The column is finally back. After two straight weeks off, I will be starting the column back up from now until the end of the school year. This week’s column features all of the Fraser spring team sports, predictions for the NBA playoffs and your Detroit Red Wings, and more.

1. Fraser Softball On A Hot Streak

Fraser softball is off to a great start this season. After losing their first game against Chippewa Valley 12-3, the Lady Ramblers have reeled off four straight wins. The Lady Ramblers are now 4-1-1 on the year. Their only tie came from a game early in the year that was not played because of a rain delay. Both teams decided to take it as a tie instead of trying to reschedule the non conference game. All four of the team’s wins have come at home this year. The team’s next game will be Friday afternoon at 4 pm on the road against Marysville High School.

2. Fraser Baseball Continues Great Play

The Fraser Ramblers are playing some pretty good baseball after having a decent spring break tournament. They just swept a three game series against Lamphere High School. They outscored the Rams 28-7 in including a 12-6 win Thursday night at Lamphere. The team has been pitching well lately thanks to great outings by the Querro brothers, Michael and Jason, along with senior pitcher Scott Latessa. Fraser has also hit well scoring 28 runs in just 21 innings. If the Ramblers keep up the stellar pitching they may just find themselves playing in early June for the District Championship. The Ramblers will look to keep their win streak going when they host Parkway Christian for a doubleheader at 11 am Saturday morning.

3. Fraser Girls Soccer Off  to a Good Start

Fraser girls soccer season kicked off just a few weeks ago. The team is off to an incredible start as they are 4-1 on the year. Their lone loss was a 1-0 shutout against Stevenson High School at the end of March. Since then they have won three straight games. The most outstanding one was an 8-0 shutout against the Pontiac Phoenix. The offense is firing on all cylinders and if the team continues their play they should be in good shape for Districts in just a little over a month. The Lady Ramblers play their next game at home Friday at 4:00 pm against Cousino.

4. Fraser Signing Day

To some of you this may be old news, but I would just like to remind everyone of all the Fraser athletes who signed their Letter of Intent to play at a college next year. Here are the following players, the sport  they play, and where they will be playing next year.

Justin Gray: soccer at Sienna Heights

Matt Lentine: soccer at Sienna Heights

Jeff Mainhardt: football at Heidelberg University

Jeremiah Robinson: football at Olivet College

Julia Stewart: women’s soccer at Madonna University

It’s great to see so many young men and women being able to continue their sport careers at the next level. I’d like to wish each and everyone of them luck on the next part of their journey.

5. Macomb County Football Players Take Visits

Not only was spring break a good time for high school students to relax, but to also take college visits. Many of the state’s top prospects for the class of 2016 and 2017 decided to take visits to schools throughout the midwest. Here are the players, where they visited, and their reactions.

2016 Chealsea WR Bailey Edwards: Bailey Edwards is a wide receiver out of Chelsea High School. He’s the son of Stan Edwards (former Lions running back) as well as the brother of former NFL wide receiver Braylon Edwards. He’s also a good friend of mine that I grew up with. Bailey took a trip on April 10th to the University of Wisconsin, which he loved. Bailey went on to say to thedzone.net that “The visit was great, saw so many Badger greats such as Nick and Al Toon, Melvin Gordon, and Kenzel Doe. As I’m standing on the sideline watching practice the staff would come up and talk to me already making me feel like I was a part of the team. I can’t wait to get back there this summer for camp.” While he loved his visit to Wisconsin, it seems as Minnesota has the edge on Edwards as his older brother Berkley plays running back there.

2016 Battle Creek Lakeview RB Dreon Kemp: Kemp is a running back in the 2016 class who made all state as junior last season. Last weekend he took a visit to Northern Illnois University and seemed to be not only focused on the football aspect, but also the academic aspect. He said,”My visit to NIU was a great one. I love that they are not only MAC Champions 3 out of the last 5 years. But are ranked #9 in the Nation in Graduating Scholars. #1 in the MAC. Would love to be a Huskie!” Kemp seems to be looking for a school who not only has played well in recent years, but also has a good academic program. The one thing that is sure is that nobody knows who has the inside edge on Kemp as of right now, but with summer camps coming up soon we may find out.

