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Posted September 16, 2009

Now that the Football and Fall Sports previews are out, I will be able to take more time and focus on getting out and covering different events. With that being said, I would like to apologize to Caro High School for leaving a good chunk of your story out of the Fall Sports Preview. This was not done intentionally, it was a mistake. However, you can now read the entire story here, at tuscolatoday.com under the high school sports section. If you feel that there are other photos or stories missing from the preview, feel free to contact me. However, it is most likely due to the fact that the team was not available for a photo or, the head coach did not submit any pre-season information to me.

Thoughts on Week 3 The area football picture shifted just a bit after week three, leaving only three Tuscola County teams undefeated. Millington, Reese and North Branch stand at the top of the county list, but things will not get any easier for them this week as Millington takes on Frankenmuth, Reese travels to Marlette and North Branch will make the trek to Essexville-Garber. And, since your going to twist my arm, I'll throw out a few predictions. North Branch takes its first loss of the season in a close TVC East battle. Reese hands Marlette their second straight loss and Millington thumps Frankenmuth - easily.

Let's Talk Sports The talk show, Saturday mornings at 10 on Mix 92.1, is off and running and in my opinion, running very smooth. We have had great interviews and insight on all the happenings around the local sports world and we hope to keep it rolling. If you have any suggestions or comments on the show, please feel free to email me - Sports@tcadvertiser.com or Derek at sports@mix92.1

Fire on the water The Caro swimming team and head coach Woody Crutchfield are off to their best start ever, winning their first four meets of the season. I plan on sitting down with Woody here within the next week to see what exactly is going on in that pool of his. So look out for that.

Congrats to Coach Furno Long-time Millington football head coach Tim Furno's resume just keeps growing and growing, even in his last year as a head coach. Most recently the Cardinals chief won his 200th career game and was named Detroit Lions High School Football coach of the week. In 2008, Furno posted his 20th consecutive winning season along with his fifth straight playoff appearance. I think it's safe to say that Furno will put one more mark in both of these categories before he is done. With that being said, it is very interesting to see all of these coaches stepping down. It started with Kingston great Mike Rea then Franekmuth's John Blankenship. And then Furno says this will be his last year. Change is good, I understand that. But these coaches will definitely be missed.

What a great weekend For those of you who have been locked away in a cave for the past week, you may not have heard that Michigan defeated Notre Dame, and even bigger - My CMU Chippewas knocked off Michigan State. What a great weekend this was to sit in front of your television. Now, I was unable to watch the entire MSU vs. CMU game because I was at the USA volleyball Invitational, but what an exciting ending. I think this just goes to show what the MAC is doing lately. Producing talented NFL quarterbacks, landing spots in the Top 25 and knocking off premier schools. It's great to see.

NOT SO FAST Now, I'm going to assume that most football fans took the time to watch the Lions season-opener against the Saints last weekend. And, before everyone throws them under the bus, I just want to touch on a few things. Believe it or not, this is a different Lions team. They are scoring touchdowns and forcing turnovers in the first game of the year. Let's keep in mind, Detroit did not have a single INT at all last season. Also, New Orleans is a good team. A real good team that we played with. Don't get me wrong, things will not get any easier with Minnesota and that freak running back Adrian Peterson coming to town, but, things will get better. The Lions WILL win a game this year and get this organization running back in the right direction.

PLAYOFFS!?!?! I know with all the football that has bombarded your television set lately, it is hard to think about baseball. But let's not forget, the Detroit Tigers are still in first place and sitting pretty for the playoffs. As of today (Wednesday, Sept. 16) the Tigers are 4.5 games ahead of the Twins. However, the Tigers are about to start a nine-game road trip where they will travel to Minnesota, Cleveland and Chicago to take on the White Sox. These games are CRUCIAL! Things could get REAL interesting when they finish up the regular-season with the Twins at home on the 28-30th. I guess MLB hit it right on the head when their marketing geniuses went to work this year.......THE PENNANT RACE IS ON!