Do You Believe in Now?
The Detroit Lions finally got the memo and they realize they must begin marketing to fans. You are not buying season ticket packages like you used to. You are not talking about them on our sports stations like you used to.
More people are fed up and they've thrown their hands up.
So now the Lions are trying to market themselves as a bunch of hard working team oriented players and coaches. They've come up with a new theme called "Do You Believe in Now?"
The easy answer is to say no. I do not believe in now. I do not believe in the Lions just yet.
Maybe a better theme should be "When is the losing going to end?
However, it seems as if Colorado Rockies Manager Clint Hurdle believes in now. He's spoken to Lions coach Rod Marinelli and made comparisons to his 2007 team that made the World Series to the Lions. No one believed in now in Denver until the Rockies made a remarkable run to the series. The season before they were in good shape at the All Star break and fell apart.
Last season the Lions began their season 6-2 and lost seven of their final eight. Could lightening strike in football now?
"I felt the same way about the Rockies as I feel about the Lions, that they'd have their day, and then they'd be off and running," Hurdle said. "Rod and I talked about the common fabric of their '07 season and our '06 season. Because in '06, we were on top of the division after the All-Star break, and within a three-week period we had fallen to the bottom
Do you believe in now?
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.Is there hope for Detroit?
I always worry about the city of Detroit.It seems as if things are getting worse and worse. It is one thing to see the Mayor facing criminal charges and having his private life made public. It is another to see FBI probes surrounding the city council and its staff, the school board trying to dig out from a massive deficit and the prospects of hundreds of teachers and support staff being laid off.
It is so bad at city hall that a lightning bolt struck the Coleman Young building, shutting it down and sending employees to unplanned, unpaid vacations.
Where is our city headed and is it possible for it to prosper again?
I sometimes wonder. It seems Detroit cannot do the most simple things for its citizens. I will take the family to my cousins for the Fourth of July weekend, and I know we will be greeted with the usual weed-choked alleys, burned out street lights and boarded homes.
And we then we will go to Tastefest in the New Center area and see many of the good things in the city. The kids love going to Detroit because they see people of different nationalities, but more important to them is the food and music.
They also know going downtown is different. After taking my son Little B, 6, to the Tigers game Sunday we walked past about a dozen men begging for money on the way to our car. He had a puzzled look on his face, and he asked why people were asking for money with white paper cups.
I told him some people are not as fortunate, and they need help.
The other day we had a debate on my radio show about suburbanites taking more control of the city. People from the suburbs called in saying that if they work in the city and pay taxes to the city then they should have a vote and a say on what goes on in the city. People from Detroit disagreed, and it turned into a brief but nasty exchange.
The answer is not for people outside of Detroit to come riding in to save the day. And it appears as if people from Detroit cannot handle their business. It would be great if we could see people from inside and outside of Detroit working together to make it a better city. Of course, I've been waiting since the 1967 riots for that to happen. So forgive me for not holding my breath waiting for the impossible to happen.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.
Tiger Fan for Life
Now I fully understand how someone becomes a baseball fan for life.
It is happening in my own household. In the span of 48 hours my son Little B turned from casual Tiger fan into a fan for life. All it took was one dramatic comeback, a visit to the ball park and a baseball from Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies at Comerica Park.
Now I need to figure out ways to get more tickets. But it is a good problem to have.
It began Saturday night when we watched the Tigers 7-6 come from behind victory from the couch. Brandon, 6, was so excited after the game that I wanted to take him to Sunday's game.
But how? Games are sold out. People are excited about the team and I do not believe in paying double to scalpers. Well, the Tigers and Stubhub.com have a neat plan for people who want to dump tickets and for folks like me who want them.
I found a nice ticket exchange on Tigers.com just hours before the first pitch. I paid a little bit more for the tickets but for the enjoyment with my son it was well worth it.
We sat in section 116 about 14 rows from the field. We got rained on twice, but the hot dogs were great and the people who sat around us were friendly. And the Tigers won. What more could you ask for?
Sometimes as adults we forget the little things in life. For Brandon standing for "God Bless America" and learning the words to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." were big for him. Finally his day was made when one of the Tiger employees slipped him a baseball from the game.
He's been showing that scuffed up ball to everybody around the neighborhood. I can already tell he is a Tiger fan for life. That means the old man has got to find more tickets to more games this season. This should be fun.
Now if you will excuse me I have to cook and then get ready for the Chicago Cubs-Chicago White Sox game. Little B wants to root for the Cubbies because he knows it will help the Tigers.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.Father and Son Victory
The Tigers won their 16th game in the last 20 when they rallied to beat the Colorado Rockies, 7-6, Saturday night at Comerica Park. They finally climbed to .500 and are in the race to win the American League Central Division.
It was an exciting game, but the best part was being able to watch the game with my son Little B, who hung on every pitch and every run. He jumped as high in the air as the Tigers did when Miguel Cabrera hit a game-winning double in the bottom of the ninth to erase a one-run deficit. And he loved watching Ryan Raburn's grand-slam home run that gave the Tigers a 5-0 lead.
