So when will the campaigns to “Fire Schwartz” begin in and around Ford Field? If and when they do, will it be an organized venture comparable to the “Fire Millen” thousand member marches or just a few unforgiving Lions fans who have once again seen enough?

There is a vicious cycle that has revolved around Lions coaches and staff in Detroit over the past decade. The FireMillen.com  website became extremely popular around Detroit so you have to wonder how long it will be before a Fire Schwartz website is launched. A search on Go Daddy this morning revealed the domain FireSchwartz .com was taken. Can’t verify if the owner of this domain is setting up a site geared towards the Lions coach and staff or not but after the media riot Schwartz caused after Sunday’s loss, you have to wonder.

Lions’ coaches have a history of getting run out of town and sometimes those campaigns starts too early. In Schwartz’ case, the fans have remained more patient than I can ever remember, offering their new man a fair opportunity to rebuild the pile of trash that Millen left behind.

Although Schwartz’ record to date in Detroit is an embarrassing 4-20, the fans and media saw promise with parts of the puzzle falling into place but after Sunday the Detroit  media is reporting that hope has disintegrated.

During this year’s 2-6 run, there was Calvin Johnson’s “non catch” that should have been a dramatic come from behind win then the “sure win” Sunday against the Jets. Factoring those two games into wins like they would have ended for most other NFL teams, the Lions should be sitting at 4-4 but instead are 2-6. Throw in the fact their “franchise” Matthew Stafford is sidelined with what appears to be his 5^th significant injury in less than two seasons and the situation reeks misery.

After Sunday’s OT 23-20 loss against the Jets, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz took the blame for missing a few calls as he should have but when the calls are so blatantly obvious, you’re going to get severe backlash like in his case.

With the Lions up 20-10 with about four minutes left in the game, Stafford took a snap and scrambled to pass when it should have been an obvious running play (remember the clock was their opponent at the time). At this point every NFL coach potato across the country knew it was all about ticking that clock down to zero. Caught from behind, “china doll” Stafford hit the turf ending his day with yet another injury to set the stage for one of the biggest implosions in Lions history.

After a Lions’ punt, the Jets scored to make it 20-17 but if you did the math at this point, things still weighed heavily in your favor.

With Stafford wearing his ball cap on the bench, the Lions got the ball back and with the Jets out of timeouts, Schwartz and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan actually called another pass play, that’s not a typo, they called for a pass play inside the two-minute warning with the opposing team in their stadium and out of timeouts. Third string quarterback Drew Stanton, another potential draft bust who was taken high in the second round, threw an incomplete pass stopping the clock for the Jets and the rest is history.

The play was summed up by the Jets players after the game with ex-Lion Damian Woody saying, “I couldn’t believe they called that,” With Braylon Edwards being more direct:

“That was a stupid call.”

Yes it was and the most troubling part of it is the fact it was made by a knowledgeable man with way more intellect than I and most others could ever claim. That said, is there a force that removes every speck of common sense from a man’s cranium after he dons a headset with a Lions logo on it?

Being very familiar with the vicious cycle surrounding coaches in Detroit over the years, I have to wonder how numbered Schwartz’ days have suddenly become.

In all fairness Schwartz has created some important pieces for the Lions including the defensive line who prior to Sunday is said to be one of the better in the NFL and he deserves to stick around at least through next season. But the NFL is like life in the sense that people, media and fans alike, tend to forget anything good that has been done when they feel cheated or betrayed and those are the feelings that are associated with this Lions loss on Sunday.

With Sunday’s blatant mismanagement of the clock, the media began reexamining several other questionable calls Schwartz has made during his 4-20 run and are going as far as comparing them to other infamous blunders from the past including Marty Mornhinweg winning an OT coin toss and giving the ball to the Chicago Bears, a move that led to another Lions loss.

Linehan appears to be jumping ship at the end of this season as rumor has it he is taking a head coaching position in the NCAA. Will he be remembered for calling the passing play that Stafford was injured on or will that just blend in with the rest of the gaffes we have seen in Detroit?

So going into Buffalo to play the 0-8 desperate Bills, Schwartz will have to somehow keep his team focused to play another meaningless game outdoors on the road in the later half of a season. With Stafford again on the sidelines collecting part of his guaranteed $41 million and center and team leader Dominic Raiola saying Sunday’s debacle “the worst loss in my ten years here” I have to say good luck with that Mr. Schwartz.

