It's Christmas Day here on the Caribbean island of Nevis, where my spouse is a medical student and I the Gonzo Journalist am visiting for a while.

So what is the Current State of Things in the realms of whatever???

Well, it is certain at this juncture that the Atlantic Division of the Men's NBA is a total and complete joke. The first place team, Toronto, has a sorry record of 12-16 for a meager winning percentage of .429. If this mediocrity continues, I propose that the entire division be barred from the playoffs.

Michigan women's basketball stumbles into the Big Ten season with a less than impressive 7-6 non-conference mark. A loss to St. Bonaventure, not exactly a big time program, being the latest game for Cheryl Burnett's team. Michigan also lost to two Mid-American Conference teams and has generally shown the same inconsistency of the last couple of seasons, in which so-so non-conference seasons were followed by absolutely horrible Big Ten seasons (just one conference win in the last two campaigns). The Big Ten slate starts on December 28 with a trip to perennial powerhouse Purdue. Based on what I have seen so far, this could be very ugly. Hopefully it will not be.

Central Michigan plays tomorrow night in the Motor City Bowl, the Chippewas first Bowl appearance in quite a while. The Michigan Wolverines football team are no strangers to Bowls, and they will face Southern Cal in the "Granddaddy of 'Em All" (AKA the Rose Bowl) on New Year's Day. Go Blue and Fire Up Chips!

Also in college football news, Grand Valley State won another national championship at the Division 2 level. They have built a very good program there in Allendale, Michigan, and I would rank them number three in the state behind Michigan and Central Michigan. Yes, at this point in time I think that little GVSU would beat the crap out of the sad-sack Michigan State Spartans, as well as the other two MAC teams in the state (Western and Eastern Michigan). As they say, sometimes it is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

That is all for now! Happy Holidays to you, whichever holidays you may celebrate. And may peace prevail on earth in 2007.

He took over a struggling program in 1969 and immediately returned it to college football prominence, with a stunning upset of the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. He compiled a record of 194-48-5 in 21 years at Michigan and never had a losing season. His one big achilles heel was Bowl games, but even in that area he showed improvement as his teams went 5-5 in Bowls in the 1980s. His teams were known for basic, "smashmouth" offenses and hard hitting, stingy defenses. But he was also able to adapt to the times, making use of skilled pass receivers like Anthony Carter.

But the legacy of Glenn E. "Bo" Schembechler is about so much more than games won and championships. Coach Schembechler ran a clean and honorable program at Michigan, where players and coaches did things the right way. Bo always upheld the Michigan Tradition of excellence in both academics and athletics, and the sort of "thuggish" behavior that has sadly become the norm at some schools was never tolerated by the Ol' Coach. His student athletes were truly both students and athletes, who earned their degrees and went on to success in life after football.

Coach Bo Schembechler passed away on Friday, November 17, 2006, but he will live forever in the hearts and minds of the Michigan Wolverine faithful. Whenever 100,000 plus gather in the "Big House" at the corner of Stadium and Main in Ann Arbor, the spirit of Bo Schembechler will be there, along with Fielding Yost, Fritz Crisler, Tom Harmon, Bob Ufer, and all the others who have been part of the greatness that is Michigan Wolverine football.

And I know that somewhere up there in the Great Stadium in the Sky, Coach Bo is exchanging plays with the other late greats of the coaching profession like Vince Lombardi and Bo's longtime friend Woody Hayes.

The Ol' Coach is gone...Long Live the Ol' Coach!

Hail to the Victors Valiant...and Those Who Stay Will Be Champions!

It was not the best of weekends for me as far as the sports scene. The Green Bay Packers got whipped at home by New England and Brett Favre was knocked out of the game. And the previous day, Michigan's previously solid defense became sieve-like in Columbus as Ohio State ran up 42 points. Michigan's offense almost did as well, scoring 39, and at least covered the five point spread. Still, it is puzzling how a defense that looked so good all season could get schooled quite that badly.

Ohio State is definitely in the newly minted BCS National Championship game, while Michigan currently remains number 2 in the BCS poll. Which means that if the season ended now, we would have a rematch between Wolverines and Buckeyes in the BCS NC Game. But several games that could have an impact remain to be played, including Notre Dame at Southern California. Michigan will at least make another of the BCS Bowl games, most likely the Rose Bowl AKA the Granddaddy of 'Em All. And, we could have a scenario where Ohio State loses to some other team (USC, or Florida, perhaps) in the BCS championship game and Michigan wins the Rose Bowl. This could result in a split national championship between Michigan and Florida/USC/whoever might beat Ohio State.

