There are those in the media who tend to dwell on the good old days, I suppose, in part, because change often leads to trepidation.
I like the way things are now far better. For example, it's much easier to gather information. I didn't have any great love for my "Baseball Encyclopedia," for example. Took too long to look things up. I love the overload of information and columns and stories from great writers - and Twitter and that I can watch virtually any game any time on television or my computer or my phone. The latter when I eventually get the right one with the right applications on it.
What I don't like is the new ways of the NFL, and more specifically the Lions' news conferences with the head coach.
Look, there is so much made about every word said at those things. And especially when there is a losing team involved like the Lions, there isn't that much needed to be said. Hey, they are 2-10. Kind of says it all.
Reporters become the news because of the questions. I've been on that side of it a couple times, and to be honest, I was just asking questions that in the past wouldn't have been big deals. I just would have put the answer in my column. It wouldn't have been like, "You were in some showdown with the coach." Or a couple times when Matt Millen was team president. When that wasn't the case at all.
I covered the Lions for five years as a beat writer. The first year was 1998. And you could talk to the players and coaches and club officials pretty much anytime you wanted. Open locker room was actually an open locker room. You get honest answers.
I'd watch practice every day - all of it. Really got a feel for what was going on. And was much better able to convey what was happening to readers and listeners to my radio show. Practice isn't open anymore.
Now you get cliches every where. And a lot of people go into hiding, and when they do talk to the media, they are clearly afraid to say anything. It so bizarre.
The head coach has been put in a difficult spot. You've seen it from Jim Schwartz the last month, even though he is far more media savvy than Lions' coaches of the past. Trying to cover injuries everyone knows about. Calling the media irresponsible for their reporting. Blaming the officials.
Thing is, it's become the nature of the animal these days. Being a head coach isn't just about being a coach anymore. It's about being a spokesman for the organization - literally its face. There is no wiggle room for error.
Sure, it's unfair to Schwartz in a sense. For those of us in the media, it's a pain in the neck because where we used to get honest answers we now get spin. It's like we are always trying to decipher some sort of code.
The media conferences, both after the game and on Monday, are essentially useless.
The real losers are the fans - because it never comes to them straight any more.
And I believe this aura is hurting the NFL. It's media coverage is kind of locked - and is one of the reasons sellouts are not the given they used to be. It's just much harder to present the essence of league than it once was.

The Cardinals reaching the Super Bowl is a good news, bad news story for the Lions.
It’s good news because it points to how mediocrity can be served in the NFL. The Cardinals were a 9-7 team, and in large degree because they played in the worst division in the league, the NFC West. The Cardinals were 6-0 against their division - and 3-7 in other games.
The Cardinals didn’t run the football a lick during the regular season. They weren’t very good at stopping the run, either. Yet, come the playoffs, they did both well, and it augmented what is an explosive passing game with Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald.
The lesson: Get into the playoffs and anything can happen. Even for the Cardinals.
It does give the Lions hope that it won’t take several years to finally win another playoff game.
The bad news is, however, that the Cardinals unlikely success happened the same season as the Lions’ unprecedented failure.
It’s way too juicy not to continually point out how the Lions were considered the NFL’s worst franchise "after the Cardinals." Or how William Clay Ford has been considered the league’s most inept owner, "other than Bill Bidwell."
None of that can be said anymore. And it’s more evidence of just how far the Lions have fallen.

Random Thoughts

- The crossroad for Michigan’s basketball season may very well be Tuesday night at Penn State. It’s imperative the Wolverines’ win on the road to make up for not holding home court over the weekend against Ohio State. This is a not a typical sorry sack Penn State team. Jamelle Cornley and Stanley Pringle are solid seniors. Sophomore guard Taylor Battle is a terrific talent. Penn State is really good on the perimeter. The Nittany Lions have beaten Purdue, won at Indiana, lost by just four at Wisconsin and scared Michigan State with a late rally that just fell short. They have NCAA tournament aspirations of their own. Penn State is vulnerable inside, making DeShawn Sims the key for the Wolverines.

- Brandon Lyon as the Tigers’ closer might be a scary proposition. He allows too many hits per innings pitched. Ideally, the Tigers need last year’s first-round draft choice Ryan Perry to be ready for the major leagues sooner instead of later.

- Gunther Cunningham would be a great choice for Lions defensive coordinator. Not only is a emotional coach with a decorated resume, but he is a former head coach with tons of experience. As a first-year head coach, Jim Schwartz is going to need a wise, old sage or two around him.

My intitial reaction to the Lions hiring of Jim Schwartz as head coach?
Based on what I know, he was the best available candidate.
The Lions certainly could have done worse. What I like best about Schwartz is that he is the opposite of Rod Marinelli. Everybody works hard in the NFL. That's a given. Schwartz will try to outsmart the opposition rather than constantly attempting to drill a hole through solid rock with the same dull instrument.
Schwartz has been a coordinator for eight years. He understands the cat and mouse aspect of adjustments in the NFL - both in-game and week-to-week. I'd be surprised if he isn't much better at looking at the entire forest instead of just the one try in front of him than his predecessor. Marinelli's downfall was never being able to adjust on the fly.
We'll also know more about Schwartz sooner instead of later based on how he puts together his coaching staff. It will put his organizational skills to the test immediately.
I do think the Lions did a much better job this time not rushing to judgment on a head coaching candidate. The Lions search was much more extensive than it was during the Matt Millen era - a sign the organization may have learned from some of its past mistakes.
What I didn't like is that the search was only limited to NFL assistants. Under current circumstances, the Lions weren't going to land Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan, but there were other former NFL head coaches they could have at least interviewed and considered.
The rookie general manager, rookie head coach situation is less than ideal. Schwartz will have to mature quickly into his role. But at least the pedigree is there.

