"I have a bit of a rant here. I'm used to a Lansing commute. While it's 40 miles away and longer than my current commute to the People's Republic of Ann Arbor, it is actually quicker for me to get to Lansing than to Ann Arbor during that %#@!ing morning rush hour. Lansing's easy for the most part outside of the US-127/I-496 interchange. US-23 is a nightmare, especially around North Territorial. "
"The CP is reporting that the one-hour jersey retirement ceremony will take place before the Wings' Jan. 2nd game versus the Anaheim Ducks. Steve Yzerman's jersey will be the 6th to be retired by the Wings and will join Terry Sawchuk's #1, Ted Lindsay's #7, Gordie Howe's #9, Alex Delvecchio's #10 and Sid Abel's #12 in the rafters of Joe Louis Arena."
Hats off to the Red Wings organization for planning this honor so quickly. Stevie Y is certainly most deserving of this. He is, without a doubt, the greatest Red Wing of my generation and deserves his place in team and league history.
Welcome to yet another episode in the continuing series, Michigan's Musical Connection. Here's how we play this game - this series we spotlight musicians, from all musical genre, that were either (1) born in Michigan, (2) raised in Michigan, or (3) are best known as being associated with the State of Michigan.
This entry is #7 and I have elected to jump to the other end of the musical spectrum from the last post. I admit this person represented a bit of an awareness challenge for me. I had actually been researching a different artist and found a thread that led me to Joseph Bruce.
I work in the entertainment business for a major record label distribution facility. We distribute the works of this performer with his band, Insane Clown Posse (ICP) and I never realized the band was rooted in Michigan. As I looked further into the background of the group, I found some pretty cool bits of information.
That's one main reason why I enjoy putting this series together. I am learning quite a bit about artists that are outside my usual area of interest or listening palette.
Joseph Bruce, (born April 28, 1972 in Wayne, Michigan) better known to the world as Violent J of the Insane Clown Posse. He is also the co-founder of the record label of the band, Psychopathic Records, with fellow ICP rapper Joseph Utsler (aka Shaggy 2 Dope) and their manager, Alex Abbiss. He is also younger brother to rapper Robert Bruce, (a.k.a. Jumpsteady). He has a son named Joseph Bruce II who was born in January 2005.
Shaggy 2 Dope mixes the music for the group, and because of this J sings the lead vocals on most songs. Plus, according to Shaggy, J spends more time in the studio, hence he has more vocals time.
He was offered a role in Prison Song as a security guard, but declined because he was not permitted to wear his clown make-up.
In his own movie Big Money Hustlas which he wrote, he had to pay $100,000 out of his own pocket to complete it. In all of his CDs he gives credit to "the Butterfly".
Michael Jackson was one of his favorite artists including Prince and Pearl Jam.
The feud between Eminem and Insane Clown Posse began in 1998 when Eminem approached them with a flyer to promote his "Slim Shady LP" release party which stated 'Insane Clown Posse might make an appearance!' Neither Violent J nor Shaggy knew or met Eminem at the time. Violent J declined the invasion and Eminem took it as an insult, then in a song on the Marshall Mathers LP album of Eminem's called them names which made ICP and Eminem enemies.
Bruce is also a professional wrestler. He started off in 1990 as an independent wrestler under the moniker Dropkick Daniels and Corporal Darrell Daniels. His first match ever was working for Al Snow, and it was also the same night where Rob Van Dam and Terry Brunk (Sabu) had their first matches.
Bruce then went on to wrestle in the WWF, ECW and a long stint in WCW with Shaggy, Vampiro and Raven as The Dead Pool. After WCW, he and Shaggy created Juggalo Championshit Wrestling, which was a huge success with "juggalos" (ICP's fanbase), and the backyard wrestling fanbase. Bruce remains great friends with many wrestlers including Sabu, RVD, and Vampiro, just to name a few.
Update 9/03/06: Short video clip of Joseph Bruce aka Violent J doing a Saturday Night Fever bit on the tour bus. Via YouTube.
"It's a big fat cliche, but I'm awed by how fast life moves. I used to relish in the fact that I was a member of the first class of baby boomers having been born in 1946. My spot on a timeline was easily identifiable and was part of the tail end of a war that this country won with pride.
Turning sixty on August 31, next Thursday, has been a sobering nugget that has been swirling around in my neurons for more than a year and a half. I realize in a much more personal way that I have more life behind me than I have ahead of me. Ouch."
