Dean: Settles in Connecticut to Play

Connecticut Tigers' Jordan Dean

Earlier this month, Jordan Dean was selected in the 15th round by the Detroit Tigers in the MLB baseball Draft. The middle infielder from Central Michigan University has been called to play in Connecticut for the Connecticut Tigers, an affiliate minor league team of the Detroit Tigers.

The minor league team Dean is playing for is one tier below single A, which is the West Michigan Whitecaps. The Tigers have a total of six minor league affiliate teams total. The Midland native flew out to Lakeland, Florida where the Tigers play their spring training games to get a physical and workout for the team. After being in Lakeland, he was called to Connecticut to play middle infield.

Dean has not yet seen playing time for the Tigers. The team has only played two games thus far but will wait for his turn in the rotation to show his fielding and batting skills that he brings to the Detroit Tigers organization. Dean is looking forward for the opportunity to move up from Connecticut to single A to get a chance to play against Midland's Great Lakes Loons in front of a home crowd. But for now, Dean will wait for his chance to take the field for the Connecticut Tigers and turn heads around the league and the organization of the Detroit Tigers.

Midland's Jordan Dean Drafted By Tigers

Jordan Dean: 15th round selection of the Detroit Tigers

Central Michigan's Jordan Dean was drafted in the 15th round of the Major League Baseball draft Tuesday by the Detroit Tigers. Dean is a shortstop from Midland Bullock Creek who is in his junior year for the Chippewas. Dean said he was "overwhelmed and excited" to hear his name on day two of the draft, "I didn't receive a phone call beforehand, I was listening to the draft broadcast on the porch and all of a sudden we heard my name".

For Dean, getting drafted on day two shouldn't come as much surprise as he was in the top ten of NCAA Division 1 with 96 hits on the season, which is second most all-time in Central Michigan history. Dean finished 11th in the country with 60 runs, while hitting .360 with seven home runs. Dean led the team in slugging percentage at .508 and stolen bases with nine.

Since Dean is only a junior he will have to make a decision in regards to jumping to professional or finishing school and playing his senior year. I'm sure the Chippewas would be relieved to have one of the best hitters in their history to come back and play for one more year. Knowing Dean personally, I look forward to watching him play against the Great Lakes Loons in a West Michigan Whitecaps Uniform and moving up in Detroit's farm system and hopefully someday fielding ground balls at shortstop and hitting gap shots at Comerica Park sporting the old english D on his hat.

Future Hall of Famer Nicklas Lidstrom to Retire

Captain Niklas Lidstrom retires after 20 seasons with the Red Wings.

Nicklas Lidstrom, defenseman and captain for the Red Wings is set to retire on Thursday after 20 seasons with in the NHL,  all of which with the Red Wings. Lidstrom has quite the resume, winning four Stanley Cups, seven Norris Trophies as the NHL's top defensemen and was also a winner of the Conn Smythe Award.

The news for Red Wings fans will be devastating no doubt. But Lidstrom, who is known in Hockeytown as "the perfect human",  has a family and kids that he wants to see grow up. Statistically, Lidstrom didn't see a drop off in point production from previous seasons and fans hate to see him go because he is still producing points and playing shutdown defense regardless of him being 42 years old. His body did wear down a little bit at the end of the season, he was forced to sit out 12 games this season. That could have factored into his decision to walk away from the game.

Lidstrom leaves Detroit as one of the best defensemen the league has seen. He is 10th all time in regular season games, 21st in career assists, 8th in plus/minus, 2nd in career playoff games played, and 5th in playoff assists. Someone that good leaving your organization will leave a hole to fill.

The Wings will have to reload on the back end to replace the future hall of famer. Brad Stuart, another top defenseman is an unrestricted free agent and is likely to sign with a team out west, mainly California teams, to be closer to his family. This will leave the door open for prospect Brendan Smith to step in and make an impact and the organization will surely be looking to fill back end voids in free agency. The name atop their list, Ryan Suter, who is the top defenseman in free agency would help ease the pain of Lidstrom's retirement if he would sign a contract.

After great seasons with the Red Wings, tomorrow at 11 am Lidstrom will say goodbye to Hockeytown. Niklas Lidstrom, you will be missed.

Are the New Jersey Devils the Real Deal?

Goalie Martin Brodeur has been huge for the New Jersey Devils this post-season.
Photo Courtesy of  bladesofsteel.com

The New Jersey Devils are won win away from playing the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals. Many favored the the Rangers in this series, but the Devils have played solid and hold a 3-2 advantage in the series. Goalie Martin Brodeur, a sure to be hall of famer, is playing very well in the net and the Devils have relied on his experience and stellar play. Brodeur, who is 40 years old, is playing more like he's in his prime, preventing the Rangers from scoring  lots of goals. His goals against average is just over two per game and he is playing the puck well keeping it away from the Ranger forwards.

Don't count out the New York Rangers though. The Rangers have faced adversity being forced into an elimination game 6 in the first round against the Ottawa Senators and beat the Washington Rangers in seven games in the second round. Henrik Lundqvist has played well in games six and games sevens averaging a .94 save percentage and a 1.5 goals against average.

