Dave's Sports Gems

Prince Fielder

2012-01-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

The Tigers are looking very strong now for a serious contention for the World Series now that they signed Prince Fielder. Who would have thought that because Victor Martinez in out for the season we would go and get such a huge addition to the team.

I am excited and look forward to the 2012 season. Go Tigers!

Toledo Mudhens are a lot of fun

2011-07-11T12:27:00.000-07:00

People may think that the Detroit Tigers may be the only baseball team in town. Or maybe even the only tea worth spending any money on at all.
This couldn’t be more from the truth. The Toledo Mudhens have been around for years and it is just a short drive down the freeway to go and watch some up and coming ball players. Maybe you will even be fortunate like I was and get to see a player like Saline resident and Detroit Tiger Brandon Inge doing some rehab to get back to the majors.
Inge had been sick with mononucleosis and was down in Toledo last week when I was able to watch the Tigers’ AAA team play the Columbus Clippers. The game itself was a lot different than a professional game but I will say it is nice once in awhile to see that difference and get watch what these guys go through in order to make it to the majors.
They aren’t making a lot of money and I will bet you that Inge’s salary for one year is way more that what the entire Mudhen team makes. That being said the level of play at Toledo is nowhere near what you get at Detroit.
But, it is cheaper to go to Toledo to watch a game and you will get a seat that is probably better than what you will see with the parent club in Detroit.
They do all kinds of crazy promotions and things between the innings. One of my favorite has to do with picking a certain player from the other team and making them the goat of the game. If that player strikes out during the game a certain section gets free ice cream.
I couldn’t really tell if that pressure wore on the opposing batter but I will say he didn’t strike out at all. In fact, it appeared he had better game. Maybe when they play Columbus again they should pick someone different who may be more likely to strikeout.
Some of the players on the team like Fu-Te Ni and Clete Thomas have been up in the majors before and sent back down. Others like Andy Dirks and Brennan Boesch are up with the Tigers and may stay for awhile.
One player, Max St. Pierre has been with Toledo for years and never really gotten a chance at the majors. He is still holding onto that dream of getting up to the “Bigs” and having fun getting paid for doing what he loves. Although if he got into the majors he would get paid quite a lot more money.
His debut for the Tigers on Sept. 4th of last year made him the oldest Tiger position player to make the MLB since Mike Roarke in 1961. He got a hit during his first start.
The game is fun at any time but the minors tend to make a few more mistakes than the majors. You also get to see more pitchers. The Mudhens threw about five pitchers on the night I went.
I was also fortunate to see a fireworks show, which was fun I will admit but the most interesting part of the entire night was just watching the people and enjoying a very laid back atmosphere.
I would say run out and get season tickets buy season tickets but it might be nice for a change of pace or even a couple times a year. The game is fun and every player has a different story.
Some will rise to the top and end up in the majors while others may reach Toledo and that will be the highest level they ever play. Whatever the case if it comes to Detroit they will more than likely have to come from farm team down in Toledo.
So grab you mitt and put on your baseball hat for an enjoyable time down in the minors.
Check out the Mudhens Web Site at www.toledomudhens.com.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for Heritage West Newspapers and can be reached at dmerchant@heritage.com.

Good luck Wayne Welton

2011-06-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

As a sports reporter and a reporter in general I talk to a lot of people and I get quite a bit of information. I would like to say I will miss Chelsea's Wayne Welton not being an athletic director anymore.
I didn't really ever cover Chelsea directly but I did on a few occasions interview him and get quotes. In my opinion one of the nicest and most professional AD's I ever had the pleasure to work with.
I was at a baseball game quite recently at Lincoln when Chelsea was in town and they gave Wayne a going away present for all his years as AD. I thought that showed a lot of class from Lincoln AD Eve Claar, the Lincoln principal and Splitter baseball coaches Marty and Carlos Lozano. When another school looks that highly on you as a professional that shows me the ultimate compliment.
I know Wayne will be back as the baseball coach and I look forward in my teams battling him. Enjoy your retirement you deserve it!

Life as a blogger

2011-05-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

I have been blogging now for quite a few years for the paper and I am not exactly sure who or if anyone reads this stuff. I try to make it interesting and worth while for people to read. It doesn't always work out that way.
I loves sports and I cover mostly high school sports but I have also covered and interviewed such former Belleville players as Cullen Jenkins, Ian Gold and even TJ Lang who played and Eastern Michigan University and is now a Green Bay Packer.
I have interviewed such players as Joe Montana, Lem Barney, Kirk Gibson and Chet Lemon to name a few. It is a fun gig if you can get it. The hours can be kind of a hassle what with a family and all but the rewards can be pretty good.
I guess you never know what will happen and sometimes that is the best part. Keep on reading and I will keep on writing. Thank you for your support and I look forward to hearing from you.
Dmerchant@heritage.com.

Red Wings are thrilling

2011-05-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Okay,

Winning the last three games in a row for the Red Wings has been interesting. No, let me put it another way it has been exciting.
Now all they have to do is win one more game tomorrow night and they get to go to the next round. The last two games I have watched have been some of the best professional hockey I have ever witnessed.
I just hope they have some energy for the final game. I also hope that Jimmy Howard can stand on his head and do a great job.

Go Wings!

area tracks teams will be strong

2011-04-10T06:57:00.001-07:00

Lincoln and Ypsilanti track teams for both the boys' and girls' will be relatively strong this season. I know both teams run and compete in the Southeast Conference's White conference but I feel this teams could give the ones in the Red conference a run for their money. I really like the two coaches that Ypsilanti (Torin Moore) and Lincoln (Derek Gonzales) have. These coaches know their track and they know how to be successful. I am looking forward to some good meets from both the Splitters and the Phoenix. Manchester and Belleville track should be decent as well. I am still learning the ins and outs of the Cascades but with each sport I feel I get a better understanding of who is good and who isn't. Belleville has no track due to construction of the new school and athletic fields. They may be asking Romulus for some help for a place to run and compete. I am not sure how that will work out. Rest assured things are going to get hot and heavy and in a hurry. I can't wait until the weather is nice and in the 80s. If anyone has ideas of some track features or spring features here is my email and all you have to do is send them to me at dmerchant@heritage.com or leave it as a comment on this blog.

