Retired Jersey Omissions

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When the Detroit Red Wings retired Steve Yzerman's No. 19 in 2007, all this franchise did was enhance it's rich history.

It won't be long that The Captain who replaced The Captain, Nicklas Lidstom, will follow in Yzerman's footsteps, and his No. 5 will be hanging in the rafters at Joe Louis Arena, and if Owner Mike Illitch has his way, in a new stadium down the road.

But there are a couple of other Detroit franchises that seem to be lagging behind in the retiring of jerseys department.

I'm sure by now that the Detroit Tigers have been told that they waited too long to honor former Manager Sparky Anderson. Sparky's No. 11 should have been retired in a ceremony while he was alive, not while he's dead.

His family will appreciate the gesture and having his name out there on the outfield wall for the fans, is all well and good, but again in my eyes it's too late!

It's not too late for the Tigers to do the right thing and honor their legendary middle infield combination of Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker. Seeing Trammell's No. 3 at shortstop and Whitaker's No. 1 at second base, as this duo spent their entire career with the Tigers leading them to the 1984 World Series Championship, is something that local fans can be proud of.

Besides, how many players spend their entire careers with one organization? Not many.

I might even try to make a case for No. 47 Jack Morris of the Tigers because he did pitch a no-hitter in 1984 and was their best hurler in that year's championship season. In 14 seasons with the Tigers, Morris was 198-150.

The Detroit Pistons are becoming the biggest culprit of not retiring jersey numbers.

The No. 22 jersey worn by John Salley and Tayshaun Prince has been a part of three NBA Championships.

At some point, the No. 1 which Chauncey Billups wore proudly, that led to a title is something that should be recognized.

And on that note, what have the Pistons accomplished without him since he was traded to Denver for Allen Iverson, in what will go down as one of the worst moves in team history?

The Pistons are doing a great job burning their bridges with Richard Hamilton and I'd highly doubt it if we ever see his No. 32 jersey retired anytime soon. With his decreased playing time and the Carmelo Anthony trade rumors, it has to be tough for Hamilton to show up for work.

All of these individuals mentioned are deserving of this honor but whether we ever see it, is anyone's guess.

If we do, I just hope there isn't a repeat of the Anderson mistake and they're alive to be appreciated by the fans. They deserve the respect and have earned it.

In the Pistons case, I have a feeling the new ownership will do the honors and Joe Dumars won't be around to see this through. Then again, with the Billups and Hamilton fiascos, does he deserve to be?

It's sad because he built a great team that was of championship caliber and it didn't take him long to destroy it.

If I had to single out any one specific criteria where a player should have his number retired, it would be if they spend their entire career in one team. The only exception to that rule is if that player was instrumental in leading his organization to a winning tradition which could have resulted in a championship.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Ahead Of His Time

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin leads his team in the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday February 6th at Cowboys Stadium, if he's fortunate enough to lead this franchise to their seventh title, he should be thankful that he's coaching in the era of the Rooney Rule, where minority candidates have to be considered for head coaching and management positions.

There is one former Steeler who didn't get that opportunity due to the lack of timing.

When Mean Joe Greene retired from the NFL in 1981, he was selected to the Pro Bowl 10 times and won four Super Bowls as the anchor of the famous Steel Curtain defense in a career that was from 1969-1981.

The 64-year-old graduate of North Texas State is not only known for his famous Coke Commercial that was filmed on September 1, 1979, but he was a respected Assistant Coach in the league for 16 seasons.

Greene began his coaching career in 1987 with the Steelers under Chuck Noll. He would later work with Don Shula of the Miami Dolphins and Dave McGinnis of the Arizona Cardinals.

I had the good fortune of meeting with Greene when I was writing about the Cardinals for three contests during the 2001 season. We mainly talked about his Super Bowl years with the Steelers and what it was like to play under Noll having Terry Bradshaw as his quarterback. Greene and I had a few laughs about his Coke Commercial.