Stafford and the Lions are a bad marriage – Sports Climax

How Durable is Matthew Stafford? – Sports Climax

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC

CBS Sports has reported that  Wade Phillips has been fired by Jerry Jones and Jason Garrett will step in for the rest of the season.

This comes the morning after the Cowboys were blown out by the Green Bay Packers 45-7 in front of a national television audience on Sunday Night Football.

Appears Phillips tenure comes to an end just weeks after Jones said there would be no coaching change during the season but as the NFL goes, things can change from a week to week basis.

The Cowboys are off to their worst start in years at 1-7 after much speculation that they could become the NFL’s first team to ever play on their home field in a Super Bowl. To rub a little salt in that wound, their defense that was once feared has given up more points than any other team in the NFC.

This year’s Super Bowl takes place at the new Cowboys Stadium in early February.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

With all the hype surrounding LeBron James’ decision and the Miami Heat “Big Three” predictions of a 70-plus win season surfaced in media outlets across the country.

With a roster of stars including James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, there was even talk about the possibility of the Heat breaking Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls NBA record of 72 regular season wins, a mark that was set in the 1995-96 season.

 Now that the dust has settled from all the hype and six games are in the books for the 2010-11 season, take a look at the current NBA standings.

Like many other seasons there are a few unbeaten teams remaining with the Atlanta Hawks and L.A. Lakers leading that group with perfect 6-0 records. Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets are also perfect at 5-0 and that comes after their 96-93 win against the Heat last night.

 The Heat dropped to 4-2 with that loss and trailed the entire game until James was granted and hit two free throws with less than a minute remaining in regulation time. They also trailed the entire game against the Celtics in their season opener loss. As the cliché goes, “You have to play the games.”

Yeah it’s early and the Heat, like the Lakers or any other NBA powerhouse team, could go on a roll banging out a dozen wins in a row at any given moment but it’s beginning to look like the hype should shift to the fact there is only one ball. That said, at the time of this article, after six games the Heat actually sit in third place behind the undefeated Hawks and the 3-1 Orlando Magic in the Southeast Division and in the overall records in the NBA are way down the ladder tied in the 9th spot.   

So the early stages of this NBA season isn’t playing out like much of the media hoped and anticipated. Can you imagine the headlines and hype if the Heat started out like Joe Johnson’s 6-0 Hawks?

For sports banter, follow Tom on Twitter @TomFerda

MORE: Sidney Crosby throws ’em down – NHL FIGHT VIDEO – Sports Climax

Anniversary of longest field goal in NFL history – VIDEO – Sports Climax

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC

One of the most memorable moments in NFL history occurred on Nov. 8, 1970 when the Detroit Lions were playing the New Orleans Saints on the road; when disco was still years away from birth and adjusting a television picture meant aiming the set of rabbit ears towards the nearest window.

Like most other Sundays in the fall our household in Detroit was huddled around the living room viewing the game on our black and white television set. The Lions were leading 17-16 and had the Saints backed up “out of field goal range” with just a few ticks left on the clock.

This game was a lock. How could it not be, it was the final play and the Saints were electing to attempt a 63-yard potential game-winning kick.

As far as Lions fans were concerned, matters were even bleaker for New Orleans since the man lining up to kick had a congenital physical defect, was born without a foot and actually playing the game with a special shoe designed to cover an artificial stump.

Assuming the game was more than over I barely kept one eye on the set. The ball was snapped and the kicker went through his motions. Like a slow motion shot in a film, the ball sailed through the air, carrying further then even further until it found its way through the uprights.

I learned a few new words that day from the adults in the room as the Lions defenders stood hands on their hips in shock as Tom Dempsey and his Saints celebrated the longest kick in the history of the NFL and their 19-17 win iin front of their hometown fans.

Lions defensive lineman Alex Karras whose wrestling career included a bout against Dick “The Bruiser” and whose film career later included knocking out a horse in the movie “Blazing Saddles” was interviewed the week following the kick. In that interview, Karras admitted he didn’t really try to rush hard assuming the 63-yard boot wouldn’t come close.

Well it did and Dempsey was, and still is, the record holder for connecting on the longest kick in NFL history. Interesting how that record still stands after all these years, although it was tied by Jason Elam in a game on Oct. 25, 1998 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In a recent interview with the Times-Picayune Dempsey said he was “surprised [the record still stands] because you have to look at the NFL. There are so many great players. Kickers have gotten better through the years.”

Dempsey went on to say he was proud of the record and believes some day it will be broken.