Belleville's home game at EMU

2011-02-14T11:21:00.001-08:00

Most players in any sport like to have a home field or a home court advantage. This week the Belleville basketball teams took to the hard courts of Eastern Michigan University to face a familiar foe in Romulus.
The games were considered home games for the Belleville Tigers and the Lady Tigers. Part of the reason the teams played at EMU was because Belleville High School is because they are getting a new school and the parking lot is completely torn up and it would have been impossible to host the Eagles’ and their fans for this classic hoop matchup.
Tiger Athletic Director Rod Fisher said they had a game at EMU about six years ago before he was the athletic director.
“It was when Ypsilanti and Belleville were both ranked in the state,” Fisher said. “It went well.”
He said last year during the home game against Romulus they had to turn people away at the gate because they couldn’t hold that many in the gym at Belleville.
“I anticipate that we will have a crowd between 1,200 and 1,400,” he said. “The first time we played it was close until the fourth quarter.”
Junior Kaylynn Counts said it felt different to play a game in the university setting.
“We practiced here the day before,” Counts said. “It didn’t feel at home.”
Fellow junior Diajah Ruffin made an interesting point about the game.
“It is not about the arena,” Ruffin said. “It did take away an advantage.”
Tiger coach Don Hickman said that it a good experience for his players to be able to play on a college court but also said that it doesn’t always make for the best games.
“I would have preferred to have played at Belleville,” Hickman said after the loss. “It was a great experience for our kids but we didn’t have all the pomp and circumstances.”
Hickman said there wasn’t much they could do without a parking lot so they were very grateful that the people at EMU and the staff were able to let them play a game at their facility.
Tiger junior guard Jerome Pearson said he liked having the game at EMU but admitted it did take something away from the classic Belleville and Romulus basketball battles.
“We had to adapt to it,” Pearson said. “There was not as much hype and it wasn’t as big.”
Whatever the reason for having the game at EMU this rivalry between the two schools is great for high schools sports and I have seen well over s dozen really good battles between these schools and I have to say it is better played on each other’s court.
I don’t think these teams need to play at EMU or any neutral site unless it is the post season and the teams are battling for advancement into the state finals.
I have seen some great players in these matchups. From Belleville’s Mohamed Conde and Nate Hand from Romulus’ Ron Coleman and Jerret Smith there have been some games that in my opinion were just awesome to watch.
These games last Friday left me with s lot less to remember than the games of the past. I know the arena doesn’t make that much of a difference but for my money I want to watch these teams battle either at Romulus or Belleville.

Joy of the holidays

2010-12-14T09:00:00.001-08:00

The holidays are often a time for joy and fun. Many people celebrate them in totally different ways.
One of the greatest things about living in the United States is the ability to celebrate how you like and not be frowned upon or persecuted for one’s beliefs.
I think people take that freedom for granted in too many ways. They don’t always look at things in such a positive manner. Freedom of religion is one of the best freedoms we as Americans can have.
Whether people believe we should have a nativity set up at City Hall or a Christmas display in the park. I think those things bring people together. They unite communities and allow people to have similar beliefs and bonds with one another.
Granted, not all religions celebrate the birth of Christ or even give gifts for Christmas, but one must realize how big of an event the holiday has become.
The money that a lot of businesses and stores make during the holiday helps them make it through the slower periods in January and February. People celebrate with gifts, visiting relatives and in many areas just being with family.
What can be better than spending time with the people you love the most? This time of year really means so much to so many different people.
Whether someone is going to church to pray, going to grandmother’s house for supper or dessert or spending time with a friend, it is all equally important. In the end it is about doing what makes you happy and being with the people you love.
It sounds so simple and it isn’t always that easy, but being with the one’s you love is really what makes this time of the year one of the best.
I, for one, will be having an interesting time considering that my oldest child will be a teen-ager seven days before Christmas. This wouldn’t be so bad except she is now only one inch shorter than me and I really feel she is not quite done growing.
About 13 years ago almost to the day I wrote a column about her being born and what a joy it was to have a baby for Christmas. It was one of the proudest accomplishments of my life. Getting married and having a baby are two of the best things in my life. The next is the birth of my son a few years later.
The funny thing was I always said I wanted a daughter first and a boy later. Now as she is getting older I am not so sure that was the best thing to wish for.
It really seems like the time has flown by for my family and I. Over the 13 years I have covered so many events and met so many different people. Being in Dexter and Chelsea now and covering those communities really sheds light on what this all means to me.
People are very interesting to me and covering different aspects of the news and sports worlds is also interesting. I love hearing the different ideas and meeting the different types of people in this job. Everyone has a voice and it is part of my job to explain those voices.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the Dexter Leader and Chelsea Standard and can be reached at 734-429-7380 or dmerchant@heritage.com

Tiger Volleyball

2010-09-23T07:04:00.001-07:00

The volleyball season just got underway for the Tigers last week and it was an interesting opening. The power was out at Dearborn Heights Annapolis High School so the teams were forced to go the middle school.
The interesting part of that is the gym at OW Best Middle School doesn’t exactly hold a lot of fans. So with a packed middle school the two teams played a very interesting match.
The Tigers played good in the first two matches and won rather convincingly over the Cougars. The team this season is made up of a lot of seniors and upper classmen.
The lone sophomore on the squad this season is Desiree Clemons.
In the third game, which I thought, Belleville played a little less aggressive than the first two the Tigers found themselves down 22-12 before the serving of junior Destiny Hudson came into play. I must admit Hudson is a gamer she came in and served out the game.
She also managed a few aces along the way. I really liked what I saw from her and the rest of the team during that final game. Belleville has some solid players this year and I am sure they will do well in the Western Wayne Athletic Conference.
The seniors on the team this season are Kamila Price, Jessica Hughes, Bridget Cole, Jorri Scruggs, Mariah Hawley, Audrey Sullens, Samantha Hayden, Sierra Westcott and Katelyn LaPrairie. The other junior for the locals is Kaylyn Counts.
I also liked the energy that coach Mike Musser showed during the game. It was his first varsity game and win since taking the program over from Sam Villa who went to help coach the football team.
Musser is a gamer and you can tell he never gives up. He even said after the win that he would not change the lineup when the team was down by so many points in the third game.
It is extremely early in the season and the girls haven’t had a lot of live action especially considering they had one tournament already cancelled on them.
Despite being in a the gym of a middle school both teams drew a good crowd and I think it was exciting for the fans and I know the players have much more to offer.
The football team at Belleville is doing well and getting some well-deserved press but don’t forget that the girls on the volleyball team are also starting out well.
Sports at Belleville are looking like they are making an insurgence and the fall sports are the first ones to make it count this season.
Look for more exciting action and features in the paper in weeks to come. I would like to do features on as many athletes as I can so if you think I missed anyone give me a call or an email.
Heck, send me an email with the picture and I will work my hardest to get it in the paper.

Ypsi/Chelsea football preview

2010-09-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

The Ypsilanti Phoenix (1-1) football team will have its hands full on Friday night when the visit the Chelsea Bulldogs (2-0) for a 7 p.m. Southeast Conference White Division match up.
Chelsea is coming off a 31-20 win over Monroe last week and they opened the season with a 26-7 win over Ann Arbor Huron. They play no non-league games this season. Last year they finished 8-3 before losing in the Division 3 district finals to Adrian 30-20.
Amazingly the team has made the playoffs under coach Brad Bush (former Ypsilanti High quarterback) 11 out of the last 12 years. The only year they didn’t make it was 2005.
Top players on the team this season include senior quarterback and two-year starter Brian Paulsen. Sophomore running back Berkley Edwards whose brother, Braylon is a National Football League player for the New York Jets. The other running backs on the team are senior Chris Ballow and senior Joey Newland.
One very talented offensive tackle is senior Connor Tait (6-6, 225) and on defense one star in linebacker Cal Bauer (5-11, 215).