But as I look at the list of African American Head Coaches over the years, there will always be the "What If" Greene had the opportunity to interview and land one of these positions?

How would he have fared?

We'll never know now. To learn from Hall of Famers like Noll and Shula is a great starting point.

As I look at Tomlin, Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, Dennis Green, Jim Caldwell, Marvin Lewis, Herman Edwards, Ray Rhodes, Art Shell, Mike Singletary, Romeo Crennell along with the question marks that surround Leslie Frazier, Raheem Morris and Hue Jackson, it would have been interesting to see Greene match wits with these coaches.

But unfortunately, that will never happen as a result of timing.

Yet, as I watch the Steelers face the Packers, I'm amazed at how much history connects these two teams.

The only African American Head Coach in Packers History was Rhodes, who was 8-8 during his only season in 1999. Eleven years later, Tomlin is looking to win his second title in three years.

When I look at the Steelers and Packers contest, I'll view it as the "What If Bowl?"

What if the legendary Vince Lombardi faced Noll? Which coach would win?

How would Bradshaw have fared against Bart Starr or Brett Favre?

Will Ben Roethlisberger win his third title following Bradshaw or will Aaron Rodgers win his first championship as Favre's successor? We'll find that out soon enough.

If Roethlisberger is successful, Green will own his seventh championship ring because after he retired from coaching in 2004, the Steelers hired him to be the special assistant for player personnel. He is one of four people outside the Rooney family to have Super Bowl rings from the first six championship teams.

How would Greene have looked wearing those Motorola Head Sets talking to his Assistant Coaches in the Press Box and leading his team on the sidelines?

We'll never know now, but the question is worth thinking about as the 25th Anniversary of the Commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day has passed us.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Modern Sports Absurdities

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

Today's athletes get paid great money to be role models with their superior play and endorsement contracts.

They may not like those roles but our society is based on recreation and entertainment.

In some cases, even coaches fail to set a good example by grabbing their athletes physically and make boneheaded & idiotic comments.

In this story, I've listed a few of my favorite Clowns in Today's Wide World of Sports.

In my last story, I predicted that San Diego State Football Coach Brady Hoke would land the University of Michigan job. That became a reality this week. The reason I never listed LSU Coach Les Miles as a serious candidate was he turned down the position three years ago and I felt he would do the same thing again.

Miles 62-17 record, five bowl wins and one National Championship with the Tigers, would have brought instant credibility back to his Alma-Mater. But instead, he received a contract extension to remain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

I have no problem with Miles' decision to stay with LSU because he's done a fantastic job there.

But what I do have a problem with are the comments he made as to why he passed on the U-M job. He said that U-M "Wasn't the same place he left."

No kidding Les!

That's true.

His Coach and Mentor Bo Schembechler is deceased and now Michigan Stadium has expanded to 113,000 seats.

My advice to Miles is keep eating that Crawfish and Cajun Food.

The Wolverines made a good hire in Hoke.

When the New York Jets travel to face the New England Patriots Sunday, I'll be rooting extremely hard to see them get whipped for a second straight time.

On December 6, 2010, the host Patriots blasted the Jets 45-3 in a Monday Night Massacre. A 90-6 Patriots win would satisfy me greatly and former U-M Quarterback Tom Brady would like nothing better than to shut up the Jets and their talkative Coach Rex Ryan.

I can just imagine what another rout would look like in the New York papers and in the rest of the media.

I commend Baseball Hall of Famer and former Yankee Reggie Jackson, for ripping the Jets publicly saying their actions should speak louder than words. Jackson's advice to the Jets is to watch more film of their opponent and do less talking. Jackson's Mr. October exploits have earned him championships with both the Oakland A's and Yankees.

I wonder when Pro Football Hall of Famers will ever learn that they're not above the law.

Buffalo Bills legend O.J. Simpson, may have gotten away with murdering his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, because he had great lawyers in addition to faulty police work by the Los Angeles Police Department.

