Today is the NBA Draft lottery.

The Pistons are #7 on the list of worst records with a 3.6% chance of actually obtaining the #1 pick. Usually, this is Clippers territory, so I feel right at home here.

The NBA Draft is an exciting time. Every team (even those Clippers) gets to perennially believe they will be good next season. You get to watch young men become NBA players, many of whom (Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr.) you have already grown to respect.

The Los Angeles Clippers selected Blake Griffin with the #1 pick in 2009 and were forever changed.

With Brandon Knight, Greg Monroe, and Andre Drummond, plus cap space from dealing Tayshaun Prince, this is a pivotal day for the team.

The Pistons will pick either 1-3 or 7-10. We have a 4.2% chance at #2 and 4.9% at #3. It’s a 12.7% chance for Detroit to land in the top three.

The odds are likeliest at 59.9% that we will pick #7. 25.2% for #8 is also fairly likely, and we will have a 2.1% to get snarfed at #9 or 0.1% at 10th.

Each of the 14 teams included in the lottery have a chance to win the #1 pick!

ESPN 8:30 PM ET

Jimmy Howard wins the player of the game award for stopping 39/40 shots.

The Wings scored twice in a small window in the 2nd period to display a dominating 2-0 advantage.

Unfortunately, the Hawks were aided in the 3rd after referees missed Johan Franzen being  illegally hit twice on his way into the boards and down to the ground. While he lay cowered in the Red Wings own corner, helpless, Chicago took advantage and finally got on the board, 2-1. They had no momentum and here they have a gift of a goal while time was running out.

Karma came quick for the Hawks, who had a goal disallowed in the ensuing minutes when their snarf kicked in a goal from within the crease. Smh.

Pavel Datsyuk let one fly after a pass from Franzen put him in position – and just like that it’s 3-1 Red Wings! One of the best shots I’ve ever seen. Coming down on the left wing, leaning to his left, he knew his position was good enough to take a shot, which nailed the top left corner of the goal.

More dirtiness & cheapness would come from Chicago, who desperately picked up three penalties as the third period winded to a close.

Game 4 is still in Detroit, baby. Andrew Shaw, Bryan Bickell? We don’t like you.

Comerica Park

Click the picture to maximize it.

via http://www.datpiff.com/Birdman-Rick-Ross-The-H-mixtape.489738.html.

via Brittney Griner says Baylor coach Kim Mulkey told players to keep quiet on sexuality – ESPN.

That poor girl. I know she is a grown woman who would block my lay-up, but c’mon, she was only in college.

Fucking ridiculous.

This is what the leaders of our colleges are teaching? How can we support this shit.

Game 3 is Monday, May 20 7:30 PM ET @ Joe Louis Arena

Game 4 is Thursday, May 23, 8:00 PM ET @ Joe Louis Arena

Game 5 is Saturday, May 25 TBD @ United Center

We looked good in game one until we came unglued in the 3rd period. Maybe the extra day of rest after seven games in round one paid off.

Not bad, Porcello. Big Dick Rick pitched his way to a win and a quality start, giving up the solo homer as his lone earned run.

Papa Grande slammed the door in the 9th for another save. Miguel Cabrera knocked in Andy Dirks with a double to start the scoring, and Alex Avila hit a sacrifice fly to score Cabrera. Those two runs would hold up for the 2-1 final score.

Series: 1-1

Game 3: Saturday, 8:05 PM ET

Game 4: Sunday, 8:00 PM ET (ESPN)

Detroit Tigers (23-17)

There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things…
isn’t that kinda the point?

-Pam

Bulls lost a 10-point lead in the 3rd. (Nice foul, Nate!)

San Antonio Spurs 3-2 lead over Golden State Warriors

Miami Heat 3-1 lead over Chicago Bulls

Memphis Grizzlies 3-1 lead over Oklahoma City Thunder

Surprised?

Only by the Knicks.

It was ended in the 9th 1-2-3 by Jose Valverde. V looked stronger after his first blown save Sunday, striking out the final two Astros.

Doug Fister earned the win.

1:05 start time tomorrow, snarfs.

Valverde, who went from a pivotal player in Detroit to a forgotten man to relevant again in a span of six months.

via Detroit Tigers’ Jose Valverde quite a resurrection story – ESPN.

…might have simply worn down after making a total of 146 appearances during the 2011-2012 seasons.

After Valverde joined the Tigers three weeks ago, his agent, Scott Boras, attributed the pitcher’s October woes to fatigue.

“We just had to get to the gas station,” Boras told the Detroit Free Press. “There’s nothing wrong with the car. Just needed to get to the gas station and refuel the tank.”

The Tigers insist that their decision to sign Valverde was less a desperation move than a reaction to an unexpected shift in the market. They assumed Valverde would be out of their price range when he filed for free agency in November, so they began to make alternate arrangements.

“Our feeling was that he was going to be looking for a long-term contract and a lot of money, and the organization just made up their minds that we weren’t going to do it at that time,” Leyland says. “As it turned out, things didn’t go the way he expected, I assume, or the way I would have liked it for him, because he deserved it.