2017 Cass Tech CB/WR Donnell Alexander: Alexander is a sophomore who is coming off a season that saw him start at cornerback for the Technicians. He seems a tad bit undersized as of right now as he sits at 5’9″ and 160lbs, but he has more than two years to grow (he will). He made an unofficial visit last weekend to Thee University of Ohio State, a college that has been a pipeline for many Cass Tech players. The University made a lasting impression on Donnell and seem to be his favorite as of right now, though he has yet to receive an offer from the Buckeyes. After the visit he told thedzone.net about his opinion on Ohio State. He said, “”I absolutely loved the visit. Ohio State has such great facilities, caring students and coaching staff, and also a competitive winning tradition. If I got the offer I would commit.” That statement right there seems to tell it all. If Ohio State wants Alexander he’s theirs’ for the taking.

6. NBA Playoff Predictions

Western Conference

1. Golden State Warriors vs 8. New Orleans Pelicans

First game: April 18th. 3:30 pm at Golden State. 

First off props to the Pelicans for beating out the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final spot in the Western Conference Playoffs. Sadly their trip will come to an end quicker than they’d like. Besides Anthony Davis, this team is extremely outmatched at every position including the bench. The Warriors are the second best team in the league when it comes to offensive efficiency and they are taking on a team who is 22nd in defensive efficiency (3rd worst of any team in the playoffs). The Warriors rank in the top 2 in both offensive and defensive efficiency and seem to be too much for the Pelicans. The Warriors went 3-1 against the Pelicans this year, their only lose coming to New Orleans on April 7th by a score of 103-100. In the 3 games they won, they beat the Pelicans by an average of more than 16 points per game.

Prediction: Warriors win 4-0

2. Houston Rockets vs 7.Dallas Mavericks 

First Game: April 18th. 8:30 pm in Houston. 

This will be a very intriguing matchup and personally will be the one I’m most excited to watch. A battle between two Texas teams: star power vs star power. Both teams made multiple trades and signings this year in hopes of contending for a title. Dallas signed Chandler Parsons away from Houston while acquiring point guard Rajon Rondo and defensive anchor Tyson Chandler through trades in the last ten months. Houston did just as much as they replaced Chandler Parsons with Trevor Ariza and then signed former all-star power forward Josh Smith mid way through December.  Dallas is top five in offensive efficiency this year, but have struggled of late, in part because Monta Ellis has not produced at a high level. At the same time Houston has been unbelievable, mostly because of star guard James Harden, who’s played most of the year without his star center Dwight Howard. The Rockets are playing some of their best basketball since the All-Star break. They also hold the regular season series lead at 3-1, but all four games have been decided by 11 points or less. This should definitely be a good series, but ultimately the better team should prevail.

Prediction: Houston Wins 4-2

3. Los Angeles Clippers vs 6. San Antonio Spurs

First Game: April 19th. 9:30 pm in Los Angeles 

This matchup will feature a team of players who have proved nothing in the playoffs against a team who has been the kings of the playoffs the last 15 years. The Spurs haven’t been too healthy as of late, but are starting to pick it up just in time for the playoffs. The regular season series was a tie at 2 games a piece, but neither team has seen each other since mid February. A lot has changed since then as the Clippers who were without Blake Griffin in their last meeting now have him back and fully healthy. While both teams rank top 6 in offensive efficiency, the Spurs are a way better defensive team (3rd) compared to the Clippers (15th). While I’d like to bet against the Spurs, I can’t because they are the defending champions, they have a healthy team, but most importantly they have the best coach in the world in Gregg Popivich. This should be another good series that I see the Spurs taking in 6 games, maybe 7 if the Spurs big 3 has to play high minutes.

