Lions enter as favorites, leave as victors (are we good?)

According to the internet, which is never wrong, Detroit occasionally dons the monicker, Paris of the Midwest. Good morning, Paris.

For the uninitiated newcomers (thousands of you), this is GordieBarry, a weekly newsletter that breaks down the latest in MI sports.

We'll laugh together, we'll certainly cry together, and if you're up for it, we'll coordinate a meetup at the MI Health Department to protest their egregious decision to shut down Lafayette Coney Island. It's just rat poop, man.

ICYMI: Last week the Washington Commanders were selling mugs at their stadium featuring their new logo over the STATE of Washington. They are based out of DC.

So after the Lions made Motor City minced meat of them on Sunday they tweeted this out:

Diabolical.

At the bottom of this issue you'll find your unique referral code. Use this to refer readers and you can earn cool stuff like a hat, game tickets and a game-worn & signed Megatron helmet.

Forward.

Lions Enter As Favorites, Leave As Victors

For the first time in 24 straight games, our Lions entered Sunday as favorites (-1) vs the newly rebranded Washington Commanders.

And outside of a mildly slow start on offense and some small mid-game hiccups, they played like it. Seriously.

Lead by number two overall pick, Aiden Hutchinson (three sacks), the headline of the first half was the Detroit defense.

They held Washington to two first downs, forcing a safety and a goose egg on the scoreboard. The Commanders had to punt six times in the first half alone.

Halftime - Lions: 22, Commanders: 0

The Commanders came out flying in the second half, scoring in five plays in just over two minutes. They would ultimately convert touchdowns on four of their six possessions.

But it was the Lions offense, lead by Amon-Ra, Swift, & Goff, who would seal the Commanders' week two fate.

A devastating blow came late in the third. With the score 22-15 the Lions had a third and 15 from the Commanders 22. Goff was pressured and threw a tipped ball to Swift, who proceeded to score on what is the play of the season thus far.

Prayers up for Bobby McCains's (Washington #20) ankles.

Final - Lions: 36 (1-1), Commanders 27 (1-1)

Game Notes:

• Historic day for Amon-Ra St. Brown: 9 catches, 116 yards and two TD's on 12 targets. He caught at least eight receptions for the eighth consecutive game. The only others to accomplish this feat were Michael Thomas for the New Orleans Saints from Weeks 4-12 in 2019 and Antonio Brown for the Pittsburgh Steelers from Weeks 7-15 in 2014 (via Yahoo).

• Amon-Ra also lead the team in rushing with 2 carries for 68 yards

• Goff: 20/34, 256 and 4 TD's for a QB rating of 121.7

• Swift: 5 carries, 56 yards and 2 receptions for 31 and a touchdown

• Will Harris picked off Wentz early in the second quarter

Full game highlights here.

WARNING: Heart strings.

Watch the video here:

Michigan Concludes 'Exhibition' Tour, Destroys UConn

Another week, another public execution of a borderline high school team. This week's beheading came in the form of a 59-0 home win vs UConn. Via Freep:

Tailback Blake Corum scored five touchdowns, punt returner A.J. Henning brought one all the way back for a score and the Wolverines limited opposing quarterback Zion Turner to four completions and 17 passing yards in a farcical 59-0 win over Connecticut.

The Wolverines won their first three games (Colorado State, Hawaii, UConn) by a combined score of 166-17 and have not allowed a point in the first half.

QB Cade McNamara entered the game late in the second quarter. Having received boo's the week prior, he received a standing ovation this week.

Then promptly got injured. Via Freep:

(McNamara) was sacked for a 5-yard loss on his first snap Saturday, but followed by completing an 18-yard pass to Ronnie Bell, his only pass of the game. McNamara was leveled by two UConn defenders on the play and walked off the field gingerly after stopping the clock with a spike.

It is unclear how much time McNamara will miss, but he is definitely out next week for U of M's first Big Ten matchup vs Maryland, 12pm EST at The Big House.

PNW Water Too Deep For Sparty Who Gets Embarrassed In Primetime

SEATTLE, WA - Not a single one of Mel Tucker's mantras could save the Spartans from what was one of their most embarrassing losses in recent memory.

Whether you prefer to #KeepChoppin or drag your opponents into the #DeepWater- MSU had no answers for Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. whose #RELENTLESS passing attack was far too much to handle for the Sparty secondary.

State lost 39-28 in just their third loss in the last 16 games.

Playing from behind the entire game, it was clear MSU was completely outmatched on the defensive side of the ball, especially in the passing game. Penix Jr. (an Indiana transfer) threw for 397 yards, a career high, and four touchdowns.