But the legal system did catch up with Simpson in Las Vegas, when he tried to recover his memorabilia using a concealed weapon while his voice was caught on tape. Now Simpson is rotting away in the Nevada Jail System. He was sentenced to up to 33 years in prison.

Through the years, former New York Giants legend Lawrence Taylor has had a track record of drug problems.

Now he's avoided jail time again working out a plea bargain after having sex with a minor despite claims that he thought the woman was 19, but in reality she was 16. Now Taylor will be forced to register as a sex offender.

What title will the public recognize Taylor by? A Pro Football Hall of Famer or Sex Offender/Predator?

Seeing Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in the NFL Playoffs is a classic indicator that if you have good lawyers and a lot of money, you can get away with murder.

On January 31, 2000, Lewis and a couple of his friends were involved in a double murder after a Super Bowl Party in Atlanta. Lewis didn't get jail time for the incident because he cooperated with authorities. The only punishment he received was one year probation and a $250,000 fine by the NFL which was the largest fine levied against an NFL player for an infraction not involving substance abuse.

A year later, Lewis was named Super Bowl XXXV MVP.

When Lewis' career is over, he will be a lock to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame joining Simpson and Taylor. Over the years, he's been the face and identity of the Baltimore Ravens franchise.

Any chance of Manny Ramirez making it to the Baseball Hall of Fame were eliminated when the slugger was suspended on May 7, 2009, for 50 games by violating MLB's Performance Enhancing Drug Policy.

The way Ramirez violated it is mind boggling. He used a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off the steroid cycle.

The drug Ramirez used was called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

Finally, anything that LeBron James says and does off the court is absurd. Even if he wins a title for the Miami Heat, how many people will really care? If he had done it in Cleveland, that's another story.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Great Lakes F-Ball Massacres

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When my best friend Gus Pantelides won the Tom Selleck look-a-like contest several years ago at the Clearwater Mall after receiving a rousing applause, I told him he it was a no-brainer that he emerged as the clear cut winner. His response was the old Yogi Berra saying, "It's not over until it's over." As it turned out, Pantelides did win the contest handily and the Selleck contest was over early.

But I'm sure that Pantelides was sick to his stomach on New Years Day as the Alabama Crimson Tide thrashed his Michigan State Spartans 49-7 in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando.

Unfortunately, this contest was over quickly as former Spartans Coach Nick Saban's Alabama team cruised to a 28-0 first half lead and never looked back. Alabama scored five touchdowns on its first five possessions of the game and set the Capital One Bowl mark for largest victory.

But Pantelides can at least be thankful that his Spartans did have an excellent 11-2 mark even if the last game's result will sting MSU for awhile.

Regardless, Pantelides had to wish the Spartans early ending, resembled his win at the Clearwater Mall. However, that wasn't meant to be.

But knowing Gus, he just spent the rest of the day with his beautiful family and would scoreboard watch to see how his rival the Michigan Wolverines were doing.

Pantelides has never been shy about his dislike for the Wolverines but it looked like the Mississippi State Bulldogs weren't phased by being on the same field with the winningest program in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The Bulldogs blasted the Wolverines 52-14 in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Florida. Michigan set a school bowl record by allowing 52 points in what appears to be Coach Rich Rodriguez' final game. It's inevitable there is going to be a major shakeup at Michigan. Even if Rodriguez is retained, his Defensive Coordinator Greg Robinson will be terminated.

But now the question is, who will lead U-M?

The natural choice is former U-M quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who has led the #4 Stanford Cardinal (11-1) to the Orange Bowl. But Harbaugh has shown a desire to stay at Stanford and who knows, there is talk that the San Francisco 49'ers might be interested in him.

The wild card candidate is San Diego State Coach Brady Hoke, who guided the Aztecs to their first bowl win since 1969, a triumph over Boston University in the Pasadena Bowl.

