MY AM ADVANTAGE

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ANN ARBOR (CCN) — University of Michigan officials announced today (Oct. 3, 2024) that a special event will be held to honor one of its long-time administrators — Greg Harden.

Harden, know as the "mental" coach to many hundreds of UM athletes over the past five decades, passed away in mid-September.

UM's 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard, now a college football analyst for ESPN, credited Harden with helping him win college football's top prize for individual players. "I don't win the Heisman if not for him" he said on an episode of ESPN's College Game Day when the death was announced, calling Harden a "mentor" and "long-time close friend."

Bob Bowman, coach to UM's Michael Phelps,  credited Harden with helping Phelps take his career to the next level when becoming the most decorated male swimmer in Olympic history.

Family, friends, UM staff, UM students and former athletes impacted by Harden are invited to attend “A Celebration of Life” for the long-time UM on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m.

The memorial service and celebration will be held at Crisler Center on UM's campus.

Individuals can claim digital tickets at no cost for the event, beginning next week. Former UM student athletes and staff will have access to sign up on Monday (Oct. 7, 2024). Members of the public will be able to claim tickets on Wednesday (Oct. 9, 2024).

The event will include speakers from different eras of Harden’s life.

 A tribute to him on UM's website noted how Harden once  described his work in the following manner: "My real obsession is to convince an individual that they must determine for themselves what sort of man, what sort of woman they want to be. The goal is to make people experts on themselves."

He worked with hundreds of UM student-athletes during his career, including Desmond Howard, J.J. McCarthy, Tom Brady, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard and Olympians Emily Brunemann and Jeff Porter, as well as Michael Phelps.

Harden specialized as a mental coach for athletes, coaches, university personnel, executives and others on the world's biggest stages. That he maintained close personal relationships with so many, even decades after their competitive or working days had ended, reflects the enormous impact of his work on their performance and lives.

Harden was instrumental in the design and implementation of student-athlete and staff development strategies. His collaborative style and efforts helped to strengthen the athletic department's connection with the larger university community. He started his affiliation with the UM Athletic Department in 1986 when Hall of Fame football coach Bo Schembechler hired Harden as a staff consultant and student-athlete personal development program counselor.

Harden later became President of Power One Performance, Inc. providing performance coaching to corporate executives, professional athletes and community leaders.

He was President of Unlimited Access Educational Services — a non-profit organization. Harden has also served as Senior Vice President of Associated Consultation and Training, Inc.  and Executive Director of Leaders in Prevention.

A Detroit native and graduate of Southwestern High School, Harden received both his Bachelor of General Studies and Master's Degree in social work from UM. He published his first book in 2023 debuted at No. 1 on all of Amazon and became a bestseller on the New York Times list. — Stay Sane in an Insane World: How to Control the Controllables and Thrive.

DETROIT (CCN) — Thursday's dramatic comeback victory by the Detroit TIgers, coupled with the Minnesota Twins losing in extra innings later in the evening, reduced the magic number to one. The TIgers wasted no time clinching a spot in the American League playoffs by then promptly beating the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Friday night.

It was the fifth victory in a row for the Tigers as they won for the ninth time in the last 10 games. They're 33-11 over their last 44 games for the best record in all of baseball.

They were once 10 games below the .500 mark in August and 10 games out of the wild card race.

Down 3-0 in Thursday's matinee, Detroit rallied to win 4-3 for its most dramatic comeback since July when coming back from five runs down to beat the Dodgers before the All Star Game  break.

A sellout crowd of 44,435 fans showed up Friday night to watch history. The Tigers, who had not had a winning season in seven years made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years 

The Tigers erased a 2-1 deficit Friday night with two runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to win it.

Riley Greene's RBI single and Matt Vierling's RBI double led Detroit's offense while four pitchers combined on a 3-hitter with Brant Hurter going to 6-1 on the season with 4 innings of work to get the victory.

(CCN) — Two long-time high school football coaches in Michigan have been placed on administrative leave and will miss Friday night's (Sept. 27, 2024) varsity games.

Carrollton High School's new varsity football coach has been placed on administrative leave. Multiple media reports say David Schneider is accused of throwing a pen at a student-athlete.

 New Baltimore Anchor Bay school district officials say its football coach, Mike Giannone, has been placed on administrative leave there, pending an investigation. Parents told CBS Detroit TV 62 that they have not been notified about why Giannone was placed on leave.

