There is a baseball player for the New York Mets named Angel Pagan. Just stare at that name for a moment, and comprehend how unfortunate that name must look on a baseball card. Or more ironically, in a church membership directory.

When your alma mater is mentioned in completely random, unexpected places, you tend to do a double-take.  So as I was watching the Detroit Pistons television broadcast tonight, I hear the long-long-long time broadcaster give a shout-out to the broadcasting professor and his class at Hillsdale. Not what I expected to hear in an NBA game, to say the least.

For those who don't know, Detroit's mayor has been in "hot water" of late after it was discovered that he and his female chief-of-staff were having a lengthy affair. This was discovered after an FOIA request by the local papers uncovered a series of text messages between he and she. Why is any of this important? Well, from the humor standpoint, my favorite local radio station, Sports Radio 1130 WDFN, put up this billboard on several Detroit freeways. I love it.

If you haven't been tracking the quack fest that has constantly been Marc Dantonio since they lost to Michigan on Saturday, I present you with a link to a "scientific" chart of the headlines. If you're not into the "rivalry" that is Michigan-Michigan State, you might not enjoy it or understand it. And if you're a State fan, you probably will get pissed off. So Michigan fans, go check it out.

We watched the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship last night, and as usual, it did not disappoint. Tennessee beat Rutgers to win their 7th championship and first since 1998. It was a well-played game that was fun to watch for the duration.

But the key to it was Pat Summit. She has more victories than any other college coach (men's or women's) and at the relatively young age of 54, she could break the 1,000 victories mark in two more years (more likely three). Only John Wooden has more national championships than Summit.

So while Pat Summit is out there re-writing history, and having a great time doing it (she dressed as a cheerleader and sang "Rocky Top" to support the men's team this season), I'll be watching as many games as possible.

Irregardless of the outcome of today's game, I wanted to share a few thoughts about what the 2006 Tigers season meant, and what I will be looking forward to here in 2007.

Family: I had the opportunity to take my siblings and parents to a game last August and it was an absolute blast. I have a feeling that it is going to be one of those events that comes up in conversation for years to come. Here are a few of the more memorable pictures.

Summer: How can you not think of the long nights of summer when baseball is the only team sport being played in July and August? Sunsets at the beach with friends and an AM radio, listening to Ernie Harwell (or Dan Dickerson and Jim Price today).

October: Baseball is my favorite sport. I'm definitely one of the Baseball Elites that Sean Baligian likes to talk about. Which is why I love October. Only 8 teams make the playoffs in baseball (unlike basketball and hockey, where half of the teams make the playoffs, which allows for several under-five-hundred New York Knicks-types). Packed stadiums on cold dark nights, hearing Joe Buck's "velvety-smooth" voice say "The Red Sox are the World Champions" is absolutely great. And being there with friends and family, that makes is amazing.

Every April through October, I follow each and every game, rarely missing an inning (when my schedule permits it). And you know what? I love it.

Bo Schembechler represented University of Michigan football for nearly 4 decades. You might not care at all, but frankly, you can simply stop reading. I live sports, in case you hadn't figured that out, and Michigan Football is one of those that I simply bleed every day.

When I found out that Bo, one of the giants of college football and the man who resurrected a Michigan football program from mediocrity in the 1960s, had died, I was stunned. I have mourned all day. Bo seemed like a grandfather figure to me, even though I had never met him. Fine, think that is weird. But look at what all of the other Michigan/Bo fans are saying over at WDFN's website. And there are about six other websites with this many comments.

If you don't understand, it's fine. But let me assure you that there are a few million people that are mourning right now, mourning for his family, his friends, and the thousands upon thousands of people in college football and the country whose lives Bo has touched.

Examples (I stole these from ESPN.com, I hope they understand):

"Bo Schembechler epitomized what every coach would like to be in his relationships with his players, his development of assistant coaches and the way he was able to motivate his players. His teams always displayed toughness, and proved year in and year out that it is a necessary ingredient in success. Coach Schembechler's teams personified what it meant to play Michigan football, and he personified what it meant to be a coach....

"When people pass away, there's a tendency to go overboard; in this case, it's not -- he was a true great."

- Jim Donnan, former coach, University of Alabama, Marshall

"Bo touched the lives of so many and helped develop countless young men into role models and leaders. He is an icon for college athletics, not just the game of football."

- Eugene Smith, Ohio State athletic director

And in my opinion, the crowning one. When she delivered this statement, she was at the hospital in Southfield, about 10 minutes from my office, clearly in tears and shaken by this sudden event.

"This is a tremendous shock and an irreplaceable loss for the University of Michigan family. Bo Schembechler embodied all that is best about Michigan: loyalty, dedication and the drive for ever-greater excellence. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who loved him, a number as great as the Michigan community in every corner of the world.