In two seasons with the Aztecs, Hoke is 13-12 but his team's impressive 35-14 win over Navy on December 23, 2010, in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl, sealed a 9-4 season.

The last time San Diego State appeared in a bowl was in the 1998 Las Vegas Bowl, a loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels.

Where did Michigan go wrong with the hiring of Rodriguez? I only have one explanation for this. They didn't hire a "Michigan Man" that understands Wolverines football. He wasn't a good fit.

Harbaugh played there and Hoke was the defensive lines coach for Lloyd Carr from 1995-2002.

There was talk during the Aztec's win over Navy that Hoke would be a good fit and take this job if it were offered. We'll know soon enough.

But even if Rodriguez does get fired, I have a feeling he won't be unemployed long.

Despite his 15-22 record with Michigan, he was 60-26 with West Virginia. He led West Virginia to six bowl games and won two.

The Pittsburgh Panthers fired their new football coach Mike Haywood, 2 1/2 weeks after being hired, when he was charged with felony domestic battery in the presence of a minor.

Why would Rodriguez be a good fit for the Panthers? The Big East knows him real well with his body of work with West Virginia and I'm sure the Mountaineers would be sick if he returns to their conference.

Besides, if Rodriguez lands another job quickly, it wouldn't surprise me if he makes an attempt to take his quarterback Denard Robinson with him. The signal caller from Deerfield Beach, Florida, is the first quarterback in NCAA History to rush and pass for over 1,500 yards in the same season.

It will be interesting to see how all of this plays out.

But for those Rodriguez critics, they'll have a field day when the #6 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) face the #8 Arkansas Razorbacks in the Sugar Bowl Tuesday Night.

Arkansas Quarterback Ryan Mallett transferred because his drop back pocket-quarterback skills weren't a good fit for the spread offense that Rodriquez was bringing to Ann Arbor.

Mallett finished seventh in voting for the 2010 Heisman Trophy and has guided Arkansas to a 10-2 record.

Have to wonder how Wolverines fans will feel if Mallett does have better results against a Buckeyes team that whipped U-M 37-7 at Ohio Stadium on November 27, 2010.

Let the intrigue begin at 8:30 PM on Tuesday Night on ESPN. Hopefully, this game will be competitive unlike the Spartans and Wolverines New Years Day Massacres where these games were over before lunch.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Lions Losing Streaks Falling

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When the Detroit Lions snapped their 26-game road losing streak to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 19, it marked the second straight week that they ended a futile drought.

On December 12 at Ford Field, a 7-3 win over the Green Bay Packers halted a 19-game losing streak to NFC North opponents.

During the Lions Post-Game Press Conference in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium after Detroit removed a Gorilla off it's back against the Bucs, Head Coach Jim Schwartz candidly told the Media that We'll find another streak to create.

So out of respect to Schwartz, I found three streaks for the coach that would either continue or also come to an end.

1) The Miami Dolphins are 7-2 in the all-time series, but have won five straight games dating back to 1994. On November 23, 2006, former quarterback Joey Harrington led the Dolphins to a 27-10 win on Thanksgiving Day.

2) The Miami Dolphins are 4-0 at home in two stadiums starting with the now demolished Orange Bowl and their current home Joe Robbie Stadium.

3) In this series, the month of December hasn't been kind to the Lions.

Miami rolled to a 34-7 win on December 15, 1973 at the Orange Bowl.

Six years later, the Dolphins whipped the Lions 28-10 on December 9, 1979 at the Pontiac Silverdome.

On December 25, 1994, Miami came away with a Christmas Night Prime-Time 27-20 victory at Joe Robbie Stadium.

Finally, the Dolphins improved to 4-0 in December as they defeated the Lions 33-30, on 12-7-97 at Joe Robbie Stadium.

So what was going to give as the Lions made another Christmas time appearance on December 26, 2010 wearing their blue home jerseys facing former U-M Wolverines QB Chad Henne and Left Tackle Jake Long?

