Pistons thought

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080418/SPORTS03/804180384/1051/rss16

It is very interesting that there is no talk in this article from the Pistons about how they know how to win, they are not worried. They sound like they are ready to make a better effort. Positive sign.

Thoughts on the news

Hey there. I was able to survive the thunderstorm from last night, actually, we were called in from the golf course via the GPS system just in time before the rain really started coming down. I think the course (Cattails) did a great job of tracking storms and getting everyone off the course.

So what happened with the Pistons? They forget how to play? Thank goodness the Wings and Tigers turned it around, with the Wings just playing great and Verlander pitching in ways that should make Tigers fans drool for years to come.

I wanted to note an article in the Detroit News today, Daniel Howes article on the Chrysler sale,

• False synergy, bad deal
  DaimlerChrysler was a big promise that seldom delivered. Its mastermind, Schrempp, badly misunderstood Chrysler's weaknesses and overestimated the "synergies" the deal would deliver by underestimating the antipathy his own troops felt for Chrysler and the idea of melding any of it into Mercedes-Benz.

Wow, that sounds like what I said, although with more concrete details. Makes me feel kinda smart.

Another article on detnews.com, Mayor Kilpatrick is trying to rebuild the city by focusing on certain neighborhoods. They selected a mix of neighborhoods in varying conditions and set out specific, measurable goals for each, tailored to the issues facing the neighborhoods. I like this plan, not only for the specifc neighborhoods, but also for the lessons that can be learned for improving the other neighborhoods and other cities. Once the blueprint has been set out and refined through practice, and some results are shown, maybe places like Flint, Pontiac or Battle Creek can use the lessons, and focus on rebuilding smaller sections.

I also like the selection of areas with differing problems and levels of need. This allows experimentation with different methods and not trying to do all the hard things at once. This in turns allows the better management of resources instead of over using some (police - trying to stop crime) and under using others (business development). I have always liked the idea of getting all the interested parties together, and the project managers that are going to be hired (hopefully with quality project management experience) should have an ear open for ideas from all parties. Put residents, police, city managers, financial people, area (and potential area) business managers and others all in the same room will hopefully lead to unique results.

Sean

Sean

Hard day to be a Detroit fan

Mother's day was not a good day to be a Pistons fan. Or a Wings fan. Or a Tigers fan. Did the Lions do something to screw up somehow? That was a brutal day. My mother had the entire day planned around watching the games, and luckily she went to bed before the Wings lost. The only game I thought was critical was the Wings Ducks game - how can you lose to DUCKS! They aren't even Mighy anymore - we needed to keep that home ice advantage. But they seemed to outplay us a lot in that game, and most of their goals seemed to be off turnovers, those turnovers were caused by aggressive play, not even great play, just very aggressive. Losing game 2 is frequently a problem (sorry, don't have the statistics), since Ducks have momentum, good feelings and confidence going back home. I hope the Wings can overcome

Tigers pitchers could never get the ball down, and the hitters coudn't figure out the curve from Bonser - how can you lose to a guy named BOOF! - and looked silly an awful lot. I felt bad for Virgil Vasquez, brought up for one game and he got rocked, not that Grilli or Ledezma did much better. Vazquez did get a lot of instruction from the pitching coach, and there was a great scene of those two on the bench and Chuck was just giving all this information and Virgil soaking it all up. Nice picture. Sox next, I am looking forward to seeing some of Dice-K on Tuesday, if the Motor City Kittys bat like they did yesterday, it might be his first MLB no hitter.

Pistons dropped back into their "we've got plenty of time" mentality and allowed the Bulls a little life. I think they saw the number of times a team has come back from 3-0 (0 for 81 in NBA history, ABC showed that stat about 20 times) and decided the series was over. That run by Chicago at the end of the 2nd quarter made the Pistons look like a ... uh ... no clever metaphor - just bad. I still feel like they will pull it out on Tuesday, but I hope they play a lot harder.

Whalers won - something, can't say I understand the playoff structure.

Later

Post game night thoughts and myself

This morning was a small step in the right direction. I went to bed late after getting home from the Pistons game and spending some time building a financial model for my debt repayment plan. When the alarm went off this morning, I didn't hear it right away, but when I did, I got out of bed and STAYED OUT OF BED. Sure, I took a long shower and then spent some time on the computer before I went to work, but I got to work about 9:10 am. Significant improvement and will be the basis for everything that follows. I will do it again tomorrow. And I will report on it then.

So we went to the Pistons game last night and had a great time. We went into the ERSA club, with the free buffet, just awesome, and then headed to the seats (I would love to say our seats, but we only got them for the night). We had sat there before, but there was more energy this time. I walked by David Stern, and the seats were right next to where members of the Tigers were sitting. Bonderman and his wife, Verlander and girlfriend (I assume), Craig Monroe and then Gary Sheffield and his wife came later. My mother had her Tigers purse that she made last year, and tried to get Sheffield to sign it. She caught his eye and asked if he would, and he agreed, but just as she got there, the usher grabbed her and brought her back to her seat. She was heartbroken. Still, that was probably the worst thing all night, so it was a great time. Watching the game from the third row on the floor is amazing. You are so close to everything. Since the players are always right there, it is a lot more intimate than my Michigan Football seats, which are 3 row in the end zone, and they get to be real close, but not as often as in a basketball game. Just a great time, thank you so much to the lady that gave them to us (name withheld, obviously).

Headed to therapy, Sean