“He’s been absolutely terrific here. He’s one of my favorite all-time teammates. He’s a great guy who comes here every day, ready to save a game for you. He’s never turned the ball down.”

Casual observers might see Leyland pacing the dugout and hankering for a smoke when Valverde falls behind yet another hitter and get the impression that Papa Grande drives his manager crazy. But it’s not that simple; Leyland watched Valverde convert 110 saves in 118 opportunities over a three-year stretch, and he can appreciate the man’s flair for summoning happy endings from chaos.

Leyland takes issue with the perception that the closer’s role is overrated or a mere contrivance. He knows what it’s like to sit at a desk and get peppered with questions when his team is closer-impaired, and he draws a distinction between pitchers who yearn to get that final out and those who merely tolerate the role or quake under the pressure.

“There are people who say you don’t need a closer, but I disagree with that totally,” Leyland says. “It doesn’t mean you can’t get by without it. But if you look at the teams that have won in recent years — like the Yankees, Phillies and Boston — they all had closers. The game has changed a little bit.

“A lot of it has to do with your mental outlook on things. First of all, you can’t be afraid and you’ve gotta know how to do it. Jose Valverde knows how to do it and he’s not afraid. That’s why we have two legs up. He knows how to get [outs number] 25, 26 and 27. Some guys can get 25 and 26, but they can’t get 27.”

After throwing five straight scoreless innings and converting his first three save opportunities, Valverde mixed in a clunker Sunday against Cleveland. He threw 15 strikes and 14 balls and surrendered the tying RBI single to Michael Brantley in the ninth to blow the save before the Tigers lost in the 10th.

Valverde needs his splitter as a complement to his fastball, so it was an ominous sign when he threw 29 straight heaters against the Indians. Leyland claims that the inclement spring weather has been an impediment to Valverde throwing his splitter, and Valverde points to his abbreviated spring training.

*I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR BOOS AFTER THE OVATION WHEN HE FIRST ARRIVED: Valverde was encouraged recently when he made his 2013 debut and 30,347 fans at Comerica Park treated him like a conquering hero.

Let’s get back to that treatment of someone who got us here. Would Red Wings fan turn on Jimmy if he let one in? 

With a closer who’s still trying to get acclimated to game speed on the fly, having had no spring training, that really shouldn’t be that much of a shock.

“You guys have to remember, I don’t have a spring training. This is my spring training right now. So far, I throw four, five innings really. I’ll be OK,” Valverde said.

“My personal opinion is, he’s done a pretty good job since he’s been back. And he got two outs, with a chance to close it out today, and the guy put a pretty good swing on a ball, and stayed inside it, hit it the other way. Overall, so far, I think he’s thrown the ball real well,” Leyland said.

“You know, this will focus on a little bit about Valverde not closing it out, but in reality, it was just one of those days in baseball that happen — you don’t like it to happen. But the focus will be on that, and in reality, for the first few innings, we had guys out on the bases all day long, and we just didn’t get them home.

“That’s as simple as it is. We didn’t get a big hit to break it open, or put any runs on the board, let alone a two-out hit — and they got a couple huge two-out hits, and that’s why they won the game. You give them credit for that.

“Our guys are fine. We just didn’t do it. We had them out there all day long.”

“We were a couple strikes from winning it.”

via Valverde blows first save of season, Tigers lose in extra innings – theoaklandpress.com.

Tigers 7, Astros 2

W: A. Sanchez

HR: Victor Martinez (one on), Andy Dirks (three on)

Austin Jackson was put on the disabled list today, I think with his hamstring bothering him. Avisail “Kid Cabrera” Garcia was recalled in his place from Triple-A. He was hitting over .400 on the year in eight games at Toledo and over .400 in six games in A+ Lakeland before that. He snarfed a home run in each league, too.

I attended the game in Detroit, my first since we have signed Miguel Cabrera. I went to many when we weren’t nearly as formidable, so this was a treat.

From the moment the ballpark comes into sight, you get to be a kid again. It’s larger than life. This field that is so carefully shown on television is breathtaking in person. I sat in the upper deck and could see not only all my Tigers doing their thing, I saw the city’s skyline.

An amazing Mother’s Day to spend with my own mom and family.

Did we lose?

Alas, Mother’s Day could not be spoiled as the Detroit hockey team put the city on it’s back following a tough 4-3 Tigers home loss.

The Red Wings won the series 4-3 over the Douche Bag Ducks in Douchevile.

Operation Hockeytown, commence.

The Tigers nearly rallied last night, trailing 6-1 before the 7th inning stretch catapulted us back to a 6-5 score. The ensuing frame, Al-Al couldn’t find the strike zone, and the Tigers surrendered another run. We would score again in the bottom of the 9th, but ultimately fell 7-6, proving the run costly.

Rick Porcello has the mound for today’s game.

And I’ll be at Comerica Park, too!

(I’ll be wearing my yellow Tigers hat with a blue D. I bought it at Tiger Stadium as a kid the only time I went before they tore it down. Who were they playing? The Indians!)

*My grandma passed this year. She was the coolest grandma of all time. She got me a Jerry Rice jersey one year. Most of all, she did things with us; she was fun.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom, my grandma, and mother’s everywhere. We love you.