"The Michigan Business Activity Index (MBAI) represents ten different measures of Michigan economic activity compiled monthly by the Economics Department of Comerica Bank. The MBAI is seasonally adjusted, corrected for inflation, and expressed as an index, with 1996 as base year equal to 100. The MBAI series has been calculated monthly since 1957 and depicts state economic activity over seven full swings of the U.S. business cycle."
"I may be entering the world of podcasting by the New Year...
This will be a great consolidation of the subjects posted on my six blogs into one podcast. I'll create an additional blog to cover my show notes. Any blogrolls I've created such as Blogs for Condi and Blogs for FOX will remain active and new episode announcements will be posted on my various blogs as appropriate."
"Tomorrow morning I’m off early with my dad for the hospital and my minor hernia surgery. At least I think it’ll be a minor surgery anyway… But I’ll likely be good and sore for a couple days, so I anticipate being away from the site for a couple days except for checking up on things here. I’m glad my lady will be here after work tomorrow to keep an eye on me, just in case I pop open and bleed. Ok, bad joke! A really bad joke… Back in a couple days folks."
Good luck John. I hope everything goes as planned and you return soon.
"Whether you're an animal adorer, adrenaline addict or cotton candy connoisseur, there's something for everyone at this year's Michigan State Fair.
Those interested in the furry, feathered and feline can check out the animals at the Miracle of Life, the Outdoor Zone or the livestock barns. Looking for something to get your heart pumping? Look no farther than the huge midway, which is chock-full of new rides sure to make your stomach flip. And, as always, there are food booths aplenty.
While the midway and the food might cost you a little cash, there are plenty of free things while you're inside the fair. Check out big-name concerts such as Ginuwine and Twisted Sister for free in the Band Shell, or watch lumberjacks compete in the Great Lakes Timber Show."
"A suburban Detroit woman who authorities say made a habit of marrying men and draining their finances pleaded guilty Wednesday to polygamy.
Kyle McConnell admitted to a Macomb Circuit Court judge that she knowingly wed Doug Rice while she already was married. Her sentencing hearing was set for Sept. 23."
After years of transporting passengers, automobiles and railcars across the Straits of Mackinac, the Chief Wawatam ended service. Built for the Mackinac Transportation Company for service between St. Ignace and Mackinaw City, the Chief Wawatam arrived at St. Ignace on October 18, 1911.
In 1988, the Chief Wawatam—the last coal-burning vessel on the Great Lakes—was sold to a Canadian firm that cut the 338-foot car ferry down to a deck barge.
"From the many lakes around home to distant places such as Isle Royal National Park in Lake Superior to the remote lakes up in Canada. I'd always wanted to try a kayak; looked at them many times and never made the jump. Oh, I looked at the various styles and dreamed and drooled of the new adventures I could get out of them. Eventually I made the plunge, after researching, I found just the right kayak for my purposes. An oldtown Loon 138 - had to be green - kayak. See it's rather hard trying to take the good quality pictures I wanted from the canoe as I found out. Talk about a man and his toy the first time I got into it. Wow, was this speedy in the water, as well as great aerobic exercise for the upper body. I could really go off and relax at my own pace around the lakes and explore every little inlet. I found I was spending more and more time in the kayak, commanding my direction on my own and not that of the other paddler."
Welcome to the latest installment of my series, Michigan's Musical Connection. Every Saturday, I select an artist at random who has some connection to the great State of Michigan. The qualifications I have chosen for inclusion in this series is pretty broad. Artists that were either born in Michigan, raised in Michigan, or currently reside in Michigan. Pretty simple, right? With that said, let's get this entry underway.
Leo Sowerby was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1895 and died in 1968. Mr. Sowerby was a composer and organist and studied at the American Conservatory in Chicago. He also studied in Rome in 1921 and later became a teacher at the American Conservatory. In 1927, he became the organist and choirmaster at St. James Episcopal Church in Chicago.
