Don't forget to checkout "The Book And His Boss" with myself and Jeff Kuehn three times per week at theoaklandpress.com

There is little doubt Larry Foote will help the Lions. The unknown is to what degree.
Foote will play next season at 29. His production has waned the past couple seasons. It remains to be seen how well he will fit in the middle of a 4-3 scheme rather than as an inside backer in a 3-4, which is the defense they run in Pittsburgh.
But he does have a championship pedigree. A new team in his hometown could revive his career. He is also a standup guy. All you have to know about Larry Foote is his reaction a few years ago when he learned he had fathered a son nearly a decade earlier. He accepted the son - no questions asked. The Lions are a team badly in need of backbone. Foote, like Julian Peterson, will provide plenty of that.
Just don’t expect the Pro Bowl or Ray Lewis, but he is definitely an upgrade.

Random Thoughts

- The way Rick Porcello bounced back Tuesday from a poor start last week against the Yankees is solid proof the kid has what it takes to be a front-line starter. Even the best pitchers get racked around. The ones that get over it quickly are the pitchers that thrive. Porcello has an exceptional feel for pitching.

- There is an opportunity there for Clete Thomas. Looks like he is intent on taking advantage of it. He has shown flashes before, though. Sustaining it has been a different story.

This is the column I wrote for Thursday's paper about the Red Wings-Duck series:

http://tinyurl.com/d8ms6z

This is the column I wrote for Wednesday's Oakland Press about whether the Pistons should consider signing Ron Artest as a free agent.

http://tinyurl.com/cl5dvd