The Dolphins (7-7) were 1-6 at home going into their Joe Robbie Stadium Finale. Their lone win occurred on November 14 as they defeated the Tennessee Titans 29-17.

When the contest was over, the Lions received a belated Christmas Gift from Henne. Going into the contest, the former Wolverines signal caller was 266-430 for 2,952 yards with 14 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. By the end of the afternoon, went 29-44 for 278 yards with two more interceptions and one touchdown.

Both interceptions occurred in the fourth quarter. The first was picked off by Nathan Vasher at the 3:48 mark and four plays later led to a 47-yard field goal by Dave Rayner which tied the game at 27-27 with 2:44 remaining in the game.

With 2:25 left, Henne's pass short in the middle that was intended for Davone Bess was intercepted by DeAndre Levy at the Miami 30-yard line and returned for a touchdown. Demonstrating a little showmanship, Levy took a 30-yard run and worked his way to the middle of the field and it looked like a 50-yard run. Yet the end result turned out to be Detroit 34-27 win over the Dolphins. As the clock read 2:11, the Dolphins fans were totally stunned. The only word you'd hear in the Press Box was "Wow."

Levy said the team scouted Henne's tendencies and knew he has a history of making mistakes late in games.

"We knew he had some shaky numbers," Levy said. "A lot of people from the outside look at that and say that's the reason they struggle with so many play makers. But we never want to underestimate a guy. We've had second, third string quarterbacks that, you know, people may not expect much out of come in and win games. We never overlook anybody. We want to come in and execute and do what we're supposed to do."

After both interceptions, 66,731 fans were booing Henne out of the stadium.

Yet when the contest was over, Lions Coach Jim Schwartz didn't know about the three streaks written here in Miami. Just the three-game winning streak the team has and winning a pair in Florida in consecutive weeks against teams that were playoff contenders leading Detroit's development throughout the year.

"Going back if you look at our losses, I don't know if there was a common vein in any of them in any of them," Schwartz said. Each one was a little different. It is a credit to the team. We learned from those. We have not gotten beaten the same way twice. We are used to playing in close games. We are playing with quarterbacks like Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton even though they are second and third stringers this year that have a lot of experience this year. So it is not new for any of these guys."

Now the Miami Dolphins find themselves 7-8 and finished the season 1-7 at home.

The Lions improved to 5-10 and 2-6 on the road. There is no doubt that the next opponent they scout will be live as the Minnesota Vikings contest against the Philadelphia Eagles has been postponed to Tuesday night at 8 pm due to a Snow Storm in Pennsylvania.

It's not hard to figure out which team will be tired as they Lions now have a built in advantage with the extra rest as they look hope to finish the season with a 6-10 record and four-game winning streak.

In addition to the three historical notes listed above, Lions Defensive Tackle Ndamukong Suh racked up his ninth sack of the season which tied Jerry Ball for the third most at his position in Detroit history.

Suh said the team is playing with heart not being a playoff contender and, "It's more of an understanding in the locker room we all understand that we're not going to the playoffs. We have our own schedule we need to work on for and work at, finish the season out and get ready for next year."

Before Wide Receiver Calvin Johnson injured his ankle, he had four receptions for 52 yards. Johnson endured the Lions 0-16, 2-14 seasons and has watched the team progress to five victories with one more game to go.

Was a pleased at the outcome of the contest?

"Three wins-in-a-row man, we hadn't really seen that since I've been here. I might have seen it in my first year, I'm not positive," Johnson said. "I don't really remember. But we put some good things together, good December. And these things will carry over. I think it's guys just focused in and we're not killing ourselves with mistakes. That's what we were doing most of the season. We'd been in all the games, the games were close and draw some penalties and stuff like that. These last few weeks, it hasn't been the same thing."

Hill was 14-26 222 yards and two touchdowns. One of those touchdowns was a 53-yard strike to Running Back Jahvid Best in the fourth quarter which saw Miami's lead shrink to 27-24.

