Today the Lions are in the Steel city to face the Pittsburgh Steelers....a city they have not won in since 1955!
I have really nothing to say bad about the Steelers as I loved watching the play in the Super Bowl's growing up in the 70's. I grew up with "Mean" Joe Green, Lynn Swann and the bill hilly Terry Bradshaw.

The Lions are on a roll right now as a fan that's exciting for us. Today Matt Stafford has the chance to be the Lions all time passing leader and that's also something else. He has the chance to pass Bobby Layne who has held the record for more than 50 years. Megatron is well Megatron and should get his yards for fantasy owners.

What I'm loving more about this group of Lions is the front four on defense. They don't care anymore what the NFL and their critics have to say about them. They know they have a target on their back with the NFL watching. Suh, Failey and others have already been fined this season. Do they bitch in public about it? Not much! They let their union reps handle that business and move on.

I'm hoping for a great game...Lions vs Steelers.....Gooooo Lions!!!

Lions at Pittsburgh
FOX TV 1pm...

The Detroit Tigers come back home from a 4-6 10 game road trip to face the New York Yankees in a 3 game series which begins tonight  7:05 FSD. Don't forget fans Saturday is Polish American night at Comerica Park and Sunday is the retirement and tribute to Magglio Ordonez who was almost everyone's favorite Tiger. So let's cheer on our boys of summer as the battle to the World Series continues, GO TIGERS!!!

Upcoming games....
Yankees: June 1,2,3
Indians: June 5,6,7
@ Cincy Reds: June 8,9,10

The Quest for The Stanley Cup #12 begins in Nashville? Huh?

WRESTLEMANIA 28 NEWS & PREDICTIONS

Hello wrestling fans! The Super Bowl of Pro Wrestling is one day away and who could not be hyped for the card for tomorrow's extravaganza?

 I attended my first Wrestlemania in 1987 and back then it was still going through it's infancy stages as a major card for pro wrestling and also in the infancy stages of PPV-PAY PER VIEW. Before I was able to attend Wrestlemania 3 in Pontiac Michigan at the Silver Dome...my dad would take us to a then called Stadium Arena now named the Delta Plex in Grand Rapids to see Wrestlemania 1&2 on closed circuit tv. Which to those kids that don't know what that is....you sat in a arena watching a live feed on a BIG projection screen of sorts. My dad didn't care for wrestling but as a kid who couldn't enjoy the likes of cartoon characters named Hulk Hogan, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Big John Stud and my favorite Andre the Giant?...To my brother John and I they were Gods! Since then my brother has taken the path of my dad and could care less for wrestling but not me. For 30 years I have and will always be a fan. Who cares if it's scripted and so...this is frickin WRESTLEMANIA! Let's get on to the predictions!

Wrestlemania 28 will take place in Miami Florida this year with 9 matches on the card. Some of the card is um, ok at best while the three I am looking forward to should blow the roof off the place. Ring time is set for 7pm!


Match 1. WWE Tag Team Champions Primo & Epico will defend against The Usos and Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd in a Triple Threat Match, This match should start off mania and look for some great spots as these can all go in the ring!


Prediction: Look for Primo & Epico to retain their titles. Nothing more said....


Match 2. Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos (Extra Tv Show) Vs Beth Phoenix & Eve
Expect this match to kick things off for Wrestlemania 28...I don't expect a wrestling classic to be put on but look for the Team of Kelly Kelly & Maria to win. Why have a guest wrestler in to lose. I expect Beth to turn on Eve here and they should continue to feud for the title to SummerSlam.

Match 3. Team Johnny Vs Team Teddy. Here is a match to see who will control the "Behind the Scenes" activities so to speak. Team Johnny will consist of RAW General Manager John L. with David Otunga, Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre & The Miz. Team Teddy Long will have U.S. Champion Santino Marella, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Great Khali, Zack Ryder and 5 time 5 time 5 time 5 time 5 time WCW World Champion Booker T.

Prediction: This is a match that should go from the beginning and the crowd ready for the rest of Mania. Expect to see Booker T and the spin a rooni and some great wrestling spots.(action) In the end though I see Team Johnny winning as he does keep things interesting in the WWE and has lots of heat-(Hate) from the fans. Wish it was the other way around...sorry Teddy!

