having a great spring and so all are all those guys. Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera also look good. Just having those guys back along with the depth is a good sign.

Q: Is Verlander capable of throwing in the high 90's on a regular basis or do you think he might have to go ahead and slightly alter himself. I'm not talking about re-inventing himself to become a more crafty hurler like former Tiger Frank Tanana.

A: I'm not worried about velocity. I'm worried about guys pitching and making the pitches. You can throw as hard as you want, but if you don't have location, these are professional hitters and they'll hit you hard. Good pitchers understand this. Justin Verlander will make his adjustment as he needs to.  If he's going to throw in the high 90's, that's great. It's more about location and making his pitches.

Q: I know the Jordan Zimmermann signing was a huge acquisition. Everybody seemed excited about it. What was your reaction when he became a Detroit Tiger?

A: It was outstanding because Zimmermann is a proven veteran, a good pitcher, a pitcher who historically takes the ball every fifth day and competes. He's one of the elite pitchers in the game.

Q: Last year, there was unjust criticism of Brad Ausmus. Do you think a lot of people were out of line because of the numerous injuries Detroit sustained? The 2015 Tigers looked like a MASH Unit.

A: Absolutely, no question. To me, any criticism directed his way was totally unfounded. I look at it the other way. He did a tremendous job with the group of players that he had. He withstood everything and maintained his composure the entire way. You know what, we couldn't put the product on the field. The players on the field played for him, and once again, he did a tremendous job.

We didn't put the parts and pieces to compete in our bullpen. He made it work the best he possibly could. I'm excited for him and if you give him a good team this year, and we're able to keep guys on the field, then we'll be fine.

Q: I don't care how experienced you are as a manager, we've been around baseball way too long and know that no manager could have worked this way through all of last years adversity. Do you agree?

A: Yes. Managers are only as good as the players you give them. At the end of the day, you can look at all the great success stories throughout the years, and if those managers didn't have great and healthy players, they weren't very good managers.

Brad did a tremendous job with what he had. We have a better club this year so hopefully we can keep everybody out there.

There will be tough stretches where we lose some games and there are peaks and valleys. There will be no need to panic if this happens. We have a better offense and a better bullpen. But when it's all said and done, we'll be in contention the whole season.

Q: Do you have enough pitching depth to make it through 2016?

A: This year, if we have a pitcher that misses a start, goes on the disabled list for an extended period of time, we have guys that can compete. I don't think we had that last year. We're in a much better position this year.

Q: What are your thoughts about Justin Upton?

A: He's a great kid. He has lots of talent and a guy that plays everyday. I'm real excited to see him play this season.

Q: Is the middle of the Tigers lineup with JD Martinez, Victor Martinez, Justin Upton and Miguel Cabrera going to be scary for opposing pitchers throughout the course of a 162 game season? We all know that there will be slumps along the way.

A: It's a pretty good offense if I say so myself. We'll be a factor to be reckoned with.

Q: Finally, what should Tigers fans expect to see from this squad in 2016? We know it will be a long season and that's the great thing about baseball, where it's a marathon and not a sprint.

A: You're right about that. I think the fans will see a team that will compete and come to play every night. We're in a real good division with (World Champions) Kansas City, and Chicago has made some moves. Cleveland has improved themselves a lot. We're in a real good division and it will be a dog fight. I think it will be a fun year to be honest with you.

So far, the early returns on Zimmermann have be really good. He was named American League Pitcher of The Month For April as he went 5-0 with a 0.55 ERA in 33 innings.

Zimmermann lost a tough 3-2 decision to the Washington Nationals and his record dropped to 5-2 with a 1.50 ERA. He's 0-2 in May thus far.

Detroit's record is 15-18.

On this night, former Tiger Max Scherzer tied an MLB record with 20 strikeouts and improved his record to 4-2 for the Washington Nationals.

Fullmer was the winning pitcher in Tuesday night's 5-4 triumph. He's 2-1, and gained a much needed win for the Tigers enabling Detroit to snap a seven-game losing streak.

For those looking to see Ausmus get fired, that move would be way too premature at this point.

As Rand and I talked about, it's a long season.

Tigers fans hope that during the course of the 2016 season that Rand is Detroit's Real MVP.

They have to hope he'll continue to use his 35 years in Professional Baseball to make sure his staff presses the right buttons to keep the players on the field.

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

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.

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.