Giannone left his previous head coaching job at Warren De La Salle in 2019 after several players were accused of hazing younger students.  He won two state championships in three seasons at De La Salle and immediately landed the job at Anchor Bay after he left the De La Salle program. He previously led Macomb Dakota to  15 straight state playoff appearances and consecutive Division 1 state titles in 2006 and 2007. He was 191-64 in 22 years as a head coach until taking thejob at Anchor Bay where he's 18-21.

Carrollton Schools Superintendent Tiffany Peterson confirmed for other media that Schneider is on administrative leave, pending the outcome of an investigation. Carrollton Police Chief Chris Kellet confirms his office has begun an investigation and multiple media reports say interviews will be scheduled soon.

Schneider had 31 years of coaching experience before leaving his teacher position to take a job in Florida as a fishing boat captain in 2013. He took the Carrolton job last spring to get back into coaching after an 11-year run out of the game.  Schneider graduated in 1983 from Cheboygan High and starred there to make the football team at Olivet College . He was a prep head coach at Atlanta in 2008 and 2009 with a 6-12 record and then went to Lincoln Alcona where he had records of 4-5, 5-4, 6-3 and 10-1. 

Anchor Bay takes a 2-2 record into Friday's contest at home against Romeo without Coach Giannone. 

Carrolton is going to Saginaw Novel Catholic on Friday in search of its first victory of the season. The Cavaliers are 0-4. 

 GLENDALE, ARIZONA  (CCN) — The Detroit Lions moved to 2-1 by rebounding from last week's loSs to Tampa Bay by winning 20-13 on the road Sunday (Sept. 22, 2022) against the Arizona Cardinals.

David Montgomery led Detroit's offensive attack with 109 yards on 23 carries, including an early 1-yared touchdown run after big runs keyed the opening drive.

  Jahmyr Gibbs  added  83 yards rushing on 16 carries and scored a TD on a 20-yarde hook-and-ladder pass to  Amon-Ra St. Brown who immediately lateraled to Gibbs.

St. Brown caught a 5-yard TD strike from Jarred Goff earlier to put Detroit ahead 13-7 to cap a drive highlighted by runs from Gibbs.

Goff was  18-of-23 for 196 passing yards to balance the great running game by Montgomery and Gibbs. He hit on his first 14 passes in a row for the longest streak without an interception in his nine-year career that started with the Rams.

A near pick 6 came just before halftime though when the Cardinals returned it for a TD on a play that was whistled dead by the referees because they ruled the two-minute warning ticked down just as Goff threw the pass.

The Minnesota Vikings also won Sunday (34-7 over the Texans) to go to 3-0 in the NFC North over the 2-1 Lions. The Green Bay Packers went to 2-1 Sunday by beating the Titans 30-14.

The Lions play the Monday night game next week against the Seattle Seahawks.

They went to a perfect 3-0 on Sunday by beating the Miami Dolphins 24-3 Sunday.

All Sunday's NFL scores are at right if you are reading on a laptop or PC, or scroll down to see them if you are reading on a mobile device.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is David Montgomery who had a 106-yarde rushing performance to lead the Detroit Lions to victory Sunday in Arizona.

Sunday's NFL Scores

Detroit Lions 20, Arizona Cardinals 13 

Minnesota Vikings 34, Houston Texans 7

Green Bay Packers 30, Tennessee Titans 14

Indianapolis Colts 21, Chicago Bears 16

Seattle Seahawks 24, Miami Dolphins 3

Jets 24, New England Patriots 3

New York Giants 21, Cleveland Browns 15

Philadelphia Eagles 15, New Orleans Saints 12

Denver Broncos 26, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7

Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Los Angeles Chargers 10

Carolina Panthers 36, Las Vegas Raiders 22

Baltimore Ravens 28, Dallas Cowboys 25

Kansas City Chiefs 22, Atlanta Falcons 17

Monday Night Games

Buffalo Bills 47, Jacksonville Jaguars 10

Washington Commanders 38, Bengals 33

Next Sunday's Games

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears

Buffalo Bills at Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns at Las Vegas Raiders

Commanders at Cardinals

Kansas City Chiefs at Los Angeles Chargers

Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons

Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans

Denver Broncos at New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers at Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots at San Francisco 49ers

Next Week's Monday Night Game

Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions

Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins

 DETROIT (CCN) — Tarik Skubal pitched 7 innings of 2-hit ball to lead the Detroit Tigers in a matinee game at Comerica Park Tuesday (Sept. 24, 2024) as they beat the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1.

