THE YEAR IN SPORTS

 

by Jack B. Tany

Review Sports Columnist

The axe grabbed the spotlight in 2005 as far as sports are concerned.
   

Coaches in all four major sports in Detroit - baseball, basketball, football and hockey - were unceremoniously fired during the year, a first in the state of Michigan. The most recent firing, that of Detroit Lions head coach Steve Mariucci, left Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings as the longest-tenured coach among the four Detroit pro teams - edging out the Pistons' Flip Saunders by six days.
 

Red Wing head coach Dave Lewis was fired during the hockey lockout and Babcock was hired in June when they got back to work. Lewis had 94 victories in two seasons as coach, but management felt he was too close to the players to motivate them to turn it up a notch during the playoffs.
Larry Brown wanted out after two years as coach of the Detroit Pistons because of medical reasons. He led the Motor City Roundballers to an NBA title and a second trip to the finals before departing. The only medical problem Brown had was a bad back from carrying around his wallet. He bid Detroit farewell with a fat check for $7 million. He then joined up with the New York Knicks who paid him a paltry $10 million this season. Look for the Pistons to land in the finals again this season under Saunders.
 

Alan Trammell got sacked after three years as field marshall for The Detroit Tigers

Alan Trammell was sacked after three losing years as field general for the Detroit Tigers. Neither Trammell nor any of his coaching staff has landed a new Major League job, which tells you a little bit about their talent. New skipper Jim Leyland, a former Bengal minor league manager (better known for being a chain smoker in the dugout), will weed out the bad eggs and turn the Tigers around.
 

Which brings us back to Mariucci?  He was canned after two seasons and 11 games with the sad-sack Lions, compiling a less-than-impressive 15-28 record. He has $11.5 million coming to him from the Lions. His firing by Lions president Matt Millen set off a chain reaction. First, he named Dick Jauron as interim coach for the final five games. Jauron benched quarterback Joey Harrington in favor of Jeff Garcia. Cornerback Dre Bly went public saying that it was Harrington's poor play which got Mariucci fired. Then, Garcia displayed his ire of the entire situation by blasting management in front of the Detroit press corp. Millen, meanwhile, didn't escape blame from Lions fans that are firmly aware of his 20-57 record since he became president in 2001. Chants and signs of "Fire Millen" have come from all corners of the state. A Detroit radio station even held a contest for the best tag line about Millen on a billboard which sits directly adjacent to Ford Field. Ah, just in time for the Super Bowl.

Other sports highlights (and lowlights) from around the area include:

… Professional basketball in Saginaw County is officially dead as Great Lakes Storm co-owner Greg Van Boxel decided not to return his Continental Basketball Association team to Birch Run. Hoping to get an audience from both Saginaw and Flint . . . it never materialized.

… Tory Jackson of Buena Vista High School signed a letter-of-intent to take his basketball talents to Notre Dame. The 5-10 senior, who averaged 30.5 points-per-game, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists last year, is a four-year starter for the Knights. He is aiming to eclipse the Saginaw County all-time career scoring record currently held by former Buena Vista star Mark Macon.

… Michigan State University lost to Baylor 84-62 in the NCAA women's national championship basketball game at the RCA Dome. On the roster for the Spartans was Heritage High School graduate Katrina Grantham.

Charles RogersTakes on The Browns

… Charles Rogers had a year he'd rather forget about. The former Saginaw High and Michigan State University star receiver was suspended for four regular season games earlier this season after he tested positive for substance abuse for a third time during his three-year career. He then fell into the Lions doghouse because of his (non) work ethic, and management left him off the active roster for a couple more games. The Lions also want him to give back $10.1 million from a seven-year contract he signed in 2003 because of the suspension.

Cardinalgate' embroiled Randy Awrey

… Cardinalgate. Saginaw Valley State University head football coach Randy Awrey was reprimanded by college officials because of irregularities at a summer youth program. He was suspended for two weeks (losing about $3,000) because he allowed free admission to his son and the son of another camp staffer. He also paid for some pizza and a broken cell phone with camp registration money instead of requesting a voucher from the university.

… Arthur Hill's girl's varsity basketball team made it to the Class A state semifinals before dropping a 65-53 decision to Detroit Martin Luther King. The Lumberjacks are coached by John Wilson.

… The U.S. House voted to give the Saginaw YMCA $350,000 for an upcoming multimillion-dollar fundraising campaign to renovate their current facility at 1915 Fordney, and possibly build a new workout center. YMCA officials are in the planning stages of a new $8 million branch which would likely be in the area of Hospital and Tittabawassee roads. No project timeline has been established for the Y's 22,000-square-foot expansion.
 

… Over 850 people helped celebrate Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame's Class of 2005. Making the grade this year was Howard Beatty, Doug Gillis, Kenneth "Wild Bill" Kelly, Larry Laeding, Mark Macon, Art McColgan, Raymond "Red" McKee, Clarence "Sonny" Means, Dennis Mendyk, Marty Simmons, H. Randall  Wickes, and the St. Andrew's 1947-1948-1949 Class C state champion football teams. Their plaques will join others from the first three induction classes and will be permanently displayed at Saginaw Valley State University's Jack Ryder Center.

… The Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame also revealed an inaugural award - a Saginaw County Athlete of the Year award. Honored for 2005 were Stacy Delaney of Freeland High School and Andrew Dodson of Frankenmuth High School. Delaney finished her splendid four-year softball career at Freeland by pitching the Falcons to the Division 3 state championship. Named Miss Softball Pitcher of the Year in Michigan, she owns a 112-15 career record and a whopping 1,733 career strikeouts - the second highest total in Michigan history. Dodson, meanwhile, established a new Division 3 state track and field record as well as tying the Saginaw County record with a high jump of 7-feet. He broke his own state record of 6-foot-9 he set the previous year. His efforts earned him a No. 4 ranking in the nation and helped the Eagles to a state track title.