Belleville's JaVaunte Mackson is a three-sport athlete

2010-08-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

Belleville's three-star athlete JaVaunte Mackson has been so busy these last few years with three varsity sports that he almost forgot to get his driving license. But don't worry this speedster on the track and football field just passed the driving part of the test so he is now legal.Mackson is a star football player for the Tigers who also plays varsity basketball and track and was fast enough to win the Division 1 regional in the 100-meter dash last spring.Currently several schools are looking at him for football and they include Northwood, Princeton, Syracuse University and Columbia University.“I want this to be a turnaround season for us in football,” Mackson said. “I want us to beat Saline and I think if we do we can make it to the playoffs.”He said everyone on the football team is a lot more about team this season and less about doing things for themselves.“Everyone is more positive,” he said. “This team cares, we have a lot of seniors on the team and we are like a family.”For him this team has fought a lot harder this year in practice. He said they strive for perfection.“We are having more fun in the game,” he said. “And we are having more fun doing it.”He and the team want them to have a better record this season and Mackson truly believes the team could go 6-3 or maybe even 7-2.Mackson and his friend Jacques Reeves have been playing the same position for years and competing with each other.“We both play corner and I have known him since the fifth grade when we played basketball together,” he said. “We always try to push each other to the limit and we are trying to go to the same college together.”When football is over he miss playing it in high school but he will begin basketball and after basketball he will run track. He has goals this season and one is to break his own school record in the 100-meter dash and to finish better than the top six in the 100-meter dash at the state meet.Tiger coach Matt Davenport really likes the talent this athlete possess.“He is the fastest kid in the school,” Davenport said. “He is a three-year varsity player and getting better every day.”Davenport said that he is really becoming a team leader and he is a starting half-back and corner.“He is a good athlete while maintaining a good grade point average,” he said. “I am looking for JaVaunte to our 'big play' athlete.”Mackson has two sisters Moenai (12), Meeye (10) and one brother Maurice (6). His mother, Mia Robinson, and family are big supporters of his athletics.This season he will be wearing the number 21 on the football field in honor of his friend Chris King from Saline who died recently.He offers some simple advice to multiple sport athletes who want to continue in college.“You have to do your school work first and get a lot of rest,” Mackson said. “Your body can shut down if you don't take a break.”

Bob Probert dies

2010-07-06T06:00:00.001-07:00

I have been a Red Wing fan my entire life. I remember when they struggled in the 70s and were just becoming a good team as Steve Yzerman and Bobby Probert were coming up.It saddens me that the man passed away on Monday at the young age of 45. Some of the best fights I have ever seen on the ice had Probert in them. I even remember the one All-Star game that he actually got in a fight. I always thought that was funny that most of the time they don't even wear a helmet in the All-Star game and this time they had fighting.I also remember the Wings getting ready to play in a big game against the Edmonton Oilers and instead of going to bed they went out drinking and lost the game very badly. I can't be for sure but I bet Probert was out drinking with the boys that night.I am sad that he has passed and I hope he will be remembered for the good things and not so much for the trouble or the bad things that happened in his life.

Good bye seniors

2010-06-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

All things must come to an end. When you start covering athletes from the time they enter high school (sometimes earlier) to the time they graduate you get to a point where you feel you really know the kids you cover. Whether it is watching a student go from being a freshman on the junior varsity football team or maybe some of those rare athletes who play varsity for four years staright.
To me those athletes are in many regards special almost like members of the family. Not that I would go and invite them over for dinner but by the same regard you feel an attachment to them. Almost as if you see them as another child. We cover them when they are doing well and we watch them struggle as almost eveyone does. The point I am trying to make is these people become a very active part of the sports section and in many ways it is sad to see them go.
Granted a lot of them go onto college and will be playing at the next level so hopefully I will get to do one or two more articles to let people in the community know what these very special individuals are doing.
Never the less I will miss writing their names in the paper every week and letting people know what they are doing for their sports teams.
This year quite a few of these type of athletes will be leaving high school behind and beginng yet another step into the aventure that we call life.
The biggest one that comes to my mind right now is Lincoln's Andrew Dillon. This man has played varsity football, basketball and baseball for the past four years. I have watched him develop talked to him in person and on the phone and wrote a lot of good things about him.
Now even as I write this out he is tearing it up on the baseball diamond and setting a new home run record for the Splitters for a single season. I have never seen one athletes so revered and talked about (in all three sports) as his coaches and the other coaches in the Southeast Conference have been. Dillon has got game and that isn't just in one sport.
Good luck, Andrew in college and all you do. He is going to be playing baseball for Oakland University next season and I can bet he will turn heads in that league as well.
Ypsilanti's Zevin Carter has been an extremely good track athletes for several years now. She will be racing at the state meet in a few days and will be headed to Minnesota State University to run track and become a nurse.
The Phoenix also had Conner Heine graduate this season and I can tell you I saw this player do some great things on the basketball court in his career. He can play basketball with the best of them and I hope he continues doing so at the next level. I know Coach Steve Brooks will miss him and would probably like five or six just like him on the team.
Belleville's Mohamed Conde was one such player I have covered all four years at Belleville. Not only his is a good athlete and basketball player he has always been a nice person and a good interview. He will be playing basketball at Saginaw Valley University and plans to be a big part of their team in a couple of years. Good job, Mo!
How about senior track star Chyann Hawk? Four events for a state competition. I hope you Grandmother brings enough food for the team at the state meet.
Willow Run's Garrett Davis and Maurice Jordan were both very good athletes and both have strong futures ahead of them. I know Davis will play football for my aluma mater Wayne State University and I am sure they fell glad to have a player with such talent. He has been one of those interviews that I can depend on and that I love to do. Jordan was a basketball player with a lot of talent that had a tremendous season this year. I think he and his coach were surprised when he was named our area's player of the year in hoops.
This players and many like them are just quality individuals and I will miss covering them and writing about them. I thing that a lot of thanks goes to the athlete's parents' teachers, coaches and even athletic directors and athletic support staff.
I can't wait to start over next season with the new talent and the juniors who become seniors.

Youth is not wasted on the young

2010-04-17T04:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I signed my two children up for baseball and softball and you know what? It felt good. I am really glad that my kids will be able to enjoy some summer sports for the first time in quite a while.
I look forward to watching them play and seeing how much fun they will have in the field. I live in Allen Park but they will be playing at the fields in Melvindale which are right around the corner from our house.
I don't think my son will be the next George Brett or Wade Boggs and I am not even sure that he knows who those are.
I do know he was excited and so was my daughter. That makes me excited that they are both looking forward to the season.
I will not be coaching and all I want to do sit back and relax. Have a good time and watch some games on Tuesday night. I plan on having some good columns come out of this so look for them in the future.
You know how to get in touch with me if you have any ideas for stories. My email is dmerchant@heritage.com.

Cuts cost more than people think

2009-12-28T10:31:00.000-08:00

I was alarmed the other day when I found out how much money was cut out of the athletic budget at Willow Run High School. I know education is the most important foundation of any student's life but with that should come athletics.
I know for a fact most of these student athletes will not be turning professional and making football or basketball a career but I also know that a few of those can get college scholarships out of athletics and in turn use that to make a better life for themselves.
Does this huge cut in athletics translate to something more? I think it does. I am confused about why so much has to be cut. The junior varsity and lower programs will be out and the position of athletic director has also been eliminated. It seems to me to be a bit drastic and it will not attract other students to the district. In fact, I will bet it causes some students to reevaluate their positions and maybe go else where for an education.
I also wonder will this be something that Ypsi High, Lincoln or even Belleville will be looking at doing in the very near future?
I hope not but only time will tell the answer to that question.