Prediction: Spurs win in 6 brutal games

4. Portland Trailblazers vs 5. Memphis Grizzlies

First Game: April 19th. 5:00 pm in Portland

This matchup seems like it’ll be a very one sided contest. On one side you have a team who lost their star shooting guard and just got back their starting power forward from a foot injury and on the other hand you have a team who could’ve been the #2 seed had they not had a mental breakdown. While these teams are pretty even at nearly every position, the key factor will be the Memphis bench. Memphis’ bench is head and shoulders above Portland’s as they have Beno Udrih, Tony Allen, and Vince Carter all making major contributions. Another key factor is that while Wesley Matthews (out for the season) and Lamarcus Aldridge have been out, Damian Lillard has struggled. His numbers are down offensively and it doesn’t help that he is one the worst defenders in the league. Memphis has beaten this team in all four mathups this season and this series should be no different. I see Portland stealing a game, but nothing more as they’ve lost the four  games by an average of 11 points.

Prediction: Memphis wins easily in 5 games

Eastern Conference

1. Atlanta Hawks vs 8. Brooklyn Nets

First Game: April 19th. 5:30 pm in Atlanta.

These teams have met four times this year and Atlanta has won each of the contests. Not only have they won, but they’ve won by an average of more than 17 points per game. This matchup should be an easy one for Atlanta as they’ve trounced this team throughout the year. Atlanta is leaps and bounds above Brooklyn when it comes to offensive and defensive efficiency as the Hawks rank 6th and 7th while Brooklyn is in the bottom half off both categories. This matchup seems to be very one sided and Atlanta should get their brooms ready as a sweep against the Nets is imminent.

Prediction: Atlanta sweeps the Nets]

2. Cleveland Cavaliers vs 7. Boston Celtics

First Game: April 19th. 3:00 pm in Cleveland.

If you had told me 6 months ago that Boston would be a playoff team I probably would’ve laughed at you. Well I guess you would’ve gotten the last laugh as this young Boston team persevered and beat out some good teams. Now comes the hardest part. Beating a Cleveland team who is top 5 in the league. Cleveland outmatches Boston at every position, but Boston has the upper hand when it comes to each team’s bench. While Boston doesn’t have much of a chance, they do look like they’ll put up a good fight against this Cavalier team. Boston has some good players in Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, and Marcus Smart who could cause some trouble against the Cavs’ guards (or lack thereof). The Cavaliers are contender for this year’s title and if they want to win it they must get past an inexperienced Boston team.

Prediction: Get the broom cause the Cavaliers will sweep Boston

3. Chicago Bulls vs 6. Milwaukee Bucks

First game: April 18th. 6:00 pm in Chicago.

The Bulls are a team who seems to be healthy now and are coming into the game as winners of their last 4 games. While that might not be much of a win streak, it came against two playoff teams (Atlanta and Brooklyn) as well as a team fighting for a playoff berth (Miami). The Bulls have won 3 of the 4 games this year against the Bucks, but lost the most recent one on April 1st. This series could be interesting as the Bucks are a young team who at this point last year were the worst team in the league. If Michael Carter-Williams can play at the high level he has all year, and the Bucks get major contributions from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ersan Ilyasova then they may be able to steal a game or two against Chicago. While I love a cinderella story, this is not one that will likely happen. Chicago is way too talented with Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, and Taj Gibson. Even if Rose isn’t healthy it’s unlikely Milwaukee forces the upset.

Prediction: Chicago wins in 5 games

4. Toronto Raptors vs 5. Washington Wizards

First Game: April 18th. 12:30 pm in Toronto.

This will be the best matchup to watch in the East because both these teams are pretty evenly matched. Toronto won this series 3-0 during the regular season, but the postseason is a totally different monster in itself. I see this series going to Washington because of how efficient they are on defense even if they have yet to beat this Toronto team. While Toronto is third in offensive efficiency, the Wizards rank 5th n defensive efficiency. Defense wins championships and when you’re ranked 24th in defensive efficiency like the Raptors are, it’s hard to win games. Even though Washington isn’t very efficient offensively, they do have a few of the better shooter in the league when it comes to Bradley Beal and John Wall. This series is definitely going 7 games and it will be one of the better series we’ve seen in the Eastern Conference in recent years. If Wall and Beal can shoot like the young stars they are, then Washington will be advancing to the 2nd round.

Prediction: Washington wins in 7 hard fought games.