Here's a snip from an essay about Leo Sowerby -
Sowerby was born on May 1, 1895 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and spent most of his adult life in Chicago. He was thus one of the authentic musical voices of the Midwest, of the great American heartland. His talent blossomed early - his violin concerto was premiered in 1913, when the composer was 18 years old and his orchestral works were featured on programs by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from his early 20s on. He went on to produce a catalogue of more than 550 works, including other concertos (for piano, organ, cello, and harp), five symphonies, and music in every other genre with the sole exception of opera. He was the first winner of the American Prix de Rome, he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1946 for his cantata The Canticle of the Sun, and his orchestral music was played not only by the Chicago Symphony, but by the Boston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and many others. His success extended beyond the traditional classical concert stage. How many people who associate Sowerby only with organ and choral music know that when bandleader Paul Whiteman sought new works in the jazz idiom after his great success with Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, one of the first composers he turned to was Sowerby? (He wrote two works for Whiteman's band, one called Synconata and the other called Monotony, a piece for metronome and jazz band). His music could indeed vibrate with the syncopated urban accents of the Jazz Age, but he painted vivid musical landscapes, such as the tone poems Prairie and Comes Autumn Time (in both its orchestral and organ versions), or From the Northland, his evocation of the forests and Great Lakes of his native Michigan. His reputation as a specialist in sophisticated liturgical music was balanced by the fact that two of his best-sellers during his lifetime were his instrumental settings of The Irish Washerwoman and Pop Goes the Weasel.
With the sole exception of his pupil Ned Rorem, Sowerby was the last American composer with a national reputation in the world of concert music to display any more than a token interest in church music. He was organist of St .James' Episcopal Cathedral in Chicago for more than 40 years, and his liturgical music occupies a central place in his life's work and in the history of American church music. He produced a long list of anthems, each of which is a master class in the techniques of writing choral music. They illuminate the sacred texts in a truly symphonic style, and feature organ accompaniments that make integral and idiomatic contributions to the texture of the music - real organ music: no one-size-sort -of-fits-all "keyboard" parts like those which so many church music programs seem to demand today. (more...)
Leo Sowerby began composing at the age of ten and through his career he totaled more than 500 works. Considered the pre-eminent American composer of organ music, Sowerby garnered recognition throughout his career which included a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1946.
Sowerby began piano lessons when he was seven and was teaching himself theory from a textbook at 11. He moved to Chicago in 1909 and continued his music studies while at Englewood High School. At age 15, Sowerby received some cursory instruction on the organ, but from then on would be self-taught.
Sowerby's debut as a composer came in 1913 when the Chicago Symphony at an all-America concert performed his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra. Four years later, Sowerby gave his first public performance on the piano at the Norfolk, Connecticut, Festival.
His first pair of published compositions was a Woodwind Quintet (1916) and Serenade for string quartet (1917), which was a birthday present to Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge. In December 1917, Sowerby went into the U.S. Army and served for 15 months in England and France as a clarinetist and bandmaster. Sowerby remained in Europe after his discharge from the army and began composing a series of works including his First Symphony, which led to him being awarded the first American Prix de Rome in 1921. For the next three years Sowerby resided at the American Academy in Rome, writing among others From the Northland a composition that would win the Society for the Publication of American Music Award. (more...)
Since the last entry in my series, Michigan's Musical Connection, I have not stopped listening to one of my Was (Not Was) cd's. Has that ever happened to you? You pull out a disc you haven't listened to in a while and it suddenly becomes the only thing you listen to for a stretch. OK. So maybe it is just me.
Today I am working on the next post in the series. (Sorry, no hints.) I will guarantee that it will be the opposite end of the musical spectrum and within a genre not yet featured. Hmmm. Now what could that be? Tune in (no pun intended) tomorrow and check it out.
If you want to read the other installments, check the Featured Posts section in the sidebar to the right.
From my friend, Todd Katke, former Michigander now living in Alaska, comes this post about his witnessing a mid-air collision of two small aircraft. Todd is a wildlife photographer and writes about some of his experiences in the field at his blog, Buford T. Porcupine's Wild and Wacky Adventures.
"The Dream Cruise" is a regular event that began after I moved away from Michigan. I have not been able to schedule my home visits to coincide. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Detroit Free Press has set up a blog to cover the Cruise. Ok. I know it's not the same as being there. OK. I get that part. Who knows? With regular posting and lots of pictures (hint), it could be a fun read, particularly in the depth of winter when we are all seeking our little piece of sunshine.
Terrorism charges against Michigan men dropped Prosecutors in Ohio dropped terrorism charges today against two Michigan men who were arrested after buying large numbers of cell phones --- apparently in Tennessee and elsewhere.
Prosecutors said they couldn't prove a terrorism link.
Ali Houssaiky and Osama Sabhi Abulhassan, both of Dearborn, Michigan, left prison after paying a reduced bond on remaining misdemeanor counts of falsification.
Investigators going through their car after the pair were pulled over in Ohio also found a map that showed locations of Wal-Mart stores from Ohio through Kentucky, Tennessee and into North and South Carolina. (more...)