What did Hill see in the Dolphins coverage which enabled his running back shock the crowd at Joe Robbie Stadium?

"They were playing two man, he came out on the weak side of the formation and they were pre-occupied with Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettegrew, " Hill said. "He just came out there free and took off."

When the Lions airplane took off from South Florida, it did with the team improving to 7-3 all-time against the Dolphins. There was no more five game losing streak to Miami. In the eyes of the late Ernie Harwell it was "Long Gone."

Detroit did it despite yielding the second highest rushing total to the Dolphins with 154 yards.

They left the Sunshine State with a 2-0 record in successive weeks.

In this very building on November 27, I watched the Miami Hurricanes lose 23-20 in overtime to the University of South Florida. Later that night, the Hurricanes fired Head Coach Randy Shannon.

For some reason, I have a feeling that Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano will experience the same fate. The team's final game is Sunday January 2nd in New England against the 13-2 Patriots. The Patriots currently have a seven game winning streak.

If the Dolphins lose, Miami will finish with a 7-9 season. On October 4, the Patriots drilled the Dolphins 41-14 in a Nationally Televised contest on ESPN.

Miami's only chance at an 8-8 season is if the Patriots rest some of their players now that they have clinched home field advantage in the AFC throughout the playoffs.

Miami experienced another National Embarrassment when the Chicago Bears blanked the Dolphins 16-0 in Prime-Time on the NFL Network on Thursday November 18.

When the NFL schedule was released in April, who would have thought that when the 2010 season was over that the records of these two teams could be potentially so close? But should Detroit conclude its season 6-10 and Miami 7-9, that's what we're potentially looking at.

Regardless, there are no more Ghosts in the Lions closet in South Florida.

Yet before the game, since 1970, the Miami Dolphins still owned the second best record in the NFL with a 379-249-2 mark, yet that seems like a distant reality since they have two Super Bowl titles to show for their efforts. The Pittsburgh Steelers were the best team with a 382-246-2 mark and six Super Bowl titles.

Judging by the Lions recent futility and Miami's overall success, one would think these two teams didn't need to be mentioned in the same sentence. Miami was 7-9 in 2009 and Detroit 2-14. Now they're much closer to one another in the standings.

On December 26, 2010, none of the streaks or records mattered. Three were snapped.

The only things that mattered was Detroit's win total is 2 1/2 times more than last year and with a Sunday win against the Vikings, there could be an improvement of three times last years totals.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

NBA's Christmas Grinch

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

When it comes to athletes and coaches whom are earning millions of dollars whining, please accept my decision that I'm not going to feel sorry for them.

When I heard that Los Angeles Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra and Heat forward LeBron James were complaining about playing games on Christmas and were disappointed that they couldn't spend time with their families, I nearly gagged!

For years, every sport plays on a major holiday. These fans pay lots of money so these players and coaches, etc... can make an Exceptional Living.

In baseball, long before James was ever born, fans have watched games on Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day.

I've seen the NHL have games on Christmas and Jan 1st and if a team is lucky enough to make the playoffs, they'll play on Memorial Day. The NHL has even smartened up that the league has started a new tradition by staging "The Winter Classic" and showcases its marquee teams playing an outdoor game in snowy, wintery conditions. Please tell me a player that ever complained about entertaining fans at Chicago's Wrigley Field or Boston's Fenway Park.

For years, the NFL has played games on Labor Day, occasionally on Christmas, and thanks to the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, there is the annual Thanksgiving Game. The Lions took the game when nobody wanted it in the 1930's and should keep the game until the end of time. I've been very fortunate enough to cover several Lions Games at the Pontiac Silverdome. I never saw Hall of Fame Running Back Barry Sanders complain about eating his meal later in the day. The Cowboys do a nice job with the second contest.

I'm glad that the NFL Network has added the third prime time game. This will enable other cities to host the event and allow fans to enjoy the tradition that those in Detroit and Dallas have for years.

