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Joy in Detroit Today


HoosierCat

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who says their GM nightmare is over?? maybe next one is worst lol

That would suck. I actually kind of root for the Lions as a second team. I was born there and would like to see them do well. They have just as much luck (lack thereof) getting to the playoffs as the Bengals have had.

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Radio station gives Millen era proper burial

millenfuneralpc8.jpg

A Detroit radio station gave the Matt Millen era a proper burial today, complete with a Harley-drawn carriage lugging the “Fire Millen!” sign in a custom-painted Lions’ casket.

“This is a special moment for us as we say goodbye to a legacy, to a reign of a general manager that brought us frustrations, brought us tears, brought us everything but a trophy,” DJ Spike, from the Mojo In The Morning program on WKQI-FM (95.5), said as the funeral lined up at 8 a.m. at Eastern Market.

An $85,000 Harley-Davidson hearse led the procession south on Gratiot Avenue to Ford Field. Inside, a gleaming, custom painted, Honolulu Blue casket held a photograph of Matt Millen’s face on a white padded silk pillow.

As about 30 people standing around the casket snickered, Spike invited fans to put mementos in the casket “to be buried forever along with the bad memories of seven years of Matt Millen’s reign.

Aaron Tobin, 47, of Oak Park laid his “Fire Millen!” sign next to Millen’s face.

“As the person who started it, I’m glad it’s finally over,” said Tobin, who claims to have been carrying the sign to Lions, Tigers and Pistons games for the last three years. “It’s euphoria now in the city of Detroit.”

The idea of a funeral started Monday at the radio station, first to mourn what promised to be dire season for the losing team, Spike said today.

But when the football franchise fired Millen Tuesday, they decided to put Millen in the casket and called on listeners to help celebrate.

Dan Dwyer, 43, of Flat Rock brought his Harley hearse after his 13-year-old daughter, Alex, heard about the funeral on the radio.

As funeral director of Michigan Memorial in Flat Rock, he travels throughout the Midwest and on the east coast, delivering the departed to their final resting place.

He gladly donated his time today to send Millen on his way.

“It’s about time,” Dwyer said. “I want to see a new era for the Lions. He was a great football player and a terrible manager.”

Megan Clement, 26, of Warren drew on her trumpet training at Hazel Park High School to play “Taps” at today's funeral, even though she wouldn’t have called herself a Lions’ fan.

“Now I am; I wasn’t when they sucked,” she said after her notes echoed off the brick of Ford Field. “They were an embarrassment to all of Michigan.”

Custom painter Bryan Gunn, 43, of Tecumseh immediately got his spray gun and air brush out Wednesday night, working 38 hours straight to paint the Millen casket.

His artwork of little tombstones line the outside of the casket walls, denoting the athletic demise of nine former coaches. Starting in 1978 with Monte Clark, Gunn’s list ends with Millen’s tombstone on the lid. Next to Steve Mariucci and Dick Jauron, coaches to come are memorialized with the words “Next” on other headstones. Plans are for the casket to be auctioned on eBay, with a portion of the proceeds donated to charity.

“It was fun,” said Gunn, who painted the casket at Westborn Collision City in Dearborn. “It was a real tight time-schedule because I only had one day’s notice, but other than that, it was fun.”

Hearse enthusiast Stan DeJohn, 43, of Troy offered to deliver the casket to today's ceremony in the gold 1970 Cadillac hearse — the “Golden Ghost” — he drives every day in Metro Detroit.

Today's funeral director, Spike, wasn’t surprised at the outpouring.

“Not at all,” Spike said. “With the attitude of the miserable Lions’ fans, we knew they’d be just as enthusiastic as we were to put this era to rest.”

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...030/1048/SPORTS

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There will almost certainly be a similar celebration, albeit probably less public, when "Son-of-Genius" finally passes away, because at that moment the Bengals franchise will finally have a glimmer of hope for the future.

Unfortunately, knowing our luck, he will probably live into his 100's, growing progressively less capable and yet more meddling each passing year.

Our first round draft pick in 2025? A 200 pound long snapper from Norway named Sven.

Thanks Mike.

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  • 2 weeks later...

She's still young enough to change, tho, Ria.....and we don't know if she will choose to hire a GM and step aside from pure football matters and simply work the business (marketing, finance, sales, etc) side.

Frankly, even after the Dallas business she simply can't be worse than Son-Of-a-Genius. She can't. Not possible.

Oh, and is that really and truly your pic?

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She's still young enough to change, tho, Ria.....and we don't know if she will choose to hire a GM and step aside from pure football matters and simply work the business (marketing, finance, sales, etc) side.

Frankly, even after the Dallas business she simply can't be worse than Son-Of-a-Genius. She can't. Not possible.

Oh, and is that really and truly your pic?

TJ - Your optimism is wonderful, but WRONG!!! Several points about heir-apparent Katie -

- she's a lawyer (like Daddy), and her biggest thrill in life is slipping in loopholes into contracts (per NFLPA)

- her argument for doing anything is "that's the way Daddy did it". Case in point: her multi-million dollar mansion in Indian Hill does not have air-conditioning (even though it was offered below cost), because she didn't have it growing up ??!!?? What makes you think she'll spend money on a GM or scouting???

- she is uniformly disliked by staffers for being a bitch

- At least Mike played football (Dartmouth)

As hard as it is to imagine, we might look back fondly to Mike Brown's reign :o

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I still can't imagine things being worse, front-office-wise. I really, really can't. Can't.

If that somehow\someway makes me an optimist....then so be it :-)

(aside 1: I do believe this is the first time I have ever been labeled an optimist on these forums, ever....)

(aside 2: a source for this "Inside" info on Pumpkin would be appreciated)

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Mike Brown will end his legacy, right before he retires or dies, by either selling or moving the team to another city. I can see that happening to us loyal fans.

I'll take it right now. Move this team somewhere else, and move the Jaguars up here. Jacksonville fans don't even support that organization, yet it is run right, and the team plays the type of physical ball that would succeed in the AFC North.

All that talk about Pumpkin is starting to frighten me. I've always just assumed she'd learn from her father's mistakes. Now I'm starting to think she'll just repeat them.

PS - Her husbands a spineless weasel for letting her dictate no ac in their house.

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Mike Brown will end his legacy, right before he retires or dies, by either selling or moving the team to another city. I can see that happening to us loyal fans.

Nah, he dies and SoP-in-drag takes over. SHE may end up moving the team, etc., but he won't.

I'll take them here in SoCal.....Hmmmm The Los Angeles Bengals? Has a nice ring to it...

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