High School wrestling is exciting

2009-12-15T08:51:00.001-08:00

High school wrestling is one of those sports that is very hard to pick up and start as a freshman in high school. In order to be good student athletes need to really start wrestling in middle school or even a little bit earlier.
If you look at the really good programs in the area or if you are familiar with the teams like Bedford (who have numerous state title) than you realized these kids start at an early age.
It is not a sport that people take easily too. There are a lot of moves, stances and maneuvers that you have to learn and practice over and over again. The real good programs have coaches who were in their own right good wrestlers at the high school and even the college level.
I have seen some great kids come out of wrestling and covered a few state champions. There was one person out of Flat Rock whose name was Casey Steffen who was perhaps one of the best wrestlers of his era. This guys was so good and so fast that when we sent photographers out to get a picture half the time his opponent was pinned and the referee had Stefan’s hand in the air for the win before we could get an action shot. We are talking in less than 15-20 seconds he had his opponent pinned.
Another very impressive wrestler was Chad Schoen out of Gibraltar Carlson. He won the state title at (189) and was a tremendous football player (much like Steffen).
I had the honor a few years ago to cover Greg Egbert from Ypsilanti who made it all the way to the state meet before dropping his first match. According to his old high school Coach Claudell Ruffin Egbert is now wrestling for Eastern and waiting for a very good (125) ahead of him to graduate so he can get than spot.
The funny thing about the sport is that it doesn’t usually get a lot of fans. The meets can be very long and the tournaments, which are usually held on Saturdays, can go on forever. I like the fact that they can get in five matches at a tournament and usually one or two during the week.
The hard part of the sport is weighing in and actually having to make those weights every time. It makes for some tough times when they have to drop weight to get in a match. Give these kids a lot of credit while their friends are all out scarfing down fast food they are eating healthy and training.
Don’t think that being on a wrestling team is a piece of cake and don’t think those kids are not busting their humps in order to succeed.
I know Belleville has had a long history of very good wrestlers and if you look on the wall in the gym you will see some great names from the past of athletes who did well in the sport. Their coaches are always very astute in the sports and whether it is head Coach Anthony Munoz or assistant (former head coach) Mike Sherman you can rest assure those kids are ready for action each and every time they hit the mat.
Lincoln’s new Coach Mike Epps is also very knowledgeable of the sport and I can tell he really wants to drive this team to the top of the SEC and build a solid foundation in the middle school. Marvin Jones at Willow Run has been gaining wrestlers every season and getting that program pointed in the right way.
Don’t think of wrestling as a sport to fill the time between seasons because it is a very involved and intricate sport that requires a lot of blood sweat and tears.

Lions game was a treat!

2009-12-01T12:40:00.001-08:00

I was treated to a rare Turkey Day treat on Thanksgiving. Because of the Belleville and Eastern Michigan University ties the paper has with a few current members of the Green Bay Packers I was able to go and watch the Detroit Lions battle the Packers at Ford Field.
Cullen Jenkins of Belleville is a defensive end for the Pack and is in his sixth season with the team. T.J. Lang is a rookie one year removed from Eastern Michigan University and he plays offensive guard and tackle.
It was a pretty busy Thanksgiving Day in Detroit as usual so I told my sports editor, Don Richter, that we better leave for the game by 10:30 a.m. Kickoff was set for 12:30 p.m. and I wasn’t sure the amount of traffic we would run into down in D-Town.
As I expected we were forced off the freeway because of the Thanksgiving Day Parade and forced to circle around Ford Field through an alternative route. We had to swoop in for the tickets and parking pass but I have to admit despite talking about 30 minutes to do that it was much better than paying $50 for parking by the field.
We found our parking space a few blocks from the field and got on the bus to take us to the game. It was nice having a press pass. We didn’t have to wait in any line and we were able to flash it to the security who promptly informed us were the press box was and the elevator.
We decided to walk the seven flights of stairs up to the press box (something I wouldn’t advise in the future). When we got there guess what they had to ear? Turkey and stuffing and carbonated beverages were on tap for us in the box.
Not too shabby considering must of the high school football games that I attend do not even have a cup for us to put water in out of the team’s water jugs. That being said we ate and rubbed elbows with coaches from both teams and local media and sports writers like Rob Parker and some from the Associated Press like Scott Held (who I worked with in Southgate with the News-Herald).
After we ate we took our seats and watched the game. As expected the Lions didn’t fare all that well and things definitely had a green tint to them on the day and the Packers walked away with what turned out to be an easy win.
While, the reason I went to the game was to interview the two of the players so it was no surprise it was time to head to the locker room and find out how the other side lives. Let me tell you it lives rather well and from what I can tell the professional level of sports is a totally different experience than watch the Belleville Tigers, the Ypsilanti Phoenix or even the EMU Eagles.
These guys are use to success and you can tell that they don’t get bothered by the media and the media loved to feed on whatever they have to say.
After waiting or the players I wanted to interview to become available and get out of the showers I was reminded exactly how big these professional athletes really were. I mean they were giants and besides being tall they were all in extremely good shape.
So I was able to talk with Jenkins and I asked him what it was like coming home to play and how many friends and family he had at the game. He said he had around 50 people at the game and admitted that was slightly more than usual. He said the win was a very big one for him and his team especially after not having the start to the season they would have liked.
I asked him about the crowds and the cheering at the game and he said he doesn’t even hear it or admitted that if he did hear it he was so focused on his assignments and what he needed to do that it didn’t matter to him.
Jenkins said he still talks to his old high school coach Bob LaPointe from time to time but admits it is kind of hard to keep track of his former team.
Lang who is a rookie this season admitted he had about 50 people at the game to watch him as well. He loves playing the sport and admits that he is learning a lot and just glad to be on the field and help the team anyway possible. He seemed a bit more eager to play in front of his friends and family that Jenkins. The funny part was Jenkins could almost laugh about how the rookie was with the reporters and other members of the media. Despite the loss (as expected by the Lions) it was a bunch of fun to be at the game and I really did enjoy the entire experience.

Fall football was a blast!

2009-11-18T15:50:00.001-08:00

As the fall sport season winds down for high school and college it is interesting to see what happened with the area schools.
In football the closest of the four local schools to make the playoffs turned out to be Willow Run who unfortunately finished with a 5-4 record and just barely missed the first round of the post season. After losing the first four games of the season.
Flyer Coach Rufus Pipkins rallied the troops as they rattled off four straight before the season ending lose to Riverview. They did quite well for themselves but in the end the Pirates wanted the win a little bit more than Willow Run and thus the season was over.
Lincoln did win two games in a row, which was a first for them in quite some time. The unfortunate part was that those were the only wins the team had all season.
Splitters’ Ryan Bottorff was named to the Southeast Conference defensive first team as a defensive back and Samii Ismail as a linebacker.
On the offensive first team was Andrew Dillon as a back, Kendall Thompson led the area in receiving as a sophomore and Terrance North was an at-large player.
Honorable mention on the defensive team for Lincoln was Marcus Williams and Omar Robinson. Honorable mention for the offense was junior offensive lineman Dontrell Lemon.
In the first ever battle against Ypsilanti the Rails fell. The interesting part of that was that the Phoenix only managed one win all season and it happened in the rivalry battle between the two Ypsilanti schools.
It was a game that didn’t have the best stats. Neither team was able to do much in the rain and the wind. But in the end Terrance Moore and his team was victorious on the road against Dillon and his team.
Moore was named to the Southeast Conference’s defensive first team for defensive back and Marquis Gollman was an at large player for the first team.
Belleville had themselves a pretty good season and picked up three wins to boot. The Tigers broke a very long losing streak and did pretty well in the Western Wayne Athletic Conference.
Western Wayne Athletic Conference Blue Division all-conference players were junior Brian Bishop who played defensive end and tight end, senior Antonio LaBoda who was a full back and defensive end and senior Eugene Anderson who played split end and defensive back.
These players deserve recognition. I saw each and every one of them plays more than one time this season. I really enjoyed the football season.
The two things that really stick out for me on the season was Lincoln beating Dexter for their second win of the season and watching Belleville drop Redford Union for their first win in over 20 games and the first win since I have been covering them full-time.
Now we get ready for girls’ and guys’ hoop. It should be fun it should be exciting. I hope that I can see some very good games this season.
Win or lose the most important thing is that the kids have fun and use the world of sports as a classroom and continue to learn on and off the court. See you on the hardboards.