Skubal made a strong case to win the Cy Young Award in the American League by winning his 18th game of the season. He blanked the Rays for 7 innings to improve his AL-best earned run average to 2.39. Skubal also leads all of baseball with 223 strikeouts.

Skubal struck out 7 batters in Tuesday's matinee victory at Comercia Park. Beau Brieske came on to get the save with two innings of work. He allowed a 9th inning home run before settling down to end it for Manager A.J. Hinch's Tigers.

They moved 1 1/2 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the American League wild card playoff race. It became a two-game lead later when the Twins were beaten 4-1 in Miami by the Marlins in a Tuesday night game.

The Kansas City Royals won 1-0 over the Royals to pull back even with the Tigers for the No. 2 wild card spot in the AL with five games to go.

Detroit plays at 6:40 pm tonight against the Rays and close out a three-game series on Thursday at Comerica Park at 1:10 pm. The Tigers then close out the season at home against the Chicago White Sox who have the worst team in baseball.

 Wenceel Perez ripped a two-run double in the bottom of the 5th inning to give Detroit  its lead.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Tarek Skubal who won his 18th game of the season Tuesday at Comerica park by beating the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1.

CONNECTICUT  (CCN) — Indiana Fever fans remain in an uproar after rookie star Caitlin Clark was poked in the eye early in Game 1 of their best-of-three playoff series and the Connecticut Sun went on to win 93-69 against an obviously half speed Clark who was sporting a big black eye by halftime.

The Fever and Sun hook up in Game 2 tonight at    MohegaMohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville 

The game will be televised at 7:30 pm on ESPN.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Catilin Clark who was poked in the eye early in Game 1 of Indiana's playoff game with the Connecticut Sun.

MIAMI (CCN) — Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani became the first player in Major League Baseball history to join the 50-50 club in home runs and stolen bases in the same season with one of the greatest individual feats ever.

Ohtani powered the Los Angeles Dodgers to a West Division clinching victory over the Miami Marlins by blasting three home runs, driving in 10 runs and swiping a pair of bases.

He now has 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases.

DETROIT (CCN) — Tarik Skubal made what may have been his last start at Comerica Park a memorable one by turning in 7 strong innings of work on the mound with 8 strikeouts as the Detroit Tigers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2.

Skubal's gem came amid rumors flying about a possible trade as baseball's trading deadline approaches on Tuesday.

Skubal allowed three hits and trailed 2-0 after giving up a 1st inning home run, but he surrendered just two hits the rest of the way while shutting out the Twins until leaving with a 3-2 lead after the 7th inning.

Skubal was locked in a pitching duel with Twins' ace Joe Ryan until the 6th inning when Colt Keith's RBI triple in the bottom of the 6th tied it after Mark Veiling opened with a lead-off single, and Keith then scored the go-ahead run off a RBI sacrifice fly by Mark Canha.  

Keith and Javier Báez then drilled two-run homers in the bottom of the 7th inning to offer insurance runs for the Tigers.

It was the third homer in three days for Báez. (See Related Story at right if you are reading on a lagtop or PC, or scroll down if you are reading on a mobile device)

Keith's homer was his 11th of the season — tying  Jake Wood and Nick Castellanos for most by a rookie in Tigers' history.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Tarik Skubal who went to 12-3 with a strong 7-inning outing for the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.

DETROIT (CCN) — Javier Báez had hit only one home run all season but his two-run blast in the 7th inning Saturday (July 28, 2024) in front of more than 35,000 fans at Comerica Park in Detroit marked his third in three days.

Báez drilled a three-run blast in the 2nd inning propel the Detroit Tigers to a 3-0 victory over the American League's Central Division leaders Thursday night (July 25, 2024) in Cleveland.

Báez, who was hitting a lowly .177 going into the Cleveland game, ripped another homer to start a homestand Friday night against the Minnesota Twins before adding the 7th inning blast on Saturday as the Tigers rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Twins 7-2.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is   Javier Báez who has three home runs n the last three games for the Detroit Tigers.

 COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.  (CCN) — Former Detroit Tigers Manager Jim Leyland offered an emotional speech Sunday (July 21, 2024) when inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

“My contributions to our beautiful pastime pale in comparison to the joy it has brought to my life, from the heart of a little boy to the soul of an old man,” Leyland said.

He was a former Double-A ball back-up catcher who went on to spend 22 years as a big league manger. He won a World Series championship with the Miami Marlins, made it to the World Series two other times in Detroit and won six division titles with the Tigers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Leyland was honored three times as Manager of the Year.

