GoWings1905

Frustrated? Absolutely. Hated? No way, I would never hate the team I have spent my life rooting for. I save the hate portion for LeBron and the Celtics.

Datsyuk ahead of Crosby? Only at LGW. For the record, I would still say Lidstrom is number one.

I think I speak for most Pistons fans in saying I really hate the Lakers.

That is really ugly looking. Makes you thankful the Red Wings don't do the third jersey crap.

Washburn has been uhh... disappointing to put it nicely. He had that one great start against Kansas City, but beyond that he has really struggled with the Tigers. Washburn pitching well would be a huge benefit in a potential series against the Yankees with all of the left-handed hitters they start. Any possible call-ups you guys are excited about? I personally would like to see Wilkin Ramirez some in September. He really slugged the ball at Toledo this year and he brings some speed too.

You're a joke. You bashed Ozzie in seemingly every thread during the regular season, crying for Conklin to start in the playoffs. Then Ozzie turns around and is the Red Wings BEST player during the playoffs and you - among many others who ripped Ozzie constantly here - can't give any credit where it's due. You were wrong and to say Ozzie still sucks is a clear indicator that you are either a very fickle fan or you dislike Ozzie so much that you can't accept what he means to the Red Wings organization. Unless you care to elaborate why exactly Ozzie sucks, I don't know how anyone could take you serious for offering so much with no substance.

Maybe Michigan can better that 3-9 record with all the practice they have been getting in.

Really? That surprises me because it seemed like the Red Wings defense allowed way more SOG than the previous season. I remember the game in Dallas where the Stars had around 50 and I believe Ozzie played that night. 35 - Number of threads created on LGW after Howard's first start.

I assume you are primarily referring to last season when you mention Ozzie being "lazy" during the regular season. I don't really dispute that part of your argument, but the whole team played lazy defense until the playoffs rolled around. Ozzie was GREAT during the 2008 regular season. He outplayed Hasek and luckily the Red Wings put in the right guy before it was too late in the playoffs.

Nice to see the bottom of the order contribute in a big way against the Rays. The offense seems to have found some pretty nice consistency the past couple games. They might really need to keep doing that today with Robertson starting again. 41-20 at Comerica this season. Talk about defending your home field.

^ Something the Red Wings organization would never do.

I think Ted Lindsay might have something to say about Bertuzzi wearing 7.

96 - percent of words we won't understand in a Homer interview.

29 - Number of times per game I will yell at Jason Williams.

Filppula. If the circumstances played out like you described, I would want Hudler over Fil and the Red Wings would be a better team keeping Stuart. Lebda and Meech as a third pairing is not going to play out well.

On the flip side, they have very minimal talent surrounding Kovalchuk. They can offer him a huge contract, but no chance of winning.

This might actually work in favor of the Red Wings for once though. Now the Wings would benefit from Chelios' "skating" and turnovers. EDIT: In all seriousness, good for Chelios if he wants to keep playing and some team is willing to sign him. His conditioning is just unreal.

It really wasn't close at all. You conviently left out all the players the Red Wings were missing and STILL won in five.

The Red Wings have three defenseman already who contribute more than enough offensively. Stuart not putting up points doesn't make him useless -- far from it actually. The Red Wings have a nice balance on their roster of offensive-minded defenseman (Rafalski, Kronwall) and solid stay-at-home defenseman (Stuart, Lilja). Lidstrom obviously does everything well. The bone-headed plays you associated with Stuart are no more common with Stuart than Rafalski or Kronwall. Rafalski coughs up the puck a TON and is nowhere near as good in his own zone than Stuart is. As I stated in a previous post, Stuart was the Red Wings best defenseman when Lidstrom was out. I would recommend going back and watching some games from the past two playoff runs and maybe you will notice how damn good Brad Stuart was.

I wouldn't even consider trading Stuart for a second anyways. I would deal Rafalski or Kronwall before Stuart if it came down to it. Stuart was easily the Red Wings second best defenseman for the duration of the playoffs, and when Lidstrom was out, Stuart elevated his solid play even more. Stuart doesn't always look great through the grind of the regular season, but he has put together two stellar playoff runs since joining the Red Wings. He's a perfect second pairing defenseman.

I hate the BCS as well like most everyone else has said. However, I think it is here to stay for the forseeable future. My first preference after trashing the BCS for a playoff system would be to eliminate the pre-season rankings altogether. They generate hype and something to talk about in August, but beyond that they have no purpose. Start the rankings in early October when there are actual games to judge performance. It doesn't completely level the playing field, but it does create a more fair opportunity for quality teams that might have been unjustly ranked lower in the pre-season. I can't wait for next Saturday. Nothing better than college football.

I am beyond impressed with the Tigers the past two games against the Angels. For all of their frustrating flaws, they are a team that goes out and competes hard every night. Leyland has done a wonderful job managing this season. It is nice to see the bats finally get going some in Anaheim. If Granderson, Polanco, and Maggs keep rolling and get on base more, it would be a huge boost for the stretch run. Clearly, great things happen when teams have to pitch to Cabrera with runners on base. He is such an incredible hitter - he would be in the MVP discussion with any protection from the other hitters and he will still probably drive in over 100 runs. The White Sox are on a very tough road trip. It would be nice to keep adding some distance from them in the standings. The Twins never go away no matter what. I respect them and hate them at the same time because of that. With so many games against Central opponents in September, this division race is going to be close until the end.

Good one.

Great point. Many people here like to rag on Maltby all of the time, but I thought Maltby had a FAR better playoff showing than Draper did. Draper's injury probably played into his minimal effectiveness, but I don't know exactly what Draper brings to the Red Wings at this point. The Red Wings loyalty to players has far more positives than drawbacks, but Maltby and Draper are really wasting roster spots now.

These are the lines I would like to see to start.