Football on I-94

2009-10-15T10:03:00.001-07:00

The game that I billed last week as a great battle on the gridiron between Ypsilanti and Lincoln was not quite what I expected.
First I didn’t think that it was going to rain all day and the conditions on the field were horrible. I wanted a passing battle with some good runs by some very talented quarterbacks (Terrance Moore of Ypsi and Andrew Dillon of Lincoln) but instead I got a battle of the sludge slowed down by mud and rain with a little of what I thought was snow.
Congrats to Ypsi and Coach Malloy for the first win of the Phoenix season. I want to say a special shout out to the Ypsilanti kicker who wisely stepped out of bounds to take a safety that could have been the difference in the game. Ypsi only won it 6-2.
Good luck this week to the local teams. Belleville will and should beat Crestwood. Willow Run should roll Romulus Summit Academy, Ypsi will have trouble with Saline even though the Hornets are struggling and Lincoln will host Huron and who knows what will happen on that one.
All I know is now that the “Battle of I-94” is on between Ypsi and Lincoln there will be some good football games in the future.
Chow for now!

Poole out at Ypsi

2009-10-01T07:01:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday the officials at Ypsilanti High School and the Head Coach of five years, Dave Poole, decided to go separate ways.
Ypsilanti Athletic Director Chuck Fuller said the replacement for the remainder of the season is former assistant Coach Jason Malloy.
“We decided to go in a different direction,” Fuller said. “Absolutely I think he was getting burnt out.”
The Phoenix this season are 0-5 and have yet to win a game in their new league the Southeast Conference (SEC). Tomorrow they will host Dexter for homecoming.
Poole has been coaching with the football teams at Ypsilanti for almost 13 years and at the varsity level for five years. He will remain as a physical education teacher at the high school.
Malloy will take over as the interim coach and he is currently a fifth grade teacher in the district. He has head coaching experience at Lincoln High School.
“We will evaluate the situation at the end of the season and make a determination on it (head coaching position) at that time,” he said.

Life is one giant Blog

2009-09-17T06:32:00.001-07:00

Time to Blog. While I guess it is my time to add something to our sports blog. I have to say things are interesting out in Saline. It isn’t quite the same as the office we had on Main Street in Belleville and the drive is a lot more.
I guess it will be better once things get situated and back to normal. What with school and everything I know have one child in sixth grade at one school and one in third grade at another school. I want to say happy birthday to my son, Spencer who will be eight tomorrow. I can’t believe he is already eight it seems like not that long ago I was writing at the News-Herald and had to get a week off during football season to see the birth and be with my wife.
My how times flies and what a different direction life takes us in. The same company and now I am 45 miles from home and writing for Belleville and Ypsilanti schools.
This week in football should be good. I have Lincoln against Dexter which after last week’s performance by the Splitters should be another win. I also have Belleville against Jackson Northwest which should by all account be a win for the Tigers who really got beaten and beaten bad Fordson last week (one of the worst loses I have ever seen).
Willow Run is not playing up to par so I am not sure about them and Detroit Allen Academy. It is a 50-50 chance for either. I would like to see Ypsilanti win against Tecumseh but they are struggling with number and have yet to crack a win yet.
Good luck teams and I hope no one gets hurt and the weather stays nice. Man I love the fall!

Tigers are hot

2009-09-09T04:07:00.000-07:00

The Detroit Tigers are having a good season. There is no doubt of that and I certainly hope to see them in the World Series. This time of the season is almost as much fun as the playoffs. I keep watching and checking all the stations and web sites to see what they are doing.

I also am looking forward to the Detroit Lions (not sure why). I was hoping that Eastern Michigan University's Spenser Smith would make the team. He was very nice to talk with and interview at practice when I visited the Lions. Chris Roberson made the team on the injured list and he was interesting to interview (another former EMU guy).

Now that high school football is underway I might get a double dose and see Ecorse and Willow Run and the night game is Belleville at Fordson. This will be a bit tougher that last week when the Tigers played Redford Union.

See ya on the football field!

Football is exciting

2009-08-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Here we are again just a few weeks away from the start of high school football camp. I am excited about the upcoming season. I look forward to watching Ypsi High and Lincoln play each other as well as seeing if Belleville will crack into the win column this season. Willow Run should be good this season as well.
Let me know what is going on in your community and if you have anything (pictures, stories) to put in to the View or Courier.

I really can't wait until the season starts. I love football under the Friday night lights. See ya soon.

Red Wings are exciting

2009-05-15T08:17:00.001-07:00

The Red Wings were a lot of fun yesterday to watch. I love the excitement of a Game 7 in the playoffs. Nothing has more adrenaline to me than play well or shut up and go home.
That is even more fun when you consider it builds up with each game and then explodes at the end for the winner.
I guess the Wings were not ready to go and play golf just yet. The Ducks will have to tell them what the weather is like on the golf courses.
I agree with what Mickey Redmond said on the radio this morning “the Ducks are Dirty.” I have no doubt in my mind the better and cleaner hockey team won the series.
Bring on the Chicago Black Hawks, baby! Two of the original six teams of the National Hockey League should make for an interesting battle. I can’t remember the last time these two teams played this late in the season.

The weather like the economy is a downer

2009-04-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sure is a bummer about this weather. I would like to get out and see a track meet this spring.
So far I have seen some baseball and softball but there are so many sports in the spring. I wish this economy would get better and all these people wouldn’t keep getting laid off. Just when things look like they will get better or turn around something else happens. I guess all we can do is the best we can and hope that gets us through this tough economic times.
I hope all the teachers in Belleville that are being laid off can find work and don't have such a hard time in the future. Good luck to them and I hope all turns out well. It looks like several of them are coaches for varsity sports and I hope they can find jobs coaching in the future as well.

Fast and furious

2009-04-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

The best part of this time of year is waiting for the weather to break and watching sports on Saturday outside with shades on and pen and paper in hand.
Granted it didn’t seem like this last week in fact sometimes the cold weather in the spring is worse than football season at the end.
I guess that is because you get used to the cold before winter hits and in the spring you are trying to get use to the hot before summer hits. I am sure it makes sense to some people.
The track season for Belleville this year is strictly meets in the Mega Red, which may make it hard for them to advance outside of league play.
As of Tuesday Belleville varsity baseball was 0-9 and had yet to win a game. I hope they do well on Wednesday against the Allen Park Jags but they have five more games this week after that.
I know the baseball team at Ypsilanti High is quite young as well but who knows they might do well. Lincoln baseball has a lot of experience coming back and I expect good thing the rest of they way from them.
Let the spring sport seasons get hectic and let the fun begin. Give me a call sometime when summer hits and I won’t be so busy.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the View and Courier newspapers and can be contacted at 734-697-8255 or read online at www.ypislanticourier. com. My email is dmerchant@heritage.com.

Spring has sprung!