I've always heard stories of fathers watching games with their sons and now it is coming to light for me. Brandon is six now and he is getting more into the game every day. Many of the games end after his bed time but the first thing he wants to know in the morning is the Tigers score.
Saturday's game motivated me to take him to his first game this season. He is really into it and that is great to see. He never talks about going to Pistons games or to see the Red Wings or Lions. But he really wants to go to more Tigers games. Maybe the time is right to get a mini-season ticket plan to go to games with him.
It seems as if it is worth it now. When I took him to games before, he was more interested in the food, rides and people-watching. Now it seems as if he is more interested in the game. So if you see me at Comerica Park holding the hand of a little guy, you will know who it is.
He'll be the guy smiling and reciting baseball scores.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.
Bumper to Bumper Coverage
You will never find a bumper sticker on my car. They are silly and they make the ride look juvenile and cluttered.
It seems as if most of America agrees because there are few cars that carry bumper stickers. That wasn't the case growing up in Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s.
You always knew where the neighbors went because they'd stick bumper stickers of Niagara Falls, Cedar Point or the Grand Canyon on the back of their cars.
Detroit's sports teams were hot also. I remember bumper stickers that read, "Go Get 'Em Tigers," "Lay it on 'Em Lions," and, "Only the Lord Saves More than Terry Sawchuk."
Today, you don't see many Lions, Tigers and Pistons bumper stickers.
However, here is something you might see more of. With the cost of gasoline skyrocketing, some companies are offering a deal you might find hard to resist. They will pay you $500 a month and a tank of gas to wrap your entire car in advertising.
I am talking wheel-to-wheel and front grill to back. These are not bumper stickers. They are bumper-to-bumper stickers. Would you do it?
Here is the catch. The companies want people who drive a lot in Oakland County, downtown Detroit and other high-traffic and high-income areas. You are also on your own when it is time to remove the advertisement from your vehicle.
It is a tempting offer. They are basically paying for your car payment and leaving more cash to pay for gas.
So once again. Would you do it?
I can be reached at 313-222-1494 or Terry.Foster@detnews.com.A Fin in the Tank
When I think back on it maybe this was one of those times I should have given a stranger some money. Its just that you are hit with so many bogus claims of poverty you begin to not believe people.
A young man follows me into a Southfield gas station Sunday night and begins to make his plea.
"Look," he said. "I am not playing a game or anything and I don't normally ask anybody for money but I have my girlfriend in the car and we really have to get somewhere and I don't have that much gas."
I turned and told him I didn't have much cash and that I was pumping gas only because of my credit card. He said thanks and slipped some cash to the Marathon attendant and left to pump gas.
"Gas priced got to come down," he said to the person behind the thick bullet proof gas.
I thought if he had enough money to purchase gas why was he bugging me?
I glanced at the pump after he left and noticed he only put $5 in the tank. At $4.09 a gallon that is barely enough to get downtown and back.
Who puts $5 in gas in their car?
It's somebody who is struggling. Some of us with SUV's and a Lexis in the garage complain about the rising cost of gas. And we all have legit claims. However, the ones really suffering are the poor who need cars to get to jobs and appointments. I sometimes wonder if it is worth getting to work for some.
Oakland County is proposing four 10-hour work weeks to allow people to cut back on fuel. I would be all for it. Unfortunately my jobs won't allow for it. However, three-day weekends sounds great.
The price of gas is a royal pain for some of us. But I am guessing there are some whose lives are crumbling because of it. My guess is I ran into one of those people Sunday night.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494. Listen to the Valenti and Foster Show (2-6 p.m.) Monday through Friday on 97.1 FM The Ticket.
Ross Questions Barry's Leadership
Former Lions coach Bobby Ross was correct when he said Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders lacked leadership qualities. But was he the guy to make these comments? After all, Ross quit in the middle of the 2000 season with the Lions (5-4) in playoff contention and his leadership skills came into question.
I do not buy Ross' explanation that health concerns drove him away. Ross was frustrated with the team and had become increasingly agitated with the media and his players. Even William Clay Ford Sr. said as much when Ross left. Ross quit on the Lions. So did Sanders. Both men were frustrated with an organization they knew could not win.
Here is what Boss Ross said about Sanders: "I don't know if Barry really loved the game, but he worked hard at it. He did what he was supposed to do. I always wanted him to be a leader, but he didn't really want that role. He was the only player I ever coached that whenever he touched the ball, you thought he would run for a touchdown."
Teammates pleaded with Sanders to talk with management about the team. They felt Sanders was the only player who could bend the ear of Ford and demand changes. Sanders never wanted to play that role and he shrugged whenever I told him of his teammates wishes. He'd follow up my questions with questions of his own and said his job was to run the football, not run the team.