The NFL can at least claim that it owns Thanksgiving Day.

When people think of Memorial Day Weekend, they think of Motor Sports.

I've been to two Indianapolis 500's in Indiana and to see 250,000-300,000 fans tailgate, wear their favorite drivers numbers, outside the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a blast in the morning.

NASCAR's longest race of the year in Charlotte, NC., is the Coca Cola 600 and it starts in late afternoon and carries over into prime time as races could last until 11-Midnight depending on accidents.

I don't see John Andretti, Tony Stewart and Robby Gordon complaining about racing on Memorial Day Weekend. These drivers put their lives on the line and have had the guts to race in both events.

We all know that the NBA plays its playoff games on Memorial Day Weekend, but is there a person that really cares about the sport in the months of October, November and early December? If there is, please let me know who that individual is and I'll shake their hand.

The NBA's coming out party is on Christmas Day. Several years ago, I covered a Detroit Pistons vs Orlando Magic contest at the Amway Arena. It was a blast. I ate lunch with my broadcasting idol Brent Musberger and enjoyed speaking with Hall of Fame player Rick Barry, whose son Jon played for the Pistons.

When I was with the Hallandale Digest back in the 1980's, I wrote a story on Barry, who was interested in becoming a head basketball coach for Barry University, a private school in Miami.

But the national attention in downtown Orlando surrounding the event was enjoyable and the electricity in the building was memorable.

When James was in diapers, and Spoelstra was in grade school, NBA Commissioner David Stern inherited a league that was practically bankrupt. The NBA Finals Games were on tape delay on CBS and the NBA consisted of the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76'ers and Los Angeles Lakers.

When Larry Bird joined the Boston Celtics, and Magic Johnson landed in Los Angeles for the 1979-80 season, these two players made the league worthwhile entertainment.

I have no desire to take any shots at Jackson because, I can't see him coaching in many more holiday games. My gut feeling is when he wins the NBA title next spring, he'll retire in Montana with 12 NBA Championships under his belt.

Jackson's teams in Chicago with Michael Jordan and the Los Angeles Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant which resulted in 11 championships, have continued to add to the legacy that Bird and Johnson created.

Back to James. This hasn't been a good year for the Akron, Ohio native from a public relations standpoint.

It started with his television show "The Decision" where he embarrassed himself and the League by making a Clown out of himself by announcing his decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and "Taking his talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Heat."

Now he's complaining about playing on Christmas Day and not spending time with his family. To make matters worse, he has the nerve to say that the NBA should contract/eliminate financially troubled teams.

Listen LeBron, we'll let Stern handle The League's business matters. Who knows, maybe next year at this time, if The League proceeds to lock you overpaid players out, you'll get your wish and can forfeit millions of dollars then spend Christmas Day with your family.

There will be sports on Christmas Day whether you're on television or not.

The NHL could step-up and take advantage of an opportunity and snatch a game or two. The networks can always turn to college basketball and perhaps one or two of the bowl games could schedule a game.

These outlets would be glad to play on Christmas and showcase their respective sports. I can't imagine the television networks having much trouble selling advertising since it is a big sports viewing day and has been for years.

My best advice to you Mr. LeBron James is to take your shoe and insert it directly into your mouth so no other stupid comments come out and spare us the public from listening to them! Despite the fact that you're an exceptionally talented player, you do now live in the same city of another title-less Miami legend, Dan Marino.

When you win a title, you'll have my respect. In the meantime, lace up the sneakers and be thankful you have a job the pays real well and you can make a living. Keep your mouth shut! Your shoes should be on the floor, not in your mouth!

The people that work these games at the arenas on Christmas and all of the other holidays which host events can at least make money to support themselves.

Today's NBA games will be held in New York, Orlando, Los Angeles, Oklahoma City and Golden State. The cities visiting for the holidays are Chicago, Boston, Miami, Denver and Portland. Five teams apiece from each conference and a lot of people that will benefit economically.