Why they do not just have a 16 team playoff (as is the case at all other levels of college football) is a mystery to me. Instead, they keep tinkering with the traditional Bowl setup and nothing ever really gets fixed.

By far, though, the saddest sports news of the weekend occurred on Friday with the passing of Michigan coaching great Bo Schembechler. He really deserves a separate post, so I will end this one and post one that is Just About Bo.

Well...it seems that i have gone well over a month without posting anything at the Sports Desk. So before October turns into November, how about some commentary on the State of Things?

The Detroit Tigers faded at the end of the regular season and had to settle for the wild card in the American League. They pulled off an upset of the heavily favored New York Yankees in the first playoff round, swept Oakland to win the AL championship, then came up short in an error filled World Series against the Cardinals.

The Tigers came a long way in 2006, and their occasional inconsistency is probably to be expected from a team that not long ago was among the worst in Major League Baseball. While the World Series loss was disappointing, we cannot lose sight of the progress this franchise has made and the bright future that lies ahead if they can just keep working hard and learn from this seasons mistakes.

Michigan football is looking VERY impressive, with a 9-0 record and number 2 national ranking. The only team ahead of them in the rankings is, you guessed it, the also undefeated Ohio State Buckeyes. Both teams have two games that they should win, then comes the showdown in Columbus which is always a big game, but perhaps bigger than ever this time around.

Michigan set the tone for the season early, going to South Bend and routing then number two Notre Dame. The Irish have long been a thorn in the Wolverines' side, so this was a big step in the right direction for Lloyd Carr and the team.

Michigan's defense has been especially devastating, as they are allowing a mere 28.4 rushing yards per game and have put the hurt on several opposing quarterbacks. Linebackers Prescott Burgess and Lamarr Woodley lead the charge with their hard hitting and blitzing.

The Michigan offense has also done well, with quarterback Chad Henne showing solid leadership, running back Mike Hart doing his best Barry Sanders impersonation (right down to wearing the same number 20!), and a fine group of receivers making catches. Of course, we cannot fail to mention the offensive line, which in best Michigan tradition is big and tough and not to be messed with.

Over in the NFL, my favorites in Green Bay have a two game winning streak to improve to 3-4 on the season. This is a youngish team for the most part, with the obvious exception of veteran quarterback Brett Favre, who long ago got his ticket to Canton punched. Running back Ahman Green has put together two good games in a row, which bodes well for the Packers chances. The defense has been somewhat shaky, but has some solid talent including veteran cornerback Charles Woodson (from THE University of Michigan!) and rookie linebacker A.J. Hawk (who attended some school south of Michigan whose name i shall not mention!).

Women's college basketball gets underway soon, with the Michigan Wolverines looking to make a Great Leap Forward from last season's 0-16 in the Big Ten fiasco. Coach Burnett's team had to contend with inexperience and injuries last season, and with those problems solved the record will improve.

And we have another election season upon us, with the usual sad spectacle of look alike Demublican and Republicrat candidates slinging mud at each other, while the Corporate Media duly ignores real alternatives like the Green Party and its candidates. Sadder still are the supposedly "progressive" organizations (feminist, lesbian/gay/transgender/bisexual, environmental, civil rights, peace, etc) that continue to support and endorse the Democratic Party and its candidates despite repeated sellouts and betrayals. These are the groups that SHOULD be getting behind the Greens, who truly care about their concerns.

Down eight points at the half, the Detroit Shock had two quarters or 20 minutes to get the job done. They came out very strong in the third quarter and quickly erased Sacramento's lead, and when Game Five of the 2006 WNBA Finals was over the scoreboard at Joe Louis Arena read Detroit 80-Sacramento 75. Game, series, and 2006 WNBA Championship belong to the Wonderful Women of Motown!

And, the most wonderful of them all, Flint, Michigan's Finest, won the Playoff MVP award. I am speaking of course about Number 14 on the roster and Number One in our hearts, Ms. Deanna "Tweety" Nolan! She scored 24 points in the final game and led the team in scoring for the playoffs. In general, she seems to be at her best in big games, as her playoff scoring average is better than her regular season average, and her regular season numbers are pretty impressive to begin with.

Deanna's starting backcourt mate, Katie Smith, at last got the WNBA title that had previously eluded her. Katie made two key plays at the end of Game Five, hitting a shot to give Detroit a five point lead with 14 seconds left, then grabbing the rebound of Sacramento's final desperation field goal attempt. Katie finished with 17 points and a team high six assists.

Cheryl Ford had 10 each of rebounds and points, somewhat below her averages but still a fine effort.