6. Aaron Hernandez Sentenced to Life

Former New England Patriot tight end Aaron Hernandez was found  guilty Wednesday afternoon by a grand jury. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole after killing Odin Llyod, a former linebacker for the seni-pro Boston Bandits. Hernandez was indicted in August of 2013, and has been awaiting trial ever since. He missed the last two NFL seasons while awaiting trial. He had signed a 5 year, $40 million dollar contract just months before the grand jury indicted him. Instead of being a top tier tight end with millions of dollars, he’ll have to serve the rest of his life in a maximum security prison. He will be staying at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, about 40 miles outside downtown Boston. It’s the newest prison created in the state as it was made in 1998 and has yet to allow a prisoner to escape.

7. University Of Michigan Rumors

There’s been a few rumors going on around about the university, specifically their basketball team. The first is that Caris LeVert seems like he’ll be staying with the Wolverines because it’s unlikely he’ll get drafted in the first round of this year’s draft. LeVert was only going to leave if he was a for sure first round pick, but after multiple sites have him in their latest mock drafts as late first and early second round picks, it seems likely he’ll stay for one more year and get his degree. The next rumor is Max Bielfeldt seems to be on his way out of the university. Multiple reports say Max no longer wants to be a part of the team and is looking for a team to transfer for his last year on eligibility. He would be allowed to immediately play as he would be a graduate transfer from Michigan. The last rumor, which is my favorite, is that. Michigan is the team to beat when it comes to 4-star guard Kenny Williams. Williams is a 4-star guard from the class of 2015, who just got let out of his letter on intent to VCU after Shaka Smart bolted for the University of Texas. While Michigan doesn’t have a scholarship to offer Williams, it seems like Bielfeldt or LeVert are on their way out. If so Max leaves and Caris stays, this will be one of the best teams in the country. Only time will tell, but as of right now Michigan has the edge over Virginia, Georgetown, and North Carolina. By the end of next week, we should know whether Williams is coming and if Caris will stay or go.

8. Red Wings Prediction

While most think the Red Wings will be out in the first round, I think they take this series against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 6 games. They already stole one in Tampa Bay Thursday night and seem poised to do so against Saturday. Datsyuk played unbelievable in the first game, scoring 2 goals and helping get the team going. But the real star of the night was Mrazek, who stopped 44 of 46 shots in the game. That’s a pretty good game for any goalie, but it’s even more special for a guy who’s never been to the playoffs. His save percentage for that game was .956 and if he can keep it up this series is there’s for the taking. Mrazek is the key to a deep playoff run, he must play consistent if the Red Wings want to go far this year.

Full Playoff Prediction: Red Wings take the first series 4-2. Win their second series in a hard fought 7 games against the Canadiens and then losing in 5 games in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Washington Capitals.

9. Tigers Demolish Competition

Coming into the season, nearly every Tigers’ fan had pretty high hopes, but almost nobody saw them starting off 8-1 and having one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. The Tigers have won all three of their series this year and out scored their opponents 54-21 in runs. This team was worried about pitching, but new addition Shane Greene has pitched great so far. He’s pitched 14 1/3 innings so far without giving up an earned run. While he won’t pitch that good all year, it does give us of a little taste of what we are likely to see this year. The team is hitting .312 on the year right now and if they can keep it up they will definitely have one of the best records come October. The team pitching has looked solid without Verlander right now. While they won’t be as good of a bunch as last year, they still could be a top 10 rotation and command some respect from opposing hitters. The Tigers kick off their series against the Chicago White Sox on Friday at 1:00 pm at Comerica Park. This will be a three game series and the first between the two this year.

10. Michigan State Gets 5-star

Last week Michigan State got a huge commit in center Caleb Swanigan. The 5-star center from Fort Wayne, Indiana, selected Michigan State over the likes of Kentucky, Arizona, Duke, and California. Swanigan is a huge commit for Tom Izzo and the highest one he has ever recruited. Swanigan will be a huge part of next year’s Spartans team as they try to make it back to the Final Four. He projects to be the team’s starting center as a true freshmen. He also does not seem like a one and done as he isn’t as fundementally ready as recent college big men. Swanigan seems like he’ll be a 2-3 year guy and a major contributor for the Spartans over the next few years.

Thanks for the read guys, I appreciate it. Any comments can be made at the bottom of the page. If you need to get a hold of me my email is [email protected]