OK, so here is my first "real" post...

In the sports world, the two main things I am watching lately are the WNBA and the MLB.

My favorite WNBA team is the Detroit Shock. It has not been a very good year for the Shock so far. After a promising 4-0 start, they have gone into a slump and currently sit at 8 wins and 12 losses, next to last in the Eastern Conference. If not for the Charlotte Sting being hopelessly mired in last place, the Shock might be there themselves.

As it is, there is still enough time left for them to rally and at least sneak into fourth place which would put them In The Playoffs. They will have to get it together right away, though, before they fall even further behind.

Why has this happened to a team that just two seasons ago was riding the wave of a championship season? There seem to be several factors.

There has been quite a bit of instability in the starting lineup. Swin Cash, one of the best players in the game, was injured late last season and is just now back to playing again. Her production is not quite up to her pre-injury standards and it is uncertain when she will get back to her previous effectiveness.

Center Ruth Riley is underachieving by quite a bit. She was one of the key players in the 2003 championship run but so far this season her numbers (6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds a game) are significantly below what she is capable of.

Point guard Elaine Powell was suspended for five games and her numbers are not quite what they could be.

Power forward Cheryl Ford does a fine job with rebounding, but misses too many key shots both from the field and the free throw line.

Guard Deanna Nolan has clearly been the most consistent player for the Shock so far this season, and without her things would likely be worse in terms of wins and losses.

The bench seems somewhat improved from last season, with Plenette Pierson, Chandi Jones, and Kara Braxton making contributions.

Then there is the coaching situation. Bill Laimbeer seemed like the savior of this franchise in 2003 when he took the Shock from "worst to first." In the two seasons since, the team's fortunes have declined and although it is not all his fault, it is looking more and more like he is unable to gameplan effectively or motivate the team to do better. He has also at times acted as if he is more interested in getting a job in the men's NBA than he is in coaching the Shock. If things do not improve by the end of this season, he may be looking for another job anyway.

As far as baseball, my favorites the Detroit Tigers have improved greatly from a couple years ago when they almost replaced the 1962 NY Mets as the benchmark for terrible baseball teams. Alan Trammell's crew is right in the thick of the race for the American League wild card playoff spot, and if they can just put a significant win streak together they could make it to the postseason for the first time since 1987...when current manager Trammell was the starting shortstop!