2009-04-01T06:21:00.001-07:00

I can’t lie. Spring is not my favorite time of the year for high school sports. It is a crazy time with a ton of games and events and the weather playing such a big part of the season early on.
The only good part about the spring season is that after that comes summer and that means hot weather, swimming and vacations.
Enough about that the spring has always and will most certainly remain the hardest season for prep writers to cover. Instead of one football game a week to cover you could easily have six or more softball games in a week (all with the same pitcher).
Track season is always a challenge because you have both boys’ and girls’ teams with several events and points are given in the top three individual events and the first place in relays. The action is non-stop there is always something to write about.
It makes it very hard to write any features because there is so much going on with the actual teams.
There is baseball, softball, track, soccer, golf, lacrosse, tennis and maybe a sport or two that I am forgetting right now. The athletes that are seniors are just waiting to graduate and sometimes they are hit by a case of “senioritis” which can have no good effect on any of the teams they play sports on.
The early part of the season can be exciting as teams adjust to the bitter cold outside weather in the spring in Michigan. There has been many a time I have watched my first baseball or softball game of the season with my winter coat on and my gloves.
I remember one game watching it and freezing so much that after the game the coach saw I was blue and said he would keep his comments quick and to the point. I appreciated that but it was colder and windier than a football game in October.
I have run track and can remember practicing or actually have a meet in a snowstorm. That isn’t the funniest experience I have ever had especially when you consider I ran the hurdles.
Ok, maybe running them was not the best reference but I did do them. I was not very quick and not very good but I had fun.
I really want to do the best job I can of covering all the spring sports. It is going to be hard to put them all in the paper each week but please keep with me and help me get as much stuff in the paper as possible.
These kids work hard in this are and I want to recognize them as much as I can in the paper. They deserve it. Some of them may got to college and play sports and high school will not be that big of a deal to them.
There are always those who are done after this season and can only look back at their scrapbooks or remember the good times they had with their friends.
Who knows maybe they will show their children or grandchildren articles I have written about them several years from now.
A journalist is an historian. We write in active tenses but it is a record for people to keep and remember. We may write about the things as they happen but believe it or not it is a record for the past as well.
So help me capture the magic so all can read and enjoy it for generations to come.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the View and Courier newspapers and can be reached at dmerchant@heritage.com or 734-697-8255.

Big game Friday night at Romulus High

2009-02-10T11:16:00.001-08:00

There is going to be a big Mega Red hoops game on Friday night. The Belleville Tigers will be on the road at Romulus against the Eagles.
This will be the game that will either make the Tigers the number one team in the final year of the Mega Red or it will make it possible for Romulus to be Co-champs.
I saw the first time these teams faced off against each other earlier this season and I must admit I was surprised that is was so lop-sided in score. I really thought the game would be much tighter but Coach Don Hickman’s Tigers proved they were better and they wanted to win more.
Nate Oats and the Eagles will be gunning for them at home and I guarantee about 2,000 or so fans will be filling the stands. It will be exciting and I hope that it is not a blowout either way.
It will be interesting because in just a few weeks these two teams will most certainly meet in the district finals.
Time will tell but look for some good basketball.

High school sports are fun!

2009-01-27T05:56:00.000-08:00

Watching a high school sport is something everyone should try at least once in his or her life. I am not saying people have to go and watch everything just pick an event and go watch your team compete.
Some sports are much more watched than others. I have been to some games that didn’t have any fans and I have seen the gymnasium full at a boys’ basketball game between Belleville and Ypsilanti High.
A lot of the people go to the games to watch the sport but there are just as many there for the social aspect of the game. People like to come out and socialize. The games give them a chance, or I should say a reason to do just that.
I like high school sports which is good because if I didn’t it would make it awfully difficult to report on them. I don’t always look for the best players or the person who scores the most points. There are many good stories out there that haven’t been told about the person who just made the team or maybe the player who comes out for the first time and doesn’t see much game action but is as important to the team as any of the starters.
This area has a lot of talent and the student athletes all have a lot of potential. I know everyone wants to make the pros or would love to get the scholarship to college. But realistically it isn’t possible for that to happen for too many players.
The chance that there is a possibility to make it to the next level is what I think drives a lot of these athletes on. It makes them work harder and better to become that person who stands out in a crowd. I have watched thousands of kids play high school sports and seen only a few make to college on a full-ride.
Those I have seen have been pretty special and they have worked very hard. There is always someone out there that will take your spot if you don’t make it academically or don’t work as hard as you can on and off the field.
Just because a college coach or recruiter is looking at you doesn’t mean you can ease up or give it any less. Think about it. If you give less someone else will be more than happy to take your place. Wrestling is one of those sports that you really have to have a passion for to enjoy. It is a tough, grueling sport that puts you one-on-one with an opponent of equal or very close to equal weight. You battle and in the end the other person to blame for a win or loss is you. I want to thank Vera Cigan for soem recent wrestling photos as well as anyone who wants to submit things for me to put in the paper.
I will be doing a story in the very near future about the Gold family from Belleville High School fame. I talked to all four boys in the family and their mother. What a great group of people. I trully loved talking with them and would love to meet them in person some day. Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts and ideas for the future. Email me at dmerchant@heritage.com.

Today's journalism is tomorrow's history

2008-12-08T10:14:00.001-08:00

The hardest thing about covering high school sports is not having as many eyes and ears, as I would like. What I mean by this is that if I could I would love to get everything in the paper.
I want pictures, articles, features and anything that I think readers would enjoy seeing in the paper. I know from experience how much kids, parents, grandparents and coaches love seeing things in the paper.
It could be a picture, it could be a short article or it could be a full-length story. People love to make scrap- books and they love to have these things to look at 10-15 years from now. Showing their children what they did as student athletes or just for memories is what we are all about. Newspapers are printing history in the present.
What is today’s news are tomorrow’s history lessons. People like to read about what they accomplished and the good things they have done. The beauty of my job is people want to see it no matter what. If Ypsilanti High defeats Dexter in football they want to know how and why. If they lose to Highland Park people still want to see who led the team in rushing or who scored a touchdown.
I want people to send me as much news and sports information as they can so I have the problem of putting it in the paper each week. I would like to have so much information that I have to hold it from one week to the next. Give me articles, pictures and all the information that is worth printing and I will get it in the paper.
I want stories on kids who play soccer, people who swim in the summer or maybe someone that runs a marathon. Give me the information and let me put it in print. I love game stories and I love writing stories about high school sports but I know for a fact this area has more to offer than just high school varsity sports.
I recently started running feature stories on Eastern Michigan University athletes. These are interesting and good for the paper but there is so much more that this area has to offer. I want to write stories on athletes who went on to college and are playing at any university. Give me some stories on area students playing basketball. I know we have a lot of that.
We have some very good athletes in all sports. I would love to do stories on “Where are they now.” Give me some ideas of who to track down and write about and let me do the rest of the work. Let me know what you want to read about and I will do my very best to hunt it down and put it on the pages of the sports section so you can read it.
Any interesting coaches, teachers or people who have been important to student athletes let me know and we can do a story on them. Any new sports programs or any news sports we haven’t covered let me know. I want to work for you and your reading entertainment.
I know most of you have seen my name in print by now. Call me let me know you thoughts and what you think. I am here and would love to hear from you.
So I do cover a few schools. There is Willow Run, Ypsilanti High and Lincoln in the Ypsilanti Courier and I do cover Belleville High in the View. Maybe you want another school covered just let me know.
I would love to hear from anyone on suggestions for coverage ideas. I would like to get as many names and events in the paper as I can.
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the View and Courier newspapers and can be reached at 734-697-8255 or dmerchant@heritage.com. His blog Dave’s Sport Gems can be read on www.ypsilanticourier.com.