If the Devils keep getting production from the bottom six forwards, the Rangers will have problems beating them twice in a row. On the Rangers end, they need their top six forwards to step up and Henrik Lundqvist needs to return to Vezina finalist form to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

Before the playoffs I remember hockey analysts talking about Martin Brodeur hanging up his skates, retiring. He's playing good hockey right now and his team is one win away from going to the Finals. My advice to the analysts to calm down and let the future hall of famer make his decision in regards to when its the right time to stop playing. Brodeur and the Devils are five wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup. Wouldn't be a bad way to walk away from the game, but I will let him make that decision.

Update: Kings Still Clicking as They Coast to Stanley Cup Final

L.A. Kings celebrating Dustin Penner's goal and trip to Stanley Cup finals.
Photo courtesy of sports.yahoo.com

The Los Angeles Kings advance once again in the Stanley Cup Playoffs defeating the Phoenix Coyotes in five games to claim the Western conference championship. I never thought I would say this, but the Kings are four wins away from hoisting the Stanley Cup in June.


As the eighth seed this postseason, the Kings have only lost two games making their record 12-2 and are the hottest team in hockey. The Kings knocked off top seeded Vancouver in five games, swept the second seeded St. Louis Blues and last night advanced past the Phoenix Coyotes in 5 games in a 4-3 overtime win.

The Kings will be well rested when they hit play the first game of the Stanley Cup. Game 1 is set for Wednesday, May 30. In the Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers are tied in the series 2-2 and have traded wins with each other. The Rangers have went to game seven in the  first round against the Ottawa Senators and also in the second round against the Washington Capitals. The Devils played a seven game series in the first round and went to six games last round.

I think the Stanley Cup Final will present a good match up and could raise a few questions. The L.A. Kings haven't faced any adversity so far in the playoffs. They haven't trailed a series, dealt with injuries like the two other teams in the East. The Rangers have overcome the most being down 3-2 in each series. In both series they forced game seven and capitalized.

Each player for the Kings is contributing and playing a role in their wins. Players who struggled in the regular season are playing great hockey. Rookie Dwight King is a player who has been throwing his big body around and scoring goals for the Kings. Dustin Penner has been doing much of the same and was the hero of game 5 with his OT goal. The backbone of the team, Jonathon Quick, hasn't skipped a beat since the beginning of the season. If the Kings are going to win the Stanley Cup, Quick is going to have to play like a Conn Smythe winner.

Its hard to determine what will happen in the finals, how many games will be played. We still have to sit back and see which team claims the East. But until then lets enjoy how remarkable the the L.A. Kings have been this postseason so far. The Kings can't be content, they've made it this far and are the hottest team in the league.

Are the Spurs a Sleeper Pick or Team to Beat In NBA Playoffs?

Tim Duncan congratulated by Kawhi Leonard (left).
Photo courtesy of mysanantonio.com

The San Antonio Spurs weren't in any talks at the beginning of the year of going to the NBA Finals. We talked about the Heat and Bulls in the Eastern conference and in the Western Conference we talked about Dallas, the Lakers, Oklahoma City and the new look Clippers with All-Star point guard Chris Paul. The Spurs are always a steady team and now they are the hottest team in the league, sweeping the first two rounds and riding an 18 game win-streak, dating their last lost back to April 11 when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Spurs in the last couple of years have looked on the old side, playing mostly veterans, they were not able to keep up with the younger teams. During the off-season they acquired some younger players and have used almost everyone on the roster in their rotation. Everyone on their team is playing a role and they do not rely as heavily on their superstars like other teams. In the past, I liked to call the Spurs the most boring team to watch that produced wins. Now that they have gotten younger and Coach Gregg Popovich is utilizing his players to perfection, the Spurs are no longer looking like a boring, old team. But more like a team that will give the next team they play in the West Finals a run for their money.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the next couple weeks in the NBA playoffs. With the Spurs 2nd Round sweep, their veterans will be able to rest their legs and prepare to give the Oklahoma City Thunder or the Los Angeles Lakers all that they can handle to see who goes to the NBA Finals.

L.A. Kings Clicking: Cruise Into Western Conference Finals

L.A. Kings Clicking: Cruise Into Western Conference Finals

Hamilton: Making Most of a Situation during a time of Adversity

Hamilton:  Making Most of a Situation during a time of Adversity

Josh Hamilton, outfielder for the Texas Rangers, is a very special player with a unique story. Tuesday night against the Baltimore Orioles, Hamilton tied a record for Home runs (video) by a player in a single game and broke the record for total bases in a game with 18. This is an incredible feat, but even more incredible if you know Josh Hamilton's story.

Josh Hamilton hitting one of his four
home runs against the Baltimore Orioles.  

Hamilton was a first overall draft pick in the 1999 MLB draft. He was plagued with injuries and became addicted to drugs during his time in the minor leagues. Hamilton's failed drug test suspended him and he did not play again until 2007. He went to rehab and became clean from drugs and eventually began to play minor league baseball.

Hamilton bounced around through trades and wound up playing for the Texas Rangers where he has been named to four consecutive all-star games and won the 2010 American League MVP award. The past four seasons for Hamilton have been stellar but this past off-season brought warning signs to the organization and the rest of the MLB. This past February, Hamilton relapsed at a night club when he went out with teammate Ian Kinsler. Some analysts thought that this was a sign for Hamilton's game to drop and even thought the Rangers organization could let Hamilton go.

The response to the negative sayings in the media have been amazing. Hamilton leads the league in batting average with a whopping .395, 15 home runs and 38 runs batted in. Josh Hamilton is a star and has showed that he knows how to handle adversity. He has showed since he was originally drafted that he does not give up and back down.