Yes it may, but the memory you created for those of us who witnessed the kick will never be forgotten.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The Atlanta Thrashers finally showcased their potential on the offensive end of the ice last night with three players having multi-point games in a 6-4 win over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Gardens Wednesday night.

With a 3-2 lead, the Thrashers came out flying in the third stanza, scoring two goals and jumping to a 5-2 lead. Trailing by three, the Rangers fought back with back-to-back goals to get within one at 5-4 before Andrew Ladd sealed the win with an empty-netter.

Atlanta’s record stands at 4-4-1 while the Rangers dropped to 4-3-1 for the season.

Ladd (1g, 1a), Niclas Bergfors (1g, 1a) and Anthony Stewart (2a) led the offensive charge for the Thrashers with Ladd also matching his career-high six-game point streak that includes three goals and five assists. Ladd who came over in a trade with Chicago during the offseason currently leads the team with 10 points.

A lot of firsts occurred in this game for the Thrashers. Rookie Alex Burmistrov recorded his first NHL point with an assist on an Evander Kane goal and Bryan Little, Eric Boulton and Niclas Bergfors each scored their first goals of the season.

On the home bench, Sean Avery led the Rangers with a goal and an assist.

Boulton’s goal came early in the third when he found the back of the net just 49 seconds into the period. Newly-acquired defenseman Dustin Byfuglien followed with the eventual game-winner at 5:01 on the power play.

Thrashers goaltender Chris Mason got the start for Atlanta, stopping 24 of 28 shots for the win while Martin Biron stopped 20 of 25 shots for the Rangers.

Rangers/Thrashers Scoring Summary

Per(Time)   Goal(Assists)

1(11:28)    Little(1)(Ladd(6),Hainsey(1))EV

2(10:17)    Kane(6)(Burmistrov(1),Stewart(2))EV

2(16:07)    Bergfors(1)EV

3(0:49)     Boulton(1)(Stewart(3),Peverley(5))EV

3(5:01)     Byfuglien(3)(Enstrom(6),Bergfors(4))PP

3(19:36)    Ladd(4)EV-EN

Scoring by Period

ATL:  1 – 2 – 3 – — 6

NYR:  1 – 1 – 2 – — 4

Shots by Period

ATL:  12 – 8 –  6 –- 26

NYR:  10 – 7 – 11 –- 28

Special Teams

ATL: PP – 1/3   PK – 1/1

NYR: PP – 0/1   PK – 2/3

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

LeBron James returned to the building where he played and lost his last game as a Cleveland Cavalier during last year’s NBA Playoffs. This time, surrounded by NBA All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the jerseys were different but LeBron again took it on the chin.

The Miami Heat’s “Big Three” certainly didn’t live up to a speck of the hype and were outplayed and outhustled by the aging Boston Celtics who took it to the Heat, 88-80.

The game that set a Nielsen ratings record, started out bad for the Heat from the opening tip and by the end of the first quarter, the Big Three found themselves looking unorganized and trailing 16-9.

Throughout the game, the Heat tried to get back within striking distance and failed until the fourth quarter. With members of the Big Three on the bench, James stormed back in classic LeBron fashion with a run, temporarily taking the game over. LeBron managed to get Miami to within three on an uncontested layup to make it 83-80 with 1:10 left but Ray Allen found an open spot outside the arch and ended that party by sinking a 3-pointer to seal the win.

Big Three final stats. . . James led the Heat with 31 points, Bosh finished with eight points and eight rebounds and Wade scored 13 on a dismal 4-of-16 shooting from the floor. The trio was also responsible for 15 of Miami’s 17 turnovers with King James leading in that category with eight.

It’s been about three months since James rocked the sports world with “The Decision”, a move that fueled hate, accusations and emotions coast-to-coast–a move that triggered a scathing letter from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. Because of that hype, this was one of the most anticipated opening day match-ups in the history of the NBA.

With a majority of the world against the Big Three, the “villains” walked off the court with a loss to an aging but solid NBA team.

Looking a decade younger at times, Shaq, the oldest player in the NBA at 38 years and 200-plus days, finished with nine points and seven rebounds. Celtics Ray Allen finished with 20 points, Paul Pierce added 19 and another old timer, Kevin Garnett chipped in 10 rebounds.

