The Detroit Lions have nine wins and one loss so far this season. The last time the Lions started a season with a 9-1 record was a mere 90 years ago in 1934.
But in their latest victory, Detroit lost another key player to injury.
For more on that and other sports news, Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou.
Football this weekend:
Purdue at Michigan State - Fri., 8:00 p.m.
Northwestern at Michigan - Sat., 3:30 p.m.
Detroit Lions at Indianapolis Colts - Sun., 1:00 p.m.
Doug Tribou: Last weekend, the Lions beat Jacksonville 52-6 and quarterback Jared Goff didn’t even play the fourth quarter. The Jaguars are not good, so the win wasn’t a surprise. But Lions also got some bad news: linebacker Alex Anzalone — a critical part of the defense — broke his forearm and is expected to miss six to eight weeks. How much could that hurt the Lions down the stretch?
JUB: Hard to say exactly. He's not at the same level of Aidan Hutchinson, whom they lost early on and replaced with a great trade. But he was a Pro Bowl alternate this year. He's a serious player. One thing you realize, if you're going to win a Super Bowl or a national title in college, you've got to avoid injuries. It's part of the luck involved.
DT: Let's turn to baseball. Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal had an amazing season and now he has the hardware to show for it. Skubal was named the American League Cy Young Award winner this week. The lefthander led the A.L. with 18 wins and a 2.39 earned run average. He also led the Major Leagues with 228 strikeouts and helped the Tigers make the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. With the award, Skubal joins an elite Tigers club...
JUB: He does. Max Scherzer in 2013. Justin Verlander in 2011. Guillermo "Willie" Hernández in 1984. And Denny McLain won it twice in '68 and '69. Those are the only Cy Young winners in Detroit Tigers history. Cy Young goes to the league's best pitcher. He also won the pitching Triple Crown: most wins, lowest earned run average and most strikeouts. So, it's a great story. And the beauty part, Doug, is he's still going to be a Tiger next year. That's kind of crucial.
DT: [Laughs] Right. And over in the National League, Atlanta's Chris Sale won the award.
Let’s turn to college football. Michigan will host Northwestern Saturday afternoon. Then their final regular season game will be on the road against Ohio State. The Wolverines need one more win to be eligible for a bowl game. You’re the analyst, John, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Michigan’s best chance to get that win is against Northwestern this weekend…
JUB: Yes, the lowly Northwestern Wildcats versus the Buckeyes [who] might be the best team in America. Yeah, I'm going to go with you on that one. Look, the Buckeyes are licking their chops. They're dying for revenge after losing to Michigan three straight. That game [on Nov. 30] could be a bloodbath. This is Michigan's last best chance.
Doug, if I had told you a year ago that Michigan was 9-1 and the Lions are 5-5, the Lions fans would be thrilled they might be going to the playoffs. And Michigan fans would be complaining about the one loss. And now it's the opposite. This is one of the weirdest years ever, where Michigan fans get over the bitter taste of a loss on Saturday by watching the Lions on Sunday. The apocalypse must truly be upon us.
"This is one of the weirdest years ever, where Michigan fans get over the bitter taste of a loss on Saturday by watching the Lions on Sunday. The apocalypse must truly be upon us."John U. Bacon on the Lions' successes and Wolverines' stumbles
DT: [Laughs] Well, Michigan State needs two wins be bowl-eligible in coach Jonathan Smith’s first season. They will host the worst team in the Big Ten, Purdue, tonight. Then they'll host Rutgers next weekend. Are these games as much about program-building and making MSU as attractive as possible to transfers as they are about actually making a low-level bowl game this season?
JUB: Exactly right, Doug. The bowl games themselves at that level don't mean a lot for Michigan or for Michigan State, but you get 20 practices you don't get otherwise, if you go to a bowl game. You recruit better and you build momentum, so for Michigan State and Coach Smith, it means a great deal.
DT: Before we close, let’s offer a tip of the cap to Ferris State head hockey coach Bob Daniels, who racked up his 500th career win this week. Daniels is in his 33rd season at the helm at Ferris State and has pushed the Bulldogs to some of the highest heights in the men’s college hockey over the years…
JUB: A great story, great guy, a local guy from Livonia, played at Michigan State. Twice named the National Coach of the Year. That's big stuff. Look, you can't get the same kind of players that Michigan and Michigan State get. So he very cleverly figured out he'll get small guys who are fast and really smart. And I like that approach, Doug.
DT: I was going to say. Sounds like someone I know. [Laughs]
JUB: But not quite as fast, but yeah. Or smart. [Laughs]
Editor's note: Quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