The unsung hero of the final game was Plenette Pierson, who came off the bench to score 16 points and snare six rebounds. She made good on ten of thirteen free throws and showed no fear in driving to the basket in traffic.

Ruth Riley had four blocked shots, and Nolan added two of her own.

And so ends a thrilling and successful season for the Shock. At times they still struggled with inconsistency, but when they had to get it done they did get it done.

With the exception of Katie Smith, Elaine Powell, and Kedra Holland-Corn, this is still a fairly young team and so they have the potential to win several more championships. And even the three players just mentioned are young enough that they may still be inclined to play a few more seasons.

Deanna Nolan has emerged as a true superstar of the women's game, and will continue to dominate for many seasons to come.

Cheryl Ford has also established herself as a very good post player who can rebound and score with the best of them. Her free throw shooting was once a problem but has improved greatly. Like Nolan, Ford is still on the youngish side so I expect her to be around for a while.

Swin Cash has perhaps still not recovered completely from being injured, but she is still a talented and dangerous player who is more than capable of taking over games.

Ruth Riley's numbers have not been as impressive lately, but she does block a lot of shots and generally at least brings something positive to the team. It is possible that she is not being utilized in the best way by the coaches, who seem to want her playing outside more rather than closer to the basket where her 6 foot five, 195 pounds of muscle would be most useful.

Plenette Pierson came through big in Game Five as already mentioned, and has a general tendency to produce off the bench. In this regard she is somewhat similar to Bobby Jones, the great "sixth man" on the Doctor J.-led 76er teams of years ago.

Kara Braxton is an imposing physical presence at six foot six and 190 pounds, and only needs to become more consistent in her effort to be a top notch player.

Angelina Williams had some impressive moments coming off the bench, as did Jackie Batteast.

I have REALLY fallen behind in my blogging, so here is a brief rundown on what is going on...

The Detroit Shock have progressed through the WNBA playoffs and have one final game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on Saturday. This being Game Five of the Finals, which is currently tied at two games each. Defending champ Sacramento won the first and third games of the series, and Detroit won games two and four.

Detroit got to the Finals by beating Indiana in the first round and Connecticut in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In Game Four at Sacramento, where the Monarchs had never lost a playoff game, the Shock trailed 26-22 after the first quarter.

In the remaining three quarters, Sacramento only managed to equal the 26 points they scored in the first frame, as the Detroit defense clamped down in a big way. This was especially evident in the fourth quarter, when Sacramento could muster a meager two (that's right, TWO!) points.

And so it comes down to one last game, with Detroit having sort-of home court advantage. I say "sort-of" because the Shock usually play at the Palace of Auburn Hills, but due to a Mariah Carey (who sucks, by the way) concert, the Shock will play at Joe Louis Arena instead. Not that it will matter, as the Detroit faithful will be there and the Shock will build on the momentum of the Game Four win and Take Back The Title.

More commentary to come later today or tomorrow...

The Detroit Shock's "magic number" to clinch second place in the WNBA East is now 1...meaning either one Shock win or one Indiana loss gives Detroit the home court against the Fever in the first round playoff.

Detroit plays Washington tonight, while Indiana plays Connecticut. So actually, we have all four Eastern conference playoff teams playing each other tonight, albeit not in the same matchups (Connecticut-Washington and Detroit-Indiana) as in the playoffs.

Then Detroit plays Connecticut in the regular season finale on Sunday while Indiana closes against Chicago. The Chicago Sky have continued the most difficult tradition of pro expansion teams, and have suffered through tribulations similar to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers of 1976 and the MLB's New York Mets of 1961. Things will surely get better in time for the women of the Windy City, but that is likely to be little consolation to this season's team.

In the West, Phoenix still has a shot at the fourth and final postseason berth, thanks in large part to a triple-overtime win over Houston in which Diana Taurasi tallied 47 points to set a new WNBA record. Also, Houston still has a slim chance of passing Seattle for the third spot in the West. Seattle and Houston play tomorrow, and if the Storm win they will finish third and consign either the Comets or Mercury to fourth.

The WNBA regular season is almost over, and so the playoff picture is coming into sharper view.

In the East, Connecticut has clinched the #1 seed and Washington the #4, which means that they will play each other in the opening round with Conn. having home court advantage.

The other East first round series will be Detroit vs. Indiana, with the home court yet to be determined. The Shock are a game ahead of Indiana and need any combination of three Shock wins or Fever losses to clinch second place.

In the West, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Seattle are all in, with Houston and Phoenix battling for the fourth and final postseason spot. Los Angeles will have home court against whoever ends up #4, while Sacto. will have the same against the #3 seed.