Sanders didn't want to be like Isiah Thomas who not only made the Pistons champions on the court with his play but helped make them champions with his suggestions to management. Thomas was a leader. Sanders was not.
He simply wanted to come to the Silverdome, play and go home.
Here is what Ross told the Petoskey News about why he left the Lions: "I had blood clots in my legs, one in my calf and the other by my knee. I was actually hospitalized for five days, I was on medication that I still take and I had to elevate my legs. I had to retire. I panicked, I got scared. I was wrong. My father was a double amputee. I just got scared."
I am not buying that one. He may have had health concerns but clashes with his players were the biggest reasons he left. Ross had a closed door policy and reluctantly put together a player's committee to voice their concerns with how he ran the team.
This was tough for the old military man and he saw a team that was ready to implode and he made his exit stage left.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494. Listen to the Valenti and Foster Show (2-6 p.m.) on 97.1 FM The Ticket.Overcoming Pain
The world is filled with player haters and many of them came out the past few days when Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce was carted off the court with a leg injury and again when Tiger Woods grimaced in pain through the United States Open.
One moment Pierce is in a wheel chair. The next moment he returns to do his share in helping the Boston Celtics beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.
"Fake." the haters screamed.
A few days later Woods' face turned into a twisted up pretzel after some shots during the Open. And on some he made some of the most incredible in the history of the game.
"Fake," the haters screamed again.
Some folks did not believe that Pierce and Woods could recover so quickly with so much pain. They accused the two of being drama queens, milking the glory on national television.
Really?
Let me ask this question to some of the weekend warriors. How many times did you twist an ankle or wrench a knee and feel the wrath of Thor shooting through your body? And how many times did you walk it off and four or five minutes later you felt good enough to return?
The body recovers. Sometimes it recovers temporarily. Sometimes it recovers permanently.
Now that Woods is having season ending surgery I wonder how many of the haters are calling him a fake now? I certainly am not.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.Guess What? I am a Soccer Coach
A day is fast approaching I never imagined.
Two decades ago I knew nothing about soccer; did not care about soccer and basically ignored the sport. Then the World Cup came to the United States and two children came into my life.
I don't know how this happened or why this happened. But I will be coaching Celine's U-10 3v3 soccer team this summer along with a young man named John Ferry whose daughter Sam plays on the team. Now what do I do? I've never coached the sport before.
Can somebody help a brother out?
Last season Celine played on a 3v3 team called the Fireballz. The team finished 22-8-1, placed second in the Detroit and Chicago regional and advanced to the Dicks Sporting Goods 3v3 Nationals at Disney World and earned a No. 17 national ranking.
We are not going to nationals this year even if we qualify. We simply want the girls playing in local tournaments and keeping their skills sharp until the fall.
My job for the Fireballz was that of motivational speaker and I offered concepts that I used as a grade school basketball coach. The two sports seemed similar and we used things that worked.
It is easy offering ideas from the side. It is a lot more difficult making decisions from the sidelines.
Hopefully John Ferry knows more about soccer than I do. I did get an education by watching some teams play in Chicago and Orlando along with the Canton Celtics. Now I am nervous.
Am I biting off more than I can chew? I guess we will find out.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.The Price of Competition
We celebrated Sunday with Taco Bell and Dairy Queen.
My daughter Celine made the U-10 purple team during soccer tryouts for the Bloomfield Hills Force. A total of 40 girls showed up for try outs and nine made the elite team. That made Celine happy and she plans on a sleep over tonight with some of the teammates she already knew.
On the way home Celine talked about how much tougher tryouts were this time. There were more new girls with a desire to make the team than a year ago when Celine made the top U-9 team. Then reality hit.
"Dad," she said. "But I won't be playing with a lot of my teammates from last year."
She was right. Half of her former teammates did not make the top team this year. That included two of her buddies from recreation soccer. The reality of athletic competition hit and it dulled some of the enthusiasm of making the top team. Some of her old teammates will either be on the second or third teams or they won't play at all.
Before going to bed last night she told me she wants to talk about it again this morning. The one thing about her is she is loyal to teammates. That is why sometimes it frustrates me to see her take it easy on teammates during practice while she plays like a pit bull in games. These are her girls and she does not want to harm them or make them look bad.
On the final day of school Celine was in the bathroom balling because her mentor in the magnet program was moving on to another school. The girl has separation issues. She cries at the end of parties. So Sunday was tough on her when she discovered some of her old girls did not make the cut.
Some day that might be us on the outside looking in. That is one reason I wanted to protect her one more year and have Celine play in U-9 again. She again will be one of the younger players on the team and because of a late birthday she is eligible to play U-9 again.
She didn't want protection and during a discussion she said: "Those girls might be bigger than me but they are not better than me and I am tougher."
I threw my hands up. She is playing up. She won a major battle but lost some friends on the way. I wonder what today's talk will be like.
I can be reached at Terry.Foster@detnews.com or 313-222-1494.