I found a collection of photos of my hometown, Plymouth, from the early days of the city's development. Many of the photos I have were derived from postcard images I found over the years. I will try to relate the locations of the photos to the current geography. If you have been to Plymouth before, these pictures may have some relevance. If not, well, perhaps I will need to take a road trip to shoot some recent pics to provide a before-after comparison.
This first picture was taken in what is now known as Kellogg Park. The photo was shot looking to the north toward the corner of Main Street and Penniman Avenue by today's reference points.
The statue in the photo is no longer there and most of the ground coverage has been removed in favor of a brick walkway that dissects the park. The white building in the distance background is still a part of the current architecture in town. Through the years it has housed many different tenants. Most memorable for me is when the National Bank of Detroit was it's occupant. The buildings to the left of that once held four or five small stores at ground level and some of the upper levels were either office space or small apartments. I remember Wiltes Pharmacy, Pete's Shoe Repair, and John Smith's Men's Clothes were stores of my youth. All of which are gone today. As is my youth.:)
Update: I located a current photo that roughly displays the general area of the upper photo. Also, based on the cars in the first photo, I am guessing it was taken sometime during the late 1930's or 1940's.
The Woodward Dream Cruise Woodward Avenue from Ferndale to Pontiac is lined on both sides with magnificent classic and custom automobiles. It's a 16-mile long car show that is educational, historic and fun for all ages. There is no charge to attend the Woodward Dream Cruise. The Woodward Dream Cruise is the world's largest one-day celebration of car culture that attracts more than 1.7 million visitors, and more than 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, custom, collector and special interest vehicles..." (continued ...)
Today is Saturday and it is time for another installment in my series called, Michigan's Musical Connection. This episode features an artist whose music dances through the entire musical genre spectrum. This artist has achieved critical and popular success on both sides of the soundboard. From Wiki -
Don Was (born Donald Fagenson on September 13, 1952 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American musician and a music and record producer.
Fagenson graduated from Oak Park High School in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park, then attended the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor but dropped out after the first year. A journeyman musician, he grew up listening to the Detroit blues sound and the jazz music of John Coltrane and Miles Davis.
Using the stage name "Don Was," he formed the group Was (Not Was), making several albums in the 1980s before disbanding in 1993. However, the group has reunited for performing and recording, with two albums scheduled to be released in 2005.
Don Was has earned recognition as a capable record producer and has produced for numerous singers including Bob Dylan, Bob Seger, Glenn Frey, Iggy Pop, Khaled, Jackson Browne, and several albums for Bonnie Raitt including her Nick of Time album that won the 1990 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Was has worked with such bands as the Rolling Stones, The B-52's, Barenaked Ladies and others. He served as music director and/or consultant for several motion pictures such as The Country Bears, The Rainmaker, and Hope Floats.
In 1995, Don Was earned a Grammy Award for Producer of the Year.
He is the father of Eve 6 drummer Tony Fagenson.
As I am writing this entry I am listening to a Was (Not Was) tape to aid in capturing the spirit perhaps. One thing that I am taken by while listening is that Don Was could almost be considered a niche artist but one that occupied many niches. But more about Was (Not Was) will be the subject of a future installment. I hope this whet your appetite until then.
Update 9/03/06: Bonus video included now - This clip features Was Not Was via YouTube.
Walberg upsets Schwarz in 7th District Former state Rep. Tim Walberg ousted freshman U.S. Rep. Joe Schwarz on Tuesday night in the heated 7th Congressional District Republican primary, convincing voters that Schwarz was too liberal for the district.
Schwarz trailed throughout the night and conceded the race after 11 p.m.
The contest, which drew national attention, represented an ideological clash between Schwarz, a moderate from Battle Creek, and Walberg, who was one of the most conservative state lawmakers during his 16 years in the state House. (more ...)
Gleason, five taxes win Genesee County suburbs flexed their political muscle to hand John J. Gleason a decisive victory in the Democratic state Senate primary, the area's most-watched race.
Gleason won all but one of the 14 suburban communities in the 27th state Senate district, but came in a distant third in Flint, the district's largest city.
He more than doubled the votes of car dealer Patsy Lou Williamson, who barely came in second.
"We talked to the people. I think that's always been my campaign strategy," said Gleason, long known for being a champion at door-to-door campaigning. "I don't think you can beat that face-to-face (meeting voters)." (more ...)