Winter will be amazing!

2008-12-02T10:04:00.001-08:00

I am excited about the upcoming sports season and I am really looking forward to some good area basketball.
This will be the last time the Michigan Mega Conference’s Red division will face off against each other. I am looking forward to Romulus playing Belleville and Ypsilanti High and also throwing in Willow Run.
It appears that the youngest of the bunch will be the Ypsilanti High Phoenix but I think other teams should take them too lightly.
Belleville High School has got some players and they all have one more year experience under their belts. Look for them to compete and compete hard they may even surprise a few people (like Romulus) and maybe even beat them a time or two.
Over the years I have seen some very good games between Romulus and Belleville and watched some of the best high school basketball in the state. I think this could be one of those types of years.
Now that the weather is colder and the snow is starting I feel ready for some wrestling and look for Belleville to have one of the better teams in the area. Ypsilanti High and Lincoln should also be good this season.
Girls’ hoop and boys’ swimming should be good in the area as well. We have a new coach at Belleville and one at Ypsilanti High as well.
Look for me in the stands and read me in print!

Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the View and Courier newspapers and can be reached at 734-697-8255 or dmerchant@heritage.com.

New sports league nears for area teams

2008-11-18T06:09:00.000-08:00

The athletic conference face of this area is set to change for next season. No longer will the Ypsilanti Phoenix have to travel to Highland Park or Inkster.
Instead they will face rivals from Chelsea, Ann Arbor Huron and Pioneer as well as Ypsilanti Lincoln. It will be interesting to see how YHS stacks up with the Southeast Conference (SEC) teams in sports like tennis, golf and even cross country.
The way the Michigan Mega Conference worked teams were put into different levels depending on how well they performed. For example the boys’ basketball team was in the Mega Red (highest level) and the football team was in the Mega Blue (third level).
This allowed for similar competition among similar teams. It didn’t depend on school size and adjustments could be made every year or so as needed. The Mega was good for having teams who were not normally rivals be rivals with one another. Some of these examples include Carlson and Highland Park football, Melvindale and Highland Park wrestling and Ypsilanti and Inkster in football.
Now the locals will stay in Washtenaw County for rivalries, which should boost attendance, and it should renew some good rivalries from when Ypsi was in the SEC awhile back.
YHS and Ypsilanti Lincoln should now face each other in just about every sport. That will make for good action for both teams. I am getting kind of excited about this new group of teams they will play.
Don’t get me wrong I love a good Highland Park vs. Ypsi football game as much as the next guy but it will be nice to see them play Chelsea, Lincoln, Bedford and some of the other SEC teams in games that matter for the conference.
It is still unknown where Willow Run is going to end up. They may go independent for a few years and be like Notre Dame is in college or they may join an old league that would have Inkster, River Rouge, Ecorse and few of those teams on their schedule.
However you want to say it, once the spring sports are complete the Mega will be gone. The conference that was started to make things more competitive and was then kept together by a lawsuit has outlived itself and now will be spread into several different league. There will be one league in Dearborn, one Downriver and then one or more which will hold the rest of the pieces together.
Monroe High also will be in the SEC next season, which will bring a school with over 2,000 students to the league. The Trojans are tough and competitive in just about every sport that they play. I am sure it will not take them long to get back at the top in whatever sport they compete in.
It will be interesting to see what sports the Phoenix are good at next season. Rest assured I think that they made th4e right choice in joining a league. Let’s see if I still agree with that next year when the games are over.
It is still unknown where Belleville will be next season. But I think wherever they end up will be good for them. They need to start winning and racking up some .500 or better season in at least their football team.
Contact Staff Writer Dave Merchant at 697-8255 or dmerchant@heritage.com

2008-11-10T11:14:00.001-08:00

Winter sports are coming

The funny thing about high school sports is that the game is played at a much different level. The athletes are not trying to earn a paycheck like the professionals and they are not attempting to make the pros like the college athletes might.
For the most part the game is being played for the love of the game itself. Athletes practice and participate for their family, friends and fans. It is not like they are playing for life or death but rather just to have fun.
I think in that regard high school sports is just another classroom or venue for students. It teaches them things about life. They have ups and downs, good days and bad days and above all they persevere. They learn through practice and guidance that what happens in sports is often a lesson they can use later in life.
That is not to say that when a team is defeated very badly on the football field that they don’t feel bad. Take for example the Trenton High School football team who had the misfortune on Saturday to lose to the Inkster Vikings 52-0 in the second round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s playoffs.
I talked to some parents on Saturday whose kids played for Trenton and some of them said it was almost like they were afraid of Inkster. I guess they turned the ball over four times and every time Inkster scored.
I guess with a 6-4 quarterback that weighs 215 pounds you might be afraid to tackle him too.
The Ypsilanti Phoenix had the misfortune of playing Inkster during the regular season and losing 49-7. The Vikings are a team on a mission. The only loss they have all season was a 16-14 loss to Highland Park and the word on the street was Inkster did not have all their players in that game.
Division 3 is pretty tough when it comes to the playoffs in football. Inkster will now host Chelsea on Saturday it what will be a classic battle. I hope the Bulldogs bring some extra mouth guards and maybe a few more pads because I think they will need them.
The playoffs and the fall sports are all but done in this area but now comes the fun sports. These sports are inside a gym or in an ice arena. I am talking about basketball, hockey, boys’ swimming and wrestling. These are the sports that we will be concentrate on for the next three months.
This is the first week that girls’ basketball can practice and on Monday boys’ hoop can start. Hockey will be coming up soon and wrestling is right around the corner.
High school bowling is another sport on the rise in the area and it is not just athletes who don’t play other sports. The MHSAA says that bowling is on the rise and more students are getting involved in it every season.
I really can’t wait for Ypsi Coach Steve Brooks and the Phoenix hoop team to get started. Girls’ hoop coach at Ypsilanti High this season will be Tony Morgan and I can’t wait to see what they bring to the table.
Look for Lincoln and Willow Run to also be pretty good this season. I can’t wait for my first Friday night game. It will be fast-paced, fun and above all inside and warm!
Dave Merchant is a staff writer for the View and Courier newspapers and can be reached at 734-697-8255 or dmerchant@heritage.com.

Growing up with baseball cards was fun

2008-06-24T10:59:00.001-07:00

I am not sure if I have this whole blogging thing down but let me try it again. I have been talking most recently about high school sports.

Given the fact that these sports will be on vacation for at least a few months I want to turn my attention to the world of professional sports.

When I was younger I was a big baseball and baseball card fan. I had everything you could imagine. I was the kid who traded for everyone else’s stuff after they were no longer interested in the sport.

I had Hank Aaron’s rookie card, I had Roberto Clemente’s rookie card and I even had Yogi Berra’s black and white Bowman rookie card. Collecting was a fun time for my parents and I.

My dad would take me to the baseball card shows and I would get autographs from Mickey Mantle, Al Kaline, Norm Cash and even Bob Feller. This was a lot of fun for me and I really enjoyed all that went along with collecting.

The problem was as I got older the market begun to flood with cards from all these companies and there was too much to keep up with. I had all the cards from 1976 to about 1991 but it got too much.

The fun was gone for me and I didn’t have enough money to collect all these all cards from various card companies. So I stopped collecting and put they away.

I would say I starting selling them in 1997 and I made some good money with the cards I had. I just wish now that I have a son we could do something similar together. He is only six so I think baseball cards are too easy to mess up and we would need something less fragile.