Those thinking Allen Iverson should be coming off the bench instead of Richard Hamilton - assuming the Pistons go back to a "big" lineup - are missing the point.
The reason it makes sense for Iverson to remain in the starting lineup is because he and Rodney Stuckey have been playing so well together. Hamilton was totally out of sync when he and Iverson were the Pistons’ backcourt, and he hasn’t blended in as well with Stuckey or the three-man backcourt.
Stuckey has controlled the ball most of the time. He is the Pistons’ best player. Iverson has been effective playing off guard with him. The Pistons have benefitted greatly defensively by adding more size to their front court. It’s the bottom line.
Is it fair to Hamilton? No, given his status as an All-Star and a Piston - and because he would be losing his job because he got hurt. Should he be upset about it? Absolutely. A player of his caliber isn’t going to take not starting lightly - even if he does play a lot of minutes. The same issue would be there with Iverson.
But what’s best for the team? Right now, it’s starting the bigger lineup. Right now, it’s Amir Johnson starting and Hamilton off the bench. It could also change as time goes on.
How he handles this is a huge test for Pistons’ coach Michael Curry. It’s also for Joe Dumars. He has to back his coach.
It isn’t a matter of whether Hamilton would be upset about the sixth man role. It would be whether he played hard in the role. If put in that situation, and if he doesn’t play hard, Dumars would have no choice but to try to trade him - even considering Hamilton’s contract extension. Dumars is the one who put Curry in this situation. He can’t expect him to pull off making Hamilton feel good about going into the sixth man role.
It has to be made clear what’s best for the team is what’s best for the team. That’s comes from the top. When it comes to the Pistons basketball operations, that’s Joe Dumars, not Michael Curry.
The only hammer the Pistons have is the possibility of trading Hamilton. And it’s in Dumars hand.

Random Thoughts

- My Hall of Fame ballot this year included: Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven, Alan Trammell, Jack Morris, Lee Smith and Andre Dawson. Just couldn’t bring myself to vote for Mark McGwire. Not sure I ever will.

- If I were to rate potential Lions head coaches at this point, I would go: 1. Jim Schwartz. 2. Ron Rivera. 3. Todd Bowles.

- The 49 shots the Red Wings surrendered during Monday’s loss at Dallas were the most since 1991. I didn’t think they could possibly play that poorly defensively. Chris Osgood played one of his better games. If he hadn’t, the Red Wings would have allowed double digits in goals.
- My Hall of Fame ballot this year included: Rickey Henderson, Jim Rice, Bert Blyleven, Alan Trammell, Jack Morris, Lee Smith and Andre Dawson. Just couldn’t bring myself to vote for Mark McGwire. Not sure I ever will.

My impression from the BSC title game Thursday is that I wouldn’t take Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford with the first overall pick. I know that’s harsh, given that it was just one game and he had such a spectacular season overall.
But in this particular game, I didn’t see the same caliber of athlete I saw in previous games. I think the main reason is that Florida probably has the best raw material in college football. It provided a more realistic view of how Bradford stacks up athletically with NFL players than, say, Texas Tech or even Texas. He seemed more slight of build. His arm strength is OK, but doesn’t appear to be exceptional. He needed to make plays. He wasn’t able to so. At times, he looked more like a "system" quarterback than he did before. In terms of the measurable factors (arm strength, size, even speed) Georgia QB Matthew Stafford appears as the better pro prospect. He played three games against Florida in his career - one well (in 2007) and two poorly. Stafford’s lack of consistency makes him questionable with a real early pick in the draft.
Both are being projected as top five picks in the upcoming NFL Draft by some gurus. I’m not sure if it will play out that way. Now if they drop down to 19th or 20th, it would be more reasonable for the Lions to take one of the two with their second first-round selection. They need to take a QB with one of their first five selections because it is such a glaring hole, but the dropoff after Bradford and Stafford is considerable. That could change if USC QB Mark Sanchez decides to come out. Apparently he is pondering doing so. But would he be worthy of the first overall pick? Doesn’t appear so. Sanchez was surrounded by the best talent of them all at USC.

Random Thoughts

- Tim Tebow will probably go back to Florida, but count me among those who feel he is a better pro prospect than he is being given credit for. I don’t care if he never takes snaps under center or if Alex Smith didn’t make it after playing in Urban Meyer’s system at Utah, Tebow is an extraordinary athlete and a winner. You saw the game? Who was the better QB - Tebow or Bradford? Look to me like Tebow - hands down.

- In my opinion, Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is a more viable candidate for the Lions head coaching job than Jason Garrett. The Lions need to think defense first. And look at what the Titans defense has done lately compared to the Cowboys offense?

- And so Grady Sizemore and Curtis Granderson are both on the USA team for the World Baseball Classic. Who starts in center field if both are in the lineup? Talk about picking between elite defenders, eh?