GoWings1905

Good point, and it is true. I think it is pretty much the case for all fans. Love them when they play for your team, hate them when they don't. It's funny how simply changing jersey's can change the perception of so many people.

Sweet. I love the blue and green uniforms that the Canucks wore as a third jersey last season. Any of the three proposed uniforms looks good, but I do like the one with the vintage stick the best. Second best uniforms in the league - good work Vancouver!

Please, I highly doubt you would have said any of this negative stuff about Penner had he come back to the Ducks. Just two months ago, Penner was part of your team's best line. Funny, how changing jersey's can change perceptions. Sounds like a typical response from a bitter fan...

I really don't want to give up either Vazquez or Tata for just Wilson. I would hope a reliever (Marte) would be included in the deal as well. Right now, the Tigers need one of those two to fill Kenny's spot until he gets back. At first, I wanted the Tigers to get Wilson just for some depth, but I'm not sold on him making much of a difference anymore, besides some solid defense at shortstop. I wonder why everyone is so down on Sean Casey at first base. Sure, he doesn't have the power of a typical first basemen, but he's always good for around .300, a ton of doubles, and terrific defense. Remember who the only guy that hit in the World Series was last year? Besides, taking one of our only left-handed bats out of the lineup makes no sense. The Tigers are worse in every area with Jack Wilson than they are with Sean Casey. As much as I wanted DD to make a deal before, I sure hope this isn't the one he ultimately ends up making. I know the Tigers have a ton of pitching in the minor league system, but I would rather see something more in return before giving up promising prospects like Vazquez and Tata.

I'm not convinced this really hurts the Ducks all that much, if at all. It probably helps them in the future more than anything else. Dustin Penner is not worth four million dollars. Take the additional cap space, plus the three draft picks and move on. Penner has the potential to be pretty solid, but overpaying for him now would be a mistake. With the reports that Niedermayer is almost certain to retire, it really opens the door for Selanne to come back for another season. Not including Selanne's possible contract, the Ducks would be right around the 42 million dollar level that ownership wants. This also gives the Ducks plenty of cap space to re-sign some combination of Getlzaf, Perry, and Kunitz next year. At this point, I would take all three of those guys over Penner. Signing Penner to that contract would have pretty much ruled out any return from Selanne, and also really hindered the future for the Ducks as well. I hate Brian Burke just as much as everyone else, but the Ducks are in fine position to be very strong next season. I don't blame Burke one bit for signing Schneider and Bertuzzi when he did. If he doesn't do that, and Selanne and Niedermayer retire as expected, then who fills that void? It's not Burke's personal vendetta to spite the Red Wings and Ken Holland. He was looking out for the best interests of his team. Sure, Burke overpaid for both players, but it's better than waiting and being left with nothing. Bertuzzi and Schneider are not the same calibre as Selanne and Niedermayer, or even Penner, but it was the best Burke could do to "replace" those guys. Letting Penner go will not ruin the Ducks like everyone hopes. In fact, it will probably benefit them in the future. Like it or not, Brian Burke made the right move here. The Western Conference still goes through Anaheim.

The Tigers will be fine. There's no need to panic over a tough stretch of games. It's going to happen over the course of 162 games. As bad as the Tigers have played, Cleveland hasn't made up any ground in the Central, and the Indians have spent most of their time playing at home. I'm not pleased with the way things are going right now either, but it's a long season. Now, the Tigers have a ton of home games down the stretch run to play some good baseball. I don't really have a problem with Guillen's struggles at shortstop. We don't have a better alternative for the position, and Guillen's bat is so valuable to the team. Neifi Perez and his .190 batting average is a lot worse than Guillen making a couple of errors. The biggest problem on the Tigers is still the bullpen. Nobody gets outs, and that is very scary. Our only hope is that the starting pitching is so good, that the gap to Jones is solely through Zumaya. I don't trust anybody in that bullpen, and Rodney won't change that. The offense will be there, but will the bullpen be able to hold a lead when it matters? Lastly, I can't take Craig Monroe anymore. The guy is downright awful. Striking out with runners in scoring position every time he has the opportunity to drive in runs. Ryan Raburn should be in left field, until Thames gets back. Monroe is a huge waste. I know Leyland is trying to give Monroe a chance to turn his season around, but enough is enough. It's sad because Monroe seems like a decent guy and he has endured a lot with the Tigers, but he needs a permanent spot on the bench. Time to come back home, and start winning again.