Stewart calls campaign 'dirty' Beth Stewart’s bid to succeed her husband as the state representative for the 20th House District came to an abrupt ending shortly before 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. That’s when — after a machine malfunction — the unofficial vote totals from Tuesday’s primary election were announced by the Plymouth Township clerk’s office.
Stewart, who trailed Mark Abbo of Northville Township by about 1,200 votes at the time, was hoping for a strong show of support from Plymouth Township voters to lead her to victory. And why not? It’s where her husband, Rep. John Stewart (R-Plymouth Township) won three two-year terms by wide margins to represent the 20th District. (continue ...)
Michigan lawmakers repeal business tax Michigan's single business tax, which generates about $1.9 billion a year, will cease to exist after December 31, 2007 under a repeal approved Wednesday by the Republican-controlled legislature.
"Michigan is struggling, people are losing their jobs and thousands of college grads are leaving our state," said House Speaker Craig DeRoche in a statement. "Reforming our business tax system is not only the right thing, it is the necessary thing to move our state in a new direction and bring jobs back to Michigan."
The repeal vote came in the wake of a successful petition drive that was launched by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson after previous legislative repeal attempts were vetoed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat. (more ...)
Before I proceed, I have to tell everyone how much fun this episode has been to compose. Part of what I hope to convey in this feature is that Michigan has been, and continues to be, the birthplace and/or adoptive home of many creative people that enrich our lives through the expression of their art. This process of presenting these artists here is also a path of personal education for me. I have been involved in the music business for about thirty years; as a musician and also while employed for various entertainment companies. I have always had a deep and passionate interest in music, it's history, the mechanics and the behind-the-scenes occurrences associated. This week, the featured artist is Sy Oliver. Born in Battle Creek on December 17, 1910 and later moved to Ohio where his parents were teachers. Sy Oliver had a dynamic career and was very influential in the genre of Big Band and Jazz musical styles. He was a performer, composer, arranger and band leader.
Melvin James "Sy" Oliver was from Battle Creek, Michigan. Both of his parents were music teachers in Ohio, where he grew up. He played the trumpet as a boy and at the age of 17 took a job with Zack Whyte and his Chocolate Beau Brummels. He joined the Jimmie Lunceford orchestra in 1933. There he established a reputation for innovative arranging characterized by imaginative instrumentation and a full-bodied sound. He also developed a distinctive "growl" sound, in his own playing.
In 1939 he joined the orchestra of Tommy Dorsey as a singer and arranger. He led a band while in the army during World War II and returned to Dorsey's orchestra after the war. From the late 1940s to the early '70s Oliver held a variety of jobs, including a decade as musical director of Decca Records. (more...)
I am also including a snippet from an interview with Sy Oliver from 1974 where Sy recounts many of the highlights and hurdles he encountered.
People think of musicians as being effete, weaklings, delicate and so on. You take the average man and let him live six months as .the average musician does, he'd literally fall to pieces. During a war you say it takes a certain number of men behind the lines to keep one man up front with a gun. Well, people should sit down and figure out the man-hours it takes to present one minute on the stage,the hours and hours of writing, rehearsing and the practice that these men went through to develop the expertise that they have. This doesn't spring full-blown.
Musicians would be the first to laugh if you said anything about their being dedicated, only writers and analysts go around talking about that sort of thing. But they are literally dedicated people, through something inside them that makes them that way.
There's so much romantic nonsense written about music, talking about New Orleans jazz, Chicago jazz, Kansas City jazz. Ridiculous, it's all of a piece. To say otherwise is just trying to make a good story. Music is never static; guys come along with new ideas constantly. Sometimes they're old ideas that have been obscured by time, like many rock cliches, things out of ragtime, and so on. But whether the idea being presented is something from the past or something for the future, it's still filled with change. What happens is: the worth-while things from any fad remain part of the language. The good things in the music of yesterday live and combine with the good things in the music of today to make the music of tomorrow. (more from this ...)
I will conclude this post with one more quoted link from Answers.com:
Sy Oliver's melodic yet sophisticated arrangements helped define the Jimmy Lunceford sound in the 1930s and modernized Tommy Dorsey's band in the '40s. A fine trumpeter (excellent with a mute) and a likable vocalist, Oliver made his recording debut with Zack Whyte's Chocolate Beau Brummels in the late '20s and also worked with Alphonse Trent. Joining Lunceford in 1933, Oliver was responsible for such memorable charts as "My Blue Heaven," "Ain't She Sweet," "Organ Grinder's Swing," and "'Tain't What You Do," among many others. It was a major blow to Lunceford when Oliver jumped at the chance to make a lot more money arranging and occasionally singing for Tommy Dorsey. The hiring of Sy Oliver was a major help for T.D. in getting Buddy Rich to join his band. Oliver's arrangement of "On the Sunny Side of the Street" was his biggest hit for Dorsey. After a brief attempt at leading his own orchestra in 1946, Oliver became a freelance arranger and producer for the remainder of his long career. As late as 1975-1980, he was regularly leading a band but Sy Oliver will always be best known for his classic Lunceford charts. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide (more ...)