NBA: Heat, Celtics game sets all-time Nielsen ratings record – Sports Climax

LeBron’s “Loyalty” tattoo – Sports Climax

LeBron bitch-slapped for “The Decision” – Sports Climax

Used with permission of the author.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The big buzz going into this 2010 NFL season was how the Dallas Cowboys could be the first team to ever play in a Super Bowl on home field. Jerry Jones, his staff, the players and fans went into the season with the vision of filling the new $1.2 billion Cowboys Stadium to the rafters and bringing down the house on Feb. 6, 2011.

Well last night the house was brought down but not quite in the fashion Jones and his team would have liked. During a lopsided 41-35 loss on MNF, Tony Romo took a clean shot from a blitzing Giants’ defense that resulted in a broken clavicle on his non-throwing shoulder.

To make matters worse, despite what the final score looks like on paper, the ‘Boys were taken to school by the Giants and the fans got a good look at their second string quarterback, Jon Kitna, who . . . well. . . you can pretty much stick a fork in the Cowboys at this point of the season.

Back in July, 2010 Pro Bowl linebacker Demarcus Ware told NFL.com:

“Our owner lets us know the game is at Cowboys Stadium and he would love his team to play in it. We are doing everything we can get to get there.”

Problem is, teams like the New York Giants and 11 other NFC teams with better records than the Cowboys are also doing everything they can to make it to the big game on Feb. 6 and they’re doing it much better than the 1-5 ‘Boys. The loss last night dropped the ‘Boys to 0-3 at home and the team finds themselves with the identical records and in the company of NFC teams like the Detroit Lions (1-5) and Carolina Panthers (1-5).

The Cowboys have potential, like the Lions do, and shouldn’t really be sitting at 1-5 like, the Lions shouldn’t be, but this league is all about finding ways to win and the guys wearing the star on their helmets have been finding ways to lose.

Precedence for this kind of season may have been set when they lost in shocking fashion early in the season to their rival Washington Redskins on a late-game play that should not have been called.  The Redskins BTW have the 32^nd defense in the NFL yet still have found a way to have three more games in the win column than Jones’ Cowboys.

Needing to turn things around just got more difficult for the ‘Boys with their main man Romo going down with a serious injury. Kitna has a knack for looking good on paper but clearly comes across as not being capable of making it all happen. With QBs so thin at this point of the season, Cleveland recently dug deep and signed and dressed a guy named Ratiff off the Patriots’ practice squad. Anyone been keeping track of how Jeff Garcia is doing in his “keeping-in-NFL-shape” stint for the Omaha Nighthawks in the UFL? How would he look in a Dallas star?

For more sexy photos of the Cowboys babe pictured above, go to our Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader gallery.

More NFL:

Jerramy Stevens busted. . . .again! – Jocks Behind Bars

NFL’s “Crucial Catch” – Sports Climax

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

With just two more weekends left for the NFL breast cancer awareness campaign, expect to continue to see the players, coaches and referees wearing their pink-laden attire. The campaign the league calls “A Crucial Catch” is in partnership with the American Cancer Society and focuses on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are 40 and older.

What seemed to have started with a few pink ribbons on the sidelines has certainly evolved over the years and it’s a great cause. How many women have taken action from seeing the reminder every Sunday and Monday Night during nationally televised games? Being the highest rated sport in America, this campaign certainly must be helping the cause.

One of the coolest things about this campaign is the fact that aggressive 300-plus pound defensive linemen who make a living by crushing people for several hours on a fall afternoon are donning more pink than ever before. Spikes, gloves, wristbands, mouthpieces, the list goes on and on. BTW the pink coins and other items are expected to be auctioned off at the end of the month to raise funds so if you’re interested, hit the NFL.com site up for more details.

While the NFL teams and players seem to have totally jumped on board for this campaign in 2010, hopefully the NHL players are taking note.

The NHL “Movember” campaign that promotes prostate cancer testing begins on November 1^st, the day following the closure of NFL pink month. Some NHL players, coaches and staff will be growing and donning moustaches for that month reminding men to get tested.

No one likes getting poked or prodded but think about all the extra years of enjoyment we can have watching our favorite teams if we get these tests done on an annual basis.

Special thanks to photographer Ken Jacobs and model Sara Gabrielle for contributing the photo for this article.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC

Atlanta Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec returned to the ice today for the first time since losing consciousness and falling to the ice in the team’s opening game against the Washington Capitals on Oct. 8^th.

A few minutes into that game with play on the opposite end of the ice, Pavelec suddenly collapsed slamming the back of his head to the ice.

The raucous crowd suddenly stood silent as the medical staff spent nearly 20 minutes tending to Pavelec before lifting him off onto a stretcher into a nearby ambulance.