Match 4. Randy Orton Vs Kane
I thought it was interesting to bring Kane back into the WWE  few months ago and with the mask too but his push was over the moment it started. Orton has been controlling this feud from the beginning.

Prediction: I don't know who Kane has upset in the back stage area but he is getting squashed as of late and like I mentioned Randy has controlled this feud from the beginning. Look for the RKO to do in the Big Red Machine.

Match 5. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes vs The Big Show. To be honest I don't watch a lot of Smackdown so let's get right to the prediction.

Prediction: I don't see Show winning the title. Cody has a lot of heat on him from the fans and that makes for a great champion at times. It will be tough but I expect to see the son of Dusty with his arm raised.

Match 6. World Heavyweight Championship: Champion Daniel Bryan Vs Sheamus. Sheamus is going in as the face(good guy) into this match and has been looking ripe for another title run but....

Prediction:  I see Daniel Bryan winning this match and maybe set up a rematch for Summerslam against Sheamus. Bryan has so much heat with the audience they would love to see the Irish guy put a pounding on him. He will be close but Daniel Bryan retains with the help possibly from his girlfriend he brings to ringside.

Match 7. CM Punk(C) Vs Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship! This feud started off great but got annoying in my opinion real fast. While Jericho started off doing everything right to instigate Punk into a fight. Lately he has been boring by bringing Punk's family's dirty laundry into the mix. SO Punk's dad was an alcoholic and so on with his sister and mother that Jericho also mentioned. What would have made fans salivate more for this match is having Jericho do some run in's...shoot a great promo here and there and hell maybe even show his father drinking with Jericho buying? Anything has to be better than what has been on tv of late.

Prediction: This match will be a barn burner so to speak...they can both go in the ring and I look for an outstanding match. I am torn on who to pick. Punk has gotten way over with the fans with the title and Jericho can be booed out of the building with the best of them. Jericho is rumored to be leaving again soon to tour with his band Fozzy that he lead sings for. I am going for it....I am going to pick Chris Jericho to finally accomplish what he set out to do upon his return to the WWE and that is to win a Championship! Jericho with a dirty pin over CM Punk!

Match 8. HELL IN THE CELL: The Undertaker VS HHH with special guest referee The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels! This is going to be an epic match of all proportions. You have the Undertaker's streak at stake of 19-0 at Wrestlemania vs his same opponent from last year HHH. Throw in a EX-DX member in Shawn Michaels and things don't look good for the Undertaker.

Prediction: It has been said the Undertaker had taken a year off to have surgery on both shoulders and a hip. Can he still go in the ring is the question? He just turned 47 and has had a list of injuries that have slowed him down the past few years. If need be HHH can carry anyone in a match but I don't look for any scientific wrist locks and such. I am looking for a full out brawl! And WWE for this match better wave the NO BLOOD RULE. I am going to go out on a limb in this one. I have read Brock Lesnar is in town and Batista. Look for Brock to interfere some how...HBK will be distracted for a moment and Undertaker giving HHH the tombstone pile driver going to a perfect 20-0 at Wrestlemania! Brock & Undertaker to feud the rest of the summer!

Match 9. John Cena Vs The Rock
Can you smell what The Rock has been cooking for over a year and that is he wants John Cena in a bad way?! From doing skits about Cena to taking to Facebook and twitter to talk trash and to even sing about his mamma. This one is finally going to happen! And it will be a match for the ages. The Rock returning after 7 years away. Cena winning 12 World titles!

Prediction: I see them entering the ring to a mix of boos and cheers. I thought the Rock would be more over than what he is but it reminds me of the Wrestlemania when Rock took on Hollywood Hulk Hogan...50% for Rock...50% for Hogan. Expect the same here. For whatever reason Cena has his fans and I am NOT one of them. Ok, prediction time! Cena will win and here is why? The Rock will be leaving again shortly to promote GI Joe 2 this summer so it wouldn't make sense to have him win and have Cena dropping the ball. It would be great to see Rock with the win and Cena hanging his head in shame all summer to keep saying if I could only beat The Rock my career would be complete but I don't see it happening. I see Rock returning after his movie comes out and re-challenge John for a rematch at Summerslam?! Now that is something I would love to see!