Well deserved title for the Motor City. Truly the best sports fans in the world.

Gagne had to approve a trade to Boston. They were not one of the teams that could acquire Gagne without his consent. In other words, Gagne's list of teams he would be willing to go to did not include the Red Sox. I also agree that, no matter what, some reliever needed to be added. I would have liked to see that Wilson and either Marte or Torres deal go down with the Pirates. That would have addressed both major issues that the Tigers have. As I said before, the breaking point was probably Wilson's contract. I'm counting the days now until Zoom comes back...

You are right - Papelbon is still the Red Sox closer. The Red Sox plan on using Gagne in save opportunities when Papelbon needs a rest, so probably very rarely. Otherwise, Gagne will be their set-up man in place of the injured Mike Timlin. I was also surprised that Gagne went to Boston of all places. Not a bad move though for the team with the best bullpen in baseball already. As for the Tigers, I'm shocked they didn't make some kind of move. I suppose it was beyond DD's control, when there are more buyers than sellers in the relievers market. The asking price was probably beyond belief for some of the available players. The one deal I thought was almost certain this morning though was the Tigers getting Jack Wilson and then either Damaso Marte or Soloman Torres from the Pirates. Buster Olney reported on ESPN earlier in the day that the trade was close to happening. I suppose the sticking point was how much the Tigers would pick up from Wilson's hefty contract. All I can say is Rodney and Zumaya better come back and perform well, or the Tigers bullpen will ruin their playoff run. The Red Sox and Angels are both better than the Tigers without those two guys coming out of the pen. I'm rather disappointed right now with no move(s) being made, but we'll see what happens. Go Tigers!

Well said. I couldn't agree more. Bertuzzi was not worth four million and I'm glad Holland didn't budge in that regard, but I do think Bert will have a good season in Anaheim. When healthy, Bert's physical presence and goal scoring ability could have been exactly what the Red Wings are currently missing. Everyone seems to forget that a part of Bert's "ineffectiveness" here was due to recovering from major back surgery. The guy had about five useless regular season games to condition before the playoffs rolled around. There were times in the playoffs where I saw flashes of the old Bertuzzi, and what a force he could still be. Before I get shredded to pieces for saying all of this, let me state that I don't expect Bertuzzi to be the player he was with Vancouver in his prime. However, when healthy, Bert can still play the game at a high level and be a very productive player. Everyone complains about the lack of grit on this team. Well, Bertuzzi certainly would have solved that problem. I would rather have a healthy Bert here than the speculated Forsberg or Fedorov anyday. I feel bad for Bertuzzi because he never got a real opportunity to prove himself in Detroit. I hope he stays healthy and performs well for Anaheim, which I suspect he will. Good Luck Bert!

If we are going to rely on Rodney's return to shore up the bullpen, the Tigers are in big trouble. Even with Zumaya coming back at some point, I want to see another reliever added regardless. 17 hours to go, make it happen DD!

That's all fine and well about Forsberg, but is he EVER healthy anyways?

Most of those picks were traded away before the salary cap went into effect. The way the league is structured now, developing talent is much more important than before the lockout. The Red Wings used to rely solely on signing big name free agents, by sacrificing their draft picks. It will take a big-time player for Holland to trade away that first round pick now.

Nothing was more scary than watching Chris Pronger lift the Stanley Cup. From a Red Wings standpoint, Game 4 in San Jose was extremely nerveracking, especially the overtime. I still can't believe Robert Lang temporarily saved the season. Amazing.

I'm feeling ill after reading that article. I wish Forsberg would just sign back with Colorado already, where he belongs. Somehow, I have an awful feeling the Red Wings are going to get stuck with Forsberg. Oh, what a thrill. Sweden needs you Peter.

at the Kronwall comment. No, I am not his biggest fan, but I hope the kid proves everyone wrong and stays healthy. Kronner has a ton of potential. I don't have a problem with Fedorov choosing to leave honestly. I have a problem if the Red Wings decide to choose to bring him back. Fedorov is still very talented, but in what capacity will he really help the Red Wings? Playing the point on the powerplay is all I can see. We already have a ton of solid defensive forwards. Maybe surrounding Sergei with more (or any) talent around him will revive Fedorov's goal scoring, but that's not a certainty. I understand that hockey is a business, and I don't blame Fedorov for leaving. Actually, Fedorov leaving helped the Red Wings. I was over Sergei's departure the day after it happened. So, no, I'm not bitter like you make it out to be. The Red Wings haven't exactly struggled since Fedorov left. If he does come back, I would certainly cheer for him. I cheer for anyone who puts on that jersey. I would love to be wrong about this, but adding Fedorov will not guarantee a championship. You are overstating the potential impact he would have. * By the way, the only jersey going up next to that 19 anytime soon is the number 5.