 Inducted Sunday with Leyland were Todd Helton, Adrian Beltré and Joe Mauer.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is former Detroit Tigers' Manager Jim Leyland.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Boxer Claressa Shields will step up to the heavyweight division on Saturday night (July 27, 2024) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.

She announced via her Facebook page that all floor seats are sold out for the big title fight.

Tickets start at $25 and range all the way to $750.

The two-time Olympic champion from Flint is the reigning WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO Middleweight World Champion and is the only women’s boxer in history to hold undisputed world titles in two divisions. She's also s is also a professional mixed martial artist in the Professional Fighters League.

Shields defended her middleweight belts by scoring a unanimous 10-round decision over Maricela Cornejo in June 2023 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The wildly successful event was the first boxing match ever held there.

“The Queen of Boxing is back! I’m so excited to return to the ring, especially after my MMA victory in February.” Shields said. “I’m excited to bring another entertaining fight to Little Caesars Arena. Last time 12,000 fans filled the arena, and this time we’re going to lift the roof off the building! This is a significant and unique fight where I am moving up two weight classes against a very tough champion in my quest to become World Champion in my fourth weight division. It’s an exciting time for women’s sports, and I thank DAZN for providing a global platform for women’s boxing. I plan to do what I do best: bring that GWOAT energy and continue putting women’s boxing on the map.”

She held a big party in Flint on Sunday at her old stomping grounds of Berston Field House on Saginaw Street.

"We’re taking over the block! I want all my friends, family, and supporters to join me in Flint for my official send-off to fight week," she had posted on social media when inviting Flint friends to join her.

 Shields will fight Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse. The 29-year-old from Canada is WBC World Champion in the Heavyweight division and 8-0 for her pro career. Shields is 14-0 since becoming a pro boxer after winning two Olympic gold medals.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is boxer Claressa Shields who is fighting for the heavyweight championship on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.  

DETROIT (CCN) — The Detroit Red Wings re-signed former first round draft choice Joe Veleno to a two-year contract for $2.275 million per season.

Veleno, 24, skated in 80 games with the Red Wings during the 2023-24 season as a centerman and set career highs in goals (12), assists (16), points (28), power play goals (3), shots (86) and shooting percentage (14.0%). The 6-foot-1, 201-pound forward spent the entire 2022-23 campaign in Detroit as well and finished with 20 points (9-11-20) and only 30 penalty minutes.

Selected by the Red Wings in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft with the 30th overall pick, Veleno has totaled 64 points (30-34-64) and 81 penalty minutes in 232 NHL games since 2020-21. He also collected 36 points (18-18-36) and 26 penalty minutes in 69 games with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins from 2019-2022. Additionally, Veleno began the 2020-21 season with the Malmo Redhawks in the Swedish Hockey League, notching 20 points (11-9-20) and 20 penalty minutes in 46 games before returning to North America following the conclusion of the SHL season.

Prior to turning professional, Veleno played four seasons with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Drummondville Voltigeurs in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League from 2015-19, racking up 266 points (90-176-266), a plus-82 rating and 106 penalty minutes in 230 games, along with 46 points (27-19-46) and 34 penalty minutes in 61 postseason matchups. 

In the 2018-19 season, Veleno was selected to the QMJHL First All-Star Team after ranking fourth in the league with 104 points (42-62-104) in 59 regular-season games with Drummondville.

 Veleno helped Saint John win a QMJHL title in 2017 when he had 3 goals and 8 assists for 14 points in the playoffs after scoring 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in regular season play.

 A native of Kirkland, Quebec, Veleno became the first Quebec-born prospect to be granted exceptional player status by Hockey Canada in 2015. On the international stage, Veleno won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Championship, tallying five points (2-3-5) in five games. He also represented his country at back-to-back IIHF World Junior Championships in 2019 and 2020, earning a gold medal at the 2020 tournament. Additionally, Veleno dished out three assists in four appearances at the 2018 IIHF World Under-18 Championship and captained Team Canada to a gold medal at the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Joe Veleno who has re-signed with the Detroit Red Wings for two seasons.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (CCN) — The Detroit Tigers took a high school player with their first pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. They took shortstop Bryce Rainer from Hollywood, California with the 11th selection overall.

Rainer is also a top pitching prospect — maybe the top one in the Class of 2024.