"This university's deep tradition is our immense pride and our common ground. No one represented Michigan tradition better than Bo. Bo was the icon of Michigan football. But he was connected with this university far beyond athletics. We watched with pride as he received an honorary degree. We watched with gratitude as he extended his considerable talents to the University of Michigan cancer center and so many other worthwhile programs. And even this semester we watched with a smile as he enjoyed becoming a student again in the Ford School of Public Policy.

"Bo had an unmistakable twinkle in his eye, and I will miss that spirit and so much more. I am grateful for this remarkable man and all his contributions that make Michigan Michigan."

- President Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan
Read more of them here.

Let me mention one more anecdote. The Michigan-OSU rivalry is ancient and considered the greatest rivalry in sports by a majority of sports fans across the world.

ESPN's poll results from October 2006:

In tribute to Woody Hayes, the OSU coach with whom Bo had such a rivalry, a OSU undergraduate punk band named itself the "Dead Schembechlers" and dress like Coach Hayes. At a scheduled "Hate Michigan" rally tonight, they planned a big concert. According to reports in the Detroit Free Press, Bo found the group comical and appreciated the reference. On their website today (prior to it being shut down due to bandwidth), the band offered this statement:

"BO SCHEMBECHLER: OSU'S MOST VALIANT FOE: The band is crushed to learn of the death of Bo Schembechler. We named this band after Coach Schembechler to honor him as the face of Wolverine football. We have never wished ill will upon him in any way and have always wished him the best. When we learned that Bo had seen our web site and was amused by it we were delighted. We were simply delighted. He said to those with him as he read it, "See, I still matter in Columbus!" That may have been the greatest understatement in football history. We believe that he took the band's name as the compliment that it was meant as and that he was flattered by it. We wish to extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to his family. We are truly sorry for their loss."

They also stated that the proceeds from the rally would be given to benefit Bo's family foundation.

Class, truly class.

I miss you Bo.

Will love an article posted on ESPN.com's Page 2 titled "Ultimate Fighting's Newest Fan." Read it here.

Thanks in large part to some of my new coworkers, I have become a much more dedicated international football fan. Having the Fox Soccer Channel as part of my cable package is rather exciting, much to my own personal surprise. The World Cup is fighting hard to consume all of my time and despite the fact that our US team is out of the tournament my "#2" has advanced to the second round. Being a rather nationalistic-blooded German (don't read into that, I'm simply very proud of my German heritage), I am taking great joy in the success of the host country. Hopefully I can save up soon to travel there; unfortunately the World Cup in Deutschland fell the same summer that I graduated college and am completely broke.

Deutschland, Deutschland über Alles, über Alles in der Welt.

Growing up, we often listened to our sports on the radio. Sure we had television, but during the fall (college football Saturdays) Dad "always" made us help him in the yard, chopping wood for the stove all winter or the like. I have a lot of memories of being outside next to a 1978 Ford pickup hearing Jim Brandstatter or Ernie Harwell for hours.

Ernie Harwell is retired now, done broadcasting my Tigers games after decades. The man with the Hall of Fame voice still lingers though each time I manage to hear a Tigers game on the radio. The problem is that I live in the middle-of -nowhere Michigan and I don't own a radio. Sure, my stereo system has a radio with twenty feet of antenna I could wire out the window but it is a pain. And what with school and all, I don't find myself in a car enough to listen to a game.

Which is why I dropped $15 again this winter to subscribe to MLB audio. Considering that you can listen to each game in baseball, all 162 games for all 30 teams. As I have been sick all week and literally have not left the house more than a few minutes on a couple of those days, I have loved listening to the Tigers games. And the experience for me is almost the same as growing up.

Thursday night the Tigers were in Oakland and were down 3-1 after the first inning. I listened until the end of the eighth when I turned the game off in disappointment, giving in to Dad's voice in my head saying "they can't win this one, they're done" (believe me, every game my team is behind, I've heard it). Guess who won? Tigers score three in the 9th to win. Predictable, after years of my own listening reflects. Friday I actually listened to the entire game as they almost blew it in the end but still hung on to win.

I love baseball, I love sports. And I love the experiences I have had growing up listening to them. Like so many others, sports are not simply sports to me. They are a family tradition, even if pessimist Dad (he would say he is a realist) and? the president-of-the-Jon-Barry-fan-club Mom (she still insists he is the reason the Pistons won in 2004, despite the fact that he wasn't on their team all season) make it frustrating or comic, respectively.

I know that my kids will grow up with sports, just like I did. Although I won't make them help cut wood every week. And I do have a little more faith in my sports teams than my dad.