The 23-year-old goaltender participated in his first practice since that frightening ordeal and was in good spirits after his 30-minute skate. He shared some of the details surrounding that ordeal and his journey back onto the ice.

“I don’t remember anything after the National Anthem until I woke up in the back of the ambulance. That’s a pretty big window,” Pavelec said. “I couldn’t feel my legs. . . but when I got to the hospital I started to feel my legs.”

With family and loved ones miles away overseas awaiting details after receiving initial calls from the team, Pavelec made sure to personally contact them as soon as he possible could.

“My girlfriend left one day before that happened. The game wasn’t on TV back home so nobody saw it, but [my family] got the phone calls right away,” said Pavelec. “When I woke up I called them right away back home to tell them I felt good. On the T.V. back home they only showed the film and didn’t report any other details concerning the incident so it was scary.”

Pavelec was later asked if he or the doctors have set a timeline to get back onto the ice at 100%.

“I’m medically cleared right now so it will take a while to get back into game shape and I was on the ice for the first time just now so they didn’t say when I was going to be back. I’m just getting some shots and hopefully I’m going to be ready as soon as possible. I need a couple more practices.”

After having a headache for three or four days immediately following the incident, Pavelec said those have subsided and he is symptom free. With this being his third concussion the team is sure to monitor him closely as he makes his way back. During the practice Thrashers’ trainers were monitoring his pulse and other signs and gave him the thumbs up.

Later in the interview Pavelec explained his history of concussions. “[Happened] three times already, this is my fourth one. . . hopefully this is the last one.”  As far as passing out like what happened on Oct. 8^th, Pavelec went on to say, “that was the first time and hopefully the last time”.

With weeks of tests including extensive MRIs all coming back clear, Pavelec is concentrating on getting back with the team with an opportunity to get back between the pipes for a game.

“I’m happy I’m back and that it was nothing serious,” he said smiling. “They said I’m ready to go, I just need some practice to get into game shape.”

Sexy Tampa Lightning Babe – Photo Gallery

Copyright © 2010 Sports Climax, LLC

The Detroit Lions remained the best “sparring partner” in the NFL on Sunday when they fought and clawed their way to another close loss to drop to 1-5 for the season. When it was all said and done, the test dummies in silver and blue made their way to their locker room and will once prepare to battle; this time after a bye week for the Washington Redskins.

This 28-20 loss in New York was one the Lions could clearly have won and for at least the third time maybe fourth this season, their offense had the ball with an opportunity to win on a final drive, only to turn it over or come up short. To rub a little salt in the wound, this loss by the Lions also tied an NFL record for 24 consecutive road losses, a record that belonged to yep. . . .the Detroit Lions.

It’s beginning to feel like a bad Sci-fi movie for the Lions and you have to wonder if the Bobby Layne Curse may actually be for real.

After getting robbed of a win by Calvin Johnson’s catch-non-catch in raucous Soldier Field to open this season, the Lions have taken teams like Green Bay, Philadelphia and the Giants to the final minutes. But that’s what great sparring partners do. They grind and battle hoping to get in a lucky final shot but they never do, the featured fighter/teams do.

Getting 11 yellow hankies for 91 yards moving the ball in the opposite direction, many of them coming at crucial points in the game certainly helped cause the outcome. So did the three ill-timed turnovers that came during strong offensive drives orchestrated by No. 2 QB Shaun Hill, then later No. 3 QB Drew Stanton who came in after Hill broke his left forearm after bracing himself after getting hit by Justin Tuck.

Lions center Dominic Raiola, a guy who shows up every Sunday and plays hard every down summed it up during the post-game interview saying:

“The Lions beat the Lions.”

Brandon Pettigrew, a first round pick last year who between showing flashes of competence is becoming the king of the drops, may have a few fingers pointed in his direction. Although the final play for the Lions won’t go into the books as a drop, wide open ‘Grew had a spiral from third string quarterback Stanton sail through his hands on the Giants’ 20 yard line during the Lions final drive. The ball would be picked by the Giants Antrel Rolle and sealed another disappointing loss.

Pettigrew commented on that fatal mistake:

“Big-time players make those catches.”

Yes they do Brandon, but sparring partners don’t.

More NFL: Are the Chargers Driving Their Fans to Brink of Insanity? – Sports Climax

NFL “Bird” fines. How are they Calculated? – Sports Climax

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax, LLC