He led Harvard-Westlake to its second CIF Southern Section Division I title in school history as a freshman when going 9-0 with 74 strikeouts and a 1.46 ERA in 55 2/3 innings. He also hit .391 at the plate to take home the Max Preps National Freshman of the Year award.

Rainer focused on playing shortstop afterward when catching the eye of MLB scouts.

The left hitter finished his senior season last month with a .505 batting average.

Current Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was also drafted out of high school from Harvard-Westlake, told reporters in the days leading up to the MLB Draft that he sees Rainer making the big leagues in four or five years.

"I think Bryce is more than capable of being a top-five pick and a kid that goes to the big leagues in the next four or five years,” Crow-Armstrong had told reporters earlier in the week.

"And he’s got the attitude for it, he added. "Now, it’s just his turn to kind of find his way in the pro ball setting and get beat up a little bit, but then have the opportunity to show everybody who Bryce Rainer is. He’s really, really, really talented. Better than me at that age. Not even close. Not defensively, but he can hit, and if he wanted to go try the two-way thing, I think he’d have a good chance of doing that. Talent-wise, he’s got it, for sure."

The Tigers have a history with Harvard-Westlake High School, too. They took Brennan Boesch in the 3rd round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He went there, too, before playing college ball at Cal and making it to the big leagues with the Tigers.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is shortstop Bryce Rainer who was the first pick by the Detroit Tigers on Sunday in the 2024 MLB Draft. Rainer hit .505 last season in high school ball and is also a pitching prospect.

(CCN) — C.J. Weins is headed to Detroit's organization after he was obtained in a trade with the Boston Red Sox.

Weins is a 24-year-old, right-handed pitcher who was a 6th round draft choice of the Red Sox out of Western Kentucky in 2023.

In 20 games this season for Salem in single-A ball, Weins had a 4.62 earned run average in 25 1/3 innings of work. He is 0-2 with 3 saves.

He has been assigned to Detroit's single-A team in Lakeland known as the Flying TIgers.

The Tigers gave up relief pitcher Trey Wingenter to get Weins in the deal.

Wingenter pitched in spring training for the Tigers but has been at Triple-A Toledo all season. He has a sparkling 13.2 strikeouts per 9 innings in 26 relief appearances for the Mud Hens in 2024. He's 4-4 with a 3.31 ERA. Wingenter was a 17th round selection of the San Diego Padres in the 2015 MLB Draft. He has 33 saves in his 10-year minor league career that began with six seasons in the Padres' organization.

Wingenter missed missed almost all of 2020, 2021 and 2022 due to Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Tigers in 2023 and made it to the big leagues with them during his first season in their organization when splitting his time between Detroit and Toledo in Triple-A.

The trade comes as the Red Sox are 7 1/2 games ahead of the Tigers in the race for the final wild card playoff spot in the American League.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is C.J. Weins who was obtained by the Detroit Tigers in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. 

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — The weekend magic continued Sunday (July 14, 2024) for the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. They used a rally in the bottom of the 9th inning to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second day in a row.

Down 3-1, Sunday's comeback began with a lead-off triple in the bottom of the 9th by Zack McKinstry.  "It was a curveball up in the zone and I was able to get a barrel to it," the ex-Central Michigan star told media members afterward. "I saw it going toward the line and I was like, 'Stay fair, stay fair.' Then it hit the ground and I was like, 'Oh yeah, let's go,' and I turned on the burners." 

An RBI single by rookie pinch hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy tied it at 3-3, before back-to-back bunts were botched by the Dodgers. An errant throw over their third baseman's head into left field resulted in Malloy trotting in with the walk-off winning run.

Malloy and Ryan Vilade were both safe when the Dodgers booted a bunt by Vilade. Then Wenceel Perez dropped another bunt to try to move Malloy to third when the bad throw came by L.A.

Vilade, recently called up from Triple-A Toledo, was 2-for-3 on the day besides the sacrifice bunt.

Detroit's come-from-behind rally on Saturday to beat the Dodgers 11-9 came after they were down by 5 runs going into the bottom of the 9th. They tied it at 9-9 on Colt Keith's fifth home run in the last 10 games, then won it in the bottom of the 10th on the first big league homer by Gio Urshela.

The TIgers also treated their fans to an exciting game on Friday night when a sellout crowd of 42,060 fans packed Comerica Park, and were disappointed when superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani's RBI double in the 9th gave the Dodgers a 4-3 victory.

Another sellout crowd watched Detroit's dramatic rally on Saturday before more than 35,000 turned out on Sunday.