That's what we should be looking forward to today. Not some title-less Clown who always seems to make "The Wrong Decisions" when he talks.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.

Jewish Heritage Night

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

I've seen a lot of interesting pre-game festivities and national anthem singers, but what I saw on Wednesday Dec 1, 2010 was a first.

This was the first time that I've seen a Rabbi sing the national anthem before any sporting event. But there was a good reason for this.

The Detroit Pistons vs Miami Heat contest at the American Airlines Arena (AAA) was the first day of Hanukkah. Being Jewish myself, it's a strange way to find out about this holiday and with my busy schedule lately, it slipped my mind and I never gave it much thought.

So now here in the year 2010, I'll know where I spent the 1st Day of Hanukkah, at an NBA Basketball Game in Downtown Miami.

To this day though, Karen Newman of the Detroit Red Wings is still the best national anthem singer I've ever seen having been to many arenas around the country and a few in Canada! Hands down!

During the pre-game shoot-around at the AAA Rabbi Yossi Lebovics was rehearsing and I admit, the Cantor was pretty good. He was even better when it mattered just before tip-off.

But I have to give the Miami Heat credit, they played up this night quite well. To honor the Jewish faith on this night was a Class Act!

They handed out 1st Day of Hanukkah T-Shirts to their fans. There was a Menorah Lighting Ceremony at the East Plaza Outside, the only part of the building where the fans can re-enter the building where there are special events.

This night made me realize some things.

1) There is a large Jewish Population in South Florida and on one occasion, I went to South Beach to a place to pay tribute to my late Grandma Dorothy Caplan with a cousin.

2) It was the first time that I was at the AAA since April of 2009 and that was the last time that I saw my good friend, former Pistons Vice President of Public Relations Matt Dobek. The more I reminisced with former Miami Heat & Washington Bullets Public Relations Director Mark Pray, I continued to think about the great memories with Matt!

Pray and everyone that knew Matt realized that his death has left a tremendous void in all of our lives. Dobek came down to see former Pistons Coach Chuck Daly, who died on May 9, 2009 at the age of 78 due to Cancer.

3) Sitting in the Upper Press gave me a good overview on the Heat's Big Three of Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James and what they did for attendance. There were a lot of empty seats and even though Detroit entered the game with a 6-12 mark, therefore, the odds of the Pistons winning let alone being competitive seemed remote, I still thought we'd see a sellout. I was wrong. One thing will always remain consistent. If you don't win in South Florida, the fans won't show up. The Heat were 10-8 going into the game but 1-7 against teams above .500.

4) I had as much desire to interview Wade, Bosh and James as I did Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants after the 2003 NLDS when the Marlins went on to win the World Series. No Desire!

When these three clowns win an NBA Championship, "I'll take My Digital Tape Recorder To South Beach." To this day, I get sick to my stomach when I think of what James said, though if he was smart, he should trademark the absurd saying, "I'll take My Talents To South Beach." I didn't care that he left the Cleveland Cavaliers because an old fashioned press conference has always been the way things are done. Not some stupid staged circus. I was concerned that I couldn't refrain myself from telling himself this, though he's heard it zillions of times, therefore, the Pistons locker room was my safest place.

What I will take from the first day of Hanukkah is the Miami Heat Media Guide with these three clowns is a good collectors item.

Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars may have finally made a good decision by drafting Georgetown Center Greg Monroe (6-11, 250). The rookie played nearly 31 minutes and scored 15 points and added eight rebounds in the Detroit's 97-72 loss.

I realize that it will take some time for the three clowns to develop some team chemistry. But I will admit that this trip to the AAA didn't compare to those days when the Pistons/Heat were battling to be the best in the Eastern Conference. This arena was rocking when Shaq O' Neill was in the building and the Heat played like a real team with less hype.

But Mozel Tov to the Heat and Rabbi Lebovics for a job well done on Jewish Heritage Night, the first day of Hanukkah.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.