According to The Athletic, Penix became the seventh quarterback to throw for more than 350 yards against MSU’s defense in the last 14 games.

One of the only positives was MSU QB Payton Thorne, who was a question mark heading into Saturday's game based off lackluster week one and two performances. Via The Athletic:

Thorne stepped up and went 30-for-42 while throwing for 323 yards and three touchdowns. (He) started 11-for-11 and kept his composure while having to move around in the pocket. Outside of his one interception and missing an open Montorie Foster on a key third-and-20 in the third quarter, Thorne didn’t have too many negative plays. Despite missing his star receiver Jayden Reed, Thorne was one of the few bright spots for a team that was behind all night.

State opens up Big Ten play Saturday, 3:30pm EST vs Minnesota at Spartan Stadium

Tigers Waste No Time, Hire New President of Baseball Operations

On Monday, the Tigers announced their search for a new GM had ended with the hiring of San Francisco Giants GM Scott Harris, who will serve as the Tigers President of Baseball Operations. Via ESPN:

Harris, long seen as a rising star in front-office circles, spent the last three seasons with the Giants, working alongside president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi to build the team that won 107 games in 2021. Previously, Harris had spent seven seasons with the Chicago Cubs, ascending to assistant general manager and playing an integral role in their World Series-winning 2016 season.

The Tigers fired former GM Al Avila back on August 10th. More from ESPN:

Harris is seen as a jack of all trades, fluent in scouting, player development and analytics, and joins a front office that includes interim GM Sam Menzin and assistant GMs Jay Sartori and David Chadd.

Under Avila, the Tigers were seen as one of the less-progressive teams in baseball, though their on-field hiring of manager A.J. Hinch and pitching coach Chris Fetter pointed to a desire to acclimate the organization to more modern methods of thinking.

Harris is taking over an organization with only a handful of upside pieces, a fanbase currently in a six-year (and counting) rebuild who will demand the Tigers win NOW, and an owner who is known for restricting spend...

Good luck, Scott!

Prospect Camp Featuring Edvinsson Kicks Off In Traverse City

This past week marked the beginning of the Red Wings annual prospect tournament at Centre Ice Arena in Traverse City, MI.

Detroit's first game was Friday, September 16th vs the St. Louis Blues.

Fans packed the arena to see 2021, 6th-overall pick, Simon Edvinsson make his debut in a Wings jersey and according to The Athletic, he didn't disappoint.

Edvinsson looked characteristically smooth, poised and effective on the back end for Detroit. He finished as a plus-2, killed penalties and, perhaps most importantly, looked quite good running the Red Wings’ top power-play unit. 

While Edvinsson was undoubtedly the headliner, it was undrafted free agent invite forward Riley Piercey who stole the show. Piercey, the 6'3 forward from the Flint Firebirds buried FOUR goals in Detroit's 5-2 victory over the Blues prospects. The Athletic reports:

Piercey scored in all three periods, including twice in the third, in just about every way possible. His first goal came by redirecting a shot from the point. His second was a shot from the low circle, off a great pass from forward prospect Cross Hanas. His third was a breakaway, and his fourth was a tap-in in the crease, courtesy of another great feed by Griffins center Drew Worrad.

The tournament concluded on Monday. Detroit went 2-1.

Pistons Prepare for Training Camp, Westbrook Trade Rumors Swirl

Training camp for the Detroit Pistons and most the NBA opens up September 27th.

With the draft, offseason moves, and jersey releases all but said and done, NBA media tends to get a little bored around this time of year which can lead to rumors. The Pistons are not immune to that.

One thing you may be seeing is that the Pistons are considering trading for former MVP and current Laker, Russell Westbrook. Via Heavy.com:

“I’d be willing to get involved if I were the Pistons, as one example,” said the executive. “I would want that 2027 pick unprotected, and take back Russell Westbrook and send you all my veterans, all my junk. Right now, Detroit is taking the approach of just waiting, playing with the guys they got from the Knicks, and trading during the season. That team needs to tank some more, they need (Victor) Wembanyama, or at least they need to be in the mix.”

Will this happen? We don't know for certain but this feels like something making more noise than it should given the time of year. Also, as Sean Corp of DetroitBadBoys.com explains, adding Westbrook would only delay the development of Detroit's number one asset, Cade Cunningham.

In truth, I can’t think of a player I’d want Cunningham learning from less than Westbrook. Their games are completely incompatible, and Cade is more likely to learn bad habits than how to thrive in the NBA. Ivey is much more Russ-adjacent in his game, but, again, as important as it is for Ivey to learn how to harness his elite athleticism, the Russ of today is not that mentor. At this point Westbrook uses his declining athleticism to destroy, not create.

Read the full article here.

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See you next week.