The Tigers climbed to 24,390 fans per game with the big crowds this weekend to move up to No. 21 in MLB attendance average. They went into the weekend at just over 20,000 fans per game to rank next to last in the entire MLB  — ahead of only the Miami Marlins.

Sunday marked the 8th time in the last 10 games that the Tigers won. Taking 2-out-of-3 over the National League's West Division leading Dodgers at Comerica Park followed taking 3-out-of-4 from the American League's Central Division leading Cleveland Guardians in Detroit. They started their hot streak with a 3-game sweep last weekend over the Reds in Cincinnati.

The Tigers got a great bullpen performance on Sunday after starter Beau Bridges surrendered all 3 runs by the Dodgers in the first inning.

Five Tigers combined to toss shut-out ball the rest of the way — highlighted by Kenta Maeda going 3 2/3 innings and giving up only one hit.

The Tigers are now 47-50 going into the break for Tuesday's All-Star Game in Arlington, Texas.

The Tigers are 12 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central and within 5 games of the third-place Royals and 7 1/2 behind the second-place Twins.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Zack McKinstry who ripped a lead-off triple in the bottom of the 9th inning to begin Detroit's rally to win again in come-from-behind fashion via a walk-off winner.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Gio Urshela hit his first big league home run in dramatic fashion with a walk-off blast to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 11-9 in front of a sellout crowd Saturday (July 13, 2024) at Comerica Park.

It came in the bottom of the 10th inning after the Tigers rallied from a 9-4 deficit to tie the game at 9-9 on a two-run homer by rookie Colt Keith in the bottom of the 9th.

The sellout crowd was the second in a row for the Tigers who blew a 3-2 lead to lose 4-3 on Friday night in front of 42,060 fans. 

Manager A.J. Hinch was bubbling with excitement after the game when meeting with reporters. He said, “I don't know how to appropriately comment on that game. It's an amazing feeling to see the guys happy — what a comeback on both sides of the ball.”

The Dodgers, who lead the National League's West Division, were 48-0 when leading this season after 8 innings. “That’s pretty cool,” CMU grad Zach McKinstry of the Tigers said to the media afterward. “Now (48) and one,” he added.

Keith, who drilled his 5th homer in 10 games, told reporters there is simply "no quit" in the Tigers. "We never gave up," he said. "Even (when) falling down 9-4, I feel like there was no change, no falter there. Everyone was going in, trying to have a good at-bat."

The Tigers started the bottom of the 9th with consecutive hits by Wenceel Pérez, Justyn-Henry Malloy and Matt Vierling. Pérez and Malloy had back-to-back singles before Vierling delivered a two-run double to get the Tigers within 9-6. 

 Riley Greene grounded out and Jake Rogers struck out to put the Tigers down to their final out.

Carson Kelly kept them alive with an RBI single to make it 9-7 before 22-year-old rookie Keith ripped a first-pitch, up-and-in cutter to the right field seats to tie it at 9-9.

Keith also knocked in 3 runs in the 2nd inning when belting a double. He was 3-for-4 in his 4 RBI day at the plate to raise his batting average to .253 after a slow start this season. The homer was his 9th of the year.

Rookie Keith also shined in the field at second base when turning an inning-ending doubleplay to strand the bases loaded in the top of the 10th.

 Shohei Ohtani scored three times for the Dodgers and belted his 29th home run to become the first Japanese-born player in MLB history to reach the 200 plateau for his career.

He scored for the third time in the 8th inning on Freddie Freeman's RBI sacrifice fly to put the Dodgers ahead 9-4 after a lead-off walk. He stole second base (his 23rd steal of the year) and moved up to third on a single by Teoscar Hernandez.

Ohtani also had a single and a triple to come up .only a double shy of hitting for the cycle.

The Dodgers slipped to 7 games ahead of the San Diego Padres in the NL West standings.

 The Tigers improved their record to 46-50 with one more contest until the All-Star Game break. That one will come Sunday at 1 pm in the rubber game of the 3-game series with L.A. The game will be on Bally Sports TV and the radio broadcast will originate from 97.1 FM The Ticket. The 13 games behind the first-place Cleveland Guardians in the American League's Central Division.

The Tigers took 3-out-of-4 from Cleveland to start their homestand at Comerica Park after a 3-game sweep over the Reds in Cincinnati.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Saturday's hero  Gio Urshela. His two-run homer won it for the Detroit Tigers in front of a sellout crowd Saturday at Comerica Park in walk-off fashion.