I just know that some of my best memories of childhood are of collecting cards and sharing time with my family. Buying packs of cards, sorting them out and making list of what we needed was a task I will never grow weary of.

I hope that fathers and sons can find something to bond them together and something to build relationships with. It doesn’t matter what. It can be coins, stamps, and a walk in the park. That relationship is crucial to having a successful life and really looking at things in a much better light.

If anyone wants to know my favorite player of all time was and still is Pittsburg Pirate Roberto Clemente. So if you want to talk baseball give me a call or post to this blog!

Dave Merchant

Sports Writer

Ypsilanti Courier and The View

159 Main St.

Belleville, MI 48111

1-734-697-8255

1-734-697-4610 (Fax)

dmerchant@heritage.com

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Playoff teams

2008-06-16T07:48:00.001-07:00

The biggest thing about high school sports is not the wins and losses but what the athletes can take with them to the next level. Granted most of these kids will never being playing sports outside of high school.

Sure there will be pick-up games and games played with friends. Athletes have to realize that every game they play in high school is a big deal. They will look back on these games and hopefully have fond memories. I can recall a coach telling me he had to talk a golfer into not quitting at the state finals because of the weather.

It was snowing and the kid was not shooting very well. Had that golfer walked off and quit he surely would have remembered that for the rest of his life.

I love sports and I love finding interesting aspects about those sports. Statistics are something that I find interesting. I also like the little odd bits of information that people may either overlook or just thing isn’t important.

I covered a team a few years back that won the state title in softball (Allen Park Cabrini). They went undefeated and were hardly scored on all year. The next year they also went undefeated and won another state title.

This season they were moved from Division 4 to Division 3. In the state semifinals they defeated the two-time defending Division 3 state champion Unionville-Sebawaing 2-1. In the finals they fell to Galesburg-Augusta (40-3) 5-0.

The Monarchs (37-3-1) only had one hit and struck out 18 times in the finals. Not the way I would have expected them to lose. Think about this the Cabrini team went three years with only three losses and one tie in those three years. Pretty amazing run this team had, eh?

I was impressed last year when the Ypsilanti High football team rattled off eight straight wins after losing to Chelsea. The playoff game at home against Carleton Airport was interesting. Every time the Jets had the ball they scored and it was a windy, rainy night not fit for any sport.

I am sure Coach Dave Poole and company will have his team ready again this season.

I hope Lincoln can manage to maybe notch one in the win column this season. I saw some tough games for them last year. One of the game even had a nice fight right before halftime against Bedford. Maybe this year the Splitters will do more scoring and less fighting.

Willow Run is a team that was on the edge of the playoffs last season. I hope this year the Flyers can get six wins and earn a spot into the post season.

The summer is here but before you know it training camp for football will be kicking off. Have a great summer and I look forward to an exciting fall.

High school sports

2008-05-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

I have covered a lot of schools in my day. Before I wrote high school sports I was the education reporter for The Daily Union in Junction City Kansas.
Not that I was originally from Kansas but a twist of fate put me in the Land of Oz shortly after graduating from Wayne State University.
I want to say that I recently had a very good experience at Willow Run Junior High when I went there last week to talk about the technology in the school with the teachers and one of the administrators.
The district has some very nice equipment for students and for the teachers. The programs they were working on and the projects they were turning out were so much better than anything I did at that age. I would like to add what a nice school that the middle school is.
I heard it was only four years and everything still looks brand new. The students who attend that school should be very proud of it. In my eye they are lucky to have such a nice facility.
The assistant principal and athletic director of the school, Bryan Schroeder, should be very pleased with all the school has to offer. Out of all the schools that I cover in the area I was most impressed with this one.
I think that Willow Run has come a long way since I was in school. The sports teams for the high school are getting better and improving. I think it is only a matter of time before this school starts to draw and attract more students from Washtenaw County.
If you want to take a look at advancing technology and programs that give students a chance to get ahead in the workforce check out the Flyers and I think you might be impressed.
The Belleville baseball team has been having trouble hitting the ball as of late. On Monday they only managed four hits against a pretty tough Anderson baseball team. I tend to be partial to the Titans since I graduated from there a few years back.
Here is a weird one for me. The Carson Marauders golf team recently visited Belleville and played them at the Harbour Club. Maybe played is a harsh word since it was raining the Marauders decided to walk off the course and forfeit the match. It is a good thing golf isn’t a physical sport!
I can’t wait until the state playoffs come and the track and Belleville get some athletes through to the state meet. I have to say Varick Tucker should be right there for the title in the 400-meter dash. I also look for some strong relays for the girls and some good things from the field event athletes as well.
Don’t forget that BHS is hosting the Division 1 track regional tomorrow and anyone who wants to see some excellent competition should come down and check it out.
One thing I would like to add and I am not sure if this is the right place to do it. On Friday of last week the Ypsilanti girls’ softball team beat Willow Run 12-0 and ended the game early on a mercy rule. I heard from the Flyers’ Coach Duane Edwards that the girls from Ypsilanti were chanting cheers the entire game about going out to dinner (on the coach) if they mercied Willow Run.
I confirmed this with Ypsilanti Coach Ryan Minarik when I spoke with him Sunday night. I guess the going out to dinner part is not what bothered me but rather the taunting between innings. Is there a better way to do this? Yes but I suppose the two schools have a history and that was one way to motivate the Phoenix.
Anyway, half the spring season is down and before you know it the seniors will have graduated and the state playoffs will be underway. This is the most exciting time of the year for anyone who covers high school sports. It is like the Stanley Cup, NBA playoffs and baseball wrapped up in a pita.All I can say is let’s get ready to munch as the season comes to a close

Staff Writer

2008-04-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, everyone I am not officially on a Blog. Still not quite sure what a Blog is but I am willing to try.
I want to start out by telling everyone that it is very exciting for me to be out in the Western Provinces (Heritage lingo) and I want to say that I enjoy covering Belleville and Ypsilanti sports.
Since I have started at these papers I have met and talked with some great coaches from both cities. I have even tried my hardest to incorporate the smaller school like Ypsilanti Calvary Christian. Sometimes it can be difficult to get all the coaches to contact me back.
I have to say that I am use to covering a lot more teams when I was at the News-Herald. So I want people to know that I can cover and put in all the local sport content they can give me. Ideally I would like to have a feature and game stories every week.
If anyone has any feature ideas please let me know. I really want to try and include all the information I get. The spring season is so short and quick that I would love to have story ideas left over for when the games are over and I can still write about players, events, coaches and all the other information.
I have also started doing stories on athletes who are not in college and participating in sports at a collegiate level. This is exciting for me because I am learning about some of these athletes that I never covered but are doing well in college.
Listen, I would also love to do stories on students who go on to college and succeed in other areas than sports. Maybe you know someone who is in drama and they are doing plays in college. Great, let me know drop me a line 734-697-8255 or email me dmerchant@heritage.com. I don't care how I get the information my goal is to get the kids in the paper and give the parents, grandparents and students something to clip out and save for a scrap book.
Journalism is a part of history and I like to write articles that people can read years from now. I want people to open them up 20 years from now and say I remember that or I wonder what ever happen to that nice reporter, Dave Merchant. Just kidding I don't need any recognition.
Not everyone can be a superstar but I tell you what I can write about everyone in high school like they are a superstar. Give me a chance and let me work for you.
See ya later and happy blogging.