Growing up in Plymouth, I remember when Walker-Buzenberg relocated to our city. They moved into a small strip next to what was a Kroger store on Main Street. The store was situated just a few blocks from the cultural center of town, across the street from the old Plymouth High School. This retail strip was in front of the old Daisy Air Rifle facility which has now given way to an upscale housing community.
Brothers wouldn't compromise in bad times Dave and Eric Buzenberg said they tried to change with the times, but one aspect they weren't going to compromise was their high quality of customer service.
So, instead of lowering their standards, the pair decided it was time to close Walker-Buzenberg Furniture on Main Street in Plymouth -- a family owned business that's been around metro Detroit for 73 years, the past 28 in Plymouth -- because of hard economic times.
"Going Out of Business" signs were posted Wednesday afternoon, and the doors locked until the liquidation sale begins this week. (more ...)
Ilitches study The Joe's fate The Ilitch family is taking another step closer to deciding the fate of Joe Louis Arena, home to their Detroit Red Wings.
This week, the Ilitches -- who own a billion-dollar Detroit empire of sports teams, entertainment venues and downtown property -- moved one of its longtime senior executives into a newly created job to determine whether Joe Louis should be renovated or a new hockey arena should be built for the Red Wings.
Randy Lippe, president of Olympia Entertainment, was named senior executive in charge of arena development at Olympia Development, said Karen Cullen, spokeswoman for Ilitch Holdings Inc. (continued ...)
First human case of West Nile in Michigan this year confirmed A Muskegon County woman tested positive for West Nile virus and later died, state health officials said Friday.
It's the first confirmed human case of the virus in Michigan this year.
It is not clear whether the virus killed the 37-year-old woman, who had underlying health conditions, the Michigan Department of Community Health said. She was first hospitalized with complications from the disease one month ago.
The West Nile virus is transmitted by mosquitoes. Birds and horses are the most common victims, but Michigan has had human cases in each of the last few years. (continued here...)
New plate packs in Michigan symbols Not that the Mackinac Bridge isn't a potent symbol of Michigan.
But as the state's new commemorative license plate recognizes, there's much more than the Mighty Mac to single out for celebrating the Great Lakes State.
There's Detroit, for one, and the Motor City gets its due on the new Spectacular Peninsulas plate with a rendering of the city's most recognizable building: the Renaissance Center, now headquarters for General Motors Corp. How's that for a one-two punch for heritage?
The RenCen is clearly recognizable as part of the composite cityscape in green across the top of the new plate, which will go on sale in January. Look closely and you'll see the state Capitol building to the far left and, in the middle, Grand Rapids' Amway Grand Plaza Hotel - giving central and west Michigan their props. (continued ...)
A2Y has a sober reflection on the Hasek deal up. He likes it. I'm still not a big fan of it.
Sure, it could be great. In a perfect world.
Hasek is going to go down with a groin injury. Does anyone really believe he won't? The only question is when. Will it be 20 games into the season? Or will it come halfway? Say he pulls his groin in an All-Star Game shootout. (continue reading ...)
Stunned. That was my first reaction upon hearing that the Wings signed Hasek for a third tour. I hope his return will help the team get over what is best described as a playoff curse. I, like the author at On The Wings, have my doubts that we won't still be facing questions about dependable goal tending next year. I hope I am wrong but I am happy that Ken Holland didn't over-spend to get Dominick.
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Dave Stone
Born and raised in Michigan, specifically Detroit and the surrounding area. Though I have lived away for several years from my childhood home, I enjoy the opportunity to return for frequent visits. No matter where I live, I will always be a "Michigander".
This page is to share all things Michigan and, in so doing, I may be able to remedy a little of my homesickness. This is My Michigan Connection.
And, oh yeah, 
There's Detroit, for one, and the Motor City gets its due on the new Spectacular Peninsulas plate with a rendering of the city's most recognizable building: the Renaissance Center, now headquarters for General Motors Corp. How's that for a one-two punch for heritage?