 ARLINGTON, TEXAS (CCN) — Cam Collier of the Cincinnati Reds' organization blasted a 409-foot home run to win the MVP award at the 25th annual MLB Futures Game as All-Star Week continued at Arlington's Globe Life Field which is the home of the Texas Rangers.

Collier led the National League prospects to a 6-1 victory over the American League prospects in the annual showcase of the top young players in minor league baseball.

The Detroit Tigers were represented by two of their top prospects in the minors — Single-A outfielder Max Clark and Double-A infielder Hao-Yu Lee. They were a combined 1-for-5 with Clark getting the lone hit on a line drive single.

Clark, who was the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s MLB draft.by the Tigers, is hitting .279 this season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers. He has 6 home runs and an impressive 25 stolen bases. 

The MLB Draft starts on Sunday, followed by the Home Run Derby on Monday and the All-Star Game on Tuesday.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) — Shohei Ohtani spoiled an otherwise perfect night at Comerica Park in Detroit for the streaking Tigers.

They had won 6-of-7 coming into Friday night's (July 12, 2024) series with the National League's West Division leading Los Angeles Dodgers. A sellout crowd of more than 40,000 fans greeted the Tigers who led 3-2 but lost 4-3 on Ohtani's RBI double in the 9th inning.

The heroics by Ohtani showed why he's the highest paid player in baseball at $70 million per year on a 10-year deal.

The superstar had praise for Detroit starting pitcher Tarik Skubal who made a strong case to be the starter at Tuesday's All-Star Game with a strong 6-inning outing. "Hats off to Skubal for pitching really great, really good today,” said Ohtani through interpreter Will Ireton. “But I think we really put up good at-bats and grinded out every single at-bat. So I think the pitch count went up (to 101 pitches) and, as a result, we were able to have a shot to win today.”

Skubal is 10-3 on the year with a sparkling 2.41 earned run average. He has 140 strikeouts in 116 innings of pitching this season.

Friday's 101 pitches was a career high for Skubal who reached 99 mph on the radar gun several times during his 6 innings of work that featured 8 strikeouts against a Dodger' line-up that featured Ohtani as one of four all-stars and two past MVP winners.

“For sure, you could feel it as a player," Skubal told media members afterward about the sellout crowd of 42,070 fans. "You could feel the buzz in the park when I walked out (to warm up) today. That was awesome. Obviously, you want to win in front of those crowds when there’s however many thousands of people here. But we didn’t, so … Do it tomorrow.”

Perhaps the season highlight for young Skubal was striking out the side in the 2nd inning against the middle of the lineup in the potent Dodgers' offense that has carried them to a 7 1/2 game lead in the NL West Division.

Tigers' catcher Jake Rogers had nothing but praise for Skubal afterward to the media, saying, “He’s a firecracker. He was just going after guys. He’s always kind of like that. He was jawing at (plate umpire) John (Libka) a couple times, like he does with umpires, and I told John, ‘I’m sorry. He’s just competing his butt off out there.’”

L.A. closer Daniel Hudson, who had walked only 5 batters all season, walked two Tigers in the bottom of the 9th as the crowd was roaring in anticipation of a Detroit rally. Then Matt Vierling struck out and Hudson got Riley Greene to fly out to end the game.

 Teoscar Hernandez tied the game at 3-3 for the Dodgers with an opposite-field RBI single in the top of the 8th inning. Greene had a two-run double for the Tigers and Justyn Henry Malloy added an RBI single among two hits to build Detroit's 3-2 lead.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Shohei Ohtani who beat the Tigers Friday night with a 9th inning RBI double.

BY MIKE KILLBREATH

CCN Executive Editor

DETROIT (CCN) —  An alarming story has surfaced on a web site known as Awful Announcing about the mysterious 24-day absence by Craig Monroe from the Detroit TIgers' broadcast booth.

Monroe is a color commentator on games for both Bally Sports TV and 97.1 FM The Ticket.

The Detroit News reported at about 10 am today (July 2, 2024) that sources have since told the newspaper that Monroe was removed from his role on broadcasts last month minutes after a post on social media accused him of sexually molesting a girl in Florida. She said on her post that the the abuse continued for years, into his years playing in Detroit for the Tigers. She said she was initially a minor when the abuse began by Monroe while he was playing in the minor leagues.

Fox 2 Detroit TV reported the story last night on its 11 o'clock newscast about the news report by Brandon Contes of Awful Announcing.