I like them. Those are pretty sweet looking uniforms, especially the dark one. One of the best "new" uniforms so far.

Under no circumstance do I ever want to see Peter Forsberg wearing a Red Wing uniform. Not only do I despise Forsberg from his past history with the Avs, I really don't want to sign a guy that is more fragile than a tooth pick. That point per game is not so impressive, when the number of games matches his jersey number. I would rather have Lang back, then to ever watch Peter Forsberg play for the Red Wings. I would also pass on Fedorov at this point, even though the whole nostalgia thing is quite a story. Fedorov's time here has come and gone. Some of you are forgetting that Fedorov CHOSE to leave. The Red Wings can return the favor and choose to keep it that way. I don't understand why every Red Wing from the glory days has to either return to the team, or be rumored coming back. The past is the past. Sergei Fedorov was great ten years ago, not anymore. I will admit though that Fedorov could still be an asset to the Red Wings from a power-play standpoint.

Actually, no, I wouldn't want to give Markov, or any other remaining free agent defenseman four million at this point. If the Red Wings were desperate, and defense was a problem, then maybe bringing Markov back would concern me a little more. However, the current defensive situation on the Red Wings does not bother me in the least. Lilja and Quincey can come in, and fill Markov's role perfectly fine. Defense is not going to be the Red Wings problem, with or without Danny Markov. Remember, before he came to Detroit, Danny Markov was not very highly regarded. Playing with Nick Lidstrom can make anyone look good. If Markov will take around his salary from last season, then great, I would love to see him come back. Anything more than that is not worth it. That cap space can be spent on more pressing needs, such as getting a top six forward later down the road.

Money sometimes (almost always) trumps all of that for most athletes. There are very few exceptions where money wasn't everything. Markov feels he is more valuable than what the Red Wings (or anyone else) has offered. He's wrong, but that is not going to change his perception. If he wants to play in Russia, I could care less. The Red Wings will be fine without him. * Markov is not worth four million dollars. Not even close. Holland will never sign him for that amount of money, and rightfully so.

There is no offer good enough to get Notre Dame to join the Big Ten. The only remote hope they have is NBC doesn't renew the TV contract, which is very unlikely. As a Notre Dame fan, I would like to see them join the Big Ten (provided they keep USC on the schedule), but I don't blame them for remaining an independent.

Well instituting that cap is not working with UFA's either. The contracts for some UFA's this summer are just as absurd as the offer sheets for Vanek and Penner. Most UFA's don't like the choice of going and playing in Edmonton, so Lowe uses the only option he has to sign players. Overpaying is overpaying, regardless of the free agent's status. It all correlates to the same problems the NHL had before the lockout. Whether you agree with signing offer sheets isn't the issue here. The problem is Burke's hypocrisy of the Oilers overpaying for Penner, when he did the same with Bertuzzi.

Yeah Colorado. I would have been dumbfounded, but coming from Mark May I just laughed. May is the biggest moron on ESPN. This is the guy who said Notre Dame would start 0-6 in Charlie Weis' first season, and they went to a BCS Bowl. I love watching Mark May, just because anything he says, I know won't ever happen. At first I hated him, but now I get a kick out of his complete dumbness.

It already has. Kevin Lowe is just joining in on the overpaying fiasco. The whole free agency period has been marked by overpaying for players. Lowe isn't doing anything that the rest of the league didn't already do this summer, including Brian Burke. Andrei Markov, Kimmo Timmonen, Scott Hartnell, Todd Bertuzzi, Thomas Vanek, and Sheldon Souray just to name a few. The point is GM's have to overpay to get players. The market dictates that right now. Tough luck for Burke.

The hypocrisy of Burke is amusing. Complaining about overpaying for players, when he just did the exact same thing for Bertuzzi, and arguably Schneider. Sorry Brian, maybe next time you should set your priorities when signing free agents. If Penner was so important, lock him up before you go out and overpay for other free agents. What goes around comes around. I feel no sympathy for Burke or the Ducks. I will hope for the worst for them.