There you go! I hope you enjoyed this column and hope to write again more when it strikes my fancy and when I have the time. Until then...see you at ringside!

Rick "El Burrito" Solis

Say It Ain't So...Yep I am a wrestling fan!!! Why & How?

Jimmy Snuka Vs Don Muraco 1982 Steel Cage Madison Square Garden

I often get asked of course by non-wrestling fans...why pro-wrestling Rick? Do you know it's all fake and predetermined? No & yes to both questions. No that the injuries are very real and having done security for a  independent organization I have seen how hard these guys and gals do train to make sure everyone is safe from injuries to their partner and themselves. 

People have died in the ring to put on the "entertainment" for it's fans and have been paralyzed or career cut short due to injuries...Droz-(Paralyzed)  comes to mind, Stone Cold Steve Austin from a neck injury and most recently WWE Superstar Edge...

Anyways, I can blame my mother for turning me into a fan of the sport...she would talk about legends like Bobo Brazil, The Sheik and others that would do shows from Detroit...We are from the East side of the State! Imagine my surprise when one day after church we stopped by my Grandmother's house for Sunday dinner and found on Channle 50 from Detroit a wrestling show with no other than the legendary Sheik on it. Did that guy scare the beJesus out of me...he would throw fireballs-(Flash paper) and would occasionally use a spike or fork to man-handle his opponent...something his nephew Sabu would do much later on...but that is another story...

I was hooked....I saw people booing this guy who was to a 12 year old was a very mean and nasty person and the people hated him...and he loved it!! So, I had to find more on this "new" addiction I had....low & behold I caught a small promotion at the time who would film from a territory of New York and the North Eastern part of the country called the WWF....they were not HUGE as they are now but did show a lot of promise...later from the south I was able to find Georgia Championship Wrestling and the NWA....back then and to this day the formula is simple...you have a bad guy-(Heel) and a good guy-(Face) talk trash and what they are going to do to each other etc....called a promo.

When the "Feud" needed to be settled once and for all it was decided in a steel cage....15 feet of either chain link fence or steel piping...the winner was decided by one of the wrestlers going over the top and landing on the ground first or through the door and touching ground first.

So rewind to 1982...this feud of Don Moroco and Jimmy Snuka was tearing up arenas through-out the North East and finally was decided in Madison Square Garden in New York City...this is what finally made me decide YEP...I am a fan for life. Enjoy everyone!!

What is this? The Detroit Lions ON Monday Night Football???

FORD FIELD

So what did you have to think when the NFL had confirmed that the Detroit Lions were in fact going to be hosting a Monday Night Football game? The first at Ford Field ever and the first since 2001...when the Lions were shut-out 35-0 to the St. Louis Rams at the famed Silver Dome?

I was excited and couldn't help contain that excitement with my fellow co-workers who could not believe me and who the opponent was going to be....Oct. 10 they will be hosting the Chicago Bears! Ironically the same Chicago Bears the Lions played for the first time on Monday Night Football back on Oct.5 1970! The Lions ended up winning that game 28-14!

The Lions Monday night record is nothing to brag about as they are under .500 with a 11-13-1 record with a win percentage of .460

I for one am happy to see the Lions and it's young talent being showcased for America to watch...sure we got blown out by the Patriots last Thanksgiving and we gave much of the nation heartburn that day but with the high of the final 4 game winning streak to finish off last season...we should be looking good for this upcoming season under Coach Schwartz. Hopefully Matthew Stafford will have no issues with his newly operated shoulder...with Calvin Johnson ready to finally show what Mega-Tron is about.....I am for one am looking forward to this game and the upcoming season....if we have one!

Thanks for the read and see you at the games...

Rick.

Doan's Dirty Cheap Shot on Johan Franzen 4/16/11

I swear to God if  Probert was alive or this was old time hockey this ass-clown would have been toast....bring back the goons of the NHL!!