The Detroit Tigers and Bally Sports had issued a statement on June 9 indicating that Monroe would be away from the booth while "taking care of a personal problem." The June 9 statement said:  " Craig Monroe is addressing a personal matter and is not on the broadcast schedule. Any further questions should be directed to Craig.” 

Another joint statement was issued to the Detroit News on Tuesday, saying, "Bally Sports Detroit and the Tigers are aware of the social media allegations and take them seriously. As previously stated, Mr. Monroe has not been on the broadcast schedule, and that will continue on an indefinite basis. We will have no further comment and any questions should be directed to Mr. Monroe."

 The woman who accused Monroe last night detailed the abuse she alleged in her June 9 social media post — alleging it dated back to her childhood when talking anonymously to Fox 2 Detroit TV.  

CBS announced an hour ago that the incident is now being investigated by the Sheriff's Department in the Florida county where the alleged sexual assault on the minor took place.  The New York Post and countless other media sources around the USA have now reported the story. Monroe has not made a statement and he has not reacted on his social media accounts 

Contes wrote on Awful Broadcasting that the Instagram account @carbarbie941 accused Monroe of the sex crimes of rape and child molestation. "The woman also additionally accused Monroe of turning her into a prostitute,” Contes wrote.

Monroe played six seasons in Detroit (2002 until 2007) and was selected by the Tigers as their Rookie of the Year in 2003. He made brief Major League Baseball stints in 2001 and 2002 with the Texas Rangers and Tigers. Monroe also played for the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins and Pittsburgh Pirates  during his 9-year MLB career. He played 7 1/2 full seasons in the minors before making Detroit's roster out of spring training in 2003. He was the 206th overall pick in the 1995 draft in the 8th round and the Tigers claimed him off waivers from Texas during the off season after Monroe made his big league debut in 2002.

Monroe was a career .252 hitter with 115 home runs and 435 RBI. He was a .265 hitter in the minors with 100 home runs, 495 RBI and 180 stolen bases. 

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Craig Monroe who has been working on TV telecasts on Major League Baseball games of the Detroit Tigers since 2012.

CINCINNATI (CCN) — . The Detroit Tigers scored three times in the 8th inning to win in Cincinnati Sunday 5–1 over the Reds. Ace pitcher Tarik Skubal had another stellar outing on Sunday, allowing a single run on three hits with a career-high 13 strikeouts to help the Tigers complete a three-game series sweep at Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park. 

The Tigers won 5-4 over the Reds Friday night and won 5-3 on Saturday with a s come-from-behind effort.

 Zach McKinstry had a RBI single in the 4th to put the Tigers ahead 1-0 and after the Reds tied it in the bottom of the 4th. It then stayed 1-1 until the 7th when Colt Keith delivered a RBI single.

 McKinstry ripped a two-run homer in the 8th and newly recalled Austin Meadows added a two-out RBI single for lots of insurance.  Will Fest and Alex Faedo finished off the Reds in relief of Skubal with one inning each of scoreless work 

Sunday's victory improved the Tigers to 42-48 on the season — identical to the Reds and good for 15 games back of the Guardians who come to town tonight to start a three-game series. Game time is 6:40 pm at Comerica Park in Detroit you can tune in via Bally Sports TV or on the radio at 97.1 FM The Ticket. 

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is ace pitcher Tarik Skubal of the Detroit TIgers.

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. (CCN) — The Chase Center, as well as the entire bay area, will never be the same for sports fans. They won't be able to watch one half of their famous "Splash Brothers" act after it was revealed that Klay Thompson is departing the Golden State Warriors.

ESPN reports that after 13 seasons and four NBA championships with fellow backcourt star Steph Curry, Thompson is joining the 2024 NBA finalist Dallas Mavericks via a sign-and-trade deal confirmed today (July 2, 2024).

He was a free agent but agreed to sign a contract to allow the trade to happen with the Mavs.

Thompson is a five-time NBA All-Star who will now join Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in Dallas. The Mavs lost to the Boston Celtics in this year's NBA championship series.

Thompson has averaged 19.1 points per game during his NBA career. He's best known for his 41.3% shooting percentage from behind the 3-point arc. Thompson set a NBA record with a 37-point third quarter in 2015 en route to a 13-for-13 shooting night during a 52-point explosion.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pictured above this story is Klay Thompson who is leaving the Golden State Warriors after 13 seasons to join the Dallas Mavericks who were NBA finalists this season.