Every Detroit Piston fan in the Bad Boys era knew the voice of Ken Calvert, the longtime public address announcer for the Pistons whose introductions of Piston players were memorable and groundbreaking. Calvert’s introduction of Joe DuuuuuuuuuuuMarrrs, still rings in my ears to this day. See my Video of the Day.
Calvert, who passed away at age 72 earlier this week was a legend in Detroit rock and roll radio. He worked for WRIF, WWWW, WCSX, WLLZ, and WABX. He wasn’t just a DJ, he was a personality who embraced rock and roll. He was well respected in the industry, which allowed him to have some of the biggest names on his shows such as Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and of course Bob Seger. He was an avid golfer who was always talking about the golf book he was going to write, titled “How I lined up my fifth putt”. I think about him when I am lining up my third putt as I hope I don’t get to five.
His voice over on the WRIF Baby commercial was one for the ages. See my Second Video of the Day.
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What is in a name? Not much when it comes conference realignment in Division I sports. Do not look for the names of the conference to mean what the words imply. You would think that our institutions of higher learning could at least get the geography and the number correct.
- The Atlantic Coast Conference will consist of 18 teams. Two of which are in California (Cal and Stanford are former Pacific coast teams), one is in Indiana (Notre Dame), one in Texas (SMU) and one in Kentucky (Louisville). Florida State, which is near the Atlantic coast, is threatening to bolt the conference. The only coast near Notre Dame is Lake Michigan. Cal and Stanford are supposedly high academic schools, but maybe not in geography.
- The Southeastern Conference will consist of 16 teams, four of which are west of the Mississippi River (Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Missouri) which hardly counts as east. In the SEC academics are secondary to sports.
- The Big Twelve will consist of 16 teams. They never were big on academics.
- The PAC 12 will have 0 teams. They will be defunct. This is what happens when your games start too late for the rest of the country.
- And the Big Ten which prides itself on academic excellence, will have 18 teams. The academic excellence must not be in math.
Whatever you do, do not put this in permanent ink. It will change before the ink dries.
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The web is starting to surround former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield. Per the Detroit News,
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel unveiled Thursday felony charges of embezzlement against two top staffers of former state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, shining a bright light on the flow of secret dollars to policymakers within state government.
During a press conference in Lansing, Nessel said Rob and Anne Minard financially exploited and defrauded political fundraising accounts through a pattern of improper reimbursements, double billings and falsified records. The attorney general described the Minards as “Lansing power brokers” who took advantage of the state’s weak transparency laws to enrich themselves, wrongfully obtaining $525,000.
“These were concrete abuses in black and white,” Nessel said. “So much so, that in some instances, it’s obvious that they were counting on the fact that no one would ever review it.”
Chatfield held the top position in the Michigan House in 2019 and 2020. Rob Minard was Chatfield’s chief of staff. Rob Minard’s wife, Anne Minard, was his director of external affairs. Nessel’s investigators have been probing Chatfield’s prodigious fundraising for nearly two years. The Levering Republican remains under investigation, Nessel said.
If Michigan continues to have weak transparency laws, some elected officials and their fellow cronies are going to take advantage of the weak laws for their financial gain at the expense of the taxpayers. The state legislature needs to wake up and make changing the rules a priority. What was recently passed is not enough.
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Orchid of the Day goes to Marvin Bagley III and Alec Burks of the Detroit Pistons. Per the Detroit News today.
Deep inside the basement of the Michigan First Credit Union on Evergreen Road lies a secluded bowling alley with eight lanes, the site of the Pistons’ latest community outreach event.
A handful of unsuspecting families thought they were attending a holiday bowling event sponsored by the Detroit Pistons and MFCU, but little did they know what was in store.
At 6:18 p.m., Marvin Bagley III walked through the doors, surprising almost everyone in attendance. After mingling with everyone individually, the Pistons center revealed that he and teammate Alec Burks (who was not in attendance) would pay off more than $80,000 in personal loans for every family in attendance, along with several other pre-selected families who are struggling during the holiday season. Quote of the Day: “It’s a blessing to be in a position to do this. To help people and to see the smiles on their faces and to see how happy they are, it’s just a blessing and it’s something that I don’t take for granted or take lightly. I’m blessed to be able to do this.” Marvin Bagley III.
The Pistons may be on a 24-game losing streaks, but these two guys are winners.
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Today will be my last blog until January 5, 2024. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a happy New Years.
Feel free to share my blog. To receive it in an email, please see the subscribe button below the Video of the Day.
Quote of the Day: Marvin Bagley III. See above story
Orchid of the Day: Marvin Bagley III and Alec Burks of the Detroit Pistons. See above story.
Onion of the Day: Rudy Giuliani for going from America’s mayor to bankruptcy in 20 years.
Questions of the Day: Will the Lions beat Minnesota on Sunday and win their first division title in 30 years?
Video of the Day:
Ken Calvert introducing the Pistons.
Second Video of the Day: Ken Calvert’s famous voiceover in the WRIF Baby commercial.